FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

"Stop being afraid. There is no danger that these guns will be used against us. The purpose of this ammunition for the Palestinian police is to be used in their vigilant fight against the Hamas. 

They won't dream of using it against us, since they know very well that if they use these guns against us once, at that moment the Oslo Accord will be annulled and the IDF will return to all the places that have been given to them. The Oslo Accord, despite what the opposition claims, is not irrevocable." 
- Yitzchak Rabin 

Let the Government with the support and blessing of all Israelis across the entire political spectrum honor the memory of the late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin by abrogating, annulling, repudiating (or whatever term is appropriate) the Oslo Accord and other agreements that Israel has entered into but that the other side has not honored. Return the IDF and Israeli control to all the Land, and then let us pursue peace from a position of strength - not from the perceived weakness of today. 

Feedback to tt@ou.org or 566-7787 

RITE and REASON by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard 

Q Why is HODU said before BARUCH SHE'AMAR in Nusach S'fard and after BARUCH SHE'AMAR in Nusach Ashkenaz? 

A The Nusach S'fard practice is based on SEDER OLAM RABBA which says that the verses of HODU recall the daily sacrifices and other korbanot, all of which were just recited as part of the KORBANOT section of the davening. HODU, then, follows KORBANOT, rather than be considered part of P'SUKEI D'ZIMRA proper. The Nusach Ashkenaz practice is based upon having all verses of Tanach which are recited in the part of the davening before SHMA and its brachot be preceded by and followed by brachot (viz. Baruch She'Amar & Yishtabach). 

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins) 
The Evil Impulse promises immediate gratification. Not so the Good Impulse, which works more slowly, as in the Talmudic phrase: "The good deed today, its reward tomorrow (Eruvin 22a). That is why people are so attracted to the Evil Impulse, because of its instantaneous payoff. 
- The "Holy Jew" of Pshis'cha 

“Words from the heart are taken to heart.” (Rabbi Moshe Ibn Ezra) – including the heart from which the words come. 
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk 

News item filed by our TT correspondent in Tallahassee 
Rumors have been circulating about a consortium of Florida builders who are planning to come to Israel to rebuild Sedom. It seems that a recount has revealed that there were 10 Tzadikim in the city afterall. 

How to Recycle a Mitzvah 
The Old City Gemach has been in operation for the past 11 years. This has afforded us the opportunity to grant 1921 loans to date. Recently we were honored to join the Israel Center as cooperative partners to expand our operations. The Israel Center assists us by supplying a meeting location each Tuesday morning 10-12 at their building on Keren HaYesod, plus 2 or 3 volunteer aides.

Why use the metaphor recycle? In reality the funds at our disposal are turned over (recycled) about twice a year. Thus, a tax deductible donation is available over and over again to our financially distressed Jewish neighbors – interest free!
The founders of the Old City Gemach – Mike Kramer and Yechezkel Mink, former American businessman – are the hands-on principals. The recycling concept is especially familiar to Yechezkel, who was formally, a scrap metal dealer in the States and Israel. 
We invite both applicants and donors to come forward for assistance and with contributions in this unique recycling project. 

From the virtual desk of the OU Vebbe Rebbe 
The Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types in the areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of the questions are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious community in Israel and abroad. The Ask the Rabbi project is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...

Question:
I have a relative who is severely paralyzed and has a non-Jewish caregiver taking care of all his needs. Can the caregiver put his tefillin on him, cook for him, and/or go into shul with him? 

Answer: 
Tefillin: The rule is that one can do a mitzva on behalf of someone else only if the person doing it is himself obligated to do the mitzvah. Obviously, the non-Jew is not obligated in tefillin. Thus, the question is if the mitzva is the action of tying and putting on the tefillin (and cannot be done by one who isn’t obligated) or the situation of having them on the arm and head (in which case, who places them there isn’t important). The gemara (Avoda Zara 39a) tells of a woman (who isn’t obligated) who would place tefillin on her husband. Har Tzvi (O.C. I,23) learns from there that the mitzva is the situation of having the tefillin on; the action is just preparatory. Therefore, the non-Jew can put the tefillin on the Jew. The Jew will make the bracha.
Cooking: Regarding the issue of bishul AKUM (the cooking of a non-Jew), one can solve the problem. Regarding bread baked by a non-Jew, it is sufficient for a Jew to light the flame from which the flame for baking is taken. There is a major machloket if this leniency applies to cooked foods or whether a Jew must take part in the cooking itself. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 13:7) is stringent, while the Rama is lenient. In a case like you describe, even Sefardim (who follow the Shulchan Aruch) have room for leniency due to two additional factors: 1) some poskim say that BISHUL AKUM done in a Jew’s house is permitted; 2) some say that BISHUL AKUM done by the hired workers of a Jew is permitted (see Yechave Da’at V, 53-54).

Entering a shul: While it is difficult to find explicit sources on the matter, we see no reason to forbid a non-Jew entering a shul. Even in the Beit HaMikdash, we are told that “My house shall be called a house of worship for all the nations” (Yeshaya 56:7). The Rambam ruled that non-Jews were permitted even on a large portion of the Temple Mount.

This “Ask the Rabbi” Q&A is part of this week’s Hemdat Yamim, the parasha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah. You can read this section or the entire Hemdat Yamim at www.ou.org or www.eretzhemdah.org. If you would like to receive Hemdat Yamim by e-mail, on a weekly basis, please send an e-mail to lists@eretzhemdah.org with the message Join Hemdatya. Please leave the subject blank. 

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