B"H

Thursday, Shevat 1, 5781 / January 14, 2021

Today (Thursday), is Rosh Chodesh - the first day of the new Hebrew month, Shevat.  Shevat is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar.  Thus, Pesach is only two and a half months from today.

This day is mentioned in the Torah. In the beginning of Deuteronomy (Devarim) the Torah tells us that on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, five weeks before Moshe’s passing, he began his review the entire Torah with the Jewish people.

The mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh is in next week’s Parsha, Bo. The Torah tells us that on the first day (Rosh Chodesh) Nissan, G-d told Moshe and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: “This month (Nissan) shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the months of the year."

The commandments were given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, at the Giving of the Torah, which took place 50 days after the Exodus. However, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh was given to the Jewish people in Egypt, two weeks before the Exodus. It was the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people.

The Hebrew calendar is a lunar based calendar. The lunar month consists of twenty nine and a half days, from its appearance to its next sighting. During the first half of the month it keeps getting bigger. At the middle point there is a full moon and then begins to get smaller again, until its next reappearance.

Rosh Chodeshis celebrated on the day when the moon starts its cycle of rebirth.  Not always is it visible on Rosh Chodesh. But from Rosh Chodesh on it gets fuller each night, until the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month when the full moon is visible.

Life in general is compared to a revolving wheel. Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn, fifth leader of Chabad-Lubavitch, explained the comparison: Both those at the top of the wheel of fortune and those at the bottom often betray a lack of wisdom. 

Those at the top may glow with self-satisfaction, even mocking those less fortunate. But they would be wiser to realize that the wheel may turn at any moment and then they could find themselves lower than those upon whom they previously looked down!

On the other hand, those at the bottom may bemoan their cruel fate. But they too, would be wiser to realize that their fortunes are merely an expression of life's revolving wheel. The very fact that now they are at rock bottom is a clear sign that at the wheel's very next turn, their fortunes will improve!

Just like the cycle of the moon, Rosh Chodesh reminds us that the Jewish people have their days of glory and times of difficulty. But we must never lose hope. We know that bright days are sure to come. 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL CHODESH-MONTH

In memory of my father, Reb Menachem Mendel ben Reb Elchanan Dov, of blessed memory, on his third yartzeit. May his Neshama have an Aliya in Gan Eden. 

B"H

Friday, Shevat 2, 5781 / January 15, 2021

In this week's Parsha, Va'eira, we read about seven of the ten plagues which G-d brought upon the Egyptians. The last three plagues are listed in next week’s Parsha, Bo.

The seven plagues mentioned in this Parsha are: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Pestilence, Boils & Hail. The other three plagues are; Locust, Darkness, Death of the first born.

The first three plagues, Blood, Frogs and Lice, came about through Aaron. It was Aaron who lifted his staff over the Nile and made the water into blood. Aaron brought forth the frogs from the river and it was Aaron who hit the ground and brought about the plague of lice from the earth. The other seven plagues came through Moshe.

Q. Why wasn’t Moshe the one to bring the first three plagues?

A. The reason is because the first two plagues (blood and frogs) affected the waters of Egypt, which saved Moshe’s life when he was placed in a basket by the river.  The plague of lice came as a result of smiting the earth of Egypt, which helped Moshe when he had to bury the Egyptian which he killed. Thus, Moshe couldn’t be the one to smite the river and the earth.

This is an important lesson in showing gratitude to those who do us a favor. Moshe could not bring about any of the punishments which involved hurting that which helped and protected him.

The Talmudic sage, Hillel the Elder gives the following powerful parable to explain how one must be very careful to be grateful and express gratitude for kindness done to them. 

A deer chased by hunters ran into a garden and hid amongst its dense bushes.  The hunters searched tirelessly for the deer, but couldn’t find it.  Finally they gave up.

When the deer saw the hunters leaving the garden, it relaxed.  Suddenly, the animal felt hungry and began eating the leaves of the dense bushes which were protecting him.  Each leaf which the deer ate called out, “We’re not sad for our fate, but for your foolishness!  Don’t you realize that by eating us the hunters will soon find you?”

But the deer did not properly appreciate the kindness extended to him.  He continued eating the leaves for he was hungry and all that mattered to him was to satisfy his hunger.  The more leaves he ate the more he became exposed.  Soon the hunters heard the sound of the deer chewing on the leaves.  They turned and saw the foolish deer.  Before long the deer was captured.”

As the deer lay trapped by the hunters, he exclaimed, ‘I have repaid bad for good!  I deserve my fate, because the leaves which did me a favor, I ate.”

SHABBAT SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:20 / Shabbat ends: 5:27

B"H

Monday, Shevat 5, 5781 / January 18, 2021

In this week’s Parsha, Bo, we will read about the Exodus from Egypt. It took about a year from the time Moshe first approached Paharoh to demand to let the Jewish people go until he actually let them leave. It also took Ten Plagues to convince Pharaoh that it was in his best interest to let them go.

Even when Pharaoh already agreed to let them go, he insisted that the young children stay behind. In the beginning of the Parsha, the Torah tells us that Moshe and Aaron came to Pharaoh and delivered G-d's message, "How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go!"

Pharaoh said to Moshe and Aaron, "Go, serve the L-rd your G-d; but tell me who will be going?"  Moshe replied, "With our young and with our old we will go, with our sons and with our daughters."

Pharaoh angrily replied, "Not so; only the men can go and serve the L-rd."  But when Moshe insisted that the young will also have to come, they were "driven out from Pharaoh's presence." It took three more plagues, Locust, Darkness and the Plague of the First Born, before Pharaon let them go.

Here we see the importance the Torah places on our youth. Throughout the Torah we find how important it is to educate our children from a very young age. Children are our assurance of Jewish continuity.

The importance of teaching children was again emphasized at the Giving of the Torah. The Midrash relates that G-d agreed to give the Torah to the Jewish people only after they firmly committed to educate their children and teach them Torah. According to Halacha (Torah law), as soon as a child begins to speak, we must teach them to recite words of Torah.

Q.  Pharaoh only objected to the young going to serve G-d. Therefore, Moshe should have answered, "with our young we will go."  Why did Moshe reply, "With our young and with our old we will go?"

A.  Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk says that with these words, Moshe explains to Pharaoh the importance of taking the children to serve G-d.

If our young will serve G-d, we will also have our old serving G-d.  But if we don't concentrate on our youth, we will eventually not have any older people either. This is why he told Pharaoh, "With our young and with our old we will go.”King Solomon says in Proverbs,“Educate the young according to their level, for then even when they become old they will not turn from it.”

The importance of educating our youth in teachings of the Torah is seen from the following Jewish law: “One may not interrupt the study of school children even for the construction of the Holy Temple.” 

The Talmud also says, “A city that has no school in which children learn Torah will not endure.”

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

In memory of Jeno Zoldan Z"L – Yitzchak Yehuda ben Aaron (Yosef) –

now  gone for 30 years, and your memory, kindness  and love is still felt.
by  your family.
Andre, Esther, Zachary, Benjamin, Jonah.
May the Neshamah have an Aliyah.