€Page€Zero€of€Torah€Tidbits846ou.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/tt/5769/846.pdf ·...
Transcript of €Page€Zero€of€Torah€Tidbits846ou.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/tt/5769/846.pdf ·...
Page Zero of Torah Tidbits 846Lead Tidbit cont. from page 1 (below)
set up a calendar one based on the monthly cycle of the Moon (as well asthe seasoncycle of the Sun). It is with this mitzva that Gd takes us aspartners with Him in the act of sanctifying time. In fact, He has made us the Jewish People, as represented by the Sanhedrin the senior member ofthe partnership. His "job" was creating the heavenly bodies and the laws ofnature which they follow. Certainly, no small task, but when it comes tosanctifying that particular day each month which we have gotten to know asRosh Chodesh, He put us in charge. True, He showed Moshe Rabeinu a fieryimage of the first visibility of the lunar crescent and said: KAZEH R'EIV'KADEISH, when you see it like this, sanctify (the day). But we are the oneswho do the sanctification. And He, so to speak, has committed Himself toaccept our act of sanctification EVEN if we are in error as to the proper day.That's how much He wants us involved in the process.
And it is not just Rosh Chodesh. Pesach and Shavuot (which we get bycounting to the 50th day after the first of Pesach) is sanctified because wesanctify Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot aresacred, because we sanctify Rosh Chodesh Tishrei.
Furthermore, He wants us active in the determination of Rosh Chodesh notmerely to use astronomical calculations but the lessefficient but moreinvolved eyewitness testimony. (When we are without a Sanhedrin, we haveno choice but to rely on the less "personal" method of setting up the calendarby calculation. It works well but it temporarily relegates us to token partners only a big demotion.)
And He goes another major step in helping us do our share in the act ofsanctifying time. He lets us violate His Shabbat in order to facilitate our RoshChodesh and Chagim. Actually, He suspends Shabbat so that what we do isnot even a violation of Shabbat.
If witnesses see the first visibility of the lunar crescent (in Hebrew: TheL'VANA B'CHIDUSHA) on Friday night i.e. Leil Shabbat, they may nay,must! travel to Jerusalem to offer their testimony. This, to testify before thecommittee from Sanhedrin in charge of Kiddush HaChodesh and give themmdetails which they already possess! The Sanhedrin, as part of the mitzva ofKiddush HaChodesh, is required to calculate the position and size of the Moonon the evening following the 29th of the month, to determine if and when(and where) the Moon will be visible. The witnesses are not telling the courtsomething new, something that they don't already know (as is the case in allother kind of testimony). And the Sanhedrin, in the absence of witnesses,has the authority to sanctify the month (under certain circumstances) without witnesses. So technically, witnesses on the Friday night under discussionare unnecessary. And yet, halacha tells them More on page 3 below
(0)
Sanctity of Time... and AgainShabbat is the first example of Sanctity of Time. Gd created the world in sixdays and "rested" on the seventh, THEREFORE, we state in Shabbat morningKiddush (i.e. those that say Zachor, or at least, AL KEIN), He blessed theseventh day and sanctified it. Actually, we stated the same idea on LeilShabbat, three times, with our reciting of the first three p'sukim of B'reishit 2 known to us as VAYCHULU.
Gd tells us that Shabbat is an eternalsign between Him and us. (That is alsosaid once or twice on Shabbatmorning.) This first sanctity of time is"accomplished" by Gd and we arecommanded to keep Shabbat as ourpart of the deal. We call what we doon Friday night Kiddush, but we areacknowledging the sanctity of Shabbatand accepting it upon ourselves butit is Gd's doing.In this week's sedra, we find thesecond instance of sanctity of time with a very significant added dimension. We are commanded to
(1)
Word of the MonthWith the molad on Mondaymorning, first opportunity forKiddush L'vana this month(according to Min hagYerushalayim) is Thursday
Orthodox UnionOU Kashrut • NCSY • Jewish ActionNJCD / Yachad / Our Way • KharkovSynagogue Support Services • IPAOURadio.org • Young LeadershipProject Areivim • OU West Coast
Stephen Savitsky, President, Orthodox UnionHarvey Blitz, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox UnionRabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. Vice President, OUEliezer Edelman, Exec. Dir. Operations and Management
Headquarters: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 100042125634000 • website: www.ou.org
Produced, printed*, collated, and folded inhousePhil Chernofsky • (02) 5609124
[email protected] • www.ou.org/torah/ttAdvertising: Ita Rochel
[email protected] • (02) 5609125TT Distribution • 0505772111 • [email protected]
Ranges are 10 days, WEDFRI312 Shvat (Jan 28 Feb 6)Earliest Talit & T'filin 5:435:37am
Sunrise 6:356:30amSof Z'man K' Sh'ma 9:139:11am(Magen Avraham: 8:278:25am)
Sof Z'man T'fila 10:0610:05am(Magen Avraham: 9:359:34am)
Chatzot 11:5211:53¼am(halachic noon)
Mincha Gedola 12:2312:24pm(earliest Mincha)
Plag Mincha 4:03½4:10pmSunset 5:145:22pm(based on sea level: 5:095:17pm)
OU ISRAELSeymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center
OU Israel Center programs • Makom BaLev • Lev YehudiPearl & Harold M. Jacobs ZULA Center • Machon MaayanNESTO • The Jack Gindi Oraita Program • Mashiv HaRuachBeit Kharkov • OU Israel Communities • OU Kashrut Israel
Yitzchak Fund, President, OU IsraelRabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice PresidentProf. Meni Koslowsky, Vice PresidentRabbi Dovid Cohen, Vaad memberStuart Hershkowitz, Vaad memberMoshe Kempinski, Vaad memberSandy Kestenbaum, Vaad memberZvi Sand, Vaad memberHarvey Wolinetz, Vaad memberRabbi Avi Berman, DirectorGeneral, OU IsraelMenachem Persoff, Director of Programs, Israel CenterPhil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem 91370phone: (02) 5609100 • fax: (02) 5617432
email: [email protected] • website: www.ouisrael.orgTorah Tidbits and many of the projects of OU Israel areassisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel
Founders and initial benefactors of the Israel Center: George z"l and Ilse Falk
OU Israel and Torah Tidbits do not endorse the political or halachicpositions of its editor, columnists, or advertisers, nor guarantee thequality of advertised services or products. Nor do we endorse thekashrut of hotels, restaurants, caterers or food products that areadvertised in TT (except, of course, those under OUIsrael hashgacha).We recommend that readers check with the advertisers themselves to
clarify kashrut and shmita details of their services and products.
p.3
n
X
(2)
to travel on Shabbat (and a few other things) in order to testify. But, yousee, these witnesses are not really unnecessary on the contrary, they arevital to the process of Kiddush HaChodesh because this is the level ofparticipation that Gd wants from us His partners in our Calendar, in ourcycle of the year.
The preChanuka Greeks understood the value to our Nation of KiddushHaChodesh. And of Shabbat. And of Brit Mila. These more than mostmitzvot are the bases of our partnership with Gd; something the Greeksand many others throughout Jewish History has envied and have sought todisrupt and destroy.
Until we again have a Sanhedrin and return to our full partnership positionwith Gd, we can do many things: We can learn about Kiddush HaChodesh.We can know how our calendar works. We can use our calendar, not just onChagim, but every day. As we've mentioned often we can date our checksand documents with the Jewish date 100% legal and acceptable in Israel...We can yearn for the restoration of Sanhedrin, the rebuilding of the Mikdash,and do our share to hasten the Mashiach.
WORD of the MONTH from p.2
A weekly TT feature to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, therebyenhancing our appreciation of Gd's gift to us of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
Jan. 29th. Part of Minhag Yerushalayim is to take the first opportunity, evenwith Motza'ei Shabbat so soon. Many people will wait for Motza'ei Shabbat,especially because it is that soon (only the eve of the 7th of the month). Thenext few sentences are "off the record". We are deep into a very nonrainyrainy season. We need rain and when we get it, it will be difficult to say KL,which needs an unobstructed moon. If Thursday night is clear, say KL withthe hope that our T'filot for rain will be answered and subsequent nights willbe rainy. Now is not the time to have Bitachon that Motza"Sh will give a clearmoon for KL; now is the time for Bitachon that the rains will come.
Again: Minhag Yerushalayim (based on the GR"A) is that KL can be said after3 full days (72 hours) following the announced molad. AND that it should besaid at the earliest opportunity. Others wait 7 days after the molad (whichmeans that their first op this month is Monday night, Feb. 2). Yet others willsay KL as early as 3 days after the molad, but will wait for Motza'ei Shabbatunless it will be after the 10th of the month. Winter is a factor in catching anearly op, as is our drought situation, as above.
(3)
"mkl dfd ycegd" zevn myl(or, at least, the spirit of the mitzva)
He are some facts about our fixed calendar for you to learn or review, in the hopethat increased knowledge of the workings of the calendar will also increase the love forand fascination in the whole idea of our special partnership with Gd that is the
essence of this mitzva, in particular, and all of Torah & Mitzvot, in general.
It takes the Moon (on average) 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and one cheilek (part) togo through its complete cycle of phases. This makes the length of an astronomicalmonth a little over 29½ days. Because a calendar month cannot include only part of a
day, our months are assigned either 30 or 29 days.
In our fixed calendar, the lengths of the months alternate between 30 and 29 days:
Tishrei (30), Cheshvan (29*), Kislev (30*), Tevet (29), Shvat (30), Adar (29),Nisan (30), Iyar (29), Sivan (30), Tamuz (29), Av (30), Elul (29)
With the months alternating between 30 and 29 days, the overall average would beexactly 29½ days. Remember that the average is almost ¾ of an hour more than 29½days. To raise the average length of a month to the desired result (and for otherreasons, as well), two of the months vary in length from year to year. They are themonths whose daycount are marked with an asterisk. Cheshvan usually has 29 days in "full" years, it has 30 days. Kislev usually has 30 days in "deficient" years, it has 29.
This results in three possible lengths for a regular (12month) year namely, 354 daysin a "normal sequence" year, 353 in a "deficient" year, and 355 days in a "full" year.
Because the Torah requires that Pesach be in the Spring (and that Sukkot be in theFall), an extra Adar is added seven times in a 19 year cycle. This added month has 30days. In the fixed calendar, the Adar immediately before Nisan always has 29 days. It
appears as if the added month is the first Adar, which has 30 days.
The years of a 19year (Lunar or Lesser) cycle that have 13 months are the 3rd, 6th,8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years. The other twelve years have 12 months each.
Take a year any year. Okay, the current one. 5769 to Creation. Divide 5769 by 19.The result is 303 remainer (remember those?) 12. 303 is the number of complete19year cycles since creation. We are in the 304th cycle. The remainder indicateswhich year of the cycle. 5769 is the 12th year of the 304th cycle. The 12th year of a
cycle is a P'SHUTA, not a M'UBERET. It has twelve months.
Let's try another. The year of the establishment of the State of Israel, 5708. Divide by19. Result, 300 remainer 8. 5708 was the 8th year of the 301st Lunar cycle. It was a
13month year.
13month years come in three lengths, as above but adding 30 for the extra Adar.Years can be 383, 384, or 385 days long. This gives us six different possible lengths.Three of them are shorter than solar years and three are longer. Over the course of acycle, the average length of our years comes close to the (almost) 365¼ days of the
solar calendar. There's a lot more, but this will do for now.
(4)
LEICH, go and especially, LECH L'CHA,has the "flavor" of Gd saying: you go andyou've got to do this (mostly) by yourself.BO, on the other hand, meaning come,has the connotation of "come with Me";I'll be with you and help you. This last part(about BO EL PAR'O) is how somecommentaries explain the wording whenMoshe is to go into Par'o's palace.
BO STATS15th of the 54 sedras; 3rd of 11 in Sh'mot
Written on 205.67 lines in a Torah, rank: 24
14 parshiot; 8 open, 6 closed
106 p'sukim ranks 29th (7th in Shmot)tied with Toldot & Vayigash; larger than each one
1655 words ranks 21st (5th in Shmot)
6149 letters ranks 20th (6th in Shmot)
Rise in rankings from p'sukim to words & letters isa result of BO's p'sukim being much longer thanaverage for the Torah (longest in Sh'mot).
MITZVOTBO has 20 mitzvot; 9 positive, 11 prohibitions
ending a 18sedra run of practically no mitzvot(Nitzavim, Vayeilech, Haazinu & V'zot HaB'racha, allof B'reishit, and Sh'mot & Va'eira have a total of 5mitzvot). The other 36 sedras have the other 608!
AliyabyAliyaSedra SummaryNumbers in [square brackets] are theMitzvacounts of Sefer HaChinuch ANDRambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positivemitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perekand pasuk from which the mitzva is counted.
[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate startof a parsha p’tucha or s’tuma respectively.X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of theparsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in theparsha.
Kohen First Aliya 11 p'sukim 10:111[P> 10:1 (11)] Gd once again(previously with Frogs and "Dever")sends Moshe to Par'o (in his palace)to warn about the Locust.
SDT: The signature of this week's sedra BO EL PAR'O is a phrase that occursthree times, each time as an introduction toone of the Plagues. Specifically, Gd saidto Moshe to "come before Par'o" for themiddle plague of each 3plague set FROGS, DEVER (animal disease), andLOCUST. Baal HaTurim points out thatwhen Gd sends Moshe to the royal palace,He uses the term BO. When He sends himto the river to find Par'o there, He uses theterm LEICH.
This time, however, it is with theadditional statement that Gd hashardened Par'o's heart so that Hiswonders will be evident to all, andthat all will know Him. Moshe andAharon warn Par'o of the potentialdevastation (the description ofwhich is noticeably longer than forother plagues). Par'o's servants(advisors?) pressure Par'o intoagreeing to release the People.Par'o offers Moshe the adults.Moshe's reply (which becomes a
(5)
Jewish hallmark for the ages punintended) is that our religiousexperiences must include ALLJews, young and old. (Judaismplaces a premium on Chinuch andon the transmission of knowledgeand values from one generation tothe next.) Par'o rejects this andexpels Moshe and Aaron from hispresence.
Locust were sent by Gd to punishEgypt by devouring the produce ofthe land. This was "measure formeasure" punishment for theexcessive field and planting workthat Par'o imposed on the Peopleof Israel in order to demoralizethem and to prevent them fromhaving a normal family life.
Commentaries point out that Par'oand the Egyptians continually "overdid" their oppression and enslavement of the Jews. Even if we were tosuggest that punishment is unfair tothose who were acting according toGd's wishes, so to speak, andcarrying out His Plan, it is for theexcesses that they are being heldstrictly accountable. "Yes, I told youto rough them up, but I never saidanything about beating them somercilessly." (This does not mean tosuggest that people who "play a partin Gd's plans" are not held accountable for their "regular" actions. Theyare. But there is special emphasis onthe excesses. Having the peopleslave at making bricks is one thing.Withholding straw for the purpose isexcessively cruel. Etc.)
On the other hand, the excessivecruelty of the Egyptians is partiallyresponsible, so to speak, for Gd's
switching to His Midat HaRachamimin judging the people, from the MidatHaDin which might have kept us inEgypt longer. The original prophecyto Avraham Avinu called for 400years. Actual time spent in Egypt(not even in slavery) was "only" 210years. The inclusion of the yearsfrom Yitzchak's birth is (can be seenas) a result of the excessive harshness of the Egyptian experience.
Levi Second Aliya 12 p'sukim 10:1223[S> 10:12 (9)] Gd tells Moshe toraise his hands over the land.Moshe raises his staff and thelocust come. So overwhelming isthis plague, that Par'o "hurries" tocall for Moshe and Aharon, admitsto them that he has sinned, andasks them to pray for the removalof this terrible plague. Moshe doesso, and a "reverse" wind causes thelocust to disappear completely. Gdonce again hardens Par'o's heart.
[P> 10:21 (9)] Plague #9 Darkness (just like #3 Lice and #6 Boils) is brought without warning.
The thrice repeated pattern is (1)find Par'o at the Nile and deliver thewarning, (2) go to his palace andbring the warning "closer to home",and (3) twicewarned is sufficient;he won't let the People go, bring thenext plague without additionalwarning. Additionally, there is anescalation in severity from the firstto the second to the third plague ineach set of 3 plagues. The 10thplague stands alone: Par'o waswarned of it "up front" and it is
(6)
mentioned more than once as the"ultimate" punishment for Egypt.
Darkness, an unusual, unnatural,tangible darkness (not merely theabsence of light), descends upon theEgyptians for a paralyzing 3 days(Rashi indicates that it was of aduration of six days). In the Jewishneighborhoods, there is light.
Let's define "natural" darkness asthe absence of light. Consistent withthe other Makot, the plague ofDarkness was not natural. Some ofthe unnatural qualities of theDarkness of Egypt was that it wassubstantive, and that lighting a firewould not dispel it. This was asupernatural darkness. Perhaps, adarkness like preCreation darkness.Along these lines but different isan explanation attributed to theVilna Gaon. Darkness, as well asLight, is a creation; it is not just theabsence of light. One of the laws ofnature that Gd created is that lightdispels darkness. During MakatChoshech, nature was turnedupsidedown and darkness dispelledlight.
SDT: "Man did not see his fellow, nordid a person rise from his place..."Chidushei HaRim writes that this is adescription of the worse kind of darkness inhuman life, when a person does not see thesuffering of his fellow. Not only does he notextend his hand to help the other, but theultimate result is the inability of theindividual to even help himself. The Peopleof Israel had light throughout theirdwellings. May we always be able to seethe plight of our fellow Jews and respondwith acts of Chesed worthy of ourHeritage.
Shlishi Third Aliya 9 p'sukim 10:2411:3Par'o calls for Moshe and tells himto go, even with the children, butto leave the livestock behind.Moshe insists that ALL will leave.
SDT: Moshe's words to Par'o are: "Wewill also take our animals with us, for fromthem we will take to serve Gd." The plainunderstanding of the pasuk is that Moshewas referring to korbanot, sacrifices. TheMalbim has another beautiful interpretation of Moshe's statement to Par'o."From the animals we will take lessons inhow to serve Gd from the cat we willlearn modesty, from the doves fidelity, fromthe ants industry and honesty, etc." Had wenot received the Torah, which teaches usproper conduct, we would learn theselessons from our animals. (And even withthe Torah to teach us, we can see practicalexamples of its lessons in nature.)
