Post on 29-Jun-2020
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Page Zero of Torah Tidbits 762Quite a while ago, we wrote of the Israel Center being like the elephant in thefamous poem, "The Blind Men and the Elephant" by John Godfrey Saxe. Six blind
men were taken to "see" an elephant. Eachtouched a different part of the elephant(trunk, tail, tusk, leg, ear, side) and each,therefore got a different idea as to what anelephant was like (snake, rope, spear, tree,fan, wall). Many TTreaders know theCenter for the programs that take place at22 Keren HaYesod. You have a good ideaas to the type of people that participate inour shiurim, tiyulim, Shabbatonim, videopresentations, libraries, Torah Tidbits.
But there is so much more to the OU IsraelCenter that we now refer to the wholeoperation as OU Israel, of which the IsraelCenter is but a part.
We try to give TTreaders a glimpse intosome of the other aspects of OU Israel our youth programs NESTO and MakomBaLev, our kiruv/outreach program LevYehudi... and more. Let's put it like this:Torah Tidbits is part of the Israel Centerwhich is part of OU Israel is part of OU...
Lead Tidbit cont. from Front Page
the mitzva to Sanctify Gd's Name,even if it involved being killed. Thisadds a dimension to our quest andchallenge to be holy. The Torah oftenplaces our becoming holy in thecontext of Gd's being holy. Simplyput, one cannot become holy if onedesecrates Gd's name. Our path toholiness, through the proper performance of mitzvot, must go hand inhand with our continual avoidance ofChilul HaShem and our continualsanctification of Gd's name. One whogives up his life for Kiddush HaShemis called a KADOSH. And we can sayit is true for the one who sanctifiesHaShem in a myriad of ways dayinand dayout throughout one's lifetime.
And then the Torah presents to us,once again, the concept of Sanctity ofTime, K'dushat Z'man. We find inEmor, a major presentation of theChagim, all put in the perspective ofShabbat. Perhaps we can say that aperson cannot hope to attain K'dushawithout living a life that is filled withmitzvot in general, and with the holydays of our calendar in particular. Wealso find in the sedra, references tosanctity of place i.e. the Mikdash.
The point: The whole Torah is really amanual for "How to go about beingHoly, as Gd wants us to be". But ifyou want to narrow it down to asedra or two, then it's K'doshim andK'doshim Two, a.k.a. Emor. Thosetwo sedras contain an amazing 114mitzvot of the Torah's 613. That'smore than 18% of the total in justthese two consecutive sedras. Thepursuit of holiness is done withmitzvot and with everyday, mundaneactivitiy. That covers pretty muchcovers us all 24/7.
WORD of the MONTH from p.2
A weekly TT feature to help clarify practicaland conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar,thereby enhancing our appreciation of Gd'sgift to Am Yisrael of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
Imagine having left Egypt, then seeingMitzrayim pursue you, with mountains on eitherside and the Sea in front. Then after goingthrough the Sea, having another 5 "exciting"(and nerveracking) weeks until arriving atSinai. A lot took place there some good, somenot and finally, it's time to move on...Here's something to think about: The Plan wasto be taken out of Egypt, brought to Sinai andgiven the Torah, and be taken into EretzYisrael. We tend to blame the "Sin of theSpies" for the long delay in the Eretz Yisraelpart of the Plan. But, it seems, that we stayedat Sinai from Matan Torah through the firstanniversary of the Exodus, and an additionalmonth until Pesach Sheni, almost another weekuntil we received "marching orders", then theMeraglim...
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Say the sedra is K'doshim part 2The sedra of K'doshim, as we reported in last week's TT, posed the challenge ofK'DOSHIM TIHYU, Be Holy, and gave us a good idea as to how Gd wants us topursue that goal. The simple answer is: MITZVOT. Loads and loads of them. 51packed into a small sedra of 64 p'sukim. Dozens more that are countedelsewhere, but add to the raw total of mitzvot in K'doshim.
And it doesn't stop there. Not by a long shot, as the expression goes. Emorbegins by addressing the kohanim among us and commanding them to be holy K'DOSHIM YIHYU... V'LO Y'CHAL'LU... and not defile... The concept of K'DUSHA isrepeated several times with the kohanim, and further and higher for theKohein Gadol. [Side fact of interest to statheads: There are more words by farwith the root KUFDALETSHIN, variations of the word for Holy, in Emor than anyother sedra in the Torah. 48 words. In second place, T'tzaveh with 30.]
For the first half of Emor, the Torahspeaks to the kohanim, and the rest ofus listen in, and learn many thingsalong the way. One should not thinkthat the words to the kohanim are onlyfor them. If that were so, they wouldhave received a separate manual ofconduct rather than their mitzvot beingpart of the Taryag (the Torah's 613mitzvot).
But halfway through the sedra, theTorah addresses us all directly, with theultimate command of K'dusha
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EMOR STATS31st of 54 sedras; 8th of 10 in Vayikra
Written on 215 lines in a Torah (rank: 20th)
17 parshiyot; 11 open, 6 closed (above avg.)
124 p'sukim, rank: 15th; 1st in VayikraSame as Sh'mot, but shorter in words &letters. Very very close in number of lines;but number of parshiyot affects linecountbecause of the blank spaces betweenparshiyot.
1614 words, rank: 22nd; 2nd in Vayikra
6106 letters, rank: 23rd; 2nd in Vayikra
Relatively short p'sukim account for its dropin ranking in words and letters
MITZVOT16 mitzvot; 11 positive and 5 prohibitions
Only Ki Teitzei (with 74) has more mitzvotthan Emor. Only K'doshim and Ki Teitzei aremore mitzvadense. Emor has more thanone mitzva per two p'sukim, five times theTorah average.
AliyabyAliyaSedra Summary[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 thenumber of p'sukim in the parsha.
Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzvacount of Sefer HaChinuch ANDRambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition).X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.
Kohen First Aliya 15 p'sukim 21:115A kohein gets the first Aliya of every Torah reading. That's agiven. But this particular first Aliya is perfect for a kohein.
[P> 21:1 (9)] Following Parshat K'doshim, whichfocuses on the challenge to the individual Jew andthe whole Jewish community to rise to higher levelsof sanctification, Emor begins with the specialsanctity of the kohein, and the even higher sanctityof the Kohein Gadol. These higher levels of k'dushaare concomitant with stricter rules of personalreligious conduct.
A kohen is not to become ritually defiled due tocontact with a dead body [263,L166 21:1], exceptfor his seven closest relatives: wife, mother, father,son, daughter, brother, and (unmarried) sister. Thisis more than permission; a kohen is required to
participate in the funeral and burial of his closerelatives, becoming "Tamei" [264,A37 21:3].
Kohanim (and all Jews) are forbidden to afflict thebody in any way as a sign of grief. [This is anexample, among many, of a mitzva that appears ina particular sedra, but is counted elsewhere. Inother words, Emor has even more than the "official"count of 63 mitzvot.]
The Talmud teaches that from this same source,mitzva 264, comes the requirement, incumbentupon all Jews (not just kohanim), to mourn one'sseven close relatives. It is important to note thatthis is not a case of rabbinic extension of Torah lawor rabbinic legislation sanctioned by their obligationto "protect" Torah and mitzvot. This is more. This ispart of the definition of the Torah's mitzva #264, astransmitted to us by the Talmud, the Oral Law. TheSages of the Talmud present us with two categoriesof Law Torah Law, which includes the WrittenWord AND the Oral Law, and Rabbinic law. They notonly teach us both, but they (most often) clearlydifferentiate between the two categories for us, sothat we will know what is D'ORAITA and what isD'RABANAN, thereby neither adding to nordetracting from the Torah. Our commitment to Gdat Sinai includes careful adherence to Torah andRabbinic Law (since the Torah requires us to listento the rulings and teachings of the Sanhedrin). Butit is important for us to know the difference so thatwe will not have a distorted view of the Torah.(There are also practical distinctions betweenBiblical and Rabbinic law.)
Specifically, in the case of mourning, the first day isTorah Law, the balance of Shiva is Rabbinic.Rabbinic, but inspired by the Torah. But that's notthe same as Torah law itself.
On another point... Note the one difference akohein becomes Tamei to his sister only if she wasnot married. Today, a kohein sits shiva for amarried sister, but still has to maintain the practiceof avoiding Tum'a. For a nonkohein, there is nodistinction as to whether a person's sister is marriedor not. She is one of the seven relatives that aremourned.
Kohanim must be holy and avoid desecrating HisName, because they perform sacred service. Thismitzva for the kohein is also taken to refer to theprohibition of doing Temple service after purificationin a mikve, but before the day has completelypassed (i.e. starsout) [265, L76 21:6]. (Such aperson is known as a T’VUL YOM. His completepurification only lacks time.)
A kohen may not marry a "zona" (a nonJew and/or aJewish women who has had relations with a manwho is forbidden to her) [266,L158 21:7], a"chalala" (the daughter of a kohen from a woman towhom he is forbidden because he is a kohen)[267,L159 21:7], nor a divorcee [268,L160 21:7].Because of the sanctity invested in the kohen by
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HaShem, we are commanded to honor the kohen[269,A32 21:8]. Calling him to the Torah first is onemanifestation of this honor. So is having him leadBirkat HaZimun. We may not "use" a kohen to serveus.
[S> 21:10 (6)] The Kohen Gadol has even morerestrictions because of his higher sanctity. He maynot defile himself to any dead person (even hisparents the only exception is a body that has noone to tend to it. This is known as a MEIT MITZVA)[271,L168 21:11] nor enter under a roof with adead body [270,L167 21:11]. The Kohen Gadol'ssanctity derives from the anointing oil and/or thespecial garments. He is to marry a previouslyunmarried woman [272,A38 21:13]. He may notmarry a widow [273,L161 21:14] nor any of thetypes of women that the regular kohen is forbiddento marry. He is further forbidden to have relationswith a widow [274,L162 21:15], as this wouldcontravene his sanctity.
The Kohen Gadol should (preferably) be smarter(better educated, wiser) than his fellow kohanim,bigger (taller) in build, and wealthier.One of the Chassidic Masters gave a different spinto the phrase HaKohein HaGadol Mei'Echav (plainmeaning is the Kohein who is greater than hisbrothers, viz. the Kohein Gadol). He said it is theKohein whose greatness comes from his brothers(Mei'Echav), a Kohein respected and honored by hisfellow kohanim.
Levi Second Aliya 25 p'sukim 21:1622:16[S> 21:16 (9)] A kohen with a disqualifyingblemish may not serve in the Mikdash [275,L7021:17]. The Torah next identifies many of thedisqualifying blemishes. The rule applies not just toa permanent blemish or deformity, but even totemporary blemishes [276,L71 21:21]. Adisqualified kohen may eat of the sacred foods(some but not all categories), but may not even enterthe Mikdash [277,L69 21:23].
Clarification: A kohen baal mum (with adisqualifying blemish) is barred from the area of theMikdash from the (external) Altar and inward, butmay enter the outer area of the courtyard of theMikdash, and may even perform some tasks.
[P> 22:1 (16)] Furthermore, a kohen who becomes"tamei" is temporarily barred from the Mikdash[278,L75 22:2], nor may he "approach" sacredfoods. He may not eat T'ruma [279, L136 22:4] orother "kodoshim" while "tamei" from any of varioussources. On the day of impurity (for the 1day type)or on the last day (for the 7day type), the kohenimmerses in a mikve and, "with starsout", he onceagain is allowed to eat T'ruma.
Not only may one not eat nonkosher meat, it alsorenders a kohen "tamei".
A nonkohen may not eat T'ruma [280, L133 22:10](or other sacred foods specifically designated for thekohanim). Jewish servants and laborers of a kohenmay not partake of T'ruma [281,L134 22:10].OTOH, an "eved K'naani" who is considered part ofthe kohen's possessions, may eat his master's T'ruma.An uncircumcised male may not eat T'ruma (even ifhe has valid medical reasons for beinguncircumcised) [282,L135 22:10]. This rule is notexpressly stated in the text, but is learned by"parallel texts" from korban Pesach. It is nonethelessone of the 613 mitzvot, noteworthy, in that it is amitzva with no direct "chapter & verse" to point to.
A kohen's daughter (and any woman) who hasrelations with someone to whom she is forbidden,may no longer eat T'ruma [283,L137 22:12]. Thismitzva also includes the situation of a kohen'sdaughter who marries a nonkohen. During hermarriage, she may not eat T'ruma. If her husbanddies or divorces her, she may return to her father'shome and eat T'ruma if she has not had children.With children the fear is she might feed them (herchildren are NOT kohanim) from the T'ruma. Hence,she too is barred.
A person who inadvertently eats T'ruma mustcompensate the kohen by paying the value plus anamount which equals 1/5 of the payment. Eating"tevel" (produce from which none of the requiredseparations was taken) is forbidden for all to eat[284,L153 22:15]. Violation constitutes a disgraceof the sacred.
Shlishi Third Aliya 17 p'sukim 22:1733[P> 22:17 (9)] Animals offered as sacrifices mustbe blemishfree [285, A61 22:20]. It is forbidden toconsecrate a blemished animal as a korban[286,L91 22:21]. It is also forbidden to make ablemish in a korban [287, L97 22:21]. Blemishesreferred to are specifically defined by the Torah &Talmud. If a blemished animal is offered, it isadditionally forbidden to sprinkle its blood on theMizbei'ach [288,L93 22:22], or to slaughter (as akorban) a defective animal [289,L92 22:22], nor toplace any of the animal's parts on the Mizbei'ach toburn [290,L94 22:22]
Castration of animals is forbidden [291,L36122:24]. (This is a serious halachic issue related tohouse pets. Consult a Rav who knows these thingsfor details.)
A defective animal may not be offered as a korban,even if received from a nonJew [292,L96 22:25].
[S> 22:26 (8)] From this point through chapter 23,is the Torah reading for the first day of Sukkot(second day as well, outside of Israel) and thesecond day of Pesach (our first day of Chol HaMoed.Second day Yom Tov in Chutz LaAretz)
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A newborn animal stays with its mother for 7 daysand only thereafter may be used as a korban[293,A60 22:27].
It is forbidden to slaughter (as korban or forpersonal use) an animal and its offspring on thesame day [294,L101 22:28].
The Torah, once again reminds us that korbanot tobe eaten have time limits which must not beexceeded.
Until this point in the sedra, the Torah has dealtwith the sacrificer (kohein) and the sacrificee(animals). It now changes gears and we findanother meaning of the word sacrifice, as in beingwilling to die in sanctification of Gd's Name.
We may not desecrate Gd's Name [295,L63 22:32];we must sanctify His Name [296,A9 22:32]. Thesemitzvot have many facets. A Jew is required to giveup his life rather than violate one of the "big three":murder, incest/adultery and idolatry. In times of"forced conversion", martyrdom is required even forthe "least" violation.
Our Sages have broadened the scope of this verysignificant mitzvapair: Kiddush/Chilul HaShem. Inaddition to Martyrdom, one who violates anyprohibition in a spiteful manner, esp. in public, isconsidered to be disgracing Gd's Name.Conversely, the special way in which a person canperform a mitzva, when esteem for mitzvot in theeyes of other people is enhanced, when respect forTorah and TorahJews is increased, then thatperson has not only performed a mitzva he hassanctified Gd's Name. This same idea is extendedto any facet of human behavior. The religious Jew(or the Jew who appears to be religious) has theconstant potential of Kiddush (or Chilul) HaShem.So does any Jew. Simple acts of common courtesyor discourtesy can have farreaching ramifications,depending upon who is involved, who is watching,how things are perceived, etc.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 22 p'sukim 23:122[P> 23:1 (3)] Chapter 23 in Vayikra is the "Portionof the Holidays". It begins with the statement: "Theseare the Festivals..." Shabbat is presented as the firstof the Holidays (we designate it so in Kidush onFriday night when we say that Shabbat is incommemoration of the Exodus and is the first of the"days called Holy").
[P> 23:4 (5)] On the 14th day of Nissan, theKorban Pesach is brought. On the 15th, begins theMatza Festival (which we call Pesach), “requiring”matza for 7 days. The first is a holy day with mostforms of "melacha" forbidden [297,298;A159,L32323:7].
In each case of a Yom Tov, there is a positivecommand to abstain from "melacha", and aprohibition against doing "melacha".
Korban Musaf is to be brought on the 7 days ofPesach [299,A43 23:8]. The seventh day is Yom Tov[300,301; A160,L324 23:8].
[P> 23:9 (6)] Following the 1st day of Pesach, theOmer (barleyoffering) is brought [302,A44 23:10].Special korbanot are offered on the day of the Omer.One may not eat different forms of new grains untilthe bringing of the Omer [303,304,305;L189,190,191 23:14].
[S> 23:15 (8)] We are to count from the day of thebringing of the Omer a period of 7 weeks 49 days[306, A161 23:15]. The Torah says 50 days, but weunderstand it to mean "up to but not including"(because it also says 7 full weeks, and 50 is notdivisible by 7, but 49 is).
Following the 49th day, a special offering of twoloaves from the new wheat is to be offered[307,A46 23:16]. This is on the holiday of Shavuotwhich has "melacha" restrictions [308,309;A162,L325 23:21]. This Aliya ends with thereminder of the gifts of the field that must be left forpoor people.
Why mention these mitzvot in the midst of theportion of the Holydays? Rashi quotes R’ Avdimi: Hewho gives gifts to the poor in a proper manner isconsidered equal to one who builds the BeitHaMikdash and offers the Festival sacrifices therein.
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 10 p'sukim 23:2332[P> 23:23 (3)] The 1st day of the 7th month(Tishrei) is holy (Rosh Hashana), "melacha" beingforbidden [310,311; A163,L326 23:24,25]. SpecialMusaf sacrifices are brought [312,A47 23:25], inaddition to the Rosh Chodesh Musaf. Note thatShofar is not counted here, but in Parshat Pinchas.Here Rosh HaShana is referred to as ZICHRON T'RU'A,a remembrance of the T'ru'a. (We use the termZichron T'ru'a to refer to the day when in coincideswith Shabbat, in which case we do NOT blow theShofar.) In Pinchas, the Torah tells us to have a"T'ru'a day" that is the command to blow Shofar[405,A170].
[P> 23:26 (7)] The 10th of Tishrei is Yom Kippur.One must fast [313,A164 23:27]. There is a KorbanMusaf to be brought on Yom Kippur [314,A4823:27], (in addition to the Yom Kippur servicedescribed in "Achrei"). Eating or drinking (without avalid excuse) is punishable by excision (death andmore, from Heaven). Similarly, ALL "melacha" isforbidden [315,L329 23:28], as are eating anddrinking on Yom Kippur [316,L196 23:29]. We mustabstain from (Shabbatlike "melacha on Yom Kippur[317,A165 23:32].
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Mazal Tov to Nachum & Ilona Chernofskyand family on the birth of a new grandson,
Ohad, son of Tzvi & Na'ama,brother of Yechezkel, Yael, and Moshe Yitzchak
"...On the ninth of the month in the evening, fromevening to evening, observe your Shabbat." Fromhere the Gemara teaches up the concept of TosefetShabbat and Yom Tov, which we partly observe bycounting the time from sunset to starsout asKodesh on both ends of the day, to which we shouldadd a little bit of more time, as well.
Shishi Sixth Aliya 12 p'sukim 23:3344[P> 23:33 (12)] The 15th of Tishrei is Sukkot, a7day holiday. "Melacha", (referring to most of theShabbat restrictions, with the wellknown Yom Tovexceptions) is forbidden on its first day[318,319;A166,L327 23:35]. Musaf sacrifices areto be brought on each of the 7 days [320,A5023:36]. The eighth day (sometimes Shmini Atzeret,a.k.a. Simchat Torah, is viewed as its own holiday;sometimes as the 8th day of Sukkot) is also a YomTov [321,322; A167,L328 23:36] with korbanmusaf of its own [323, A51 23:36].
These are the Holidays, besides the Shabbatot of theyear and other offerings to the Beit HaMikdash. It isat the harvest time in the fall that Succot is to becelebrated.
On the 1st day we are required to take the 4 species(lulav, etrog, hadasim, aravot) [324,A169 23:40].
During the holiday of Sukkot, we are to dwell insukkot [325,A168 23:42]. This is in order to instructall generations about the aftermath of the Exoduswhen we were privileged to Divine protection in thewilderness.
Sh'vi'i Seventh Aliya 23 p'sukim 24:123[P> 24:1 (4)] Gd tells Moshe to command thepeople to prepare pure virgin olive oil for lightingthe Menora, always. The lamps of the Menoraburned through each and every night, right outsidethe dividing curtain (Parochet) between theSanctuary and the Holy of Holies.
The juxtaposition of the Festivals and thelighting of the Menora is taken as a hint toChanuka from the Torah. What even makes
the point stronger is the Torah's stress on the concept thatthe lights of the Menorah are constant, eternal, always,through the generations. The Menorah of the BeitHaMikdash has not made it through the generations. TheChanuka lights have!
[P> 24:5 (5)] We are also to take fine flour andbake 12 loaves (matza rules) which are placed onthe Shulchan in the Mikdash. This too was apermanent fixture in the Beit HaMikdash. The loaveswere exchanged weekly, on Shabbat (having beenbaked on Friday, unless it was a Yom Tov then thebaking was on Erev Yom Tov). The kohanim on duty
would share the loaves that were replaced by thenew ones. This mitzva was counted back in ParshatT'ruma, when the Shulchan was first described.
[S> 24:10 (3)] The Torah next tells us of the son ofa Jewess and an Egyptian who "blessed" Gd's name.He was incarcerated pending word from Gd on howto punish him. The command was to stone him todeath. This is to be the punishment for "blessingGd".
The Midrash says that the Egyptian father of theblasphemer was the one that Moshe killed and hidin the sand.
So too, murder is a capital offense. Killing an animalrequires compensation to the owner. Causing injuryto a person requires compensation based on factorsresulting from the injury.
The execution of the "curser" was carried out, ascommanded by Gd through Moshe.
The three last p’sukim are repeated for the Maftir.
Haftara 17 p'sukim Yechezkeil 44:1531Yehezkel, himself a kohen whose early days werespent in the Beit HaMikdash, prophesies therebuilding of the Mikdash and the restoration of theactive kehuna. He reiterates many of the rules of thekohen, many of which are based in Parshat Emor. Itis interesting to note that some of his rules arestricter than required by Torah law, but suited theconditions of his time. For example, Yechezkeilrestates the marriages permitted and forbidden to akohen. He says that a kohen cannot marry a divorcee(correct) nor a widow (this is not so according to theTorah; only the K.G. may not marry a widow). But headds that a kohen may marry a widow of a kohen.Apparently, by not allowing a kohen of the time tomarry a widow of a nonkohen, the communitywould take care of its widows (from kohanim) in abetter way. To apply the halachic details to thefuture, on a permanent basis is problematic in lightof the immutability of the Torah. They can beconsidered "for the moment" or possibly they couldbe "recommended" strict measures.
In addition to the obvious Kohein, Beit HaMikdash,Tum'a/Tahara connections between sedra andhaftara, there is yet another connection. The haftaracharges the kohanim with teaching the people andclarifying for them Gd's laws. Specific mention ismade of the laws of the Holidays and Shabbat thetopic of a major part of the sedra.
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THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTEOF JEWISH LAWRabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson #377
Loans Require WitnessesRabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, one of the great Rabbinicdecisors of our generation, was asked how is it that somany people lend money without having witnessespresent. There seems to be a prohibition against suchpractice. In the Talmud in T. Baba Metzia (75b) we findthe following passage: Rav Yehuda said in Rav’s name,“He who lends money without witnesses infringes ‘andyou shall not put a stumbling block before the blind’(Vayikra 19:14). Resh Lakish says, he brings a curseupon himself, as it is written ‘Let the lying lips be put tosilence; which speak grievous things proudly andcontemptuously against the righteous’” (T'hilim 31:19).The Rabbis observed to R. Ashi that Ravina fulfills allthe Rabbinic requirements. R. Ashi sent word to Ravinaon the eve of the Sabbath that he needed a loan to buy asmall parcel of land. Ravina replied, bring witnesses andwe will draw up a bond. R. Ashi asked is this requiredeven of me. Ravina replied “You in particular. You areso immersed in your studies you may forget and bring acurse upon me [for lending without witnesses].” TheTalmud continues that there are three who cry out andare not answered: he who lends money withoutwitnesses, he who acquires a master for himself, and ahenpecked husband. In view of this passage and all ofthe codes that prohibit such conduct, how can peoplelend money without witnesses being present?
Some of the answers given are...The fact that we are not particular in following thishalacha nowadays in that we make loans withoutwitnesses being present and without a promissory note isbecause people know to whom they are lending themoney and trust the borrower. The lender relies upon theborrower that he will not forget the loan and will notdeny it. R. Waldenberg rejects this reason. He says thatcertainly in gone by times the lender also knew theborrower. So he concludes that this is not the reason forpermitting the practice. He cites a holding that says thatthe reason may be that the language of the Talmud is that“one who has money and lends without witnesses” andthis may indicate that the practice is relevant only of thelender has lots of money that the fear exists that theborrower will deny the loan, but if the lender is not thatwealthy, then there is no fear that the borrower will denythe loan and thus the teaching of the Talmud is not reallyapplicable to this case and this will explain the custom oflending money without having the requirement ofwitnesses being present. He then cites another sourcewho turns this reasoning around and holds that in theinstance of substantial lenders, the borrower may denythe loan but not in the case of lenders who are not all that
wealthy, the borrower will not deny the loan. R.Waldenberg is not satisfied with any of these answers,because it assumes certain thinking on the part of theborrower when the loan is made and would not beuniversal answers.R. Waldenberg cites a source that may give substance tothe practice. The Rabbis instituted an oath to be taken byone who denies a claim of a plaintiff, According toTorah law if one totally denied the claim of the plaintiff,he need not take an oath. But now that the Rabbis of theTalmud did institute such an oath, the defendant(borrower) will have to take such an oath if he denies theloan and he will not take the oath if the loan was in factmade. Therefore, even if there are no witnesses presentto the making of the loan, the plaintiff lender will bringhis lawsuit to recover what he alleges was a loan and thedefendantborrower will either admit the loan or take anoath of denial. If the loan was actually made, thedefendant will not take such an oath, so that there is nonecessity for witnesses. There is thus no fear of therebeing a stumbling block present. This source concludes,however, that in spite of the fact that a reason can befound to lend without witnesses being present, since allof the authorities prohibit this practice, it should not bedone. Although the fear of putting a stumbling blockbefore the blind is not present, the other reason ispresent, namely that the lender should not be cursed. Hecontinues however, that his reasoning is faulty since themere denial is already a transgression, the oath is onlythere to prevent a false denial. Another source is citedthat says that the loans without witnesses is a practicalmatter; if one wants to lend money to another who musthave it immediately in his business and there is no timeto assemble witnesses, all commerce might suffer fromwaiting to obtain witnesses. Furthermore, the borrowerwill not want people to know that he is borrowing andthe lender is sympathetic to his wishes. R. Waldenberggives several reasons and he is not satisfied with any ofthem. He then turns to an earlier source, for an answer.The prohibition to loan a person money withoutwitnesses being present is not a real prohibition. It isprohibited neither by Torah law nor by Rabbinic law. Itis rather “midat chasidut” highly proper conduct. Withthis statement, we now have a door opened wide toapproach the practice of granting loans although thereare no witnesses present at the time of the making of theloan. Since it is only a "highly proper conduct", there areother acts that are also designated as highly properconduct and yet the multitudes of people do notnecessarily aide by them, and thus one need not beagitated by this type of conduct. As he continues to citesources, he ends up by saying this type of conduct iscommendable if condoned by some great authorities. Butthe response goes on to equivocate since there are somany decisors who frown on this type of conduct. Butsince this is the current practice to lend without thenecessity of having witnesses present, this is surely theaccepted practice. He then goes on to give a practicalreason. A person who makes an immediate loan to thehard pressed poor person who needs it immediately is tobe highly praised here and in Heaven. If one had to look
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for witnesses, then the loan might not be madeimmediately and the lender will lose this opportunity tobe praised in Heaven for lending the hard pressed withalacrity. Also nowadays, there is a certain amount ofembarrassment for the borrower to have people know hisplight and the borrower may be loaned the moneywithout witnesses. All this of course, only if theborrower is known by the lender to be trustworthy. Thelender must evaluate each situation by itself.In light of the foregoing, it is suggested that witnesses bepresent when loans are made or in the alternative, apromissory note is to be written and witnessed attestingto the loan.
The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussedIn Volume IV of A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law byEmanuel Quint.. Copies of all volumes can be purchasedat local Judaica bookstores.Questions to quint@inter.net.il
Spiritual and Ethical Issuesin the Stories of Sh'mot
Moshe at Horev [1]by Dr. Meir Tamari
"And Moshe was content to dwell with Yitro and he gavehim his daughter Tzipora."
Just as Yitschak and Yaakov met their wives at a well, sodid Moshe. However, there are conceptual differencesbetween the women they married, that are shown by theirdifferent roles in the shaping of Am Yisrael. The wives ofYitschak and Yaakov were part of Avraham's family inPadan Aram. They inherited some of the Avrahamicspiritual inheritance and at the same time the familyconcept of the national entity two concepts that areintrinsic to Gd's Chosen People. Although Tzipora, as adaughter of Midian, had no blood relationship to the JewishPeople, yet she had spiritual qualities suitable to them, asbefits a wife of their Lawgiver and Prophet.
Marriage was not the reason for Moshe's dwelling withYitro: the text only mentions Tzipora after telling ofMoshe's decision. It seems that there was somethingspiritually important about Yitro that he bequeathed to hisdaughter.
"Gd abhors avoda zara, and yet Moshe married hisdaughter. Yitro had been their priest to idolatry, examinedevery form of idolatry in the world and concluded that therewas nothing to idolatry, yet he did nothing about it. WhenMoshe came to Midyan, he taught the truth to Yitro whothen accepted Gd" (Bereishit Rabba 1:38).
Some commentators claim that Yitro did indeed abandonidolatry, but he did not fully accept Judaism. Whereas Yitroacknowledged Gd, nevertheless he returned to his ownpeople (Shmot 18:27). Ruth of Moav, the archtype ofconversion to Judaism, clearly stated, 'your people shall bemy people and your Gd mine' (Megilat Ruth 1:16), thusallying herself indisputably with the nation religion. "Gd
said: 'When Israel was subjected to slavery, to suffering andto bricks and mortar, Yitro dwelt in peace and prosperity inhis tents. Now he comes to share in the Simchat Torah ofMy children. So Moshe sent Yitro away and then we readhow in the third month there was Matan Torah" (P'sikta).These ideas present geirim in a negative light such as theeirev rav who joined Israel after their miraculousredemption from Egypt, and then were the cause of Israelsinning with the Golden Calf.
Notwithstanding, there is great spiritual strength and deepreligious wellsprings in Yitro's conversion, seen also inTzipora and repeatedly attested to by the Torah's manyexpressions of love for geirim and warning againstoppressing them.
During the galut, part of the mission of Israel is to gathergeirei tzedek, the spiritually refined sparks of holiness thatremain in the nations of the world" (Harav Tzvi YehudaKook, Sichot Sefer Shmot). "When ever Israel does thewill of Hashem, He searches the whole world, selects thetzadikim amongst the gentiles and attaches them to HisPeople, such as Yitro" (Yerushalmi, B'rachot 2:8). "He isthe ger whose name graces one parsha in the Torah,enhances law and justices, and enriches Jewish society".(Chemdat Yamim, Yitro)." "When he converted, he setabout converting many people and so sanctified Gd'sName" (Zohar 2:69). "And Yitro, Kohen Midyan": "Hisdescendants were destined to give birth to KohanimGedolim; Pinchas, the son of Elazar Hakohen who marriedthe daughter of Putiel [Yitro]" (Yalkut Shimoni). "R' Elazartaught, kohen meaning rulers as in 'And the sons of Davidwere kohanim' (Shmuel Bet 8:18).
Irrespective of these praises of Yitro, we find awareness inChazal of the element of danger inherent in Moshe'sagreeing to live with him and marrying into his family, thathas significance for our own generation living in thetolerant open society.
"Michtav MeiEliyahu writes that our surroundings, eventhe benign ones, influence not only the weak but also thegreatest of men, it is only in that way that we canunderstand the effect of dwelling amongst Midyan, even forMoshe. He found Yitro removing himself from idolatry atthe expense of a boycott by his surroundings. Even beforethat, he had actually examined them all to seek the truth.Moshe could be confident therefore that if he could teachYiro the truth, he would accept it absolutely. Neverthelessthe transition had been difficult for Yitro and so somethingremained. Moshe showed the slightest degree of agreementto the shading and implications of idolatry when he agreedto give him his eldest son, for which Chazal criticized him"(Lekach Tov).
"Vayo'el Moshe: When Moshe asked Yitro for Tzipora,Yitro made him swear an oath [vayo'el is the language forvow] that the first born son would be given to avodah zaraand Moshe agreed" (Yalkut Shiimoni, Shmot). "RabbiYehoshua taught, a priest to Avodah Zara, as it is written,'Yonatan ben Gershon ben Menashe [Chazal say, actuallyben Moshe] and his sons were priests to avoda zara for thetribe of Dan until the expulsion from Eretz Yisrael'(Shoftim 18: 30)" (Mechilta, Yitro).
Our commentators have interpreted these midrashim asreferring to deviations from Judaism and not to idolatry perse. Accordingly, Moshe agreed that one son should not go
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to Eretz Yisrael, akin to idolatry; that one son should not becircumcised and thus not be part of the nationreligion; andthat one son should examine various idolatries so that hecould reject them all by free choice.
The Chiddushei HaRim, founder of Chassidei Gur, said thatwhen he read the Mechilta he hurled the sefer right acrossthe Bet Medrash. "Yitro had argued that Moshe wasbringing up Gershon without exposing him to all the formsof idolatry, which was dangerous as he might be unable towithstand them if he confronted them. Rather he shouldgive him to Yitro who would show him avada zara andexplain that there was nothing to it, thus inoculatingGershon. Before Matan Torah, Yitro would have beencorrect that such search was necessary, as we learn fromAvraham, but now there is no need for that dangerous path"(Menachem Mendel of Kotsk)
One can accept that there is knowledge and wisdomamongst the nations of the world but cannot accept thatthere is with them divine revelation, Torah, and in thatrevelation that is specific to Israel lies our protectionagainst spiritual assimilation. "Yavan, Greece freedmankind from the ignorance of the caves and gave usscience, art, beauty, medicine, music and drama. Yet thesecannot be equated with Torah so that we have to learn tosubjugate the beauty of Yefet to the tents of Shem" (RabbiS. R. Hirsch).
MISC section contents:[1] Vebbe Rebbe[2] Candle by Day[3] From Aloh Naaleh[4] Wisdom and Wit[5] Portion from the Portion[6] Parsha Points to Ponder[7] Torah KidBits[8] MicroUlpan[9] Torah from Nature[10] Pirkei Avot[11] From the desk of the director
[1] From the virtual desk of the OU
VEBBE REBBEThe Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions ofall types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Someof them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute forAdvanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, headed by Rav YosefCarmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded by HaRavShaul Yisraeli zt"l, to prepare rabbanim and dayanim toserve the National Religious community in Israel andabroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU,Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the IsraelCenter. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...
QSomeone (Reuven) reserved a Nesher(a joint, tenseat taxi service to BenGurion airport) for the middle of the
night. Upon awaking, he realized that that theflight was for the next night and triedunsuccessfully to reach them to cancel. Hewent back to sleep, only to be woken by a callfrom an angry taxi driver, who had arrived infront of his building. The traveler used Nesherthe next night (they apparently did not realizeit was the same person) and did not feel he hadto pay double, as he received the service ofbeing taken to the airport only once. What isthe halacha?
AAlthough one (Reuven) who offers a worker(Shimon) a job can generally back out if a kinyanwas not made and the job has not begun, in this
case Shimon already drove to Reuven’s house. In such acase, Reuven cannot back out (Bava Metzia 76b) becausetraveling to the place of employment is considered likebeginning the job, which is analogous to a kinyan (S’ma333:6). Thus, Reuven should have to pay for the job heordered, which Shimon began. The fact that he wished tocancel is irrelevant since he did not succeed in doing so(see parallel case in Gittin 33b).
One could mitigate that source’s significance with thefollowing argument. The beginning of the service causesthat Reuven indeed cannot back out of his commitment touse Shimon. However, perhaps he can use him for thecorrect date, as he did, using the same route and paying thesame price. Even if this is the case, though, he may not beable to do so for the reason(s) we will discuss.
Even when Reuven is not bound by kinyan issues toShimon, when the broken offer causes financial damage,Reuven must compensate. The classical case is whenShimon could have found another job had this one not beenoffered but now it is too late to replace that job (ShulchanAruch, Choshen Mishpat 333:2). In your case, it is quiteclear that Shimon will not pick up a new customer thatnight. The question is whether there would have been anempty seat had Reuven not reserved or whether someonewas turned away or redirected elsewhere. If someone wasturned away, Reuven will have to pay for hisunderstandable but negligent mistake. Reuven, of course,has no way of knowing. If the driver or the dispatcher saysthat they did lose out on a fare, it is a case of bari v’shema,where the plaintiff is certain he is owed money and thedefendant is not sure if he has such an obligation. Thestandard psak in such a case is that there is a chiyuv latzety’dei shmayim (a moral obligation) to pay (ShulchanAruch, CM 75:9).
There is another thing to consider, and that it is that thereare two possible plaintiffs. The company takes a certainamount of money, but so does the driver. If both take a cutper person, then both have been deprived. If so, eventhough Reuven paid the company’s driver the next night,the driver from the first night lost out. In fact, ourunderstanding (we have not researched this specificcompany) is that the driver pays the company a fixed rate
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and gets the entire fare. If the specific driver does not agreeto take Reuven the next night, then there is the more basicissue that he has to pay him for the job he began.
A minor factor to consider is that when Shimon gets paid,Reuven may be able to reduce a little pay for sparing himthe toil of a job he did not end up doing. He did not have toshlep suitcases on and off, may have gotten home a minuteor so earlier, and was saved a little gas.
We think Reuven should have gone out to the driver thefirst night to offer to pay at least the great majority of themoney. This is all the more true if Reuven’s address createdchillul Hashem issues (i.e., it was in a religiousneighborhood). At this point, he can see if Nesher can findthe driver (or accept their part, if that is the way it works).It is at least mentchlach (considering the small percentageof travel costs) and apparently required for Reuven to payfor his mistake.
Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weeklyparsha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah. You can read thissection or the entire Hemdat Yamim at www.ou.org orwww.eretzhemdah.org. And/or you can receive HemdatYamim by email weekly, by sending an email toinfo@eretzhemdah.org with the message:Subscribe/English (for the English version) orSubscribe/Hebrew (for the hebrew version). Please leavethe subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially fundedby the Jewish Agency for Israel
[2] Candle by DayLet us never forget that every status quo replaceda status quo and will be replaced by a status quo.
From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
A Candle by Day • The Antidote • The World Of Chazal byRabbi Shraga Silverstein • Now available at 0542099200
[3] CHIZUK and IDUDfor Olim & notyetOlim respectively
I once came across an interesting idea regarding this week'sparsha, Emor, which mentions both Pesach and Sukkot.While on first glance the two holidays are similar both areone week holidays upon closer examination, one seesmajor differences between them. Here are some of thedistinctive differences.
1) Regading Pesach (Vayikra 23:56), the Torah writes thatthe 15th is a holiday to God and for seven days we eatmatza. Sukkot, however, is presented as a seven dayholiday.
2) Moreover, on Pesach the main mitzva of eating matza ison the first night, whereas Sukkot requires seven days ofeating in the sukka.
3) Regarding the recital of Hallel, only on the first day ofPesach do we recite full Hallel, while on Sukkot it is recitedall seven days.
It has been suggested that Sukkot does not correspond toany specific event. It is a holiday that commemorates theJewish people's journey in the wilderness every day under
Divine Providence. Each day is unique and each dayrequires celebration in the presence of God. This is why themitzvot of Sukkot are observed for all seven days of theholiday.
Pesach on the other hand, commemorates the one day eventof the Exodus, the apex of freedom. Perhaps this is whyonly the first day is considered a holiday in which matzamust be eaten and full Hallel must be recited.
One day can make such a difference. So too one day inEretz Israel can have a tremendous impact on our history.Whether it be Yom Yerushalayim or Yom Haatzmaut such days serve as a reminder to us to take advantage ofeach day and appreciate its meaning and impact upon us.
May we one day celebrate the reunification of Jerusalemwith all of Israel in the Holy City.
Rabbi Chanoch Yeres, Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem
TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh membersfor publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', aweekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu'a
[4] Wisdom & WitHis entire life, R’ Naftali Amsterdam worked on hisown moral improvement, in keeping with theteachings of his Rebbe, R’ Yisrael Salanter and theMussar movement. He explained this as follows:“When a male is born, his body is imperfect and heneeds a bris mila, by removing the foreskin, to perfectit. By the same token, each person’s soul is imperfect.Only by removing once’s bad traits does one perfectthe soul.”Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series forArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch ofWisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdom and Wit" —available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be).Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder
[5]
by Rakel BerenbaumFEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il
Do not desecrate My holy name.I must be sanctified...
With all the things we read about and hear about inthe news, one verse from the portion really stuck out.In Vayikra 22:32, Gd warns us against profaning Hisholy name in any way and encourages us to sanctifyHis name. The Sefer HaMitzvot list these as twoseparate mitzvot one a negative commandment notto do anything to give Gd or His Torah a bad name,so to speak, and the positive commandment of
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Kiddush HaShem, to enhance the reputation of Gdand His Torah.When thinking of the concept of Kiddush Hashem,people usually think of the act of giving up one's life inorder not to transgress one of the three big sins murder, idolatry, and adultery. Then we are talkingabout doing a Kiddish Hashem through death. (seeRabbi Shmuel Herzfeld's moving eulogy He Lived toTeach about how Liviu Librescu, the Holocaustsurvivor, Virginia Tech teacher, made a KiddishHashem by saving his students www.ostt.org)But how does one do a Kiddush Hashem and preventChilul Hashem throughout his life?The Gemara in Yoma (86a) lists some things that areconsidered a Chilul Hashem. The Rambam elaborateson this in Hilchot Yesodai Hatorah (5:11). He says if aTorah scholar does things which cause people to talkagainst him, even if the acts are not transgressions,he is profaning Gd's name. Examples of this are if areligious person buys something and doesn't paypromptly, though he is able to pay, or if he doesn'tspeak pleasantly to others and does not receive themwith a pleasant facial expression, but is insteadquarrelsome and easy to anger. The greater theperson, the more careful they must be with theirbehavior."If a Torah scholar will be careful about his behavior,will speak pleasantly to people, act friendly towardthem, receive them with a pleasant facial expression,will refrain from retorting when he is insulted, willhonor even those who treat him in disdain, will behonest in his business dealings, will constantly devotehimself to Torah study, will always go beyond theletter of the law, and will avoid extremes andexaggerations, then he will be praised and belovedand others will desire to emulate him. This man hassanctified Gd”These are everyday acts that we all come in contactwith. They are little acts that require a big moral codeof action to fulfill. For example, it is not always easy tospeak nicely to people who insult you, but it is anopportunity to create a Kiddush Hashem. It was noteasy for Yishyai the 2007 Chidon HaTanach winner tosay that he didn't deserve the prize. But that act ofhonesty created a big Kiddush Hashem.In this time of Sefirat Ha O'mer when we are trying toimprove our deeds, we should look to others whohave been successful in doing a Kiddush Hashem andtry, each one of us in our own sphere, to follow in theirfootsteps.
One segula (merit) mentioned in connection to LagBaOmer, is to distribute "Chai (eighteen) Rotel" (each'Rotel' is approx. three liters, so that adds up to 54liters) of drinks to those coming to pray at theburialsite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron. Thisis mentioned in a famous letter written by RavBenzion Halberstam, the Bobover Rebbe, to one ofhis acquaintances in 1912. Whatever the segula is, ifdone properly, it can be a Kiddush Hashem to givetired and thirsty people a drink without asking foranything in return. Here is a recipe for a drink, but the
custom of “chai rotel” can be done with any drinkincluding water.
COCONUT AND PINEAPPLE DRINKRefreshing tropical drink.
¾ pt. (12 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk1¼ c. pineapple, coarsely chopped2 Tbsp sugar or to taste1 drop almond extract
Mix the coconut milk, pineapple, sugar and almondextract. Serve cold.
[6] Parsha Points to PonderEMOR
1) Why does the Torah mention mother before fatherregarding the law that a kohein can tend to their burials(21:2) but regarding the prohibition of a kohein gadolburying a parent it mentions the father first and then themother? (21:11)
2) Why are the laws of sanctifying GD’s name anddesecrating GD’s name taught at the end of the completelyunrelated laws regarding the validity and invalidity ofsacrifices? (22:32)
3) Why does the Torah interrupt the description of theholidays to teach that that we should leave from the foodthat we are harvesting for the poor? (23:2223)
THESE ARE THE ANSWERSPonder the questions first, then read here
1) Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky explains that the Torah in bothof these instances is using the formula of LO ZU AF ZU,which means NOT ONLY THIS BUT EVEN THIS.Regarding a mother, there is absolutely no doubt that she isthe child’s mother, as opposed to the father where weassume that he is but it is not an absolute given. Therefore,regarding the allowance for the regular kohein to bury hisparents, the Torah teaches that not only can he becomeimpure to bury his mother who is definitely his mother, buthe can even become impure to bury his father who is less ofa definite. When the Torah prohibits the Kohein Gadol, itteaches that not only can he not bury his father who mightactually not be his father, but even with regards to themother where there is no doubt, he cannot bury her either.
2) Rav Moshe Feinstein answers that the Torah speaksabout Kiddush and Chilul Hashem at the end of completelyunrelated laws to specifically teach that every single mitzvainvolves sanctifying or desecrating GD’s name – even inprivate. The very act of doing a mitzva brings moreGDliness into the world and sinning creates a void ofGDliness in the world.
3) The Meshech Chochmah teaches that this law comesright on the heels of the description of Shavuot todemonstrate that our celebration of receiving the Torah isnot only for those laws that seem illogical. We even
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celebrate our receiving the logical laws like taking care ofthe poor since now we can be assured that even those arebeing carried out in complete consonance with the will ofGD.
Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi DovLipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim, Tiferet, andMachon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and RBS and is theauthor of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults)to Questions about the Jewish Faith", just republished byFeldheim ppp@ouisrael.org
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A Torah Tidbits column with a Parshat HaShavua insightgeared towards the young reader... or their parents and
grandparents to read to them
Vayomer; Emor; V'amarta. Three times inone sentence! So begins Parashat Emor."And Gd said (Vayomer) to Moshe: Say(Emor) to the kohanim, the sons ofAharon. You shall say (V'amarta) tothem..." Usually, Gd's commands beginwith… Daber el Bnei Yisrael Speak to theChildren of Israel v'amarta lahem – andtell them… Why is this parsha different?
And what's the difference betweenvayomer and vaydaber between tellingand speaking? Both words could easily betranslated as "he said". Why does theChumash sometimes use one andsometimes the other? The Torah choosesits words very carefully. If two differentwords are used, then obviously there mustmean two different things!
Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of theTorah, is a very precise language. Theremay be 70 explanations for each topic, buteach word still has it's own specificmeaning. No two are exactly alike. Inorder to understand the differences, wehave to study the Chumash very carefully.That's why it's important to learn Hebrewwell. Not only spoken Hebrew, but Hebrewvocabulary and grammar. Rashi was aHebrew expert, which is why he knewexactly what words needed to beexplained!
Adam HaRishon was called a "livingcreature". But since all Gd's creatureswere alive, what was special about Adam?Onkelos explains that unlike other living
things, Adam became a speaking creature.He was given the Divine gift of speech andthe language he spoke was Hebrew!Hebrew is Hashem's language and if wedon't treat it with the proper respect anduse it correctly, we are spoiling a DivineGift.
Some people think it doesn't make adifference how you speak as long aspeople understand you. But that's not true.We think with words, and if we don't speakwell, we can't think well. And if we don'tknow Hebrew well, we can't understandthe Torah properly.
So next time you open a Chumash, paycareful attention to the language. Whichwords are used? Are they repeatedsomewhere else? The same way ordifferently? Why? (The Aseret Hadibrotappear twice in the Chumash, but withsome different words.) How are wordsspelled? Are they written in past, presentor future? Learning Hashem's language isthe first step to learning His Torah!
What's the difference between va'yomerand va'yidaber? Ask Rashi and you'll findout!
[8] MicroUlpanViolin, viola, cello, double bassKLEI MEITARIM, string instrumentsKINOR and KONERET,BATNUNIT and BATNUN
[9] Torah from Nature GORALNever heard of this goatlike mammal, of small,rough haired, cylindricalhorned ruminant native tothe Himalayas? Well, now you have. 11.3m long,up to 40kg. They are crepuscular, being most activein the early morning and late evening... very agile,run quickly, their coloration provides camouflage...are hunted by various predators. The gray goral isconsidered to be a "goatelope", sharingcharacteristics of both the true goats and sheep, andantelope. This probably puts it into the samehalachic category as the KOI defined in theMishna as being considered a B'HEIMA for somethings, a CHAYA for others, like both for someissues, and like neither for others. Resembles achamois (pronounced SHAMMY)
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[10] Pirkei AvotOne of Rabbi Tzadok's teachings in the 4th perek ofAvot is that one should not use the Torah as aKARDOM LACHPOR BAH, as a shovel or spadewith which to dig. This follows the exhortationagainst using it as a crown to glorify oneself. Bothstatements make the point that Torah should bepursued for the sake of learning, teaching, and doing not for selfaggrandizement or personal gain. Thepoint is further driven home if we look up the wordKARDOM in a modern Hebrew dictionary. It isneither a shovel nor a spade, but rather an ax, hatchet,adze. If this is what KARDOM means, then one canask of course you shouldn't use an axlike tool todig. That's not the purpose of that tool. Ah, that isexactly what R' Tzadok is saying. As inappropriate asit is to dig with an ax, so too one should not use theTorah to advance oneself. It is the wrong tool. Ofcourse, if KARDOM used to mean shovel, as theplain understanding seems to suggest, then this letterpoint doesn't hold water. But it really does, because itreinforces the point R' Tzadok is trying to make in thefirst place. In other words, different ways of readingand understanding the teachings in Pirkei Avotenhance each other rather than contradict.
[11] Divrei MenachemParshat Emor reminds us of something so axiomatic toJudaism that we tend to take it for granted: The Torahtells us, by way of their restrictions, of that whichdistinguishes the Kohanim, from the rest of the people ofIsrael. This differentiation is based on the concept ofKedusha, a criterion used to mark off various categoriesof Hashem's creations in this world, in general, and inthe Jewish community, in particular.In all existence there are degrees of holiness or divinevitality that is revealed to us. Thus the rabbisdifferentiate between the levels of the inanimate,vegetation, animal life and the "Medaber", the humanbeing imbued with the power of speech and reflection.Clearly, we are at the higher end of the spectrum. Butamong the Jewish people, the Kohanim exceeded thatlevel of spiritual purity to the extent that Bnei Yisrael iscalled, "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation."Kedusha can be considered the absence of, or separationfrom, Tum'a, which may be described as spiritualdeficiency. Thus, for example, kohanim were bannedfrom divine service if they were in contact with the deador had bodily deficiencies, both of which symbolize theabsence of life.Whether or not we are kohanim, as a holy nation, Jewsare distinct from other peoples. On reflection, we mightthus be tempted to review what unique rights,restrictions, and responsibilities are incumbent on us aswe attempt to find our place among them.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff
SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...A series of articles on Beit HaMikdashrelated topics byCatriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge,interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hasteningthe realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuildingof Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.
14th of Iyar Pesach SheiniIn late spring a couple of years ago, I popped in on myCrown Heights relatives and found them eating Matza andreviewing Hilchot Korban Pesach. For a minute, I wastaken aback; maybe I celebrated Pesach a bit early! Then Iremembered that it was Pesach Sheini, the “SecondPassover”, or perhaps more accurately, the “backupPesach”. While today, Pesach Sheini is neither a Chag, nordoes it have the status of Chol Hamo‘ed, we docommemorate in a manner of speaking. We do not sayTachanun and some, like my Crown Heights cousins, eatMatza and review Hilchot Korban Pesach. Pesach Sheini isone of the more obscure observances in the Jewish calendarand its “provenance” differs from that of any other Mitzva.
“In the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year from theirexodus… in the first month”, Gd charged Am Yisrael toobserve the laws of Pesach on the 14th day of Nisan (thatmonth) and offer the Korban Pesach. However, “Therewere men who were made impure by (contact with) ahuman corpse and could not make the Pesach Offering onthat day; so they approached Moses and Aaron on that day.Those men said to him (to Moses), 'We are impure because(of contact) with a dead body of a man, why should we bediminished by not offering the Lord's offering in itsappointed time among the Children of Israel.” These menwere in a state of impurity not because of carelessness, butrather because they “occupied themselves with Mitzvot”.These men were the bearers of Yosef’s coffin, certainly aMitzva. Another opinion given is that these men had founda Meit Mitzvah, i.e., an exposed corpse which halachically,it is incumbent upon the finder to put aside allconsiderations of ritual purity and bury. And Moses said tothem, 'Stand and I will hear what the Lord has commandedconcerning you.' And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,'Speak to the Children of Israel, if any man will becomeimpure (because of contact with) a human corpse or on adistant journey whether you or of your (future) generations,he shall make the Pesach Offering unto the Lord. On thesecond month, on the 14th day in the afternoon shall hemake it, with Matzot and bitter herbs shall he eat it. Theyshall not leave over from it until the morning nor shall theybreak a bone of it; like all the decrees of the PesachOffering shall they make it.'" (Bamidbar 9:112)
The Sifri tells us "we do not find anywhere that a Mitzva,which was required to be observed at a specific time, couldbe "made up" at a later time. The sole exception is theKorban Pesach. Why? Because there were men in Israelwho exerted themselves and struggled to fulfill the Mitzva.They pleaded before Gd and said, 'Why should we bediminished?' For this reason, their wish was granted forthem and for future generations." The slaughter of this"backup" Korban Pesach was a Mitzva in its own right andwas Docheh Shabbat “overrode Shabbat”. If a childattained maturity between Pesach Rishon and PesachSheini, he was required to bring a Korban Pesach on Pesach
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Sheini. Similarly, if a nonJew converted to Judaism afterPesach Rishon but before Pesach Sheini, he was bound tobring a Korban Pesach on the 14th of Iyar. A woman, whowas unable to bring a Korban Pesach on Pesach Rishon, ifshe chose, could bring her Korban on Pesach Sheini. Sincethere were comparatively few celebrants, the Korbanot ofPesach Sheini were not slaughtered in three shifts, as werethe "regular" Korbanot Pesach, one shift sufficed.
Paraphrasing the Gemara, we note that Hilchot Pesach maybe divided into three categories; Mitzvot Shebegufo(Mitzvot concerning the sacrificial animal itself), MitzvotMei'al Gufo (Mitzvot which "surround" the KorbanPesach), and Mitzvot Shelo Al Gufo (Hilchot Pesach whichdo not directly concern the Korban Pesach at all). OnPesach Sheini in Mikdash days, only the first twocategories, Mitzvot Shebegufo and Mitzvot Mei'al Gufowere observed; Mitzvot Shelo Al Gufo were not observed.The Mitzvot Shebegufo include the selection of a perfectmale lamb (or goat) within its first year, the slaughtering ofthe lamb, the prohibition of breaking a bone of the KorbanPesach, the ordinance of roasting it over the fire thoroughlyand the Isur of leaving any of the sacrificial meat over"until morning". Mitzvot Mei'al Gufo include eating theKorban Pesach together with Matzot and Maror. Halachotincluded in the category Mitzvot Shelo Al Gufo include"nullifying" the Chameitz.
The celebrants of Pesach Sheini were permitted to possessChameitz because the possession of Chameitz is notdirectly connected to the offering and eating the KorbanPesach. When the Korban Pesach was slaughtered "in itsappointed time" i.e. the 14th of Nisan, there was anaccompanying prohibition of possessing Chameitz Nomember of the Chavura – the company joined together toslaughter and eat the Korban Pesach as a group couldhave Chameitz in his possession. This Isur also applied tothe Shocheit and to the ministering Kohanim. Theseprohibitions did not apply to those who were observingPesach Sheini. While the Leviyim did sing Hallel when theKorban Pesach of Pesach Sheini was being slaughtered inthe Beit Hamikdash, Hallel was not recited during thePesach meal by the members of the Chavura. A Chagiga –the festival sacrifice – was brought together with theKorban Pesach on Pesach Rishon, but not on Pesach Sheini.On both Pesach Rishon and Pesach Sheini, the Halachotrelevant to the Chavurot applied. The members of theChavura could eat their Korban Pesach only in a buildingor a welldefined area. However, in contradistinction toPesach Rishon, the sacrificial meat could be removed fromthe premises on Pesach Sheini. Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzva380) reminds us that “those of blessed memory also taughtus that not only impurity and distance exempted theIsraelite from observing Pesach Rishon. If a manunwittingly erred or was accidentally prevented from doingso or even if someone deliberately neglected to bringing theKorban Pesach on the 14th of Nisan, he must observePesach Sheini."
The existence of Pesach Sheini as a "backup" for the "real"Pesach could lead to complications. The Mishna (Challa4:11) relates how "… Yosef Hakohein also brought his sonsand the men of his household to keep the Lesser Passover –Pesach Sheini – in Jerusalem but they (the Sages) turnedhim back lest (his act of bringing his entire household)should be established and firmly fixed (in the eyes of the
public) as an obligation." The Sages were apprehensive thatYosef Hakohein's act might be misinterpreted by the publicas a valid Halachic precedent. They felt that it wasimportant to emphasize that the command "Three times ayear shall all your men appear before the Lord Gd."(Sh'mot 23:17) applied to Pesach Rishon, not PesachSheini. They did not want to blur the boundaries betweenPesach Rishon and Pesach Sheini.
Kohen Gadol. The whole first section of the sedradeals with the sanctity of the kohanim in general,and the Kohen Gadol in particular. The termHAKOHEIN HAGADOL occurs 21 times in Tanach,with its first use in Parshat Emor and three furthertimre in the book of Bamidbar. The other 17 timesare scattered in Tanach.
The broken foot is representative of theinvalidating defects of a Kohen (some permanentand some transitory).
Look closely at the lamb the foot is pointing to.It's missing an ear. That's a blemish whichinvalidates the animal for the Mizbei'ach. Notethat blemishes that disqualify an animal for theMizbei'ach do not necessarily make the animal aTREIFA.
In the lowerleft are a mother sheep (ewe) andher newborn, which may not be taken from itsmother to be used as a korban until it is at least 8days old. AND, the sheep and lamb also representOTO V'ET B'NO, the prohibition of slaughtering ananimal and its offspring on the same day. Notethat the 8th day rule is specifically for korbanotwhile the twogeneration rule applies to holyanimals and to profane animals.
Upperleft is a negation circle, indicating theprohibitions of building, sewing, writing representative of all forbidden Melacha forShabbat, Yom Kippur, and Yom Tov.
The counting of the Omer is a mitzva fromParshat Emor.
So too are the mitzvot of dwelling in a Sukka forthe seven days of Sukkot, and the taking of theFour Species on Sukkot.
And there are the Two Loaves of Shavuot.
There is a wine bottle with Y/N on the label. Y isfor YES, yes have wine on Shabbat and theholidays for Kiddush and havdala. Not only that,when you say Kiddush on Yom Tov day, recite oneor both of two p'sukim that come from Emor. ButN is for NO. No, a kohein may not drink winewhen he has service to perform in the BeitHaMikdash. No one may enter the Mikdash "underthe influence". Nor, may a poseik render ahalachic opinion after having drunk wine.
The is a MOOSE with an arrow pointing to hisnose, which is AF in Hebrew. So this friend ofBullwinke, Tuke and Rutt represents theMOOSEAF, MUSAF of each holiday, ascommanded by the Torah, partly from Parshat
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Emor and partly from Parshat Pinchas.
There is a needle and an eye right under the eyeof the needle, representing AYIN TACHAT AYIN.
Right after Parshat HaMoadim (Vayikra 23), wehave the command to light the Menora in theMikdash with pure olive oil. This is seen as aREMEZ, hint to Chanuka from the Torah. (One ofseveral REMAZIM.) Hence the dreidel in the PP.
The numeral 1 was intended to refer to thehaftara, where reference is made to Bikurim,T'ruma, Challa, and other gifts of the FIRSTs tothe kohanim.
TTRIDDLES...are Torah Tidbitsstyle riddles on Parshat HaShavua(sometimes on the calendar). They are found in thehardcopy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottomof different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, theyare found all together at the end of the ParshaPixTTriddlessection. The best solution set submitted each week (thereisn't always a best) wins a double prize a CD from NoamProductions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) fromBig Deal.
Last issue’s (AchareiK'doshim) TTriddles:
[1] Double Jeopardy The answer is EMORThe correct "answer" must be in the form of a question,since this is a Jeopardystyle TTriddle. WHAT ISACHAREI K'DOSHIM? It is simply a play on the wordACHAREI, which in addition to being the name of thefirst of the twin sedras last week, also means "after". TheDouble of Double Jeopary was a little bit of a hinttowards, and a little bit of a red herring aways from thedouble sedra of AchareiK'doshim.
[2] Therefore, revere parents and ... what?Transitive Property of Arithmetic says that if a=b andb=c, then a=c. And if a>b and b>c, then a>c. There is apair of p'sukim that sounds like it is setting up a similarconclusion demonstrating the Transitive Property ofMitzvot. ISH, a person must revere his mother and hisfather AND keep Gd's Shabbatot. Keep My Shabbatot,Gd says, and revere My Mikdash. Therefore revereparents and the Mikdash.
[3] what does a mule carrying nectarineswear?Vayikra 19:19 says: "...You shall not breed your cattlewith a different kind; you shall not sow your field withmixed seed; nor shall a garment mixed of linen andwoollen come upon you." The word KILAYIM(forbidden mixture) appears three times in this one pasuk(and only twice else in all of Tanach). Once it refers tothe prohibition of crossbreeding animals (e.g. theproducing of a mule) and once for comingling seeds (orcross grafting fruit, such as producing a nectarine* half a peach, half a plum, but what a fruit! paraphrasingwhom?). It is only fitting, therefore, that we complete
the picture of a mule carrying nectarines as wearingSHAATNEZ, a garment of wool and linen. Of course,we should point out that once a mule is produced, wemay use it; it is only forbidden to actually mate the malehorse and female donkey together. (The oppositecombination female horse and male donkey producesthe less desirable hinny.) Trivia: A female mule is calleda molly. Fact: Mules are almost always sterile. Similarly,a nectarine is permitted especially since it reproducesfrom nectarine seeds and does not require graftinganymore. And a mule is not forbidden to wear Shaatnez only Jewish people have that prohibition.* Perhaps you too thought that a nectarine is a cross oftwo different fruit. Apparently, it is not; it is a variety ofpeach, smaller and with a smoothe skin. But theTTriddle is still a TTriddle because we all thought that anectarine is a cross.
[4] Hebrew in Z’ra’im, Aramaic in Mo’edRelated to the previous TTriddle [3]. KILAYIM is amasechet in Seder Z'ra'im. If you look in TargumOnkeles on the word KILAYIM, you will findEIRUVIN (mixture). EIRUVIN, however, is a masechetmishnayot in Seder Mo'ed.
[5] thrice in Acharei + 10 in K’doshim; 13other times in Torah + twice in one mitzvafulfilling pasukANI HASHEM ELOKEICHEM, I am HaShem, yourGd, occurs 28 times in the Torah. Three times inAcharei and 10 in K'doshim make 13 occurrences in lastweek's Torah reading. That's a lot. There are 13 otheronetime occurrences, and the unusual twice in the samepasuk beginning and end which is the last pasuk weread in the Sh'ma. That pasuk is special, not onlybecause it begins and ends with the same three words,but it also is the daily (twice every day) fulfillment of themitzva to remember the Exodus "all the days of yourlife".
[6] Goatee, Van Dyck, Left, Center, Right one word answer pleasePEIA. Or P'AT... That's it. Your choice of which oneword answers this TTriddle. How so? you ask. Goateeand Van Dyck are two types of beards. One of thePEIA, corner, that we are prohibited to cut is that of thebeard. Left, Center, and Right are fields (in baseball) andrefer to the other PEI'A that must remain uncut, that of afield.Speaking of baseball... Some don't know and don't care.Some know and care. Some know and don't care. This isnot for anyone fitting one of those three categories. Butif you don't know and do care about baseball in Israel, beaware of the fact that there is a new Israel BaseballLeague which is to launch its inaugural season at the endof June. This is a professional baseball league, the firstever in Israel, and it currently consists of 6 teams: TelAviv Lightning, Raanana Express, Netanya Tigers,Petach Tikva Pioneers, Beit Shemesh Blue Sox, and
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Many shuls sing this song on the Friday night before Lag BaOmer. Others sing it on Lag BaOmer. SomeSiddurim have it others don't. Even those that have it, by the time you find it, they are half way through it. Sofor your convenience and spiritual elevation... here it is!
Modiin Miracle. Check out their website for moreinfomation: www.israelbaseballleague.com
[7] he’ll sound like an Israeli answering thephoneThe Maftir this past Shabbat, i.e. the person whoreceived the Maftir Aliya nd who read the Haftara,began the haftara with the word HALLO, making himsound like a typical Israeli answering the phone.
[8] Although carnivorous, this variety of theEuropean polecat loves grapes (prize)The ferret, largest member of the weasel family, is avariety of European polecat. Although a meat eater, forthis TTriddle, we call your attention to Vayikra 19:10which mentions UFERET KARM'CHA, the ferret ofyour vineyard. MM/Bklyn got it.
[9] Cousins who link this Wednesday and thisThursdayThis was the TTriddle that got away. It was in lastweek's hard copy TT. But it was inadvertently left off thelist of "This Week's TTriddles", so many people did notsee it.The Wednesday referred to is/was Pesach Sheni. TheThursday is one of the days that we read the beginningof Parshat Acharei. The cousins that link the two are
Nadav and Avinu on the Thursday side and Misha'el andEltzafan on the Pesach Sheni side. How so? Somecommentaries say that those who were Tamei who cameto "complain" about being excluded from Korban Pesachwere the people who had taken care of the bodies ofNadav and Avihu, since Aharon and his two remainingsons were not to become Tamei (all having the status ofa Kohein Gadol because they had been anointed with thespecial oil). If "Yom HaShmini" was 8 Nissan, then day7 of their TUM'A would be the 14th, which fits.
This weeks TTriddles:
[1] (at least) two topics from this week and last[2] three in the sedra require wholeness[3] This week’s Z’mira[4] Our term for Friday covers the roots of almosthalf the words of the pasuk[5] plus a twoweek inarow inconspicuousTTriddle
"As a matter of fact" is an expression thatprecedes many an expression that isn't.
1001 Smiles by Marion Kaplinsky
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