B"H
Thursday, Tevet 17, 5778 / January 4, 2018
This Shabbat, we begin the Second book of the Torah, S’hmot.
"Shmot" means "names." The Parsha begins with, "These are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt..." The Torah mentions the names of Yaakov's children who came to Egypt. In the Parsha we also read about the birth of Moshe and the reason behind the name Moshe.
Here are two important lessons which the Midrash draws from the name of the Parsha, Shmot and from the name Moshe.
The Midrash asks, why does the Torah repeat the names of the children of Yaakov when they have already been mentioned many times previously. What significance and teaching is there in the fact that the Torah mentions their names again in connection with their coming into Egypt?
The Midrash explains that one of the reasons the children of Israel merited the redemption from Egypt was that, "they didn't exchange their Hebrew names for Egyptian ones." Through their Hebrew names, Jews kept their identity during the many years of enslavement in Egypt. Thus, the Torah mentions their names at the beginning of this Parsha to emphasize that thanks to keeping their Hebrew names they eventually merited the Exodus from Egypt.
The Midrash also explains how their Hebrew names alluded to their eventual redemption. Thus, their Hebrew names gave them hope for their eventual freedom and helped carry them through their bitter exile. From this our sages learn the importance of maintaining a Hebrew name.
The Midrash also derives a wonderful teaching from Moshe's name. How did Moshe get his name?
When Pharaoh decreed that every newborn male shall be drowned, Moshe's mother, Yocheved, hid her son for three months. When she couldn't hide him any longer, she put her baby in a basket and placed it in the river.
At the time, Pharaoh's daughter, Batiya, went down to bathe in the river. She saw the basket and a crying child in it. The Torah tells us that Batiya raised him, "And he became her son". She named him Moshe for she said, "because I drew him out of the water". The name Moshe relates to this life-saving noble act that Batiya performed.
Moshe already had a name, given to him by his parents. Yet, throughout the entire Torah, G-d calls him Moshe – by the name which Pharaoh's daughter gave him. "From here we see," says the Midrash, "the importance of the mitzvah. For G-d chose to call Moshe by the name which Pharaoh's daughter, Batiya, gave him and not the one his mother gave, in order to reward her for her act of kindness".
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Shevat 16, 5778 / February 1, 2018
This Shabbat we read Parshat Yitro, about the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments are recorded in this Parsha. They are recorded again in the last book of the Torah, Deuteronomy.
Q.When one is called to the Torah we refer to it as an "Aliyah." Why is it called Aliyah?
A."Aliyah" means to ascend, to be elevated. Since the Torah is read on a Bimah, which is an elevated platform, one would ascend when being called to the Torah. Also, being called up to the Torah is a spiritual elevation.
Q. What is the significance of the number "Ten" ("Ten" commandments)?
A.In the beginning of the Torah we find that G-d created the world through ten sayings. The TEN Commandments correspond to the TEN sayings with which G-d created the world.
Our sages explain, "This teaches us that by keeping the Ten Commandments, one preserves the universe and by desecrating the Ten Commandments, one brings destruction to the universe.
Q. There are 620 letters in the Ten Commandments. What is the significance of this number?
A. They correspond to the 613 Biblical Mitzvot plus 7 Rabbinical laws, which total 620!
The crown placed on top of the Torah scroll is called "Keter." The word "Keter" has the numerical value of 620 (20+400+200=620). This alludes to the biblical and rabbinical mitzvot.
Q. The fourth commandment is, “Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy...” For none of the other commandments does the Torah use the expression “remember.” What does “Remember the Shabbat” mean?
A. The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yehuda ben B'teira says, "Other nations have a name for each day of the week (Sunday, Monday etc.), but we call the days of the week as first day; second day; third day, etc. This helps us fulfill the mitzvah to 'Remember the day of Shabbat.' For when we say the first day, the second day etc. it reminds us that we are counting toward the seventh day - Shabbat.
