This evening we discuss Rabbi Yehuda Amital's classic explanation of how the Jewish People could not hear Moshe's message that their freedom and redemption was at hand, and the crucial corollary we see from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Sivan Rahav Meir, plus an even more basic technique - breathe. We grapple with the rabbinic assertion that Moshe did not perform certain of the plagues as a way to show gratitude to inanimate aspects of nature, with a new understanding of what expressing gratitude does for us. We then illustrate this with three remarkable, but very different stories; one from Rabbi Yisroel Zev Gustman, one from Dr. David Pelcovitz, and the last from Henry Winkler. Finally, we look at the unique treat being offered this week in some Kosher bakeries in order to trace the fundamental moral lesson of the second of the ten plagues, (Tz'fardea) from Rabbi Yaakov Kanievsky, known at the Steipler Rav, which every one of us need to internalize.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/adathyoutube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts - https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches1

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches3

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches4

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions for feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.