One of the most powerful questions that arises from the story of the Exodus is how could God harden Pharaoh’s heart without stripping him of his free will to decide between good and evil? I’d like to convey two answers offered by one of the greatest Torah scholars of the early twentieth century, Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin ZT”L, in his classic “La-torah V’La-Moadim”. 1) We are all born with innate characteristics, or Middot. It is up to us to decide how to apply them. For example, someone who is born with a tendency toward spilling blood, can choose to...
Parsha
Parshat Vaera – The Name
At the beginning of Parshat Vaera, God tells Moshe that His name is Hashem – the four letter name that is unpronounceable. God then says that He never revealed this name to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why not? Were they not worthy enough to hear that name? Rashi explains that the “name” represents absolute truth. Since God did not fulfill His promises to the Patriarchs (to build them into a great nation and give them the land of Israel) in their lifetime, He could not represent Himself with that name. Since the Jews would be redeemed from Egypt by...
Podcast – Parshat Vayigash and Vayehi
I’ve been getting requests from people who ride the public transport system and like to listen to Torah on their ipods, so here you go! Listen to a podcast on Parshat Vayigash-Vayehi right here. Just right-click and hit “save link as” to download.
Abraham’s Legacy
The first word God spoke to our forefather Abraham was “go!” Move. Leave your comfort zone, where you feel in control of your fate. Go to a place that is foreign, unfamiliar, a total mystery to you. Face new challenges. Form new alliances, teach new students, make new friends. Create a legacy for yourself that will make you proud. Pursue the calling hidden deep within your soul no matter what those around you say. Discover your faith, your true destiny. Abraham never stopped moving, teaching, building, caring, loving, striving, achieving, and fulfilling his mission, his destiny. His legacy to...
Clarity of Choice
The Rambam, in his Guide to the Perplexed, cites the following question relating to the verse in Genesis that warns Man not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge lest he become like a god, able to differentiate between good and bad. This ability to know good from bad is what makes Man unique, raising him up above all other creations. Why then was it viewed as a punishment, given to Man only after he rebels against the command of God? It would seem then that Man benefited from sinning! In his answer, the Rambam explains that prior to...
Parshat Shlach – Essense of a Jew
Many Jewish ceremonies can only be performed in the presence of a Minyan — a quorum of ten adult Jewish males. The same is true of certain prayers, such as Kaddish, as well as the reading of the Torah. The Minyan represents a core cummunity. The source in the Torah that teaches us that ten men form a community is the story of the spies sent by the Jews in the wilderness to scout the land of Israel. The ten spies that slandered the land are referred to as a “community”. Therefore, the prerequisite for so many of our...
Vayakhel – Shabbat Complete
The command to observe the Shabbat is almost always prefaced by the statement, “you shall do your work for six days etc.” Why the need for this prologue related to the regular week? Why doesn’t the Torah just tell us about the actual day of Shabbat? One possible reason is that the Torah is making clear that it is an obligation to work. Whatever form that work takes it is an obligation for every person to use their talents, abilities, and creativity to help build civilization. By doing so, we become partners with God in Creation. When we observe...
Parshat Zachor
On the Shabbat preceding Purim (tomorrow morning) we read a special portion of the Torah called “Parshat Zachor”, which speaks about the obligation to wipe out the memory of Amalek. It is a Torah commandment to hear this portion read in the synagogue every year. Our Sages teach that the numerical value of “Amalek” is equal to the word “Safek”, which means doubt. By being the first to attack to the Jewish nation after their exodus of Egypt, Amalek sowed doubt into their hearts, by showing that they were susceptible to the same trails and tribulations like any other...
Buy on Amazon
