The style of Prophets

Hi,

"‘And this is the berachah which Moshe blessed’ – Because Moshe spoke harsh things to Israel first… he then went back and told them consoling things… and from him all of the prophets learned to first address the Jews with harsh words and then to return with consoling words. No prophet spoke harsher words than Hosheia, who began with, “Gd, give them what You will give! Give them…”

(Sifri, Devarim 342)

Note: That passage from Hosheia is actually Hosheia 9:14, but it precedes the more merciful passages in the book.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Is there a mitzvah to seek converts?

Hi,

"The court blesses 'On the immersion of converts' before a [minor] convert's immersion, just as we bless before performing any other mitzvah.

"If one will ask where the court was instructed in this mitzvah, it is from [Avraham and Sarah], 'The lives they created [by teaching them Jewish beliefs] in Charan.'"

(Raavad, Baalei haNefesh, end of Shaar haTevilah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wearing the uniform

Hi,

"Rav Yehuda said, citing Rav: One who arrogantly wears the garb of a Torah scholar, when he is not a Torah scholar, will not be introduced into the enclave of Gd."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 98a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom vs. Prophecy

Hi,

"Better to be a wise person than to be a prophet."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 12a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Asarah b'Tevet - the Fast of the 10th of Tevet

Hi,

The fast of Asarah b’Tevet, the 10th day of Tevet, marks the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. It led to the destruction of the First Beit haMikdash, and the exile of the Jews to Babylon.

Today [Sunday 12/27/09] is Asarah b'Tevet. As we are taught regarding every fast other than Yom Kippur, the main merit of the fast is in donating to charity the money we would have spent on food.

(Talmud, Berachot 6b; Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 549:1; Mishneh Berurah 549:2)

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

The importance of social halachah

Hi,

"The day-to-day interactions between people, the treatment of one another in mundane conversation, in walking in the street, in traveling on a bus, or waiting in line to be served in a store, are no less the home of halakhah than are the activities of the synagogue or the kitchen, the study hall or the hospital bed."

(Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, The Right and the Good, pg. xii)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Taking credit by undermining others

Hi,

"How do we know that if a student sees his mentor erring in judgment, he should not say, 'I'll wait until he finishes, and then I will contradict him and present it on my own so that it will be known as my verdict?'

"It is written: 'You shall distance yourself from falsehood.'"

(Talmud, Shevuot 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Keeping the family together

Hi,

Bereishit 46:7 says regarding Yaakov: "His sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters and all of his seen, he brought with him to Egypt."

The Netziv commented:
"Yaakov's sons and his sons' sons came with Yaakov [to Egypt] on their own, because they had been instructed by Gd to descend to Egypt, and with them the prophecy of 'Your seed with be strangers' was fulfilled.

"Yaakov's daughters and his sons' daughters and his students were not instructed to do this, and could have married others in Egypt. Yaakov brought them to Egypt, though, to guard them and supervise them for as long as he could."

(Netziv, Haamek Davar to Bereishit 46:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Praying from the depths

Hi,

"One should not stand in an elevated place and daven [pray], but in a low place. It is written (Tehillim 130:1), 'I called You, Gd, from the depths.'"

(Talmud, Berachot 10b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Speaking before the deceased

Hi,

"One may only speak of matters related to the deceased, in front of the deceased."

(Talmud, Berachot 3b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of establishing Jewish life in Israel

Hi,

"The sages taught: One may even write up a deed to purchase land in Israel on Shabbat.

"Do you really believe one could do this on Shabbat?! Rather, it is as Rava taught in another circumstance, that one may ask a non-Jew to do certain things on Shabbat, so in this case one may ask a non-Jew to do it. Although the sages prohibited asking a non-Jew to perform melachah on Shabbat, they did not create their decree in a case where that would prevent settlement of the land of Israel."

(Talmud, Gittin 8b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Responsibility toward the community

Hi,

In an address regarding our responsibility for our covenant with Gd, Moshe tells the Jews (Devarim 29:9), 'All of you are standing here, today.'

"This teaches that even though each individual is judged separately in terms of his personal level, still, each individual influences the judgment of the whole, whether for penalty or favor."

(Netziv, Haamek Davar, Devarim 29:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Chanukah's Durability

Hi,

Preface: Chanukah’s observance was recorded in Megilat Taanit, an ancient text which listed days when one may not fast or mourn.

"Rav and R’ Chanina said: Megilat Taanit is now void…

"Rav Kahana challenged: We learned, “Once they decreed a fast on Chanukah in Lod, and Rabbi Eliezer bathed and Rabbi Yehoshua took a haircut, and they told the community, ‘Now, fast to atone for your fasting!’”

“Rav Yosef said: Chanukah is different, for its observance is a mitzvah.

“Abbaye asked: Let it be void, and let its mitzvah be void!

“Rather, Rav Yosef said: Chanukah is different , for it publicizes a miracle.”

(Talmud, Rosh haShanah 18b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Judaism's Egalitarian Instincts

Hi,

"Great and small are equal before Gd. Betzalel was from Yehudah [the royal tribe] and Ahaliav was from Dan [a tribe of lesser standing], and one was paired with the other [to build the mishkan].

"R’ Chanina said: Great and small are equal… The Mishkan was created by these two tribes. So was the Beit haMikdash – Solomon from Yehudah, with Chiram, 'the son of a widow from the tribe of Naftali.'"

(Midrash, Sh'mot Rabbah 40:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Jews and Figs

Hi,

"Gd compared our ancestors to figs: Figs have many harvests, and so our ancestors performed many great deeds.

"Alternatively: “Like a first-born fig” – Figs do not have any dross at all, where every other food has dross which a person rejects. People do not throw away any part of figs. So HaShem said to Avraham, “You are complete and you have no flaw or lacking…"

(Midrash Tanchuma Lech Lecha 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The power of miracles

Hi,

“Know that via miracles, it becomes obvious to all that the world was created, and that there is a cause for all causes who created His world.”

(R’ Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi, Kedushah l’Chanukah 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The menorah in the mishkan

Hi,

"Rav Sheshet asked: The Torah says, ‘He shall arrange it [the menorah in the mishkan] outside the curtain of the edut.’ Does Gd need its light? All through the forty years that the Jews traveled in the wilderness, they traveled only by His light!

"Rather: The menorah is testimony to all who enter the world, that the Shechinah is manifest in Israel."

(Talmud, Shabbat 22b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of saying Thank You

Hi,

"Gd wanted to make Chizkiyahu into Mashiach, and Sancherev into Gog uMagog.

"Justice declared before Gd: Master of the Universe! David, king of Israel, said many songs and praises before You and You did not make him Mashiach. You performed all of these miracles for Chizkiyah and he did not sing before You – You will make him Mashiach?!"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 94a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A ninth day for Chanukah outside of Israel?

Hi,

"The Baal haIttim wrote: Why do we not celebrate nine days of Chanukah out of doubt, just as we celebrate nine days of Succot, keeping a ninth day because of uncertainty regarding the eighth day?

"He replied that it's because Succot is biblical, and the sages were strict regarding doubt for its observance since we no longer establish the calendar based on observation [of the moon]. Chanukah is rabbinic, though, and so the same sages who said to observe eight days of Chanukah are the ones who said to use the calculation of the molad [the moon's phase]."

(Avudraham, Chanukah)

[Note: I'm not clear on why he links the sfeika d'yoma [extra day of doubt] to a calculated calendar.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Three Menorahs

Hi,

"There are three different menorot: The menorah of Moshe Rabbeinu, the menorah of Zecharyah [in his prophetic vision] and the menorah of Matityahu.

"The two, from Moshe and Zecharyah, had seven lights each. Matityahu's, which is the menorah of Chanukah, had eight lights.

"One is for this world, and one is for the time of Mashiach; these are of seven, hinting at sets of seven, in that this world lasts for six thousand years and then the seventh thousand is entirely Shabbat.

"The menorah of Matityahu, of eight lights, is for the next world, as it is written (Tehillim 12:1), 'For the conductor, upon the eighth." The eighth is Shemini Atzeret, which is the great Jubilee, entirely holy. Shavuot is in the eight week, after we have counted seven weeks."

(Derashot R' Yehosua Ibn Shuib, Parshat Miketz)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Surrounded by the beauty of mitzvot

Hi,

"The mitzvah is to place the Chanukah light at the entrance that is close to the road [as opposed to a home entrance set back from the road, within a front yard].

"The mezuzah should be on the right and the Chanukah light on the left. This fulfills the verse (Shir haShirim 7:7), 'How beautiful you are, how pleasant you are!' How beautiful you are with the mezuzah, how pleasant you are with the Chanukah light."

(Masechet Sofrim 20:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yaakov's final message to his children

Hi,

Regarding Yaakov's last message to his children, in Bereishit 49:

"Those who say that these are blessings are straying, because at the end of the section it says, 'And he blessed them.' But where are the blessings for Reuven, Shimon and Levi?

"Rather, this was Yaakov's prophecy, as it says, 'And this is what their father said to them,' and later he blessed them. But the Torah did not list the actual blessings."

(R' Avraham Ibn Ezra, Bereishit 49:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The sale of Yosef

Hi,

A statement on the cause of our national exile and slavery in Egypt, and a warning to parents:

"Because of the weight of two sela of silk which Yaakov added to Yosef's cloak, the matter developed and our ancestors descended to Egypt."

(Talmud, Megilah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True religious celebration

Hi,

"And when one eats and drinks he must also feed “the stranger, the orphan and the widow,” along with all other paupers and needy people. For one who closes his yard’s gates and eats and drinks with his childern and wife and does not feed the needy and people of bitter spirit, this is not joy of a mitzvah; it is joy of his belly.

"Regarding such people it says, “Their offerings are as bread of sadness; all who eat it will be contaminated, for their bread is for their lives.” Joy such as this is shame for them, as it is written, “I will scatter peresh upon your faces, the peresh of your holiday-offerings.”"

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yom Tov 6:18)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Purifying the day, Purifying one's self

Hi,

"When a person repents, his repentance involves two levels.

"One level is that he corrects the corruption and returns to the state of completeness which he possessed before his sin. Even if he has not yet ascended to the level he occupied before his sin, still, since he has abandoned his wickedness it is impossible to say that this day possessed no purity. Even though we will discover, upon gauging this person’s status, that he has not yet performed according to what was set out of him, for he should have ascended to a level higher than the one he occupies and he did not do so, still, since he had already descended to evil and he has now returned and created a new heart to serve HaShem, he has already performed and corrected much on that day.

"The day is then pure in itself, but the person, himself, is not yet pure until he adds strength in his awe of Gd and his closeness to Gd, and he desires with greater strength than he had before his sin, so that he will ascend to a greater level than he had before. Then his purity will return to him as a person, as he had been pure in terms of the day at the start of his repentance."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Ein Ayah to Berachot 1:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The mitzvah of sanctifying Gd's Name

Hi,

"The ninth mitzvah is that He instructed us to sanctify the Name, as it is written, 'And I will be sanctified among the children of Israel.

"This mitzvah means that we are instructed to publicize this true faith in the world, and that we should not fear harm from any attacker."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot, Aseh 9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Esav kisses Yaakov

Hi,

"‘And he kissed him’ has dots atop it, for he did not kiss Yaakov with all of his heart.

"R’ Shimon bar Yochai said: It is known halachah that Esav hates Yaakov, but his mercies were reversed at that moment, and he kissed Yaakov with all of his heart."

(Sifri, Behaalotcha 69)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Torah's mysticism

Hi,

"Ramban and the mystics wrote that 'heavens and earth' include the world of Divine influence. This has a place, but not in the simple explanation, for in the simple explanation the Torah is called 'an expert pedagogue.' The Torah did not inform us at all about the hidden elements of creation; it spoke only about the worlds that are known to all..."

(Malbim to Bereishit 1:1, note ב)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A ger has always been a ger

Hi,

"Why do we say, 'A ger who converts is like a child who has just been born,' rather than say, 'A non-Jew who converts is like a child who has just been born?'

"This is because the souls of future converts were presents at Sinai when we received the Torah; it's only that he waited until now to join."

(Chida, Midbar Kedemot 3:3, based on Shabbat 146a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Complaining of our wealth

Hi,

"Rabbi Akiva said: Everyone complained about the silver and gold which accompanied the Jews from Egypt, as it is written: 'Your silver was dross (Yeshayah 1),' 'And I increased silver for them, and they used gold for the baal [idol] (Hosheia 2),' 'They made idols for themselves from their silver and gold, to be cut off (Hosheia 8).'

"Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Yirmiyah in the name of Rabbi Shemuel bar Rav Yitzchak said: It does not say, 'So that they will be cut off [plural],' but 'to be cut off [singular, about the silver and gold itself].' It is like one who says, 'May so-and-so's name be cut off, for he took my son in a bad direction.'"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 28)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Torah's textual anomalies

Hi,

"Based on our elders, as they guided us in paths of righteousness and taught us, we contemplate and measure the holy statements and analyze in our holy Torah every instance of absent and excessive imprecision. These are the windows of the heavens, for through them we may look and gaze at the good, hidden, hinted-at light which is not meant to be recorded explicitly."

(R' Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Menachem Tziyyon to Parshat Vayyetze)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Halachic consistency

Hi,

“The law follows Beit Hillel. One who wishes to follow Beit Shammai may do so, one who wishes to follow Beit Shammai may do so. One who follows the leniencies of Beit Shammai and the leniencies of Beit Hillel is wicked. Regarding one who follows the stringencies of Beit Shammai and the stringencies of Beit Hillel, it is written (Kohelet 2), ‘The fool walks in the dark.’"

"Rather, either like Beit Shammai’s leniencies and stringencies, or like Beit Hillel’s leniencies and stringencies.”

(Talmud, Chullin 43b-44a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The magic number 49

Hi,

"The number of days from the omer elevation until the sacred day [Shavuot] is the same as the number of years of shemitah cycles until the yovel [Jubilee] year; they share the same source."

(Ramban to Vayyikra 23:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The wings of a dove

Hi,

An interesting passage, on several levels:

"Rabbah bar bar Chanah was traveling in a caravan. He ate, and erred and did not recite a berachah afterward. He said, “What should I do? If I will tell them that I forgot to bless, they will tell me to bless [here], for wherever one blesses it is still for Gd. Better that I should tell them that I have forgotten a golden dove.”

"He told them, “Wait for me, for I have forgotten a golden dove.” He went and blessed, and found a golden dove.

"Why a dove? Because the Jewish people are compared to a dove, as it is written, ‘The wings of a dove, coated with silver, her limbs in finest gold.’ Just as a dove is saved only by her wings, so Israel is only saved with mitzvot."

(Talmud, Berachot 53b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The sweetness of Divine aid

Hi,

Regarding the dove which Noah sent from the Ark, which returned with an olive leaf in its mouth:

"R’ Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: It is written, 'Behold, an olive leaf was torn in her mouth' – The dove said before Gd, 'Master of the Universe! May my food be bitter like an olive and from Your hand, and not sweet like honey and dependent upon flesh and blood.'"

(Talmud, Eruvin 18b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The dangers of mockery

Hi,

"Rava said to the sages: I beg of you, do not mock, lest suffering come upon you.

"Rav Ketina said: One who mocks will have his sustenance reduced, as it is written, 'He drew His hand from [supporting] mockers.'"

(Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Know Justice, Know Peace

Hi,

“We learned elsewhere, ‘Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: The world stands upon three things – Justice, Truth and Peace.’

“R’ Muna said: These three are identical. When justice is created, truth is created and peace is created.”

(Derech Eretz, Perek Shalom 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A twist on Yitzchak's desire to bless Esav that day

Hi,

"And it was, when Yitzchak aged and his eyes weakened from seeing, for when his father bound him he gazed at the Throne of Honor and from that moment his eyes began to weaken. And he called his older son Esav on the 14th of Nisan and said, “My son, Tonight the heavenly ones praise the Master of the Universe, and the stores of dew open.” And his son said, “Here I am.”"

(Targum Yonatan to Bereishit 27:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah = Life

Hi,

"If a student is exiled to a City of Refuge [for accidentally committing murder], his Torah teacher is also exiled with him. The Torah says, 'He shall live there' - we must provide him with the means for life."

(Talmud, Makkot 10a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Physical vs. Financial Generosity

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: Acts of physical generosity are greater than acts of financial tzedakah.

"It is written, 'Plant for yourselves according to righteousness [tzedakah], harvest according to generosity.' One who plants might eat and might not eat; one who harvests will definitely eat."

(Talmud, Succah 49b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Causing others to err

Hi,

"One who causes a blind person to stumble in a matter - giving inappropriate advice or helping a person sin when that person is blind and doesn’t know the path of truth because of his heart’s desires - violates the biblical prohibition, ‘And you shall not place a stumbling block in front of one who is blind.'”

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of a Murderer and of Guarding Life 12:14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The true value of Korbanot

Hi,

"[T]he Prophets in their books are frequently found to rebuke their fellow-men for being over-zealous and exerting themselves too much in bringing sacrifices: the prophets thus distinctly declared that the object of the sacrifices is not very essential, and that Gd does not require them.

"Samuel therefore said," Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord" (I Sam. xv. 22)? Isaiah exclaimed," To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord" (Isa. i. 11): Jeremiah declared:" For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offering or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my, voice, and I will be your Gd, and ye shall be my people" (Jer. vii. 22, 23). This passage has been found difficult in the opinion of all those whose words I have read or heard; they ask, How can Jeremiah say that Gd did not command us about burnt-offering and sacrifice, seeing so many precepts refer to sacrifice?

"The sense of the passage agrees with what I explained to you. Jeremiah says [in the name of Gd) the primary object of the precepts is this, Know me, and serve no other being;" I will be your Gd, and ye shall be my people" (Lev. xxvi. 12). But the commandment that sacrifices shall be brought and that the temple shall be visited has for its object the success of that principle among you; and for its sake I have transferred these modes of worship to my name; idolatry shall thereby be utterly destroyed, and Jewish faith firmly established. You, however, have ignored this object, and taken hold of that which is only the means of obtaining it..."

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim, 3:32 - Friedlander translation)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Personal Morality and Collective Morale

Hi,

On the issue of disobeying a military order as a matter of conscience, and the effect it may have on collective morale:

R’ Aharon Lichtenstein, 8/16/05 letter to R’ Avraham Shapira
With respect to values and principles that divide Israeli society, regarding which there is no consensus defining a particular initiative as patently illegal and immoral, selective refusal of orders is impossible. Refusal on the right invites refusal on the left, and vice versa. The result is a divided and disjointed army, part of which dissents and abstains from an initiative in one direction, and the other rejects initiatives in the opposite direction. The damage to the unity and cohesion of the army and to the readiness for mutual dedication and sacrifice is clear. And as a result, the IDF’s ability to carry out its missions and its power of deterrence
are eroded. One need not be a great general or statesman to understand the possible implications.

R’ Avraham Sylvetsky (grandson of Rav Shapira), 8/23/05 response to R’ Aharon Lichtenstein
Even if we disregard the underlying assumption upon which Kevod Torato’s question is grounded, surely in the case at hand the matter is even simpler. For Kevod Torato’s concern regarding an impairment of the strength of the IDF is shrouded in fog and not at all clear. Surely, Kevod Torato, shelita, would agree that it is almost an insult to the intelligence of the IDF soldiers that we should be concerned that they will draw an analogy from refusing orders on religious grounds to refusing orders in other contexts.
Moreover, irrespective of the religious aspect, is it not demeaning to our soldiers to assume that they are incapable of distinguishing between an order given during wartime as part of the defense efforts against the enemy and an order calling for an assault upon the property and lives of their Jewish brothers? Every soldier understands the difference between an order given in the context of the fulfillment of the role and mission of the Israeli army—defending the citizens of Israel against the enemy, regardless of the soldier’s personal political views—and an order that would not normally fall upon the IDF, and had never been included in the purpose for its establishment, and only because of technical difficulties was given over to the IDF, which is serving in this context as a manpower agency. It is exceedingly difficult for me to accept this diminution of the moral and intellectual level of our soldiers, as if they are incapable of making such simple and elementary distinctions.

(Tradition 40:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The authority of a military commander

Hi,

"There is no greater rodef [murderous pursuer] than one who causes the Jewish people to fall in battle… And this is what Reuven and Gad meant when they said to Yehoshua, “If anyone will rebel against your say and not listen to your word for all you command, he will die; only be strong and courageous.” Why would this person be liable for death? Yehoshua was not a king, but a shofet [justice]! Further, why would matters of the throne be of concern for Reuven and Gad? Those are for the entire nation!

"Rather, this was relevant for wartime, since Yehoshua was gathering the nation for war. The commander for war, at that moment, fills the role that a king fills at all times… And if anyone would rebel against Yehoshua’s say, for any mission, that would weaken the heart of Yehoshua, and there could be no greater act of undermining the Jewish nation in their war with the Canaanites. This person would be a rodef and would be liable for death."

(Netziv, Haamek She’eilah Vaetchanan 142:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Avoid danger

Hi,

"One should always take care not to deliver himself into danger or rely on a miracle, for one does not know which way the scales are leaning."

(Meiri to Shabbat 32a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rain and Pre-destination

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: When we merit, rain falls on the plants and trees and seeds, and the world is blessed. When we sin, rain falls in seas and rivers. In any case, the quantity of rain will always be as dictated by Gd."

(Midrash Tanchuma, Miketz 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Criteria for leadership

Hi,

"The oft-mentioned tuvei ha’ir [leadership of Jewish communities from talmudic times through the Middle Ages] are not necessarily the wisest, oldest or wealthiest, but rather the ones who work hardest in community needs, such that all of the community’s needs are handled by them and the eyes of the community turn to them for all of their needs, such as arranging charity and dedication of items for holy purposes. This is why they are called ‘community heads,’ since all of the needs of the community are executed by them."

(Responsa of Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi, 53)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Family merit

Hi,

A thought-provoking assertion:

"A father cannot acquire merit for his son, as it is written, ‘None may save from My hand’ – Avraham cannot save Yishmael, Yitzchak cannot save Esav."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 104a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Putting others first

Hi,

Putting others first is a sign of humility and respect:

"Rabbi Yochanan said: How do we know that Yishmael repented? It is written, 'And Yitzchak and Yishmael buried their father.'

"But perhaps the Torah only listed them in the order of their wisdom? If that were so, then why would the Torah later write [regarding the burial of Yitzchak], 'And Esav and Yaakov, his sons, buried him?'

"Rather, the fact that Yitzchak was listed first shows that Yishmael put him first, from which we may deduce that he repented."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why one should say a little, while doing a lot

Hi,

We are taught (Bava Metzia 87a) that righteous people promise little, and then do a lot. This emerges from Avraham's conduct with his visitors, in which he offered basic bread and then provided a feast. The Maharsha elaborated:

"A guest will, at times, refrain from entering, and a beneficiary will refrain from receiving, in order to avoid burdening the benefactor. This is why Avraham said, 'You won't be burdening me a great deal; just eat some bread with me, and then you'll travel on.'"

(Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggadot to Bava Metzia 87a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honesty and Rainfall

Hi,

"Ulla went to Bavel, and saw light clouds below heavy clouds. He declared, 'Clear away your implements, for rain is coming now.'

"Rain did not come, in the end. Ulla proclaimed, 'Just as Babylonians speak falsely, so their rain speaks falsely.'"

(Talmud, Taanit 9b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Get out of bed!

Hi,

Upon waking in the morning:

"One should contemplate, in his heart, before Whom he lies. He should know that the King of the Kings of Kings, HaShem, is floating above him, as it is written, 'I fill the heavens and the earth; this is the word of Gd.' Were he lying before an immanent mortal king, he would be liable for his life! How much more so before the King of the Kings of Kings, HaShem!

"And therefore he should rise immediately, with energy, to the service of his Creator. He should not say, 'I will lie in my bed and learn,' but rather he should rise and dress, as it is written, 'Prepare to greet your Gd, Israel!'"

(Shulchan Aruch haRav Orach Chaim 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Making repentance easier for people

Hi,

"Once a certain man [who had been a thief] wished to repent, but his wife told him, 'Empty one! If you would repent [and return your stolen property], even your belt would not be yours!' And so he was prevented from repenting.

"At that point, the sages declared: If thieves and money-lenders return their gains, we do not accept it from them. The sages were displeased with one who would accept it from them."

(Talmud, Bava Kama 94b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transcending our legal obligations

Hi,

"A man sold land to Rav Pappa, in order to raise money to purchase oxen. In the end he didn’t need the money, and so Rav Pappa returned his land. Rav Pappa transcended the line of the law."

(Talmud, Ketuvot 97a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Remarkable permission to speak lashon hara

Hi,

"Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman cited Rabbi Yonatan: We are permitted to speak harmfully about people who promote strife."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Peah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The First Mitzvah

Hi,

"The first mitzvah is a commandment to believe that the One who gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai, via our master Moshe, was HaShem our Gd who took us out of Egypt. Regarding this, it is stated when Gd gave us the Torah, 'I am HaShem, your Gd, who took you out of the land of Egypt.'"

(Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Aseh 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Back to basics

Hi,

Sometimes, simplest is best:

"You shall neither take revenge nor bear a grudge against your fellow, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Gd."

(Vayyikra 19:18)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why send meraglim [spies] to Israel?

Hi,

"It appears that Gd's essential intent was to send Gd-fearing, complete people, whose entire goal was the service of Gd. Gd-forbid, it was not for them to tour the land and see its material aspects, but rather Gd instructed Moshe to send people who already served Gd in order for them to make their mark as servants of Gd there, through Torah and prayer, in order to draw life and spiritual influence from the heavenly Israel to the earthly Israel, so that the land of Israel itself would long for the arrival of the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi to Parshat Sh'lach)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The warning to a potential convert

Hi,

"When someone comes to convert, we do not accept him immediately. Rather, we say to him: Why do you want to convert? Don't you see that this nation is low and tortured among all of the nations, that great illnesses and sufferings befall them, that they bury their children and grandchildren, that they are killed for observing circumcision and immersion and other mitzvot, and that they do not conduct themselves publicly as the other nations do?"

(Masechet Gerim 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Censorship, from Maimonides

Hi,

Regarding King Chizkiyah's decision to conceal the "Book of Cures" of his day:

"There are practices that Gd has forbidden, but that one may study and analyze, for Gd only said, 'Do not learn to practice them,' and our tradition-based understanding, recorded in the Talmud in Sanhedrin 68, is that one may learn them in order to analyze and teach.

"However, when people destroyed their path and began to cure themselves through these means, he removed the practices and hid them away."

(Commentary of Rambam to Mishnah Pesachim, Chapter 4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Going to the doctor

Hi,

"When we say that the Torah gave the doctor permission to heal, this means that healing is not prohibited out of concern for error. Alternatively, it is lest people allege that Gd strikes and this person comes to heal, and that it is not the way of humans to heal but only human habit…

"Rather, this permission is a mitzvah, for it is a mitzvah to heal and it is part of saving lives."

(Ramban, Torat haAdam, Sakkanah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gaining atonement through the mitzvot of our meals

Hi,

“Yechezkel 41:22 says, ‘The altar was made of wood, three amot high… and he said to me, this is the table before Gd.’ He began with altar and concluded with table!

“R’ Yochanan and R’ Elazar explained: As long as the beit hamikdash stands, the altar atones for Israel. Now [since Yechezkel prophesied during a period of exile], a person’s table atones for him.”

(Talmud, Berachot 55a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The victim of anger

Hi,

"Anger is bad for the angry person, himself... There is no greater harm for a person than being angry, as the Sages point out (Talmud, Nedarim 22a) that anger causes a person to forget his Torah knowledge and to become foolish, and it causes many more negative results as well."

(Comment of Maharal to Avot 2:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A lifelong search for peace

Hi,

"One should always daven for peace, even to the last shovelful [in his grave]."

(Talmud, Berachot 8a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Arrogance and Remembering Gd

Hi,

"Arrogance is the coin which has been disqualified by the great, blessed King, and He warned us about this in the Torah: 'Be careful lest you forget HaShem your Gd (Devarim 8:11),' for one who is arrogant will forget his Creator, as it is written, 'And your cattle and sheep will become many and your silver and gold will increase, and your heart will become elevated and you will forget HaShem your Gd and you will say, ‘My strength and the might of my hand created all of this wealth for me.' You shall remember HaShem your Gd, for He gives you strength to create wealth. (Devarim 8:13-18)'"

(Orchot Tzaddikim, Shaar haGaavah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Preparing for someone's imminent demise

Hi,

When someone is in the last stages of dying:

"One may not make announcements [to gather people to help with the burial], and one may not begin to praise him for his deeds.

"Rabbi Yehudah said: If he is a sage, one may praise him for his deeds."

