Shabbat Parshat Balak (Chukat - Balak) This Shabbat is the 278th day (of 354); the 40th Shabbat (of 50) of 5766 ...KI IM ASOT MISHPAT V'AHAVAT CHESED V'HATZNEI'A LECHET IM ELOKECHA: (Micha 6:8) HALACHIC TIMES Candle Lighting and Havdala times - Regular and (earliest) Further explanations and notes on Z'manim are available on the website www.ou.org/torah/tt - click on Halachic times WORD OF THE MONTH Last opportunity this month for Kidush L'vana is Monday night, July 10, until 12:26am (of July 11). LEAD TIDBIT Except that G-d chose to include the episode of Balak and Bil'am in His prophecy to Moshe Rabeinu, known as the Torah. G-d wanted us to know what happened - what threat was directed towards us, and how He protected His people. 37 sedras of the Torah's 54 contain mitzvot. Some only 1 or 2; others as many as 50, 60, 70 and more. Of the 17 sedras with no mitzvot, most do actually have mitzvot that are counted elsewhere. Some contain moral lessons akin to mitzvot. Parshat Balak stands alone, and its message is fairly simple and straightforward, as expressed in the Sedra Summary on the next several pages. Just as the first (long) parsha of Balak shows us what happens (or doesn't) when G-d is "on our side", the second (short, 9-pasuk) parsha shows us what happens when He is not. Balak and Bil'am and a host of other enemies are powerless against us - because of our relationship with G-d and His protection of and partnership with us. But anger Him, as we did with the orgiastic idolatrous behavior as described towards the end of the sedra, and we become our worst enemy. Our choosiness is not unconditional. We are obligated, not just privileged. We need to know this and act accordingly. BALAK stats Mitzvot: Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary Kohen - First Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 22:2-12 How come Balak, a sworn enemy of Israel, rates having a sedra named after him? Commentaries suggest that Balak was an "honest enemy" of Israel. His antagonism was based on his fear of Israel; his intentions and actions were clear-cut. We have been plagued by many enemies throughout history who have hidden behind a smile, a mask of friendship, or a hand- shake and photo-op only to try to stab us in the back (or worse). Commentaries point out that Moav and Midyan were bitter enemies. Nonetheless, they put their differences aside and united to fight against Israel. This shows the power of anti- Semitism in this world. See what our enemies are ready to do because they hate us so much. But it also must teach us another lesson. We too must be prepared to set aside that which divides the Jewish People into fragments, so that we can fight our common enemy with greater strength. This is not to suggest that we must ignore, overlook, or forgive these differences. But we have to know when we should put our religious-secular battles "on hold", in order to be united against the enemies of the Jewish People. We must all work together - Ashkenazim & S'faradim, National Religious and Haredi, left and right, religious and secular, to strengthen our position against those who would harm us, take parts of Eretz Yisrael from us, and divide our capital. Rashi says that when G-d told Bil’am not to go with Balak’s emissaries, Bil’am asked if he could curse the People from home. G-d said no. So Bil’am offered to bless them (us). G-d said, keep your honey and your sting. Levi - Second Aliya - 8 p'sukim - 22:13-20 Why was Bil'am to be punished for going with Balak's delegation, when G-d permitted him to go? Sort of told him to go. Certainly, a person is held accountable for violations of G-d's prohibitions, but are we also responsible for things which are not specifically prohibited, although it is reasonable to assume that G-d does not want us to do them? The answer is YES. This is one of the concepts we actually derive from the episode of Bil'am. The Torah gives us a very good idea of what HaShem wants of us. Many sins are spelled out very clearly - in fact, there is a notion of "one will not be punished unless expressly warned"; yet we are warned that G-d will be angry, so to speak, if we do things that we (should) know are contrary to His wishes. This is something that exists in human relationships too. Parents, for example, expect children to behave a certain way, even without being specifically told. We are not programmed robots; we are human beings with the ability to reason. And G-d wants us to make the right decision in areas He left “open”, so to speak. In the straight reading of the Chumash, it seems that Bil'am is truly a man of G-d who only wants to do what G-d wants him to do. Tradition describes him differently, as one who knows that he is totally in G-d's control but tries to fight it at every step of the way. What a blow to Bil'am's ego to be thought of so highly among people, yet to know that G-d calls every shot. Shlishi - Third Aliya - 18 p'sukim - 22:21-38 (In Pirkei Avot it says that the "mouth of the donkey" was one of 10 special items that G-d created in the instant before He rested from further creation on the very first Shabbat. One of the lessons from this concept is SOF MA'ASEH B'MACHSHAVA T'CHILA, what happens in the end was in G-d's thought and plan at the beginning. We should not think that the "mouth of the Earth" that swallowed Korach & Co. or the talking donkey, or No'ach's rainbow, et al, were "afterthoughts" of G-d. No such thing.) Balak goes out to greet Bil'am, who tells Balak that he is powerless to act on his own and must say only what G-d "puts in his mouth". (This is the significance of the "mouth of the donkey" - viz. that it is G-d Who grants the gift of speech; one should not be arrogant about his ability to speak well. In the words of the beautiful prayer of the Shali’ach Tzibur on Rosh HaShana, OCHILA LAKEIL, the human being thinks thoughts in his heart, but from G-d comes the ability to express them with his mouth and lips... or the lack of the ability.) The favored weapon of the nations of the world is the sword. The "weapon" of Israel is "the power of speech" (prayer, divrei Torah, kind words, etc.). Bil'am arrogantly lays "his weapon" aside and attempts to harm the People of Israel with their (our) own weapon. G-d, so to speak, went against Bil'am with his abandoned weapon - the angel's drawn sword. And ultimately, the Torah tells us, Bil'am fell by the sword. - Rashi R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 22:39-23:12 (All that is done is highly significant - e.g. the Torah records that our three Patriarchs offered seven korbanot at various times. Bil'am hoped to "neutralize" the effect of those sacrifices in G-d's eyes by repeatedly offering seven sacrifices of his own.) After meditation, Bil'am "speaks" about the People of Israel. He does not curse them, but rather beautifully describes the uniqueness of Israel. Balak is upset, but Bil'am reminds him that he (Bil'am) can only transmit that which G-d wants him to. Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 14 p'sukim - 23:13-26 Rashi says that Balak chose Rosh HaPisga as a place from where Bil'am might succeed in cursing the people, because he foresaw that Moshe would die there. Rashi says that Balak knew this about the place but Bil'am didn’t - that Balak was a more gifted prophet. Twice we find, And Bil'am said to Balak, build for me "with this" seven altars and prepare for me "with this" seven bulls and seven rams (23:1 and 29). With this, BA'ZEH. We are taught that all the prophets of Israel prophesy with KOH (AMAR HASHEM), except Moshe, who prophesies with ZEH. Bil'am felt that he was on Moshe's level and kept throwing around the ZEH. G-d says to Bil'am, go back to Balak, and thus - KOH - you shall speak. Enough with the pretension to ZEH; you say KOH. Bil'am gets the message and switches to KOH when he speaks to Balak. Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 17 p'sukim - 23:27-24:13 Balak takes Bil'am to Rosh HaP'or. Having seen in a vision that Israel will soon fall at P'or, Balak mistakingly assumes that the cursing from there would be successful (Rashi). Targum Onkeles indicates that Bil'am was "reminding" G-d of the Golden Calf, so that He would allow the People to be cursed. However, when he saw the multitude encamped in such a special manner, he was endowed with "Ruach HaKodesh" and he blessed the People of Israel a third time. Balak had "had enough", spoke harshly to Bil'am, and "sent him packing". We quote the words that emerged from Bil’am’s mouth - MA TOVU... Sometimes it takes a non-Jew’s observation for us to appreciate something we might not see. Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 21 p'sukim - 24:14-25:9 [P> 25:1 (9)] Bil'am's final advice, his attempts to curse the People having failed, is to entice the People to idolatry and immoral behavior which will turn G-d Himself against them. This plan works, as 24,000 perish in a plague following the immoral and idolatrous worship of Baal Pe'or. Only the bold action of Pinchas b. Elazar b. Aharon HaKohen in defending G-d's honor, stops the devastating plague. This final lesson of the sedra must be learned well by us today. What Balak and Bil'am discovered is that if Israel is in G-d's favor, it will be invincible from outside attack. No nation can succeed against Israel, when we are "on good terms" with G-d. If we, however, incur G-d's anger, by being unfaithful to Him, by disregarding Torah and mitzvot, then we are extremely vulnerable to our enemies. And they might not even have to actually fight against us (as in terror attacks) - we can, G-d forbid, destroy ourselves (as in road accidents, and more). This was true more than 3000 years ago; it is no less true today. On a certain level, Parshat Balak is extremely simple and straightforward, with an extremely powerful message - because of that simplicity. For 95 p'sukim, we feel the protection of G-d as Balak and Bil'am fail time and again in what almost looks like a comical farce. The Gemara says that Bil'am was in some ways superior to Moshe Rabeinu, that when he was around, G-d Himself was extra vigilant in protecting us. For those 95 p'sukim, we beam with pride at the grudging admiration of a unique nation as expressed by Bil'am. And then comes the last 9 p'sukim of the sedra. Bil'am went back home. So did Balak. No danger anymore. WHAM! We did it to ourselves. G-d protected us from Bil'am by giving him his words. By not letting him speak on his own. And then we turned around and betrayed G-d. 24,000 fatalities. And the toll would have been greater, except for the bold action of Pinchas. The sedra is shouting its message to us. All we have to do is listen to it. Last 3 p'sukim are reread for Maftir. Haftara - 17 p'sukim - Micha 5:6-6:8 The haftara ends with the famous encapsulation of our responsibilities to G-d: "What does G-d demand of us, ONLY to behave justly, love chesed, and walk modestly (humbly) before G-d." This is the formula for the greatest protection we can have from the Balaks and Bil'ams of the world. And its disregard makes us terribly vulnerable. What a contrast between the end of the sedra and the end of the haftara! Again, we have the simple but powerful point. This is how we are supposed to behave. This is how we behaved... and what happened to us. THE JERUSALEM INSTITUTE OF JEWISH LAW - Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Dean Under what circumstances may a court consisting of less than three judges validly decide monetary cases without the necessity of the litigants conferring jurisdiction on the Beth Din? The question may be phrased another way: Are there situations where even a one-man Beth Din may compel the litigants to have their dispute decided by this Beth Din? The Talmud (T. Sanhedrin 4b) cites a Baraita which states that monetary disputes are judged by three judges. But if an individual judge is a recognized expert he may judge alone. The first part of the Baraita, stating that three judges may judge monetary actions is a reformulation of the Mishna we cited many times. The second part, however, introduces the novel concept that a single recognized expert has a status similar to that of three judges. As will be shown, according to some authorities there are limitations to the similarities; but basically the judgment of the individual expert judge is as enforceable as that of a Beth Din of three judges, and he may compel the litigants to appear in his Beth Din. According to Rashi, the Baraita permitting one recognized expert to judge monetary actions is reconcilable with the view in the Talmud (that of R' Acha) that according to Torah law one judge may judge monetary cases. (There is a dispute in the Talmud between R. Acha who holds that according to Torah law one judge may judge monetary cases. There is also the contrary view of Rava, that according to Torah law three ordained judges are required to judge monetary cases. According to Rava there was a Rabbinic enactment to permit three laymen (as distinguished from three ordained judges) or one recognized expert to judge monetary cases. Most commentaries reconcile the statement to both views set forth in the Talmud. According to R. Acha, although one ordained judge may judge monetary cases, this was relaxed to permit three laymen or one expert to judge monetary cases. This was done to promote commerce, for if one who had a commercial claim against another could not have an adjudication of his claim until an ordained judge could be found, he would not enter the commercial transaction. Also, as was stated in a prior lesson, there came a time in the middle of the 4th century c.e. when ordination lapsed. Thus in order to permit people to engage in every day affairs, especially commerce, there had to be a recourse in case of disputes, the enactment for three laymen or one expert to judge monetary disputes. According to the view of Rava that the Torah required three ordained judges to adjudicate commercial disputes, in order to promote commerce the requirement was relaxed to permit three non-ordained judges to adjudicate the disputes or else one expert. The expert was not ordained. The Talmud in defining the words recognized expert states that R. Nachman and R. Chiya were qualified as experts because they were “learned and capable of reasoning”. Rashi explains that the term “learned” means that the person learned the law from a qualified teacher, and that the term "capable of reasoning" means that the person is able to deduce conclusions from his knowledge. To be regarded as a “recognized expert” an individual, in addition, to being “learned” and “capable of reasoning” must also be an experienced judge whose decision have generally been free from error. There was a time when the individual, in addition to being a recognized expert also had to have received authorization from certain persons. While they were living in the Land of Israel the leader of the Jewish community was the Nasi. While the Jews were living in Babylonia, they were led by the Exilarch (Rosh Galuta). For the purpose of our discussions, there are four levels of authority. The judge with greatest jurisdictional scope is the recognized expert. Judges having lesser jurisdictional powers, listed here in descending order of authority are the expert judge, the learned person, and the layman. Not all the commentators use the terms in the same way. Thus, what one commentator may term an expert may be designated by another as a learned judge or a recognized expert. Accordingly, great cae is required in studying the sources to ascertain which type of judge is actually being discussed. In this and the next lesson three questions must be answered. First, what if any, is the relationship between these four levels of authority? Second, does authorization enhance the authority of the single judge? Finally, is authorization necessary for the single judge? The subject matter of this lesson is more fully discussed in volume I chapter 1 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 TANACH Anger, envy, pride etc. can be the impetus to great and good actions or can be the cause of much evil. "Rabbi Eleazar HaKapar taught, Envy, lust and the pursuit of honor drive a person from the world" (Avot 3:21). It is widely taught in Chassidic thought however, that there are no evil traits, only wrongful use of the traits that Hashem has given. "Speak to Elazar the son of Aharon, that he take up the fire-pans [of the congregation of Korach]… and let them be beaten, plates for a covering of the altar" (Bamidbar 17:15). The Admor of Kotsk said: "Their pride led them to want to serve as priests. When pride is used in God's service, it can even be transformed into a covering for His altar". In Biblical Hebrew, KIN'A, envy, does not have the same negative meaning as in Modern Hebrew, rather it has a same duality. "Kana when followed by words beginning with a BET as in VAT'KANEI RACHEL BAACHOTAH denotes a willingness to be like the one envied, without any anger or ill-will to them, as in the case of Rachel. However, when followed by ET thus relating to the person as in V'KINEI ET ISHTO, where a man warned his wife against infidelity or VAIKAN'U OTO P'LISHTIM, the Philistines were jealous of Yitschak, the man and not of his riches" (R' S. R. Hirsch, B'reishit 26:14; Bamidbar 25:11). It is in this positive way that the Midrash understands Rachel. "The verse 'and Rachel became envious of her sister' comes to teach us that she envied the good deeds of her sister, saying that if she was not righteous then she would not have given birth to four sons" (B'reishit Rabba 71:6). The next verse reads: "She said to Yaakov, Give me children - otherwise I am dead", " from this we learn that one who is childless may well be regarded as dead" (Nedarim 64b). Rabbi Eybeschutz finds an interesting halakhic explanation to these two verses. "Rambam writes that whereas all the prohibited marriages (Vayikra 19:11-17) are forbidden even after death, for example marriage to one's mother after the death of one's father, this is not the case with the prohibition against marrying one's late wife's sister. He explains that it is only with regard to two sisters that the Torah gave a reason for the injunction, jealousy, and since the jealousy disappeared with her death, now marriage with her sister is permitted. We have to say, in view of the above verse that there was jealousy between Leah and Rachel, the Midrash notwithstanding. So Rachel said that since Yaakov was not allowed to have married them both, he should give her children in order that she could overcome her jealousy, and the marriage would be permitted in accordance with the Rambam's ruling. Otherwise, the marriage to Leah would only be possible once she died when the jealousy would cease" (Divrei Yonatan). "In the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai it is taught: From the day that the world was created, no one expressed their thanks until Leah came and said 'This time [after Leah gave birth to her fourth son] I will thank G-d'" (B'rachot 7b). Through prophecy, Leah