Ranges are THU-THU 27 Adar B - 4 Nissan (Apr.7-14)
Earliest Talit & T'filin - 5:29-5:20am
Sunrise - 6:20-6:12am
Sof Z'man Kri'at Sh'ma - 9:30-9:25am (8:44-8:38am)
Sof Z'man T'fila - 10:34-10:30m (10:03-9:58am)
Chatzot (halachic noon) - 12:41-12:39pm
Mincha Gedola (earliest Mincha) - 1:14-1:12pm
Plag Mincha - 5:43-5:46½pm
Sunset - 7:07½-7:12pm (7:03-7:07½pm)

*Concerning "Earliest Shacharit", the time is actually the earliest time for Tallit & T'fillin. In extenuating circumstances, one may daven earlier than T&T time, but will have to do so without T&T, until their later time. A fast begins earlier than T&T time, namely Olot HaShachar.Candle Lighting and Havdala Times (regular and earliest)

Correct for TT 663 • Rabbeinu Tam (J'm) - 8:20pm
6:28pm (5:44) Jerusalem 7:41pm
6:46pm (5:48) Gush Katif 7:45pm
6:45pm (5:46) Raanana 7:43pm
6:44pm (5:45) Beit Shemesh 7:42pm
6:45pm (5:46) Netanya 7:44pm
6:45pm (5:46) Rehovot 7:43pm
6:25pm (5:46) Petach Tikva 7:43pm
6:44pm (5:45) Modi'in area 7:43pm
6:44pm (5:45) Be'er Sheva 7:43pm
6:43pm (5:44) Gush Etzion 7:41pm
6:44pm (5:45) Ginot Shomron 7:42pm
6:28pm (5:44) Maale Adumim 7:41pm
6:38pm (5:44) Tzfat 7:42pm
6:43pm (5:44) K4 & Hevron 7:42pm

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 of the strictness of Shabbat, then J’lem candle lighting 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 the Rosh Chodesh of the month which the Torah calls the Head of the Months of the Year.
The Adar preceding Nissan always has 29 days; Rosh Chodesh Nissan is always one day. Never a MON, WED, or FRI.
ROSH CHODESH NISAN YIH-YEH MACHAR B'YOM RISHON HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA
The (announced) molad occurs on Shabbat morning, 6h 24m 6p
HAMOLAD HAYA HABOKER, SHABBAT KODESH, ESRIM V'ARBA DAKOT V'SHISHA CHALAKIM ACHAREI SHEISH
which is 7:03am Israel Summer Time
Since it is highly unlikely (in Israel) to bench Rosh Chodesh before 7:03am, we say "the molad WAS..."

Lead Tidbit
End-of-Year, Beginning-of-Year Perspective
For each Jew, as Elul winds down and Rosh HaShana approaches, there is a lot of introspection, looking back over the year just ending and looking forward to the new year that is about to enter. Hopefully, that pivotal moment is spent constructively, in T'shuva and resolve for an improved future.

What the Elul-Tishrei transition is to the individual Jew, the Adar-Nissan transition is to the People of Israel... and each of its members. We stand at this juncture, we glance two weeks back to Purim and what it means to the Jewish People. A great way to end the cycle of months. The month that looks so bleak in light of Haman's threat of annihilation, and was turned from sorrow to joy and from mourning to festivities. And then we look forward. To the month of Nissan, the month of Aviv, the month that represents rebirth and fresh growth after the dreariness of winter. Two weeks down the line is our celebration of freedom. To the birth of the Jewish nation. To the obvious, open miracles of Yetzi'at Mitzrayim in front of us, and the hidden miracles of G-d working behind the scenes back at Purim. Between the two holidays, which are purposely a month apart and therefore make a beautiful matched set from the vantage point of Shabbat HaChodesh and Shabbat M'vorchim (and Machar Chodesh) with our pondering the immediate past and future of our Calendar and the pondering of the whole past and future of our People that grows from the narrower musings.

In Nissan we were redeemed from Egypt, and in Nissan we are destined to be redeemed. Whether this is accurate calendar wise is less important than that the Geula Sh'leima (Complete Redemption) be in the style of the Pesach redemption, with all who "have eyes in their heads" being able to see G-d manifest in the Destiny of the Jewish People and of the whole world. When you hear Rosh Chodesh Nissan will be tomorrow... think Geula. Nissan is not just the first of our months, it is the Prime Month.

Tazria Stats
27th of 54 sedras; 4th of 10 in Vayikra, Tazri’a finishes the first half of the sedras
Written on 128 lines in a Sefer Torah (rank: 48)
9 Parshiyot; 5 open and 4 closed
67 p'sukim - 48th in the Torah; 8th in Vayikra
1010 words - 48th in the Torah; 8th in Vayikra
3667 letters - 48th in the Torah; 8th in Vayikra

Tazria is small. Only 6 other sedras are shorter (2 others in Vayikra and the last 4 of D’varim)

HaChodesh can be Vayaqhel-P'kudei (with or without Machar Chodesh), P'kudei, Vayikra (with Rosh Chodesh), Sh'mini, or Tazri'a (either alone, Machar Chodesh (like this year), or Rosh Chodesh.) SNYK (so now you know)

Mitzvot:
7 mitzvot of the 613; 5 positive; 2 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 - 13 p'sukim - 12:1-13:5
[P> 12:1 (8)] Perek 12, the shortest in the Torah with 8 p'sukim, deals with "birth". A woman becomes "ritually unclean" following a (normal) birth - one week for a boy - and on the 8th day the boy is circumcised - and two weeks for a girl. This period of TUM'A is followed by a special "waiting time" of 33 or 66 days for boy or girl respectively, after which the mother is to bring the korbanot of a YOLEDET. The whole issue of the "ritual impurity of a woman having given birth" constitutes a mitzva [166,A100 12:2], as does the bringing of the sacrifices [168,A76 12:6]. This portion of the Torah is also the source of the general prohibition of eating "sacred meat" while in a state of "ritual impurity" [167,L129 12:4].

MitzvaWatch
G-d spoke to Moshe... speak to Bnei Yisrael... and on the 8th day you shall circumcise... Sounds like a command. It is. How come it isn't counted among the 613? It is, but not from here. MILA is counted from Parshat Lech Lecha rather than from here in Tazria. From Tazria, one might think that MILA is the removal of the foreskin, and that's about it. From Lech Lecha we see the whole idea of a commitment and covenant with G-d symbolized by the performance of MILA. The context of Tazria is post-Sinai and in the language of command, yet the anecdotal context of Lech Lecha and Avraham Avinu define what this mitzva really entails. Brit Mila is (almost) unique in having two mitzva-brachot, the texts of which show us the whole picture.

First comes AL HAMILA, the bracha for the act of removing the foreskin - something which takes a second or two of the Mohel's time. Mitzva to do. Slice. Done. Immediately after the Mohel says that first bracha, the father of the baby says the second bracha - to enter him into the covenant of Avraham. This bracha, also a Birkat HaMitzva, is not transferred to the Mohel, as was the first bracha, and does not refer to an aspect of the BRIT that is completed in a very brief period of time. Rather, it expresses the lifelong commitment of the parents of the child to raise him as a Jew in every sense of the word. We can even say that the Torah, Chupa, and Maasim Tovim that we wish upon the baby is actually part of the mitzva of BRIT MILA.

To say it in other words, the mitzva of MILA might be presented in Tazria, but the mitzva of BRIT MILA is best taken from Lech Lecha.

Furthermore, because we have already been commanded on MILA back in Lech Lecha, the Gemara teaches us some "new" aspects of the mitzva from the "repetition" of the mitzva here. E.g. that an 8th day Mila can be performed on Shabbat. (And that this applies only to a birth through the birth-canal, as opposed to a C-section delivery whose Mila is not done on Shabbat.) That Mila cannot be done at night.

TAHARA & TUM'A To oversimplify: one aspect of the rules of ritual purity and impurity for a Yoledet (a woman who have given birth) is to show the sharp contrast between life and death. This can be seen in the Tum'a of a dead body, in the laws of Nidah, the rules of pregnancy, as well as the Yoledet. A woman's period signifies that life has not begun within her - there is TUM'A. A pregnant woman has life developing within her - TA'HARA. When that life emerges into the world, she is no longer carrying that extra life - TUM'A.

Another aspect of the procedures for the new mother is geared to help her recoup her physical, psychological and emotional identity and well-being.

[P> 13:1 (8)] After the parsha of BIRTH, the Torah moves on to the topic of NEGA'IM (various skin afflictions). The rest of Tazria (and most of Metzora) deals with these topics.

A person with an affliction that MIGHT be Tzora'at (in one of its many forms) is to be examined by a kohen (expert in the laws and identification of N'GA'IM, with a degree, perhaps, in dermatology as well). Under certain circumstances, the kohen might declare the afflicted individual a METZORA rendering him immediately ritually unclean. Or, a kohen might order a one week quarantine with an additional examination to determine the status of the individual, to take place on the seventh day of said quarantine.

Levi - Second Aliya - 12 p'sukim - 13:6-17
That second inspection can result in the person being declared "clean", or "Tamei", or an additional week of quarantine can be ordered.

[P> 13:9 (9)] A kohen must examine a case of suspected Tzora'at. He looks for changes in coloration of skin and hair, raised or sunken appearance of the blemished area, increase, decrease or no change in size, and other signs. Sometimes he declares immediate Tzora'at. Sometimes "ritual purity" is declared immediately, in which case a trip to the pharmacy for a salve might be the best thing. And sometimes a quarantine period is declared.

