B"H
Thursday, Shevat 18, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / February 9, 2023
Highlights of this week’s Parsha, Yitro, in which we will read about the Jewish people coming to Mount Sinai, their preparations and G-d Giving them the Ten Commandments and the Torah.
Parshat Yitro, is named after Moshe’s father-in-law, Yitro. In fact, Yitro had seven names. Each name recounts a different aspect of his life. The Torah here uses the name Yitro because it is associated with the Torah.
The Parsha begins with the story of how Yitro, who resided in Midyan and upon hearing of the miracles which G-d performed for Moshe and the Jewish people, decided to join them. He also brought his daughter, Tziporah, Moshe’s wife, and their two sons, who stayed with Yitro when Moshe wnt to Egypt to liberate the Jewish people.
Q. What were Moshe’s children’s names?
A. The Parsha tells us that the older one was named, Gershom. “Gershom” is a combination of two words, “Ger–shom,” which means a “stranger” (Ger) I was “there” (Shom). The Torah explains that Moshe named him Gershom, because Moshe ran away from Egypt and was a stranger in a foreign land.
Moshe’s second son, Eliezer, is also a combination of two words; “Eli-Ezer, which means “My G-d” (Eli) “Is my help” (Ezer). Thus, the older one Moshe named for the hardship he went through and the younger one for the positive things in his life.
Q. Which factor caused G-d to give the Torah to the Jewish people when they came to Mount Sinai?
A. When the Jewish people came to Mount Sinai, there was great unity among them, as never before. In the words of our sages, “They were as one person with one heart." When G-d saw their unity and oneness, He decided to give them the Torah then.
Q. How is Torah compared to water?
A. Our sages explain that Mount Sinai was a low mountain. Rather than giving the Torah on a tall and more distinguished mountain, G-d chose Mount Sinai, to teach the Jewish people that Torah is acquired and internalized only through humility.
This is also the reason that Torah is compared to water. Just as water will always flow to a lower level, so too Torah is found with those who are humble.
Unity and humility go together. Strife and intolerance is caused by selfishness and haughtiness. When the Jewish people came to Mount Sinai and realized that this particular mountain was chosen by G-d because it is a small mountain, they too practiced humility, which brought them to unity – “As one man with one heart.”
Humility is the key to unity and unity is the key through which we receive G-d’s blessings.
The Rabbi of Koshnitz would say, "If all Jews would join hands in unity, they would blend into one big hand which would reach all the way to the Heavenly Throne and bring down all the heavenly blessings!"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Shevat 19, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / February 10, 2023
This week's Torah portion is Yitro. The highlight of this Parsha is the Ten Commandments, given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
The name of the Parsha, Yitro, is after Moshe’s father-in-law, who was the priest of Midyan. Upon hearing all the miracles G-d performed for the Jewish people; their liberation from Egypt, the miracle of the splitting of the sea, the manna which came every day from heaven and the many other miracles which took place at the time, he decided to convert and join the Jewish people. He also brings his daughter, Moshe’s wife, Tziporah, and their two children to join Moshe at Mount Sinai.
There are only six Parshiot in the Torah which carry a person’s name: Noah, [Chayei] Sarah, Yitro, Korach, Balak and Pinchas.
Our sages say that Yitro’s words, “Baroch Hashem” – “Blessed is G-d,” when he came to join the Jewish people, was an important factor in G-d’s giving the Torah to the people. Thus, there is a connection between the Giving of the Torah and Yitro, which is also the name of this Parsha.
Contrary to popular perception, the two tablets were square.They were not rounded on top.
The Ten Commandments were engraved on two tablets. Both tablets were of equal size, with five commandments on each tablet. One tablet contained the commandments between man and G-d. The other contained the commandments between man and man.
Although the five commandments between man and G-d contained 146 words and the five commandments between man and man totaled only 26 words, they were written on the same size tablet. The 26 letters, which contain the mitzvot between one person and another, took up the same amount of space as the 146 words, which command us about the mitzvot between us and G-d, as they were written in much bigger letters.
Lesson:G-d wanted to teach us that one should not minimize in the importance of the commandments between man and man. They are as important in G-d’s eyes as the mitzvot towards Him.
One cannot claim piety by meticulously performing the mitzvot toward G-d while ignoring the commandments between fellow humans. G-d especially engraved these commandments in LARGER letters to show that our attitude toward others plays a very important role in our relationship with G-d.
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa in Pirkei Avot stresses this point as follows: "Anyone with whom his fellowmen are pleased, G-d is pleased with him; But anyone with whom his fellowmen are not pleased, G-d is not pleased with him!" May G-d be pleased with us all and send us His blessings.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 4:56 / Shabbat ends: 6:01
Monday, Shevat 22, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / February 13, 2023
Today is the 35th yartzeit of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, of blessed memory, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s wife. The Rebbe said that her blessings have great power and influence in heaven. May her memory be a blessing to us all for peace, good health, success and nachas. Amen.
