?? Quiz Time??Answers can be found on back page

1. How does Parshas Haazinu appear differently in the Sefer Torah?

PAR

SH

AHThe Song of Haazinu

Sam EpsteinInformal Educator, Immanuel College

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T H I S P A G E H A S B E E N K I N D L Y S P O N S O R E D

The song of Haazinu, presented in poetic form, contains an undercurrent of hidden messages and comparisons.

At the beginning of the Parsha, we read the phrase ‘Yaarof Ka’motor Likchi, Ti’zal Ka’tal Imrosi’, translated as ‘May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew’. Chazal explain that this poetic phraseology is in fact a reference to the words of the Torah. The Torah is compared to both rain and dew, both of which are imperative in ensuring the continued sustenance of the human race. Rashi explains that the comparison of Torah to ‘dew’ is more apt than the comparison to rain, as rain can be harmful and damaging, whereas dew is always desired. However, the Ksav Sofer, amongst many other Meforshim, point out a seemingly evident problem with the explanation as quoted in Rashi. If rain is not always beneficial, why is the Torah study compared to it at all? Surely it would make more sense to neglect this comparison to rain completely and merely retain the comparison to dew alone. This seemingly perplexing allegory must therefore be understood.

The Sfas Emes explains why the Torah is compared to both rain and dew. When one first sets out to study the holy words of the Torah, they are often perplexed as to the meaning, confused as to the translation and completely overwhelmed by the difficult task that they face in deciphering the multifaceted layers of the complexities of the words of G-d. The Torah, as direct words of G-d, is injected with complexities that are extremely difficult to grasp. When faced with difficulty, the natural tendency of the human being is to distance themselves from the difficult task that lies ahead. Challenges come in all shapes and sizes, and to fully grasp the Torah from the initial study is extremely difficult, if not

impossible. Whether it is the primary school child after learning his Aleph Beis, taking a first stab at reading Chumash, or the older child, attempting to learn his first Gemoro; every new aspect of Torah study, whatever the age, whatever the circumstance, can be gruelling and difficult. The reading of the words, the complexities behind the translation; Torah can appear to be an uphill struggle that is vastly difficult to overcome. Chazal explain that the Torah, at first instance, is bitter. The reason for this is precisely because of the difficulty in understanding it. Because of this difficulty, it can scare people away. However, upon further study, the words become clearer and sweeter.

The Mechilta in Parshas Shemos (19:15) tells us that ‘Kol haschalos kashos’, that ‘all beginnings are difficult’, and this is particularly true of studying new ideas and new concept, in particular the Torah. The Torah appears at first to be like the rain, which is not always good for crop. The Torah appears at first to be difficult to approach, hard to comprehend. It appears to be like rain, not always good, not always beneficial. But, after perseverance, this bitterness morphs into sweetness, the difficulty into ease. The metamorphosis of the Torah is the difference between comparing it to rain and dew, changing from a book that is difficult to approach to the eternally beneficial book, much like the wholly beneficial dew.

As we complete the cycle of Yomim Tovim that begins the New Year, the challenge for each and every one of us is to find the sweetness in the Torah, to change the words of the Torah from

‘rain’ into ‘dew’, eternally beneficial to each and every one of us. The sweet year we asked for on Rosh Hashanah can be achieved through the sweetness of Torah, as long as we persevere and as long as we are able to capture it.

OnegShabbosOnegShabbosבס"ד

North West London's Weekly Torah and Opinion Sheets

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26 September ’15 י"ג תשרי תשע"ו

פרשת האזינו

פ' האזינו הפטרה: שמואל ב' כ"ב א' - נ"א

הדלקת נרות London: 6.37 pm

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?? Quiz Time??Answers can be found on back page

2. What does the Shira of the Leviyim in the Beis Hamikdosh have to do with Parshas Haazinu?

S P O N S O R E D

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The Weekly Halachic Conversation

Rabbi Avi WiesenfeldRosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halachah Beis Horaah H

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Sitting in a Succah – The Shelter of Glory (Part 2)

WHAT SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN THE SUCCAHAlthough we have learned that the succah should be treated as one’s home throughout the duration of Succos, the succah is a very holy place (as many seforim state that the Shechinah rests there and that it is compared to the Beis ha’Mikdash1) and thus demeaning acts should not be performed in the succah.2 The following are some examples of activities that should not be done in the succah:

Washing plates and silverware in the succah.3 (Cups may be washed in the succah.4)

 Relieving oneself.5

 Changing a baby’s diaper.

 Due to the holiness of the succah, one should be extremely careful not to speak forbidden things, such as lashon ha’ra, rechilus, etc.6

Q. May one wash netilas yadayim in the succah?

A. According to many poskim, one should not wash his hands in the succah in preparation for the meal.7 Nevertheless, washing the hands upon awakening in the morning (negel vasser) may be done in the succah (since it must be done within 4 amos from one’s bed), and the water should be removed immediately.

Q. Are there any types of objects that should not be brought into the succah?

A. Anything that one normally would not bring to the place of eating should not be brought into the succah (unless there is no other option8).9

1 עי' קב הישר פרק צ"ה. 2 רמ"א סי' תרלט ס"א.

3 מ"ב ס"ק ט'. 4 מ"ב ס"ק ט. ובחוט שני פי"א ס"ק ג אות ו' כ' שרק דרך עראי מותר.

5 חי"א כלל קמז ס"ב, ביכו"י ס"ק ט', מ"ב ס"ק ט'.6 א"ר ס"ק א, חי"א כלל קמז ס"א, פרמ"ג במ"ז ס"ק א, מ"ב ס"ק ב בשם השל"ה.

7 ערוה"ש ס"ד כיון דהוי ביזוי לסוכה. אבל בנט"י שחרית מיקל אם מוציא מיד. וכ"פ הגרש"ז זצ"ל בהליכות שלמה כנ"ל. וכ"כ הבעל האג"מ הובא בשו"ת רבבות

אפרים שכיון שכל השנה לא נוטל ידים באותו חדר שאוכל שם, ג"כ בסוכה לא עושה הכי.

8 חי"א כלל קמז ס"ק ב, מ"ב ס"ק ה.9 גמ' סוכה כט. ומ"ב שם ס"ק ד.

For example, one should not bring into the succah: baking pans, mixing bowls orr buckets.

Nevertheless, even if one does bring these items into the succah, the succah remains valid (but many authorities maintain that a berachah for sitting in the succah should not be made until these items are removed).10

Q. May pots be brought into the succah?

A. Pots that one normally would never bring into his dining room should not be brought into the succah (unless there is nothing else suitable with which to serve the food).11 Serving trays and bowls certainly may be brought into the succah.

Q. Must the plates and utensils at the end of a meal be removed immediately after eating?

A. After everyone has finished eating, the plates and utensils should be removed from the succah. One need not remove them as each person finishes his portion, just as one would not rush in one’s home to remove them from the dining room table immediately after each person has finished eating. Nevertheless, they should not be left in the succah too long after everyone has finished.12 Drinking glasses may be left on the table until they are no longer being used; they do not need to be removed at the completion of the meal since people normally continue to drink from them even after the meal.

The table may be cleaned after shalosh se’udos, while it is still Shabbos. Although on an ordinary Shabbos this is considered an act of preparing for after Shabbos and is prohibited, on Succos it is permitted since it is being done for the immediate need of preserving the holiness of the succah.13

10 חי"א כלל קמז ס"ק ב, שעה"צ ס"ק יג.11 גמ' סוכה כט..

12 שו"ע ורמ"א סי' תרלט ס"א. ופסק הביכו"י והגרש"ז זצ"ל שכמו בבית אין ממהר להוציא מהחדר, ה"ה בסוכה.

13 הגרח"ק שליט"א הובא בארבעת המינים כהלכתם עמ' קסח, והגר"י זילברשטיין שליט"א בקובץ המועדים עמ' תשטו.

Similarly, it is permitted to bring a garbage can into the succah when cleaning up, provided that it is not left there.14

Q. When is the berachah of בסוכה לישב recited?

A. According to many Rishonim, a berachah must be made each and every time that one enters the succah.15 Other Rishonim disagree and rule that the berachah is said only upon eating something in the succah.16

The final halachah is that we make the berachah only when we eat a food item that must be eaten in the succah, such as bread or mezonos.17

Q. If one leaves the succah after making a berachah on it and then he subsequently returns, must he recite a new berachah?

A. Only if one leaves the succah completely is he required to make a new berachah upon his return.18

Rebbe Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev used to invite the plain, common folk into his succah. Explaining why, he said “in Gan Eden the tzaddikim will be sitting in the succahs of the hide of the Livyasan and I, a simple man, will want to join them. I will be asked,

‘What is your merit that you deserve to sit in the succah?’ and I will reply, ‘Just as I, Levi Yitzchok, invited the plain people to sit in my succah, so too please let me enter the heavenly succah’.”

14 הגרנ"ק שליט"א בחוט שני עמ' רלט.15 כן דעת הרמב"ם ורי"ף ועוד ראשונים. וכן נהג הגר"א כשיטת הרמב"ם, כך מעיד

החי"א כלל קמז סי"ג שכן נהג הגר"א. וכן נהג החזו"א מובא בדינים והנהגות פכ"ג.

16 עי' תוס' ברכות יא: ד"ה "שכבר" ורא"ש ומאירי שם.17 שו"ע ורמ"א סי' תרלט ס"ח "והכי נהוג". וכ"כ בחי"א כלל קמז סי' יג, ערוה"ש

סעי' כז, מ"ב ס"ק מו.18 וזה שיטת הריטב"א מה. שרק ביציאה גמורה לעשות עניניו צריכה ברכה אחרת.

וכ"פ המ"ב ס"ק מו.

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NChoosing Not To ChooseSifri On Parshas Ha’azinu

Menachem GertnerTrustee, Federation

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! – Hashem said to

Moshe: Tell Israel, I looked at the sky and the earth that I

created to check if they changed their functions and they

did not. As it says ‘the sun rises and sets’. And moreover,

[the sun] is glad to do my will, as it is written, ‘and he is

like the bridegroom going to his chupa [or] like a strong

man running to a guest’.

And let the earth hear the words of my mouth - I

looked at the earth that I created, to check if it changed

its functions; perhaps you sowed seeds and they did not

grow? Or you sowed wheat and yet barley grew?!? From

the time I created the sea did it change its functions? Did

it say ‘I will rise up and drown the world’? It did not!

These words are a kal vechomer – if these [inanimate objects] which

were not created for reward and punishment, keep to their original purpose;

kal vechomer (how much more so) you, who are rewarded for your good

deeds, have to keep to your purpose” - Sifri 32:1 (paraphrased)

The beautiful words of the Sifri teach us that, just as the sun rises each

day, so too Klal Yisrael should be consistent in their service of Hashem.

Similarly, just as the earth has fixed rules of nature, so too on each and

every day we must be equally predictable and fill our schedules with the

performance of Hashem’s commandments.

The Sfas Emes (R’ Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter 1847–1905) asks an

obvious question on this Sifri. The heavens and earth fulfil their purpose

in this world by perpetuating the cycles set in motion by the Ribbono

shel Olam during the 6 days of Creation. The sun does not choose to

rise each day; it is locked into a fixed and unending celestial cycle. In

what way then can they be compared to Klal Yisrael? Mankind has been

given bechira – free will - and the ability to choose how he acts. We are

both rewarded and punished in accordance with our choices and we

fulfil our role in the Creation precisely by not being autonomous robots!

Moreover, mankind is inherently flawed (as it says in Koheles 7:20 - ki

adam ein tzadik ba’aretz, asher yaseh tov v’lo yechchtah - For there is no

righteous man on earth who does good and sins not) – by our very design

we have a yetzer hora – evil inclination - and can never truly reach a stage

of absolute perfection whereby we can be completely consistent in our

service of Hashem. What then is the Sifri stating that Hashem is asking

of us?

The Sfas Emes answers by giving us an insight into the essence of

what bechira is.

A Baal Teshuva at the beginning of his journey towards observance

may struggle mightily to overcome his instinct to turn the light on as

he walks into a dark room on Shabbos. Similarly the challenge of not

driving on Shabbos, or of refraining from eating non-kosher food, may

be enormous for him. Yet, over time, he will become accustomed to these

things and will find them progressively less challenging as he continues

on his journey. Many things that were once very hard will become second

nature and he will instead move on to face new challenges. Throughout

his journey he will find that his struggles are a moving target, constantly

shifting as he adapts to each of them.

All Jews, no matter their background or level, should be just like the

Baal Teshuva. It is easy to fall into a comfortable pattern of mitzvah

observance but in fact we should all be constantly striving to improve

ourselves. One who is able to do this will find that his nekudas habechira

– point of free choice - will change as he overcomes his yetzer hora for one

thing and he moves on to his next challenge.

This is the message of the Sifri. Whilst we are only flesh and blood and

can never truly reach perfection, we can in fact ‘choose not to choose’. If

our yetzer hora is forcing us to struggle with a particular choice between

good and evil, the greatest level of avodas Hashem – service of G-d - we

can do is to conquer that specific yetzer hora until we reach a point where

resisting the temptation becomes habitual and second nature. As we

continually do this, we refine ourselves ever further and become slightly

more robotic as our inclination to sin becomes confined to increasingly

finer margins. While we will always retain freedom of choice and will

never attain the consistency of the motions of the sun, we can nonetheless

transform ourselves as far as possible such that the temptation to commit

virtually every sin becomes negligible. In this way we can serve Hashem

in the very highest possible way - by subjugating to Him the very essence

of our humanity, our free will.

?? Quiz Time??Answers can be found on back page

3. What is special about Shiras Haazinu?

Quiz Time Answers

1 Parshas Haazinu is known also as Shiras Haazinu and is written in a special way of shira. This is where some words are written at the beginning of the line followed by a gap of letters and then the end of the line has again letters. This patterned is repeated with each line of the shira.

2 The Gemora Rosh Hashana 31a brings that the shira sung by the Leviyim on Shabbos by the Mussaf offering was Shiras Haazinu. It is from the way that they split the parsha that we do the same by the reading of Parshas Haazinu on Shabbos.

3 The Sifri (Haazinu 43) brings that this shira is greater than all the others since it encompasses all of time. It contains in it the present, past and future as well as both this world and the next.

http://livingwithmitzvos.com

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Arbaah Minim IssuesJoseph FaithNishmas Yisroel

Please could you ensure that there are ample sheets left in shuls for Shabbos before taking one home — as there have been few left in shuls.

Please Dispose Of This Sheet Appropriately As It Contains Words Of Torah

ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON EATING AND DRINKING BEFORE NETILAS LULAV?

Yes. It’s forbidden to eat more than an egg’s volume (“kebeitza”) of bread or mezonos1, and the Mishnah Berurah writes that even eating within these restrictions is only allowed in case of “great need”2. But you’re allowed to drink tea or coffee3, although some poskim hold that it is ideal to avoid these too, especially on the first two days of sukkos4.

DOES THAT APPLY TO WOMEN AS WELL?

Some poskim rule that women who have accepted the mitzvah of netilas lulav on themselves should not eat more than a kebeitza of bread or mezonos before doing so. However, R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ruled that this is not necessary.

IF I DAVEN NUSACH ASHKENAZ AND I FIND MYSELF IN A NUSACH SEFARD SHUL ON SUKKOS, SHOULD I PERFORM THE NAANUIM ACCORDING TO THE SHUL’S MINHAG OR MY OWN?

Although some poskim recommend that you always follow the minhag of the shul you’re davening in, many advise you to maintain your own minhag, and this appears to be the common practice5.

AM I ALLOWED TO HOLD MY ARBA MINIM IN ONE HAND DURING HOSHANOS?

According to several poskim, the requirement to hold your lulav in one hand and esrog in the other applies during hoshanos too6. Many people achieve this “balancing act” by using a small hoshanos booklet instead of their regular siddur or machzor. However, others believe that this is not necessary and allow you to hold your Arba minim in one hand7.

IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD BEAR IN MIND ON THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF SUKKOS WHEN GIVING MY ARBA MINIM TO MY WIFE SO THAT SHE CAN FULFIL THE MITZVAH OF NETILAS LULAV?

On the first two days of sukkos, you have to make sure that you “own” the Arba minim that you use to fulfil the mitzvah. Although some suggest

1 Orach Chaim 652:22 Mishnah Berurah 652:73 Aruch Hashulchan 652:5, Elef Hamagen 651:104 Shu't Heshiv Moshe 1:19, Sdei Chemed Maareches Arba Minim 3:22, Kaf Hachaim 653:185 Aruch Hashulchan 651:22, PT 651:136 Shulchan Aruch Harav 651:13, Elef Hamagen 651:5, Halichos Shlomo Sukkos 11:n747 Yefeh Leleiv 2:3, Orchos Rabbeinu 2:289, Ashrei Haish 3:32:12

that this may not be necessary when your wife uses your Arba minim8, according to most poskim you should have in mind that you are giving them as a “gift” that she will own while using it, but can return afterwards9.

AFTER I RETURN FROM SHUL ON YOM TOV, AM I ALLOWED TO PUT MY ARAVOS AND HADASIM IN A FRESH CUP OF WATER?

While you are allowed to return them to a cup of water that they stood in before, you may not put them in a new one. It’s also forbidden to replace the water in the cup or even to top up the water with more than 50% of its existing volume10. Some poskim allow you to put the aravos and hadasim in a fresh cup of water as long as it was prepared before yom tov11.

I’M EATING LUNCH AT MY IN-LAWS’ ON YOM TOV. AM I ALLOWED TO BRING MY ARBA MINIM HOME AFTERWARDS?

R. Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg ruled that you are allowed to do so if not carrying them home will cause significant inconvenience, even if you live in a place where it is forbidden to carry on Shabbos12.

Reviewed by R. Dovid Tugendhaft. For final rulings, please consult your rav.

8 Aruch Hashulchan 657:39 Bikurei Yaakov 657:5, Piskei Teshuvos 658:510 Aruch Hashulchan 654:2, Piskei Teshuvos 654:111 Mishnah Berurah 336:4812 Kovetz Am Hatorah 2:14 p. 30, Yom Tov Kehilchaso: Miluim 37