MISC section - contents:
1. Vebbe Rebbe
2. Hasidic Wisdom
3. Rite and Reason
4. Words of Wisdom; Words of Wit
5. Candle by Day
6. Torah from Nature
7. Chizuk V'Idud
8. Hebrew Word
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 It seems that every year we have a conflict between those who want to rush to eat the afikoman by chatzot (astronomical midnight) and those who want to allow the seder to advance at its own pace. What should we do?
A It is hard enough to try to decide for someone whether or not to be stringent. In this case, resolve to be stringent on the time of afikoman often causes reduced observance of other elements of the seder. In addition to the feelings of a wife/(grand)mother who slaved to prepare a meal fit for those celebrating liberation, there is the issue of curtailing the mitzva d'oraita of Sipur Y'tziat Mitzrayim (telling the story of the Exodus) or rushing the children, whom Chazal saw as central figures in the seder experience.

So, one cannot compare the situation of those who can easily make it by chatzot with a little planning and those who have understandable difficulty. Study of the sources is needed to put the matter into perspective.
There are two main elements to the eating of afikoman. Firstly, it is part of the mitzva to eat matza on seder night, and, according to a minority of Rishonim (Rashi, Rashbam on Pesachim 119b), is the main fulfillment of this mitzva. The ROSH (Pesachim 10:38) puts the stress on the idea that afikoman is a reminder of the Korban Pesach, which we currently do not have, and, therefore, it is eaten on a relatively full stomach and is not to be followed by other food.

By when do these elements need to be done? R. Elazar b. Azaria and R. Akiva dispute if the Korban Pesach needs to be eaten by chatzot or by the morning (Pesachim 120b). Rava (ibid.) says that the time for eating the Korban Pesach is also the time for eating matza. Thus, both elements of the afikoman depend on this machloket. Rambam (Chametz U'matza 6:1) and apparently the Rif, pasken like R. Akiva, that we have until the morning. Yet, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 477:1) writes: "One should be careful to eat [the afikoman] before chatzot." This is either out of deference to those who pasken like R. Elazar or because R. Akiva agrees that one should distance himself from possible sin and eat the Korban Pesach and the matza by chatzot (Gra, ad loc.).

Usually, the terminology of "one should be careful" in the Shulchan Aruch is somewhat more than a suggestion but somewhat less than an outright, binding halachic decision, and this is logical based on the sources we have seen. We must remember also that we are not talking about eating the Korban Pesach itself or our first matza of the night after chatzot, just the additional element of the afikoman (the Mishna Berura 477:6 makes this distinction).
Therefore, the following guidelines should provide a good balance. Try to start the seder promptly. Proceed through it without looking at the face of the clock, but at the faces of the children and others who should be learning, sharing in, and enjoying the full experience of the seder. During the meal is when one should start trying to "make it by chatzot." It is best if all concerned get used to the idea that there is usually too much food at the seder. If less is prepared, and we remember that there are 7-8 days to partake in the bounty, there will be less chance of insult if dessert is skipped. Also, while the afikoman should be eaten on a full stomach, it is best that there be some appetite left for eating the afikoman (Rama 476:1; Mishna Berura ad loc.:6). However, habits are hard to break, and feelings should not be ignored.

(Some are aware of a sharp halachic trick to obviate the problem. It has both merit and some potential problems and is beyond the scope of our discussion.)

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

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
Speech is the dress of thought.
When one speaks, one’s thoughts are revealed.
— Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritch

If I knew for sure that I said AMEN properly even once, then I would never worry again.
— Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin

Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
Many follow the custom that firstborn sons participate in a siyum on Erev Pesach morning where they eat a mitzva meal and do not fast. (Mishna B'rura)

Reason: This is because the fast is mentioned as a custom in Maseches Sofrim (ch. 21), but not in the Talmud. Therefore the rabbinical leadership did not object to this practice. (Aruch HaShulchan)

Reason: If one is weakend by the fast, he may not be able to fulfill the mitzvot of the Seder: eating matza and drinking the four cups of wine.
Reason: The gentiles had a custom to fast on the day before their holidays. Hence the rabbis were lenient concerning this fast, so we should not appear to be imitating the gentiles’ practice.

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R’ Eizel Charif, who was often quite cutting in his remarks to the wealthy and to the heads of the community, nevertheless showed a great deal of sympathy to the poor.

Once, in a court case between a rich man and a poor man, R’ Eizel ruled in favor of the poor man. The rich man, furious at having lost, berated R’ Eizel and said, “i don’t understand why you always stick up for the poor.”

“Actually,” said R’ Eizel, “I’ve been bothered by a similar question for a long time! Why is it that moist times the law is in favor of the poor man?”

R’ Azriel Hildesheimer used to say: “There are three things about the freethinkers that I envy. They are never guilty of mentioning HaShem’s name in vain, they never find themselves in doubt about whether to recite a blessing or not, and they can think Torah thoughts in a place where one is forbidden to do so.”

