MISC section - contents: [1] Vebbe Rebbe [1] From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE The Orthodox Union ñ via its website ñ 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 am studying to convert to Judaism with an Orthodox rabbi. I know that tattoos are viewed negatively by my rabbi and others. People are unaware that I have some (not obscene ones). I am concerned that when I will put tefillin on, people will find out. I have heard that people with tattoos are not be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Should I just not convert? Will rabbis accept me? A: We mustn't advise whether you should convert without knowing you. However, tattoos should not be a serious factor. While there is a Torah prohibition not to have tattoos done (Vayikra 19:28), this applies only to Jews. Therefore, people should and a rabbi would know that you did nothing wrong and not cast aspersions on your worthiness as a convert. Despite rumors to the contrary, even one who had a tattoo made as a Jew (in a forbidden manner) may be buried in a Jewish cemetery. There is not even a clear obligation to remove a tattoo, as the main issue is the agreement to have it put in his flesh, not its existence (Bemareh Habazak V, 78). If it involves themes of paganism or obscenities, it is proper to keep it covered whenever possible (ibid.). That being said, we understand your feelings and encourage you to avoid situations where you will be embarrassed later. When living as a religious Jew, your (visible) tattoos may make you stick out in a negative way. While one may either keep the fact of being a convert quiet or make use of the many sources that allow him to be proud of his brave, laudable step, you likely will not want to display elements of the past of which the tattoos remind people. Let us take a quick look at some of the systems of removing tattoos. You should consider your options now because some systems are problematic for a Jew. Therefore, if a certain system is something you want to use (we do not give medical advice), the time to do it might be now. One mild system (with moderate results) is to apply a chemical cream over time that fades the color of the tattoo. This is permitted for a Jew, which is good because even if you started now, your conversion may go through before you have completed treatment. Plastic surgery (which is uncommon for tattoos) requires cutting the body and is halachically problematic because a Jew may not cause injury (even if it will eventually heal) to his body. While there are grounds for leniency when it is done to improve or beautify the body, not destroy it, the matter is best avoided when alternatives exist. Laser treatment, which breaks up the dyes and allows them to be removed from their position among the levels of skin, is usually not problematic because there is not always any damage and at least not serious scarring (Bemareh Habazak, ibid.). A final system is called ìcover up.î One injects new dye that makes the tattoo only faintly visible. There is some question as to whether the full prohibition of tattooing applies only to writing or whether any mark is equally bad (see Rav Basri in Techumin X, pp. 282-7 and Bemareh Habazak II, p. 81). If inserting any mark is fully forbidden, then the cover up injection is likely forbidden. If simple marking is rabbinic and especially if it is forbidden only because it looks like tattooing, then there is room to say (although it is not clear) that when it is done in order to make the previous marks weaker, it is permitted. Furthermore, the full prohibition may not apply when it is made for a technical need such as marking a slave (obviously no longer in practice) (Shulchan Aruch and Rama, Yoreh De'ah 180:3). If this rule is true (see Mishpetei Uziel II, YD 22 who says it is talking about an exceptional case), it is likely permitted when the injection is done to minimize an existing tattoo. Nevertheless, it is right to perform the cover up before converting. (B'tzel Hachochma V, 82 analyzes cover up at length and does not come to a clear conclusion). 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 One who does not have to be tactful is far more to be admired than one who displays great tact. From "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein A Candle by Day - The Antidote - The World Of Chazal by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein Now available at 054-209-9200 [3] CHIZUK and IDUD (for Olim & not-yet-Olim respectively) Purim Postscript The Talmud in TRACTATE MEGILA (10b,11a) cites various verses with which a number of Talmudic rabbis began their Purim sermons. It cites R. Levi has having opened with the following: ìNow if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land etc.î (Bamidbar 33:55). The verse continues that they will become ...as thorns in your sides and they will (constantly) oppress you in the land on which you dwell: How, we may ask, does R.Levi's opening verse, which deals with the initial conquest of the Land of Israel, relate particularly to the Purim story. I believe the point of R. Levi was to offer a truism regarding our dealings with our enemies in general, that would therefore apply, even more so, to our eternal nemesis Amalek. The lesson is that one cannot ìdilly-dallyî with those that are out to destroy us. Once we identify them as clear adversaries, we must act decisively and with the firmest resolve against them. If not, things will not get better but will consistently deteriorate to the point that they will be an ongoing thorn in our side. This principle is seen vividly in the Purim story when Mordechai urges Esther to act on Klall Yisrael's behalf. She answers that things will have to wait awhile as she is not scheduled to be summoned to the king for another thirty days. To which Mordechai responds: If you shall remain silent at this present time... you and your household will be lost... and who knows if it was not for this moment that you attained royalty.