All posts by rabbidiskind

Shemos 5781

Shmos

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WOOD OR ELEPHANT?

As we begin the Book of Shemos in which our people are born, I would like to share an insight presented by the Maharal through which we can appreciate who we, as a people, and how we ought to perceive ourselves. The importance of our self perception goes beyond feeling proud of who we are. It impacts how we feel towards our fellow Jew and the responsibility it places on us.

Everything in this world can be defined in two ways; by its chomer or by its tzura. Chomer is the physical material from which it is made. Tzura is the form which it holds. Let us give two illustrations, the first a concrete the second abstract.

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Vayechi 5781

Vayechi

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HEAVY PACK, NO SLEEP, GESHMAK!

Before our father Yaakov passes, he blesses his 12 sons, each one with their unique blessing that fits their destiny. To Yissocher he says “Yissocher is a large bone donkey (able to carry heavy loads) and rests between the boundaries (along the road with the loads on his back). And he sees that tranquility is good and lowers his shoulder to take on more burden.”

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Vayigash 5781

Vayigosh

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THE SAFETY LINE

This week’s Parsha, Vayigash, opens at the climax of the drama playing out between Yosef and Yehudah. In last week’s Parsha Benyomin was implicated in stealing Yosef’s goblet for which Yosef committed Benyomin to be his slave. The Parsha ended in the middle of a dialogue between Yehudah and Yosef in which Yehudah offered to serve as a slave instead of Benyomin and to allow Benyomin to go home to his father. Yosef, however, would not budge. He insisted that Benyomin serve as his slave and Yehudah return home. Our Parsha begins with the continuation of that dialogue as Yehudah tries to shake Yosef’s decision. The Torah’s opening verse states “And Yehudah approached him…” We must ask, Yehudah was already standing before Yosef and was already engaged in speaking with him, what is the intent of this additional “approach”?

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Mikeitz 5781

Mikeitz

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UNDERSTANDING YOUR BALANCE SHEET

This week’s Parsha, Mikeitz, begins with the Torah informing us that Yosef’s freedom from prison was delayed two years. Our Sages explain that this was the con-sequence of Yosef’s lack of bitachon (trust) in HaShem. In last week’s Parsha, after Yosef deciphered the butler’s dream he asked the butler to please remember him to Pharaoh and to get him out of prison. This slight reliance on the butler’s assistance demonstrated an ever so slight shortcoming in Yosef’s bitachon. He should have said nothing to the butler and allow HaShem to bring about his freedom with no assistance at all.

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