Hashem, in this week’s Sedrah refers to himself as “Rofecha” , “your Doctor”. Every Mitzvah Hashem has given to us protects us from sickness in our Neshama. We thank Hashem for giving us the medicine to keep our Neshama healthy. Don’t forget to take your daily medicine - our Mitzvos.

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Rabbi Peled’s Shiur is at 4:25, Rabbi Lehrfield’s Shiur is at 5:10, Mincha is at 5:40 Maariv and Havdalah at 6:51 pm

2. Please enjoy hot coffee and tea in the lobby. 3. Orthodox Israel Coalition in the World Zionist Election, come to the open house

Sunday February 9th at the home of Yossi and Marlene Marmor from 7:30-10:00 pm to vote. For more information see the flyer on page 4 of the Yarn.

4. Purim is just around the corner. Be on the lookout for your Mishloach Manos order forms!

5. Please do not drop off Shaimos at the Shul. Please contact the Neshama Foundation. Please see page 2 of the Yarn for more information.

6. Rabbi Lehrfield’s class in Neveim Melachim is on Wednesday night at 8:00 pm, Gemara class Sunday through Friday at 7:30 am and Dvar Torah on the Sedra daily between Mincha and Maariv.

7. It Takes a Woman, a salute to the Women of Broadway February 20th and February 23rd. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.jwtsfl.com

8. We have reserved the first 2 parking spaces in front of our building for Rabbi Lehrfield and Rabbi Peled. Please do not park there.

Who’s The Boss?

ויהי בשלח פרעה את העם ולא נחם אלוקים דרך ארץ פלישתים כי קרוב הוא, כי אמר אלוקים פן "ינחם העם בראותם מלחמה ושבו מצרימה. ויסב אלוקים את העם דרך המדבר ים סוף"

“It was when Pharaoh sent out the nation, Hashem did not lead them through the land of the Plishtim because it is too close, for Hashem said: perhaps the nation will regret [having left Egypt] when they are confronted with battle and will return to Egypt. So Hashem had the nation detour through the desert toward Yam Suf ” (13:17)

1- Why must the Torah mention Pharaoh? Who needs that guy? After all, it was

Hashem who took us out of Mitzrayim, displaying abnormal might and countless nature-defying miracles. So why mention Pharaoh, and refer to him as the perpetrator of the exodus?

2- Why is the title “the nation”- העם , mostly used, instead of the real name “B’nei

Yisroel”?

3- The Possuk states that Hashem had to take them the long way because going the short way would present them with a test, a nissayon, which they would not be able to handle. On the short path they would have been confronted by the Plishtim who would attack them in violent battle. On the long path, however, this would not occur. This is difficult to understand because it did occur on the long path, not with the Plishtim, but with similar enemies such as Amalek, and with the bloodthirsty Egyptians with whom they faced potential drowning at sea, at which point they complained to Moshe saying “are there not enough graves in Egypt, you took us to die in the desert, why have you taken us out of Egypt, we told you back in Egypt “leave us to be slaves to the Egyptians”, we’d rather be slaves to Egypt, than die in the wilderness” (14:11-12). This so, how was this nissayon of the long path any better/easier than the short path through Eretz Plishtim?

4- The S’forim Hakedoshim state that the name of each Parsha is not merely what we call the Parsha, rather the name is in fact the principle theme of the Parsha. How then is the name “Beshalach” the principle theme of our Parsha?

Continued on page 3

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Aharon Dovid ben Chaya Yochanan Baruch HaKohen ben Frumma Etta Etta Mindel bas Chana Tzofia bas Shoshana Daniel Yaakov ben Masha Tzvia Leora Rachel bas Chaya Raizelle Boruch ben Sorah Gittel Etel bas Chana Perel Devora bas Sora Sara Aria bas Masha Raizel Tuvia Chaim ben Shulamit Chana bas Yaakov Chaim Daniel ben Meri Malka Rivka bas Devorah Michael Ha Levi ben Esther Yisroel Yehuda ben Rachel Mindal bas Chana

Yitzchak ben Zisel Shmuel ben Sarah Ezra Chaim ben Rivka Yosef Noach ben Leah Tzivia Esther bas Frayda Leah bas Sara Shifra Yehudis bas Yafa Leah Yehuda Reuven ben Rachel Yakov ben Chasya Nechama Aidel Malka bas Sara Leah Yehuda Meir ben Tzipora Netanel Ilan ben Sheyna Tzipora Shimshon ben Hassiba Itai ben Tzipora

Pesachya Pinchas ben Ruchel

If you would like to sponsor the Shabbos morning Kiddush following the Main

Minyan or Seudah Shlishis please contact the Shul office at 305-651-3591.

