Parsha discussion

Question:  What is the connection between משה not being allowed to enter the Land and the warnings against עבודה זרה? Approach: משה later on links the ability of the nation to stay in the Land on the people's fidelity to הקב"ה, and not straying after עבודה זרה. It's possible as well that this in linked via the incident at בעל פעור, which משה references after his discussion of the military victories against סיחון & עוג - and the deaths of 24,000 people that are blamed on the עבודה זרה aspect of that sin.

Question:  Why was the command to go and conquer the Land the impetus for the appointment of a judicial system? Approach: It would appear that משה realized that a centrally located judiciary for all matters would be too burdensome when the people are spread out in terms of living all over the country, especially given the population size, and the likelihood of disputes.  It could well be that this is a separate event to that mentioned in פרשת יתרו which seems to relate to משה acting as judge in the vicinity of הר סיני.

Question:  Why are the rules of annulling vows of a wife by her husband repeated? Approach: A close reading of the text implies that there is a difference between the two cases mentioned. The first situation refers to a woman who has made vows before her marriage. And even so, we're told that the new husband can annul the vows on the day that he finds out about them. The second case is a married woman who then makes a vow. Whilst it would seem that the first case is the bigger חידוש, the order of the cases listed appears to be in order of the life of a woman - starting from being a youngster at home, getting married, divorced/widowed and then re-married.

Question:  25:1 tells us that it was the women from מואב who seduces the men. Why then is the war to be engaged with מדין (only)? Approach:  we do of course see that the women of מדין were involved, as per the appearance of כזבי. And it could be that מואב is mentioned initially as they came up with the idea and initiated the event, to which מדין joined. Later though, מדין seem have taken the lead role by sending prominent members of society to entice the nation. We might also suggest that מואב received a reprieval due to their family connected, as indicated in פרשת דברים. 

Question:  Why do we need so much detail of the story of בלק and בלעם? Approach:  the classic approach given, from a Hashkafic, point of view is to show how הקב״ה helps his people without them even knowing about it. A more "down-to-earth" approach may be that this is necessary background to understand (a) the events of בעל פעור (at the end of the פרשה) and the subsequent war with מדין, and (b) the prohibition of the Moabites to convert to Judaism.