Par'o once again refuses, and thistime he threatens death (he hadMoshe's in mind Gd "applied it"in a different way) if he sees Mosheagain. He thus inadvertentlyprophesies his own death. This ispart of the "topsy turvy" aspects ofthe Exodus.
[P> 11:1 (3)] Gd "reminds"Moshe that there is one moreplague (the "real" one; the one thatwas presented up front, the onementioned before all of the others)and then Par'o will send the peopleon their way.
Gd tells Moshe to tell the peopleto "borrow" things from theirneighbors. He says that the people
(7)
will miraculously feel kindlytowards the Jews (even though theJews are responsible, in the eyes ofthe Egyptians, for the hard timesthey have been suffering). Gd evenimplanted in the eyes of the Egyptians an admiration and respect forMoshe.
Rashi points out the unusual waythat Gd instructs Moshe to talk tothe people. He says, "please".DABERNA. Rashi explains that Gddid not want Avraham Avinu to"complain" that the oppressionprophesied should come true, butnot the promise of leaving Egyptwith great wealth. Hence, Moshe,please speak to the people and havethem take from the Egyptians...
Targum Onkeles, on the other hand,translates NA as NOW.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 27 p'sukim 11:412:20[S> 11:4 (5)] Moshe says, in Gd'sname, that He (Gd) will kill ALLEgyptian firstborns, that thescreaming from the killings will beunprecedented, and that in totalcontrast, utter tranquility will reignin the Jewish area.
[S> 11:9 (2)] Gd says that Par'owill once again refuse even thisthreat, so that the full course ofwonders and miracles will benefitthe People of Israel.
SDT: One commentator says thatMoshe was distraught by the extent towhich Par'o went in his refusal to let thePeople go. Such dedication to wickedness
in the face of such devastating punishmentwas truly disheartening to Moshe. How canthe power of evil be so strong? How cansomeone fight against it and hope to win?Gd's answer was that it was He Whohardened and strengthened Par'o's heart.Left on his own, Par'o would have given inlong before. Theoretically, Gd could dothis to punish us, but in this case it was forour benefit.
SDT: The S'fat Emet (Sfas Emes)marvels at the fact that only Gd wouldgive the power to a wicked person tooppose Him. Why would Gd give Par'o theability to defy Him? In order to bringabout the marvels and wonders of theExodus, so that the People of Israel shallknow beyond doubt that Gd has takenthem out of Egypt.
SDT: The Torah describes thetranquility of the Jewish area with thestatement "a dog didn't even bark". Dogsusually sense death and instinctively react.To highlight the contrast between theEgyptians and the Israelites, the dogs weremiraculously silent. In "tribute" to the dogsfor their role in bringing greater honor andappreciation to Gd on the night of theExodus, the Torah rewards them by tellingus (elsewhere) to throw our "treif" meat tothe dogs. (This applies only when aforbidden food is NOT also forbidden toderive other benefit therefrom in whichcase it must be discarded without anybenefit whatsoever. Feeding one's ownanimals, or even animals in the wild isconsidered HANA'A, benefit.) Thus wehave an unusual lesson in HAKARATHATOV, acknowledging the good thatanother does for you.
[S> 12:1 (20)] Gd commands thesetting up of the Jewish calendar[4,A153 12:2].
(8)
He then commands the taking of alamb or goat for each household(or so). The animal was to be takenon the 10th of Nissan (this rule wasfor "Pesach Mitzrayim" only, andnot for future Pesachs; therefore itis not counted among the mitzvotof the Torah) and held for the 14thof the month, when it was to beslaughtered in the afternoon[5,A55 12:6]. Its blood was to besmeared on the doorposts andlintel (only that first Pesach). Thesacrifice is to be eaten on the nightof the 15th of Nissan [6,A56 12:8],having been roasted, eaten withmatza and maror (this being part ofthe mitzva "for the generations",but not counted separately amongTaryag); that is, neither cooked norpartially done [7,L125 12:9], butroasted whole. No part was to beleft over until morning [8,L11712:10]; any leftovers were to beburned (43,A91 12:10 not countedfrom Parshat Bo). It was to be eatenwith "belt tied", in haste, ready toleave (these details are for EgyptianPesach only).
MitzvaWatchKorban Pesach is a kind of rareexample of a piece of text in theTorah that mixes episode withmitzva. Much more often, we findeither/or. It is a bit confusing todistinguish between the details ofthe mitzva of KP for all generationsand those elements of the story ofthe Exodus which were meant onlyfor that first Pesach. In fact, it is notjust confusing; it is impossible toaccurately differentiate between the
two categories of details... WITHOUTthe Oral Law. The Talmud informs usas to what constitutes the mitzva ofKP. The Written Word is not complete. Our Torah consists of twoinseparable parts the Written Wordand the Oral Law (embodied in theTalmud and other sources). This is afact that is reinforced over and overagain throughout the Torah. If oneattempts to understand the WrittenWord without the Oral Law andTradition, there will be confusion atbest and distortion and perversion ofGd's Word, at worst.
Then Gd will "pass through" Egypton that night, kill the firstborns, and"passover" [hey, not a bad name inEnglish for the holiday celebratingthe Exodus] the Jewish home withthe bloodmarks. This shall becomea holiday for all generations. Matzotare to be eaten for 7 days and onErev Pesach, Chametz is to beeliminated from our homes[9,A156 12:15]. (Eating Chametzon Pesach is a rejection of membership in Klal Yisrael, hence thepunishment of "excision".)
The basis of Yom Tov is set downin 12:16, specifically that Melachais prohibited, as on Shabbat, exceptfor "that which is needed for food".
Clarification (or the opposite)The Oral Law and Rabbinic legislationcombine to define that which may bedone on Yom Tov. It is far morecomplicated than would seem fromthe pasuk. Logic cannot alwaysexplain the way things work out. Forexample, picking a fruit from a tree(to eat the fruit on Yom Tov) is notpermitted, yet it seems logical that it
(9)
would be considered permissiblebecause of OCHEL NEFESH (food).And carrying a Siddur to shul (wherethere is no Eruv) is permitted, eventhough such a Melacha is not beingperformed for food. Obviously, weneed the Oral Torah to help us out(to say the least).
The source of "sh'mura" matza is in12:17. The mitzva of eating matzaon seder night [10,A158 12:18] isfollowed by the prohibition ofowning of chametz during all ofPesach [11, L200 12:19]. Foodscontaining chametz are forbidden[12,L198 12:20].
MitzvaWatchBecause the prohibition of chametzand the mitzva of matza are linkedto each other in the same pasuk, wedo not view Matza as a purelypositive timerelated mitzva. Womenare not exempt. In fact, women areobligated to perform other Sedermitzvot as a package deal withmatza. Specifically, women are obligated on the mitzva of Hagada they should not be silent observersat the Seder, but should participatein transmission of the story anddetails to their children and guests.Women are also obligated to drinkfour cups of wine, which is aRabbinic command.
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 8 p'sukim 12:2128[P> 12:21 (8)] Moshe gathers theelders of the People and relaysGd's instructions. He also tellsthem that when the People get to
Eretz Yisrael, they will continue tocommemorate the events of theExodus, with questions andanswers from one generation to theprevious one. The People do ascommanded.
Note the familiarity of the text (thinkHagada) but also note the differentcombinations of questions and answers between Torah and Hagada.Moshe tells the people that whichGd had previously commandedhim to tell them. Here it says: Takea bundle of hyssop (EIZOV), dip itin the blood of the Korban Pesach,and daub it on the lintel and thetwo doorposts.
Notice: Not only is going into EretzYisrael part of the Promises ofRedemption, but in the laws ofKorban Pesach there is reference to"when you will come to the Land..."
SDT: The Torah tells us that when Gdwill pass through Egypt smiting theirfirstborns, and He will see blood on thedoorposts and lintels of the Jewish homes,He will not let the "Destructive Force"(MAL'ACH HAMAVET, Angel of Death) tocome to your homes... What was theMASHCHIT doing in Egypt on that night,when the Hagada states that it was GdHimself. Some explain that the MASHCHITwas in charge, so to speak, of "regularlyscheduled deaths". Gd did not allow himto enter a Jewish home that night so thecontrast with Egypt would be total.
Shishi Sixth Aliya 23 p'sukim 12:2951[S> 12:29 (8)] It comes to pass atexactly midnight, that the Egyptian
(10)
firstborns are smitten, and that theEgyptians shower the Jews withgifts, and hurry them on their way.
[P> 12:37 (6)] And so the Peopleof Israel leave Egypt. The Peopleleave in such haste that they takequickbaked breads with themwithout taking the time to let thedough rise. Approx. 600,000 men,plus women and children leaveEgypt, together with many Egyptians who are smart enough to fleewith them. Thus ends a 430 yearperiod of exile (according to someopinions, this is the time from theCovenant between the Parts to theExodus this is another way ofexplaining when the "enslavementbegan"). That night shall be aspecial night for all of Israelthroughout the generations.
[P> 12:43 (8)] The Torah nowshifts from relating the story of theExodus back to the rules for theKorban Pesach. Jews who have"left Judaism" and embracedanother religion [13, L128 12:43],nonJews, even those who arecommitted to the Seven NoahideLaws [14,L126 12:45] may not eatKorban Pesach. The Korban mustbe eaten in one place; removing itfrom its place is forbidden [15,L123 12:46], as is breaking a bonein it [16,L121 12:46]. Only Jewsparticipate. An uncircumcised Jewmay not eat of the KP [17,L12712:48]. A true convert to Judaism isequal to a bornJew. The Peopledid as commanded.
[S> 12:51 (1)] On this very day,the multitude left Egypt.
Sh'vi'i Seventh Aliya 16 p'sukim 13:116[P> 13:1 (10)] As a commemoration of the Exodus (specificallyplague #10), we are to sanctifyfirstborns (human, kosher farmanimals, and donkey. Each type of"b'chor" is treated differently)[18,A79 13:2]. The Torah setsdown the yearly observance ofPesach, even after entry into Israel.
MitzvaWatchIn Parshat BO, we have the generalcommand concerning the sanctity ofthe firstborns and the specifics aboutone type the firstborn donkey.Elsewhere are the details aboutfirstborn humans and those of the 3types of domesticated animals cow,goat, sheep.
Chametz may not be eaten [19,L197 13:3] nor even owned [20,L201 13:7] on Pesach. It is amitzva to relate the story of whathappened [21,A157 13:8] at theSeder. T'filin also serve as areminder of the Exodus. Pesachmust be in the spring, the time ofrenewal of nature.
This requires Sanhedrin to add anextra month from time to time to"push" Pesach into the spring. Whenthere is no Sanhedrin, we have afixed pattern for 13month years;(specifically, the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th,14th, 17th, and 19th year of a19year cycle has two Adars) when
(11)
...Li®¦t§A 'd z ¬©xFY d²¤i§d «¦Y o ©r À©n §l...h:bi zeny"that Gd’s Torah may be in your mouth"
From this pasuk, the Gemara teaches us that T'filin must be made from the skin of akosher animal only. (However, we may use leather from an animal that was notkosherslaughtered.) We are further taught that this rule applies to a Torah, Mezuza,Megila, etc. and to a Shofar.The Torah T'mima (the original TT) discusses the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat that"darshens" this pasuk. In addition to T'filin and other "scribal objects" and Shofar, hementions that the shoe for a Chalitza ceremony also must be made of leather from akosher animal. He then raises the question about the walls of a Sukka and says that theycan be made of the hide from a nonkosher element. He explains the difference bysaying that the B'FICHA (in your mouth) rule applies only to mitzvot whose objectsmust be from the animal kingdom. Walls of a Sukka may be of (almost) any material andthat includes hides from any animal. If something is restricted to animal product onlythen the further restriction applies.
we have a Sanhedrin, it has discretionary leeway within specific guidelines.
[P> 13:11 (6)] A firstbornmaledonkey must be redeemed [22,A81 13:13] (by giving a sheep or itsvalue to a kohen) or destroyed (ifthe owner refuses to redeem it[23,A82 13:13] (a less desirablealternative).The Torah reiterates the significance of the younger generationasking and receiving answers andexplanations about the origin of theNation.
The T'filin connection is alsorepeated.
The two final portions of BO (all ofSh'vi'i) join the two first portions ofthe Sh'ma as the four passages ofthe Torah contained in each of thetwo T'filin (written together on asingle strip of parchment in the "shelyad" and on four separate parchments inserted into four distinctchambers in the "shel rosh").
Haftara 16 p'sukim Yirmiyahu 46:1328Parallel to the sedra, Egypt'sdownfall (at the hands of Bavel) isprophesied. (It is quite rare that aprophecy to another nation is usedas a Haftara.) Israel, however, shallnot fear; Gd is with us! The pasukthat assures us about the UltimateRedemption mentions that it mighthappen in the distant future. Nonetheless, we shall not despair. Thiscan be seen in context of the wellknown notion that the Mashiachwill either come "in his appointedtime", or sooner. It depends uponus.
The Babylonian army is comparedwith the countless nature ofswarms of locust. Thus Egypt fallsto locust again and there isanother connection to the sedra.
(12)
THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAWRabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson #460 Lost Property (part 3)
In the prior lesson we discussed 2 of the 7criteria that must be present for the finderto be required to pick up the lost objectand return it to the owner. We shall nowexamine the remaining five criteria:(3) The place where the lost object isfound: The Torah text regarding theobligation to pick up lost objects refers tothe lost object of one’s brother, meaninga fellow Jew. If the object is found in aneighborhood where the majority ofpersons situated or passing through areJews, then the picking up and restoringthe objects applies (assuming that all theother criteria are present). This is trueeven if the majority of the inhabitants ofthe town are Gentiles. The halachapresumes that the owner assumes that aJew will find the object and return it tohim and thus the owner does not abandonhope of the object being returned to him.Without the owner abandoning hope ofthe object being returned to him by thefinder, the finder cannot acquire ownership of the object by picking it up.(4) The object is a lost object: Only anobject that was lost (and meets the othercriteria) must be picked up and restoredto its owner. If it was not lost, forexample, if it was or appears to have beendeliberately placed by the owner where itis now located the finder must not pick itup. If the object is not lost but wasdeliberately abandoned by its owner, thefinder is not required to pick it up.(5) The value of the object: Therequirement to pick up the found object is
present only if the object is worth at leasta peruta (the smallest valued coin, such as5 agorot in Israel today). If it is worth lessthan a peruta, it need not be picked up.The object must be worth at least a perutaat two time intervals: when it was lostand when it was found. If it was worth aperuta when lost, but worth less than aperuta when found, or worth a perutawhen found but worth less than a perutawhen lost, the obligation to pickup theobject is not present. If it was worth aperuta when lost and worth a perutahwhen found the fact that it may have beenworth less than a peruta in the intervalbetween losing and finding does notaffect the obligation of the finder to pickup the object. Similarly, if the object fellin value after it was found, this does notrelieve the finder of the obligation torestore the object to the owner. If theobject belongs to more than one person,the share of each in the object must beworth at least a peruta to obligate thefinder to restore the object to the owners.(6) Consistent with the finder’s dignity:The lost object must be one that thefinder would have bothered to stoop andpick up if it was his own. If he would nothave picked it up for himself if hedropped it, he need not stoop down topick it up for others.(7) There must be a duty owed to theloser. This shall IYH be discussed in afuture lesson.Some examples of objects that must berestored:
(13)
The community standards as decidedupon by Beit Din will determine underwhich category a found object should beclassified. This may change from community to community and generation togeneration.Objects that the halacha has traditionallyfrom Talmudic times described as havingidentifiable marks are:a. bread or cake baked by a householder.Since every household baker bakes in adistinguishing manner, the bread isidentifiable, as distinguished from breador cake baked by professional bakers forsale in a bakery or supermarket where allthe loaves of bread or cake are standard.b. dyed fleeces as delivered from a woolworker’s shop. (Wool fleeces that comefrom the country before having beenworked on by a wool finisher may bekept by the finder.)c. jugs of wine or oil bearing the mark ofthe producer, prior to the opening of themarket season. (Once the market seasonfor these commodities has begun, themark of the manufacturer is no longerrelevant since it might have beenpurchased and lost by the buyer. By thesame token, it would seem that the sameholds true for most manufactured goodsthat have not yet reached the market.)d. large sheaves; a cake of figs withpottery in it. The uniqueness of the objectis the identification mark of the pottery.e. a loaf of bread with money in it. It isassumed that the money was deliberatelyplaced in there; thus it has anidentification mark, since a loaf of breadordinarily does not have money in it.f. pieces of meat or fish cut in an unusualmanner.g. any object that has an unusual feature
about it so that the owner can identify it.h. heaps of producei. produce in a vessel.j. needles or hooks or the like, found twoor more at a timek. a heap of money, three coins piled in acertain manner; or a specific amount ofcoins. The owner will identify the coinsby the number of coins. There is anopinion that the number of coins is oflittle probative value, since coins are verysmall and some of them coins may havebeen kicked away by the public goingthrough the street. If there are severalheaps the number may be the identification and if only one heap, its locationmay be its identification.l. money in a purse or a purse withoutmoney. However, if the money is foundin front of the purse, the money belongsto the finder unless it appears that bothbelong to the same owner.m. a coin that has a unique marking suchas a crack or split in the coin.n. bearer bonds or stocks that areidentifiable only by a unique mark of theownero. money found in purchased produce.This assumes that the money is tied up orplaced there in such a manner that theowner can identify the money as his.p. an object without an identificationmark found in a vessel that has anidentification markq. a mule without an identifying markbearing a saddle that has an identificationmarkr. young birds with their wing tied withan identifiable knot or identifiable place.The finder should not have taken thebirds but should have left them.
