Divrei Mav

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Mishpatim. The translation of the word “Mishpatim” means ordinances or laws. This title is very appropriate for this week’s Parsha because there are fifty three mitzvos (commandments) taught, twenty three positive and thirty negative. We will only be discussing a few of them. In this week’s Parsha we learn about the mitzvah of keeping Kosher. Kosher is a “category” for food that doesn’t contain Basar V’chaluv (meat and milk) that were mixed together. We learn that a Jewish person cannot eat milk and meat together, cook milk and meat together, and benefit from food that has milk and meat mixed. But the Halachos (laws) of Kashrus (keeping Kosher) go beyond just mixing milk and meat and today we have trustworthy Rabbanim (Rabbis) who watch how the food in many institutions are prepared/cooked/packaged to ensure the Yiddin (Jews) are protected from eating these foods that are harmful to the neshama (soul) of a Jew. If the Rabbi sees that the food prod...

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Yisro. In this week’s Parsha Moses’ father-in-law named Yisro, (hence the Parsha’s title) leaves his home of Midyan join up with Moses. He told Moses that he heard of all of the wonders that Hashem preformed and Yisro realized that Hashem is the emes (truth). It is said about Yisro that he studied all the different religions and in the end he knew that Hashem had to be the emes. So, when the B’nai Yisroel (Jewish people) were traveling in the desert Moses’ father-in-law traveled with them for a period of time and then went back home to his family in Midyan. While Yisro was traveling with them he observed Moses and felt “it was not good” the way Moses would have lines of yidden (Jews) come be judged all day until very late at night. So Yisro advised Moses that he would become very weary if he continued to do this. He gave him explicit instructions on how to appoint and train judges to reduce the workload for Moses. Moses being the greatest leader i...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Beshalach. At the end of last week’s Parsha, Pharaoh had eagerly sent the Jewish people out from slavery and out of Egypt all together. At the beginning of this week’s Parsha Pharaoh returned to his previous ways, changing his mind and chasing after the B’nai Yisroel (Jewish people) with his army and chariots. When the Egyptians came within striking range they attacked by shooting arrows but Hashem brought a cloud that shot their arrows right back at the Egyptians. This allowed the B’nai Yisroel put some distance between them and the Egyptians and then Hashem removed the cloud. Suddenly the B’nai Yisroel began to panic because they came to the Yam Suf (dead sea) and had nowhere to go with the sea in front and the armed Egyptians behind them. Hashem told Moses to stretch his hand over the sea, and when Moses did, the sea split. There are many discussions on how the sea split, what took place when it split, etc. I would like to expound on some of t...

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Bo. In this week’s Parsha we learn about the last three makkos (plagues) that are delivered by Hashem (G-d) to the Egyptians. The seventh makka was called, arbeh (locusts). It is brought down in the midrash, (a book compiled by the very wisest Rabbis) that these locusts weren’t your ordinary locusts, these locusts were described by the midrash as having, “teeth like iron, horns of oxen, claws like lions, wings like eagles, and writhing backs like those of snakes.” In this plague the entire Egypt was polluted with locusts. Similar to the previous plagues the Pharaoh came to Moses and told him that he would let the Jews go free as soon as Moses stopped the plague. So again, Moses davened to Hashem to stop the plague. When the plague ended the Pharaoh changed his mind again. Hashem then brought a ninth plague choshech or darkness. This plague lasted for days and during these six days of darkness the darkness I worsened to the point that the Egyptian...

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...

This week’s Parsha is called Parshas Vayeishev (VAH-YAY-SHEV). In this week’s Parsha we learn that Yosef (Josef) was the youngest and most favorite son of Yaakov (Jacob) because at that time Yosef was the only child of Rachel, the wife that Yaakov loved the most. Because of his great love for Yosef, Yaakov made Yosef a special overcoat of many colors. Yosef’s older brothers became extremely jealous of him and their jealousy lead them to want to kill their younger brother. One night Yosef had a dream that he shared with his older brothers in the morning. The dream was as follows: There were ten bundles of wheat which represented the ten brothers and they were encircling one large bundle of wheat in the center which represented Yosef. Then the ten bundles began to bow to Yosef's bundle. Upon hearing this dream, his brothers became furious with him and felt, “what do you think that you are going to be a ruler over us?” Because of his dream, Yosef was hated even more. The next night...