MISC section - contents:
[1] Vebbe Rebbe
[2] Touch of Wisdom; Touch of Wit
[3] Candle by Day
[4] MicroUlpan
[5] From Aloh Naaleh
[6] Torah from Nature
[7] G'matriya
[8] Just a small piece of info..
[9] 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, headed by Rav Yosef Carmel and Rav Moshe Ehrenreich, 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 If I have a piece of cake and then eat bread, will Birkat HaMazon (=BHM) cover the beracha acharona (beracha after eating) for the cake?
A If one knows that he is about to eat bread (which creates a meal), he should, in most circumstances, avoid eating right before the meal those foods that do not require a beracha during the meal (Mishna Berura 176:2). The exceptions to this rule are beyond our present scope (see ibid.; V'zot Haberacha, beginning of ch.9).

But your question is about a case where one has already eaten food prior to the meal. Let us begin with some back- ground. The beracha acharona of food that is eaten in the midst of a meal that includes bread is exempted by BHM. Does BHM also cover b'dieved (post facto) foods eaten without bread? Rishonim infer from different gemarot that one who made BHM on wine or dates fulfilled his obligation b'dieved because, as filling foods, they constitute a meal of sorts (see Beit Yosef, Orach Chayim 208). Shulchan Aruch (208:17) rules, though, that if one made BHM on foods made from grains, he is not exempt and must say "Al Hamichya". However, the Mishna Berura (ad loc.:74) points out that many poskim take issue with the Shulchan Aruch, as foods made out of grain (including cake) are no less filling than dates and wine. This should also apply when one connects the eating of cake to an ensuing meal and makes BHM with the cake in mind.
However, the question is regarding l'chatchila (the proper course of action) in a case that he ate before the meal and became obligated in "Al Hamichya". Why should he suffice with the subsequent BHM, which is appropriate only b'dieved? Indeed, if one eats spaghetti before his meal, he should make an "Al Hamichya" before partaking of the bread and, if he failed to do so, then he should do so during the meal (Mishna Berura 176:2). Only if he already made BHM would we say that he should not make "Al Hamichya". The Mishna Berura does bring an opinion that if one will be eating these same foods during the meal, then the eating of the foodbefore and after the bread are connected into one eating experience subsumed under the meal and BHM exempts l'chatchila. While Igrot Moshe (OC III, 33) reasons that the Mishna Berura's main opinion is to make the beracha acharona before the meal, it is better if there is a reasonable break between the snack and the beginning the meal. In that case, it is clearly correct to end the snack with a beracha acharona before starting the ensuing meal (Piskei Teshuvot 168:1).

The matter becomes considerably more complicated in the case of cake. There is a category of baked, grain product known as pat haba'ah b'kisnin (=PHB). PHB requires a beracha during the meal because it is not included in the main part of the meal but has the status of a dessert (Shulchan Aruch 168:8). How- ever, we usuallydo not make such a beracha on cakes, because it is unclear what constitutes PHB. Shulchan Aruch (ibid.:7) brings three opinions:

1) It contains a pocket of sweet filling;
2) Its dough is sweet (for Sefardim, slightly sweet; for Ashkenazim, very sweet);
3) It is thin and brittle like a cracker.

Most dessert-like baked goods have one or two of these characteristics but not all. In such a case, the Biur Halacha (on 168:8) says that we treat it as a safek (doubt) whether it is PHB or bread and out of doubt we do not make a beracha on it during the meal. If our average piece of cake is possibly bread, then not only could one exempt himself from a beracha acharona, b'dieved, with BHM but it is likely the proper thing to do. Therefore, if one eats such a piece of cake before the meal, the Mishna Berura (176:2) says not to make an "Al Hamichya" before the meal. (See Igrot Moshe (ibid.) regarding what he considers PHB. See also opinions of Sefardic poskim on the matter in V'zot Haberacha, ch. 9 - the question was asked by an Ashkenazi). It is best when reciting BHM to have in mind specifically that it refers to the pre-meal cake, as well (based on Even Haozer 208:17).
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 info@eretzhemdah.org with the message: Subscribe/English (for the English version) or Subscribe/Hebrew (for the hebrew version). Please leave the subject blank. Ask the Vebbe Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel

[2] ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
A TOUCH OF WISDOM A TOUCH OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
R' Israel Salanter would take personal charge of the baking of the matzot for Pesach. He supervised the kneading, the rolling out of the dough, and the baking, making sure that everything was in accordance with halacha.

One year, shortly before Pesach, he became sick and was not able to attend to the supervision personally. Instead he sent his disciples. Before they left for the bakery, they asked, "Rebbe, what do we have to be most concerned about?''

"The thing that should concern you most", said R' Israel, "is that the woman who kneads the dough is a widow. Take special care not to get angry at her."

Shmuel Himelstein has written a wonderful series for ArtScroll: Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit; A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit;, and "Wisdom and Wit" — available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be).

[3] Candle by Day
We often go overboard of our estimation of instinct. We assume that an instinctive response, being natural, must also be true, forgetting that such responses are called forth by simple association, which is notorious for its production of false analogies. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[4] Micro Ulpan - a word (or two) from HaAcademiya LaLashon Ha-Ivrit
This particular set of words will probably end up teaching people the English words as well as the Hebrew. If you know both sets of words, then you'll have to learn something new next time.
1,2,3... are counting numbers, also called cardinal numbers. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th... are ordinal numbers.
In Hebrew...
e.g. 10 MISPAR MONEH, MIS' YESODI
e.g. 10th MISPAR SODER, MIS' SIDURI

Here's a word in English that is made by combining two other words - SMOG - combines smoke & fog. The same thing was done in Hebrew. ARAFEL (fog) and PI'ACH (soot) combine to form - ARPIACH

[5] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively)
It was Moshe's passionate prayers that mitigated what would have been a calamitous punishment in the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf. New stone tablets were hewn by Moshe, the Ten Commandments were inscribed by God, and a new revelation was experienced by Moses - the thirteen Attributes of Mercy. These thirteen attributes convey a new covenant between God and Israel that will forever prevent future failure on the part of Israel and rejection on the part of God. "A covenant was made with the thirteen attributes that they will never be turned away unanswered" (Rosh Hashana 17b). Thus, on Yom Kippur, on fast days, and in Selichot, the thirteen attributes form an essential ingredient in our prayers.

It must be stressed, however, that it is not the mere incantation of the formula that brings forgiveness. Rather, it is the incorporation of these attributes of mercy into our personalities that guarantees God's mercy.
As the Talmud states: "Whenever Israel sins, let them do before Me this order, and I will forgive them (ibid)." The emphasis is on the doing, not the saying. We become deserving of mercy when we are merciful; deserving of compassion, when compassionate.

Moshe's response in Shemot 34:9 to the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes was two-fold. First, he asked of God that the Divine Presence never depart from the midst of the Jewish people. Secondly, he asked for forgiveness for our sins. Ramban understands that there was also a third request, namely, that Eretz Yisrael be granted to the Jewish people (U'nechaltanu - "and grant us our inheritance" = Eretz Yisrael).

The merit of imitating God's ways of lovingkindness and mercy will grant us three wonderful gifts: 1) God will be in our midst, 2) our sins will be forgiven, and 3) we will be privileged to inherit the Land of Israel.

Rabbi Reuven GrodnerKfar Adumim, Israel

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

[6] MAH RABBU MAASECHA HASHEM...
Mention in the sedras of the last two weeks and of next week, and mentioned in this week's maftir, is the source of one of the dyes for wool in the Mishkan, garments of the Kohein Gadol, and in the preparation of the Para Aduma Potion. Mentioned 32 times in the Torah, either as...
TOLAAT (HA)SHANI or SH'NI (HA)TOLAAT

Here's what was reported in the media about a year and a half ago...
A Bar-Ilan U. researcher and lecturer says he has discovered the ‘Tolaat HaShani’ referred to in the Bible, and successfully extracted its dye. Dr. Zohar Amar... explained... that Tolaat HaShani refers to the coccid (scale insect) used to produce the scarlet dye during the Biblical and Second Temple periods, for both sacred and secular purposes.

