MISC section - contents: Q May one make Shabbat evening Kiddush on white wine? The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 272:4) brings two opinions and writes that the custom is according to the more lenient opinion that permits the use of white wine for Kiddush. Mishna Berura states (272:12) that if the white wine is very white and red wine is available, the red wine is preferable, in deference to the Ramban's position. If red wine is not available or if the red wine is of a significantly inferior quality, one can use the white wine without compunction (ibid.). There are many opinions that, during the day, one may use anything which is categorized as chamar medina (whose exact definition we don't have room to discuss here), and this includes all types of wine (Shulchan Aruch ibid.:9). Therefore, if one who has red and white wine of similar quality, it is preferable to do one of the following: 1) One can choose the red wine for Friday night and the white
wine for the day. If a guest brings white wine as a gift and might be insulted if it is not used for Kiddush, this is reason enough to use it. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha
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is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel When a Jew is being chased by an “Esav” — that is, in their hour
of need — they may even trouble the heavenly messengers on high for help. When you stand on the bottom rung of a ladder, you check to see
if it is sturdy and stong, and only then do you proceed to climb to the next
rung. "Rebbe”, explained the chassid, “I recite the first few words,
and then I think to myself, ‘If I really believe with perfect faith, how could I
ever commit a sin? And since I do sin, that must mean that I don’t believe with
perfect faith. How then can I recite the rest of the text? It’s as if I were
lying.’” Among the explanations given for Yaakov's concern is that Esav had one merit that Yaakov did not - the merit of living in the Land of Israel. This caused Yaakov to doubt that he could survive a confrontation with his brother. The Gaon of Vilna infers from the Gemara (Sotah 21) that only a mitzvah could afford Esav protection. Consequently, for Esav, to live in the Land must have been a mitzvah. In other words, when Hashem commanded "lech lecha" this was a commandment that Avraham and all his decendents to leave their land, their birthplace and their parents' home to go to the land chosen by Hashem Himself, the Land of Israel. Since Yaakov was in the process of accomplishing this very same Mitzvah, "Vayetzer lo" must mean that Yaakov was troubled that he had had doubts, that he had been insecure about being protected. For after all, he did have Hashem’s promise; he did have a mitzvah to make aliya, and we might add, he was coming home. - Rabbi Eliezer Langer 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 The Midrashim tell us that when Moses first received instructions from G-d about how exactly he was to shape the Menorah, he had great difficulty in comprehending what precisely he was supposed to do. Returning to this terrestrial world and having forgotten everything he had learned about the Menorah, he then returned to the Presence and besought G-d once again to explain anew. G-d granted his request but to no avail; Moses still could not understand. When he returned to the Presence yet a third time, G-d tried a new solution. He fashioned a Menorah of fire as a prototype. He used white fire, red fire, green fire, and black fire and out of these four kinds of fire formed a Menorah with its cups, knobs and blossoms and showed Moses every single detail but it did not help. Moses still could not form a clear conception of how to construct the Menorah. Finally G-d, realizing that it wasn't going to work, simply sent Moses to the master-craftsman Bezalel. Bezalel would know how to it and in fact he did; Bezalel was able to craft the Menorah without any difficulty at all. "R. Shumuel ben Nachmani said in the name of R. Yochanan, 'What is the meaning of the expression 'Upon the pure Menorah (Vayikra 24: 4)' It means that its design came down from the Place of Purity i.e. from Heaven. (Menachot 29a)" Centuries later, this Menorah was installed in the first Beit Hamikdash built by Sholomo Hamelech where it stayed until its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. But notice! The Menorah is not mentioned in the list of spoils pillaged by the Babylonians in their sack of Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash. When the Persian King graciously permitted the Beit Hamikdash to be rebuilt, he "brought forth the vessels of the House of the Lord, that Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of Jerusalem" and "numbered them" to Sheshbazzar. "All the vessels of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred vessels. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem." The Menorah was not listed. A new Menorah, based on the pattern of the old, had to be prepared for Bayit Sheini. It was this Menorah, as recorded in I Maccabees, which was looted by Antiochus Epiphanes when he plundered the Beit Hamikdash. Most people picture the liberation of the Beit Hamikdash by the Chashmona'im and the lightening of the Menorah with oil from the famed cruse "which lay with the seal of the last Kohen Gadol" incorrectly. They imagine a splendidly robed Kohen Gadol in glorious surroundings lighting a mag- nificent gold Menorah. Not so! The Beit Hamikdash was a shambles! The golden Menorah had been stolen and they did not have the means or the time to restore it immediately. According to Menachot 28b, the original "Chanukah Menorah" was "made of iron bars which they overlaid with tin." The Midrash supplies an alternative version. To very quickly put together an ad hoc but functioning Menorah that they could light, they found among their weapons hollow iron spear heads, coated them with tin, attached them together one way or another, fixed lamps in them, poured oil from the famous cruse and lit them. Only later, "when they grew richer, they made one of silver and when they grew still richer, they made one of gold." Halachically, all the decorations, all the cups, knobs and blossoms, are only indispensable if the Menorah is made of gold. But if conditions were such that gold could not be provided, it was permitted to use a less valuable metal. And the surroundings? The Beit Hamikdash was a wreck! "…they saw the Sanctuary desolate, and the Altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as if in a forest or one of the mountains…" They would not have had to time to clean and much less purify the surroundings. The Chashmona'im felt it was urgent to light a Menorah at once, even though they had a supply of oil sufficient for only one day. "Yet a miracle happened and they lit the Menorah eight days…" until new ritually pure oil could be obtained. A Midrash tells us that Aaron was saddened because at the dedication of the Mishkan, the princes of the tribes brought special offerings and gifts and Aaron did not. G-d told Aaron then, "The Sanctuary will on a future occasion be dedicated by lighting candles and then it will be done by your descendents the Chashmona'im, for whom I will perform miracles... There is greater glory destined for you than for all the princes of the tribes. Their offerings and gifts to the Sanctuary shall be employed only as long as it endures, but the lights of the Chanukah festival shall shine forever..." We are told that because of its extreme holiness, the Menorah made by Bezalel under the super- vision (if not direction!) of Moses for the Mishkan was one of five accoutrements G-d concealed at the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. These five holy artifacts were the Aron Habrit, the Menorah, the fire on the Mizbeach, Ruach Hakodesh and the Cheruvim made by Shlomo Hamelech. These will all be restored when the Third Beit Hamikdash is built, BIMHEIRA V'YAMEINU, AMEN. Catriel Sugarman gives illustrated lectures on the Beit
Hamikdash and related topics. He can be reached at (02) 652-7531 or by email:
acatriel@netvision.net.il.
Catriel is in the process of writing a book entitled: The Zohar indicates that Ya'akov wished to pacify Esav while his father was still alive, in view of Yitzchak's special relationship with his errant first-born child. Ramban argues that Ya'akov had no choice but to confront Esav since his route home passed through Edom. The Midrash contends, however, that Ya'akov should have avoided Esav by taking a roundabout route. In our times, it seems that dealing with our enemies is also fraught with similar uncertainties. From Ya'akov we learn the importance of trust in Hashem and the need to appeal for salvation. However, we also learn not to place total reliance in our righteousness or in miracles. Ya'akov, for example, engages in prayer, arranges gifts, and prepares potential battle plans before his encounter with Esav. Nevertheless, the rabbis still differ regarding grounds for
appeasement. One opinion (Breishit Rabbah 78:15) cites Rabbi Yanai's failure to
placate the Romans as cause for the continuation of their harsh decrees. Yet
according to the harsher Midrashic view, Ya'akov's decision to appease Esav
portended Rome's eager intervention in Judea and its catastrophic
consequences... So, if you were Ya'akov today, what would you do? [The Parshat Vayishlach Homepage]
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