B"H

Tuesday, Adar1- 4, 5784 / February 13, 2024

This Shabbat we read Parshat Terumah,which is about the contributions which G-d commanded the Jewish people to give toward the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

The Parsha begins with G-d commanding Moshe, “Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take for me an offering (Terumah).”  G-d tells Moshe which items to take from them so that, “They should make Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them.”

Q.  Contribution in Hebrew is, “nedavah.”  The translation of the word “Terumah” is “to lift up.”  Why, when telling them to contribute, the Torah uses the word “Terumah” (“to lift”), instead of Nedavah?

A.  Rabbi Schneur Zalmen, first Rabbi of Chabad said, “G-d gives us physical matter, for the purpose that WE should transform the physical into spiritual.” Through this, we too, become elevated.

The Torah teaches us an important lesson here about giving Tzedakah (charity).   When one gives his/her hard-earned money for Tzedakah, they transformit from physical into a much higherrealm - into spiritual. This is why G-d called the contributions for building the Tabernacle, Terumah, which means to lift up, because that’s exactly what takes place when one gives Tzedakah (charity).

G-d tells Moshe, “And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them."

The sages note that it does not say "I shall dwell in it," i.e. in the Mishkan.  Rather, I shall dwell among them, referring to the Jewish people. Through the Mishkan, G-d dwells within every Jew. 

A heathen once asked the Talmudic sage Rabbi Gamliel, "Where does your G-d dwell?"  Rabbi Gamliel replied, "I do not know." The man asked, "You pray to your G-d every day and you do not know where He dwells?" 

Rabbi Gamliel answered, "You asked me about something which is thirty-five hundred years away from me (referring to the amount of years since creation).  I will ask you about your soul, which abides within you day and night.  Tell me where exactly does it reside within you?"

"I have to admit that I do not know!" answered the man. "You do not know where your soul dwells and you expect me to tell you where G-d resides!" said Rabbi Gamliel. 

The man continued, "We, idol worshipers, are better off for we worship to the works of our own hands (idols), thus, we can always see them.  But you cannot see your G-d!"

Rabbi Gamliel replied, "Just the opposite is true.  You see your idols, but they cannot see you. But, Our G-d, blessed be He, we cannot see Him, yet, He sees the works of His hands – He always sees us!"

UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL

& FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

Monday, Adar1- 3, 5784 / February 12, 2024

We are now in the Hebrew month Adar one.  This year, being a leap year, consists of 13 months. Thus, we have Adar one and Adar two. In a regular year we would now be only six weeks from Pesach, but this year we still have 10 weeks.

This week’s Parsha is Terumah. In this Parsha G-d commands Moshe to tell the Jewish people to make contributions towards the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Mishkan was a dwelling built for G-d, in which G-d’s presence will rest amongst the Jewish people.

The Mishkan was a temporary structure made out of wood, which traveled with them throughout their forty years in the desert. It was disassembled when they had to travel and erected wherever they camped. It was also used when they came into Israel, until they built a permanent structure.

The name of the Parsha, Terumah (an offering), refers to the donations which G-d asked them to contribute toward the building of the Mishkan. Instead of commanding Moshe to tell the people to “give” or “donate,” the Torah says to tell the people, “Take for me an offering.”

Q.  Why does the Torah use the expression take, It should have said, "Give to Me an offering."

A.Our sages explain that the Torah uses the expression “take” instead of “give” to teach us an important lesson about the concept of charity. 

When we give Tzedakah (charity) it seems to us that we are the givers and the needy are the receivers. G-d tells us that the truth is that the giver is really the one who is taking and receiving. The very mitzvah of charity-Tzedakah and the reward one gets for this mitzvah is much greater than what they gave. Thus, giving is really taking.

The Talmud explains this as follows: "More than the wealthy person does for the poor man; the poor person does for the wealthy one." The return one gets for the mitzvah of Tzedakah is of much greater value than what the receiver got.

The following passage is from the Talmud: Rabbi Yehuda says, "Ten hard things have been created in the world. The rock is hard, but iron shatters it. Iron is hard, but fire softens it. Fire is powerful, but water extinguishes it. Water is heavy, but clouds carry it. Clouds are thick, but wind scatters them.  The wind is strong, but the body resists it. The body is strong, but fear crushes it.  Fear is powerful, but wine banishes it. Wine is strong, but sleep works it off. Death is stronger than all, yet, Tzedakah-charity delivers from death, as is written, "Tzedakah saves from death."

Tzedakah is the most powerful thing in the world.

UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL

& FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

B"H

Friday, Shevat 30, 5784 / February 9, 2024

Today is the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar 1. Shabbat will be the second day of Rosh Chodesh.

In this week’s Parsha, Mishpatim, we find mitzvot associated with helping others, kindness, being generous, giving charity and helping the needy.  Here are two stories from the Talmud.

One of the Talmudic sages was called Rabbi Nachum Ish Gam Zu. The reason he was called, “Gam Zu” is because no matter what happened to him, even in a very difficult situation, Rabbi Nachum would always say, "Gam Zu L'Tovah" - “This too is for the good.”

In his later years, Rabbi Nachum Ish Gam Zu was blind, his hands and feet were paralyzed, his whole body was full of pain, and he lived in great poverty. Once, when his house was in danger of collapsing, his students wanted to move Rabbi Nachum and all his belongings out of the house. Rabbi Nachum said to them, "First move out my belongings, then take me out of the house, for as long as I am in the house, it will not collapse!"  

The students did as they were told. No sooner had they taken Rabbi Nachum out of the house, the house collapsed. They asked him, "If you are such a righteous person why are you suffering so much?"

Rabbi Nachum replied: "It’s my fault, I brought it upon myself. Once, I was travelling to my father-in-law, and I had with me three donkeys laden with all kinds of food. As I came to the house, a poor man approached me and said, 'Rabbi, give me something to eat.' I answered, ‘Wait until I will unload the donkeys and then I will feed you.’  But I wasn't fast enough, and the poor man died.  

When I saw this, I prayed to G-d; "My eyes that didn't have pity on the eyes of the poor man should become blind. My hands and feet that didn't have pity on the poor man should be paralyzed. I still wasn't satisfied and accepted pain on my entire body."

When the students heard this, they said, "Woe to us that we see you like this!"   Rabbi Nachum said to his students, "Woe to me if you wouldn't see me like this, for these sufferings will help me to be forgiven for what I have done!" The story of Rabbi Nachum teaches us not to delay helping those who are in need!

Another Talmudic story about the greatness of the mitzvah of Tzedakah-charity: Rabbi Akiva had a daughter whom stargazers forecast would die on her wedding day.  This caused Rabbi Akiva much worry. 

On her wedding night, when she went to bed, she took a golden brooch from her headdress and stuck it into the wall.  In the morning, she was shocked to see a dead poisonous snake, with her golden brooch pierced through its eye!  She ran to tell her father.

"My daughter," asked Rabbi Akiva, "what have you done to deserve such a miracle?"

“At my wedding," she replied, "a poor man came and pleaded for a meal to satisfy his hunger. I saw that everyone was too busy with the wedding festivities, so I got up and gave him my own portion that you, father, had personally served me."  "That's it!" her father exclaimed.  "The Mitzvah saved your life!"

UNITED WE STAND IN PRAYER FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ISRAEL & FOR THE WELFARE OF THE CAPTIVES. MAY THEY BE RELEASED NOW.

SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montreal candle lighting time: 4:54 / Shabbat ends: 5:59