Why Remember Yetzias Mitzrayim in the times of Moshiach? * Being that the reason behind the Mitzva is to reinforce our belief in Hashem, it would seem superfluous to have this Mitzva in the times of Moshiach.
Is it possible for there to be a greater and loftier revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi than in the room where the Rebbe conducted s’darim for Pesach throughout the period of a decade?!
Many Chassidic masters have attempted to interpret the “curses” as blessings. These ingenious and “creative” interpretations were not just exercises in mental gymnastics, but, rather, a sincere attempt to reveal the existence of powerful positive energy that we know lies beneath the surface. And when we discover that hidden dimension and reveal it, it helps to actualize the positive energy itself. With this introduction we will attempt to discover, in this week’s parsha, the hidden positive meaning behind what is, arguably, the most horrific curse…
It is possible that someone could argue: But it’s good for me in exile! Thanks to G-d’s kindness, I live in America, and I am able to study Torah and do Mitzvos in peace. So why should I scream and cry out – he argues – about going out of exile?! * To our great dismay, it is not merely hypothetical that someone could maintain such a misguided line of reasoning…
Most of the obstacles are actually self-generated. Whether it is a propensity toward anger, self-aggrandizement, lethargy, or uncontrollable temptations and addictions, the negativity I generate from within and project outwards form barriers that block the light, or make me unable to appreciate it when it is there. On a deeper, more existential level, the obstacle that blocks the light is, ironically, me.
Most of the participants at the s’darim at Chabad houses in India fall into the category of the “Fifth Son” whom the Rebbe said must also be brought to the table. * The “Fifth Son” comes in many guises – as a Wise Son, a Wicked Son, a Simple Son, and One Who Does Not Know How to Ask. And there is the fifth son within the category of Fifth Son who doesn’t even show up and ends up making a Seder for himself. * Rabbi Dror Moshe Shaul, the Rebbe’s shliach to Dharamkot, Dharamsala, together with his family and the bachurim Eliyahu Sebbag and Mendy Taib, tell about five special people.
That child-like innocence that hasn’t yet been tainted by our intellectual nature may be lying dormant. We must do something drastic, unorthodox and unconventional to awaken it.
What attitude should we have towards the children’s cleaning and preparing for Pesach? What do we need to be careful about when it comes to Chol HaMoed trips? How can we strengthen the family during Yom Tov? What sort of atmosphere should we be aiming to achieve in the home during Yom Tov?
We will still commemorate the Exodus in the Messianic era because without that memory and the transformative quality that constituted the journey out of slavery, the liberation and awareness we will experience then would not be possible.
The following two periods in young Heishke’s life – the purges of the 1930’s and the period immediately after WWII – are testaments to the indomitable Jewish spirit that managed to survive the crushing under the Soviet boot and the smokestacks of the Nazi crematoria. * Dedicated to my grandfather, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Dubrawski. * Part 1
This is a story about shmura matza that was given out by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Freiman, which led to momentous changes in the lives of a local family – a special story of matza, a dream, an apartment and a baby.
Exile conditions generate negative and pessimistic thoughts. We cannot allow such thoughts to remain unchecked; otherwise, they can harm us in three ways…
The fact that Pharaoh can force him into backbreaking labor – it is not Pharaoh King of Egypt who truly forces him! Rather, when G-d wants to test a Jew, He wields an axe, rod, or stick. But this is only “the axe in the hand of the woodchopper.” G-d checks whether he will stand up to the challenge and be strong in his Judaism. It is then that the exile is not real! * Part 2 of 2 (continued from last issue)
November 21, 2012