Divrei Mav

Hi everyone, I hope this helps you go into your Shabbos more prepared and I hope you learn something new! This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Ki Savo (KEY-SUH-VO). Parshas Ki Savo begins or continues with Moses speaking to the B’nai Yisroel (Jewish people.) Moses at this point is teaching the Jewish people about the Mitzvah of giving the first fruits of the harvest to a Kohen (priest) and he brings it as an offering to Hashem. The reason for this is because we are thanking Hashem for the wonderful ground that he gave us. Nowadays, because there is no Bais HaMikdash (Holy Temple) and no Mizbayach (altar for offerings to Hashem) inside we are not able to perform this Mitzvah. The Mitzvah of giving the first fruits to a Kohen is called Bekorim (BE-KU-RIM). When a Jew gives his first fruits to the Kohen it symbolizes that he dedicates everything he has to the service of Hashem. Hashem specified it should be our first fruits that go to the Kohanim (priests) because Hashem knew that tho

Hi everyone, I hope this helps you go into your Shabbos more prepared and I hope you learn something new! This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Ki Seitzei (KEY ZT-AY-ZT-AY). The first passuk (passage) in this week’s Parsha is “When you go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your G-d will deliver them into your hand…” If you look further into the text of the Parsha you will think this passuk uses the word “enemies” to refer to Amalek who is an eternal enemy of the B'nai Yisroel (the Jews) and on the simple level that may be true. However, there is a more cryptic message or lesson the Torah is bringing us. That message is that when you go out to battle not only Amalek but the "Yetzor Horah” another eternal enemy of B'nai Yisroel, Hashem your G-d will deliver him into your hand. The Yetzor Horah is a spiritual force that Hashem created and put into each and every one of us to tempt us to do something wrong. All day, every day, the Yetzor Horah is working inside our

Hi everyone, I hope this helps you go into your Shabbos more prepared and I hope you learn something new! This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Shoftim “judges. “ We are instructed to appoint judges to help decide matters of Halacha when disputes arise. In the second passuk (passage) we are warned about the dangers of bribery. It says “….for a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise.…” Reb Yisroel Meir Kagen HaCohen zt”l better known as the Chafitz Chaim expounds in his safer “Chafitz Chaim Al HaTorah” on the concept of bribery. He says that if a bribe can blind or mislead the eyes of a person that the Torah calls wise, then bribery is a very dangerous element. The Chazon Ish goes even further and says that it’s not that a righteous judge will be influenced for his own personal gain, rather that Hashem imbued the “bribe” with a certain “power” that can make the righteous judge miss a detail that will affect the outcome of the case. In other words, like the passuk says “For a bribe will

Hi everyone, I hope this helps you go into your Shabbos more prepared and I hope you learn something new! This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Reay (RI-AY). Parshas Reay discusses many important topics: Kosher food, a false prophet, giving charity (Tzedaka,) and many more. We will go over the topic of giving Tzedaka (TZ-E-DUH-KUH) charity. HaRav Mordechai Katz zt”l writes in his outstanding sefer “Lilmode Ul’lamed” the importance of giving Tzedaka. He says that even if a person is not doing great financially he should still give to the poor. He gives a beautiful mushul (story/analogy) to explain: There was once a very wealthy man who had every pleasure life could possibly offer. He had a successful business, a devoted wife, and a spacious and comfortable home. One evening while that couple was eating dinner there was a knock at the door. So the man answered the door and found a poor man. The poor man begged for just a few morsels of food. The man yelled at the poor man, “How about