B"H

Friday, Tevet 20, 5779 / December 28, 2018

In Parshat Shemot, the Torah tells us about Pharaoh’s decree to throw every Jewish newborn boy into the river. We read about Moshe’s birth and how his mother, after hiding him for three months, placed him in a basket and put it into the river. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket. Although it was beyond her reach, she nevertheless stretched out her hand to get it. G-d performed a miracle and her hand reached the basket. Many years later, at the burning bush, G-d chose Moshe as leader of the Jewish people, to liberate them from their Egyptian bondage.

Q.   How old was Moshe’s mother, Yocheved, when she gave birth to Moshe?

A.   She was 130 years old! 

Q. Moshe’s father, Amram, was from the tribe of Levi. His mother, Yocheved, was also from the tribe of Levi. How were they related?

A. Yocheved was Amram’s aunt. She was Amram’s father’s sister. Although, marrying an aunt was prohibited after the Giving of the Torah, it was permitted before the Torah was given.

Q. In the Parsha we read that when G-d revealed Himself to Moshe, at the burning bush and chose him to become the leader of the Jewish people, G-d commanded him, “Take off your shoes from your feet, for the ground upon which you are standing on is holy ground.” What is the connection between Moshe becoming leader of the Jewish people and the removing of his shoes?

A.  When one wears shoes, they are not bothered by small pebbles on the road. G-d tells Moshe, in order to assume leadership of my people, "take off the shoes from your feet." As leader you must feel the pain of the Jewish people and deal even with the small problems that may affect them.

Q.  Why did Pharaoh decree that every male child be drowned in the river? What difference did it make to him how the boys were killed?

A.  Pharaoh’s stargazers told him that the future leader of the Jewish people will be punished through water. Thus, Pharaoh decreed that every boy be drowned. However, their mistake was that what they saw referred to the story, 40 years later, when G-d told him to speak to the rock to give water, instead, he hit the rock. As a result, he was punished to die in the desert and not lead the people into Israel.

Q.  Our sages say that when Pharaoh’s daughter stretched out her hand to reach for the basket with Moshe on the river, it was beyond reach. Why did she even attempt to reach it?

A.  Oursages say this teaches us an important lesson. If ever we are in a situation where someone is in need of help, we shouldn’t give up just because it seems impossible. We have to try our best, and even reach for the unreachable, to help that person. When we try our best, G-d will do His best and help us achieve our goals.

SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 3:59 / Shabbat ends: 5:09

B"H

Tuesday, Tevet 24, 5779 / January 1, 2018

This Shabbat we read the second Parsha in the Book of Exodus, Parshat Va’eira.

Q.  In the Parsha we read, "And Aaron took Elisheva, the daughter of Aminadav, the sister of Nachshon, for a wife." Why does the Torah, when telling us that Aaron married the daughter of Aminadav, inform us that she was the sister of Nachshon?  

A.  Nachshon was the head of the tribe of Yehuda. He was the first to jump into the sea after the Exodus, and as a result the sea split. According to the Talmud this teaches us that, "Before one takes a wife, he should check her brothers; for most children take after the mother's brothers."

Q.  In the Parsha we read, “G-d said to Moshe, say to Aaron, take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt… so that they will become blood."  Why were the waters smitten through Aaron, not through Moshe?

A.  Rabbi Tanchum says, "Because the water of the Nile protected Moshe when his mother placed him in the river, he could not be the one to punish it.  This is the reason why the first two plagues, blood and frogs, which came from the water, were brought about by Aaron.

Q.  In the Parsha we read, "G-d said to Moshe, say to Aaron stretch out your rod and smite the dust of the earth and it shall become lice."  Why was the third plague, lice, also brought by Aaron?

A.  G-d told Moshe, "You should not be the one to punish the sand for it protected you when you killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (2:12).  Aaron should bring this plague instead."

Today is the 24th of Tevet - the Yartzeit of Rabbi Schneur Zalmen of Liadi - founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, He passed away in 5573 (1812).  May his memory be a blessing.

Rabbi Schneur Zalmen instilled in his followers a love for G-d, the Torah and Am Yisrael – the Jewish people.  He taught that G-d could be found everywhere! He also taught that the process of creation was not a one time occurrence. Instead, it is an on-going event and as a result makes us continually dependent and connected to G-d.

A Chassid of Rabbi Schneur Zalmen was once at the fair for business.  At the end of the day, when it was time to calculate the total sum of goods which he bought, instead of writing the amount, he inadvertently wrote, "Ein od milvado" - "There is nothing except for G-d.”

"You have a business to run," someone remarked.  "You should concentrate on your business!"

The Chassid replied, "Doesn't it ever happen that during your prayers, when you should be meditating about G-d, you get distracted and think about your business? Then, what is so terrible, if at the fair, when I should be thinking about my business, I get distracted and think about G-d!"

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY (& Happy Old-New Year)

B"H

Wednesday, Tevet 25, 5779 / January 2, 2018

In this week’s Parsha, Va’eira, G-d sends Moshe and Aaron to warn Pharaoh to let the Jewish people go, lest he will be afflicted with great plagues. In the end, after Pharaoh refused to let them go, G-d sent ten plagues upon the Egyptians. In this week’s Parsha we read about seven of the plagues.

At the same time, G-d tells Moshe to tell the Jewish people, “I am G-d, and I will take you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, and I will save you from their labor, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you unto Me for a nation.”

There are four expressions here relating to the redemption of the Jewish people from their Egyptian bondage. This is the reason for the four cups of wine we drink at the Seder on Passover, commemorating our redemption.

Q. G-d says: “I will take you out from under the burden of the Egyptians, and I will save you from their labor.” In actuality, Jews in Egypt stopped working a year before the Exodus. Why did G-d tell Moshe to tell them that they will be taken out from Egypt first and only after, “I will save you from their labor”?

A. A slave cannot fully appreciate the virtue of freedom, while they are still enslaved. They may even get used to and become settled in their slavery. Only after they are freed and get the taste of true freedom can they fully appreciate the detrimental situation they were in before.

Jews in Egypt, during their enslavement, couldn’t understand their terrible predicament to the fullest. Only after their liberation, after having the wonderful experience of freedom, were they able to truly appreciate the great blessing of being saved from the Egyptian physical and spiritual enslavment.

Parable: The son of a mighty king, who didn’t behave properly as befitting for a prince, was expelled from the palace by his father, the king. He ended up living amongst the poor and homeless and went out each day begging for food together with all the others. Years went by and he completely forgot his origin and that he is the king’s son.

In time, his father, the king, sent to ask his son what he needs. The prince replied, “My backpack is all worn out and torn. Perhaps the king can get me a new backpack to keep my meager belongings in.”

“The same thing is with us,” says the Rabbi of Gur. “We Jews, after being in exile for thousands of years, have become so accustomed to our situation that instead of asking for Moshiach and for our true redemption, we ask for mundane things which have no everlasting value. Like the prince who could have asked to be reunited with his father the king, yet all he wants is a new backpack.

Only when Moshiach will come will we truly understand how enslaved we were to our physical mundane desires, during these exile years. We too, should be praying for our redemption and only then will we truly realize how much we needed Moshiach all these years.  

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY