Pyka Family

Parashat And Sidra Of Bo

Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

Always There
“And Hashem said, Come to Pharaoh. . .” (Shemos 10:1) The verse doesn’t say ‘go to Pharaoh’; rather “Come to Pharaoh’”since one cannot go anywhere without Hashem. Hashem said, “Come with me to Pharaoh, I
am going together with you.” (R’ Menachem Mendel of Kotzk)

A Wise Man’s Tale
“Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Go to Pharaoh. I have made him and his advisors stubborn so that I will be able to demonstrate these miraculous signs among them. Then you will be able to recount to your children and grandchildren how I made fools of the Egyptians, and how I performed miraculous signs amongst them. Then you will fully understand that I am Hashem.’” (Shemos 10:1-2)
From here we learn that telling over the account of the Exodus from Egypt brings
one to full knowledge and understanding of Hashem. The Passover Haggadah tells us concerning the recounting of the Exodus from Egypt that the one who expounds on the story is considered praiseworthy. What is his praise? His knowledge gained! (Sfas Emes)

Public Education

Lifelong education is the cornerstone of Judaism.
“And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long will this man continue to be a menace to us? Let them go and serve their G-d. Don’t you realize that Egypt is being destroyed?’ Moshe and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. ‘Go serve your G-d’, he said. ‘But whom exactly will be going?’ ‘Young and old alike will go’, replied Moshe ‘We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and cattle. It is a festival to Hashem for all of us.’” (Shemos 10:7-9)
The Pardes Yosef says that there is deep meaning in this exchange between Moshe and Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked “. . . who will go?”; which of your people are planning on going to this festival. In Egypt, the people were divided into classes, especially since the time of Yosef. The priests enjoyed special privileges that none of the other citizens enjoyed. When it came to a religious festival, their level of participation quite different from the average Egyptian’s. Moshe’s answer; ‘Young and old alike will go. . .’, in our society everybody is equal. Young and old alike have a place in our festivals.
R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, in his work Noam Elimelch learns from Moshe’s answer, some of the foundations of Jewish education.
“Chanoch L’Na’ar al pi Darko, gam ki yazkeen, lo yasur meemenu.” Educate each
child in his own way, and as he grows older he won’t stray from that path. (Proverbs 22:6) Children do things with a childlike enthusiasm and curiosity. If as a child one is given an opportunity to participate as much as possible in religious life, when he grows up he will continue in that path of divine service with. Since in childhood, the child was engaged in serving Hashem in a holy way to the best of his understanding, when he grows older, he will not have any regret or embarrassment over how he spent his childhood. As an adult he will continue his
service with the same enthusiasm as during his childhood, yet with deeper understanding. This explains why the Torah was given in the midst of a smoky and fiery mountain. It is a reminder as to how Torah learning should be approached, with great fiery desire and energy.
Moshe said to Pharaoh, ”Young and old alike will go. . .We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and cattle. It is a festival to Hashem for all of us.” We will go with our children, for they must be led in the paths of holiness, and this is a vital part of their education. And we are even taking our flocks, because we strive to inculcate even our physical matters with the same holiness.

All You Need Is Love

“And one could not see another and was unable to stand up from his place for
three days. . .” (Shemos 10:23)
The verse tells hints to us the result of living without unity. During the three days of darkness, a person was unable to see his friend, and unable move from his place. The deepest darkness occurs when one chooses not to see one’s friend, ignoring his pain and despair and not able to recognize what he needs. R’ Moshe Lieb Sassover used to tell his chassidim that he learned what it mans to love a fellow Jew from two Russian peasants. Once he came to an inn, where
there were two thoroughly drunk Russians peasants sitting at a table draining the last drops from a bottle of strong Ukrainian vodka. One of them, in a slurred drunken drawl yelled to his friend, “Igor! Do you love
me?” Igor, somewhat suprised by the question answered, “Of course Ivan, of course I love you!”
“No no”, insisted Ivan, “Do you really love me, really?!”
Igor, now feeling cornered assured him, “What do you think? I don’t love you? Of
course I love you. You are my best friend Ivan!”
“Oh yes, yes?”, countered Ivan. “If you really love me. . . then why don’t you know what hurts me and the pain I have in my heart?”

Putting Hashem First
The concept of Mesiras Nefesh in everyday life.
“And the Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will come up and go into your houses, into your bedrooms and even into your beds. They will go into the houses of your servants and of your people, into your ovens and into your kneading troughs. (Shemos 7:28)
Says, the Tzanz Klausenberger Rebbe, ztz”l (recorded in Divrei Torah #677), a Jew is required to learn from the self-sacrifice of the frogs who came to plague the Egyptians (Parshas VaEra) They are an example of how to serve Hashem with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice).
The frogs were not commanded concerning Kiddush Hashem (sanctifying the name of Hashem), nor were they promised any reward for being the agents of the plague, as it is written, “And the Nile will swarm with frogs. . . they will go into . . .your ovens and into your kneading troughs.” Asks the Talmud (Pesachim 52b), “When are the kneading troughs found by the oven? When the oven is hot and the dough is ready to bake.” The frogs voluntarily went into the ovens even though they were glowing hot. They gave their lives for the sanctification of
Hashem’s holy name in carrying out the plague. All the more so we, who are commanded concerning Kiddush Hashem, are we required to go the extra mile to insure the sanctification of Hashem’s name in the world. This is a special quality seen in Tzaddikim; the willingness to sacrifice that which was most dear to them, including their portion in the world to come for the sake of even a small mitzvoh. They were willing to even give up their lofty spiritual
levels to accomplish Kiddush Hashem. The Tzanz Klausenberger Rebbe, ztz”l tells of his grandfather, R’ Chayim of Tzanz, who on several occasions, sold whatever portion he had earned until then in the world to come. And it is certain that he sold it with a full heart, an absolute irrevocable sale and not simply some kind of trick. R’ Chayim’s father also, R’ Aryeh Leibush of Tarnograd, once promised his portion in the world to come to a Jew on condition that he remain to sleep with him in the Sukkah one night when it
was cold and rainy and almost impossible otherwise to sleep in the Sukkah. Even though a person may learn Torah lo lishma (with an ulterior purpose), since he will eventually come to learn lishma (because it is a central mitzvoh of the Torah)(Pesachim 3b), learning and doing mitzvohs in order to gain compensation in the next world, is not the recommended way for a person to engage in divine service.
The Jews in Egypt did learn a lesson from the frogs concerning the concept of self-sacrifice. When they were commanded to take the Pesach sacrifice, they took a sheep per family and they tied it to the their bedposts where it remained for the next five days. The Egyptians saw and demanded an explanation. “What are you doing with our deity tied up on the bedpost!” (Shemos 12:1-6)
B’nei Yisroel could have answered that they were going to take care of it like a pet and enjoy its milk. Yet they were full of the a great desire to serve Hashem with mesirus nefesh. They told the truth upon pain of possible reprisal, that they intended to slaughter the animal for a sacrifice to the Hebrew G-d. The Egyptians could only gnash their teeth in frustration. They now felt powerless to respond.
(Tur Orach Chaim 430 in the name of the Seder HaOlam) This is really quite amazing, since only a person of exceptional stature is allowed by Halacha to give his life for Kiddush Hashem, and especially over a small mitzvoh. An ordinary Jew is required to exhibit self sacrifice on for the three cardinal transgressions; idol worship, forbidden sexual relationship and murder.
B’nei Yisroel were not at that time on such a high spiritual level. They were entrenched deep in 49 levels of spiritual impurity, still dabbling in idol worship (Moshe had to exhort them to withdraw from idol worship (Shemos 12:6,21), and close to spiritual annihilation. How was it permitted them to challenge the Egyptians and risk their lives for Kiddush Hashem?
The Yismach Moshe (Parsha Ki Thissa, p.188) writes that perhaps is on account of the fact that they already started keeping the Shabbos in Egypt. (see Tur Orach Chaim 281) And the sages have said that one who keeps the Shabbos according to all its laws, is forgiven from any transgressions; even if he served idols as heartily and enthusiastically as the generation of Enosh. (Shabbos 118b)
Furthermore, in the place where Ba’alei Teshuva (penitents) stand, even perfect Tzaddikim cannot stand there. (Shabbos 34b) Therefore at that critical moment
B’nei Yisroel were elevated by the mitzvoh of Shabbos. They allowed and able to carry out the mitzvoh of taking the Pesach lamb, with great self sacrifice, effecting a resounding Kiddush Hashem. This is our heritage.

Yesterday’s Fashions

“And the Israelites also did as Moshe told them. They requested from the Egyptians gold and silver vessels and clothing. And Hashem made the Egyptians look upon the Israelites favorably, and they granted their requests. Thusly, they despoiled Egypt of its wealth.” (Shemos 12:35-36)
Gold and silver, yes, but for what did the Israelites need the clothing of the Egyptians? They certainly didn’t have any use for their miniskirts and other immodest styles. A verse in Parshas Shemos answers the question.
“And I will make the people favorable in the eyes of the Egyptians that when you go out (of Egypt) you will not leave empty-handed. Every woman shall request of her neighbors gold and silver vessels, and clothing which you shall put on your children. In this way you will despoil Egypt of its wealth.” (Shemos 3: 21-22)
The clothing of the Egyptians was to be used for the children. The miniskirt of an Egyptian woman would make a skirt the perfect length for an Israelite child. Parshas Beshalach / Shabbos Shira
There are some wonderful customs that are drawn from this week’s Parsha concerning the Crossing of the Red Sea, and the Giving of the Manna.
1) THE SONG OF THE SEA: The Song of the Sea, in the recitation of the Psukei D’Zimrah in the Shacharis prayer is chanted by the Chazzan and the congregation in call and response fashion using (ta’am elyon) its special Torah reading melody. The Holy Zohar says that if one recites the Song of the Sea joyously (everyday), and imagines that he himself, on this day is going through the Sea, all of his transgression are forgiven.
2) THE CHALLOHS: On Erev Shabbos, B’nei Yisroel received a double portion of Manna. The Torah calls it Lechem Mishneh. (Shemos 16:5,22) This is the source of the custom to set the Shabbos table with two Challohs for each meal; a remembrance of the double portion. The Torah also explains how the Manna was presented to them; laying on the ground on a layer of fresh dew, with another
layer of dew covering it over. (Shemos 16:13) This a source for the custom of covering the Challohs. The Challohs represent the Manna, the white tablecloth below and the Challoh cover above represent the two layers of dew.
3) SHABBOS FOOD: The Torah (Shemos 16:22) says that on Shabbos B’nei Yisroel
received a double portion of Manna, two Omers per person. The Midrash asks why the Torah needs to tell us that they received two Omers per person if we already know that they got a double portion (Lechem Mishneh). It must be, concludes the Midrash, that the words “Lechem Mishneh” are not needed to teach us they got a double portion; they are mean to be expounded upon. It should be read not Lechem Mishneh (a double portion), rather as Lechem M’shoon’eh (different or changed bread). In honor of Shabbos, they received a “changed” Manna with a superior smell and taste. Hashem endowed Israel’s very first Shabbos, with that special Shabbos spice which graces the Shabbos food with its sublime and exquisite taste.
4) FOR THE BIRDS: Despite the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt, the crossing of the Sea and the Manna, there were people who still didn’t have faith in the leadership of Moshe Rabbenu. The Midrash explains how Dosson and Aviram, wanting to malign Moshe, went with their Manna early on Shabbos morning and spread it around the camp. They planned to show everybody that Moshe Rabbenu was lying when he told them that there would be no Manna to gather on Shabbos. But before anybody woke up, birds had already come and effected a great Kiddush Hashem by eating up all the Manna that was spread out on the ground. In appreciation of their deed, there is a custom to cook up some shvartze kasha
(buckwheat groats) or leave some of the Shabbos Cholent for the birds so that they can enjoy a taste of the Shabbos which they helped to sanctify. In our home, we put out some cholent for them after Havdalah. They always lick the bowl clean!

Faith Healing

Hashem is the source of the disease and also the source of the cure. “And they came to Marrah, but they could not drink the water there on account of its bitterness. Therefore the place was named Marrah.(bitter) And the people complained to Moshe saying, ‘What will we drink? So Moshe beseeched Hashem and He showed him a tree. ‘Cast it into the waters, (said Hashem), and they will
be sweetened.’ There He gave them statutes and laws, and there he tested them. And Moshe said, ‘If you will listen to the voice of Hashem, and do that which is upright in His eyes, and listen to His Mitzvos, and keep His statutes, then all the sickness that I brought on Egypt I will not bring on you; I am Hashem your Healer. Then they came to Elim, and there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.” (Shemos 15:25-27)
The 12th Century sage, Rabbenu Ephraim, comments that the tree whose branches Moshe cast into the waters, was from the Garden of Eden. Because of its great sweetness, it transformed the waters from bitter to sweet.
“ .. .There He gave them statutes and laws. . .”, any time they came to a place where the water was bitter, they only had to throw a small branch of that same tree into the waters, and they would become sweet.
“ .. . and there he tested them. . .”, with the same tree which was already tried and tested. Any ill person who would drink from those sweetened waters would be healed. That is the reason why in the next verse the Torah says, “ .. .I am Hashem your Healer”.
R’ Chaim David Azulai, known as the Chida, adds, that after “ .. .I am Hashem your Healer”, comes the verse: “Then they came to Elim, and there were twelve springs of water. . .” .He maintains this is a proof for the idea that Rabbenu Ephraim posed; that the sweet waters were actually healing waters. He adds that in the ancient Book of Healing and Remedies passed down to us through the generations, it was revealed which of the springs that were unleashed to cause the Great Flood in the time of Noach, were healing springs. Chizkiyahu, King of
Judah, stopped up those springs and interred the Book of Healing in a place unknown to this day. Why? So that instead of simply taking a remedy from the book, we should learn to turn to Hashem to ask for healing.

Faith Spelled Out

“And the Children of Israel saw (the Manna) and said to one another, ‘It is Mon (prepared and ready to eat), since they didn’t know what it was. And Moshe said to them, This is the bread that Hashem has given you to eat.” (Shemos 16:15)
In light of the previous idea, the following is amazing. The previous Modzitzer Rebbe, R’ Shaul Yedidya, zt”l said that the letters of the words “It is Mon” (“mem”, nun sofis”, “hay”, “vav”, “alef”) when rearranged spell (“alef”, “mem”, “vav”, “nun”, “hay”), Emunah (faith).

Shabbos Meals
How can the sweetness and beauty of Shabbos be described? In this week’s Parsha, where the first mitzvah of Shabbos is given, we find the following verse:
“And Moshe said (concerning the Manna) eat it today, for today is Shabbos to Hashem, you won’t find it (the Manna) in the field. (Shemos 16:25) R’ Yechezkhel of Kuzhmir said, “ .. .eat it today. . .” can be read in Hebrew, “Eat the day, eat the day itself!” The sweetness and beauty of Shabbos is so delicious that it can only be experienced by biting into it and savoring its taste; having a senso-spiritual experience. And Shabbos is a day for staying in the house with family and friends or in the Study hall. Because on Shabbos, continues the verse, “ .. .you won’t find it in the field”.

Faith And Friendship

Manna, Friendship and Torah are a three legged stool; if one leg is missing it cannot stand.
“And Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Behold, I am going to rain bread down on you from
the heavens, and the people will go out to gather it, in order to test you, if you will
go in the ways of my Torah or not.’” (Shemos 16:4) R’ Menachem Mendel of Riminov wrote extensively on the subject of the Manna.
This selection is the opening piece on Parshas HaMon from his work “Menachem
Tzion”. There are a number of questions that need to be asked on this verse.
1) Why didn’t the matzo which the Children of Israel took out with them from Egypt last them at least until the time of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai?
2) What is the connection between the giving of the Manna and the test that the Torah wanted to make? R’ Menachem Mendel of Riminov, one of the four principal disciples of R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, answered that Hashem wanted to reward Yisroel with the
gift of the Manna. Through eating the Manna, as we will explain below, they would
be able to acquire the good character traits that later on would enable them to accept the Torah and fulfill its Mitzvos. Rabbenu Tam, the grandson of Rashi and one of the Tosafists, states in his work on Jewish Philosophy, Sefer HaYashar, that the source of all good character traits is faith and trust in the Providence of Hashem. In this way one can come quickly to the foundation of the whole Torah, the mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” .
There is a well known story in the Talmud. (Tractate Shabbos 31a) A potential convert came to the sage Shammai and asked of him to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. Shammai, not the type to be bothered by such people, drove him out of the house with a stick. The potential convert didn’t give up. He went to Hillel the Elder and again asked to be taught the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. (Obviously he wanted to know in a nutshell, “What is the essence of Judaism?”)Hillel, un-intimidated, took up the challenge. He instructed him, “That which is hateful to you, don’t do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary; go and learn!” Hillel’s answer is the mitzvoh of “V’Ahavta L’Rayacha K’Mocha”, “Love Your
Neighbor as Yourself”. Chassidic literature repeatedly reiterates the point. This mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” is the central mitzvoh of the Torah; the one around which all the others revolve. The Riminover maintained that anybody can see the truth of this. If one really regards his friend with love and respect, then he will never even consider stealing from him or harming him or his family in any way. Just the opposite is true. He would endeavor to help his friend in any way possible. Nevertheless, it is impossible to fulfill the dictates of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” wholeheartedly without first developing an unwavering sense of faith and trust in the Providence of Hashem. That means believing totally that Hashem is at the helm; that He conducts the world in such a way that each and every
creation in it receives exactly what it needs, and in the proper time. Everything a person needs is apportioned to him and there isn’t another who can take away or divert anything that belongs to him. One who understands this concept is immediately endowed with a deep awareness of Hashem’s Providence, and with a sense of total trust and faith in Hashem. His heart is always at rest since he knows that anything and everything that he might require will be supplied to him by Hashem. This person will not spend his days and years in the pursuit of wealth, possessions and luxuries since he knows that it is not his efforts that bring material wealth, rather the will of Hashem. Each person receives what Hashem budgets for him; no more no less. (The expenses laid out for Shabbos, Yom Tov and the Jewish education of one’s children are the exception to this rule. The Talmud states that Hashem will reimburse a Jew for all those expenses. Talmud Beitza )
One for whom this becomes second nature can easily fulfill the mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”. He just won’t have no desire for anything which belongs to his neighbor, and none of the inner turmoil of jealousy. He knows that what his neighbor has was rightfully granted to him by Hashem. So much is this true, that even should one’s neighbor open a store right next to his, he will not feel any animosity or vengeance, since he is certain that the actions of his neighbor cannot harm him at all and pose absolutely no threat to his livelihood. This is the explanation for the timing of the giving of Manna, and why Hashem gave the Manna in such a way that it fell enough for one day at a time and no
more. It was in order to train B’nei Yisroel in the ways of faith and trust in Hashem, that they should learn not to worry about what will be tomorrow. Each one was allowed to collect the same amount; an Omer per person. If one did try to “become rich” by gathering more than an Omer, it didn’t do him any good. If one tried to take more or less than an Omer, when he got home and measured the Manna, it came out an Omer! (One of the miracles of the Manna, says Rashi.) If he worried that tomorrow maybe the Manna wouldn’t come and left some over for the next day, in the morning he found it infested with vermin. Therefore, nobody had any reason to be jealous or look over his shoulder at his friend. This was the
method by which Hashem taught the children of Israel to accept the Torah, the
same Torah which has as its central mitzvoh “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” . This then is the explanation of the verse, “Behold, I am going to rain bread down on you from the heavens, and the people will go out to gather it, in order to test you, if you will go in the ways of my Torah or not.” By receiving the Manna and obeying all the rules that went along with it, B’nei Yisroel were indeed tested and thereby made ready for the great day of Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

Living By Faith

It was the custom of R’ Zusha of Anipoli, to recite his morning prayers at length. After he concluded, he would retire to his room next to the Shul. Once there, he would open the window and lifting his eyes to the heavens call out, “Master of the World, Zusha (he always referred to himself in the third person) is very hungry and desires to eat something!” Every morning, his attendant would wait until he heard R’ Zusha’s appeal, then he would bring in R’ Zusha’s morning meal of cake with a little schnapps. One morning the attendant thought to himself, “Why doesn’t R’ Zusha ask me directly for his meal. In fact, who does he think he is fooling by calling out to
Hashem like that. He knows full well that I bring him his food everyday.” So on the spot he decided that the next morning he would not bring R’ Zusha’s meal when he called out. He would just wait to see what would happen and where R’ Zusha’s would look for his meal. The next morning, R’ Zusha awoke as usual, well before the light of day. As he did every morning, he first went to the town Mikveh to immerse himself in preparation
for the day’s holy work. The night had been a rainy one in Anipoli, and the streets of the town had already turned to rivers of mud. In order to get from one side of the street to another, one had to cross on narrow planks that were laid across the flowing mud. As R’ Zusha was crossing in the direction of the Mikveh, a man whom he didn’t recognize, a guest in town, was coming towards R’ Zusha from the other side. When he saw R’ Zusha, gaunt, almost emaciated, dressed in rags without a tooth in his mouth, the stranger yelled out, “Itinerant!”, and with a hearty laugh jumped up and down on the plank causing R’ Zusha to tumble into the mud.
R’ Zusha didn’t say a word. He calmly picked himself out of the mud and continued on his way to the Mikveh, while the stranger sauntered off into the distance, chuckling merrily the whole way as he reenacted his great prank over and over in his mind. When he arrived back at the inn where he was staying, he couldn’t help but brag to the innkeeper about his good prank. The innkeeper didn’t laugh so quickly. He asked the guest to describe the “itinerant” whom he had catapulted into the mud. He suddenly clapped his hands to his head and cried out in anguish, “Oy VaVoy, Oy Oy, do you know what you did!? That was not just some itinerant, that was the Rebbe R’ Zusha!”
Now it was the turn of the guest to cry out “Oy VaVoy” .R’ Zusha was known to all as a holy man and a Tzaddik. Trembling, the guest cried out, “Oy Vey, Oy Vey! What am I going to do now? What am I going to do now?!” “Don’t worry”, exclaimed the innkeeper regaining his composure, “Listen to me, I know what you should do. R’ Zusha spends many hours every morning in prayer. When he is finished he goes into his private room next to the Shul. There he opens the window, and anybody can see how he leans out and lifting his eyes to heaven calls out, ‘Master of the World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to eat something!’ I’ll prepare some cakes and some schnapps for you to take to him. When you hear him call out to the Creator, you go in immediately with this gift, and offer it to him and beg his forgiveness. I’m certain that he will forgive you whole-heartedly.” That morning, like every morning, after the prayers, R’ Zusha went into his room, opened the window and called out, “Master of the World, Zusha is very hungry and desires to eat something!” The attendant, upon hearing R’ Zusha, held his ground and clasped his folded arms together even tighter, waiting to see what the outcome would be. “Let Hashem bring him his cake this morning”, he huffed to himself.
Suddenly the door to the Shul opened and a man, holding a large plate of cakes and a bottle of schnapps came in and made his way to the room of R’ Zusha. He went straight in, put the cakes on the table, then fell to the floor in grief, begging the Tzaddik for his forgiveness (which he was certainly granted). Let it be known, that the attendant came to understand that it really was the
Master of the World who brought R’ Zusha his breakfast every morning.

Halacha Points

At the end of parshas Bo we read two of the four parshiyos found inside our tefillin. The other two parshiyos (shema and v’haya im shamo’a) are in parshas Va’eschana and parshas eikev. The order of their placement in the tefillin is a matter of dispute among the Rishonim.

The Gemara (Menachos 34b) discusses the order of the parshiyos and says that the parshiyos of “kadeish li” and “v’haya ki yiviyacha” go on the right whereas “shema” and “v’haya im shamo’a” go on the left. The Gemara challenges this with a beraisa that states the exact opposite and replies that it is no contradiction as one beraisa refers to the right of the “reader” while the other refers to the right of the “wearer’. The Gemara ends off saying that “the reader reads it in order”.

Rashi understands the Gemara to mean that the tefillin are placed in the order that they appear in the Torah, from right to left from the position of one facing the wearer of the tefillin (he is referred to as the reader since he “reads” the parshiyos on his friends tefillin.) This is also the opinion of the Rambam.

Rabeinu Tam questions Rashi’s understanding of the Gemara. Although he agrees that the parshiyos must be written in the order they appear in the Torah, if their placement was also this way, then the Gemara should simply say so. Why then, does the Gemara split them apart, starting “kadeish li” and “v’haya ki yiviyacha” to the right and “shema” and “v’haya im shamo’a” go on the left? He therefore concludes that the Gemara means to say that “kadeish li” and “v’haya ki yiviyacha” go on the right from right to left and “shema” and “v’haya im shamo’a” go on the left from left to right. This is also the opinion of Rabeinu Chananel, Rav Hai Gaon and Rav Shrira Gaon. (Although the Rambam claimed that Rav Hai Gaon’s tefillin were opened and found to be in the order according to the Rambam and Rashi.)

There are two other opinions mentioned in the poskim: (1) The Shimushei Rabbah understands the order of the tefillin like the opinion of Rashi, but from the right to the left of the one who wears the tefillin. (2) The Raavad understands that the order of the parshiyos are as Rabeinu Tam understood, only that the Gemara refers to the right and left of the person wearing the tefillin. He adds that the Gemara’s statement that the reader reads it in order refers to the mitzvah of kri’as shema, that it must be read in order and has nothing to do with the parshiyos of tefillin. (This may also be Rabeinu Tam’s and the shimushei Rabbah’s understanding of the statement as well, but is not clear from their words.) The Tur and Rosh write that since this is a major machlokes between the Rishonim, one should be machmir and wear two pairs of tefillin. (Those of Rashi and Rabeinu Tam. For some reason the opinions of the Raavad and the Shimushei Rabbah were never a matter of concern, most probably because they are a minority opinion. Only very few yechidei segulah have made it their business to wear tefillin of the Shimushei Rabbah, and fewer those of the Ra’avad.) They actually recommend wearing both pairs of tefillin at the same time as is the custom of many sefardim who wear somewhat smaller tefillin. The Beis Yosef however writes that one who finds it difficult to wear both simultaneously should put on Rabeinu Tam tefillin after davening. In Shulchan Aruch he adds that one should not wear them publicly in a place where people are not accustomed to wear them as this may constitute ga’avah unless he is known as an exceptionally pious individual in other areas. (It is for this reason that most Chasidim and Sefardim whose custom is to wear them do not begin to do so until after they are married. Additionally, the mekubalim warn that Rabeinu Tam tefillin have a greater level of kedusha than those of Rashi. See also Shailos & Teshuvos Min HaShomayim and Pnei Yehoshua in meseches Berachos that these are the “tefillin of the Ribono shel Olam”. The mekubalim stress that there is room in halacha for both types of tefillin and although the halacha is like Rashi, one cannot say the others are posul for they too have an impact on the neshama.)

It is well known that Rav Chaim Volozhin, once asked his Rebbe, the Vilna Gaon why he doesn’t wear Rabeinu Tam tefillin. The Gra replied that if he wanted to fulfill every opinion, he would have to wear sixty-four pairs of tefillin. (The cheshbon is as follows: There are four opinions (as above) regarding the order of the parshiyos. In addition there is a machlokes Rishonim whether or not to place the parshiyos vertically or horizontally. This makes a eight possible combinations. Also there is a machlokes between the Rosh and Rambam and how to write a parsha stuma (the spacing between the parshiyos) this makes 16 possibilities. There is another machlokes regarding which side of the klaf to write on, making 32 possible combinations. etc.. It should be noted however, that many of the contemporary gedolei haposkim have said that this reasoning only applied to the Gra who wore tefillin all day long. Switching to a different pair of tefillin would therefore take away from the mitzva one is fulfilling since the basic halacha follows Rashi. We however, who generally only wear tefillin during davening, should not use this as a justification not to fulfill the opinion of Rabeinu Tam and there are indeed several non-Chasidishe, Ashkenazi gedolim who do don tefillin d’Rabeinu Tam regularly.) Indeed, the minhag of most Ashkenazim (who are not Chasidish) is to wear only those tefillin that are according to the order of Rashi.

