SHABBAT PARSHAT MATOT-MAS'EI (M'VORCHIM)
TT 526 - 26 TAMMUZ 5762 - July 5-6, '02
Pirkei Avot - Second Perek

Halachic Times for Jerusalem Israel Summer Time - a.k.a. Daylight Savings Time
Correct for TT #526
Ranges are for THU-THU, 24 Tammuz - 2 Av, July 4-11
Candle lighting - 7:13pm
(Earliest (Plag) - 6:20pm)
Havdala - 8:32pm (Rabbeinu Tam - 9:15pm)
Earliest Shacharit 4:39-4:44am
Sunrise - 5:38-5:42
Sof Z'man Kri'at Sh'ma 9:10-9:13am (8:15-8:18am)
Sof Z'man Shacharit - 10:21-10:23am (9:44-9:47am)
Chatzot (halachic noon) • 12:43½-12:44½pm
Mincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) 1:20-1:20pm
Plag Mincha 6:20-6:19pm
Sunset 7:54-7:52pm (7:48½-7:47pm)

WORD OF THE MONTH
A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...

We bench Rosh Chodesh AV on Shabbat Parshat MATOT-MA'SEI, June 6, '02
HAMOLAD Y'H'YEH B'YOM R'VI'I, ESRIM VASHEISH DAKOT U'SHEMONA CHALAKIM ACHAREI CHAMEISH BABOKER
That's Wednesday, 26 minutes and 8 parts after 5 in the morning.
The Molad is on Wednesday (July 10th) 5h 26m 8p
In Rambam notation: R'VI'I • 11h • 476 chalakim
On the Clock WED July. 10, 6:05½pm (summer time)
Astronomical (actual) Molad (IST) - WED, July 10, 13:26:46
ROSH CHODESH MENACHEM AV Y'H'YEH B'YOM R'VI'I HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA
Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av will be on Wednesday

Let’s Get Back into Sync
We’re not referring to Parshat HaShavua. That’s a minor issue, and we took care of it a couple of weeks ago. The bigger out-of-sync issue should be of concern to each of us as individual Jews and as members of Klal Yisrael.

Parshat Pinchas (last week’s reading) represents a new era in the early history of DOR HAMIDBAR, the generation of the Wilderness. The “bad stuff” is behind them. The Meraglim Disaster, Korach’s rebellion, repeated complaints about water and food, the Baal Peor episode — it’s all behind them (us). Pinchas had good things in it: Pinchas’ reward, daughters of Tzelafchad, daily korbanot and Musafim of Rosh Chodesh and the Holy days. Matot and Mas’ei continue on the upswing: Successful war against Midyan, cooperation between the people and the army, good news and wonderful gesture by the officers, first stage of entry into Eretz Yisrael (before actual entry) in the arrangement for the terri- tory on the east side of the Jordan. (Even though Moshe’s first reaction was disappointment and anger directed against the leaders of Reuven and Gad, the situation worked out well in G-d’s eyes as well as for Moshe and the people.) Then, in Mas’ei, we have the travelogue of the people, the exciting announcement of impending entry into Eretz Yisrael, the description of the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael, the list of the new leaders who will help settle the people in the Land, the details of the cities for Levi, (IR MIKLAT, cities of refuge - not the most pleasant of topics, but another indication of the practical living that awaits the people when they will emerge from the cocoon of the Midbar), then the amicable arrange- ment between the daughters of Tzelaf- chad and the members of their Tribe.
Mas’ei and the book of Bamidbar end with the people of Israel armed with Torah and mitzvot on the threshold of Eretz Yisrael.

But we are grossly out-of-sync with all of the above. Look at the calendar. As we read these sedras, we enter the Three Weeks of mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash. We mark the Sin of the Golden Calf and the Sin of the Spies, and the multitude of sins that caused the Destructions and Exiles. And most significantly, our apparent continued “devotion” to the same things that brought about our downfalls.

So, in short, that is our challenge. Not just to mourn the CHURBAN, but to become the people - individually and communally that will bring us back in sync.

Sedra-Stats
Matot and Mas’ei are the most combined of the 7 sedra-pairs we have.They are read separately in 13-month years which begin on Thursday. That accounts for only 10.6% of years. In Eretz Yisrael (but not abroad), they are also separated in 13-month years when Pesach begins on Shabbat. This happens 9.9% of the years.
Matot Mas'ei M&M
of 54 sedras 42nd 43rd —
of 10 in Bamidbar 9th 10th —
lines in a Torah 190 189 379
rank 29 30 1
Parshiyot 9 8 17
P'tuchot 4 6 10
S'tumot 5 2 7
P'sukim 112 132 244
rank (Torah/Bam.) 24/7 12/5 1/1
Words 1484 1461 2945
rank 29/6 32/7 1/1
Letters 5652 5773 11425
rank 30/7 28/6 1/1
MITZVOT 2 6 8
positive 1 2 3
prohibitions 1 4 5
Drop in rank - p'sukim to words & letters - noticeable for Matot, severe for Mas'ei - results from short p'sukim. P'sukim of Mas'ei are the shortest in the whole Torah.

Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary
[Numbers] refer to Sefer HaChinuch's mitzva-count

Kohen - First Aliya - 16+12=28 p'sukim - 30:2-31:12
"And Moshe spoke to the leaders of the Tribes of Israel..." The first principle of the topic is that a person must fulfill the terms of a vow and it is prohibited to "profane one's word" [407].

On the other hand, built into the Torah's laws are procedures for release from vows. These procedures also constitute a mitzva, known as HAFARAT N'DARIM [406]. A girl (12- 12½ yrs.) who vows can have her vows nullified by her father (only on the day he hears of them). Similarly (but with differences), a wife's vows can be nullified by her husband. (In this case, only some vows, those which affect the husband are subject to his nullification.)

MITZVA WATCH
In addition to HAFARAT N'DARIM, the nullification of a wife's or daughter's vow by husband or father, there is another aspect of the mitzva, known as HATARAT N'DARIM. This is the nullification of one's vows (those that halachically CAN be nullified) by a Rav-expert in the laws of N'darim or a panel of three dayanim (even laymen). Hatarat N'darim is a rare example of a mitzva that is considered Torah law, although there is no clear supporting text in the Written Word. The Mishna in Chagiga assures us that Hatarat N'darim is no less a Torah concept because of the lack of a written source. This is but another in a long series of demonstrations of the absolute inseparableness of the Written Word and the Oral Torah.

G-d next commands Moshe to do battle against Midyan, and then to prepare to die. Moshe drafts 1000 men from each tribe for the task.

[SDT] Commentaries point out that the People were reluctant to comply because they knew that Moshe would die shortly after successful completion of the battle. Moshe, on the other hand, enthusiastically complies with G-d's command, his personal interests to the contrary, notwithstanding.

[SDT] The Chatam Sofer notes that when G-d commands the battle against Midyan, He calls it NIKMAT BNEI YISRAEL, a revenge for Israel's sake. When Moshe calls the people to battle, he refers to revenge for G-d's honor. If the people would be fighting for their own honor, they might forgo the battle and not hasten Moshe's end. But to avenge G-d's honor, they dare not refuse.

Pinchas is sent as "chaplain". The 12,000 strong army succeeded in killing all male Midyanites including 5 kings and Bil'am. The women, children, herds, flocks, and possessions of Midyan were taken as booty. The cities and palaces were destroyed. The army returned to the Israelite camp at Arvot Moav.

Note: There is confusion among commentaries as to whether the tribe of Levi sent a contingent to fight this war or not. If they did, did Menashe and Efrayim combine as the tribe of Yosef, thereby keeping the total number at 12000, or were there actually 13000 who fought. Levi's probable involvement is due to the fact that the war was NOT for the purpose of conquest of territory; had it been, Levi would not be directly involved. If so, Menashe and Efrayim probably fought as the tribe of Yosef.

Levi - Second Aliya - 12+17+13=42 p'sukim - 31:13-54
Moshe, Elazar, and the tribal leaders went out to greet the returning army. Moshe was angry that the officers kept the women of Midyan alive since it was they who were instrumental in the downfall of Israel in the Pe'or affair and the consequent plague. The women and male children were killed; the girls remained captive. The soldiers were told to remain outside the camp for seven days because of their ritual impurity as a result of the war. Elazar HaKohen sets down the laws of purification of vessels.
Many of the details of "kashering" and "toveling" of vessels are derived from here.

G-d tells Moshe to order a counting of the spoils of war. The booty is to be divided equally between the soldiers on the one hand and the People on the other. Taxes of 1/500 were imposed upon the soldiers. Detailed itemization takes up many p'sukim of this portion.

And then the half that went to the people is itemized. A tax of 1/50 (the standard amount for T'ruma) is imposed upon the people. These taxes were turned over to Elazar HaKohen. Detailed itemization takes up many more p'sukim.

The officers approach Moshe with more gifts of gold in thanks to G-d for not losing even one person in battle.

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 19 p'sukim - 32:1-19
The tribes of Reuven and Gad (later joined by half of Menashe), heavily laden with flocks of sheep, requested permission to settle on the east bank of the Jordan River - land particularly suitable for grazing (as opposed to Eretz Yisrael, where extensive sheep-grazing is a problem). Moshe's initial reaction is intense anger, fearing that the request of the two tribes would discourage the People of Israel from wanting to proceed into the Land, repeating the experience of the "spies" of almost 40 years earlier. The key objection on Moshe's part seems to be the potential negative effect on the rest of the People. To this, the tribes replied that they would surely accompany their brethren into Eretz Yisrael and not return to the east bank until all is settled in the Land.

[SDT] In addition to the main "dressing down" that Moshe gives Reuven and Gad, there is a more subtle rebuke on another issue. The tribes offer to build corrals for their flocks and homes for their children. Later, when Moshe gives them permission to establish themselves on the east bank, he tells them to build homes for their children and accommodations for their animals. Your children go first. Then your property.

R'VI'I - Fourth Aliya - 23+10+39=72 p'sukim - 32:20-33:49
The fourth Aliya is always the BRIDGE Aliya between two sedras when they are combined. This particular R’VI’I is THE longest Aliya in the Torah.

Moshe's response is the administration of an oath (many details of the proper form of "conditions" are derived from this famous oath of the 2½ tribes) agreeing to the request to settle on the east side of the Jordan iff (if and only if - it's a real word; look it up) the 2½ tribes fight side by side with the others.

The Torah describes the cities that the 2½ tribes established to settle their families and flocks prior to their crossing the Jordan.

Perhaps the seemingly unnecessary details give us the message that we are dealing with part of Eretz Yisrael, and not just something extraterritorial.

The sedra of Mas'ei begins with a summary listing of the 42 places of encampment during the years of wandering in the Wilderness. Most places are just listed; a few are anecdoted. The present day identity of many of these places is in dispute. This portion covers the Exodus from Egypt (the city of Ra'm'ses), the passage thru the Sea, and the 3-day journey that brought the People to Mara, with its "water problem" (and solution). From there it was back to Yam Suf, before continuing into the Wilderness.

Travelog
These are the places of encampment and some comments...
From Ra'm'ses to Sukkot to Eitam to Pi HaChirot to Mara to Eilim to Yam Suf to Midbar Sin to Dafka to Alush to R'fidim to Midbar Sinai to Kivrot HaTaava to Chatzeirot Ritma to Rimon Peretz to Livna to Risa to K'heilata to Har Shefer to Charada to Mak'heilot to Tachat to Terach to Mitka to Chashmona to Moseirot to Bnei Yaakan to Chor HaGidgad to Yotvata to Avrona to Etzion Gever to Midbar Tzin (= Kadesh) to Hor HaHar to Tzalmona to Punon to Ovot to I'yei HaAvarim to Divon Gad to Almon Divlatayma to Harei HaAvarim to Arvot Moav.

G’matriya of RAAMSES = 430, the number of years from the original prophecy to Avraham Avinu in the BRIT BEIN HA'B'TARIM until the EXODUS (as in Sh'mot 12:40-41). The first stop out of Raamses is SUKKOT, G'matriya = 480, the number of years from the Exodus until the building of the First Beit HaMikdash - the arrival of the People EL HAMENUCHA V'EL HANACHALA (D'varim 12:9). So just the first leg of the wandering represents (numerically) the major first (and second) leg of the journey of Jewish History.

The Midrash says that it was at ALUSH that the People first received the Manna and where we spent our very first Shabbat. The Manna was given to the People of Israel in the merit of our mother Sarah, who was asked by Avraham to knead and bake cakes for the angels/guests. Her enthusiastic providing of food for others was repaid by G-d, Who provided food for Sarah's children more than 400 years later. The name ALUSH is a play on the word "I will knead".

RITMA was the place from which the spies were sent, and therefore the place where the decree to wander the wilderness was pronounced. One can imagine a qualitative difference in the mental attitude during the first 14 encampments as compared to those following Ritma.

CHASHMONA was the 25th resting place of the People. Centuries later, there was a resting (from battle) on the 25th (of Kislev). The people through whom G-d wrought the miracles of Chanuka were the Chashmona'im. This is considered one of the "hints" to Chanuka from the Torah.

Rashi points out that with 14 places before the decree to wander, and with 8 places in the final year, there were only 20 places that the People moved to and from in 38 years or so. That is not really all that much. G-d was merciful with the People even as He was punishing them.

Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 22 p'sukim - 33:50-34:15
G-d speaks to Moshe in Arvot Moav and commands the People to enter, conquer, acquire, and settle the Land. The boundaries of the Land are detailed. These boundaries are now for the 9½ tribes, since Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe have claimed their allotments on the East Bank.

In G-d's original promise to Avraham Avinu, the land to be given to his descendants was to be "from the Egyptian River until the great river, P'rat". The boundaries described in this week's sedra contain a territory significantly smaller than that which was promised. Our Sages tell us that the original promise includes territory to be added to Eretz Yisrael in the future, in the times of the Moshiach.

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 14+8=22 p'sukim - 34:16-35:8
Next the Torah lists the new leaders of the tribes who will be in charge of the "Divine lottery" by which the Land will be apportioned.

[SDT] Note that the first 3 tribes mentioned do not have the word NASI (leader) mentioned - the others all do. One commen- tary suggests that it was unnecessary to identify Calev b. Yefuneh as a leader - that is well- known. The tribe of Shimon does not deserve to have a leader with the title NASI because of the Zimri affair. Binyamin's leader was Eldad (here called Elidad - according to the Baal HaTurim, the extra YUD represents Prophecy, which has 10 different names), a person who already had the higher title of Prophet.

Following the general plans for dividing the Land, the People are instructed to provide cities for the Leviyim [408], since they (Leviyim) do not receive Land as inheritance. The cities and their surrounding areas number 48, including the 6 cities of refuge.

Note that the measure of 2000 amot as "city limit" was subsequently borrowed by the Sages in fixing the distance outside the dwelling place that a person may walk on Shabbat, known as T'CHUM SHABBAT.

These cities, to be given by the tribes to the Leviyim, were given proportional to the populations of the tribes.

Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 26+13=39 p'sukim - 35:9-36:13
The cities of refuge (and the other 42 Levite cities,with some differences) serve to protect the inadvertent killer. Even a murderer flees to a protecting city pending trial.
It is forbidden to kill a murderer until he stands trial and is found guilty [409].

The inadvertent killer is sent - or he flees - to a city of refuge [410]. The Torah presents guidelines for defining murder and inadvertent killing and sets down some of the court procedures, such as the prohibition of a witness also acting as judge in a criminal case [411]. We are also warned not to permit substitute punishments for a murderer [412] and the inadvertent killer [413]. Strict adherence to all rules of justice assure us continued "quality living" in Eretz Yisrael, accompanied by the Divine Presence.

MITZVA WATCH
Mitzvot 412 and 413 basically command us to follow other mitzvot in the Torah that require a convicted murder to be executed and a convicted SHOGEG- killer to be exiles to a City of Refuge. How unusual for the Torah to do that. The small Sanhedrins of 23 judges, whose jurisdiction it is to carry out the commands of the Torah in matters of “sentencing” for certain crimes/sins are duty-bound to comply with halacha.

Why does the Torah feel, so to speak, that it must reinforce (if that is what 412 and 413 are doing) these two areas of court-mitzvot?

The answer can be illustrated by the absurd story of the Wise Men of Chelm who were about to convict the town’s tailor to a term of imprisonment when someone raised the question of who would do the tailoring in the town during his absence. After due deliberation, the Wise Men decided to send one of the town’s two shoemakers to prison instead of the tailor. This way, the different needs of the townsfolk would be seen to.

