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Page Zero of Torah Tidbits 812Lead Tidbit cont. from page 1 (below)
the 8th day of Pesach is also Shabbat. In Israel, that Shabbat is after Pesachand we resume Parshat HaShavua with Sh'mini. For the the following 4Shabbatot, we are outofsync sedrawise with Chutz LaAretz. We in Israelsplit B'har and B'chukotai, reading B'har when they read Emor abroad, andB'chukotai when they read B'har and B'chukotai. The following Shabbat weall read Bamidbar. Statistically, in Chutz LaAretz, B'har and B'chuktai arecombined and separated 63% and 37% of the years respectively. In Israel,the combined/separated ratio is 45/55. And now you know.]
But that's not all. It isn't enough to treat the Land properly, in order to keepour hold on it. The sedra (and its list of mitzvot) continues. Do not deceiveone another in business dealings. Do not harm or harrass others even withwords. Do not lend your fellows with interest. Treat your servants properly.
These commands are launched from the context of Yovel rules, but go waybeyond. They go to the daytoday interaction between people.
It's as if Gd is saying to us: I want you to dwell in peace and security inyour Land. But you have special rules visavis the Land. But that's notenough. You have to be good with each other. Then you will merit thepromise of g ©h«¤al u ¤x† dÎl ©r m¬¤Y §a ©Wi«¦e and you shall dwell in the land in safety.This promise comes after "you shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments,and do them". Not just the Landrelated mitzvot, but all of them.
WORD of the MONTH cont. 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...
L'vana. Last Motza'ei Shabbat, I happened to daven Maariv at the DanPanorama Hotel. Right after Maariv, we discovered that we had threedifferent "groups" concerning Kiddush L'vana. The first group (consisting ofjust me) had already said KL on the previous Thursday. This is the opinionknown as Minhag Yerushalayim, based on the teachings of the Vilna Gaon.Basically, it is to take the first opportunity for KL after 72 hours after themolad, and not wait for Motza'ei Shabbat.
A second group said KL on that Motza"Sh. This group does not wait for 7 fulldays after the molad, but most often does wait for Motza"Sh, a favoredtimeslot for KL. Some consider Motza"Sh to be the only night to say KL. Mostwill wait for Motza"Sh unless it is beyond the 10th of the Jewish month, forfear of missing KL due to a series of cloudy nights.
The third group were waiting for Mon. night (first op after 7 days) or nextMotza'Sh. So it goes...
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812g"qyz xii` a"iMay 1617, '08 •
Early Shabbat MinyanMincha 5:49pm (Plag 6:04pm)
in the Wolinetz Family Shulat the Israel Center
Shabbat afternoon shiur 5:00pm
Correct for TT 812 • Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) 8:53pm6:54 (6:04) Yerushalayim 8:11pm7:11 (6:06) S'derot 8:13pm7:09 (6:04) Gush Etzion 8:11pm7:11 (6:06) Raanana 8:14pm7:10 (6:05) Beit Shemesh 8:12pm7:11 (6:06) Rehovot 8:13pm7:12 (6:06) Netanya 8:14pm7:08 (6:05) Be'er Sheva 8:12pm7:10 (6:05) Modi'in 8:13pm6:54 (6:06) Petach Tikva 8:14pm6:54 (6:04)Maale Adumim 8:11pm7:09 (6:04)Ginot Shomron 8:11pm7:09 (6:04) K4 & Hevron 8:11pm7:10 (6:04) Giv'at Ze'ev 8:12pm7:00 (6:05) Tzfat 8:13pm
This Shabbat is the 248th day (of 383), 36th Shabbat (of 55) of 5768
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Tel: (02) 9998440US toll free: 1866376[email protected]
cont. p.10
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adxTreating the Land & its People RightLet's summarize Parshat B'har, focusing on its mitzvot. This will be a quick,oversimplification but sometimes that's the way to see the point Gd'spoint.
When you come to the Land that I am giving to you, you must treat the Landproperly. This is the sedra's "first of all". Gd promised us the Land and Hegave us rules to follow in order to keep the Land. This week's sedra tells usthis in a gentle, subtle way; next week's sedra drives the point home in thevery harsh and explicit words of the Tochacha.
[Side point, but... B'har and B'chukotaiare very compatible sedras. Ittherefore comes as no surprise thatthe two are one of seven pairs ofsedras that are sometimes readtogether. Specifically, they arecombined in 12month years andseparated in 13month years.However, in Israel, they are alsoseparated in one of the year types the most common one, it just sohappens to be. When Pesach beginson Shabbat (Friday night Seder), thenin Chutz LaAretz,
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Word of the MonthBy the time you read thesewords, all opinions on thetopic have already startedsaying Kiddush
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B'HAR STATS32nd of 54 sedras; 9th of 10 in Vayikra
Written on 99 lines in a Sefer Torah, ranks: 50th
7 parshiyot; 1 open, 6 closed
57 p'sukim, rank: 50th; last in Vayikra
737 words, rank: 50th; last in Vayikra
2817 letters, rank: 50th; last in Vayikra
A very short sedra. Only 4 are shorter, viz.Nitzavim, Vayeilech, Haazinu, V'zot HaBracha
MITZVOTContains 24 mitzvot 7 positive, 17 prohibitions
Mitzva Distribution: Only 7 sedras have moremitzvot than B'har. 9 sedras (B'har included)contain 409 mitzvot. That comes to 17% of thesedras containing 67% of the mitzvot.
17 sedras (31%) have no mitzvot at all.
That leaves 28 sedras (52%) with the remaining33% of the mitzvot. Very uneven distribution
AliyabyAliyaSedra Summary[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicatestart of a parsha p’tucha or s’tumarespectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of thebeginning of the parsha; (Z) is thenumber of p'sukim in the parsha.
Numbers in [square brackets] are theMitzvacount of Sefer HaChinuch ANDRambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI(positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition).X:Y is the perek and pasuk from whichthe mitzva comes.
Kohen First Aliya 13 p'sukim 25:113[P> 25:1 (7)] One of the mostfamous sedra openers in the Torah:"And Gd spoke to Moshe AT HARSINAI saying...". (So popular, thatRashi's question MA INYANSHMITA EITZEL HAR SINAI isused in modern Hebrew to mean,What does one thing have to dowith the other. It is even used bypeople who probably have no ideait comes from Rashi.)
The unusual nature of the pasuk isbased on the rare additional words inthe otherwise very familiar pasuk:And Gd spoke to Moshe saying. Themitzvot that follow deal with Shmita,the Sabbatical year. A basic elementof our belief is that the whole Torahwas revealed by Gd to Moshe (andby him to us) at Sinai (and not justthe Ten Commandments, as manypeople Jews and nonJews wouldclaim). Why then mention thelocation of this particular set ofcommands? One of the principles bywhich the Talmud teaches us theOral Torah is "when one issue issingled out for special treatment, theteaching not only applies to the oneissue, but to the whole group fromwhich it came". Here the teaching isthis: Just as Shmita with its detailswas given at Sinai (it says sospecifically right here and thedetails are not repeated in D'varim,which might indicate that details ofmitzvot were part of the covenant atArvot Moav and not necessarily atSinai), so too were all mitzvot givenat Sinai with their details (and not
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just "Chapterheadings"). This ideais an important feature of the Chainof Tradition, and is an essentialcomponent of "Emunat Chachamim",the trust, faith, and confidence wemust have in each link of the Chain.
On another level we still can ask thequestion: "why was this particularset of mitzvot chosen by Gd, so tospeak, to teach us the general rule?"One commentator offers the following insight: The mitzva of Shmitateaches us (among other things)that Gd in concerned with themundane things of this world. Hecares about us and our earthly fieldsand trees. And He exists, not only inthe lofty realm of the heavens, butHis Essence fills the world. Gd'schoice of lowly Har Sinai as thevenue for giving us the Torah, wasmeant to teach us the same idea.How appropriate that the Torah tellsus that it was at Sinai that Gdcommanded us the laws of Shmita.
Here is another idea as to whyspecifically Sh’mita is singled out asthe mitzva to teach us that allmitzvot of from Sinai with full detail.It makes the Eretz Yisrael connection. The purpose of our being takenout of Egypt and being given theTorah was to bring us to EretzYisrael and that we should live aTorah life in this Land. There is nobetter choice to make this additionalpoint.
"When you come to the Land..."The Land is to be rested eachseventh year. For six years oneworks the fields, and on theseventh there is to be a Shabbat toHaShem for the Land; neither land[326,L220 25:4] nor trees [327,
L221 25:4] may be worked. Eventhat which grows on its own, maynot be harvested (in a normalmanner) from the land [328,L22225:5] or trees [329,L223 25:5].(The Torah uses the term"vineyard", but means to include alltrees.) Shmita year is for all tobenefit from the land (without theusual sharp distinction betweenlandowner and others); and for theanimals. (Shmita gives the land achance to restore itself, and givesus a chance to put our relationshipwith the environment and with theother creatures who share the Earthwith us, in perspective. It helps usget our priorities straight.) Shmitareminds us of who created and stillrules.
MitzvaWatchNote that there are four prohibitionshere in B'har pertaining to Sh'mita,and there is a positive command torest the land in the seventh year, inParshat Mishpatim. It is noteworthy,though not that unusual, that anarea of Jewish Law is presented tous by the Torah in this way withboth positive mitzvot and prohibitions (and not necessarily from thesame portion of text). Shabbat,Sh'mita, Yom Kippur, Yom Tov,kashrut (to an extent), et al all areheavily sprinkled with serious prohibitions. As such, we are dutyboundto "toe the mark" lest we violateGd's Law. Our motivation wouldtend to be "fear of heaven", fear ofsin, fear of punishment. Strongmotivations, but not as beautiful andpowerful as the motivation of "Love
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of Gd" that is at play when onestrives to scrupulously fulfill Gd'scommands. One should not seeSh'mita merely as a series of "don'tdo this", don't do that". We shouldrejoice in the opportunity to serveGd, demonstrate our faith andconfidence in Him, be freer to studyHis Torah and perform mitzvot.Observing Sh'mita is not justavoiding the prohibitions. It is apositive statement of our belief inthe Creator and Master of the World.
[P> 25:8 (17)] (When the majorityof Jews are in Israel and the infrastructure of Torah life in Israel isintact,) the Sanhedrin is required tocount seven successive sevenyearcycles 49 years [330,A140 25:8].On the Yom Kippur of the 50thyear, the Shofar is to be sounded(as we do each year on RoshHaShana, and as we do in symbolicfashion at the conclusion of Ne'ilaeach year) [331,A137 25:9]. This50th year is to be proclaimed"kodesh" as Yovel the Jubilee year[332,A136 25:10]. Farming the landis forbidden [333,L224 25:11] (asduring Shmita), as are harvestingthat which grows on its own[334,L225 25:11] and gathering thefruit of the trees in a normalmanner [335,L226 25:11]. Yovel isholy; we "eat of the land". DuringYovel one returns to his estate.
There is an important connectionbetween the blowing of the Shofaron Yom Kippur of the Yovel year,and the annual Shofarblowing onRH in fact, we learn about theblowing of Shofar on Rosh HaShanafrom that of Yovel. The word
SHOFAR is not used in the Torah inthe context of Rosh HaShana. RH isto be a T'RU'A DAY, but we wouldreally have a difficult time knowingwhat to do on RH had it not been forthe Oral Torah teaching us theparallels to Yom Kippur of Yovel.Comparing the texts of the two days,we find a TishreiTishrei match and aT'RU'AT'RU'A match. The Gemarateaches us that we answer thequestion as to how to make a T'RU'Ain Tishrei (Rosh HaShana), by doingit the same way as the other TishreiT'ru'a is produced with a Shofar.This method of learning RH from YKof Yovel is known as a G'ZEIRASHAVA. It is one of the methods bywhich the Written Word and the OralLaw are linked. G"Sh is part of theTradition passed down through thegenerations.
Levi Second Aliya 5 p'sukim 25:1418In business with others, one mustdeal ethically [336,A245 25:14] (themitzva is actually the command tothe courts to carefully carry out therules of business conduct); it isforbidden to cheat in business[337,L250 25:14] (since landreturns to its original owners atYovel, real estate purchases areonly for a specific period. Pricestherefore, should reflect thenumber of years remaining until thenext Yovel. This is the context ofthe general mitzvot regardingproper business practices.)
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MitzvaWatchHere is yet another example of anarea replete with prohibitions of awide variety with a positive mitzvacommanding us to conduct ourselvesin accordance with the letter andspirit of halacha. Perhaps this is oneof the reasons for the positive mitzvain these areas. Technically, thepositive command is "unnecessary",since avoidance of all the prohibitions would already bring us tocompliance with Gd's Will. Thepositive mitzva, then, can be understood as requiring us to put ourhearts into what we are doing, noteven violate the spirit of the law, andbe prepared to go "beyond the call ofduty" (lifnim mishurat hadin).Furthermore, it is through thepositive mitzva that we can attainhigher levels of sanctity, as we arechallenged with K'doshim Tihyu.
Rambam describes certain situationsin business in which one cantechnically get away with something,but he is considered not to haveacted in "a proper Jewish manner".Perhaps the positive commandmentalso comes to teach us not to takeadvantage of the technical loopholes,but rather to conduct ourselves withthe highest standards of businessethics, in recognition that this isGd's Will.
On another note... Let's say thatan art dealer passes off a goodquality fake as an original master. Tobe sure, the art dealer has violatedthe halacha against cheating inbusiness. But whose law has beenviolated? Do we consider this type ofcheating to be a rabbinic prohibition
inspired by the Torah's statementsregarding the particular example ofcheating visavis the years remaining until Yovel. No. We say more. Wesay that our Oral Tradition teachesus that Yovel is the particularcontext for a wide category ofprohibition. In other words, in thiscase, we are not dealing withTorahinspired rabbinic extension ofTorah Law. We are dealing withTalmudic DEFINITION of Torah Law.These are not the same; the distinction between them is significant toour keeping things in properperspective.
Not only must one not take unfairadvantage of his fellow in moneymatters, he must be careful not to"oppress" or deceive others withwords [338,L251 25:17]. Thisprohibition is very serious, asevidenced by the link the pasukmakes between it and the mitzva torevere (fear) HaShem.
Safeguard and obey the statutesand laws of the Torah and dwell insecurity on the Land. (This linkbetween observance of Torah andcontinued peaceful, secure living inIsrael, is an oftrepeated theme,one that must be kept in mind inmodern Israel.)
Shlishi Third Aliya 6 p'sukim 25:1924The Land will yield its bounty andwe will eat our fill and dwell in theLand in security. No one shouldquestion where food will comefrom (with two years in a row of
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Shmita restrictions). Gd promisesto bless the land during the sixthyear (two years before Yovel) sothat the land will yield enough forthree years; the planting of the yearafter Yovel will supply our needsthereafter.
One commentator says thatthe pasuk states that ifsomeone were to ask what are
we going to eat..., then Gd will commandHis blessing to give us an abundant yield.However, one should not ask. If we arecompletely faithful and believe withoutreservation or question that Gd willprovide for us, then He won't have tocommand the blessing to come; it willhappen as a natural reaction to that faith.
The land must not be sold forever[339,L227 25:23] since it is toreturn to its original owners duringYovel [340,A138 25:24].
MitzvaWatchRambam defines the prohibitionagainst selling the land "forever" inthe context we find the prohibition.The basis here is that land returns toits original owners in Yovel. Anowner isn't really an owner; he's aguardian of the property until Yovel.So here's a person who ATTEMPTS tosell a piece of land forever.Intending that it should not revert toits original owners. Guess what?That cannot be done. The land goesback to its original owners regardlessof a transaction to the contrary. TheISUR here is really "attempted"selling of land in E.Y. forever. Itcannot actually be done. Rambam.
Ramban takes the mitzva out of its
context and explains the ban asforbidding the selling of land in EretzYisrael to nonJews, who we canassume will not abide by the Yovelrule of reversion of ownership.
It would seem obvious from Ramban(and other sources) here and otherplaces in the Torah that it isforbidden to give part of Eretz Yisraelinto the hands of nonJews, certainlyones that are our sworn enemies.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 4 p'sukim 25:2528[S> 25:25 (4)] If a person wereforced to sell off hereditary landbecause of poverty, he or a relativemay redeem the land by paying aproportional amount (dependingupon how many years remain untilYovel). If not redeemed beforeYovel, the land reverts to itshereditary owners with Yovel.Rashi says that we learn from thesep’sukim that ordinarily, one shouldnot sell a field in Eretz Yisrael,except for the extenuating reasonof poverty.
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 10 p'sukim 25:2938[S> 25:29 (6)] If someone sells ahouse in a walled city (walled, thatis, from the time of Yehoshua, i.e.original conquest), he has up toone year to redeem it; if not, itremains the new owner's forever.Redemption during the year is byreturning the full amount paid, i.e.
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no deduction for the time that thebuyer lived there. (This istechnically an exemption from theTorah's ban against interest.)Redemption of a house in a walledcity is a mitzva [341,A139 25:29].On the other hand, houses innonwalled cities have the samerules as land viz., redemption ispossible until Yovel, at which timethe house reverts to its originalhereditary owners. Houses inLevite cities (even walled cities) areredeemable beyond the oneyearlimit, and do revert to the Levi atYovel. The Levi has hereditaryrights to those special (42+6) cities.It is forbidden to alter the areasaround those cities by selling offparts of the land on a permanentbasis [342,L228 25:34].
[S> 25:35 (4)] We are obligated tohelp our fellow who has fallen onhard times. We may not takeinterest for personal loans made tohelp him out [343,L235 25:37]. "IAm Gd Who took you out ofEgypt, to bring you to the Land, tobe your Gd."
(This is definitely NOT a non sequitur it emphasizes Gd's desire, so tospeak, for His People to care abouteach other. It is as if Gd says to us:Look and remember what I did foryou. Now you be nice to yourfellows.)
Shishi Sixth Aliya 8 p'sukim 25:3946[S> 25:39 (8)] If a Jew sells himself
into servitude because of poverty(or any other reason), his mastermay not treat him contemptibly[344,L257 25:39]. He shall betreated like an employee, and stayswith his master only until Yovel.(This is the maximum; undernormal circumstances, the Jewishmanservant goes free muchsooner.) At Yovel, he and hisfamily return to their hereditaryland. We are servants of Gd (andshould not be subservient to otherpeople); no Jew shall be sold in thedegrading way of the slave market[345,L258 25:42]. Do not subjecthim to hard, spiritbreaking labor[346,L259 25:43].Jews (according to Torah law) mayown nonJewish slaves, such slavesbecoming hereditary property.These slaves are not released atYovel, but remain the permanentproperty of their owners [347,A235 25:44].
Sh'vi'i Seventh Aliya 11 p'sukim 25:4726:2[S> 25:47 (11)] If a Jew becomes aslave to a nonJewish master, wemay not permit him to remain so[348,L260 25:53]. Redemptionshould be by his close relatives, orhimself if he obtains the means.Equitable calculation should bemade for compensating his master.We must not let his master breakhis spirit. All this is because Israel issubservient to Gd, Who redeemedus from Egyptian slavery. We are to
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be committed to Him; we may notmake false gods nor idols or sacredpillars; nor may we kneel on a"decorated stone" [349,L12 26:1].
"Keep My Shabbat and revere Mysanctuary, I Am Gd. It is likely thatShabbat here refers to Sh'mita. Ifso, it makes a matched bookendwith the beginning of the sedra. Onthe other hand, if Shabbat meansShabbat, then the juxtaposition toidolatrous prohibitions also makesthe point that desecration of theShabbat is tantamount to idolatry.
Haftara 22 p'sukim Yirmiyahu 32:627Yirmiyahu spent most of hisprophecy "career" warning thepeople of the upcoming destruction
of the first Beit HaMikdash. In amove geared to encourage thepeople, as a sign that after exile thepeople will return to Eretz Yisrael,the prophet arranges for thepurchase/redemption of a plot ofland that he was "related to" (hadthe right of redemption). Theredemption is done in an overlydemonstrative manner, so that allcan see what was going on. This isone of the topics from ParshatB'har, hence the choice of Haftara.The "business" transaction isaccompanied by the prophecy thatwe in our time are witness to thefulfillment of (may it continueforever): For thus says HaShemTz'vakot, the Gd of Israel housesand fields and vineyards shall bebought again in this land.
THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, DeanLesson #426
Sale of an Unknown QuantitySome time ago we discussed some aspects ofsales. A sale is a business transaction thatmost individuals engage in almost every day.We buy a loaf of bread, or we buy anautomobile, or we buy an apartment. Theyare all purchases, although the scope isdifferent in each.In this lesson we shall discuss the sale of anunknown quantity. We once discussedobligations that are not quantitativelyspecific. For example, the obligor obligateshimself with a kinyan to feed or clothe
Reuven for five years. According toRambam, his promise is illusory andtherefore not binding. Although the time isspecified, that amount of the food or clothingis not specified, and this is all the more true ifthe number of years is not specified. All theother authorities hold that the obligation isbinding on the obligor. We shall now discussin these lessons two topics both of which areanalogous to the above stated legal principle.The first deals with the sale of a thing thequantitative content of which is not known.
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For example, the seller sells to the buyer atruckload of coal. Neither the seller nor thebuyer know the exact amount of coal on thetruck. For the purpose of this lesson it isassumed that the a proper kinyan or other actof acquisition is always made by thepurchaser and the price of $20 is paid.Personal property is sold by weight, such asnails, by individual count, such as pencils, orby volume, such as wheat. Reuven sells toShimon a box of nails, neither knows howmuch the nails weigh. Reuven sells toShimon a carton of pencils, neither knowshow many pencils there are in the carton.Reuven sells to Shimon a truck load ofwheat, neither knows how many cubic feet ofspace the wheat occupies. The sale is bindingin all of these cases. If the quantity isdifferent than the purchaser expected he canavail himself of discrepancy provisions inhalacha (to be discussed in a future lessonIYH.) The buyer would not have bought if hethought he had no recourse to the seller forany short weight, number or volume. Thebuyer relies on the seller to tell him thesequantities and the buyer may avail himself ofthe discrepancy in price by the seller, even ifthe seller did not know that the quantityshould have been greater for the price paidby the buyer.For example, Reuven sells to Shimon for$100 everything contained in his house, andan act of acquisition is made. Or Reuvensells to Shimon all that a carton contains for$100 and Shimon lifts the carton as an act ofacquisition. Shimon does not know what is inthe house or in the carton, but Reuven doesknow. The act of acquisition is not a validact, and Shimon will get back his $100 ifalready paid, and if not yet paid, Shimonowes nothing to Reuven and is not entitled tothe contents. Since Shimon did not knowwhat was in the house or in the carton, he didnot have the requisite intent to effect theacquisition. This transaction is less bindingthan gambling. In the latter situation there isa kinyan made that the parties desire to keep,
and neither gambler knows the outcome. Inthis case the buyer does not know that he canexpect anything of value to be in the carton,while the seller knows the contents of thecarton. However, if Reuven can prove to BeitDin that he too did not know the contents ofthe carton or of the house, the acquisition isbinding on Shimon. Since neither knows thecontents, this is similar to gambling and isbinding if a kinyan is made. There is adissenting opinion that holds that even whereboth did not know the contents it is not abinding transaction. Even this dissentingopinion holds that if the sale took placebefore a distinguished Beit Din, it is binding.However, if the parties agreed that Shimonshall pay to Reuven a price determined by anappraiser, or according to the market pricefor whatever is in the carton, the act ofacquisition is binding and Shimon must payReuven the amount determined by theappraiser or market value.Assume that Reuven owns a parcel inpartnership with Levi. Reuven and Leviagree to divide their parcel, each to takeonehalf. Before the actual division takesplace, Reuven sells to Shimon the part thathe will receive, the sale is binding. Thisassumes that a kinyan was made and theprice was paid. The parcel is in existence andit is known of what it consists.Assume that Reuven has a barge full ofwheat and the barge sank in shallow water. Itis not known what is the condition of thewheat in the barge, whether it is all spoiled oronly some of it. Reuven sells the wheat in thebarge to Shimon for $100. There are someauthorities who hold that this may be similarto gambling, which under certaincircumstances is binding on the parties.Assume that Reuven sells to Shimon $100worth of wheat without specifying how manybushels he is selling. Shimon paid for thewheat but no kinyan was made. Reuven mustdeliver to Shimon as many bushels as couldhave been bought for $100 at the time thatthe $100 was paid to him by Shimon.
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Whoever reneges on the sale will bepunished with the curse of “He whopunished”. (This is a famous curse used insituations where one reneges on his businessobligations (to be IYH discussed in a futurelesson.)Assume that Reuven and Shimon agree toexchange everything they own. Reuven toacquire everything that Shimon owns andShimon to acquire everything that Reuvenowns. They each perform the requisitekinyan of acquisition. The exchange is notbinding unless each is aware of the contentsof the other party’s house. Reuven andShimon enter into the foregoing agreementand stipulate that if either one backs out hewill pay $100 to charity. They afterward
renege on the agreement and agree that eachwill continue to own his own things. Theyneed not pay anything to charity, since theoriginal agreement is not binding. Assumethat Reuven reviled Shimon and Beit Dinfined Reuven a penalty of $100 to be paid toShimon. Shimon stated that the money finethat Reuven will pay shall go to charity.Shimon cannot thereafter forgive Reuventhat he need not pay the $100 to charity. Assoon as Shimon said that the money fine willgo to charity, Shimon lost control over themoney.The subject matter of this lesson is more fullydiscussed in A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law byE. Quint. Copies of all volumes can be purchased atlocal Judaica bookstores. Questions to [email protected]
Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Sh’mot Stories:by Dr. Meir Tamari •“Build for Me a Sanctuary” [2]
"Only Gd knows the correct type ofmaterials and their exact quantities andqualities needed to produce everything andanything in this world. He commandedcertain dimensions and specific materialsfor the Mishkan, its furnishing and itsvessels. They, together with Israel'sdonations, breed a new spiritual forceleading to Gd's dwelling in our midst"(Kuzari). There are explicit instructions inthe Torah devoted to the materials thatwere used in building the Mishkan and itsfurnishings. They serve as a vehicle forteachings that transform a building into aspiritual meeting place between Gd andIsrael and how therein K'dusha, nationaland of individuals, is to be achieved.Abarbanel sees all of them as symbolismsfor religious and spiritual living, whileRabbi S. R. Hirsch, writing some 400 yearslater, similarly sees them as metaphors forthis living.
At the very outset, the mutual covenant
relationship between Israel and Gd isexpressed by the acknowledgment that allthe materials that Israel donated to theMishkan, were, in fact part of the wealththat they received from Gd. "'Mine is thesilver and gold' (Chaggai 2:8); Gd said toIsrael, 'do not think that it is from yourpockets, rather it is of Mine you aregiving'; that's why it is written 'take untoMe, from Mine" (Midrash Aggada).
This concept of the Divine source of allwealth goes beyond tzedaka and forms thebasis for our material lives as individuals,communities and a nation. S'firat HaOmer,connecting the bringing of the Omer ofBarley that permits us to eat of the newharvest Chadash, with the offering of theTwo Loaves on Shavuot that permitsnational Avoda using the new wheat,together with the Sh'mita year, wherein ourrights to our own fruits are abolished, aresome of the many mitzvot teaching thisconcept. They educate towards wealth
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creation only in permitted fashion, as wellas to the morality of the taxation of someof that wealth to meet the social costs ofothers.
The MishkanMikdash that Israel buildsand the presence of V'SHACHANTI that isto be their reward therefore sanctifies againthe sanctity already inherent in the wealthgranted them from Gd. David, preparingwealth for the Beit Hamikdashacknowledged: "everything comes fromYou and what we give to You comes fromYour Hand" (Divrei Hayamim Alef 29:14)."Praiseworthy, as it is to donate part of ourwealth to holy things and tzedaka, there arepeople in our generation who do so withwealth acquired through fraud and unholyways, cheating gentiles and so causinggreat Chilul Hashem. They hope to coverthemselves with communal glory andacquire great merit through their charitablemitzvot, but they should know that this is amitzva haba be aveira" (Maharsha, Ketubot67a).
"In the Tanach, metals in general, inaccordance with their physical properties,are used a metaphor for firmness andstrength, while their economic worth isused as a metaphor for evaluating spiritualvalues. Specially, in accordance with theirmetallurgical properties they are the mostsuitable metaphor for all goodness andtruth in every admixture with evil, but alsofor all the processes of testing, purifyingand refining applied to morality and truth.So copper would represent the ignoblenature, silver the one who is ready toennobled by purification, and gold, thestrongest and enduring all testing,represents complete purity and goodness"(Rabbi S. R. Hirsch). Therefore, the mostsanctified and spiritually refined of thefurniture and vessels of the Mishkan wereeither made of pure gold like the Menora,
the lid of the Aron and the Cheruvim, orwere overlaid with gold like the Aron, theShulchan and the altar for incenseofferings; incense being the purest andleast materialistic of all of our offerings.On the other hand, the most unrefined oneswere made of copper: the Mizbeach beingthe place for physical korbanot, whether ofobligatory nature, freewill thanksgivingsor those for atonement, the Laver for theritualistic washing and immersions of theKohanim, and all the vessels for service,the pegs and the pegs of the courtyard.
"The pillars of the Chatzer stand on copperfeet but have silver encirclements and atthe top silver hooks; the walls stand onsilver feet but otherwise are covered withgold. From copper to silver to gold, that isthe progress of out of ignoble characterthrough purification to immutable purity.By this allocation of the metals, the step bystep progressive nature of the teachings ofthe Mishkan is indicated" (Hirsch).
Despite their importance, value andstrengths the metals form only a small partof the materials used in the Mishkan, thebulk being of wood, animal skins, andfibers flax and wool further specializedby their colors, white, blue, and two shadesof red. They too symbolize and serve asallegories for spiritual ideas, desiredcharacter values and the workings ofhuman nature. The following is a summaryof Rabbi Hirsch's comments on thesematerials:
Wood is progressive growth anddevelopment while the goatskins arematerial providing protection and defense.Flax refers to the vegetative aspect ofhuman nature absorbing nourishment andsexual life with the accompanyingallurements, efforts and enjoyments.Degradation and perversion in sexual lifeand in food are the deepest blemishes on
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human purity and nobility; the flax of theMishkan was white, the color of purity thatthe Torah demands. Wool is representativeof the animal aspect of human nature andbehavior. Wool represents the animal sidewith its living powers of knowledge, will,and effort; SHANI, pale red is the loweststage and argaman, the highest of thehuman side of life, while the techeilet,skyblue represents the godliness thatwhich permeates and directs the whole of apure human life.
"In the desert, the spiritual strength of BnaiYisrael was only great enough to elevatethe holy sparks that are contained in thevegetable and animal things, as they did bybuilding the Mishkan. On entering EretzYisrael, they acquired greater spiritualstrength and could build Shilo that had acovering of vegetable and animal butwhose walls were built of stone, thussanctifying partially even the inanimateworld. When they were ready to anoint aking and thus fully complete the role of theHoly Nation in the Holy Land, they had thespiritual power to even greater sanctity sothe Bet Hamikdash was completely builtwith the inanimate" (Shem MiShmuel).
MISC section contents:[1] Vebbe Rebbe[2] Candle by Day[3] From Aloh Naaleh[4] Wisdom and Wit[5] Parsha Points to Ponder[6] Micro Ulpan[7] From Machon Puah[8] Torah from Nature[9] Pirkei Avot[10] Report and Feedback[11] 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...
QPlease give some guidelines onwhen the mitzva of tochacha(giving rebuke) applies? If one is
not sure if the recipient will respondpositively or negatively, should he saysomething?
AIt is not possible in this context togive more than “some guidelines”in this complex matter. I also will
modify the question slightly. Classictochacha is done to change the mind of onewho sinned knowingly. Although themitzva exists nowadays, most authoritiesassume that it can be accomplishedsatisfactorily only by those who peoplewho are uniquely qualified or those withspecial relation ships (e.g. spouses,parentchild, teacherstudent) (see AmudHay’mini, siman 10). So let us concentrateon the related mitzva of afrushei mei’isura(keeping a counterpart from sinning) byinforming someone that he is sinningunintentionally. The S’dei Chemed (vol.VII, pg. 318) demonstrates that afrusheimei’isura is actually derived from thepasuk of tochacha.
The first guideline is that when one issinning unknowingly but will sinknowingly if he is told, he should not be
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informed (mutav sheyihyu shog’gin v’alyihyu m’zidin see Beitza 30a). Thishowever, applies only when one is sure thatthe party will not change his ways(Tosafot, Shabbat 55a; Mishna Berura608:3). It does not appear that one needs100% surety, and it is very difficult toapply this distinction. One of the caseswhere pointing out a mistake is less likelyto be successful is when many people actimproperly in a certain matter (see Beitza30a; the Rama (Orach Chayim 608:2)makes this distinction in our generalcontext.)
The possibility of a negative backlash isalso a factor. In a landmark teshuva(Minchat Shlomo 35), Rav S.Z. Orbachargues that one may even create a situationwhereby his counterpart will sin(ostensibly violating lifnei iver, placing aspiritual stumbling block), if failure to doso would cause that person to deterioratefurther, such as in hatred of Torah and itsadherents. Certainly then, one can refrainfrom butting in when information is likelyto cause significantly negative results inaddition to probably not helping. We usesome variation of this concept often in ourinteractions with the nonobservant andthose with inconsistent observance.Honestly, it is not always clear when oursilence is due to prudence and when wetend to avoid uncomfortable conversations.
It is important to consider that it is notalways a choice of whether someone’smistake should be corrected but when,how, and by whom it should be done.Consider the following application (foundin Rashi to D'varim 1:3). Yaakov, Moshe,Yehoshua, and Shmuel all waited untilclose to their deaths to strongly rebuketheir constituencies out of fear that earlierrebuke might have caused the recipients tohave change their allegiances in favor of a
path of evil. Similarly, a new rabbi may seemany things that he knows his communityneeds to change. Instead of raising allissues at once and failing, he waits for a(hopefully) opportune time to deal witheach (or some) of them.
An interesting question is whether oneshould say something when he sees anunaware person doing something that isforbidden according to a consensus ofopinions, but where there is not unanimity.Again, we will borrow a concept from RavOrbach’s approach to lifnei iver. Mostposkim posit that one who is stringent on acertain question may enable one who islegitimately lenient on the matter topartake in the practice (see Ktav Sofer, YD77). The giver does not have to apply hisown standards regarding a possibleviolation performed by someone else. RavOrbach (Minchat Shlomo 44) goes further,saying that even if Reuven, who is doingthe questionable thing, is unaware of themajority who forbid the matter and thelegitimate minority, Shimon may enableReuven to act so if he knows that if Reuvenwere aware of the opinions, he would actleniently.
[Ed. note: As the Vebbe Rebbe indicated"up front", this topic is broader than can behandled in a column. That said (again),here's my 7 agorot. Avoid speaking in frontof others. Avoid speaking while thewrongdoing is in progress. Askingpermission (even if we don't officially needit) in a calm manner is helpful. There's a lotmore...]
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 [email protected] with the message:
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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 DaySpiritually we are children, reluctantto undergo the cure for the pain itinvolves. And many of our "spiritualleaders" are perfidious doctors, who,knowing that the children will scornthem if given the painful cure,prescribe placebos instead.
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
[3] CHIZUK and IDUDfor Olim & notyetOlim respectively
Gd Does Not Send Spam MailOur parsha opens with the laws of Sh'mita,but only after the seemingly superfluousdeclaration that the parsha was given onMt. Sinai.
Following the Midrash, Rashi says that welearn from here that just as all the generalrules and minute details of Sh'mita wereordained on Mt. Sinai, so too all the rulesand details of the other commandmentswere given there as well.
Fully accepting this explanation, the OrHaChayim HaKadosh points out that wemust still understand why this generallesson was taught specifically in thecontext of the mitzva of Sh'mita. Heexplains that the Torah wished to stress thelinkage between Sinai and the gift of theLand of Israel, as the passage opens:
"When you come to the Land which I amgiving you, then shall the land keep aShabbat to Gd."
The promise of the land is anchored in thevery story of creation (see Rashi's firstcomment on the Torah), and yet it is onlyvia Sinai that this promise is to be fulfilled.
To this powerful message, I would like toadd the following observation:
The Torah speaks here in the present tense:"the Land which I am giving you" Gd'sgift is an ongoing one.
Gd is always ready and prepared to handus His Land, provided that we are thereready to receive it, actively taking part inits redemption.
When we receive email messagesnotifying us that we have won millions, weinstinctively press 'delete' and move on.This Shabbat as we read of Gd's promiseof Eretz Yisrael we must not do the same!For if Gd sees that we are rejecting hisgift, might He not pass it on to anothernation?!
Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness, Jerusalem
TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naalehmembers for publication in the Orthodox Union's'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication onParshat HaShavu'a
[4] Wisdom & WitBy scrimping and saving her pennies, thewife of R’ Zushia of Hanipol was finallyable to afford to buy a new dress, to replaceher old and tattered one. She bought thecloth, and brought it to the seamstress tosew up for her.When she came back for the dress and wastrying it on, the seamstress gave a sigh.“What are you sighing about?” theRebbetzin asked. “It’s very upsetting,”
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replied the seamstress. “You see, as I wasworking on the dress, my future soninlaw came in and saw me working on it. Heimmediately jumped to the conclusion thatthe dress was being sewn for his bride.When he found out that it was not for her,he was very disappointed.”“If that’s the whole problem,“ said theRebbetzin, “I hereby give you the dress asa gift from me, for your daughter, thebride.” no amount of argument by theseamstress changed the Rebbetzin's, andthe dress was indeed given to the bride.When the Rebbetzin related the story to R’Zushia, he had only one question: “Did youpay the seamstress the full amount for herwork?” “Why should I?” she asked, “afterall, I gave her the dress.”“That’s entirely irrelevant,” said R’ Zushia.“Every worker works on the basis of beingpaid, and she surely took the amount sheexpected from you into account in workingout her expenses. Without the money, howis she to buy food for her family?”Without another word, the Rebbetzen ranback to the seamstress and paid her in fullin accordance with the agreement they hadmade.
Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful seriesfor ArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; ATouch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdomand Wit" — available at your local Jewishbookstore (or should be). Excerpted with thepermission of the copyright holder
[5] Parsha Points to PonderB'HAR
1) What does the Torah mean when itrefers to Shmita as A REST FOR GD?(25:4)
2) Why does the Torah teach that the food
of Shmita will be FOR YOU to eat inplural (LACHEM) and then repeat FORYOU in the singular (LECHA)? (25:6)
3) Why does the Torah repeat that we willLIVE SECURELY in Israel in twoconsecutive verses? (See 25:18 and 19)
THESE ARE THE ANSWERSPonder the questions first, then read here
1) The Kli Yakar explains that it wasabnormal for farmers to continue plantingfor six consecutive years. Farmers wouldusually rest the land after two years ofplanting. Thus, observing the Torah'scommand and planting for six years andonly resting the land on the seventh yeardemonstrates that this is not being done forthe benefit of the land but, rather, becauseGD commanded one to do so as the wordsA REST FOR GD indicate.
2) The Ibn Ezra teaches that the FOR YOUin plural is the source for the halacha thatthe crops which grow during Shmita arehefker and can be enjoyed by anyone. Lestone think that the owner is prohibited frombenefiting from that which grows on itsown (SEFICHIM) during the Shmita year,the Torah emphasizes FOR YOU insingular. This is the source for the owner'sability to enjoy that which grows on itsown on a Biblical level. (There is aRabbinic prohibition regarding thesesefichim.)
3) The Ohr HaChaim answers that the firstverse refers to the security of the people inthe land as indicated by the extra wordsON THE LAND in that verse. No one willtry to conquer our land. The second versepromises plentiful crops. Therefore, itreassures us that no outsiders will try toenter our land to rob us of our superiorcrops.
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Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by RabbiDov Lipman, who teaches at ReishitYerushalayim, Tiferet, and Machon Maayan inBeit Shemesh and RBS and is the author of"DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults)to Questions about the Jewish Faith",justrepublished by Feldheim, [email protected]
[6] MicroUlpanBilingual lesson today:
Spade: A sturdy digging tool having a thickhandle and a heavy, flat blade that can bepressed into the ground with the foot.
EIT CHAFIRA
Shovel: A tool with a handle and a broadscoop or blade for digging and movingmaterial, such as dirt or snow. Key word:moving; note the Hebrew. EIT N'SI'A
No "FOOD" column this week
[7] From Machon PuahIn Gd's HandsWhen Rachel complained to Ya'akov thatshe did not have children, she said to him"Give me children", to which he answered,"Am I in the place of Gd?" Rav ShimshonRaphael Hirsch explains why Ya'akovbecame angry. Ya'akov felt that Rachelviewed Ya'akov's prayer as more powerfuland significant than Hashem's plan for her.If Hashem did not want her to havechildren, and this seemed to be obvious inlight of her infertility, then Ya'akov did notsee it as appropriate for him to implore Gdto change His plan.
The Ibn Ezra goes even further andsuggests that Ya'akov suspected that if thiswas not Gd's plan then it would becounterproductive for him to prayer. IfHashem had deemed it the best for her not
to have children, then this was the best.Were he to pray for her to have children hisprayers may be answered and this mayhave an ultimately undesirable result.
This is fascinating in light of the fact thatlater Rachel died in childbirth, so Ya'akov'sprayers may have given her children, butalso shortened her life.
The Ba'alei HaTosafot say a similar thingregarding the Jewish people on the banksof the Red Sea. When Am Yisrael reachedthe banks of Yam Suf they saw the sea infront of them and the Egyptians behindthem. At least some of the Jews started topray. Hashem himself answered themsaying, "Why do you cry to me? Speak tothe children of Israel and go." The obviousquestion is does Hashem really not wantHis children to pray to Him? We learnfrom a young age that when we have aproblem we cry to Hashem, and suddenlywhen the entire Jewish people has a seriousproblem, Hashem does not want them topray!
The Ba'alei Tosafot answer that were theJewish people to pray then the Sea wouldsplit but it would split too early and thusclose up too early and the great miracle ofthe salvation of the Jewish people from thehands of Egypt would not happen. So Gdimplores them, do not pray too early, nowis not a time to pray, now is a time to act.
Both these stories teach us that one needsto pray in the appropriate way and thecorrect time. Rachel thought that the timecame to pray and change the Divine plan,whereas Ya'akov thought, or knew, thatprayer at that time could have disastrousresults, therefore he got angry with Rachelfor suggesting that he pray and alter Gd'splans.
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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 026515050 in Israel or7183360603.
Visit our website at www.puah.org.il
[8] Torah from NatureRecent ExtinctionsTrain of thought: In this week's sedra, wefind the phrase, O DODO O BEN DODO,which actually refers to one's uncle orcousin. But DODO brings to mind the birdthat became extinct in 1690 (and which wehave featured in this column in the past),which brings to mind other animals thathave become extinct in recent time. Withthe most recent extinctions, there is alwaysthe possibility of "rediscovery", whichmeans that the animal wasn't really extinctin the first place.