î The message undoubtedly penetrated since we see that from that moment on Esther acts with great resolve, thereby saving the day by successfully ridding us of Haman and his murderous decree. R. Levi's message is a most crucial one for our times where we often fail to identify evil, and certainly fail to act against it with firm resolve. It is R. Levi's general lesson that only when we are firm and resolute, then with G-d's help, victory over our adversaries is surely at hand. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Sosevsky, Jerusalem 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 R' Aryeh Levin once saw a woman knitting at a very fast pace. When he asked her what the rush was, she explained that that day her son's yeshiva tuition was due, and she had to be sure to finish knitting all the items that had been ordered from her so that she would have enough money to pay the Rebbe. ìBut surely tuition can be paid tomorrow?î said R' Aryeh. ìNo,î said the mother.î If I do not pay today, I am afraid that even without this being deliberate, the Rebbe might harbor a subconscious negative feeling toward my son.î Upon hearing this, R' Aryeh told her: ìMay your son grow to be a great Torah scholar.î That son was R' Betzatzel Zolti, who later became the Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim. 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" ó available at your local Jewish bookstore (or should be). Excerpted with the permission of the copyright holder [5] Parsha Points to Ponder - SH'MINI 1) Why did G-D tell Aharon to command the Jewish people regarding the sacrifices in the beginning of the Parsha instead of Moshe doing so as usual (see 9:2-3)? 2) Why does the Torah first mention that Aharon will bring an offering to atone for himself AND FOR THE NATION and then repeat that he will bring an offering AND ATONE FOR THEM (9:7)? 3) Why does the Torah relate BECAUSE I AM HASHEM YOUR G-D WHO RAISED YOU OUT OF EGYPT TO BE YOUR G-D, specifically following the law not to become impure through an insect which crawls of the ground (11:44-45)? THESE ARE THE ANSWERS Ponder the questions first, then read here 1) The Ohr HaChayim suggests that since they are bringing offerings to atone for the golden calf (see Rashi on verse 2 and, according to many, the Mishkan is necessary because of that sin), it is fitting for Aharon who was involved with that sin to lead the purification process. 2) The Ramban explains that with those introductory words, AND FOR THE NATION, the Torah is emphasizing that a person must first cleanse himself and only then can he turn his sights on purifying others. Then the Torah describes the actual sacrifice which will atone for the others. 3) The Kli Yakar answers that things which exist closer to the ground represent the highest level of physicality and, therefore, the insects which crawl on the ground have the highest levels of impurity as captured by the unique words that they make IMPURE YOUR SOULS. The symbolism of G-D redeeming us from Egypt, a place steeped in physicality to bring us to Israel, the height of spirituality is very appropriate to capture why G-D wants us to stay away from that which represents the darkness of the purely physical. 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",just re-published by Feldheim, ppp@ouisrael.org Merit and Mazal - Part 2 Last week we spoke about the relationship between merit and mazal and we brought in the Gemara that stated that how long a person lives, children and livelihood are dependent on mazal. We saw the example brought by the Gemara that Raba and Rav Chisda were both righteous, but Raba lived for forty years, while Rav Chisda lived to the age of ninety two. This seems to contradict the words and spirit of the Torah that we can change our fate based on our observance of mitzvot and through prayer. We saw the answer of Rabbeinu Nissim that what the Gemara means is that these areas are not dependent only on merit and that there is an element of mazal included. The example of Raba and Rav Chisda is very important and we mentioned last week that Raba may have had a genetic problem and that in his family they did not live too long whereas Rav Chisda may have come from a family who all lived well into old age, and therefore Rabbeinu Nissim explained that these things cannot always be changed. However while the Gemara tells us that Raba lived to the age of forty and Rav Chisda lived to the age of ninety two, it does not inform us how long would they have lived without their merit and without their prayers. It is very possible that other members of Raba's family died at an even younger age and that he reached the age of forty due to his merits. So that while we see the end result, we do not know the starting point. Rabbeinu Nissim explained that not everything is dependent on merit, but merit does definitely count for something, we just do not know how much. Therefore while the Gemara presents a picture that merit is not the only element that determines our fate regarding the length of our lives, our children and our livelihood, it is clear that without merit we would still achieve less in all these areas. So one has to work on both fronts, we have to invest all our energy into prayer, mitzvot and other merits, while at the same time realizing that these are limited in their ability to change all things. Raba prayed and lived to the age of forty but no more and this was the best for him and he and we must be happy and satisfied with this conclusion. The same is true with fertility and treatment. It is commendable to do all one can to have children while still accepting objective realities when we face them and finding positive ways to live with them. The Puah Institute for Fertility and Gynecology in Accordance with Halacha is based in Jerusalem and helps couples from all over the world who are experiencing fertility problems. Puah offers free counseling in five languages, halachic supervision and educational programs. Puah has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. To contact the Puah Institute please call 02-6515050 in Israel or 718-3360603. Visit our website at www.puah.org.il [7] Portion from the Portion by Rakel Berenbaum FEEDback to berenbau@actcom.net.il These are the