Parashas Bo

This weeks Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Refua Shelema: Rachamim ben Adina
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When I was about ten years old, my brother told me, "Nisso, come outside, we are making a mini bonfire." I thought to myself, "What, are you crazy?! We live in Brooklyn, the cops will arrest us!" (We lived a block away from the 61st precinct.)When I got outside, I saw my brother, and a couple other people throwing their 'breads' into a small fire. My brother gave me a few pieces and said, "come, do the mitzva of burning bread." Two things entered my mind: 1) How long will it take before we get arrested by the cops; and 2) I was embarrassed to perform this mitzvah because of what the non-Jews would think about us. I asked him, "Why are you doing this in the front yard? Let's bring it over to the backyard, where nobody can see us." He told me "There's no reason to be embarrassed to do Hashem's mitzvos. We should be proud to be Jewish, and perform Hashem's commandments with happiness, not self-consciousness!"

Parashas Bo starts with the eighth plague, Locusts; followed by the ninth plague, Darkness; and then the tenth plague, Slaying of the first-born.

Before the tenth plague (on the first day of Nissan,) Hashem commanded that we offer a Pesach Sacrifice, and observe Pesach for all generations. His instructions were, "On the tenth day of Nissan, the heads of each house-hold were to take a male-lamb with no blemishes, in it's first year. He shall tie it to his bedpost for four days, and examine it to make sure it is fit for sacrificing. In the afternoon of the fourteenth (of Nissan,) it should be slaughtered as a Pesach offering. You should take its blood, and smear it on the side of the door post, and the lintels..."

Hashem specifically asked for a lamb to be slaughtered, because it was a test for the Jewish people. The Egyptians worshiped and prayed to sheep, thinking they were G-d. It was a big risk, taking the sheep, and tying it to the bedposts for four days, slaughtering it and then roasting it for all to see. Hashem said to Moshe, "I swear the Jews will not leave the land of Egypt unless they first slaughter the gods of Egypt, demonstrating the helplessness of the deities of the nations." The Egyptians felt powerless to take action. [Shemos Rabba 16:3]

A lesson derived from this week's parasha: The Jews proved [to Hashem] that it wasn't the Egyptians they feared, rather it was Hashem. They performed His commandment as He instructed us. They did the mitzvah with pride and joy, as they also walked through the (splitting) sea, singing "Az Yashir" (in next week's parasha). All the nations heard of this miraculous event, and witnessed it.

The next time you feel self-conscious about performing a mitzvah, or worried about what the other nations will think, direct your thoughts to this weeks parasha. We slaughtered the Egyptian's gods, not caring what they would think about us. It was a commandment given by Hashem, the One and Only G-d. Therefore, there's no reason to be embarrassed to do Hashem's mitzvos. We should be proud to be Jewish, and perform Hashem's commandments with happiness, not self-consciousness!

Thank you for reading,

Nisso

Parashas Va'eira

This weeks Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Refua Shelema: Leah Ayala Bas Yehudis
(If you would like to sponsor next weeks Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
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There's a lot going on in Parashas Va'eira. We learn about the first seven plagues, and next week, the last three. Each plague on its own is another dvar Torah. The Jews are being overly oppressed with hard work physically, emotionally, and mentally. It's hard to comprehend, but when Hashem sent Moshe to get involved in taking the Jews out of Egypt, their work intensified. Moshe asked Hashem, "Has Your Attribute of Mercy changed to the Attribute of Justice?!" Hashem rebuked Moshe saying, "Even when My actions appear harsh, they emanate from Mercy! Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, and Klal Yisroel never complained - even when they never saw Me fulfill the promise I made to them." Klal Yisroel are therefore worthy of being redeemed." [1]

Moshe and Aaron were sent to Pharoh to give him the message that Hashem wanted His people out of Egypt. Hashem warned Moshe that He will harden Pharoh's heart in order to increase His miracles and wonders in the land of Egypt. Pharoh asked for a sign to show that the One Who sent them has power. Aaron took his rod, threw it down before Pharoh, and turned it into a serpent. He then turned it back into a rod. Pharoh called his magicians to do the same, and was not impressed. Aaron's rod then ate all the other rods. [2] Pharoh's heart hardened and he did not let the Jews go.

That was only a sign. Then began the first plague. Hashem told Moshe to go by the river early in the morning, where he will meet up with Pharoh. (Pharoh told the Egyptians that he was a G-d, and never needed to relieve himself. He woke up extra early to relieve himself by the river, in order that no one should see.) Moshe told Aaron to smite the Nile River, which suddenly turned into blood. The second plague wasn't exactly a pleasant one. When Aaron hit the river, one HUGE frog popped out, and every time an Egyptian would strike it, the frog would multiply.

I would love to write about the rest of the plagues, but I want to focus on this next piece of the story. Pharoh's magicians also made frogs emerge upon the land, but it never mentions in the Torah that they made them disappear. Pharoh called for Moshe and Aaron and said, "Pray to G-d, and let Him remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will send the people to sacrifice to Hashem." Moshe asked him, "When should I pray for you?" Pharoh answered, "Pray today that it be destroyed by tomorrow." [3]

The posuk says that Moshe and Aaron left, and [Moshe] cried out. Rashi writes, "[Moshe] cried out immediately. [4] This one word 'miyad' (immediately) got me thinking. Why did it have to write "immediately"? An answer can be, we see from this, Moshe loved having a connection with Hashem. He saw an opportunity to speak to Him, and took it. When there's something a person really wants to do, whether learn Torah, or play football, he gets this inner drive to do it.

