The Shmuz On The Parshah

“On the Shulchan shall you place the Bread of Surfaces before Me, always.”

– Sh’mos 25:30

“The Children of Israel did according to the word of Moshe; they requested from the Egyptians silver vessels, gold vessels, and garments.”

“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.”

– Sh’mos 22:17

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The Sefer HaChinuch explains that the mitzvah to destroy sorcerers is based on the foundation that Hashem created a perfect world. Everything in this world has a plan and a purpose, and everything is in exact balance. To maintain a perfect physical world, Hashem created a spiritual world to guide it. From the stars and planets, down to the trees and grass, behind every physical entity is a spiritual counterpart that is responsible for its existence. Chazal tell us, “No blade of grass grows without an angel guiding it (B’reishis Rabah 10:6).”

And Pharaoh sent for Moshe and Aharon and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Hashem is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.”

– Sh’mos 9:27

“And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea, and Hashem moved the sea with a strong eastern wind all the night, and He turned the sea to damp land and the water split.”

But as for me, when I traveled from Padan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road, while there was still some amount of land to go to Efras; and I buried her there on the road in Efras, which is Beis Lechem.