(14)
Spiritual and Ehical Issues in theBamidbar Stories by Dr. Meir Tamari
"The Princes bring Offerings" [3]The sacrifices described in the Torahare, in general, difficult for us to graspand appreciate; either they appearprimitive and irrelevant for modernpeople or we regard them asmeaningless ritual. Writing in the 19thcentury at the point in history whenthe Jewish people entered themodern open society, Rabbi S. R.Hirsch in his commentary on theChumash explained some of thereligious and spiritual lessons andperspectives on the korbanot. In themain it is his insights into the offeringsof the princes that are brought hereso that they may serve us to understand korbanot in general.At the outset, it must be borne in mindthat the words KORBAN, sacrifice,and L'HAKRIV, to bring an offering,are rooted in the concept of drawingcloser, so they serve to enable aperson to approach and becomecloser to Gd. "The offerings of theprinces consisted of all the varioustypes of korbanot that were offered onthe altar that was being consecratedthat day" (S'forno). They were symbols of the various ways that menexpress their desire and willingness tobe closer to Him. So too, what wasoffered were symbols of people'sspiritual strengths and religious characteristics called for by these variousways for drawing closer. Only thespecies of domesticated animals and
birds with whom human beings havedeveloped a relationship and fromwhom they have a benefit could bebrought in these acts of peopledrawing closer to Gd. Nothingdeformed or blemished or stolencould be offered as they would be aperversion of the whole purpose ofkorbanot.The first offering that the princesbrought was the six covered wagons,one wagon from two princes. Thesewagons were for the protection duringtransportation of the uncovered partsof the Mishkan. The text refers tothem as princes of Israel rather thanheads of the families to show that thenation regarded the Torah in theMishkan as a national treasure thatIsrael had to carry throughout itswanderings. "'One wagon to twoprinces', so none made the offeringonly for his tribe. Because no onewas jealous of his fellow and theywere spiritually equal to each other, itwas as though the offerings weremade on behalf of all Israel"(Bamidbar Rabba)."And his offering was one silver dishand one throwing bowl both filled withfine wheaten flour and oil"; thisMincha offering acknowledged that allthe wealth and wellbeing that thetribe acquired came from Gd. Suchacknowledgement led them to understand that material riches are not an
(15)
end in themselves but should bededicated to the spirit of Gd's Torah.The throwing bowl, MIZRAK, waslater used for throwing the blood onthe altar; its use here indicated thatthey were meant to use the materialism now offered as a Mincha, as a lifestriving upwards towards Gd.The dedication of the property of thetribes was followed by the expressionof their spirituality; "one spoon ofincense". "The Ketoret is the mostspiritual of all the korbanot as it hasno body or substance so it iscomplete sublimation with Gd. Thatis why the offering of incense was thetest of kehuna in the rebellion ofKorach. The Chidushei HaRim of Gurtold that once when they sat atSeudat Shlishit in Kotsk, the KotskerRebbe was silent; that was thedeepest and most spiritual Torah Ihave ever heard, said the Gerer"(Shem MiShmuel). It was only ketoretwhich the Kohen Gadol offered inKodesh HaKodashim on Yom Kippurand it is with ketoret that we concludeour davening.Then there follows the dedication ofall their activities; "the Olah offeringwas one young bullock [symbol ofstrength], one ram [symbol of a progressive leadership position], and onesheep [symbolizing the necessity forguidance]". Olah is commonly translated as a burnt offering but it is morecorrect to see it as an offering ofelevation. All these were qualitiesneeded for moral and spiritual strivingtowards Gd."One hegoat for an expiationoffering, chatat", was the next of the
offerings. "''If a NEFESH sin in carelessness against some of Gd'scommandments let him bring a chatatoffering'. The soul is the real essenceof a human personality and manifestsitself as mind and will. To do so, theNEFESH has to submit itself to thefire of the Torah and the body'ssubservience to the soul will thenensure that the physicalactive life ofa person will be spent in the serviceof Gd. If the NEFESH withdrawsitself from Torah, then it runs thedanger of allowing the body to act inopposition to the Will of Gd; that iswhat we mean by Cheit. But one'soffering can only attempt to compensate for a sin if the sin had occurrednot only through carelessness, but init from beginning to the end. Wherethe whole act is done consciously itlies beyond where chatat can atone"(S. R. Hirsch, Vayikra 4:2)."And for a mealpeace offering,Sh'lamim"; this is the crowning pointof the dedication of the Mizbei'ach.The Torah uses the term ZEVACH forthis offering and zevach is theTanachic term for the family feasts;the tribe comes in happiness to attainnearness to the Divine Presence."Sh'lamim was made up of threekinds of animals, corresponding to thethree verses of Birkat Kohanim"(Bamidbar Rabba 4:18). "All is atpeace in the Sh'lamim offering,Shalom, Shalem; the kohanim andthe bringer of the offering who botheat of the offering and Gd for whom itis sacrificed on His altar" (VayiraRabba 1:5)."This was the dedication of the altaron the day when it was anointed by
(16)
the princes of Israel (Bamidbar 7:74);to teach that just as they were equaland united in the decision to bringtheir offerings so they were equal anduntied in the blessings that flowed to
Israel from the Mishkan" (Sifri 53).Here individual spirituality and endeavor was welded to the nationreligion in drawing closer to Gd.
MISC section contents:
[1] Vebbe Rebbe[2] Candle by Day
[3] From Aloh Naaleh[4] Wisdom and Wit
[5] Parsha Points to Ponder[6] Portion from the Portion
[7] EcoRabbi[8] from Machon Puah
[9] Torah from Nature[10] MicroUlpan
[11] Guest Article
[12] Treasures in the Sand[13] Mitzvat Kiddush Hachodesh
[14] Divrei Menachem
[1] From the virtual desk of the OUVEBBE REBBEThe Orthodox Union – via its website – fieldsquestions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewishlaw and values. Some of them are answered byEretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced JewishStudies, Jerusalem, headed by Rav Yosef Carmeland Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded by HaRavShaul Yisraeli zt"l, to prepare rabbanim anddayanim to serve the National Religiouscommunity in Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbi isa joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network,Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. Thefollowing is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...
QMay a chatan lead bentchingand/or recite sheva b'rachot at hisown sheva b'rachot? What if he is
more of a talmid chacham than anyoneelse there?
AWe will start with a little bit ofbackground. There are two sets ofb'rachot that are recited under the
chupa: birkat eirusin, which corresponds tothe betrothal (by giving the ring) andbirchot nisu'in or birchot chatanim (whatwe call sheva b'rachot, which are actuallysix special b'rachot in addition to theb'racha on the wine). Classical sourcesseem to indicate that, fundamentally, thechatan would recite at least birkat eirusinbefore his mitzva of getting married (seeBeit Yosef and commentaries on EvenHa'ezer 34). However, due to the followingvarious concerns, a strong minhag hasdeveloped that other people recite both setsof b'rachot (although some concerns mayapply more to one than to the other).
The Rambam is attributed (see beginningof Ma'ase Roke'ach) to say that the b'rachotwere made for the benefit of the chatan butto be recited by others about him. TheMordechai (Ketuvot 131) says that it ishaughty (yohara) for the chatan to claimthe b'rachot for himself. Orchot Chayim(Kiddushin 21) says we are concerned thatif chatanim will be in the practice ofreciting the b'rachot, those who do notknow how to do so will be embarrassed.The consensus is (see S'dei Chemed VII, p.434; Hanisu'im K'hilchatam 10:21) that ifonly the chatan is able to recite the b'rachotreasonably, he would make the b'rachot, as
(17)
he fundamentally is able to do.
One of the differences between the reasonsmay be the following. Some of the b'rachotare general praises of Hashem and notspecifically referring to the chatan. Intheory, according to the Rambam's reason,the chatan should be able to recite those. Itseems that, classically, one person used torecite all of the b'rachot and in an "all ornothing" situation, we would have thechatan do nothing. Nowadays, when wesplit up the b'rachot, one could claim thatthe chatan could do the first few of thesheva b'rachot. Be this as it may, theminhag is certainly that the chatan does notdo any of the sheva b'rachot, which iscorrect according to the latter reasons andin general is just as well (the chatan hasenough limelight). This is true under thechupa and during the week of shevab'rachot celebrations.
The matter is less clear in regard to leadingthe bentching/zimun. Do the aboveconcerns extend to it? On one hand, theleading of bentching is fundamentally thesame at sheva b'rachot as at other times. Onthe other hand, the sheva b'rachot arerecited specifically at the end of thebentching and indeed the one who leadswaits until the sheva b'rachot are finishedto make the b'racha and drink the wine andis even allowed to recite one of the shevab'rachot in the meantime (Sova S'machot6:21). D'VAI HASEIR andSHEHASIMCHA BIM'ONO are alsoadded. Logically, the element of theb'rachot being made on the chatan's behalfdoes not seem to apply. It is not clear if weneed to be concerned that chatanim wouldfeel pressure to lead bentching and beembarrassed if they did not know how toso properly. In theory, yohara would notapply to a chatan who led the zimun,which, again, is a normal task. Therefore,
one can easily make the case that a chatancan lead bentching. In fact, HaNisu'imK'hilchatam (14:109) even cites a minhagto specifically have the chatan do so at thesheva b'rachhot at seuda sh'lishit [related toissues of drinking see ATR, Noach 5769].
All of this being said, since the veryconsistent practice is that chatanim do notbentch at their own sheva b'rachot (even ifit might originally have come out ofignorance), it would be objectionable forone to do so without a specific reason. Notonly is it a matter of changing minhagim,in general, but, under the circumstances,there would indeed be a problem of yohara,especially if it is connected to the claimthat the chatan is the only talmid chachampresent. Again, if no one else feelscomfortable leading the bentching, thatwould be different.
Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, theweekly parsha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah.You can read this section or the entire HemdatYamim at www.ou.org or www.eretzhemdah.org.And/or you can receive Hemdat Yamim by emailweekly, by sending an email to
[email protected] with the message:
Subscribe/English (for the English version) orSubscribe/Hebrew (for the hebrew version).Please leave the subject blank. Ask the VebbeRebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency forIsrael
[2] Candle by Day
How can we expect good sense toprevail in the end when it is the verydispute over what constitutes goodsense which produces the embroilmentin the first place.
From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
A Candle by Day • The Antidote • The World of Chazalby Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
Now available at 0542099200
(18)
[3] CHIZUK and IDUDfor Olim & notyetOlim respectively
The Talmud (B'rachot 4a) questions whyMoshe told Par'o that the death of thefirstborns would take place "kachatzothalaila" at about midnight rather thanthe exact time of midnight. Surely, Moshecould have been accurate to thenanosecond.
The answer: Perhaps Par'o's wise menwould make a mistake in their reckoning ofthe time and then say: "Moshe is a liar."
This interpretation would seem to fly in theface of all reasonable thought. After all,Moshe had correctly predicted nine terribleand unusual events that had literallyplagued the Egyptian people. He thenpredicted the most terrible of all the deathof Egypt's firstborns. Imagine that he hadsaid that this would take place exactly atmidnight. Let's assume that the palaceclocks were inaccurate and according totheir time all the firstborns died at midnightplus twenty seconds. What is the responseof Egypt's best and brightest?
"You see how Moshe is nothing but a liar."
The level of selfdeception and refusal toface facts is so mind boggling that wemight well wonder at the sanity of suchwise men or, alternatively, at what theTalmudic sages were trying to tell us inthis seemingly odd interpretation.
Perhaps the lesson to be drawn from thisdiscussion is that the Rabbis profoundlyunderstood the true nature of man and thedepths of his psyche:
1) We don't like to face unpleasant truths.
2) The power of rationalization tosubstitute good reasons for real reasons isboundless.
3) Man will grab at the thinnest of straws
to deny the reality which stares him in theface.
Should we be surprised by the ancientEgyptian think tank's reaction? After all,modern Jewish history has seen its Egyptsand their wise men, perhaps those PhD.swho met at Wansee or commandedEinsatzgruppen. It has witnessed the birthof a Jewish State in which Jews no longerhave to live under nonJewish rule, inwhich Torah flourishes, and in which weare called to help shape our destiny.
Is it possible there are yet those wise andmany who are more than wise who are stillwaiting because they think that this greatdrama of REISHIT TZ'MICHATG'ULATEINU is but an illusion? Do theirsojourns in the Egypts of Jewish Historycontinue because the details of theREISHIT do not meet their redemptionclocks?
May it be that those who dwell in Goshen'sdarkness see a great light.
Moshe EMET it is we who may miss themark.
Rabbi David Ebner, Ph.D., Jerusalem
THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members forpublication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', aweekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu'a
[4] Wisdom & WitR' Moshe Feinstein once spent hours goingfrom one meeting to another, trying to raisemoney for his yeshiva. The student whoaccompanied him saw that R' Moshe wasbecoming tired, and he suggested that theyreturn to R' Moshe's home. R' Moshe,though, refused.Finally, the student came up with what hethought was a surefire way to have R'Moshe return home. "Rebbe," he said, "it's
(19)
getting late, and you haven't had theopportunity to learn much Torah today."R' Moshe replied, "In the Shema prayer weare told that we must love Hashem with allour heart and with all our soul and with allour might. Chazal understand this to meanthat we must be ready to sacrifice even ourmost precious possessions for Hashem. Tome, the most precious thing in the world isTorah study. From the Shema verse welearn that one must even be willing to giveup his Torah study, if that will helppreserve the Jewish people."
Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series forArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch ofWisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdom and Wit" —available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be).Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder
[5] Parsha Points to PonderBO
1) Why does Moshe tell Pa'ro that theEgyptians will BOW TO ME SAYING GOYOU AND THE ENTIRE NATION(11:8)? Wouldn't the Egyptians actually tellMoshe and the Jews to leave the country?
2) GD commands Moshe to instruct theJews to place blood ON THE TWODOORPOSTS AND ON THE LINTEL(12:7). Why does Moshe switch the orderwhen he issues the command telling theJews to place the blood on the LINTELAND ON THE DOORPOSTS (12:22)?
3) Why does the command to wear T'fillinmention that the T'filin which we wear onour arms should be ON YOUR HANDSand not on our arms (13:9)?
POSSIBLE ANSWERS...Ponder the questions first, then read here
1) The Ohr HaChayim explains that Moshewas conveying to Pa'ro that the final plaguewould completely subjugate the Egyptiansto Moshe to the point where they wouldnot even feel comfortable instructingMoshe what to do. They would simply bowbefore Moshe thereby letting it be knownthat they want Moshe and the Jews to fleefrom their country.
2) The Kli Yakar teaches that the LINTELrepresents GD, the Being above all, whilethe doorposts symbolize our forefatherswhose merits support the world. GD firstmentions the symbol of the merit of theforefathers in deference to them whileMoshe first mentions the symbol for GD'sdominance over the world out of honor forHim.
3) The Rashbam answers that the Torah isteaching us that the T'fillin on our armswill serve as a constant reminder to usabout GD as if they had a reminder writtenon their hands as people tend to do whenthey need to remember something.
Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by RabbiDov Lipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayimand Machon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and is theauthor of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers(and adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith"(Feldheim) and "TIMEOUT: Sports Stories as aGame Plan for Spiritual Success" just released byDevora Publishing. [email protected]
(20)
[6]
by Rakel BerenbaumFEEDback to [email protected]
Par'o's Liverlike HeartThe portion commences with the wordsBO EL PA'RO KI ANI HICHBADTI ETLIBO V'ET LEIV AVADAV "Go toPar'o for I have made him and hisadvisors stubborn." Gd has hardenedPar'o's heart. The Torah uses threedifferent adjectives in relation to Pa'ro'sheart KASHEH, KAVEID, andCHAZAK. In this verse from the portionwe see the use of KAVEID.When Gd sends Moshe on his wayback to Egypt to fulfill his mission ofredeeming the Jewish people, He tellshim that ANI ACHAZEIK ET LIBO V'LOYISHLACH ET HA'AM "I will makehim obstinate and he will not let thepeople leave" ( 4:21). This is the first ofmany times that the root wordCHAZAK is used.The word KASHEH is used oncebefore the beginning of the plauges VA'ANI AKSHEH ET LEIV P'AROV'HIRBEITI ET OTOTAI V'ET MOF'TAI B'ERETZ MIZRAYIM "I willmake Par'o obstinate and will thushave the opportunity to display manymiraculous signs and wonders inEgypt" (7:3)Why so much concern over Par'o'sheart? Why the use of differentdescriptive words? Are they different?HADRASH V'HAIYUN tells us that thepurpose of the plauges was really to
soften Par'o's heart. They weresupposed to help him mend his ways.But how could anyone choose not tofollow Gd's will after such tremendousplagues? In order to give Par'o at leastsome option to make his own decisionwhether to follow Gd or not , to remainwith some free choice, Gd hardenedParo's heart.He made it like a KAVED a liver. Aliver doesn't absorb anything when it iscooked this way Par'o would have theoption not to absorb all what Gdbrought on to him. Also the more youcook liver the harder it gets the samewith Par'o's heart the more plaguesthe more stubborn he became.And why all this concern with Par'o'sheart to show us LEIV M'LACHIMB'YAD HASHEM as mighty as kingsmay be and as much free will as theyhave they are still in Gd's hands and He runs the world. Sometimes wewonder about the leaders around us how they can make such foolishdecisions. We always have toremember that there is a plan andHashem is always watching.
Gd hardened Par'o's heart like liver,so here is a recipe for liver not toohard to eat actually very tasty.
LIVER AND CARMELIZED ONIONS4 Tbsp oil1 onion, diced2 tsp white sugar1 pound liver (prekashered)¼ cup flour1 Tbsp oilsalt and pepper to taste
(21)
Saute onions till softened. Stir in sugarand continue cooking until the onioncaramelizes.
Slice liver into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices.Heat remaining oil over medium heat.Dredge liver slices in flour and brown inoil for about 1 to 1½ minutes per side.Remove from heat and season to tastewith salt and pepper. Serve liversmothered with caramelized onions.
[7] EcoRabbi www.GreenProphet.com
Excerpts from a weekly blog byYaakov Reichert, drawing lessons inecology from Parshat HaShavua
The Power of Symbols and ActionMoshe finally "persuaded" Par'o to let theJewish people leave Egypt and their stateas slaves there. Moshe tells Par'o that thefinal plague will be coming. That on thecoming night at midnight Hashem will gothrough the houses and kill every firstborn.
Moshe tells the people that Hashemcommands that they feast that evening on alamb and place the lamb's blood on thedoorframe of their houses. Hashemexplains to Moshe that the Jewish peopleshould put the blood on the doorframe as asign for them.
If you think about it, why would Hashem,the AllKnowing, need a sign on thedoorframes to tell Him where the Jews areliving?
