Corporate Torah

Shabbat Ki Tavo Dvar Torah – The Wonder of Our Story In this week's portion, we are introduced to the Mitzvah (commandment) of  Bikkurim —bringing the very first and finest fruits from our fields to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Mishnah describes how this was a joyous, lively procession. Baskets of  Bikkurim  were paraded through the streets of Jerusalem with great pomp, circumstance, and communal celebration. At the culmination of this procession the Torah prescribes a litany of gratitude. The farmer would recount the grand scope of our history, starting with Jacob’s salvation from Laban, moving through our enslavement and the Exodus from Egypt, and culminating in the incredible gift of the Promised Land. It’s easy for the daily grind to obscure the wonder of the gifts we possess. Bikkurim is the antithesis of that and takes something entirely mundane – the fruits of our labor - and transform it into a deeply spiritual experience. The message is clear: our day-t...

Shabbat Ki-Tetzei Dvar Torah – Building Welcoming Homes This week’s portion is notable for having 74 Mitzvahs (commandments), the most of any portion and a full 12% of all the Mitzvahs in the Torah One of these is the biblically mandated building code of fencing the roof of our home. ”When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it” (Deu. 22:8). This applies specifically to a flat roof which is likely to be used for domestic purposes. The modern commentator the Netziv notes that while the verse gives the example of a “new” house, this Mitzvah actually applies to any house. In fact, Halacha (Jewish law) forbids us from dwelling in any home until the roof’s fence is constructed. He suggests the insight that the Torah is accentuating that when building new homes, they should be infused with Mitzvahs from the get-go, hence the primary example is a “new” home. Not only does the roof ...

Shabbat Shoftim Dvar Torah – Navigating Ambiguity with Wholeness In this week’s portion the Torah enumerates several ancient practices of witchcraft, fortune-telling, and necromancy, strictly forbidding engagement with them. In ancient (and even modern) societies these practices offered the illusion of clarity and certainty. However, Maimonides famously teaches that the Jewish people are meant to be wiser than this. Having experienced the ultimate truth of hearing the spoken word of G-d, we possess the spiritual and intellectual maturity to see past these superficial superstitions. This passage concludes with a powerful summarizing directive: Tamim tiheyeh im Hashem Elokecha – "Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the Lord thy G-d." (Deut. 18:13) The classic commentator, the Ohr Hachaim, notes a double entendre embedded in this verse which serves as both a commandment and a promise. We are instructed to be wholly with Hashem, and conversely when we are with Hashem, we wi...

Shabbat Re’eh Dvar Torah - Radical Responsibility This week the Torah introduces to the mitzvah of  Tzedaka  (charity). Embedded within the narrative of this commandment is a paradox. On the one hand the Torah promises that "there shall be no needy among you," but just a few verses later states that "the needy shall never cease from the land." How do we reconcile this? The 19 th century commentator Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch explains that the phrase "from the land" refers to the natural order of the world. Even if two people begin life with the exact same resources, variables like health, family circumstances, and personal abilities will inevitably create disparity. Left to its own devices, the natural course of a society guarantees that some people will live in poverty. However, the Torah does not want us to simply accept this natural order, but highlights what happens in "the land" generally, versus what is incumbent on us in "y...