Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

This week’s Parsha begins with the special laws dedicated to the Kohanim, the Kohen Gadol (“High Priest”), and the Temple service. A Kohen may not become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, unless it’s a close relative. A Kohen may not marry a divorcee, nor a harlot; and a Kohen Gadol can only marry a virgin. A Kohen with a physical deformity cannot serve in the Holy Temple, nor can a deformed animal be brought as an offering.

A newborn calf, lamb, or kid must be left with its mother for seven days before being eligible for an offering; one may not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day.

The Torah then discusses the festivals throughout the year: (Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Shemini Atzeret); followed by two constant mitzvot maintained in the Mishkan: the lighting of the menorah every day and the displaying of the “show-bread” every week.

The parsha concludes with the horrible incident of a man who cursed G-d’s name (blasphemy) and was subsequently punished with the death penalty at Hashem’s command.

“Dvar Torah “

In this week’s Parsha, in the middle of the detailing the Jewish Holidays of the calendar year, the Torah gives us the following commandment: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not remove completely the corners of your field as you reap and you shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest; for the poor and the proselyte shall you leave them; I am Hashem Your G-d.” Basically, we are commanded to leave over certain parts of our harvest to the needy and the stranger in our midst. A Jew must leave the corners of his field for the poor. Likewise, if he forgets to pick up certain parts of the harvest, these too become “Gifts for the Poor”.

Rashi explains the phrase “For the poor and the strangers you shall leave them….”, means that you should literally leave the crops for the poor and they will pick it up themselves; you may not assist them with their gatherings.

But sometimes, Rashi’s commentaries are difficult to digest. They need explanation by other commentators. Accordingly, the following question pops up. Why can’t we help the poor with his gathering?! Why can’t we lend the poor a basket or a sickle to make it easier for him to gather the crops? Why can’t we just roll up our sleeves and give him a helping hand too?! If the intention is to help the poor, why can’t we do it properly by helping him all the way?

But strangely enough, Rashi says that the Torah rules to the contrary. The commandment says: “Leave it for them.”…… means Do Not be a nice guy. Do not help them! The pasuk concludes with the words “I am Hashem your G-d”. Rashi says that the intent is a promise: “If you leave them alone and allow them to pick it up themselves, I am the L-rd who will give you your reward.”

Once again, Rabbi Yissachar Frand comes to the rescue and gives a beautiful explanation to Rashi’s commentary. When the poor person comes to the field and the owner comes to greet him and says: “Let me help you to collect the crops”, or alternatively, when the owner rushes to cut down the stalks for the poor person and hands it to him, the owner of the land is acting as if he’s the owner of the leftover crops!! He may think that he’s giving the poor a gift, and the poor may think that he is getting a gift from the landowner. But that’s not the case. The leftover crops do not belong to the landowner. They belong to the poor!  And that’s what Rashi is trying to explain. When the owner gives a gift, he expects the poor person to be grateful to him and appreciate his generosity. But the owner should know better that the gift is not coming from him…. It comes from the G-d Almighty himself! The corners of his land belonged to the poor from the beginning. He was just a messenger to hand them over! That’s why the landowner should not take part in the distribution of these items. Let the poor collect it themselves — it is after all their property in the first place! Only when the landowner comes to realize that it’s not him who is helping the poor, but it’s Hashem our G-d, only then he’ll be qualified to be rewarded by the L-rd!

Yes my friends, when Hashem has been good to us and we’ve been blessed with extra funds to give to charity, we should not think of our charitable donations in terms of  ” I am giving MY money to charity.” Hashem has given us the extra money to give to charity. Those money do not belong to us anyway. They belong to the poor! Hashem is just testing us to see what we do with that money! We, basically, act as the treasurer of Hashem’s charitable Foundation. We decide how to distribute the funds. We are merely a trustee, charged with guaranteeing that the funds are distributed.  But we have to realize that the money does not belong to us; it belongs to the foundation! That’s why, when we give out money to charity, we are not giving out the money from our own pocket — it comes from G-d’s table. That’s why the greatest way to give charity is when the donor and the receiver don’t know each other, because the poor should not feel grateful towards the donor, but rather, he should be thankful to Hashem!

So my friends, when you give charity, be thankful to Hashem for giving you the extra money to give to the poor. But never take pride in giving to the poor. After all, that money wasn’t yours anyway…… it belonged to the poor all along…….

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

Parshat Shemini begins by discussing the events which occurred on the eighth and final day of the inauguration service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). After months of preparation and anticipation, Aaron and his sons are finally installed as Kohanim (priests) in an elaborate service. Aaron blesses the people, and the entire nation rejoices as Hashem’s presence rests upon them. However, the excitement comes to an abrupt halt as Aaron’s two elder sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a “strange fire before G-d, which He commanded them not” and die before G-d. Aaron is silent in face of his tragedy.

Aaron is informed that the Kohanim are forbidden to enter the Mishkan while intoxicated, and the Torah continues to relate the events which occur immediately after Nadav and Avihu’s tragic death. The portion concludes with a listing of the kosher and non-kosher animals, and various laws about tumah, ritual contamination!

“ Dvar Torah “

Tragedy! Oxford dictionary defines it as “a very sad event; a serious drama with an unhappy ending which often involves someone’s death”! Unfortunately, tragedy does not discriminate. It may attack anyone —– the rich, the poor, the religious and the secular. No one is immuned by it! How do we deal with a tragedy? How do we cope with the pain? How can we find comfort? These are the questions that we all pray we would not need to know the answers, but G-d forbid, if a tragedy happens, it’s better to be prepared.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah also talks about a very sad tragedy. The two elder sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, died together in an instant. The story goes as follows: After the completion of the construction of the “Mishkan” (G-d’s mobile Sanctuary), it was time for it’s inauguration ceremony. The excitement was filled in the air. Everyone came to watch this joyful event, somewhat similar to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the tallest building built in town — in this case, the house of G-d. The structure of the Mishkan was completed and all the vessels were placed in their right places and the altar was all ready to begin the first sacrifice ceremony. Aaron and his sons have been appointed as the only Priests to do the ceremonies. For seven days Moshe, Aaron and his sons rehearsed the inauguration ceremony procedures, and finally, it was on the eighth day that cloud of glory finally descended upon the Mishkan, which was the sign for the ceremony to start. The congregation were anxiously waiting to watch this fascinating, never-seen-before event.

But, suddenly, the celebration went terribly wrong. The Torah tells us that just before the ceremony started, the two eldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, entered the Mishkan without authorization. They decided to offer their own incense, something they assumed would surely bring joy to their Creator. But tragedy struck. A fire came forth from the heaven. And the fire that should have consumed their offerings, consumed them instead, and they both died in an instant! Moshe tried to console Aaron by saying: “of this did Hashem speak, saying ‘I will be sanctified through those who are nearest to Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people.” And how did Aaron react? The Torah tells us:  “And Aaron was silent”. The man who had been Moses’ full-time speaker could no longer speak. The man of speech became speechless!!

The immediate question that comes to mind which has been asked by many Rabbanim also, is as follows. What did Nadav and Avihu do that was so wrong to deserve such a dreadful punishment?! What was their sin?!

Well, the commentators didn’t waste anytime to bombard us with their commentaries. Some say that the reason for their death was that they were intoxicated. They entered the “Holy of the Holies” being drunk!. Others say, they were too eager to exercise leadership, that’s why they took their own initiative which was disrespectful in the eyes of Hashem. Another opinion says that they disrespected their teachers Moshe and Aaron, by not consulting with them first before bringing their own offering. And the commentaries goes on and on and on….

But still, to me and maybe to Aaron too, none of these explanations justifies their tragic death. The punishment does not justify the act! Yes, maybe they had a drink or two before they entered the Holy of the Holies, maybe they were too eager to get to a leadership position, but to die in an instant in front of the whole congregation…. is this justice?! At the end of the day, all they wanted to do was to bring a gift to Hashem!

After searching for a while for the answer, I came across a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Yissachar Frand. He says that although, all of the explanations for Nadav and Avihu’s death may be true, but none of the explanations should be convincing, because we should never be content with the reason of death! Hashem wants us to feel sorry for the deceased and to feel compassion towards the dead! Every dead person deserves to be mourned for! We are not here to judge people and to find a justified reason for someone’s death!! We are here to love everyone and accept that the only reason that someone dies is because of G-d’s will! Do we have to understand G-d’s will? No! But do we have to accept Hashem’s decisions? The Torah does not specify the reason for Nadav and Avihu’s death because it doesn’t want us to remember them as two drunkard outcasts who committed a sin, but rather, they should be remembered as the high Priests and the loyal servants of G-d who were rightfully given a respectful funeral and mourning period. Aaron kept complete silence after the tragedy, because any show of emotions or any spoken words could have revealed lack of faith in Hashem! His silence shows that although he may not have understood why his sons died, but he still believed in Hashem, wholeheartedly!

Yes my friends, our religion is not a religion of logic; it’s a religion of faith! In times of distress and tragedy, sometimes we search for answers but our efforts seems to be used in vain. We are not content. Nothing seems to make sense. We may even start questioning G-d’s decision, chasbe shalom, but it does not give us the right to lose faith in him. After all, if we believe that G-d is a superpower, then our lack of understanding should not bother us so much, since we believe that G-d has more power of understanding and judgment. If we want to understand everything that G-d does, then we are putting ourselves at the same level of understanding as the G-d Almighty, and that’s wrong. Sometimes, the best thing we can do at the time of tragedy is to keep quiet, just like Aaron.

Oxford dictionary may define a tragedy as a “a very sad event with an unhappy ending”, but in Judaism, a tragedy is defined as “a sad event which is an act of G-d beyond human understanding, but we have complete faith in Him that he surely knows what he is doing!”

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

Since this week, there is no designated Parsha because of Chol Hamoed Pesach, I would like to say a few words about Sefirat HaOmer. I hope that you’ll enjoy reading it.

The Torah commands us to count the days between the festivals of Passover and Shavuot. This period is called Sefirat HaOmer, or counting the omer, and it refers to the counting of the seven weeks from the second night of Passover until the day before Shavuot. What is the significance of this counting?

Basically, Sefirat HaOmer is a system of countdown to Shavuot, where the Benei Yisrael received the Torah. Just to clarify, the reason that we don’t listen to music and don’t attend parties till Lag BaOmer, has nothing to do with the commandment of counting the Omer. It just happened that at this period of time, in the second century of the common era, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva, and 24,000 of his Talmidim died, because they did not act respectfully towards each other. However, the plague stopped on Lag BaOmer. And that’s why we are in a period of mourning. Otherwise, Sefirat HaOmer is a joyous time of the year.

So, why does the Torah commands us to countdown to Shavuot? Well, the concept of countdown is something that is used by every society including Judaism. Countdown refers to a situation where we are presently here, but we desire to be “there” at the final destination. We count the days to a wedding, a vacation, or any happy events in the future. They are intangible, but we long for these events to be here now. So what do we do? We count-down the days, the minutes, until these events arrive; counting bridges the gap between now and then. This way we can feel the desired moment approaching. We can, with certainty, say how many days are left. Without the count, the desired time is only a dream. When we count, the goal we long and yearn for becomes a reality.

The Sefer HaChinuch, explains that during the time period when we count the omer, we are anticipating the festival of Shavuot when we received the Torah. We yearn to be at Mt. Sinai, so we count the days until Shavuot. In this way it becomes a reality and it builds excitement. Our goal is to reach Shavuot. We want it to be here now. And the reason that we count is because we haven’t reached our goal yet.

But the question that you may ask is why do we “count-up” in Sefirat HaOmer and not count-down like for everything else? For example for a wedding, we count down to that event. Two months, three weeks, three days, we are getting closer and closer each day. So why is it, then, that when we long for the day of Shavuot do we count upward – 1,2,3? Shouldn’t we be counting down to the day we await: 30 days, 29 days etc.?! An interesting answer is given by Rabbi Moshe Shapiro from OU organization. He says that the days of the omer are meant to be days of spiritual growth. The counting that we do is not meant to be a sentimental passing of time until we reach Shavuot; but rather the counting is a process of development as each day passes. When we count to a wedding or a vacation, the days leading to those events are not important. In fact, we would like them to pass as soon as possible. By counting downwards, we are showing that the days until the event are meaningless. We are merely counting the passage of time, which at the time of the event will equal to zero or nothing. In the case of the omer, on the other hand, we count upwards. The omer is a time for growth, one day builds on the previous – 1,2,3, and so on until we have 49 days of spiritual growth and reached a level befitting a people ready to accept the Torah on Shavuot.

Rabbi Shapiro says that Sefirat HaOmer also symbolizes the lifespan of human beings. We also count-up our Birthdays. 1 year old; 5 years old; 20,50 and hopefully 120 years old. And by counting up our birthdays, we are in fact trying to reach our goal which is our final destination, “Olam Haba”, the world to come. But we need to realize that in order to reach our goal, we need to grow each day. We need to be spiritually ready to embrace Hashem. Each day we have to elevate ourselves and try to be a little better than yesterday. As we get older, we get wiser too, and we can reflect on the things that we may have done wrong in the past. Just to acknowledge our mistakes, is already an improvement. G-d does not expect us to become perfect but he wants us to try at least. He only needs to see us improve, and once we do improve, we can count up our birthdays with a joy. Because, hopefully, we’ll be ready to embrace G-d when we reach our final destination.

So remember my friends, Sefirat HaOmer is not just about counting — it’s about improving ourselves too. We count up, because we want to move up! In order to receive the Torah which are the words of G-d, we need to be at a higher spiritual status. It’s a great privilege to be the Chosen People and to be given the Holy Book of Torah. So let us show our appreciation by improving ourselves!

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;


I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;




” Parsha in a Nutshell “




G-d instructs Moshe to command Aaron and his sons regarding their duties and rights as kohanim (“priests”) who offer the korbanot (animal and meal offerings) in the Sanctuary.

The offering burned on the altar throughout the night — are to be removed from the area by the kohen after he changes his special linen clothing.

The fire on the Altar must be kept burning at all times. In it are burned and consumed all kinds of offerings; peace, sin and guilt, and meal offerings. The kohanim eat the meat of the sin and guilt offerings, and the remainder of the meal offering. The peace offering is eaten by the one who brought it, except for specified portions given to the kohen. The holy meat of the offerings must be eaten by ritually pure persons, in their designated holy place and within their specified time.

One may not eat a korban when he is ritually impure. Blood and chelev (forbidden animal fats) are prohibited to be eaten.

Aaron and his sons remain within the Sanctuary compound for seven days, during which Moshe prepares them into the priesthood.




“ Dvar Torah “




Once again, this week’s Parsha is dedicated to the duties of the Kohanim (Priests) in the Mishkan, which was carried on in the Temple in Jerusalem later on in time. One of the prestige jobs for a Kohen was to perform the sacrifice ceremonies. At the beginning of the Parsha, the Torah commands that every morning, the Kohen in charge of performing the sacrifices, had to remove the ashes from the altar, which were left behind from the night before. He had to remove his priesthood garments and put on a more common clothes and take the ashes to the outside of the camp. He then had to come back, put on his priesthood garments again and start to do the sacrifice ceremonies for that day.

The following question is asked by the Chachamim. Why does the cleaning of the altar had to be done by the same person who performed the sacrifices? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to assign a  “cleaning person” to do the job? Why should the dirty job of cleaning the altar be given to the same person who performs one of the most spiritual tasks in the Mishkan? Surely, there were many Levites, even Israelites, who would have jumped at the opportunity to do any kind of work in the Mishkan, even if it was the dirty job of cleaning the ashes!

