Hagaon Rav Shlomo Efraim of Prague zt”l on Parshat Nitzavim
(from Kli Yakar on Devarim 30:11) You Needn’t Climb to Heaven There is a four verse section (Devarim 30:11-14) of this week’s Torah portion that opens, “For this commandment that I command you this day, . . . is not beyond you . . . is not far away from you . . . is […]
Hagaon Rav Yehuda Aryeh Leib of Gur zt”l on Parshat Ki Tavo
(from Sfat Emet on Ki Tavo, year 5657, “Pasuk Uva’u”, pp.58a, b ) All of the Blessings Before listing the specific blessings that come upon the people of Israel, the Torah says, “All of these blessings will come to you and overtake you when you listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d.” (Devarim 28:2).” […]
Hagaon Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (Netziv) zt”l on Parshat Ki Teitzei
(from Haamek Davar on Devarim 22:8) A House’s Foundation “When you build a new house you should build a protective fence (‘maakeh’) for your roof.” (Devarim 22:8) According to the Sifrei, this halakha also applies to an old house: “[From the beginning of the verse] I would only have known that this applies to a […]
Hagaon Rav Moshe Sofer zt”l on Parshat Shoftim
(from Chatam Sofer on Devarim, p. 71, “Tzedek”) Appointing Your Own Judges “You should surely pursue justice (“tzedek tzedek tirdof”) in order that you should live and inherit the land that Hashem your G-d gives you.” Rashi comments, quoting the Gemara in Sanhedrin (32), “The act of appointing proper judges is itself worthy of sustaining […]
Hagaon Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov zt”l on Parshat Re’ei
(from Kedushat Levi on Devarim) “Today’s Blessing” The Parsha opens with, “See that today I place before you a blessing and a curse.” The word “today”, asks the Kedushat Levi, seems superfluous. Why didn’t the Torah say, “See that I place before you. . . “? The Parsha opens with, “See that today I place […]
Hagaon Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai zt”l on Parshat Eikev
(from Kisei Rachamim on Masekhet Sofrim 18) Land of Iron, Men of Iron Among the praises of the land of Israel mentioned in this week’s parsha appears (Devarim 8:9), “It is a land whose stones are iron and from its mountains copper can be hewn.” In Hebrew: “Eretz asher avaneha barzel umeiharareha tachtzov nechoshet.” The […]
Hagaon Rav Chayim ben Atar zt”l on Parshat Vaetchanan
(from Or Hachayim on Devarim 4:39) Today is Shabbat The Torah says, “You should know today (veyadata hayom) and take to heart that Hashem is the G-d in the Heavens above and on the earth below; there is no other.” Why, asks the Or Hachayim, does the Torah refer to “today”? Doesn’t the taking to […]
Hagaon Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l on Parshat Devarim
(from Emet L’Yaakov on Devarim) Why Did Moshe Agree to Send the Spies? Moshe, when he recounts the story of the sending of the spies, says, “All of you came close to me . . .” Rashi explains that they came to Moshe as a disorganized group, young people pushing aside the elderly, and old […]
Hagaon Rav Shalom Noach Brozofsky zt”l on Parshat Matot
(from Netivot Shalom on the Torah) Vows and the Heads of the Tribes The Torah’s presentation of the laws of nedarim (vows) is directed at the heads of the tribes. This non-standard opening is the textual basis of the halakha that a great sage (chakham) can annul a vow (perform hatarat nedarim) by himself (whereas […]
The Vilna Gaon zt”l on Parshat Pinchas
(from Kol Eliahu on Pinchas) One Goat Offering Each Day On Sukkot, as opposed to Pesach, a different Mussaf sacrifice is offered on every one of the seven days of the holiday. The offerings consist of oxen (parim), rams (ailim), sheep (kevasim), and goats (izim). The numbers of the rams, sheep, and goats are constant; […]
