Archives - January 2023
Bo בא
January 26, 2023
Bo means “come.” Hashem told Moses to come to Pharaoh. The Rabbis ask why he said “bo - come” instead of “lech - go.” The Rabbis answer that Hashem said “bo” the way a parent or teacher would say “come here” because they want to help you. The word “lech - go” would be more of a command. Hashem used the word “bo” to let Moses know that he is not alone and that He will be with him during this difficult time.
In this Parasha , Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to warn him to let Bnai Yisrael go. They told him that if he didn't listen, Hashem would punish him by bringing another plague. He refused, and as result, Hashem sent the plague of Locusts and the locusts began to eat all the plants and vegetation in Egypt. Pharaoh begged Moses to stop the plague, but after the plague stoped, Pharaoh again changed his mind.
The 9th plague was darkness. The Egyptians could not see, but Bnei Yisrael had light. The 10th plague was the death of the firstborn of Egypt. God instructed Bnei Yisrael to paint lamb’s blood on their doors so his angel would pass over their houses and this plague would not fall on them. This is how the holiday of Passover got its English name.
When Moses first came to Pharaoh and said “Let My People Go,” Pharaoh made Bnai Yisrael work even harder. They were very angry at Moses for making their work harder, but we know that this was all a part of Hashem’s plan, and in the end, it turned out well because they became a free People.
From this Parasha we learn that sometimes in life things that have a difficult start have a good ending. Rabbi Josh taught us that the rabbis have a saying for this - it’s called “ Kol hat'chalot kashot“ - which means “All beginnings are difficult.”
Two years ago, my parents wanted to send me to summer camp. I was very worried and did not want to go. In the beginning of camp I felt sad to be away from my family, and I had trouble making friends because I felt shy. After a few days, I decided I might as well reach out and try to make friends. Soon, everything was so fun and I was so happy, but I realized there were some other kids that still felt nervous. I remembered how kind some of the kids had been to me when I felt sad, so I was determined to make them feel included too! I made a decision to hang out with the kids who looked sad and make them happy too. Soon we all became friends.
In this Parasha and last week’s Parasha, Moses kept asking Pharaoh to free the People and Pharaoh kept saying no. Hashem sent terrible plagues, and Pharaoh still said no. Pharaoh refused to negotiate and was very stubborn. Most people would have stopped right then but Moses kept on persisting. Moses was determined to stick up for what was right because B'nai Israel was suffering. Moses knew that Hashem had his back and would be with him the whole time.
This relates to me because once during a soccer practice my friend was being picked on by some boys. This was wrong, but no one on my team spoke up because they didn't want the boys to make fun of them too. I didn't think this was right so I went to the boys and told them to stop because it wasn't right and told them never to be rude to people. They stopped being rude to my friend and stopped being rude to other people too. You should always stand up for what is right even if no one else does, because most people are afraid to stand up for what they believe in. It is important to always be the bigger person. If we have the courage to stand up and do the right thing, we know that Hashem will be with us just like He was with Moses.
Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!
Va'era וארא
January 19, 2023
Va’era means, “and He appeared.” Hashem appeared at the burning bush and told Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let Bnei Yisrael go and then to take them to their Promised Land. In this week’s parasha, Hashem appears to Moses and reveals himself through a series of plagues that he places upon the Egyptians.
Moses thinks that he is not fit for this task. Moses tells Hashem that he has “closed lips,” meaning he cannot speak very well and so he cannot be the leader of the People and talk to Pharaoh. The Midrash tells us that Moses burned his tongue when he was younger and so that is why he cannot speak very well. Hashem reassures Moses and says that you can still accomplish this important task and if you really need help, your brother Aaron will help you and speak to Pharaoh. Hashem refuses to accept the excuses of Moses, and by doing so, he helps Moses overcome any self-doubt.
