BS”D
The letter Yud has a numerical value of 10. Ten fingers, ten toes, ten commandments & with ten utterances Ha-Shem created the universe; ten emanations - “eser Sefirot” - of the Eitz Chayim, the Tree of Life in Kabbalah, from conception to completion…
Yud is the building block of the Alefbet, each letter in fact [...]
And when Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them: Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day. Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching. For this is not a trifling thing for you: it [...]
BS”D
There is an enlarged letter Lamed in this week’s Parsha, Nitzavim, in Devarim/Deuteronomy 29:27.
åÇéÌÄúÌÀùÑÅí éÀäåÈä îÅòÇì àÇãÀîÈúÈí, áÌÀàÇó åÌáÀçÅîÈä åÌáÀ÷ÆöÆó âÌÈãåÉì; åÇéÌÇùÑÀìÄëÅí àÆì-àÆøÆõ àÇçÆøÆú, ëÌÇéÌåÉí äÇæÌÆä.
“Vayit’sheym Y-H-V-H mey’al adematam b’af uv-cheymah uv-qetzef gadol va-yash’Likheym el-eretz acheret kayom hazeh:”
“So Y-H-V-H uprooted them from their soil in anger, & wrath, & great fury, and cast them into [...]
Cross-posted from jspot
It is ironic that, within this week’s double parashah (Nitzavim-Vayelekh), we find both God’s exhortation to “choose life” and Moses’ announcement of his impending death. In one moment, God promises the Jewish people that the rejection of idol worship and the observance of mitzvot will guarantee life; in the next, the people [...]
Where is this thing called Teshuvah located? the Torah asks. Well, it isn’t in heaven, so please don’t say, I can’t do this thing because I don’t know how to get to heaven. And it isn’t across the sea, so please don’t say, I can’t do this thing because I don’t have a steamship ticket. [...]
All these blessings shall come upon you and take effect, if you will but heed the word of the Lord your God:
Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the issue of your womb, the produce of your soil, and the offspring of your cattle, [...]
A handmill or an upper millstone shall not be taken in pawn, for that would be taking someone’s life in pawn.
That line appears late in this week’s portion, Ki Tetze. It arises seemingly out of context; the verse immediately preceding it talks about how a newly-wed man is exempt from military service, and the verse [...]