It's fun watching little kids. Whenever I leave the fridge door open for a minute, my son, Gavriel, crawls as fast as he can to touch whatever he can in the fridge. It's exciting for him, and he loves it. He literally drops whatever is in his hands and zooms quickly before he loses the chance. We can apply that by us as well...

A lesson I learned from this week's parasha: Often we procrastinate until the last minute. We see that Moshe enjoyed praying to Hashem, taking any opportunity to communicate with Him. We also see the inner drive Pharoh had, when waking up extra early in the morning because he didn't want the Egyptians to find out he too, relieves himself like any other human. It's not easy waking up early in the morning, but when you have that spark, you are willing to sacrifice some sleep for it. Unfortunately Pharoh was applying his enthusiasm (of keeping his title as G-d) in going against Hashem, as opposed to Moshe, who was using his enthusiasm to connect and get closer to Him. When we have an opportunity to do a mitzvah, or to build a connection with Hashem (by praying to Him), we shouldn't push it off. We should grab the opportunity immediately, just like Moshe did.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Shemos Rabba 6:3
[2] Shemos Rabba 9:5
[3] Rashi 8:6
[4] Rashi 8:8

Parashas Shmos

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There are so many super-natural events in Sefer (the book of) Shmos - entertaining for both adults and kiddies. There was a "new" king* in Egypt, who forgot the good things Yosef had done for him and his country. Once Yosef, his brothers, and that whole generation died, Pharoh decided to have no more hakaras hatov (gratitude) to the Jews. He oppressed the Jews, increasing their labor and cutting their wages. The more they were oppressed, the more Hashem would increase their numbers.
*[There's a disagreement between Rav and Shmuel whether there really was a new king, or it was the same king, just his decrees were new.]

Pharoh instructed the Jewish midwives, Shifra and Puah [who were really Yocheved and Miriam], to kill the male newborns, leaving only the girls alive. They did not do as the Egyptian king had told them, and instead kept the infant boys alive as well, and provided water and food for them. [1] After Pharoh saw that this didn't effect the Jewish population, he commanded all his people, saying, "Every boy who is born must be thrown into the river." During this decree, a special baby boy was born by the name of Moshe. His mother put him in a basket, and placed him onto the Nile River, afraid Pharoh might kill him. Miriam, his sister, waited by the river to see what would happen to him. At the same time, Pharoh's daughter went to the river to bathe. When she saw the basket, she reached for it and behold, she saw a boy crying, and had pity on him. Miriam asked her if she should find a nursing mother to nurse the child for her. She replied "yes," and brought over the child's mother, Yocheved.

When Moshe grew up, he went to see how his brothers, the Jews, were doing. He saw their burdens [hard labor]. He also witnessed an Egyptian beating up another Jew. He looked all around and saw no man was watching, and killed the Egyptian. The next day, he went out and saw two Hebrew men fighting. Moshe asked why he was beating up his friend. He replied, "Do you intend to kill me, like you killed the Egyptian?" Moshe was frightened that Pharoh would hear about what happened. Sure enough, Pharoh heard about it, and wanted to kill Moshe. Moshe fled from Pharoh and lived in Midyan. There, he found his wife, and tended his father-in-law's sheep.

One day, he saw a burning bush, and thought, "How is it possible, this bush is on fire, yet it isn't getting consumed?" When Hashem saw that Moshe was getting close, He called for him saying, "I have indeed seen the suffering of My people that are in Egypt. I have heard how they cry out because of their slave-masters, and I am aware of their pain. I have descended to free them from the hand of Egypt, and to bring them to a better land..." Hashem appointed Moshe to be the one to take them out of Egypt. He told Moshe to speak with Pharoh about letting His people go. The story intensifies in the upcoming parashios.

A lesson I got from Parashas Shmos: When one realizes who Hashem is, and fears Him, they are more inclined to do His will, even if someone else told them to do the opposite. "The midwives feared Hashem," says the posuk, and they did not do what the Egyptian king had told them to do. They kept the infant boys alive, providing water and food for them. [1] Not only did they go against Pharoh, but they saw to it that the infants survived. They could have just let them live; however, they went the extra step by nurturing them.

I was in Bnei Brak one shabbos with some friends, and we decided to visit as many Rabbis possible. One Rabbi we visited was Rav Amnon Yitzchak. I asked him if he can give us some advice for life. He mentioned the famous Gemara [2] that states: A person should fear Hashem more than he fears flesh and blood. He said, "When people want to do something that isn't accepted by society, the first thing they do is look to see if anyone is around.* However, what they should be doing is realizing that Hashem is the one who is there at all times. If someone is scared of flesh and blood, for sure he/she should be scared of the Creator."

[Note: Notice when the posuk says, "Moshe looked all around and saw no man was watching, and killed the Egyptian, the Torah specifically choose the word 'man,' because it couldn't of said 'anyone.' Saying 'anyone' would imply not even Hashem was watching, chas v'shalom.]

May we all have the yiras shemayim (fear of heaven) to serve Hashem properly!

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Rashi 1:17
[2] Brachos 18

Parashas Vayechi

The Torah speaks of Yaakov from his "fetus days," until the day of his death. It mentions how Yaakov and Eisav would fight in Rivka's womb whenever she'd walk by a yeshiva, or a place of idol-worship.[1] His next hardship in life was running away from Eisav, because Yitzchak blessed Yaakov. The blessings originally belonged to Eisav, but Eisav wasn't deserving of it. [2] Yaakov was instructed by Rivka to run away from Eisav, who was furious about being deprived of his bracha, and wanted to murder him. She advised Yaakov to stay with her brother, Lavan, until Eisav's rage calms down. On his way to Lavan, the first family member he met was Rachel (Lavan's daughter). He knew at first glance he wanted to marry her. Lavan, however, didn't agree so fast. Yaakov had to work seven years for her. After the "marriage ceremony," he found out he really married Leah (Rachel's sister). He had to work for an additional seven years to marry Rachel. [3]

After being barren for many years, Rachel gave birth to Yosef, whom Yaakov favored more than his other eleven sons. He taught Yosef secrets in Torah, things he wouldn't teach the other sons [4], and showered him with special gifts. The brothers hated Yosef for that, and decided to sell him as a slave. They ripped off his "special garment," and dipped it in animal blood. They brought the garment to Yaakov, asking if he recognized it. He assumed Yosef was torn to bits by a wild beast. This news tore Yaakov apart. He wasn't able to be consoled for his son's absence.

Yaakov's life seemed to be one big bad dream... But fear not, this story has a happy ending =)
After twenty-two years of thinking Yosef was dead, he received good news that he was alive and well. Yaakov promptly travels to Egypt to reunite with his long lost son, Yosef.

In Parashas Vayechi, the posuk tells us that Yaakov lived his last seventeen years in Egypt. This period of time is called "the years of his life," because Hashem's Divine Presence rested upon him during those years. Aside from that, every parent wants to see their kids succeed, and Yaakov witnessed their success before his death. Since these seventeen years ended with Yaakov having nachas (pleasure) from his kids, it made up for the last hundred and twenty horrible years.

Yaakov made Yosef swear to him that his body should not be buried in Egypt; rather in Eretz Yisroel. Someone approached Yosef saying, "Your father is ill," and Yosef took his two sons with him, Menashe and Ephraim. Upon being told that Yosef had come to visit him, Yaakov gathered his strength and sat up in bed. [5] People ask, how is it he gained this extra strength? There's a gemara (Talmud) that explains, when a ben gilo (one born under the same zodiac) visits a sick person, he takes away one sixtieth of his sickness.* Yaakov suddenly felt stronger because Yosef took away one sixtieth of his illness. The Torah alludes to this by saying that Yaakov strengthened himself and was able to sit up in bed. The word "hamittah" (bed) has the numerical value of fifty-nine. [6]
*[Note: That doesn't mean if you have sixty- ben gilo friends, they take away your sickness completely. The gemara actually brings this question, and answers: The next person would take away a sixtieth of 59, etc...]

There's a commandment, "You should love your neighbor like yourself." This principal of behavior is rooted in the concept that the whole world is a unit. You can have two Jewish strangers who share the same zodiac, and have a positive influence to take away one sixtieth of the other's illness.

There's a project I wanted to try many years ago called, "Chasdei Ben-Gilo - Kindness of Ben-Gilo." Basically, I wanted to hang up a sign with everyone's name and (hebrew) birthday in Yeshiva. When someone would hear that his ben gilo friend was sitting in bed sick, they would go visit him and help in the recovery process. This visit wasn't limited to bnei gilo, because guys in Yeshiva don't usually travel alone. So when a ben gilo would visit his sick friend, he would bring another friend along, and eventually a chain of bikur cholim (visiting the sick; a commandment not limited only to ben gilo) would start.
[Note: Every situation differs. Sometimes, sick people don't want visitors so that they can rest. Some have specific hours. It's always best to call ahead of time to see if the sick person needs anything, or when is a good time to stop-by.]

A lesson I took from this week's parasha is: When visiting a sick person, besides cheering him/her up, and making him or her feel important and cared for, you are potentially enhancing the condition of that ill person, and giving him/her more of a desire to recover. If you hear a friend or neighbor is sick, go out and ask if they need anything picked up, or maybe bring a thermos with tea in it. Who knows, maybe the person you visit happens to be your ben gilo. You only have what to gain from doing the mitzva of mivaker cholim (visiting the sick.) Let's say you aren't their ben gilo, than at least you made another person happy, and even hopeful!

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Parashas Toldos: Rashi 25:22
[2] Parashas Toldos 27:30
[3] Parashas VaYeitzei 29:27
[4] Bereshis Rabba 84
[5] Bereshis 48:2
[6] Nedarim 39b