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5782 Nachas Ruach from the struggle The Parshah begins with Hashem telling Moshe בא אל פרעה and the reason is כי אני הכבדתי את לבו. It’s interesting that Moshe is being told to come to Pharaoh-כי-because Hashem hardened his heart. On the contrary, כי אני הכבדתי את לבו would be more of a reason for him not to go to Pharaoh. But it’s possible to translate the word כי as “even if” like is found in Parshas Ki Sisa 34:9 ילך נא אדני בקרבנו כי עם קשה ערף הוא וסלחת לעוננו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו that כי there means even if....

5782 Humble Beginnings The Parshah begins with a discussion between Moshe and Hashem. Hashem tells Moshe to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Jews go and Moshe responds that the Jews have not listened and certainly Pharaoh won’t either. In the middle of this dialogue, the Torah deviates and begins talking about the lineage of the Shevatim beginning with Reuven going down to Moshe and Aharon from Levi....

5782 Importance of שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום The Parshah begins ואלה שמות בני ישראל (א,א). The Levush in אורח חיים סימן רפה סע' א writes the following: חייבו חז"ל [ברכות ח ע"א] על כל אדם מישראל שישלים הפרשה בכל שבוע עם הציבור שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום, כדי שיהא בקי בתורה, וסימנך ואל"ה שמו"ת בני ישראל [שמות א, א], ו’חייב א’דם ל’קרות ה’פרשה, ש’נים מ’קרא ו’אחד ת’רגום, וזה חייבים כל בני ישראל....

5781 The Kiddush this Shabbos was sponsored by the Feldinger family in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Akiva Moshe. Connection of Bar Mitzvah to Parsha This Shabbos is very appropriate for celebrating his Bar Mitzvah not only because it’s actually the week where he is becoming a Bar Mitzvah, but actually because Parshas Vayechi is apropos for a Bar Mitzvah as will be discussed. (Once a Rebbe came to a village and a Jew came over to him and said Rebbe, in your on honor I’m going to make my son’s Bar Mitzvah....

5781 Approaching One’s Self ויגש אליו יהודה ויאמר בי אדני ידבר נא עבדך דבר באזני אדני (מד,יח) The Parshah begins with Yehuda bringing his case to Yosef. But what exactly was he saying new? He seems to be merely repeating the story that he and Yosef already knew and therefore what caused Yosef to now open up to the brothers? One thing that Yehuda did add was that he made himself an ערב as the Pasuk says כי עבדך ערב את הנער מעם אבי אם לא אביאנו אליך (מד,לב)....