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הנני ממטיר כעת מחר ברד כבד מאד... ועתה שלח העז את מקנך ואת כל אשר לך בשדה ...הירא את דבר ד'... הנים את עבדו ואת מקנהו אל הבתים

Sruly Schnair
In Vaeira, 5784

Behold, at this time tomorrow I shall rain a very heavy hail… And now send, gather in your livestock and everything that you have in the field…. Whoever among the servants of Pharaoh feared the word of Hashem chased his servants and livestock into the house. (9:18,19,20)

Egypt is a country where rain is rare and hail is virtually a climate phenomenon that does not occur. Thus, the plague of barad, hail, was unusual in that it would be a first for Egypt. Moshe’s warning was unique, in that he told Pharaoh the exact time at which the plague would commence and warned him to inform his slaves to take cover in order to protect themselves and their property. The Torah commends those Egyptians who listened, referring to them as G-d-fearing. The plague of barad and the entire format of its descent onto the land of Egypt…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5784

ותיראן המילדות את האלקים ולא עשו כאשר דבר אליהן מלך מצרים

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Shemos

But the midwives feared Hashem, and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them. (1:17)

Leadership has its challenges, and, unless one is strong and persistent, he will fail. Humility should be intrinsic to every leader’s character. When one assumes that he is infallible, he is unaware of his tragic flaw. One who is aware of his faults, who understands his imperfections, will work on them, seeking every avenue to correct his shortcomings. Nonetheless, a position of leadership demands tremendous self-confidence. In some instances, humility comes into play, especially when the leader feels inadequate for the position. Sometimes, one is compelled to adopt a role for which he may not feel entirely suited. This may…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5784

ויפן כה וכה... ויך את המצרי ויטמנהו בחול

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Shemos

He turned this way and that… so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (2:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu felt that this Egyptian had perpetrated a grave injustice. As such, he took the initiative and punished him. Shortly after the passing of the Chazon Ish, who was the preeminent Torah giant of his generation, Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, zl, Rosh Yeshivas Telshe, was maspid, eulogized him, in Cleveland. Sadly, only a small group of lay people attended the Rosh Yeshivah’s hesped. Rav Eliyahu Meir felt strongly and took umbrage over the fact that they chose not to pay their respects to the memory of the gadol hador. He felt this was a chillul Hashem, desecration of Hashem’s…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5784

ויאמר כי אהיה עמך וזה לך האות כי אנכי שלחתיך

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Shemos

And He said, “For I shall be with you, and this is your sign that I have sent you.” (3:12)

Moshe Rabbeinu claimed that he was unworthy to lead the Jews out of Egypt. Hashem countered that he was worthy of great things. He gave him a sign. What was that sign? The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that Hashem intimated, “You ask what is the sign? The mere fact, Ki Anochi shilachticha, that I have sent you, is your greatest sign. For had you not have been worthy, I would not have sent you! So what room do you have for the concern regarding your worthiness?” Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, applies the words of the Ohr HaChaim to assuage the…

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Home -> Shemos -> 5784

ויקח משה את אשתו ואת בניו וירכיבם על החמור וישב ארצה מצרים

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Shemos

So, Moshe took his wife and sons, mounted them on the donkey and returned to the land of Egypt. (4:20)

Rashi teaches that this was no ordinary donkey. It was the donkey that Avraham Avinu saddled for the Akeidas, Binding, of Yitzchak. It is also the donkey that Moshiach Tziddkeinu is destined to be revealed upon, as the pasuk in Zecharyah (9:9) says, Ani v’rocheiv al ha’chamor, “A humble man riding on a donkey.” What is Rashi teaching us? What is to be gleaned from the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu’s donkey was none other than the same donkey that Avraham saddled to go to the Akeidah? Horav Chaim Stein, zl, explains that we should understand this in the context of…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5784

ויחי יעקב בארץ מצרים שבע עשרה שנה

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Vayechi

Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. (47:28)

After (what seemed to be) a life of difficulty, Yaakov Avinu arrived in Egypt to spend the last seventeen years of his mortal existence. The tranquility, joy and harmony that he enjoyed in some way ameliorated what he had endured in the past. While there can be no tradeoff for the pain and sorrow that our Patriarch experienced, we do know that the last seventeen years of his life were reasonably calm and filled with nachas. Chazal (Talmud Yerushalmi, Kesubos 65b, Bereishis Rabbah 96:5) teach that Yaakov Avinu and Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi were intrinsically joined. This matter was not unknown…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5784

ועשית עמדי חסד ואמת אל נא תקבריני במצרים

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Vayechi

And do kindness and truth with me – please do not bury me in Egypt. (47:29)

Chesed shel emes, true kindness, or kindness of truth, is a fundamental concept in Jewish life. It underscores the importance of performing acts of lovingkindness for others for the sake of “kindness,” for Heaven’s sake, and not for any form of remuneration. For the most part, it pertains to the compassion and respect inherent in preparing the deceased for burial. The Chevra Kaddisha, Jewish Sacred Society, is charged with seeing to it that every Jew is accorded a proper and dignified burial. Chesed shel emes highlights the selfless and unconditional love that one should exhibit towards others – at all…

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Home -> Vayechi -> 5784

ברכת אביך גברו על ברכת הורי... תהיין לראש יוסף

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Vayechi

The blessings of your father surpassed the blessings of my parents… Let them be upon Yosef’s head. (49:26)

When Yaakov Avinu blessed his sons, he gave an extra blessing to Yosef. Rashi translates Gavru al Bircas horai, “The blessing of your father gavru, surpassed, the blessings of my father.” This means that the blessings that Yaakov received from Hashem surpassed the blessings he received from his father. These should rest upon Yosef. Targum Onkelos translate gavru as “in addition.” This means that all the blessings – Yaakov’s father and those of Hashem, should all come to fruition in Yosef. This was the Patriarch’s way of saying that all the blessings will rest upon the head of he who…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5784

ויפל על צוארי בנימין אחיו ויבך ובנימין בכה על צואריו

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Vayigash

Then he fell upon his brother Binyamin’s neck and wept; and Binyamin wept upon his neck. (45:15)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10) comment that the Yosef/Binyamin reunion, accompanied by copious weeping, was much more profound than two brothers simply reconnecting after many years. Their weeping was not just an expression of joy mixed with sadness. Their weeping was not personal. They wept over: the destruction of the Batei Mikdash that would stand in Binyamin’s portion of Yerushalayim, and Mishkan Shiloh which was situated in the portion of Efraim, son of Yosef. This is a momentous commentary concerning the elevated level of sensitivity which each of these two brothers demonstrated. They were distinct from the rest of their family,…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5784

ויסע ישראל וכל אשר לו ויבא בארה שבע

Sruly Schnair
In 5784, Vayigash

So Yisrael set out with all that he had and he came to Beer Sheva. (46:1)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 94:4) explain that Yaakov Avinu went to Beer Sheva to cut down cedar trees which his grandfather, Avraham Avinu, had planted there. Apparently, Avraham knew that the karshei haMishkan, bars that comprised the walls of the Mishkan, would be made of wood. He planted in preparation for that auspicious day. Knowing that he would die in Egypt and that his descendants would build a Sanctuary in the wilderness, Yaakov, therefore, went to cut these trees (and transplanted them in Egypt), so that, when his descendants would leave, they would take the trees along with them. This is…

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