Halachic Times for Jerusalem Winter (Standard) Time Correct for TT #497 Ranges are for THU-THU, 21 Kislev - 28 Kislev 5762 (December 6 - 13, '01) For sunrise and sunset, first time takes into account the elevation above sea level of Jerusalem, 825m (the times in parentheses do not take elevation into account). For the deadlines of Shma and Shacharit, the first times are according to the GR"A, the day being reckoned from sunrise to sunset. (The times in parentheses are according to the Magen Avraham, the day being reckoned from dawn to stars-out.) Candle lighting - 4:00pm (Earliest - 3:36pm) Havdala - 5:16pm (Rabbeinu Tam - 5:53pm) Earliest Shacharit 5:20¼-5:25¼am Sunrise 6:20¼-6:25¼am (6:25½-6:30½am) Sof Z'man Kri'at Sh'ma 8:55-8:59am (8:07-8:11am) Sof Z'man Shacharit 9:46-9:50am (9:15-9:18am) Chatzot (halachic noon) 11:30-11:33¼am Mincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) 12:00-12:04am Plag Mincha 3:35¼ - 3:37pm Sunset 4:39¾-4:41¼pm (4:34¾-4:36pm) 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 Tevet on Shabbat Parshat Vayeishev, December 8th, '01 ROSH CHODESH TEVET Y'H'YEH B'YOM SHABBAT KODESH U'L'MOCHRATO B'YOM RISHON HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA The Molad is on Shabbat (Dec 15th) 12h 18m 1p In Rambam notation: SHABBAT • 18h • 325 chalakim Clock time (can be adjusted for location) SHABBAT DEC. 15, 11:57¼am Astronomical Molad - FRI DEC.14, 22:50:17 Technically, we say U'L'MACHARATO only when Rosh Chodesh will be on the following Shabbat and the Sunday that follows it (as opposed to the Sunday that is tomorrow). Otherwise, it is unnecessary. Heed the Vayeishev Warning Midrash P'li'a: G-d said (to the people of Israel), you sold Yosef! (I swear by) your lives that you will say, every year, We were slaves to Par'o in Egypt. A simple but powerful reminder of how serious the situation was (is!) that brothers' jealousy for their brother, and his perceived boasting to them could combine into HATRED among brothers, and that hatred could lead to thoughts of murder (fratricide) and to deeds of a callous sale into slavery, followed by terrible deceit of one's own father. This is what you can do to your brother?! Then you will all be slaves, and your children and children's children will remember the bitterness of that slavery for all generations. (And hopefully, they will also remember the cause of that slavery, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.) And especially with the recognition of the sad and sober fact of Jewish Life, that "Eisav hates Yaakov". You, dear brothers (and sisters) of Israel, have so many problems that come from the Eisavs of this world, you cannot afford the terrible results of brotherly hatred. This is the message of Parshat Vayeishev, and this is a message of Chanuka and of Jewish History. Openly, we tell ourselves the story of Greek oppression and of the glorious and miraculous victory of the few against the many and the weak against the mighty warriors. What we don't like to talk about is the bitter civil strife within the Jewish community between the Hellenized Jews and the Jews who tenaciously kept faith with Torah and Tradition. We "like" the stories of the clashes between Yaakov and Lavan and the tension between Yaakov and Eisav, but it pains us (or at least it should pain us) to read about what happened between Yosef and his brothers. Vayeishev is a hard sedra for us, and the haftara carries the hard words of the G-d's reproach via the Navi Amos. We talk about the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash at the hands of the Romans, descendants of Eisav, but we squirm (or should) with the idea that it was "gratuitous hatred" (sin'at chinam) of Jew against Jew that was the CAUSE of that devastating destruction, and the exile that followed, and in which we still suffer these many years later. This past week, we suffered a series of terrible blows from our history's most recent Eisav-type. We pray to G-d that He will guide our leaders in the proper course of action and decisions that will best handle the situation of our enemies from the outside. We must take the Vayeishev message to heart and (also with G-d's help) work hard at becoming the one Nation with one Torah and one Land that will merit peace, security, and prosperity. Sedra-Stats 9th of 54 sedras; 9th of 12 in B'reishit Written on 190 lines in a Sefer Torah, ranks 28th 4 Parshiyot; 3 open, 1 closed 112 p'sukim - ranks 24th (8th) tied with Matot; more words & letters than it, same number of lines 1558 words - ranks 24th (8th) tied with Vayakhel; fewer p'sukim & letters than it. Vayakhel is more than 20 lines longer 5972 letters - ranks 24th (8th) tied with D'varim; more p'sukim & words than it, but fewer lines Only sedra tied with others in 3 categories Average sized sedra, relatively longish p'sukim Mitzvot Contains none of the 613 mitzvot Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary Kohen - First Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 37:1-11 Yaakov has spent years away from home and now has returned. The Torah indicates that it is through Yosef that Yaakov's legacy continues. 17 year old Yosef brings bad reports about his brothers to Yaakov. Yaakov loves Yosef above his brothers and gives him a special (striped) coat. As a result, the brothers hate Yosef and cannot talk civilly to him. Yosef's two dreams (and especially, his telling his brothers about them) increases their hatred and jealousy, and alarms Yaakov. [sdt] These are the TO'L'DOT of Yaakov: Yosef... Should not the Torah have started with Reuven? This comes to show us, says the Gemara, that Yosef should have been Yaakov's firstborn, but G-d's mercy for Leah put her before Rachel in giving birth. [sdt] Talmud Yerushalmi wonders what Yosef reported about the brothers to Yaakov. R. Meir says, that they ate "limb from a living animal"; R. Yehuda says that they belittled the sons of Bilha and Zilpa and mistreated them; R. Shimon says that they cast their gaze upon the local women. R. Yehuda b. Pazi quotes the pasuk from Mishlei: "The scales and weighing stones of justice are HaShem's", meaning that a person is punished measure for measure. (Sources explain that the brothers did not do these things; Yosef misinterpreted what he saw.) In Yosef's case, the slaughter of a goat was instrumental in his abduction and the deception of his father; he was belittled and enslaved; he was accused of immoral behavior with Potifar's wife. Yosef's second dream, of the Sun, Moon, and stars bowing to him, added fuel to his brothers' hatred. Yaakov's pointed out the absurdity of the dream, since Rachel, the Moon, had already died and would therefore not be bowing to Yosef. Rashi says two different things: (1) The dream was referring to Bilha who raised Yosef in Rachel's absence; and (2) even "true" dreams have an element of nonsense. These seem to be mutually exclusive statements - if the Moon represents Bilha, then the dream contained no nonsense. Yaakov seems to have purposely voiced the second option in order to diffuse some of the brothers' anger. [SDT] Why did the scholars of Bavel dress up so grandly? The Gemara in Shabbat asks. And it answers that they were not "Bnei Torah". (External polish to compensate for internal lack.) Says the Chatam Sofer, Yaakov gave Yosef a fancy coat so that the brothers would NOT be jealous of him, that they would view Yaakov's pampering of Yosef as a sign of his inferiority. (P.S. It didn't work out that way) Levi - Second Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 37:12-22 The brothers are tending the sheep near Sh'chem. Yaakov sends Yosef to them. A stranger (some say, the angel Gavriel) helps him find them. (In the whole story of Yosef and his brothers, one can see that G-d has a plan which proceeds with the unknowing help of the brothers and other individuals. And yet, each person involved acts of his own free will.) When the brothers see Yosef coming, they (some say, Shimon and Levi) suggest killing him. Reuven talks them out of it by suggesting that they not spill his blood, but throw him into a pit instead. The Torah testifies that Reuven really intended to save Yosef. A point must be made about the concluding pasuk of this Aliya, which gives credit to Reuven for saving Yosef. Commentaries say that Reuven could have talked the brother out of the whole thing; instead, he suggested the snake- and scorpion-infested pit. Nonetheless, Reuven is credited for his intention to save Yosef. Rashi says that Reuven truly intended to come back and save Yosef - that's good - but his reason was that he, as oldest, would take all the blame - that's not necessarily a nice reason. Nonetheless, he gets the credit for the good deed he planned on doing - even though it wasn't accomplished AND even though his motives were not pure. It gives us something to think about. What credit must there be for proper motives, and for actual success. Shlishi - Third Aliya - 14 p'sukim - 37:23-36 When Yosef arrives, the brothers remove his coat and throw him into a deep pit. The brothers sit to eat. (This is considered as a sign of callousness to what they have done.) When a caravan of Ishmaelites approaches, Yehuda suggests that it would be wrong to kill Yosef (Reuven's intentions notwithstanding, the brothers expected Yosef to die in the pit); they should rather get rid of him by selling him into slavery. Through a series of transactions, Yosef ends up in Egypt as a slave to Potifar. When Reuven returns to the scene and discovers Yosef missing, he rends his garment and expresses his distress to the others. The brothers slaughter a goat, smear Yosef's multi-colored, striped coat in its blood, and send it to Yaakov to identify. [SDT] Commentaries point out that just as Yaakov had deceived his father with a goat and a garment, so too was he deceived with a goat and a garment. The dish prepared by Rivka for Yaakov to serve his father was made from the meat of a goat. Rivka dressed Yaakov in Eisav's special garment. The brothers took Yosef's special garment - theK'tonet Pasim - and smeared it with goat's blood. This is a stark example of "Mida k'neged mida" - measure