Thursday, December 31, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Shemos

       This week, we begin the new sefer of Shemos. It is also called the Sefer Hageulah since in it we were redeemed from slavery and built the Mishkan for Hashem’s Shechinah to rest. According to the Ramban, though Eretz Yisrael is the only place where we can be called completely redeemed, if we have a set place for the Shechinah, then there is a certain amount of redemption in that as well.
       The story of Moshe’s growing up in the house of Paroh is well-known, maybe most for the irony of Paroh raising the one who would lead the charge against him! But after Moshe kills an Egyptian for beating a helpless Jew, Paroh turns against him and tries to have him killed. A pasuk later in the parsha, during Moshe’s famous conversation with Hashem by the burning bush, gives us the details.
       “וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלָ֗יו מִ֣י שָׂ֣ם פֶּה֘ לָֽאָדָם֒ א֚וֹ מִֽי־יָשׂ֣וּם אִלֵּ֔ם א֣וֹ חֵרֵ֔שׁ א֥וֹ פִקֵּ֖חַ א֣וֹ עִוֵּ֑ר הֲלֹ֥א אָֽנֹכִ֖י יְהֹוָֽה“And Hashem said to him (Moshe), ‘Who gave man a mouth, or made him mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Hashem!” (Shemos 4:11). Rashi brings a medrash that explains that this refers to when Paroh decided to have Moshe executed, he tried to shout out to the guards to grab him, but Hashem made him mute. Additionally, Hashem made the guards deaf so they couldn’t hear Paroh tell them to grab Moshe, and He made the executioner blind so he couldn’t see Moshe while he ran off the stage.
       I had a question on this medrash which I was happy to see is asked by the Sifsei Chachamim. Once, Hashem made Paroh mute, why did He have to do anything else? Once Paroh can’t say anything, there is no danger of anything happening to Moshe! He explains that Paroh became deaf long enough to allow Moshe to run away. Once Moshe escaped, Paroh tried to command his guards to chase after him, but Hashem made them deaf, and all they knew was that Paroh needed something done quickly. So they went and starting running around without any clue of what they were supposed to be doing. But Paroh didn’t realize that they hadn’t understood him, so he assumed that they had chased after Moshe without success.
       This still doesn’t answer why Hashem made the executioners blind; in fact, I believe it only strengthens the question! At this time, I don’t have an answer.
       The Sifsei Chachamim continues with his explanation of the Rashi. How come the pasuk needs to tell me that Hashem gives people sight? If the whole pasuk is representing what He did to Paroh and his servants, why does it include that Moshe retained all his senses? He explains that the word used here for sight, “פִקֵּ֖חַ”, is also used to mean someone who keeps his eyes open, someone who pays attention to his surroundings and to details. Specifically in this case, it means someone who was expecting something to happen, someone who was expecting Hashem to be there for him.
       Moshe did not know what was going to happen while he was being brought to the executioner’s stand, but he did know that he needed to be ready for any opportunity afforded to him. He was not walking with his head down in despair or held high with pride, he walked with purpose; observing the situation to see if Hashem would provide an opportunity for him. He noticed right away, even before anyone else, when the executioner went blind and couldn’t see him, so he was able to jump off the stage and into the desert before anyone had a chance to move. The pasuk tells us that this was a direct inspiration from Hashem, and Hashem was confirming to Moshe that He would always be looking out for him.
       And so begins Sefer Shemos.


Shabbat Shalom!


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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Preview of "Reality Check" Available on Nation's Wisdom!

Dear Readers,

We promised you a preview of my upcoming book, Reality Check, and here it is! Available exclusively on the Nation's Wisdom blog, please click here to be taken directly to the post. 

And don't forget to pick up your copy of Reality Check from your local Jewish bookstore in January 2016!


Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.


