17 Lessons
Parashat Hashavua On the Book, the Sword, and “Bots”
In the middle parashiyot of Sefer Devarim, telling of the time soon before entering Eretz Yisrael, the topic of war comes to the fore. We will look at one case in our history in which the “sword” was connected to the “book” in an interesting way. There are many elements to waging war. In the battlefield, people use weapons to kill or incapacitate. Today, technology is employed against the enemy, whether operated in the battlefield from afar or by infiltrating their important systems. Psychological warfare is a modern and ancient tool. Last week, we read the Torah’s instructions to soldiers not to be afraid of an intimidating army (Devarim 20:1-3).
Ki Tetze Is there a Way to Permit Ribbit (Usury)?
The Torah relates to loans as an act of chesed and demands of all who can to lend to those in need, as part of a Jewish life, which is based on charity and justice.
Parashat Hashavua Two Levels of Struggle
The war against Amalek can take place on two planes – a maximalistic plane and a minimalistic plane.
Parashat Hashavua “So that His Heart Not Be Elevated above His Brothers”
Our Parasha starts with halachot that come about by going out to war. It is the king who is involved in the decision to fight and leads the nation into it. Such power can lead its possessor to conceit. That is why the Torah dictates laws whose purpose is “so that his heart not be elevated above his brothers … and so that he shall have many years in his kingship, he and his sons in the midst of Israel” (Devarim 17:20). This shows that a candidate for kingship can fall if he is guilty of the sin of haughtiness.