knew that Yaakov was to have 12 sons; as there were four wives, each wife would thus have three sons. Since she had already given birth to three, she saw the 4th son as a gratuitous gift, something beyond her justified role, and for that she praised G-d. Her compassion is shown later when after her 6th child she was pregnant again. "She feared that if she bore a 7th, then her sister would be inferior to the two hand- maidens with their two sons each. So she prayed and G-d changed the sex of the child" (B'rachot 60a). "Rachel gave her hand-maiden to her husband, expressing the hope that she would be built up thereby. By her taking the initiative she contributed to the later discord between the Tribes. Sarah had similarly sowed discord between Ishmael and Yitschak by her intervention with the Divine Providence when she gave Hagar to Avraham. Yitschak and Rivka tried to hasten the Divine process with their prayers and caused a rift between Eisav and Yaakov. Leah alone trusted completely in G-d and so did not try to affect His Providence. Therefore, only she could truly give thanks for the good she received as she had done for the bad" (Baal HaDiyukim). "Now we understand why we bow at MODIM. The Midrash (B'reishit Rabba 71:5) tells us that Leah bequeathed this merit of praising Hashem, to her sons; Yehuda who said that Tamar was more righteous than he, and David who sang HODU, so did Daniel, Binyamin and Shaul. When benefits come as a result of one's actions there is no need for such thanks since they are earned benefits. However, Leah knew that she had done nothing to deserve G-d's gifts so she praised Him, as did Yehuda, whose name contains a DALET signifying a poverty of deeds. Usually we walk upright and straight resembling our Creator, but in MODIM we bow in recognition that what we receive is not a wage earned in justice but simply a gift from G-d "(Avraham of Sochochow, Avnei Nezer). This is installment #135 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 Q: I left my meal (including bread) to daven Ma’ariv. It turned out that there was a long sicha before Ma’ariv. By the time I was able to return to eat an hour and a half had passed. Could I still bentch (recite Birkat Hamazon) at that time? A: The mishna (B'rachot 51b) says that one must bentch before the food is digested. The Gemara (ibid. 53b) brings two opinions as to the signs of this cut off point. R. Yochanan says that it is until one becomes hungry. Reish Lakish says that it is as long as he is still thirsty from the eating or for 72 minutes, depending on how much he ate. We rule like R. Yochanan and assume that it refers to beginning to be hungry as the food is digesting (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 184:5). However, most poskim assume that R. Yochanan accepts a 72 minute minimum time limit, just that if one has not yet begun to become hungry, he can still bentch after that point (see Bi'ur Halacha, ad loc.). However, the problem is that this feeling is hard to quantify or determine with certainty (Magen Avraham 184:9). Therefore, one should be careful to bentch no later than 72 minutes after finishing eating. You did not succeed in doing so this time and probably entered the realm of safek (doubt). Ostensibly, your desired preference was the halachic preference as well. That is to continue your meal and bentch afterward; just be sure that the continuation of your meal includes at least a k’zayit of bread (Mishna Berura 184:20). Thereby, Birkat Hamazon is in any case appropriate, and there is a reasonable hope that it is in time to cover the original eating also. This, though, raises a new question. After taking a break possibly long enough for digestion to begin, making it too late for a b'racha acharona, does one require a new b'racha rishona? The Magen Avraham (ibid.) assumes that one requires a new beracha because the previous eating is a matter of the past. However, the Even Ha’Ozer (Orach Chayim 179) argues that there is no source to indicate that digestion breaks the continuity regarding a b'racha rishona. To the contrary, the Rambam (B'rachot 4:7) says that a beracha one makes when he begins eating can cover other foods “even if he breaks all day long” as long as he has not decided to stop eating. Although there are attempts to deflect the proof (see Tzitz Eliezer XII 1) and some poskim agree with the Magen Avraham, the Even Ha’Ozer’s opinion is the more accepted one (see Mishna Berura 184:17; Yechaveh Da’at VI, 11). Furthermore, in a case like yours where there is doubt whether digestion occurred, even the Magen Avraham (ibid.) suggests eating more without a new b'racha to get out of the doubt regarding Birkat Hamazon. Apparently, it is better to enter a situation where one might need to say HaMotzi and refrain from it because of doubt than to miss out on Birkat Hamazon which he might still be able to make (see Levushei S’rad, ad loc.). The only reservation we must address applies if you made a significant change of location (the parameters of which are beyond our present scope) between your first and second sittings. We rule like the Rama (Orach Chayim 178:2) that one does not need a new b'racha after moving locations in the midst of a meal that includes bread. As we discussed, we also rule like the Even Ha’Ozer that even a long break does not require a new b'racha as long as one intends to continue eating. However, the Tzitz Eliezer (ibid) tries to prove that when one both changes locations and waits a long time, then we would accept the Magen Avraham’s opinion that one requires a new b'racha. However, in our humble opinion, the case he presented is not convincing (beyond our scope). We accept that which is apparently the majority opinion that even with the combination of the passing of time and moving of location you can eat more bread without a new b'racha. Doing so would have been the best way to salvage bentching in the case of doubt that arose. 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 [3] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively) [4] A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit [5] Parsha Points to Ponder - BALAK THESE ARE THE ANSWERS 2) Rav Moshe Feinstein teaches that G-D allowed Bil'am to travel and attempt to curse the Jewish people to teach us the power of the evil inclination. Bil'am was a prophet and KNEW that G-D did not want him to curse the Jewish people. Nevertheless he went through every effort he could to try to curse the Jewish people. This demonstrates that we can never relax our guard and assume that we are beyond the temptations of our drives and desires. 3) The Kli Yakar answers that this was G-D's way of rebuking Bil'am and insuring that Bil'am did not become too conceited over the fact that he received prophecy. Bil'am learned that just like the donkey was able to see the angel because G-D needed that to happen to benefit the Jews, so, too, he only received prophecy because it was there was a benefit to the Jews. He, on his own, however, did not merit to receive prophecy. Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman, who teaches at Reishit Yerushalayim, Tiferet, and Machon Maayan in Beit Shemesh and RBS and is the author of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith", soon to be re-published by Feldheim ppp@israelcenter.co.il [6] Portion for the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum - FEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il Homemade Lollipops [7] MicroUlpan LOLLIPOP. In Hebrew, the straightforward, prosaic SUKARIYA AL MAKEIL. Avoid the Israeli slang, since it has other (improper) connotations [8] Review: SHECHYANU during the Three Weeks [9] G'matriyot Bil'am poetically said: TAMOT NAFSHI MOT YESHARIM... he admires the deaths of the UPRIGHT. Who are the YESHARIM (560)? They are AVOT HA-OLAM (560), i.e. Avraham Yitzchak, Yaakov. VA'YAAN BILAM VAYOMER EL BALAK HALO DIBARTI EILECHA LEIMOR KOL ASHER YEDABER HASHEM OTO E'ESEH: Here's a g'matriya for which we offer no comment - just the numbers. Bil'am & Balak (142+132) = Mordechai (274) [10] Torah from Nature [11] Pirkei Avot The sixth chapter is introduced with the statement: SHANU CHACHAMIM BILSHON HAMISHNA, our Sages taught in the style of the Misha, Blessed is He, Who chose them and their teachings. We acknowledge not only the greatness of the teachings of the Sages, but of the Sages them- selves. From whom you learn Torah is as important as what you learn. Our teachers are links in the Chain of Tradition, that began - as Pirkei Avot teaches us - with Moshe receiving the Torah from Sinai. The religious and moral character of our teachers is a factor in the transmission of Torah and Tradition throughout the generations. This is partially so because of the Oral Law. Even with printed Talmud and other holy books, the transmission of Torah is still essentially a process of oral teaching from parent to child, teacher to student. [12] Divrei Menachem Our parsha seems to confirm this latter aspect of our collective consciousness. For it describes two paradigms of gentile antipathy to the Jewish people. First, we encounter Balak ben Tzippor who openly condemns Bnei Yisrael and seeks a curse that will destroy them. So he calls upon his gifted neighbor, the evil soothsayer Bil'am. Bil'am represents the one who, seeing that his attempts to curse get him nowhere, covers up his guile by sweet-talking the Jewish people. His words are mostly full of praise deserved. But, cunningly, they also contain elements of disdain that sow the seeds of gentile unrest, such as the description of Israel as a nation that dwells in solitude (Bemidbar 23:9). Moreover, let us not be duped by the praises. For they emerge from the same man who claimed he could destroy a nation with his tongue but who threatened his she-donkey with a sword. Towards Better Davening and Torah Reading One more word of introduction: There are also phrases that a misplaced pause will not change the meaning, but the result is simply awkward. One does not say, my favorite baseball team is the New <pause> York-Mets. Assuming there is no such thing as York-Mets, old or new, then the phrase wont be misunderstood; it's just clumsy. So is Boston Red <pause> Sox. An example of a benign misplaced pause - commonly heard in shul - is the end of the second b'racha preceding Sh'ma in Maariv. Baruch ata HaShem, OHEIV <pause> AMO YISRAEL. G-d loves his nation Israel. Not OHEIV AMO <pause> YISRAEL, which would mean, He loves His nation... Israel. It means the same, sort of, but the former flows better. This one is easy to "correct". It just takes a little practice. The next examples are more difficult to correct, because of habit, because of what most other people do, because of the "melody" of davening. After Sh'ma, still at Maariv: Most people will pause before B'SIMCHA RABA and then say B'SIMCHA RABA V'A-M'RU CHULAM... It doesn't flow nicely. V'A-M'RU CHULAM really belongs to MI CHAMOCHA. The problem is that the way we (Ashkenazim) do CHAZAN and KAHAL davening, we pause (for a long time) after V'A-M'RU CHULAM, which attaches it to the previous sentence rather than to the following words, where it belongs. And we do this a lot in our davening. In a more CHAZAN KAHAL responsive style davening, the words in this example (and others) would flow much better. SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH... Present were the men of the Ma'amad who represented Am Yisrael. As these "suitable men and fearers of sin" stood in close proximity to the ministering Kohanim, they "prayed over the Korban of their brethren, that it may be favorably accepted(Hil. Klei HaMikdash 6:1). Meir HaKohein, Mikdash troubleshooter, stood on the side and watched approvingly. Recently appointed by the Segan "to act as his eyes and ears", Meir spent his days happily roaming around the Mikdash Complex, double-checking that everything was as it should be, whether it be crowd control, the state of the Levites' musical instruments, the Mikdash plumbing system, maintenance, etc. Though he reported to his boss directly, he was still surprised when a young Levite tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "The Segan wants to see you in his office now!" Ensconced behind his massive desk, the Segan looked at Meir and said, "I'll get right to the point. We want to know how the Beit Din Shel Kohanim (the Kohanic Court, BDK) implemented the recommendations submitted by the Mikdash Joint Computerization Committee in their Genealogical Research Department." Meir knew that the BDK was a court comprised exclusively of Kohanim that supervised the day-to-day performance of the Avoda. Comparatively unknown outside the immediate "Mikdash community", the Kohanic Court's seat was "behind" - i.e. to the west of - Kodesh Hakodashim. The BDK based its authority to manage the internal affairs of the Mikdash on the verse, "You [Aaron] and your sons with you [the Kohanim] shall safeguard your priesthood regarding every matter of the altar… (Bamidbar 18:7). For example, as per the Mishna, on Erev Yom Kippur, the BDK taught the Kohein Gadol the intricacies of how to offer Ketoret in the Kodesh HaKodashim during the Avoda. However, Meir knew that the members of the BDK could be quite jealous of their prerogatives. He recalled that according to halacha, any Yisrael was "eligible" to escort the Sa'ir HaMishtalei'ach - the "scapegoat" - out of the Mikdash to the wilderness on Yom Kippur, but the BDK "established it as a custom not to permit a Yisrael to do so" (Yoma 6:3, Bartenura). Like many others in the "Mikdash community", Meir agreed that the most important contribution of the BDK was to facilitate the atonement process of the Mechusrei Kapara (those who were impure for one reason or another - e.g. women who had given birth - and who had already undergone the proper rite of purification but still had not brought the required Korban necessary to complete the process). Kohanim prepared "13 Shofar- chests" for their convenience and thereby spared thousands of Mechusrei Kapara the necessity of endless waiting to give birds and animals to the Kohanim for sacrifice. Instead, Mechusrei Kapara just deposited the correct sum of money which would cover the cost of their Korbanot (plus their names, circumstance, Korbanot required, etc.) into the appropriately labeled "Shofar" (i.e. containers narrow on top, wide on the bottom and constructed in a curved form similar to a Shofar - Bartenura, Shekalim 6:1,5). "It is a presumption that the BDK do not rise from there until the money [collected] in the Shofrot is finished" - i.e. expended on the prerequisite Korbanot and then offered on the Mizbei'ach that same day (Pesachim 90b). The BDK also based its authority to verify the genealogical records of Kohanim on the previously mentioned verse from Bamidbar. The Torah's ordinances designed to maintain the purity of the priestly line were quite strict. A Kohein could not marry a divorcee, a convert, or a freed woman (Vayikra 21:7). Usually, Kohanim married women from other priestly families. The family trees of all Kohanim were carefully scrutinized to ascertain that their unblemished lineage extended all the way back to Aaron, or more realistically, as far back as they were able to check. A Kohein who wished to marry a woman, known to be of priestly stock, was required to authenticate the validity of her maternal decent four generations back. The maternal lineage of a woman, not of priestly stock, had to be verified for five generations back (Kiddushin 4:4). A woman whose father served in the Mikdash, or who was a member of the Sanhedrin or who had served in a public office, was accepted without any further search. It was assumed that his ancestry already had been thoroughly researched (Kiddushin 4:4,5). The BDK enforced these "house laws" rigorously. Before serving at the Mizbei'ach, a Kohein was required to prove his priestly descent and, for this reason, the BDK scrupulously maintained accurate records.Even though Meir knew some of the judges of the Kohanic Court personally, he had never visited their center. Once inside, Mier was stunned. The inside of this grim, nondescript stone building had been completely gutted and remodeled into a state of the art genealogical center illuminated by graphic light diffuser panels of various designs. Looking around, he saw 100 patron computers, 210 microfilm readers, 25 microfiche readers,and 20 microfilm and microfiche copiers. Meir noted how the court's staff was efficiently uploading new data into the Mikdash Master Computer as it flowed in from "field" computers all over the world. The BDK's archives included hundreds of thousands of rolls of microfilmed genealogical records of Kohanim going back centuries;60,000 microfiche; tens of thousands of books, serials, and other formats; 250 electronic resources. There was a seating capacity for 125 at tables. Scores of Kohanim and representatives of various Batei Din were downloading data. The Genealogical Index (E.Y.) database contained the names of scores of thousands of Kohanim linked into families in Eretz Yisrael. Another database, the Pedigree Resource File (Chu''l) listed the names of tens of thousands of Kohanim and their families abroad. The Ancestral File (Niftarim) database contained the names of hundreds of thousands of deceased Kohanim. The files were amply cross- referenced and constantly being updated (i.e., births, marriages, deaths, etc.). All these names were either submitted by Kohanim and authenticated by their local Batei Din or extracted from valid birth and marriage records. Simply overwhelmed and thoroughly briefed, Meir Hakohein opened up his laptop and got to work. <TBC> Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service Parsha Pix TTRIDDLES... Last issue’s (CHUKAT) TTriddles: This week's TTriddles: NachKwestion of the Week: Israel Center Miscellany Help young couples (evacuees and children of evacuees) from Gush Katif get ready for the arrival of their newborn babies - Tzedaka - Matan B’Seter - The money collected will be used to buy carriages, cribs, layettes...Make checks out to the Israel Center. Write on the envelope: Gush Katif - Baby Fund, For more info. call Sara 0505-444-397 More good news from the Yankel Winet z"l Torah Tape Lending Library, The Israel Center is pleased to announce the acquisition of the audiotapes of Rabbi Natan Lopes-Cardozo, Ph.D for borrowing by members of the Tape Library. If you are not a member, now is a great time to join! Information on joining the tape library, as well as Arnold Abroms Memorial Lending Library (books), is available at the Center's Reception Desk. In addition, Rabbi Cardozo's audiotapes are now available for purchase at the Center. 30NIS per tape. The list of titles is available at the Reception Desk. If you have any questions,please call Mark at 054-801-1957, We'll be adding even more tapes soon IY"H What else does the Israel Center do besides what takes place at 22 Keren HaYesod and Torah Tidbits? Read this article from IsraelNationalNews.com about one of several projects we have around the country. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IN EILAT by Baruch Gordon; Yaakov Benesch contributed The Eilat Community Center offers a variety of activities and lectures including sports, health, and youth programs, but had never before hosted Torah educational programs. When the Eilat Hesder Yeshiva suggested the idea, the community center management responded with an enthusiastic "yes," and the trial study/lecture series evolved. Schwartz's lectures address popular issues from a Torah perspective, and his first lecture was entitled, "What is Love All About?" Some 50 participants - none of them religious - showed up for the love workshop. “They left with light in their eyes," says Schwartz, who directs the OU Israel Center's Kehillot Yisrael outreach program. "They said the evening afforded them a serious and captivating encounter with Jewish texts. They strongly identified with what they learned, and talked of internalizing the lessons into their daily lives.” Each evening opens with a lecture, followed by study and active discussion of ancient/ contemporary Jewish texts on the subject matter. The workshop even includes chavruta-style study. The program concludes with each participant stating what he gained from the evening. Atara Yisraeli, coordinator of the Eilat C.C. adult enrichment programs, said, "The participants were very enthusiastic. We see it as a success because most of the people who came were non-religious. Usually, every time you try to present a program by religious people, the non-religious say, 'Oh oh, they are going to try and make us religious.' However, this time, this was not the case. The non-religious people came because they were interested to hear Rabbi Meir Schwartz speak. When the audience left, they were asking, 'When is he coming again?'" "The special aspect of this study is that secular Israelis are encountering original texts, in the original Aramaic language of the Talmud," adds Schwartz. "They bring a very fresh perspective in their questions and answers, far different than the types of questions you would hear in a yeshiva study hall." "One question the group dealt with," says Schwartz, "is why the Talmud calls the relationship between Amnon and his half-sister Tamar (King David's children) 'love,' when, in fact, it resulted in rape and ensuing hatred. Using sources, the group reached the understanding that in Judaism, love is kindled with lust, but is then channeled to a higher level and understanding. Unlike Christianity and Buddhism, which see no holiness in lust, Judaism recognizes that G-d created man with lust for a purpose. Lust can be the beginning of something holy, but man must choose to channel that lust to positive or negative directions. For King David's son Amnon, it all started and ended with lust; he did not view physical attraction as a stepping stone to a complete relationship." Michal, the director of the Eilat Community Center, said that the evening was one of the most successful evenings that the center has had. The third lecture of the series will be delivered on July 4th. Former Israel Air Force pilot Yonatan Levinstein will talk about "Torah and the Desert - Is There an Inherent Connection?" Beyond occasional lectures, Meir Schwartz operates several centers which he calls Bayit Yehudi [Jewish Home]. He explains, "A Bayit Yehudi is a vibrant spiritual center where we offer people to come and encounter Judaism in ways they never have before. There are lectures, musical events, evenings of singing, one-on-one study, festive meals, and much more. It's a chance to experience firsthand a taste of Judaism without having to walk into a shul. The Bayit Yehudi is an open house that invites people.” There are currently Beyit Yehudi centers operating in Ramat Hasharon and Herzliya, Tiberias, Ariel, Moshav Lachish, Kibbutz Naan, and Beit Yehoshua near Netanya. Schwartz invites people who want to work and help to contact him, 050-794-8613, meirsc@gmail.com NESTO Native English-Speaking Teen Olim At the banquet, every chanich won the NESTO award in his own and personalized category! Our great chanichim also participated and made all the madrichim a special song and a unique greeting. Since these were our end of the year evenings, although they were great fun, they were also very sad. I cannot stand endings... so we won't say our final goodbyes until we really have to, because this summer NESTO has a full summer program! Get ready for our next activity! This coming Tuesday, the NESTO girls will be going to the Nordau beach in Tel Aviv. And same for the NESTO boys on Wednesday. For more details please me (Gili) at: 054-745-6060 or check the NESTO web site: www.mynesto.com Jr. NESTO is for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, Tiyulim and Shabbatonim THE TRAVEL DESK is for making reservations and receiving info about Israel Center tiyulim. Please note that ALL Israel Center tiyulim require advance registration. PLEASE NOTE NEW TIMES: 11:00am-4:00pm (and beyond*) LUNCH? When a tiyul says “bring your own lunch”, you can order one instead from the Israel Center Cafe. When you make your reservation for the tiyul, request a box lunch, or call the CAFE (ext. 257) up to the day before the TIYUL. 18NIS will get you a sandwich (your choice), a refreshing drink (regular or diet) and a dessert. Your lunch will be ready for you when you board the bus. BOOKED? When a tiyul is listed as BOOKED - you can call to be wait-listed; if you call, you will be called back if there is a cancellation, if we add a bus, or when we fix a new date for the tiyul. CANCELLATION POLICIES: We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee in case of last-minute cancellations. Also... Price of tiyul is based on a minimum number of participants. STUDENTS FROM ABROAD: Parents visiting you this year? If so, speak to us! (566-7787 ext. 261) to see if we have any tiyulim or Shabbatonim (call Ita Rochel ext. 204) that they might be interested in. KASHRUT POLICY: Food for Israel Center In-House programs is supervised by OU-in-Israel-Mehadrin. Israel Center sponsored trips and programs are Mehadrin. Hotels, restaurants, and tiyulim advertised by outside parties are not necessarily Mehadrin and are not endorsed by the OU or the Israel Center. Calls from abroad: Due to time differences, we recommend that people from abroad fax 972-2-5660156 for attention of Travel Desk or email tiyul@israelcenter.co.il. Please be sure to include email or fax number for reply, in addition to phone number. New & Improved Travel Desk! The next Israel Center In House Shabbaton - Hold the date! Shabbat Parshat R'ei (M'vorchim) - FRI-SHA August 18,19 - Watch for further details...or, take advantage of our early-bird special: Sign up by Rosh Chodesh Av at 220NIS p.p. (250NIS for non-members). Av prices 250/280Special: First 20 to register - 200NIS (members only) - We are pleased to announce that our special guest speaker for the Shabbaton will be Rabbi Neil Winkler, Rav of the Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ - Watch for further developments Wednesday, July 19th - A great day in a great place - Ein Gedi, Together we will IY"H bathe in the famous Ein Gedi Spa, enjoy a grand tour of the Botanical Gardens (highly praised in the National Geographic Magazine) and dine on a Mehadrin Buffet Lunch Meal in their air-conditioned guest house dining room, Leaving the Israel Center at 8:00am, return approx. 6:00pm, 180NIS (200NIS for non-members), Call the Travel Desk to sign up - 566 7787 ext. 261 BOOKED - CALL TO BE WAITLISTED - The Palmach Museum, Tel Aviv with Nachman Kupietzky, Sunday, August 13th - Check-in 1:15pm • Leave Center 1:30pm PROMPTLY • Return 6:00pm (approx.), See the newest state-of-the-art museum vividly portraying the pre-state defense army of Israel, 85NIS (100NIS non-members) • must pay in advance • Limit: 25 people, Call Travel Desk (ext. 261) to reserve BOOKED - CALL TO BE WAITLISTED - From Wall to Wall - From the southern end to the northern end, including the excavations at the south-western corner. The Western Wall is the longest of the four walls which support the Temple Mount with Yaacov Billig, Archeologist and Tour Guide, former Director of the Archeological Excavations of the Western Wall - Friday, July 21st, You must register in advance, Check-in just inside Dung Gate, entrance to Archeological Park, 7:45amOur tour begins promptly at 8:00 o'clock with a viewing of the virtual model of the Temple Mount area at the time of Jerusalem's peak of glory. The tour will end approx. 12:00 noon, 55NIS per person (non-members 65NIS) • Call the Travel Desk to register Special for Bein Hazmanim - Family time at the Inbar Hotel, Arad - Sunday-Wednesday, August 6-9 (4 days, 3 nights), Mehadrin meals, Hashgacha T'midit - meat & chicken - Rav Landau, all other products Badatz, Tours, daily shuttle to Ein Bokek, separate beach on the Dead Sea, Jeep Rides, Activities for children, Spa and Pool on premises, dance groups, shiurim and lectures, 975nis dbl occ half-board; 1080nis, dbl. occ. fullboard, Transportation additional • Call the Travel Desk to register, Shulamit's tiyulim are always treats; Come - You will surely enjoy her delicious sweets! The Back Page of TT722 Schedule for Erev Shabbat to Erev Shabbat, 11-18 Tammuz (July 7-14) Friday Friday Eve Shabbat day Motza'ei Shabbat SUN-Thu in the Ganchrow Beis Medrash (first floor) Sunday Monday - N'SHEI LIBRARY 10:00-12:30 Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Upcoming at the Israel Center Shabbat Parshat Pinchas, July 15th, 5:00pm (Mincha at 6:00) - Yaacov Peterseil & Co. Motza'ei Shabbat Parshat Pinchas, July 15th, 9:30pm SHARP: Another reason to mourn... Why the Bank of Israel was in the Holy Temple by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher Sunday, July 16th, 8:00pm (lecture at the Israel Center) - : Har HaBayit - Yesterday & Today with Nachman Kupietzky On Mondays, beginning July 17th, Dr. Henry Goldblum's class on Jewish History will be in recess - until September. Watch for announcements of its resumption. Dr. David Luchins will be speaking on the following topics: Shabbat Parshat Matot-Mas'ei, 5:00pm (Mincha at 6:00)Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Poupko ICVC - Tuesday, July 18, 7:00pm - A very special evening - The ICVC is extremely pleased and proud to announce that Mr. Willy Lindwer, internationally acclaimed filmmaker, will be with us. He will present his Int'l Emmy award-winning documentary, “The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank”. Mr. Lindwer’s parents were among the 10% of Dutch Jews who survived the Holocaust... Anne Frank's diary ended three days before her family was discovered in that famous Amsterdam attic... Her fate was a mystery for decades. In the 1990s, Mr. Lindwer set out to solve that mystery. This film tells what happened to Anne after the family was captured through the testimony of seven women who survived the hell from which Anne never returned... “The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank” is the powerful and unforgettable completion of the most famous individual story to have emerged from the Holocaust. The ICVC is very fortunate to have Mr. Lindwer present his film. In addition, he has agreed to discuss the movie and take questions after its screening... Mon. July 24 12:30pm Marvelous Mini-Health Luncheon at the Center, sponsored by Moadon Sanhedria,an affiliate of the Jerusalem Municipality; Guest Speaker: Dr. Henry R. Hashkes, The expert doctor in Israel on high blood pressure - "High Blood Pressure and the Deadly Quartet: Hypertension, Cholesterol, Diabetes and Obesity" the latest medical news on these very important health issues... You will not want to miss this! Nutritious & delicious mini health luncheon, Call the Travel Desk - (02) 566 7787 x 261 to reserve, Shulamit, co-ordinator, 25nis Special for Rosh Chodesh Av, Yahrzeit of Aharon HaKohen - Tuesday evening, July 25, 8:00pm, SONS OF AHARON - IT’S IN THE DNA and Other Interesting Findings from Jewish Genetic Genealogy - Power-point slide presentation with Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman, Author of DNA & TRADITION - The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews, Director, The Center for Kohanim, Old City Jerusalem - www.Cohen-Levi.org Wednesday July 26th - 8:00pm: Insider Tips On Finding Your Bashert Online - Presentation, Q & A, and mixer...With over 620 married, Derek Saker, visiting Director of Frumster.com will offer an insightful presentation, inspiring stories, and a practical workshop on maximizing your prospects of success! OU ISRAEL CENTER [The Parshat Balak Homepage]
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