5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

And so ends the Torah. Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader of Klal Yisrael dies, and nothing is known of his grave. We have no place to go to say Tehillim. What is left over from Moshe? With what do we memorialize him? His glory for all time is “van vag rat,” “that which Moshe performed.” The memory of Moshe is his achievement. The things that he did, his great accomplishment, that is his greatest glory. We respect the dead–but we venerate the living. By not revealing the site of Moshe’s grave, the Torah implies the significance of his life. Horav…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

Rashi explains that this refers to Moshe’s initiative to shatter the Luchos right before Klal Yisrael’s eyes. Moshe saw that the people were not ready to accept the Luchos at this point. They had compromised their faith. The Luchos cannot be given on compromise. One must make his whole-hearted commitment to Hashem and trust that He will be present for him at all times. We do not reject Hashem and look for new gods just because, in our minds, Moshe is a little bit late. Thus, Moshe shattered the Luchos for all to see. Horav Chaim Mordechai Katz, zl, was…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

Never again has there arisen in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe. (34:10)

Moshe Rabbeinu was the quintessential teacher and prophet. The quality of his prophecy was unsurpassed. His leadership and guidance through Klal Yisrael’s infancy as a nation molded its character. Veritably, no one can ever achieve the level of spiritual stature that Moshe realized. The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah 5:2 writes, “One should never think that Hashem predetermines the spiritual direction one will take, whether he will be evil or righteous.” This is categorically not true. Indeed, every person has within himself to be a tzaddik as Moshe or a rasha as Yaravam”. Rambam’s statement demands elucidation. While undoubtedly the Torah…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

From His right hand He presented a fiery Torah to them. (33:2)

Rashi explains that Hashem presented the Torah to Klal Yisrael accompanied by a display of fire and lightning. The Sifri infers from this pasuk that Torah is analogous to fire. The nature of fire is such that if a man draws too close to it, he will be burnt. If he moves too far away, he will be cold. Similarly, a man can warm himself against the fire which emanates from talmidei chachamim. We live in a cold, uncaring world. To exist, we need the warmth of the Torah as our spiritual leaders teach it to us. In order to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

It did not take long for Pharaoh to beg Moshe to implore Hashem to put a halt to the swarms of frogs that were literally infesting his entire country. Moshe prayed to Hashem and the frogs all died. Chazal tell us that the frogs who had entered the ovens miraculously did not die, either in the oven or afterwards! We may question the remarkable reward received by the frogs. After all, if they were commanded by Hashem to enter the ovens, where else should they have gone? A similar question may be asked regarding Chazal’s statement in the Talmud Pesachim…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, take your staff and stretch out your hand.” (7:19)

Moshe Rabbeinu initiated the last seven makos, plagues, while Hashem told Aharon to strike the river and the earth for the first three plagues. Chazal attribute Aharon’s designation to the fact that the river and the earth protected Moshe. He was placed in the river as an infant to be concealed from the Egyptians, and later the earth covered the Egyptian that he had killed. Moshe benefited from two inanimate objects. Therefore, he must demonstrate his gratitude. This seems to be excessive. The middah of hakoras tov, appreciation, is one of the mainstays of character development, but is it necessary…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

The Torah employs arba leshonos shel geulah, four expressions of redemption, which allude to the distinct stages of the Jews’ liberation from the Egyptian exile. Horav Gedalyah Shorr, z”l, posits that the four expressions relate as equally to the individual as they do to the entire nation. Every person experienced his own personal redemption from the Egyptian culture. Every individual must liberate himself from the shackles of his own enslavement to the yetzer hora, evil inclination. He cites the Sfas Emes, who says that these expressions coincide with the four elements which comprise man: fire, water, wind and dust. The…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

Moreover, I have heard the groans of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves. (6:5)

Upon reading the text, one would think that the use of the word “Ani“, “I (heard)” indicates that it was only Hashem who heard Bnei Yisrael cry. If they had been groaning, why was it only Hashem who heard? The Noam Elimelech explains that the groaning essentially had three manifestations. The first type of cry emanated from the common Jew who had been subjected to back-breaking labor, to the affliction of the Egyptains throwing their baby boys into the Nile River. While most of the people cried over the demeaning and cruel slavery to which they were subjected, there were…

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And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

Never again has there arisen in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe. (34:10)

From His right hand He presented a fiery Torah to them. (33:2)

And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, take your staff and stretch out your hand.” (7:19)

I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm…I shall take you to Me for a People. (6:6,7)

Moreover, I have heard the groans of Bnei Yisrael whom Egypt enslaves. (6:5)

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