פרשת ניצבים

Dvar Torah

Who’s Torah Is It?

(דברים ל:יא-יד) כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לֹא־נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ וְלֹא־רְחֹקָה הִוא: לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה־לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה: וְלֹא־מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבָר־לָנוּ אֶל־עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה: כִּי־קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשׂתוֹ:

The Torah tells us, on the last day of Moshe's life, he called everyone together and gave an uplifting speech. When he was telling them about the Mitzvot he said: (30:11-14) That the Torah and the Mitzvot are not in the heaven, nor are they over the sea.  Rather they are close to you and available to you to put into your hearts to do them.

There is a famous question asked about the giving of the Torah; of all the places to give the Torah to the Jewish nation, why was the Torah given in the desert?  There are so many nice places in the world where the Torah could have been given. For example Jerusalem, why was the Torah not given there, after all, it is the capital of OUR country?

The answer is that the Torah was given to everyone, not just to the people in one place or another. The Torah was given in the desert because the desert is ownerless and anyone who wants can go there. Hashem wanted us to know that the Torah and Mitzvot are available for everyone to do. That is why  Moshe said that the Torah and Mitzvot are accessible to everyone.

With this in mind, how should we treat ALL the Mitzvot even if they seem harder to do? 

Remembering 9/11

This week in class we had an opportunity to discuss some very important topics and I wanted to share the highlights with you so that you can process with your child.

We discussed Rosh Hashanah and the concept that one of our goals in life is to use the special gifts and talents, given to us by Hashem, to serve G-d and to make the world better. We used examples and highlights from this week's Parsha reinforcing the idea that each of us has unique talents and abilities that can be used to make a difference for others.

We connected this idea with the heroes and heroines of 9-11.  Because will not be in school on 9/11, we spent time today learning about the heroism that made a difference on that awful day in our history. Please click below to watch the video that we watched together, "Boatlift'.  This short movie depicts The story of courage, resolve and powerful spirit that rose among some otherwise regular citizens on that fateful day.   

I encourage you to ask your Fifth Grader about being heroes and overcoming challenges, and their thoughts and feelings about 9-11.

Parsha Questions

1) Why did משה רבינו gather בני ישראל together on the day of his death? (דברים כט:ט. עין רש"י)

2) Who was gathered to listen to משה רבינו? List all that are named.  (דברים כט:ט-י)

3) Who are the wood-cutters and water-drawers mentioned here? (דברים כט:י. עין רש"י)

4) In what order did בני ישראל stand before Hashem? (דברים כט:ט-י)

5) To whom was the promise made by Hashem, that the בני ישראל would inherit ארץ כנען?   When was this promise made? (דברים כט:יב)

6) How can we guarantee that Hashem will bless us and give us more than enough of everything that we need? (דברים ל:ח-י)

7) What challenges stand in the way of us fulfilling the words and the Torah? Explain.

(דברים ל:יא-יד)

8) What/Who did Hashem choose as witnesses to the covenant between Him and בני ישראל? Why did Hashem choose them? (דברים ל:יט עין רש"י)

Classroom Check-in!

Questions about what we are learning in class

1) What is wrong with a Mishnah beginning with a question?

2) Why did Amelia Bedelia have such a hard time with the Goldberg’s?

3) What is the main concept of Rosh Hashanah?

4) Why is Shofar the main Mitzvah on Rosh Hashanah?

Torah Math

In this week’s Parasha the Torah tells us that we should listen to Hashem.  We know that we cannot hear the voice of Hashem, however, if we decode the words we can see that listening to the Rabbis is like listening to Hashem Himself!

(דברים ל:י) "כּי תשמע בקול"

=

 זה בקול דברי תלמידי חכמים

Each line has the numeric value of 988, check it out!!!

 TORAH TRIVIA!

Super Stumper Question:

This a question to ask others and discuss the answers.

Answer to last week’s Question: Levi never brought Bikurim because they had no land. They were allowed to live in the public cities? 

Question of the week: How is it that we would read from the Torah 5 consecutive day and it is not a long holiday?

Kollel Quiz 

#1 Who Am I?

1. My quiet contains 30 (for some).

2. My loud contains 30 (for some).

3. King, Remember, Shofer.

4. I’m an addition

#2 Who Am I?

1. 3

2. 30

3. 100

4. I make you quiet.

Submit this answer by clicking here

 FOOD Section!

Can you guess what this recipe connects to this week’s Parsha?

Long Life Pizza

1/2 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 egg

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Place cauliflower pieces through the feeding tube of the food processor using the grating blade; pulse until all the cauliflower is shredded.

Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover, and steam until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cooled about 15 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

Stir Italian cheese blend, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper into cauliflower until evenly incorporated. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet; press and shape into a pizza crust.

Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Note: This is a Shehakal Pizza!