OU TORAH Let’s Talk It Over: Parshat Bo By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

I have long believed that all conflicts between people could be settled if the parties to the dispute would agree to simply sit down together and talk. There are, of course, times when I have come to question this belief. I often wonder whether it is not merely a vain fantasy of mine, or perhaps just wishful thinking. I have been forced to admit that some interpersonal disputes are intractable and that no amount of discussion could resolve them. But, by and large, I still adhere to this long-held belief and try, in both my personal life and various professional roles, to put that belief into practice. I attempt to get even the most stubborn opponents to sit down face-to-face and discuss their differences.

OU TORAH The Necessity of Asking Questions By Britain's Former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

t is no accident that parshat Bo, the section that deals with the culminating plagues and the exodus, should turn three times to the subject of children and the duty of parents to educate them. As Jews we believe that to defend a country you need an army, but to defend a civilisation you need education. Freedom is lost when it is taken for granted. Unless parents hand on their memories and ideals to the next generation – the story of how they won their freedom and the battles they had to fight along the way – the long journey falters and we lose our way.

RAV KOOK ON Bo Part 3 : The Special Pesach Offering

The offering brought for the Passover holiday, the korban pesach, has special laws how it is to be cooked and eaten: “They will eat the meat on that night ... Do not eat it raw, or cooked in water, but only roasted over fire.” (Ex. 12:8-9) Why may the korban pesach only be eaten at the nighttime? And why must it be roasted?

RAV KOOK ON Bo Part 2: Donkey-Holiness

Immediately before leaving Egypt, the Israelites were commanded to commemorate the final plague of makkat bechorot, the death of the firstborn, by consecrating their firstborn, saying: “When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us leave, God killed all the firstborns in Egypt, both man and beast. I therefore offer to God all male firstling animals, and redeem all the firstborns of my sons.” (Ex. 13:15) This mitzvah applies not only to firstborn babies, but also to kosher animals, and — surprisingly — to firstborn donkeys: “Every firstling donkey must be redeemed with a sheep” (Ex. 13:13). Why are firstborn donkeys also included in this mitzvah? This is even more surprising when we consider that some non-kosher animals, such as camels and pigs, have only one sign of impurity. Donkeys, however, exhibit both signs of impurity — they are not ruminants, nor do they have cloven hooves. The Zohar teaches that the donkey is avi avot ha-tumah, the ultimate source of impurity. In addition, the Maharal of Prague noted that the Hebrew word for ‘donkey’ (chamor) shares the same root as the word for ‘material’ (chomer). The donkey, he explained, is a symbol of materialism and crassness. So why did God bestow the special holiness of bechor on this ignoble creature?

RAV KOOK ON Bo Part 1 : Draining Egypt

“The Israelites did as Moses had said. They requested silver and gold articles and clothing from the Egyptians. God made the Egyptians respect the people, and they granted their request. The Israelites thus drained Egypt of its wealth.” (Exodus 12:35-36) God’s command that the Hebrew slaves request gold and silver from the Egyptians is commonly explained as reparations for hundreds of years of slave labor. But why was it necessary to completely drain Egypt of its wealth?

[Aneinu] Urgent-- Please Daven Now for Hinda Bracha bas Sima Golda

2 month old baby rushed to emergency room hospital for treatment. הינדא ברכה בת סימא גאלדה לרפואה שלימה בקרוב עם שאר חולי ישראל אמן We Urgently need your help!! It's up to us to demand a complete and speedy refuah from Hashem. Register for One Pasuk Register For A Whole Perek

Ywn [Aneinu] TEHILLIM – Bochur Critical After His Moped Collided With Car In London

Tehillim is being requested for a 20-year-old Bochur who is fighting for his life after his moped collided with a car on Seven Sisters Road in London. Emergency services including police, ambulances and a London Air Ambulance were called to Seven Sisters Road near the junction with Thane Villas at around 1:15PM Monday afternoon. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson told the Standard UK: “We were called at 1:13pm today to reports of a road traffic collision at Seven Sisters Road. Ads By Artscroll: Click Here! “We sent an ambulance crew and an incident response officer to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. The first of our medics arrived at the scene in under six minutes. “We treated a man at the scene for a head injury and took him as a priority to a hospital in east London. We also checked over two patients but did not take them to hospital.” The driver of the car suffered minor injuries. The road is closed and motorists are being told to avoid the area. Please be Mispallel for Shlomo Efrayim Zalman ben Rivkah. (Chaim Shapiro – YWN)