D

who is ready to smite, from spite. But
Moses takes the stand for the defense,
successfully arguing that God's credi-
bility among the nations now rests on
the Israelites' success. A million
lawyers bow their heads in awe. The
reduced sentence: the people, clearly
still enslaved emotionally, must wan-
der the wilderness a total of 40 years,
until the next generation is ready to
live free in Eretz Yisrael.
Finally, a stoning for desecration of
the Sabbath; and a commandment to
wear tzitzis, to remember all the other
commandments.

Korach, Numbers 16:1 18:32
Just weeks after being turned away
from Canaan, some Israelites, led by
the Levite Korach, revolt against
Moses (this is gratitude?), and the
Earth swallows them whole. As a sign
of how fickle were the people toward
C Moses, God feels compelled to kill by
plague another 14,700 followers of
Korach.

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Chukat, Numbers 19•1 22:1
7 A (humanly) inexplicable law regard-
ing purifying the impure by sacrificing
a red heifer (recently one reportedly
was born in Israel, which some believe
harkens a rebuilding of the Temple).
) Close to 40 years of wandering,
and the death of their sister, Miriam,
take their toll on Moses and Aaron. -
; Responding to the people's com-
b plaints about a lack of water, they
show anger and fail to credit God for
producing water from a rock. God
punishes them: Aaron soon dies
(albeit peacefully), and Moses is for-
bidden from entering the Holy Land.

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(-

c

Pinchas, Numbers 25:10 30:1
More rules for the census. God
promises to show Moses the Land;
He names Joshua to take over for
Moses, who gives Joshua his smicha,
or ordination (which is what rabbis
receive to this day).

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Matot, Numbers 30:2-32:42 and
Mas'ey, Numbers 33:1-36:13
Moses' last battle: the thorough
destruction of Midian. A summation
of the exodus journey. God's injunc-
tion to drive the Canaanites com-
pletely from the land; if not, "they
shall be pins in your eyes and thorns
in your sides ..." (and, of course, they
prove to be just that).

Devarim/Deuteronomy
DeVarim, Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Knowing his death is imminent,
Moses begins the first of three lec-
tures, preparing the Israelites to cross
into the land. No longer will God
reveal Himself as explicitly as in the
wilderness; now the people had better
prepare to build a society. An elo-
quent recounting of God's command-
ments, with an emphasis on morality,
it is the first major example of the
Jewish custom of leaving an "ethical
will" to one's heirs.

Va'etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:23 7:11
Moses recalls how he pleaded with
God to allow him to enter the land,
and how God refused him. He
admonishes the people to keep the
faith, and recounts the Ten Com-
mandments. Using the words of the
Shema, he urges them to follow God.

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weak. Also an admonition to deal
justly in business.

future greatness, makes a few
demands...

Ki Tavo, Deuteronomy 26:1 29:8
Warnings of curses for wrongdoing,
and of wars to come ...

Vezot HaBracha, Deuteronomy 33:1-
34. 12
The last section in the Torah is read
each year on Simchat Torah, as are
the very first words of Genesis.
Moses, like Jacob before him, bless-
es each of the tribes of Israel. He
climbs Mount Nebo, surveys the land,
and dies in a place no one knows to
this day, so that no one may worship
him like a god. The last verse (written
prophetically by Moses himself?)
begins: "Never again has there arisen
in Israel a prophet like Moses ..."
Amen to that.
... and the cycle begins again.

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Nitsavim, Deuteronomy 29:9 30:20
... but Moses assures the people that
Ekev, Deuteronomy 7:12 11:25
they can walk the righteous path.
Moses recalls the saga of the long exo-
The law "is not beyond your
dus journey, and urges faithfulness
strength or beyond your reach," he
again.
promises. "No, the Word is very
near you, it is in your mouth and in
Re'eh, Deuteronomy 11:26 16:17
your heart."
The people may choose life and bless-
ings in God, says Moses, or they may
Vayelech, Deuteronomy 31:1 30
defy God and so choose death. A
Moses passes his leadership onto
review of numerous laws: give to the
Joshua.
poor, don't worship idols, don't eat
bats.
Ha'azinu, Deuteronomy 32:1 52
Moses sings a song of praise to God,
Shoftim, Deuteronomy 16:18 21:9
who tells him to ascend Mount Nebo
Moses instructs the Israelites on how
and see the land he cannot enter, for
to conduct themselves after they have
his time has come.
come into the Promised Land.

The primary sources consulted
were the Stone Chumash (Mesorah
Publications Ltd.) and Rabbi Joseph
Telushkin's "Biblical Literacy"
(William Morrow).

Exodus 33:12 34:26
Flashback: Moses carves two tablets
and gets a peek at God, who foretells

* Certain holidays call for reading
Torah portions out of the normal
flow of the parshot.

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Balak, Numbers 22:2 25:9
Talking animal interlude: The
Moabite king Balak hires the gentile
prophet Balaam to curse the
approaching Israelites. After resisting,
Balaam agrees, but an angel with a
sword reveals itself to Balaam's don-
key, who speaks out (only the second
animal to talk in the Bible — name
the first). Balaam ends up blessing
Israel: "How goodly are your tents, 0
Jacob, your dwellings, 0 Israel."
One last attempt to undermine the
Jews: the Moabites and Midianites
) send their women to seduce the
Israelite men. Phineas, grandson of
Aaron, takes it upon himself to mur-
der a Jewish man and Midianite
()woman in flagrante.

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Ki Tetse, Deuteronomy 21:10 25:19
Marriage laws; rules to protect the

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1997

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