Halachic Times for Jerusalem Israel
Summer Time - a.k.a. Daylight Savings Time Sunset, on the other hand, is given for an elevation of 825m and, in parentheses, as if at sea level. There are different opinions as to which sunset time should be used for halachic purposes. We present both times. The deadlines for the SH'MA and the Shacharit Amida can be calculated in two ways. Either considering the day to be from sunrise to sunset or from dawn to stars out. The first way of reckoning is known as the opinion of the GR"A, and is the first time given in each case. The second method is known as the Magen Avraham, and is presented in parentheses. Aside from candle lighting and havdala, the times are presented as a range, from the current Thursday of the issue of Torah Tidbits until the coming Thursday, a span of 8 days. Days between the two Thursdays can be determined by interpolation (which means: a method by which to estimate a value of between two known values - this is something that people above a certain age might remember from high school trigonometry and logarithms, but younger people who went to school during the calculator era might not be familiar with). It is usually wise to "pad" the times
with a minute or two in the "play it safe" direction. E.g. Plag Mincha.
Better to finish Mincha a minute or two before the given time. But, better
to not light candles until a minute or two after the given time. By now, everyone should have said Kiddush L’vana for this month. A special mitzva in any month, K.L. has extra meaning during the month that focuses on the mutual love between G-d and Bnei Yisrael. Be that as it may, the last opportunity for K.L. this month is Thursday night, August 22, all night. For most readers of TT, that will have past already by the time you read these words. Rosh HaShana is fast approaching and
there is much to do by each of us to prepare for YOM HADIN. We each have an
agenda that should include areas of behavior of the Jew towards G-d, and of
interpersonal conduct as well. It is helpful to remember that it is unlikely
that we should each become perfect TZADIKIM over night. And it is therefore
counterproductive to set that as our goal. Rather, we should do some serious
and careful introspection and try to improve a bit in a few areas from each
area of mitzva. But there is much more reproach of an even stronger kind. Look at the beginning of the sedra. Actually, first look at the whole Torah from Lech Lecha until now. All that the Avot and Imahot went through. All that Yosef and his brothers went through. All that Bnei Yisrael went through, in Egypt and during the forty years of wandering in the Midbar. Throughout, the goal has been: Take the Torah and the Way of Life it teaches us to lead, and go into Eretz Yisrael, G-d’s intended venue for the Jewish People and His Torah. And here, in the beginning of Parshat Ki Tavo, we are poised on the threshold of Eretz Yisrael and will be entering there in a few short weeks. Here is the mitzva of Bikurim, which when it was first mentioned in Mishpatim and Ki Tisa, it was an abstract idea. But now, we find a beautiful description of the mitzva to bring First Fruits and its partner mitzva, the recitation of the Bikurim portion, presenting the Kohen with the beloved first samples of our bounty. For Jewish People at this moment in their lives, they must have seem Bikurim as a preview of the “and they lived happily ever after” life they were anticipating in Eretz Yisrael. And then the Torah lists all kinds of great promises for a bright future. But then come the list of curses for non-compliance and violation of G-d’s word. And the elaboration in gory detail of the terrible things in store for the nation that will turn away from G-d. How can You even suggest that?! Much less imply that it will come to pass. This is the most devastating part of the Tochacha. Not its content, but its mere existence. Can it be that the people who crossed the Sea escorted by such magnificent miracles, the people who stood at Sinai and witnessed the greatest manifesta- tion of Divine Revelation, the people who followed G-d through the Wilder- ness and witnessed - no, lived - miracle after miracle, that these people should be offered such great things in their future, and that they should need even one word of reproach and warning! Sadly, they needed it; we need it. And
that becomes our goal. When G-d offers Life and Good and Blessing, we should
deserve it... and receive it. Kohen - First Aliya - 11 p'sukim -
26:1-11 MITZVA WATCH The first four p'sukim of the Bikurim recitation form the main text for the Pesach Seder; they summarize the Egyptian enslavement and subsequent Exodus. The fifth pasuk speaks of coming to Eretz Yisrael. This corre- sponds to the fifth term of redemption and is represented by the cup of Eliyahu. We all bring Bikurim (including the Levi and the convert) with feelings of joy and thanks to G-d for all we have. [SDT - use it this Shabbat or save it for
next Pesach - your choice] If Lavan is the Arami referred to in the pasuk
(as many commentaries hold), then the pasuk implies that Lavan was
responsible for our going down into Egypt. Yet Yaakov returned to his
father's house after the time spent with Lavan, and only many years later
ended up in Mitzrayim. Commentators point out the following sequence: Lavan
deceived Yaakov and gave him Leah as a wife instead of his beloved Rachel.
