PARSHAS YISRO 5775

“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Yisro
17 Shevat 5775/ February
6, 2015
The wisest of men
declared that there is a time and place for everything under the heavens. Therefore,
there’s a certain thrill we enjoy when we feel like we “beat the system” by
enjoying something out of its time/season.
Some people are willing
to pay to enjoy a fruit that was shipped from an area with a different climate,
because locally that fruit is ‘out of season’. It’s also a big part of why half
the New York frum community invades Miami at some point during
January. It’s a great experience to step off a plane into blinding
eighty-degree sunlight, after being bundled up in a coat, scarf, and gloves in frigid
twenty-degrees two hours earlier.
This week our family
spent a few days in the Poconos. Although we enjoyed ice skating and snow
tubing, it was especially fun to go swimming in an indoor heated pool as a snow
storm walloped the area, blanketing the ground with ten inches of snow. After
not having gone swimming since late August, it was enjoyable to do so as we
watched the snow falling from the large windows.   
Rav Moshe Wolfson
shlita, Mashgiach of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in Brooklyn NY,
notes that whenever the Shabbos Torah reading contains the Torah reading of a
holiday, or mentions the holiday, a certain level of the unique spiritual
blessing endemic to the holiday mentioned is attainable to one who spiritually connects
to that reading.
During each holiday we
pray “
V’haseaynu Hashem Elokaynu es
birchas moadecha
Load us up, Hashem,
our G-d, with the blessings of Your holiday.” Each holiday contains unique
spiritual blessing and specific components of Divine Service that can be
attained. When a weekly Shabbos Torah reading includes a discussion about a
holiday, a “taste” of that holiday’s blessing is spiritually palpable in the
holiness of that Shabbos.
During the week of
Parshas Vayera one can “plug into” the light of Rosh Hashana, as the reading of
both days of Rosh Hashana comes from Parshas Vayera. During the weeks of
Shemos, Vaera, and Bo one can tap into the spiritual light of Pesach, with an
added bonus that the house does not have to be cleaned of Chometz first. The
week of Beshalach contains the reading of the seventh day of Pesach and the crescendo
of the great holiday of faith, as well as the Torah reading of Purim morning.
Parshas Yisro contains the reading of Shavuos, connecting its adherent to that
seminal event without the cheese cake and the all-nighter.
The weeks of Mishpatim,
Emor, Pinchos, Re’eh all contain a sampling of all the major holidays, and
therefore contain a spiritual conglomerate of them all. This is especially
propitious the Shabbos when Parshas Pinchos is read, which generally
immediately precedes the Three Weeks of mourning for the destruction of the
Bais Hamikdash and the loss of the festival pilgrimages.
Even as the snow and
cold continue, we can tap into the spiritual warmth of the holidays throughout
the year. And now that Purim is just beyond the horizon, we can begin to
anticipate physical warmth and rejuvenation as well.
Shabbat Shalom &
Good Shabbos,
            R’ Dani and Chani
Staum
     

720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425

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