Parshat Shemot 5777

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 8 Number 45 Brought to you by Naaleh.com Parshat Shemot: Fundamentals of Hashem’s Chesed Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Hershel Reichman The midrash says that at the time of the basis. Otherwise it’s misplaced. The Jewish When Moshe asked Paro to release the Jews, exodus, the Jewish people were at the 49th people were at the 49th level of impurity. Yet at he increased their suffering. Moshe level of impurity. They didn’t deserve to be their deepeﬆ core, they were ﬆill holy. complained to Hashem, “Why did you send redeemed. Yet Hashem appeared to Moshe Hashem underﬆood that this inner spark me?” Hashem responded enigmatically, “Now and said He would take them out of the land. would emerge after the redemption. In exile, you will see that Paro will send them out and I Rabbe Yochanan maintains that the angel they were spiritually and physically enslaved. will redeem them.” Why did He send Moshe on Michael was the angel who delivered G-d’s All they could think about was surviving. a failed mission? message because he represents chesed Therefore, Hashem sent the angel Gavriel who (kindness). Rabbe Chanina disagrees and symbolized ﬆrict juﬆice to punish the When Moshe firﬆ came, the Jews’ hopes were says it was the angel Gavriel who signifies din Egyptians. When the Jews could finally raised. They began to think that perhaps they (judgment). breathe freely, their latent holiness rose to the would be redeemed. But when Paro rejected surface. Moshe’s requeﬆ, they reverted back to their The Shem Mishmuel explains that the Jewish old ways. There was a seeming accusation in people were in fact redeemed with both Hashem created the world with a combination heaven. Perhaps the Jews weren’t worthy to chesed and din. They didn’t deserve to be of din and chesed. At firﬆ there was din. be redeemed. When Moshe said, “You are saved. Hashem acted beyond logic with Hashem put limits upon himself (tzimzum) to preventing the nation from serving Hashem,” beneficence, much like a father’s inﬆinctual make space for the world to come into Paro countered, “Who is Hashem that I should love for his son. Although the angels didn’t exiﬆence. Then he poured forth his chesed. liﬆen to him?” Then the mission changed from proteﬆ during the exodus, they did put up an Similarly, the exodus was a kind of creation redeeming the Jews to defending the honor of argument at the Red Sea. At that time, ex-nihilo. A holy nation arose from a band of Hashem’s name. This was the basis of chesed transformed into din. The angels shattered slaves. Chesed, Hashem’s generos- Hashem’s chesed. objected, “Both the Jews and the Eyptians ity, took us out of the 49th level and brought us worship idols, why are you preferring the to Sinai. This will also be the foundation of the future Jews?” The Jews needed to be worthy of the redemption. It may very well be that the Jews miracles, and indeed Hashem waited until The Shem Mishumel notes that the exodus will won’t deserve to be redeemed, but Hashem they jumped into the sea before he split the be a model for the future redemption. It too will will perform miracles for the sake of His name. waters. Once they deserved the miracles, the be a melding of chesed and din. Hashem waits At the end of Avinu Malkeinu, we say “Asei attribute of din was activated in their favor. for us to be worthy. When we repent, we will imanu tzedaka va’chesed.” Please perform for be redeemed immediately. us juﬆice and kindness. Even chesed has to have some reasonable Parshat Shemot: The Inner Inn Experience Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles

In parshat Shemot, Rashi quotes a Gemara circumcised Eliezer, thereby saving her cosmic importance. He was chosen to liberate which describes an argument between Rabbi husband’s life. the Jewish people and to give them the Torah. Yehoshua and Rabbi Yosi. Rabbi Yehoshua Yet all these critical aspects could not prevail held that Moshe deserved death for neglect- Why was Moshe so severely punished for over the performance of one of Hashem’s ing to circumcise his son Eliezer. Rabbi Yosi delaying to do a mitzvah? Rav Leib Chasman mitzvot. If Moshe indeed exhibited a weakness disagreed and claimed that Moshe wasn’t explains that if one looks in the parsha at the in his personal service of Hashem, then guilty. Rather he had a perplexing problem. If section that recounts the ﬆory, we find Hashem was ready to cancel his entire he performed the brit he would have to wait something aﬆounding. There are two people mission. As sublime as our objectives may be, three days before returning to Egypt. described there as deserving of death –the they can never juﬆify committing errors to Therefore he concluded that his firﬆ duty was wicked king, Pharoah and Moshe Rabbeinu, achieve them. Hashem doesn’t overlook any to fulfill Hashem’s command and travel back the tzaddik whom Hashem appointed to failures even those of his faithful servants. This to Egypt. Then he could attend to the redeem the people. How do we reconcile this? is diametrically opposite to today’s society circumcision. However Moshe ﬆill deserved Chazal say that Hashem judges righteous where people only care about the externals of punishment because when he arrived in people like a hairs breadth. On Moshe’s public figures and not what they do in their Egypt he went to look for a lodging place sublime level he was negligent in not doing the private lives. The Torah’s view is different. before circumcising Eliezer. He should have mitzvah as quickly as possible. Therefore the Being a great Torah leader is not about done the mitzvah right away. The Gemara Torah says he was worthy of death. charisma or oratorical skills. It’s about who you says that an angel in the guise of a snake are as a person and what you ﬆrive to achieve swallowed Moshe from his head to his hips. Rav Wolbe writes that we learn a great lesson to attain inner perfection and closeness to Tziporah immediately took a sharp ﬆone and here. Moshe was engaged in a mission of Hashem.

