Shlomo's Thoughts on the Torah

The commandment to appoint judges is one of the most important for a just society.  Moses commands the judges that they have to be just in their decisions.  They cannot favor one party over the other, neither rich nor poor, neither the powerful nor the powerless,

As we begin the Book of Deuteronomy, we see that Moses goes over those commandments that the Jews will have to carry out once they arrive in the Land of Israel.  Up until now these commandments were taught in theory.  Now they will have to be carried out in reality.

In this week's portion the tribes of Reuben and Gad express a desire to settle east of the Jordan.  Moses gives them permission provided that they remember their obligation to help in conquering the land.  That it is not just about them but the whole of the people.

In this week's portion the Jews receive the command to expel the Canaanites from the Land of Israel.  The reason is that they are considered to be bad people and their influence on the Jews would lead the Jews to sin.

After the initial retaliation against Midian Moses reprimands the Jewish officers for allowing the women to live.  To understand this, we have to remember that the women were willing participants in the sins committed by the Jewish men that led to the war.  That is why they had to be punished like the men.

The reason that the Jews were commanded to destroy Midian was because Midian had declared war on God and morality.  Personal insults are one thing.  Insulting God and morality are another.

When going to Jerusalem there were no directional signs.  We want people to stop and ask directions.  When going to a city of Refuge there were directional signs.  We know that the person running to them is in a hurry and cannot wait.

When the daughters of Zelaphad approached Moses about their inheritance rights he asked them to wait for an answer.  He knew that the decision would be the basis of decisions for the future.  In the case of Pinchas he could not wait, he had to take action immediately to prevent a clear and present danger.  A true leader has to realize what is an emergency and what is not.

In this week's portion we learn the difference between real leadership and a leader that follows the crowd.   Pinchas was not yet chosen to be leader but had a moral compass.  Zimri had inherited his position as leader of the Tribe of Shimon and had no moral compass.  Zimri thought he could get away with violating the law flagrantly due to his family's influence.  He was m...

Moses has to find the next leader of the Jewish people in this week's Portion.  He chooses Joshua.  The thinking is that Joshua knows how to speak to the people and how to make hard decisions, which is one of the qualifications of a leader.  You can't always be popular.

The Portion starts out with Pinchas receiving the blessing of peace.  The reason is that he had just killed Zimri and Koziba.  Even though they deserved to die and Pinchas was justified in doing so, he was disturbed by his action.  Taking a life is a serious matter even when justified.

When he realizes that cursing the Jews from the outside will not work so long as the Jews are moral, Balak sends women into the camp to make the Jew immoral.  The plan works.  Zimri carries out his immorality in full view of the people.  This was the downfall.

When Bilaam states that the Jews are a people that dwell alone he means that due to their morality and ethical behavior that will not find many others who would join them.  When everyone else is immoral then the moral person finds himself alone.

When Balaam has an argument with his donkey, he misses the main point.  The donkey is speaking to him.  It is a classic case of the march of folly.  That is following a disastrous path even when you know it will end in disaster.

One of the observations of Balaam was how the tents of the Jews in the wilderness were set up so that one could not see into another.  The entrances were adjusted for this purpose.  The Torah is teaching us that we must respect each other's privacy.

Balaam is warned at the very beginning of this week's portion that his attempt to curse the Jewish people is doomed to failure by no less than God.  Yet he persists in the project.  Why?  He could not admit that he made a mistake in accepting this job.

In this week's portion Balaam is the main character but it is named after Balak.  The reason for this is that while Balaam does most of the work, he does so at the behest of Balak.  Balaam is simply a hired gun.  The reason that Balak hates the Jews is simply he hates God centered morality.

When the well that was following the Jews in the wilderness dried up after the death of Miriam the people complained that they had a better life in Egypt.  What is amazing is that the people complaining were born after they left Egypt.  They were totally taken care of by God.  They did not have to earn their food.  They were not grateful for all that God gave them.

When Miriam died the well stopped giving water.  The Jews were unaware that it was due to Miriam that they had water.  It reminds us of all the people who are involved in supplying us with our daily needs.

In this week's portion Moses hits the rock in the wilderness to bring out water.  God tells Moses that he did not do as instructed.  He should have spoken to the rock.  He was punished for this.  The fact that the Torah records this is to underline that Moses was human and not a God.

One of the lessons of this week's Portion is that Aaron, Miriam and Moses prepared the leadership to come after them.  Do not assume that they will learn by osmosis.  They need to be educated both in knowledge and in spirit.

When the Vilna Gaon (d. 1797) read the American Constitution, he was convinced that the redemption was beginning.  Article 6 states that there be no religious test to hold office in the US.  This meant that Jews were full and equal citizens of the country.  This was unheard of before then.  The Zionist movement can be traced to the Vilna Gaon's understanding of US Constitution.

The Hebrew translation of the name of the US does not translate as "the United States" but as The Lands of the Agreement".  Hebrew is the only language that translates the US in this way.  It is a recognition the US is not just another country but unique in the world with a special mission.

The problem that Korach had was that he didn't understand that we needed a legal code in place before we arrive in the Land.  This truth is borne out by the fact that the reason the US was so successful as a country was that there was a legal code in place upon independence.

On the face of it Korach seems to have a valid complaint.  The truth is that it breaks down when we really look at it.  This is the very common among those who seek power for the sake of power.  They use democracy to bring their dictatorship.