Wednesday, February 1, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?


Q. Why do we have Torah reading designated in shul 2x a week- on Mondays and Thursdays?
A. The answer comes from this weeks parsha:
When Bnai Israel left Egypt, they traveled for three days and neglected their Torah study, as our sages teach us. Because of this lack of Torah study, Hashem was displeased with them, so He subjected them to a test. After the 3-day period, Bnai Israel realized that all their vessels and canteens ran dry. Luckily, they found a well in the place of Mara. However, in order to test Bnai Israel’s faith in Hashem, He had made the water bitter tasting and undrinkable. Some people indeed did complain about the lack of water; nevertheless, a majority of Bnai Israel stayed faithful to Hashem. Bnai Israel’s complaining was justified; however, Hashem was displeased with how they voiced their complaint, rather than speaking courteously to Moshe. Seeing that they lacked sufficient Torah study, we can see how their character traits were negatively reflected upon that deficiency. Thereafter, the prophets instituted that there should always be Torah reading in the temple every Monday and Thursday, that way, no Jew would never go 3 or more days without hearing the beautiful words of Torah.

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