Tuesday, Kislev 12, 5780 / December 10, 2019
B"H
Tuesday, Kislev 12, 5780 / December 10, 2019
In less than two weeks, Sunday night, December 22, Jews all over the world will light the first Chanukah candle, thus, beginning the eight day holiday of Chanukah – The Holiday of Lights.
Many times I get the following question: “Why do the Jewish holidays vary from year to year? Why do the dates for Passover, Rosh Hashana, Chanukah etc. change from year to year?”
The truth is that on the Hebrew calendar, the holidays are on the exact same day every year.
For example, Chanukah always begins on the twenty fifth day in the month of Kislev. On the Hebrew calendar the day begins not from midnight, as in the civil calendar, but from nightfall. Thus, on Sunday evening, which is the twenth fourth of Kislev, we will light the first Chanukah candle. The dates change only on the civil calendar!
One of the reasons for the name Chanukah is that it combines two words, Chanu (they rested) – Kah (has a numerical value of 25). Chanukah ia always on the 25th day of Kislev.
Q. Why can’t the Hebrew and civil calendar be synchronized?
A. The Hebrew calendar year has 354 days, while the civil calendar has 365 days. This is the reason why the Jewish holidays will differ from year to year on the secular calendar.
Q. Why do we light the Chanukah candles near a window, door or in public places?
A. The reason is to publicize the miracle of Chanukah for everyone to see.
Q. We don’t publicize the miracles of the Exodus or Purim by performing the Seder, or reading the megillah near a window. Why do we have to publicize the miracle of the Chanukah lights?
A. The miracles of the Exodus and Purim were witnessed by all Jews; it affected everyone and was celebrated by everyone as their personal miracle. But, the miracle of the oil, took place inside the Holy Temple.
Only the Kohanim (priests) were allowed to enter the Temple and as a result the miracle of the oil was not visible to the public. For this reason, the rabbis decreed that we should perform the lighting of the menorah in a way that the miracle will be publicized to everyone.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Monday, Kislev 11, 5780 / December 9, 2019
Monday, Kislev 11, 5780 / December 9, 2019
This week's Parsha, Vayishlach, covers a period of two years in the life of Yaakov. From the time Yaakov left his father-in-law, Lavan, until the time he returned to his parents, Yitzchak and Rivkah.
On his way home, after working twenty years for Lavan, Yaakov hears that his brother Esau wants to kill him for taking the blessings from their father Yitzchak. He sends messengers to tell Esau that he is looking for peace.
The messengers return and tell Yaakov that Esau is coming with 400 men to fight him. Upon hearing this, Yaakov became frightened. He then made plans to counter Esau's threat. Yaakov sent gifts to Esau, while at the same time he prepared for war. Yaakov prayed to G-d to save his family; "G-d of my father Abraham, and G-d of my father Yitzchak, L-rd You said to me 'Return to your country and to your kindred and I will do you good. I am humbled by all the kindness and the truth which you have done with your servant... Rescue me from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau; for I fear him that he may come and smite me, along with the mothers and the children." G-d then sent angels disguised as Jacob's servants. They put fear into Esau and his men so that they wouldn't harm Yaakov.
Our sages ask; G-d promised Yaakov (twenty years earlier), "I will bring you back to this land." G-d also told Yaakov , "Return to the land of your father and I will be with you." So why was Yaakov afraid of Esau?
The Midrash explains this with the following statement, "There is no guarantee for the righteous that they will have it good in this world." G-d may at times fulfill His promise to the righteous in the World-to-Come, rather than in this world. Thus, Yaakov wasn't sure if the fulfillment would come in this world, in a physical form, or in the World-to-Come, spiritually.
In addition, Yaakov knew that his brother Esau performed the mitzvah of honoring his father all these years, while Yaakov, who was away from his parents over twenty years, couldn't observe this mitzvah.
In the Talmud, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said, "All my life I tried to honor my father to the fullest, yet I have not reached one hundredth of the honor which Esau gave to his father." Rabbi Shimon explained that, although Yitzchak was blind, Esau would dress in his most expensive garments, whenever he served his father, even for the most ordinary chores.
Yaakov was afraid that G-d would reward Esau for this great mitzvah of honoring his parents in this world, while keeping His promises to Yaakov in the World-to-Come. This story teaches us how great is the mitzvah of honoring parents.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
Friday, Kislev 8, 5780 / December 6, 2019
B"H
Friday, Kislev 8, 5780 / December 6, 2019
Questions & Answers on Parshat Vayeitzei:
Q.How old was Jacob when he left his parents’ home?
A.Sixty three years old.
Q.How old was he when he came to his uncle Lavan & when he married Leah & Rachel?
A.He was 77 when he came to Lavan. He was eighty four when he married Leah and Rachel.
Q.Where was he for fourteen years between leaving his home and coming to Lavan?
A.He spent 14 years at the Yeshiva (Torah study center) at Eiver - the great great grandson of Noah.
Q.How is it possible that Jacob studied Torah which was only given at Mount Sinai hundreds of years later?
A.Although the Torah was given to all the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew and studied Torah which they had through Divine inspiration. Before coming to his father-in-law, he spent 14 years studying Torah.
Q. The Torah tells us that when Jacob met his future wife, Rachel, at the well he cried. Why?
A.Our sages give two reasons: 1) Jacob knew that she would not be buried together with him. Indeed, Rachel passed away at a young age, while they were traveling back and was not buried in the family burial plot in Hebron.
2) Jacob was penniless when he came to Charan and met Rachel. Jacob was sad that he had nothing to offer her as a gift, unlike his mother Rivkah, who was showered with gifts when Eliezer came to take her as a wife for his father, Isaac. Not being able to give her any gifts made Jacob cry.
Q.How many years did Jacob stay with Lavan?
A.Twenty years. Jacob worked fourteen years for the “privilege” to marry Lavan’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Then, upon their urging, he also married Bilhaa and Zilpa. By then he had eleven sons and one daughter. He worked another six years to accumulate possessions and wealth before returning with his wives and children to his homeland.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 3:53 / Shabbat ends: 5:01
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