Re'eh - Diligence over Laziness

Because of the winter, a lazy man does not plow; he will seek in harvest, and there will be nothing.

 מֵחֹרֶף עָצֵל לֹא יַחֲרשׁ יְשָׁאַל וְשָׁאַל בַּקָּצִיר וָאָיִן

Mishlei 20:4

Rabbeinu Behaye captures the spirit of each week's parshah with a verse from Mishlei, preparing us for the fundamental ideas to be discussed in the parshah.
He explains how  the author of Mishlei, Shlomo HaMelech, sought to convey many important principles and useful life lessons, but some of the most important concepts are "זריזות" (diligence) and "עצל" (laziness).
Says the Rabbeinu Behaye, we can see these concepts across all aspects of life: running a home, caring for our bodies, spiritual matters, and Torah.

Eikev - Removing the Barriers

You shall remove the foreskin of your heart, therefore, and be no more stiffnecked.

וּמַלְתֶּם אֵת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם וְעָרְפְּכֶם לֹא תַקְשׁוּ עוֹד

Devarim 10:16

What does the phrase "foreskin of your heart" mean? Rashi says that "the foreskin of your heart (עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם) is the blockage and covering of your heart." Why does Rashi have to use two terms to describe this phrase means? Why is not one of these words not enough?

Va’etchanan - The Power of One

But beware and watch yourself very well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw, and lest these things depart from your heart, all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your children and to your children's children,

 רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ

Devarim 4:9

We learn in the Mishah in Pirkei Avot.

Rabbi Dusta'i the son of Rabbi Yannai would say in the name of Rabbi Meir: Anyone who forgets even a single word of this learning, the Torah considers it as if he had forfeited his life. As is stated, "But beware and watch yourself very well, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw" (Deuteronomy 4:9). 

Avot 3:8 

From a warning to watch oneself and to not forget, to a profound injunction that just forgetting even a single word of learning is tantamount to death. What is the connection to the verse in this week's parshah?

Devarim - Restoring Faith

The L-rd was also angry with me because of you, saying, "Neither will you go there."

 גַּם בִּי הִתְאַנַּף  ה' בִּגְלַלְכֶם לֵאמֹר גַּם אַתָּה לֹא תָבֹא שָׁם

Devarim 1:37

Moshe recounts this personal episode in the middle of recounting the events of the spies. So many of the commentators ask, why is this episode of Moshe having received Hashem's wrath is mixed in and presented with the episode of the spies? True, they both had similar consequences, being banned from entering the land of Israel, yet the circumstances were vastly different.

Mattot - For the Honor of Hashem

"Take revenge for the children of Israel against the Midianites; afterwards you will be gathered to your people."

נְקֹם נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הַמִּדְיָנִים אַחַר תֵּאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶּיךָ

Bamidbar 31:2

The injunction to take revenge against the Midianites starts with this mitzvah that Hashem communicates to Moshe. However, when Moshe turns to the people of Israel, he changes the language of this mitzvah.

So Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm from among you men for the army, that they can be against Midian, and carry out the revenge of the L-rd against Midian.

 וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה אֶל הָעָם לֵאמֹר הֵחָלְצוּ מֵאִתְּכֶם אֲנָשִׁים לַצָּבָא וְיִהְיוּ עַל מִדְיָן לָתֵת נִקְמַת ה'  בְּמִדְיָן

Bamidbar 31:3

The Kli Yakar asks why does Moshe change the description of the mitzvah that Hashem communicates to him?

Pinchas - Uprooting Sinful Thoughts

Distress the Midianites, and you shall smite them.

צָרוֹר אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִים וְהִכִּיתֶם אוֹתָם

Bamidbar 25:17

The Slonimer Rebbe in The Netivot Shalom raises a question from The Or HaChaim HaKadosh. Why does this parshah put this injunction here to 'distress the Midianites', since the actual war against the Midianites takes place in next week's parshah Mattot?

"Take revenge for the children of Israel against the Midianites; afterwards you will be gathered to your people."

נְקֹם נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הַמִּדְיָנִים אַחַר תֵּאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶּיךָ

Bamidbar 31:2 (Parsha Mattot)

Chukat - Overcoming the Irrational

This week at lunch we were discussing the gourmet dairy treats that would be served in the office in the afternoon, that the secretary was ordering. So most of us ordered paarve food for lunch.

One of the non-observant guys was confused, so my colleague explained that after meat some wait as long as six hours before having dairy food.

"Why? For health reasons or something?" the guy asked.
"No," my colleague explained, "it just says in the Torah the basic kosher laws."
"But doesn't the Torah stipulate the benefit? Like this will keep you healthy, or even by maintaining these strictures you will be ensured wealth?"
"No, this is simply the injunctions made by the Torah. We are serving the will of Hashem."
"That's completely irrational. You are just doing something that was proscribed, without any understanding of why, or what the purpose or benefit is?" the non-observant guy asked.

"If you think that is irrational, let me tell you about this week's parshah," I said.

It starts off with "This is the statute of the Torah" - declaring the mitzvah of the red heifer, an enigmatic law that defies logic and has no explanation associated with it, yet requiring our pure compliance.