Torah Parallels

Parshas Va'eira Think Outside the Box By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר ה ' אֶל משֶׁה רְאֵה נְתַתִּיךָ אֱלֹהים לְפַרְעֹה וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֶךָ : אַתָּה תְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּךָּ וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ יְדַבֵּר אֶל פַּרְעֹה וְשִׁלַּח אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַרְצוֹ : וַאֲנִי אַקְשֶׁה אֶת לֵב פַּרְעֹה וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶת אֹתֹתַי וְאֶת מוֹפְתַי בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם : וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה וְנָתַתִּי אֶת יָדִי בְּמִצְרָיִם וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת צִבְאֹתַי אֶת עַמִּי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בִּשְׁפָטִים גְּדֹלִים : וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם כִּי אֲנִי ה ' בִּנְטֹתִי אֶת יָדִי עַל מִצְרָיִם וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָם “ Hashem said to Moshe, 'See, I have made you a master over Pharoah and Aharon your brother shall be your speaker. You shall speak everything that I shall command you, and Aharon your brother shall speak to Pharoah, that he should send the B'nei Yisroel from his land. And I shall harden Pharoah's heart and I shall multi...

פרשת וארא Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About This week's Parsha contains one of the ten Kal V'chomers found throughout Tanach. The Kal V'chomer seems to be that Moshe said to Hashem, “If B'nei Yisroel won't listen to me, then certainly Phroah will refuse to listen!” The question is that the Torah told us earlier that the reason B'nei Yisroel didn't listen was because they were under stress and hard work. Certainly these concerns did not apply to Pharoah. So what was the Kal V'chomer? R ashi (6:13) writes that because Moshe said “I am of blocked lips”, Hashem required that Aharon be just as vital as the mouthpiece of Moshe. How could that have been the cause if Aharon had already taken this role in last week's parsha? Where is there a proof from this week's parsha to techiyas ha'meisim? Rashi says that Moshe didn't bring the מכה of דם or צפרדעים because since the Nile had protected him, it would not be proper f...

Parshas Va'eira 5773 - Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover Parshas Va'eira 5772 - Let There Be Here

Parshas Shemos Pull Yourself Together By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ : וַיֹּאמֶר מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ שַׂר וְשֹׁפֵט עָלֵינוּ הַלְהָרְגֵנִי אַתָּה אֹמֵר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָרַגְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּירָא משֶׁה וַיֹּאמַר אָכֵן נוֹדַע הַדָּבָר “ He [Moshe] went out the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the wicked one, 'Why would you strike your fellow?' He replied, 'Who made you a man, a ruler, a judge over us? Are you saying that you are going to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” - Shemos 2:13-14 After the death of Yaakov avinu and the shevatim , 1 the situation in Mitzrayim (Egypt) greatly deteriorated. Pharoah was very concerned that the growing number of Jews would create an environment suitable for a revolt. 2 In order to preempt this possibility, Pharoah decreed that from then on every new-born Jewish boy be killed, 3 while the rest of B'nei Y...

http://thoughtsonparsha.blogspot.com/2013/01/parshas-shemos-great-minds-think.html

פרשת שמות Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About W here is there a רמז in the Parsha that one who does Shnayim Mikrah V'echad Targum nicely will merit to be able to do many more shnayim mikrah v'echad targums? Why isn't Yosef listed among the other shevatim in the beginning of the parsha? Onkoles explains that when the Torah mentions that there was a new Pharoah who “didn't know Yosef” that it means that this new Pharoah did not keep Yosef's decrees. Which decrees did Yosef make that this could be referring to? Miriam reasoned to her father that he was worse than Pharoah because by seperating completely from his wife, he was preventing even girls from being born whereas Pharoah was at least letting the girls live. Was she really right in her argument? Wouldn't taking that chance of having children be considered a safeik sakanas nefashos ? How could it have been a maidservant of Batya's who went to get Moshe if Rashi explained tha...