דבר תורה פרשת בא

"וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם, אֶת-הַמַּצּוֹת" 

The Torah give Bnei Yisrael instructions to guard the Matzot in order to make sure that they do not become chametz. As they were leaving Mizrayim things were happening so fast and they did not have time to make full bread - they were only able to make matzot.  Chazal teach us that this Pasuk is actuall a paly on words. Instead of reading it "Matzot", it could be read "Mitzvot". That we should be very careful, and guard the Mitzvot from becoming chametz. 

What does that mean? How could a mitzvah become chametz?

It is explained that we should constantly be running to do mitzvot and not wait on them. If an opportunity for a mitzvah presents itself, we should jump at it.  We should not say that we will do it later - in 10 mins or 30 mins  - because it might not be there then and we will miss the chance. 

If we have the chance to help our parents, we should do right away. Your mom asks you to take out the garbage - do it right away, not once the show you're watching is over. If you could give help to your friend - do it right away. If you have just finished eating - say birkat hamazon right away! If not, you might forget to and miss the mitzvah.

Doing these mitzvot right away will help us get more mitzvot done and will not allow opportunities to slip through our fingers. If we take action - our mitzvot will not become chametz. Let's take lesson from Nike - Just Do It!

דבר תורה לפרשת וארא

דבר תורה לפרשת וארא

When we are appreciative of what we have and who is around us, it will help us love our life and the world we live in. Parshat Va’era talks about the first 7 makot that Moshe and Aaron display to Paroh. The first 3 all have to do with either water or the earth. Who did those makot? Aaron did them, Moshe did not. Moshe looked at those makot and said “Hey, years ago, the water and the earth saved me in different ways, I will not harm them!” Moshe had a trait called hakarat hatov - appreciation. Even though these are inanimate objects, Moshe’s gut was telling him that he did not want to be part of harming them, and therefore Aaron had to perform these makot.

In a recent movie I saw, a villain and a hero are on the roof. They had just ran through the whole building chasing each other. Villain is this huge guy, muscles, deep voice, and the hero is normal sized. Villain is holding something in his hand that if he lets it go, the whole building will blow up. In the heat of the moment, the hero looks at him and says, “Hey you look familiar - I think we used to go to school together? You used to have issues at recess and I used to help you! It's you - isn't it????” Villain instantly switches his demeanor - his face drops. He is no longer ready to hurt this guy. He hands the bomb over to the hero and runs off the roof. Everyone around asked the villain why he didn't kill him! The villain gives a grin and walks away. This was hakarat hatov. Even in the heat of the moment, the villain felt an inner urge to show his appreciation to the hero.

Hakarat hatov can happen every day, and it can happen in any form. Sometimes we don't even realize what we need to be thankful for, we are so used to the good that is around us, that we forget to stop and be appreciative. This shabbat, take a lesson from Moshe - think about the people in your life that you should be thankful to, and thank them.