Milot HaYom

Yesterday, I went to Rabbi Benny Lau's Mincha shiur, where each week he continues a historical picture of post-First Temple life and onward. Yesterday was a lesson on what he called "the phonebook" — a list of all of the families that returned from Babylon with the Edict of Cyrus in 539.

Over the course of an hour, we went through chapter 2 of Ezra, a list of names. Let's just say it takes a talented teacher to keep a full congregation attentive when he picks up the New York phone book and finds uniquenesses in it.

The first on the list of families which returned to Biblical Israel — verse 3, the children of Parosh; בני פרעש.

What is Parosh? Flee.

Similar to how there are other names of animals in Hebrew, like Dov. Or Zev. Or Aryeh. (Bear, Wolf, Lion)

Wouldn't recommend a name like Flee for your child, but there it is. First on the list, returning to Israel.

The mighty flee!