The Land of Israel - Compared to the Desert

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  1. In Praise of the Land

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    Parashat Eikev includes two units that praise the land of Israel. Why are two units necessary? The first compares the land with the desert, while the second focuses on the contrast with Egypt.

  2. From Love to Betrayal: Yirmiyahu's First Prophecy of Rebuke

    Rabbi David Sabato

    Yirmiyahu's first prophecy conveyed to Israel is comprised of a series of sections, linked one to the next linguistically and substantively. Together they paint a difficult, varied, and penetrating picture of the moral and spiritual state of the people. The prophecy opens with one of the most moving accounts of the early relationship between God and His people, but it immediately takes a sharp turn to the difficult, spiritual reality in the days of Yirmiyahu, when the people have abandoned and betrayed their God. The description of Israel's youthful devotion in the wilderness serves only as a background and introduction to the essence of the passage – a prophecy of rebuke.

  3. Bamidbar: Natural Life

    Rabbi Jay Kelman

  4. The Teshuva Revolution

    Part 2

    Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

    Consistent with the transition detailed from a Temple-based Judaism to a Torah-centered lifestyle, the emphasis in this chapter is decidedly not on the Temple service. Many, if not all, of the practices omitted in this chapter bear significant connections to the Temple service. Ezra’s revolution, which seeks to reimagine Jewish life in the aftermath of the destruction of the First Commonwealth, envisions an observance of the holidays that does not revolve around the sacrificial service.

    Putting Esther and Nehemya together, it appears that repairing the Jewish People’s social fabric was a major point of emphasis for both post-exilic communities. It is almost as if Tanakh implies that Jews of Persia and Israel sought to “undo” the sins of previous generations, in which the wealthy trampled upon the poor and there were irreparable divisions between the different classes of society. Both Esther and Nehemya worked to create greater unity by emphasizing the importance of generosity at times of communal celebration, so that no one would feel excluded.

    The extraordinary moment of solidarity around the celebration of Sukkot – with all the difficulties it raises regarding contemporary observance of that holiday - coupled with the dramatic impact of the Torah reading ceremony just a few days earlier, combines to make the events of Nehemya chapter eight some of the most climactic known to biblical history.

  5. Eikev: The Sweat of Your Brow

    Rabbi Jay Kelman