Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Parashat Nitsavim Vayelekh: “Be Strong and Take Courage”  Though not counted among the 613 mitzvot, the command to “be strong and of good courage” is repeated three times in Parashat Vayelekh. It echoes throughout the opening of Joshua as well, so we are bound to take this with the utmost seriousness. We meet this same

Parashat Ki Tavoh: The Blessing of a Curse Unlike Parashat Ki Tetzeh, which has an abundance of laws, Parashat Ki Tavo contains few halakhot. Instead, Parashat Ki Tavo is replete with curses. The Talmud teaches that at Gerizim and Ebal, both curses and mirrored blessings were pronounced (Sota 32a), yet the Torah records only the

Parashat Ki Tetzeh: Mercy, Lashes, and the Limits of Human Logic There is a particular discomfort built into Ki Tetzeh, and it is worth dwelling on it rather than resolving it too quickly. The Parasha places the prohibition against overworking a threshing ox (Deut. 25:4) beside the command to wipe out Amalek without a trace

Parashat Shoftim: Finding the Lost Art of Tmimut The Torah commands: “Be wholehearted (tamim) with God your Lord” (Deut. 18:13). The word tamim comes from the Hebrew root ת-מ-מ, meaning complete, whole, and unblemished. It is the same word used to describe an animal offering that is without blemish, perfect in its entirety, with nothing

Parashat Re’eh: Connecting Heaven and Earth Parashat Re’eh presents a puzzle that has occupied our sages for generations: the mitzvot of Deuteronomy appear without clear structure or logical sequence. Yet this very disorder carries a profound lesson. In Deuteronomy, the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated subjects is itself intentional, and from it we derive halakhic conclusions

Parashat Ekev: From Providence to Personal Responsibility Unlike the previous parasha, with its exalted themes of revelation and Sinai, Parashat Ekev turns to the breaking of the Tablets, to sin, and to accountability, captured in the section “It shall come to pass, if you obey”(Deut. 11:13), which speaks not only of intimacy with G-d but

Parashat Va’ethanan: The Cult of the Single Idea Idol worship is not simply the worship of false gods. At its root, it is the elevation of a single aspect of life or of God into the whole of one’s devotion. It is the instinct to take one thread from a vast, tangled weave and declare:

Parashat Devarim: The Three “Eikhas” The word eikha (“how”) appears three times during the week of Parashat Devarim: in Moses’ complaint, “How can I myself alone bear your trouble, your burden, and your strife” (Deut. 1:12); in Isaiah’s rebuke, “How has the faithful city become a harlot!” (Is. 1:21); and sometimes, depending on the year,

Parashat Pinhas: When Love has Nowhere Else to Go The portion of Pinhas opens with an act of zealousness, but to understand it, we must first understand what zealousness truly is. The Torah distinguishes between two forms of kin’a. The first is jealousy: wanting to be like someone, to have what they have. The second

Parashat Balak: God First or Me First: The One Question That Changes Everything Pirkei Avot (Avot 5;9) places Abraham and Bilam not merely as two historical figures, but as two opposing schools of thought. Two fundamentally different ways of being human. Abraham’s disciples are marked by a generous eye, a modest spirit, and a humble

Parashat Korach: The Mask of Holiness: Korach’s Hidden Envy The dialogue between Moses and Korach’s party seems strange. On the surface, Moses’s replies don’t match their claims. They say they want to participate in the Order of Service, and Moses responds by asking whether it isn’t enough that God has already set them apart. They

Parashat Shelah: The Real Sin of the Spies We stand at Parashat Shelach, whose central drama is the episode of the spies and the devastating punishment that followed. Yet the Sages tell us (Avot D’Rabbi Natan 45) something that stops us short: the spies did not lie. Every word they said was true. Which forces

Parashat Behaalotekha: This Great Nation The Torah appears to contradict itself. In one verse it says, “You are the smallest of all the nations”(Deut. 7:7). In another it declares, “This great nation is certainly a wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6). Small or great; which is it? The answer lies in understanding what “gadol”, greatness,

Parashat Naso: Holy Tension: Finding God in the Middle Ground The Torah’s division of the Levite families into distinct roles reveals a profound truth about human nature and divine service. The Kehatites carried the holy vessels—the Ark, Menorah, and Table—work that transcended physical labor since “the Ark would carry its bearers.” These were people of

Parashat Bemidbar: Dismantling to Build: The Sacred Art of Deep Questions Parashat Bemidbar presents us with a striking paradox: the Kehatites, despite being chosen to carry the sacred vessels of the Tabernacle, are forbidden from witnessing their covering. Only the priests may cover these holy objects before the Levites approach to carry them. This isn’t

Parashat Emor: Inclination with Creation The Torah disqualifies a blemished animal from being brought as an offering: “That which is crushed or mangled, torn or cut, you shall not offer to God, neither shall you do thus in your land” (Lev. 22:24). Read not merely as legal detail but as a window into God’s deepest

Parashat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim​: The Peril of Proximity: Lessons from the Death of Aaron’s Sons The death of Aaron’s sons illuminates a profound paradox in spiritual life: those who stand closest to the sacred face the greatest danger of treating it with casualness. The Priests, who operated daily within the Temple precincts, became so accustomed to

Parashat Tazria-Metzora: The Mystery of Tuma and Tahara The laws of tuma (ritual impurity) and tahara (ritual purity) found in this week’s Parashah represent some of the most complex and intellectually challenging material in Torah. These laws defy simple explanation, logical patterns, or medical rationalization. While many have attempted to tie these concepts to hygiene

Parashat Shmini: Transcending Rationalization: The Mystery of Torah’s Distinctions The tension between the laws of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) and understanding the Torah centers on a fundamental question: Why these specific laws, and how should we approach them when their rationale isn’t immediately clear? On one side of this tension is our natural human desire

Shabbat Hagadol: From Egypt to the Redemption: The Logic of Shabbat HaGadol Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat, arrives each year on the Shabbat before Pesach, carrying with it a name whose meaning has never been entirely settled. Some say it is great because of the festival that follows, whose holiness casts its shadow backward across

Parashat Tzav: Understanding Sacrifice: Intention and Action in Jewish Offerings In the Torah portion Tzav, we encounter important concepts about sacrifices (korbanot) that reveal deep spiritual truths applicable to our lives today. Rabbi Steinsaltz explains two key concepts: “notar” and “piggul” – terms that might seem technical but contain profound wisdom about the relationship between

Parashat Vayikra: The Burden and Glory of Chosenness: Leviticus and Israel’s Priestly Mission The Book of Leviticus is fundamentally centered on holiness in all its dimensions. While it contains laws about offerings (korbanot), its scope extends beyond ritual practices to encompass a comprehensive framework of sanctity that permeates personal conduct, interpersonal relationships, and spiritual identity.

Parashat Vayakhel Pikudei: Understanding Shabbat: The Creative Pause Though building the Tabernacle was sacred work, it remained forbidden on Shabbat. The thirty-nine categories of prohibited work on Shabbat derive from the activities performed in constructing the Tabernacle, establishing a framework where what matters is not how much we strain, but how we participate in the

Parashat Ki Tissah: Falling After Sinai: The Human Nature Behind the Golden Calf According to Nahmanides, the golden calf was not meant to replace God but rather Moses, who had disappeared up the mountain. The Israelites, seeking a tangible focus for Divine presence in Moses’ absence, created the calf as a dwelling place for God’s

Parashat Tetsaveh: Between Heaven and Earth: The Sacred Technology of the Tabernacle Parashat Tetzaveh focuses on the inner workings of the Tabernacle, particularly the priestly garments and the investiture ceremony. The Torah emphasizes the critical nature of these details, warning that improper conduct within the Tabernacle could result in death. Like a spacecraft where a

Parashat Terumah: The Mathematics of Generosity: Understanding the True Nature of Sacred Giving The essence of the Tabernacle lies not merely in its physical structure but in its spiritual purpose – “I will dwell in their midst.” This fundamental principle, highlighted by the Alshekh’s observation that the verse says “in their midst” rather than “in

Parashat Mishpatim: Finding Divine Majesty in the Mundane: The Teachings of Parashat Mishpatim Parashat Mishpatim, following the awe-inspiring revelation at Sinai, stands in stark contrast to what might have been expected. After the spiritual climax at Sinai, where the People of Israel experienced the divine presence, the Torah immediately shifts focus to legal matters. The