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Home -> Vayechi -> 5778

שמעון ולוי אחים כלי חמס מכרתיהם ... ארור אפם כי עז ועברתם כי קשתה

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayechi

Shimon and Levi are brothers; their weaponry is a stolen trade…Cursed is their wrath for it is intense and their age for it is harsh. (49:5,6)

The greatest blessing a parent (or anyone, for that matter) can confer upon a child is to tell him the truth about himself. If the subject of the blessing suffers from a shortcoming, his/her parent should note it and advise him/her about how to address the issues arising from this failing. Some parents and mentors shy away from relating the truth for fear of a negative reaction. This alone is proof that something is very wrong and should be addressed. Yaakov Avinu showed us the way, as he admonished his sons while he blessed them. After all, what value can…

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Home -> Vayigash -> 5778

לינו את השנה הזאת לטובה

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayigash

Bareich aleinu…es ha’shanah ha’zos…l’tovah. Bless on our behalf… this year… for the best.

Obviously, Hashem blesses the year for the “best.” Otherwise, what kind of blessing is it? The word l’tovah is seemingly superfluous. Siach Yitzchak explains that it happens, at times, that the produce is blessed with a high yield, but, regrettably, a shortage of money precludes customers from purchasing their needs. Indeed, it is worse when produce is selling at a low price, but the buyer has no cash, than when the opposite is in effect (the person has money, but there is no produce to be found). We pray to Hashem that food should be available and that people have…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

אין שר בית הסהר ראה את כל מאומה בידו באשר ד' אתו

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

The prison warden did not scrutinize anything that was in his charge inasmuch as Hashem was with him. (39:23)

Prison is not a happy place. It is usually reserved for the dregs of society. Many are there because they were unable to defend themselves against the prevailing circumstantial evidence. Others just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yosef was accused of a crime which he did not commit, but, in Egypt, as in most countries, this does not prevent the ruling class from disposing one into a system where he is lost – often forever. Yosef was admired and revered by the warden, as well as by the prisoners. They saw that something was…

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Home -> Vayeishev -> 5778

יוסף ... היה רעה את אחיו בצאן

Roberto Szerer
In 5778, Vayeishev

Yosef … was a shepherd with his brothers by the flock. (37:2)

As parents, we have an awesome responsibility to infuse our children with proper middos, character traits, coupled with yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, and an abiding commitment to Torah study and mitzvah performance. As parents, we are our children’s first and primary mentors. The rebbeim and moros that we choose for them are a reflection of our standards. Last, the joy in mitzvah observance that we present will have a lasting impression upon our children as they journey forward in the world. Horav Nissim Yagen, zl, relates the story of two American families who, on the outside, maintained similar lifestyles,…

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Home -> 5778 -> Vayishlach

ברך עלינו ד' אלקינו את השנה הזאת

Roberto Szerer
In Vayishlach, 5778

Bareich Aleinu Hashem Elokeinu es ha’shanah ha’zos. Bless us Hashem, our G-d, this year.

A year is 365 days long. We say this prayer thrice daily all year. What about the end of the year? Is the prayer still as meaningful? Once, prior to Minchah on Erev Rosh Hashanah, the very last tefillah, prayer, of the year, the holy Horav Sholom, zl, m’Belz, was surrounded by his chassidim, as they prepared to conclude the past year. He said, “We are now about to recite the last Minchah of the year. Yet, we ask Hashem to bless ‘this year.’ What does this mean? In mere minutes this year will conclude. How can we ask Hashem…

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Home -> 5778 -> Vayeitzei

כי אתה ידעת את עבדתי אשר עבדתיך

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

For you are aware of my service that I labored for you. 30:26)

Imagine in today’s day and age, a man working for fourteen years – day and night – exposed to the elements – not for money to provide his family – but for the right to have a family! Yaakov Avinu slaved for fourteen years – not to provide for his family – but just so that he could marry Lavan’s two daughters, who came to the table without any dowry. Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, observes that those fourteen years serve as the bedrock, the foundation, upon which the national existence and family life of the House of Yaakov are rooted….

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Home -> 5778 -> Vayeitzei

וישא את קלו ויבך

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

And he raised his voice and wept. (29:11)

Yaakov Avinu wept when he met Rachel Imeinu. He meets the girl that he is going to marry, the wife with whom he is destined to build Klal Yisrael, and he cries. One would expect a somewhat different reaction. Rashi offers two reasons for our Patriarch’s anomalous reaction. First, Yaakov saw b’Ruach ha’Kodesh, through Divine Inspiration, that Rachel would not be buried near him. Why was Yaakov Divinely inspired at this moment? Was there no other time for Yaakov to see b’ruach ha’kodesh that he would not be buried with Rachel? Second, Rashi offers a reason for Rachel’s loss of…

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Home -> 5778 -> Toldos

יעקב איש תם ישב אהלים

Roberto Szerer
In Toldos, 5778

But Yaakov was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. (25:27)

Rashi explains that a tam is wholesome, a person who is not adept at deceiving. Thus, Yaakov Avinu is called a tam, because he did not deceive. Deception went against his grain. We find, however, in the following parshah, when Yaakov meets Rachel Imeinu, Va’yaged Yaakov l’Rachel ki achi avihah hu, “And Yaakov told Rachel that he was her father’s brother” (Bereishis 29:12). Rashi clarifies this statement, quoting the Midrash, “If he (Eisav) comes for deceit, I, too, am his brother in deceit; but, if he is a decent person, I am also the son of Rivkah, his decent sister.”…

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Home -> 5778 -> Toldos

ויעתר יצחק לד' לנכח אשתו כי עקרה היא

Roberto Szerer
In Toldos, 5778

Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren. (25:21)

We are accustomed to mentioning the Avos and Imahos, Patriarchs and Matriarchs, in one breath, as if they were all the same. When we stop to think, we recognize that there was one area in which they were not all the same. It appears at first glance that Avraham Avinu was not an akar, sterile man, since he fathered Yishmael. This is questionable from the pasuk in Bereishis 15:2, “What can You give me, seeing that I go childless?” Later in 16:5, however, Sarah Imeinu says to Avraham, “The outrage against me is due to you!” Rashi explains that Sarah…

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Home -> 5778 -> Vayeira

ברך עלינו... את השנה הזאת

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeira, 5778

Bareich aleinu… es ha’shanah ha’zos. Bless upon us… this year.

We begin the prayer for sustenance with the acknowledgement that everything – every penny – comes from Hashem. Indeed, one who does not acknowledge Hashem’s complete control over his livelihood takes the chance, when things do not go his way, of engaging in illicit behaviors, even acts of perjury and theft. One who trusts in Hashem knows that he will earn whatever Hashem wants him to earn: no more; no less. Now, when we begin our day with the realization that all of our blessings are Heaven-sent, and that what we will earn is specifically the product of Hashem’s decree,…

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