MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Rite and Reason
3. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
4. Candle by Day
5. Eldad and Meidad
6. Torah from Nature
7. From Aloh Naaleh
8. From the desk of the director

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

Q Can a minor (katan) do mitzvot and make berachot to be motzi (on behalf of) an adult (gadol)?

A We will start with the explicit Talmudic sources on what a katan can and cannot do and then proceed to fill in the gaps in between.
The mishna in Rosh Hashana (29a) says that one who is not obligated in a mitzva cannot fulfill the mitzva on behalf of one who is obligated. One example it gives is that a katan cannot blow shofar on behalf of adults.

However, the gemara in Berachot (20a) states that a katan can recite Birkat Hamazon on behalf of a gadol if the gadol ate only enough to be obligated mid'rabbanan (rabbinically) in Birkat Hamazon. In such a case, he who is obligated mid'rabbanan (because of his age) can be motzi another who is obligated mid'rabbanan (because of the amount he ate) (ibid.).

What happens if the child also ate a relatively small amount, so that his obligation is not mid'oraita (by Torah law) for two reasons (age, quantity) while the adult is missing only one element in order to be obligated mid'oraita? A similar question is whether a katan can fulfill a rabbinic mitzva on behalf of a gadol. The Ran (10a to Shabbat) cites the Ba'al Ha'itur that a katan who is old enough to be trained in mitzvot can light the Chanuka candles on behalf of a gadol. The apparent logic is that all who are obligated rabbinically are, for all intents and purposes, on the same level of obligation, no matter how many reasons there are for there not being a Torah obligation. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 675:3) brings two opinions on the matter but sides with the opinion that a minor cannot be motzi an adult (see ibid. 689:2).

However, in the case of Birkat Hamazon, there is more reason to say that a katan can be motzi a gadol when both ate a small amount. One who already fulfilled his mitzva can still be motzi one who has not (Rosh Hashana 29a). This is because one does not have to be presently obligated in a mitzva in order to be motzi one who is now obligated. The fact that he is a person to whom the obligation is pertinent, combined with the responsibility to help one's fellow Jew fulfill his obligation, make him considered one who is commanded in the mitzva. There is logic to say that since the child can eat a satiating meal and be obligated in Birkat Hamazon on the level of a single d'rabbanan, that level of obligation applies to him, and he can be motzi an adult (Magen Avraham 689:4). Despite this idea, the Mishna Berura rules that one should avoid having a katan be motzi a gadol in Birkat Hamazon if they both ate the same amount (186:7).

It is noteworthy that, regarding the proper procedure, there are differences between different berachot and mitzvot, and we will mention just a few. One cannot make a beracha on behalf of another in regard to food unless the one who is making the beracha is making it for himself at the same time (Shulchan Aruch, OC 167:19, regarding beracha rishona; ibid. 197:4 and Mishna Berura ad loc. regarding beracha acharona). It is proper for one to be yotzei with another only if they are joining together to start the meal (ibid. 167:11), they are making a zimun, or one does not know how to bentch himself (ibid. 193:1).

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. And/or you can receive Hemdat Yamim by email weekly, by sending an email to eretzhem@netvision.net.il with the message: Join Hemdatya –Please leave the subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel

[2] Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelard
Some Chassidim are particular to recite Kiddush on Shabbos day using liquor rather than wine.

Reason: They follow the view that the day-Kiddush is only recited as an acknowledgment of Shabbat. Therefore, they recite Kiddush over liquor which to many is preferable to wine.

An allusion to this practice is that on the day-Kiddush we say, Vayanach bayom hashevi’i - “And He rested on the seventh day” (Shemot 20:10). From what [work] did He cease on Shabbat? From speaking, as the pasuk (Tehilim 33:6) states: Bi-d’var Hashem shamayim na’asu - “By the word of Hashem the heavens were made”. Hence, we recited the bracha “Shehakol niheyeh bi-d’varo”, His word, which is said on liquor, adjacent to the word va-yanach, “and He rested.” This symbolically implies, “He rested from His word.”

Reason: There is also a Kabbalistic reason for reciting Kiddush on liquor in the morning Kiddush.

Ed. notes:
It continually fascinates me to find customs that indicate a preference to a practice that I would have thought should be exactly the opposite. I would have said: “Of course wine is preferable. What kind of question!” And yet, here you see a minhag to the contrary.

There is another issue that comes to the fore when the topic of using liquor for Shabbat day-Kiddush is broached. And that is the size of the Kiddush cup. Many hold that a R’VI’IT is required, regardless of what beverage is used for Kiddush. Those who use whiskey, or even liqueurs, for Kiddush, tend to use a small glass. There are differing opinions on this issue, but we can say that the use of a small glass, being approved by only some authorities, is not an ideal. The topic requires further attention, which it will IY”H (and B”N) get in future issues of TT. [PC]

[3] ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
The Chafetz Chayim was very insistent that the sermons of itinerant maggidim should not emphasize the punishment involved for sinning. Instead, he would have them stress the importance and beauty of the mitzvot, along with the bounty from Hashem for those who obey them. “The Jews of our times”, he would say, “are so oppressed and persecuted, suffer such great want, and find their suffering increasing so intensely from day to day, that there is no reason to add more woes to those they already suffer.”

Before World War II, a poor European rav found himself stranded in a town in the United States. Nor knowing whom to approach, he decided to appeal to the rabbi of the town. He went over to the shul, and was told that the rabbi only received visitors during his office hours, twice a week. Not having any choice, the rav waited until the rabbi’s next office hours and presented his problem to the rabbi. The rabbi gave him a donation and wished him well. As they were talking, the rabbi asked the rav for a D’var Torah.
The rav agreed and began: “In the Grace After Meals, we thank Hashem for supporting us ‘each day and each time and each hour’. I always wondered what the reason was for this threefold repeti- tion. Now it’s perfectly clear to me. We thank Hashem for helping us at all times, each day and every hour, and not only during office hours.”

[4] Candle by Day
Our capabilities can be fully realized only if we admit our limitations, which, after all, are the the boundaries of our capabilities. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[5] ELDAD and MEIDAD
Among the 70 elders, it was these two who behaved most humbly, not thinking themselves worthy of distinction. G-d rewarded that in several ways. There prophecy was not drawn from Moshe, but rather came from HaShem. It was a more powerful and lasting power of NEVU’AH. They are the only two of the 70 we know by name. They went into Eretz Yisrael; the others didn’t. The outlived Yehoshua.

[6] MA RABU MA'ASECHA HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'A HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA • Rhinoceros
There are five species of rhinos — two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinos. Both species have two horns. Asian rhinos include the Indian and the Javan, each with one horn, and the Sumatran, which has two.

The white rhino is the second largest land mammal next to the elephant. The five species range in weight from 750 pounds to 8,000 pounds and stand anywhere from four and a half to six feet tall.

Rhinos are endangered. They number only... Black: 2400, White: 7500, Sumatran: 400, Javan: fewer than 100, and Indian: more than 2,000.

Biologists estimate that wild rhinos live up to 35 years. In captivity, a rhino may live 40 years.

Rhinos are found in parts of Africa and Asia, from savannas to dense forests in tropical and subtropical regions.

Rhinos are herbivores, (plant eaters). White rhinos, with their square-shaped lips, are ideally suited to graze on grass. Other rhinos prefer to eat the foliage of trees or bushes.

As solitary creatures, both male and female rhinos establish territories.

Rhinos have very poor vision, excellent hearing helped by large "focusable" ears, but rely most heavily on smell.

After mating, the pair go their separate ways. A calf is born 14 to 18 months later. Although they nurse for a year, calves are able to begin eating vegetation one week after birth.

A rhino's horn is not a true horn that is attached to the skull. It grows from the skin and is made up of keratin, the same protein fibers that make up our fingernails and hair.

Rhinos use their horns in battles with each other for territory or for females, and as a defense against lions, tigers and hyenas. They also use their horns to shovel the ground.

Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth. Valued for their horns, they face a serious threat from poaching. Some cultures believe that the powdered rhino horn will cure everything from fever to food poisoning and will enhance sexual stamina.

Black rhinos have a prehensile lip that is used much like a finger to select and pick the leaves and twigs they prefer.
The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). This par- allels the Hebrew word for rhino, namely KARNAF, a contraction of KEREN (horn) and AF (nose).

[7] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively)
When Yitro was about to return to Midyan, Moshe Rabbenu implored him to stay with Bnei Yisrael as they prepared to enter Eretz Yisrael. Prompted by a number of textual difficulties, the Kli Yakar explains the dialogue between Moshe and Yitro as follows:

Moshe Rabbenu: My dear father-in-law, Yitro, we are on our way to the place that Hashem has promised us. We have nowhere else to go, for Eretz Yisrael is our destiny. You have other alternatives, but we ask you to come along with us. We will provide you with material wealth, as we all love you (“Chovav”=beloved) and Hashem has instructed us to be kind to those who have joined our ranks.

Yitro: I appreciate your offer, but I must return to my birthplace. I have all that I need and I will have a better life back in Midyan.

Moshe Rabbenu: I understand, but don’t forget that Hashem will bestow upon us spiritual blessings as well, and you will also benefit from them. In fact, “vehayita lanu le’einayim” (literally, “you will be our eyes”) – your progeny will serve in the Sanhedrin that sits in the Lishkat Hagazit of the Beit Hamikdash; your descendants will be included among the future spiritual leaders of the Jewish people.

It is this last argument which convinces Yitro to go to Eretz Yisrael. As the Kli Yakar points out, not only did Yitro have the opportunity to lead a comfortable life in Midyan, but he also felt an obligation to bring others in the “old country” to recognize Hashem. Nonetheless, the possibility for spiritual growth that awaited him and his family in Eretz Yisrael outweighed all other considerations.

Just as Moshe Rabbenu learned important lessons from Yitro, we too should do the same.

Rabbi Aharon Angstreich, Yerushalayim
TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat Ha'Shavuah

[8] Divrei Menachem
Parshat Beha'alotcha revisits the ornate, gold Menora that stood in the outer chamber of the Mishkan. Thus it would be visible and provide inspiration to all that beheld it. More- over, it would also symbolize that the Aron Hakodesh, hidden behind the Parochet in the Kodesh Kodoshim, did not require light - for it was its own light.

It has been said that the purest olive oil that fed the flames of the Menora indicated purity of intellectual achievement, while the nearby Shul- chan with the Showbread symbolized material prosperity. The Parochet was equidistant from both vessels, suggesting that both our spiritual and temporal lives be equally governed by the same set of Torah values.
In this light the Sforno taught that the inward direction of the outer flames of the Menora towards the central stem teaches that all intellectual striving must be directed towards the higher Cause. And Rabbi Gedalia Schorr insightfully observed that these man-made flames are like the light of our Oral Tradition contributing to and disseminating the Inner Light of the Written Torah.

Aaron is now to kindle this Menora, says Rashi, "as compensation for the tribe of Levi's lack of involvement in the dedication of the Mishkan." Aaron is to be involved with the mundane process of cleaning and preparing the lamps. In effect, notes the Ohr Hachaim, Aaron is teaching us that this is how we build a new Menora every day.
Shabbat Shalom,
Menachem Persoff