The Weekly Sedra – Tetzaveh – Inside Out or Outside In?

Chatzkel the tailor wanders into a small flophouse late one cold and stormy night. “Quite full,” says the innkeeper. “Let’s see . . . we’ve got a Cossack in one of the rooms up on the top floor. You can climb into the bed beside him.”

He dresses hurriedly in the dark and rushes to the train station. On the way he passes a large mirror in an ornate frame. A Cossack in uniform looks back at him. “That idiot innkeeper!” he exclaims in dismay. “He woke up the Cossack instead of Chatzkel the tailor. I’ll never make it back in time to wake myself up and catch my train!”

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Tetzaveh

The Rebbe says:

1. The first verse of this week’s Torah portion says, “And you will command the children of Israel that they shall take for you clear olive oil, crushed, for illumination, to light a lamp continually”. Our Sages explain that there are actually three grades of olive oil and only the first grade, the pure olive oil, can be used for the Menorah.

2. In classic form, the Rebbe now points out that this law regarding the Menorah must also have pertinent repercussions for our daily lives and service to Hashem:

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Terumah

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) tells Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) that the Yidin (Jewish people) should set aside materials from their possessions and donate to the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). As the Torah says, “Hashem spoke to Moshe saying. ‘Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for Me a Terumah-offering…”.

Rashi immediately explains this distinct wording and says that “for Me” means “to Me, to My name” . In other words, Rashi is saying that when one fulfils this Mitzvah (commandment) he should know that it is for Hashem and not for any other reason.

2. The Rebbe now asks a question:

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Mishpatim

The Rebbe says:

1. The Torah starts off this week’s Torah portion with saying, “And these are the laws (Mishpatim) that you shall place before them (the Jewish people)”.

2. The Rebbe now quotes three explanations of our Sages regarding this verse:

Our Sages analyze this verse and explain why the Torah specifies that the laws should be placed “before them”.

First explanation: When the Torah says that these laws should be placed “before them” it is teaching us that Jewish people should not bring their disputes to the gentile courts, even if the gentile courts would rule like the Jewish courts in this specific case.

The Weekly Sedra – Mishpotim – Church and State

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas State Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

The Weekly Sedra – Yisro – Stand Up and Be Counted

It is said in the name of Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch (the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe), that there are three progressive levels in the way something can be heard:

A) To hear with one’s ears – listen. B) To hear with the mind – comprehend. C) To hear with all 248 limbs of the body – to sense the subject matter throughout one’s entire being. (Told in the name of Reb Mendel Futerfass)

Of the many Biblical heroes, few, if any, are honored with a Parsha named after themselves, not even Avraham or Moshe. This of course, makes Yisro all the more unique.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Yisro

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion the Jewish people stand at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) amidst thunder and lightning and receive the Ten Commandments from Hashem (G-d).

The Ten Commandments begin by saying, “Va’ye’da’ber Elokim Es Kol Hadvarim Ha’e’lah Lay’more – G-d spoke all these words, to say (“Lay’more”)”.

2. The Rebbe now questions this:

The word “Lay’more – To say” is used everywhere else in the Torah when Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) something in private and then instructs Moshe to repeat it over to the public. Here however, when the whole Jewish nation was standing at Har Sinai and hearing the Ten Commandments just like Moshe Rabbeinu, why does the Torah say, “G-d spoke all these words, to say (“Lay’more”)”?

The Weekly Sedra – Beshalach – Who Is Your Moshe?

A battery of devastating plagues, ten in total, worked wonders (no pun intended). They succeeded in shattering the resolve of the Egyptian tormenters; compelling them to release the Israelites from their evil clutches – ending thereby two harrowing centuries of exile and slavery.

Their sights now set on Sinai and the long awaited rendezvous with G-d, the Children of Israel were free at last – well on their way to a future of promise and reward. Or so it seemed.

Alas, in an unexpected turn of events, their hopes were dashed. The fledgling nation found itself, instead, caught between a rock and a hard place, or more accurately stated: between the extended swords of the advancing Egyptian army and the choppy waves of an unyielding sea.

A Yud Shvat Sicha

The Rebbe says:

1. The Rebbe begins talking about his father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe, who’s day of passing we commemorate on Yud Shvat:

The Previous Rebbe writes in his diary that when he was a baby of eight days old and was receiving his Bris Mila (circumcision) he began to cry. His grandfather the Rebbe Maharash then said to him, “Why are you crying? When you grow up you will be a…(the Previous Rebbe left a blank spot here) and will say Chassidus in a clear fashion”.

Chassidim have told me that the missing word from the Previous Rebbe’s diary is “Rebbe”; the Rebbe Maharash said, “When you grow up you will be a Rebbe and will say Chassidus in a clear fashion”. This of course sheds light on why the Previous Rebbe left a blank spot (he did not feel it would be becoming to write that).

