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785g"qyz oeyg a"kNov. 23, '07• `
Correct for TT 785 • Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) 6:02pm
4:13 Yerushalayim 5:26pm4:29 Raanana 5:27pm4:29 Beit Shemesh 5:27pm4:29 Netanya 5:27pm4:30 Rehovot 5:28pm4:13 Petach Tikva 5:27pm4:29 Modi'in 5:27pm4:31 Be'er Sheva 5:28pm4:29 Gush Etzion 5:27pm4:28 Ginot Shomron 5:26pm4:13 Maale Adumim 5:26pm4:29 K4 & Hevron 5:27pm4:16 Tzfat 5:24pm4:29 Giv'at Ze'ev 5:26pm
This Shabbat is the 52nd day (of 383), 8th Shabbat (of 55) of 5768
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Shabbat Afternoon ShiurThis week 3:15pm (Mincha 4:15pm)
Motza'ei Shabbat at 8:30pm
Rabbi Ephraim SprecherWhy halacha learns marriage from death?
cont. p.3
Who's the successor and how?We were introduced to Avraham Avinu back at the end of Parshat No'ach, whenhe was just Avram, son of Terach. We got to know him well as the father of ourpeople, the first Jew, the one with the special relationship to Gd, in Parshat LechL'cha and Vayeira. And we see his swan song in this week's sedra of Chayei Sara.
The main theme of Chayei Sara is the guarantee of proper succession of thelegacy of Avraham and Sara, through the new union of Yitzchak and Rivka.
Avraham had previously thought that his heir would be his faithful servantEliezer. Gd assured him that it would be his own son who would follow in hisfootsteps. After Yishmael was born, Avraham thought that it might be Yishmaelthat Gd had in mind as Avraham's successor. Gd assured Avraham that hewould have a son from Sara and that he to be named Yitzchak would be theheir actual and spirtual of Avraham Avinu.
The haftara parallels that theme by presenting us with the efforts of Bat Sheva tomake sure that it would be Shlomo who would succeed to his father David's
throne. We know that it is not always ason that succeeds his father. In thecase of Eli HaKohen, for example, itwas Sh'mu'el HaNavi and not Eli's ownsons who succeeded him. (See Catriel'sarticle on the Mishkan at Shiloh.)Moshe Rabeinu was not suceeded byhis son either. It is not a "given" that itwill be a child who succeeds his father,but in the case of Avraham Avinu, we haveGd's word, so to speak,that it would be so. AndAvraham realizes that it
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This week we do NOTbench Rosh Chodesh.So why mention it?Because Chayei Sarais usually ShabbatM'vorchim Kislev.
Ranges are FRIFRI
2128 MarCheshvan• (Nov 29)
Earliest Talit & T'filin 5:055:10amSunrise 5:566:02amSof Z'man K' Sh'ma 8:398:42am(Magen Avraham: 7:537:56am)
Sof Z'man T'fila 9:339:35am(Magen Avraham: 9:039:05am)
Chatzot 11:22½11:23am(halachic noon)
Mincha Gedola 11:5311:53am(earliest Mincha)
Plag Mincha 3:413:37pmSunset 4:534:48pm(based on sea level: 4:484:43pm)
p.3
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Lead Tidbit cont. from front page
is essential to find the right match forYitzchak in order to insure the propercontinuity.
Interesting to note that with No'ach and histhree sons, we have their names but nothose of the four wives. (We have a traditionthat No'ach's wife was Naama, but this isnot stated in the Torah.) L'havdil, with thePatriarchs of the Jewish People, our Avot,we definitely know who their wives are andthat they are not "just" the wives of theAvot they are the Imahot.
When Gd told Avraham to listen to Sara,"because through Yitzchak will yourdescendants be identified" (or words to thateffect), we can suggest that Avrahamrealized (again) the importance of Sara aspartner in their roles as progenitors of thefuture Jewish People.
This awareness, shall we say, on Avraham'spart translates into his insistence upon themission he entrusted to Eliezer. And, we seein coming sedras, the focus on the unsatisfactory wives that Eisav took and thesending of Yaakov to Rivka's hometown tofind a suitable partner in Yaakov's role asthe next link in the chain of our tradition.
It is not just Yitzchak who succeedsAvraham; it is Yitzchak and Rivka whosucceed Avraham and Sara. This is a factthat is obvious from the p'sukim themselves,yet it needs to be called to our attention, notjust for the historical observation, but forour own lives as Jews. Simply put, we areeach a link in the chain of tradition, and inaddition our own challenges, we must helpdevelop the next links as well, our childrenand their mates.
WORD of the MONTHcont. from p.2A weekly TT feature to help clarify practicaland conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar,thereby enhancing our appreciation of Gd'sgift to us of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
Let's do a brief overview ofthe Shabbat M'vorchimstory, visavis weeklysedras. Shabbat B'reishit isALWAYS M'vorchimCheshvan. No'ach, LechL'cha, and Vayeira are neverM'vorchim. (Don't worry,we're not going to cover allsedras.) Chayei Sara will beM'vorchim Kislev 68% of thetime; the other 32%, i.e.when Rosh HaShana isThursday Friday, M'vorchimKislev will be Toldot (as it isthis year). M'vorchim Tevetfollows suit. This year (andall years with THUFRI RoshHaShana), Mikeitz will beM'vorchim. The morecommon sedra for the Tevethonors is Vayeishev.
In all, 26 of the 54 sedras(almost half) can coincidewith Shabbat M'vorchim; theothers do not. (If webenched Rosh ChodeshTishrei, then Nitzavim wouldhave the honors every year.)
Mazal Tov to Ilona & Nachum,Yochi & Avi, Ruti and David
and the whole familyon the birth of their granddaughter,
daughter, and sister Shira
This is page 3 of the main PDF file of Torah Tidbits.It is doing Page Zero's usual job of bringing youthe rest of the Lead Tidbit and (often) the rest ofthe Word of the Month because we used Page Zerofor our upcoming preChanuka Shabbaton flyer.
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Chayei SaraSTATS5th of the Torah's 54 sedras;5th of 12 in B'reishit
Written on 171 lines in a Torah, rank 37th
4 Parshiyot; 3 open, 1 closed
105 p'sukim ranks 32nd (11th in B'reishit)same as D'varim (which is longer)
1402 words ranks 37th (11th in B'reishit)
5314 letters ranks 36th (11th in B'reishit)
A shorter than average sedra with shorterthan average p'sukim, making it shorter still.
MITZVOTnone of the 613 mitzvot are in Chayei Sara,however, as mentioned often, there areMidot and values and other lessons to belearned.
AliyabyAliyaSedra Summary[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of aparsha p’tucha or s’tuma respectively. X:Y isPerek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) isthe number of p'sukim in the parsha.
Kohen First Aliya 16 p'sukim 23:116[P> 23:1 (20)] The parsha begins by telling us thatSara died in Kiryat Arba, which is Hevron. But firstit tells us that she lived a full, long life of 127 years.
With the last theme of Vayeira being theAKEIDA, the juxtaposition of Sara's deathsupports our Tradition that Sara died as a
result of the Akeida. The Midrash says that the Sataninformed Sara about what Avraham was intending to dowith Yitzchak, when they went towards Har HaMoriah.The shock was too great for an old woman, and she died.Some commentaries give an interesting twist to this. Theysay that Sara expired, not from fear that Avraham wouldoffer Yitzchak as a Korban, but rather that he might not!She remembered Avraham's reaction when she told him tobanish Yishmael (and Hagar). She was afraid thatAvraham's love and kindness towards Yitzchak wouldprevent him from carrying out Gd's command, and thatAvraham would thus fail this ultimate test of faith. When
she saw (or heard) that Avraham was returning withYitzchak still alive, she thought her fears were realizedand she died.
Avraham comes (some say from the Akeida, that isfrom Har HaMoriah; some say from Be'er Sheva;either way, it was apparently to Hevron that hecame) to eulogize Sara and to cry for her.
V’LIVKOTAH, and to cry for her, is writtenwith a small KAF. Some take this as areminder that the crying was "small" since
Sara had lived such a long life (Baal HaTurim). There ismore crying when a person dies young. Some say that theKAF points to the 20 in the way that the Torah tells ushow old she was when she died: 100 years and 20 yearsand 7 years. Others say that the small KAF allows us toreread the word with regularsized letters only to obtain adifferent understanding, on a REMEZ (hint) level. AndAvraham came to eulogize Sara ULVITAH, and for herdaughter. This correlates with the opinions that Avrahamand Sara had a daughter, but she died when Sara did.(Some even say that her name was BAKOL.)
Avraham next makes the arragements for providinga suitable place to bury Sara. (There is a Traditionthat Avra ham was aware of the burial place ofAdam and Chava, and that is the piece of land hewas interested in.) He turns to the people of CHEIT,one of whom is known as EFRON. They all exchangeniceties and the people offer Avraham any land hewants. He insists on paying and that is what hedoes for the field and cave of Machpela.
Pirkei Avot made famous that Avraham wastested 10 times. But the mishna does notenumerate the ten tests. There are differentopinions as to which of Avraham's experiences areconsidered tests of his faith. Most lists of the 10end with the Akeida, as implied from the p'sukimthemselves. Rabeinu Yona finds a test after theAkeida — Avraham's experience in providing aburial place for Sara. What was so difficult aboutthat, that it should qualify as a test of faith especially after the Akeida? Perhaps the answer liesin the fact that after the Akeida, Avraham still hada couple of difficult things to go through. Wasn'tthe Akeida and everything that preceded itenough? No, not finished yet. This can test aperson, some times, more than terrible trials andtribulations.
Surviving the Holocaust did not guarantee a personthat he would have an easy life from then on.Some were blessed with troublefree lives aftertheir terrible ordeals, but most had many moredifficulties to face in the years to come.
We do not know how Gd works. Why must wesuffer trials and tribulations in this world? It hassomething to do with making us better people.With challenging us. With testing us. Withpreparing our souls for the World of Truth. Andprobably a lot more.
There is another approach to answer the samequestion. Eulogizing his wife, acquiring a burialplace, finding a "shiduch" for Yitzchak evenremar rying Hagar (Ketura) are all "regular",
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mundane experiences. Can one who spokerepeatedly to Gd, ascended Har HaMori'ah, had aspecial relation ship with Gd can such a personreturn to being a "normal" human being? This toois a test, and Avraham passed with flying colors.These commentaries point to the pasuk at the endof the Akeida portion, "And Avraham return to thelads..." as an indication that he was able to "comeback down to earth".
If a father insists that his son marry or notmarry a particular woman, the son is notdutybound to listen to his father. Meshech
Chochma says that we learn this from the fact thatAvraham gave instructions and administered an oath toEliezer about a wife for Yitzchak, but did not commandYitzchak himself on the matter.
Levi Second Aliya 13 p'sukim 23:1724:9The field, cave, trees, etc. become the lawfulpossessions of Avraham, after which he buries Sara.
[S> 24:1 (67)] Avraham is now at an advancedage and has been blessed greatly by Gd. “And Gdblessed Avraham BAKOL”, with everything.
The word BAKOL screams out for explanation. And,sure enough, there are many suggestions as towhat this extra blessing of BAKOL is. (Everytimewe say Birkat HaMazon, we ask Gd to bless us asHe blessed our forefathers BAKOL... Mikol and Kolare terms associated with Yitzchak and Yaakov.)
The numeric value of BAKOL 52, the same as BEN,son. This alludes to the ultimate blessing thatAvraham received his son Yitzchak.
R. Meir says that Avraham was blessed by nothaving a daughter. In Avraham's time and in hisunique circumstances, who would she havemarried? What would have happened to her? Inthis case it was a bracha not to have had adaughter.
On the other hand... R. Yehuda says thatAvraham's extra blessing was that he DID have adaughter. There is even an opinion that hisdaughter's name was BAKOL.
Rabbi Eliezer HaModai says that Avraham wasblessed with the art/skill /power of astrology andthat he was consulted by noblemen from far andwide. (Even when Gd told Avraham that he wouldhave a child, Avraham resisted because he hadseen in the stars that he was not going to havechildren. Gd "explained" to Avraham that it ispossible to rise above one's "mazal", and in fact,that is the special quality of the nation that willcome from him. l`xyil lfn oi`. Ibn Ezra says in thename of our Sages z"l, true, but only as long asthey keep the Torah.)
R. Shimon bar Yochai says that Avraham had aprecious stone with curative powers that wouldheal all who gazed upon it.
These last two opinions identify BAKOL as
Avraham's prominent position in the world. This fitswith his role as "father of many nations".Some suggest that Eisav's not sinning (untilAvraham died) and Yishmael's repentance, bothduring Avraham's lifetime are the extra blessings.
There are still other explanations.
From the variety of explanations of BAKOL, it isquite clear that Avraham's unique status as the onewho restored belief in One Gd to the world did notgo unrewarded. We can see in this list of blessings,all the different kinds of blessings that can be ours,the spiritual heirs of Avraham Avinu.
The one major task remaining, which will forge thenext vital link in what promises to be a great peopleand a great Chain of Tradition, is finding a suitable"shidduch" for Yitzchak. Everything now will dependupon Yitzchak. However great Avraham was, unlessthere is "solid" continuity, all will be lost. To thisend, Avraham calls upon Eliezer to swear that hewill faithfully carry out his task, that he will returnto Avraham's family and hometown, and find a wifefor Yitzchak there. And that Yitzchak is not to leaveEretz Yisrael (having been consecrated on theMizbei'ach during the Akeida).
Shlishi Third Aliya 17 p'sukim 24:1026Eliezer (who is exclusively referred to as "TheServant" or "The Man", as opposed to by name hisname never appears in Parshat Chayei Sara, wherewe would have considered him a major personality)takes ten camels laden with a splendid assortmentof goods and, travels to Avraham's hometown. Uponarrival, he ties the camels up near the well (andspring), towards evening, at the time that the localgirls come to draw water. He asks Gd to be kind tohis master Avraham. Eliezer asks for a sign the girlwho will offer him drink and also for his camels, shewill be the one sent by Gd. Almost before hefinished speaking, Rivka bat Betu'el of Avraham'sfamily arrives on the scene with her water containeron her shoulder. Eliezer runs to her and asks for abit of water. She immedi ately gives him his filland then draws water for his camels. Anxious tofind out whether she was "the one", Eliezer waitsuntil the camels have their drink and then presentsRivka with gifts of jewelry. (On the one hand, hehas seen her kind nature and tireless act of chesed;on the other hand, he has not even asked her whoshe is.) When Rivka tells Eliezer that she is indeedfrom Avraham's family and invites him to stay at herhome, he prostrates himself before Gd in gratefulacknowl edgment.
The Gemara in Taanit states that Eliezer,servant of Avraham did not ask (something ofGd) properly, but he was nonethelessanswered in a fine manner. His "sign" could
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have resulted in an unsuitable shidduch forYitzchak, but Gd sent Rivka to him instead.
Some sources fault Eliezer for relying on anomen or sign especially (or specifically)because he did not ask who she was beforegiving her "gifts".
R'vi'i Fourth Aliya 26 p'sukim 24:2752Eliezer also says a blessing to Gd for notabandoning Avraham or with holding DivineKindness from him. Rivka runs home to tell herfamily what has happened. Lavan (filled withulterior motives, our commentaries tell us) runs togreet Eliezer. The gold jewelry adorning Rivkacatches Lavan's eye, and he "graciously" offersEliezer hospitality. Eliezer is served food but refusesto eat until his "business" is completed.
Eliezer proceeds to tell the story of his mission. Hetells of Avraham and Yitzchak and of being sent tofind a wife for Yitzchak. When he asks for Rivka'shand on behalf of his master, Lavan and Betu'el(commentaries point to Lavan's pushing himselfbeofre his father as an indication of a negativepersonality trait) accept all as Gd's will.
Eliezer again prostrates himself before Gd ingrateful acknowledgment of the success of hismission.
