B"H

Friday, Tevet 11, 5778 / December 29, 2017

With this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, in which we read about the passing of the last of the patriarchs, Yaakov (Jacob) and the passing of his twelve sons, the Torah concludes the Book of Genesis (Breishis). This concludes the stories about the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people. The next Book of the Torah, Shemot, will begin with the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt and their subsequent liberation.

In Parshat Vayechi Yaakov blesses his sons and two of his grandchildren, Ephrayim and Menashe. Yaakov singles them out from the rest of his grandchildren as only they were born in Egypt before Yaakov came there. In the Parsha, Yaakov makes his son, Joseph, swear that after Yaakov’s passing he will not bury him in Egypt, but take him to buried in the family burial plot in Hebron.

Q. How many years did Yaakov (Jacob) live in Egypt?

A. 17 years. He came to Egypt when he was 130 and passed away at the age of 147.

Q.  How many years was Joseph in Egypt?

A.  93 years. Joseph was 17 when he was brought to Egypt and passed away at the age of 110.

Q. Why did Yaakov insist to be buried in Israel?

A. There are a few reasons. One reason is that the great famine which Joseph predicted was supposed to last seven years. However, when Yaakov moved to Egypt after two years of famine, the famine stopped in his merit. Yaakov was afraid that because of this the Egyptians would idolize and worship him after his passing. Thus, he made Joseph swear not to bury him in Egypt.

Q. Where were Yaakov’s twelve sons buried?

A. They were buried in Egypt. But when the Jewish people left Egypt at the time of the Exodus, they took their bones with them to be buried in Israel. Joseph was later buried in the city of Sh’chem.

Q. Which of Yaakov’s wives was buried with him in the Me’arat Hamachpeila in Hebron?

A. Leah. His wife, Rachel, who died about 48 years before Yaakov, was buried near Bethlehem. Yaakov knew by Divine inspiration that the Temple would one day be destroyed and his descendants, the Jewish people, would be exiled from Jerusalem. He deliberately buried Rachel at the side of the road, so when they pass by there Rachel would pray for them and invoke G-d’s mercy upon them.     

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:01 / Shabbat ends: 5:10

Tuesday, Tevet 15, 5778 / January 2, 2018

Someone wished me a Shana Tova yesterday. I said to him that as far as I’m concerned, a Shana Tova is reserved for Rosh Hashana – the Hebrew New Year. I explained to him that the word “Shana” which means “year” has a numerical value of 355. This is the number of days in the average Hebrew year. But a secular year has 365 days, it never has 355 days. Thus, the word “Shana” doesn’t apply to the secular year, as it does to the Hebrew year.

Nevertheless, a Happy (secular) New Year is in order. We can always use blessings for health, happiness and success whenever we can get them. May 2018 be a year of peace for everyone.

The New Year 2018 is especially significant as it contains the number 18 which is the numerical value for the word “Chai” – “Life.” May it indeed be a year of good Life and good health for everyone.

This week’s Parsha, S’hmot, begins the second Book of the Torah – the Book of Exodus. Although this Book of the Torah is known as Exodus, the Hebrew name is S’hmot, which means “names.” This Book of the Torah begins with the names of the twelve sons of Yaakov who came to Egypt together with him.

We read about the harsh enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt, about the birth of Moshe (Moses) and the story of the burning bush where G-d chose Moshe to become the leader of the Jewish people and to take them out of Egypt.

Q. How many years did the Jewish people physically live in Egypt?

A. From the time Yaakov and his family moved to Egypt until the Exodus was 210 years. Joseph came to Egypt twenty two years before Yaakov.

Q. How many came to Egypt with Yaakov and how many left at the time of the Exodus?

A. Yaakov and his descendants who came to Egypt (including Joseph and his two sons, who were there before) numbered 70 people. At the time of the Exodus there were over 600,000 men, over the age of 20. In addition there were also many women and children. Perhaps a few million people.

Q. How long after Yaakov’s arrival in Egypt was Moshe born?

A.130 years later. Moshe’s mother, Yocheved, was born as Yaakov’s family entered into Egypt. Thus, Yocheved was 130 when she gave birth to Moshe. Moshe was eighty years old when he led the Jewish people out of Egypt. Thus, in total they were in Egypt for 210 years (130+80=210).

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY & A HAPPY YEAR

B"H

Wednesday, Tevet 16, 5778 / January 3, 2018

In this week's Parsha, S’hmot, we read how G-d revealed Himself to Moshe.  The Torah says, "And Moshe was feeding the flock of Yitro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midyan; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness and he came to the mountain of G-d, to Horeb.  And G-d’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and Moshe looked and saw the bush was on fire, but the bush was not consumed.” 

“And Moshe said: I will go closer now and I will see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  G-d saw that Moshe turned to see, and G-d called to him out of the midst of the bush and He said, 'Moshe, Moshe, and he [Moshe] said, 'Here I am.'  And G-d said, 'remove your shoes from your feet for the place upon which you are standing is holy ground.'" 

G-d then tells Moshe, that He has heard the cry of the Jewish people due to the Egyptians' oppression.  "Therefore now I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

Q.  Why was G-d’s first revelation to Moshe from a bush?

A.  The Midrash tells that a gentile once asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha, "Why did your G-d speak to Moshe from the midst of a bush and not from a different tree?"

Rabbi Yehoshua answered, "Had He revealed himself from a carob tree, you would have asked the same question: Why that tree and not another one.  However, now that you asked, I will answer you:  G-d wanted to show Moshe that there was no place where He cannot be found and that He rests not only in the tall trees but also in a low bush.

Q.   Why did G-d reveal himself from a “thorn” bush?

A.  Rashi explains that by revealing Himself through a thorn bush, G-d was saying to Moshe that, just as the Jewish people were suffering, He too, is in pain, which is symbolized by the prickly thorn bush.

Q.  Why from a “burning” bush?

A.  G-d’s revelation to Moshe was through a burning bush to show Moshe that just as the fire didn't destroy the bush, so too, the Egyptians will not be able to destroy the Jewish nation.

For thousands of years the Pharaohs of every generation (their names may have changed, but their goals were the same), even to this day, tried to destroy us.  In G-d’s first revelation to Moshe, G-d made it clear that, just as the bush was not consumed by the fire, because G-d was there, so too, the Jewish nation will not be consumed, for G-d is always with us.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY