YINR 929: Tanach Yomi

“If, along the road, you chance upon a bird’s nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life” (verses 6–7). כִּי־יִקָּרֵא קַן־צִפּוֹר לְפָנֶיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵץ אוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ א...

Chapter 21 details the unique case of the Eglah Arufah, the calf with a broken neck. When a dead body is found between two cities, the leaders of both cities must measure to determine which city is closest. The elders of that city must then bring a young calf that has never been worked down to a valley and perform a ritual of atonement: “If a slain person is found lying in the open, in the land th...

Chapter 20 details the various laws of war. After outlining who is exempt from battle and the rules of engagement, the Torah commands: “When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down…” (verse 19). כִּי תָצוּר אֶל־עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵ...

“You shall not move your neighbor’s landmarks, set up by previous generations, on the property that will be allotted to you in the land that your God is giving you to possess” (verse 14). לֹא תַסִּיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ אֲשֶׁר גָּבְלוּ רִאשֹׁנִים בְּנַחֲלָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּנְחַל בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ (Deuteronomy 19:14) This verse prohibits someone from moving their boundary...

The second half of chapter 18 returns to the well-trodden restrictions against false prophets, witches, wizards, and soothsayers. The Torah is very specific listing out all of these types of magicians those who tell the future through bones, talking through body parts, and necromancers. Why the obsession with witches, wizards, prophets and soothsayers? God knows that he people were heavily influen...

A Few Good Men (1992) The entire film builds to Jessup’s testimony, culminating in the famous “You can’t handle the truth!” moment. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Mayella Ewell’s testimony exposes the moral fault lines of the case and the town. My Cousin Vinny (1992) Mona Lisa Vito’s comedic inversion of the trope: the last witness dismantles the prosecution through expertise rather than emotion. Wa...

“Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God has given you” (verse 20). צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה וְיָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ (Deuteronomy 16:20) This famous phrase, or at least its opening words, has often been used as a rallying cry for “Jewish values” centered on the pursuit of justice. But what does it actual...

“Every seventh year you shall make a shmita.” (verse 1) מִקֵּץ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים תַּעֲשֶׂה שְׁמִטָּה (Deuteronomy 15:1) The Shmita year appeared twice before—the first in Exodus 23:11 and the second in Leviticus 25:4–7. Interestingly, while the fallow land aspect of Shmita may be the most famous, the term “shmita” itself appears here in Deuteronomy specifically in the context of loan forgiveness. Ibn...

“Do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.” This is the third time the Torah relays this exact commandment. The first was in Exodus, the second also in Exodus, and the third in Deuteronomy. The Torah repeats many laws, especially in Deuteronomy, but this law is unique in that it is repeated using the exact same phrase three times. The formulation appears first in the context of first fruits and fest...

Idol worship is one of Moshe’s central concerns in his farewell speech, and for good reason. The people are about to enter a land filled with entrenched idol worshiping cultures. Unlike in the wilderness, Israel will not simply pass through these influences; they will live among them permanently. But Moshe warns that external influence is not the only danger. Chapter 13 identifies three internal s...

At first glance, Deuteronomy 12 feels repetitive and disorganized. The chapter moves back and forth between destroying idolatry, prohibiting private altars, permitting ordinary meat consumption, and insisting on worship at a central location. But when the themes are separated, a deliberate structure emerges. At its core, the chapter revolves around two anchoring ideas: 1. Entering and remaining in...

Moshe concludes the chapter by framing Israel’s future as a stark choice. God presents the people with two possible paths: “See, I place before you today the blessing and the curse.” (Deuteronomy 11:26) רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה God then clarifies what each path represents: “The blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day...

The first half of the chapter has an odd chronology. The chapter opens with Moshe carving the new tablets and coming down from the mountain: “At that time the LORD said to me: Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain… I carved two tablets of stone like the first, and I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.” (Deuteronomy 10:1–3) בָּעֵת הַהִוא אָמַ...

Imagine the excitement as the people are about to enter the land, finally, after forty years of wandering. Moshe seems to throw some cold water on this excitement. He warns the people not to misunderstand why they are about to succeed: “When the LORD your God thrusts them from before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The LORD has enabled me to possess this land because of my virtue’; it is rather beca...

Food is the theme of chapter 8. Moshe tells the people that God intentionally challenged them in the desert by withholding food and water, in order to test them. God then brought the miracle of the mann to provide sustenance: “He subjected you to hardship and hunger, and then gave you manna to eat… in order to teach you that one does not live by bread alone, but by whatever the LORD decrees.” (Deu...

During Moshe’s description of the Exodus and the miracles of the wilderness, he reminds the people that God will continue to assist them in conquering the land in unexpected ways: “Moreover, the LORD your God will send the tziʿirah among them, until those who remain and those in hiding perish before you.” (Deuteronomy 7:20) וְגַם אֶת־הַצִּרְעָה יְשַׁלַּח ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּם עַד־אֲבֹד הַנִּשְׁאָרִים...

Chapter six contains many important sections that correspond to essential elements of prayer: the Shema, the first paragraph of the Shema, and tefillin. Shema Moshe begins with the defining declaration of Jewish faith: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד The opening line of the Shema serves as a counterbalance to the fi...

There are a few differences between the Exodus and Deuteronomy versions of the Ten Commandments. The most striking differences appear in the fourth commandment, the commandment of Shabbat. 1) “Remember” vs. “Keep” In Exodus, the commandment opens with: “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ In Deuteronomy, Moshe instead says: “Keep the Sab...

Moshe also focuses a great deal on idol worship. He warns the people that they must not attempt to represent God through images, since God revealed Himself without any physical form at Horeb: “Since you saw no shape when the LORD your God spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take utmost care not to act corruptly and make for yourselves a sculptured image in any likeness whatever.” (Deuteronomy 4...

At the end of Chapter 3, Moshe talks about his own punishment. He does not discuss the rock and the water here. Instead, he tells the people that it was because of them that God would not let him enter the land. Moshe recounts how he pleaded with God to cross the Jordan and see the land of Canaan: “I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying… Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on th...

In the second chapter, Moshe continues his review of the nation’s travels. This chapter serves a double purpose. The first is to recount the travels, but the second is to provide background for how the people should act towards the nations that surround the land. The seven nations in the land are supposed to be wiped out. But what about those around the land? Here, God has a different plan. Three...

The last book of the Torah takes place at the very end of Moshe’s life and is told from Moshe’s perspective. The book begins where Numbers left off. The nation is at the Jordan River poised to enter the land. The entire Exodus generation has died off except for Moshe, Calev, and Yehoshua. Moshe gathers the people and begins his farewell address. There are some new stories and laws, and there are r...

The book of Numbers ends in a seemingly very odd way with the continuation of the very personal story of the Tzelofchad sisters. The rest of the tribe comes to Moshe to complain about God’s decree that the daughters of Tzelofchad are granted their father’s inheritance. They are afraid that that may allow their tribal lands to be diluted. “The clan heads of the descendants of Gilead son of Machir s...

The arai miklat were special cities for the Leviim who did not have a tribal portion in Canaan. These cities doubled as a place of refuge for individuals who committed unintentional murder. The Torah first hinted at these cities in Exodus. “One who fatally strikes another party shall be put to death / If a man did so but not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to whi...

Chapter 34 is split into two parts. The first is the delineation of the borders of the land of Israel and the second is the list of the new princes. This chapter follows a simple A/B/B/A structure with the beginning of the book. Numbers began 38 years ago at Mt. Sinai. Following the giving of the Ten Commandments, God tells Moshe to appoint 12 princes to lead the people. These 12 princes are liste...