When Yaakov subsequently married Rachel too, there developed a rivalry
between the two sisters. This rivalry transferred to the next generation in
the form of the problems between Yosef and his brothers. Yaakov's giving the
Striped Coat led to Yosef being sold into slavery. His descent into Egypt
later brought the whole family down there. Therefore, Lavan IS the
appropriate beginning of that process, hence the pasuk: ARAMI OVED AVI,
VAYERED MITZRAIMA. [SDT] "I have not transgressed Your mitzvot, and I have not forgotten..." There is an interesting connection between not violating the rules of Maaser and the memory. IMREI SHEFER points to the Gemara which states that eating from grain from which mice ate is bad for the memory. The Midrash says that if one tithes his produce properly, mice won’t eat his pro- duce. (The idea here is that ifone neglects the requirements to separate and give of his produce, he won’t gain financially because of it; rather mice will eat up the amount or more of what he was supposed to give.) So we can understand the declaration as’ “Since I have done the Maasering properly, mice won’t eat my grain and I will therefore not eat grain from which mice ate, and therefore I will not forget my learning. Vidui Maaser implies that there is something wrong in our performance of the mitzvot mentioned. Yet the statement specifically says that we did everything that we were supposed to do. In fact, a person who might have transgressed does not make the statement. Only someone who did not sin at all. Why then, do we get the impression that something was not 100%? Rav Soloveichik z"l pointed to the word K'CHOL (like all), which is mentioned twice. The implication is that our performance was almost perfect, but not quite. Also, the statement implies that the individual did only that which he was required to do, and did not (often) go beyond the call of duty. Or perhaps we did a mitzva sort of like it is supposed to be done, but maybe without full KAVANA. These implications might be responsible for the title VIDUI. What an important message this is as we approach Rosh HaShana, when we have to answer for what - AND HOW - we do mitzvot. It is forbidden to eat Maaser Sheni (the second tithes of years 1,2, 4,5 of a Shmita cycle, which remain the owner's property but which must be eaten "with sanctity and ritual purity" in Jerusalem - or be redeemed) while one is a mourner (here it refers to the status of the mourner before burial of the dead - ANINUT) [608] or in a state of ritual impurity [609] (the person and/or the food). It is also forbidden to use the redemption money of Ma'aser Sheni for purposes other than food and drink in Jerusalem [610]. The literal meaning of this prohibition is not to use the money for "the dead". This can narrowly apply to shrouds, casket, etc., but is also generalized to include all non-food uses. We next call upon HaShem to "look down"
upon His People from on high and bless us and the Land of Israel. [We have
kept our promise, we say to G-d (so to speak), now You keep Yours.] MITZVA WATCH Subsequently, another set of pillars is to be erected and inscribed on Har Eval where a Mizbei'ach is to be built (of whole, uncut stones) and sacrifices are to be offered. Moshe and the Kohanim next declare to the People that they have grown into complete nationhood at this point, with all the mitzvot of the Torah having been reviewed. Privilege of nationhood goes hand-in-hand with the responsibilities of keeping the mitzvot. [SDT] Moshe, the kohanim and Leviim, say
to all the people, "on this very day you have become G-d's nation". Rashi
says that the Torah emphasized THIS VERY DAY, to teach us that our
commitment to Torah and mitzvot should be as if we have entered into a
covenant with HaShem on this very day - everyday. We are challenged to
