MISC section - contents: Q I was making a roast, and a drop of milk spilled on it. Is
it still kosher? Several factors affect if and how far the taste of one food is absorbed by the food it falls upon. The most basic factor is the heat of the food. In a case where the bottom food is being cooked, there is significant absorption even if that which falls on top of it is cold (Shulchan Aruch, YD 105:3, based on the rule, tata'ah gavar). However, even if absorbed, will the drop of milk spread throughout the roast? We assume that the milk will "travel" at least up to a k'dei netilla, the amount of area which can be removed as a piece (ibid.:4). This is the radius (in depth, as well as on the surface) of a little less than an inch around the place where the milk fell. However, when the food(s) are fatty, then there is a likelihood that the taste will spread throughout the piece. To make a very long story short (see Rama, YD 105:5; Shach 105:19 and much more), we must consider the possibility that the milk taste can spread throughout the roast. The assumption that the milk taste will spread seems like a factor to create issur, but it can, in theory, be cause for leniency. If, as likely, the roast is at least 60 times the volume of the milk, then the milk taste will be diluted to the point of bitul, where it loses its impact on the meat. So a big roast and/or a small spill will keep the roast kosher. However, since it is likely that all or a large portion of the milk will remain near the area it fell, the kdei netilla around that area must be removed (Rama, ibid.). If the whole roast does become forbidden or if some milk rolls onto the pan in which the roast is cooking in a manner that there isn't enough gravy for bitul, then the pan needs kashering. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha
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for Israel Some follow the practice of covering their faces with the tallis when the Kohanim raise their hands in blessing (Taz). Reason: This recalls the practice in the Beis Ha-Mikdash: When the Kohanim blessed the people invoking the Ineffable Name of Hashem, it was prohibited to gaze at their hands (Magen Avraham). Reason: So they do not distract themselves from the blessing (Tosafos, Magen Avraham, ibid.) It is customary for the shaliach tzibbur to utter each word
of the blessing for the Kohanim, and they repeat word by word after him (Shulchan
Aruch). Sefer Shemot, on the other hand, begins most dismally with the death of the tribes and the bitter enslavement in Egypt. Yet it ends with one of the brightest verses in the Torah: "And the (protective) cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and a fire was upon it by night... throughout all their journeys." I once heard from a famous darshan that a major factor to
which we can attribute the differing tones of these Seforim is the fact that
Sefer Bereishit ends with the tribes having made their way in Galus. Galut
may be bright for a while, especially when it was guided by the towering
personalities of Yaakov, Yosef and his brothers, but in essence has not
future, and therefore ends in darkness. By the end of Sefer Shemot, however,
Klal Yisroel is making its way towards Eretz Yisrael. Their sojourn may have
had its intermediate difficulties, but was guided by the fiery light of G-d.
Who knows eight? We all know eight. Eight are the days before the brit milah. But what is a brit milah? What does it entail? Who’s involved? What’s the cost? What does the baby wear? What happens on day nine? So many questions left unsolved. Start getting answers now. ITIM — The Jewish-Life Information Center will help you do just that. Watch this spot, as beginning next week, we will let you in on some of the best-kept secrets in the country – how to celebrate the events of the Jewish lifecycle in a respectful and meaningful way. Shabbat Shalom Want more information today?Visit our website:
www.itim.org.il; email
us at itim@itim.org.il or call us at
1-700-500-507; Empower yourself Grasshoppers are plant eating insects and found all over the world except the Arctic regions. While most grasshoppers feed on plants, a very few are carnivores eating carrion or catching smaller insects. Grasshoppers can hop, walk, and fly. The grasshoppers long hind legs are used for hopping. The short front legs are used to hold prey and to walk. Grasshoppers (about 9000 species) range from 1-5 inches (2½-10cm) long. In relation to its size, it has the greatest jumping ability of all animals. Most grasshoppers are green, brown, or olive-green. Grasshoppers can destroy entire crops of alfalfa, clover, cotton, corn and other grains, causing millions of dollars in crop damages every year. Predators of the grasshopper include beetles, birds, mice, snakes, and spiders. Most types of grasshoppers have two pairs of wings. Some
grasshoppers rub their wings together to create music, others snap their
wings together while flying, and others just rub their hind legs across
their front wings. What makes locusts different from their grasshopper cousins is that locusts can actually go into two behavioural states, depending on population densities and environmental conditions. Normally locusts remain in what is called a "solitary" phase. But if favourable breeding conditions cause more young to hatch than usual, resulting in overcrowding and scarcity of food, or the locusts migrate to regions where the habitat is unsuitable, the insects will go through what is called a “phase change”. This second state is called the “gregarious” phase where the locusts become agitated, begin to gather in very large numbers and finally evolve into a single migrating swarm, or plague. Once a plague of locusts breaks out there is little that can stop it. A single band is sometimes miles wide. In Africa swarms of Orthoptera (desert locusts) may contain as many as 28 billion! individuals. Though each Locust only weighs about 2.5 grams added up together this comes to 70,000 tons of locust. Locusts are voracious eaters. A large swarm, numbering between 40 and 80 million insects, can make its way through 80,000 tons of corn in a single day. The most destructive insect in the world is probably the
desert locust which inhabits Africa, the Middle East, and India.In a single
day, a 'small' swarm of about 50 million locusts can eat enough food to
sustain 500 people for a year. Most of the above information comes from
www.angelfire.com/me4/dalebeesbugs. For regarding the Jewish slaves, Hashem indicates in the opening verses of the parsha: "I have made his [Pharoah's] heart stubborn… so that you may relate… that I placed my signs among them (Sh'mot 10:1,2). The implication is that despite the wonders revealed though the plagues, Bnei Yisrael still did not have complete faith in either Hashem or his shaliach, Moshe. As for the Egyptians, we know that Pharoah's advisors were increasingly hesitant and that many now feared G-d (ibid 9:20). Pharaoh too had already invoked the name, "Hashem, your G-d." However, with but one plague left, there is suddenly a significant development: "The man Moshe was very great in the Land of Egypt, in the eyes of the servants of Pharoah, and in the eyes of the people" (ibid 11:3). Ibn Ezra indicates that the "people" are the populace of Egypt: Moshe's popularity extended from the palace to the lowest strata, despite the ruin brought upon them. In contrast, Ramban suggests that the term applies to Bnei Yisrael who originally rejected Moshe (ibid 6,9) but were now ready to listen. Either way, we learn that it is not playing to the whims of the "electorate" that induces a following, but a person's deeds, sincerity, and tenacity. This is surely a sober lesson for today's leaders. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center [The Parshat Bo Homepage]
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