Chassidic Parashat

“..ad mataj jihje ze lana lemokesh shalach et ha-anashim..” –
“..as long as we are trapped, send them..”.
Israel is about to be taken out of Egypt. The eighth plague that Moses warns against is locusts. The Egyptians are already full of fear and are trying to convince Pharaoh to let Israel go. Pharaoh calls Moshe and asks – “which of you wants to go and serve the Lord?”. When Moshe replies that everyone, including children and livestock, Pharaoh refuses – “Why do you need all of them? Let the men go and the rest stay here”. And so the morning comes – grasshoppers. They fill the whole earth and destroy all the remains of trees and crops. Pharaoh is in a hurry to confess – “I have sinned again”, but in the end he does not forgive again Israel, and therefore comes the penultimate, ninth plague – darkness.
“..vajhi choshech afela bechol erec Mitzrayim.” –
“..and there was thick darkness over all Egypt.” There were two degrees of darkness in this wound. The first three days were “normal” darkness where they couldn’t see each other, the next three days were so dark
thick that they could not even move – a person who was standing remained motionless, etc. So deep, terrible, and crippling was the darkness. Our Sages say that even for Israel darkness was a blow. During the days of darkness, those Jews who refused to come out of Egypt died. They were already completely assimilated and lost their basic Jewish identity. The darkness served as a cover for their death so that the Egyptians would not see it and even more so
hardened in their resistance. In fact, it was an internal problem of the Jewish people, and it did not diminish the significance of the wounds the message of bringing Israel out. Our Sages call them sinners. Why such a strong label? Suffice it to say, they were foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity for deliverance. There is a lesson here that wants to tell us that the man who resigns his freedom is not stupid, he is sinful. G-d gave man “in the wine” the gift of freedom, which is both a gift and responsibilities. He who does not want to accept a life of freedom and prefers “pleasant slavery” goes against it G-d’s will and he is a sinner. These Jews saw themselves more as Egyptians than Jews and wanted to blend in with Egypt. They did not realize that this was not possible, and that the world around them would never understand them as their own part, Jews will always remain for him – foreigners. The question arises as to why the Jews did not take advantage of the darkness to slip away undetected Egypt? The answer is that G-d did not want them to run away like thieves, precisely, he wanted the whole world to see
bringing them out – in the middle of the day, publicly, with their possessions, proudly as lords. No one can say that they cleverly took advantage of the circumstances and escaped because of it, on the contrary, they (G-d) created circumstances and therefore they left. After this blow, the Pharaoh has almost capitulated, but he still wants to keep some sense of pride and government over the situation, and also wants to, if he has to give up, at least get something out of it. He says to Moshe – “Go serve the Lord, all of you – men, women and children, you only need your property leave here”. However, Moshe is no longer willing to compromise. The time when Pharaoh could dictate terms has long passed, he is just a powerless pawn in G-d’s plans.
He answers – “We will all come out, with all our possessions, and you will add to us what
we need for the trip”. Pharaoh wants to prove to himself that he is the master of the situation and answers – “The moment I see you again, you’ll be dead”. It does not disturb Moshe, he agrees, and finally the one who came with the beg, after the last blow,
Pharaoh was behind Moshe.
“Ko amar Hashem kachacot ha-laila..” – “Thus said the Lord, at midnight…”.
At the moment when Moses warns of the last blow – the firstborn, he uses interesting language which it is different from all other wounds. First of all, it sets the hour of the morning, but it does not set the day. In other mornings, he said what day the morning would be, but did not say the hour. Why this change? The interpreters also dwell on the slight change of language – G-d said o midnight (exactly), Moshe said around midnight (approximately). It is explained that he did not want to give the Egyptian magicians an opportunity to question this
time. They will not measure accurately and they will come up with a slightly different time and say that the message did not come true Moshe’s. And that’s why Moshe changes the wording and says “around” midnight. The “depravity” of the Egyptians is terrifying. It doesn’t really matter when the morning comes – five minutes earlier or later? What is important is that tens of thousands of people have been exterminated, and they (wizards) will argue about exact time? Here we see how “devious” the approach of Pharaoh and his henchmen was. They don’t mind tens of thousands of dead, especially if they have a theological argument they’re after they can lie and claim that it was not a blow from G-d, or that Moshe is not his emissary. And now let’s go back to the original question – why an hour and not a day? By the fact that Moshe did not say the day of the plague, it can be understood that the plague is not limited to a certain day.
All we know is that it comes at midnight. But who knows if only once or more times. Of course, Moshe announced that the plague applies to the firstborn, but more generally it also can mean – the big one, the oldest in the house (not only the firstborn). And that was exactly what Pharaoh feared – after the blow they said – “we will all die”. This also explains why, so feverishly, right after the first born, Egypt tries them quickly evict, they fear the following night – will another family member turn up at midnight? If Pharaoh and Egypt thought the plague was over, why the rush and panic?
“Velakchu min ha-dam venatnu al shtej ha-mezuzot veal ha-maškof” –
“And they will take from the blood and put on the public”. Before the exodus from Egypt, G-d gives an order to celebrate the month of Nisan, as the first month in a year.
He also gives commands regarding the celebration of Passover. Here are the commands that only applied to that unique Passover that he was at brought the Jewish people out of Egypt. It was the singling out of a lamb (or kid) from the flock and guarding it for four days in the house (from 10 to 14 Nisan). This was necessary so that he would be completely without blemish and injury at the moment when he would be sacrificed. On the evening of the 14th of Nisan he was cut and his blood was anointed on the doorposts of the house where Jews resided.
This blood was a sign and protection against the deadly plague that passed through Egypt that night. Those houses that were marked with blood G-d “jumped over” (hence the name of the Passover holiday – Pesach =
exceed).
All the members of the family gathered together in the house, and everyone had a duty to participate for eating the meat of the lamb (kid), as if he “identified” with the lamb and because of this he was saved.
They had to eat it in a hurry, fully clothed, shod, girded, and with sticks in hand, so that they could immediately go out.
All these things were special and one-offs. Other regulations regarding the Passover were already ordered to be celebrated every year on commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The order that the holiday will be seven days long, with the first and last day being “full” holidays – a ban work, etc. (as on Shabbat)

