Friday, Shevat 2, 5781 / January 15, 2021
B"H
Friday, Shevat 2, 5781 / January 15, 2021
In this week's Parsha, Va'eira, we read about seven of the ten plagues which G-d brought upon the Egyptians. The last three plagues are listed in next week’s Parsha, Bo.
The seven plagues mentioned in this Parsha are: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Pestilence, Boils & Hail. The other three plagues are; Locust, Darkness, Death of the first born.
The first three plagues, Blood, Frogs and Lice, came about through Aaron. It was Aaron who lifted his staff over the Nile and made the water into blood. Aaron brought forth the frogs from the river and it was Aaron who hit the ground and brought about the plague of lice from the earth. The other seven plagues came through Moshe.
Q. Why wasn’t Moshe the one to bring the first three plagues?
A. The reason is because the first two plagues (blood and frogs) affected the waters of Egypt, which saved Moshe’s life when he was placed in a basket by the river. The plague of lice came as a result of smiting the earth of Egypt, which helped Moshe when he had to bury the Egyptian which he killed. Thus, Moshe couldn’t be the one to smite the river and the earth.
This is an important lesson in showing gratitude to those who do us a favor. Moshe could not bring about any of the punishments which involved hurting that which helped and protected him.
The Talmudic sage, Hillel the Elder gives the following powerful parable to explain how one must be very careful to be grateful and express gratitude for kindness done to them.
A deer chased by hunters ran into a garden and hid amongst its dense bushes. The hunters searched tirelessly for the deer, but couldn’t find it. Finally they gave up.
When the deer saw the hunters leaving the garden, it relaxed. Suddenly, the animal felt hungry and began eating the leaves of the dense bushes which were protecting him. Each leaf which the deer ate called out, “We’re not sad for our fate, but for your foolishness! Don’t you realize that by eating us the hunters will soon find you?”
But the deer did not properly appreciate the kindness extended to him. He continued eating the leaves for he was hungry and all that mattered to him was to satisfy his hunger. The more leaves he ate the more he became exposed. Soon the hunters heard the sound of the deer chewing on the leaves. They turned and saw the foolish deer. Before long the deer was captured.”
As the deer lay trapped by the hunters, he exclaimed, ‘I have repaid bad for good! I deserve my fate, because the leaves which did me a favor, I ate.”
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:20 / Shabbat ends: 5:27
Thursday, Shevat 1, 5781 / January 14, 2021
B"H
Thursday, Shevat 1, 5781 / January 14, 2021
Today (Thursday), is Rosh Chodesh - the first day of the new Hebrew month, Shevat. Shevat is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar. Thus, Pesach is only two and a half months from today.
This day is mentioned in the Torah. In the beginning of Deuteronomy (Devarim) the Torah tells us that on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, five weeks before Moshe’s passing, he began his review the entire Torah with the Jewish people.
The mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh is in next week’s Parsha, Bo. The Torah tells us that on the first day (Rosh Chodesh) Nissan, G-d told Moshe and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: “This month (Nissan) shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the months of the year."
The commandments were given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, at the Giving of the Torah, which took place 50 days after the Exodus. However, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh was given to the Jewish people in Egypt, two weeks before the Exodus. It was the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people.
The Hebrew calendar is a lunar based calendar. The lunar month consists of twenty nine and a half days, from its appearance to its next sighting. During the first half of the month it keeps getting bigger. At the middle point there is a full moon and then begins to get smaller again, until its next reappearance.
Rosh Chodeshis celebrated on the day when the moon starts its cycle of rebirth. Not always is it visible on Rosh Chodesh. But from Rosh Chodesh on it gets fuller each night, until the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month when the full moon is visible.
Life in general is compared to a revolving wheel. Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, fifth leader of Chabad-Lubavitch, explained the comparison: Both those at the top of the wheel of fortune and those at the bottom often betray a lack of wisdom.
Those at the top may glow with self-satisfaction, even mocking those less fortunate. But they would be wiser to realize that the wheel may turn at any moment and then they could find themselves lower than those upon whom they previously looked down!
On the other hand, those at the bottom may bemoan their cruel fate. But they too, would be wiser to realize that their fortunes are merely an expression of life's revolving wheel. The very fact that now they are at rock bottom is a clear sign that at the wheel's very next turn, their fortunes will improve!
Just like the cycle of the moon, Rosh Chodesh reminds us that the Jewish people have their days of glory and times of difficulty. But we must never lose hope. We know that bright days are sure to come.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL CHODESH-MONTH
In memory of my father, Reb Menachem Mendel ben Reb Elchanan Dov, of blessed memory, on his third yartzeit. May his Neshama have an Aliya in Gan Eden.
Tuesday, Tevet 28, 5781 / January 12, 2021
B"H
Tuesday, Tevet 28, 5781 / January 12, 2021
This Shabbat we read the second Parsha in the Book of Exodus, Parshat Va’eira. In the Parsha we read about the lineage of Moshe and Aaron and that, "Aaron took Elisheva, the daughter of Aminadav, the sister of Nachshon, for a wife."
Q. Why does the Torah, when telling us that Aaron married the daughter of Aminadav, also tell us that she was the sister of Nachshon?
A. According to the Talmudic sage Rava, this teaches us that, "Before one takes a wife, he should check her brothers; for most children take after the mother's brothers."
Parsha: “G-d said to Moshe, say to Aaron, take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt over the rivers, over their streams and over their pools and over all their ponds of water so that they will become blood."
Q. Whywere the waters smitten through Aaron, not through Moshe?
A. Rabbi Tanchum says, "Because the water of the Nile protected Moshe when his mother placed him in the river, thus, he could not be the one to punish it. This is the reason why the first two plagues, blood and frogs, which came from the water, were brought about by Aaron.
Parsha: we read, "G-d said to Moshe, say to Aaron stretch out your rod and smite the dust of the earth and it shall become lice."
Q. Why was the third plague, lice, also brought about by Aaron?
A. Years before when Moshe killed the Egyptian, he hid his body in the sand. The plague of lice came from the sand. G-d said, "You should not be the one to punish the sand for it protected you when you killed the Egyptian. Aaron should bring this plague instead."
Parsha: “The years of Levi’s life were one hundred and thirty seven years.” Why does the Torah tell us in this Parsha how long Yaakov’s son, Levi, lived?
Q. How many of the 210 years that Jews spent in Egypt were they enslaved by the Egyptians?
A.To tell us that the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt was 116 years. The Jewish people lived in Egypt for 210 years, but the enslavement began only after the last of Yaakov's children died. Yaakov's third son, Levi, lived the longest. As mentioned, 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 why the Torah tells us how long Levi lived.
HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY
Monday, Tevet 27, 5781 / January 11, 2021
B"H
Monday, Tevet 27, 5781 / January 11, 2021
There are six events which the Torah commands us to remember each day of our life. One of them is, "Remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life" (Deut. 16:3). Thus, we must remember the Exodus from Egypt each day.
Q. Why is it so important to remember every day the Exodus which happened over three thousand years ago?
A. In this week's Torah Portion, Parshat Va’era, Moshe tells the Jewish people that G-d has heard their cries and that He will liberate them from Egypt. However, because of their hard and difficult work, they didn't listen to Moshe.
Pharaoh made the Jews work hard, not because he needed their service, but because he wanted to enslave them. As a result, he made them do all kinds of unnecessary labor. He also made women do the jobs of men and vice versa. He enslaved them physically and spiritually to such an extent that the Jews were unable to comprehend G-d's word.
By commanding us to recall the Exodus every day, G-d is reminding us that our daily work to make a living should not interfere with our duties to Him. Ultimately, it is G-d who provides us with what we need.
Rabbi Yaakov, the Magid (Preacher) of Dubna gives the following parable. A laborer came to a town in which there lived a very generous man. The man's home was always open to guests. In the same town there also lived a miser, who was very stingy.
The laborer was hired by the miser to do a day's work in return for room and board. After completing a hard day's work, the miser sent him to the home of the generous man who provided him with good food and comfortable lodging. This went on for a while. The worker put in an hard day’s work thinking that it was his employer who was paying for his food and lodging.
Then one day the laborer discovered that all this was not a payment for his hard work, but as a result of the kindness and benevolence of the other person. "How foolish was I to exhaust myself, when all this would have been given to me anyway!" He thought to himself.
It is the same with us, said the Magid. Although, as the Torah says, we must work and do our part, we should at the same time remember that in the end, it is all a gift from G-d. This is the purpose of remembering the Exodus each, that we shouldn’t be enslaved to the physical and monetary needs.
There is a profound lesson here for us in our daily lives. If we spend more time with our loved ones and devote more of our time toward our spiritual obligations to G-d, we would still have what is destined for us and have more time for ourselves and our loved ones.
HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY
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