Rav Zachariash’s weekly blog on the parsha
“This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.” (Shemos 12:2) The first mitzvah in the Torah that is recorded as being given to Klal Yisrael is the mitzvah of “hachodesh hazeh lachem”. This mitzvah commands Beis Din to hear [...]
“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt.” (Shemos 7:3) When we are in situations in which we are forced to do something we don’t want to do, we sometimes mutter to ourselves, “If I had my choice about this, I wouldn’t be doing it.” [...]
“He [Moshe] was along the way, at the hotel, Hashem confronted him, and wanted to kill him.” (Bereishis 4:24) Moshe Rabbeinu accepts Hashem’s proposal that he should be the one to take Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt. On the way down to Egypt, he almost gets killed because he did not perform a bris milah [...]
"Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob; Hearken to Israel your father." (Bereishis 49:2) I once heard an amazing explanation from a world-renowned speaker on why there are so many different strands of original Judaism? Litvaks. Chasidim. Sefardim. Teimanim. And more! If you take away the ‘spice’, they are all exactly the same. The differences [...]
“…(Yosef) fell on his (Yaakov’s) neck, he wept on his neck a good while.” (Bereishis 46:29) RASHI: “Yaakcov, however, did not fall upon Joseph’s neck nor did he kiss him. Our Rabbis say: the reason was that he was reciting the Shema.” When a person is asked how much of himself he is willing to [...]
And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “…Pharaoh has been told what God is about to do…Pharaoh has been shown what God is about to do.” (41:25 & 41:28) Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (1785–June 9, 1869) points out that it is human nature to always want to be the first to tell over good news, but to shy [...]
“…Judah went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, together with his friend Chirah the Adullamite.” (Bereishis 38:12) One of the most cherished possessions that a person could have is a good friend. It would be appropriate to mention here the saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” But what does it mean? I [...]
“But they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a harlot?” (Bereishis 34:31) Hishtadlus is one of the most important things in all the activities that Jews do, whether it is getting a good chavrusa, finding a wife, or getting a job. We have an obligation to make the best effort we can. However, it [...]
“…that you will not do us harm, just as we have not mistreated you but have always dealt kindly with you and sent you away in peace. From now on, be you blessed of Hashem!” (Bereishis 26:29) Avimelech tells Yitzchak that he is expected not to do any harm to his people, as they only [...]
Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms. Abraham paid out to Ephron the money that he had given as a price in front of the Hittites—four hundred shekels of silver at the going merchants’ rate. (Bereishis 23:16) The Medrash tells us that one of the ways the blessing given to Avraham avinu (that all the nations will be [...]
