What Is Midrash?
A clear explanation of what our Torah’s sacred stories, known as Midrash, are and aren't. This brief overview of the origin and development of Judaism's oral traditions provide clarity on shadowy drama and colorful narratives whose messages are largely misunderstood, and often times ignorantly misconstrued.
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Rabbi Mendel Kaplan is the Spiritual Leader and Executive Director of Chabad Flamingo in Thornhill, Ontario, serving one of Canada’s most dynamic Jewish communities. He also serves as Chaplain of the York Regional Police Service. He is an active member of Toronto’s Vaad HaRabbanim (Council of Orthodox Rabbis), and a voting member of the COR Kashruth Council of Canada’s executive rabbinical board. Rabbi Kaplan is featured regularly on many local television and radio shows. He is a sought after speaker, with hundreds of lectures on Chabad.org. He and his wife, Faygie, are blessed with eight children. Artistically endowed, the rabbi enjoys drawing, sketching and creating charcoal portraits.
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Why did Avrohom ovinu challenge Hashem about the fate of sodom and not about the 400 years his children will be slaves in Egypt
There must have been at least 10 tzadik among the 70 people that went down to Egypt
He wasn’t told that they would make errors and needed to be purified what he was told was that his children would be slaves in a foreign land
13And He said to Abram, "You shall surely know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and oppress them, for four hundred years. יגוַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר | יִֽהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַֽעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה:
This sounds like decree from Hashem
It doesn’t say if your descendants will sin then they will become slaves
Or slavery is needed to create an am yosroel that will be privileged to receive the Torah
Or what do my descendants need to do to avoid the oppression of 400 years of slavery and change this horrible decree
why didn’t Avrohom ovinu appeal the terrible decree about his descendants as soon as he heard it from Hashem
We see he strenuously appealed the terrible decree that was told to him regarding the evil and wicked Roshoyim of Sodom
Why did he defend Roshyim and not his own seed?