Still Counting...

If you read through the B"H Yom Yom this week and the last couple of weeks, you might have noticed several references to tragedies associated with the Crusades. Some say that the opinion that the mournful practices of the Omer run from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until close to Shavuot, consider the events of the Crusades to be the major "reason", rather than the deaths of the students of Rabbi Akiva (which is consistent with the Pesach to Lag BaOmer mournful period). Chmielnicki's pogroms add to the Iyar-Shavuot opinion (perhaps).

On another S'fira note - OU Kashrut in Israel Director, Rabbi Mordechai Kuber has just returned from an inspection tour of Japan. (No, not the whole country - just the plants whose products have or seek OU supervision.) Here's his S'firat HaOmer story. Many opinions consider the International Date Line (at the 180" longitude line) to apply to halachic situations. The Chazon Ish (and others?) had a different p'sak - that the dateline for halachic purposes is the eastern end of the Asian land mass. This puts Japan on the other side of the dateline according to the Chazon Ish and on our side of the dateline according to Rav Tukachinsky (and others). What does one do to satisfy both opinions? Make the bracha and then say (for example) Hayom... Today is 33 days which are 4 weeks and 5 days to the Omer; today is 34 days which are 4 weeks and 6 days to the Omer. One is certainly correct. Which one goes first? That's another question. Some other time.

I learned three things in Kotzk: That humans are humans, and angels are angels; that if one wants, one can be even greater than an angel; and, "In the beginning, G-d created..." means that G-d created just the beginning - and left the rest for us to complete. - Rabbi Leibele Eger

from Hasidic Wisdom by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)

FEEDBACK cont.

There are two issues still not fully dealt with concerning proper pronunciation of the Sh'ma, but we'll leave them for another time. The jury is still out on some of the details.

On another aspect of SH'MA, namely the word count. Here's what I found. The Sh'ma pasuk has 6 words. So does Baruch Shem... V'A'HAVTA has 42. (The 6+42 of the first Torah portion of Sh'ma has been compared to the 6 cities of refuge and the other 42 cities of the Levi'im, which also protect the SHOGEG-killer who flees to them. The Sh'ma, then, is symbolic of spiritual refuge. But I digress.) V'HAYA has 122 words, and VAYOMER has 69 (not counting EMET, which is not part of the passage, but rather the first word of the bracha that follows the Sh'ma. Our minhag is to joint the EMET to the SH'MA, but it is not part of the parsha as written in the Torah). That's a total of 245. The Tradition is to add three words to bring the total to 248 (RAMACH) which represents "the whole body" (with its 248 bones and organs). If the three words added, when davening without a minyan, are KEIL MELECH NE'EMAN - okay. If they are HASHEM ELOKEICHEM EMET with a minyan, then what happens to the extra EMET, which would bring the total to 249? Apparently, we don't count the EMET we say at the end of our SH'MA, but when the Shali'ach Tzibur says the 3 words, we do.

The first pasuk in Bamidbar shows us that G-d sanctifies the power of speech, that humans can become holy, as can places and time (Rabbi E. Quint)

All night Learn-a-thon

LEIL SHAVUOT - Thursday night, June 8th

11:00pm - Mini-Shiur on KIBUD HORIM - Phil Chernofsky

11:30pm - Shabbat & Redemption - An analysis of L'CHA DODI - Rabbi Eddie Abramson

12:30am - The Relationship of Bnei Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael - Rabbi David Epstein

1:30am - JEWISH TIME - Gedaliya Petersiel

2:30am - Torat Yom Tov - Phil Chernofsky

3:15am - Walk to the Old City

4:00am - Chazon Yechezkeil - Haftara of Shavuot - Rabbi Nachman Kahana

4:45am - Ready, set, go - SHACHARIT (Amida at 5:28 k'Vatikin)

Refreshments throughout the night

OU on Hebrew stick-on label but not on original package? Dairy in Hebrew but Parve in English? Have a question about an OU product in Israel?

Call the OU Kashrut Hotline 1-800-949-0123

(toll free call from Israel to the New York office)

M-Th 4:00pm to midnight, Fri. 4:00pm to Shabbat; other times leave message

FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR

Dear Torah Tidbits Readers,

With the advent of Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem is at the forefront of our minds. When we think of Jerusalem, we conjure up images of holiness, serenity, majesty; the City - "Ir" - forces us to awaken - "Lehit'orer" - to cast around and contemplate her purpose.

What was David HaMelech thinking when he wrote in Psalm 122 that, "I was happy when they said to me, let us go to the House of G-d"? The poet surely realized that one individual or pilgrim does not, cannot, go up to Jerusalem alone; that we can only be truly content when our efforts for Jerusalem are united.

Indeed, David describes Jerusalem as "K'ir shechubra lah yachdav," as a city bound firmly together. He continues to describe her elements: the tribes, the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the House of David - all harmoniously linked in peace and prosperity.

As the Jerusalem traveller internalizes this ideal, we see that his singular subjective perspective has been replaced by a community spirit: Moreover, he has become spiritually uplifted, for now he can declare: "For the sake of my brothers and companions, I will now say, 'Peace be within you.' Because of the House of the Lord our G-d, I will seek your good."

We, the Israel Center family, located in the center of the Holy City, most surely identify with these sentiments.

May all of Beit Yisrael and Jerusalem be blessed with peace within their walls on this Yom Yerushalayim.

Sincerely yours,

Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center

Are you a member of the Center?

It's always time to join the Israel Center. Besides promoting Torah education and supporting an ever-growing community, you benefit from:

[a] Reduced entrance fees for shiurim, lectures and concerts (free for life members);

[b] Reduced prices on tiyulim (sometimes, the reduction for a couple on a tiyul is more than membership costs);

[c] Free subscription to "Jewish Action", the foremost magazine of Orthodox Jewry;

[d] Membership gift.

And as we plan our move to the new World Center, there will be continuing benefits and services added to this list

Now is the time to become part of the Israel Center family.

Year Membership - 185NIS (it will go up soon)

Life Membership - $500 (payable in installments)

Drop by the Center or call - 02-500-3333.

NESTO

The new NESTO office opened this week in the outer office of Menachem Persoff's office. We thank Menachem for working to make this space available to us, and welcome all kids to drop in for schmooz, food, and just hangin' out. For the remainder of this year, the office is open Thursday nights from 7:30-9:30. Refreshments will always be on hand. The office's phone number is 500-3333 ext. 203. You may leave messages for Rabbi Avi there.

Mark your calendars for June 15th. Ahuva Gray, a Jew by Choice from the Afro-American community in the States will share her story at 7:30pm. The Power of Judaism promises to be an evening of frank discussion about Jewish identity and the ability to make commitments in one's life. There will be a pizza dinner on the 15th. beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Israel Center. Cost for members is 10 shekels, non-members 15.

Continued hatzlacha for those taking their bagruyot!

NITZOTZ

The following letter was received at the Israel Center this week:

"We want to extend our sincere thanks to dear Nava and Luba for bringing the girls' choir to the Sarah Herzog Memorial Hospital... and also for the warm relationships built between the hospital and the young volunteers.

Your wonderful girls brought cheer and happiness to our psychiatric patients and tears to the eyes of the patients and staff who were so moved by the harmony of voice and instrument.

For a magical moment you created an unforgettable and pleasureable experience for our patients.

With Hashem's help we look forward to a continuing and warm relationship.

Sincerely,

Rita Levene, staff and patients of the Psychiatric Dept.

Thank you to all our Nitzotz volunteers! CHIZKU V'IMTZU

NCSY NEWS

As a result of continuing interactions with the Giv'at Brenner High School, NCSY hosted a three-day seminar for them on May 16-18, at the Beit Sefer Sadeh in Kfar Etzion.

The seminar featured major Israeli personalities, historical expeditions, and learning encounters. The students learnt in chevruta with the Hesderniks of Har Etzion and the girls from Neve Chana. They discovered that their religious counterparts are not really all that different from them, and that the stereotypes depicted by the mass-media are erroneous and damaging. One student wrote: "The impression that I got from television, newspapers, and society about the settlers was very wrong and I was very surprised to learn that you are not radicals and narrow minded like I always thought."

The group visited Chevron, a first for many of them, and a home for runaway troubled youth in the Gush. They heard sessions with Rav Menachem Froman, Professor Alex Lubotsky, Rav Moshe Heger, and a thought provoking presentation by Shai Solomon.

The purpose of the seminar was to expose these secular high school youth to the religious perspectives of a society otherwise irrelevant and untouchable to them. It was a huge success. In the words of one participant: "I think it is necessary and vital to bring teenagers for a few days to meet their religious Jewish brothers, that are not at all different than us. I think that the seminar opened my way of thinking towards every issue: the religious, Torah, Jews, Zionism...and will effect me forever (I hope). You are really great people and it's a thrill to learn from your way of life."

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