Although we see the absurdity in that whimsical story, the following scenario is much less absurd. A city’s leading surgeon was playing golf (no doubt on a Wednesday) in Caesaria. He missed a crucial putt and in utter frustration, he throws his putter high in the air. It falls right on an onlooker’s head and kills him instantly. The golfer-doctor is brought before a Beit Din (23 judges, remember) and after thorough examina- tion of the witnesses, it is deter- mined that the good doctor is a ROTZEI’ACH B’SHOGEG, an inadvertant, but contrib- utorily negligent, killer. The “proper” pro- cedure according to the Law of the Torah is to send the doctor to a City of Refuge until the death of the Kohein Gadol. The mayor and city council members approach the judges and express their great concern. The doctor has a world-famous reputation for his skill as a surgeon. So much so, that the doctor has been a tremendous asset to the city, drawing patients and their families to the city from all over Israel and the world. The city would lose a good deal of prestige, not to mention financial income if they lose the doctor.

Okay, how about this. He was respon- sible for the death of another human being. He didn’t kill him on purpose, but he was reckless. And he must be punished. So I suggest, says the mayor with the backing of most council members, that we put the doctor under house arrest right here in our city. We’ll provide him with an apartment on the grounds of the hospital and we will further require him to donate his fees from surgery to charity.

Logical. Reasonable. Very tempting. Afterall, he won’t get away free for what he did. He will be punished. But in a way that will benefit the city, rather than hurt it. So why not?

Mitzva 413 is WHY NOT. G-d, so to speak, anticipated these temptations to be a little self-servingly “flexible”. No go. There are discretionary powers given to our human courts, but not this time. We don’t have the whole picture; only G-d does. We might not understand to effect of specific punishments on the soul of the person. But the soul is involved, and we are forbidden to tamper with matters that we cannot understand. This is part of why the Torah has to command the court these “extra” mitzvot.
Leaders of the family of Menashe to which the daughters of Zelofchad belong, approach Moshe and raise the problem of potential erosion of their tribal allotment if Zelofchad's daughters marry outside their tribe, taking their land with them. Moshe issues a ruling restricting them from marrying outside their tribe. This is not a law in perpetuity; it applies only in this case. In compliance, Machla, Tirza, Chogla, Milka, and No'a marry Menashe-ites.

The Book of BaMidbar ends with the statement, "These are the Mitzvot and the Laws that G-d commanded Moshe to (transmit to) Bnei Yisrael, in Arvot Mo'av on the Jordan (Jericho) River."

MITZVA WATCH
Ramban sites Bamidbar 34:52,53 as the source of the mitzva in the Torah to dwell in Israel - a mitzva that he says applies today, even in times of exile. Ramban counts this mitzva as one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. (It is known as Ramban's Fourth Mitzva.) Rambam does not count Yishuv Eretz Yisra'el among the Taryag. This does not mean that Rambam does not consider it a mitzva to live in Eretz Yisrael. He echoes the Talmud in saying that "a person should always choose to live in Israel, even in a city with a majority of idol worshippers, rather than live outside of Israel, even in a predominantly Jewish city". He writes that a person who lives elsewhere is like one who has no G-d. Some commentaries explain that since living in Eretz Yisrael is the necessary basis of fulfilling a whole category of mitzvot, then one would not count living in Israel as one of the 613. It includes many other mitzvot; therefore it does not fulfill the specific criteria for being numbered among Taryag. It is, nonetheless, an imperative of the Torah.

Ramban adds that not only are there mitzvot that "depend upon the Land", but ALL mitzvot are able to be completely fulfilled ONLY in Eretz Yisrael. One must do mitzvot elsewhere, primarily as practice to the proper performance of mitzvot in Eretz Yisrael.

In Ramban's treatment of the mitzva to live in Eretz Yisrael, there is another factor, which is an integral part of the mitzva. And that is, that we are forbidden to allow any part of the Land to be uninhabited, nor may we leave it in the hands of non-Jews.

Last 3 p'sukim are reread for the Maftir.

Haftara - 28 p'sukim - Yirmiyahu 2:4-28, 3:4, (4:1-2)
This is the second of the three Tragic Haftaras read between the 17th of Tammuz and Tish'a b'Av. It is the continuation of last week's haftara. In fact, these two haftaras are the only continuous portions of the Prophets read as haftaras on consecutive weeks. G-d, speaking through the prophet, chastises the People of Israel for the terrible double sin of forsaking Him AND turning to gods who are nothing- ness. Repeatedly, we are asked how it was possible that we turned away from G-d so. Terrible punishment for this betrayal of G-d is prophesied. The haftara ends on the hopeful note that if we return to G-d, then He will return to us and restore His special relationship with us.

THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 143 • PARTNERS (part 1)
With this lesson we embark on a new topic, a topic with which so many people have been involved in during their lives, a partnership. Many professionals and businessmen have conducted their practices and businesses as partnerships. The average consumer is also very often involved with partnerships, since the store where she shops may be owned by a partnership and if there are any claims against the seller it may be against a partnership. The medical practice where the person is treated may be owned by a partnership. A person's stockbroker may advise him to invest in a limited type partnership that invests in real estate. The possibilities are many.

How does halachah treat a partnership? This lesson and some of the following lessons shall try to explain how halachah relates to the partnership. Following the requests that I receive by email and in person from the readers of this column, I shall proceed slowly and simply in these lessons, without taking anything for granted.

The author of the Shulhan Aruch, Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575) in Shulhan Aruch Hoshen haMishpat. begins the laws of partnership with chapter 176, and these laws continue there through chapter 181. We thus see that he devotes six chapters to this topic.

This lesson commences with a discussion of how a partnership is organized, that is, what binds Reuven and Shimon, the partners, to each other in the partnership so that neither partner may state that the partnership never existed or that he no longer wants to be in the partnership.

Some of the questions that we will be discussing are: If the parties have failed to stipulate their share in the profits and losses and they invested disproportionate amounts, how do they share the profits and losses? What if Shimon delays his investment and Reuven has commenced operations, does Shimon share in the profits? What fiduciary duty does each partner owe to the other or to the partnership? What actions may each partner take on behalf of the partnership, and what if there is a dispute as to actions to be taken? How is a partnership terminated and how are the assets divided? What is to be done with accounts receivable and accounts payable? How should the partners collect debts from third-party debtors; may one partner sue on behalf of all the partners? These are but a few of the topic to be covered by these lessons. Some of these questions can and should be answered by written agreements between the partners, preferably written by lawyers. (As an aside, I get lots of calls from people seeking legal advice and I usually tell them all that they should consult a lawyer. But the thing that they find most startling is when I say that each party should have his or her own lawyer. A lawyer should not represent both parties, although this absurd situation does sometimes exist in Israel.)

Some of the questions that I shall IYH deal with in these lessons are matters that occasionally come before our Beth Din.

As is seen in lessons 50, 51 and 52 (Torah Tidbits 432, 433, and 434) there are definite procedures to be followed to make a contract binding on the parties to the contract. There are similar procedures to bind the partners to each other. Otherwise. any partner could at any time leave the partnership.

The great codifiers and authorities describe three primary methods to bind partners to each other, and several subsidiary methods.

There is the view of Maimonides (Rabbi Moses b. Maimon. Rambam. Spain, Egypt, 1135-1204) that mere words, even accompanied by a kinyan, cannot bind persons to each other, whether in a contract or in a partnership. The words of Maimonides (herein loosely translated) appear in his Laws of Agents and Partners, chapter 4, law #1.

"When people desire to form a partnership, in what manner does each partner acquire title to the money of the other partner so that he also has an ownership in the money? If the partnership is one entailing the investment of money, each places his money into one purse and both lift the purse. However, if they [merely] write a document and [even if] witnesses testify regarding it, and even if a kinyan was made whereby each bound himself to bring 100 [coins of the realm] and the other will bring 100 [coins of the realm] and that they will thereby become joint owners, they have not acquired [each the money of the other] and they are still not partners, because money cannot be acquired by a kinyan. If they enter into a partnership with chattels, then they can bind each other by each performing a kinyan; for example, one binds himself that he will bring to the partnership a barrel of wine and the other that he will bring to the partnership a jug of honey. Also if they mix their produce or if they jointly rent a place and one partner places his barrel of wine there and the other places his jug of honey there, they become partners in the business of selling wine and honey. If craftsmen enter into a partnership in their craft they are not partners even if each binds himself with a kinyan. Therefore, if two tailors or weavers agree that whatever each one makes will be owned by them as partners, they are not partners since a person cannot transfer title to things not yet in existence. However, if they purchase cloth with their funds and sew it into garments and sell the garments, or if they purchase thread with their funds and weave it into cloth and sell it, they are partners.

Even according to the view of Maimonides, once a partnership has been properly organized it continues without having to make a proper kinyan for each new transaction."

The term "kinyan" has been mentioned by Maimonides here and I have used the term in many of the lessons and I did from time to time define the term "kinyan". I was at a wedding a few weeks ago and was asked by the rabbi performing the wedding to be a witness to the kethubah. I asked the rabbi if the groom knew the contents of the kethubah since he was undertaking to be bound by its terms. The rabbi said it was late and mumbled something about shekiah and he didn't have the time to tell the groom. I respectfully declined to serve as a witness to say that the groom when, he made a kinyan, knew what he was doing. A few weeks after that I was asked to be a witness to the tena'im document at a wedding. The officiating rabbi was Rav Wollici and he did everything according to what was required. The respective fathers were told by him the contents of the tena'im document and they each performed a kinyan binding themselves to its terms.

In simple terms the term "kinyan" be defined as follows:

A kinyan is a method whereby an obligor or a person who undertakes to do something legally obligates himself. For example. A, a painter undertakes to paint the house of B the home owner, and B obligates to pay A $100 if he paints his house. In halachah these mutual promises are not binding. Thus even if A paints the house, B need not pay for it. (He may have to pay a smaller amount for benefit received) However, if a kinyan is made, then the promises are binding on the parties. The easiest and most common method of kinyan is the transference to the obligor (the person making the promise) of a handkerchief belonging to the obligee (the person to whom the promise is made), or belonging to some other person present, such as the lawyer or witness. Thus when A gives his handkerchief to Band B accepts it, B undertakes to pay to A $100 when A paints B's house. When B gives his handkerchief to A and A accepts it. A undertakes to paint B's house. Both are bound. "Kinyan" is also a method of acquiring things real estate of chattels, but that is not within the scope of this lesson.

The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in Volume VI Chapter 176 of "A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law" byE. Quint, published by Jason Aronson, Inc. and on sale at local Judaica bookstores.
Questions to quint@inter.net.il

MEANING IN MITZVOT by Rabbi Asher Meir
Each week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try to show its beauty and meaning. The columns are based on Rabbi Meir's Meaning in Mitzvot on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh.

Avoiding Litigation during AV
The Shulchan Arukh states that since the beginning of Av is a time of bad fortune for the Jews, it is best to put off litigation with non-Jews until after the ninth of Av, at the very least (Orach Chaim 551:1). We can easily see why days of ill fortune are a bad time to travel or engage in some other dangerous activity, as we explained last week. But regarding a court case, shouldn't the bad luck balance out? Why does our bad fortune translate into good fortune for the non-Jewish litigant? Conversely, since Adar is a month of good fortune, it is a good time to adjudicate with a Gentile (Mishna Berura 686:8), hinting that our good fortune is correlated with our opponent's bad fortune.
We can find the source for this "see-saw" idea in the Torah. When Rivka suffers from her pregnancy, she learns through prophecy that each of her twins will found a great nation, and "nation will contend with nation" (Bereshit 25:23). Rashi (based on Megilla 6a) explains that "they will never be equal in greatness; when one rises up the other falls".

Yet there is another source that suggests the opposite. The Torah says that HaShem is solicitous of the land of Israel, that He seeks out its good (Devarim 11:12). Rashi (based on Sifri) explains that when blessing the world, God blesses first the Land of Israel, and via the land of Israel He blesses the rest of the world. The Sifri goes on to mention that when the Psalm says that HaShem watches over the people of Israel (Tehillim 121:4), it means He first watches over us, but for our sake He watches all of mankind. Not only does our good fortune not contradict the fortune of the nations - it is the basis for it!

We can resolve this paradox by distinguishing between greatness and blessing. Any number of nations can each be blessed or protected, but only one can have greatness or leadership. Each individual, and each nation, has a special contribution - artistic, scientific, political, etc. - to make to humanity. These contributions are very important, but they can not give meaning to life on the level of mankind as a whole.

When Israel is exalted - when the greatness, the direction in which humanity is going, is defined by spirituality - then all of these faculties are blessed through the blessing of Israel, and humanity ascends spiritually and materially. But when mankind is drawn to worship something else, worshiping power, or wealth, or beauty, then spirituality will necessarily be in decline. A person can serve God and wield power, but he can not serve God and serve power.

Av, the month when the power-hungry Babylonians and later Romans destroyed our Temple, symbolizes for us the ascendancy of material concerns over spiritual ones. This is a time for avoiding confrontation, which then takes on the character of petty rivalry.

Adar, the month when the faith and integrity of Esther and Mordekhai and the Jewish people who united to pray for them overcame the evil designs of the gluttonous Persians, symbolizes the ascendancy of spirit over matter.

Then we are confident that even our petty legal matters are subservient to a higher spiritual purpose.

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

From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE
The Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them 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. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...
Q Is it permitted to make a bar-mitzva during the Nine Days (before Tisha B'Av )?

A The meal held in honor of a bar-mitzva is considered a seudat mitzva (a meal of which it is a mitzva to partake) (Yam Shel Shalom, Bava Kama, ch. 7, siman 37). His main source is Kiddushin 31a, in reference to a statement by the blind amora, Rav Yosef. Rav Yosef said that if he would be convinced that the blind are obligated in mitzvot, he would make a seuda for his colleagues, because one who is commanded in mitzvot receives more reward for their fulfillment. If a celebration is in place just for finding out that one has always been obligated, all the more so is it appropriate when the obligations begin, when one becomes a bar-mitzva. Other sources in Chazal include Bereishit Rabba 53:10. This is certainly so when the party is held on the Jewish birthday itself (assuming the boy is sufficiently physically developed, which we are not required to check). The Magen Avraham (225:4) rules that even a bar-mitzva that is not on the birthday can be considered a seudat mitzva if the bar-mitzva boy publicly says diveri Torah. The apparent logic is that those present are reminded that this boy is indeed involved in the study of Torah, as he is now commanded, and they feel the cause for celebration.

It is permitted to partake of meat and wine at a seudat mitzva even during the week of Tisha B'Av (Rama, Orach Chaim 551:5), and this ruling should apply to a bar-mitzva as well (Yad Ephraim, ad loc.). Some want to learn from the Shulchan Aruch's silence on the matter that he does not allow meat at a seudat mitzva during the week of Tisha B'Av (see Kaf Hachaim, OC 551:33). However, most poskim are lenient in the matter even for Sephardim. Even a delayed bar-mitzva with divrei Torah may be done during the Nine Days, but it should not be delayed for that purpose (Yad Ephraim, ibid; Kaf Hachaim. Ibid:158).

During the first part of the Nine Days, one may invite whomever they would normally invite to the seuda, but people who just happen to be around may not take part in the meat and wine. During the week of Tisha B'Av, one should invite only reasonably close relatives and a small group of friends (Rama, ibid; Taz, ad loc.: 12); Mishna Berura, ad loc: 77). Some suggest serving fish and thereby removing the complication this situation raises. Others are lenient with the guest list even on the week of Tisha B'Av (Maharam, quoted in Taz, ibid; Yalkut Yosef pg. 568; see Aruch Hashulchan 551:30), and there is room to rely upon those opinions.

Participants at permitted bar-mitzva celebrations at this time may sing, but neither live nor recorded music should be played.

Receiving an aliya to the Torah and the accompanying ceremonies in shul on Shabbat are not problematic (see Igrot Moshe, Orach Chayim IV, 112.1).
This response is based on a teshuva in Bemareh Habazak III, 61.

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
Every pleasure comes directly from Heaven — even jokes and quips — but only if they are told out of honest joy.
— Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz

One must dance each and every day — whether in thought or in action.
— Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

It is easy for me to understand how a person without income is able to survive. For such a one survives by Faith and Trust in G-d.
But what I do not understand is: How does a person who has ample income survive?
— Rabbi Simcha Bunam of Pshis’cha

Rite & Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
It is the practice of Yemenite Jews (and in some circles of other EIDOT) to read the SH’MA out loud and in unison.

