Terumah

In this week’s parsha, the Torah now goes through the building of the Mishkan & all of the sacred vessels within it. One is the ארון, the Ark , upon which rests a lid called the כפרת, about which the Torah states ועשית שנים כרובים זהב , make two Cherubim out of gold.
What are Cherubim? According to Rashi, they were winged figures, and each had the image of a child's face, implying childlike innocence.

In Sefer Berishis when Adam was banished from Gan Eden, the Posuk says that Hashem stationed Cherubim at the east of Gan Eden to guard it; Rashi there translated Cherubim as מלאכי חבלה , angels of destruction.
Asks רב משה מרדכי אפשטיין, how is it that Rashi translates the exact same word differently in two different places?

Another inconsistency is raised by our Posuk stating that the Cherubim faced each other while Divrey Hayamim says that they faced away from each other.  Were they facing each other or not? Were they destructive or innocent?
The gemara resolves the inconsistency of which way they were facing. It says that, when the Jewish people do the will of Hashem, the Cherubim faced each other; however, when they didn't do the will of Hashem, they faced away from each other.   

The Ritva asks, how could it be that the Cherubim are facing each other when the Jews are doing the will of Hashem? By the destruction of the First Temple, we are told  that when the gentiles entered, they saw the Cherubim embracing each other. Certainly, the Jews were not doing Hashem’s will at the time of the destruction?

Answers רב מי"ל זק"ש that the will of Hashem referred to is of interpersonal relationships between Jews & the Mitzvos, between man & man. Even at the time of the destruction of the First Temple, the sins that the people were guilty of were between man & Hashem whereas the relationship between man & man was still strong. Therefore, the Cherubim hugging each other was symbolic of the strong bond between the Jews.  

To answer the other question of the translation of the word Cherubim רב משה מרדכי אפשטיין explains that the Torah is hinting to us the importance of education. When we give our children the proper education, they're like the angelic childlike Cherub that has its wings spread over the Ark. If we don't educate them correctly, then they will end up being like the destructive angel.

To understand how to educate our children so that they end up angelic instead of destructive, we can infer how רב יצחק אלחנן ספקטור understands the gemara's answer regarding the positioning of the Cherubim; that when the Jewish people do the will of Hashem the Cherubim faced each other while when they didn't do the will of Hashem they faced away from each other. He explains that when it says they were facing each other, it means when they were looking out for each other, with every Jew worried about the other and making sure each one has what he needs. That's called doing Hashem’s will because that is what He really wants: all of us looking out each other. However when it’s פניהם לבית , when the Cherubim are facing away from each other, when each person is only looking out for himself & his own family, that’s called not doing the will of Hashem.   

Maybe what the Torah is telling us here is that in order to really do the will of Hashem, we have to teach our children to look out for one another and not be selfish. They must make sure everyone has what he/she needs. Of course the only way to teach is by example so we have to make sure not only to look at our own "house" and make sure we have what we need but to make sure all those around us do, too. That way we will all be doing the will of Hashem!

Mishpatim

This parsha deals primarily with civil law & how one should treat other people. It gives practical guidance on the application of these laws so one can know how to live even the mundane parts of his life with Torah guidance. One of the laws is כי תראה חמור שונאך רובץ תחת משאו , when you see the donkey of your enemy crouching under its burden, you should help him.
The משך חכמה asks why in our parsha it says to help the donkey of your enemy while in Sefer Devarim, when talking about the same thing, it refers to it as חמור אחיך your friend’s donkey. Why the change?  

His explanation cites the gemara which asks how is it possible for one Jew to hate another, to even have this concept of שונא. It answers that the Torah is talking where one saw the other sinning so then it’s permissible to hate him.

The משך חכמה continues that that concept applied only before the sin of the golden calf,when the Jewish people were on a very high level & all were very holy. Then, if one saw someone sinning, he had the right to hate him. However, after the sin of the golden calf when the people's level declined drastically, if one saw someone sinning he should first check his own deeds for he would certainly find faults; he then had no right to hate anyone else. Therefore, when it’s before the sin, as in our parsha, it states your enemies while in Devarim, which is after the sin, it says your friend because who among us is so pure to even have enemies.
That being said, even if we're allowed to hate someone who sins, what's the significance of telling us that you have to help specifically him?

The Midrash brings a story of two donkey drivers who hated one another that were going on the road. As they were traveling, one of them passed the other & saw that his donkey was falling under its heavy burden. Since he hated that driver, he just kept on going without helping him. After a few minutes he began to feel guilty, thinking to himself that the posuk says if you see your enemy’s animal falling under its burden you have to help. Yet, that's just what I did; I passed my enemy without helping; how can I transgress the Torah?

So he turned around & started to help him. Then the enemy thought to himself, “hey, I thought this guy hated me; I see he really likes me; he's helping me. They went to the inn afterward for a drink & became good friends. What caused them to make peace/ - listening to the Torah, because it specifically said enemy.   

This is alluded to in the targum when אונקלוס adds a few words instead of just translating the end of the posuk which says עזוב תעזב עמו , which means you should continuously help him. He adds in משבק תשבוק דבלבך עלוהי ותפריק עמיה , throw away what's in your heart & unload with him. The whole point is for you to take any animosity you have toward another person & get rid of it. Then do the work together with him as friends.

The Torah teaches us not to judge others until we’re perfect & then rid ourselves of any hatred we might feel toward someone else. By going out of our way for someone we might not like we’ll see that the feeling of hatred will go away & love will take over, enabling the coming of Moshiach speedily in our day!

Yisro

When Yisro heard about the miraculous escape of the Jewish people from the land of Egypt, he took Moshe's wife & two sons & went with them to the desert to join the Jewish people.

The posuk first tells us וישמע יתרו , that Yisro heard, which Rashi explains as him hearing about the splitting of the sea & the war with Amalaik.  
The 'זוהר הק questions, was it only Yisro that heard? The whole world heard!

Chazal explains that, indeed, everyone heard the same thing, but what did Yisro hear that would cause him to uproot himself, leave all his family & possessions behind to go join the Jews in the desert? He must have heard something extremely special which only he was privy to. What did he hear exclusively?

They answer is that he heard what everybody else heard. However, the world heard & it just gave them momentary pause. Then they went back to regular life. Yisro heard more than just the words because he did something about it, he acted on it & changed his life.  

While that is certainly commendable, how does that get him the merit to have one of the most fundamental parshios in the Torah, one with the Ten Commandments in it, named after him. Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to name it after Moshe who brought us the Torah?

The sefer זכרון אליעזר explains that later on the Torah tells us that the Jews traveled from Refidim & went to the Sinai desert.
Rashi explains why it has to tell us that they left from Refidim. We knew that they were camped in Refidim, so, naturally, that’s where they left from. He says it’s to tell us that, just as when they came to Sinai, it was in a state of teshuva, repentance, so too when they left Refidim, it was in a state of Teshuva.

Why does it need to tell us that they left in a state of teshuva? As long as when they got to Sinai they were in the state of teshuva. Why does it matter how they were when they left?

Rav Tzudok says that there are two parts to Teshuva. One is to remove yourself from the bad & the second is to do good to keep you away. So, continues זכרון אליעזר, perhaps by receiving the Torah they had to remove themselves from bad which was the teshuva when they left Refidim & then they had to do good which was the teshuva going into Sinai.

With this understanding, we can appreciate why the parsha is named after Yisro. The main part of this parsha deals with the acceptance of the Torah & the preparation for it. One must renew oneself to be able to serve Hashem & not focus on any past sin but rather to strengthen oneself for the future. That's why the parsha is named after Yisro. As the posuk says ויבא יתרו.... אל המדבר , that Yisro came to the desert. Rashi clarifies that it needs to tell us that Yisro went to the desert to teach us his greatness. Even though he was a minister in Midian & on top of the world, he gave it all up to go join the Jews & live in the desert in order to hear the words of the Torah.

Someone like that who is willing to give up the past & only look to the future is worthy to have this fundamental parsha named after him. It teaches us to emulate him & not look at our past but rather resolve to better ourselves & then only look ahead!

B'shalach

As the Jewish people leave the servitude of Egypt & head into freedom, the Torah tells us ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו , Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him.

A posuk in Mishlay says, חכם לב יקח מצות , the wise of heart will choose the performance of mitzvos. The Midrash interprets that posuk to be referring to Moshe Rabbeinu who, when all the rest of the Jewish people were busy taking the wealth of the Egyptians, he was busy doing mitzvos, finding the bones of Yosef.

Avnei Nezer asks, “why does it say that only Moshe was doing mitzvos ? Weren't the Jewish people acting on Hashem's request to take the wealth of Mitzraim? That was a mitzva too!

The Dubno Maggid has a parable that might help answer this question. There was a fellow who wanted to build a new home so he met with a contractor to go over every detail, from how many rooms to what kind of windows & doors etc. They wrote out a contract & signed it. The contractor then went and ordered all the materials that the contract mandated. As each item arrived, he put it into storage until he had all the materials he needed. He then went to his employer to demand payment. “You have everything you need to complete the house, please pay me & I'll be on my way”. “Are you kidding me,” shouted the employer? “Do you think I hired you to only supply material; look at the contract; you were to build the house too!”

This, says the Dubno Maggid, is what doing Mitzvos without good intentions are like, preparing all the material but failing to build the house.

Avnei Nezer explains that the difference between Moshe & the people was that while it was indeed a mitzva for the people to take out the wealth of Mitzraim, when they performed the mitzva there was personal gain attached to it too. Therefore, it wasn't done purely for the sake of the mitzvah. However, when Moshe went to gather Yosef's bones to bring them along, there was no ulterior motive; it was done purely for the sake of the mitzvah. That’s what the Midrash meant that Moshe chose a Mitzva which was only for the sake of the Mitzva, nothing else.

Kli Yakar takes it a step further and says that's why the posuk says עמו , with him, that this mitzva will always be with him. When a person leaves this world, all he takes with him are his mitzvos & good deeds. When Moshe took the bones, he took them with him for eternity. The wealth that the people took, however, did not stay with them forever.

This should teach us how important our intentions are & when we do Mitzvos to do them for the sake of the mitzva & not for ulterior reasons & remember make sure that what we chase after in this world is what we should be chasing, for that will stay with us for eternity !    

Bo

As our redemption got closer, Hashem sent Moshe once again to Pharaoh with the words בא אל פרעה , come to Pharaoh. Many of the commentators ask, why does He say come to Pharaoh when it would make more sense to say לך אל פרעה , go to Pharaoh?

The next words of the posuk seem to be giving a reason for Moshe to be going at all. As the posuk continues כי אני הכבדתי את לבו ,because I hardened his heart. The זרע קודש asks, what kind of reason is that for telling Moshe to go to Pharaoh; if Hashem hardened his heart, what's the point in going? Nothing will be accomplished!

The midrash comments on the words of Hashem ועברתי בארץ מצרים , I passed through the land of Mitzraim. Reb Shimon said that we see how great the love is that Hashem has for the Jewish people, for Hashem revealed Himself in a dirty, impure place in order to redeem the Jews. Egypt was the cesspool of the world & the palace of Pharaoh was the center of impurity. Moshe hesitated to enter into an impure place such as that to talk to Pharaoh. Hashem therefore told him כי אני הכבדתי את לבו for I am going there to harden his heart, so בא אל פרעה come with me to Pharaoh; we will go together. When you go with Hashem, His light overtakes all the impurities & Moshe had no reason to fear going into the palace.

What was the reasoning behind this? Why did Hashem have to put us into the cesspool of the world? Not only did we sink so low, but He had to come into that dirty place himself to get us out!

Later, Hashem tells Moshe & Aaron about Rosh Chodesh. He shows Moshe how the moon is supposed to look when the new month starts; that became the first month.
Rashi says that Moshe had a hard time understanding the exact size the moon should be when it would be Rosh Chodesh,  so Hashem pointed at the moon in the sky & said: when it looks like this, sanctify it; it will be Rosh Chodesh.

The gemara says that the Jews count the days based on the moon while the gentiles count from the sun. The Midrash says that the moon is symbolic of the Jewish people. As the moon gets progressively smaller until it is no longer seen, one may think that it’s gone. Then, it turns around & starts getting progressively bigger until it is once again full. So, too, the Jewish people might stumble & go down & down until they reach the lowest levels. All is not lost, though, for they could always turn around and go up & up until they're back at their full glory. Just as in the future, the light of the moon will become like the sun, so, too, the Jewish people will shine once again.

Perhaps this is why we had to sink so low in Egypt, to connect real fact to the symbolic. Maybe that's what Moshe didn't understand which Hashem pointed to & showed him, "it’s like this". Just like this cesspool of Egypt where the Jews have sunk so low, yet they are now making a complete turnaround & are being redeemed, so, too, any Jew that falls can make the same turn around & come back. We will have the moon throughout the generations to remind us of the fact that no matter how low you go or how hard you fall, you can be like the moon and return once again to full glory!