YWN Coffee Room Nightly D’Var Torah

Wow, I did not realize that I was volunteering for Wednesday. I was just checking to ensure that we were not going to go a day without a dvar torah. Oh well, I’ll give it a go.

devar torah on parshas shemos!!! (it’s got some r’ moshe so i chose this one!!!)

by Rabbi Yaakov Menken

“And Moshe grew larger, and he went out to his brothers…” [2:11]

Because the Torah already told us that “the boy grew” just one verse earlier, we need to understand why the Torah apparently repeats itself. Rebbe Yehuda explains in the Medrash that the first “growth” referred to physical growth, while the second referred to greatness — Paro appointed Moshe master of his household. Moshe not only grew taller, he was elevated to a high position.

The Yalkut HaDrush directs us to another Medrash, which tells us that Moshe’s growth was unusual. All too frequently, when a person reaches a high office, he forgets — or pretends to forget — his brothers, his friends and relatives. He no longer cares about their troubles and problems. But Moshe rose to greatness, becoming master of Paro’s household, and did not forget his brothers. On the contrary, “he went out to his brothers” — he became more and more concerned about their fate, and searched for ways to help them. This is the Jewish way to rise to greatness.

Moshe did not try to be great. He did not aim to be superior. On the contrary, he tried to help everyone — he humbled himself. And this is why he was given greatness. “All who hunt after greatness, greatness flees from them; all who flee from greatness, greatness pursues them.” [Eruvin 13b]

We find the same trait in Eldad and Medad, who (according to the Medrash) denied themselves the opportunity to become part of the Council of 70 elders. “Eldad and Medad said, ‘we are not fitting for this greatness.’ Said the Holy One, Blessed be He, ‘Since you reduced yourselves, I will add to your greatness.'” [Sanhedrin 17a]

We can still find people like this from the previous generation. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein A”H, was one example. Once, a reporter for the New York Times wanted to understand how someone became such a widely-respected figure. After all, no one held elections and no one ran for the office — so who made Reb Moshe the leader?

“Someone comes with a question,” explained Reb Moshe, “and you give him an answer which he appreciates, and which is completely in accordance with Jewish tradition. So he suggests that others should call you as well.” In other words, his position evolved naturally, over a period of several decades. Had he been trying to glorify himself, he would have given up on studying and dealing with the constant inquiries long before. But Reb Moshe’s entire motivation was to help others, to try to give them clear answers to their questions. He was not looking for greatness, so it pursued him instead!

True leadership is achieved when we devote ourselves to caring about others, helping others, putting their needs ahead of our own. May we all learn to be like Moshe!

i hope ya enjoyed it!!! i want feedback please!!!

Adfghjkl: I’m shepping 🙂 ! ! !

syriansephardi: thanx so much!!!

Quote: “no fair, i thought i would get to be called Reb Asdfghjkl after my devar torah!!! “

We would but we cannot pronounce it! I never thought I’d say this, but it would be much easier to pronounce the name of the tyrant running Iran than your screenname 😉

Anyways, since somehow I was told I have volunteered to give a d’var torah, here goes.

Parshas Vaera

After the 3rd plague, the wizards tell Paroh that “It is the finger of G-d”.

The Ibn Ezra has an interesting way of interpreting this assessment of the wizards.

The Ibn Ezra writes that the wizards told Paroh that this plague was not brought for the benefit of the Jews (i.e. that they be freed), rather the stars are showing that it is purely a punishment for the Egyptians.

The Ibn Ezra learned the Paroh did not recognize Hashem at this point, and the proof of this (as well as the previous p’shat) is the fact that they say Etzba Elokim He (It is the finger of G-d) without mentioning that Hashem is Elokei Yisroel

JayMatt19: ha that’s 2 funny!!! great vort there!!!

nossond; thank you!!!

edited

syriansephardi: i did enjoy it!!!

Isn’t moish supposed to be giving a dvar torah tonight?

No curious, I was

i assume this is where i’m supposed to post it.

In all the other places Hashem just says that He heard their cries. What did Hashem SEE this time?

Dunno how you got this out of me. You deserve a gold medal, Moderator-72.

and i hope no one said this before. i wouldn’t know because i never read this thread 😉

MODERATOR: can you now delete it from the shmiras halashon thread? thank you!

The gold medal goes to you and all those who post a D’var Torah. I enjoyed this and will tell it over at my table. YW Moderator-72

yashrus it’s ok i did my homework (unlike someone else i know) and I was sick today TOO. so i think i should get extra credit for doing my homework on time.

ha ha i should email it to my rebbe, maybe he’ll pass me in something this term. (i wonder if i’m even going to get a report card?!)

i wish they would just delete the other one. ha i can’t believe i’m actually posting on this thread

Nice job, moish! I knew you could do it:} Something we, in the cr, can all learn. Go easy on others. Thanks!

