Many commentators ask how it is possible to wipe out the memory of a nation when it's name is memoralized so to speak in the Torah.
Divrei Torah
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Parshat Ki Tezei: Dvar Torah by Bob Goldberg
Dvar Torah by Zach Sandman
A focus of this week's parsha is Eretz Yisrael and the land's tremendous blessing...
Parshat Shoftim: Dvar Torah by Moishe Adler
We have all read, on the side-view mirror, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear". Why is this there? So that we know that our vision is being distorted.
Rabbi's Message: Parshat Ki Tavo
For a mitzva that seems to be intended only for farmers living in the Land of Israel during the existence of the Beis HaMikdash, the bringing of the bikkurim, or first fruits, appears to be very important, more important than one might expect.
Rabbi's Message: Parshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech
The normal procedure is that on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh we bless the upcoming month, announce the exact date and time of the molad, which is when the New Moon will be visible in Jerusalem, and let everyone know what day, or days, Rosh Chodesh falls on during the following week.
Rabbi's Message: Rosh HaShana
“Yom teruah yiheyeh lachem”
“It shall be a day of shofar-sounding for you” (Bamidbar 29:1)
The Gemara identifies this verse as the source for the mitzva of tekias shofar on Rosh HaShana.
Rabbi' Message
Rabbi's Message
The month of Tishrei contains four major holidays: Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, and Shemini Atzeres/ Simchas Torah.
Rabbi' Message
Dedicated to NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR HAKOHAN, Z by Jeffrey Katz
Rabbi's Message
Rabbi' Message
Dedicated to NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR HAKOHAN, Z by Jeffrey Katz
This Torah thought is being dedicated to my beloved father NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR Hakohan, Z'L.
Parshat Vayechi- Asarah B'teves- How to Bring Mashiach
This Torah thought is being dedicated to my beloved father, NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR HAKOHAN, Z
By: Josh Prawer
This D'var Torah is dedicated to the memory of my beloved father, Stuart Weinstein, Shmuel ben Yeshaya z
By: Adam Sheps
Parashat Mishpatim
This Torah thought is being dedicated to my beloved father, NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR HAKOHAN, Z
Parashat Vayakhel
By: Ari Mirzoeff, a member of the Yeshiva University's Yismichu Team.
Rabbi' Message
by: Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon - Founder and Board Chairman, JobKatif
This Torah thought is being dedicated to my beloved father NACHMAN SHIMON ben YEHUDA MEIR Hakohan, Z'L.
Dedicated to my beloved father, Nachman Shimon ben Yehuda Meir Hakohan, Z
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to my beloved father Nachman Shimon ben Yehuda Meir Hakohan, Z'L. May it be a merit for his soul.
"Let me now cross and see the good land" (3:25)
Moshe is pleading with Hashem to allow him to cross over the Jordan River and be able to go into the Land of Israel.
However, a question can be asked concerning Moshe's request from the aforementioned verse. Why does Moshe have to say the "good" land as it seems to be superfluous? What is he actually praying for, as hinted to from the adjective "good"?
I would like to propose an original answer, B'ezrat Hashem, as follows: one should never underestimate the tremendous power that evil gossip can have on a person. When the spies returned with an evil report concerning the Land of Israel, its impact was very detrimental. Moshe was essentially praying to rid himself of the evil influence of the spies. He, therefore, prayed to be able to see the "good" in the land of Israel. Moshe understood all too well the power of lashon hara that he himself needed to pray for help in this regard. We can, B'ezrat Hashem, learn a tremendous lesson from Moshe. Not only should a person pray for material matters, but one should also pray for spiritual matters as well. Moshe fervently wished to only see the "good" in the Land, and to purify himself from the deep, negative influences of the spies. The power of words are awesome indeed. However, Moshe sought Divine assistance in this regard. How much more so do we need to pray for help for our spirituality? Moshe feared that the spies had influenced him, and therefore he took an active step towards improving himself by seeking Hashem's help. Perhaps we should take note of this and learn to pray for our own spiritual health as well.Have a good Shabbos.
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to my beloved father Nachman Shimon ben Yehuda Meir Hakohan, Z'L. May it be a merit for his soul.
"This shall be (Eikev) the reward" (7:12)
Rashi comments that when the Torah uses the word 'Eikev', it teaches us that this is referring to the mitzvoth that man usually neglects. Eikev in Hebrew can also mean the heel of a foot, meaning the commandments that a person might "step" on because he considers them to be minor.We find in Genesis 25:26 that Yaakov (Jacob) was named this because he held unto Esau's heal when he emerged from his mother's womb. 'Yaakov' also comes from the Hebrew root 'EIKEV' meaning heel.
A question can be asked: what's the connection between Yaakov's name and the word 'Eikev' found in our verse? I would like to propose the following original answer, B'ezrat Hashem: when Yaakov held on to Esau's heal , he was telling the world that the very things Esau tramples on, modesty, humility, and honesty, are "held" in high esteem by Yaakov. These are the very attributes that Yaakov considered incredibly important! Yaakov knew their real value, and held on to them. Esau, on the other hand, "stepped" on them with his heel. This is precisely where Yaakov has the greatest power over Esau, the manner in which he conducts his life.In Kabbalistic thought, Esau represents the evil inclination. The Jewish People will always be able to defeat Esau as long as they are capable of upholding the attributes Esau tramples on. We are all constantly seeking out methods to conquer that which ails us spiritually, yet here lies the key to our victory. Let us all grasp the very attributes that the Evil inclination abhors, and hold them in high esteem, as our forefather Yaakov had done at the time of his birth. Let us all be more humble , modest, and gracious to our fellow man.
Have a good Shabbos.
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to my beloved father Nachman Shimon ben Yehuda Meir Hakohan, Z'L. May it be a merit for his soul.
"If there be among you a needy man...within any of your gates...you should not harden your heart"(15:7)
Rashi comments that the Torah is teaching us the following: "The poor of your own city have precedence over the poor of another city." A question can be asked: why does the Torah have to teach us that the poor of our city has precedence? Isn't this obvious? Of course a person must first support the poor of his city? They are, after all, his neighbors, the people all around him!
I would like to propose the following original answer, B'ezrat Hashem: it's very possible for a person to overlook the poor of his city due to their familiarity to him. Everything appears so familiar, that even the most obviously needy are overlooked. Yet when a person goes to another city, everything automatically becomes apparent, it's all fresh and new. Therefore, the Torah has to wake us up to the obvious. The poor do exist in your city, just open your eyes to their plight.
However, there also exists a deeper meaning to what the Torah is trying to tell us concerning ourselves. It is very easy for any person to find fault in others, yet at times its extremely difficult to discover faults in ourselves. This is precisely the hidden message the Torah is trying to convey to us. We have to somehow open our eyes to the very things that are keeping us back from reaching our spiritual potential even if these very things are not so obvious to us due to our familiarity with ourselves. Therefore, when the Torah tells us to discover the "poor" of our city, perhaps it might also be referring to finding the "poor" within ourselves, namely the very things that are hampering our spiritual growth.
Have a good shabbos.
This is a dvar torah from R' Yochanan Zweig, Rosh Yeshiva of the Talmudic College of Florida, that I thought was fascinating, and I wanted to share it with you this Shabbos. Enjoy! Good Shabbos.
Avraham was old, well on in years and Hashem blessed Avraham with everything"(24:1)
The Talmud notes that the juxtaposition of the statements "Avraham was old" and "Hashem blessed Avraham with everything" are not coincidental. Until Avraham's time, there was no concept of aging. Since Yitzchak resembled Avraham, whoever wanted to speak to Avraham, spoke to Yitzchak and vice versa. Therefore, Avraham prayed to Hashem to incorporate aging into a person's life span in order to prevent this confusion. Hashem acquiesced to Avraham's request; this is included in Avraham's being blessed with everything.The commentators explain that we find numerous verses in the Torah which show that aging did exist, even prior to Yitzchak's birth, such as "and I am old" and "and Avraham and Sarah were old", "and my master is old" and "both young and old". Some suggest that, although people became old, it was not physically recognizable, and Avraham requested that one's age should be physically discernible.