(Semachot 1:6)

Nachalat Yaakov explains: The concern is lest this frighten the person who is passing away. With a Torah scholar, though, Rabbi Yehudah believes that praise is customary and therefore not a warning of his incipient passing.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of reciting the korbanot

Hi,

“It is written (Bereishit 15): ‘And he [Avraham] said: How do I know that I will inherit it [Israel]?’

“Avraham said before Gd: Master of the Universe! Perhaps, Gd-forbid, the Jews will sin before You and You will do to them as You did to the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Tower of Bavel!

“Gd replied: No.

“Avraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, how do I know that?

“Gd replied: Bring a calf… [symbolizing the korbanot]

“Avraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, that is fine for when the beit hamikdash [Jerusalem Temple] stands, but what will happen to them when the beit hamikdash does not stand?

“Gd said to him: I have already created the order of the korbanot for them; whenever they recite it, I consider it for them as though they had brought the korban before Me, and I forgive them for all of their sins.”

(Talmud, Megilah 31b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The mortal danger of authority

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan said: Woe to those who hold positions of authority, for authority buries its holders."

(Talmud, Pesachim 87b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Aiding widows and orphans

Hi,


"Mitzvah 256 instructs us not to oppress an orphan or a widow, as it is written, 'You shall oppress no widow or orphan.' This instructs includes verbal oppression as well as oppression through actions. Rather, one should say good and gentle things to them, and do business with them, and provide for them to live a good and happy life."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot Prohibition #256)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Deceptive business practices

Hi,

"Regarding the verse, 'I have seen evil beneath the sun,' Rabbi Shemuel bar Ami said: This refers to the plots of the wicked, such as those who mix water into wine, bilkiya water into oil ma'is water into honey, donkey's milk into ktaf, kumus into myrrh, grape leaves into pilyon, red dye into brine and vetch into peppers, and using a long arm on one side of a balance and a short arm on the other side.

"Regarding all of these, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai declared: Woe is me if I say it, woe is me if I do not say it! If I say it, tricky people may learn these methods. If I do not say it, tricky people may say that the scholars are not aware of their tricks.

"In the end, the sages said, 'For the ways of Gd are straight [the righteous will walk in them, and the wicked will stumble in them.'"

(Midrash, Kohelet Rabbah 6:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The unique love of Shabbat

Hi,

[Regarding the amidah for holidays which coincide with Shabbat:]

"We include the phrase, 'You have given us... with love, a day declared to be holy," referring to the uniqueness of Shabbat, which we accepted with love."

(Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 487:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of preparing for a mitzvah, Part II

Hi,

"The Tur cited a midrash [as we saw here yesterday] that between Yom Kippur and Succot we are invovled in mitzvot of Lulav and Succah and we do not sin, and Gd declares that what is gone is gone.

"The Taz asked: How could these days be greater than Succot itself, when we fulfill the actual mitzvah – and yet, he says that the first day of Succot is first for the year’s accounting of sins!

"But this is not unlikely, for there is greater strength and salvation in the preparation for a mitzvah than in the fulfillment itself:

"First, this is because fulfilling the mitzvah is for a moment and preparation is eternal. Regarding this it is said, ‘You shall guard and you shall fulfill’ – based on the way a person guards himself continually, in order to be prepared to fulfill the mitzvot of HaShem. Certainly, all of the work he does to guard himself from the empty elements of this world is needed so that he will be prepared to fulfill the mitzvot of HaShem, and his ability to fulfill the mitzvah will match his level of purity.

"Also, because of the way one guards himself he then merits to fulfill the mitzvah and be guarded from all harm, as it is written, ‘One who guards a mitzvah will know of nothing bad.’

"Further, who can fulfill a mitzvah according to all of its precepts? But the desire and preparation for a mitzvah is all in order to perform it according to Divine desire, and therefore that preparation and joy in arriving at the mitzvah opportunity is very important."

(Sfat Emet to Parshat Haazinu)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

The value of preparing for a mitzvah, Part I

Hi,

"Immediately after Yom Kippur people involve themselves in mitzvot of Succah and Lulav and do not perform transgressions. Therefore, the first day of Succot is identified as “First” in the Torah – because it is the first of the year’s accounting of sins."

(Tur Orach Chaim 581)

to be continued...

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Succot: Repentance generated by love

Hi,

"It appears correct to me that in the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur each person's eyes are open to examine his ways and return to Gd, each person according to his insight will be praised... and one who trembles at the word of Gd will act according to the heights of his insight to repair that which he had corrupted. This is repentance generated by awe.

"After Yom Kippur, when people become involved with succah and lulav and the four species... then this repentance is repentance generated by love."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi for Shabbat Shuvah)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Arba Minim and the Beauty of those who follow the Torah

Hi,

"You are pursuers of righteousness. You rise early to attend synagogues and study halls, you examine the sick and bury the dead and gladden grooms and perform generous acts for the poor and indigent.

"You exhaust yourselves with mitzvot and spend your wealth to purchase a Lulav and create a succah even though they are only used for seven days and then they are thrown out. You do not stint on this expenditure in order to fulfill mitzvot, and you take pains to fulfill them, such as in eating matzah all seven days and in sleeping in the succah in the frost at night and in the heat of the day, and performing many similarly demanding mitzvot."

(R' Yaakov Skili, Torat haMinchah, Parshat Chayyei Sarah)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Succot as a time to draw closer to Gd

Hi,

"Parallel to the twenty-two days of bein hametzarim (a period of historic exile and destruction) is the period from Rosh haShanah to Shemini Atzeret."

(R' Tzaddok haKohen of Lublin, Tzidkat haTzaddik 171)

Moadim l'simcha,
Mordechai

Inviting in the Ushpizin

Hi,

"one must rejoice each day with a shining countenance with these guests who dwell with him.

"And Rabbi Abba said: Initially it is written, 'You shall sit in succot seven days,' and then, 'they shall sit in succot.' In the beginning you shall sit and then they shall sit? Rather, first is for guests [the ushpizin] and then second for people of this world, as when Rav Hemnuna the Elder entered the succah: He rejoiced and stood at the entrance to the succah, outside, and said, 'Let us invite the guests!'"

(Zohar to Emor 103b-104a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of the Succah

Hi,

“'You shall sit in the succah for seven days' - This is parallel to the seven clouds of glory [which protected the Jews in the desert, on their way from Egypt to Israel].

"Also, the seven days when the Jews sit in the succah earn them seven chuppot: Cloud, smoke, light, fire, flame, glory of the Shechinah and the [messianic] succah of the Leviathan."

(Baal haTurim to Vayyikra 23:42)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Showing respect for bread

Hi,

"Four things were stated regarding bread: We do not place raw meat on bread, we do not pass a full cup over bread, we do not throw bread and we do not support a plate with bread."

(Talmud, Berachot 50b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom requires work

Hi,

"Don't [excuse yourself and] say, 'It's just that so-and-so is smart, and I am not smart.' It's that you did not apprentice yourself to scholars as he did."

(Derech Eretz Zuta 4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yonah and the soul

Hi,

"This prophet hints at the human soul, as is stated in the Zohar (2:199a).

"Gd sends it to this world to improve the world. Instead, not only does it not repair, but it corrupts itself as well. After that Gd sends it into a second incarnation to repair, and it repairs, but in pain over its bad fate, as will be explained in this book."

