The Library

In Parshas Shemos, the Degel Machaneh Ephraim taught that a person should elevate the machshavos zaros (strange and evil thoughts) that come to him. Regarding this topic, one commenter asked how we should practically go about elevating these thoughts. Last night, I learne...

"God's angel appeared to Moses in the heart of a fire, in the midst of a thorn-bush." (Ex. 3:2) Why did God choose a sneh, a thorn-bush to reveal Himself to Moses? A Cure for Fever The Talmud (Shabbat 67a) prescribes a peculiar procedure for those suffering from a high fe...

There are three areas of Tahara that we need to work on. 1) guarding the mouth 2) guarding the eyes and 3) guarding the bris. The Chida says this is hinted to in the posuk "Odom le'amal yulad." "Amal" stands for Ayin, Ma'or, Lashon. It says in Seforim Hakdoshim that t...

"Ubnei Yisrael paru vayishritzu vayirbu vyatsmu." The passuk uses many terms to describe Bnei Yisrael's growth. The Bostoner Rebbe zt"l, Reb Levi Yitzchak Howoritz, in his sefer Shaar Levi, asks: Why does the passuk need to describe this so deeply, to go so far as to us...

Lama harei'osa la'am hazeh ki may'az basi ledaber bishmecha hayra la'am hazehThe Midrash gives a mashal ofto a king whose subjects acted disrespectfully to him and incurred his wrath. The king's faithful minister, seeing how angry he was at the people, went and slighted t...

Hashem tells Moshe rabbainu Tell the yidden pakod pakaditi Zuggt rashi This was a mesora that the eventual savior will say the code words pakod pakadti we are all in mitzrayim Metzer yam we are all enslaved and we serve our different levels...

Hashem says to Moshe Rabeinu, “Tell the Yidden, my name is “Eh-yeh asher Eh-yeh” - I will be with them during this golus, and I will be with them during future goluyos. And Moshe complained “Why mention future problems. Enough to deal with those when they arrive.” And Has...

There are no stories in the Torah for story's sake. So if the Torah tells us ויקם מלך חדש אשר לא ידע את יוסף, the Torah is teaching us a lesson. The meforshim explain that each Yid has his own personal obligation to go from מצרים. That is we each have little of מצרים with...

I want to try to clarify some of the fundamental differences between the Torah approach and other approaches. I do not want to discuss any particular approach. I only want to try to add clarity to what the Torah approach is. The things I discuss may or may not be contrary...

R Tzadok in his sefer Pri tzedek, Vayechi, 4. We say every shabbos, in pesukai desimra "hodu Lashem....Ki leolam chasdo". Within that kepitel of tehilim we say "leosei niflaot...", and subsequently go-on to mention brias haolam and yetzias mitzrayim, and finally kriyat y...

It is written, "[Yaakov] blessed [Efraim and Menasheh] on that day…" (48:20). Wecan explain, Yaakov blessed them that they should always focus 'on thatday.' They shouldn’t think about the past, nor about the future.It says, 'tfochois nosato yomai' - 'like handbreadths (...

*Venishmarta mikol davar ra, mikan shelo yeharhar adam bayom veyavo lidei tumah balailah. Why does the Torah tell us the prohibition of being motzei zera levatala in a roundabout way, venishmarta etc.? why doesn't it say it in a direct fashion, exactly what is assur? The ...

וַיָּשָׁב יוֹסֵף מִצְרַיְמָה הוּא וְאֶחָיו וְכָל-הָעֹלִים אִתּוֹ Rashi says that on the way back from Canaan the Mitzriyim honored Yosef's brothers and let them travel ahead of them as a sign of respect. On the way to Canaan the Mitzriyim went ahead of his brothers and di...

Rashi explains why Vayechi is a parsha s'tumah, a 'closed' parsha, lacking the usual space before the beginning of the parsha. Klal Yisrael's eyes and hearts were 'closed' and clogged because Yaakov Avinu was niftar. Another reason is because Yaakov wanted to reveal when ...

L'fi shek'shemes yaakov nistemu eineihem v'libam shel Yisroel mitzoras hashibud.(Rashi)Nistemu eineihem v'libam shel Yisroel is the ideal that we all strive for! Ayin Ro'eh, haLev chomeid....... the result is unwanted. :-[ While the great & holy Yaakov Avinu was aliv...

V'einei Yisroel kavdu mizoken lo yichal lir'os vayageish osam eilav vayishak lahem vaychabeik lahem(48:10)If Yaakov was blind how did he, in the very next possuk, say "to see your face I did not think, and behold Hashem showed me also your descendants."? The Steipler Gaon...

I found a Zohar in Parshas Vayechi that seems to describe that after one sins the sin runs after him and "moves into his house and lives together with him, in order to injure him." I understood it to mean that the sin takes over the person and causes him to sin and the ...

Yaakov personified the כח of קדושה. Thus, Yaakov told Reuvain "Kochi v'reishis oni" - complete שמירת הברית. This could also explain why Yaakov had Yosef swear with his yerech. Rashi says why with respect to Avrohom but not Yaakov. Perhaps it was the chavivos for shemiras ...