Chamishi Fifth Aliya 15 p'sukim 24:5367Eliezer gives more gifts to Rivka and her motherand brother, then they all celebrate with food anddrink, and Eliezer and his party stay overnight. Inthe morning, Elizer asks his leave. Rivka's familyasks that she remain for a year, or at least tenmonths (as was the custom in olden times) butEliezer insists on leaving immediately. Rivka isconsulted and she agrees to leave right away. Theysend her off with a "maid" (later identified asDevora) and bless her. (This blessing has beenrepeated countless times to Jewish bridesthroughout the generations. Ironic, is it not, that weuse Lavan's words for such a special occasion.)Finally the entourage leaves for Canaan.
Meanwhile, Yitzchak (having gone to bring Hagarback to Avraham) is in the Negev area and goes"into the field to commune, before evening". (This,we are taught, was the model for Mincha.) As theRivkaEliezer caravan ap proaches from a distance,Rivka sees Yitzchak, jumps down from her camel,and asks Eliezer who that man is. She covers her
face with a veil when she is told that the man is herintended husband.
Eliezer tells Yitzchak everything that has occurred.Yitzchak takes Rivka as his wife and she becomes acomfort to him for the loss of his mother. For us, shelater becomes Rivka Imeinu.
Rabbi Sholom Gold speculates as to how a girlgrowing up in the house of Betuel and Lavan canso quickly step into Sara Imeinu's shoes. Hisanswer (beautifully developed in a shiur) is that itwas D'vorah, Rivka's nurse maid, who was herteacher and influence in the ways of Sara. D'vorahwas left behind when Avraham and Sara "madeAliya", for just this purpose.
Shishi Sixth Aliya 11 p'sukim 25:111[P> 25:1 (11)] Avraham, having successfullyprovided for the continuity of what will become theJewish Nation, now lives out the remainder of hislife as a "private citizen", so to speak. He takes forhimself a wife named KETURA (which we are taughtwas HAGAR) and fathers six more children. He givesthem gifts, but Yitzchak remains Avraham'sexclusive spiritual heir. (We can really say that insome ways, other peoples of the world followedAvraham's lead in living monotheistic lives, but theTorah's definition of Avraham's lineage is Yitzchak.)
On the question of the different treatment ofYishmael (banishment) and the children fromKetura (gifts), it can be explained that there was acrucial difference between Yishmael and Ketura'schildren. Yishmael challenged Yitzchak'sinheritance. He claimed (and in some wayscontinues to claim) Avraham's legacy. When Gdtold Avraham to listen to Sara, He told him tobanish them, BECAUSE in Yitzchak will be calledyour offspring, your descentants. This point had tobe made, and a farewell party and lavish provisionsfor the journey would not have made the point. Nosuch problem with Ketura's children. They made nosuch claim. They did not dispute Yitzchak's role.They received gifts.
Avraham dies at the "ripe old age" of 175 (actually,this is 5 years short of the complete 180 thatYitzchak achieved various reasons are given forthe "lost" 5 years). His was a graceful, good, andfulfilling life (despite the tough times he had). He isburied in the Cave of Machpela, where he hadburied Sara. Both Yitzchak and Yishmael take careof the burial. The Torah implies that Yishmael hadrepented his ways and had become righteous. Whatgreater "nachas" for a father!
Gd blesses Yitzchak after Avraham's death.
From the fact that Avraham took Ketura only afterYitzchak was married, the Baal HaTurim says thatthis is the proper thing to do Marry off yourchildren, before you yourself remarry.
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Sh'vi'i Seventh Aliya 7 p'sukim 25:1218[P> 25:12 (7)] The descendants of Yishmael arenow enumerated. Yishmael is identified fully as theson of Avraham and Hagar the Egyptian maiden ofSara who bore Yishmael "to Avraham". (This is quiteparallel to the description of Yitzchak's "connection"to Avraham as stated in the beginning of nextweek's sedra. This might further indicate Yishmael'sT'shuva in his later years.) It is noteworthy thatYishmael fathered twelve sons, not like Yitzchak,but like Yaakov. Note that both Nachor andYishmael had their 12 descendants before we did(so to speak). This indicates a tougher life for theJewish people (something that has been borne outover and over again in the course of Jewish History,right up to current events).
Yishmael dies at the age of 100 and 30 and 7 years.The wording in the Torah (seems to) purposelyparallels that which was used to describe Sara'slifespan, a further indication (perhaps) of thechange for the better in Yishmael. Rashi says thatthe age of Yishmael is included to help us computethe chronology of Yaakov.
The last 3 p'sukim are reread for the Maftir.
Haftara 31 p'sukim Melachim Alef 1:131The sedra tells of the aging Avraham and his task ofproviding for the continuity of his beliefs throughhis son Yitzchak (even though there were otherpotential heirs). The Haftara parallels this theme bytelling us of the aging King David with manypotential heirs, providing that it would be his sonShlomo who would be the next link in the Davidicline. This, fulfillment of a promise made to Shlomo'smother, Batsheva similar to the promise made toSara that her son would inherit. The starting pointsare Avraham Avinu and David Hamelech. But nomatter how strong their personalities were, thechain ends with them unless the next generation isas strong as a Yitzchak Avinu and a ShlomoHamelech.
THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTEOF JEWISH LAWRabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson #399 (opart 2)
To Lend to the PoorThe commandment to make loans
The Torah commands a Jew to lend money to hisfellow Jew. Loans should be made to the rich as well asto the poor. Sometimes the giving of good businessadvice is also accounted as doing a virtuous deed.Assuming equal need, the relatives of the lender havethe highest priority; then the members of thehousehold; then the members of the community; thenthe members of the land. Part of the commandment toloan includes the command not to try to exact paymentfrom the borrower when he does not have the ability torepay.
The commandment to repay loans
The commandment to make loans is balanced by theadmonition to the borrower not to withhold paymentfrom the creditor if the borrower has the money tomake repayment. The borrower should not borrowunless he has the need for the money, nor shall he befrivolous with the money that he borrowed, nor shouldhe dissipate his assets so that he will no longer haveassets to repay the loan.
The taking of collateral for the loan
A lender may insist before he makes the loan that theborrower give him collateral security. If the lender doesnot take collateral when he makes the loan, theborrower may still voluntarily bring collateral to thelender. Except as aforesaid, after the making of theloan, the lender may not thereafter enter the house ofthe borrower. He may not seize collateral by himselfprior to the due date of repayment of the loan, nor onthe due date, nor thereafter. There are certain cases inwhich a person may enter into someone else’s house toseize chattels:
1. If the debt arises from a labor or rental agreement,the laborer or lessor may enter the premises of theemployer or lessee to seize collateral to be availablewhen he obtains a judgment for the labor or the rental.The rental may arise from renting himself (the laborer)out to the employer, or rental of one’s realty orpersonal property.
2. The lender may enter the premises of the guarantorof a loan to seize assets on which to later make a levyafter the borrower has failed to make payment of theloan, since he is not entering the home of the borrower.
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3. If the owner of an object that has been robbed orstolen from him sees the object in the home of therobber or thief, the owner may enter and retrieve hisobject.
4. A person who sells on credit may enter the home ofthe customer to seize a chattel on which to levy for theunpaid extended credit.
5. If a bailee has not returned the object bailed to thebailor/owner, the owner may enter the home of thebailee to retrieve the object.
The lender must make an application to the Beit Din foran order to compel the borrower to give him collateral.Beit Din shall not entertain the application if it is madeby the lender prior to the time that the loan is due,unless the lender can prove to the satisfaction of BeitDin that the borrower is dissipating his assets or someother reason that the lender will have difficulty inenforcing payment when the loan is due. If the due datehas arrived, the application shall be made on notice tothe borrower unless Beit Din decides that the creditorwill be prejudiced by the delay in having the borrowerserved with an order to appear and then having toappear. There may be times when the borrower is notavailable to be served with an order demanding hisappearance to hear the lender’s application forcollateral.
The loan to a widow
A lender may demand that a widow furnish collateral atthe time he makes the loan. There is also authority thata lender may never take collateral from a widow,whether at the time of making the loan or any timethereafter. According to the prevailing view, if therewere such a prohibition it would put the widow at adistinct disadvantage, since no lender would makeloans to her since she would be prohibited from givingcollateral. If the loan is made without collateral thelender may not thereafter demand that she furnishcollateral. Although collateral may not be demanded ofher, she may voluntarily furnish collateral to the lender.The prohibition applies both to the lender as well as tothe marshal of the Beit Din. It does not matter whethershe is rich or poor. The theory is that she is unhappyenough without having to trouble her with providingcollateral. It applies not only to food preparationarticles or necessities, but also to any other item. If anyitem is so taken, she may make application to Beit Dinto recover the collateral. Also any type of collateral thatan ordinary borrower may ask for the return of such asnecessities or food preparation articles, are certainlyavailable to the widow if they have involuntarily beengiven by her as collateral. Each application by thelender to Beit Din to order the furnishing of collateralby the borrower should be judged on its merits. If BeitDin decides that the borrower shall furnish collateral, iteither (a) makes an order for the borrower to producethe collateral in Beit Din, or (b) directs it’s marshal to
serve the order upon the borrower and demandcollateral from him. Neither the lender nor the marshalis permitted into the home of the borrower to takecollateral The marshal requests the borrower to bringout the collateral he wishes to furnish, or may pick upany items belonging to the borrower that he findsoutside the house of the borrower, even using force ifnecessary. The lender may not take collateral even if hefinds it outside the home of the borrower. The borrowermay furnish anything he desires as collateral, providedthe value is equal to the amount set by Beit Din whichwill usually be the amount of the loan. When themarshal obtains the collateral, he gives it to the lender.
The topic of this lesson is more fully discussed inVolume IV, chapters 97 of a Restatement of RabbinicCivil Law. Copies of this volume can be purchased atlocal Judaica bookstores.
Questions to [email protected]
Spiritual & Ethical Issues in theStories of Sh’mot
by Dr. Meir Tamari
Actions the Shape the Character[4]
Unlike the national or spiritual experiences of other faithsand nations, Galut Mitzrayim and the Redemption haveremained ingrained in Judaism. In order for this tohappen, Israel had to perform actions, mitzvot, either toprepare for the Exodus or to assure its memorial for allgenerations; actions that would shape the very characterof the Jewish nationreligion.
After the action of Kiddush Hachodesh demanded of therepresentatives of the nation, came the first such actionimposed on the individuals and families that constitute it,Korban Pesach. While in Egypt, everything connectedwith it would show that they were worthy and capable ofleaving Egypt and slavery, whilst in the future the Korbanwould be the major vehicle for assuring the memorial ofthe Exodus. Korban Pesach is radically different from allthe other korbanot and each aspect of this differencecomes to demonstrate another aspect of the Exodus.
"Draw and take for yourselves lambs" (Shmot 12:21).
"Perhaps the purpose of the Pesach was to teach Israelthat the horoscope, mazal, had nothing to do with theirExodus since that came in the sign of Aries that is thezodiac sign showing the maximum strength of the lamb"(Ramban). "In Egypt, Israel worshiped idols, so Gd saidthat unless they cast off their idolatry they would bespiritually just like the Egyptians, and therefore unworthyof redemption. Moshe told them: 'Draw your hands fromidolatry by taking lambs, the idol of Egypt and slaughter itas Pesach'" (Sh'mot Rabba 16). Furthermore, the Pesachalso fulfilled Gd's promise to punish the gods of Egypt.The drawing of the lambs had to be done on the 10th ofNissan, while the actual offering was on the 14th; time togive the Jews time to leave idolatry.
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"These thousands of lambs were tied to the bedposts ofIsrael for 4 days, then they were roasted in the leisurehours of the late afternoon and their blood sprinkled onthe doorposts of Israel. Not boiled in a pot of water so thatall would recognize the outline of a lamb. With casualcontempt, a pathetic and wretched slave people consumedall of the flesh down to the bone and then burnt whateverremained, and the Egyptian masses and their Pharaohcould only boil with anger at the insult" (AkeidatYitschak). "Korban Pesach demonstrated to the Egyptiansthat we were proud to have slaughtered their god, therebyshowing our newfound spiritual and national freedom"(Chizkuni).
Before this, Israel was naked and devoid of mitzvot as theHaggada relates, but now they had performed actions withbravery and kavana and so had merited the Exodus:"Now, by virtue of observing the mitzva, I will revealMyself to you and take mercy on you" (Mechilta).
"The blood shall be for you a sign, and I shall see it andpass over you".
Pasach is usually translated as pass over, but to Onkelos,Rambam and others, the picture of Gd jumping over thehouses was inconsistent with incorporeal Gd Who has nohuman body or bodily traits. Therefore Onkelos translates'pasach' as had mercy on our houses; "The whole Yetzi'atMitzrayim was in chesed, a redemption for us eventhough we were undeserving" (Shem MiShmuel). "RabbiYishmael queried why the All Knowing and Seeing Gdneeded a sign as to the identity of the owners (Mechilta).However, the blood was put on the inside: Chazal taught'for you a sign' and for no one else. Heaven forbid thatwe should think that it was like the thread on the house ofRachav (Yehoshua 2), that served to save her and herfamily at the conquest of Jericho. Rather, it was the signof a covenant between Gd and Israel that was to belodged in our hearts. [There was also the covenant of theblood of the brit mila of Israel done on the eve of theExodus.] The Jewish People are to reflect upon thecovenants of blood between them and their Father inHeaven [similar to the mezuzot that are to remind us ofHis commandments]" (Akeidat Yitzchak).
"A lamb according to their fathers houses, a lamb for ahousehold."
Korban Pesach is called Zevach Pesach, zevach being afamily or a group meal, and as such was to be eaten onlyby those who had chosen to belong to a particular group.This had to be a free choice; "one may not slaughter thePesach on behalf of his wife, grown son or daughter, orHebrew bondsman without their agreement" (Pesachim88a). One is there fore free not to join in the family groupwhich then unites with a neighbor to form a unit largeenough for a lamb. The individual right to property,freedom of choice regarding group membership and thevery notion of family, fathers houses and tribes were alldenied by definition to slaves; the Pesach comes to denoteIsrael's freedom.
"With matza and bitter herbs are they to eat it".
However, freedom like everything else in Judaism, islimited, as shown by the restrictions placed on the KorbanPesach: no bones were to be broken, uncircumcised Jewsand nonJews were forbidden to eat of it, karet from
Israel's unity was the punishment for nonobservance andit was to be eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread,the memorials to slavery and persecution. "There is noeating after the afikoman, teaching us that there areboundaries to our freedom; we went from 'slaves to Par'o'to 'servants of Gd'" (Aharon of Belz).
"Let us see how Gd built up a state. The individualsraised to independent beings by their freedom weregathered by the statebuilding word of Gd into families.What is the cement that attaches one home to another andmakes society and community emerge from thesefamilies in that Jewish State? Is it, like in other statesystems, necessity, need for mutual help or thoughts of theweakness of the individual that tears us out of egoism?Rather, it is the consciousness of duty [mitzva] which inthis Jewish state of Gd's is to join our houses to form anational community, ensured by mishpat and united byrighteousness. Each individual, each family, the wholetotality, in this moment of their newly found freedom is tobe merged and to present themselves to Gd: 'And I willtake you to Me for a people and will be to you a Gd', thatwas the purpose of the Exodus ". (Rabbi S.R. Hirsch).
MISC section contents:[1] Vebbe Rebbe[2] Candle by Day[3] From Aloh Naaleh[4] Wisdom and Wit[5] Parsha Points to Ponder[6] Torah from Nature[7] MicroUlpan[8] from Machon Puah[9] Divrei Menachem
[1] From the virtual desk of the OU
VEBBE REBBEThe Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions ofall types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Someof them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute forAdvanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, headed by Rav YosefCarmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, founded by HaRavShaul Yisraeli zt"l, to prepare rabbanim and dayanim toserve the National Religious community in Israel andabroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU,Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the IsraelCenter. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...
QIt seems wrong that people decide not towash (netillat yadayim) and eat bread atthe beginning of a meal and thus not
bentch (recite Birkat Hamazon). One who has ameal should bentch and if it takes eating a littlebread, so be it. However, someone told me that ifyou eat only a little piece of bread, you have to
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make individual berachot throughout the meal. Isthat so?
AOne is not required to eat bread at a meal,even if it means that he will not bentch(except on Shabbat and Yom Tov when one
needs a meal including bread). Nevertheless, regularlyavoiding eating bread because he doesn’t want to bebothered with bentching is regrettable.If one has the philosophy that you espouse to try towash and bentch at every meal, he should be carefulnot to cause more halachic problems than it is worth.One issue involves netillat yadayim. Although it isgood to be stringent and wash before eating anyamount of bread (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim158:3), the obligation likely begins only with a k’zayit(size of an olive) and possibly even a k’beitza (size ofan egg). Therefore, one may not make a beracha onnetillat yadayim for less than that amount (ibid.:2) (thequestions of one who eats in between a k’zayit and ak’beitza and of how to calculate the sizes are beyondour present scope).Eating small amounts of bread in order to cover all theberachot under the umbrella of the meal’s berachot(Hamotzi and Birkat Hamazon) raises another problem.The gemara (Berachot 41b) says that wine exempts allother drinks from a beracha because of its importanceand that bread exempts other foods that are eatenduring the meal. However, according to the acceptedopinion, Hamotzi can exempt foods only when they aresubsumed under the meal. Based on this, the MagenAvraham (177:1) suggests that if one eats a little breadin order to exempt other foods, then the other foods donot revolve around the bread and the Hamotzi may notexempt them from their berachot. He counters that it ispossible that the exemption was instituted across theboard, regardless of one’s intention. However,according to the more accepted understanding of theMagen Avraham (see Machatzit Hashekel, ad loc.;Mishna Berura 177:3), one should not set up a situationwhere he is eating bread just in order to subsume otherfoods or presumably to set up a situation where he willhave to bentch. Admittedly, some prominent authoritiessay that other foods are exempted even in that case(Even Ha’ozer 174:12; Aruch Hashulchan 177:2; IgrotMoshe OC IV, 41). However, this is hardly an optimalsituation that we would suggest for one who would behappy not to eat bread at all. If one would eat bread forits own sake but would prefer not to “be bothered” withwashing and bentching, it would be fine to convincehim to regularly eat some bread and the MagenAvraham’s issue would not apply (see V’zotHaberacha, pg. 71).If one does not eat even a k’zayit of bread thenalthough he still recites Hamotzi, almost all authoritiessay he must make all of the individual berachot.Furthermore, he will not be able to bentch in any caseand will have to make the appropriate berachot aftereating. One also has to eat the k’zayit within k’deiachilat pras (a contested amount of time, which is
within the range of a single digit of minutes) (MishnaBerura 210:1).While we have not weighed all of the plusses andminuses (including the issue of one who eats breadlikefoods during a full meal without bread see IgrotMoshe, ibid.), we can fairly say that if a person is notinterested in eating approximately a slice of bread, heshould feel free to go without eating bread and“washing and bentching.” Whichever approach onetakes, he should become familiar with the severalhalachic questions that arise in “bread meals” and“nonbread meals.”
Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weeklyparsha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah. You can readthis section or the entire Hemdat Yamim at www.ou.org orwww.eretzhemdah.org. And/or you can receive HemdatYamim by email weekly, by sending an email [email protected] with the message:Subscribe/English (for the English version) orSubscribe/Hebrew (for the hebrew version). Please leavethe subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially fundedby the Jewish Agency for Israel
[2] Candle by DayOne must be careful of what he reads when he isweary. His mind is not very capable of fightingback then. Let him read literature which hewould want to be influenced by.
From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
A Candle by Day • The Antidote • The World of Chazalby Rabbi Shraga Silverstein
Now available at 0542099200
[3] CHIZUK and IDUDfor Olim & notyetOlim respectively
The Torah tells us that Kiryat Arba is Chevron, inEretz K'naan (which is Eretz Yisrael). Rashi tells usthat the name Kiryat Arba, the city of four, refers tofour giants who lived there: Achiman, Sheishai,Talmai, and their father. Some say that Arba was thename of the father of giants. Rashi also reports thestatement in the Gemara and Midrash that the four isa reference to the four pairs who were eventuallyburied there: Adam and Chava, Avraham and Sara,Yitzchak and Rivka, Yaakov and Leah.
The Torah tells us that Avraham Avinu purchasedM'arat HaMachpeila, Chevron/Kiryat Arba andenvirons from Efron the Hittite with an audience ofall the Hittites. Efron had offered the land toAvraham as a gift; Avraham insisted on paying fullprice, and seems to have overpaid when the dealfinally went through.
No one has a claim to Chevron other than the Jewish
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People. Even the Hittites, if they still existed, wouldnot have a claim, with the Torah testifying toAvraham's purchase of the land.
But wait is not the burial place of Adam and Chavapart of the heritage of all the world? Avraham andSara are buried there. What about a claim by theother descendants of Avraham i.e. throughYishmael? Yitzchak and Rivka are buried there. Andit is Yitzchak who is the Torahdeclared heir ofAvraham. What about descendants of the other sonof Yitzchak i.e. Eisav. Yaakov and Leah are buriedthere.
Eretz Yisrael was given by Gd to Avraham, this giftwas confirmed to Yitzchak, and further confirmed toYaakov Avinu.
Are there other ways to look at this issue?
Not from the Jewish perspective. Let's say that theArabs have another way of looking at the Chevronissue in particular, and the Land of Israel issue ingeneral. This does not obligate us, nor should it evenincline us towards a wishywashy attitude towardswhat is clearly presented in the Torah.
Many will say that Jerusalem should not be on thebargaining table. And it definitely should not be.And as we mark Chevron/Kiryat Arba Shabbat, weshould reiterate that neither should Chevron or anyof Eretz Yisrael be bargained away.
Pinchas Ben Rami, Jerusalem
TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh membersfor publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', aweekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu'a
[4] Wisdom & WitThere was a doctor in Belz, who attended to many ofthe Chasidim in the town. He was very upset with R’Yissachar Ber, the Belzer Rebbe, as he told theRebbe. “How come,” he said, “you sent yourwealthy Chasidim who are ill to doctors in Lvov orother towns, and all you send me are the poorChasidim? Why shouldn’t I treat some of thewealthy ones as well?”“It’s for their own good,” explained the Rebbe.” Atthe beginning of each year, Hashem decides howmuch each person will be paying for medicalexpenses in he coming year. Obviously, the amountassessed to the rich is much higher than that assessedto the poor. Now, if I sent a rich person to you,where your prices are so much lower, the personwould have to remain ill for a much longer until hisassessment is used up. By sending them to distantplaces, I ensure that he cost of their treatment, oncewe include the cost of the trip, is much higher, and
they will accordingly be healed faster than if you hadtreated them.”###R' Michael Shalom Winkler of Copenhagen said:Any person who perform the mitzvos in order to berewarded is not worshiping Hashem but himself.
Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series forArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch ofWisdom, A Touch of Wit; and "Wisdom and Wit" —available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be).Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder
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by Rakel BerenbaumFEEDback to [email protected]
No column this week[5] Parsha Points to Ponder
CHAYEI SARA1) Why does the Torah say that Avraham came to“eulogize for Sarah and to cry for her(23:2) instead ofsaying that he came to “eulogize and cry for Sarah?”
2) The Torah relates that Rivka gave Eliezer water todrink (24:18). Why does the Torah add the seeminglyextraneous words, “And she finished giving him to drink(24:19)”before relating that she offered water for hiscamels?
3) When Eliezer describes the wealth with Avraham hadaccumulated, why does the Torah write the word“avadim” slaves) without the letter “yud” and the word“shfachos” (maidservants) without the letter“vav”(24:35)?
THESE ARE THE ANSWERSPonder the questions first, then read here
1) The Kli Yakar explains that Avraham’s crying over theloss of Sarah was not sadness for Sarah herself. Avrahamknew that she was on the highest of levels and close toGD so there was no crying about the essence of Sarah.His crying was just over what he had lost. This is incontrast with the eulogy which was done to give honorand respect to Sarah. Thus, the Torah splits the two andmentions that the eulogy was actually for Sarah and therewas also crying over the loss.
2) The Seforno suggests that the Torah wants toemphasize that Rivka waited for Eliezer to finish drinkingbefore asking him a question which would cause him tospeak. This displays her refined character traits and
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awareness of the dangers of speaking while engaged ineating and drinking.
3) The Netziv explains that any time a letter is missingfrom a word, it indicates a weakening in the full meaningof the word. Here, this approach teaches that whileAvraham did have slaves and maidservants, Avraham didnot abuse and mistreat these workers the way most peopleacted towards their servants.
Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi DovLipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim, Tiferet, andMachon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and RBS and is theauthor of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (andadults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith", justrepublished by Feldheim [email protected]
[6] Torah from NatureCamel revisited(meaning that we've done camels before, but in honorof the 10 camels that Eliezer took with him from thehouse of Avraham, on his quest for a suitable shidduchfor Yitzchak, we are taking another couple of looks atthe camel.)There are two types of camels: Bactrian (Asian) camel,which has two humps and Dromedary (Arabian) camel,has one hump. If you remember the two names butdon't remember which is which, picture the first letterof each rotated to the left 90degrees theee B with twohumps and the D with one? There you go! Bactriansare shorter and stockier and can endure variabletemperatures... has longer, finer wool thanDromedaries. Gestation is about 13 months, usuallysingle birth every 23 years, offspring stay with mother5 years... life expectancy 50 yrs. Nickname "Ships ofthe Desert" comes their use for transporting cargo inthe desert and from their walk. Like a giraffe, the camelmoves both legs on one side of its body at the sametime, then the other side. The rolling motion resemblesa ship at sea... Camel wool is of high quality and isused in the Arab world for rugmaking and clothing. Acamel sheds around 2kgs of wool every time theymoult... hump is full of fat, not water. It will shrink ifthe camel doesn’t eat. Baby camels are born without ahump. They need start eating solids before they’lldevelop hump(s)... double row of long curly eye lashesto keep sand and dust out and and a third eyelid acts asa windshield wiper...Family Camelidae include Camel, Llama, Alpaca,Guanaco,Vicu’a. Ruminants, but 3chamberedstomachs, not 4. Herbivorous. They are not kosher.The Giraffe, a.k.a. camelopard, is not a close relative ofthe camel, but received its other name because its faceresembles that of a camel and its skin's patterns areleopardlike. (It is kosher)A camel can drink the equivalent of more than 126packs of 1.5L bottles of water... in 10 minutes
[7] MicroUlpanWith our hopes and prayers for much umbrella use thisrainy season, let's check out some Hebrew terms:
umbrella = MITRIYAAnd the band that goes around a closed umbrella to keepit shut?
CHEVEKGood to know in case you need to complain about it at thestore from where you bought the umbrella.
Ferrule (metal tip at top) = KIPAT CHIZUK(Did you know it was called a ferrule in English? nowyou do!)
[8] From Machon PuahA Medical MiracleLaura had been married for 8 years, but she had not had aperiod for ten years. Very quickly the doctor identified hercondition as PCO, polycystic ovarian syndrome, acommon condition that we discussed last week.
She tried various fertility treatments but none of themworked and she neither ovulated nor had a cycle. She wasdistraught.
Eventually she decided to speak to her Rabbi. He listenedto her story and told her that he had just come back fromIsrael where he met the Rabbis of the Puah Institute. Hefelt confident that they would be able to help her. Lauraleft with fresh hope and made a very brave decision. Sinceher husband was between jobs and was looking for anopportunity to learn Torah, they decided to move to Israelfor a year and undergo intensive fertility treatment withthe guidance and supervision of the Puah Institute.
Laura and her husband called the Puah Institute almostimmediately on arriving in Israel. They wanted to makearrangements for their first round of invitro fertilizationas soon as possible. However, they were in for a shock.The Rabbi who spoke to them said that it was not socertain that they would need such treatment and that thenew research was suggesting taking an insulin sensitizerin their case.
This was indeed new information and Laura contacted herdoctor back in America. He did some research andconfirmed what the Rabbi had told her. So she started thistreatment and left the more costly and difficult treatmentson hold for the time being.
The very first month an incredible thing happened, Lauragot a period for the first time in ten years. The same thinghappened the following month and the month after that.Laura was excited but was still not pregnant, so she wentback to the Rabbi at Puah.
After consultation he suggested she go back to her doctorand add another medicine to the one she was taking. Thenext month she was pregnant, and nine months later theymade a Brit for their healthy son just as their year in Israeldrew to a close.
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The Puah Institute for Fertility and Gynecology inAccordance with Halacha is based in Jerusalem and helpscouples from all over the world who are experiencingfertility problems. Puah offers free counseling in fivelanguages, halachic supervision and educationalprograms. Puah has offices in New York, Los Angeles andParis. To contact the Puah Institute please call026515050 in Israel or 7183360603.Visit our website at www.puah.org.il
[9] Divrei MenachemParshat Chayei Sara describes the sunset of Avraham'slife wherein, with Sara's passing, Avraham turned tofinding a suitable wife for Yitzchak. Before biddingEliezer with that task, the Torah introduces this themewith the following: "And Avraham was old, well on inyears, and Hashem had blessed him with everything(B'reishit 24:1)."The Kli Yakar asks why the Torah mentions Avraham'saged condition when we were informed that Avrahamand Sara were advanced in age before Yitzchak's birth.His explanation is enlightening. During the 37 yearsthat Avraham shared with both Sara and Yitzchak, hehad "everything," including a youthful demeanor.Regarding Yitzchak, the rabbis teach that if anindividual produces a righteous son, he is considered asnot having died. As for Sara, one could apply the verse,'Enjoy life on account of your wife' (Kohelet 9:9),indicating that a worthy woman enhances her husband'sspirit.With Sara gone, however, Avraham lost his vigor andlooked to Yitzchak's forthcoming wife to restore hisspirit. And so it was, in praise of virtuous women, thatthe Midrash recounts how Rivka eventually fulfilledSara's role.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff
Towards Better Daveningand Torah Reading
Finetuning SH'VA NA (more)
Last week we wrote that a letter with a SH'VA NAdoes not make its own syllalbe but rather is attached(prefixed) to the following syllable. A TTreader wrotequestioning that fact and claims that he alwaysconsiders it (the letter with a SH'VA NA) as a separatesyllable. We reiterated the position we took, based onEIM LAMIK RA HASHALEIM, that a letter with aSH'VA NA is too weak to be its own syllable.Furthermore, pronouncing it as a separate syllable runsthe risk of giving the SH'VA too much emphasis as areal vowel. In fact, it is an extremely short SEGOLlikequasivowel and we are warned by BAALEI DIKDIKto watch out not to overstress a SH'VA NA. SH'MAshould not even come close to sounding like SHEMA.At the same time, we should not blend the SH and the
M as is done in the English word (which comes fromYiddish) shmooze. In the transliteration that oftenappears in TT, we try not to write words like SH'MA aseither SHMA (underdoing the SH'VA) or SHEMA(overdoing the SH'VA). Occasionally, we succumb topopular spellings for some words, such as MENORA,which we should to be consistent render asM'NORA. So too with Gemara, which should beG'MARA. It's just that these words are so commonlywritten with the e that we give in. [But we won't do itanymore B"N; we will try to resist.]
On the practical side, there are Hebrew words that areso commonly used in English (or at least in the variantof English called Yeshivish or even just Jenglish) suchas bracha, brachot which should be b'racha and b'rachotto be consistent, but who is consistent all the timeanyway. We hope you get the point. More on SH'VA inthe future.
SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...A series of articles on Beit HaMikdashrelated topics byCatriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge,interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hasteningthe realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuildingof Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.