“Chovot HaLevavot”, one of the classic works on Ethics and Jewish philosophy written by Ibn Paquda who lived in spain in the 11th century, says that the rational behind this is that the Torah is particularly careful that people should not let things get into their head, lest they become “ba’alei ga-avah” and become “haughty”. Here, the Kohen in charge of sacrifices may think he is someone special — who IS in fact someone special. He is among the selected few who was chosen to do the holy work of sacrificing in the Temple. The Torah, nevertheless instructs him to “Take out the ashes first!” Lest he come to think too much of himself, the Torah tells him to begin his day by the lowly task of cleaning the ashes. Only then, when he realizes that he is only a servant of Hashem, he is allowed to continue with the holy task of performing the sacrifice ceremonies!

The Torah is very sensitive to the idea of haughtiness. As much as Hashem loves humility and modesty, he despises haughtiness. The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabeinu was the greatest prophet of all times. And the reason for it was because, “he was the most humble person on the face of the earth”. On the other hand, Korach and his followers were perished because of Ga-avah. He came up to Moshe and Aaron with the following argument: “Why have you elevated yourselves above us? We are all holy!!” Korach thought that he was someone special like Moshe and Aaron. He let haughtiness take control of his mind. And sadly, he died.

The reason why Hashem despises Ga-avah is quite simple. A person should know that whatever he possesses, whether it is beauty, intelligence, wealth, honor or a high ranking position, it’s all because Hashem wanted him to have all these and he blessed him with them. So, when a person becomes haughty, he thinks that he has achieved all these things on his own, and he forgets that these are all Hashem’s blessings which he has been showered with. And that’s why Hashem dislikes ga-avah so much, since Ba’alei Ga-ava forgets who has given him all that he has……

Yes my friends, when we are blessed with affluence, power and fame, there is always a chance of air of superiority getting into our head. We might rightfully think that we are someone special. But the Torah is teaching us not to let these things get into our head. Who we are and what we have are all G-d’s decisions and not ours. That’s why we should never look down on anyone and see ourselves above them. We should respect everyone around us, even if they are poor, unattractive or unintelligent. G-d has created everyone for a reason. Everyone is made in the image of G-d. We are all children of G-d, and Hashem loves his children equally…… and so should we!

So, the next time your wife asks you to take out the garbage, there is no need to get upset. There is no need to boost your ego and say to her: ” I’m a successful businessman….. This is not my job! Tell the maid do it! ” On the contrary, you should jump at the opportunity and grab the garbage and take it out. Not only you’ll make your wife happy, but you’ll look good in the eyes of Hashem too!

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;


I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;




” Parsha in a Nutshell “



Parashat Vayikra begins with Hashem calling Moshe into the Mishkan where he will be taught many mitzvot, to be ultimately passed on to the Jewish people. The first half of the parsha describes the various “optional” korbanot (sacrifices) brought by individuals. They consist of the following: the korban olah (elevation offering) which is completely consumed on the altar; the korban minchah (meal offering) which, because of its inexpensive contents, is usually brought by someone of modest means; and the korban shelamim (peace offering) partially burned on the altar, with the remainder divided between the owners and the Kohanim.

The second half of the portion discusses the “required” chatat (sin) and asham (guilt) offerings to be brought in atonement for unintentional transgressions.
The sin offering is brought to atone for transgressions committed negligently by the High Priest, the entire community, the king, or the ordinary Jew.
The “guilt offering” is brought by one who is in doubt as to whether he transgressed a divine prohibition, or who has committed a “betrayal against G-d” by swearing falsely to defraud a fellow man.

“ Dvar Torah “




The main topic of discussion in this week’s Parsha and the rest of the book of Vayikra, is about the sacrifice ceremonies performed in the Mishkan which would be carried out in the Holy Temple later on in time. The Torah goes into great detail describing different kinds of sacrifices. There were optional sacrifices and there were required sacrifices. The Chachamim explain that the main purpose of sacrificing was to atone for our sins.

But the whole concept of sacrificing is very difficult to understand. Why should bringing a sacrifice be an atonement for our sins? Hashem does not benefit from our sacrifices so why spill the blood of an innocent animal?! Sacrificing was a ritual performed by idolaters at that time. So why did Hashem introduce the idea to Benei Israel?

The Chachamim explain that the word “Korban” [Sacrifice], comes from the same root as the word “Karov” – to come close. Therefore they conclude that the whole idea of sacrificing is for people to come close to Hashem when they commit a sin. When we do a sin, Hashem doesn’t want us to run away! On the contrary, He wants us to come close to him! Hashem is ready to forgive us, but he wants us to come close and ask for forgiveness. And sacrificing was the mean to come to the Temple and get close to the Almighty.

At the beginning of the parsha, the Torah talks about the laws of the Korban “Olah”, a volunteered offering with a variety of options, depending on one’s financial status. The wealthier individual could bring a cattle, a less wealthy person a sheep, and even a less fortunate individual could bring a turtledove. For the most destitute individual who would like to offer something but has no money for even a turtledove, G-d allows him to bring a “Korban Mincha”, a meal-offering. But the way the Torah describes it is as follows: “When a “nefesh”, a soul, offers a meal-offering to Hashem, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it and place incense upon it”. But in connection to animal offering, the Torah says: “When a man (adam) from among you will bring an offering to Hashem from the animals…”

The following question is asked by our sages. Why does a man who just brings some flour and oil (meal-offering) is referred to as a soul, while the one who brings an animal is just called by his physical name, the man?! For who is it that usually brings a Korban Mincha? The poor man! The Talmud says that Hashem is considering the poor man’s sacrifice as though he’s offering his very own soul. Therefore the Talmud concludes that the offering of the poor man, Korban Mincha, is more dear to G-d than the offering of the rich person. But why is the poor man’s offering more dear?!

Rabbi Chaim Goldberger from Atlanta gives the following explanation. Although, the offering that the poor man brought, could have been at little or at no cost to him, since he probably made the flour from the grain left behind in a field, we can safely presume that to the one who is poor, the act of parting with fine flour which he might otherwise eat to silence his hunger is an even greater act of sacrifice than that of the rich man giving up an expensive animal. To the poor, the flour is more than a large chunk of his possessions; his life depends on it! To the rich, however, the healthy cattle that he brought might have been one of the many that he owns.

In today’s time, unfortunately, we cannot bring sacrifices to Hashem, since we don’t have a Beit Hamikdash anymore. But our sages replaced for us the sacrifice ceremonies with “Tefillot”, prayers. Out of all our daily prayers, the one that is the shortest is the Mincha, the afternoon service. It contains neither the long introductory and closing segments of the morning service (Shacharit), nor the Shema and the other paragraphs of the evening service (Arvit). It is basically just the Amidah (the silent prayer), yet the afternoon service is the only one which is called by the name “mincha” — the offering which was most dear to Hashem. But why is that? Because, as impoverished as this service appears, it is the only one that comes smack in the middle of our workday; it is the only one that asks us to drop whatever we are busy doing and go and pray and spend time with the Master of the Universe, the G-d Almighty. Mincha is the only prayer service that asks us to disconnect ourselves from our mundane and worldly matters and try to connect with our Creator. It may just take 10-15 minutes, but it is a mincha — a prayer which is as dear to Hashem as our soul!!

Yes my friends, when you donate to the House of G-d, it’s the quality that matters, not the quantity.  Hashem does not assess contributions and commitments based on the value, but rather, He looks at your efforts.

We always applaud and praise the people who give large donations to Kanissas. “Wow…. this guy donated $10,000….. this guy donated $50,000…… this guy donated $100,000…..etc.” However, a person who donates a few hundred dollars, we don’t show much appreciation. But the few hundred dollars that came from a person who is having a hard time making ends meet, may be more dear to Hashem than the thousands of dollars from a wealthy man which may be only a small portion of his wealth.

When Hashem wants to asses the gift of an individual, He doesn’t look at the quantity — He looks at the quality. He doesn’t look at the person — He looks at his soul!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parashiot summaries followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parashat Vayakhel in a Nutshell “

Moshe advices Benei Israel to keep Shabbat once again, and requests donations for the materials for making the Mishkan–portable Sanctuary for G-d. He collects gold, silver, precious stones, skins and yarn, as well as incense and olive oil for the Menorah and for anointing. The princes of each tribe bring the precious stones for the Kohen Gadol’s breastplate and ephod- an apronlike vestment worn just underneath the breastplate.

G-d appoints Bezalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen. Benei Israel contribute so much that Moshe begins to refuse donations. Special curtains with two different covers were designed for the Mishkan’s roof and door. Gold-covered boards in silver formed the Mishkan’s walls. Bezalel made the Holy Ark from wood covered with gold. On the Ark’s cover were two figures facing each other (Cherubim). The Menorah and the Table were also of gold. Two altars were made: a small incense altar of wood overlaid with gold, and a larger altar for sacrifices made of wood covered with copper.

” Parashat Pekudei in a Nutshell “

After finishing all the different parts, vessels and garments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a complete accounting and enumeration of all the contributions and of the various clothing and vessels which had been made.

Benei Israel bring everything to Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of the month of Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud descends upon it, indicating that G-d’s glory was resting there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the Mishkan, Benei Israel would follow it. At night the cloud was replaced by a pillar of fire.

” Dvar Torah “

Last week we read the tragic story of the Golden Calf. Unfortunately, the children of Israel committed a grave sin. They made themselves a molten imagine and began to worship it while Moses was away. When Moses came down the mountain and saw the calf, the Torah says the people were “peruah”, meaning “wild, disorderly, chaotic, unruly, lawless.” Moses “saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”

So, what did Moses do when he saw that the people made for themselves a golden calf, run riot and lost its sense of ethical and spiritual direction? How do you restore moral order? How do you bring them back to serve  G-d?!

Well, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that the answer lies in the first few words of Parashat Vayakhel. The Parsha starts off by saying “Moses gathered the entire assembly of the children of Israel….” The word “Yayakhel” comes from the word “Kehila”, meaning “community”. When Moses came down the mountain, he didn’t see a community, but just a crowd! So, he decided to gather them together and make them into a community again, because the best way to restore order and bring back the people to serve G-d is by making a “Kehila”! And once he did that, he reminded them about two commandments: Shabbat and building a Mishkan.

But why did Moshe choose these two commandments out of all the other commandments to teach the Benei Yisrael at this time? Well, Rabbi Sacks says it’s because Shabbat and the Mishkan are the two most powerful ways of building a community. The best way of turning a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together. Hence the Mishkan. And the best way of strengthening the relationship between man and his fellow, is by praying, eating and spending time together —– things that can only be done Shabbat. Shabbat and the mishkan were the two great community-building experiences of the Israelites in the desert.

In Judaism, community is essential to the spiritual life. Our holiest prayers require a minyan. When we celebrate or mourn we do so as a community. Even when we confess on Yom Kippur, we do so together. Rambam says “One who separates himself from the community, even if he does not commit a sin but merely holds himself aloof from the congregation of Israel; he who does not fulfil the commandments together with his people; a person who shows himself indifferent and isolates himself from the rest of the community — such a person has no share in the world to come.”  In Judaism, it is as a community that we come before G-d. For us the key relationship is not “I shall do”, but “We shall do”!!

Yes my friends, the Torah is once again teaching us the importance of the community. To be a Jew, you need to belong to a community! Judaism and individualism are two opposing concepts. G-d wants to see us together when we pray, when we celebrate, when we eat, when we rest and even when we cry. He wants us to help other members of our community and care for each other. He wants us to be united!

B”H, in the Mashadi community, we take this matter very seriously. Community is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We choose  where to live, where to work, where to study, who to socialize with and who to marry, all based on the community we belong to. We gladly participate in each other’s happy occasions, but on the other hand, we also share tears in each other’s sorrow. And the two commandments that we take very seriously are, building a Sanctuary for G-d and Shabbat, just like the two commandments that Moshe taught the Benei Yisrael when they needed to be united!

In other cultures and religions, the success of an individual is measured by his or her accomplishments. In Judaism however, the greatness of a person is valued by how much he has done for his community!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

The people of Israel are told to each contribute exactly half a shekel of silver to the Sanctuary. Instructions are also given regarding the making of the Sanctuary’s water-basin, anointing oil and incense. The people are once again commanded to keep the Shabbat.

When Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai, the people make a Golden Calf and worship it. G-d proposes to destroy the sinful nation, but Moses intercedes on their behalf. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the Tablets of stones engraved with the Ten Commandments. Seeing the people dancing around their idol, he breaks the Tablets, destroys the Golden Calf and has the primary culprits put to death. He then returns to G-d to say: “If You do not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” G-d forgives, but says that the effect of their sin will be felt for many generations. .

Moses prepares a new set of tablets and once more ascends the mountain, where G-d reinscribes the ten commandments on these Second Tablets. On the mountain Moses is also granted a vision of G-d’s glory! So radiant is Moses’ face upon his return, that he must cover it with a veil, which he removes only to speak with G-d and to teach His laws to the people.

” Dvar Torah “

“Don’t follow the crowd; let the crowd follow you.” — is a quote from Margaret Thatcher, one of the best leaders the Great Britain ever had!

Leadership is a very difficult task. Leaders can fail for many different reasons. One of the reasons can be because a leader may simply lack the courage to lead. Sometimes leaders have to oppose the crowd. They have to say No when everyone else is crying Yes. That can be terrifying. Crowds have a will and momentum of their own. To say No may be to put your career, even your life, in danger. That is when courage is needed, and not showing it can constitute a leadership failure of the worst kind.

In this week’s Parsha, unfortunately, leadership failure was the fate of Aaron HaKohen. We read about the sad story of the Golden Calf. And this is how the Torah describes it  to us: When the people saw that Moses was taking too long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us a God who will go before us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.’ So all the women took off their earrings and the men brought them to Aaron. He took it from their hands, threw it into a furnace and fashioned it into a molten calf. Then they said, ‘This is your God, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.

G‑d became angry. Moses pleaded with Him to spare the people. He then descended the mountain, saw what had happened, smashed the tablets of stones he had brought down with him, burned the idol, ground it to powder, mixed it with water and made the Israelites drink it. Then he turned to Aaron his brother and said, “What have you done?!”

“Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how inclined these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us a God who will go before us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold bring to me.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Aaron blamed the people. It was they who made the illegitimate request. He denied responsibility for making the calf. It just happened. “I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” This is the same kind of denial of responsibility we recall from the story of Adam and Eve. The man says, “It was the woman.” The woman says, “It was the serpent.” It happened. It wasn’t me. I was the victim not the criminal! Not accepting responsibilities is a moral failure on it’s own!

The odd thing is that Aaron was not immediately punished. It seems that he was never punished for it at all.  According to the Torah he was condemned for another sin altogether when, years later, he and Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it.

It seems that tradition dealt kindly with Aaron. He is portrayed as a man of peace. He was given the position of the highest Priest. But the question that bothers me is why did Hashem deal so kindly with Aaron? If he was at fault, why didn’t he get punished? The people who participated in worshiping the Golden Calf, they all died. Aaron was the one who made the calf….. why did Hashem let him off the hook?!

Once again, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives an interesting answer. He says it’s true that Aaron failed as a leader, but leadership was not his job. The fact that Aaron was not a leader in the same mold as Moses does not mean that he was a failure. It means that he was made for a different kind of role. Yes, Moses might have smashed the tablets and grinded the calf to dust, but that’s Moses character, not Aaron’s! Moses and Aaron were different types. Aaron failed when he was called on to be a Moses, but he became a great person in his own right in a different capacity. And Hashem did understand that….. Aaron was not made to be a leader; he was made to be a peacemaker!  A peacemaker cannot shout and oppose the crowd. A peacemaker cannot say to someone, “I’m right — You are wrong”! These are jobs for a leader! Yes, there are times when you need someone with the courage to stand against the crowd, others when you need a peacemaker. Aaron and Moses complemented one another and both of them were successful in their own fields.

Yes my friends, the Torah is teaching us a great lesson here. If you fail at a job, it does not make you a failure! It just means that you still haven’t found the field that you are good at! Some of us are made to be great leaders, some of us are made to be Torah scholars, some are made to be doctors, some are made to be businessmen, some are made to be teachers, some of us are made for sports and some are made to be writers. If we are not succeeding in a field, it just means that we are not in the right field that we are made for. We should continue to search until we find the right field that we are good at.

The Torah does not associate the sin of the Golden Calf with Aaron, because he doesn’t want us to remember Aaron as a failed leader, since leadership was not his job. He was made for priesthood and bringing peace between the people, which he did his job at its best. And that’s how we should remember Aaron — as the greatest Priest of all times…

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d tells Moshe to command the Jewish People to supply pure olive oil for the menorah in the Mishkan(Tent of Meeting). He also tells Moshe to organize the making of the bigdei kehuna(priestly garments): A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, a sash, a forehead-plate, and linen trousers. Upon their completion, Moshe is to perform a ceremony for seven days to consecrate Aharon and his sons. This includes offering sacrifices, dressing Aharon and his sons in their respective garments, and anointing Aharon with oil. G-d commands that every morning and afternoon a sheep be offered on the altar in the Mishkan. G-d commands that an altar for incense be built from acacia wood and covered with gold. Aharon and his descendants should burn incense on this altar every day.

” Dvar Torah “

“Clothes”, they say, “makes the man”! They cover our body and reveal our soul! They enhance our character, beautify our body, camouflage our deficiencies, and even tailor us to a whole new identity. Jobs have been won and lost, relationships have established and ended, all based on the clothes they wear. From a nurse’s outfit to a soldier’s uniform, from the Chassid’s long black coat to the bride’s long white dress; clothes play an important role in people’s character and identity.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah also talks about the importance of “clothes” and the purpose of wearing them. It discusses the priestly garments worn in the Temple by both the common kohen (priest) and the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), but the main topic of discussion is about the clothes worn by the High Priest. The garments of the High Priest consisted of eight different vestments and were very complex. They needed highly skilled artisans to make them. They included, among others, a jewel-studded breastplate, a honeycomb-woven tunic, an apron-like garment and a specially designed overcoat that was adorned with gold bells and woven pomegranates. The Kohen Gadol wore these clothes once a year to perform the Yom Kippur services for the entire congregation. With all these glamorous clothing, he had to enter the “Holy of the Holies”, which is the holiest place in the Temple that no one else was ever allowed to enter.

And the Torah gives us the following reason for all these glamorous and expensive garments worn by the Kohen Gadol: “And you shall make garments of sanctity for Aaron your brother, “Lekhavod Ooltif-aret” — for honor and for glory.”

Wow, did I understand this correctly? The clothes that was worn by the Highest Priest on the holiest day of the year, in the holiest place on the face of the earth, was for prestige and self-respect?! Doesn’t Judaism, particularly in a ritual sense, usually focus on the inner qualities and promote humility, rather than to encourage glory and splendor?! Shouldn’t the Torah at least say that these clothes were to bring holiness to the Kohen rather than honor and respect?

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky gives the following interesting explanation: In order to achieve holiness, you need to have honor and glory! When the Kohen Gadol wore these beautiful and glamorous clothes, he felt the importance of his job and he stood up to his task. Through dressing in special garments, the priest is constantly reminded of his special role, and the sanctity of his calling. The glorious garments makes the High Priest realize that he is standing on holy grounds and he should act accordingly! For example, when the nine U.S. Supreme Court judges enter the court, they do not enter in jeans and sneakers and sit on folding chairs! They put on their black robes and they sit in plush leather chairs. The aura of those robes and those chairs has an effect on them. They are thereby constantly reminded that they are presiding over the highest court in the land and what they are doing is amazingly important. The garb and surroundings have a profound effect on them!

But the Kohen has to remember that all the glamour and the attention that he gets is not for his own honor, but rather, its all for honoring the Almighty. As later on in the Parsha, Hashem says to Moshe to relate the following message to the artisans: “You shall speak to the wise-hearted people whom I have invested a spirit of wisdom with them, to make for them holy vestments to sanctify and minister for ME.”!!! So, we see that the ultimate goal for all these garments was to honor Hashem!

Yes my friends, clothes have a special affect on people. It makes them stand up to their tasks. A surgeon wearing a surgical outfit, when entering the operating room realizes the importance of his job and understands that a person’s life is depended on him. A Chasid wearing his long black outfit when goes out in the street realizes that he’s been looked upon as G-d’s Chosen people and needs to act accordingly. A college graduate at his graduation ceremony wearing his rope and the hat, makes him appreciates his hard work and makes him feel proud of his accomplishments. And the bride wearing her white dress standing next to her groom under the Chupah, understands her role in marriage, which is to stay pure and holy to her husband, till death do them apart!

When we go to Kanissa on Shabbats, we should also dress in our best glamorous clothes, because it will make us feel the sanctity of the day and the holiness of Shabbat. We may put on our best clothes for honor and glory, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are not honoring ourselves, but rather, the whole idea is to honor Hashem. When we enter a sanctuary, we have to keep in mind that it’s a holy place and although we are encourage to wear our best clothes, we still have to dress modestly since it’s a house of G-d. If the Kohen Gadol can wear eight layers of clothing when entering the “Holy of the Holies”, we should at least be able to wear one layer of modest clothing when entering a Holy Sanctuary!

Unlike the western society which believes that the body is part of nature’s beauty, with slogans such as — If you have a nice body, why not show it off to everybody?–, we think of it as more of a holy entity, which has to be covered in modesty and respect, and with glory and splendor! When the rest of the world think of “clothes” as a tool to enhance their “bodies”, we the Children of G-d, think of it as a tool to enhance our “souls”!

Shabbat Shalom, Purim Sameach and Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d commands Moshe to build a Mishkan (Sanctuary) which would serve as a “resting place” for Hashem’s presence amongst the Jewish people.

The Children of Israel are asked to contribute precious metals and stones, fabrics, skins, oil and spices. In the Mishkan’s outer courtyard are an altar for the offerings and a basin to wash these sacrifices. The Tent of Meeting is divided by a curtain into two chambers. The outer chamber is accessible only to the kohanim. It contains the table of showbreads (the 12 loaves of bread placed every Sabbath on a table as an offering by the priests to God), the menorah, and the golden altar for incense. The innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies, may be entered only by the Kohen Gadol, and only once a year, on Yom Kippur. In this section, the Ark is held which contains the Ten Commandments inscribed on the two tablets of stone that G-d gave to the Jewish nation on Mount Sinai.

All of the utensils and vessels, as well as the construction of the Mishkan, are described in great detail.

“ Dvar Torah “

At the beginning of Parashat Terumah, G-d tells Moshe to convey the following message to Benei Yisrael: “ They shall make a sanctuary for me — so that I may dwell among them….”. The rest of the Parsha and the next four Parashiot are dedicated to building of the “Mishkan”, the temporary house of G-d. But the big question that comes to mind is, why do we even need a house for G-d? How can we even build a house for G-d?!  He is bigger than anything we can imagine! King Solomon who built the first Temple said: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this house I have built!” Not only it’s impossible to build a house for G-d, but it should be unnecessary too. The G-d who is everywhere and can be accessed from anywhere, should not be confined to one single location. So, why did Hashem command the Benei Yisrael to build a house for him?!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives the following answer. G-d gave the commandment of building the Mishkan, after the sin of the golden calf. The people made the golden calf after Moses had been on the mountain for forty days to receive the Torah. So long as Moses was in their midst, the people knew that he communicated with G-d,  and therefore G-d was accessible to them. But when he was absent for nearly six weeks, they panicked. Who else could bridge the gap between the people and G-d? How could they hear G-d’s instructions? Through what intermediary could they make contact with the divine presence?

And that’s why Hashem instructed Moshe to build a house for him among the people, so that they would constantly feel his present, with or without a mediator. The verb “to dwell” in Hebrew is Sh-kh-n. Shakhen in Hebrew means a neighbour, the person who lives next door. What the Israelites needed and what G-d gave them was a way of feeling as close to G-d as to our next-door neighbour. From the same root as sh-kh-n, came the word Mishkan meaning a sanctuary, and Shekhinah, the divine presence. So, the whole reason to build a house for G-d, was to feel close to him.

So even if we accept the reason for building the Mishkan to be feeling close to Hashem, there is still another problem. How do we feel the closeness to Hashem when we are in a house of G-d? Yes, when we go to a house of worship, or even to the Western Wall, we might be inspired with awe, but do we actually feel the presence of G-d? So, how can we sense the presence of G-d? How can we get the feeling of “Shakhen”, a close neighbor?!

Rabbi Sacks gives the following explanation. The way the Mishkan was built, was by contributions.  G-d said to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to take for me a contribution. You are to receive the contribution for me from every man whose heart desires.”——- The best way of encountering G-d is to give! The very act of giving is to acknowledge that what we give is part of what we were given. It is a way of giving thanks, an act of gratitude. G-d created the universe. He made us. He gave us life. He breathed into us the very air we breathe. All around us is the abundance of God’s generosity. When life is a given, you acknowledge it by giving back.

The Torah therefore tells us something simple and practical. Give, and you will come to see life and its’ Creator. That is how G-d came to be close to the Israelites through the building of the sanctuary. It wasn’t the quality of the wood and metals and drapes. It wasn’t the glitter of jewels on the breastplate of the High Priest. It wasn’t the beauty of the architecture or the aroma of the sacrifices. It was the fact that it was built out of the gifts of “everyone whose heart desires to give”!

Yes my friends, the best way to encounter G-d is by donating to the house of G-d. The Torah says donate anything your heart desires, which means the value is not important. The act of giving is all that matters! When you give, it means that you are giving back some of what G-d has given you. A sense of gratitude always brings closeness between the two parties, and makes you feel like close neighbors.

So my friends, whenever you get an urge to get close to G-d, you don’t need to climb to the top of Mount Everest, or to see Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon or any other wonders of the world. All you need to do is to donate to the house of G-d ………. and then, G-d will find you himself!!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

The Jewish People receive a series of civil laws concerning social justice. Topics include: Proper treatment of Jewish slaves/servants; a husband’s obligations to his wife; penalties for hitting people and for cursing parents; rules governing the conduct of judges and leaders; financial responsibilities for damaging people or their property; payments for theft; for not returning an object that one accepted responsibility to safeguard; the right to self-defense of a person being robbed.

Other topics include: Prohibitions against seduction; witchcraft, relationship with animals and sacrifices to idols. The Torah warns us to treat the convert, widow and orphan with dignity, and to avoid lying. Lending money to get interest is forbidden and the rights over collateral are limited. Payment of obligations to the Temple should not be delayed, and the Jewish People must be holy, even concerning food. The Torah teaches the proper conduct for judges in court proceedings. The commandments of Shabbat and the Sabbatical year are outlined. Three times a year — Pesach, Shavuot and Succot — we are to come to the Temple. The Torah concludes this listing of laws with a law of kashrut — not to mix milk and meat.

The people of Israel promise to do and listen to everything that G-d says. Moshe ascends the mountain to remain there for 40 days in order to receive the two Tablets of the Covenant.

” Dvar Torah “

The main topic of discussion in this week’s Parsha is the “Jewish Civil laws”, the laws between man and his fellow. Parashat Mishpatim immediately follows Parashat Yitro, where the highlight of the Parsha was the Ten Commandments, when the Benei Israel reached their highest level of spirituality. They were all considered to be prophets, since anyone who hears the word of G-d is a prophet! The sequence of these two Parashiot bothers the Chachamim and raises the following questions. Why did the Benei Israel have to learn about the civil laws immediately after they reached their spiritual peek? Why does the Torah connect spirituality with earthly matters? Shouldn’t the sequence after the Ten Commandments be about building the “Mishkan”, the Temple for G-d, where the people can continue with their spiritual bliss, rather than to teach the nation about the civil laws?

Rabbi Yissachar Frand gives the following explanation: Unlike the western society where they separate between “Church and State”, in Judaism, our “Religion” is our “State”!! We apply our religion to our everyday lives! Spirituality or holiness should not be limited to Temples or places of worship only, but rather, the ultimate closeness to G-d can only be achieved when you would bring holiness to your courtrooms, boardrooms, lunchrooms and even to your bedrooms! The sequence of these two Parashiot explains that we cannot reach holiness without acting just and compassionate towards our fellow human beings. Unlike the gentile nations, where they measure their level of holiness by looking at the relationship between man and G-d, Judaism looks at the relationship between man and man to find holiness.

That’s why in this week’s Parsha the Torah lists more than 50 civil laws in order to teach us that in order to stay holy, we need to treat our fellow Jews with compassion. But since the time does not allow, we shall discuss just one of the laws.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah says: ” im kesef talveh et Ami ………” which the “ArtScroll Edition” Torah translates it into English as follows: “When you lend money to my people, to the poor person who is within you, do not act towards him as a creditor; do not lay interest upon him”! As you may all know, one of the greatest ways to give charity is to lend money to someone without interest and without pressuring him to pay back. But the English translation of the verse seems a little odd?! Anyone who has little knowledge of Hebrew language, should know that the word “im” means “if”! So, why does one of the most famous English Torah translator, mistranslate the word “im” as “when”?! After a little study, I found out that Rashi also did comment on this matter. He says, here and two other places in the Torah the word “im” should be translated as “when”. The Torah uses the word “im”, just to show that we have freedom of choice to do all the mitzvot of the Torah, but in reality, Hashem really wants us to do them. In this case he says, lending money to the poor should not be optional — it should be an obligation. Giving charity shouldn’t raise a doubt in your mind, as “if” you should give, but rather, it should only be a matter of time, “when”!

There is no word for charity in Hebrew language. Look up the word for charity in the English/Hebrew dictionary and you’ll find the word “tzedaka”.Tzedaka doesn’t mean charity. It means ‘righteousness’. We don’t give charity because we have pity for the poor; we give charity because it is the “right” thing to do. The Chachamim say that a person who gives charity doesn’t deserve a pat on the back – but the one who doesn’t give ‘charity’ deserves a slap on the wrist! They go as far as to say, if the needy doesn’t come to knock on your door, you should go and knock on his shed!

The Chachamim also say that when you give Tzedaka, Hashem will pay you back a lot more. But how do they know that?! Rabbi Frand says that the answer can be found in the same pasuk. The verse says, “when you lend money to my people..”– “my people” refers to the nation of G-d, the Benei Yisrael, whose livelihood is his responsibility and not ours. But Hashem is giving us the great opportunity to go in partnership with him. And you can be sure that Hashem always protects his partners. Not only, he pays you back for your investment, but he will also give you a lot more for the act of kindness that you did to his people. Besides, Hashem always treats us the same way we treat others. So when we open our hands to the needy, He will open His hands to us in the time of need!

Yes my friends, Parashat Mishpatim– the Jewish civil laws, is all about our obligations towards a fellow Jew. It talks about, obligations of a master to a slave; obligations of a child to its parents; of a pupil to his teacher; of a community to the poor; of the individual to the community. Our obligations towards an orphan, towards the sick, towards the convert; and the obligations of man to G-d. Hashem wants us to feel obligated to seek justice, and to feel obligated to help out the needy and the weak. He does not want us to see these Jewish civil laws as a set of rules and regulations, but rather, he wants us to see them as common sense.

And this is how we differ from other nations: To treat others with fairness and compassion might be an option to them, but to us, is an obligation! What reads as “if” to the rest to the world; to the nation of G-d is “when”!!!

Shabbat Shalom, Chodesh Tov & Regards;

Martin

Dear friends;

I hope you’ll enjoy the following parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d reveals Himself to Moshe. He promises to take out the Children of Israel from Egypt, deliver them from their enslavement, redeem them and acquire them as His own chosen people at Mount Sinai; He will then bring them to the Land He promised to the Patriarchs as their eternal heritage.

Moshe and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand in the name of G-d, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness.” Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. Moshe’s staff turns into a snake and swallows the magic sticks of the Egyptian sorcerers. G-d then sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians.

The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest all men and beasts. Hordes of wild animals invade the cities, a pestilence kills the domestic animals, painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Still, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the children of Israel go; as G-d had said to Moshe.”

” Dvar Torah “

The theme of this week’s Parsha is, “Miracle”. It is packed with miracles, plagues and supernatural events. Sticks transforming into snakes; water turning into blood; hail pellets with a core of fire; dreadful plagues of frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence and boils. G-d through Moshe, performs miracles for the Jews, for Pharaoh and all the Egyptian population. He brings plagues upon the Egyptians that have never been seen before. But as you read carefully through the text, it seems that the miracles made little impression on Pharaoh, the Egyptians and above all, on the Jewish slaves. Towards the end of last week’s parsha, Moshe was performing miracles for Pharaoh and his people and they seemed to pay no attention to his feats. And Moshe got frustrated and started to complain to Hashem: “Why have You done evil to this people… From the time I came to Pharaoh … he has harden the situation for the Jewish nation”.

Even in this week’s Parsha, Pharaoh is not impressed by the plagues because his own professional miracle makers were able to replicate the first three plagues. He therefore attributes all of the later plagues to forces of nature or superior professional magical powers that Moshe has somehow employed.

But what is more mind boggling is that the Jewish people themselves are, relatively speaking, little impressed by the miraculous plagues. In today’s time, we see a card trick and we are fascinated by it! You would have thought that by seeing all these miracles, the Jews should have believed in Hashem and his servant Moshe, wholeheartedly. But the Chachamim say that after all these supernatural events, at the time of the exodus, some Jews still didn’t want to leave! They needed persuasion! They still didn’t have enough faith in Moshe?! So the fundamental question is why? Why did the greatest miracles of all times had little impact on the Jews? When we read the story of the 10 plagues after 3000 years ago, we still get mesmerized by it! So why didn’t it have the same effect on the Benei Yisrael? How can you explain their lack of appreciation and their lack of faith?!

Rabbi Berel Wein gives a beautiful explanation. He says that the Jews were too busy thinking about their slavery and their harsh living conditions that they hardly took notice of the miracles which took place around them. A slave mentality is the feeling of hopelessness, which is so hard to change even by performing supernatural miracles! When you are a slave, your work becomes your whole life. You don’t have time for anything else. That’s why when Moshe tells the Benei Yisrael that G-d had sent him to save them, they did not listen to him because of the shortness of breath and from the hard labor. In order to strengthen their belief, the Jews didn’t need miracles, but rather, they needed “free time” for themselves to think, to look around them and to see the hand of G-d. But because of the hard labor, they couldn’t appreciate the wonderful miracles taking place around them! And this is why the miracles had little impact on the Jews; because they were too busy being slaves!

Yes my friends, slavery can blind a person! The greatest miracle can pass right by a slave and he won’t even notice it. Although B”H, we live as a free nation today, but unfortunately the slave mentality has remained with us to this very day. Everyday we see miracles happening around us, but unfortunately, they have little impact on us. Most of us are so busy with our work that we don’t notice the miracles around us. In Judaism, a miracle does not necessarily need to be an extraordinary event, but any act of G-d that we benefit from, should be considered a miracle! When we wake up in the morning and we are still alive, is a miracle; when we see our spouse and our children being healthy and running around us, is a miracle; when we live in a luxury of a home and we have enough food to feed our family and live a comfortable life, is a miracle! But do we have the time to acknowledge all these and be grateful to the Almighty?! How many of us in the mornings, rush in putting on the tefillin and taking them off quickly in order to run to work?! How many of us spend quality time with our families everyday?! And above all, how many of us truly appreciate what our spouse do for us and thank them for what he or she does?! If you ask me, we may think that we live a free life, but we are still slaves to our work and to the society we live in!

So my friends, let us enjoy our freedom by creating the time to appreciate the miracles around us. Miracles don’t just happen in fairy tale stories, it happens in our everyday life! All you need to do is to open your eyes and see the hand of G-d!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

The Children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile.

A child is born to Yocheved, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Moses.

As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Jews fighting; when he disapproves, they reveal his previous day’s murder, and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. There he rescues Yitro’s daughters, marries one of them – Tzipporah – and becomes a shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks.

One day when Moses was watching the herd, G-d appears to him in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.” Moses’ brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron gathered the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come. The people believe; but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies the suffering of Israel.

Moses returns to G-d to protest: “Why have You done evil to this people?” G-d promises that the redemption is close at hand.

“ Dvar Torah “

In this week’s Parsha, G-d appears to Moshe in a burning bush and says to him: “I have indeed seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and I have heard their outcry……. And now, I will dispatch you to go to Pharaoh and you shall take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Moshe responds: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?”

On the surface, Moshe’s two parts question is quite clear. The first part he is asking: who am I, to be worthy of such a great mission? The second: how can I possibly succeed?

G-d answers the second part. “Because I will be with you.” You will succeed because I am not asking you to do it alone. I am not really asking you to do it at all. I will be doing it for you. I just want you to be My representative, My emissary and My voice.

G-d never answered the first part of the question, “Who am I”! Perhaps it’s because Moshe found out the answer himself!

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that Moshe’s question, who am I, may not just be a question about worthiness. It can also be a question about identity. So the question, who am I, may well be referring to who Moshe really was.

There are two possible answers to Moshe’s identity. The first: Moshe is a prince of Egypt. He had been adopted as a baby by Pharaoh’s daughter. He had grown up in the royal palace. He dressed like an Egyptian, looked and spoke like an Egyptian. When he rescued Jethro’s daughters from some rough shepherds, they go back and tell their father, “An Egyptian saved us”.   His very name, Moshe, was given to him by Pharaoh’s daughter. Although Moshe in Hebrew means “drawn from the water”, in ancient Egyptian it means a “child”. So the first answer is that Moshe was an Egyptian prince.

The second was that he was a Midianite. For, although he was Egyptian by upbringing, he had been forced to leave. He had made his home in Midian, married a Midianite woman Zipporah, daughter of a Midianite priest and was “content to live” there, quietly as a shepherd. We tend to forget that he spent many years there. He left Egypt as a young man and was already eighty years old at the start of his mission when he first stood in front of Pharaoh. He must have spent the overwhelming majority of his adult life in Midian, far away from the Israelites. So, on the one hand Moshe was an Egyptian, on the other, he was a Midianite.

So when Moshe asks, “Who am I?” it is not just that he feels himself unworthy. He feels himself uninvolved. He may have been Jewish by birth, but he had not suffered the fate of his people. He had not grown up as a Jew. He had not lived among Jews. He had good reason to doubt that the Israelites would even recognise him as one of them. How, then, could he become their leader? Their fate was not his. He was not part of them. He was not responsible for them. And he did not suffer like them!

Moshe could have lived a comfortable life till the end. He could have lived as an Egyptian prince or as a midianite shepherd in peace and harmony. So, why then did he accept? What made him give up the easy life in order to lead a group of people who he hardly knew and carry their burden on his shoulders for forty years?

Rabbi Sacks says, one hint is contained in the name he gave his first son. He called him Gershom because, he said, “I am a stranger in a foreign land”. He did not feel at home in Midian. That was where he was, but not who he was. But the real clue is contained in an earlier verse, where it says: “When Moses was grown, he began to go out to his own people, and he saw their hard labor”. These people were his people. He may have looked like an Egyptian but he knew that ultimately he was not. Moshe may have been un-Jewish by upbringing, but when he saw his people suffering, he identified with them and he couldn’t walk away. Who am I? asked Moshe, but in his heart he knew the answer. I am not Moshe the Egyptian or Moshe the Midianite. When I see my people suffer I am, and cannot be other than, Moshe the Jew. And if that imposes responsibilities on me, then I must shoulder them. And this is the greatness of Moshe that Hashem loved. He feels the pain when his people are suffering!

Yes my friends, there are many different type of Jews. There are Jews who believe and those who don’t. There are Jews who are observant and those who are not. But you can hardly find any Jews indeed who, when their people are suffering, can walk away saying, this has nothing to do with me. Whether Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Hasidic, Orthodox or non-observant, when a Jew is suffering, we all feel the pain. We all pray. We all want to help out. We all stretch out our arm to give a helping hand.

A boy in our community is in a desperate need of a kidney. Ask yourself the same question as Moshe did. “Who am I?” And if you find the answer to be a Jew, then don’t waste any time to try help in any way you can. Because this is what Judaism is all about!!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

Jacob lives the final 17 years of his life in Egypt. Before his passing, he asks Joseph to take an oath that he will bury him in the Holy Land. He blesses Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, elevating them to the status of his own sons to be among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jacob desires to reveal the end of days to his children, but is prevented from doing so. Jacob blesses his sons, assigning to each his role as a tribe: Judah will produce leaders, legislators and kings; priests will come from Levi, scholars from Issachar, sea-merchants from Zebulun, schoolteachers from Shimon, soldiers from Gad, judges from Dan, olive growers from Asher, and so on. Reuben is rebuked for “confusing his father’s marriage”; Shimon and Levi for the massacre of Shechem and the plot against Joseph. Naphtali is granted the swiftness of a deer, Benjamin the ferociousness of a wolf, and Joseph is blessed with beauty and fertility.

A large funeral ceremony consisting of Jacob’s descendants, Pharaoh’s ministers and the leading citizens of Egypt accompanies Jacob on his final journey to the Holy Land, where he is buried in the Machpeilah Cave in Hebron.

Joseph, too, dies in Egypt, at the age of 110. He, too, instructs that his bones be taken out of Egypt and buried in the Holy Land. Before his passing, Joseph tells the Children of Israel not to loose hope and faith in the Almighty in the difficult years to come: “G-d will surely remember you, and bring you up out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

” Dvar Torah “

Since the beginning of creation, there has always been a special bond between grandchildren and grandparents, and I have witnessed it with my own eyes. My youngest son, Jeremy, used to be in love with my late father, Z”L. When he was 5-6 years old, every other Friday night he would go for dinner and sleepover to my parents. He didn’t want us to come with him. He just wanted to be alone with my Dad. Since Friday mornings, he was so excited to go. He packed his bag, putting his pajamas,his book and his teddy bear inside. On Friday nights, when we got to their house, you should have seen the joy on both their faces. Just like two lovebirds which haven’t seen each other for ages! They had dinner together, they talked, they had fruits, read a book and went to sleep together. Shabbat mornings they had breakfast together and my Dad used to drop him off at home before he went to Kanissa. When they had to separate, it was another dramatic scene! Although I envied my father’s relationship with my son, but I found it to be so adorable. Two generations gap, what is there to talk about? Where did all these love and affection come from? Well, half-jokingly, I contribute this relationship to the fact that they had one common enemy, which was Me!! But the truth of the matter is that there is much less tension between grandparents and grandchildren, since the grandparents always see the fruits of their labor through their grandchildren.

Well, in this week’s parsha, we can also see a fine demonstration of the love relationship between the grandfather and grandchildren. When Joseph heard that his father, Jacob, is ill and his days are numbered, he immediately takes his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, to see his father in order to give him the final respect and to receive a blessing for himself and for his two sons. Once they arrived, they informed Jacob that Joseph is here. So he raises himself in bed and after identifying the two accompanying children to be Joseph’s sons, he gives his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menasheh, a great blessing! He gives his most powerful blessing to his favorite grandsons, and not to his favorite son, Joseph. He blesses them with the following: “With your (names) will the Jewish people bless (their children) saying: May G-d make you be like Ephraim and Menashe…”!!!

But don’t you think that the blessing sounds a little strange? The blessing actually, does not bless Ephraim nor Menasheh! It just says that every Jew should wish their children to be like Ephraim and Menasheh. It seems that Ephraim and Menasheh were blessed already, and Jacob just wants to pass on the blessing to the future generations!

So what were Ephraim and Menasheh actually blessed with already? What was so special about them that we should all want our children to be like them? What characteristic did they have that Jacob could not find in his own children? After all, why didn’t Jacob want our children to be like “Shimon and Levi”, or “Joseph and Binyamin”?

I read a beautiful explanation given by Rabbi Yissachar Frand which I would like to share with you. He says that the answer can be found in the way Jacob blessed Ephraim and Menashe. At the time of the blessing, Jacob specifically crisscrossed his hands and put his right hand on the younger child Ephraim, giving him the preference. Joseph, noticing his father’s action, tells him that he has his right hand on the younger son by mistake. Menasheh is the older son and he should get the preferred blessing. Jacob says: ” I know my son, I know. He will be a great nation too, but the younger will be greater…”. Yet Menasheh, the older son, did not utter any words of complaint. He did not turn around and complain to his father. He did not issue any words of protest to his grandfather. And above all, he did not feel any jealousy towards his brother who was getting the preferential treatment. He accepted his brother’s superiority with a cheerful attitude. He respected his grandfather’s blessing and he accepted it wholeheartedly.

But let’s not give all the credit to Menasheh. After all, we want our children to be like Ephraim too. So what did Ephraim do that was so special? The answer is, when a person receives a preferential treatment, such as a higher status, he might flaunt it. He might think that he’s a more important person now and he might look down on others. He might even think that he has got to this position because of his own strength and intelligence. He might boost his ego and become Ba-alei Ga-avah (haughty). But we see that Ephraim received his blessing with humility and modesty. He didn’t take a pride in himself for his superiority. He didn’t come up with a dream that his brother is bowing down to him! He still considered Menasheh as his older brother, and he continued to give him the respect that he deserved for the rest of his life.

Given the sibling rivalry that Jacob witnessed with himself and his brother, and with his own sons, when he saw such good behavior in his grandchildren, he was thrilled that they got along so well with each other. So he could not find any better blessing to give them other than what they are blessed with already. So all he could say was that every Jew should be inspired to have them as role models for their own children.

Yes my friends, ” May G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe” is the greatest blessing we can give to our children. It means that they should not be jealous of one another, and they should get along and respect each other. No two children are the same. Some succeed more in life, financially. Some are more spiritual. Some are more intellectual and some are more athletic. Some are more beautiful and some are more charismatic. But the children must learn to respect each other for what they are. Being jealous of one another can only mean that you are not happy with what Hashem has given you! To respect one another, on the other hand, is a sign of humility and faith. It means that not only you are happy with what Hashem has given you, but you are also happy for your brother for what Hashem has given him!

So tonight, after you say the Kidush on the wine, take a moment of your time and bless your sons with the following blessing:  “Yesimcha Elokim Ke Ephraim VeChi Menashe”, May G-d make you be like Ephraim and Menashe. Because there is no greater blessing than to see your children living in peace and harmony together!

Shabbat Shalom and Regards;

Martin