Torah Tidbits
SH'MOT Spiritual Time Management
The two old men couldn’t have been more different from each other. Yet they both taught me the identical life lesson.
The first, a cagey old Irishman, was one of my mentors in the post- graduate psychotherapy training program in which I was enrolled many years ago. He wrote quite a few books in his day, but they are all out of print now and nearly forgotten, like so many other wise writings
The other was an aged Rabbi, several of whose Yiddish discourses I was privileged to hear in person. He was but moderately famous in his lifetime, but is much more well- known nowadays because of the popularity of his posthumously published writings.
SH'MOT Spiritual Time Management
The two old men couldn’t have been more different from each other. Yet they both taught me the identical life lesson.
The first, a cagey old Irishman, was one of my mentors in the post- graduate psychotherapy training program in which I was enrolled many years ago. He wrote quite a few books in his day, but they are all out of print now and nearly forgotten, like so many other wise writings
The other was an aged Rabbi, several of whose Yiddish discourses I was privileged to hear in person. He was but moderately famous in his lifetime, but is much more well- known nowadays because of the popularity of his posthumously published writings.
Supervision - Who are the Supervisors
Last week we started speaking about the practicalities of supervision and showed that it is quite difficult to have constant direct supervision and still not disturb the normal working of the fertility unit and laboratory.
This is connected to how we choose our supervisors. We are often approached by nurses, biologists or other medical professionals who are seeking to become supervisors. While we do not reject such people out of hand, we do not actively seek someone with any sort of science or medical background. The reason for this is that sometimes these people know too much about medical procedures and laboratory techniques and they may have the urge or the tendency to suggest different practices to the embryologists. This is not the specifications of the job of the supervisor, who is to oversee the procedure and not interfere even if she is convinced that she can offer good sound advice.
The Women in Sh'mot
The media is wasting their time searching out episodes of “Hadrat nashim” to expose in order to make Judaism and those who want to uphold it look bad. In actuality, Judaism holds women in very high regard. Although there may be fewer women mentioned by name in the Bible, the ones who are enumerated have very important roles.
Let us take this week’s portion for example. In his introduction to his commentary, Covenant & Conversation, a weekly reading of the Jewish Bible published by Maggid and OU press, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks discusses the development of Moshe, the leader. He points out that Moshe was brought up in the royal house and does not experience slavery, he spends most of his adulthood far away as a shepherd in Midyan and he repeats that he is “not a man of words,” reminding us that the words that Moshe will speak are not his own but are the words of Hashem.
Parsha Points to Ponder
1) Why does it say WHO ARE COMING TO EGYPT in reference to the Jewish people who already came to Egypt a long time ago (1:1)?
2) Why does the daughter of Par’o name the baby MOSHE which means DRAWING OUT in the present and not MASHUI which means THE ONE WHO WAS DRAWN OUT in the past (2:10)?
3) Why does G-D say GO AND I WILL SEND YOU TO PA’RO (3:10)? Once he has instructed Moshe to go, of course He is sending him!
CHIZUK-and-IDUD-for-Olim-not-yet-Olim-respectively
Rashi conveys important messages, not only by what he writes but also by what he does not write. Rashi at times chooses to remain silent in one place and then clarify in another one so that where he writes a commentary it is significant.
In Parshat Shmot, Hashem reveals Himself to Moshe at the Burning Bush. He assures Moshe, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people that is in Egypt “I shall descend to rescue it from the hand of Egypt and to bring it up from that land, to a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:8). This is the first time the land is described in the way that Hashem has chosen for it “eretz zavat chalav udvash.” This will appear another fourteen times in Torah. In fact the second time it appears is also here at the Sneh. “And I have said I shall bring you up from the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite etc. to a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:17). Yet Rashi maintains silence and does not explain its meaning. Only at the end of Parshat Bo, “Today you are leaving in the month of spring. And it shall come to pass when Hashem shall bring you to the land of the Canaanite” that He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey…” (5:31) Here, finally Rashi says, “Milk flows from the goats and honey flows from the dates and figs.” Well, why does Rashi wait till now? Why not explain it the very first time it appears in Torah? Obviously by choosing to wait and by selecting this particular posuk, Rashi wants to teach us something important. Moshe Rabeinu understood that as long as the people are enslaved in Egypt they will be incapable of appreciating the Divine description of a land that is bountiful, fruitful, verdant, and blessed with abundance.
Vebbe Rebbe
Question: I have heard that if one spills red wine on a tablecloth, it is good to put salt on it to absorb the wine. Is that permitted on Shabbat, since the salt is only absorbing, not cleaning?
Published January 12, 2012"V'EILU SHMOT" - WHAT'S IN A NAME? [1]. by Dr. Meir Tamari
“‘Everything that Adam names for himself, that is its name’ (B’reishit 2:19). Not only the animals, beasts, fish and birds did Adam name but even the flowers and the countries and the trees” (Midrash HaGadol). “G-d sees things objectively as they truly are but Man gives things their names, their shem, their place in the world subjectively. This subjectivity means that his knowledge is not really the whole truth, nevertheless, ‘zeh shmo’, it is its name, so that it does contain that certain, if limited, truth, which is sufficient for him to fulfill his mission on earth” (S. R. Hirsch).
God created everything but then Adam gave them their individual names, their specific essence and their special distinguishing characteristics, that which underlies, forms and gives purpose to their very existence. This applies to individuals and to nations alike, so names are not only for identification but are also the very soul and essence of identities; we minimize these when we give them nicknames, and dehumanize them when they are given numbers instead of names.
Lesson # 578 Pit Damage (cont.)
Previously it was stated that we would discuss the extent of liability of the digger of the pit.
Reuven, the digger of the pit is liable if the pit causes the death of an animal during any time of the day or night, if the animal that falls into the pit is young, or if a deaf-mute, witless or blind person falls into the pit. Reuven is also liable if a normal grown animal falls into the pit at night. Since it is dark at night, the animal does not see the pit. However, if a normal grown animal falls into the pit by day and is killed, Reuven is exempt from payment. Grown animals usually see obstacles and avoid them. If any animal is injured (as distinguished from being killed) by falling into the pit, Reuven is liable, irrespective of whether it is day or night.
Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary
Kohen - First Aliya 17 p’sukim - 1:1-17
[P> 1:1 (7)] Sh’mot begins with the conjunctive VAV to link the birth of the Jewish Nation to the foundation laid by the Patriarchs and “Sh’vatim” in B’reishit. The sons of Yaakov are lovingly enumerated again. The starting number of “70” is repeated to impress upon us the tremendous growth of the people even (or especially) under Egyptian oppression, as described in the p’sukim.
SDT: The opening words of the sedra and book of Shmot - V’EILEH SH’MOT - form the initial letters of
(V’chayav Adam Lilmod Sh’nayim Mikra V’echad Targum) - And a person is obligated to review the Torah text twice and another time in translation. Baal HaTurim extends this acronym to the next two words. His whole statement is: “One who learns the sedra 2+1, singing it pleasantly, shall merit long life.”
SDT: The final letters (sofei teivot) of the opening words rearrange to spell the word T’HILIM. When the People of Israel are in trouble (a play-on-words on Egypt - MITZRAYIM - MEITZARIM), they shall use T’hilim to help them focus their prayers to G-d, thereby meriting redemption.
SDT: Our first exile was associated with the number 70, the number associated with the members of Yaakov’s family who went down to Egypt. The exile following the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash lasted 70 years. The termination of the final exile will be associated with our dominance over, or recognition and respect by the “70 nations” of the world.
[P> 1:8 (15)] A new king “who does not know Yosef” considers the Jewish people a threat and takes measures to enslave and demoralize them.
Ironically, he is the first one to refer to us as a nation - “Am Bnei Yisrael”. Sometimes it is our enemies who recognize who and what we really are. Par’o called us the Jewish Nation even before we felt that and knew that ourselves.
The Gemara tells us of a dispute between Rav and Shmuel as to whether this is really a new king or the same one with new attitudes and decrees. This dispute impacts on a practical halachic issue. If a person sells something as “new” and it was old but renewed (refurbished, renovated, reconditioned), can the buyer claim “false pretenses”. Depends on the definition of NEW.
He instructs the midwives to kill the baby boys at birth to prevent the development of his “potential enemies” (and to kill off the potential redeemer of the People). They refuse to do his bidding and save the lives of the boys.
SH'MOT Stats
SH’MOT Stats
13th of the 54 sedras;
1st of 11 in Sh’mot
Written on 215.2 lines in a Torah; rank: 18th
7 parshiot; 6 open, 1 closed
124 p’sukim - 15th (tied w/Emor) (Shmot: 2nd)
1763 words - 14th (Emor: 22nd) (Shmot: 2nd)
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