Click here to download single sided version
Click here to download the double sided version (for double sided printing)
Author’s Introduction
As I am writing this, I cannot help but draw a parallel between our situation today and the very first night of Pesach in our history. Like the Jews back then who had to stay confined within ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Reincarnation
The Zohar uses parshas Mishpatim and its monetary laws as a vehicle for its main discourse about ‘gilgulim’—reincarnations. All the commentators struggle to find a common denominator between these extremely disparate concepts. What is the connection between monetary law and all our civil affairs and reincarnation?
Justice vs Equality
In a non-leap year, ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
What’s Lavan doing in the Haggada?
In the Hagaddah of Pesach we quote the Pasuk, “Arami Oved Avi vayered Mitzrayma” (Devarim 26:5) which the Baal HaHagaddah explains that Lavan was even worse than Pharaoh. Pharaoh only decreed the extermination of the Jewish males and Lavan wanted to “uproot” the whole .Why ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
On the Ruins of the flood
“And the whole earth was one language and singular/uniform terms. When they traveled from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinar and they settled there”(11:1-2). Why is it necessary to stress that there was only one language? First of all, that is ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
A Tribute to my Mother Z”L on the occasion of her first Yahrtzeit
Twenty Generations of Anger
“There were ten generations from Adam until Noah to make us aware how much patience Hashem has as all these generations angered him constantly until (after waiting ten generations) He brought upon them the Waters of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Shabbos & Teshuva
To understand the source for Shabbos Shuva, how it is a fundamental landmark in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and how it is what empowers Yom Kippur: The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 22:28) says that after years had passed, Adam Harishon met up with his son, Kayin. Adam asked Kayin what ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Eyes for Today?
“On this day Hashem your Lord commands you to do all these statutes….” (26:16) Rashi brings from Chazal “this day means that it should be in your eyes as if today you were commanded in these Mitzvos”. This peculiar command to seemingly pretend that we were freshly commanded in ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Faulty Weights & Amalek
In this week’s Parsha, we have the obligation to maintain only accurate weights and measures and the prohibition to produce or to have inaccurate weights and measures even if they will not be used for commerce (25:13-16). Immediately following these Mitzvos regarding weights and measures, we have the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
City Court
The Parsha opens with the Mitzvah to set up Batei Dinim in all the tribes and all the major cities. It is interesting to note that this strict halacha of a Beis Din in every major city is strictly in the land of Israel. Whereas, in the Diaspora the obligation ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special edition marking the conclusion
of Kaddish for my Mother Z” L
Meat
In this week’s Parsha we learn about a drastic change in our personal lives that will go into effect in the land of Israel. In the desert, the kosher animals that can be brought as a “korban Shelamim” had to ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Affliction & Hunger?!?
“And He afflicted you and He starved you and He fed you the “Mann” that you did not know and was unknown to your forefathers in order to make you know that not on bread alone lives the man but rather on what comes out of the mouth of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Moshe Yishayahu Yirmiyahu
“Eicha” – How can I carry by myself your contentiousness, your burdens and your quarrels” (1:12). This Pasuk is traditionally read with an ‘Eicha tune’ as it is always read before Tisha B’Av. Is there an inherent connection? The Midrash Rabba on Eicha says as follows: “Three prophesized using ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The Exile – Israel sandwich
Parshas Masei is always one of the Parshas we read during the three weeks. It has clear allusions to “Golus”- exile which is the sad state that we actively mourn during this time. It contains the laws of the unintentional murderer who himself must go into exile. ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why Delay the inevitable?
At the end of this week’s Parsha, we have the Korbanos for “Atzeres”. Rashi brings from the Chazal that “Atzeres” is from the word “atzor”- stop; That Hashem is telling the Jewish people “after the joyous days of Succos, it is hard for Me to bear your separation, ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special expanded edition marking 20th Yahrzeit of my Rebbe,
Maran HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, ZT”L,
the Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisroel
The Three Mouths
In this week’s Parsha, we have the account of Bilaam’s donkey speaking, besting him in an argument, and causing him humiliation. The Mishna says in Avos (5:9) that “Pi ha’ason”-the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Who cares about a Rock’s parnassah?
In this week’s Parsha we have the incident of Moshe hitting the rock as opposed to speaking to it. This is what sealed his fate that he would not take the Jewish people into the land of Israel. Hashem says ”because you did not believe ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Mezuzah & Tzitzis
Korach wages a revolution against Moshe. The “cause” is “equality”. His claim is that the whole nation heard at Sinai Hashem speak and reveal himself onto the whole nation as Hashem’s nation and therefore no Jew should be considered “holier” than his fellow Jew. Strangely enough, to advance his ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The crime and the Penalty
In this week’s Parsha, we have the sad story of the spies that slandered the land of Israel. Chazal tell us that this laid the precedent for Tisha b’Av being a day when calamities happen, most particularly the destructions of the two Temples. Hashem says: “you cried ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Self-made Menorah?
In the third Midrash Rabba of this week’s Parsha, it says, “You find that Moshe found difficulty in making the Menorah more than any other vessels in the Mishkan, to the point that Hashem had to project an image for him….. as the Pasuk says in this week’s Parsha (8:4): ...
Read more...
Click here to download PDF
Where do we go from here?
After the uplifting days of Shavuos, which commemorate the greatest event in history of unmitigated Divine revelation, one has to wonder where do we go from here? How can there be any moving forward or growth after having the greatest experience possible? Ironically, upon the place ...
Read more...
Click here to download PDF
Parshas Bamidbar & Shavuos
It is interesting to note that Shavuos always comes out after we read Parshas Bamidbar. This arrangement is ancient and is brought down in the Rambam’s Hilchos Tefillah. It corresponds with the historical event itself. We always read Parshas Bamidbar within the first week of the month of ...
Read more...
Click here to download PDF
Purity for all Kohanim
Parshas Emor opens up with the special Halachos pertaining to Ahron and his children. There are the laws of criteria to be fit to do “Avoda” and then there are the laws that are universal to all Kohanim, like the opening Halacha that the Kohanim must avoid contact ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Rebbe Akiva vs Hillel
“And you should love your friend like yourself” Rashi brings from the Toras Kohanim the famous statement of Rebbe Akiva: “This is a ‘KLAL GADOL’– great inclusive principle in Torah”. What does this mean? If he means to say that this encases the entirety of Torah, then what ...
Read more...
Click here to download PDF
Rashi argues on the Gemara?!?
“And You will keep My statutes and my laws that the man will do and live by them….” Rashi says, on the words “And live by them” in Olam Haba for if you say it is Olam Hazeh, he will at the end die. Rashi ...
Read more...
Click here to download PDF
What is Nirtzah about?
The final phase of the Seder is called “Nirtzah” and it’s a very difficult phase to understand. The Seder per se has finished with the mitzvah of Hallel and we already officially closed the Seder with “Chasal Sidur Pesach”. Then comes another phase called “Nirtzah”- desired. The meforshim ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The Obvious The Tangent & The Mystery
“When a woman will conceive and give birth to a male she will be ‘impure’ for seven days and on the eighth day he shall be circumcised….. and 33 days she’ll have blood of purity….etc.”
There are a few questions that arise in these Pesukim. First ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Who called?
“And He called to Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Ohel Moed…” seemingly it should have read: And Hashem called to Moshe and He spoke to him from Ohel Moed! Hashem should have been mentioned at the beginning of the sentence, as He’s doing the calling. Why is ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Contradiction in Rashi
The Gemara (Yevamos 72A) explains that the reason the Jewish people did not do Bris Milah in all the years that they were in the desert is because they did not have a northern wind, because they were in disgrace. Rashi explains that they were in disgrace because of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The Mirrors & the Memories
In this week’s Parsha (38:8) “and he made the “Kiyor” and it’s base out of copper from the mirrors…” Rashi bring the Chazal that Moshe did not want to take these mirrors which the women used to beautify themselves because they are made for the purpose of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Luchos and Jewish eyes?!?
In this week’s Parsha we have the tragedy of the breaking in of the Luchos in response to our sin of the golden calf. It’s one of the reasons we fast on the 17th of Tammuz, however, there is strange flipside to this setback. First of all, Moshe ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Shovavim – Tat
As is well-known, these weeks of Shemos, Vaeira, Bo, Beshalach, Yisro, and Mishpatim have a special quality of Teshuva being readily accepted, particularly the “known sin” of “waste”. For that reason, some communities in Eretz Yisrael run refresher courses in the laws of family purity. There is a dilemma ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Contradiction in Rambam
In this week’s Parsha we have the directive to build the Mishkan and subsequently the Beis HaMikdash as the Pasuk says (25:8) “and they will make for me a “Mikdash”-sanctuary and I will dwell within them”. The Rambam brings this Pasuk as the eternal source for the command to ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Mishpatim & Mizbe’ach
After the command not to ascend by stairs to the Mizbe’ach at the end of last week’s parsha, we are commanded to bring our civil and monetary disputes before the Jewish Dayanim ONLY. From the juxtaposition of these commands we learn that we are commanded to put the Grand ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Sponsored in Honor of the upcoming Marriage of Miriam Wilamowsky to Binyomin Zonenshayn בשעטו״מ
שהזיווג יעלה יפה בבנין עדי עד
Seeing Sound Hearing Sights
“And the whole nation saw the sounds”(20:14) Rashi brings the Chazal that this is to be read literally they saw sound and they heard sight! There was an amazing sensory ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Two Hands
Towards the conclusion of ‘Shiras HaYam’ (15:17-18) it says: “You shall bring them and implant them on the mountain of the heritage the place for your dwelling that You made Hashem, the Mikdash, Hashem, is constructed by Your ‘Hands’. Hashem will reign forever.” What is it about the Beis HaMikdash ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Pre-planned Rush?!?
In the Haggadah we say that we eat Matzah to commemorate that Bnei Yisroel’s dough didn’t have time to rise prior to Hashem revealing Himself to them and redeemed them as the pasuk says: “they baked the dough they took out of Egypt as matza….for they were chased out of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Didn’t we Talk about this?
In this week’s Parsha Moshe seemingly raises a concern that he raised already, and the answer is the same as it was. He raises the concern of being inarticulate, worried that Pharoh will not listen to him. He raises this twice in this week’s Parsha. First “….the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
They are rewarded for “Fear”?!?
“And The midwives feared Hashem and they did not do as told to them by the king of mitzrayim and they allowed the boys to live”(1:17)…”And because the midwives feared Hashem He made for them houses” (1:21). What’s fear have to do with it? If they did ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
How did Golus start?
This week’s Parsha starts without any break separating it from last week’s Parsha. therefore, it’s called a “Parsha Setuma”- a blocked Parsha as there isn’t that traditional space between the Parshas. Rashi addresses the issue and says: “why is this Parsha “Setuma”- blocked? Because Yaakov Avinu passed away ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why frame Binyomin?
In course of the end of last week’s Parsha and the beginning of this week’s Parsha We find that Yosef framed his beloved brother Binyomin with the crime of having stolen his goblet. Why frame Binyomin, his full brother, that he loves so much? One would have thought that ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special expanded edition for Shabbos – Chanukah
Spies! Now and forever
Yosef frames his brothers as being spies. Perhaps that was easiest crime to frame them for, given the circumstances. But is that all there is to it? The ‘Baal HaTurim’ writes something fascinating. ”… and he told them you are spies….” explains ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
He was worried about a Traffic Jam?!?