for measure. Yaakov is inconsolable. (This is considered an indication that Yaakov subconsciously knew that Yosef was alive; one naturally accepts consolation for the dead after a time, but not for the missing. (Think of the terrible anguish of the families of Israel's missing soldiers. Because of Yosef's story, Vayeishev is designated each year as SHABBAT SH'VUYEI V'LE'EDAREI TZAHA"L.) [SDT] Rashi gives us another aspect of the "Measure for Measure" punishment of Yaakov. The pasuk says that he "mourned for his son MANY DAYS." Rashi says that it was 22 year! Yosef was 17 when he was sold. He was 30 when he stood before Par'o. That's 13. Seven years of plenty and the first two years of famine before father and son were reunited. That makes 22 years that Yaakov was without Yosef. This, says Rashi, is the exact length of time that Yaakov was away from Yitzchak. It includes the 20 years with Lavan, a year and a half in Sukkot, and six months in Bet El before Yaakov returned to his father's house. Remember that Yaakov had various good excuses, nonetheless... R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 30 p'sukim - 38:1-30 Subsequently, Yehuda leaves home and befriends an Adullamite. [SDT] Why is the story of Yosef interrupted to tell us about Yehuda's situation? Rashi tells us that Yehuda was no longer looked up to by his brothers. After they saw the terrible effect on Yaakov of the Yosef business, they blamed Yehuda for not talking them out of the whole idea. Hence the term "And Yehuda went down from his brothers..." There he meets and marries the daughter of Shu'a, who bears him 3 sons. He marries off his eldest, Er to Tamar. When Er dies, the next brother Onan, marries his brother's widow. When Onan also dies, Tamar is left to wait for the third son, Shela. Then Yehuda's wife dies. Yehuda travels to the area where Tamar lives. When she hears of his arrival and realizes that she has not been given to Shela yet, she disguises herself. Yehuda, thinking she is a prostitute, sleeps with her. She asks and receives 3 items as security that he will send her payment. When it becomes known that Tamar is pregnant, Yehuda is summoned. Assuming that she has acted sinfully, he is prepared to have her punished. Tamar produces the 3 items and announces that she is pregnant by their owner. [SDT] The Gemara teaches that one must avoid embarrassing another at all costs - it is better to be thrown into a fiery furnace than embarrass someone. We learn this from Tamar, who did not denounce Yehuda, even though she would have been considered guilty of immorality had Yehuda not owned up to his actions. [Commentaries explain that prior to Matan Torah, any close relative could take the childless wife of the deceased; after the Torah was given, only the brother qualifies for YIBUM.] Yehuda recognizes that he is the guilty one, not Tamar, and he admits it. She gives birth to twins (one extending his hand first, the other actually being born first). They are named Peretz (ancestor of King David) and Zerach. Note the repeat of the confused firstborn theme. It pervades the Book of B'reishit. OBSERVATION... Note how the "measure for measure" sequence continues. Yaakov deceives his father with a garment (Eisav's) and fans the jealousy of his son's against Yosef with the "coat of many colors". He is deceived (and devastated) by that same coat when the brothers bring it back to him all bloodied. Yehuda is "troubled" by his garment which he gave to Tamar as one of the three securities for his promise to pay her with goats. (P'tilim, says Rashi, refers to Yehuda's cloak.) Yosef, the victim (but not free of guilt in the matter) has his coat grabbed by Potifar's wife. Yosef leaves it in her hands as he runs from the house; the coat becomes the damning piece of evidence against him. Interesting, no? Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 6 p'sukim - 39:1-6 In "meanwhile back at the ranch" style, the Torah returns us to the story of Yosef. Yosef serves in Potifar's house and brings success to his master. He is well-liked by all, and is given much responsibility. Then the Torah makes a point of telling us that Yosef was exceedingly good-looking. [SDT] The Midrash says that Yosef was aware of his looks and became too comfortable in Potifar's house. Things were going well, he had good food and drink, and he began "curling his hair". G-d (so to speak) said to Yosef: Your father is in agony over your disappearance and supposed demise and you are enjoying yourself? I shall make things rough for you too. [SDT] The portion of Yosef in Potifar's house is juxtaposed to the episode of Yehuda and Tamar. The standard explanation is that the sale of Yosef caused Yehuda to lose the respect of his brothers. Rashi gives another, intriguing, explanation. He says that it is to equate Tamar and Potifar's wife - both of whom acted "for the sake of Heaven". Potifar's wife, says Rashi, saw via astrology that she was destined to have descendants that came from Yosef. She thought that she was the one and so she attempted to seduce him. She was just a bit off; it was, in fact, her daughter Os'nat that would bear Yosef's children. SHISHI - Sixth Aliya - 17 p'sukim - 39:7-23 Potifar's wife casts her eye upon Yosef. She repeatedly attempts to seduce him. His constant refusal angers her. She grabs him on a day when no one else is in the house. Yosef flees, leaving his coat behind. (This is the second time he has left his coat in the hands of others.) Potifar's wife denounces Yosef to all who will listen, and Potifar has no choice but to have Yosef imprisoned. [SDT] The Sfat Emet calls our attention to to sequence of verbs - And he refused, and he said... First and foremost when a person is being led into temptation, he must stand firm and refuse to go. THEN, if warranted, he can explain his reasons. The refusal must come first. This is a lesson we learn from Yosef HaTzaddik. G-d "favors" Yosef in prison, and Yosef becomes well-liked and respected there too. Even in his troubled circumstances, Yosef is watched over favorably by G-d. [SDT] Commentaries see the episode of Potifar's wife as an appropriate punishment for Yosef: (a) having been vain about his good looks, (b) having reported to his father that his brothers had been "lifting their eyes" to the local girls, and (c) experiencing libelous accusations against himself, as he had reported the "evildoings"of the brothers to their father. Baal HaTurim adds that Yosef spent 10 years in prison corresponding to the 10 brothers he reported on. Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 23 p'sukim - 40:1-23 The last portion of VaYeshev tells of the dreams of the wine steward and the baker, both of whom had been imprisoned by Par'o for misdemeanors. Both dream on the same night and awaken in morning very agitated. After Yosef interprets the wine steward's dream in a positive manner, the baker asks Yosef to interpret his dream as well. Yosef predicts death for him. Both dreams come true: the wine steward is restored to his position of honor and the baker is hanged. Yosef asks the wine steward to be remember him to Par'o, but alas, he forgets Yosef and his promise to him. Haftara - 19 p'sukim -Amos 2:6-3:8 Amos was an early prophet (and a sheep farmer - whatever that is), shortly after the kingdom split into Israel and Judea. He lived in Tekoa, Judea, but prophesied mostly in the Kingdom of Israel, where he tried to warn the people of the tragic end they faced. Amos warns the people that their behavior is repugnant before G-d and that He has already destroyed some of the neighboring nations for their misdeeds. The first pasuk is the perfect connection to the sedra; mentioning the sale of Yosef by his brothers. Rabbi Jacobs points to several other textual and conceptual connections. THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean Lesson # 114 (part two) •Distancing the Tort In the last lesson we began the discussion of Reuven using his property and such use damages the property of Shimon. We now continue this discussion with other types of use that cause such damage to Shimon. As in the prior lesson Reuven and Shimon each own an apartment in a two-floor condominium. Reuven owns the lower floor and Shimon owns the upper floor. We shall first examine the topic of water damage. Assume that water leaks down from Shimon's upper-floor apartment to Reuven's lower-floor apartment and causes damage to Reuven's apartment and personal property. If Shimon did not provide adequate cement between his apartment and that of Reuven and the water immediately upon leaving Shimon's premises flowed into Reuven's premises, Shimon is liable for the damages caused, since this is similar to Shimon shooting a shell into Reuven’s premises. Shimon is responsible for the repairs to the floor. However, if Shimon provided an adequate cement floor and the water oozed slowly through the cement and then leaked into Reuven's premises, Shimon is not liable for the damages caused. The reason is that in such a case Shimon is not the direct cause of the damages, but rather the indirect cause. This is true if the crack in the cement floor is very tiny and was not evident to Shimon. However, if the crack in the floor is easily discernible, then Shimon must repair the crack and is responsible for the damages if he fails to make the repairs. If the water never enters Shimon's apartment to flow into Reuven's apartment, then Shimon is not liable. For example, if rainwater flows down the side of the building first passing over the wall owned by Shimon and then entering Reuven's apartment and causing damage, Shimon is not liable. However, if the rain first enters Shimon's premises and then leaks down to Reuven's premises, then Shimon is liable if the leak is through a crack in his floor that is discernible to him. Another topic is that of damages caused to a neighbor’s wall. We shall assume that Shimon first built a wall on his side of the property line that separates his property from the property of Reuven. Thereafter Reuven desires to do any of the things hereinafter described. Unless otherwise noted, the wall may be built from bricks or stones and the same laws will apply. Every Beth Din shall judge each situation and advise Reuven and Shimon in each case, since property rights are involved, specifically prohibiting Reuven from the full use of his property. If damages are caused, Beth Din shall determine if Reuven’s actions are proximate cause of the damage to Shimon’s property. Reuven must keep his mounds of olive refuse, manure, fertilizer, salt, cement, lime, rocks, or wet earth, at least three handbreadths (tefachim) from Shimon's wall, or in the alternative. Reuven places plaster on Shimon's wall to prevent these products from causing in damage to Shimon's wall. In this situation there is a difference between the types of walls. If the wall is a brick wall, the three tefachim rule applies; if the wall is made of stone, one tefach is sufficient, and if the wall is made of polished stone. Reuven may not maintain a small mill for grinding grains or other objects that cause vibrations within three tefachim of Shimon's wall. The vibrations may cause Shimon's wall to collapse, and the noise may cause Shimon to be frightened. Similarly, Reuven must keep the stone on which he beats clothes until they become white at a distance of at least seven feet from Shimon's wall. In many industrialized societies this last law would seem remote. However, in many societies to this day plowing is still done with animal-drawn plows, and women still beat the clothes when washing them. Reuven should keep his oven, kilns, stoves, and other appliances that give off heat at least three tefachim from Shimon's wall. The three tefachim are measured in such a way that the actual fire or heating element must be at least four tefachim away from Shimon’s wall. Reuven may not dig a well, cistern, trench, vault or other type of pit, water canal, water pool, water channel, a pool to wash clothes, or any other pit containing water unless it is at least three tefachim from Shimon's wall. In addition, Reuven must apply plaster or cement to the pit or other opening in order to prevent Reuven's water from seeping through and weakening Shimon's wall. These laws apply even if the pit does not constantly contain water. All these laws are subject to the advice of Beth Din. The next topic is a nuisance caused b vibrations. Reuven crushes or beats grains or other items in his own premises. While he beats them he causes Shimon's walls to stir to the extent that the coverings on Shimon's barrels rattle. Since this is the same as causing damage with one's arrows, Reuven must cease such work unless he moves his activities to a place where he will not cause such stir on Shimon's premises. Reuven will have to cease his work even if the walls do not stir, but the noise and vibrations cause Shimon to get a headache. If Reuven causes damages while the premises are stirring, he is liable to Shimon. The next topic is that of excavations. Shimon owns a tract of land that is not the type of land on which wells will be dug. Reuven may dig wells on his land that is contiguous to Shimon's land right up to the boundary between the two tracts of land. After Reuven has dug his wells, Shimon may not dig a well unless the outside rim of his well is at least eleven inches away from the rim of Reuven's well. The various distances depend upon the type of soil and the incline, if any, of the soil. If Shimon's land is the type that lends itself to the digging of wells, then Reuven may not dig a well on his property unless its rim is at least eleven inches away from Shimon's property line. When Shimon digs his well it must be at least eleven inches away from Reuven's property. Shimon digs a trench to capture falling rainwater on his own land. If the rain waters overflow the trench and enter upon Reuven's land, Shimon must cease permitting the waters to so overflow; he must reroute his trench so that the waters remain on his own land. Rabbi Moshe Isserles writes that it is for the experts of the community to set distances even if Reuven’s nuisance is separated from Shimon’s property by a public thoroughfare. The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in Vol. V, Ch.155 of A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law by E. 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 commentary Meaning in Mitzvot on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh. PROHIBITION TO BENEFIT FROM CHANUKAH LIGHTS Many laws of Chanukah have the purpose of clearly distinguishing the Chanukah lights from other lights used for illumination. For example: Chanukah lights must have a single wick so that they are a “lamp” and not a “torch” which is better suited for illumination, and for the same reason the lights shouldn’t be arranged in a circle; the menorah is placed in a distinctive place, preferably placed low (OC 671:4-6); we do not light the lamp in one place and then move it to another (OC 675:1). Most importantly, we are not allowed to use the light of the Chanukah lamp for our own use, and we even light the "shamash", a special additional candle, to demonstrate this fact (OC 673:1). This unique rule, that Chanukah lights must be conspicuously not for our own use, seems to reflect the message of Chanukah. Greek culture was on the whole tolerant of alien cultures, and their syncretistic religion was tolerant of other religions. Furthermore, Judaism was not a proselytising religion which would have undermined the Greek practices. Why should the Hellenistic conquerors have endeavored to forbid the study and observance of Torah? While Greek philosophy was focused on truth, ultimately Greek religion and thought were focused on usefulness. Greek civilization’s best minds were occupied in ascertaining the laws of beauty (asthetics), the laws of language, the laws of nature, the laws of human society. They Greeks also interested themselves in theology - the supposed laws which govern the divine. But they seldom interested themselves in Torah - the laws by which the Divine governs us! They were little interested in demands which the Creator places on human beings. Greeks could accept the fact that gods were more powerful than man, but they could not accept the fact that any being was master of man. Their way of “serving” their gods were really ways of mastering them: indulging and outwitting the gods in order to attain what man esteemed. It seems that what bothered them about the Jews was not that the Jews served one God, but rather that they served one God. So it is fitting that we commemorate our cultural victory over Hellenism by lighting a light which does not serve us, showing that we recognize that not everything in this world is meant to further human enjoyment. Rabbi Meir has recently completed writing a monumental companion to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch which beautifully presents the meanings in our mitzvot and halacha. 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 questions, at www.jewishethicist.com or at www. aish.com. From the Virtual Desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE The Orthodox Union via its website fields questions of all types in the areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of the questions are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religiouscommunity in Israel and abroad. The Ask the Rabbi project is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah... Question: If I am davening silent Shmone Esrei and am around Modim and the chazzan is at Kedusha, do I answer Kedusha? Answer: A person who is davening silent Shmoneh Esrei while the congregation is saying Kedusha should remain silent and concentrate on what the chazzan is saying, and it is as if he "answered" (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 104:7-8). This is based on Rashi in Berachot 21b who says that even if one is concentrating on the words of the chazzan and his status is as one who "answered" regarding fulfillment of the obligation of Kedusha, it is not considered an interruption. Tosfot says he should continue in his prayers because since “shomeiah k’oneh” (one who hears is as if he answered), even being silent is like interrupting. We follow Rashi. If one finished the brachot of Shmoneh Esrei and already said "Yih’yu l’ratzon imrei fee…" prior to or during "Elokai n’tzor," he can say kedusha along with the congregation (Shulchan Aruch, ibid.). He should wait and listen at least until the chazzan completes "Baruch Shem…" and probably would do well to listen until the end of Kedusha including the bracha (see Ishei Yisrael 32: (53)). It is even better to shorten or skip "Elokai n’tzor" and take the three steps back before Kedusha begins (Shulchan Aruch 122:1). It is important to note that the situation of being in the midst of Shmoneh Esrei when the chazan gets up to Kedusha is not an ideal one. If one comes late to shul and if he starts Shmoneh Esrei late, he will not finish by the time of Kedusha, he should not start (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 109:1- see details there, regarding when he should start). Many poskim say that if one regularly does not “finish on time” because he davens slowly, then he may start with everyone and not be deprived of the full effect of tefilla b’tzibur on a regular basis (see Ishei Yisrael 33:25). Some suggest to anticipate the matter and start Shmoneh Esrei somewhat before the tzibur or speed up the davening a bit if these ideas don’t harm his kavana (see discussions of the pluses and minuses of various options - ibid. and Yabia Omer II:7). Fortunate is he who davens at a minyan where he is not rushed and can answer all that he should. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha sheet published by Eretz Hemdah. You can read this section or the entire Hemdat Yamim at www.ou.org or www.eretzhemdah.org. If you would like to receive Hemdat Yamim by email, on a weekly basis, please send an email to lists@eretzhemdah.org with the message: JoinHemdatya - Please leave the subject blank. TZIMUK Yeshayahu 6:3, Yechezkeil 3:12, and T'hilim 146:10 are the three p'sukim of Kedusha. The fist speaks of G-d filling the world with His Glory. Targum on the first pasuk (which we quietly quote in davening) explains the three words KADOSH as referring to His Kedusha in the Heavens, filling the whole world, and being forever. The second pasuk refers to G-d's Glory being in the Heavens. The third pasuk speaks of G-d reigning forever. The concepts of G-d's filling all place and all time are intertwined. This is further "demonstrated" by a G'matriya-Match between the third pasuk and Bamidbar 14:21. Hasidic Wisdom, from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins) It is better that we look inside of
