MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
3. Candle by Day
4. Torah from Nature
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...
There are areas where, if one does not repeat something every three years, it can be claimed that he does not stand by his original statement (Bava Batra 39b). We, therefore, felt it time to repeat our opinion on reading Hemdat Yamim during davening (from Parashat Bo, 5761).
Q You and others publish parsha sheets, which are distributed in shul. You are probably aware that people read these at various times during davening. Is this proper?
A Reading divrei Torah (to which we will limit this answer) during davening raises several issues: 1) hefseik - an interruption in the midst of a mitzva or text where it is improper; 2) lack of concentration on the matter that one should be involved with; 3) creating a negative atmosphere or precedent, which may be copied improperly; 4) derech eretz. Let's now analyze each issue.
1) Interruption - One may not speak even divrei Torah in the following places: a) Psukei D'zimra (Shulchan Aruch, OC 51:4); b) Kri'at Shma and its berachot- (Rama, OC 68:1); c) Shmoneh Esrei (see Orach Chayim, siman 104).
However, according to most poskim, thinking or even reading is not considered a formal interruption. This is based on the rule "hirhur lav k'dibur" (thinking is not like speaking) - see Berachot 20b; Rama OC 68:1; Har Tzvi, OC 42. While it is proper to concentrate on tefilla during tefilla, reading is not a formal interruption (see a fascinating story about the Vilna Gaon, cited in Yabia Omer IV, OC, 8).
2,3) Lack of concentration, atmosphere - In the midst of Kri'at Hatorah (Shulchan Aruch 146:2; Biur Halacha, ad loc.), Kaddish, Kedusha, Shmoneh Esrei... one should not be thinking about other things. Regarding Chazarat Hashatz (repetition of Shmoneh Esrei), Magen Avraham 124:8 brings two opinions as to whether it is permissible for one who will be careful to answer "amen" properly to learn. The Mishna Berura (124:17) prefers the strict opinion, out of fear that others will learn to abuse the leniency. Igrot Moshe (OC IV, 19) points out that there need to be at least nine people who are listening to every word in order to entertain such a leniency. In between aliyot one is permitted to learn, while being careful to stop as the next aliya begins (see Mishna Berura 146:6). Before the beginning of Chazarat Hashatz, most poskim permit silent learning.
4) As derech eretz kadma la'torah, it is improper to read during the d'var Torah of the rabbi or a fellow congregant.
In summary, while parasha sheets are sometimes read at times when it is forbidden or questionable, they seem to have replaced a lot of talking and less holy thoughts in many of our shuls. Therefore, on the whole, they seem to have added more to the spirituality of our batei knesset than they have detracted. ("Hemdat Yamim" oto karata - at the right time).
Ed. Note: When weare asked if Torah Tidbits may be read during Chazarat HaShatz or Torah reading, the answer is: Depends what you would be doing if you weren’t reading TT. Talking? Then by all means, read TT. Listening to the repetition of the Amida and the Torah reading. Then definitely don’t read TT. In addition, it is highly desirable (to say the least) to avoid reading the schedule of weekday activities, tiyul information, and ads in shul, and maybe not on Shabbat at all. Parsha sheets at the table for learning and discussion is good.
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
R' David of Zavlatov became deathly ill. The doctors who attended him were unable to do anything to save him, and they felt that death was imminent. R' David's wife, Pesia Leah, refused to accept their verdict, and kept reciting Tehillim and prayers at her husband's bedside for weeks on end, until he finally recovered.

Later, R' David, who was eternally grateful to his wife for having saved his life, said, "I know understand why the Medrash says that Nadav and Avihu died because they didn't have wives. Had they had wives like my Pesia Leah, the wives would certainly have saved them from death."
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] Candle by Day
Which state of mind should we trust — that which said yesterday that what we did yesterday was right, or the one which says today that it is wrong?
A rationale is not necessarily a reason. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[4] MA RABU MA'ASECH HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'AH HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA • IBEX
Term used for any of several species of wild goat (genus Capra) found in rugged country on mountain ranges in Asia, southern Europe, northeast Africa, Israel...

Ibexes are surefooted and agile... feeding on a wide variety of vegetation. Most of the isolated populations of the various ranges are races of the single species Capra ibex and differ chiefly in the size of their horns. Ibexes are brown to gray, from 75–105 cm tall at the shoulder, and very sturdily built. The chin is bearded, and the tail is short.

The long, heavily ridged horns of the male curve up, back, and downward ...The horns of the female are short and point straight back.

Ako (ALEF-KUF-VAV), mentioned in this week’s sedra among the kosher mammals, is identified as the ibex. YA’EL, which occurs several times in Tanach, is another name...

Females and young live in small herds... males spend much of the year in bachelor groups. Males frequently fight amongst themselves for status.
Both the male and female have very strong hind legs often used for defense. If they feel threatened, they will rise up on their hind legs and point their horns towards their predator.

...hoof has a hard, thin rim surrounding a soft, spongelike interior, which enables the ibex to climb near-vertical cliffs and smooth, slick rock faces with equal ease.

Nubian ibex (found in Israel) ...special grooming habits... flocks of grackles peck at their hides for parasites... one grackle per ibex...Among the kosher “wild” animals named in the sedra, is the DISHON. Opinions vary, incl. Chamois (a small goatlike antelope), Addax (large desert-dwelling antelope)

[5] Micro Ulpan - a word (or two) from HaAcademiya LaLashon Ha-Ivrit
The stroller folds up very well. It is M’OD COMPACTI. Sorry. M’OD is Hebrew, but COMPACTI isn’t. In Hebrew – TZAMUM

[6] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively)
An observant Jew living in the Diaspora once told me that he did not purchase Israeli produce because it would be too great a burden upon his family to set aside terumot and ma'asrot, some of which are mentioned in this week's sedra. I was quite surprised. In truth, however, this statement echoes the words of Rabbenu Hayyim, as they appear in our edition of Tosafot to Ketubot 110b. He claims, according to this version, that "today" we are under no obligation to live in Eretz Israel, because there are a number of mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz (mitzvot dependent upon the Land) that are difficult to observe in a meticulous manner.

Rabbenu Hayyim is also difficult to understand. Many mitzvot are difficult to observe, and yet the Torah does not exempt us from our obligation to fulfill them. Troubled by this problem, the Maharit (Rabbenu Yosef Mitrani - b. 5328 [1568] in his Responsa, Yoreh Deah, no. 28) concludes that the statement attributed to Rabbenu Hayyim was made in his name by an unreliable student.

In fact, Rabbi Simlai in Sotah 14a says quite the opposite: "Why did Moshe Rabbenu yearn to enter Eretz Yisrael? Did he want to eat of its fruits or satisfy himself from its bounty?! Rather this is what Moshe Rabbenu said: 'Israel has been commanded to observe many mitzvot that can be fulfilled only in Eretz Israel. I wish to enter the land so that I will be able to fulfill all of them!'"

Today we are able to fulfill Moshe Rabbenu's dream. We have many opportunities to observe these commandments wherever we live by purchasing Israeli produce. Much halakhic literature is available today to help us fulfill these obligations properly. But better yet, today we have the opportunity to live in Eretz Israel and observe mitzvot hateluyot ba'aretz on a daily basis, connecting ourselves thereby with spiritual bonds to the Land.
Rabbi Aharon Angstreich, 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

[7] Divrei Menachem
Parshat R'ei opens with a singular expression ("R'ei") imploring every individual Jew to contemplate the alternatives offered by the Divine blessing and the heavenly curse. The sentence continues, however, in the plural, suggesting that these options apply to the Jewish collective as much as to any particular person.

Perhaps we understand this dichotomy, as does Rabbeinu Bechaya, as meaning that only a select few ever achieve the considerable spiritual insights needed to understand G-d's direction of the universe. The behest directed to the group would thus indicate that the majority of us are nevertheless obliged to make our choices and keep Hashem's mitzvot.

Of course, we might feel more comfortable identifying ourselves with the mass of Jews in this second category. However, as individuals we could well take encouragement from Rambam's counsel that, "a person should strive to make himself like Moshe Rabbeinu" (Hilchot Teshuva 5:2).

We tend to imbibe the well-known story of Zusha who was asked in the next life, not, "Why weren't you like Moshe Rabeinu?" but, "Why weren't you like Zusha?" Maimonides demurs, however. He teaches us that in order to make our choices, the first step is to open our eyes - and look upwards. The rest, it seems, will follow.

Shabbat Shalom,
Menachem Persoff