For the last 500 years, it is clear thathumans are responsible for most recordedextinctions.
The exact causes of most extinctions arepoorly documented, but invasive alienspecies, habitat loss, and overexploitationhave all been major factors.
All of those factors are the result of humanbehavior. Western Black Rhinoceros on 8June 2006 was tentatively declared extinct.It was once widespread in the savanna ofcentralwest Africa but declined frompoaching... by 1980 population was in thehundreds... by 2000 only an estimated 10
survived... still a small hope of the therhino's continued existence... (hence"tentatively" extinct), but the chance of thishas been estimated as small.
[9] Pirkei Avot (3rd perek)
Akavya b. Mahalaleil's wellknownteaching that opens the 3rd perek of Avot,has many different ways that it can beunderstood. These different approachesshould not be seen as contradictory, butrather as enhancing each other and themishna.
What allows and even encourages differentinterpretations is the way the mishna isstated. Ponder three things and you will notcome into the hands of sin: Know fromwhere you come, to where you are going,and before whom you will stand judgmentin the future. Then the mishna asks where,where, and before whom and answers eachone. It would have been more straightforward to expand the three items in thefirst place and not leave the where, where,and before whom in question. Why firstmake a vague statement, then ask abouteach one, and then answer it?
Perhaps, Akavya was hinting that there aredifferent ways to answer the questions, andhe was suggesting only one of manypossible ways to understand the basic idea.
How's this: Don't necessarily go all the wayback to conception and all the way ahead tothe grave, as Akavya does. Think of yourpersonal background and childhood home,and then think of the home life you havemade for yourself now. That to is whereyou come from and to where you aregoing. Religious/non religious. Vice versa.Israel/abroad. Vice versa. Etc. He comesfrom a dysfunctional family and look at thewonderful person he turned out to be. Hehad everything going for him, but look at
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how he turned out. We all have to standjudgment by Gd for the directions we havetaken in life. And we can always improve.
[10] Report & FeedbackLast Thursday, Yom HaAtzmaut, wascelebrated in a beautiful and meaningful wayby over 150 people at the Israel Center. Wegathered in the Wolinetz Family Shul forShacharit, led by the Carlebach styleChazan, Yitzchak Miller. Mizmor L'Toda(Ps. 100), Hallel HaGadol, and Az Yashirwere the appetizers, warming us up for themain dish HALLEL. And we had not one,but two drashot for the occasion, as RabbiAharon Adler and Rabbi Sholom Gold eachdelivered powerful messages to theassembled. Davening was followed by adelightful brunch and much congenialconversation.
Here's what one of the participants saidabout the morning...
It was a very spiritually moving tefilla forme yesterday and the brunch was great tooand the two divrei torah were good. Nextyear I intend inviting my minyan chevre tocome. R
And here is what another participant wroteto the Jerusalem Post in reaction to theirarticle about the "observance" of YomHaAtzmaut with barbecues, fireworks, andblowup hammers:
There were also some other wonderfulevents in observance of this special Chag...davening the beautiful prayer of Hallel inthe OU/Israel Center... This exquisiteprayer to Hashem in the melodies of thelate Shlomo Carlebach was extremelyinspirational. Then of course otherinspiring Divrei Torah by noted Rabbis.That gave me spiritual strength along withthe large group of worshipers... VMB
[11] Divrei MenachemParshat B'har instructs us how to observe theSh'mita year, during which the land liesfallow, and the Jubilee year, at which timeall property in Eretz Yisrael reverts to itsoriginal owners. In both cases, one of theessential lessons to be internalized is that,"The land is Mine; for you are sojournersand residents with Me" (Vayikra 25:23).
The sale and purchase value of traded landwas to be fixed according to the number ofyears after the Jubilee and the number ofcrop years the land could be expected toproduce. This was no small matter and bothseller and buyer are warned not aggrieveeach other (ibid 25:14).
Curiously, this admonishment is repeatedagain in verse 17 but with the additionalproviso that, "...you shall fear your Gd; for Iam Hashem, your Gd". Rashi commentsthat in the former instance the parties areadvised to conduct their businessprofessionally and with "Menschlichkeit". Inthe second case they are cautioned not tohurt each other on a personal level (such asrecalling past indiscretions or offering falseadvice). Clearly, as much as we mightrationalize our intentions, the Torah remindsus that not only is our property in Hashem'shands but also that are our most privatethoughts and intentions are known to Him aswell.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff
Towards Better Daveningand Torah Learning
AVI'EIL, URI'EIL, ITI'EIL, ELI'EIL,ARI'EIL, ASHRI'EIL, GAVRI'EIL,GADI'EIL, GAMLI'EIL, ZAVDI'EIL,CHAZI'EIL, CHI'EIL, CHANI'EIL,YACHDI'EIL, YACHZI'EIL, Y'CHI'EIL,YACHTZI'EIL, YA'AZI'EIL, Y'I'EIL,
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YA’ASI'EIL, Y'KUTI'EIL, Y'RI'EIL,YATNI'EIL, MAGDI'EIL, MALKI'EIL,NACHLI'EIL, N'I'EIL, AVDI'EIL, ADI'EIL,ADRI'EIL, AZI'EIL, UZI'EIL, AZRI'EIL,AMI'EIL, OTNI'EIL, PAGI'EIL, PUTI'EIL,PALTI'EIL, P'NI'EIL, TZURI'EIL,KADMI'EIL, SH'ALTI'EIL, SH'LUMI'EIL
That's 42 names of people (and a few places)in Tanach that end in CHIRIK, YUD,ALEF/TZEIREI, LAMED.
There is one other name, a wellknown one,at that, that is pronounced differently than allthe others.
DANIYEIL
Without vowels, it looks like all the others.But the YUD has a DAGESH CHAZAK init and a TZEIREI under it (in all the othernames, the TZEIREI is under the ALEF). InDANIYEIL, the YUD is heard and theALEF is totally silent. In all the others, theYUD strengthens the CHIRIK it follows andthe ALEF is voweled (with a TZEIREI).
At the bottom: Har Sinai with apair of Luchot at the top. Next toa scene of a horse pulling a plowthat is being guided by a farmer.There is a negation circle over theplowing, because it is forbiddenduring Sh’mita year. The questionmark between the two representsthe famous question from thebeginning of the sedra namely,MA INYAN SHMITA EITZEL HARSINAI?
The abacus on the top is forcounting the seven years of eachShmita cycle and the sevenShmita cycles of Yovel.
The Shofar is blown on the YomKippur of Yovel. And the bullets on
this page represent the samething. It is from the Shofar ofYovel that we learn that it is aShofar that we are to use on RoshHaShana.
The Liberty Bell (the one inPhiladelphia as well as in theLiberty Bell Park, down the blockfrom the Center) is inscribed withthe partial pasuk: AND PROCLAIMLIBERTY THROUGHOUT THE LANDTO ALL ITS INHABITANTS whichcomes from this week's sedra.
The adding machine is to calculatethe fair price of land, dependingupon how many years remainuntil Yovel.
The NOT FOR SALE sign is areminder of the prohibition in theparsha.
Upperright is a fellow lendingmoney at the Torahapprovedinterest rate for personal loansbetween Jew and Jew 0%.
What Shabbat in the last pasukreferring to? That’s why the pairof Shabbat candles has a questionmark between them.
