parshat Re'e

Our parasha focuses on the “place that Hashem will choose” (see Devarim 12:5-11). From the time these Torah passages were given, it took a long time until the place was identified. Only in the time of King David, more than 400 years after the Exodus from Egypt, was the secret revealed that the place was Jerusalem.

Does Hashem really need a grammar lesson in Dikduk - grammar?!

Once when I was serving reserve duty (miluim) in the IDF, I was sitting in the synagogue tent learning some Torah, when I happened to overhear some tidbits of conversation between two of my buddies. One of them was Torah-observant, the other one not yet. Out of the corner of my ear I heard the latter ask, "Tell me, how do you live with the fact that I can enjoy the world to the hilt, while you're saddled with all those Torah restrictions?" The religious one gave him a quick, short answer: "You enjoy This World, while I'll enjoy the World to Come!" Cringe.

In the ancient world, when grieving for a dead person, idol worshippers would make a bald spot in their hair between the eyes. The Torah explicity forbids this practice in Parshat Re'eh. Why?

We will continue to delve into the matter of tefilla as it is practiced within a community of believers in Hashem. In that framework, let us ask: To what extent are we supposed to pray for our needs and to what extent are we to make practical efforts toward them? Also, where does belief in Hashem's providence fit in?