Deuteronomy: A Parsha Companion by Rabbi David Fohrman Sefer Devarim

 

What is Moses really trying to say in his final farewell address to the Israelites? Why does he spend so much time on laws — and what if those laws are actually something far more than mere precepts? And what if, hidden beneath the surface of his words, lies a profound vision not just of what to do, but how to live?

In this last of five Parsha Companions, Rabbi David Fohrman delves into these intriguing conundrums, using a unique set of tools. He asks questions that, in hindsight, seem like they were staring you in the face the whole time. He discerns nuance. He detects patterns in the original Hebrew that seem to leap off the page. And he shows how many of these discoveries, astoundingly, aren’t really “new” at all, but were suggested thousands of years ago by the ancient sages of the Talmud and Midrash themselves.

Underneath Rabbi Fohrman’s approach to biblical text lies a simple conviction: inasmuch as reading a book is like having a conversation with its author, reading the Bible is like having a conversation with our Creator. When we read the Torah, therefore, we should do it the way we should converse with those who are deeply important to us: stop talking so much; slow down…and just listen.