Several verses in Exodus disclose that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not free the Jewish people. Then why did God punish Pharaoh? Ramban explains.
Repentance – Teshuva
A person who sins is able to repent and return to God. Throughout the Bible, God calls on the Jewish people to return to Him.
Genesis 25:7,8,17 – Death of the Righteous
The Torah records the death of Abraham and just 9 verses later the death of Ishmael. There are lessons we can learn from the wording of these verses.
Numbers 23:19 – God is Not a Man
Balak the king of Moab is afraid of the Jewish people. He hires Balaam to curse them.
Leviticus 17:11 – Blood on the Altar
God commanded the Jewish people to slaughter some animals as sacrifices. He also permits animals to be slaughtered for food. But the Jewish people are not permitted to eat the animal’s blood.
Leviticus 13:12-14 – Pure Tzara’at
Leviticus 13 and 14 discuss the laws of an affliction called tzara’at, often translated as leprosy. A person with tzara’at is unclean. But if the the affliction covers the entire body, then the person is clean. Why?
Genesis 4:9 – My Brother’s Keeper
In Genesis 4:9 God confronts Cain about the death of Abel. Cain asks God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” What is the answer to Cain’s question?
Jonah 4:6-11 – Jonah and the Gourd
God sent Jonah to Nineveh with a prophecy of pending destruction. The people repented and God spared them.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 – Not in Heaven
In Deuteronomy 30:11-14 Moses teaches the Jewish people about repentance. Or, maybe he’s teaching about the importance of studying Torah. The verses aren’t clear.
Parshat Nitzavim Summary
Parshat Nitzavim is the 8th parsha in Sefer Devarim (also known as Deuteronomy).
This parsha is verses Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20, or a total of 40 verses.
Here is a brief summary for each aliyah.
Parshat Devarim 5776
Each summer around the middle of August the Earth passes through the trail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle.
This is what is called the Perseid meteor shower. In a regular year there will be about 100 meteors per hour.