Divrei Mav

This week’s Parshas is called, Parshas Va’eira . In this week’s Parsha by Hashem’s word Moses and Ahron go before the pharaoh again, Pharaoh and told him that G-d had spoken with them and wanted the Jewish people to be set free. Pharoah responded “provide a wonder for yourselves” (to prove yourselves worthy). So like Hashem commanded, Ahron threw his staff down and it became a snake. When the pharaoh saw this he summoned his magicians and had them turn their staffs into snakes just like Ahron did. Then Ahron’s staff swallowed all the other staffs. Hashem told Moses and Ahron to strike the Nilas (Nile River) and it will turn to blood. So Ahron took his staff and hit the water and it became blood and for seven straight days no water was to be found in all of Egypt. When Pharaoh realized his situation he told Moses that he would free the Jews as soon as he stopped the plague, and when Moses stopped the plague the Pharaoh changed his mind. Hashem then told them to strike the river aga

This week we begin the book of Sh’mos (the second book of Moses,) as we start it off with its title track; Parshas Sh’mos. In this week’s Parsha Yosef (Josef) passes away. Around that same time we learn that a new pharaoh arose. There is great discussion about what really happened but for the sake of our discussion the “new” pharaoh realized the Jewish people were rapidly increasing and became frightened that they might overpower him. So he made a g’zairah (decree) that from that point on all Jewish boys that are born should be thrown into the river. A woman named Yocheved gave birth to a boy and she was desperately hiding him. After three months she realized that sooner or later he would be found and killed. So she decided to place him into a basket and then place the basket into the river, so at least he would not drown and hopefully someone would rescue him and have mercy on him. Miriam the baby’s sister watched from afar as he floated down the river, to see what would happen. Whi

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Vayechi. At the beginning of this week’s Parsha, Yaakov (Jacob) was dying. He asked his son Yosef (Josef) to swear to him that he would burry him in the land of Israel with his fathers Avraham (Abraham) and Yitzchak (Isaac). Yosef promised his father and then asked his father to bless his sons Ephraim and Manashe before he died. Yosef brings Ephraim and Manashe to him with Ephraim facing Yaakov’s left and Manashe facing his right. But when Yaakov placed his hands on the boys, he crisscrossed his hands, (placing his right hand on Ephraim and left hand on Manashe.) Yosef realized by the placement of his father’s hands that he was going to give the younger son Ephraim the first B’racha (blessing) and he became very disturbed and switched them back and told his father that Manasseh was the older one (which Yaakov’s right hand should be on.) Yaakov told Yosef that he had his hands the way he wanted them and assured him that while the older brother Mana

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Vayigash. In this week’s Parsha, we pick up from where we left off last week. Yosef’s (Josef) brothers went down to Egypt to buy food for their family, and Yosef accused them of espionage, and takes one of them as a collateral until the rest of his brothers return with their younger brother Binyamin (Benjamin). Upon returning with Binyamin, Yosef invited them to a meal and subsequently planted his fancy goblet into Binyamin’s sack. After they left Yosef sent servants after them and accused them of stealing the Viceroy’s goblet. When it was discovered in Binyamin’s sack, they servants tried to take him back as prisoner, (like Yosef wanted,) but instead all of the brothers came back to Yosef’s house. They arrived and we pick up from there. They arrived there and Yehuda, the fourth oldest brother asked to privately approach the Viceroy and recounted the whole exchange between his father Yaakov and the brothers and how only after Yehuda promised that

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Mikeitz (ME-KAY-TZ). After learning in last week’s Parsha about how Yosef (Josef) relates the two fortunes of the baker and cupbearer in prison, Yosef is now left alone. At the beginning of this week’s Parsha the Pharaoh (Ruler) of Egypt had two dreams in the same night. His dreams were as follows: Behold, seven robust and healthy cows emerged from the side of the Nile River, and then seven skinny, famished cows emerged and swallowed up the nice well-fed ones and their appearance didn’t change. His second dream was very similar: Behold, seven nice bundles of wheat * emerged from the side of the Nile River, then seven skinny bundles emerged and swallowed up the nice ones and didn’t change in size or appearance. In the morning, the Pharaoh went around explaining his dreams to all of his dream translators, but none of their interpretations fit well. Then, the cupbearer from the prison (last week's Parsha) recommends Yosef to translate Pharaoh