B"H
Friday, Sivan 17, 5785 / June 13, 2025
It is with special gratitude to Hashem that we were blessed to celebrate some family simchas in the past four weeks. We had the first haircuts for two great-grandchildren, which is done when they turn three years old. One was in California and one in Brooklyn, N.Y. Boruch Hashem. I bless you all to enjoy many simchas, much happiness and wonderful Nachas from all your loved ones.
In this week’s Parsha, Beha'alotcha, the Torah relates an episode in which the Jewish people complained about the manna which G-d sent them as their daily food.
They cried, "We want meat! We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. But now, our life is parched, there is nothing; we have nothing before our eyes but the manna."
The Torah tells us that G-d granted their request, but they were punished in a plague which killed many.
Q. What is the meaning of, “We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free"? Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians. Why did they claim that the food they ate was free?
A. Our sages answer that "free" here means free from the obligation of performing the mitzvot. Now that G-d gave them the manna, He also commanded them to observe the mitzvot. They were complaining about the mitzvot, restrictions and prohibitions which G-d commanded them.
Q. Why did G-d give us so many mitzvot to perform?
A.The answer is given by the Talmudic sage Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya; "The Holy One blessed be He wished to make the people of Israel meritorious, therefore He gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundance."
Rather than viewing Torah and mitzvot as a burden, Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya tells us that they were given to us for our benefit, to grant us much merit and reward for performing them.
“Mitzvah,” in addition to “commandment” also means, “connection.” Through the performance of mitzvot one becomes connected to G-d. Each mitzvah is a connection between us and G-d. The more mitzvot we perform, the greater and stronger the connection is.
Our sages compare this connection to a rope which is made up of many threads. The more threads in the rope, the stronger the connection between the two things tied together by the rope. Thus, G-d gave us 613 mitzvot which together form the rope which connects us to Him. It is out of His great love for His people, that He gave us all these mitzvot.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 8:26 / Shabbat ends: 9:43
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW