Friday, February 24, 2023

an ongoing relationship

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The Midrash opens our parsha: וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה – הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ (משלי ...
Sunday, February 12, 2023

a mussar haskel from the super bowl

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When you are about to close your gemara, what if instead  of doing that you push yourself for just one more minute of learning?  Just 60 mor...
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Friday, February 10, 2023

both sides of the equation

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 וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹקים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא הֹ...
Friday, February 03, 2023

bitter waters

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1. The WSJ reports that certain "rabbis" have decided they can no longer say the tefilah l'shlom ha'Medinah because they ...
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

why hashkiveinu is not a hefsek between geulah and tefilah

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The parsha tells us וְלֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֨ה בָכֶ֥ם נֶ֙גֶף֙ לְמַשְׁחִ֔ית בְּהַכֹּתִ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (12:13).  Hashem reassured Bn"Y tha...
Friday, January 27, 2023

all about the attitude

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In the opening of our parsha Moshe appears before Pharoah and says in the name of Hashem עַד־מָתַ֣י מֵאַ֔נְתָּ לֵעָנֹ֖ת מִפָּנָ֑י שַׁלַּ֥ח ע...
Tuesday, January 24, 2023

onomatopoeia - words in Tanach

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Onomatopoeia is where a word is made up of the sound it describes, e.g. buzz, tick-tock. Iyov 39:30  וְאֶפְרֹחָ֥ו יְעַלְעוּ־דָ֑ם Rashi: ואינ...
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Monday, January 23, 2023

the connection between "kotzer ruach" and avodah zarah

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The problem with the kal v'chomer (6:12) of הֵ֤ן בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֣וּ אֵלַ֔י וְאֵיךְ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֣נִי פַרְעֹ֔ה וַאֲנִ֖י עֲרַ...
Thursday, January 19, 2023

morasha, not yerusha

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At the end of the leshonos shel geulah, Hashem promises Eretz Yisrael to us as a "morasha," וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה....
Wednesday, January 18, 2023

a chiddush of R' SZ"A on bitul b'rov in hil brachos

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If a person said kiddush on a cup of wine intending to drink only that specific cup, but then changed his mind and added a little more wine ...
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

"zeh lecha ha'os" -- the sign Moshe was given

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Moshe was reluctant to assume the mantle of leadership.  He said to G-d:  וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹקים מִ֣י אָנֹ֔כִי כִּ֥י אֵלֵ֖ךְ אֶל־...

what Moshe did to merit seeing the burning Moshe

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When Moshe sees the burning bush, he turns towards it to see what is going on.   וַיַּ֥רְא ה׳ כִּ֣י סָ֣ר לִרְא֑וֹת  וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֵלָ֨יו אֱלֹ...
Thursday, January 12, 2023

Mi Anochi?

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When Hashem charged Moshe with the mission of acting as the go'el of Bnei Yisrael, Moshe responded (3:11) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹ...
Monday, January 09, 2023

ChatGPT and human bias

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One of the sites I check out now and then is fivebooks.com, where experts are asked to recommend the five best books in their field of exper...

shenayim mikra or pesukei d'zima -- which takes precedence

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The Baal haTurim has a cute remez on the first pasuk of the parsha about the importance of s henayim m ikra v 'echad t argum (=Shmot). A...
Friday, January 06, 2023

don't be deceived by sweetness

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  וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה  Rashi comments:   למה פרשה זה סתומה? לפי שכיון שנפטר יעקב אבינו נסתתמו ע...
Thursday, December 29, 2022

Yosef's tochacha; Bnei Yisrael or bnei Yisrael?; choleh on 10 Teves

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Chazal famously comment on the pasuk  וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל־אֶחָיו֙ אֲנִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף הַע֥וֹד אָבִ֖י חָ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָכְל֤וּ אֶחָיו֙ לַעֲנ֣וֹת אֹ...
Wednesday, December 28, 2022

safeik sakanah -- why have shuls not reinstated mask mandates?

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Per the NYC Dept. of Health : As New York City enters the holiday season, COVID-19 and other seasonal illnesses are seeing unusually high co...
Tuesday, December 27, 2022

incongruous facts

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It was only after being locked up for three days in prison by Yosef, only after he had told them they could go home, provided they leave Shi...
Monday, December 26, 2022

a yeshiva built on arvus

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I think R' Drukman 's own words are the most fitting memorial for him.   Why of all his children did Yaakov select Yehuda to send ah...
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