Torah Tidbits # 957 - Naso - Shavuot - B’haalot’cha DOUBLE ISSUE - Double in the sense that it spans two weeks. We considered calling it a TRIPPPLE issue because it covers Parshat Naso and Shavuot and Parshat B'haalot'cha No TT during Shavuot week. TT 958 will be for Parshat Sh'lach (the 19th anniversary issue of Torah Tidbits) and IY"H will "hit the stands" on Wed. June 15th Wishing you all a CHAG SAMEACH www.ttidbits.com for PDF files of TT (whole, lite, XL), ParshaPix, text file, Palm version, Torah Tidbits Audio mp3 files... and more! Orthodox Union OU Kashrut <> NCSY <> Jewish Action <> NJCD / Yachad / Our Way <> IPA <> JLIC <> Synagogue/Community Services <> OU West Coast Simcha Katz, President of the Orthodox Union Stephen Savitsky, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox Union Harvey Blitz, Chair, OU Kashrus Commission Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Burg, Managing Director, Orthodox Union Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. V.P. 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Jacobs ZULA Center <> 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 Dr. Simcha Heller, Vaad member Stuart Hershkowitz, Vaad member Moshe Kempinski, Vaad member Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member Zvi Sand, Vaad member Ben Weiner, 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 TT Distribution <> ttdist@ouisrael.org <> 0505-772-111 website: www.ou.org/torah/tt Ranges are 17 days, WED-FRI 28 Iyar - 15 Sivan - June 1-17 Earliest Talit & T'filin 4:36-4:34am Sunrise 5:35-5:34am Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma 9:05-9:06am (Magen Avraham: 8:23-8:23am) Sof Z'man T'fila 10:16-10:17am (Magen Avraham: 9:39-9:40am) Chatzot 12:37pm-12:40am (halachic noon) Mincha Gedola 1:13-1:16pm (earliest Mincha) Plag Mincha 6:11.25-6:17.5pm Sunset 7:44-7:52pm (based on sea level: 7:39-7:46pm) Z'manim for Shavuot morning: Alot HaShachar 4:08am First Talit time 4:34am Netz (sunrise) 5:34am Candle lighting & Havdala times for this Double issue earliest, regular, havdala Parshat Naso SHAVUOT Parshat B'haalot'cha June 3-4 June 7-8 June 10-11 Yerushalayim 6:13 7:05 8:23 6:14 7:07 8:26 6:16 7:09 8:27 S'derot 6:14 7:22 8:25 6:15 7:24 8:27 6:17 7:25 8:28 Gush Etzion 6:13 7:20 8:23 6:15 7:22 8:26 6:16 7:23 8:27 Raanana 6:15 7:22 8:26 6:17 7:24 8:28 6:18 7:26 8:30 Beit Shemesh 6:14 7:21 8:24 6:15 7:23 8:26 6:16 7:24 8:28 Rehovot 6:15 7:22 8:25 6:16 7:24 8:28 6:17 7:25 8:29 Netanya 6:15 7:23 8:27 6:17 7:25 8:29 6:18 7:26 8:30 Be'er Sheva 6:13 7:18 8:23 6:15 7:20 8:26 6:16 7:22 8:27 Modi'in 6:14 7:21 8:25 6:15 7:23 8:27 6:17 7:24 8:28 Petach Tikva 6:15 7:05 8:26 6:16 7:07 8:28 6:18 7:09 8:29 Maale Adumim 6:12 7:05 8:23 6:14 7:07 8:25 6:15 7:09 8:27 Ginot Shomron 6:14 7:21 8:25 6:16 7:23 8:27 6:17 7:25 8:29 Gush Shiloh 6:13 7:20 8:24 6:15 7:22 8:26 6:16 7:24 8:28 K4 & Hevron 6:13 7:20 8:23 6:14 7:22 8:25 6:16 7:23 8:27 Giv'at Ze'ev 6:13 7:20 8:24 6:15 7:22 8:26 6:16 7:24 8:27 Yad Binyamin 6:14 7:22 8:25 6:16 7:24 8:27 6:17 7:25 8:29 Ashkelon 6:15 7:22 8:26 6:17 7:24 8:28 6:18 7:26 8:29 Tzfat 6:14 7:12 8:26 6:16 7:14 8:28 6:17 7:15 8:30 Rabbeinu Tam times for Jerusalem: Naso 9:07pm Shavuot 9:10pm B'haalot'cha 9:11pm Notes: Standard procedure for Shabbat candles (for Ashkenazi women who take Shabbat with lighting) is to light first, cover eyes, then say the Bracha. Candle lighting for Yom Tov is L'HADLIK NEIR SHEL YOM TOV and ubhjva Preferably, brachot should be said first and then light (rather than the usual Friday way) It is acceptable to light for Yom Tov the same way one lights for Shabbat (provided lighting is before Yom Tov. For those who light later - after shul, right before the meal - brachot should definitely go first, then lighting FROM A PRE-EXISTING FLAME ONLY and without extinguishing the match or helper candle) Havdala for Yom Tov is wine and Havdala brachot only full text of candle lighting brachot, havdala and kiddush in hard copy or pdf Shabbat Shalom - Chag Samei'ach - Shabbat Shalom 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 Ashdkenazi 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... Rosh Chodesh Sivan is Friday, but its molad was on Wednesday afternoon. Kiddush L'vana goes by the molad - not by Rosh Chodesh. Minhag Yerushalayim is to say KL not before 3 full days after the molad. That means that first opportunity is Motza'ei Shabbat, eve of the 3rd of Sivan (June 4th). Many people have the custom of waiting until after Shavuot for KL. That means Wednesday night (June 8th), which is past the 7 days after the molad mark, for those who follow that custom. In Chutz LaAretz, KL will be popularly said on Thursday night, Motza'ei the second day of Yom Tov. Last op - Wed. June 15th. LEAD TIDBIT Putting the Sandwich Together In the Shauvot Pull-Out section, there is a page on the Shavuot Sandwich. It mostly refers to the sedras that precede and follow Shavuot - this, because we have the rarer situation this year of Naso rather than Bamidbar being the Shabbat before Shavuot, and B'haalot'cha rather than Naso following Shavuot. The Shavuot Sandwich is described as Swiss cheese (cheese for Shavuot and Swiss cheese because it is holey - as Shavuot is holy) with lettuce for the Shavuot greenery. We'll now add a pickle to the sandwich (what decent sandwich is served without a pickle?) - Yom Yerushalayim. But seriously, folks, let's ponder the juxtaposition of Yom Yerushalayim and Shavuot - exactly a week a part, and look at both in the background of the weekly sedras from the beginning of Bamidbar. The Jewish People (we) came out of Egypt a mere seven weeks ago. Various exciting things have happened over those weeks, and we are now gathered TOGETHER (which is usually an unnecessary word to use with gather, since that is what gather means - but in this case the redundancy is noteworthy - we came to Sinai as one person with one heart - TOGETHER) preparing to receive the Torah. So far, so good. But then what? Did we proceed into Eretz Yisrael, as was G-d's plan and preference? Or did we get bogged down in the MIDBAR? Does the Book of Bamidbar tell our story - not just that first time, but even now? Are we, the Jewish People still wandering around the Midbar? Are we still panicked by the report and opinion of the Meraglim? Are we still wanting to stay in the Midbar or choose leaders who will bring us back to Egypt? Or does Yom Yerushalayim better describe our state of being? Yom Yerushalayim represents the Jewish People's return to Eretz Yisrael. It repesents the Jewish people's struggle to stay in Israel, to grow in Israel, and to prevail - with G-d's help - over the enemies who still would like to push us into the sea. Following Statehood in 1948, divided Jerusalem represented the imperfections and incompleteness of our return to Israel. The miraculous victory of the Six Day War and the resulting reunification of Jerusalem mark a giant step in the direction of the Geula. Not there yet. Still far from it. But we were - and are - pointed in the right direction. It is up to us - all of us - to progress in that right direction, with all that is involved. At the Seder, we borrowed the Bikurim passage and used it as the basis of the mitzva of MAGID. But we fell short of the Mishna's instructions to analyze the portion until its completion. The pasuk that was left out of the Hagada belongs to Shavuot, Chag HaBikurim. That pasuk says, Baruch HaShem we are in Israel, we have a Beit HaMikdash, and the bounty of produce to be able to bring Bikurim and rejoice in this mitzva and all the others that are part of our lives. Shavuot is not just ZMAN MATAN TORATEINU. It is an agricultural festival that is linked to many mitzvot that can only be performed in Eretz Yisrael. Shavuot celebrates Torah, it celebrates being in Eretz Yisrael, in celebrates coming out of the MIDBAR - regardless of which sedras precede it and follow it. Shavuot celebrates the Living of Torah in the Land that G-d always intended for us. Yes, Torah is for everywhere, but it is especially for Eretz Yisrael. NASO Stats 35th of 54 sedras; 2nd of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 311 lines in a Sefer Torah (7.4 cols) 26 Parshiyot; 18 open, 8 closed only 4 sedras have more parshiyot 176 p'sukim, 2264 words, 8632 letters Indisputably the longest sedra in the Torah, however you count length. Naso is well below average, though, in length of p'sukim, but not enough to affect its first place ranking MITZVOT 18 mitzvot; 7 positive, 11 prohibitions - the most in any of Bamidbar's sedras Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-counts of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition) - Rambam counts positives (248) and prohibitions (365) separately. X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva is counted. [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 17 p'sukim - 4:21-37 [P> 4:21 (8)] The second count of Levi continues with the family branch of Gei-r'shon. The first count was of males from 30 days old and up. This count is of males between 30 and 50 years of age only. That constitutes the work- force for the Mishkan. Note: The starting age for a Levi's service is 30. In the Beit HaMikdash, there is no maximum age. In the Mishkan, however, since a Levi's work required carrying Mishkan components in addition to singing and guarding, there was a mandatory retirement age of 50 for the strenuous tasks. Also note that the family-branch of K'hat was counted and their tasks were enumerated at the end of Bamidbar (which also began with the same words - NASO ET ROSH... Gei-r'shon's tasks include: the three coverings of the Mishkan - the Mishkan, the Ohel, and the Michseh; the curtain at the entrance of Ohel Moed; the linen curtain material that surrounded the courtyard, and the entrance curtain of the courtyard; the securing stakes and related tools. Leviyim were to function only as instructed by the kohanim. The supervisor of family Gei-r'shon is Aharon's son Itamar. Question: Look over the list of that which the Gershon family carried. Why isn’t the Parochet on the list? The answer is at the end of B'midbar. [S> 4:29 (9)] Family-branch Merari was also counted - males between 30 and 50 years of age. They were in charge of the wall- boards of the Mishkan, beams, posts, and foundations. Similarly, the courtyard posts, stakes, foundation sockets, and related tools. Itamar was their supervisor too. (Merari used 4 of the 6 wagons - see towards the end of the sedra - and Gershon, the other 2. K'hat used their shoulders.) The counts of the work-forces of Levi came to: 2750 for K'hat... Levi - Second Aliya 12 p'sukim - 4:38-49 [S> 4:38 (12)] 2630 for Gershon, and 3200 for Merari. The total work-force of Levi in the Mishkan was 8580. (The position of "Sheni" might vary in different editions of the Chumash.) SDT: LA'AVOD AVODAT AVODA VA'AVODAT MASA... Note the four words in a row with the same root. Rashi says the Avodat Avoda (kind of a strange phrase) refers to playing musical instruments. Avodat Masa is the heavy manual labor - constructing, carrying, taking apart... Shlishi - Third Aliya 10 p'sukim - 5:1-10 [P> 5:1 (4)] People who are ritually defiled from any of three specific types (ZARAAT, ZAV, T'MEI MEIT), are to be excluded from the camp pending purification [362,A31 5:2]. We are taught that the three have different restrictions, as follows: A "m'tzora" is excluded from the entire camp of Israel and must remain in isolation until purification. The "zav" and "zava" are permitted in the camp of Israel, but are banned from the Levite camp (and, of course, from the area of the Mikdash). [Har HaBayit today, outside the area where the Beit HaMikdash and its courtyard stood, has the sanctity of the Levite camp (according to some authorities).] A person who came into contact with a dead body is banned only from the "Camp of the Divine Presence" (Mikdash and its courtyard) [363,L77 5:3]. [P> 5:5 (6)] A person who sins is required to verbally confess (when repenting) [364,A73 5:6]. He/she must also make restitution (if money was involved) and pay a penalty to the victim. Take a close look at the portion in the sedra dealing with repentance. It speaks of a man or a woman sinning and of THEIR (plural, not his or her) requirement to confess and do T'shuva. It is often the case that when an individual sins, others are somewhat responsible. Perhaps a parent who did not educate the child properly. Maybe someone who made stealing (for example) too easy and/or tempting. Does society bear some of the responsibility for a sinner's actions, because of misplaced emphasis on the wrong values? A person is primarily accountable for his actions. But the Torah's use of the plural, reminds us of our duty to develop an environment of Torah values that will be conducive for all members of society to enthusiastically follow a Torah way of life. This is part of KOL YISRAEL AREIVIM ZEH BAZEH. It can be suggested that the mitzva of EGLA ARUFA illustrates this point - part of the procedure required upon finding a dead body - that met with foul play, as they say - is for the elders of the town closest to the body to proclaim that they didn't kill the person. There is an implication of involvement in the unsolved homicide. So too, the fact that the death of a Kohen Gadol releases "inadvertent killers" from their cities of refuge, implies responsibility on the part of the spiritual leader of the people for the carelessness that leads to SHOGEG deaths. MitzvaWatch According to Rambam (and others), this is the one Torah mitzva among the laws of repentance. When a person sins, and repents (not, if a person sins, he is required to repent, and..., but WHEN he sins and WHEN he repents - this is very significant), in addition to the various elements of T'shuva, including regret for the past, acceptance for the future, changing one's ways, the repentant individual must verbally confess his sins before G-d. One can suggest that Rambam holds that T'shuva itself is not one of the 613 mitzvot, but rather a natural result of a Jew's accepting G-d's gift - the opportunity for a second chance. When a person sins and does T'shuva... The mitzva is to confess (as part of the process of T’shuva) and not to let the process be exclusively in one's heart and mind. Other mitzva-counters do include T'shuva among the 613 mitzvot. The whole process of T’shuva should be instinctive and not even require a command -- except for the verbal component of the mitzva. G-d knows our thoughts; why do I need to verbalize them? Therefore, VIDUI is a command. Another way to explain why the mitzva of T'shuva per se is not on Rambam's list of 613 is because it spans all mitzvot, rather than being a specific mitzva on its own. For example... The Torah forbids doing melacha on Shabbat. If one violates this prohibition, he is required to repent. Repentance is part of the mitzva prohibiting melacha on Shabbat. So too for all mitzvot, positive as well as prohibitions. Bench after a meal; if you don't, repent your non-fulfillment of this mitzva. T'shuva can be viewed as a VAT tacked on to every other mitzva. As such, it does not get counted on its own among the Taryag mitzvot. (The specific command to verbally confess as part of the T'shuva process does get counted among the 613, because it is specific). On the other hand, others disagree with Rambam and DO count T'shuva as one of the 613. Some include VIDUI in the mitzva of T'shuva and some count it separately. R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya 48 p'sukim - 5:11-6:27 This long portion primarily contains the topics of the SOTA (wife suspected of infidelity and duly warned), the NAZIR (one who vows abstinence of a specific type), and Birchat Kohanim. [P> 5:11 (21)] If a wife is unfaithful to her husband, and there is no proof of her adultery -or- if a man suspects his wife of unfaithfulness, even if it is unwarranted, he may formally warn her in front of witnesses not to be seen in the company of a specific man. This warning is a precondition to the whole topic of Sota. Suspicion alone, or even actual adultery, does not produce the conditions for Sota without a formal, witnessed warning by the husband. Once the warning is issued, it is a mitzva (requirement) to proceed with the Sota-process [365,A223 5:12]. The husband must bring his wife to the kohen at the Beit HaMikdash. A barley- flour offering is brought. No oil [366,L104 5:15] or spice [367, L105 5:15] is used with it, since the issue at hand is so serious and unpleasant before G-d. The kohen prepares a potion consisting of water from the KIYOR (the washing basin in the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash), earth from the floor of the Mikdash, and the dissolved writing of this portion of the Torah. (Parshat Sota is written on klaf and then the writing is dissolved in the Sota potion.) The kohen administers an oath to the woman asking her to swear to her innocence, if that be the case, or to admit her guilt. The woman is warned of serious adverse effects of the potion which she will be given to drink, if in fact she has committed adultery, and of the favorable effect of the potion if she is innocent. The seriousness with which the Torah treats the issue of Sota is motivated by G-d’s desire (so to speak) to bring harmony between husband and wife (when feasible) and the notion that doubt is extremely detrimental to a relationship. G-d, so to speak, permits (nay, requires!) His Name to be written and then erased in order to advance the cause of marital harmony. There are many other details, too numerous to include here, concerning the conditions necessary for the Sota-process to go though to its end. In other words, there would be many situations when the oath and potion would not be used. [P> 6:1 (21)] A man or a woman may make a Nazirite vow to G-d. This is usually, but not always, for a period of one month. A Nazir is forbidden to drink wine [368, L202 6:3], eat grapes [369,L203 6:3], raisins [370, L204 6:3], grape seeds [371, L205 6,4], and grape skins [372, L206 6:4]. A Nazir may not cut his hair [373, L209 6:5], but rather must let his hair grow long [374,A92 6:5]. A Nazir may not come into contact with a dead body [375,L208 6:6], nor become ritually defiled even from contact with the body of a close relative [376,L207 6:7]. If a Nazir does become defiled, he must purify himself (over a 7 day period), shave his hair, bring two doves and a lamb as korbanot, and begin his period of Nazir anew. When a Nazir successfully concludes the term of his vow, he brings two lambs and a ram plus various types of flour-oil offerings and wine for libation [377,A93 6:13]. Included with these korbanot is a sin offering. (This implies that it is not entirely proper for one to accept upon himself a Nazirite vow. The Torah often provides extreme measures for one who feels he must live a stricter life in order to correct certain shortcomings, but still reminds us that it is not a preferable way of life.) Part of this mitzva is for the Nazir to shave off his hair, which is put into the fire under his korban. Afterwards, he may drink wine. [P> 6:22 (2)] Next, the Torah presents the "three-fold blessing" which forms the text of "Birkat Kohanim". (We also say these p'sukim every morning as part of Birchot HaTorah, and we "borrow" the bracha for our children on Leil Shabbat, even though we are not all Kohanim.) When the kohanim pronounce this blessing, G-d will bless them and the people of Israel. Birkat Kohanim is a mitzva upon kohanim, daily [378, A26 6:23]. Unusual as this might seem, each pasuk of Birkat Kohanim is a separate parsha (s'tuma). [S> 6:24 (1)] The first pasuk: May G-d bless you, and keep you; [S> 6:25 (1)] The second pasuk: May G-d make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; [S> 6:26 (1)] The third pasuk: May G-d lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. [S> 6:27 (1)] And the final statement on this issue from G-d: And they (the kohanim) will place My name on Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them (either the people or the kohanim or both). Chamishi 5th Aliya 41 p'sukim - 7:1-41 From this point until the end of the sedra and into the beginning of the next sedra are the readings for the 8 days of Chanuka. (Some start from the Birkat Kohanim portion at the end of R'vi'i. Some communities also read "the gifts of the tribal leaders" on the first 12 days of Nissan, but at the end of davening, not like a regular K'ri'at HaTorah.) [S> 7:1 (11)] On the day the Mishkan was completed, it and its furnishings, altar and its utensils, were anointed and sanctified. The tribal leaders gave to the Mishkan six covered wagons and twelve oxen, two to pull each wagon. The wagons were to be distributed to the Leviyim proportional to the tasks of the different families. Gershon received two wagons and four oxen. Merari received four wagons and eight oxen (because their loads were considerably heavier and bulkier). No wagons were given to K'hat, since they were responsible for the sacred articles which had to be carried by shoulder. That the Aron was to be carried on the shoulders of Leviyim from family K'hat is a mitzva [379, A34 7:9]. Next follow 12 portions of 6 p'sukim each, which are practically identical. Each portion contains the name of a tribal leader and a description of the gifts of gold and silver vessels and animals for sacrifices that were presented on one of the twelve days of dedication of the Mishkan. [S> 7:12 (6)] Nachshon b. Aminadav of Yehuda was the first to present his gifts. Although the gifts were identical, some of the wording is curiously different, aside, of course from the different day, tribe, and leader. For example, the words VAYHI HAMAKRIV precede BAYOM HARISHON. This is different from the other 11 days. And Nachson ben Aminadav is described as being of the tribe of Yehuda. See other days to compare and contrast. [P> 7:18 (6)] On the second day, the leader of Yissachar presented his gifts to the Mishkan. Here we also find a different wording. On the second day, HIKRIV Netanel b. Tzu'ar, the leader of Yissachar. Then it continues with HIKRIV ET KORBANO. Nachshon was called a MAKRIV, noun, bringer of a gift. For Netanel, the verb HIKRIV is used twice. No one else has that word. Rashi explains that Reuven wanted to go second (probably first, but Yehuda had that honor). Moshe said that it was G-d's command that the gifts be in order of camps. That is, Degesh Machane Yehuda was first, meaning Yehuda, then Yissachar, then Zevulun. Then came Reuven and his camp- partners, etc. Rashi points to the "missing" YUD in HIKRIV, allowing the word to be read HAKREIV, a command to bring his offering on the second day. Rashi further says (from Rabbi Moshe HaDarshan), that Yissachar got second honor because he was the one who suggested that the Nesi'im bring gifts. [P> 7:24 (6)] On the third day, the leader of Zevulun offered his gifts. This wording - on the so-and-so day, NASI (leader) of the children of so-and-so (tribe), Ploni ben Ploni. His korban... now follows through the rest of the days. From day 3 to 12, the wording fits the same pattern. The differences are found only on the first two days. [P> 7:30 (6)] Reuven's leader is on the fourth day. [P> 7:36 (6)], and Shimon's is on the fifth day. The gifts of the fifth day conclude the fifth Aliya, CHAMISHI. Shishi - 6th Aliya 30 p'sukim - 7:42-71 [P> 7:42 (6)] And the gifts of the sixth day begin the SHISHI Aliya. Finishing off the South Camp of Reuven and Shimon is the tribe of GAD, whose leader brings his gifts on the sixth day. [P> 7:48 (6)] On the 7th day, the leader of Efrayim, Elyasaf b. D'u'el. [P> 7:54 (6)] On the 8th day, Menashe's NASI, Gamliel b. P'datzur. [P> 7:60 (6)] The camp of the children of Rachel Imeinu conclude their offerings with Binyamin on the ninth day. [P> 7:66 (6)] The final camp - the north Dan camp, begins its gifts on the tenth day with Achiezer b. Amishadai. Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya 18 p'sukim - 7:72-89 [P> 7:72 (6)] On the 11th day, Asher's leader brought his gifts. Notice that for days 1-10, the format is the same - BAYOM HA- (RISHON, SHEINI... ASIRI). For the 11th day, it is B'YOM ASHTEI ASAR YOM. [P> 7:78 (6)] Finally, the leader of Naftali presents his gifts B'YOM SH'NEIM ASAR YOM... [P> 7:84 (6)] Which brings us to the final parsha of NASO, the final six p'sukim, which summarize the gifts of the 12 leaders of the tribes. General comment: Although the gifts are identical, there are sources that teach that each leader brought his gifts with special kavanot and symbolisms unique to his tribe. Then the Torah presents totals and summaries of the "Dedication" gifts. ZOT CHANUKAT HAMIZBEI'ACH... The last pasuk seems to go beyond the summary. When Moshe came to Ohel Moed to speak to HaShem, he heard the Voice speaking to him from the KAPORET (lid of the ARON), from between the two K'RUVIM (Cherubs), and that is how G-d spoke to Moshe. All aspects of getting the Mishkan to function are completed. Then the Torah tells us how G-d communicated with Moshe. The last three p’sukim are repeated for the Maftir. Haftara 24 p'sukim Sho-f'tim 13:2-25 The sedra teaches us the laws of the Nazir. The haftara tells us of a famous Nazir, Shimshon. The nazirship of Shimshon is not typical. His was "ordered" by G-d via a heavenly angel and was to be a Nazir from birth, for Shimshon's entire life. "Regular" nazirship is proclaimed by a vow and is for a limited time, usually one month. The nazir's outward appearance - his unshorn hair - should be the external evidence of an inner sanctity. In Shimshon's case, his nazirship was accompanied by miraculous feats and heroic achievements against the Philistines who were Israel's major adversaries of the time. The angel instructs Shimshon's mother (wife of Mano'ach of the tribe of Dan) as to how she must behave when she becomes pregnant. She must not drink wine nor eat anything Tamei. May we suggest - by analogy - that this is a demonstration of the fact that alcohol intake of a pregnant woman affects her child? B'haalotcha stats 36th of the 54 sedras; 3rd of 10 in B'midbar Written on 240 lines in a Sefer Torah, ranks 10 16 Parshiyot; 11 open, 5 closed One of the parshiyot (a S'TUMA) is separated from the parshiyot before and after it by more than blank space (as is usual) - namely, backwards NUNs. Consequently, this parsha is the "loneliest" of all parshiyot in the Torah. 136 p'sukim, ranks 11th, 4th in B'midbar 1840 words, ranks 12th, 3rd in B'midbar 7055 letters, ranks 12th, 4th in B'midbar MITZVOT 5 mitzvot; 3 positives, 2 prohibitions. To illustrate the "lopsided" distribution of mitzvot in the Torah, B'haalot'cha has more mitzvot than 28 other sedras, and fewer mitzvot than 25 sedras. 5 mitzvot and it's in the top half. Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary Kohen - First Aliya 14 p'sukim - 8:1-14 [P> 8:1 (4)] Aharon is instructed to tend the lamps of the Menora. SDT: Rashi explains the connection between this portion and that of the gifts of the N'SI'IM at the end of Parshat Naso. Aharon, as leader of the tribe of Levi, was embarrassed that he had not offered gifts for the dedication of the Mishkan as did the other leaders. G-d is telling him that his gift - daily service in the Mishkan - is far greater than the other gifts. Theirs are material and transitory; his is spiritual and permanent. The MITZVA to tend and light the Menora is recorded and counted elsewhere in the Torah. This fact makes the DRASHOT explaining the connection to Parshat HaN'si'im stand out all the more, since, on a P'SHAT level, it is sort of redundant (not quite) in B'haalot'cha. Ramban sees in this portion an allusion to a future generation when descendants of Aharon (the Hasmoneans) (re)dedicated the Mikdash by lighting the Menora (which also lasts much longer than Mishkan- related gifts). If we look at the two topics that flank Bamidbar 7, we find the two Temple practices that survive until this day (as opposed to the short-lived nature of the gifts described in chapter 7) - Birkat Kohanim, still practiced daily as commanded by the Torah, and the Menora, commemorated by the yearly observance of Chanuka. This perhaps is part of G-d's message to Aharon. All-in-all, this opening parsha is a strong REMEZ to Chanuka from the Torah. And the point is driven home by the fact that the haftara of B'haalot'cha is also the haftara for Shabbat Chanuka. (And the beginning of this week's sedra is part of the Torah reading of the 8th day of Chanuka.) The Menora is described again with specific reference to the wicks (flames) of the lamps facing the "face (central stalk) of the Menora". [P> 8:5 (18)] Next G-d commands Moshe to separate the Leviyim from among the People and to purify them. Ritual waters, shaving their hair (Rashi explains that as an atonement for the firstborns whom the Leviyim replaced, they were considered to have a ritual impurity akin to that of M’TZORA, hence the shaving of all bodily hair as part of their purification process), cleansing their clothes, and various sacrifices and ceremonies accomplish this command of "separation of the Leviyim". Levi - Second Aliya 12 p'sukim - 4:38-49 After the above procedures, the Leviyim are qualified to perform their holy tasks in the Mikdash as aides to the Kohanim. They, instead of the firstborns of Israel, shall function in the Mikdash. The Torah explains that the sacred functions were originally to be performed by firstborns who were sanctified as a result of their being spared in Egypt. (The special position of the firstborn actually predates the Egypt experience.) As a result of the sin of the Golden Calf, the Leviyim, who unilaterally reacted in defense of G-d's honor, were taken by Him in lieu of the firstborns of all the Tribes. Moshe, Aharon and the People of Israel did to/with the Leviyim as Moshe was instructed. After purification, the Leviyim were to come to the Mishkan to "report for duty". [S> 8:23 (4)] From age 25 until 50, the Levi was eligible for Mishkan service. (From 25 the Levi studied and trained for Temple service, at 30 he began serving. Age 50 was the retirement age for the "carrying chores", but the singing and guarding functions of the Levi continued beyond that age. Note too that the carrying "thing" was only during the time of the portable Mishkan and has no relevance to the Beit HaMikdash.) Shlishi - Third Aliya 14 p'sukim - 9:1-14 [P> 9:1 (8)] G-d spoke to Moshe in the Sinai wilderness during Nissan of the second year from the Exodus. He commanded/ reminded him to tell the People to bring the Korban Pesach. The Torah records that on the 14th of Nissan in the afternoon, the first annual Korban Pesach was indeed brought as was commanded. This Pesach and Pesach Sheni episode occurred before the counting of the People recorded in the opening portion of Bamidbar. It was not placed at the beginning of the book because it is embarrassing to the People of Israel that they (we) only brought this one Korban Pesach in the entire Wilder- ness period. Then the Torah tells us that there were people who were ritually unclean and thus unable to participate in the Korban Pesach. They approached Moshe and complained that it was unfair that they were unable to join in this mitzva with the rest of the People. Moshe called upon G-d to answer their "complaint". It is important to understand that the laws of Pesach Sheni are a part of the original Torah miSinai. However, they were not revealed to the People until this point. And it was done at this point to honor those who "com- plained". BTW, contrast this kind of complaining with the other kind that unfortunately occurs too many times in Bamidbar. [P> 9:9 (6)] A person who is "tamei" or far away from the Mikdash and is unable to bring KP shall bring a KP on the afternoon of the 14th of Iyar [380,A57 9:11] and eat it that night [381,A58 9:11] with matza and maror. Nothing of it may be left over for the morning [382,L119 9:12] and no bone of it may be broken [383,L122 9:12]; all rules of KP apply to this Pesach Sheni (actually there are differences con- cerning peripheral details, but the korbanot themselves are the same). Intentionally not bringing KP is punishable by "karet" (excision). Although the Torah mentions two specific "excuses" for not bringing KP, anyone who did not bring KP for any reason - even including intentionally - is eligible and obligated to bring Pesach Sheni. This Divine “second chance” is available EVEN to the intentional violator. There are distinctions concerning Kareit depending upon why a person did not do Korban Pesach the first and the second time. The Torah once again emphasizes that there is one law for the born- Jew and the convert. R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya 19 p'sukim - 9:15-10:10 [S> 9:15 (9)] From the day that the Mishkan was erected, it was covered by a heavenly Cloud during the day and a fiery cloud at night. Only when the cloud would lift would the People travel. And when the cloud rested, the People would camp. It happened that sometimes the People traveled a few hours after they had camped; sometimes they stayed in one place for a period of days or months or years. By G-d's command the People camped and by G-d's command the People would travel. SDT: The pasuk (9:18) says: "AL PI HASHEM (by the word of G-d) the People of Israel shall travel, and by G-d's word they shall camp." The SHLA"H HAKADOSH writes that this is the source for the concept that a person should use the phrases Im Yirtzeh HaShem, Baruch HaShem, B'ezrat HaShem, and the like whenever he speaks of doing something. Our travels and every activity should also be AL PI HASHEM. [P> 10:1 (10)] G-d commanded Moshe to fashion two silver trumpets to be used to assemble the People (or their leaders) and to signal their movement. The T'KI'A sound on both trumpets was a call for everyone to gather to Moshe. The T'KI'A on one trumpet was a call to the leaders of the people. The T'RU'A sound indicated that traveling was to commence - one T'RU'A (with T'KI'A before and after) for each camp (of three tribes each). Kohanim are charged with the mitzva of sounding the trumpets when appropriate. The above-mentioned purposes of the trumpets applied to the gener- ation of the wilderness only, but the mitzva for future generations concerning the trumpets is as follows: When the People enter the Land of Israel, the trumpets are to be used during times of troubles and on festive occasions in the Mikdash [384, A59 10:9,10] MitzvaWatch When does the mitzva apply? The blowing of the CHATZOTZROT in the Beit HaMikdash, to accompany certain korbanot, obviously applies when we have the Beit HaMikdash. What about the blowing during times of crises? Some authorities hold that the mitzva does not apply in our time - only at the time of the Mikdash. Some say that this aspect of the mitzva would apply in our time except that we do not know how to make the Chatzotzrot, and therefore we cannot fulfill this mitzva on a "technicality". Others disagree and hold that the mitzva of blowing in times of trouble DOES apply and we use CHATZOTZROT made today to the best of our knowledge and ability. Rabbi J. David Bleich in his Contemporary Halachic Problems mentions a fascinating opinion on this topic. Rather than Eretz Yisrael per se or the Mikdash being a prerequisite for this mitzva (the blowing in times of national crisis aspect of the mitzva), it is Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael that activates the mitzva. Therefore, according to this opinion, we are dealing with a mitzva - maybe the only one - that reactivated for us on a D'Oraita level, in 1948. May we be privileged to the reactivation of the full mitzva of CHATZOTZROT, and may we soon hear their happy blasts in the Beit HaMikdash,BIMHEIRA B’YAMEINU AMEN. Chamishi 5th Aliya 24 p'sukim - 10:11-34 [P> 10:11 (18)] On 20 Iyar in the year following the Exodus, the Cloud lifted from the Mishkan. The People of Israel traveled through the Sinai wilderness and the Cloud rested in the Paran Desert. First in line to travel was the "flag-camp" of Yehuda consisting of the Tribes of Yehuda, Yissachar and Zevulun. The Mishkan was dismantled and the Levi-families of Gershon and M'rari followed with their ladened, covered wagons. Then came the grouping of Reuven, Shimon and Gad. Then the Levi family of K'hat carrying the sacred vessels followed. Next came Efrayim, Menashe, and Binyamin followed by the "camp collectors", Dan, Asher and Naftali. (This description conforms to the simple reading of the text and one of the Talmudic opinions.) [S> 10:29 (6)] Moshe informs his father-in-law Yitro (here called Chovav) of Israel's traveling plans and asks him to come along. Yitro declines the invitation and returns to his home. The People travel from Sinai for three days, led by the Aron which was searching for a resting place, so to speak. G-d's Cloud accompanied and protected them. At this point in the Torah, we are 13 months out of Egypt and neither the people nor Moshe Rabeinu have done what later caused them to be barred from entry into Eretz Yisrael. After Moshe talks to Yitro, it was supposed to be a three-day trip (condensed into one day) to bring us WITH Moshe, into the Land of Israel. But then we started messing things up. Shishi - Sixth Aliya 31 p'sukim - 10:35-11:29 [*S*> 10:35 (2)] The two special p'sukim about the moving and resting of the Aron are quoted in our davening when the Torah is taken out and returned to the Ark. In the Torah this 2-pasuk portion is flanked by the letters NUN written backwards. This serves to "split the Book of BaMidbar into separate books". Rashi indicates that this portion does not belong here and the unusual "scribal parentheses" indicate its abnormal placement. Other commentaries point out that the split in the book is between the "good stuff" in the first part and the "bad episodes" in the second part. [P> 11:1 (15)] Next follows another "black period" in the early history of the Nation - the Complaints. The People complained and were punished by fire. Moshe pleaded for the people and G-d stopped the punishing fire. They complained about the Manna and demanded meat. With great chutzpa, they remembered the fish and other "fine foods" they ate in Egypt. And they disparaged the wonderful, miraculous sustenance from G-d. This angered (so to speak) G-d greatly. Even Moshe Rabeinu complained about G-d's anger with the People and expressed his difficulty in handling the People alone. Moshe also questioned where he would possibly be able to get enough meat to satisfy the People's demands. [P> 11:16 (7)] G-d told Moshe to gather 70 elders who would help ease the burden of leadership. G-d would instill in them the Divine Insight so that Moshe would not have to lead them alone. To the People, G-d promised meat (quail) which would descend in such great quantities for a sustained period of time (a month) until the People would become "sick of them". Moshe expressed doubt as to how so many people could be thus fed. [P> 11:23 (13)] G-d reproaches Moshe for the doubt. Moshe speaks to the People and gathers the Elders who were given the gift of prophecy by G-d. Two of these "new prophets" (Eldad and Medad) remained within the camp and prophesied amongst the People. [The g'matriya of ELDAD U'MEIDAD is 103, same as N'VI'IM, prophets.] (Commentaries tell us that they prophesied Moshe's death and Yehoshua's accession to leadership.) Yehoshua, protective of his mentor Moshe, pleads with Moshe to punish them. Moshe assures Yehoshua that it is G-d's will that they should prophesy. SDT: About 18 times in the Tanach, it says "And G-d got angry with..." Yisrael / Bnei Yisrael / His people. When the People complained about the Manna, etc., the Torah says VAYICHAR AF HASHEM M'OD, G-d got VERY angry. Why? Kedushat Levi explains that usually when G-d got angry at the People, Moshe would rise to their defense and pursuade G-d, so to speak, not to punish them. This time, the Torah says that "and in Moshe's eyes it was bad". Moshe Rabeinu was more upset with the people than usual. This "angered" G-d all the more, and Moshe did not defuse G-d’s anger as in the other instances. Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya 23 p'sukim - 11:30-12:16 Moshe and the Elders gather the People. G-d sends the quail, as He has promised, carried by a Divine wind. The supply is overwhelming. The People spend day and night collecting the quail. No sooner had they started eating, when G-d's anger was manifest in a devastating plague that struck the People. The location became known as Kivrot Hata'ava, because that is where the "complainers" were buried. [P> 12:1 (3)] Miriam speaks critically against Moshe to Aharon by belittling Moshe's unique stature among prophets and people. [S> 12:4 (10)] G-d rebukes them and clearly states how unique Moshe is among all prophets, past and future. Miriam is stricken with Tzora'at. Moshe offers a short but eloquent prayer behalf of Miriam. [P> 12:14 (3)] The People delay their travels for the week of Miriam's isolation. 81 years earlier, Miriam had stood by the Nile protectively watching over her baby brother Moshe in the basket. Her "reward-in-kind" is this 7-day delay. The Mishna points out that good deeds are thusly rewarded. On the other hand, the Torah in D'varim 24:9 tells us to remember what G-d did to Miriam on our way from Egypt. This becomes a classic warning against speaking LASHON HARA. The Baal HaTurim further points out that the pasuk describing Miriam's vigil at the river, consists of 7 words, corresponding to the 7 days that the people waited for Miriam to "heal". The People move to the Paran desert. The last 3 p’sukim are reread for the Maftir. Haftara 21 p'sukim Zecharya 2:14-4:7 As if to offset the depressing sequence of events from the sedra, and to answer the question as to how it is possible for the People of Israel to rise from the depths of their iniquity, the haftara provides us with the optimistic prophecies of messianic times, when G-d will once again be completely in our midst. The haftara contains Zecharya's vision of the Golden Menora flanked by olive branches. This serves as an appropriate counter- point to the description of the Menora in the Mishkan at the beginning of the sedra. The Haftara also tells about a Kohen Gadol (Yehoshua in the haftara; Aharon in the sedra). This vision of the Menora was borrowed by the State of Israel to be the national emblem (not exactly, but close). Wouldn't it be wonderful if our leaders would heed the words of Zecharia in explaining that vision: "Not by might nor by power, but by My spirit..." Only when we act properly, which also means differently from other nations, will we merit the Geula. (This is also the haftara of Shabbat Chanuka - the first one, if there are two.) THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW, Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean no column this week FROM A MEASURE OF BARLEY TO 2 LOAVES OF WHEAT [5] by Dr. Meir Tamari The 50th day, the culmination of the counting from the bringing of the Omer of barley to the korbanot of Sh'tei HaLechem and Bikurim, is Shavuot, Z'man Matan Torah. The Omer through which the true Owner of all wealth and material success is acknowledged, Sh'tei Ha-Lechem through which the nation- state recognizes the true source of its strength and power, and Bikurim through which the individual expresses thanks for his money and wealth - are the preparations for accepting Torah. Then the physical, political and spiritual freedoms of Israel granted on Pesach are transformed through the Divine Revelation into Mamlechet Kohanim and Goi Kadosh. On that day we entered into the Covenant of the 10 Commandments that are the basis for moral living - not only for Jews but for the whole of Western civilization. Images of the Two Tablets of Stone on which they were engraved, have consistently been part of the decoration and enhancement of Jewish art, shuls, homes and all forms of Judaica. In Temple times, they were recited there publicly, daily. Even when this was no longer done, for centuries afterwards, the reciting of these commandments remained part of the Sacharit davening. To wean us from the misconception of the heretics who saw them as being the whole of Torah exclusively, the rabbis decreed not to recite them as part of communal davening. However, this in no way means that they accepted the marginalization of the Aseret HaDibrot in our daily lives. The 13 Principles of Faith of the Rambam are shown by Abarbanel to be derived from the Ten Commandments. The first one attests to the basic belief in the existence of G-d, the second corresponds to 'you shall have no other gods", that He has no corporeal form is learned from the prohibition of statues or pictures of things in the Creation. Shabbat teaches that Hashem existed before this world that He created, the principles of prophecy in general and that of Moshe in particular we learn from Matan Torah when we heard that He speaks to mankind, His knowing what people do and His rewarding or punishing them which are the 10th and 11th principles exist in "the Lord your G-d... a zealous G-d. From the acts of Chesed that He does for untold generations, we learn of Mashiach and T'chiyat HaMeitim which are the last two principles. Each commandment is a chapter heading for the different religious duties, obligations and judgments that devolve on Jews; "613 mitzvot are the implementation of the covenant between G-d and the Jews, sealed by these 10 Commandments" (Sa'adiah Gaon). The first four commandments are the basis for all the 'religious' halachot regarding the worship, fear and love of the One G-d, Shabbat and the Festivals. It is convenient and common to separate these from those between Man and Man, which could possibly be regarded as laws that the human mind and intelligence could have formulated independently, even if the Torah had not taught them to us. "So why then did the Torah bother to tell us these things? There are two essential and basic differences between any social and moral laws created by human intelligence and the Torah ones revealed at Sinai. These were given by G-d and therefore are external to any self-interest or human bias. Theft, murder, fraud, injustice etc. thereby become religious crimes just like transgressing Shabbat or kashrut; they are forbidden simply because Hashem forbade them. [There are no victimless crimes since independently of any damage done to others or even their consent, the perpetrator is a victim of his own crime; he transgressed a G-d given law]. The Divine Wisdom extended hereby the human concepts of ethics and morality, of right or wrong. For example, killing another person is murder, rejected by all societies. However, attitudes to suicide, euthanasia, [class warfare and ethnic cleansing] vary between societies. So, do the denial of personal freedom, [Abarbanel classes EVED IVRI under LO TIRTZACH], shaming others and desecrating human dignity inherent in the image like G-d. While the punishments vary, all these are considered by Torah to be acts of murder" (Abarbanel, introduction to Mishpatim). "Asked the King, 'why not commence them with Anochi, the Creator of Heaven and Earth'? Answered the Rabbi, 'Creation is universal and all mankind shares in it, however, only Israel experienced the Exodus and therefore these commandments are special only to us as our connection with G-d, in addition to the universal and general connection which all mankind, and indeed all of Creation have with Him" (Yehuda HaLevi, The Kuzari). 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] Person in the Parsha [9] Praying with Passion [10] Guest Article [11] Maharal on the Sedra [12] Gold/Silver From the Land of Israel [13] Torah from Nature [14] MicroUlpan [15] OzTorah [16] The Shavuot Sandwich [17] 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... Question: I ordered a contractor to build a stairway in a deserted building belonging to the State. I told him that I do not have a license and that there might be disturbances by the neighborhood Arabs (par for my foundation’s course). We agreed on a price for the job, not time (expected to be a day). During the work, the police surprisingly came and took us all for questioning until night. While we were not charged, we were ordered not to continue building. The contractor wants to be paid for the whole job minus his savings in material not used since he did nothing wrong and he was “occupied” for a whole day. I countered that they did only about half the job, and he knew there was a chance of disturbances, although not of the police. How much should I pay? Answer: We cannot tell you anything definitive after hearing from only one side. However, we will advise you how to proceed under the circumstances and why. The gemara (Bava Metzia 77a) tells of one who hired a worker to irrigate using a local river and the river dried up in the middle of the work. The gemara says that if the worker is from the town, he does not get paid for what he did not do. Since the worker should have known as well as the owner about the state of the local river, he cannot blame the owner and he does not deserve to get paid for what he did not do. The worker is also not entitled to pay in a case where neither he nor the owner should have been aware of the situation that made the work undoable (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 334:1). Let us analyze your case. Although you informed the contractor that there might be problems, you did not warn him about the police, and since you were surprised, he certainly was. If the oness (extenuating circumstance) that occurred was unknown to the worker, it doesn’t make a difference that other dangers were known. It does not make sense to say that the police is just another example of a disturbance, which he was aware could occur, because (regardless of one’s political views) it is different in regard to its origin and its implications (i.e., it can prevent further work, as opposed to delaying or complicating). The main point seems to be as follows: You indicated that you were surprised about the police. However, since your background information indicates that you do this type of work often and we know nothing about the contractor, you have to ask yourself the following question. Did you have more reason to be aware of the possibility of the police stopping the work than the contractor did? If so, based on the aforementioned rules, you should have to pay. Assuming there are grounds for payment, there are factors to be considered. First, you are correct in deducting the savings of material. Second, there is a machloket whether payment is for the loss caused to the worker or because once he starts working, the owner is obligated based on the agreement as if he completed the work (see Machaneh Efrayim, Sechirut Po'alim 4). There should be a difference between the opinions in a case that the worker would not have had another job to do anyway. According to the former opinion, since there is no loss, there is no payment. As there are a few elements of the question that are not conclusive, we recommend that you offer a real compromise. In this regard, especially, the following question is very pertinent. How did the price you agreed upon compare to that for the same job in a less challenging work setting? If it is similar, then, if you do not pay a significant portion of the salary, it turns out that you gave him a bad deal, which is improper (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 227:36). Under certain circumstances, the price paid can even be an indication of what we can assume the tacit understanding was for conditions that were not explicitly discussed (see K’tzot HaChoshen 331:1). Finally, we urge you to set clear guidelines with future workers to cover a wide variety of possible surprises in your challenging field of avoda. Rav Daniel Mann, Eretz Hemdah Institute Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha sheet by Eretz Hemdah. You can receive it by sending an email to info@eretzhemdah.org with the message: Subscribe/English or Subscribe/Hebrew - leave subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel. [2] Candle by Day Our body can make us believe that it is sleepy almost at the drop of a hat when we wish to avoid an unpleasant activity. 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 no column this week Shmuel Himelstein's Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdom and Wit" - available at your local Jewish bookstore Reprinted with permission of the copyright holder [4] CHIZUK and IDUD for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively Birkat Kohanim The mitzva of Birkat Kohanim is defined by Rambam and Sefer HaChinuch as being obligatory daily. There are no restrictions as to time and place. In other words, Kohanim should “duchan” everyday, everywhere. This is the practice in most Israeli shuls. However, the prevailing practice in the Diaspora is to limit the fulfillment of this mitzva to Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and the three festivals. The Aruch HaShulchan states: “There is no valid reason for our custom of annulling the positive commandment of Birkat Kohanim on all the days of the year.” Over the years, great rabbis, including the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, and Rabbi Natan Adler of Frankfort tried to reinstate this mitzva in Diaspora communities... and failed. How can we explain this widespread apparent neglect of a Torah obligation? The Rama explains that Birkat Kohanim requires a joyous atmosphere. Jews in the Diaspora live with split personalities that must constantly balance their Jewishness against their places in the society in which they find themselves. In addition, on weekdays, they are preoccupied with earning a livelihood, and even on Shabbat thoughts about weekday worries are difficult to avoid. Therefore, Birkat Kohanim should be omitted. Even on Yom Tov, in the Diaspora, Birkat Kohanim is only recited at Musaf because people are looking forward to the festive meal that follows. Apparently, the Diaspora custom announces to one and all that living in the Golah is living burdened, without daily Simcha. Conversely, living in Israel, with all of its problems, fills us with joy. According to the Rama’s reasoning, Kohanim should not “duchan” on fast days. Yet the Mishna clearly states that Birkat Kohanim is obligatory on fast days. In fact, in Israel Kohanim bless us twice on fast days, at both Shacharit and Mincha. Even on Tisha B’Av our Kohanim bless us at Mincha. Apparently, the lift our souls get from living in Israel is powerful enough to withstand the soberness of these days, so that we can still experience Birkat Kohanim. Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, known as the Chozeh MiLublin offered a novel interpretation of the priestly blessings. He said that the word V'YISHM'RECHA in the first blessing, doesn’t only mean “and He will protect you.” The root SHIN- MEM-REISH can also refer to yeast. The blessing then is that G-d will make our souls like yeast, which ferments slowly and quietly, but is continually developing, maturing and rising. The second blessing is that the face of Hashem should be open to us illuminating our lives.The third blessing adds the element Shalom, which includes SH'LEIMUT; that we should achieve the feeling of completeness that comes with a fully integrated personality. In Israel, these blessing are part of our daily lives. Living here elevates and matures our Torah study and observance, and everything we do. We don’t have to accommodate to someone else’s calendar. Judaism is our public face as well as our private one. There is no dichotomy. We left our split personalities behind us. Here we are whole. Here we are complete. Here we receive God’s blessings every day of the year. Rabbi Yosef Wolicki, Beit Shemesh TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu'a [5] Parsha Points to Ponder no column this week [6] Portion from the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum FEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il no column this week [7] from Machon Puah - for Fertility and Gynecology in Accordance with Halacha Treating Patients with Mental Deficiency Recently two of the Rabbis of the Puah Institute presented a paper at the Annual Meeting of the Israeli Fertility Association in Tel Aviv on the subject of offering assisted reproduction for couples with mental deficiency. Over the next few weeks I wanted to present some of the questions that they raised and to review some of their answers. At the meeting many doctors and medical professionals showed a lot of interest in this question and the rabbis realized that many clinics have been faced with this question. Couples turn to fertility clinics pursuing treatment in order to get pregnant, but, sometimes, the medical staff is concerned that the couple will not be able to raise the child. Due to severe mental deficiency of the couple, the staff is wary that the child born may suffer and they ask themselves whether they should assist such couples or should they refuse to offer treatment? All major professional fertility associations have suggested guidelines for their members regarding treating couples with mental deficiency. However these are reasonably general, are not legally binding and leave most of the decision making up to the individual clinic. For example, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine produced an Ethics Committee report entitled "Child-rearing ability and the provision of fertility services". There they write "persons with disabilities should not be denied fertility services except in rare cases when a well-substantiated basis exists for thinking that they cannot provide or have others provide adequate child-rearing for offspring." This relies entirely on the goodwill of the clinic and on their ability to assess the couple's ability to raise the child. It is at this juncture that most medical professionals face great difficulties. How can child rearing ability be defined? Mostly they refer the couple to a psychologist or to a social worker and these provide a report as to the ability of the couple to adequately raise their children. In Puah we wanted to search for some more objective guidelines in accordance with the halacha. It should be noted that studies have shown that parents of children with mental deficiency are very concerned about them getting married and often prefer them not to marry and have children. However the same studies have shown that when such couples do get married they have good marriages and exhibit a high level of marital satisfaction, many even greater than couple without such disabilities. So while the doctors may be uncomfortable treating such couples they may be good spouses and good parents. Are there any halachic guidelines in this area? More on this next week. The Puah Institute 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. Offices in Jerusalem, New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Contact: (02) 651-5050 (Isr). www.puahonline.org [8] Person in the Parsha by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NASO Can Chayn Mean "Charisma"? I once loved the word. I first heard it when I was introduced to the thought of German sociologist Max Weber. He differentiated between several types of leaders, one of whom had neither specialized expertise nor royal birth, but whose authority rested on the devotion instilled in his followers by the force of his personality. He termed that force of personality "charisma", and he wrote eloquently of the power of charisma and of the great danger charismatic leaders posed to society. Ever since then, I have been fascinated by this quality of charisma and have studied the lives of charismatic leaders. In the Bible, Abraham and King David clearly had charisma; Isaac and King Saul, much less so. Closer to our day, both Churchill and Hitler had it, proving that it can equally be used for good and for evil. Harry Truman and Hubert Humphrey, two politicians I admired back in high school, did not have it. And Jack Kennedy had it in spades! What is charisma? Dictionary definitions include "a rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse popular devotion", or more simply, "personal magnetism or charm". The word also has a religious connotation, because it stems from the Greek word kharisma (divine favor), so that in Christianity, it specifically refers to the "ability to perform miracles, granted by the Holy Spirit." In this week's Torah portion, Parshat Naso, we come across a word which, I will argue, can well be translated as "charisma". That word is CHAYN, spelled chet-nun, and it appears in the second verse of the well-known Priestly Blessing, which reads, "May the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee." (Numbers 6:25) That last phrase, which is the typical translation of VICHUNEKA, is not favored by Rashi. Rather, he renders it, "...and He shall grant you chayn" - the quality of grace, of charm, and as I maintain, of charisma. Charisma in the sense of grace is mentioned elsewhere in the Torah as a divine gift. In Sh'mot 33:19, we come across a somewhat mysterious passage in which God says, "I will bestow chayn upon whomever I bestow chayn." It is almost as if He, somewhat arbitrarily from our human perspective, gives the gift of grace, charm, or charisma to whomever He chooses to give it. This is certainly the implication of the verse, "And No'ach found chayn in the eyes of the Lord." (B'reishit 6:8). We have all encountered individuals in our own lives who seem to have been blessed with the gift of chayn, charisma. In every high school class, and certainly in my own, there was one fellow who had it. He was the most popular among his peers, excelled academically, and usually had great athletic prowess as well. He was the one chosen by his classmates as "most likely to succeed." But is chayn always a blessing? Is charisma always a positive virtue? Apparently not, for already in Scripture, we find it referred to in negative terms. "Chayn is deceptive (sheker hachayn), and beauty is illusory," reads the verse in Mishlei 31:30, a verse we melodiously recite at the Shabbat table every Friday evening. When I think back to the charismatic youngsters of my high school class and the one preceding it, I cannot help but reflect on their ultimate destinies. One struggled with alcoholism all of his adult life, constantly frustrated because he felt he was not living up to his potential. He died the premature death of a derelict on a New York City skid row. The other settled into a mediocre bureaucratic career, neurotically fearful to use his very real talents lest he be outshone by others. Furthermore, the gift of charisma is often abused. Tyrants too numerous to mention have used their charisma for supreme evil. Adolf Hitler is but the most obvious case in point. Religious leaders as well have all too frequently used their charismatic qualities for fiendish ends. The list of gurus and clergymen who have been guilty of perverse treatment of their followers or even their own children is a shamefully long one. Sadly, it includes spiritual leaders in our own community who have abused their devotees and disciples in vile manners. The Talmud knows of a different kind of charisma entirely, one that is more common and may be even be considered the force which makes for cohesive relationships and societies. Substitute the word "charisma" or "charm" for the word "chayn" in this Talmudic passage: "Rabbi Yochanan said: There are three kinds of chayn: The chayn a city has for those who dwell in it; The chayn a wife has in the eyes of her husband; The chayn an object holds for him who purchased it." (Sotah 47a) Although I was born and bred in Brooklyn, I have lived most of my life in the city of Baltimore. It has charisma; enough so that for me it merits its claim to be "Charm City". My wife radiates charisma to me -- as I hope your spouse does to you, dear reader - in the sense of charm and dignity and grace. And who does not recall fondly that old "lemon" of an automobile which he or she purchased way back when? We react to the image of that jalopy with nostalgic and sentimental memories of its charm and charisma. So the next time you hear the blessing "May the Lord shine His face upon you and grant you chayn," think of the kind of charisma you personally hope for, and make sure that if you get it, you use it for a blessed purpose. [9] Praying with Passion - V'ani Tefillah Foundation - Praying with Fire P'sukei d'Zimra: ASHREI Direct From Hashem's 'Hand' Meaning: translation... Hashem supports all the fallen ones and straightens all the bent. The eyes of all look to You with hope and You give them their food in its proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Theme: An essential concept of the prayer Fulfilling Every Need Hashem is praised for fulfilling the needs of all living creatures. Insight: Deeper meanings... Hashem’s Accounting System The Gemara (B'rachot 4b) states, “Anyone who recites Tehilla l’David (Ashrei) three times each day is assured that he is worthy of the World to Come.” What is the reason? It is because Tehilla l’David (Psalm 145) follows the order of the alef-bet and contains the verse: POTEI'ACH ET YADECHA UMASBI'A L'CHOL CHAI RATZON, “You open up Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Yet, this does not seem to reflect the reality of the world, as we see that there are some whose desires are not satisfied and who in fact go hungry. HaRav Chaim Kanievsky explains with the following parable: There was once a king who announced that on a certain day, all the people of his kingdom would receive ten silver coins from the king’s treasure house. There was one person who owed the king taxes equal to the value of ten silver coins. The king declared that in lieu of giving him the ten silver coins, the tax debt would be forgiven. In light of that, the king proudly announced that every member of his kingdom did indeed receive ten silver coins. There are those who “owe” Hashem because of their sins. As the Gemara (B'rachoT 5a) teaches, “Afflictions purge all a person’s sins.” Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad HaKemach, Bitachon, page 75) explains: “If one suffers calamities... he should not view it as simply “bad luck...” Rather, he should ascribe the suffering to his many sins.” This dynamic does not always play out through extreme situations like starvation; the “debt” may also be paid little by little, through small inconveniences. The Gemara (Arachin 16b) explains even if one extended his hand into a purse to take out three coins, and only two came up, that can be considered Divine retribution that purges sin. Maharsha (ibid) explains that it is Hashem’s kindness that such a minor irritation - the need to put one’s hand back in the purse to draw out the third coin - is the means He chooses to cleanse a person from sin, bit by bit. So although it is true that, “You open up Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing", there are those whose desires are not satisfied, since Hashem offsets their “debt” against the gifts He sends to satisfy their desires. (Ta’amei Di’Kra, Tehilim 145) Visualize: Images that bring the prayer to life Something for Everyone The mother stood at her kitchen counter beginning her preparations for supper. She was making her children’s favorite - hamburgers on rolls, along with a pot of vegetable soup. As she surveyed the ingredients, she marveled at the miracle of each. The sweet, pungent onion, which grows beneath the earth, invisible to the eye. The fluffy rolls, an unlikely product of hard kernels growing on tall grass. The meat, the carrots, celery and peppers, the spices - an amazing array of sustenance, all flavored for man’s palate, lay there on the counter. And outside in the back yard, the squirrels munched on acorns, rabbits nibbled clover, the ants swarmed around some nearly invisible crumbs, the bees dined on nectar of the cherry blossom tree and the birds pecked bugs off the branches. Hashem provided the perfect food in the perfect venue for each living thing. Each of the millions of species of life, from amoeba to great blue whale, survives, thrives and reproduces in exactly the location Hashem has placed them. Make an effort, the next time you eat a good meal, to be mindful of the feeling of satisfaction. Savor the aroma and taste of the food and the sense of satiation that it brings. Think of that feeling the next time you say POTEI'ACH ET YADECHA... [10] Israel's Eternal Bond to Jerusalem, Guest article by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva As we celebrate Jerusalem Day, we are acutely aware that Jerusalem is the center of a heated and explosive political dispute concerning its future. Unfortunately, that dispute encouraged by President Obama's anti-Israel policy, has resulted in accusations that Jerusalem and especially the Temple Mount are not really central to Judaism. The Arabs even claim that there never was a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. These statements are absurd. No matter what one thinks concerning the future of Jerusalem, the fact of its centrality to Judaism is so blatant that it should need no reiteration. The existence of the Temple on the Temple Mount is so well attested by historical evidence, Jewish and non-Jewish, that one wonders how our "peace" partner could possibly deny it. The Torah's reference to "Salem" SHALEIM, is the ancient name of Jerusalem (B'reishit 14:18 Onkeles). Strangely enough the story of the Akeida (the binding of Isaac) is told with no specific reference to Jerusalem, although it seems obvious from the conclusion of the story - "and Avraham named that site Adonai-yireh [G-d will see], 'On the mount where G-d is seen'" (22:14) - that the reference is to G-d's special place. Later on, in Divrei HaYamim Bet 3:1, the Temple Mount is specifically identified as Mount Moriah, the site of the Akeida. D'varim refers constantly to "the place that I will choose" but does not tell us where that is. It is only with David's conquest that Jerusalem comes into our history. Jerusalem is known as "the city of David" since he made it the royal capital (see Sh'muel Bet 5:6-9). More importantly, he also insured its centrality by bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (6:12-18). The Ark, the throne of G-d, the symbol of G-d's presence, had always moved from place to place. Giving it a permanent resting place in Jerusalem transformed a political capital into a religious site of the greatest importance. The mountain on which the Ark sat, Mount Zion, became the equivalent of Mount Sinai and from then on was known as the "Mountain of the L-rd." Solomon's building of the Temple, a permanent building to replace the portable tent, reinforced the concept of Jerusalem as G-d's dwelling - "city of the Great King" - as the psalmist phrased it (T'hilim 48). How anyone can possibly ignore the numerous Biblical references is difficult to understand. The Christian Bible as well testifies to the existence of the Temple on Mt. Zion. Indeed without that testimony, the Gospel stories make no sense. President Obama claims he is a Bible reading Christian. If he reads II Samuel 5, he will discover and learn that Jerusalem was Israel's capital 3000 years before Washington, DC was the capital of the USA. As for Islam, if there was no sacredness to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, why did Muhammad - according to its tradition - come there and why was the Dome of the Rock built? That shrine is built on the rock that was considered sacred because of the Akeida that took place there - even if the Koran records the wrong son being offered up, and because that rock was the very foundation of the creation. The unshakeable bond of our people to Jerusalem in the past is beyond question, as is the identity of the Temple Mount. What matters now is the meaning that Jerusalem has for us today and will have in the future. The prophets gave Jerusalem not only a past but also a future. The time will come, they taught, when "the mountain of the L-rd's House shall stand firm above the mountains and tower above the hills and all the nations shall gaze upon it with joy. And many peoples shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the Mount of the L-rd.. that He may instruct us in His ways... For Torah shall go forth from Zion, the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem... And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not take up sword against nation; they shall never again know war" (Yeshayahu 2:2-4). This vision was the most exalted vision that anyone has ever had. Jerusalem is the symbol of that wondrous time when peace - SHALOM - a word that is embedded in the name Yerushalayim - will prevail. To be worthy of that is our task. That is its meaning for us today and the challenge that Jerusalem sets for us and for all humanity. [11] Maharal on the Sedra - Column prepared by Dr. Moshe Kuhr The Teruma-Sota Connection Bamidbar 5:2 - Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them, if a man should suspect his wife, and she has been unfaithful to him... Rashi: What does the previous verse say? The sanctified portions [T'ruma] given to the kohen belong to that kohen. The lesson is if you hold back from giving the priestly portions, I swear by your life that you will need to come to him with a sota offering. Gur Arye: Rashi's midrash derives this from the ISH ISH [if a man] that leads into this discussion of the suspect wife. It is really about her, and the reference to him serves the purpose of connecting sota to the refraining from giving the priestly portions in the previous verse. What troubles me is the singling out of sota among all the examples of conditions that necessitate sacrifices, like zav [urethral discharge] and metzora [a spiritual skin condition]. Perhaps the distinction is that an evil person who is a zav or a metzora might not tell anyone so as not to become obligated to bring the priestly offering. But even an evil person does not want his wife to become unfaithful, and if he is jealous, he will accuse her and of necessity bring her and the sacrifice to the kohen. There is also an element of measure for measure here. He did not wish to part from his possessions to give the required priestly gifts, so the verse says, "you will come to need him", teaching him the critical role of the kohen, to be the intermediary between the Holy One Blessed be He, and Israel, to make peace between them through the sacrifices. Israel is called the wife of Hashem, as it is written [Shir HaShirim 1:8], "If you do not know, o fairest of women" and many other places. Therefore, he needs the kohen to whom to bring his sota, that the kohen should make peace between him and his wife the way the kohen makes peace between Hashem and Israel. Rashi later explains [35:25] that Hashem, who is called husband to Israel is close to them through the service of the kohen, and this man who withheld the priestly gifts and did not want to recognize the special status of the kohen now needs him in order to bring peace to his marriage. Dr Kuhr is the author of Lion Cub of Prague - Genesis. The next volume on Exodus and Leviticus is in press. [12] Excerpted with permission from Gold From the Land of Israel - A New Light on the Weekly Portion From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook by Rabbi Chanan Morrison - URIM PUBLICATIONS, J'lem • NY - website: ravkooktorah.org Divine Favoritism? Adapted from Ein Ayah vol. I, pp. 102-103 The Complaint of the Angels The last blessing of Birkat Kohanim, the priestly benediction, is a request that God should be lenient when judging us: “May God lift His countenance to you” (Bamidbar 6:26). “Lifting one’s face” is a Hebrew idiom for showing special consideration, especially by a judge. Is it fair that the Jewish people should be judged leniently, more than other nations? In fact, the Talmud (B'rachot 20b) relates that the angels raised this very question. The ministering angels asked the Holy One, “Master of the Universe, it is written in Your Torah (D'varim 10:17) that You “do not show favor or take bribes” - And yet, You show Israel special consideration, as it is written, “May God lift His countenance to you’!” God replied to them, “How can I not favor Israel? For I commanded them, “When you eat and are satisfied, you must bless HaShem, your God” (D'varim 8:10), and they are punctilious [to say grace] over an olive-sized piece of bread [even though they are not satiated].” What is the significance of this stringency that the Jewish people accepted upon themselves, to recite Birkat HaMazon even for a small piece of bread? Why should this earn them special treatment? When is Leniency Appropriate? While leniency sounds like a good thing, this is not necessarily the case. We are punished for wrongdoings, not out of divine retribution or revenge, but in order to direct us to the proper path. Even if an individual is bursting with merits and good deeds, he will not gain from a reprieve, even for the slightest of errors. Without the appropriate measure of divine justice, we do not learn to mend our ways and strive towards ever-greater perfection. There is, however, a situation when the absence of divine justice will not have an adverse effect. This case involves an individual who will continue to strive towards self-improvement even without the divine wake-up call to introspection and moral accounting. Such a person must have acquired the quality of hakarat hatov, sincere appreciation. When applied to God and His kindness, this trait is the height of morality. Our sense of gratitude is intensified when we feel that we are the recipient of undeserved kindness and compassion. And the only way we can return this favor is through spiritual and ethical growth, thus fulfilling God’s will. [See Chovat HaLevavot, introduction to Sha’ar Avodat Elokim.] The appreciative individual recognizes that God’s generosity is not commensurate to his actions. Not only will this divine leniency not cause him to become lax in his conduct, but it will inspire him to work even harder to improve himself, since he has an additional reason to be appreciative of God’s ways. Now we can understand God’s response to the angels. The explanation that the Jewish people deserve special consideration because they recite blessings even on olive-sized pieces of bread is not just some form of divine tit-for-tat. Rather, their behavior is indicative of a refined appreciation of God’s kindness for their physical sustenance, even keener than that which the Torah requires. The Appreciation Test There is an additional factor at play here. When misdeeds go unpunished, two contradictory processes occur. On the one hand, undeserved leniency bolsters our feelings of gratitude. On the other hand, we may be ensnared by a sense that our actions are not accounted for - so why bother laboring over ethical improvement and spiritual growth? Which feeling will prevail? An individual blessed with strong character traits will think: I am indebted to God’s compassion; therefore, I must redouble my efforts to improve. A weaker person, on the other hand, will be misled by the mistaken sense that God does not fully monitor our actions. How can we determine which way of thinking will triumph? Here is a simple test. If a person recognizes God’s kindness even when all of his needs have not been met, this is a sure sign that he is blessed with a robust trait of appreciation. Such a person has a correct understanding of God’s relationship to His creations, and recognizes that God does everything for the good. In this case, we can be assured that, in a conflict between these two feelings - appreciation for God’s leniency, and a deluded impression of limited divine providence - the true feeling of appreciation will prevail. Thus, one feels the need to express gratitude for even a small measure - even an olive-sized piece of bread - despite the fact that he is still hungry and his needs have not been fully met; it is clear that his natural sense of appreciation is strong and healthy. The Jewish people, who recite Birkat HaMazon even when they are not satiated, demonstrate their innate mind-set of hakarat hatov, and will always interpret God’s leniency and special consideration in the correct way. ### Silver from the Land Accepting Two Torahs - Adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 160-165 A careful reading of the Torah’s account of Matan Torah indicates that the Jewish people accepted the Torah not once but twice. First it says: Moses came and told the people all of God’s words and all of the laws. The entire people responded with a single voice, “All the words that God spoke - we will do [Na’aseh]. (Sh'mot 24:3) Immediately afterward, we read: Moses wrote down all of God’s words .... He took the book of the covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “All that God said, we will do and we will understand [Na’aseh VeNishma]. (24:4:7) [The word nishma literally means “we will hear.” While this could be taken to mean “we will obey,” the Talmud in Shabbat 88a interprets nishma to mean “we will understand.” (See B'reishit 42:23 and D'varim 28:49, where the root shama can only carry the meaning “to understand.”) These two passages cannot refer to the same event. In the first account, Moshe communicated God’s words orally, while in the second account he read to the people from SEFER HABRIT, the written record of God’s word. This corresponds to the teaching of the Sages that not one but two Torahs were given at Mount Sinai - the Oral Law and the Written Law. The Jewish people first accepted upon themselves the Oral Torah, and afterward, the Written Torah. Why Two Torahs? Why was it necessary for the Torah to be given both orally and in writing? And why did the people accept the Oral Torah with the words, “We will do,” but when accepting the Written Torah they added, “and we will understand?” There are two aspects to Torah study. The primary goal of Torah is to know how we should conduct ourselves. This is the function of the Oral Law - the Mishnah and the Talmud - which discusses in detail how to apply God’s laws to the diverse situations of life. The second goal of Torah study is to know the Torah for its own sake, without practical applications. This goal is particularly relevant to the Written Torah. Even if we do not fully understand the words and intent, we still fulfill the mitzva of Torah study when we read the Written Torah. As the Sages taught, “One should first learn superficially, and later analyze [the material] ... even if one does not [initially] understand what one has read” (Avoda Zara 19a). There is no value, however, in studying the Oral Torah if it is not understood properly. On the contrary, misreading the Oral Law will lead to errors in Halachic rulings and faulty conduct. Attaining accurate insight into the practical application of Torah principles requires a breadth and depth of Torah scholarship. It is unreasonable to expect the entire people to reach such a level of erudition. For this reason, the practical side of Torah was transmitted orally. Only those who labor diligently in its study, receiving the traditions from the great scholars of the previous generation, will truly merit this knowledge. If this part of Torah had been committed to writing, many unlearned individuals would be falsely confident in rendering legal decisions, despite not having studied all of the relevant issues. One might argue that perhaps the entire Torah should have been transmitted orally. But then Torah knowledge would be limited to only a select few. The Written Torah enables all to be exposed to Torah, on whatever level they are capable of comprehending. Now we can better understand the Torah’s account of Mount Sinai. When they first accepted the Oral Law, the people promised, “Na’aseh” - This aspect of Torah related to the entire people only in terms of its practical application - “We will do.” It was with regard to the Written Torah, which is intellectually accessible to all, that the people added, “VeNishma” - “and we will understand.” First, “We Will Do” It is natural to want to understand as much as possible and to act according to our understanding. The spiritual greatness of the Jewish people at Mount Sinai was their recognition of the benefit of not committing the Oral Law to writing so that their actions would best fulfill God’s Will. This is the significance of their response “We will do” we accept upon ourselves to follow the practical teachings of the scholars and teachers of the Oral Law. Since this acceptance was equally relevant to all, regardless of intellectual capabilities, the verse emphasizes that “the entire people responded with a single voice.” After they had accepted upon themselves to observe the Torah according to the teachings of the rabbis, Moshe then presented them with the Written Torah. We would have expected that the people would have shown particular love for the Written Law, since they could approach this Torah directly. But in an act of spiritual nobility, the Jewish people demonstrated their desire to first obey and observe the applied rulings of the Oral Law. Thus they announced: “We will do”, and only afterward, “we will understand” - In summary: the Jewish people received two Torahs at Sinai. Moshe first gave them the Oral Law, so they could fulfill the Torah’s principle goal - proper conduct in this world. Then Moses transmitted the Written Law, enabling each individual to access Torah at his level, and preparing the people to receive the practical teachings of the Oral Law. Seeing Sound - Adapted from Mo’adei HaRe’iyah, p. 491 And all the people saw the sounds... (Sh'mot 20:14) The Midrash calls our attention to an amazing aspect of the Revelation at Sinai: the Jewish people were able to see what is normally only heard. What does this mean? Standing near the Source At their source, sound and sight are united. Only in our limited, physical world, in this ALMA DEPERUDA (disjointed world), are these phenomena disconnected and detached. This is similar to our perception of lightning and thunder, which become increasingly separated from one another as the observer is more distanced from the source. If we are bound and limited to the present, if we can only perceive the universe through the viewpoint of the temporal and the material, then we will always be aware of the divide between sight and sound. The prophetic vision at Mount Sinai, however, granted the people a unique perspective, as if they were standing near the source of Creation. From that vantage point, they were able to witness the underlying unity of the universe. They were able to see sounds and hear sights. God’s revelation at Sinai was registered by all their senses simultaneously, as a single, undivided perception. [13] Torah from Nature Among the 5400 species of mammals, only one - the naked mole rat -is known to live in groups with a queen and several breeding males - like bees and some other insects, but unknown in mammals (except...) [14] MicroUlpan More flowers for Shavuot violet = SIGALIT - pansy = AMON V’TAMAR [15] From “OzTorah” by Rabbi Dr. Raymond Apple, AO RFD, Emeritus Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney - www.oztorah.com No free lunch The Israelites in the wilderness were always complaining about the food. They hankered for the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic they had in Egypt (Bamidbar 11:4-6). So why were they so eager to leave if they got such excellent food there? Or did their memories play tricks on them? Was the food really so good? Surely slaves don’t get 5-star catering! And why do they describe the fish in Egypt as CHINAM, free? Wasn’t the manna in the wilderness also free? Did God send a bill for their daily supplies? Puzzled about the word “free”; the Sages asked, “If the Egyptians didn’t give them free straw to make bricks, would they give them free fish?” Ramban says in reply that yes, the fish was free: fish were so plentiful around the Nile that the fishermen gave them away. The Sages however added something that at first puzzles us almost as much as the question: "The fish was free of mitzvot." Was it that they could eat without making a b’racha? Surely the rabbis meant something deeper. One view is that as slaves they had no need to comply with the standards of civilized society. The Egyptians didn’t care whether the Israelites adhered to the rules of etiquette or good citizenship. They were nobodies. But everything changed when they became God’s people. The food was still free but it wasn’t a free lunch. God looked after them as part of a covenant in which they had their part to play. They had duties to God and to each other. ### A look at Shavuot Is it really a commandment? The Ten Commandments are more famous than understood. The greatest difficulty for the human mind is probably Commandment number one. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Sh'mot 20:2) - what sort of commandment is that? The fact is that it doesn’t need to be a commandment at all if we go by the Hebrew title, Aseret HaDib’rot (Ten Words, Ten Principles). Nonetheless, Maimonides includes this first statement in the list of commandments, though he admits that if a person believes in God, no commandment is needed and if they do not believe, no commandment helps. Belief can not be imposed or legislated. You can order me to believe, but you are wasting your time unless my heart and soul have already freely chosen to believe. We can defend Maimonides, however, if we move to the second part of the verse. “I am the Lord your God” is not saying, “Believe in My existence,”, but “Believe that it was I who brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt” The question is not whether God exists - that is axiomatic from page one of the Bible - but whether He relates to His creation. The sages said that a Roman noblewoman asked, “What has your God been doing since the six days of Creation?” In other words, “Is God only in the background or does He do anything for His world?” The rabbi to whom she posed the question said that God busies Himself making marriages, i.e. He concerns Himself with relationships. We believe not just that He is, but that it is He who is in charge of the world. Short, sharp, staccato - the 5 “Do Nots” The last five of the Ten Commandments are short, sharp, almost staccato. As the first five exhort reverence for God, the last five command reverence for man’s life, marriage and family, property and possessions, reputation and integrity. All are negatives, “Do not” Negatives are clear, unambiguous and concise. Try to turn them into something positive and the result is wordy and imprecise: “Respect human life” is very nice, but “Do not kill” is clearer. As it has been said, “God Almighty hath said in a voice that goeth thundering through the centuries, “Thou shalt not” Never! Never! Never!” WR Matthews wrote, “Neither Jews nor Christians hold that prohibitions are enough, or that moral goodness consists in observing them. What is maintained is that such a series of negative commandments is an indispensable aid to moral development and cannot safely be thrown aside even by persons of mature character” As children we realized there was a difference between right and wrong when we heard “Do not” “Don’t touch the hot fire... don’t cross the road by yourself”... Matthews says, “Thou shalt not” is not the last word in morals, but it is the first word.” There is no human group or society that did not formulate laws of this kind. Every society develops a law against murder. So does the Sixth Commandment contribute anything which we might not have worked out by ourselves? Fundamentally, the link between “I am the Lord your God” and “do not murder” - Not murdering is thus not merely a counsel of prudence that recognizes that such an act invites retaliation and vengeance and endangers everyone, but it has a higher motive based on the principle that there is a God who has made man in His own image (a concept to be understood not in a literal but an ethical and intellectual sense). Man is part of God, and to murder a human being is to diminish God. Whatever the provocation, when a person is provoked and sorely tempted, the thought of God should hold them back from transgressing. The sages say that when Joseph was tempted by the wife of Potiphar, his father appeared to his mind’s eye and he knew he could not sin; all the more, when the thought of God appears before us, we know we cannot commit a sin. The command against murder also has broader implications. It is not only acts which are murderous. There are also murderous attitudes. The Torah (D'varim 21) established a ritual to be followed if a dead body was found and no one knew who had killed the person. The elders of the nearest city had to wash their hands and say, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.” Would anyone have suspected the city fathers? The elders implied, “This man did not come to us hungry and we failed to feed him. He did not come to us friendless and we failed to show concern for his welfare.” If social problems exist and we fail to deal with them adequately, we are in a sense guilty of murder because we have left others to their fate and signalled that their lives are not worth saving. [16] The Shavuot Sandwich The following is both fanciful as well as informative. It also restates something we wrote about in last week's Torah Tidbits, but seems to belong in this Shavuot Pull Out, as well. The sandwich to which we refer is made up of the sedras that precede and follow Shavuot, with the Chag as the filling. That would be a Swiss cheese and lettuce on rye, in most years. Swiss cheese for the Dairy minhag of Shavuot. The choice of cheese was made because Swiss cheese is holey and Shavuot is holy. (No groaning, please.) The lettuce is for the greens we decorate with on Shavuot. The two slices of rye bread are Parshat Bamidbar and Parshat Naso, the usual bookends for Shavuot. This arrangement is so for 89.47% of years. But in 10.53% of years - specifically, in 13-month years that begin on Thursday - Naso is Parshat HaShavua before Shavuot and B'haalot'cha follows Shavuot. So we'll call that situation Swiss and lettuce on pumpernickel. And we can also let the two different breads remind us of the SH'TEI HALECHEM offering of Shavuot. This year is a SHANA M'UBERET with Rosh HaShana on Thursday (and Friday). This is the rarer pumpernickel situation. The above is correct for Chutz LaAretz - outside of Israel. In Israel, in addition to the above years, there are two other year-types among the 13-month years that Naso precedes Shavuot. That's another 9.98% of the time, bringing Israel's total to 20.51% of the time. These additional two year-types have Pesach running from Shabbat to Friday in Israel and from Shabbat to Shabbat in Chu"l. During those years, we in Israel resume Parshat HaShavua on the 8th day of Pesach in Chu"l and remain a sedra ahead (including Naso before Shavuot) until Matot-Mas'ei are separated here but not abroad. (When Pesach begins on Shabbat in a 12-month year, we in Israel split B'har-B'chukotai and the "rye situation" occurs.) Note too that with Naso before Shavuot, Matot and Mas'ei must be read separately in order to keep D'varim-Chazon before Tish'a b'Av and Va'etchanan-Nachamu after Tish'a b'Av. Matot-Mas'ei is the most often combined of the double sedras. They split only when Naso precedes Shavuot. 