One of the prohibitions mentioned in this weeks Parsha is where the Torah disallows any of the Amonim or Moavim to intermarry within Klal Yisroel. The two reasons given for this ban is because they refused to give us bread and water upon our exodus from Mitzrayim as well as having hired Bilam to curse [...]

‘You should prepare a way and divide your surroundings into three portions…and it should be for a person who kills accidentally to run there’. (19; 3)   The above pasuk is talking about someone who accidentally kills another person; he should have a safe place to run, to where the relatives of the deceased can’t avenge the [...]

This weeks parsha discusses the mitzvah of tzedakah. It states that when someone will approach you and ask for tzedakah, you should give him. The pasuk concludes with a beracha ‘because of this mitzvah of tzedakah Hashem will bless you with all your endeavors and with anything that comes in contact with your hand.’ The gemarah in kesuvos (49) says that beis din may force a person to give tzedakah, just as they can force [...]

And you should eat, be satisfied and bless Hashem your g-d. (8; 10) The gemarah in berachos asks: how do we know that one makes a beracha before he eats and not just after he eats? The halacha is broughtfrom the following kal vchomer: ’k’shehu soveh mivarech-k’shehu ra’av lo kol shekein’? If one makes a beracha when satisfied should he not be logically obligated to do so, even more, when he is [...]

As we know, chumash Devarim is referred to as Mishna Torah, because it is a review of the entire Torah. One goal of this sefer is to review all of the mitzvos that Hashem has given us, for the sake of chazara.   The mitzvah of Shabbos is mentioned nearly twenty times throughout the torah, and is one of the most fundamental mitzvos. However, inMishna Torah it is mentioned only once, in the recital of the Aseres [...]

We find in this weeks parsha that Hashem tells Moshe rabbeinu about the mitzvah of designating the arei miklat. An arei miklat is a refugee city for someone who killed another person accidentally. One lives there until the death of the Kohen Gadol and is thus spared from the deceased relatives retaliating against him. Hashem tells Moshe to designate three arei miklat in aiver hayarden and another three in eretzYisroel. There were only two and a half shevatim on that side of the yarden. Why was there [...]

At the end of this week’s parsha the Torah relates how Moshe was going to divide eretz Cana’an amongst the shevatim. The pasukim begin by stating that Moshe gave a portion to bnei Reuven and bnei Gad, and then gave a significantly larger portion to chatzi shevet Menashe. Thepasuk then goes back and discusses what Moshe gave to bnei Reuven and bnei Gad. There are three questions that [...]

This week’s parsha begins (25; 11) ‘Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal.’   Medrash Raba comments by saying ‘din hu sheyitol [...]

We find in this week’s parsha, Hashem tells Bilam not to go with the emissaries of Balak. As the pasuk says Hashem tells Bilam, “You shall not go with them! You shall not curse the people because they are blessed.” (22; 12)   Later on, we find that the Torah relates how Hashem grants Bilam permission to [...]

In this week’s parsha, we learn about the death of Miriam. At that time, the well that supplied klal Yisroel with water had dried up. Bnei Yisroel then began complaining to Moshe Rabbeinu that they had no water, which led to Moshe committing his aveira of hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. It’s interesting [...]