Mincha for the Week Sunday 6:01 Monday 6:02 Tuesday 6:03 Wednesday 6:03 Thursday 6:04

Schedule of Rabbi Peled’s classes

Sunday morning 8:15-8:55 am Chovos Halevavos: Shaar HaBitachon

Sunday morning after 9:00 Shacharis: Sefer HaChinuch.

Monday night 8:15 pm: Arvei Psachim (Gemara).

Tuesday night 8:00 pm: Ohr Fellowships Learning-Teaching program.

Thursday afternoon Lunch and Learn 1:15 at BookXchange 35 SW 12th Avenue #105 Dania Beach

Shabbos afternoon Mesilas Yesharim for men and women– 4:25 pm

Mon-Fri right after 7:20 Shacharis: Halachos & Inspiration on the topic of Lashon Hara.

Shabbos morning 20 min after Kiddush Mishna Berura-Laws of Shabbos.

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Continued from page 1 Seemingly, all 4 questions can be answered with 1 idea: In sefer Bamidbar (11:1), Rashi tells us a fact: Anytime the Torah employs the term “Ha’Am”-“The Nation”, the Torah is referring specifically to the Resha’im. As such, our first 2 psukim are telling us that because of the resha’im among Klal Yisroel, Hashem had to take us the long way. The attitude with which these resha’im viewed their newfound freedom was that it was Pharaoh who gave it to them. Their understanding, or shall we say their misunderstanding, was that despite all of the fabulous miracles and special effects displayed throughout the whole long period of the makkos and the actual exodus itself, at the end of the day had Pharaoh not released them, had Pharaoh not actually let them go, they never would have been able to get out. Their attitude with which they viewed their geulah was “Beshalach Pharaoh”. “Beshalach Pharaoh” was their state of mind. “How did we get out? Beshalach Pharaoh! Pharaoh let us go.” This was the view of the resha’im, and thus we have answered questions 1 & 2; It was because of - העםthe reshaim among us, who “missed the boat”, failing to see that the makkos and Yetzias Mitzrayim was nothing but Yad Hashem – the hand of G-d, it was because of these resha’im whose hashkafa (outlook) was “Beshalach Pharaoh”, instead of “Behotzi Hashem”, that Hashem had to detour us the long way - דרך

