Shabbat Parshat D'varim - Chazon July 24-25, 2009 - 4 Av 5769 This Shabbat is the 299th day (of 354), 43rd Shabbat (of 50) of 5769 PIRKEI AVOT: In Israel - 3rd perek; In Chutz LaAretz - 2nd perek LIMDU HEITEIV DIRSHU MISHPAT ASHRU CHAMOTZ... (Haftarat Shabbat Chazon) 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 1-10 Av (July 22-31) Earliest Talit & T'filin 4:52-4:59am Sunrise 5:49-5:55am Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma 9:17-9:19am (Magen Avraham: 8:24-8:28am) Sof Z'man T'fila 10:26-10:28am (Magen Avraham: 9:51-9:54am) Chatzot 12:45½-12:45½pm (halachic noon) Mincha Gedola 1:21-1:20pm (earliest Mincha) Plag Mincha 6:15½-6:10½pm Sunset 7:47-7:41pm (based on sea level: 7:42-7:36pm) Correct for TT 869 - Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) - 9:03pm 7:06 (6:15) Yerushalayim 8:21pm 7:22 (6:17) S'derot 8:23pm 7:21 (6:15) Gush Etzion 8:21pm 7:23 (6:17) Raanana 8:24pm 7:21 (6:16) Beit Shemesh 8:22pm 7:22 (6:17) Rehovot 8:23pm 7:23 (6:17) Netanya 8:24pm 7:19 (6:16) Be'er Sheva 8:22pm 7:22 (6:16) Modi'in 8:23pm 7:06 (6:17) Petach Tikva 8:24pm 7:06 (6:15) Maale Adumim 8:21pm 7:22 (6:16) Ginot Shomron 8:23pm 7:21 (6:15) Gush Shiloh 8:22pm 7:21 (6:15) K4 & Hevron 8:21pm 7:21 (6:15) Giv'at Ze'ev 8:22pm 7:22 (6:17) Yad Binyamin 8:23pm 7:23 (6:17) Ashkelon 8:24pm 7:12 (6:16) Tzfat 8:24pm 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... It is a widespread practice to wait until after Tish'a b'Av to say Kiddush L'vana. However, Minhag Yerushalayim is to always take the first opportunity, which is as soon as possible after 72 hours (3 full days) following the announced molad. The molad of Av was Wednesday morning. 3 days later is Shabbat morning. Can't say KL then because it's Shabbat and the Moon is not out. Or because the Moon isn't out and besides, it's Shabbat, on which we don't say KL unless it's the last opportunity. BTW, even when the Moon is visible during daytime, KL cannot be said; it is only said when the Moon is MEI'IR LAARETZ, when the Moon illuminates the Earth. This means that first op is Motza'ei Shabbat. The practice of waiting until after Tish'a b'Av is based on the joyous mood that should prevail at KL, which is likened to "greeting the Divine Presence". Nonetheless, Minhag Yeru. is to take the first opportunity to do a mitzva, mood notwithstanding. Here we go again. But if... There are two ways to finish the "But if..." Hopefully, we'll get to both. First, Here we go again, into the Nine Days, with Tish'a b'Av fast approaching. We can say things like, "next week is a fast day, unless the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt by then", or words to that effect, but the fact of the matter is that Tish'a b'Av has been around a very long time as a mournful fast day for the Churban, and just saying that we hope the Beit HaMikdash will be rebuilt speedily in our time is not enough. Let's work on the premise that there is a time - known only to G-d - beyond which the Geula will not delay. And until that ultimate deadline, it is possible to hasten the Geula. And the vastly preferred situation for the hastening of the Geula is significant progress as individuals and as a community and a nation towards embracing the Torah, its values and its mitzvot. And towards returning to Eretz Yisrael from the four corners of the world. It all comes back to what we've said many times. Let's put it this way (this time): Any generation in whose time the Mikdash is not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in that generation. A well-known statement of the Gemara. Look at what it means. There is a state of the Jewish Nation that caused (or allowed) the Churban to take place. When various serious sins were common among the Jewish people, our enemy was able to prevail, the Mikdash was destroyed and we were exiled. This implies that in the absence of that type of sinning, the Mikdash would not have been destroyed. What if we achieved the absence of that kind of sinning? Would that be enough to have the Mikdash rebuilt? In other words, would that spell Geula? It seems so because of the above statement. Without that statement about "any generation", we might assume that there is a middle status - not bad enough to destroy the Mikdash and not good enough to rebuild it. But if there is a generation in whose time the Mikdash is not rebuilt, then their behavior is bad enough to have destroyed it. Therefore, the generation that will rebuild the Mikdash is the one that does not have the weight of the sins that had destroyed it. And there is no middle. We are either Mikdash destroyers, G-d forbid, who practice Sin'at Chinam, and a host of other sins... or we are not, and we are the Mikdash builders. Here we go again, but if we can improve to the level of not being "worthy" of destroying, then we will succeed in bringing the Geula. May it be so. D'VARIM stats 44th of the 54 sedras - first of 11 in D'varim Written on 196.5 lines in a Sefer Torah (rank: 26) 5 parshiyot; 1 open, 4 closed 105 p'sukim - ranks 32nd, 6th in D'varim (tied with Chayei Sara, but larger) 1548 words - ranks 26th, 6th in D'varim 5972 letters - ranks 24th, 5th in D'varim (tied with Vayeshev, but smaller) Jump in rankings from p'sukim to words & letters is a result of relatively long p'sukim MITZVOT 2 of the 613 mitzvot, both prohibitions Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes. [P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'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 - 11 p'sukim - 1:1-11 [P> 1:1 (47)] The opening p'sukim of D'varim clearly identify time and place. The entire book takes place in Arvot Moav (last place of encampment before entry into Eretz Yisrael) and begins on Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat in the final year of wandering. Several places that are mentioned in these p'sukim are considered by the commentaries to be allusions to events that occurred during the previous 40 years rather than being actual locations. The events include the Golden Calf, the rebellion of Korach, the complaint about the Manna, and the sin of the spies. These, plus the explicit discussion of the "Sin of the Spies", are part of Moshe's reproach and warning to the People. Moshe also tells the People of the victories over Emori and Cheshbon. This, to give them confidence for the difficult period they will face upon entering the Land. We find the first of many references to the purpose of the existence of the Jewish Nation is made - to live (according to G-d's laws) in the Land that G-d had promised to our ancestors. D'varim 1:8 says: See that I have presented you the Land; come and take the Land that G-d promised your ancestors He would give to them and their descendants. Rashi's comment: Had we not sent Meraglim to spy out the Land, we would have been able to march in and take it without a weapon, without a fight, without 7 years of wars. That living in Eretz Yisrael is an integral part of a Jew's life is first set down at the Burning Bush, G-d's first prophecy to Moshe Rabeinu. G-d says that He will go into Egypt to take the People out and bring them to a good and expansive land, a land flowing with milk and honey... In the same verse that He tells Moshe of His intention to take the people out of Egypt, He tells Moshe to where He is taking us, where He wants us to be. In one single verse, the purpose of our Nationhood is stated. In last week's sedra, the connection between the people and the Land comes in the form of a command. Here in D'varim, Moshe tells the new generation of the "invitation" that was extended to them by G-d, to go into Eretz Yisrael. There will be various other ways the same idea is expressed. SDT (Actually, this is an LDT): Within the opening 5 p'sukim of D'varim, there is a repetition of sorts in telling us that Moshe Rabeinu spoke to the People. The Vilna Gaon and others point out that the Book of D'varim can be divided into 3 parts, as indicated by the wording of the opening p'sukim: "These are the things that Moshe spoke to all Israel..." (pasuk 1). This can refer to the first three sedras of the book wherein we have a general review of the brief, but action-packed and significant history of the People to date. In addition, these sedras contain a restatement of the principles of Judaism in the form of the Aseret HaDibrot and the first two passages of the Shma. Also expressed in this opening section of D'varim is the integral link between the People and the Land of Israel. These sedras contain relatively few mitzvot, but they do contain the "basics of Judaism" and its foundations, which Moshe reviews with "all of Israel". The following three sedras contain 170 mitzvot, the greatest concentration of mitzvot anywhere in the Torah. "...Moshe spoke to Bnei Yisrael of all that G-d commanded upon them" (pasuk 3). After laying the foundation of Judaism, Moshe presents the essence of day-to-day life as a Jew - mitzvot of all kinds, between the Jew and G-d, interpersonal mitzvot, mitzvot linked to the Land, general mitzvot. The final section of D'varim, the last 5 sedras, again contains relatively few mitzvot. But it does contain the basis of understanding what being a Jew means. In these sedras we have the admonition against forsaking the Torah, the concepts of Free Will, Reward and Punishment, Repentance, the Chain of Tradition. "...Moshe began to explain [HO'IL MOSHE BEI-EIR] this Torah saying:" (pasuk 5) I, says Moshe, told you (and G-d) that I could no longer handle the leadership alone. G-d has increased you population greatly; you are today like the stars of the heavens. On Shabbat, the first Aliya is ended one pasuk early to avoid beginning the second portion with the word "Eicha". Levi - Second Aliya - 10 p'sukim - 1:12-21 Moshe tells the People again that he had reached a point where he was too weary to lead the People alone, and that he (at G-d's command) designated the leaders of the Tribes as judges of the People. Judges are to be selected for their Torah knowledge and other appropriate qualities. It is forbidden to appoint a judge for "the wrong reasons" (wealth, charisma, connections - without the important qualities in place) [414,L284 1:17]. Judges must be fair and impartial and must not be afraid to render proper judgments [415,L276 1:17]. Moshe retained the role of final authority on difficult matters. MitzvaWatch Even though these two mitzvot are primarily directed towards the leaders of the people whose task it is to choose judges and towards the judges themselves, respectively, there is an element of each mitzva that applies to each and every Jew. Every so often, we can be in the position of choosing someone to fulfill a task. Perhaps a communal function, a teacher, youth leader... whatever. For any of these choices, there are right reasons and motivations and wrong reasons and motivations to guide our choices. This mitzva [414] commands us to always choose based on the proper criteria. And many people find themselves in the position of making a judgment call. We may not be afraid to make a just decision, even in the face of possible unpleasant ramifications. What was just said about these two mitzvot can apply to the many other mitzvot related to the justice system. There are formal judges, and then there are the rest of us who are put into the judge's chair as parents, employers, co-workers, students, etc. Once again, Eretz Yisrael is shown as the main focus and the People are urged not to fear what lies ahead. On the phrase from 1:16 - Hear it among your brothers and judge fairly - the Gemara teaches us that judges may not hear one party to a case without the other present. In the same pasuk, the reference to the convert in the context of judging teaches us that conversion to Judaism must be done by a Beit Din. The Gemara states that if a non-Jew decides on his own that he is Jewish, this does not constitute conversion. A Beit Din is required. Shlishi - Third Aliya - 17 p'sukim - 1:22-38 Moshe next recounts for the new generation, the episode of the spies. SDT: It is hard to suggest that it was purposely arranged that D'varim would be read on the Shabbat before Tish'a b'Av, but it is impossible to ignore its appropriateness in that role. D'varim always is the Shabbat before Tish'a b'Av. Sometimes the Calendar is manipulated in such a way (what sedra- pairs are combined and which are separated) in order to keep D'varim right before 9 Av (and Va'etchanan right after). The mishna states that one of the tragedies marked by Tish'a b'Av - the first one, the one that gave Tish'a b'Av its dark character - was the decree against the (adult males of the) "Generation of the Wilderness". The sedra serves as a reproach for our poor attitudes and lack of commitment to the Land. It is as if G-d is saying to us: "Do not continue in the ways of that generation. Reverse the effect of that terrible punishment by heeding the call of Kalev and Yehoshua." When we, the Jewish People of today, succeed in "repairing" the negative attitudes and actions of the generation of the spies, the generation whose sins caused the destruction of the first Temple, the generation whose gratuitous hatred and Lashon HaRa caused the destruction of the second Temple, then we will be privileged to rejoice in the building of the third Temple, the restoration of Jews all over the world to this Land, and the spreading of Torah values and commitment to mitzvot to all of Klal Yisrael. D'varim and its message of the significance of Eretz Yisrael and the reminder of G-d's terrible anger against those who denigrate the Land of Israel is the "perfect" introduction to 9 b'Av. Amazing, is it not, how relevant this message is today. "Behold, I have set the Land before you; go in and possess the Land..." May we be deserving (and even if not deserving) to live in peace in all the Land of Israel, with all the People of Israel, according to the Torah of Israel. Notice specifically, that of all the negative things done by the generation of the wilderness, it is only the Sin of the Spies that is spelled out in more detail than we find back in Parshat Sh'lach. Everything else is scant hint and held for later presentation, if at all. The Book of D'varim says over and over again that the Meraglim were wrong. They believed that the miraculous environment of the Wilderness was perfect for a Torah way of life. Not so. Moshe repeatedly tells us that Eretz Yisrael is the "real" place for the People of Israel. Observation... Comparing Moshe's account with the original text in Shlach yields some interesting differences. Perhaps, most strikingly, is the blame Moshe takes on himself. He even says that G-d banned him from Eretz Yisrael because of the Meraglim incident (when the Torah tells us that it was because of the hit instead of speak the rock incident). On another note... It is clear that the original purpose of sending the men into the Land was to determine the best way to enter it and which border cities would be best to attack. It is equally clear that the purpose was NOT to decide whether to go or not. This is the major component of the Sin of the Spies and the people's reaction to their words. And it is clear that Moshe's approval of the idea was based upon the "proper" motive for sending the scouts in the first place and not for the way it turned out. Moshe shares the blame with the spies and announces that he had approved of the suggestion to send them. He explains what had happened as a result of the spies' report. Moshe's arguments (and those of Kalev and Yehoshua) were unsuccessful in calming the people's panic. As a result, G-d decreed that none of the adult males (except for Kalev and Yehoshua) would enter the Land. Moshe tells them that he too was banned from entering the Land. It is to be Yehoshua who will lead the People henceforth. One commentary suggests the following: Because of the senseless crying of the Wilderness Generation, the Temple was destined to be destroyed. Had Moshe Rabeinu entered the Land, the Temple would never be destroyed. Hence, he was kept out of the Land so that G-d's full punishment for the Sin of the Spies could be carried out. We can also see the special qualities of a true leader of the Jewish People. Moshe Rabeinu did not leave the blame for the Sin of the Spies with the people. He shouldered some of it. R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 9 p'sukim - 1:39-2:1 As Moshe Rabeinu is telling the new generation what has happened, he is continually warning them against repeating the blunders of their predecessors. It is specifically this new generation that the previous one worried about. They cried that their children would be orphans. Those same children are now the one's about to enter the Land. Moshe also tells them of the tragic results in the People's attempt to go into the Land against G-d's wishes. It won't work without G-d's help; it cannot fail with His help. This is the lesson of more that 3300 years ago; this is the lesson for today. SDT: Rashi records a tradition that the People of Israel spent 19 years - half of the wandering time - in one location, Kadesh. The actual wandering was much less than 40 years. On the other hand, there were places in which the people only spent a day or so. As many times as Moshe repeated the story and lessons to be learned from the Sin of the Spies, to the people of that generation, these same stories and lessons have been repeated thousands of times for the benefit of each and every Jew throughout the generations. Why does the Torah tells us to Remember the Shabbat day and make it holy? To remind us that it is important to make Kiddush as Shabbat begins and say Havdala as it ends, and to honor and sanctify the Shabbat in many other ways. Why tell us about Cheit HaMeraglim? Because it is an important reminder for us about the significance of Eretz Yisrael in G-d's Plan for the people of Israel. Chamishi - 5th Aliya - 29 p'sukim - 2:2-30 [S> 2:2 (6 + 12/17 - there is a parsha-break in the middle of 2:8)] The People next turned northward and were warned not to fight with the people of Eisav, for their land is theirs as an inheritance. Only purchasing food and water for their journey past Eisav's territory would be permitted. [S> 2:8 (5/17 + 8 p'sukim; this parsha begins in the middle of a pasuk)] They turned (from Edom) and headed towards Mo'av. Moav's territory was also placed off-limits because it was an inheritance for the descendants of Lot. Various peoples are named for the different lands in the area. The wandering took 38 years until G-d told the People to cross into the territory of Amon and Moav, but without fighting there. Both Edom and Amon/Moav had fought for their land as Israel will be doing soon. [S> 2:17 (14)] Next, the people passed Amonite territory. Here too they were not allowed by G-d to fight against the Amonites. Sichon the Amorite was not so fortunate. He was offered peace - same terms as with Eisav's people - but he rejected it, clearing the way for Israel to successfully conquer his land. Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 21 p'sukim - 2:31-3:14 [S> 2:31 (29)] Moshe continues his narrative with the details of the victories over Sichon and his land. Og, king of Bashan, also fell to Israel. Moshe describes the conquered lands that have been promised to the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe. The victories on the East Bank of the Jordan helped build Israel's confidence for the difficult times to come upon crossing the Jordan into Eretz Yisrael. This new generation, the children of slaves, needed the multi-faceted preparation that the years of wandering provided, in order to be able to succeed in their conquest and settling of the Land. Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 8 p'sukim - 3:15-22 The description of the "East Bank" land continues. Moshe repeats the instructions to the 2 tribes for settling their territory. Only after the successful conquest and settlement of the Land of Israel, will these men be permitted to return to their families and cities. Moshe has commanded Yehoshua to note well the victories to date and not to fear what is to come. The last 3 p'sukim are reread for the Maftir. The custom is to call the Rav of the community or a prominent member to Maftir Chazon. Haftara - 27 p'sukim - Yeshayahu 1:1-27 This is the third of the haftarot of Tragedy. The prophet speaks of the accumulation of terrible sins and acts of unfaithfulness to G-d which lead to the destruction of Zion and Jerusalem. This haftara is "perfectly" suited to precede Tish'a b'Av. Most of this haftara is read in the tune of Eicha, rather than the regular haftara tune. The final p'sukim switch to the regular haftara melody because they contain the promise of an end to exile and the rebuilding of Zion and Jerusalem in a mode of justice and righteousness. This bright note is appropriate for Shabbat, in contrast to the main part of the prophecy which Shabbat has no choice but to tolerate, so to speak, since it is right before Tish'a b'Av. Yeshayahu contrasts the people of Israel, who had become unfaithful to G-d, with animals, who instinctively acknowledge their owners. "An ox knows its owner and a donkey recognizes its owner's pen." In an allusion to this pasuk, the Yerushalmi tells the story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Torata who sold his ox to a non-Jew. The ox refused to work on Shabbat, until Rabbi Yochanan whispered in its ear that it was now owned by a non-Jew and must work on Shabbat. Which it then did. There is also the story of the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas b. Yair. These stories give us insight into the harsh criticism of the People of Israel who repeatedly "do not know" their Creator. Loyalty to a master is one of the many lessons we must learn from animals. Both Chazon and Nachamu are the only haftarot for their respective sedras, yet they are responsible for the special names their Shabbatot carry. THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW, Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean Lesson # 485 (cont.) Is there a valid kiddushin? Continuing the situation where there are commercial transactions between the man and the woman and cases in which their conduct will constitute a valid kiddushin. A woman owes money to a man for money he loaned to her. He now gives her a p'ruta and says to her become betrothed unto me with the p'ruta and the forgiveness of the loan; she is betrothed to him. He says to her become betrothed to me with the money you will have to pay me for work I am going to do for you. He then does the work. There are contradictory opinions if there is kiddushin in this case. One opinion holds that the work payment is due at every moment that he does work so that at no time is there a full p'ruta due to him to betroth her with. The other opinion holds that the artisan earns his wages incrementally as the work progresses and there is enough money due to him to perform kiddushin. If she gave him a utensil to repair and he does the repair work on the utensil and then says to her I betroth you with the value of the work I did to improve the utensil and he still has the utensil in his possession, there is valid kiddushin. A man enters into someone else's home and took a utensil belonging to the home owner or food or some other matter and used this to betroth a woman. The home owner returned home and realized what had occurred. The home owner told the visitor that he should have given the woman something more expensive, there is no valid betrothal. We assume that the home owner told this to the visitor not to embarrass him for what he had done, since this is a situation where the visitor betrothed with a thing that was not his, it is the same as betrothing with a stolen item. However, had he betrothed her with an item of little consequence to the home owner such as a piece of fruit belonging to the homeowner, there is a doubtful kiddushin. That is, they are not betrothed but she may need a Get to be permitted to marry someone else. Assume that two men are partners in a business and one of them takes an item belonging to the business as his share of the partnership assets, and betroths a woman with this item. There is no valid kiddushin since the other partner may object to this man taking what he wants as his share of the partnership assets without an agreement as to the valuation of the item he took for the kiddushin. However, if all the items in the business are alike and priced equally, then there will be a valid kiddushin. A man borrows an object from the lender and he informs the lender he is going to use the object to betroth a woman, it is valid kiddushin. But if he did not inform him then it is a doubtful kiddushin. This holds true even if the woman was not aware that the item was borrowed. The same holds true if someone rented an object and used it to betroth a woman. Reuven gave a gift to Shimon on condition that he return it to him. While it was in the possession of Shimon he used it to betroth a woman. The kiddushin is valid. This in spite of the fact that if someone betroths a woman with an object that he gives to her on condition that she return it to him there is no valid kiddushin. The reason that the gift to Shimon is effective in spite of the condition attached to the giving of the item is that the giving is considered valid with a condition attached, and if the giving is valid, the condition cannot undo it. Shimon has it in his power to buy the item from his wife or offer to pay Reuven for the item. There are in halacha certain things that it is prohibited to have any benefit from them. For example if meat and milk are cooked together, the resulting food is prohibited to derive any benefit therefrom. Some of these prohibited items are of Torah origin and others of Rabbinic origin. If a man used an item that was prohibited solely by Rabbinic law to betroth a woman, the kiddushin is valid. If the item is prohibited by Rabbinic law but also has Torah law prohibitions attached thereto, there is doubtful kiddushin. If the item is completely prohibited by Torah law, and he used it to betroth a woman, the betrothal is invalid. Assume that a community made certain rules regarding the method of kiddushin. Such as, that in order for a man to betroth a woman ten men must be present to see the event. A man betrothed a woman without ten men being present. The holding in such a case would be that we fear that there may be valid kiddushin in spite of the fact that the rule was violated. The woman requires a Get to marry someone else. This in spite of the fact that the community specified that there cannot be kiddushin unless ten men were present and the community went further and declared that money used to betroth a woman in violation of the rule, that such money is declared to be ownerless. A woman took a vow that she would not accept any benefit from Reuven, or from anything belonging to him except in the presence of Shimon and Levi. Reuven gave her an object to betroth her. The betrothal is not valid, since the item used is prohibited to her. This applies if the kiddushin was by way of an object. But if he betrothed her with a written document, the betrothal is valid. Any item that is prohibited to be benefited from, if the owner of the item sold it to a non-Jew, and used the money he received to betroth a woman, the betrothal is valid. This in spite of the fact that he benefited from a prohibited item, but the money is not prohibited for use. The money would be prohibited if the item that he sold was used for idolatrous ceremony. The woman who was betrothed with this money may use it since the prohibition did not follow the money. A special series of articles for the Three Weeks by Dr. Meir Tamari: The Challenge of Money The continuation of the Avoda of the korbanot and the ceremonies of the Sanctuary in all their details and all its particulars, despite the sins that led to the destruction of the Batei Mikdash, poses important spiritual challenges and raise serious questions about religious thinking and behavior. Throughout, we find the Prophets expressing the relationship between the positive effect of sacrificial worship and economic morality. "What use to Me is the multitude of your offerings? I am satiated with elevating offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals. Who sought this from your hands? Learn to do good, find justice, guide your passions into progressive happiness, seek justice for the orphan and plead for the widow" (Yeshayahu 1:11-17). "'I am G-d who loves justice and hates theft in the daily offering' (Yeshayahu 1:8). One should not say, I will rob and oppress and then bring an offering and thereby I will be forgiven. For I, G-d, hate the dishonesty in their offerings which they bring regarding their thefts. If a man wants that his offerings should be accepted, he should return the illegal and immoral wealth he has to its owners and then his korbanot will be accepted" (Tanchuma Tzav 14). "Though you offer Me Olot and Menachot, burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fattened beasts. Take away from Me the noise of the songs of prayer for I will not hear the melody of your harps [accompanying the Temple service]. Rather, let judgment pour down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream" (Amos 5:22-24). Perhaps we can differentiate two ways of thinking which would explain this contradiction between adherence to the Temple service [for that matter, all external forms of behavior], and religious, spiritual and moral integrity: One of them is the belief that a holy place, a holy relic or a holy person, will automatically and eternally guarantee protection and salvation. Against this belief in a sort of divine insurance policy irrespective of one's own behavior, Yirmiyahu cried out: "Do not believe the prophets who promise falsehoods, saying, 'Heichal Hashem, Heichal Hashem, this is the House of G-d [and He will not destroy it]'. That is a false belief and will not avail you. Rather this House has become a den of thieves, and the murderer, the adulterer, and the one who swears falsely, come before Me in this House and cry save us', but we will continue our abominations. Therefore, I will destroy this House, as I destroyed the sanctuary in Shiloh (Yirmiyahu 7:4-14). As important as understanding this false belief in the unlimited protection by holy things, irrespective of our individual moral and spiritual behavior, is admitting the ease with which we cloak our unethical and immoral actions beneath the cover of pious deeds and demonstrations of religion. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in business, financial transactions and in the spiral of consumption that is such a cause of economic immorality. The words of Yeshyahu, Amos and Yirmiyahu sound as modern as any present- day media report. At the outset they make clear the role of ostentatious and extravagant consumption that fuels much economic and social immorality. Their condemnation re-echoes in the many enactments limiting consumption, passed by the autonomous Jewish communities that characterized Jewish life until the 18th century. "No one may possess cloaks of any other color than black nor have sleeves with silk linings, nor cloaks of sable nor those made of expensive dyed material. Men's clothing too, is restricted to the least expensive and least extravagant dyes and materials" (Italy, 15th century). In Furth in 1728 they prohibited the serving of tea and coffee, then both extremely expensive luxury items. In Kassel they limited the jewelry and style of clothing of the servants, which were an indication of their master's wealth, since these were an incentive for conspicuous consumption. Many followed the example of Vaad Arba Aratzot in limiting the number of participants in s'machot in accordance with one's financial status as measured by the tax rolls of the community. "One who pays 2 golden coins can invite 15 people to a brit, one who pays 4 invites 20, and who pays 6, 25 people. Every 10 must include at least one poor person. The same applies to weddings except that each group may add 5 invitees" (Lublin, 1659, Enactment 90). "Thy princes are disobedient to the Law and the companions of thieves, therefore the whole nation loves bribery and runs after money. They do not look after the rights of the orphans, and seeking justice for the widows does not concern them" (Yeshayahu 1:23). "With strong feelings of resentment and indignation, Yeshayahu here calls the leaders of Yehuda 'the Lords of Sodom' and describes the Jewish People as People of Gomorah. The People of G-d for whom money and possessions are meant to be valued primarily as means to living a life in fulfillment of the G-d related duties of justice, have sunk to the level of Sodom where poverty is considered a crime; to the level of Sodom that is the original picture of cold external respectability under which the most complete selfishness, the utter lack of consideration of others, and the whole host of uncontrolled urges held sway. In the name of these people of Gomorah the national offerings were brought to the Temple. Yes, these 'lords of Sodom' preened themselves with their ostensible piety, with the number of individual offerings, the quality of the animals they brought, with their ostentatious attendance at the Temple by outwardly celebrating Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and Chagim, by sham pious behavior and endless hypocritical praying. Though all this performed in honesty and in accord with true moral-religious behavior is an ornament for the Divine Service, when performed by these People of Sodom and Princes of Gomorah it becomes the most shocking and outrageous blasphemy. Accordingly, it receives the most stringent reproach and most definite rejection" (Mendel Hirsch, [grandson of S. R. Hirsch], Haftarat D'varim, Shabbat Chazon). The Haftara for Shabbat Chazon concludes with the promise of a different value system. "I shall restore your judges as at the beginning and your counselors as at first; afterwards you shall be called the 'City of Righteousness'. Tzion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness" (Yeshayahu 1:26-27). 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] MicroUlpan [10] Gimatriya [11] Person in the Parsha [12] Guest Article [13] Editorial [14] 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: We are doing remodeling work on our kitchen. My wife ordered and signed a contract for work to be done on cabinets and other things that is supposed to start on July 15. May work continue during the Nine Days [before and including Tish'a b'Av] or must it be stopped? A: The gemara (Yevamot 43b) says that from the beginning of Av until Tish'a b'Av, one should lessen his business dealings and his building activities. The gemara does not say specify the type of transaction and building it refers to, nor does it explain what it means to lessen. However, in the context of similar restrictions on fast days called to deal with drought, the gemara (Ta'anit 14b) refers to "building of joy" and gives the example of the house where one's son will be getting married and living in. The Yerushalmi gives a counter example of a type of building that is permitted: when one's wall needs support so that it does not cave in. What happens in between these two extremes? The poskim come to the following basic consensus. If there is fear of collapse, one can do what is needed even for the needs of a joyous building (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 551:2). In general, though, any type of building whose purpose is to enhance and not for necessity should not be done during this time (Mishna Berura 551:12). This would apply to most cases of kitchen renovations, which usually take a functional kitchen and make it more attractive or more convenient. There are opinions (against the simple reading of the classical sources) that this is forbidden even from the beginning of the Three Weeks (which start this year on July 9th) (Bi'ur Halacha, ad loc.) but one has the right to be lenient on the matter, especially if he already made an agreement with workers. This brings us to what may be a major point of leniency in this case. Several poskim (including Eliya Rabba 551:3; Mishna Berura 551:12 - based on the Maharil) say that if one hired a non-Jew before the Nine Days to do the work in a manner that he is paid by the job (and not by the hour), the work relates to the non-Jew and may be done during the Nine Days. However, they say that if the worker will accept a small fee to delay the work, the owner should prefer that option. Another case where it is not be required to push off the work during this time is when the delay will cause a significant loss (Mishna Berura 551:13). Some examples include: the work or materials will be more expensive later; given that the work has begun, the interim setup is a difficult one to maintain. In general, there are three ideas behind refraining from certain types of acquisitions and building during the Nine Days. One is that it is a time when the mazal of Bnei Yisrael is low (which is something you may want to consider). The other is that it is a time when it is inappropriate to do things that are in a category that is considered too happy. There is a third idea, that the entire period of the Three Weeks is a time that is historically tragic and we are, therefore, not supposed to say Shehecheyanu about "hazeman hazeh" (this time) (Shulchan Aruch, OC 551:17). If you plan to make Shehecheyanu on the renovations (which is a good question that is beyond our present scope - see Mishna Berura 223:12), it should not be during this time. This would make it problematic to have the job finished until the middle of the 10th of Av (see Igrot Moshe, OC III 80). Even if you will not make the b'racha, it still is better that the finished product not be ready during the Nine Days, as this is a greater joy than the interim progress on the work. So even if you have little choice but to have the workers do the bulk of the work during the Nine Days, still try to have the entire overall job finished afterward. Work should also not be done on Tisha B'Av itself. [2] Candle by Day We lie both in word and deed to sweeten social intercourse and then act on the basis of those lies, which arise so natrually, which seem to be so much a part of the normal scheme of things, that we never begin to suspect them for the lies that they are. 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 When the Germans occupied the town of Goborova at the beginning of World War II, they immediately rounded up all the Jews and forced them into the local shul. It was Friday. No one had time to bring anything with him. The shul was packed, with no room to move - and hardly enough room to breathe. The Germans let the Jews know that they planned to burn down the shul, with everyone in it. To prevent anyone from leaving, they posted guards all around the shul, and these men would periodically fire a few warning shells, to make it clear to all of the Jews that anyone trying to escape would be shot. Inside the shul, there was pandemonium. Babies who had not been fed for hours wailed, while the adults remained in mute despair. Of course, there was no food, as no one had been prepared for this sudden imprisonment. In the corner sat the local baker, reciting Tehillim. However, after it was quite dark, the baker arose, stole over to a side door, and before anyone could say or do anything, he slipped out. Those who saw him waited for shots to ring out, but there was total silence. In the dark, the baker had managed to do the impossible - evade the guards. All were certain that the baker would quietly slip away into the surrounding woods and save himself. To everyone's amazement, the door opened again a few minutes later, and the baker returned, struggling with heavy bags. He had managed to slip into his bakery and was returning with the challot that had been baked for Shabbat, which he distributed to all. Some time later, the German commandant relented, and allowed the Jews to leave the shul before burning it down to the ground. The Jews who were thus saved from sure death attributed this to a miracle - a miracle brought about by the baker's willingness to endanger his life to try to bring food to the Jews in the shul. ### The Chiddushei HaRim who lived in the late 1800s, made a comment that almost sounds like a prophecy about the Holocaust era. He said that before Mashi'ach comes the Jews will be chased into the fields, where they will be able to smell the odor of the non-kosher delicacies the non-Jews are eating, while the Jews themselves will not even have grass to eat. Darkness will descend upon the earth, so that even the most devout and true believers will find it difficult to even say the Shema once a day. 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 "Come and Inherit the Land" The Book of D'varim finds the Jewish people camped on the border of Israel about to enter the land. Encouraging the nation to set forth and conquer the Promised Land, Moshe proclaims: "Go in and possess the land that the G-d swore to your fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, to give them and to their seed after them" (D'varim 1:8). Rashi, in his commentary to this verse, writes: "No one is disputing [your claim to the land] and you have no need for war. Had you not sent the spies you would not have needed weapons." It was only because of the sin of the spies that Eretz Yisrael could only be conquered through war. Had the Jewish people firmly believed that the Land of Israel was theirs, there would have been no need to engage in battle. The spies sinned in that they weren't sure that Israel was for them. They wanted to check it out first. The Canaanite peoples intuitively sensed this lack of attachment to the Land as an invitation to wage war against us and dispute our Divine inheritance. Had the Jewish people been absolute in their conviction that Israel belongs only to the Jews, then no one on Earth would have dared to dispute our claim to the land. Our rabbi's teach that this very lack of conviction and certainty that Eretz Israel belongs to the Jewish people was the underlying cause for the destruction and exile, and all of the calamities that came in their wake (Ta'anit 29b). To our great dismay, this same lack of conviction regarding our rights to Israel exists to this very day, both in the Land of Israel and the Diaspora alike. At this time of great uncertainty, danger, and upheaval in our Land, let us hope and pray that we will rise up to a true unwavering conviction that Eretz Israel is ours, and thereby deserve the consoling prophecy of Zacharia: "Thus says the L-rd of hosts... the fast of the fifth [the month of Av] shall become times of joy and gladness" (Zecharia 8:19). Amen. Rabbi David Samson, Jerusalem 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 - D'VARIM 1)Why does the Torah repeat itself with the seemingly double language of SEE I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE LAND, LET'S GO AND INHERIT THE LAND (1:8)? 2) Why does Moshe state that G-D punished him BECAUSE OF YOU, referring to the Jewish people (1:37)? Wasn't he the one who sinned? 3) Why does Moshe command not to cause any distress to the nation of Amon at all (2:19), but commands not to distress Moav specifically regarding war (2:9)? Suggested Answers Ponder the questions first, then read here 1) The Ohr HaChayim answers that the Torah is referring to two different lands. G-D first points to the fact that He has given the Jews the land of Sichon and Og for the tribes of Reuven and Gad and then says that in the same way LET'S GO AND INHERIT THE LAND refer- ring to the land of Israel. 2) The Daat Zekainim MiBaalei HaTosfot explain that Moshe, in an attempt to show the Jews the greatness of G-D said, FROM THIS ROCK WILL WE BRING YOU WATER. However, the Jews lacked complete faith and actually thought that Moshe was questioning G-D which led them to question G-D even further. Moshe's leading the Jews to question G-D led to his punishment. So, he was punished BECAUSE OF YOU since it was the lack of the faith of the people which caused his sin. 3) The Kli Yakar teaches that since Moav hired Bil'am to curse the Jews, we are allowed to cause distress to Moav, just not in actual war. Amon, however, did nothing to harm the Jews and, therefore, no form of distress is allowed. 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 No column this week [7] from Machon Puah Supervision & Male Fertility Preservation In the early days of the development of modern scientific fertility treatments, poskim, concerned about the potential for laboratory errors leading to the use of the wrong genetic materials, ruled that such treatments were impermissible. Several highly publicized cases of IVF babies being implanted into the wrong female confirmed their fears. The onset of halachically supervised fertility treatments dramatically changed the halachic realities. Such supervision requires the presence of a third party supervisor whose job it is to prevent any potential mistakes of human error and ensure that any children born of such methods are the genetic products of the intended parents. Supervision is not limited to IVF, appropriate supervision is halachically essential for all forms of fertility treatments in which genetic material is processed outside the body for eventual use in the birth of a child. This includes male fertility preservation, our topic of the past few weeks. In the example we have discussed, a male cancer patient facing potential infertility as a result of his upcoming medical treatments, the need for supervision is paramount, in order to ensure that his frozen sperm sample is "certified" as belonging to him, allowing it to be used for fertilization procedures with his wife. Unfortunately, in the frantic rush to (a) make sure that the patient's sperm is preserved prior to beginning critically needed medical treatment on a timely basis and (b) preserve multiple samples of material for preservation, supervision sometimes gets overlooked. I recently met with representatives of large organization that works with families who have children with cancer. As part of their services, they regularly refer young men for fertility preservation and through no fault of their own had never even considered the necessity of supervision in such cases. After explaining the process and halachic need for such supervision to them, they immediately changed their protocols and now recommend supervision to all their client families. Not only does supervision ensure that the process if overseen according to halacha, in this case there is an additional benefit. The young terminally ill patients we are discussing are often frightened and concerned. They may never have ever been to a hospital before becoming ill, and are suddenly subjected to a battery of tests and treatments and told that their treatment may affect their fertility. Having someone meet them at the clinic to assist them, guide them and comfort them, to know that there is someone looking out for them in the lab and be assured that at least this part of the procedure is in good religious hands is a huge reassurance for them and a wonderful aid for their eventual recovery. NEXT: Female Fertility Preservation 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 third perek Everything is foreseen, yet freedom of choice is given; and the world is judged by grace, yet all is according to the amount of work. Let's take the first issue of the Mishna on faith, without trying to reconcile G-d's knowledge with our Free Will using our finite reasoning powers. Perhaps, some other time. But look at the second of Rabbi Akiva's teachings. We are judged by G-d with consideration to two major and different factors. The second is based on our deeds. What we try to do and what we actually accomplish. The first factor is the favorable slant G-d will place on our deeds and the motives behind them. Very few of us can stand on our deeds along. We need the edge G-d gives [9] MicroUlpan In honor of the Maccabiah Games... Many sports use a "starter" to signal the beginning of a race. It is often a pistol shot that is used by the starter. In Hebrew, the starter is the MAZNIK [10] Gimatriya VAYEITZEI HARISHON ADMONI... - Our Tish'a b'Av woes began, so to speak, with the birth of Eisav. AM ECHAD M'FUZZR U'M'FURAD (a people scattered and dispersed), a description of the Jewish People that "explains" our continuing exile... These two phrases have the same gimatriya - the same as TISHA B'AV. [11] Person in the parsha by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Rabbi Weinreb's Weekly Column: The Person in the Parsha for for Parshat D'varim D'varim: A Sublime Autobiography There is a biography. And then there is an autobiography. Our biography is the way others see us. Our autobiography is the way we see ourselves. Typically, there are sharp differences between the two. Others see us from their own perspectives. Some biographers can be boldly objective, confronting us with facts about ourselves which we did not see, and perhaps do not want to see. Other biographers have their own agendas and interpret our lives to fit their perceptions, frequently distorting the facts and the meaning of our lives in the process. Similarly, in the accounts of our lives that we ourselves write, there are two broad possibilities. We can disclose all of our lives' details accurately, hiding nothing. Or our autobiographies can be gross distortions of our life stories, intentionally falsified or unconsciously mistaken. Whomever we think we are, we are well-advised to be aware of how others see us. This week, we read the Torah portion of D'varim and thus begin an entirely new book, the fifth of the five chumashim: the Book of D'varim. The book we begin this Shabbat differs fundamentally from the preceding four, so much so that the rabbis call it Mishneh Torah, a "Second" Torah, a review of much that came before. For me, there has always been something else that distinguished D'varim and made it astoundingly different, not only from the other Books of the Torah, but from every other book in the entire Tanach. It is an autobiography! Whereas the other biblical books are invariably written in the third person, D'varim is written, or more correctly spoken, by Moshe Rabeinu in the first person. Moshe speaks to us in his own voice. Repetitively, until this week, we have read, "And G-d spoke to Moshe saying"... This week, we will read again and again, "And G-d spoke to me"... We will read not, "And G-d commanded,"... rather, "And I commanded"... The attentive reader of these texts cannot help but be astonished by this remarkable shift. This transition into the first person gives us the opportunity to relate to Moshe directly, to hear his personal "take" on all that we have been reading about until this point. This week, we will hear Moshe complain about the pressures of leadership in his own voice. We will overhear him exclaim, "How can I alone bear your bothersome, burdensome, and petty squabbles?" And we will eavesdrop upon him as he transcends his resentments and profusely blesses the people. And next week, again in his very own words, he will tell us of his enthusiasm for the Land of Israel, and of how desperately he petitions the Almighty to allow him entrance into the Land. And he will intimately disclose to us his disappointment when his prayers are rebuffed. As we proceed through the parade of self-disclosures of this book, we will learn more and more about Moshe the person. He will not hide his faults from us, he will tell us his versions of events, and he will select the mitzvot which he deems important to introduce or to review. D'varim is the window into the mind and heart of Moshe Rabeinu, the single most important personality in Jewish history. This week's Torah portion contains the opening chapter of what may very well be the world's oldest autobiography. Like every good autobiography should, it instructs the student, interests the reader, and inspires us all. It is instructive, for it teaches us how to be honest with ourselves. Moshe is humble, but he knows who he is. His self-image does not change in response to the hostility of his detractors, nor does his head swell because of the flattery of those who adulate him. He never loses sight of his mission and task, no matter what is going on in his psyche. Reading it is a privilege because it is a rare example of a leader who allows us to peek into his inner life and who shares with us his doubts, fears, and hopes. But more than a privilege, D'varim is a challenge and an inspiration. We are challenged by the awareness that, in many ways, we are no different from Moshe. We too have our frustrations, limitations, and unanswered prayers, and we too have the ability to cope, to overcome, and to graciously accept failure and disappointment. Finally, it is an inspiration to read of a leader who candidly and openly shares his innermost thoughts and emotions for all to know, and for all time. An inspiration surely for all who wish to learn, to strive, to hope, and to persevere. Have I convinced you that I was correct in the title I selected for this essay? "D'varim: A Sublime Auto- biography." [12] Tish'a B'Av - The Original Holocaust - Guest article by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva The Talmud in Tractate Ta'anit states that the decree by G-d that the entire generation of the Exodus from Egypt (adult men only) should die in the Wilderness was given on Tish'a B'Av. This was because of the sin of the spies which occurred on Tish'a B'Av. The Midrash explains that on the Eve of Tish'a B'Av all 600,000 male Jews who left Egypt, dug graves and slept in them on Tish'a B'Av night. This happened every Tish'a B'Av during their stay in the Wilderness. The following morning, a Bat Kol (Heavenly voice) announced "Let the living separate from the dead." Thus Tish'a B'Av became a day of tragedy and disaster throughout Jewish history. Both Holy Temples were destroyed on Tish'a B'Av. Josephus, who was an eye witness to the Second Temple's destruction, testifies that millions of Jews were killed by the Romans during the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome from the year 66 B.C.E. which culminated with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the year 70 B.C.E. The Spanish Inquisition, World War I, and the gas chambers of Auschwitz all began on Tish'a B'Av. Thus, precisely because the Holocaust was not without precedent, and because the Halacha had confronted, dealt with, and transcended similar situations in the past, it was able to guide and sustain those who lived and died by it during the bitter and calamitous times of the German domination of Europe. While much of its technology was novel, the Holocaust simply duplicated on an extensive and enormous scale events which had occurred with tragic regularity throughout Jewish history. The concept of the "Final Solution", differed in kind from earlier attempts at the destruction of the Jews; but this could make little difference in the reaction of its victims, who were unaware of the comprehensive nature of the plan. Pillage, psychological degradation, exclusion from society, mass murder, mass graves, burning, torture, beatings, cremation, forced labour, imprisonment, death marches, infanticide, rape and expulsion had all been experienced by Jewish communities in the past. Long, long before the Holocaust, the Halacha had developed its theoretical "theology" and its practical course of action when confronted with such tragic events. The Halacha was, therefore, uniquely equipped to adjust to death and suffering as well as to life and joy. It would be blasphemous for anyone who did not himself experience the terrors and the madness of the Holocaust to speak of the supportive and sustaining power of the Torah during that insane and diabolical period. But the vivid and compelling testimony of survivors, the literary testaments of victims, even the eyewitness accounts of the SS and those in league with them, clearly indicate the significant and ennobling role of Jewish religious observance in the Holocaust. In the face of events which would make Job's trials seem trivial, Jews retained their confident belief in a just Creator, whose secret purposes they might not be able to fathom, but whose revealed and clear dictates in the Halacha they were bound to observe. Halacha maintained that the only tenable response of the believing Jew to the chastisements of God - deserved or not - was that of Moshe Rabeinu himself, who, after describing God's outpouring of wrath upon His people, declared, "The secret things belong to HaShem our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law" (D'varim 29:28). The one course of action which remained mandatory under even the most calamitous circumstances was the fulfillment of the mitzvot. Of course, there must have been thousands of observant Jews who did ask Avraham's question, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justly?" and who found the conventional answers wanting. They could find no sin heineous enough to warrant the punishment they were receiving, and no promised bliss in the hereafter adequate enough to outweigh the hellish tortures they were suffering in this world. They abandoned and rejected the Halacha at the same time that they denied God. But there were thousands more to whom the mitzvot were as important, perhaps more important, during the Holocaust as they were in normal times. For them, the Rabbinic observation, "Since the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, is only to be found in the 'four cubits' of Halacha" (B'rachot 8a), became almost literally true. Their one sure link with the Divine was performance of His commandments. The one world in which they could be certain God is to be found was the world of Halacha. It is these men and women, who lived in the Holocaust and the realm of Torah at the same time, who truly made a Kiddush Hashem. [13] Editorial Are the fast days for the destruction of Yerushalayim and the Beit HaMikdash and the insert of NACHEIM into the Yerushalayim bracha of the Amida at Mincha of Tish'a b'Av "too much" for the reality of today's Jerusalem? There are people who have suggested canceling the fast days (perhaps all but Tish'a b'Av) in light of the fact that Jerusalem has come a long way since the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdash and the desolation that became the nature of the city almost 2000 years ago. And even more people have suggested rewriting NACHEIM since Jerusalem is no longer devoid of its inhabitants. We have seen tremendous building up of the city and the country in the past many decades. Does the progress of country and city make NACHEIM and the fast days anachronistic? First and foremost - the Beit HaMikdash has not yet been rebuilt; Moshiach has not come, and the fasts and prayers should remain in place until the Geula. Second (maybe this is first), we do not have the authority (yet) to cancel fast days. Third (and maybe this is really first), if Har HaBayit isn't really B'YADEINU, in our hands and a Jew who says a prayer on the Temple Mount can be arrested for incitement... then the fasts are still in place, as is NACHEIM. If you can walk down many a street and come upon a restaurant or pizza shop in which you CANNOT eat - not because the kashrut standards do not meet yours, but because the place is outright Treif... then Jerusalem and all of Israel still have a lot of spiritual rebuilding to come. If supposedly religious - very religious people can take to the streets in violent protest of the arrest of a (alledged) child-abusing psychopath, destroying public property, endangering the lives of others... then Tish'a b'Av and the rest sadly stay where they are. We've come a long way, as the saying goes - and we must acknowledge G-d for all of the positive things we have... but we still have a long way to go. And Tish'a b'Av et al remind us and help us focus on our agenda of national and individual improvement on many levels. [14] Divrei Menachem As is known, Moshe's last words to Bnei Yisrael in the Book of D'varim take on the guise of Tochacha (rebuke) to the Children of Israel. In the preamble we are told that this long speech took place at the end of forty years whereby, "Moshe spoke to Bnei Yisrael in accordance to all that Hashem had commanded him concerning them (D'varim 1:3). When he spoke to the people, Moshe was liberal with his reprimands, repeating many that Hashem had previously pronounced. Our rabbis comment, however, that in contradistinction to the preceding divine admonitions, here Moshe chastised Bnei Yisrael in a manner that reflected his understanding of their meaning and in a didactical way that would reach the people's hearts (cf. Artscroll). Rashi notes that the timing of this address immediately before Moshe's demise is consistent with the concept that one should not overly repeat Tochacha to those who falter, especially if the person reprimanding lists the specific offences and consequently embarrasses the sinner. The story is told, however, of the Maggid of Kalem who did indeed repeat his censures almost daily. When confronted by one of the cynical congregants as to why he consistently reproached his chassidim in his daily discourses, the Maggid replied knowingly: "And perhaps you will first tell me why you insist on repeating your sins every day?" Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading V'YIRU MIKEM And they will fear you. (D'varim 2:4) First syllable: V'YI, second syllable: R'U. The SH'VA under the REISH is NA and belongs to the second syllable. Say it with a NACH, V'YIR-U and it would mean, and they will see. This is not just a Torah reading issue - but we should mention again that if a BAAL K'RI'A reads the word as V'YIR-U, he is supposed to be asked to reread it correctly, because the meaning of the word changes - it is also a davening issue. In AZ YASHIR (SHIRAT HAYAM) - in the VAYOSHA p'sukim, we find VA-YI-R'U (note the difference between VA and V' - this also changes the meaning), and they (the people) feared G-d and believed in G-d and in Moshe His servant. The pasuk starts with VAYAR YISRA'EL, and Israel saw. Then it says that they feared G-d, not saw Him (which is not possible). As part of our daily davening, we should learn how to say VA-YI-R'U properly. As we've said in the past, a letter with a SH'VA NACH is pronounced differently from one with a SH'VA NA. Most often, the meaning of the word is not changed and therefore, the only problem with switching the way the SH'VA sounds is only a mispronunciation. But every once in a while we come across a word that will change meanings if a NA is NACHed or a NACH is NAed. Even when the meaning doesn't change, it is a nice fine-tuning that we can do to our davening by getting the SH'VAs right. Several of the more recently published Siddurim help us by differentiating between the two SH'VAs. Parsha Pix Speech-bubble at the top of the ParshaPix contains the main elements of what Moshe said to the People. He told them about the travels from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael and what happened during those travels, of the victories of the People in several battles they fought (that's the V for victory hand signal), and about Torah and Mitzvot that are the essence of Jewish Life. Also contained within that speech bubble is the letter D which is marked 24K which stands for one of the places Moshe mentioned - DI ZAHAV. The judge's gavel flanked (above & below) by two negation circles, relates to the mitzvot in the sedra, against appointing judges for the wrong reasons - not because of wealth, nor out of fear or threats. Furthermore, a judge may not be afraid of threats (e.g. the gun). The arrows indicating DO NOT ENTER to the right and the left, permitting only straight ahead, stands for the two instances, as related by Moshe, that we approached nations for permission to pass through their land. The graphic of the spies carrying the cluster of grapes stands for one of the major elements in the sedra, namely CHEIT HAMERAGLIM. The ghost with the San Francisco Giants logo is a play on the pasuk (2:11), The REFA'IM (ghosts in modern Hebrew; warriors or mighty people in the Biblical context) can be considered giants (or vice versa). The silhouettes of the bull and donkey are from the pasuk at the beginning of the haftara in which the prophet contrasts us unfavorably with the animals. The bull knows his master and the donkey, his feeding trough. The buttons (computer keys) emanating from a button represent D'varim 2:23. The stars at the top represent the description by Moshe of the size of the nation: G-d has caused you to multiply and here you are as numerous as the stars of the heavens. The blank face with a question mark is for LO TAKIRU PANIM BAMISHPAT (D'varim 1:17). The compass pointing north, as in D'varim 2:3 - ...P'NU LACHEM TZAFONA, turn to the north. The snowflake is for D'varim 3:9, which tells us that the Tzidonites called the Hermon Siryon and the Emori called it SNIR. Rashi says that SNIR means snow in Ashkenaz (early form of German?) and in the Canaanite language. Moshe is telling the "new" generation about the previous 40 years. In D'varim 2:7, he mentions G-d's blessing... that going through the Midbar for 40 years... LO CHASARTA DAVAR, nothing was lacking. Literally, nothing was subtracted. Hence, 40 - 0. The anchor minus N needs to be translated into Hebrew but kept in English characters in order to flow smoothly. Anchor is an OGEN. Take off the N (spelled EN) and you are left with OG. The kazoo - see it? - stands for the ZAMZUMIM (the word sounds like a kazoo sounds). This is what the AMONITES called the REFA'IM. Bottom towards the left is a hoe and an eel, representing the word HO'IL, as in HO'IL MOSHE BEI'EIR ET HATORA HAZOT... The word is not common in Tanach - besides the one in D'varim, there are only two others - in Shmuel Alef and Iyov. Then there is Gumby with his faithful steed Pokey. They go back to 1955. Gumby sounds like GAM BI, me too, from D'varim 1:37. 