MHA-FYOS Dean's Blog

This week’s parasha , Parashat Mishpatim, contains many, many mitzvot – 53, according to the count of the Sefer HaChinuch . The topics covered by these mitzvot include the proper treatment of slaves, the judicial system, the holidays and the prohibition on idolatry. One mitzvah taught in the parasha is the commandment to help unload an animal of burden. The Torah writes, “If you see the donkey of someone you hate crouching under its burden, would you refrain from helping him? – you will help repeatedly with him.” Although the message of the verse is clear – that you are obligated to help unload the burden of an animal – the Torah includes a seemingly extraneous fact — the donkey is owned by someone who you hate. Our sages discuss (Masechet Pesachim 113b) how the Torah can endorse the hatred of one Jew to another. In fact, the Torah explicitly forbids such hatred when it writes, “Do not hate your brother in your heart”. How can these two verses by reconciled? Our Sages explain that such...

The first half of Sefer Shemot – the parshiyot that we have been reading in recent weeks – is filled with descriptions of Hashem’s miracles. A bush that does not burn. Ten plagues. A split sea separated by land dry enough to withstand an escaping nation. The munn . Water from a rock. Hashem’s revelation at Har Sinai. These miracles proclaimed Hashem’s existence and His providence to those who witnessed them and to all future generations. These miracles helped transform the Jewish People from a nation of slaves to an am segula – Hashem’s chosen people. Students often express the following sentiment: Belief in Hashem is so difficult because we cannot experience Hashem directly through our five senses and because His providence is masked - all that happens in this world appears to be the machinations of the laws of nature. It would be so much easier to believe in Hashem if He would perform miracles in our days, as in those! Let us consider this question: why does Hashem not perform open...

The beginning of this week’s parasha, Parashat Ki Tavo, describes the mitzva  of bikkurim – the obligation to bring the first of one’s fruit to Yerushalayim to be given as a gift to the kohen . The Torah enumerates an additional aspect of this commandment – an obligation to be performed immediately after this gift is given – to recite four specific verses that describe the sojourn of our forefather, Jacob, in Egypt and Hashem’s subsequent salvation of the Jewish People. Incidentally, these four verses – and their explication – also serve as the backbone of the maggid section of the Passover seder . In his explanation of this mitzva , the author of the Sefer HaChinuch writes that by making this declaration about Hashem’s kindness to the Jewish People at this time – when he has reaped the produce of his land and Hashem has blessed him with the means to give this gift to the kohen – the farmer reinforces the idea in his own mind that his blessing is the result of Hashem’s handiwork an...

This week’s parasha , Parashat Shoftim, opens with the mitzvah to appoint judges and officers upon the entry of the Jewish People into the Land of Israel. The Torah instructs us to institute courts of varying sizes in different locales. In Yerushalayim, we are to appoint a Sanhedrin – a court of seventy judges and a head of the court – the av beit din . In big cities, we are to appoint courts of twenty-three judges, and in smaller cities, courts of three. The Sefer HaChinuch discusses the root or benefit of this commandment. He explains that these courts, and the officers who support the courts, help acclimate the people to follow the law by instilling a fear of punishment or consequences. Building on this foundation of being accustomed to do that which is good, the people will “teach their natures to do justice and righteousness out of love and out of recognition of the true path”. In other words, promoting society to keep the law is a two-step process: first, the people must adhere t...

This week’s parasha , Bemidbar, recalls the death of two of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. The Torah says, “and Nadav and Avihu died before Hashem because they brought foreign fire before Hashem in the Sinai desert; and they had no children.” The context of the incident of Nadav and Avihu is more fully treated in Sefer VaYikra. Moshe communicates Hashem’s command to Aharon and b’nei yisrael to bring ingredients for four different offerings – a chatat , an olah , a shelamim and a mincha – all for the culmination of the inauguration of the mishkan. All of the respective parties brought the proper ingredients to the mishkan in conformity with Hashem’s command. Moshe then gave Hashem’s next command of what to do with these ingredients – the result of which will be G-d’s glory appearing to the nation. Aharon and b’nei yisrael brought their respective offerings in exact conformity with Hashem’s command. Aharon lifted his hands to the nation and blessed them and then descended from pe...

This past Tuesday, we initiated the Memphis Jewish Community Beis Midrash program held at the Cooper Yeshiva High School. The hour-long program (8:30 to 9:30) for men – which concluded with Ma’ariv at 9:30 – was attended by community rabbis, members and students. Four people deserve particular acknowledgement for their contribution – Rabbi Joel Finkelstein, Rabbi Yedidya Shifrowich, David Katz and David Schlesinger – each of whom led a chabura (learning group). Our next program will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at 8:30 pm. The message below was inspired by the learning David Katz, Yoni Freiden and I did at last Tuesday’s program. In this week’s parasha , Achare Mot, the Torah says, “And any man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that takes in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he will pour out the blood of it, and cover it with dust.” These pesukim present the mitzvah of kisui hadam - covering the blood of chayyot /wild animals (such as dee...

Parashat Bo presents the first mitzvot given to b’nei yisrael as a nation. To this point in our history, individuals had been given individual mitzvot . Adam was given the mitzvah of peru u’revu , to be fruitful and multiply. Avraham was given the mitzvah of berit milah , circumcision. Ya’akov was given the mitzvah of gid hanasheh , not to eat the thigh sinew. In Chapter 12 of this week’s parasha, Hashem commands Moshe and Aharon to speak to the children of Israel and command them regarding rosh chodesh – the Jewish calendar – and korban pesach – the Pesach sacrifice. According to Maimonides’ count, there are thirteen specific commandments related to the Pesach sacrifice, including, to slaughter the sacrifice properly, to eat the sacrifice, to eat the sacrifice only roasted, not to leave leftovers of the sacrifice and nine other related commandments. The mitzvot in this perek were the first mitzvot given to the nation of Israel. They were the first mitzvot that b’nei yisrael experi...

Which mitzvah is greater – Talmud Torah (learning and teaching Torah) or kibbud av v’em (honoring one’s parents)? Our chachamim answer that Talmud Torah is greater and there is an indication of this idea in this week’s parasha .  Paroh and Yaakov Avinu discuss Yaakov’s age. Yaakov tells Paroh that he is 130 years old. In reading through the Torah, the math doesn’t seem correct. We know (through some calculations involving Yishmael) that Yaakov was 63 when he received his father Yitzchak’s blessing. The Torah tells us that once Yaakov arrived to Lavan’s house, it was 14 years until Yosef was born. That would make Yaakov 77. Yosef was 30 when he stood before Paroh – at that time Yaakov would be 107. Subsequently, there were seven plentiful years and two years of scarcity. Yaakov would be 116. But Yaakov told Paroh that he was 130 years old! What happened to the missing 14 years? Our chachamim teach us that between leaving his father’s house and arriving to Lavan, Yaakov spent 1...