MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Rite & Reason
3. Hasidic Wisdom
4. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
5. Candle by Day
6. Chizuk V'Idud
7. Torah from Nature
8. Tu Bishvat and Shabbat Shira
9. From the desk of the director

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 Many schools have charity auctions at which the parents solicit gifts from merchants, which are then auctioned. Is it wrong to "compel" merchants to contribute by implying that refusal will hurt their business? Shouldn't the parents buy the items for the school?
A Let us first assume that the parents are, in effect, compelling one to give the donation. In theory, the gemara says that one who pressures others into giving tzedaka is greater than the one who actually gives it (Bava Batra 9a). However, that it is only assuming that the donator was obligated to be giving that tzedaka and was reluctant to do so. One who pressures someone who can truly not afford to give tzedaka into giving is liable to be Divinely punished (Shulchan Aruch, YD 248:7).

On the other hand, it's hard to believe that parents can really coerce a merchant to donate. They could put some type of psychological pressure on, but the matter would still remain his own decision. This being said, any type of significant, negative pressure would be inappropriate at best.
Usually, in this type of scenario, the incentive to give is positive. In other words, the storeowner is interested in creating or maintaining good-will and respect with the community of potential customers. Just as customers can ask for courteous treatment, they can ask for generosity, with the decision remaining his own. Those who contribute are often publicly acknowledged, so that they gain something from their donation. The actual cost to the donor is less than the retail value, and it may be possible to get a tax break. If these are the conditions, there should not be halachic or ethical problems in soliciting the donations. Of course, the solicitor should conduct himself in a manner that preserves the honor of a Torah lifestyle.

Regarding the parents, they have more of an obligation to assist the school that educates their children than others do. But given the high cost of Jewish education, it is unrealistic for many of them to contribute more than the tuition they already pay.

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.orgor 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

Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
On the tefillin of the head a protruding shin is put on both sides (Shulchan Aruch).

Reason: The name Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh adds up numerically to 300, which is the value of SHIN, following the gematriya of AT-BASH [ALEF-TAV, BET-SHIN. This means substituting the letter ALEF wherever it appears with the letter TAV, etc.] (Mateh Moshe)

Reason: It alludes to the number of days tefillin are worn during the year (300), excluding 52 Shabbos days and the thirteen Festival days (ibid.).
Reason: It, together with the DALET knot at the back of the head and the YUD knot on the arm, spell the SHIN-DALET-YUD name of HaShem. (Ed.)
On the tefillin of the head the protruding SHIN on the right side has three heads - while the SHIN on the left side has four heads (Shulchan Aruch).
Reason: This corresponds to the two types of sacred scripts: the script used for writing Torah scrolls and the script used for the LUCHOT HABRIT. As the Torah states (Shemos 32:16): The script on the tablets was engraved through and through [and was visible on both sides]. Hence the shin in the tablets had three spaces and four walls (Mateh Moshe).

It is customary to wrap the tefillin strap three times around the back of the hand and three times around the middle finger (Rambam).

Reason: The three wrappings on the back of the hand form the letter SHIN. Together with the three wrappings coiled around the finger which form the letter YUD, and on the palm of the hand which form the letter DALET - they form the Divine Name SHAKAI.

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
“G-d will battle for you, and you shall remain still.” (Sh’mot 14:14)
Indeed, it is G-d Who provides everyone with bread (play on words: YILACHEM and LECHEM, battle and bread), but one still must go out and plow (TACHARISHUN and LACHA- ROSH, be silent and to plow).— Rabbi Meir of Premishlan

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R’ Chaim of Brisk used to say, “Both the homeowner and the cat seek to eliminate any mice in the house, but there is a vast difference between them. The human wants to get rid of all mice forever; the cat wants only to eat a specific mouse now, with the hope of finding another mouse later. By the same token, there are two different ways to give TZEDAKA — in order to eliminate another’s need or, on the other hand, for one’s own gratification. There are some people who receive such enjoyment in giving TZEDAKA that they would be devastated if poverty were totally eliminated.”

The dross does not blind us to the gold; why must a man’s dross blind us to his good? - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

CHIZUK and IDUD (for the Oleh & not-yet-Oleh respectively)
The exodus and the splitting of the sea, mark the first time in Jewish history that as a nation, we were redeemed from bondage and embarked on our way to the Holy Land. We can draw an analogy between our experience in Egypt and the other galuyot which we have experienced throughout the ages.

While at times we enjoyed a golden era, there were other times which far surpassed the hardships of Egypt. Yet, in all situations, only a minority of the Jews came on Aliyah. In today's portion it says: V'CHAMUSHIM A'LU-literally it means they went up armed. However, our scholars say:ECHAD M'CHAMISHA A'LU-one out of five went up, and others sayECHAD M'CHAMISHIM A'LU- one out of fifty went up. Apparently, whether slaves or masters, whether poor or rich, psychological factors won't let us move.

With regard to the eating of the Afikoman, there is a well-known dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah. Rabbi Eliezer says we must finish by CHATZOT - by midnight - and Rabbi Akiva says AD BOKER - until morning. The Gemara says that the dispute is based on the term B'CHI'FAZON. Rabbi Eliezer says this means CHIPAZON D'MITZRAYIM, the haste of Egypt to get us out immediately. Rabbi Akiva says this means CHIPAZON D'YISRAEL, the haste of Israel who postponed until the morning.

This has been our problem throughout the ages. Even today, when thank G-d there is an ERETZ YISRAEL for us to go to, when we speak of Aliyah, we most often hear "not now, sometime later." Postponement is a psychological stance no matter where we are. However the HALACHA is like Rabbi Eliezer: CHIPAZON means haste - now without postponing. For the sake of the Jewish people and for the sake of Israel, do not postpone. - Rabbi Charles Weinberg, Jerusalem • 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

MA RABU MA'ASECHA HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'A HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA • Thank you, dear birds
As you know, there is an old minhag to feed birds on (Erev) Shabbat Shira, to thank them and acknowledge their good deed of eating up the MAHN that Datan & Aviram spread around the camp on the first Shabbat of the MAHN. In an act of HAKARAT HATOV, we feed the birds, especially when it is more difficult for them to find food, and specifically on the Shabbat we read about the episode of the MAHN.

The animal kingdom can be divided into two major groups, animals without a backbone, and those with a backbone, known as vertebrates. Vertebrates are further divided into 7 classes, one of them being AVES, the birds.

The Class Aves is currently divided up into 23 orders, 142 families, 2,057 genera and 9,702 species of birds. More than half of all species of birds belong to one order, known as Passeriformes, perching birds.

Just to give you a small idea about the classification into families... Among the 142 families, some consist of a single species - e.g. Ostrich and Emu are each the sole species of their family. In contrast, there are over 600 species of Corvidae, the crows and their relatives.

Birds are warm-blooded animals (mammals are the only other kind of warm-blooded animals, meaning that the body can regulate its internal temperature and thereby be less dependent on the temperature of their environment) with two legs and front limbs modified as wings. The characteristic feature of all birds is the feather. All birds have feathers and birds are the only animals that do! Feathers do many jobs for birds. Soft down keeps them warm, wing feathers allow flight and tail feathers are used for steering. The color of the feathers can be used to hide the bird or to help the bird find a mate...

The skeleton of birds and their internal organs are characterized but being reduced in weight and size to make them lighter as an adaptation to flight. The bones are hollow and thin walled...

The smallest of all birds is the humming bird, weighing less than a 10 agora coin or a sheet of A4 paper. A bee humming bird’s egg is the size of a pea. Humming birds are the only birds that can fly backwards. Hummingbirds are fiercely aggressive and will attack much larger birds, including jays, crows, and even hawks.

By contrast, an ostrich egg is not only the largest egg in the world, weighing as much as a kilo and a half, but it is the largest single cell that exists today on Earth. (It takes about 40 minutes to hard-boil an ostrich egg.) And, by the way, they stick their head in the sand looking for water.

Owls turn their heads so far around, because their eyes cannot move within their head. Parrots can eat almost any common food except chocolate, avocado, and french fries. These can be fatal to them. An albatross is able to sleep and fly at the same time. A penguin has more feathers per square inch of its body than any other bird in the world.

In some species of birds, both parents take turns incubating their eggs. Others female or male only.

Tu Bishvat and Shabbat Shira
In our fixed calendar, TU BiShvat is Monday 28% of the time; Tuesday, 4%; Wednesday, 18%; Thursday, 20%; and Shabbat, 30% of the time. Never on Sunday or Friday. It falls on Shabbat Shira 30% of the time, 10% before that Shabbat and 60% after Shabbat Shira.

There is a minhag recorded for TU BiShvat, to pray for a beautiful etrog for the coming Sukkot. We should also pray for bountiful yields of the trees

It’s Erev Shabbat Shira:Have you hugged a bird today?

Between the birds of Shabbat Shira and the trees of TU BiShvat, this Shabbat makes us aware of nature as no other Shabbat does. Use this Shabbat well to get out into nature and to appreciate anew HaShem’s world that he gave us.

From the Desk of the Director
Parshat Beshalach tends to sweep us away as we enter into the last stages of Yetzi'at Mizrayim and the Crossing of the Red Sea. Consequently, as the pages turn in rapid succession, we could miss some of the finer aspects of the story. Take, for example, Hashem's response to the prayers of both Bnei Yisrael and Moshe as the Egyptian chariots hurriedly overtook them.

The Children of Israel - yesterday's slaves - cry out in fear. They protest to Moshe for taking them out of Egypt. Moshe, ever the shepherd of the people, adds his petition. Yet Hashem admonishes him, saying: "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth! And you…split [the Sea]…and the Children of Israel will come…on dry land" (Shmot 14:15).

Now, it appears, is the time for action, not prayer! The Ohr Hahayim argues that prayer could not at this time invoke Hashem's attribute of mercy. For Hashem is judging the people with the attribute of Justice, as implied in the description of their guardian angel as "Mal'ach Elokim" (ibid 14:19).

"Justice" attests that since the Jews also worshiped idols they should fare equally with the Egyptians.

So Bnei Yisrael's urgent goal is to demonstrate their worthiness to merit Hashem's salvation. To demonstrate faith, to show readiness to make sacrifices for values held dearly. Can we do that sufficiently today to merit Ge'ulah in our times?
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center

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