Parshat Beshalach Based on a Naaleh.Com Shiur by Mrs

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 8 Number 48 Brought to you by Naaleh.com

Transcendental Trio: Parshat Beshalach Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Mrs. Shira Smiles When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, Amalek hands became the guidepoﬆs to send the which teaches respect for the property of attacked them. It is obvious from the plain eyes of Bnei Yisrael back toward heaven and others. These are the conﬆant battles of reading of the text that the war was waged on to ﬆrengthen their faith. Rabbi Wolbe in Aleh Amalek: Do I need to acknowledge Hashem? two fronts. Yehoshua led the physical battle Shor explains that they did not queﬆion Do I need to respect the rights and the and fought on the ground, and Moshe waged whether or not Hashem exiﬆs. Rather they property of others? Let me lift my hands and the spiritual war by sitting on a rock on a hill queﬆioned whether His involvement in life was show you that they are clean and pure in all with his arms raised and supported by Aharon practical or whether His Torah was merely my dealings. and Chur. How do these three people theoretical? represent the spiritual forces that can defeat The Alshich Hakadosh explains that Moshe Amalek? The Malbim explains that Aharon Amalek, the grandson of Esav, inherited the underﬆood that he would need to tap into the represented the unity of Bnei Yisrael, for he DNA that would confine Torah to intellectual merit of our forefathers to succeed in this was known for his love of the people and his discussion. After all, Esav was intellectually battle. Moshe represented Yaakov, absolute conﬆant effort to bring peace. Chur, on the immersed in Torah and his head is buried in and complete truth. But he needed Avraham other hand, was the champion of the glory Meorat Hamachpelah precisely for this reason. and Yitzchak alongside him. Avraham had the and honor of Hashem. Moshe was the But he never let Torah principles guide his imperfect Yishmael along with the righteous unifying factor, holding it all together. Rabbi actions. Otherwise, he never would have sold Yitzchak, while Yitzchak fathered the evil Esav. Roberts explains that Bnei Yisrael needed the the birthright for a bowl of soup! We muﬆ To counter these, Moshe drafted Aharon who, merit of these two men. Aharon represented internalize Torah, writes the Halekach through his own conﬆant service of chessed, the values between man and his fellow man, Vehalibuv. We muﬆ ﬆrive to be talmidei would negate the influence of Yishmael and and Chur represented the values between chachamim, conﬆant ﬆudents of the truth of perfect the chessed of Avraham. Similarly, man and God. The goal, writes the Chasam Torah, and bnei Torah, a metaphorical son of Chur would be the counterbalance to the evil Sofer, is to meld these two qualities for this our Torah teachers Esav who misused the gevurah (ﬆrength) that creates blessings and joy. Moshe represented . Yitzchak represented. Moshe could thus draw this synthesis, adds Rabbi Schwab. Whereas Our Torah muﬆ impact our lives. The purpose on the merit of our forefathers without involving for all other battles Moshe prayed alone, here of prayer is to bring us closer to Hashem and their evil offspring. The redemption, writes the in the battle againﬆ Amalek, he required both to a ﬆronger faith that we muﬆ rely conﬆantly Sefat Emes, will always come through the these attributes to join him. on Hashem, writes the Tiv Hatorah. merit of our matriarchs even when the merit of the patriarchs has ended. The Shvilei Pinchas writes that this was the This why Moshe raised his hands above his moﬆ intense battle ever fought. Amalek tried head, explains Rabbi Tatz. Hands symbolize The parsha ends with the promise that to eradicate the knowledge of God’s presence action, and as the people who accepted the Hashem will erase the memory – a(e)mcheh – in the world by the introduction of evil spirits Torah at Sinai, we profess that we will do, of Amalek from under the heavens. The Vilna that would shroud God’s presence. These naaseh, before nishma, whether or not we Gaon explains that emcheh is as an acronym three spirits were mashchit – deﬆroyer, af underﬆand with our heads. As long as the for our deliverers from each exile. Our –anger, and cheimah – rage which represent hands were higher than the head, Bnei Yisrael deliverers from Egyptian exile were Aharon, the initials for Moshe, Aharon and Chur, the prevailed, but if the head and the ego led the Moshe, Chur and Hashem. The principals in three tzadikim who would counteract these way, Bnei Yisrael faltered. the redemption from the Persian exile were forces. This is the threefold evil cited in (A)Eﬆher, Mordechai, Charvonah and Tehillim 78:38 and recited before Maariv: “He The Halekach Vehalebuv explains why Moshe Hashem. Our final redemption will be through forgives iniquity and does not deﬆroy; supported himself by sitting on an ëven, a Eliyahu, Moshiach, eight (ch) princes and frequently He withdraws His anger, and does rock. The three letters that spell out ë-v-en are Hashem. With Hashem guiding us, we will not arouse His entire rage.” an acronym for the three tractates that one vanquish the evil forces of Amalek. May it be should ﬆudy if he hopes to become a speedily, in our days. Bnei Yisrael asked, “Is Hashem truly within us righteous person: Avot – Ethics of our Fathers, or not?” This slight doubt presented Amalek which focuses on interpersonal/ social with the opening to attack, for the mission of relationships; Berachot – which focuses on our Amalek is to caﬆ doubt into our faith, writes relationship with Hashem and thanking Him for Meor Vashemesh. Therefore Moshe’s uplifted all that we have; and Nezikin – Damages

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Volume 8 Number 48 Brought to you by Naaleh.com

Yechekel Perek 35: The Fate of Edom-Part III Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller “And you will know that I am Hashem. I heard Hamachpeila, Har Habayit, the Kotel. They shall make you desolate.’ ” When Mashiach all your blasphemies and mockery that you focus on the sites that validate our claim to the comes, the whole world will experience the joy said concerning the mountains of Israel, land. of resolution and awareness. That is when saying, ‘They have become desolate; they Edom’s desolation will be moﬆ ﬆriking. “As were given to us to consume.’" Esav and Hashem says, “You’ve magniﬁed yourselves you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house Yishmael’s claim to being the new chosen againﬆ Me with your mouth, and you have of Israel because it became desolate, so will I nation is manifeﬆed by their doing everything multiplied your words againﬆ Me. I have do to you; Mount Seir and all Edom will possible to prevent our return to Israel. The heard.” Besides the weapon of the sword, the become desolate, even all of it, and they will Yishmaelites acts of terror and deﬆruction Edomites have also used the weapon of words know that I am Hashem.” All of the bearers of seem to revolve disproportionately around the againﬆ us, as have the Yishmaelities. “So said false theologies will meet their deﬆruction. burial tombs of Yosef, Rachel, Me'arat Hashem: ‘When the whole earth rejoices, I

The Turning Point in Egypt Part II Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Leah Kohn Pirke Avot tells us, Hashem created the world deﬆroyed. Hashem in His mercy did not want cannot see much at firﬆ glance. But as the with ten utterances. Couldn’t He have created it to do this. Thus He created the world with relationship gets ﬆronger people come to the world with juﬆ one? The sages explains ten utterances. underﬆand more about each other. In order to that Hashem used ten utterances to give good reveal one muﬆ inveﬆ and give of oneself. reward to the righteous who give exiﬆence to In Hebrew, the world is called olam, from the This is what makes the relationship meaning- the universe that was created with ten root word ulam, to hide. Hashem conceals ful. The more one successfully reveals, the utterances, and in order to decimate the Himself in this world so that free choice can better the relationship gets. Hashem wants us wicked who deﬆroy the world that was exiﬆ. It is possible to go through life without to enjoy a profound connection with Him. It can created with ten utterances. ever recognizing Him. But it isn’t a matter of go deeper and deeper, as He is endless. He one miﬆake or good choice. A person can be a covered Himself to enable us to reveal Him. To The Torah begins with the words, “Bereishit partial believer. He can believe Hashem the extent that we inveﬆ effort to do so, our bara Elokim et hashamayim v’et ha'aretz.” created the world, but he might think He is not relationship will grow ﬆronger and more The word et is mentioned twice. The commen- involved in its day to day running. fulfilling. tators explain that it comes to add something. Chazal say that in the very firﬆ moment of In the process of creating, Hashem covered Hashem hides himself behind the veil of nature creation, the building blocks of all of creation Himself with ten layers. Every creation created and the laws of cause and effect. We can came into being. For the next six days, levels of more concealment. He enabled forget Him. But He’s not hidden enough so that Hashem shaped and formed each of the people to make ten miﬆakes. When a person we are unable to find Him. This concept is different parts into specific creations. If reveals Hashem in this world, when he brings rooted in the word Elokim with which creation Hashem would have created the whole world kavod shamayim, he can do it on many begins. Elokim signifies juﬆice, the laws of with one utterance, people could deny this different levels and his reward in turn is very nature, and cause and effect. One can also one utterance and it would be all or nothing in great. Similarly, if he degrades His name, his read it as Mi Eleh, who are these? On the one terms of their spiritual ﬆate. A wicked person punishment too will be greater. hand one sees a reality that seems who would choose to do evil would have only self-contained and independent, running on one choice to make, to believe in Hashem as Hashem hid Himself so we would work to the laws of nature. But Hashem is not so the source of everything. If he does, he fulfills reveal Him. One can underﬆand this by hidden that we cannot discern Him. Nature his purpose, and if not, he is ultimately looking at a human relationship. At firﬆ a begs the queﬆion, “Who created all this?” relationship is based on superficial things. You