B"H
Thursday, Shevat 22, 5781 / February 4, 2021
This Shabbat we will read Parshat Yitro in which the Torah records the Ten Commandments. The following are comments from our sages on the Ten Commandments.
Q. The fourth commandment is, “Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy.” 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, thus, remembering the Shabbat all week long.
Also, on Shabbat it is customary that we greet each other with "Good Shabbos" or "Shabbat Shalom" etc. Thus, mentioning the name Shabbat. This too, say our sages, is a way of fulfilling "Remember the Shabbat." As a result, it is important to greet each other on Shabbat, not like on other days, with good morning or good evening, but with the traditional greeting in which "Shabbat" is mentioned.
Q. The fifth commandment is to honor parents. However, there is a difference how this commandment is recorded in this Parsha and how it is recorded later in Parshat Va’etchanan. In this Parsha it says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the L-rd your G-d gives to you.”
In Parshat Va’etchanan the Torah says, “Honor your father and your mother, as the L-rd your G-d commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may be good to you upon the land which the L-rd your G-d gives to you.” Why are the words, “that it may be good to you” not found in the First Tablets?
A. The Talmud says that because the First Tablets were broken as a result of the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d didn’t insert the words, “that it may be good to you,” for then with the breaking of the Tablets it would, G-d forbid, have removed good from the Jewish people.
Q. G-d gave Moshe Two Tablets, on one was inscribed the commandments between us and G-d, and on the second one the commandments between one person and another. Why is honoring parents on the Tablet which contained the mitzvot between us and G-d?
A.The Midrash states: "There are three partners in the creation of a person; G-d (who gives the Neshama-Soul) and the father and mother (who contribute the physical parts of the child). When a person respects father and mother, G-d says 'I consider it as if I, too, am dwelling among you; and as if you are honoring Me too!' By honoring our parents, we honor G-d – the main partner.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Friday, Shevat 23, 5781 / February 5, 2021
The highlight of this week's Parsha, Yitro, is about G-d giving the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. This great event took place seven weeks (50 days) after The Exodus.
Q. Why did G-d wait 50 days after the Exodus to give the Torah?
A. During their enslavement in Egypt, a majority of the people adopted much of the Egyptian way of life. As a result, they had fallen to a very low spiritual level, while many of them even worshipped idols. In order to receive the Torah, they had to elevate themselves spiritually. It took them seven weeks to achieve that spiritual elevation.
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!
Q. The first letter of the Ten Commandments is "Alef" (which equals number 1), and the last one is "Chaf" (which equals 20), totaling 21. What is the significance of this number?
A.When we add up the first letter of each of the Five Books of the Torah, they total 21 (2+6+6+6+1=21). It teaches us that the entire Torah was given to us at Mount Sinai.
Q. In addition to reading from the Torah on Shabbat (and holidays) we also read from the Torah every Monday and Thursday. Why?
A. Our sages instituted this custom so that three days should not pass without the reading of Torah.
Q.The first five commandments, written on one Tablet, have many more letters than the last five commandments, which were written on the other Tablet. Were the two Tablets of equal size or not?
A. Both were of equal size! Also, contrary to popular perception, the two tablets were square.
The right tablet contained the commandments between man and G-d, the left contained the commandments between man and man. While the five commandments inscribed on the right contained 146 words, the five commandments on the left, between man and man total 26 words. Yet, they were written on the same size tablet!
There is an important lesson in this: The 26 words took up the same amount of space because they were written in much bigger letters. The lesson from this is that G-d wanted to make us aware that one should not minimize in the importance of the commandments between man and man. They are as important as the commandments between us and Him.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montrealcandle lighting time: 4:49 / Shabbat ends: 5:55
B"H
Monday, Shevat 26, 5781 / February 8, 2021
The mitzvah of Gemilas Chasadim - helping those in need, through charity or by a loan, is one of the many mitzvot (commandments) mentioned in this week's Parsha, Mishpatim. The following stories illustrate several aspects of this important mitzvah:
* One of the older Chasidim of Rabbi Shneur Zalmen of Liadi had a free loan society through which he would help people by giving them interest free loans. When he became older, he asked the Rebbe for permission to hand over the society to someone else, claiming that, “running The Free Loan Organization steals lots of valuable time from me. At this age, I would prefer to better devote my time to study Torah."
