BH
Friday, Nissan 13, 5781 / March 26, 2021
This Shabbat, the Shabbat before Pesach is called, Shabbat HaGadol– the Great Shabbat. The reason is that on the last Shabbat in Egypt Jews witnessed GREATmiracles.
The Torah reading this Shabbat is Parshat Tzav– the second Parsha in the Book of Leviticus (Vayikra).
Q.One of the items placed on the Seder plate is a hard boiled egg. What does the egg represent?
A.The egg represents the Chagiga sacrifice which was brought in the Temple and eaten before the Pesach sacrifice at the Seder.
Also, a mourner eats an egg at the first meal when beginning the Shiva. The egg is round and symbolizes the cycle of life. Thus, the egg is a symbol of mourning. Our Sages tell us that at the time of our rejoicing, we must also remember the destruction of the Holy Temple. Thus, we place an egg at the Seder table to remember that although we are gathered at the Seder to rejoice and celebrate our freedom, our joy is not complete without our Holy Temple.
Rabbi Abraham Iben Ezra has another interpretation for the egg at the Seder. He explains that eggs were a forbidden food in Egypt. The egg at the Seder symbolizes our freedom from the Egyptians.
Also, unlike other foods, eggs become firmer when boiled. This recalls the story of the Jewish people in Egypt. The Torah tells us that the more the Jewish people were afflicted, the more they multiplied and became exceedingly mighty.
On the lighter side: A wealthy man was fond of a particular beggar. Every year, before Pesach he gave the poor man 500 rubles.
Once, when the poor man came for his annual Pesach donation, the rich man gave him only 250 rubles.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked the beggar. “This is only half of what you usually give me.”
“I’m sorry, but I must cut my expenses,” replied the benefactor apologetically. This year my daughter married a young man who is studying in Yeshiva. Between the wedding bills and their support I cannot give you more.
“What!” cried the poor man, “you marry off your daughter and support her and her husband on my account?!”
BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES FOR A HAPPY & HEALTHY PASSOVER
MAY WE MERIT THE ULTIMATE REDEMPTION WITH THE COMING OF MOSHIACH
CHAG KOSHER V’SAMEACH - NEXT YEAR (even better.. THIS YEAR) IN JERUSALEM
Next Torah Fax after the holiday, G-d willing
Montreal Friday candle lighting time: 6:57 / Saturday night: 8:01 / Sunday night: 8:02
B"H
Tuesday, Nissan 24, 5781 (9th day of the Omer)/ April 6, 2021
We find ourselves now between the holidays of Pesach – the holiday of our freedom, and the holiday of Shavuot – when G-d gave us the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Beginning with the second night of Pesach, until Shavuot, a period of forty nine days, we perform the special mitzvah of "Counting of the Omer" ("Sefirat Haomer").
Each night, at the end of the evening service, we recite the following blessing, "Blessed are you L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us regarding the counting of the Omer." Then we mention the appropriate day of the Omer. We perform this mitzvah for a period of forty nine days (seven weeks).
The mitzvah of counting the Omer is found in Leviticus (23:15): "And you shall count unto you... seven weeks complete they shall be."
As with all mitzvot, this mitzvah of "Sefirat Haomer," which connects the holiday of our Exodus from bondage; and Shavuot, when we received the Torah, teaches us a special lesson.
On the day of the Exodus, the people of Israel gained their physical freedomfrom Egypt. However, they still did not free themselves of their "spiritual" enslavement to the Egyptians. After hundreds of years of slavery it would take more than just leaving Egypt to accomplish that purification. As the saying goes, "It was easier to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, than to take Egypt out of the Jewish people."
The seven weeks between the Exodus and receiving the Torah enabled the Jewish people to gradually elevate themselves each dayuntil, in the end, they were completely rid of their spiritual enslavement and were ready to receive the Torah.
The Ten Commandments begin with, "I am the L-rd your G-d who delivered you from the land of Egypt from the house of slavery." True freedom took place at Mount Sinai when we received the Torah.
The Jewish festivals which G-d gave us are not merely days of physical celebration. They are also opportunities for us to draw spiritualenergy, inspiration and elevation for the rest of the year.
Pesach is the "Season of our freedom." However, the Torah concept of freedom is not necessarily the same as the common definition. The Torah concept of freedom is not freedom from responsibility. Freedom comes with purpose and responsibility.
