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.
Yisro 5785
Beshalach 5785
Bo 5785
Vaera 5785
Shmos 5785
Bo 5785
Please click on the link below to receive the e-Parsha in the way cool HTML version right to your inbox. http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1103523647591&p=oi
=====================================
YouParsha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slUF97w4T3M Moshe’s Speech Impediment
==========================
The Parsha of Bo, Exodus 10:1 - 13:16, details the last three plagues of Locusts, darkness and the killing of the first born as a precursor to the final redemption from Egypt. Hashem described the killing of the first born to effect, "Every first born of the land of Egypt from the first born of Pharoah who sits on his throne, to the first born of the maids that sit behind the mill and all the first born animals." The words first born appear in this verse four times.
There is a discussion in the haggadah about the plagues. Rabbi Yishmoel said that each plague was actually four plagues. The Rebbe explains that each plague attacked the four basic elemental roots of each thing; earth, water, wind and fire. Egypt was the antithesis of holiness. Every element was steeped in evil. One of the words for Evil in Hebrew, is kelipah. Kelipah literally means a shell, like the shell of a nut. There are four levels of Kelipah; three totally impure and nonelevatable levels and a fourth "shiny" level which can be raised to holiness. The plague of the first born effected all four levels of kelipah in Egypt. This is alluded to in the four occurrences of the words "first born" in the verse.
Shach on the Torah, 16th century kabalist, explains that the expression, "Every first born" refers to the first level of kelipah which is soft and bitter. This kelipah corresponds to the element of fire as bitterness is rooted in the fundamental element of fire (people who are bitter tend to be "fired up"). The second kelipah is hard, comparable to the element of earth. The second "first born" mentioned is Pharaoh's. Pharoah spelled sideways is aophar, dirt. The third shell is consumed with the fruit. The maid that sits behind the mill is equated with this kelipah. This kelipah can be ground by the teeth and is associated with the element of water (mills are powered by water). The last kelipah is the most refined. This is the elevatable kelipah. It parallels the element of air and is alluded to in the phrase, "the first born of the animals". First born animals, like air, have little importance in view of the total picture.
With the advent of Moshiach's coming, we will again experience total annihilation of kelipah. It will not be in the manner as prescribed by Rabbi Yishmoel, but in the way determined by Rabbi Akiva. In the Hagadda, Rabbi Akiva mentions that the plagues of Egypt effected not only the four basic elements, but the primary matter from which each of these elements is composed. The very core and root of evil will not only be removed, but converted to holiness, as the Prophet says, "The spirit of impurity will be removed from the world."
Pharoah asked Moshe, "Who will go with you?" Moshe responded, "We will go with our elders and our youth, with our sons and our daughter, with our cattle and our sheep. It is a holiday to Hashem for us." No one will remain in exile when Moshiach comes. We will return to our homeland, the holy land, with Moshe as our righteous redeemer.
=======================================================
The following is an excerpt taken from the Previous Lubavticher Rebbe’s diary which he meticulously kept for many decades.
Once, while traveling by coach (horse and wagon, buses had not yet come to that part of Russia) to our summer home, we chanced to see two people sitting by the side of the road. I immediately recognized them as Reb Peretz and Reb Menachem Mendel, two school teachers from Bashenkovitz. As we got closer we could see that the two of them were sitting with their eyes tightly shut. Reb Peretz was reviewing, by heart, a Chasidic discourse that father had delivered the previous Shavuos. We watched the scene for several minutes and then continued.
Father was visibly moved by this scene. After several hours of travel, he finally said," For 5661 years, nine months, fifteen hours and so many minutes, a certain plot of land has waited for Peretz and Mendel to sit and review words of Torah. By doing so they have brought about the original purpose of that land's creation to be realized. One cannot imagine the gratification this causes the Almighty. It is difficult to imagine the envy with which the Divine spheres covet the deeds of these two school teachers. These two are the Abrahams of this generation, who bring down G'dliness to the Jewish home. The Mittler Rebbe, second Lubavitcher Rebbe, would show greater honor to the school teachers than to the Rabbis. He would say, 'It is the school teachers who make Jews receptive to G'dliness.'"
==========================
Listen Weekly to the Jewish Hour Podcast. www.rabbifinman.com. Now available on iTunes, spotify, audacy, and wherever you park your podcasts.
The Torah e-Parsha is a project of Jewish Ferndale. For information on sponsoring the Torah e-Parsha in memory or for the recovery of a loved one, in honor of a simcha or you just feel like being nice, contact via reply. All contributions are tax deductible. Please forward this message to as many friends and associates as you like. © 2025 by Herschel Finman.
Contact Rabbi Finman for information on sponsoring the e-Parsha
