Hakhel Email Community Awareness Bulletin
FEBRUARY 2014 DAILY EMAIL ARCHIVE
28 Adar I
FROM A READER: “HaRav Noach Weinberg, Z’tl, has a great shiur on
happiness in which he provides simple tasks to increase one’s happiness.
This is not an exact summary of his shiur, but close to it:
Step #1: Spend 15
minutes or so writing out a list of all the pleasures in your life.
Start with the obvious (eyes, ears, hands, feet) and then keep going and
going until you cannot think of anything else.
Step #2: Review the list
each night and add one new thing each night.
Step #3: Only for
people who want serious joy--try to organize your list in order of what
gives you the most pleasure. This forces you to think deep and really
consider how great your pleasures are (what do I appreciate more, my eyes or
my ears?).
Anyone who does this and
then reviews the list often is certain to increase their joy....and joy is
the fuel that allows us to react well to what Hashem will have us encounter
in our day--and to do all the good we need to do in our lives!”
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Special Note One: Shabbos,
29 Adar I, is the 28th Yahrzeit of HaRav Yaakov (B’ R’Binyomin)
Kamenestky, Z’tl. The following is paraphrased in Praying with Fire, by Rabbi Heshy Kleinman from Reb
Yaakov, The Life and Times of HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, by Yonoson
Rosenblum (ArtScroll/Mesorah Publ.), pp. 108-110:
“In
the 1930’s, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky was Rav of a small, sixty-family
community in a town called Tzitevien. His family lived in dire poverty and
he could not even afford to buy a suit for his son Binyamin for his Bar
Mitzvah. Unable to subsist on the income he earned, Rav Yaakov applied over
the course of several years for rabbinical positions in larger towns. The
last one for which he applied was in Vilkomir, the third largest Jewish
community in
Lithuania
.
After several interviews, Rav Yaakov was offered the position. He returned
home to tell his wife the great news, and the household erupted in
jubilation; finally their crushing poverty would be alleviated. Three weeks
later, the jubilation turned to grief when Rav Yaakov received news that the
position had gone to someone else. The Rebbetzin cried bitter tears over the
loss of the rabbanus in Vilkomir, recognizing that it virtually ensured that
Rav Yaakov would have to seek some means of support abroad. The
failure to win that position, as well as the others, profoundly affected Rav
Yaakov’s own strong sense of Divine
Providence
.
The successful candidates and their families eventually fell into the hands
of the Nazis. ‘In counseling people undergoing difficult tests, Rav Yaakov
would often point to his own experience as an example of how that which is
perceived at the moment as the greatest tragedy may, with the passage of
time, be revealed to be the greatest salvation.’”
Special Note Two: We
provide the following notes relating to Erev Rosh Chodesh from the Sefer Tefillas
Yom Kippur Koton, with b’urim of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita,
compiled by Rav Tzvi Yabrov, Shlita:
1. The Shelah HaKadosh
teaches that since Rosh Chodesh is a Zeman
Kaparah one should see to it that he does complete Teshuvah with a Lev
Shaleim--rectifying any monetary, physical or emotional matters that need to
be rectified. Through his charata and viduy, and the departure from his bad
ways--one enters the month as a new person!
2. Once on Rosh Chodesh
that fell out on Shabbos, HaRav Meir Tzvi Bergman, Shlita, went to see his
father in-law, HaRav Schach, Z’tl. HaRav Schach, who was deeply engrossed
in thought, motioned to Rav Bergman and said: “Not now--today is Rosh
Chodesh and one should perform a Cheshbon
Hanefesh. As we say in Mussaf--it is a Zeman
Kaparah Lechol Toldosom.” HaRav
Schach’s grandson who was present asked HaRav Schach: “Does one conduct
himself in this way even when Rosh Chodesh falls out on Shabbos?” HaRav
Schach responded--”Yes, even on Shabbos!” (see Shulchan Aruch Orach
Chaim 288, Taz seif katan 2)
3. Hashem gives us the
opportunity for Kappara every month--so that our sins do not accumulate. In
our Tefillos during the course of the month, we generally ask only for
selicha or mechila--it is only on Yom Kippur and Rosh Chodesh that we use
the language of Kappara--for just as Yom Kippur effects Kappara for the
whole year, Rosh Chodesh effects
Kappara for the previous month!
4. In the Siddur HaRosh M’Garmeiza, it is written that because Hashem sits
in judgment every Rosh Chodesh, we ask for the Geulah. Indeed, although
Chazal (Pesochim 13A) teach that Eliyahu HaNavi will not come on Shabbos or
Yom Tov because people are busy--Eliyahu HaNavi could very well come on Rosh
Chodesh as, once again, it is a time of Kappara for all. Hakhel Note: As we
have noted in the past, HaRav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach, Z’tl, writes that
when the Moshiach comes we will recite four brachos: (i) Baruch
Chacham Harazim (over the 600,000 that will be present); (ii) Shechalak
Meichachmaso LiReiav (over the Gadol HaDor); (iii) Shechalak
MiKevodo LiReiav (over the king); and (iv) Shehechiyanu
(over reaching this time). HaRav Kanievsky adds that at the time of Techiyas
HaMeisim we will also make the bracha of Mechayei
HaMeisim. HaRav Kanievsky explains that the reason we do not expressly
daven for Techiyas HaMeisim in our
regular Tefillos for the Geulah is because it will take place forty years
after the Geulah--and we pray for the Geulah to first begin as soon as
possible!
Special Note Three: We
continue with our Erev Shabbos--Halachos of Shabbos Series:
A. The following Halachos
are excerpted from the pamphlet Piskei
Shulchan HaLevi, the pesokim of HaRav Yisroel Belsky, Shlita, as
compiled by R’ Shmuel Tzvi Cohen with an approbation from
HaRav Belsky. As with all pesokim, one should ask his Rav or Posek for a
final ruling:
1. If one has no cup other
than a disposable one, he may use it for Kiddush or bentsching--but lechatchila
one should use a nice cup (see Igros
Moshe, Orach Chaim 3:39).
2. If one usually recites
Kiddush over a regular size becher on Shabbos morning, and finds himself in
a place in which he is given a schnapps
glazel--he should not recite Kiddush over it. Even if the Ba’al
HaBayis does so, one should nevertheless insist that it is his minhag to
utilize a regular size becher.
3. If one is being yotzei
kiddush through another--then he should follow the one who is reciting
Kiddush as to whether to stand or sit. If one does not do so, then he does
not appear to be kove’ah seudah with him.
4. If one skipped a Parasha
or more in the weekly recitation of Shenayim
Mikra V’echad Targum--then one should first read the Parasha of this
week, and then go back and make up the Parshios of the prior weeks.
5. Bochurim who enjoy
‘taking two steps at a time’ may do so on Shabbos--and will not violate
the issur of taking pesyiah gasa on Shabbos, since this is their enjoyment.
6. One may fold a paper
napkin on its crease, and this is not considered to be fixing it--as it will
be disposed of after its one-time use.
7. It is permissible to
make a necktie on Shabbos only if it is tied in a manner in which one will
be able to untie it by pulling it once.
8. Orange peels are not muktzah,
for there are food items that are prepared from them.
9. One should not pour a
drink over ice cubes on Shabbos. Rather, one should pour the drink in first
and then put the ice into it. Then, if one wants to fill up his cup again,
he should make sure that part of the original drink is left in the cup.
10. One should not clap a
musical or rhythmic beat on the table.
11. When singing zemiros,
one should say Hashem’s name, rather than saying the word ‘Hashem’--as
reciting Hashem’s name in zemiros is not considered to be levatalah.
12. Even if one has a
minhag to wait less than 50 minutes after shekiyah in order to do melacha on
Motza’ei Shabbos--he should change his minhag and wait 50 minutes, and
preferably 72.
B. We provide the following
very meaningful teachings relating to Parashas Shekalim in Galus, excerpted
from the Sefer HaToda’ah by
Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, Z’tl (as translated by Rabbi Nachman Bulman, Z’tl,
and published by Feldheim Publishers as that essential-for-the-home work “The Book of Our Heritage” ):
“Today,
when we no longer have the Beis HaMikdash and we longer bring sacrifices,
the mitzvah of the half-shekel is no longer applicable. Nevertheless,
we still read the portion of the Machatzis HaShekel at the appropriate time
so that the Torah reading might be regarded as if we had actually fulfilled
the mitzvah - -as the Pasuk (Hoshe’ah 14:3) states: ”U’Neshalma
Forim Sefaseinu... our words shall take the place of the animals which we
can no longer sacrifice. Another reason that we continue to read
Parshas Shekalim is because we pray that the Beis HaMikdash will soon be
rebuilt, and therefore it is incumbent upon us to be familiar with the
proper manner of fulfilling this mitzvah. This Mitzvah is especially
favored, for it teaches us that we are all equal before Hashem --as we all
participated (and will participate) equally in the Karbanos Tzibbur--the
offering of all communal sacrifices. There
are no rich or poor before Hashem--we are all beloved. All are close
to Him and all of their sacrifices come before Him pleasantly, bringing
atonement for all their sins.”
Hakhel Note:
The Half-Shekel that we give on Ta’anis Esther is only a remembrance of
the Mitzvah D’Oraysa--may we speedily merit our participation in the
Machatzis HaShekel of the Bais Hamikdash--we have plenty of time--as it is
only finally due on Rosh Chodesh Nissan--more than a month away!
Special Note Four:
How many times in this week’s
Parasha is the phrase “Ka’asher Tzivah Hashem
Es Moshe--[and the work
was performed] as Hashem had commanded Moshe”
repeated--and why. We are happy to report that a reader had once
calculated the answer on her own--and then found the confirmation and an
incredible reason for this number in the Ba’al Haturim on the Parasha (Shemos
40:21)--all as brought in the wonderful publication by Rabbi Ozer Alport,
Shlita--”Parsha Potpourri.” As
Rabbi Alport writes, “As there are no coincidences in the Torah, the Baal
HaTurim explains that this number alludes to the 18 blessings recited thrice
daily in the prayers known as Shemoneh Esrei.” Rabbi
Alport then shows how our ‘standard daily prayers’ are really not so
standard at all, and concludes, “Just as Betzalel followed Hashem’s
precise guidelines for the creation of the Mishkan and still found room for
creative expression by doing so with his own unique intentions and insights,
so too our Sages established the standard wording of the prayers with Divine
Inspiration, articulating within them every feeling we may wish to express.
Many times, in the midst of a difficult situation, we begin the standard
prayers with a heavy heart, only to find a new interpretation of the words
which we have recited thousands of times jump out at us. This newfound
understanding, which has been there all along waiting for us to discover it
in our time of need, is perfectly fit to the sentiments we wish to convey,
if we will only open our eyes to see it and use our Sages’ foresight to
express ourselves.” To subscribe to Parsha Potpourri weekly, email oalport@optonline.net.
Special Note Five: As we
conclude Sefer Shemos tomorrow, we recognize that there is a new beginning
next week with Sefer Vayikra. It is a momentous ending of the Sefer
HaGeulah, and the inauguration of the aftermath of Geulah--the Toras Kohanim--service
of Hashem on a higher plane in a Mikdash . We are even ending the month
and beginning anew early next week. Especially in light of Rabbi
Yabrov’s notes on Rosh Chodesh mentioned above, this Shabbos should most
definitely be a Shabbos of real reflection--what am I concluding--and what
will I be beginning? How will I utilize the opportunity? Will I
realize that when Purim arrives the year will be close to half over--and
that it would truly be an accomplishment to improve in Avodas Hashem before
the second half of the year--with a concrete improvement that I have been meaning to make --especially in Torah or
Tefillah? As we see the great work product of the Mishkan come to
final fruition in Parashas Pekudei--let us practically and meaningfully take
the lesson of its building to the meaningful next step--real and actual
growth in Avodas Hashem.
Additional Note: As
we will be finishing the last Parasha of Shemos, and commencing the first
Parsha of Vayikra; as we will conclude the last day of Adar I on Sunday and
start the first day of Adar II--it may also be a good time to review what we
are FIRST or close to first to do and what we are LAST
or close to last to do. Where do we especially place our true Zerizus
efforts and excel--and what do we particularly put off doing? Is
there any part of this that could or should change? Where am I in
terms of arriving in Shul for Minyan or a Shiur--at the head of the class,
around the middle, or towards the end? Is there anything that
should I put off to the end? We know that there must be some way that
last is important--after all in the Ani Ma’amins themselves--we affirm our
belief that Hashem is Rishon and Acharon--first and last! Here is a
possible suggestion for what a person can do First or at the outset of every
day--give Tzedaka (as the Pasuk teaches--“Ani BeTzedek Echezeh Ponecha”), and perhaps a LAST thing to do
every day--highlight the most successful and least successful part of the
day passed--and think about how to rectify and grow--and how to keep the
successes coming!
=======================
27 Adar I
FROM
A READER: “Rabbi
Yisroel Reisman, Shlita, gave me a good idea which I wanted to share with
you. He said that he learned Navi when he was a bochur. He
learned one perek of nevi’im rishonim each night.
Bli neder, when I start this project next
week, I will be able to finish all nevi’im rishonim (147 perakim) learning
six nights a week well before Rosh HaShanah.
A worthwhile goal!”
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Special
Note One: Today is the second Yahrzeit of HaRav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg,
Z’tl, a Gadol of our generation. HaRav Scheinberg was once asked if he
could provide “hadracha”, or guidance, in how one could better study
Torah. He provided a two-word response: “Learn more.” HaRav
Scheinberg is also said to have responded to some who requested a bracha for
themselves or their children in Torah study, “I will give the bracha--but
they have to do their part--will they take upon themselves to study a few
extra minutes a day?”
We
provide the following excerpts from the recently published The Torah Home, by Rabbi Shlomo Furst, Shlita, based on the Shiurim
of HaRav Scheinberg, Z’tl. To obtain the full, original English version
and the Hebrew translation--and other books in Rabbi Furst’s Torah Way of Life series containing HaRav Scheinberg’s teachings,
please call: 972-2-500-4682:
A.
Sechel.
Our
lives are precious. Therefore, people who are concerned train themselves to
follow their sechel. We cannot
ignore our emotions--but we can direct them. The emotions can become
submissive to the sechel. Then
they will be manageable, instead of assertive. Individuals who are
successful with their sechel will
not become angry or infuriated. They are settled and calm. Tranquility is
the prevailing characteristic of their personalities.
There
is something more. We have essential and undeniable physical needs. Life
would be impossible without them. We must eat, drink and sleep. People must
populate the world. These things are all true and appropriate. Nevertheless,
thought, control and moderation must govern every physical act we do. The
influence of Torah elevates us beyond the need for pleasure. Indulgence, the
thoughtless pursuit of every whim, will not bring satisfaction. When our
sense of priorities is wrong, an inner conflict will rage between an
unquenchable need for physical gratification and the unfulfilled aspirations
of the neshama.
Most
of us want to be good. Nevertheless, the best of us can fall prey to daily
stresses, fatigue and frustration. The sechel
is certainly influenced by the body and its physical needs. Nevertheless,
the more we fortify our sechel
with Torah, the less vulnerable we will be to the influence of our emotions.
Counterproductive emotions, especially anger, flourish best under stressful
conditions.
The
best response to a situation where anger has gained control is to remain
silent. Try not to react. Instead, maintain your own composure. Be tolerant,
for most good-natured people, although temporarily enraged, will surely come
to their senses and snap out of it. We must realize and value the importance
of sechel. We must behave like
mature people and control the urge to vent our anger.
Self-control
is vital for creating and maintaining a healthy marriage and relationships.
If our sechel is so undeveloped
and thereof weak, and we cannot resist a momentary upset, we will make many
mistakes. We will have many regrets.
Under
the influence of anger or frustration, spouses may make many hurtful
statements. It is difficult to retract such harmful words. We have to be
sensible enough to evaluate our loss against what we gain. Thoughtless
outbursts of anger are destructive. Under all circumstances, whether we are
provoked from within or from without, we must remain silent. To remain
silent is very difficult, but the reward for holding back angry words of
retort and revenge is very great. If we exercise control over ourselves, we
will feel wonderful over our success and our marriage and relationships will
flourish.
B.
Menuchas HaNefesh.
Guided
by sechel--clear and balanced
thinking--we will fulfill the purpose of our lives. We will achieve ‘ashrecha
v’tov lach’ (Tehillim 128:2). We will have menuchas
hanefesh. We all desire and value shalom.
Nevertheless, shalom is an elusive
reality. We generally think of peace as being the lack of conflict among
people. This definition, however, does not indicate the need for menuchas
hanefesh.
Shalom
is truly the result of personal, inner peace. We must achieve peace between
our inner drives and motivations before shalom
can be expected to flourish among people. We must be happy with ourselves
before we can be happy with others. Shalom begins with us. The more menuchas hanefesh we have, the more we will be able to be calm in
our homes and supportive to our families. If we have menuchas hanefesh, then even in the fact of daily challenges and
ordeals, the quality of our home lives will be peaceful. Bickering is an
outward expression of the lack of personal shleimus.
It is a lack of menuchas hanefesh
that leads to discord within the home. Our inner, spiritual life affects our
behavior. The home is a place where we think we can be ‘ourselves’.
Nothing can be further from the truth. At home, we have to be better than
ourselves. We may be angered much more easily and lose our control at home.
If we lack education and training about how to manage our emotions, wherever
we may be--including the home, then this battle ranges throughout life. If
we are at peace with ourselves--at all times--we can help bring peace to our
families, our friends--and the world!
Special Note Two: We continue an exciting Monday/Thursday
series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi Reuvain
Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider Reveals
The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or
Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XXIV
Question
I heard that klaf
made from the hides of a fetus (shlil) is considered meshubach
(praiseworthy). Why is that so? Is such klaf available?
Answer
Actually, almost all
klaf sold today comes from fetuses. There is a high enough percentage
of slaughtered animals that contain fetuses to supply the entire klaf
industry. (The hides must only come from a kosher animal. They need not
undergo shechitah.)
In kabbalistic
thought it is considered to have a special status because a fetus is free of
the impurities of this world.
Additionally, on a
practical level, klaf from a fetus is much softer and easier to write
on than the thick bulky klaf which comes from a full-grown animal.
Question
I asked the sofer
if he would write my megillah on white klaf because I like the way it
looks. He told me that he can’t write on white klaf, only grey or
yellow. This doesn’t make sense to me. Could it really be? I was also
wondering if, from a halachic
perspective, a specific color klaf is preferable?
Answer
Please judge the sofer
favorably. I’ll explain what he meant.
As we mentioned
previously, an experienced sofer can often tell which factory the klaf
came from just by looking at it. This is because he will notice the texture
of the surface and/or the color. A given factory produces klaf of a
certain color, which is due to the various chemicals or ingredients used in
the ibbud process.
Common colors
include white, dark grey, light grey, brownish tan, and creamy yellow.
Each factory’s klaf
also has its own unique texture. Some are smoother, some are more fuzzy, and
so forth.
Most sofrim
have a clear preference for the writing surface with which they feel most
comfortable. Some prefer a fuzzy surface, claiming it provides more traction
when writing. Others prefer a smoother surface for sharper looking letters.
When the sofer
said he can’t write on white klaf, what he meant was that the
writing surface of the white klaf is not to his liking. It is also
possible that he prefers to write on colored klaf because writing on
a white background irritates his eyes. Similarly, many people appreciate
books printed on cream-colored paper simply because it is easier on the
eyes.
Halachically there is no preference as to color.
============================
26 Adar I
LOOKING FOR Z’CHUSIM? R’
Yehoshua ben Levi (Brachos 47B) teaches that a person should arrive early to
shul so that he is among the first ten, “.for even if 100 come after him,
he receives the reward k’neged kulam
(equivalent to them all).” The Maharsha there incredibly explains that the
first ten actually bring the Shechina to shul, and all the rest that come
after them are only davening together with the original ten who had brought
the Shechina to shul.
---------------------------------------------------------
Special Note One: We had once received the following from a
reader: “I learned an
invaluable lesson this morning. I plopped down on the couch to
daven, but without realizing it, I sat on a beautiful picture that we had
just bought from R’ Yonah Weinreb for our cousin as a wedding gift. It
was ok, but it bent a bit and needs to be fixed up by their offices. I was
very upset and started davening but not as well as I should have because I
was upset at myself for always seeming to mess things up. Then, I
realized that this is what Teshuva is all about, you need to be upset about
what you have done, resolve to fix it--and then start again. I
was thinking that’s what Teshuva BeChol Yom can be--you think about
what you did wrong the day before, be upset over it, try to fix whatever
possible (here, the picture!), and move on with a bit more awareness and
drive to better yourself going forward (I’m not plopping on the couch in
the future...).”
Additional Note: The
Sefer Orchos Tzaddikim writes that one of the principles
of Teshuva is “To know the truth, that Teshuva is the Refuah
Sheleima for aveiros”; if
a person who is ill doesn’t believe that a medicine will heal him won’t
take it--but if he knows for sure that it will help, he will take the pill
or medication, no matter how difficult it may be. If a person
truly appreciates the truth--the efficacy of Teshuva, and its enormous
healing ability--he should and will be extremely vigilant, extremely caring
and careful--to take Hashem’s Medication--daily!
Special
Note Two: From the Sefer Chovos Halevovos, we learn that there are three different reasons
why a person does not appreciate all of the
good and pleasures that he really has in his life:
1) His trials and tribulations which are
difficult to navigate and blind him to the good that he experiences;
2) He is personally used to waking up every day
with two eyes that see, two ears that hear, legs with which to
walk, a roof over his head, clothes that give
him dignity, warmth and protection, a brain that discerns, a hot coffee,
a shining sun, a warm sweater, a pen to write with, a friend, a car, etc.;
and
3) Everybody, or at least most people, enjoy the
same benefits.