The expertise of a kohen in the area of Nega'im is both an art and a science. And more. Dozens of shades of white and other colors must be distinguish- able to the inspecting kohen. An error in perception of a white like the shell of an egg as opposed to the color of the thin membrane under the shell (for example) can make the difference between declaring the examinee Tahor or Tamei. Only certain times of the day are permitted for examining a NEGA, because of the different effects of light and shadow.

The laws of Nega'im are unbelievably difficult and complex. In addition to everything else, the kohen had to know the psychology of the cases and be sensitive to the personal situations of the afflicted. One example is that a new bride or groom is not examined by the kohen, so they cannot be declared TAMEI. That could spoil their moods.

A look at some of the Mishnayot in TAHAROT, even without going in depth, can give one an appreciation of what is involved in this topic. Once again, learning comes to the rescue and allows us to get "involved" in mitzvot even when they aren't active.

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 6 p'sukim - 13:18-23
[P> 13:18 (6)] The Torah presents further details on what the kohen looks for when inspecting boils and similar afflictions on the skin. The elaborate checking and time delays from inspection to inspection serve to give the afflicted person ample time for introspection. A NEGA on the outside mirrors a character blemish or a religious shortcoming on the inside. While the kohen examines the external, the Metzora does a thorough job of seeing his own inner being.

MitzvaWatch
Why all the detail? Why are there so many different types of NEGA'IM? Perhaps it is because WE are all different. So many different types of people. So many different temperaments. So many different sins. And so many different personal reactions to our individual situations. We need to feel this individuality. It helps us be responsible for our own deeds. One imagines that the kohen-examiner played the role of counselor too. Maybe sensing a disturbed soul that needs TIPUL along with the NEGA.

R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 5 p'sukim - 13:24-28
[S> 13:24 (5)] This portion discusses burns on the skin and different colorations within the affected area. Keep in mind that a blemish of any sort is NOT Tzora'at unless declared so by a kohen. It could look like Tzora'at, but it isn't unless declared "Tamei" by a kohen. In fact, two people can have identical signs and one can be declared a Metzora, the other not so. And the treatment of each case is completely different as a result.

Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 13:29-39
[P> 13:29 (9)] This next portion deals with yet another type or two of N'GA'IM - sores on the head, neck, or face, and blotches on the skin. As was mentioned before, we are dealing here with a complex issue of a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Or, to put it differently, of physical manifestations of spiritual problems.
To help understand this idea better, think of the following analogy: There are physical afflictions and psycho- logical problems that people can suffer. Sometimes, each type is treated independently. But sometimes, a trained professional in the field will see the physical problems as manifestations of the psychological problems. And sometimes, vice versa. In those cases, it is very important for the professional to decide what gets treated and what will improve when the other does, even without special attention.

This was only an analogy, but this is one of the lessons, of Torat HaMetzora, the laws of N'GA'IM. The laws regarding the state of ritual impurity resulting from Tzora'at constitute a positive commandment [169,A101 13:29]. In other words, we would be doing the wrong thing to ignore these laws and details. There is a specific prohibition of cutting the hair of a Tzora'at area on the body [170,L307 13:33]. Among other reasons, this would remove an important indicator for the inspecting kohen (and more importantly, perhaps, for the afflicted individual.)

Let's run with the analogy. If a doctor feels that a rash on a patient who came to him might be the result of stress and tension in the workplace, then it would serve no purpose to merely treat the rash. In fact, the rash might clear up after some stress-reduction measures without any treatment of the specific rash. In the case of N'GA'IM, it would be prohibited to treat the NEGA with physical means. Welts, burns, blemishes, boils, etc. might go away after T'shuva and the Tzara'at procedures. How can a korban heal an affliction? How can T'shuva heal it? Same question as, How can psychological counseling cure asthma. But it can (sometimes) and so can all of the "remedies" in this week's sedra. Mind, body, soul - they are all connected and interrelated.
[S> 13:38 (2)] In this small parsha, the Torah gives an example of a rash of white spots erupting on the body. In this case, a rash is a rash. TAHOR.

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 13:40-54
[S> 13:40 (7)] Certain cases of baldness are discussed in the first part of this portion. Usually, baldness is just baldness. But occasionally, the skin that is exposed when the hair falls out is blemished in specific ways which might mean Tzora'at. A person who has Tzora'at, tears his clothes, lets his hair hang loose, and must announce in public that he is TAMEI. The proper conduct of the Metzora is a mitzva [171,A112 13:45].

[S> 13:47 (13)] The rest of this Aliya deals with infection of Tzora'at on garments. Wool, linen, and leather are the materials that are subject to Tzora'at HaBeged. The laws of infected garments also constitute one of the 613 mitzvot [172,A102 13:47].

Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 5 p'sukim - 13:55-59
The topic of "afflictions of garments" continues into this Aliya, for the duration of the Tazri'a. The fact that there is such a thing as an affliction of a garment tells us something. We are dealing with different ways that G-d communicates his "displeasure" with us, as individuals. Today, we might say, His communication is more subtle - but we must see it... and react appropriately.

Maftir - second Torah20 p’sukim; Sh'mot 12:1-20
This Maftir adds to the Sedra Stats: 1 parsha (S), 20 p’sukim, 313 words, 1208 letters, 9 mitzvot

This is the fourth of the Four Parshiyot. Parshat HaChodesh is the Shabbat of or the Shabbat right before Rosh Chodesh Nissan. We read of the mitzva to establish the Jewish Calendar (the first two p'sukim), followed by the commands concerning Pesach - Korban Pesach, Matza, Chametz, etc. (the rest of the 20-pasuk maftir).

The main theme of the Maftir is Korban Pesach. K.P. is different from all other korbanot. All korbanot were brought in the Beit HaMikdash between the two daily T'midim, except for K.P. which was brought after the afternoon Tamid. K.P. can be brought and eaten in a state of ritual impurity (in certain circumstances). This can be seen as a "compromise" by G-d to facilitate our performance of this mitzva. (An individual is postponed until Pesach Sheni because of TUM'A, but the community brings and eats K.P. while TAMEI, rather than wait the month.)

The Maftir contains several mitzvot — the Jewish Calendar [4], to slaughter the K.P. [5], to eat it [6], not to eat it rare or cooked [7], not to leave over any of K.P. to the morning [8], to destroy Chametz from one's possession [9], to eat matza on Seder night [10], not to possess Chametz on Pesach [11], not to eat any foods that contain Chametz [12]. We also find the source of SHMURA MATZA and the source of the permitted M'LACHOT on Yom Tov.

Haftara - 28 p'sukim - Yechezkeil 45:16-46:18
S'faradim start 2 p’sukim later and end 3 p'sukim before the end (for Ashkenazim)
The Haftara contains the prophecy of the building of the Beit HaMikdash and the restoration of Korban Pesach – hence the connection to the Maftir. Both the Torah and Haftara announce the holiday of Pesach, in very similar words, and both speak of putting blood on the doorpost. Not only do both readings talk about Pesach,but both focus on Rosh Chodesh Nissan.
S'faradim (and others) have the custom of adding to the haftara of HaChodesh, the first and last p'sukim of the haftara for Rosh Chodesh, when HaChodesh falls on Rosh Chodesh, or the first and last p'sukim of the Machar Chodesh haftara, when Rosh Chodesh Nissan is on Sunday, as it is this year. Standard Ashkenazi practice is NOT to add p'sukim from another haftara.

THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW - Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean
Lesson # 279 (part two) •Borrowing
What has been said in the prior lesson assumes that the parties have agreed upon a specific term for the borrowing of the object. Assume, however, a not uncommon situation where there is no specified time for the borrowing. The owner loans an object to the borrower and there is nothing said about the length of time that the borrrower may use the object. The owner may make demand at any time for the borrower to return the object to the owner. But until the owner makes demand for its return, the borrower may use the object without time limit. The borrower, during all this time, is responsible for the object and is responsible even if the object is lost through force majeure.

If the object is borrowed for a specific purpose, such as a tool to make a repair or a vehicle to drive to a certain destination, the owner may not request the return of the object until the purpose has been fulfilled.

If the lender dies and the heirs are not aware of the loan of the object, the borrower must return the object to the heirs before the end of 30 days unless the heirs of the borrower stipulate otherwise.
The borrower borrows a house for a specific purpose:
[1] to lodge there for the night - the borrower has the use thereof for not less than a full day;
[2] for a week-end - the borrower has the use thereof for not less than two days;
[3] for a wedding - the borrower has the use thereof for not less than 30 days;
[4] The borrower borrows a garment to wear to pay respects to the house of a mourner. He may retain the garment for the time it takes him to get to the house of the mourner and back. There is another opinion that holds that the borrower may retain the garment for the complete seven days of mourning;
[5] The borrower borrows a garment to wear to a wedding. There is an opinion that he may retain it for the day of the wedding, and there is another opinion that he may retain it for the seven days of the wedding celebrations and some say thirty days.

Object Loaned for a Specified Term
If the owner and the borrower agreed as to a specific term for the loan of the object, once the borrower has acquired possession of the object, the owner cannot demand the return of the object prior to the end of such term.

Lending an Object for a Specific Purpose
If the borrower asked for the use of a hoe with which to hoe his garden, he may hoe his garden only and no other garden. If the borrower asked for the use of a hoe to hoe a garden, he may hoe any garden. If the borrower asked for a hoe to hoe gardens, he may hoe all of the gardens that he has but not gardens belonging to others, even if the metal of the hoe disintegrates while he is hoeing. If it does, the borrower must return the wooden handle.

What was stated in the prior paragraphs is indicative of similar situations.

If the borrower asked to borrow a grooved stone to be used to carry off the overflow of a well, and the grooved stone was damaged, he may not rebuild it. If the borrower asked to borrow a grooved stone without specifying a purpose, and the grooved stone was damaged, he may rebuild it. If the borrower asked for a place for a grooved stone, used to carry off the overflow water from a well, and if a kinyan was performed, he may continue building on the owner's land until there is found a place for the stone to keep his animals watered or his land irrigated.

Lending Out of the Owner's Kindness
The borrower asks the owner to lend him an object with the phrase, "Lend this object to me out of your kindness." The Rabbis have ruled that such a borrowing, if accompanied by the performance of a kinyan, does not follow the rules of the term of the borrowing since the intent is not to apply the rules of other borrowers to this transaction. But, rather, the owner, by the kindness of his heart, will permit the borrower to keep possession of the object as long as he wants, and the borrower need not return it at any time, and the owner cannot demand its return even at the time that the borrower is not using the object.

Once the object becomes unusable, the borrower must return the broken parts to the owner. The borrower cannot have the object repaired.

If the object is destroyed by force majeure, the borrower need pay only for the value of broken parts.
In the event that the borrower does return the object to the owner, he may again take the object from the owner whenever the borrower so desires. If no kinyan was performed, then the borrower does not have this right.
The borrower does not have the right to loan the object to anyone else.

The Borrower Dies; Responsibility of the Heirs
If the borrower dies, his heirs may use the object to the end of the agreed-upon term. However, the heirs are not responsible for the object if it is damaged or destroyed by force majeure. The responsibility of the heirs is like that of a paid bailee and they are thus responsible if the object is lost, damaged, or destroyed for any reason except for force majeure, whether or not the heirs use the object. The owner may insist that they accept the responsibility of a borrower and be liable for loss through force majeure or return the object to him. If the owner does not so stipulate, and the heirs do not want the responsibility of a paid bailee, they may return the object to the owner at any time.

The father dies and the heirs find among the assets of the father a borrowed cow. The heirs, not being aware that the cow was borrowed, proceed to slaughter the cow and eat of its meat. If the father left an estate at least equal in value to the value of the slaughtered cow, the heirs must pay to the owner for the value of the slaughtered cow. If he father did not leave an estate to cover the cost of the slaughtered cow, then Beth Din will appraise the value of the slaughtered cow, and the heirs will pay for the value of the meat at a one-third discount from the established market price. The hide of the animal belongs to the owner.

The Borrower May Not Lend Out the Borrowed Object
The borrower may not lend out the object that he borrowed even during the term for which he borrowed the object. Even if the borrowed object is a Torah scroll, he may not lend it out.

If the borrower loaned the object to a second borrower and if anything happened to the object while in the possession of the second borrower, the first borrower is liable. There is an exception if it can be proved that the object "died" while the second borrower was using it for the same type of work that the first borrower would have done, and the object would then have "died" in the possession of the first borrower.

There is an opinion that the first borrower may lend the object to a second borrower if the object is something that the second borrower cannot carry away; such as a house or a boat. The majority view does not make this exception.

The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in volume IX chapters 340 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

Meaning in Mitzvot?
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 by Rabbi Asher Meir

Nullification of Chametz
The Torah forbids us from having chametz in our possession from noon on Pesach eve until the end of the holiday. But since the Torah states, "no chametz shall be seen to you" (Shemot 13:7), we learn that only chametz we own is included in the prohibition. (Pesachim 5b. All chametz, however, is forbidden to eat.) This limitation seems to be very far reaching, for it is actually forbidden to obtain any benefit from chametz on Pesach (SA OC 443), and when a person is forbidden any benefit in an object his ownership is effectively suspended.

A similar conundrum exists by a pit in the public domain. The Torah tells us that one who digs a pit is liable if an animal falls into it (Shemot 21:33), yet since the damage is done by the pit and not by the digger, it should belong in the category of "damage done by property". Since a pit in the public domain doesn't belong to anybody, there should be no liability!

To these difficulties the gemara comments: "There are two things which are not in a person's possession, yet Scripture considered them as if in his possession. They are: a pit in the public domain and chametz from six hours onwards [i.e. after noon Erev Pesach]" (Pesachim 6b). Practically speaking, this means that nullification of chametz can't be delayed; if someone doesn't nullify chametz before Pesach he can't do so afterwards, because in any case the chametz doesn't really belong to him.

What is the significance of this cryptic statement, and what is the common denominator of these two prohibitions?

In general, there are two types of commandments in the Torah: commandments applying to our actions, and commandments applying to our possessions. For example, regarding torts, a person is liable for any damage caused by his person and for specific kinds of damages caused by his property. Eating chametz is a forbidden action, whereas the prohibition of possessing chametz applies to our possessions.

In general, the distinction shows that a person has absolute responsibility for his actions, whereas responsibility towards our environment is limited to objects we benefit from. A related approach we have often mentioned is that objects we acquire and enjoy -- have a special relationship to our selves; they are like an extension of the self and so our sense of responsibility extends to them as well.

The liability for a pit shows that enjoyment is not the only way we acquire responsibility. When a hazard appears spontaneously, it is the responsibility of the community as a whole to remove it. But when one person creates a hazard, it is his sole responsibility to take care of it, even if he obtains no benefit.

A similar message applies to chametz. Chametz is not only forbidden to eat and benefit from during Pesach; it is necessary to take active steps to eliminate it, as the Torah commands us, "Eliminate (tashbitu) leaven from your houses" (Shemot 12:15). This commandment, which originates with our pre-Pesach ownership, creates an individual responsibility, which can not then be evaded even after our owner- ship is suspended by the prohibition.

Let us connect this idea to the theme of chametz as a symbol for our acquisitive urge. This instinct is not useless or inherently worthless; on the contrary, when used with a proper motivation it can be part of our service of Hashem. But a necessary first stage is to renounce our dependence on it; on Pesach we demonstrate that we begin our service of Hashem in a spirit of modesty and self-effacement; at Shavuot, after the personal growth of the S'fira period and receiving the Torah, we have the ability to use it properly and then we bring the shtei halechem offering which must be chametz.

Delaying the nullification of chametz is in effect an effort to take a short-cut; our spiritual ascent to Matan Torah will not be the full fifty days but rather 49 or even less. By placing the chametz "in our possession" during these days, the Torah tells us that no short cuts are allowed; the purifying effect of the holiday is dependent on entering it in the proper spirit of repentance, and after Pesach begins it's just too late to get the full benefit of this period of time and our repentance is not completely effective.

TANACH
Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; JOSHUA, JUDGES, SAMUEL, KINGS (Nevi'im Rishonim) by Dr. Meir Tamari

Righteousness & Kingship [5] (Ruth 4:1-13)
"I FOUND MY SERVANT DAVID IN S'DOM!" "Ruth the Moabitess, who returned out of the field of Moav" (Ruth, 1:22); another stage in the chain of Chesed that had its source in S'dom, and its finale in David HaMelech.

The Patriarch Abraham symbolizes Chesed, undeserved acts of righteousness and kindness. Chazal tell us that Hashem showed Moshe the rewards that awaited people in the World to Come. This pile of treasure is for those who have studied Torah, this one for those who have good deeds, and this pile for those who have yichus and zechut avot. Coming to the largest pile, Hashem said, "And this is for those who are undeserving, this is Chesed". The Midrash tells us that the sons of Noah once complained to Hashem that they, rather than Avraham, should be the symbol of Chesed. After all, they labored in the Ark for a year cleaning, feeding and watering animals and birds of different habits and needs, while Avraham dwelling in his own encampment with servants around, catered to the needs of a few passers by. Hashem's answer was that Avraham was under no obligation to the strangers and wayfarers, while they were simply doing their job, not Chesed.

Chesed was what symbolized the whole Abrahamic family from its very inception. "Why was it necessary to send to Haran to find a wife for Yitchak? Avraham's family there were idolaters, just like the people of Canaan; Yitzchak therefore could just as well have married one of their daughters. Now we know that idolatry is an error of the mind, of the intellect, while Chesed is an attribute of the heart, of the soul. Rivka could be weaned from idolatry by education and logic, like the daughters of Canaan. However, Chesed was integral to her family's traditions; even Lavan had it as witnessed by his acceptance of the penniless refugee Yaakov.S he inherited Chesed by her genes and drank it with her mother's milk as it were, whereas the daughters of Canaan had no such inheritance" (Shem Mi Shmuel). So too, Lot had inherited this Chesed. It remained with him, even though in everything else he deserted Avraham, and was no different from the people of S'dom.

The Torah is not specific as to what the sin of S'dom was that justified its destruction, but Chazal taught that they were selfish, were worried that the poor and weak would take away their wealth and refused to do favors with their property. "He who says, what is mine is mine and yours is yours; some say that is the mark of S'dom" (Avot 5:10). "One who refuses to do another a favor with his wealth, we doubt if he is of the descendants of Avraham Avinu". In halakhahic terms, the Bet Din can force somebody not to act according to the egoism of S'dom and to act according to the principle, "If one party has a benefit and the other does not suffer a loss, the benefit must be granted" (Baba Kama 20a). Nevertheless, it was in that S'dom that Lot, Avraham's nephew continuing the family ethos, risked his life to extend Chesed. In his being rescued by the angels from the destroyed city, Moav and Amon were born. The inherited Chesed of the Abrahamic family should have been reflected also in the descendants of Moav and Ammon. Yet we read, "They did not greet you [Israel] with bread and water in the way, when you came forth from Egypt" (D'varim 23:4). Because of this desertion of Abrahamic Chesed that same verse reads, "An Amonite or a Moabite shall not enter the congregation of Israel even after ten generations forever. You shall not ask their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever". This may be contrasted with the Torah's injunction against hating Egypt's enslavement of us and the permission for the third generation of Egypt who could enter Israel. "Despite their enslavement of us,we should remember the Chesed that they performed for us by hosting us in their land" (Abarbanel)

No wonder that the kinsman feared to marry Ruth. No matter that she had converted so completely that she has remained the model for all generations and that many of the halakhot associated with giyur flow from her case. No matter the tremendous Chesed she had performed and no matter the risks she had taken to ensure Yibumand the memorial to the dead. He was not moved even by Boaz's Bet Din's declaration that the halakha, which over the centuries had been forgotten, laid down that the ban only applied to Moabites and not the females of that nation. The kinsman was worried that despite all of the above, he would lose the inheritance for his future generations. This is merely one example of how personal biases, non-halakhic customs and self- serving piety thwart and disfigure Torah teachings.

Moav and Amon remained enemies of Israel right until the end of Bayit Rishon, constantly trying to injure and assist the attacks of the Babylonians on the weakened Jewish State. The Midrash tells that when the exiles were on the way to Bavel, these tribes gave them salt water and mouldy bread on which to satisfy their hunger and thirst. Their battle against the Chesed of Avraham continued. Yet there sparks of holiness and Chesed still in Moav and Amon, the residue that had gone down to S'dom with Lot when he departed from Avraham. Since nothing is lost or goes to waste in the physical world and likewise in that of the spirit, these sparks of Chesed finally came home. There was Na'ama of Amon who married Rechavam, the son of Shlomo HaMelech and above all there was Ruth of Moav; truly Righteousness and Kingship. When the purity of descent of David HaMelech was questioned because of his ancestry from Moav, Shmuel HaNavi wrote Megilat Ruth to show the greatness, the holiness and the purity of these sparks brought from S'dom.

This is the 78th installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

MISC section - contents:

[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 want to buy vending machines, which will be used by non-Jews. May they operate on Shabbat? Is there a problem of receiving s'char Shabbat (earnings from Shabbat)?
A: This topic is too broad to explain clearly in this forum, but we will deal briefly with the major issues and the bottom line. We dealt with the topic more deeply in our series of responsa, B'mareh Habazak V, 37, regarding the related topic of maintaining an internet site, which automatically engages in commercial activity with those who visit the site on Shabbat.

Lifnei Iver (causing someone to sin) - Although you speak of a machine to be used for non-Jews, it is not clear whether you refer to a place where at least some Jews will probably use the machines on Shabbat, or to a place where it is unlikely that any Jew will use them. Even in the more stringent scenario, there is ample room for leniency for a combination of factors. (Each factor should not be relied upon independently). They include: it is likely that the Jew would be able to buy the same product from a non-Jew; the main intent is for the non-Jewish majority; any Jew who would use the machine on Shabbat would do so knowingly and regularly desecrates Shabbat; you perform the actions of placing and filling the machine at a time that it is permitted to use the machine.

Commerce on Shabbat - It is forbidden to buy, sell, hire workers, etc. on Shabbat (even with a non-Jew) out of fear that one involved in commerce may come to write, even if he does no physical action (Rambam, Shabbat 23:13-14). Some poskim say that one cannot even do a transaction before Shabbat that will take effect on Shabbat (Shut R. Akiva Eiger 159). At first glance, through your machine, you will have a sale take effect on your behalf on Shabbat. However, others say that if the Jew is not involved in any act of commerce on Shabbat, it is permitted (Maharam Shick OC 131), as is the case here. Furthermore, you are not doing anything to single out Shabbat as the day for transactions to take effect, as you would presumably be happy if your machine sold out from purchases before or after Shabbat (see Chelkat Ya'akov, OC 67). Some suggest that you should have in mind that the formal transaction not take place on Shabbat, as you can intend that whoever puts money in the machine can take the item he desires without formally receiving ownership (ibid.) or by giving a present before Shabbat to whoever will put in money of the item he will select (Minchat Yitzchak (III, 34). You can intend to take ownership of the coins after Shabbat. These poskim add that the machines should not be located in your domain or be publicly known as yours, although it is not clear why that is important in this case (see B'mareh Habazk, ibid.).

S'char Shabbat - The primary prohibition of receiving pay for that which occurs on Shabbat is that one should not be paid for work he does. If he receives money without doing anything on Shabbat, one could argue that it is not problematic. However, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 246:1) says that a Jew may not receive profits from renting out an object for Shabbat, even if he does nothing on Shabbat. However, in this case, the payment is primarily to buy objects found in the vending machine. The prohibition of s'char Shabbat does not forbid receiving the value of an object that one gave to another, even if it was given on Shabbat (NodaB'yehuda II, OC 26, accepted by Shemirat Shabbat K'hilchata 28:51 and Minchat Yitzchak III, 34). (One has to solve the problem of doing commerce on Shabbat, as we did above). Even if one argues that besides the value of the object, one pays for the service of providing a vending machine, that extra payment is considered "swallowed up" in the non-problematic payment (havla'ah). Havla'ah of Shabbat pay is permitted (Shulchan Aruch, OC 306:4). (Parameters of that rule are beyond our present scope.)

In the final analysis, there are sufficient grounds to allow you to put a vending machine in a place where most of its use on Shabbat will be for non-Jews.

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] Candle by Day
There is a time for everything, but who has it?
From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

[3]  From Aloh Naaleh
The Zohar on our sedra [Vayikra 12] states: "'And God spoke to Moshe saying: When a woman, etc.' Rabbi Elazar said: 'By night on my bed I sought him' [Shir ha-Shirim 3:1]. It says: 'On my bed,' and not 'in my bed.' What is meant by 'on my bed'? Knesset Yisrael said to the Holy One, blessed be He, questioning the Galut. 'We lie among the nations in the dust of unclean lands.'" Thus, "on the bed," and not "in the bed," which suggests an intimate relationship with the King.
Jewish self-alienation and national fragmentation is only mitigated by the state of Israel. Living a Jewish life in the land of Israel assumes redemptive significance. Time and space, the union of physical and spiritual with 'person' is the Divine equilateral triangle, the perfect shape. Rav Kook has taught that Knesset Yisrael [the nation], the land and time [Shabbat and festivals] are inextricably linked; it is a shared identity with the Divine as stated in the Zohar [Behar]: God, Torah, and Israel are one.
Overcoming alienation and fragmentation is the desire of every created being. It is the return of the self to the Eternal self. How appropriate is it that our sedra speaks about birth and the covenant of circumcision. The brit-covenant is the removal of the orlah-the foreskin, the classic symbol of alienation, a chatzitza (separation).
Erev Shabbat in Jerusalem, early in the day at the Machane Yehuda market and later at candle lighting time, one may experience this unity of time, space, and person. Those who have come home, who have returned, will overcome the self- alienation of Galut and the fragmentation of dual allegiance. The goal of Yichud and Devekut, the wondrous unity of the One, is our portion in this Holy Land that merges time, space, and person. E. Shalem [Steinhorn]

[4] MicroUlpan
Here's an example of a word with an original meaning that has been borrowed by modern Hebrew to mean something else, not entirely off the subject. Z'HORIT originally was a synonym for SHANI, the crimson dye used in the Mishkan and for the garments of the Kohein Gadol. Today it means synthetic silk or rayon.

[5] A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit
R' Naftali of Ropshitz was famous for his sense of humor. He would say: "At first I thought that I would not become a Rav, because a Rav must flatter his congregants. Instead, I decided to become a tailor. Then I saw that tailors too flatter their clients. I decided I would become a shoemaker. Again I saw that shoe- makers flatter those who buy their shoes. I decided to be a bathhouse attendant - and again I saw that they too flatter their clients. If that is the case - I said to myself - why is it any worse to become a Rav? And thus I became a Rav.

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).
Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder

[6] Parsha Points to Ponder - Parshat TAZRI'A:
1) A first born son is redeemed after 30 days because at this point it is established that the child is viable. Why, then, do we wait only 8 days before circumcising a child as described in the beginning of this week's Parsha?
2) Why does the Torah first call the children that are born "male" & "female" (12:3,5) and then switch to "son" & "daughter" (12:6)?
3) Why do we no longer experience the skin afflictions like tzaraat which is described in this week's Parsha?

Last week's Parsha Points to Ponder
(1) Why didn't Moshe teach Aharon the KETORET procedure at the time when he taught him how to do all of the other sacrifices?

Imrei Shefer suggests that Rashi's words "al maase ketoret" do not mean how to perform the incense service but rather "regarding the happening with the incense service". This, he explains, refers to the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, which came as a result of the inappropriate way in which they did the incense service. Moshe, knowing the dangers involved with this service, taught Aharon how to deal and react in a Torah way with any subsequent tragedies.
(2) Why does the Torah use three different tenses when describing the animals without split hooves?
Malbim explains that the past tense is the appropriate one here referring to the creation of these animals - so we must explain the use of other tenses. The camel's feet resemble split hooves but they are not completely split. Thus, it would not be proper to say it in the past which implies it has no semblance of a split hoof at all. Therefore, the present is used. In the end, it is not completely split. Regarding the shafan, there were some which had split hooves on the hind legs. People thought that perhaps over time the front legs would also develop split hooves. Thus, the Torah addresses this by emphatically stating that, even in the future, the shafan will never have split hooves.
(3) What is the significance of the tradition which teaches that the VAV of GACHON meaning "stomach" is the middle letter of the Torah?

It is interesting to note that the VAV of GACHON is NOT the middle letter of the Torah by any count. teaches that there are 16 letters in the Torah which must be written smaller of larger than the normal letters. Rav Menachem Kasher (Torah Shelemah) points out that the VAV of GACHON is the middle of that list of letters. According to this approach, the teaching of the Gemara clarifies that we have the correct number of big and small letters in our tradition.

Ed. note: There are many problems with this explanation of the VAV being the middle letter. 16 has no middle letter. Scribal tradition varies and there are other letters besides these 16 that are written large or small in some traditions, with the VAV not being the middle one. And more. But this is one explanation.

Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman of Beit Shemesh. ppp@israelcenter.co.il

[7] More
In Parsha Points to Ponder, the topic of large and small letters in the Torah was brought up. Tazri'a has one such "odd" letter, the GIMEL of the word V’hitGalach, and he shall shave himself. Reasons are not always known for the Scribal Tradition of writing these odd letters, and sometimes it is a matter of speculation rather than a firm reason. For this GIMEL, commentaries suggest that it reminds us of 3 (GIMEL) differences between this shaving and others. It can be done by anyone, not just a kohen, not just with a razor, but other devices, and even a NAZIR who is forbidden to shave, must.

[8]  Birkat HaIlanot (the hard copy of TT has the full Hebrew version of the Bracha)
The following bracha is said only once a year, during the month of Nissan, on fruit trees in blossom.
It is not said on flowering trees that do not bear fruit. (If you are not sure, the bracha should not be said.)
It is not said on fruit trees that already have fruit; only on fruit trees when they are displaying the flower blossoms that precede their fruit.
It is preferable to say the bracha on at least two trees.
The bracha should be said with a sense of awe, appreciation, admiration, and joy of HaShem and the world He created for us. We specifically acknowledge Him in the presence of fruit trees which delight our senses with their floral displays, even before they provide us with their tasty fruit. We realize that this is an extra-special gift from
G-d to us.

TREES by Joyce Kilmer
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks to God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.


[9] G'matriya Match
That Brit Mila is a very important mitzva is axiomatic in Judaism. There is a cute (pardon the word, but it sort of fits) g'matriya that is used to illustrate that BRIT is equal to all the other mitzvot in the Torah taken together. 613 mitzvot; BRIT is one; 612 others. G'matriya of BRIT is 612.

SEH TAMIM ZACHAR BEN SHANA YI'HI'YE LACHEM MIN H'K'VASIM U'MIN HA'IZIM TIKACHU:
This pasuk from Parshat HaChodesh (Sh'mot 12:5) deals with the ultimate dining experience - the selecting of a blemish-free lamb or goat for one's Korban Pesach. Both a physical delight - a small portion of roast lamb when one is satisfied but not stuffed from his Seder meal, and of great spiritual significance - remembering the Exodus, reliving Freedom, membership rite in Klal Yisrael, reminder of G-d's special protection for each and every Jew.

A computer search (with TES's Torah Codes 2000 or a new program called GEMATRION) reveals another pasuk that deals with food of a very different kind for man in a different relationship with G-d.
V'KOTZ V'DARDAR TATZMIACH LACH V'A'CHALTA ET EISEV HASADEH:

[10] Divrei Menachem
As we read the opening lines of Parshat Tazria we wonder afresh at the mystery of life. We are, however, led once again to the perennial question as to why the Torah discussed previously the purity of animals (including creeping things) before addressing the purity of a woman who gives birth.

We might first consider the approach of Ramban who in his famous Igeret suggests that this precedence implies that it is the quality of the (animal) food we eat that affects our intrinsic nature - and the behavior of our children. After all, is food not broken down into its parts and built up again in our bodies?

Alternatively, we could comprehend that it is the discipline of eating kosher food and elevating it with appropriate blessings that fashions the character of our offspring.

Be that as it may, the Baal HaTanya puts the juxtaposition of the animal and human into another perspective. He reminds us that, as Jews, when we serve G-d's purpose we elevate ourselves and the surrounding cosmos. Paradoxically, the lowliest form of life always conforms to Hashem's will. But if we, who were created in Hashem's image, digress from this course, then we sunk lower than the lowliest worm or the most parasitical mosquito. For we had free choice and we failed to exert that profound present granted to us. That is food for thought…

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.

The Lower Levels of Impurity - the Zav
In last week's TT (662), we noted that there are two categories of Tum'ah, impurity. One form, called in the language of the Sages Tum'at HaKedushot ("spiritual impurity") or Tum'at HaNefashot ("impurity of the soul"), is engendered by illicit sexual relationships or the consumption of forbidden foods. The second category of Tum'ah is called Tum'at HaGeviot, "bodily or ritual impurity". We recalled the Malbim's comment based on the Sifra, Shemini, Parsha 5:106, "The opposite of Tum'at HaNefashot is holiness... the opposite of Tum'at HaGeviot is Tohara, ritual purity".

We noted that it was not sinful to be Tamei - to be in a state of ritual impurity. On the contrary, it may be meritorious (e.g. going to a funeral) or even a Mitzva (e.g. if a neglected corpse was found unburied, even a Kohein Gadol was required to violate ritual purity and immediately attend to its burial, Nazir 7:1). Therefore under normal conditions, it was not unlawful for a Yisrael to be defiled with Tum'at Meit (corpse-impurity, the most virulent form of Tum'ah), or for a Kohein to be defiled with one of the lower forms of impurity. However it was sinful if the Kohein or Yisrael entered the Mikdash complex or ate Kodashim (e.g. sacrificial meat) while Tamei. Since Tum'at HaGeviot is not a contamination of the soul, the Kohein or Yisrael who is ritually impure can remove it by undergoing the proper rite of purification.

If Kohanim/Yisraelim / men/women did not undergo purification for any reason, they were excluded from the Mikdash complex and were proscribed from eating Kodashim until they did. Some who were "infected" with a more severe form of Tum'at HaGeviot such as a Zav, (the man who experienced certain unusual seminal emissions)a Zava, (a woman who had abnormal Nida-like bleeding after the conclusion of her normal menstrual period), a Nida and a Yoledet (the parturient), were excluded from Har HaBayit.

A Metzora, "leper", was excluded from Jerusalem and other walled cities altogether (Keilim 1:7). "A T'mei Meit was permitted to enter the Levitical camp and they said this not only about the T'mei Meit, but even about the dead body itself, for it is said, 'and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him' (Sh'mot 13:19). 'With him' implies within his area" (Pesachim 67a). Since Moshe was a Levi, he kept the bones of Yosef "with him" in the area of the camp where the Leviyim lived. Centuries later, the term "Levitical Camp" was "translated" in "Mikdash-terms" as signifying Har HaBayit. For this reason, the Sages allowed entry to Har HaBayit to a Yisrael who was contaminated with Tum'at Meit and even to a corpse. And Har HaBayit was an area where those bearing a lesser form of impurity - Zav,Zava, Nida, and Metzora - were barred from entering (Keilim 1:8)!

Aside from Tum'at Meit (acquired by coming into contact with a corpse, being in the same room as a corpse, coming into contact with a grave, etc.), there are eleven lower forms of Tum'at HaGeviot, ritual impurity. 6 are emitted by a living Yisrael.

ZAV - "Any man who will have a discharge (abnormal seminal emissions) from his flesh… " (Vayikra 15:2,3,13-15). If a man is afflicted with two such seminal issues on one day or once on two consecutive days, halachically he becomes a Zav, a "father of impurity", and is capable of rendering people, vessels and food impure.If and when his condition improved and he no longer had this condition, he had to count seven "clean days" i.e. days when he inspected himself and his clothing thoroughly and was able to visually certify that for seven days his aberrant condition had ceased. On the evening of the seventh day he was required to immerse"himself and his clothing in living water" - i.e. flowing spring water. The Zav was the only Tamei who required actual flowing spring water for his immersion; immersion in a Mikveh was not sufficient.

