Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar (and future Daily Aliya). Please consider forwarding this to others, and I hope you enjoy... Shabbat Shalom. _______________________________________________ Dvar for Vaera 2nd Aliya The Torah interrupts the story of the exodus to list the names of the heads of the tribes of Reuven and Shimon, as well as the names of the tribe of Levi (6:14-26), including finally naming Moshe’s parents (6:20). Why does the Torah list only the leaders of Reuven and Shimon, while listing all the names of the tribe of Levi? The Lekach Tov quotes the Shla, explaining that because Levi was not subject to slavery, they wanted to share in the anguish of their brothers. They named their children after the nation’s challenges: Gershon representing being visitors in a land not their own, Kehat representing the blunted teeth of overworked people, and Merari representing the bitterness of their lives. While this numeration was important in furthering the story about to happen, it was also meant to display the compassion that the people have for each other, a key ingredient in a people and in being liberated. Shlomo Ressler _____________________________________________ Quotation of the week: "Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain