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Page Zero of Torah Tidbits 830Lead Tidbit cont. from page 1 (below)
Almost sounds corny to say this, but Nitzavim is the perfect sedra to finishoff the year and to bring us into Rosh HaShana.
It has the powerful combination of T'shuva, Free Will, and Reward andPunishment. Not only do we find the command to return to Gd in the sedra,but the p'sukim are encour aging. T'shuva is accessible and user friendly. Itis close by and com pletely within our capabilities.
In his Hilchot T'shuva, Rambam spends a lot of time teaching us about FreeWill. Accountability for our deeds and being challenged to repent ourwrongdoings make no sense at all unless we are free to choose our course ofconduct. And Reward and Punishment also make no sense unless we are freeto choose between right and wrong, good and evil.
Nitzavim also provides us with a sense of belonging to Klal Yisrael. One getsa warm feeling about being part of this great People.
Nitzavim focuses in on the best possible motivation for following Gd's Torahand mitzvot AHAVAT HASHEM, love of Gd.
And if life puzzles us sometimes and we don't really understand every thingthat happens to us and around us, then Nitzavim reminds us that there arehidden mysteries of all sorts in this world and they belong to Gd. Somethings only Gd understands. But cheer up further many things arerevealed to us and they are ours and our children's. A short sedra packedwith good things our special Rosh HaShana gift pack from the Torah.
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...
Even without benching Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, it still has a molad which isTUE (Sep. 3rd) 1h 58m 13p.
In fact, it is ironic that the most important molad of the year the one that isneeded to fix the calendar is the only one that doesn't get announced inpublic. The procedure for setting the Calendar consists of one rule and fourexceptions to the rule. This year follows the rule that RH shall be the day ofthe molad of Tishrei. Simple. Molad of Tishrei is TUE, RH is TUE.
From Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim, the 55th and last Shabbat of 5768, the381st day of the 383 days of the year, we pass through Rosh HaShana to thefirst of 50 Shabbatot of 5769, the 5th day of 5769's 354 days. Details ofRosh HaShana Torah readings and other RH related matters can be found in
Word of the Month (Year) continues on page 3
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Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim
see BackPages for details
Candle lighting and havdala timesand many, many more RH things
can be found in the
Rosh HaShana PDFCheck it out
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Tel: (02) 9998440US toll free: 1866376[email protected]
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This is a Triple IssueShabbat Parshat Nitzavim
Rosh HaShanaShabbat Shuva VayeilechNo TT next week (week of RH)
TT 831 for Yom Kippur, Haazinu, Sukkotand Simchat Torah, will IY"H be
available from Monday, October 6th
Nitzavim The Torah's Rosh HaShana Gift to UsOfficially attributed to Ezra HaSofer, it seems that the Torah allowed him toarrange our yearly Torah reading cycle so that Nitzavim is always read on theShabbat before Rosh HaShana. Sometimes, together with Vayeilech (when
RH is Thursday or Shabbat) andsometimes alone (when RH is Mondayor Tuesday) but Nitzavim is alwaysread right before RH.
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the PullOut section. Interesting, how sometimes Nitzavim and Vayeilechmerge during their fourth combined Aliya, and sometimes like this year,they are a year apart.
5769 begins on a Tuesday (Rosh HaShana is TuesdayWednesday), which isthe least common of the four possible starting days for a year. Because ofthe LO AD"U ROSH rule (meaning that RH cannot be on Sunday, Wednesday,Friday), a year CAN begin on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Shabbat. Thefrequency of each starting day in our fixed calendar is 32% for Thursday,28.5% for Shabbat, 28% for Monday, (these three days are close to equallyfrequent), and 11.5% for Tuesday less than half as often as each of theother possible days. Tuesday RH always follows a year with Seder onMotza"Sh.
More about 5769... First Chanuka candle in 5769 is on Sunday night;Chanuka runs from Monday to Monday. This is the most commonarrangement for Chanuka, occurring 27.9% of the time.
The 30th day of Kislev (which is the 6th candle) is a 3Torah Shabbat:Mikeitz, Rosh Chodesh, and Shabbat Chanuka. (This too, of course, has afrequency of 27.9%)
Besides RH on TUEWED, Yom Kippur is THU, Sukkot is TUETUE (that's inIsrael in Chu"L it is TUEWED).
Purim is MON night TUE (in Jerusalem: TUE night WED)
Erev Pesach 5769 is WED, April 8th. That is the date every 28 years thatwe say BIRKAT HACHAMA. 5769 will be the first year of the new 28yearSolar or Great Cycle (the 207th one since Creation). Birkat HaChama is rareenough but what is extremely rare is its being said on Erev Pesach. Peopleare suggesting special things for the year 5769 because of this rareconfluence of Birkat HaChama and Erev Pesach.
Pesach Seder is WED night (and Thursday night in Chu"L).
Pesach is from THU to WED (THU).
Eruv Tavshilin in Chul LaAretz on Erev Pesach, but not in Israel, becauseFriday is Chol HaMoed here, not the second day of Yom Tov.
Shavuot is FRI in Israel and FRIShabbat outside Israel. This leads to a notuncommon situation when Israel reads Parshat HaShavua on that Shabbatwhich is the second day of Shavuot elsewhere.
This outofsync situation for Parshat HaShavua begins with Second day ofShavuot Naso, and continues with Naso B'haalotcha, B'haalotchaSh'lach,Sh'lachKorach, KorachChukat, and finally Chukat/Balak and Balak, bringingParshat HaShavua back in sync for Parshat Pinchas just in time for theThree Weeks.
Fast days are as follows: Tzom Gedalya THU, Asara b'Tevet TUE, TaanitEsther MON, 17th of Tammuz and Tish'a b'Av on THU.
TU BiShvat is on a MON, Lag BaOmer on a TUE, TU b'Av on a WED.
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Yom HaSho'a is on a TUE. Yom HaZikaron is on the following TUE. YomHaAtzma'ut is on WED. And Yom Yerushalayim is on FRI (with the OU Israeldinner on Thursday night).
Besides Rosh Chodesh Tevet being on Shabbat (Chanuka), so is the secondday of Rosh Chodesh Iyar.
Note also the flow of Rosh Chodesh (which is true for every year, providedyou know the number of days of the two variable months Cheshvan andKislev). RH (which is Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, even though we don't focus onthat), RCh Cheshvan is WTh, Kislev F, Tevet ShabbatSu, Shvat M, AdarTuW, Nissan Th, Iyar FShabbat, Sivan Su, Tammuz MTu, Av W, Elul ThF,which is followed by RH 5770 on Shabbat. A neat flow through the days ofthe week.
Years that begin on Tuesday are always K'SEDER, meaning Cheshvan has 29days and Kislev has 30. The years then have either 354 days or 384 days.The new year, 5769, is a SHANA P'SHUTA with 354 days. Months willalternate throughout the year with 30 and 29 days.
Although 354 days is the "normal" number of days of a Jewish year, only24.3% of years have that number (as does 5769).
Most importantly, may 5769 be a year of Peace and Tranquility, Prosperityand good health, and GEULA, BIMHEIRA V'YAMEINU AMEIN
Nitzavim STATS51st of the 54 sedras; 8th of 11 in D'varim
Written on 87 lines in a Sefer Torah (rank: 52)
4 Parshiyot; 1 open, 3 closed
40 p'sukim ranks 53rd (10th in D'varim)
657 words ranks 51st (8th in D'varim)
2575 letters ranks 51st (8th in D'varim)
Only Vayeilech has fewer p'sukim than Nitzavim, butin words and letters, Nitzavim also beats outHaazinu and Vzot HaB'racha. Ironically, Nitzavim'sp'sukim are longer than those of any sedra in theTorah except for Vayeilech. In lines in a Sefer Torah,Haazinu has more than Nitzavim because of theextra blank space in the special way Haazinu iswritten in a Torah.
MITZVOTnone of the 613 are found in Nitzavim; somemitzvacounters count T'SHUVA as a mitzva from thissedra, but Rambam & the Chinuch do not. Ironic,Nitzavim being right before Rosh HaShana.
AliyabyAliyaSedra SummaryNumbers 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.
[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 the
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number of p'sukim in the parsha.
Kohen First Aliya 3 p'sukim 29:911[P>29:11] Having so recentlyheard the frightful Tochacha andthe curses that are invoked againstthose who betray Gd, Israel isunderstandably "nervous" about itsfuture, to say the least. Nitzavimtherefore, begins on the positive,reassuring note that we are ALLstanding before Gd and enteringagain into a covenant with Him.These opening p'sukim call ourattention to the "inclusiveness" ofthe People of Israel. We are madeup of scholars and leaders, judgesand functionaries, men, women,and children, converts, woodcutters and water gatherers (Ashkenazim and S'faradim, religiousand secular, Mitnagdim andChasidim). But together they allstood to reaffirm their commitmentto Gd. Jewish Unity has alwaysbeen our strength, its lack, ourgreatest weakness.
SSSSSDDDDDTTTTT::::: Rav Aharon of Karlin pointed outthat ATEM is made of the letters of theword EMET, truth. This, he said, is theonly way to achieve LIFNEI HASHEM, tostand before Gd in truth.
SSSSSDDDDDTTTTT::::: The Alshich points out that theTorah describes the People as "all of you,before Gd", and then proceeds todelineate different types of Jews. BeforeGd, we ARE all the same. Whateverdifferences might exist pale into insignificance in comparison with the fact that weare all created B'TZELEM ELOKIM, in the
Divine Image. Differences might beimportant from our perspective. We viewsome people as more valuable than others.But we really have no way to know howGd views us. In His eyes we are allstanding erect this day...
Levi Second Aliya 3 p'sukim 29:1214And there is more. The secondthreepasuk set proclaim that it isnot just the entire People of Israelwho were alive at the time, whoare making this covenant with Gd,it is also our ancestors to whomGd made His special promises,and to the generations of Jews inthe past AND the future, whosespirit (souls) were present at thiscovenant.
Perhaps this is the meaning of theprophecy to Avraham Avinu that hisdescendants will be as countless asthe stars of the heavens. Take themillions of Jews alive today, add themillions who have preceded us, addthe how many more? futuregenerations, and we can truly becalled "without number". Nationsthat have come to an end, can benumbered. An eternal people cannotever be counted.
Shlishi Third Aliya 14 p'sukim 29:1528As he has done several timesbefore, Moshe Rabeinu presentsboth sides of the covenant withGd before the People: You havebeen in Egypt and you are aware of
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their abominable practices andthose of the other nations whichyou have encountered. Perhapsthere is a rebellious individualamong you who will turn from Gdand embrace another faith.
SSSSSDDDDDTTTTT::::: The phrase describing what wewould today refer to as a "rotten apple" is"Shoresh Poreh Rosh V'laana", literally apoisonous root of gall and wormwood. Theinitial letters of this phrase rearrange tospell SHOFAR, the antidote to thisnegative facet of Jewish life. The Shofarmust awaken the one who stray and starthim on the road of T'shuva.
A person who turns to anotherreligion will be severely punished,even if he thinks otherwise. Thesep'sukim are a miniature version ofthe Tochacha from last week'sreading.
The portion concludes with thestatement that there are mysteriesof this world that are Gd's andthere are revealed truths thatbelong to us and our children. Ourchallenge is to remain faithful tothe Torah.
This pasuk has wide applications. Inall areas of human knowledge science, math, history... there aremysteries and there are revealedtruths. But remember, today'smysteries can be revealed tomorrow,next year... or never.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 6 p'sukim 30:16[S>30:1 (10)] From the perspective of absolute justice, if we breakthe terms of our agreement withGd, punishment should be swiftand complete. But we could notsurvive such an existence. Thisportion of Nitzavim tells us that if(when) we break the covenant andare dispersed among the nations ofthe world as punishment, all hopeis not lost. We have the goldenopportunity to return to Gd andHe will help the process along.This too becomes part of theagreement with Gd. The conceptsof return in a physical and spiritualsense are intermingled in thisTorah portion.
The wayward Jew turning backtowards HaShem and the Torah,and the exiled Jew to a distant landcoming back to Eretz Yisrael arepresented simultaneously. This represents the dual nature of T'shuva.What a wonderful opportunitybeckons each Jew and the JewishPeople as a whole in being givena second chance to live a trueTorah life.
MitzvaWatchRambam and Sefer HaChinuch (andothers?) do not count T'SHUVA perse among the 613 mitzvot. SeferHaCharedim, the SMa"K, and othersdo count T'SHUVA as one ofTARYAG. One can say that Rambamcounts only specific, distinct mitzvot.
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A command which is allinclusive,such as "Keep My mitzvot", "Beholy", "Be straightforward with Gd",is not numbered on its own, becauseit is really part of all other mitzvot.T'shuva can be viewed like that. Partof the mitzva to Recite the Sh'ma isthat if one does not, or does itwithout kavana, then he must repenthis ways and say the Sh'macorrectly. Part of the prohibitionagainst eating nonkosher is that ifone does, then he must repent. Morethan T'shuva being its own mitzva, itis an addon to all the others.
This is one way of looking atT'shuva, specifically in explanationfor its not being numbered amongthe 613 by Rambam. Let's call it asupramitzva.
Here's another way of looking at whyRambam did not count T'shuva as amitzva. Remember he andeveryone else consider T'shuva to bea mitzva; the question here iswhether it gets numbered among the613 or does it have a different,higher status.
We can look at T’shuva as a gift fromGd. He doesn’t HAVE to commandit. He just has to let it be possible.And we should jump at theopportunity. The Torah does nothave to command us to breathe. Wedo it because it is helpful to living.So is T’shuva. The Torah doesn’thave to tell us to repent, just how todo it.
On the other hand, there is oneaspect of T'shuva that IS counted byRambam as a mitzva among the 613 Vidui, verbal confession. This is aspecific aspect of T'shuva that DOES"qualify" for the Rambam's count.
And yet, as mentioned earlier, somemitzvacounters DO count T'shuvaamong the 613.
Rambam's Hilchot T'shuva beginsthis way: All mitzvot of the Torah,positive or prohibition, IF a personviolates one of them, whether intentionally or inadvertantly, WHEN hedoes T'shuva and repents his sin, heis obligated to verbally confessbefore Gd... It is as if the Rambamassumes that a person who sins willsurely repent, but the VIDUI part,the verbalizing of the regret for thepast and resolve for the future, theverbalizing of one's plea to Gd forforgiveness this is what Rambamcounts among the 613 mitzvot (andnot from Nitzavim, but ParshatNaso).
Bottom line: Is T'shuva an obligation a mitzva? Of course it is. Andwhere do we find it? In ParshatNitzavim. Don't worry too muchabout the counting issue. It'sdefinitely the proper thing to do. Atthis time of year... and always.
The last pasuk of the portioncontains one of several ELULs, inthe form of Rashei Teivot, initialletters. And Gd will circumcise ETL'VAVCHA V'ET L'VAV zar'echa,your heart and the heart of yourchildren. Baal HaTurim actuallysays that this is why we say Slichotduring Elul.
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 4 p'sukim 30:710If (when) we return to Gd, thenGd will rain the curses (mentioned)upon our enemies. We have only
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to be faithful to HaShem and keepHis mitzvot, and all His blessingswill be showered upon us. Again a"pitch" is made for T'shuva. Andagain. And the T'shuva should becompletely sincere.
Shishi Sixth Aliya 4 p'sukim 30:1114[S>30:11 (4)] But how can wehope to keep our part of theagreement? Is not the Torah soexalted and remote that a meremortal has no chance of attainingspiritual heights? The answer is eloquently stated in the famous wordsof the Torah For this mitzva is notin the heavens nor is it across theocean. It is so very close andattainable that every Jew can feelconfident in taking up its challenges. It is up to us to make thecommit ment, feel it in our hearts,and ACT upon it.
This portion of the Torah can beunderstood as referring to themitzva of T'shuva specifically, or toall of the mitzvot of the Torah. Thewords and the concept apply well toT'shuva, as they also apply to all ofTorah. Perhaps this confirms whatwe said earlier about T'shuva being asupramitzva. It has a widesweeping character that defies constrictingit to an identity as a single mitzva inthe family of mitzvot. This seems tobe why the Rambam put HilchotT'shuva in his first book.
Sh'VII Seventh Aliya 6 p'sukim 30:1520[S>30:15 (6)] The concept of FreeWill is beautifully expressed in theconcluding portion of Nitzavim. Itmarks the difference betweenhuman beings and all othercreations (including the bonobo!).The sun and the moon "fulfill"Gd's commands without consciousdecisions. A bee doesn't thinkthings out and decide to pollinate aflower (the Bee Movie, notwithstanding). Nor does a lion attackinga weak zebra evaluate the moralityof his act. Only humans have thechoice to do good or evil. Gdrecommends and pleads with us tochoose Life and Good, but Heleaves the choice to us. That iswhy we are accountable for ouractions; and that is why we standbefore Gd in judgment on RoshHaShana animals do not. Thechoice is offered, but not only doesGd "command" us to choose Life,He warns us again of the devastating results of the wrong choice.Heavens and Earth are called uponto witness this most significant factof human existence. It is the Landof Israel that is the "prize" forchoosing wisely, as Gd had promised Avraham, Yitzchak, andYaakov. Gd reconfirms Hiscovenant and promises to us.
