Rav Zachariash’s weekly blog on the parsha
“And, behold, I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, in which there is a breath of life from under the heavens; and everything that is on the earth shall die.” (Bereishis 6:17) The Zohar reveals that the deeper meaning of this verse lies in the haftara “Mei Noach [...]
“Because you have done this…” (Bereishis 3:14) Have you ever wondered why the snake, which began as an upright creature, was condemned to crawling on its belly as punishment? The Dubno Magid (Jacob ben Wolf Kranz of Dubno 1741–1804) explains with a parable. A wealthy man, passing through a town where he had family, encountered [...]
You shall dwell in a Sukkah for seven days; all that are part of the Jewish people shall dwell in Sukkahs (Leviticus 23:42) There is a fascinating halacha regarding the mitzvah of yeshivas sukkah which many people struggle to understand. The gemara derives from the above verse that one’s dwelling in the Sukkah should be [...]
And the Lord said, “I have pardoned according to thy word” (Bamidbar 14:20) After Bnei Yisrael sinned with the Golden Calf, Moshe ascended to Heaven a second time to beg forgiveness for Bnei Yisrael. On Yom Kippur, Hashem declared, “selachti kidvarecha” – I forgave you according to your word, and gave us the second set [...]
Rabbeinu Yona in Shaarei Teshuva (First Gate, paragraphs 24 and 25) discusses the essential components of teshuva (repentance): hachna’a (submissiveness), shiflus (humility) and serving Hashem “b’tznius” (modesty). He elaborates on these qualities, but the question arises: What does modesty have to do with repentance? The gemora in Sukkah (49b) explains the verse “and what Hashem [...]
Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. (Vayikra 26:42) Rashi asks on this verse, “Why does the Torah use the term “remember” for Avraham and Yacov but not for Yitzchak?” Rashi answers, “Regarding [...]
The thing (teshuva) is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, for you to do it. (Devarim 30:14) In the Selichos, after shema koleinu and ashamnu, we have three paragraphs describing how the prophets Micah, Daniel, and Ezra each approached Hashem, beseeching mercy to accept Klal Yisroel’s repentance. While each approach [...]
“…and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.” (Devarim 26:5) I once heard the following from one of the mashgichim of Beis Medrash Gevoha of Lakewood: During Magid at the Seder we say gadol atzum – to teach us that the Jewish people were exceptionally strong, as highlighted in the above verse. He explained [...]
“…and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would like to take her as your wife…” (Devarim 21:11) I would like to share an incident from years ago involving one of my children. While walking in a forest, he found a stack of caps, that was obviously left there [...]
“…for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous (in judgement).” (Devarim 16:19) The following story, which I heard in my youth, illustrates the above Pasuk: The Shach (Shabbsai ben Meir HaKohen 1621–1662) was involved in a din Torah with another man. Though a great talmid chacham, the Shach felt it [...]