.the path through the desert and the sea, bypassing the shorter path – המדבר ים סוף This attitude of “Beshalach Pharaoh” was an impediment, an obstruction to B'nei Yisroel’s growth into a supreme people, the people of Hashem. Being Hashem’s people means that as a nation, our icon of security and our foundation for sustenance is Hashem Himself. We cannot be G-d’s people if our faith in Him is weak. Thus, the attitude of “Beshalach Pharaoh” had to be extricated, and for some even amputated, namely from the “Ha’am” segment of Klal Yisroel. To achieve this end, as in any other process of real growth, Hashem engaged Klal Yisroel in a series of Nisyonos. Often referred to as tests, Nisyonos are more accurately defined as growth-promoting challenges. A nisayon is not a test to see where we stand, for Hashem does not need to “find out” or “determine” where we are holding. At every moment Hashem always knows where we stand. Rather, a nisayon is a challenge, a motivator, a “dare” so to speak, designed to light a spark and promote genuine growth. A nisayon is Hashem’s way of urging us, nudging us to get move ahead in our “shteiging” - our advancing in Avodas Hashem. Indeed, the focus of the entire Parsha is the “Beshalach Pharaoh” faction, challenging them and helping them to get out of their state of misunderstanding. Thus the Parsha is named “Beshalach”, for this is the title of the particular group of Klal Yisroel on whom the Parsha focuses; on them and their nisyonos (answer to #4). Hashem employed a series of nisyonos to help the “Beshalach Pharaoh” people grow into greater faith, the first of which was the nisayon at Yam Suf. In question #3 we asked: Why was the long way any better of a nisayon than the short way? Were they not tested or challenged there just the same? There too they were chased by the enemy who wanted them dead or alive, and faced the ordeal of possible death at sea. If so, how was the nisayon of the long path any better/easier than the short path through Eretz Plishtim? I believe the answer is as follows. When faced with a difficult nisayon, there are numerous factors which can “make it or break it” for the one being challenged. For example, how much sleep the person got the night before the nisayon, or how much mental preparation the person did prior to the nisayon’s start. Another major factor is time pressure: when the nisayon starts, how much time does the person have to think before he must react. When a person is presented with a nisayon, and the situation demands a quick or immediate reaction, the pressured time factor makes the nisayon that much harder. How much more so, when the situation is new to the person, and he/she was never faced with this kind of challenge before. And even more so when the situation comes suddenly, as a surprise, with no warning or time to consider the options or the pros and cons. All of these dynamics factored in make any nisayon infinitely more challenging.

ושבו מצרימה. בראותם מלחמהולא נחם אלוקים דרך ארץ פלישתים כי קרוב הוא, כי אמר אלוקים פן ינחם העם “Hashem did not lead them through the land of Plishtim because it is too close, for Hashem said: perhaps the nation will regret [having left Egypt] when they are confronted with battle and will return to Egypt. Had they gone the short way, they would have been attacked by the Plishtim. Never before faced with a live war situation, and taken entirely by surprise by this sudden attack, the “Beshalach Pharaoh” people among them would likely not rise to the challenge of relying on Hashem and davening their way through the battle. They would simply melt of fear and run back to Mitzrayim. The long detour way, however, , through the desert and Yam Suf, presented them with a different kind of nisayon דרך המדבר ים סוףentirely. Rashi to Shir Hashirim 2:14 explains that B'nei Yisroel were trapped there at the Yam Suf; the raging sea in front of them, the perilous Midbar to the sides, and the Mitzrim behind them, trying violently to get them, but unable to, because of the special protection of the Ananei HaKavod. Rashi there describes that Hashem had them locked in, stuck, nothing harming them, yet unable to move. No immediate pressure. No attack. No surprises. Hashem was simply “waiting to see” how they will cope. Will they rise to the challenge and call out to Hashem to save them, or will they crumble, resolving to run away, receding to Mitzrayim. In these conditions Hashem knew that they could and would do it, for He had put them in a custom-tailored nisayon, where they had time to think about it and conclude, based on everything they had seen over the past year in Mitzrayim, that Hashem is their only hope, and they ought call upon Him. Call upon Him they did – 'ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ה – “ and Bnei Yisroel cried out to Hashem”!! (14:10) This is the theme of our Parsha. Taking a people who were holding at the hashkafik state of “Beshalach Pharaoh”, and bringing them to the state of “Hotzi Hashem”, recognizing that our lives, and everything about them, down to the very last molecule and detail is all in Hashem’s hands. He is the Big Boss running the show from start to finish, calling all the shots. We have but to trust in Him and call upon Him for our every need. The S’forim Hakedoshim say that the ideas and lessons in each parsha are there for the taking during the week in which we read each parsha. This means that during this week and this Shabbos we can literally climb to greater levels in our awareness of Hashem’s universal control. May we take advantage of this and increase our overall awareness of Hashem’s total control both on an individual level, on a national level, and over the entire universe. See 15:23-27, and the entire Perek 16, specifically Possuk 6 wherein Moshe Rabbeinu explicitly addresses the issue that it was not Pharaoh who let us go, but Hashem who took us out. See also Rashi to 17:8, and see the first Possuk in next week’s Parsha, that Yisro understood that it was not “Beshalach Pharaoh”, rather “Hotzi Hashem”.

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Avraham Tanev

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