B"H
Friday, Adar 7, 5785 / March 7, 2025
Today, the seventh day of Adar, is the birthday and also the day of passing of the greatest and most revered leader of the Jewish people, Moshe Rabeinu (Moshe our teacher).
Moshe was born in Egypt on the 7th of Adar and passed away 120 years later on the same day of the month. He was buried in the Sinai desert. No human was present when he passed away. G-d Himself attended his burial, and no one knows the exact spot where he is buried.
Moshe brought the Jewish nation out of bondage and crossed them through the sea. Moshe brought down the First Tablets, which he broke when seeing the Jewish people worship the Golden Calf. He later went up the mountain and brought down the Second set of Tablets. He led them throughout their forty years in the Sinai desert and before his passing wrote many Torahs - one for each tribe.
Moshe was from the tribe of Levi. He and his wife, Tziporah, had two sons: Gershom and Eliezer. The Torah tells that even at the end, his strength had not weakened, and his eyesight had not dimmed.
Moshe died on Shabbat. The Midrash describes Moshe's death as "Mitat Neshikin" – it was not an ordinary death by the angel of death, but by a G-dly kiss his neshama ascended on high.
When the time came for Moshe to leave this world, G-d told him to go into a cave where three angels attended to him. G-d said, "Moshe, close your eyes," and Moshe closed his eyes. Then G-d told him, "Put your hands together," Moshe did. G-d said, "Put your feet together," and Moshe obeyed. G-d then took his Neshama (soul) back to Him. The Torah tells us that there never was, nor will there ever be, a prophet like Moshe, who saw G-d "face to face" (Deut. 34:10).
One of the attributes that made Moshe so special was his love for every single Jew. When the children of Israel sinned by worshipping the Golden Calf and G-d wanted to destroy them, Moshe said, "If you don't forgive the people of Israel, then erase me from Your Book (Torah) that you wrote."
G-d forgave the Jewish people, but also partially fulfilled Moshe's request to, “erase him from the Book.” Moshe's name appears in every Parsha from his birth, which is recorded in the beginning of the Book of Exodus, through the Book of Numbers, except in this week's Parsha, Tetzaveh. The reason Parshat Tetzaveh was chosen is that this Parsha is always read on the Shabbat before or the Shabbat after Moshe’s passing. By not mentioning his name here the Torah alludes to his passing. May his memory be a blessing to all of Israel. Amen.
This Shabbat being the Shabbat before Purim, we read from two Torah’s. In the first, we read Parshat Tetzaveh. In the second Torah we read about the special mitzvah of erasing the memory of Amalek, as Haman, the villain who wanted to annihilate the Jewish nation, was a descendant of Amalek.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 5:32 / Shabbat ends: 6:35
UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW