emunah is natural

Volume 4 issue 43

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The Nabi Yeshaya scolded Bnei Yisrael for leaving Hakadosh Baruch Hu to serve other gods. He claimed that they were worse than the bull and the donkey. They at least know their master who feeds them, but you, the Jewish nation, don’t know or heed this fact. ידע שור קונהו וחמור אבוס בעליו These two animals don’t have brains to .ישראל לא ידע עמי לא התבונןunderstand, but even though they do know the master who feeds them and therefore they do not falter in their service to him. Bnei Yisrael, you are the greatest nation in the world, in mind, in character, in abilities and understanding. How is it that you forsake your Master who took care of you for thousands of years? Not only that, but you went to serve foreign gods that are helpless, vain in every aspect. Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian zt”l questions the comparison of Bnei Yisrael to the animals of the faith that they have in them. He claims that animals’ faith in their master is natural, an innate quality that Hashem put into all tame animals, whereas a human has to struggle to achieve real Emunah in Hashem. Although it is natural to know and believe in Hashem, since the whole world around us is clearly signifying that, but to fully believe that Hashem is taking care of us constantly, needs a lot of training and understanding. It even seems to most people that they earn their own livelihood, take care of their health, protect themselves from harm, etc, which leaves them with a very difficult task to actually believe that Hashem is the source of everything. Therefore why is Yeshaya Hanabi comparing us to these animals? Rab Lopian answers: The comparison is exact; planted in the heart of every person is the fact that Hashem is constantly guiding the whole world, from all the worlds above to the bottoms beneath the earth. Every individual is accounted for and deals with divine providence from birth until death and afterwards. Nothing is hidden from Hashem. If we look simply at all of the life dependency, items are always available, put into the world by Hashem. For instance air, without air one could not exist; also water is found all over the world. Even though food is a necessity for man, but it is also

Emunah Is Natural ט׳ מנחם אב תשע״ט

Shabbat schedule

Friday/ ערב שבת Hadlakat nerot 7:43 Shir Hashirim 6:35

Shabbat/שבת Shachrit #1 netz Amida 6:04

Shachrit #2 korbanot 8:00

Shema Magen Abraham 8:39 Shiur Chovot Halevavot

Afternoon/שבת Kinyan Hamasechta chazra 3:30

Halacha shiur 4:45

Mincha 6:00

סעודת שלישית Shekia/Sof Zman Achila 8:00

Ha’azinu/Arbit 9:25

Rabenu Tam 9:12

Bachurim program

Limud N/A

Mincha

Seuda shelisheet

Arbit

Volume 4 issue 43



Shabbat Shalom Harav Ezra Zafrani


Horav Yisroel Brog shlit”a related in his hesped for his Rebbe, Rov Meir Soloveitchik zt”l the following anecdote: As a close talmid for many years in Eretz Yisroel, R’ Yisroel was privy to see R’ Meir in his apartment on almost a daily basis and engage in long hashkafic discusssions almost daily. Very often, R’ Meir was eating when R’ Yisroel would approach him. “Rebbe, I’m sorry to disturb Rebbe’s eating,” he would say, Reb Meir would always respond, “Zayn gornisht” (it’s nothing), and R’ Yisroel would watch his holy Rebbe eating his seuda while enjoying his radiance. On one occasion, R’ Yisroel asked him, “Why is rebbe not disturbed when I watch him eat?” R’ Meir responded, “Let me tell you a story about my father” (the heiligeh Brisker Rov, זצוקללה״ה). “When my father arrived in Eretz Yisroel, Rov Dovid Baharan zt”l, the great Tzaddik in Yerushalayim wanted to get a glimpse of him. When R’ Dovid walked in, my father was eating, and he didn’t want to disturb my father, so he just stood there, waiting for him to finish his seuda, while watching my father’s every move. After about 15 minutes, he walked away satisfied with what he saw.

“What did R’ Dovid see in my father as he waited there that he left content? He saw that my father’s eating was not shterred (stirred) by someone staring at him throughout the course of his meal. Most people would not be able to concentrate on eating if someone’s eyes were setting a gaze upon them as they ate. Not my father.” R’ Meir continued, “If somebody was putting on a talis or tfillin, while someone was staring at him, would that affect his concentration as he did those mitzvos? Surely not. To my father, eating was the same thing, it was his putting on talis and tfilin, with nothing mundane about it at all.” Having the holy Brisker Rav as a father surely left its mark on R’ Meir, as can be demonstrated from the postscript to the aforementioned discussion. Shortly after the conversation, R’ Yisroel noticed R’ Meir holding his plate, which contained a piece of potato kugel on it. R’ Meir was staring intently at it, and seemed to be noncommittal on whether he would eat it or not. R’ Yisroel asked, “Can I ask what Rebbe is thinking about?” R’ Meir responded in classic Brisker fashion, “I am deciding if I am hungry or not. You see, one cannot eat unless he is hungry, I have to determine whether in fact I am eating because I am hungry, or just for the desire to eat.” After a few seconds, R’ Meir quickly took the kugel inside and explained “If one takes more than a few seconds to make this decision, his yetzer hara will always convince him he is hungry.”

accessible to all. But air and water are more necessary than food, therefore they are available to all. Who could prepare such a world, only the One and Only. Who regulates the temperature in the world that almost everywhere in the world people can live and adapt to the temperature that Hashem regulates daily. Look at our body, who regulates the thermostat, the digestions, the blood flow, etc, only One Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Now it is understood Yeshaya the Nabi scolding Bnei Yisrael, how can you abandon your Lifeline, Who loves you and will never abandon you? The Torah is our lifeline and without it there is no life. Putting our life into the hands of foreign gods is abandoning the Torah. Keep in mind that Hashem loves us, He is our Father our King who cares only for our benefit, do not forsake the holy Torah.

STORIES OF OUR GEDOLIM

Volume 4 issue 43




From an acorn-size egg hatches a mysterious creature with a duck-like bill, beaver-like tail, and reptile-like stance. It’s a bird! It’s a reptile! It’s a—platypus! The name platypus is a combination of Greek words meaning “flat foot.” The scientific name of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, means “duck-like” in Latin.

The platypus lives in and near lakes, rivers, and streams in eastern Australia. Around four months of age, the young platypus ventures out of its dark burrow, which is sometimes as long as 65 feet, into the Australian fresh air. The furry platypus is an adept hunter. Its front webbed feet expertly paddle through the cold waters, while the hind feet and tail steer. The flat tail also helps it dive deep.

The platypus is a hardworking animal, spending about 12 hours each day searching for food. Dives for food can take about a minute before the platypus comes up for air.

The duckbilled platypus closes off its eyes, ears, and nose to keep water out. One would think this would make finding food impossible, but it isn’t thanks to its bill. On the skin of the bill are electroreceptors These receptors detect tiny electrical currents given off by the muscle contractions in its prey. So, when a little worm or shrimp moves, the duckbilled platypus will know which direction it came from, will zero in on it, and enjoy some dinner. Not only does it have electroreceptors to find the food, its brain is perfectly designed to receive and understand these electrical signals. All this is accomplished as the platypus digs through mud and pebbles.

Another problem is, the platypus doesn’t have any teeth. This makes the duckbilled platypus the only mammal on earth that hunts for substantial food but doesn’t have teeth. Anteaters and Pangolins don’t need teeth since they only eat ants and small insects. While it is rummaging around underwater, it will scoop up some gravel and dirt in its mouth. When it finds food, it will tuck it in its cheek, rise to the surface, and use the gravel and dirt as makeshift teeth to help “chew” the food. Once it swallows the food, it becomes even more unique. The duckbilled platypus doesn’t have a stomach. Its esophagus connects directly to the intestines. Somehow it is still able to eat, digest, and survive. If this wasn’t already tricky enough, the duckbilled platypus is generally nocturnal does all of this at night while its eyes, ears, and nose are closed!

The platypus and the echidnas (spiny anteaters) are the only monotremes, an order of mammals that lay eggs. Female platypuses have more extensive burrows than males because that is where they rear their young. Eggs develop in the mother’s body for about 28 days. The eggs (1-3) are then laid in the burrow, and the female curls around them to provide warmth. After 10 more days, they hatch into lima bean-sized, helpless infants. Mother platypuses do not nurse their young in the normal manner, but instead their milk comes from pores in their skin and collects in grooves on their stomach. Babies lap the milk rather than suck. After about four months, the babies are ready to come out of the burrow and learn to swim.

Abandon any notion that the duck-billed platypus is a soft and cuddly creature. This platypus, renowned as one of the few mammals that lay eggs, also is one of only a few venomous mammals. The males can deliver a mega-sting that causes immediate, excruciating pain, like hundreds of hornet stings, leaving victims incapacitated for weeks. This venom may kill animals like dogs and is very painful to humans.

Every time an evolutionist looks at the platypus, I think Hashem smiles! Think about it. It has a bill like a duck, a beaver-like tail, webbed feet like an otter, hair like a bear, claws like a reptile, lays eggs like a turtle, and has poison like a snake!

Without a doubt the duckbilled platypus is an amazing animal. It is another creature that points to design, order, and a supreme Creator.

Rabbi Eliyahu Tobal

HASHEM’S AMAZING WORLD/ נפלאות הבורא

Volume 4 issue 43




Weekly Halachot - הלכה למעשה

1. This year תשעה באב is on Shabbat so the fast is pushed off to Saturday night and Sunday. The honor of Shabbat overrides the mourning of the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash. Therefore, one may not do any acts of mourning even privately on Shabbat. One may go for a walk to the park on Shabbat.

2. One may have for סעודת שלישית an elaborate meal including meat and wine. However one must stop eating before sunset.

3. One may continue wearing leather shoes until nightfall.

4. It is forbidden to prepare on Shabbat for after Shabbat such as organizing the shul or bringing slippers to shul.

5. Regarding הבדלה,we say אתה חוננתנו in the evening prayer, yet על הכוס הבדלה is not said until after the fast is over on Sunday night and we do not say .ברכת בשמים

6. The blessing of בורא מאורי האש is said מוצאי שבת in shul prior to the recitation of Echa. Women who cannot come to shul may say the blessing of מאורי .at home האש

7. A sick person who cannot fast must say הבדלה with wine or grape juice before eating.

8. One who is ill and must eat should only eat enough for their health and nothing extra. There is no requirement to eat certain measurements, rather eat whatever is needed.

9. Even a healthy person may swallow medication without water during the fast.

Laws Of Tisha Ba’ab

10. Children under bar mitzvah do not fast. Although children may wear leather shoes, but for חינוך they should wear non leather shoes.

11. One may not smear cream for pleasure on however it is permitted to put on תשעה באבdeodorant.

12. One may not wash even with cold water. is done until knuckles yet the נטילת ידיםkohanim may wash their whole hands until their wrists for ברכת כהנים. Similarly one who is ill and must eat washes his whole hand.

13. The blessing of שעשה לי כל צרכי is not said.

14. is said נחם however תפילות is said in all עננוonly in mincha.

Rabbi Michael Levy

emunah is natural

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