How can we train ourselves in HaKoras
Hatov to HaKodush Borcuh Hu? Here are a couple of ideas:
·
While you are walking in the street, imagine
that you and only you are the one who is able to walk with legs on the
street, and breathe without the assistance of a machine.
·
Would you exchange a functioning brain for $250
million? $1 billion? Think about it…and appreciate!
·
Provide
your idea here--we look forward to hearing from you.
Special Note Three: It is forbidden to teach
an akum Torah—or even the Aleph Bais—as
the pasuk (Tehillim 142) states, “Lo Asah Chen L’chol Goy” (Chagiga 13A, Yorah Deah 246:6, gloss of Shiurei
Bracha). Many times a person may
be faced with an akum at work or in the neighborhood
who has a “question on the Bible” or who states that there is “something I don’t understand about Jewish ritual.”
One must, in a polite way, immediately divert
the topic of conversation, just as if
it were any other prohibited activity, like
Lashon Hara. There is also a second potential issur of Lifnei Iveir
(Tosfos, Chagiga 13A dibur hamaschil Ain Mosrin). Rav
Moshe Feinstein Z’tl (Igros Moshe Yoreh Deah 3:89, 90) adds
that the prohibition even includes relating the Agados of Chazal. However, in a situation where an akum is present in the
room when Yidden are learning together, they need not necessarily
stop learning until the akum leaves (See Ibid.). For the CD of a masterful
Hakhel shiur on this topic entitled “Ambassadors
of Torah” given by Rabbi Yosef Viener, Shlita, call 718-252-5274.
Special Note Four: As we all know, the Yetzer
Hara goes to great lengths to stop a person
from learning Torah. This is simply
because the study of Torah destroys the Yetzer
Hara—The Gemara states, “Borosei
Yetzer Hara, Borosei Torah Tavlin K’nedgo” (Kiddushin 30B). One of
the Bad One’s great tricks is either
to make noise, have someone enter the
room or otherwise cause the Torah student to raise his head and
look up and around in order to interrupt his limud HaTorah. In
Kelm, this would most certainly have been the subject of
a kenas. In a similar vein, the Sefer Lev Eliyahu (Volume 1, page
27) states that Rav Eliyahu Lopian Z’tl was once waiting for a
considerable amount of time for a bus. He looked up to see
if the bus was coming, although his looking up would not have
made the bus come sooner. As a result, he felt the need to do
Teshuvah for the needless act of looking up. The Chazon Ish (Kovetz
Igros, Part I, Letter 3) writes “Constant (uninterrupted) learning
is the secret of holiness and…one should figure out ways
to learn without interruption, and to daven for this always.”
Special Note Five: How could we conclude Adar I and be
on the portals of Adar II without beginning with a few short questions on
the Megillah?
1. What other name was Achashveirosh known by in Tanach?
2. Can you give at least three reasons why
Achashveirosh made his incomparable Mishteh at the outset of the Megillah.
3. What does the word HaPartemim mean?
4.According to the opinion that Memuchan was Haman, why was it,
BeHashgacha, that he had to give the advice to
kill Vashti? Also, al pi
hatevah--why would he want to kill Vashti--what did she do to him
already?!
5. Why didn’t
Esther relate where she was from--why did Mordechai tell her not to?
6. Why was Mordechai
sitting at the Sha’ar HaMelech not a ‘give away’ as to where Esther
was from?
7. Why didn’t Mordechai tell Achashveirosh of the plot of
Bigsan Veseresh directly--why did he relate it through Esther?
]
8. Why was Achashveirosh notice to kill the Jews
issued so far--almost a year-- in advance--didn’t he realize that this
would provide ample time for the Jews to act?
9. At the first Mishteh--Esther’s request was that
Achashveirosh and Haman come back for a second Mishteh--why couldn’t she
accomplish her goal at the first Mishte?
10. What was the special cause of VeHa’ir
Shushan Tzhala VeSameicha--how was this Simcha different from Layehudim
Hoysa Orah VeSimcha...?
For
answers--we look forward to hearing from you!
======================================
25 Adar I
A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP!
How many times does the word Atta--You appear in Shemone Esrei.
According to Praying With Fire--it
appears at least 33 times (you can check whether there is a difference
between Nusach Ashkenaz and Nusach Sefard)!
What an incredible lesson for us-in Shemone Esrei we are not only
talking in front of Hashem--we are talking directly
to Him! What a privilege, what an opportunity--how can we ever treat it
lightly? Whenever we say the
word Atta in Shemone Esrei--let us try to think well into its incredible
ramifications!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Note One: Two years ago today, the horrific massacre in
Toulouse
in which Rabbi Sandler and two sons
were murdered (a young girl, Miriam Monsonego was also murdered).
The pain of galus moves on and on--time passes, but the searing pain
is remembered and we beg Hashem to avenge each and every suffering.
The Sefer Sifsei Chachomim
on Mesechta Megillah brings a comforting Pasuk (Yeshayahu 65:16): Ki Nishkechu HaTzaros Harishonos ki nistaru mai’ainai--for the
earlier travails will have been forgotten.... Remembrance of all of the
tzaros we experienced in galus will be expunged in the bliss of the final
Geulah. With this thought in
mind, how can we not daven with special zeal every day for the Geulah
Sheleima to come once and for all--today!
When it does come--and it will--perhaps your Tefillos that day will
be instrumental in its coming--with all the tzaros gone, and all the joy to
begin, and you as an important part in its coming!
Special Note Two:
We provide the following pesokim of HaRav Yisroel Belsky, Shlita,
excerpted from the pamphlet Piskei Shulchan Halevi compiled
by R’ Shmuel Tzvi Cohen, with an approbation from HaRav Belsky.
As with all pesokim, one should ask his Rav or Posek for a final
ruling:
A.
One must wash his hands after touching leather shoes, even if he
touched only the upper half of the shoe. For shoes made of other materials,
one need wash his hands only if he touched the bottom of the shoe.
One need not wash his hands if he touches shoelaces or socks only.
B.
If one came late to Shul for Shacharis, after davening he should
recite that which he skipped in accordance with the ruling of the Mishna
Berurah. If this occurs, one
should feel embarrassment over having to skip part of Pesukei D’Zimra--not
reciting it in its proper order--and should resolve to try with all his
might to arise on time so that he does not need to skip in the future.
C.
When reciting Shema, one should be careful to recite the ayin in nishba, and in va’avadetem--otherwise the words
will have different meanings.
D.
When placing his head down at the nefilas
apayim of Tachanun, one’s head should face the Aron Kodesh.
E.
If one is in the middle of Shemone Esrei when the Torah is being
read, he should not stop to listen to Kriyas HaTorah-if it is reasonably
possible to then hear leining from
another minyan, one should endeavor to do so.
F.
For netilas yodaim, a
plastic disposable cup is preferable to a Styrofoam cup (which can really be
used only once, while a plastic cup can be used more than once). B’sha’as
hadechak, one can even use a paper cup.
G.
It is not derech eretz to
bite directly into a piece of pizza which is larger than a k’beizah. Instead, one should take a smaller piece off with his
fingers if feasible, or cut a piece off. One
should likewise conduct himself in this way if he is going to eat a large
piece of melon or even an apple.
H.
One does not recite the bracha of Hatov V’Hamaitiv over a second
‘wine’--if the original Borei Pri Hagefen was made over grape juice.
I. One recites a Borei Pri Ha’eitz
over cooked fruits (compot) in the course of a meal, in spite of the famous
story in which the Chofetz Chaim is reputed not to have recited the bracha.
J. If one recited a Borei Pri
Ha’adamah instead of a Borei Minei Mezonos, he is yotzei bedieved.
K. Pearled barley is a sofek as to
whether the appropriate bracha is Borei Pri Ha’adamah or Borei Minei
Mezonos and accordingly one
should make a Mezonos and Ha’adamah on other items, having it in mind when
reciting the bracha--and then can consume the pearled barley. Because the
after bracha on pearled barley may be an “Ahl Ha’adamah, V’ahl Pri
ha’adamah”--which we do not recite (see Brachos 37A, Tosfos d’h’
Hakosses), it is preferable to eat this product during a meal [or speak tp
your Rav about alternatives].
L. One would not make a bracha over
lightning if he saw only a small flash--especially if he saw it from inside
his home.
M. If one arose in
the morning and found meat in between his teeth, one should not be concerned
with it--as it is not called meat. One
should remove it, and need not wait to eat dairy products.
N. It is very
appropriate to use toothpaste and mouthwash with a hechsher. Unflavored gold
Listerine is kosher, but Scope has unkosher ingredients, and one should not
rely on those who say that it is nosein
ta’am lifgam.
O. One should stand
before a parent who enters the room every time there is a chiddush in doing
so (such as upon his entering the home), and not only morning and evening.
=================================
24 Adar I
Special
Note One: A reader supplied us with his own personal story of how Rabbi Meir
Schuster, Z’tl, changed his life with a tap on the shoulder. Not only as a
zechus for Rabbi Schuster, Z’tl, but y’blct
as a demonstration of our own personal Ahavas Yisrael, let us consider how
we can ‘tap someone else’s shoulder’:
“I
was brought up as a Conservative Jew in the
Midwest
.
My parents did not keep a kosher home.
Pork products, however, were not allowed to be eaten either inside or
outside of the house and shellfish could be eaten outside of the house, but
not inside of the house. My
father, as far as I know, kept kosher until he went into the army.
The only grandmother I knew was his mother, and I think she was
quasi-Orthodox. I remember
driving to her house on Saturday, and she would be sitting in the dark.
My mother, on the other hand, was brought up Reform with no
Yiddishkeit and, in fact, does not have a Hebrew name.
While
growing up, the family always had Friday night dinner together. My father
made an abridged Kiddush and HaMotzi, and my mother lit Shabbos candles.
After dinner, we all did our own thing.
We kept two Sedarim on Pesach and did not eat anything made obviously
from bread. We went to Shul on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and fasted on
Yom Kippur. We lit Chanukah
candles. I went to religious school on Sundays and after school through the
middle of 10th grade. This was the extent of my Yiddishkeit growing up.
I
attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and experienced my first taste of
anti-Semitism. My nickname in
the dorm was “Jew Boy.” I
remember asking one of my professors to reschedule a test because it was Yom
Kippur, and the person sitting next to me said, “Oh, those Jews, are
always getting their way.”
I
went to the Hillel House and was also exposed to Chabad/Lubavitch but was
not interested in Yiddishkeit. In
fact, in college, one of my friends tried to turn me on to Yoshka.
Another time, when I was traveling, the Mormons tried to convert me.
I graduated from college in three years, as I was not happy and
wanted to begin the search to find meaning in my life.
I wanted to go to
India
to
‘find the truth’. After college graduation, I traveled to Europe with a
friend who had recently become Lubavitch.
We parted midway through the trip, as his new found Yiddishkeit was
driving me crazy. Next, I headed to a Kibbutz in Israel and would go to
India after that.
The
Jewish Agency sent me to Kibbutz Mizrach, near Afula, where I stayed for
about one month. They packaged
pork products. I am not sure if the pigs were raised on platforms on the
kibbutz or were brought in from Nazareth. This kibbutz experience helped
open my eyes to Yiddishkeit. I
couldn’t reconcile the fact that pig products were being processed in
Israel
.
It just didn’t make sense to me. I had traveled to the Jewish
nation and they were producing the very products that I could not eat while
growing up.
I
left the Kibbutz and traveled to Jerusalem, still searching.
I was at the Kotel one Friday night and this man, (Meir Schuster),
asked me if I would like to spend Shabbos
with a religious family. I said,
“Why not? Free food!” I
spent the weekend at Reb Meir’s house.
I was really turned on! I saw a nice family spending time together
and loving one another – the values I hoped for in my life.
I felt a really special feeling.
As I write this now, I can recall the special feeling that I felt
then. In the afternoon, I went
to see Reb Noach Weinberg, who told me that I could join the Yeshiva anytime
I wanted to find out about my own heritage.
After Shabbos, I left; I was off on my travels, again looking for
meaning in my life, but, not Yiddishkeit – that wasn’t for me!
I
went back to the Jewish Agency, and they sent me to Kibbutz Grofit, a
totally secular Kibbutz, in the Arava near Eilat.
I stayed there for about three months.
After
leaving Kibbutz Grofit, I was going to leave Israel to begin the trek to
India. However, before I was
going to leave Israel, I decided to check out the Yeshiva.
I was drawn in at Aish, as I saw people like myself who were
searching for meaning and had found their answers at the Yeshiva.
I stayed for around three months, attending a couple of classes a
day, not putting on Tefillin, mostly hanging out, and going to cafes in the
new city at night.
After
three months, I left and decided to see how I felt about what I learned at
the Yeshiva. I went down South, first stopping in Ashquelon. I saw the
wonders of Hashem in the park, stayed with a frum family and thought about
frumkeit. Then I went down to the Sinai. This was my turning point. I saw
people there who were living the type of lifestyle I had lived my whole
life. I asked myself if this is
what I wanted for the rest of my life. It
was empty and void of meaning. I
thought about the lifestyle at Aish and Rabbi Schuster’s home, and
realized that that was really what I wanted.
This was what I was searching for.
I put on Tefillin for the second time in my life, the first being at
my Bar Mitzvah.
After
spending some more time down South, I continued my journey and went back to
Aish to resume my studies. Rav
Noach did not want to let me back in, as when I was there before, I had
hardly been to classes and was basically using it as a free place to stay.
After much begging and pleading, they let me back in.
I
stayed for three years at Aish. In this period, I worked at Aish Safat and
Aish in St. Louis one summer. In the summer of 1983, I returned to Israel
and worked for Reb Meir Schuster.
If
I hadn’t been tapped on the shoulder, I would have continued on to
India
and
who knows where I would be today.
Boruch
Hashem, due to Reb Meir and Reb Noach Weinberg, I am a frum Jew today. I am
married, have three children, one son-in-law and one granddaughter, all
Shomer Shabbat. They are not
only mine and my wife’s children, but they are Reb Meir and Reb Noach’s
children as well.
I
believe in the next world, Reb Meir will be the gatekeeper in Shamayim, as
he was responsible for introducing so many people to Yiddishkeit and making
so many people frum.
May
this be for a Zechus for the neshama of Reb Meir ben Mirka, Z’tl.”
Hakhel Note: An extremely important lesson derived from our
reader’s personal diary is that even if one believes that he has made no
impact on the life of another who seems to continue on in their ways--one
may have very well done so and it may just take a little while to come to
the fore. There is a second,
great lesson. In a separate
correspondence the reader advised us that in the short period that he was
helping Rabbi Schuster at the Kosel--he himself assisted two uneducated
brethren to return to Torah Judaism. Both
he, and Rabbi Schuster, now have these ‘children’ (and their
children’s children) as well!
In these troubled and turbulent times--oh, how we need Ahavas
Yisrael! Rabbi Meir Schuster made this a 40 year day-in and day-out project.
Each and every one of us can certainly try to reach out--and touch someone!
Special Note Two: We
continue an exciting Monday/Thursday series on the practical aspects of
Sta”m, written by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside
Sta”m--An Insider Reveals The Answers To All The Questions You
Should Ask When Purchasing Or Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos,
Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XXIII
We continue our
discussion of the K’laf--obviously such an important part of STA”M.
Question
Another hiddur
mentioned is klaf bli tnai. What is that?
Answer
As we have
discussed, the ibbud must be done “lishmah” – with
express intent. Therefore, for instance, if someone would want to process
hides to use for a Sefer Torah, he would have to say, “l’shem
kedushas Sefer Torah” (“[I am placing these hides in the ibbud
mixture] for the sake of the sanctity of a Sefer Torah”), before
placing the hides in the barrel or machine. Similarly, if someone would want
to process hides to use for a mezuzah, he would have to say, “l’shem
kedushas mezuzah,” and so on.
Inasmuch as the
factories process hundreds of hides at a time, it can be extremely difficult
for them to ensure that each hide is subsequently used for the expressed
purpose of its ibbud.
Additionally, a
large hide which was processed for a megillah can sometimes be found to have
a hole in the center. In such a case, the whole hide is unusable and would
have to be thrown out.
In order to be
able to use each and every hide for any STA”M item, the
system of performing the ibbud with a tnai (condition) was
instituted. In other words, a hide can be processed l’shem kedushas
Sefer Torah with a proviso that one can later change its purpose if
necessary.
Indeed, in the
majority of klaf factories, this is the standard practice today.
However, since a
minority opinion considers this solution ineffective, some are careful to
purchase only klaf processed bli tnai, without this condition,
and produced instead specifically for the STA”M item they wish to
have written.
=================================
21 Adar I
THE WISE
MAN
’S
EYES
:
Koheles (
2:14
) states that ‘Chochom
Einav B’rosho--the wise man’s eyes are in his head.” Of course, as
we all know--everyone’s eyes are in their head. It is the wise man who
realizes that his eyes are not in his heart--but in his head--for a reason!
The next time one realizes he is looking at something he should not--if he is wise--he will remember where Hashem placed his eyes!
-----------------------------------------------------
A MOMENT OF REFLECTION: After a tasty meal, one realizes he
has overeaten. What does he do in order to ensure that it does not happen
again (at least not so readily)?
-----------------------------------------------------
ANOTHER MOMENT OF REFLECTION: The following extremely meaningful
quote is excerpted from Questions You Thought We Were Afraid You’d
Ask, by R’ Moshe Speiser (Targum Press): “The concept of forever is
amazing, if one thinks about it. If one would receive a penny a
day, forever, there would not be enough money in the world to cover it. If
every win and loss [against the Yetzer] affects us for eternity, it sounds
like there is an awful lot at stake here!
-----------------------------------------------------
SHADES OF PURIM ON THE HORIZON: On the 21st of Adar, Daryavesh, the son of Esther HaMalka and
Achashveirosh, allowed the Jews to continue the building of the Second Bais
HaMikdash--which had been halted in Achashveirosh’s time! May
it be a sign of things to come for the Third Bais Hamikdash and our final
Geulah!
-------------------------------------------
Special Note One: Today, is the Yahrzeit of HaRav Elimelech (B’R’
Elazar Lipman)--the famed Noam Elimelech M’Lizhinsk. As many were unable
to daven at his Kever today--we still have the opportunity to
learn from his great teachings. The Tzetel Koton would be a wonderful
place to start!
Special Note Two: With
the recent decision by the committee in Eretz Yisrael as to how to view the
actions of Yeshiva Bochurim who want to study Torah, we sense the Chevlei
Moshiach more painfully than before. In this regard, we present the
following synopsis of a Shiur given by HaRav Mattisyahu Salomon, Shlita
(R’ Mattisyahu Chaim Ben Ettel), may he have a Refuah
Shleimah:
We are living in a tumultuous, confused world. One talks about
Moshiach when times are dangerous--and it is not empty talk.
Ikvasa D’Mashicha means the footsteps of Moshiach.
As a person walks closer to you his footsteps become more audible.
The footsteps are definitely louder now than they were before; the
world’s economy is asunder, people’s feeling of security is extremely
low, governments are weak, and K’lal Yisroel is attacked physically and
verbally by our enemies. In a letter from HaRav Elchonon
Wasserman, Z’tl, to HaRav Shimon Schwab, Z’tl, Rav Elchonon cautions
that although the footsteps may be heard louder and louder, we will not know
when the Moshiach arrives until he actually does so. What we
can do is to be Mechake Lo--not only believe that he will come--but
also await him. The Ba’alei Mussar explain it with the
following test: If our Emunah is strong, we should view the
Moshiach’s coming as a situation similar to a person who loses a check for
$1,000,000 in a room filled with cancelled checks. If one is 100%
certain that the check is there, he will not give up looking, for he knows that
all of his searching will bring him closer to his desired goal. So
too, with Moshiach--if we are certain of his coming, then we know that
time only brings us closer! Because doing Teshuva after Moshiach
comes will not be as effective, the time to do Teshuva, as part of
our anticipation is now. The day could be any day--so one
must do what he has to today. Rather than be nervous, upset and
depressed--with the more fear that one may have should come the realization
that the way out is Moshiach--and the more we prepare, the more we will
benefit!
Special Note Three: We continue with our Erev Shabbos--Halachos
of Shabbos Series:
A. Chazal (Shabbos 118B) teach “If Yisrael would
observe two Shabbosos according to Halacha, they would be redeemed
immediately.” In fact, the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 25:16), reduces this
guarantee to the proper observance of just one Shabbos.
Perhaps we can start the process in our own small way with the
following suggestion:
In this week’s Parasha (Shemos 35:3), the Torah requires “Do
not kindle a fire wherever you dwell on the day of Shabbos.” Why
is fire singled out as one of the 39 forbidden activities on Shabbos? There
is a disagreement between Rebbi Nosson and Rebbi Yosi on this very point in
the Gemara (Shabbos 70A). The Sheloh HaKadosh and the Akeida
write that the “fire” singled out on Shabbos also refers to the fire of
anger and of raised voices in the home, of anger, disagreement and machlokes,
any and all of which are the antithesis of the Shalom Bayis to be brought
into the home through the Neiros Shabbos.
As in previous years, we therefore urge that THIS SHABBOS--in
which the Parasha specifically instructs us not to “kindle fire in our
dwelling places”--to, bli neder, accept upon ourselves not to get upset
and angry, not to raise our voice, and, instead, to override our
sensitivity, our legitimate feelings and everything else in the way, to
ensure that the Shabbos is and remains peaceful--with the only fire being
relegated to the area under the blech. To some, or perhaps many,
of us, this may take a yeoman’s effort, but we will be taking an important
step towards that “just one Shabbos” we so urgently and desperately
require.
NOTE: If we can achieve the seemingly impossible, and
extend this “fire prohibition” to the hour before Shabbos, we will have
additionally accomplished a level of “Tosefes Shabbos”--adding on to the
Shabbos--perhaps never before imaginable.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Perhaps we can take our Shabbos
success with us, and work on the Middah of ‘not kindling a fire’ through
the coming week!
B. HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, in the Sefer Ta’amah
Dikrah bring the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 408) at the outset of this
week’s Parasha, which teaches that on Shabbos we should gather together
the multitudes and teach them the Halachos of Shabbos. Why is it, HaRav
Chaim asks, that this is particularly true of Hilchos Shabbos? HaRav Chaim
answers that one who is c’v mechalel Shabbos in public is treated l’halacha like an akum--and
it is as if he publicly proclaims c’v
that Hashem did not create the world. Conversely, then, when we gather
together as a tzibbur to study the Halachos of Shabbos--we are publicly
proclaiming that Hashem created the world! Hakhel Note: Learning Hilchos
Shabbos, then…is Zecher Lema’aseh Bereishis!
C. The Kitzur
Shulchan Aruch (75:2), relating to Neiros Shabbos rules as
follows: “The candles should be long so that they burn until after the
meal. One should seek to purchase fine candles. Rav Huna teaches
(Shabbos 23B): A person who is accustomed to lighting Neiros
Yafos--attractive Shabbos candles--will merit sons who will be Torah
scholars. The Pasuk (Mishlei
6:23
)
indeed states: “Ki Ner Mitzvah, VeTorah Ohr--for a Mitzvah is a
candle, and Torah light”--i.e., the candle of Mitzvah will bring about the
light of Torah.”
D. From a Reader:
“We know that Shabbos is “Mekor
Ha’bracha.”. In this day
and age, when people are looking and even paying for all sorts of segulos to
solve their tzaros lo alaiynu, perhaps one place to start might be to undertake
something small to enhance one’s Shabbos observance, something as small as
setting the table the night before if one has a separate kitchen table where
they can eat Friday’s breakfast and lunch. On a visit to Rav Chaim
Kanievsky’s daughter last year, she advised learning a halacha at each of
the Shabbos meals and to light licht 10 minutes early.
Undertaking to light the licht a few minutes early and to use the time to
daven and to count one’s blessings is one way to bring real serenity to an
otherwise hectic time.
I remember when the school I worked at decided to start the school day
15 minutes earlier to accommodate the bus schedule which added a new school
to their route. It meant waking up earlier...but as we know, “hergel
naaseh tevah”, and very soon it became rote. I think that it’s
another delusion of the Yetzer Hara when we feel that we can’t undertake
to bring Shabbos in a few minutes earlier. It doesn’t mean doing more work,
it just means doing the normal hachanos that one needs to do but just
getting them done earlier. In addition, oft-times, rushing causes
people to say a sharp word or say the wrong thing- and in order to make
amends to a loved one, or to patch things up with a hurt child, it
takes much more than 10 minutes of talk in order to pacify and rectify......
Also, going into Shabbos with a sense of serenity is a wonderful way to
begin the “Mayain Olam
Habah” experience, as opposed to going into Shabbos with a nervous
stomach and hurt feelings!”
Special Note Four: Points and pointers on this week’s Parasha,
Parashas Vayakhel:
A. Last week’s Parasha ends with the radiance of Moshe
Rabbeinu’s face being so great, that he had to put a mask on it--and this
week’s Parasha begins with the Mitzvah of Shabbos--what is the connection
between these two Parshios?
B. The Torah teaches that the Badim, the staves, were placed into
the Aron for a particular purpose--”La’Sais
Es HaAron--to carry the Aron” (Shemos 37:5). Chazal (Sotah
35B) teach, however, that in fact the Aron was not carried by its bearers,
but instead actually carried those very same apparent bearers. HaRav
Nosson Adler, Z’tl, finds that the lesson is clear--those who support
Talmidei Chachomim may appear to be the supporters--but are
in fact and indeed--actually supported by those who study. Hakhel
Note: There is an Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba way to look at what is actually taking
place...since Olam Haba is much, much longer and indeed everlasting --one
should very much adapt the long-term view! Let us keep this in
mind every time that we have the opportunity to in any manner honor or
‘support’ one who is studying Torah full time!
C. In the Parasha we find
the term Lev mentioned in various
ways--Asher Nisa’o Libo, Kol Nediv Lev, Chacham Lev,
U’Lehoros Nasan BeLibo. It
is a time to remind ourselves of the precious words of the Mesilas
Yesharim (end of Chapter 16): “Chazal
teach that Rachmana Liba Ba’i--Hashem
wants us to serve Him with our hearts--for it is not enough for Hashem to
see our deeds alone, such as our Ma’aseh
Mitzvah. Rather, it is most
important to Him that our hearts be pure to serve Hashem in truth.
The heart is the king of all the other parts of the body and leads
them, as so if the heart is not focused on the service of Hashem, then the
service of the other limbs and organs is not worth anything, for they will
just follow the heart. In fact,
this thought is expressed clearly by Shlomo HaMelech (the wisest of all men)
in Mishlei (
23:26
) “Tena
Bini Libcha Li…my son give me your heart!”
With this thought in mind,
we can well understand why the Pasuk in discussing the construction of the Mishkan emphasizes the need not only for the building of the Mishkan--but that our
hearts be first dedicated to the task!
Additional Note:
We once again provide the story of the g’vir
in Flatbush who would open his door to all, giving to all with a generous
heart. Once, he sat down for
dinner and his wife had prepared a soup for him.
There was a knock on the door, and he got up to answer.
His wife pleaded with him: “I
will let him in and he can sit a few moments, at least eat the soup while it
is hot.” He turned to his wife
and said: “This is my
opportunity to give something of myself.
When I give money--I am simply distributing that which belongs to
Hashem, hopefully in a manner which Hashem sees fit.
Now, however, I have the chance to give up my hot soup for this
person. Let me rejoice in the
opportunity!”
D.
The Pasuk teaches regarding Betzalel “U’Lehoros Nassan BeLibo--and the ability to teach was placed in
his heart. The Mefarshim explain
that with these words we are taught the difference between Lilmod and LeLameid--to
learn and to teach. It is a
great level to learn, and an even greater one to be able to teach.
It is for this reason that we request of Hashem in Ahava Rabba/Ahavas
Olam that he please give us the
ability Lilmod U’LeLameid--to
learn and to teach.
Everyone really has to be a teacher--chavrusos one to the other,
husband and wife, parent and child. We
must therefore be careful to daven daily to Hashem that He give us the
ability not only to learn--but to be a good teacher as well!
E.
The Torah records that the people brought donations to the Mishkan
“BaBoker BaBoker” (Shemos
36:3). The Sefas Emes interprets
the repetition of the word ‘Boker’
to mean that the people brought their gifts early in the morning, and
explains that there is special power in doing something early, or first, in
the morning. It is for this reason, the Sefer Talelei
Oros explains that the Vilna Gaon, Z’tl, would exclaim BeLev Shaleim U’VeSimcha when he rose from bed:
“Hareini
MeKabel Alai Ohl Torah HaYom!”
Likewise, the Siddur Siach Yitzchak (Siddur HaGra) notes that in the Bracha of
HaMa’avir Sheina early each morning the first two requests we make
following the Yehi Ratzon are “Shetargileinu BeSorasecha VeDabekeinu BeMitzvosecha--please
accustom us to study Your Torah and attach us to Your commandments”--for
the first efforts, the first requests of the day, have a special status and
bearing. In special fact, the
Tefillah presented by the Zohar upon arising in the morning is “Yehi Ratzon…Sheyehei Libi Nachon
U’Masur BeYadi Shelo Eshkachecha--May it be Your Will that I be
upright, and in control of my heart today, so that I don’t forget You.”
The Siddur Siach
Yitzchak concludes that when one has a Haschala
Tova in the morning, then “Az
Yiheyeh HaKol Tov--everything will be good.”
If we have not already
inculcated the above message into our awakening each morning--let us
seriously consider making this a turning point. As we arise in the morning
and begin to ready ourselves for the day all kinds of new ideas and reminder
bombard us--everything we have to do and even the order we have to do it in.
If we can take those first precious moments and focus them
properly--”Shetargileinu BeSorasecha
VeDabikeinu BeMitzvosecha”, “Sheyiheyeh Libi Nachon U’Masur BeYadi Shelo Eshkachecha”, and
the Gra’s thought B’Lev Shaleim
U’VeSimcha to accept upon oneself the Torah and the Mitzvos--then we
have the express assurance of the Siddur Siach
Yitzchak that Az Yiheyeh HaKol Tov!
F.
HaRav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Z’tl, whose Yahrzeit is next week,
provides a great question and a remarkable insight on the Parasha. The Torah
goes to great lengths to describe the Mishkan and its Keilim--both the
instructions to build it, and the actual details as to its construction. We
know the Mishkan was precious to Hashem, and that we gain special insight
into the Dor HaMidbar with all of the detail. However, all of this detail is
for a temporary structure that is supposed to be standing for only a short
while--until the Bais HaMikdash is built. Remember that according to some
Rishonim the Chait HaMeraglim had not yet taken place, so Bnei Yisroel were
due to soon (within weeks or months) enter Eretz Yisrael and build the Bais
HaMikdash shortly thereafter. Thus, the Mishkan was intended to function for
perhaps a year or two (although ultimately it remained standing for 479
years). Yet, we see the detail which the eternal Torah provides for it--and
the zeal, dedication, and effusiveness of the people towards a very
short-term construction. The important and special lesson here is that our
goal must be to accomplish. A Mitzvah may look to the eye as if it is
fleeting--so why put in so much time, such difficult effort, and significant
expense? This is absolutely not an appropriate cheshbon.
Our preparations can, and in many cases should, take longer than the
Mitzvah performance itself--for in reality the Mitzvah lasts for eternity! Time
is a physical concept--and we must transcend it in order to attain our
spiritual goals.
So, the next time you feel
like you are spending so much time--whether it is trying to figure out what
Bracha to make on a particular food or whether you can eat a particular
item, waiting on a line long for a few, “last-minute” Shabbos items,
davening or saying Tehillim for someone who is having surgery today, or
talking with someone on the phone who always seems to need chizuk,
remember…the ‘short-term’ everlasting
and eternal Mishkan!
Special Note Five: We share
with our readers a few short additional points on the Parasha, culled from
the new Sefer Shiurei Chumash--the
Shiurim of HaRav Shlomo Wolbe, Z’tl, on Sefer Shemos:
A. Chazal teach that the
Parasha begins with the instruction to keep Shabbos then discusses the
building of the Mishkan--in order to teach us that we do not work on Shabbos
even if it is to build the Mishkan. HaRav Wolbe, Z’tl, asks: Who would
ever think that building the Mishkan would be doche
Shabbos? Would writing a Sefer Torah be doche
Shabbos? Quite to the contrary--when something is doche Shabbos (such as a bris milah on the eighth day, Karbanos
brought in the Beis HaMikdash on Shabbos, or Pikuach Nefesh situations),
Chazal must bring specific pesukim or limudim which allow Shabbos to be
overridden. Based upon this question, HaRav Wolbe suggests that the Torah
is, at the very least, teaching us an important mussar lesson. That is--one
might think that sometimes in order to perform a Mitzvah one can
‘step-on’ other Mitzvos, even perhaps just a little bit. It is easy for
one to rationalize performing something which was essentially a ‘Mitzvah
HaBa’ah B’Aveira’. Rebbi
Yisroel Yisroel Salanter warn about this. Indeed, the story is told of a
person who in wrapping himself in his Tallis hit Rebbi Yisroel’s face with
the Tzitzis of the Tallis. Rebbi Yisroel told him--why am I at fault that
you are a Yerei Shomayim? Rebbi
Yisroel would likewise reproach those who would push and not pay proper
attention to others when trying to get closer to listen to a Shiur. So, too,
with the Mishkan--one does not build a home for Hashem’s Presence by
abrogating the Shabbos in any way.
B. The Pasuk teaches: “Kechu
Me’itechem Terumah LaHashem Kol Nediv Libo--take for yourselves a
portion for Hashem, everyone whose heart motivates him shall bring it.” (Shemos
35:5). HaRav Wolbe beautifully explains that the process of building the
Mishkan did not simply entail a building being built and the Shechina
thereupon coming to dwell within it. Rather, everyone who brought a Terumah
brought it Menidvas Libo--meaning
that he brought a part of the Shechina in his heart with it. The Shechina
that rested on the Mishkan--was really the Shechina that rested on the
hearts of K’lal Yisrael--which was now assembled into one, unified holy
place!
C. The Ramban writes that
Betzalel constructed the Aron by himself. The Ramban explains that this is
because he was filled with the spirit and wisdom to do so--it was not a
matter of craftsmanship--it was a matter of Ruach Elokim, Chochma, Tevunah
and Da’as. This is a tremendous lesson for us. Greatness is measured by
how much spirit and how mush hisbonenus,
how much thought, one puts into what he cares about. When one goes to do a
doctor, who quickly checks him and prescribes a medication--one knows that
this doctor is not really an expert. A good doctor will listen well to the
symptoms, think about them, put them together and then decide what is wrong
and how to treat it. The difference between katnus
and gadlus--one who is small and
one who is great is in his power of hisbonenus--putting
true spirit and real thinking into what is important!
D. Upon assembly of the
Mishkan, the Pasuk (Shemos 36:13) concludes Vayehi
HaMishkan Echad--and the Mishkan was one. HaRav Wolbe teaches that the
word Echad here does not only mean
that is was ‘one’ and not ‘two’, but also that it was one--that
included everything, for everything in it was unified. Likewise, he
concludes, when in Shema we recite the words Hashem
Echad--we not only mean that Hashem is One and not two, but that Hashem
is One and that everything is subsumed and included within Him--everything
comes from Him--and all of the world’s needs and requirements are from
Him!
============================
20 Adar I
THE
MOST IMPORTANT: HaRav Moshe
Cordovero, Z’tl (at the outset of Chapter 4 of the Sefer Tomer
Devorah), writes that there is nothing more important than Teshuvah
because it is ‘Misakenes Kol Pigam’--it rectifies every flaw. HaRav Cordovero
concludes that each and every day, one should contemplate Teshuvah and
repent in some way--so that all one’s days are spent in repentance! Hakhel
Note: Teshuvah Bechol Yom--Teshuvah
today!
----------------------------------------------------------
TODAY IS THE YAHRZEIT OF RAV SHLOMO ZALMEN AUERBACH, Z’TL: There is a very well-known
story that HaRav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach, Zt’l, once repeated the paragraph
of “Nodeh Lecha”(We thank You,
Hashem), in which we list many important things that we thank Hashem for.
When he was asked why he repeated it, he responded that he
experienced a momentary lapse of Kavanna, and that saying “Thank you”
without meaning it is not true thanks. In
a related way, as we have noted in the past, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Shlita,
teaches in the name of HaRav Pam, Zt’l, that one may put out a finger and
count each one of the things that you are thanking Hashem for every time you
recite “Nodeh Lecha”.
Example: “Al Yisrael Amecha-one,
V’Al Yerushalayim Irecha-two
etc.” If you try this, you
will see that it is a great method of focusing your appreciation, and
rejoicing in what Hashem has given you.
Additional Note: HaRav Gamliel Rabanovitch, Shlita, teaches that when someone visits the
Kever of a Tzadik, he connects with the Nefesh of the Tzadik, but when he
studies from the Seforim of the Tzadik, he connects with the Ruach of the
Tzadik. Today, for example, one
can study the rulings of HaRav Shlomo Zalmen in the Shmiras
Shabbos KeHilchasa, Halichos Shlomo, Minchas Shlomo, or learn some of
the many lessons that he taught from Rabbi Hanoch Teller’s work, And
From
Jerusalem
, His Word: Stories and Insights of Rabbi Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach.
----------------------------------------------------------
Special Note One: We
continue with another sampling of the wonderful points made by Rabbi Ozer
Alport, Shlita, relating to Adar and Purim, at the recent Hakhel Yarchei
Kallah:
PART
II
A. We are all
familiar with the Midrash of how the Satan was mekatreig
at the Yam Suf against Bnei Yisrael--pleading with Hashem that the Bnei
Yisrael not be saved--after all,
both the Mitzriyim and Bnei Yisrael had worshiped idols--why should one be
saved and the other drown? The Meshech Chochma asks--why wasn’t the Satan mekatreig
in this way at each one of the ten makkos when the Mitzriyim suffered
severely, and Bnei Yisrael looked on in amazement, totally spared of the
makkah? The Meshech Chochma remarkably answers that the Satan had the
ability to be mekatreig only at
the Yam Suf--for that is when the Bnei Yisrael split into four groups,
dividing themselves as to how to approach the situation and what to do. In
Mitzrayim, quite to the contrary, they had formed a pact to do Chesed to
each other--united as one people. In that event, the Satan had no ability,
no power, no chance to lift his voice against us.
B. A practical
way in which one can prepare for the Achdus so much of which is the basis of
Purim is by making a special effort
NOW
to daven for other people, and to reach out to those who one was
previously uncomfortable or decidedly unfriendly with and connect and become
closer with them.
C. Rabban
Gamliel Rabanovitch, Shlita, once took a trip to the Kevarim in the Galil.
On the way, he passed by a new tall office building, with a banner hanging
from the top which read: Milmalah Hakol Nireh Acheres--from above, everything looks different.
Raban Gamliel had a picture taken of the banner, and hung it on the door in
his home--in a room where people come to him to share their problems and
woes, and ask for his Tefillos. At the appropriate time, he shows them these
comforting words--so that his guest recognizes that all is accounted for,
all is seen--and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
D.
The Gematria of Purim is 336--which is the number of days from the 13th
of Nissan (the date of the initial decree) until the 13th of
Adar--when the Jews were able to vanquish their enemies. This highlights how
all was truly planned from the outset. Rebbi Tzadok HaKohen explains that
the Megillah starts with a Vav and
ends with a Vav--the connecting
letter--for everything is connected, and in Hashem’s Omniscience is, in
fact, all one!
Special Note Two: We continue an exciting Monday/Thursday
series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi Reuvain
Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider Reveals
The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or
Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XXII
Question
What does it mean
when someone recommends that the klaf be “lo megurad”?
Answer
This concept is
too complicated to discuss in this forum. Suffice it to say that the simple
meaning is that the back (outside) of the klaf is unscraped. By
leaving it unscraped, one has fulfilled the opinion of the Chayei Adam, and
has an extra hiddur in his klaf. The face (inside) of the klaf
is always scraped.
Question
I decided to buy
“klaf avodas yad – lo megurad.” When I called the sofer
to place the order, however, he asked me if I also wanted the klaf to
be “zeese klaf.” What is zeese klaf?
Answer
Literally
translated, zeese klaf means sweet parchment.
Years ago, when a sofer
wanted to make klaf, he would find a shochet who had recently
slaughtered an animal. After buying the hide, he would then begin the ibbud
process to create the klaf.
Nowadays, when the
klaf industry has become a multimillion-dollar business, a large
portion of the hides are imported (to Eretz Yisrael and America) from
foreign countries. These hides are sent by boat, and are often in transit
for extended periods of time. It is common practice, therefore, that before
shipping the hides, they are salted to prevent spoilage.
Generally, the
salting is done by non-Jews working in the slaughterhouse. This is because
the hides used to make klaf do not need a proper shechitah,
and only have to be from a kosher animal.
Chazal tell us,
however, that salting the hides is the beginning of the ibbud
process. If so, the salting must be done by a Jew.
Although, for
various reasons, the poskim feel that one may be lenient and even use
klaf which was salted by a non-Jew, it is nevertheless praiseworthy
to try to obtain non-salted, i.e., “sweet” klaf.
To avoid this
issue, many klaf factories either use local hides which don’t need
salting, or import frozen hides rather than salted ones. Some even send a mashgiach
overseas to ensure that the salting is done by Jews.
================================
19 Adar I
RABBI MEIR SCHUSTER, Z’TL: For extremely moving stories regarding
Rabbi Meir Schuster, Z’tl, we refer you to www.rebmeirschuster.org
It was truly a great zechus for our generation to have an individual with
such remarkably outstanding Ahavas Yisrael and Mesiras Nefesh for his fellow
Yid. May he be the final great
Meilitz Yosher we need to bring the Geulah.
----------------------------------------------------------
DON
’T
LET IT SLIP BY-- THE NECESSARY MISHNAYOS: As we have noted in the past, HaRav
Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, teaches that in order to complete Shas, one
also has to study the Mishnayos in
Seder Zeraim and Taharos, which have no Gemara and which were left out of
the Daf Yom cycle because ‘they were not on the Daf’. HaRav Chaim
accordingly suggests that one simply learn a Mishna-a-Day,
and that he would finish all of Shas within the Daf Yomi cycle. We
received the following listing from a Daf Yomi Maggid Shiur--there
is still plenty of time to learn the one Mishna-a-Day before the next Siyum
HaShas--start today!
Mishnayos:
598 Zeraim without
Berachos
74 Eduyos
108 Avos
916 Taharos without Nidah
1,696 Total Mishnayos to be
studied
------------------------------------------
LOOK
AND
LOOK
AGAIN! Rabban Gamliel
Rabanovich, Shlita, teaches, “If one looks at his food while he is eating
it--why would one not look at the words of one’s brachos in his brachos
card, siddur or bentscher when thanking Hashem for it?!”
------------------------------------------
TEFILLAH SUGGESTIONS: We all want to continue to improve our
Tefillah, by taking real and practical steps. For the now less-than one
month period between today and Purim, we provide the following possible and
very real and do-able suggestions for improving one’s Shemone Esrei. You
may consider choosing one or more. In each Shemone Esrei:
1. Have Kavannah for the meaning of the words in the first bracha
of Shemone Esrei.
