MISC section - contents: 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)? 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). Wealth is like salt: It makes our food savory — but the more one
drinks salty water, the thirstier one gets. 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.” 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.] 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 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 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. 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. 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? 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 con- sidered 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. 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... 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. [The No'ach Homepage]
|
