Shanah Tovah – Happy New Year! This week’s parasha is Vayelech, in which we learn about some of the things that happen on the last day of Moses’ life. On that day, Moses installs Joshua as his successor. Because Yom Kippur is next Tuesday night and Wednesday, instead of studying Vayelech, we prepare for Yom Kippur with one […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Nitzavim, Moses gathers the people together. It’s the day before he dies. He says “You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord, your God.” He goes on to describe everyone who is gathered there – the heads of tribes, elders, officers, men, children, women, those who have converted and the people […]
Dear Scouts, The opening portions of this week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, describe the offering of the Bikurim, when farmers offered the harvest’s first fruits at the Temple, to thank God for providing them food. The person bringing the Bikurim made a confession, to recall how his ancestors were enslaved in Egypt and were redeemed by God, brought to the Land of […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, Ki Seitzei, contains more mitzvot than any other parasha in the Torah. Among them are how a soldier is to treat a beautiful woman whom he captures in battle and wants to marry; how children inherit a parent’s wealth; what parents are to do with a rebellious son; the obligation to return lost items; marriages […]
Dear Scouts, In Parasha Shoftim (judges) this week, we learn about many leaders of the Children of Israel – judges, prophets, Kohanim (priests), the special Kohen for war, the Levites who cared for and guarded the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later the Temple, and the king. No, not Elvis, but the real king. Here’s what we learn about the king. – When […]
Dear Scouts: This week, in Parasha Re’eh, God describes many mitzvot the Children of Israel are to perform when they reach the Land of Israel: To destroy the places of idol worship in Israel, to worship only at the places God shall choose for the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) and bring the offerings there, to not eat the […]
Dear Scouts, In Parasha Eikev, Moses continues his review of the mitzvot. He explains that, when the Jewish people follow the Torah and obey the commandments, they will be rewarded with fruitful families and lands, with abundant crops and flocks. Then, Moses describes how Scouting works! He describes how God took the Israelites through the Wilderness for 40 […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parasha, V’Eschanan, begins with our review of many important laws already covered in the Torah. This review is why Devarim (Deuteronomy) is often called the Mishna Torah (Repetition of the Torah). This parasha includes such important things as the Ten Commandments and parts of the Shema. The parasha also includes […]
Friday night and Saturday are Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, which is a day of mourning (more details below). Because we do not mourn on Shabbat, we observe the mourning customs of Tisha B’Av on Saturday night and Sunday. I offer this d’var Torah in memory of […]
Dear Scouts, This week we read the double portions of Mattos and Masei. Masei means journeys, and the parasha begins with a recitation of the encampments of the Jewish people. As we arrive close to the end of the Torah we recount the journey from Egypt to the Land of Israel. Rashi in his commentary on the Chumash (Numbers 33:1) explains that […]
Good camping to everyone at the World Scout Jamboree at the Bechtel Summit Reserve! Dear Scouts: In Parasha Pinchas this week, we have an interesting discussion of leadership. God reminds Moses that he will not enter Israel, as punishment for having struck the rock for water in the Wilderness of Zin instead of asking it for […]
Dear Scouts, This week, we learn the lesson that some people just cannot learn a lesson. In Parsha Balak, King Balak of the Moabites hears that God has given the Israelites victory against the nearby Amorites. Balak fears the Israelites. He seeks out Balaam, the prophet that God has given the non-Jewish nations. Balak sends messengers to […]
Dear Scouts, This week, Parasha Chukas reminds us of how important our friends and family are to one another. The parasha begins with a description of the decree (chukas) of the Red Heifer. A completely red cow that has never pulled a cart or plow is slaughtered and burned together with cedar, hyssop […]
Dear Scouts, There has been rebellion in the Wilderness. First, the Children of Israel, fresh from leaving Egypt and seeing all the miracles God performed to take them out of there, create and worship the Golden Calf. Then, they get tired of the manna, say they miss the fruits and vegetables they […]
Dear Scouts, This week, in Parasha Shelach, we learn why the Children of Israel wandered 40 years in the desert. It’s because of the scouts. Not the Boy Scouts, but the meraglim, the “scouts” or “spies” who went to see Canaan and gather information about it to prepare the people for entering, […]
Dear Scouts, This week, Parasha Beha’aloscha teaches us some interesting lessons in leadership. God commands Moses on the way in which the Menorah is to be lit. The Menorah provides leadership in the Mishkan by providing light so everyone can see. God commands Moses and Aaron to consecrate the Levites, who will […]
Howdy from Philmont! Dear Scouts, In Parasha Naso, we learn about a wide variety of topics: There is a census of two of the families of the Tribe of Levi, Gershon and Merari, and they are given their jobs in moving and erecting the Mishkan. (The family of Kohath was counted and […]
Dear Scouts, This week, we begin the Book of Bamidbar with Parasha Bamidbar. In English, the book is called Numbers, because it begins with a census of every male among the Children of Israel who is 20 years and older, the “Legion of Israel”. In Hebrew, Bamidbar means “in the Wilderness”. The story […]
Dear Scouts, Lately we get a lot of messages about the end of civilization. Think of all the movies, television shows and video games bringing you stories about fictional events like the zombie apocalypse, space alien attacks, out-of-control viruses and giant meteors striking Earth. These things probably will not happen, just like the prediction […]
Dear Scouts, In Parasha Behar, we learn of the Shmittah year. After six days of the week, we rest. After six years of being worked, the Land (literally) of Israel rests. During the seventh year, we are not permitted to plant or work the land, but we can harvest any crops that grow on […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parsha, Emor, is named for the seventh Hebrew word in the opening sentence – emor means “say”. The sentence begins, “God said to Moses: Say to the Priests …” The word “say” usually means “open your mouth and speak words”. But the real meaning of “say” in this portion […]
Dear Scouts, This week, the parasha is named Kedoshim, meaning “holy,” as the opening sentence states: “God spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I am holy, the Lord your God.’” Among the many things that God […]
Dear Scouts, This week, the parasha is named Kedoshim, meaning “holy,” as the opening sentence states: “God spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I am holy, the Lord your God.’” Among the many things that God […]
Happy birthday to the State of Israel, which celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day) next week! Dear Scouts: This week, we read the Parasha Acharei Mot. Acharei Mot is a very famous parasha, because it teaches the mitzvot relating to Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur seems a long way off, not until the fall. We’ve […]
Greetings from Israel. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Pesach. This week, outside of Israel, we will celebrate the seventh day of Pesach on Thursday night and Friday, and the eighth day on Shabbat. We have a special parasha for Shabbat, taken from Parasha Re’eh. In addition to reading this special parasha at […]
Dear Scouts, Greetings from Israel, where I am visiting two of my sons and their families for Passover. Tomorrow night, Jews all over the world will celebrate Passover by having a seder and reading the Haggadah. The most obvious meaning of the story of the Exodus is the deliverance of the Jewish […]
Dear Scouts, This week, we read Parasha Tazria. Much of it deals with tzaraas. Tzaraas was a disease which is usually described as leprosy, because of the way it made human flesh appear to be white and scaled. However, not only people, but also clothing and even houses in the Land of Israel could […]
Dear Scouts, This week, Parasha Shemini celebrates the completion of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) and the inauguration of the worship services by Aaron and his sons, the Kohanim (Priests). After a week of celebration, the last day – the eighth day – arrives. Aaron blesses the people. The offerings that the Kohanim prepare and place […]
Dear Scouts, I hope everyone had a great Purim this week! This week, Parasha Tzav discusses some symbols important to Scouting. The parasha has many instructions regarding the korbonot, the offerings of food that were cooked in the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) and later in the Temple; some parts of the offering were […]
Dear Scouts, This week, we begin the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) with a parasha of the same name. In his introduction to the Book of Vayikra, Ramban explains this is the book of instruction for the Kohanim (Priests) who would conduct the sacred services in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and later in the Temple, […]
Dear Scouts, This week’s parsha, Pekudei, is the last of the book of Shemos (Exodus). We learn of God’s final instructions regarding the Mishkan (Tabernacle), details on the clothing of the priests, and the placement of the holy objects inside the Mishkan and its courtyard, such as the Altar, the Laver, the Table for […]
Dear Scouts, This week, in Parshat Vayahkel, Moses gathers the people to give them instructions from God. The first instruction is an explanation of the basic rule of Shabbat: “For a period of six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest […]
Dear Scouts, In this week’s parasha, Ki Sisa, we have some lessons about leaders and those they lead. The parasha begins with God’s instructions that, when Moses takes a census of the Children of Israel, he is to do so by collecting a half-shekel from each person over 20 years old. The words […]
Dear Scouts, Last week, we learned about the construction of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) and the many beautiful objects used there to conduct the holy services, such as the Holy Ark and the Menorah, both made of gold. This week, in Parashat Tetzaveh, we learn of the role of the Kohanim (Priests), Aaron and […]
This week, I write in memory of Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, US Army Chaplain and former Scoutmaster, one of the Four Chaplains who gave up their lives saving others in the sinking of the troop ship USS Dorchester, February 3, 1943. Dear Scouts: This week, in Parsha Terumah, God gives the Children of Israel detailed […]
Today, I write in honor of girls joining Scouts BSA for the first time. Welcome! Dear Scouts, Last week, in Parshat Yitro, we read about the giving of the Ten Commandments and Moses’ organization of courts of law at the suggestion of his father-in-law, Yitro. There are some interesting transitions in Yitro and […]
For the start of our 8th year, Derech Tsofeh is proud to present a d’var Torah by Rabbi Josh Feigelson, Dean of Students of the University of Chicago Divinity School. Rabbi Feigelson writes in memory of his father, long-time Scouter Lou Feigelson, who passed away recently. Dear Scouts, When I was 19 years […]
This week marks the conclusion of our seventh year of Derech Tsofeh. Thanks to our readers and guest writers. Join us next week for the beginning of year eight with a d’var by a special guest writer. Dear Scouts, In Parsha Beshalach, we see the final events of the Egyptian captivity. The shortest […]
Dear Scouts, In Parshat Bo, the Torah describes the final three plagues. It is a dark chapter in Egypt’s history – literally. Moses stretches his staff over Egypt and, by morning, an east wind sent by God carries locusts over the entire country. “It covered the sight of all the land and the land was […]
Dear Scouts, In this week’s parasha, Va’eira, we learn of Pharaoh’s refusal to allow the Children of Israel to leave Egypt and the first seven of the Ten Plagues. These are terrifying miracles: The water in the Nile (and everywhere else in Egypt except Goshen, where the Israelites live) turns to blood; frogs emerge […]
