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MOSAIC EXPRESS
Friday Jan 9, 2015 — Tevet 18, 5775
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T o rah Po rtio n She mos ■ ‫ש מ ו ת‬
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MTC G racious ly Ack nowledges Th is W eek ’s S pons ors of th e Day
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TORAH READING
Parshat Shemos...………..……..…..Page 259
Haftorah…………………..……..…..Page 1095
CLASSES
Chassidus.…….…………….……..........8:15am
Men’s Class……………………………...3:10pm
SHOO”T………………...…….……….…..3:55pm
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JANUARY 23
En Francais avec le Rav M. Pinto:
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Seu'da Chelichit…………………….…….......16h 25
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WEEKDAY PRAYER SCHEDULE
SHEMOT ALIYAH SUMMARY
Sunday …………….……………….….. 9:00 am
Monday –Thursday………………….7:00 am
Breakfast following weekday services
Mincha - Maariv
In cherished memory of
R’ Yeshaya Aryeh ben Menashe Treitel obm
SUNDAY - THURSDAY
Mincha - 4:30 pm
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Unwrapping by Tzvi Freeman
We pray and He answers with blessings. But we
ask, “If you are already giving us blessings, why
in such clumsy packages with so many strings
attached?”
And He answers, “If you are giving me your
innermost heart in prayer, why in such thick
layers of ego? Why with such cold words? Why
do you hold back your tears?”
“I’ll make you a deal,” He says. “You bare your
souls from their wrappings, and I will bare My
blessings of their clouds.”
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Call Johnny Galambos at 514.712.5017 for details.
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General Overview: This week's Torah
reading, Shemot, begins the Book of
Exodus. Pharaoh issues harsh decrees
against the Israelites, beginning decades
of Jewish suffering and slavery. Moses is
born and raised in the Egyptian royal
palace. After killing an Egyptian, Moses
escapes to Midian and marries. G‑d
appears to him in a burning bush and
demands that he return to Egypt to
redeem the Israelites. Moses returns to
Egypt with the intention of freeing the
Jewish people.
First Aliyah: Jacob's sons all died.
Jacob's descendents in Egypt, however,
were "fruitful and swarmed and
increased and became very very strong."
A new Pharaoh arose, and he resolved to
find a solution to the "Israelite problem."
He proposed to afflict the Israelites and
impose slave labor upon them, thus
preventing them from multiplying. He
implemented the plan, and the Israelites
were forced to construct storage cities
for Pharaoh. "But as much as they would
afflict them, so did they multiply and so
did they gain strength." Pharaoh then
summoned the Hebrew midwives and
instructed them to kill all the Hebrew
sons that they delivered. The righteous
midwives feared G‑d, however, and
defied Pharaohs order.
Second Aliyah: Pharaoh called the
midwives to task for not following
orders. They answered that the Hebrew
women were skilled in midwifery and
delivered their babies before they even
arrived. G‑d rewarded the midwives for
their bravery. Pharaoh then commanded
the Egyptians to cast all newborn males
into the Nile. Moses was born. His
mother, who feared for her baby's life,
put him into a waterproofed basket and
set him afloat in the Nile. Pharaoh's
daughter came to bathe, and took the
child as her own. Moses' sister Miriam,
who observed the entire episode, offered
to bring a Hebrew nursemaid for the
child, and when Pharaoh's daughter
agreed to the suggestion, Miriam called
the child's mother. Moses' mother nursed
the child and after he was weaned
brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter.
Third Aliyah: Moses was raised in
Pharaoh's palace. When he matured, he
went out one day and saw an Egyptian
smiting a Hebrew. Moses slew the
Egyptian. Word of his deed reached
Pharaoh, and Moses was compelled to
flee. He escaped to Midian where he
married Zipporah, the daughter of
Jethro. They gave birth to a son,
Gershom. Back in Egypt, meanwhile, the
plight of the Israelite slaves was
worsening. They cried out to G‑d, and He
remembered the covenant He had made
with their forefathers.
Fourth Aliyah: Moses was shepherding
Jethro's flocks in the wilderness when he
arrived at the "mountain of G‑d." There
he saw a bush burning, yet it was not
being consumed by the fire. When he
approached to investigate the
phenomenon, G‑d called out to him.
G‑d declared that He has seen the
Israelites' afflictions, and has decided to
deliver them from their Egyptian
masters.
Fifth Aliyah: G‑d gave Moses specific
instructions: He was to gather the
Israelite elders and inform them that
G‑d had remembered them and would
now rescue them from Egypt and bring
them to a Land of Milk and Honey. Then
he was to approach Pharaoh and request
permission to leave along with the
Israelites. G‑d informed Moses that
Pharaoh would not accede to this
request – but the redemption would
come nonetheless, after G‑d will smite
Egypt with a strong arm. At that point
the Israelites would leave with much
riches. G‑d gave Moses three miracles to
perform before the Israelites to prove
that he was sent by G‑d. When Moses
protested that he was not suited to be
G‑d's messenger due to his speech
impediment, G‑d assigned his brother
Aaron to be his spokesperson.
Sixth Aliyah: Moses took his wife and
two sons and headed for Egypt. G‑d
charged Moses to warn Pharaoh: "So
said G‑d, 'My firstborn son is Israel. So I
(Continued on page 6)
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Chumash
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Mosaic Express
l3
REBBE RESPONDS TO
BOY'S QUESTION
By Rabbi Levi Wolff - Shliach and
spiritual head of Sydney’s Central
Synagogue
T
he following is a personal story,
something special that happened to
me. I think about it annually, on this
weekend each year.
It was in 1982, and I was about eight
years old, the Rebbe devoted a speech to
a cryptic passage in Rashi’s commentary
to the weekly sidrah. That particular
passage in Rashi discussed one of the
differences that set Esau, the wicked,
apart from his righteous brother, Jacob.
The contrast in their worldview and
moral pyramid lay in the way they
treated their women and children; whilst
Esau paraded first his wives and then his
children, in an act which lent itself to
promiscuity and lewdness, the more
modest Jacob presented his family in the
opposite order: first his children and then
his wives.
The discussion was longer and deeper
than that which my young mind could
fully grasp, but I was able to get the gist
of things.
The following day, while learning in
cheder, we stumbled upon the story of
Moses - read this week in Shule - the
first leader of Israel, was making his
return to Egypt with his family, after a
significant absence. The verse tells that
he loaded ‘unto the donkey’ his wife
Tzipporah, and then his newborn
children. A sudden light went off in my
mind, as I noticed a seeming
incongruence between this and what I
had heard only the day before from the
Rebbe himself. Here was Moses, a
righteous person, behaving in the manner
that was worthy of Esau- how could this
be true?!
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When my teacher could provide no
answer to my query, he suggested I put
the question in writing and offered to
deliver it personally to the Rebbe’s office,
later that afternoon. I did as he said, and
continued with my day.
That evening, around eleven o’clock the
phone in our home rang, and it was the
Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Klein. My father,
bewildered by the unexpected event,
listened in awe as Rabbi Klein related
that the Rebbe had just seen my letter
and had personally given a response to be
communicated back to me.
Beyond how honored and important I felt,
that the Rebbe had answered my
question, thinking back to this story I
cannot but notice the powerful messages
hidden within.
For one, The Rebbe, whose mailbox was
the recipient of the highest number of
private letters delivered in New York, had
taken the interest, time and care to
respond to a query posed by an eight year
old child -- and at eleven o’clock at night,
no less! The meaning I always drew from
this reflection is that the Rebbe wanted
to give me the feeling that I mattered, my
learning mattered and my questions were
worthy of a reply.
Mine wasn’t a burning question; the
nature of my letter didn’t have
reverberations in the halls of power and
could well have waited till the following
morning. But the Rebbe didn’t think so, he
felt that if it was important to me, it was
crucial to show that it was important to
him too.
Even his fascinating answer exuded this
keen sensitivity and personable approach;
the Rebbe had explained that since the
babies were in fact just born, it would be
impossible to sit them on the animal,
without their mother being there to hold
them. A simple technicality, a small
nuance, but the Rebbe hadn’t overlooked
it.