True freedom can only be achieved when realizing our purpose in life through living by the laws and guidelines of our G-d given Torah.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Wednesday, Nissan 25, 5781 (10th day of the Omer)/ April 7, 2021
This week’s Parsha is Shemini– the third Parsha in the third Book of the Torah - Leviticus.
This Shabbat, which is the first Shabbat after Pesach, we begin studying Pirkei Avot- Chapters of our Fathers, where many wonderful sayings and lessons of the Talmudic sages are recorded.
Pirkei Avot begins; "Moshe received the Torah from Mount Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua [transmitted it] to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly..."
Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi, compiler of Pirkei Avot, starts the Pirkei Avot by telling us the importance of the Torah teachings, for they were transmitted to us generation to generation all the way back to Moshe at Mount Sinai. The link of transmission of the Torah has never been broken for over 3000 years!
The following episode is told about an elderly rabbi who was traveling with his grandson to Israel. The reverence and respect the grandson exhibited for his grandfather was very evident in the lad's conduct. He listened attentively to every word his grandfather said and without hesitation obeyed whatever his grandfather asked him to do. The other passengers were amazed at the young boy's behavior.
At last, one of the passengers said to the rabbi, "I couldn't help but observe the great respect and reverence your grandchild has for you. I also have children and grandchildren, but they think that they are smarter than I am and have little to learn from me.”
“How were you able to accomplish what I could not?"
"Do you believe the story of creation as recorded in the Torah?" asked the rabbi. The man answered that he did not.
The rabbi replied, "There you have the answer to your question. Your children and grandchildren were taught that they evolved from apes, while my grandson believes in the Torah story of creation that we come from Adam & Eve.
“Your children, who think they have evolved from an ape, are two generations further from the ape than you, thus they consider themselves smarter and more intelligent than you… But, my grandson believes that I am two generations closer to Adam, who was created by G-d Al-mighty Himself. Therefore, he considers memore intelligent and has much to learn from me!"
Pirkei Avot begins with the origin of the Torah and how it was transmitted through the generations. Knowing that the teachings of the Pirkei Avot come from our Talmudic sages who were closer to the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and knowing that the chain of transmission of the Torah was never broken, gives these teachings great validity and holiness.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Nissan 26, 5781 (11th day of the Omer)/ April 8, 2021
Today (Thursday) is Yom Hashoa– Holocaust Memorial Day - a day established to reflect and remember the six million Jews, men, women and children, who were murdered by the Germans and their collaborators, just for being Jewish.
In this week’s Parsha, Shemini, the Torah tells how, on the first day of the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), in the midst of all the festivities and celebrations of the Jewish people, after Aaron finished the service on that special day and the glory of G-d appeared to all the people, a fire came out from before G-d and consumed two of his sons and they died before G-d.”
Moshe consoles Aaron by saying that the fact that his two sons died at this time was a sign of theirgreatness and righteousness,rather than their lacking.
Aaron’s response was silence.He didn’t complain. He didn’t ask, “Why me?” He accepted his fate because this was G-d’s will. The Torah emphasizes that this was one of Aaron’s great virtues, for which he was immediately rewarded, by G-d speaking to him.
Yom Hashoa reminds us of one of the most tragic events in our over 3000 years of Jewish history. It is a period of our history we shall never forget. This is especially true today with the rise of anti-Semitism in our streets, our campuses and around the world.
It is not in the realm of our limited human vision and knowledge to comprehend why such horrendous tragedies befell our people. There is no answer, we are not looking for an answer, and won’t accept an answer.
“Be of the disciples of Aaron,” tell us our sages in Pirkei Avot. Aaron, after his great personal tragedy, continued his priestly duties for the next forty years, serving G-d and the Jewish people. It didn’t set him back. Rather, he went forward. We too, in spite of our many questions, although we have no answers, must continue to go forward and perform our G-dly mission in this world to the best of our ability. It is our mission to spread love and spiritual light to combat the darkness in the world.
King Solomon in Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust. At the same time we must be determined to continue the legacy of our ancestors, of our brothers and sisters, who perished in the Holocaust and whose lives were so brutally taken from them just for being Jewish.
They continue to live on through us, through our children and grandchildren, and through the mitzvot and good deeds we perform in their memory. Let’s perform a special mitzvah in their memory today. Let’s put on Tefillin and give charity in their memory. The Nazis may have succeeded to take our physical life and steal our physical possessions, but no one ever succeeded in taking our souls. Am Yisrael Chai – Israel lives and will live forever. May we merit the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days. Amen.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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