Teach your children well. This is what Moses did after God answered his pleas to enter the Promised Land with a resounding “no.” Moses spoke to the Israelites, most of whom were born during the years of wandering in the wilderness, framing his final speech to the community as if they all had experienced leaving Egypt and had stood at Sinai (or Horeb) and received the Law. Va et’chanan is rich with shared memory and the promise that God will not forget the covenant with the Israelites as long as they follow the laws and rules that were handed down to them. 

This parashah suggests a...

When I study Torah, I read the story of a people creating their own community structure. There is plenty of material to consider in this week’s double Torah portion, Matot Mas’ei. Double portions are read in non-leap years, and I am glad that this is one such year. This portion is the last in the Book of Numbers and the narrative tells of the end of the Israelites’ journey. They are poised to enter the Promised Land.  It begins and ends with issues of concern to women.

Matot begins with instructions regarding the rights of women to make and keep vows. The vows of women who lived...