Shabbat Parshat SHMINI - M'VORCHIM
TT #614 - April 16-17, '04, 26 Nissan 5764

This Shabbat is the 204th day (of 355); the 30th Shabbat (of 51) of 5764

...V'HIYTEM K'DOSHIM KI KADOSH ANI (VAYIKRA 11:45)
... You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy..

We read/learn the first perek of Pirkei Avot this Shabbat

Correct for TT #614
Candle lighting - (Shmini) 6:34pm (earliest -plag - 5:48)
Havdala - 7:48pm
Rabbeinu Tam Havdala - 8:25
Ranges are THU-THU 24 Nisan - 1 Iyar (Apr.15-22)
Earliest Shacharit - 5:19-5:10am
Sunrise - 6:11-6:03am
Sof Z'man Kri'at Sh'ma - 9:24-9:20am (8:37-8:32am)
Sof Z'man T'fila - 10:29-10:25am (9:58-9:53am)
Chatzot (halachic noon) - 12:39-12:37½pm
Mincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) - 1:12-1:11pm
Plag Mincha - 5:48-5:51pm
Sunset - 7:13-7:18pm (7:08-7:13pm)

Candle Lighting and Havdala for other cities (time in bracket is earliest candle lighting
candles city havdala
6:50pm (5:50) Raanana 7:50pm
6:49pm (5:49) Beit Shemesh 7:48pm
6:51pm (5:50) Netanya 7:50pm
6:50pm (5:50) Rehovot 7:49pm
6:31pm (5:50) Petach Tikva 7:49pm
6:49pm (5:50) Modi'in area 7:48pm
6:50pm (5:49) Be'er Sheva 7:48pm
6:48pm (5:48) Gush Etzion 7:47pm
6:49pm (5:49) Ginot Shomron 7:49pm
6:34pm (5:48) Maale Adumim 7:47pm
6:44pm (5:48) Tzfat 7:48pm
6:49pm (5:48) K4 & Hevron 7:48pm

Jerusalem lights candles 40 minutes before sunset. (Except for those who don’t follow that custom.) Which sunset? Important question. The standard practice is to count 40 minutes before “sunset of elevation”. Jerusalem is a little over 800m above sea level. If one could see the sun set over a horizon at sea level (which can be done from some parts of J’lem), it would set about 5 minutes later than someone watching from sea level, or seeing the sun set beyond mountains that are approx. the same height as Jerusalem is. Since the sunset on the same plane is 5 minutes earlier, and for Shabbat purposes is the sunset we would have to consider because ofthe strictness of Shabbat, then J’lem candlelighting time is really only 35 minutes before “the other” sunset.
All other places at some height above sea level have similar problems.

Tzfat lights candles 30 minutes before sunset. Official candle lighting for Petach Tikva is 40 minutes before sunset, just like Jerusalem. Not everybody holds by that timing.

Some communities calculate Shabbat out at 33 minutes after sunset. Some use the angle of the sun below the horizon to “end Shabbat” (8.5 deg).
Bottom line for now: until we get the chart running smoothly, don’t rely on it exclusively. Cross-check times with calendars and charts. Please report discrepancies to us, so that we can improve our time table.

Also realize that Sfardim and Ashkenazim often has differences in minhag.

Explanation of the Z'manim
Sunrise for Jerusalem does not take into account elevation, since the eastern horizon (where the sun rises) consists of the Hills of Moav across the Jordan River, which are approx. at the same elevation as Jerusalem
Sunset, on the other hand, is given for an elevation of 825m and, in parentheses, as if at sea level. There are different opinions as to which sunset time should be used for halachic purposes. We present both times.

The deadlines for the SH'MA and the Shacharit Amida can be calculated in two ways. Either considering the day to be from sunrise to sunset or from dawn to stars out. The first way of reckoning is known as the opinion of the GR"A, and is the first time given in each case. The second method is known as the Magen Avraham, and is presented in parentheses.

Aside from candle lighting and havdala, the times are presented as a range, from the current Thursday of the issue of Torah Tidbits until the coming Thursday, a span of 8 days. Days between the two Thursdays can be determined by interpolation (which means: a method by which to estimate a value of between two known values-this is something that people above a certain age might remember from high school trigonometry and logarithms, but younger people who went to school during the calculator era might not be familiar with).

It is usually wise to "pad" the times with a minute or two in the "play it safe" direction. E.g. Plag Mincha. Better to finish Mincha a minute or two before the given time. But, better to not light candles until a minute or two after the given time.

WORD OF THE MONTH
A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem...

This Shabbat, we bench Rosh Chodesh Iyar, which will be Wednesday and Thursday. It is two days Rosh Chodesh, because Nisan has 30 days in our fixed calendar.

ROSH CHODESH IYAR YIH-YEH B'YOM R'VII U'V'YOM CHAMISHI HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA
The Molad will be MON 21h 35m 12p, which is MON 19 APR 22:15 (summer time)
In Rambam's notation, that's TUESDAY 3: 642
And this is how it is announced in shul:
HAMOLAD YIH-YEH B'YOM SHEINI, SHLOSHIM V'CHAMEISH DAKOT U'SHNEIM ASAR CHALAKIM ACHAREI TEISHA B'LAYLA
The actual (astronomical) molad will beMON 19 APR 16:21 (summertime)

Lead Tidbit
Half-Full; Half-Empty... again
We've used that title before, but it seemed most appropriate for this piece. What follows is not a halachic presentation of an issue, but sort of a reality check. Consult your Rav for the halachic details.

The 5th of Iyar is Yom Haatzmaut. From very early on, the Knesset and the Chief Rabbinate (or vice versa) built into the law of the State of Israel, that if the 5th of Iyar were a Shabbat or a Friday, then the celebration and ceremonies of Yom HaAtzmaut were to be pulled back to Thursday, the 3rd or 4th of Iyar. This was done in order to prevent Chilul Shabbat (desecration of the Shabbat) by those participating in various official celebrations of the day. (An important incidental benefit is the reduction of Chilul Shabbat by personal revelers and celebrants as well.)

The question then arose as to which date should be observed as the religious holiday of Yom Haatzmaut - i.e. on which day should Hallel and other special prayers be said. Does the religious observance remain on the 5th of Iyar, or does it too move to stay together with the national observance of Yom HaAtzmaut.

This issue was debated and different opinions were offered. The concensus (maybe that's an "in your dreams" term to apply here) was and is, to keep the national and religious observances of Yom Haatzmaut concurrent. It speaks well of the Knesset and Rabbinate that they acted to protect the honor of Shabbat. [One might suggest that the moving of the reading of Megilat Esther to Thursday night and Friday, when Purim falls on Shabbat (as it can in Jerusalem) or the ban on Shofar and Lulav on Shabbat is a precedent for moving Yom HaAtzmaut, since the Purim, Rosh HaShana, and Sukkot decrees were made to prevent inadvertent desecration of Shabbat. In fact, the likelihood of the Chilul Shabbat that the Sages planned to prevent is extremely miniscule compared to the Chilul Shabbat that would be expected if Yom Haatzmaut were left on Shabbat or Friday.]

But that is almost beside the point. What we have in the Yom Haatzmaut rule is not only an attempt to protect the Shabbat from being violated, but also an attempt to avoid a further fractionalization between the secular and religious Jews.

The split is there, with the religious Zionist thanking G-d for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael and - among other things - the opening of the door to Eretz Yisrael to any Jew in the world who wants to come, and with the secular Zionist focusing on... other things, shall we say. But by both having Yom Haatzmaut on the same day, there is hope for the bringing of the secular Israeli closer to Torah values, learning, and mitzvot. It's kind of hard to put into words, but TT readers who get the point, will, and those who don't probably wouldn't, even if things were explained in a better way.

And now we come to this year's situation. With the 5th of Iyar on Monday, the 4th, which is Yom HaZikaron (remembrance day for IDF soldiers and others who have died while trying to defend this country and protect its people), is on Sunday. And that means that Yom HaZikaron begins on Motza'ei Shabbat, which means potential Chilul Shabbat during the many preparations for Leil Yom HaZikaron ceremonies.

The Chief Rabbinate and Knesset have again gotten together, and agreed to push Yom HaZikaron to Sunday night - Monday (they did this with Yom HaSho'a as well). Moving Yom HaZikaron to Monday required also moving Yom Haatzmaut to Tuesday. This is a new move, not part of the original formulation of Yom Haatzmaut - which has raised the question about moving the religious nature of the day to the 6th of Iyar this year.

Personally, I would have liked to seen both Yom HaSho'a and Yom HaZikaron officially begin on Sunday morning; eliminating the Motza'ei Shabbat components of those days would have solved the Chilul Shabbat problem without having to bump Yom Haatzmaut.

Actually, if we're talking about personal preferences, then I'd really prefer all Jews to be Shomer Shabbat (Torah & Mitzvot) so there wouldn't be a potential for Chilul Shabbat in the first place. And while we're at it, let's also see all the Jews of galut (and here) realize that it is in their hands to hasten the Geula by returning to G-d, to His Torah, and to His Land.

And that is really where the half- empty; half-full feeling comes from. We have much to be thankful for, and even more to pray for, so that we will be privileged to rejoice in the Complete Redemption, speedily in our time.

Sedra-Stats
26th of 54 sedras; 3rd of 10 in Vayikra
Written on 157.2 lines in a Sefer Torah, rank:42
6 Parshiyot; 3 open, 3 closed
91 p'sukim - ranks 41st (4th in Vayikra)
1238 words - 41st (5th in Vayikra)
4670 letters - 41st (5th in Vayikra)tied with Chukat, more p'sukim, fewer words

Mitzvot:
17 mitzvot of the 613; 6 positive; 11 prohibitions

Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary
Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.

[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p’tucha or s’tuma respectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha.

Kohen - First Aliya - 16 p'sukim - 9:1-16
[S> 9:1 (31)] On the 8th day, Aharon was commanded to offer the first set of sacrifices (not counting the korbanot that were brought during the previous preparatory week). Specifically, "personal" korbanot - an EIGEL (calf) as a CHATAT and an AYIL (ram) as an OLAH.
Then the People offer a goat as a CHATAT and a calf and a lamb as OLOT. Then a bull and ram as SH'LAMIM.

Ponder this... It is “obvious” that the CHATAT of a calf is an atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf and/or an indication that G-d has forgiven the people for the Golden Calf.

In one context the Golden Calf was called "the calf that Aharon made". Therefore, the calf on the Eighth Day is his CHATAT. The calf of the people is an OLAH, rather than a CHATAT. OLAH is brought for thoughts of certain sins; CHATAT is for acts. Those of Bnei Yisrael who DID whatever we will call it, the EIGEL, were killed. The rest of us were "guilty" of indecision, fence- sitting, confusion - "sins" of thought. Our calf was an Olah.

Aharon's OLAH was a ram, reminding us of Akeidat Yitzchak. No sin associated with that. (Olah is not always about sin.) Our CHATAT was a goat, reminding us of our former collective sin of the selling of Yosef and deception of Yaakov with the help of goat’s blood.

SDT The Kohen Gadol removes his gold garments before entering the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, because the "accuser does not become the defender". Why then would we not make the same argument against Aharon's offering of a calf as a Korban? Rashi indicates that the super-sensitivity involved here applies inside the Mikdash, but not outside (at the Altar).

Here's a general answer to this question and others. Horns from the bovine family of animals are not acceptable as a Shofar. On the other hand, look at these korbanot. And the fact that the Para Aduma is considered an atonement for the Golden Calf.

The K.G. didn't enter "inward" with gold, but what greeted him inside was an ARON plated with gold, gold rings, gold-covered poles, a solid gold lid, and K'RUVIM of gold.

Bottom line: G-d is the Boss. If He commands us to use gold, we use it. If He says no, we don't. Calf, cow, yes, no. Fine with us. Yes AND no, just as G-d commands. Apply your own logic and do what you decide is best - WRONG. Not up to us. Halacha tells us what is appropriate.

SDT Many commentaries say that the Eighth Day was Rosh Chodesh Nissan. This means that the seven prepara- tory days began in Adar. There is, however, another possibility: The inauguration of the Mishkan began on Rosh Chodesh and the Eighth Day was the 8th of Nissan. What supports this idea is the opinion that the people who approached Moshe about their being TAMEI for the first Pesach (a year out of Mitzrayim). There is a tradition that they were Misha'el and Eltzafon who tended to the bodies of Nadav and Avihu. This could work out only if the Eighth Day was the 8th of Nissan.

Levi - Second Aliya - 7 p'sukim - 9:17-23
The Torah continues the details of the opening set of sacrifices, the accompanying Mincha, the Sh'lamim, what parts go on the Mizbei'ach. This short Aliya concludes with Aharon raising his hand(s) to the people and blessing them.

The Torah spelled YADAV, his hands, without the second YUD, making the word resemble YADO, his hand. From here comes the tradition of the kohanim holding their two hands together as one during Birchat Kohanim.

