January 12, 2024 · ב׳ שבט תשפ״ד
Parashat Vaera · פרשת וארא
A PEEK AT THE PARSHA Hashem tells Moshe to tell the Jewish People that they will be leaving Egypt. But the Jews have been slaves for so long that they don’t believe Moshe. Then Hashem tells Moshe to speak to Paroh to tell him to let the Jewish People out of Egypt. And Moshe says to Hashem: But my own people didn’t believe me! Why would the king of Egypt believe me? But Moshe and Aharon do go to speak to Paroh. The first �me they meet him, they perform miracles: Aharon’s walking s�ck turns into a snake, and then swallows the snakes of Paroh’s
ONE BIG IDEA Hakarat Hatov/Gra�tude: Aharon, and not Moshe, performed the first three makkot: Dam (blood) Tzfarday’a (frogs) and Kinim (lice) because Moshe’s life was saved by the river and ground. It would be wrong for Moshe to harm the very objects that saved him. Moshe teaches us this lesson with things that are not even alive, how much more so should we show gra�tude to the people we interact with every day.
magicians. Paroh isn’t impressed. They then go back several �mes throughout the parsha to tell him to let the Jews out. Since Paroh doesn’t want to, Hashem sends plagues as punishments for the Egyp�ans, and they are so unbearable that Paroh begs Moshe and Aharon to speak to Hashem to make them stop, and he promises to let the Jews leave when they stop. But when they stop, Paroh doesn’t fulfill his promise and he doesn’t let them leave. The first 7 (out of 10) plagues happen in our parsha. First the Nile River and all of Egypt’s water are turned into blood. Then millions of frogs cover the en�re land. Then the lice comes. Then the wild beasts. Then all of the cows and lambs die. Then the Egyp�ans get horrible boils all over their bodies. And, finally, it starts hailing from the sky. Not just any hail, hail with fire inside. Paroh says he has had enough and asks Moshe and Aharon to make it stop. They pray to Hashem and the hail stops. But Paroh again goes back on his promise, and at the end of the parsha, the Jewish People are s�ll slaves in Egypt.
TIMES - זמנים Candle-lighting: 4:31pm Havdalah: 5:31pm
PARSHA STATS
DID YOU KNOW…?
Mitzvot ............................ 0 (1 of 17 parshiot
We just started the month of
with no mitzvot)
Shvat which has the holiday of
Lines in the Torah ............. 222 (16th most)
T”U B’Shvat in it when we
Pesukim............................ 121 (20th most)
celebrate trees. Did you know
Words .............................. 1748 (15th most) Leters .............................. 6701 (17th most) Date ................................. 2447-2448
that the Jewish National Fund has planted over 250 million trees in Israel?
(Source: OU Torah Tidbits)
CHECKLIST To be filled out after shabbat and brought in Monday.
Called someone to wish them a “Shabbat Shalom” Went to shul Par�cipated in Hadlakat Nerot/Kiddush/Hamotzi/Birkat Hamazon Sang zemirot/songs Wore Shabbat clothing Helped prepare our home for Shabbat
QUESTIONS 1. What Hebrew month just started? 2. Are there any mitzvot in this week’s parsha? 3. How many plagues happen in this parsha? 4. Do the Jewish People leave Egypt at the end of the parsha? 5. Who performed the first 3 makkot?