~a~

moish: great D’var Torah, i really enjoyed it.$

Since I don’t have time to go on YWN on Erev Shabbos (I do try to keep the Sabbath thing… ya know and there ain’t much time when I get home) I will post now and please put it up for me tomoro. (Ahhh I miss doing this stuff- Geshmak!)

Parashas Va’era –

By R’ Pam Zt”l Sefer Darchei Noam

(shortened into my own words)

Paroh told Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon Hacohen that they can serve their G-d inside the land. The request was for B.Y. to be able to leave to the Midbar and bring karbanos there. Paroh nixes this and says you gotta stay here and do it in Mitzraim. So Moshe Rabeinu answers back- Sorry, we can’t do it here b/c the Mitriyim will find it disgusting to see us slaughter their gods in front of them. (They served Sheep as gods).

Amazing! M”R risked angering Paroh (and possibly his life) because he didn’t want to cause pain or anguish to the horrible and insensitive Mitzriyim! Al achas kama vekama we have to be careful not to cause tzaar to other Yidden!

How many times do we get so involved with our own personal wills that we forget to care about how the other guy feels?

–Younger chevra, ever been dancing and k-nocking at a chasuna so much that we don’t realize we are knocking over and stepping on all the ppl older than us?

–Ever been so eager to get to the front of the line that you don’t realize you are actually pushing ppl??

— How abt this one… (oh my I’ve been on both ends) Ever met a person that hs so much to say and doesn’t let the other person get a word in edgewise? (mamish just happened to me today! I wanted to say my point already but by the time I could say it, it wasnt shayach anymore!)

***** So many times a day we can stop what we’re doing and think, “Am I REALLY doing a mitzvah now or am I not being sensitive and rubbing my mitzvah in someone else’s face and not being sensitive to them and their pain. Let us learn from Moshe Rabeinu who was sensitive to Mitzriyim and chose one minute a day to be sensitive to any person we come in contact with that day. *****

Good Shabbos Everybody 🙂

(BTW this is so changed from the text i dont know if its fair to even say it B’shem R’Pam Zt”l… sorry)

shkoyach: i liked it!!! have a great shobbos as well!!!

The dvar Torah is li’iluy nishmas Rebbetzin Feldberger. May we all take a moment today to be sensitive to at least one person (as the dvar torah requests) as a zechus for he neshama. I was happy today, now I am sad 🙁 but I think its allowed for now.

????, ??-????? ??-???? ???-????–??-? ???; ???? ?’, ?? ?????? ???

Rashi in Dibur HaMaschil ???? says “?? ?????”

The question here is What was bothering Rashi? (note: d’var torah not taken from Rabbi Bonchek’s book with the same name) We can see from the rest of the passuk that it was to the ?????!

The Ramban says that this was in essence a printers error. That the entire dibbur hamaschil was supposed to be the whole passuk, but someone shortened ??-????? ??-???? ???-???? to ?? ?????.

This answer is difficult on a number of reasons (especially since we don’t like to just take a difficulty and avoid it by saying it is a printers error)

So, how to all those other Rishonim and Achronim who don’t say like the Ramban understand what Rashi is adding here?

I saw in the Tallilei Oros (from a source whom I have never heard of before) the following p’shat. ?? ?????, and make the ???? not ?? ?????. Meaning that Hashem spoke with each one, since each one was an ??. Hashem spoke to ???? &???? not because they were the son and grandson of ?????, rather, each one had their own zechusim and each one had a right on their own to be called an ??.

Mods can I do one tonight?

Yes. No need to ask, just post. :o) Thanks. YW Moderator-72

JayMatt19 & shkoyach: i enjoyed both your vorts!!! thanx!!!

I will do Sunday.

Perkie avot, perek daled, mishna yud alef:

“One who does a mitzvah, a malach will defend him” a sanegor echad- defending angel. “And one who does an aveira will get a malach against him” a kategor echad- prosecuting angel. Q: what’s the mishna trying to tell us? Are we here to find ourselves only one mitzvah? A: even ONE mitzvah is worthwhile.

“If there is one defending angel against one thousand prosecuting angels, the defending angel will speak about the good of a person and he will find favor in the eyes of Hashem and that person will be redeemed from gehenam” that’s the power of one mitzvah.

In order to get rid of the prosecuting angel a person has to do 1.Sincere teshuva 2. Ma’asim tovim.

Hope this made sense lol and hope everyone enjoyed!

looking forward to monday night of qwertyuiop and asdfghjkl. Any chance we can get zxcvbnm to give then as well?

JayMatt19: thanx!!! there actually is someone with a sn zxcvbnm, but he/she went mi!!!

nossond: nice vort!!! very enjoyable!!!!

asdfghjkl: thanx for reminding me i don’t think i’m gonna google one this week, i’ll put a regular one again.$