By Yehonasan Gefen

On Pesach we celebrate Yetsias Mitzrayim and express our endless gratitude to Hashem for extracting us from the terrible slavery that we endured there. However, there is a great difficulty with the whole essence of this festival. Read the full story »

The Parsha begins with the mitzvo of terumas hadeshen, whereby the Kohen must remove the ashes from the previous day’s offering. Rabbeinu Bechaya writes that this mitzvo teaches the mida of humility before Hashem because the Kohen must humble himself to perform this seemingly degrading act .1 The Kli Yakar adds that the ashes should remind the Kohen of Avraham Avinu’s recognition that man comes from ’afar v’eifer’ 2. Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen
In the midst of its account of the building of the Mishkan that Torah states that, “Every man whose heart inspired him came.. 1” The Ramban writes that this refers to those who came to do the work of weaving, sewing and building. Where did these people learn how to perform such skilled crafts? Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen

Chet haegel is one of the most difficult episodes in the Torah. There is much discussion about how the Dor Deah could commit such a terrible sin so soon after Matan Torah. One less commonly discussed aspect of this terrible incident is the way in which Hashem punished the Jewish people for the chet: Right after the chet, Hashem says to Moshe Rabbeinu, “..Behold, My angel shall go before you.. 1 Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen

The Gemara tells us that the terrible decree to destroy the Jewish people was a punishment for their partaking of the banquet of Achashveirosh1 . Throughout the period of the first Beis HaMikdash, the Prophets were rebuking the Jewish people for terrible sins, including Avoda Zara, and yet they were never sentenced to universal destruction - why was such a drastic punishment reserved for the seemingly mild aveiro of eating at Achashveirosh’s banquet? Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen

Chazal tell us that the various items of clothing of the Kohen Gadol served as atonements for the sins of Klal Yisroel. The meil atoned for lashon hara. One of the striking features of the meil was that it was fully techeiles, the color that resembles the Kisay HaKavod1. What is the connection between the techeiles of the meil with atonement for lashon hara? Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen (If you would like to receive a weekly Dvar Torah on email, please contact me on Gefen123@smile.net.il -thanks)
The Torah states regarding the walls of the Mishkan: “The center crossbar shall go through the middle of the beams, from one end to the other.1 ” The Targum Yonasan writes that the center crossbar was made with wood that came from the trees that Avraham Avinu planted for the purpose of doing chesed for the travelers. Why was this wood in particular used to take such a prominent position in the Mishkan? Rav Zelig Pliskin Shlita explains that it is to remind us that even whilst we are devoting ourselves to Hashem, we should never forget to have compassion for our fellow man, who is created in G-d’s image .2 Read the full story »

By Yehonasan Gefen Gefen (If you would like to receive a weekly Dvar Torah on email, please contact me on Gefen123@smile.net.il -thanks)

“Distance yourself from falsehood. ”2

It is well known that honesty is one of the most important midos and that its antithesis, falsehood, is one of the most undesirable. Read the full story »

What do the Ten Commandments add to what was already accepted? Murder, Thievery, Idolatry & Adultery were already prohibited as part of the universal Seven Noachide Laws (see Maimonidies; Laws of Kings, 9:1). Even many of the post-Sinai penalties existed (Genesis 4:10-11; 5:11-13; 12:17-18; 19:3; 21:25-26; 39:9; 38:24; 40:15; 44:17). In short, what new dimension of obligation do the Ten Commandments represent? Read the full story »

LISTENING By Yehonasan Gefen (If you would like to receive a weekly Dvar Torah on email, please contact me on Gefen123@smile.net.il -thanks)

One of the striking features of Parshas Yisro is the juxtaposition of the portion about Yisro’s advice to Moshe Rabbeinu with Matan Torah. Reb Tzadok HaKohen provides an interesting insight to this in the name of his Rebbe1 . He begins by discussing the section in which Yisro advises Moshe to change the judicial system and Moshe accepts his advice. Read the full story »