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zclezr"yz elqk 'cNov. 2021, '09 •
This Shabbat is the 64th day (of 355), 10th Shabbat (of 51) of 5770
...Li ½¤xªb §n u ¤x ¤Îz ¤ ÆL §Y §W ¦x §l ...m ½dx §a © z©M §x¦AÎz ¤ ÆL §lÎo¤Y«¦i§e
TT 884 • Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) 5:53pm4:02pm Yerushalayim 5:16pm4:20pm S'derot 5:19pm4:17pm Gush Etzion 5:17pm4:17pm Raanana 5:17pm4:18pm Beit Shemesh 5:17pm4:18pm Rehovot 5:18pm4:17pm Netanya 5:17pm4:18pm Be'er Sheva 5:19pm4:17pm Modi'in 5:17pm4:02pm Petach Tikva 5:17pm4:02pm Maale Adumim 5:16pm4:17pm Ginot Shomron 5:16pm4:16pm Gush Shiloh 5:15pm4:18pm K4 & Hevron 5:17pm4:17pm Giv'at Ze'ev 5:16pm4:18pm Yad Binyamin 5:18pm4:20pm Ashkelon 5:19pm4:03pm Tzfat 5:13pm
This week's Torah Tidbitsis dedicated to the memory of
l"f wgvi oa xfril`The Late Lord Steinberg
The XL (extra lite) edition of Torah Tidbits is a PDF file produced from theLITE.pdf file with ads, schedule, tiyulim removed. The result is a "content
only" version of Torah Tidbits. The pages are somewhat rearranged to fill insome of the holes left by all the removed material.
An expulsion by any other name...Let's get the title out of the way first. There will be a connection to ParshatHaShavua, but not at first. There was an article in the Jerusalem Post theother day about a Supreme Court decision that governmentapproved TV andradio stations cannot accept even paid ads that refer to the explusion fromGush Katif, using the word expulsion. Evacuation, yes. Expulsion, no. Thatwould be a political statement that is not approved. [Personal comment: Inmy opinion, the term political is incorrect it is an expression of moral
indignation for what the governemtndid that summer that will live in infamyin our hearts. If you disagree with mytone or sentiment, at least rememberthat it is mine and not necessarily theOU's or the Israel Center's Phil]
We've referred to the Women in Blackprotesters that wave white on blackposters just a few blocks from theCenter that demand an end to theoccupation. Would be okay if theyreferred to the occupation of parts ofEretz Yisrael by Arabs, but it is notokay if they suggest that we areoccupiers. Just open a Chumash.
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Word of the MonthFirst opportunity for KiddushL'vana this month is Motza'eiShabbat Tol'dot, Nov. 21.That's the first op after 3 daysfollowing the molad, but it isthe eve of the 5th of
Ranges are 10 days, WEDFRI110 Kislev (Nov 1827)
Earliest Talit & T'filin 5:175:24amSunrise 6:116:19amSof Z'man K' Sh'ma 8:478:52am(Magen Avraham: 8:008:05am)
Sof Z'man T'fila 9:399:43am(Magen Avraham: 9:089:12am)
Chatzot 11:24¼11:26¾am(halachic noon)
Mincha Gedola 11:5511:57am(earliest Mincha)
Plag Mincha 3:32¾3:31pmSunset 4:434:40pm(based on sea level: 4:384:35pm)
OU ISRAELSeymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center
OU Israel Center programs • Makom BaLev • Lev YehudiPearl & Harold M. Jacobs ZULA Center • NESTO • The Jack
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Yitzchak Fund, President, OU IsraelRabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice PresidentProf. Meni Koslowsky, Vice PresidentStuart Hershkowitz, Vaad memberMoshe Kempinski, Vaad memberSandy Kestenbaum, Vaad memberZvi Sand, Vaad memberHarvey Wolinetz, Vaad memberRabbi Avi Berman, DirectorGeneral, OU IsraelDavid Katz, CFO, OU IsraelMenachem Persoff, Director of Programs, Israel CenterPhil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
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WORD of the MONTH cont. from p.2 A weekly TT feature to help clarify practical and conceptual aspectsof the Jewish Calendar, thereby enhancing our appreciation of Gd's gift to us of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
of the month. It is not the day of the new month that directly relates to the firstopportunity of Kiddush L'vana; it is the time elapsed from the moment of themolad. The molad can be on Rosh Chodesh or a day or two before it. It reallydepends upon whether Rosh HaShana was fixed on the day of the molad ofTishrei, or if it was postponed a day or two according to the rules for fixing RH.When the first op for KL falls on the eve of the third of the month, some people inshul will agrue that it isn't time for KL yet. And it happens that people will agrguefor KL on the eve of the 4th of the month, when on occasion, that's too early.
This month's molad was midday on Tuesday (first day of R"Ch). First op for 3 dayafter the molad people would have been Friday night, but we don't say KL onShabbat unless it is the last op. Hence, Motza'ei Shabbat.
Lead Tidbit cont. from front page
Before you open the Chumash, let's make this clear the following is forthose who believe what the Torah says. For those who believe that Gdcreated the heavens and the earth. That Gd took the Jewish People out ofIsrael and gave us the Torah at Sinai. That Gd commanded us to keepShabbat and observe many other mitzvot and forbids us to violate a wholelist of other mitzvot.
If you don't believe in the sampling just presented, them you might doubtthe truth of the following as well.
But if the Torah is TORAH EMET (a phrase that occurs only once in Tanach, inthis week's haftara), then let's review the following:
In Lech L'cha, after Avra(ha)m arrived in the land to which Gd commandedhim to go, Gd tells him that the Land will be given to his (Avraham's)descendants. A promise that is repeated a number of times.
So far so good. But wait. Yishmael is Avraham's son; not only Yitzchak. InVayeira, Gd makes matters clearer. KI V'YITZCHAK YIKAREI L'CHA ZARA through Yitzchak will offspring be considered yours. Yes, there is Yishmael.Yes, there are the children of Ketura. But Yitzchak is your complete heir.
Okay, we're still good. No, wait what about Eisav. Blessings of wealth andposition in the world who got them? Who was meant to get them? Notrelevant to the topic of the Land. Yitzchak gave the "bracha of Avraham which is defined in the end of Toldot as, "that you may possess the land ofyour sojourns which Gd gave to Avraham." This blessing, this legacy, thisgift from Gd of Eretz Yisrael, was given by Yitzchak with "his eyes wideopen", to Yaakov. And only to Yaakov.
This gift is in perpetuity. It is forever. We might get kicked out when we turnaway from Gd. We might be scattered throughout a long exile. But this landis ours.
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When a misguided government gives any of Eretz Yisrael away... when amisguided government forces Jews to leave their homes the homes andcommunities the government encouraged them to live in, to use a term otherthan expulsion is to pervert the truth for political reasons and to futilelyattempt to gain something in return.
This is one of the main messages and lessons of sedras of Lech L'cha throughToldot. It is a lesson that is repeated throughout the Torah.
It is a truth just as "In the beginning Gd created..." is. It is as true asY'tzi'at Mitzrayim and Matan Torah.
If the nations of the world don't believe it or don't want to believe it, or wantto change things around to suit themselves... that's their problem.
(Well, it is our problem, but not our biggest one. Not our priority problem.The following is.)
WE, the Jewish people, living in Israel or anywhere else in the world, need toaccept and internalize the fact of our claim to the Land of Israel. Arab claimto this land is falsehood. Arab attempt to delegitamize our claim and historyhere is falsehood. It is obscene.
Sad that so many people around the world swallow the Arab attempts to takeaway our claim and replace it with one of their own.
Sadder still are the Jews who aren't convinced of the Truth of the Torah.
Some say that the political reality of the world requires us to do this or that.A point to debate. But even with that position, there still must be a clearrecognition and acceptance of Gd's gifts to us through the Avot. We mustnot be ingrates before Gd.
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TOL'DOT STATS6th of the 54 sedras; 6th of 12 in B'reishit
Written on 172.7 lines in a Sefer Torah, ranks 36
4 Parshiyot; 2 open, 2 closed
106 p'sukim, ranks 29th (9th in B'reishit)Tied with Vayigash and Bo, but shorter than eachin words & letters and length
1432 words, ranks 34th (10th in B'reishit)
5426 letters, ranks 33rd (10th in B'reishit)
Its p'sukim are below average length
MMMMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTZZZZZZZZZZZZZVVVVVVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTnone of the 613 mitzvot are in Toldot
AliyabyAliyaSedra Summary[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicatestart of a parsha p’tucha or s’tumarespectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of thebeginning of the parsha; (Z) is thenumber of p'sukim in the parsha.
Kohen First Aliya21 p'sukim 25:1926:5[P> 25:19 (16)] This is the historyof Yitzchak b. Avraham; Avrahamfathered Yitzchak.
SDT: Rashi quotes the Gemara that tellsthat when Yitzchak was born, scoffers saidthat Avraham and Sara, who were childlessfor so long, had found a baby and claimedit as their own. Avraham invited theleaders of the nations, their wives andinfants, and Sara miraculously was able towetnurse all the babies. (The Gemara
points to the plural "banim" in 21:7.) Thenthe scoffers accepted that Sara boreYitzchak, but chided Avraham thatAvimelech was the father (since Yitzchak'sbirth followed Sara's abduction). A miracleoccurred and baby Yitzchak was the veryimage of his father Avraham, until thescoffers proclaimed, "Avraham fatheredYitzchak".SDT: Earlier, the Torah tells us of thegenerations of Yishmael b. Avraham. Thatseems to be in balance with the beginningof this sedra, which speaks of Yitzchak,except: [1] the Torah makes a point thatYishmael is the son of Hagar the Egyptian,the maidservant of Sara. In other words,Yishmael was NOT the real To'l'dot ofAvraham; and [2] To'l'dot (in the Yishmaelcontext) is spelled without a VAV, implyingthat something was missing. To'l'dot ofYitzchak b. Avraham; it was Avraham whofathered Yitzchak. And the word To'l'dot isspelled with its VAV. (also see Lead Tidbit)
Yitzchak is 40 years old when hemarries Rivka (3 years after theAkeida). The Torah emphasizesRivka's family background.
Safe to say that most of us learned fromway back that Rivka was three years oldwhen she married Yitzchak. This notion ispartially based on the Torah's telling us ofthe birth of Rivka right after the portion ofthe Akeida. Yitzchak was 37 at the time ofthe Akeida and the death of Sara Imeinu.He married at 40, hence Rivka was 3 atthe time.
However, Chizkuni (an early commentaryof Torah and of Rashi) argues that if Rivkawas only 3, there would be a discrepany inthe chronology of the rest of her life. Wehave sources that indicate she was 133 atthe time of her death. Working backwardswith various events, we find that she was14 when she married Yitzchak. The
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account of Nachor's family includingRivka, does not necessarily mean that shewas just born at the time of the Akeida.The Torah is just introducing us to Rivkain order to bring her into the picture, soto speak, as Yitzchak is about to take overthe mantle of Partiarchhood fromAvraham Avinu.
After 20 years of childlessness (10until Rivka was of childbearingage plus an additional 10 yearswithout a child), Yitzchak andRivka pray to Gd. Gd hears their(actually his) prayer and Rivkabecomes pregnant. She is having a"rough time" and goes to Shem b.No'ach (who outlived Avraham, bythe way) who tells her Gd'smessage, that she will give birth totwins who will go in very differentways and become great adversarialnations.
SDT: Commentaries say that Rivka wasunaware that she was carrying twins; shethought the turmoil within her existed in asingle baby THIS had her very upset; shewas somewhat calmed by the Divinemessage of her carrying twins. Anothercommentator suggests that Rivka knewshe'd have twins but did not see the benefitof bringing a Yaakov into this world if itmeant also having an Eisav. Part of thereply to her question "why do I need this",is that her conclusion was wrong.
Take a look at Rashi. Two great nations these are Antoninus and Rabbi (YehudaHaNasi)... It can be suggested that theDivine message to Rivka, was that eventhough there will great tension and frictionbetween the descendants of the twins shewas carrying, Yaakov and Eisav, there willbe an example of a Roman (from Eisav)and a Jew who will truly get along and that
is the hope for the future when the nationsof the world will all recognize Israel's rolein the world and their special relationshipwith the One Gd Who will then be universally recognized.
Eisav and Yaakov are born, Yaakovclutching the heel of Eisav. Theboys grow and develop differentpersonalities Eisav is the hunterand outdoorsman; Yaakov, themild, studious "tentdweller".Yitzchak loves Eisav; Rivka lovesYaakov.
SDT: There are many different commentaries on these relationships. Note thatYitzchak's love is based on Eisav'sproviding food for him (or deceiving him based on various drashot). Rivka's love isunconditional. Pirkei Avot says that onlyan unconditional love will endure forever.
Yaakov is preparing a lentil stewfor his father. (The Gemara tell usthat this was the day of Avraham'sdeath; Yaakov was preparing thetraditional mourner's meal forYitzchak.)
Eisav returns from the field in astate of exhaustion. He asksYaakov for some of the food. Inexchange for the food, Yaakovacquires the birthright, which isinsignificant in Eisav's eyes, butmeaningful to Yaakov.
[P> 26:1 (33)] A famine hits theLand (like the one in Avraham'stime this is one of the manysimilarities between the lives ofAvraham and Yitzchak) andYitzchak goes to Avimelech inGerar. Gd appears to Yitzchak andreminds him that he must not leave
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the Land. Gd also repeats hispromises of the Land and of thelarge nation that will descend fromhim.
Levi Second Aliya7 p'sukim 26:612Yitzchak dwells in Gerar. (This isone of the threeword p’sukim in theTorah. There are 13 or so suchp'sukim, and they are occasionally afocus of attention.)
Yitzchak and Rivka pose as brotherand sister (as did Avraham andSara, and for the same tworeasons). After a while, Avimelechdiscovers that they are actuallyhusband and wife and complains toYitzchak about the deception.Avimelech orders his people toleave Yitzchak and Rivka alone.Yitzchak and family flourish inGerar and Gd blesses them.
SDT: In last week's TT we referred to thedispute as to whether Sara and Avrahamhad a daughter or not. S'fat Emet suggeststhat something in this week's sedra seemsto say that they had a daughter. Yitzchakand Rivka "pose" as brother and sister.Avraham was well known. Especially to thepeople and king of Gerar. He would knowif Avraham had a daughter or not. SinceAvimelech seems to accepted Yitzchak andRivka as brother and sister, until hediscovered otherwise, it seems reasonableto support the opinion that Avraham (andSara) were indeed blessed with a daughter.
TAKE A LOOK... The first faminethat drove Avraham and Sara toEgypt, when Par'o discovers theirtrue relationship, he sends them
away. The second time, when theywent to Gerar and said they werebrother and sister, and then theywere “found out”, Avimelech givesthem many things and invites themto stay. (Par'o had given Avrahamgreat wealth, but it was before heknew about their real relationship.)Yitzchak and Rivka also say they aresiblings, but no one takes Rivka.When they are "found out", theystick around.
Shlishi Third Aliya10 p'sukim 26:1322Yitzchak thrives in Gerar, whichcreates jealousy among the localswho fill in the wells that Yitzchakhas dug. (There is great symbolismin the Torah's account of the wells,their names, their failures, and thentheir successes.) Yitzchak is drivenaway from Gerar. A new well thatYitzchak digs (Eisek) is taken overby the shepherds of Gerar, as is yetanother well (Sitna). Only the thirdwell (Rehovot) permits Yitzchak tolive in relative peace.
(Some see this as a hidden referenceto the 1st and 2nd Beit HaMikdash,which fell, and the 3rd which willstand forever. May we see it soon inour time.)
SDT: Brachot 56: Rabbi Chanina said,he who sees a well in a dream, he will seepeace... Yitzchak's servants dug and founda live spring, B'EIR MAYIM CHAYIM. Thisis immediately followed by the peace treatybetween Avimelech and Yitzchak. RabbiNatan continues in the same Gemara. Hewho sees a well in his dream has foundTorah, as it says in Mishlei: He who finds
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Me, finds life... an equation is madebetween Gd, Torah, and Life.
R' Yehoshua b. Levi adds that one shouldverbalize the words B'eir Mayim Chayimbefore he encounters the words fromYirmiyahu 6:7 K'HAKIR BIYA MEIMEHA... "As a well keeps its water fresh,so she keeps fresh her wickedness; violenceand destruction, grief and wounds..."Verbalizing a dream's interpretation isconsidered significant; an unexpresseddream is often open to opposite meaningsand what is expressed first gives the dreamits substance and direction. This is the tipof the iceberg of Dream Interpretation aspresented by the Torah T'mima. Don't readtoo much into the comment here it ismeant only as a brief comment.
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya7 p'sukim 26:2329Yitzchak sets himself up in Be'erSheva. Gd appears to him andreiterates the promises forprosperity made to Avraham.Yitzchak builds an altar to Gd andcontinues to prosper. Avimelech,realizing that his own prosperitywas due to the presence ofYitzchak, comes with a delegationto Yitzchak in order to enter into acovenant with him.
(Not a rare experience through thegenerations Jews are expelled froma country, which subsequentlyregrets its actions because of thedecline they experienced without theJews in their midst. And we,somehow, kept going back.)