This answer, however, is difficult to understand. Following the sin of Adam, man's physical existence became finite; the body was doomed to a state of decline. Why would this state of decline not be visible? Additionally, from the verses themselves, we find that age had a visible affect on one's body. Sarah, upon hearing that she would give birth, commented "After I am all wrinkled, should I again have delicate skin?" Clearly, even prior to Avraham's request, aging was visible upon a person.
Perhaps Avraham's request was not related to a person's physical state. What Avraham noticed was that people would speak to him as they would speak to Yitzchak. This meant that no one had an appreciation for the sagacity of old age. Avraham wanted a person to be appreciated for his life experiences. The Talmud states that even non-scholars who are aged, must be respected for the experience that they have endured in their lifetime. It was this appreciation that Avraham requested of Hashem to instill in mankind, to which the verse attests that he was answered: Avraham was old and Hashem had blessed him with everything.
Rabbi's Message
R' Eli Mansour shlita will be speaking in our shul Sunday morning, December 4th, on behalf of the Lakewood Yeshiva. The following is this week's Dvar Torah from his e-mail list. Hope you enjoy & hope you can join us on the morning of Dec. 4th.
Parashat Toledot tells the story of Yaakob’s “purchase” of the birthright from his older twin, Esav. Yaakob was cooking a lentil stew when Esav stormed into the house, famished from a day of hunting. Esav asks Yaakob for some of the food: “Pour into my mouth, if you will, some of this red stuff” (Bereshit 25:30). The Torah adds in this context that Esav was forever more known by the name “Edom” as a result of this incident. The origin of this name, by which the kingdom that emerged from Esav would be called, is this request he made to Yaakob, that he feed him “Min Ha’adom Ha’adom Ha’zeh” – “some of this red stuff.”
The obvious question arises, why was this remark so significant that it became the source of Esav’s name? Why is Esav eternally known for his reference to a lentil stew as “this red stuff”?
To answer this question, let us address a different question: why did Esav refer to the lentils as “this red stuff”? Why did he not simply state, “Give me some of these lentils”?
Seforno (Italy, 16th century) explains that Esav was preoccupied with his hunting to the point of obsession. His mind was so intensely focused on his work in the fields that he paid little attention to anything else. We might say that Esav was the first workaholic. He was obsessed with his work and could not think about or concern himself with anything else. And thus, when he entered the kitchen that day, he did not take the time to notice what Yaakob was making. He saw “red stuff,” and this is what he asked for.
This is why Esav is forever known as “Edom.” His reference to lentils as “this red stuff” reflected his inability to pay attention to matters other than his work in the fields. And this was Esav’s fundamental flaw – he focused exclusively on worldly pursuits, and was thus unable to concern himself with more important and sublime matters.
This is also why Yaakob realized at that moment that he needed to acquire the birthright – the right of religious leadership in the family – from Esav. This status cannot be entrusted with somebody who lives with an obsession for material success. Yaakob thus tells Esav, “Sell me your birthright like this day” (25:31). Yaakob pointed out to Esav that his life was characterized by the quality of “Kayom” – “this day” – living for the moment, for immediate gratification and worldly success, without looking beyond the immediate present to long-term aspirations. Yaakob demanded the birthright because it demanded a broad vision and lofty ambitions, which were completely foreign to Esav.
There is certainly nothing wrong with pursuing a gainful and fulfilling career. To the contrary, we must work to support ourselves and our families; this is our obligation. The problem arises, however, when the career or business takes over one’s life and becomes the totality of his existence. We should work, and work hard, but we must never allow our professional lives to become an obsession, which prevents us from focusing on family and religion. If we are too submerged in our careers to see the “lentils,” and we can take just a quick glance to see “this red stuff,” then we have become like Esav. We must ensure to maintain a proper balance between our professional obligations and the other important areas of our lives, and never allow our work to become our exclusive point of focus.
