פרשת דברים shows us what happens when men rely more on their own assessment rather than heeding instructions coming from our Creator. The Israelites deferred pushing forward because they were intimidated by their adversary. But given the choice between attacking and returning to the wilderness they chose to attack but this time ignoring the strategic point of attack and maybe even crucial timing of attack. Trusting on their own judgment and failing to listen to the instructions of our Creator coursed through משה, they failed.

---

(I'm posting this because I was posting your question on angelology anyway and you obviously put some commendable thinking into it. But it's the wrong pâ•râsh•âhꞋ (this week is wâ-ëtkha•nan′-Na•kham•uꞋ, and, it was late coming in (and during a particularly busy time). Though there may occasionally be a couple of weeks during the year that the Tei•mân•iꞋ calendar differs, for most weeks the "Hebrew calendar" add-on for Firefox provides the correct pâ•râsh•atꞋ shâ•vuꞋa, in addition to a lot of other related and essential information.)

An excellent observation. It would have more impact if you adhered to the terminology in תורה: (…when men) "follow(ing) their own hearts and their own eyes." That gets folks in more trouble than I can describe – or know how to deal with.

In the same (vernacular) vein, while it's only an opinion, I avoid the use of "Israelites" because so many misojudaics insist that ישראלים today are different from the "ancient Israelites." Using the identical term consistently in both cases, ישראל, as the nation-people (or plural ישראלים, as "Israelis"), precludes that distinction.

---

If the פרשה portion shows the human failings of ישראל, the הפטרה portion shows the future salvation. In it is promised that justice will be restored and that תשובה is an absolute requirement, even overriding the weight of multiple תפלות and קרבנות, if one is to truly turn towards תורה. It hearkens to me that part of the עמידה (בירכת הדן( where we ask for the restoration of justice and the judges.

---

True also of נוסח תימני, though its wording differs slightly from the other traditions, reading: ‫"… לְבַדֶּךָ בְּרַחֲמֶים בְּצֶדֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּט. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה י--ה מֶלֶךְ אוֹהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט."

The verb form of צְדָקָה, viz., וְצַדְּקֵנוּ (בַּמִשְׁפָּט(, is not found in the סדור תימני – likely because it gives the appearance of a medieval innovation contradicting free will.

---

The הפטרה closely relates with the אמר ריבי יהושע that one does not need to pray out loud to have their תפלות noticed by others or even be heard by השם . Rather we are instructed to say our תפלה in secret and without so much repetitiveness as השם already knows our needs even before we declare it. Careful precise tithing (while it should not be undone) should be balanced with justice, חטד [spell: חסד] and אמונה. These are the things that one must do so as to elevate Torah keeping to a higher level. This level of צדקה is something worthy to personally strive for, בעזרת השם יתברך.

---

What you're describing is succinctly confirmed and encapsulated in MikhꞋâh 6.8.

The abuses that RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa cited were, I think, resolved by imposing uniformity, through Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ, in ציצית and תפילות. Such anomalies would be regarded as immodest and inappropriate in beit ha-kᵊnësꞋët these days. We must be careful to distinguish between repetition (e.g., like the Roman Catholic Christians' rosary and "Hail Mary" and the Muslim misbaha and tasbih), on the one hand, in contrast with taking the time to pray about a wide range of things, complemented with תהילים, as we find in the סדור.

5772.05.13, 1703  Yᵊru•shâ•la′yim Daylight Time

I am thankful for the built in grammar lessons (mouse over highlighted text). When I read portions of the different פרשה I encounter עברית that I have either seen before or remember hearing. And then I realize that they are portions or phrases in the שמע or the עמידה. The Torah really is much clearer in עברית than translations. I am fortunate and thankful for the many years of hard work you and your family have put in to make these accessible to people like me.

This פרשה reads like a lecture of the land and territories which is I appreciate very much as it helps one to visualize through the words and pictures where events happened. The pilgrimage is a sound idea. Hopefully when it materializes (if it hasn’t yet) I would be able to participate.

I do have a question on the Anakim (and the other “ims” –gibborim, nephilim etc) and the other tribes encountered by the Israelis before entering the promised land which are usually translated as sons of g*d or popularly interpreted as giants. These interpretations and translations aside what is the logical translation or explanation for these tribes. If this has been explained in a previous פרשבה that I haven’t covered yet (I have only started with מטות) then I shall wait until I encounter them. At which point thank you again.

---

"im" is simply the masc. pl. ending of nouns, adjectives and pres. tense verbs. So "other 'ims' " is pretty much everything from soups to nuts – literally.

גברים, pl. of the m. n. & adj. גִּבּוֹר, primarily means "hero" and "heroic," respectively – the quintessential human being; a noble-minded, courageous and valiant person of honor and integrity. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language For Readers of English defines גִּבּוֹר as "1 mighty, courageous, valiant, heroic. 2 warrior, hero." I highly recommend that every student obtain a copy of Klein's along with a standard Hebrew-English / English-Hebrew dictionary for cross-reference and spelling.

The etymology and meaning of נפלים is not as clear; though most find a likely relationship to the verb נָפַל, meaning "he fell." The "Sages" are all over the mythical map from fallen angels to angels that "hurled the world down" to hybrid offspring of angels having mated with female descendants of קַיִן. (Did that last one set off any alarm bells?)

Remember, back then, after a barrage or two of arrows followed by a spear charge, they fought face-to-face in a crowd – with knives (ancient bronze swords are merely big knives) and clubs; hearing lethal blows, smelling spilling blood all around you, making your hands slippery and your sword hard to hold on to, and hearing the moans and gasps of the fatally wounded. Unlike warfare today, the ancient battlefield was up-close and personal, in your face. A properly-armed, courageous and well-trained big man had a great advantage over a smaller man equally well armed and of equal courage and training. In ancient warfare, big mattered, big-time.

On returning from their vacation in the Netherlands, I've heard Israelis describe the Dutch, who are typically several inches taller than the average Israeli, as giants – עֲנַקִים or Bᵊn•eiꞋ-עֲנָק. My take is that calling the נפלים people Bᵊn•eiꞋ-עֲנָק (bᵊ-Mi•dᵊbarꞋ 13.32-33) was hyperbole no different than we hear today in everyday conversation. If someone today claimed that the New York Giants (NFL team) were descendants of angels who mated with human women, how would we react? If the ancient Israelis were told of the the fantastical myths dreamed up by the "Sages" they would have been rolling around on the ground laughing!

But, how did ancients, having little knowledge of genetics, health science or even a nutritious diet, account for such differences in size? Supernatural or monotheistically? Ah-ha! Now, the true dimensions of the rebellion is exposed: most of the Israeli scouts relied on, and were frightened by, a supernatural explanation: "What chance have we fighting against man-gods fallen (descended or miscarried) from the angels, hybrids of an angel that mated with a human woman!" Sound familiar? And like some (not all) of the medieval "sages"? And what was Mosh•ëhꞋ's response?