Download as Word The last of the six hundred and thirteen Mitzvoth is found in Parshas VaYelech. It is the Mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah. This is the Mitzvah that each person is to write a complete Sefer Torah, which is to remain the property of the person who wrote it, as their Sefer.…

Download as Word Who was Gedaliah and why do we fast? After the destruction of the first Bais HaMikdosh, the Babylonians left a small and impoverished group of Jews in Eretz Yisrael. Gedaliah was the viceroy of that group. It seems that so long as this small group was in the land, Klal Yisrael were…

Download as Word Preface. 1 The Bracha of Zichronos. 1 Zechira and Pekidah. 1 What is the Difference between Zechira and Pekidah. 2 The Shofar of Torah. 2 Torah and Tefilah. 3 The Birth of Yitzchak – Through Torah and not Tefilah. 3 The Era of Torah. 3 The Torah of Avrohom and Sara. 4…

Download as Word In this week’s Parsha, after the admonishments of the previous Parsha, the Torah then puts the rebukes into context. The Parsha begins with, “You are standing.” Rashi says[1], Klal Yisrael heard all the curses, and they were terrified. How can we survive all this? HaShem said you are still standing after forty…

Download as Word There are two Parshiyos of rebuke in the Torah. One at the end of VaYikra, and one at the end of Devarim. There are several issues that Chazal point out about these two parallel Parshiyos. The Gemarra says[1] that the rebukes at the end of VaYikra are said in the plural, and…

Download as Word The Haftarah for this week is the fifth of the seven of Nechama – comforting. These Haftoras begin with Shabbos Nachamu and end the seventh is the Shabbos before Rosh HaShanah. This one begins with the words from Yeshaya[1]:  Rejoice barren one, who bore no child. Shout aloud for joy, you who…

Download as Word Among the many Halachos discussed in Parshas Shoftim is the process of Klal Yisrael going to war. The Pasuk teaches that there is a special Cohen, the Cohen who is Anointed for War, Mashuach Milchama. His task is to arouse the nation to be brave in battle. He says[1], “Hear Yisrael, you…