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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Bo
But the word "Bo" is a gentler, softer, more respectful term; Hashem is telling Moshe he must approach Paro with respect even when coming to make demands of him. But why? Paro is a villain extraordinaire, responsible for putting our people through terrible ordeals of slavery, degradation & death. Why show him any honor at all?
One response is that Paro was a king, & kings are to be treated with respect. Another thought is that Moshe grew up in the palace, & so Paro was a semi-father to him, & fathers need to be spoken to with humility & deference.
But there is another, deeper dynamic at work here. Paro, for all his villainy, performed certain acts of goodness & kindness. For one thing, he (or his namesakes) gave Bnei Yisrael a home & shelter in Goshen for many years. Paro also once exhibited a surprising sense of Chesed. The Medrash says that he & Yitro, Paro’s advisor, were walking one day in Egypt’s slave market, & saw two young girls. They took pity on them, & decided to adopt them so as to save them from a life of misery. Who were these girls? None other than Batya & Zipora, who played major roles in Moshe’s life! Perhaps it was even Paro’s act of saving Batya that instilled in her the very instinct to save Moshe!
The lesson here is that Hashem is a meticulous CPA (Cosmic, Punctilious Accountant). He keeps careful track of everything his subjects do; for each & every positive act, we will be rewarded; conversely, every negative act we do will have its own consequences. And so a Tzadik will pay for his sins, regardless of his other acts of merit, & a Rasha will be blessed for his good deeds.
Think of it this way: Mitzvot are vitamins & medicine, & Aveirot-sins are poison. If you place medicine in a sick body, there will be some benefit to that person, maybe even a complete healing. But if you inject poison into even a super-healthy body, the results will certainly be harmful, maybe even deadly. That’s just reality.
Is there any person in this world who is completely & totally without sin, or who is 100% sinful? Certainly not! Perhaps this is why we should not be completely perplexed when we see "good" people suffer, or "evil" people prosper. What we are actually witnessing is the ultimate, eternal CPA balancing His books.
Now, if someone like Paro could be rewarded for acting nobly now & then, imagine what we could earn through a life of Yirat Shamayim & Torah observance. Let’s do our best to see that we are always on the right side of the ledger!
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