Perhaps it was this seed planted in my
young conscience that bore fruit years
later, when my wife Chanie and I decided
to join the Rebbe’s army, an army of
candles, bent on spreading the light of
Torah and perpetuating his three-fold
message of the love of the people of Israel,
the love of Torah and the love of G-d.
(Continued on page 5)
(Continued from page 4)
From the height of his genius, the Rebbe
spoke to each at his or her level,
counseling and accompanying them
through their difficult -- as well as
joyous-- times. He had a warm word for
the barren woman, as well as sound
advice for the business entrepreneur. His
smile healed the broken hearts of so
many who came to his address to find
solace and respite.
Serving at the helm of a worldwide
movement, sought out and consulted on
issues that would likely change the
course of history, the Rebbe never lost
sight of the individual, never dismissed
any request for assistance as too trivial
or insignificant. He saw that in the
curiosity of an eight year old child lay an
entire existence, and if fostered correctly
it could well turn into a lifelong
endeavour.
I hope to live up to the faith he has
placed in me and fulfill the mission he
has entrusted to me. ■
SHOO”T OF THE
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Mosaic Express
l5
The Paradox of Prayer
by Tzvi Freeman
Without faith, there is no prayer.
But if there is faith, for what is there to pray?
There could only be one answer:
The Infinite can contain opposites.
To approach the Infinite, we must do the same.
(Continued from page 2)
say to you, send out My son so that he will worship Me. And if
you refuse to send him out, behold, I will slay your firstborn son.'"
En route to Egypt, Moses' wife rescued her husband from divine
wrath by performing a circumcision on their son. Moses met
Aaron, who had come from Egypt to greet him, and together they
went to Egypt, gathered the elders and performed the wondrous
signs that G‑d had given Moses.
Seventh Aliyah: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and
presented G‑d's demand. Pharaoh mocked the request and
instructed the Egyptian taskmasters to increase the Israelite
slaves' workload. The Israelites were unable to meet Pharaoh's
new demands, and were viciously beaten as a result. Moses
addressed G‑d: "Why have You mistreated this people? Why have
You sent me? Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your
name, he has mistreated this people, and You have not saved
Your people." G‑d responded: "Now you will see what I will do to
Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out..."■
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and finally…
China, Russia, and Poland venture to space. China says they'll go to
Pluto because it's the farthest. Russia says they'll go to Jupiter
because it's the biggest. Poland says they'll go to the Sun. Russia
and China warn that they'll melt. They reply, "We'll go at night."
An inspiring story for your Shabbos table
HERE’S
my
STORY
Generously
sponsored
by the
‫ב״ה‬
‫ תשע״ה‬,‫ י״ט טבת‬,‫שבת פרשת שמות‬
Shabbos Parshas Shemos, January 10, 2015
ALL FOR THE CAUSE
MR. MOSHE SALZBERG
M
y name is Moshe Salzberg. I was raised in
Lisbon, Portugal, where my parents spent
the wartime years. After high school, I came
to New York to study at Yeshiva University and the
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, but after I got married,
I immigrated to Montreal, Quebec, in order to find
work. I have lived in Montreal for close to fifty years
now, and I’ve been involved with the Jewish
community here. My involvement came about mostly
because of my three children and my concern for
their religious education.
In 1968, when my son Meyer was ready to start
school, there was a Lithuanian-style yeshiva in
Montreal, called Yeshiva Merkaz HaTorah, and there
was also a Lubavitch yeshiva. As a matter of fact, the
founders of Merkaz HaTorah came to town at the
same time as the Lubavitchers. At one time they
worked together, but eventually they split.
Lubavitch made its own institution — there was a
large Lubavitcher community in Montreal, and they
needed a yeshiva for the chasidic children — and
Merkaz HaTorah made its own. But while Lubavitch
prospered, Merkaz HaTorah did not do as well. They
did not have enough students to fill all the grades.
So we didn’t see a future for Meyer at that school. A
few of the other parents felt the same, and so we
decided that maybe we should start another school,
because it seemed to us that Merkaz HaTorah would
eventually disappear.
That’s when I started talking with the Lubavitchers, who
did not want another yeshiva in Montreal. Instead, they
invited me and the other parents to bring our children
to their yeshiva. At that time, they had just put up a new
building on Westbury Avenue in Montreal, so they were
conveniently located in the area.