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Volume 8 Number 45 Brought to you by Naaleh.com

Practical Judaism: One Hundred Brachot #8 Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Ari Jacobson

In the times of the beit hamikdash, if a person suggeﬆ that if there’s a doubt one should say ways. On a faﬆ day it also gets difficult to accidentally transgressed a sin whose the bracha in a foreign language. Other reach the 100 mark. The Magen Avraham intentional transgression would entail karet, authorities disagree. If it can count as a bracha suggeﬆs that one say borei minei besamim a he had to bring a korban chatat. If one was it can also be a violation of “Lo tisa.” Moﬆ few times throughout the day. Some are unsure if one unintentionally violated such a contemporary authorities side with this opinion. ﬆringent not to smell pleasant spices on a day sin one had to bring a korban asham talui, a of deprivation. But the common practice is to contingent sin offering. We don’t have There is a requirement to recite a minimum of recite borei meini besamim following the sacrifices today. However, we learn from this 100 brachot a day. The end of the book of opinion of the Shelah whom the Magen halacha that even in a case of doubt the Shmuel recounts how 100 Jews were dying Avraham cites. accidental sinner is ﬆill somewhat culpable. every day in a plague. To counteract this, King David enacted that every Jew should recite The Magen Avraham writes that on Shabbat There is a discussion among various rabbinic 100 brachot each day. The Navi relates that when a person is short on brachot and makes authorities how to deal with a case of doubt after the Jews began doing this the plague unnecessary blessings (brachot she’einan regarding a mitzvah or aveirah. Generally the ﬆopped. tzrichot) it is considered a bracha l’vatala rule is “Safek d'oraita l’chumra.” One muﬆ be (blessing in vain) and one should not do this. ﬆringent and err on the side of caution in The Gemara mentions another source for this Some authorities disagree and say one may regard to a Torah commandment. But, “Safek enactment. In Parshat Eikev the Torah says, generate a need for extra brachot in order to d'rabanan l’kula.” One can be lenient for a “V’ata Yisrael mah Hashem elokecha shoel get closer to 100 brachot. However, many rabbinic commandment. m’imcha.” What does Hashem ask of you? other authorities side with the Magen The Gemara says mah can be also read as Avraham. Many authorities are of the opinion that if it meah (100). Hashem asks of us to fear Him, to wouldn’t be a significant hardship to go back cling to Him, to love Him and the way to reach When we hear a bracha, we muﬆ respond, and repeat the rabbinic mitzvah, ideally one this is through reciting the meah brachot. “Baruch hu uvaruch shemo” after Hashem’s should repeat it. Regarding blessings, name and Amen at the conclusion of the however, the halacha changes. All blessings The Kitzur says that there are 100 curses blessing. Amen appears in the Gemara, are of rabbinic origin, with the exception of mentioned in Devarim, 98 specific curses and Baruch hu doesn’t. Therefore, if one is in the bentching (Grace after Meals) and the two general curses. The 100 brachot protect middle of reciting a prayer where one may not blessings on the Torah. But ﬆill this rule does us from these curses. On a regular day moﬆ of interrupt, one should not say Baruch hu. This not apply. The rule regarding brachot is the brachot can be covered by the shemone includes the blessings preceding Shema and “safek brachot l’hakel.” In case of doubt one esrei, which is recited three times a day. Some Shema itself, when one may not interrupt may not make a blessing again because an authorities are lenient and count another 19 except for some limited Amens such as Amen unnecessary bracha would violate, “Lo tisa with the repetition of the shemone esrei. But yehei shemei rabbah, Hakel hakadosh, and shem elokecha lashav.” moﬆ say not to rely on this. Shomea tefilah. From Baruch She’amar through Yishtabach one should not answer The Gemara says a blessing may be said in On Shabbat there are only seven brachot in Baruch hu but one may answer Amen to any any language. Therefore some achronim shemone esrei. Therefore, one muﬆ be careful bracha. to make up the additional brachot in other