“And Yaakov dwelled…” Rashi brings a Midrash: “This flax dealer came in to town with all his camels laden with flax. The blacksmith wonders where will all this flax will fit. A wise man answered him: ‘one spark comes out from your bellows that ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Eisov makes Drashos?!?
Like any good diplomat, Yaakov has a double message for Eisov, a conciliatory even submissive message and a tough one. He says with Lavan “Garti”– I resided. Rashi explains “Garti”- “I resided as a stranger and I was not made nobility or important. It’s not worth your while to ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Only Yaakov leaves an impression?
In the beginning of this week’s Parsha Rashi comments on what the Pasuk says: “Yaakov exited Be’er Sheva and went to Charan”: “It would have been enough to just say he went to Charan, why did have to mention his exit? this comes to teach ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special expanded edition marking the conclusion of Sheloshim for my mother Z”l
לע״נ אמי מורתי שולמית בת הרב דב יהודה ז״ל
Why didn’t Yitzchak see thru Eisov?
Yitzchak had a special affinity for Eisov and had fully intended to give him the special “Brachos” that Yaakov had to get seemingly by trickery. This is ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
לע״נ קדושי פיטסברג הי״ד
לע״נ אמי מורתי שולמית בת הרב דב יהודה ז״ל
Repetition is Beautiful?!?
The longest topic in this week’s Parsha is the story of Eliezer going to find Rivka for you Yitzchak. What makes it much larger than any other topic is because Eliezer repeats the whole story play by ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
לע״נ אמי מורתי שולמית בת הרב דוב יהודה ז״ל
Why Dayanim? Why sitting?
At the beginning of the parsha Avraham Avinu is recovering from Bris Milah and nonetheless sitting at the opening of the tent in the heat of the day, hoping to invite in guests, when Hashem appears to him. Rashi on ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
לע״נ אמי מורתי האשה החשובה שולמית בת הרב דוב יהודה ע״ה
Bnei Noach
Chazal refer to all good non-Jews as Bnei Noach, while evil goyim are tagged as ovdei cochavim u’mazalot, idol worshippers. This might seem strange seeing as how all of mankind, both Jew and gentile alike, are the descendants of Noach. ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
הדברי תורה בעלון זה מוקדשים לזכות אמי מורתי מרת שולמית בת הרב דב יהודה והרבנית שרה סאשא
Bereishis – For the Land of Israel?
The first Rashi in the Parsha says as follows: “Rabbi Yitzchak said the Torah did not have to start from any other place than “This month is for you ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Getting support for the Wall
On Shabbos of Succos we have an interesting Halacha of “Migu d’havei dofen linyan Shabbos havei dofen linyan Succah – Migu d’havei dofen linyan Succah havei dofen linyan Shabbos” -although the criteria for a valid “wall” to make it a “Reshus HaYachid”-private domain where one can carry ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Haazinu – the essence of a sefer Torah
The Rambam states (Hilchos sefer Torah 7:1) that the essence of the obligation to write a sefer Torah is actually to write the Parsha of Haazinu but since the Torah is not to be written in a separate parshas therefore we must write the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Moshe’s Birthday & Lifespan
This week’s Parsha opens up with the day of death of Moshe. He stresses that he completed a hundred twenty years and hence is dying on his birthday. There is great significance to the fact that he is both a hundred twenty years old and dying on his ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Nitzavim & Rosh Hashanah
Parshas Nitzavim is always the parsha we read right before Rosh Hashanah, therefore there must be some message Rosh Hashanah in it. Rashi (29:12) Re-works the pesukim based on the midrash and says that the reason why Parshas Nitzavim is right after reading all the curses in partial ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
That’s why we Daven 3 times a day?!?
This week’s Parsha opens up with the Mitzva of “Bikurim” – bringing the first of all the seven species that the land of Israel is praised for. impartial say Cove. The Midrash Tanchuma says that Moshe Foresaw with Ruach HaKodesh that the Beis HaMikdash ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Giving in to the “Yetzer”?
This week’s Parsha opens up with the laws of “Yefas To’ar” – the beautiful captive woman that the Jewish Soldier wants to take. This is one of the laws that are hardest to understand philosophically. Rashi (21:11) says: “The Torah did not issue these laws [for any ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Our system of Justice and Government
Parshas Shoftim is generally the first Parsha in Elul (with the exception of years like this one when Shabbos Parshas Re’eh is itself Rosh chodesh Elul) and therefore there must be a connection and message for Elul. The topics of this week’s Parsha include our entire ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
לע״נ האשה החשובה מרת יענטא בת ר׳ שלמה ז״ל
לרפואת ר׳ שלום יהודה בן גנעשא שליט״א בתשח״י
Where are the Blessings?
The parsha opens (11:26) “See (singular) I place before you (plural) today blessing and curse.” After mentioning that the blessing is for obeying Hashem and the curse if for violating His Will and ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
What’s “Eikev”?
“And ‘Eikev’-because you will listen….” the Midrash Rabbah says repeatedly that ‘Eikev’ is to be understood as at the ‘end’ – meaning to say at the end of time we will get the reward for listening to Hashem. Why is olam habah referred to as the ‘heel’- end? Rashi takes ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Vaeschanan & Nachamu
As we mentioned last week, Parshas Vaeschanan is always “Shabbos Nachamu”. The Rambam in the laws of tefillah specifically states that our custom is to align the “parshas hashavua” so that Vaeschanan comes out after Tisha b’Av, therefore there must be a connection between the two. what is it?
What’s ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why before Tisha b’Av?
Parshas Devarim is always the parsha we read before Tisha b’Av. This is already mentioned in the Rambam’s laws of Tefillah (13:2 – the emphasis there is to read V’eschanan after Tisha b’Av which we will discuss next week). If this has been the custom for so long ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Where is the allusion to the 3 weeks?
The parshas of Matos – Massei always come out during the three weeks. The allusions to “Golus”-exile in Massei are quite apparent. The travels of the Jews in the desert laid “groundwork” for travels Jews would have to do in the future. Massei also ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Divine Name in Reverse?
After Pinchas was awarded with being a Kohen there is a census of the Jewish people, but this time all the families are mentioned by name before giving the final number of the tribe. The families are mentioned with a prefix and a suffix. the prefix is the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special expanded edition marking the 19th Yahrtzeit of my Rebbe
Maran Hagaon HaRav Yaakov Wienberg ZT”L Rosh Yeshivas Ner Yisroel
לע״נ הגאון מוהר״ר שמואל יעקב ב״ר יצחק מתתיהו זצוקלה״ה
Isn’t the difference obvious?
The Mishna in Avos (5:25) states: “Anyone who has these three things is a disciple of Avraham Avinu and [if he ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Eternal Dispute?
In this week’s Parsha we have the dispute between Korach and Moshe. The Mishnah in Avos (5:17) says: “Any dispute that is for the sake of the Name of Heaven will endure and any dispute that is not for the say for the sake of the Name of Heaven will ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Special expanded edition in Honor of the Shabbos Sheva Brachos of Menachem Yisroel & Bracha Golda Bechhofer.
The Risk
In this week’s Parsha Moshe sends the spies to check out the land of Israel. Rashi stresses: “Hashem told Moshe send for yourself i.e. by your own judgment (literally “L’Daascha” – by your own ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
What’s special about the Menorah
At the opening of this week’s Parsha Ahron HaKohen is granted the Mitzvah of the Menorah. Rashi brings the Chazal that notes that this comes on the heels of the inauguration of the Mishkan. Ahron felt sad that neither he nor his tribe of Levi participated ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The gifts of the Nesi’im
In this week’s Parsha we have the ceremony of the inauguration of the Mishkan. Each one of the ‘Nesi’im’ brought gift offerings on behalf his tribe on his designated day. All brought the same set of gifts: a bowl of silver weighing 130 and a basin of ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
To Count is to Love?
