Parashat Eikev

Moses continues his closing address to the Children of Israel, promising them that if they will fulfill the mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah, they will prosper in the land they are about to conquer and settle in, keeping with G-d's promise to their forefathers.
He reminds them to look at their history and to know that they can, and should, trust in G-d. And that they should be careful not to be distracted by their material success, lest they forget and ignore G-d.

Moses warns against idolatry (the belief that anything other than G-d has power) and against self-righteousness.

He says, “Do not say because of my virtue G-d brought me to occupy this land... but because of the wickedness of these nations that G-d is driving them out before you.”

Moses then details their rebellions against G-d during the 40 years in the desert, recalling their worship of the Golden Calf, the rebellion of Korah, the sin of the spies, and their angering of G-d at Taveirah, Massah and Kivrot Hataavah.

“You have been rebellious against G-d,” he says to them, “since the day I knew you.”

But he also speaks of G-d's forgiveness of their sins, and the second tablets which G-d inscribed and gave to them following their repentance.

Moses describes the land that they are about to enter as “flowing with milk and honey,” blessed with the “Seven Kinds” (wheat and barley, grapevines, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and dates). He commands them to destroy the idols of the land's former masters, and to beware, lest they become haughty and begin to believe that their power and might have gotten them this wealth.

This portion dispels a common misconception. People think that “Man does not live by bread alone” means that a person needs additional foods beyond bread to survive. The quotation in its entirety is:

“Man does not live by bread alone, but by all that comes out of G-d's mouth.”

The Torah then answers this question: What does G-d want of you?
“Only that you remain in awe of G-d your Lord, so that you will follow all His paths and love Him, serving G-d your Lord with all your heart and with all your soul. You must keep G-d's commandments and decrees... so that all good will be yours.”

A key passage describes the rewards of fulfilling G-d's commandments and the adverse results (famine and exile) of their neglect.

This Torah portion teaches us about the unique spiritual greatness of the Land of Israel that G-d gave as an everlasting gift to the Jewish people. Yet it also teaches that it would require effort to receive the pleasure of this special gift. For example, acquiring water in The Promised Land would not be as easy as it was in Egypt. We might wonder: Doesn't Egypt have the better deal, since it automatically gets whatever it needs, while the Jews must constantly hope and pray that the rain comes on time?

By forcing the Children of Israel to rely on G-d constantly for rain and to turn to Him for their needs, they gain a special connection in their relationship with G-d. True relationships don't thrive on convenience, but rather on connection.

We can learn from this the valuable lesson of not letting fear of discomfort or difficulty stop us from living life to the fullest.

Parashat Re’eh
Parashat Re’eh begins with a choice: “I set before you a blessing and a curse. The blessing: if you obey the commandments of G-d...; the curse if you do not... and you follow other gods.”
The portion continues with rules and laws for the Land of Israel, primarily oriented towards staying away from idol worship and the religions in the land.

Moses tells them that a temple should be established in “the place that G-d will choose to make dwell His name there,” where the people should bring their sacrifices to Him. It is forbidden to make offerings to G-d in any other place. It is permitted to slaughter animals elsewhere, not as a sacrifice but to eat their meat; the blood, however (which is poured upon the altar in the Temple) may not be eaten.

It is in Parashat Re’eh that we learn why the Jews consider themselves the chosen people.

“You are a nation consecrated to G-d your Lord. G-d has chosen you from all nations on the face of the earth to be His own special nation...”

We are chosen for responsibility, not privilege—to act morally and to be a ‘light unto the nations.’

When G-d gives the Land of Israel to the Jewish people, He warns them not to fall into the trap of adopting the false values of the surrounding nations. The lesson is that a person must always stand strong when it comes to what's right and wrong.

We learn that a false prophet, or one who entices others to worship idols, should be put to death and an idolatrous city must be destroyed. In this Parasha we find that the identifying signs for kosher animals and fish, and the list of non-kosher birds are repeated. Moses tells the Jewish people that a tenth of all produce is to be eaten in Jerusalem, or exchanged for money with which food is to be purchased and eaten there. On certain years this tithe is given to the poor. Firstborn cattle and sheep are to be offered in the Temple and their meat eaten by the Kohen (priest).

Moses recites additional commandments to follow. And then he implores upon his people to “...do what is good and right in the eyes of G-d.”

This portion concludes with the laws of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, when all should go to “see and be seen” before G-d in the Holy Temple.

Parashat Shoftim
Moses instructs the people of Israel to appoint judges and law-enforcement officers in every city. He tells them to administer justice without corruption or favoritism. Crimes must be meticulously investigated and evidence thoroughly examined—a minimum of two credible witnesses is required for conviction and punishment. We must learn from this how careful we should be before we accuse.

In every generation, says Moses, there will be those entrusted with the task of interpreting and applying the laws of the Torah.
Shoftim also includes the prohibitions against idolatry and sorcery, laws governing the appointment and behavior of a king and guidelines for the creation of “cities of refuge” for the inadvertent murderer.

Also set forth are many of the rules of war: the exemption from battle for one who has just married, built a home, planted a vineyard or is ‘afraid and soft-hearted.’ We learn about the requirement to offer terms of peace before attacking a city; the prohibition against wanton destruction of something of value, exemplified by the law that forbids cutting down a fruit tree when laying siege (in this context the Torah makes the famous statement: “For man is a tree of the field”). The Torah is teaching us to be aware of and respectful to our natural environment and careful not to needlessly harm or waste the precious resources G-d has given us.

The Parasha concludes with the law of Eglah Arufah—the special procedure to be followed when a person is killed by an unknown murderer and his body is found in a field—which underscores the responsibility of the community and its leaders not only for what they do, but also for what they might have prevented from being done.

Parashat Ki Teitzei
In Parashat Ki Teitzei, 74 of the Torah's 613 mitzvot (commandments) are mentioned. These include the inheritance rights of the first-born, the laws of the wayward and rebellious son, burial and dignity of the dead, the returning of a lost object, sending away the mother bird before taking her young, the duty to erect a safety fence around the roof of one's home, and the various forms of kilayim (forbidden plant and animal hybrids).

Also recounted are the judicial procedures and penalties for adultery, for the rape or seduction of an unmarried girl, and for a husband who falsely accuses his wife of infidelity. We learn that certain people are not permitted to marry a person of Jewish lineage.

This Parasha also includes laws governing the purity of the military camp, the prohibition to turn in an escaped slave, and the duty to pay a worker on time and to allow anyone working for you—man or animal—to “eat on the job.” It covers the proper treatment of a debtor and the prohibition against charging interest on a loan; the laws of divorce (from which many of the laws of marriage are also derived); the penalty of 39 lashes for transgression of a Torah prohibition; and the procedures for yibbum (marriage of the wife of a deceased childless brother) or halitzah (‘removing of the shoe’) in the case that the brother-in-law does not wish to marry her.

Ki Teitzei concludes with the obligation to remember “what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt.” Amalek represents the arch enemy of the Jewish people.