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AIMeM

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayechi

       Parshas Vayechi brings us to the end of Sefer Bereishis as well as the end of Yaakov’s life. Yaakov prepares his children for the future by giving them blessings and guidance for the long galus ahead. Interestingly, while this parsha is full of brachos given to many people, none of them are for the actual people to which they are given! Every single bracha is for their descendants; but not even close ones, ones that haven’t even been born yet!
       The first bracha given by Yaakov in the parsha is to Yosef’s two sons, Menashe and Efraim. Everyone knows the story of how Yaakov switched his hands, placing his right hand on Efraim and his left on Menashe, even though the former was the younger son. When Yosef sees this, he immediately tries to switch them back, when Yaakov informs him that this was intentional. Yaakov intended to recognize Efraim as the “first-born” son over Menashe, similar to what he did with Yosef among his own brothers. Yosef, obviously afraid of a repeat performance of what happened to him, disapproved; but Yaakov persisted.
       Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky is his sefer, Emes L’Yaakov, asks an interesting question. This was not the first time that Yaakov had placed Efraim before Menashe. Earlier in the parsha, Yaakov tells Yosef, “וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶ֩יךָ֩ הַנּֽוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֨יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי“And now, your two sons that were born to you in the land of Egypt, before I came to Egypt, are mine. Efraim and Menashe are to me like Reuven and Shimon” (Bereishis 48:5). Yaakov said this before he gave them their bracha. How come Yosef didn’t get upset at Yaakov then for placing Efraim first?
       The commonly given answer to this question is that Yosef didn’t see anything wrong with Yaakov saying Efraim before Menashe during a regular conversation. It was only when Yaakov was blessing them, with the same exact blessing to each one, that Yosef saw clearly what Yaakov was doing. Therefore, he immediately stepped in and asked Yaakov what was up.
       R’ Yaakov says his own answer by first asking a question. This is the only recorded instance of Yaakov blessing his grandchildren. Why did Yaakov feel a need to bless Efraim and Menashe more than the rest of his descendants who were also about to spend centuries in exile? He explains that out of all the descendants of Yaakov, Efraim and Menashe were the only ones who had not lived in Eretz Yisrael and in the completely holy environment of Yaakov’s house. They had been born and bred in Mitzrayim, and while they had become tremendous tzaddikim, they still lacked the experience of residing in a completely holy atmosphere. Therefore, they needed the most chizuk in terms of their descendants surviving the exile in Mitzrayim; this is also why Yaakov says that he considers them like Reuven and Shimon, he needed to give them brachos as if they were his own sons in order to protect them from the galus. So Yaakov gave them a bracha by themselves, and relied on the brachos he gave the brothers to give chizuk to their children.
       So why was Efraim placed before Menashe? If you look at the pesukim dealing with the naming of Efraim and Menashe, when Menashe was named, Yosef mentions the contrast between that time and when he was living at his father’s house. However, when Efraim was born, Yosef just mentions the success he had enjoyed in Egypt. Says R’ Yaakov, this shows that by the time Efraim was born, Yosef already had a stronger connection to Egyptian lifestyle and culture, and therefore, Efraim needed more protection from the galus. So Yaakov blessed him before Menashe.
       Throughout these blessings as well as the conversations Yaakov has with Yosef and then with the rest of the brothers, there is a strong theme of Yaakov impressing upon them that this time in Mitzrayim will be galus. While also giving them hope that they will eventually leave there, even more so, he impresses upon them that they are not where they belong. Their proper place is in Eretz Yisrael.
       Even with all the terrible things the Egyptians did to Bnei Yisrael and even with all the miracles Hashem performed for them, there were still many people who didn’t want to leave Mitzrayim. Chazal tell us that these people did not make it back to Eretz Yisrael and the true geulah, one way or another. B’ezrat Hashem, we will be redeemed soon; in the meantime, let us remember the lessons of this week’s parsha, and Yaakov Avinu’s warning to us (remember, the blessings he gave his sons for not for them, but for their descendants, us!) to remember our roots, where we truly belong, and where we can experience holiness of the highest level.

Chazak Chazak V’Nischazeik!


Shabbat Shalom! 


Stay tuned on Motzaei Shabbos for a sneak peek of my upcoming book, "Reality Check: A Handbook of Hashkafa"!

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.


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AIMeM

Friday, December 18, 2015

No Dvar Torah This Week

Due to a scheduling conflict, there is no new Dvar Torah this week. Please click here to enjoy last year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayigash. We will return, B'ezrat Hashem, next week with a brand new Dvar Torah.
Shabbat Shalom!

Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com!

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AIMeM

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Announcing "Reality Check!"

Dear Readers,

You may have noticed over the past few weeks I have been promising a big announcement. 
I am very happy to announce that in the next few weeks, I will be releasing my first book entitled, "Reality Check: A Handbook of Hashkafa!" 

The idea behind "Reality Check" started around two years ago. I was working on another project at the time, dealing with more advanced Hashkafic issues, when I realized that I was asking the wrong questions and seeking the wrong answers. So many people I spoke to seemed to pause when discussing the reason and logic behind so many of the mitzvos that we do; even the more basic ideas. 

Furthermore, upon doing more research, I realized that there was no simple guide to finding the answers to this question. If I wanted an answer, I had to go through huge seforim and read many words until finally reaching the full explanation. I felt that these two issues were causing major problems. First, the lack of knowledge behind the “what and why” of Torah and mitzvos prevents us from developing a true and strong connection with Hashem. Secondly, the lack of easy access to these truths made it difficult to overcome this first issue!

I decided to attack these issues head on. “Reality Check” is the result.

This book presents the explanations to many of the basic ideas of Judaism, from why we keep Shabbos, to how we are supposed to view davening, the truth of the Torah, what is the meaning behind Olam Haba, and much more. Each chapter is written in a way that the topic can be read and understood in only a few minutes, making it easy to understand and absorb these important ideas.
It is my hope that this book will lead us to be inspired through a greater understanding of Hashem, our world, and the Torah.   
Please visit my website, hashkafahandbook.com, which launches today, to learn more. 

Also, like my Facebook Page to get all the latest updates for the book.  

Stay tuned for exclusive previews, purchasing options, and of course, the official book release date!

Happy Chanuka!
Yosef


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AIMeM

Friday, December 4, 2015

No New Dvar Torah this Week

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there is no new Dvar Torah this week, Parshas Vayeishev. Please click here for last year's Dvar Torah. We will return, B'ezrat Hashem, next week with a brand new Dvar Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

Stay tuned in the coming week's for news of an exciting new project!

For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.


Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!



AIMeM