(Vilna Gaon, Introduction to Yonah)

גמר חתימה טובה, May we be sealed for a great new year,
Mordechai

How to perform teshuvah

Hi,


"Among the paths of teshuvah is for the penitent to cry continually before Gd, in tears and with beseeching, and to perform tzedakah according to his abilities, and to greatly distance himself from that in which he had sinned, and to change his name, as if to say, ‘I am someone else, and I am not the one who performed those deeds.’ And for him to improve all of his deeds and follow a straight path, and to leave his place, for exile atones for sin, causing him to be brought low, to be humble and of low spirit."

(Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 2:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Avoid a hypocritical fast

Hi,

Sorry for the lack of an email yesterday; I let the day get away from me.

"They seek me day by day, and they desire to know My ways, as though they were a nation that had performed righteousness and not abandoned the law of its god.

"They ask me for judgment of justice and they desire to be close to Gd. 'Why have we fasted and You have not seen, we have oppressed our spirits and You do not know?' But on the day of your fast you pursue your own needs, and you oppress people for your payments."

(Isaiah 58:2-3 - and see more there)

Note: One must fast, even if one does not feel it inside. The goal is to work on both the fast and the sincere feeling.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The obligation to repent

Hi,

"Mitzvah 73 is that Gd instructed us to admit sins of desire and accidental sins which we have committed before Gd, and to declare them, along with our repentance. This is called viduy, and it means that one should declare, 'Please, Gd, I have sinned accidentally, I have sinned out of desire, I have sinned out of rebellion, and I did such-and-such.' One should go on at length and request forgiveness in this manner, according to his speaking ability."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot, Aseh 73)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzom Gedalyah - The Fast of Gedalyah

Hi,

We fast on the day after Rosh haShanah; this is called "Tzom Gedalyah," "The Fast of Gedalyah."

The Meaning of the Fast: After the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, they appointed Gedalyah as governor of Israel's Jews. A group of Jews, supported by another nation, wanted the Jews to rebel against the Babylonians, and they accused Gedalyah of sympathizing with the Babylonians. They ambushed him and killed him, and in the aftermath, the remaining Jewish community in Israel went into exile.

This day is commemorated as a public fast from first light to the emergence of the stars.

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Forgiveness

Hi,

Yom Kippur canot atone for sins between one person and another, however
minor the offense, until the offending party has appeased the offended
party. The offender must pursue the offended, approaching him as many as
three times apologizing and requesting forgiveness. Each time, he should
bring different people with him to help him.

The offended party is not allowed to be cruel and withhold forgiveness. If
the offended party does not forgive after three times, the offender has
fulfilled his obligation.

There are exceptions to this rule:
1. One may withhold forgiveness if he does so to help the offender.
2. One may withhold forgiveness if the offense caused a bad reputation for
the offended party; all the people who heard about the bad reputation are
not present at the time when the apology is offered.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 606:1; Mishneh Berurah 606:1-11)

May we be inscribed and sealed for a happy and healthy new year,
Mordechai

Of fathers and mothers

Hi,

I just want to take a moment to ask for forgiveness for anything I wrote or said to you, this past year or earlier. Please know that I am sorry; I would not do it on purpose. If you could please take the time to let me know of such mistakes in a constructive way, I would greatly appreciate it. May all of us be blessed with a כתיבה וחתימה טובה, an inscription and sealing for a great year.

Not sure what to make of this, but it raises interesting thoughts:

“It is the manner of a father to be merciful; it is the manner of a mother to offer comfort.”

(Midrash, Yalkut to Tehillim 103)

Note: Sdei Chemed א:כלל צז adds the words “as well” at the end of the sentence – a mother offers both mercy and comfort.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An oath in the womb

Hi,

Lots of food for thought here, some of it quite controversial:

"What is the oath they make a person swear [before birth]?

"'Be a righteous person and not a wicked person. Even if the entire world tells you, ‘You are a righteous person,’ be a wicked person in your own eyes. And know that HaShem is pure and HaShem’s servants are pure, and the soul HaShem has placed into you is pure. If you guard it in purity, good. If not, I will remove it from you.'”

(Talmud, Niddah 30b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of the matriarchs

Hi,

"HaShem did not cause the chain of events taking the Jews out of Egypt other than because of the merit of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah."

(Midrash, Tanna d'vei Eliyahu 27)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance of the body and the mind

Hi,

"What is teshuvah? For the sinner to abandon his sin and remove it from his thoughts, and conclude in his heart that he will not commit it again, as it is written, ‘The wicked one will abandon his path.’"

(Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 2:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Trusting Gd and reading the horoscope

Hi,

"We are to dedicate our hearts to Gd alone, and trust that Gd alone engineers all and knows the truth of all future events, and from Gd alone we should seek the future, from His prophets or His pious ones, meaning the urim v’tumim [the breastplate of the kohen gadol, which was used for prophecy]."

(Ramban to Devarim 8:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Bless the Torah, bless yourself

Hi,

“HaShem declared: If you bless the Torah, you bless yourself. How do we know this? It is written (Mishlei 9), “’For in me [the Torah] your days will be increased, and years of life will be added to you.’”

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 8:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The purpose of Death?

Hi,

"Were entities to live eternally, Gd’s glory would not be visible as the Creator who creates anew. People would rebel against His glory, thinking that they were first and remain alive on their own. Via death, all recognize their Creator, and honor Him."

(Malbim to Tehillim 104:31)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Resurrection of the Dead

Hi,

"According to our belief, we, the children of Israel, hold within our beliefs that the souls will return to the original matter from which they departed. This will occur at the time of the resurrection of the dead, of which HaShem informed us.

"This will occur miraculously and wondrously, and not in the manner of nature.

"Regarding this it is written, 'You will send forth Your spirit and they will be created, and renewed upon the face of the earth.'"

(Radak to Tehillim 104:30)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Even if at first you succeed, try, try again

Hi,

"In the morning plant your seeds, and in the evening do not stay your hand, for you do not know which will be proper, this or that, or whether both will be equally good."

(Kohelet 11:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah and Olive oil

Hi,

"Just as [olive] oil is bitter in the beginning and sweet at the end, the same is true regarding words of Torah: A person is pained over them in the beginning and then he produces through them a great end."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 7:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd and the soul

Hi,

"To whom was King David referring when he said, five times, “My soul blesses?” He was referring to HaShem and to the soul.

"HaShem fills the world, and the soul fills the body;
HaShem sees and is invisible, and the soul sees and is invisible;
HaShem feeds the whole world, and the soul feeds the whole body;
HaShem is pure, and the soul is pure;
HaShem sits in the innermost room, and the soul sits in the innermost room.

"Let that which has these five traits come and praise the One who has these five traits."

(Talmud, Berachot 10a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The power of "Amen"

Hi,

"Rabbi Yudin said, “Anyone who replies ‘Amen’ in this world will merit to respond ‘Amen’ in the next world.”"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 7:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd wants us to make others happy

Hi,

Preface: Every three years, the cycle of tithes for Israeli produce is completed. At that point the Jew is instructed to come to the beit hamikdash [Temple in Jerusalem] and declare that he has properly distributed all of the tithes. As part of this, he makes the following declaration: “I have done everything that You have commanded me. [Devarim 26:14]”

On this, the midrash makes a remarkable statement:


“’I have done everything that You have commanded me.’ This means: I have been happy, and I have made others happy.”

