MISC section - contents: Q Is it a good idea to change the name of a person who is
very sick, and how does one go about doing it? What are the long-term
implications of this change? However, the step of changing a name should not be taken lightly, as a person's name could have not only psychological importance to him, but could actually be the source of spiritual strength and longevity for him, as well. Therefore, great rabbis who have a special expertise in and sensitivity to the more hidden world of the Torah should give approval to such a decision. For the reason we have mentioned, we also have the practice not to uproot the old name but to add on another name before the old one. (The practice of having double names is itself hundreds, not thousands of years old.) The name is changed in a "ceremony" done with a minyan,
which starts with the recitation of several perakim of Tehillim, and
includes a special "Yehi Ratzon." This is found in some complete siddurim or
Tehillim books. We have brought the order of the ceremony with the
differences between the Ashkenazic and Sefardic communities in Bemareh
Habazak IV, pg. 44. The main requirement to make the change of name permanent is that the sick person becomes well. (Obviously, we cannot know if his improvement was a result of the name change, but that possibility was the rationale for making the change). He must recuperate to the point that there was an assumption held for at least 30 days that he recovered (ibid.). Otherwise the original name reverts back to use at death. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the weekly parsha
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Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel Reason: The Gemara states (Yerushalmi Megila 3:7): “The only Torah readings which require a bracha before and after are Shirat HaYam, the Aseret HaDibrot, and the Tochacha (admonitions) in Vayikra and in Devarim. We derive from here that these parshiyot are read without a break. Some raise their voice when reading the Aseret HaDibrot. Reason: The commandments were given to the Children of
Israel in a loud voice. It is therefore proper to raise one’s voice when
reading them in shul to stimulate the listeners to imagine they are now
rejoicing with the commandments as when they were given on Har Sinai. “The reason is simple,” said R’ Meir. “When I come to the
next world, if I take revenge and exact retribution in this world, they may
criticize me for having done so. Now what can I tell them in my defense -
that I’m a talmid chacham? And what happens if they disagree? What can I
possibly say to justify my actions? If, on the other hand, I do not take
revenge in this world and am criticized in the next world for not having
done so, i have a simple defense: I can always claim I didn’t know I was a
talmid chacham. For centuries, this may have been a non- issue. But now it is one of the thorniest questions in the Jewish debate: What, exactly, is the responsibility of the Jews here to the Jews there, & vice-versa. Like every other important subject, this, too, can be found in the Torah. And so we turn to this week's Sedra. There Moshe, on his way to Eretz Yisrael, confronts his father-in-law Chovav (Yitro) and implores him: "Come with us, and it will be good for you, for Hashem has spoken well of Bnei Yisrael." (10:28) Yitro shakes his head. "I will not go; but to my land and my family I will go - Ki im el artzi v'el molad'ti eilech." In 7 choice words, Yitro employs the classic arguments against making Aliyah: My LAND: "All my real estate, all my business interests, all my accumulated wealth is there. How can I leave it all behind for the uncertainty of an unsown land?" MY Land: "The place I come from is 'mine.' I'm comfortable with the language there, the culture, the idioms, the weather, the ins and outs of that place. I feel at home there; I'll never, ever, acclimate to a new life in Israel." My Family: "You know, family is everything. How am I going to leave my elderly parents, my brothers & sisters, my aunts & uncles? I need them, they need me, we need each other. IF they were all coming, OK. But THEY are staying put, so I have to do what the majority wants." Moshe tries one more plea with Yitro: "I beg you, do not forsake us," and then he returns to his first point: "If you go with us, then the good which Hashem does for us, he will do for you, too." Moshe the Wise knows that he cannot counter the emotional arguments of kin and comfort. So he reiterates the same promise Hashem told Avraham when He said "Lech-LECHA," go FOR YOU, namely: "ISRAEL IS GOOD FOR THE JEW!" While Diasporas appear comfy and cushy, they all eventually turn tragically hostile. Centuries of Jewish settlement in the Galut can disappear in short order, taking all the shuls, schools and people with it. History, alas, does not lie. Does Yitro reconsider and come to Israel? No one knows for
sure; the text doesn't say and the evidence is inconclusive. So, too, the
ongoing tug-of-war over Aliyah remains - then and now - an open question. It
is the answer to that question - in the hands of each and every Jew - which
may very well determine the fate of Klal Yisrael. - Rabbi Stewart Weiss,
Ra’anana Wild asses live in desert plains, where they can survive on little food or water for long periods. Donkeys can tolerate a water loss as much as 30% of their body weight, and replenish it in only 15 minutes of drinking. Male donkey is called a JACK, female a JENNET, and baby is called a FOAL. Donkeys are more affectionate than horses and enjoy the companionship of people. Donkeys are used throughout the world as guard animals for
goats and sheep...also used to protect the cows while calving. The coyote is
the only natural threat to donkeys... As Moshe's father-in-law, it is not surprising that Yitro sought to reunite Moshe with his wife Zipporah and children who had previously been sent away (Rashi, 4:20). However, Yitro's message to Moshe is bizarre: "I… am coming with your wife and her two sons." Rashi elaborates that, "If you will not come to greet me for my sake, then [do so] for your wife's sake [or] for the sake of her two children." Rabbi M. Miller comments on Yitro's formality. Was he afraid that Moshe was embarrassed at having married a non-Jew? Or, having heard how Moshe sat at judgment while the people stood (18:13), did he fear that Moshe neglected rules of protocol? In court, Moshe conforms to Hashem's injunction to Avraham (Ber.
R. 48), "Sit and I will stand [and] this will be a sign to future judges, as
it is written: 'G-d stands in the congregation of G-d' (Psalm 82)." Yet
Yitro, who rejected all forms of evil - real or imagined - was scrupulous in
promoting "proper" behavior and the outright impression that his daughter
and children were accepted. Clearly, Moshe's positive responses to Yitro
indicate something about the importance of regarding other people's
sensitivities. [The Parshat Yitro Homepage]
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