B"H
Monday, Tevet 27, 5785 / January 27, 2025
This Shabbat we will read from the Torah Parshat Bo, where the Torah tells the story of the liberation and Exodus of the Jewish people from their slavery and bondage in Mitzrayim (Egypt).
The stories in the Torah, although they took place over three thousand years ago, are not merely a record of historical events, they are lessons and instructions for all generations. In fact, the reason we read these stories to this very day, is so that they will teach and guide us in our daily lives.
This is especially true with the story of the Exodus. This story is so important that it is a mitzvah to remember it each day. The Torah instructs us, "You shall remember the day you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life." We recall the Exodus every day in the daily prayers.
Why is the story of the liberation from “Mitzrayim” (Egypt) so important? The goal of the Exodus was, as G-d stated to Moshe, "When you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain." The purpose of the Exodus was for them to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Our sages say, "True freedom is achieved only through the study of Torah." Without knowing between right and wrong, good and bad, one cannot be considered a free person, in the true sense of freedom. Torah enlightens us to know our purpose in this world. One who lacks purpose is not free.
An ancient story is told of a wealthy man who, in addition to many fields and orchards, had many servants and slaves. He was unkind, a difficult person with a violent temper. If a slave didn't fulfill his wishes to the fullest, he would be beaten mercilessly. Once when he was beating one of his slaves, a wise man happened to walk by. He stopped and said, "It is neither proper nor ethical for one slave to be hitting another slave!"
"What do you mean?" declared the rich man angrily. "I am the owner, and he is my slave!"
"You are mistaken! In my opinion, you are more slave than he is! He, unfortunately, has no choice that he is a slave, but you, who cannot control your anger, are indeed enslaved to your evil temper and temptations. Your anger is your master and ruler, and you are enslaved to it!"
In a spiritual sense, the enslavement in Mitzrayim (Egypt) and the Exodus apply daily. "Mitzrayim" means constriction and limitation. The G-dly soul within us who always wants to do good deeds and rise higher spiritually, is constricted and limited by the animal soul ("Mitzrayim") within us.
Remembering the Exodus daily reminds us that G-d gives us the ability to be liberated from our own constraints and selfish tendencies. We achieve this liberation through the knowledge of Torah, knowing our purpose and mission in life. Through this knowledge our intellect illuminates our heart so that we desire to perform good deeds and rise to spiritual heights. This is the idea of remembering the Exodus every day of our lives.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
B"H
Friday, Tevet 24, 5785 / January 24, 2025
In this week’s Parsha, Va'eira, the Torah tells us about the first seven plagues which G-d brought upon the Egyptians for enslaving the Jewish people: Blood; Frogs; Lice; Wild beasts; Plague; Boils and Hail
The Torah states the following about the hail: "And the hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field." Then the Torah says, “Butthe wheat and the rye were not smitten for they were not grown up yetand they were soft.” Thus, they were able to withstand the hail without breaking.
Q. What was the lesson to Pharaoh in that the wheat and rye were spared because they were soft?
A.The Talmud tells the following story: Rabbi Elazar was once riding on his mule, coming from the house of his teacher. He was feeling very happy because he had studied diligently and acquired great Torah knowledge from his master. On the way, he met a person who was extremely ugly. The man greeted Rabbi Elazar, to which he replied, "Are all the people of your town as ugly as you are?"
The man said, "I do not know, but go tell the Craftsman who made me, 'How ugly is the vessel which you made!'" Rabbi Elazar realized that he had done wrong. He dismounted and begged the man, "I have sinned. Please forgive me!"
"I will not forgive you until you go to the Craftsman who made me and say, 'How ugly is the vessel you have made!'" he replied. Rabbi Elazar continued walking behind the man begging his forgiveness.
Finally, they came to the city where Rabbi Elazar lived. When the people heard that Rabbi Elazar had returned, they came out to greet him, "Shalom unto you, our great rabbi and master!" The man who was walking in front of Rabbi Elazar said to the crowd, "If this man is a teacher, may there not be more like him in Israel!"
Everyone was shocked at this unexpected remark. "Why do you say so?" they asked. The man told them what happened. "Please forgive him," they pleaded, "for he is a great scholar".
The man replied, "I forgive him for your sake, but on the condition that he not act like this again!"
After this incident, Rabbi Elazar entered the Beth Hamidrash (study hall) and preached, "A person should always be bending as a reed and never unyielding as a cedar. For this reason, the reed merited to make from it a pen to write a Torah, Tefillin and Mezuzuot."
