Planting Smart
כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה – דברים כ, יט “…Is the tree of the field a man…” (Devarim 20:19) Translated literally, this verse is asking a rhetorical question: is the tree a human being? Why then should a tree be wantonly destroyed even when waging a war against the inhabitants of the city? We find, however, that the Talmud interprets this […]
Counseling Law
“You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities…” – Devarim 16:18 שפטים ושטרים תתן לך בכל שעריך – דברים טז, יח In every city where Jews live, the Torah instructs us to set up court systems comprising judges who determine the law, and officials who enforce the judges’ rulings. In the prophecies regarding […]
Love What You Learn – Parashat Shoftim
You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Is the man a tree of the field? (Devarim 20:19) “The man a tree of the field” …If a Torah scholar is upright, you should benefit from him (alone – Tosfos) and not cut off from him. —Talmud, Taanis 7a The Talmud interprets this verse as reference to […]
The Real King
שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ – דברים יז, טו “…..You shall appoint a king over you….” (Devarim 17:15) When a king is appointed, he is anointed with oil. —Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 1:7 When stating the mitzvah to appoint a king, the Torah does not mention the process of anointing the king with oil. Furthermore, Yehoshua is considered to have the Halachic […]
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