The Library

I was reading this week's parsha and the following vort came to me: Shoftim - Perek 18 Pasuk 9: "When you come to the land that Hashem your G-d, gives you, you shall not learn to act according to the abominations of those nations". Says Rashi - the pasuk ...

In this week's Parsha it is written: To my beautiful most holy warriors: This is it. We are nearing the end. The last stretch. We have all spent the last bit preparing and purifying ourselves for this moment. We have been strengthening our connection with our ...

When Moshe first saw the Sneh (burning bush), he didn't understand why the bush was not being consumed. When Hashem saw that he was coming closer to look, he told him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. My Tanya Rebbi explained t...

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NAMES YAAKOV AND ESAV?ESAV = ASUI - DONE YAAKOV = EKEV - STEPSESAV IS A "BIG PICTURE" GUY YAAKOV IS A "ONE STEP AT A TIME" PERSON YAAKOV WENT BACK FOR THE "PACHIM KETANIM - SMALL VESSELS"AND LIKE HE SAID TO ESAV, "ANNE ASNAHALA LI-ITI LI...

Here's a great vort that I heard from a Rosh Yeshiva of mine on this week's parsha, Va'Yishlach. I think it can help us all in our attitude towards this challenge. When Yaakov demands a bracha from the angel of Esav, the angel names him Yisrael "ki sarita im elokim v'im a...

I have the zechus of hearing Rabbi/Dr.Twerksi speak most days for a few minutes in between Mincha and Maariv. Today, Hashem gave me some much needed chizuk. Rabbi Twerksi asked the famous question from the parsha, what does the pasuk mean that Yaakov's waiting for Rochel ...

Although going strong for 28 days now, I almost just lost it due to "a regular everyday news story". As I was logging on to my e-mail account, there was a story about a controversial picture on the front cover of a magazine. Out of habit I clicked on it, but soon came to ...

I just wanted to share something that I heard in name of R' Yerucham. It say in this weeks parsha that Rivka went to Beis Shem ve'Eiver to ask about her difficult pregnancy. They told her that she was going to have two entirely different types of children. The meforshim u...

The posuk relates that Lot saw that the Kikar Hayardein was blessed with fertile abundance and chose it as the area where he would settle. He was looking for a quick fix. He left the company of Avrohom, the holiest and kindest man alive, to go live among the most wicked a...

Every human being needs to ultimately undergo a Yetziyas Mitzrayim and Kriyas Yam Suf of sorts, sooner or later. Mitzrayim symbolizes "Self-Will", which we are all slaves to from birth, and "leaving Mitzrayim" symbolizes giving over our will to Hashem. Pharaoh symbolizes ...

We read in Genesis that after Adam sinned, he tried to hide in the Garden of Eden. Was Adam so foolish to think that he could hide from God? Certainly not! He was hiding from himself, because it was himself that he could no longer confront. God's question to him was very ...

Join the Worldwide YEshiva Shovavim Initiative at shovavim.org - "YES we can!" The parshios of the six weeks of Shovavim deal with the enslavement of the Jewish people in Mitzrayim and their subsequent redemption and salvation. Many Sefarim talk about how a man's struggl...

I noted an interesting point while learning the sedra. Hashem showed Moshe Rabeinu the bush burning, nothing more, and Moshe could have easily shrugged his shoulders and continued. Only after Moshe went off his path to investigate, did Hashem speak to him. Hashem sends us...

Why is it that we call it a "Bar" Mitzvah - literally a "son of a mitzvah", as opposed to a sinner who we call a "Ba'al" Aveira? Why don't we call a sinner a "Bar" Aveira too?Answered the holy Chofetz Chaim: "Baal" in lashon hakodesh can also mean a husband. A husband c...

IN THIS WEEK'S PARSHA - VAYIGASH, AFTER YOSEF REVEALED HIMSELF TO HIS BROTHERS, THEY WERE SO ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES THAT THEY TRIED TO HIDE FROM HIM. YOSEF HATZADIK PULLED THEM CLOSE AND TELLS HIS BROTHERS: "VA'ATTA AL TIE'ATZVU - AND NOW, DON'T BE SAD". SAYS THE HELIGER R...

I heard something nice from the Ktav Sofer that explains some of my behavior after my fall this week. When Yaakov goes down to Egypt and finally sees Yosef, it says "va'yevch al tzavarav od," that Yosef cried on Yaakov's neck. Rashi explains that the word 'od' means that ...

"LampLighter" wrote on the forum: This week's parsha is talking to US! It deals with Yehuda's sons, who were killed for wasting seed, and this is the source brought down in Shulchan-Aruch for this aveira! We should always try to see the Torah as being given to us "hayom" ...

Question: Why did Hashem tell Moshe to tell Pharaoh that the Jewish people just wanted to just leave "derech shloshes yamim - a way of three days" to serve Hashem, making it sound like we were planning to come back? Indeed when we finally left, Pharaoh sent spies after us...