Living Torah Archives

Torah relates that the Egyptian exile involved hard labor of “chomer u’leveinim – mortar and brick.” Of the current exile, however, Torah explains that the refinement of “chomer – mortar” is acquired through “kal vachomer – in-depth Torah study,” and the refinement of “leveina– brick,” through “libun hilchisa – clarification of Jewish law."

During the slavery of the Jewish people in ancient Egypt, Pharaoh’s harshest decree was that every male child born, be drowned in the Nile.

Torah relates that the Egyptian exile involved hard labor of “chomer u’leveinim” – mortar and brick. Whatever spiritual refinement G-d intended for the Jewish people through that exile could only be acquired through mortar and brick – otherwise, G-d would never have put them through it.