The Mishkan at Shilo the "OlderSister" of the Mikdash! (part 3)Last week we noted that the Targum to Sefer Sh'muelcomments that the first verse of Chana's prayer (ISh'muel 1) contains the prophecy that her son Sh'muelwould be a prophet; that in his days the people of Israelwould be delivered from the Philistines; that he wouldperform many miracles and wonders; and that hisgrandson Heman with his 14 sons would sing and sayPsalms in the Beit Hamikdash, together with otherfellow Levites. But the other verses of her prayer arealso pregnant with deep meaning. In the followingverses of her prayer, Chana foresees the destruction ofSennacherib the Assyrian before the walls ofJerusalem, the fall of Nebuchadnezzar's BabylonianEmpire, the defeat of Haman and his sons at the handsof Mordechai and Esther, and the rout of the Greeksbefore the armies of the Chashmona'im. Finally, Chanaprophesies about the great war of Gog and Magog inthe End of Days when all the nations of the world willbe engulfed in an exceedingly bloody world warendangering Israel's very existence. In that terribletime she promises us, Mashiach will come and bringabout the final redemption to embattled Am Yisrael. Anew world in which there will be no evil and nodestruction will arise, for the entire world will be full ofthe wisdom of Gd as the "waters cover the sea"."And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour bothwith the Lord, and also with men" (1 Sh'muel 2:26).Samuel began prophesying at a young age andcontinued to serve in the Mishkan, but not as a Koheinbecause, though he was a Levite, he was not from the
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family of Aaron. Josephus, who in his renditions ofBiblical tales frequently bases himself on nonextantMidrashim, writes that Samuel had just completed his12th year when the word of Gd first came to him(Antiquities V 10:4). Taking advantage of theirprivileged position, Chofni and Pinchas, the KoheinGadol Eli's sons, disgraced the Divine Avoda in theeyes of the masses by bribery and corruption. While Elirebuked his sons, they did not mend their ways. Indeed,Eli had more reason to be proud of Sh'muel than of hisown sons. One day "a man of Gd" (tradition says thatthis "man of Gd" was none other than Elkana, thefather of Samuel) came to Eli and brought him afrightening message from Gd. In it Eli was blamed forhis sons' evildoing and that both of them would die onthe same day, and the priesthood would be removedfrom his house forever. The harsh judgement to bemeted out to Eli and his house was immutable; Shilohwas to be set aside as the central sanctuary of Israel.The same prophecy was soon repeated in Samuel's firstDivine revelation. One evening, when he lay down torest at the Mishkan in Shiloh, Samuel heard a voicecalling his name. He sprang up and ran to the aged Eli,thinking he had called him. But Eli told him to go back,for he had not called him. This was repeated threetimes, and then Eli became aware that it was a Divinesummons. He then told the lad that when he beard thevoice again, he should reply, "Speak, O Lrd, for Thyservant hears." The message young Samuel receivedwas shocking: "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, atwhich both ears of every one that hears it shall tingle.In that day I shall perform against Eli all the thingswhich I have spoken concerning his house... I willpunish his house forever, for the offense that he knewthat his sons made themselves accursed, but restrainedthem not. Reluctantly, the young prophet Samuelrelated the Divine message to Eli, and the old manhumbly replied, "It is Gd's will; let Him do whatseems good to Him." Strengthened by the spirit Gdbestowed upon him, Samuel grew up full of faith andcourage and the people recognized their future leader."And all Israel from Dan even to Be'er Sheva knew thatSamuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh; for the Lordrevealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word ofthe Lord (I Sh'muel 3:20,21). Eli was very old andcould not exert any influence on his wayward sons, buthe knew that his successor as judge over all the peoplewould be none other than Samuel. Eli knew that hisown two sons were not worthy to succeed him.Politically, Am Yisrael was in a lamentable state. In aseries of wars, the Philistines thundered out of the westand forced the small tribe of Dan to move to northernEretz Yisrael. Then they lashed out at Yehuda,Binyamin, and Efrayim. Finally there was a decisivebattle at Even Ezer where Am Yisrael was handed anappalling defeat. In the first encounter, Am Yisraelsuffered heavy losses but managed to hold their own.Contemplating their defeat, someone had a brilliantidea. "Let us take the Aron Habrit out of Shiloh untous, that He may come among us, and save us out the
hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, andthey brought from there the Ark of the Covenant … "They mistakenly believed that this "presence of God"conveyed by the worthless Chofni and Pinchas wouldensure their victory. They were defeated, however, byan enemy invigorated by fear of being annihilated bythe powerful God of Israel, whom they assumed pagan style was contained in "the box." Meanwhile,Eli and the assembled people at Shiloh anxiouslyawaited news of the battle. At last there came swiftlyrunning from the scene of the debacle to the city, aBenjaminite with his clothes rent and earth upon hishead. (According to our Sages this messenger wasSaul, later to become king of Israel.) Eli sat watchingby the wayside as the messenger entered the gates ofthe town; he heard a loud wail arise. "What does thesound of this tumult mean?" the old man asked, full ofevil foreboding. His failing sight did not let himperceive the messenger's rent clothes and hisearthcovered head, which told their own tale. TheBenjaminite approached him and broke the terriblenews. "Our people fled before the Philistines, and therehas been a great slaughter among the people, and thytwo sons, Chofni and Pinchas, are dead, and the Ark ofGd is taken." When Eli heard of the fate of the HolyArk, he fell backwards from his seat and died. Whileno explicit reference is made in the Tanach to Shiloh'sfate, archaeological evidence indicates it was destroyedby the Philistines about 1050 BCE, as indicated byburned pottery, collapsed and burned bricks and stones.Apparently the Mishkan itself was removed fromShiloh before the Philistines arrived, and it was spiritedoff to Gibeon, where it remained until Solomon's time.The Aron Habrit was eventually returned to AmYisrael, but not to Shiloh. Centuries later, the psalmistwept, "He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tenthe had set up among men" (Tehillim 78:60). Theprophet Yermiyahu made two references to Shiloh'sdestruction as warnings of Jerusalem's impendingjudgment. Eli was the only leader in those unsettledtimes who wore "two crowns, for he was both Judgeand Kohein Gadol. The Yalkut HaMechiri (Tehillim75:4) notes that he was also the head of the Sanhedrin.He became judge at the age of 58 years, after the deathof Samson (Shimshon) and held this office for fortyyears until his tragic death. The 10th day of Iyar is theanniversary of the death of Eli, the last Kohein Gadolof Shiloh. <to be continued>
Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’sPerspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service
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400 silver pieces that Avraham handedover to EFRON (pencil = IPARON,heteronym of EFRON)
V’LIVKOTAH is written with a small KAF under the pencil a small kaf, a.k.a. ademitasse spoon
Gd blessed Avraham BAKOL. There is anopinion that this blessing included aprecious gem that had miraculouscurative powers. That’s it under the B”H
There's a speechbubble with a chain init, standing for VAYOMAR, and he(Eliezer) said, which is read with aSHALSHELET (chain)
BARUCH HASHEM was said by Eliezer
Dakva’s scene of Rivka at the well(spring)
One of the gold rings Eliezer gave toRivka
The Xed out turkey platter is Eliezer’srefusal to eat before he had completed“business”. Good thing, too, becauseLavan had poisoned the food (poisonsymbol)
CHUPA is for Yitzchak’s marriage to Rivka(also Avraham’s to Ketura)
Gift for Rivka and her family, as well asthe gifts Avraham gave to the children ofthe “PILAGSHIM”
The word TEREM appears eight times inthe Torah, twice in Chayei Sara. That'sthe logo of Terem about halfway downthe right side of the ParshaPix
NEVIOT water is for the soundalike ofthe first born of Yishma’el
There are two dots forming a SH'VA this is a soundalike for a grandson ofAvraham's via Ketura
The animals are mentioned in the haftara
So is the question as to who will sit onDavid's throne after his death
The arrow is from CHAVILA to SHOR
The badge is Agent 99's of Control. Shewas a SOCHENET, a term describingAvishag in the haftara.
TTRIDDLES... are Torah Tidbitsstyle riddles onParshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They arefound in the hardcopy of TT scattered throughout,usually at the bottom of different columns. In theelectronic versions of TT, they are found all together atthe end of the ParshaPixTTriddles section. The bestsolution set submitted each week (there isn't always abest) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productionsand/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal.
Last issue’s (Vayeira) TTriddles:[1] The English sounds like the book; theHebrew like its writersGomorrah, city destroyed with Sodom (Adma andTz'voyim too but not Tzo'ar). Some have speculatedthat the ruins southeast of the Dead Sea at Numeira,discovered in 1973, may be those of the city. That'sthe English rendering of S'dom's partner city,AMORA. Sounds like what we call the Talmud.Mishna and Gemara. Those rabbi's quoted in theGemara are called AMORA'IM. One is an AMORA.Sounds like the name of the city. The city is spelledwith an AYIN and the Talmudic "writer" is spelledwith an ALEF. To Ashkenazim, the two wordssound the same. To S'faradim (and our regularShabbaton Torah reader, Yisrael Azaria), theymerely sound alike.
[2] Brothers who certify KahluaUTZ CERTIFIED (formerly UTZ KAPEH) is thelargest coffee certificationprogram worldwide... a foundation for the worldwide implementation of a baseline standard forresponsible coffee growing and sourcing.UTZcertified cooperatives, estate farms andproducer groups comply with the UTZ CERTIFIEDCode of Conduct... internationally recognized set ofcriteria for professional coffee growing, whichincludes socially and environmentally appropriatecoffee growing practices, and efficient farmmanagement. Kahlua is a coffeeflavored liqueurmade in Mexico (acceptable as kosher with an OUsymbol only). Kahlua, being a liqueur, can bereferred to with the slang term booze. Therefore, itwould seem reasonable in TTriddleterms that thebrothers who certify Kahlua would be UTZ andBUZ, two sons of Nachor and Milka, mentioned atthe end of Parshat Vayeira. Kashrutwise, werecommend relying on the OU's certification, notthose of these two nephews of Avraham.
[3] Avraham's nephew; Avshalom's motherSpeaking of Avraham's nephews... The last namedone and the last word in Parshat Vayeira isMA'ACHA. This is a name shared by 8 other peoplein Tanach, including the mother of Avshalom. Shewas a daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, a wife ofDavid HaMelech, and mother also of Tamar.
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[4] generic in the sedra; specific in the haftaraA male donkey is called a jack; female is called ajenny (or jennet). The generic term in Hebrew fordonkey (male or female) is CHAMOR. That wordoccurs in Parshat Vayeira. The name for a femaledonkey in Hebrew is ATON, which occurs in thehaftara of Vayeira. By the way, a male donkey andfemale horse (jack and mare) will produce a mule.PERED in Hebrew. The opposite, a stallion andjenny, produce a hinny, much rarer because ofseveral factors, especially desirable qualities of amule, which a hinny lacks. A zebra and donkeyproduce a zeedonk (also spelled zedonk, a.k.a.zebrass, zebronkey, zonkey, zebadonk, zenkey,zebrinny, or deebra). JTYLTK.
[5] MAG to AvrahamM = 1000 in Roman numerals. Ag is the symbol forsilver. MAG, therefore is 1000 pieces of silver,which Avimelech gave to Avraham as acompensation for all that was done.
[6] 14 more, 9 more, 4 more, 6 fewer, 16fewer, 26 fewerThe Tzadikim Nistarim or Lamed Vav Tzadikimoften abbreviated to "Lamed Vav(niks)", refers to 36Righteous people, a notion rooted within the moremystical dimensions of Judaism. It is said that at alltimes there are 36 special people in the world, andthat were it not for them, all of them, if even one ofthem was missing, the world would come to an end.Avraham's "bargaining" for S'dom and the othercities Gd planned on destroying, began with 50tzadikim, 14 more than the 36. He then went down to45, 40, 30, 20, and finally to 10. The TTriddlematches these numbers in their relationship with 36.E.g. 10 is 26 fewer than 36.
[7] Avraham, Avimelech, Gd, and who?Speaking of the word VAYASHKEIF (see [13]below), it occurs only four times in all of Tanach. Inaddition to Avraham who looks out over the formerS'dom, Avimelech VAYASHKEIFed out thewindow and saw Yitzchak and Rivka acting ashusband and wife. In Parshat B'shalach, Gd looksout over the Egyptian camp (shortly before theSplitting of the Sea). And finally, the who. Only oneother occurrence of VAYASHKEIF, this time inShmuel bet it is ARAVNA who looks out and seesthe king (David) and his servants.
[8] This connection between sedra andhaftara is a real eyeopenerPOKEI'ACH IVRIM, is one of the brachot ofBirchot HaShachar; it acknowledges Gd as the OneWho "opens the eyes of the blind". B'reishit 21:19says: Gd opened her (Hagar) eyes, and she saw awell of water. She went and filled the skin with
water, giving the boy (Yishmael) some to drink.VAYIFKACH ELOKIM ET EINEHA. In thehaftara, Melachim bet 4:35, to be specific, we readof the son of the Shunamit who fell dead and wasrevived by Elisha VAYIFKACH HANAAR ETEINAV, and the boy open his eyes. The wordVAYIFKACH occurs in these two instances andtwice more in Melachim bet. That's it in Tanach.
[9] 6 words 13 letters a record, perhaps?There is a wellknown sequence of five words in theend of Parshat B'shalach, each of which has only twoletters. KI YAD AL KEIS KAH. That's ten lettersfor a fiveword sequence. What is the fewest numberof letters in a sixword sequence? The 5word10letter record holder is flanked by 5letter words,VAYOMER and MILCHAMA. So a 6wordsequence there would have 15 letters. In Vayeira, wefind a possible record for 6 and 7word sequences."And the people (angels) said to Lot, who else doyou have here..." EL LOT (spelled without theVAV) MI OD (also without a VAV) L'CHA POCHATAN... This is a sequence of 7 words with 2, 3,2, 2, 2, 2, and 3 letters each. This gives us a 6wordsequences with 13 letters and a 7word sequencewith 16 letters, probable record holders in theircategories.
[10] PisselopiallareThis is a classic ItalianEnglishHebrew TTriddle.Pisselo is Italian for pea, afuna in Hebrew. Piallarein Italian for sand, CHOL in Hebrew. Take theEnglish for the first half and the Hebrew for thesecond half and put them together to get the militarychief of Avimelech, PICHOL.
[11] When it goes, it's here; when it comes,it's goneThe term HASHEMESH BA, the sun comes, is usedfor when the sun leaves the sky, sunset (or even laterat starsout time). HASHEMESH YATZA, the sunwent out, means that it came out. Regularly, BAmeans to arrive and YATZA means to leave. So it isthe SUN that is here when it goes and gone when itcomes.
[12] Three extra to him in addition to twoabove and two below"to him" in Hebrew is EILAV,ALEFLAMEDYUD VAV. In B'reishit 18:9,VAYOMER EILAV AYEI SARA ISHTECHA...And they (the angels) said to him (to Avraham),where is your wife Sara... the word EILAV, in aSefer Torah, has a dot over the ALEF, the YUD, andthe VAV. This is a scribal tradition. That's threeextra dots "to him" (on EILAV), in addition to twoabove (the TROPmark on the word is a KATON,which is a colon i.e. two dots one above the other above the word, and two below (referring to the
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vowel under the ALEF, a TZEIREI, which is twodots one next to the other.
[13] Let's not forget the binoculars on thefront page...This is the third time in a row we've had a graphicelement on the front page referring to the sedra. Weplan to continue this sometimes it will be astraightforward graphic and sometimes it will beTTriddlish. And sometimes, somewhere between.Binoculars are MASHKEFET, from the same root asthe word in the sedra referring to Avraham lookingout over the destroyed S'dom: VAYASHKEIF ALP'NEI S'DOM VA'AMORA... It also represents thephrase from the Akeida portion: VAYAR ETHAMAKOM MEIRACHOK, And he saw the placefrom afar. The binoculars represent one word in thesedra with the same root and another phrase whichdescribes the function of binoculars.
Honorable mention for their solutions andattempted solutions go to HC and MM/Bklynfor this week and to AW/Cranford for hissubmissions last week. CDs from Noam awaitthe three of you.
This week's TTriddles:[1] His name and city are practically anagrams
[2] Yitzchak was Avraham’s quadruple son
[3] Pinchas was Elazar’s
[4] Was Rivka born in Sh’vat?
[5] Between Asahel and the road to Hebron
[6] His father, grandfather, greatgrandfather,greatgreatgreat greatgrandparents, and an"uncle" all led double lives
[7] What did the palindromic seer say to theextremely young mother?
[8] Shares name with hisgreatgreatgrandparents' shadchan
[9] brother and sister with similar names
[10] Avraham, Moshe, Yehoshua, Sha’ul
[11] His name tells us what he’s doing onMotza”Sh (not Parsha related but schedulerelated)
Did you know that it was Gustavus Adolphus Day inSweden on Monday, November 6th? On this dayonly a special pastry, with a chocolate or marzipanmedallion of the king, is sold.
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