Greatest Day Ever

This week we read פרשת יתרו. In it, we have a description of the greatest day ever witnessed by mankind. The Revelation at Mount Sinai, where every Jew heard G-d speak, and each individual was elevated to the level of an Angel.

The Jewish people as a whole, were on the same level as Adam before the sin in Gan Eden.

Had they not fallen by worshipping the Golden Calf, death would have been abolished forever.

Judaism is the one and only true religion because it began with this great miracle of speaking with G-d. We are to remember this day all the days of our lives. We are to see ourselves as though we also stood at Sinai.

This event, coupled with the open miracles in Egypt, were designed to eliminate all doubt as to how we are to believe, and what our purpose is in this world.

And the greatest gift of all, was our receiving the Torah, that was to be the beacon of light to help guide the Jew, and all of mankind, to act in a positive upright manner. Indeed, this was the greatest day ever witnessed by mankind.

Honesty in Business

After the splitting of the Red Sea, Moshe Rabbeinu assures עם ישראל that if they observe the Mitzvot and והישר בעיניו תעשה, and you do that which is upright in the eyes of Hashem, you will not experience all of the sickness of Egypt, for Hashem is the true healer.

The מכילתא comments on the words, והישר בעיניו, and said that one who does business in an honest fashion, it’s as if he observed the entire Torah.

Being honest in business allows one to observe the entire Torah, because an honest individual is confronted with major challenges both between man and man, and man and G-d.

If he meets these challenges, he will, inevitably end up observing all of the Torah. We must never minimize the importance of dealing honestly with our fellow man, in matters of business.

No Amalekite Converts

Regarding Amalek, there is a somewhat surprising commentary from the מכילתא. In the name of רבי אליעזר it is said, that Hashem swore in the name of His כסא הכבוד, throne of glory, that if any Gentile comes from any part of the world, we are to accept them as part of עם ישראל. However, if that individual is a descendant of Amalek, we reject his intention to convert.

I often use our openness to accept anyone to become part of the Jewish people, as proof that Judaism is not racist. All we need to do is verify that his intentions are sincere, and he becomes a Jew. His shape, size, and color, is irrelevant to us.

Nevertheless, when it comes to an Amalekite, he is not welcome and is turned away.

We must be aware that there exists real evil in this world. The essence of Amalek was pure evil. Unlike others who yearn to become part of the holiness of the Torah and the Jewish people, the Amalekite is not capable of achieving this holiness.

Perhaps we can find some comfort in the fact that there are no longer Amalekites in the world. But the awareness of the concept of Amalek must be realized, so that we are still able to blot out even the memory of Amalek.

צדיק גוזר

The Midrash Rabbah points out that the Red Sea was reluctant to split. It was only after Moshe was commanded to raise his staff over the sea, did the sea actually split.

The point of the Midrash is to show the power of the צדיק. Chazal say, צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים, that a righteous person decrees, and Hashem fulfills.

A true Tzaddik is even able to change the laws of nature. This is why the Gemara in בבא בתרא tells us that if one has a loved one who is sick, he should seek a Tzaddik to pray for him.

Men like Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל, were capable of shaking up the very heavens. Numerous stories have been told of great holy people, whose prayers shocked the doctors, who had given up on their patients.

The splitting of the Red Sea had this important message of צדיק גוזר והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים.

Angels and Mercy

We are all familiar with the words of קדושה, when we say, וקרא זה אל זה. This refers to the angels giving praise to G-d where they added קדוש קדוש קדוש, Holy, Holy, Holy.

What many may not know is what is learned from the words in the Pasuk, ולא קרב זה אל זה, that they did not come near to one another the whole night. This refers to the separation between the Egyptians and Jews by the pillar of fire.

This is the source according to קול התורה, of Hashem’s reprimand to the angels, when they wanted to celebrate the punishment of the Egyptians. He reminded them that they were also His children and they were not to celebrate too much.

Left to Right

Shavua Tov. It is interesting that over the years שבת שירה always seems to have an election hovering around it. When Ariel Sharon ran for prime minister, some said that the word, שירה, meant שרון יהיה ראש הממשלה, a hint that Sharon will be prime minister.

In אז ישיר, there is a Pasuk that says, ימינך ה׳ נאדרי בכח, ימינך ה׳ תרעץ אויב, where twice we refer metaphorically to Hashem’s right hand. Rashi makes what sounds like a political statement. כשעושים רצונו של מקום השמאל נעשה ימין, that when we fulfill the will of G-d, the Left becomes the Right.

Obviously, this is not a political statement. Rabbi Elie Munk explains this further by saying that Hashem’s Left, refers to דין, harsh judgement. His Right refers to רחמים, G-d’s mercy.

The message is that when we fulfill G-d’s will, He will return in kind, from harsh judgement to mercy.

Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat and פרשת בשלח always come together. Also seems appropriate that this Shabbat is known as שבת שירה, because אז ישיר is read in the Torah. There is joy and song in celebrating Tu B’Shvat.

The joy comes in acknowledging the fruits of ארץ ישראל. It is not only a happy time when we are able to partake of the fruit of the Land. But it represents a return of the Jewish people to their ancestral homeland.

The prophets tell us and it has been proven by history, that this land would not produce for any other nation than the Jewish people. There was a special bond between the people and the land. A clear Messianic sign is that the desolate, abandoned land will again flourish, when עם ישראל comes home.

This little holiday of Tu B’Shvat, celebrates the coming home of our people. We are again observing the laws of תרומות and מעשרות. Those trees that have budded by this day are labeled as fruits of the sixth year. And those that have not yet budded as of טו בשבט, will already be considered the fruits of the seventh sabbatical year, known as שמיטה.

It is nice to have a little pause of celebration during this dark winter. And what it also means, is that Purim is only a month away, and Pesach is two months away. We have to hang in there as better times are ahead.

Four Sections of Tefillin

Parshat בא has two of the four sections that are placed in the Tefillin. They are והיה כי יביאך, and קדש לי כל בכור. The other two sections are the first two paragraphs of שמע.

In all four of these sections, we are told to make these as “signs upon our hands, and frontlets between our eyes.” These sections are placed as one piece of parchment on the של יד, and four pieces of parchment on the של ראש.

Rabbi Elie Munk, in קול התורה, explains the significance of each of these sections.

The first paragraph of שמע emphasizes Israel’s monotheistic faith with words, ה׳ אחד, G-d is One.

The paragraph of והיה עם שמוע is a doctrine of Hashem’s Providence. There is a cause and effect situation. If we observe the Mitzvot, it will be good. If we violate them, Hashem will turn away from us.

The קדש לי כל בכור, serves to show Israel’s commitment to the G-d of Israel, by way of sanctification. We become elevated by observing the Mitzvot.

And the final section of והיה כי יביאך, shows how Hashem protects us when we show unwavering devotion to Him.

These four Parshiot serve to show the special bond between a Jew and his Maker. It is clear why these chapters are in the Tefillin that we wrap and bind ourselves to Hashem.

Good News-Bad News

At the end of פרשת בא, we have the verses that we use at the Pesach Seder. The Midrash describes a particular Pasuk as good news-bad news.

The Pasuk says, כי ישאלך בנך, when your son will ask you in the future. The bad news is that we are told that our children will become so distant from religion, that they will one day ask, what is this religion all about.

It’s painful to have to face the reality that a nation that was so close to Hashem at Mount Sinai, will one day ask what the religion is all about.

The good news is that the Pasuk also teaches that the Jewish people will survive a long and bitter exile. We may end the Galut limping our way to the finish line, but we are promised that we will make it to the finish line.

It is truly remarkable that a people who suffered every difficulty imaginable, will witness a rebirth.

It appears that it’s much more productive to focus on the good news, and continue to get stronger, than dwell on the negative. As a former president recently said, “the best is yet to come!”

With Great Wealth

During the plague of Darkness, the Jewish people were able to see all of the Egyptian utensils that they would ultimately take with them, when they left Egypt.

Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ׳ל, asked why it was so important that they leave with great wealth. Even in the דיינו prayer, we say that it would have been enough to have left Egypt, even without the רכוש גדול, great wealth.

Hashem explains to the nation, that He made a promise to Avraham Avinu about this, and it was essential that He keep His promise. So the real question is why was this so important to Avraham Avinu. Rav Elazar explains that Avraham realized that Egypt would prove to be a most decadent place. He wanted to be certain that when the time came for his children to leave, there would be an absolute and permanent break with Egypt. In order to prevent a possible situation, where they might come back and ask for reparations for their years of slavery, they would take what was justifiably theirs for good. They would be finished with Egypt forever. This was to be our attitude for all times. Once we realize we were in a place with negative influences, we must be sure to permanently distance ourselves from such טומאה and negativity.

נבילה-טריפה

The reward for the silence of the dogs in Egypt, was that the Torah told us that in the event that an animal became a טריפה, we are told, לכלב תשליכון אותו, to throw it to the dog.

