“Chosen” People? Tolerated, Perhaps. (Ha’azinu: Deuteronomy 32: 19-28)

Ha’azinu has put the term, “Chosen People” into a new perspective for me. And I can’t say that I like it. In my previous post, I wrote about the power of choice and the personal responsibility we should accept for our choices. I based this on my understanding of God ‘s relenting on His decision […]

Power of choice (Ha’azinu: Deuteronomy 32: 19-28)

After having escaped from Egypt, we Jews faced a number of critical points at which our collective decisionmaking skills were challenged. Perhaps the most dramatic example was at Mount Sinai when the persistence of our slave mentality affected our ability to weigh alternatives and make a choice based upon the basic tenets of Judaism. When […]

What Has Deuteronomy Got to Do with Bullies on Facebook? (Deuteronomy 19:15-21)

The Torah verse in Deuteronomy, discussing false witness, may be particularly relevant to us now in the modern virtual era when bullies can tell lies that spread farther and faster than the most virile disease or brush fire. The verse begins by indicating the number of eyewitnesses required to validate that a crime was committed […]

First Inspiration – Deuteronomy 33-34: Understanding Being the Parent of Adult Children

Moses climbed Mount Nevo, from which point he could watch as the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. He blessed each of the tribes of Israel, het Moses was forbidden by God to enter the land together with his people. He had led them out of slavery in Egypt and through the […]