The prohibition of eating “chametz” (everything leavened) for the entire duration of the holiday, which includes the fact that it is not allowed occur in his house and property (he must sell it or destroy it before Pesach). On the first day of the holiday, the commandment is to eat matzah (unleavened bread) and tell the story of the exodus from Egypt (the so-called “hagada”). “Do you smoke kol bechor…” –
“Consecrate to me every firstborn…”. In memory of the last blow – the firstborn, Moshe received an order from G-d to sanctify the firstborn. Both in humans and animals. When a woman’s first male child is born, and it is hers the first birth, he becomes consecrated to G-d. Therefore, it must be redeemed to be stripped of its holiness. It is waited until 30 days after the birth, and then there is a ceremony in which the father redeems the son with money in the form of a “kohen” – a priest who serves as G-d’s mediator here. When the father has neglected this duty, the son must redeem himself, after he has come of age. In the event that a woman gave birth by caesarean section, the born son lost the status of the firstborn, he must come out the natural way.
The same applies if a girl is born first, or if a woman miscarries, another child – a son, already does not have this status. To this day, this ceremony is celebrated by the family holding a big feast. A priest from an important priestly family with a genealogical family is invited to the ceremony succession to Aharon – the first priest. This redemption does not have to be done by the priestly and Levitical families.
A similar order also applies to cattle – bulls, rams, goats, which Israel began to observe from the moment they entered the Promised Land. They had to take these firstborns, present them to the priests who sacrificed them to G-d, and eat their flesh. They were handed over to them only after they had grown a little and become stronger – a bull – 30 days, a ram, a goat – 50 days each days.
When a person lived outside of Israel, or nowadays, when he cannot sacrifice him, he closes him in room and let him go. It is forbidden to use it for any work, because it is consecrated to G-d. Only if he has hurt himself or had an accident and therefore it would not be possible to use him to sacrifice, it is possible to kill it and the priest can give it to anyone and eat it. However, it is forbidden for him to intentionally cause this injury. The easiest way to solve the situation today is to make a partnership agreement with non-Jews – from at this moment the first-born animal also partly belongs to him and is therefore exempt from all rules consecration.
If it was a firstborn donkey – it must be bought by a sheep or its neck is broken.
All this is for the Jewish people, even after many years, to realize and remember the miracle brought out of Egypt, and was thus constantly, in everyday life, confronted from its histories – how became a free nation, who and how made it so. Another reason is for a person to donate the most precious, the first thing born to him, to G-d. These final passages of our weekly reading are, because of their importance, two of the four passages, which are inserted, on scrolls, into the t’filin. The passages that are enshrined in t’filin remind us of G-d’s sovereignty over the world, our relationship to Him and the miraculous bringing of our nation from slavery to freedom. These are our foundations of faith and this is why they are enshrined in the t’filin that you eat every day we deploy.