Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name],
Table of contents
1) Elections
2) Thoughts on Shabbat (Mayer Sasson)
3) Perashat Hashavoua (Rabbi Eli Mansour - Itorah.com)
4) Halakhat Hashavoua (Archives: Emil Khdoury z'L)
1) Elections
Date: Sunday October 24th 2021
Time: 10-12Pm
Location: BAttat Hall at the Spanish
***Members that have not registered can register on voting day where their status will be verified. Payments can be done by check or credit card***
Eligibility criteria can be found here
https://www.maghenabraham.com/?post_id=1258106
2) Thoughts on Shabbat VAYERA
(Mayer Sasson - Published in S&P Bulletin)
PERASHA VAYERA
"And he planted a tree אשל in Be'er Sheva…" (21,33)
Hospitality
A villager once came to the Magid Rabbi Yisrael of Kozhnitz and told him of his troubles.
"Holy Rabbi" –he cried with teary eyes – "I tried to fulfill the mitzvah of hospitality properly and every guest who happened to come to my home always found a table full of food and drinks. And now a great tragedy has befallen me: A fire broke out in my home and destroyed all my money and property that I accumulated with my family over years."
The Magid looked at the villager for a while and after he finished speaking he told him: The Early Rabbis learn from the verse on Avraham Avinu - "And he planted a tree אשל in Be'er Sheva" from the initials of the word אשל that it stands for אכילה, שתייה, לינה – food, drink and sleeping accommodations, or אכילה, שתייה, לוויה – food drink and escort. Avraham Avinu supplied not only food and drink to his guests but also proper sleeping accommodations and he equipped them with all the best when they left his home. You, on the other hand, only fulfilled the mitzvah of food and drinks with the guests who came to your home and did not ascertain that they have proper sleeping accommodations or escort upon going on their way. Therefore the letter ל' was missing from the word "אשל" and there remained the two letters of "אש" – fire.
SHABBAT SHALOM!!!
3) PERASHAT HASHAVOUA
By/Par : Rabbi Mansour (published on itorah.com)
Parashat Vayera: We Never Lose by Following G-d’s Will
In the beginning of Parashat Vayera, we read of the angels who visited Abraham Abinu and informed him that his wife, Sara, would conceive and beget a son. The angel who spoke to Abraham said, "Shob Ashub Elecha…Ve’hineh Ben Le’Sara Ishtecha" – "I will return to you…and behold, your wife, Sara will have a son" (18:10).
The Or Ha’haim (Rav Haim Ben-Attar, 1696-1743) observes that the expression "Shob Ashub" ("I shall return") seems unnecessarily redundant, repeating two forms of the word "return." Why did the angel not simply say, "Ashub" – that he would return when Sara begets a child?
The Or Ha’haim explains based on the Kabbalistic concept that there are two different kinds of Neshamot (souls) – a male Neshama, and a female Neshama. Yishak, Sara’s son, was born with a female Neshama. Whereas normally, of course, males are born with male souls and females are born with female souls, Yishak was an exception, and he initially came into the world with a female Neshama. As such, Or Ha’haim writes, Yishak was unable to produce children, as only a man with a man’s soul is capable of impregnating a woman to produce offspring. At a later point, however, Yishak’s Neshama changed to a male soul, thus enabling him to reproduce.
The Or Ha’haim writes that this change occurred at the time of Akedat Yishak, when Yishak was bound upon the altar and prepared as a sacrifice. As we read toward the end of Parashat Vayera, G-d tested Abraham by commanding him to offer his beloved son as a sacrifice, and Abraham complied, until an angel called out to him just before he slaughtered Yishak, instructing him not to slaughter his son, as this was merely a test. The Or Ha’haim writes that this angel was the angel who had informed Abraham that Sara would conceive. He had promised, "Shob Ashub" – that he would return twice: when Yishak is born, and then again was Yishak is "reborn," receiving a male Neshama.
The Or Ha’haim adds that this explains why the story of Akedat Yishak is followed by the brief listing of the offspring of Abraham’s brother, Nahor (22:20-24). Already Rashi (22:20) comments that this section appears here to inform us of the birth of Nahor’s granddaughter, Ribka, who would, of course, marry Yishak. Or Ha’haim develops this point further, explaining that now that Yishak received a male Neshama, he was able to reproduce, and thus the time came for him to marry. As it was the experience of Akedat Yishak that allowed Yishak to beget children, the story of the Akeda is followed by the birth of Ribka, with whom Yishak would produce offspring.
This insight of the Or Ha’haim teaches us that we never lose by fulfilling G-d’s will, even when it appears that we do. At the time of Akedat Yishak, as Abraham prepared to sacrifice Yishak, it seemed that he would have no future, as his only son was now being killed. It appeared that his dreams of producing a large nation of devoted servants of G-d would never be realized. As it turned out, however, the exact opposite was true. It was precisely because of Akedat Yishak that Yishak was given the ability to produce children. If not for this experience, he would never have been able to father children, and thus Am Yisrael would never have come into existence. While Akedat Yishak at first appeared to spell the end of Abraham’s hopes of producing Am Yisrael, it turned out to be the very event which facilitated the emergence of Am Yisrael.
We should never be deterred from fulfilling Hashem’s will because of considerations like financial costs or inconvenience. Even when it seems as though we are losing because of Misva observance, we are, in fact, gaining far more than we could ever imagine.
4) HALAKHAT HASHAVOUA is from the archives
By/Par : Emil-Benyamin Khadoury z'L (2010)
WEEK OF DECEMBER 3rd 2006
Tefilla (prayer)
The Hafetz Hayim (Israel Meir Kagan-1838-1933) writes :there is no doubt that our many Tsarot (Difficulties) which come upon us,are due to the lack of our Tefillot(prayers) to G-D for salvation.If we were to pour our hearts out in prayer to G-D,he undoubtedly would not turn our Tefillot away unanswered.A person must not be satisfied with the daily ritual of the three dailyTefillot.One should pour out his heart to G-D in his home in private in earnest.It is difficult to fully concentrate when praying the standard Amidah(silent prayer) three times each day ,as we have become accustomed to them and it is difficult to arouse the heart.Rather,a person should examine himself ,realize his difficulties and sincerely speak to G-D,begging him for mercy to improve his situation.These additional Tefillot are sure to be sincere and earnest and will readily be accepted by G-D.
The Gemara in Berakhot brings an interesting insight about effective Tefilla practices,it states that if an individual sees that after praying for a specific request ,his Tefilla goes unanswered ,he should pray again and again, as it says in the verse ,Kave El Hashem Hazak Ve-ematz Libekha ,Vekave El Hashem (place your hope in Hashem ,strengthen and energize your heart and place your hope in Hashem)The verse starts with Kave El Hashem and then it repeats Kave El HAshem.It is pointing us to the concept that it may take multiple Tefillot.to accomplish one's desires.If one Tefilla doesn't do it ,then he must try again & again.
We see that Moshe Rabeinu prayed 515, numerical value of the word Va-et-hanan ,Tefillot so that Hashem may let him enter Eretz Israel,in the end Hashem told him not to continue to speak with him about this any more,and Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Ben Ytzhak 1040-1105) notes that had Moshe prayed just one more Tefilla,Hashem would have been compelled to accept his Tefilla,Thus we see that the more one prays ,the more reason Hashem to accept his Tefillot,
Va-alekhenm Tabo Birkat Hatob
Emil (Benyamin) Khadoury
