The Ten Commadments At first glance, the Ten Commandments consist of highly contrasting types of mitzvos. The first commandments, “I am God, your God,” and the prohibition against idol worship address the most spiritual matters related to God’s unity. The other commandments, however, consist of such simple instructions as “You shall not murder,” and “You shall [...]
וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרוֹ עַל כָּל הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה’ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם Jethro was happy about all the good that G-d had done for Israel, that He had rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians — Ex 18:9 After many years of doubt and disillusion with his heritage, Abe decides to leave the [...]
וַתַּעַל שִׁכְבַת הַטָּל וְהִנֵּה עַל פְּנֵי הַמִּדְבָּר דַּק מְחֻסְפָּס דַּק כַּכְּפֹר עַל הָאָרֶץ The layer of dew lifted, and behold, on the surface of the desert, a fine, substance as fine as frost on the ground — Exodus 16:14 If you had to pick one item to symbolize Shabbat, the day of rest, which item would you [...]
The First Mitzvah — Fixing the New month The Torah was given to bring sanctity to the world. Each time a mitzvah is observed this goal is brought one stage closer, as another place and another moment becomes holy. The mitzvah causes holiness to be felt in two dimensions: space and time, but most mitzvos are limited to a specific place [...]
אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְּׂאֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם … but on the preceding day you shall clear away all leaven from your houses — Ex. 12:15 וְהָיָה לְאוֹת עַל יָדְכָה וּלְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ כִּי בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ ה’ מִמִּצְרָיִם And it shall be for a sign upon your hand and for ornaments between your eyes, for with a [...]
“They will not believe in me and they will not listen to my voice.” (4:1) If Moshe knew that the Jewish people had a tradition from their Patriarchs that a redeemer would arrive (as Maharsha writes) then why did he fear that “they will not believe in me”? However, Moshe’s fear was that after so many years of slavery [...]
וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וּבְכָל עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields — Exodus 1:14 Moses, Museums and Menorahs. I must make a confession. As we read the Torah portion every week, year after year, it [...]
The names of Yosef’s two sons. Menasheh received his name because, “God has caused me to forget (NaSHaNi) all my hardships and all that was in my father’s house”(41:51). This expressed how Yosef was pained by the fact that he found himself in a place which made him forget his father’s house. Efrayim was named, because “God has [...]
One fine summer day Family Goldstein visit the zoo and are taken to the wolves’ enclosure. There they witness an incredible sight; the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy – a wolf and a lamb side by side in the enclosure together! Mr Goldstein calls over one of the staff: “How long have you had a wolf [...]
Yosef does not seek revenge against his brothers. We can learn from the example of Yosef towards his brothers that one should never seek revenge against a person who causes him any form of distress or damage. Rather, one should repay even a guilty offender with kindness (Tanya ch. 12). Why should we be kind to guilty offenders? [...]
The Secret of Miracles We live in a world of cause and effect. The deeds of man, in particular, profoundly affect both the material and spiritual dimensions. In that light, what was the “cause,” i.e., merit that awakened the phenomenal miracles of Chanukah? The story of the Exodus from Egypt sheds light on our question. [...]
Yosef interprets the dreams of the chief butler and chief baker. The natural reaction for Yosef, after being wrongly imprisoned, would be utter contempt for Egypt and its government. Thus, when Yosef was joined by the chief butler and chief baker—two of Pharaoh’s high-ranking ministers—it would only have been natural for Yosef to shun them [...]
Ya’akov’s fight with the angel. According to Ramban, Ya’akov’s fight with the guardian angel of Eisav alludes to the suffering of the Jewish people during the times of Exile. The fact that Ya’akov was later healed completely (see below 33:18 and Rashi ibid.) indicates that when the exile finally ends there will be no remnant [...]
וַיְהִי בְהַקְשֹׁתָהּ בְּלִדְתָּהּ … וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ כִּי מֵתָה … וַתָּמָת רָחֵל וַתִּקָּבֵר בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְרָתָה הִוא בֵּית לָחֶם It came to pass when she had such difficulty giving birth … her soul departed … and she was buried on the road to Ephrat, which is Beit Lechem. And Jacob built a monument on her grave, [...]
Ya’akov’s flocks of sheep. The Midrash describes the Jewish people as God’s “sheep” (Shir Hashirim Rabah 2:16), as an expression of their total dedication to God, like sheep that follow their shepherd unquestioningly. Ya’akov exemplified this level of dedication while he worked for Lavan, remaining loyal to God’s commands despite the spiritually alien environment. Thus, to hint to [...]
