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His Eye Is On The Sparrow Parashat Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) Have you ever wondered what the “least of the commandments” is that Yeshua speaks of in Matthew 5? (See Matthew 5:17-20.) According to our sages, the least commandment is found in this week’s Torah portion: If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long. (Deuteronomy 12:6-7) read more »	Ki Tetze The Least of the Commandments Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20) What is the “least of the commandments” that Yeshua speaks of in Matthew 5? According to our sages the least commandment is found in this week’s Torah portion: read more »
Remembrance and Redemption Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 As one exits the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, the final site is a sign written in Hebrew and in English. It is a profound quote from the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidic Judaism in the eighteenth century: Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption. What does this mean? Let’s explore the implications. According to our Torah portion for this week, the king of Israel is commanded to write a copy of the Torah for himself as a reminder of his responsibilities as the leader of a holy nation bound to a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe: read more »	The Snowball Effect Parashat Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) Have you ever heard of the Snowball Effect? As you know, the Snowball Effect is a process that begins with something that is seemingly insignificant but then builds on itself, becoming exponentially larger over time. It comes from the concept of a snowball rolling down a hill. In theory, it picks up both mass and momentum the longer it rolls. After just a little while it would become quite massive and very difficult to stop. This concept has been applied to many things, but it has spiritual applications as well. In Pirkei Avot, Ben Azzai tells us: Run to pursue a minor mitzvah [commandment], and flee from a transgression. For a mitzvah brings another mitzvah, and a transgression brings another transgression. For the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah, and the reward of transgression is transgression. (m.Avot 4:2) read more »
The Mitzvah of Gratitude Parashat Ekev - Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 In Judaism, we have the practice of giving thanks after each meal. This is called Birkat Hazon, or Grace After Meals. This practice is derived from the passage in our Torah portion that gives the instruction to thank the LORD after eating: And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:10) But isn’t it only natural for a person to give thanks for what they have received? Why do we need a commandment to require this of us? Let’s look at an example from the Apostolic Scriptures that will bring us some clarification: read more »	Eating Elephants (Kosher Ones, That Is) Parashat Va'etchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) Have you ever been overwhelmed at what seemed like an impossible task? We can respond to this in one of two ways. The first is to give up without even trying, because we instantly know that we will not be able to complete the task. The alternative, however, is to get our minds off of the impossibility of the task and onto the responsibility at hand. If we focus on the immediate requirements of the task and work our hardest on what we can do, then we might accomplish more than we realize. read more »

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