ourselves and see what is going on in here, than to look to the Heavens to
see what is going on up there. Whoever does not see G-d in every place
does not see G-d in any place. Let the heart and the mind always be
congruent. Learn to be silent - so that you may learn
to speak. Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard Some follow the custom of saying L'HADLIK NER CHANUKA, omitting the SHEL, as in the bracha for Shabbat and Yom Tov candles. REASON Halacha prohibits using Chanuka lights for any purpose (other than to see them). The sole reason the Chanuka lights are kindled is for the mitzva. So it is not merely a light, but a Chanuka light, meaning that Chanuka is an integral part of the purpose of this flame. Hence, we light NER CHANUKA. This is not the case regarding Shabbat and Yom Tov candles. These lights are lit to provide us with illumination like every other light... Therefore, they are called NER SHEL SHABBAT (or YOM TOV). They are candles (with the normal function of candles) for Shabbat. [Chanuka candles are not really "regular" candles, since we may not benefit from their light or warmth.] Ed. note - Notwithstanding this reason for saying NER CHANUKA, many follow the other opinion to say NER SHEL CHANUKA or SHE-L'CHANUKA as one word. It is customary for women to abstain from work while the Chanuka lights are burning. REASON Refraining from work reminds us not to make personal use of the Chanuka lights. REASON To publicize that a woman (Yehudit) brought about the salvation of the Jewish people. ArtScroll Series Mesorah Publications Ltd. WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein R' David of Bichov was falsely accused and arrested in St. Petersburg. He was brought before a panel of judges for questioning. At one point, the judges wished to consult among themselves, and in order not to be understood, they switched from Russian to French. R' David, who had been standing at attention throughout the examination, suddenly tilted his head away from the judges. "Prisoner", shouted one of the judges, "when you are before us, you are to remain at attention." "Your honor", replied R' David, "I heard you speaking French because you didn't want me to hear what you were saying. I know French, however, and I moved my head away so that I would not hear you." This unexpected reply so staggered the judges that they released R' David immediately Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder From the Desk of the Director Dear Torah Tidbits Reader, Parshat Vayeshev opens with Ya’akov settling in Eretz Yisra’el. Rashi explains the term ’Vayeshev“ to mean that after all his suffering at the hands of Esav and Lavan, Ya’akov now desired to live in perfect tranquility. It is a dream that is very familiar to us. Rabbi Julius Baker has suggested that Ya’akov sought to return to the “Tent of Torah,” while relying on Esav to take on the family responsibility for material welfare. Rashi notes, however, that Hashem had a different agenda: The righteous should not have such expectations in this world - for they will rest in the World to Come. Ya’akov, of course, should have heeded his real dream in which the ladder, a link between Heaven and Earth, clearly indicated that his future was bound up with both the spiritual and the material. Similarly, his son’s vision of the sheaves of corn implied that Yosef was to involve himself in the physical aspects of Jewish destiny. Maybe that is why Scripture recalls that Ya’akov “kept that matter [to himself].” Perhaps that is also why the Psalmist, in describing the return of the Jewish people to their Land, invokes both the “dream” and the “sheaves” when he proclaims: “Hayinu Kecholmim. Az Yavo V’rinah Noseh Alumotav” – ‘We were like dreamers. Then he who carries the bundles will come with melodious song.’ Clearly, it is those who are actively involved in shaping the Land who eventually garner G-d’s blessings. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center Towards better Davening and Torah Reading Column #6. The 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. First a correction from last week. paragraph halfway down the left column on page 10 should have read as follows: When the vowel under the VAV is a PATACH, rather than a SH'VA, we get va-yo-MAR, which means "(and) he said." (and not "will say") Okay, as promised last week, we will take a closer look at the VAV-switched past-to-future words in the Sh'ma. Following a lengthy conversation with the author of EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEM, we're ready (almost) for this topic. Here's a review with an addition: v'a-hav-TA means "(and) you shall love". It is made of the word a-HAV-ta, meaning "you loved" (past tense) with a VAV HaHipuch before it, which flips the tense to future AND shifts the accent from the next-to-the-last syllable (MIL'EIL) to the last syllable (MILRA). Pronounced with a VAV and MIL'EIL the word remains past tense, "and you loved", which is NOT what the Torah is saying. That mis-accented word has a different meaning and is therefore a more serious type of Sh'ma-problem. In contast, we have already looked at v'sa-VA-ta, which means, "and you will be satisfied". Its VAV also switches the meaning of sa-VA-ta (you were satisfied) from past to future, but the accent doesn't move to the last syllable. The word remains MIL'EIL as it was in the past tense. (Or, maybe it does switch to the last syllable and then switch back to the next-to-the-last syllable for another reason. Either way, we pronounce the word v'sa-VA-ta. In this case, saying v'sa-va-TA is "just" a wrong pronunciation, but does not change the meaning of the word. A less serious Sh'ma-problem. We are supposed to pronounce all words properly, but if the word doesn't change meaning, we can apply the ruling in Shulchan Aruch that "he who is not meticulous in his pronunciation of the words of Sh'ma still fulfills the mitzva". It is harder to say that in the case of a changed meaning. There is a third type of "former past verb that is now future tense because of the VAV HaHipuch". ha-YA means "was". v'ha-YA can mean "and he (or it) was", if the VAV is a VAV HaChibur (conjunctive VAV) or it can mean "and it will be" if the VAV is the tense-switching type. Here's the point: the accent stays MILRA (on the last syllable) for both past and future tenses. If one says v'HA'ya, he is "just" mispronouncing the word, but not changing its meaning. There are over 30 words in Sh'ma that are verbs that switched from past to future (including duplicates). Only v'sa-VA-ta is a MIL'EIL word that stays MIL'EIL. There are 7 words whose accents went from MIL'EIL to MILRA with the past-to-future tense-switch, and these are the ones to be particularly careful about. It takes practice to break the over-MIL'EIL practice of the American background. These 7 words are: v'a-hav-TA, v'di-bar-TA, v'na-ta-TI (twice), v'a-saf-TA, v'a-chal-TA, and v'a-mar-TA. Take out a Siddur, turn to Sh'ma, and find these 7 words. Mis-accenting any of these changes their meaning. Keep that in mind. It is not just a matter of mispronouncing. The other 25 words or so (more than 10% of thewhole SH'MA!) are all MILRA in both the past and the future to which they've been flipped. So an incorrect accent will not change the meaning. Like v'sa-VA-ta (but the opposite), saying these words incorrectly will not threaten the propriety of the performance of the mitzva. Some of these words are more commonly mispronounced than others. They include: v'shi-nan-TAM, v'sar-TEM, v'li-mad-TEM, v'ha-YU. We won't complete the list here. We've got some other pronunciation issues that will call upon some of the other words in future columns. . Let's review with an example. And you shall teach your children and speak these words... v'shi-nan-TAM l'va-NE-cha v'di-bar-TA BAM. Typical American (and other) Ashkenazic type probably reads this as v'shi-NAN-tam... v'di-BAR-ta... Both wrong, but the second one is worse because the meaning of the word is changed by the wrong pronunciation. By the way, v'shi-nan-TAM l'va-NE-cha is the command to learn and teach Torah. v'di-bar-TA BAM is the command to recite the Sh'ma (twice a day). There are also other things we learn from v'di-bar-TA BAM. Remember, it doesn't matter if you use the Ashkenazic or Sefardic pronunciation of Hebrew when you daven, the accents should be correct. v'na-ta-TI or v'naw-sa-TI. They are both MILRA. No matter how many Rabbanim and Talmidei Chachamim you hear say v'naw-SA-ti, it's wrong. Layning the SH'MA with Taamei HaMikra is very helpful to correct accenting of the words. Not foolproof, but helpful. And especially if you picture yourself reading these parshiyot in shul in front of a very large, fussy congregation of expert Baalei Kri'a, each of whom is looking to catch your mistakes. CHANUKA (collected from various pages in the hard copy of Torah Tidbits) One should prepare his Chanukiya during the afternoon so that there will not be a delay in lighting at the proper time. Some have the custom of preparing the Chanukiya in the morning for the evening. This not only serves the practical purpose of being ready to light on time without delaying to set up later, but it also commemorates the practice in the Beit HaMikdash called Hatavat HaNeirot, whereby the Kohen (Gadol) tended the Menora and prepared it in the morning for kindling in the late, late afternoon. Since our lighting on Chanuka directly commemorates the lighting of the Menora in the Beit HaMikdash, this suggestion provides a nice "added touch" to the mitzva and sybolism of Chanuka lighting. There are two practices as to when is the ideal time to light Chanuka lights during the week (i.e. except for Friday and Motza'ei Shabbat, when different factors affect the timing - see further). Minhag Yerushalayim (which many, but not everyone follows) is to light with the setting of the sun. For the first 5 nights, 4:40pm (Jerusalem) is a good time to light. Sunset varies slightly through Chanuka week (this year) and because there are two opinions as to how to measure sunset, 4:40pm is the recommended time. Other cities in Israel vary slightly from this optimum time (for those who will be lighting at sunset. The other opinion (that of "the rest of the world" is to light when the "light of the sun has left the sky", i.e. Stars-Out (a.k.a. Tzeit HaKochavim). Of course, there are different opinions as to when Stars-Out occurs. Except for Motza'ei Shabbat, most people will use an early-ish Stars-Out time, in order to be closer to the Minhag Yerushalayim timing, and because Z'RIZIM MAKDIMIM, people who are enthusiastic about doing mitzvot, do them "right away". 5:00pm will work for this early Stars-Out time this Chanuka (except for Motza"Sh - see further). 5:18-ish is a later Stars-Out time, based on the usual Shabbat-ending practice. Those who light with Stars-Out should light right after Maariv, unless they have a fixed time later in the evening for davening. Those who light with sunset should daven Maariv at the appropriate time, after candles. For those who must light early, the earliest time one may light is PLAG MINCHA. For all of Chanuka, we can use 3:40pm as PLAG. This will "work" throughout Chanuka and all over Israel. (PLAG times vary a bit, but all within the 5 minutes before 3:40pm (for this range of days). Those lighting early should remember that the candles or oil must be able to last until the minimum half-hour after Stars-Out. See further. Also know that the closer to sunset, the better is the early lighting. 3:35pm is TOO EARLY TO LIGHT - probably BRACHOT L'VATALA (brachot in vain) and no performance of the mitzva. 3:40pm is okay. 3:45pm is better. 3:50 is better still. Etc. Get the point? If it is a toss-up between lighting early or late, or between lighting early or appointing someone to light for you at the proper time, or between lighting late and appointing someone to light for you at the proper time — one should consult a Rav for a psak based on how early and how late, and any other relevant factors. Candles must burn at least a half hour after stars-out. This was the original time period after dark that people were still around outdoors. This was important for the PIRSUMEI NISA aspect of the mitzva. Although in our day, people are out later than this time, the halacha only requires the half hour after stars-out. However, it is recommended that one use longer candles or more oil to extend this time a little (one need not go overboard on this issue), in recognition of the expansion of the modern-times Pirsumei Nisa time-frame. TACHLIS: If one lit at 4:40 or 5:00 or earlier than 4:40 or as late as 5:18, then the candles must burn until at least 5:50pm, preferably somewhat longer. (Since Rabbeinu Tam's Stars-Out is 5:55-ish for Chanuka week, one might try to have his Chanuka lights burn at least until 6:25pm. This is not a requirement, but it does acknowledge the different opinions concerning Stars-Out. Treat this as a personal, off-the-record suggestion.) If someone lights after 5:20pm (or certainly if it is after 5:55pm), then the candles must last at least a half hour, regardless of what time one lit. When an Olympic sprinter does 100m in 9.54s and comes in second behind one who ran it in 9.53s, we would say he ran a good second. If someone follows that same winner at 15 seconds, he's still second, but a poor second. Sometimes a less-than-perfect performance of a mitzva is a fine "second". But lighting early or late is a poor second, at best. Lighting early lacks an element of Pirsumei Nisa because a candle flame is not eye-catching (let's say) during daylight. Lighting late is not so good because of the opinions that the time-period for Pirsumei Nisa from the days of the Gemara remains the optimum time (and some say the ONLY time) for the fulfillment of the mitzva. Although we follow other opinions, it is far less than ideal to light late. A "good" excuse makes it okay, but not great. One should consult a Rav especially for recurring situations, such as coming home late from work or school, and the like. Remember that having someone light for you is often a valid alternative to your lighting for yourself, and sometimes it's even a preferred alternative. Ask your Rav. Brachot (including SHE'HE'CHE'YANU) should be recited BEFORE beginning to light the candles. This complies with the general rule for Brachot of Mitzva, that they be recited immediately before performance of the mitzva, if possible. This means, that even on the eighth night, the candles are not begun to be lit until the brachot are completed. Opinions differ, but a common practice is to place the first candle (oil cup) in the right side of the Chanukiya. If one lights at the doorpost, then the first candle should be closest to the doorpost, even if it is the left side of the Chanukiya. From the second night on, the custom (a custom) is to "load" the Chanukiya from right to left, but to light it, left to right. At the doorpost, one loads it from the doorpost out, and lights it starting with the candle closest to the doorpost. The loading and lighting directions are not crucial to the performance of the mitzva, but there are reasons for the various practices. The essential performance of the mitzva of Chanuka Lights is the lighting of a single candle each night, and the custom that we follow of increasing the number of candles each night is considered HIDUR MITZVA (enhancement of the mitzva). One practice that has developed because of this, is to begin reciting HANEIROT HALALU after the first candle is lit, while lighting the others. Alternatively, one can wait until the lighting is done to say HANEIROT HALALU. One should not just light and then go one to business as usual, but rather one should look at the candles for a while, ponder G-d's miracles, spend some time with the family talking about the message of Chanuka and how it relates to our time, play a little dreidel, sing a song or two, have some Chanuka fun. Notice on the other sheet of this Pull-Out that the word SHEL in the first bracha is in parentheses. There is a dispute as to whether the bracha ends NER SHEL CHANUKA or NER CHANUKA. One should follow his own (or family) minhag, if you have one (and remember it). If not, you might want to ask your Rav. Those who say NER CHANUKA have a bit of a problem if they sing the brachot. Erev & Motza'ei Shabbat Now the "fun" issues... We cannot follow the standard weekday timing on Erev Shabbat, because of the prohibition of kindling and handling fire on Shabbat. So we will have to light early. And this will require longer (or fatter) candles or more oil than usual. Furthermore, the rule is that Chanuka candles are lit before Shabbat candles. Shabbat candle lighting in most places is 18-22 miutes before sunset. This time should not be tampered with. Chanuka candles should be lit a couple of minutes before Shabbat candles (even when different people are lighting). They should not be lit a lot before Shabbat candles, but in all cases, never before Plag. Jerusalem (and Petach Tikva) custom is to light Shabbat candles 40 minutes before sunset. There is an acceptable custom to delay Shabbat candles 15 to 20 minutes after the posted time (remember - Jerusalem and Petach Tikva only, or other places where the same practice is observed) so that one's Chanuka candles do not have to be lit so early. This matter should be explained well to the family so that misunderstandings do not arise. Be very careful not to get anywhere near sunset. Let 4:30pm be a "redline" for lighting candles (Chanuka or Shabbat) - otherwise, one runs the risk of encroaching on Shabbat. If you are late, be absolutely sure the sun is still in the sky - otherwise it is better not to light candles. It is highly preferable to daven Mincha BEFORE lighting Chanuka candles (since Mincha belongs to the day and Chanuka candles belong to the following night). This is SOP on all other days of the week. But on Friday, people will generally light candles at home and then go to shul for Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv. If this is the only minyan available to a person, then so be it. One should not daven Mincha without a minyan in order to be able to light after Mincha. Halacha permits one to daven Mincha after lighting if the alternative is to miss T'fila B'Tzibur (davening with a minyan), but it isn't an ideal situation. Best idea is to daven Mincha earlier in the afternoon, light candles at the proper time, and then go to shul for Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv. To reiterate: In all cases, lighting Chanuka candles on Friday requires larger candles or more oil, so that the Chanuka candles burn to at least 5:45-ish and preferably longer. A further recommendation is to hold Ma'oz Tzur for the Shabbat table with the other Zmirot, rather than singing it in the pre-Shabbat rush. It is also recommended that on Friday one make whatever preparations are feasible for Motzaei Shabbat lighting, so as not to unnecessarily delay the already-delayed (because of Shabbat) Chanuka candle lighting. If one has a spare Chanukiya, he/she can set it up for Motzaei Shabbat in advance. Where this is not practical, one should at least have candles, oil, wicks, matches, whatever, ready to go as soon as Shabbat is over. Speaking of Motza'ei Shabbat... Two mitzvot to perform - Havdala and Chanuka candles. By the rule of TADIR (that which is more frequent should be done first), havdala should be said first. And by logic, one should "finish" with Shabbat and then light candles for the next day of Chanuka, which is Sat. night & Sunday. Many authorities hold that on Motzaei Shabbat, one should say havdala first and then light Chanuka candles. This opinion is followed by the majority of Chanuka-candle-lighting Jews all over the world. The Maharal (among others) is vehement in his insistence that you cannot possibly consider doing something so "weekday-ish" as lighting Chanuka candles, unless you have first said havdala. He rejects any argument to the contrary. In shul, it is the universal practice to light Chanuka candles before saying havdala, this to maximize Pirsumei Nisa in a situation where everyone present will be leaving for home shortly. At home, people will still be there for the Chanuka candles, so there is no need to light before havdala (according to those who follow this first opinion). Those who say havdala first can light their Shammash for the Chanuka candles with the havdala candle before extinguishing it, thus dovetailing two mitzvot. ON THE OTHER HAND... there is a strong argument for lighting Chanuka candles before havdala, even in the home. First of all, Shabbat is over when it is 5:18pm (some calendars might vary slightly) AND one has said Havdala in davening (ATA CHONANTANU in the Maariv Amida) OR at least said BARUCH HAMAVDIL BEIN KODESH L'CHOL. Havdala is NOT what ends Shabbat - it is what honors Shabbat as it departs. Even so, havdala should go first, except for one very important factor: The prime time (according to some, the only time) for Chanuka candles is ticking away. We cannot, of course, light Chanuka candles when it is still Shabbat. But we should maximize the amount of time of the "half-hour after" once we are allowed to light. Havdala will wait; Chanuka candles will not. Therefore, the OTHER opinion is that Chanuka candles go first and then havdala. This procedure comes with the reminder not to use the Chanuka candles for havdala, since one may not benefit from the Chanuka lights, and the bracha in havdala is specifically upon using the light (hence the examining of fingernails, etc.). Those who follow this opinion can light the havdala candle from the Shammash, thereby dovetailing one mitzva into another. Chanuka candles first is the opinion of the Vilna Gaon and many others, and is Minhag Yerushalayim. (Remember that not everyone in Yerushalayim follows the practices known as Minhag Yerushalayim.) This dispute is one of the few in halacha that is resolved in the following manner: "Whichever opinion you follow, you have performed correctly". Either procedure may be followed. Family and community custom should play a deciding role in this issue. Again, a Rav should be consulted, especially if one is considering a change in practice. Some say that those who light outdoors should follow the custom of lighting before havdala. Those who light indoors can take their pick. In either case, it is common to daven Maariv a bit earlier than usual to permit earlier lighting of Chanuka candles (but, of course, after Shabbat). Those who say V'YITEIN L'CHA should say it AFTER lighting Chanuka candles. Remember that Shabbat is paramount. In case of doubt as to whether Shabbat is being encroached upon, one should NOT light Chanuka candles. It must be DEFINITELY after Shabbat before lighting. But one should not unnecessarily delay the fulfillment of the mitzva of Chanuka candles. A note for Rabeinu Tam people: Those who follow the Shabbat-out time of Rabeinu Tam (72 minutes after sunset) and consider it to be the correct halachic time, must keep it on Motzaei Shabbat Chanuka, even though it means losing "prime time" for Chanuka candles. Those who keep Rabeinu Tam time as a CHUMRA (a strict measure, but accept the earlier time as halachic), might end Shabbat earlier on Motzaei Shabbat Chanuka, in order to fulfill the mitzva of Chanuka candles at their better time. It is advised to check this out with a Rav so that you will know the correct procedure. Indoor/Outdoor The original place for display of the Chanukiya was outdoors at the entrance to one's courtyard or home. Over many generations in exile, where lighting outdoors was often inconvenient to say the least, and sometimes dangerous, the practice evolved to light indoors. In some circumstances, the lighting was to be done at a window, so that the candles would be visible to passersby in the street. In other cases, the Chanuka lights were lit in a conspicuous location for the attention of the members of the household. Many people who have come to live in Israel, still light inside, at the window, as they had lit for years in their countries of origin. But others have gone back to the original practice of lighting outdoors. It seems that this is the preferred method in Yerushalayim. If you are considering changing any aspect of your Chanuka candle lighting routine, (candle to oil or vice versa, sunset to stars-out or vice versa, indoors to outdoors or vice versa, window to door or vice versa, each family member to one for the family or vice versa, etc.) it is advisable to consult a Rav. These pages should be considered a review of some – but not all – of the many Chanuka topics. Often, different opinions were presented, but there were still sides of the different issues that were left out. It has been said often, but we repeat, it is best to consult your Rav to clear up any doubts. If Chanuka begins on a Friday, then Vayeishev is Shabbat Chanuka. If it starts on Shabbat, then there are two Shabbatot Chanuka, Vayeishev and Mikeitz. If Chanuka begins on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, then Shabbat Chanuka is Mikeitz. (It can't begin on TUE.) In reference to Shabbat Chanuka, if Chanuka begins on a Friday, then Vayeishev is Shabbat Chanuka. If it starts on Shabbat, then there are two Shabbatot Chanuka, Vayeishev and Mikeitz. If Chanuka begins on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, then Shabbat Chanuka is Mikeitz. (It can't begin on TUE.) G'matriya Match A'HALELA HASHEM B'CHAYAI AZAMRA LEILOKAI B'ODI I will say Hallel to G-d all my life; I will sing praise to my G-d as long as I exist. (T'hilim 146:2) Two sedras can be read on Shabbat Chanuka, when we fulfill this pasuk in part with the saying of Hallel and the singing of special Chanuka songs. They are Vayeishev (18% of the time) and Mikeitz (90% of the time - sometimes there are two Shabbatot Chanuka, hence the total percentage exceeds 100). The G'matriya of the two sedras together is 6+10+300+2 (318) + 40+100+90 (230) = 548. The G'matriya of the pasuk above is the same, 548. Whether it is "old country" potato latkes or Israel's sufganiyot, the custom is to have foods featuring OIL to commemorate the miracle of the oil. An older minhag is to have dairy dishes, specifically cheese, to commemorate the daring deeds of Yehudit who fed cheese to the Greek general, then wine to quench his thirst, and then slew him when he fell asleep. On another note... If a boy or a girl reaches the age of mitzvot on one of the days of Chanuka, then he or she should like Chanuka candles on the night of that day, specifically after Stars-Out, even if the family's usual minhag is to light at sunset. (Obviously, this won't work for Friday night.) Better to fulfill the mitzva as a halachic adult after dark, than as a mitzva-training minor before dark. (Mazal Tov) If you forget Al HaNisim in Birkat HaMazon, and has already gone beyond AL HA'ARETZ V'AL HAMAZON, do NOT go back. If the omission is discovered during benching, then you say this instead, after BAMAROM. H'RACHAMAN HU Y'AASEH LANU NISSIM K'MO SH'ASA.L'AVOTEINU B'YAMIM H'HEIM B'ZMAN HAZEH. BIMEI MATITYAHU.. If you finished benching, do not repeat it. One should learn Torah after candle lighting, to fulfill KI NER MITZVA V'TORA OR. Also, we should learn Torah specifically after candles because the candles "announce" that we are no longer under Greek opression and their ban on Torah learning. (Chidushei haRim + PC) "...and darkness was on the face of the void". The Midrash says that darkness represents the evil Greek Empire. The original darkness was dispelled by the creation of Light. "Light" is the 25th word of the Torah. The Light of the 25th (of Kislev) was destined to dispel the darkness of Greek oppression in the time of the Chashmona'im. Concerning the final stanza of Maoz Tzur... because it was composed from the despair of exile, it calls for G-d's revenge against our oppressors, as well as calling for the Redemption. Because of this, it was censored by the Church and changed a couple of times. This is why you will find different versions of this last stanza. Parsha Pix Usually, some elements in a ParshaPix are easier to identify and relate to the sedra than others. This is a good thing, because it allows the ParshaPix to be used with different aged children and others with different backgrounds. Upper-left is a Davka Graphics piece on Yosef's dreams. Easily spotted and good for younger kids. Upper-right is wine and bread. A bit harder to catch right away. It is a reference to the Wine Steward and the Baker at the end of the sedra, each with their dreams. Notice (or better, elicit the observation from your children) that the sedra begins and ends with dreams. The $20 bill is tougher yet. That's the amount (in silver, not dollars) that the brothers got for Yosef. The Midrash says they bought shoes with the money. This relates to the haftara and with the account of the 10 Martyrs (asara harugei malchut). There is a snake and a scorpion from the pit into which Yosef was thrown. (What was not in the pit? - good question to ask your children and guests.) The sheep in the lower-right was being tended by the brothers, when Yaakov sent Yosef to them. The camel represents the caravans that traded Yosef and eventually brought him down into Egypt. The goat - purposely larger than the other animals - is the one that the brothers killed and smeared its blood on Yosef's coat to make it look like he was killed by a wild animal. The goat appears again in the sedra, in the episode of Tamar and Yehuda. See the shepherd's crook (I think that is what they call it)? And the seal (a play on words on the other meaning of seal). And a rope. One opinion as to what P'TILIM" means. Others say cloak. These three items were requested by the disguised Tamar of Yehuda as security for the goat he promised to send to her. Lot of material for spending an enjoyable time with your family and guests working on Parshat HaShavua. 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 presentedfor 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 (VAYISHLACH) TTriddles: [1] Said by Yaakov and who of themselves; said of whom on a much higher level [2] Would Onkeles be in violation of BAL TOSIF? [3] Who gave 100 what to whom for what? And who got one of the same from each what? [4] Neck, who & who times 2; face, who times 5 [5] His great-great-great-grandson and his grandson by a different son had something in common [6] Her father, his son - same name. Who & who? And the envelope please... [1] Yaakov comes to the realization, and declares that he has seen ELOKIM face-to-face (Panim el Panim). It was an angel that he encountered. In Sho'f'tim 6, Gid'on makes a similar declaration after an encounter with an angel. Panim el Panim is said, of course, about Moshe Rabeinu, and on a much higher level — in reference to G-d Himself. [2] This was a repeat in disguise of a TTriddle from last year. Yaakov's message to Eisav includes the famous phrase: IM LAVAN GARTI, I have been living with Lavan. Rashi takes the word GARTI and rearranges the letters to come out with the equally famous "implication" from Yaakov's words: V'TARYAG MITZVOT SHAMARTI, and I have kept the 613 mitzvot. Onkeles for GARTI is DARIT, Aramaic for I lived. To rearrange those letters would result in not Taryag (613), but TARYAD, 614 mitzvot. This would possibly be a violation of adding to the mitzvot of the Torah. (Not really, but TTriddly. [3] The first part is easy. Yaakov paid 100 K'SITA for the land in the Sh'chem area. Who=Yaakov, 100 what=K'SITA, whom=Bnei Chamor Avi Sh'chem, what=field. The next who is IYOV who received one K'SITA from each brother, sister, friend who visited him (Iyov 42:11). [4] VAYIPOL AL, and he fell on... NECK - Eisav fell on Yaakov's neck and k*i*s*s*e*d him, and cried. Yosef fell on Binyamin's neck, and vice versa, and they cried. And Yosef (again) fell on Yaakov's neck, and cried. The two are Eisav and Yosef. FACE - Moshe, Yehoshua, Golyat (when hit on the forehead by the rock from David's sling), M'fiboshet, son of Yehonatan, before David HaMelech, Ovadyahu before Eliyahu HaNavi. That's 5 on the face. [5] Yitzchak's great, great, great-grandson was Korach b. Yitzhar b. K'hat b. Levi. He had a grandson via Eisav also named Korach. [6] Her is Tzipora, her father was Yitro, a.k.a. many other names including R'U'EL. His is Eisav, one of his son's was also called R'U'EL. Fine solutions and attempted solutions came in from Td/Yh and RHM. A few nibbles from a couple of other solvers. and that's about it. Let's award the prize (CD) to Td/Yh. Please be in touch. Nice solution set that arrived a bit late for acknowledgment last week, from the Shilo Shalevs. This weeks TTriddles: [1] Paro, Moshe x 3, G-d, Naaman, Elisha, and [?] very much [2] vixen gray, mare brown, tabby white, and [?] [3] Yosef, Manna, M'ragim (sort of) [4] If it's Tuesday, it must be [?] but cannot be [?] [5] VW's for sale; flip side, track one Israel Center Notes: The Israel Center's Beth Din to adjudicate and arbitrate monetary disputes, according to Jewish law There is a registration fee of 200nis per case No other charges for this service Please call 566-7787 ext. 204 for further information We have forms for two types of cases: Those where both parties agree to submit their dispute to the Beth Din, and those where a complainant wants the Beth Din to summon the second party. If you have already contacted us, we will be in touch with you shortly. Please be patient. Thank you. Yitzhak Fund, Esq. • Rabbi Emanuel Quint Chairpersons Kashrut Questions If you find a discrepancy between the Hebrew labeling and the original packaging... or if you have any other OU kashrut questions, call this toll-free number (from Israel to NY) 1-800-949-0123 From 4:00pm - midnight, you get a human; other times, leave a voice-message OU Kashrut in Israel office at the Center: 5667787 Israel Center Cafe - After nourishing the soul, come nourish the body serving coffee, sandwiches, toasts, pizza, french fries, salads, eggs, stuffed potatoes, lasagna, soups... and more Located on the lower level of the Israel Center Hours: Sun.-Thu. - 9:00am - 2:30pm Ask about our catering services on or off the Center premises CHANUKA WEEK SPECIAL • Free SUFGANIYA with purchase of 20NIS or more 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. NESTO Native English-Speaking Teen Olim Music notes were bouncing off the walls, the ceiling was vibrating with melody. Beneath the call of the trumpet and the harmony of the guitar you could detect the mellow voice of the harp. And, if you listened carefully above the rap of the bongo you could just make out the squeal of the clarinet. The NESTO music party was earth-shattering and ear-splitting, we had a chance to try out all these cool instruments – I mean did you ever play on the harp? Or have a go on the trumpet? How about rap to the beat of the bongo? One of the high notes (!!) of the evening was when we had a chance to perform on the instruments we had mastered, and got a chance to sing and rap about cows. The night ended with Name that Tune and the fun for all ages, Musical Chairs. Of course none of this would have been possible if not for our esteemed musicians. So let us sing out our thanks to Angela, Ashara, Aviella, Eli, Jonathan, and Dony — THANK YOU Besides the beauty of the music itself and the tremendous noise we were able to unleash, another beautiful aspect is that music, is merely the sum of all the instruments and voices which have come together to make the melody. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev expresses this in his song Shirat Haasavim, The first stanza of the song talks of each and every Shepherd having his own special melody and each and every blade of grass having its own special song. This idea of being a group of individuals unifying to create a beautiful whole became an important focus later on in our week. After the tragic events of this past week NESTO called an impromptu meeting on Sunday night. The idea was to regroup, have a chance to come together, amongst friends and talk about our emotions and feelings in these scary times. Recalling other terrorist attacks, one NESTOite recalled the scene in a small makolet when the news of the attack took place. “There were old and young Jews, from all over the world, with Kippot and without, all staring at the television screen, and at that moment we all felt connected, we were all in this together, all separate parts of a whole”. One way of being able to connect the terror of our times with the joy of the holiday of Chanuka is on the first night of Chanuka when NESTO together with the children of Gilo will gather in the Matnas to help celebrate the spirit of the Chag. We will be releasing the Balloons with Prayers that were purchased from the donations we raised for the organization Kids-for-Kids. Everyone is invited there will be live music, entertainment and of course donuts. Save room though, for the genuine Dunkin Donuts we will be making with the help of Howie on Tuesday night at our very own NESTOBULOUS Chanuka party. The next day bright and early we will set off for Beit Guvrin and dig for treasures of days gone by. It’s going to be great fun just don’t forget to register as spots are limited, call Naomi at the Israel Center. We are pleased to announce the official opening of Junior NESTO for seventh and eighth graders. Our first event will be held on the eight night of Chanukah, Sunday December 16th at 6:30pm at the Israel Center, Zula. There will be great food, music and lots of fun and excitement. To find out more about these exciting times at Junior NESTO please call Naomi or Josh. We hope to see you all there on Chanuka!! Hope the days ahead are filled with music and light, Shabbat Shalom, Josh, Chave and Naomi JR. NESTO • "It ain't over 'til it's over" What are YOU doing on the 8th night of Chanuka? Announcing the Junior NESTO Grand-Opening Chanuka Bash!!! Meet other 7th & 8th graders whose families have made Aliya Food! Friends! Fun! Sunday night December 16th, 6:30pm at the Israel Center For more information, contact Josh or Naomi The Israel Center's youth program for Anglo-Israelis tel. 566-7787 ext. 245 • fax: 561-7432 spodek@netvision.net.il Josh Spodek, Director • Chave Abrahams, Asst. Dir. Naomi Skorecki, Bat Sherut Challenge for NESTOers, from Phil Use the numbers 5, 7, 6, 2 in that order, and any math symbols to form expressions equal to different numbers. For example: (5+7)/6-2=0. .5 x 7 x 6 - 2 = 19. How many of the numbers from 0-100 can you do? Longest list submitted by the Chanuka party will win a prize. Submit your entry to Phil anytime until and including Tuesday night of Chanuka 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 willbe ready for you when you board the bus. Israel Center In-House Shabbaton •Participants: Have a wonderful Shabbat People in walking distance: See Schedule for schedule of davening & shiurim, to which you are hereby cordially invited Ever make a spontaneous decision to do some thing that you and most people usually plan for? Want to come with us to Eilat from this Sunday through Thursday? Call 050-937-932 IMMEDIATELY THE SHOMRON - FROM FOOTHILLS TO PEAKS Tuesday, December 18th - 8:30am - 6:00pm NEW SETTLEMENTS, BIBLICAL LANDSCAPES, CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE with guide: Moshe Ben Baruch Drive (protected bus) skirting the ‘green line’, borders of the Bible, 1948, 1967, and today, Alfei Menashe settlement, scenic overlook over all the coastal plain to the sea geography, settlements and strategic concerns • Kedumim settlement, first settlement in the Shomron • Visit at the Kedem Museum with archeological finds from the region • Lunch break (bring your own or order from I.C. Cafe - see page 17) at Karnei Shomron • Drive by way of Nahal Kaneh, Emanuel and Ariel to the “Gav haHar” • Itamar settlement – farming outposts • Visit with a young couple on their organic homestead • Tour of outlying outposts – Overlook “The Three Seas” • Mincha • Drive by way of the “Derech ha-Avot” through Eretz Binyamin • Return to Jerusalem 90NIS for members (non-members add 10NIS) Travel Desk Specials Sheraton Plaza - Jerusalem, thru Dec 31 • Shabbat - 1000NIS per couple, F/B; child 2-12 in parents' room, 150NIS Sheraton Moriah Eilat - Chanuka, Dec. 9-17 - 599NIS per couple, per night, B/B, min. 3 nights • child 2-12 in parents' room - FREE Dec. 23 -Dec. 279 - 320NIS per couple, per night, B/B Special Glatt-Mehadrin offer: Dec. 16-20, and Jan. 27-31 425NIS H/B, 515NIS F/B, per couple per night, min. 2 nights • Separate swimming hours in non-heated pool Le Meridien Suites, Eilat - Dec. 16-20 & Dec. 23-27 • 486NIS per couple per night B/B Herod's Resort, Eilat - valid December 16-19 • 550NIS per couple per night B/B Ruth Rimon Inn - Tzfat Midweek - thru December 31 530NIS per couple per night H/B (min. 2 nights) Sheraton Moriah Tiberias, Midweek thru Dec. 31, 438NIS per couple, double room, per night, B/B B/B = Bed & Breakfast • H/B = Half Board (breakfast and one other meal) 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! ISRAEL CENTER SCHEDULE "Regular" Israel Center classes & lectures - 15NIS for members, 20NIS for non-mem. Life members, free. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay. FRIDAY EVENING People in walking distance of the Center are invited to join the davening and educational sessions of our IN-HOUSE SHABBATON 4:10pm Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat, Dvar Torah by Phil Ch., Maariv 8:00pm First shiur by Rabbi Shubert Spero on the Shabbaton theme: The 3 H's of Chanuka: History, Hashkafa, Halacha - part one 9:00pm Oneg Shabbat, refreshments, Chanuka Quiz Competition SHABBAT DAY 7:30am Pre-davening mini-shiur by Phil on The Erev Shabbat Chanuka lightings 8:00am Shacharit, Torah Reading, Drasha, Musaf... followed by Kiddush 11:10am Short Shiur by Rabbi Spero - The 3 H's - part two 1:50pm Mincha 2:15pm Mini-shiur by Phil on The Biblical "feel" of Chanuka and its Mitzva 3:00pm Shiur by Rabbi Spero - The 3 H's - part three 5:05pm Maariv and Havdala MOTZA'EI SHABBAT DEC 8 8:30pm •Chanuka in Carlebach Style Chassidic Stories & Song with Dovid Hertzberg Men who are looking to do some serious learning... We are in the process of reorganizing the morning Beis Medrash program. Rabbi Noam Gordon is currently giving a shiur at 10:00am, Sunday through Wednesday on Masechet Rosh HaShana. Please join us. Rabbi Hillel Ruvel is giving a shiur once again, from 4:30-5:30pm, Sunday through Thursday. The shiur on Masechet Kiddushin is followed by Maariv. Daf Yomi with Rabbi Shmuel Halpern continues Sunday through Thursday at 3:00pm. Please note that during Chanuaka week, Rabbi Ruvel's shiur will take place at 4:00pm - ON SOME OF THE DAYS. No Maariv) Call the Center to verify. All shiurim take place in the Ganchrow Beit Midrash at the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center (Israel Center), one flight up SUNDAY 9:30am (women) Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year Golda Warhaftig N'shei Library 10:30-12:45pm 10:00am - Special Pre-Chanuka shiur with Rabbi Noam Gordon for men 10:30am (women)Let's really Learn Chumash with Tonia Frohwein 11:30am (men & women) Parshat HaShavua Shprintzee Herskovits 12:30pm Flame of the Soul, Philosophical and Chassidic insights into Chanuka • Rabbi David Zitter Sunday, December 9th - first candle of Chanuka - 8:00pm LIMITED SEATING My Chanuka Experiences in the Soviet Gulag Special guest speaker M.K. Natan Sharansky Minister of Housing & Construction, Deputy Prime Minister 15NIS Israel Center members & students; 20NIS non-members; 10NIS members of Yisrael Ba'Aliya MONDAY 9:15am • Excursions into the World of Nevi'im (the Prophets) First topic: The 7 Prophetesses Mrs. Pearl Borow N'shei Library open on Mondays, 10:00am - 12:30pm 10:30am Rambam's 13 Principles Rabbi Zev Leff 11:36am DEC 10 • Consulting the Wise, A mini series based on Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book, followed by discussion with Aviva Nissim Monday December 10 '01 2nd candle of Chanuka • Jewish Values Education Institute and the Center for Business Ethics at the Jerusalem College of Technology invite you to a MINI-CONFERENCE ONJEWISH BUSINESS ETHICS Dedicated to the memory of Prof. Morris I. Chernofsky z"lon his 3rd yahrzeit • Registration & refreshments 6:30pm Program 7:00-10:00pm •Featured topics include: Business Ethics - The Premier Jewish Moral Challenge? • Software Piracy & Intellectual Theft • Kosher & Treif Advertising • Black Lies & White Lies in Business • Gifts, Incentives, Commissions, and Bribes • Panel Discussion: The Workplace - Family Dilemma - Finding the Right Balance • Featured speakers include: Dr. Meir Tamari Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir Rabbi Yoel Domb Rabbi Pinchas Rosenstein 35NIS member (50NIS non-members) R.S.V.P. (02) 566-7787 ext. 261 at the OU Israel Center Monday, Dec. 10, 8:00pm at the Israel Center - 45+ Singles Chanuka Party (religious & secular) 35NIS, refreshments include latkes and sufganiyot Advance registration mandatory, Call: 643-4231 TUESDAY 9:00-9:50am TORAH TOPICS, Root and Development of Jewish Identity Dr. Hayim Abramson 9:55-10:45am SIDDUR TOPICS, In-depth study of ALEINU Dr. Hayim Abramson 10:50-11:40am Parshat HaShavua R. Mordechai Spiegelman 11:45am (women) Chabad insights into Parshat HaShavua and the Actualia of Our Time Rachel Zisk 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 8:00pm - MoveTime at the Israel Center, Short Feature plus full lenght movie, call for details WEDNESDAY 9:30am Towards a More Meaningful Davening Experience Dr. Joel Luber 10:30am Break the Fear Habit... And Live! withAlan Romm P.C. Wednesday, December 12th - 3rd day of Chanuka •Chanuka Fun for the Whole Family 2-4pm and 7-10pm • 2:00-4:00pm - for young children (3-8 yrs.) Simon Sings with Howie Kahn, A Chanuka concert (in English) for young children, Two performances - 2:00pm and 3:00pm and a special Chanuka ARTS & CRAFTS PROGRAM Two sessions - 2:00pm and 3:00pm REFRESHMENTS and SURPRISES 15NIS per child; 10NIs for 3rd child in family; adults accompanied by a child FREE 3:00pm Women in Tanach with Pearl Borow Wednesday, December 12th - 3rd day of Chanuka • 7:00-10:00pm - for adults and older children• CHANUKA EXTRAVAGANZA• Musical Performances & Workshops• Arts & Crafts • Exhibition • Chanuka Quiz Competition & Prizes • Mini-Shiurim • Refreshments • Sir Juggley•20NIS per person (3rd person in same family - 10NIS)• non-members add 5NIS per person) Wednesdays at 8:00pm - pre-registration required Call 08-926-5247, ANGER: The Inner Teacher Ongoing workshops with Rachel Trugman, MA 7:45-8:45pm Jewish Philosophy Road map to the Prophets - Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed Now studying: Rambam's Approach to Korbanot Ramban's Commentary on the Torah and its Wellsprings Now studying: G-d's Ongoing Melacha & the Celestial Shabbat with Rabbi Chaim Eisen This week: Rambam 8:00-10:00pm Aliya Counseling with Miriam Bass THURSDAY in the morning Shiurum while you fold; Parshat HaShavua and/or the Calendar various presenters 10:30am SLIM FOR LIFE, Libby 651-8061 Elisheva 999-6479 No obligation for the first session RESUMES DEC. 20 •Male Choir Rehearsal Thursdays at 7:30pm Led by Yisrael Shwarzstein (for more information, 02 583 3389) Songs by Rosenblatt, Lewandowski, N. Shemer, Carlebach 8:00pm Shir HaShirim with Reb Yosef Schreiber Dec. 13 (Chanuka Special) 8:00pm TRUTH - an open forum sponsored by the Jewish Values Education Institute with Dr. Daniel Stolper Torah Tidbits Audio with Phil Chernofsky on Israel National Radio (Arutz-7), 98.7FM and 1539AM, Thursdays, 10:07-11:00pm, or anytime on www.israelnationalnews.com FRIDAY 9:00am In-Depth Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Chaim Eisen Chanuka - Mincha at 12:05pm RESUMES TUES. Decembers 18 Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults Fall Program 5762 (2001 - 2002) At the Israel Center (Program in-formation) Tuesdays 9:00am A Study of the 613 Mitzvot with Rabbi Aharon Adler 10:15am, Parshat Hashavua with Rabbi Dr. Sholom Gold 11:30am, A Study of the Haftarot with Esther Kitov Wednesdays 9:00am, Studies in Maimonides: The Jewish State and the Messianic Era with Rabbi Macy Gordon 10:30am, Tehillim: The Book of Psalms with Rabbi Dr. Sholom Gold And at KEHILAT ZICHRON YOSEPH, 10 Agassi, Har Nof, Tuesdays, 8:00pm: Parshat HaShavua - Rabbi Dr. Sholom Gold and Thursdays, 9:30am, Timeless Topics with Rabbi Zev Leff All JCA classes - 20NIS per class (payment is separate from Israel Center classes) RESUMES December 18 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 The Journey of the Soul in Biblical Stories Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz 10:30-11:30am Rambam's Shmoneh P'rakim (8 chapters) Rabbi Yosef Leibowitz UPCOMING Motza"Sh DEC 15 8:30pm Special Motza'ei Shabbat-Chanuka-Rosh Chodesh Program Enjoy the mellow, Jewish Folk and Soul Music of "Yehuda" plus The Chanuka Struggle - Dis we really win? - Prof. Leo Davids Sun DEC 16 1:00pm • Rosh Chodesh (and Chanuka) Luncheon (45/55 NIS per person) featuring a delightful, festive lunch by Shocketino Catering and two thought-provoking short features on video Call to reserve Mon. DEC 17 8:00pm •We want to hold on to Chanuka a little longercome celebrate the evening with a gala program, refreshments • FREE, Sponsored by Moadon Sanhedria • Shulamit's sweets and delicious treats will be served Tue DEC 18 8:00pm Arab-Jewish demographics – the real threat to Israel's existence by Elisha Dickman (Radio show host, "Politics and the Law" Arutz-7, Israel National News) Thu., DEC 20 7:45pm During these days of falling interest rates & high volatility in the marketplace, come and have a look at a completely different proven approach, an alternative to market volatility. "Investing Beyond Bin Laden" OU ISRAEL CENTER Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem
World Center 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 [The
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