Today’s shiur is dedicated l’ilui nishmas isha hagedola, Sara Ita bas R’ Avraham Avigdor. Today was her yom hakvura. She was an outstanding person who lived day in and day out fulfilling her tafkid in life, working on her tafkid of being em b’yisroel.
I’d like to share with you today a mindset that one should have regarding the mitzvos of Purim. There is a mitzvah of mishloach manos איש לרעהו on Purim that the Yidden were mekabel upon themselves and it’s something that we still do with a great pump. People spend tremendous amounts of energy and money on this mitzvah today, as we see in all the ads, magazines and newspapers. The problem, however, is…
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah commands us regarding observance of Shabbos: ואתה דבר אל בני ישראל לאמר אך את שבתתי תשמרו כי אות הוא ביני וביניכם לדרתיכם לדעת כי אני ה’ מקדשכם – “Speak to the Bnei Yisroel and say, ‘You must keep My Shabbosos, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I sanctify you.” (Shemos 31:13)
Sponsored Anonymously l’zchus Refuah Shleimah. Shiur presented in 5778.
Chazal say in masechta Eiruchin (8b), “Rav Papa says, it says, ‘Your benevolence is like the mighty mountains’ (Tehillim 36:7). Hashem’s tzedakos are like tall mountains. What does that refer to? The gemara says these are nega’im discussed in this parshah, that come upon people.” That’s amazing tzedakah. The end of the pasuk ends off with, “Your judgment is like the great deep.” The gemara says this refers to negei batim.
Our discussion today is about the obligation of hakaras hatov. In the hierarchy of all mitzvos, where does hakaras hatov stand? How important is it? What would you say?
The month of Elul is a month for introspection and becoming aware of what one’s challenges are in this world. Do you know what our biggest challenge is? The biggest challenge that everybody has in this world is the same one. I share the same challenge as all of you. We both share a common enemy, and that enemy’s name is yeitzer hara or as the chassidim say yaitzer hurah or as the Sefardim say yeitzer ha-rah. But whatever the name is, however you pronounce it, it’s all the same thing, it’s the same enemy.
