פרשה: צו - שבת הגדול - וערבה לה׳ מנחת יהודה... )מלאכי ג:ד-כד( מצות עשה: 9 - מצות לא תעשה: 9 - חג כשר ושמח!

March 28, 2015 - ח' ניסן , תשע"ה - Vol: 8 Issue: 23

בס״ד

 On ערב פסח תש״ס, a תלמיד recalls seeing his רבי, R' Shimshon Dovid Pincus זצ״ל, pacing back and forth. “He looked excited. When  R' Pincus  became aware that I was watching him, he said to me, with strong emotion, ‘It is going to rain tonight. Do you know what rains are about to fall? Dozens of four cups ,מצה … מצות דרבנן and מצות דאוריתאof wine, כרפס … literally a flood of bounty to help us grow closer to ד׳!’”

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א ליכטיג און פרייליכן חנוכה!

 לע״נ ישראל דוב בן אברהם ז"ל לע״נ הב׳ ישעיהו דוב ע״ה בן יבלחט״א יצחק צבי נ״י

Adapted from: Peninim on the Torah (with kind permission from R’ Scheinbaum)

ולבש הכהן מדו בד … 

The כהן shall don his fitted tunic (ויקרא ו:ג)

is related to מדו which states that the word תורת כהנים cites רש״י that the clothing of the הלכה measure. This teaches us the ,מדה must be fitted to his size. The question is asked, why does כהןthe תורה specifically state this הלכה in the chapter which deals with תרומת הדשן, removing the burnt ashes? Why is this הלכה not addressed earlier, in פרשת תצוה, the chapter that teaches us all the other הלכות concerning the בגדי כהונה?

Harav Moshe Wolfson שליט״א offers a thoughtful insight in response to this question. The תרומת הדשן, removal of the ashes, was not an essential service. The ashes were, in effect, the that remained after קרבן the disqualified, unfit part of the ,פסולתeverything else had been burned. This act could be performed at night, as would happen on יום כפור. It therefore seems obvious that the removal of the ashes was only a minor service.

There were many diverse tasks in the בית המקדש, each with their unique degree of holiness. It is human nature to put an emphasis on those areas of service that are particularly revered. It seems quite logical that a כהן would be stringent in his noble attire when he was involved with the holy services. The כהן whose

lot it was to remove the ashes, however, might not display the proper respect and might be more lax in the הלכה of wearing perfectly fitting vestments. Consequently, the תורה admonishes the כהנים not to differentiate between services. Regardless of what might seem secondary to them, everything in the eyes of is of equal stature. Thus, everything should be accorded the ה׳same honor.

This is an important lesson. Most people recognize the respect to be accorded a מקום קדוש, such as a shul. They therefore come to shul on שבת in attire which befits a holy Place. During the rest of the week, however, when the time for מנין just happens to coincide with Sunday afternoon chores, we may see people entering the shul attired differently. This lack of respect is compounded during the summer months when the hot weather makes us be more relaxed about wearing hats and jackets.

The כהנים were cautioned to always remember their nobility and purpose. Similarly, as members of כלל ישראל, we are charged to become a nation of כהנים. Thus, we must be aware of the need to demonstrate our nobility in our manner of speech, action, and dress.

TorahThoughts

PIRCHEI Agudas Yisroel of America

Yahrtzeits Gedolimof our Gedolim Glimpses

R' Shimshon Dovid Pincus זצ״ל was born in the U.S. to חיים אברהם  Pincus. In his early years, he חוה and ר׳ learned in התלמוד .זצ״ל under R' Aryeh Leib Malin בית 

Later, he went to learn in Brisk ישיבה. After his marriage to Chaya Mindel Mann he lived in ברק At the time, he .נגב and then in the בני was the משגיח of the ישיבה in אופקים. He later became the ראש ישיבה in Yerucham. At the request of R' Shach זצ״ל and the Steipler Gaon זצ״ל, R' Pincus accepted the position of Chief Rabbi of Ofakim, where he served for over twenty years. R' Pincus also spoke publicly, mostly free of charge, all over ארץ ישראל, America, and South Africa. His tapes in עבודה ,תורה and מוסר are so popular and uplifting that they have now been transcribed by his תלמידים into at least 14 ספרים.

י״ב ניסן5704 - 57611944 - 2001

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This week's Pirchei Weekly is dedicated In honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Leibel Diamond

ספר ח״ח הלכות לשון הרע כלל ז׳ סעיף ד׳

*The מנהל of ישיבה שמירת שבת, R' Yosher, was looking for a for the upcoming school year. After הלכות שבת to teach רביinterviewing several candidates that lived locally, he called the רב to verify R' Krum's qualifications. The רב told R' Yosher, "Although I told him that driving a car is forbidden on שבת, R' Krum still drives to shul every week." R' Yosher immediately notified the principals of the other local ישיבו .about his findings and advised them not to hire R' Krum ת

Was R' Yosher allowed to believe the story and spread it?*Stories adapted from Guard Your Tongue, A Daily Companion, A Lesson a Day and various real-life situations.

1. Which three categories of כהנים are disqualified from eating קדשים?

2. When was the only time that the שוק הימין, the right leg, of a קרבן שלמים was burned on the מזבח?

1. A כהן who is a טבול יום (immersed that day), מחסר כפורים (lacks atonement) or an אונן (mourner on the day of the death of a relative, prior to burial) is excluded from eating ד״ה תורה) קדשים

.(7:7 – אחת להם

2. The only time we find that the שוק הימין was burned on the מזבח was by the (8:28 – ד״ה על העלה) איל המלאים.

GratitudeLiving Torahwith the

Story adapted from: Shabbos Stories (with kind permission from ArtScroll)

Answer : R' Krum falls into the category of a "confirmed wicked person" because, as per the רב, he certainly knew that driving a car on שבת was forbidden. For such a person, one is permitted to be מקבל לשון הרע. R' Yosher is allowed to accept the report and warn others about R' Krum.

אם על תודה יקריבנו …

If as a thanksgiving offering he shall offer it … (ויקרא ז:יב)

When the בית המקדש stood, one who survived a life-threatening crisis was required to offer a קרבן תודה. From פרק ק״ז in תהילים the :derive the four experiences which necessitate this offering חכמיםtravel through a desert, release from prison, recovery from serious illness and a voyage overseas. Nowadays, one who experiences any of the above recites ברכת הגומל.

הטוב .הקב״ה is surely not limited to our relationship with הכרת It is also fundamental in our relationship toward our fellow man. According to רמב״ן, a lack of הכרת הטוב is at the root of the prohibition against accepting male converts from עמון and מואב כג:ד-ה) These two nations owe the Jewish people eternal .(דברים gratitude, for it was אברהם who rescued לוט, the forefather of these two nations, when he was taken captive in war. Instead of showing gratitude, עמון and מואב did not even provide our ancestors with bread and water on their way to ישראל .ארץ Those who lack the quality of הטוב cannot be part of the הכרת Jewish people.

*R' Dovid Bender was a rare individual. He was loved and revered

by the students of ישיבה תורה ודעת, where he was מנהל. His children remember him as someone who, among his other outstanding qualities, fulfilled the מצוה to honor one’s parents in a very exceptional and unusual way.

In his later years, R' Bender’s father, R' Avrohom, immigrated to R' Dovid never missed an opportunity to send his father .ארץ ישראלanything that might bring him נחת. If one of R' Dovid’s children came home from ישיבה with a good grade on a test, the test paper was immediately air-mailed to his father. A snapshot of one of the children was also sent out immediately. Had the fax machine been invented at that time, there is no doubt that a steady flow of material would have traveled between the Bender home in-נחתWilliamsburg and R' Avrohom Bender’s apartment in תל אביב.

One year, R' Avrohom traveled to America to visit his son and grandchildren. On the day of R' Avrohom’s arrival at Idlewild Airport (today JFK), his grandchildren were ready bright and early, clad in their finery. They were all going to the airport to welcome “Der Zeide.”

They arrived at the airport and rode to the top of an observation deck that overlooked the runway on which the plane would land. Finally, the moment arrived, as the plane from ישראל came ארץ down the runway and rolled to a stop. As R' Avrohom stepped out of the plane, he heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance, “Papa, Papa!” He looked up at the observation deck and was able to make out the figure of his beloved son, who was oblivious to the stares of those around him. R' Dovid could not wait the extra ten or fifteen minutes it would take to be able to embrace his father. He had to express his love for him now. And as he continued to shout, “Papa, Papa!” R' Dovid’s children recall how their grandfather responded with a smile that radiated joy and .נחת

When R' Dovid Bender passed away suddenly at age fifty-two, his family in בני ברק decided that it would be best to keep the news from his aged father for as long as possible. This was no simple task, especially since R' Dovid had always been in frequent touch with his father. Finally, the family realized that the news could not be kept from him any longer. Afraid of how the news might affect R' Avrohom’s health, the relatives in בני ברק arranged for a doctor to be on hand when he was informed.

Upon hearing the news, R' Avrohom reacted by saying: “In truth, I must first express my הכרת הטוב to the רבונו של עולם. You see, when my dear son Dovid was 3, he contracted a serious illness. Doctors were concerned that he might not survive. Yet, not only did he recover, but he lived another 50 years and left behind sons and daughters. For this, I express my deepest הכרת הטוב to the רבונו של ”.עולם

Then he sat down on the floor and cried.

Chofetz ChaimMoment Questions weekof רש"יthe

An edited selection of

:יוצרות לשבת הגדול

ובכן ויהי בחצי הלילה

And it (the redemption) was at midnight!

You performed many miracles at night: At the beginning of the 1st watch on this night, to the (אברהם) גר צדק, You gave victory when the night was divided for him (in the battle against the four kings); You judged the king of (אבימלך) גרר with death in his dream by night (when he took שרה). You frightened the Aramean (לבן) in the dark of night (when he chased (יעקב) ישראל .(יעקב fought and overcame an angel at night; the Egyptian firstborns You crushed at midnight. They didn’t find their money when they arose at night. You routed the army of סיסרא that was chased until the town חרושת with the stars of the night (when he was chased by ברק)…

1. If ערב פסח is on Friday, like this year, then one should say ויהי נעם in מעריב on מוצאי שבת הגדול. (Some סדורים say differently!)

2. The סדר table should be set with the best dishes, during the day, so that the סדר can begin on time.

3. Only one סדר plate should be set, before the leader of the סדר.

4. Each סדר participant’s cup should be poured by someone else to symbolize the majesty of the evening.

5. It is preferable to drink the entire cup of wine for each כוס. The minimum amount

that one must drink is a רוב רביעית.6. A קטן, child under מצוה does not need ,בר 

to drink a full רביעית; it is fine if he drinks a volume of wine that would fill his mouth.

7. It is most important for a child to ask the questions about the reasons for the מצה, ה ,the dippings ,מרור and understand the הסבanswers. [Ed. Note for תלמידים: Think of one question that is not on any of your sheets.]

8. Once one recites the ברכה over the מצה, one may not speak about matters which have no relevance to the meal until AFTER one finishes eating the כורך sandwich.

מא: עניני די�וסח ל �פ ד�ו ת הג ב צ״ש ש ת מ�ו הלכ�ו

*Since we only discuss 1-3 הלכות, it is important to consider these הלכות in the context of the bigger picture. Use them as a starting point for further in-depth study.

I questioned myself: was this a Each time, I strengthened ?מצוהmyself by saying that I was performing a דרבנן It was .מצוה close to dawn when I had finally cleaned the roof thoroughly enough to perform בדיקת חמץ.

“At שחרית, I felt exhausted. I thought to myself, ‘If I am so tired now, what kind of סדר will I have tonight when I’m even more tired?” The סדר arrived, and somehow I felt invigorated and imbued with a spiritual light. I began to recite the הגדה, and tasted the sweetness of each word. I felt a closeness to ד׳ the entire night that I hadn’t felt my entire life. That warm feeling lasted the whole יום טוב!”

 My תלמיד, the next time you are faced with a challenge, remember: had R' Pincus gone to sleep instead of completing the בדיקת חמץ, and lost his difficult struggle, he never would have experienced such a beautiful, spiritual יום טוב.

יהי זכרו ברוך!

רבי Your ,בידידות

Story based on: הקדמה to the הגדה תפארת שמשון

Dear Talmid,

Let me share with you part of an interesting personal

story R' Shimshon Pincus זצ״ל once related to someone close to him.

“One year, I was the only בחור who remained in a shared apartment in My .בדיקת חמץ on the night of ירושלים lasted a good few hours and בדיקהwhen I was finished, I was completely exhausted, but I had the satisfaction of knowing that I had properly fulfilled the מצוה כהלכתה.

“Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had forgotten about the roof, which required בדיקה as well. I realized that the other neighbors in the building did not check the roof. This realization did not come without an inner struggle. After all, I was completely exhausted. I thought, ‘Does the מצוה really fall on me? The roof belongs to everyone in the building. Why do I need to do it?’

“It was a difficult struggle, but  I left my apartment and went to the communal roof. I turned on the light … and my heart fell. The roof was filthy; it was obvious that it had not been cleaned in years. I stood in the doorway and felt overwhelmed. It was close to midnight when I began to clean the roof. … From time to time,

לע״נ ר׳ משה צבי בן הר׳ טוביה הלוי זצ״ל

contest הלכות חג בחגThe רמ״א writes in הלכות מגלה תרצ״ה סימן א׳ that it is a beautiful idea that one should begin the סעודת פורים by learning תורה. He explains that this מנהג is hinted at in the words ושמחה אורה  היתה  the Jews had – ליהודים light and rejoicing; the word אורה, light, is a reference to the spiritual light of תורה. Based on this רמ״א, many have the custom to start their סעודת פורים with one of the הלכות of פסח. and there פסח is exactly 30 days before פוריםis a הלכה למשה מסיני to start learning הלכות יו״ט thirty days before the יום טוב.

With this in mind, we have chosen the next international contest of the Pirchei Agudas Yisroel of America Newsletter: the learning of one הלכה in פסח ערוך in הלכות  שלחן  קצור every day until פסח.

The 3 סימנים that are practical for most of us and have 26 סעיפים are: ק״ז  הלכות) סימן הלכות הכנת הסדר) סימן קי״ח ,(חדש ניסן ובו ג׳ סעיפיםהלכות סדר ליל סדר) סימן קי״ט and (ובו י״א סעיפים .(ובו י״ב סעיפים

If you are interested in joining this special program this year and of course will continue to אי״ה review the weekly פרשה as per your grade level, please send a fax every week signed by a parent to 718 506 9633 – include your grade, name, school, city & state, and your contact number and fax number. Your name will be entered into a raffle to win a beautiful set of מקראות גדולות .פסח after חומשים

FocusonMiddos

Halacha Corner

Understanding Davening

This Week in History

It was the first erev Shabbos after the passing of Rebbetzin Bluma Dessler and a few of R’ Dessler’s

close talmidim were setting the Shabbos table.

At the Friday night meal…

On my first Shabbos in Bnei Brak, I decided to made Kiddush on the larger kos because this is city where the Chazon Ish is the Rov and he holds of a bigger shiur for

the kos. My wife A”H respectfully disagreed.

Rebbe used this small Kos all the years, why did he

change now?

He looks perplexed. I’ll explain to him at

the seudah.

All the years in Bnei Brak I used the becher that my wife A”H preferred, but

after her passing I now have the responsibility to show my respect to the Chazon Ish’s

opinion.

Thank you, but please put that small kos away and use this

larger one.

I would prefer the small kos. it means so much

to me, and if it was good enough for R’ Yisroel Salanter and R’ Chaim Ozer…it’s good enough

for us!

כ“ד טבת 1953 - 1892 5713 - 5652

Here is the challah

cover...

Ah! I see the leichter (candlesticks) and

Rebbi’s kos (Kiddush cup). Can you please take them

out too…

Let me share with you why I requested the larger Kos. The small

kos that I have used until now was a wedding gift from R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzensky, who had

received it from his wife’s grandfather R’ Yisroel Salanter…I used it for years until

I moved to Bnei Brak.

R’ Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler זצ״ל, born in Libau, Latvia, was the son of R’ Reuven Dov Dessler, a תלמיד מבהק of R’ Simcha Zissel זצ״ל of Kelm. His mother was a granddaughter of R’ Yisrael Salanter זצ״ל and a niece of R’ Chaim Ozer זצ״ל. After learning at Kelm, he married R’ Simcha Zissel’s granddaughter. During the Bolshevik revolution, in 1927, he moved to London. In 1941, he founded the Gateshead Kollel. In 1948, at the request of the רב of Ponevezh, R’ Yosef Kahaneman זצ״ל, he emigrated to ארץ ישראל to become a משגיח in the Ponevezh Yeshiva. Many of his shmuessen and thoughts are collected in were printed in ש״ס on חדושים A compilation of some of his .(six volumes) מכתב מאליהו

.חדושי ר׳ אליהו אליעזר על הש״ס

Learning from our Leadersבס״ד Pirchei Agudas Yisroel of America

For any inquiries or comments please feel free to call 347-838-0869 • Illustrated by: Yishaya Suval 718-395-9794

Please be careful to handle this sheet in the proper manner as required על פי הלכה. Please do not read this publication during קדיש, קריאת התורה or חזרת הש״ץ.

Vilna: It was Erev Pesach night and the beautiful melodious Yom tov maariv davening in R’ Chaim Ozer’s Shul was elevating. The anticipation for

the first night’s seder was almost tangible.

Uncharacteristically R’ Chaim Ozer raised his voice...

At this point the grateful man realized what Rav Chaim Ozer had done and nodded to a smiling R’ Chaim Ozer.

After davening the tzibbur went to wish the Rav “Gut Yom Tov.”

Kvod HaRav ... my family and I arrived in

Vilna late today. We had no time to prepare for the Seder... Is there any way you can help me out with

food for the Seder?

Oy, vey! ...IT’S NOT KOSHER! I’M

SORRY, BUT ALL THE FOOD PREPARED FOR THE SEDER CANNOT BE EATEN. IT IS

NOT KOSHER.

Oy, vey! It’s time for the

Seder already... How do I collect

an entire meal without him being criticized for not

being properly prepared?

I will also give him matzos and

wine for the arba kosos.

I have some extra fish ...

Did you hear? This poor guest in town prepared for

Pesach and can’t eat any of it. Rabboisai, let’s help him with the

whole Seder...

ה’ מנחם אב 1940 - 1863 5700 - 5623

I can give you a few eggs for tonight.

I don’t mean to be nosy. But I just overheard that you can’t eat anything

you prepared for Pesach... We have extra kugel we can give

you.

R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, זצ״ל, was born in Ivye, Lithuania, to R’ Dovid Shlomo. At the age of 15, he learned in the Volozhin ישיבה under R’ Chaim of Brisk, זצ״ל. When he was 20 years old he married the daughter of the Vilna דין, who was the son-in-law of R’ Yisrael Salanter. Upon his father-in-law’s 2 ,פטירה years later, he served as the unofficial רב of Vilna for 55 years. His only child, a girl, was נפטרת at 20. He was one of the founders, and the first president, of אגדת ישראל and was the leader of European Jewry. As the יושב ראש of the ועד הישיבות, he distributed funds to the European ישיבות. His love for the יחיד and the כלל were legendary. With his brilliant mind, phenomenal

memory and unusual מסירת נפש, he authored שו״ת אחיעזר (3 volumes).

???

Um. Thank you... ?

Vayedaber Moshe es mo’adei Hashem...

I’ll bring soup...

We have a few pieces of

chicken!

Learning from our Leadersבס״ד Pirchei Agudas Yisroel of America

For any inquiries or comments please feel free to call 347-838-0869 • Illustrated by: Yishaya Suval 718-395-9794