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ארור מכה רעהו בסתר

Accursed is one who strikes his fellow stealthily. (27:24)

Rashi interprets this prohibition as reference to speaking lashon hora, slanderous speech. We do not realize the serious consequences which result from lashon hora. While it is true that refraining from speaking what comes to mind can be difficult, when we realize that the Torah considers it a hakaah, tantamount to striking someone – which most of us would never do – it might serve as a deterrent. We might say or even allude to something ethically or morally negative about someone. This statement might be overheard by someone who conveys the comment to others who embellish it. By the…

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וענית ואמרת... ארמי אבד אבי... וירעו אותנו המצרים ויענונו... ושמחת בכל הטוב

Then you shall call out and say… “An Aramean tried to destroy my forefather… the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us…” You shall rejoice with all the goodness. (26:5,6,11)

I met someone the other day who a number of years ago had been at the brink of bankruptcy. His financial profile was in such serious straits that, at one point, he could not afford food on the table. Hashem blessed him, and he flowered exponentially; today, he is a very successful, wealthy man. We began talking about “old times,” and the topic of his not so recent past came up. When I alluded to how far he had come, he practically became indignant and said, “We do not talk about those times. What was – was, and it is…

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ובאת אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך כי באתי אל הארץ

You shall come to whoever will be the Kohen in those days, and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land.” (26:3)

Once Eretz Yisrael was conquered and allocated among the tribes, the farmers were able to take their first ripened fruit to the Sanctuary and present them to the Kohen in a ritual which included a moving declaration of gratitude to Hashem. Hakoras hatov, gratitude, is one of the most basic middos tovos, positive character traits, without which one is not a mentch, decent human being. Only a person who is a makir tov, one who recognizes and appreciates the good which he receives from others, has a chance of achieving shleimus, perfection, in his relationship with Hashem. One who does…

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כי לא דבר רק היא מכם כי הוא חייכם

For it is not an empty thing for you; for it is your life. (32:47)

When the Torah writes that the Torah is the life source of the Jew, it is not meant to be a cliché. It means exactly what it says. A parent may often tell a child, “You are my life,” but, despite the enormous amount of affection the parent seeks to convey with this statement, the parent’s life and existence is not contingent upon the child. Not so the Torah, which is perfectly exacting in everything it says. If the pasuk says that Torah is our life – then it is the entire source of our existence. Without Torah, we are…

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זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור...כי חלק ד' עמו יעקב חבל נחלתו

Remember the world history, study the generational epochs…Because (of) Hashem’s His People, Yaakov the cable of his heritage. (32:7,9)

One would conjecture that the notion that the Jewish People have a unique relationship with Hashem, that Yaakov and his descendants represent chevel nachalaso, the cable of His heritage, is a matter of emunah, faith. As Jews, we believe from our very entrance into cogency that Hashem has chosen us and that we are different as a result of this Divine selection. Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl, posits that the pasuk is teaching us otherwise. Our extraordinary relationship with Hashem is not a matter of faith; rather it is a matter of history. If we peruse the annals of history, we…

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קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא

A G-d of faithfulness without injustices; He is righteous and upright. (32:4)

Our inability to see beyond the parameters of our eyesight is the reason that people have questions concerning the manner in which Hashem guides the world. As human beings we have limited eyesight, and, our ability to understand His ways is, likewise, stunted. We understand neither why bad things happen to good people, nor who really is good and who is not. For that matter, can we really define good things? The following story regarding the birth of Rav Aharon Karliner, zl, founder of the Karlin-Stolin dynasty, should engender a good feeling within us, especially on this, the first Shabbos…

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הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט

The Rock! His works are flawless, for all His ways are just. (32:4)

People go through life living a dream – a dream that allows them to believe that they can get away with what they wish. They are granted free will, so that they may choose whatever lifestyle suits their fancy. They even begin to think that Hashem does not frown upon what they do. Proof positive is that nothing happens to them. No bolt of lightning strikes them when they bite into a succulent portion of non-kosher food. They blatantly desecrate the holy Shabbos – seemingly with impunity. If Hashem really cares, why does He not do something about it? Apparently,…

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האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And may the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass. (32:1,2)

Horav Yaakov Moshe Charlop, zl, observes the reality of two students of the same ability and similar qualities entering a yeshivah program; they remain in the yeshivah the same length of time, both studying diligently. Yet, one emerges as a gadol b’Yisrael, Torah giant, while the other one leaves as a learned Jew, fully proficient in Torah erudition, but does not achieve gadlus, greatness, in Torah. What is the difference between them? The rav explains that it is all dependent upon one’s ability to attend. The more attention one pays to a subject, the more he throws himself into a…

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ויצא בן אשה ישראלית והוא בן איש מצרי... וינצו במחנה בן הישראלית ואיש הישראלי ויקב בן האשה הישראלית את השם

The son of a Yisraelite woman went out – and he was the son of an Egyptian man… they fought in the camp, the son of the Yisraelite woman and Yisraelite man. The son of the Yisraelite woman pronounced the Name and blasphemed. (24:10,11)

Rarely do we see such an explosion of un-Jewish depravity as evinced by the blasphemer. Indeed, had his mother not been the only Jewish woman to have committed her own act of transgression with the Egyptian, this blasphemy would not have occurred. The mother planted the seed of infamy; the son executed his ignoble heritage that became his mother’s legacy to him. Indeed, the mother’s name is recorded for posterity in the Torah only after her son sinned. Parents must realize that, while they may ignore the personal ramifications of their ignominious behavior, they cannot disregard its effect on their…

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ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל

You shall not desecrate My Holy Name; and I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

The above pasuk is the source of the mitzvah of Kiddush Shem Shomayim, enjoinment to sanctify Hashem’s Name. This mitzvah applies to all Jews – not simply a select few. Our willingness to sanctify His Name is the determining factor in measuring our level of commitment and faith. If this is the case – and if Kiddush Hashem is of such overriding significance – why does the Torah not write it in a more “commandment like” vernacular, such as, “Sanctify My Name!” Instead, the Torah presents it in such a manner as to be describing an unrelated future event that…

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