Rabbi Amzalak’s Gematrias

This book is a compilation of the weekly Divrei Torah that were shared with the Melbourne and Sydney Anash during the year up to my father’s first Yartzeit. These were shared as PDFs via Community WhatsApp groups and in print to the Melbourne Yeshivah Shule and Sydney Tzemach Tzedek shul. The first sheet prepared was for the double Parsha “Acharei Kedoshim” 5785. This included a section for each of the Parshios. In later double Parshios, such as “Behar Bechukosai” & “Matos Massei”, if only one parsha had a Dvar Torah, the other is omitted. “Emor”, “Vayelech”, “Vzos Habracha” had other editions that week, so they do not appear either. Be”H these gaps will be covered in a future cycle of these weekly editions. Some weeks have been transcribed from recordings, where I have tried to retain the descriptions and language he had used. Though the focus of what I set up to share was his Gematria Divrei Torah, a few weeks did not include a gematria; those that have been included are some of his favoured talks from those Shabbosim. In some weeks, I have added further details of a midrash, gemorah or other source, especially where other Pirushim might suggest a different lesson or inference from the Dvar Torah my father had shared. Although my father who was born in Cairo in 1940 and retained his Sephardi minhagim and pronunciations, the weekly one-page sheet – and therefore the content of this book – use an Ashkenaz pronunciation, which reflects the way I pronounce his divrei Torah when I share them at the Shabbos table.