10.53% of the time in Chutz LaAretz, and 20.51% of the time in Eretz Yisrael. Again, this year, 5771, Naso is before Shavuot and Matot and Mas'ei are separated. The last times that happened were 5768 (three years ago), 5765 (three years before that), and 5744 (21 years earlier). Not the uneven frequency of occurrences. In Israel, there were pumpernickel sandwiches also in 5772 and 5755. [17] Divrei Menachem After a census was taken in the desert and the camp was declared free of anyone defiled, Moshe was commanded by Hashem to speak to Bnei Yisra'el about making restitution for wrongdoings such as illegally withholding money owed to a fellow Jew. Coming so soon in the footsteps of laws concerning the contamination of the camp by anyone who came in to contact with a human corpse, one might clearly come to the conclusion that refusal to hand over to another what is due to him is, in itself, a form of contamination of society. Indeed, relating to these laws, Hashem says that a man or woman who, "commits any of Man's sins by com- mitting treachery toward Hashem", has to make amends (Bamidbar 5:5-6). No doubt, then, that financial treachery against a fellow Jew is tantamount to betraying the essence of what the Torah stands for; it is an offense against G-d Himself! In an earlier passage the same topic was broached, but the definition of the transgression was slightly different: "If a person sins and commits a treachery against Hashem by lying to his comrade regarding a pledge or a loan or a robbery...” (Vayikra 5:20-26). Previously, stealing from another was labeled as a sin against G-d; in our parsha, however, it is defined as one of "man's sins". Perhaps the meaning is that even if we steal from our brothers according to our own man-made legal system that, too, is a sin against G-d! For in the end of the day, "The Earth is the Mine" (Vayikra 25:23). Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff We would greatly appreciate your feedback on the new features (and old ones) in Torah Tidbits [Please send to tt@ou.org] Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading TTreader comment... The following review was prompted by a comment from someone on an ambiguous statement in last week's TBDATR column. The letter HEI sounds like the English letter H, unless it is silent. With a vowel under a HEI, the HEI's consonant sound joins the vowel's sound to produce HA, HI, HU, HEI, HO... If there is no vowel at all under a HEI (and it also has no MAPIK in it), then the HEI is completely silent. The HEI at the end of the word MENORA is not sounded at all. With a MAPIK (dot) in the HEI at the end of a word (and that's the only place a HEI ever gets a MAPIK), the HEI is sounded (aspirated). Give it to her, LAHHH. Woman = ISHA (silent HEI at the end). Her husband = ISHAHHH, sounded HEI. Just as a MAPIK indicates that the HEI is sounded at the end of a word, a SH'VA under a HEI in the middle of a word indicates that the HEI is sounded. To be, LIH-YOT. In Megilat Esther, the month that turned from sorrow to joy, NEH-PACH. The SH'VA under a HEI is ALWAYS a SH'VA NACH. The SH'VA itself has no vowel sound, but it tells us to sound the HEI. Parsha Pix This issue's ParshaPix has elements for both Naso and B'haalot'cha... Upper-left is a forklift used by the work-force of M'rari to move the ADANIM, the silver foundation sockets of the Mishkan. The turtle is there representing the covered wagons that were used to transport the dismantled structure of the Mishkan. In Hebrew, covered wagons are AGLEI TZAV, turtle wagons. We used to call them dungarees; most call them jeans; some call them by a major, popular brandname - LEVIS, as in the LEVIYIM who play a prominent role in the sedra. The Do Not Enter sign times three times is for the three levels of the camps from which different types of defilement were excluded. See Sedra Summary. Upper-right - Leonard Nemoy, a.k.a. Mr. Spock from Star Trek. Half-human and half-Vulcan, he salutes fellow Vaulcans with his hand held as Kohanim do for Birkat Kohanim. No coincidence. Nemoy says that, as a kid in his grandfather's shul, he used to peek under the talit of the kohein during Birkat Kohanim (because he was told not to). The negated shaver and the negated wine are for two of the prohibitions of the Nazir. Speaking of Nazir, as the haftara of Naso does, the bees and the lion refer to the riddle that Shimshon the Nazir challenged the P'lishtim with. The candle lighting other candles is the image of Moshe sharing prophecy with the seventy elders. Tide is for the eviyim to clean their garments and for Yehoshua the Kohein Gadol in the haftara of B'haalot'cha to do the same. The two trumpets are for the Chatzotzrot. The matza and maror are to be eaten with the Korban Pesach Sheni. The smiling watermelon in the thought bubble is for the complaint of the people who claimed to remember fondly the good foods they ate in Egypt. The snowflake is for the TZORAAT that afflicted Miriam. The Menora is for the beginning of B'haalot'cha. The eyes are for Chovav (Yitro), whom Moshe asked to stay with the people and "be their eyes". The set of Chumashim, which Rashi links to the 5 times stated phrase B'NEI YISRA'EIL in Bamidbar 8:19 The Xed out four cups is to say that they are NOT part of Pesach Sheni - only items directly related to the korban are the same as the first Pesach. So too the bread, which a person can have in his house even while he brings and eats the KP2. The No Parking sign is for the people when they get their traveling orders. The Xed out soldier is for the haftara of B'haalot'cha - LO V'CHAYIL... not by military might... The opened Aron Kodesh is for the two p'sukim which we borrow - one when we take out the Torahs and one when we put them away. 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 (BAMIDBAR) TTriddles: [1] Alvin Kelly Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly was the acknowledged master of flagpole- sitting, a nutty public fad of the 1920s. Kelly would clamber to the top of a specially-prepared flagpole and remain there on a small platform for days or even weeks, usually as a paid publicity stunt. Kelly set a world record by perching atop a flagpole for seven weeks at Atlantic City's Steel Pier in the summer of 1930. Flag(pole) sitting is alluded to by the p'sukim in Bamidbar that tell us that the encampment was ISH AL DIGLO, a person on his flag. [2] Listen to me, Fischel Fischel is a Yiddish name usually linked to Efrayim. It comes from the blessing of Yaakov Avinu to Efrayim and Menashe - HAMAL-ACH HAGO'EIL OTI... V'YIDGU LAROV... the last phrase means to be prolific, to multiply. The root of the verb is the same as fish - hence, Fischel. Why only for Efrayim and not Menashe? Here's speculation: That Efrayim was placed before Menashe even though Menashe was older. And the F sound in both Efrayim and Fischel. Listen to me can be rendered into Hebrew as EILAI SH'MA, to me listen. Those words fuse and with adjusted vowels becomes ELISHAMA b. AMIHUD, the tribal leader of Efrayim. [3] 186,400 shoppers a month? This is the number given as the total of the adult male population of Yehuda, Yissachar, and Zevulun. These 3 tribes together formed MACHANE YEHUDA. Hence, in TTriddle style, 186,400 can be the number of shoppers a month at the SHUK, a.k.a. Machane Yehuda (in Jerusalem). [4] Which father of a Nasi corresponds to Yitzchak Avinu The tribal leader of Binyamin was AVIDAN b. GID'ONI. AVIDAN means the father of Dan, which matches Yaakov Avinu for this TTriddle. Yaakov's father, of course, was Yitzchak Avinu, so GID'ONI would correspond to Yitzchak. [5] You can take Galil out of the man, but... This is a play on the old line, one version of which is, You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. From the internet, this seems to be the original (1938), but there are many variations. In this TTriddle, you can take GALIL out of GAMLI'EIL (leader of Menashe), by removing the GIMEL, YUD, and two LAMEDs from his name - leaving an ALEF and a MEM, but... (Can you take him out of the Galil? - we wonder.) [6] MazalPic A shipping container is called a sea-van as in the month of Sivan. [7] Two Unexplaineds The two actors are from a TV series called NUMB3RS, in which crimes are solved with mathematics. The logo below them is for EZRAT ACHIM, which is a play on ACHIEZER of Dan. This week's TTriddles: [1] Thenardite [2] referees, judges, umpires...can join for a mere $97 a year [3] Apollo Soucek Field [4] The Sun, Moon, stars and the son of whom? [5] Menashe day: Whose spoon? Whose knife? [6] Tzav, Bamidar x4, B'haalot'cha x2, Pinchas, Mas'ei [7] enough mixed blood [8] Also, Yaakov-Lavan distance and Moshe's request [9] Typical, he never gets Maftir [10] Nachson's father's extra connection Israel Center Miscellany CHESED FUND Remember: Tzedaka is NOT a time related mitzva! Our Chessed fund is always active. Needed Urgently! To assist: 1. Family marrying off 2 children; father sick with cancer 2. Single mother making Bar Mitzva for son Neither family can afford to make the Smachot Make checks to “Chesed Fund,”, send to: Israel Center Chesed Fund att. M. Persoff POB 37015 - Jerusalem 91370 or leave them at the front desk Sponsor a Shiur or a morning or a whole day's learning Sponsorship can be in memory of a loved one...or in celebration of a birth, Bar/Bat mitzva, engagement, marriage, anniversary, special birthday, Aliya of family or friends... The dedication will be included in Torah Tidbits, will be announced at the beginning of the shiur, and will be posted at the entrance to the room. Obviously, we need advance notice to properly process your sponsorship. Please call Sara Berelowitz at (02) 560-9104 Name: ________________________________ Phones: ____________________________ Dedication (circle one): Single Shiur (180NIS) What shiur? __________________________ Morning (360NIS) or full day (500NIS) Indicate which day: ________ In honor of _______________________________________ Occasion (birth, Bar/Bat Mitzva, graduation, engagement, marriage, anniversary, special birthday, recovery, Aliya), other - specify:_______________________________ In memory of _______________________________________ Occasion - yahrzeit, how many years; other: ____________________________________ check out www.campdror.com - summer camp for kids entering grades 6-10 The Yair Landau Memorial Library Our library on the first floor of the Israel Center is actively involved in receiving many books, Torah tapes, compact musical CD, and videos for your enjoyment. BOOK LIBRARY: We now have many new novels, Sefarim, and other books of interest to peek your interest in Jewish history. Just come in to the library and view the new collections. TAPE LIBRARY: Torah tapes abound in our library featuring noted lecturers. One may borrow three tapes at a time. VIDEOS: Videos are shown on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 12:30pm and are free of charge. Videos are also shown in the evenings. If you have missed one that you that you would like to see, just open the Torah Tidbits and find the details. MUSIC LIBRARY: Similar to the Tape Library, one may borrow three musical discs at one time for your listening pleasure. VOLUNTEERS: Thank you to each and every one of you who gives time to this valuable resource at the OU/Israel Center. If you would like to volunteer, please come in and talk to Yaakov Rosen, librarian, or Verna Black, assistant to Yaakov who will discuss with you the amount of time you are willing to serve and the duties involved. Wishing all of you a wonderful spring and summer, a joyous Shavu'ot and thinking of Yaakov Rosen, who is recovering from some surgery this week. Refu'ah Sheleima Yaakov! Travel Desk - DIRECT LINE: 560-9110 or 050-725-8392 THE TRAVEL DESK is for making reservations and receiving info about Israel Center tiyulim. Please note that ALL Israel Center tiyulim require advance registration. Please note Travel Desk Hours": At your service SUN 12:00-4:00pm - MON 11:00am-4:00pm THU 11:00am-3:00pm - Other times, leave message at 560-9110 Call Naomi at the OU Israel Center Travel Desk, 560-9110 or 050-725-8392; fax: 566-0156; email: tiyul@ouisrael.org - Outside Travel Desk hours, please leave a message... Call Shulamit Neaman at 050-593-7932 on the day of a tiyul or the evening preceeding it. Also, if you are running late for a tiyul or for last minute cancellation. 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, meaning that we can cancel a tiyul with too low registration BOOKED? When a tiyul is listed as BOOKED - you can call to be wait-listed; 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. KASHRUT POLICY: Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by OU-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, email tiyul@ouisrael.org or fax 972-2-5660156 for attention of OU Israel Travel Desk 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 Travel Deal Israel in cooperation with the Israel Center NOW offers you a dedicated phone number, (02) 999-6035 with daily service: Sunday 9am - 6pm, Monday-Thursday, 9am - 11pm and Friday, 9am until noon When our offices are closed, callers will be able to leave messages that will be recorded as being via the Travel Desk of the Israel Center. TRAVEL DEAL - www.traveldealisrael.com LAST CALL - Join us for another great SHAVUOT EXTRAVAGANZA - 4 days - 3 nights at the Nir Etzion Hotel Monday-Thursday, June 6-9 (Shavuot is Tusday night - Wednesday) Scholar-in-Residence - Rabbi Dr. Raymond Apple, Former Senior Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Sydney Your hosts: Menachem & Chanie Persoff - Program includes fascinating tours to Binyamin Winery - Gan HaNadiv - Ein Hod Artists Village, Zichron Yaakov Bistro and Promenade, Atlit's new interactive "Illegal Boat" Museum, Exclusive shiurim and cultural program 2250nis per person in double room in the Main Building including transportation and tips Single supplement available - Reservations close on thursday, June 1st Reservations: Call Naomi at Travel desk 02-560-9110 or 050-725-8392 , Messages on 02-560-9110 only DON'T ACT YOUR AGE! If you want to act young, here is your chance! This will be a fascinating tour led by the famous author and tour guide, Lisa Aiken Wed. June 15 8:00am to 6:00pm PARROT FARM - This ecological farm has lots of animals to see and feed, including ostriches, emus, goats and sheep. The parrots are the stars, among the hundreds of birds, and you can hold and pet them. CHOCOLATE MAKING - We will hear a talk about chocolates, then make our own Mehadrin treats with expert guidance. UNUSUAL AUSTRALIAN GREENHOUSE - See hundreds of plants from” Down Under" in this gigantic nursery and greenhouse. 190nis for members 200nisfor non-members Call Naomi to pre-register at the Travel Desk: 560-9110 or 050-725-8392 Shulamit’s Tiyulim are always treats! Come you will enjoy her delicious sweets! BOOKED - CALL TO BE WAIT LISTED - A walking tour of Katamon with our historical scholar tour guide Gabriella Licsko on Wed., June 22nd 2:30-5:00pm KATAMON: An exclusive, beautiful neigbourhood of Jerusalem. Peaceful streets and many, many parks! Home of israelis and many Anglos. seculars, traditionalists and various Orthodox communities. liberal Orthodox,dati leumi, Carlebach, Breslov and Erlau chassidim. Learn about the history and society of Katamon and hear about famous residents! Daven mincha in the famous Shtiebeleh The shuls which always have a minyan. Why, learn about the secret! Relax in the biggest park in Katamon. Erlau chassidic community: Katamon is home of the Erlau yeshiva, shul and the Erlauer rebbe, Grand Rabbi Yochanan Sofer himself. Learn about Erlau chassidut, a real mixture of chassidism and old time Hungarian Orthodoxy. learn about how the Admor survived the war! How descendants of the Chatam Sofer chose to be chassidim after WWII, and why the community moved to Katamon After 1948 many oldtime Yerushalmi Breslovers moved to Katamon from the Old City. Are they still living in the area? Find out! See the Old Breslov Shul NIS 25 mem / NIS 36 non-mem - Limited to 25 participants 560-9110 or 050-725-8392 Where in Israel is there another Beit Lechem? Find out on our upcoming tour of Tzippori, & Beit Lechem Haglilit with Gidon Abramowitz as our erudite guide Thursday, June 30th 8:00am to 6:30pm Tzippori - Out first stop is the ancient city of Tzippori. Our tour of Tzippori will take us back in time, as the expansive villa, the mosaic pictures and excavated artifacts, give a sense of "having been there" with our Galilean forefathers. The City of Tzipporo hosted the Sanhedrin where Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi redacted the Mishna after the destruction of the Second Temple. Its magnificent remains tell the story of a vibrant community rich with synagogues, public buildings, mikvaot, and bathhouses, a main theatre and a sophisticated system of streets and aqueducts. Artful mosaic floors in the homes and markets, along with other archeological components reflect the history of this fascinating site where Jews and Romans, lived together a long time ago. Tzippori comes to life as our tour unfolds. The Golani Memorial and Museum and Visitor's Center is located at the Golani intersection in the Lower Gallilee adjacent the the Lavi Forest. Its expansive 60 dunam boasts a large impressive monument and a Memorial Wall listing its fallen warriors. The Golani Brigade is known for many heroic engagements in battle, its fighting heritage and a deep sense of loyalty to the brigade. These will be depicted in the authentic film, the lecture that follows it and in the arms display dating from 1949 to present day. Also on the site is a souvenir shop, a picnic area & restaurant as well as a forest rich with foliage and animal life. Finally we will arrive at Beit Lechem HaG'lilit. - So the name Beit Lechem rings a bell! So it should. We will find out why this quaint, picturesque, out of the way town of artists and artisans in the Galil, carries the same name as the location of Kever Rachel in Yehuda. Beit Lechem Zevulun, as it is sometimes called, is mentioned for the first time in the Book of Joshua and again at the time of the second Temple. As archeological remains are witness, it changed hands several times since. The "modern day" Beit Lechem Haglilit was built by the German Templars beginning in 1906. A special surprise is in store for us as we visit the Beit Lechem Spicy Way Farm where we will be greeted by a rich and "breathtaking" array of spices, herbs and teas and the professional tools to go with them. We will hear about their healing and restorative benefits and how they can improve the quality of life. Program subject to change Price: NIS 185 members/ NIS 195 non-members Call Naomi to register at the Travel Desk 560 9110 - or 050-725-8392 Shulamit’s Tiyulim are always treats! Come you will enjoy her delicious sweets! CAESARIA vs JERUSALEM - An Impossible Co-Existence? with our wonderful guide Hughie Auman Tuesday, July 5th - from 8:00am to 7:00pm ANCIENT CAESARIA - Walk among the ruins of Pagan Caesaria whose remains echo Jewish presence during the Mishnaic & Talmudic periods TIME TREK - Gain visual depth into the wonder of the International Port City of Caesaria and its development through the ages, via this prize-winning Multi-Media presentation INTERVIEW the VIPs - Herod the Great, Rabbi Akiva, Rav Avahu, Baron Rothschild, and Hanna Sennesh have allowed time from their busy schedules to floor your questions IDEAS of the TOSAFIST OUTLIVE the FLEUR de LIS in STONE Within walls that he built with his own two hands, discover what became of the infamous King Louis IX who persecuted Rabeinu Yechiel of Paris Price: NIS 190 members/NIS 200 non-members, Call Naomi to register (02) 560-9110 / 050-725-8392 Shulamit's Tiyulim are always treats! Come you will enjoy her delicious sweets! The Back Page of TT957 The Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults and OU Israel's Project YEDID are the educational components of the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center and include the classes & lectures of the OU Israel Center - Rabbi Sholom Gold, Dean - Phil Chernofsky, Educational director "Regular" IC classes & lectures - 25nis members, 30nis non-members. 