Insights on the Parsha & Mo'adim - From Joshua Moshe Mitchell

This week’s Parsha is פרשת משפטים, where, following מתן תורה, the Torah turns to legal matters and lays out a multitude of prohibitions. In the midst of these laws, the Torah states: “זבח לאלהים יחרם בלתי לה׳ לבדו - One who sacrifices to gods shall be destroyed - to HaShem alone!” This verse is incredibly difficult. We were already commanded regarding the איסור of עבודה זרה; in fact, it’s the second commandment in the עשרה דברות! Why, then, does HaShem repeat it here - what is He adding? Furthermore, the Torah later states that the punishment for this עבירה is סקילה. If so, why does this פסוק use the term יחרם, rather than language more consistent with other עבירות punishable by stoning? Lastly, the ending of the פסוק seems superfluous: לה׳ לבדו - To HaShem alone, is already evident! Why, then, does the Torah include these two words - what do they come to teach? 

This week’s Parsha is פרשת יתרו, highlighted by the descent of G-d onto הר סינו and the giving of the 10 commandments. But, before יתרו ,מתן תורה comes to the מחנה ישראל (Camp of Yisrael) bringing Moshe’s wife צפורה and their two sons. The Torah then records their names, stating: שם האחד גרשם כי אמר גר הייתי בארץ נכריה - the name of one was Gershom - because he said: I was a stranger in a foreign land.” Immediately after the תורה introduces Eliezer: “ושם האחד אליעזר כי־אלקי אבי בעזרי ויצלני מחרב פרעה - the name of one was Eliezer - ‘because the G-d of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.’” This passage raises several questions: Why does the Torah explain the reasoning behind their names - why can’t we simply state גרשם and אליעזר? Why is this explanation mentioned specifically here - before מתן תורה? And why does the Torah use the phrase שם האחד twice, instead of the ordinary שם האחד ושם השני?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week’s Parsha is פרשת בשלח, which includes the splitting of ים סוף and בני ישראל’s song of praise to HaShem (אז ישיר). In the aftermath of these events, בני ישראל, now famished, demand food - even claiming that without it, יציאת מצרים would have been pointless. HaShem responds to their request, stating: “הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן־השמים ויצא העם ולקטו דבר־יום ביומו למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי אם־לא - Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the nation shall go out and gather it every day, for the sake of My test: whether they will walk in the ways of My Torah or not.” The תורה describes this sustenance as “דק מחספס דק ככפר על־הארץ - thin, flaky, fine like frost on the ground.” Being completely foreign to them, בני ישראל coined it מן, and HaShem later commands for a portion of this מן to be kept as a memorial forever. This entire section on מן is frankly bewildering. How is מן the ultimate test of whether בני ישראל will keep the Torah - how does מן represent the תורה at all? Moreover, what exactly is מן - what are its qualities, and what does it mean that it came from heaven? Lastly, why does HaShem command some of it be kept forever - what purpose does this serve?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week’s Parsha is פרשת בא, where we read of בני ישראל’s exodus from מצרים. After the Jews are freed, HaShem tells Moshe that בני ישראל need to sanctify their בכורים (firstborns), stating: “קדש־לי כל־בכור פטר כל־רחם בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה לי הוא - Sanctify Me all the firstborn, opener of the womb amongst Bne’i Yisrael, man and animal, they are Mine.” HaShem then pauses and speaks about the format of the חג of פסח. Afterwards, He returns to the topic of the בכורים - establishing the obligation of redeeming them. This commandment is greatly puzzling: What does it mean that בכורים will be sanctified - what is this קדושה of theirs? Why is this required of the בכורים specifically? And if they are going to be redeemed anyway, how are we to understand the very existence of this מצווה?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week we read פרשת וארא, the Parsha where HaShem begins to inflict the plagues on Egypt. The פרשה opens with HaShem instructing משה to speak to Pharaoh, to command him to release עם ישראל. However, after seeing that בני ישראל didn’t listen to him earlier, Moshe responds:  “הן בני־ישראל לא־שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים - and behold, Bne’i Yisrael hasn’t listened to me, how would Pharaoh listen to me - me of uncircumsied lips”. After this, the Aliyah ends, and HaShem states to Moshe: “נתתיך אלקים לפרעה ואהרן אחיך יהיה נביאך - you will be G-d to Pharaoh, and אהרן, your brother, will be your Prophet.” This interaction is incredibly puzzling, raising many questions: What does משה’s statement mean, especially stating that he has ערל שפתים? How can Moshe be G-d? And why is this only to Pharaoh?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week we will read פרשת שמות, the very first פרשה in ספר שמות. In this Parsha, we are told of עם ישראל’s great persecution by the מצרים, which leads them to cry out to HaShem. As HaShem hears their cry, he begins to manifest his plan for their salvation, starting by speaking to משה. Here, when informed that HaShem will bring בני ישראל out of מצרים to ארץ כנען, Moshe replies that they won’t believe him - they will ask what His Name is, and he won’t know what to say. HaShem responds “אהי-ה אשר אהי-ה ויאמר כה תאמר לבני ישראל אהי-ה שלחני אליכם - Eha-yeh Asher Eha-yeh (I will be what I will be), and you (Moshe) will say to Bnei Yisrael, Eha-yeh sent me to you.” He continues: “כה־תאמר אל־בני ישראל ה׳ אלקי אבתיכם אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב שלחני אליכם זה־שמי לעלם וזה זכרי לדר דר - You (Moshe) shall say to Bnei Yisrael: ‘HaShem, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitzchak, and the G-d of Ya’akov has sent me to you’ - this shall be My Name forever, and My remembrance from generation to generation.” HaShem seems to give Moshe proof to בני ישראל’s upcoming claim that he’s a נביא שקר (a false prophet); later on, however, HaShem bestows נסים (miracles) for Moshe to perform to prove his validity. This raises the question - how do we understand this answer of HaShem - would he really give a verification so lackluster? Moreover, the statement itself is incredibly difficult - we have never seen this Name before! What does it even mean?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week’s Parsha is פרשת ויחי, the very last פרשה of ספר בראשית. In this יעקב ,פרשה grows ill and blesses all the שבטים before his death. When יוסף hears of his father’s health, he comes to him, bringing his two children, מנשה and אפרים. Yosef places his sons before Ya’akov, מנשה on his (יעקב’s) right, and אפרים on his left. However, instead of following the natural order, יעקב crosses his hands, putting his right hand on אפרים and his left on מנשה. Seeing this יוסף attempts to switch his father’s hands back, informing him that his right hand is on his youngest son (אפרים), rather than מנשה. In response, יעקב simply replies “ידעתי בני ידעתי גם־הוא יהיה־לעם וגם־הוא יגדל ואולם אחיו הקטן יגדל ממנו וזרעו יהיה מלא־הגוים - I know my son, I know, he (Menashe) will also become a nation, and he will also be great, but the younger brother shall be greater than him, and his children will fill nations.” יעקב then gives the children a ברכה, stating: “בך יברך ישראל לאמר ישמך אלקים כאפרים וכמנשה - By you, Israel shall bless, saying: (May) G-d make you like Ephraim and Manashe.” This passage raises many questions: By what virtue is אפרים greater than מנשה? What does it mean that אפרים’s children will be מלא גוים? Why do we (עם ישראל) bless ourselves through them? And why does יעקב choose to cross his hands?