Chamishi 5th Aliya33 p'sukim 26:3027:27Yitzchak and Avimelech partake ofa meal and exchange oaths. Be'erSheva is reaffirmed as "the city ofthe Avot" by Yitzchak's actions.Another example of the similaritybetween Yitzchak's life andAvraham's.
[S> 26:34 (2)] Eisav marries at 40years of age a (sub)consciousattempt to emulate his father.However wicked Eisav is, he isgenuinely respectful and loving ofhis father. On the other hand,Eisav's choice of a wife disgustsboth Yitzchak and Rivka.
[S> 27:1 (55)] Yitzchak is old andblind and calls Eisav to prepare forhim a special meal and then receivea special blessing. While Eisav is inthe fields doing his father's bidding,Rivka prepares Yaakov to receivethe blessing instead of Eisav. Shetells Yaakov to bring her two goatsand she would prepare the dishesthat Yitzchak loved. Yaakovhesitates for fear that Yitzchak willfeel his smooth skin and realize thatYaakov has come to deceive him.Rivka dresses Yaakov in Eisav'sgarments and places a goatskin onhis neck to give it a rough feel. Shegives Yaakov the food to bring tohis father.
It seems obvious that Yaakov waspunished measure for measure forhis deception of Yitzchak. TheBrothers not only deceived Yaakovconcerning the fate of Yosef, but
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they used a goat and a garment(exactly the two items that Yaakovused to deceive his father) to bringabout their deception. If we acceptthe idea that Yaakov was supposedto get the bracha that Yitzchak wasgoing to give to Eisav, that it wasGd's will, and even Gd's commandaccording to Onkeles, to Rivka to“set it up”, then why was Yaakovpunished so severely?
An answer might be suggested in theform of an analogy. When one has totake drastic, lifesaving treatments "serious" medication, radiation, etc.,what is done might be absolutelynecessary, but there are often harshsideeffects.
Continuing the analogy, was therenot a "safer" way for Yaakov to getthe b'racha? Apparently not. If thereis a medication that is effective andwithout side effects, why would aperson take the medicine that hasserious side effects? For whateverreason(s), the way it went is how itwas meant to go.
SDT: When the Torah tells us thatYaakov gave his father wine to drink, theTROP note under the word LO (to him) is aMEIRCHA CH'FULA (double meircha).This rare note, suggests the MeshechChochma, reminds us of the proper way todrink a cup of wine not gulping it down inone shot, but rather finishing it in two"installments".
Shishi Sixth Aliya23 p'sukim 27:2828:4The blessing invoked by Yitzchakupon Yaakov, for bountiful produce and respected status among
nations, has been borrowed by usto be recited on Motza'ei Shabbat V'YITEN L'CHA HAELOKIM...
'May Gd grant you the dew of heaven and thefat of the earth, much grain and wine. Nationswill serve you; governments will bow down toyou. You shall be like a lord over yourbrother; your mother's children will prostratethemselves to you. Those who curse you arecursed, and those who bless you are blessed.'
As Yitzchak finishes blessingYaakov, Eisav returns from thehunt. He prepares food for hisfather and presents it with a request(demand) of the blessing. Yitzchaktrembles when he realizes that thebracha went to Yaakov. WhenYitzchak explains to Eisav thatYaakov received (and rightly so)the blessing, Eisav bitterly cries outand asks his father for a blessingtoo. Yitzchak gives Eisav a blessing(not as exalted as Yaakov's). Eisavdecides to kill Yaakov for this, thesecond time he has taken something away from him. Rivka hears(how? Ru’ach HaKodesh, perhaps?)of Eisav's plans and encouragesYaakov to flee to Rivka's hometown until Eisav's wrath subsides.Rivka suggests to Yitzchak that hesend Yaakov away to find a properwife.
Note that Rivka did NOT tell Yitzchakthat Eisav wanted to kill Yaakov.Perhaps she felt that it would painhim too much to learn of Eisav's truecharacter. Perhaps, Yitzchak wouldhave refused to believe that hisEisav would contemplate such athing. Instead, Rivka expressesanother concern (legitimate) as her
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Yaakov & Eisav; Some say Peretz & Zerach Please have a seat near the b'eir
reason for wanting Yitzchak to sendYaakov away.
Yitzchak calls for Yaakov and giveshim another blessing and sendshim off to Padan Aram to find awife from Rivka's family. He givesYaakov "the blessing of Avraham",thus providing for the continuity ofthe Chain that becomes The JewishPeople.
Sh'VII Seventh Aliya5 p'sukim 28:59Yitzchak sends Yaakov off to PadanAram to Lavan b. B'tu'el, thebrother of Rivka who is the motherof Yaakov and Eisav. (Unusual ID.)Eisav sees that their father has sentYaakov to find a wife, because hedoes not want him to take aCanaanite wife. Yaakov goes on hisway and Eisav takes as anotherwife, the daughter of Yishmael,Machalat b. Yishmael...Talmud Yerushalmi exclaims thatthis is Bos'mat, and asks why hername was changed. The astonishinganswer is that all Eisav's sins wereforgiven when he took a wifeintended to please his parents. TheTalmud generalizes and gives this asthe source that the sins of a CHATAN(and KALLA) are forgiven when theymarry. Strange source for a significant concept.
The final 3 p’sukim are reread forthe Maftir.
Haftara 21 p'sukimMalachi 1:12:7There is speculation as to whetherMal'achi is the name of anindividual, or a description of "Mymessenger". Some say that Mal'achiwas Ezra. Mal'achi is known as thelast of the prophets. Mal'achi bringsGd's message to the people thatHe loves Yaakov (and hisdescendants), and hates Eisav,even though Yaakov and Eisav arebrothers. Thus, the Haftara echoesthe rivalry and relationshipbetween the two brothers that isthe substance of the sedra To'l'dot.The haftara refers to the respect ason has for his father. In thisregard, Eisav was exemplary.
Mal'achi criticizes the kohanim ofthe time for not being careful in theoffering of korbanot. We can seethis as a preparation for thebuilding of the new Beit HaMikdash in the hopes that it willfunction properly and be a truehonor to Gd.
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PPPPPaaaaarrrrrssssshhhhhaaaaa PPPPPoooooiiiiinnnnntttttsssss tttttooooo PPPPPooooonnnnndddddeeeeerrrrrTOL'DOT
1) Why does the Torah say that Yitzchaktook Rivka TO HIM AS A WIFE (25:20)?
2) Why does the Torah preface the storyof Avimelech looking out the window andseeing Yitzchak and Rivka act as husbandand wife with the seemingly insignificantwords AND IT WAS WHEN MANYDAYS PASSED THERE (26:8)?
3) Why does Yitzchak name the placewhich was already called BE'ER SHAVA(26:23) the same exact name (26:33)?
Parsha Points to Ponderis prepared by
Rabbi Dov Lipmanwho teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim and MachonMaayan in Beit Shemesh and is the author of
"DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults) toQuestions about the Jewish Faith" (Feldheim) and
"TIMEOUT: Sports Stories as aGame Plan for Spiritual Success"
a recent release by Devora [email protected]
Answers are somewhere else in this issue Look forthem, but only after a good pondering
Herb sits down.
Psychrometer and hygrometer are meteorological devices for measuring humidity in the air. In Hebrew,zEg©lÎc ©n. A Barometer measures air pressure. It is called a u ©g©lÎc ©n. A rain gague is a m ¤W¤bÎc©n. Ananemometer measure the wind. ©gExÎc ©n
More MADwords: Thermometer is a mFgÎc ©n(if it is a brown one, then it is a mEg mFgÎc ©n, couldn't resist)
DIVREI MENACHEMIn Parshat Toldot our forefatherYitzchak is confronted with a famineand he plans, like his father Avraham,to go down to plentiful Egypt. Indeed,he arrives at the border in Gerarwhen Hashem commands him, "Donot go down to Egypt settle in theLand that I will tell you."
There is an interesting contrast withAvraham. For Avraham was told:"Lech lecha… el Ha'aretz asherar'ecka" 'Go to the Land which I willshow you.' In Avraham's case, thiswas the first of his many trials.Inductively, Avraham recognizedHashem's mastery of the world butnow he was to follow severalseemingly incomprehensible commands of his Maker.
Initially, Yitzchak follows logic too.Yet he is told, "Sh'chon Baaretz" toremain in Eretz Yisrael, despite thefamine. Perhaps it is unfitting for onewho has the mark of a holy sacrificeetched into his soul to leave EretzYisrael (cf. Rashi). But there is,perhaps, more to this injunction thanmeets the eye.
For Yitzchak has to continue andenrich the legacy of Avraham. Theterm "Sh'chon" evokes the creation ofneighborhoods, the establishment ofa community, well by well, dunam bydunam. Following our rabbis it alsoimplies that by thus building the LandYitzchak will bring down the holyShechina. What a beautiful legacyindeed!
from the virtual desk of theOU VEBBE REBBEThe Orthodox Union via its website fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law andvalues. Some of them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies,Jerusalem, headed by Rav Yosef Carmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraelizt"l, to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious community in Israel and abroad.Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center.
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QQQQQQQQQQQQQ I often see people getting aliyot wholean on the bima during their aliya.
Isn’t that a problem? Shouldn’t I tell them tostop?
AAAAAAAAAAAAA The mishna (Megila 21a) saysthat one may read Megilat Esther
standing or sitting. The gemara (ad loc.)says that, in contrast, Torah readingmust be done standing. As support, thegemara cites the pasuk regarding thetransmission of the Torah from Hashemto Moshe: “You [Moshe] stand herewith Me” (D'varim 5:27). Just as,symbolically, Hashem was “standing,”so too later transmitters of the Torahshould do the same. Our questions are:what the nature and severity of thisrequirement are, whether leaning isconsidered like standing in this regard,and whom it applies to.The Tur (Orach Chayim 141) says thatif one does not read the Torah standing,he has not fulfilled the mitzva, and thusthe leining has to be repeated. He seemsto understand the requirement as a fullyderived requirement from the pasuk.The Yerushalmi (Megila 4:1) says thatit is an element of honor, related to theidea that the Torah must be transmittedwith an air of trepidation, not casualness. The Beit Yosef (OC 141) pointsout that Rashi views the requirement tostand as only l’chatchila, that it is
proper to show respect in that way, butin case he does not do so, the reading isstill valid. The matter may depend onthe situation regarding Megila reading,as Torah reading is more stringent thanit. If the Megilla should l’chatchila beread standing, then Torah, being a stepfurther, is invalid b’di’avad if one didnot stand. In any case, the MagenAvraham (141:1) rules that one doesfulfill b’di’avad the mitzva withoutstanding, as is evidence from the factthat we allow a king to read whileseated. Mishna Berura (141:1) and mostrecent poskim take this lenient view.Despite our relative leniency on thematter of standing, the Shulchan Aruch(OC 141:1, based on a Yeruhsalmi,ibid.) says that, at least l’chatchila, oneshould stand without leaning onanything. This can be understood in twoways: 1) leaning is not consideredstanding; 2) since one must show properregard to the Torah’s transmission,standing that is not fully austere, i.e.,leaning, is thereby wrong. The MagenAvraham (ad loc.:2) says that bothissues are true, but in different cases. Ifone stands with a partial lean so that ifthe object one was leaning on wereremoved he would fall, this is nothalachic standing. If he stands in amanner that he would not fall, this isgenerally considered standing but it is
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Who said: I'll go in the sea?
PPPPPaaaaarrrrrssssshhhhhaaaaa PPPPPoooooiiiiinnnnntttttsssss tttttooooo PPPPPooooonnnnndddddeeeeerrrrrSuggested answers
1) The Ohr HaChayim teaches thatthese words explain why Yitzchak didnot get married at an earlier age. TOHIM indicates that Rivka was the onlymatch for Yitzchak and, therefore, hehad to wait until she was old enoughto marry him.
2) The Kli Yakar answers that thesewords describe why Avimelechdecided to specifically spy on Yitzchak.Many days had gone by since Yitzchakarrived in Gerar and Avimelech foundit strange that this supposedly singleman had not taken any of the localwomen for marriage. This led to hissuspicion that perhaps Yitzchak andRivka were married.
3) The S'forno points out that it is notthe exact same name. The city hadbeen called BEER SHAVA with thevowel kamatz to capture the pactwhich Avraham had made there. Now,it was also called BEER SHEVA withthe vowel segol to also capture theseven wells which were dug therebetween Avraham and Yitzchak.
still not standing in awe. Therefore hereasons that the Mordechai’s permissionfor an obese person to lean (ShulchanAruch, ibid.) applies only to partialleaning, as, when his leaning isunderstandable, it is not a sign ofdisregard. However, full leaning simplydoes not fulfill the requirement to stand.The Shaarei Efrayim (3:11) says that itis also customary to allow some leaningwhen looking at the top lines of a longsefer Torah, which are far away fromthe readers. He reasons that crouchingover in order to see well is notdisrespectful to the Torah.In general, the laws governing Torahreading apply both to the ba’al korei andto the oleh (the one who receives thealiya), and this is no exception (seeShulchan Aruch and Rama, ibid.;Sha’arei Efrayim ibid.) The Sha’areiEfrayim (ibid.) and Mishna Berura(141:5) say that even the gabbai muststand. (Regarding the congregation,there is a major discussion seeShulchan Aruch and Rama, OC 146:4).Like many other halachot in whoseregard observance is not 100%, a rabbishould find opportunities to educate hiscongregants. Regarding partial leaning,which is likely not overly haughty and,according to the majority of opinions,does not affect the congregation’sfulfillment of the mitzva, one shouldpoint out to the oleh only if he isconfident it will be taken in the rightaway. If many people lean in the moresevere way, it would be moreworthwhile for one who can educateeffectively to point out to the olim in away that does not embarrass them.
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Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Bamidbar StoriesI pray you, curse this people for me"
(Bamidbar 22:6){4} by Dr. Meir TamariIt was fitting that miracles should beassociated with Bil'am the prophet tothe gentiles, and that the nature andcharacter of his prophecy be revealedthereby."Gd opened the mouth of the sheassand she spoke" (Bamidbar 22:28).Onkelos translates the verse, "andman became a 'nefesh chaya"(B'reishit 2:7), as 'a creature withspeech' rather than the usual 'a livingbeing'; yet here we have an animalacquiring the most distinguishing characteristic of human beings. Furthermore, this phenomenon was such amajor one that our Sages taught, "10things were created on Erev Shabbat,at twilight, … the mouth of [Bil'am's]shedonkey" (Avot 5:6)."Bar Kapara taught: That which cannotnormally be seen was seen, as it iswritten at Matan Torah, 'and all thepeople saw the sounds' (Sh'mot 20:1);that which cannot normally hear heard,as it is written, 'this stone which heardthe words of Gd shall bear witness'(Yehoshua 24:27); that which cannotnormally speak, spoke, 'and theshedonkey spoke' (Bamidbar 22:28)"(Midrash Shmuel). "This miracle wasgreater than the miracle of the openingof the mouth of the earth to swallowKorach and his congregation. ThereMoshe decreed and the earth obeyed,however, here it is written 'and Gd[Himself] opened the mouth of theshedonkey" (Zohar part 3, 209b).Throughout Tanach we witness such
miracles, both revealed and hidden,that negate all forms of idolatry, bothancient and modern. Idolatry seesnatural phenomena, events and thefortunes or misfortunes of people andnations, either as the results of naturalforces or as pure chance andcoincidence or as something that canbe explained by human wisdom andscience. The miracles, however, attestthat natural phenomena have no powerof their own but merely reflect the willof Gd, their Creator, that there is aDivine Wisdom beyond the limitationsof human knowledge, and that there isnothing due to chance or coincidencebut rather only to Gd's involvement inthe world that He created.Sometimes the miracles are hidden inthe affairs of our daily lives. At othertimes, Gd in His Wisdom and Mercychanges the workings of nature so thatwater turns to blood, the Sea is split intwo, water flows from the rock, Mannnafalls from Heaven, fire and clouds formpillars, and fire comes down fromheaven. "No man has any portion inthe Torah of Moshe Rabbenu, until heis convinced that all our affairs andchance happenings, just like theroutine workings and laws of theuniverse, in the private, national andpublic fields, are miracles and arenever to be attributed merely to nature"(Ramban).As to what actually happened withBil'am and the shedonkey, thecommentators are divided in a way thatthey regard all the other miracles in the
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Tanach. Shmuel David Luzzatoexplains that, "Gd opened the mouthof the ass and it brayed in an unusualmanner; there was a miracle but it wasa hidden miracle". Rambam held thatthe miracles do not signify suddenchanges by Gd of the laws of creation,which would signify a limitation of Gd'spower but they were built into theoriginal plan of creation. "At CreationGd implanted in nature the potentialpower of bringing forth all that wasnecessary; whether the event wassomething continuous which we thencall natural, or something of rareoccurrence which we then term amiracle. And so Gd endowed thedonkey with speech; not real speechbut merely the vision of Bil'am"(Rambam, Avot 5:6). The predominantunderstanding among commentators isthat of belief in the literal miracle; "Ibelieve in all that is written in theTorah. Why should I not believe theverse, 'and the ass said' or the verse,'and the donkey spoke'" (Ibn Caspi).All miracles have a purpose and teachus spiritual and religious lessons, sowhat was the lesson and message ofthis miracle of the donkey's speechand why does the Torah tell us itsstory? Surely to comment on thearrogance of sorcerers, to mock thegullibility of those who believe in thepower of magic and to expose thosewho pretend to be able to bless orcurse and so to bend supernaturalpowers to their will. This is exactly whatwas done by the sheass to Bil'am, thegreat sorcerer and archtype ofmagicians, of whom Balak had said,"for I know whosoever you bless isblessed and whomever you curse iscursed"."The sheass saw the angel of the
Lord, but initially Bil'am did not. Later,we read, 'Gd then opened his eyes'was Bil'am then blind before that? Thiscomes to teach us that even our eyesare in Gd's power. 'And Gd openedthe mouth of the sheass', to teach him[and us] that if he sought to curse,nevertheless his mouth was solely inGd's power. The sheass said toBil'am, 'you could only kill me if youhad a sword in your hand, how thencould you believe that you could uprootand curse a whole nation? Bil'amfound no answer to this and held hispeace. Then Gd in His mercy andrespect for His creatures closed themouth of the sheass, otherwise manwould never have been able to subjecta beast with the power of speech. Seehow the most powerful of sorcerersand wisest of them all, could notwithstand the most foolish of beasts".(Bamidbar Rabba 20).
"Bil'am wanted to amend Gd's plan butis blinder than his own animal, hewanted to overcome Gd's wishes buthas to accommodate the wish of hisown animal, wanted to ruin a wholenation but has to confess hisimpotence against his own animal;arrogant towards kings and lords he isbut a laughing stock before his ownservants" (S. R. Hirsch).
The whole story presents two importantspiritual perspectives: the validity ofnatural and supernatural miracles, andsecondly, how they relate to the natureand form of Bil'am's role as a prophet.
'There is no divination with Yaakov,neither is there sorcery in Israel"(Bamidbar 23:23): "Gd who can grantspeech an animal can also use themouth of a Bil'am to proclaim HisWord" (S. R. Hirsch).
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Rabbi Weinreb’s Weekly Column:
Parshat TOL'DOT
DisillusionmentDisillusionment. I first learned about iton a park bench on the Lower EastSide of Manhattan, where I attendedhigh school. I learned about it fromthree old gentlemen, each affecteddifferently by disillusionment, andeach with a different lesson to teach.We frequented that park daily for around or two of basketball. Few of usnoted the shabby elderly trio, whojoined each other on a park benchnear where we played and engagedin heated conversation in Yiddish andin another language that we laterlearned was Russian.A friend and I decided one morning toinquire of these gentlemen as to whothey were and as to the topic that soexcited them. They told us that theywere Mensheviks and expected thatwe were familiar with that term.We weren't, but they soon enougheducated us about the RussianRevolution and about a group of earlycommunists who split from Lenin andthe Bolsheviks, and were known asthe Mensheviks, the Russian word forminority.After the Russian Revolution in 1917,this minority found itself in gravedanger. Many, including the parkbench companions, emigrated fromRussia in the early 1920s. Thesethree settled in the United States, inNew York City, on the Lower EastSide.
We listened for several weeks to theirmagnetic story of youthful dreamsand grand plans for changing theworld. They helped overthrow theCzar and looked forward to a neworder of freedom, peace, and totaleconomic equality.But they became disillusioned. Theiryouthful dreams came to naught, andthe utopia they envisioned turned outto be nightmarish.One of them never gave up on thedream and told us that he was certainthat the day would soon come whenhe could return to Russia and helplead the ultimate reform. Another,darkly depressed, had turned toalcohol and was only sober in theearly morning. And the thirdabandoned his former beliefs andbecame, of all things, a ChassidicJew.Each experienced disillusionment,and each dealt with it in his ownunique way.Many years later, I became inspiredby another story of disillusionment,the story of Rabbi Issachar Teichtalc"id, martyred by the Nazis. This manwas a disciple of one of the mostvirulently antiZionist preWorld War IIJewish leaders. He was raised tothink that Zionism was equal toapostasy, and that participating in thecreation of a Jewish State was aterrible sin.When World War II broke out, RabbiTeichtal was witness to all the horrorsof the Holocaust. He found himselfquestioning and eventually reexamining his earlier beliefs, and rejectedthem. Instead, he developed the
7 You can't TELL a book by its cover but youcan SELL one by it.
From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
A Candle by Day • The Antidote • The World Of Chazalby Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
Now available at 0542099200
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contrary perspective; namely, that thefailure to adopt Zionism and build aJewish State was the root cause ofthe suffering of the Jewish people.Rabbi Teichtal's erudite treatise, EimHaBanim S'meicha is a fascinatingand rare example of a courageousretraction of an earlier held worldview,a public confession of disillusionment.In this week's Torah portion, Toldot,we learn of the disillusionment ofnone other than the PatriarchYitzchak, who labored under thelifelong illusion that his son Eisav wasrighteous and good. He was ready tobestow his blessings upon Eisav andnot upon Yaakov.Yaakov disguised as Eisav, ultimatelyreceived those blessings. When Eisavappears and asks for those blessings,Yitzchak realizes that the Divine Handhas intervened and that he has beenwrong all along in considering Eisavto be the son who deserved thoseblessings. He is, quite literally,disillusioned.He is stunned to learn that he hasbeen mistaken all along in his assessment of this son, and his shock isexpressed in B'reishit 27:33 withthese powerful words: "And Yitzchaktrembled an exceedingly greattrembling". The great trembling of adisillusioned father.How apt and poignant is Rashi'scomment here: "He saw the gates ofHell open before him".It is indeed hellish to have one'sdreams shattered and to have toreexamine the fundamental assumptions that one has made in life. Yet, in
ways significant and trivial, we are alloccasionally called upon to do so.Knowing that even Yitzchak wasproven to be in error about theassumptions he made, and that hewas dramatically confronted with hismistake, can be of some solace to usall.It is difficult and painful to garner thecourage to turn our disillusionment toadvantage and start life again undernew assumptions. But it is a choicewhich we are inevitably called upon tomake.
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ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WISDOM & WITby Shmuel Himelstein
Once, R’ Yisrael Salanter visitedFrankfurtamMain, where he was invitedto the home of Baron Rothschild.Rothschild, who was extremely wealthy,had a magnificent home. As they walkedthrough his home, Rothschild, a deeplyreligious Jew, pointed out to R’ Yisraelall the care he had taken in ensuring thateverything in his home was in totalaccordance with halacha.
After they had completed their walk, R’Yisrael turned to the baron and told him:“I am indeed most happy with everythingI've seen, but if you excuse me, I amforced to say that what I have seen iscontrary to what it says in the Torah.”“What is the problem, Rebbi?” saidRothschild. “I will be sure to rectify itimmediately.”
“You misunderstand me,” said R’ Yisraelwith a smile. “There is absolutely nothingthat is wrong with your home. The onlything I saw here is that contrary towhat it says in the Torah, that 'Yeshurunwaxed wealthy and kicked away thetraces' of Judaism you have succeededin maintain the very highest standards ofhalacha in spite of your wealth.”
Ed. note: In the opening passage of Rosh ChodeshBenching, we ask for many things, includingCHAYIM SHEYEISH BAHEM YIR'AT SHAMAYIM. Then we ask for a CHAYIM SHET'HEIVANU... YIR'AT SHAMAYIM. Fear of Heaven isthe one thing we ask for twice! Why?
One answer is that after asking for it the first time,we ask for a CHAYIM SHEL OSHER V'CHAVOD,a life of wealth and honor. After that, we have to askfor YIR'AT SHAMAYIM again. It is usually harderto achieve in the case of a wealthy person.
ÈR’ David of Sheduva once asked a verywealthy but miserly man: “Why don’tyou give tzedaka to the poor?”
“Rebbe,” answered the man, “I wouldlove to give tzedaka, but I only want togive it to a person who is really deservingof it and I haven’t yet found one.”
“That’s funny,” said the Rebbe.” “WhenHashem gave out money to the rich, Hedid not go to seek a worthy person toreceive it, yet you feel that you mustseek such a poor person before you givetzedaka.”
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CHIZUK ! IDUD(for Olim & notyetOlim)
What was Yitzchak's tie to the Land ofIsrael? It was not his ancestral home.His parents had come from Ur. It wasnot economic. Egypt was far moreprosperous and wasn't subject toperiodic drought and famine. It was notsecurity. We read of the harassment hesuffered from the Philistines. So whatwas it? The answer is, Gd's command.We read in this week's parsha (B'reishit26:13): There was a famine in theland, aside from the first famine thatwas in the days of Avraham; andYitzchak went to Avimelech king of thePhilistines to Gerar. Hashem appearedto him and said, "Do not descend toEgypt; dwell in the land that I shallindicate to you. Sojourn in this land andI will be with you and bless you; for toyou and your offspring will I give allthese lands, and establish the oath thatI swore to Avraham your father."There is an apparent redundancy. FirstYitzchak is told: "dwell in the land" andimmediately after he is told: "sojourn inthis land".The Midrash (B'reshit 64:3) states:"Dwell in the land [implies] cultivate theland, be a sower, be a planter. Anotherinterpretation of Dwell (Sh'chon) in theland is: cause the Sh'china to dwell inthe land."Yitzchak was commanded not only tophysically live in the land [sojourn] andnot go to Egypt. He was also told tocontribute to the development of theland, to sow and to plant. Furthermore,he was to conduct himself in a mannerthat would bring Gd's presence, HisSh'china, into the consciousness of all
who came in contact with him.The message of the Midrash is thatthere are several aspects to ourconnection to the land of Israel. Notonly are we bidden to make our homeshere; we are also obligated to developIsrael materially and spiritually. Aliya isnot a one time act. It is a continuousprocess of growth and development.We not only have to "go up" to Israel;we are challenged to be sowers,planters, builders of Israel; and finally,we are called upon to reach newheights in our spirituality. In this way,we will create a society in which Gd'spresence is immanent.
Rabbi Yosef Wolicki, Beit Shemesh
TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naalehmembers for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah
Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu’a
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PUAHCan He Really HaveTwo Mothers?For the past few weeks we have beenreviewing the issues of parentage andyichus of a child born by a womanwho is not his genetic parent. This isnot a purely theoretical case, as wehave seen in the case of Sean andCarolyn Savage. This religiouschristian couple underwent IVF in theUSA, and through a lab error,received and was impregnated withthe embryos of another couple.In the past weeks we have reviewedthe debate and most commonly usedsources of the debate, between thosewho contend that the birth mother isthe halachic mother and those whocontend that the genetic mother is thehalachic mother. There are certainlyvalid arguments and recognizedauthorities on each side of thisdebate.There is an additional opinion, basedon the fact that that the embryo ishalachically considered to be thesame as water or fluid until thefortieth day after conception.Therefore, the determining factor ofmotherhood is the location of theembryo on day 40 after conception,the day when it is no longerconsidered water but rather anembryo. If the embryo was implantedon day 3 or 5 as is the case ofstandard IVF procedure, the embryowould be in the birth mother on day40 and it is she who should beconsidered the halachic mother.This raises an interesting question
regarding frozen embryos. When theembryo is in a frozen state on day 40after conception, the cryopreservationfreezer can obviously NOT beconsidered the halachic mother. Thisopinion holds that the freezing of theembryos from further growth,halachically freezes the 40 daycounting as well.In a final approach to the motherhoodquestion, Rav Shlomo ZalmanAuerbach z"l, one of the greatestposkim of recent times, claimed thatall of the above answers oversimplifythe issue. He agrees that the sourcesseem to suggest that the birth motheris the mother of the child. Yet, hemaintains that ultimately there isactually more than one halachicmother in this case and uses thefollowing scenario to explain hisreasoning.What if a woman were to conceive achild, yet suffer from morningsickness so severe that she decidesto transfer the fetus growing in herwomb to the womb of anotherwoman? The second womanproceeds to carry the child for most ofthe pregnancy. The first woman,wanting to experience the birth of herchild, has the child transferred back toher uterus for the final weeks ofgestation and childbirth.In such a case, who is the mother?While it is true that this scenario iscurrently impossible, it may bepossible in the future. Think abouthow far medical technologies haveadvanced in the past 100 years.Organ transplantation. IVF and otherfertility treatments. The list of
Tol'dotYes, we've done this before; yes, we'redoing it again. The sedras of Tol'dot andShof'tim trigger this review.We're not going to start this fromscratch just review some of the highlights.There are two kinds of SH'VAs: SH'VANACH and a SH'VA NA. They are"sounded" differently and they affect theletter that they are below differently.Things would have been a little simpler ifthere were different symbols for thetwo SH'VAs then people would notconfuse the two. Some newer siddurimare trying to help by marking the SH'VANAs in some way or by using anexaggerated, larger SH'VA when theSH'VA is NA. That's helpful, but peopleneed to WANT to pay attention andthen need to pay attention.In most cases, the difference betweenpronouncing a SH'VA correctly or not isjust a matter of the beauty of thelanguage. Occasionally, the meaning of aword can change.A SH'VA NACH is silent. In the wordfor table, SHULCHAN, the SH'VA underthe LAMED is NACH and when youpronounce the first syllable, you hearthe LAMED, of course, but nothing extrafor the SH'VA under it. SHUL. The finalNUN doesn't actually have a SH'VAunder it, but behaves as if it had a SH'VANACH as well.In the name of this week's sedra, thefirst syllable is TO. The LAMED with aSH'VA NA begins the second syllableand the SH'VA is slightly sounded.L'DOT. SHO and F'TIM.
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advancements is endless. Today, weroutinely perform procedures thatwere considered to be impossibleback then; who knows what the futurewill bring?Rav Auerbach's scenario may eventually be a reality. The mark of hisgenius as a posek, was his foresightto try to take into account all possibilities, no matter how impossible theymay seem at the time.Rav Auerbach claimed that thispotential scenario requires that weconsider both mothers as being thehalachic mother. Furthermore, if oneof them was not Jewish the childwould need to be converted!It is clear from our review, that this isa complex issue. When circumstances require it, we have to chooseone of the opinions and follow it.Yet, the case of an embryo mix up(the case that sparked thisdiscussion) does not have to happen.As we will discuss next week in a truestory, with the proper supervision thiscase can be avoided.
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THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAWRabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 499
Rumors of KiddushinSarah is an unmarried girl. A rumor hasbeen circulating in town that Sarah hasbeen betrothed today to Reuven. Wesuspect that the rumor might be true andshe is considered to be betrothed indoubt. This in spite of the fact that thereis no proof to the betrothal. If the rumoris not accepted in Beit Din, no heed isgiven to it.How is a rumor accepted in Beit Din?Assume that two witnesses appeared inBeit Din and testified that lights (candleswhen the Shulhan Aruch was written)were brightly burning, and the tableswere set and people coming and goinginto the house and the women weremaking her feel merry and say to her“happy betrothal” and say that Sarah wasbetrothed today. There is enough proofthat she was indeed betrothed. If the wellwishers did not so speak to the betrothedgirl directly but about a betrothed girl, itis not an indication that she is betrothed.Perhaps there was to be a betrothal but itnever took place. Rama adds to this laststatement that the law is the same, thatshe is not considered to be betrothed ifpeople said that a certain girl wasbetrothed but did not state to whom orany other details she is not deemed to bebetrothed.Similarly if two witnesses come to BeitDin and testify that they saw whatappeared to be a betrothal celebration andwe saw the friends and we heard the
participants and we heard from a personwho heard from a persom who waspresent there that Sarah was betrothed toReuven and the witnesses who werepresent then went overseas or died so thatthey cannot be questioned, there isenough of a rumor that she is consideredto be betrothed. Rama adds that the rumoris not to be considered unless we heard itfrom at least two people who werepresent there, but if only from one personwho was present at the celebration it isnot enough to consider her betrothed. Ifshe is not considered betrothed, she canget married to another man withouthaving to obtain a Get (divorce) fromReuven.
And further, it is not considered to be areliable rumor unless it originated in BeitDin. That is, that Beit Din investigatedthe matter and concluded that there wasindeed a betrothal between Reuven andSarah. If the matter did not come beforeBeit Din, then the rumor is not reliedupon. Beit Din can always order its owninvestigation and if it concludes that shewas indeed betrothed to Reuven, it is notnecessary for a formal Beit Din hearing.These foregoing rules hold true if therewas no pretext why these rumors began.But if there was a pretext why theserumors began, the rumors can bediscounted. Beit Din must investigate tosee if a pretext exists as to why theserumors of her betrothal were started. Ifthere is pretext then Beit Din candiscount the rumors. An example of apretext would be that Sarah was betrothedconditionally, or there was doubtful
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US Sec of D, his wife, 10 sons & wives,52 grandsons half of whom are married
betrothal as when it is stated by witnessesthat he threw the kiddushin object to herand there is a doubt as to whether theobject landed closer to her or to him. If tohim, the kiddushin betrothal is not valid,if closer to her it is valid. Or there is nowa doubt cast upon the value of the thrownobject, was it worth a peruta (like apenny, the minimum value of the objectto effect betrothal) or not. The same holdstrue if the role of Reuven is a minor whocannot effect betrothal and he is notavailable to be examined. In all of thesesituations if we have no proof, we rely onthe statements of Sarah as to the truth ofthe matter as to whether she is betrothed.If the people who started the rumor of herbeing betrothed in their presence come toBeit Din and declare that they started theuntrue rumor, then Beit Din moves tosuppress the rumor and she is considerednot to be betrothed.