5nis maintenance fee for life members. Special rates for mornings with two or more shiurim: 40nis members, 50nis non-members. 10nis for life members. Yearly membership 360NIS couple, 275NIS single. Life membership, call us. Programs of the Center are partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel, No one will be turned away for inability to pay. Yom R'vi'i 28 Iyar - Yom Yerushalayim - WED June 1st 9:20am Rabbi Macy Gordon - Contemporary Halachic Issues 9:45am Parshat Naso with Reuven Wolfeld 10:45am Parshat HaShavua - Rabbi Yosef Wolicki 12:00pm WED, June 1 - Exploring Israeli culture, history and society Yom Yerushalaim Special: Jewish society in Jerusalem through the prism of its most characteristic neighborhoods. Dati, Chareidi, Secular communities in the Capital and their connection to each other. If there are socio-economic changes in certain areas, what are the main reasons behind it? Interactive lectures with Gabriella Licsko 12:30pm Dr. Maurice E. Joseph Jewish Video Resource Center presents... VIDEO in the LIBRARY: Mrs. Pearl Borow - “The Special Kedushah of Eretz Yisrael” 12:45pm TaiChi for Health with Avi Hirsch 1:30pm Medical Chi Kong with Avi Hirsch 050-7671-722 2:15pm Women's Beit Midrash - Pearl Borow First hour: the KUZARI; Second hour on Chumash with Rashi 5:00pm until 10:00pm Gold4Cash "party" - for further information, call 054-219-2428 7:30pm Rabbi Chaim Eisen's shiur Does the Torah determine what Morality is - or do we? Religious Belief vs. human responsibility Yom Chamishi - 29 Iyar - THU June 2nd Posture/Balance Exercise Class for Women Thu, 9:00-10:00am Work your Posture Muscles, Stretch and Lengthen. Practice Balancing and strengthening your leg muscles. DR TOVA GOLDFINE Chiropractor/Rehabilitation FOR WOMEN OF ALL AGES AND EXERCISE FITNESS LEVEL Contact Dr Tova 052-420-1201 chirodivine@gmail.com 10:30am (to 12:30) Midrash HaShavua - Dr. Hayim Abramson 1:30pm knitting with Verna black, crocheting with Dvora Zippor, in the library Yom Shishi - Rosh Chodesh Sivan - FRI June 3rd 8:30am (to 9:45am) Kollel Yom Shishi Shiur B'iyun in Makot by HaRav Eliav Silverman, Shoel U'meishiv of the RIETS Israel Kollel Friday mornings - Coffee and cake will be served 9:00am Rabbi Eisen Shiur on Aggada 11:00am RCA Daf Yomi Shabbat Parshat Naso 2 Sivan - June 4th 5:00pm Parsha & Perek 6:00pm Mincha Sun-Thu in the Ganchrow Beis Medrash (first floor) 10:00am SUN/TUE/THU Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld - Brachot - 6th perek 11:15am RCA Daf Yomi by Rotation (and Fri. at 11:00am) in tribute to Rabbi Yitzchak Botwinickz”l 1:20pm Mincha (this time stays the same throughout the year) 3:15pm TUE/WED Rabbi Chaim Sendic - One day the town shochet approached Rav Yisrael Salanter. "I'm on the way to the town Rabbi with a letter of resignation!" "Whatever for?" "Being a shochet is too nerve-racking! The halachot of sh'chita and t'reifot are so detailed, and the whole city relies on me to provide meat with unquestionable kashrut. I can't take the stress anymore!" "But what will you do for parnasa," pressed the Rav. "I'll go into business!" "Into business? You should know, my son, that while sh'chita spans about 30 simanim in Shulchan Aruch, businessmen need to first master hundreds of simanim of Choshen Mishpat, the laws of trade, keeping agreements, hiring workers; as well of the laws of forbidden interest! If it is deviation from the halacha that you fear, I recommend remaining a shochet!" We will learn together about money matters that are relevant to everyday life: shopping at the makolet, an employee's obligations, ribbit and more! Topics prepared by Machon Tzurba MeRabanan, commited to making the study of practical halacha available to everyone. www.tzurba.org 4:30pm Gemara Kesuvos with Rabbi Hillel Ruvell Yom Rishon 3 Sivan - SUN June 5th L'Ayla Learning program for women Prepare yourselves for Shavuot Sunday Morning (no babysitting, 35nis/morning, 20nis/class) 9:45am Shavuot-related T'hilim with Mrs. Rivka Segal (10:45 Refreshments) 11:00am Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz - The Aseret HaDibrot 12:00pm Hebrew for Beginners 10nis per session Learn to read and converse in Hebrew Hebrew and feel more comfortable when you daven. Given by Haya Graus - Interested in a BEGINNERS' class with Cecily Davis? Call 560-9125 12:30pm Life: A fantastic adventure - Alan Romm 2:00pm Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher (June 5th) What's in a Name? Ruth, not ruth-less xxx Pri Chadash Women's Writing Workshop (2 hrs) Contact: Ruth Fogelman (628-7359) and Judy Caspi (054-569-0410) 7:30pm Rabbi Chaim Eisen - Torat Eretz Yisrael: Am Yisrael & Eretz Yisrael in Jewish Law and Thought No charge for these two shiurim... 7:30pm Mishlei (Proverbs) - Rabbi Mordechai Machlis 8:30pm Shiur by Rabbi Dr. Joseph C. Klausner/Yedidyahu Shmuel Bet - King David and Jerusalem... Pre-Shavuot shiur: Torah for all of the Tribes, as per King David 8:00pm Exploring Jewish Values and Concepts using Trigger Videos, source sheets, discussion...with Rabbi Nachum Amsel - This week: June 5th 8:00pm - The Real Purpose of Mitzvot and Effect of a Teacher with a movie clip from "Mr. Holland's Opus" Yom Sheini 4 Sivan MON June 6th N'SHEI LIBRARY: 10:00-12:00 MOMMY & BABY MUSIC CLASSES with Jackie Mondays at the Israel Center 9:30am for 6-18 months 10:30am for 1-3 year olds Call Jackie to register for classes: 999-5524 / 054-533-9305 9:15am Excursions into the Book of Yeshayahu with Pearl Borow 10:30am Pirkei Avot - Rabbi Zev Leff 11:35am Who's Who in Israeli Orthodox Communities - Shavuot special: Different Orthodox communities and attitude to converts - Interactive lecture with pictures - Gabriella Licsko xxx Fit Forever: Look & Feel your Best! Exercise for women of all ages Call Sura Faecher 993-2524 12:30pm Dr. Maurice E. Joseph Jewish Video Resource Center presents... VIDEO in the LIBRARY: Yiddish Theater - “Uncle Moses” ..one of the finest examples of Yiddish cinema. Stars Maurice Schwartz, one of the greatest Yiddish actors of all time. (1hr 20m - no English subtitles) Women's Beit Midrash 2:00pm The world of Jewish Women in Tanach and Beyond - Pearl Borow 3:00pm Mishna, Mitzvot, and More - Phil Chernofsky 7:30pm Lesser-studied Tanach personalities Rabbi Francis Nataf - This week (June 6th): Naaman (Special deal for both Rabbi Nataf's and Rabbi Assis's classes: 35/40nis) xxx Rabbi Dr. Elie Assis, a senior lecturer of Tanach at Bar Ilan: Book of Melachim (in Heb.) [Sam Finkel 052-469-1263, finkels2@zahav.net.il] MASK - J'lem Chapter at the Israel Center - maskjerusalem.cjb.net 050 7542717 NEXT MEETING: Monday, June 13, 7:30-9:30pm with Dr. Judy Belsky Leil Shavuot at the Israel Center TUE, June 7 to WED, June 8 7:07pm Candle lighting 7:25pm Mincha followed by mini-shiur 8:15pm Maariv 8:35pm Twin Seudot [dairy / mini-shiur / meaty], Divrei Torah Call 560-9125 to reserve for the meal(s) - 120nis - No reservation or charge for the rest of the program Shiurim all night long refreshments throughout the night until 12 Phil Chernofsky Mishnayot for Shavuot 12:00am Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher Was the ALEF-BET of the Aseret HaDibrot changed? 1:00am Rabbi Noam Gordon - The Regel without a date 2:00am Rabbi Chanoch Yeres - Reishit Tz'michat G'ulateinu 3:00am Rabbi Binyamin Wolff - The Perpetual Matan Torah 4:00am Those who will be walking to the Kotel will leave now 4:00am Halachic review and getting ready for Megila & Davening 4:25am Megilat Ruth (from KLAF, read by Rabbi Binyamin Wolff) followed by Talit (earliest time - 4:34am) and 4:55am Davening k'vatikin (sunrise 5:34am), Kiddush Shiurim on Shavuot day (Wednesday) 4:00 Phil Chernofsky 5:00 Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher 6:00pm Mincha The Kastner family is co-sponsoring the shiurim on Layl Shavuot in memory of our son, brother and grandson, Gedalia Natan (Gadi) z"l ben Baruch David YBLChT"A who was niftar on Shavuot 2003 The Center returns IY"H to its regular schedule on Isru Chag (a.k.a. Yom Tavo'ach). See above for Thursday, Friday, and the Sun-Thu information. See above for the Sunday schedule, with the following changes for June 12th: Pri Chadash Writing is back. Rabbi Amsel's topic is "Business Ethics and Stealing" (Archie Bunker) See above for Monday's schedule, with the following changes for June 13th: Rabbi Assis resumes Tuesday, June 14th: 9:00am - Rabbi Adler - 10:00am - Rabbi Gold 11:20am - Esther Sutton - 11:30am - Dr. Goldblum 12:30pm - Video in the Library - 1:00pm - Esther Sutton 7:30pm - Rabbi Kolatch 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 L'Ayla Learning program for women - Tuesdays, 8:15pm 20nisNIS For those women looking for a challenging and very stimulating learning program Rabbi Meir Triebitz - The Philosophy of Halacha and the Halachic Process with an emphasis on the Halachic Decisions of the Chazon Ish and Rav Soloveitchik See above for Wednesday's schedule, with the following changes for June 15th: No Gold Party. And... "Synagogue Life throughout the Ages" Guest speaker: Rabbi Berel Wein Wednesday, June 15th 7:00pm 10NIS - in English For further information, contact Liat at 052-734-6326 Thursday, June 16th - The RCA in Israel invites you to a Leil Limud at the Israel Center at 8:00pm. Guest Speaker: Rabbi Ari Enkin, author of several books on Halacha. Topic: Archeology & Halacha Thursday, June 16th 8:00pm - Program in English at the Center - free admission The public is invited to a Memorial Lecture on the yahrzeit of Sidney Finkel z"l and the Shloshim of Genia Finkel a"h Featured presentation by filmmaker Rabbi Mordechai Arnon who will be screening and discussing his thought provoking film: “The Only Difference” Sponsored by their children, who will deliver some words in their memory Sunday, June 19th 8:00pm - Off The Wall Comedy Basement in conjunction with the OU Israel Center present: David Kilimnick, Jerusalem's Comedian with The Aliyah Monologues Tour of Funny through the Holy Land... David will take you through the reality of life as a single immigrant, Israel experiences, holidays & family left behind. You are sure to walk away entertained, enlightened about life in Jerusalem... or with David Entrance: 40nis (30nis for OU IC members) Reservations: 050-875-5688 Monday, June 20th 3:00pm - Eliezer Greenspan on The Nutrition Perscription for Healthy Eyes Monday, June 20th 7:30pm - "The Preferred Option: Israeli Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria" - speakers to be announced Thursday, June 23rd 8:00pm 35NIS per person Program for Singles and Young Couples...Strategies for Dealing with Anger Speaker: Dr. Shoshana Kaplan-Cohen Monday, June 27th 8:00pm - Open to MEN & WOMEN! SEMINAR - GETTING YOUNGER AS YOU AGE! A frank discussion about taking charge and managing our physical selves. Making exercise part of our daily lives, eating for maximum wellness, dropping the excess pounds, and 'thinking young / thinking fun.' Guest speakers will be: Alan Freishtat, CPFT, an ACE certified personal fitness trainer & lifestyle fitness coach, co-director of Lose It! Weight Loss & Stress Management Center Linda Holtz, M.Sc. a family therapist with many years experience using cognitive behavioral techniques, co-director of Lose It! Response by Howie Kahn, a successful graduate of the 12-Week Lose It Weight Loss Program, who after 5 months has lost almost 45 pounds Tuesday, June 28th 8:00pm - Book Evening with Chana Sharfstein Thursday, June 30th 8:00pm - The Joy Club with Rabbi Zelig Pliskin Strengthening and Empowering Oneself Towards Marriage - Workshops with Dr. Shoshana Kaplan forming - call 02 586 7522, 050 7996331 or shoshanak@gmail.com Yom Yerushalayim - the 28th of Iyar If you are reading these words on the day that this issue of TT first "hit the stands" (Wednesday, June 1st), then we are in time for Yom Yerushalayim. If not, we are still "in time" for focusing on Jerusalem, since that is - or should be - a constant feature of our lives. Forgetting Jerusalem does not mean forgretting to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim. Remembering Jerusalem means always being aware of what Jerusalem was, is, and will always be. Over the years, we have reprinted "The Letter to the World from Jerusalem". No matter how many times you've read it or heard it read, it still serves as a "booster shot" for our strong commitment to the undivided capital of the State of Israel and capital of the Jewish Heart and Soul. We recommend reading this letter to your family and guests at your Shabbat table this week. This "letter" (written by Eliezer Whartman, may he live and be well) first appeared as an editorial in the summer of '69 in the (long defunct) Times of Israel. Some of the sentences do not fit today's situation perfectly, but the point of the letter, and its passion is as on the mark as it was over 40 years ago. Who should read this letter? People - non-Jews or Jews - who think that Jerusalem does not belong to the Jewish People, and only to the Jewish People. And what about Jews who love Jerusalem and want to see it and all of Israel in Jewish hands? For them (us) this letter is wonderful CHIZUK. Feel its power. A Letter to the World from Jerusalem by Eliezer Ben Yisrael I am not a creature from another planet, as you seem to believe. I am a Jerusalemite - like yourselves, a man of flesh and blood. I am a citizen of my city, an integral part of my people. I have a few things to get off my chest. Because I am not a diplomat, I do not have to mince words. I do not have to please you, or even persuade you. I owe you nothing. You did not build this city; you did not live in it; you did not defend it when they came to destroy it. And we will be damned if we will let you take it away. There was a Jerusalem before there was a New York. When Berlin, Moscow, London, and Paris were miasmal forest and swamp, there was a thriving Jewish community here. It gave something to the world which you nations have rejected ever since you established yourselves - a humane moral code. Here the prophets walked, their words flashing like forked lightning. Here a people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, fought off waves of heathen would-be conquerors, bled and died on the battlements, hurled themselves into the flames of their burning Temple rather than surrender, and when finally overwhelmed by sheer numbers and led away into captivity, swore that before they forgot Jerusalem, they would see their tongues cleave to their palates, their right arms wither. For two pain-filled millennia, while we were your unwelcome guests, we prayed daily to return to this city. Three times a day we petitioned the Almighty: “Gather us from the four corners of the world, bring us upright to our land; return in mercy to Jerusalem, Thy city, and dwell in it as Thou promised.” On every Yom Kippur and Passover, we fervently voice the hope that next year would find us in Jerusalem. Your inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions, the ghettos into which you jammed us, your forced baptisms, your quota systems, your genteel anti-Semitism, and the final unspeakable horror, the holocaust (and worse, your terrifying disinterest in it) - all these have not broken us. They may have sapped what little moral strength you still possessed, but they forged us into steel. Do you think that you can break us now after all we have been through? Do you really believe that after Dachau and Auschwitz we are frightened by your threats of blockades and sanctions? We have been to Hell and back - a Hell of your making. What more could you possibly have in your arsenal that could scare us? I have watched this city bombarded twice by nations calling themselves civilized. In 1948, while you looked on apathetically, I saw women and children blown to smithereens, after we agreed to your request to internationalize the city. It was a deadly combination that did the job. British officers, Arab gunners, and American-made cannons. And then the savage sacking of the Old City; the willful slaughter, the wanton destruction of every synagogue and religious school; the desecration of Jewish cemeteries; the sale by a ghoulish government of tombstones for building materials, for poultry runs, army camps - even latrines. And you never said a word. You never breathed the slightest protest when the Jordanians shut off the holiest of our places, the Western Wall, in violation of the pledges they had made after the war - a war they waged, incidentally, against the decision of the UN. Not a murmur came from you whenever the legionnaires in their spiked helmets casually opened fire upon our citizens from behind the walls. Your hearts bled when Berlin came under siege. You rushed your airlift "to save the gallant Berliners". But you did not send one ounce of food when Jews starved in besieged Jerusalem. You thundered against the wall which the East Germans ran through the middle of the German capital - but not one peep out of you about that other wall, the one that tore through the heart of Jerusalem. And when that same thing happened 20 years later, and the Arabs unleashed a savage, unprovoked bombardment of the Holy City again, did any of you do anything? The only time you came to life was when the city was at last reunited. Then you wrung your hands and spoke loftily of "justice" and need for the "Christian" quality of turning the other cheek. The truth is - and you know it deep inside your gut - you would prefer the city to be destroyed rather than have it governed by Jews. No matter how diplomatically you phrase it, the age old prejudices seep out of every word. If our return to the city has tied your theology in knots, perhaps you had better reexamine your catechisms. After what we have been through, we are not passively going to accommodate ourselves to the twisted idea that we are to suffer eternal homelessness until we accept your savior. For the first time since the year 70 there is now complete religious freedom for all in Jerusalem. For the first time since the Romans put a torch to the Temple, everyone has equal rights. (You prefer to have some more equal than others.) We loathe the sword - but it was you who forced us to take it up. We crave peace - but we are not going back to the peace of 1948 as you would like us to. We are home. It has a lovely sound for a nation you have willed to wander over the face of the globe. We are not leaving. We are redeeming the pledge made by our forefathers: Jerusalem is being rebuilt. "Next year" and the year after, and after, and after, until the end of time -”in Jerusalem!" A Parents' Prayer (see hard copy or pdf file for full text) The ShLa"H HaKadosh writes: "It is particularly important to pray for good and upright children. While praying for this, one should also ask Hashem to provide them with all their needs and to send them their life's mate. I believe that the most appropriate time to recite this prayer is on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, for that is the month when Hashem gave us His Torah and when we began to be called His children." Ed. note: This prayer is appropriate at any time of the year, but is recommended for Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, as the ShLa"H writes. Do not hesitate to say it, even if Sivan has already begun. Shavuot Review SHAVUOT falls on the same day of the week as the second day of Pesach (and is exactly one week after Yom Yerushalayim). Calendar "rule" for Shavuot (meaning the one day of Shavuot in Israel and the first day in Chu"L) is LO G'HaZ (not on Tuesday, Thursday, or Shabbat). Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday are roughly of equal frequency; Monday is the rarer day for Shavuot. GREENERY There is a long- standing custom to decorate the shul and one's home with greenery - grasses and branches (flowers are used, but original custom seems to be branches) on Shavuot. Several reasons are given for this custom. Our sources tell us that Har Sinai became miraculously adorned with vegetation, the implication being that this was in honor of its function as the venue for Matan Torah. This is why animals had to be specifically banned (to prevent them from grazing). Decorating with tree branches is a reminder that the world is judged by G-d on Shavuot concerning the fruit of the tree. It is appropriate to pray on Shavuot for bountiful yields of fruit. Moshe Rabeinu was born on 7 Adar and hidden for three months. He was placed in a waterproof basket, floated on the Nile, hidden among the reeds on the day that was to become Shavuot, 80 years later. Bikurim baskets were adorned and decorated in various ways. Shavuot is Yom HaBikurim. CAUTION: Care should be taken that things look Jewish... DAIRY FOODS Shavuot is a Yom Tov. On Yom Tov we have the mitzva of Simcha. One of the traditional forms of Simchat Yom Tov is festive meals with meat and wine. [Note for vegetarians and others who prefer not eating meat: Meat as Simcha is subjective - if you don't like meat, then you need not have it on Yom Tov; if you enjoy eating meat dishes, THEN it is proper to honor and enjoy Yom Tov in that way. In fact - one's favorite dish takes priority for Simchat Yom Tov over a meat dish that one likes less (or not at all). In the time of the Beit HaMikdash, Simcha is associated with the korban called Shalmei Simcha.] Additionally, we all know of the custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot. Some people will have a dairy meal on Yom Tov night and a meat meal for lunch. This has a certain logic, since the nighttime is "more Shavuot- specific and the day is more "generically Yom Tov". Other families will have meat at night and dairy during the day. Still others will make Kiddush and HaMotzi, have some dairy dish (blintzes, perhaps), then bench. Following a short break and a change in table covering, they will wash again with new Lechem Mishneh, this time for a meat meal. Each according to one's custom. There are many "reasons" for the custom of dairy dishes on Shavuot. Some of the reasons might have produced the custom, while others might be merely additional symbolisms after the fact. Furthermore, some reasons explain why we eat dairy, while others make sense only in the context of having BOTH dairy and meat dishes. The pasuk in Shir HaShirim (4:11) alludes to Torah as "honey and milk under your tongue". Some mix honey and milk - yogurt or sour cream do well - to match the pasuk. To commemorate the first Shavuot celebrated in the Midbar when our ancestors ate only dairy dishes. This is because eating kosher meat after receiving the Torah requires much preparation... (Like a Baal T'shuva subsisting on cottage cheese and yogurts until he gets new pots and dishes and kashers his kitchen.) Mount Sinai is called Har Gavnunim (T'hilim 68:16) and the word GAVNUNIM is similar to G'VINA (cheese). The numeric value of the word CHALAV (milk) is 40, alluding to the forty days and nights Moshe spent on Har Sinai receiving the Torah. Having both dairy and meat dishes as mentioned above requires strict attention to the laws of separation of milk and meat. These laws, of course, are based on the Torah's prohibition of "meat in milk" as presented by the phrase "Do not cook a g'di in its mother's milk". This phrase (twice) follows, in the same pasuk, the command to bring Bikurim to the Beit HaMikdash. Shavuot, as the beginning of Bikurim-bringing season, is Yom HaBikurim. Therefore, we eat both dairy and meat dishes, with proper attention to the strictures of halacha, specifically on Shavuot. Halachically (especially when handling food with our hands), it is improper to use the same loaf of bread for both meat and dairy meals because of the food residue that might adhere to the bread. Therefore, a dairy meal and a meat meal will require two loaves of bread, reminiscent of the Two Loaves offering of Shavuot. (In other words, this reason is primarily associated with the Two Loaves offering, the dairy aspect is secondary. And this doesn't really take into account having Lechem Mishneh - two loaves - at each meal anyway.) Some suggest that having a dairy dish and a meat dish is like the "two cooked foods" of the Pesach Seder. Shavuot is not only its own Holiday; it is also the culmination of Pesach - hence, "two foods" on Shavuot as well as Pesach. According to our tradition, Moshe Rabeinu was born on the 7th of Adar and was successfully hidden by his parents for three months. It was on the future Shavuot that baby Moshe was placed in the basket on the river and found by the daughter of Par'o. Tradition further tells us that Moshe refused to nurse from an Egyptian wet nurse. Hence, Miriam's suggestion that Yocheved, Moshe's mother, be hired to nurse him. He, from whose mouth all of Israel learned Torah, could not drink "mother's milk" from a non-Jew. We remember this with dairy dishes on the day of Matan Torah. (Even though mother's milk is not dairy, the symbolism is there.) It might also be suggested that the day of the receiving of the Torah is like the birth of the Nation of Israel, and we have milk to symbolize the spiritual infancy of the People of Israel. The Torah commands us to bring in the Beit HaMikdash a Mincha Chadasha LaShem B'Shavu'oteichem. The initial letters of this phrase spell the word MEICHALAV - "from milk". How about this: Sources tell us that Bnei Yisrael refused to drink milk or eat dairy at all, fearing that milk was EIVER MIN HACHAI, limb from a living animal (forbidden to all people). It was receiving the Torah and its explanations that clarified the issue and taught them that milk was permitted. We celebrate this discovery of our ancestors with dairy dishes on Shavuot. Be it cheese blintzes, 1% cottage, yogurt with honey, cheesecake, lasagna, or ice cream - dairy dishes on Shavuot provide us with much food for thought as well as culinary pleasure. Tikun Leil Shavuot Learning Torah all night is a praise- worthy practice, IF it will not ruin your davening in the morning or spoil your Yom Tov. It isn't for everyone. Used well, it is a special way of preparing to receive the Torah anew. Some add that our learning all night is a TIKUN (repair) for the fact that Bnei Yisrael slept on the night before Matan Torah and had to be awakened for the Event. In theory, that wasn't the best indicator of the excitement that should have been felt be the people. Megilat Ruth Many communities read Megilat Ruth on Shavuot morning before Torah reading. (Outside of Israel it is read on the second day). Some communities read it in the afternoon. A recent trend in Vatikin (pre-sunrise) minyanim (in Israel) is to read it before davening. When read from a kosher megila (Minhag Yerushalayim), the reading is preceded by the brachot ...AL MIKRA MEGILA and SHE'HE'CHEYANU. Read from a book, no brachot are recited. Various reasons combine to make Ruth the perfect reading for Shavuot. The text itself tells us that its story takes place at the time of the "cutting of the wheat". Shavuot is Chag HaKatzir. One of the major purposes of the Book of Ruth is to show us the lineage of David HaMelech and the Davidic line. Tradition tells us that David HaMelech died (and was born) on Shavuot. Perhaps most significantly, the story of Ruth is the inspiring story of Kabbalat HaTorah on an individual level, just as Shavuot is the commemoration of Kabbalat HaTorah on a national level. All of Israel were like converts at Sinai. This matches nicely that the Torah reading comes from Parshat Yitro, another example of a personal Kabalat HaTorah. Ruth is the story of CHESED, acts of kindness. The Torah begins and ends with G-d's acts of kindness - clothing Adam and Chava on the one side and burying Moshe on the other. Akdamut On Shavuot morning, after the Kohen is called to the Torah, before his bracha and before the reading begins, it is the Ashkenazic custom to responsively recite a 90-line poem praising G-d, His Torah and His People. Written by Rabbi Meir of Worms (one of Rashi's teachers), it conveys the spirit of love of G-d and Judaism even under the adverse conditions of the Crusades. Rabbi Meir's son was killed by Crusaders and he himself died soon after a "forced debate" with the Christian clergy of his town. The poem celebrates Torah. Each line of Akdamut ends with the syllable TA, TAV-ALEF, last and first letters of the Alef-Bet. Some see this as a reminder of the nature of the Torah itself - as soon as we complete reading or learning the Torah, we immediately begin it again. S'faradim do not read Akdamut, but they have the custom of reading a poem called the KETUBA, com- posed by Rabbi Yosef Najara, celebrating the marriage, so to speak, of G-d and Bnei Yisrael, or the Torah and Bnei Yisrael. They read the KETUBA when the Ark is opened, before the Torahs are taken out. Torah Reading From the first of two Torahs on Shavuot morning, we read from Parshat Yitro, the account of Ma'amad Har Sinai and Matan Torah, from Sh'mot 19 & 20, a total of 48 p'sukim. The reading is divided among 5 Aliyot, as on all Yom Tov days (that don't fall on Shabbat - which Shavuot never does). The reading begins with the famous pasuk: "In the third month since the Exodus, on THIS day, they (Bnei Yisrael) came to Midbar Sinai." Rashi's two comments on "THIS day" are: [1] it was Rosh Chodesh Sivan that the People arrived at Sinai, and [2] the Torah uses the term THIS rather than THAT to teach us that Matan Torah should not be thought of as a "once upon a time, a long time ago" experience, but rather "words of Torah should be fresh in our eyes as if we received them today." This is such an important concept that it bears constant repeating, attention, and effort to internalize. Especially when there are so many detractors who proclaim the Torah and its Mitzvot as antiquated, out-dated, and irrelevant, we must be enthusiastic proponents of the opposite view. EITZ CHAYIM HI... Torah is the living, fresh, vibrant, complete source of the way of life that allows us to live in this world TODAY and to invest everything we do and are with spirituality and value. The second pasuk is no less famous. VAYICHAN SHAM YISRAEL... Israel, as one being with one heart and a singular purpose, camped opposite the mount. The unparalleled experience of Jewish Unity that gave standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai its everlasting signifi- cance, becomes one of our special goals of Jewish Life. Aseret HaDibrot is read in the "upper notes", TAAMEI ELYON, even according to Minhag Yerushalayim (which uses TAAMEI HATACHTON for Parshat Yitro and Va'etchanan). TAAMEI ELYON presents the text as separate commandments - with great fanfare and flair - rather than as p'sukim - like all of the Torah - which is the way we hear it with TAAMEI TACHTON. Maftir (in the second Torah) is the Musaf of Shavuot from Parshat Pinchas (Bamidbar 28:26-31). Haftara is Yechezkel's first chapter and his most vivid and esoteric vision. The level and type of prophecy attained by the Jews at Sinai has been compared to the visions of Yechezkel. SHIR SHEL YOM... According to Minhag Yerushalayim, based on the opinions of the Vilna Gaon, on Yom Tov, a different Psalm replaced the "regular" Psalm of the Day in the Beit HaMikdash. On Shavuot, it is T'hilim 19. On Shavuot morning (this year), some will say only the Wednesday Psalm. Some will say only Psalm 19. Some will say both. Whichever... just remember: Shavuot is the yahrzeit of the composer of T'hilim, David HaMelech. Here it is for your convenience: (hard copy or pdf) NAMES In addition to the various names and nicknames of Shavuot, it is significant that in the main presentation of the cycle of holy days of the year, Vayikra 23, Shavuot has no name of its own, but is presented as the culmination of Pesach. Wordplay on the name: SHAVU'OT. With a KAMATZ under the SHIN, pronounced SHAVUOT, the name means WEEKS, as in counting seven weeks from Pesach. With a SH'VA under the SHIN pronounced SH'VU'OT, the name means OATHS, as in the mutual oaths of commitment between G-d and Israel - His promise that we become a Kingdom of Kohanim and a Holy Nation (and many other promises.), our promise to do and understand all that He commands us. As mentioned earlier, Shavuot is CHAG HAKATZIR and YOM (or CHAG) HABIKURIM. And, of course, it is well-known from the davening and kiddush as Z'MAN MATAN TORATEINU. SIMCHA Remember: Shavu'ot is many things: Dairy foods, Decorations, Learning all night, Megilat Ruth, Akdamut, Aseret HaDibrot - But it is something else too. It is Yom Tov. And that comes with an important Torah commandment: SIMCHA. A mitzva often neglected, try to see to it that appropriate Simcha - for you and your family - is on your agenda. (For example: One who stays up all night learning and then davens k'vatikin, tends to come home, make kiddush, have something to eat and then go to sleep for several hours. One should see to it that he and his family enjoy a real Yom Tov meal, that time is spent learning Torah during the day of Matan Torah - not just at night. Plan on a nice leisurely walk in a nearby park, some quality time with spouse, children, and grandchildren. This is not easy - especially in Israel where we cannot say, save it for tomorrow. ### VAYOMER ELOKIM TADSHE HAARETZ DESHE has the same gimatriya as ZMAN MATAN TORATEINU, as if to suggest that grass was created just to adorn Har Sinai during Matan Torah. ### V’HIG’ITA LVINCHA BAYOM HAHU LOMAR BAAVOR ZEH ASA HASHEM LI B’TZEITI MMITRAYIM has the same gimatriya as: YOM CHAG HASHAVUPT HAZEH ZMAN MATAN TORATEINU ### The 620 letters in the Aseret HaDibrot (Yitro version) represent the 613 mitzvot of the Torah and the 7 Mitzvot d'Rabbanan. ### What they are and what they aren't We have various sources that find a "problem" with the common practice (in Ashkenazi communities) of standing for the Aseret HaDibrot. There is a long-standing concern that people will misunderstand exactly what the Aseret HaDibrot are... and what they are not. In discussing this issue, we will touch upon an interesting side point or two. Sh'ma Yisrael is part of our davening (separate commands, but combined by our Sages) and no one seems worried that people saying that Sh'ma will think that it is the most important part of the Torah and it is what G-d gave us and not the rest. The Song of the Sea is part of davening, and no one seems worried about what people will say. When it came to the Aseret HaDibrot, there was (and continues to be) a serious concern, that people shouldn't say (or believe) that the Ten Commandments came from G-d and the rest of the Torah is Moshe's own additions. There is a good reason for this concern. Maamad Har Sinai includes the Aseret HaDibdot and when Moshe came down from the mountain he brought with him the Two Luchot, engraved with the "Big 10". All the rest of the Torah was brought to us - and taught to us - by Moshe Rabeinu and was not written down by him until the end of the 40 years of wandering. It could easily appear to someone not schooled in the Oral Traditions and Law, nor committed to belief in their Divine origin, that G-d gave us the Aseret HaDibrot and Moshe gave us the rest. This creates a disparity between the Aseret HaDibrot and the rest of the Torah which is unacceptable in the true understanding of Torah. Wearing Shaatnez is as prohibited by G-d through His Torah as is swearing in vain, even though the latter is one of the 10 Commandments and the former is "only" one of the 613 mitzvot. But the apostate and many ignorant people - Jew and non-Jew - don't accept this equating of the Aseret HaDibrot and the rest of Torah. In order to "close the mouth" of the apostate (and others), our Sages at different times in history decided not to include the Aseret HaDibrot in public prayer, banned the use of the Luchot in shul decoration... and objected to standing just for the Big Ten. It's not to say that there are no differences in relative importance, but it is to deflate the over-veneration of the Ten Commandments at the expense of the rest of the Torah. Some authorities "violently" oppose the custom of standing for the Ten. Others are hesitant to oppose a time-honored practice of many Jews, including learned Rabbis and Talmidei Chachamim. All frown upon being a "sitter among standers". There are a few suggestions about how to avoid problems. The bottom line, however, is this: The Aseret HaDibrot are definitely special. But all 613 mitzvot are from G-d and we must know that and teach others.