B"H

Tuesday, Shevat 2, 5776 / January 12, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

This week’s Parsha, Bo, is about the final three plagues with which G-d punished the Egyptians; Locust, Darkness and Death of the First Born. In this Parsha we also read about the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, after being there for two hundred and ten years.

Q.  We all know whatthe Ten Plagues were. Every year, at the Passover Seder, we mention the Ten Plagues. But, what is the reason G-d punished the Egyptians with theseten plagues?

A.Our sages tell us that G-d’s punishments are measure for measure. The ten plagues were a measure for measurepunishment for the sins of the Egyptians against the Jewish people.

Blood- The waters of the [Nile] river turned to blood and the fish that were in the river died. This was a punishment for Pharaoh's decree that, "every male born shall be thrown into the river."

Frogs- The Torah tells us, "And the river shall swarm with frogs which will go up and come into your house... and into your ovens."  This served a lesson to Pharaoh for saying "Who is the L-rd that I shall listen to His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the L-rd and I will not let Israel go.

By sending the frogs into the ovens to fulfill G-d’s command, which is against the nature of frogs, who reside in a wet and cool place, G-d proved to Pharaoh that He is the L-rd and all of creation must listen to His commands.

According to the Midrash, while all other frogs died when the plague ended; the frogs that went into the burning ovens were spared and returned to the river!

Lice- When the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, they caused them to suffer from lice which resulted from constant sweat due to their harsh labor. Therefore, the Egyptians were now punished measure-for-measure, to suffer a similar fate.

Wild beasts– In Yaakov's blessings to his children, before passing away, he compared his children's special qualities to those of various animals. Thus, G-d punished the Egyptians measure-for-measure, by sending upon them wild animals.

Pestilence- This plague killed the animals in the fields as well as the shepherds attending to them.  When Yaakov and his family came to Egypt, Pharaoh asked Yaakov's sons what their occupation is. They replied, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors." Killing the Egyptian's flock was a punishment, measure-for-measure, for enslaving them, thus, taking them away from attending to their flock. (to be continued).

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

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In memory of Jeno Zoldan, Yitzchak Isaac Yehuda ben Aharon,z”l. Yartzeit is Shevat 5.

Gone but always remembered by those whom he loved, and those who loved him. Zichron Livracha.

Andre, Esther, Zachary, Benjamin, Jonah.

B"H

Monday, Shevat 1, 5776 / January 11, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

Today (Monday), is Rosh Chodesh - the first day of the new Hebrew month, Shevat.  Shevat is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar.

Q.  At what point did G-d command the Jewish people to observe the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh?

A.  The commandments were given at Mount Sinai, which took place 50 days after the Exodus. However, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh was given to the Jewish people two weeks before the Exodus, while they were still in Egypt. It was the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people.

This mitzvah is found in this week’s Parsha, Bo. The Parsha tells us that on the first day (Rosh Chodesh) Nissan, G-d told Moshe and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: “This month (Nissan) shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the months of the year."

The Hebrew calendar is a lunar based calendar. The moon has a twenty nine and a half day cycle from its appearance to its next sighting. During the first half of the month it keeps getting bigger. At the middle point it is full and then begins to get smaller again, until its next reappearance.

Rosh Chodeshis celebrated on the day when the moon starts its cycle of rebirth.  Not always is it visible on Rosh Chodesh. From Rosh Chodesh on it gets fuller each night, until the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month when the full moon is visible.

The first day of Pesach and Sukkot are on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month. For this reason, the first day of Pesach and Sukkot there is always a full moon.

The sages compare life to a revolving wheel. Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, fifth leader of Chabad-Lubavitch, explained the comparison: Both those at the top of the wheel of fortune and those at the bottom often betray a lack of wisdom. 

Those at the top may glow with self-satisfaction, even mocking those less fortunate. But they would be wiser to realize that the wheel may turn at any moment and then they could find themselves lower than those upon whom they previously looked down!

On the other hand, those at the bottom may bemoan their cruel fate. But they too, would be wiser to realize that their fortunes are merely an expression of life's revolving wheel. The very fact that now they are at rock bottom is a clear sign that at the wheel's very next turn, their fortunes will improve!

Rosh Chodesh is a lesson that just as the moon has its cycles, so too, the Jewish people will have their days of glory and times of difficulty. But we must never lose hope. Even in the darkest days, we know that the bright days are sure to come.  

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL CHODESH-MONTH

B"H

Friday, Tevet 27, 5776 / January 8, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR

In this week's Parsha, Va'eira, G-d commands Moshe to tell the children of Israel, "I am the L-rd and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment; and I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a G-d and you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d who brought you out from the burdens of the Egyptians..."

But when Moshe spoke to the children of Israel, the Torah tells us that, “they didn't listen to Moshe due to impatience of spirit and cruel bondage.”

Then G-d said to Moshe, “Go speak to Pharaoh, King of Egypt that he shall send away the children of Israel from his land."

Q.What is the connection between the fact that, "The children of Israel didn't listen to Moshe due to impatience of spirit,” and that G-d immediately orders Moshe to command Pharaoh to free them?

A.We can understand this with the following story about Rabbi Schneur Zalmen, the first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch (1745-1813), whose Yartzeit was this week on the the 24th of Tevet, may his memory be a of blessing to us all.

Rabbi Schneur Zalmen had a Chassid who was a wealthy wine merchant. Once he was notified that 200 wagons of wine were confiscated by Russian officials at the border. Hearing this he fainted. He had invested everything he owned in this transport and now it was in danger of being lost.  Each time the merchant regained his senses, he remembered his misfortune and fainted again.

When Rabbi Schneur Zalmen heard this, he said, "Tell the merchant not to worry. His wine is safe."  This cured the merchant.  Indeed, when Chassidim went to look for the wagons, they found them safe at the side of the road near the border.

The Chassidim then said to the Rebbe, "You claim that you don't perform any miracles, yet we see that you knew that the merchant's wine was safe!"

The Rebbe answered, "This is no miracle!  Our sages tell us that G-d never gives a person more pain than he can handle. When I heard that his suffering was beyond his endurance, I knew that it was a mistake and that his wine must be safe!"

The same was with the Jewish people in Egypt. When G-d saw that their pain and suffering was so great and beyond tolerance, that they didn't even listen to Moshe, who came to tell them about their redemption, He told Moshe to immediately go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people out of Egypt!

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:10 / Shabbat ends: 5:19