PARSHA-PIX - Yitro

PARSHA-PIX 

Lots of "triggers" to get your children and/or Shabbat guests into the Parshat HaShavua mode. Upper-left is the hearing ear of VAYISHMA YITRO, and Yitro heard. You can ask and/or answer the famous question, what did he hear that brought him to Judaism. And you can add another meaning to the hearing ear by relating it to what Bnei Yisrael heard at Sinai. And what they saw, which is usually heard. B"H in upper right is a quote of Yitro when he heard all the things that G-d had done for Israel. The scales represent the justice system, Yitro's suggestions, Moshe's response, etc. One of the outcomes of Yitro's advice was the assignment of "captains" of groups of 1000, 100. 50, and 10 - represented by the Roman numerals M,C,L,X. When Bnei Yisrael arrived at Har Sinai, they displayed a unity that is captured by the word VAYICHAN, and as Rashi puts it, we were like one person with one heart. That's the graphic under the ear. The Shofar with feet is from the phrase, and the sound of the SHOFAR GOES (HOLEICH) and gets stronger. The washing machine is for the people to clean their close during the preparatory days for Matan Torah. Wine cup is for Kiddush (ZACHOR) and the negation circle is for the prohibition of Melacha, including writing, watering plants, digging, sewing, building. Do not steal (the Xed out thief) and do not go up to the Mizbei'ach with steps (the negated ladder).

NOT 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 (B'SHALACH) TTriddles:

[1] There weren't any in the hard copy of TT.

[2] There was a real BRACHA question in honor of TU BiShvat.

[3] There was a RadioRiddle on Torah Tidbits Audio, last Thursday night on Arutz-7.

And the envelope please...

[1] It sort of just happened. First time we didn't have TTriddles in a long while. Apologies to those readers who like the TTriddles. For those who hate them, hope you enjoyed not having any in last week's issue.

[2] Remember, this is a real question, not a strange, warped TTriddle. It is meant to pose a question, teach/review a few things along the way, and to point out a concept or two. In case you missed it or have forgotten it, here it is again:

Here's a favorite Bracha-Dilemma in honor of TU BiShvat. Dried fruit: Raisins, apricots, pineapple. Apricots are your favorite. Then pineapple. Last, raisins. Three fruit, two different brachot. What goes first? Raisins, you say, because they are of the 7 Species. Good guess, but pineapple would have priority because you like it better (CHAVIV) and the brachot are different. Okay, pineapple then. Problem. Apricots have priority for the first bracha because you like them best. So start with the apricot. No can do. Raisins have priority as Shiv'at HaMinim (with the same bracha). Raisins beats apricots. Apricots beat pineapple. Pineapple beats raisins. A Bracha-Dilemma.

This question, reminiscent of the rock-paper-scissors non-transitive relationship among three items, has some different possible solutions. But before the answers, let's look carefully at the question and some of the premises that it is built on. 

Shulchan Aruch states that if you have more than one fruit, all with the same bracha, then the honor of the bracha goes to fruit among the 7 Species (D'varim 8:8). The 5 fruits among the 7 Species are also prioritized, with top honor going to Olives, because they are mentioned in the pasuk first after the word ERETZ (that is, the second ARETZ that appears in the pasuk). Dates are second to be named after ARETZ. Grapes, figs and pomegranates are third, fourth, and fifth after the word ARETZ (albeit, after the first ARETZ in the pasuk). Although they precede olives and dates in the pasuk, they "dropped" to third, fourth, and fifth position because wheat and barley are mentioned before them. This "pushed" olives and dates into the first two slots. So if all you had to choose from in the Bracha Question above were raisins and apricots, you'd make the Borei Pri HaEitz on the raisins, because they are from Shiv'at HaMinim, even though you like apricots better.

Then Shulchan Aruch deals with more than one "fruit" with different brachot involved (meaning both HaEitz and HaAdama). One of the opinions brought in this case is that CHAVIV (which you generally like better) determines what gets the first bracha. If you just had apricots and pineapple to choose from, HaEitz on apricots would be said first, and then HaAdama on the pineapple. Raisins and pineapple, HaAdama on pineapple would go first and then HaEitz on the raisins. 

With just this information from Shulchan Aruch (and not other opinions that are mentioned), the question stands. Raisins beats apricot because of Shiv'at HaMinim AND the same bracha. Apricots beat pineapple and pineapple beats raisins because of CHAVIV AND two brachot. The opinions upon which the question is based seem to be the majority opinions among Rishonim and poskim. 

Two different "minority" opinions that are mentioned in Shulchan Aruch and in the Mishna B'rura (actually, in the Bi'ur Halacha) would obviate the question. Shulchan Aruch's first-presented opinion where two brachot are involved is that you can choose whatever you want to make the bracha on first. Neither CHAVIV nor Shiv'at HaMinim would dictate what goes first. In our situation, according to this opinion (although it is mentioned first, the Bi'ur Halacha says that it is a minority opinion that we don't accept), you can start with the raisins or the pineapple. (Not the apricot, because raisins have Shiv'at HaMinim priority.)

Bi'ur Halacha also mentions some minority opinions that HaEitz always goes before HaAdama (which is not how we poskin, but it is what many people probably thought was the obvious ruling). According to these opinions, there is also no question here. Raisins would go first and then the bracha on pineapple. 

There is a third possibility. Shulchan Aruch tells us the Rambam's opinion, namely that regardless of whether we are dealing with one or two brachot, Shivat HaMinim or not – CHAVIV always goes first. (And, Rambam's definition of CHAVIV is what you want most NOW. Not what is CHAVIV to you in general.) Accordingly, if apricot is not only your favorite, but that's what you want most now, then it gets first bracha.

There is an implied (but not stated) conclusion by the Shulchan Aruch, that the majority of Poskim hold Shiv'at HaMinim within the same bracha, and CHAVIV between two brachot. And on this basis, our question still stands. So what's to be done? Choose one of the fruits to leave alone and not eat? Not a good answer. That's not what Halacha wants of us. It wants (so to speak) for us to eat what we want... just to make proper brachot (and in the proper order).

Over the last few years, I've been asking this question to many different people. My favorite answer was offered by Rabbi Reuven Aberman. He suggested that when the Halacha P'suka (the authoritative opinions that we follow) sends us in circles (as in this case), we can call upon another opinion mentioned and see if it will help. And, sure enough, Rambam is available (so to speak) to help us out of the loop. You like the apricots best? And that's what you want most now? Go for it, says the Rambam. No problem. No dilemma. Rambam to the rescue. (It is probably fair to say that some of the other "opinions that we don't usually follow" will also get us out of our problem situation.)

Pirkei Avot says: All disputes that are for the sake of Heaven will endure. Different interpretations of this statement. Maybe it tells us that when we find "the other opinion" in a Mishna or Gemara or in later halachic works, it is there to be available for use in unusual or extenuating circumstances, and thus it "endures". (There's more to say, but...)

[3] The riddle was: Two PENTE winner in the parsha.

PENTE is won when one of the players get 5 stones in a row (this is one of two ways to win). B'shalach has two 5-in-a-row "things" in it that are fairly well-known. Fist are the five words in a row that begin with ALEF. AMAR OYEIV ERDOF ASIG ACHALEIK... (in Az Yashir). [There is a longer string of ALEF words in Mikeitz (B'reishit 42:21): vayo-m'ru ISH EL ACHIV AVAL ASHEIMIM ANACHNU... The brothers admitted to each other their guilt in the Yosef sale. The following three words are AL ACHINU ASHER. If you misspell AL, the streak of ALEF words would be 9 rather than 6.] The other 5-in-a-row are two-letter words at the end of the sedra. KI YAD AL KEIS KAH. Two PENTE winners in B'shalach. 

That's it for this NOT-TTriddles Report. As of this writing, there are already several TTriddles for Yitro in TT, with more probably on the way. Learn, teach, and have fun.

This week's TTriddles:

[1] DON'T DRILL - USE DILL

[2] The Arrival, public decree, Jerusalem gathering

[3] Eliezer, Yosef, the Wine Steward, Par'o, Moshe, an old prophet's son, and Haman — what?

[4] The younger one sitting in judgment on the 18th of Tammuz, saw the almond blossoms

[5] Some Har Nof bus drivers can say this too.

[6] Like mountain, like people

[7] Judge's proverbial mate

[8] 12Z:11:16 shares the record with a pasuk from Yitro

[The Yitro Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]