We met with Rabbi Sputz, Rabbi Greenglass and Rabbi
Gerlitzky, and we discussed the idea of making a yeshiva
together. The meeting was going well until I asked:
“Who decides on the teachers for these kids?”
They looked at each other, they looked at me, and
they said, “Well, we already have teachers.”
I said, “Yes, but maybe we want to have some other
teachers, not all Lubavitch.”
They did not want to agree to that. So that put an end
to this attempt for us to become part of the Lubavitch
yeshiva. But then I got the idea of going to see the
Rebbe to ask him what he thought about all of this.
I had met the Rebbe once before in connection with
the founding of Camp Gan Yisrael in Montreal. At
that time, the Rebbe gave me a five dollar bill — not
a one dollar bill as was his custom, but a five dollar
bill, which I still have. So that first meeting was a
special memory, and I felt that he would find a way
out of this dilemma.
I came to Chabad Headquarters in New York and,
after a long wait, I was invited to go into the Rebbe’s
office at around 1:00 a.m.
continued on reverse
An oral history project dedicated to documenting the life of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,
of righteous memory. The story is one of thousands recorded in the over 1,000 videotaped interviews
conducted to date. Please share your comments and suggestions. [email protected]
continued from reverse
He inquired what I wanted to talk to him about. I told
him I had come to discuss building another yeshiva in
Montreal — a Yeshiva Gedolah.
He asked, “Do you have enough students for the yeshiva?”
I said, “We don’t have very many at this time — only
about five or six boys. But once we start one grade,
we hope it will grow from grade to grade.”
I also explained to the Rebbe that the kids want to be
religious, but they don’t necessarily want to be Lubavitch.
The Rebbe was quite understanding. As a matter of
fact, he told me: “Listen, I want you to build a yeshiva.
And it should be the nicest yeshiva that you can build.
It should have air conditioning for the study hall, and
it should be attractive,
because the mothers of
these children want
them to go to a very
nice, very comfortable
place.”
I was surprised by that
answer — that he
should mention air
conditioning, because air conditioning was a real
luxury in those days. I was very impressed by that
answer because you would expect that, being
Lubavitch, he would be touting the superiority of
Lubavitch over other institutions, but he didn’t take
that position at all.
He was in favor of another Jewish school going up in
Montreal. He understood that not everyone wants to
be Lubavitch, nor has to be Lubavitch. There are other
ways of serving Hashem. And that is good.
Yeshiva Gedolah and Merkaz HaTorah merged, and
today 450 students attend this institution from preschool to post-high school Talmudic studies. All
thanks to the Rebbe’s blessing.
______________
Mr. Moshe Salzberg lives with his family in Montreal,
Canada. He was interviewed in his home in January of 2011.
‫לע”נ ר’ ישראל יעקב וזוגתו מרת קריינא ע”ה לאקשין‬
‫ע”י בניהם ר’ נחמן ור’ אברהם ומשפחתם שיחיו‬
This week in….
> 5745 — 1984, following a visit to the resting
place of the Previous Rebbe, the Rebbe’s
secretariat announced an unexpected Farbrengen.
A short five minutes later, the Rebbe began the
Farbrengen, honoring the 850th anniversary since
the passing of Maimonides, deriving many
lessons from Maimonides‘ conduct and
teachings. He then encouraged the daily study of
a portion of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah.
20 Teves
> 5749 — 1988, the Rebbe concluded the eleven
months of reciting Kaddish and leading the
daily prayers following the passing of his wife,
Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. Following Mincha,
the Rebbe addressed the assembled about the
times of Moshiach and the resurrection of the
dead. 21 Teves
At the end of the meeting he gave me a blessing, and
he wished me that I should succeed.
When I returned from New York, any opposition to
another yeshiva from the Lubavitchers melted away,
and I succeeded in founding a Yeshiva Gedolah.
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Second Yahrzeit, 24 Teves 5775
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Eleventh Yahrzeit, 21 Teves 5775
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SAMEDI 10 JANVIER 2015
19 TÉVÉT 5775
VIVREAVEC LA
PARACHA
Chemot
Le défi, la croissance et la transion
Le paradoxe de l’exil
L’exil constue un défi : D.ieu y est
comme caché. Nous devons donc
réveiller nos ressources spirituelles les
plus profondes et renforcer notre
aachement à Lui. Cee idée se
retrouve dans la Paracha de cee
semaine qui décrit les descentes
successives vécues par le Peuple Juif en
Egypte. Tant que Yossef et ses frères
vivaient, les Juifs jouissaient de
prospérité et de sécurité. Mais avec la
mort du dernier fils de Yaacov, les
travaux forcés firent irrupon, on jeta
dans le Nil les nouveau-nés et survinrent
d’autres actes d’une cruauté inouïe. Et
quand Moché apporta la promesse de la
rédempon, l’oppression du Peuple Juif
s’accrut encore au point que Moché luimême s’écria : «Depuis que je me suis
rendu chez le Pharaon pour parler en
Ton nom, il a fait du mal à ce
peuple» (Chemot 5 : 23).
Cependant, la Torah évoque également
comment les Juifs implorèrent D.ieu,
a$rant Son aenon (Chemot 2 : 2 324). En réponse, D.ieu transmit la
promesse de la rédempon et
l’engagement que «lorsque tu sorras ce
peuple d’Egypte, tu serviras D.ieu sur
cee montagne» (Chemot 3 :12). En
d’autres termes, D.ieu s’engagea à
donner la Torah aux Juifs. Cela révéla la
possibilité d’un lien plus élevé et plus
profond avec D.ieu, rapprochement qui
n’aurait pu être aeint auparavant.
L’histoire d’un nom
Ces deux pôles se retrouvent dans le
nom de notre Paracha, Chemot, qui
signifie «noms». Il existe deux
dimensions dans le nom d’une personne.
D’un côté, il représente les aspects
extérieurs de son être, ce qui apparaît
dans le fait que le nom de quelqu’un est
nécessaire dans sa relaon avec autrui. Il
n’a pas besoin d’un nom pour lui-même.
Cela va même plus loin ; plusieurs
individus, avec des personnalités
totalement différentes, peuvent partager
le même nom, ce qui démontre que, du
moins apparemment, le nom ne décrit
pas qui nous sommes réellement.
Cependant, comme l’écrit Rabbi Chnéor
Zalman de Lyadi dans le Tanya, un nom
représente la nature d’une enté et sa
force vitale. C’est un canal qui permet à
cee nature intérieure de s’exprimer. Il
ne s’agit pas simplement d’une idée
théorique. Le nom affecte la conduite
quodienne. Nous observons que
lorsque nous appelons une personne par
son nom, nous a$rons son aenon.
Plus encore, quand un homme
s’évanouit, souvent il suffit de murmurer
son nom à son oreille pour qu’il se
réveille.
Lions ces observaons aux concepts
d’exil et de rédempon. Tant que n’est
révélée que l’expression extérieure du
nom des Juifs, il leur est possible d’être
subjugués par les forces matérielles.
Mais quand c’est l’essence du nom des
Juifs, Israël, qui s’exprime, il n’y a aucun
potenel pour l’exil. Car le nom Israël
indique que «nous avons combau D.ieu
et avec les hommes et avons
gagné» (Beréchit 32 :29).
Cela souligne la différence fondamentale
entre l’exil et la rédempon. L’exil ne
représente pas, en effet, un changement
dans l’essence de notre relaon avec
D.ieu. De Sa perspecve, même en exil
nous sommes «(Ses) enfants et (nous)
changer pour une autre naon, Il ne le
peut» (Kidouchin 36a). Et en ce qui
concerne le Peuple Juif, nos Sages
commentent le verset «je dors mais mon
cœur est éveillé» (Chir Hachirim 5 :2)
ainsi: «bien que je dorme en exil, mon
(Connué à la page 11)
Mosaic Express
l9
LE RECIT DE LA SEMAINE
Un pet miracle à Tucson
D
ernièrement, j’ai reçu un mail de
Suzanne, une dame professeur de
droit à l’Université d’Arizona. Voici ce
qu’elle m’écrivait : «Je n’arrête pas de
pleurer - de joie - depuis ce que vous
m’avez raconté. Je suis bouleversée et
vous écris maintenant à travers mes
larmes – alors que je suis en pleine
journée de travail à l’Université».
Quelques minutes plus tôt, je lui avais
appris que je revenais de la Brit Mila
(circoncision) du fils d’Andrew. Andrew
est une des stars montantes de l’équipe
de football américain «Wild Cats».
J’avais alors rappelé par écrit à cee
dame que c’était grâce à elle que j’avais
fait connaissance d’Andrew un an plus
tôt.
Voilà ce qui s’était passé : l’année
dernière, à ‘Hanouccah, nous avions
loué le zoo de la ville pour y organiser
une journée juive inoubliable. Les
arbres furent décorés avec des toupies
lumineuses, des stands proposaient
toutes sortes d’aracons et de jeux à
thèmes juifs ; à l’entrée, nous avions
érigé une énorme ‘Hanoukia. Mais nous
n’avions pas encore trouvé de
personnalité
célèbre
qui
aurait
l’honneur de l’allumer devant la foule.
Suzanne – le professeur dont je viens de
parler – avait eu vent de notre
«problème» et avait suggéré que nous
nous adressions à Andrew qui se
trouvait justement à Tucson avec son
10
l Mosaic Express
épouse. Ce fut elle qui nous arrangea un
rendez-vous avec lui. Andrew accepta
immédiatement mais nous demanda de
lui indiquer exactement ce qu’il devait
faire ou dire car il ignorait absolument
de quoi il s’agissait.
Plus de cinq cents personnes arrivèrent
pour l’événement ; Andrew lut les
bénédicons d’une voix forte et émue à
la fois après que nous lui ayons fait
répéter des centaines de fois «le texte»
de la prière. Son épouse Ashley se
tenait dans la foule, les yeux brillant de
bonheur et de fierté : «Mes parents
viennent d’une grande famille juive
marocaine,
nous
apprit-elle
;
actuellement, ils habitent dans le
Maryland. Ils seront très fiers
d’apprendre qu’Andrew a prononcé les
bénédicons !». Elle promit de rester en
contact avec nous.
Quelques mois plus tard, Ashley
m’informa qu’elle aendait un heureux
événement. Après la naissance, elle
m’informa du jour et de l’heure de la
Brit Mila et je m’y rendis, muni bien
évidemment de mes Téfilines. J’aidai les
deux grands-pères à les mere puis les
proposai à Andrew, le père de l’enfant.
Une fois de plus, Andrew accepta tout
en m’informant que je devais lui
indiquer exactement ce qu’il convenait
de faire car il ne savait pas du tout
comment agir. Je lui demandai si c’était
la première fois et, un peu honteux, il
répondit par l’affirmave. Je répondis
que c’était moi qui avais honte de ne
jamais les lui avoir proposés
auparavant !
Son père intervint dans la discussion :
«Non ! C’est moi qui ai honte de ne
jamais avoir fêté la Bar Mitsva de mon
cher fils !». Il se tourna vers son fils et
déclara : «Je te promets que je vais
t’acheter une paire de Téfilines ! Excuse
-moi pour le retard !».
Maintenant tous pleuraient – de joie
bien sûr et d’émoon ! Les Mazal Tov
fusaient de partout : pour l’enfant qui
entrait dans l’alliance d’Avraham notre
père mais aussi pour son père qui
devenait Bar Mitsva le jour-même !
Suzanne aussi était émue aux larmes en
entendant comment se réalisait – grâce
à elle finalement – le dicton : «Une
Mitsva entraîne une autre Mitsva» !
Cee année, nous avons loué un parc
encore plus grand pour toutes nos
acvités de ‘Hanouccah. Andrew y
était. Mais il avait déjà allumé sa propre
‘Hanoukia chez lui, aux côtés de sa
femme et de son bébé. En prononçant
les bénédicons avec bien plus
d’aisance que l’année dernière !
Au fait, vous ne m’avez pas demandé le
prénom du bébé : il s’appelle Nissim
(miracles) !■
Rav Yehuda Leib Ceitlin
LE COIN DE
LA HALACHA
Comment éduquer l’enfant à la «crainte de D.ieu» ?
