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.
Vaera 5785
Shmos 5785
Vayechi 5785
Vayigash 5785
Miketz-Chanukah 5785
Miketz-Chanukah 5785
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This week's YouParsha http://youtu.be/_c0XHtkmB60
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The Parsha of the week is Miketz. In it is discussed the rise of power of Joseph and the interaction with his brothers. The verse states that Yosef recognized his brothers, yet they did not recognize him. The simple reason they did not recognize him is that Yosef left Israel when he was 17. At this point in the story line, he was 39 with a full beard.
Chassidus interprets that the brothers did not recognize the ability to be Jewish and be a monarch. The brothers were shepherds by profession. This occupation allowed them to divest themselves of worldly influences and pressures. In such an atmosphere it was easy to maintain one’s religiosity. Joseph, on the other hand, was the hub of these outside pressures. (It did have an adverse effect on Yosef as he lived to be only 110. The reason given for his relatively short life span was job related stress.) Yosef is referred to as Yosef Hatsaddik, Joseph the Righteous. Yosef was the most powerful man in the world. He amassed vast fortunes and controlled the economy of the world’s greatest power. Yet through all this, he ate only kosher, kept Shabbos, grew a full beard and raised his children to be the patriarchs of two tribes.
This is exactly what is demanded of the Jewish people, today. Asceticism is abhorrent to Judaism. We do not cloister ourselves away in an effort to transcend the world. We elevate the world through utilization. The physical world was created in order to make it more G'dly.
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The Talmud asks, "What is the correct placement of the menorah?" And answers, "By the doorway, opposite the mezuzah, in order that the mezuzah be on the right and Chanukah candles on the left." It is logical to deduce that there is an intrinsic connection between mezuzah and Chanukah candles. This correlation is made more apparent by the law which states that if the door requires no mezuzah (the room is too small for example) than the menorah is placed on the right side. In essence the two, mezuzah and Chanukah, are a variation of a single theme.
Mitzvahs are divided into two categories, positive (shalls) and negative (shall nots). Each mitzvah is an expression of the highest form of divine will. No mitzvah is more important than any other. Positive commandments elevate the mundane, while negative commandments draw G'dliness into this realm. Both together fulfill the purpose of creation, making the world more G'dly.
A mezuzah is not a good luck charm or amulet. The purpose of the mezuzah is to realize the G'dliness within ourselves. One of Korach’s complaints against Moshe revolved around the mezuzah. He claimed that a house filled with Torahs would be exempt from a mezuzah which contained only two paragraphs of a Torah. He missed the point. The mezuzah shows that a Jew is willing to make a public statement about their Judaism.
The story of Chanukah focuses around a small group of Jews that made a public statement about their Judaism. Indeed, the reason why we light the menorah by a door or window is in order to publicize the Miracle. Chanukah candles may not be lit too late at night, as there will be no one in the street to be reminded of the story. They are a Jew’s public declaration to his Judaism.
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The first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Reb Schnuer Zalman of Liadi, was arrested for a second time and held under house arrest in Moscow. His was released on the third day of Chanukah. The Rebbe was able to see into the royal gardens from the window of the house where he was confined. One day, he saw Czar Paul strolling through the gardens and commented that he was no longer the czar. That day, Paul was assassinated. When asked about his apparent display of divine inspiration, the Rebbe commented that a king below is a reflection of the King above. When he saw Paul in the garden the first time, he felt the Divinity. The second time he saw the Czar, he looked like a regular person. He therefore concluded that Paul would be assassinated.
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