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TRANSCRIPT
Yes, it's a crab apple, a.k.a.crab, and therefore standsfor the Mazal of Tamuz.Follow please. Molad onWed. 9:16pm means firstopportunity for KiddushL'vana is Motza'ei Shabbat.But not until 9:16pm, three full daysafter the molad. Most shuls will befinished with Maariv and ready for KL by8:408:50pm. Too early for KL. It is notpractical to ask people to wait around(except with a Rabbeinu Tam minyan),but in any case, the moon might not bevisible anymore by 9:16. If at all, it willbe low in the western sky where it willset at 10:02pm. So try for Sunday night.7day people: Your first op is Wed. July13, after 9:16pm. Motza"Sh Balak (July16th will probably be a popular KL time.)Jewish communities to the west of Israel(who hold the 3day minhag) will haveno problem with KL on Motza'ei Shabbat(July 9) because for them (Europe, US,etc.), earliest time is before Shabbat out.
OU ISRAEL CENTERSeymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union
Jerusalem World CenterYitzchak Fund, PresidentRabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice PresidentProf. Meni Koslowsky, Vice PresidentRabbi Dovid Cohen, Vaad memberMoshe Kempinski, Vaad memberSandy Kestenbaum, Vaad memberSimcha Rock, Vaad memberZvi Sand, Vaad memberHarvey Wolinetz, Vaad memberMenachem Persoff, Director of Programs, Israel CenterPhil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem 91370phone: (02) 566 7787 • fax: (02) 5617432
email: [email protected] • website: www.ou.org/torah/ttOrthodox Union • National Conference of Synagogue Youth
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Correct for TT 675 • Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) 9:14pm7:13pm (6:20) Jerusalem 8:30pm7:30pm (6:23) Gush Katif 8:32pm7:30pm (6:22) Raanana 8:32pm7:28pm (6:21) Beit Shemesh 8:31pm7:30pm (6:22) Netanya 8:33pm7:29pm (6:22) Rehovot 8:32pm7:09pm (6:22) Petach Tikva 8:32pm7:28pm (6:21) Modi'in area 8:31pm7:28pm (6:21) Be'er Sheva 8:30pm7:27pm (6:20) Gush Etzion 8:29pm7:29pm (6:21) Ginot Shomron 8:31pm7:13pm (6:20) Maale Adumim 8:29pm7:25pm (6:21) Tzfat 8:32pm7:27pm (6:20) K4 & Hevron 8:30pm
A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practicaland conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, therebybetter fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
This Shabbat is the 297th day (of 383); the 43rd Shabbat (of 55) of 5765 •We read/learn the FOURTH perek of Avot
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Ranges are THUTHU 30 Sivan7 Tamuz (July 714)Earliest Talit & T'filin 4:414:46amSunrise 5:405:43½amSof Z'man Sh'ma 9:119:14am (8:168:20am)Sof Z'man T'fila 10:2210:24am (9:459:48am)Chatzot (halachic noon) 12:4412:45pmMincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) 1:201:21pmPlag Mincha 6:206:18½pmSunset 7:537:51½pm (7:487:46pm)
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d"qyz fenz 'aJuly 89, '05
Being TAMEI is no sin, and yet...Very unusual maybe the only time... Rashi's commentary on Parshat Chukatbegins with about 30 Rashis spanning 14 of the 22 p'sukim of Perek 19, thechapter dealing with Para Aduma. That part's normal. But then there isanother set of Rashis going over the first part of the Para Aduma portion, withdifferent comments all based on the same theme: That the Para Aduma is anatonement for her son (so to speak), the Golden Calf. Rashi, based on theteaching of Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan, shows many analogous points betweenthe Red Heifer and the Calf, the result being a very convincing demonstrationof the notion that Para Aduma is indeed a KAPARA for Cheit HaEigel.Except for one (perhaps) major point: The Golden Calf was a sin; the topic ofPara Aduma deals with ritual purity and impurity which involves contact witha dead body. Being Tamei or becoming Tamei is not a sin. It would be a sin toenter the Mikdash in a state of Tum'a. Or to eat sacred foods. Or for a kohein,with certain exceptions. But it is not per se sinful. In fact, contact with a deadbody is often a great mitzva, and an act of Chesed shel Emet.So what's the connection between sin and atonement, on the one hand, andTum'a and Tahara, on the other.
It can be said that Gd originally planned that people would live forever.Adam & Chava's sin brought death to the world. Modified plan, so to speak,was that the people of Israel upon receiving the Torah, would be on such ahigh spiritual level, that they as a subset of all humans would live forever.When 40 days after Matan Torah, they sinned with the Golden Calf, the planchanged again (so to speak) and there would, once again, be death. And that brought about the existence of TUM'ATMEIT, the ritual impurity from contact with a dead body. Therefore, the sin of the Golden Calf brought about Tum'a andthe Para Aduma, whose ashes rid one of that Tum'a, is an atonement for that Sin.
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CHUKAT STATS39th of 54 sedras; 6th of 10 in Bamidbar
Written on 159.2 lines in a Torah (rank: 39)
10 Parshiyot; 6 open, 4 closed
87 p'sukim; ranks 43rd; smallest in B'midbar
1245 words; ranks 40th; smallest in B'midbar
4670 letters; ranks 41st; smallest in B'midbar
Fewer p'sukim than Sh'mini, more words, samenumber of letters. Chukat is a bit longer.
MITZVOT:3 mitzvot of 613; all positive
AliyabyAliya Sedra SummaryNumbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzvacount of Sefer HaChinuch ANDRambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is theperek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.
[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p’tucha or s’tumarespectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number ofp'sukim in the parsha.
Kohen First Aliya 17 p'sukim 19:117[P> 19:1 (22)] This whole Aliya plus the following 5p'sukim deal with the topic of the PARA ADUMA. (The 22p'sukim of ch. 19 constitute the Maftir for ShabbatParshat Para 2nd longest Maftir of all.)
The mitzva involves taking a cow with reddish hair (eventwo black hairs invalidate it), that is blemishfree (i.e. fitfor the Altar) and that has not worn a yoke or carried a
burden for people. (If it carried upon its back somethingfor its own benefit e.g. a blanket to keep flies away itis still acceptable.) Elazar b. Aharon was in charge of thepreparation of this first Para Aduma.
SDT "And Gd spoke to Moshe and Aharon saying...DABEIR (you Moshe, not both of you, DAB'RU) to the
children of Israel... Only Moshe could tell the people about thePARA ADUMA, which is an atonement for the Sin of the GoldenCalf. Aharon was too involved in the Golden Calf episode. Hedidn't tell this mitzva to the people and he didn't prepare thePARA ADUMA, his son did. Yet the pasuk tells us that Gdspoke to both Moshe and Aharon. Perhaps this contains aprivate rebuke by Gd to Aharon... And perhaps a bit of theopposite as well, since Aharon IS included in the command toprepare the Para Aduma.
SDT Rashi says that the mitzva is for the assistant KohenGadol to tend to the Para Aduma, although any kohen
qual ifies. Commentaries see a symbolism in the son of Aharondoing the work: just as the cow atones (so to speak) for her calf,so too the son atones for his father who was somewhat involvedin the Golden Calf."Take a PARA ADUMA T'MIMA..." T'MIMA usually meansblemishfree, fit for the Altar. However, here the wordT'MIMA is followed by the phrase "that has no MUM(blemish)", making the adjective T'MIMA superfluous.Therefore, we are taught that T'MIMA in this context isdescribing ADUMA, indi cating that COMPLETE reddishhair is required. Without T'MIMA, a cow that was a "jinji"would be acceptable even if it had some nonred hairs.Not so, because of the word T'MIMA.
As opposed to all korbanot in the Mikdash which had tobe brought "inside", the Red Cow is slaughtered andprepared "outside". It is not a korban, but it does havekorbanlike features (atonement, among others).
After the cow is slaughtered, it is burnt whole (some of itsblood having been sprinkled towards the Mikdash first).The complete process of the Para Aduma (including whatis thrown into the fire, how the ashes are collected andhow the potion is made) is a positive mitzva [397,A11319:2] that has been fulfilled nine times, so far. The next(tenth) time will be in the time of the Moshiach.
A person who comes in contact with a dead body isrendered ritually impure for a sevenday period[398,A107 19:4]. The "Para Aduma Potion" is to besprinkled on the defiled person on the third and seventhday. Without this procedure, the state of ritual impurityremains forever. It is most important to avoid enteringthe Mikdash while one is defiled. Intentional violation isa (Divinely imposed) capital offense.
MitzvaWatchToday, (temporarily) without a Beit HaMikdash, the are(at least) three ramifications of the rules of ritualimpurity to the dead.
[1] A kohen must still avoid contact with a dead body(except those of his close relatives for whom he sitsshiva), even though he is already "tamei". This is bothfor "practice" as well as not to "add" to his state ofTUM'A.
(2) We are not permitted to go onto Har HaBayit inthose areas that the Beit HaMikdash and its courtyard
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stood (or might have stood).
(3) Some gifts of the Kohen (such as t'ruma, t'rumatmaaser, challa) are not given to a kohen, but are"disposed of" according to alternate halachic procedures,because of TUM'A of both the Kohen potential recipient,as well as the giver, and therefore, the gift itself. Notethat there are gifts to the kohen that pose no TAMEIproblems; these are given today (e.g. Pidyon HaBen).
SDT The Chidushei HaRim made a mussar comment aboutT’MIMA that deserves our attention. For the Para
Aduma, the standard of ADUMA T’MIMA is not met if there aretwo hairs of another color. For the Jew, who must strive tofulfill the mitzva of TAMIM TIHYEH (im HaShem Elokecha),even a single “black hair” prevents a complete fulfillment.
Levi 2nd Aliya 11 p'sukim 19:1820:6The Torah summarizes the Para Aduma procedures.Note that the cedar branch and hyssop are added to thepotion as well as to the burning of the Para Aduma.Commentaries see special significance in the fact thatthe cedar is a lofty tree and the hyssop is a lowly shrub.
The dual nature of the Para Aduma potion (that it purifiesthe defiled and defiles the ritually pure) is counted as amitzva of its own [399,A108 19:19].
[P> 20:1 (6)] The next topic the Torah deals with is thedeath of Miriam in the Tzin Wilderness in Nissan (on the10th of the month, according to Tradition). The Torahimmediately tells us that the People had no water(Midrashim speak of the Well of Miriam that miraculouslyaccompanied the People during their wanderings. Thiswell disappeared upon Miriam's death, since it was in hermerit because she had watched over Moshe at the river that we had the Well.) The People complain bitterly toMoshe and Aharon.(The custom of emptying out water containers in theroom in which someone has died, comes from thesequence: "...and Miriam died ...and there was nowater...")
Commentaries point out a connection between ParaAduma and the death of the righteous Miriam. Both are“instruments” of atonement.
Shlishi Third Aliya 7 p'sukim 20:713[P> 20:7 (5)] In response, Gd tells Moshe to take theStaff, gather the People, and that he (Moshe) and Aharonshould SPEAK to the rock in the presence of the People,so that the rock shall give forth its water for the Peopleand their flocks. Moshe gathers the People andadmonishes them to witness another of Gd's miracles. Helifts the Staff and strikes the rock twice; water flows fromit in abundance.[S> 20:12 (2)] Gd is "angry" at Moshe and Aharon formissing a chance to sanctify Gd's Name by having thePeople see water come from the rock by speaking to it.(The People had previously seen water come from astruck rock.) Gd decrees that neither Moshe nor Aharonshall lead the People into the Land of Israel.Because of the inclusion of Aharon in this decree, thereis an implication that he was not punished for anyinvolvement in the Golden Calf a point that needed
clarification. Rashi says that the Torah is telling us thatMoshe and Aharon would have gone into Eretz Yisrael,except for this, and only this sin. Interesting that Moshehimself tells the people (in D'varim) that he carriessome of the blame for the Sin of the Spies. WithAharon's involvement in the Calf incident and Moshe's inthe Spies episode, there is an interesting balance. Onthe other hand, Aharon IS held accountable in this case,even though it was Moshe who "acted".
Gd's decree seems excessively harsh on Moshe andAharon. Commentators point to this as an example of howstrictly Gd judges the greatest of our people.Observation...Note that the rock gives forth water even though Moshedid not speak to it, as Gd had told him to. There aretwo possibilities (maybe) as to why.
(1) It avoids a Chilul HaShem that would result if waterdid not come forth.
(2) Moshe Rabeinu was on the high level that he wasable to control and divert nature (with limits). He hadpreviously stricken a rock to get water; this now issomething he can do.
(3) A twist on the Chilul HaShem possibility of (1) is thatGd wanted to avoid Moshe's losing face. Gd and Mosheare very much partners, so to speak, in the perceptionof the People. At the Sea, the people believed in"HaShem and in Moshe His servant, BASHEM UVMOSHEAVDO. In contrast, their lack of faith is expressed astheir talking against Gd and against Moshe, BEILOKIMUVMOSHE. These are the only two times the wordUVMOSHE appears in all of Tanach.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 8 p'sukim 20:1421[S> 20:14 (8)] Moshe sends messen gers to theEdomites, to recount Israel's brief history and requestright of way through Edomite land. The request is denied.A second attempt is made to obtain permission; this too isstrongly rejected. The People of Israel change their routein order to avoid confronta tion with Edom (at Gd'scommand).
SDT In asking for passage through Edom territory, Moshe'smessen gers state that the people "will not drink water
of a well". Rashi says that we would have expected the Torah tosay "the water of cisterns". Rashi explains that Edom had thecisterns; we had a miraculous well (as well as Manna for food).What we were offering Edom was the profits from selling usfood and water. We had no need for their food and drink, but itwas a proper offer to make. Rashi says that when staying at aninn, one should partake of the inn's meals rather than "brownbag it". This increases the benefit to the innkeeper and is aproper thing for a patron to do.
SDT Moshe sends a message to Edom saying, "...you knowall the trouble we had in Egypt." Imrei Shefer asks, how
was Edom expected to know what happened to us in Egypt? Theanswer, he says, comes from Parshat To'l'dot, when Rivkasought out Gd to explain what was happening inside her. Shewas told that the twins in her would grow to head great nations,and when one fell, the other would rise proportionally. Edom'slife must have made a significant turn upward during the darkyears we spent in Egyptian servitude. That is how Edom wouldknow what was happening to his brother Israel.
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Chamishi 5th Aliya 17 p'sukim 20:2221:9[P> 20:22 (8)] The People travel from Kadesh to HorHaHar. There Aharon is to die. Moshe takes Aharon andElazar up the mountain, where the garments of theKohen Gadol are transferred from Aharon to his son andsuccessor. ALL the people mourn Aharon's death for 30days. Commentaries point out that Aharon's death hadelements that were missing in Moshe's. Seeing his soncontinue in his footsteps and being loved by all thepeople as Aharon was, adds a special dimension toAharon's full life.The Midrash says that the Heavenly Clouds that protectedthe People, left upon Aharon's death.We can see now that the miracles of the Midbar wereeach associated with one of our leaders: Moshe, theManna; Aharon, the Clouds; Miriam, the Well.
[S> 21:1 (3)] That made them vulnerable to attack fromEmori. The attack was successfully countered by Israel.
[P> 21:4 (13)] The People then tired of their extendedtravels and com plained once again to Gd and Moshe.Their tirade included gross disrespect to Gd's miracle ofthe Manna. For this they were punished by an attack of"fiery" (poisonous) snakes that bit many people, causingmany deaths. The People repented and pleaded withMoshe to pray to Gd to spare them. Gd told Moshe tofashion a copper (the choice of copper was Moshe's and itwas a play on words) snake and mount it atop a staff, sothat anyone who would see it (i.e. turn their eyes andhearts towards Gd) would live.The Mishna in Rosh HaShana (3:8) asks, “What? (Thecopper image of) a snake can kill or restore life?” Not so,says the Mishna. “Rather, when the People of Israel looktowards the Heavens and subjugate their hearts to Gd,then they were cured; and if not, they would decay.”
The Mishna in P'sachim (4:9) records different thingsthat Chizkiyahu HaMelech did, and was either praised forthem, or not. He destroyed the Copper Serpent and theSages approved of his actions. People were misusing it,and misunderstanding it (despite the concept presentedin the Mishna cited above). This same kind of problemexists with the use of Korbanot in the time of the BeitHaMikdash, amulets, Tashlich on Rosh HaShana,Kaparot before Yom Kippur, visiting holy places, notes inthe cracks of the Kotel, red threads around one's wrist,and even saying T’hilim meaning that there are peoplewho do certain things in lieu of heartfelt prayer andsincere kavanot, somehow expecting miraculoussalvation. All of the above, to some extent or another,are meant to be incentive and inspiration to sincererepentance and prayer, not substitutes for them. This iswhy Chizkiyahu HaMelech got rid of the N’CHASHNECHOSHET. This is why some rabbis banned Kaparot intheir communities, etc.