Sefer Bamidbar is known as “Chumash HaPikudim” – The Book of Numbers because it has in it the census of the Jewish people. In the opening of this week’s parsha Moshe is commanded to conduct a census. Rashi (1:1) explains: “because of Hashem’s love for the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Off by a week?
This week is a double Parsha so as to fulfill the Halacha recorded in the Gemara (Megilla 31b): “Ezra instituted for the Jewish people to read the curses in Vayikra before Shavuos and the curses in Devarim before Rosh Hashanah so that ‘the year should end with all ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Speech and Purity
The Parsha opens (21:1):”Hashem told Moshe: “Emor”-Say to the kohanim the children of Ahron and you shall say to them that they should not become impure from contact with a dead body….” the Midrash Rabbah is fascinated by the term “Emor” (say) and uses it as a springboard to ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Yom Kippur Mincha?!?
This week’s double parsha opens up with the sacrificial order of Yom Kippur and apropos that it is the leining for Yom Kippur morning. However for Mincha on Yom Kippur we read from the end of the Parsha where it talks about all the laws of forbidden relationships. Why ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why Bris Milah?
In this week’s double Parsha we have all the laws of human impurity which include the impurity of birth, Ziva, Tzaraas of the person, clothes, and houses, and how to purify all those impurities. There’s a strange break in the continuity. After saying that a woman who gives ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The Mishkan & Kashrus?
In this week’s Parsha there is a strange combination of topics. The Parsha opens with the final establishment of the Mishkan. It was to be assembled and never taken down until the Jewish people would be commanded to relocate and the Kehunah passed to our Ahron and his ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
What Happened?
Shabbos HaGadol could be translated literally as “The Big Shabbos.” What’s so BIG about Shabbos HaGadol?
The Tur tells us that Shabbos HaGadol commemorates how on the tenth of Nissan the Jews in Egypt had a one time commandment of designating a lamb in preparation for the first korban Pesach. ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Our timing is off?
It’s ironic that just as we finish reading Sefer Shmos, the book of Yetzias Mitzrayim, in comes the month of Nissan and the holiday of Pesach. One would think that we should have arranged the annual cycle so that we would read the parshas of Shmos during the ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why the Assembly?
Moshe, having just having come back from Heaven with the second Luchos, gathers all the Jewish people and tells them the prohibition to work during Shabbos. Following that he tells them the positive commandment of building the Mishkan as was outlined for him in Heaven in parshos Trumah, Titzavah ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Sponsored in Honor of the engagement of Menachem Yisroel Bechhofer & Bracha Golda Lichtman
Why always Titzaveh – Zachor?
In every regular (non-leap) year we read Parshas Titzaveh right before Purim. Therefore, in every regular year it has the supplemental reading of “Zachor” which commands us to remember Amalek’s atrocities towards us and ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Why leave it up to us?
In this week’s Parsha the Jewish people as a collective are commanded to construct the Mishkan. Hashem left it up to everyone’s own benevolence to donate whatever they want of the 13 items required for the Mishkan’s construction. Why was it done this way? Leaving it ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
The Two accounts of Matan Torah
In this week’s Parsha we find a whole other account of Matan Torah from a different perspective. It looks more like a festive occasion, accompanied by eating and drinking, contrary to the experience of awe and fear depicted in last week’s Parsha. What is the message ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Never Gets Old
The Posuk says: ”on the third month of B’nai Yisroel leaving Egypt on this day they came to the Sinai desert” Rashi explains: “it should have said on that day they arrived at the desert of Sinai, why does it say on this day? That the words of Torah ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Think Before you sing?
