הגדה של פסח עבדים היינו לפרעה במצרים. ויוציאנו ד’ אלוקינו משם ביד הזקה ובזרוע נטויה. ואלו לא הוציא הקב”ה את אבותינו ממצרים, הרי אנו ובנינו ובני בנינו משעבדים היינו לפרעה במצרים We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And the Lord our God brought us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched…
Author: David Glasner
I am an economist in the Washington DC area. I also blog about economics at Uneasy Money (www.uneasymoney.com)
סדר תזריע
If a woman conceives Leviticus 12:2 R. Simlai said (Leviticus Rabbah 14:1): Even as man was created after the creation of cattle, beasts and birds, so the laws concerning man come after those concerning cattle, beasts and birds. To explain this midrash, our master repeated the explanation given by the gaon R. Shlomo Kvetsch on…
סדר צו
צו את אהרן ואת בניו לאמר זאת תורת העולה Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the law of the burnt offering: Leviticus 6:1 Rashi comments: The word “צו” (command) is an expression of exhortation. R. Shimon said an exhortation is especially necessary when an economic loss is possible. See the Ramban who wrote…
לימי פורים
ויהי בימי אחשורוש And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus Esther 1:1 Gemara (Megilah 10b): Rabbi Levi said, and some say that it was Rabbi Yonatan who said: This matter is a tradition that we received from the members of the Great Assembly. Anywhere that the word “ויהי” is stated, it is…
סדר פקודי
אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדת This is the sum of the things of the tabernacle, of the tabernacle of Testimony Exodus 38:21 See Rashi’s explanation of why the word “משכן” (tabernacle) is written twice, the repetition of “משכן” being an allusion to the Holy Temple that was taken twice in pledge and destroyed twice for…
סדר ויקהל
ויקהל משה וכו’ אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה’ לעשת אתם ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה And Moses gathered all the congregation of the people of Israel together, and said to them, These are the words which the Lord has commanded, that you should do them. Six days shall work be done Exodus 35:1-2 If the only…
סדר כי תשא
כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל. . . זה יתנו כל העובר על הפקודים When you take the census of the people of Israel Exodus 30:12-13 The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah): When the Holy One Blessed Be He taught Moses the section “כי תשא” Moses was perplexed. The Holy One Blessed Be He therefore showed him…
סדר תצוה
ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקְחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור And you shall command the people of Israel, that they bring you pure beaten oil olive. Exodus 27:20 Rashi comments: Clear — without dregs — as we learn in Menahot (86a) “מגרגרו בראש הזית” (he picks an olive from the top of the…
Dor Revi'i on the Daf 