On Sunday evening, March 7, Chazaq hosted a pre-Pesach shiur at Beth Gavriel and on Zoom. Rabbi Ilan Meirov, Founder and Director of Chazaq, shared that “When a person wants to do good, nothing bad will happen to him.” The machatzis ha’shekel was on fire. Why were the coins on fire? This teaches us that when you give, you don’t lose anything. “When you give, you get more. This should be our mentality when we give tz’dakah. Anyone who gives tz’dakah receives six blessings. If you help someone feel good, you get 11 blessings. It’s so important to give with kindness to help the person feel wanted.
He asked, “How do you know that Hashem loves you?” If a person comes to you for tz’dakah, then Hashem is giving you the opportunity for tz’dakah and this saves you from death.
He taught that the key to succeeding in chinuch is: You start the conversation. You talk to your child. On Pesach night, be more talkative. Have patience. He added that this applies all year long. “If you give them time and attention, you’ll see fruits of your labor.” The Four Sons can be one child at different stages of development. He shared that it’s important to know who your child’s friends are. They need to be around the right people. He urged, “Come to the Seder prepared. Make it an atmosphere of k’dushah.”
Next, Rabbi Eli Mansour, well-known speaker, spoke. He began by pointing out that this was the first public event in person in a year. “This is something to celebrate!” He shared that after the sin of the Golden Calf, Hashem told Moshe to leave Him alone, and He would destroy B’nei Yisrael. The first Luchos were made in Heaven. The Vilna Gaon taught that anything made by Hashem has a piece of Hashem in it. The Luchos were one of the ten things created before the world. What gave Moshe the right to break them?
The Vilna Gaon says that the Luchos represent Luchos HaBris. They represent Hashem Himself. Moshe knew that if we could get the Luchos, then we established a bris (covenant) with Hashem and he won’t separate from us.
Hashem said that He needed the Luchos back, so there was a tug of war between Moshe and Hashem. The second Luchos were not the same. They were not a permanent bris. After Moshe threw the Luchos down, Hashem commanded him to take the broken pieces and put them in the Aron. The greatest thing Moshe did that day was that he made sure that the bris would be eternal. He forced the marriage of Hashem and klal Yisrael, and Hashem said he did the right thing. This is a different reason for the basis of our custom of breaking a glass at weddings. This goes back to the original marriage of Hashem and B’nei Yisrael. The ring was the broken Luchos.
By Susie Garber
