B"H

Thursday, Tevet 23, 5781 / January 7, 2021

In Parshat Shmot we read about the birth of Moshe (Moses) and how G-d chose him to be leader of the Jewish people and to go command Pharaoh to let the children of Israel out of Egypt (Mitzrayim). Moshe's parents, Amram and Yocheved, already had two children, Miriam and Aaron, before Moshe was born.

When Pharaoh ordered to throw every newborn boy into the river, Amram didn't want to have anymore children and divorced his wife. Other Jews followed his lead and also divorced their wives.

Miriam, who was five years old, said to her father, "Your decree is even harsher than Pharaoh's! His decree affects only boys. But by not having any children, you are preventing girls from living too.  Amram realized that his daughter was right and he remarried Yocheved.  As a result, Moshe was born.

When Yocheved gave birth to a boy, she was able to hide the baby for three months.  Then she had to find a way to save him. The Torah tells us that she placed the child in a basket and put it by the river. Miriam stood from afar to see what would happen to her little brother.

Pharaoh's daughter, Bitya, came to bathe in the river and saw the basket.  Although the basket was far from her, she stretched out her hand and G-d performed a miracle. Her arm "grew" so she could reach and retrieve the basket. When she opened the basket she found a baby crying.  She said, "It must be from the Hebrew babies." Bitya named him, Moshe ("pull out"), for "from the water I have pulled him..."

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

A.   According to many Torah commentaries she was 130 years old. We know this because Yocheved was born as soon as Yaakov and his family came to Egypt, which was 210 years before the Exodus. Moshe was 80 years old at the time of the Exodus. Thus, she had to be 130 when she had Moshe.   

Q.  What is the meaning of Moshe’s sister’s name, Miriam?

A.  The name Miriam comes from two words "Mar" (bitter) and "Yam" (water). It alludes to the bitterness of the Jewish plight at the time of her birth, when Pharaoh decreed that every Jewish baby boy be drowned in the NileRiver.

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 in the waters of the Nile River. 

However, their mistake was that Moshe’s punishment by water referred to when G-d told him to speak to the rock and he, instead, hit the rock to make it give water.  Moshe was then punished not to go into the Land of Israel.  

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY

B"H

Friday, Tevet 24, 5781 / January 8, 2021

In the end of this week's Parsha, Shmot, the Torah tells us that Moshe went to Pharaoh, as commanded by G-d, to tell him to let the people of Israel go.   But instead of making things better, Pharaoh made the Jews work much harder.  Moshe returned to G-d and said, "L-rd, why have You treated this people so badly?  Why did You send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt badly with this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all." (Exodus 5:22-23).

G-d then told Moshe, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand will he let them go, and with a strong hand will he drive them out of his land." (Exodus 6:1).   

Q.  We see here and even before in the Parsha that Moshe questions and complains to G-d. How is it possible that Moshe, the true servant of G-d and greatest of all prophets, questions the ways of G-d?

A.   While it is very praiseworthy for one to justify G-d's ways on himself, we shouldn't justify bad things that happen to others. It is important that when we see others suffering that we should complain to G-d and ask why, not that it should, G-d forbid, in any way diminish our belief in G-d, but for the purpose of asking G-d to alleviate their suffering. 

A Chasid who fell on hard times came to his Rebbe and poured out his heart. He went on and on complaining about his situation and asked the Rebbe for his blessings so that things will improve.

In the course of the conversation, the Rebbe asked how a certain individual who lived in the same town as the Chasid, was doing. The Chasid told the Rebbe that that individual is having a very rough time, but in the course of the conversation the Chasid threw out the following remark, "Who are we to ask questions of G-d?  Surely G-d knows what he is doing."

The Rebbe became very serious and said, "In your difficult situation, you don't find justification for G-d; but the other's situation you do justify?" The Chasid realized the mistake he made. The Rebbe then told him that he will be helped if he helps the other person. By helping another person, G-d will help him too!

Q.   Our sages say that when Pharaoh’s daughter walked by the river and saw the basket in which Moshe was placed, she stretched out her hand to reach for the basket. However, it was beyond her reach. A miracle happened and her hand stretched out and she reached the basket. Why did she even attempt to stretch out her hand when she knew she couldn’t reach it?

A.  Our sages say this teaches us an important lesson. If ever we are in a situation where someone needs help, we shouldn’t give up just because it seems impossible. We have to make an effort and try our best to help the other person. When we do our best, G-d will do His best and, just like with Pharaoh’s daughter, G-d will help us achieve that goal.

SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:04 / Shabbat ends: 5:13

B"H

Monday, Tevet 27, 5781 / January 11, 2021

There are six events which the Torah commands us to remember each day of our life. One of them is, "Remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life" (Deut. 16:3). Thus, we must remember the Exodus from Egypt each day.

Q.  Why is it so important to remember every day the Exodus which happened over three thousand years ago?

A.  In this week's Torah Portion, Parshat Va’era, Moshe tells the Jewish people that G-d has heard their cries and that He will liberate them from Egypt. However, because of their hard and difficult work, they didn't listen to Moshe.

Pharaoh made the Jews work hard, not because he needed their service, but because he wanted to enslave them. As a result, he made them do all kinds of unnecessary labor. He also made women do the jobs of men and vice versa.  He enslaved them physically and spiritually to such an extent that the Jews were unable to comprehend G-d's word. 

By commanding us to recall the Exodus every day, G-d is reminding us that our daily work to make a living should not interfere with our duties to Him. Ultimately, it is G-d who provides us with what we need.

Rabbi Yaakov, the Magid (Preacher) of Dubna gives the following parable. A laborer came to a town in which there lived a very generous man. The man's home was always open to guests. In the same town there also lived a miser, who was very stingy.

The laborer was hired by the miser to do a day's work in return for room and board. After completing a hard day's work, the miser sent him to the home of the generous man who provided him with good food and comfortable lodging. This went on for a while. The worker put in an hard day’s work thinking that it was his employer who was paying for his food and lodging.

Then one day the laborer discovered that all this was not a payment for his hard work, but as a result of the kindness and benevolence of the other person. "How foolish was I to exhaust myself, when all this would have been given to me anyway!" He thought to himself.

It is the same with us, said the Magid.  Although, as the Torah says, we must work and do our part, we should at the same time remember that in the end, it is all a gift from G-d. This is the purpose of remembering the Exodus each, that we shouldn’t be enslaved to the physical and monetary needs.

There is a profound lesson here for us in our daily lives. If we spend more time with our loved ones and devote more of our time toward our spiritual obligations to G-d, we would still have what is destined for us and have more time for ourselves and our loved ones.

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL & WONDERFUL DAY