The simple answer: Hashem doesn't. ButHashem is the Creator of man; and Hashemdoes know what man needs. Man needssymbols and reminders.
That is why Judaism has commandments.Commandments are physical implementations of philosophical concepts. We do not
only meditate on different personalities ofman and how Hashem is everywhere. Wetake four species of plants and shake themin all directions on the festival of Sukkot.That is what man needs in order tostrengthen the message action!
Similarly, Hashem needed the Jews toaffirm their faith in Him for their owngrowth. They would never join as a peopleif they did not take those steps of placingthe goat's (or lamb's) blood on thedoorframe. The idea of trusting in Hashemis not enough. It needed to be affirmedwith an action.
It's not enough for us to think about things,we have to act on those thoughts. Thepractical application of this is if you don'tact on your ideas, you won't ever getanything done. This is applicable in everyaspect of our lives.
It's a good thing to think about cleaning upour planet. But it's not enough to just plan.It's time to act! If you were planning toinstall aerators for your faucets, take theinitiative! I'd suggest that you considerjoining, or coordinating, active groups.People getting together to make adifference. Ideas are powerful, but alonethey cannot change the world; actions do
[8] From Machon Puah
Choosing GenderThe articles over the last few weeks wherewe discussed choosing the sex of a child byusing the advanced technology ofpreimplantation genetic diagnosis havegenerated many responses.
Many of the comments were positive andexpressed a wonder at this amazingtechnology while others expressed concernthat this new technology, with which we can
(22)
choose the desired traits and gender of ouroffspring, would spur the search for asuperhuman. The Jewish people, above anyother, has felt on their own flesh the pain ofsuch a search and some felt that we religiousJews should be at the spearhead of anyefforts to stop and control such technology,whereas the articles suggested a morepositive and encouraging approach.
There are several answers to this question.First, we could say this about many differenttypes of medical intervention we do notfollow the mistaken idea that if someone hasa problem with their heart or their kidneysthen if Gd wants them to die then they willdie. Rather the Gemara already learned fromthe verse "and he will heal him", that thedoctor has been given permission to heal thesick person, and many hold that this is notjust permission but that this is an obligation.Thus we are commanded to heal others, evenif as a result we "interfere" with nature.
Of course, one can distinguish betweenlifethreatening conditions and electiveprocedures such as fertility treatment, but, aswe have already discussed in previousweeks, the infertile couple can be consideredas ill in the eyes of Halacha.
However, when dealing with a couple whodo not have a fertility issue but choose toundergo PGD for some other reason, be itsocial or personal, this is obviously a muchmore complex case. I tried to make it clear inthe past few articles, there is no one clearanswer in these cases and each case must bedealt with individually, as two cases maylook similar initially but each has specificdetails that will determine the actual answergiven in each case.
Possibly we could claim that if halacha givesclear guidelines this will assist in utilizingthis technology for good purposes whilekeeping it in check and ensuring that it doesnot run amok.
Another point that is significant in this issue
and, indeed, with dealing with all questionsrelated to fertility and halacha, while we canmore easily and freely debate these issues onpaper, behind each one of these questionsand cases is a real life person with real lifeproblems and real life pain. Let us neverforget that.
The Puah Institute for Fertility andGynecology in Accordance with Halacha isbased in Jerusalem and helps couples fromall over the world who are experiencingfertility problems. Puah offers freecounseling in five languages, halachicsupervision, and educational programs.Puah has offices in New York, Los Angelesand Paris. To contact the Puah Instituteplease call 1800071111 in Israel or in theUS 7183360603.
Visit our website: www.puahonline.org
[9] Torah from NaturePlague #8 ARBEHWe've presented locust in this columnbefore, but one aspect of this insectdeserves review.
The insect we are talking about is theGrasshopper. Here are some facts culledfrom the internet...
Locust is the swarming phase of shorthorned grasshoppers... These are speciesthat can breed rapidly under suitableconditions and subsequently becomegregarious and migratory.
They form bands as nymphs and swarmsas adults both of which can travel greatdistances, rapidly stripping fields andgreatly damaging crops... Research atOxford University has identified thatswarming behaviour is a response toovercrowding. Increased tactile stimulationof the hind legs of the locust will then
(23)
cause it to start to become stressed, startto eat much more, and breed much moreeasily. The transformation of the locust tothe swarming variety is induced by severalcontacts per minute over a fourhourperiod. It is estimated that the largestswarms have covered hundreds of squaremiles and consisted of many billions oflocusts... Locust are POLYPHENIC insects,meaning that they transform enormously behaviourally and physically under theeffect of population density... two mainphases: solitary and gregarious... [Thinkabout this: individual grasshoppers haveone "personality" and behavior patterns.When too many locusts get together, their"personalities" change drastically, andwhat's worse, the changes favor thegrowth of a swarm rather than individualsfinding their own space. It's perhapsanalogous to mob psychology. Basicallydecent people change their behavior in amob situation. But the individuals thatmake up the mob might realize that theyare changing and for the worse, yet don'tnecessarily quit the mob and go home, butrather they thrive and get worse with theincrease of the size of the mob.] Locustsare highly mobile, and usually fly with thewind at a speed of about 1520 km/h... Anadult locust can consume its own weight(about 2 grams) in fresh food per day. Forevery million locusts, one ton of food iseaten...
[10] MicroUlpanIn honor of the mitzva of KiddushHaChodesh from this week's sedra...
New moon, which means no moon, is theMOLAD
Waxing crescent =CHERMEISH MITMALEI
first quarter (half of moon is lit) =REVA RISHON
gibbous = more than half, less than full
Full Moon = YAREI'ACH MALEI
Waning crescent =CHERMEISH NECHSAR
[11] Guest articleby Avraham BroideJerusalem based journalist and translator[025856133, [email protected]]
The Mysterious PlagueThe original article was printed in Yated Neeman (USA)
One of the most frightening incidences inTanach is when Hashem tempts KingDavid to count the Jewish people for noimmediately perceivable reason, leading toa disastrous plague. As the verse states,"The anger of Hashem again flared againstYisrael and he incited David against them,saying, 'Go count Yisrael and Yehuda!'"
According to the Yalkut, this tragic plaguewas rooted in an episode that occurredyears earlier when David finished defeatinghis enemies and decided that it was hightime to build Hashem a Beit Hamikdash ofwood and stone.
Then came the bombshell; Hashem haddifferent plans. That very night, Heinstructed Nasan to tell David that the BeitHamikdash would be built not by him, butby his son, Shlomo. As David later toldShlomo (Divrei Hayamim I 22:8) "Theword of Hashem came upon me, saying,'You have spilt much blood and made greatwars. You will not build a house for Myname, for much blood have you spiltearthwards before Me.'"
(24)
Simply understood, just as one may not liftiron on the altar stones, so David who hadspilt the blood of Yisrael's enemies couldnot build Hashem's House.
The Yalkut (Sh'muel II ch. 7), however,says that the verse means the absoluteopposite: "The Holy One said to him,'Because if you build it, it will last forever,and never be destroyed... It is revealedbefore Me that they will sin and I will ventMy rage on it [the Beit Hamikdash] anddestroy it, and they will be saved as it iswritten, "He poured His wrath like fire onthe tent of the daughter of Tzion."'
The Jews must have been devastated. Overthree hundred years had passed since theJews arrived in Eretz Yisrael, and nowHashem had announced that the BeitHamikdash must wait for yet anothergeneration. What could they do about it?People turned to their Torah studies andwork and the matter drifted from theirminds.
According to the Yalkut Shimoni, theirlack of fervor brought a plague upon them:
"All those many people that fell [in theplague] was because they did not demandthe building of the Beit Hamikdash. Is thisnot a kal vachomer. If such for thesepeople who never saw the Beit Hamikdash,how much more does it apply to us.Therefore the early prophets decreed thatYisrael should pray three times each day,'Please, return Your Shechina to Tziyon.'"
Now this midrash is incredible becausewhat hope did the Jews have of rescindingGd's decision?
The Ramban (Bamidbar 16:21) answersour question: "Had Yisrael desired it earlierand arose from the beginning, it wouldhave been done in the days of one of thejudges or in the days of Shaul, or even in
the days of David. because if the tribes ofYisrael arose in the matter, [David] wouldnot have been the builder; rather theywould have been the builders. But whenthe people paid no attention, and Davidpaid attention and arose and preparedeverything, he was the builder....Therefore, the building was delayed all thedays of David through the sin of Yisrael.Thus, the wrath came on them"...
We too must beware to yearnwholeheartedly for the speedy rebuildingof the Beit Hamikdash.
[12] Treasures in the SandTake a look at these two p'sukim, one fromB'reishit (2:3) and one from Bo (Sh'mot12:16).
The first one clearly explains Shabbat andits sanctity Gd created the world and"rested" on the seventh day; He blessed theShabbat and sanctified it.
The second one is the premier pasuk ofYom Tov. It speaks of the sanctity of thefirst and seventh days of Pesach, of theconcomitant prohibition of melacha andthe notable guideline for those melachotthat are permitted. Yom Tov represents thesanctity of time which we bring about byKiddush HaChodesh.
The p'sukim are gimatriya twins!
