MISC section - contents: [1] From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE Q: What do we do about lighting a havdala candle on Motza’ei Shabbat which is a Yom Tov? A: Lighting candles is one of the things one is allowed to do on Yom Tov and not on Shabbat. Although the main permission given by the Torah is in regard to use fire to enable the preparation of food for Yom Tov, this dispensation applies to other needs of the day, including needs of mitzvot (Beitza 12a). We should recall that there is a rabbinic prohibition to create new fire, and it is permitted only to transfer it from an existing source (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 502:1). On the other hand, one may not transfer a fire for a light that does not have a clear use (Shulchan Aruch ibid. 514:5, based on the Rosh, Beitza 2:22). It is not always easy to draw the line between a valid use or not. They, for example, permit lighting candles in a shul. The Mishna Berura (ad loc.: 31) says that this is permitted even during the day, when the congregants can manage without its light because it still brings appropriate honor to the shul. The Mishna Berura (ibid.:30) also says that candles that are customarily lit at a Brit Mila may also be lit on Yom Tov. One would think that regarding a havdala candle, where Chazal instituted the practice of making a beracha on it, one can certainly light the candle by transferring it from an existing flame, even though the practice is less than an outright obligation (Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 298:1). However, the issue is that it is not an absolute obligation to have the customary, braided candle of many wicks. Rather the gemara (Pesachim 103b) classifies having a “torch” as the choice manner of performing the mitzva. Rav Shlomo Zalman Orbach was apparently unsure whether fulfilling the mitzva in the preferred way warrants transferring a fire from a simple candle (Shemirat Shabbat K’hilchata 62:31). One should also realize that if he lights his customary havdala candle, he will not be able to extinguish the flame, as doing so to preserve the candle for future use is not a positive use that is permitted on Yom Tov. Therefore, the preferred system of making the beracha on the flame is to take two candles that were lit as the Yom Tov candles and put them together so that their flames become interconnected (Shemirat Shabbat K’hilchata 62:18). That way one has the torch effect without having to light extra candles to do so. In those cases that one cannot put the two candles together, one can light a match or two so that he can put the flames together, for fulfilling the mitzva in its standard way should be enough of a reason to light. Again, one should let the matches or candles go out themselves and not extinguish them. (See a related responsa in Tzitz Eliezer (VI, 10) who says that if one needs to light a yahrtzeit candle on Yom Tov, he can do so because the minhag to light it to show respect for the deceased is sufficient justification.) The Tzitz Eliezer actually feels that one should light a new candle(s) and not use the ones lit for the honor of Yom Tov. This is because of the halacha that havdala candle is supposed to be something that was lit to give light, not for honor (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 298:12. The Pri Megadim even adds that if the candle was lit both for honor and for light, it is still not valid. The Tzitz Eliezer demonstrates that Shabbat and Yom Tov candles are done both for light and for honor and, therefore, they are problematic. However, the Bi'ur Halacha (ad loc.) says that the Pri Megadim’s view is not clearly accepted and the Shemirat Shabbat K’hilchata (62:(30)) says that the main purpose of the Yom Tov candles is to give light, even in an era where there are electric lights to provide the bulk of the illumination. In summary, while it is legitimate to light special candles for havdala when it is Yom Tov on Motza’ei Shabbat, the simplest thing to do is to take two existing candles and put them together to form a “torch” upon which to make the beracha. 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) "Repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil of the verdict." Due to the perilous situation in Eretz Yisrael during the past summer, many of us implemented the above well before Elul, the month of repentance which precedes the Yamim Nora'im. Surely the outpouring of our prayers and the charitable acts on behalf of our brethren (and ourselves!) in danger had an effect on High. Hopefully, many Jews both in Israel and in the Diaspora have already earned the right to have their "verdicts" improved! We can only hope that our ongoing sincere prayers and acts of kindness during this season will help to subscribe us in the Books of Good Life, Redemption and Salvation, Sustenance and Support, Merits, and Forgiveness and Pardon! Of course, we cannot ignore the fact that the very first ingredient listed above is "repentance", from the verb shuv, which means "return". Clearly this implies that it is of utmost importance that we "return" to the ways of God and His Torah, in order to receive His forgiveness and the promise of a good year to come. It also behooves us to recall that the same verb shuv is used countless times in reference to our "returning" to our Land. Indeed, both ideas are intertwined at the end of the Haftara for the second day of Rosh HaShana. We would do well at this time to remember that "Whoever lives in Eretz Israel is sinless" (K'tubot 110b), "Eretz Israel atones" (ibid. 111a), and "Whoever walks four cubits in Eretz Israel is assured of a place in the world-to-come" (ibid.). Lest one say, "Isn't it too late to act now?" - it is nice to know, as R. Chaim Kanievsky states in his Derech Sicha, that God uses the resolutions we make today as "post-dated checks" to credit our Yom Kippur account as of now! 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 R’ Shlomo of Karlin was against those who fast as part of their T'shuva. “Either way, it’s inappropriate,” he said. “If the person has not sincerely repented, his fasting means nothing, and if he has sincerely repented, his eating is also an act of piety.” 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). [5] Portion for the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum - FEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il The Maharil says that there are sources for this custom in the Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim. In (Sh'mot 15:25) it says, "It was there (in Mara) that Hashem taught them a decree and laws". According to tradition this happened on Rosh Hashana. In the same verse it says that "the waters were sweetened", hinting to the fact that on Rosh Hashana one should eat sweet foods. In the Prophets (Shmuel Alef 25:38): "And it came to pass after the ten days G-d killed Naval". Tradition has this being the Ten Days of Repentance. Earlier in the verses (18) we see that Avigail , Naval's wife, served raisins and figs which are sweet foods. So too, the verses in Nechemiya (8:10) describing Rosh Hashana say "do not mourn or weep... eat sumptuously, and drink sweet beverages... for this day is holy to G-d". All these sources are hints to our custom to eat sweet foods on Rosh Hashana. The story in the book of Nechemiya can give us some deeper insights. At that time, Ezra read the words of the Torah to the people and they spontaneously cried because they realized how far they were from living up to those same words. They felt like mourning the difference between the ideal people they could have been and their actual situation. But this mourning is not beneficial. It doesn't accomplish anything. They were told to go celebrate and be joyful. Each year at Rosh Hashana we can also feel depressed that we haven't lived up to our full potential, that is why we eat sweet foods, to instill in us the hope that this year will be different and we will succeed in bringing out the sweetness within ourselves and we can truly be happy on this day when Hashem sits in judgment of the whole world. Honey Apple Cake Cream together the honey, butter, and eggs. [6] Micro Ulpan [7] Rosh HaShana's Mysterious Cover-Up by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher, Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva, Mt. Zion, Jerusalem - In memory of PESACH SPRECHER zt"l The MYSTERY only increases when we remember that the Torah specifically identifies the month of Nisan, the month in which Pesach falls, as the first months of the year (Sh'mot 12:2). It prescribes the first of Tishrei as a festival, but nowhere does it identify that festival as Rosh Hashana, or tell us much of anything else about it. Indeed, even Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance), the name by which Rosh Hashana is formally known in the liturgy, is nowhere mentioned in the Torah. The Torah mentions the holiday itself only twice: in Parshat Pinchas (Bamidbar 29:1-6), where it is called Yom Teru'a (the Day of the Shofar Blast); and in Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23:23-25), where it is referred to as Zichron Teru'a (the Remembrance of Shofar blasts). In other words, the only thing the Torah tells us about the holiday we call Rosh Hashana is that it is associated with the blowing of the Shofar. That association by itself gives us little help in understanding the significance of the day, however, because the significance of the shofar itself is subject to a variety of interpretations. Saadia Gaon famously listed ten different reasons for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana, including its association with creation, with the Akeida (binding of Isaac), with the revelation at Mt. Sinai and, ultimately, with the Messianic Redemption. The blessing over the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana refers to the mitzva as "hearing the voice of the Shofar", but since that voice speaks without words, the message that is heard depends a great deal on who is doing the listening. Perhaps we can get some help on the meaning of Rosh Hashana from the two verses from the Book of Psalms that are most closely associated with it, the verses we use on Rosh Hashana to introduce both the evening Amida and the afternoon Kiddush: The most common interpretation of these verses is as referring to the prerogative of the Beit Din (Jewish court), during the time when the Temple stood, to fix the date of each Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) - including Rosh Hashana, which is the Rosh Chodesh of Tishrei. Only when Israel, through the Beit Din, has determined which day is Rosh Hashana, can that day become a day of judgment (mishpat) for the God of Jacob. But there is another way of interpreting these verses that might help us to understand better the essence of Rosh Hashana, focusing on the use of the words chok and mishpat, which we usually understand as referring to two different types of mitzvot. A chok is a commandment with no reason. A mishpat is a commandment, like the prohibitions on murder and theft, for which the rationale is self-evident. If we understand the words chok and mishpat in these verses the same way we understand them in most other contexts, then perhaps we can start to see why the Torah treats Rosh Hashana the way it does. The day on which the shofar is sounded (i.e. Rosh Hashana), the Psalmist tells us, is a chok (law without any apparent reason) for Israel, but a mishpat (a law whose purpose is self-evident) for the God of Jacob. From God´s perspective, in other words, Rosh Hashana has a clear and self-evident reason, but He has chosen not to reveal that reason to us in His Torah, making the holiday a chok from our perspective. (The word "mishpat" in that verse may have a double meaning, as both a counterpoint to chok and a day whose focus is on judgment.) That prevailing meaning, the one that the TALMUD has associated with Rosh Hashana, is that it is the beginning of a ten-day period of repentance that will end with Yom Kippur. Despite its cryptic handling of Rosh Hashana, the Torah is very clear about the meaning of Yom Kippur as a day for Jews to atone for their sins and elaborates in great detail (Vayikra 16:1-34) on the atonement service that took place when the Temple stood. But the Torah does not create a ten day preparatory period before Yom Kippur, nor does it suggest any association between Rosh Hashana and the atonement process of Yom Kippur. If Yom Kippur is to achieve its purpose, however, it cannot appear suddenly and alone, without giving us an opportunity to prepare for it. Teshuva is a lengthy process, and a difficult one. The more opportunity we have to reflect on our deeds over the course of the past year, the greater the likelihood that we will be able to complete the process of Teshuva successfully. So, even though the Torah does not expressly link Rosh Hashana to the atonement that will culminate on Yom Kippur, it hints as such a link by prescribing the dates of the two holidays with only ten days between them. When it comes to the concept of Rosh Hashana as a New Year, however, the Torah provides no such hint. That fact is covered up. So why did the TALMUD come to view Rosh Hashana as the primary New Year of the Jewish calendar? Perhaps it is because of the idea of renewal in a spiritual rather than a chronological sense. What makes one particular day the beginning of a new year is not its position on the calendar but its significance in our lives. This season of Teshuva in the seventh month is far from the chronological beginning of the year. The Torah reminds us that it is our Teshuva, not the calendar, that has the capacity to provide us with that fresh start. However mired we are in the patterns of our lives, however overwhelmed by the seemingly insurmountable task of self-improvement; we have the capacity - especially in this season to begin our return to God. "Return us, O Lord, to yourself, and let us return. Renew our days as of old." (Lamentations 5:21) [8] Divrei Menachem Consequently, we might think of Rosh Hashana as a solemn day during which we bare our hearts before the Judge and stir ourselves to repentance as we hear the piercing sounds of the shofar. Yet, on reflection, we recall that before commencing the evening prayer (the Amida) on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we declare, "Blow the shofar at the moon's renewal [lit. when covered], at the appointed time for our festive day" (T'hilim 81:4). The S'fat Emet points out that Jewish festivals are called Yom Tov on account of the hidden holy sparks in each Jew that light up, as it were, on the holidays. This primordial light is associated with the righteous, as is written: "Or Zaru'a Latzadik" - 'The light is sown for the Tzadik'. And even though Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment, Hashem bestows his Chessed (merciful countenance) and turns this day into a festival. Like the moon, however, these special sparks remain hidden on Rosh Hashana, so as not to arouse the attention of Israel's "prosecutors". But since their light is linked with the righteous, our festive joy stems from the confidence that Hashem will take heed of this inner spiritual radiance despite our failings. Vechein Yehi Ratzon - And may it be His will. KTIVA V'CHATIMA TOVA, Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff [The Rosh HaShana Homepage]
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