Az Yashir Moshe – Then will sing (yashir) Moshe. It that should say “then sang (shar) Moshe”! Why is there the extra letter “Yud” that makes it the future tense? Rashi explains: then, when Moshe saw the miracle it occurred in his heart to sing. Rashi cites further ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
7 & 3
The first thing to observe, is that the Torah saw fit to separate the 10 plagues into two different Parshiyos. Seven out of ten appear in last week’s Parsha, Parshas Veyeira and three out of ten are in this week’s Parsha. Every Parsha represents a whole different lesson from ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Trustworthy to Reward and Punish
Hashem tells Moshe: “I appeared to Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov with as E-l Sha-dai and my Name Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh was not displayed to them”. Rashi explains that means: I am trustworthy to bestow good reward to those who follow in my commandments and I am now sending you ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Names & Numbers
This week’s Parsha opens with the words “And these are the names of the children of Yisroel that came to Mitzrayim…” Rashi comments even though they were counted in their lifetime by name (in parshas Vayigash) the Torah counts them even after their death to show how beloved they ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Dead or Alive?
This week’s Parsha opens up with the posuk “Yaakov was alive in Egypt for 17 years…” Hebrew doesn’t use the term “lived” as a synonym for “resided”. What is the Torah telling us? Was Yaakov more alive in Egypt than anywhere he resided? The Midrash Rabbah says that Rav ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Crying on the “Neck”
Following the reunification of the brothers it says that “Yosef cried on the necks (plural!) of Binyomin and Binyomin cried on Yosef’s neck”. Rashi brings the Chazal that raise the question: how many necks did Binyomin have? They answer that it was referring to two Temples that ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Reflections for the Chanukah after the Petirah of the Godol HaDor Maran HaRav Ahron Yehuda Leib Shteinman ZT”L
“Sparks”
An interesting phenomenon repeats itself no less than four times in this week’s Parsha. Ever since the Shevatim sold Yosef, Yaakov Avinu is stripped of prophecy. However, in this week’s Parsha prophecy makes a gradual ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Mysterious Metaphor
In the opening Rashi to this week’s Parsha, Rashi tells us that after speaking concisely about Eisav’s descendants and how and where they settled, the Torah now turns to discuss Yaakov and his children at length and in great detail. Yaakov and his children are so important to Hashem and ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Trouble Town
In this week’s Parsha we encounter the place called Shechem. Rashi tells that Shechem is a place prone to tragedy. It was there that Dinah was raped, it was there that Yosef was sold, and it was there the Kingdom of Israel split off from the kingdom of Yehudah. What ...
Read more...Vayetzei : A Tale of Two Mothers and Two Kings
Click here to download PDF
Rachel vs Leah
In this week’s Parsha we have story of Yaakov finding his two wives, our matriarchs, Rachel and Leah. Although they came from the same home, they became Yaakov’s wives in very different ways. Rachel was the wife he was seeking, ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
Water fight? Not quite….
In this week’s Parsha we have Yitzchak Avinu’s struggle with Avimelech and his people over Wells. interestingly enough, this was a common struggle he and his father Avraham had with Avimelech. Seemingly Avraham Avinu and Avimelech patched things up at the time. However, we see from this week’s ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
First Funeral?
There are some standard daily and life cycle events that occur in this parsha for the first time in the Torah. With the description of Sarah’s burial and eulogy we have the first accounts of a death, burial, and eulogy. Up until this point the Torah simply stated the age ...
Read more...What do the birth of Yitzchak Avinu, the three cardinal sins,and marital relations all have in common?
Click here to download PDF
When Sarah receives the amazing news that she will give birth to a son at the ripe old age of ninety she reacts with tzchok, laughter. We find that when Avraham Avinu had a similar ...
Read more...Click here to download PDF
A warning from the generations of the flood and the dispersal
The Halacha States that when two people agree on a sale of a movable object and the prospective buyer has already given the money, the sale is not final until the movable object has been lifted or pulled. Nonetheless if one ...
Read more...