Aaron and Moses then go to Pharaoh and command him to let the people go. Pharaoh keeps saying no, so Hashem has no choice but to start the Plagues. In this parasha Hashem sends to the Egyptians the plagues of blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, disease, boils, and hail.
The main task of the stories of the Torah is to teach us about life lessons. In this story, Moses gives lots of reasons why he cannot accomplish his task.
God responds that He will be with Moses the whole time, that his brother Aharon will help him, and with the right attitude, he can complete his important mission. Hashem’s response teaches us that despite our doubts, if we believe that Hashem will help us, and if we believe in ourselves and work together with others, then we can accomplish things in our own lives.
Last summer at my sleepaway camp, there was a very tall rock wall that I was too scared to climb because I thought that I would not be able to make it to the top and that I would get hurt. I thought that if I told my friends that I was scared that they would all laugh at me. However, when they saw my fear they actually comforted me and promised to be there for me. I decided to try to climb the wall, and then I was shocked when I made it all the way to the top! In this story I was scared like Moses in the Torah, but like his brother Aharon, my friends were there to help me through it! I learned from this that even if I think that I cannot accomplish something, I need to always try my best and know that my friends will be there to help me succeed if I need them.
I have a similar story. Also last summer at sleepaway camp, I was in the lake with my friends and we were challenged to climb a blow-up obstacle we called the “iceberg.” The iceberg is a slide that you climb up one way and slide down the other and it is shaped like an iceberg. We were all taking turns going on it. When it was my turn I started to climb and then said to my friends, “I want to go back down.” I was scared because I felt like I would not be able to keep pulling myself up. I was afraid that I would not be successful. My friends said, “Don't come down, you can do this!” My friends kept encouraging me to keep going so I did. I made it to the top and it was actually really fun. My friends' encouragement made me know that I was able to do it.
Sometimes we might feel that something is impossible or too difficult. It is human nature to feel this way. But this parasha ultimately teaches us that we accomplish whatever it is that we set our minds to, despite any limitations that we might have or any obstacles that are in our way!
Shemot שמות
January 12, 2023
In this parsha, Pharaoh enslaved the Jewish people and then told the midwives who delivered the Jewish babies to kill all the baby boys. However, the midwives wouldn’t do it so instead, the Pharaoh ordered that all baby boys should be thrown into the Nile River. One woman named Yocheved hid her baby for a while but she knew she couldn't hide him forever. So Yocheved took a wicker basket and put her son in the basket and had her daughter Miriam watch over the baby as he drifted down the Nile. G-d was with the baby and so he ended up in the water outside the royal palace, where Pharaoh's daughter was bathing. She heard him crying and she scooped the baby up and that is when Miriam popped out of the bushes and said she knew someone who could nurse the baby. She then brought her mom, Yocheved, to feed the baby and she became his nanny. Pharaoh's daughter brought him to the palace and named him Moshe.
This parsha is the first in the new book of Shemot. I think it represents a new start. The story of “Our Fathers'' and “Our Mothers” ends and the story of Moshe and the Jewish nation begins. This Parsha is really the beginning of the rest of the Torah where we learn about all of the mitzvot that God wants us to follow and keep.
Pharaoh orders all of the Jews to become slaves and all Jewish male babies to die. We think he wants to stop 2 things: to stop Judaism from continuing. If there are no Jewish males, then there will be no Jewish boys for the girls to marry and then they will just marry Egyptians and become like everyone else. Second, instead of the Jews being strong leaders he wants them to be slaves so he can feel all-powerful and order them to build him cities for free.
I think it was very smart of Yocheved to have Miriam look over Moshe. When me and my friends play a game with my brother, one of us always pretends to switch sides so they can be a double agent. We find a way to communicate with each other, and we always win. Like Yocheved, our strategy is to have someone on the inside. Yocheved had Miriam watch over Moshe and then report back to her, and then she was able to convince Pharaoh’s daughter to make her mom his nanny so she could still teach him about Hashem and about his heritage.