The Sifra comments, "…the Zav (requires immersion) in 'living water', the Metzora does not require (immersion) in living water (Metzora, Parsha 5:151). After the sun set, he could eat Kodashim and on the morrow, he could enter the Mikdash compound. But if he noticed three abnormal issues of semen in one day, or in two days or one issue of semen for three consecutive days, he counted the required "seven clean days", immersed "himself and his clothing in living water", and then became a Mechusar Kapara. On the eighth day he brought to the Mikdash either two turtle doves or young pigeons, one for a Chatat and the other for an Olah. The Mishna reads, "There is no difference between the Zav who makes two observations - and notices marks of an abnormal seminal flow - the Zav who makes three observations - and notices marks of an abnormal seminal flow - except in the matter of the sacrifice" (Megila 1:7)

The Sifra derived a very important halacha from the pasuk, "Whomever the Zav touches without having rinsed his hands in the water, shall immerse his garments and immerse himself in the water, and he remains impure until the evening" (Vayikra 15:11). The Torah says "rinsing of hands" instead of immersion to teach us that only the external 'revealed' parts of the body (e.g. skin, hair) must be immersed, not the "hidden parts" (Metzora, Parsha 2:142). The Malbim comments, "…only visible parts of the body such as hands must be immersed, not the hidden areas - i.e. a person immersing does not have to open his mouth and admit water to "purify" his tongue. The Gemara interpreted the pasuk, "'...and he shall bathe his flesh in water' (Vayikra 15:13), just as the (body's) flesh is exposed, so must (everything that requires contact with water) be exposed" (Kidushin 25a).

The Sages concluded that this halacha applied not only to the Zav but to anyone who required immersion.
I found a fascinating Vayikra Rabba (18:1) which contends that ZIVA (the physiological condition that the Zav has), like Tzara'at, was not an ordinary medical condition. Vayikra Rabba postulates that Ziva like Tzara'at is an extraordinary punishment from On High for specific spiritual deficiencies and sins. Vayikra Rabba reads, "'Remember then thy Creator in the days of thy youth before the evil days come…' (Kohelet 12:1). ("The evil days") refer to old age. If a man sins in his youth, he is stricken with Tzara'at and Zivah…" The Midrash compares Tzara'at with Ziva which means that according to the Midrash, Ziva falls into the same category as Tzara'at, i.e., a sin-caused chastisement from On High. Torah Shleima, commenting on this Midrash, applies to these young transgressors a vivid pasuk in Havakuk 1:7, "…their law and their majesty proceed from themselves". Because of their unbridled arrogance, instead of observing Torah law, they create their own law and as a result, "they are punished with Zivut and Tzara'at." <to be continued>

Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service


Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service

Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading
In the EIM LAMASORET section of EIM LAMIK- RA HASHALEM by R' Nissan Sharoni (the main, but not only, source for this column) he flags TAZRI'A with a warning to BAALEI K'RI'A to prepare well because of the large number of HUs and HIs. Another warning is to be careful with identical or similar phrases that have differentTROP-notes.

Here's another "heads-up". The word TA-HO-RAH has a KAMATZ GADOL under the TET, which in S'fardit pronunciation is TA and in Ashkenazis is TAW. Same for the KAMATZ GADOL under the REISH - RA or RAW. The CHATAF-KAMATZ under the first HEI is pronounced like a short KAMATZ KATAN, HAW (Ashkenazis) or some- thing close to HO(S'fardit). TA-HO-RA or TAW- HAW-RAW. Of four times the word appears, twice there is a MAPIK (dot) in the final HEI and twice there isn't. BIDMEI or D'MEI TA-HO-RA, silent HEI at the end of the word, meaning "ritually clean blood". Y'MEI TA-HO-RAHHH, meaning her purification period. This is an illustration of a soundedHEI having a different meaning from a silent HEI.

Here's a word that complicates the issue further. Look in Vayikra 13:4 and 20, US (rhymes with loose) ARA, and its hair (referring to a BAHERET, a spot in the skin), in the first case stating that the hair did not turn yellow, in the second case, it did turn yellow. In both cases, the word should be US- ARAHHH with a sounded HEI because of its MAPIK. The one in 13:20 has a MAPIK, the one in 13:4 does not. That this is strange is attested to by the fact that in most Chumashim, the word has an asterisk (or its equivalent) and a footnote (or side note) tells you of the Tradition not to pronounce the word with the MAPIK it should really have. So here's the question. If a BK reads the first US-ARA with an aspirated HEI, do we allow it to stand, because it is the grammatically correct pronunciation, or do we say that the Masoret (Tradition) specifically tells us not to aspirate the HEI and therefore we should consider the word mispronounced to a fault.

In all cases like these, a BK should prepare well enough to be meticulous about all of the fine nuances of pronunciation and TROP. And in all cases, we must avoid embarrassing a BK who does make an error by having a bunch of people "jumping down his throat" when a correction need be made. One of the GABA'IM on the BIMA should both pay careful attention and be knowledgeable about which errors require rereading the word or phrase (or pasuk) and which can be allowed to pass. And the corrections should be made quietly and gently.

Parsha Pix
Top row, left to right: baby boy, 7+33 days for the mother. Knife for Brit Mila. Then a baby girl with 14+60 days. The numbers are the days of Tum'a and Tahara following a birth. Then come the dove and lamb, which are two parts of the Korban Yoledet, the offerings of the woman who has given birth.
On the next row (from the left) is a hand afflicted by a NEGA and a shirt, representing those garments and materials that are able to be afflicted with NIG'EI HABEGED.
They are followed by a CHAMELION, noted for changing colors - a significant factor in the determination of NEGA'IM.
Plus 2 visual TTriddles.
The traffic light was a visual TTriddle last year. It also refers to the changing of colors in the NEGA'IM. This is a particularly appropriate graphic to use for this, since its colors are all mentioned in the sedra. Hair in a wound changing to yellow (or not). And the term Y'RAKRAK, greenish (or maybe strong green). So too ADAMDAM, reddish, or powerful red.
In the lower-right corner is HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohein Kook, zt"l, wearing glasses. This stands for the oft repeated V'RA'A HAKOHEN, and the kohein saw. Searching the Tanach, one finds that the phrase occurs 14 times altogether, 13 in Tazri'a (chapter 13 therein) and once , a 14th time, in chapter 14 (M'tzora). And to make the life of a Bar Mitzva boy who is trying to study this parsha miserable, the V'RA'A HAKOHEN phrase comes in 8 different TROP-combinations. And this doesn't take into account the 5 V'RA'AHU HAKOHENs with their TROP variations. And this is also not to mention the 40 HEI-VAV-ALEFs in this short sedra, 18 of which are HI (meaning she) and 22 of which are HU (meaning he), but in most cases really meaning "it". And none of this mentions M'tzora, another hard sedra to learn well, which is more often combined with Tazri'a than not. But we digress...
In the lower left corner is a calendar marked with a 1. This obviously represents HaChodesh and the mitzva to make the calendar, and the designation of Nissan as the first month among the months.
That leaves two unexplained items which are visual TTriddles.

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. The best 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 (SHEMINI-Para) TTriddles:
[1] Bale of turtles. Army of turtles?
[2] Beginning of the second half of what Par'o thought was his first dream
[3] TTriddle-proof allowing grape juice for what?
[4] Lutjanidae are because they have them and something else
[5] major, minor, chromatic, pentatonic, Harri Holkeri, Karita Mattila
[6] plus elements from the Parsha Pix

And the envelope, please...
[1] After the Torah tells us of the mammals, fish, birds, and insects that we may and may not eat, there is a list of small animals that "breed on land". They are all non-kosher. Named among them is the TZAV. Rav Aryeh Kaplan renders the TZAV as ferret, claiming that the other animals in the same pasuk are also mammals (weasel and mouse). In modern Hebrew, the TZAV is a turtle. Targum Onkeles for TZAV is TZAVA, the same word as the Hebrew for army. That led to one of the many websites that list the special names of groups of animals. Herd of antelope, pride of lions, gaggle of geese, et al. Some group names are quite fanciful: murder of crows, convocation of eagles, prickle of porcupines, and a bale of turtles. But our suggestion based on Onkeles is "army of turtles" (or ferrets). (The list of collective nouns has business or fesnying of ferrets.)
[2] Par'o thought he had two dreams - one with cows and one with grain. Yosef told him that the dreams were one. The first half of the first (part of the) dream were the seven healthy, fat cows. The beginning of the second half is the eighth (SH'MINI) cow (PARA) as in last Shabbat's designation: SH'MINI-PARA.
[3] TTriddle-proof is not like child-proof, but a proof, TTriddle style, that grape juice is acceptable for Havdala. The Torah says (Vayikra 10:9-10) that wine and beer cannot be drunk... and to distinguish (HAVDALA) between Kodesh and Chol...If one cannot drink wine for Havdala, then it follows that grape juice is acceptable. (Remember, this is only in the world of TTriddles, not halacha, since the text is not talking about Havdala.)
[4] Lutjanidae is the family of fish known as snapper. They are (kosher) because they have (SNAPIR - snapper, get it?) and something else (scales).
[5] major, minor, chromatic, and pentatonic are types of musical scales. Harri Holkeri is a former prime minister of Finland and former speaker of the UN General Assembly. Karita Mattila is a famous opera singer from Finland. So this TTriddle's solution is scales and Finns.
[6] In the ParshaPix are six items representing kosher and non-kosher mammals, birds, and fish.
The mammals are represented by two NFL football teams - the Chicago Bears (not kosher) and the St. Louis Rams (kosher). The kite is for a kite, a predatory bird in the hawk family (not kosher). The kosher bird is represented by the logo of an NHL hockey team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. A skate is a non-kosher fish closely related to rays and sharks. And the spearhead is called a pike, which is a kosher fish.
[7] The other unexplained elements of the Parsha- Pix are the flag of Denmark and the symbol for a traffic circle (a.k.a. roundabout) with N7/M50 below it. Both these pictures represent the Para Aduma. In past years, we used a red cow with a Communist (Red) hammer and sickle. We decided an more obscure things this year. In surfing the web for "red cow", two interesting TTriddle possibilities came up. The red background of the Danish flag is based on the skin of a red cow. And there is a roundabout in Ireland where the National Primary Route N7 intersects the M50 motorway, known as the Red Cow Roundabout. Believe it or not, GR got the roundabout (and others). We'll see what else he and other TTriddlers come up with.

This week's TTriddles:
[1] Matza and this day
[2] Haftara reminder of Purim
[3] Some give them honorable mention this Shabbat
[4] If ZELIG is the boy, what's the girl's name?
[5] Each can get them. Together they are what?
[6] 2 elements from the Parsha Pix

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To the participants in the In-House Shabbaton - Have a great Shabbat!


Sunday, April 17th • 8:00am-5:00pm (approx.): Matza, Wine and the Desert, Join our Pre-Pesach family tour to the • Chabad Matza Bakery, See how Shmura Matza is made, make your own matza, enjoy a Pesach play (in Hebrew) Great for kids & adults, • Carmel Mizrachi Winery in Rishon L'Tzion: Tour the winery, wine tasting, and an English presentation on wine making, • Ashdod Sand Park Climb the sand dunes, great fun for the whole family, All participants receive a holiday gift of matza and wine, Tour guide: Jolie Schockett, Price: 100NIS (members; non-members add 20NIS)

Monday, May 2nd, 1:00-4:00pm (Right after Pesach), The Heart of our Holy City: An interesting tour of the Jerusalem Municipality at Safra Square, Following that tour (in the building next door) we will have an inspiring tour of the Museum of the Underground Prisoners (during the British Mandate in Jerusalem), We will have coffee and cake as part of this tour to celebrate a Special Event, Price: 33NIS • Limited to 33 participants, Your paid reservations must be in before Pesach, Call the Travel Desk at 566 7787 ext. 244 or 261

The Sussia and the Alon Center for Bedouin Culture Tiyul on May 4th is BOOKED, If you want to be put on a waiting list, please call the Travel Desk

For reservations at the hotels listed below or any other Israeli hotels, please call the Travel Desk 566 7787, ext. 244.
Please note: Hotels are sometimes booked by the time you respond to the deals on this page. Or sometimes they make last minute changes in their deals. It is frustrating to both you & us. We ask for your understanding. We will do our best to help out.

Neptune, Eilat, valid April 10-14
MIDWEEK, 349NIS per couple, per night, B/B

Sheraton, Dead Sea, valid April 14-15
650nis Per couple, H/B

Prima Palace, Jerusalem, valid April 22-30
Pesach Package (8 nights), 8200nis per couple, H/B (Includes Seder)

Grand Beach, Tel Aviv, valid April 25-28
Chol HaMoed min. 3 nights, 650NIS per couple, per night, H/B

Princess, Eilat, valid April 25-28
Chol HaMoed min. 3 nights, 1590NIS per couple, per night, B/B

Sheraton Plaza, Jerusalem, valid April 8-9
This Shabbat, 1095 per couplet, 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 TT663
The Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults is the educational component of the Seymour J.Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center and incorporates all the classes & lectures of the OU Israel Center. "Regular" classes & lectures - 20NIS members, 25NIS non- members. Life members, 5NIS (except for programs of/ withother 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), 28 Adar B - 5 Nissan (April 8-15)

Friday
9:00am (men & women) Overview of Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Chaim Eisen

People in walking distance are invited to join the Shabbaton participants in the davening and shiurim throughout Shabbat, as follows

Friday nite
5:30pm Mincha (before Plag)
5:45pm Candle lighting (for Shabbaton participants)
5:50pm Kabbalat Shabbat, Maariv
8:30pm (approx.) Shabbat Erev Pesach Now & Then, Shiur by Phil Chernofsky • Oneg Shabbat

Shabbat day
7:30am Pre-davening mini-shiur
8:00am Shacharit, Rosh Chodesh Benching, Musaf, Chazan Binyamin Munk and sons, Carlebach-style and light chazanut
12:15pm (approx.) Shiur by Rabbi Efraim Sprecher: Why the birth mother (not the father) becomes Tamei? Kabalistic concept of Tum'ah vs. Tahara
1:15pm Mincha Gedola
3:50pm (approx.) Hagada preview and review - Phil
5:00pm Shabbat afternoon shiur by Rabbi Chanoch Yeres
6:00pm The "other" Mincha (choose one, not both) Ask the Rabbi session
7:30pm Maariv (Shabbat ends 7:41pm), Havdala

Motza”Sh
Motza'ei Shabbat, Leil Rosh Chodesh NissanApril 9th, 9:30pm • Rosh Chodesh refreshments, More of everything you always wanted to know (but didn't know you wanted to know)about the Jewish Calendar with Phil Chernofsky

SUN-Thu in the Ganchrow Beis Medrash (first floor)
10:00am Masechet Kiddushin with Rabbi Pesach (Paul) Greenman
1:20pm Mincha (this time stays the same throughout the year)
3:00pm Daf Yomi by Rabbi Shmuel Halpern
4:30pm Shiur in Masechet Sanhedrin by Rabbi Hillel Ruvel
Note: Rabbi Halpern and Rabbi Ruvel will resume their shiurim IY"H after Pesach. Rabbi Greenman will be giving shiur this coming Wed. & Thu. (possibly Monday) and then breaking until after Pesach

Sunday
N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:30-12:45
9:30am (women) Mystical Insights into the Months of the Year with Golda Warhaftig
10:30 (women) Let's Learn Chumash with Tonia Frohwein
11:30am (M&W) Parshat HaShavua with ShprintzeeHerskovits
Sundays 12:30pm • Creative Life Education: This Golden Age We Live In, Alternating presenters, incl. Dr. Vivienne Damelin, Aharon Romm
Sunday 7:30pm (men & women) Issues in Jewish Thought as they emerges from the Torah with the help of Ramban's Commentary - Now Studying: The genealogy of No'ach's descendants: A link to what past? with Rabbi Chaim Eisen
PESACH STUDIES IN THE TANA'CH
Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Nisan, April 10 • for men & women • 25NIS
6:40pm Mincha
7:00pm PESACH – A Journey in Time: The Celebration of Eretz-Israel and Beit- HaMikdash — Rabbi Dr. Joseph C. Klausner-Yedidyahu
7:45pm Ma'ariv
8:00pm Shir HaShirim - Alliance with HaShem: Am Israel's Two Formative Stages of Development — Rabbi Efraim Sprecher
8:45pm The Haftara of Shabbat HaGadol: The Vision of Malachi and Geula Rabbi Mordechai Machlis
Sponsored by B'Iqvot Avoteinu, Institute for Studies in the TANACH

Monday
N'SHEI LIBRARY - 10:00-12:30
9:15am (men & women) Excursions into the World of Nvi'im with Mrs. Pearl Borow
Yesha Products Fair at the Israel Center on Monday, April 11th, Kosher for Pessach wines, olive oil, spices, juices; Judaica, gift glassware, cosmetics, and art items.
on sale: Jewish Books for Adults and Children by Simcha Publishing • Mondays 10:00-12:00
10:30am (men & women) Pesach Shopping & Prep with Phil Chernofsky
Mondays, 11:35am (after Rabbi Leff's shiur): Jewish History Series by Dr. Henry Goldblum, This week: 4th Century BCE: Jewry towards the close of the Perisan Age, After this Monday's class, Dr. Goldblum's series will recess for Pesac hand resume IY"H on Monday, May 9th
Fit Forever: Look & Feel your Best! Exercise for women of all ages, Mondays 11:35-12:35pm, Gentle exercises to improve flexibility, circulation, posture, etc. Breathing and relaxation skills to use every day.
Monday, APR 11th, 12:30pm, in the Library (free), Lunch and Video Experiencing the Exodus in Every Generation / The Seder Plate, 2 shiurim by Rabbi David Derovan
3:00-5:00pm - Women's Beit Midrash, Acquire study skills and knowledge crucial to your life as a Jew - join us! Guided Chavruta study with Pearl Borow, Fine Tuning Shabbat (with text) - Phil Chernofsky
Pri Chadash Women's Writing Workshop with Ruth Fogelman (628-7359) & Mindy Aber Barad (643-5276)
MON 8:30pm • AM SEGULA “Curing the Jewish Heart” lecture series with Eli Yosef
MASK - Mothers & Fathers Aligned Saving Kids, J'lem Chapter at the OU Israel Center • www.maskjerusalem.cjb.net • 050-754-2717, NEXT MEETING: Monday, April 11th, 7:30-9:30pm
Take a day for yourself and really prepare for Pesach this year spiritually and practically! An Amazing PRE-PESACH SEMINAR: Cleaning from the Inside Out. An inspirational and fun evening!Learn, introspect, and gain practical tools for Pesach preparation and tips for a meaningful Pesach. This year, go into Pesach as a 'Bat Chorin' instead of a 'Korban Pesach'. LECH LECHA PRESENTS A workshop for women led byRebecca Rubinstein (group facilitator of Lech Lecha Workshops), Monday, April 11th, 7:30-10:00pm • 40NIS/50NIS

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 - New additional hours for theGemach - Tue. 7:00-9:00pm
Tuesdays, 9:00am: The Meaning of Mitzvot • Rabbi Aharon Adler
Tuesdays, 10:15am Why Pesach is Seven Days? • Rabbi Yosef Wolicki
9:00am & 9:55am: Torah Secrets with Dr. Hayim Abramson
11:00am: Torah Secrets with Dr. Hayim Abramson (in Hebrew)
10:50am: Parshat HaShavua with Rabbi Mordechai Spiegelman
resumes May 10th (women) Review of the weekly Farbrengens of the Lubavitcher Rebbe with Raizel Zisk
Tuesday, April 12th, 12:30pm, in the Library (free): Silence and Song on Pesach by Mrs. Golda Warhaftig
The Art of Simcha Tuesdays, 12:00-1:30pm:post-Purim, pre-Pesach innovative workshop,
Tuesdays, 2:00pm: Logical Self Discovery with Leah Zitter, A practical introduction that demonstrates how principles of Informal Logic and General Semantics can help you think profitably, communicate effectively, and resolve conflict in all areas of your life
Daughter-Mother Bat Mitzva program with Pearl Borow beginning Tuesday, April 12th, 5:00-6:00pm • 8 sessions, Space available • Call 671-3567 for further details
New class for the serious and curious: "The Languages of the Bible" Taught by Yoel Lerner, Tuesdays, 8:00pm
Tuesday, April 12th, 8:00-9:30pm Separate seating available: DOES ELIYAHU REALLY NEED A DOOR?, Understanding how to open our INNER doors at Pesach-time, Another Chassidic learning experience with...R' Yaacov Yisroel Bar Chaiim, Educational counselor, writer, Slonimer Chossid

Wednesday
Wednesdays, 9:10am • Current Issues in Halacha - Rabbi Macy Gordon on Erev Pesach on Shabbat: What are the Issues?
Wednesday mornings: Sale of Silver Jewelry by McJewelry
Wednesdays, 10:30am: Rabbi Yosef Wolicki on Parshat HaShavua
Chani Abramson & Jackie Lowenstein are both in Pesach recess until May 4thWed. April 13th:, 12:30pm, in the Library (free), lunch and video: Contradictory Symbols and Conflicting Motifs at the Seder by Rabbi Chaim Eisen
3:00pm: (men & women) Women in Tanach with Pearl Borow
3:00-5:00pm - Women's Beit Midrash: Acquire study skills and knowledge crucial to your life as a Jew - join us! Guided Chavruta study with Pearl Borow
7:30pm (Men & Women) Jewish Philosophy, Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed - Now studying: Ta’amei Mitzvot: Ta’amei Mitzvot: Understanding the Torah's Approach to Sex with Rabbi Chaim Eisen
Special Shiur on the 11th Yahrzeit of Rabbi Joseph Schapiro z"l: Seuda Sh'lishit on Shabbat Erev Pesach by Rabbi Reuven Aberman, Wednesday, April 13th, 4 Nissan • 8:00pm at the Israel Center
RESUMES after Pesach: Wednesdays, 8:00pm • Sponsored by Creative Life Education: TACHLIS BUSINESS COACHING with Yaffah Batya daCosta

Thursday
THU: Dvar Torah by Menachem Persoff
Art Workshop Thursdays, 10:00-12:00: Weekly drawing class (other media possible) Call Rachael at (02) 627-1577 for details
time varies: Shiur while you fold. with Phil Chernofsky
8:00pm: Legends from the Gemara with Reb Yosef Schreiber
Root & Branch Association in cooperation with the Israel Center
Thursday, April 14th • 20:00
The Disengagement, the Fence,and the War of Gog and Magog, in Tanach by Dr. Yacov M. Tabak, Info: rb@rb.org.il • NIS25 per person, members NIS20, students NIS10

Friday
9:00am: (men & women) Overview of Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Chaim Eisen

Friday EVE
"Early Shabbat Minyan": Mincha 15 mins. before Plag; Kabbalat Shabbat after Plag, Aside from at the Shabbaton this Shabbat, the Early Shabbat Minyan will begin IY"H on the Shabbat following Pesach,Erev Shabbat Parshat K'doshim, Friday May 6th, Mincha will be 5:43pm, Plag is 5:58pm, Kabbalat Shabbat., Mincha: Emor 5:47pm • B'har 5:51pm • B'chukotai 5:55pm

UPCOMING at the Israel Center

Feeling emotional pain? Experiencing depression, anxiety, anger, lack of focus, or an inability to make your needs understood? In this stressful era, all of us have these feelings sometimes. When we feel owned by these feelings, it's time to find methods to regain control of ourselves. Acquire practical skills to help improve self-esteem, self-control, and interpersonal effectiveness. Cognitive-behavior oriented group for women begining after Pesach. Limited space. Register NOW • Call Judith Rosenblum, M.S.W. 052-511-8407or Devora Weinberger, B.A., therapist, Hadassah Hospital Trainee in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, M.A. Physcology Candidate 050-635-5982

Motza'ei Shabbat, April 16th, 9:00pm, Shabbat HaGadol Drasha (one week early) by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin: Tsumani and the Ten Plagues:Are Natural Disasters Divine Punishments? How do we understand Bad Things Happening to Good People Reflections on the Hagada
The Drasha will take place at Yeshurun Synagogue, King George Street cor. Shmuel HaNagid Street (not at the Israel Center), Co-sponsored byOhr Torah Stone Institutions • Yisrael HaTzair in Israel • Israel Center, No charge • Separate seating

TUE, April 19th • 7:00pm"Gentlemen's Agreement", Rerun for the "night audience". Classic, with Gregory Peck as a Christian journalist who pretends to be Jewish in order to experience anti-Semitism firsthand. He encounters bigotry and hatred which he reports in his stories. Director Elia Kazan received an Academy Award forthis film.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING...There is no charge for ICVC showings. Because there is limited seating, admission is on a "first come - first served" basis. Once the room is filled, there will be no further admissions. Occasionally, it may be necessary to substitute a film for the announced presentation. This would only be done when it is unavoidable. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this causes. Thank you for your cooperation and happy viewing!

Gala Dinner of the Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center, Rabbinic Leadership Award: Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Keter Torah Award: Phil Chernofsky, Gemilut Chessed Award: Dudi Zilbershlag, Eishet Chayil Award: Perel Azaria, Sunday, June 5, '05, Leil Yom Yerushalayim, at the Renaissance Hotel, For reservations and journal ads call (02) 566-7787 ext. 203 email: dinner@israelcenter.co.il

Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center, Second Annual Dinner
Sunday evening, 5 June '05 Leil Yom Yerushalayim
Dear Friend,
We are pleased to announce that our Second Annual Dinner will take place on Leil Yom Yerushalayim, Sunday evening, 5 June '05. The Reception will begin at 6:00pm. This will be followed by a brief awards ceremony honoring our Guests of Honor, which will kick off the formal Dinner [and inspirational Yom Yerushalayim program] promptly at 7:00pm and conclude no later than 9.45pm.
We are blessed with four outstanding honorees who, each in his or her own way, has made and continues to make a major contribution to our lives at the Seymour J. Abrams OU Israel Center and indeed to Acheinu Bnei Yisrael throughout Israel and the Golah.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, who will receive the Rabbinic Award, Chief Rav of Efrat has for the past 40 years been a major force in interpreting Torah and its values to thousands of youth and adults in the U.S. and Israel. He is the founder of Efrat, of the world renowned Ohr Torah Stone Institutions and a supporter of the OU Israel Center since its inception.
Our Keter Torah awardee is Phil Chernofsky, Editor of Torah Tidbits, and the soul of the Israel Center. In addition to his being a long time professional at the Center, Phil transcends that role as he tirelessly and with good humor inspires thousands of readers and students along the path of Torah learning. Time is an irrelevancy for Phil when Limud Torah is at stake.
Newspaper publisher, Founder of Meir Panim Food Programs and philosopher of the "New Haredism", Dudi Zilbershlag is a leader for our times. In his work with countless numbers of children and families throughout Israel he asks only one question, are you hungry? We are truly honored to present Dudi Zilbershlag as our Gemilut Chessed awardee.
Perel Joseph-Azaria, recipient of our Eshet Chayil award is everybody's favorite volunteer. In her own modest and unassuming way Perel has worked with our staff to fund and create the audio-visual program at the Center and has been a leader in promoting all our Library Services.
We thank you in advance for your generosity and look forward to seeing you at the Dinner.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Emanuel Quint Stuart Hershkowitz
Dinner Chairman Dinner Journal Chairman

OU ISRAEL CENTER
Seymour J. Abrams - Orthodox Union - Jerusalem World Center
Yitzchak Fund, President
Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice President
Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President
Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Vaad member
Moshe Kempinski, Vaad member
Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member
Simcha Rock, Vaad member
Zvi Sand, Vaad member
Harvey Wolinetz, Vaad Member
Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center
Phil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor
Ita Rochel Russek, Production Assistant and Advertising Manager, Torah Tidbits
22 Keren Ha'Yesod POB 37015 Jerusalem 91370
Phone: (02) 566 7787 Fax: (02) 561-7432 email: tt@ou.org
websites: www.ou.org/torah/tt and www.ou.org/israel/ic
Orthodox Union • National Conference of Synagogue Youth
This publication and many of the programs of the Israel Center and NCSY b'Yisrael are assisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel
TT is published and printed "in house" at the Israel Center

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