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 (Matot-Mas'ei) TTriddles: [1] No'ach around the house? The letter BET is spelled BET-YUD-TAV, that is BAYIT, and is based on the concept of a house. No'ach around the house is the name of the man from Shevet Menashe who conquered K'NAT and its suburbs in the Gil'ad region and renamed it after himself - NOVACH (which is spelled with the letters of the name NO'ACH surrounding a BET). Meanwhile, MM/Bklyn used an old TTriddle to solve this one as representing the daughters of Tz'lofchad who had NO ACH (brother) AROUND THE HOUSE. The TTriddles Commission of Torah Tidbits recognizes correct solutions even if they were not the intended ones. [2] Epsilon Ceti B II A super-dedicated Trekky (ardent fans of Star Trek) might solve this TTriddle without searching the internet, but anyone who cared to enter Epsilon Ceti B II into a web search would have found that it is the official designation of a fictitious planet from the Star Trek series. The common name for that planet is RISA, also one of the 42 places of encampment of the People of Israel, as listed in the beginning of Mas'ei. [3] Hebrew, Hartford, Hereford, Hampshire Prof. 'enry 'iggins expended a tremendous amount of effort and energy in getting Eliza Dolittle to sound the H's at the beginning of words such as the placenames Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire. The Hebrew equivalent of this problem of proper pronunciation of the H sound exists, not at the beginning of the word, but at the end. This keeps the similar problems from the two languages both on the left side of the words. Reference here is the the MAPIK-HEI, the letter HEI with a dot in it, at the end of a word (which is the only place a MAPIK-HEI occurs). Many people have the Liza Dolittle problem of not aspirating the HEI in words ending with a MAPIK-HEI. The highest concentration of MAPIK-HEI words in the Torah can be found within the first aliya of Parshat Matot, in the parsha dealing with HAFARAT N'DARIM by a father of his NAARA-age daughter's vows and by a husband of his wife's vows. A woman is ISHA, but "her husband" is ISHAH - with the puff of a HEI sound at the end of the word. [4] 08-635-7444 Yotvata is a kibbutz along the Arava road in the southern Negev in Israel... The ancient copper mines of Timna valley are located nearby... started in 1951 as a Nahal settlement... The name is biblical and the solution to this TTriddle. Yhe phone number is theirs and their biblical namesake is one of the 42 places of encampment. Here's a little more on Yotvata. They decided to start a dairy that would provide milk to Eilat... Breeding milking cows in the desert was considered an impossible mission. In 1962 the dairy was founded, with four cows... In the first year, the dairy produced 500,000 liters of milk. By 2008, it was producing 62 million liters a year and controls 63% of the Israeli dairy market... has 700 cows. Yotvata's Chai-Bar Nature Reserve... has three parts: a park for herbivorous animals; the Predators Center that displays reptiles, small desert animals and large predators; and the Desert Night Life Exhibition Hall to observe nocturnal animals during their active hours. [5] The most specifik of the encampments Specific is spelled wrong to indicate that the answer to this TTriddle also involves a misspelling. DAFKA is one of the 42 places of encampment. Its name is not only a sound-alike for DAVKA, meaning specifically, but it is the common way that many people pronounce DAVKA, especially when speaking English sprinkled with Yiddishized Hebrew. Phonetically, DAFKA is easier to say than DAVKA, because both the F and K sounds are voiceless, whereas the V sound is the voiced form of the F sound. We can see this same idea with the name RIVKA that many people pronounce (and some even spell) as RIFKA. Similarly, we are "warned" in the reciting of the Sh'ma to be careful to say TIZ-K'RU rather than the more natural TIS-KIRU - these two words actually mean different things. [6] The friendly brother places There are five letters in the ALEF-BET that have some rules that apply only (or almost only) to them. They are ALEF, HEI, CHET, AYIN, and REISH. There are a couple of mnemonic devices to group and remember them, one of which is REI'A HA'ACH, loosely rendered as the friendly brother. Among the 42 places of encampment listed in Mas'ei, there are two that are made of these letters only, making them the friendly brother places. One is HOR HAHAR and the other is ARO'EIR. This second placename pronounced by a real S'faradi and an American Ashkenazi will highlight the difference in the way these letters are pronounced. Warning the latter type of person: pronounce it the S'faradi way at your own risk to your throat. Just kidding. (Well, not really; it can hurt.) [7] He gets land; his namesake doesn't There are two different ELITZAFANs mentioned in the Torah. Elitzafan ben Uziel was the K'hat family leader. As a Levi, neither he nor his heirs would get land in Eretz Yisrael. Elitzafan ben Parnach, on the other hand, was the new leader of Shevet Zevulun, whose task upon entry into Eretz Yisrael and after conquest, was to assist in the division of the land, some of which he would receive. [8] Did he mix up the Yom Tov on Motza"Sh procedure? When Yom Tov is Motza'ei Shabbat (second night of Rosh HaShana 5770 HAL"T is the next one up), we combine Kiddush for Yom Tov with Havdala for the departing Shabbat, with one cup of wine. The acronym for the order of the brahot is YAKNEHAZ, for YAYIN (HaGafen), KIDDUSH (M'kadeish Yisrael v'haZ'manim), NER (Borei M'orei HaEish), Havdala (HaMavdil bein Kodesh L'Kodesh), and Z'MAN (Shehecheyanu). We don't really think Kalev ben Yefuneh would mix up these brachot, but his identification as HAK'NIZI has us wondering, TTriddle-wise. HaK'nizi has the letters of YAKNEHAZ in a different order. [9] 3rd of 3 in a row, earlier in Va'eira Matot is the third sedra in a row that mentions the name of PINCHAS. He was previously mentioned at his birth in Parshat Va'eira - these being the only four times that his name occurs in the Torah. Speaking of PINCHAS... In addition to 4 mentions in the Torah, there are another 14 occurrences of the name in the rest of NACH. In addition, the other Pinchas (son of ELI HAKOHEN, brother of CHOFNI, father of IKAVOD) is mentioned seven times, including once without the YUD. (And, remember, that the Pinchas at the beginning of the sedra of the same name is written in the Torah with an extra-small YUD.) Also know that the first syllable of the name is PI (as the English word pea) and the second syllable is N'CHAS. SH'VA NA under the NUN One of the occurrences of Pinchas in the book of Ezra refers to a third Pinchas in Tanach, father of Elazar (rather than son of Elazar) [10] Same day half ruby Ohio This one was for SD and others who acknowledged our TT issue 660 in which we mentioned Willie Mays's homerun total; issue 755 in which we acknowledged Hank Aaron for his steroid-free homerun record and the fact that it was Parshat T'tzaveh in which the original Aaron is the focal point. Then there was 762 and the Barry Bonds milestone (albeit, tainted). Which brings us to 868 and the TTriddle that acknowledges the real homerun king of baseball, the Japanese star whose name is hidden in the wording of this TTriddle. You can extract the name easily enough by taking the first two letters of each word - SADAHARU OH. With this week's issue 869, we have even passed his record number. [11] One a day for August and September This TTriddle was meant to call attention to the numbers in the counting of the spoils of war from the Midyan battle. It chooses the "tax" of donkeys of the people (not the soldiers) which came to 61 donkeys, exactly one a day for August (31 days) and September (30 days). [12] MazalPic was correctly identified by H(S)M and by Tasya as the lionfish for the mazal of Av, LEO, the Lion. This week's TTriddles: [1] [2] They hum while they calculate [3] The questions' follow up: ALEF ALEF BET HEI HEI HEI YUD YUD SHIN SHIN TAV [4] And two of the twelve [5] two lunar cycles [6] three others and, two [7] he's "(the) man" 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 - Please help a grieving young woman who has no resources to pay for a Matzeva for her mother. Details, Menachem: 0505-701067 Make checks out to "Chesed Fund" and send to: Chesed Fund, Israel Center att. Menachem Persoff POB 37015 / Jerusalem 91370 NESTO Native English-Speaking Teen Olim OU Israel's Youth Program for Anglo-Israelis Chaim Pelzner, Director -, 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 The Yair Landau Memorial Library New Torah Tapes! We are pleased to announce that Dr. Hayim Abramson has made his lectures available to the public via our library. This is the culmination of over two years of his class on Thursday mornings at the Israel Center, covering, inter alia, Dr. Abramson's extremely interesting insights into ancient Jewish history. Video Library. The library is now stocked with plenty of videos, notably shown every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons at 12:30pm. If one cannot make this time, they are usually shown again one evening. Please see the TT for times and titles. Wanted! Childrens' books. Books we have aplenty, B"H, for all ages... except our little ones. With that in mind, children who come with their parents and grandparents need to have something to read as well. So what are we leading up to? You guessed it, please, anytime you pass the front desk in the lobby and would like to make a contribution to our anticipated children's library, please do. You may bring in books in good condition, of Jewish interest, primarily in English or Hebrew, or make a financial contribution. Thank you in advance. Welcome back! Yaacov Rosen, librarian, was officially welcomed back after taking a much needed vacation in Toronto. He kindly gave the Dvar Torah to our Knitting 101 group which takes place every Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 pm (but not Erev Tisha B'av, 29th July). Thanks. Many thanks to the professional staff on the second floor who helped changed the look of the library and guided us to a place where the library now has voice mail, 560-9135. Leave a message if there is a particular book or tape or video you would like to see or hear again. Music... After Tish'a b'Av we will once again be able to listen to music, so do not forget our delightful music CD library. Have a meaningful Elul! - The Library Staff 80's plus - Looking to start social group: discussions, speakers, socializing; telephone contacts possible - Call: 050-7258392, (02) 560-9110 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 Shabbaton - Shabbat Parshat Va'etchanan - Shabbat Nachamu, Friday-Shabbat, July 31st - August 1st Guest speaker: Rabbi Neil Winkler "On Shabbat Nachamu, it is appropriate to enjoy oneself more than on other Shabbatot of the year, because on it, begins the NECHAMA" - from Aveilut HaChurban by HaRav Yoel Schwartz (quoting the Yosef Ometz) Join us for an especially joyous Shabbat of Shiurim, mini-shiurim, Divrei Torah, tidbits, surveys, quizzes; 3 Shabbat meals, Oneg, Kiddush; old & new friends... Early Shabbat (5:55pm Mincha; 6:11pm Plag) Davening Shabbat morning (8:00am) 230NIS members 250nis non-members - Call 560-9125 Remember to tell us about your housing situation, dietary needs, seating preferences... Special deal for Shabbaton participants on Howie Kahn's Motza'ei Shabbat Nachamu Concert 30NIS (instead of 45NIS) Call the Travel Desk at any time 24/6 (anytime) 560-9110 or 050-725-8392. If we do not answer personally, please leave a message stating your name, phone numbers, and the names of the tiyulim for which you wish to reserve - Shulamit's tiyulim are always a treat; Come! You will enjoy her delicious sweets! Details... Details... Details... Details... Details... Details... Aug. 2nd, 4:30-6:30pm - KOTEL TUNNELS with dynamic guide, Basha Zusman. We will be exploring the entire length of the wall from the exposed portion of the Kotel Plaza outside, towards the north, underneath the Moslim structures. We will see some of the most recent excavations during the tour. In addition, we will be visiting the newly renovated shul, Ohel Yitzhak, which is now functioning since the Jordanian destruction in 1948 left it in ruins. See its beauty and amazing rooftop views. 36NIS Limited to 30 people Aug. 4th - Palmach Museum, Tel Aviv, with Nachman Kupietzky. Newest state-of-the-art museum vividly portraying the pre-state defense army of Israel. Check-in 9:35am. Leaving 9:45am. Returning 2:30pm. Limited to 25 people. 110/120NIS Aug. 5th, noon T"U b'Av - Delicious lunch at the Center, guest speaker, video of a Motza'ei Shabbat Nachamu concert by Shlomo Carlebach z"l. 50NIS Aug. 7th, 9:00-noon - Connecting Tsitsit and Tefilin - Visit Kefar Adumim where we will learn about the blue Tekhelet threads and how they are made. Back in Jerusalem we will visit the Oter Yisrael Tefilin store. We shall view a film and tour the premises where tefilin are manufactured. 60NIS Aug. 9th, 4:00-5:30pm - Botanical Gardens - In the beautiful and unusual gardens, each area is dedicated to a different continent. Each section of the Gardens contains flora indigenous to its continent. We will ride in a train up to the "heavenly" hot houses and inside we will be guided by a dedicated, knowledgeable botanist. As we drive throughout the gardens, we will see and hear all about the trees and flowers of the particular continents. 36NIS Aug. 13th, 8:00am to 6:30pm - We're heading NORTHWEST with guide Gideon Abramowitz. Heritage Center and Memorial of the Border Police - We will hear the fascinating talk of Dr. Tal Misgav, historian and former commander and enjoy a tour of the site and a short movie. The Orot Rabin Visitor's Center of the Israeli Electric Company - A guided tour of the plant includes also the Chefziba Agricultural Center first established in 1906. In 1992 the "farm" was bought by the Electric Company, which renovated the buildings and worked to conserve the special mechanical and technical relics on the site. Park Alona - This park boasts the beautiful Mei Kedem, underground aqueduct. The aqueduct served the city of Caesarea During the Roman Byzantine Era. Though the cave is lit in parts, it is advisable to bring a flashlight as well as clothes and proper shoes for walking through 40-70cm of water. For the most part it is possible to walk through the cave standing up. Charish - one of the "satellite" cities originally planned by Ariel Sharon. We will discuss the demographic problems in the area as well as the findings of Prof. Adam Zartal, Head of the Archeology Dept at Haifa Univ., in this part of the country (El Achvat)165NIS Aug. 18th, 8:00am - 7:00pm "What a Country!" Shalom Pollack, guide. Mt. Carmel (the Switzerland of Israel - or is Switzerland the Mt. Carmel of Europe?), Nesher Park, suspension bridge (longest in Israel), Haifa - Af Al Pi Chen Museum, boat ride in the bay. To the top of Haifa for a breath-taking view of the bay and the world famous, manicured Bahia gardens. On to Muchraka where Eliyahu HaNavi challenged the four hundred prophets of Baal and slew them before the People of Israel. See the very lush biblical Jezreel valley below where the Tanach begs to tell its dramatic stories. What a country! 175NIS Aug. 20th, 10:00am-2:00pm The Israel Center & Rachel's Children Reclamation Foundation Invite you to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Elul at Kever Rachel in Beit Bnei Rachel, founded by Evelyn Haies. Shiur & Lunch: "Children draw for Rachel" Guest speakers Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher: "Teshuva & Redemption Only in the Merit of Rachel Imenu" and Rabbi Zev Leff: "Rachel Imenu: Her Midot - Role Model for Derech Eretz" When you make your reservations, please specify your lunch preference. Each participant will receive an individualized meal catered by the OU Israel Center Mehadrin Cafe. Total cost: 65NIS Aug. 24th and Aug. 25th - each at 10am - Giv'at Mordechai FIRE STATION - Grand tour of the premises, Visit the beautiful shul with its magnificent lights - the one & only shul in any of Israel's fire stations - 25NIS Aug. 26th and Aug. 27th - "From Drinks to Fire" Join us for a visit to the Coca Cola Factory, the Ginzach Institute and learn about religious fortitude, Emunah and strengthening of one another during WWII, the amazing Stalagmite Caves with its fascinating forms and shapes, and the Pillars of Fire - magnificent sculpture by the famous artist Rappaport. 125NIS Aug. 28th, 10:30am BELZ SYNAGOGUE tour -25NIS EIN GEDI - Join us for a wonderful 4-day vacation at the Ein Gedi Guest House - This is not just a vacation but a blessed health experience, as well SUN-WED, Aug. 30th - Sep. 2nd, 10-13 Elul - in the midst of the only Botanical Gardens in the world where people live. Price includes...admission to the world famous magnificent mineral Spa and self-service mud - all day and every day. A delightful semi-Olympic sweet water outdoor pool - hours for separate swimming for men and women, including night swimming. Entrance to the separate Dead Sea beaches. Beautiful, recently redecorated rooms with refrigerator, kettle and more, Rich buffet cuisine - Kosher Lemehadrin - Hashgacha of Rabbi Bistritzky with all products either Eida Haredit or Rabbi Landau The Longer U Stay, the Less U Pay Per Day! Prices are per person, dbl. occ. half board (Single supplement available) Deluxe rooms: New desert rooms: 4 nights, 4 x 436NIS 4 nights, 4 x 381NIS 3 nights, 3 x 450NIS 3 nights, 3 x 398NIS 2 nights, 2 x 468NIS 2 nights, 2 x 403NIS Register immediately with 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! TIYUL - with Foundation Stone Royal Frontiers - From Saul to David Kingdoms of Judah and the Philistines; A Foundation Stone Journey of Discovery The Tribes of Israel become a Kingdom and face the Philistines Foundation Stone is turning the Elah Fortress - Khirbet Qeiyafa into a place of learning and discovery. The scientific excavation is led by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew University with volunteers and scholars. Elah Fortress has made international news and changed the history books. This is your chance to see it close up during the dig. The first Israel Center group watched the archaeologists scream and run shouting across the hill as an Egyptian scarab was pulled out of the ground in front of them! Rabbi Asher Altshul is actually digging on the site and will lead you all day. Rabbi, archaeologist, tour guide, and classroom educator, he will captivate you from beginning to end. A sumptous lunchtime spread at Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed-Hei is offered, and there is ample time for breaks and refreshments during the day. Please wear a hat and closed shoes, no crocs or sandals. The Thursday night lecture at the Center and the Sunday tour can be enjoyed independently. Attending both will give you the most comprehensive view and understanding. Next tiyul: Sunday, August 2nd 150nis, Call 560-9125 TO RESERVE - Follow developments at www.elahfortress.com David Willner MA, Ed., Rabbi Barnea Levi Selavan - Co-directors, Foundation Stone 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 What Does Jerusalem Really Mean? with Rabbi Alan Haber - Monday, August 3rd 9:00-13:00 The Hills and the Kings of Yehuda with Menachem Liebtag -- Thursday, August 6th 9:00-17:00 Gush Etzion - from Avraham Avinu to 1948 with Ezra Rosenfeld - Monday, August 10th9:00-16:00 The Back Page of TT869 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 1 Av (July 22nd) to Friday, 10 Av (July 31st) Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Av - July 22nd 9:20am Contemporary Halachic Issues Rabbi Macy Gordon 10:45am Pirkei Avot R' Yosef Wolicki various MINI-Shiur/Divrei Torah while you fold 12:30pm VIDEO SCREENING in the LIBRARY - Rabbi Aharon Adler - From Churban to Geula: Rav Soloveitchik on Tish'a b'Av Medical Chi Kong Practice with Avi Hirsch - Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm - Call for further details: 050-767-1722 xxx Women's Beit Midrash - Pearl Borow No session this week. Next session - Monday, July 27th Wednesday evenings, 7:30-8:30pm: Rabbi Chaim Eisen Thursday, 2 Av / July 23rd 11:00am The Last 60 Years of the Beit HaMikdash - Midrash and Agada with Dr. Hayim Abramson various MINI-Shiur/Divrei Torah while you fold 8:00pm (July 23) at the Israel Center... (reg. lecture fee) Elah Fortress - Come understand how archaeology works, how it connects to the texts, and increase your understanding and love for Israel's heritage. David Willner, MA Ed. - Rabbi Barnea Levi Selavan - Rabbi Asher Altshul. AV-assisted lecture program Friday, 3 Av / July 24th 9:00am Aggadah - Rabbi Chaim Eisen 11:00am RCA Daf Yomi Shabbat day 4 Av / July 25th 5:00pm Shiur by Rabbi Alan Greenspan - Pirkei Avot 6:00pm MINCHA 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) - Monday and Tuesday on recess Masechet K'tuvot with Rabbi Hillel Ruvell Sunday 5 Av / July 26th 9:30am Let's Study Eicha Tonia Frohwein women 10:30am Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year Golda Warhaftig 10:30am (July 26th) AMIT WOMEN Health Lecture (25NIS) Chinese Medicine - Past & Present - Gloria Menzin Taubes, Founder of Jerusalem Granola, served as its CEO for 20 years 12:30pm "Life: The Fantastic Adventure" Aharon Romm 12:30pm Hebrew for Beginners - Learn to read and converse in Hebrew and feel more comfortable when you daven Given by expert pedagogue Haya Graus, 10NIS per session 2:00pm Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher (July 26th) - Why Ps. 79 SINGS about the Temple's destruction 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 6 Av / July 27th N'SHEI LIBRARY: CLOSED - Will reopen IYH on Monday, Aug. 24th 9:15am Excursions into the Book of Melachim Pearl Borow 10:30am Halachic Perspectives of Shtetl Life - Rabbi Aharon Ziegler 11:35am Fit Forever: Look & Feel your Best! Exercise for women of all ages- Call Sura Faecher 993-2524 11:36am July 27th - Speaker: Rebbetzin Estelle Feldman on A Delicate Balance: More on the Role of the Rebbetzin 12:30pm VIDEO SCREENING in the LIBRARY - MON July 27 Rabbi Sholom Gold: "The Biblical Readings of Tish'a b'Av" 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) 8:00pm The Two Temples In this powerful four-part series leading up to Tisha B'Av, David Solomon will explore the history and themes of the two temples in Jerusalem; their construction, duration and destruction. Mondays @ 8pm - July 6, 13, 20, 27 Tuesday 7 Av / July 28th 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 9:00am Haftara of the Week Rabbi Aharon Adler 10:15am Parshat HaShavua Rabbi Sholom Gold in recess Jewish History, 2nd Temple Period - Dr. Henry Goldblum - The Hasmonean "State" at 60 Workshops for women with Esther Sutton... 11:20am Inspirational selections from ALEI SHOR a modern day Mussar classic 1:00 (to 2:30pm) The Artist's Way a course in discovering and nurturing our innate creativity Further details and to register, please call Esther at 534-1922 Tue. 12:30pm VIDEO in the LIBRARY - TUE July 28 Phil Chernofsky: "Tish'a b'Av and D'varim" The RCA Israel Region cordially invites you to attend our program on Tuesday, July 28 3:00pm at the Israel Center - Guest speaker: Rabbi Dr. Avie Walfish, lecturer at Bar Ilan, Herzog College; Magid Shiur- Steinsalz Kollel will speak on: Renewal of Orthodox Tanach Study "The Old will be Renewed & the New will be Sanctified" - RCA business meeting at 2:00pm 8:00pm Meet the Meforshim - Rabbi Yonatan Kolatch - Topic for Va'etchanan (July 28th): Idol Worship in Galut July 28th, 8:00pm - Special pre-Tish'a b'Av Shiur - The Power of Speech: Sh'mirat HaLashon; One mitzva - the key to both worlds with world-renowned speaker Rabbi Mendel Kessin Wednesday Erev Tish'a b'Av / July 29th 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 - WED July 29 Rabbi Aharon Adler: Haftorot of Tish'a b'Av Medical Chi Kong Practice with Avi Hirsch - Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm - Call for further details: 050-767-1722 The Israel Center will close on Erev Tish'a b'Av after Mincha and will reopen for the evening at 6:45pm To arrange TT-pickup when we are closed call Toni at 0505-772-111 7:00pm - Seuda HaMafseket - (whole wheat) pita, egg, water 7:35pm - Review of the laws and practices of Tish'a b'Av 8:05pm - Maariv and Eicha with the participation of Rabbi Neil Winkler Tish'a b'Av day - Thursday, July 30th 8:30am - until after Chatzot - Slow-paced Shacharit and Kinot focusing on selected Kinot with Dr. David Luchins and Rabbi Neil Winkler 1:20pm Mincha Gedola From 2:00pm (approx.) until we close at 6:00pm Appropriate videos including shiurim, documentaries and - if we can arrange it - the OU Tish'a b'Av live webcast from 4:00pm Israel time (simultaneous with the videos) with Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Stop the Fire - End of Tish'a b'Av program with Dr. David Luchins at Aish HaTorah (meat dining room next to the Burnt House) Thursday, July 30th, 6:00pm - For more details, call (02) 628-5666 Friday 10 Av / July 31st 9:00am Rabbi Chaim Eisen: "What Authority Does Aggadah Have? An Historic Overview (Rishonim)" 11:00am RCA Daf Yomi Shababton upcoming at the Israel Center Sat. August 1st at 9:30pm - Motza'ei Shabbat Nachamu Catskill Reunion (Special Summer Sleepaway Camp Edition) An Evening of Music, Humor & Nostalgia with Howie Kahn Featuring an indoor smokeless "Campfire Singalong"; 45NIS members 50NISnon-members - Anyone who ever worked at a summer sleepaway camp gets 5NIS off "A splendid time is guaranteed for all." Sunday, August 2nd, 2:00pm - Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher's SHIUR: "The mystical link of TU b'AV to Yom Kippur" Mondays, August 3, 10, 17 - 10:30am - Rabbi Neil Winkler - In the Beginning of "In the Beginning"; A fresh, different look into the Book of B'reishit Monday, August 3rd - 8:00pm - When Jews break the Law... How do we react? Thought-provoking lecture by Dr. David Luchins Wednesday, August 5th - 12:00pm - TU b'AV Luncheon, Mini-shiur, and Video Shabbat Chazon and Tish'a B'av Review This review as an educational tool; actual halachic questions should be put to a Rav. This is especially true of circumstances that are out of the ordinary. The Shabbat before Tish'a b'Av is known as SHABBAT CHAZON. The name derives from the Haftara which is read, first chapter of Yeshayahu. Cleaning the house and other preparations for Shabbat are as usual. Although we do not eat meat during the Nine Days (except for Shabbat), one may taste (without swallowing) food being cooked for Shabbat to determine its flavor-needs. Many authorities permit bathing and dressing for Shabbat as one would usually do for any other Shabbat. (This is standard practice in Israel.) Others impose some restrictions, such as washing with less pleasant water (temperature-wise), and not bathing the entire body at one time. One may cut his/her fingernails during the first part of the 9 Days, but not during the week in which 9Av falls. One may wear fresh garments for Shabbat, but not new ones. Some say that they should be put on only right before Shabbat. Many shuls sing L'cha Dodi to the tune of "Eli Tzion" from Tish'a b'Av morning kinot. Some frown upon this custom as a public sign of mourning on Shabbat. Nonetheless, it is a common custom. It is okay to drink wine and eat meat once a person has taken Shabbat, even if it is before sunset. Many shuls read the pasuk beginning with the word "Eicha" (D'varim 1:12) to the tune of Eicha. The Haftara for Shabbat Chazon is mostly read with the Eicha melody. The rabbi of the shul or a prominent member of the congregation is usually given Maftir. Shabbat meals are as usual, including meat and wine. The custom of not eating meat or drinking wine during the Nine Days does not apply to Shabbat - part of "no public display of mourning on Shabbat". One may have meat and wine at all meals on Shabbat, even if this is more than he would usually do. If one is eating meat at the Third Meal, and the meal extends into the night, he still may continue to eat meat. Some disagree and hold that one should stop eating meat at nightfall, even if one hasn't ended his Shabbat. It will serve us well to think of meat & wine on Shabbat Chazon, not only in the negative (no public display of mourning, therefore...), but also in a positive way. Shabbat is called "a foretaste of the World to Come". Shabbat Chazon allows us a glimpse into the (hopefully near) future when the prophecy of Zacharia will come to be and Tish'a b'Av and its three satellite fasts will become joyous days. We might look at Shabbat as a down payment from G-d, so to speak, on His promise for the future. Havdala: Some say that since Havdala of Shabbat Chazon is said after Shabbat is over, then one should not drink wine, since wine is forbidden during the Nine Days (except for Shabbat). One would then choose a beverage for Havdala that is known as CHAMAR MEDINA, a drink of some importance in our society. Check with your LOR for the approved drinks list. The other opinion holds that THE proper beverage for Havdala is WINE (except in cases of "great need", such as, there is no wine or you are allergic to it). If you use wine and there is a child present at Havdala who is old enough to understand the concept of Brachot but too young to understand Mourning the CHURBAN, then he/she should drink the wine of Havdala. (Too young and no real understanding of brachot does not absolve the Havdala maker from drinking. Old enough to mourn the loss of the Mikdash, then he/she also shouldn't be drinking wine during the Nine Days.) If not, the one saying Havdala should drink the wine. Some say that he should not finish the whole cup, but suffice with a ROV R'VI'IT. Others say to drink the whole cup so that the after-bracha can be said. SHAVUA SHECHAL BO The week in which Tish'a b'Av falls has stricter rules than the first part of the Nine Days. E.g. those who shave during the Three Weeks and even after Rosh Chodesh Av, should at least not shave during SHAVU'A SHECHAL BO. EREV TISH'A B'AV Some authorities forbid regular Torah learning in the afternoon of Erev 9Av, permitting only those topics which are permitted on Tish'a b'Av itself. There is a strict opinion that one should not eat regular meals after noon - only SEUDA HAMAFSEKET. Realistically, this opinion is too difficult to follow, and, in fact, is not followed. The usual practice is to eat a regular meal in the late afternoon, followed by Mincha (if that works out), and then to have the special pre-fast "meal", shortly before the onset of the fast. SEUDA HAMAFSEKET tradition- ally consists of bread (or pita) and a hard boiled egg, and water. Some dip the egg and/or bread in ash. Officially, there are many rules concerning what may and may not be eaten at this pre-fast meal. Since most people will have recently eaten a "regular" supper, it is most common to have SEUDA HAMAFSEKET with just bread, egg, and water. This is a mourner's meal, appropriate for pre-9Av. It should be eaten alone, to avoid benching mezuman. Some sit on the floor or low seat for this meal. The meal is eaten and the Birkat HaMazon is said with a heavy heart, realizing the enormity of the Churban. (Recommended to say AL NAHAROT BAVEL before Birkat HaMazon, even if you don't do so on other non-Shir HaMaalot days.) As is true throughout Tish'a b'Av, it is very important that one's thoughts be on the mournful nature and seriousness of the day. LEIL TISH'A B'AV The prohibitions of Tish'a b'Av should begin a few minutes before sunset. For Jerusalem this year, we should stop eating, etc. a few minutes before 7:37pm. (This is the earlier sunset time than the one that takes Jerusalem's elevation into account. One should finish eating and drinking, etc. by 7:35-ish.) Maariv is recited in a low, mournful tone. Then Megilat Eicha is read while people sit on the ground or on low stools. It is customary to reduce the lighting in shul and remove the curtain of the Ark and the covers of the Amud and Shulchan. When Eicha is read from parchment, as it is in many shuls in Jerusalem, the bracha AL MIKRA MEGILA is recited (but not She'he'che'yanu). Following Eicha some kinot (poems of lament) are chanted. 3 aspects of 9Av laws... [1] The prohibitions of Yom Kippur- like fasts viz. (a) no eating or drinking, (b) no washing except for fingertips for ritual washing and the washing of actual dirtied areas of the body, (c) no cosmetics or lotions (medications and unscented deodorant are permitted), (d) no wearing of leather shoes, including shoes or sneakers with tops or soles of leather, (e) no marital relations; [2] practices related to mourning, such as no Torah-learning except sad themes such as Eicha and Job, parts of other books of Tanach, the laws of Tish'a b'Av, the laws of mourning, etc., no exchange of greetings, sitting on the ground; and [3] a reduction of luxuries and comfort, such as making sleeping conditions less comfortable. Tish'a b'Av day In the morning, one should wash only the fingers (and eyes, if necessary). Shacharit: Talit & T'filin are not worn. No Birkat Kohanim. Davening is regular but subdued. We omit the bracha OTER YISRAEL B'TIF'ARA, as this is considered a reference to T'filin, the crown of glory of the Jew. The bracha will be said at Mincha when one does put on T'filin. [GR'A's minhag is also to skip SHE'ASA LI KOL TZORKI in the morning brachot, which alludes to having good shoes. This bracha is said after the fast, when one puts on leather shoes.] On the other hand, it is surprising that we don't say Avinu Malkeinu, Tachanun, Lamnatzei'ach, or Slichot, any and all of which we might expect on a fast day. Tish'a b'Av, however, is referred to as a MO'ED and will IY"H be a festival when the Beit HaMikdash is rebuilt. As a sign of our complete confidence in this promise of the Messianic times, we treat Tish'a b'Av now as a festival in these token ways. Special 9Av Torah reading (from Va'etchanan) and Haftara (from Yirmiyahu, read with the Eicha tune) are followed by Kinot which should ideally continue until halachic noon (12:46pm). Some read Eicha in the morning, too. Thinking about Churban Beit HaMikdash (and other tragedies associated with 9Av) is essential. One should refrain from that which would cause the mind to wander from the day's thoughts. Although most restrictions continue throughout the entire day, a few are relaxed at mincha-time. The Parochet is returned to the Ark, lighting in shul is restored to normal, talit and t'filin are worn, Kohanim bless the People, and sitting on regular chairs is permitted. This, in essence, transforms Tish'a b'Av into a "regular" fast day and psychologically allows us to reflect on the consolation of the prophecies of the Geula and the Building of the Third Beit HaMikdash. Torah and Haftara readings for Mincha are like other fast-days. The passages of NACHEIM and ANEINU are inserted into the Jerusalem bracha and Sh'ma Koleinu respec- tively. Omitting either, one does not go back. However, Nacheim can be said in R'TZEI and either or both can be said before YIHYU L'RATZON. Motza'ei Tish'a b'Av The fast ends approx. 8:10pm. Maariv is regular. One should try to wash his hands ritually (if possible, for Maariv; if not, then right after- wards), since it had not been "properly" done in the morning. Some say Kiddush L'vana right after Tish'a b'Av (preferably after breaking the fast). Others will have said K.L. during the previous week (based on Minhag Yerushalayim). Others will wait for Motza'ei Shabbat Nachamu. The 10th of Av is the day that most of the Beit HaMikdash burned. Because it started burning on the 9th, and because of other events associated with the 9th, Chazal fixed the fast day on the 9th. But the restrictions of the 9 Days continue beyond the fast. Usually, restrictions apply until halachic noon of the 10th of Av (12:46pm this year). This applies to not eating meat and drinking wine and listening to joyous music. Marital relations are forbidden on the eve of the 10th of Av, unless it is the 'mikve' night. There are other circumstances that would permit relations - ask a Rav. This year, with the 10th of Av being Erev Shabbat, haircutting, shaving, bathing, and laundry are permitted from Thursday night (some say first thing Friday morning), rather than Chatzot. However, pleasurable swimming, as opposed to regular bathing, is allowed only after noon on Friday. Something to think about... Several events in Jewish history are associated with 9Av that are not mentioned in the Mishna in Taanit. Major expulsions of Jews from different countries began on 9Av, or were decreed on 9Av, or are in some way linked to 9Av. Some massacres are associated with Tish'a b'Av. We must view them in an appropriate perspective. Simply put, the troubles we have suffered throughout the many centuries of exile are directly related to the exile itself and the causes of it. Pogroms, Crusades, the Holocaust, all spanned the calendar from one end to the other. Yet these events still have a 9Av context. Visiting Yad VaShem (if it's open) or reading Holocaust literature is certainly appropriate for Tish'a b'Av. These thoughts should be kept in mind by parents who are interested in suggesting meaningful activities and readings for their children during the Nine Days and on 9Av. Sometimes a child might not be able to relate to events that occurred thousands of years ago, but might be "into" Holocaust study, for instance. The Holocaust was a Churban too. All of Jewish History has been greatly influenced and shaped by events that occurred since we became a nation. The sin of the spies should also be a focus of our thoughts at this time. May we merit the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash BIMHEIRA B'YAMEINU AMEN.