THE BAIS HAVAAD HALACHA JOURNAL: Volume 5775 Issue XIV Parshas Va'eira Demeaning, Unnecessary, and Useless Tasks A Halachic and Ethical Perspective By Rabbi Yehonoson Dovid Hool

PLEASE LEARN THIS L"N MY BOBIE ESTHER BAS Yichiel Dovid This week's Parsha discusses the history of the Jewish nation, who were enslaved in ancient Egypt until Hashem redeemed them. Hashem sent Moshe Rabbeinu to instruct Pharaoh to free the Jews and let them serve Him. Pharaoh refused to listen, and Hashem punished the entire Egyptian nation with ten plaques, until the Egyptians were forced to let them go. Hashem liberated us, the Jews, from Egyptian slavery so that we should serve Him instead. "For the Children of Israel are servants to me, they are my servants, whom I took out of Egypt" (Vayikra, 25:55). The Gemora derives from here, that Hashem commanded us not to enslave ourselves ever again, even to a fellow Jew, so that we should always remain free to serve Hashem.