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to my beloved father Nachman Shimon ben Yehuda Meir Hakohan, Z'L.
".....and he (Jacob) took of the stones of the place and put it under his head.... " (28:11)
When Jacob departed from his father's house, he rested and made a stone "pillow" for himself. Rashi comments that "Jacob made a sort of cape around his head for he was afraid of the wild beasts."A question can be asked as follows: If Jacob was truly afraid of wild beasts why did he only make a protection for his head, he should have tried to also protect his entire body as well?
I would like, B'ezrat Hashem, to propose an original answer. In Genesis chapter 4, we read about the killing of Havel, Abel, by his brother Kayin, Cain. After killing Havel, Kayin requested from G-d that he be protected from the wild animals, so G-d inscribed His Holy Name on Kayin's forehead. It appears that after Kayin killed Havel something drastically changed in Kayin, namely his "Tzelem Elokim" (Man's Divine Image). The animals no longer feared him, and Kayin feared their attack. In other words, Kayin's Tzelem Elokim was diminished as a result of his committing murder against his brother. Yet in regard to Jacob , we find that he left his father's house in order to prevent Esau from committing murder as stated in Genesis 27:41. (Esau intended to kill Jacob regarding the blessings.) We therefore find that Jacob had, in essence, prevented a conflict by departing from his father's house, thereby increasing his Tzelem Elokim by preventing a potential murder. Therefore, Jacob emphasized only his head and not his entire body when protecting himself from wild beasts to point out the fact that he had done just the opposite of Kayin in preventing a murder from happening. The animals would never attack anyone with an "increased" Tzelem Elokim like Jacob had. In reality, Jacob was not protecting his head, but rather he was emphasizing his increased Tzelem Elokim with the stones around his head as a marker of his new state.
Have a good Shabbos.
Dvar Torah
HaShem created the world in parallel structure. Each day of creation can be paired up with another day. The first day, when light was created, can be paired up with the fourth day, when the luminaries were created. The second day, the separation of the skies and seas, is paired with the fifth day, when birds to fly in the sky and fish to swim in the sea were created. The third day, the creation of land and foliage is paired with the sixth day, the creation of animals to live on the land and people to work it. But what about Shabbos? Does Shabbos remain alone, unmatched?
The Midrash in Bereishit Rabba 11:8, explains that Shabbos approached HaShem and asked why that day was not paired with any other. HaShem responded that Shabbos does indeed have a pair—the Jewish people.
This is a beautiful midrash that raises a fundamental question: Why are the Jews and Shabbos so inseparable? What does Shabbos have to do with us? When HaShem rested after the first six days of the world’s existence, there was no Jewish people, no chosen nation. And yet, the Torah teaches that it is an ot, a sign between us and G-d for all time.
To answer this question, it is important to understand an essential characteristic that Benei Yisrael and Shabbos have in common. In the second perek of Sefer Bereishit, we read, “Vayevarech Elokim et yom hashvii, vayekadesh oto.” G-d blessed the seventh day, and made it holy. In Sefer Shemot, 31:13, we read:
“Ach et shabtotai tishmoru, ki ot hi beini u’veineichem l’doroteichem, lada’at ki ani HaShem mikadishchem.”
You must still keep my Sabbaths. It is a sign between Me and you for all generations, to make you realize that I, G-d, am making you holy. So what’s the common denominator of these two pesukim? What is it that the Jews and Shabbos have in common? In the first pasuk, HaShem makes Shabbos holy. In the second pasuk, we observe Shabbos to remind ourselves that HaShem makes us holy. The kedusha of Shabbos comes from HaShem separating Shabbos from the rest of the days. Our kedusha comes from HaShem separating us from the other nations. And because these are the two things HaShem designated as holy, there is perhaps no better pair in all of creation.
Good Shabbos