"It is one of the most valued coloring materials of the ancient world," he explained, "often mentioned in the Bible together with the [more familiar] blue (t'chelet) and purple (argaman). We never knew what it was... we have now shown that it is made from something commonly found in the Land of Israel..."The production process was fairly simple," he said. "I learned from Arab manuscripts from the Middle Ages that they would harvest the coccids at the right time, dry them, boil them with certain materials, and in this way receive the orange color." Josephus describes the color as symbolizing fire, which is orange - as opposed to the red that many think it is. Our production process also produced orange."

Vermilion is a vivid red to reddish orange. The word comes from a Latin word for a kind of red worm. (This fits the Hebrew term Tolaat Shani and it fits the supposed color of the dye.)

Cochineal is a vivid red dye made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects. Carmine is a crimson pigment derived from cochineal...
Maybe... or not

[7] G'matriya
Signs come in two forms: (let's call them) positive and negative. Shabbat, as in Sh'mot 31:17 is an example of the former and the firepans of the 250 men of Korach's gang who died, as in Bamidbar 17:3, is an example of the latter.
BEINI U'VEIN B'NEI YISRAEL OT HI L'OLAM KI SHEISHET YAMIM ASA HASHEM ET HA'SHAMAYIM V'ET HAARETZ U'V'YOM HASVHII SHAVAT VAYINAFASH:
EIT MACHTOT HA'CHAT'AIM H'EILAB'NAFSHOTAM V'A'SU OTAM RIKEI FACHIM TZIPUY L'MIZBEIACH KI HIKRIVUM LIFNEI HASHEM VAYIKDASHU V'Y'HIYU L'OT L'VNEI YISRAEL:
There is a numeric equivalence between these two p'sukim; they are G'matriya Twins at 5971 each.

LO T'VASHEIL G'DI B'CH'LEIV IMO:
HAREIHU HALAVIN D'BASAR V'CHALAV
This represents the prohibitionsof "Meat in Milk": A ±1 G'martiya Match (869,870)

[8] Just a small piece of info..
Israel's men's and women's Flag Football teams returned from the Dominican Rebulic proud of their performance. They might not have won every game, but each team finished in a respectable fourth place. With over 200 countries in the world (not all of them fielded teams), 4th place is nothing to sneeze at. But the real success of the Israeli teams was in the Kiddush HaShem for Jews and for the State of Israel that they accomplished. The best way to sum it up is with the famous saying:
ANU MASHKIMIM V'HEIM MASHKIMIM
We arise, and they arise... When the players from all the other countries were having pool parties, our players were having T'fila b'tzibur (they did not miss one davening during their whole time abroad). While others were drinking up a storm, our people were celebrating a specail Shabbat in a foreign country while under the scrutiny of people, some of whom had little or no prior knowledge of Jews or Judaism.
Danny & Danit & your frinds - we are all proud of you.

[9] Divrei Menachem
Parshat Ki Tisa continues with the various commands connected with the construction of the Mishkan when suddenly we are stirred by the intercession of a narrative associated with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. We are told that when Hashem finished speaking with Moshe, He gave him the two Luchot Ha'edut (Tablets of Testimony), inscribed by the finger of G-d (Shemot 31:18).

It seems as if it was necessary to deflect our attention from the Sanctuary's construction in order to remind us of the higher purpose the Mishkan would serve. The very miraculous nature of the Luchot, "inscribed on both their sides [with] the script of G-d", would be enough to stir the heart of any observer.

The Hebrew word for the engraving of these stone tablets is CHARUT which can also be pronounced CHEIRUT, meaning freedom. On this note our rabbis commented, "For no man is free but he who labors in Torah" (Avot 6:2). Moreover, an examination of the Hebrew text reveals that the word LUCHOT lacks the letter VAV, so that the tablets could be read as if they were a singular block.

This implies that the laws concerning the relationships between Man and his fellow that appear in the second tablet are of equal importance to those between Man and G-d inscribed in the first tablet. Rabbeinu Bachya noted that like all testimony in Jewish custom requiring two witnesses, both tablets served equally in proclaiming the Divine Presence that rests upon the House of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff

[The Parshat Ki-Tisa Homepage]
[The TORAH tidbits Homepage] [How to use TORAH tidbits]
[About The OU/NCSY Israel Center] [About TORAH tidbits]
[www.ou.org]