The Previous Rebbe: a short biography

Yud Shvat (the Tenth of Shvat) is the Previous Rebbe’s yahrzeit, the anniversary of his passing. On the day of a tzaddik’s passing, “all his effort… for which he toiled throughout his life… becomes revealed and radiates downward… at the time of his passing.”Accordingly, Yud Shvat is an appropriate day to focus on the message of the Previous Rebbe’s life, for every year, these same spiritual qualities are revealed on this anniversary.

This revelation affects all of “his children, the work of his hands,” those who “will walk in his paths for eternity.” This is particularly true in regard to the yahrzeit of a nasi, a leader of the Jewish people. For a nasi is connected to every member of his generation; as Rashi states, “The nasi is the entire people.”

Continued in the Extended Article.

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Bo – A Royal Mockery

While crossing an old rickety bridge the elderly pedestrian started having second thoughts. As the planks crackled and flexed under his weight, he began to pray for mercy: “Dear G-d, if only I will make it across the span I shall award 50% of my net worth to charity, for, what good are my possessions if I’m to lose my life!”

Before he could finish his words, he was knocked off his feet by a sudden quake; the bridge was actually collapsing beneath his feet. “Come on G-d, where is your sense of humor? You know I was only joking”!

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Bo

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) sends the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptian people- every firstborn in the land of Egypt died.

2. When Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) forewarned Pharaoh about the impending catastrophe that was about to befall him and his people he told him that the plague would happen “Ki’cha’tzos Ha’lie’lah – at around midnight”.

Rashi explains that the actual prophecy which Moshe Rabbeinu received from Hashem to tell over to Pharaoh was that the plague of the firstborn would happen precisely at midnight however Moshe Rabbeinu changed the wording to “at around midnight” because if he would say “precisely at midnight” and Pharaoh and his stargazers would make a mistake as to when the exact time of midnight is, they would say that Hashem was late or early (Heaven Forbid) in bringing the plague.

The Weekly Sedra – Va’eira – Unholy Tolerance

Once, when Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was traveling in search of a new community in which to relocate with his Chassidim, he and his followers arrived at a particular village. Among others, this town seemed to holdout potential as a possible home for his growing Chassidic sect. But, as it turned out, the townsfolk had other ideas.

In a not-so-subtle display of emotions, the locals gathered to greet their prospective new neighbors with a generous pelting of raw eggs. Upon witnessing this, the tzaddik turned to his entourage and said: “Ah! This is where we shall stay.”

In response to their dumbfound reaction, he added, “At least the people here cannot be accused of being apathetic. They possess true enthusiasm for their cause. . . I find this rather appealing.”

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Va’eira

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) tells the Jewish people that they are going to be redeemed from their unbearable exile in Egypt. Hashem first uses four descriptions of how He will redeem them- “I will transport you out”, “I will rescue you”, “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you out”. Hashem then uses a fifth description, “I will bring you to the land about which I have raised My hand to give it to Avraham (Abraham), Yitzchak (Isaac), and Yakov (Jacob)”.

2. The Rebbe now discusses the four descriptions of redemption, and the additional fifth:

It is well known that the four descriptions of redemption correspond to the four redemptions that the Jewish people had throughout history, beginning with our redemption from Egypt. Bearing this in mind we can understand that the fifth description corresponds to the final and complete redemption when Moshiach (Messiah) will come and take us out of this exile with the third and final Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple).

The Weekly Sedra – Parshas Shemos

The Rebbe says:

1. During it’s description of the horrible Egyptian exile the Torah says, “They embittered their lives with hard work, with mortar and with bricks…”.

2. The Rebbe analyzes this:

The true life of a Jew is not his physical life, it is his spiritual life. Therefore, when the Torah says that the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Jewish people it must also be referring to their spiritual lives, their true life.

3. The Rebbe now questions this:

The Weekly Sedra – Shemos – What You See Is What You Get

Among the volunteers who visited the thousands of World War II survivors, that were held-up in displaced-persons (DP) camps throughout Germany and Poland, was Rabbi Eliezer Silver.

Disturbed by the man’s solemn indictment of fellow Jews – ravished martyrs of the most dreadful atrocities perpetrated against humanity – Rabbi Eliezer asked if he would please explain what had so badly soured him.

The Weekly Sedra – Vayechi – Is Perception Truly Everything?

A seasoned businessman, who for many years earned his living in the lumber industry, was getting on in age. He decided to turn his business over to his sons, who were more than happy to step in.

An opportunity had one day arisen for the brothers to procure 1,000 trees in a forest, at what seemed like a very fair price. As usual, they sought the skilled guidance of their retired father. After listening to the proposal, the father inquired about three aspects before offering his advice: