B"H
Tuesday, Tevet 24, 5779 / January 1, 2018
This Shabbat we read the second Parsha in the Book of Exodus, Parshat Va’eira.
Q. In the Parsha we read, "And Aaron took Elisheva, the daughter of Aminadav, the sister of Nachshon, for a wife." Why does the Torah, when telling us that Aaron married the daughter of Aminadav, inform us that she was the sister of Nachshon?
A. Nachshon was the head of the tribe of Yehuda. He was the first to jump into the sea after the Exodus, and as a result the sea split. According to the Talmud this teaches us that, "Before one takes a wife, he should check her brothers; for most children take after the mother's brothers."
Q. In the Parsha we read, “G-d said to Moshe, say to Aaron, take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt… so that they will become blood." Why were 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, 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.
Q. In the 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." Why was the third plague, lice, also brought by Aaron?
A. G-d told Moshe, "You should not be the one to punish the sand for it protected you when you killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (2:12). Aaron should bring this plague instead."
Today is the 24th of Tevet - the Yartzeit of Rabbi Schneur Zalmen of Liadi - founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, He passed away in 5573 (1812). May his memory be a blessing.
Rabbi Schneur Zalmen instilled in his followers a love for G-d, the Torah and Am Yisrael – the Jewish people. He taught that G-d could be found everywhere! He also taught that the process of creation was not a one time occurrence. Instead, it is an on-going event and as a result makes us continually dependent and connected to G-d.
A Chassid of Rabbi Schneur Zalmen was once at the fair for business. At the end of the day, when it was time to calculate the total sum of goods which he bought, instead of writing the amount, he inadvertently wrote, "Ein od milvado" - "There is nothing except for G-d.”
"You have a business to run," someone remarked. "You should concentrate on your business!"
The Chassid replied, "Doesn't it ever happen that during your prayers, when you should be meditating about G-d, you get distracted and think about your business? Then, what is so terrible, if at the fair, when I should be thinking about my business, I get distracted and think about G-d!"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY (& Happy Old-New Year)