"Remember the day of Shabbat" - On Shabbat it is customary to greet each other with "Good Shabbos" or "Shabbat Shalom" etc. This too, say our sages, is a way of fulfilling "Remember the Shabbat." Thus, it is important to greet each other on Shabbat, not like other days, with good morning or good evening, but with the traditional greeting in which "Shabbat" is mentioned, thus remembering the day of Shabbat.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Shevat 17, 5778 / February 2, 2018
This Shabbat we read Parshat Yitro. The highlight of the Parsha is about G-d’s giving the Ten Commandmants to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
Although only the Ten Commandments are mentioned, our sages say that all 613 mitzvot of the Torah are contained in the Ten Commandments and are equally important as the Ten Commandments.
The following parable explains this; A young man in the shtetel (village) wanted to go into the textile business to provide for his family. Not being familiar with business dealings, he decided to attend the fair in the big city to see how the ways of commerce are conducted.
He went to one of the wholesalers and watched as store retailers entered one after the other to buy material and cloth. He saw the sellers showing the buyers strips of different kinds of materials, in all kinds of quality and colors. After inspecting the material, the buyers and sellers would agree on a price. Then the buyers would hand over quite a large sum to the seller to close the deal.
The young man was amazed. Business looked so easy! In his mind, it shouldn't take him long to become rich. He decided to do exactly as he had seen the store keepers do. He immediately went out and bought various materials, went to his hotel and cut them into many strips. Then he took a table at the fair and spread out his material.
Merchants approached him, inspected his material and asked for prices. He quoted them prices like the other wholesalers. When the potential buyers asked when they can pick up the merchandise, he looked at them wonderingly, "What merchandise? These strips are all the merchandise I have." Naturally, they laughed at him.
"But the other wholesalers also showed you only strips of material?" he asked.
They replied, "The strips are only samples of what each wholesaler has to sell. He has hundreds and hundreds of yards of each material in his warehouse. Only a fool would think that all he had to sell were the strips he showed us."
The same is with the Ten Commandments. They include and remind us of all the rest of the mitzvot. For this reason, after the Ten Commandments were given, Moshe stayed on the mountain for 40 days, to receive the rest of the Torah and mitzvot to teach the people. All 613 mitzvot of the Torah are contained in the Ten Commandments and are equally important.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:44 / Shabbat ends: 5:50
B"H
Monday, Shevat 20, 5778 / February 5, 2018
This past Shabbat we read in the Torah about the Ten Commandments.
The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and mother.” It is the only one of the Ten Commandments for which the Torah mentions a reward – long life.
The commandment to respect parents is found three times in the Torah, but we don’t find a commandment that parents must respect their children. Yet, we see that without being commanded, parents will naturally give whatever they have, even their lives, for their children. The love from parents to children is usually greater and deeper than the love from children to their parents. Why is this?
The first man and woman, Adam & Eve had children but they didn’t have parents. Adam and Eve were created by G-d. Our natural feelings are inherited from our parents, who inherited them from their parents etc. all the way back to Adam and Eve.
Being that Adam and Eve didn’t have parents, they couldn’t have that feeling and love for parents. We inherited from them a love for children, but not for parents.
The tenth and last commandment is; “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.. or whatever belongs to him.”
Our sages ask: How can a person bring themselves not to covet someone else’s things? How can one control the emotion of desire? One can control their actions, so as not to steal something which doesn’t belong to them, but how can one control the emotion of desire?
Rabbi Avraham Iben Ezra explains: “People will covet something which they can get, but something which is completely beyond their reach and realm, one will not covet. For example, the simple farmer will not desire the king’s daughter, for he knows that there is no chance that he can have her.”
With this commandment the Torah tells us that a person should realize that whatever belongs to someone else it is because G-d wants that person to have it and not you. If we sincerely believe that everything we have and posses is by the will of G-d, then a person will realize with full conviction that whatever belongs to someone else, is preordained for that person to have and not me. Coveting what belongs to someone else is like the simple farmer wanting to marry the king’s daughter. When a person realizes this, they will not covet and not desire what is not theirs.
This commandment actually compliments the first commandment, “I am G-d your G-d.” It confirms our belief that everything comes from G-d and is preordained by G-d. Whatever we have is only because G-d gave it to us and whatever someone else has is because G-d gave it to them. Had He wanted us to have it He would have given it to us.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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