SDT Baal HaTurim says that the three parts (3 p'sukim) of Birchat Kohanim correspond to the three kinds of korbanot that Aharon brought on this first day of official functioning of the Mishkan.

May G-d bless you and protect you... from sin (CHATAT), the second pasuk uses words that tie in with OLAH, and the SHALOM of the final pasuk corresponds to SH'LAMIM.

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 12 p'sukim - 9:24-10:11
A Divine Fire descended and consumed all that was on the Mizbei'ach. The people reacted to this miracle with prayers of praise to G-d and reverence for Him.
Then Nadav and Avihu, two sons of Aharon (who had been assisting Aharon), took censers with fire and offered incense before G-d. The fire was their own, not that of the Mizbei’ach. A Divine Fire struck them dead, consuming them from within, leaving them outwardly unmarked.

Moshe's words of consolation to Aharon are met with Aharon's silence.

Moshe calls two cousins, Misha'el and Eltzafan, sons of Uziel, to remove the bodies. (That Aharon would not be allowed to become TAMEI to his sons is known from the rules of Kohein Gadol. But neither were Elazar and Itamar allowed to tend to the bodies. Although they were not kohein gadol, they had been anointed to the k'huna which gave them the status of Kohein Gadol. Hence, the cousins, who were Leviyim had to be called.)

(Almost in reaction to the terrible tragedy,) the Torah next sets down several rules (mitzvot) for kohanim, to save them from endangering their lives. Kohanim may not enter the Mikdash with long hair (a monthly trim was required) [149,L163 10:6], nor with torn garments [150,L164 10:6]. They may not leave the Mikdash while performing their sacred work [151, L165 10:7].

[p> 10:8 (4)] Furthermore, kohanim may not enter the Mikdash while under the influence of wine [152,L73 10:8]. Violations of any of the above would be a show of disrespect to G-d. [Some commentators infer from this last prohibition that Nadav and Avihu had drunk wine before they entered the Mishkan. Others offer different reasons for their deaths.]

MITZVA WATCH
With Mitzva #152, we have an example (there are others) of a mitzva that has a specific context and application from the Torah, but the scope of the mitzva is much wider. The Written Word forbids a Kohen from doing sacred service while having recently drunk wine. Sefer HaChinuch gives a second definition for mitzva, based on the Oral Law. Namely, a halachic authority may not render a decision (psak) while under the influence of alcohol. (It seems that this prohibition does not apply to divrei Torah and the like - only to halachic decisions.) This prohibition is NOT a case of Rabbinic extension of the scope of Torah Law; it is part of the Oral Law on the D’Oraita level.

It is interesting to note that the Sefer HaChinuch, whose final paragraph of each Mitzva presents its applicability – who, when, and where, says that this mitzva (152) applies to men and women in the time of the Beit HaMikdash, that is for the first part of the mitzva. As to the second application of the mitzva, this, says the Chinuch, applies in all times and all places, to men AND women who are qualified to render halachic decisions. Think of the ramifications of that statement for our times.

SDT Two of the other "traditions" as to what Nadav and Avihu did wrong are that they decided a point of halacha on their own, in the presence of their "rebbi" (Moshe Rabeinu), and that they did not consult with anyone in this halachic matter. It behooves us to learn a serious, sobering lesson (among others) from all of the possible flaws in the actions of Nadav and Avihu. One must be careful when it comes to deciding the correct halacha for oneself and his family. Consulting a Rav is an excellent "habit” to get into.

R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 4 p'sukim - 10:12-15
[P> 10:12 (9)] Moshe next commands Aharon, Elazar, and Itamar to eat the Minachot and parts of the various offerings of the day. (Some was to be eaten only by them, in the area of the Mishkan; other parts could be taken “home” and shared with their families.) This was an unusual command, since generally, kohanim who have suffered a close loss would not eat of the sacred foods on the day of the burial. Nonetheless, Moshe tells them that he was thus commanded to tell them.

Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 5 p'sukim - 10:16-20
When Moshe realizes that the CHATA’OT (sin offerings) were burned, he gets angry with Elazar and Itamar (and Aharon, says Rashi, but to avoid a brother-brother confrontation and shaming Aharon, Moshe addresses his nephews) for not eating of the korbanot, as they were instructed to do. Aharon defends his sons' behavior by explaining that the loss of their brothers would make a "business as usual" attitude unacceptable in G-d's eyes. Moshe accepts Aharon's words.

Our Sages teach us to learn from Moshe Rabeinu. Just as he was not embarrassed to admit that he did not know (or did not remember) learning a point, so should we readily admit it when we do not know something.

It is hard not to notice that this episode with Moshe and Aharon & sons is only 9 p’sukim long, yet it spans two Aliyot. Perhaps the pause in the middle is to give us time for things to sink in and relate to the emotions that are involved.

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 32 p'sukim - 11:1-32
[P> 11:1 (28)] Two and a half sedras devoted to sacred meat (i.e. korbanot), and now we have the presentation of the animals we may and may not eat. There is a positive mitzva to check the signs of kashrut of a mammal to determine its kashrut status [153, A149 11:2]. It is forbidden to eat of animals that lack one of the signs of kashrut (split hoof and cud chewing), and of course, those that lack both] [154,L172 11:4]. The Torah names three animals that chew their cud but do not have split hooves - the camel, shafan, arnevet, and one that has a split hoof but is not a ruminent - the pig. We may not eat their meat, and handling their carcasses renders one TAMEI, ritually unclean.

Notice that Shafan and Arnevet are not translated. Rabbit and hare are from modern Hebrew and are probably not what the Torah was referring to. Coney and rock badger are popular translations, but we're not sure. Rabbi Moshe Tendler thinks that they might be the alpaca and llama (which are both ruminants). Hyrax and Jerboa are other candidates.

Some scholars explain that we can consider rabbit and hare-like mammals to be cud-chewers because they regurgitate or eliminate their partially digested food and eat it again later on. Digestion is completed this second time around. This resembles the process of chewing the cud and can conceivably be considered as such.

Likewise, one is required to examine fish for scales and fins [155,A152 11:9]. It is forbidden to eat non-kosher fish [156, L172 11:11].

MITZVA WATCH
Think about this: If the Torah only prohibited fish without scales (for example) and not commanded us to examine the fish to see if it's kosher, we would examine fish for scales to determine if they are kosher anyway. Why, then, is examining fish for its kosher signs a mitzva among the 248 positive members of the 613? The question, and the answer as well, is that there are some mitzvot that it was "unnecessary" for G-d to command us; we would do them anyway. However, "G-d wanted to benefit Yisrael, therefore He heaps upon us Torah and Mitzvot". This is the mishna of Rabbi Chananya b. Akashya at the end of Makot, the one borrowed for the end of each chapter of Pirkei Avot.

There are other ways to look at this issue.

The positive mitzvot and prohibitions of kashrut interact as in the following example: A person goes into a restaurant for dinner and has a delicious meal. On his way out, he meets someone who asks him if the restaurant is kosher. He embarrassingly admits that he assumed it was but didn't check for a certificate of kashrut when he went in. He looks around and discovers to his relief that in fact the restaurant has a reliable hashgacha.

He would be in no violation of the prohibitions, but he would be in non-fulfillment of the (spirit of the) positive mitzva to check for signs of kashrut.

With birds, the Torah lists 20 kinds of birds (not species, families, genus, etc. - kinds) that are not kosher [157,L174 11:13]. All the rest of the birds are kosher. So how do know if a particular bird is in one of the forbidden families or not? Usually, the answer is TRADITION. We eat chicken etc. because we have an unbroken tradition that it is kosher.

Finally, the Torah specifies four types (8 families) of locust that we may eat. Checking their identities is a mitzva [158,A151 11:21]. All other insects are not permitted to us. We have lost the ability of identifying kosher locust, so we don't eat any of them. [Some Yemenites claim they have the necessary traditions to identify the kosher varieties. As to whether they eat locust or not, ask your nearest local Yemenite.]
[S> 11:29 (10)] Next the Torah deals with the ritual impurity of creeping things [159, A97 11:21].

Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 11:33-47
Minding the laws of "purity" of food and drink is a mitzva [160,A98 11:34]. (It is one of the details of these laws that "requires" us to wash for karpas at the Seder table, and in general before wet food, all year round.)

[S> 11:39 (9)] Once again, the Torah presents the rules of the carcass of animals and the resulting ritual impurity from contact of various types [161,A96 11:39]. The Torah reiterates the prohibition of eating "creepy things" [162,L176 11:41], as well as worms and insects that infest fruits and vegetables [163,L178 11:41], seafood and other life-forms that inhabit the water [164,L179 11:43], and maggots that develop in rotting food material [165,L177 11:44].

All of the above is meant to elevate the Jew's soul to the sanctity that G-d wanted us to attain. For us, there is a direct link between body and soul, the spiritual and the mundane. The laws of kashrut bring the point home.

Baal HaTurim points out that the last pasuk in the sedra begins and ends with a LAMED, which total 60, reminding us of the significance of 60 in nullification in several areas of forbidden foods.

The last 3 p'sukim are reread for the Maftir.

Haftara - 40 p'sukim - Shmuel Bet 6:1-7:17
The Haftara contains the story of Uza who touched the Aron to prevent it from slipping (as he perceived it) and was struck dead as a result. Basically, we can say that Uza's "sin" was “excessive familiarity with the sacred Aron”. This same behavioral flaw was responsible for the demise of Nadav and Avihu in the parsha, hence the choice of this portion for the Haftara.

Rabbi Julian G. Jacobs in his A Haftara Companion makes a very astute observation. He note that Uza's father is Avinadav, a name that immediately reminds us of Nadav and Avihu.

King David, on the other hand, dances with joy before the Aron on its return to Yerushalayim. His wife Michal criticizes him for his "inappropriate" behavior, but she is wrong in this case. It is not easy to find the right way of expressing one's religious fervor without over- stepping one's bounds and also without underdoing things.

The Haftara also tells of the original plan for David to build the Mikdash, and then the prophetic message of Natan, that David will not, but his son Shlomo will. The House of David has a different meaning, the Davidic line.

THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW - Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 229 • Finder’s compensation; Two persons picking up the object
In the Shulhan Aruch the two topics of this lesson follow each other and are rather short, and so I placed them together. We begin with the first topic.
Reuven finds Shimon's object; should Reuven the finder, be compensated for finding and returning Shimon’s lost object? In addition to fulfilling the Torah commandment to return the found object, that is, which is reward enough.

The Heavenly reward for fulfilling the Torah commandments to pick up and restore a lost object should be sufficient. However, the halacha does not require a person to lose money in performing these commandments. There are several compensation scales suggested by the authorities, based on the reading of the relevant Talmudic passage.

Assume that Reuven the finder earns $10 an hour at his work and the object is worth $50. Reuven, on his way home from work, finds Shimon's object, which contains Shimon's address, and without going out of his way, Reuven restores the object to Shimon. Reuven should not receive any compensation.
Reuven, on his way home from work, finds Shimon's object and must take a taxi to deliver the object to Shimon. Reuven is entitled to receive the taxi fare from Shimon.

Reuven can only deliver the object to Shimon during the time that he works. The restoring of the object takes 2 hours. Reuven will lose $20 from his wages and should receive such compensation.

If Reuven were unemployed, he would accept any type of menial job, and receive $2 an hour. If he had obtained a job as a deliverer of objects, he would be paid $4 an hour. Although there are several, views as to how much Reuven may charge for restoring the object, I set forth the two most popular views. One view holds that he may charge $4, which is the compensation of an unemployed worker ($2 an hour x 2 hours). Another view holds that Reuven may receive $8, the compensation of a person who is employed specifically to deliver the lost object ($4 an hour x 2 hours).

In no event may Reuven be paid more than the value of the object.
Reuven makes a prior demand to be compensated in full.
The compensation set forth above applies only if no other arrangements have been made for the compensation to be paid Reuven. Assume that Shimon is present when Reuven agrees to restore to Shimon the object that Shimon lost. Shimon is too weak to climb up a tree where his pet cat has climbed. Reuven, on his way to work, comes by and volunteers to climb the tree and restore the cat to Shimon if Shimon will pay him the amount of time that Reuven will lose because of coming to work late, and Shimon agrees. It took Reuven an hour and a half to get his ladder and to climb the tree and to return the ladder to his house. Shimon must pay to Reuven $15 (1½ hours x $10 an hour).

Assume that Shimon is not present and Reuven sees Shimon's cat up the tree, and Reuven will have to take 1½ hours off from work to restore the object to Shimon. Reuven may convene a Beth Din or any three people and stipulate in their presence that he will restore the object to Shimon and will seek compensation from Shimon according to the amount of time that he loses from his work. Reuven will be entitled to $15 from Shimon, the same as in the prior paragraph.

Although there are many formulas, Reuven should whenever possible rely on the Heavenly reward rather than on money for restoring the lost object.

We come now to the second topic of our lesson, where Reuven picks up the lost object on behalf of Levi, or Reuven and Levi both simultaneously pick up the lost object. Assume that Shimon’s lost object is now deemed abandoned by Shimon. Reuven sees the object. Levi may also be present and asks Reuven to acquire the object for him, Levi. Or else Reuven desires to acquire the object on behalf of Levi even if Levi is not present. A person may acquire something for a second party without the knowledge of the second party. This is under the theory that one can confer a benefit on a person, such as acquiring an object for another, without his knowledge if it is beneficial for him. The object belongs to Levi as soon as Reuven lifts the object about ten inches. The intent of Reuven to acquire the object on behalf of Levi may be orally expressed by him, or may be only in his mind. We will know his prior state of mind if he later states that he picked the object up with the intent to acquire it on behalf of Levi. Once Reuven acquires the object on behalf of Levi, Reuven cannot later state that he changes his mind and will not deliver the object to Levi. However, if Reuven, not at the request of Levi, picks up the object, without any specific intent in mind and later states that he intended it to be picked up on behalf of Levi and then states that he was jesting when he said that, and he really intended the object to be acquired for himself, the object belongs to Reuven. Reuven is believed since at the time that he picked up the object he said nothing and also Levi did not request that he pick up the object for Levi. But if Levi had asked Ruven to pick up the object for Levi, and Reuven picked up the object without any comments, it is assumed that he intended the object to be acquired on behalf of Levi. For example, Levi is in his automobile and sees the object on the ground and asks Reuven, a passerby to acquire the object for Levi, and Reuven, knowing that the object is abandoned, does so; it belongs to Levi. The object will belong to Reuven if, as he picks up the object, he states that he is picking up the object for himself, even if he was requested to do so by Levi.

A case analogous to the case of picking up an object for someone else who so requests is the case of Ruven asking Levi to purchase merchandise on behalf of both of them so that they can be partners regarding the sale of the merchandise. Levi purchases the merchandise and later first declares that he purchased it for his own account only. There is an opinion that the merchandise belongs to both of them. This opinion holds that it is similar to the situation where Levi asks Reuven to pick up the object and Reuven does so without comment. This is modified by another opinion that this holds true only if Reuven had the money to purchase his half of the merchandise when Levi went to purchase it.

Two persons acquiring together
There is an object on the ground abandoned by Shimon. It may be actually abandoned by Shimon or lost by him and it has no identification mark or is lacking any of the other criteria to obligate the finder to restore the object to him. Both Reuven and Levi pick up the object. This case is not the same famous Talmudic case described in the beginning of Baba Metzia. There each pleads that he is the only person who picked up the entire object and it was acquired solely by him and that the other person has not acquired any part of the object. In this lesson each admits that the other picked up his part of the object. It belongs to both of them. As stated above, the object must be picked up about ten inches for the finder to acquire the object. As Reuven picks up one end of the object the other end is still on the ground and does not belong to him. Simultaneously Levi picks up the other end and acquires that end. Neither has acquired the entire object and thus the object is theoretically still ownerless. In order to give effect to the aspirations of both Reuven and Levi, the halacha presumes that Reuven picks up his half and intends that the other half shall belong to Levi, and Levi picks up his half and intends that the other half shall belong to Reuven. Thus between the two of them the entire object is acquired by both of them as equal owners, and no third party can pick up the middle and claim that the middle is acquired by him.

This assumes that there is no impediment to Levi in acquiring the object. However, if there is some impediment, as where Levi is a minor, a deaf-mute, or a mentally deficient person, then Reuven acquires only that portion of the object that he actually raises ten inches off the ground, the minor acquires only that portion that he lifts up from the ground, and a third party can acquire the balance of the object.

The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in Volume VIII Chapter 261 of A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law by E. Quint. Copies of all volumes can be purchased via email: orders@gefenpublishing.com and via website: www.israelbooks.com and at local Judaica bookstores.
Questions to quint@inter.net.il

The lessons of Rabbi Quint's column are now coming from vol.VIII of his monu- mental work, A Restatement of Rabbinic Civil Law. Vol. IX has been recently released, and vol. X will be out soon, IY"H to complete this important translation and commentary of the sadly neglected part of Shulchan Aruch, CHOSHEN MISHPAT.

MEANING IN MITZVOT by Rabbi Asher Meir
Each week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try to show its beauty and meaning. The columns are based on Rabbi Meir's Meaning in Mitzvot on Kitzur Shulchan Arukh
IMPORTANT CORRECTION!
The last column, preceding Pesach, contained a significant inaccuracy. The column indicated that the first-born of the father does not need to fast (or participate in a siyum) on Erev Pesach. Actually, the Shulchan Aruch explicitly states that such a first born does participate in the fast. I apologize for the error.
The explanation we gave, however, does not really need to be altered. The reason the commentators give for including the first-born of the father is that he is a first-born for the purpose of inheritance; in other words, the emphasis is on an inherent and inborn status decreed by the Torah, as opposed to some conventional social elevation. Thus, according to the approach of the Netziv we may say that these firstborns were inherently drawn to the Divine Presence, as opposed to others who were drawn by an acquired sense of importance.

This week's column continues with the laws of the...
Firstborn of Kosher Animals
The firstborn male offspring of any kosher animal (of the category known as B'HEIMA, domesticated animal, as opposed to CHAYA, "wild" animal - specifically, animals fit for the Altar) is sanctified, even without any special act on part of the owner. It must be given to a Kohen, who must eat it as a sacrifice. Today there are no sacrifices, so the Kohen must wait until the animal develops some blemish which disqualifies it for a sacrifice, and then it may be eaten like any other kosher animal. Some special customs of respect are obligatory to show that originally this animal was designated for a sacrifice (SA YD 306).

This commandment, as well as its rationale, is explicit in the Torah: "Sanctify to Me all firstborn, the opening of the womb of the children of Israel, the people and the animals, they are mine... And you shall pass all opening of the womb to HaShem; and all opening of the foaling of animals that shall be to you, the males are to HaShem. And the firstborn of an ass shall you redeem with a sheep, and if you don't redeem it then break its neck; and all firstborn people of your sons, redeem. And it will be, when your son will ask you tomorrow saying, What is that? Say to him, with a mighty hand HaShem took us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And when Pharaoh refused to send us out, then HaShem killed all the firstborn in the land of Egyt, from the firstborn people to the firstborn of the beast; therefore I sacrifice to HaShem all opening of the womb of the males, and the firstborn of my sons I redeem" (Shemot 13:2, 12-15).

In other words, this observance is a commemoration and a thanksgiving for the salvation HaShem wrought at the time of the Exodus, when he smote the firstborn of the Egyptian flocks and saved those of the Jews.

We can understand the symbolism of this commandment in a profound way based on two principles which we have seen before: animals represent man's animal nature, with kosher animals symbolizing that aspect of man's base nature which is capable of elevation to G^d's service; whereas the firstborn represents the original or ideal aspect of something.

The fact that many animals are kosher shows that our material nature is not inherently evil or wicked. Rather, it is a neutral power capable of being used positively or negatively. A person can eat in order to give himself strength to do HaShem's will, or even in order to enjoy himself with the consciousness that his enjoyment is an expression of HaShem's lovingkindness; alternatively, he can eat in order to indulge his body at the expense of his spirit.

The pagan Egyptian culture was a hedonistic one, which elevated the pleasures of the body into a kind of worship. This is one way of under- standing Rashi's statement that the Egyptians worshipped the kosher animals that the children of Israel ate. (Bereshit 43:32, Shemot 8:22.) The firstborn kosher animals of the Egyptians represent the essence of this approach to pleasure; this was why HaShem smote the firstborn animals of Egypt, just as He smote their other gods.
Conversely, the children of Israel were devoted to elevating man's material nature and harnessing it in G^d's service. This principle was worthy of affirmation and the firstborn animals of the Jews were spared.

However, from that time onwards the firstborn of the flocks and herds are not only potentially holy; they are in fact sanctified from the womb. Once the Jewish people, as a united nation, accept upon themselves the yoke of HaShem's commandments, our base nature is inherently elevated; it is automatically dedicated to holiness. The "birth of a nation" in Egypt was a critical step back to the perfection of the Garden of Eden, where animals were forbidden as food (Bereshit 1:29-30). This is symbolized by the inherent sanctity of specifically the firstborn, which may not be eaten in a normal way but rather must be offered to HaShem - Who in turn gives a portion to the Kohanim, who "eat from the Divine table" (Beitza 21a).

This reparation of our base nature is still only at the level of an ideal, repre- sented, as we explained, by the first- born. Subsequent births, or even the firstborn itself after it develops a blemish, may be eaten by any person. But it still belongs to the Kohen and must be eaten, not used for some other purpose, to remind us of the special potential for holiness which it once bore. (Based on Likutei Halakhot, Breslav, laws of first-born kosher animals.)

Next week, IY"H, The Firstborn Donkey
“Meaning in Mitzvot” is undergoing intensive editing, and BE"H and the help of loyal supporters, we hope to have the book out soon. If you would be interested in helping with publication, please contact Rabbi Meir about making a dedication or subscription (advance purchase): mail@asherandattara.com, fax 02-642-3141

Rabbi Meir authors a popular weekly on-line Q&A column, "The Jewish Ethicist", which gives Jewish guidance on everyday ethical dilemmas in the workplace. The column is a joint project of the JCT Center for Business Ethics, Jerusalem College of Technology - Machon Lev; and Aish HaTorah. You can see the Jewish Ethicist, and submit your own Qs — www.jewishethicist.com or www. aish.com

Ed. note: The Mitzva of the Firstborn cow/goat/sheep applies in our time. This means that even without the Beit HaMikdash, which is necessary for the "follow-through" of this mitzva, the mitzva itself of sanctifying the firstborn (if it is a male) of one's kosher farm animals still applies. This creates a potentially problematic situation of a kohein's receiving one of the gifts that the Torah provides for him, without his being able to benefit from it at all. In fact, if a non-kohein were to perform this mitzva and present a kohein with a young calf, lamb, or kid (at age 50 days, 30 days, 30 days respectively), if the animal were to remain healthy and blemish-free, the kohein would be obligated to feed and care for the animal for its entire lifetime, without ever deriving benefit from it. High expenses; no income at all. Shearing a sheep, for example, could be done only when the fleece becomes burdensome to the animal, and the wool would have to be buried. No benefit at all is permitted. Not even to make tzitzit. In addition to the burden upon the kohein, there would be increasing tempation to inflict a blemish on the animal (with the thought that the animal then would become the property of the kohein and benefit from it would be allowed). Doing so would be a serious sin on the part of the kohein. Therefore, Shulchan Aruch instructs us to avoid this mitzva in the first place. It involves becoming a partner with a non-Jew in the ownership of the pregnant animal, so that when the offspring is born, it will have no sanctity and the mitzva will not apply at all. How sad that the Sages must command us to avoid a mitzva. But necessary.

Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; JOSHUA, JUDGES,
SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi'im Rishonim) by Dr. Meir Tamari
On Being a Jewish Prophet part 2
At the creation of Adam, Hashem said, "Let us make Man in Our Image". To whom were these words addressed? The Chassidic Master of Izbitza taught that they were addressed to everything that had been created during the Six Days of Creation. They had approached Hashem complaining that now that they had been created they no longer had anything to connect them with Him. So Hashem said that Adam, created in His Image, would serve to connect the whole of the Creation to G-d.

The Aramaic translator-commentator Onkelos, translates "And Man became a living being" (B'reishit 2:7), as a speaking being; speech being the godlike quality that distinguishes humanity from the rest of creation. That gave us the power to unite the whole of creation to G-d. Mankind has used that power to communicate, not only with other people but also with G-d. Whether it has been in paganism as vain communication with idols or truly in monotheism with the One G-d, people have since time immemorial used the power of speech to praise or to beseech the Deity. Judaism has added a further perspective to this, namely that there exists a two-way communication between Mankind and Hashem. In addition to our praying to Him, He gave the gift of prophecy whereby He reveals Himself and His words to people, to His Prophets.

A prophet conjures up visions of a fortune teller, witchdoctor, soothsayer, astrologer, or a reader of omens and auguries. In truth, prophecy is none of these; it is simply the revelation to Mankind of the word of G-d. Such revelation could never contradict the Torah given to Moshe or be a new religion, so a Navi did not have the power to create new halakhot; at most the prophet, just like a Beit Din in all the ages, had the right to temporarily extend or withhold certain halakhot in order to improve the religious behaviour of the people. This is what Eliyahu did when he built an altar and sacrificed outside the Temple. When future events such as drought, pestilence, war or exile are foretold, they are merely warnings of Hashem's impending punishment or telling the behaviour that Hashem desired as Isaiah's message to Hezkiyau not to fear Sancheriv when he besieged Yerushalayim (Melachim bet 19) or the prophet's telling Ahab not to spare Ben Hadad (Melachim alef 29). So too, when He wishes to deliver His people from suffering or danger, He shows His will through His prophets. Sometimes these messages require the temporary changing of the course of nature or suspending them; Divine intervention or miracles brought about in order to save the nation or to help individuals. The Chassidic Master, Shmuel of Sochochow, taught that these miracles did not come to teach that G-d was stronger or more powerful than the natural forces, rather that they have no power other than what He gives them. Such miracles were brought either as commanded by G-d, as the splitting of the Red Sea and the crumbling of the walls of Jericho or at the request of a prophet as "Sun stand still upon Giveon and Moon in the valley of Ayalon", at Joshua's command, so that Israel could complete its war with the kings of Canaan (Yehoshua 10:12-13). Irrespective of their purpose, they were never intended to prove that the truth of the prophecy. (Rambam, introduction to the Mishna).

Maimonides, arguing for a perfectly rational G-d and the fixed laws of His Creation, sees such miracles as divinely planned and built into the affairs of Creation. Ramban, Abarbanel, and the mystics see this concept as making Hashem the servant of His Creation and therefore teach miraculous changing the course of nature is manifesting His freedom from the laws of nature without contradicting the idea of the Rational G-d.

In the days of the Patriarchs in the book of B'reishit there are no public miracles, but salvation, miraculous no less, is brought about in ways hidden from human sight. With the creation of Am Yisrael there was a radical change and open and public miracles were possible because this is a nation whose birth and existence is miraculous and beyond the natural. So from the Exodus onwards, the Tanach is replete with miracles. However, only when Am Yisrael lives in the Holy Land that is the natural habitat for fulfilling its purpose of being a Holy Nation, does it have prophecy and open miracles. When Israel lives an unnatural life outside the Land, both of these cease; there are public miracles on Chanuka and only hidden salvation on Purim.

With Eliyahu and Elisha we have the prophets of miracles. While there are no spiritual or ethical writings, there are the moral and religious teachings of both of them demonstrated not by parables and not by stories but rather by their changing the order of natural laws. For instance, idolatry in Eliyahu's day claimed that wealth, prosperity, victory in war did not originate from G-d and were not the reward and punishment for human actions but rather the gods of fertility, Baal and Ashtoret, or mere accident. So Eliyahu (Melachim alef 17-18) brings a drought to prove that only Hashem sends the rain that is the source of wealth and He withholds it when Mankind does not deserve it, as foretold in the Torah (D'varim 11:13-17 - the second passage of the Sh'ma). Then. when the prophets of Baal and Ashtoret are unable to bring rain, Eliyahu shows that in answer to prayer Hashem sends rain; and the people on Har HaCarmel acclaim, "The Lord He is G-d", as we do at the end of Neilah.

This is the 32nd installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

MISC section - contents:
[1] Vebbe Rebbe
[2] Touch of Wisdom; Touch of Wit
[3] Candle by Day
[4] MicroUlpan
[5] From Aloh Naaleh
[6] Pesach-S'fira-Non-Rain
[7] Torah From Nature
[8] 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 I am my parents’ firstborn son, and my father recently told me that my planned Pidyon HaBen (redeeming of the firstborn by a kohen) was delayed because of my illness and was never done. (My parents were not fully observant.) Is there something I should do now?
A It sounds like you require a Pidyon HaBen, as the mitzva does not expire. However, first we have to try to determine if you definitely require it, and then we can discuss how to do it in this situation.

First it pays to check if your father was right in planning the Pidyon HaBen. The main exemptions are as follows: either of your parents is the child of a male Kohen or Levi; if your mother had a miscarriage prior to your birth; if you were born in a Caesarian delivery. Also ascertain from your father if, after all these years, he is sure that there was no Pidyon HaBen. It is possible that the Rabbi/Kohen who was to have done the Pidyon did so in a quick, halachic procedure that your father may have forgotten, while he remembers the fact that the party was cancelled. If there is uncertainty, get back to us, as we cannot give one blanket rule in advance.

Assuming that you need a Pidyon HaBen, we have to deal with an interesting, relevant dispute among halachic authorities. A father is required to redeem his son. However, if he fails to do so, the son becomes obligated to redeem himself once he is Bar Mitzva (Kidushin 29a). The question, though, is whether only the son is obligated at that point or whether the father's obligation remains. If the grown son does the Pidyon HaBen the matter is certainly taken care of, but the difference among the opinions is in a situation where the father is now interested in doing the mitzva which was delayed for whatever reason.

The Rashba (Shut II, 321) says that as the mitzva of Pidyon HaBen creates a monetary obligation on the father's property from the outset, there is nothing to removes the obligation, and the father remains obligated. The gemara (ibid.) says that if one has enough money to redeem only himself or his son, he should redeem himself, because the mitzva that relates directly to himself has precedence. The Rivash (Shut 131) infers from there that the son's obligation to redeem himself is the primary obligation, and the father's practical responsibility to redeem his baby is due only to the fact that a small child is incapable of performing the Pidyon HaBen himself. When the child grows up, he alone is obligated. Many later authorities have debated the matter, and it is difficult to say that one approach is more accepted or acceptable than the other (see Pidyon HaBen K'hilchato 1:(16)).

We would suggest as follows. As you know your father better than we do, try to determine if he would want to be involved in the Pidyon HaBen or not. If you think that he wouldn't mind, there is no problem doing it yourself. If he wants to do it, there is a way to devise a system whereby the right person will end up doing the mitzva. You can physically give the money to the Kohen and make the appropriate blessings and statements but do it on condition that if your father should rightfully be doing it, then you are doing it is as his agent. The process is only slightly complicated, and since few kohanim have done a Pidyon HaBen in a case where a person is doing it for himself you will anyway need a very learned kohen and/or a rabbi to make the appropriate adjustments in the text of the blessings and statements. We would be happy to explain whatever needs to be explained to such a kohen.

In any case, it is both important (a full Torah law) and not as complicated as it might sound to do the Pidyon HaBen. While it is customary to have a minyan present (Otzar Pidyon HaBen 18:2), it can be done privately to avoid embarrassing your father, if he would feel embarrassed.

Ed. addition: As far as "the fast of the firstborns" on Erev Pesach, none of the exemptions to Pidyon HaBen listed in the second paragraph of the answer remove the Erev Pesach rules for a B'chor. For example, a firstborn after a miscarriage does not get a Pidyon, but is obligated by custom to fast on Erev Pesach, or get out of the obligation in the standard way it is done throughout the Jewish world.

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' Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer, would say: "Why is it that Moshe the son of Amram is always referred to as Moshe Rabbenu (Moshe our Rabbi), while Moshe the son of Maimon (Rambam) is always called Rabbenu Moshe (our Rabbi Moshe)?

"Moshe became famous among our people before the Torah had been given, and therefore we preface his name to his title, Moshe Rabbenu. Moshe ben Maimon, however, only became famous after his greatness in Torah became known, therefore we refer to him as Rabbenu Moshe."

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
The danger of using a "crutch" is in coming to regard it as a leg. - From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[4] Micro Ulpan - a word (or two) from HaAcademiya LaLashon Ha-Ivrit
These words are not necessary for successful Aliya, but they are fun to show off and test your Hebrew-speaking friends. Do you know a special word in English for a platter used to serve fish? There is a word in Hebrew. It's NUNIT. And if the fish has no bones, it is M'GORAM.

How do you say multiple -choice test in Hebrew?
[a] MIVCHAN AMERICA'I
[b] MIVCHAN SH'EILOT B'CHIRA MEIRABIM
[c] MIVCHAN B'REIRA
(a) is the slang term that will probably continue to be used much, much more than the "real" term.
(b) is the old term from HaAcademiya L'Lashon HaIvrit, which has been replaced by...
(c). A multiple-choice question is SH'EILAT B'REIRA. A whole test of them is MIVCHAN SH'EILOT B'REIRA, or MIVCHAN B'REIRA for short.

[5] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively)
Parshat Sh'mini closes the section that lists the animals that may be eaten with the verse: "Sanctify yourself and you shall be holy... for I Am G-d Who elevates you from the land of Egypt" (Vayikra 11:44-45). Holiness is the Jewish mission statement, as G-d informed Moshe before the giving of the Torah (Sh'mot 9:6): "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." And there is a formal commandment which we will read in two weeks, "Be holy" (Vayikra 19:2).
Kabbalists teach us that creation is composed of Olam, Shana, and Nefesh – place, time, and man. Each of these elements has a manifestation of holiness. Holiness of time is manifest in Shabbat, holiness of man is manifest in one who rises above his animal drives (even those permitted to us). Holiness of place is manifest in the Land of Israel.

Man achieves holiness by separating himself from indulgences that are permitted, thus elevating himself through the control of his physical desires (Yevamot 20a). This is the meaning of being "elevated from... Egypt."

How does holiness manifest itself in time and place? When activities performed in the physical world are motivated by an elevated purpose, they become sanctified. Eating, drinking and wearing fancy clothes in order to demonstrate respect and appreciation for Shabbat Kodesh all take on a dimension of holiness.

The Land of Israel has a unique quality, where every physical activity has the potential to be holy, when done to enable Jews to live there according to the Torah. It is the only place in the world where every mundane activity can be imbued with holiness, which is the reason why the mission statement of the Jewish people can truly be implemented only in the Land of Israel.
Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky, 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

[6] Pesach-S'fira -Non-Rain
Important point concerning counting the Omer for those people who missed a full day and are no longer able to count with a bracha:
It is still considered a mitzva to count each day of the Omer. Preferably, one should try to hear a bracha from someone else, say AMEN, and then count (not just listen to the other person count; count on your own).

If no one is available to hear a bracha from, there is STILL a mitzva to count, even though you will not be saying a bracha, nor will you be hearing and answering to a bracha. So please remember to count the Omer, preferably every night, but as many nights as possible is something also.

Before Pesach, the question was raised as to whether there was a problem for Pesach with Play-Doh and other "doughy" modeling compounds. The answer is YES. Play-Doh appears on several weblists of chametzdik products that should not be used on Pesach. Its own website mentions water, flour, and salt as its main ingredients, and warns about its gluten content for children with certain medical conditions. Okay, no Play-Doh for Pesach. But there is another question. Is there a problem buying Play-Doh after Pesach from Jewish toystore owners who probably didn't think about selling their stock as chametz? The answer is NO, which should come as a relief to both serious and casual Play-Doh users. Although Play-Doh is purposely non-toxic and can be eaten by little children with indiscriminate eating habits, it isn't food. So whereas one shouldn't have it around on Pesach, it really doesn't fall under the category of chametz and presents no problem after Pesach.

Non-Rain Check With the T'filat Tal change-over to Morid HaTal and V'tein Bracha coming on Pesach, there were many things to distract our attention to details. We, therefore, offer this review.

If one says MASHIV HARU'ACH UMORID HAGASHEM during this time of the year, the Amida is invalid and must be repeated. This rule includes realizing the mistake at the next davening. E.g. if one said MHUH in a Mincha Amida and later at Maariv it dawns upon the person that he definitely made the mistae at Mincha, then he must make up the messed up Mincha, as if he neglected to daven Mincha altogether, by saying a second Maariv Amida as Tashlumin.

The only situation that starting over would not be required, is when one catches his mistake while he is still within the second bracha of the Amida. If that happens, then just repeat from the beginning of that bracha, ATA GIBOR, and proceed from there.

If one realizes his mistake during the Amida, he may start over without steps back or forth, and without repeating HASHEM, S'FATAI TIFTACH...
Similarly, asking for rain with V'TEIN TAL UMATAR LIVRACHA during the "summer" season, invalidates the Amida, which must be repeated. If the mistake is caught while one is still within the Amida, then he goes back to BAREICH ALEINU and continues from there, rather than starting from the beginning.

[7] MAH RABBU MAASECHA HASHEM...
ET KOL OREV L'MINO - Every kind of raven
In Sh'mini and in R'ei, there is a list of non-kosher bird-types. The Orev appears in its own pasuk each time, as opposed to all the other birds, which share p'sukim with others. Orev is the only bird preceded by KOL, all ravens... The identity of most birds on the non-kosher list is disputed; the Orev stands out among the others as being defined as the raven - no dispute. There might be no significance in any of these facts, but they did determine which bird would be featured in the MRMH column. Note too that the Torah's designation of OREV does not necessarily match the scientific classification of ravens and birds of the same order, family, etc.

Ravens belong to the animal kingdom, vertebrates, class: Aves (birds), order: Passeriformes (songbirds - although with ravens and crows the term is loose), family: Corvidae (which includes all the 'crow' type birds, including Magpies, Jays, Nutcrackers, Ravens, and Crows), genus: Corvus (this is the classification for ravens and crows). Within this genus are different species of both; they got the name (corvus) from the deep-throated 'croak' which is their distinctive call.

