Episodes

  • Datan and Abiram and the splitting of the sea 5779

    Datan and Abiram and the splitting of the sea 5779
    Feb 7 2025
    Datan and Abiram and the splitting of the sea 5779 This Saturdaynight is our dad’s Yahrzeit. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years. Idrove by the Aventura hospital yesterday and it literally felt like yesterday,pulling in and out of that parking lot at all hours of the day and night, as weall kept him continuous company. On the other hand, we’ve been blessed so muchin these last five years with children, grandchildren, great grandchildren andeven great great grandchildren, ken yirbu, that every minute can be counted. Sowas it yesterday or long ago? Time is so strange. When the rabbistell us that no one feels the loss of a loved one as much as a spouse, one canreally understand what they meant and see how the loss weighs on that spouseeven after so much time passes. Sitting with my mom on Shabbat, we spoke of mydad. Sixteen hour workdays were not unusual for Joe R Bibi, in fact they werethe norm. Between the office, the factory, the synagogue, the school, thesenior citizen’s center, the Torah center and whatever else came his way, hewas a diligent worker, always there to serve and do for others, and nevercomplained about the work load. It really was a seven day job. He worked withhis head, but also worked with his hands, blessed with the ability to repairand fix so many things. They called him a community leader, but he referred tohimself as a community worker toiling on behalf of the kahal, but tremendouslyblessed for having been given the opportunity. He never shied away from lendinghis shoulder to lighten the burdens of others even when the weight of it all wouldhave crushed a normal person. He often scarified on the altar of service of hisown blood, sweat and tears. What wasremarkable is that he was a very powerful person, physically and with apresence, but he never demanded from others and he never demanded from us. Henever pressed us into service verbally. He never told us what to do or requiredthat we join this or that. He did set a model of what it was to volunteer andtaught by example. Eventually each of us in our own way followed that exampleand through us my dad truly lives on. It’s heartwarming to hear people dayafter day share their memories of him and of what it was like to work with himand how inspired they were seeing such dedication and self-sacrifice. On Mondaymorning we were reviewing the reading of the first portion of this week’sPerasha. Many of us are familiar with the verse which tells us that theChildren of Israel went out chamushim which we see also in the book of Joshuameans that they were armed. Many of us are also familiar with Rashi who quotesthat this word indicates a fifth; and that is only a fifth of the people leftEgypt. Four fifth who didn’t want to leave lost their lives during the plagueof darkness. Now although some commentaries vehemently disagree with this, wecan certainly understand why many didn’t want to leave and often expressed adesire to return. With Egyptdecimated, the people realized that there was a country filled with resourcesand supported by the Nile which was ripe for taking over. Crossing into Canaanwas beyond their wildest dreams. How does one find water, food and shelter fortwo million people? Why search for a new land, when they had a land they knewfor the previous two centuries and which could be theirs for the taking? And if we couldimagine leaving anyone behind, who would we leave? Who were the worst two guysfrom the moment Moses first encountered them beating on each other before hehad to flee to Midian? Who were the two who caused trouble time and again inthe desert? Who were the brothers behind each rebellion? And who in factremained behind in Egypt with Pharaoh in the palace while their brothersmarched out of Egypt and sat at the edge of the Red Sea? They were none otherthan Edward G Robinson and Frank DeKova – I mean Datan and Abiram! Week after weekand year after year, in enlightening shiurim, Rabbi Pinchas Friedman, mayHashem bless him, forces us to look atwhat we think we know with very different eyes. We see thatafter the nation has departed Egypt and made a U Turn in the desert, The Torahquotes Pharaoh 14:3 as saying to “ Bnei Yisrael, ‘They are confined in theland; they are closed in by the midbar.” The question is how will Pharaoh be able tosay such a thing to Bnei Yisrael after they have already left his realm and hispresence? Targum Yonatan explains that we are being informed that Pharaoh isaddressing members of Bnei Yisrael who remained behind in Egypt, namely Datanand Abiram. The Machzor BetYisrael for Pesach, presents a fascinating idea in the name of the Midrash.Datan and Abiram originally remained in Mitzrayim with Pharaoh; they were notwith Bnei Yisrael when the sea split for them. Afterwards, however, when theywitnessed the miracle of the splitting of the sea, and how the waters fell backupon the Egyptians, they regretted their ...
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    37 mins
  • Tambourines of Redemption: The Secret War of Miriam and the Women - BESHALACH

    Tambourines of Redemption: The Secret War of Miriam and the Women - BESHALACH
    Feb 4 2025

    We'll focus on the two pesukim which detail the ladies playing musical instruments, singing and dancing and explore the spiritual power of their actions against the strongest of negative forces in the world and based on the Shelah HaKadosh, how we in our lives can battle and overcome those forces as well.

