Category Archives: Sefer Shmos

Parshas Yisro: The Mission of a Lifetime!

Parshas Yisro

The Mission of a Lifetime!

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“And her two sons of whom the name of one was Gershom, for he had said, ‘I was a sojourner in a strange land.’ And the name of the other was Eliezer, for ‘the G-D of my father came to my aid, and He saved me from the sword of Pharoah.’” (Shmos 18:3-4)

Moshe and Tziporah had two sons. Moshe named his first son, Gershom, because Moshe was a stranger in a strange land. Moshe named his second son, Eliezer, to commemorate the miracle of when Hashem saved him from Pharoah’s executioner.

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l  (Chofetz Chaim On the Torah) asks two questions. Firstly, Moshe should have named his first son Eliezer since chronologically Moshe was first saved before he became a stranger in the land of Midian. Secondly, what was the objective of naming him Gershom, indicating that Moshe was a stranger there?

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l answers, that when Moshe arrived at Yisro’s house, Yisro had not yet converted to Judaism. Obviously Yisro’s deeds were not yet completely refined. Moshe was concerned lest he learn from or be influenced by Yisro’s actions. That is why he called his first son’s name Gershom. Moshe wanted to make a constant reminder for himself that he was a stranger in a strange land. Moshe wanted that reminder so that he should not learn from Yisro’s deeds and certainly not learn from the deeds of the people of Midian. “Now, I am a stranger in a strange land”, thought Moshe. “In the future I will return to my source, dwelling with the Holy Presence of Hashem”. This naming was a vivid reminder to Moshe to be heedful of his actions. He could draw the strength to maintain his holiness by remembering that he was only in MIdian temporarily but eventually he would reside with Hashem.

We find a similar idea expressed by the Shelah in Parshas Va’era. The Torah (Shmos 6:14-16) says, “The sons of Reuvein…”, and then the Torah lists the sons. Then the Torah says, “The names of Shimon …”   and then the Torah states, “And these are the names of the sons of Levi ….” The Shelah questions why the Torah changed the wording when it listed the names of Levi’s sons. The Shelah says something very fascinating. Through Divine inspiration, Levi knew that his descendants would not be subject to the suffering of the enslavement, as the other tribes were. Yet, Levi wanted to show empathy for the Jewish people who would suffer from the pain of slavery. Thus, he named his children with names that would help him focus on the suffering that the Jewish people would soon undergo in Egypt. He named one son Gershon because the Jewish people were strangers in Egypt. He named the next son Kehas because the teeth of the Jews, kahu, would rot from suffering. The third son he named Merari, from the word mar, “bitter”, because the Egyptians would embitter the lives of the Jews. (Talelei Oros by Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rubin)   

 The Chofetz Chaim zt”l  (Chofetz Chaim On the Torah) closes with a beautiful parable. Imagine that you travelled thousands of miles to a different country, to purchase precious merchandise at their fair. This merchandise was not found in your country. Upon your return home, you would sell the merchandise at a nice profit. The money that you would earn would support your family for the year.  Now, imagine that while you were at the fair, involved in negotiations to buy the merchandise, someone approached you. That fellow wanted to show you a fascinating article in the newspaper or invited you to join him in a game. You would tell him in very strong terms to leave and stop annoying you. Every minute that you would waste talking to him would cause you a financial loss. You came, thousands of miles from home, leaving your family behind, to be able to provide for them for the year. You would have no time to waste on trivial, inconsequential things like reading newspapers or playing games.        

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l says that each of our souls was under Hashem’s throne. Our souls came to this world, for a short while, from millions of miles away, to learn Torah and to acquire mitzvos. That “merchandise” will be needed to support us for eternity. The yetzer hara tries to distract us from our mission, with inconsequential things. Every moment that the yetzer hara distracts us, he prevents us from earning all that we could. We must firmly send the yetzer hara away, telling him not to distract us from our life’s mission.      

 With this in mind, we should consciously decide how much time, if any, we want to spend on things like reading newspapers & playing or watching games as versus learning Torah & doing other mitzvos. Each of us must determine if it’s a relaxation to help us do more mitzvos? Or is it a distraction?   

We can use different methods to help us stay focused on our mission.

Let’s think how we can prevent the yetzer hara from distracting us from our important mission in life.

Our mission in this world is to attain as many mitzvos and as much Torah-learning as we can.

Those merits will sustain us for eternity.

 

Parshas Beshalach: If You Blink, You May Miss Seeing It!

Parshas Beshalach

If You Blink, You May Miss Seeing It!

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“The people complained to Moshe saying, “What shall we drink?” He cried out to Hashem, and Hashem showed him a tree; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet” (Shmos 15:24-25)

My wife’s friend just finished sitting shiva for her mother. After her mother passed away, her body had to be driven from Cleveland for burial in New York, late Motzei Shabbos. In the middle of the drive, at about 2 o’clock in the morning, the driver needed to use the restroom. He stopped at a rest-stop. It was totally deserted of cars. The driver was in a quandry. On the one hand, he needed the restroom. On the other hand, there is a very important mitzvah to have someone watch over a dead body the entire time, until burial. The mitzvah is so important that the person watching-over the body is excused from doing other mitzvos that would take him away from this important mitzvah. Just as the driver was considering what to do, a car suddenly pulled-up behind his car. A religious Jew walked out of the car. A coincidence at 2 AM? I think not. The driver was on his way to Lakewood when his engine light went on. He didn’t want to complete the long drive without checking his engine, so he drove into the rest stop. He graciously agreed to watch-over the body while the other driver used the rest room. When the first driver returned, the other driver’s engine light was off. Both drivers continued-on their ways. Interestingly, the engine light of the second driver never went on again.  Clearly, Hashem arranged that the man driving to Lakewood should stop at that specific rest stop at the exact time that he was needed. Hashem’s salvation comes in the blink of an eye, at just the right time.

Rabbi Yissocher Frand (Rabbi Frand on the Parashah 3) says that Parshas Beshalach usually falls out around the time of Tu Bishvat, the New Year for trees. Thus, there must be some parallel between the two. Rabbi Frand quotes the Ziv HaMinhagim who gives a parallel. Why do we celebrate the Rosh Hashanah for trees during the winter months when the trees are dormant rather than in the spring when the trees are in full bloom? The answer is that although the trees look dead, beneath the surface the sap is beginning to flow towards the branches. The beautiful leaves that will appear in the springtime are starting their growth in the dead of the winter. Celebrating the New Year for trees now, teaches us not to give up hope when things seem bleak. Salvation can come speedily.

In this week’s Parsha, the Jews had traveled in the desert for three days without finding water. When they arrived at Marah, they were very frustrated. They found water but it was undrinkable. Things appeared to be bleak. What could they drink? Hashem showed Moshe a certain tree and told Moshe to throw the tree into the water. The bitter water turned sweet and became drinkable. In an instant, Hashem changed a bleak situation into a positive one. Hashem’s salvation came in the blink of an eye.

The Talmud (Pesachim 116B) quotes Rabban Gamliel who explains that we eat matzah at the Pesach seder to commemorate the matzah that baked on the back of the Jews as they left Egypt. The Torah (Shmos 12:39) states further, that the Jewish People had to leave quickly and had not prepared food for the journey ahead.

The question is obvious. The Jewish People were about to go on a journey through the desert. Why didn’t they prepare food for the trip? How could they possibly leave without preparing provisions for the way?

There are several different answers to this question. The Torah has such depth that there are different ways of understanding it. Even when different commentaries have different approaches to answer a question, the answers are not mutually exclusive. They are all accurate.

Rashi says that this showed the Jews’ absolute faith in Hashem to provide them with their needs. Hashem rewarded them for this beautiful show of faith by making them holy to Hashem.

HaRav Naftoli Tzvi Yehudah Berlin zt”l (in sefer Ha’emek Davar) has a different explanation. He says that the Jews purposely did not gather provisions for a long journey to make the Egyptians think that they were only leaving for a short time, to serve Hashem, and would soon return.

The Da’as Zekainim says that they had no time to prepare provisions because the Egyptians were trying to rush them out. The Bekhor Shor says similarly. They should have prepared provisions since Moshe Rabbeinu had already told them that they would be leaving Egypt after this plague. They thought they would have time to prepare, not realizing that they would be rushed out and would not have the time.

Rabbi Yissocher Frand (Rabbi Frand on the Parashah) offers a different insight. Moshe had told the Jews ahead of time that they would be leaving Egypt in the morning, after this last plague. Then why did they not prepare provisions for the long journey ahead? Rabbi Frand posits that perhaps the Jews had given up hope of ever leaving Egypt. After each plague, they had expected to leave Egypt. They probably were all packed and ready to go. Yet they were disappointed, time and time again. Although Moshe had told them that they would be leaving the morning after the plague of the Firstborn, by then they could not get excited because they had experienced so many disappointments. When they were actually redeemed the next morning, it shocked them. They had to leave quickly without time to prepare. They failed to realize that Hashem’s salvation can come as quick as the blink of an eye, so they were totally unprepared when it did occur.

A problem that seemed insurmountable can vanish in thin air, in an instant.

Hashem can redeem us from national problems and personal problems in the blink of an eye!

 

Parshas Bo: Do You Have the Time? It Can Mean the Difference Between Life and Death!

Parshas Bo

Do You Have the Time? It Can Mean the Difference Between Life and Death!

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“This month shall be for you the beginning of the months.” (Shmos 12:2)

On April 26,1986 there was an accident at a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in the Soviet Union. Radiation from the damaged reactor was dispersed in the atmosphere. Over 150,000 square kilometers in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine were eventually contaminated.

Natalya and Vladimir Dorman, both highly intelligent professors, were in their home with Evgeniy, their ten-year-old son. With a radioactive cloud hovering over their neighborhood, Natalya said sadly that they may all be dead in three days from the radiation. She said, “We have led meaningless lives. We have little to show for ourselves. Let us become elevated people in our last days on earth.” She took out a Jewish book that a friend had given her, called the The Midrash Says. Slowly, Natalya began reading to her family about Hashem and Creation. Evgeniy was fascinated and was especially moved by the idea that the Torah was the blueprint of the world. He said, “If I could learn Torah, whatever that is, I could understand how this universe works…. How wonderful!” The Dormans did not die. Now that they were aware that they were so spiritually ignorant, they immigrated to Israel where they could learn Torah.  Years later, Evgeniy, known as Yehudah, became an accomplished Torah scholar. (The Grandeur of the Maggid by Rabbi Paysach Krohn)

Before the plague of the killing of the first born, Hashem gave the Jewish People a mitzvah. The very first mitzvah that they received, as a nation, was the mitzvah of sanctifying the new moon. The Jewish calendar and all the holidays depend on this mitzvah.

Why is this mitzvah so significant that it was the first one that Hashem gave? Rabbeinu Bachya says that it forms a basis of our faith. When we see the new moon and say a bracha on it, we are testifying to Hashem’s renewal of creation. If Hashem would not constantly renew creation, the world would be destroyed. That is a foundation of belief in Hashem.

The Sforno says that Hashem was sending the Jewish people a very important message with this mitzvah. From that time onwards, the months belonged to them, and the Jews could do whatever they wished with their time. When they had been enslaved, their time had not been their own. They had been at the whim of their masters who could have bothered them at any time – day, or night. Hashem was telling them that now their time was their own.

Rav Avrohom Pam zt”l says, “Only when a person is in control of his time can he be a מְצוּוֶה וְעוֹשֶֹה, one who is commanded to fulfill a mitzvah. Therefore, as a prelude to their new obligations to uphold the Torah, Klal Yisrael was given this specific mitzvah which is the key to all the other mitzvos.”

The Beis Din, the Jewish court, sanctifies the months. However, it is the task of every single Jew to sanctify the gift of life that he has been given through proper utilization of time. Every person is given a predetermined amount of time on earth. Everyone’s responsibility is to make the optimum use of this gift.

In Pirkei Avos (3:1) Akavia the son of Mehalel says that one can be dissuaded from sin if he realizes that he will eventually have to give Hashem justification and reckoning for his deeds. The Vilna Gaon zt”l explains that “justification” refers to the futile attempt one will make to justify his misdeeds. “Reckoning” refers to the reckoning that one will have to make for the time one misused by sinning. Instead of sinning, he could have used that time well, by doing mitzvos. The Pirkei Avos Treasury by Rabbi Moshe Lieber illustrates this with a beautiful parable. A merchant sold defective seeds to farmers. When the seeds yielded no produce, the farmers were very upset. They demanded to be reimbursed for price of the seeds AND for the profit that they would have earned from the fields, had the seeds not been defective.

“A Jew knows that his life has a profound purpose, and his soul has descended beneath the Heavenly Throne to this earth to accomplish a mission that only he can fulfill.  He was not placed on this earth just to “kill time”.  Whatever he accomplishes in his life on this earth will be what must sustain his soul for all eternity.”

(Rav Pam on the Chumash by Rabbi Sholom Smith)

 

(dvar Torah based, in part, on Rav Pam on the Chumash by Rabbi Sholom Smith)

 

Parshas Va’era: Turn Off the Gas Before the Pot Boils Over!

Parshas Va’era

Turn Off the Gas Before the Pot Boils Over!

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“Aharon extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frog emerged and covered the land of Egypt.” (Shmos 8:2)

King Shlomo wrote, “A soft reply repels anger.” (Mishlei 15:1)

Rabbi Yoffin zt”l was the Rosh Yeshiva in the Novardok yeshiva. Since there was no dormitory, the students rented rooms in nearby buildings. One of those buildings had more than 20 rooms that were rented to the students. The owner of the building was a widow who lived with her very young son. The widow was not nice to the students. She ridiculed them, and at different times shut off the water or the electricity. One by one, the yeshiva students moved out. Only one student, Yosef Geffen, remained. One morning, as Yosef was returning from shul, the woman saw him and started yelling at him. “You must be crazy! How can you still stay in my building? All the other boys have moved out. Why do you insist on staying?”  A normal reaction to hearing someone screaming angrily at you, is to respond in anger. That is not how Yosef responded. Yosef said softly to the woman, “I stay here for your sake. I fear that one night you may fall or become ill and call out for help and there would be no one to hear your cries. I understand that when you yell at us you are merely letting out your frustrations.…” The woman was shocked by the response. She expected to hear an angry retort. She was so touched by Yosef’s concern that she begged for forgiveness. From that moment onward, her entire personality changed. She only said kind words to the yeshiva students that she met. Word got around that now she was nice, and soon all the rooms in her building were again filled by the yeshiva students. (Around the Maggid’s Table by Rabbi Paysach Krohn)

Moshe had warned Pharoah about the second plague. Frogs would swarm throughout the land of Egypt. They would go into all the houses, ovens, and even inside the Egyptians’ bodies. When the plague started, the Torah says, “And the frog emerged and covered the land of Egypt.” The commentaries discuss why the Torah says “frog” in the singular and not in the plural. The Chizkuni says that it means swarms of frogs emerged. The Chizkuni points out that in other places the Torah does indicate a multitude even though it uses a singular term. There was a plague of snakes, yet the Torah uses the term, “snake” (Bamidbar 21:7). Alternately, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 67B) quotes Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya who says that one frog came and gave a shrill scream. Frogs from all over the world heard the cry and converged all over Egypt. Rashi gives yet another explanation based on the Midrash (Midrash Rabbah Shmos 10:4). He says that one immense frog emerged from the Nile River. When the Egyptians hit the frog, it split into swarms of frogs.

 The question is obvious. Each time the Egyptians hit the frog, it split into swarms of frogs until there were so many that they converged over the entire country. Why did the Egyptians keep hitting the frog? Didn’t they realize that their actions were causing more frogs to come? Why didn’t they stop?

The answer is also obvious. The Egyptians were angry. The more frogs that swarmed, the angrier they became. They were controlled by the emotion of their anger, blocking their sensible reasoning which would have told them, “STOP!”

The Talmud (Nedarim 22A) quotes Rabbi Yonatan who says that one who gets angry, all kinds of Gehinom (Hell) rule over him. The Rosh explains that anger is destructive to one’s health as if he were inflicted by many different punishments of Gehinom. Another explanation is that anger controls one’s actions. Therefore, he will sin and be punished in Gehinom. Rabba bar Rav Huna says that when one is angry, at that moment, even the Divine Presence is not important to him. Rabbi Yirmeya of Difti says that anyone who gets angry, forgets his learning, and increases his foolishness.

The Orchos Tzadikim (in the Gate of Anger) says that we often see that one who is in a fit of anger and persists in his anger, is not conscious of what he is doing. He will do things that he would never do had he been calm. The Jews in the desert were somewhat disrespectful when asking for water. According to Rashi, Moshe Rabbeinu felt the ever-slightest tinge of anger. Moshe Rabbeinu responded, “Listen, you rebels! Can we extract water from this rock for you?” Due to this slight, slight amount of anger, Moshe erred and hit the rock that was supposed to produce water, instead of speaking to it (Bamidbar 20:10).

The trait of anger can ruin relationships. It can result in a person losing his job. Anger is physically unhealthy and spiritually unhealthy. Realizing and understanding that everything that occurs to us is from Hashem may help us avoid getting angry. After all, the person who angered us is just a pawn in the hands of Hashem! For whatever reason, Hashem felt that this person’s actions were beneficial to us.

When we do feel anger stirring-up inside us, there are some techniques to control it. Silence nullifies anger. We should remain silent until we feel calmer.  A soft voice nullifies anger. We should speak in a low tone to prevent anger from increasing and to help calm our emotions.  When we are angry at someone, we should not look at him straight in the face because that can increase our anger. Other popular suggestions are to count to 10, take a drink of water and leave it in your mouth, or go to the bathroom. There are over 40 other suggestions that can be found in, Anger The Inner Teacher by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin.

Anger is a normal reaction. But the more we control it,

the happier we will be, both physically and spiritually.

 

Parshas Shmos: Suffer No More!

Parshas Shmos

Suffer No More!

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“Come let us deal wisely with him. Lest he increase so much, that, if there is war, he will join our enemies and fight against us, driving us from the land.” (Shmos 1:10).

I read the following story: A man once visited the Maggid of Mezeritch. He said that he couldn’t understand the Talmudic dictum that we are supposed to bless Hashem for the bad times just as we bless Him for the good times (Brachos 54a). The Maggid told him to go visit his student Reb Zusha, who would explain it to him. The man went to Reb Zusha’s house and was astonished at the family’s dire poverty. They had almost no food, the family members were sick, and they had many other challenges. Yet, Reb Zusha welcomed him warmly and cheerfully. The visitor told Reb Zusha why he had come. Reb Zusha responded that he was not sure why the Maggid had sent the visitor to him. Reb Zusha said that he did not know about suffering since he had never experienced anything bad.

Oy! Too many are in pain! There is too much suffering and too much sorrow, nowadays! We really need Hashem to send Moshiach and bring an end to all our challenges and difficulties.

We must realize that Hashem loves us even more than a parent loves a child! When we are in pain, Hashem is also in pain! Yet, Hashem Who is All-Knowing, knows that when we see the entire picture, after our lifetime, we will understand why the suffering was beneficial for us. With that in mind, if we can bear the suffering, it will be a great merit for us.  Rabbi Yisroel Brog, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Tiferes Avigdor, quotes an Ohr HaChaim. The Ohr HaChaim (Shmos 1:1) adds that when one is willing to accept suffering, that acceptance takes the place of the actual suffering! Those members of Yaakov’s family who accepted their destiny to endure exile and willingly arrived in Egypt with that knowledge, did not experience slavery. The enslavement did not start until after they had died.

The Jewish People, in Egypt, were multiplying in great numbers. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 106A) says that that the king had three advisors who helped him determine how to handle the ever-increasing number of Israelites. The advisors were Bilam, Iyov, and Yisro. “Come let us deal wisely with him. Lest he increase so much, that, if there is war, he will join our enemies and fight against us, driving us from the land.” (Shmos 1:10). Bilam advised that the male, Jewish babies be drowned. Meanwhile, the Egyptians oppressed the Jews with slave labor and embittered their lives. “וַיְמָֽרֲר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּֽעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה… ” ,“The Egyptians made the lives of the Jews bitter, with harsh labor involving mortar and bricks, and all kinds of work in the fields. All the work they made them do [was intended] to break them” (Shmos 1:14).

The Vilna Gaon zt”l (sefer Kol Eliyahu) explains that the cantellation marks (the musical notes) on the words, “And they embittered their lives” are “קַדְמָא וְאַזְלָא”. The definition of those two words is “to go early”. The exile was supposed to last for 400 years. The Jews left early, after 210 years, because the work had intensified. Because the Jews suffered more, their exile lasted 190 years less. Their intensified suffering was ultimately for their benefit. Interestingly, the gematria of “קַדְמָא וְאַזְלָא” is 190 (Every Hebrew letter has a numerical component. ק=100, ד=4, מ=40, א=1, ו=6, א=1, ז=7, ל=30, א=1. The sum is 190). Our intense suffering, nowadays, can be the cause for a quicker redemption for us individually or for the Jewish People as a whole!

Midrash Rabbah (Shmos 1:9) states how Hashem punished Pharoah’s three advisors. Bilam, who advised to drown the Jewish babies, was killed. Iyov, who remained silent, was afflicted with suffering. Yisro, who ran away in protest, merited to have Jewish descendants who were very distinguished.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l, the late Rosh HaYeshiva of the Mir Yeshiva, comments on this Midrash (Sichos Mussar, year 5731, Parshas Va’era). He says that obviously, Bilam’s punishment had to be more severe than Iyov’s, since Bilam was the one who suggested the evil plan of killing the Jewish babies. Iyov had remained silent, intimating his agreement to the plan. Yet, it seems that Iyov received the harsher punishment?! Bilam was killed by the sword while Iyov was punished with severe suffering.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l quotes the Talmud (Kedushin 80B). There is a pasuk in Eichah (3:39), “Why then does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins”? Rashi explains the pasuk, “By what right does a man have to complain about what has been meted out to him? It is enough for him that I have granted him the gift of life and not death. A man has no right to complain about the misfortunes that befall him, in view of the overriding kindness that I have shown him by allowing him to live”.

Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz quotes a parable about a man who just won a large sum of money in a lottery. At the same time, his pitcher or barrel broke. Would he be saddened and upset about the barrel breaking or would his happiness of winning the lottery overshadow that? Wouldn’t his satisfaction and happiness overshadow other daily suffering that he may have been having? Similarly, Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l says that we should focus on Hashem’s great kindness to us, of giving us life. That should make us tremendously happy to no end. If we can feel that happiness and joy, that would help us bear the suffering and challenges that we face. Even such terrible sufferings as Iyov had, can become “nonexistent” if we focus on this great gift of life.

We should value our great gift of life and use our time properly by learning Torah and performing mitzvos.

There are 4 coping strategies that help us when suffering through difficult challenges.

  • We should realize that Hashem’s love for us surpasses even the love of our close ones. Hashem does things for our ultimate If we understand that and accept our suffering, it will be a very great merit for us.
  • If we are willing to accept our suffering, that can take the place of the actual suffering.
  • We should understand that intense suffering can be the cause of our personal and national redemption coming more quickly.
  • We can overcome the intense pain of suffering and challenges by focusing on the greatest gift that Hashem has given us, the gift of life.

 

Parshas Vaykhel: 7 Is My Lucky Number!

Parshas Vaykhel

7 Is My Lucky Number!

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“…These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do”. (Shmos 35:1)

Rabbi Yaakov Kranz zt”l, the Dubno Maggid, said a beautiful parable. Shmuel had to move far from home. He was always anxious to hear the latest happenings from his home and his family who he had to leave behind. Whenever a stranger came to his town, Shmuel asked if he happened to have come from his old hometown. After many months, Shmuel finally found such a person. When he started asking the stranger questions, the stranger said that he did not have the time to answer them since he had to spend the entire day begging for money. Shmuel offered to pay the beggar a full day’s wages, in advance, if he would spend the day with him and tell him about all the happenings in his former hometown. The beggar agreed. He started talking but fell asleep in the middle. When he awoke, he said that he did not have the strength to answer questions because he was so hungry. Shmuel gave him a hearty meal. The beggar then said that he had such a heavy meal that he needed to take a nap before answering any questions. Shmuel lost patience with the beggar. The day was almost over. Shmuel told him that he had paid him for the day and had even given him a sumptuous meal. All that Shmuel wanted was news from his hometown. Yet, all the beggar did was eat, drink, and sleep on a day that should have been totally devoted to Shmuel. (The Maggid of Dubno and his parables by Benno Heinemann)

Hashem gave us the day of Shabbos as an opportunity to devote ourselves to Torah learning and to our families. The physical rest on Shabbos is not a means into itself. It is to give us the strength to use this day as we should. If all we do is eat, drink, and sleep then we have wasted-away the purpose of the day.

At the end of last week’s Parsha, Moshe descended Har Sinai, on the day after Yom Kippur, holding the new set of Luchos. That action signified Hashem’s forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. This week’s Parsha begins with Moshe gathering all the Jewish People. Moshe said to them, “These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do” (Shmos 35:1). In the very next pasuk, Moshe tells the Jewish People to observe Shabbos on the seventh day of the week. Then Moshe discusses the materials that the Jews were asked to donate to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) as well as the request for volunteers to help make the different parts of the Mishkan.

The Ramban asks why Moshe preceded the discussion of the Mishkan with the law of Shabbos. The Ramban answers that it was to teach the Jews that they should work on the Mishkan during the six days, but not on the seventh day which is holy to Hashem.

The Ohr HaChaim has a different approach as to why the laws of Shabbos are repeated at this point. The Talmud (Horayot 8A) says that one who serves idols is considered as if he had violated all the mitzvos. By serving idols he is implying that he denies the authority of Hashem and His Torah. The Jewish People had been guilty of this sin because they had served the Golden Calf. They needed to rectify this sin and compensate for all the 613 commandments which they had violated. This would have been very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, Hashem offered them an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves by means of the observance of Shabbos. How would observing the Shabbos properly help them to achieve this forgiveness? The Talmud (Shabbos 118) says that even a person who had been guilty of idolatry is forgiven for his sins when he observes Shabbos according to its laws. The Ben Yehoyada explains that this refers to one who is happy to observe Shabbos, feeling that Shabbos is special and not a burden.   

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l quotes the Talmud (Shabbos 10B):  Hashem told Moshe, I have a special gift in my treasure house called Shabbos and I want to give it to the Jews. Please tell them about it. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l says that If a bride returns the gifts given to her by her groom it indicates she no longer wants him and the shidduch is off. Similarly, if we don’t keep Shabbos, it is as if we are returning the gift of Shabbos that Hashem had given us. We are showing that we no longer want to have that connection with Hashem.

The Zera Shimshon (Zera Shimshon by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer) adds that observing Shabbos is very powerful and serves to protect us against our enemies.

Hashem gave us a gift that He treasures, the gift of Shabbos. Let us make the most of this gift by using the day of Shabbos to study Torah and devote ourselves to our families, fostering their spiritual and religious growth.

 

 

Parshas Tetzaveh: My Locker Number is 147!

Parshas Tetzaveh

My Locker Number is 147!

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“This is the matter that you shall do for them [the kohanim] to make them holy in order to serve Me” (Shmos 29:1)

One year, there was a class of students who were so unruly that two different teachers got burned-out from teaching them.  One teacher took early retirement and the other decided to permanently stop teaching.  This class was so bad that substitute teachers refused to teach them.  The district administrator called a teacher who had previously applied for a teaching job.  She eagerly accepted. The principal decided not to warn the teacher about the class, afraid that she would be scared off if she heard what she was up against.  After the new teacher had been on the job for a month, the principal sat in on a class.  To his amazement, the students were well-behaved and enthusiastic.  After the students had filed out of the classroom, the principal stayed behind to congratulate the teacher on a job well done.  She thanked him but insisted that he deserved the thanks for giving her such a special class for her first assignment.  The principal hemmed and hawed and told her that he really didn’t deserve any thanks. She laughed and told him, “You see, I discovered your little secret on my first day.  I looked in the desk drawer and found the list of the students’ IQ scores. “I knew I had a group of exceedingly bright children. I realized that I would really have to work to make school interesting for them.”  She slid the drawer open, and the principal saw the list with the students’ names and the numbers 136, 145, 127, 128, and so on written next to the names. He exclaimed, “Those aren’t their IQ scores–those are their locker numbers!”  Too late.  The teacher had already expected the students to be bright and gifted–and they had responded positively to her positive view and her positive handling of them. (Positive Expectancy by Bill O’Hanlon)

The Midrash Rabbah (Shmos 38:2) discusses the prophet Chabakuk’s complaint against Hashem. The prophet said, “[Hashem], You said that we [the Jewish People] should be holy to You (Vayikra 19:2)”. Furthermore, You [Hashem] said, “This is the matter that you shall do for them [the kohanim] to make them holy in order to serve Me (Shmos 29:1)”. Chabakuk said that no Jew should ever die! It would not be fitting that someone who is holy should ever die and be removed from the world. Hashem should remove death from the Jewish People who are so holy. Hashem answered that the Jews had to die since that was already the way of the World. The decree of death had been placed upon the world due to the sin of Adam, the first man.

This discussion is eye-opening! The prophet Chabakuk felt the Jews are so holy that they should never die. Hashem agreed!! Hashem said that there was no recourse since death had already been decreed on Mankind. Had death not already been decreed, Hashem agreed that a Jew should never die. This is even more amazing when we realize the time-period when Chabakuk lived. He lived in the era, right before the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash (Temple). He saw the multitude of sins done by the Jews. They committed so many sins that they were destined to be exiled by Nevuchadnetzar, the King of Babylonia. At this very “low-point” for the Jewish People, Chabkuk still questioned Hashem, since the Jews are holy, they should never die. Even when we sin terribly, our essence is very holy! Hashem concurred, that even at our “low-point”, our essence is so holy that, technically, we should never be removed from this World by dying!

If we can appreciate the powerful holiness of every Jew, we will be more motivated to grow spiritually and come closer to Hashem. One who knows and values his true potential will strive harder to reach that wonderful potential.

 

Based on a dvar Torah by Rabbi Henach Leibowitz zt”l

 

Parshas Terumah: Will He Live to Eat the Figs?

Parshas Terumah

Will He Live to Eat the Figs?

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“And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them…. and acacia wood [a type of cedar]” (Shmos 25:3,5)

There is an interesting story quoted in the Midrash Tanchuma (Parshas Kedoshim, paragraph 8): On his way to a battle, the Roman Emperor Hadrian passed through the Land of Israel. There, he saw an old man digging holes in the soil, about to plant fig saplings. Looking at the old man, the emperor wondered if he had to work hard in his old age because he had not worked when he was younger. The old man told the emperor that in fact, he had worked when he was younger, and he would continue to work hard, for as long as Hashem gave him the strength.  The emperor was astounded. Why was this old man working so hard when he likely would not live to see the tree bear any fruit? Hadrian said to him, “You are an old man. [Why are you] persisting in taking the trouble to toil for others?” He said to Hadrian, “My lord king, here I am planting. If I am worthy, I shall eat of the fruit of my saplings; but if not, my children will eat.” Three years later, Hadrian returned from war. Surprisingly, the old man was still alive. He brought Hadrian a basket of figs from the tree that he had planted. Hadrian was so impressed that he took the figs and refilled the old man’s basket with gold coins.

 

The Midrash Rabbah (Shmos 35:1) says that people did not deserve to benefit from a few of the things that Hashem had created. Therefore, Hashem hid the “Light of Creation”. Hashem put it aside in Gan Eden for a future time, to benefit the tzadikim. Similarly, gold and cedar wood should also have been hidden at the time of Creation. However, they were not hidden because they were going to be used to honor Hashem during the future building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and Beis HaMikdash. Our forefather Yaakov knew prophetically that cedar wood was going to be used in the building of the Mishkan. Therefore, when Yaakov was on the way to Egypt to see Yosef, he first stopped in Be’er Sheva (Beraisis 46:1) to get the cedar trees that Avraham had planted there. The Eitz Yosef asks, if Yaakov’s destination was Egypt, which was in the south, why did Yaakov go out of his way to Be’er Sheva which was in the north? The Eitz Yosef concludes that Yaakov must have gone there to collect the cedar trees that Avraham had planted. Yaakov planted those trees in Goshen, Egypt. This “secret”, that the cedar trees were to be used in constructing the Mishkan, was passed down from Yaakov to his children and grandchildren. Therefore, Yaakov’s descendants took those trees when leaving Egypt.

The Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis 85:3) says that generally, Hashem punishes one who starts a mitzvah but does not complete it. Yehudah was punished because he started to save Yosef but did not complete the task. The Yefe Toar explains that one is not punished if he does not complete the mitzvah due to circumstances beyond his control. In fact, he is given full reward as if he had completed the mitzvah. However, the mitzvah won’t be called his. Rather, the mitzvah will be called by the name of the one who actually completed it. An example of this occurred with Moshe Rabbeinu. Before leaving Egypt, the Jewish People were busy collecting wealth from their Egyptian neighbors (as Hashem had commanded them to do). Moshe, however, was involved in the mitzvah of looking for Yosef’s coffin, to bring it out of Egypt (Shmos 13:19). The Talmud (Sotah 13A) says that Moshe’s actions displayed an appreciation for the preciousness of the mitzvah. Yet, when Yosef’s body was buried in the Land of Israel, the pasuk in the navi Yehoshua (24:32) says, “”The bones of Yosef, which the Children of Israel had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem.” The Yalkut Shimoni (35:5) as well as the Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis 85:3) ask why the pasuk says that the children of Israel brought Yosef’s bones from Egypt when in fact Moshe did so? They answer that Moshe had not completed the mitzvah. Therefore, the mitzvah was recorded in the names of those who did complete it. The Midrash Rabbah continues, that Moshe was not punished since he was unable to complete the mitzvah, as he was forbidden to enter the Land of Israel.

Obviously, our forefather Yaakov knew that he would not be alive long enough to complete the mitzvah of taking the cedar wood out of Egypt to construct the Mishkan. However, since the mitzvah was precious to him, he did as much as he was able to, by bringing the wood to Egypt.

We learn from our forefather Yaakov to fulfill mitzvos even when we must go out of our way to do them.
We also see that we should start doing a mitzvah even if we will be unable to complete it.
We should do that mitzvah lovingly, even when we know that the glory will be going to another person.

 

 

Parshas Mishpatim: Hang-In There- The Reinforcements Are On The Way!

Parshas Mishpatim

Hang-In There- The Reinforcements Are On The Way!

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“Behold, I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way….” (Shmos 23:20)

Hashem orchestrates certain events to provide us with the opportunity to be rewarded for doing a specific mitzvah. That reward will then protect us from a future calamity.

In the early 1800’s, the Jews of Poland were harassed by the military, abused by the nobility, and killed by the peasants during frequent pogroms. Once, the local governor summoned the head of the Jewish community, telling him that the Polish army was planning to train in their area. By the king’s orders, every member of the Jewish community would be obligated to house one or more Polish soldiers in their homes, providing them with food and lodging. The people of the town were devastated when they heard the decree. Their houses were not large, and food was not plentiful. Where would they find space in their homes for the soldiers to sleep? How would they be able to feed another person? A worse problem was their concern about the influence that these non-Jewish soldiers would have on their families. The leaders of the town convened a meeting but were unable to find a solution to this problem. One of the leaders suggested that they ask for a blessing from a rebbe who was known as a miracle worker. They decided that this was their only solution, so they sent a delegation to the rebbe. When they arrived, the rebbe was very busy. He was involved in the mitzvah of pidyon shvuyim (redeeming Jews). It was the common practice of Polish landowners to charge their Jewish tenants large sums of money. If the money wasn’t paid on time, they would often throw the entire family into dungeons, providing little or no food. The rebbe felt that time was of the essence. He had to save the Jewish family before they died in the dungeon.  After some discussion, the rebbe told the delegation that he needed a large sum of money to free the Jewish family. If they would provide him with that money, he would pray for them and in the merit of their fulfilling this special mitzvah of pidyon shvuim, their town would be spared from the King’s decree. They returned to their town and raised the money to save the Jewish family. Some of the townspeople had been hesitant to donate such a large sum of money because they were skeptical that the rebbe’s prayers would help. The town leaders told them that they would return the money if the decree was not lifted.

Time passed and the soldiers did not come to their town. They found out from the local governor that the king had sent him a letter stating that there was a change of plans, and the soldiers wouldn’t be coming to their town after all. The townspeople rejoiced! It seems as if the rebbe’s prayers had helped them. However, when they saw the letter of reprieve, they noticed that it was dated two weeks before they had gone to see the rebbe! If that was the case, then they had not needed the rebbe’s help! Those townspeople who had initially balked about paying so much money wanted the town leaders to return their money. They decided to bring their case to a din Torah (Jewish court of law). They brought their question to Rabbi Shlomo Kluger zt”l, the chief dayan and rav. Although a din Torah often tries to bring about a compromise, the people told Rabbi Kluger that they wanted the din Torah to be adjudicated without any compromise. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger told them to return the following morning. The following morning, Rabbi Kluger gave his ruling, based on an episode in Tanach.

The Book of Shmuel II (perek 6 psukim 1-9) discusses the following episode: King David had hand-picked 30,000 men who joined him to escort the Holy Aron (Holy Ark which contained the 10 commandments) from the house of Aminadav to bring it to Yerushalayim. King David and the men danced in front of the Aron, displaying honor to Hashem. Many various instruments were played. An accident occurred, and Uzza, one of Aminadav’s sons died at the hands of Hashem. (The story is further elaborated upon in the Navi. Some commentators explain that although Uzza was killed, he went straight to Gan Eden). King David was very distressed at this turn of events and decided it best not to bring the Aron to Yerushalayim, at this time.

The Ohr Hachaim says (Devorim 28:1-6) that after seeing what had happened to Uzza, the people were afraid to house the Holy Aron. Oved Edom Hagitti (from the tribe of Levi) agreed to house the Aron.  As a result of his graciousness, Hashem blessed his entire family. The Talmud (Brachos 63B-64A) tells us the blessing. Oved Edom’s wife and his eight daughters-in-law each gave birth to six children. This occurred during the time that the Holy Aron was in the house of Oved Edom, which was only three months!

Based on this story from the Neviim and the Talmud, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger ruled that the money did NOT have to be returned. If the nine women all gave birth during the three months that the Aron was in Oved Edom’s home, then obviously, the pregnancy of these women began months before. 

Hashem had prepared the reward for Oved Edom, even before he had performed his good deed. Hashem had set events into motion so that if Oved Edom would perform the good deed and house the Holy Aron, he would merit the reward that was coming to him. Similarly, although the army’s change of plans had occurred two weeks before they had approached the rebbe, it was possible that it was due to the mitzvah of pidyon shvuim that they had performed as well as the prayers of the rebbe. Hashem, who knows the future, sets the process of the salvation in motion, in advance, waiting for us to act.

If we are facing challenges, we should not be discouraged or depressed. Salvation may already be on the way.

Hashem is just waiting for us to daven and/or do some good deed, to bring the salvation to fruition.

This dvar Torah is based on Torah Wellsprings, Vayeshev, from Rabbi Elimelech Biderman shlita, compiled by Rabbi Boruch Twersky

Parshas Yisro: My Dear Watson, Your Logic Is Not So Logical!

Parshas Yisro

My Dear Watson, Your Logic Is Not So Logical!

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“…The name of the first was Gershom, because he said, ‘I was a stranger in a strange land’”. (Shmos 18:3)

When I was an elementary school student in yeshiva, some of my classmates used to find amusing a sign that was posted just outside the bathroom. It was an ancient Jewish blessing, commonly referred to as asher yatzar. It was supposed to be recited after one relieved oneself. For some grade school children, there could be nothing more strange or ridiculous than to link acts of urination and defecation with holy words that mentioned G-d’s name. Blessings were reserved for prayers, for holy days, or for thanking G-d for food or for some act of deliverance, but surely not for a bodily function that evoked smirks and giggles. In my second year of medical school, I began to understand the appropriateness of this short prayer. I began to no longer take for granted the normalcy of my trips to the bathroom. Instead, I started to realize how many things had to operate just right for these minor interruptions of my daily routine to run smoothly. After seeing patients whose lives revolved around their dialysis machines, and others with colostomies and urinary catheters, I realized how wise the rabbi had been to institute this blessing… There was one unforgettable patient whose story reinforced the truth and beauty of the asher yatzar for me forever. Josh was a 20-year-old student who was in a motor vehicle crash. He nearly died from his injuries. He was initially totally quadriplegic. A long and difficult period of stabilization and rehabilitation followed. But Josh continued to require intermittent catheterization. I know only too well the problems and perils this young man would face for the rest of his life because of a neurogenic bladder. The urologists were very pessimistic about his chances for not requiring catheterization. They had not seen this occur after a spinal cord injury of this severity. Then the impossible happened. I was there the day Josh no longer required a urinary catheter. I thought of the asher yatzar prayer. Pointing out that I could not imagine a more meaningful scenario for its recitation, I suggested to Josh, who was also a yeshiva graduate, that he say the prayer. He agreed. As he recited the ancient bracha, tears welled in my eyes. Josh is my son.

Article by Kenneth M. Prager, M.D.  of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York

Moshe’s father-in-law, Yisro, brought Moshe’s wife and two sons from Midian to the desert, to meet Moshe. The Torah repeats the names of Moshe’s two sons. Moshe named his first-born Gershom, which means that I was a stranger there. He did so “because he said, ‘I was a stranger in a strange land’”. Moshe named his second son Eliezer which means, My G-D helped me, by saving me from Pharoah. He did so “because the G-D of my fathers rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword”.  The Bal Haturim questions why the Torah added the extra words, “he said” when he named Gershom. Those words were not used when describing the naming of Moshe’s second son. The Bal Haturim explains that these words refer to the Midrash in Parshas Shmos (2:22). Moshe had arrived in Midian after escaping from Egypt with his life. Yisro permitted Moshe to marry his daughter Tziporah on the condition that Moshe permit his first-born son to become an idolatrous priest. Moshe agreed for two reasons. He was a stranger in a strange land and could not refuse Yisro. Furthermore, Moshe was confident that he could convince Yisro of the truth of Judaism and persuade him to convert. The Bal HaTurim says that the words “because he said” refer to Yisro. Yisro had told Moshe that he was a stranger in a land that was not his, and that he did not have the option to refuse Yisro’s demand to send Gershom to learn to become an idolatrous priest.

When Moshe first came to Midian, after escaping from Egypt, Moshe had rescued Yisro’s seven daughters (Shmos 2:16-17). As shepherds of their father’s sheep, they drew water in the troughs to water their flock. The other shepherds drove them away until Moshe interceded.  Firstly, why were Yisro’s daughters the shepherds of his flock? Couldn’t Yisro have hired men to be in charge? Furthermore, why did the shepherds drive Yisro’s daughters away? According to the Ramban, Yisro’s daughters even went to the effort of drawing water and filling-up the water trough. Yet, before their sheep had a chance to drink, the other shepherds came and drove them away. Why? The Midrash Rabba (Shmos 1:32) explains that Yisro had been the head of the idolatrous priests. He came to the realization that all idols are false. He told the townspeople that he was too old to be the priest. They understood that his intent was to renounce the idols.  Consequently, the townspeople excommunicated Yisro and his family. That was why he was unable to get anyone to shepherd his flock and that is why his daughters were driven away from the well.

The question is, if Yisro was no longer an idolatrous priest, why did he demand that Moshe send his first-born son to become an idolatrous priest? It doesn’t make sense!

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l, Rosh HaYeshiva of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, offers an insightful answer. Yisro first learned about the different types of idolatry and rejected them all, before arriving at understanding that the Torah was unquestionably the truth. (According to the Maharshal quoted in the Sifsei Chachamim in Shmos 2:16, Yisro did not yet espouse Judaism until he heard about the miracles that Hashem had performed.) Yisro wanted his grandson to follow his path by first learning about all the idols, then rejecting them after realizing that the Torah was the truth. However, Yisro’s idea was flawed. We don’t follow the laws of the Torah because we feel that it is the truth. Rather, we fulfill the mitzvos because Hashem commanded us to do them, and we are Hashem’s servants. As Rabbi Frand says, “When the prohibition is Divine, it is absolute.” 

One can totally misconstrue the Torah when he ignores the divinity of the mitzvos and fulfills them solely because he feels that they are the true and logical path in life. For example, the Torah prohibition against murder is very logical. However, there is a danger if one would accept the Torah’s laws only due to logic. One might erroneously decide that it is not considered murder to permit assisted suicide and to allow the elderly to die to save medical resources for those who are younger. In fact, according to the Torah, each moment of life is so precious, and we do all we can to preserve life. (Certain medical issues do come up, such as discussions about end-of-life, issuing a DNR or DNI directive, or palliative care and/or hospice services. There are different considerations depending upon specific circumstances. To find out the proper course to follow according to the Torah, one should contact their orthodox rabbi or the rabbis from the organization Chayim Aruchim [718-278-2446, 24 hours]).

We do not fulfill the mitzvos because they make sense to us.

We do so to follow the will of Hashem!

This dvar Torah was based on Rabbi Frand on the Parashah