The price tag in the middle of theParshaPix indicates that theregular price of the item is 100,and it is being sold for 117. Thatmarkup exceeds the halachiclimit of 1/6 and so there would bea violation of ONA’AH. This topic isnot that simple in our timebecause of overhead andexpenses that can be factored into determine a selling price. Sojust take this as a reminder of themitzva, not as an actual example.But at some point, a storekeepercan be considered as violating the
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prohibition of ONA'AH.
The house with feet goes with“V’KAM HABAYIT”, and the housegets up.
Calling someone DumDumprobably violates ONA’ATD’VARIM.
Monopoly card is a deed forAnatot (Haftara).
That leaves four items which arepart of one phrase: The letter O, adodo bird, an oven, and anotherdodo. Together they make: ODODO O VEN DODO
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 (EMOR) TTriddles:
[1] 1,18,20,21,23,25,28,30,32,34,35,(177)The portion of the Torah consisting of thecommand to us to count the Omer is found inParshat Emor. It is in perek 23, to be specific.Parshat Emor always falls out somewhenduring the Omer, so we were curious as to onwhich days of the counting of the Omer do weread the command to count. Becasue of thesedra of the week situation which differs
between 12month (1 Adar) years and13month (2 Adar) years and the additionalsituation of Pesach running from Shabbat toFriday in Israel and from Shabbat to Shabbatin Chutz LaAretz which results in there beinga one sedra outofsync situation between hereand abroad (that ends the toolong dependentclause), there are more days of the Omer onwhich we sometimes read the parsha of S'firatHaOmer. To be specific, Shabbat ParshatEmor can be any of the following days of theOmer: 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 35.There is one other day of the Omer on whichwe read the portion of the Omer, and that is onthe first day of the Omer, a.k.a. the second dayof Pesach. Unlike the 10 days listed above,,which only coincide with Shabbat ParshatEmor only in some years, the Torah readingfor the second day of Pesach is ALWAYSParshat HaMo'adim, which contains the Omerportion. And this is so in Israel (where thesecond day of Pesach is the first day of CholHaMoed) and in Chutz LaAretz (where thesecond say is Yom Tov). The only differencebetween Israel and abroad is how many peopleare called to the Torah for this reading (3 inIsrael and 5 where Yom Tov Sheni isobserved). If we counted the Omer, not until(but not including) the 50th day, but ratheruntil the 200th day (let's say), then we wouldalso read the command of the Omer portion onthe 177th day (and additionally on the 178thday). [The numbers were wrong in thepresentation of this TTriddle in last week's TT these are the correct numbers.] This is sobecause in Israel, Vayikra 23 is read on thefirst day of Sukkot (the 198th day since westarted counting) and in Chutz LaAretz it isread on the first two days of the Chag. 177 isin parentheses in the TTriddle, because wedon't actually count the Omer beyond 49nights.
[2] When you list Trei Asar in order,something from the sedra will happenThe book(let)s of TREI ASAR are: Hoshei'a,Yo'eil, Amos, Ovadya, Yona, Micha, Nachum,Chavakuk, Tz'fanya, Chagai, Z'charya,
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Malachi. When you make a vertical list ofthese names in Hebrew, and look at the firstletters of Amos and Ovadya, you will find anAYIN TACHAT AYIN (lit. an AYIN underan AYIN, as in an eye for an eye...) Thisphrase and others with it, are found in ParshatMishpatim and in Emor (different list).
[3] Spartacus & Fatal Attraction's DanSpartacus (died 71 BCE) was a Thraciangladiator who led a slave war in Italy againstthe Romans. His story is told in a movie of thesame name, starring Kirk Douglas in the titlerole. The part of Dan Gallagher in the 1987thriller movie Fatal Attraction is played byMichael Douglas, Kirk's son. (BTW, Kirk isJewish and a strong supporter of Israel, andMichael is not Jewish.) Together, theyrepresent the prohibition of OTO V'ET B'NO,which forbids slaughtering an animal and itsoffspring both on the same day.
[4] Was Titus’s nephew exempt fromeating matza?Titus's nephew converted to Judaism. Weknow him as Onkelos (of Targum fame). Herenders the word MATZA as PATIR (whichsounds like the Galiciana way of sayingPATUR), whcih in TTriddlese suggests thatthose who speak Aramaic might be exemptfrom the mitzva to eat Matza. (We certainlyhope that you realize that every Jew must eatmatza on Pesach, regardless of the language hespeaks.)
[5] This Shabbat, calcium countsMM/Bklyn got this one (and several more).This Shabbat, referring to Shabbat ParshatEmor, the 5th of Iyar (this year) was the 20thday of the Omer. Calcium is element number20 hence, Calcium counts. The two previousShabbatot have been the Carbon andMagnesium Shabbatot. You check foryourselves which elements are coming up onthe next four Shabbatot.
[6] If Kali were a jug of wine, who wouldyou be?The Persian astronomer, mathematician, andpoet Omar Khayyam (1048 ca. 1132) madeimportant contributions to mathematics andthe Calendar, but his chief claim to fame, atleast in the last 100 years, has been as theauthor of a collection of quatrains, the"Rubaiyat". One of his most famous lines is,"a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou".Vayikra 23:14 starts, V'LECHEM, V'KALI,V'CHARMEL... The loaf of bread is the same.If KALI represents the jug of wine, then whowould you (thou) be? The answer CARMEL.Omar, BTW, was a contemporary of Rashi.
[7] Embedded 3 times in opening pasuk once25 other times
VAYOMER HASHEM EL MOSHE, EMOREL HAKOHANIM... V'AMARTAALEIHEM... This opening pasuk of ParshatEmor contains three words with the rootALEF/MEM/REISH. There are 25 othersedras that's almost half of all the sedras that have a word related toALEF/MEM/REISH, once in their openingpasuk. This includes over 10 sedras that beginwith VAYDABEIR HASHEM EL MOSHELEIMOR (or similar wording). It is onlyfitting that the sedra with three in its firstpasuk (all the others have one or none) shouldbe the one known as EMOR.
[8] Cooking isn’t this 7repeated termKOL M'LACHA LO TAASU, no manner of"work" (reative activities) you shall not do, isthe prohibition of the 39 categories of M'lachaand all of their derivatives. KOL M'LECHETAVODA, we are taught, is slightly lessinclusive i.e. prohibiting most M'lachot, butpermitting some. This applies to Yom Tov asopposed to Shabbat and Yom Kippur whenmost but not all M'lachot are forbidden.Cooking is one example of a M'lacha that isnot forbidden on Yom Tov. Cooking is aM'LACHA, but it is not a M'LECHETAVODA.
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[9] one element from the ParshaPixIn the lowerleft corner of the ParshaPix was afraction consisting of a numerator of .8 and adenominator of .016. Simplifying the fractionby dividing, we get 50, which has a connectionto the sedra, but that wasn't the point of theTTriddle. .8 (which is 4/5, and .016 whcih isthe same as 2/125, are both fractions. InHebrew, each is a SHEVER. So .8/.016 isSHEVER TACHAT SHEVER, whichprecedes AYIN TACHAT AYIN in Vayikra24:20
This week's TTriddles:[1] his is not very high or nonexistent
[2] "The station that speaks yourlanguage" (or used to). Try calling theone it was named for, when he was a kid
[3] What's the opposite of a jailbird?
[4] Is it the capital of New New York?
[5] 026251139 & 1700709177
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