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The twelve massive stones Israel is commanded to to take from the Jordan River bed from the very spot upon which the feet of the priests who held the Ark of the Covenant stood, and to stand upright and build with them an altar and write upon them the entire Torah, are not mere markers or billboards. These stones’ function is to make real Israel’s eternal unbreakable bond to the land promised us by G-d.
Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8)
Parashat Ki Tavo is read on Shabbat:
Elul 18, 5773/August 24, 2013
Temple Institute Links:
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Temple Talk is a weekly internet radio webcast with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute.
This week features:
Joy, Goodness of Heart and an Abundance of Everything
Bringing First Fruits to the Holy Temple: The Joy of Life in the Land of Israel
This week’s Torah portion of Ki Tavo opens with the ultimate expression of true joy: the bringing of first fruits by every Israelite to the Holy Temple. This Torah-mandated, Temple-era ritual – soon to be renewed with the rebuilding of the Holy Temple – is the consummate experience of gratitude and humility, as well as the keenest manifestation of the sheer joy that is a result of living in the Land of Israel. But isn’t strange that this Torah portion, which begins with a portrayal of ultimate joy, also contains the ominous, portent-filled ‘curses?’ That dichotomy seems to be the perfect description of our world. Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman don’t think it’s strange at all, as they plumb the depths of what it really means to serve G-d “with joy, goodness of heart and from an abundance of everything” – and find that there is one common root to everything, on this week’s moving edition of Temple Talk.
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Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Emunah channel is here. For Info www.torahfaith.org
When a father wants to teach his young son wisdom, which [ultimately] will enable him to ascend to the higher levels but which he cannot presently understand, if he tries induce the child to learn by saying to him, “Endure the strain of discipline and instruction, so that through them you may ascend esteemed levels,” the child will be unable to bear it and will not listen to him, because he does not understand it.
But if the father promises him things that bring him immediate pleasure — such as food and drink, attractive clothing, a nice wagon, and the like — and threatens him with immediate discomfort — such as hunger, nakedness, spankings, tangible arguments, and clear and truthful evidence, it will be easier for him to endure the strain of discipline and bear with its difficulty. When he reaches adolescence and his mind has matured, he will understand the intended goal of his training and direct himself toward it, while the pleasures for which he had been so eager at the beginning of his way will appear unimportant to him. Such an upbringing proves to be a great kindness toward him.
Dedicated to Kevin W Bruce
Program Link – Read the Torah w/Shmuel – Contact – Emunah Channel
Coarse lust or true love? Superficial yearnings or deep prophecy? Life is full of battles and each battle brings out the worst or the best in us. We are only human, and that is precisely why Torah provides a lifeline, whatever our strengths or failings. Today, in the month of Elul, we need to see ourselves for who we are, and use this special time of reflection and repentance to return to the person we are meant to be.
Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19)
Parashat Ki Teitzei is read on Shabbat:
Elul 11, 5773/August 17, 2013
Temple Institute Links:
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Temple Talk is a weekly internet radio webcast with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute.
This week features:
A Mantra for Elul: Hashem is the Fortress of My Life
Shofar-Blasts and Psalms: The Fine Art of Elul
Elul is here, and teshuva (repentance) is in the air. The Temple Mount has re-opened, the King is in His field, and so are Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman as they continue to visit the Temple Mount in search of the Divine Presence. This week’s Temple Talk focuses with exquisite precision on the Holy Temple, at once the ‘refuge,’ the ‘fortress’ and the ‘sanctuary’ alluded to in Psalm 27, which is customarily recited daily during this month of Elul. This week’s edition of Temple Talk includes an in-depth analysis of King David’s Psalm 27, which crescendos with a message of spiritual hope and empowerment for all sincere spiritual seekers. An unforgettable lesson, not to be missed!
Temple Institute Links:
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Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Emunah channel is here. For Info www.torahfaith.org
Human actions that constitute either service of HaShem or transgression can take place only if three factors are present: 1) choice by the heart and mind; 2) intent and resolve to do what one has chosen; 3) the effort to complete the intended act with one’s limbs and bring it into actuality.
In regard to what is not hidden [or removed] from us, such as the choice of service or transgression, and what one has chosen, relying on HaShem in these would be erroneous and foolish; for the Creator, may He be exalted, has left to us the choice of serving Him of rebellion against Him, as it is written: “Choose life” (Devarim 30:19). But the carrying out of the intended act of service or transgression He did not leave to us, but made it dependent on external means that are sometimes present and at other times unavailable.
Dedicated to Forrest Walker
Program Link – Read the Torah w/Shmuel – Contact – Emunah Channel
“Righteousness, righteousness, you shall pursue… “ Only by righteousness and justice can the nation of Israel guarantee its staying power in the land of Israel. Not by negotiating with the enemy, or releasing murderers, or subcontracting her security, or by subordinating her own needs to the demands of her “friends” and “allies.” Righteousness, by way of righteous judges who sit in judgment in the place that G-d will choose – the Holy Temple on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem.
Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9)
Parashat Shoftim is read on Shabbat:
Elul 4, 5773/August 10, 2013
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