Parshat Va-etchanan, 5773/2013 thoughts

I have nothing new to say at the moment, but here are some interesting posts of mine from previous years:

• Parshat Va-etchanan: 5772/2012 thoughts (Wednesday, August 01, 2012)

"Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses Our Teacher) is such a nag, and a pessimist, too. "I know you're going to sin. I know you're going to get kicked out of your country." (See particularly D'varim/Deuteronomy 4:25-26.) Nice positive reinforcement. Not.

And there's this interesting statement (from D'varim Deuteronomy 4:2):

ב לֹא תֹסִפוּ, עַל-הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם, וְלֹא תִגְרְעוּ, מִמֶּנּוּ--לִשְׁמֹר, אֶת-מִצְו‍ֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי, מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Um, what are mitzvot d'Rabbanan--commandments from the Rabbis? If we're not supposed to add, where did we get the idea that we need separate dishes, etc., one set for meat/poultry products and a separate set for dairy dishes, which is certainly nowhere in the (Written) Torah/Bible?"  See that post for more choice tidbits.  

• Va-etchanan: Shabbat, take 2—The Torah throws a (dinosaur) bone to the Evolutionists :) (Tuesday, August 03, 2004)
• Va-etchanan: “. . . ein od mil’vado”—On religious intolerance (Wednesday, August 04, 2004)
• The quote-hunter strikes (it rich) again, Vaetchanan edition (Sunday, July 29, 2007)
• For your education and/or amusement, "Midnight" Madness--re the bedtime Sh'ma (Wednesday, April 02, 2008)

According to Conservadox, "Tigay suggests that Moses, by emphasizing his own mortality, may be trying to prevent posthumous worship of himself."