Hakhel Note: At a Hakhel Shiur, Rabbi
Shlomo Pearl, Shlita, recommended that we take the fourth word of every
Shemone Esrei—”Elokainu”—and
spend five seconds letting the Ol
Malchus Shamayim pervade us. This would then assist us with a
greater sense of Hashem during the recitation of at least the first Bracha,
and hopefully would improve even more of our Tefillah.
2. In Re’eih Nah
Ve’anyeinu have Kavannah for redemption from the tzaros which you face
daily.
3. In Refaeinu have
Kavannah for your loved ones to stay healthy and for the sick to be healed.
4. In Bonei Yerushalayim
have Kavannah for the Kedushas Yerushalayim and the Malchus Bais Dovid to be
restored.
5. In Modim, have
Kavannah for specific items for
which you thank Hashem (this Kavannah can or should be changing on an
ongoing basis).
6. In Sim Shalom have
Kavannah for Shalom in Eretz Yisrael, for K’lal Yisrael and for the entire
world!
------------------------------------------
YOU CANNOT DO THAT! At the recent Hakhel Yarchei Kallah,
Rabbi Ari Marburger, Shlita, discussed the severity of the issur D’Oraysa of Geneivas
Da’as--or ‘stealing the mind of another’--which does not have to
actually involve stating an untruth directly. The issur
of Geneivas Da’as is violated
when one will be machazik tovah
bechinam to another, based on false pretenses. For instance, one cannot
place an inexpensive item into an expensive box and give it as a gift to
another. Rabbi Marburger then mentioned a real-life case in which at a vort,
the Kallah’s father re-filled a Johnny Walker Blue Label (i.e., a very
expensive) bottle with the cheaper Chivas Regal after the expensive ‘Blue
Label’ inside the bottle ran out. When he offered the unsuspecting guests
the opportunity to have this ‘very expensive’ whiskey and ‘make a
bracha’--he was over the issur of Geneivas
Da’as with each such guest--notwithstanding that they did not know
they were fooled or enjoyed the taste and exclaimed: “I’ve never tasted
a smoother liquor”. It is not cute or funny--it is assur!
------------------------------------------
Special Note One: In last week’s Parasha, Hashem told Moshe
Rabbeinu (31:2): “Re’ei Karasi
V’sheim Betzalel Ben Uri Ben Chur LeMateh Yehudah--see I have called
the name Betzalel…” What does the word Re’ei--see,
have to do with the appointment of Betzalel? Rabbi Eliyahu Schneider,
Shlita, makes a marvelous observation. He suggests that millions of people
were quite likely very astonished by the appointment of Betzalel to the
highest position in the building of the Mishkan. After all, he was but a 13
year old young man, with no stated experience whatsoever in craftsmanship,
nor any stated education or other qualifications. So how did he do it?
The next Pasuk gives us the answer--it continues that Hashem filled
Betzalel with Ruach Elokim, Chochma, Tevunah and Da’as. In
short, this was another example of Nifla’os HaBorei--the wondrous acts of
Hashem--in taking a 13 year old and putting him in charge of the
construction of such a holy place that Chazal teach it will endure Le’olmei
Olamim--forever and ever. There was thus something
very much to see--the amazing
workings of Hashem! The lesson in ‘Re’eih’
, which is in the singular, is that we are to look and see, we are to study
and understand--all of the Nifla’os HaBorei that we encounter daily. The
snow, the ice, the rain, the sun, the clear streets among the snow-piled
curbs, the food and gas deliveries during a storm, the warm coat, earmuffs
and gloves, the ability to go through a week of turbulent weather without
getting really sick, the hot shower and the hot drink….and beyond all of
this, the ability to continue one’s daily studies, daily davening, daily
chesed, and daily ‘routine’. It is not enough to recognize it in
broad-painted strokes--as often as we can, let us open our eyes and ‘Re’eih’--let
us see all of the glowing examples!
Special Note Two: The
following is a sampling of the wonderful points made by Rabbi Ozer Alport,
Shlita, relating to Adar and Purim, at the recent Hakhel Yarchei Kallah:
PART
I
A. Chazal teach that the Machatzis HaShekel that we gave
pre-empted Haman’s shekalim which he intended to give to Achashveirosh in
order to annihilate the Jewish people. The Machatzis HaShekel symbolizes our
unity--our realization that we cannot go it alone, but that we need each
other.
B. In fact, HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel, Z’tl, was asked: “What
is the Avodas Hayom of Purim”. He responded that it is: “Ke’ish Echad B’Lev Echad--we are to unite as one person with one
heart.” The Mitzvos HaYom of Purim clearly demonstrate this--Mishloach
Manos, which increase love and friendship, Matanos L’Evyonim to any
indigent person who presents himself, whether one knows him or not and
without any further investigations, Seudas Purim in which people get
together (‘misasfin yachad’), and even Kriyas HaMegillah at which there is
a special ma’alah of reading
together with the largest tzibur possible.
C. On Purim, we received the Torah in a new light--Kiymu
VeKiblu--with open arms and with unabated love. This new Kabalas HaTorah
was able to occur because we were Ke’ish
Echad B’Lev Echad--just as we were when we encamped at Har Sinai
(see Rashi to Shemos 19:2).
D.
How, then, can we grow in our Achdus, in our Ahavas Yisrael in this
preparatory period of Adar before Purim? The Ahavas
Yisrael (the Kapiznitzer Rebbe, Z’tl), teaches that one need not
practice to love the Gedolei HaDor, or our most revered Talmidei Chachomim--who
would not love HaRav Moshe Feinstein, Z’tl?
Rather, one must practice Ahavas Yisrael with those persons who do
not have the same tendencies as he does, who ‘get on his nerves’, or who
always seem to say the wrong things. The Chidushei Harim notes that the chasida,
despite its name, is a treif bird, because
it does Chesed only with chavrose’ha--her
friends. This is not a Jewish attitude--it is a treif attitude.
E.
In a similar vein, the Apter Rav, Z’tl, told his Chassidim that they could
find Ahavas Yisrael in every word of the Torah. When the Rav related this,
it was the week of Parashas Balak. One of his more brash Chassidim asked him
where one could find Ahavas Yisrael in the word ‘Balak’ itself. The Rav
responded: “What do you mean--Balak is an acronym for V’Ahavta
LeReiacha Chamocha”. The Chossid, stunned for a moment, responded: “Rebbe--there
is something wrong--the first letter of Balak is a Beis but the first letter of VeAhavta
is a Vav. Also, the last letter of
Balak is a Kuf, but Chamocha starts
with a Chaf. The Rebbi responded:
“This is what you are not understanding--if you focus on the little
differences, you will never come to Ahavas Yisrael!”
F.
Indeed, Rabbi Zev Leff, Shlita, points out that Purim is unique in
that the
Holiday
is
celebrated by some Jews on Purim--and other Jews on Shushan Purim. If Purim
is a day in which we emphasize our unity--then shouldn’t we be on the
exact same page?! That is the point of Purim--to teach us that even if we
are not doing the same thing--that is fine--as long as we are all doing what
the Ribbono Shel Olam wants of us!
==========================
18 Adar I
SIX CONSTANT MITZVOS: The Six Constant Mitzvos are so unique,
so special, so precious to us, for the very reason that they are constant,
and can be thought of on a 24/7 basis. Because of the outstanding importance
of one being extremely well-versed in these Mitzvos--to the point of knowing
them by-heart, or close to by-heart, we provide our readers once again with
four beautiful links which you can keep as close by as necessary. English
listing Poster-size
Hebrew
card English
card [The
last two links are also available as a laminated card which is free and can
be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to 90 High Street,
Passaic, NJ 07055-4752]
We also remind you that an absolutely
outstanding Hakhel Shiur on the Six Constant Mitzvos was provided by Rabbi
Yerachmiel Milstein, Shlita. For CD’s of the Shiur, one should
contact 718-252-5274.
--------------------------------------------------------------
LIKE BODY, LIKE SOUL: Just as with gashmiyus--when we bang
our foot, we hurt and begin to walk funny, so too it is with the ruchniyus--if
our tongues are a bit too loose with
a little Lashon Hara, or with coarse, hurtful, or non-complimentary words
(even if they are simply only words that you wouldn’t say in front of your
Rav, your Rebbi...or your shadchan)--then our Tefillos are wounded, and our
words of Torah are no longer as pure.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Special Note One: Today is the Yahrzeit
of Chatzkel (HaRav Yechezkel B’ Reb Yehudah HaLevi) Levenstein, Z’tl,
the great Mashgiach in Mir and Ponovezh. A disciple of HaRav Chatzkel
related, “I once saw Rav Chatzkel in a state of extreme happiness, and
asked him for the reason.” HaRav Chatzkel replied: “Someone greatly
insulted me today, and I didn’t say anything in return. For this I am
joyful” (Marbitzai Torah U’Mussar,
Vol. 4, p.212, as published in Love Your Neighbor).
The following excerpt is from a truly
remarkable sefer entitled Reb Chatzkel, on the life of Rabbi
Yechezkel Levenstein, Z’tl, by Rabbi Yitzchak Kasnett (Artscroll, 2007).
This sefer is very highly recommended: “On
the way to
Japan, the Mashgiach (Rabbi Levenstein,
Z’tl) expressed to the Mirrer talmidim the following thoughts about the
impending exile: ‘The decree of exile is an unnatural state that was
expressly created for K’lal Yisrael. When we consider the
consequences of exile, we find that no nation other than K’lal Yisrael
remains in existence after any appreciable time in exile. The Midrash
relates that Hashem Yisborach asked Avraham Avinu what punishment he chooses
for his children when they will sin and there is no Beis HaMikdash to atone
for their wrongdoing--exile or purgatory. According to one opinion
quoted in the Midrash, Avraham was unable to answer. Thus, in practical
terms, the consequences of exile and purgatory are strongly equated. Contrary
to our understanding of exile, the deleterious effect of exile upon our
spiritual growth and well-being cannot be overstated; we have no
appreciation of the great measure of Divine mercy needed as we pass from one
regime to the next.’” (Page 142)
Hakhel Note: As HaRav Chatzkel studied
in Kelm as well, the book brings the following great teaching that we can
all easily utilize in our daily lives:
The following was one of the rules that
were in effect in the Kelm Talmud Torah:
To be careful not to say a Bracha
hastily; therefore before making a Bracha, one must think:
What Bracha do I need to make?
Before Whom am I making this Bracha?
Special Note
Two: HaRav Chaim Kanievsky,
Shlita teaches in the Sefer Derech Sicha on last week’s
Parasha that the ongoing calamity of the Cheit Haeigel is due
not as much to the sin of golden calf worship--as to the Mecholos--the
dancing that took place in the wake of the sin (See also Seforno
to Shemos 32:19 in a similar vein). After the sin, the people were happy
with what they had done. We can all take a great lesson from
this. If one realizes that he has sinned intentionally or unintentionally,
accidentally or otherwise--he must immediately express remorse and disdain
for what has happened and what he has done--and not ‘enjoy the benefits’
of the sin once ‘it has happened anyway’. In this way, he cripples the Malach
Ra, the Kateigor, that was created to do battle
against him and his people in Shomayim--and instead
begins on the path of Teshuva--immediately. It is our choice--Mecholos--or Mechila!
Hakhel Note:
The Chayei Adam (68:13) writes that when it comes to Mitzvos--the rule is
very much to the contrary. In the Tochacha,
the Torah teaches us that r’l
suffering is the result of not properly treasuring the Mitzvos and
accordingly not performing them ‘BeSimcha
U’vetuv Leivav’. The right approach is for one to think of all of
the comforts, pleasures, precious jewels and riches that he can--and realize that they all
plainly and really pale in significance to one easy and simply-performed
Mitzvah.
In fact, our joy in each Mitzvah’s performance should be
as boundless to us as the Mitzvah itself!
Special Note
Three: The following is
excerpted from the outstanding Sefer Power Bentching by Rabbi Moshe
Meir Weiss, Shlita: “I am fond of telling the following story to
illustrate a fundamental truth. A man named Shmuel Yaakov lived to the age
of eighty-six and then passed away. When he faced Hashem for his final Din
V’Cheshbon, his Heavenly reckoning, Hashem tabulated all of his
mitzvos and aveiros and computed his eternal reward. Hashem showed him a
huge wooden portal and told Shmuel Yaakov to pass through, and he would be
escorted to his eternal reward. Shmuel Yaakov looked upward and saw a silver
gate, a pearly gate, a golden gate, a titanium gate, and other gates with
such brilliance that he could not even open his eyes to look at them. Shmuel
Yaakov timidly asked Hashem if he would ever be able to pass through those
gates. Hashem looked at him sadly and said, “I’m sorry, Shmuel Yaakov,
but you just did not do enough with your life to merit those Heavenly
portals. You did not bring with you enough Torah or tzedakah. You did not
shine in your marital devotion or dedication to your children and
parents.” So Shmuel Yaakov passed through the wooden gate, comforted by
the fact that there were many people in this Heavenly neighborhood whom he
knew and recognized. Everything was okay until a few years later when Shmuel
Yaakov’s neighbor, Moshe Chaim passed away. He too faced Hashem for
judgment. But, unlike Shmuel Yaakov, Moshe Chaim was promptly fitted with a
jet propeller on his back and Shmuel Yaakov saw him zooming up through the
other shining gates. This was too much for Shmuel Yaakov to bear. So he
approached Hashem and asked Him: “I don’t understand. Moshe Chaim, my
friend, was an average a person as I was. How come he gets to pass through
all of those Heavenly gates?” And once again, Shmuel Yaakov looked up and
saw the lights streaming out from those celestial gates, with heavenly music
and fragrances wafting from them causing him to be green with envy. Hashem
answered Shmuel Yaakov, “Didn’t your Rebbe ever teach you what Chazal
say so clearly--that whoever answers Amen with proper concentration-- all
of the gateways of Gan Eden will open for him or her? Amen is the master
key that opens all of these gates. Shmuel Yaakov, while you were
daydreaming in shul or talking with your friends, Moshe Chaim was
concentrating on each bracha and answering with a meaningful Amen.” This
story should serve as a powerful incentive for us to make good use of the
time we listen to the chazzan saying over the Shemone Esrei,·and to be
attentive when our friends make brachos over the Torah. In truth, it is not
only in the Next World that we benefit from a meaningful Amen. The Gemara in
Berachos (47A) teaches us that “Kol HaMa’arich BeAmein…Whoever
pauses to concentrate on his Amen, will enjoy quality day and longevity.”
It is for this reason that we should also instruct our family members to
make their brachos out loud, in order to give the gift of Amen-- long life
and eternity--to their loved ones!”
========================
17 Adar I
SHATNEZ ALERTS FROM THE VAAD
L’MISHMERES SHATNEZ:
1. When wearing shatnez, it is a separate transgression for each
time period that one is able to take off the shatnez garment and put it back
on. Accordingly, if someone wears shatnez a whole day, it is literally
hundreds if not thousands of transgressions!
2. An effective way to ensure a family is free of shatnez, is for a
qualified shatnez laboratory expert to test the entire family’s wardrobe
for shatnez. At recent shatnez house calls in
Brooklyn and Lakewood, a number of worn garments were found
to be shatnez!
Vaad
L’Mishmeres Shatnez certifies shatnez laboratories in the tri-state area.
Vaad L’Mishmeres Shatnez can be reached at 1.877.4.SHATNEZ
------------------------------------------------------------
FROM A READER: “A serious problem exists--many
answer “Amen” before a bracha is completed. An “Amen” that is
recited--even with all of the Kavanos and sincerity--before a bracha is
completely finished is called an Amen
Chatufah. According to Chazal (Brachos 47) an Amen
Chatufah creates r’l a
sakanah--a real danger.”
Hakhel Note: If one notices that a Shaliach Tzibur stretches out
the end word or words of a bracha, so that people answer Amen before his
completing the bracha--one should alert the Shaliach
Tzibur to the issue, so that he is not machshil
people with this serious issue.
------------------------------------------------------------
Special Note One : In last week’s Parasha, Hashem
advises Moshe Rabbeinu--”Ve’Roisa
Es Achorai U’Fanai Lo Yeira’u--you will see My ‘back’, but not
My ‘face’--as the Chasam
Sofer is well-known to explain--you will understand events after they
happen but will not be able to understand them prior to then. We
all know that in our turbulent world something is happening--we
simply don’t know what it is--and we are not supposed to, for if we did we
would have Nevi’im . So what is it for us to do? Of course, it cannot be
said enough--it is Teshuva--the desire, the longing, the movement, the
actual strides to put your life and the lives of those close to you in the
right direction.--in that very same direction as those 20% who
left Egypt, and not the 80% who tragically remained forever behind. The
first steps in Teshuva are identifying the foibles and the shortcomings, the
faults and the failures. The next step is feeling true remorse over them and
realistically resolving how to not fall to them so easily again. Every
day, we recite the words “Selach
Lanu Avinu Ki Chatanu--Hashem, please forgive us for having sinned.” Without
proper charata--remorse over a misdeed, what worth is the thrice daily lip
movement? Is there any redeeming value to saying something to
Hashem which you don’t mean now--even if you do intend to mean it five or
six months from now when Elul gets closer. The key is valuing
each day here and now, and not letting it pass without a new step in the
direction of shleimus--making oneself whole as a person.
Not letting the indiscretion, the carelessness, the
instinct-over-intellect, happen again, and doing this consciously and
consistently, day after day, will provide daily elevation--as we ready
ourselves for the day, may it come soon, when we will no longer have to see
the ‘Achorai’--but instead
will be mekabel the Pnei Hashem--U’fanai
Yeira’u!
Special Note Two: Chazal teach that “HaDan Chaveiro L’Chaf Zechus Danin Oso L’Chaf Zechus”--one who
judges his friend favorably will be judged favorably by the Heavenly
Tribunal. HaRav Chaim Friedlander, Z’tl (in the Sefer Sifsei
Chaim I: p. 219) asks a pointed question: ”How can the
Heavenly Tribunal have any license or ability to judge one “favorably”
if in Heaven everything is clearly known, and there are no doubts about the
meanings and intentions of the person? HaRav Friedlander answers
that the fact that one judges another L’Chaf Zechus demonstrates that he
has a “Mabat Shel Rachamim V’Ahava
Al Acheirim--that he looks at others mercifully
and lovingly”, and that accordingly they will look upon him with mercy
and love in Heaven.” Thus, when Chazal state that he
will be judged “L’Chaf Zechus”
in Heaven, it does not mean that they will ignore what he really intended,
but that he will be looked upon mercifully
and lovingly, which is the root of his Middah of being Dan L’Chaf Zechus. HaRav Shlomo
Wolbe, Z’tl, explains the concept in a related way. He notes
that when one is Dan L’Chaf Zechus
he is demonstrating an “Ayin Tova--he
wants his friend to be zakkai, to be innocent, not to be culpable and searches
for ways to get to that result”. In Heaven, therefore, they
will act with an Ayin Tova--searching for the ways and means to
likewise understand his deeds in a positive light.
Special Note Three: We continue an exciting
Monday/Thursday series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi
Reuvain Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider
Reveals The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or
Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XXI
Question
Does
the recommendation that one use klaf avodas yad apply to all STA”M
items, or are there items where there is more room to be lenient?
Answer
There
are differences. By way of introduction, let us emphasize again that the ibbud
process must be done lishmah. The reservations of the poskim
to machine klaf all revolve around the validity of the lishmah
aspect during various stages of the ibbud when done by machine.
It
follows, then, that the more stringent the poskim are regarding the
need for ibbud lishmah of each particular item, the more desirable klaf
avodas yad.
Let us
look at each STA”M item individually – from the most stringent to
the least stringent.
Tefillin
The
halachah is that the klaf used for writing parashiyos of
tefillin requires ibbud lishmah. This is the opinion of most Rishonim.
Therefore, if someone had tefillin written on klaf which was not processed
lishmah, he may not make a berachah.
Mezuzah
According
to most Rishonim, the halachah is that a mezuzah requires ibbud
lishmah. Nevertheless, if no such mezuzah is available, one should rely
on the Rambam, who rules that a mezuzah does not require ibbud lishmah,
and use a mezuzah not processed lishmah. (No berachah
is recited.) When possible, it should be replaced with a mezuzah made
of klaf processed lishmah (me’ubad lishmah).
Sefer
Torah
Most Rishonim
maintain that a Sefer Torah requires ibbud lishmah.
Nevertheless, since a number of prominent Rishonim assert that it
does not require ibbud lishmah, the halachah is that if no
other Sefer Torah is available, it is permissible to use a Sefer
Torah lacking this feature for leining. One is even permitted to
make berachos on such a Sefer Torah.
Megillas Esther
The Shulchan
Aruch cites a machlokes between the Rambam and Rabbeinu Tam as to whether or not the klaf
used to write a Megillas Esther needs to be me’ubad lishmah.
Rabbeinu Tam maintains that it does – in keeping with his opinion
that all the halachos of a Sefer Torah also apply to Megillas
Esther.
The Rambam,
on the other hand, is of the opinion that although a Sefer Torah does
require ibbud lishmah, Megillas Esther does not. Hence, using a
Megillas Esther written on klaf me’ubad lishmah would be a
lower priority than using a Torah scroll me’ubad lishmah.
Nevi’im
Nevi’im
scrolls do not need ibbud lishmah.
In
light of the foregoing discussion, we see that it would be most worthwhile
to invest in klaf avodas yad when purchasing STA”M items, in
the following order of priority: tefillin, mezuzos, Sifrei Torah,
Megillas Esther, and then all other Nevi’im and megillos.
====================================
14 Adar I
PURIM
KATAN! Today,
14 Adar I and tomorrow 15 Adar I--or Purim Katan and Shushan Purim Katan--are
the subject of the entire last Siman of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim (697).
The Rema there concludes that one should in all events have a bit more for
his seudah this morning (or for those living in Yerushalayim--Shushan Purim
Katan and tomorrow’s Seudah) in
order to fulfill the opinion of those who rule that on Purim Katan one
should increase his mishteh and simcha. The Mishnah Berurah brings that when one does so, he
increases the Kavod HaNes--the
honor of the miracle that happened in those times. Hakhel Note: If one has
already eaten his morning seudah--then at least he should be marbeh b’simcha today…and remember the Nes!
Hakhel
Note One: We must remember that Chazal in Mesechta Megillah raise the
question as to which 14 Adar is to be observed as Purim--the 14th of Adar I
or the 14th of Adar II. We know how the Halacha resolves the
issue--by putting the Geulah of Purim into Adar II, which is closer to the
Geulah of Pesach. Otherwise, it is not a simple issue at all! We
must appreciate and understand the inherent Kochos of the day. May
we suggest that in addition to feeling the Simcha of the day, that we also
remember the Koach of Tefillah and recite Tehillim Chapter 22, which is what
Esther recited BeRuach Hakodesh as she attempted to enter the presence of
Achashveirosh. We know how she was answered--may we be answered
in equal measure!
Hakhel
Note Two: We received the following from a reader, who wrote it
from a Shiur given by HaRav Avrohom Schorr, Shlita: “THE MISHNA IN
MEGILLAH THAT SAYS “EIN BAIN ADAR RISHON L’ADAR SHENI ELLA KRIYAS
HAMEGILLAH U’MATONAS LE’EVYONIM BILVAD” Translated: THERE
IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FIRST ADAR AND THE SECOND ADAR EXCEPT THAT
THERE IS NO OBLIGATION OF READING THE MEGILLAH AND PRESENTS FOR THE POOR. IT
FOLLOWS, THEN, THAT THE POWER OF TEFILLAH REMAINS EXACTLY THE SAME; HOWEVER,
ON PURIM KATAN CHAZAL DID NOT IMPOSE AN OBLIGATION TO DRINK. SO HERE WE
HAVE A DAY THAT HAS THE TREMENDOUS POWER OF PRAYER AND THE CHACHOMIM DID NOT
LIMIT IT WITH AN OBLIGATION TO DRINK. LET US USE IT TO OUR
UTMOST!
-----------------------------
Special
Note One: We continue our Erev Shabbos--Halachos of Shabbos
Series:
A. The
Sefer Yereim writes that Hadlakas Neiros is “Gemara Gemiri La”--is actually a Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai! Rebbe
Akiva Eiger, Z’tl suggests that men (Hakhel Note: or other able-bodied
person) take part in the Mitzvah by making sure that the Neiros are in fine
order for the woman of the house to light. We may add that this
could include testing the candles and fixing them well into the leichter,
putting the matches in place, making the Sefer with special Tefillos for the
time readily available on the table--as the time of Hadlakas Neiros is an
Eis Ratzon, etc. The moment the Queen enters is a powerful one--and a
proper--and not hurried and hassled-- Hadlakas Neiros is like the rolling
out of a beautiful red carpet to meet her!
B.
In response to a question we posed to him, Rabbi Yisroel Pinchos Bodner,
Shlita rules that: ”Moving muktza even if it moves only
in its place is prohibited. Touching muktza without causing it to
move, wobble, or tilt is permitted.”
C. In
the Parasha, we find the following powerful Pasuk describing Moshe
Rabbeinu’s initial reaction to the events of the Chait Haegel: ”VaYomer
Ein Kol Anos Gevura VeAin Kol Anos Chalusha
Kol Anos Anochi Shomea--Moshe Rabbeinu told Yehoshua “It
is not a sound shouting strength nor a sound shouting weakness--it is a
sound of distress that I hear (Shemos 32:18). HaRav Yisroel
Belsky, Shlita teaches that the meaning of the word Anos the third time it
is mentioned in the Pasuk is different than the first two
times that it is mentioned. The first two times it means ‘sounding’, and
the third time it means ‘distress’--inui. It is truly a
different word--which is why there is a dagesh in the Nun of the third Anos
of the Pasuk, and not in the first two. Accordingly, to the extent
possible--the ba’al kriyah who is laining, and one being ma’avir sidra
should read the third occurrence as ANNOS and not as ANOS--i.e., with a
greater accent or drawing out of the nun, not actually making it onto a
‘double-nun’--but extending it a bit--so that one recognizes and
demonstrates the different word being read!
D.
Also in the Parasha, we find that the Torah requires that: “Veshomru
Vnei Yisroel Es HaShabbos--Bnei Yisroel shall observe the Shabbos,” to
make the Shabbos an eternal covenant for their generations (Shemos 31:16).
This Pasuk, together with the Pasuk which follows it, are so
essential to our understanding of Shabbos that we repeat them both at
Ma’ariv and in Shacharis on Shabbos. What is the concept of
“Shemiras Shabbos?”
As
we recently noted, HaRav Shlomo Mandel, Shlita, explained at a Hakhel shiur
that a “shomer” is someone who guards, watches out for, is on the alert,
and anticipates. Indeed, the Torah uses the concept of “Shemira”
when it describes how Yaakov Avinu responded to Yosef’s dreams. The
Torah states: “V’Aviv
Shamar Es HaDavar--and his father [Yaakov Avinu] was waiting and
anticipating for [the dreams] to happen.” (Bereishis 37:11, and Rashi
there)
This
is an extremely important lesson for us. The Torah requires us to be
“Shomrei Shabbos”. In order to fulfill this properly, we cannot
start with candle lighting and/or “Lecha Dodi”. Instead, we must
appropriately prepare our thoughts and actions, so that, to the greatest
extent possible, we can enter the Shabbos in a state of preparedness and
equanimity--watching out and anticipating for the Shabbos the come.
There
are many practical examples in which one can make strides towards this end.
For instance, one can, as much as possible, undertake Shabbos
preparations earlier in the week, and on Thursday evening and Friday morning.
Additionally, business matters such as taking care of bills, or even
going through the mail, when it does not require immediate attention, can
become part of “Shemiras Shabbos” if they are put off until Sunday or
Monday. Interestingly, it was HaRav Aryeh Levin Z’TL’s custom not
to open letters that arrived Friday afternoon, so that bothersome thoughts
and worries should not trouble him on Shabbos (Growth Through Torah p.
220, quoting A Tzaddik In Our Time p. 100).
There
are other activities which could help you become a superior “Shomer
Shabbos”. Making a list of the things that have to be done--and
especially those things which you have had issues with in the past--making
sure you have wine, candles, matches, open tissue boxes, clothes (without
stains from the previous week), Torah thoughts for the Shabbos table--and
accomplishing these, and many other items which could truly be taken care
of, hours and hours and even a day or days before Shabbos.
If
a man is more often late than on time for Mincha in shul on Friday
afternoon, or if a woman customarily, or even usually, lights the neiros
“just a minute or two” after the published Z’man, there is an
indication of weakness in his/her anticipating,
watching out for, guarding, longing for, the Shabbos that is coming.
If the scene is one in which the husband is still in the bedroom area
at candle lighting time, or the woman of the house has to choose between
davening Mincha before candle lighting--or lighting neiros five minutes
late, some corrections may be in order.
Indeed,
the Shulchan Aruch, rather than requiring raised voices, anger, and tension,
immediately prior to Shabbos, instead requires that a person “arise
early” on Erev Shabbos to properly prepare (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim
250:1). In fact, the Mishna Berurah there requires that
some Shabbos preparation be done after davening Shacharis (and, if
necessary, even before Shacharis--see there). Furthermore--the
Shulchan Aruch (ibid. 260:2) actually requires that one speak “B’Lashon
Raka” (in a soft voice)--immediately before Shabbos(!)--even as
to those matters which require correction before Shabbos arrives.
In
an ideal world, Shemira would include being ready a few minutes in advance
and waiting for the Shabbos queen to come, by saying Tehillim, learning
Torah, or the like--just as the watchman watches and anticipates. For
the men, there are undoubtedly great zechusim to be had when one is not
dashing out the door to shul with suit jacket in hand, tie not made, and wet
hair. For the women, there is very much to be gained lighting neiros
two or three minutes before the Z’man, instead of a minute or
two or three after the Z’man. Each one of us should sit down and
think about how we can improve our quest for a greater appreciation, a
greater understanding, a greater accomplishment, in being a “Shomer
Shabbos” Jew!
E. We
provide below an extremely important thought provided in the past on our
unique and wonderful relationship to
Veshomru Vnei Yisroel Es HaShabbos:
Shabbos is the only day of the week in which each
Tefillah of Shemone Esrei is different.
·
In the evening, we recite “Ata Kidashta”--You
have sanctified us.
·
In the morning, we recite “Yismach
Moshe”--Moshe was gladdened.
·
In the afternoon, we recite “Ata Echad”--You
are one…
The Sefer Avudraham
(1:163) asks--why is it only on Shabbos--and not on the weekdays--or even on
Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur or the Shalosh Regalim--that the text of the
Shemone Esrei changes at each one of the Tefillos? The Avudraham provides an amazing answer.
Because Shabbos is called the “Kallah” (Bava Kama 32B), and
Hakadosh Baruch Hu is called the Choson, we first celebrate our initial
participation in the Kiddushin, i.e., the commencement of the installment of
Kedusha into Shabbos--by reciting “Ata Kidashta” on Leil Shabbos.
Indeed, it would seem that we joyously sing Lecha Dodi just as we
escort the Choson to greet the Kallah.
At Shacharis, we recite “Yismach Moshe”--Moshe
rejoiced--as the Choson’s and Kallah’s and participants’ joy increases
after the Chuppah, and as the Chassuna progresses.
We are now invited to take an even more active role in the joy, as
the Choson asks us to take good care of his precious Kallah and we proudly
recite “Veshomru Vnei Yisroel Es
HaShabbos”.” It is with the greatest honor and pleasure that
we take the Choson’s request to heart, mind and action. As Chazal
teach, our Shabbos observance is even more important than even the building
of the Bais Hamikdash (see Rashi, Shemos 31:13). We hope and pray for
the Bais Hamikdash daily, yet we cannot violate Shabbos to attain it,
because we have been asked to guard the Kallah.
We then continue with Mussaf, with the bringing of
Korbanos as the “Seudas Mitzvah.”
Finally, at Mincha we celebrate “Ata Echad”--the
conclusion of the Chassuna--and the resulting unity and oneness of the
Choson and Kallah.
We may add that just as when you come home from a
really joyous, nice Chassuna, or from the Chassuna of a close relative or
friend, you bring the joy home with you (compare this to the Melave Malka),
and the joy lasts for a few days--or even for the week, through the Sheva
Brochos, so should our honored participation in the Simchas Shabbos last for
several days, or perhaps even a week, until the next Shabbos--when we can
once again experience transcendent and sublime joy.
There is no doubt that a direct correlation exists
between the way we celebrate at a Chassuna and its lasting effect upon us.
If our celebration is with the fish crepe, squash soup or well-done
prime ribs in duck sauce, there will definitely be some kind of lasting
effect (at least somewhere in--or on--the body!).
But if we feel an internal joy out of close friendship and oneness
with the Choson and Kallah, the feeling will have even a greater impact and
most certainly endure for a longer period. The feeling of closeness
will cause you to “stay in contact” with the Choson and Kallah.
Similarly, Rav Shlome Wolbe, Z’tl, once
commented, that while a tasty Cholent is truly an important aspect of
Shabbos, it should not in and of itself be the highlight of this sacrosanct
day. Instead, we should actually try to establish the highlight of the
day ourselves--our greatest moment of joy with the Choson and Kallah at
their celebration.
One’s highlight should be something special and
meaningful, and may be:
·
A heartfelt Lecha Dodi or Zemiros with feeling or
even intensity.
·
Learning Rashi, Ramban or Midrash or other
commentaries on the Parsha. We
can always draw wellsprings of information on how to conduct ourselves
during the week by applying the Parsha’s timeless and timely lessons.
·
In Shacharis, reciting Nishmas slowly, word by
word, or feeling moved at “Kel Adon” (not just waiting for the tune the
Chazan will use).
·
Helping to make the Shabbos table warm and
inspirational with a poignant Devar Torah or lesson-filled story you have
prepared.
·
Giving meaningful advice or assistance to a Shabbos
guest.
So, as we shower, shine our shoes, set the table or
otherwise prepare for the great Chassuna this
Shabbos, or even when we are at the Chassuna itself, let us go beyond the
delectable kugels and cakes and pleasant and refreshing Shabbos nap, and
think about how and what we will do this Shabbos that will permeate and
elevate us and leave a supernal effect upon us through the week!
Special
Note Two: In the Parasha, we learn of the horrific sin of the
Golden Calf. In its aftermath, Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu: “Say to
Bnei Yisroel--you are stiff-necked people…” (Shemos 33:5). In
fact, this exact same description of our “stiff-neckedness” is repeated
two other times in the Parsha (Shemos 33:3 and 34:9). Likewise,
in the Viduy we recite “Kishinu Oref--we
have been stiff-necked.” There is a very important message here for
us. The neck, as opposed to the front, symbolizes the back of the
person and shows that the person is turned away from someone, rather than
facing him. It is our job not to turn away from what we have done, and
certainly not to turn away from Hashem. Instead, we must face that
which we have done with a plan to improve, and face Hashem asking Him for
nothing less than Divine assistance going forward.
We
believe that there is also a vital second lesson: The Torah is
teaching that the heinous “Chait Haegel” is related to being obstinate
and inflexible. In our stubbornness, we must be careful to distinguish
between fact and opinion, between “teaching lessons to others” and
learning to control our self-interest or pride. It is now a very
auspicious time to deal with this middah, in order to indicate that we, on
our own personal level and in our own private way, are looking to correct
the stiff-neckedness within us--and our recognition that obstinacy could
eventually result in something that is r’l
catastrophic. If our actions are “just because” or “because that
is the way I do things” or because “I know I am right” or “because I
don’t do it that way”… (you can fill in another phrase that better
summarizes your own stiff-neckedness) then we may have to work on some
adjustments in attitude.
Of
course, being tough in some areas is good--such as not flinching from the
requirements of Halacha or proper Hashkafa in spite of work, financial or
even social pressures to do so. However, Chazal advise specifically
that “a person should be soft as a reed, and not hard as a cedar tree” (Taanis
20B). Reeds are malleable and do not break--even in the face of a
harsh wind or thunderous storm. Incredibly, the mighty cedar may fall
earlier than the thin little reed. Let us take this lesson to heart as
we practice acting with more pleasance than presence, the way Hashem would
like us to!
Special
Note Three: We present several additional points from Parshas Ki
Sisa to apply (and hopefully inculcate within ourselves) over Shabbos, the
coming week...and beyond!:
A.
The Pasuk teaches that the letters on the Luchos were engraved through
and through, and that, by Miracle, they could be read from both sides
although the writing was not reversed. HaRav Pam, Z’tl, as quoted in
the wonderful work The Pleasant Way,
by Rabbi Sholom Smith, Shlita, brings the following important lesson
relating to this Miracle: HaRav Chaim Elazar Wachs, Z’tl, (the
“Nefesh Chayah”) was a partner in a paper factory. His partner
came to him with an idea that would bring him a great deal of profit in a
short amount of time. When the partner presented all of the details,
HaRav Wachs concluded that the idea involved some degree of impropriety, and
bordered on geneiva. His partner still wanted to go ahead with the
“get-rich-quick” scheme. HaRav Wachs exclaimed, “Don’t you
realize why the Luchos had to be readable from either side?! Because
no matter which way you turn the Luchos--you have to see the Lo Signov!”
[In Yiddish: “Az men
dreit a hin, oder men dreit a heir, es shteit noch ales Lo Signov!”]
We may all be faced with the temptations of improprieties--some bigger and
some smaller. We must, however, realize that the Luchos preceded these
temptations and manipulations--and covers them from whatever angle they may
be coming!
B.
Chazal (Rosh Hashanah 17B) teach of the great power of the Thirteen Middos
of Rachamim found in the Parsha (Shemos 34:6,7), which are first introduced
to us after the Chait Haegel. Indeed, their introduction to us after
the Eigel indicates their great potency--as we are kept going as a nation
after such a devastating aveira. The Netziv makes an amazing point as
to one of these Middos. He writes that it is not correct to read this
Middah as “Rav Chesed” and then simply continue with “Emes”, as the
next Middah. Instead, and in fact, the word “Rav” modifies BOTH
Chesed and Emes--for Hashem not only provides Abundant Chesed but also
Abundant Truth. It is this Middah that we must emulate--not to allow
ourselves into the singular comfort of “Rav Chesed” which we are so
incredibly blessed with in K’lal Yisroel--but also to be the Rav Emes--being
an overflowing source of Truth as well!
C.
The Taz asks what is the Attribute of Mercy contained in the word “Lo
Yinakeh”. We know that Yinakeh
means that Hashem cleanses the sin of one who does Teshuva--but how is the Lo
Yinakeh--Not Cleansing the Sin--helpful to us? The Taz answers
that it means that Hashem will not eliminate the sin and will in fact punish
the sinner somewhat --but still waits for him to do Teshuva, and in the
interim does not give him the punishment that he truly otherwise deserves.
There are thirteen different levels of Mercy--it is up to us to determine
which levels of Mercy we will be zoche to--we do not have to be at the
bottom of the class--so why should we put ourselves there? Teshuva is
a much better alternative!
D.
By clicking here, Hebrew
link English
link, we provide descriptions of the 13 Middos of Hashem listed in this
week’s Parasha --how great it is to study, absorb and follow them!
E.
HaRav Moshe Rosenshein, Z’tl, approached his great Rebbe, the Mashgiach of
Mir, HaRav Yeruchem Levovitz, Z’tl, and asked him to explain the Chait
Haegel to him. After much study of the topic, HaRav Rosenshein was
expecting a greatly detailed and long explanation from his Rebbe of what had
transpired here. HaRav Yeruchem answered with Two Words. The Two
Words....Yetzer Hora! After all, could it make any sense that a people
who owed so much to Moshe Rabbeinu would believe that he died--and almost
immediately start to wildly party? As we say in the Lechu Nerannena at the outset of Kabbalas Shabbos (Tehillim 95) “Va’Omar
Am To’ei Levev Haim...--and I said they are a people who are mistaken
of heart...” The Yetzer
Hora’s effects were so devastating that the sin of the Golden Calf burdens
us to this very day. There is a great lesson for us all here. If
we could remind ourselves when making any daily decision that we must
realize which side of the decision the Yetzer Hora is on--we can take a
great step--on a daily basis--to overcoming, overriding and overruling the
Chait Haegel itself. What an accomplishment! What a great and
enormous potential every day brings with it!
==============================
13
Adar I
RECEIVED FROM THE CHOFETZ CHAIM
HERITAGE FOUNDATION RELATING TO THE
US
NORTHEAST WINTER STORM: Dear
Friends: We will be presented with challenges (parking, ice, dismissal,
cancellations, etc.) that are inherent with storms like this, let's remember
to be patient and understanding with each other. Some drivers will drive or
park carelessly, people will be late, tempers will flare, and unfortunately,
things can be said and done that are normally unlike us. The snow will
melt, our lives will quickly return to normal and this storm will be
forgotten. But a word, action, or even a gesture, will be remembered
long after by your friends and neighbors. Please be patient and
understanding and we will get through this together. Wishing you safety,
warmth and continued hatzlocha. (Thanks to Yeshiva Darchei Noam / Yeshivas
Ohr Reuven for this reminder.)
----------------------------------------------------------
Special
Note One: In this week’s Parasha, Moshe Rabbeinu was taught by
Hashem to invoke the Thirteen Middos of Mercy (Shemos 34:6, 7) because of
the danger facing the Bnai Yisroel. Remarkably, the first four of
these Attributes relate directly, as you may have guessed, to Hashem’s
Compassion. We present below the basic meaning of each one of these
four Attributes--which are “Hashem,” “Hashem,” “Kel” and “Rachum,”
(as published by the Irgun Harbotzas HaTorah of
Lakewood
, New
Jersey
):
1.
Hashem--Compassionate before one has sinned. Even before a person has
sinned he still needs Heavenly Compassion, for Hashem owes us nothing; all
that we have is only due to His grace and compassion. Also, even when
Hashem sees that a person will sin in the future, His Compassion for him at
present remains, since the person has not yet sinned.
2.
Hashem--Compassionate after one has sinned and repented. Even after a
person has sinned, after repentance, Hashem’s compassion is immediately
rekindled towards him. This is unlike the behavior of a human being,
who will distance himself from a person who has wronged him, and will often
never accept him back. Hashem’s Being, however, is unchanging (as
hinted in this word), and therefore even after a person sinned (even
seriously) His Compassion still remains.
3.
Kel--This, too, is an attribute of compassion. There are different
levels of compassion. This is not the same type of compassion as is
denoted in the name Hashem. Some
explain that the two letters of this Attribute--Alef and Lamed--denote total
mercy.
4.
Rachum--Compassionate to ease even the punishment of sinners when they call
out to Him.
THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL--this
time from the Parasha ahead of us! If we can back up all of these Tefillos with our own personal empathy
and feeling for others--and with kind words and quiet actions which stave
off their need to ask us for Chesed from us--we will be in a better
position, a much better position, to beg Hashem to shower His Compassion
upon us and all around us!
Special
Note Two: The following is published in this week’s Divrei Siach, presenting Teshuvos of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, relating
to the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael:
1.
Question: The Ramban writes that
dwelling in Eretz Yisrael is a Mitzvas Asei even during the time of Galus.
Does the Halacha follow the Ramban?
Answer: One should be
concerned for the shita of the
Ramban.
2.
Question: Does one fulfill the
Mitzvah every minute that he is in Eretz Yisrael--or only when he first
comes to live there?
Answer: Every
minute.
3.
Question: What if one is born in
Eretz Yisrael-does he still fulfill the Mitzvah?
Answer: One does not have
to move from Chutz La’aretz to Eretz Yisrael--one fulfills the Mitzvah
even when born in Eretz Yisrael.
4.
Question: Is a woman commanded in
the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael?
Answer: Yes
5.
Question: Does one living in Eretz Yisrael have to have Kavannah that he
is being mekayeim the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael--at least from
time-to-time?
Answer: It would seem
appropriate to have this Kavannah.
6.
Question: If one owns an
apartment in Eretz Yisrael but does not live there--is he mekayeim a
Mitzvah?
Answer: No, for he does
not live there.
7.
Question: Is one mekayeim the
Mitzvah if he visits for a week, but does not live there
permanently?
Answer: Yes (there may be
two separate Mitzvos--one of Yeshivas Eretz Yisrael, and one of Yishuv (permanently dwelling) in Eretz Yisrael).
Special
Note Three: We continue an exciting Monday/Thursday series on the
practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz, Shlita,
author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider Reveals The Answers To All
The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or Maintaining Tefillin,
Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller treatment of
all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer, which
provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XX
We
have been discussing the differences between hand-made and machine-made klaf.
Machine-made klaf
is produced by simply using a massive tub equipped with an electronic mixer,
filling it with chemical and ibbud ingredients, saying l’shem
kedushas STA”M, putting in the hides, and pushing a button, the
entire process could be completed in one third the time – with less
untidiness.
The biggest
advantage of the machine method is that the quality of the klaf
produced is far superior to the rough, uneven klaf (avodas yad)
previously available to the sofrim. Naturally, this new klaf
became extremely popular. Until recently, almost all the klaf sold in
the world was klaf mechonah.
Although the poskim
had a number of reservations concerning klaf mechonah, there was
really no viable alternative because all sofrim agreed that the
old-style klaf was
difficult to write on and caused letters to crack. (One Rav
termed the old-style klaf “rolled concrete,” and quipped that it
was like writing on “floor tiles.”) Hence, the custom became to write on
klaf mechonah.
However, since
some of the gedolei haposkim were uncomfortable with klaf mechonah
from a halachic standpoint,
various klaf machers dabbled in trying to improve klaf avodas yad.
Slowly, but surely, they began to succeed. As the quality improved, the
demand grew. Today, all major klaf machers offer klaf avodas yad.
The fact is that
nowadays the quality of klaf avodas yad is just as good as klaf
mechonah. Any sofer who says he “can’t write on klaf
avodas yad” simply hasn’t tried it. Many sofrim have switched
over to klaf avodas yad in recent years, heeding the call of leading poskim,
and they all say that it only takes a couple of weeks to get used to
it, and then everything goes smoothly.
As to the exact halachic
status of the machine-klaf
there are three basic opinions:
1) HaRav Nissim
Karelitz is of the opinion that machine-klaf is mehudar.
2) HaRav Shmuel
Wosner is of the opinion that machine-klaf is l'chatchilah,
but not mehudar.
3) HaRav Elyashiv z”l
was of the opinion that machine-klaf is b'dieved.
Conclusion
The cost of klaf
avodas yad is almost identical to the cost of machine-klaf.
Consequently, while it may not be necessary to buy STA”M
written only on klaf avodas yad, if one wants a truly mehudar
item, he would be well advised to insist on it.
============================
12
Adar I
REMEMBER--YOU CAN REALLY DO IT! If
you start Mesechta Megillah this week (latest start this Thursday)
and learn one blatt a day--you will make a Siyum on Mesechta Megillah at the
Seudas Purim! What Joy for Purim! If you need a Blatt
Shiur--one hour (or less) a day to help you--once again, you may call
718-906-6400, in addition to the many Shiurim available on line.
Don’t wait--start today. The greater the preparation for Purim--the
more one puts in to make it great--the grander the Simchas Purim will be!
----------------------------------------------------
STANDING BEFORE HASHEM:
“In his will, Rav Naftali
Amsterdam
left several suggestions for preparing to recite Shemoneh Esrei: One method
is to think about the sequence of the berachos when reciting them. Another
is to stop periodically at
appropriate points to focus on the fact that one is standing before Hashem,
Who can grant any request. He suggested “Atah Chonein” (fourth berachah), “Teka B’Shofar” (tenth berachah), and “Retzei” (seventeenth berachah) as berachos particularly suited to
this thought.
(Praying
with Fire, p. 172)
----------------------------------------------------
Special
Note One: The Orchos Chaim L’Rosh (94)
provides a crucial daily teaching: “Ahl
Tochal Achila Gasa Ahd She’temalei Kereisecha, Ki Harbeh Chalaim Ba’im
Ahl Rov Achila--do not overeat-- until your stomach is full, because
many sicknesses come from excessive eating.” On
this point, the Ponovizher Rav, Zt’l, brings the Rambam, who teaches that
a guf bari--a healthy body is part
of Avodas HaBorei, for not only is it harder to learn Torah and do mitzvos
when sick, it also adversely impacts on a person’s ruchniyus. This is true
simply because the purpose of eating is to enable a person to conduct all of
his affairs in a clear and coherent fashion--to reach his life’s potential
and goals.
HaRav
Yecheskel Levenstein, Z’tl, adds that, as a practical matter, one can work
towards making eating a tool in Avodas Hashem in various ways:
A.
Think about how much you are going to eat of something before eating
it.
B.
Do not eat in one continuous intake stream, but instead wait a bit after
starting, or perhaps while in the course of eating, and/or when close to
completion. The Alter of Kelm,
Z’tl, viewed this as an act of sheviras
hayetzer--breaking one’s desire.
C.
In any event, notwithstanding how hungry one may be, he should not eat in a
ravenous or famished manner, but benachas
u’beshalva--in a calm and peaceful manner--always.
Hakhel
Note: An additional level of
spiritual control in eating would be for a person to recite his bracha rishona--the bracha
before eating--from a siddur or card, so that the physical act is
clothed in spiritual garb--as it cannot begin for another few seconds until
one locates the bracha and perforce recites it with more Kavannah than if recited by heart and mouth alone.
Special
Note Two: With all of the snowy
and icy weather in the
Northeast United States
,
a thinking person (the Mashgiach Ruchani in a Yeshiva) provided the
following thought:
In
icy weather, one has to be careful--very careful. It is not enough, however,
to be duly vigilant 999 of 1,000 times--for if one does not exercise the
necessary caution and care only on the 1,000th time and slips and hurts
himself--he has failed, and has no one to blame but himself. At first
glance, this doesn’t seem very fair. After all 999 out of 1,000 earns one
a score of 99.9%!
Let
us take one other example, however. A driver exercises all necessary
defensive driving techniques, and utilizes extra caution when behind the
wheel, justly viewing driving the city streets not as recreation but as
responsibility. After twenty
years of successful driving, once, in a lightheaded mood, he decides that he
is at last not going to put on his seat belt, and not stop only at the first
three stop signs he encounters. At the second stop sign--r’l
the driver side is hit by a car that had the right of way--but going well
over the speed limit. Was that fair?
Yes,
all of this is fair, for we live in a world where there are rules. One of
the most important rules is that we have to be careful all of the time. If we
are not, we are personally accountable for the consequences. We, as Shomrei
Torah U’Mitzvos are Metzuvin
V’Osein--required to perform the mitzvos on a 24/7 basis.
Unlike the other nations of the world, who lost their status as Metzuvin
V’Osein on the Sheva Mitzvos B’nai Noach because they failed to
perform them (they will receive reward, but now on a lower level, merely as
someone who has performed a good deed)--we retain our status as trusted
servants and confidants of the King--Who looks to us to serve Him with true
dedication and complete loyalty. If a person would aver to steadfastly
adhere to 612 of the 613 Mitzvos, he would be a mumar
as to that Mitzvah--an utter abrogation of his divine duty and of his
sacred trust.
The
ice is too slippery to run on to make the bus, the cold too biting and
potentially harmful to take even a short walk without adequate covering.
There are no excuses for laxity, for ‘just this one
time’--neither in the gashmius of this world or in the ruchniyus of the
next!
Special Note Three: Let us take the previous message to its
glorious conclusion: Dovid
HaMelech teaches in Tehillim “U’lecha
Hashem Chosed Ki Atta SeShaleim LeIsh KeMa’aseihu--Hashem, kindness is
Yours, for You repay a man according to his deeds” (Tehillim 62:13).
The Chofetz Chaim writes that many wonder as to why it is
considered a special Chesed for Hashem to repay a person for that which he
has done--for his performance of the Mitzvos.
After all, he did his part--no? The
Chofetz Chaim answers that the Chesed
is much, much greater than we
think, and to elucidate provides the
following Mashal: An inventor
created machinery and equipment which were so technologically advanced that
it was capable of building an entire city in one day.
He knew that if he brought his invention to the king, he would surely
be given a wonderful and rewarding gift, and then be sent away to let the
king utilize all of the equipment to its greatest advantage.
Never in his wildest dreams, however, would the inventor imagine that
the king would give him all of the cities that would be built using these
machines, and that they would be named after him, as if he himself had built
each and every one of them. The
Nimshal: When we study Torah, we literally keep the world going through the
Torah’s holy words. Because of
our studies, Hashem continues to be “MeChadeish
Ma’aseh Bereishis--to renew the acts of creation every day and every
moment.” Dovid Hamelech
incredibly teaches us that even though it is Hashem Who is continuously
creating and recreating the world, He
credits us with it as if it is ‘Kemaseihu’--as if we ourselves are recreating the world
daily. It is not only a few
cities that are ours--but the entire
world that Hashem deems to be our handiwork!
With this great concept in heart and mind, we should understand and
appreciate how significant our words of Torah really are--and perhaps more
importantly how significantly Hashem Himself views them!
After a Shiur or a study session, look around.
The world is still going--it is because of you!!
============================
11
Adar I
WHAT IS THE JOY OF THE
WORLD TO COME? “We
have a description of the happiness in the world to come. It is the
happiness of seeing, recognizing and understanding. Seeing and recognizing
and understanding what? The great truth about Hashem. This is the great
truth that no one could understand in our world. Even Moshe Rabbeinu begged
Hashem [in this week’s Parasha]: ‘Hareini
Nah Es Kevodecha--Hashem, please show me Your Glory.’ Hashem said:
‘Even you, Moshe, will not be able to see that in this world, you have to
wait for the world to come.”
(From Simcha Minute--Inspiring
Quotations by Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Z’tl)
----------------------------------------------------
Special Note One: How
well do you know last week’s Parsha? We provide below a portion of the
questions and answers on this week’s Parsha as presented in the
outstanding English Sefer Torahific!
By Rabbi Maimon Elbaz, Shlita:
1.
Why were there two Mizbachos in the Mishkan and in the Beis Hamikdash?
(Kli Yakar, Taam V’daas
quoting Yoma 21a)
The
human body has two main decision-makers: the brain and the heart. The two
mizbachos (altars) symbolized that just as we offer sacrifices to Hashem on
two vessels, we should always sacrifice our minds and heart’s desires to
Hashem to fulfill His will! It has been said that the best Korban to
sacrifice on the mizbeiyach of your heart is the Yetzer Hara itself!
2. Why were the Avneitim (belts) of the Kohanim so long (32 amos
= approximately 50 feet)? (See Shita Mekubetzes to
Erchin 15a, see Baal Haturim 28:6)
The
numerical ‘value of the word Lev
is 32. The Kohanim had a very long belt tied around the middle portion of
their body to remind them that no matter how hard you work to do mitzvos,
the main objective is that your heart should be involved in the mitzvah! One
must do mitzvos wholeheartedly. If someone performs mitzvos superficially,
the mitzvah loses its value in Hashem’s eyes. The Kohanim, the
official servants of the King and the role models of Bnei Yisroel, must be
very careful that all their avodah is performed with their heart. It
should be pointed out that adults have 32 teeth because Hashem wants our
mouth and our heart to be in sync, especially when we daven. The
32-amah belt also acts as a separation between the upper, more spiritual
part of the body, and the lower, more physical half. This divide reminds the
Kohanim that they must be more involved in spiritual pursuits than physical
pleasure. [It is for that reason Chassidim wear a gartel when
they daven, which is called avoda shebelev, the work of the heart.]
3. When should you imagine that you are standing inside the Kodesh
Kodoshim? (Mishnah Berurah Hilchos Tefillah 94:3)
When
you daven before Hashem and take three steps forward, you are supposed to
imagine that you are walking into a new world: that of the Holy of Holies,
where you stand before the King of kings! (If we only knew how holy and
powerful prayers really are!)
4.
How do we know that money donated for
community projects should be collected by at least two people? (Bava
Basra 8b; see Rav Ovadyah Mi’Bartenura on Peah 8:7)
The
pasuk uses the plural, “they collected” when speaking about the
collection of gold, silver, etc., for use in the Mishkan. The procedure was
to collect in pairs to avoid anybody suspecting a collector of pocketing
money for himself. In order that there shouldn’t be anyone in “yichud”
(seclusion) with the money, they collected in groups!
5. Which two creatures appeared upon the Eiphod? (Midrash
Halachah)
The
lion and the eagle were embroidered into the Eiphod. This surely
reminded the Kohen Gadol and all those who beheld him of Yehuda ben
Teimah’s maxim: “Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a
dear, and mighty as a lion, to carry out the will of your Father in
Heaven!” (Avos 5:23)
6. Why was the Menorah situated on the left of the·Shulchan, and
not on its right side? (Peninim-Rabbi A.L.
Scheinbaum shlit’a)
To
one who stands outside the Kodesh Hakodashim, it appears that the Menorah is
on the left of the Shulchan. However, to one who is more spiritual and views
things from the Kodesh Hakodashim’s vantage point, the Menorah is on the
right! The Menorah represents wisdom while the Shulchan represents wealth.
We must never forget which is more important.
7. What else was inside the courtyard of the Mishkan, besides the
vessels mentioned explicitly in the Torah? (Mi’shulchan
Gavo’ah quoting the Brisker Rav)
The
Brisker Rav z”tl said that there must have been a mikvah in
the courtyard of the Mishkan. He bases this on the pasuk that says
Moshe was commanded to bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the Ohel
Moed and then immerse them in water to purify them.
8.
Why were there 72 bells on the Me’il?
(Zevachim 88b, Ramban, Toras Ha’olah, Rabbeinu Bachya)
Rabbeinu
Bachya calculates that the world was created in 72 daylight hours during the
six days of creation. The 72 ringing bells should remind us that the entire
world was created for one purpose--Avodas Hashem!
9.
Why is it common practice for Bnei
Torah to wear black hats? (Ben Torah V’Yeshivah, Rabbi Avigdor
Miller zt’l; see Shir Hashirim 1:5)
A
hat is a symbol of one’s affiliation. A baseball player, police officer,
or the guards at Buckingham Palace proudly wear their hats. A black hat
represents the class of Bnei Torah, the group of Bnei Yisroel completely
dedicated to the study of Torah as transmitted by Roshei Yeshiva. Rabbi
Avigdor Miller, z”tl, once said, “I am prouder of a boy wearing a
black hat than his wearing Tefillin. Although Tefillin is a mitzvah
d’oraysa and a black hat is only a custom, it is an idealistic
expression of commitment to Torah scholarship!”
10.
What does Hashem love even more than
the bringing of Korbanos? (Shemos Rabbah 38:4)
Hashem
loves when we learn Torah more than when we bring Korbanos! Indeed,
Hashem told Dovid Hamelech, “I appreciate your words of
Tehillim
and Torah more than the thousands of Korbanos that your son Shlomo
will
offer in the Beis Hamikdash!”
Special Note Two: We
cannot pass up the following closing note on last week’s Parsha: Two
articles of the Kohen Gadol which had to stay together when worn--
were the Choshen and the Aifod--the breastplate and the apron. Thus,
the Choshen was tied on all four corners to the Aifod. This
requires some explanation. After all, the Choshen was intended to
provide forgiveness for the sin of “Kilkul
Hadin--perverting justice.” On the other hand, the Aifod was to
provide forgiveness for the sin of Avoda
Zara. Why did these two articles--which brought about kapara for
such diverse sins need to be tied together?
HaRav Moshe Feinstein,
Z’tl, explains that these two avairos are very much “connected”, for
they both involve the grave sin of kefira--denial of Hashem. When one
worships Avoda Zara, even if he joins it with service of Hashem, he is
denying Hashem’s Omnipotence. So too, with someone who deals
dishonestly in monetary matters. If he feels that he can outsmart his
colleague, customer or competitor, if he purchases a product with
“shtick” in order to save money, if he takes advantage of a particular
situation “because everybody does”, or if he gently pads his
billable hours---all of these provide indication that the person believes
that he is in control of his financial destiny--that it is he, his mental
prowess, or his technical skill, who will determine whether he is or will be
poor, middle-class or wealthy. We are therefore, enjoined to always
remember to keep the Choshen together with the Aifod--for we must always
realize that just as we would never, ever, think of worshipping an idol, or
the sun, or the stars in any form or manner--for that matter, so,
too, should we never, ever cheat, lie or steal in any form or manner
in our lives.
============================
10
Adar I
TODAY IS THE FIFTH-MONTH ANNIVERSARY of Yom Kippur--Teshuva Bechol Yom--let us be
driven by Yosair Mi’mah She’hayisi!
----------------------------------------------------
YOU CAN REALLY DO IT! If you start Mesechta Megillah this
week (latest start this Friday) and learn one blatt a day--you will make a
Siyum on Mesechta Megillah at the Seudas Purim! What Joy for Purim!
If you need a Blatt Shiur--one hour (or less) a day to help you--once again,
you may call 718-906-6400, in addition to the many Shiurim available on
line. Don’t wait--start today. The greater the preparation for
Purim--the more one puts in to make it great--the grander the Simchas Purim
will be!
----------------------------------------------------
IS THERE A LIMIT TO HUMAN
GREATNESS? “We have so much greatness that even if we lived a thousand
years we would not exhaust our potential!” (From Simcha
Minute--Inspiring Quotations by Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Z’tl)
----------------------------------------------------
Special
Note One: We had received the
following “timely and timeless” thought from a reader:
“Chazal teach (Taanis Daf
29) ‘Mishenichnas Adar Marbin
B’simcha,’ and they also teach ‘Mishenichnas
Av Mima’atin B’simcha.’ The Shulchan Aruch only mentions the
latter--’Mishenichnas Av Mima’atin
B’simcha’ and not ‘Mishenichnas
Adar Marbin B’simcha.’ The question is, why is this so--why is
the increased happiness of Adar not brought in Halacha as a quote from
Chazal, in the same way as the Halacha about Av? The answer, I
believe, is because you can’t tell a Yid to be ‘happier’--the Halacha
is that one always has to be as happy as he can be. Chazal give you an
eitza tova, good advice, that if
you are not as happy as you should be, at least make sure that in Adar you
work on it more. In fact, the entire Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim ends with
the words “Tov Lev Mishteh Tomid”--you
are always supposed to be as happy as you can!”
Hakhel Note: Let us bring
the point home a bit further: the Sefer Orchos Tzaddikim in Sha’ar
HaSimcha writes: “V’Chol
Ha’Oseh HaMitzvos BeSimcha Yaish Lo Sechar Eleph Yados Mi’Mi
She’Hamitzvos Alav LeMaso--One who performs Mitzvos with joy receives
1,000 times the reward of one who treats the Mitzvos as a burden.”
Many of us can easily become drained because of all of our daily tasks--as
despite all of the machines and devices which are intended to save us time
and make life more convenient and accomplishment-filled, we are left with a
seemingly unending list of modern-man meanderings. Our Mitzvah
performance is truly threatened daily by the rush, the haste, the rote and
habit, the weariness, and the hurried and harried environment around us.
If we can instead get into the habit of taking a moment to STOP and SAVOR a
MITZVAH before performing it, a second to inhale the wonderful opportunity
and benefit before davening, reciting a bracha, studying Torah, helping
another, consciously refraining from Lashon Hara, paying a compliment to
lift another’s spirit, helping a child or elderly person even if they are
immediate family, then we will perform Mitzvos with the unabated joy that
they deserve. What a special Avodah for Adar--to work on appreciating
our G-D given daily opportunities and taking them out of the mode of
something that ‘I have to do’ into something that ‘I am happy and
spirited to do’. Ivdu Es
Hashem BeSimcha (Tehillim 100:2)--let Dovid Hamelech’s guiding
words be a meaningful mantra and beacon of bright light for us in the coming
weeks!
Special Note Two: In
the Northeast, some have begun to see grass again! A reader once commented
to us on the re-emergence of grass as follows: “If
grass, which is a simple living thing, can survive under what appears to be
such difficult conditions as having a huge blanket of snow many times its
own size and thickness, and of such low temperature as to be below freezing,
covering it for so long, even more so should K’lal Yisrael be able to
survive amidst the most adverse of situations in which we find ourselves, as
we surely have survived until now--every single ‘blade’ of ours only by
Hashem’s grace and His Ratzon. Hashem is being Mechazek
us--showing us that after the harshest winter comes a regenerated spring.
We must appreciate and understand Hashem’s lesson and strengthen
ourselves!”
Special Note Three: We continue an exciting
Monday/Thursday series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi
Reuvain Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider
Reveals The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or
Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XIX
Question
My son insists
that I should buy STA”M items written only on handmade klaf
(avodas yad). That is what his rebbi in Eretz Yisrael told
him. I asked my local sofer, and he says it’s not necessary. First
of all what exactly is klaf avodas yad? Second, who is right?
Answer
There are two
types of klaf on the market: klaf mechonah
(machine-made) and klaf avodas yad (handmade).
Let us try to
explain the difference between the two, along with the halachic ramifications.
In order for an
animal hide to acquire the halachic
status of klaf, it must undergo a process called ibbud. A hide
that has not undergone ibbud is called diftera, not klaf.
STA”M
must be written on klaf, and may not be written on diftera.
The ibbud
process includes various stages: primarily soaking the hides in various
ingredients specified by Chazal. Once this has been completed, we now have klaf.
However, there is
another essential halachah: The ibbud must be done “lishmah”
(with specific intent). If the ibbud was done without the specific
(and ideally, verbal) consecration that these hides will be used for STA”M,
they are rendered pasul (invalid).
Until the
mid-twentieth century, all klaf was avodas yad for the simple
reason that there were no machines capable of carrying out the ibbud
process. Only with the advent of modern machinery did it become possible to
process hides by machine.
Formerly, the ibbud
had been done by filling vats with the various ingredients required for the ibbud
process, and then stirring the mixture until it became thick. Then the hides
were placed in this mixture lishmah, and remained there for about
eight to nine days, by which point the hairs had fallen out on their own.
Then the skins were removed from the vats, and any remaining hairs were
scraped off. The hides were then returned to the vats for an additional
three to six days (depending on the size of the skins) to complete the ibbud.
The hides were then be cleaned up and used for STA”M.
With the advent of
modern machinery, a quicker and simpler method to process the hides was
introduced to the world.
In our next
installment we will BE’H explain further.
============================
7
Adar I
Special Note One: As we
have noted in the past, the Chasam Sofer explains that the month of Adar,
according to his reckoning, is representative of Shevet Binyamin. He
explains that the stone on the Choshen for Binyomin is Yospheh--which can be
split into two words--Yesh Peh--he has a mouth. This, the Chasam Sofer
explains, is what allowed Mordechai from Shevet Binyomin to be victorious
over the Lishna Bisha--the evil words of Haman which were set to literally
destroy K’lal Yisrael. Mordechai was a descendant of Binyomin who
had a mouth--but kept it closed and did not tell his father Yaakov what his
brothers had done to Yoseph; Binyomin’s descendent, Shaul Hamelech
also had a mouth, but once again kept it closed until the time came to be
declared King; Esther HaMalka as well did not reveal ‘moladata’
where she was from despite the immense pressure from the king for her to
do so--and as a result all of K’lal Yisrael was saved. The
closed mouth of Binyomin--the Yoshpheh literally brought salvation to us
all. By following in the Yoshpheh tradition (you may even very well be
from Shevet Binyomin!), you are not only saving your mouth from evil, you
are not only immensely approving your words of Torah and your words of
Tefillah--but you are bringing us all one step closer to the Bais Hamikdash
--Hashem’s House--especially nestled to a great and special extent in the
nachala of Shevet Binyomin!
Special Note Two: When did
the nes of the Milchama on Purim
occur--in Adar I or Adar II? Rabbi Shlomo Pearl, Shlita, brings three shitos:
1. Rebbi Eliezer B’ Rebbi
Yosi (Megillah 6B) is of the opinion that the Nes happened in Adar I and the
Megillah is read in Adar I--even though there was then a second Adar.
2. Rabban Shimon Ben
Gamliel (ibid.)--according to the Rosh holds that the miracle occurred in
Adar II, and so there is no Kedusha to Adar I.
3. Rebbi Shimon Ben Gamliel
(ibid.)--according to the Rambam holds that year was going to have two Adars
and the gezeirah was going to happen in Adar I, but in the end there was
only one Adar, and because it is preferable to place the Geulah of Purim
close to the Geulah of Pesach, Purim is observed in Adar II.
Special
Note Three: Today is 7 Adar--and
as we know 7 Adar is the Yahrzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu. It is the Minhag among
Bnei Ashkenaz to observe the first Adar as the ikar Yahrzeit (although some
are machmir to even fast a ta’anis
yahrzeit in the second Adar, as well). We note a great lesson that our
Chazal provide from 7 Adar: Chazal
teach that Haman was elated when the lottery of the month in which he would
annihilate the Jews fell upon the month of Adar--particularly because it was
the month of Moshe’ Rabbeinu’s Yahrzeit--and whose petira
was undoubtedly was a great calamity for K’lal Yisrael.
Haman concluded, therefore, that c’v
the month was opportune for further Jewish catastrophe.
He was very much mistaken, Chazal continue, because he did not know
that Moshe Rabbeinu was also born on 7 Adar, as Hashem completes the years
of Tzaddikim to the day. The
month of Adar was then an incredibly successful one for K’lal Yisrael --for
where would any of us be for all of eternity --without Moshe Rabbeinu coming
into this world?! He may
have temporarily expired from Olam Hazeh, but he is still working hard for
us in the upper world; he will
be back soon in the Techias Hameisim of Tzaddikim (which some say will occur
first before the general Techias Hameisim); and he left the legacy of ‘Toras Moshe Avdi’--for us all to live by generation after
generation! In reality, the
month of Adar is a time of joy--a time very much fitting for the salvation
of the Jewish people. Most
certainly, then, we unlike Haman, should recognize the inherent might and
greatness of this month and especially endeavor to fulfill the Mishna’s
teaching: ‘MiShe’Nichnas Adar Marbin BeSimcha’ in whatever way that we can.
May we suggest that one begin by absolutely banishing sad,
troublesome or disheartening thoughts that may enter his mind (Yetzer Hara,
hard at work) and replace those thoughts with positive and appreciative
realizations of the elevated and unique position any one reading this has in
relation to the many, many billions of humans and other creatures on this
planet. Our elevated Simcha period will then lead (sooner than you think!)
into the incomparably potent Geulah Period of Purim and Pesach--and
hopefully along with it into the Final and Everlasting Geulah--so bring the
Simcha in--and be sure let it out and share it with all around you as well!
Special Note Four: We
continue with our Erev Shabbos--Halachos of Shabbos Series:
A. Chapped
Lips. During the winter months, many suffer from dry or chapped lips.
Although there is at least one kosher lip balm on the market, please
note that it is prohibited to use any lip balm on Shabbos because the
rubbing of the balm stick onto the lip constitutes the melacha of memachek.
Additionally, special care must be taken not to bite the skin off the
lips on Shabbos.
In fact, according to The
Shabbos Home (Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen, Shlita), biting skin off the lips
“does fall under the Biblical prohibition [of gozez] since this skin is
normally removed by biting.” Note: With regard to lipstick itself,
we note that from a kashrus perspective, one should consult with her Rav as
to whether lipsticks require proper kashrus certification. On Shabbos, once
again, use of lipsticks would be prohibited because of memachek.
B. Inexpensive
Tissues, etc. Some less expensive brands of facial tissues are
manufactured in a less-than perfect manner which results in some or many of
the tissues in a box being attached, at least partially, to the tissue(s)
underneath, frequently at one or more of the tissue’s corners. When one
quickly or in a rapid movement pulls tissues out--he may be separating the
tissues--which may involve issues of Koraya or Mechatech (one should
consult with his Rav on this serious topic).
Accordingly, one should check the tissue brand one has available
before Shabbos. There is a similar issue with pre-cut toilet paper in
Shuls and Yeshivos-which are in some instances put into dispensers, they may
be attached at corners, and be prone to ripping as one removes them from
their container or dispenser. One should urge the person in charge of
tissues and paper in Shul to purchase only the right brands to avoid all
such issues--and one should advise his Shomer Shabbos supermarket to
especially stock the “Shomer Shabbos” brands in which the issues do not
exist.
C. Muktza items may
be touched as long as they are not moved. Thus, one may touch most
appliances and put things on them, as the appliance will not move as a
result. What if an appliance such as a refrigerator has a door with
Muktza and non-Muktza items on its shelves, or an oven which is not turned
on has some food left inside from Erev Shabbos --can you open the appliance
door? The Sefer Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa
(Third Edition 20:79) rules that it is permissible to open the door to take
food out--but that if possible lechatchila one should remove
the muktza items (such as medicines that will not be used on Shabbos) off
the refrigerator door (or frozen meats off the freezer door) before Shabbos--because
by opening the door one would be moving muktza. We once again remind
our readers of the special care and regard for Shabbos that the cautious
observance of Hilchos Muktza demonstrates--as one carefully guards his
actions within the 25 hours of Mai’ain
Olam Haba--much as one would when in the grand and palatial palace
of...the King of the World!
Special Note Five: Rabban
Gamliel Rabinovich, Shlita notes that every morning, before putting on his
Tefillin, he reminds himself that unlike the Tzitz--one of the Eight
Garments of the Kohen Gadol which had Hashem’s name on it one time
(in the words Kodesh LaShem), one’s Tefillin has the name of Hashem in it 42
times. This is a great source of inspiration and appreciation when
donning Tefillin. The Bi’ur
Halacha in Hilchos Tefillin adds that when we tie the knot on our arm
every morning--we are tying the “Kesher
HaYichud VeHaKedusha--the knot which declares Hashem’s Oneness and
Mastery, and the knot of Holiness. A Rav once saw his Mispalel with a
tired and distracted face as he was about to don his Tefillin. He turned to
him and said--in the Megillah what you are about to do is referred to as “Yekar”--something
very honored, and very precious. You should be smiling from ear to ear
that you have an opportunity now to wear not any crown jewels--but
Hashem’s crown jewels!
Hakhel Note One: One
of the reasons the events which called for our annihilation at the
time of Purim occurred is because “Yoshanu
Min HaMitzvos--we were asleep with the Mitzvos, for the Mitzvos were
‘old hat’ to us; rephrased just a bit-- we were doing the Mitzvos in our
sleep. The threat of annihilation woke us to realize that Torah was
not an instruction book with many details--but was true Orah--the
infinite and pervasive light , that Yom Tov was not an interruption from
the daily routine, forced vacation, or expensive--but real Simcha, a
human’s ultimate joy together with his Creator even in this world;
that a Bris Milah was not simply the mark of a Jew--but was Sasson,
the reality that 24/7 one could be bonded with Hashem. So,
Re-feeling the Yekar of Tefillin each and every day before we put
them on--especially at this time of year is an important step in making us
worthy to eventually observe and celebrate Purim. It only takes an
extra moment or two of reflection--and the difference may very well be
phenomenal.
Hakhel Note Two: For
women, who do not don Tefillin, their Yekar may easily be seen as the
honorable Bigdei Tznius--the clothing and attire that befits an Am Hashem.
After all, Shlomo Hamelech, the wisest of all men, describes this clothing
with the words “Oz VeHadar Levusha--her
dress is powerful and beautiful--quite similar to the Yekar of
Tefillin--no? In truth, men are supposed to wear their Tefillin all
day, but most are not capable; women, then, whose clothing is with them
throughout the day, succeed to sustain their Yekar far beyond the
average man. It definitely follows that just as men must spend a
little time to appreciate their Yekar, women too--especially when they see
the deportment of other females in stores and businesses--should not sleep
through--but very much appreciate, and be very grateful for the badge of
honor that envelops them daily. Let us start practicing now--so when
we begin to sing the words LaYehudim
Hoysa Orah...on Purim they have very, very special meaning to us!
Special
Note Six: The following moving
message is excerpted from V’shee-Non-Tom,
by Rabbi Elias Schwartz, Shlita: “Ve’atah
Tetzaveh Es Bnei Yisrael--and you
shall command
the children
of
Israel
.” (Shemos 27:20) “The first word of this
pasuk, Ve’atah, and you, is entirely unnecessary, because the second word Tetzaveh starts with a Tav, and that in
itself means you. The word Tetzaveh in itself means “and you shall command.” What do we need the first word, Ve’atah for? In reality, Hashem is teaching us how to command others; how to inspire others; how to teach others. Ve’atah,
and
you: The
way you
act,
the
way you walk,
the way
you talk,
will be
the measure
of success
you will
have in
Tetzaveh,
in your
commanding
others
to do. If
you want
others
to follow you,
then
watch
yourself
first.
If you
want to
impress
good deeds
and good
characteristics
upon others,
then
practice
what
you preach.
Character
cannot
be taught.
It must
be caught.
You
must want
to emulate
the character
of your
parents,
Rabbonim or leaders because
you have
become
impressed
by them.
A Rebbi
must inject
his own
personality
into his
students
if he
wants them
to follow
in his footsteps.
The students
must be
captivated
by his
Midos,
by his
characteristics.
The degree
of indoctrination
is not
in
proportion to the knowledge
acquired.
It is the
personality
of the
Rebbe
that becomes
part
of his
students. They
are caught
up in the aura
of the greatness
of their
Rebbe. Thus is character
molded.
Yehoshua
was
the foremost
student of
Moshe
Rabbeinu.
He became
the leader
of K’lal
Yisrael
after his Rebbe
passed
away,
after Moshe Rabbeinu
died.
Nowhere
in the
Torah
do we refer
to Yehoshua
as the
talmid (student)
of Moshe
Rabbeinu.
He is
rather
called
“Meshareis
Moshe”--he
is referred
to as the
person
who served
Moshe.
Yehoshua
was always
with Moshe.
He observed
Moshe
all the
time.
This
molded
Yehoshua
into the
great
leader
that he became.
How can
I ever
forget
the influence
that my Rebbi,
Reb
Shlomo Heiman,
Z’tl, had on all
of us.
When
I think of the
way he
spoke,
the
way he
smiled,
the way
he walked
in the street,
I can
actually
visualize
him.
Good Midos
shone
on his face.
It became
much easier
to grow
up with
good
character
when
you
had
a Rebbe
like him
to inspire
you. As
you left Rebbi’s
home,
there
was one
little
step,
by itself,
before
you reached
the entire
flight of steps
leading
to the
outside.
Rebbe always walked
with you
till
that one step.
Besides
the mitzvah
of walking somebody
to the door
(which Rebbe
always
did), he would
say: “Watch
that
step,
don’t
trip and fall.” The
greatest
obligation
that we
have
to students
and children
is to
inspire them
with wanting
to become
men
of character
and goodness.
We may
not always
be successful
in the teaching
of the
various
phases
of Torah,
but we
can be
successful
in teaching
others to behave and grow
properly.”
Special Note Seven:
Just a few additional brief points relating to this week’s Parashas
Tetzaveh. Although we cannot supply you with food for the
meal--perhaps with some food to accompany the meal:
1. At the outset of
last week’s Parasha, Teruma, Hashem commands B’nai Yisrael with the
words “VeYikchu Li Teruma --they shall take for Me Teruma. This
week’s Parasha however begins with the words “VeYikchu Eilecha--they shall take for you Shemen Zayis,
highly refined olive oil. Rabbi Schwartz explains why the Parasha
begins with Ve’atah--but what is
the explanation for this change from the great Li-Lishmi
lesson of Parashas Terumah to Moshe Rabbeinu’s personal involvement with
the Shemen Zayis here?
2. The Bigdei Kehuna
Gedola of Aharon as Kohen Gadol are described in the Torah as clothing which
is LeChavod U’LeSifores--clothing
that brings and displays honor and glory to the position. The clothing
of the regular Kohanim are also described in the Torah with the very same
words of LeChavod U’LeSifores.
There is a moving message--even if one does not don the garb of a Rav or the
Elders of the congregation--he is still an important part of the K’lal
and brings Kavod V’Sifores to
himself and his people in his own way. With this privilege comes
the responsibility. Although Aharon’s sons did not wear Eight
Garments--they did wear Four Garments of special dignity. One
must therefore be mindful--especially when going to pray or even when making
a bracha in his own home that he also bring Kavod
V’Sifores (or c’v the
opposite) to his Avodas Hashem by his dress and comport. A person who
wears a baseball cap to Mincha or Ma’ariv with the emblem of “Mitzvah
Man” perched on top of a cartoon character amusingly sprawled underneath
the emblem may be demonstrating the same (or negative) degree of Kavod
V’Sifores to his Avodah as the person touting a Bluetooth-equipped ear
during Shemone Esrei, or the young man clad in an outdoor jacket which
proudly and widely displays the Puma or other Western World Insignia.
This Shabbos is a time to reattach ourselves to the dignity of the Avodah
--by rethinking the regard we intend give to it in our everyday lives!
Hakhel Note: The concept of
wearing proper clothing for davening is codified in Shulchan Aruch (Orach
Chaim 98:4): “VeRaui Sheyiheyu Lo
Malbushim Na’im Meyuchadim LeTefillah Kemo Bigdei Kehunah--it is
befitting for a person to have nice clothing especially for davening like
the Bigdei Kehunah.” The Shulchan Aruch explains that this is because
our Tefillos are in the place of Karbonos--each
person is his own Kohein!
3. The first
of the Kohen Gadol’s Eight Garments listed in the Parasha is the Choshen.
Chazal (Zevachim 88B) teach that the Choshen brings forgiveness for
injustices in monetary matters. We can well understand why this
article of the Bigdei Kehuna is listed first--for, after all, the first
question that a person will be asked after his 120 year stay in this world
is Nossasa VeNosata Be’Emuna--did
you deal honestly with people? Straightening out our actions in
monetary and financial matters is a primary matter --a matter of first
concern. As we get set to do the Avodah-we must first be a N’Ki Kapayim--as our living in Olam Hazeh requires that clean
hands be the pre-requisite for elevation of our spirit. When we think
of what to do or how to conduct ourselves in a particular monetary
matter--let us visualize the holy Choshen--and let us remember it as the
very first of the Kohen Gadol’s Eight Garments!
============================
6
Adar I
Special Note
One: Remember--this
is Adar. Every day one should go out of his way to do something to
make yourself and others happy--learn and/or tell a D’var Torah, give
someone a compliment, show somebody that you were thinking about them...each
person should set a daily goal over this period of Mishe’nichnas
Adar, so that when he leaves Adar I and Adar II to the freedom of Nissan
and Pesach he will have uplifted his mind and spirit to new and special
heights. May we strongly urge that you keep a record of your joyful
accomplishments. In the secular world, it is software and electronic
devices that get updates and upgrades, and then only it is from time to
time--in the Torah world we can and should move to upsurge in wonderful
measure each and every day. Remember--a real Simcha upgrade--today!
Special Note
Two: “What role do others play in our quest for greatness? Your generation
is your world. It is your sole opportunity. One’s parents, one’s
brothers and sisters, one’s kin, one’s wife, one’s children, one’s
neighbors and employers and employees: all are his opportunities. To fritter
it away is the greatest of catastrophes. By his relations with them he gains
the success for which he came into this world!” (From
Simcha Minute--Inspiring Quotations by Rabbi Avigdor Miller, Z’tl).
Special
Note Three: Every day, several times a day, we may recite the Pasuk Kadosh,
Kadosh, Kadosh...Meloh Chol Ha’aretz Kevodo--Hashem You are Holy--and
Your Glory fills the World--every part and aspect, and every minute of it.
The most mundane, if we take it properly, will be seen to truly be among the
sacred. The Chasam Sofer notes that the Torah’s command to build the
Shulchan in last week’s Parasha comes before the command to build
the Menorah. He explains that Olam HaZeh, symbolized by the
Shulchan which housed the Lechem HaPonim must perforce come before Olam Haba--symbolized
by the Menorah as the supernal radiance and illumination of Torah.
Only if we are successful with our attitude and approach to the holiness of
the Shulchan--to bringing Kedusha to Olam Hazeh-- will we merit the Menorah
of Olam Haba. The Shulchan, after all, was in the very same Ohel Moed/Heichal--known
as the Kodesh--as the Menorah itself. Let us remember how
important each and every aspect of our lives is--so that we personally
demonstrate throughout our entire day our true recognition, our
complete belief, our whole and resounding awareness that Meloh Chol
Ha’Aretz Kevodo--His Glory Fills the World and Every Part of It--Every
Single Part of It!
Special Note Four: We continue an exciting Monday/Thursday
series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written by Rabbi Reuvain
Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An Insider Reveals
The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When Purchasing Or
Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And Nevi’im.
For a fuller
treatment of all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer,
which provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XVIII
There are a number
of reasons why a hechsher on Klaf is advantageous:
1) Mistakes can
happen.
Even in a factory
where everyone is ehrlich, and everything is on the up and up,
mistakes and errors can occur. For example, hides might arrive salted when
they were supposed to be unsalted, or a worker might begin processing the
hides without saying the appropriate l’shem kedushas (consecration)
beforehand. There are many other potential pitfalls as well.
When a mashgiach
is present, many of these problems are avoided because he is there watching
and double-checking.
2) The hechsher
is more halachically
up-to-date.
Sometimes the klaf
macher can be extremely ehrlich, yet not necessarily be the
greatest talmid chacham. He may not know the piskei halachah
of the Gedolim, and has probably been using the same methods
for the last thirty-five years.
With a hechsher,
his klaf could be--with just some minor tweaks and changes--mehudar
according to many more contemporary poskim.
3) The caliber of
the workers.
Although the owner
of the factory may be very reliable, the workers may not always be up to
par.
The stench in a klaf
factory can be almost unbearable, and it is not always easy to get the
biggest yirei Shomayim to work there.
An important Rav
in Eretz Yisrael told me that he once visited a klaf factory owned by
a very ehrlich person. He wanted to see firsthand what goes on there,
and arrived unannounced.
“When I walked
into the factory,” he related, “the first thing that hit me was the
terrible stench. The next thing I noticed was the fact that Rock n’ Roll
music was blasting from the loudspeakers. I looked around the factory, but
the owner was nowhere to be seen. I then went to watch the workers who are
supposed to put the hides into the vats with the appropriate intent (l’shem
kedushas) for the item being manufactured. I must say, I wasn’t sure
which was the beheimah (animal)--the one being put in the vat or the
one putting it into the vat!”
One would like to
assume that in a klaf factory with a hechsher, such a scene
would never occur.
The bottom line is
that although for the last 2,000 years Klal Yisrael managed without hechsherim
on klaf, things have changed. In the old days, the sofer made
the klaf himself, and one would buy directly from him. Even as
recently as thirty or forty years ago, the klaf factories were small
operations.
Today, however,
when the klaf business has turned into a multi-million dollar
industry producing thousands of tons of klaf per year, it is
advisable to avoid potential problems by purchasing klaf – or
demanding that the sofer purchase klaf – with a reliable hechsher.
============================
5
Adar I
DAF
YOMI REVIEW:
In the past we have mentioned the wonderful Daf Yomi Chazara website http://www.shaschabura.org.
We provide the Chazara program
for Mesechta Sukkah by clicking here.
We thank a reader who helped us with this important link.
--------------------------------------
PLEASE
REMEMBER!
A valuable service is available to the Daf Yomi community worldwide.
Daf Notes (www.dafnotes.com),
which produces a wonderful daily review of the Daf, takes questions by email
relating to the Daf Yomi Mesechta being studied--as yet another one of its
outstanding free services! To correspond with Daf Notes, or to ask any
questions that you like relating to the Daf or the Mesechta contact info@dafnotes.com
--------------------------------------
Special Note One: In
this propitious month, we must strive to find new and different ways to
serve Hashem through Simcha. Not every move or attempt towards this
goal has to involve major or earth-shattering events. May we simply
suggest approaching a friend or colleague and asking him “Did you smile
today?” Hopefully, this will evoke a smile. One can then
follow up with asking them to think about something in their life that they
can smile about now--and hopefully they will smile again! Their
smile(s) could be fleeting--or they could take the uplifted feeling with
them a little while longer--and your Ruach Adar may have changed
their day. You, in turn, have much cause for sublime rejoicing--in
having made someone else’s day a happier one! Keep
up the Ruach Adar in others--and most certainly don’t allow
yourself to falter!
Special Note Two: It
is interesting to note the times that we recite at least the first Pasuk of
Shema--before Pesukei DeZimra in the morning; before Shemone
Esrei in the morning and evening; before laining from the Torah on
Shabbos and Yom Tov, before going to sleep every night--and at the
conclusion of the Yom Kippur Katan and Yom Kippur tefillos--which is really before
the new month and before the newly renewed ensuing year will begin.
It would appear that Shema is the portal, the entranceway, to approach a new
and next stage in life--for it is the essence of Kabbalas Ohl Malchus
Shomayim--the recognition that whatever you are about to do or undertake is
in the presence and service of the One and Only Hashem Who loves you and
watches over you. One may want to add other occasions before which
he recites this Pasuk--such as before heading out to work, before going out
on a date, and other situations and circumstances before one is going to
start something new. Your Kabbalas Ohl Malchus Shomayim at that time
is a clear statement of your recognition and awareness that whatever you do
and whatever results --you are in and under Hashem’s great and loving
care!
Special Note Three: The Sefer Orchos
Tzaddikim teaches that the Middah of Boshess, of being reserved rather
than brazen, shamefaced rather than shameless, is essential to a person’s
character and conduct. However, the Orchos Tzaddikim continues,
there are certain circumstances where reticence is the incorrect reaction
or response. In the strongest of terms, he writes: “V’Ain
LeHone’ach Shum Mitzvah Avur HaBoshess”--one should not fail to
observe or perform a Mitzvah because others are not doing so, or others are
not careful in its performance--for a true servant of the King would not
leave His service even if he was mocked or ridiculed, and certainly if only
smirked upon or if his actions would not be understood by those who lack
sufficient Yiras Shomayim to appreciate the eternal importance of each and
every Mitzvah--and each and every Mitzvah performed properly!
In the words of the Orchos Tzaddikim, it is a “Boshes Ra’ah
Me’od”--a very bad Boshess if one is more ashamed of a person than
of Hashem. If one sees laxity in others--whether it be in areas of
Kashrus or Bedikas Tolaim (which from all of the recent findings seems to be
one of the real and final tests of our generation), of failing to eat
Shalosh Seudos, of batala during
the course of Torah Study, of questionable financial meandering, of zip-zap
Brachos or Tefillah, one should not join the crowd but instead stand up for
Hashem and demonstrate what and how it should be done. Of course, if
one feels that the people around would be far from receptive or would be
‘hurt’ or ‘insulted’ by his actions , one should consult with his
Rav or Posek on a definitive course of conduct--but action of some kind must
most definitely be taken. A ganev, as someone who steals secretly, is more scared of man than of
Hashem and must therefore must pay kaifel
or double for his actions. Let us not c’v
fall into a ganev mode by being
more shamefaced of man than of Hashem --but instead serve Hashem in each and
every Mitzvah with the dignity and honor--with the unwavering nobility--that
is attached to being part of the Mamleches Kohanim Vegoy Kadosh!
Special Note Four:
The following is excerpted from the Brachos
Tabletop Card graciously provided by the Chofetz Chaim Heritage
Foundation:
Reasons
We Make Brachos
1. Hashem created an endless variety of species of
trees, fruits and plants, differing in appearance, taste and fragrance.
Clearly the purpose of these things is not merely that of physical
sustenance. For if it were so, why would there be such great variety?
Rather, brachos serve as an excellent means of drawing ourselves closer to
Him. They give us the opportunity to speak to Him, to our Father, our King,
the King of kings. We are reminded of Him and are helped to come close to
Him. (Based on Hamivareich Yisbareich)
2. The essence of making a bracha is Hakaras Hatov--recognizing
the good someone does for you. As Chazal state: “One may not benefit from
this world unless one has made a bracha.” (Brachos 22A) The entire world
belongs to Hashem. Given that it is obvious that one must thank whoever
allows him to use his property, how much more so would this be true when one
benefits from that which belongs to the One on High! (Tzlach,
ibid.)
3. Through brachos, one recalls his Creator:
“Chazal instituted that there be many brachos to serve as expressions of
praise, thanks and supplication, in order that we remember the Creator on a
constant basis.” (Rambam)
Special
Note Five: In the Parasha, we learn of the construction of the
Mizbe’ach HaKetores, upon which the Ketores was brought, which Chazal
teach brought forgiveness for the private sin of Lashon Hara. The
Chofetz Chaim writes that the study of the laws of Lashon Hora assist one in
staving off Lashon Hora--for a person more fully appreciates and understands
what speech is permitted, and what speech is not. It is extremely
important to note, however, that the Chofetz Chaim also composed a
Tefillah (there are short and long versions of it) for one to recite, in
which one prays for Hashem’s assistance to be saved from improper speech.
There are so many situations, circumstances and temptations in our
lives--that even those who study the laws still need the extra Tefillah that
they be freed of those who are not careful in this regard, and of those
tempting, instinctive and even unclear situations. We once again provide
the Tefillah by clicking here. Bringing
the Ketores was part of the Avodah every day; we too should be sure to make
our Tefillah to be saved from Lashon Hora an important part of our own daily
Avodah as well!
============================
4
Adar I
Special
Note One: Not a position to be in:
The Chofetz Chaim in the name of the Sefer Chareidim
writes that when one does not judge another favorably, he becomes the
merkava, the carrier or bearer, of a K’lipas HaTumah known as Chovah. Important
Recommendation: Today, as
you are about to experience that situation in which you do not at all
understand how or why that person could have said this or done that, resolve
that instead of devolving into a merkava for Chovah, you will instead
fulfill the Mitzvas Aseh D’Oraysa of Betzedek
Tishpot Amisecha--judging another favorably even under the most puzzling
or extremely difficult set of circumstances.
It follows that, in that event, rather than becoming a bearer of
Tumah--one will instead be the
bearer of the special spirit of Tahara.
Chazal teach that Hashem’s Midah Tovah is at least 500 times
greater than his Middah of Puraniyos. Let
us re-examine each and everyone of these daily meetings, situations and
circumstances. Far more than
being a thorny challenge or trying time--each one is more truly an
incredibly great opportunity--which should not get away.
Every day--every time--go for the purity that will come upon you and
your Neshama in such great measure!
Special
Note Two: Today, tens of
thousands of Acheinu Beis Yisroel around the world are mesayem
Mesechta Yoma, which concludes with so much direction, instruction and chizuk
in the area of Teshuva. Teshuva is reverberating in K’lal Yisroel! It
is no coincidence--as it never, ever is --that this week we will also
conclude the Shovavim period for 5774. During
Shovavim, some have raised their level in an area or areas in which they
felt a faltering. If one
feels the special time has passed by without making a real mark on him this
year, may we propose the following brief but potent idea:
The Sefer Chovos Halevavos
explains that the essence of a person is his thoughts--and this is where his
Bechira Chofshis really lies, for
whether or not (and in what manner) one effectuates his thoughts will be
determined by Hashem’s especially dedicated Hashgacha Pratis over him.
One’s thoughts are therefore his true and very personal and
personalized expression of self. HaRav
Chaim Friedlander, Z’tl, in Sefer Sifsei
Chaim especially emphasizes the importance of ‘Rikuz
HaMachshavos’-consistently focusing one’s thoughts towards what is
right and away from wrong. Failure
to develop in this area affects one’s entire being, for it is not just the
brief or passing improper thought that has entered and spoiled, but it is
the impervious downgrade of one’s character and attitude that results from
the improper notion or thought. Accordingly,
may we suggest that one attempt to go through a day (starting today, perhaps
here and now) resolving not to have or allow a thought today that he would
be embarrassed about in front of a close family member or friend--and
certainly not in front of Hashem who knows all thoughts.
When one is aware that the thought is coming or has come--he should
quickly banish it by reminding himself that the thought is not him--but like
a foreign bacteria or virus, is there to harm him--in this case in a
spiritual and everlasting way. The
gauge of ‘will this embarrass me’ is a simple but effective one.
Even if one feels that this is not possible for it is too much of a
‘cold turkey’ response to his thoughts until now--it should definitely
be made a part of one’s day when he becomes aware of an unbecoming,
unacceptable or inappropriate thought--and, realizing it, moves to cleanse
and clarify his thoughts--and his life.
Siyum
Mesechta Yoma and Siyum Shovavim 5774--may we make sure to leave them with a
meaningful impact upon our lives!
Special
Note Three: Dovid HaMelech
exclaims: “Tashmieinu Sasson VeSimcha…Make
me hear joy and gladness...” (Tehillim 51:10).
This Pasuk teaches us that the increasing Simcha that we would like
to attain this month is a gift from Hashem, and
we should daven for it! Indeed,
Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Shlita, notes that because we have a double Adar
this year we can take 59 days of joy, add on a 1 representing the month of
Adar Sheini, and attain 60. We
thus have a possibility of Bittul
BeShishim--we have enough to be mevatel, to nullify an attitude and
feeling of atzvus, sadness... for the rest of the year!
There
are some great additional steps we can take towards attaining Simcha this
month. HaRav Mattisyahu Salomon,
Shlita, suggests in general that everyone study the concept of Simcha as
related in the Sefer Mesilas Yesharim,
Chapter 19. There, the Mesilas Yesharim teaches that a person should recognize that the
true Simcha is Simcha Shel Mitzvah, which
is the recognition and appreciation of one’s entitlement and privilege to
daven to Hashem who is all-powerful, to study Hashem’s Torah, and to serve
him through the performance of Mitzvos.
Simcha Shel Mitzvah is not simply a Simcha that is contained in our life--it is the
Simcha that actually sustains our
life. Indeed, the Kuzari writes that each Mitzvah opportunity should be viewed as an
incredible invitation by Hashem Himself to be taken out of emptiness and
squalor and instead to sit and eat at the King’s Table!
Moreover, the more Hashem wants to invite you to Olam Haba, the more
opportunity of Mitzvah--the more invitations--he gives to you. Each
such invitation brings you to a position at the table which is closer and
closer to the King. Remember,
your ultimate stay at the King’s table will not be for a short meal or
even a banquet--rather, your final position at the table--will be an
everlasting one!
HaRav
Salomon brings one way in which one can determine whether in fact he
experienced Simcha Shel Mitzvah. He
analogizes to one coming home from a Chasunah.
How did you feel when you came
back--”I had nothing to do” “I
was bored” “I am still
hungry”--or “I am so happy for
the Chosson and Kallah” “What
a great Simcha” “I felt real
Achdus there.” Your feelings
after the Chasunah will give you the insight as to how meaningful it was for
you. Similarly, after you Daven,
after you study Torah, or after you perform the other 611 Mitzvos--Do you
feel uplifted? Do you feel happy? Do you feel accomplished?
One
can help himself grow in attaining Simcha Shel Mitzvah with some Hachana,
simple preparation before doing a Mitzvah.
Reflect for a moment--what a great opportunity doing this Mitzvah
is--what a great right--what a great privilege--from Hashem Himself!
Adar
is an especially graced time for growth in Simcha Shel Mitzvah--for this is
the Avodah of the Month. Let us
work on this great accomplishment together by taking a moment to reflect before
we perform a Mitzvah--and then feel the joy after
we have performed it…and forever thereafter!
============================
3
Adar I
SUGGESTION
OF THE WEEK:
Every day, Hashem’s kindnesses to us are so great that we describe
them in Shemone Esrei as “Ki Lo Samu Chasodecha--Hashem’s Chesed is Unending”.
When reciting these all-encompassing words we should feel the bliss
of the many (countless) blessings we have at that moment--relating to the
body, soul, family, personal miracles and experiences, etc.
One can and should sense a shower of Chasodim upon him, just as one
senses the pleasure of a hot shower on a tired or perspired body--the water
keeps on coming and coming-bringing salvation, relief and renewal!
Indeed, even throughout the day--as one realizes the specific
blessing here and the definite blessing there--exclaim ‘Ki
Lo Samu Chasodecha--Your Chesed keeps coming and coming!
------------------------------------------------
AN
IMMEDIATE LESSON FROM THE KERUVIM: Rebbe
Yisroel Salanter, Z’tl, explains that the Keruvim had the appearance of
children--for us to realize that in our relationship with Hashem and with
others we should view ourselves as children--not stuck in any kind of bad
habit or rut--and always willing to try something new, always trying to
explore--to get up and grow. Let
us be guided by the light of doing more than in the past, doing Yoseir
MiMah She’Hayisi--not being a Kacha
Jew--but being like the Keruvim --better today than the day before!
Hakhel
Note: With the Daf Yomi concluding Mesechta Yoma tomorrow--tens of thousand
of Jews across the globe are learning about Teshuva in the concluding Dafim!
Teshuva is timely--let’s bring it into reality-we now have the Koach HaTzibbur as the powerful tailwind behind us!
-------------------------------------------------
ANOTHER
LESSON FROM CHILDREN--THE CHILD’S
CRY
: A
toddler is happily playing with a little rattle or toy. Suddenly, its mother
enters the room. It turns--and realizing its mother is now present begins to
painfully cry--after all it needs to be picked up, held, hugged kissed,
fed.... At any point in the day, we may be actively engaged in chesed,
learning, parnassah--however, when the time comes for Tefillah does it not
make the greatest of sense to follow the child’s great lesson, and put
everything aside--in order to pursue Hashem’s
warm and caring embrace. The
child has made the real and right decision--so should we!
Hakhel
Note: As the outstanding work Praying
With Fire (Artscroll) reminds us: “Rav
Elimelech M’Lizhensk (cited in Nefesh
Shimshon, p.35) would say the following words before entering Shul to
daven: ‘Know
where you are entering; What you will do there; Who is in this house; Whose
house it is; and Who empowered you to enter this house.’”
------------------------------------------
Special
Note One: Now that we are at the
third day of Adar Rishon (!), we are reminded of the words of Rav Dessler,
Z’tl in Michtav Mai’Eliyahu (Volume 2, p.123).
Rav Dessler teaches that just as there are stages in the aveilus of
Av beginning with Rosh Chodesh --which climax on Tisha B’Av, so too is
there an increase in the Simcha one is to feel as he moves daily through
Adar- reaching a pinnacle on Purim and Shushan Purim.
This avodah is not something that we wait until the last moment with.
This year, with the extra month of Adar, we are given more and
greater opportunity to develop this joyfulness.
Our joy is never marked by a one-time chuckle at a joke or one-liner,
but at the Simcha of our relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as the world
turns on the axle of His Hashgacha Pratis over us.
In
connection with this fundamental point, we received the following
correspondence from a reader: “HaRav
Avrohom Schorr, Shlita brings the Sefer Chovos
Halevavos which teaches that one who trusts Hashem, i.e., a Ba’al
Bitochon, is always BeSimcha. It
follows that if wants to be Marbeh Besimcha, it would mean that he should
work on increasing Bitachon (such as by studying the Chovos
Halevavos Sha’ar HaBitochon) in Chodesh Adar”.
Hakhel Note: The Sefer Orchos
Tzaddikim, which consists of 28
She’arim or Chapters, each of which is named by and describes a particular
Midah, also contains a discussion
of Bitachon--can you guess the name of the Sha’ar--the topic, in which the
discussion of Bitachon is contained? The
Sha’ar HaSimcha! Let us get
the message from these most classic of Seforim--and let us use this precious
time period to expand our Simcha horizons!
Special Note Two: As
we paid special, indeed exclusive, attention in last week’s Parsha to the
Mishkan, to Hashem’s Sanctuary in this world, we recognize that it is time
for us to re-focus on the Mikdash Me’at in our neighborhoods and lives as
well. One of the great interferences and degradations of our Mikdash
Me’at, of our Shuls and Batei Medrashim in our time, is--as we have
written so many times in the past-- the wholly inappropriate use and display
of cell phones, smart phones and related devices before, after, and
shockingly even during Davening. Some more reserved individuals may only
allow themselves the luxury of texting and emailing in Shul--but they still
do so in the presence of the King and in His very throne room. While
it is true that we are waiting for the final glorious Palace to be built,
right now we MUST REALIZE that Rav Elimelech M’Lizhensk’s teaching is
real--it is our Shuls and Batei
Midrashim that are Hashem’s Home in this world. Would one have
his cell phone on the Oval Office table, if he was in a meeting with LeHavdil
Eleph VeAlphei Rivevos Havdalos the President of the
United States
?! In many Kehillos, Rabbanim may have
already prohibited the use of these phones and related electronic devices in
the Shul itself at any time. In those Holy Places where this is not
yet the case, we urge YOU to take an active role in making it happen.
We cannot allow those uneducated in the meaning in the reverence one should
have for a Shul or in the importance of communicating with Hashem to spoil
(really defile) the sanctity of the Place for
us all. Is there anything wrong with going over to a person who is
talking or typing and asking him to do so outside, because the walls are
imbued with Kedusha? Even if they argue that what they are doing is
for a mitzvah overess, explain to
them that others will not understand and will learn to do likewise in any
circumstance. The Torah in last week’s Parsha does not directly and
openly refer to ipads, iphones, or any less sophisticated instruments--but
it does teach us, in the form and context of a complete, non-digressing
Parsha, how important the Mikdash Me’at is to Hashem and, therefore,
to K’lal Yisrael. Let us really take action--and, in this zechus,
may we literally uplift ourselves from our Mikdash Me’at to the Third and
Final, Permanent and Everlasting Third Bais Hamikdash...speedily and in OUR
days!
Special
Note Three: We continue an
exciting Monday/Thursday series on the practical aspects of Sta”m, written
by Rabbi Reuvain Mendlowitz, Shlita, author of Inside Sta”m--An
Insider Reveals The Answers To All The Questions You Should Ask When
Purchasing Or Maintaining Tefillin, Mezuzos, Megillos, Sifrei Torah And
Nevi’im.
For a fuller treatment of
all topics to be discussed, we urge you to purchase the Sefer, which
provides practical and meaningful information and ideas.
PART XVII
Ø
Klaf is
the parchment on which STA”M items are written. It is made by
processing the hide of a kosher animal through a specific procedure known as
ibbud.
Question
Does klaf
need a hechsher (kosher certification), or is all klaf kosher?
Answer
Until recently,
there was no such thing as a hechsher on klaf or klaf
factories. All the klaf manufacturers were trusted to do everything
properly.
The manufacture of
kosher klaf involves many halachos – from avoiding the skins
of a bechor (firstborn) to properly scraping and sanding the skin.
Some of the klaf
machers (parchment makers) were insulted when people started asking if
they had a hechsher. After all, for the previous fifty years, all the
sofrim and many Gedolim had relied on them and trusted them
implicitly.
Their feelings are
understandable. Imagine if you owned an appliance store for fifty years on
Main St., and you were considered to be an honest man who knew his products
like the back of his hand. All the old-timers still talk about how they
bought their appliances from you when they got married.
Then one year, a
group of young upstarts begins to notice that not all the appliance store
owners are totally honest and reliable. They decide to set up a watchdog
organization that will offer their stamp of approval, for a fee, to any
storeowner who will allow them to inspect all the appliances in the store
and examine their books. Would you let them into your store?
Of course not! You’d send them right back to where they came from.
Another reason
that some klaf machers are not acquiring hechsherim is
because all klaf machers have their own unique methods for processing
the klaf. A knowledgeable sofer can tell you instantly whose
piece of klaf you are holding in your hand – usually just by
looking at it, and sometimes just by feeling it.
Therefore, they
are extremely hesitant to allow anyone into their factories, lest it be
revealed how they process their klaf, and someone steal their
“recipe.”
While these
concerns are legitimate, and we can sympathize with the plight of these klaf
machers, the fact remains that some of the other factories have hechsherim
while they don’t.
In our next
installment we will delineate various reasons why in our days a hechsher is
important.
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