Ravens are large black birds, with a blue-purple iridescence to their feathers. They are approximately 24-27 inches long at maturity, and their wingspan doubles that. The beak and feet are black, and the iris of the eye is brown... Although they are frequently confused with crows, ravens differ in many ways. A raven's beak is larger and heavier than a crow's... Their throat feathers differ... their caw is much deeper than the crow's, much throatier. Also, a raven's call is more varied...Ravens nest in single pairs...evidence suggests that once paired, ravens will remain mated for life... they build their nests on cliff ledges and cavities, or in trees... mass of sticks and twigs, lined with grass and bark, and often with bits of string or other tidbits which caught the builder's eye. Within that nest, the female raven will lay 4-7 eggs, green- ish, blotched with brown. Both parents incubate the eggs, and feed the hungry young. Young stay in the nest for approx. 6-10 weeks. Ravens will often reuse the same nest year after year. Ravens are omnivorous. They will eat anything which is edible (and many things which aren't). Their usual diet consists of insects, seeds, berries, carrion, the eggs and young of other birds, and occasionally small mammals. When living near humans, ravens will also eat human garbage... Ravens have been associated by various cultures with different qualities. In popular western literature, they symbolize darkness, depression, and death (popularized in Edgar Allan Poe)... Ravens are called wolf birds because they are known to lead wolves to prey and then feed alongside the wolves... traits similar to wolves in that they hunt in packs, form strong family ties, mate for life, are curious and shy, eat large quantities of meat... Raverns are about 1/3 larger than crows. Both have similar coloring and shape... Remember: One of 20 kinds of non- kosher birds, each of which include many species.

[8] Divrei Menachem
In the opening passage of Parshat Shemini, Aharon and his sons reach the climax of seven long days of waiting while Moshe performed the inauguration service that would, on the eighth day, usher in their consecration as Kohanim.

And finally, after all the necessary atonements and sacrifices took place and the people were blessed, the glory of Hashem appeared - and then, "A fire went forth from before Hashem… [and] the people… sang glad songs and fell on their faces" (Vayikra 9:24).

Onkelos interprets this song as praise of G-d, a ceremony that would be repeated down the ages. For instance, the people fell on their faces and recalled Hashem's eternal beneficence when Solomon's Temple was dedicated (Divrei Hayamim 7:3). The prophet Mal'achi captured this moment when he envisioned that in the future, "The offering of Yehuda and Yerushalayim shall be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years" (Mal'achi 3:4).

HaRav Menachem Kasher reflects that the "Days of Old" might refer to G-d's acceptance of Noah's sacrifice after the Flood, and the term "Former years" to Hevel's offering to Hashem at the beginning of all time. May we merit that those precious portents from the distant past hold true for us in our days.
Shabbat Shalom Menachem Persoff

SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics by Catriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

Welcome Sweet Springtime! (part 1)
Springtime was a busy period in the Beit Hamikdash. Between the multi-Mitzvot Pesach festivities celebrated by the myriads of Olei Regel in Jerusalem, and the advent of the harvest season climaxed by Shavu'ot, another pilgrimage festival, there was an abundance of colorful Avodot in the Mikdash. Before the 15th of Nisan, all circumcised Israelite males above the age of 13 and females above the age of 12 were required to join a Chavura - a "pre-registered company" of people united to offer and eat the Korban Pesach as a group. Every participant had to eat a minimum of one Kazayit of the meat accompanied by Matza and Maror (Shemot 12:8). (Today, eating Maror in the absence of the Korban Pesach is D'Rabbanan, an enactment of the Sages.) In addition, the Olei Regel observed two other Mitzvot D'oraita (as we do today): Magid and Achilat Matza. Magid - They discussed in depth the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim - the Exodus from Egypt (Shemot 13:3). "And whoever enlarges on the tale of the exodus from Egypt, that one merits praise." Achilat Matza - the eating of a Kazayit (olive's bulk) of Matza (Shemot 12:18). When the members of the Chavura were eating the meat of the Korban Pesach, they had to be careful not to break a bone that had a Kazayit of meat still on it. To minimize that possibility, if there were many people in the Chavura, and the meat of one small lamb would not satiate them, the Sages ruled that the members of the Chavura should bring another Korban. This special festival sacrifice was called Chagigat Arbaa Asar. No one should be so hungry, that, in their haste to eat, they would inadvertently break a bone of the Korban Pesach. Chagigat Arbaa Asar was not brought on Shabbat. Remnants were burnt on the morning of the first day of Chol Hamo'ed.

"And you shall count unto you Mi'macharat HaShabbat - from after the Sabbath - the day of rest - from the day when you bring the sheaf of the waving (Omer HaTenufa); seven weeks, they shall be complete. Until the morrow of the seventh week you shall number fifty days…" (Vayikra 23:15,16). The cutting of the grain - "the day after the Shabbat" - needed for the Omer meal-offering inaugurated the seven-week period of Sefirat HaOmer - the "counting of the Omer".

Beginning on the second day of Pesach, the counting culminated on the fiftieth day with the Festival of Shavu'ot. The date of Shavu'ot was dependent on when the Omer was cut and offered in the Beit HaMikdash. The Omer offering was by tradition not a sheaf but rather an Omer's measure of early ripened barley (Note Rashi on Vayikrah 23:10). As soon as the Kohanim finished offering the Omer in the Beit HaMikdash on the second day of Pesach, the people in Jerusalem were permitted to eat Chadash - the year's newly ripened grain. Elsewhere in Eretz Yisrael, Chadash could be eaten only after the noon of the second day of Pesach, the 16th of Nisan. By then, they could be certain that the Omer in the Mikdash had already been offered. After the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, R. Yohanan Ben Zakkai ordained that Chadash could not be eaten during the entire 16th of Nisan. Chazal considered the Omer offering of supreme importance. The Omer was conceived as Israel's "repayment" for G-d's bounty in providing Manna for the generation of the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, when every Israelite gathered an Omer - a measure - of Manna. Chazal taught that because of the merit of the Omer offering, G-d promised Eretz Yisrael to Avraham Avinu, delivered Am Yisrael in the days of Gideon, Chezkiyahu HaMelech and in the days of Mordecai and Esther.

It is written in the Torah, "…Until the morrow of the seventh week shall you count, fifty days; and you shall offer a Mincha Chadasha - a new meal offering before G-d. From your dwelling places, you shall bring bread that shall be waved, two loaves… they shall be fine Solet flour, they shall be baked Chameitz, leavened, first offerings to G-d" (Vayikra 23:16,17). The Mishna comments, "The Omer, the barley offering brought on the 16th of Nisan, permitted Chadash, the new produce, to be eaten throughout the land; the Shtei HaLechem - the "Two Loaves" brought fifty days later on Shavu'ot - rendered Chadash permissible in the Mikdash" (Menachot 68b). When the Omer, which was barley, was offered in the Beit HaMikdash, the grain from the new harvest - barley, wheat, spelt, oats, and rye - was permitted to be eaten by K'lal Yisrael but still could not to be used for Menachot, meal offerings in the Mikdash. However, once the Shtei HaLechem, which was wheat, were brought into the Mikdash and "waved", Chadash wheat (and new wine and olive oil) could be used in the Beit HaMikdash as well. The Shtei Halechem were "kneaded and formed" outside of the Azara, but were baked, one at a time, in a special iron stove in the Azara. "The preparation of the Shtei HaLechem does not override Yom Tov and certainly not Shabbat. Instead they were baked before Yom Tov - i.e. Shavu'ot. And if Erev Yom Tov fell on a Shabbat, the Shtei HaLechem were baked before Shabbat…" and eaten on Shavu'ot (Rambam, Hilchot Temidin U'musafin 8). The Shtei HaLechem had another unique feature that differentiated them from other Menachot; they were Chameitz. Furthermore, Rashi postulates that the bakers placed dough on the four corners of each loaf, thereby shaping Keranot ("horns") that projected upward giving them a configuration reminiscent of the Mizbei'ach.

After the Korbanot Musaf of Shavu'ot were sacrificed, a Kohein took two lambs, the Kivsei Atzeret ("Shavu'ot Lambs"), and together with the Shtei HaLechem, did the first Tenufa - "waving". He lifted them forward and backward and upward and downward. 'Forward and backwards' - i.e. in all four directions - that is unto Him to Whom the four directions belong and to Him to Whom heaven and earth belong. The two lambs were then slaughtered and offered on the Mizbei'ach as Shalmei Tzibur, the only communal peace offerings sacrificed in the Beit HaMikdash during the entire year. Since the Kevsei Atzeret were congregational Korbanot, they had the status of Kodshei Kedoshim, sacrifices of a higher level of sanctity, and were therefore slaughtered north of the Mizbei'ach. After dismembering the lambs, a Kohein took the two chests (Chazeh) and the two right hind legs (Shok), placed them together with the Shtei HaLechem, lifted them up and performed a second Tenufa. Like all Shlamim, the Kivsei Atzeret were also accompanied by Nesachim, Solet mixed with olive oil to be burnt on the Mizbei'ach and wine for a libation. After the Zerikat HaDam, the blood application on the Mizbei'ach of the two Kivsei Atzeret, the Kohanim were permitted to eat of the Shtei HaLechem. Interestingly enough, no part of the Shtei HaLechem was burnt on the Mizbei'ach; all of it was eaten by the Kohanim. Similar to the Shtei HaLechem, the portions of the Kivsei Atzeret allocated to the Kohanim could be eaten only in the Azara by male Kohanim, in a state of Tahara - ritual purity - during the day of Shavu'ot until midnight. <to be continued>
Catriel is in the process of writing a book: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service

Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading
Column #113. Contents of this weekly column are (mostly) based on the sefer: EIM LAMIKRA HASHALEIM, by R' Nissan Sharoni, Ashdod, a guide to correct pronunciation of Hebrew, specifically in davening and Torah reading.

After the Pesach davening experience, I feel compelled to repeat certain items that have been presented in this column in the past. For review. And emphasis. Actually, I'd like to scream them out. But I'll suffice at just repeating them.

Please, please, if you pronounce G-d's name as it appears towards the end of the second chapter of Hallel (and elsewhere) ELOHA, believe me when I tell you that it is a wrong pronunciation. Not a different opinion. Just a mispronunciation. Which is not a nice thing to do to G-d's name.

Apple is TAPU-ACH, not TAPUCHA. We all learned that in first grade or in Ulpan. S'fardim actually say TAPUWACH. Ashkenazim put the PATACH under the CHET before the sound of the CHET, rather than after it. S'fardim add a W sound. Wind is either RU'ACH or RUWACH. Not RUCHA.

ELO-AH or ELOWAH is harder for some people to say than TAPU-ACH or TAPUWACH, but it is no less correct because of the difficutly some have pronouncing it.

The PATACH under the CHET of TAPU-ACH is called PATACH GENUVA, stolen PATACH. Maybe it's because the syllable before "steals" the PATACH from under the CHET, vocalizes it first, and then the CHET is sounded, but without its vowel. Look at it any way you want, but know (and act on the knowledge) that the PATACH under the HEI (with MAPIK, dot) at the end of some words is also a PATACH GENUVA. He is tall. HU GAVO- AH (or GAVOWA). Not GAVUHA. This "lesson"" is not just for grammar-nerds and dikduk-heads. It is for anyone who wants to honor HaShem by saying His name correctly. Sounds harsh? Unfair to put it that way? Sorry. Most of us were brought up saying ELOHA. It wasn't to purposely mispronounce. It just happened.

Rather than going into a tirade about the early AMEN that is such a bad habit in many shuls - BARUCH ATA HASHEM, Who blesses His people Israel BASHAMEIN, with FAT. Wrong. Let the chazan finsih the whole bracha - no matter how long he stretches the last word (e.g. BASHA- LOM), let him. Then, after he finishes the bracha, say AMEN. Oops, I did go into a tirade.

Okay, something else.
From the sedra. R' Sharoni points out the word V'ACHALTI in Vayikra 10:19). The word is past tense, Aharon is saying to Moshe, had I eaten... So the word is pronounced v'a-CHAL-ti (MIL'EIL). This is in contrast to Shmuel Bet 13:5 where the same word appears, but the meaning is I will eat, future tense. In order for that to be, the accent shifts to MILRA and the word is pronounced v'a-chal-TI.

As we've written about several times, most (not all) verbs that are being flipped by a VAV HAHIPUCH from past to future, require the accent slide from the next-to-the-last syllable (past tense) to the last syllable (future).

I've spoken to many people about this, in the context of the Sh'ma, where we are instructed by halacha to be particular to pronounce the words correctly, and many of them resist becuase "I've always said v'a-HAV-ta - you mean I've been wrong all these years? You mean my father is wrong. My rebbe is wrong?" I don't have a good answer to these questions. The word in Sh'va is v'a-hav-TA ET HaShem Elokeicha, and you shall love G-d. That's the mitzva. That's what the word means. v'a-HAV-ta means "and you loved". That's not what we are supposed to be saying.

v'na-ta-TI (or v'naw-sa-TI). Either is fine, depending upon your style of pronunciation of Hebrew for davening and Torah reading. But v'na- TA-ti is just a mispronunciation, that happens to change the meaning of what you are saying.

Parsha Pix
The CALF was the first of the one-time special korbanot on opening day of the Mishkan (following the seven inauguration days).
The RAM was also part of those EIGHTH DAY korbanot.
8=8 means that the 8th day of SHMINI was the 8th day of Nissan. That is one opinion. The other opinion is that it was Rosh Chodesh, as in 8=1.
The negation circle over the wine represents the "rules of conduct" for kohanim upon entering the Mikdash, which included not drinking wine on the day of their performing Avoda.
The fire is the fire that was used by Nadav and Avihu... It is a strange fire because the flames are blue and green. (If you have only the hard-copy of TT with its black & white ParshaPix, then you can consider the fire the one from the Mizbei’ach, the one they SHOULD have used. Or imagine it being blue and green.
Each year we dipict a kosher and non-kosher mammal, bird, and fish, under the check mark and the X respectively. We change the animals each year. Last year we introduced a play-on-words graphic for one of the animals. It was two padlocks which represented lox as the kosher fish. This year, we changed some of the animals and present you with three plays-on-words. We'll treat each one as a visual TTriddle.
The havdala candle represents the repeated theme in the sedra that a major purpose of many of the mitzvot presented is to distinguish - between sacred and profane, between tahor and tamei, etc.
The big hook, in Hebrew, VAV, is for the big VAV of GACHON.

TTRIDDLES...
are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. Some TTriddles are alsopresentedforcall-insolutiononTorahTidbitsAudio(Arutz-7,Thursdaynight).Thebest solution set submitted each week (there isn't always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal

Last issue’s (TZAV-HaGadol-Pesach) TTriddles:
[1] Dash Cham package to reservists
[2] from all other, exclusively matza, maror, twice, we all recline - and in the Torah?
[3] Raise your cup to a confused Chananison
[4] He in order to fulfill the Torah's words;he in order to gamble
[5] Whose haftara would be rightat home with this week's sedra?
[6] Tzav & Shmini - the best bookends for Pesach
[7] Former/future prince not smart
[8] The korbanot that queue
[9] fourth rest chain
[10] One for the citizen & stranger and for what & what?
[11] Lions and Tigers and a confused Poe-bird
[12] Out of #9; into #2

And the envelope, please...
[1] Second TTriddle on this key word; a few weeks ago, we asked what the favorite brew of reservists was. The answer: ALE MILU'IM. Actually, EIL MILU'IM in some form, occurs six times, including in Parshat Tzav. But for this Triddle, the answer is SAL HAMILU'IM, the name of the DASH CHAM basket of goodies for your favorite reservists... or it should be.
[2] The words HALAILA HAZEH are well-known from the MA NISHTANA. In the Hagada, the words are followed by "all other", KULO MATZA, MAROR, (we dip) twice, KULANU M'SUBIM. The words occur only once in Tanach, specifically, Sh'mot 12:42, part of the Torah reading of the first day of Pesach. There, the words are followed by "to HaShem", this night of the Exodus, is a LEIL SHIMURIM TO G-D...
[3] JEHU Chananison (ben Chanani, that is) was a NAVI during the reign of the King of Israel, BAASHA. His being confused means to mix up the laetters of his name, giving V'HI, as in V'HI SHE-AMDA LAVOTEI- nu... a passage in the Hagada for which we cover the matzot and raise the cup of wine.
[4] The TTriddle gets a big L'HAVDIL between the two parts. The first HE is HILLEL, who made a sandwich of Korban Pesach, matza, and maror in order to fulfill the Torah's words which tell us to eat Korban Pesach together with matza and maror. L'HAVDIL, the person to whom the world attributes the invention of the sandwhich (we know differently) was John Montague, the Earl of Sandwich. The story goes that he was a serious gambler who would play cards for hours on end, often missing meals. He asked that his food, placed between two slices of bread, be brought to him, so he would be able to continue playing while eating and so the cards wouldn't get greasy from his food. By the way, Montague discovered the islands which today are Hawaii. The Hawaiin Islands were formerly called the Sandwich Islands, named by Captain John Cook after their discoverer. Perhaps it was Hillel who invented the Kosher L'Pesach sandwich and [L] Montague who extended it for chametz as well as non-kosher food.
[5] There are several haftaras that are read (only one in any given year) for Parshat Tzav. The most common one is the one for Shabbat HaGadol. The haftara of Parshat Para is sometimes read for Tzav, as is the haftara for Parshat Zachor (which is also the haftara for Shabbat Purim - in Jerusalem - and which can also coincide with Tzav. And finally, Tzav has its own "regular" haftara when it is not sharing Shabbat with a special Shabbat. That, by the way, happens less than 10% of the time. But the haftara of the TTriddle is the one from Parshat Sh'mot, never read for Tzav. Which is CHAVAL (too bad), since it contains the phrase TZAV LATZAV TZAV LATZAV twice. That makes 8 times Tzav.
[6] Tzav is Shabbat HaGadol more often than any other sedra; more than the other two possibles together. We're talking 63% of the time - that's 12 of 19 years. What makes it a perfect pre-Pesach sedra is the mitzva to eat matza and the prohibition of baking chametz. Neither happen to be talking about Pesach, but that doesn't matter, TTriddle-wise. What the Torah is talking about is most Mehachot, but it still makes for a perfect pre-Pesach reading. When Tzav precedes Pesach, Shmini follows it, and that works well because following the seven days of Pesach comes the Eighth day. Get it? Yom HaShmini.
[7] This is a variation of an old one we've used before for Pesach. It is legendary from many a story and joke, that princes are often changed into frogs by some disgruntled witch or other female with the power to cast a spell. Since most of those stories include the return to prince, we can describe a frog as a former/future prince. If such a frog is not smart then we can call him a dumb tzfardei'a, as in the first two plagues. Don't bother groaning - won't do any good.
[8] This is a multilingual play on words. Animal korbanot can be from the cow family, sheep, goats, and doves. PAR or SHOR is/are TOR in Aramaic. And one of the types of doves is the TOR in Hebrew. Both of these TORs are spelled TAV-VAV-REISH, which is a homophone (or homonym) for TOR (TET-VAV-REISH) which means line or queue.
[9] The word VAYISHCHAT, and he slaughtered, appears thrice in Tzav. The first time, the TAAM over it is a R'VI'I, translated as FOURTH. The second time, it has an ETNACHTA under it. ETNACHTA means pause or REST. The third VAYISHCHAT has a SHALSHELET over it (the fourth one of four in the whole Torah, the first three are in the book of B'reishit), which means CHAIN.
[10] The term TORAH ACHAT (one Torah) appears four times in the Torah. Three times it refers to the "regular" Jew and the new convert. One rule for the two. The GER is a full Jew. The phrase appears in Parshat Tzav, where it refers to the CHATAT and ASHAM offerings - same rules apply...
[11] Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! - is the full quote from Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. She might have been describing the fourth plague - AROV. (That is, according to the more popular opinion that the plague consisted of wild animals; swarms of flies is the less popular opinion.) The famous bird from the Edgar Allen Poe poem of the same name, is the Raven. In Hebrew - OREIV. That's an anagram for AROV, hence the confused Poe-bird. Wow, L. Frank Baum and Edgar Allen Poe, how literary can a TTriddle get?
[12] This one is a sneaky TTriddle - the best kind. The numbers refer to the brachot of the weekday Amida. As of the first day of Pesach, following T'filat TAL (actually, as of the evening following the first day of Pesach), the word TAL comes out of the ninth bracha of the Amida - BAREICH ALEINU, and we now say V'TEIN BRACHA instead of V'TEIN TAL UMATAR LIVRACHA. And, the word TAL, in the phrase MORID HATAL, was inserted into the second bracha of the Amida, to replace MASHIV HARU'ACH UMORID HAGASHEM. Out of #9; into #2.
And so we have the solutions to the bumper crop of a neat dozen TTriddles in the Pesach issue of TT.
EB's "humble" submission was quite impressive, even though not all TTriddles were attempted. He still is the winner for this week.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] the two who bypassed the venetian blinds
[2] Add an ALEF for two of them; swap an ALEF for its partner for another; for the other one, only one letter in common
[3] the quintessential worm-catcher/getter
[4] The 8th is the 8th is kosher
[5] Gets a lollipop, and you can quote me on that
[6] Lot, Avraham, and Bil'am, their what? Aharon, his what? The Nation, its what?
[7] Not symmetrical in Aramaic
[8] A mother, her daughter, fire & fire

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Yearly membership for couples (even if one of the two does not frequent the Center) is 250NIS. Membership for a single person is 180NIS per year. Life membership remains at $500, with payments possible. Contact the Center for details of membership benefits. • Membership includes lower rates for all Israel Center programs, tiyulim, etc. and a subscription to Jewish Action, the Orthodox Union’s popular quarterly magazine - You can cut and send this form to us at P.O.B. 37015, Jerusalem 91370 or call us (566-7787 ext. 204) with the details and arrange credit card payment by phone or email to trochel@netvision.net.il;Special note to TTreaders who do not regularly participate in Israel Center activities (or never): You actually do participate in an Israel Center activity... called: Torah Tidbits; Many people feel that just for Torah Tidbits alone, it’s “worth it” to become members of the Israel Center. We hope you feel that way too.

Buy Tefila L'Chayalei Tzahal cards (for yourself, family, and friends) for 5NIS each Proceeds benefit injured and needy soldiers. Cards available at the Israel Center - front desk

OU Israel Center - Family Counseling Service, Dati/Charedi Counselors Serving the Dati/Charedi Community, For adolescents, individuals, couples & families, Learn how to cope with the stresses and challenges of daily life in these trying times, Create Shalom Bayit & resolve family conflicts, Low cost fees will be based ona subsidized sliding scale, For appointment call:582-7956 or 066-443-532, The Counseling Center is directed and supervised byDr. Michael Tobin

Seymour J. Abrams, Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center, First Annual Dinner
Tuesday, May 18th, '04 Leil Yom Yerushalayim
Dear TT reader,
Day in and day out throughout the year, the OU Israel Center is here for you - with shiurim on a variety of topics and on various levels, lectures on contemporary issues, video presentations, Shabbatonim, tiyulim, creativity workshops, Torah Tidbits... and much more. The OU Israel Center provides you with the highest quality informal Jewish programming.
Every week from Nahariya and Tzfat in the north to Sderot and Kiryat Gat in the south, over three thousand youngsters participate in the OU Israel Center's youth programs. The NCSY-style Makom BaLev, the Zula for teenagers at risk and NESTO for English-speaking teen Olim are three facets of our Youth program. There is more. Please take a couple of minutes to read about our Youth programs in more detail, in the enclosed ad journal form.
Day in and day out the OU Israel Center is here for you; now we turn to you to be there for us.
On May 18th we will celebrate together at the OU Israel Center's first annual Dinner. We will have the pleasure of honoring Mr. Marc Belzberg, Rabbi Aharon Adler, and Rabbi Stewart & Susie Weiss, each of whom has contributed so much to the Israel Center and Torah education. The dinner and its journal is the opportunity for you to express you appreciation and show your support to the Israel Center. The proceeds of the dinner and journal are earmarked for the Center's youth programs.
Just think! Your donation means that another teenage oleh from Kharkov will find a warm welcome in our Beit Kharkov, your contribution will assist Makom BaLev to bring another group of Israeli kids closer to yiddishkeit. With your assistance, young religious high school students will be able to reach out to their non-religious peers with Torah and Mitzvot. And with your help, the Zula will save another boy or girl from life on the streets.
Please fill out the enclosed form, reserve places for the dinner and/or place an ad in the dinner journal. We thank you in advance for your generosity and look forward to seeing you at the Israel Center and at the Dinner. (or call 5667787 x 203 for more info..)
Sincerely, Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dinner Chairman; Stuart Hershkowitz, Journal Chairman
Musical entertainment by Chaim Dovid, Couvert: $125 p.p.

NCSY’S CAMP DROR is back for another great summer! ...on the grounds of Keshet in the Golan - Wed. July 7 - Mon. July 19, For Boys and Girls, entering7th-10th grade in the fall: Separate activities • same campus, Registration has begun: Sports • Drama • Debating, Hiking • Swimming, Daily theme-based learning, Color War • Kumsitz (bonfires), Shabbatot in the spirit of NCSY, Special evening activities, Talks by well known personalities, Small groups with individual attention to all participants, Security arrangements as per Chevra L’Haganat HaTeva, Ask about our early bird special for early registration till April 30 - For more information call Ahuva(02) 566-7787 ext. 242

NESTO Native English-Speaking Teen Olim
We are proud to announcethe coming of the all new NESTO Senior Shabbaton #2
Shabbat Parshat Acrei-K'doshim, The first of May - (That's in two weeks)
As we all know,NESTO Shabbatonim are memorable occasions...so be sure not to miss this one, Especially all of you who missed out on one of the most amazing Pesach trips ever this year, Can’t wait to hear from you, Please call to sigh up: 065-522-443 (Tanya); 120nis for members, 160nis for non-members - Hey, here's a great idea!Why not become a member of NESTO - saves you money, gets you discounts at many places, and most of all, you will belong
It is still not too late to get a NESTO sweatshirt, just call and ask for one: Members: 40nis, Non-members: 60nis - Hope you all have a Shabbat Shalom
The Israel Center's Youth Program for Anglo-Israelis • tel. 566-7787 ext. 244 • fax: 561-7432 • Chaim Pelzner, Director • Yehoshua Bonchek, Coordinator • Tanya Glassman, Bat Sherut • Partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel: If you know an English-speaking teenager who doesn't know about NESTO,either tell them aboutus or tell us about them.

Sundry
Your support for the Malki Foundation / Keren Malki helps us enable quality home-care for seriously disabled children in Israel. • Ph. 058 853317 • www.kerenmalki.org
In loving memory of Malka Chana Roth HY"D murdered in the Sbarro bombing, 9 Aug. ‘01, Donations are tax-deductible.Please check our website or call for details.

TIYULIM & SHABBATONIM
THE TRAVEL DESK for making reservations and receiving info of Israel Center tiyulim. And, to help you - whether you live in Israel or are visiting - plan private tiyulim and make in-Israel travel arrangements. We will be happy to assist you from 9:00am-1:00pm on Sundays to Thursdays. Call Batya at the Travel Desk of the Israel Center,566-7787ext.249;fax:566-7876•tiyul@israelcenter.co.il
THE TIYUL HOTLINE Dial the Israel Center's number 5-66-77-87, then press 211. You'll hear "thank you, one moment please", and then the phone system's music for 15 seconds (or less). Then the Tiyul Hotline message begins. You can listen to the whole message and then press 2 to leave your message, or you can interrupt by pressing 2 right away and leaving your message sooner.
What’s for lunch? When a tiyul says “bring your own lunch”, you can buy one instead from the Israel Center Cafe. Call the TRAVEL DESK or TIYUL HOTLINE up to the day before the TIYUL and request a box lunch. 18NIS will get you a delicious sandwich (specify your preference), a refreshing drink (specify regular or diet) and a dessert. Your box will be ready for you when you board the bus.
CANCELLATION POLICIES Please note: We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee in case of last-minute cancellations. (Please speak to Batya at the Travel Desk when making reservations.) Also... Price of tiyul is based on a minimum number of participants.
Students from Abroad Are your parents planning on visiting you some time this year? If so, you want to speak to us! (566-7787 ext. 249). We have many attractive deals for them... and you. Let us turn an ordinary “been there, did it” visit into an unforgettable, special one!
KASHRUT POLICY Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by <-in-Israel - Mehadrin. Israel Center sponsored trips and programs are under Mehadrin Hashgacha. Hotels, restaurants, and tiyulim advertised by the Travel Desk or by outside parties are not necessarily Mehadrin and are not endorsed by the OU or the Israel Center.
Please note: We cannot return phone calls from overseas, but rather people should fax 972-2-5660156 for the Attention of Batya or email to tiyul@israelcenter.co.il
For reservations at the hotels listed below or any other Israeli hotels,please call Batya directly at the Travel Desk 566 7787, ext. 249.She'll be happy to accommodate you with any of your requests.
Israel Center Tiyulim are partially subsidized by the Jewish Agency for Israel

Palmach Museum - Tel Aviv: See the newest state-of-the-art museum vividly portraying the pre-state defense army of Israel, Limited to 25 people , Sunday, May 2nd • Leave Center 12:45pm promptly Returning by 5:15pm (approx): 60NIS (70NIS non-members) • must pay in advance

Next Israel Center In-House Shabbaton: Shabbat Parshat B'har B'chukotai M'vorchim, Friday-Shabbat, May 14-15 - Shiurim, Divrei Torah, Tibdits, Three Shabbat Meals & Kiddush by Schocketino, Old friends... and new ones, Early Shabbat - Mincha 5:47pm, candle lighting 6:05pm, Watch for further details

Warning: Shavuot with the Young Israel and Israel Center fills up very quickly. Register soon or risk being closed out.
4 days 3 nights • MON-THU May 24-27 Tikun Leil Shavuot • Simchat Yom Tov at the Kinar Classic, Scholar-in-Residence: Rabbi Emanuel Quint
Mehadrin cuisine • Rich & varied Yom Tov menu • Lunch en route Tuesday morning tiyul • Separate swimming & health club, 1400NIS p.p. F/B (dbl. occ.) - single supp. 700NIS, Non-members add 50NIS p.p., Round-trip transportation from/to 22 Pinsker, Call Yisrael Hatzair to reserve: (02) 623-1361 - Reservations confirmed upon payment only

TRAVEL DESK SPECIALS
For reservations at the hotels listed below or any other Israeli hotels, please call Batya directly at the Travel Desk 566 7787, ext. 249. She'll be happy to accommodate you with any of your requests.

You deserve an after-Pesach get-away...

Neve Ativ, Hermon, valid April 18-22
MIDWEEK: 390NIS per couple per night, B/B

Renaissance, Tel Aviv, valid April 18-22
MIDWEEK: 470NIS per couple per night, B/B

Havat HaBaron, Zichron, valid April 26-28
2-night MIDWEEK: 700NIS per couple, B/B

Eden Inn, Zichron, valid April 26-28
2- night MIDWEEK: 625NIS per couple, B/B

This Shabbat - (call 051-440-140 for these two offers)
Sheraton-Plaza, Jerusalem, valid April 16-17
THIS SHABBAT: 1090NIS per couple, F/B

Jerusalem Pearl, valid April 16-17
THIS SHABBAT: 915NIS per couple, F/B

B/B = Bed & Breakfast • H/B = Half Board (breakfast + one meal) • F/B (3 meals a day)
Midweek = SUN, MON, TUE, WED nights • Weekends = THU, FRI, Motza"Sh nights (some, not all hotels)

The Back Page of TT613
The Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults is the educational component of the Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center and incorporates classes & lecturesof the OU Israel Center's Project Yedid, JCA, and the Jewish Values Education Institute.
"Regular" classes & lectures - 20NIS members, 25NIS non- members. Life members, 5NIS (except for programs of/with other organizations). No one will be turned away for inability to pay. Membership 250NIS couple, 180NIS single. Programs of the Center are partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel.

Schedule for Erev Shabbat to Erev Shabbat (Fri-Fri), 25 Nisan - 2 Iyar (April 16-23)

Friday
9:00am: (men & women) - New format for Rabbi Eisen's shiur in Pirkei Avot (in effect at least until Shavuot) - Overview of Avot ch.1 with Rabbi Chaim Eisen

Friday EVE
"Early Shabbat Minyan" - Mincha 15 mins. before Plag; Kabbalat Shabbat after Plag, Mincha: Sh'mini 5:33 • Taz-M'tz: 5:37 • Ach-K'do: 5:40

Shabbat DAY
Shabbat Afternoon Shiur, 5:00pm, Mincha at 6:00pm, minyan permitting (times remain until RH): Emulating G-d: the Creativity of Womankind with Dr. Moshe Kuhr

Motza”Sh
Motza'ei Shabbat, April 17th, 9:15pm: No Longer a HavenVarian Fry and the Refugees of France (Varian Fry is the only American to be honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations) - Powerpoint-assisted lecture by Nancy Brown, researcher & historian

SUNday thru Thursday in the Ganchrow Beis Medrash (first floor)
10:00am The Weekly Mitzvot and Concepts from Minchat Chinuch by Rabbi Dovid Zitter
11:00am Wednesday & Thursday mornings (Masechet Avoda Zara): Gemara Shiur with Rabbi Moshe Gorelik
1:20pm Mincha (this time stays the same throughout the year)
3:00pm Daf Yomi by Rabbi Shmuel Halpern
4:30pm Shiur in Masechet Beitza by Rabbi Hillel Ruvel
Call to confirm the Beis Medrash shiurim

SUNday
N'SHEI LIBRARY - 10:30am to 12:45pm
9:30am: (women) Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year with Golda Warhaftig
10:30am (women) Let's Learn Chumash with Tonia Frohwein
1130am: (men & women) Parshat HaShavua with ShprintzeeHerskovits (Phil subbing for Shprintzee this week)
Healing & the 10 S'firot Sun. 2:00-3:30pm: How to Connect to HaShem with Yaakov Gerlitz Dipl. Ac, Practitioner of Chinese Medicine, Shaarei Zedek Hospital
7:30pm: (men & women) Issues in Jewish Thought as they emerges from the Torah with the help ofRamban's Commentary - Now studying:The Early Generations & Bnei HaElohim - Who are they? with Rabbi Chaim Eisen
Sunday, April 18, 8:00pm - Leil Yom HaSho'a : The Mystical Reason for the Tragic Deaths of Rabbi Akiva and his Students (Does this tragedy speak to us about the Holocaust?) with Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

MoNday
N'SHEI LIBRARY - 10:00-12:30
9:15am (men & women) excursions into the world of nevi'im with Mrs. Pearl Borow
10:30am (men &women) Rambam’s 13 Principles with Rabbi Zev Leff
11:35am (men &women)Jewish History series: After Bar Kochba: Heroism amid Horror in the 2nd cent. c.e.with Dr. Henry Goldblum
11:36am (women) Monday, April 19th, 11:35am: Recognizing the hand of Providence from the teachings of Rav Eliyahu Dessler, with Aviva Nissim
SLIM FOR LIFE Group weight-loss program for women, No obligation for the first session • Qualified nutritional advisor on hand, Mondays from 11:35am - Elisheva 999-6479
12:30pm - Holocaust-related video - by Rabbi Sholom Gold
Fit Forever: Look & Feel your Best! Exercise class for women of all ages at the Israel Center Gentle exercises to improve your flexibility, circulation, posture, etc.Breathing and relaxation skills to use every day. Satisfaction guaranteed! Mondays, 12:45-1:45pm Call Sura Faecher, 9932524
Women's Beit Midrash: Acquire study skills and knowledge crucial to your life as a Jew - join us! Guided Chavruta study with Pearl Borow, Introduction to Halacha - Rabbi David Derovan
Pri Chadash Women's Writing Workshop, Mondays: 5:20-7:20pm, with Ruth Fogelman (628-7359) & Mindy Aber Barad (643-5276)
Communication Series by Rabbi Shlomo Kory
Monday, April 19: "Disagreeing without Arguing"
Motza”sh April 24: "Avoiding Misunderstandings"
Sun. May 2: "Talking to Difficult People"
8:30pm : AM SEGULA: “Curing the Jewish Heart” series, Lectures by Eli Yosef
MASK - Mothers & Fathers Aligned Saving Kids: J'lem Chapter at the OU Israel Center • Dr. Judy Belsky, PhD - Group Facilitator, Join us at our next bi-weekly meeting - MONDAY, Apr.19, 7:30-9:30pm,http://maskjerusalem.cjb.net • Also in Ramat Beit Shemesh: Call (02) 999-6686 or 999-6162

TUESday
The Israel Center and the Old City Free Loan Association, 14th year • over 3000 loans granted - Gemach - Free Loan Society to provide interest-free loans for people in financial distress (living in the Jerusalem area)., Interviews at the Center on Tuesdays from 10:00-12:00 • Please bring ID
Yad Yaakov Center for Jewish Education classes at the Israel Center, Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30am, Call 054-690-330 for further information

9:00am (men &women) The World of Mishna: Halacha, Haskafa, and History by RabbiAharon Adler
10:15am (men &women) Parshat HaShavua with RabbiSholom Gold
9:00am& 9:55am: On Dew and Revival of the Dead with Dr. Hayim Abramson
10:50am: Parshat HaShavua with Rabbi Mordechai Spiegelman
11:00am (Hebrew)Idolatry in contrast to Mitzvot... and Divine Providence with Dr. Hayim Abramson
Resumes IYH, Apr.27: Chabad insights into Parshat HaShavua and the Actualia of Our Time (women only) with Raizel Zisk
11:30am - Midrash on the Book of Ruth - with Rabbi Steven Ettinger
Jewish Values Education Institute presents Wellsprings of Creativity, Come & discover your own writing ability! Each of us is a wellspringof thoughts, memories, stories & poetry. Let your inner voice emerge...Each session 1½ hours with Esther Sutton writer, counselor, facilitator, Tuesdays, 12:00-1:30pm • 20/25š Partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel
12:30pm - Holocaust-related video - The Pianist
Investment Seminars (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Tuesday, April 20th, 7:30pm:The Israeli Tax reforms updated, and how to legally minimize tax exposure: The Israeli Tax reforms: is this it? and how to legally minimize your tax exposure
A leading tax lawyer will answer the most commonly asked questions of Olim and Tourists
Review strategies for minimizing difficulties and get a complete overview of all the changes and their implications, Atty. Eli Clark, Brent, & staff
Seminars are under the auspices of the Financial Resource Networkdirected by Mark van Gelderen, award-winning financial educator
20NIS (all 3 for 40NIS) • Call for details: (02) 622-3065, (067) 692-329, (058) 933-634
The Israel Center is not responsible for the content or any outcome of these seminars
Tuesday, April 20th, 8:00-9:30pm: 4-part workshop: The Sefirot in Action:Steps Towards Better Communication Skills, Facilitator: Batya Yaniger, BSW, Spiritual Intelligence Counseling - You will learn to...Become a better listener • Communicate empathy • Articulate your feelings - Other dates for this workshop: Wed. April 28th, Tue. May 4th & 11th

WednESday
9:15am: (men &women) The Significance of Dreams in Halacha by Rabbi Macy Gordon
10:45am (men &women) Kuzari - An Adventure in Jewish Thought with Rabbi Sholom Gold
Wednesdays 11:45am: Hebrew-reading Ulpan with Chani Abramson
12:30pm - Holocaust-related video - by Rabbi Ahraon Adler
3:00-5:00pm Women's Beit Midrash: Acquire study skills and knowledge crucial to your life as a Jew - join us!
Women in Tanach (see next box)
Guided Chavruta study with Pearl Borow
3:00pm: (men & women)Women in Tanach with Pearl Borow
7:30pm (men & women) Jewish Philosophy: Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed - Now studying: The Holy Days & Special Times with Rabbi Chaim Eisen
Something timely, not to be missed Wednesday, April 21st, 8:00pm: “Witnesses in Uniform” presented by Ephraim Kaye, International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem, lecture & video, including an unusual film that hasn’t been shown entitled “Auschwitz and the Allies” (documentary that deals with what the allies knew about Auschwitz with aerial photographs). The bombing of Auschwitz; what really happened - the victory of the return. A rare opportunity to see and hear what really happened then.
Investment Seminars (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Wednesday, April 21st, 7:30pm: 10 Outstanding investments for difficult times
Capital Protected investments so you have nice upside with little or no downside risk
Investments with monthly (or better) liquidity that return several times the bond rate but with lower volatility!
Relatively low risk investments that are doing 7-15% even in these difficult times
7-10% Income producing investments
Combining the best strategies and investments from North America, Europe and Asia, Mark, Allan, Brent & Staff
8-10pm: Aliya Counseling with Miriam Bass

ThurSday
10:30am: Shiur while you fold...Midrash & Aggada with Rabbi David J. Derovan
Shmooze while you fold: Divrei Torah, verbal tidbits, Q&A, and...with Phil (Some time IY”H, sometimes B”N)
Root & Branch Association (in cooperation with the Israel Center), Thursday, April 22nd, 19:00 : "The Way of the Patriarchs: A Modern View of an Ancient Land", Illustrated Lecture by Max Richardson, Max Richardson is a photographer who lives with his wife and children in the Jewish Pioneering Community ("settlement") of Ma'alei Levona in the Liberated Israelite Tribal Territory of Efrayim - Info: rb@rb.org.il • NIS25 per person, members NIS20, students NIS10
Investment Seminars (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Thursday, April 22nd, 7:30pm: Investing in Israel: Savings; Bonds; Shares, Mutual Funds; Residential and Investment Real Estate.
Israel provides the best savings instruments in the Western World
What is the story with the local stock and funds market?
A review of all the major issues in buying, owning and selling a residence
The pros and cons of real estate investing in Israel
Tabu Land as perhaps the ultimate Israeli real estate investment, Mark, Moshe Jonas, Atty. Deana Fein, Brent, & Staff

8:00pm: Legends from the Gemara with Reb Yosef Schreiber

Friday
9:00am (men & women) New format for Rabbi Eisen's shiur in Pirkei Avot in effect at least until Shavuot - Overview of Avot ch.1 with RabbiChaimEisen

UPCOMING at the Israel Center
Beginning, Tuesday, April 20th. Hebrew course on "How to Talk so Kids will Listem" with Sherrie Miller, Call 5667787 x 261 to register

Beginning APril 20th: The Artist's Way, A Jewish Approach bu Mrs. Esther Sutton, Call Esther Sutton to register: 534 1922

Chosen People to the Chosen Land - ALoh Na'aleh in conjunction with the OU Israel Center, Editor: Batsheva Pomerantz

CPCL #24 • Sh'mini - M'vorchim Iyar 5764, contact: alohnaaleh@israelcenter.co.il
This monthly feature is geared towards encouraging Aliyah... AND encouraging veteran and new Olim to become more involved in encouraging and easing the Aliyah of others.

My Ethical Will by Dvora Waysman
Introduction: Very often wills - even Ethical Wills - are updated as circumstances change. I wrote my Ethical Will in the early 1970's, when I was still dewy-eyed about Aliyah and Israel was somehow more innocent, despite the wars she had endured and her ongoing fight for survival. It was a less materialistic society back then - if you had one car per family you were well-off; TV's, videos and microwave ovens were a rarity, not everyone had a telephone and, the intrusive cellular phone had not been invented. Israel then judged people by what they were, not by what they had. Our four children were still kids... now they have all done their army service, graduated university, married and given us seventeen wonderful Sabra grandchildren.

Israeli society has inevitably changed over the past three decades. Politics are bitter and tarnished; the religious polarization, which labels and pigeon-holes every Jew, is tragic. Yet, many of the things I loved have endured. I still find it a great privilege to live in the beautiful city of Jerusalem - it still inspires my poems and dreams. I still feel part of a family - even though it's often a squabbling, divisive one. I never consider leaving - to do so, would be for me an amputation.
So, with these modifications, I present again my Ethical Will as it was first published by the World Zionist Press Service. I did not want to upgrade it, because I can still become misty-eyed at my love affair with Israel.

As I write this, I am sitting on my Jerusalem balcony, looking through a tracery of pine trees at the view along Rehov Ruppin. I can see the Knesset, the Israel Museum, and the Shrine of the Book - that architectural marvel that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I am at an age where I should write a will, but the disposition of my material possessions would take just a few lines. They do not amount to much... had we stayed in Australia, where you - my four children - were born, they would be much more. I hope you won't blame me for this.

For now you are Israelis, and I have different things to leave you. I hope you will understand that they are more valuable than money in the bank, stocks and bonds, and plots of land, for no one can ever take them away from you.

I am leaving you the fragrance of a Jerusalem morning... unforgettable perfume of thyme, sage and rosemary that wafts down from the Judean hills. The heartbreaking sunsets that give way to Jerusalem at night... splashes of gold on black velvet darkness. The feel of Jerusalem stone, ancient and mellow, in the buildings that surround you. The piquant taste of hummus, tehina, felafel - foods we never knew about before we came here to live.

I am leaving you an extended family - the whole house of Israel. They are your people. They will celebrate with you in joy, grieve with you in sorrow. You will argue with them, criticize them, and sometimes reject them (that's the way it is with families!) But underneath you will be proud of them and love them. More important, when you need them - they will be there!

I am leaving you the faith of your forefathers. Here no one will ever laugh at your beliefs, call you "Jew" as an insult. You, my sons, can wear kippot and tzitzit; you, my daughters, can modestly cover your hair after marriage. No one will ridicule you. You have your heritage... written with the blood of your people through countless generations. Guard it well and cherish it - it is priceless!

I am leaving you pride. Hold your head high. This is your country, your birthright. Try to do your share to enhance its image. It may call for sacrifice, but it will be worth it. Your children, their children, and all who come after, will thank you for it.

I am leaving you memories. Some are sad... the early struggles to adapt to a new culture, a new language, a new culture. But remember, too, the triumphs... the feeling of achievement when you were accepted, when "they" became "us". That is worth more than silver trophies and gold medals. You did it alone - you "made" it.

And so, my children, I have only one last bequest. I leave you my love and my blessing. I hope you will never again need to say: "Next year in Jerusalem." You are already here - how rich you are!

Eretz Yisrael in Our Sources: Rabbi Abba would kiss the stones of Akko; Rabbi Channina used to fix the roads; and Rabbi Assi would move from the sun to the shade and from the shade to the sun so as not to complain about the climate of Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Chiyya ben Gamda rolled in her dust as it is written "Your servants take pleasure in her stones and favor the dust thereof." (Psalms 102:15) - Ketubot 112

Aliyah Pen Pals: Potential olim can contact David Magence at magence@netvision.net.il for names and addresses of Aliyah pen pals. Aliyah pen pals, listed according to profession, are veteran or recent olim interested in providing assistance.

Here to Stay: Inspiring stories of olim from different periods of aliya are welcome. The essay should be up to 450 words and emphasize one of the following: motives for aliya, contributions to Israel, how Israel contributed to the oleh, the main challenge in aliya and overcoming it. Send the essay to: aloh-naaleh@israelcenter.co.il

Janet Kasten Friedman of Kochav HaShachar presents the inverse relation between age and success to having a successful Aliyah, based on her experience and talks with olim.

In 1970, I came as a teenger on a Jewish Agency "Summer in Kibbutz" program. Serious and idealistic, I had already decided I wanted to make Aliyah from my suburb of NYC, possibly to feel less like a square peg in a round hole in secular, assimilated America. My father, a Holocaust survivor, and my mother both agreed that I was much too soft to survive in Israel.

The trip was a wonderful experience. We saw the country and worked on a kibbutz. I considered this my pilot trip. I looked at the country from the point of view of a potential citizen, finding out how to overcome the allegedly insurmountable obstacles.

Overcoming my shyness, I talked to dozens of people willing to share their Aliyah story. I really listened to the stories and tried to identify with these people's lives. I met those who came as teens in the 1920's and 30's, escaping an increasingly dangerous Europe. I met others who came after the war attempting to rebuild a life here. The stories I liked the best, though, were the American olim from after the Six-Day War. These were the people whose lives were like mine. I heard tales of woe: "I've been had!" "I love it here; but my wife is home all day without a car. She can't learn Hebrew. We're returning", "My husband has to work for a living, earning a fraction of what we had in America. We can't live like this, so we're going back home." The older and more settled they were, the more likely they were to have to go "home". If they had a doctorate and made a good salary back in America and had teenaged kids… Aliyah would be very difficult for them. But the people who had come as teens themselves with no expectations… they learned Hebrew easily and found some kind of livelihood.

My parents were not happy about my going to Israel right after high school. They were concerned that I would deprive myself of college in order to go to Israel. Clearly I should heed the voice of my more experienced parents. In an emotion-charged interaction, I explained to them what my many summer talks with olim had proven. I explained the inverse relationship between age and socio-economic status and the ability to successfully make Aliyah. Contrary to good sense, the older you are and the more successful you were in the old country, the harder it is to make Aliyah. This paradox is because your expectations are higher; you are less willing to take emotional and actual risks, to learn new things without preconceived notions about the proper way to do them. Youth and flexibility were my best tools.

Knowing their daughter, my parents proposed a compromise: I would go to college in Israel. Well, I never finished college. Surviving this and other disappointments, my parents have been understanding and generous in their support for my Aliyah. I am grateful.

If you are considering Aliyah and are already past your teens, do not despair! Plenty of people successfully come on Aliyah as adults, with professions and kids. The most important thing is to be very firm in your commitment.

Kochav HaShachar, by David Magence Licensed Tour Guide
Kochav HaShachar was established in 1975 as a NaHaL outpost, and became a civilian community in Elul 5740 (1980). In its final year as a NaHaL outpost, Kochav HaShachar, about 20 kilometers northeast of Maale Adumim, was awarded ZaHaL's prize as the most beautifully maintained outpost.
The name (which translates "morning star") was suggested by Rehavam Zeevi, based upon the Arabic name of the nearby tel, Kubat a Najma ("dome of the star"). The tel holds the remains of an Israelite community from the First Temple Period. While the ancient name of the site has not been determined, the archeological remains clearly indicate that it was an agricultural community. Kochav HaShachar's land is fertile farming land. As in ancient times, agriculture is an important part of the local economy.

Kochav HaShachar is located along the Alon Road. Yigal Alon was a minister in Israel's government during the Six Day War. Shortly after the war, he proposed a peace plan, according to which Israel would give approximately 90% of Yehuda and Shomron to Jordan in exchange for a peace treaty. The remaining 10% would be kept by Israel for security reasons. The Alon Road was originally a dirt road, prepared to facilitate ZaHaL's patrols through the small area to be kept under Israel's control. Since, at the time, Jordan was not ready to negotiate with Israel, nothing practical came of the Alon plan. At times, the Alon Road was referred to as the New York Times Road, since although there was a news blackout concerning the preparation of the road, the New York Times reported it.
Kochav HaShachar is home to Yeshivat Ahavat Chaim, a yeshiva high school for boys with learning disabilities. Kochav HaShachar is a Torani community of 230 families, numbering 1400 souls, which prides itself on its chessed programs.

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