B"H
Thursday, Sivan 23, 5785 / June 19, 2025
The mitzvah (commandment) of Tzitzit, is found at the end of this week’s Parsha, Shlach. Concerning this mitzvah the Torah says, “You shall see them and remember ALL of G-d’s mitzvot and you shall perform them..” This mitzvah is performed each day by wearing the Talit during the morning prayers and the small Talit each day.
The Talit has four corners. On each of the corners we insert Tzitzit. Each of the four Tzitzit is made of four strings which are folded over, thus becoming eight. There are five knots in every tzitzah. One of the four strings is longer than the others. It is wrapped around the other strings between the knots. The number of wrappings is: 7– 8– 11– 13. Thus, between the five knots there are a total of 39wrappings.
Q.How do the Tzitzit remind us of ALLof G-d’s mitzvot?
A. In the Torah there are 613 mitzvot. The numerical value of the Hebrew word TZITZITis 600. The Titzit are made up of 8 strings and 5 knots. Thus together (600+13) they number 613.
Q.What is the significance of the thirty-nine wrappings as related to the Tzitzit?
A.The purpose of the Tzitzit is to remind us of all of G-d’s mitzvot. The portion of Tzitzit ends with, “I am G-d your G-d.” This portion is recited daily together with the portion of the Torah, “Hear O Israel G-d is our G-d, G-d is One.” The numerical value of G-d’s Hebrew name is 26. The numerical value of the Hebrew word ONE(“G-dis One”) is 13. The 39wrappings alludes to this idea – G-dis One (26+13=39).
Q.Many observe this mitzvah all day long by wearing a small Talit on top or under their shirt. Why do some people have their Tzitzit hanging out?
A.This is based on the words of this Parsha concerning Tzitzit, “You will see it and you will remember all the commandments of G-d to perform them…” By leaving the Tzitzit out they can be seen all the time.
Q. Every morning, except on Shabbat and Yom Tov, when we pray with the Talit and Tefillin, we put on the Talit firstthen the Tefillin. Why do we put on the Talit first?
A. The general rule is that when we have to perform two mitzvot at the same time, the one which is more regular comes first. The Talit we wear every day of the year, the Tefillin we do not wear on Shabbat and holidays. Thus, the Talit is a more regularly performed mitzvah and thus is put on first.
Q.What is the meaning of the word, “Tzitzit”?
A.One explanation by Rashi is that “Tzitzit” comes from the word, “Maytzitz,” which means, “to see.” Because lookingat the strings of the Tzitzit reminds us of the mitzvot, they are called Tzitzit.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time on Friday: 8:29 / Shabbat ends: 9:45
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
B"H
Tuesday, Sivan 21, 5785 / June 17, 2025
This Shabbat we read Parshat Shlach, which tells the story of the 12 spies which Moshe and the Jewish people sent to scout the Holy Land. Instead of a good report, they brought back a negative one. The people then refused to go to the Promised Land and as a result, that generation didn’t go into Israel.
Q. One of the things the spies said, "And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes." What lesson can we derive from this?
A. Our rabbis explain that how a person thinks of themselves in their own eyes, so they are perceived by others. Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, remembering that they were sent by Moshe, they would have been proud of their mission. But with their negative attitude ("we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers") they projected the same image about themselves to the inhabitants of the land and, they too, viewed them as grasshoppers - small and meaningless creatures.
Lesson: When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about it. This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others, and they too will be affected and influenced to do the same.
The third chapter of Pirkei Avot, which will be recited this Shabbat, begins, 'Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where you came and to where you are going and before Whom you are destined to give an accounting... before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.'"
Our sages give the following parable which illustrates the point. A fox once passed by a beautiful garden, filled with row after row of delicious fruits and vegetables. The food looked so tempting, the fox wanted to eat it all. But there was a problem. A fence surrounded the garden. The fox went around the entire fence many times. Finally, he found an opening, but it was too small to fit through. The fox was not about to give up so easily. "Where there's a will, there's a way!" he thought.
He decided to fast until he would be skinny enough to fit through the small opening. For three straight days, the wily fox fasted. Finally, he was able to fit through the hole.
Once inside the garden, he ate to his heart's content. When he finally could eat no more, it was time to leave. But try as he might, he couldn't. He was too fat now to fit through the hole! So, he had to fast another three days until he could squeeze back through the opening.
When he finally made it outside the fence, he looked back and exclaimed. "Garden, Garden, how beautiful you are. But what good is your beauty when the way I went in, is the way I went out!”
“Know from where you came and to where you are going.”We come into this world with no material assets and leave this world without any of the physical and material things we amassed during our lifetime. The only assets we take with us in the end are the mitzvot, good deeds and spiritual accomplishments we accumulated in this world.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY – AM YISRAEL CHAI
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
B"H
Monday, Sivan 20, 5785 / June 16, 2025
In Parshat Beha’alotcha, which was read this past Shabbat, the Torah tells of the first travel which the Jewish people travelled after receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.
They stayed at Mount Sinai for almost a year. On the first of the month Sivan in the year 2448 they came to Mount Sinai and on the 20th of Iyar in the year 2449 they began travelling.
At this time, G-d intended to bring them into the Promised Land very quickly, but as we will read in this week’s Parsha, Shlach, due to the sin of the spies, which they sent to scout the Promised Land and their refusal to go into the Land of Israel after hearing their report, G-d punished them and they stayed in the desert for forty years. Only the next generation merited to go into Israel.
Q.How did the people know when to travel and when to set up camp?
A.The Torah tells us that there was a cloud which hovered over the Mishkan (Tabernacle) at all times. When this cloud rose and moved forward, this was their sign that it was time to travel. Where the clouds stopped that’s when they would stop and set up camp.
Q.How long did they rest in one place?
A.The Torah tells us that at times they would stop for only one day and then continue. At times they would rest for a few days or a month or a year. The longest they stayed in one place was 19 years.
Q.How many times have they traveled?
A.From when they left Egypt until they came to the Promised Land they traveled 42 times.
The Torah tells us that they travelled by the, “command of G-d and by the hand of Moshe.” The rising of the cloud was G-d’s sign for them to travel, but they waited until Moshe said the following passage, “Rise up ‘O G-d and let your enemies be scattered and let them that hate You flee before you.”
Our sages explain that with the words, And let them that hate You flee before you, the Torah refers to those who hate the Jewish people! “For those that hate the Jewish people, hate G-d.”
By Divine Providence these passages in the Torah were read this Shabbat when Israel was bombing Iran and causing the Iranian Jew haters to flee. May the IDF, with G-d’s help, have a quick victory.
In the Parsha we also read that G-d commanded Moshe to make two trumpets of silver… “When you go to war in your Land against the adversary that oppresses you and you shall sound the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before G-d your G-d and you shall be saved from your enemies.”
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY – AM YISRAEL CHAI
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
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
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