Back in 1996, Rabbi Finman was asked to speak to the niece of one of his students. After spending many hours answering her questions, the woman gave Rabbi Finman her e-mail address. Rabbi Finman wrote the woman a note and included in it a short insight into that week's Parsha and a short Chasidic story.
Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Bo 5786
Vaera 5786
Shmos 5786
Vayechi 5786
Vayigash 5786
Bo 5786
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This week's YouParsha Bo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd2pp9QyJpI
The Plague of Darkness
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This week we read Parshas Bo, Exodus 10-13. The laws of Passover and the seder are conveyed in it. Moshe admonished the Jewish people to eat the pascal lamb in great haste and none of it should be left over. Passover was the first mtzvah commanded to the Jews as a people. It involved eating (ever go to a Jewish function where there was no food?). Eating is one of the basest acts. Animals eat. We would relate eating in haste perhaps to gluttony.
Many commandments are performed to remind us of the Exodus: Passover, Succos, Shma, tsitsits, tefilin, Shabbos, mezuzah, etc. The Exodus forged the extended progeny of Jacob into the Jewish people. The consumption of the Pascal lamb was an indication how a Jew should approach his service to the Almighty; with alacrity and diligence.
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Rabbi Leibel Groner, a member of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's secretariat, related about the Rebbe:
A yeshiva student from the United States was studying in Israel. His father had to go to Israel on business for a week. The father made up to meet his son each evening for dinner. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday they met for dinner at the designated restaurant at 7 p.m. As evening approached on Thursday, the father realized that he would not be able to get to the restaurant in time. He found out that there was a hotel with reliable kosher supervision near where he was and phoned his son to meet him there.
Soon after they arrived at the hotel restaurant, they saw a groom being escorted to his chupa. The son was shocked as he saw who the groom was. "Abba, do you know that it is -'s wedding!" the son said, and then he ran into the hall.
A little while later, the son came back and told his father what had happened. The groom had been the son's best childhood friend. When they were 18 years old, the groom moved with his family to Israel and the two best friends lost all contact.
A week before the wedding, the groom was in the United States and visited the Ohel - the Rebbe's grave. Among other things, the groom told the Rebbe that having his friend at his wedding would truly make his simcha complete. He also had a "feeling" that his friend was studying in a yeshiva in Israel though he had no idea where or how to contact him. He asked that the Rebbe find a way to bring his friend to the wedding.
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