One might mistakenly assume that one is forbidden to get benefit from the טריפה. (This refers to a kosher animal that had a good שחיטה but was found to be diseased.) And Hashem is giving a special reward to the dog, and this is the only use for a טריפה.

Actually, the נבילה (a kosher animal that died of a bad שחיטה or natural causes), is more strict than the טריפה. If one touches a נבילה, he becomes טמא, which is not the case by a טריפה.

The point I wanted to clarify that may not be so well known, is that both are מותר בהנאה, that one can get benefit from them.

Even by the נבילה, the Torah says in פרשת ראה that it can be given to לגר אשר בשעריך, to the resident stranger, the גר תושב who observes the Seven Noachide Laws.

This is meant to clarify some uncertainty about נבילה and טריפה.

In Israeli slang, when describing two crooks, (politicians?) one might say they are both bad with the words, זו נבילה וזו טריפה, meaning, they are both not kosher!

Dreaming of Dogs

Shavua Tov. Dogs are a subject of today’s Parsha. The Gemara in ברכות says that if one sees a dog in a dream, it will turn out to be a good omen.

This is provided that he immediately recites the Pasuk, לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, that the dogs in Egypt, did not bark during the Tenth Plague. The dream then becomes one of redemption.

The reason why it was somewhat miraculous that the dogs remained silent, was, according to the Midrash, that dogs always know when the מלאך המות, the Angel of Death, is lurking. They always cry and whimper when they feel its presence.

This was the miracle in Egypt that despite the presence of the Angel of Death, the dogs remained silent and were rewarded. Hence, dreaming of dogs and its subsequent Pasuk, is a positive sign.

קידוש החודש במצרים

Parshat בא is the Parsha where we begin to receive numerous Mitzvot of the Torah. The entire Book of Bereishit had only three commandments: פרו ורבו and ברית מילה and גיד הנשה, the prohibition of eating the sciatic vein of an animal.

We are first instructed in the Mitzva of קידוש החודש, the sanctification of the new moon each month. This is followed by a number of laws related to Pesach and the preparation of the קרבן פסח.

What is striking about the קידוש החודש is that Moshe received the details of the sanctification of the New Moon, in Egypt. It should seem somewhat surprising that a Divine commandment can come in such an unholy place. We are told that Moshe did need to go to the outskirts of the city to hear from Hashem. The impurities within the city were too great to warrant such a message.

These details serve to reinforce the idea that one cannot grow spiritually in a negative environment. No matter how great one’s intentions might be, he will not be able to flourish when all around him is materialism and vanity.

This point always makes me feel extremely impressed with the outreach of Chabad. They manage to touch Jews all over the world in the most remote places. Yet, for the most part, they do their holy work without being affected by their surroundings.

We must recognize our own vulnerabilities, and place ourselves in the best situation where we can grow in our service of Hashem.

Losing Free Will

The Rambam in הלכות תשובה speaks about the idea of free will. He says that this is a basic concept of Judaism. We are responsible for our decisions and actions.

However, he uses the episode in Egypt as proof that there is an exception to this rule. When someone chooses to remain evil, after having been given several harsh warnings, his free will is taken away from him.

Pharoah was hit with numerous plagues, and each time he hardened his heart and would not let the Jewish people go.

The Rambam points out that five plagues were enough of a chance for Pharoah. Because he remained so evil, his free will was taken away from him. The second five plagues were done against his will.

This is what can happen to all sinners that are steeped in their evil ways. At some point, they are treated like Pharoah, and their free will is taken away from them, and they cannot repent even if they want to. They now must be punished severely for their arrogance and stubbornness.

This is an interesting explanation that is unique to the Rambam.

Aging Gracefully

As the tide is finally changing in Egypt, and Hashem is ready to bring about the redemption, we are introduced again to the heroes of the story.

We are told that Moshe Rabbeinu was eighty years old when he stood before Pharoah. Aharon was eighty- three. Avraham Avinu was seventy-five when he began his mission of teaching the world about monotheism.

We see how Judaism gives so much respect to the elderly and the important role they play. There is a difference between שיבה that is a reference to one who is advanced in years, and זיקנה, that refers to being elderly in terms of the Torah knowledge that he has acquired.

We are commanded to show additional respect to both of these individuals who were blessed with שיבה or זיקנה.

However, it is the זיקנה that really stands out. Even in our lifetimes, we have been able to see how revered men like Rav Ovadia Yosef, Rav Kaduri, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach זצ״ל were. Each of these holy Torah giants had funerals with hundreds of thousands of people attending. Every word they uttered, was deeply cherished.

We continue to turn to our elders for guidance and direction. This only serves to prove how important it is to work hard and study Torah diligently. We do not do this for recognition and accolades. But when we have devoted our lives to Torah study, our senior years are filled with the younger generation seeking to glean from our knowledge. This idea is reflected in the psalm of Shabbat, עוד ינובון בשיבה דשנים ורעננים יהיו, “They will still be fruitful in old age, vigorous and fresh, they will grow.” להגיד כי ישר ה׳, “to declare that Hashem is just.”

This is how the Torah views the smoothness of growing old.

The problem with religion and it’s solution

From time to time, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of הכרת הטוב, recognizing the good that one does for us. It is a very ugly trait to be כפוי טובה, an ingrate.

The attitude of מגיע לי, which we would call a sense of entitlement, is contrary to basic Jewish principles.

This idea is learned from the manner in which the plagues were administered to the Egyptians. Moshe was unable to initiate the plagues to the water or the sand, because the water saved him as a baby, and the sand was used to hide the Egyptian that he killed. He was even commanded to show gratitude to inanimate objects.

It is very likely that society would be much better off if people were much more aware of the need to be appreciative and grateful for all that we have. Nobody likes to be taken for granted!

הכרת הטוב

From time to time, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of הכרת הטוב, recognizing the good that one does for us. It is a very ugly trait to be כפוי טובה, an ingrate.

The attitude of מגיע לי, which we would call a sense of entitlement, is contrary to basic Jewish principles.

This idea is learned from the manner in which the plagues were administered to the Egyptians. Moshe was unable to initiate the plagues to the water or the sand, because the water saved him as a baby, and the sand was used to hide the Egyptian that he killed. He was even commanded to show gratitude to inanimate objects.

It is very likely that society would be much better off if people were much more aware of the need to be appreciative and grateful for all that we have. Nobody likes to be taken for granted!

Moshe and Aharon

The beginning of the Parsha gives us the lineage of Moshe and Aharon. The Torah uses the words, הוא משה אהרון, “this was Moshe and Aharon,” the heroes of our exodus from Egypt.

There are places in the Torah where Moshe is listed first, and other times when Aharon is listed first. This is to teach us that they were very much equal in greatness.

It is so refreshing to read a story of unconditional love between brothers, with no jealousy at all. They truly were איש אחד בלב אחד, one man of one heart.

Their joint focus was on serving the Jewish people and bringing about their redemption as quickly as possible. There was no place for perttiness.

Moshe was totally fine with Aharon being the spokesman to Pharoah. And Aharon was fine with his younger brother being chosen to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai.

Too often we get distracted from the lofty goals at hand, and we allow our egos to get in the way of the cause at hand. Moshe and Aharon set the example as to how to avoid this and work together faithfully.

Torah Protects from Pain

Shavua Tov. The Torah tells us that the people had trouble believing Moshe because of קוצר רוח ועבודה קשה, shortness of breath and hard work.

The אור החיים comments that because they were not yet בני תורה, Torah scholars, they were unable to listen to Moshe, because the Torah widens the heart of man.

This “widening of the heart,” enables a person to be strong and tolerate the most difficult situations. One who is engrossed in Torah is not as affected and worried about the problems of the world.

There are stories told about both Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל as well as Rav Ovadia Yosef זצ״ל who both did medical procedures without anesthetic, because they didn’t want to lose that precious time for Torah study.

Their ability to be so focused on their learning, allowed them to be protected from the pain.

This was what the אור החיים meant about the shortness of breath of the Jews in Egypt.

To Know and Love G-d

Some commentators view פרשת וארא as the beginning of our becoming a nation. Moshe Rabbeinu receives the four promises of redemption and the plagues begin to hit Egypt.

These plagues lasted for nearly a year, and each plague lasted for one week, with intervals in between. After the third plague of כינים, lice, the Jews no longer had to work as slaves.

Moshe was told by Hashem that not only would the Egyptians learn that He was the true G-d, but every Jew needed to be aware of the words, וידעתם כי אני ה׳, that you must know that I am G-d.

The Rambam writes that this concept of לדעת את ה׳, to know G-d, as well as אהבת ה׳, are the basic foundations of Judaism.

One must not only be aware of Hashem’s existence, but one must be active in trying to develop a closer connection. No man can truly know G-d, but as we elevate ourselves, we get more and more knowledge of Hashem’s ways. And when we recognize Hashem’s kindness towards us, it helps our love for Him to grow.

In essence, this is what Moshe was instructing עם ישראל. Start working on this lifelong goal of knowing and loving Hashem.