Simply Deep

The Rambam describes the origin of Avoda Zara as giving honor to created beings as a means of giving honor to God. Isn’t this what we do when we honor our parents?

Why did Hashem tell Moshe to stop davening for the Jews when the Egyptians were chasing them? Rashi (Shemos 14:15) gives two explanations.

Why is the tefillin shel rosh called totafos? Rashi (Shemos 13:16) has two pshatim.

Why is a donkey the only nonkosher animal that has a mitzvah with its bechor? Rashi (Shemos 13:13) gives two difficult answers.

The first Rashi in Vayechi gives two explanations why Parshas Veyechi is stuma (closed)—that is, it doesn’t start with a break as other parshios do. We analyze these two explanations and discover the sadness of Parshas Veyechi.

After being told Yosef was alive, Yaakov offered korbanos to “The God of his Father Yitzchak” (Breishis 46:1). Why not just say God or connect God with Avraham as well? Rashi explains that a person is obligated to honor his father more than his grandfather. This episode analyzes this cryptic Rashi.

Rashi in Sanhedrin 101b cited an Aggada about Moshe’s discussion with Hashem about removing a Jewish baby (who ended up becoming Micha) from a wall in Egypt. This episode analyzes this midrash and reveals its significance in Jewish history and in the development of Avoda Zara in klal yisrael.

This episode discusses two Rashis on the pesukim describing when Yosef met Binyamin.

Shabbos 23b discusses the reward for certain mitzvos and says the mitzvos of lighting candles

(Shabbos and Chanukah) leads to children who are talmidei chachamim. We analyze this connection.

This episode takes up the Rashis that discuss the idea that each of the Shevatim was born along with a twin sister — and Binyamin was born along with two twin sisters.