In This Issue Links Parshat Vaera January 15
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YNA Newsletter Parshat Vaera 1 of 9 In This Issue Parshat Vaera January 15, 2015 Hakarat Hatov to Rabbanit Frankel Life Events HaRav Nebenzahl on Parshat Vaera Staff Dvar Torah by Rav Rafael Rubin Rav Bina's Ohr Hachaim Shiur on 24 Tevet was sponsored by Levi The Story Of The Jewish People by Rav Shai Farkas (5762-63) for the refuah shleima of Levi Baruch Ben Gerson Tovah Rivkah. Tehillim List Shiur in Washington Heights Links yna.edu There will be a shiur given in Washington Heights at the Shenk Shul 560 W 185th Street on Motzei Shabbat January 31, 2015 at 8:00 YNA Kollel.com PM given by Rav Baruch Simon shlita. The shiur is being given l'ilui nishmat Daniella Casper a"h the late wife of our dear talmid Noam Ask Rav Nebenzahl Casper (5767-68). Suggestion Box This Week Alumni Update Form Contact Us Abir Yaakov (Hebrew) Rabbanit Malke Bina's Glimpse on the Parsha RavBeinishGinsburg.com Hillel Golberstein Needs a Kidney (son of Yosef Chaim Golberstein 5760-61) By Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a YNA Newsletter Parshat Vaera 2 of 9 Join Our List "Out" Shabbat with Rav Darmoni and family Candlelighting 4:18 PM Mincha/Kabbalat 4:40 Shabbat PM Vatikin at the 6:00 home of the AM Rosh HaYeshiva Second Shachrit 8:30 AM Mincha 4:15 PM A quick stop on the beach This past week some of our many visiting alumni went on a trip to see Gedolim and daven by the kevarim of tzadikim. After receiving a Bracha from Rav Chaim Kanievsky at the end of the day they met up with Shana Alef in Bnei Brak. The students had just visited the Blind Museum and together they toured Ponivich Yeshiva with Rav Bina who shared many stories from his Yeshiva days there. Rav Bina's Quote of the Week It has been almost a week since the attack in Paris. It is not a coincidence that last week was Parshat Shemot where we can ask the same questions. Why did the Egyptians oppress us? Why did G-d let this happen? We are different from all of the other nations. No matter how much we try to assimilate, they do not accept us. It is a reminder to what Cazal teach us "Why is it called Har Sinai? Because their "sina", hatred came down to the world. We can not forget it for a single moment, we are meant to be a nation that dwells apart from the other nations. The only safe place is Eretz Yisrael, and here it is also not so safe. We need a Yeshuah. Shabbat Shalom. Hakarat Hatov to Rabbanit Fraenkel Dear Rabbanit Fraenkel, As Yeshiva boys, we try to focus on growing and maturing as bnei Torah. It is wonderful to have been blessed with rebbeim who are so devoted to teaching us Torah while showing, by example, how to incorporate Torah into our daily lives. We were impressed and moved by your words at our recent emunah seminar. You are a true role model of living a life of pure and unwavering belief and bitachon YNA Newsletter Parshat Vaera 3 of 9 in Hashem. We cannot even begin to understand why this terrible tragedy occurred. However, we can tell you with absolute certainty that the legacy of Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal has changed our lives forever. We have seen in our own lifetime an actual manifestation of the phrase, k'ish echad b'leiv echad. When we heard you were coming to speak on Emunah Day, we were reminded of the intense sadness and confusion that we felt when we heard the boys were discovered. Yet, when you finished speaking with us, we saw that while it is only natural for a human being to feel sad and defeated, the appropriate reaction for a Jew and an eved Hashem is to want to do more. For us this means to learn more Torah, properly observe more mitzvoth, and strive to come even closer to Hashem. Watch her speech on Emuna Thank you so much for being our Morah and showing us how a true Day by clicking HERE . servant of Hashem deals with life's trials and tribulations. We are in awe of you and we bless you that Hashem give you the strength to continue inspiring and saving many more Jewish souls with your powerful words of emunah. May we be zoche to see the same achdut of klal Yisroel in happy times as well, and may we only celebrate simchas with you and your family in the future. Sincerely, The Netiv Aryeh Family Life Events Mazel Tov Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh would like to wish a mazel tov to: Chaim (5756-57) and Rebecca Schreck on the bar mitzvah of their son Ephraim, taking place this Shabbat. Rav Yoel (Staff) and Rebbetzin Shoshana Rackovsky on the marriage of their daughter Revava. Benjamin (Benny, 5771-72) Schwartz on his marriage to Revava Rackovsky. Baruch Dayan Emet Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh regrets to inform you of the passing of: Mr. Jerry Pasternak, father of Yossi Pasternak (5768-69). Shiva will be observed at 3932 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn until Wednesday morning, January 21. Reb Meir Roness, brother-in-law to Dina Roness. Visitors Haskel Kwestel (5774) Donny Aaron (5768-69) Aaron Chadow (5773) Samuel Jenkelowitz (5771) Ariel Stern (5771) Burry Klein (5769-70) Joseph Nitzani (5774) Judah Klein (5773-74) Mordechai Katz (5771-72) Cheski Schreier (5771-72) Zachary Weiss (5774) Israel Feld (5772-73) YNA Newsletter Parshat Vaera 4 of 9 Joshua Levian (5772) Gilad Rosenberg (5771-72) Jason Levian (5774) Isaac Rosen (5773-74) Ben Yehoshua (5773) Eitan Graber (5770-71) David Bamshad (5771) Mr. & Mrs. Etai Stern (5769-70) Shimmy Hirsh (5771) Josh Abramowitz (5772-74) Daniel Katz (5772-73) Ethan Spitz (5773-74) Paul Kiejdan (5772-73) Brian Hematian (5774) Eli Levtov (5772-73) Chanayia Dauber (5772-73) Ezra Mishkoff (5774) Ephraim Hollander (5773-74) Hillel Kramer (5771-72) Ezra Zanger (5771-72) Moshe Elias (5773-74) Ilan Swartz-Brownstein (5773-74) Rav Nebenzahl on Parshat Vaera HaRav Nebenzahl asks that his Divrei Torah are not read during Tefillah or the Rabbi's sermon WONDER OF WONDERS MIRACLE OF MIRACLES This week's parsha concludes with the Egyptians being inflicted with the plague of barad - hail. One of the concluding psukim in the description of this plague is: "the wheat and the spelt were not struck because they are afilot" (Shemos 9:32). What is the meaning of the word afilot? Rashi comments as follows - they were not broken because they ripen later and that which is not yet hard will bend but will not break. Thus according to Rashi the word afilot is associated with that which takes place at a later stage. Rashi then cites the opinion of "yesh merabotenu", there are those among our sages who have posited that pilei plaot - miracle of miracles that when the hail fell the wheat and the spelt were not broke. I would like to present three questions on this latter opinion: firstly, why did they not accept Rashi's explanation, after all the word afilot appears in several places and is associated with something taking place later. Secondly, Rashi's explanation appears quite logical and reasonable - that which is not completely ripe is not yet hard and is able to bend, while that which is hard is more apt to break. Rashi's view appears to fit in with the simple understanding of the text. Thirdly, if they do assume that a wonder took place, why not simply say plaot - a wonder, why a wonder of wonders? I believe the yesh merabotenu accept Rashi's interpretation of the word afilot as meaning later and they do not dispute the fact that hard things break more easily than soft things. There is another reason why they do not accept Rashi understands - the entire purpose of the plagues in Egypt was to show that nature plays no role. From the happenings in Egypt we learned that Hashem can alter nature whenever He wishes. Thus, to say that the wheat did not break because it ripened later has no meaning when nature plays no role whatsoever. Why did they refer to this as pilei plaot and not simply plaot? I believe it is because the fact that they did not break and followed the laws of nature was a wonder within a wonder - judging by what was taking place in Egypt they should have broken because everything else defied the laws of nature. However, keeping with the laws of nature defies what took place in Egypt. Thus it was a wonder within wondrous events that were taking place in general. YNA Newsletter Parshat Vaera 5 of 9 Why did Hashem not wish for the wheat and spelt to break? Perhaps He wished them to be used as food for the locusts, had they broken there would have no food for the locusts. There may be another explanation, the bottom line is there was no such thing as nature and thus there is no natural explanation for the plague of hail. In the Haggadah we read of the wise son's question: "what are these testimonies and laws and statues which Hashem has commanded us?" The answer provided in the Haggadah taken from the Mishnah is that we may not eat any desert after having eaten the Korban Pesach. Is this the only mitzvah regarding Pesach that we can teach the wise son? This is not even mandated by the Torah, it is only rabbinically-ordained? Is this the way to answer question of the wise son? The true answer to my question is that he wishes to learn about Pesach and we are therefore supposed to teach him the entire Massechet Pesachim until the final halachah which is that no desert may be eaten after the afikoman? The difficulty with this explanation is that there is therefore one key word lacking in the Mishna - ad, until - that he must be taught all of the halachot of Pesach until the final halacha that no desert may be eaten after the afikoman? I would like to offer another explanation that is more on the level of derush.