You Man Think You are a Big Shot You may think you’re a big shot in battle When you’ve captured a beautiful woman And that she is yours to possess immediately But don’t even consider it. Instead, take her into
One God of Israel, yes. Polytheist Canaanites, no. Follow only the laws of the One God Smash all altars to pagan gods And destroy any Canaanite who builds one. Eat nothing that is abhorrent, because It reflects the disgusting unholy diet
Moses said: Fear Adonai, not your enemies. Your enemies lack laws and practices That can serve a society. They are focused only on their wicked ways, So Adonai will help you destroy them, No matter that they greatly outnumber you. Be
Moses Connects With His People And Moses let down his guard as he spoke To his people in his own voice: I feel your frustration and I must tell you I too I have experienced that feeling, For I have
Moses begins his review I, Moses, now speak directly to my people To remind them of all that has transpired Since the Exodus And what now is expected of them. Do not make the same mistake The last generation made,
Watch what you vow! According to the Torah If you’re a man, every vow you make, shall stand. If you are a young woman, still in your father’s house, Your father can object on the day he finds out, and
Discipline maintains focus No sooner had the Israelites defeated their foes Then they decided to celebrate by fornicating with Moabite women. God responded by inflicting yet another plague and hundreds died. Pincus, Aaron’s grandson, picked up a spear And crying,
The Donkey Tossed to and fro Pulling to the opposite Side that Balaam did. The donkey had been this agitated before, But never before had he been able to say, In a human tongue: “You silly man! What kind of
Respect and Disrespect When you consider how disrespectful Korach, Dathan, and Abiram were toward Moses And by extension to Adonai, It isn’t hard to discern a certain relief in their destruction. But what about Adonai insisting on correct sacrificial ritual
Korach We know that Amalek Was the worst of the worst But really, Korach, When you add up all the folks Who were swallowed up With you And those who died in The plague that followed Yours was a worse
Woulda, shoulda, coulda. It’s likely that the exodus generation Invented this phrase. Instead of taking the opportunity To enter and fight for the Promised Land They played on their own worst fears Listening to the naysayer scouts Rather than
It’s Grumpy Time The Israelites are complaining about Having to eat mana all the time. Miriam complains about Moses’s new black bride from Cush Aaron complains about Moses Getting all the attention from the Lord,
Aaron After the deaths of his sons Nadab and Abihu. Aaron said not a word — Not to his brother Moses, Nor to his wife, Elisheba, The mother of Nadab and Abihu, Nor to his other sons, Eleazar and Itamar,
Balak (Numbers 22:2 – 25:9) Balaam is the unsung prophet of the Torah. In the course of his appearance in the parasha Balak, Baalam transforms the perception of the Israelites from dreaded outsiders who are to be cursed, to a
Emor Just as Achrei Mot and Kedoshim assert and command ways that the Israelites are separate from their neighbors (diet and behavior), so does Emor assert and command ways the Priests of Israel are separate from other Israelites. One way