Rabbi Schneur Zalmen replied, "It is not true that acts of generosity and kindness 'steals' your time. If anything,it gives you more time!"
The Chasid continued administrating the Gemilas Chasadim Fund and, the Rebbe's words "that acts of generosity and kindness do not steal of one's time, but rather give more time," were fulfilled. He lived an additional 15 years and passed away at a very old age. The lesson is clear: one does not 'lose' time by investing it in the mitzvah of helping others!
* Rabbi Schneur Zalmen often sent representatives to the cities and villages where his Chasidim lived. The representatives would collect money to support the needy in Israel.
One Chasid earned his livelihood by peddling his wares throughout the area. Whenever he earned extra money, he would attribute it to the fact that there was a special need for charity. "I'm sure," he would say, "that when I come home one of the Rebbe's collectors will be waiting for me!"
This story too teaches us a lesson! The money we earn comes through G-d's blessings. Therefore, we must remember the poor and needy for whom G-d intended a share of what He gives us.
* The Talmud tells the following story: Rabbi Akiva had a daughter whom stargazers forecast would die on her wedding day. This caused Rabbi Akiva much worry.
After her wedding, when she went to sleep, she took a golden brooch from her headdress and stuck it into the wall. In the morning, she was shocked to see a dead poisonous snake, with her golden brooch pierced through its eye! She ran to tell her father.
"My daughter," asked Rabbi Akiva, "What have you done to deserve such a miracle?"
"At my wedding," she replied, "a poor man came and pleaded for a meal to satisfy his hunger. I saw that everyone was too busy with the wedding festivities to help him, so I got up and gave him my own portion which you, father, had personally served me." "That's it!" her father exclaimed. "That Mitzvah saved your life!"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Shevat 27, 5781 / February 9, 2021
This week's Parsha, Mishpatim, contains many of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. Most of the mitzvot in this Parsha fall in the category of "Mishpatim"-- civil laws and statutes, between man and man.
In this Parsha the Torah commands us to be careful dealing with converts, widows and orphans; "A stranger [convert] you shall not wrong, neither shall you oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Any widow or orphan you shall not afflict. If you do afflict them and they will cry to me, I will surely hear their cry."
Here are two stories from our recent past, to illustrate the above point.
* Rabbi Yaakov Berlin was a wealthy man. One day while the maid cleaned the house, she accidentally broke an expensive dish. Rabbi Yaakov's wife became very upset and scolded the maid for being clumsy.
"You have no right to scream at her," Rabbi Yaakov said to his wife. "But she caused us such a great loss, " answered the wife. "It is your right to call her to Beth Din (rabbinical court) and present your claim," said Rabbi Yaakov. "But you cannot mistreat her in any way."
"In that case, I am taking her to the Beth Din (rabbinical court) right now to make her pay for the damage." Rabbi Yaakov's wife put on her coat and told the maid to come with her. Rabbi Yaakov also put on his coat to go, too.
"You don't have to bother coming," his wife said. "I can plead my own case."
"I know you don't need my help. But the poor maid is an orphan and has no one to help her. She will be scared and will not know what to say in her defense. It is to help her that I am going..."
* Rabbi Chaim of Sanz was a great rabbi and scholar. Once, he spent Shabbat at the home of a wealthy Jew. At the Shabbat table, every dish was first brought to the Rabbi who would take a portion for himself, then the dish was passed on to the others at the table.
Shabbat afternoon, when the "cholent" (meat stew with potatoes) was brought to the table it was also first handed to Rabbi Chaim. He took a portion for himself, but instead of passing the dish on to the others, he left it in front of him while eating his portion. When he finished everything on his plate, he took another plateful and another, until he finished it all. Out of respect to the rabbi, no one asked him why he did this.
After Shabbat, Rabbi Chaim explained to his students, "When the cholent was brought before me it didn't smell right. After tasting it, I realized that the maid mistakenly put some kerosene in the cholent. I felt pity for the maid, who is a poor orphaned girl. To make sure no one finds out, I decided to eat up all the cholent. This way, I spared the poor girl any embarrassment!"
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
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