This was the lesson of the plague of hail. G-d showed Pharaoh that the hard trees were brokenwhile the "wheat and the rye" which were soft and giving, survived. G-d’s message to Pharaoh was that his punishments were a result of Pharaoh’s hardeninghis heart and not letting the people go free.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 4:32 / Shabbat ends: 5:39
UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
B"H
Thursday, Tevet 23, 5785 / January 23, 2025
This Shabbat we read Parshat Va’eira, in which seven of the plagues are found. Three weeks before each plague Moshe warned Pharaoh that G-d was bringing that particular plague if Pharaoh doesn’t send out the children of Israel. Each plague lasted one week.
It was mentioned yesterday that Rabbi Tanchum says, "Because the waters of the Nile protected Moshe when he was placed in the river, he could not be the one to smite the water for the plagues of blood and frogs. Also, the third plague, lice, which came from the sand, was brought by Aaron, because the sand protected Moshe when he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
Hillel the Elder was the saintly first-century leader of Jews in Israel. Once Hillel heard that some of his students did not express their gratitude for favors done to them, he then told them the following parable:
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 see you?”
But the deer did not properly appreciate the kindness which was extended to him by the leaves. The deer continued eating the leaves for he was hungry and all that mattered was to satisfy his hunger. But 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.”
Hillel concluded, “As the deer lay trapped he exclaimed, ‘Oh, how I deserve my fate. For I have repaid bad for good, because the leaves which did me a favor, I ate.” This concept is called “Hakarat Hatov” - expressing appreciation to those who help us and from whom we have benefited.
Q. Where was Moshe’s wife, Tziporah, and his two sons during all this time?
A. Moshe married Tziporah in Midyan and had two sons there. When G-d told him to go to Egypt and command Pharaoh to let the Jewish people out, he took his wife and children with him to Egypt.
At the same time, G-d commanded Aaron to go out and meet Moshe before he comes to Egypt. Aaron, who didn’t see Moshe for many years and never met Moshe’s family, asked, “Who are these?” Moshe told him that they were his wife and children. “Where are you taking them?” protested Aaron. “We are in great pain over those who are already here, why bring more people to Egypt?” Moshe then sent his wife and children back to her father, Yitro. Only after the Exodus did Yitro bring his daughter and his grandchildren to join their father and husband, Moshe.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
B"H
Tuesday, Tevet 21, 5785 / January 21, 2025
This week we read Parshat Va’eira, in the Book of Exodus (S’hmot). In the Parsha we read how G-d reprimands Moshe for complaining why G-d sent him to Pharaoh, as his speaking to Pharaoh not only didn’t help the Jewish people but made it worse for them. G-d tells Moshe that in the end he will see that his words will have their proper affect, and that Pharaoh will eventually let the people go.
We also read how time and again G-d sends Moshe and Aaron to command Pharaoh to set the Jewish people free and every time Pharaoh refuses to obey. G-d sends the Ten plagues upon the Egyptians and in the end, as we will read next week, Pharaoh chases the people out.
Q. G-d told Abraham many years earlier that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land for 400 years. Were the Jewish people in Egypt 400 years?
A. No. The 400 years began with the birth of Abraham’s son, Yitzchak. They were in Egypt 210 years.
Q. How do we know that they were not in Egypt for all of the 400 years?
A. Moshe was 80 when he took the Jewish people out of Egypt. His grandfather, Kehot, was one of the 70 people who came to Egypt together with Yaakov. Kehot lived 133 years. His son, Amram, Moshe’s father, lived 137 years. Moshe was 80 when he took the Jewish people out of Egypt. If we add up the years from when they came to Egypt, we don’t have 400. The 400 years began much earlier with the birth of Yitzchak. In Egypt they lived 210 years.
Q. How many of the 210 years in Egypt, were they enslaved?
A. 116 years. The enslavement began only after the last of Yaakov's children died. Yaakov's third son, Levi, died at the age of 137. He was 43 when he came to Egypt and lived there 94 years. If we deduct 94 from 210, we are left with 116. This is the total amount of years in which they were enslaved by the Egyptians. However, the harsh and “bitter” enslavement was 86 years. It began at the time when Miriam was born. She was named “Miriam,” which comes from the word “bitter.”
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 over the rivers, over their streams and over their pools and over their ponds so that they will become blood." Why were the waters smitten through Aaron, not through Moshe?
A. Rabbi Tanchum says, "Because the waters of the Nile protected Moshe when his mother placed him in the river, he could not be the one to punish the water. This is the reason why the first two plagues, blood and frogs, which came from the water, were brought about by Aaron, not by Moshe.
Also, the third plague, lice, which came from the sand, was brought by Aaron, because the sand protected Moshe when he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:12).
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW
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