[13] Divrei MenachemParshat Bo advances the mission entrusted toMoshe with the help of his older brotherAharon. Previously, Hashem told Moshe thatAharon would be his mouthpiece when headdressed Par'o: Moshe would speak andAharon would rephrase the message in away that Par'o would understand (Sh'mot7:12).
(25)
We note that sometimes, when Gdaddresses the brothers, Moshe's nameprecedes that of Aharon and that on otheroccasions the reverse is true. This was aform of recognition of Aharon's significantcontribution and, indeed, both Moshe andAharon were considered of equal standing intheir efforts to prevail upon the Egyptianking (Rashi on ibid, 6:27).
Now, however, amidst all the plagues, bothMoshe and Aharon (also in tribute) aresuddenly approached to inform the people oftheir first set of mitzvot, the offering of theKorban Pesach that would herald thebeginning of the Exodus (ibid 12:114). Onecan imagine the pomp and ceremony thatwould accompany such an event.
Now it was appropriate that Moshe do all thetalking. The Midrash explains, however,that, this time, Moshe gave personalrecognition to his "running mate". Beforeexplaining the new, precious law to thepeople, he consulted with Aharon as to whatto say, such that it seemed to the people as ifboth leaders were speaking at once. Surelythis says something to those who considerthat the mantle of leadership is all aboutthem.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff
Towards better Daveningand Torah Learning
No column this week
From the upper right, readingright to left, we find ARBEH(locust), a black rectanglerepresenting CHOSHECH(darkness), and a swordrepresenting MAKAT BECHOROT.
In this case the sword, it canrepresent the killing of the firstborns and/or the killing BY thefirstborns of others in anger overPar'o's repeated refusal to yield tothe threat made by Moshe (inGd's name) against thefirstborns.
The word BO is not just the nameof the sedra, but also the number(BO = 2+1 = 3) of MAKOT in thesedra. 7 plagues in Va'eira and 3in Parshat BO.
In addition to the word BO, thereis also a BOW (as in bow andarrow) and a BOW as in a bow ofribbon.
The clock reads almost midnight.That was the phrase Moshe usedto describe Gd's intention ofMakat B'chorot at exactlymidnight.
The lamb in the doorway is theKorban Pesach which was to bebrought into the homes from the10th of Nissan.
Matza is matza.
The barking dog is from theEgyptian neighborhoods, becausein the Jewish areas, not a dogbarked its tongue. Their reward isthat we "throw" them ournonkosher meat. The can abovethe dog can be dog food.
But the can has another meaning.In Hebrew, canned goods arecalled SHIMURIM, as in LEILSHIMURIM.
The yoyo represents Par'o'serratic behavior. Call for Mosheand Aharon. Get them out of mysight. Bring them immediately. If I
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
(26)
see you again, you will die. Quick,get them...
The O between the horns of a bullis a PARO.
The bone is for the prohibition ofbreaking a bone in Korban Pesach.It is also for the word that appearsa few times: B'ETZEM HAYOMHAZEH...
Above the bone is the symbol on aweather map that indicates totalcloud cover and a strong easterlywind. That represents the plagueof locust that arrived on a strongeasterly wind and covered the skylike heavy clouds.
T'filin are t'filin. Two of the fourparshiyot inside T'filin come fromthe end of Parshat BO
The baby, goat, and donkey standfor the three types of B'CHOR,firstborns human, kosherdomesticated animals, anddonkey.
The axes and the sword arementioned in the haftara.
As is the EGLA YEFEIFIYA, hererepresented as a prizewinningcalf.
The plant is the hyssop, EIZOV,used to apply the blood of theKorban Pesach to the doorpostsand lintels of the Jewish homes inMitzrayim.
Coca Cola (COKE) with the OKE inthe font used by CocaCola and theC made from a snake, becomes aplay on the words in the haftara ofParshat Bo Yirmiyahu 46:22,KOLAH K'NACHASH... its sound islike a snake's... (or Cola like asnake).
Old "pic" business...Last week's ParshaPix had logos forthree sports teams, each of whichhas the name of a wild animalworthy of AROV. We said that thechoice of the NBA's Grizzlies wasmost appropriate and asked why.
Here's why. The Grizzlies are thebasketball team from MemphisTennessee. Memphis is the largestcity in Tennessee. But it is also thename of an ancient city in Egypt. Itwas the ancient capital of the firstname of Lower Egypt, and of the OldKingdom of Egypt from itsfoundation until around 2200 BCEand later for shorter periods duringthe New Kingdom, and anadministrative centre throughoutancient history. Although the periodfrom the sale of Yosef until theExodus covers the years from15431312 BCE, which is afterMemphis's prominence, thebasketball team gives us an Egyptianconnection to Arov.
Last week, with M'vorchim ChodeshSh'vat, we featured a new MazalPic specifically, the Davka Graphicsscene of Rivka drawing water forEliezer and his camels. This made asimple visual representation of themazal of Sh'vat Aquarius, known inHebrew as the D'LI (bucket). H(S)Mfelt that was too straightforward, soin honor of our premier Mazal Picsolver and submitter, we havechanged the MazalPic this week.Don't agonize over it. It is theChinese (maybe Japanese) wordingfor Aquarius, the Water Bearer.
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
(27)
TTRIDDLES... are Torah Tidbitsstyleriddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on thecalendar). They are found in the hardcopy ofTT scattered throughout, usually at the bottomof different columns. In the electronic versionsof TT, they are found all together at the end ofthe ParshaPixTTriddles section. The bestsolution set submitted each week (there isn'talways a best) wins a double prize a CD fromNoam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle,book, etc.) from Big Deal.
TTriddles are scattered through the hard copy ofTorah Tidbits and are listed in the email andweb versions. They are in the order in whichthey are found in the hard copy, but notnecessarily in the order in which they wereoriginally conceived. In the wild, they aresometimes overlooked. If you are interested, gopage by page and keep your eyes peeled.
Last issue’s (VA'EIRA) TTriddles:
[1] When Mickey Marcus calls his alma mater
David Daniel Marcus (b. Feb. 22, 1901; d. June 10,1948), commonly known as Mickey Marcus, was anAmerican United States Army colonel who assistedIsrael during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War, and whobecame Israel's first general... Marcus is the bestknown Israeli Machal (volunteer from abroad)soldier... In 1947, David ben Gurion asked Marcusto recruit "an American officer" to serve as keystrategic military advisor to the nascent Jewisharmy, the Haganah. As he could not recruit anyonesuitable, Marcus decided to "volunteer" himself andin 1948, the United States War Department grantedleave to Colonel Marcus, who was a reservist,provided Marcus disguised his name and rank toavoid problems with the British Mandate ofPalestine... he designed a command and controlstructure for Israel, adapting his war experiences...Marcus was appointed as Commander of theJerusalem front, and given the rank of Aluf... Sowhat's he doing in this TTriddle? He graduated WestPoint Military Academy in 1924. If he were to callhis alma mater today (something that can happen
in TTriddland only), he would need to dial theareacode 845, the TT issue number for Parshat Vaeira. This then was a socalled Footer TTriddle.
[2] The number that binds him to his greatuncleand his grandson
The number is 137 years, to be specific. Levi livedto 137. So did his father's (Yaakov's) uncle (Yishma'el). And so did his son's (K'hat's) son, Amram(father of Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe).
[3] Two rootlinked sedra trios
Just an observation that became a TTriddle. Theword VA'EIRA comes from root "to see". So doesVAYEIRA and so does R'EI. That makes these threesedras a rootlinked trio. And there is another RLT(don't try to find these initials on the AcronymFinder or any other such website). VAYISHLACH,B'SHALACH, and SH'LACH all come from the sameroot, "to send". In addition to these two RLTs, thereare several RLD (rootlinked duos). LECH L'CHA andVAYEILECH, CHAYEI SARA and VAYCHI (this one'snot so good), VAYEITZEI and KI TEITZEI, BO and KITAVO, MISHPATIM and SHOFTIM. We recommendusing this TTriddle as a challenge at your Shabbattable. It's fun and gets people to go over the list ofthe sedras.
[4] The patient is unchanged with the RN switch
The RN switch refers to a REISH and a NUN, but puttogether as RN, it looked like the initials ofRegistered Nurse. Taking advantage of that, theterm "patient" was a red herring in this TTriddle.Simplifying the TTriddle to a question: Who isunchanged whether a REISH or a NUN is used in theperson's name? The answer (or hapf the answer) isin the haftara of Parshat Va'wira. N'VUCHADRETZARwho is the same person as N"VUCHADNETZAR. Heremains unchanged with the REISHNUN switch.Nebuchadnezzar, by the way, is also the largestsize of champagne bottle, holding 15 liters ofchampagne. (There have been specially madelarger sizes, but the "regular" range is from187.5ml (quarter), to the half, the "bottle" at 750ml
(28)
to the magnum (1.5L), Jeroboam, Rehoboam,Methuselah, Salmanazar, Balthazar, and then theNebuchadnezzar.) Let it not be said that you can'tlearn weird things from TT. But we hope more thatyou learn all kinds of important things from TT.
This week's TTriddles:[1] WHO ELSE BESIDES THE LOCUST?
[2] Internal contradiction in THE night's name
[3] name of Bangkok car rental company
[4] covenant, visit, birth, exit
[5] Ed. note: Could be the origin of our name
[6] What's Mezuza + Bo?
(29)