SHABBAT PARSHAT NO'ACH
TT #539 - 6 Mar-Cheshvan 5763 -
October 11-12, '02
Halachic Times for Jerusalem Israel
Winter Time (Standard Time)
Correct for TT #539
Ranges are for THU-THU, 4 -11 Cheshvan, October 10-17
Candle lighting - 4:37pm (Earliest (Plag) - 4:00pm)
Havdala - 5:49pm (Rabbeinu Tam - 6:23pm)
Earliest Shacharit 4:49-4:53am
Sunrise - 5:39-5:44am
Sof Z'man Kri'at Sh'ma - 8:32-8:34am (7:47-7:49am)
Sof Z'man Shacharit - 9:30-9:30am (9:00-9:01am)
Chatzot (halachic noon) - 11:26-11:24½pm
Mincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) - 11:57-11:55pm
Plag Mincha - 4:01-3:54pm
Sunset - 5:18-5:10pm (5:13-5:05pm)
Explanation of the Z'manim
Sunrise for Jerusalem does not take into account elevation, since the
eastern horizon (where the sun rises) consists of the Hills of Moav across
the Jordan River, which are approx. at the same elevation as Jerusalem
Sunset, on the other hand, is given for an elevation of 825m and, in
parentheses, as if at sea level. There are different opinions as to which
sunset time should be used for halachic purposes. We present both times.
The deadlines for the SH'MA and the Shacharit Amida can be calculated in two
ways. Either considering the day to be from sunrise to sunset or from dawn
to stars out. The first way of reckoning is known as the opinion of the GR"A,
and is the first time given in each case. The second method is known as the
Magen Avraham, and is presented in parentheses.
Aside from candle lighting and havdala, the times are presented as a range,
from the current Thursday of the issue of Torah Tidbits until the coming
Thursday, a span of 8 days. Days between the two Thursdays can be determined
by interpolation (which means: a method by which to estimate a value of
between two known values - this is something that people above a certain age
might remember from high school trigonometry and logarithms, but younger
people who went to school during the calculator era might not be familiar
with).
It is usually wise to "pad" the times with a minute or two in the "play it
safe" direction. E.g. Plag Mincha. Better to finish Mincha a minute or two
before the given time. But, better to not light candles until a minute or
two after the given time.
WORD OF THE MONTH
A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual
aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of
HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...
As announced last Shabbat, themolad of Cheshvan occurred onSunday evening at
8:18pm(summertime). 3 days later (72 hrs) brings us to WED.Oct. 8, 7:18pm as
the earliest time (Minhag Yerushalayim) for saying Kiddush L’vana. Problem
is that the Moon sets on that day at 7:34pm and that leaves a 16-minute
window, really less. Thursday is a more practical first opportunity.
7-day people will start saying K.L. on Sunday night, from 7:20-ish.
Note that because the ACTUAL molad is earlier on Sunday, then even at the
beginning of Wednesday night, the moon will aready be 3 days old. None-theless,
we relate to the average (announced) molad (technically inaccurate) for
determining K.L. times.
We were (are?) Bnei No’ach
When we were about to be leaving Egypt, G-d commanded us to set up a new
Jewish Calendar with the words, “THIS month (Nissan) shall be for YOU the
first of your months; your first of the months of the year.” And sure
enough, Nissan is month number one, Iyar is the second month, etc. The
implication of this first mitzva to Bnei Yisrael is that we would leave the
old calendar reckoning to the rest of the world and we would have a calendar
that focused on the Exodus, rather than Creation of the World. This idea is
supported (it can be said) from the wording in the opening statement/mitzva
of the Aseret HaDibrot, ANOCHI HASHEM ELOKECHA.Who took you out of Egypt...,
not Who created the World.
Until the fateful experiences of Y’TZI’AT
MITZRAYIM / MATAN TORAH, we were fellow members of the human race, all the
descendants of No’ach, but from then on, we are a “nation apart” (in many
senses of the term), descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, Bnei
Yisrael. As opposed to Bnei No’ach.
Yet, it didn’t happen exactly like that. Rosh HaShana 5763 might have been
the first (and second) days of the seventh month, but it was also the
beginning of the 5763rd year since Creation (let’s not argue about whether
we start counting from zero or one). We did not abandon the counting from
Creation; we added the Exodus as another “starting point”. We, the Jewish
People, are Bnei Adam, descendants of Adam HaRishon and Chava, human beings.
And we are different from that, more than that. We are ALSO Bnei Yisrael,
Jews.
Being Jewish did not mean resigning from
the human race, turning in our Bnei No’ach cards for new identities. It
meant being the People from AMONG all other people who accepted G-d’s
special challenge to pursue a special relationship with Him and to undertake
a quest of Holiness that raises us above the mundane world, while we are
still part of it.
Perhaps the Ladder of Yaakov is a good
model of this status — the ladder was standing on the ground and its top
reached the heavens.
Maybe this is why the Torah starts with a sedra about Adam and the
generations that followed from him. And then a sedra about No’ach and the
generations that followed from him. And only then are we introduced to
Avraham Avinu and Sara Imeinu and the other Avot and Imahot.
The ZICHRONOT bracha of the Rosh HaShana Musaf includes (begins) with No’ach
and how G-d “lovingly” remembered him (and family and TEIVA inhabitants).
TZELEM ELOKIM includes our whole species, not just the Jewish People. We
need to be connected to the whole world to PROPERLY be “a nation apart”.
Being a “mensch” is part of being a Jew.
Sedra-Stats
2nd of 54 sedras (2nd of 12 in B'reishit)
Written on 230 lines in a Sefer Torah, rank: 15th
18 Parshiyot; 5 open, 13 closed; rank 12th
153 p'sukim - ranks 4th Largest in B'reishit - tied with Vayishlach
1861 words - ranks 11th (6th)
6907 letters - ranks 13th (6th)
The noticeable drop in ranking for words and letters in both the whole Torah
as well as in B'reishit, is due to No'ach's very short p'sukim. No'ach ranks
49th in words/pasuk and 51st in letters/pasuk. No sedra in B'reishit has
shorter p'sukim.
Mitzvot
None of TARYAG are counted from No’ach, yet there are mitzvot in the sedra.
Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary
Kohen - First Aliya - 14 p'sukim - 6:9-22
The sedra of B'reishit began with the glorious account of creation and "went
downhill" from there: The exile of Adam and Chava from Gan Eden, Kayin and
Hevel, the continuous degeneration through successive generations until G-d's
"regret" for having created the world and his "decision" to destroy it.
The only high note of this universal downslide comes at the end of the sedra:
"But No'ach found favor in G-d's eyes". The sedra of No'ach continues this
thread and tells us that No'ach was "completely righteous IN HIS TIME".
[SDT] Rashi presents the divergent
opinions as to whether "in his time" is complimentary or derogatory. Was
No'ach great EVEN in his very wicked generation, or was he great only by
comparison to the generation in which he lived. Although Rashi does not seem
to favor one possibility over the other, it seems obvious that No'ach was
not as great as Avraham Avinu. A look at the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot
will reveal a significant difference between No'ach and Avraham. Ten
generations between Adam and No'ach and between No'ach and Avraham, both to
teach us about G-d's long patience. Same. Yet when the first full run of ten
generations was up, the Flood came. When the second one was up, the Mishna
tells us, that Avraham's merit sustained the whole world. No'ach's merit
seems to have been only enough only to save his own family. On the other
hand, there was a significant difference between the genera- tions of No'ach
and Avraham that cannot be ignored.
No'ach is informed by G-d of His plans to
destroy the world and is commanded to build an ark, bring into it two of
every kind of animal and sufficient food for his family and the animals.
TZOHAR TAASEH LATEIVA - A Jew’s words (teiva)
of Torah and T’fila should all shine and be clear. — Baal Shem Tov
Commentaries point out that No'ach was given ample time to try to influence
his generation to mend its ways. He either didn't succeed or didn't try too
hard. He did exactly as he was told (and not more?).
Think about this...
G-d could have destroyed the world and saved No'ach and family and the pairs
of animals with a miraculous snap of His finger. In no time. With no human
involvement. He could have; He didn't.
He could have left No'ach on his own, to
do the whole job of saving his family and sample pairs of all the animals.
He didn't do that either. (It probably would have been humanly impossible
for No'ach to have done the whole job.)
What G-d did do is command No'ach to
build an ark of a specific size, a three-tiered floating structure, and to
gather all the food necessary to feed many, many animals and his family for
a year. Cannot be done without a heavy dose of miracle, of suspension of the
laws of nature.
But No'ach was part of it. And that is
what G-d usually wants when it comes to miracles. We, as humans, relate so
much better to that kind of miracle. Nachshon b. Aminadav needed to jump
into the Sea before it would split. We need to see some familiar nature
inside a miracle... and we also need to see the miracle inside nature.
Levi - Second Aliya - 16 p'sukim - 7:1-16
G-d tells No'ach and his family to go into the ark and to take with him
seven pairs of each kind of kosher animal and bird. Noa'ch is told that in
seven more days it will rain for 40 days and nights during which time all
life on earth will be wiped out. No'ach was 600 years old at the time of the
Flood. And so it was.
G-d's commands to No'ach to take pairs of
animals as well as 7 pairs of kosher animals and birds, are two separate
matters. The pairs of animals were for the continuation of the species.
These animals, we are taught, came on their own by instinct of self-
preservation. On the other hand, No'ach had to bring into the Teiva the
other animals, whose destiny, so to speak, was the Altar and the dinner
table.
How many deer were in the Ark?
Seven pairs because the deer is a kosher animal, or only two (one pair)
because the deer is never brought as a Korban? Since some say that the
reason for the seven pairs was because of sacrifices, and others say it was
to provide kosher food, what's the answer for deer? Similarly, how many
chickens? Sacrifices? No. Food? Yes. So which was it?
Rabbi Zev Leff explains that B'nei No'ach
are permitted to offer sacrifices from ANY kosher animal or bird; No'ach was
not restricted to cow, goat, sheep, and two types of doves. Hence, for
either reason, it would seem that there were seven pairs of deer, giraffe,
chickens, etc.
Shlishi - Third Aliya - 22 p'sukim - 7:17-8:14
The rains fell and the waters of the deep surged for 40 days and nights, but
the Flood remained at its highest for an additional 150 days. G-d
'remembered" No'ach and all with him in the ark, and the waters began to
recede. The ark settled on Mt. Ararat and 40 days later (Remember the first
40 days? This time the 40 represents the rebirth of those who survived the
Mabul),No'ach opened the" window" of the ark and sent out a raven. Then he
sent out a dove, and again, and finally after a full (365 day) year, the
earth was ready to receive its new inhabitants.
[SDT] R’ Chayim of Brisk made the
following observation. The Gemara that when an AMORA didn’t exactly have an
answer to a question asked of him, he would say, “the raven flies”. This,
says R’ Chayim, is an allusion to the raven that No’ach sent out, which did
not have an answer for No’ach.
R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 8:15-9:7
G-d tells No'ach to leave the ark with his wife, his sons and their wives,
and all the animals and birds. No'ach builds an altar and sacrifices upon it
from all the kosher species. G-d's "reaction" to No'ach's offerings is that
in spite of the basic evil potential of human nature, He will "take things
in stride" and not destroy in the "wholesale fashion" of the Flood (but
rather punish on a more restricted basis). The laws of nature are altered to
provide the world with a never-ceasing cycle of seasons and climactic
conditions.
HERE'S A THOUGHT... We can see in the
account of the Flood and its aftermath, a continuation of creation. It is as
if stage 1 of creation was recorded in Breishit and here we have stage 2. In
other words, the world as we know it came into existence during the 6 days
of creation AND during the Flood which took place 10 generations later. Sort
of like a rough draft and a further revision. We learn about the world from
all that the Torah tells us.
G-d blessed and commanded No'ach and his
family (and all of mankind) to be fruitful and multiply".
No'ach receives permission to eat meat
(this was denied to the previous generations), but was warned not to eat
from a live animal. Murder and the other Noahide Laws are referred to and/or
inferred, at this point.
Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 10 p'sukim - 9:8-17
G-d makes a promise to mankind that He will never again destroy the world as
He did with the Flood. The rainbow will serve as sign and reminder of this
promise.
We acknowledge the significance of a rainbow by reciting a bracha when we
see one "...He Who remembers the Covenant, is faithful to it, and keeps His
word.”
Note that of the 10 items mentioned in
Avot as having been created at the instant between the Six Days of Creation
and the first Shabbat, all but the rainbow are supernatural. The rainbow,
then, can be seen as a bridge between the natural and the supernatural. Put
differently, we should see G-d's handiwork in all the elements of nature,
not just in obvious miracles. "The mouth of the Earth" was a one-time
creation to dispose of Korach and his gang. But regular rocks and hills,
crags and clefts are no less part of G-d's handiwork.
Some say that a rainbow is a sign that
G-d is angry with the world and would want to destroy it - except He
promised not to.
On the other hand, Yechezkel describes the Heavenly Throne as like a
rainbow, and the radiance of the Kohen Gadol upon leaving the Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur is also likened to a rainbow in the sky.
And it's beautiful, too.
Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 44 p'sukim - 9:18-10:32
Second longest Shishi in the Torah.
Some time after leaving the ark, No'ach
becomes a tiller of the soil and a grape grower. He produces wine and
becomes drunk. One of his sons, Cham, behaves immorally with his father in
his drunken state; Shem and Yefet behave admirably in the situation. When
No'ach realizes what has happened, he curses Cham and his son Canaan, and
blesses Shem and Yafet. No'ach lives 350 years after the Flood, and dies at
the age of 950.
The arithmetic of No'ach's years (600
before + 350 after = 950) seems not to take into account the year of the
Flood. There is a good case to be made for not considering the duration of
the Flood in calculations of the chronology of the world. We might look at
the Flood as a period of "suspended animation" - laws of nature were not in
effect; perhaps time as we know it cannot apply to that interval. The
animals in the ark did not function in their normal ways. No'ach had no
sleep during the whole period (if we take statements made as literal).
There are at least five different periods
during which nature did not behave as we know it today.
(1) The "time" before this world - previous worlds, assuming they existed,
did not necessarily have the same laws of nature;
(2) the indeterminable time of B'reishit - G-d's act of Creation of
something from nothing;
(3) the Six Days of Creation, during which G-d commanded things to happen,
no doubt in very different ways from the nature He also created;
(4) the first 1656 years of this world, for the ten generations from Adam to
No'ach, when nature also seems to have differed from what we experience
today;
(5) the "year" of the Flood.
These "lapses" in the Rule of Nature can
explain a variety of scientific issues related to time and the age of the
earth... and everything in it.
The Torah next outlines the generations that followed No'ach including
mention of Nimrod, the mighty rebel against G-d, and the nations that came
from Shem, Cham and Yefet.
These are the descendants of No’ach
(numbers in brackets count the 70 nations of the world).
We’ll call NO’ACH the zero genera- tion.
That makes SHEM, CHAM, and YEFET, the first generation after No’ach.
The Torah starts the genealogy with Yefet. Generation 2 from Yefet are:
[1] Gomer, [2] Magog, [3] Madai, [4] Yavan, [5] Yuval, [6] Meshech, and [7]
Tiras.
Third generation from Noach via Yefet’s children:
From Gomer: [8] Ashkenaz, [9] Rifat, and [10] Togarma.
From Yavan: [11] Elisha, [12] Tarshish, [13] Kitim, and [14] Dodanim.
2nd generation from No’ach via Cham:
[15] Kush, [16] Mitzrayim, [17] Put, and [18] K’na’an.
3rd generation via Cham’s children:
From Kush: [19] S’va, [20] Chavila, [21] Savta, [22] Ra’ma, [23] Savt’cha
Ra’ma had [24] Sh’va and [25] D’dan. (These two being 4th generation.)
Kush also fathered Nimrod, not numbered among the 70.
From Mitzrayim: [26] Ludim, [27] A- namim, [28] L’havim, [29] Naftuchim,
[30] Patrusim, [31] Kasluchim, (from either 30 or 31 came [32] P’lishtim),
[33] Kaftorim.
No one from Put.
From K’na’an: [34] Tzidon, [35] Cheit, [36] the Yevusi, [37] the Emori, [38]
the Girgashi, [39] the Chivi, [40] the Arki, [41] the Sini, [42] the Arvadi,
[43] the Tz’mari, and [44] the Chamati.
So far, 25 from Yefet, 19 from Cham.
From Sheim: [45] Eilam, [46] Ashur, [47] Arpachshad, [48] Lud, [49] Aram.
From Aram: [50] Utz, [51] Chul, [52] Geter, [53] Mash.
From Arpachshad came [54] Shelach and from him came [55] Eiver. Eiver is 4th
generation. He had [56] Peleg and [57] Yaktan (5th generation).
From Yaktan: [58] Almodad, [59] She- lef, [60] Chatzarmavet, [61] Yerach,
[62] Hadoram, [63] Uzal, [64] Dikla, [65] Oval, [66] Avima’el, [67] Sh’va
(same name as 24), [68] Ofir, [69] Chavila (same name as 200, and [70] Yovav.
That’s 26 from Sheim. Total 70.
It should not be lost on us that the
birth of the world is describe as the 70 nations, and the birth of Israel
begins with “70 souls”.
Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 16 p'sukim - 5:25-6:8
This is the longest Sh'vi'i in the Torah
The Torah tells us of the attempt to build the "Tower of Babel", the symbol
of rebellion against G-d. G-d thwarted the plans, confused the languages of
mankind and scattered the people far and wide.
Commentaries contrast the two sinful generations in this sedra. Dor HaMabul
was destroyed because their sins included the destruction of society by
total disregard of a person for his fellow. Dor HaPlaga sinned against G-d
alone, not against each other. Society (albeit altered) can survive; G-d can
permit it to continue under these circumstances.
The sedra returns to the lineage of No'ach, this time tracing only through
Shem, to Arpachshad, to Shelach, to Eiver, to Peleg, to R’u, to S’rug, to
Nachor, to Terach. Terach had three sons, Avram, Nachor, and Haran. Haran
had Lot. Haran died. Avram married Sarai and Nachor married his niece Milka,
Haran’s daughter.
The sedra thus ends with the stage set for the next major phase of world
development - the return to belief in one G-d and the "birth of Judaism".
The final 4 p’sukim are reread for the Maftir.
Haftara - 22 p'sukim -Yeshayahu - 54:1-55:5
Yeshayahu draws a comparison between the covenant that G-d made with all
mankind via No'ach and the promises to the People of Israel concerning their
future. Just as G-d promised never to flood the whole Earth again, so too
does He promise not to rebuke and punish Israel (in the future).
The two parts of this haftara are the haftarot of Ki Teitzei and R’ei.
THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 156 (part two) • Sales of Real Estate by Money
Two lessons ago we commenced the discussion of acquiring things, whether
real estate or personal property. Following the lead of the Shulhan Aruch we
began with the sales and acquisition of real estate. In the last lesson it
was stated that, there are, in halachah, four methods of acquiring real
estate: (1) by the payment of money; (2) by the seller giving the buyer a
deed; (3) by the buyer performing an act of hazakah (hereinafter to be
referred to as simply "hazakah") to the real estate, which is an act of
acquisition; and (4) by a kinyan. In addition there are the laws of the land
where the real estate is located. Most often these laws will have to be
complied with and transfers, made in furtherance of such laws are usually
binding in halachah.
The last lesson commenced the discussion
of acquiring real estate by the payment of money. In halachah, there are two
types of situations where real estate is acquired by the payment of money.
It is to be remembered that in both situations the payment of the money in
and of itself transfers the ownership of the real estate from the seller to
the buyer. The situations differ as follows: in situation (1) there is only
giving of money from the buyer to the seller and the buyer becomes the owner
of the real estate although he is not given a deed for the real estate. This
occurs in a community where the seller does not deliver a deed to the real
estate when he is paid the money, or if the possibility of writing a deed
does not exist at the moment. In situation (2) the buyer pays money to the
seller and this transfers the real estate to the buyer, except the seller
gives a deed for the real estate to the buyer. The delivery of this deed is
not what transfers ownership of the real estate to the buyer. It is the
paying of the money and the deed is given to show that the buyer paid the
money to the seller. In situation (2) the giving o the deed does not
transfer ownership, it is the payment of the money that transfers ownership
and the deed is only to prove that the money has been paid by the buyer to
the seller.
There is another type of situation (3),
where it is the giving of the deed from the seller to the buyer that
transfers the ownership from the seller to the buyer, and the payment, if
any, is incidental. There the intent is to transfer ownership by the giving
of the deed. We are not here discussing this situation (3).
Situation (1) was discussed in the
previous lesson, and situation (3) will be discussed in a future lesson. We
are now discussing situation (2). In situation (3) ownership is transferred
as soon as the deed is given to the buyer. In situation (2), since the deed
is only to show that the buyer received the money, then ownership is
transferred when the money is given, although some lapse may occur until the
deed is given by the seller to the buyer. The deed may be given first and
then the money paid or the money paid first and then the deed is given. In
either event the ownership of the real estate was transferred when the money
was paid. The deed acts as a piece of evidence to show that the buyer
acquired the real estate by paying money to the seller.
There may be times when the parties may
stipulate that the buyer has the option to acquire ownership either by the
giving of money or the acceptance of a deed. If the buyer has such an option
and he gives the money to the seller, the buyer may state that he has
accepted ownership when he gave the money. Or the buyer may state that he
will not accept transfer of ownership until the deed is given, and since the
deed has not been given the, buyer wishes to rescind their understanding and
not take ownership even though he has paid the money. Conversely, if the
seller has the same option and he has received the money from the buyer, he
may notify the buyer that the transfer has been completed. Or the seller may
state that he wishes ownership to be transferred with the giving of the
deed, and since he has not as yet given the deed he wishes to rescind their
understanding.
Assume that the seller, sometime after
the sale, in recounting or in recalculating the money, finds that there has
been a mistake in the payment-there has been an underpayment. This is
ascertained by both parties to be true. (Nowadays, such mistakes in payment
are much easier to determine since the payments are largely by checks and
bank transfers. In fact, very often the attorneys present at a meeting when
there is a transfer of real estate, will agree that all mistakes in
calculations will be rectified upon discovery.) The sale stands for the
entire realty and is not treated as a partial payment. There is no statute
of limitations on finding errors in the calculations.
Assume that Reuven, fears that false
charges are being brought against him that will result in his losing his
real estate. Reuven sells the real estate to a friend, Shimon, who is going
through a charade of being a buyer for cash. After the charges against
Reuven are investigated by the government, they are found to be not true,
and the charges against Reuven are dropped. The sale made by Reuven to
Shimon is void. This holds true even if the parties are satisfied with the
sale. The reason is that in essence there was no sale. If the parties want
to transfer the real estate from Reuven to Shimon, there will have to be a
new transfer.
Assume that Reuven pleads that the sale
was a sham and Shimon pleads that it was an actual sale, and there are no
witnesses. The plea of Reuven is rejected. Beth Din should examine all the
facts to determine if perhaps it was a sham sale. For example. Reuven, the
seller continues to enjoys all of the profits of the realty and not Shimon,
the buyer.
The subject matter of this lesson is more
fully presented in Volume VI Chapter 190 of"A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil
Law" byE. Quint, published by Jason Aronson, Inc. and on sale at local
Judaica bookstores.
Questions to quint@inter.net.il
MEANING IN MITZVOT by Rabbi Asher Meir
Each week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try to show its
beauty and meaning. The columns are based on Rabbi Meir's Meaning in Mitzvot
on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh.
SPAYING ANIMALS
The spaying of animals, in order to prevent undesired reproduction or in
order to make them more docile, is an ancient custom of animal husbandry,
but it is one which is forbidden by the Torah. The Torah teaches this
prohibition in two different places, each one with its message.
In the blessing given to Noach and his
family after the flood, "Be fruitful and multiply, swarm in the earth and
multiply in it" (Bereshit 9:7), our Sages discerned an implication that
spaying of animals is improper for all mankind (Sanhedrin 57a). The basis of
this admonition is clearly the fact that spaying interferes with HaShem's
desire that the world should be filled with a multiplicity of living things.
Here the consideration is a quantitative one.
However, the Torah also contains a
prohibition on spaying for the Jewish people. In enumeration the animals
which are blemished and unfit for sacrifices, the Torah tells us (Vayikra
22:24) "And an animal which is maimed or crushed or disconnected or severed
[in his reproductive organs] do not offer to HaShem", and then adds "and
don't do this in your land", meaning that we should not create such a
blemish (Shabbat 110b).
Here the emphasis is not on the
consequences for the world, but rather the consequences for this particular
animal. The blemish in a sacrifice is not due to the fact that the animal
will not reproduce, because the animal is being slaughtered anyway. Rather,
the admonition not to spay seems to be directed at the loss for the
individual. Each individual creature is unique, and its ability to transmit
its own unique characteristics to offspring is an essential part of its
character and potential. Even if the world will swarm with sheep just as
before, this individual ram is deficient if he lacks the potential to
perpetuate his special traits in the next generation.
This distinction between the general mission of mankind and the particular
mission of the Jewish people is found in other places as well. For instance,
in our column on Vayikra 5761 we saw the explanation of Rav Nachman of
Breslav, that for all mankind ownership and possession has utilitarian
value, but for the Jewish people ownership also ideally involves a special
sensitivity to the unique role of each object in the chain of Divine
providence.
All of mankind is charged with perfecting
the world, both materially and spiritually. But the mission of mankind as a
whole is more instrumental, focusing on principles which create a better
world. It is the Jewish people who are particularly commanded to find the
holiness and potential in each individual aspect of creation, "so that none
of them may be rejected" from the realm of holiness. (See Shmuel II 14:14.)
Rabbi Meir has completed writing a
monumental companion to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch which beautifully presents the
meanings in our mitzvot and halacha. It will hopefully be published in the
near future.
Rabbi Meir authors a popular weekly on-line Q&A column, "The Jewish
Ethicist", which gives Jewish guidance on everyday ethical dilemmas in the
workplace. The column is a joint project of the JCT Center for Business
Ethics, Jerusalem College of Technology - Machon Lev; and Aish HaTorah. You
can see the Jewish Ethicist, and submit your own Qs — www.jewishethicist.com
or www. aish.com
MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Chassidic Wisdom
3. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
4. Rite and Reason
5. Candle by Day
6. G'matriya Match
7. Chizuk and Idud
8. Rain Check - Tal U'matar
9. Torah from Nature
10. 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 communityin 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 An AMUD was donated to our shul. May
the name of the donor on a plaque be placed above Hashem's Name (in the
pasuk SHIVITI HASHEM L'NEGDI TAMID)?
A We have several sources in Chazal that indicate that Hashem's Name should
normally be before other names.
The gemara (Sukka 5a) states that on the
TZITZ (the headplate of the kohen gadol, which contained the inscription,
KADOSH LASHEM), the Name of Hashem was elevated above KADOSH LA-. This was
done out of respect to the Name. This idea was even clear to non-Jews. The
rabbis who wrote the original Septuagint, started the text with Hashem's
Name, not with the word, "Bereishit" (Megilla 9a). Tosafot (ad loc.)
explains that since the Greeks understood that it is proper that G-d's Name
appear first, they would have thought that there were two deities, Bereishit
and Elokim. Why, in fact, isn't Hashem's name mentioned first there and
elsewhere?
The last mishna of Masechet Yadayim
records the criticism of the Tzedukim of the fact that the name of the king
(in context of the date) in a GET is before the mention of Moshe. The Rabbis
responded that in a Sefer Torah, we find the name of Par’oh before Hashem's
name. Commentaries (see Tiferet Yisrael, ad loc.) understand that when there
is a specific need to write another name first, this can be done without it
being a disgrace to Hashem. In the case of the GET and the Sefer Torah the
need is a matter of textual content. Although it would have made more sense
to have Hashem's Name after the words, KODESH LA- on the TZITZ, there was
apparently a special sensitivity to the matter of the order on the most holy
element of the kohen gadol's garments.
Therefore, normally the name of the donor
should be under the pasuk, which contains Hashem's Name. (The content does
not seem to be adversely affected by having the name of the donor on the
bottom. However, there could be exceptions). One would be where the writing
is relatively high, and if the pasuk would be on the top, it would be
difficult for the chazan to see it. (See Aseh L'cha Rav IV, 44.4, where he
explains the importance of this pasuk, which reminds he who is praying that
the image of Hashem's Presence should always be before him).
Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
“Go into the ark (TEIVA), you and all your household...” (B’reishit 7:1)
You must put your whole heart and mind into every word (also TEIVA) you
speak. — Baal Shem Tov
Wealth is like salt: It makes our food savory — but the more one drinks
salty water, the thirstier one gets. — Rabbi Simcha Bunim of P’shis’cha
ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R’ Shmelke of Nikolsburg and his brother R’ Pinchas of Koretz devoted all
their time to Torah study from a very young age. R’ Shmelke never ate bread
so as not to have to take time from his studies to wash before the meal or
to recite Birkat HaMazon afterwards. His brother R’ Pinchas would stay up
all night studying Torah. Their mother used to joke, “I have two sons. One
of them never “benches” and the other never recites K’ri’at Shma al HaMita.”
R’ Chaim Brisker once attended a
gathering of rabbis, where, under pressure from the Czarist government, a
resolution was passed that every rabbi must know Russian. Immediately after
the resolution was passed, R’ Chaim took the floor with a resolution of his
own. “I propose”, he said, “a resolution that every rabbi must know SHAS and
POSKIM.”
Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
Some follow the custom not to tell one’s fellow that a rainbow is visible in
the sky.
Reason: “I found in a certain holy book whose name I cannot recall, that one
should not inform another person that there is a rainbow in the sky so as
not to speak slanerously of the generation.” (Chayei Adam) [...because the
the rainbow only appears in the heavens in generations that are not
sufficiently righteous.] [Ed. note: This is not the whole story of the
rainbow; there are many sides (and colors) to the issue.]
A good workman develops a kind of humility in the course of years. To do a
really good job one must do what the JOB demands though this be in
opposition to the demands of one’s EGO.
The greatest difficulty in the breaking
of habits lies in their having come to seem the natural way of reacting, so
that even though we TELL ourselves that we should break the habit, we do not
essentially BELIEVE that we should. From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga
Silverstein
G'matriya Match
With the help of a CD called TORAH CODES 2000, by TES (Torah Education
Software), I’ve been searching on and off for the past few years for p’sukim
(or phrases) in Tanach whose G’matriyas (numerical value) match each other —
and something mean- ingful can be said to relate the two p’sukim.
One of my favorite G’matriya Matches (GMs) is the following:
B'REISHIT BARA ELOKIM ET HASHAMAYIM V'ET
H'AARETZ
The G’matriya of this opening pasuk of the Torah is 2701. It can be
suggested that the pasuk that ends the whole “section” of the Creation era
is B’reishit 8:14 -
U'V'CHODESH HASHENI B'SHIVA V'ESRIM YOM LACHODESH YAVSHA H'AARETZ
G’matriya: 2701. Like matched bookends!
CHIZUK and IDUD (for the Oleh & not-yet-Oleh respectively)
“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
heavens ” Koheleth 3:1
“There was a time for Noah to enter the ark… and a time for him to leave…”
Koheleth Rabbah 3:1
Although Noah had advance warnings (120
years) and a precise forecast (7 days) of when the”mabul” would strike, he
leaves his home and enters the ark only after the floodwaters are lapping at
his door. Perhaps Noah was one of those of “little faith” who doubted that
the catastrophe would really occur (Rashi on Gen. 7:7). But it is quite
understandable that people become so attached to their surroundings that
they are reluctant to uproot themselves even in the face of credible
threats. We have seen this happen many times in our history as a people.
But if Noah’s entrance to the ark is
instructive, his exit is even more so. Once the rains cease and the waters
recede, Noah tests to make sure the outside is safe yet he does not leave
the ark! Only after G-d directly orders him to do so, does Noah go. Was this
proper behavior? Rabbi Yudan said: “If I was in Noah’s place I would have
broken down the door and left!” (Yalkut Shimoni)
Perhaps the ark can be seen as a metaphor
for the lands of Exile where Jews have taken refuge. Once the stormy waters
have receded and the road to home is open, do each of us really need a
personal invitation from G-d to leave the “galut”? Surely over 50 years of
vibrant Jewish statehood, with over 5 million Jews and Jerusalem the
capital, is sign enough that Jews are being called home. Indeed there seems
to be a tone of impatience in G-d’s curt call to Noah: “Tzai min hateiva!”
(Gen 8:16) as if to say “For heaven’s sake, what are you waiting for!!” -
Rabbi Shubert Spero, Jerusalem
Rain Check: V’tein Tal U’matar Livracha (T&M)
IN ISRAEL, we begin to ask for rain in the weekday Amida, this coming
Motza’ei Shabbat, the eve of 7 Cheshvan (October 12th), with the words
V'TEIN TAL U'MATAR LiVRACHA (T&M) in the BAREICH ALEINU bracha (a.k.a.
Birkat HaShanim). We continue to ask for T&M until, and including, Mincha on
Erev Pesach.
During T&M season, an Amida without T&M is "fatally flawed" and must be
repeated.
If you realize your omission during
BAREICH ALEINU, just go back and say T&M, and continue from there.
Once you say G-d’s name in the end of
Barech Aleinu, and then you realize your omission, just keep davening until
Sh’ma Koleinu, and add the words (and the fervent heartfelt request) V'TEIN
TAL U'MATAR LiVRACHA towards the end of the bracha, right before KI ATA
SHOMEI’A...
This works if you realize that you didn’t say T&M before you finish Sh’ma
Koleinu.
If you have just finished Shma Koleinu
but have not yet said the word R'TZEI, then say V'TEIN TAL U'MATAR LiVRACHA
by itself, between the two brachot. Actually, this attaches the words to the
body of the brachot of request, since you have not yet begun the next set of
brachot.
If you already began R'TZEI, as long as your feet are still together and you
have not "closed off" your Amida with Y'H'YU L'RATZON IMREI FI... then go
back to BAREICH ALEINU and daven straight from there.
Finally, if you finished the Amida, and
then realize the omission, you go back to the beginning and say the WHOLE
Amida over again.
And even if you remember your omission at the next davening, you daven
Tashlumin.
Not sure? Then it depends. Within the
first month of T&M (some say 90 times, which is more than a month), a doubt
usually means that you did not say it and you must behave accordingly. After
a habit is formed, you may assume that you said it correctly, even if you
aren't sure.
In Chutz LaAretz, the request for T&M
begins on December 5th or 6th - check this out if you need to know for sure.
Because of the rule in the Mishna that one does not ask for rain unless it
is close to his rainy season, the schedule for T&M in Bavel was later than
in Eretz Yisrael. Ironically, all of Chutz LaAretz was standardized on the
Bavel schedule, leaving only Eretz Yisrael with the 7 Cheshvan, earlier
time.
And what about a Ben Chutz LaAretz (who
we like to call a not-yet-Oleh) in Israel for 7 Cheshvan and beyond?
It depends.
A visitor or student from abroad, who is
in Israel on 7 Cheshvan, and who will be staying in Israel for a short
while, does not switch to T&M when we do, but continues saying V’TEIN
BRACHA, like Chutz LaAretz people, until December 5th.
Such a person should avoid davening for
the Amud. If he must lead the davening, then he has to say T&M in the
repetition, because that’s what we are already saying here.
If he intends to stay in Israel for at
least a year (as is the case with many students), then he/she is considered
a BEN/BAT ERETZ YISRAEL for T&M purposes, and begins with us on 7 Cheshvan.
What if a year isn’t really a year? A
student is here on 7 Cheshvan but will be going back abroad before Pesach?
Problem. Most poskim will advise such a person to say V’TEIN BRACHA in
Barech Aleinu, but to add T&M in Sh’ma Koleinu.
Also, if a visitor to Israel on a short
stay, who should not say T&M from 7 Cheshvan, was in Shul on the first night
of T&M, heard the Gabbai announce T&M and said it, then he should continue
saying it, even though he was mistaken to start it in the first place.
A person living in Israel who visits abroad (intending to be away less than
a year) and is there for 7 Cheshvan, should start saying T&M when we do, and
should avoid going to the Amud during the week, if possible.
All of the above should not be taken as the final halachic ruling in any of
the cases mentioned, but one should consult his Rav for a definitive p’sak.
In the merit of scrupulous attention to halachic detail, and in the merit of
proper behavior on both BEIN ADAM LAMAKOM and BEIN ADAM L’CHA- VEIRO levels,
may we be blessed with plentiful, beneficial rain, and G-d’s other blessings
as well.
MA RABU MA'ASECHA HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'A HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA •
Gopher
Gopher common name for three unrelated North American burrowing animals, the
ground squirrel, gopher tortoise, and pocket gopher. Technically, the term
gopher refers to the pocket gophers (a.k.a. pouched rats). Pocket gophers
are widely distributed throughout much of North America. ...chubby, ratlike
animals, about 30cm long, ...soft, short fur. ...two large, fur-lined
pockets, one on the outside of each cheek, in which they store food. ...eyes
and ears are small and underdeveloped; the incisor teeth, well developed for
gnawing. The limbs are short and the feet have powerful claws... Thick,
almost hairless tail, is a sensitive organ that the pocket gopher uses in
finding its way about its underground tunnels, being able to run backward
almost as quickly as forward. Females give birth once a year, producing 2-6
offspring. Active day and night. They do not hibernate. Pocket gophers are
voracious and feed on any type of vegetation found underground. They destroy
food trees by gnawing away the roots, and also ravage tuber and bulb
gardens. They will severely damage vegetable gardens by eating soft leafy
vegetables and ground-growing fruits such as young squash and pumpkin.
...very serious damage...
TTriddle: Of all the animals to choose
from for Parshat No’ach, why choose this one?
From the Desk of the Director
This week's parsha reintroduces us to Noah's three sons, each of whom
merited to survive the Flood (R. Hirsch) and to become the progenitors of
mankind (Abarbanel, Sforno). This was ostensibly because of the qualities of
righteousness that they were taught from their father (Radak).
From Noah and his three sons, we gain
critical insights into the human psyche and its frailty. Noah's
righteousness, the rabbis remind us, was limited and context-bound. For how
else do we explain his bizarre behavior that led him first off, after the
Flood, to plant a vineyard, get drunk, and expose his naked self to the
world?
As for the three sons, their characters are clued in their names: Shem, the
bearer of the Name, gave seed to the Jewish nation. He takes the initiative
in covering up his sleeping father. The hotheaded Ham - "Father of Canaan" -
is the archetype of the evil counter-culture. He stares mockingly at his
drunken father. Yaphet the father of Greek aestheticism has to be led by his
brother to overcome his father's shame.
Ham is cursed and Shem is blessed. Shem's
blessing rested in Israel. Yaphet is also blessed but, "He will dwell in the
tents of Shem" (Ber. 9:27). The implication, notes Rabbi Hirsch, is that
beauty is significant, but only when at the service of the spiritual truths
represented by Shem.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center
Towards better Davening and Torah reading
Column #44. Contents of this weekly column are (mostly) based on the sefer:
EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEIM, by R' Nissan Sharoni, Ashdod, a guide to correct
pronunciation of Hebrew, specifically in davening and Torah reading.
Four follow-up comments on PATACH G’NUVA,
as presented last week.
One, if you were to use a KUF sound
instead of the HEI (or ALEF or YUD) in various names of G-d, such as KEIL
KAH, ELOKIM, ELOKEINU, then the name with the PATACH G’NUVA would be
pronounced ELO-AK, not ELOKA. This was the main point in last week’s column.
It’s really important.
Another example used for the PATACH
G’NUVA under a HEI (with a MAPIK) was GA-VO-AH, meaning tall. Not GAVOHA.
(Maybe less important because it isn’t one of G-d’s names.) A TT reader
called to mention the feminine version of GAVO-AH, which will nicely confuse
things. But don’t worry — you can handle it. A tall man is GAVO-AH and a
tall woman is G’VOHA. The word is spelled GIMMEL with a SH’VA NA, VET with a
CHOLAM (with or without the VAV), and then two HEIs, the first one with a
KAMATZ GADOL under it and the second one without any- thing. So the first
HEI is pronounced HA (or HAW in Ashkenazis) and the second HEI is silent.
The third point is that the PATACH G’NUVA
we’ve known and loved under the CHET (as in apple, wind, and the cinders of
the furnace that brought about Plague #6, Boils - PI-ACH), and the one under
the HEI we’ve been (re)introduced to (as in ELO-AK and GAVO-AH), can also be
found under an AYIN. Most Ashkenazim can forget all about this, because in
the word for week, for example, SHAVU-A, it really doesn’t matter if we
pronounce the PATACH before or after we pronounce the AYIN, since we don’t
pronounce the AYIN. But for those who do, as a gutteral sound of a soft NG
that sticks to the palate after it leaves the throat, it does make a
difference. Let’s use % as the symbol for the sound of an AYIN. Then the
word for week is SHA-VU-A%, not -%A. The best I can recommend is go over to
your favorite S’faradi or Teimani and ask him (or her) to pronounce SHAVU’A
or RAKI-A% for firmament (sky).
Finally, we must add that which was
presented in one of the early columns of this series concerning PATACH
G’NUVA. All of the above, and the com- ments from last week, related to the
(correct) Ashkenazi pronunciation — which is to place an imaginary ALEF
before the letter with the PATACH under it and “allow” the ALEF to steal the
PATACH.
S’fardim and Teimanim do it differently.
They put a W sound or a Y sound (depending upon the vowel under the letter
before the one with the PATACH G’NUVA). So TAPU-ACH sounds like TA-PU-WACH.
SI-ACH sounds like SI-YACH. MIZ-BEI-YACH. RU-WACH. GAVO-WAH. ELO- WAH. MAG-BI-AH,
to lift, is MAG-BI-YAH for S’fardim and Yemenites. Similarly, SHAVU-WA% and
RAKIYA%.
For Ashkenazim, this week’s sedra is
NO’ACH; for S’fardim, it’s NOWACH. But it is not NOCHA for anyone.
Just to finish off this week’s column,
let us add the same thing that the author of EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEM added at
the end of the PATACH G’NUVA chapter. He says that there really is one more
example of a stolen vowel and letter with the culprit being an imaginary
ALEF. And that is a connective VAV that becomes a SHURUK. Moshe and Shlomo
is not MOSHE V’SHLOMO, but USHLOMO. It is as if there is an ALEF before the
SHURUK, pronounced U, and the VAV’s sound is lost (has been stolen).
By the way, it became USHLOMO because the
SHIN of SHLOMO has a SH’VA under it and you cannot have two consecutive
SHVAs at the beginning of a word. SHLOMO and MOSHE is U’MOSHE (not V’)
because a VAV before BET, VAV, MEM, and PEI generally SHURUKs. <mtc>
Parsha Pix
One of our classic ParshaPix, with a new twist. Top row is based on an old
joke about the worm coming in an apple, but all the other animals coming in
pears (pairs). Then there is the famous dove with olive branch, cloud with
rainbow and cloud with rain. There is a fish that survived the Mabul well,
not in the Teiva, but under it. The grapes and wine flask are references to
No’ach post-Flood. The people figures represent the proliferation of human
beings after the Flood. The Tower of Babel is accompanied by words of many
languages. What and which?
TTRIDDLES...
are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the
calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout,
usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT,
they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section.
Some TTriddles are alsopresentedfor call-in solution on Torah Tidbits Audio
(Arutz-7, Thursday night). The best solution set submitted each week (there
isnt always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a
gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal
Last week’s (B’reishit) TTriddles:
[1] G-d l’chatchila and we b’di’eved on the same day
[2] Ultimately, it's a preview
[3] 29 in T’hilim, 11 in rest of Tanach, hidden and mixed up withinthe
Five’s first and last
[4] Pinch hitting for #42 Wright of the Gulf Coast Expos, #20 Sosa of the
Chicago Cubs
[5] At the end of the season, D’VEIKUT B’MITZVOT.
And the envelope please...
[1] Pasuk 1:4 tells us that G-d distinguished between light and darkness. He
did that “havdala” on the first day of Creation, Sunday. For Him, it was a
L’CHATCHILA. For us, with the mitzva of havdala on Motza’ei Shabbat, if for
some reason we were not able to “do” havdala then, we may do it on Sunday.
Our distinguishing between light and darkness on Sunday is a B’DI-EVED act.
[2] Ultimately refers to the ultimate (last) pasuk of Parshat B’reishit
which says that NO’ACH found favor in G-d’s eyes. With the use of the word
NO’ACH, the ultimate pasuk of B’reishit is a preview of the coming sedra,
No’ach.
[3] This TTriddle is based on a comment attributed to the CHATAM SOFER on
the Gemara in Brachot which states that any parsha that was beloved by David
HaMelech, he began and ended with ASHREI. The Chatam Sofer pointed out that
the whole Torah begins with ASHREI (whose ltters are contained inside the
word B’REISHIT) and ends with ASHREI (whose letters are also in the word
YISRAEL).
[4] The raw form of this TTriddle came to me and when I tried to flesh it
out, I had problems. So the TTriddle itself is a bit klutzy, but it sort of
works. There is a minor league baseball player (on the Gulf Coast Expos)
named Isaiah Wright. I’d be surprised if his number is 42, but for the
purpose of the TTriddle it is. This refers to Yeshayahu chapter 42, from
which the regular haftara of B’reishit comes. Because Shabbat B’reishit was
Erev Rosh Chodesh, the regular haftara was preempted by the Machar Chodesh
haftara. Samuel (Sosa) no. 20 (that is, chapter 20 of Shmuel Alef) pinch hit
for the regular haftara.
[5] And to make matters worse, we have this riddle which isn’t a TTriddle
and did not even appear in the hard copy of TT (just in the email version
and on the website). At the end of baseball’s regular season, Barry Bonds (D’veikus)
reached a total of 613 HRs.
This week's TTriddles:
[1] (from the Parsha Pix) The Tower of Babel is accompanied by words of many
languages. What and which?
[2] A picture is worth a thousand words.A word (play on “word”) is 450,000
what?
[3] Only G-d (so to speak) and Yitzchak did this
[4] Between the ellipse & the silent one
[5] Of all the animals to choose from for Parshat No’ach, why choose the
gopher?
[6] Also towards Assupim
[7] The longest two-letter word
NESTO - Native English-Speaking Teen Olim
SHIRU LO ZAMRU LO
Music has the ability to uplift our soul, to inspire creativity, to calm a
troubled mind, or to raise emotional levels. It seems that music touches a
deep part of us, beyond our physical senses of touch, sight, smell, taste,
and hearing. We both hear music through our ears and feel it in our bodies.
Because of this intense power that music
has - as well as giving us a legitimate reason to make a lot of noise - we
have dedicated the last few weeks to music here at NESTO. If you happened to
be walking past the Israel Center recently, you may have noticed the beating
of tarbukas, Or the sound of our voices accompanying the instruments. Thanks
to Menachem Kern for being a patient and fun teacher.
Senior NESTO will be meeting this coming
Tuesday at the TACHANA at 7:00pm, for the first of our community projects
this year.
We are also having the firstSenior NESTO
Shabbatonof the year October 18. Call Chave or Mimi for more details and to
book a spot - as always places are limited so call early to avoid
disappointment.
Shabbat Shalom All of here at NESTO
The Israel Center's youth program for Anglo-Israelis, tel. 566-7787 ext. 250
• fax: 561-7432 chaveabrahams@hotmail.com • Chaim Pelzner, Director; Chave
Herschberg, Coordinator; Mimi Edel, Bat Sherut • NESTO is partially funded
by the Jewish Agency for Israel
Israel Center Notes: -
Re: The Israel Center and Torah Tidbits
NOTICE: The OU Israel Center and Torah Tidbits do not necessarily endorse
the political or halachic opinions of its advertisers, nor to we guarantee
their quality of service.
The Israel Center's Beth Din to adjudicate and arbitrate monetary disputes,
according to Jewish law There is a registration fee of 200nis per case No
other charges for this service Please call 566-7787 ext. 204 for further
information We have forms for two types of cases: Those where both parties
agree to submit their dispute to the Beth Din, and those where a complainant
wants the Beth Din to summon the second party. Yitzhak Fund, Esq. • Rabbi
Emanuel Quint Chairpersons , Ita Rochel, Admistrator
Kashrut Questions
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you get a human; other times, leave a voice- message OU Kashrut in Israel
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After nourishing the soul, come nourish the body serving coffee, sandwiches,
toasts, pizza, french fries, salads, eggs, stuffed potatoes, lasagna,
soups... and more Located on the lower level of the Israel Center Hours:
Sun.-Thu. - 10:00am - 3:00pm Ask about our catering services on or off the
Center premises
Thirsty? We now have a hot drinks machine with coffee, tea, & hot chocolate
located on the ground floor, and a cold drinks
(cans) machine on the first floor near the library.
Torah Tidbits and Israel Center This 'n That
SW of KM and Dr. IF, DC of GS emailed the following comment: In last week’s
TT we wished our readers many things for the year 5763. Whereas it is true
that 5763 is the longest type of year with 385 days, it actually will be 26
minutes (which is 1560 seconds) shorter than the 554,400 we used in the
Bracha. Rosh HaShana this year was September 6, with sunset in Jerusalem at
5:52pm. Next RH is September 26, with sunset at 5:36pm.
TIYULIM and SHABBATONIM
Call the TIYUL HOTLINE Dial the Israel Center's number 5-66-77-87, then
press 211. You'll hear "thank you, one moment please", and then the phone
system's music for 15 seconds. Then the Tiyul Hotline message begins. You
can listen to the whole message and then press 2 to leave your message, or
you can interrupt by pressing2 right away and then leaving your message.
THE TRAVEL DESK The TRAVEL DESK of the
Israel Center exists... to make registration and detail-receiving for Israel
Center tiyulim more efficient and less head- achy for you. To help you -
whether you live in Israel or are visiting - plan private tiyulim and make
in-Israel travel arrangements Sarah will be happy to assistyou on Sundays,
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Call Sarah at the
Center, 566-7787 ext. 249.
Note: When a tiyul says "Bring your own lunch", you can do that... or this:
Call the TRAVEL DESK or the TIYUL HOTLINE up to the day before the TIYUL and
order a box lunch from the Israel Center Cafe. 18 shekel will get you a
delicious sandwich, a refreshing drink (specify regular or diet) and a
dessert. Your box lunch willbe ready for you when you board the bus.
We reserve the right to charge a
cancellation feein case of last-minute cancellations.
Please speak to Sarah at the Travel Desk when making reservations.
KASHRUT POLICY: Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by
OU-in-Israel - Mehadrin. Israel Center sponsored trips and programs are
under Mehadrin Hashgacha. Hotels, restaurants, and tiyulim advertised by the
Travel Desk or by outside parties are not necessarily Mehadrin and are not
endorsed by the OU orthe Israel Center.
LAST CALL • Israel-Center In-House Shabbaton • Shabbat Parshat Lech Lecha,
Friday-Shabbat, October 18-19 • Candle lighting - 4:29pm • Mincha 4:40pm •
Our Shabbat guest:Dr. Lisa Aiken will speak on Friday night, 8:30pm on Soul
Journeys:What happens to the Soul before, during, and after this lifetime
and on Shabbat (approx.) 11:30am on Dear G-d: What have You done for me
lately? and at 3:30pm WOMEN AS SCAPEGOATS, A Dvar Torah and a Play by Yaacov
Peterseil & Co. • Additional shiurim and Tidbits by Phil Chernofsky plus
Divrei Torah • HOUSING: If you live in the neighborhood OR have made
your own arrangements to stay nearby, please let us know. If you want
us to arrange your housing, there are 4 possibilities: We can house you with
a family in the neighborhood; You can stay at the Windmill Hotel (300 per
couple, sleeping only); You can stay at the Eldan Hotel (300 per couple,
sleeping only); You can stay at the Inbal Hotel (450 per couple, sleeping
only); In addition, when you sign up, let us know seating preferences and
special dietary and other needs. We will TRY to accommodate. • 200NIS for
members • 220NIS for non-members • Call Ita Rochel 566-7787 ext. 204 to
inquire and/or reserve
LAST CALL Join us for a most unusual 3 days, 2 nights at Keshet in the Golan
Heights • SUN-MON-TUEOctober 13-15: Great for individuals, couples, and
families • Cost, including transportation, professional guides, escort,
entrance fees, and delicious mehadrin meals on H/B basis (bring lunch for
Sunday) 650NIS pp dbl. occ. Single supplement 150NIS • 3rd (and more) person
in same room: 500NIS child 2-12, 550NIS teen or adult [Non-mem. add 50NIS
pp] • Shulamit’s tiyulim are always treats; come! you’ll surely enjoy her
delicious sweets
Friday, November 19:00am-1:00pm (approx.) • We needed water then and we
still need water now. Come on a tour and see segmentsof Jerusalem's ancient
aqueducts. You will then understand the great effort investedin supplying
water to Jerusalem in antiquity. We will see the low-level aqueduct at Armon
Hanatsiv,the high-level aqueduct along Hebron road andthe Mamilla aquedeuct
near the Old City. Tour led by Ya'akov Billig, archaeologist and tour guide
• Price: 40/50NIS
Join us for our ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving Tiyul • Wednesday-Thursday,
November 27,28 at Be’er Sheva’s elegant, mehadrin hotel - Come with us to
PARADISE • Touring and visits to special places...and, of course, our
Thanksgiving dinner— with all the trimmings! Watch for further details (but
sign up now) • Shulamit’s tiyulim are always treats;Come! you’ll surely
enjoy her delicious sweets
Wheel Chair Accessible
Feiga Kahana has graciously announced that she would be pleased to give
guided tours to people who are in wheelchairs. Most recently in the Old
City, many areas have been made wheelchair accessible. Those of you who
would like to join us (with or without caregivers) should call Shulamit at:
532-6454 or 050 937 932. We are arranging trasportation in a special vehicle
which can accommodate groups of 5 wheelchairs (and caregivers) at a time in
each trip. Call NOW (Leave a message) Don't
hesitate!
Travel Desk Specials: For reservations at the hotels listed below or any
other Israeli hotels,please call Sarah directly at the Travel Desk 566 7787,
ext. 249.She'll be happy to accomodate you with any of your requests.
Princess, Eilat - valid OCT 22-24, 27-30, Mid-week, two-night package,
1140NIS per couple B/B
Sheraton Moriah, Eilat - valid thru October, Mid-week, 379NIS per couple,
per night, B/B
Dan Pearl, Jerusalem - valid thru October, 2-night Weekend (THU-SAT or
FRI-SUN), 1325NIS per couple - F/B for Shabbat; B/B for the other day
Inbal, Jerusalem, valid thru NOV 23, SHABBAT, 1150NIS per couple F/B
Neptune, Eilat, valid OCT 20-22, Two-night package, 950NIS per couple H/B
Ruth Rimon Inn, Tsfat, valid OCT 13-17, 20-24, 460NIS per couple, per night,
H/B
October 17-19 (Lech Lecha), 1350NIS per couple, for two nights • Thursday
B/B, Shabbat F/B
B/B = Bed & Breakfast • H/B = Half Board (breakfast + one meal) • F/B (3
meals a day)
Midweek = SUN, MON, TUE, WED nights • Weekends = THU, FRI, Motza"Sh nights
Attention Students from Abroad: Are your parents planning on visiting you
some time this year? If so, you want to speak to us! (566-7787 ext. 211 or
249) We have many attractive deals for them... and you. Let us turn an
ordinary “been there, did it” visitinto an unforgettable, special one!
The Back Page of TT539
"Regular" Israel Center classes & lectures - 20NIS for members, 25NISfor
non-mem. Life members, 5NIS (except for programs of/with other
organizations). No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.
(Membership is 225NIS per year)
Many Israel Center programs are partially funded by the Jewish Agency for
Israel
Friday
Mincha - Kabbalat Shabbat - Maariv is 20 minutes after Candle lighting in
the Wolinetz Family Shul - OHEL SHMUEL (Israel Center)
This week, Shabbat No'ach, Mincha at 4:57pm
Lech L’cha (because of the In-house Shabbaton) will be earlier - candle
lighting is 4:29pm, Mincha at 4:40pm
Shabbat Day
Shabbat afternoon (NO’ACH), October 12th, 3:30pm (Mincha at 4:30pm) • “G-d’s
Optimism after the Flood” with Rabbi Shubert Spero
Motza’ei Shabbat, October 12, 8:30pm • Maharal on No’ach and the Yeitzer
HaRa • Dr. Moshe Kuhr
Sundays thru Thursdaysat the Israel Center:
Mincha - 1:20pm; Mincha - 4:10pm (between Daf Yomi and Rabbi Ruvel’s shiur);
Maariv - 5:30pm(After Rabbi Ruvel’s shiur) • All in the Ganchrow Beit
Midrash, one floor up
SUNDAY
9:30am (women) • Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year Golda
Warhaftig
10:30am(women) • Let's Learn Chumash • Tonia Frohwein
N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:30-12:45
11:30am (men & women) Parshat HaShavua • Shprintee Herskovits
Men who are looking to do some serious learning...
Shiur in Minchat Chinuch by Rabbi David Zitter, 10:00am, SUN-THU
Daf Yomi in English with Rabbi Shmuel Halpern, 3:00pm, SUN-THU
Shiur in Makot 3rd perek by Rabbi Hillel Ruvel, 4:30pm, SUN-THU
All shiurim take place in the Israel Center's Ganchrow Beit Midrash one
flight up
Sunday, October 13th, 8:00pm • Understanding Lupus; a holistic approach with
Yaakov Gerlitz Dipl. Ac, Practitioner of Chinese Medicine
SUNDAYS 9:00pm at the Israel Center - Mercaz Menucha Serenity Center in
conjuction with Young Olim United and the Israel Center presents: Problem
Solving Theater: Improv with a twist, starring the Mother & Son Team, Chana
Cohen and Yosef Simcha • 25NIS (Bring a friend and it’s 15NIS each), YOU
members 10NIS • for family and friends of all ages
For more information contact
women613@aol.com
MONDAY
9:15am • Excursions into the World of Nevi'im (the Prophets) Mrs. Pearl
Borow
N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:00-12:30
10:30am (men &women) • Rambam's 13 Principles • Rabbi Zev Leff
11:36am OCT 14 (men & women) • Jewish History - Bayit Sheni period: Agrippa
I and Caligula:“The Best of Friends”!? with Dr. Henry Goldblum
Women's Beit Midrash Program • Mondays 3:00-4:00pm: Guided Chevruta Study in
Tanach and Jewish Thought
4:00-5:00pm: Shiur on “The Life of Avraham”In-Depth study of Chumash
B’reishit.with Rashi with Rabbi David Derovan
Mondays, 7:30pm • Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg on Parshat HaShavua
NOT THIS WEEK, see Thursday: 8:00pm • Curing the Jewish Heart; Lecture
series by AM SEGULA on Lessons from History & Zionism, Speaker: Eli Yosef
Monday, OCT 14th - 8:00-9:30pm • MASK - Mothers & Fathers Aligned Saving
Kids: J'lem Chapter at the OU Israel Center • Dr. Judy Belsky, PhD - Group
Facilitator; Are you troubled by your child's behavior? Join us at our next
bi-weekly meeting -
TUESDAY
Jerusalem College for Adults: 9:00-10:00am • The World of MishnaHalacha,
Hashkafa, and History with Rabbi Aharon Adler
10:15-11:15am • Parshat HaShavua with Rabbi Sholom Gold
The Yad Yaakov Center for Jewish Education classes at the Israel Center,
from Tuesday, October 8th: The Unfolding Redemptive History of Israel in
Biblical Texts with Rav Yosef Leibowitz on Tuesday mornings, 9:00-10:30am.
Call 051-639-921 for further information
9:00am • Sources on Pirkei Avot • Dr. Hayim Abramson
9:55am • Kashrut Insights • Dr. Hayim Abramson
10:50-11:40am • Parshat haShavua with Rabbi Mordechai Spiegelman
The Israel Center and the Old City Free Loan Association Gemach - Free Loan
Society to provide interest-free loans for people in financial distress.
Interviews at the Center on Tuesdays from 10:00-12:00 Please bring ID
N'SHEI LIBRARY 12:00-1:00pm
11:45am • Chabad insights into Parshat HaShavua and the Actualia of Our Time
(women only) with Raizel Zisk
8:00pm • The Judith M. Yellin Memorial Lecture • United We Stand...(with G-d
and each other); Guest speaker: Rabbi Aharon Adler, Rav of Kehilat Neve Orot,
Ramot Alef and Rosh Yeshivat Ner Tamid, Chashmona’im • This seventh Yahrzeit
shiur in memory of Judy Yellin a"h will take place on Tuesday, October 15 at
8:00 pm in the Israel Center • Aliya LaKever on Har HaMenuchot will take
placeearlier in the day, Tuesday, the 9th of Cheshvan (OCT 15).We will meet
in the parking lot for Mincha at 3:30pm.
WEDNESDAY
9:30am Towards a More Meaningful Davening Dr. Joel Luber
10:30am Break the Fear Habit... and LIVE! with Alan Romm
Jerusalem College for Adults: 9:00-10:15am: Messianic Era and the World to
Come in the Thoughts of Rambam with Rabbi Macy Gordon
10:15-11:15am • Parshat HaShavua witht Dr. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg (25NIS
per lecture)
NOTE NEW DAY & TIME: Wednesdays 11:30am to 1:00pm • Writing Your Personal
Memoirs • To participate, you must call first 566-7787 ext. 204
NEW, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM Wednesday, Oct. 16, 3:00-5:00pm • Stories & Games
for children 5-7 years old; This can be a way you can come to the Women’s
Beit Midrash and occupy your child as well. Even if you don’t take advantage
of the Women’s Beit Midrash, you can bring your child to this program. 10NIS
fee per child. Also... Children’s books on sale
3:00pm (men & women) • Women in Tanach with Pearl Borow
Jewish Values Education Institute of the OU Israel Center
Women’s Beit Midrash • Acquire study skills and knowledge crucial to your
life as a Jew - join us! Wednesdays (and Mondays) 3:00-5:00pm, Women in
Tanach (see above)
Guided Chavruta study with Pearl Borow • Fees for the Shiurim only! 20NIS
members/25NIS non-members
7:30pm • alternating topics • Jewish Philosophy; Road map to the Prophets -
Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed Now studying:
Ordering the Mitzvot and their "reasons"
Ramban's Commentary on the Torah and its Wellsprings
Now studying: "The Tree of Knowing Good and Evil and the Yetzer HaRa"
• Rabbi Chaim Eisen
8:00-10:00pm • Aliya Counseling with Miriam Bass
THURSDAY
10:30am • NEW: Shiur while you fold • Non-folders welcome (fee) • No charge
for volunteers • Themes in Sefer B'reishit with Rabbi David J. Derovan
10:15am •SLIM FOR LIFE Group weight-loss program for women; No obligation
for the first session • Qualified nutritional advisor on hand •
Elisheva999-6479
Sometime IY”H • Shmooze while you fold; Divrei Torah, verbal tidbits, Q&A,
and...with Phil
The Israel Center Men and Boy's choir will be recommencing at the Israel
Center, Thursday Oct. 17th. Details and to confirm, call Yisrael Schwarztein:
02 5833389
8:00pm • Stories from the Gemara • Reb Yosef Schreiber
Thursday, 8:00pm (and Mon. 8:00pm) • Curing the Jewish Heart, AM SEGULA
Lecture series on Lessons from History & Zionism; Group Discussion
10:08pm • TORAH TIDBITS AUDIO with Phil Chernofsky Thursday nights on
Arutz-7, 98.7FM and 1539AM And on Arutz-7’s website, live or archived
www.israelnationalnews.com
Friday
9:00am • in-Depth Pirkei Avot by Rabbi Chaim Eisen
Upcoming at the Israel Center
Shabbat Parshat Lech Lecha, Oct. 18-19In-house Shabbaton - see tiyul section
Motz'aei Shabbat, Octpber 19, 8:30pm, at Beit Gesher (10 King David st.)•
Dor L'Dor Family Institue presents Interactive Family theater: Four Scenes
from a Marriage • 50/60/30NIS, call 5667787 x 261 for more info.
Jewish Values Education Institute • Motza'ei Shabbat, Oct. 26, 8:30pm • “And
you shall care for yourselves”; An update in Hypertension, cholesterol and
obesity with Dr. Henry R. Hashkes
Tuesday, October 29th, 8:00pm • Lecture with slides by Ya'akov Billig on the
development of the water supply to Jerusalem from its foundation until
modern times
(Tiyul on the following Friday - see tiyul section - lecture stands alone)
Motza’ei Shabbat, November 9th, 8:30pm • Jewish Financial Ethics:
Approaches to the WorldCom/Enron Collapses
by Gadi Pickholz
OU Israel Center Family Counseling Service • Serving the Community; for
appointment and more information call: 058 824 686
OU ISRAEL CENTER Seymour J.
Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center
Yitzhak Fund, President
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice President
Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President
Harvey Tannenbaum, Secretary/Treasurer
Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member
Rabbi Eddie Abramson, Vaad member
Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Vaad Member
Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center
Phil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
Ita Rochel Russek, Production Assistant, Torah Tidbits
22 Keren Ha'Yesod POB 37015 Jerusalem 91370
Phone: (02) 566 7787 Fax: (02) 561-7432
email: tt@ou.org - website: www.ou.org/torah/tt
Orthodox Union • National Conference of Synagogue Youth
This publication and many of the programs of the Israel Center and NCSY
b'Yisrael are assisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel
TT is published and printed "in house" at the Israel Center
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