C
haque enfant juif possède par essence la conscience que D.ieu existe ; cependant, cela ne suffit pas pour
assurer qu’il mènera une vie saine avec
praque des Mitsvot et étude de la To‐
rah. Pour cela, il est nécessaire de
nourrir cee croyance innée :
- En racontant aux enfants, dès l’âge de
six ans ou même avant, des histoires de
nos Sages qui n’ont pas hésité à se sacrifier pour rester fidèles à la tradion
juive, comme Rabbi Akiva, ‘Hanna et ses
sept fils, les martyrs de l’Inquision, des
pogromes d’Europe et d’Afrique du
nord ou de la Shoah…
(Vivre avec la Paracha
Connuer de la page 9)
cœur est éveillé pour le Saint béni soitIl».
Quelle est la différence entre l’exil et la
Rédempon ? Le fait que «notre nom est
invoqué» et que nous répondions, c’està-dire que cee relaon s’exprime
ouvertement ou est cachée.
- En expliquant les «merveilles de la
Nature», aussi bien en biologie qu’en
astronomie, médecine etc.
- En commentant la Michna (Avot 2 : 1) :
«Sache ce qui est au-dessus de toi et
ainsi, tu ne viendras pas à fauter : un
œil qui voit, une oreille qui entend et
toutes tes acons sont écrites dans le
livre». Chacun doit être conscient qu’il
existe un jugement et un Juge, que les
bonnes acons sont toujours récom‐
pensées, tôt ou tard. Notre cerveau est
limité et ne peut pas toujours comprendre les calculs de D.ieu mais le
monde n’est pas une jungle, il est régi
par des lois que nous devons étudier et
appliquer.
dont D.ieu chérit notre peuple :
«Puisqu’ils sont comme des étoiles, Il
appela chacun par son nom».
Dans la Loi de la Torah, nous
rencontrons le principe selon lequel une
enté importante ne peut jamais être
annulée». En répétant les noms du
Peuple Juif, la Torah met l’accent sur
leur importance pour D.ieu et assure
que leur existence ne sera jamais
annulée par l’exil.
- En insistant, à l’école, non pas tant sur
les résultats aux examens et les notes
mais aussi et surtout sur les bonnes
relaons avec les camarades et les pro‐
fesseurs, l’enthousiasme dans l’accomplissement des Mitsvot et l’étude de la
Torah, le respect des autres et la bonne
influence sur les autres élèves.
- En donnant soi-même l’exemple vivant
de la joie de la Mitsva, du respect scrupuleux des lois et coutumes de la Torah
et de la déférence vis à vis des Rabbanim et autres personnalités remarquables de la communauté.■
est significaf pour le monde en général.
Le but de la créaon est d’établir une
résidence pour D.ieu. Elle est construite
par l’engagement du Peuple Juif dans les
différents aspects de l’expérience
profane. Durant l’exil, les Juifs sont
éparpillés dans différents pays et entrent
en contact avec des cultures variées.
Ainsi, le défi de l’exil renforce-t-il le lien
avec D.ieu et élève-t-il également
l’environnement, rendant manifeste la
Divinité imprégnée dans notre monde.
La desnée et la direcon
Rien dans le cycle de l’exil et de la
rédempon n’est dû au hasard. C’est un
processus ordonné par D.ieu. Il désire
que les Juifs aeignent des sommets
dans le Service Divin et ainsi structura-tIl les défis de l’exil pour nous obliger à
exprimer notre potenel spirituel le plus
profond. Et Il nous donna la possibilité
de les surmonter.
La Torah y fait allusion en menonnant
les noms des tribus, au début de la
Paracha. Nos Sages expliquent que c’est
un exemple qui nous montre la façon
La Torah ne menonne pas le nom de
notre peuple en tant qu’enté mais
menonne plutôt le nom de chacune
des tribus, chacune représentant une
approche différente du Service Divin.
Cela aribue, non seulement à l’essence
du Peuple Juif mais aussi à chaque
approche individuelle, la force de
supporter l’exil et de traverser cee
expérience.
