Contents: Q How does one deal with dishes and food that remain at the end
of a Shabbat meal when they will not be needed on Shabbat, avoiding problems of
hachana (preparations for after Shabbat)? When one finishes a meal, he usually has a few reasons to clear the table. In addition to preparing it for the next meal (which might be after Shabbat), most people are interested in a tidy dining room. Thus, one may clear. However, it is problematic to scrub the table or do a thorough sweeping job if it looks fully presentable for Shabbat. Similarly, if the dining area is off to the side and is neither used nor seen until Shabbat's conclusion, there must be other grounds for leniency. The Magen Avraham (321:7) and Mishna Berura (321:21) say that one may take action on Shabbat to prevent damage to an object that is needed after Shabbat. Indeed, one is allowed to move a non-muktzeh item "from the sun to the shade" in order to protect it (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 308), and it is not mentioned that this is only when the owner may use the item on Shabbat. This is the main heter for refrigerating leftover foods on Shabbat and even freezing them for later use (Minchat Yitzchak VIII,24 - see his discussion if one is allowed to freeze liquids). (In many cases, there is probably another reason for leniency. When one clears off the food, he has to find some place to put it. Since the refrigerator and freezer are as legitimate storage places as anywhere else, one has the right to store the food there, even if one also gains for the weekday. Only if the food is already removed from sight, and one decides to put it in the freezer for longer-term storage do we need the heter of loss). Shmirat Shabbat K'hilchata (12:2) extends the leniency of loss to the fear that leaving food to rot or crumbs on the floor will attract bugs and ants (where this is an actual concern). There are two further innovative points of leniency which Rav Sh.
Z. Orbach (quoted in Shmirat Shabbat K'hilchata 28:81; see Minchat Yitzchak, ed.
II,36) arrived at. One dramatically expands the idea of loss. Not only may one
take steps to prevent a loss, but one can take steps to preserve a status quo
from deterioration, even though the deterioration is easily rectified. His
example is to soak dishes in water so that the residue will not harden, making
washing dishes after Shabbat harder than it would be to wash them right away.
(This would not permit rinsing the dishes to remove residue, which is an
additional action to save time after Shabbat, not to preserve the status quo).
It appears that many previous poskim (including the quoted Magen Avraham and
Mishna Berura) did not assume this logic. The Netziv was asked his opinion of this very unusual meshumad (convert from Judaism). "It's very hard for me to say exactly," said the Netziv, "and I'll tell you a story to explain myself. "Once, a very pious Jew became ill. The doctors who examined him
decided that there was only one way to cure him: He had to eat pork. 'Never,'
said the man, and his pious wife echoed him. "The wife, too, finally agreed, but she made a condition: The rav had to arrange for the local shochet to slaughter a pig, 'according to halacha'. "The shochet slaughtered the animal but now the wife insisted that the pig's lungs be checked, the same way the lungs of cattle are checked to ensure that they are not treif. "The shochet complied, but when he examined the lungs, he found something suspicious. He couldn't decide how to rule, and called the rav to examine the lungs. "The rav looked and looked, turned the lungs this way and that, but said nothing. Finally, the shochet said, 'Nu, rabbi?' 'I have a problem,' said the rav. 'If these had been the lungs of a cow, I would have pronounced it kosher, but how can I say that about a pig? As 'kosher' as the lungs may appear, they're still the lungs of a pig and it is still treif'. "And that," said the Netziv, "is my attitude to Chwolson." They live in the same manner. Certain experiences affect them deeply, but almost as soon as
the experience has passed, it is as if it had never occurred. We must learn to
make the thoughts and feelings of our lives a part of us if we are to have lived
at all, and not merely laughed at laughing gas and cried at onions. From A
Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein In Israel, during the two weeks from Simchat Torah until 7 Cheshvan, we mention MHUH, but we do NOT yet ask for rain. We continue saying V'TEIN BRACHA. One who errs and does not say MHUH, but does say Morid HaTal, does not invalidate the Amida and does not repeat it. (If one forgets MHUH and also does not say Morid HaTal, he must start the Amida over again. The "fatal flaw" is not referring to G-d as being involved in the weather.) If one errs and asks for rain before the 7th of Cheshvan... on the one hand, it is not yet time for Tal U'Matar, and the Amida must be repeated. On the other hand, it is actually already the rainy season and the appropriate time to ask for rain, but we "postpone" the starting time for the request out of consideration for the last Jews who are returning home after spending Sukkot in Eretz Yisrael. This is an anachronism that is preserved in practice for its "message"; but a petition for rain at this time should not render the Amida invalid. The halachic conclusion is that one should repeat the Amida if he said Tal U'Matar before 7 Cheshvan (but after Sukkot - during the "summer season", repeating the Amida would be required) with a "conditional kavana" - if this Amida is required, here it is. But if it is not really required, let this Amida be a voluntary prayer (T'filat N'dava). The issue of visitors to Israel and especially one-year students (many of whom do not stay a full year, wherein lies an additional complication), as to whether they should ask for rain on Israel's schedule or that of Chutz LaAretz - is a complex issue with differing opinions. Each person in this situation should ask his or her own Rav for a p'sak. For this review, we leave this point untreated. We MIGHT include the different opinions in a follow-up piece next week, IY"H. Bottom line: Rain is serious business. And prayer is serious
business. Our power of prayer can move mountains. And it can bring rain, as
well. We desperately need a winter filled with beneficial rain, and we beseech
the MHUH to bless us in many ways. With the account of Creation in Parshat B’reishit, anything we’d choose for this week would fit. We’re going with Cetaceans in honor (so to speak) of the Livyatan, mentioned in this week’s sedra and in the farewell-to-the-Sukka prayer said late afternoon on Hoshana Rabba. No claim is here made, nor should any be inferred, that Livyatan is a Cetacean, but there is definitely an association. Cetaceans are all aquatic mammals - about 70 species - and include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It gets a little confusing now. Cetaceans can be divided into two main groups: baleen whales and toothed whales. Baleen whales include some whales (12 species), such as the Blue whale, largest of all animals existing or ever known to exist (more later). Toothed whales include the other whales, and the dolphins and porpoises. And just to be more confusing, the killer whale, a.k.a. orca, is not a whale, but rather the largest of the dolphins. Blue whales belong to the family known a rorqual (or razorbacks) family (8 of the 12 baleen whale species) and can grow to over 30m in length. In case you have a hard time visualizing that length, try this: If you put a Blue whale across Keren HaYesod Street with its tail touoching the building directly across from the Center, its head would reach our front door. Next time you are at the Center, pause at the entrance and try to picture the whale blocking both directions of car and pedestrian traffic. A Blue whale’s heart is the size of a VW Beetle car and pumps about 10 tons of blood around the whales 160 ton body. (The human is about the size of a fist.) Newborn Blue whales can weigh 30 tons and be about 7 meters long. Whales begin mating somewhere between 5-10 years of age. Females get pregnant every 2-4 years and carry their babies for 11 months. It is not known with certainty, but it is believed that Blue whales live longer than 50 years. Blue whales live in all the oceans of the world and their numbers are unknown. They are considered an endangered species. Their populations show few signs of recovery from the decimation of past generations of being hunted for their baleen (whalebone), blubber, and meat. Whale, like all mammals, nurse their young with milk produced by
the females. Blue whale babies gain about 200 lbs. a day while nursing. R’ Jacob b. Aha said in the name of R’ Assi: “Were it not for the Ma'amadot, heaven and earth could not endure.” Ma'amad was the name given to one of twenty-four groups of Israelites representing a particular geographic area of Eretz Yisrael. Each of the twenty-four Ma'amad groups was associated with one of the twenty-four Mishmarot (divisions) of the Kehuna. Both the Ma'amad group and the associated priestly Mishmar represented the same district. When every week a different Mishmar was called to serve in the Beit HaMikdash, some of the members of its associated Ma'amad group would also go up to Jerusalem, enter the Temple court and witness the daily Avoda – the Temple service. They went as representatives of all of Israel. That same week other members of the Ma'amad would take it upon themselves to observe additional obligations including fasting Monday through Thursday during the day. They would gather in their local Beit Knesset and offer certain prayers coinciding with the fixed time of sacrifices in the Beit Hamikdash (See Ta'anit 27b). It is important to recall that the Sages ordained that the ongoing expenses of the Temple Avoda (communal sacrifices, priestly garments etc.) would not be met by government grants or by the wealthy classes alone but rather by the half-shekel Temple tax that was paid yearly by all adult male Israelites. But there was another opinion. “The Sadducees used to say that a private individual may offer and bring (i.e. pay for) the Tamid – the daily sacrifice. What was their proof? They said, ‘It is written, "The one lamb shalt thou (singular) offer in the morning and the other lamb shalt thou (again singular) at dusk."’ And what did the Sages reply? ‘It is written, “My food which is presented before Me for offerings made by fire, for a sweet savour unto Me, shall ye (in the plural) observe.”’ Therefore all the sacrifices were to be taken out of the (public) Temple fund (lit. from the chamber)” Menachot 65a. Thus everyone in Israel, rich and poor, by paying their yearly
half-shekel had an equal share in maintaining the Temple Avoda. The
philosophical differences between the two points of view cannot be over-
estimated! The institution of the Ma'amadot, (singular Ma'amad. Lit. 'place
of standing') while traditionally attributed to the "first prophets", reached
its acme under the influence of the Pharisaic Sages in the latter part of the
second Temple period. The institution of the Ma'amadot dramatized the idea that
the sacrificial rite, while conducted by the priests, belonged to all the people
of Israel. The priests were seen as "messengers" of the entire Jewish people.
But they did not neglect to pray for their “brethren in the
Diaspora so their houses should not become their graves” in years of excessive
rainfall. On Sunday the Anshei Ma'amad – the Israelite members of the Ma'amad who did not ascend to Jerusalem - read the first six p’sukim (verses) which describe the first day of Creation and the beginning of the account of the second day. On Monday, they read the sixth pasuk over and then the following seven p’sukim. This portion describes the Creation on the second and third days. On Tuesday, they read from the ninth pasuk and continued reading until the nineteenth pasuk, describing the Creation on the third and forth days. On Wednesday the Anshei Ma'amad read p’sukim 14 through 23. This selection describes the forth and fifth days of Creation. On Thursday they read from the twentieth to the thirty-first pasuk. These p’sukim describe the fifth and sixth days of Creation. On Friday the Anshei Ma'amad read from the twenty-forth pasuk (of chapter 1 of B’reishit) through the third pasuk of the second chapter. This reading included the sixth day of Creation and Shabbat. They concluded, “And G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…” And why did they read about the Creation? The Sages wanted to emphasize the importance of the Temple service in the cosmic order. As Simeon the Just, certainly one of the most distinguished Kohen Gadol ever to serve in the Beit Hamikdash, put it, "By three things is the world sustained; by the Torah, by the Avoda and by deeds of loving kindness. (Avot 1: 2) May we speedily see the day when the Kohanim perform the Avoda, the Levi'im, their psalmody and the Anshei Ma'amad standing in the Ezrat Yisrael – the Court of the Israelites - witnessing the proceedings as representatives of K'lal Yisrael. Catriel Sugarman gives illustrated lectures on the Beit
Hamikdash and related topics. He can be reached at (02) 652-7531 or by email:
acatriel@netvision.net.il.
Catriel is in the process of writing a book entitled: The Temple of Jerusalem, A
Pilgrim's Perspective: A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service. Notice that we ask G-d to "give us a life of..." 12 times - corresponding to the number of months in a year. Also notice that among the requests, we ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM twice. There are (at least) two explanations to this fact. The first time we ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, it is linked with "fear of sin", fear of punishment. This is the basic level of YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, a feeling motivated by YIR'A, fear. But the second time we ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, it is paired with AHAVAT TORAH, love of Torah. This is a higher level of YIR'AT SHAMAYIM, better translated (perhaps) as REVERENCE for G-d, this time motivated by love. When our YIR'AT SHAMAYIM reaches that exalted level, then we can ask for a "life that G-d will fulfill the requests of our hearts to the good". The other explanation of our asking for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM twice is that after asking the first time, we ask G-d for wealth and honor. A person so blessed, would need to ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM again, since wealth and honor are two things that lead a person to the arrogant feeling of self-accomplishment. It is fairly "easy" to achieve YIR'AT SHAMAYIM when one is poor; the humility that usually accompanies poverty helps one achieve Fear of G-d. With wealth and honor, it behooves us to ask for YIR'AT SHAMAYIM anew. The Tradition is to announce the Molad in Jerusalem Solar Time. In the chart below you will find the (suggested) wording for the announcement of the Molad. This time is used by Jews all over the world, without adjusting for time zones or daylight savings time. The chart below has three additional times of the Molad, for your information. From right to left, after the name of the month is the average Molad in Rambam’s notation. This is the same time as the one we announce, but it differs in two ways. Rather than midnight being the “zero hour”, Rambam uses 6:00pm as his starting point for the day. Generally, AV HARACHAMIM is not said when we bench Rosh Chodesh, so continue with ASHREI (in your siddur). On the two SHABBATOT MEVORCHIM during the OMER (for IYAR and SIVAN) we DO say AV HARACHAMIM (even if there is a person present who would usually "knock out" AV HARACHAMIM. And even if there is a BRIT MILA in the shul on that day.) When we bench Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, some say AV HARACHAMIM, some don't say it. (The most common custom is to argue about it - just kidding.) The opinion of the GR"A is not to say AV HARACHAMIM when we bench Rosh Chodesh (even during the Omer), except for Shabbat M’vorchim Menachem Av. More on the Molad... The next box to the left is the same time, but expressed as
clock time. To convert the Molad to local Israeli time (known as European time
or Cairo horizon), we subtract 21 minutes (on average) in the winter and add 39
minutes during Summer Time. Unlike the “Traditional” Molad time and Rambam’s
notation (which do not get adjusted), this clock time can (and should) be
adjusted to your time zone (for informational purposes only — remember that the
announcement of the Molad at Rosh Chodesh Benching is the same all over the
Jewish World), by adding or subtracting the number of hours you are different
from Israel. And the time is also adjusted for Daylight Savings Time. (But don’t
change the “announcement time”.) Since they were created, asserts Rabbi Yehuda, these concepts of 'Tohu' and 'Bohu' are real entities (Hagiga 12). In Higayon Hanefesh, Abraham bar Hiyya identifies 'Tohu' with matter (that has neither color nor likeness - i.e, Energy) and 'Bohu' with form (matter that has shape and image). Bo-Hu, notes the Sefer Hayetzira, comprises the Hebrew words that stand for "It is therein", giving credence to the notion that 'Tohu' represents potentiality that was transmutated to 'Bohu' (Formed Matter). In kabalistic thought, 'Tohu' as pure energy is a destructive
and devastating force (evil). "Bohu' is the capsule in which 'Tohu' is confined
and restrained so that it may endure. This is what we today call the atom. 'Tohu'
is Energy; 'Bohu' is Atom. Recently, however, Einstein showed the world that the
process could be reversed: The material atom may be transformed into nothingness
releasing mega-powerful energy in the process.(1) Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center [The B'reishit Homepage]
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