Inner Torah

  We see a very interesting concept in this week’s Parashas Beshalach. Right after the epic Song of the Sea where Moshe Rabbeinu sings a long song of praise for the miracle of the splitting of the sea and the downfall of their Egyptian enemies, his sister Miriam adds a song as well. Take a look for yourself: Shemos 15:20-21 (כ) וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ (כא) וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוה כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ (20) Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums. (21) And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to GOD, who has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver have been hurled into the sea. Some basic questions jump out from the text itself. Why was this song necessary at all? Especially with the fact that the Midrash tells us that even unborn fetuses in t...

  In Parshas Shemos, we are introduced to the wife of Moshe Rabbeinu, Tzippora. And it’s interesting, because Moshe might be the center figure of all of Jewish thought who we know a tremendous amount about, but his wife Tzippora, much less so.  We know she grew up in Midian and her father was Yisro. We know she saved Moshe’s life when he was about to be killed for the sin of delaying the Bris Mila of his son. We know that Moshe separated from Tzippora as he rose up the level of prophecy. But that’s about it… at least on the surface.  But the truth is, the Torah is not interested in historical facts and family trees. The union between Moshe and Tzippora was of cosmic significance, we just have to dive a little deeper to understand why. The Maharal in his Be’er Golah 5:2 discusses why Moshe had to marry a wife from a foreign nation and not from within Klal Yisrael. He discusses that in fact, Moshe’s soul was so big, he was already considered encapsulated of all of the Jewis...

  Parshas Vayechi is one of the most fascinating parshas in the Torah. Originally dubbed “And he lived”, the truth is it describes Yaakov’s death and final blessing to his children.  Yaakov gathers them together and offers to reveal the secrets of the Messianic Redemption. According to some sources he lost that prophecy due to the lack of unity amongst the brothers. Others explain that the full revelation was hidden, but much was still revealed in the blessings to the tribes themselves. In Yaakov’s beginning to bless his firstborn Reuven, he describes in Genesis 49:3 רְאוּבֵן֙ בְּכֹ֣רִי אַ֔תָּה כֹּחִ֖י וְרֵאשִׁ֣ית אוֹנִ֑י יֶ֥תֶר שְׂאֵ֖ת וְיֶ֥תֶר עָֽז Reuven, you are my first born, my might and the first fruit of my vigor, exceeding in rank and exceeding in honor. The Gemara in Yevamos 76a explains that Reuven was formed from the very first drop of seed that Yaakov ever emitted in his entire life, at the age of 84. While from our perspective this might seem like an odd thing to...