This week’s parsha is Devarim: Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
| Devarim (1:1-3:22) – (Words): Haftorah: Isaiah 1:1-27 (Ashkenazi); Isaiah 1:1-27 (Sephardi) |
| 1:1-12: Veiled rebuke | 2:17-30: God commands Israel to march toward the Land |
| 1:13-18: The appointment of judges | 2:31-37: The first conquest Sihon |
| 1:19-46: The mission of the spies | 3:1-11: The conquest of Og |
| 2:1-8: Esau/Seir | 3:12-20: The inheritance of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh |
| 2:9-16: Moab | 3:21-22: The command to Joshua |
D’var Torah: Moses and the Twice-Told Tale
Torah Pearls: Parsha Devarim
This week’s Haftarah is: Isaiah 1:1-27 (Ashkenazi); Isaiah 1:1-27 (Sephardi)
Chapter 1: The sefer opens with the statement that the following are prophecies regarding Yehudah and Yerushalayim specifically. Isaiah calls forth heaven and earth to be witnesses against the Children of Israel who have sinned. The Children of Israel are called out for ignoring God’s commands and wantonly sinning. Their iniquities led to them removing themselves from the presence of God. The Children of Israel are asked why they continue to rebel even after their punishments. They are told that the Land will reject them and they will become exiles. The Children of Israel are also told that if it were not for a righteous remnant, the whole of the people would have become like Sodom. God in His mercy has made numerous attempts to bring His children back to Him. God tells His children that since they are wicked they have trampled His courts and the offerings of the wicked are an abomination to Him. God calls the Children of Israel to cleanse themselves and cease doing evil. They are also called to do good, seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, and plead the case of the widow. If they obey they will be given the best of the Land. However, if they continue to disobey they will be devoured by the sword.