Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed

Why did Hashem choose Avraham? It’s not really a mystery: God tells us Himself in this week’s torah portion. As Hashem says “because I know him, since he will command his children and his household after him and they will keep the path of Hashem, to do righteousness and justice.” Yet, we may struggle to find an instance where this actually occurred! When does Avraham teach his children what to do?

Avraham will receive the Land of Canaan as a gift... if he takes a walk first. Why is that so important?

Why not send the raven again? We tend to think that after the flood, Noah first attempted to send a raven to explore the dry land before he sent a dove to do the job. But there is something essential missing from this picture and most translations do not convey the passage accurately.

Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. What type of inheritance is this? What is the import of this idea? The Midrash Tannaim gives us the following most beautiful explanation, just in time to begin again.

We can ruin easily ruin our prayers, say the Sages. How, why, and how to avoid this problem addressed in brief in the Parsha Pick-Me-Up.

What is the last thing you’d like to eat before you die? What, indeed, do we want to do before we die? How would we spend today, if we knew we were in our final hours?

How do we find joy? Apparently we can find it after we bring the first fruits. A simple secret is once again taught by our tradition.

It is odd that he takes such a strong stand against vows. Is it really so bad to promise our children we will make the play, our spouse that we will take that vacation, our boss that we will make the meeting, and so on? Yes, Rav Dimi says. Take five minutes to listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn why.

Why is it so important to respect borders and boundaries? We begin with regular old fences. But there's a lot more there and all of our relationships are impacted by this teaching. This week’s episode is sponsored by Sari and Scott Garfinkle in memory of Zev David ben Shlomo z’l Sources: Sifri 188, Midrash Aggadah (Buber) Deut. 19, Lev. 19:10, Mishnah Peah 7:3, MT Gifts to the Poor 4:15, Proverbs...

They both rise on one and the same soil, both are watered by one and the same fall of rain and dew, the same air breathes over both of them… and yet Eval remains in barren bleakness while Gerisim is clad to its summit in embellishment of vegetation.

We return to an old problem with this verse. Could it be that the all knowing God really needs to test the people in order to see whether or not they would keep His commandments? Indeed, Ibn Ezra’s comments here amount to something like “I already wrote about this earlier.”

Given the great number of laws in Judaism, we may be tempted to conclude that doing good in God’s eyes means no more or less than keeping the law. However, we find in our parsha that this is not the case.

Moshe joins a long tradition of deathbed reprovers. It is a list that includes Yaakov, Yehoshua, Shmuel, and David. What is it about this practice that makes it so worthy of imitation by our greatest leaders and teachers?

The Tribes of Gad and Reuven just want a place to live. But Moshe goes right into panic mode. What is he so afraid of? And why should we be so afraid of it as well?

This episode carries different meaning this year. As I listened to it, I was surprised how different elements in it now became resonant. Listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn about zealotry, Pincha's moment, and the Jewish interest.

"Let my death be the death of the righteous! Let my end be like his!" What is it that Bilaam asks for? He seeks the profound, things that we all seek. Take three minutes to listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn more.

Usually, just a moment or two of reflection can help us understand why the Sages comment on a phrase or verse. But some comments are stumpers. This week, the Sages tell us that when Moshe and Aharon gather the people together, it is an example of the "few taking hold of the many," as though this is something I would not have figured out myself. But there is something rather surprising and beautifu...

Does Korach have the right priorities? Generally speaking, when we study the story of Korach and his group, we highlight his terrible moral and political errors. However, when we study Rashi, we find a positive lesson regarding Korach’s priorities.

The Spies saw what happened to Miriam. Yet, they seemed to miss something. Is it possible that we are missing something as well?

If that were the end of the passage, we would understand that Levites retire entirely at the age of 50. However, the next verse continues: (26) However, they shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, but they shall do no service. You shall do thus to the Levites concerning their duties." This is a little confusing. Are they to minister in the Tabernacle after...

Notice, the verse tells Moses to Take the Levites because the firstborn are holy. That doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t it say take the Levites because the Levites are holy or it should saythe firstborn are holy, so take them? Surely, it does not make sense to take the tribe of Levi for God because the firstborns were saved in Egypt! Sources: Num. 3: 12, Bemidbar Rabbah 3:5

Join me for a special episode focused on Yom Yerushalayim with Rabbi Jordan Silvestri, Head of School at the Robert M. Beren Academy. Rabbi Silvestri and I discuss Rabbi Doron Perez's essay, 'Six Days in June on “Eagles Wings”. This special episode was sponsored by Elise and Marc Passy to mark the yartzeit of Elise's father, Jerard Cohen, Yosef ben Yehuda, of blessed memory.

What does the im , supposedly "if" really mean? The Sages tell us it means something much more meaningful than just "if." This word opens our Torah portion and contains within it so much more. Take three minutes to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn more. Source: Avoda 5a.

God chose the 7th day of the week and the 7th year of the Shmitah cycle to be special for Him but the special nature of these Sabbaths is dependent upon us. Take three minutes to listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn more.

Our Torah portion begins with our deepest hope and greatest fear: getting credit for our children or receiving opprobrium.