We begin to see what a delicate thing a thought is when we become conscious of the fact that the slightest, most imperceptible distraction can cheat us of it. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

MA RABU MA'ASECHA HASHEM KULAM B'CHOCHMA ASITA MAL'A HA'ARETZ KINYANECHA • Columbidae
This is a family of birds made up of of over 300 species of pigeons and doves. The main distinction between pigeons & doves is their size. The larger species of the family are called pigeons; the smaller ones are called doves. For many species, the terms are interchange- able. Included in this family are the only birds that are “fit for the Mizbei’ach”.

Here are some remarkable facts about pigeons/doves:

They mate for life. Pigeons build their nests with small twigs. The male brings the nesting material to his mate, one piece at a time, and she builds the nest. Pigeons usually lay two white eggs. The parents take turns incubating the eggs. Males usually stay on the nest during the day; females, at night.

Both female and male pigeons produce a special milk-like substance called "pigeon milk," which they feed to their hatchlings during their first week of life... It is made in a special part of the bird’s digestive system called the "crop"... (see box to the right)

A grown pigeon has nearly 10,000 feathers.

Pigeons have been known to live over 30 years.

With the ability to beat its wings up to 10 times per second, and maintain a heart rate of 600 beats per minute for up to 16 hours without rest, the racing pigeon is the unequalled athlete of the air.

Skinner showed that pigeons have a visual memory that can store at least 300 objects or images indefinitely.

All other birds take a little water into their beaks and have to tilt their heads back with each sip so that the water will go down their throats.

Pigeons/doves are the only birds that can drink by sucking the water into their mouths.

Excellent eyesight, can see color and ultraviolet light. Sensitive hearing, incl. lower frequencies than humans can hear...

The fact that pigeons/doves lactate makes them slightly mammal-like, which calls to mind the fact that they were included by our Sages in the prohibition of “meat in milk”. Not that this is the reason, or even a factor, but it is interesting, nonetheless.

The word YONA appears 15 times in the Torah.

We are first introduced to the dove in Parshat No’ach (mentioned 5 times).
Then in Vayikra (3 times), Tazri’a (twice), M’tzora (4 times), and Naso (once), we find that No’ach’s dry land tester is a korban in a few situations - including the Yoledet (in Tazri’a), the recovered M’tzora (in M’tzora) and the recently-former Nazir.

Most of the 30 times the word appears in the rest of Tanach are not talking about the bird - which is the topic of the MRMH column (see elsewhere) - including 18 references to the prophet in the book by the same name.

CHIZUK and IDUD (for the Oleh & not-yet-Oleh respectively)
When you think of the difference between Eretz Yisrael and the diaspora in the context of mitzvot, you immediately think of mitzvot hat'luyot ba'aretz, the precepts that apply only in the Holy Land (viz., shmita, terumot & maasrot, et al).

In Tazri'a we encounter another difference. Various afflictions of the skin or of clothing generate tumah regardless of whether they occur in Eretz Yisrael or outside the Land. However, since tumat zoraat can only be ended with the prescribed offerings in the BeitHaMikdash, the treatment of zoraat for someone living in Chutz LaAretz would be highly difficult, to say the least.
And, at the beginning of the sedra, we learn that a woman giving birth is commanded to bring a special offering.

Clearly, living outside Israel makes it very difficult to observe many mitzvot, not only those directly linked to the Land.

But wait! We have no Beit HaMikdash. What's the difference where you live?

The difference is HISHTADLUS. Human effort. If we were to be challenged as to why we have not fulfilled these mitzvot, the only valid excuse can be that we have no Beit HaMikdash yet. But we should be able to say that we did as much as we were capable of doing - we keep as many mitzvot as we can... AND we live in Eretz Yisrael, eagerly awaiting G-d's help in being able to do all of His Mitzvot - speedily in our time, Amen. - Phil Chernofsky, Yerushalayim

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

ARMON with an ALEF is a palace or mansion. ARMON with an AYIN is a chestnut. ARMONIYOT are castanets. Now you know. Olé!

From the Desk of the Director
Parshat Tazria consistently forces us to compare the status of human beings with that of the animal world. For Rashi's first comment recalls Rabbi Simlai's well-known declara- tion (Vayikra Rabba 14) that the account of impurities relating to Man follows those of the animal world in just the same way that the description of Man's creation followed that of every cattle, beast and fowl.

Perhaps this indicates that we human beings are the pearls of creation. The Chatam Sofer concurs, citing Psalm 8: "What is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You visit him? You have made him a little lower than the angels and You crown him with glory and honor. You make him have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet: all sheep, and oxen, and also the beasts of the field..."

With such an accolade we might proudly believe that we are the masters of nature. Moreover, we willingly accept Chazal's teachings that our dedicated service to Hashem can elevate us to a level above the angels.

However, notes the Chatam Sofer, we would better recall that one whose sins cause him to suffer from Tzora'at or other spiritual impurities descends to an impure level even below that of the animals. Unfortunately, in our time, we have seen too much of that. This contrast must surely urge us to reflect on the ways in which we daily activate our preeminent human faculty of free choice.

Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff