MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
3. Rite and Reason
4. Candle by Day
5. MicroUlpan
6. From Aloh Naaleh
7. 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 What is the proper way to make tea on Shabbat?
A There are a large number of widely varied opinions and endless halachic discussion on this matter. We will have to suffice with bringing up the main issues and suggesting two of the mainstream approaches. There are approaches, more lenient (especially among Sephardic poskim) and stricter, which, while we will not discuss, we do not intend to discount.
In general, we say that water in a kli sheini (a utensil in which hot food is put directly from the utensil in which it was heated) does not cook foods (Shabbat 40b). However, if one pours from the original utensil (kli rishon) onto a food, it likely does cook at least part of the food (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 318:10). Thus, it would seem to suffice to pour the water into the cup (usually a kli sheini) before putting in the tea bag.
However, in order to reconcile an apparently contradictory mishna, Tosafot (Shabbat 39a) makes the following reservation. It looks like cooking (michzi k'mevashel) to put most uncooked foods into a kli sheini, and this is rabbinically forbidden. According to many, tea belongs to the majority of foods, to which this prohibition applies (Mishna Berura 318:39). There is another potential problem, which is likely to apply to our case. The gemara mentions two foods (salted fish, salt) that are or may (depending on the opinion in the gemara) be considered cooked even when exposed to heat sources that usually do not cook, probably including the heat of a kli sheini.

The question arises in the Rishonim and Acharonim if this is a closed list (and a limited problem) or two examples of a broad concern. The exact opinion of the Shulchan Aruch and Rama is somewhat unclear (see Shulchan Aruch, ibid.: 5), but the Mishna Berura (318:39) is stringent on the matter. Others note that tea leaves, which are very thin, are likely easily cooked (Shemirat Shabbat K'hilchata 1:53 & footnote 152). So, most poskim looked for a solution by preparing the tea in a different manner than usual.

One simple method, which enjoys the blessing of many poskim (including R. Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe OC IV, 74. 26) is to pour the water from one cup to another cup. Certainly, they reason, neither of the aforementioned stringencies should apply to a kli shlishi. However, others reason that if the water is hot enough to cook, as it appears to get the job done with the tea, what good is it that it has passed through one more utensil (Aruch Hashulchan, OC 318:28). Another issue is borer (selecting). A tea bag is made in a way that allows the tea flavor to seep out while the leaves stay put. As long as this takes place underwater there is no problem. However, when one lifts up the bag and waits for the last drop(s) to go into the cup (instead of on the table) one has used a specialized utensil to select the drop from the leaves. Thus, we normally instruct those who use this method, to remove the tea bag with a spoon and throw out any tea droplets that materialize upon removal.

The "safest" mainstream approach (you don't want to know what the Chazon Ish z.t.l. reportedly did!) is to pre-cook the tea leaves. Out of fear that not all the leaves are totally cooked, we don't reuse the leaves, but use the liquid "essence" which was created as a concentrate while cooking the leaves. One can pour the essence into the hot water on Shabbat, as it has already been cooked, at least to the level of cooking it undergoes on Shabbat. Although most assume that cooked liquids may not be re-heated on Shabbat after cooling off (Shulchan Aruch ibid.:4), they may be re-heated in a kli sheini (ibid.:13). Therefore, we put the water into the cup first and then pour in the essence (Mishna Berura, ibid.).

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] ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
As is known, a person sitting shiva for a deceased relative is forbidden to work throughout that entire week. This can present a real financial problem for many. In Frankfurt-am-Main the community had a remarkable way of solving this problem. Whenever a person sat shiva, a charity box belonging to the community was placed in his home. This box had a sizable amount of money already in it. If the person was well off he would add money to what was already there, as would those who came to pay a shiva call. If, on the other hand, the person needed money to tide him over during that week, he was permitted to take as much as he needed, without anyone being aware of who had given or who had taken from the box.
If you have enjoyed these stories, look for Shmuel Himelstein's new book, "Wisdom and Wit", at your local Jewish bookseller. It contains an entirely new collection of stories.

[3] Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
Last week’s R&R column erroneously mentioned that Tamar named Onan. It was “obviously” BAT SHU’A, wife of Yehuda at the time, who named her second son. Thank you, Tsvi K. for your fax.
In Eastern European communities it was/is common for nicknames to be used for some names, e.g. Yudel for Yehuda, Lazer for Eliezer, Melech for Elimelech.
Reason: Those names contained G-d’s names - ALEF-LAMED or YUD-HEI. It was considered respectful to G-d to avoid saying those names as they are.

[4] Candle by Day
We confuse obstacles for barriers.
We must forever look behind the seen. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[5] Micro Ulpan - a word (or two) from HaAcademiya LaLashon Ha-Ivrit
You know that the colorful clay that kids (and others) play with is not really clay?In Hebrew it’s called PLASTILINA, but that’s a brandname, not the proper word in any language. The “official” Hebrew word is TINIT (Tin is mud or clay)

[6] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively)
Parshat Ekev includes the obligation: "When you have eaten your fill, bless the Lord your G-d for the good land which He has given you" (Devarim 8:10). The simple meaning of this verse is that we are obligated to bless G-d after meals as an expression of our gratitude not for the food but rather for the land. This idea is strengthened by the context of the verse, for two verses earlier, the Torah lists the seven species of fruits and grains for which the Land of Israel is noted. And, indeed, Rabban Gamliel ruled that the blessing after food is recited after eating any of these seven species.

According to Rabbinic tradition, however, the blessing mentioned here is an expression of our thanksgiving for the food we have eaten, and should therefore be recited after a regular meal marked by the eating of bread.

Birkat HaMazon is comprised of four blessings. The first blessing does in fact give expression to our feelings of thanks- giving for our daily bread. In the second blessing, however, we give thanks for the gift of the Land of Israel. This blessing contains a phrase that stresses the value of the land of Israel. We thank G-d for having given us "a land that is desirable, good and vast" (ERETZ CHEMDA TOVA U'R'CHAVA). This is certainly surprising, for nowhere do we find a description of the land of Israel that would justify calling it "a vast land."

I once heard an explanation of this difficulty offered by Rabbi Robman, the founder of the Tiferet HaKarmel Yeshiva in Haifa. He pointed out that valuable things are measured in small units. If someone would tell us that he saw a diamond of two meters, we would immediately know that he is lying, for diamonds are measured not in meters but in carats. An ordinary stone of two meters, however, is possible, and not even particularly remarkable. Since the Land of Israel is such a desirable land, it too should be measured not in kilometers, but in carats. In terms of carats, the land of Israel is an enormous land. May G-d give us the wisdom and vision to know how to measure the land that He has given us.

Joseph Tabory, Jerusalememail: taborj@mail.biu.ac.il
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`

[7] Divrei Menachem
Parshat Ekev continues Moshe's bequest to the Jewish people. And as we now gain solace from the Haftarot of Comfort that follow Tish’a b'Av, we surely achieve additional consolation from Moshe's opening statement in the Parsha: "If you hearken to these laws… Hashem will safeguard the Covenant and the Chessed that he swore to your Fathers."

The Chassidic masters teach us that the first word of this declaration, "Vehaya," signifies Simcha ('joy'), while the next term, "Ekev" (lit. 'heel'), designates lowliness or modesty. What, here, does the Torah teach us?

Regarding Simcha, Rabbi Chanoch Heinich of Alexander recalled Isaiah's optimistic proclamation, "You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace" (Isaiah 52:12). He thus taught his students that in order to merit the reward for the Mizvot, you should strive to observe them joyfully. As for the lowly word "Ekev," Rashi suggests that the reward comes as much for keeping the less regarded Mitzvot as those we treat with prominence.

Perhaps the conjunction of the terms also indicates that we should keep the commandments, not ostentatiously, but in a modest way. Then, we might want to consider the timely comment of the Likutei Yehoshua: If you are going to be modest, then do so - with Simcha!
Shabbat Shalom,
Menachem Persoff