Hassagot השגות

Glory in Place of Ashes (Haiti / The Portion of Bo)

לָתֵת לָהֶם פְּאֵר תַּחַת

אֵפֶר שֶׁמֶן שָׂשׂוֹן תַּחַת אֵבֶל

To grant them glory (pe'er from the root p.'.r.) in place of ashes ('epher from the root '.p.r.).

Isaiah 61.3.

וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא

And he shall provide healing (ve-rappo' yerappe' from the root r.p.'.)

Exodus 21.19.

Three elements are expressed with permutation of the Hebrew letters aleph, peh, and resh:  ashes, expressive of mourning and devastation ('.p.r.); glory, often symbolized by a crown upon one's head (p.'.r.); and healing (r.p.'.).

During the very week leading up to the reading of the portion of "Bo'" in which we learn of the obligation to set a sign upon your arm and an ornament between your eyes (Exodus 13.16)--what is known in Jewish tradition as the commandment to wear tefillin (phylacteries), three events were in the news:

• the suffering of the Haitian people -- ashes.
• foreign medical personnel in Haiti, Israelis numbered prominently among them -- healing
•  a young Jewish man suspected of being a terrorist for wearing tefillin--glory.

A classical Jewish response to the world is to show kindness to others (expressed in healing) to those suffering (expressed by ashes) and simultaneously to demonstrate our love for God (expressed in tefillin). 

-- H. A. Massig

Parashat Shemot (opening of Exodus): What is in a name?

0.         As you know, my first name is “David.”  When I was a little boy, my mother called me by a Hebrew nickname which began with “D” but was unrelated to “David.”   Later, friends called me by a nickname based on my lastname.  Mostly, however, I am called “David.” 

 Recently, one colleague began to call me “Dave.”  I was surprised, because I cannot recall ever being called by that nickname.  Shortly afterward, a second colleague--who does not work with the first one--also began calling me “Dave.”  I later received a note from a neighbor with the same nickname.  I began to wonder what this all meant...

 I mention this as we open a new book of the Torah—Shemot (Exodus), the book of Names.   Before turning to our parashah (portion) itself, I would like to share a poem about names by the Israeli poet, Zelda. 

Words on the portion of Vayigash

Vayigash 2010 / 5770                      9 Tevet 5770 / 26 December 2009

When we see each other, we know that God sees us.

0.    Over my desk in my office, I like to put up quotes that inspire me in my work.  One of them comes from Mishpachah magazine.  There,  I recently read an inspiring article about Dr. David Pelcovitz, a psychologist at Yeshiva University and a frequent speaker.  Dr. Pelcovitz recalls that his rebbe, Rav Avrohom Pam, used to say that there is a special mitzvah of ותהעלמת מהם, “not ignoring [lost articles], that applies to Jewish children in pain.    If you see a Jewish child in pain and you help the child, you can thereby return him or her to his parents.