Friday, January 31, 2025

Fwd: Cheder Lubavitch Weekly Message



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf <rabbiwolf@clhds.com>
Date: Fri, Jan 31, 2025, 11:54 AM
Subject: Cheder Lubavitch Weekly Message
To: agentemes4@gmail.com <agentemes4@gmail.com>


ב"ה

Seymour J. Abrams

Cheder Lubavitch Hebrew Day School

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Candle Lighting Times for
Skokie:
Friday, Jan. 31
4:45 pm

Message from the Dean

Life doesn't always feel easy. There are times when we're held back—by rules, responsibilities, or just the pressures of daily life. Some restrictions are good; they keep things running smoothly and help us live together as a society. But let's be honest—sometimes, the limitations we feel aren't from outside rules or expectations. They're from within.

Have you ever felt stuck because of self-doubt or fear of standing out? Maybe you thought, "I could never do that," or "What would people think?" These inner voices can be louder than anything else. But here's the thing: those limits are often the ones we have the most power to shatter.

The Torah gives us a powerful example in the story of the Exodus. When G-d freed the Jewish people from Egypt (Mitzrayim), it wasn't just about escaping physical slavery. The same Hebrew letters that spell "Mitzrayim" also spell "meitzarim," which means boundaries or narrow spaces. The Jews didn't just leave Egypt—they broke free from the things that were holding them back spiritually and emotionally. That strength, to push past limitations, was passed down to us.

Living as a Jew today isn't always easy. Keeping kosher can be expensive, Shabbat can seem restrictive, and finding time to pray might feel impossible. But often, the hardest part is just deciding to try. Once we stop letting fear or uncertainty hold us back, we discover that these "limits" are smaller than we thought.

Change doesn't happen overnight, but it starts with one decision: to take that first step. And as we do, we not only free ourselves—we find more joy, meaning, and connection in our lives.

Let's keep growing together.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf


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Parshah in a Nutshell


Parshat Bo

The name of the Parshah, "Bo," means "Come [to Pharaoh]" and it is found in Exodus 10:1.

The last three of the Ten Plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness envelops the land; and all the firstborn of Egypt are killed at the stroke of midnight of the 15th of the month of Nissan.

G‑d commands the first mitzvah to be given to the people of Israel: to establish a calendar based on the monthly rebirth of the moon. The Israelites are also instructed to bring a "Passover offering" to G‑d: a lamb or kid goat is to be slaughtered, and its blood sprinkled on the doorposts and lintel of every Israelite home, so that G‑d should pass over these homes when He comes to kill the Egyptian firstborn. The roasted meat of the offering is to be eaten that night together with matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs.

The death of the firstborn finally breaks Pharaoh's resistance, and he literally drives the children of Israel from his land. So hastily do they depart that there is no time for their dough to rise, and the only provisions they take along are unleavened. Before they go, they ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver and garments—fulfilling the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth.

The children of Israel are commanded to consecrate all firstborn, and to observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all leaven from their possession for seven days, eating matzah, and telling the story of their redemption to their children. They are also commanded to wear tefillin on the arm and head as a reminder of the Exodus and their resultant commitment to G‑d.

Learn: Bo in Depth
Browse: Bo Parshah Columnists
Prep: Devar Torah Q&A for Bo
Read: Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play: Bo Parshah Quiz

 

 









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