Light from the Future: Parshas Shmos

1. Shmos – A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Tamper with As Jews we must remember that exile conditions, no matter how good – nay, especially when they are good – should never lull us into thinking that we…
2. Shmos – Born a Leader G-d’s first encounter with Moses at the burning bush occurred when he was grazing the sheep of his father-in- law Jethro. According to the Midrash,…
3. Shmos – Don’t Forget Your Name When a person or a nation degenerates, but, nevertheless remembers their G-dly essence and are aware of their unique role in G-d’s plan, there is much…
4. Shmos – Exodus or Names? One cannot be liberated from bondage, without a sense of self-hood. A person who is not secure with his/her own identity is susceptible to virtually…
5. Shmos – Give Credit Where Credit Is Due It is impossible to fathom the suffering of good people. We dare not look for rationalizations for their pain and suffering. This will change in the…
6. Shmos – Hijacked! Pharaoh’s diabolical plan was to enlist women to serve as agents in continuing and deepening the exile. Redemption is the power to rebel against any…
7. Shmos – Hitting Bottom We are living in times that parallel the generation of the Exodus. Many Jews have descended so low, in terms of their Jewish identities and…
8. Shmos – It Depends on the Name Yehudah, which means gratitude, is a name that is associated with Redemption. Only a person who is free from the pressures that come from the outside…
9. Shmos – Left, Right and Center The lesson for us here in the last generation of Galus and first generation of Geulah-Redemption is that we must bury the exile constraints in the…
10. Shmos – Names, Language, Slander and Chastity The virtue of not changing their names suggests that their identities were intact. The worst part of slavery is arguably the loss of identity. A slave…
11. Shmos – No Denial in the Nile Dealing with the pain and suffering of others is a most difficult matter. Many grown people develop a coping mechanism, whereby they desensitize…
12. Shmos – No Rest Moses, the paragon of truth could not countenance the idea that his actions would be a “temporary fix.” It was so contrary to his nature and ideal.…
13. Shmos – Obsession for Life Whether it is praying for children, nurturing life, saving lives, showing contempt for those who take the lives of others lightly, women were always…
14. Shmos – Reach Out and “Touch” Someone In Kabbalah we are taught that the bodily functions derive from their spiritual counterpart. Each part of our body is a reflection of G-d’s…
15. Shmos – Remove Your Shoes In truth, every Jew was charged with the responsibility to be a leader. Being a leader is a delicate tightrope act, maintaining a healthy and…
16. Shmos – Seeds of Liberation The Rebbe explained the reason for celebrating our birthdays is because it is the anniversary of G-d’s declaration to us: “You are needed and special!…
17. Shmos – Stand Far and Close We can compare our situation to reading a mystery novel. Even if we read the first and last pages and know the outcome, we still have to read the book…
18. Shmos – Take Off the Mask! There are restrictions that have been placed on the study of the mystical teachings of the Torah. These restrictions were not intended as red lights.…
19. Shmos – The Princes of Egypt The Rebbe has suggested that the Final Redemption will be ushered in by our dedication to the teachings of Maimonides—the second Moses—who has…
20. Shmos – Were You Invited to the Inauguration? The capacity to detach oneself from the exalted palace life, literally or figuratively, in order to see another’s plight is the first criterion for a…
21. Shmos – Whose Who in Exile? In these times of freedom and prosperity we can comfortably say: “You have satisfied us with Your goodness”! So now we can truly appreciate the second…
22. Shmos – Workaholics and Egyptian Bondage There are people who are so dedicated to their profession or business that they have no sense of time; they are workaholics. Frequently their…
23. Shmos – Y6k Shabbos is the ultimate expression of freedom. When a Jew liberates himself from work on the day that G-d sanctified, the individual experiences an…

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