    This class is based primarily on the explanations of the Shvilei Pinchas

    וַתִּקַּח֩
    מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ
    כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃

    Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums.

    וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם
    שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽה֙

    כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה
    בַיָּֽם׃

    And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to HASHEM for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.

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    57 mins
  • Amalek Hamas Written and Oral Instructions- BeShalach

    Amalek Hamas Written and Oral Instructions- BeShalach
    Feb 2 2025
    22 mins
  • Naaseh VeNishma and the order of Tefilin Bo

    Naaseh VeNishma and the order of Tefilin Bo
    Jan 31 2025
    5 mins
  • The Purpose of The Plagues and Darkness - Bo

    The Purpose of The Plagues and Darkness - Bo
    Jan 29 2025
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    54 mins
  • Commitment Rosh Hodesh Shevat and The Tree of Good and Evil

    Commitment Rosh Hodesh Shevat and The Tree of Good and Evil
    Jan 29 2025
    9 mins
  • Always Remember Who Is Really In Charge - Bo

    Always Remember Who Is Really In Charge - Bo
    Jan 27 2025
    וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃ Then יהוה said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them, וּלְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאׇזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּי־אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am יהוה.” The concept of a hardened heart, influenced by Divine intervention, is grappled with by countless commentators and myriad meforshim. After all, how do we reconcile a Divinely hardened heart with free-will? Rashbam- during all the preceding plagues we do not find that G’d had told Moses that it was He Who had stiffened Pharaoh’s heart. However, since we have reached the stage where Pharaoh himself had said that “G’d is just whereas he and his people are the sinners,” (9,27) and still he had reneged and sinned deliberately, a phenomenon which must have seemed incomprehensible to Moses, G’d explains the psychology behind this, i.e. that it was not as hard to understand, as He Himself had to stiffen Pharaoh’s resolve causing him to renege. ואת לב עבדיו, as we are told in 9,34. Ramban . “The reason I hardened their hearts is that I might set in their midst these signs that I wish to do among them so that the Egyptians will know My power, but not in order that I can punish them more on account of this hardening of heart, and also that you and all Israel should recount during the coming generations the power of My deeds, and you shall know that I am the Eternal, and whatsoever I please, I do in heaven and in earth.” Ohr HaChaim G'd means that Moses would realise as of now that He had indeed hardened Pharaoh's heart. Even the most obstinate person would have broken down by now if he had experienced what Pharaoh had endured during the last seven plagues. Only intervention by G'd could have accounted for his continued refusal to let the Israelites depart. G'd did not, of course, interfere outright with Pharaoh's free will; Some explain that Divinity only influenced Pharaoh’s physical resilience, as Hashem did not want to score a definitive knockout in the early rounds. The way my rabbi explained Freedom of choice 50/50 As one increases so must the other Guy comes up to you Knife or gun Money or your life Free choice ? Not really But what if you were a kung fu master. Disarm before he knows Now free choice He has power You have equal The plagues removed free choice Hardening the heart restored it. All in all, the natural order was changed, and the imposition on Pharaoh’s free-will rarely occurs to the rest of humanity. What troubles us, however, is the juxtaposition of Hashem’s request that Moshe once again beseech Pharaoh, followed by the words בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ , “because I will harden his heart.” Aren’t those two separate thoughts? Shouldn’t the command be “go to Pharaoh because I want him to free My people”? From the word flow it seems that Hashem’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was a reason forMoshe to go to Pharaoh. Was it? Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky tells us: Here’s a more dynamic and dramatic way to retell this story verbally, designed to captivate your audience: “Let me tell you a story a friend of mine once shared. Years ago, he visited an amusement park with his family. You know the type—cotton candy in the air, kids running wild, and rides screaming with adrenaline. Among the attractions stood a haunted house. Not your average haunted house, though—this one was legendary. Picture it: pitch black inside, with just enough dim light to catch the gleam of monstrous eyes and grotesque faces. Shadows danced as if they were alive, and eerie sounds echoed from deep within. The kind of place that made your heart pound before you even stepped through the door. Now, outside this terrifying lair, there was a massive warning sign. You know the drill: ‘Not for children under 12.’ ‘Not for those below a certain height.’ ‘Not for anyone with high blood pressure, a weak heart, or, frankly, common sense.’ My friend took one look at that sign and thought, no way was he letting his kids even look at ...
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    7 mins
  • Never Understood the most repeated pasuk in the Torah - VaEra

