Shmooze News April 19, 2025
Shmooze News April 12, 2025
Please click here to view the Shmooze News.
Groups of Plagues and Lessons Learned
One of the highlights of the Haggadah is our recounting of the Ten Plagues (Makkos). Those miraculous plagues were not simply a punishment for the Egyptians. Rather, as we will see, they served a crucial educational purpose as well, teaching the Egyptians and by extension, us as well, Hashem’s complete mastery over all of creation.
Firstly, the plagues moved in an orderly direction. They started from the bottom – i.e., the water (blood), and what was in the water (frogs). They then moved up to the land itself (lice) and what was on the land (wild beasts, pestilence, boils); then upwards to the atmosphere (hail, flying locust, darkness), and finally to the world of the spirit (the souls of the firstborn). In doing so, the plagues progressively showed Hashem’s control over all facets of existence (Maharal, Gevuros Hashem 34).
Not only that, though, they did so in an orderly way. As per the famous mnemonic of R’ Yehudah – דצ''ך עד''ש באח''ב, datzach, adash. b’achav – the plagues were in fact organized into three groups, each teaching its own specific lesson about Hashem’s control. In short, the plagues – in these groupings – came to prove three points: 1) Hashem’s existence, 2) His involvement in and management of the world, and 3) His absolute Omnipotence. They did so as follows:
דצ''ך – The first three plagues (blood, frogs, lice), came to prove Hashem’s existence. Moshe is told to introduce them to Pharaoh with the declaration, Through this shall you know that I am Hashem (Shemos 7:17). After each of those plagues, Pharaoh called his necromancers to try and emulate the plagues, until finally, after lice they no longer could. Finally, they admitted, “It is the finger of Gd!” (Shemos 8:18). Hashem’s existence was proven.
עד''ש – The next three plagues (wild beasts, pestilence, and boils), came to prove Hashem’s involvement and management of this world. Accordingly, they were introduced with the declaration, so that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the land (Shemos 8:18), i.e., not a distant uninvolved Gd, but One who is “in the midst of the land.” Indeed, with the first of those plagues, Hashem specifically notes I shall set apart the land of Goshen upon which My people stands, that there shall be no swarm [of beasts] there (ibid). The point that Hashem not only exists but is involved, punishing the wicked and protecting the innocent, was now proven as well.
באח''ב – finally, the last grouping of plagues (hail, locust, darkness, and killing of the firstborn), came to deliver the message that Hashem’s power is unmatched, and so they were introduced with the declaration: so that you shall know that there is none like Me in all the world (Ibid 9:14). Indeed, each of these plagues was unique and unparalleled: “hail, such as there has never been in Egypt” (ibid. v. 18), “there was never a locust-swarm like it and after it there will not be its equal” (ibid. 10:14), a darkness that was thick and palpable, and the plucking of the firstborn from each home. Even Pharaoh had to admit that there is no other being that could perform such wonders. Hashem’s Omnipotence was proven (see Gur Aryeh Shemos 9:14).
The Makkos were not just a lesson to Pharaoh. They remain a lesson to us, our children and future generations as well. We joyously recount those Makkos at our sedarim, not just for the justice contained within them, but for the lessons they continue to impart to us. Hashem indeed exists, runs the world, and is All-powerful – then, now, and forever!
Wishing you a Chag Kasher V’sameach!
Rabbi Moskovitz
Shmooze News April 5, 2025
Please click here to view the Shmooze News.
A Soul for a Soul
With Parashas Vayikra the focus of the Torah turns to the subject of korbanos, of offerings. Ramban explains that on a simple level, one of the messages of the korban to the one offering it is that he or she is to see themselves in that offering. The animal’s life force, its nefesh, is meant to represent the nefesh of the one bringing it; a nefesh tachas nefesh – a lifeforce for a lifeforce. By seeing oneself represented in this act of homage to Hashem, the one offering it comes closer to Hashem, which in fact is the very meaning of the word, korban (קרבן), stemming from the same root kareiv (קרב), to bring or come close (Ramban, Vayikra 1:9).
While that approach helps explain animal offerings, it does not seem to address another type of offering discussed in our parashah, namely, the minchah, or flour offering. Where is the nefesh in the flour offering?
When the Torah introduces the minchah offering, it does so with a unique phrase. It says, נֶ֗פֶשׁ כִּֽי־תַקְרִ֞יב קָרְבַּ֤ן מִנְחָה֙ לַֽה', When a nefesh (soul) offers a meal-offering to Hashem. Why does the Torah here use the term nefesh to refer to the person bringing the meal offering rather than the term adam (person) as it does at the start of the parashah (Vayikra 1:2)?
Our Sages (Menachos 104b) explain that in truth the one who brought the simple minchah offering was generally a poor person. Such a person did not own much in the way of livestock, and even the flour that he owned, was probably collected from the portions of the field left for the poor (Toras Moshe, Vayikra 2:1). Such as person would gather together the minimum measure of flour for his minchah – namely, a tenth of an eiphah, to be able to bring his offering. This measure of a tenth of an eiphah was significant, since it was the exact equivalent of the volume of the daily allotment of manna that we received in the desert (see Shemos 16:36). In effect, then, it represented his daily sustenance (R’ S.R. Hirsh to Vayikra 2:1).
This poor person was moved to give up his food for the day to bring this voluntary offering. To him there was something even more valuable than a day’s sustenance. The very opportunity to draw near to Hashem inspired him to bring that flour. It was worth the sacrifice.
Yes, it is true that there was no animal nefesh in a minchah offering. But there was something even more precious. In the words of our Sages, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרִיב נַפְשׁוֹ, the Holy One Blessed is He, says: “I account if for him as if he has sacrificed his very soul!” (Menachos 104b). As the pasuk says, When a nefesh (soul) offers a meal-offering to Hashem, for there was in fact a nefesh offered with the minchah; the nefesh of the person who brought it!
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom / Good Shabbos
Rabbi Moskovitz
Shmooze News March 29, 2025
Please click here to view the Shmooze News.
Shabbos Mevarchim Chodesh Nisan
Rosh Chodesh will be Sunday.
The Molad for Nisan will be on Shabbos morning {Mar 29},
46 minutes and one cheilek after 7
The Cap of the Book of Shemos
This week’s parashah, Pikudei, is the conclusion of Sefer Shemos (the Book of Exodus). Sefer Shemos began with the descent of the Jewish People into Egypt and our slavery there. It then moved on to discuss our miraculous redemption, our travels to Sinai, our receiving the Torah and its aftermath, and concludes with the construction of the Mishkan.
Ramban (introduction to Sefer Shemos) explains that the very end of our parashah sheds light on the message of the entire Sefer Shemos. After discussing the successful construction of the Mishkan and Moshe having set it up, the final verses of Pikudei state: The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Tabernacle… the cloud of Hashem would be on the Tabernacle by day, and fire would be on it at night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel throughout their journeys (Shemos 40:34,38).
With these concluding verses of Sefer Shemos, the Torah notes how the Jewish People came full circle. How so? Sefer Bereishis (Genesis), explains Ramban, is the “book of creation of the world and the story of the Forebearers of the Jewish People.” Understood correctly, it contains within it the future story of the Jewish People, for the story of our Avos (Forefathers) is a portent for us, their children (מעשה אבות סימן לבנים). Their lives are effectively the outline of our story, much like a baby’s DNA spells out its development.
The next sefer, Sefer Shemos, then is the beginning of the unfolding of that story; starting with the first exile decreed upon the descendants of Avraham at the Covenant Between the Pieces (see Bereishis 15:13) and our redemption therefrom. But the sefer does not end with the splitting of the sea, when we were freed from Egyptian tyranny. Rather it takes us all the way through to the end of our parashah, when the Cloud of Glory filled the Mishkan. Why? Because back in Sefer Bereishis the Shechinah was a fixture in the lives of our Avos. In the words of our Sages (Bereishis Rabbah 47:6), האבות הן הן המרכבה, The Patriarchs are the chariot [of the Omnipresent], so to speak. His Presence rested upon their tents and was manifest in every aspect of their lives.
Simply leaving Egypt was not enough. Rather to achieve redemption, we would need to come full circle. The Shechinah would need to return to us, the children of the Patriarchs. And return it did! The cloud of Hashem would be on the Tabernacle by day, and fire would be on it at night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel. And with that we were redeemed from Egypt, and ready to move on to our destiny in the Promised Land.
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom / Good Shabbos
Rabbi Moskovitz