Parashat HashavuaSeries'LibraryPiskei Din (Hebrew)Test YourselfOur Sedra ends with Hashem telling Am Yisrael about the Mitzva of Tefilin. He says that the Tefilin shel Yad serves to remind us that He took us out of Egypt with a strong hand. Thus this Mitzva – unlike almost all the rest – is given before we receive the Torah! It is meant to accentuate the crucial importance of the Exodus, which is also featured in our Tefilot, in the Kiddush each Shabbat & Chag, & in the Birkat HaMazon. Why is Yetziat Mitzrayim so vital? First, it highlights the fact that G-d will go to any lengths – even changing the course of nature – in order to guard & redeem us. It also sends the message that Hashem is the G-d of Justice, who cannot tolerate innocent people being oppressed & subjugated by others. Most importantly, it is a dramatic proof that Hashem did not just create the world & let it run by itself with no Heavenly direction. Hashem is prepared to intervene in history & alter the affairs of Mankind when He deems it necessary – particularly as it affects the Jewish People.
Mordechai Sultan woke up with chest pains. Hatzolah was at his door in less than 30 seconds. How did they get there so fast at 3:30 in the morning? And why were they carrying the specialized equipment that saved his life?
The sages ruled that when a person builds a house for himself and arrives at its final stage, the whitewashing of the walls, he must remember that the Holy Temple still lies in ruins. He must therefore leave a square cubit of wall without whitewash.
In life, each of us is antagonized and beleaguered by others. A number of possible responses offer themselves to the victim such hardships. Some approaches carry a seal of quality and truth; others steer a person in the opposite direction...