Shabbat Parshat Bamidbar - Machar Chodesh May 22-23, 2009 - 29 Iyar 5769 Congratulations and our best wishes of Bracha, Hatzlacha, and Mazal to the honorees of this year's Leil Yom Yerushalayim Dinner Rabbi Sholom & Bayla Gold and Charley & Shelly Levine A tremendous "Yasher Ko'ach" to the staff members and volunteers who spent countless hours to bring about a spectacular dinner and an outstanding journal. (Further details - we'll name names! - next week) And to the Dinner Attendees: Have a great time (or hope you had a great time) This Shabbat is the 236th day (of 354), 34th Shabbat (of 50) of 5769 6th Perek of Pirkei Avot YERUSHALAYIM HARIM SAVIV LA VAHASHEM SAVIV L'AMO MEI-ATA V'AD OLAM: SHAALU SH'LOM YERUSHALAYIM YISHLAYU OHAVAYICH: Orthodox Union OU Kashrut • NCSY • Jewish Action • NJCD / Yachad / Our Way • IPA • Synagogue Support Services • OURadio.org • Young Leadership • Project Areivim • OU West Coast Stephen Savitsky, President, Orthodox Union Harvey Blitz, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox Union Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. V.P. Emeritus Headquarters: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 212-563-4000 • website: www.ou.org OU ISRAEL Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center Founders and initial benefactors of the Israel Center: George z"l and Ilse Falk OU Israel Center programs • Makom BaLev • Lev Yehudi • Pearl & Harold M. Jacobs ZULA Center • Machon Maayan • NESTO • The Jack Gindi Oraita Program • Mashiv HaRuach • OU Kashrut Israel Yitzchak Fund, President, OU Israel Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice President Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President Stuart Hershkowitz, Vaad member Moshe Kempinski, Vaad member Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member Zvi Sand, Vaad member Harvey Wolinetz, Vaad member Rabbi Avi Berman, Director-General, OU Israel David Katz, CFO, OU Israel Menachem Persoff, Director of Programs, Israel Center Phil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor 22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem 91370 phone: (02) 560 9100 • fax: (02) 566-0156 email: office@ouisrael.org • website: www.ouisrael.org Torah Tidbits and many of the projects of OU Israel are assisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel Founders and initial benefactors of the Israel Center: George z”l and Ilse Falk Torah Tidbits Phil Chernofsky, editor • tt@ouisrael.org • (02) 560-9100 ext. 124 Advertising: Ita Rochel • ttads@ouisrael.org • (02) 560-9100 ext. 125 Torah Tidbits is produced, printed*, collated, and folded in-house at the Israel Center TT Distribution • ttdist@ouisrael.org • 0505-772-111 website: www.ou.org/torah/tt Ranges are 10 days, WED-FRI 26 Iyar - 6 Sivan (May 20-29) Earliest Talit & T'filin 4:43-4:37am Sunrise 5:40-5:36am Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma 9:07-9:06am (Magen Avraham: 8:14-8:12am) Sof Z'man T'fila 10:17-10:16am (Magen Avraham: 9:41-9:40am) Chatzot 12:35½-12:36½pm (halachic noon) Mincha Gedola 1:11-1:12pm (earliest Mincha) Plag Mincha 6:05½-6:10pm Sunset 7:37-7:43pm (based on sea level: 7:32-7:37pm) Candle Lighting (Earliest candle lighting - PLAG) and Havdala times - Israel Summer Time Correct for TT 860 - Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) - 8:58pm 6:58 (6:07) Yerushalayim 8:16pm 7:15 (6:09) S'derot 8:17pm 7:13 (6:07) Gush Etzion 8:16pm 7:15 (6:09) Raanana 8:18pm 7:14 (6:08) Beit Shemesh 8:17pm 7:15 (6:09) Rehovot 8:18pm 7:16 (6:09) Netanya 8:19pm 7:12 (6:08) Be'er Sheva 8:16pm 7:14 (6:08) Modi'in 8:17pm 6:58 (6:09) Petach Tikva 8:18pm 6:58 (6:07) Maale Adumim 8:15pm 7:14 (6:08) Ginot Shomron 8:17pm 7:13 (6:07) Gush Shiloh 8:16pm 7:13 (6:07) K4 & Hevron 8:15pm 7:13 (6:07) Giv'at Ze'ev 8:16pm 7:15 (6:09) Yad Binyamin 8:17pm 7:15 (6:09) Ashkelon 8:18pm 7:05 (6:08) Tzfat 8:18pm NOTES: Note about Candle Lighting and Havdala times. Candle lighting times are rounded down to the minute, in other words, seconds are ignored. Havdala times, on the other hand, are round up to the next minute. Further explanations and notes on Z'manim are available on the website www.ou.org/torah/tt - click on Halachic times * Important clarifications concerning the Candle Lighting times Petach Tikva officially accepts upon itself to light Shabbat candles according to the Jerusalem custom. (This is due to the fact that the Ashkenazi community of PT was founded by people from Jerusalem who brought their customs with them.) Up until this week, we understood that to mean that in PT one lights candles 40 minutes before sunset, just like we do in Jerusalem. We contacted the Religious Council in PT and found out that the official candle lighting time for PT is the same as Jerusalem's (not 40 min. before sunset, but the same time as J'lem). Petach Tikvians (or whatever they are called) must realize that their sunset is earlier than Jerusalem's and therefore they do NOT have 40 minutes after the posted time until sunset - more like 30-35. So too for Maale Adumim. They light candles at the same time as J'lem too. Sunset is also earlier in Maalei Adumim. One of the rabbis from Ascent of Safed (that's Tzfat) told us that there are differing opinions concerning when Candle Lighting is there. All say 30 min. before sunset, but some say the sunset that does not take into account the elevation of Tzfat, and some say to use the sunset time that does take elevation into account. We print the earlier time, in case. Halachic Zmanim and Shabbat times in Torah Tidbits are calculated by CHAZON SHAMAYIM, a computer program by R' Eitan Zakuni of Netivot. The latest version (beta), called HAZON NET is available as a free download on www.sky-view.co.il WORD OF THE MONTH A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... This Shabbat we bench Rosh Chodesh Sivan, which will be on the following day, Sunday, May 24th. Sivan's Rosh Chodesh is always one day in our fixed calendar, because Iyar always has 29 days. (Side points: Neither R"Ch Sivan nor R"Ch Kislev ever fall on Shabbat. Furthermore, R"Ch Sivan cannot be on Monday or Thursday; therefore it never affects an existing Torah reading.) The molad of Sivan is on Sunday, May 24th, 7h 51m 3p (8:30am) HAMOLAD YIH-YEH MACHAR B'YOM RISHON, CHAMISHIM V'ACHAT DAKOT USH'LOSHA CHALAKIM ACHAREI SHEVA BABOKER Note: The molad is not always on R"Ch, but it sometimes is (obviously) ROSH CHODESH SIVAN YIH-YEH MACHAR B'YOM RISHON HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA: Preview: For the next 6 Shabbatot (not counting this one, Bamidbar) we will be a sedra ahead of Chutz LaAretz. Yom Yerushalayim and Shavuot are one week apart and fall on the same day of the week. Their day is the same as the 2nd day of Pesach. Just like LO ADU for Rosh HaShana and LO B'DU for Pesach, Shavuot is LO G'Ha"Z, not Tuesday, Thursday, or Shabbat. Way Beyond its Name 42 years ago, the Arab world - led by Egypt and Syria - with Jordan thrown in for good measure, fought against the State of Israel with the intention of totally annihilating us - every man, woman, and child - by driving us into the sea. President Nassar of Egypt pledged that even if it cost a million Egyptian soldiers' lives, he would have his victory and Israel would be gone. Sounds like a Purim-Chanuka mix. With the numbers of nations stack against us, with the relative sizes of their armies and ours - it was RABIM B'YAD M'ATIM... the many into the hands of the few... once again. We were saved and we prevailed. And in such a miraculous way! What people with "eyes in their heads" saw in June 1967 was a perfect fit of AL HANISIM - [We thank you, G-d] for the miracles, the redemption, the mighty deeds, and the victories in battle which You performed... It should not be seen as detracting in anyway from the IDF when one thanks G-d for the victory. His chosen method of bringing about the victory was Zahal. We thank Him and we thank them... and we thank Him for them. As a result of the Six Day War, Jerusalem was reunited. Har HaBayit was once again "in our hands". (Regardless of how you feel Israel handled the various situations we were presented in the aftermath of Sheishet HaYamim, the results of the war were stunning.) Jerusalem, Chevron, Beit Lechem, Sh'chem, Yehuda, Shomron all returned to us. Again, we are not here evaluating what the State of Israel has done and has not done following the Six Day War. What we are doing is re- focusing beyond the name given to the 28th of Iyar. Yom Yerushalayim celebrates all that happened in six days and more - 42 years ago. Yom Yerushalayim was not meant to be a municipal holiday for the people who live in Jerusalem. It is supposed to be a holiday and a holy day that every Jew - in and out of Israel - can sing G-d's praises and thank Him for what He did for the Jewish People. Tel Aviv was threatened by Egypt no less - if not more - than Jerusalem. The Galil was saved from the Syrian threat. All of Israel owes G-d a tremendous HAKARAT HATOV for all that happened on so many fronts. We must look beyond the name to the essence of what happened in 5727, and not only thank G-d (and praise Zahal) but reexamine what we should be doing with the many opportunities which we have had for all these years since. Yerushalayim is the heart of all of Israel and the heart of the Jewish People. Yom Yerushalayim is for all of Israel and for all of the Jewish People. Bamidbar STATS 34th of 54 sedras; 1st of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 263 lines in a Sefer Torah, ranks 3rd 30 Parshiyot; 23 open, 7 closed, ranks 4th 159 p'sukim - ranks 3rd (3rd in Bamidbar) 1823 words - ranks 13th (4th in Bamidbar) 7393 letters - ranks 9th (3rd in Bamidbar) Note the difference in rank from p'sukim to words. BaMidbar's p'sukim are among the shortest in the Torah - 11.5 words/pasuk. Compare: Vayelech: 18.4, Book of Bamidbar: 12.7, the Torah: 13.7 MITZVOT Largest of the 17 sedras with none of the Taryag Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary [P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma respectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha. Kohen - First Aliya - 19 p'sukim - 1:1-19 [P> 1:1 (19)] The command from G-d is to count the people, specifically the males from 20 years and up. 20 is the Torah's age for military service. Assisting in the census are Aharon and a representative of each tribe. The command came a year and a fortnight out of Egypt, on Rosh Chodesh Iyar 2449. The census was carried out as commanded. SDT: Commentaries point out that the command to count the people was given to Moshe and Aharon (as opposed to just Moshe) because the census was done by collecting half-shekels from the people. Since money was involved, it is not proper to have only one person dealing with the matter - even if that person is Moshe Rabeinu! This became the ethical standard of dealing with public funds. On the other hand... Another commentator suggests that this census was not done with shekels, but rather with a direct head count. Although we learn that it is improper, and even potentially dangerous, to count people directly, in this case there was a direct command to count the people. Hence, no harm would befall them during the carrying out of these Divine orders. This, in contrast to Ki Tisa, where the Torah says, "WHEN you count, then you MUST collect the half-shekel, etc. There, the language in the Torah indicates that the counting was optional or practical, but not obligatory. Therefore, the indirect method was necessary. K'RU'EI HA'EIDA, a term for leaders of the people, is written with a YUD in place of the VAV as in the word's pronunciation. Baal HaTurim says that we can look at the YUD as a chopped VAV, to tell us that among the leaders was a "not so worthy" individual. He says that Shlumiel b. Tzurishadai, the leader of Shimon, was Zimri b. Salu, who caused G-d's anger to kill many thousands of people, until Pinchas's act put an end to Zimri (and to the plague). Having G-d's name in his didn't help him. Note that there is a broken VAV in the Pinchas story, the VAV of BRITI SHALOM. Could be a REMEZ-level connection. Here is the list of the leaders of the tribes as presented in the opening p'sukim of the book and sedra of Bamidbar. Note the order of the tribes. They are not always listed in the same order, and not always in birth order or "mother" order. No attempt is here made to explain the order; just a suggestion to note it. Reuven Elitzur b. Sh'dei'ur Shim'on Sh'lumi'el b. Tzurishadai Yehuda Nachshon b. Aminadav Yissachar N'tan-el b. Tzu'ar Z'vulun Eli'av b. Cheilon Yosef: Efrayim Elishama b. Amihud Menashe Gamli'el b. P'datzur Binyamin Avidan b. Gid'oni Dan Achi'ezer b. Amishadai Asher Pag-i'eil b. Achran Gad Elyasaf b. D'u'eil Naftali Achira b. Einan Levi - Second Aliya - 35 p'sukim - 1:20-54 [S> 1:20 (2)] The Torah lovingly records the census results for each Tribe, beginning with Reuven, identified as Israel's firstborn. In light of all the "problems" that Reuven had, and the fact that Yehuda, Yosef, and Levi each ended up with an element of that which might have been Reuven's, it is interesting that Reuven retains the title "B'chor". Rank among the 12 tribes indicated by the number in parentheses. Reuven's count was 46,500 (7) [P> 1:22 (2)] Shimon, 59,300 (3) [P> 1:24 (2)] Gad, 45,650 (8) [P> 1:26 (2)] Yehuda, 74,600 (1) [P> 1:28 (2)] Yissachar, 54,400 (5) [P> 1:30 (2)] Zevulun, 57,400 (4) [P> 1:32 (2)] Yosef - Efrayim, 40,500 (10 - note that Yosef's total by combining Efrayim and Menashe would bring its total to 72,700, and move it into 2nd place). [P> 1:34 (2)] Menashe, 32,200 (12) [P> 1:36 (2)] Binyamin, 35,400 (11) [P> 1:38 (2)] Dan, 62,700 (2) [P> 1:40 (2)] Asher, 41,500 (9) [P> 1:42 (2)] Naftali, 53,400 (6) [P> 1:44 (4)] After the count of each Tribe, the Torah gives the grand total as 603,550. (The figure that is generally used to describe the multitude that left Egypt is 600,000. It is obviously rounded from the actual total.) With women and children, the number of people who left Egypt is probably between 2 and 3 million. [P> 1:48 (7)] The Leviyim were not to be counted together with the rest of the Nation, but were to be counted separately. It was the Leviyim who were charged with carrying the components of the Mishkan and with dismantling and erecting the Mishkan each time the People traveled. Non-Leviyim were not to anger G-d by approaching the Mishkan in an improper manner. This applied to the encampment as well; the Leviyim were camped around the Mishkan and the Tribes kept their distance in their camps. SDT: LiVnei Yehuda... for all the tribes the term LiVnei is used, except for Bnei Naftali. Baal HaTurim says that they had more women than men. In the later census, "Bnei" is used for all the tribes since the men died out - all had more women. SDT: Commentaries point out that the low population figures recorded for Levi were closer to what would be expected according to natural demographics. The figures for the rest of the people were unnaturally high. This is a result of the Torah's telling us, "and as they were tortured, so they multiplied". Among the many miracles that occurred in Egypt, was the fact the the people proliferated so greatly under very adverse conditions. Since the tribe of Levi was not subjected to the harsh conditions of slavery, its growth was "normal". Shlishi - Third Aliya - 34 p'sukim - 2:1-34 [P> 2:1 (9)] The next command deals with the position of the Tribes during encampment and the traveling order of the units. Three Tribes each formed a "camp" under one banner at one of the compass- points around the Levite camp. The leader of each "banner camp" is the leader of the "main" Tribe of the three, as indicated by the name of the camp. The camp of Yehuda was to the east and was to be the first to travel. Under the leadership of Nachshon b. Aminadav, the group included Yissachar and Zevulun, in addition to Yehuda. Totals for each tribe are repeated when the four flag-groups are described. Total for Machane Yehuda was 186,400. [S> 2:10 (7)] Reuven Camp on the south followed them. Joining Reuven were Shimon and Gad. Total for Machane Reuven was 151,450. [S> 2:17 (1)] Then the Leviyim with the Mishkan were to follow, so that they and it would be within the people, not at its periphery. [S> 2:18 (7)] Then follow Efrayim Camp from the west. Menashe and Binyamin were part of Machane Efrayim. This camp was all from Rachel Imeinu. Their total was 108,100. [S> 2:25 (7)] And the last to travel was the Dan Camp, from the north. Joining Dan were Asher and Naftali. Their total was 157,600. [P> 2:25 (7)] The Torah next gives the total again, 603,550, and then reiterates that Levi was not counted among the Tribes, and that the People did as commanded. SDT: The lead tribe of each camp was based on OTOT, signs, transmitted by Yaakov Avinu. Baal HaTurim points out a correspondence between Yaakov's blessings to his sons and these camp-heads. Each son that Yaakov addressed in second person was to be a leader of a camp. "Revuen, YOU are my firstborn", "Yehuda, YOU your brothers will acknowledge", "Dan... YOUR salvation", "Yosef... the G-d of YOUR father... blesses YOU". The other sons are referred to in third person. R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 13 p'sukim - 3:1-13 [P> 3:1 (4)] The Torah proceeds to name the sons of Aharon and Moshe. (Actually, Moshe's biological sons are not mentioned. The commentaries point out that Aharon's sons are considered to be Moshe's as well, because he (Moshe) taught them Torah. This explains only why Aharon's sons are also Moshe's. It does not explain why Moshe's own sons are not mentioned. One reason given is that they were "protected" from the Egyptian experience by their maternal grandfather Yitro and as a result were never really part of Klal Yisrael.) [P> 3:5 (6)] The Tribe of Levi is to be assigned the tasks of assisting the kohanim in their work and in safeguarding the Mishkan and its vessels. [P> 3:11 (3)] In essence, the Levi is to replace the B'chor who was sanctified from the day of the Exodus (even before). The b'chor was originally meant to perform the sacred tasks of the Leviyim- kohanim, but lost the privilege in the wake of the Golden Calf. Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 26 p'sukim - 3:14-39 [P> 3:14 (13)] Moshe is commanded to count the Leviyim - males from the age of one month. The three main families of Levi are Gei-r'shon, (the proper way to pronounce the name in Hebrew, not Ger-shon), K'hat, and M'rari. Gei-r'shon subdivides into Livni and Shim'i. K'hat divides into the families of Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron, and Uziel. M'rari's family groups are Machli and Mushi. Gershon's count is 7500. They camp on the west of the Mishkan. Their leader is Elyasaf b. La'eil. They are to be in charge of the curtain material of the Mishkan, including the coverings and the courtyard enclosure. [S> 3:27 (13)] K'hat's total is 8600. They will camp to the south of the Mishkan. Elitzafan b. Uziel is their leader. (One of the things that angered Korach... or made him jealous and resentful.) They are in charge of the main holy furnishings of the Mishkan, including the Aron, Shulchan, Menora, and Mizbachot (Altars). Elazar b. Aharon HaKohen is in charge of all the Leviyim. M'rari numbers 6200. Their leader is Tzuriel b. Avichayil, and they camp to the north of the Mishkan. They are in charge of the structural materials: the boards, support rods, foundation sockets, pillars. Moshe, Aharon and sons camp to the east of the Mishkan. In all, 22,000 Leviyim are counted. Clarification... If one adds up the numbers of the three families of Levi, the total is 22,300, not 22,000, the number used in the exchange with the firstborns. Rashi explains that the 300 "missing" Leviyim were themselves B'chorim, and were not part of the official exchange - see further. SDT: Choose your neighbors well. Rashi points out that the proximity of the Yehuda camp to the encampment of Moshe and Aharon and family, had a positive influence on the three tribes of Yehuda, Yissachar, and Zevulun - the three tribes famed for their Torah scholarship. On the other hand, Reuven's closeness to Korach and his to Datan and Aviram, produces disaster. Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 12 p'sukim - 3:40-51 [S> 3:40 (4)] G-d next tells Moshe to count the firstborns of the Tribes, from one month of age and older, so that there can be an official exchange ceremony of Leviyim for B'chorim. Moshe counts and finds that there are 22,273 b'chorim. [P> 3:44 (8)] A mass "redemption of the firstborns" is conducted by an exchange of 22,000 Leviyim (non- b'chorim) for 22,000 b'chorim (non-Leviyim) and a payment of five silver sheqels each for the remaining 273 firstborns to Aharon and his sons. Imagine gathering 22,273 people and asking each to choose a card from a batch of 22,273 - 22,000 of which have the words BEN LEVI on them and 273 have the words 5 shekel on them. This, says Rashi, is how they determined who would pay the 5 shekels for the exchange. The exchange of firstborn animals mentioned in 3:45 refers to firstborn donkeys and NOT kosher domesticated animals, which may not be redeemed. Rashi further says that one sheep of a Levi can exchange more than one donkey- b'chor (since there is no mention of a surplus). Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 20 p'sukim - 4:1-20 [P> 4:1 (16)] A second census of Leviyim is begun with the counting of the family K'hat - males between the ages of 30 and 50. This was the work-force in the Mishkan. The people of K'hat first waited for Aharon to enter the Mishkan, remove the Parochet and cover the vessels with special cloths. Only then could vessels be handled by the Leviyim. Elazar, the son of Aharon, was personally responsible for the special oils and incense of the Mishkan. [P> 4:17 (4)] The Torah warns the kohanim not to endanger the people of K'hat by not properly preparing for their handling of the most sacred vessels. This parsha of 4 p'sukim is reread for the Maftir. Haftara - 25 p'sukim -Shmuel Alef - 20:18-42 When Rosh Chodesh is Sunday (or Sunday and Monday), then the special Haftara for Erev Rosh Chodesh preempts the regularly scheduled Haftara of the week. (There are months when this is not so.) The connection between the Haftara and Erev Rosh Chodesh is obvious. The opening words are: And Yonatan said to him, tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh... The real question is why the Sages decided on a special Haftara for Erev Rosh Chodesh in the first place. No other "erev" gets a special reading. Why does Machar Chodesh? Perhaps it is because Rosh Chodesh is so understated and often ignored. This became a way - in addition to Rosh Chodesh benching - to say: Hear ye hear ye, tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh. Yom Tov, on the other hand, needs no extra reminder. From this reading we see that Rosh Chodesh was celebrated with a special meal which was to be eaten in a state of ritual purity. Many have the custom today of marking Rosh Chodesh today with a special meal - or at least, a special food item, dessert, ice cream... (be creative). The Haftara also serves as a source of the minhag of abstaining or reducing one's work on Rosh Chodesh... With Israel's history resembling the waxing and waning of the Moon, we see Machar Chodesh as a hope-filled message of a brighter tomorrow. The cycle continues until the Complete Redemption, when the Moon (and Klal Yisrael) will be completely restored. Aside from the timing of this episode in Shmuel Alef (it begins the day before Rosh Chodesh - just as we read it on the day before Rosh CHodesh), the Navi tells us what happened. King Sha'ul noticed David missing from the Rosh Chodesh meals' table. He wanted David to come so that he could kill him. Sha'ul's son Yonatan sided with David against hi father, even though he knew that he would never be king because of David. Such is a bond of friendship that is referred to in Pirkei Avot as a love that is not dependent upon any specific thing. A bond that therefore can last forever. THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW, Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean New series: The Halachot of Women & Men Remarrying One's Former wife Lesson # 476 (Based on Shulhan Aruch Eben haEzer 10) We begin with a passage in the Torah that deals with a wayward wife (see Bamidbar 5). "Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him... and a spirit of jealousy had passed over him... The man shall bring his wife to the kohen..." The Torah outlines a procedure for a husband who feels that his wife has been unfaithful to him to test her if she denies his charges. These laws are many and there is an entire tractate in the Talmud call Sotah, (the suspected adulteress). There is a Mishna in T. Sotah that states that a man cannot make a stipulation with his bride-to-be when betrothing her with respect to the time before he betrothed her or after he divorces her. When betrothing a woman he cannot stipulate with her that she was chaste before they were betrothed. Nor can he when divorcing her make a stipulation as to her conduct subsequent to their divorce. If after she is divorced she does seclude herself with another man and misconducts herself and subsequently her first husband takes her back, he cannot make a stipulation with her regarding this time in between. This is the general rule, a man cannot make a stipulation with her in respect of any act of cohabitation which does not render her prohibited to him. This concludes the language of the Mishna. Rabbi Ashi, in the Talmud (T. Sota 18b) poses the following question: Can a man make a stipulation with regard to remarriage? That is, can a husband make a condition when betrothing his wife that she will not misconduct herself if he divorces her and remarries her, and after the first marriage she is unfaithful? Do we argue that since at the present time she is not prohibited to him and therefore he cannot make such a stipulation with her or that it may happen that he will divorce her and remarry her and therefore he can make such a stipulation? The Talmud in answering the question quotes from the Mishna cited above and says that the Mishna indicates that only after he remarries her can he make a stipulation as to her conduct. Not one that would affect her conduct when she is not married to him, that is, in between their marriages. In Maimonides these laws appear in The Book of Women, Laws of the Wayward Woman 3:7. She was subjected to indignities and she had to drink the water of bitterness, and she was adjured in a language that she understood which quoted the verses in Bamidbar. "If no man have lain with you, and you have not gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband, be free of the water of bitterness that causes the curse; but if you have gone aside, being under your husband, and if you be defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband... the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people "To which the woman responded 'Amen, Amen'" in the same language that she understood. In Shuhan Aruch Eben haEzer chapter 10 we find a digest of some of these laws as they apply in our times. If one (Reuven) divorced his wife (Sara) and after the divorce she had a sexual affair(s) with other men, Reuven may remarry her. As seen below, the Torah does not permit her prior husband to remarry her if she has been betrothed or married to someone else after he divorced her. If Reuven had a sexual affair with Sara, and she then married Shimon and Shimon divorced her or Shimon died, Reuven may marry Sara. If Reuven divorced Sara and she then was betrothed or married to Levi, and Levi died or divorced her, Reuven may not remarry her. A deaf-mute (Levi) divorced his wife (Rivka) by sign language and the divorced wife (Rivka) then went and married another deaf-mute (Yehuda) or a normal person (Yissachar) and the second marriage was terminated by the death of the second husband or by divorce, Rivka may not remarry the first husband Levi. However, a woman (Rachel) who was married to a normal person (Zevulun) and he divorced her, and Rachel married a deaf-mute (Dan) who divorced her, she may remarry Zevulun. A normal person Naftali divorced his wife (Leah) on account of her getting a bad reputation or because she made many vows or because she was barren, Naftali may not remarry Leah. There are 3 opinions regarding this last law, as to when it applies: (1) Only if he advised her why he was divorcing her. And he doubles the language by stating that if not for that I would not be divorcing you. But if he did not double the language of his statement he may remarry her. (2) It applies if he told her why he was divorcing her even if he did not double the language. (3) He may not remarry her even if he did not tell he why he was divorcing her. A man who divorced his wife because she bled every time they had relations, he may not remarry her. In all of the aforementioned situations where the halacha is that he may not remarry her, if he did remarry her, before she became betrothed or married to another man, he need not divorce her. If he did divorce her but they had children he may remarry her so that the children shall not be degraded. If a man is about to divorce his wife for any of the foregoing reasons he should be advised that he may not be able to remarry her. If a husband divorced his wife because he vowed to do so, he may remarry her. The reason is that everyone knows that there is a procedure to annul a vow, and people will say that he had his vow annulled. Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Bamidbar Stories by Dr. Meir Tamari To Spy out the Land [1] The nature of the mission of the Twelve Spies, the reasons for their negative report, and the subsequent T'shuva of the people and the belated military expedition, all give rise to spiritual, religious and national questions and issues. These make this murmuring of Israel and their refusal to go up and take possession of the Land of Israel, ideologically more fundamental than all the previous revolts and the resultant punishment far more severe. Throughout, the intrinsic and special spiritual character of the Land of Israel must be considered, as these are very much an integral part of all the issues. "The material and impure world seeks to attach itself to things spiritual and holy, but these always distance and separate themselves; the more powerful the rejection, the stronger becomes the desire for attachment. The earth is called ERETZ because it runs to do the wishes of its Creator and to attach itself to His Heavens. Because of the power of the rejection and the corresponding power of the desire to draw close, the Earth remains suspended equidistantly from heaven. None of this applies to the Land of Israel, since its intrinsic K'dusha keeps it permanently connected to Heaven; 'A Land on which the eyes of G-d rest constantly' (Shem MiShmuel). This is the Land promised by G-d to Israel in His covenant with Avraham, Yitschak and Ya'akov for the real- ization of their destiny: a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation. Eretz Yisrael is promised to Avraham simultaneously with the promise of an Abrahamic nation (B'reishit 12:1), even before there is mention of a religion or a G-d-Nation relationship (Bereishit 17:4-15). Although Land and People are inseparable and interlinked, they each possess a separate and independent K'dusha. Eretz Yisrael has a holiness and sanctity that exist independently of Am Israel and persist even when Israel does not dwell there, just as Israel maintains holiness even when in exile. It is a sanctity that does not tolerate any evil or impurity, just as a human body cannot stomach foreign bodies or substances. "S'dom had to be destroyed not because the people were worse than other nations, but because their evil could not be allowed to exist in the Land promised to the descendants of Avraham (Ramban, Bereishit 13:13). "You shall keep My commandments that the Land vomit you not out "walk not in the ways of the nations which I cast out [of that Land] before you [because of their evil ways]" (Vayikra 20:22-23). The K'dusha of the Land means that it elevates and transforms the spirituality and religiosity of those living there. HaRav A. H. Kook answered those who complained of the irreligiousness of the chalutzim living in the Land by comparing it to Switzerland. Just as the sick come there to be cured of their physical illnesses, so the spiritually weak and sick, are cured by living in the Holy Land. "No'ach is called a 'man of the soil' because he was debased by the materialism of tilling the soil and engaging in the affairs of this world. 'The land of the living' (T'hilim 116:9); this refers to Eretz Yisrael (Rashi). The K'dusha of that Land gives us the ability to recognize G-d in the mundane, natural and materialism of things of this world and to elevate them; 'to take out the earthiness from the bread' (Menachem Mendel of Kotsk). Yom Sheini shel Galuyot is the expression of yearning and desire for Eretz Yisrael. Because of that yearning and desire, we, in the galut, merit discovering G-d in the material pursuits, as the people in that Land do in the one day of the Moed" (Admor David of Sochochow, Warsaw Ghetto). We see that all the things that the spies were told to review were all material and physical, because this K'dusha of People and Land is expressed by the transformation of the mundane, material and natural undertakings of human beings and their society. This is a K'dusha that is not only of sacred sites and of holy people but also of keeping mitzvot, of war and peace, of marriage and divorce, of farming and of commerce, of building houses and cities, of appointing judges, elders and kings; a K'dusha of a sovereign nation sanctifying its whole existence on a destined holy land. "We will return to the Shulchan Aruch the hegemony of the mishpatim [social laws and justice] that is neglected by galut; this is the meaning of Torah vaAvodah" (Shmuel Chayim Landau). Even the ritualistic mitzvot were given primarily and normally to be observed there in that Land; "Even after you go into galut, put on T'filin and write mezuzot there, so that these shall not be strange to you when you return [to the Land] (Rashi, D'varim 11:18). As HaRav Kook points out, even these mitzvot acquire a greater and more elevated spiritual significance when they are observed in their natural habitat, the Land. Eretz Yisrael is the Land flowing with milk and honey, both of which are kosher foods yet produced from a non-kosher source, since that Land has the sanctity that enables humans to transform evil, idolatry and immorality into purity, spirituality and holiness. That is the challenge that was given to the 12 spies in the very opening words of G-d of their mission: "Send people to spy out the land of Canaan that I give to the Children of Israel" (Bamidbar 13:2). "This was the challenge that was laid before them. Whether this was to be the land of immoral, idolatrous and spiritually accursed people of Canaan, or whether is would be transformed by Israel into that Land where a whole people would devote every aspect of their lives to G-d and His Will" (Rabbi S. R.Hirsch). MISC section - contents: [1] Vebbe Rebbe [2] Candle by Day [3] Wisdom and Wit [4] From Aloh Naaleh [5] Parsha Points to Ponder [6] Portion from the Portion [7] From Machon Puah [8] Pirkei Avot [9] Guest Article [10] MicroUlpan [11] Yom Yerushalayim [12] Torah from Nature [13] Divrei Menachem [1] From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE The Orthodox Union - via its website - fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. 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 Yisraeli zt"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. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah... Q: I heard a discussion between two learned rabbis on the question of shaving before Shacharit. One took a position along the lines you outlined a few months age [Hemdat Yamim, Vayigash 5769] regarding work, in general, that it should not be done before Shacharit, with possible exceptions in sh'at had'chak (pressing circumstances). The other said that it is not work but resembles getting dressed in the morning. We are talking about clean-shaven people, some of whom go straight to work after davening. What is your opinion? A: As we would expect for a debate between learned rabbis, each side has significant basis. Our approach incorporates virtues of each side, hopefully in a balanced manner. The classical sources on this topic discuss haircutting before davening, which, in many areas of halacha, is equivalent to cutting a beard. Haircut- ting is a serious issue, actually, especially before Mincha, because one who gets occupied in it may end up not davening (see Shabbat 9b). The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 89:7) says that there was no formal prohibition on haircutting before Shacharit because it is an uncommon occurrence. However, the Eliyah Rabba (ad loc.:12) says that the Shulchan Aruch refers to the time before alot hashachar (some 72 minutes before sunrise). After that time, when davening is nominally viable, it is forbidden because all work is improper before davening. Only regarding the added stringency of not starting haircutting a half hour before the time of davening is Shacharit more lenient than Mincha, not regarding the regular regulations of activities before Shacharit. [See this week's and last week's Ein Ayah for Rav Kook's view of the philosophical side of these halachot.] Although the Eliyah Rabba cites the Kolbo as saying that it is not the type of activity that is forbidden work, he and the Mishna Berura (89:36) accept the strict opinion. Thus, the first opinion you cited certainly has validity. We must consider, though, that the classical sources dealt with a situation where religious Jewish men were, at least predominantly, bearded. For such people, shaving is a periodic activity, which is seen as a matter of choice at any given time. For many clean-shaven people, daily shaving is a matter of simple hygiene that cannot be pushed off for long. These differences find expression in several areas of halacha, including shaving on Chol Ham'oed, S'fira, and the Three Weeks. Those who are lenient on Chol Hamo'ed, for example, to a great part, based on the halachic approach of Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igrot Moshe, OC I, 163), reason that shaving before Yom Tov does not suffice for an entire week as it once did. There are even (disputed or contrary) accounts that Rav Feinstein said that not only may the clean-shaven shave on Chol Hamo'ed but that it is preferable to do so in honor of the holiday. Some apply the same logic to shaving in the morning. The halachic concept of "Hikon Likrat Elokecha" mandates preparing oneself with a clean body and appropriate clothes for davening (see Shulchan Aruch, OC 91-92). One posek who has written that shaving may be a fulfillment of Hikon... is Rav Yosef (Yalkut Yosef 89:32), although he brings it as a legitimate but less preferable stance. Many oral accounts and the practice, especially in segments of society where "needing a shave" has a social stigma and is a physical nuisance, make shaving even a preference. This being said, it is wrong to make a sweeping rule. Those with beards should normally not shave before Shacharit. Those with slow growing or light beards would do better to shave before going to sleep or after davening and if they need to do so in the morning, should do so after saying Shema and some b'rachot (see referenced article). Those who need a morning shave to make themselves presentable to daven should feel free to do so before davening. However, if they are running late, it's hard to justify missing P'sukei D'zimra for it. [2] Candle by Day It is humorous to consider our "respect" for great men. They pass by. We rise, and in doing so, feel that we are honoring them (and that we deserve no small measure of credit for doing so). Yet, if we could somehow discover the true nature of their greatness and see how small we are in relation to them, our rising would present itself as nothing more extraordinary than the rising of a leaf for the sun or the stirring of a branch for the wind. And the idea of our deserving any commendation for such a rising would appear just as absurd as a similar commendation for the leaf and for the branch. We would not feel that we are "rising" for a great man, but that his presence is pulling us up by the bootstraps. From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein A Candle by Day - The Antidote - The World of Chazal by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein Now available at 054-209-9200 [3] Wisdom and Wit by Shmuel Himelstein Two Jews in Radin came to blows. This occurrence was unheard of, and at a town meeting it was decided that from then on any Jew who laid hands on another was to be put in cherem - i.e., he was to be excommunicated, and no one was to have any dealings with him or even speak to him. This even meant that he would not be included in minyan and would not be given any Aliyot to the Torah. Some time later, a particularly violent man hit someone. In accordance with the new regulation, he was to be put into cherem, but he let it be known that he would personally cause bodily harm to anyone who tried to do so. As a result, there was no one brave enough to excommunicate him. Seeing what had happened, the Chafetz Chayim went up to the shul bimah and announced: "We are told, 'You shall fear no person" - In accordance with the town regulation, I therefore place the man involved in cherem, and no one may have anything to do with him." The cherem had its effect, and the man apologized and undertook to never lay a hand on another person again. ### If you feel you need to hit your child for educational purposes, you should only hit him once. Hitting a child more than once is only a reflection of one's anger, not an attempt to educate. Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series for ArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdom and Wit" - available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be). Excerpted with permission [4] CHIZUK and IDUD for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively Parshat Bamidbar is always read shortly before Shavuot, the anniversary of Kabbalat HaTorah. The Shulchan Aruch offers a mnemonic to illustrate this, NIMNU V'ATZRU, i.e., begin Chumash HaP'kudim (the book of Numbers), Bamidbar, and then celebrate Atzeret, Shavuot. Rav Zevin z"l elaborates as follows: The Torah was given in a midbar, a desert, to allude to how we are to receive and accept Torah. A human being is a receptacle for existential "baggage", preconceptions imprinted upon his mind by environment, family and society, concerning emet and sheker, good and evil, and determining and deciding what is moral and ethical. His mission is to change and rise above all of that! (Bamidbar 19:18), "umidbar matana umimatana nachliel". Chaza"l interpret, "one must make himself as a midbar, a barren wilderness, in order to receive Torah"! (Nedarim 55a, Eruvin 44a and Midrash Rabba Bamidbar 19). He must rid himself of foreign influence, in order to accept the objective morality and ultimate reality of G-d's Law. Rav Zevin then points out a contradiction. Shavuot is Yom HaBikurim, a celebration of harvesting the first fruit. This implies rejuvenation and growth, clearly the opposite of a barren wilderness?! To resolve this, he refers to a "remez gadol", a hint at something extraordinary. In a world devoid of Torah, even Gan Eden can be mere wasteland. With Torah, even the midbar can truly be a paradise! Upon the completion of the six days of creation, the verse relates "vayhi erev vayhi boker yom hashishi" (B'reishit 1:31). The Talmud (Shabbat 88a), troubled by the extra HEI, explains it as an allusion to another sixth day, the sixth of Sivan, on which we are to fulfill the purpose of creation. Hashem warns us ,"what I have now completed and granted you dominion over is only on the following condition! If you accept the Torah on the sixth of Sivan, creation is confirmed and the universe continues to exist. Otherwise, "I return it to "tohu vavohu", primordial nothingness"! "Umimatana nachliel uminachliel bamot" (Bamidbar 19:18) means, say Chaza"l [in paraphrase], "You received Torah in a midbar, as a gift. You are to earn it and internalize it until it becomes nachala, inheritance, a heritage and legacy, and then you will rise to great heights, bamot". Our entire existence is predicated upon fulfilling this mission. The nachala of Eretz Yisrael, combines with the nachala of Torah, to create a "chosen people" who must serve as a model, an "ohr la'goyim", a light unto the nations. We can then be assured we will rise to the heights of what man may accomplish... Rabbi Harry Greenspan, Ramat Beit Shemesh TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu'a [5] Parsha Points to Ponder - Bamidbar 1) Why is the census of all tribes other than Levi referred to as LIFT UP THE HEAD (S'U ET ROSH) while the census of Levi did not include that terminology? (see 1:2 and 3:15) 2) The Torah describes how the Jews camped, with 2 tribes traveling under the banner of a third tribe in all four directions. Why does the Torah introduce every one of these secondary tribes with the letter VAV meaning AND with the exception of Zevulun (2:7)? 3) Why does the Torah emphasize that the Leviyim were separated FROM AMIDST THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL? (see 3:9 and 3:12) What would be lacking without those words? Suggested Answers Ponder the questions first, then read here 1) The Chasam Sofer teaches that LIFT UP THE HEAD means to give a boost to the ego of those being counted. Each person counted individually indicated that they were important and this lifted their self-esteem. The tribe of Levi served as the leaders of the nation. Leaders have to be so careful about becoming conceited and haughty in their lofty positions and, therefore, the notion of how special it was to be counted individually was downplayed with regards to the census of Levi. 2) The Baal HaTurim answers that since Yissachar and Zevulun functioned as one unit with Yissachar learning Torah while being supported by Zevulun, there was no room for separation between the two as would have been implied by a VAV. Their spiritual closeness was captured by the lack of a physical separation between their encampments. 3) Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld explains that there was a danger in the tribe of Levi being designated as the leaders of the nation. They could begin to identify themselves as a different people and the rest of the nation could feel distant and a lack of brotherhood. Thus, when the they were distinguished for their special service, the Torah emphasizes that they were a part of a broader nation and should work to insure that it remains that way. Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim, Tiferet, and Machon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and RBS and is the author of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith",just re-published by Feldheim, ppp@ouisrael.org [6] Portion from the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum FEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il FLAGS Blue and white flags have been flying over the capital since before Yom HaAtzma'ut. They will continue to wave till Yom Yerushalayim when so many young people will descend on the City of Gold carrying or wearing their white and blue striped banners. It is such a moving experience to see the rows of kids marching up Betzalel street on their way to the Kotel with all the flags fluttering in the wind. But what is the significance of a flag? Is it just a nice thing to look at or is there something deeper that we should be seeing? This week is appropriate to ponder these questions when we read the portion of BAMIDBAR. Here we are told how our nation encamped in the desert under the four DEGALIM - flags. What was the meaning, so many hundreds of years ago, of these flags? In normal life, the purpose of a flag is to join all the members of a particular group. Everyone comes running for a communal purpose when the banner is raised. In a battle, the flag serves the purpose of acting as a sign for scattered troops so they can all find their way back to their fellow soldiers. The SHEM MiSHMUEL sees the flags of the desert as a sign of the Jewish nation's expression of love toward Hashem and a desire to get closer to Him. He brings a Midrash from BAMIDBAR RABBA describing how when Hashem gave the Torah, many angels came down with Him to Har Sinai and they arranged themselves by DEGALIM (flags). When Israel saw this they also wanted to be arranged by DEGALIM. G-d liked this idea and hence the verses in our portion where G-d instructs the nation to arrange themselves by flags. Just as the flags of an earthly nation serve the purpose of rallying all the members of the group, the DEGALIM of the MIDBAR had a similar purpose but on a spiritual plane. They refer to the attachment and bond of love with Hashem. When Israel asked to have DEGALIM like the angels they wanted to be like them on a spiritual level. Angles are not influenced by the distractions of this earthly world and are therefore able to enjoy a continuous, high-level relationship with Hashem. Israel saw this relationship, admired it and desired the same. Although as humans they had to work in the physical world, they wanted to always be close to G-d. G-d answered their request and gave them flags like the angels, as the verse in SHIR HASHIRIM (2:4) states - "and his DEGEL upon me was love". When seeing all the flags around us we should remember the significance of the flags of the desert and try to raise ourselves to an even higher level of closeness to G-d. In honor of Jerusalem day, this week's recipe calls for Jerusalem artichokes. These have nothing to do with Jerusalem and are not really artichokes but rather a tuber vegetable (growing underground), from the sunflower family, native of North America that tastes a bit like artichoke. In Hebrew, it is called TAPUACH ADAMA YERUSHALMI or Jerusalem potato. If you can't find them, experiment with another tuber instead. ROASTED CHICKEN WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES 1 1/2 - 2 lb. Jerusalem artichokes 1 chicken 3 cloves garlic olive oil Paprika salt and pepper to taste Peel artichokes, or leave unpeeled. Slice about 1/2 inch thick. Brush chicken with oil. Season chicken and roast at 350F (175C)). An hour before chicken will finish roasting, place artichoke slices around the pan. Baste and turn occasionally and remove when golden brown. Serve around the meat. [7] from Machon Puah Multi-Fetal Pregnancy In the past few weeks we have discussed the halachic status of the unborn fetus, and we saw that there is a difference of opinion as to whether it is considered alive or not. This is the basis for the discussion as to whether one is allowed to terminate a pregnancy in a case where there is a serious birth defect. This week we would like to examine the case of multi-fetal pregnancy, where a woman is pregnant with several children and the doctors decide that she cannot carry all of the embryos. The fear is that since the uterus cannot expand indefinitely, the woman will lose one of the babies and then a chain reaction can be initiated which can end with losing the entire pregnancy. Is it permitted to reduce some of the embryos in order to leave a smaller number that can end in a viable pregnancy? Is this similar to the previous case? Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, a renowned posek in Bnei Brak and the son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv, wrote on this subject in the halachic medical journal, Assia. Rav Zilberstein brought as a proof case the Gemara's description of the gentiles coming and threatening a group of Jews. "If the gentiles say - Give us one of you and we will kill him, otherwise we will kill all of you, then we are not allowed to give them one person, unless they singled him out." (Yerushalmi, Terumot chapter 8, and see Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah 5, and Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 157:1). In cases where we cannot single out one individual as guilty of pursuing another we are not allowed to kill anyone. This is like the final words of the Mishna that permitted saving the mother's life by killing the unborn fetus but that once the child's head has come out we cannot interfere since we cannot determine who is pursuing whom. From this we can draw an analogy to our case. All of the fetus are endangering the others, but we cannot point to one who is endangering them more or one who is less "guilty". Therefore it would appear that we cannot reduce any of the embryos, unless it is a case where one of them clearly endangers another. However, in the case of Yonah that is exactly what the sailors did. There was a storm that threatened to kill all of them and in order to save the lives of all the other sailors they sacrificed the life of one of them, Yonah, by throwing him into the sea. (Of course they did not know that he would be swallowed by a fish and would be saved.) Yet we never see that the sailors were punished for this, and so it appears that they were allowed to do so. So is it permitted or forbidden to kill one person to save another? More on this next week. The Puah Institute for Fertility and Gynecology in Accordance with Halacha is based in Jerusalem and helps couples from all over the world who are experiencing fertility problems. Puah offers free counseling in five languages, halachic supervision, and educational programs. Puah has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. To contact the Puah Institute please call 1-800-071111 in Israel or in the US 718-336-0603. website: www.puahonline.org [8] Pirkei Avot Perek 6 Masechet Avot consists of five chapters, not six, as we find in Pirkei Avot. A custom developed "way back when" to read/ study one chapter a week during the period of time between Pesach and Sukkot. There are six Shabbatot during the Omer, and a sixth chapter was compiled from various mishna-like writings. The main five chapters of Avot contain many recipes for living a Torah Life. The theme of the sixth chapter is pure Torah. It speaks of learning Torah for its own sake, of acquiring Torah. The priceless value of studying and living Torah. How appropriate to have such a text to read and study on the Shabbat before we relive the experience of Matan Torah. The Shabbat before Shavuot is poetically called the Auf Ruf Shabbat of the People of Israel. Interesting to note that haftara that we don't read this Shabbat (because of Machar Chodesh) ends with these two verses that symbolize the love between G-d and his people. (Hoshei'a 2:21-22) And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in grace, and in mercies. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know G-d. Hoshei'a uses the term of EIRUSIN, bethrothal or engagement. How appropriate for the Shabbat before we stand at Sinai to become wed (so to speak) to G-d and His Torah. [9] Guest Article by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher, Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva Why the Pope came to the Diaspora Yeshiva Is it a coincidence that the Pope came to Mt Zion, the site of the Diaspora Yeshiva, on Lag B'Omer? He came to pray in the room of the Last Supper, which is located directly on top of King David's Tomb, where the Yeshiva holds lectures and shiurim. We had a platoon of IDF soldiers stationed in our Yeshiva. We asked them to put on Tefillin and pray with us. Every soldier did so, with some of them telling us that it was the first time in their lives that they had donned Tefillin. G-d works in mysterious ways. The IDF thought they had come to our Yeshiva to guard and protect the Pope during his visit on Mt. Zion. But G-d's plan was to bring these soldiers to us to give them the opportunity to perform and fulfill the great Mitzva of Tefillin. But why did this encounter with the Pope happen on Lag B'Omer, the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who, according to Jewish tradition, revealed The Zohar, Judaism's central mystical text of Kabbala. Rabbi Haim Vital [a 16th century Master of Kabbala] expounded the verse D'varim 13:7 "If your brother, the son of your mother... entices you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods' which you have not known... your hand should be first upon him to put him to death and afterward the hand of all the people." This verse is talking about Jesus, who was born, said Rabbi Vital, to a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father. "Your hand should be first," refers to the Sanhedrin that sentenced Jesus to death, while the "hand of the people" refers to the Romans who carried out the death sentence. Also, "first" refers to Pesach, the first of the 3 pilgrimage festivals. Rabbi Haim Vital states that the Last Supper was the Seder. Perhaps, the most central Jewish text on Judaism's view of Christianity was written by Rambam at the end of his Mishna Torah in midst of a discussion on the Messianic Age. In most editions of Rambam's work published in Christian Europe in the past 500 years, this part was censored, due to the critical position he took against Christianity. But Rambam's approach to Chrisiantiy was not totally negative for non-Jews. He saw in the Christian and Muslim faiths a positive, though false, step in the development of humanity toward the Messsianic Era. As more and more people in the world embraced these two monotheistic faiths and abandoned direct idol worship, humanity's "path is straightened and the world is perfected to the point where all humans can serve G-d together." (Laws of Kings 11). This will happen, according to Rambam, in the Messianic Era, after Muslims and Christians realize that their religions are false and distorted. The Rambam closes with a quote from the Haftara of B'chukotai that all non-Jews will say in the Messianic Era, "Only lies and falsehoods have our fathers passed on to us. And how could we be so foolish as to make a human being into a god." (Jeremiah 16). Is it a coincidence that this Haftara was read on the very week that the Pope paid us a visit? [10] MicroUlpan Bilingual lesson in honor of Parshat Bamidbar. Flags (DEGEL) are generally rectangular, sometimes, square. Pennants (NEIS) are usually triangular. This is a double pennant. In Hebrew: NES-NUTZA. A flagpole is a TOREN The decorative top of the pole is called the finial - in Hebrew, ITUR ROSH HATOREN The string/cord/rope that connects the corners of a flag to the flagpole and are used to raise and lower the flag are called HALYARD. In Hebrew, NEIF [11] Yom Yerushalayim - Letter to the World from Jerusalem We are doing it again (we don't do it every year). We've included in the Yom Yerushalayim issue of Torah Tidbits, the Letter to the World from Jerusalem. Hard to believe that this "letter" is 40 years old! It was written during the summer of 1969 and first published in a now-defunct English language newspaper called the Times of Israel. It was written by Eliezer Whartman under the name Eliezer Ben Yisrael. This letter is like a booster shot. Read it if you live in Jerusalem. Read it if you don't. Read it anywhere in the world. Read it at your Shabbat table. And don't forget to tell your children and grand children what it was like in the weeks before the Six Day War. And what it was like after it. Sadly, we are still faced with the threats of dividing the City. With taking away parts of the City. The nations of the world - and a couple of major world religions have been trying to take our City - our heart - away from us. We must believe that it is ours completely and we must be ready to deserve to keep it ours. A Letter to the World from Jerusalem by Eliezer Ben Yisrael I am not a creature from another planet, as you seem to believe. I am a Jerusalemite - like yourselves, a man of flesh and blood. I am a citizen of my city, an integral part of my people. I have a few things to get off my chest. Because I am not a diplomat, I do not have to mince words. I do not have to please you, or even persuade you. I owe you nothing. You did not build this city; you did not live in it; you did not defend it when they came to destroy it. And we will be damned if we will let you take it away. There was a Jerusalem before there was a New York. When Berlin, Moscow, London, and Paris were miasmal forest and swamp, there was a thriving Jewish community here. It gave something to the world which you nations have rejected ever since you established yourselves - a humane moral code. Here the prophets walked, their words flashing like forked lightning. Here a people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, fought off waves of heathen would-be conquerors, bled and died on the battlements, hurled themselves into the flames of their burning Temple rather than surrender, and when finally overwhelmed by sheer numbers and led away into captivity, swore that before they forgot Jerusalem, they would see their tongues cleave to their palates, their right arms wither. For two pain-filled millennia, while we were your unwelcome guests, we prayed daily to return to this city. Three times a day we petitioned the Almighty: "Gather us from the four corners of the world, bring us upright to our land; return in mercy to Jerusalem, Thy city, and dwell in it as Thou promised." On every Yom Kippur and Passover, we fervently voice the hope that next year would find us in Jerusalem. Your inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions, the ghettos into which you jammed us, your forced baptisms, your quota systems, your genteel anti-Semitism, and the final unspeakable horror, the holocaust (and worse, your terrifying disinterest in it) - all these have not broken us. They may have sapped what little moral strength you still possessed, but they forged us into steel. Do you think that you can break us now after all we have been through? Do you really believe that after Dachau and Auschwitz we are frightened by your threats of blockades and sanctions? We have been to Hell and back - a Hell of your making. What more could you possibly have in your arsenal that could scare us? I have watched this city bombarded twice by nations calling themselves civilized. In 1948, while you looked on apathetically, I saw women and children blown to smithereens, after we agreed to your request to internationalize the city. It was a deadly combination that did the job. British officers, Arab gunners, and American-made cannons. And then the savage sacking of the Old City; the willful slaughter, the wanton destruction of every synagogue and religious school; the desecration of Jewish cemeteries; the sale by a ghoulish government of tombstones for building materials, for poultry runs, army camps - even latrines. And you never said a word. You never breathed the slightest protest when the Jordanians shut off the holiest of our places, the Western Wall, in violation of the pledges they had made after the war - a war they waged, incidentally, against the decision of the UN. Not a murmur came from you whenever the legionnaires in their spiked helmets casually opened fire upon our citizens from behind the walls. Your hearts bled when Berlin came under siege. You rushed your airlift "to save the gallant Berliners". But you did not send one ounce of food when Jews starved in besieged Jerusalem. You thundered against the wall which the East Germans ran through the middle of the German capital - but not one peep out of you about that other wall, the one that tore through the heart of Jerusalem. And when that same thing happened 20 years later, and the Arabs unleashed a savage, unprovoked bombardment of the Holy City again, did any of you do anything? The only time you came to life was when the city was at last reunited. Then you wrung your hands and spoke loftily of "justice" and need for the "Christian" quality of turning the other cheek. The truth is - and you know it deep inside your gut - you would prefer the city to be destroyed rather than have it governed by Jews. No matter how diplomatically you phrase it, the age old prejudices seep out of every word. If our return to the city has tied your theology in knots, perhaps you had better reexamine your catechisms. After what we have been through, we are not passively going to accommodate ourselves to the twisted idea that we are to suffer eternal homelessness until we accept your savior. For the first time since the year 70 there is now complete religious freedom for all in Jerusalem. For the first time since the Romans put a torch to the Temple, everyone has equal rights. (You prefer to have some more equal than others.) We loathe the sword - but it was you who forced us to take it up. We crave peace - but we are not going back to the peace of 1948 as you would like us to. We are home. It has a lovely sound for a nation you have willed to wander over the face of the globe. We are not leaving. We are redeeming the pledge made by our forefathers: Jerusalem is being rebuilt. "Next year" and the year after, and after, and after, until the end of time - "in Jerusalem!" [12] Torah from Nature Lemurs This was going to be about some of the "21st century mammals", those discovered or declared separate species, since the year 2000. Among the new mammals are two species of lemur discovered in 2005. Let's look at lemurs, in general. Mammals are one class of vertebrates (backboned animals). There are between 4000-4500 species of mammals, subdivided into 19 orders. One order of mammals is Primates. Humans, apes, and monkeys are considered the higher primates and the term for the lower forms is prosimian. Prominent among the prosimians are the families of lemur. There are close to 50 species of lemur... found only on Madagascar and adjacent islands... monkeylike bodies and limbs, and most have bushy tails about as long as the body. They have pointed muzzles and large eyes... arboreal (tree-dwelling)... vary in size from the lesser mouse lemur about 20cm long including the tail, to some species of common woolly lemur that reach about 120cm... most are active both by day and by night... they eat leaves, fruits, eggs, and insects and other small animals... variations among lemur include species that are strictly vegetarian, others that are ground-dwelling, one with no tail at all. (The so-called flying lemur is not a lemur or even a a primate.) Lemur "society" is female dominant - a rare phenomenon among mammals... Many species of lemur are endangered... have an almost musical range of sounds for different occasions... they also communicate with each other via smell. [13] Divrei Menachem As a preamble to a census of the people, we are told that, "Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the Exodus from the Land of Egypt" (Bamidbar 1:1). Regarding the timing of this event, we learn first of the exact date and then of the month when the census took place. Concerning the setting of this narrative, however, we are introduced first to the wide desert and then to the specific location, the Tent of Meeting. This anomaly occurs as Hashem, as it were, is about to search the whereabouts of every Jew, and when, we could surmise, each Jew might correspondingly seek G-d. To reconcile the discrepancy, the Or HaChayim explains that in line with the precision of the timing of this event, the wilderness can also be considered as a specific location. For following Rashi on the verse, "Behold the place is with Me!" (Sh'mot 33:21), the desert, as any place, is the explicit abode of Hashem. So, the individual Jew, the "pintele Yid", does not really have to go far to seek G-d. For He is everywhere. You just have to look. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff Towards better Davening and Torah Reading In honor of Yom Yerushalayim... Assuming the search program used has an accurate Tanch data base, the name Yerushalayim produced 645 hits - all but three of which are spelled without a YUD before the final MEM. That means that almost always, we have a K'TIV- K'RI situation for that word, the word is written one way and pronounced otherwise. 338 times, the name is on its own, without any prefix letter. 33 times, we find VIRUSHALAYIM (including 1 of the 3 full spellings (with a second YUD). Notice that when a VAV is prefixed to a name or word that begins with a YUD/SH'VA, the VAV gets a CHIRIK and the SH'VA of the YUD disappears. We don't hear the opening YUD. Not V'YERUSHALAYIM, but VIRUSHALAYIM. So too when the word is "to Jerusalem" - LIRUSHALAYIM. There are 28 of those. Combining the VAV and LAMED we find V'LIRUSHALAYIM, and to Jerusalem. There are 9 of those. From Jerusalem, MIRUSHALAYIM. 29 of these, including the one from Megilat Esther that tells us that Mordechai was exiled from Jerusalem. This one is the other full spelling, with a second YUD. And one other with the full spelling. There are 3 occurrences of UMIRU- SHALAYIM, and from Jerusalem. This time, the connecting VAV becomes a SHURUK, as happens before a MEM (and a few other letters). The big winner - prefix-wise - is BET - in Jerusalem, BIRUSHALAYIM (still following the rule of the SH'VA dropping from the initial YUD), 182 times on its own and another 22 with a VAV. UVIRUSHALAYIM. Here, not only does the VAV become a SHURUK (before the BET), the BET loses its DAGESH to become a VET. Rarest among the prefixed Jerusalems is KIRUSHALAYIM which occurs in Shir HaShirim. We also found YERUSHALAYMA twice - the other way to say "to Jerusalem". In Melachim Bet, it's without the second YUD; in Divrei HaYamim Bet, it's with the YUD. This brings the total occurrences of The City's name in Tanach to 647. Which happens to be 647 more times than the name of the city occurs in the Quran. What we did not count are the times the vowel under the LAMED is a PATACH (the "normal" situation) and how many times there is a KAMATZ (which happens at an ETNACHTA and at the end of a pasuk. Some other time, we will give the count for Yerushalayim in each book of Tanach. (Remember: this is based on a search of one database, which may be off a bit.) Parsha Pix The major component of the ParshaPix for Bamidbar is/are the flags - 12 of them - representing the flags of the tribes, as they camped and as they marched. The flags here do not represent any specific tribes, but the one with the lion could be for Shevet Yehuda. And the one with the flower could be for Reuven. And the one with a bunch of carrots is our whimsical suggestion for DEGEL MACHANE YEHUDA. The compass stands for the different sides of the Mishkan the different groups camped, both among the Leviyim and the 12 Tribes. The parking meter represents the encampments, since the modern Hebrew word for parking has the same root as to encamp. LACHANOT. The adding machine is for the various countings in the sedra. It is those countings and others in the book of Bamidbar that earned the book its "English" name - Numbers. The skull with the 5 on it comes from 3:47 in the portion of the exchange between firstborns and Leviyim (who were not themselves firstborns). We would say, 5 shekel a head. The Torah uses the term GULGOLET, skull. Desert scene with the camel, cactus and blazing sun is for MIDBAR, even though our Midbar is better translated as Wilderness, rather than desert, but there's plenty of desert too. Garlic and the chemical formula for sugar. The Sugar formula is raised to the third power, or CUBED. These then represent the sugar cube and garlic clove that are a common "gift" to those at a Pidyon HaBen. In the sedra, we find a mass Pidyon of the firstborns of the 12 tribes. One explanation given for this minhag is that it gives those in attendance something from the Seuda of the Pidyon to take home and use in their next kugel (or whatever calls for garlic and sugar), thereby "stretching" the festive meal of the Pidyon beyond its location and its day. In the lower left is a photo of Me'arat HaMachpeila in Chevron. It is in this week's ParshaPix for two reasons. Chevron the person (son of Reuven) is mentioned in Parshat Bamidbar. The other reason is better. This Shabbat is the 29th of Iyar. Just as the 28th is Yom Yerushalayim, the 29th of Iyar is Yom Chevron. TTRIDDLES... are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. The best solution set submitted each week (there isn't always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal Last issue's (B&B) TTriddles: [1] Ki Tisa .5, K'doshim 1.5, B'har 1 Parshat B'har ends with the pasuk ET SHABTOTAI TISHMORU (My Shabbats you shall keep) UMIKDASHI TIRA'U (and My Mikdash you shall revere). This exact pasuk occurs in Parshat K'doshim. In addition, K'doshim as half the pasuk again in the pasuk commanding reverence for parents V'ET SHABTOTAI TISHMORU. Giving a total of 1.5 for K'doshim. The only other occurrence of ET SHABTOTAI TISHMORU is in Parshat Ki Tisa, without the second half of the pasuk form B'har and K'doshim, giving Ki Tisa a score of .5. [2] B'chukotai (2), Melachim Alef, Yechezkeil (7) The word B'CHUKOTAI occurs twice in the sedra of the same name. It also occurs once in Melachim Alef and a record 7 times in the book of Yechezkeil. That's it for Tanach - 10 occurrences. [3] Commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privilieges In looking for a new way to TTriddlize the fact that a partial pasuk from B'har is engraved in English translation on the Liberty Bell, we discovered the fact that is stated in the TTriddle presentation. So the solution to this TTriddle is the Bell's connection to Parshat B'har - UKRATEM D'ROR LAARETZ L'CHOL YOSH'VEHA, and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the Land to all its inhabitants. Ironic, is it not, that the pasuk signifies the release of slaves during the Yovel year, and the U.S. did not free its slaves for over 100 years after the Bell was originally cast. [4] 25:8:77 Vayikra 25:8 reads: And you (the Sanhedrin, as representatives of the singular Jewish People) shall count for yourself 7 seven-year periods, 7 years - 7 time; and you will thereby have the "days" of 7 Sabbatical cycles of years, 49 years. Add up the numbers in this pasuk and they total 77. [5] Bullets Last week we wrote: This week's page number bullets have nothing to do with the sedra. But what are they anyway? The answer is: they are the science insignia from the original Star Trek TV series. Significance? We already said there was none. The Rich Uncle - Fun with Omer Math Two weeks ago, we posed some Omer-time math challenges. Last week we gave the answers and added a few questions. On which night is the sum of numbers greatest? On which 2 nights is the sum of numbers we mention 50? Several TTreaders submitted correct answers. The last night is NOT the correct answer. On that night we will count 49 and mention its being 7 weeks. The sum of the numbers in that count is 56. However, on the 48th night, we count 48 which is 6 weeks and 6 days - the sum of those numbers is 60, the highest sum of any night. Both night 40 and 43 have sums of 50. 40 which is 5 weeks and 5 days. 43 which is 6 weeks and 1 day. We also added a Simple Omer question: If someone wrongly counted the Omer down from 49 to 1, when would his count agree with ours? The answer is on the 25th night, both the right way to count and the wrong way, count 25. This week's TTriddles: [1] This tribal leader describes the father of them all [2] First mention between 16 and 26 days ex post facto (lit. not legal) [3] First from Efrayim. Then Naftali, Shimon, Efrayim, Yehuda. [4] Larry Eschen, Lee Elia, Leo Estrella [5] son of my nationhood [6] premie-iland beer [7] Z's two between B's two Israel Center Miscellany See website for the "standard" entries of this file. Help young couples (evacuees and children of evacuees) from Gush Katif and N. Shomron get ready for the arrival of their babies - Tzedaka - Matan B’Seter; The money collected will be used to buy carriages, cribs, layettes... Make checks out to the Israel Center. Write on the envelope: Gush Katif - Baby Fund, Also collecting good second-hand baby items, For more info. call Sara 0505-444-397 Chesed Fund - Purim has its Matanot La Evyonim; Pesach has its Kimcha d'Pischa' The Israel Center has its Chessed Fund...all year round. Please help us help the people who turn to us for help. Make checks out to "Chesed Fund" and send to: Chesed Fund, Israel Center att. Menachem Persoff POB 37015 / Jerusalem 91370 The Yair Landau Memorial Library KNITTING CLASS NEWS! A dynamic woman who is an accomplished knitter stopped in on us to "test the waters" and enjoyed it tremendously. Join us on Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30. We also welcome any beginner's patterns if you have them in your home and are willing to allow me to copy them for the benefit of our knitters who are in the "101" class. Men are also welcome to join. LIBRARY HOURS. Come in and enjoy the cool of the room, read, listen to a tape on the tape player, put on a compact disc, enjoy. Librarian Yakov Rosen is in Sun/Wed/Thu from 10:30am - 2:30pm, and the volunteers are here to assist during the rest of the week. The library is open daily, the same hours as the Israel Center - and you may borrow a book or a tape as long as you leave us your name, and phone number. BOOK LIBRARY. We are receiving new books all of the time as gifts. We are now accepting children's books in the library for the enjoyment of the younger generation. We have obtained several children's CDs. They are (preferably) for sale. They are vocally audited and contain material for children ages 8-12 years. Please come and check them out. THE TORAH TAPE LIBRARY/CDs. These are very popular and we cannot stock enough of the lecturers who teach us daily and weekly in the OU Israel Center. We are always ready to accept donations in the tape and CD departments, as long as they are in good condition. We would particularly like some children's songs and stories on tape or CD, if anyone out there would be kind enough to donate them. If anyone has any suggestions and would like us to stock a certain book, tape, video, or CD, please call the library at 560-9100 ext. 135 Have a wonderful Shavu'ot, The Library Team NESTO Native English-Speaking Teen Olim OU Israel's Youth Program for Anglo-Israelis Chaim Pelzner, Director - Saara Horiwtz Asst. Dir., Shayna Katz, Elisheva Cikk, Bnot Sherut tel. 560-9100 ext. 138 - fax: 561-7432 Partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel Jr. NESTO for grades 7-8 - Sr. NESTO for 9-12 - Both meeting Tuesdays at 5:00pm NESTO's home is the Israel Center's Teichman Family Youth Center Camp Dror - www.campdror.com Travel Desk: 560-9110 direct THE TRAVEL DESK is for making reservations and receiving info about Israel Center tiyulim. Please note that ALL Israel Center tiyulim require advance registration. And to help you - whether you live in Israel or abroad -make hotel reservations throughout Israel (thru Travel Deal (02) 659-8916, www.traveldealisrael.com At your service MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY 11:00am-4:00pm (other times leave a message and they will be picked up) Call Naomi at the OU Israel Center Travel Desk, 560-9110; fax: 566-0156; email: tiyul@ouisrael.org - Outside Travel Desk hours, please leave a message... or call 050-725-8392 - Sundays and Wednesdays between 8-11pm ONLY. BOOKED? When a tiyul is listed as BOOKED - you can call to be wait-listed; if you call, you will be called back if there is a cancellation, if we add a bus, or when we fix a new date for the tiyul. CANCELLATION POLICIES: We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee in case of last-minute cancellations. Also... Price of tiyul is based on a minimum number of participants. STUDENTS FROM ABROAD: Parents visiting you this year? If so, speak to us! (560-9110) to see if we have any tiyulim or Shabbatonim (call Ita Rochel 560-9125) that they might be interested in. KASHRUT POLICY: Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by OU-in-Israel-Mehadrin. Israel Center sponsored trips and programs are Mehadrin. Hotels, restaurants, and tiyulim advertised by outside parties are not necessarily Mehadrin and are not endorsed by the OU or the Israel Center. Calls from abroad: Due to time differences, we recommend that people from abroad fax 972-2-5660156 for attention of Travel Desk or email tiyul@ouisrael.org. Please be sure to include email or fax number for reply, in addition to phone number. Israel Center tiyulim are partially subsidized by the Jewish Agency for Israel BOOKED - BUT CALL IN CASE OF LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION - SHAVUOT & SHABBAT SPECTACULAR - Wednesday thru Sunday, May 27-31 5 days, 4 nights at the Lavi Hotel; Scholars-in-Residence - Rabbi Aaron & Pearl Borow; Your hosts Menachem & Chanie Persoff with the assistance of Naomi Liebersohn Lectures & Shiurim, Tiyulim: Bet Alfa Synagogue Mosaic, Gan Garoo Guided Tour, Guided Boat Ride: Haifa Bay, Rich and varied Shabbat & Yom Tov Menu, Separate swimming, Health Club, Entertainment 2520NIS (member) / 2700NIS (non-member) - Lev wing; 2700NIS (member) / 2980NIS (non-member) - Hod wing per person, dbl. occ. All tips included, Round trip Transportation included in price last few rooms remaining -, Non-refundable Registration Fee (incl. in price) - 200NIS p.p. For further details, call Naomi at the Israel Center Travel Desk (02) 560-9110 or 050-725-8392 - Reservations confirmed only upon payment Join us for the exotic experience: The Spice Route - From India to Eden" Tour, Guided by Sam Finkel, we will visit...The Museum of the Cochin Jewish Community in Moshav Nevatim. See exquisite ritual artifacts, watch a 16-min movie, tour their beautiful shul. (Nevatim is a moshav founded by Jews from Cochin, India in the 1950s.) Lunch in Netivot. Then a visit to the holy gravesite of the Baba Sali. Kefar Maimon (site of mass demonstrations against the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip), and view a large replica (1:20) of the Mishkan, handcrafted by a local resident. Also see a beautiful garden. Eden's Herbs Farm in Moshav Shokeda, a permaculture farm founded by Bat Zion Benjaminson, a native of Chicago. She grows everything from wheat and bananas to spices without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Learn amazing things about permaculture and self-sustainable farming. Home grown spices may be purchased at the conclusion of the tour. Sunday, June 14, '09 8:00am - 6:00pm, 150NIS per person 165NISnon/members Call Naomi at the Travel Desk 560-9110 or 050-725-8392 - Shulamit's tiyulim are always a treat; Come! You will enjoy her delicious sweets! Tanach Tiyulim in cooperation with the Israel Center - DO NOT CALL THE TRAVEL DESK - For itineraries and further details: 052-422-8601- tanachtiyulim@gmail.com SUN May 31st - Hevron - Where it All Began Avraham Avinu, David HaMelech and Rav Levinger with Ezra Rosenfeld TUE June 16th - The Destruction of Lachish Sancheiriv's Brutal Attack on the Cities of Yehuda with Shani Taragin The Back Page of TT860 The Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults - Dean, Rabbi Sholom Gold, is the educational component of the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center and incorporates all the classes & lectures of the OU Israel Center. "Regular" IC classes & lectures - Life members - free, 25NIS members, 30NIS non-members No one will be turned away for inability to pay. Membership 250NIS couple, 180NIS single. Programs of the Center are partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel Schedule for WED 26 Iyar (May 20th) to Friday, Shavuot (May 29) Wednesday, 26 Iyar - May 20th 9:20am Rabbi Macy Gordon Contemporary Halachic Issues 10:45am Pirkei Avot R' Yosef Wolicki various times MINI-Shiur/Divrei Torah while you fold 12:30pm VIDEO SCREENING in the LIBRARY Medical Chi Kong Practice with Avi Hirsch - Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm - Call for further details: 050-767-1722 1:30pm Knitting 101 in the library with Verna 2:30pm Women's Beit Midrash - Pearl Borow First hour: the KUZARI; Second hour on Chumash with Rashi Wednesday evenings, 7:30-8:30pm: Rabbi Chaim Eisen DURBAN RENEWAL? What can be done to encourage Israel, the US, the UN, Canada, Australia, and the EU to insist that Palestinian, Saudi, and Iranian Genocidal Incitement be placed on the agenda of Middle East Negotiations? Presentation by David Bedein, MSW, Investigative Reporter, www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com - Wednesday, May 20th at 8:00pm Thursday, 27 Iyar / May 21st 11:00am to 12:30pm Jerusalem, Our Eternal City 12:30-1:00pm Literary Discussion Dr. Hayim Abramson various times MINI-Shiur/Divrei Torah while you fold Leil Yom Yerushalayim Dinner will be at the Ramada on Thursday night, May 21st. The Center will officially close on Thursday, after Mincha. TT Folding on Wednesday (all day) and Thursday (morning) will be as usual. Please call Toni at 0505-772-111 to modify delivery and pick-up arrangements necessitated by our "holiday and dinner" schedule. Friday Yom Yerushalayim - May 22nd 8:00am Festive Shacharit for Yom Yerushalayim - Please note that the davening will not be overly long, but it will IY"H be "YomTov-dik" - refreshments will follow 9:15am (note the time change) "From Tzion will go forth Teaching": Yerushalayim's Role in Prophecy and Torah - and the World, Special Shiur for Yom Yerushalayim by Rabbi Chaim Eisen 11:00am RCA Daf Yomi Shabbat day 29 Iyar/May 23rd 5:00pm Parsha & Perek - Rabbi Binyamin Wolff 6:00pm MINCHA The Center will be closed this Motza'ei Shabbat Sun-Thu in the Ganchrow Beis Medrash (first floor) 10:00am Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld - Perek "Arvei P'sachim" 11:15am RCA Daf Yomi by Rotation (and Fri. at 11:00am) 1:20pm Mincha (this time stays the same throughout the year) 3:15pm Hilchot Shabbat - Rabbi Chaim Sendic (052-668-0312) Now studying: "Boreir" 4:30pm Masechet K'tuvot with Rabbi Hillel Ruvell Sunday Rosh Chodesh / May 24th 9:30am Let's Study the Chumash Tonia Frohwein women 10:30am Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year Golda Warhaftig 12:30pm "Life: The Fantastic Adventure" Aharon Romm 2:00pm Nazir: Saint or Sinner? -- Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher 7:30pm Ramban's Commentary on the Torah and Its Wellsprings with Rabbi Chaim Eisen - Now Studying: "Is Nature Just a Figment of Our Imagination?" Monday 2 Sivan - May 25th N'SHEI LIBRARY: 10:00-12:30 9:15am Excursions into the Book of Melachim with Pearl Borow Monday, May 25th 10:00am to 3:00pm - Pre-Shavuot YESHA FAIR and Plant Sale 10:30am Rambam's 13 Principles - Rabbi Zev Leff 11:35am Fit Forever: Look & Feel your Best! Exercise for women of all ages- Call Sura Faecher 993-2524 The Return of the Mini Luncheon Health Lecture Series: With THE medical authority on Blood Pressure in Israel: Dr. Henry R. Hashkes on the very important topic: "Improving Blood Pressure Control" - Monday morning, May 25th at 11:36am - You MUST register in advance with Naomi of the Travel Desk 560-9110 - 25NIS - The Israel Center Family is pleased to congratulate Dr. Henry R. Hashkes on his receiving the prestigious Yakir Yerushalayim Award this year on Yom Yerushalayim 12:30pm VIDEO SCREENING in the LIBRARY - MON MAY 25 Rabbi Sholom Gold - "Ruth and Revelation" (part 3) Women's Beit Midrash 2:00pm "bring on the Blessings" - Pearl Borow 3:00pm Mishna, Mitzvot, and More - Phil Chernofsky 5:20pm Pri Chadash Women's Writing Workshop 2 hrs. Contact: Ruth Fogelman (628-7359) and Judy Caspi (054-569-0410) 7:30pm Video Reruns for those who can't make it to the Center at 12:30pm for the Video Screenings in the Library: "RUTH and Revelation" by Rabbi Sholom Gold in 4 parts - TONIGHT: Parts 1 and 2 - Wednesday: Parts 3 and 4 8:30pm- Rabbi Dr. Elie Assis a senior lecturer of Tanach at Bar Ilan: SHMUEL (in Hebrew) Details? Call Sam Finkel 052-469-1263 MASK - J'lem Chapter at the Israel Center maskjerusalem.cjb.net 0507542717, NEXT MEETING: Monday, June 1st, 7:30-9:30pm with Dr. Judy Belsky Tuesday 3 Sivan - May 26th ATTENTION TORAH TIDBITS folders, distributors, deliverers, advertisers, columnists, and readers: Because of Shavuot, we are planning to produce TT 861 (Shavuot-Naso issue) one day earlier than usual. First folding and distribution will be IY"H on Tuesday, May 26th The Israel Center and the Old City Free Loan Association 21st year - well over 5500 loans granted Gemach - Free Loan Society to provide interest-free loans for people in financial distress (living in the Jerusalem area). Interviews at the Center on Tuesdays from 10:00-12:00 and 19:00-20:30 - Please bring ID Special Shiurim for Shavuot: 9:00am Rabbi Aharon Adler 10:15am Rabbi Sholom Gold 11:30am Jewish History, 2nd Temple Period - Dr. Henry Goldblum - The Hasmonean Revolution: 164-160BCE - Judah in Command Workshops for women with Esther Sutton... 11:20am Every Day Counts: Exploring the Secrets of the Omer 1:00 (to 2:30pm) Wellsprings Personal Growth through Creativity Tue. 12:30pm VIDEO in the LIBRARY - TUE MAY 26 Rabbi Sholom Gold - "Ruth and Revelation" (part 4) 7:30pm In the Beginning of "In the Beginning" A fresh, different look into Parshat B'reishit with Rabbi Neil Winkler - Please note: This shiur is not a repeat of either he has given in the morning on the past two Mondays. And note that each shiur stands on its own and does not require attendance at other shiurim of the same title. 8:00pm Meet the Meforshim - Rabbi Yonatan Kolatch - This week (May 26th) - "Is Self-denial a sin?"(for Naso) Wednesday 4 Sivan / May 27th 9:20am Rabbi Macy Gordon - Contemporary Halachic Issues 10:45am Pirkei Avot R' Yosef Wolicki various times MINI-Shiur/Divrei Torah while you fold including a mini-shiur by Sara Berelowitz in memory of her father, z"l NEW CLASS for WOMEN... Wednesdays, 12:00 noon - Parshat HaShavua to the Point; In-depth analysis of one topic from the weekly sedra with Chana Prero 12:30pm VIDEO SCREENING in the LIBRARY - WED MAY 27 Rabbi Zev Leff "Ideas on Shavuos" Medical Chi Kong Practice with Avi Hirsch - Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm - Call for further details: 050-767-1722 1:30pm Knitting 101 in the library with Verna Women's Beit Midrash - Pearl Borow Wednesday session will not take place on May 27, and resumes IY"H on June 3 7:30pm Video Reruns for those who can't make it to the Center at 12:30pm for the Video Screenings in the Library: "RUTH and Revelation" by Rabbi Sholom Gold in 4 parts - TONIGHT: Parts 3 and 4 (the first two parts were on Monday) Wednesday evenings, 7:30-8:30pm: Rabbi Chaim Eisen "Truth Will Sprout from the Earth": How Many Truths? How Many Legitimate Pathways to G-d? (How Many Right Answers in Jewish Law?" Current Sub-unit: "From the Period of Prophecy to the Term of Talmudic Scholarship: When (and Why) is the Sage Preferable to the Prophet?" Thursday, 5 Sivan / May 28th Erev Yom Tov. The Center is closed during the day. Leil Shavuot at the Israel Center - Thursday evening, May 28 to Friday morning, May 29 - 7:02pm - Candle lighting 7:25pm Mincha followed by mini-shiur 8:05pm - Maariv for Leil Shavuot 8:25pm twin seudot (milky*/mini-shiur/meaty*) - Divrei Torah - Dinner by advanced Reservation only, rolled-back price: 100NIS p.p. - - Call Ita Rochel (02) 560-9125 Shiurim all night long (no charge or reservations) - Learning dedicated in memory of Mordechai ben Chaim Dovid z"l (father of Shprintzee Rappaport) 11:00pm - Rabbi Binyamin Wolff 12:00am - Rabbi David Epstein 1:00am - Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Poupko 2:00am - Rabbi Chanoch Yeres 3:00am- Rabbi Avi Steinhertz Those who will be walking to the Kotel will leave at this time (4:00am) 4:00am - Review of "stayed up all night" rules (new details) 4:25am - Megilat Ruth (Talit not before 4:37am) 4:55am - Shacharit k'vatikin (sunrise 5:36am), followed by a kiddush Shiur on Shavuot day (Friday) 5:00pm - Mincha 6:00pm Shiur on Shabbat day 5:00pm - Mincha 6:00pm schedule subject to change * based on one version of the tradition for Leil Shavuot, we will begin with a milchig mini-meal (incl. blintzes), bench, have a mini-shiur, then have a fleishig meal Friday Shavuot / May 29th 5:00pm Yom Tov Shiur - Phil Chernofsky 6:00pm Mincha for Yom Tov (no Maariv at the Center) upcoming at the Israel Center Shabbat Parshat Naso, May 30th 5:00pm Shiur, Mincha at 6:00pm NEW - beginning after Shavuot (May 31st): The Artist Way Program - Discover your creativity + Reconnect to and Actualize your Artistic Dreams. Every Sunday 17:15-19:00 with Yehoshua Rubin fee: 30NIS Ani Hashem Rofecha - A Soothing Musical Evening of Shared Compassion - Every Sunday 19:45-21:15 with Yehoshua Rubin fee: 30NIS Monday, June 1st 11:36am - We are honored to host the well known author, editor and columnist "Happy" Tzvia Ehrlich-Klein who will address us on "Living in Israel and Loving it" Thursday, June 4th 8:00pm - The Joy Club / Rabbi Zelig Pliskin Sunday, June 7th 8:00pm - "Nehama Leibowitz: A Twentieth-Century Legend" A talk surveying the life and works of one the most fascinating Jews of the 20th century, the first widely-recognized female Torah scholar, who revolutionized Torah study with an impact felt until today. by Yael Unterman, author of the recently published biography "Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar" (Urim Publ.) Lecturer, creative educator, life coach - www.yaelunterman.com (fee) Tuesday, June 9th 6:30pm-9:00pm (For futher information: rafaelmedoff@aol.com) America and the Holocaust: New Research, New Controversies - A conference of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies featuring... Yad Vashem vs. the Bergson Group Dr. Rebecca Kook (daughter of Peter Bergson) - The Allies' Failure to Bomb Auschwitz: Should the U.S. Use Force for Humanitarian Goals? Hon. Shimon Shetreet / Hon. Moshe Arens - Why Brandeis Urged Zionists to Break the Law Dr. Rafael Medoff Conference Chair: James D. Blum All conference sessions will be in English. 25NIS for Israel Center members and students 30NIS for non-members, No RSVP necessary