ืืื ‘ืืืืจ’
"ืึผึนื ื ึฐืึดืื ืึตื, ืึตืึดืืืึผ ืึธื ืึธื ึถืึถื ืึฐืึทืึผึทืขึทืช ืึฐืืึผืึธื ืึผึธื-ืึผึฐืึดื ืึธืึธื, ืึฐืึธื-ืึดืืฉื, ืึฒืฉืึถืจ ืึตื ึดืืฃ ืชึผึฐื ืึผืคึทืช ืึธืึธื ืึทื'" (ืฉืืืช ืื:ืื) ืืืชื ืกืืคืจ ืืฆืืข ืฉืคืกืืง ืืื ืืชืืืืก ืืฉืชื ืืืฉืืช ืฉืื ืืช ืื ืชืื ืช ืฆืืงื: ืืฉ ืืืืืฉืืจืจื ืื ืืืื ืืฉืืืืื "ืืื ืืืกืฃ ืฉืื ืืชืืื? ืขืืืจ ืืจืื ืืงืืืฉ, ืืืื, ืืจืื ืืืขืืืื ืื ืขืืืจ ืืฉืืจืืชืื? ". ืืืฉ ืื ืฉืื ืฉืคืฉืื [...]
Miss-understanding
ย The Rambam explains that avoda zora was initially conceived as a way for us to connect to Hashem. The representations of the idols were understood not to be a deity onto themselves, rather the objective was to use these objects to connect to the powers above that are non-physical, [...]
ืืกืจ ืืื ื
ืืจืื"ื ืืกืืืจ ืฉืขืืืื ืืจื ืืชืืืื ืืืจื ืืื ืฉืื ืืืชืงืฉืจ ืื'. ืื ืืืื ื ืฉืืคืกืืื ืืืื ืืื ืืืืืช ืืฉืืื, ืืื ืืืจืชื ืืืืชื ืืืฉืชืืฉ ืืืืจืื ืืคืืืืื ืืืื ืืื ืืืชืืืจ ืืืืืืช ืืจืืื ืืื ืืืืืืื, ืืื ืืืชืงืฉืจ ืื'. ืืื ืืกืืจ ืืขืืืื ืืจื, ืืืจืืช ืฉืืขืืืืื ืืืื ืื ืฉืืืืืช ืืืื ืื ืจืง ืืฉื ืืื ืืืื ืืืงืืจื ืฉื ื'. ืืืืคื ืืืื, ืื [...]
Undivided Attention
Most of us are aware that the name โMosheโ is not mentioned in this parsha. This was a punishment for his plea to Hashem to exclude him from the Torah and not annihilate the Jews for worshipping the golden calf, as opposed to annihilating the Jews and glorifying Mosheโs name [...]
ืชืฉืืืช ืื ืืืืืืช
ืืืืข ืืืื ืื ืื ืฉืฉืื ืฉื ืืฉื ืจืืื ื ืื ืืืืืจ ืืคืจืฉืช ืืฉืืืข ืืื ืขืื ืฉ ืขื ืชืื ืื ืื ืื' ืืืืฆืื ืืืชื ืื ืืชืืจื ืืื ืืืฉืืื ืืช ืืืืืืื ืขื ืืื ืขืื ืืืื, ืืืงืื ืืืืืจื ืืฉื ืืื ืฉื ืืฉืืืช ืืืืืืื ืืืจืืื ืืช ืฉืื ืฉื ืืฉื ืืชืืจื. ืืื ืืืืข ื ืืืจื ืืืืืื ืคืจืฉืช ืชืฆืื ืืืืืช ืืืงืื ืฉืฉืื [...]
Coronate Yourself
Many people dream that if they had all the money in the world, all of their problems would be solved. In reality, we realize that riches can actually be a personโs undoing. One can find story after story about a lottery winner who won millions, only to find himself poor [...]
ืชืืชืืจ ืืช ืขืฆืื
ืื ืฉืื ืจืืื ืืืืืื ืฉืื ืืื ืืื ืืช ืื ืืืกืฃ ืฉืืขืืื, ืื ืืืขืืืช ืฉืืื ืืืคืชืจื. ืืืฆืืืืช, ืื ื ืืืื ืื ืื ืืขืืฉืจ ืืืืช ืืืื ืืืืฉืื ืื ื ืืื. ืื ืื ื ืฉืืืขืื ืกืืคืืจ ืืืจ ืกืืคืืจ ืขื ืืื ืฉืืื ืืืืื ืืงืืืื ืืืืืื ืื, ืืืืืจ ืฉื ื ืื ืฉื ืชืืื ืืฆืื ืืช ืขืฆืื ืืืืชื ืืฆื ืฉื ืขื ืืืช - ืื ืืคืืื ืืืชืจ [...]
A Cut Above
The Ramban tells us in Parshas Vaโeschanan that keeping the Mishpatim is โtiferesโ (beauty), and even the Gentiles will praise the Jews for following them. Not only that, it brings the Jews closer to Hashem. One must explain what is so compelling about Mishpat that elicits such a response from [...]
ืืชื ืืขื
ืืจืื"ื ืืืืจ ืืคืจืฉืช ืืืชืื ื ืฉืงืืื ืืืฉืคืืื ืืื "ืชืคืืจืช", ืืืคืืื ืืืืืื ืืฉืืื ืืช ืื ื ืืฉืจืื ืขื ืฉืืืจืช ืืืฉืคืืื. ืืฉ ืืืกืืืจ ืื ืืฉืื ืข ืื ืื ืืืฉืคื ืืืขืืจืจ ืชืืืื ืืื ืืืืืืช ืืขืืื. ืืืืจื ืืกื ืืืจืื ืืืืจืช ืฉืื ืฉืื ืืื ืืืช ืืืืืชื ืืืคื ืืืืืช ืฉืืชืฃ ืืืจืืืช ืืขืืื. ืืืคืจืฉืื ื ืืืงืื ืขื ืคืืจืืฉ ืืืืืื "ืืื ืืืช ืืืืืชื", [...]
An โEagleโs Eyeโ
19:4 โฆand I carried you on eagles' wingsโฆ Rashi quotes Chazal on this verse, telling us that just as an eagle caries its young on its wings and says โBetter the arrows should enter me than my childโ, so too Hashem protects Klal Yisrael at His own risk. The question [...]
ืขืื ื ืื ืฉืจ
"ืึธืึถืฉึผืึธื ืึถืชึฐืึถื ืขึทื-ืึผึทื ึฐืคึตื ื ึฐืฉืึธืจึดืื..." (ืฉืืืช ืื:ื) ืจืฉ"ื ืืืื ืืื"ื: "ืืื ืื ืฉืจ ืืื ืืื ื ืืชืืจื ืืื ืื ืืืื ืฉืื ืืืจืืง ืื ืืฅ ืืคื ืฉืืื ืขืืฃ ืืืจ ืคืืจื ืขื ืืืื ืืื ื ืืชื ื ืขื ืื ืคืื ืืืืจ ืืืื ืืื ืก ืืืฅ ืื ืืื ืืื ื ืืฃ ืื ื ืขืฉืืชื ืื". ืืืฉืืื ืืจืืจื: ื' ืืืื ืืขืฉืืช ืืื, ื"ื [...]
Preferential Treatment
ืื:ืื...ืึฐืึทืึผึทืึดื ืึธืึถื ืืึนืึธื... and the waters were a wall unto them ืื:ืื...ืึฐืึทืึผึทืึดื ืึธืึถื ืึนืึธื... and the waters were a wall unto them ืื:ืื...ืึทืึผึธืฉืึธื ืึทืึผึธื ืึดืคึฐื ืึนืช ืึผึนืงึถืจ ืึฐืึตืืชึธื ืึน ...and the sea returned to its strength... Chazal (Shemos Raba 21:6) tell us by using the word ืดืึฐืึตืืชึธื ืึนโ there is an allusion to [...]
ืื ืฉื ืืืืืื
ืื:ืื...ืึฐืึทืึผึทืึดื ืึธืึถื ืืึนืึธื... ืื:ืื...ืึฐืึทืึผึทืึดื ืึธืึถื ืึนืึธื... ืื:ืื...ืึทืึผึธืฉืึธื ืึทืึผึธื ืึดืคึฐื ืึนืช ืึผึนืงึถืจ ืึฐืึตืืชึธื ืึน ืื"ื (ืฉืืืช ืจืื ื"ื, ื') ืืืืจืื ืฉืืืืื "ืืืืชื ื" ืืจืืืช ืืืืื "ืชื ืื". ืืขืืื ืืืื ื ืืฆืจ ืขื ืชื ืื ืืืื ื- ืขืืื ืืืืืช ืืคืืฃ ืืฆืจืื ืืชืืจื, ืืืืืื ืืฆืจืืื ืฉื ืขื ืืฉืจืื. ื' ืืืื ืชื ืื ืื ืื ืืืื ืืื ืกืืฃ. ืขื ืืื ืื ืืื ืข"ืค [...]
Enโlightโened
Shemos 10:23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev addresses the obvious question: If the Egyptians were smitten with darkness for the ninth plague, we should know [...]
ื ’ืืืจ’ืื
"ืึนื-ืจึธืืึผ ืึดืืฉื ืึถืช-ืึธืึดืื, ืึฐืึนื-ืงึธืืึผ ืึดืืฉื ืึดืชึผึทืึฐืชึผึธืื--ืฉืึฐืึนืฉืึถืช ืึธืึดืื; ืึผืึฐืึธื-ืึผึฐื ึตื ืึดืฉืึฐืจึธืึตื ืึธืึธื ืืึนืจ, ืึผึฐืืึนืฉืึฐืึนืชึธื." (ืฉืืืช ื:ืื) ืืจื ืืื ืืฆืืง ืืืจืืืฆ'ื ืฉืืื ืืช ืืฉืืื ืืืจืืจื: ืืืืืื ืฉืื ื ืืืจ ืืืืขืื ืฉืืืืืช ืืืฆืจืื ืื ืืฉืคืืขื ืขื ืืืืืืื, ื"ื ืืื ืืืื ืืชืฉืืขืืช, ืืืช ืืืฉื, ืืชืืจื ืืืชื ืฆืจืืื ืืืืื ืื ื "ืืืึธื-ืึผึฐื ึตื ืึดืฉืึฐืจึธืึตื ืึธืึธื ืืึนืจ"? ืื ื ืืืืจ ืืฉืืืืชื [...]
Down to the Last detail
The Ohr Hachaim explains how Moshe Rabbeinuโs request to end the plague of tzefardaya was given in great detail. Why did Moshe have to go into such great detail? The Medrash tells a story of a Jewish peasant who was in desperate need of a donkey to help him with [...]
ืขื ืืคืจื ืืืืจืื
ืืืืจ ืืืืื ืืงืืืฉ ืืกืืืจ ืฉืืงืฉืช ืืฉื ืจืื ื ืืกืืื ืืช ืืืช ืฆืคืจืืข ื ืืชื ื ืืคืืจืื ืจื. ืืื ืืื ืืื ืืฉื ืฆืจืื ืืืืื ืก ืืคืจืืื ืื ืื? ืืืืจืฉ ืืกืคืจ ืขื ืืืืจ ืืืืื ืฉืืื ืืงืืง ืืืื ืืืืืจ ืืื ืืขืืืจ ืื ืืขืืืืืช ืืฉืืจืชืืืช ืืืืื ืฉืื. ืืื ืืชืคืื ืื' "ืจืืฉ"ืข, ืื ื ืฉืื ืื ืืืืจ". ืืื ืงืฆืจ ืืืืจ [...]
Exactly The Same, but Very Different
Avraham Avinu was told that his children would go into exile and have to work for four hundred years. Chazal tell us that the tribe of Levi was spared from the servitude, and there are various reasons given. The most prominent of these is that the members of this tribe [...]