Rav’s Blog

Rav Zachariash’s weekly blog on the parsha

Passing it Forward

“The Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time.” (Shemos 31:16) The Jews who came to America before the Second World War firmly believed that they would continue to be religious Jews on this foreign soil. Many of them were even moser nefesh for [...]

By |2025-03-12T18:37:26+02:00March 9th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Using Your Brain

“Aharon carried the names of Bnei Yisrael on the breastplate on his heart, when he came into the Holy place, as a remembrance in front of Hashem forever.” (Shemos 28:29) The two pieces of the Kohein Gadol’s clothing that the Torah speaks the most about are the Choshen (breastplate) and the Tzitz (headplate). Why does [...]

By |2025-03-05T14:25:32+02:00March 2nd, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

On Fire

“You shall make a Menorah of pure gold…” (Shemos 25:31) Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu had difficulty understanding how to make the Menorah. Because of this, Hashem told Moshe to throw the gold into the fire and the Menorah came out ready-made (Rashi ibid). Chazal also tell us that when giving the mitzvah of [...]

By |2025-02-24T21:02:17+02:00February 23rd, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

The Right Approach

“These are the guidelines that you shall set before them” (Shemos 21:1) In Parshas Beshalach, there is a reference to the mitzvos which were given to bnei Yisrael in Mara. One of those mitzvos was the mitzvah of judging people’s monetary disputes in a court (dinim). Here, right after accepting the Torah, we seemingly are [...]

By |2025-02-17T20:57:43+02:00February 16th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

Leveling Up

“Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed and kissed him and he asked him how he was doing…” (Shemos 18:7) The above verse doesn’t specify whether it was Moshe who bowed to and kissed Yisro, or Yisro who bowed to and kissed Moshe.  The midrash proves that Moshe was the one who bowed [...]

By |2025-02-11T18:49:26+02:00February 9th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , , |0 Comments

One for All and All for One – Journal 2025

 יד וְכָל-הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת-הַקּוֹלֹת וְאֶת-הַלַּפִּידִם, וְאֵת קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר, וְאֶת-הָהָר, עָשֵׁן; וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנֻעוּ, וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחֹק.  טו וַיֹּאמְרוּ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, דַּבֵּר-אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ, וְנִשְׁמָעָה; וְאַל-יְדַבֵּר עִמָּנוּ אֱלֹקִים, פֶּן-נָמוּת.  טז וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-הָעָם, אַל-תִּירָאוּ, כִּי לְבַעֲבוּר נַסּוֹת אֶתְכֶם, בָּא הָאֱלֹקִים; וּבַעֲבוּר, תִּהְיֶה יִרְאָתוֹ עַל-פְּנֵיכֶם--לְבִלְתִּי תֶחֱטָאו  (שמות כ:יד-טז) “All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning…Fear not, for God has [...]

By |2025-02-05T12:09:37+02:00February 8th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , , |0 Comments

An Acquired Taste

With regard to the Monn, it is written “bread” (Exodus 16:4), and it is written “oil” (Numbers 11:8), and it is written “honey” (Exodus 16:31). How can we reconcile these verses? Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Chanina, said: For the youth it was like bread, for the elderly it was like oil, and for the [...]

By |2025-02-05T11:57:09+02:00February 5th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

Staying True to the Path

“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 [...]

By |2025-01-28T18:35:58+02:00January 26th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

What Do I Really Want?

“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.” [...]

By |2025-01-20T14:30:11+02:00January 19th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , |0 Comments

The Right Choice

“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 [...]

By |2025-01-13T17:34:39+02:00January 12th, 2025|Categories: Rav's Blog|Tags: , , |0 Comments
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