Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parashat Va’etchanan includes one of the best-known sentences in the Torah, “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Eloheinu, Hashem Echad ” (Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One; Deuteronomy 6:4)....

Many events in the Book of Deuteronomy intersect with the Genesis narrative. For example, Genesis narrates the stories of Jacob and Esau while Deuteronomy involves their descendants – the nations...

Why does the Torah spend an entire chapter outlining all of the Israelites encampments in the desert (Numbers 33)? Rashi, quoting the Midrash, suggests it illustrates God’s love for His people....

There is a clear parallel between Balak and events in the Book of Exodus. In both narratives, kings (Pharaoh of Egypt and Balak of Moab), alarmed about the success of...

From the time that Moses comes on the scene, he is under attack: • When he breaks up a fight between Jews while still in Egypt, one turns to him...

The story of the spies is viewed as an episode revealing the Jews’ basic lack of faith in God (Numbers 13,14). This is similar in its underlying theme to the...

Complaining to Moses, the Israelites cry out that they remember the fish served to them in Egypt that they received “chinam” (without paying; Numbers 11:5). Could they really have received...

An old rabbinic joke tells of a young man who requested to become a Kohen (Jewish priest). When the board of the congregation refused, the young man offered a million...

The Torah, in the Book of Numbers, explains pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn son; Numbers 3:40–51). Originally, the eldest son in each family was designated to serve in the Temple. After...

Foundational to Jewish living is being attentive to the needy, as the Torah states, “If your brother is waxen poor, and his means fails with you: then you shall uphold...