Monday, Sivan 27, 5785 / June 23, 2025

Monday, Sivan 27, 5785 / June 23, 2025

It is with great gratitude to G-d for giving President Trump the wisdom and courage to come to Israel’s assistance and destroy Iranian’s nuclear facilities. Israel and the world owe President Trump a BIG thank you. May Hashem protect and bless the U.S., President Trump, Premier Netanyahu and the IDF.  

This week’s Parsha is Korach. In the past few Parshiot, the Torah describes many of the episodes in which the Jewish people complained and rebelled against Moshe, which in essence means they rebelled against G-d. We read how they complained about the manna – their heavenly food that came each day. They also complained about G-d wanting to bring them to the Promised Land, after hearing the negative report from the ten spies. In this week’s Parsha, Korach, we read about another rebellion against Moshe and Aaron, this time by Korach and his 250 men.

Even though the events in the Torah took place over three thousand years ago, the name, Torah comes from the word teaching and lesson. The stories of the Torah contain a lesson for all times. 

The Jewish people of that generation had seen great miracles; the ten plagues, the Exodus, the splitting of the sea, the pillar of cloud and fire which accompanied them in the desert, the manna, which came from heaven each day and the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai etc., one miracle greater than the other.  So how can we understand the fact that they lacked trust in G-d?

The answer is that because they saw miracles continuously, they mistakenly viewed them as nature.   They thought, “How can it be otherwise”? As a result, they took these miracles for granted and stopped appreciating the wonderful miraculous blessings that G-d provided for them daily. They stopped seeing G-d’s hand in everything and complained about trivial things.

The lesson for us is that we, too, must realize and appreciate our daily miracles!  However, it is essential that we realize them as such and not take them for granted.  If we only took the time to think about how many breaths we inhale and exhale each day, how many steps we take every day and how many words we speak each day, etc. etc., we would appreciate the magnitude of our daily blessings.

What’s more, our appreciation of all these wonderful blessings would automatically alleviate our feelings of anxiety and distress in our day-to-day life.

A mother was once walking along the seashore with her son, when a huge wave carried him out to sea.  The mother began praying, “Please G-d, give me back my child!”   Shortly afterwards a huge wave deposited her child unharmed at her feet.  The mother embraced the child, “Thank you G-d!.  Thank you!  I will be forever grateful to you!”  Then she looked at her child again, looked up to heaven and said sternly, “And what about his hat?”

Every morning, we recite a number of blessings thanking G-d for giving us so many wonderful things in life which we take for granted when everything is normal. Concentrating on the good which we receive each day, reminds us not to take things for granted, thus our day will be a happier day!

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

Thursday, Sivan 23, 5785 / June 19, 2025

B"H

Thursday, Sivan 23, 5785 / June 19, 2025

The mitzvah (commandment) of Tzitzit, is found at the end of this week’s Parsha, Shlach. Concerning this mitzvah the Torah says, “You shall see them and remember ALL of G-d’s mitzvot and you shall perform them..” This mitzvah is performed each day by wearing the Talit during the morning prayers and the small Talit each day.

The Talit has four corners. On each of the corners we insert Tzitzit. Each of the four Tzitzit is made of four strings which are folded over, thus becoming eight. There are five knots in every tzitzah. One of the four strings is longer than the others. It is wrapped around the other strings between the knots. The number of wrappings is: 7– 8– 11– 13. Thus, between the five knots there are a total of 39wrappings.

Q.How do the Tzitzit remind us of ALLof G-d’s mitzvot?

A. In the Torah there are 613 mitzvot. The numerical value of the Hebrew word TZITZITis 600. The Titzit are made up of 8 strings and 5 knots. Thus together (600+13) they number 613.

Q.What is the significance of the thirty-nine wrappings as related to the Tzitzit?

A.The purpose of the Tzitzit is to remind us of all of G-d’s mitzvot. The portion of Tzitzit ends with, “I am G-d your G-d.” This portion is recited daily together with the portion of the Torah, “Hear O Israel G-d is our G-d, G-d is One.” The numerical value of G-d’s Hebrew name is 26. The numerical value of the Hebrew word ONE(“G-dis One”) is 13. The 39wrappings alludes to this idea – G-dis One (26+13=39).

Q.Many observe this mitzvah all day long by wearing a small Talit on top or under their shirt. Why do some people have their Tzitzit hanging out?

A.This is based on the words of this Parsha concerning Tzitzit, “You will see it and you will remember all the commandments of G-d to perform them…” By leaving the Tzitzit out they can be seen all the time.

Q. Every morning, except on Shabbat and Yom Tov, when we pray with the Talit and Tefillin, we put on the Talit firstthen the Tefillin. Why do we put on the Talit first?

A. The general rule is that when we have to perform two mitzvot at the same time, the one which is more regular comes first. The Talit we wear every day of the year, the Tefillin we do not wear on Shabbat and holidays. Thus, the Talit is a more regularly performed mitzvah and thus is put on first.

Q.What is the meaning of the word, “Tzitzit”?

A.One explanation by Rashi is that “Tzitzit” comes from the word, “Maytzitz,” which means, “to see.” Because lookingat the strings of the Tzitzit reminds us of the mitzvot, they are called Tzitzit.  

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montreal candle lighting time on Friday: 8:29 / Shabbat ends: 9:45

OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW

Tuesday, Sivan 21, 5785 / June 17, 2025

B"H

Tuesday, Sivan 21, 5785 / June 17, 2025

This Shabbat we read Parshat Shlach, which tells the story of the 12 spies which Moshe and the Jewish people sent to scout the Holy Land. Instead of a good report, they brought back a negative one. The people then refused to go to the Promised Land and as a result, that generation didn’t go into Israel.

Q.  One of the things the spies said, "And we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers and so we were in their eyes." What lesson can we derive from this?

A.  Our rabbis explain that how a person thinks of themselves in their own eyes, so they are perceived by others.  Had the spies been positive and confident in their mission, remembering that they were sent by Moshe, they would have been proud of their mission.  But with their negative attitude ("we were in our own eyes as grasshoppers") they projected the same image about themselves to the inhabitants of the land and, they too, viewed them as grasshoppers - small and meaningless creatures.

Lesson: When we do a mitzvah, performing our G-dly mission in this world, it is important to feel proud and positive about it. This feeling will then be projected and transmitted to others, and they too will be affected and influenced to do the same.

The third chapter of Pirkei Avot, which will be recited this Shabbat, begins, 'Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where you came and to where you are going and before Whom you are destined to give an accounting... before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.'"

Our sages give the following parable which illustrates the point. A fox once passed by a beautiful garden, filled with row after row of delicious fruits and vegetables.  The food looked so tempting, the fox wanted to eat it all.  But there was a problem.  A fence surrounded the garden.  The fox went around the entire fence many times.  Finally, he found an opening, but it was too small to fit through.  The fox was not about to give up so easily.  "Where there's a will, there's a way!" he thought. 

He decided to fast until he would be skinny enough to fit through the small opening. For three straight days, the wily fox fasted.  Finally, he was able to fit through the hole. 

Once inside the garden, he ate to his heart's content.  When he finally could eat no more, it was time to leave.  But try as he might, he couldn't. He was too fat now to fit through the hole!  So, he had to fast another three days until he could squeeze back through the opening. 

When he finally made it outside the fence, he looked back and exclaimed. "Garden, Garden, how beautiful you are. But what good is your beauty when the way I went in, is the way I went out!”

“Know from where you came and to where you are going.”We come into this world with no material assets and leave this world without any of the physical and material things we amassed during our lifetime. The only assets we take with us in the end are the mitzvot, good deeds and spiritual accomplishments we accumulated in this world.   

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY – AM YISRAEL CHAI

OUR HEARTS ARE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY - MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW