5781 The Daily Song In this week’s Parsha, we read the Shiras HaYam. The Shiras HaYam was said as a reaction to the extraordinary miracle of Krias Yam Suf which the Jews just experienced. The Shira begins with אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל את השירה הזאת ויאמרו לאמר. The word לאמר is difficult to understand because it usually means that which is about to be said should be said over to someone....
5781 Yartzeit of Reb Avraham Weinfeld This week will be the Yahrzeit of the Rav’s father, Reb Avraham Weinfeld, on the 15th of Shevat. He was born in 1930, came to the United States in 1947 on the 15th of Shevat and passed away in 1987. As the shul was davening outside, the Rav was thinking how spoiled people have become that standing outside in semi cold weather for an hour or two became such a challenge....
5781 Hashem as the maker or breaker of nature וארא אל אברהם אל יצחק ואל יעקב באל שדי ושמי יקוק לא נודעתי להם The Parsha begins with Hashem telling Moshe that he appeared to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov as קל שקי but not with the Shem Havayeh. What is the difference between these two names of Hashem? The Ramban explains that the name שדי is from the word שודד-robber because when Hashem wants to work within the natural world, he takes away the power from the מזלות....
This Shmuz was said to the talmidim of Yeshivat HaKotel 5781...
5781 Yahrzeit of the Rambam This past week, כ טבת, was the Yahrzeit of the Rambam. He was born in the year 1138 and died in 1204. It’s befitting for his Yahrzeit to fall out the week of Parshas Shemos (the year he died was on the Monday of Shemos like this year) as this is the first Parsha to mention Moshe Rabbeinu. The חסיד יעב"ץ, who lived during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, in his Sefer Ohr HaChaim in the beginning of Perek ט writes אשר כבר נתפרסם על הרמב"ם ממשה עד משה לא קם כמשה....