Shishi 6th Aliya 11 p'sukim 21:1020The People continue their travels. They went to OVOT(identified as being due south of the Dead Sea). Fromthere they went to “desolate passes” or "the ruins ofAVARIM” (different under standings of the phrase IYEI
HAARAVIM), along Moav’s eastern border. They thencontinued on to NACHAL ZERED. Then to a part of thedesert that was outside Moav territory (this because theywere forbidden by Gd to encounter Moav.) These travelswere recorded in the “Book of the Wars of Gd” (Some saythat this was an ancient record of events that occurredsince the days of Avraham Avinu. Some say that thisrefers to the Torah. Others say that it wasn’t actually abook but an oral transmission of stories through thegenerations.) Finally, the people arrive at a place knownas "the Well".
[S> 21:17 (4)] This was another significant eventrelated to water. From a physical point of view, water isby far the most valuable "commodity" of the wanderingNation. On a spiritual level, water represents Torah andLife itself. The "Song of the Well", a short but beautifulsong is recorded, highlight ing the preciousness ofwater. The words are filled with symbolisms andallusions.
The next piece of travelog is either part of the song at thewell... or not. From the desert, the people went toMatana, from Matana to Nachliel, and from Nachliel toBamot. From Bamot to Hagai in the field of Moav, on aclifftop that overlooks the Wastelands.Notice that we have, shortly out of Egypt, before thewandering period in the Midbar, an AZ YASHIR... ShiratHaYam. Water. At the end of the period of wandering,shortly before leaving the Midbar and entering EretzYisrael, we have another AZ YASHIR... B'eir. Water.
Sh'vi'i 7th Aliya 16 p'sukim 21:2122:1[P> 21:21 (16)] As Israel approaches the lands of Emori,requests are made for rights of passage. Not only arethese requests denied, but Emori sends an army toconfront Israel. Israel is completely victorious againstKing Sichon, and conquers the lands of Emori andCheshbon. Further battles result in more Emori lands. Og,king of Bashan, also falls, as Gd promised.
SDT It is important to note that Israel's military might is notabsolute, nor are their military options equal. Israel
fights against whom Gd tells us to, and we do not engage inbattle anyone that Gd forbids us to. It is irrelevant whetherEdom was stronger or weaker than Emori. We didn't fight thelatter and avoid the former for military reasons. Gd is the Onein charge. We have to always keep this in mind; and it wouldhelp if our enemies knew this as well. Ironically, it is ourenemies who sometimes seem to believe in Gd's role in thesekind of matters, whereas we sometimes seem to stubbornly denyHis role. And this point is applicable in modern times as it everwas.
SDT Rashi explains why Gd had to tell Moshe not to fearfighting Og. Og was the sole survivor of the Flood
(except for Noach and company), and he was the one who toldAvraham that nephew Lot had been taken into captivity.Perhaps he had earned enough merit to resist the Israelites. Gdtold Moshe not to worry.Israel's military victories in the Midbar, towards the endof the period of wandering, were very important for themorale of the people as they faced long years of manybattles upon crossing the Jordan River into Eretz Yisrael.
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In the Midbar, they get a taste of Gd's promises andmight.
Moshe sends Meraglim to Ya'zer. Rashi says that the spieswho were sent said, "we will not do as our predecessorsdid; we have complete confidence in the power ofMoshe's prayer.” In a way, the sending of these Meraglimis a TIKUN (repair) of the Sin of the Spies. Spies werealways sent to facilitate the nation's next step. They werenot meant to decide on what Gd already had decreed.
The final pasuk tells us that Israel traveled and arrived atArvot Moav this is their final stop before entry into EretzYisrael.Note the significance of the above statement. The fourremaining sedras of Bamidbar and all 11 of D'varim arestill in front of us, and we are already at Arvot Moav.Mas'ei will give a summary of the wandering, but withthe conclusion of Chukat, we have arrived at thethreshold of Eretz Yisrael. Remember that back inMikeitz we left the Land and went down into Egypt. Nowwe are readying ourselves to return.
The final 3 p'sukim are reread for the Maftir.
Haftara 33 p'sukim Shof'tim 11:133The haftara consists of most of the story of Yiftach, theatfirst scorned, later sought after, son of Gil'ad. He wasshunned by his "halfbrothers" and fled to the Land of Tovwhere he lived a rogue's life. The people of the Gil'adregion are attacked by the Ammonites and they pursueYiftach to be their leader. In the description of the warswith Amon, reference is made to the historicalbackground of the area specifically, the episoderecorded in the sedra about Israel requesting permission from Emori for passage through their territory. Thisis a major connec tion to the sedra. The story of Yiftachseems to be peripheral to the reason that Chaza"l chosethis reading for Chukat. And yet... the haftara ends withthe first part of the story of Yiftach's vow and theresultant fiasco with his daughter. Chaza"l generallyconsider Yiftach to have erred; such a vow as his wouldbe halachically invalid under the circumstances. Thesignificance (if it does, in fact, connect to the sedra) ofthe story of Yiftach's daughter visavis the sedra iselusive.
THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OFJEWISH LAW Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 291 •Burglary; Whom Did He Rob?Burglary We can define burglary in a very simple way.Reuven entered Shimon’s premises without permission and tookan object belonging to Shimon without Shimon’s permission orknowledge.There are witnesses that Reuven entered Shimon’s premiseswhile Shimon was not present and they saw Reuven emergewith some objects that the witnesses can identify. Shimonbeings a lawsuit in Beth Din to recover the objects that hepleads were in his home prior to Reuven’s entry and burglarizedby Reuven. Reuven pleads that Shimon sold him the objects andinstructed him to take them whenever he wanted, even if
Shimon is not on the premises. Or Reuven pleads that Shimonowed him money and told Reuven to go to Shimon’s premisesto obtain these objects in lieu of payment, or some otherpleading to that effect. Shimon denies Reuven’s pleasand pleadsthat he did not give Reuven permission to enter his premises.Reuven’s pleas will be dismissed. After he restores the object toShimon, he can sue Shimon if he can prove his pleas. There is apresumption that if Reuven enters Shimon’s premises whenShimon is not present, Reuven has no permission to be thereand has committed an act of burglary. If there are two witnessesto the entry but no witnesses who can testify what Reuven took,Shimon takes a special (hesseth) oath as to what is missing fromhis premises and Reuven pays that amount. This holds true evenif Reuven admits being in the premises and pleads that he did sowith permission of Shimon to obtain that which Shimon sold tohim.Assume that there is only one witness who testifies that he waspresent when Reuven entered into Simon’s premises and thatReuven took from Shimon’s premises an object that the witnessidentifies. Shimon pleads that the object was robbed from him,while Reuven pleads that he purchased the object or took it inpayment of a debt or it was his object that he had deposited withShimon. Reuven must restore the object to Shimon withoutShimon having to take an oath. Had there been two witnessespresent, Shimon would win the lawsuit without having to takeany oath. Now that there is one witness present, Rueven shouldbe permitted to take an oath to rebut the testimony of onewitness and Reuven would win the lawsuit. Since Reuvenadmits entry into Shimon’s premises and taking the object, hecannot contradict the witness who testifies as to entry and takingthe object. The law is that if a person can win a lawsuit bytaking an oath but cannot do so (as is the case here) he mustpay.However, if Reuven does not admit the entry and/or taking theobject, then he takes a Torah oath of denial of entry and denyingthat he has anything of Shimon’s. Since this oath of denialcontradicts the one witness who testified against him, Reuvenwins the lawsuit. There is one witness who testifies that Reuvenentered Shimon's premises but he does not testify that he sawReuven take anything out with him or that he saw Reuven takesomething out with him but cannot identify what it was. Reuventakes a hesseth oath that he did not rob anything and wins thelawsuit.Reuven is observed by a single witness entering into Shimon’spremises and taking out vessels. Shimon pleads that he tooktwenty vessels and Reuven pleads that he took eight vessels allbelonging to him. The witness does not know how many vesselsReuven took. Reuven must restore eight vessels to Shimon sincehe cannot contradict the witness having admitted the entering.When he admits that he took eight vessels that is he amount hemust restore. As for the balance, since Shimon cannot prove thatReuven took more vessels Reuven is exempt. Shimon pleas thatReuven robbed him of $100. If Reuven pleads that he did notrob Shimon, Reuven takes a hesseth oath to the effect and isexempt. If Reuven admits that he robbed $40, he pays the $40and takes a Torah oath of partial admission regarding thebalance of $60.
Whom Did He Rob? Reuven robbed $100 from onlyone of four people, either Shimon. Levi, Yehuda, or Issachar butdoes not remember from which one. Each of them pleads withcertainty that he was the victim of the robber and is owed $100by Reuven. Each of the four takes an oath and Reuven must payeach one who took the oath $100. Reuven robbed from two
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people, Shimon and Levi. From one he robbed $100 and fromthe second he robbed $200, but he does not remember fromwhom he robbed $100 and from whom he robbed $200. BothShimon and Levi plead with certainty that he was the victim ofthe $200 robbery. Each of them takes an oath that he was thevictim of the $200 robbery and Reuven must pay each $200.Reuven robbed $100 from only one of four people, eitherShimon, Levi, Yehuda or Issachar, but does not remember fromwhich one. Each of the four pleads that he is not certain if hewas the robbery victim. According to the law, Reuven mayplace $100 before the four of them and they will divide the $100equally. However, if Reuven wants to exonerate himself fromthe judgments of Heaven, he will give each one $100. Reuvenrobbed two people, Shimon and Levi. From one he robbed 100and from the second he robbed $200 but he does not rememberfrom whom he robbed $100 and from whom he robbed $200.According to the law, Reuven may give each one $100 andplace $100 in front of the two of them. However, if Reuvenwants to exonerate himself from the judgments of Heaven, hewill give each one $200.Reuven advises Shimon that he robbed Shimon’s father Yaakovof money but he does not remember if it was $100 or $200. OrReuven tells Shimon and Levi that he robbed one of theirfathers of $100 and does not remember whose father it was. Inthe first case Reuven must pay Shimon $200 and in the secondcase he pays Shimon and Levi each $100.Reuven robbed an object from Shimon and does not rememberif he made restitution to Shimon. Reuven must pay to Shimonthe amount of the restitution. However, if Reuven states that hedoes not remember if he robbed Shimon or did not rob him,Reuven need make no payment to Shimon.In all of the cases stated above, if the victim or possible victimforgives the indebtedness of the robber, the robber need notmake restitution. This is the topic of next lesson IYH.The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in volume IXchapter 364 and 365 of A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law by E.Quint. Copies of all volumes can be purchased via email:[email protected] and via website: www.israelbooks.comand at local Judaica bookstores. Questions to [email protected]
Meaning in MitzvotEach week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try toshow its beauty and meaning. The columns are based on RabbiMeir's Meaning in Mitzvot on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh by
Rabbi Asher MeirAsher YatzarOne of the most frequent blessings is the asher yatzar blessingsaid after elimination (going to the bathroom). This is also oneof the most cryptic blessings, and the Talmud, Rishonim, andAcharonim discussed the wording at length.Let's begin at the beginning: the opening expression "Whoformed man with wisdom". What is the significance of thiswording? The Tur discusses the blessing in detail, yet omitsmention of the opening. The Beit Yosef explains that the Turfelt this expression needs no explanation, "for it is a clear thingthat the creation of man is of wondrous wisdom" (Tur and BeitYosef Orach Chaim 6).Rashi doesn't devote a special entry to this part of the blessing,but he includes it together with the explanation of the ending of
the blessing, "Who heals all flesh and does wondrously". TheMidrash explains that the "wonder" of man's creation is that thebody doesn't spill its content of fluid and air despite the manyopenings and pores; Rashi adds that this is also an aspect of thewisdom of God's formation (Berakhot 60b).Tosafot, however, cite a different Midrash, on Bereshit, whichexplains that the order of creation displays Hashem's wisdom. Inparticular, man was created last so that all of our needs wouldbe available at the time of our formation. The same idea, writeTosafot, is expressed in the Gemara in Sanhedrin which statesthat man was created last so that he could "enter into the mealright away", that is, our "table" is fully set as we enter the world(Sanhedrin 38a).The central message of the Midrash and of the Gemara seems tobe that the wise and prudent order in any creative act is to firstcreate the proper conditions for its success. By contrast, it isfoolish to first create something and then start working on waysto make it function. (In similar fashion, Rambam writes that awise person acquires a livelihood and afterwards starts a family,and a foolish person does the opposite Deot 5:11.)In the context of the blessing, the message seems to be that manwas created with all of the external means of subsistenceprepared for him, and like wise with all of his internal needs:the human body is not "jury rigged" but on the contrary isdesigned with all of the equipment needed to thrive.This explanation dovetails well with the comment of the Remain the Darkhei Moshe on the Tur, who states that the closing ofthe blessing "Who does wondrously" refers to the wonder ofduality: the human soul, which belongs in the world of spirit, iswondrously united with the human body which dwells in theworld of matter. Thus the blessing asher yatzar tells the order ofcreation as follows:First Hashem created all of the external physical needs of thehuman body. This is, "Who formed man with wisdom".Afterwards, he created the body itself with the ability to takeadvantage of this raw material, the orifices and hollows neededto absorb the good and excrete the waste.And all this is in order to put all these exterior and interioraspects of our material existence at the service of our spirits.
Latest publication developments: The book is completed!Yaakov Feldheim called me on Thursday to tell me that he "ispleased to announced the birth of a new book"... I hope to beable to give TT readers clear directions on how they can obtaina copy probably I will direct them to the Feldheim website...
TANACHSPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THEBEREISHIT STORIES by Dr. Meir TamariTHE FIRST FRATICIDE (B'reishit 4:89)
"Cain rose up against his brother and killed him... Am I mybrother's keeper?"How often, in how many centuries, in how many languages andin how many different countries have these words rung out?How varied and how sophisticated have been the causes,explanations and the answers to these two verses in our Torah?From Chazal and our commentators we can learn a message thatis simple and clear, yet profound and allembracing."Cain told this to his brother Hevel. And it came to pass when
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they were in the field..." (4:8). On the second phrase, theMidrash comments: "What were they discussing in the field?They decided to divide the world between them with Caintaking the land that he worked and Hevel the movables asbefitted a shepherd. Then Cain said: "The land on which youtread belongs to me", to which Hevel replied that all the clothesthat Cain wore belonged to him. As a result, Cain rose upagainst his brother.However, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, "They both took theland and the movables, but their argument was in whose portionwould the Temple stand; 'sadeh' being a reference to theMikdash (Micha 3:12). This one claimed the right to the Templebut so did the other. As a result, Cain rose up against hisbrother.Rabbi Huna said that a twin sister was born with Hevel and theyquarreled over who would marry her. Cain claimed the right ofthe first born to her marriage, while Hevel argued that she wasborn together with him. As a result, Cain rose up against hisbrother (B'reishit Rabba, 22:7)It seems from this Midrash that the cause of the murder wasproperty or religion or sex, however, all three are onlysymptoms and the real cause lies elsewhere, as shown byHashem's words to Cain, which is what he told to Hevel whilethey were in the field.When his offering was rejected, Cain was exceedingly annoyedand his countenance fell, so Hashem said "See if you will useyour S'EIT for good or not for good, for that sin rests before thedoor; its strong desire is towards you, that you should master it".Whether we understand S'EIT in that verse, in the sense ofkorbanas does the Malbim or in the sense of privilege as doesRabbi R. S. Hirsch, the spiritual message remains the same, thatit is Free Will that determines whether one sins or not."Whether Gd accepts Cain's offering or whether He prefersHevel's does not determine anything, since it is not a sacrificethat is important but rather obeying Hashem. As Chazal taughtus, the Yetzer HaRa sends his gifts before him while he lurksbehind the door [It is easy for us to overemphasize ritual at theexpense of correct actions]. Cain thought that just as with theanimals, his instinct would tell him how to act correctly.However, Man's intelligence and spiritual nature sets him apartfrom the rest of creation. They enable him by means of his ownfree choice to determine whether he will allow his animal andmaterialistic desires to rule him or whether he will rule overthem. Moreover, Cain is assured by Gd that indeed it ispossible for human beings to rule over their desires" (Malbim)."We find the word S'EIT having the meaning of a speciallyprivileged position as in Yaakov's blessing of Reuven as the'bechor'. Now Hevel's offering was a protest at Cain'sunworthiness to have the honor associated with being a firstborn and Hashem confirmed it. Hashem queried his anger, sincethis disapproval could be temporary as he had the power tochange his moral and spiritual position. Irrespective, "sin awaitsat the door and its strong desire is towards you" has beendistorted to support the theory that there is an element of evillurking in the world eager to overpower Man. This is seeing thecause of men's evil action in some dark and evil spirits or fallenangels whose whole desire is to ensnare men, instead of in theirown free will. TESHUKA, desire, is used everywhere in Tanachto convey a yearning for a most valued possession, that willovercome or rule one. Chazal taught, "Satan temps humanbeings, and when they succumb to his temptation she goes upand accuses them before Hashem"; for he had not enticed them
so that they should sin, rather that they should conquer and takehim under their mastery" (S. R. Hirsch)."Where is Hevel your brother? And Cain answered: Am I mybrother's keeper?" This answer, evading man's responsibility forthe welfare of his fellow man, shows cold blooded egoism thateasily leads to hatred and to a readiness to do away with one'sneighbor should he stand in the way of one's own progress orwelfare. This evasion of social responsibility is unacceptable inJudaism, even for ordinary people. "What is mine is mine andwhat is yours is yours, this is a mediocre quality; some say it isthe mark of Sodom" (Pirkei Avot 5:10). The Divine creation ofMan creates, not only a vertical relationship between us andGd, but also a horizontal relationship between us and ourneighbors created in His Image.Adam and Chava sinned against Gd and then their son haddone evil to his fellow man. Now the stage was set for the 10generations that followed Adam, who would show that theywere not capable of guarding and maintaining His world.This is the 89th installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and itsmessages for our times”
MISC section contents:[1] Vebbe Rebbe[2] Candle by Day[3] From Aloh Naaleh[4] A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit[5] Parsha Points to Ponder[6] Torah from Nature[7] MicroUlpan[8] Pirkei Avot[9] Nechama[10] From the desk of the director
[1] From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBEThe Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types inareas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them are answered byEretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem,headed by Rav Yosef Carmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded byHaRav Shaul Yisraeli zt"l, to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to servethe National Religious community in Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbiis a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah...and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...
Q: Two brothers inherit a twofamily house. Reuven wantsto sell it. Shimon wants to keep it, but he cannot afford
buying out Shimon’s part. Can Shimon force Reuven to remainin partnership and not sell the house?
A: If this is an actual case, we must clarify a few points.Firstly, we cannot give a definitive answer without
hearing both sides. This is not only a procedural matter. Details,which either side may overlook, can surface during a jointdiscussion in a way that changes a ruling. Also, it is best for thesides to work out the matter among themselves. Yet, it isimportant to know halachic guidelines, as upstanding Jewsshould use them as the point of departure when trying to arriveat a fair solution that satisfies the basic needs of both. It is inthis spirit that we provide the following information.
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When two or more people inherit an estate, their relationship islike that of business partners for most matters, including theright to end the partnership (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat171:1). One difference is that people’s agreement to enter a jointventure for a set time may include an obligation not to breakupthe venture prematurely (see ibid. 176:15). Because inheritorsbecome partners by the death of a joint relative, not byagreement, and for an open ended timeperiod, each has theright to end the partnership. The question is how to do this in agiven case.The optimal way to break up the partner ship is to divide theproperty proportion ally among the partners. However, there isa feasibility check of that arrangement (ibid. 171:1). Each sidemust be left with a portion that can be used for the samefunction as the entire unit was. The smaller parts must besimilar enough to the original property to be called by the samename. Thus, regarding a field, the divided parts must be knownas a field and not a garden (ibid.:3). In the case of livingquarters, a house would have to be broken up into pieces thatwould each be called a house and be fit to use as completeliving quarters.Where halacha does not deem it feasible to divide the property,the nextbest system is known as GUDOAGUD (ibid. :6). Thissystem, which is disputed by Amora'im in Bava Batra (13a),means that Shimon challenges Reuven to either buy outShimon’s part or allow Shimon to buy him out. The Rama (ibid.:7) even allows Shimon to make a challenge at a higher thanmarketvalue price. If Reuven does not want to pay more thanthe property is worth, Shimon gets the chance to buy at thathigher price. However, if Shimon is not capable of buying, hecannot force Reuven to buy his part.When neither side is interested in buying out his partner, and theproperty cannot be feasibly divided, two systems remain. Thepreferable one is to rent out the property to a third party andsplit the profits (Shulchan Aruch and Rama, ibid. :8). Where theproperty does not lend itself to being rented out, the two canshare time usage of the property. In the case of living quarters,they each get a turn of a year at a time.Each of these alternatives has details that determine if and howthe given alternative should be carried out. We do not haveenough details to provide exact guidelines. Your proceduralalternatives are basically as follows. You can use theseguidelines to help you come to a mutual agreement. If, as itsounds, the property can be broken up into two living units in apractical manner, then if one of you prefers that arrangement,that is what should be done. Reuven cannot force Shimon to buythe house if he does not want to for whatever reason. Renting itout is halachically and probably practically a better idea thantimesharing.If you cannot reach an agreement, it is perfectly respectable togo to a Beit Din to examine the claims in detail. It is regrettablefor siblings to reach the point of anger and recriminations beforeending up in Beit Din. One might still prefer the more intimateforum of a Rav knowledgeable in monetary law, than a formalBeit Din.Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha sheetpublished by Eretz Hemdah. You can read this section or the entireHemdat Yamim at www.ou.org or www.eretzhemdah.org. And/or youcan receive Hemdat Yamim by email weekly, by sending an email [email protected] with the message: Subscribe/English (for theEnglish version) or Subscribe/Hebrew (for the hebrew version). Pleaseleave the subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by theJewish Agency for Israel
[2] Candle by DayOur best work is done when we are wellprepared or notprepared; our worst when illprepared.
From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
[3] CHIZUK and IDUD(for Olim & notyetOlim respectively)Parshat Chukat contains a silent juncture in the story of theJewish people traveling through the desert. The entire book ofBamidbar up to this point refers to events that took place withinthe first two years since the Exodus. Suddenly, in the secondaliya of Chukat, we are in the first month of the final year of theJewish people's trek through the desert. By the end of the year,Moshe will have died, Yehoshua will have replaced him, andthe Jewish people will be entering Canaan in a matter of weeks.The 37 intermittent years seem to have passed without anyevent worthy of mention. Day after day passed, adding up toweeks, months, and years. All we get in between the aftermathof Parshat Korach and the death of Miriam are the mitzvot ofPara Aduma and Tum'at Meit, which, according to the Midrash,were actually given on the day of the dedication of the Mishkan.But it is during these years that Moshe Rabbenu and the Jewishpeople became intimately connected with one another. Up tothis point the Israelites had lived from crisis to crisis. Now theydeveloped the routine of daily manna collection and the study ofGod's Torah from Moshe and the elders. They were able tofocus on the details of the mitzvot and contemplate theirsignificance and proper fulfillment. While the desert was hardlya preparation for the independent life they would be leading inIsrael, this experience imbued them with a new perspective ofwhat life is all about, both personally and nationally.These years are well represented by the Para Aduma, whichteaches that man is ultimately redeemed from the defilement ofdeath, and kal vachomer from the setbacks of life. Daily effortsto do what is right, to fulfill God's mitzvot, add up to a humanexistence worthy of man who was created in His image.Yes, there is a great deal of confusion in life. Yet, all in all weslowly move in the direction of being worthy of entering God'spromised land as God's chosen people.
Rabbi Menachem Schrader, Efrat
[4] A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of WitR' Chaim of Brisk once collected money for a worthy cause. Hevery much wanted a certain wealthy man, who was known to bemiserly, to contribute, and he sent for the man without tellinghim why. Of course, when the man heard the rabbi wanted tosee him, he came immediately. Once he heard why he had beencalled, he rebuked R' Chaim:"Common courtesy requires a person who wants a favor to go tothe person from whom he wants the favor.""I was afraid," said R' Chaim, "that I might be wasting mytime.""Is that fair?" exclaimed the man angrily. "Why are you worriedabout wasting your time and not about wasting my time?""Well," said R' Chaim, "whether your time has been wasted bycoming here is strictly up to you. If you donate to this cause,you obviously will not have wasted it."
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"Every human trait needs to be expressed deliberately, exceptfor modesty. If one is deliberately modest, that is not modesty."— R' Mendel of Kotsk
"I prefer the wicked man who knows he is wicked to therighteous man who knows he is righteous." — The Chozeh ofLublin
Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series for ArtScroll: Wordsof Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit; and"Wisdom and Wit" — available at your local Jewish bookstore (orshould be). Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder
[5] Parsha Points to Ponder CHUKAT1) Why is Moshe punished for speaking and not hitting the rockin this week's Parsha (20:12), but he was not punished for whatseems to be the exact same sin in Parshat Beshalach (Sh'mot17:17)?2) When the Jews complained about their situation in the desert,Gd punished them by killing them with snakes. (21:6) How didthis fulfill Gd's approach to punish measure for measure?3) When the Jews were killed by snakes, Moshe ended theplague by placing a snake on a staff and having the people look(see 21:89). Why did Gd command Moshe to use the samething which killed as the cure instead of using somethingsacred?
Last week's Parsha Points to Ponder (KORACH)(1) In the beginning of the Parsha, Moshe says IT IS ENOUGHFOR YOU SONS OF LEVI. (16:7) Our Sages (Sotah 13b) teachthat Moshe was punished for saying this when Gd used similarlanguage to inform Moshe that he cannot enter Israel (seeDevarim 3:26). Why was Moshe punished for chastising therebellious Korach?Many Sifrei Mussar point out that while what Korach did wasbased on jealousy, his goal was to be in a position where hecould be closer to Hashem. Thus, the great Moshe Rabbeinushould have held back somewhat in his chastising of Korach.(2) Why did Korach's sin warrant the introduction of a new formof capital punishment (being swallowed alive by the ground see 16:32 and a flame consuming the people see 16:35) insteadof one of the standard methods of execution according to Torahlaw?The Belzer Rebbe, zt"l, explained that if they were killed byBeit Din or died through some natural plague, it would still havebeen possible to suggest that Korach's platform was correct.Perhaps people would have said that they received thepunishment because they acted improperly in shaming a Jewishleader. The supernatural deaths, however, made a clearstatement that Korach and his cohorts were wrong.(3) Following the death of Korach and his cohorts, all of thetribes were told to put staffs into the Mishkan and only Aharon'ssprouted (17:1624). Suddenly, everyone is comfortable withAharon as the Kohein Gadol. Why weren't the Jews satisfied bythe miracle of the fire pans and the punishment of Korach andwhy did the staff incident pacify them?After Korach died, people still suspected nepotism in the
selection of Aharon as the Kohein Gadol. The Chizkuni pointsout that three words are used to describe the miracle of the staff PERACH, TZITZ, AND SHEKEIDIM (17:23). These alludeto the fact that that young priests (Pirchei Kehuna similar toPerach) who emerge from Aharon will wear the tzitz and willperform their jobs with resolve (Shokdim similar to shekeidim).Thus, Hashem was making a final declaration that Aharon is Hischosen Kohein.Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman ofBeit Shemesh [email protected] • Answers will appear inthe next issue of TT
[6] Torah From Nature COYPUMyocastor coypus or Nutria (that's its name in Hebrew too) is alarge, crepuscular (being active during twilight and beforesunrise), semiaquatic rodent native to South America, but nowalso present in Israel, where it has become feral. (This means itwas introduced as a fur animal in controlled areas, but someescaped and began reproducing in the wild. Feral is somewherebetween domesticated and wild.) They are adapted tosubtropical to mild temperate climate... resembles a very largerat in appearance. Adults are typically 59kg and 4060cm longwith a 3045cm tail... The nipples of female coypu are on theirback, allowing their young to feed while the female is in thewater (MRMH)... often mistaken for the muskrat... The tail of acoypu is round... mostly considered pests... host for a nematodeparasite that can infect the skin of humans..."nutria itch"... Thislarge robust rodent burrows in river banks, feeds on water plantsand is a good swimmer. The hind feet are webbed and long,course outer fur stops the soft under fur from becoming wet...also known as a swamp beaver... prolific, bearing 29 young perlitter, twice a year. Gestation is longer than most rodents,resulting in fully furred young born with eyes open, which moveabout several hours after birth. Sexually mature 57 months ofage. Females will sometimes breed as soon as two days aftergiving birth... more comfortable and graceful in the water, theywill often search for better food on land... adults have fewpredators young have many. Four years of age is consideredold for coypus.
[7] MicroUlpanMail & StampsBUL is a stamp; BUL TAMIM is a mint stamp.TZ'MUDA is a block (of stamps); TZ'MUDAT SHOVEL is aplate block.Don't mix up these terms:TA DO'AR is a post office box.TEIVAT DO'AR is a mailbox, in which you deposit letters tomail.TEIVAT MICHTAVIM is the mailbox at the entrance to yourhome.
[8] Pirkei AvotShmuel HaKatan says: "Do not rejoice at the downfall of yourenemy..." Commentaries point out the strange (unique) situationin this mishna. The statement attributed to a Tana is a straightquote from Mishlei. Shmuel HaKatan did not originate this
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statement; Shlomo HaMelech did. In many other mishnayot inAvot, Tana'im made statements and supported their statementswith p'sukim. That is the norm. But here, an entire pasuk andonly the pasuk is attributed to the Tana. One explanation is thatShmuel HaKatan was known to quote this pasuk often inreproach of those who committed this common error, ofrejoicing in the down fall of their foes. One who adopts a pasukas a creed, it is as if he authored that pasuk. One can be thankfulthat his enemy has failed, but to rejoice in that can be seen as asign of arrogance, as if one feels more deserving of victory thanthe other. Gd can sympathize (so to speak) with the otherfellow and allow him to prevail against you at a future time.Maybe, to put you in your place for gloating. (Kahati plus...)
[9] Nechama Trauma & Bereavement Counseling
Ask the Counselor
Q: I lost my sister recently and I can’t believe how difficultit is for me. I’m past middle age and have a loving
spouse and wonderful children and grandchildren, many friendsand neighbours. What is wrong with me? I’m completelydevastated. Is it significant that I’m the only one left from myimmediate family?
A: Your afterthought question is probably more significantthan you think but even so, the feelings on the loss of a
sibling are very often minimized for the very reasons that yougive. i.e. spouse, children , grandchildren etc. so why am Icarrying on so much?A sibling plays a very special role in one’s life. No one elseshares the history you both do. No one else has known you aslong as your brother or sister (unless your parents are still alive,but it’s different). No one else shares the memories of yourchildhood (positive or negative) and no one probably knows youas well. They knew you as a child in a way that no one whoknows you now as an adult does. They knew the family jokesand the family struggles. The fun times and the difficult ones.Brothers and sisters influence each others lives in veryfundamental ways: they are a part of your formative past and animportant part of your roots to that past. When your sibling diedyou lost someone who had been in your life for a very longtime. A constant in your life is gone. This alone can make youfeel insecure and anxious.Their death can make you feel older – the family has dwindled.You are the last one left from those you started out with. Veryunsettling, to say the least.Because you share many of the same genes you many feelincreased health concerns and begin thinking about your ownmortality. Approaching the age when they died can be stressful.If your relationship with them was close you’ll miss themterribly. If it wasn’t as good as you would have a wanted , you’lllikely feel regret and perhaps some guilt and of course sadness.The fact is that there may be little recognition from others as tothe importance of the loss to you. While your sister was likely apivotal person in your life, the other members of your familymay not recognize it. They may not understand your grief andmay not help you in the way you would expect them to if theyfelt the loss as you have.So all in all, it’s easy to understand why you’re experiencing allthose feelings connected with any loss in addition to the specificones mentioned here. Those feelings are very normal. You lost
someone who had a special place in your life and you need timeto deal with it. Your sister will always be a part of your life andbecause of that special connection the intenseness of the losswill take time to abate.Talk about her – perhaps with her children or even yourchildren. Share the feelings related to the loss of a sibling. Tellthem what you miss most, how it was growing up with her ( thepositive and the negative). Reminisce, share your feelings, andabove all give yourself time to mourn.At some point you may want to perpetuate her memory perhaps by donation to a cause that would be meaningful to bothof you or by taking on a chesed project or by attending a shiurin her memory.A Nechama counselor is always available if you should feel theneed to call.NECHAMA is a nonprofit organization that providescounseling for those who have lost a loved one. Call (02)5734413 or (02) 6518319. To address a question toNECHAMA, email: [email protected]
[10] Divrei MenachemParshat Chukat takes us further along the path of law and orderin Jewish society. In the opening sentences, Moshe is instructedin the unfathomable law (Chok) of the Red Heifer. Its illogiclies in the fact that the very kohein who sprinkles the purifyingwater of separation on to an unclean individual himself becomesdefiled.Despite the fact that the nations of the world taunt us for thisirrationality (cf. Rashi, B'midbar 19:2), we are expected touphold this command obediently. According to the Midrash,Hashem actually revealed the reason to Moshe but to himalone. Even the wise King Solomon had to admit that, 'I said Iwill get wisdom, but it was far from me."Following this line of discussion, we are troubled by the factthat Moshe, having been told to speak to the rock to producewater (ibid 20:8) is later punished for disobeying Gd. ForMoshe strikes the rock rather than speaking to it. It seems thateven the most pious can err. Later, in another episode, Moshelistens unquestionably to the command to make a materialserpent to cure the people: He had learned his lesson, notesRabbi Julius Baker.There is a very fine line between absolute obedience to Gd anddoing what appears right in our subjective eyes. The art is inrecognizing the source of the directive.Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff
Sheyibaneh Beit HaMikdash...A series of articles on Beit HaMikdashrelated topics by CatrielSugarman intended to increase the knowledge, interest, andanticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of ourhopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the BeitHaMikdash.
Efrayim in Assyrian Exile a HistoryThe Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold And his cohortswere gleaming in purple and gold. (Byron)"Then the King of Assyria came up through out all the land,and went up to Shomron (Samaria), and besieged it for threeyears. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the King of Assyria took
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Shomron (722BCE) and carried Israel away to Assyria andplaced them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan…And so Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyriaunto this day… (II Melachim 17:6,23). But the NorthernKingdom's battle against Assyria had begun in the days of KingAch'av, the victor of the Battle of Karkar, some 130 yearsearlier.Centered in northern Mesopotamia, Assyria played adevastating role in Israelite/Jewish history for centuries. TiglatPil'eser I was the first real Assyrian empire builder; hesucceeded in conquering extensive areas in Anatolia, Babylonand even reached the Mediterranean coast. But a series of weakkings and civil wars collapsed Assyrian power. In fact, theAssyrians might have been completely destroyed by theirAramean (Syrian) enemies to the south had the Arameansthemselves not become entangled with... the United IsraeliteKingdom under the leadership of King David! In the process ofbeing defeated by David (990? BCE), the Ammonitessummoned help from their Aramean allies. But "when theArameans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel,they gathered themselves together. And Hadadezer (theAramean king) sent, and brought out the Arameans that werebeyond the River (i.e. the transEuphrates Arameans who werefighting the Assyrians)… and he (David) gathered all Israeltogether … and the Arameans set themselves in array … and theArameans fled before David" (II Shemu'el 10:1518). Thethoroughly thrashed Arameans relaxed their pressure on Assyriaand… Assyria was saved!The first people to use cavalry in warfare, Assyrian recoverybegan only under AdadNirari II (911889BCE) who renewedthe drive for conquest. Assyrian wars were marked byexceptional brutality. "Their blood in the valleys and in the highplaces of the mountains I caused to flow. Their heads I cut offand I piled them up outside their cities like heaps of grain… "The renewed Assyrian threat explains Ach'av's strangeclemency to Benhadad of Damascus, the Aramean king whohad initiated so many vicious wars against Israel (I Melachim20:34). A politically astute and farsighted monarch, Ach'av waskeenly aware of the rising Assyrian menace. For this reason,Ach'av did not want to weaken Benhadad unduly because heunderstood that it was vital to enlist him and the other localrulers in a joint effort to halt the Assyrians. In pursuit of hisprogram, Ach'av firmly cemented his tie with Judah and had anunusually warm relationship with her king. Perhaps unawarehow much this behavior angered his own people, Ach'av alsotolerated the Ba'al cult for the same reason. Unlike Queen Izevelwho was the daughter of the Tyrian king, Ach'av was not a Ba'alworshipper, but he was not going to offend any potential allyeither. Only two years after Ach'av's spectacular victory overAram,the long anticipated Assyrian threat finally materialized.As the leading ruler between the Nile and the Euphrates, Ach'avassumed responsibly for the defense of the entire region andcalled on the other local kings to facilitate the war effort. Theadvancing Assyrians swept through the Upper Orontes Valleybut when they turned south, they met the arrayed allied army atKarkar in northern Syria. Though the Tanach does not mentionthe battle at all, we know from Assyrian accounts, that Ach'avplayed a commanding role in the battle. (BenHadad certainlycould not have been the moving spirit behind such a majorenterprise only two years after his disastrous defeat at the handsof Ach'av.) According to Assyrian annals, Aram contributed20,000 foot soldiers compared to Israel's 10,000. However,Israel's contingent of chariots (2000, which no doubt includedJudean units) was greater than that of all the other allies
combined. (Ach'av's close ties with wealthy Tyre may explainhow he was able to pay for such a pricey force.) At the battle ofKarkar the Assyrian armies were stopped cold.A deleterious result of Yeihu's bloody coup d'etat againstAch'av's son Yehoram (II Melachim 8,9,10) was a seriousweakening of Israel both politically and militarily. There wereother battles between Assyria and the smaller kingdoms to thesouth, but Yeihu's Israel did not participate in them. Instead theArameans took the initiative and led the resistance. Lacking thevision of an Ach'av, Yeihu foolishly declared for Assyria! Thefirst extant representation of an Israelite is carved on anAssyrian stele Yeihu groveling at the feet of Assyrian KingShalmanezer II! When the Assyrian threat temporarily receded,the Aramean king Hazael launched a savage (note Amos 3:45)war against traitorous Israel. He felt that it was necessary tosecure his rear before the Assyrians regained their strength andattacked again. The triumphant Aramean king sliced off theGolan Heights and Transjordania from Israel. Syrian unitspenetrated as far south as Eilat, and with the help of theEdomites, detached the Negev from Judah. Israel and Judah hadbeen rendered impotent. But Assyria returned, and underAdadnirari III, dealt the Arameans a crushing blow whichfatally weakened them (806BCE). Before he died, Elisha, longthe aide and confidant of the House of Yeihu encouraged theking not to despair. "The Lord's arrow of victory, even thearrow of victory against Aram; for you shalt smite theArameans... until you consume them… (II Melachim 13:17). Inthree brilliant campaigns Yo'ash restored the borders of Israel,his son Yerav'am (II) occupied Damascus, and for 45 yearsIsrael was the paramount power in the region. Judah alsoblossomed. But it could not last. After the death of Yerav'am II,Israel's last great king, everything fell apart and the Assyrianblight returned in full fury. During the first Assyrian invasion ofEretz Yisrael, the Mediterranean coast, the Galil, and the landsbeyond the Jordan were amputated from Israel. Evidence offerocious battles between heroic Israelite defenders and thevastly superior Assyrian army (732BCE) is attested to byarcheological findings in Chatzor (level V) and in Megido (levelIV). "In the days of Pekach King of Israel, Tiglat Pil'eser Kingof Assyria took Ijon, and Avel Beit Ma'acha, and Yano'ach,and Kedesh, and Chatzor, and the Gil'ad, and Galilee, all theland of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria" (IIMelachim 15:29). By its length alone, the reduction ofcourageous Shomron ten years later, surpasses some of thegreatest sieges in the history of warfare. Nineveh, Assyria'scapital, withstood King Nabopolassar for less than two yearsand Tyre fell to Alexander the Great after a siege of sevenmonths. The Romans took Syracuse after two years andCarthage in three. In modern times Sebastopol held out foreleven months (1856), Paris in 1870187l lasted for 132 daysand in 1945, Berlin, two weeks. Mayour Shomron rise again!<to be continued>Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A PilgrimsProspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the DivineService
Towards Better Davening and Torah ReadingThe TROPmarks called T'LISHA G'DOLA and T'LISHAK'TANA, both of look like magnifying glasses or lollipops.They don't sound the same, although the way many of uslearned TROP, they do sound the same. More important thatwhat they sound like, is the fact that one calls for a pause after it
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and the other leads to the next word without a pause. TheT'LISHA G'DOLA is always placed over the first letter of theword, even if the accent is not on the first syllable. In thosecases, a second magnifying glass is placed over the accentedsyllable, to help the Baal Korei accent the word correctly. TheT'LISHA G'DOLA leans backwards, the circle part of it is to theright and the stick goes down from the circle to the left. Afterthe word with the T'LISHA G'DOLA , there is a pause beforecontinuing with the next word. See B'midbar 19:9,10 for twoexamples. If the accent is on the first syllable, then only oneT'LISHA G'DOLA will be printed.The T'LISHA K'TANA is always printed over the last letter, andwhen the accent is elsewhere, a second T'LISHA K'TANA isplaced over the accented syllable. Here the lollipop leansforward, the circle to the left and the stick going down and tothe right. And in the case of T'LISHA K'TANA, even thoughthe melody for it seems to invite a pause, there should be nopause. Look in 19:2. v'yikCHU eiLEcha (T'LISHA K'TANAon the last letter of eiLEcha, but a second one above the LEsyllable, because that gets the accent) NO PAUSE faRAaduMA t'miMA. "Proof" (or manifestation) that there is nopause after eiLEcha is that the DAGESH KAL drops out ofthe PEI of PARA, leaving faRA. That doesn't happen unlessthe PEIword is in the same phrase as the preceding word. (Itdoesn't always happen, but does so after a CHAFSOFIT with aKAMATZ). See 19:13. B'NEFESH HA'ADAM... that's aphrase, no pause after B'NEFESH.
We start with the cow representing the PARA ADUMA. In pastyears, we had a hammer & sickle to identify it as RED,especially for readers of the hard copy of TT where theParshaPix are B&W. Since that symbol is long passe, we haveswitched to the range of visible light frequency that isdesignated as red.Following Miriam's death, the Well dried up and there was nowater for the people (the faucet with the spider's web at thespout).Although Moshe was commanded to speak to the Rock (its earindicates that it was ready to listen), he struck it with theMATEH twice and water gushed forth from the rock(s).The Kohen Gadol is pictured, with the garments that weretransferred from Aharon to Elazar.Following Aharon's death, the people panicked and a plague ofserpents attacked the people. Gd told Moshe to put the form ofa snake on a rod (which he did, making the snake from copper)and anyone bitten by a poisonous snake who looks at thesnakeonthestick would live. The symbol of the medical corpsis a serpent (or two) wound around a staff. Known as acaduceus, dictionaries and encyclopedias give it an origin inGreek mythology. One wonders if the Torah is its originalsource... or something like that.The sedra mentions SEFER MILCHAMOT HASHEM, somekind of written record of the battles. It is represented by theopen book with a tank on one page and the HEIapostrophe onthe other.
DO NOT ENTER sign has a doubledouble meaning. Edom andEmori both responded to Israel's request for safe passagethrough their territory with DO NOT ENTER. Moshe andAharon, as a result of the "hitting the rock rather than talking toit episode", were given DO NOT ENTER orders for EretzYisrael.The bottle of water marked 2NIS represents the offer BneiYisrael made to pay for the water they would use while passingthrough Edom's land.The well with the musical clef stands for the Song of the Well.At the bottom is a mathematical expression equaling 256+44+1,which is 301, the g'matriya of fire. That is what the expressionis equal to in the ParshaPix, and altogether it represents thephrase,"For a fire has come out of CHESHBON..."There are two new elements in the ParshaPix that each becomea visual TTriddle. One is easy, the other nearly impossible.
TTRIDDLES...are Torah Tidbitsstyle riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimeson the calendar). They are found in the hardcopy of TTscattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns.In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together atthe end of the ParshaPixTTriddles section. The best solution setsubmitted each week (there isn't always a best) wins a doubleprize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle,book, etc.) from Big Deal
Last issue’s (KORACH) TTriddles:[1] Referred to by his "newer" name in the haftara[2] We'll hear it on Shabbat but it will remind us of Wednesday[2][3] It's 6971km, airport to airport, from some where in India tosomewhere in Papua New Guinea, to go from last week's sedrato this week's[4] He didn't join his brothers[5] Aharon's staff and one of his eight[6] 6 pair in Korach plus 3 others[7] Those of the 54 that terminate with termination[8] one visual TTriddle (2 parts) from ParshaPix
And the envelope, please...[1] Gid'on was a Judge and military leader of the people ofIsrael. His name appears 39 times in the book of Shof'tim 68.He is also referred to by another name (like a nickname) after hedestroyed his father's altar to Baal. That name is Yerubaal. Thatname appears 13 times in Shof'tim 69. In the haftara forKorach, Sh'muel HaNavi refers to Gid'on by his newer namewhen listing some of the leaders of the past who saved thepeople from their enemies. BTW, there is one more reference toGid'on by a variation of Yerubaal, changed to avoid vocalizingthe name of an idolatry Yerubeshet.[2] One TTriddler suggested that this refers to the molad,announced on Shabbat but taking place on and thereforereminding us of Wednesday. Not what we had in mind, butacceptable as an answer. The TTriddle points to the Psalm ofthe Day for Wednesday, which ends with first two p'sukim of
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L'CHU N'RAN'NA (Psalm 95), the first Psalm of KabbalatShabbat. That can be said of any Shabbat reminding one ofWednesday or vice versa. But the haftara of Korach hasanother reminder. KI LO YITOSH HASHEM (ET) AMO, aphrase that appears only in Shmuel Alef (12:22), haftara ofKorach, and in T'hilim 94, Shir Shel Yom of Wednesday. BTW,since T'hilim 94 is followed by L'CHU N'RAN'NA, the first twop'sukim were appended to the Psalm of Wednesday as if toremind us that beginning with the second half of the week, wefocus on the coming Shabbat. Wednesday, Thursday, and Fridaycan be seen as the preparatory days for the coming Shabbat, asSunday, Monday, and Tuesday at the beginning of the week,draw some of the flavor of the preceding Shabbat. Onemanifestation of that idea is that havdala can be said inextenuating circumstances until (but not including) Tuesdayevening.[3] This TTriddle was born when we changed the footer of thepage from SHLACH to KORACH, only switching the SHL toKOR and leaving the ACH intact. From there it was a search ofthe acronym websites to find that the only possibility for aTTriddle would be the threeletter codes for airports around theworld. Whereas TTreaders might be more familiar with TLVand JFK, EWR (Newark), LGA (La Guardia the airport inQueens, not the street and highway exit in Tel Aviv), LHR andLGW (Heathrow and Gatwick for our British TTreaders), wedid find both SHL and KOR on the list. From the airport inShillong, India to the airport in Kokoro, Papau New Guinea isalmost 7000 km.[4] ON b. PELET is NOT the correct answer. Since "hisbrothers" Datan and Aviram were not biological brothers, butonly in the sense of partners in crime. However, Datan andAviram had a brother. His name was NEMUEL (not to beconfused with the NEMUEL who was the son of Shimon theywere first cousins twiceremoved), and he did not join hisbrothers in the Korach rebellion.[5] This might have been used as a TTriddle in the past. Theword TZITZ appears in the description of the flowering,
budding, and fruiting of Aharon's staff. The TZITZ was one ofthe 8 garments of the Kohein Gadol. Hence the TTriddle.[6] The infamous pair DATAN and AVIRAM are mentioned 6times in Bamidbar 16 (Parshat Korach), twice in Pinchas andonce in Eikev. That makes in 6 pair in Korach and threeelsewhere.[7] This TTriddle was born of a curiosity search for sedras ofthe Torah (there are 54) which end (terminate) with reference todeath (termination). Which seems like an unexpected way thatsedras end. Korach ends with the words V'LO TAMUTU, andthey shall not die). B'midbar ends with VAMEITU, (they Leviyim from K'hat family should not witness the covering ofthe vessels of the Mishkan) and die. Parshat Balak ends with,"And the bodycount of the plague was 24,000. Each seeminappropriate in light of what we know about where to put analiyabreak. And then there is Parshat No'ach, ending with,"And Terach died in Charan. Also K'doshim and Emor fit (sortof). That brings the number of the 54 to six.[8] Is this one visual TTriddle with two parts or two separateones take your pick. Both are from the haftara, and refer to theunusual storm (storm cloud with lightning) Honorable mention(and a CD) to DM for 007/M.
This week's TTriddles:[1] an extra dot at the end[2] The eye passes by silently[3] Assuming the first two are covered by the first word here,what's missing?[4] The king who sent you, Ish Yehuda, and what?[5] 11 times past the bar, only 5 with: lamb, cow, horses, oil,gift[6] plus 2 elements from the ParshaPix
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