Pieces of Sapphire
In this week’s parasha (Shemos 34:1), when Hashem tells Moshe to carve the second luchos, He says “פסל לך – carve for yourself”. The gemara comments on the apparently superfluous “לך – for yourself”...
Category: 2- Shemos
Calves, Cherubs, and Half Sheqels
Why is it that in last week’s parashah (Ki Sisa) we read all about the sin of the eigel hazahav but this week’s parashah we read about the mitzvah of making two keruvim atop the aron? Why...
Doing what is Customary
When the Jews reached the Red Sea and saw the Mitzriyim catching up, “וַיִּֽירְ×וּ֙ מְ×ֹ֔ד וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ ×‘Ö°× ÖµÖ½×™Ö¾×™Ö´×©×‚Ö°×¨Ö¸×ֵ֖ל ×ֶל־ה’ — they became very fearful, and the Benei Yisrael cried out to Hashem.” (Shemos 14:10) Rashi,...
Hardening the Heart vs. Weighing it Down
So, I recently noticed that the translation of Unqelus I am using offers “hardened Par’oh’s heart” and the like regardless of whether the original word ויחזק (Aramaic: ו×תקף) or another word built from \חזק\...
Epistemology in the Torah
There are three verbs in pasuq 31 describing the steps in which being saved at the Red Sea impacted the Jews:
vayyar – they saw
vayyir’u – they felt yir’ah (fear / awe)
vaya’aminu – they believed
With Great Wealth
×“Ö·Ö¼×‘Ö¶Ö¼×¨Ö¾× Ö¸Ö–× ×‘Ö°Ö¼××‡×–Ö°× ÖµÖ£×™ ×”Ö¸×¢Ö¸Ö‘× ×•Ö°×™Ö´×©Ö°××ֲל֞וּ ×ִ֣יש× ׀ מֵ×ֵ֣ת רֵעֵ֗הוּ וְ×ִשָּ××”Ö™ מֵ×ֵ֣ת רְעוּתָ֔הּ כְּלֵי־כֶ֖סֶף וּכְלֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃ Please tell the people to borrow, each man from his friend and each woman from her friend, silver utensils and gold utensils....
Erasing Amaleiq
I heard (via YouTube) a thought in a shiur by Rabbi Yaakov Haber that I wanted to share and embellish. When we first found out in 2012 that the Syrian government was using chemical...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Haftaras Pequdei – Hester Panim
It seems that by the time we get to the end of the discussion of the Mishkan, haRav Meir Simcha haKohein miDvinsk already wrote all the more philosophical points he wanted to make about...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Vayaqhel – Shabbos & Miqdash
In Ki Sisa, last week’s parashah, the discussion of building the Mishkan is preceded by the obligation to observe Shabbos. However this week’s parashah placed the Mishkan first — and Rashi says this is...
Coin of Fire
×–Ö¶Ö£×” ×€ ×™Ö´×ªÖ¼Ö°× Ö—×•Ö¼ כָּל־הָעֹבֵר֙ ×¢Ö·×œÖ¾×”Ö·×¤Ö¼Ö°×§Ö»×“Ö´Ö”×™× ×žÖ·×—Ö²×¦Ö´Ö¥×™×ª הַש×ֶּ֖קֶל בְּש×ֶ֣קֶל ×”Ö·×§Ö¼Ö¹Ö‘×“Ö¶×©× ×¢Ö¶×©×‚Ö°×¨Ö´Ö¤×™× ×’Ö¼Öµ×¨Ö¸×”Ö™ הַש×ֶּ֔קֶל מַחֲצִ֣ית הַש×ֶּ֔קֶל תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽה’׃ This is what everyone who is entered in the records shall pay: a half-sheqel by the sanctuary weight...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Ki Sisa — Nature and Revelation
1- Shemos 32:19: The mistake that led to the eigel was thinking Moshe had inherent qedushah, and therefore they needed an an inherently holy eigel to replace him. Therefore, Moshe breaks the first luchos,...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Tetzaveh – Mizbeiach & Aron
Hashem (Shemos 29:42) speaks of revealing Himself from the entrance of the Ohel Mo’eid, from where the daily tamid was offered. And yet elsewhere we learnt that Hashem spoke to Moshe from between the keruvim,...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Mishpatim – Personal and National Religion
What happened between Shemos 24:3 “kol hadevarim asher diber Hashem na’aseh” and v. 7 “kol asher diver Hashem na’aseh venishmah”? Why did we accept the Torah twice, using two different terminologies? Audio: Video:...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Yisro – Intellect or Action?
The Meshekh Chokhmah on Shemos 20:18 discusses Moshe’s approach through the smoke to the top of Har Sinai. What does the smoke represent? How did Moshe perfect himself to be capable of reaching Sinai....
Meshekh Chokhmah – Beshalach – Thought and Deed
(Yes, this title is an intentional play on last week’s.) The Meshekh Chokhmah writes on Shemos 14:23, a line describing the crossing of the Red Sea. The Meshekh Chokhmah compares how individuals are judged...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Bo – Thought and Emotion
Rav Meir Simchah haKohein has a lot to say about parashas Bo. I chose his comments on Shemos 12:21, which discuss the roles of intellect and emotion in Judaism — and is also quite...
Meshekh Chokhmah – Va’eira – Challenges and Rewards
In his commentary on Shemos 6:13, Rav Meir Simchah haKohein notes that if you look closely, not only Par’oh was asked to free Benei Yisrael, but Benei Yisra’el also were. What’s that about —...
Meshech Chokhmah – Introduction to Shemos
In his introduction to seifer Shemos, Rav Meir Simchah haKohein discusses a few themes, some of which we covered in this shiur. Why is Moshe’s nevu’ah special? Interestingly, the Meshekh Chokhmah emphasizes how we...
Not Good!
וַיֹּ֙×מֶר֙ ×”’ ×Ö±×œÖ¹×§×™× ×œÖ¹×־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת ×”Ö¸Ö½×Ö¸×“Ö¸Ö–× ×œÖ°×‘Ö·×“Ö¼Ö‘×•Ö¹ ×ֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לּ֥וֹ עֵ֖זֶר ×›Ö°Ö¼× Ö¶×’Ö°×“Ö¼Ö½×•Ö¹ Hashem Elokim said: It is not good for the man to be alone; I shall make for him a helper opposite him. – Bereishis...
What did the Elders see?
I It could be that this dispute between the rishonim speaks to a fundamental difference about what it is people are meant to accomplish in life. The Rambam’s navi is fully integrated on physical, intellectual...
Why the Altar?
It makes a lot of sense that the first mitzvos the Torah teaches after the Aseres haDiberos would be the interpersonal mitzvos of parashas Mishpatim. And many rabbis have given sermons on this point. The only problem...
An Altar of Earth
We just looked at the section on the mizbeiach as being more about the role of the religious rite in a life of Torah. We don’t offer qorbanos — or daven, or shake lulav and esrog or… – ...
