Rabbi's Blog

Before going to war, one would arm themselves with intelligence and weaponry.  In the beginning of this week’s Parshah, it is written: "... the children of Israel were armed when they went up out of Egypt." The subsequent verse tells us: "Moses took Joseph's bones with him".

Torah comes from the root of the word Horaah which means “instruction.”   The Torah is exact in every detail. The verses being next to each other is not by chance but by design. The Torah is adding meaning and a message for all time. 

The word for bones in Hebrew is Atzmot (Ayin-Tzaddi-Mem-Vov-Tof). Instead of using a more respectful word to describe the transfer of Joseph's remains, words like casket, box or remains, the Torah uses the word Etzem - meaning bones. 

Etzem also means essence and core. We can now translate the verses in a different manner and use it to give us a life lesson: The children of Israel were armed, they took the essence of Joseph with them. 

The essence of Joseph is seen in his name: Yosef, add. His mother said G-d should add for me another child.   Joseph has the ability to make from an other - someone who is against - into a child.

When the Jewish people went into a "great and awesome desert, [in which were] snakes, vipers and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water;" they armed themselves accordingly. Similarly, when we enter a place where there are things contrary to Torah values, we need remain protected. We need to maintain the ability to make the adversary into a child, part of the family.

Joseph lived most of his life in Egypt and remained true to his values. Joseph used the adversarial Egypt to provide food for his family. We need to be part of the world, live in it and transform it into a child of G-d, a home for G-d.

Happy building (snowmen) and a home for G-d,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman

Have you ever been to an event where you were not dressed accordingly - under-dressed or overdressed? Most probably it was due to being uninformed regarding the event’s dress code. When we are not given the opportunity to properly prepare for an occasion, we tend to find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. From applying for a job interview to a student taking a test, proper prior planning is always necessary.

When G-d was taking the Jewish People out of Egypt, He did not want anyone to claim that they were taken by surprise. G-d told them to prepare a few days earlier by taking the sheep, worshiped in Egypt as a god, and tying them to their beds to be slaughtered as a sacrifice before leaving Egypt.  

Why did G-d want them to take it as a sacrifice? So they would not be unprepared to get the Torah. G-d prepared the Jewish People by giving them two mitzvot: 1) Brit Milah, circumcision, for the males and 2) partaking in the pascal sacrifice by everyone. These included two types of mitzvot 1) Do good - Brit milah and 2) separate from bad - slaughter the idols of Egypt. By doing this G-d was spiritually clothing the Jews with mitzvot so they would merit to be redeemed.

The 10th of Shevat (next Wednesday) is the day the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the leader of the Chabad movement, took on the leadership. You will find that at Chabad, one is encouraged to add a mitzvah, to add a piece of spiritual clothing. This can be by refraining from doing something contrary to Torah or by adding and doing something in line with what the Torah says to do. Why do we stress this? So that when Moshiach comes, we want everyone to have plenty of mitzvot; spiritually dressed appropriately.

The ability to encourage others to add in mitzvot is not limited to "community leaders". Everyone who knows how to perform a mitzvah, or how to refrain from something contrary to Torah, can encourage a friend to do so as well. Keep you and your friends warm!

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Kushi Schusterman