With much thanks to Hashem, I present to you dear readers, the second volume of Vedibarta Bam. This volume discusses Chumash Shemot, and follows the same format as the one on Chumash Bereishit.
I must admit that I never realized the difficulties of publishing a sefer. To gather stimulating material and present it in an accessible language is quite a challenge. Fortunately, the encouraging comments and compliments the first volume received facilitated the bringing of this second volume to fruition.
Purim takes place during the weeks when Chumash Shemot is read, therefore, I included a separate section on Purim and Megillat Esther. As already mentioned, the purpose of the Sefer is Vedibarta Bam — and you shall speak of them — that it be a source of Torah discussion at the Shabbat table. Hopefully, the section on Purim will add to the freilichkeit of Purim day and the seudah. Moreover, in keeping with the traditional spirit of Purim, also included is a section containing some light-hearted Purim Torah.
It is gratifying that, thank G‑d, the sefer became a guest at the Shabbat table in many homes. However, my greatest surprise was that it reached all the corners of the globe through Judaism on the Internet. For this I thank most profusely Yosef Yitzchok Kazen, director of Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyberspace. May his efforts to propagate Torah universally be crowned with immense success.
My nephew, Shneur Zalman Sudak, should be commended for his meticulous proof-reading of this volume and for his valuable comments.
Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky
16 Tevet, 5756
Yartzeit, Harav Eliyahu Moshe ben Aharon Eliezer ע"ה Liss
Note on Transliteration and Format
Transliteration generally employs the Sephardi accent, with the following usages:
1. Words with a final hei are spelled with a final “h.”
2. “Ei” (the vowel-sound in “freight”) is used for a tzere.
3. “Ai” is used for the vowel-sound in the word “tide.”
4. An apostrophe is used between distinct consecutive vowels, as in “Ba’al.”
5. An “e” is used for a vocalized sheva, i.e. “bemeizid,” not “b’meizid.”
6. “F” is preferred to “ph.”
7. “O” is used for cholem.
8. Doubling of consonants is generally avoided.
Use of Italics:
Transliterated Hebrew words are generally given in italics without capitalization, except for proper nouns, which are capitalized and, in the case of names, not italicized. Some exceptions are made for very familiar Hebrew words, such as “Torah.”
English and Hebrew:
Names of Biblical persons and names of the books of the Pentateuch are given in Hebrew, but other books of Tanach are given in English; thus “Moshe” is preferred to “Moses,” “Bereishit” to “Genesis,” and “Proverbs” to “Mishlei.” Generally English words are preferred to Hebrew ones, but often the content requires the use of the Hebrew.
Exceptions:
Exceptions to these rules most often involve forms already familiar to the English reader, forms that would otherwise be awkward, and ones likely to be mispronounced.
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