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

From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE
The Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious community in Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...

Q I will be on the island of Maui (Hawaii) on Shabbat. Do I need an eiruv in order to carry? (Maui is an island, with a population of over 100,000, that is not connected by bridge to any other land).
A In order to carry in an area, there firstly need to be walls (physical or halachic, i.e. the eiruv) surrounding one on all sides. I understand the question, that the fact that Maui is an island might make it considered surrounded by walls. The gemara (Eiruvin 22b) raises the question that there should be no reshut harabim (public domain) in the world, because, looking far enough to each side, every place is surrounded by ocean. We should point out that a body of water is not in and of itself like a wall, but the steep incline that certainly exists under- water is considered a wall, even though it is covered over by water (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 363: 29 and Mishna Berura, ad loc.).

The gemara, which rejects this possibility, does not delineate why and when the oceans do not preclude the status of reshut harabim. Several rishonim point out that natural walls are less significant than man-made walls. Tosafot (Eiruvin, ibid.) says that natural walls are uprooted by the movement of all the masses of people within these distant walls. The Ritva (ibid.) says that to be considered surrounded by walls, the walls need to be close enough that a person feels contained by them. Either way, in Maui, which has over 100,000 inhabitants and, while seeming small on the globe, has an area of approximately 2,000 sq. kilometers, the natural walls of the shore do not count. There are another few rabbinic-level laws which would require one to have an eiruv. The walls must not have gaps of more than ten amot between them, which is a problem, because the incline of the ocean floor is probably not uniform. The area must be enclosed at least partially by man-made walls that were built specifically for the purpose of people living within. These sections of the wall must connect to the wall that surrounds on all sides (see Shulchan Aruch OC 358). There cannot be large areas of agricultural or uninhab- itable areas within the area (ibid.). Even if the walls were valid, there is still a need for the second part of the eiruv, which is the box of matzot which is acquired on behalf of all the Jewish inhabitants (OC 266).
There also needs to be a renting of permission for Jews to carry from an authorized representative of the non- Jewish inhabitants (OC 382). This needs to be done by an experienced rabbi. It is worthwhile to check if there is a small Jewish community, with, if not a small eiruv, at least other important religious services.

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

Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
In Yerushalayim, it is customary to wear Shabbat/Yom Tov clothing on Purim.
Reason: In accord with what the pasuk says (Esther 9:19): that Purim shouold be treated as a day of joy, drinking, and Yom Tov.
It is customary to eat seeds on Purim night after the Megila (Shulchan Aruch).
Reason: This is in remembrance of the seeds that were eaten by Daniyel and his companions when they were in the king’s house (see Daniyel 1:16). Similarly, regarding the pasuk (Esther 4:5): “And Esther called in Hatach...” Our Sages say that Hatach was Daniyel.

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
There are those who keep [observe] the pleasant and easy parts of the Torah for themselves, and leave the difficult parts for others [to observe].
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

Old age is not always a result of years. There are those who are born old. After all, I have seen stale dough baked with my own eyes.
- Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Tomashov

A perpetual pleasure is no pleasure at all.
- Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R’ Shimon the Maggid was once invited to address a certain community and offer guidance in what the townspeople could do to improver themselves. “I’m wiolling to do so”, said R’ Shimon, “provided the community arranges a loan of 50,000 rubles for three days, to be repaid the day after my address”. As R’ Shimon was known everywhere as a scrupulously honest man, the community elders had no problem raising the required amount.
R’ Shimon delivered a discourse the likes of which had never been heard before. Everyone was moved to tears, and all pledged themselves to improve in their ways, both between man and man and between man and HaShem.
The next day, R’ Shimon returned the 50,000 rubles. The elders of the community were surprised to see that he gave back the exact same notes and coins he had borrowed three days earlier, and asked R’ Shimon for an explanation.
“You see”, said R’ Shimon, “a poor man is naturally intimidated by the wealthy, and I was afraid that in my speech I might not have the courage to castigate the rich for their wrongs. With 50,000 rubles in my possession, I felt absolutely no compunc- tion about castigating anyone.”

The danger point in imitating G-d is coming to feel like Him. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

G’matriya Twins
V'YA'AS ET ME'IL H'EIFOD MAASE OREG KLIL T'CHELET (SHMOT 39:22) (PARSHAT P'KUDEI)
And he made the ME’IL (of the Eifod) woven, entirely of T’CHEILET wool.
The Gemara in two places (at least) states the the ME’IL atones for the sin of LASHON HARA.
SLACH NA L'AVON H'AM HAZEH K'GODEL CHASDECHA V'KA'ASHER NASATA L'AM HAZEH M'MITZRAYIM V'AD HENA (BAMIDBAR 14:19) (PARSHAT SHLACH)
With Your great love, forgive the sin of this nation just as You have forgiven them from [the time they left] Egypt until now. With these words, Moshe Rabeinu petitioned HaShem to forgive the people for CHEIT HAMERAGLIM, the sin of the spies — which was a sin of LASHON HARA.
These two p’sukim are G’matriya Twins, each having the numeric value of 2586.

MA RABU MA'ASECHA HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'A HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA
With the porcupine piece 2 weeks ago, several people asked about the difference between porcupines and hedgehogs. There are several web- sites that deal with that question and all seem insulted by it. They aren’t alike at all. Yes, they both have quills, but that’s where the similarities end. And their quills aren’t even similar. P is a large rodent. H is a small insectivore. Behavior, habitat, diet - all diff.

CHIZUK and IDUD (for the Oleh & not-yet-Oleh respectively)
"These are the accounts of the mishkan, the mishkan of the testimony" (Ex. 38:21)

The words "mishkan of the testimony" are really an abbreviated way of saying, "the mishkan which contained the tablets of the testimony" which is what the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments were usually called (Ex. 25:16), that is to say, the tablets which testify to the covenant between God and Israel.

The midrash, however, finds here the thought that perhaps there is a sense in which the mishkan itself, by virtue of what is done therein, can "testify" to all the world that the Divine Presence dwells in Israel and that God can be found in ordinary human experience.

But how were the people able to achieve this? In its answer, the midrash connects this question to the problem of the "surplus" NOTAR. It should be remembered that when Moshe called for contributions of materials for the mishkan, we are told: "For the material was sufficient for all the work and there was left over" (Ex. 36:7). So Moshe asked Hashem: "What shall we do with the surplus?" Hashem said to him: "Go and make with it a mishkan of the testimony" (Levit. Rabbah 51:2).

Had the people not been so generous and had given just enough, then the end result would have indeed been a complete mishkan: functional, aesthetically pleasing and halakhically kosher. However, it would not have been MISHKAN L'EDUT, it would not have radiated any message of kedusha or shechinah to the outside world. For human constructions can radiate spirituality only when it is recognizable that something "extra", a special enthusiasm, a readiness to sacrifice has gone into the effort.
We, in our day, have been called upon to build a national mishkan, a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael. B.H., it has grown and developed with a Jewish population of close to 5 million! It is extolled as an economic powerhouse, as a regional super power, as a city of refuge, but it is still not a MISHKAN EDUT For there is no spiritual "surplus" NOTAR The only ones who can achieve this are religious Jews who recognize in the state of Israel the "hand of God" and the fulfillment of Torah prophecy. It is good to contribute funds, buy vacation homes, visit periodically and send our young people to study in Yeshivot - but the "surplus," that extra dedication will become visible and begin to radiate only when religious Jews begin to make aliyah in waves. Only then will the world realize that it is spiritual values that lie at the heart of Jewish homecoming. - Rabbi Shubert Spero, Jerusalem • TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat Ha'Shavuah

From the Desk of the Director
In Parshat P’kudei, the final account of the building of the Mishkan is narrated. Interestingly, as the text unfolds we find the phrase, "As G-d had commanded Moshe" recurring no less than 18 times.

Ba’al Haturim teaches us that this repetition was Hashem's response to Moshe's plea to have his name wiped out from "the Book that You have written". Generally inter- preted to be the Torah, Rashbam suggests that Moshe actually meant the Book of Life. Indeed, the Sforno suggests that Moshe was ready to transfer his merits to Bnei Yisrael so that after the Sin of the Golden Calf - they may live!

Rabbi Dessler once commented that it is this attribute of self-sacrifice, so characteristic of Moshe, which is the prerequisite that gives us the right to pray before G-d. Rabbi Menachem Recanati elaborates: When we express our human desires in prayer, we really have no concept of the daily miracles already performed for our benefit. In a way, to cry out for more is presumptuous.

Ideally, therefore, prayer should involve a degree of self-effacement, a lowering of egocentric expectations, and a humble resignation to the will of G-d. After all, asks Rabbi M. Miller, is this not the legacy that Moshe left to us all?

Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center