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week’s Parsha is פרשת ויגש, where all of יוסף’s family goes down to מצרים. Here, יוסף introduces יעקב to פרעה, with the תורה stating: “ויבא יוסף את־יעקב אביו ויעמדהו לפני פרעה ויברך יעקב את־פרעה - and Yosef brought Ya’akov his father, and stood him before Pharaoh, and Ya’akov blessed Pharaoh.” After this, פרעה asks Ya’akov: “כמה ימי שני חייך - How many are the days of the years of your life?” יעקב replies: “ימי שני מגורי שלשים ומאת שנה מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי ולא השיגו את־ימי שני חיי אבתי בימי מגוריהם - The days of my years I’ve dwelled are 130 years, little and bad are the days of the years of my life, and they haven’t reached the days of the years of my fathers, in their days of dwelling.” After his answer, יעקב then blesses פרעה a second time and leaves. This entire interaction seems incredibly puzzling as why is פרעה so interested in יעקב’s age? How do we understand יעקב’s bizarre response? And why did יעקב bless Pharaoh twice?!

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim

This week, we read פרשת מקץ, a פרשה focused largly on יוסף. In this פרשה, Yosef interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, stating that there will be 7 years of abundance, followed by 7 years of famine. Because of his knowledge, פרעה puts יוסף in charge of the preparation for the famine, where he imposes large crop taxes, in order to store food for the future. As a result of his new authority, יוסף’s social status skyrockets, from being פוטיפר’s lowly slave to becoming the second most powerful person in all of Egypt. No display of his power is greater than when the famine begins, where Pharaoh commands the Egyptians to do all that יוסף says - as if יוסף is king. This famine then spread throughout the entire world, causing everyone to go to מצרים to buy food. Afterwards, תורה informs us of יעקב’s seeing this, stating: “וירא יעקב כי יש־שבר במצרים ויאמר יעקב לבניו למה תתראו - and Ya’akov saw that Egypt had grain, and he said to his children, why do you look at one another?” יעקב then commands the brothers to go down to Egypt, where they listen immediately with the Torah illustrating: “וירדו אחי־יוסף עשרה לשבר בר ממצרים - And 10 of יוסף’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.” However, these פסוקים raise three questions: firstly, the תורה first refers to the שבטים (tribes) as בני יעקב (children of Ya’akov), but later calls them the אחי-יוסף (Yosef’s brothers) - why this change? Additionally, יעקב asks the brothers, למה תתראו - why do you look at each other - a very confusing and seemingly out of place question; what is the meaning of it? Lastly, the שבטים have no response to יעקב’s question; instead are just silent and leave to מצרים - why don’t they respond? 

Recorded in Ramot

This Sunday night, we will begin Chanukah - a חג that has no mention in all of תנ”ך. But, we do find it discussed in a few דפים of גמרא שבת. There we see a מחלוקת between בית הלל and בית שמאי. בית שמאי states that we should light 8 candles of חנוכה on the first night and go down one each night - to mirror the structure of the קרבנות on סוכות, while בית הלל states that we should light one candle on the first day and add one each day - as we don’t go down in קדושה, only up. This מחלוקת triggers a few questions: Why are we comparing חנוכה to סוכות? What is the קדושה of חנוכה? And what is חנוכה all about as a whole? 

Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim