Sruly Schnair

ויספר משה לחתנו את כל אשר עשה ד' ... ויאמר יתרו ברוך ד' אשר הציל אתכם

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5783

Moshe told his father-in-law everything that Hashem had done… Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem Who has rescued you.” (18:8,10)

The power that a story has to impact a person cannot be overstated. Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, teaches, “There is nothing that revives the spirit, purifies the heart, deepens the thought, or draws us close to our Father in Heaven more than telling a story (obviously, there is an art to telling a story). Indeed, prior to giving us the mitzvos of the Torah, Hashem preceded it with the story of Creation.” Moshe Rabbeinu employed the effectiveness of a story to inspire Yisro and draw his heart close to Hashem, “Moshe related to his father-in-law all that Hashem had done.”…

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אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5783

I am Hashem, Your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. (20:2)

Kabbalas haTorah, the Giving/Receiving of the Torah, was the crown of Creation. As the Abir Yaakov (Horav Yaakov Abuchatzeira, zl) writes, the purpose of Creation is to recognize Hashem’s Monarchy. It is understandable that the world cannot exist without Torah, which guides us how to serve Hashem. In this sense, the world was not completed until Klal Yisrael received/accepted the Torah on Har Sinai. With this in mind, the Abir Yaakov explains the first pesukim of the Torah: Bereishis bara Elokim, “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth…darkness was on the face of the depths, and the…

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זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5783

Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it. (20:8)

I think the primary essence of Shabbos is to be derived from the word l’kadsho, “to sanctify it.” This does not in any way mean to belittle the importance of zachor, “remember,” the Shabbos. Clearly, one who does not remember, who does not observe Shabbos according to halachah, can hardly sanctify it. The suggestion, however, is that Shabbos observance without focusing on its sanctity, by concentrating on the positive aspects of rest, and how this time should be spent spiritually elevating ourselves, undermines the essence of Shabbos. Shabbos is a day of elevation, of spiritual growth, which is achieved through…

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כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך

Sruly Schnair In Yisro, 5783

Honor your father and mother, so that your days will be lengthened. (20:12)

Every mitzvah is accompanied by halachos, laws, and customs which guide its fulfillment. If one does not adhere to them, the fulfillment of the mitzvah is nullified. Some mitzvos have numerous halachos, while others are simple and basic. The mitzvah of kibbud av v’eim, honoring one’s parents, which is one of the most difficult mitzvos to carry out properly, has a considerable amount of laws and criteria which must be met in order to appropriately execute this mitzvah. Determining what is included in the term kavod, honor, and what is not and who is deserving of honor (i.e. an abusive…

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הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים... למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי אם לא

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5783

Behold! I shall rain down for you food from Heaven… so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not. (16:4)

Heavenly bread, or sustenance from Heaven, was to be the test that determined the faith and trust of the Jew. Would he listen by observing Shabbos, trusting that the amount of food necessary to feed his family would arrive in a timely manner? Would he follow Hashem even if, at the end of the day, he had no food available for the next day? Last, would he now devote all his free time to matters of the spirit – Torah study and mitzvah observance? The test continues to this very day. Some individuals contend that they trust in Hashem; He…

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ויאמר משה אליהם איש אל יותר ממנו עד בקר

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5783

Moshe said to them, “No man may leave over from it until morning.” (16:19)

Chazal (Yoma 76a) teach that enormous amounts of manna descended each day – more than the nation required for a day’s sustenance. By midday, it was all gone. This was part of a Heavenly lesson to the people: Hashem provides for our daily needs – daily. To worry about tomorrow is a shortcoming in our emunah and bitachon, faith and trust, in Hashem. This is the gold standard for which a Jew should aspire. The amount of hishtadlus, endeavoring, that one should expend is correlated with his level and trust in Hashem. The Gaon, zl, m’Vilna, did not go to…

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והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5783

It happened when Moshe raised his hand Yisrael was stronger. (17:11)

Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 29a) ask: “Was it Moshe’s hands that won the battle or lost the battle? Rather (the Torah) teaches you: As long as Klal Yisrael mistaklin k’lapei Maalah, looked Heavenward and subjected their heart to their Father in Heaven – they would prevail. When they did not, however, they would fall.” Horav Yosef Nechemiah Kornitzer, zl, renders Chazal’s statement homiletically. He focuses on one of the most important verities that plays a major role in Klal Yisrael’s merit to achieve success: achdus, unity, harmony among Jews. As long as we are united, fused together with the common goal…

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ואהרן וחור תמכו בידיו

Sruly Schnair In Beshalach, 5783

And Aharon and Chur supported his hands. (17:12)

When Moshe Rabbeinu raised his hands, Klal Yisrael became stronger. However, his hands were becoming heavy. To prevent his hands from descending, Aharon and Chur placed a stone beneath him, so that he could sit, and they supported his hands – one on each side. Horav Moshe Shternbuch, Shlita, observes that Moshe’s two supporters in the war against the evil Amalek were two individuals – his brother, Aharon, and his nephew, Chur, who had disparate natures and approaches toward serving Hashem. Aharon was the consummate ohaiv shalom, v’rodef shalom, loved peace and pursued peace. He was a pacifist who sought…

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ויאמר אליהם... מי ומי ההלכים... ויאמר משה בנערינו ובזקנינו נלך... כי חג ד' לנו

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5783

He (Pharaoh) said to them, “Which ones are going…” Moshe said, “With our youngsters and with our elders we will go… because it is a festival of Hashem for us.” (10:8,9)

Pharaoh finally showed a crack in his armor. He was prepared to allow some Jews to leave, and he was willing to negotiate concerning who may leave and who must remain. Moshe Rabbeinu replied that he had no room for negotiation, no juncture for compromise. They were all leaving. Pharaoh countered, saying that he would allow the adult men to go. Moshe said it was insufficient, “We will go with everyone – from our youngsters to our elders.” They were at an impasse, with Moshe insisting on including the young children and even feeble elders, and Pharaoh contending that this…

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והיתה צעקה גדלה בכל ארץ מצרים אשר כמהו לא נהיתה וכמהו לא תסף

Sruly Schnair In Bo, 5783

There shall be a great outcry in the entire land of Egypt, such as there had never been and such a there shall never be again. (11:6)

Moshe Rabbeinu warned of the impending plague of makkas bechoros, smiting of the firstborn. He added that the cries of grief would supersede any cries that had been and any cries that would ever be. These are strong words coming from the individual who was the medium for the last nine plagues that had devastated Egypt. One would expect that such words would have shaken up the Egyptians to their very core. The Midrash HaGadol, however, relates a dialogue that ensued between an elderly Egyptian woman and Moshe. The woman screamed, “You are a false prophet! An old woman who…

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ויספר משה לחתנו את כל אשר עשה ד' ... ויאמר יתרו ברוך ד' אשר הציל אתכם

Moshe told his father-in-law everything that Hashem had done… Yisro said, “Blessed is Hashem Who has rescued you.” (18:8,10)

אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים

I am Hashem, Your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. (20:2)

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it. (20:8)

כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך

Honor your father and mother, so that your days will be lengthened. (20:12)

הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים... למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי אם לא

Behold! I shall rain down for you food from Heaven… so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not. (16:4)

ויאמר משה אליהם איש אל יותר ממנו עד בקר

Moshe said to them, “No man may leave over from it until morning.” (16:19)

והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל

It happened when Moshe raised his hand Yisrael was stronger. (17:11)

ואהרן וחור תמכו בידיו

And Aharon and Chur supported his hands. (17:12)

ויאמר אליהם... מי ומי ההלכים... ויאמר משה בנערינו ובזקנינו נלך... כי חג ד' לנו

He (Pharaoh) said to them, “Which ones are going…” Moshe said, “With our youngsters and with our elders we will go… because it is a festival of Hashem for us.” (10:8,9)

והיתה צעקה גדלה בכל ארץ מצרים אשר כמהו לא נהיתה וכמהו לא תסף

There shall be a great outcry in the entire land of Egypt, such as there had never been and such a there shall never be again. (11:6)

YEARS

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