This past Shabbat we read from the Torah the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are read three times a year. Once, in Parshat Yitro, as we did this past Shabbat. Once on the Shavuot holiday – the holiday of the giving of the Torah. The third time is in Parshat Va’etchanan, in the book of Deuteronomy, where the Ten Commandments are repeated.
The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments is, “Honor your father and mother in order that your days will be lengthened on the land that G-d your G-d is giving you.” Later in Parshat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:3) the Torah commands, “Your mother and father you shall fear.”
Q. Why, when the Torah commands to honor parents, it mentions first father and then mother, but when commanding to fear parents the order is reversed, first mother then father?
A. Our sages explain that by nature a child fears the father more than the mother but respects their mother more. The Torah tells us that respect and fear for parents should be equal. Thus, when speaking of honor, it mentions father first to make him equal to mother and by fear it mentions mother first to say that they should be equal.
Honoring parents is one of the greatest and most important mitzvot. It is the only one of the Ten Commandments for which the reward is included together with the commandment and engraved on the same Tablet.
“Do not commit murder,” comes right after, “Honor your father and mother.” This teaches us, say our sages, that when children do not honor and support their parents, it is, in G-d’s eyes, as if they have committed murder!
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, “G-d made honoring parents even greater than honoring G-d. For, concerning honoring G-d it says, ‘Honor G-d with your substance.’ Thus, if you have the means you have to give to charity and if you don’t have the means you don’t have to give. But when it comes to honoring parents, even if you have very little yourself and even if you have to go begging you still have to honor them and help them.”
Rabbi Eliezer the Elder was asked by his disciples, “How far should one go in honoring his father and mother?”
He replied, “Go and see what Dama ben Nesina of Ashkelon did. When his mother, who was feebleminded, hit him with her sandal in the presence of the entire council over which he presided, he only said to her, ‘Enough, mother.’ Moreover, when her sandal, with which she was hitting him fell, he picked it up and handed it back to her.”
The Talmud tells the following story about one of the great Talmudic sages, Rabbi Tarfon. One Shabbat his mother went for a walk and her sandal tore. Being Shabbat, it couldn’t be fixed. Rabbi Tarfon placed his hands under the soles of her feet, and she walked like this until she came home.
The Talmud tells that the sage Rav Yosef, upon hearing his mother’s footsteps, would say, “I must rise for the presence of the Shechina (G-d’s glory) which is approaching.” He equated honoring his mother to honoring G-d. For, parents and G-d are partners in the creation of a child, thus, honoring parents is honoring G-d.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Shevat 23, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / February 14, 2023
The fourth Commandment of the Ten Commandments, which we read in last week’s Parsha, Yitro, is the mitzvah to observe Shabbat. “Six days you shall work and perform all your labor, but the seventh day is a Shabbat to G-d, your G-d.”
Q. Why are the breads used for Shabbat, called “Challah”?
A. Traditionally women would bake the bread for Shabbat, even if during the week they would buy their bread from a bakery. When baking bread, it is a mitzvah to give a portion of the dough or of the bread to the Kohen. This mitzvah is called, “Challah.” In the time of the Holy Temple, the portion was given to the Kohen (priest). Today, for various reasons, that portion is removed and burnt.
In order for the women to remember to perform the mitzvah of Challah, they called the Shabbat breads, Challah. This served as a reminder to perform this mitzvah.
Q. Shabbat Challah come braided; or long shaped etc. Is there any significance to the shape of the Challah we use on Shabbat?
A. Yes. In the Holy Temple, twelve breadswere placed on the golden Table in the sanctuary every Shabbat. They stayed there for a full week, until the next Shabbat, when they were replaced with new breads. A great miracle occurred with these breads every week. When they were removed, after being there for a full week, they were as fresh as the day when they were placed on the table.
We place two Challot for each Shabbat meal. Some make the Challah long so they resemble the Hebrew letter, “Vav,” which has a numerical value of six. Thus, the twoChallot remind us of the number 12(2X6=12). Some make each Challah out of six braids. The two Chalot together represent the number 12.
The great Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Lurie would place twelveChallot on his Shabbat table, to commemorate the twelve Challot, placed in the Holy Temple, each Shabbat.
Q. How many candles should a woman light in honor of Shabbat?
A. There are various customs: Many light two candles, to symbolize the two versesin the Ten Commandments (Shamor & Zachor) which speak about Shabbat. Some say that the two lights represent the two souls which we have in honor of Shabbat, as on Shabbat we have an extra soul. Many women will light one candle for each memberof the family. Girls, before marriage, light one candle.
Q. Is the mitzvah of lighting candles exclusive to women?
A. The mitzvah is that candles should be lit in the home. If there are no women at home, then the man lights the candles. May we merit to see the ultimate light with Moshiach. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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