When God calls to Moshe, it seems that it is rarely good news. Rashi tries to understand what the word Vayikra really means.

Every time God spoke to Moshe, he was welcomed by this calling which was a term of endearment. It was the same language used by the ministering angels for they too, ‘called one to the other…’ (Isaiah)…And the voice went to Moshe alone for Israel was unable to hear the sound… Yet, everything God said to Moshe for thirty-eight years, was for the sake of Israel. It was only after the generation of the spies–those who were afraid to conquer the land of Israel– had died that God spoke to Moshe for his sake alone. As it is written, “After all the people from the generation of the war had passed, God spoke to me.

What does Rashi mean when he says that “everything God said to Moshe for thirty-eight years, was for the sake of Israel.”? Click here

Rabbi Shlomo Unsdorfer wrote down his sermons in a notebook that was recovered after the war, and after he had perished in Auschwitz. His brother published Reb Unsdorfer’s essays in a work entitled Siftei Shlomo (The Lips of Shlomo). It is the only document I know of that “darshens” the holocaust through the lens of Torah. His Shabbat Hagadol drasha, that I have translated may give us some perspective, and even in these times, appreciation for our bounty and blessings.

“For all who are hungry, come and eat…us.” (Siftei Shlmo)

The single most important component of a miracle is that it happens when you need it. It was true at the Red Sea, and it’s true now. No one controls timing. Click here