refesh our Judaism continually. Once again, Moshe Rabeinu tells us that following G-d's commandments will earn us superior status among the nations of the world. We will also be showered with blessings for hearken- ing to G-d's voice. We will flourish economically and agriculturally, and be blessed with a healthy increase in population. The blessings begin with the letter BET - BARUCH. The curse begin with the letter ALEF - ARUR. This is how some commentators explain the large BET of the opening word of the Torah - B'reishit. G-d wanted to start the Torah on a note of blessing, not the opposite. Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 63 p'sukim -
28:7-69 [The Torah's expression "Vehalachta b'drachav" is repeated here - emulating G-d is defined as being kind, merciful, charitable, etc.] The nations of the world will see the special relationship we have with G-d, and be appropriately reverent towards us and fearful of us. G-d's heavenly treasure-house will open for us and we will flourish. G-d's blessings are conditional upon keeping the mitzvot. "But, if we don't listen to G-d..." Thus begins the "Tochacha". The admonition against disobedience of Torah. There is a custom of reading this part in a low voice because of how devastating it is to realize that G-d needs to warn us in such graphic terms, what will happen if the Jewish People do not remain faithful to Him. Unfortunately, we need these harsh words of reproach. Unfortunately, they have turned out to be prophetic more than once. The Tochacha is contained within one Aliya (resulting in the longest Aliya in the Torah) so as not to prolong the discomfort in hearing it. The first portion of the Tochacha is the negative mirror image of the blessings previously pronounced in the Torah. The p'sukim then proliferate and describe in shocking and grisly detail that which will occur if we do not remain faithful to G-d. The final pasuk of the Aliya reiterates the "simple" but eloquent covenant with G-d: Keep the Torah and all will be good, if not... The contrast between the "good times" that Bikurim conjures up and the terrible times as described in the Tochacha is overpowering and frightening. It is the difference between contentment and respect on the one hand, and devastation, despair and degradation on the other. Prosperity in our own Land vs. poverty and exile. The key to the difference is Torah & Mitzvot. [SDT] One of the famous “sum it all up” p’sukim in the Tochacha is 28:47, which says that many of the terrible things will happen to us because we did not serve G-d with joy and a good heart (even while we still had all good things). The Kotzker Rebbe gives this pasuk an interesting spin. Because, not only did you not serve G-d, but the not serving Him was with simcha. When a Jew does mitzvot, there is the extra aspect of doing them “with a smile”. And, conversely, when a Jew sins, there is the extra aspect of did that with a smile. Does one who eats non-kosher cry about his betrayal of G-d, or does he lick his fingers with relish and joy. And back to the first hand... How do we
do mitzvot? Mechanically? Apathetically? Or with great enthusiasm and love
of G-d. It makes a world of difference. And this goes, not just for our
practice of Judaism, but for how we teach and show our children. The last three p'sukim are read for the
Maftir. The uplifting message of the haftara is the coming of the Geula, when G-d will restore His People to the Land and the nations and peoples of the world will flock to Jerusalem to pay homage to G-d and His People. Towards the end of the portion is the famous pasuk quoted in the introductory mishna to each chapter of Pirkei AVOT (actually it is a mishna from Sanhedrin), that indicates that all of Israel have a share in the world to come. The concluding words of the haftara are
enigmatic: "...I Am G-d, in its (the redemption) time I will hasten it."
Will the Mashiach come in his appointed time, or sooner? This is a major part of our Elul
challenge. Let's put it this way — the first level of our Elul-time task is
personal, individual. This adds another level, that of the community, of
Klal Yisrael. This is reminiscent of the Rambam in Hilchot T'shuva where he
"suggests" that we each consider ourselves, and our community, and the
entire world to be precariously balanced between merits and demerits. One
tiny mitzva on our part cannot only tip our personal scale to the good side,
but that of our community and that of the whole world as well. One person
can make a difference. Each of us has the power to hasten the Mashiach. So,
let's do it. Lesson # 150 • AGENTS (part 3) In this lesson we shall be discussing who are the persons who are eligible according to halacha to perform the role of being an agent, and who may not be appointed an agent to do the bidding of the principal. A woman may act as an agent and appoint an agent. A married woman may act as an agent for a man other than her husband. There is a general principle that a person can appoint whomever he wants to be his agent and he is responsible for the decisions and the acts of the agent. Thus there is usually no difference if the agent is eligible or ineligible as far as the principal is concerned. It is only when there are the rights and obligations of third parties in the situations described above that there may be a difference. The topic of this lesson is not the relationship between the principal and the agent. Rather it focuses on the relationship between the agent and third parties. The question arises regarding the eligibility of the agent as regards other parties. For example, Yehudah, the debtor, owes $100 to Levi, the creditor. Levi sends a fax to Levi instructing Levi to send him the $100 with whomever the debtor Yehudah selects to deliver the $100. Under these instructions, the person selected by Yehudah, the debtor, to deliver the $100, becomes the agent of the creditor, Levi. Since, Yehudah, the debtor is selecting the agent for the creditor, Levi, the person selected by Yehudah, the debtor in this situation must be a trustworthy person and cannot be a person who has a disability. In halachah, the following are deemed to be persons with disabilities. A deaf-mute, a mentally deficient person, a minor, or a Gentile. Thus clearly, Yehudha may not select any of these persons. If he does select such a person, and the messenger loses the $100, Yehudah still owes the $100 to Levi. On the other hand, if Yehudah selects a trustworthy person without disabilities, as soon as Yehudah gives the $100 to that messenger, it is deemed that Yehudah delivered the money to Levi's messenger/ agent. Yehudah no longer owes the money to Levi, and if the agent selected by Yehudah loses the money, Yehudah is not responsible, and no longer owes the money to Levi. Another situation in which there is a difference if the agent is eligible or ineligible occurs when the principal instructs his agent to receive a gift on behalf of the third party. If the agent is ineligible to act as such, the gift is not effective until the agent delivers it to the third party. I will discuss each class of the aforemen- tioned persons separately, that is, besides the Jewish adult male and female who are ordinarily eligible to act as agents. The classes that are not eligible are deaf-mutes, the mentally deficient, minors, and Gentiles. Subject to local laws and local custom, a principal can appoint whomever he wants to be his agent. Those classes listed below are restrictions regarding the rights of third parties in dealing with the agent. A person living in California while on a trip to New York borrows a rare book from his friend in New York. The friend in New York telephones the borrower in California and tells him to return the book with a member of the Cohen family that is flying from California to New York. The Cohen family consists of a father, a mother, a mentally deficient child, and a minor child. When the borrower hands the book to either Mr. or Mrs. Cohen, he will immediately be relieved of liability for the return of the book. However, if he hands the book over to the mentally deficient child or to the minor child, the borrower will not be relieved of liability until the book reaches the hands of the lender. The deaf-mute may not act as an agent since he does not have the mental capacity to so act. He may not appoint an agent to act on his behalf. A mentally deficient person may not act as an agent since he does not have the mental capacity to so act. He may not appoint an agent to act on his behalf. There is a difference of opinion as to whether an agent may act for a principal who was lucid when he appointed him to be his agent, but became mentally deficient before com- pletion of the purpose of the agency. A minor may not act as an agent (unless the principal appoints him to so act for himself). The reason is that a minor does not have the mental capacity to carry out the instructions of the principal. He may not appoint an agent to act on his behalf. A boy is no longer a minor when he attains the age of 13 years and one day, and a girl when she attains the age of 12 years and one day. A parent sent his minor son with a shekel and a container to purchase one liter of oil from a storekeeper; oil costs one half shekel a liter. The storekeeper took the container from the boy, measured out the liter of oil into the container, and gave the boy a shekel change. On his way home the boy lost the half shekel and/or the oil. The storekeeper is responsible. If the storekeeper did not take the container into his own hands, but had merely poured a liter of oil into the container held by the minor son, the storekeeper would not have been liable if the son broke the container on his way home. In the first situation the storekeeper took the container from the minor and at that time he became the principal, and when he returned the container to the minor, the minor became his agent. In the latter case the storekeeper never took the container into his own hands and the minor was still the agent of the father. However, if the father instructed the storekeeper to return the oil with the minor son, the storekeeper is not liable for any loss after the minor son takes the oil into his hands. If a principal desires, he may appoint a Gentile to be his agent in most monetary matters. However, regarding third parties, a Gentile may not serve as an agent. A Jew is not eligible to act as an agent for a Gentile. There is a difference of opinion whether according to Jewish law a Gentile may act as an agent for another Gentile. Just a another law of agency not connected with the topic of today's lesson. If the agent is injured while acting in
the role of the principal's agent, the principal is not liable. For example,
the principal hires an agent to deliver payment to the lender. Whether he
pays the agent is not controlling. The law is the same if the agent was not
paid. On the way to make payment, the agent drives his car recklessly and
injures himself. The agent cannot sue the principal. A modern-day analog of this law is the prohibition for the mourner to take part in a rejoicing such as a wedding. This prohibition is for thirty days; if the mourning is for a parent, then the prohibition is for twelve months (Yoreh Deah 391). WAVES OF JOY AND SORROW The parallel relationship between mourning and the rejoicing of the wedding is hinted at in the Yerushalmi which explains that Moshe instituted both the seven day period of rejoicing for bride and groom and the seven day period of mourning for the bereaved (Yerushalmi Ketubot 1:1). One central theme of the laws of mourning is that death is a momentous event, one that we do not allow to pass unnoticed. It is obligatory to make a funeral, which it is a mitzva to attend; the mourners sit shiva and all of their friends and relatives come to console them, and so on. The idea is to extend the wave of bereavement as far as possible. This is a way of giving proper respect for the departed soul, and also spreads the burden of the mourning as widely as possible. The same applies to a wedding. The creation of a new family is of inestimable importance. It is a mitzva to take part in the bridal procession, and to gladden the bride and groom; after the wedding, all the friends and relatives come to the sheva berakhot to extend the rejoicing. The parallel extends even to the idea of panim chadashot – new faces. Just as the sheva berakhot are said only if there is a new celebrant present, so in previous generations the special blessing of mourning was said only if a new person came to console (Tur Yoreh Deah 376 - Today this blessing is not said). Again, the emphasis on new faces shows the importance of extending as much as possible the participation in the event. INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY Rabbi Meir has completed writing a monumental companion to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch which beautifully presents the meanings in our mitzvot and halacha. It will hopefully be published in the near future. Rabbi Meir authors a popular weekly
on-line Q&A column, "The Jewish Ethicist", which gives Jewish guidance on
everyday ethical dilemmas in the workplace. The column is a joint project of
the JCT Center for Business Ethics, Jerusalem College of Technology - Machon
Lev; and Aish HaTorah. You can see the Jewish Ethicist, and submit your own
Qs — www.jewishethicist.com or www. aish.com Q I use my oven for baking fleishig foods. If I haven't used the oven for 24 hours and bake a pareve cake, can I eat it with milk? A Please be aware that there are diverse minhagim in different communities regarding the use of ovens for different types of foods. What we write here is not intended to delegitimize any ruling you have received from a competent, rabbinic authority. We start with the case that you use a fleishig baking pan. Does the fleishig taste, which entered the pan, exit it, enter the pareve food and turn it into fleishig. This double-removed taste, known as NAT BAR NAT, is the subject of a major machloket between the Shulchan Aruch and the Rama (Yoreh Deah 95:2), with the Rama ruling for Ashkenazic Jewry that it is proper to treat the formerly pareve food as fleishig. However, if the pan has not been used for 24 hours, then the taste remaining in it is not halachically significant. It is true that Chazal did not allow us to use non-kosher utensils that have remained unused for 24 hours. However, since, in this case, even within 24 hours, the fleishig status of the food is far from clear, the cake you refer to is considered pareve. For this reason, the GR”A (ad loc.:9) permitted the use of such a pan for the purpose you describe. On the other hand, many acharonim prescribe to the opinion of the Chuchmat Adam (48:2) (with which the Rama (ibid.) mildly implies that he agrees) that one should not set up such a situation l'chatchila (in the first place). In other words, if one planned to eat the cake with fleishig or pareve and then a situation arose where he decided to eat it with milchig, he could do so. However, he should not bake with the intention to eat the cake with milk. Thus, the proper thing, from this per- spective, is to use a pareve or disposable pan. The problem is that the oven might cause problems. The Rama (YD 108:1) rules that taste is transferred from one food to another when they were baked or roasted in an oven at different times only if there was condensation (zeiah) from both foods on the walls of the oven. A "fleishig oven" presumably had fleishig condensation at some time during its use. But it is unclear how liquid does a food, and how insulated does an oven, have to be in order that there be zeiah to bring the fleishig from the walls to the food (see Igrot Moshe YD I:40). Bread and relatively dry cake dough probably do not create zeiah in a normal oven and will remain pareve. (One must make sure that the pan doesn't touch a surface with fleishig residue on it.) However, a liquid batter may create zeiah. When this is so, the zeiah compromises the pareve status of both the cake and the pan. (If the oven was well-cleaned and had not been used within 24 hours, the pan would not need to be kashered). There are at least two legitimate
solutions to this problem. One is to cover the cake batter (where feasible)
so that escaping moisture is insufficient to transfer taste (Rama, ibid.).