De l’exil à la rédempon
Le cycle de l’exil juif et de la rédempon
La saga de l’exil et de la Rédempon
n’est pas simplement une histoire qui
apparent au passé. Bien au contraire,
signe avant-coureur de la transion
ulme de l’exil à la rédempon, elle
affecte toutes les dimensions de notre
existence présente. Pour emprunter une
expression de Rabbi Yossef Its’hak (le
Rabbi précédent) : «tout est prêt pour la
Rédempon, les boutons eux-mêmes ont
été polis». Il suffit que nous ouvrions nos
yeux, reconnaissions les signes de
l’influence de Machia’h et créions les
moyens d’inclure l’humanité.■
Mosaic Express
l 11
HORAIRE
DES COURS
DE LA SEMAINE
EDITORIAL
MERCREDI
Cours pour Hommes….…....20h 00
Queson de temps
L
es rythmes sociaux ont une réelle
importance.
Ils
dépassent
largement la simple convenon
communément admise. Ils sont
comme une pulsaon profonde que
chacun est convié à accepter comme
une respiraon naturelle. C’est ainsi
que, pendant les jours écoulés,
l’acvité générale s’est ralene pour
laisser place à une sorte de plage
temporelle indéterminée. Passage de
l’année civile, réjouissances obligées,
vacances aendues : toutes les
raisons sont là pour donner
fondement
légime
à
ce
ralenssement. Et pourtant la vie
connue...
De fait, la tradion juive ignore ce
type de pause. Pour elle, il ne saurait
y avoir de trêve car chaque jour est
porteur de sens. Chaque jour recèle
des opportunités uniques qui
aendent de chacun qu’il les ulise
au maximum de leur puissance. Il est
dit du premier de nos ancêtres,
Abraham, qu’il était « avancé en âge
» et les commentateurs de préciser la
portée du propos : il n’avait laissé
aucun jour sans y accomplir l’œuvre
spirituelle qui était aendue de lui. Sa
vie était donc complète, chargée de
toutes les significaons qui lui
appartenaient. En notre temps, de
tels points de repère font sans
doute cruellement défaut. Le
monde qui nous entoure nous invite
souvent à laisser passer le temps
alors qu’il faudrait retrouver le goût
de l’iniave, en quelque sorte le
faire acvement passer en lui
donnant un but.
Notre époque présente ainsi un
aspect paradoxal. A bien des égards,
elle porte à l’inquiétude et
nombreux
sont
ceux
qui
s’interrogent sur ce que sera
demain. Mais, d’un autre côté, elle
déploie les araits du confort et de
la facilité, même relafs. Il nous faut
regarder tout cela avec les yeux de
notre longue histoire. Il nous
apparent d’agir, ici et maintenant,
dès à présent. Il nous revient de
faire de l’endroit où nous vivons un
lieu de paix et d’harmonie pour
tous. Par notre vie toujours en
mouvement, par nos acons
toujours posives et par notre
confiance en D.ieu inébranlable.
Cela résonne comme un pari ? Et si
nous le prenions comme une
Chaloch Se’udot Sponsors
Charlie Harroch en honneur de son
65ieme anniversaire, 13 Tevet
Si vous voulez sponsoriser le Chaloch
Seudot en honneur d’un anniversaire, un
yartzeit, ou n’importe quel évènement,
veuillez nous contacter au bureau
514.739.0770
12
l Mosaic Express
CHABBAT
Talmud et Hala’ha ..….……15h 10
Seu'da Chelichit……..……….16h 25
ETINCELLES DE
MACHIAH
Plus grand que Moïse
Machia’h a une certaine supériorité
même sur Moïse. Au début du texte de
la Torah (Gen. 1 : 2), il est dit : «Et
l’esprit de D.ieu planait…». A ce sujet,
Les Sages enseignent (Berechit Rabba
2 : 4) : «Ceci fait allusion à l’esprit de
Machia’h». Puis le verset connue : «…
sur la face des eaux» ; ceci dénote un
degré plus élevé que celui de Moïse qui
reçut ce nom car «je t’ai ré des eaux».
C’est la raison pour laquelle cet exil est
si long – pour que ce niveau si élevé
soit enfin aeint.■
Le Mosaic en Français
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ou toutes autres informaon à propos
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veuillez envoyé vos détails à
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