MISC section - contents: [1] From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE Q: Need one eat milchig on Shavuot? If so, when is one supposed to do so? What steps must he take regarding meat and milk? There are many minhagim and little clarity on the issue. A: We can give you only partial clarity - and an assurance that there are many legitimate ways to fulfill the minhag. The minhag to eat milchig food on Shavuot seems to have emerged in Ashkenazic lands in the time of the Rishonim and is accepted by the Rama (Orach Chayim 494:3). It has begun to be more accepted among S'fardim, at least in Israel, where the dairy industry pushes the minhag aggressively (we wonder why?). The problem is that there are many educated guesses as to the rationale behind the minhag, which impacts on the optimal way to follow it. Also, some good ways of fulfilling it raise halachic problems. It is not surprising then that both rabbis and laymen have developed varied systems. This variety and the phenomenon that people often do as they feel on this not overly crucial matter are reasonable. The Rama (ibid.) understands that the minhag is to remind us of the Sh'tei HaLechem (two loaves of wheat), offered on Shavuot in the Beit HaMikdash. The Magen Avraham (ad loc.:8) explains that by eating both milk and meat in a meal, there will be two loaves of bread with which to eat the food. He says that in keeping with this reason, it is best to bake some milchig bread. Although bread is supposed to be parve, loaves that are small or are made in a special shape, both of which were customary on Shavuot, are permitted (Rama, Yoreh Deah 97:1). This approach explains why many eat milchig and fleishig at the same meal despite the complications (see below). Another reason to split a meal between milchig and fleishig parts is that many require a meat meal at night and in the day of Yom Tov (see Rosh, Berachot 7:23 with Ma’adanei Yom Tov; Sha’arei Teshuva 529:2). Others say it is sufficient to have meat in the day. Therefore, those who have one fully milchig meal on Shavuot, do so at night (see Piskei Teshuvot 529:11 & 494:11). Other reasons for the minhag are based on kabalistic ideas regarding milk (Magen Avraham 494:6), hints of its acronym (Aruch Hashulchan OC 494:5), and the idea that after receiving the Torah, Bnei Yisrael required time to be able to prepare kosher meat (Mishna Berura 494:12). ccording to these approaches, it may be sufficient to have milchig food at any point during Yom Tov, including a snack or kiddush after Shacharit. One should not compromise the laws of meat and milk in order to fulfill this minhag. Therefore, if eaten in succession, milchig is obviously eaten first. Between the two, one should clean the mouth by eating parve food and rinsing his mouth and either rinse or inspect his hands (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 89:2). He should also change the tablecloth (Mishna Berura ibid.: 16). (Most people simply eat the milchig food on a plastic tablecloth on top of the regular one.) Some people are careful to make a full break between milchig and fleishig with Birkat HaMazon (or a beracha acharona for the many who fulfill the minhag with cake) between them (Pri Megadim on Shach 89:6). However, that is a special chumra, not halachically required (ibid.; see Mishna Berura ibid.; Melamed L’ho’il II 23). If one does bentch, then there are varied opinions as to how long one should wait before starting the meat meal (beyond our present scope). In brief, it is all but impossible to accept the most stringent approach to the integration of milk into a meat meal while following all the stringencies of the prohibitions of milk and meat (see Igrot Moshe, OC I, 160). Some systems are cumbersome enough for many people to take away from their simchat Yom Tov, cause them to make mistakes, or unnecessarily delay the minhag of learning all night. Therefore, people should continue a family minhag they are comfortable with or adopt one which works for them. One who wants to figure out the most machmir way to do so may be blessed but should be aware of “collateral damage.” Ed. note: See the section on Dairy Foods, which is part of the Shavuot section elsewhere in this issue of Torah Tidbits. 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) The first person to miss an opportunity is Elimech. A leading figure of his generation, he had the means with which to help his townsmen, but instead he chooses to run from this opportunity and ends up dead and buried in a foreign land with his children intermarried to local women. aomi hears that "God has remembered His people" and she chooses to return. One daughter-in-law is perceptive enough to see the opportunity, goes along with her and becomes the grandmother of the king of Israel; the other turns back and becomes the grandmother of the evil giant Goliath. After they return to Bet Lechem, the closest relative is offered the opportunity to marry and redeem Ruth, but he is afraid and therefore becomes an anonymous personality, a nobody. Boaz uses the opportunity presented to him and redeems Ruth, thus becoming the ancestor of the mashiach. Our generation has also been granted a unique opportunity. We have been afforded the chance to leave the foreign land in which we live, take advantage of modern transportation and live in the flourishing Holy Land, which has been rebuilt from the ashes of destruction. May God grant us all the vision to seize this moment and take advantage of the wonderful opportunity He has given us. TORAH THOUGHTS as contributed by Aloh Naaleh members for publication in the Orthodox Union's 'Torah Insights', a weekly Torah publication on Parshat HaShavu’a [4] A Touch of Wisdom, A Touch of Wit The other ministers were jealous of him. After all, why should a Jew be given such a lofty position? They therefore spread rumors that R' Shmuel was stealing money from the royal treasury. The king ignored these tales, because he knew R' Shmuel, and how honest he was. However, to prove R' Shmuel's innocence to the other ministers, he asked him to bring him a complete list of his assets. R' Shmuel immediately did as told, and brought the king his accounting books. When the king examined them, though, he found that it only represented a tenth of R' Shmuel's assets. "Tell me," said the king angrily, "is that all you own? I myself gave you much more than this?" "My lord the king," R' Shmuel answered, "You ordered me to bring you a listing of my assets. I did as you asked, and here it is. This is what I have spent on charity. These are my assets, because they cannot be taken away from me. All the rest of my possessions are not truly mine." 