We have Free Will. We can bewhatever kind of people we chooseto be. We have His "recommendation" and encouragement to choose
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Life over Death, Good over Evil.Our proper choices will earn uslong life and a firm hold on theLand that He promised ourancestors.
Let us heed the warnings ofNitzavim, let us be inspired by thebeautiful challenges of Nitzavim, letus be uplifted by the loftymessages of Nitzavim, and let ushave a "successful" Rosh HaShanaand Yom Kippur, and a happy &healthy year of peace & prosperity.
Haftara 23 p'sukim Yeshayahu 61:1063:9The final of the Seven Haftarot ofConsolation. Yeshayahu prophesiesof the time to come when therewill be universal peace andJerusalem will not only be rebuilt,but will be the center of universalworship of Gd. But not only willthe nations of the world recognizeThe One Gd, they will alsoacknowledge the People of Israelas His People. The idea ofuniversal acceptance of Gd fitswell with our notion that ALLpeople are judged by Gd on RoshHaShana, not just the JewishPeople.
At mincha on Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim,the last Shabbat of 5768, we will read thefirst 13 p'sukim of Vayeilech, next week'ssedra. With that reading, we will haveread, at least once, 5829 p'sukim of theTorah. The last 17 p'sukim of Vayeilechare not read at all in 5768 (sinceVayeilech was combined with Nitzavim a
year ago, as 5767 was drawing to a close.To put it differently, Vayeilech issometimes the last sedra of the year andsometimes it's the first. This occurs31.5% of the time.
To remind you of the NitzavimVayeilechtogether/combined issue... When RH isThursday or Shabbat, there is no Shabbatbetween Yom Kippur and Sukkot. ThenN/V is read before RH, Haazinu forShuva and the next "weekly" sedra isV'ZOT HABRACHA on Simchat Torah.But, if RH is Monday of Tuesday, therewill be a Shabbat between YK andSukkot. That Shabbat needs Haazinu andShuva takes Vayeilech, leaving Nitzavimalone for the last Shabbat of the year.
REMINDER: Nitzavim andVayeilech are read onseparate Shabbatot this year.They are both presented inthis issue of Torah Tidbitsbecause no separate issue willappear for next week. Thisissue covers Nitzavim, RoshHaShana, and Vayeilech.
Vayeilech STATS52nd of the 54 sedras; 9th of 11 in D'varim
Written on 72 lines in a Sefer Torah (rank: 53)
3 Parshiyot; 2 open, 1 closed
30 p'sukim ranks 54th (11th in D'varim)
553 words ranks 53rd (10th in D'varim)
2123 letters ranks 53rd (10th in D'varim)
Shortest sedra in number of p'sukim; longestp'sukim in the whole Torah.
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MITZVOT2 of 613, both positive. The last two, according toSefer HaChinuch; Rambam counts one more inHaazinu.
Kohen First Aliya 3 p'sukim 31:13[P>31:1 (6)] Moshe Rabeinu concludes his words to the People andtells them that at his age of 120years, he is no longer able to leadthem.
And that Gd has told Moshe thathe will not be crossing the JordanRiver, so his journey is truly over.He tells them that Gd will be withthem, destroy the nations that theywill encounter in Eretz Yisrael, andthat Yehoshua will be the one tolead them.
Levi Second Aliya 3 p'sukim 31:46Moshe reminds the People of thevictories they have had, and tellsthem to be strong and courageous.Gd won't abandon them.
Shlishi Third Aliya 3 p'sukim 31:79[S>31:7 (7)] Moshe then speaks toYehoshua in front of the assembledpeople, and asks him to be strong,for he will be leading the peopleand he will be in charge ofconquering and settling the Land.
Gd will be guiding you "every stepof the way".
When Moshe finished writing theTorah, he gave it over to theKohanim, "the carriers of the Ark".
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 4 p'sukim 31:1013Moshe next commands the Peopleconcerning the mitzva of "Hak'hel"[612,A16 31:12]. On Sukkotfollowing a Shmita year, when thepeople gather in Jerusalem for theChag, the king shall read (parts of)the Torah to the multitude. Thepeople are to gather at the BeitHaMikdash men, women, andchildren in order to learn, to fearGd, to hear and understand, andto commit to fulfill all the teachingsof the Torah. And the youngsterswho have not yet learned, will hearand learn to revere Gd "all thedays they shall live in the Landyour are about to enter".
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 6 p'sukim 31:1419[P>31:14 (17)] Gd calls to Mosheto take Yehoshua and appear withhim at the "Ohel Moed". Gd'sPresence descended to the Tent inthe form of a Cloud.
Gd tells Moshe that after his death,the people will rebel against Him,stray from the proper path, andembrace other gods. Gdannounces that He will show His
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anger by "hiding His Face" fromthem. This is a reference to thewellknown "hester panim" whichmanifests itself as Gd "workingbehind the scenes" only, in hidden,subtle ways.
This prophecy by no means“obligates” that generation, or anygeneration, to turn to idolatry. It ispossible for the prophecy never tocome true. And this would notimpugn the truth of Torah or Moshe’sstatus as a prophet. We always havethe challenge not to turn away fromGd, and the ability to remainfaithful to Him.
Next is the command to write "TheSong" (namely the whole Torah), toteach it to the people, so that itshould serve as a testament amongthe People of Israel. This is the lastmitzva of the Torah [613, A1831:19], to write a Sefer Torah.
MitzvaWatchOur Sages include in this mitzva thesignificance of acquiring SifreiKodesh (holy books) from which tolearn. Since the Torah itself specifiesthat the "purpose" of writing a Torahscroll is to learn and teach from it,then writing, buying, acquiring alllearning texts would be in the spiritof this mitzva.
The RO"Sh (Rabeinu Asher) takesthis idea one significant step further he says that since in our day, theTorah scroll has been relegated tothe Aron Kodesh in shul and is usedfor public reading, but not as ateaching text the MAIN fulfillmentof this mitzva "to write a Sefer
Torah" is the building of a personalTorah library. Buy Torah texts fromwhich to learn and teach. He addsthat it is also praiseworthy if one isprivileged to write a Sefer Torah aswell. This is an unusual turnabout,which emphasizes the importance ofbuying sforim AND USING THEM.
SSSSSDDDDDTTTTT::::: "...and teach it to the People ofIsrael place it in their mouths." Fromhere the Gemara teaches us that one mustreview and review his teachings with hisstudents until they understand. It is notsufficient to just teach; one must work veryhard until his students really understand,until it in their mouths.
Shishi Sixth Aliya 5 p'sukim 31:2024Because, Gd explains, I ambringing the people to a Landflowing with milk and honey, thePeople will eat in contentment andturn from Gd. The Torah,however, will not be completelyforgotten from the lips (and hearts)of future generations. (This will be"their ticket back".) Moshe wrotethe Torah on that day (Rambamsays that he wrote 13 Torahs onefor each tribe and one in the care ofthe Kohanim/Leviyim) and taught itto the People. Gd "commanded"Yehoshua to be strong and courageous in his new role as leader.Moshe completed the writing of theTorah. (Some say that Moshe evenwrote the final 8 p'sukim of theTorah, which discuss his death;others disagree.)
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Sh'VII Seventh Aliya 6 p'sukim 31:2530Moshe commands the Leviyim totake the Torah and place it at theside of the Aron. (Some say thatthe Torah was in the Aron; otherssay that it was on a shelf attached tothe side of the Aron.) Moshe asksfor the leaders of the People toassemble for his final words tothem. Moshe tells of the prophecy/prediction of the rebelliousness ofthe People. Moshe speaks thewords of the Song here probablyreferring to Haazinu to all thepeople, in its entirety. 3pasukMaftir.
Haftara 22 p'sukim Hoshea 14:210 (9)Yoel 2:1527 (13)There are various customs for this haftara
SHUVA YISRAEL AD HASHEM...These opening words of theHaftara give the Shabbat its nameand basically say it all. Return toGd. The following pasukemphasizes the power of prayer inthe T'shuva process. Thecommand to repent isaccompanied by wonderfulpromises (prophecies) ofredemption and restoration of theformer glory of Israel.
The passage from Yoel gives us aShofar connection to T'shuva.
Another encouraging note as we
face the task of returning to Gd, isHis assurance that He is among us even before our T'shuva. And thatHe will not shame His people ever.
The last pasuk in Hoshea states,"Who is wise who understands this,an intelligent person will know:Gd's ways are straight, therighteous will walk upon them andthe sinner will trip on them." Veryoften it is the same activity or thesame thing that people handledifferently, with the result that oneperson succeeds and the otherfalters. It is often a matter ofattitude.
Notwithstanding the fact that theHaftara was not “chosen” becauseof the sedra, they do have somepoints in common. One example:The sedra speaks of rain in afigurative, spiritual sense and theHaftara mentions its more literalmeaning in connection withprosperity. The prosperity angle isparticularly interesting, since itappears in the sedra as a criticismand in the Haftara as a sign thatGd has forgiven His people. Thisfits with what was mentionedabove about the last pasuk inHoshea.
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THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAWRabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson #444
The Role of the Woman in the Beit Din SystemWith this lesson we begin a few lessonson the role of the woman in the Beit Dinsystem, her role as a party to litigation,her role as a witness and her role as ajudge, and will provide a halachicbackground regarding these topics.
Regarding her role as a party in litigation,whether as a plaintiff or as a defendant,the Mishna (T. Baba Kama 14b) statesthat women are included in the laws oftorts. R. Israel Lifschitz in hiscommentary interprets this Mishna asempowering a woman to be either aplaintiff or a defendant in a lawsuit. TheTalmud thereon in its discussion cites theteaching of the school of R. Eleazar thatstated that women and men are equalregarding all of the judgments of theTorah, citing the verse Sh'mot 21:1 “Andthese are the ordinances that you shallplace before them.”
Rambam (11351204) discusses the roleof the woman as a party in two differentcontexts. In Laws Concerning Theft: hestates: “whether the thief is a man or awoman” the penalty must be paid. InLaws Concerning Hiring, he states: “Awoman as well as a man, whether asbailor or as bailee, comes within thescope of the aforementioned rules of theLaws of Bailment.” R. Jacob Tur (12701340) writing in the 14th century indiscussing theft and bailments quotesRambam verbatim as does R. Yosef Karo
in the Shulhan Aruch in the 16th century.R. Mordechai Jaffe at the beginning ofthe 17th century, and R. Yechiel Epsteinin his Aruch haShulhan writing in the20th century in discussing the role of thewoman in the laws of bailment add that awoman is equal to a man in all the lawsof the Torah.
It should be noted that exceptions aremade for a modest woman. She does nothave to appear in Beit Din; the Beit Dinwill send a stenographer to her home totake her testimony. Although this ruleseems to be discussed only if she is beingsued, I do not see why this should alsonot apply if she is the plaintiff. From theforegoing it can be seen that a woman hasthe same status as a man in being able tosue and to be sued.
A far more restrictive approach is seen inthe question whether a woman may act asa witness before a Beit Din. In Israel theRabbinic courts permit a woman to tellwhat she knows. The courts treat theinformation related by the woman as anappraisement. Appraisement procedureappears in halacha and is stated byRambam as: “The judge in monetarymatters should act in accordance withwhat he is inclined to believe is the truthwhen he feels strongly that his belief isjustified, although he has no actual proofof it. This is in spite of the fact that thereis no clear proof that the matter is so. It
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goes without saying if the judge knowsthat he is certain that he is correct, heshould so decide the case.” Rambamasserts that a judge may decide by relyingon persons he deems to be trustworthy."This holds true even if the person whogave him the information is a woman.”Thus this procedure seems to be limitedto situations where there is no clear proofand only if the judge knows that thewoman is trustworthy and reliable.
It should be remembered that witnessesserve two different functions. In somematters, the act is given effect by thepresence of the two witnesses, such as ata marriage ceremony, when a manbetroths a woman, or with a divorcedocument (get). The witnesses in thesesituations actually make the act effective,for without them, the act would be anullity. The witnesses are not there totestify as to the truth of the act; ratherthey affect the act. Thus if a man and awoman both agreed to a betrothal but theman betrothed the woman withoutwitnesses, there would be no betrothal.The witnesses are there to accomplish theact, not only to testify that it happened.Thus if a video camera showed us a manbetroth a woman without witnesses theact would still not be effective. Womenmay not act as witnesses here. This is nota judicial function. There are othersituations in which witnesses are used toprove that the act took place. Forexample, a loan is effective even withoutany witnesses being present. And if theborrower admits the making of the loan,then the borrower is bound to repay theloan. This is the kind of witnessing weare now discussing, to prove an act, not tomake it effective.
Even in proving the act there are manydifferent situations. A person can beplanning to make a loan and will havewitnesses prepared to testify to the loan ifthe borrower denies liability. In manysituations the witnesses can be ready inadvance, but this is not within the scopeof our discussion, since in all thesesituations the law is almost clear thatwomen cannot testify. I say almost clearsince it will be shown that the Talmudpermits testimony in a situation wheretwins were born and the midwife cantestify as to who was born first. But thereare situations where one does not preparewitnesses in advance. One does notbefore starting out on a motor trip line theroute with qualified witnesses in case heshould be involved in an automobileaccident. Also a pedestrian does not linehis route with witnesses in case of apossible assault upon him. Suppose thatthe motorist is involved in an automobileaccident or the person walking down thestreet is mugged? In these situationssuppose that the only witnesses happenedto be women. May they testify in a civilaction where the victim of the automobileaccident sues for injuries or if themugging victim sues the assailant? I usedthe example of a civil suit since in acriminal action it is clear that a womanmay not testify. In the next lesson weshall examine the relevant Talmudicpassages which seem to give perhapsconflicting inferences whether a womanmay testify in civil actions.
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]
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Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Bamidbar Storiesby Dr. Meir Tamari
“To be Counted”[4]
"Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number" (Bamidbar 1:49); over and abovethe reasons for not including the tribe of Levi in the various censuses, like armyservice or the inheritance in Eretz Yisrael, their exclusion was due to majorreligious and spiritual issues.It is clear from chapter one in Bamidbar that the task of the tribe of Levi was tocarry, reerect and guard the Mishkan and its vessels but also to serve Aharonand his sons the Kohanim in their duties. "When Moshe was told to appoint ahigh priest, he asked from which tribe the Kohen Gadol was to come and Gdsaid to him: 'Not from Reuven as he is blemished: 'Reuven went and lay withBilha, his father's wife' (B'reishit 35:21); Not from Shimon since he actedstupidly with the Midianite at Shitim (Baidbar 25:14); Not from Yosef as hebrought lashon hara against his brothers (B'reishit 37:2); Not from Yehuda,since he is haughty and large of desire [referring to his taking of Tamar]. Ratherfrom Levi, from your tribe since you are faithful and trusted' " (MidrashHagadol)."The tribes only left Egypt in the merit that they would erect the Mishkan; 'Gdspoke to Moshe in the wilder ness of Sinai in Ohel Moed in the second year oftheir Exodus: take the total of the congregation' (Bamidbar 12). Since bothOhel Moed and the Exodus were mentioned in connection with the census, wesee that it was that merit that led to the Exodus; however, at the counting of theLeviyim, neither Ohel Moed nor the Exodus were mentioned showing that theymerited the Exodus by their own value" (Bamidbar Rabba 3:6). Chazal teachthat since the Leviyim never volunteered for the public works that Par'o used toentice Israel into his service so that he could later legally enslave them, theywere never enslaved; it was in this merit of freedom that Gd, later, selectedthem for His own service.Sanctification of the first born, of Israel, human, kosher animals and even thenonkosher ones, was due to Gd's saving of the firstborn when He smote allthe firstborn of Egypt (Sh'mot 13). "At the beginning, worship and sanctitywere the tasks of the first born but when Israel made the Eigel, the first bornwere no longer worthy of that holy task. Then the Levites rallied to Moshe's callto those who remained true to Gd and so merited the sacred duties that allIsrael were obligated for, had it not been for their sin with the Eigel" (S'forno)."'For I have taken the Leviyim from the midst of the children of Israel in place ofthe first born' (Bamidbar 3:1213); from this day on the firstborn were no longer
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holy rather they need to be redeemed" (Bamidbar Rabba 3:5). "The males ofthe tribe of Levi were counted from the age of one month rather than from 20years as the rest of Israel were, since their census was not for army service norfor apportioning the Land but rather for the redemption, Pidyon Haben, of thefirst born that is done when they are a month old" (Chizkuni).""'The tribe of Levi, your brothers, and you [Aharon] and your sons keep watchbefore Ohel Moed' (D'varim 18:2); it is a positive mitzva for the Kohanim andLeviyim to guard the MishkanTemple, and the abrogation of such protectiontrespasses a negative mitzva. It is a positive mitzva to be in awe of theMikdash; 'My Mikdash shall you revere' (Vayikra 19:30)" (Mishneh Torah,Hilkhot Beit Hab'chira 7 & 8). Throughout the telling of the duties andguardianship of the Kohanim and Leviyim, their ritualistic roles in the sacrificesand rites of Tum'a and Tahara, and even of the honors, gifts and taxes thatwere their due, there runs a constant warning, not only against strangersusurping those roles but that they themselves were in danger of punishment;for example, "that the families of Kahat live and not die when they approach theHoly of Holies" (Bamidbar 4:1920).Rambam asks what dangers need guarding against; surely not robbers norenemies? "The human soul, on approaching that which is holy, naturally yearnsto see beyond the permitted boundaries" (Abarbanel); that yearning forunlimited ecstasy by Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, led them to offerstrange fire that Gd had not commanded and for that they died (Vayikra,Sh'mini). "The holy vessels should not be viewed merely as utilitarian articlesbut the people should be taught to realize and understand their inner spiritualsignificance. The Leviyim themselves had to see the symbolical nature of thevessels entrusted to them otherwise their perception of their sacred purposewould have been profaned. It is only with carrying out the messages that theypreach that the Mishkan and the vessels become alive and achieve theirpurpose" (S. R. Hirsch).There is a further danger, one that is prevalent throughout all religions, even inmodern times, especially in the monotheistic faiths, wherein holy sites,miraculous cures and salvations, graves and even holy men and women canbe made objects of idolatry. Since the differences are very difficult to observe,one could seem to be worshiping Hashem, while at the same time actuallyattributing some of His Powers to others, which is the Rambam's definition ofidolatry. "And He buried Moshe in a valley in the land of Moav; but no manknows of his sepulcher to this day" (D'varim 34:6). "Why did Hashem hide thegravesite of Moshe from the knowledge of Mankind? He knew that the Templewould be destroyed and the people exiled, then, perhaps they would come tohis grave and weep and pray to him" (Sota 13a).Even things commanded by Gd may be mistakenly made into objects of falseworship. "Amend your ways and your actions, and I will cause you to dwell in
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this place. Trust not in lying words saying 'the Temple of Gd, the Temple ofGd', to save you" (Yirmiyahu 7:34). Chizkiya had to destroy the copperserpent that Gd had commanded Moshe to make in order to heal those bittenby the plague of serpents (Bamidbar 21:8); it had become an instrument of idolworship, therefore, "and he broke in pieces the copper serpent... for until thosedays the Children of Israel burnt incense to it" (Melachim Bet 18:4)."Fear not the Mikdash [as though it were a god (Tosafot Yevamot 6b)], butrather He who commanded you to fear it" (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot BeitHab'chirah 7:1).
MISC section contents:[1] Vebbe Rebbe
[2] Candle by Day[3] From Aloh Naaleh
[4] Wisdom and Wit[5] Parsha Points to Ponder
[6] From Machon Puah[7] Portion from the Portion
[8] Pirkei Avot[9] Torah from Nature
[10] Shabbat Shuva[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...
QWhen the seemingly most appropriate candidate for blowingshofar is able to blow only on the
left side of his mouth, should he bepassed over in favor of one who canblow on his right side?
AThe Rama (Orach Chayim 585:2)cites the minhag (found in SeferHaminhagim, Tirna) that it is
proper to blow the shofar on the right sideof the mouth. (Most S'fardic poskim alsoseem to have adopted the minhag.) Hisreason is that the satan is on the right side,and, through the shofar blowing, wecounter and confuse him (see also theMinhagim of the Maharil). (The connectionbetween the shofar and the satan is a majortheme with various ramifications, and weshould not belittle its importance, as shofaris a mitzva whose whole nature revolvesaround hidden messages.) The Bi'urHalacha (ad loc.) notes that regardingGideon’s men’s blowing of shofar at thetime of war, we find that they held theshofars on the right side. That being said,the poskim, starting with the Rama,presented the idea of blowing on the rightside as a preference, not a requirement.Let’s investigate different factors that mayimpact on the matter.
Some of the people who are able to blowonly on the left side are lefties. The Magen
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Avraham (585:4) says that a lefty shouldblow on the left side. He bases himself onthe sources that explain the minhag bysaying that the left side does not need theshofar’s help because t'fillin are put on thatside. He, therefore, suggests that a lefty,who puts t'fillin on his right arm, shouldblow on the left. However, the AruchHashulchan (Orach Chayim 585:6)counters that we are not interested in thepersonal t'fillin of the ba’al tokei'a butthose of the majority of people, at leastthose of the congregation. Most poskim saythat even a lefty should blow on the rightside (Sha’ar Hatziyun 585:18). The Levush(585:2) claims that according to Kabbala, itis better for all to blow on the left side.Although the “proleft” opinions are notaccepted, they further weaken our resolveto insist that the ba’al tokei’a blow on theright side of his mouth.
When it comes to priorities of picking aba’al tokei’a, the Maharam Shick (OrachChayim 294) says that one should preferone who is learned and Gd fearing but canblow only on the left side to a relativelyignorant person who blows on the rightside. This follows the general guidelinesregarding those who lead services on RoshHashana (Rama, Orach Chayim 581:1).Yalkut Yosef (Moadim, p. 41) concurs.The same should be true regarding thequality of the blowing. While acongregation will usually fulfill its mitzvaby listening to one who struggles throughthe teki'ot with mistakes and delays, thissituation has several regrettable elements:it is not honorable for the mitzva;sometimes people, especially those who arenot able to be there the whole time, maynot hear enough proper blasts to fulfill themitzva; people are so taken by the drama ofwhether and when the ba'al tokei'a willmake it through his duties that they neglect
to concentrate on the proper things(including repentance and acceptingHashem’s dominion); people may talk,even lashon hara, and act in a not dignifiedmanner.
The Maharam Shick (ibid.) invokes anotherfactor, which we cannot stress enough. Allof these decisions should be taken withsensitivity and a strong desire to avoiddiscord, which is always appropriate andcertainly on the High Holy Days. Anothergeneral consideration is that one who leadsthe services should be acceptable in theeyes of the congregation (Rama, OC581:1).
Many of the factors we have mentioned arenot ones that have yes or no answers. Howproficient is proficient? How righteous isrighteous? How likely does discord have tobe in order to need to be considered?Making this type of decision is among thedifficult tasks that earn a rabbi or a gabbaihis keep.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 DayThe job of our minds is to discoverwhat our souls already know.
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
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[3] CHIZUK and IDUDfor Olim & notyetOlim respectively
In Nitzavim we see a pattern whereby weare driven out of Eretz Yisrael because ofidol worship and other sins, endure exilewhere we are forced to turn back toHashem, and then we're brought back toEretz Yisrael, where Hashem will "do goodto you and make you more numerous thanyour forefathers."
Most significantly, will be the change inour relationship with Hashem. "Gd willcircumcise your heart and that of yourchildren to love Hashem your Gd with allyour heart and soul in order that youshould live" (30:6).
Asks the Netziv, if we're loving Hashem inorder to live, then it's not Hashem we'reloving but our selves?
He explains that living, in the sense of thispasuk, doesn't mean just breathing. Itmeans feeling fully alive in a way that canonly be experienced when one iscommitted to and excited about Torah andmitzvot. Reb Moshe Feinstein makes asimilar point on the pasuk, "And youshould choose life in order that you andyour children should live" (30:19). He saysif we want to influence our children tofollow in our ways, then we can't domitzvot just because Gd said so, eventhough we feel they are a burden.
In such a case, our children might concludethat they don't have our strength to shlepthe load. Rather we should learn Torah outof joy, because this is the essence of ourlives, the only thing that gives us truepleasure in this materialistic world. Only inthis way will our children want to follow inour paths.
But it isn't easy to reach that level ofexcitement. The Netziv says it can only
happen in Eretz Yisrael. "When we wereoutside of Eretz Yisrael even one who triedto fully draw himself close to Hashem inlove couldn't do so," the Netziv writes.Though he continues to explain that thefullest relationship with Hashem can onlybe attained in the times of Mashiach, it isclear that even today the spiritual climateof Eretz Yisrael provides an opportunity tofeel the excitement of being Jewish likenowhere else in the world.
These days of economic upheaval may be aperfect time to reassess our relationshipwith material possessions and choose life,as the Torah defines it.
Rabbi Joel Rebibo , Beit El
THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh membersfor publication in the Orthodox Union's 'TorahInsights', a weekly Torah publication on ParshatHaShavu'a
[4] Wisdom & WitR’ Yaakov Yosef of Pshischa and R’Yaakov of Lelov came together to anextraordinarily wealthy man to collect almsfor the poor. R’ Yaakov Yosef was abrawny fellow, while R’ Yaakov was apale slip of a man.The man, not bothering to hear that theywere not collecting money for themselvesbut for the poor, told them: “I’m gladlywilling to give money to the small man,who is so frail that he cannot possibly earna living on his own. But as to you” andhere he pointed to R’ Yaakov Yosef “youhave two strong hands. If you want to eat,go find yourself a job.”Soon after the two had left, the man foundout that the person he had insulted was R’Yaakov Yosef, the Yehudi Hakadosh, as hewas known. Rushing over to the two, theman cried and begged for forgiveness for
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insulting R’ Yaakov Yosef.“Me? You didn’t insult me, “R’ YaakovYosef said to him,”you must have mistakenme for someone else.” But Rebbe, Idid,”cried the man.“No you didn’t. You insulted the simpleman you thought I was. You certainlydidn’t insult me.”“Rebbe, please forgive me,”begged theman. “I regret every word I said.”“Well, that is impossible,” explainedR’Yaakov Yosef. “Since you didn’t insultme, I can’t possibly forgive you.”“Then what should I do, Rebbe?” cried theman.“Well, since you did not insult me but youinsulted the simple man you thought I was,you will have to asked and beg forgivenessfrom every simple man you might meet forthe rest of your life, and you will need tomake amends to each and every one ofthem.”
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 PonderNITZAVIM
1) Why does the Torah use the repetitivelanguage of NOT WITH YOU ALONEDO I MAKE THIS PACT (29:13) andFOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERETODAY (29:14)? The second statementalone should have sufficed!
2) Why does the Torah say that we areresponsible to listen to all that GD teachesTODAY (30:2)?
3) Why does the Torah say FROM YOU(MIMCHA) when relating that the mitzvotare NOT HIDDEN FROM YOU (LONIFLEIT HI) but it does not say FORYOU when teaching that mitzvot are NOTFAR (LO RECHOKA) from us? (30:11)
THESE ARE THE ANSWERSPonder the questions first, then read here
1) The Ohr HaChayim explains that hadthe Torah simply said NOT WITH YOUALONE DO I MAKE THIS PACT, theimplication could have been that GD willmake the pact with future generations butthis generation had no responsibilities forthe future generations. The extra phraseFOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERETODAY taught that that generation had anactive responsibility to accept the pact withGD on behalf of the future generations.
2) The S'forno answers that the wordTODAY teaches that throughout allgenerations we must strive to performmitzvot with a freshness and excitement asif they were given TODAY and never byrote.
3) The Kli Yakar teaches that NOTHIDDEN FROM YOU refers to theexplanations for the mitzvot as taught inthe Oral Torah. That is NOT HIDDENfrom the Jewish people who have thetraditions of the Oral Torah but is hiddenfrom the gentile world who lack thistradition. NOT FAR refers to thestraightforward actions of the mitzvotdescribed in the Written Torah. That is notdistant not just from Jews but fromnonJews as well. Thus, the word FROMYOU is omitted.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
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"DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults)to Questions about the Jewish Faith",justrepublished by Feldheim, [email protected]
[6] From Machon PuahTreatment on the Festivals(Part 2)Question:
I am in the middle of a treatment cycle forinfertility at the moment and the doctor justsaid that we may have to do the actualtreatment on Rosh HaShana. What can wedo?
Answer:
Last week we started discussing thehalachic status of the infertile couple.
It seems clear that we cannot define themas suffering from a lifethreatening illness,since mostly infertility is notlifethreatening. Sometimes infertility canbe caused by a lifethreatening disease thatmust be treated separately of the infertilitytreatment.
So that leaves us with two otherpossibilities; not ill or ill but not in danger(cholei she'ein bo sakana.)
In my discussion with poskim, some ofthem said that the infertile couple isconsidered as essential well and not ill.They likened their situation to the personwho is suffering from discomfort where wehold that one cannot take medicine orundergo any medical procedure. Eventhough it is clear that there is a medicalreason why the couple are not gettingpregnant, since there is no specific medicaldefinition they cannot be classifiedhalachically as ill.
It is interesting to note that this sameposition is held by some doctors. In a letter
to a respected journal one expert wrote"The mistaken idea that infertility is adisease is commonplace among not onlyacademicians and clinicians but alsoamong thirdparty payers and the generalpublic and is one of the reasons thatinfertility is not covered by most insuranceplans. The facts are that infertility and itsfrequent companion, anovulation, are notdiseases; they are symptoms of underlying,some times serious disease in one or bothmarital partners. One result of consideringinfertility and anovulation as diseasesrather than symptoms is that unnecessarilypowerful and expensive treatments may beused to obtain an immediate pregnancy,whereas chronic disease that may affectlifelong health is overlooked."
However, this is far from being themajority opinion, neither among themedical experts nor among the poskim thatI spoke to. Most of the poskim held that theinfertile couple can be considered ill, andin the category of cholei she'ein bo sakana.
The reasons for this go to the heart of thedefinition of illness itself. While it is notalways clear exactly why a specific coupleare infertile, the fact that are experiencingproblems having children illustrates thatthey are suffering from some illness or atleast some dysfunction. This may not bethe classic definition of illness as wecannot point out what is their exactailment, but they are ill.
Another approach that I found among theposkim was that the psychological painthat they feel is sufficient to class them asill.
More on this next week.
The Puah Institute for Fertility andGynecology in Accordance with Halacha isbased in Jerusalem and helps couples from
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all 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 atwww.puah.org.il
[7]
by Rakel BerenbaumFEEDback to [email protected]
May our merits be asmany as the (seeds of a)
POMEGRANATEAfter returning home from shul RoshHashana evening, various symbolicfoods are eaten at the meal, and ashort prayer, alluding to the symbolismis recited for each food. The custom isbased on a Talmudic teaching broughtin HORAYOT 12a and KERITUT 6athat symbols are significant andtherefore a person should eat certainfoods.Everyone is familiar with the apple inhoney, to symbolize our wish for asweet new year, yet there is a longerlist of foods brought down in theTalmudic list suggested to eat. This listincludes gourds, leeks, beets, anddates.Dates: the Hebrew word for dateTAMAR sounds similar to the wordTAMAH. We pray that our enemies will
be consumed.Blackeyed peas: Called RUBIA inHebrew which sounds like RABA many. We pray that our merits shouldincrease.Gourd: Called KARA sounding like tearup, and also read that our sentenceshould be torn asunder, and our meritsshould be read before You.Leeks: The Hebrew word for leek isKARTI which sounds like a word thatmeans 'to be cut off'. We pray that 'ourenemies will be cut off'.Beets: The Hebrew word for beet isSELEK which sounds like the wordSALUK which means "to remove" or "totake away". We pray that "our enemieswill be taken away".We also eat:Pomegranates: "May the year be richand replete with merits ZECHUYOT as the pomegranate is rich with seeds".All the foods mentioned in the Talmudare brought because their namesounds like something else that wewish for. The pomegranate is different here something intrinsic in the fruititself points to our request. That thepomegranate itself has an abundanceof seeds not that its name soundslike abundance. There are otherquestions we can ask about this wishwe make referring to the pomegranate.In the sidur OHR HACHAMA, compiledby Zundel Kroyzer, he asks whatexactly we are requesting is it that ifwe have a few merits, we want them tobe looked at as if they are as abundantas the seeds of a pomegranate or is itthat we are asking in general to havethe opportunity to do and obtain lots ofmerits but haven't we already asked
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for that when we eat the RUBIA?He answers by telling a story aboutRabbi Meir that is brought in theTalmud in CHAGIGA. There it relatesthat Gd would quote Torah from allRabbis except Rabbi Meir since he hadleraned Torah from Elisha ben Abuyeknown as ACHER the other sinceACHER had became an apikores. Thischanged when Rabba bar Shila toldEliyahu that Rabbi Meir had 'found apomegranate , ate the inside and threwout the peel", meaning Rabbi Meir atethe good part of the pomegranate anddiscarded the waste meaning he wasable to retain the Torah of Elishawithout maintaining any of his waste.From then on, relates the Talmud, Gdalso quotes Rabbi Meir his Torahlearning was not tainted.In this story we are not just told that heate a fruit but we are told specificallythat he ate a pomegranate. Apomegranate is special because weactually eat the pits , which in otherfruits is the garbage. We elevate thewaste matter to a delicacy.That is what this Y'HI RATZON is allabout we pray that we will be able toelevate our bad parts to something thatwill be a merit for ourselves and all ofKLAL YISRAEL.
Here's a simple salad recipe that usespomegranate seeds. Shana Tova
SPINACH &POMEGRANATE SALAD
3 oranges, peeled and sliced1 cucumber, thinly sliced1 cup grapes, halved and seeded2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp honey½ tsp cinnamon¼ tsp cloves1/8 tsp ginger1 qt. fresh spinach, torn into bitesize piecesPomegranate seeds½ cup prepared French dressing
Combine oranges, cucumber, grapesand onions. Refrigerate up to 6 hoursto blend flavors. Combine Frenchdressing, honey, cinnamon, cloves andginger; blend well. Refrigerate untilserved. In large bowl, combinespinach, orange mixture and dressing;toss lightly. Garnish with pomegranateseeds. Serve immediately. Makes 8one cup servings.
[8] Pirkei Avot •p'rakim 5 & 6
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With ten Sayings the world was created. What doesthis teach us? Could it not have been created withone Saying? It is to make known the punishmentthat will befall the wicked who destroy the world thatwas created with ten Sayings, as well as the goodlyreward that will be bestowed upon the just whopreserve the world that was created with ten Sayings.
Here's another example of relearning amishna in Avot with a different background each time around. (Referring tothe fact that each of the 4 times we
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learn Pirkei Avot from Pesach to RoshHaShana, the Calendar serves as adifferent focus of the learning.)
Look at the lesson of this mishna inlight of Rambam's statement in HilchotT'shuva, the Laws of Repentance (ch. 3).
In halacha Alef he writes that everysingle person has merits and demerits;one whose merits outweigh hisdemerits is a Tzadik; one whosedemerits outweigh his merits is a Rasha.5050, says Rambam, the person is aBEINONI (average, in between type).So too, for countries; so too for thewhole world. Later, in halacha Dalet,Rambam says: ...therefore, every personmust see himself throughout the year asif he has half merits and half demerits.One sin and he tips his personal balanceand that of the whole world towardsdestruc tion. But do one mitzva and hetips his balance and that of the wholeworld towards redemption andsalvation.
Certainly, a heavy responsibility thateach person bears, according toRambam's way of expressing things. Butthe mishna has already shown us thepower of one individual for saving orGd fornbid, destroying the wholeworld.
[9] Torah from Nature
BonoboPronounced b'NObo
A frugivorous primate (mainly fruit eaterof the ape family), it was formerlyconsidered a species of chimpanzee, nowhas species status with the common chimpin the genus Pan. The Bonobo is more
gracile (slight in form) than the CommonChimpanzee. Its head is smaller with lessprominent eyebrow ridges... black facewith pink lips, small ears, wide nostrils, andlong hair on its head... slim upper body,narrow shoulders, thin neck, and longlegs... walks upright about 25% of the timeduring ground locomotion... a morehumanlike appearance than that of theCommon Chimp... highly individuated facialfeatures, as humans do... one of theworld's leading primatologists, states thatthe Bonobo is often capable of altruism,compassion, empathy, kindness, patienceand sensitivity... live in the Congo... do notswim... Bonobo society is dominated byfemales... Bonobos do not form permanentrelationships with individual partners...bonding between females allows them todominate Bonobo society although malesare individually stronger, they cannot standalone against a united group of females...Females carry and nurse their young forfive years and can give birth every five tosix years... active from dawn todusk...Bonobos are capable of passing themirrorrecognition test for selfawareness.They communicate through primarily vocalmeans, although the meanings of theirvocalizations are not currently known;however, humans do understand theirfacial expressions and some of theirnatural hand gestures, such as theirinvitation to play. Two Bonobos at theGreat Ape Trust, Kanzi and Panbanisha,have been taught a vocabulary of over3000 words which they can type using aspecial keyboard of lexigrams (geometricsymbols), and they can respond to spokensentences. Some, such as bioethicist PeterSinger, argue that these results qualifythem for the "rights to survival and life",rights that humans theoretically accord toall persons.
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As mammals, they too celebrate theircreation on Rosh HaShana, whichcorresponds to the sixth day of Creation.But however humanlike they are, they areNOT human and we must appreciate ourunique role in Gd's world.
[10] Shabbat ShuvaOur Sages point out the significance ofthere being exactly seven days betweenRosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, exclusive.It means that there is one and only oneSunday, one Monday... and exactly oneShabbat. And these unique days becomethe templates, if you will, for theircounterparts throughout the coming year.The Wednesday of Aseret Y'mei T'shuva(the Ten Days of Repentance) is (orrather, should be) the prototype for all theWednesdays of 5769. Same for the otherdays of the week. This idea is particularlymeaningful for Shabbat.
You know the saying. Today is the first dayof the rest of your life. Well, ShabbatShuva is the first Shabbat of the rest ofyour year (and life). And that presents achallenge. Use Shabbat Shuva to help makeall your Shabbats better and more specialthan they have been in the past, for youand your whole family.
Do you cut corners with the basic laws ofShabbat? Do you do things on Shabbat thatyou know you really should not be doing,but they seem trivial to you? If so, ShabbatShuva is there for you. Take things slowly,but make some forward progress. Decidenot to turn lights on and off this oneShabbat. Then see if you can keep it goingfor one more Shabbat. And another. Thatwas just an example. Let's say that you areShomer Shabbat. And the answer to thequestion about cutting corners is NO. Youkeep the Shabbat. You abstain from all
manner of Melacha, including all theRabbinic restrictions. Good. But do youREALLY keep Shabbat the way it should bekept? And honor it? And enjoy it? How doyou spend your "free" time on Shabbat?Do you have quality time with your family?Do you invite guests regularly? Do youlearn Torah and sing Zemirot at the table?Are your discussions at the table on a levelthat honors the Shabbat, or is it aboutbaseball, the stock market, shopping, TVcommercials, and such?
Napping is good, but is that all there is?How about a leisurely walk with yourspouse and/or children? A family review ofParshat HaShavua? (using ParshaPix,perhaps?)
And what about the preparation forShabbat? Is the day before Shabbat, Fridayor Erev Shabbat, they are not the same.Ditto for Saturday night or Motza'eiShabbat. Which do you have?
Shabbat Shuva is the Shabbat betweenRosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. It's aoneofakind Shabbat. We each have ourown davening and thinking agendas forRosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. But theShabbat between them is the challenge.People usually succeed in having a specialand meaningful Rosh HaShana and YomKippur. But those special days come oncea year. Shabbat is every single week. Usethis first one to raise your TSO (totalShabbat observance) a notch or two. Thenwork on maintaining and improving yourhonor and joy of the most special andprecious of days Shabbat.
[11] Divrei MenachemThe opening line of Nitzavim reminds us especially as we approach Rosh Hashana that we stand before the King of Kings. Thisawareness should normally engender a sense
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of awesome dread or incredible wonder. Yet,somehow, life seems to go on at its merrypace as we continue churning our waythrough our daily chores.
Following the narrative, we see that we,Bnei Yisrael, are about to enter into thecovenant of Hashem or, Gd forbid, into Hisimprecation, the curse that followscomplacency. As we stand before ourMaker, we are suddenly galvanized intoconsidering that: "Perhaps there is amongyou ...one] who blesses himself in his heartsaying, 'Peace will be with me, even thoughI walk as my heart sees fit' thereby addingwatered upon the thirsty" (D'varim29:1718).
Rashi explains that one who is "watered" isintoxicated and knows not what he does;"thirsty" implies premeditation. Here, theselfsatisfied individual is guilty on bothaccounts and, consequently, Hashem metesout punishment for his usually excusable,unintentional errors as well as for hisintentional sins.
Maybe, bearing this in mind as we standbefore the Throne, we might be betterpositioned to transform both our inadvertentand deliberate deeds to serve as a merit foreach of us and for Klal Yisrael.
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova,Menachem Persoff
Towards Better Daveningand Torah Reading...And here is our annual (at least) reviewof one of the first items we have raisedover the years under the banner ofB.A.S.H. Break Anti halachic ShulHabits.
AMEIN CHATUFAThe premature Amein. It is the cantorial
style of the davening of both YamimNora'im and the Chagim both of whichwe will be observing during theupcoming weeks for the Chazan tostretch out the ending of a bracha(mostly, but not only, in the repetition ofthe Amida) and for the congregation toanswer AMEIN as the Chazan finishesthe bracha. Problem.
The halacha is that one answers AMEINonly after the one saying a brachacompletes it no matter how long it isstretched. A premature AMEIN is like noAMEIN. And the Chazan's brachot canbe considered in vain (if we are dealingwith the repetition of the Amida). Weare so used to doing this, that it is a badhabit that is hard to break. But it is animportant issue, especially when we aretrying to daven our best. Wait for theChazan to finish then answer AMEIN.
What further aggravates this issue is thatit requires the cooperation of others.Let's say you are aware of the problemof AMEIN CHATUFA. So you wait outthe chazan and you don't say AMEIN tooearly. Good. But often, you won't hearthe end of the bracha because it getsdrowned out by others answering anearly AMEIN. So you really can't sayAMEIN then and the bracha loses out onall the AMEINs it should get.
Technically, there is one AMEIN that youcan say (and maybe should) before thechazan finishes kvetching out the lastwords and that is when the last wordsare V'IMRU AMEIN, "and say: AMEIN".The AMEIN goes on what was just said,with the chazan telling us to say AMEIN.At least we can say AMEIN with thechazan in such cases, and that is notconsidered a premature AMEIN.
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The family in the upperleftrepresents the beginning ofNitzavim that describes all whoare standing today before Gd.Included are men, women, andchildren, and all types ofpeople...
including the woodcutter (GeorgeWashington, as in the cherrytree)
and the waterdrawers (Jack &Jill, or is it water fetchers?).
The family also stands for thosewho were to participate inHAKHEL men, women, andchildren.
HAKHEL is also represented bythe crowned Torahreader theking
and by the Torah in the Sukka, inthe lowerright.
The feather writing letters is forthe mitzva to write a Sefer Torah.
That mitzva is also representedby the open gemara since thepurpose of writing a Sefer Torahis to teach from it, and today wedo that with Sifrei Kodesh, suchas Gemara, etc.
The Xed out moon, planets, andstars is LO BASHAMAYIM HI.
The acid rain symbol is for thedescription of the punishment forturning away from Gd.
The Megila is for the hidden"clue" to Esther in the Torah HESTEIR PANIM.
The questioned road signs is thechoice of choosing Life or Death,Good or Evil.
The plant growing a Tzedaka boxis from the haftara, referring toGd, YATZMI'ACH TZEDAKA.
The Chatan and Kallah under theChupa is also from the haftara.
And the chemical expression issulfur and salt burning...
There is a series of dots abovethe family, that is, above LANUULVANEINU for us and ourchildren just like there are dotsin a Sefer Torah above thosewords.
Then there is a Shofar. A bit tooobvious if we meant the Shofarblown in Elul or the one blown onRosh HaShana. Here it representsthe scrambled Rashei Teivot(initial letters) from D'varim29:17 "...lest there should beamong you a root that bears galland wormwood. This last phrasein Hebrew is: pen yeish bachemSHORESH POREH ROSHV'LA'ANA, whose first first lettersrearrange to spell SHOFAR. It isthe Shofar that hopefully leads usaway from being the "bad root".
Last week's bullet was a Smiley,which stands for the SIMCHA"commanded" as part of thegratitude to Gd expressed by theBikurim bringer, and for thewords of admonition thatpunishment will be deserved if wedo not serve Gd with SIMCHA...
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And the Footer icons wereQ&Lwhich stand for the Bikurim(grapes) and the recitation ofBikurim (speech bubble).
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 (KI TAVO) TTriddles:
[1] Happy time: from when to when?
Look up (The) Happy Time(s) on the internet andyou will find that there are several movies andalbums that carry that name. But [L] look it up inRashi and you will find the real answer. Part of themitzva of Bikurim in addition to bringing the firstfruits from among the Seven Species, and inaddition to reciting the Bikurim passage is to behappy! V'SAMACHTA V'CHOL HATOV... and you shallrejoice in all the good which HaShem your Gd hasgiven to you, and to your house, you, and theLevite, and the stranger who is among you. SaysRashi (based on the Gemara in P'sachim), fromhere we get the idea that complete fulfillment of themitzva of Bikurim meaning, not just bringing thefirstfruits but reciting the passage, as well can onlybe reached it Happy Time, time of Simcha, namely between Shavuot and Sukkot. This is the happy timefor the farmer. After Sukkot (and only until
Chanuka) Bikurim are brought but the passage isnot recited.
[2] R' Zacharya Mendel b. Aryei Leib of Belz
[7] R’ Moshe b. Shimon Frankfort
[X] R' Yehuda b. Shimon Ashkenazi of Tiktin
D'varim 27:8 "And you shall write upon the stonesall the words of this Torah VERY PLAINLY (or "inclear writing" or, perhaps, "easy to understand").BA'EIR HEITEIV. That phrase jumped off the pageand said TTriddle me. BA'EIR HEITEIV is acommentary on Shulchan Aruch. No problem.Obvious TTriddle. Except that three differentscholars called their commentaries BA'EIR HEITEIV.The first goes back to Poland a little over 300 yearsago. His commentary is on Yoreh Dei'a andChoshen Mishpat two of the four sections ofShulchan Aruch. The second one was born inAmsterdam but was associated more with Frankfort,also about 300 years ago. His commentary is on adifferent section of Shulchan Aruch Orech Chayim.Back to Poland for the third (whom we did not getto make into a TTriddle last week). He also goesback 300 years and his commentary is on three ofthe four sections of Shulchan Aruch Orech Chayim,Yoreh Dei'a, and Even HaEzer. Whoever chose thename, it's a good choice because it implies a clarityof writing that is necessary to proper understandingof Torah and Halacha.
[3] Tziklag, Mechona and suburbs
Nechemia 11:28 And in Tziklag, and in Mechona,and in its villages. This pasuk is part of a list of theplaces Jews settled. Tziklag was a town on thesouthern boundary of Judea, in the tribal allotmentof Yehuda... since in the days of Saul it was in thehands of the Philistines... they gave it to David whenhe fled Sha'ul... Amalek destroyed the town... wasresettled after the return from the Babylonian Exile(which is what it is doing in the pasuk fromNechemia). Possibly a little south of Be'er Sheva.So what's its connection to Parshat Ki Tavo? None.But to TT 829, yes. This was a Footer TTriddle. Thegimatriya of the pasuk is 829.
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[4] 15 in Tanach, 12 in Torah, 5 in D'varim, 3 in KiTavo
15 times in Tanach, the Land of Israel is referred toas ERETZ ZAVAT CHALAV UDVASH, a land flowingwith milk and honey. 12 of those times are in theTorah. 5 of the 12 are in the book of D'varim, threeof which are in Parshat Ki Tavo, giving Ki Tavo thebest claim to the phrase of anywhere else inTanach.
[5] Butterscotch could have been based on this
Butterscotch is A syrup, sauce, candy, or flavoringmade by melting butter and brown sugar together.
Being made with a dairy component and a sweetcomponent and being the color that it is (it isactually the name of its color second definition ofbutterscotch is "A golden or tawny brown". It couldvery well be that butterscotch is based on "milk andhoney" which, as you read in the previousTTriddles explanation, is associated with Parshat KiTavo.
[6] 3rd = 4th + 7th
The mitzva of Vidui Maasrot is associated with the3rd year (of the Shmita cycle). That's what it says inthe pasuk. However, we are taught that the mitzvaapplies to the time after the third year is complete,and the mitzva is performed on Pesach of the 4thyear being the year after Maaseir Ani (tithe for thepoor) are to be taken from the crops. So too, isVidui Maasrot done in the 7th year, which alsofollows a Maaseir Ani year (the 6th). So, 3rd (asmentioned in the Torah) means (=) the 4th and(+) the 7th years.
[7] see [2] above
[8] From Sin Wilderness to Dafka
Referring you back to [3], which was a FooterTTriddle based on the gimatriya of a whole pasuk,here we have the other. There are only two p'sukimin Tanach with 829 as their gimatriya. The otherone is from Parshat Mas'ei (Bamidbar 33:12) whichstates: And they traveling from Midbar Sin and they
camped at Dafka.
One further gimatriya In Parshat Ki Tavo, in theportion of Vidui Maasrot referred to above,specifically in D'varim 26:12 "When you havefinished tithing all the tithes of YOUR PRODUCE thethird year... T'VU'ATCHA (your produce) is one oftwo words in the Torah with a gimatriya of 829. Sowe'll take it as a REMEZ that TT 829 was the KiTavo issue.
[9] ParshaPix Unexplaineds
The little elephant at the bottom of the ParshaPizrepresents the mitzva that an elephant assuminghis reputation is deserved cannot fulfill, the mitzvaof SHICH'CHA, forgetting the bundles of produce(one or two of them) in the field. As elephants(supposedly) never forget, they would never do thismitzva. But they would be very good at the mitzvotthat require us to remember Shabbat, Maamad HarSinai, Amalek, what happened to Miriam, andothers. This, assuming that an elephant is eitherborn to a Jewish mother or converts.
And then ther is AYIN with a SEGOL under it and aMEM (sofit) with a SEGOL under it. AYINMEM spellsAM, nation. This then is an AM SEGULA, as inChosen Nation, a phrase that occurs twice inParshat R'ei and once in Ki Tavo.
This week's TTriddles:[1] What bug spray did people at Hakhel use?
[2] This Sunday is really sunday
[3] Good name for the NFL's championshipgame, to distinguish it from the manymajor postseason collegiate footballgames.
[4] Sheva brachot on Friday night
[5] Call Cactus Jack
[6] Britt Reid’s Kato
[7] The mink coat on display is this
[8] Invite a flower to lunch on Shabbat
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