Monday, Tevet 23, 5780 / January 20, 2020

B"H

Monday, Tevet 23, 5780 / January 20, 2020

 

In this week's Parsha, Va'eira, G-d commands Moshe to deliver the following message to the Jewish people, who were enslaved in Egypt; "I am the L-rd and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment; and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a G-d and you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d..."

 

The four cups of wine at the Seder commemorate the above four expressions of redemption G-d used in connection with the liberation from Egypt: 1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 2) I will deliver you from their bondage. 3) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment.  4) I will take you to me for a people.

 

In the Parsha we also read about seven of the ten plagues which G-d brought upon the Egyptians.  The fourth plague consisted of wild animals roaming throughout Egypt.  In response to this plague, Pharaoh finally told Moshe and Aaron, "I will let you go that you may sacrifice to the L-rd your G-d in the wilderness; only do not go very far away; pray for me." But as soon as this plague was over Pharaoh, changed his mind and didn't free the Jews.

 

Q. After all that Pharaoh did to the people of Israel, how could he have asked them to pray for him?

 

A. There was once an emperor who was very cruel to the Jews living under his rule.  Things became so unbearable that Jews prayed to G-d that the ruler die. When the emperor finally died, his son became ruler.  The Jews thought that now their lot would improve.  However, they had an unfortunate surprise-- the young monarch was much worse than his father.

 

One day the young ruler asked a Jew,  "Tell me what are Jews praying about me," he asked.

 

"We ask G-d to grant you long life," was the Jew's answer.

 

"I do not believe you!  Why would you pray that I live long when I'm so cruel to you?"

 

"To be honest," replied the Jew, "When your father was alive, we prayed that we should get rid of him.  But since he died and you became ruler and things have become so much worse for us, we now pray that you live a long time -- for who knows how much worse your replacement may be."

 

The same was with Pharaoh. In last week's Parsha we read, "A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."  With the new ruler things became much worse for the Jewish people. Pharaoh said to Moshe, “Pray for me,” for who knows how much worse things may be if a new king rules over Egypt.

 

In loving memory of Lara – Liora bat Yosef - Her yartzeit is today.

May her beautiful Neshama,which G-d recalled in the midst of her bloom,rest in peace in Gan Eden.

From her family

Wednesday, Tevet 18, 5780 / January 15, 2020

B"H

Wednesday, Tevet 18, 5780 / January 15, 2020

 

In this week's Parsha, Shmot, we read about G-d’s first revelation to Moshe. "And Moshe was feeding the flock of Yitro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midyan; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness and he came to the mountain of G-d, to Horeb. And G-d’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn bush; and Moshe looked and saw the bush was on fire, but the bush was not consumed.” 

 

“And Moshe said: I will go closer now and I will see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  G-d saw that Moshe turned to see, and G-d called to him out of the midst of the bush and He said, 'Moshe, Moshe, and he [Moshe] said, 'Here I am.'  And G-d said, 'Remove your shoes from your feet for the place upon which you are standing is holy ground.'" 

 

G-d then tells Moshe that He has heard the cry of the Jewish people due to the Egyptians' oppression.  "Therefore, now I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

 

Q. Why was G-d’s first revelation to Moshe from a thorn bush?

 

A.The Midrash tells that a gentile once asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha, "Why did your G-d speak to Moshe from the midst of a bush and not from a different tree?"

 

Rabbi Yehoshua answered, “G-d wanted to show Moshe that there was no place where He cannot be found and that He rests not only in the tall trees but also in a low bush.”

 

Rashi, explains that by revealing Himself through a thorn bush, G-d was saying to Moshe that, just as the Jewish people were suffering,He too, is in pain, which is symbolized by the prickly thorn bush.

 

Q.   Why from a “burning” bush?

 

A.   To show Moshe that just as the fire didn't destroy the bush, so too, the Egyptians, or for that matter any other nation,willnot be able to destroy the Jewish nation.

 

For thousands of years the Pharaohs of every generation (their names may have changed, but their goals were the same), tried to destroy us. In G-d’s first revelation to Moshe, G-d made it clear that, just as the bush was not consumed by the fire, because G-d was there, so too, the Jewish people will not be consumed, for G-d is always with us.

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

 

In loving memory of Bessie Miller- Chaya Basya Sima bat Tzvi Hirsh & Miriam - z"l.

Yartzeit is today, Tevet 18.  May her Neshama rest in peace in Gan Eden.  May her memory be a blessing.

From her son, Irwin Miller

Wednesday, Tevet 25, 5780 / January 22, 2020

B"H

Wednesday, Tevet 25, 5780 / January 22, 2020

 

In this week's Parsha, Va’eira, G-d commands Moshe to bring encouragement to the Jewish people who were enslaved in Egypt.

 

The Parsha tells us that, "Moshe spoke so to the people of Israel but they didn't heed to Moshe due to their crushed spirit and their cruel bondage."  G-d then tells Moshe, "Go speak to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, that he shall send away the children of Israel from his land."

 

Pharaoh refused to let the Jewish people go and was punished with the ten plagues.  At each plague, Pharaoh promised to free the people, if G-d would only remove the plague. But as soon as G-d removed the plague, he refused to let them go.  Seven of the ten plagues are mentioned in this Parsha.

 

Q.  How old was Moshe, Aaron and their sister, Miriam, when they led the Jewish people out of Egypt?

 

A.  Moshe was 80, Aaron 83 and Miriam 86.

 

Q.  How old was Moshe's mother, Yocheved, when she gave birth to Moshe?

 

A.  Yocheved was 130 years old!

 

Q.  The Torah doesn’t tell us her age so how do we know this?

 

A.  It’s a simple calculation: The Torah tells us that when Yaakov and his family members moved to Egypt they totaled seventy people. Yocheved, who was born as they entered Egypt, completed the number seventy. From when Yaakov came to Egypt until the Exodus was 210 years. The Torah tells us that Moshe was 80 when he took the people out of Egypt. Thus, if Moshe was 80 years at the time of the Exodus, Yocheved was 130 when she gave birth to Moshe!

 

Q.   How old was Moshe when he married Tziporah?

 

A.   According to the Midrash, Yalkut Shimoni, he was seventy seven.

 

Q.  How many of the 210 years in Egypt, were the Jewish people enslaved by the Egyptians?

 

A.  116 years.  The enslavement began only after the last of Yaakov's children died. Yaakov's third son, Levi, lived the longest.  He died at the age of 137. He was 43 when he first came to Egypt and lived there 94 years.  Thus, if we deduct 94 from 210, we are left with 116. This is the total amount of years that the children of Israel were enslaved by the Egyptians. 

 

However, the harsh and “bitter” enslavement was 86 years. Miriam, who was born 86 years before the Exodus, was named Miriam, which comes from the two words “Mar” (which means bitter) and “Yam” (which means sea), because at that time began the “bitter” and most difficult hardship for the Jewish people, when Pharaoh decreed that every Jewish boy be thrown into the sea.

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY