More important that getting the Jews out of Egypt was to get Egyptian culture out of the Jews. God wanted the Jews to be a moral and ethical people and to reject the immorality of Egypt.
Tag: Jews
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Hanukah and Purim
Why do we say Hallel on Hanukah bur not Purim? What is the difference between the two festivals?
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Every Jew Has Value
פרשת וזאת הברכה / א’ דחול המואד סוכות / י”ז בתשרי תשפ”ג
The lesson of Sukkot is that every person has value, no matter how high or low that person may be. We all equal in God’s eye.
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Destroying the Jews from Within
פרשת בלק / ט”ז בתמוז תשפ”ב
When he realizes that cursing the Jews from the outside will not work so long as the Jews are moral, Balak sends women into the camp to make the Jew immoral. The plan works. Zimri carries out his immorality in full view of the people. This was the downfall.
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The American Roots of Israel
פרשת חקת / ה’ בתמוז תשפ”ב
When the Vilna Gaon (d. 1797) read the American Constitution, he was convinced that the redemption was beginning. Article 6 states that there be no religious test to hold office in the US. This meant that Jews were full and equal citizens of the country. This was unheard of before then. The Zionist movement can be traced to the Vilna Gaon’s understanding of US Constitution.
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The US is Not Just Another Country
פרשת חוקה / ד’ בתמוז תשפ”ב
The Hebrew translation of the name of the US does not translate as “the United States” but as The Lands of the Agreement”. Hebrew is the only language that translates the US in this way. It is a recognition the US is not just another country but unique in the world with a special mission.
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The Miracle of Israel
פרשת קדושים – י”ט בעומר / ד’ באייר תשפ”ב
Today we celebrate the independence of the State of Israel. Of all the countries that have come into being since WWII Israel is the only one whose achievement of Independence can be considered a miracle. It is up to us to recognized this.
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Mourning during the Omer
פרשת קדושים – ט”ו בעמר / ל’ בניסן תשפ”ב
We mourn Rebbe Akiva’s students death during the Omer. The official reason given is that they died from a plague. The reality is that they died fighting the Romans in the Bar-Kochba revolt. It is no accident that Israel Independence day happens during this period.
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The Ultimate Defeat of the Nazis
פרשת אחרי מות – י”ב בעומר / כ”ז בניסן תשפ”ב
Today is Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism in Israel. The true defeat of the Nazis is not that we survived but that we survived as Jews and will continue to be Jews in spite of their evil.
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Don’t Ignore the Obvious
פרשת מצורע / ד’ בניסן תשפ”ב
When the wise son asks his question at the Seder we give him a seemingly meaningless answer. He asks for the details of the laws and customs of Passover. We seem to give him a glib response, just don’t eat anything after the Afikoman. Is this glib or is this a deeper response?