Q: We have developed a diagnostic tool that works as follows. After a full fast of several hours, one drinks a tasteless powder dissolved in a cup of water. A few minutes later, he breathes into a special machine that detects if various organs are working healthily. Does one make a beracha before and/or after drinking the water? Can he drink a little regular water first to remove the doubt regarding the b’racha? A: The gemara (B’rachot 35a) says that we must make a b’racha before eating, because one may not benefit from the world before thanking Hashem. However, Chazal, who instituted the specific rules and texts of b’rachot, did so regarding specific types of benefit. For the type of benefits that one receives from food, there are b’rachot. For medicinal benefits, no b’rachot were instituted (B’rachot 36a). The main benefit of food responsible for its b’rachot is its taste (the poskim call it HANA’AT HACHEICH, benefit of the palate). Because of the b’racha-related importance of taste, if one eats a food for medicinal reasons but also has taste enjoyment from it, he recites the food’s regular b’racha (ibid.). Water is an exception to the rule in this regard, because it is assumed to lack a positive taste. So why do we ever make a b’racha on water? The mishna (ibid. 44a) says that one recites a b’racha on water when he drinks it to quench his thirst. The gemara (ibid. 44b) says that this is as opposed to a case where one drinks to rinse down something that is caught in his throat. The gemara does not say what happens if one drinks water not because of thirst and not to get something out of his throat but for another reason. However, the poskim’s consensus is that only if the water acts to quench thirst does one make a b’racha (Bi’ur Halacha on Orach Chayim 204:7) Therefore, if one drinks water to swallow a pill, he does not make a b’racha before or after drinking (Pitchei Halacha, B’rachot p. 135). (We cannot get into all the cases where poskim discuss whether the need to drink water fits into the category of thirst or not.) Generally, quenching thirst regarding water is parallel to providing taste for food. Therefore, it is logical that if one drinks water for medicinal purposes but also is thirsty, then he does make a b’racha, as the Mishna Berura (204:41) confirms. However, the difference between water and a tasty food or drink is as follows. When a tasty food is taken for medicinal purposes, our standard assumption is that he will have taste benefit as well. However, the standard assumption is that if one is not aware of being thirsty, the medicinal drinking of water will not provide the type of thirst-benefit that warrants a b’racha (see Mishna Berura ibid.:40). In your case, the water with powder is drunk for medicinal purposes (it makes no difference whether it is therapeutic or diagnostic). However, since the people being tested fast for several hours before drinking, one can assume that they are thirsty as well. Thus, unless one notes that he is not thirsty, he should make a b’racha before and after drinking the water. If one is not sure about the matter, he cannot solve the problem by your suggestion of drinking water before. This is because water drunk in order to solve a halachic problem is not water for thirst and does not get a b’racha (Bi’r Halacha, ibid.). This is, in general, important to remember. Often, a person does not know what b’racha to make on a food and wants to solve the problem by making Shehakol on water and covering the food in question. Based on what we have seen, if he is not thirsty, that b’racha on the water is itself a B’RACHA L’VATALA (a valueless b’racha, which is forbidden to make). If those being tested are allowed to eat a small amount of something else, that would be a way of removing doubt. After the test, one can drink as much as he wants to remove doubt about a b’racha afterward. How- ever, in most cases, one can confidently make the b’rachot. Ask the Rabbi Q&A is part of Hemdat Yamim, the
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Rebbe is partially funded by the Jewish Agency for Israel The term ZACHOR ("remember") appears prominently in our parsha. It first appears in the context of the plague of tzara'at, "Remember (zachor) what HaShem your God did to Miryam…" (24:9) and then again in two verses (24:18 and 24:22) "But you shall remember (v’zacharta) that you were a slave in Egypt", and finally in the most famous verse in our parsha, "Remember (zakhor) what Amalek did to you…" (25:17). As for remembering Miriam, Chazal see this as a reminder to avoid slanderous speech. It is the virulence of LASHON HARA that undermines a just society. All gossip erodes the spiritual betterment of society. We need to remember that when someone defames another, the entire nation suffers for it. (In Miriam's case the entire nation lost seven travel days waiting for her to recover and purify herself .) As for remembering our slave status in Egypt, it is the memory that we were once downtrodden slaves that will motivate us to empathize with the poor and oppressed. As long as we remember what it was like to be victimized, we are less likely to take advantage of others. Finally, in Parshat "Zachor", Amalek symbolizes
for us the antithesis of a just and caring society. They didn't attack us
head on; instead, they attacked the tired, the weak, those who had fallen
behind. In the command to wipe out the "memory" of Amalek, we are told to
wipe out any memory of an unjust society - so that we may build a world
based on the Torah values of protecting the weak, and being fair and kind to
all. Once, during musaf of Rosh HaShana, at the words "May Your throne be established in mercy, and may You sit on it in truth", he said: "Lord of the Universe! You want Your throne to be established in mercy and You wish to sit on it in truth, so that You will preside in a way appropriate to the King of Kings, so that You will make decrees and they will be obeyed. "I suggest that You deal with Your children in
mercy and loving kindness, and may Your decrees for us in the coming year be
good ones, with salvation and consolation. If, however, You treat us with
strict justice and decree evil decrees against us, Heaven forbid, Your
throne will not be established before You and You will not sit in truth. The
righteous men of the generation will not permit You to sit on Your throne.
You will decree, and they will annul Your decree. I therefore beg of You, O
great Hashem, "May Your throne be established in MERCY, and may you sit on
it in TRUTH." 1) Commentaries explain that this woman must spend a month crying over her idolatrous life before she can begin her new life married to this Jew. Otherwise, her previous life will always be a part of her and will stunt her spiritual growth. So, too, before we try to begin a new spiritually on Rosh HaShana, we must spend a month crying over our past actions and lifestyle thereby enabling us to succeed with our fresh start. 2) The Seforno answers that the Torah is coming to counter a person thinking that since people don't usually lose their shirts, this found shirt must have been discarded intentionally and is not bound by the rules of lost objects. 3) I would like to humbly suggest that the
connection lies in the last words of this section - KI NEFESH HU CHOVEIL. A
person cannot use these items for collateral since it prevents souls from
having what they need to survive. Similarly, if a husband would not be with
his wife during the first year of marriage, it is damaging a soul - the
husband/wife unit which needs to merge into one soul and one being. [7] MicroUlpan Did you ever wonder why this mitzva is only for birds and not other animals? Oznaim LaTorah says this is due to the unique character of birds. They lay eggs (mentioned twice in the verse), that don't look anything like themselves. They must sit for weeks without much food or drink on these eggs that don't even seem to be alive. It seems that G-d has put an extra ounce of mercy in the mother bird so she will go through this sacrifice for her young. Because of this, her sorrow is greater than other animals would feel, if she were to see us take away these eggs. Ramban says this is one of the mitzvot given to increase our Jewish trait of mercy. There are so many people in need of receiving care and kindness and yet merciful people don't always have the force to accomplish the good deeds that they feel are necessary. The Ktav Sofer says, therefore, G-d here gives these people an added blessing of ARICHUT YAMIM, long life, where they will YITAV LACH, be able to do good for others. At a time when our nation is in need of G-d’s mercy, we should study this mitzva more in depth. The uprooted mother bird who is expelled from her nest, wanders full of sorrow, crying around the world awakening mercy for herself and all others in a similar predicament. May this in turn awaken G-d’s mercy on His abandoned people and Beit HaMikdash and other holy sites. Please send FEEDback on the Dvar Torah and recipes
and send in your own recipes related to this or other parshiot. berenbau@actcom.net.il What birds are kosher? If you are asking for eating purposes, then the answer is, those fowl that we have a Tradition for their kashrut. These include chicken, duck, (European) goose, pigeon & dove, quail, sparrow, (list is not necessarily exhaustive). Turkey is accepted as kosher in almost all Jewish communities, even though we don’t know where its Masoret (Tradition) came from. What about birds that are probably kosher, but for which we have no Masoret? We cannot eat them, BUT the mitzva of Shilu’ach HaKen does apply. As well as its prohibition. There are many birds that are probably kosher
(since only 21 types of birds - which include many species - are named in
the Torah as non- kosher). Among them are Peafowl (that’s the inclusive term
for the impressive, showy male, the peacock, and the plain looking peahen),
Swan, and Canadian Goose... If a person wants an ostrich egg, the rules do not apply. Just watch out for the mother bird - her kick can be deadly. Much, much material is absent from this column. To
be cont. some day... During the recital of psalm 27 that we say during
the month of Elul, David HaMelech also refers to his conflict with the
enemy, "evil-doers who come upon me to eat of my flesh" (Ps. 27:2). Kind
David, however, offers us guidance as to how to overcome adversaries, both
human and spiritual. It is easy to give up. David HaMelech reminds us,
however, that we should, "Wait for HaShem - Be strong and of good courage -
and wait for HaShem." Explains Rashi on the repetition of the phrase that if
your prayer is not accepted, pray again with anticipation. For, ultimately,
in King David's words, "HaShem is my light and my salvation" (ibid 27:1). [The Parshat Ki Teitzei Homepage]
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