Deuternomy 6:5 וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. What makes you, you? Not an easy question to answer. What brings you joy? What do you do really well? ֿNot only is it a good thing to occasionally reflect…
Numbers 32:6 ֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃ These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan.—Through the wilderness, in the Arabah near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. Words are profoundly sacred. The power of words is…
Numbers 32:6 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד וְלִבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאַתֶּ֖ם תֵּ֥שְׁבוּ פֹֽה׃ Moses replied to the Gadites and the Reubenites,“Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” And so you have the daily struggle of Jews living in the diaspora since October 7th. Really, since May 14, 1948 when the modern state of Israel was founded,…
Numbers 24:5 מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! One of the few compliments given to the Israelites as they wander the wilderness comes from the unusual character of the prophet Bilam. This prophet, not Jewish but dedicated to God, was hired by Balak to curse the Israelites. Upon seeing them…
Numbers 21:10 וַיִּסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּאֹבֹֽת׃ The Israelites marched on and encamped at Oboth. When I drove from Los Angeles to Chattanooga three years ago I stopped at a few noteworthy places. Phoenix and New Orleans for example – these are famous cities, and my driving companion and I enjoyed our stops there tremendously. We also stayed in little…
Numbers 16:9 הַמְעַ֣ט מִכֶּ֗ם כִּֽי־הִבְדִּיל֩ אֱלֹהֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵעֲדַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְהַקְרִ֥יב אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָ֑יו לַעֲבֹ֗ד אֶת־עֲבֹדַת֙ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן יְהֹוָ֔ה וְלַעֲמֹ֛ד לִפְנֵ֥י הָעֵדָ֖ה לְשָׁרְתָֽם׃ Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel and given you direct access to perform the duties of the Lord’s Tabernacle and to minister to the community…
Special edition of the Weekly Versewhile Rabbi Rotenberg is at Camp Ramah Darom (Pictured above: BZ campers Isaac, Meir, Della, Hazel, Eliza, Mirabelle, and Orly and Staff members Max, Rachel, and Levi) As I sit down to write this message, the clock ticks behind me – a reminder that Shabbat is coming in within the hour. The campers and staff have…
Special edition of the Weekly Versewhile Rabbi Rotenberg is at Camp Ramah Darom There were two incidents this past week that gave me pause. The first: Upon hearing the news about the successful rescue of four hostages, the mishlachat, Israeli emissaries and counselors, hosted a ceremony where a heart was put over their pictures in our camp library. There, every hostage…
Leviticus 26:3 אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments… Following this verse is a list of blessings if one follows the Torah, and curses if one does not. At first glance, one thing becomes clear. There are only a few blessings, as opposed to many, many curses. Torah, our Rabbis say, was written…
Leviticus 25:4 וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהֹוָ֑ה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃ But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. According to the Torah, the land of Israel is worked for six years, and rests…