Reason: This is in accordance with the end of Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabba: “The one who dwells in the gardens [Yisrael], collegues who listen” (Shir HaShirim 8:13) — when Yisrael enters its shuls and reads the Sh’ma with proper KAVANA (intention), in one voice (with one mind), G-d says to them: “You who dwell in the gardens, when you read together as friends, I and My holy host hearken to your voice.” But when Yisrael reads the Sh’ma in a fragmented, torn state of mind, one preceding [the other], one delaying, and are not reciting the Sh’ma harmoniously, the Holy Spirit cries out and says: “Flee, you who love Me and become like a deer.” [A play on the word TZVI (deer), here meaning TZAVA (army).] Become like a deer and go to [and learn from] the Army above, who utters praise for HaShem’s glory in one voice and in one melody.

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R’ Yisrael Salanter was once learning Torah when a man came in and to ask him a halachic question. R’ Yisrael answered promptly and the man left. Immediately after- wards, those present saw that R’ Yisrael was very troubled. One of those close to him finally asked what was bothering him.

"As I was speaking to the man”, replied R’ Yisrael, “I noticed that there was a tear in my jacket sleeve and that upset me. Then I thought to myself, ‘If that is how I feel when I meet a fellow human being when there is a tear in my sleeve, how much more humiliated will I feel when I meet my Maker with all the tears and stains in my soul?’”

MA RABU MA'ASECH HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'AH HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA
Several years ago, we had a MRMHKBAMHK feature in Torah Tidbits. The unlikely title of the column was (and is) the initial letters of T’hilim 104:24, which marvels at the variety of G-d’s handiwork and acknowledges the Divine Wisdom with which each one was created. For those who questioned the “validity” of including the platypus, echidna, and pangolin in Torah Tidbits, let me relate a story and a lesson I’ll never forget. About 35 years ago, I had the privilege of having a biology professor at Yeshiva University by the name of William Etkin, z”l. One of the courses I took with him was Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. And it is at 6:00pm on some day, sitting in the lab in the basement of Furst Hall, that this story takes place. About 25 students are sitting over dissecting pans waiting to cut into a 12-inch dogfish shark. Before each dissection, we studied the external features of the specimen, and so Dr. Etkin was quizzing us on the different kinds of fins: pectoral, lateral, caudal, and the famous (from movies such as Jaws) dorsal fin. Then he calls our attention to that which we all knew well from preparing for this lab session — the shark’s placoid scales. “Wait a minute”, Dr. Etkin exclaimed in mock surprise, “If sharks have fins and scales, then they must be kosher!” “No!”, we all protested as one, “sharks aren’t kosher.” “But you can see for yourselves that this shark has fins and scales”, he continued, “so what’s the story here?” After several lame attempts to explain why sharks aren’t kosher, even though they have scales and fins, Dr. Etkin Etkin proceeded to slam his fist on the lab table and say, “Yeshiva boys! What happened to you at 2:45pm this afternoon when you davened Mincha and finished your long morning of Judaic studies. Tell me the truth — last night when you were studying the dissection manual and you read the words SHARK, SCALES, FINS over and over again, did it dawn on any of you to ask the question about the kashrut status of a shark?” He wasn’t asking us to explain why a shark is not kosher even though it has scales and fins. He was asking us if any of us thought of the question. None of us had. And that turned Dr. Etkin’s question into a haskafa-indictment of sorts. Why hadn’t any of us thought of the question? It was begging to be asked. His point was that Jewish studies should never be compartmentalized. A Jew’s mind should be open and tuned in to Torah ALL THE TIME, when he has a Gemara in front of him as well as when he is studying science or history or secular literature... anything. Other things can be organized into one’s mental compartments, but not Torah.

Next part of the story. (We’ll get back to the answer to the shark-question later; it’s less important that the hashkafa statement being made.) Pirkei Avot, third chapter, a statement by R’ Yaakov or R’ Shimon (versions vary). HA-M’HALEICH BADERECH V’SHONEH... One who is walking down the road and is involved in Torah learning (reviewing some Torah material in his mind, perhaps), U’MAFSIK MIMISHNATO... and he interrupts his learning... and says, What a beautiful tree, what a beautiful field — the pasuk considers that he put his life in jeopardy. The basic explanation for this statement is that Torah learning is paramount, and one thus engaged must not be distracted, even to admire nature. Another understanding of this mishna came to me in relation to my story with Prof. Etkin. The key word is U’MAFSIK and he interrupts.

Admiration of nature as G-d’s handiwork is a positive thing in life (though not during Torah learning). However, when the study and appreciation of nature is an interruption of one’s Torah learning – and living – then such a compartmentalizing does indeed put one’s life in jeopardy. This spin on the mishna, although I thought it was my own, can be found in Ethics from Sinai by Irving M. Bunim. I remember being a little disappointed that my “original” thought wasn’t my own, but then it was nice to find confirmation for it in such an outstanding commentary on Pirkei Avot.

And so, dear TT reader, that is why I will introduce the echidna along side a Rashi on Chumash, the wombat together with a lesson in Jewish Civil Law, the bandicoot with Meaning in Mitzvot, and even the Fibonacci Series side-by-side a Ramban on Yishuv Eretz Yisrael. (Fibonacci and the Ramban were late 12th and early 13th century contemporaries, although it is unlikely – but not impossible – that they were aware of each other’s existence.)
“Yes indeedee!” - William Etkin z”l Y'HIY ZICHRO BARUCH

In going from youth to adulthood, we sometimes barter elusive inspiration for secure substantiality. This is yet another instance of the trading of the birthright for the bowl of pottage. From A Candle by Day by Shraga Silverstein

G'MATRIYA MATCH
As if to “confirm” the togetherness of Matot and Mas’ei (see page 23), it happens to be that the G’matiriya of the first pasuk of each of these two sedras is the same (3324).

From the Desk of the Director
Parshat Masei describes the journeys of Bnei Yisrael in the wilderness. In all there were 42 encampments: fourteen in the first year, eight in the fortieth year, and twenty in the intervening thirty-eight years - a sign, notes Rashi, of Hashem's compassion on the people.

When Bnei Yisrael set off on their journeys, in what spirit did they do so? For one can leave a place out of boredom and disdain or see the move as a positive step forward on an ongoing spiritual mission. These conflicting approaches are reflected in the strange repetitive language of the passuk: "Moshe wrote their 'goings forth' according to their journeys… and these were their 'journeys' according to their goings forth" (B'midbar 33:2).

The same idea is repeated but the order is reversed. R. Hirsch observes that the first phrase "goings forth" expresses the journeys as seen from on High: Hashem wanted Bnei Yisrael to progress to the next stages in His Divine plan. However, from the impatient people's perspective, what counted were "their journeys" and the attendant adventures.

In truth, all the 42 journeys should be seen in their entirety. Ramban notes that the number 42 alludes to the mystical 42-letter name of G-d. 42 is MEM-BET. So when we say daily, "Vedirbata BaM... Uv'lechtecha Vaderech" - 'Speak about them…when you are going on your way' - we are really saying that our entire life is a journey filled with the secrets of Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center

Towards better Davening and Torah reading
Column #34. Contents of this weekly column are based on the sefer: EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEIM, by R' Nissan Sharoni, Ashdod, a guide to correct pronunciation of Hebrew, specifically in davening and Torah reading.

Last week’s column ended thus:
BIRCHOT HASHACHAR: Here’s an interesting one. First bracha. la-SECH-vi (MIL’EIL), not la-sech-VI. [Ed. note: Checked several Siddurim. Many don’t indicate accents. Some do. Found la-SECH-vi a few times. Rinat Yisrael seems to disagree. They have la-sech-VI. Waiting for reader feedback to enlighten or further muddle the point.]

The word after la-SECH-vi is MILRA, bi-NA. It’s easier to say it the Rinat Yisrael way (if it is correct) - la-sech-VI bi-NA (both words MILRA). But that doesn’t mean it’s right that way. We’ll await the final verdict.

First of all, the easy part. The second word in the phrase loses the DAGESH in the BET and is vi-NA, not bi-NA. (And not VI-na either.)

Now for the SECHVI issue. Thanks to two readers - YL and SL - who pointed me in the right direction. The word SECHVI appears once in Tanach, in Iyov 38:36 to be specific. In fact, the phrase in the first of Birchot HaShachar, the morning brachot, comes from that pasuk, where it is in the form of a rhetoric question: ...MI NATAN LASECHVI VINA? Who gave the SECHVI understanding, reasoning, intuition (different translations of BINA).

Okay, what’s a SECHVI? Good question. Very good question. Rashi and other commentaries say that SECHVI is the rooster, and that it also is the person’s heart or mind, the place where thoughts are formed. Targum on the pasuk has two versions: LIBA, heart and TARNIGOL,, rooster. No help there. In the context of the pasuk in Iyov, it seems likely to translate SECHVI as the mind or heart, rather than rooster. Who has put wisdom in the inward parts (of the person) or who has given understanding to the mind? Rooster doesn’t fit well there.

This does not yet relate to the morning bracha. But we’ll get there soon. Pronunciation of SECHVI in the Iyov pasuk is MIL’EIL - SECH-vi. And if you look in a modern Hebrew dictionary, where the “main” definition is rooster (and some will refer to the other translation), the pronunciation is MILRA, sech-VI.

If this is so, that rooster is sech-VI and heart/mind is SECH-vi, then the pronunciation in the bracha will depend on what the word means in that context. (And if the different accenting is not a function of the meaning of the word, then we’re back to the proverbial square one.)

Rambam, for example, says (in Hilchot T’fila) that when one hears a rooster crow, he should say the bracha HANOTEIN LASECHVI VINA... That’s pretty straightforward that SECHVI means rooster. On the other hand, the TUR states clearly that SECHVI means HEART and that the bracha acknowledges and thanks G-d for our powers of reasoning and understanding, AND since SECH- VI also means rooster, our Sages connected the bracha to hearing of the rooster in the morning.

R’ Chaim Donin (To Pray as a Jew) writes that the bracha acknowledges our HEARING, just as POKEI’ACH IVRIM acknowledges SIGHT.

R’ Elie Munk (The World of Prayer) puts it this way: “This bracha does not refer to the crowing of the cock... Therefore this bracha should be recited even if one did not hear... for it is just an expression of gratitude at enjoying the benefit of light... The break of day awakens new faith and fresh initiative everywhere... To him (Adam HaRishon) it meant that G-d had given him the chance to begin life all over again, and to atone for the transgression (of yesterday)... This blessing really expresses our gratitude for the gift of intelligence... not intelligence in general, but to our ability to make distinctions... (the root of BINA is related to BEIN, between), ...a thought process (the ability to distinguish between things) without which no knowledge can exist... it is a blessing for the first independent activity of the conscious mind. For it is man’s highest bliss to become aware, upon awakening, that he retains full possession of his mental faculties. His consciousness of the change from night to day proves this to him.”

[Side comment: We see the value we attach to knowledge and reasoning power in the first bracha of request in the weekday Amida. It is into this bracha that acknowledges G-d as the Giver of knowledge and understanding that we insert Havdala on Motza’ei Shabbat.]
Did we settle the issue of pronunciation? Is it SECH-vi or sech-VI? Rinat Yisrael says the latter; everyone else seems to say the former.
But that is no longer the point. A column called TOWARDS BETTER DAV|ENING... should not be just about MIL’EIL and MILRA. It should be about understanding what we say, and meaning it. I hope this discussion (and others like it) helped further that goal.

Parsha Pix
You have some real good stuff to work with together with your children and/or Shabbat guests. PP is a fun way to go over the sedra and a springboard to many discussions and Divrei Torah.
Upper-right. Father and daughter; husband and wife. The two pairs involved in HAFARAT NEDARIM.
Five crown plus one with a sword under it refers to the five kings and Bil’am who saw their end during the battle against Midyan.
The face-to-face sheep, cows, and donkeys represent to even split of the spoils of war from Midyan, divided between the army and the rest of the people.
The pot of gold (in the middle, sort of) refers to the contribution of the officers of the battle in thanks to G-d for the zero casualty rate.
The Pyramids, the many arrows, and the outline of Israel, of course, stand for the travels of the people from Exodus to Eretz Yisrael.
The quill (to the left of the donkeys) refers to the Torah’s statement that Moshe wrote down the travelog of Bnei Yisrael.
The map above the Pyramids with a big 3 on each side of the Jordan River refers to the Cities of Refuge to be designated in Eretz Yisrael.
The scales of justice are for the careful attention that the courts must pay in cases of homicide (the example from this week’s sedra) in determining culpability of the guilty party.
The road sign to Hebron is one of the requirements for Cities of Refuge. Roads to them must be well-marked to facilitate the escape to them of one who committed a homicide, regardless of the out- come of his trial.
By my count, that leaves three items in the ParshaPix unexplained. Purposely so. They are PPP, ParshaPixPuzzles for you to solve. B’hatzlacha.

TTRIDDLES...
are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. Some TTriddles are also presented for call-in solution on Torah Tidbits Audio (Arutz-7, Thursday night). The best solution set submitted each week (there isnt always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal

Last week’s (PINCHAS) TTriddle:
[1] He came in third
That’s it. There was only one TTriddle last week. It happens sometimes.
Plus...there was a PPP in the ParshaPix, specifically, two bowling pins and a C.

And the envelope please...
[1] Several interesting attempts at this one, including the correct solution. Pinchas was the third Kohen Gadol. Maybe so, but not the solution to the TTriddle. Here’s a wild try: Win, place, show are the names for first, second, and third in a horse race. Coming in third, then, means SHOW. Who, mentioned in the sedra, is associated with a show? Why, Cosby, of course. Really, now. DM finally came up with the correct answer. First, se3cond, and third is also Gold, Silver, and Bronze, medal-wise. So who came in third? ARAD is bronze in Hebrew. Binyamin’s son (among others) BELA had a son (among others) named ARD. He’s the one that came in third, not- withstanding the fact that he seems to have been BELA’s first son, and BELA seems to have been Binyamin’s first. But thus is the nature of TTriddles. RHM also got this one.

The PPP in the ParshaPix was at the top-middle of the PP on page 3. The bowling pins formed a split (known as 7-10, but that is irrelevant). The C as a mark in school is known as a HOOK. In Hebrew, VAV. So we have the famous split VAV in the word SHALOM.

H(S)M got the split, and then got the VAV in a different way. C is the chemical symbol for carbon. Carbon is element number 6. The 6th letter in the ALEF-BET, the letter with a G’MATRIYA of 6, is VAV. Split VAV. I like it.

Prizes for this week to DM, RHM, and H(S)M for their solutions of the TTriddle and the PPP respectively. Guys, please be in touch. Honorable mention to the son-in-law of MM/Bklyn for his imaginative attempt at the PPP.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] They went to Australia to visit grandfather
[2] Ashkenazis pronounciation relates the two
[3] 7 of 10 of 12 share 2 special letters
[4] The first is a window-fogger
[5] Although it worked ok in the sedra, this kind of thing is usually not a good idea. Hebrew & Aramaic indicate this semantically.

Israel Center Notes: -
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The Secret of the Wrong Sedra Name
At a certain point over Shabbat, I said to myself that if one more person makes a comment about TT525 being labeled Balak instead of Pinchas, I would write something about it in the next Torah Tidbits. So here it is.
Let’s start with some of the answers I’ve given this past several days to “Hey, Phil, do you know that you had the wrong sedra on the front page of TT?”
“Duh!”
“Old kabalistic practice to shift the AYIN HARA away from Pinchas, by naming his sedra Balak.”
“Many shuls did not read Balak well the week before, so they decided to try again this week.”
“Accidentally used the Chutz LaAretz sedra. They’re one behind, remember?”
[Strike that one, Chutz LaAretz caught up last week.]
“It did say Pinchas, but a disgruntled descendant of Shimon sneaked into the Print Room and changed it to Balak to embarrass his ancestor’s nemesis.”
“Hey, you’re the only person to have noticed the mistake — you win the prize.”
“It was a TTriddle. Take the letters of BALAK BEN TZIPOR. There’s the PEI in TZIPOR and the NUN in BEN. TZADI (90) - LAMED (30) = 60. That’s SAMACH. Add a BET and the VAV to get 8, the CHET. That leaves REISH (200), KUF (100), KAF (20) and BET (2). All you have to do is subtract 100 from 200 (100), divide by 20 (5) and multiply by 2. That makes 10, the YUD. Put them all together and it spells PINCHAS. And you thought it was a mistake.”
Okay. Got your answer? Oh, here’s one more: “My name is Pinchas and I was too modest to put it on the front page. (Just at the bottom of all the other pages).”
And you thought it was a mistake.

Well, of course it was. An embarrassing one. But not a serious one. Unless some shul read Balak instead of Pinchas... because of TT. That would be terrible. We once had a six minute error in Plag Mincha. And that affected when people said Kabbalat Shabbat that week. That was bad. Seriously, it’s the kind of thing that really scares me. Heavy responsibility.

Here’s how this one happened. This is not an excuse, just an explanation.
Each week, I take last week’s front page into DavkaWriter (the program that now does all of TT) and change it into the new week’s. Upper-right has five pieces of flexiText (that’s what it’s called in DW) which get changed, one at a time. The Hebrew and English dates got changed, as did the Perek and the TT number. I must have gotten distracted before changing the name of the sedra. And no one else who saw the page before printing, caught the mistake. We’ll try to be more careful in the future, but mistakes and typos will happen.

Now tell the truth. Which did you like better? The real answer or the list of phony answers created when I got tired of people saying, “Hey, Phil, do you know what sedra we read this week?”

We’re looking for old Torah Tidbits for our archives. Numbers 1 to 100. If you’ve got any of those and want to part with them, please let us know (02) 566-7787

TO: All the Volunteers (especially), but of course to all the Staff. FROM: Aviva Nissim; I speak for many when I say the Luncheon was a tremendous success and enjoyed by all - a real happening. The skits, the wonderful synchronization, the speeches... how many long hours of preparation! Thank you from myself and several of my friends. Ad 120!in simcha of course! Aviva

Kollel Program in Kharkov (that’s in the Ukraine, by the way) for boys 10th to 12th grade. The group will be leaving IY”H on July 22nd and returning August 12th. If you are interested in further details, give us a call. - Call Chaim Pelzner at 056-564254

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Thirsty? We now have a hot drinks machine with coffee, tea, & hot chocolate located on the ground floor, anda cold drinks (cans) machine on the first floor near the library.

Want to win a free Shabbat for two at Kibbutz Lavi?!*
All you have to do is fill out the form below and fax it to (02) 561-7432or mail toLavi Shabbat, c/o Israel Center, P.O.B. 37015, Jerusalem, 91370 or email to trochel@netvision.net.il and you will be entered in the drawing.
Please answer these questions:
• I visited the Israel Center approx. ____ times in the past year.
• I have been on an Israel Center Tiyul. Yes / No
• What is your favorite section of Torah Tidbits?
Full name:
Full address:
phone: cellphone:
fax: email:
In addition to a chance at the Lavi Shabbat,everyone who sends this form back will receive an Israel Center gift
Shabbat for two at Kibbutz Lavi • With thanks to Modi’in Tours and Kibbutz Lavi
*According to availability • Drawing at noon on the Sunday after Tisha B'Av

NESTO • Native English-Speaking Teen Olim
Limited number of placesstill available for the Junior NESTO Camp, 6th thru 8th grade, August 6-11; For more information,call: Chave 050-444 401

TIYULIM and SHABBATONIM
Call the TIYUL HOTLINE Dial the Israel Center's number 5-66-77-87, then press 211. You'll hear "thank you, one moment please", and then the phone system's music for 15 seconds. Then the Tiyul Hotline message begins. You can listen to the whole message and then press 2 to leave your message, or you can interrupt by pressing 2 right away and then leaving your message.

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 assist you on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Call Sarah at the Center, 566-7787 ext. 249.

Note: When a tiyul says "Bring your own lunch", you can do that... or this: Call the TRAVEL DESK or the TIYUL HOTLINE up to the day before the TIYUL and order a box lunch from the Israel Center Cafe. 18 shekel will get you a delicious sandwich, a refreshing drink (specify regular or diet) and a dessert. Your box lunch will be ready for you when you board the bus.

KASHRUT POLICY: Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by OU-in-Israel - Mehadrin. Israel Center sponsored trips and programs are under Mehadrin Hashgacha. Hotels, restaurants, and tiyulim advertised by the Travel Desk or by outside parties are not necessarily Mehadrin and are not endorsed by the OU or the Israel Center.

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE:
The next Israel Center In-House Shabbaton • Hold this Shabbat! Shabbat Parshat R'ei, August 2-3 • Join us as we explore the World of Tanach (and other topics); Guest speakers:Rabbi Aaron & Pearl BorowRabbi Neil Winkler • This will be an exciting, learning-filled Shabbat with great food and great people (guest speakers and participants intended) • Sign up NOW - limited spaces - (maximum 80 participants) when you call, let us know your housing arrangements or needs, dietary needs, seating requests etc. We'll be taking Shabbat early - Mincha at 6:00, candles not before 6:10; price: 200NIS per person (hotel accomodations extra), non-mem add 20NIS • The one after this one. Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech, August 30-31. Theme: Shlichot and Rosh HaShana. Watch for further details.

Thursday, July 16 • The Holyland and the Model of the Second Temple; 10:45am: Slide show of the Holyland Model, 12:30pm, guided tour of the Holyland Model with Ya'akov Billig; price: 65/60NIS
Friday, July 19• My Kotel and Wall Street; tour of the Western and Southern Wall excavation and the Davidson Center with Ya'akov Billig; price: 45/50NIS

Travel Desk Specials For reservations at the hotels listed below or any other Israeli hotels, please call Sarah directly at the Travel Desk 566 7787, ext. 249. She'll be happy to accomodate you with any of your requests.
Sharon, Herzliya, thru July • 2-night package: 975NIS per couple B/B
Inbal, Jerusalem, thru August • MIDWEEK 2-night package: 1150NIS per couple B/B; WEEKEND: 1620NIS per couple, all Shabbat meals,, breakfast Sunday morning
Mt. Zion Hotel, Jerusalem, thru August • MIDWEEK 2-night package: 960NIS per couple, one night H/B; one night B/B
Sheraton-Moriah, Tel Aviv, thru July • MIDWEEK 2-night package: 868NIS per couple B/B
Sheraton City Tower, Ramat Gan, thru July • THU-SUN, 3-night package: 1620NIS per couple, 2 nights B/B; F/B for Shabbat
Le Meridien, Haifa, valid from June 30 to July 17 • MIDWEEK 2-night package: 1100NIS per couple, one day H/B, one day B/B
Carlton, Nahariya , July 19-25 • GLATT-MEHADRIN • 780NIS per night per couple H/B
Kibbutz Lavi, July 19-21, SHABBAT NACHAMU: 1400NIS per couple in new wing • 1300NIS per couple in main building • 1000NIS per couple in garden rooms; full Shabbat meals plus breakfast on Sunday morning
For period of July 21-25, the Sheraton Moriah/Dead Sea will be Kosher L’mehadrin
Separate swimming hours in the hotel’s indoor and outdoor pools; Separate swimming hours at the Dead Sea Shore; Large Synagogue available; Appropriate entertainment for the Dati/Charedi public; 799NIS H/B per couple/per night, minimum: 4 nights
For additional information regarding children’s rates etc.please contact Sarah at 5667787 ext. 249
B/B = Bed & Breakfast • H/B = Half Board (breakfast + one meal) • F/B (3 meals a day)
Midweek = SUN, MON, TUE, WED nights • Weekends = THU, FRI, Motza"sh nights
Attention Students from Abroad: Are your parents planning on visiting you this year? If so, you want to speak to us (02-566-7787 ext. 249).We have many attractive deals for them... and you. Let us turn an ordinary “been there, did it” visit into an unforgettable, special one!

The Back Page of TT526
"Regular" Israel Center classes & lectures - 20NIS for members, 25NISfor non-mem. Life members, 5NIS (except for programs of/with other organizations). No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay. (Membership is 225NIS per year)
Many Israel Center programs are partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel

Friday
6:00pm - New “Early Shabbat” minyan with Mincha before Plag and Kabbalat Shabbat afterin the Wolinetz Family Shul - OHEL SHMUEL (at the Israel Center)

Shabbat Day
Shabbat afternoon (Matot-Mas'ei), July 6th, 5:00pm • Shiur in Pirkei Avot by Rabbi Eddie Abramson • Drinks • Mincha follows the shiur

Motza”Sh July 6th • 9:45pm, Maimonides’ Mas’ei; From Morality at Marah to Sanctity at Sinai • Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Poupko

Hineni Jerusalem is very sorry to announce that Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis has been forced to cancel her trip to Israel due to an injury. Therefore her lecture that was scheduled for this Motzei Shabbat, July 6th, has been postponed.

SUNDAY
9:30am (women) •Mystical Insights into theMonths of the Year • Golda Warhaftig
10:30am (women) Let's Really Learn Some Chumash • Tonia Frohwein
N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:30-12:45
11:30am (men & women) Parshat HaShavua • Shprintee Herskovits
Men who are looking to do some serious learning...
Shiur in Gemara by Rabbi David Zitter, 10:00am, SUN-THU
Daf Yomi in English with Rabbi Shmuel Halpern, 3:00pm, SUN-THU
Shiur in Makot 2nd Perek by Rabbi Hillel Ruvel, 4:30pm, SUN-THU
All shiurim take place in the Israel Center's Ganchrow Beit Midrash one flight up
Sundays July 7 & 14 • 8:00pm • Torah, Psychology and Self Control with Dr. Baruch Shulem, Internationally known lecturer on religion and psychotherapy

MONDAY
9:15am • Excursions into the World of Nevi'im (the Prophets) Mrs. Pearl Borow
N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:00-12:30
10:30am (men & women) • Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith • Rabbi Zev Leff
11:36am July 8 (men & women) • Jewish History - Bayit Sheni period; In the Days of Pontius Pilate • Dr. Henry Goldblum
Women's Beit Midrash Program • Mondays 3:00-4:00pm: Guided Chevruta Study in Tanach and Jewish Thought
4:00-5:00pm: Learning an Independent Chumash Study Method with Rabbi David Derovan
Monday, July 8, 8:00pm • in cooperation with (and at) the Israel Center
Fourth of four Workshops for Singles; Good-Bye to Boredom, Hopelessness and Shyness (or Longing): Hello to Confidence on Dates and at Singles’ Events
• Conducted by Ezer Kenegdo Matchmaking - Andy & Ayalah Haas (5666039)
8:00pm • Curing the Jewish Heart; Lecture series by AM SEGULA on Lessons from History & Zionism
Monday, July 8, 8:00pm • Root & Branch Lecture, in cooperation with the Israel Center: "ISLAM AND ISLAMIC PRACTICES IN THE EYES OF JEWISH LAW"; Special Guest Speaker:Rabbi Menachem Slae; nis25 per person • Information: rb@rb.org.il
May a Jewish shochet slaughters meat for an Arab customer face Mecca and say "Allah Akhbar"if the customer requests this? • May a Jewish shochet slaughter meat for an Arab customer when he knows that the meat will be used for the Hag HaKorban (Id el Adbach) celebration? How does Judaism view the historic role of Islam? • Does Jewish Law permit the practice of customs borrowed from Islam and Arab culture (or other religions and cultures)?

TUESDAY
9:00-9:50am Four Who Entered the Pardes (the deepest levels of Torah secrets) • Dr. Hayim Abramson
9:55-10:45am Jewish Concepts, How to Say them in Hebrew; kASHRUT • Dr. Hayim Abramson
10:50-11:40am • Parshat haShavua with Rabbi Yitzchak Rubenstein • Rabbi Spiegelman will be back IY”H August 6th
The Israel Center and the Old City Free Loan Association Gemach - Free Loan Society to provide interest-free loans for people in financial distress. Interviews at the Center on Tuesdays from 10:00-12:00 Please bring ID
N'SHEI LIBRARY 11:15-12:45
11:45am • Chabad insights into Parshat HaShavua and the Actualia of Our Time (women only) • Raizel Zisk
Tuesday, July 9, 8:00pm, Explaining the New Israeli Tax Law and explaining the Halachic Basis for paying taxed to the State of Israel with Eli Clark, Tax Attorney & Rabbi

WEDNESDAY
9:30am Towards a More Meaningful Davening Experience Dr. Joel Luber
10:30am Break the Fear Habit... And Live! with Alan Romm P.C.
Women's Beit Midrash Program
Wednesdays: 3:00-4:00pm • Women in Tanach with Pearl Borow (men & women)
4:00-5:00pm • Guided Chevruta Study in Tanach and Jewish Thought
8:00-10:00pm • Aliya Counselling with Miriam Bass
7:45-8:45pm Jewish Philosophy Road map to the Prophets - Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed Now studying: "Oredering their Mitzvot and their "reasons""; Ramban's Commentary on the Torah and its Wellsprings: Now studying: "The Tree of Knowing Good and Evil and the Yetzer HaRa" with Rabbi Chaim Eisen • alternating topics
WED, July 10, 8:00pm • Repeat program by popular demand: Know & Help Your Eyes; Learn more about your eyes and vision; Learn exercises that can alleviate eye fatigue and eye strain and possibly even improve your eyesight; Learn about nutrition & eye health • Guest speaker:Yaakov Gerlitz Dipl. Acpractitioner of Chinese Medicine(and an interesting fellow - PC)

THURSDAY
Sometime in the morning • Shiurim while you fold, Parshat HaShavua and/or the Calendar • Various presenters
10:15am • SLIM FOR LIFE Group weight-loss program for women • No obligation for the first session • Qualified nutritional advisor on hand • Elisheva 999-6479
Thursday, July 11th, 8:00pm; How to be disease-free and energetic with Irwin Goldenberg, LCN
8:00pm • The Book of Sho'f'tim with Reb Yosef Schreiber
Note: The Men's & Boys' Choir led by Yisrael Shwarzstein is in recess until after the "Chagim"
FRIDAY
9:00am • In-Depth Pirkei Avot • Rabbi Chaim Eisen

NEW - Mincha-KabbalatShabbat-Maariv - 6:00pm • Mincha before PLAG (time will adjust in mid-August)

WILL RESUME TOWARDS THE END OF THE SUMMER • Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults Fall Program 5762 (2001 - 2002) At the Israel Center

ON SUMMER RECESS Also on TUESDAYS at the CENTER Two Tuesday morning classes at the Israel Center by the Yad Yaakov Center for Jewish Education Separate fees. Call (02) 652-4601 for further information 9:00-10:30am

Upcoming at the Israel Center
Thursday, July 18 • Tish’a b’Av day • from 8:30am Slow-paced Shacharit (we will be in time for Sh’ma); KINOT: We will say selected Kinot in an unrushed manner, explanations in English • A very meaningful experience; Layning & Kinot leader: Rabbi Neil Winkler; Kinot introduction and explanations: Dr. David Luchins • We will end around Chatzot (12:45pm approx.); There will be a topical mini-shiur until Mincha at 1:20pm
Note: We are considering having Tish’a b’Av evening davening and Eicha on Wednesday, July 17, beginning with Maariv at 8:10pm. We will do so only if there is a request (demand), so please let us know if you’d be interested. Final decision will appear in next week’s TT.

Motza’ei Shabbat Nachamu, July 20 • Who says you can't go back in time? Join us at the Israel Centeron Motza’ei Shabbat Nachamu for a Pioneer/Pineview Reunion with Ruach Uno a.k.a. Howie Kahn featuring Jewish music of the '60's and '70's, Israeli classics and American folk songs • 35/40NIS • Even if you don’t remember Motza’ei Shabbat Nachamuat the Pineview or Pioneer, even if you never heard of them, you will thoroughly enjoy this musical event.

OU ISRAEL CENTER Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center
Yitzhak Fund, President
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice President
Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President
Harvey Tannenbaum, Secretary/Treasurer
Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member
Rabbi Eddie Abramson, Vaad member
Rabbi David Cohen, Director General, OU in Israel
Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center
Phil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
22 Keren Ha'Yesod POB 37015 Jerusalem 91370
Phone: (02) 566 7787 Fax: (02) 561-7432
email: tt@ou.org - website: www.ou.org/torah/tt
Orthodox Union • National Conference of Synagogue Youth
This publication and many of the programs of the Israel Center and NCSY b'Yisrael are assisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel
TT is published and printed "in house" at the Israel Center

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