The other is to do LIBUN KAL on the oven before baking the cake to remove
the fleishig taste from the walls and burn any surface residue. A half-hour
of heating at the oven's highest temperature is usually sufficient. (More
time is needed if there is significant spillage which one did not remove
prior to heating.) Even one who relies on the aforementioned GR”A, must
ensure that there is no edible residue on the walls of the oven in a case
where zeiah could bring residue into the food, even though tiny quantities
will not ruin the food b'dieved (after the fact) (see Igrot Moshe I:40;
Gilyon Maharsha 99:6). “There is nothing which does not have its
place.” (Pirkei Avot 4:3) “They stood crowded together, yet they
bow comfortably.” (Pirkei Avot 5:5) Reason: This is based on the statement in
the Gemara (Nedarim 23b): “If one wants to cancel his vows for a year, he
should arise on Rosh HaShana and declare: All vows that I will make in the
futurte shall be annulled.” Those who are dilligent are quick to perform
mitzvot [without delay]. Hence it became customary before RH “to do two
things: one, to correct what one has subverted, which is to repeal his past
vows. The second is a declaration for the future concerning possible future
vows” (SH’LAH). On Kol Nidrei evening, they went to the only shul in walking distance. The shul was exclusively comprised of Cantonists - men who had been seized as children by the Czar's troops to serve in the Russian army for a period ot twenty-five years. Only Jews who had served in the army were permitted to live in the capital. Naturally, these men knew very little, having spent most of their lives in remote areas of the Russian empire. As they approached Kol Nidrei, an old
Cantonist got up to address the men present, as follows: "My brothers, we
all know that at this time Jews turn to Hashem and ask Him for three things:
children, life, and sustenance. What should we pray for? Shall we pray for
children? Of course not - we're not allowed to marry because we're in the
army. Shall we pray for life? What worth is our lives anyway, when at any
minute we may lose it in defending this country? Shall we pray for
sustenance? We have all of our food supplied by the Czar. Thus, dear
brothers, there isn't a thing we have to pray for ourselves. All that we can
pray for is that Yisgadal Veyiskadash Shemeu Rabba - May Hashem's great name
be exalted and sanctified." At this, all broke into tears, It is said that
the two gedolim counted this as the most outstanding Yom Kippur in their
lives. Bats are considered nature's best bug control. 70% of bat species are insectivores. Many of these bats can eat up to 600 bugs an hour. Trees in Africa and South America depend on bats to spread their seeds. Bats that live on fruit can eat up to three times their body weight in a night. As the seeds of that fruit pass through the bat in 15-20 minutes, they end up on the forest floor. The South American short-tailed fruit bat can scatter 60,000 seeds in a single night. Night blooming flowers also depend on bats for pollination. The largest bat has almost a 6-foot wing span (larger bats, called megabats, usually live in warm tropical climates and live on nectar and fruit); the smallest weighs less than a shekel coin (microbats tend to live in cool to moderate climates and eat insects). Besides night insects, bats eat fish, frogs, fruit, nectar, and blood from other mammals. Only three species are considered vampires. These smaller bats use their front fangs to puncture the skin of a sleeping cow or horse and then they lap up the blood (they don't suck). In order to keep the blood from coagulating, the bat's saliva contains a chemical that thins the blood. This chemical could be very valuable to our health. (Vampire bats got their name from the legendary character, not vice versa.) There are almost 1000 species of bats, including Peter's Wooly False Vampire Bat, Nathusius Pipistrelle, Western Small-footed Myotis, Gray, Red, Spotted, Whiskered, Pallid, Evening, Indiana, Ipanema, and Golden Horseshoe. Bats have only one baby a year. Baby bats or pups are very small and defenseless when they are born. They are usually born in large colonies with thousands of babies squeezed together hanging from the ceiling of a cave. This keeps them warm and safe. A mother must use smell and recognize the cry in order to located their own pup in the crowd. It is several months before a baby is able to fly and hunt alone. Until then it relies on mother's milk for food. Insect-eating bats use echolocation to find and catch food. Many species do not echolocate, but rely on their eyesight. Bats in cooler climates hibernate or
