
Chazal describe Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim as being at the edge, almost beyond saving. Bnei Yisrael was on the “49th level of tumah.” The point is not the number. The point is the closeness to the cliff. And then something unbelievable happens. A nation that could barely lift its head becomes a nation ready to…

There’s a Famous Gemara… There’s a famous Gemara: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi meets Eliyahu HaNavi and asks him, “When will Mashiach come?” Eliyahu tells him, “Go ask him.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asks, “Where can I find him?” Eliyahu answers: “At the gates of Rome, sitting among the poor and afflicted.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi…

In this week’s parsha, Bnei Yisrael’s suffering in Mitzrayim intensifies after Moshe’s initial approach to Paroah. The Torah describes their inability to listen to Moshe because of “kotzer ruach” (shortness of spirit) and “avodah kasha” (hard labor) (Shemot 6:9). Yet this suffering was not meaningless—it was an essential part of Hashem’s plan to prepare them…