I think the big question of this parasha is, why didn’t the midwives, Shifra and Puah, kill the babies? Wasn’t this a direct order from Pharaoh? Why did they risk their lives? They risked their lives in order to save children. They were clearly people who had strong values and really cared about others. They decided that doing the right thing is always the most important thing, no matter what the consequences. This is very brave, and that is why they are the heroes of this parasha.
Another lesson of this week’s parasha is to always be grateful because it is too easy to forget the nice things someone has done to you. Like how the new Pharaoh so quickly forgot about how Joseph saved Egypt from the famine and in turn, made his family slaves.
I can relate because one time I was really mad at my brother because I thought he and his friend cheated while we were playing a video game. I stormed off to shower and when I got out, I was refreshed. I remembered all the nice things my brother had done for me in the past and I realized my brother was just joking and was nice enough to let me play with him and his friend. I decided not to get mad and to forgive him.
In this parasha we learn to always have a good plan, like Yocheved and Miriam had for baby Moshe. We also learn that we should always stand up to evil and do the right thing, like Shifra and Puah. Finally, we learn that we should do the opposite of what the new Pharaoh did and always be grateful for what others do for us.
And don’t worry, because as we all know from the holiday of Pesach, this story will have a happy ending.
Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!
Written by: Olive Gelpi & Lyla Genet (Grade 5)
Vayechi ויחי
January 04, 2023
Today we will talk about Parashat Vayechi, the last Parasha in the book of Beresheet. After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob knew he would soon pass away. He asked Joseph to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah, where Avraham was buried.
After he asked Joseph to bury him in the cave he called all of his sons to give each one of them a special blessing. First Joseph brought his sons, Ephriam and Menasheh to be blessed by Jacob. Joseph put the oldest child, Menasheh, on the right side of Jacob and Ephriam on the left. He did this because Menasheh, being the oldest, was supposed to get the greater blessing. However, Jacob crossed his arms and put his right hand on Ephraim. Joseph thought that Jacob was confused so he switched his fathers hands, but then Jacob crossed his hands again.
Jacob blessed Ephraim and Menashe saying:
"בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁ֑ה".
“By you shall Israel bless saying, may God bless you like Ephraim and Menasheh.” Parents bless their sons with this blessing before every Shabbat dinner.
The Rabbis ask why we bless our sons with this blessing? After all, the girls are blessed with “May you be like Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah," so why are the boys not blessed with, “May you be like Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov"? What is so special about the lives of Ephraim and Menasheh?
The Rabbis answer that Ephraim and Menasheh were the first siblings who didn’t fight. They treated each other with respect and weren’t jealous of each other. It seems like in Joseph’s house there was shalom bayit - peace in the home, because everyone made sure there was no fighting or arguments.
That is why every parent wants their children to act like Ephraim and Menashe so there can be Shalom Bayit in our own homes.
At the end of the parasha Jacob died and Joseph and his brothers buried him in the Cave of Machpelah. After 30 days of mourning, the brothers were afraid that Joseph would take revenge for all they did to him. But in the end Joseph forgave them and told them not to worry because everything that happened to him was part of God’s plan.
When I was studying for the SSAT my sister was always interrupting me. Instead of yelling at her or losing my temper I played with her for five minutes and she stopped bothering me. In the end I forgave her for disturbing me because I knew she did not do it intentionally. If I had lost my temper then I wouldn’t have been able to study well because we wouldn’t have had Shalom Bayit.
Everyone loves Hanukkah, right? Well last Hanukkah I got this Lego set that I worked on for many hours a day. After 3 days, I finally finished the amazing set. But my sister came into the playroom that we shared and she accidentally stepped on it. I was so upset with her but I knew it was an accident and I forgave her. I did this because it is important to always have Shalom Bayit.
We learn from this parasha that it is very important to respect and always be kind to our siblings.
Thank you, Shabbat Shalom, and Happy 2023!
Written by Hudson Lubow and Max Pinsly (Grade 5)