If the rumor started because the peoplesaw that Reuven was sending gifts toSarah, then Beit Din will use thisinformation to squelch the rumors of herbetrothal.
Rama adds that in all situations wherethere is no compelling reason for a strictinterpretation as to her status, we shouldact in a lenient manner.
Assume that Sarah, about whom there arerumors of her being betrothed to Reuven,accepts betrothal from Shimon in ourpresence. Beit Din has to investigate thealleged first betrothal. If there is convincing proof through testimony of reliablewitnesses that she was indeed betrothedto Reuven as alleged by the rumor, thenthe betrothal of Shimon is not valid. Ifthere is no such poof, we have Reuvengive her a Get and she marries Shimonfrom whom she received the betrothal
gift. If Shimon then divorced her, shecannot marry Reuven. If she lived withShimon before she obtained her Get fromReuven, she may not ever marry Shimon.There is a rumor that Leah is betrothed toLevi. Another rumor has it that Leah isbetrothed to Yehuda. In this situation oneof them has to give her a Get and she canlive with the other one.A rumor was circulating about Rivka thatshe was betrothed to Naftali whodivorced her. She is not prohibited tomarry another person because of the partof the rumor that she was betrothed toNaftali. She may not marry a Kohenbecause of the part of the rumor that shewas divorced, since a Kohen cannotmarry a divorcee.
Rachel was married to Asher or wasbetrothed to Asher. Thereafter, a rumorcirculated that she was formerlybetrothed to Yosef first. This latter typeof rumor is not given any credence. Shedoes not need a Get from Yosef. The lawsof this paragraph hold true even if therumor started before her betrothal toAsher, but had not yet circulated in BeitDin. Of course if Rachel admitted thatshe had been previously betrothed toYosef, she is prohibited to live withAsher.
We are still discussing the betrothalprocedure. Next lesson IYH aboutconflicting witnesses as to the kiddushin.
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tRIDDLESPrizes for best solution sets (when awarded) arefurnished by Noam Productions and/or Big Deal.
Honors for impressive solution sets for thisweek's TTriddles go to MM/Bklyn (last week
too) and HC who has returned to theChallenge of TTriddles in a big way this week.
Last issue’s (Chayei Sara) TTriddles:
[1] Czarist Russian Parliament or an Irishcemetery
This could have been separate TTriddles, each withthe same solution, so we decided to put themtogether. DUMA was "a Russian national parliamentduring czarist times". DUMA is the name of one ofthe sons of Yishma'el, as enumerated at the end ofChayei Sara. DUMA is also "An Irish word forburialground". We were also going to do a TTriddleabout the Drake University Museum of Art, butdecided, enough of this Duma guy.[2] We do it 4 times, three of which on theword that thereby has a double meaning except when done to camels
During the Amida, we bend our knees and bow ourheads at the beginning and end of the first brachaand the Modim bracha. Three of the four times, webend our knees at the word BARUCH, which meansblessing, but also has the same root as KNEE andKNEELING. If kneeling is an act of humility andsubjugation, then it first to share a root withblessing and bracha. VAYVARECH, and he blessed,occurs 17 times in the book of b'reishit. One othertime, in Chayei Sara, the same letters with differentvowels and a different meaning occur. VAYAVREICH,and he caused the camels to kneel, let the camelsrest on their knees. Hobbling or hamshackling ananimal is to tie it up in such a way that it cannotstand or run away. Aside from B'reishit, thesequence of letters occur only 9 more times inTanach, with 8 times being related to blessing andonce to kneeling.
[3] He, his father, and his prophet all pals
This would have been a lot easier, had we notshortened a certain word to "pal", giving theimpression (intentional misdirection) that it meantfriend. In this TTriddle, the word pal was short forpalindrome a word, number, or sentence thatreads the same backwards as it does forwards.LEVEL is a palindrome. So is the number 38455483and so is the sentence MADAM, I'M ADAM. So isDAVID, YISHAI his father, and NATAN, prophet at thetime of David HaMelech. NATAN is the only one ofthe three to be bilingually palindromic. The namesOTTO and AVIVA are not only palindromes, but eachis a mirror image of itself.
[4] After the Torah reading, find the filling inthe BINAYAHU sandwich
Right after each parsha in many Chumashim, we findthe number of p'sukim in the sedra and a SIMAN forit. This being a word that has a gimatriya equal tothe number of p'sukim. The SIMAN for Chayei Sarawith its 105 p'sukim is YEHOYADA. His name ismentioned in the haftara of Chayei Sara (from thefirst chapter of Melachim Alef). He was the father ofBINAYAHU, a loyal general of David's army. DivreiHaYamim records a YEHOYADA ben BINAYAHU.After the Torah portion of Chayei Sara, we findYEHOYADA p'sukim and with a father and son bothnamed BINAYAHU, he (YEHOYADA) is the filling of aBINAYAHU sandwich.
[5] The big roof celebrates the wheel holidaywith a pair of fish
Here's HC's solution: If we add up the gimatriya ofBIG ROOF (GAG GADOL), which is 49, WHEELHOLIDAY (CHAG GALGAL), 77, A PAIR OF FISH(SH'NEI DAGIM), 407 (spelling DAGIM without aYUD), we get 533, the gimatriya of CHAYEI SARA.Not at all what was intended. Not at all. Besides,ditching the YUD in DAGIM is not exactly kosher.None of the 7 occurrences of DAGIM in Tanach aremissing that YUD. So what is the solution to thissillysounding TTriddle? HAGAG HAGADOL CHOGEIG(celebrates) CHAG GALGAL IM ZUG DAGIM have a
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total of 10 GIMMELs. That would be ASARA GIMELIM(pretty close to Eliezer's ASARA G'MALIM). You maygroan now.
[6] The gamut of letters, 3 above, one in,two below
This is one that HC nailed perfectly. He are hiswords (some of them): Gamut means "range" so the"range of letters" is the alphabet. One of the wordsin the parsha is AT (the feminine form of YOU)...consists of the first and last letters of the Hebrewalphabet and represents the "gamut of letters". Thisword has three (dots) above it (for the SEGOLtrop), one (dot) in the TAV (a DAGESH), and two(dots) below it (for the SH'VA vowel).[7] Yishmael's sharpest son
is CHADAD, related to CHAD, sharp, and toM'CHADEID, sharpener.
[8] She'd lead off the third if her team wentdown in order in the first 2 innings
Can't resist a baseball based TTriddle. Have beentaken to task in years past for AmericanizingTTriddles to much with baseball and the like. And,most recently, a TTreader Survey comment was thatI seem to favor the SF Giants and do not presentbaseball in TTriddles in a more evenhanded way.
A team goes down in order when three batters eachmake an out without anyone getting on base. To dothat two innings in a row would mean that the firstsix batters got out and the batter in the seventhposition in the lineup would lead off the thirdinning. The TTriddle mentioned "she", so we'retalking women's baseball. Who would bat seventh inthe order? BAT SHEVA, of course. (And she doesgo to bat on behalf of her son Shlomo in thehaftara.)
[9] He dealt with his son and had agreatgreatgrandson with the same name
Avraham Avinu dealt with EFRON son of TZOCHAR inhis negotiations for a burial place for Sara. One ofAvraham's greatgreatgrandsons was TZOCHAR,son of Shimon, son of Yaakov, son of Yitzchak son
of Avraham.
[10] Unexplaineds in the ParshaPix
The pencil sharpener we've mentioned that inTTriddle [7] Yishmael's son CHADAD.
Above the Terem logo is the logo of MASA, anIsraeli nonprofit organization that enables thousands of Jewish youth to spend a semester or ayear in Israel in any of over 160 programs, helpingthem build a lifelong relationship with Israel and afirm commitment to Jewish life. MASA is also abrother of DUMA, sons of Yishmael. Differentspelling, but very close in sound (especially if youdon't pronounce an AYIN gutturally.
Then we have an L and a kite. Kite is also a raptor(preditory bird) in the same biological family aseagles and hawks. Kite in Hebrew is probably theDA'A, listed as a nonkosher bird. ELDA'A was a sonof MIDYAN, born to KETURA from Avraham.
[11] Pasuk on Front Page
Every week, there is a pasuk (or phrase) that eithercomes from the sedra or the haftara, or is relatedto the calendar. This time (in TT883), we added thewords, TTriddle: Why? asking why that particularpasuk was used for Parshat Chayei Sara. Theanswer is MINCHA. Eliyahu's "victory" over the 450false prophets of Baal led the people of Israel toproclaim their belief in Gd and in Him alone.Eliyahu's success came at Mincha time, somethingthat the Navi makes a point of. At the end of ChayeiSara, Yitzchak goes into the field before evening tocommune (with Gd). We attribute the establishmentof Mincha (the afternoon service) to Yitzchak.
[12] The MazalPic of the month
What you see is a kitten with the letter S above it.Putting them together, we get Skitten. With a slightvowel switch we get SKYTTEN which is Swedish forARCHER or Sagittarius, the Zodiac sign of Kislev. InHebrew, the name is KESHET, for the archer's bow,rather than the archer himself. This lends to adouble meaning of RAINBOW.
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Topleft is Yaakov with his lentilstew.
Next to him is one of Yitzchak'sworkers on a break from diggingwells. Or, perhaps, it is Eisavcoming in from the fieldexhausted.
Continuing across the top, wecome to a Seder plate. Rashitells us that it was the first nightof (the future) Pesach thatYaakov presented himself toYitzchak for the bracha. Rivkatold Yaakov to bring her twogoats. Just to feed Yitzchak, youneed two goats? Rashi answersthat one was for the main dishand the other for Korban Pesach.Similarly, commentaries mentionthe wine that Yaakov gave toYitzchak as being part of a"Seder", and that his cleverness(mentioned in Rashi) wasfeeding Yitzchak Korban Pesach,so he could not eat Eisav's foodalso. Realize that these ideasexist on a different level of Torahfrom the P'SHAT, the plainmeaning.
Upperright is a king on hisfather's back. The hand ispointing to the father, whowould be AVIMELECH. This is notthe only pun in this week'sParshaPix, as you will see.
The rain cloud is part of thebracha that Yaakov received.
The sword is part of the brachato Eisav.
The lion cub on the map of Israelis another pun GUR BAARETZHAZOT. Actually, live in thisLand...
The tow truck is another pun Yitzchak lived in GERAR.
The passport is for Yaakov whois being sent abroad by bothYitzchak and Rivka. Yitzchaknever needed a passport, butYaakov did.
The teddy bear is holding aloftthe number 7 in one paw and anupraised hand in the other.There are two meanings to thename Be'er Sheva. One is fromthe seven sheep that Avrahamgave Avimelech as a token of thecovenant between them, and theother is for the oath(s) that weretaken in that agreement. SHEVAhas both connotations.
Lowerright is the Davka JudaicaGraphic of Yaakov, the studiousISH TAM, dweller in the tent ofTorah study, and Eisav, the ISHSADEH, the man of the field, thehunter.
Straus and Keren HaYesod arethe streets on which the IsraelCenter was and is. They areRechovot, as in the name ofthird well that Yitzchak dug andthe one that was not contestedby Avimelech's crowd.
C is 100 in Roman numerals.With a gate inside the C, you getME'AH SHE'ARIM.
Above the truck is the emblem
L
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of NAHAL, a part of IDF.Combined with the truck it readsNACHAL GERAR, the place whereYitzchak settled after Avimelechkicked him out of Gerar.
From the back of the tow truck isan arrow pointing to thecomputer icon for a DOSprompt. Together it gives theAshkenazit pronunciation of thesedra, TOWL' (as in "to", that'sthe arrow) DOS.
The emblem of Ben GurionUniversity stands Be'er Sheva,the city in which it is located.
Next to it is the emblem of thecity of Rehovot with microscope, book, and orange is forthe well of the same name.
To its right is a photo of a handholding a Pygmy Marmoset, thesmallest of all monkeys...represents the small KUF(monkey is KOF KUF/KOF, getit?) in the word kATZTI, thatRivka said in expressing herdisgust if Yaakov were to marrya local K'naanit.
At the bottom of the PP is asecretary bird, a large Africanraptor (Sagittarius serpentarius),the only living bird of prey thathunts on foot. Its Latin namesuggests the Mazal of Kislev.
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Rakel Berenbaum's
Portion of the PortionFEEDback to
And they called himEisav He was given
the name EdomRivka had a very difficult pregnancyand is finally ready to give birth to hertwin boys.The first one comes out and isdescribed as "ADMONI, KULOK'ADERET SEI'AR reddish, as hairyas a fur coat". The verse then says“VAYIKR'U SH'MO EISAV theynamed him Eisav” (25:25) .After that the second brother emergedholding on to his brother's heel, andthe verse tells us that VAYIKRASH'MO YA'AKOV – He called himYaakov (25:26) .In this naming episode we can ask afew questions. For Eisav it says “theynamed him” whereas for Yaakov itsays “he named him” who was thethey and who was the he and why adifference in the naming of each child?Yaakov seems to be named becausehe is holding on to his brother's healbut what about Eisav's name? Whatdoes it mean and how does it relate tohow he is described?Eisav was born covered in hair. Themidrash says that he even had abeard. Everyone came to look at thisstrange baby and they all called himEisav because he was finished ASU'Iwith his hair like an older person. Hedidn't look like a little baby. Accordingto Rashi, Yaakov, on the other hand
was named either by his father or byHashem Himself.The Divrei Shalom says that the nameEisav actually points to his charactertrait. He looked at himself as a finishedproduct. In his haughtiness he felt thathe was perfect and didn't have to workto improve himself in any way. Later heis called EDOM which points to anothercharacter trait – his love for blood andkilling.The Degel Machanei Efrayim makesan interesting observation related tothe naming episode. He says thatEisav represents falsehood andunfortunately people tend to beattracted by that that's why everyonewas involved in naming him. Yaakovon the other hand, represents Truth aswe say “TITEIN EMET L'YAAKOV” that's why it says, "He named him" insingular because truth has fewerfollowers then falsehood. Only selectindividuals search out the truth.Since Eisav is called Edom red I amincluding this chicken soup recipe thathas a lot of red/orange vegetables in it.This recipe was shared by the eldermembers of Melabev's new Englishspeaking center for people withcognitive decline. The group workedtogether during a therapeutic reminiscence activity and composed thisrecipe. The recipe was submitted to arecipe contest on the websiteswww.netonews.co.il/apage/61548.phpand www.melabev.org/posts/156Everyone is encouraged to visit thewebsite and leave your comments onthe soup. If you would like to helpMelabev continue such activities for theelders in their care, join this year'sWalkathon, Tuesday to Thursday, Dec.
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13 [www.melabev.org/posts/125] whichincludes a 2day hike in the WesternGallilee, and a moonlight walk alongHof Dor, on the Mediterranean coast.This year there is also a virtualwalkathon for those who can't make itphysically, but would like to participatein some way: www.melabev.org/posts/151
(RED) CHICKEN SOUPWITH MEMORIES
4 chicken necks3 carrots cut in rounds5 onions, diced2 sweet potatoes, cut into small piecespiece of pumpkin, cut into small pieces4 cloves garlic, mincedsprigs of parsley, dill, mintcinnamon stickpaprika, salt, pepper to tasteolive oilwaterrice noodles (optional)cloth bag for herbs
Fry onions till golden. Fill pot withwater. Add chicken necks, bring to aboil. Add cut vegetables. Place parsley,nana, and cinnamon in a cloth, sealand add to soup. Cook on low flame fortwo hours. Remove cloth with herbs.Add noodles. Can be served with a bitof olive oil and nana leaves on top.
Dear Editor,
Shavua Tov. Firstly I would like to point out thatwhether or not Gogol Mogol is a traditional remedy,nowadays consuming raw eggs is considered a realnono and carries the risk of salmonella infectionwhich can be fatal... Dr MC
A search of the web seems to indicate thatthere are different sides to the raw eggissue. Nonetheless, since the issue is one ofhealth, we must side with the cautiousopinions on this topic. Here's what the"Ask the Doc" column of the WesternWahington University Health Serviceswww.wwu.edu/chw/ask_the_docQ: What are the health dangers of eatingraw eggs?A: The primary risk is exposure tosalmonella, a bacteria common in chickenintestines, and eggs often are contaminatedthrough microscopic imperfections in theirshells. Adequate heating is the only way tokill the bacteria. Salmonella causes a nastyvomiting/diarrhea/fever syndrome and canbe fatal in vulnerable populations thevery young, very old, chronically ill andimmunesuppressed.There is a lot of material on the web;interested readers should Google raw eggsand read their fill.We thank Dr MC for his email and advisecaution to those who use raw eggs in anyfoods they prepare. If you haven't checkout this issue before, do so now and be aninformed person.