flying animals you must avoid... the stork... After three days of Purim with all that eating and drinking, who can think of food? But that is one of the topics of this weeks portion. All 46 verses of chapter 11 deal with the dietary laws, what we as Jews are allowed to eat and what we are not allowed to eat. People ask, what is the purpose of all these rules about food? Is it a special diet to lose weight (we wish)? Maybe it's actually a diet to put on weight with all that kugel, chulent, and kreplach? Maybe these laws are a special health diet? This is what the Rambam suggests in the third chapter of Guide to the Perplexed. This is not the opinion of all the commentators though. Most see these laws, not as a way to protect our body, but rather as a way to protect our soul. According to the Rabbis, eating TAMEI animals has a detrimental effect on our soul - an effect that even repentance can't totally erase. T'shuva brings forgiveness, but cannot totally heal the scars to our soul brought by eating non-kosher. (This must be the reason that so many people are more strict about hechsherim - kosher food certifications, than other mitzvot.) It might be hard to understand how eating a certain type of fish or fowl can affect our soul .The Ramban says that the birds enumerated in this portion are forbidden for us to eat because they are cruel - they are carnivores. Knowing this helps us understand a bit better. The bird's aggressive nature somehow penetrates into our being when we eat it. This nature would be hard to extricate. But the Torah includes in the list of non-kosher birds the CHASIDA, what some translate as the stork. The Talmud in Chulin says the bird is called the CHASIDA because it does CHESED - kindness towards its friends. One may ask - if the bird does kindness, why is it listed with the non- kosher birds that Ramban calls cruel. Isn't chesed, kindness, a good trait? The Chidushei Ha-Rim says that the stork only does favors for its friends and not for strangers. It is good to do chesed for friends, but it is not enough that is considered Tamei - impure and is a bad attribute to inculcate into our being. G-d wants us to do chesed for everyone, even people who may be strangers, strange or just different from ourselves. When we eat our kosher birds this Shabbat we should think how we can do chesed with people outside of our own circle of friends. Even though we have just given Matanot La'evyonim, and we all hopefully give Tzedaka on a regular basis, let's try the following, so as not to be like the Chasida. Let's give tzedaka to a cause that we usually don't give to. It could be one of the causes mentioned in Torah Tidbits - the Chessed Fund, Katif Baby Fund, towards the Sderot projects, one of the personal appeals... or you could donate to Melabev www.melabev.org who care for people from all walks of Israeli society who now suffer from Alzheimer's disease. There are no shortage of causes out there - we must just stretch ourselves to care for everyone around us, even those who are different. Since the Portion discusses the birds that we can and can not eat - here is a recipe that is not really made with birds but has the word bird in its name. Beef Birds is beef that is pounded until very thin, filled and rolled up, and braised. It can also be made with chicken breasts. [Ed. note: Of course, if you use beef, you are also coordinating with the sedra, since kosher mammals is also one of the topics.] BEEF BIRDS 1 round steak (2 lbs. inch thick) or chicken breasts 6 smoked sausages 2 Tbsp. drippings 1 tsp. salt 1 med. onion, sliced 1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes 1 tsp. caraway seeds 1 (16 oz.) can saurkraut 4 Tbsp. sugar Pound steak with a meat hammer to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 6 even pieces. Put a sausage on each piece and roll out like a jelly roll. Use toothpicks to keep it together. Brown meat slowly in drippings. Discard drippings. Season with salt. Add onion, tomatoes, caraway seeds, and liquid from saurkraut. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 1 hour. Add saurkraut and sugar and continue cooking on low for 30 minutes or until birds are tender. Serves 6. A starfish (a.k.a. sea star) measuring 60cm across was recently discovered in Antarctic waters. Possible new species. KOCHAV YAM Not a TTriddle: Is a dophin not kosher because it doesn't have scales or because it doesn't chew its cud? Does the answer make a difference. Crutch - KAV Crutches - Kabayim The underarm crutch is called KAV SHECHI Cane - MAKEL HALICHA OR MAKEL SABBA Parshat Shmini opens with Moshe's call to Aharon, his sons, and the elders of Israel to receive instructions concerning the initiation ceremony of the Kohanim. Ostensibly the elders were included so that they could see for themselves that Hashem elevated Aharon to the position of Kohen Gadol and that he had not seized the honor for himself or been favored by his brother Moshe for the position (Rashi). The first instruction of the service is addressed to Aharon who is told to bring atonement offerings for himself in readiness for the sacrifices he would offer on behalf of the people. However, the commentaries disagree regarding the object of the next command, "And to the Children of Israel, speak as follows", which goes on to describe the offerings of Bnei Yisrael that would precede Hashem's appearance [via the descent of the Divine fire that would devour their sacrifices]. Most obvious is that Aharon is still being addressed. Yet Ramban suggests that Moshe may have instructed both Aharon and the Elders to share responsibility for conveying the commands to the people. Or perhaps, having instructed Aharon, Moshe now told the Elders that they alone were to arrange the nation's offerings. Considering Rashi's note above, we might well prefer to identify with those Jewish leadership styles that highlight respect for the elderly, delegation of responsibility, and the involvement of the less privileged in the community building process. Shabbat Shalom, Menachem Persoff [The Parshat Sh'mini Homepage]
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