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You shall surely tithe the entire crop of your planting… And you shall eat [it] before Hashem, your G-d. (14:22,23)

Rashi comments that the pasuk is referring to Maaser Sheini, the second tithe. He also tells us that it cannot be discussing Maaser Rishon, the first tithe, because that tithe was given to the Levi. Thus, when the Torah writes that the fruits of the present tithe may be eaten  in any place,  it obviously must be a different Maaser.  Later,  in pasuk 27,  the Torah writes, “And the Levi who is in your cities, do not forsake him, for he does not have a portion or inheritance with you.” Rashi comments, “Do not forsake him by refraining from giving him…

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You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations from whom you shall take possession worshipped their gods… You shall not do so to Hashem, your G-d. (12:2,4)

Rashi quotes the Sifrei (61), which offers a homiletic rendering of this pasuk: “Would it enter  one’s mind  that the Jews (Israel)  would shatter their  Altars?” What, then, does the Torah mean when it writes, “You shall not do this to Hashem, your G-d?” We would never do to our holy places what we are being commanded to do to the shrines of the idol worshipers. “Rabbi Yishmael taught that Israel (Jews) should [be careful] not to do [deeds] like their deeds (i.e., commit sins that will cause them to be exiled) and [thus] your sins would cause the Bais…

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See/Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. (11:26)

When one peruses Jewish history, it is apparent that the pendulum of Jewish fortune swings  to  extremes.  We have been  blessed  with  either  incredible prosperity  or drastic misfortune. Even concerning the individual, one is either highly successful, very observant, or sadly, the extreme opposite. While it may not be obvious to the casual observer, if one were to cogently look at life, he would see that for the Jew, life is either about ceaseless blessing or unbearable curse. Even with regard to sin, the Torah relates in the parsha of Krias Shema: He’shamru la’chem pen yifteh levavechem – v’sartem, va’avaditem…

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See/Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. (11:26)

One of the basic tenets of Judaism is that man is equipped with the ability to discern between good and bad, right and wrong. He is also equipped with the capacity to choose right over wrong, good over evil. Contrary to popular opinion, man is not destined to do bad, to veer to the wrong side of the truth. If he does so, it is purely of his own volition, and not due to a predetermined GPS within his psyche that always steers him to do evil. The Torah says, “See/Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” Towards…

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