    Never Understood the most repeated pasuk in the Torah - VaEra
    Jan 26 2025
    From Artscroll on the Malbim https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422610732.html?srsltid=AfmBOops6Qu_nLdJTiU056CFe6pJiPNw3W8aSIdf2QAboWwdtbVDAZlY וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am יהוה. https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.6.2 וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name יהוה. https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.6.3 Until now every time that Hashem spoke to Moshe, the Torah had stated 'vayomer Elokim, 'and God said.' Here, for the very first time, the Torah uses the phrase 'vayedabeir Elokim,' 'and God spoke.' This shift in language, as will be explained, marks the elevation of Moshe's prophetic level from a level that until this point had been comparable to that of the other prophets. From now on, however, Moshe's prophetic experience would begin its ascent to the highest possible level, to that of the 'Prophet of Torah,' level forever distinguishing Moshe from all other prophets. Among the differences between 'dibur' ('speaking') and 'amirah' ('saying') is that dibur refers to the act of speaking, especially to speaking at length,' while amirah refers to the mes-sage, oral or otherwise imparted. When the Torah, therefore, states that 'Hashem spoke (va yedabeir) to Moshe saying (leimor)...,' the term 'va'yedabeir' implies that Hashem spoke to Moshe at length, revealing to him all the Torah's kabbalistic secrets and elaborating upon all the halachic particulars that were to comprise the unwritten, oral tradition. See Menachot 29b, wherein Rabbi Akiva is recorded as having derived 'heaps upon heaps' of Torah laws from every jot and crownlike frill atop the letters in the Torah scroll. 'Leimor,' on the other hand, refers to the exact wording of the statements that Moshe would inscribe in the Torah scroll. The verses of the Torah would serve as the amirah containing — in 'shorthand' form — all the vast information conveyed to Moshe through 'dibur.' Much as in English the phrase giving a 'speech' means to converse at length. Understanding the above helps us understand why the phrase 'Hashem spoke to Moshe saying...' is used only in regard to Moshe, and not in regard to any other prophet. Only Moshe, as the Prophet of the Torah, heard 'dibur,' Hashem actually speaking, fully explaining the Torah's mystical, esoteric secrets as well as all of its complex halachic details. The sole exception, 'And Hashem spoke to Yehoshua saying... (Yehoshua 20:1), does not disprove the rule, because the verses that follow are essentially a repetition of halachos which appear in the Five Books of Moses Communication Amirah is sometimes used in Tanach allegorically, describing for example the nonverbal messages of inanimate objects (e.g., Iyou 38:35; Mishlei 30:16) whereas dibur always refers to actual vocalized speech (Malbim's commentary to Toras Kohanim, Siman 3). Simply put, the phrase 'God spoke to Moshe and said,' is no redundancy. Rather, the verse is pointing out not only what Hashem said to Moshe, but that Hashem said it via 'dibur,' clear and instructive speech. TWO LEVELS OF PROPHECY As we explained in Parashas Vayeitzei, Moshe's elevated level of prophecy is indicated as well in a subtle shift in the verse's verb choice: 'I appeared to Auraham, Yitzchak, and to Yaakou...but My Name, Hashem, was not known to them.' The Zohars contrasts the two verbs used in this verse, 'appearing' as opposed to 'knowing': Hashem 'appeared to them,' a prophetic experience limited by visualization, but 'was not known to them.' Moshe's prophecy, via the 'aspeklaria me'ira,' the 'radiant prism,' brought him to the higher level of knowing, beyond that which any picture can describe. TWO NAMES OF HASHEM Our verse begins by referring to God as 'Elokim' and ends with 'I am Hashem,' which, as the Zohar explains, indicates the elevation of Moshe's prophecy to a new and higher level: The name Elokim signifies God as working within nature through hidden miracles, which had been Hashem' s way of relating to the Jewish People ever since the time of the Patriarchs and until now, The Four-Letter Name of Hashem, the Tetragrammaton, 10 indicates Hashem's essence as totally above and beyond nature, pertorming miracles as novel as the creation of the world itself. This miraculous mode of running altairs was to be Hashem's way of relating to Moshe and to his generation, starting now. Informing Moshe of this new state of affairs served to answer Moshe's question 'why have you done evil to this nation?' (Shemos 5:23). Moshe thought that the redemption from Mitzrayim would come about through hidden miracles in a ...
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    9 mins