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 [5] Parsha Points to Ponder - NASO THESE ARE THE ANSWERS 1) Rav Moshe Feinstein points to last week's Parsha which taught that the children of Kehat carried the most holy items such as the Aron and the Menora while the family of Gershon carried the lower level items such as the curtains and the columns. The family of Gershon could have become demoralized by their seemingly less important role. G-D, therefore, goes out of His way to equate Gershon's role with Kehat's role through the words, GAM HEIM. 2) The Chizkuni explains that the first statement refers to the senders. People sent the impure people out of the camp even though, at times, this meant distancing their relatives from them. The repetition of SO DID THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL refers to the impure people themselves who did not protest and willingly accepted the command for them to be sent out of the camp. 3) My great-grandfather, Rav Elimelech Fischman answers this question beautifully. (This is a meaningful time to teach his Torah since he was murdered by the Nazis on Shavuot night in Auschwitz in 1944.) Tradition teaches that the leaders chose to use wagons to serve as an atonement for the sin of the golden calf. (The word EIGEL shares the same root as the Hebrew word for wagon - AGALA.) The sin of the golden calf happened largely due to a lack of unity since the disunity led to the people rejecting Aharon's stalling tactics. Perhaps the leaders chose to share wagons to demonstrate that they learned the lesson of that sin and were now working with unity for a positive cause. The Torah goes out of its way to emphasize this act of unity and atonement by stating that there was A WAGON FOR EACH TWO LEADERS. Parsha Points to Ponder is prepared by Rabbi Dov Lipman Mashgiach Ruchani, Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah in Bet Shemesh, author of "DISCOVER: Answers for Teenagers (and adults) to Questions about the Jewish Faith", soon to be republished by Feldheim - ppp@israelcenter.co.il [6] Portion for the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum We see this idea in the connection between Pesach and Shavuot. On Pesach we were taken out of Egypt where we had been on the 49th level of defilement. Our redemption from Egypt was what is called “SUR MEIRA” - “distance yourself from evil”. We left the idol worship, idolatry and debasement behind. That was a good start,but it was not enough. Shavuot is the “ASEI TOV” - “do good”. Receiving the Torah helped us know what we should do to be righteous. The Torah tells us how to act in every aspect of our life. We should take this lesson with us always. Whenever we want to improve our- selves and our mitzva performance, we should remember to do this two step process of “SUR MEIRA VAASEI TOV”. COEUR A LA CREAM Garnish Mix all the cheeses together and add the salt (which helps to strain the liquid out) [7] MicroUlpan [8] G'matriya Match [9] Torah from Nature [10] Catch All An EIRUV TAVSHILIN page was in last week's TT (#715, p.10). EB called to our attention to a point we neglected to include. Let's put it like this: There are two levels of ET. The first is personal. It is made by an individual for himself and his household. Period. And the correct text of the ET declaration is LANA, it shall be permitted for us. The advanced version is for "Gedolei HaIr", the rabbinic leaders of the community. They add, LANU ULCHOL YISRAEL HADARIM BA'IR HAZOT, for us and for all Jews who live in this city. A person who forgets to make an ET, or whose ET was eaten before he had a chance to cook on Friday for Shabbat, is covered by this "advanced" ET. One who purposely does not make an ET, intending to rely on the ET of others, is NOT covered by it. Everyone should make an ET. But the advanced version is there just in case. However... in order to make this kind of ET, one has to take the ET food, give it to someone else (one's child above the age of mitzvot, or some say only to someone not part of your household) to "acquire" it on behalf of others. Then he takes it back, makes the bracha and declaration, including the extra phrase. Know that not just the community leaders make this extra ET, anyone can and preferably should, if he is able to do it properly. Confused? Talk it over with your rav. TTriddle Report Addendum Candle Lighting Clarifications If one has no flame to take a light from, he/she should try to get a flame from a neighbor. If none is available, Shabbat candles should NOT be lit. We may not produce fire by striking a match on Yom Tov, even for the mitzva of Shabbat candles. On Thursday, one should not only set up for Yom Tov lighting, but should also put out the candles needed for Friday's lighting, just to have them at hand when it is time to light Shabbat candles. Generally, Ashkenazi women accept Shabbat with the lighting of Shabbat candles. Therefore, their SOP (standard operating procedure) is to light the candles first, cover their eyes, and then make the bracha. Since handling fire is permitted on Yom Tov, one should say the bracha first and then light (then putting down the match or helper candle to go out on its own, since extinguishing fire is forbidden on Yom Tov). It is permissible for a women to light her usual Shabbat way for Yom Tov if she fears a mix-up. [11] Divrei Menachem Following Sefat Emet, we can discern an interesting connection between the two Shabbat Challot and the two loaves brought on Shavuot. By raising the Challot in our hands as we make the Bracha on the bread on Shabbat, we at once recognize Hashem's bounty and mark Shabbat as a symbol of His mastery in this world. We concurrently confer Kedusha (holiness) to Shabbat. And insofar as we elevate ourselves in honor of G-d, so do we raise the level of His majesty in this world. According to the (2,135-1), the two loaves of Shavuot represent the Torah SheBichtav, the Written Law, and Torah Sheb'al Peh, the Oral Law. Thus, the waving of the loaves indicates the homage we afford to these two bastions of our tradition. And by virtue of this command, we also raise the level of our Kedusha. Thus through our actions with these loaves we both bestow and receive Kedusha. What better thought for the Chag that traditionally celebrates our receiving of the Torah. Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff [The Shavuot Homepage]
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