migrate during the winter. In last week’s issue, we briefly
mentioned having KAVANA for the mitzva of ZACHOR when reading and hearing
the last three p’sukim of Parshat Ki Teitzei. I went to the Gabbai before the Torah Reading and asked if he would make an announcement about Zachor. My shul (and I suspect many others, as well) generally does not like to break the regular flow of the services with “unusual” requests. But he said he would. I explained two aspects of the issue. First, the fact that the mitzva to remember Amalek is technically untimed, as far as the Torah is concerned. Although our Sages fixed the observance of the mitzva at once a year, and specifically on the Shabbat before Purim, it can be additionally fulfilled on Shabbat Parshat Ki Teitzei (provided the Baal Korei and listeners have Kavana for the mitzva). It’s almost a, “so why not?” situation. Secondly, the Chatam Sofer raised the following point. When a 2-Adar year approaches (as is the case with 5763), there is a time span of 13 months from the previous Zachor until the next. The annual reading of Zachor is based upon a principle that forgetting occurs after 12 months. If we take this literally (which the Chatam Sofer says we need NOT, since a year is a year, be it of 12 months or 13), then we should try to fulfill the mitzva with Ki Teitzei to reduce the gap between Zachors to less than 12 months. (Although the Chatam Sofer said that it wasn’t necessary to worry about the “extra” month, he was personally insistent that the mitzva be fulfilled with Ki Teitzei.) With all that said, I received ACHARON, spoke to the Baal Korei and reminded the Gabbai to make the announcement. He quickly replied that I should make the announcement. I simply said that it is worthwhile to have Kavana to fulfill the mitzva of remembering Amalek. After my Aliya, a fellow came to me to thank me. He had been in MILU’IM without a minyan on Shabbat Zachor and had not had the opportunity to fulfill the mitzva of ZACHOR. This gave him that opportunity. And so, it turned out to be more than a minor point. Just goes to show you... TT VOLUNTEERS A wonderful corps of dedicated volunteers converges in the Teichman Youth Lounge each Thursday for collating and folding duty. They function as a well-oiled machine and produce results which often are superior to the machines we also use for TT production. The Folding Factory is a pleasant workplace, with Divrei Torah, refreshments, and convivial camaraderie (the adjective might be slightly redundant, since the noun implies a warm social atmosphere). Although we have many volunteers on Thursday, more are always welcome. On the distribution side of the coin, we
have a diverse group of people in Jerusalem and all over the country, who
are part of a complex distribution system. If you have even a little
available time on Thursday or Friday to make a “TT drop” or two (or more),
please give us a call. Much obliged. As an example, note Ramban's observations regarding the order in which several blessings and curses are presented. For instance, Vayikra 28:4 states: "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground." And later, it is written: "Accursed will be your fruit basket… and [then] the fruit of your womb." Clearly, as the curses unfold, the order of events is reversed. The blessing of children precedes that of prosperity. Conversely, apply- ing the curse, G-d first crushes our livelihood and then metes out punish- ment to our offspring. Nachmanides further notes that the blessing 'victory over enemies' also supersedes 'prosperity,' while in the context of the curses this order is similarly inverted. The Torah teaches us that when we create national priorities, we must put our children first. For they represent our partnership with Hashem in creation. They are the continuity of our Tradition. We also learn that victory is more than a matter of survival; its primacy over prosperity represents the core impetus to survive: To nurture our children in the ways of Hashem - that is a most eminent reason to live. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff,
Director, Israel Center= Just received a letter from the ACADEMIYA L’LASHON HA’IVRIT confirming what we’ve already reported. Namely, that the official ACADEMIYA pronunciation of SECHVI is MIL’EIL (accent on the penultimate syllable), SECH-vi. Remember, that their decision is based upon the TROP on the word in its sole appearance in Tanach (the book of Iyov). I am confident that all roosters can now rest easy (except at daybreak) with this knowledge. Forgive me for going over recent ground, but I want to point out two different situations with SH’VA NA, both of which give the likes of us (Ashkenazim who grew up with English-flavored davening and incomplete attention to dikduk - if you know what I mean). Let’s look in the daily AMIDA. We’ll find many examples of each of these two related points, and you’ll have to pay attention when you daven and find the rest of the examples. SOMEICH NO-F’LIM. This is the first type. Under the FEI, a SH’VA NA. No matter how many times we’ve reviewed the SH’VA NA, it is still hard to break habits built over years, many of which were childhood and adolescent years. Most (at least many, many) people of a certain origin, will say NOF as the first syllable and LIM as the second one. (Let’s not even address the other problem with this word - namely, saying it MIL’EIL, which it isn’t. SO-meich NOF-lim. No and No. so-MEICH no-F’LIM. That’s it. HASHIVA SHO-F’TEINU. Again, a FEI with a SH’VA NA. It goes with the second syllable, not the first. As long as we are in this bracha, let’s see two examples of the other type. L’VADD’CHA. Here, there is a SH’VA NA under the DALET, but there is also a DAGESH CHAZAK in the DALET. So the second syllable is D’CHA, but the first syllable doesn’t lose the DALET sound. The first syllable is L’VAD and it is blended into the second syllable (as we presented in last week’s column). There’s another. Same bracha; same letter. V’TZAD- D’KEINU. The DALET sound lingers a bit on the end of the first syllable V’TZAD, but it sounds fully at the beginning of the second syllable, D’KEINU. Just remember not to separate the two DALET sounds (V’TZAD-D’KEINU), because there is only one DALET. Rather, blend them by thickening the DALET sound, V’TZADD’KEINU. In AL HATZADIKIM, we meet the SH’VAed FEI again. SO-F’REIHEM. Then a TET. HABO- T’CHIM. Not HABOT-CHIM. This makes the SH’VA a NACH, which it isn’t, and it attaches the TET to the first syllable, where it doesn’t belong. End of SH’MA KOLEINU. AMM’CHA. The MEM
belongs to both syllables. And the SH’VA under it is NA. The word should not
be pronounced as AM-CHA. As long as we’re in MODIM, let’s take a quick look at two other points to be careful about. EREV slight pause so the VET doesn’t swallow the VAV of the following word, VAVOKER. And then there is the following, which a
TT reader asked me to call to people’s attention (as did Dr. JL to my
attention a few years back). Towards the end of MODIM: HATOV, KI LO cha-LU,
accent on the second syllable. But KI LO TA-mu, accent on the first
syllable. The words almost rhyme and it easy to say them both with the same
emphasis. But the words are not the same grammatically, and that accounts
for the difference. <mtc> We ask G-d to look down upon us from on high (telescope, upper-left, pointed towards Earth). If we keep Torah, we will be “heads” and
not “tails” (the coins). 12 stones with the words of Torah upon them. The
promised heavenly treasure, i.e. plentiful rainfall.
TIYULIM and SHABBATONIM THE TRAVEL DESK The TRAVEL DESK of the
Israel Center exists... to make registration and detail-receiving for Israel
Center tiyulim more efficient and less head- achy for you. To help you -
whether you live in Israel or are visiting - plan private tiyulim and make
in-Israel travel arrangements Sarah will be happy to assistyou on Sundays,
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Call Sarah at the
Center, 566-7787 ext. 249. OU ISRAEL CENTER Seymour J.
Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center [The
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