יום ראשון, י״ג תמוז תשפ״וSunday, June 28, 2026
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Rabbi Francis Nataf (www.francisnataf.com) is a veteran Tanach educator who has written an acclaimed contemporary commentary on the Torah entitled “Redeeming Relevance.” He teaches Tanach at Midreshet Rachel v'Chaya and is Associate Editor of the Jewish Bible Quarterly. He is also Translations and Research Specialist at Sefaria, where he has authored most of Sefaria's in-house translations, including such classics as Sefer HaChinuch, Shaarei Teshuva, Derech Hashem, Chovat HaTalmidim and many others. He is a prolific writer and his articles on parsha, current events and Jewish thought appear regularly in many Jewish publications such as The Jewish Press, Tradition, Hakira, the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Action and Haaretz.
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Mighty Amalek deliberately attacked enemy's weakest members, despicable even by ancient standards
Judges, essentially apolitical, fulfilled a temporary purpose and then returned to private life
God's greatest gift for growth & coming closer to Him is "feedback;" Eretz Israel is set up that way
In the Shema, Jews sense personal address but know deepest expression of loyalty to God is communal
The 10 Statements main point was not content but the encounter between G-d & His nation, Israel
Words & expressions that don’t appear anywhere in Torah’s first 4 books suddenly appear in Devarim
Gad’s tremendous wealth considered with other points led rabbis to deduce Gad was very materialistic
5 sisters, with no brothers, questioned an assumed law concerning land inheritance in Israel-and won
Bil’am’s character is complex and nuanced; neither purely good nor purely evil.
Israel's complaining frustrated Moshe, making it increasingly hard for him to lead effectively
Korach demonstrates how "charisma" can lead to a breakdown in the legitimate forms of leadership
The Children of Israel chose a natural human existence, as opposed to living supernatural lives
Despite unequal status, teamwork is the surest route to harmony and maximum self-expression.
Many of us simply don’t get the need for the Torah to list the exact same gift offering, 12 times!
From Bemidbar on and in Nevi’im, the nation is viewed primarily by its component parts, the tribes
Faith is responding to demands that we wouldn’t think of taking on were we left to our own devices.
With ubiquitous texting, social media, & email, society is mislead to think that words are ephemeral
Putting parents before oneself is a step toward putting the more abstract concept of God before self
For humans, reducing flesh is generally a good thing whereas its expansion is generally a bad thing
The successful student listens more than speaks out; wants his ideas critiqued, not just appreciated
Rambam warns that a festival meal without taking care of the needy isn't fulfilling simchat yom tov
Though God can’t benefit from gifts to him the best way to create a relationship is by giving to Him
Torah is written with a human bent; As the Talmud says, "The Torah speaks in the language of men."
Aharon’s guilt with the golden calf is not clear-cut. What if Moshe were in his brother’s place?
Purim is the battleground of extremes, Amalek and Yisrael, with Zoroastrian Persia in between.
What about the Temple service required God to intervene commanding Aaron what he needed to wear?
The notion of duality is paradoxically a very important part of God’s unity.
"Hamas" means "violent," via undue human pressure on a process not meant to be controlled by humans
Shemot relates the transition from the story of one family-Yaakov’s-to the story of a nation-Israel
Leading by example must be visible, regarding where, when and how-like Nachshon entering the Red Sea
Pesach is called "zikaron," a Biblical term used describing an object eliciting a certain memory
Moshe viewed his speech impediment as part of his core identity and his intrinsic human imperfection
God wants man to maximize benefit from Creation only in ways that don’t compromise spiritual health
Yaakov's blessings to his sons stand as a solution to their particular issues with relationships
What did Yehudah say that was so effective that it convinced Yosef to make himself known?
Israel and the strengthening of the Jewish people in faith and numbers has brought a growing light
Yehuda knew if the moment isn't right or men are unwilling to listen a skilled leader bides his time
Yehudah, more suited to the role, became leader and not Yosef- the very public candidate for the job
By the time Yaakov becomes Yisrael, however, his worldview has changed dramatically.
Yitzhak called you Esav and you answered him, then he called you Yaakov and you also answered him!”
A sense of innovation or assertion in Yitzchak’s life is found in one area – spirituality.
Avraham was asked to nullify his identity, by fulfilling the opposite of what he believed right.
Yishmael could claim to be a victim; he only prevails when he subordinates himself to Yitzchak.
Hagar grossly miscalculated her own merits and demonstrated a serious lack of gratitude for Sarai.
Our intentions are critical in raising children because they mimic everything we parents do & think
Bereshit: Life includes hard choices that challenge our decisions, leaving lingering complications.
God will accept repentance, even if it is mostly for ulterior motives and likely not to last.
Jonah objected to God accepting repentance based on ulterior motives and likely for short duration.
June 26, 2026 
