 | One Family, One People
Rabbi Perez with a message from 'Hostages Square' in Tel Aviv.
Before we begin receiving the Torah and mitzvot, and before we were a people, we were a family. The book of Bereishit is about the family of the Jewish people. The book ends with the family squabbles falling away and becoming the united family of Bnei Yisrael. The family becomes a people.
The first time we are called a people is in the servitude in Egypt, we become Am Bnei Yisrael. The family which grew to be a large family, eventually became a people of twelve different tribes. One family which became one people.
This covenant of fate, we see, was forged in blood, before the covenant of destiny. Before we receive our spiritual mission, we have a covenant of one people and one family. | | | This morning, families of the hostages joined Rabbi Doron Perez to complete the writing of a Sefer Torah which is dedicated to the merit of the release of all the hostages. | | The final letters were inscribed in an emotional ceremony held in Tel Aviv at 'Hostages Square' with guests from around the world and representatives from the families of the hostages.
Later today, the Sefer Torah will be sent for use by an elite combat unit serving in Gaza "with the hope that the scroll will bring blessing and safety to the soldiers and in its merit we will be blessed to see the safe return of all the hostages."
The dedication continues: "We are grateful to the Spodek and Kramer families from New York and New Jersey respectively, who dedicated this Torah on behalf of our loved ones – 132 people who remain behind in Gaza and on behalf of our army as this scroll will now serve alongside our soldiers in this elite unit that is fighting to protect us each and every day. This is the true spirit of the people of Israel where we are inspired to act in the spirit of unity which is so incredibly important to us as families of the captives." | |  | In a radio interview reflecting on yesterday's mass tefillah which brought together tens of thousands of Jews from all over the world, Rabbi Doron Perez said: "As someone who goes to the Kotel a lot, I don't remember a situation where everyone whether they are religious, Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Teimanim, traditional, Charedi, or not religious, right or left, came together on Rosh Chodesh to say tefillah for the same thing... Usually, when you go to the Kotel the people who are there depend on the day – Yom Yerushalayim, Religious Zionists; Selichot, Sephardim; other times, Charedim – but now everyone is there for each other, everyone is unified and wanting the same thing." | | Alumni of Midreshet Torah V'Avodah experienced a Mizrachi mission this week, visiting Sderot, Re'im, Netiv HaAsara, hosting a BBQ for chayalim, and more.
A big thank you to Ilan Frydman, Yocheved Hartman, and Ayelet Rosenfield from the Mizrachi missions team for all their hard work for this, and all the other, delegations. | | | Last week, World Mizrachi hosted the impressive Yavneh On Campus Student Solidarity Mission. Led by Rabbi Jonathan Shulman and Jeremy Tibbetts, the group of 75 students from colleges all across North America had a very impactful and meaningful day, which began with a keynote address from World Mizrachi's Executive Chairman Rabbi Doron Perez. | |  | NEW RESCHEDULED DATES
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE! | | VAEIRA
Torah and Nature – Paths to Ahavas Hashem
By Rabbi Zev Leff In honor of my grandson Dovi Leff's Bar Mitzvah this Shabbos.
The second plague which G-d brought upon the Egyptians was frogs. They invaded Egypt, including the ovens for baking. The Talmud (Pesachim 53b) relates that the frogs were the inspiration for Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah.
What did they see that caused them to enter the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar? They reasoned a fortiori from the frogs. If frogs, which are not commanded to sanctify G-d's Name entered the furnace, how much more so should we, who are commanded to sanctify G-d's Name, do?
Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvos says the path to love Hashem is through Torah learning. Yet, in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, Rambam says contemplating the natural world and its awe-inspiring wonders leads one to love Hashem. There are crucial differences between nature and Torah as paths to Hashem.
The Midrash says that HaKodosh Boruch Hu didn't create the world with the first letter, alef, for it signifies arur – cursed – but with the second letter, beis, which signifies bracha – blessing. When using nature as a path to Hashem, one's explorations must be carefully guided, so that one indeed finds Hashem.
As King David proclaimed, Hashem can be found in nature. "When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, I am inspired to realize my insignificance in relationship to G-d, Who is overwhelming" (Tehillim 8:4). But danger remains in the observation of nature, as the Torah warns us: "Lest you raise your eyes heavenward and observe the sun, the moon, and stars, and are enticed to bow to them and serve" (Devarim 4:19).
Yuri Gagarin, first Soviet cosmonaut, announced upon returning to earth that he was sure that G-d didn't exist, chas veShalom, because he didn't see Him. On the other hand, American astronauts on one of the Apollo missions transmitted breathtaking views of Earth from space, and recited Psalm 119, "The Heavens declare the glory of G-d…" Observations of the same thing with two different responses.
The basis of blessings must be clear and decisive when observing G-d through nature. However, the path of Torah isn't fraught with such danger. Quite the contrary, the inner light of Torah guides one toward the good. When it comes to Torah, even what can potentially be cursed, alef, can be inspired and directed by inner light of Torah for good. For this reason, Torah study must be the primary path. Only one steeped in study of Torah can truly and properly utilize the path of observing nature, the secondary path. As physical beings, we are affected more by what we sense than by what we know intellectually. Emunah and ahavas Hashem are as real and intense as what we experience with senses. Torah manifested in nature helps one concretize his emunah.
Entering the furnace to sanctify Hashem's name required strength and commitment. Unless Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah reached a level where their knowledge of kiddush Hashem had become concretized by their senses and observed as a fact of nature, they might have shied away from taking that step. They saw nature's sanctification of G-d's Name through the frogs, which supplemented their knowledge of the mandate to sanctify G-d's Name. Their knowledge gave them courage and will to fulfill what they knew to be intellectually binding. Seeing kiddush Hashem represented in nature, they sensed and felt it. If frogs had strength to do this, they reasoned, that same strength exists within us.
May learning Torah and observing nature, especially in Eretz Yisroel, where nature and Torah bond intensely through the mitzvot dependent on agriculture, bring us to greater levels of love and awe of Hashem.
Rabbi Zev Leff is the rabbi of Moshav Matityahu, and a renowned author, lecturer and educator. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). | | |
📣 The Youth materials for Parshat Vaeira are now online!
🇮🇱 This week's interview features Rabbi Doron Chitiz, a graduate of Mizrachi's Shalhevet program and brother of Captain Yaron Chitiz hy"d who fell protecting Israel on December 27, 2023.
He shares his thoughts and memories of Yaron including his bar mitzvah which was this week's parsha – Vaeira.
👉 To read/download, please visit: mizrachi.org/youth | | 🇮🇱 WANT TO BRING A SOLIDARITY MISSION TO ISRAEL?
🌍 World Mizrachi is the global leader in organizing over 40 delegations from 8 countries over the past month!
📩 For more information, contact Ilan Frydman: ilan@mizrachi.org | | The Parshat Vaeira edition of HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly is now available! | |  |  Schools for Schools!  Mizrachi's Schools Department is launching an initiative to show solidarity and support Jews around the world to schools in Israel. In the spirit of achdut and true empathy that world Jewry has shown, you can make a meaningful contribution to their resilience.
 Letters/Videos of chizuk
 Ice cream/Pizza/Toys
 Remote learning supplies (headphones, tablets, laptops)
To support the campaign go here  jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/114919 | | 📖 "The Jewish State" Available to Purchase
Following the book launch at Mizrachi's World Orthodox Israel Congress, "The Jewish State" by Rabbi Doron Perez is available to buy online for delivery to Israel, Australia, Canada, UK, and USA, as well as for collection at the Mizrachi offices in Israel and South Africa.
For some of the approbations, see the flyer above.
To purchase, click here: mizrachi.org/the-jewish-state-order-form | |  | Tzurba Hilchot Shabbat Program has begun!
Tzurba M'Rabanan is a groundbreaking learning program that makes the learning of Halacha clear, relevant and interesting.
To date, the Lax Family Tzurba M'Rabanan English Series consists of 16 volumes, covering over one hundred and fifty topics in Halacha.
For more information and to purchase volumes of Tzurba M'Rabanan, go to tzurbaolami.com | | | Besorot Tovot and Shabbat Shalom! | | | | |
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