Action Alert

The Orthodox Union has called upon its members - synagogues and individuals - to increase prayer and T'hilim on behalf of the 13 Iranian Jews who are falsely accused of spying for Israel and the U.S. They were arrested nearly one year ago. Three have been released on bail and the other ten remain in jail.

The IPA (Institute for Public Affairs of the OU) memo stresses that public and street demonstrations are not called for at this time. But special prayers and the saying of T'hilim sre being urged. Specifically, T'hilim chapters 130, 121, 20, 120, and 142 are recommended.

May HaShem hear our prayers and bring about a swift return of our brothers to their families.

Asher b. Saltanat, Naser b. Poran, Farhad b. Hamedam, Ramin b. Minzal, Javid b. Mochtaram, Navid Navir Balazadeh, Nejat Beruchim, Faramarz Kashi, Danni Tefilin, Omid Tefilin, Ramin Neamati, Shahrokh Paknahad - among the other Jewish captives, wherever they may be.

TAHARA & TUM'A

To oversimplify: one aspect of the rules of ritual purity and impurity for a Yoledet (a woman who have given birth) is to show the sharp contrast between life on the one hand and the absence thereof on the other. This can be seen in the Tum'a of a dead body, in the laws of Nidah, the rules of pregnancy, as well as the Yoledet. A woman's period signifies that life has not begun within her - there is TUM'A. A pregnant woman has life developing within her - TA'HARA. When that life emerges into the world, she is no longer carrying that extra life - TUM'A.

Another aspect of the procedures for the new mother is geared to help her recoup her physical, psychological and emotional identity and well-being.

After the parsha of BIRTH, the Torah moves on to the topic of NEGA'IM (various skin afflictions). The rest of Tazria and most of Metzora deal with this topic.

A person with an affliction that MIGHT be Tzora'at (in one of its many forms) is to be examined by a kohen. Under certain circumstances, the kohen might declare the afflicted individual a Metzora rendering him immediately ritually unclean. Or, a kohen might order a one week quarantine with an additional examination to determine the status of the individual, to take place on the seventh day of said quarantine. That second inspection can result in the person being declared "clean", or "Tamei", or an additional week of quarantine can be ordered.

YUD and VAV account for more than 10% of the Torah's 304805 letters each. Less than 0.6% of the letters are TET.

Matza Ashira

a.k.a. Egg matza, a.k.a. Ugiyot Yayin or Wine Cookies

This is an interesting topic in Halacha and a frustrating matter for the Pesach shopper, especially from the States or other Anglo lands.

Since I don't know if I'll run out of space before I get to the warnings to the consumer, let me start with them. Then will come the theory, time and space permitting.

Look at these two terms carefully. The each appear on the ingredients list of different Kosher L'Pesach foods.

[1] KEMACH MATZOT.

[2] KEMACH L'MATZOT.

Number [1] is what we used to call Matza Meal or Cake Meal, both made by grinding matza up (coarse or fine).

You would use a product containing Kemach Matzot if you eat G'BRUCHTS (a.k.a. MATZA SH'RUYA, soaked matza), and if the Kemach Matzot used is from matza that you would use. For example - if you eat only Sh'mura throughout Pesach, and the Kemach Matzot is made from "regular" matza, then you wouldn't eat the product. Or if you don't eat G'bruchts, then you would not eat gefilte fish, for example, that contains matza meal.

The principle that allows Kemach Matzot is that once flour-water dough is baked into Pesach matzot, it can no longer become Chametz.

The origin of the no-g'bruchts custom is the fear that during the baking of Pesach matzot, some flour remained dry and un-kneaded with the water and was baked into the matza. Whereas actual matza can never become chametz, this unbaked raw Pesach flour is potential chametz. If you crumple a piece of matza into hot chicken soup, and there is some raw flour "trapped" in the matza, then the result of the contact between that flour and the soup is chametz.

G'bruchts eaters say that there is no unbaked flour in the matza, because the kneading of the dough for matza was done very carefully.

Back to [2]. That is pure, raw flour that is used for baking matzot. It's also used for baking other Pesach products in the scrupulous absence of water. Ashkenazim do not allow the use of flour for anything other than matza, flour & water only matza. S'faradim use Pesach flour (another name for Kemach L'Matzot) with eggs, pure, undiluted wine, apple cider, and other ingredients to produce a wide range of Pesach cookies (and cakes). They are sometimes labeled Matza Ashira, sometimes Wine Cookies. S'faradim eat "egg matza" on Pesach. Ashkenazim do not, except for small children, the elderly and infirm. The Shuk and other markets and stores overflow with cookies and macaroons that are 100% kosher for Pesach, but off-limits to us (Ashkenazim, except...) We can eat it before and after Pesach, and we can possess it on Pesach, but we cannot eat Matza Ashira on Pesach. More next week, IY"H.

A reader writes...

The recent tensions created by Chacham Ovadya Yosef's comments about Yossi Sarid are clearly part of a larger pattern in Israeli society. Polarization and hatred, on all sides of the political and cultural spectrum, have progressively worsened in the years since the Rabin assassination. Are our dreams of becoming a true 'goy echad ba'aretz' doomed to remain unfulfilled? Is there anything we can do about it?

We can't change Israeli society overnight. But cultural change is often triggered by small groups of individuals who actively decide to pursue a new path, and begin by changing the way they lead their own lives. This is where we Americans can contribute. If we feel anguish about the hatred and divisiveness in Israeli society, let us begin by changing what we can -- our own speech and our own attitudes.

Let's adopt new standards of speech -- we should debate the political, cultural, and religious future of Israel passionately, but this need not, and should not, involve attacks on people. What Israel needs desperately is more rational discussion of issues, and much less mud-slinging. There is no moral or halachic justification for labeling, name calling, or violent, inciteful speech. When friends, co-workers, or family members use their ko'ach hadibur in a way that serves to create more strife and disunity within Klal Yisra'el, point it out to them, and make it clear that you are not willing to be part of discussions that involve such language. It might seem that there's little we can accomplish as individuals. But by resolving to change our own dalet amot, we can start a quiet revolution, and bring SHALOM to Klal Yisra'el. - A.F.

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