(Sifri to Parshat Ki Tavo 7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The global mitzvah of reproduction

Hi,

[On the mitzvah of attempting to reproduce]

"Certainly, the entire human race is equally obligated. Granted that the mitzvah is not incumbent upon each individual person, the obligation to settle the world is incumbent upon the general human race, per Gd’s desire as expressed in blessing Adam, as well as Noach and his sons, with the blessing of bearing fruit and multiplying. Gd then instructed them, ‘And you shall bear fruit and multiply,’ meaning, ‘This is My desire.’

"For Jews this is established as a mitzvah for each Jew to fulfill, as we were instructed individually in all of the mitzvoth, but others, who were not instructed individually in all of the mitzvoth, were not instructed individually in this obligation. Rather, the Divine blessing of bearing fruit and multiplying, and the expression of Divine desire that they should be involved in settling the world, was upon the nation as a whole."

(Aruch haShulchan Even haEzer 1:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Community and Individual, in prayer

Hi,

"Among the benefits of [praying in] a community is this: A community does not pray for the harm of an individual, but an individual might pray for that which will harm other individuals. It is even possible that there may be, among the individuals [who make up the community], some who will pray for that which harms themselves."

(R' Yehudah haLevi, Kuzari 3:19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rebuke your rabbi

Hi,

Preface: The Torah says (Vayyikra 19), “הוכח תוכיח You shall rebuke, you shall rebuke.”

“One of the sages asked Rava, “Shall we interpret that to mean, 'You shall rebuke' – once, 'You shall rebuke' – even twice?

“Rava replied, “The first 'You shall rebuke' means even one hundred times.

“The second 'You shall rebuke' teaches me: I might have thought that only a mentor should rebuke his student; how would I know that a student should rebuke his mentor? Therefore the Torah says, 'You shall rebuke, you shall rebuke' – In any situation.”

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The benefit in deducing lessons from mitzvot

Hi,

"There is no benefit in Gd's mitzvot for Gd, but there is benefit for a person himself, to avoid harm or inappropriate beliefs or an ugly trait, or to remember the miracles and wonders of the Creator and to know Gd, and to be purified like refined silver.

"When one refines silver, his deeds are not irrational; they are performed to remove impurities. So, too, regarding the mitzvot, to remove inappropriate beliefs and to inform us of the truth and have us remember it always."

(Sefer haChinuch, Mitzvah 545)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The need for prayer

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: Prayer has greater power than good deeds, for no one was greater in performing good deeds than Moshe Rabbeinu, and yet he was answered only when he prayed [to see the land of Israel], as it is written (Devarim 3), 'Do not continue to speak to me... Ascend to the top of the peak.'"

(Talmud, Berachot 33b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The conversion process

Hi,

An interesting passage on the relationship between mitzvah-acceptance and conversion:

"A potential convert accepted all of the commandments and prohibitions, and sought to be circumcised.

"One person gave him non-kosher food to eat, saying that so long as this person is not circumcised and not immersed, he is not Jewish. His friend told him: This is true for a Jew, in that if he would touch a Jew's wine then the Jew could not drink it, but since he has already accepted all of the mitzvot, how could you feed him non-kosher food?!"

(Sefer Chasidim 690)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Femininity of Torah

Hi,

"We use the female gender when speaking of Torah... and perhaps this refers to the elevated nature of Torah. Torah is female because it brings a person's soul to the path of life."

(Maharsha to Kiddushin 2b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Death of the righteous

Hi,

"Rabbi Chiyya bar Gamda taught in the name of Rabbi Yosi ben Shaul: When a righteous person leaves this world, the ministering angels say before Gd, 'Master of the Universe! So-and-so the righteous person has come!'

"Gd then says, 'Let the righteous people come and greet him.' They come and say, 'May he come in peace,' and then they rest on their beds."

(Talmud, Ketuvot 104a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine protection

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina said: Come and see that Gd's traits are not those of flesh and blood.

"With flesh and blood, the king sits inside and his servants protect him from outside. Gd is not like that; His servants sit inside, and He guards them outside, as it is written (Tehillim 121), 'Gd guards you, Gd is your protection at your right hand.'"

(Talmud, Menachot 33b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The price of self-righteousness

Hi,

"Rav Mari said: One who is self-righteous (יהיר) will not even be accepted in his own home."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 98a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine protection

Hi,

"Gd is good, a fortress on a day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him."

(Nachum 1:7)

Please note that the Daily Torah Thought will on hiatus until after our move; it may resume on August 19-20.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The path to piety

Hi,

"One who wishes to become pious should be very careful with the laws regarding damaging others' property."

(Talmud, Bava Kama 30a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The humility of the prophets

Hi,

"Because our prophets attained a profound level of humility, and know that they do not know, they asked the eternal questions instead of offering easy answers. And this is why, having asked the questions, they ultimately remained silent in the face their own human limitations."

(R' Emanuel Feldman, Tradition 40:1, pg. 14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why Shabbat is different

Hi,

"Roman governor Turnus Rufus asked R' Akiva: Why is Shabbat any different from any other day?

"R' Akiva responded: Why are you any different from any other person? (Just as people invest you with special status, so too people invest Shabbat with special status.)

"Turnus Rufus replied: I am different because my master (the Caesar) declared me different!

"R' Akiva responded: For Shabbat, too, the Master declared it different!"

(Talmud, Shabbat 65b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Techiyat haMeitim - The ultimate resurrection of the dead

Hi,

"Rabbi Simai taught: What is the biblical source for the ultimate resurrection of the dead?

"It is written (Exodus 6), 'I have upheld My covenant with your ancestors, to give them the land of Canaan.' It doesn't say, 'to give it to you,' but rather, 'to give it to them.'"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 90b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Boredom and depression

Hi,


"Inactivity leads to depression."

(Mishnah, Ketuvot 59b)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Tu b'Av - The Fifteenth of Av

Hi,

We are taught (Taanit 30b-31a) that Tu b’Av (the 15th of Av, celebrated Tuesday night and Wednesday August 4-5 this year) is one of the two greatest days on the Jewish calendar, sharing the title with Yom Kippur. The gemara enumerates seven elements of Tu b’Av’s happiness:

On Tu b’Av, the die-off of the Desert Generation stopped, so that the remaining Jewish nation knew they would enter Israel.

On Tu b’Av, the Civil War between Binyamin and the rest of the Jews (see the end of the book of Shoftim) stopped.

When Moshe announced that Israel’s land would be divided among patrilineally determined tribes, and that men would inherit land, Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milkah and Tirtzah requested the power to inherit their deceased father’s portions. This was granted to them, but among the consequences was a decree that women who inherited land would need to marry within their tribes, guaranteeing that when their sons inherited their land, it would remain within the tribe. This decree was lifted, broadening marriage options and gladdening shadchanim everywhere, on Tu b’Av.

After the Bar Kochba revolt was smashed by the Romans, the victors refused to allow us to bury our dead. Years later - on Tu b’Av - the Romans pioneered the now-routine practice of returning murdered Jews, and permitted us to bury them.

When the Northern Kingdom of Yisrael split off from the Southern Kingdom of Yehudah, Yeravam, leader of the north, set up roadblocks to keep Jews from the north away from Yerushalayim and the Beit haMikdash. Those roadblocks were removed, generations later - on Tu b’Av.

Tu b’Av, coming midway through the summer heat, is when we finish cutting wood for the korbanot of the Beit haMikdash, and so it is a day of siyyum, celebrating completion of this great mitzvah.

Tu b’Av comes at around the time when the nights begin to lengthen and the days begin to shorten (not precisely, of course, since Tu b’Av is a lunar date!). From this point on, then, we have less time to work in the fields, but more time to study Torah at night!

Have a great Tu b'Av,
Mordechai

Giving good advice

Hi,

"Prohibition #299 instructs that none of us should cause others to stumble.

"This means that if someone asks you for advice in a matter in which he might err, we are warned not to trick him or to cause him to stumble, but to straighten his path toward that which one believes to be good and just for him."

(Rambam, Sefer haMitzvot, Prohibition #299)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Consideration for others

Hi,

"There were two pious men. One would give his butler a chance to eat from each food before serving it. The other would do likewise, but only after the butler had served the food.

"The one who gave the butler before the food was served merited that Elijah the Prophet spoke to him."

(Talmud, Ketuvot 61a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Lying for the sake of a positive end

Hi,

Much to consider here:

"Rav had great pain from his marriage to his wife. When he asked her to make lentils, she made another type of bean; when he asked her to make the other type of bean, she made lentils.

"When Rav's son Chiyya grew up, he would reverse his father's requests... Rav told his son, 'Don't do that, for it is written, 'They taught their tongues to speak falsehood.'"

(Talmud, Yevamot 63a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honesty and Justice

Hi,

"So speaks Gd: A wise person shall not honor himself for his wisdom, and a powerful person shall not honor himself for his power, a wealthy person shall not honor himself for his wealth.

"Rather, for this an honored person should honor himself: Take insight and know Me, for I am Gd, who performs kindness and justice in the land. These are the elements I desire; this is the word of Gd."

(Jeremiah 9:22-23, the last verses of the Haftorah for Tisha b'Av morning)

I hope you fasted well,
Mordechai

R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 4

Hello,

[continued from yesterday's post]

"For in truth, no period lives for itself alone. Generations rise and fall so that those who follow may well learn from the glow of their sunrise as well as from that of their sunset; that they may reap the fruits of the rise and the fall of those who went before, avoid their errors and go forward and upward, basing their edifice upon the vritues of their progenitors."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)

Be well,
Mordechai

R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 3

Hi,

[continued from yesterday's post]

"They saw that as in happy days Israel received the call to revere Gd humbly and to love Him with gladness, so did Israel receive the call to be the lofty example, steadfastly to keep its faith in Gd as well as its filial piety even in the days of misfortune.

"They saw that the time of its dispersion, whose labour-pangs it experienced, was but a fatherly chastisement to teach Israel, to strip it of pleasure-seeking and self-seeking, both of which undermine Israel's fortune.

"They saw that this period had as its immediate aim a betterment and a renewal of life, with the ultimate goal of furthering the advancement of all mankind.

"They realized how necessary for that upbringing, which was to act as a guide, were warnings and correctings and challenge; and, imbued with the spirit of the Torah, they recognized an excellent means in their subjective retrospect of the past."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)

[to be continued]

Have a good day,
Mordechai

R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 2

Hi,

[continued from yesterday's post]

"For the fathers of our people understood profoundly that the fall of the people was not the pathway to the grave. It but changed the scene for Israel's activity, summoning it to new obligations, or, rather, to another aspect of that same fulfilment of its way of living which was its 'vocation' in times of prosperity."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)

[to be continued]

Have a good day,
Mordechai

R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning

Hi,

"Just as the Torah preserves those moments when Israel flourished, and raises as holy above other days in the year those festival days commemorating the creation of the people and its preservation so that Israel should devote itself to the remembrance and the study of the truths they posit, whereby Israel may live and learn to understand itself and dedicate itself to the fulfilment of its allotted tasks, so did our sages institute remembrance days for those moments which Israel experienced when its blossoms were seen to fall, remembrance days which summon Israel to the purification as well as to the sanctification of its life and to the proper fulfilment of its conduct of life."

[To be continued]

(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Torah and Logic

Hi,

Here's one from a few years ago, with fascinating ramifications:

"It is written, 'The Torah's ways are pleasant,' so that the laws of our Torah must match sense and logic."

(Responsum of Radbaz 3:627)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

A reward for humility

Hi,

"What does this passage mean: 'Small and great are both there, and a slave is free from his master (Job 2)?' Do we not know that small and great will both be there [in the next world, after death]?

"This teaches that one who makes himself small [in other words, one who humbles himself] for words of Torah in this world will become great in the next world, and one who makes himself like a slave in endeavoring to study Torah in this world will be made free in the next world."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 85b)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Path to the good life

Hi,

"Who is the man who desires life, who loves his days, to experience good things?

"Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Abandon evil and perform good, seek peace and pursue it."

(Tehillim [Psalms] 34:13-14)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Be gentle

Hi,

"Raveina said: One must train himself in gentle behavior, as it is written [Ecclesiastes 11], 'Remove anger from your heart.'"

(Talmud, Taanit 4a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The fire of Torah

Hi,


"Rava taught: If a young Torah scholar becomes angry, it is only because of the Torah that is making him boil, as it is written, 'My words are as fire.'"

(Talmud, Taanit 4a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The beauty of Israel

Hi,

"The Torah says (Vayyikra 19), 'When you come into the land, you will plant trees producing every kind of food.'

"What does this teach?... That Israel does not lack anything, as it is also written (Devarim 8), 'The land in which you will not lack anything.'"

(Talmud, Succah 35a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of Tzedakah

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: It is greater to give tzedakah [financial charity] than to bring every korban [Temple offering], as it is written [Proverbs 21], 'One who performs tzedakah and justice is more choice, for Gd, than a korban.'"

(Talmud, Succah 49b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Demonstrating wisdom

Hi,

"It is written (Proverbs 17:27), 'The breath of a person of understanding is precious.'

"This means that if a person's each thought is precious to him - that he does not waste it - then he is truly a person of understanding."

(Comment of Vilna Gaon to Proverbs 17:27)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Join the crowd!

Hi,

"It is written (Ecclesiastes 1), 'The loss cannot be counted.'

"This refers to a situation in which one's peers all join to participate in a Mitzvah, and one does not join in with them."

(Talmud, Berachot 26a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Money and religion don't mix

Hi,


"One may not store coins in a sack that has been dedicated for storing Tefillin."

(Talmud, Berachot 23b)

[And yes, this includes coins intended for tzedakah.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True justice

Hi,

"It must be understood that to be just towards man does not merely mean to be just toward hands, feet, heads or other members of the body; for they are not man, but only man's possessions.

"The essence of man, being like unto Gd, is invisible, the personality or the soul, for which the body with all its members and forces is but a tool, and at the same time the means whereby it assimilates the physical world.

"If you rob him of this tool you have robbed him of everything that belonged to him of this earth."

(R' Samshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb paragraph 331)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Anger and Humility

Hi,


"Do not maintain your anger at another person, even for a day. Humble yourself before him, to be the first to request forgiveness."

(Orchot Chaim of the Rosh, #62)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Marrying Shabbat

Hi,


"Just as a man and woman become married when the Kallah (bride) enters the Chuppah, so Shabbat becomes married to the Jews at its entrance, with Kiddush."

(Maharsha's comment to Bava Kama 32b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The purpose of a fast day

Hi,

"There are days when all Jews fast because of the troubles that have beset them on those days. The goal is to awaken the hearts, to open the paths of repentance...

"As we remember these things, we will return to do what is right, as it is written, 'And they shall admit their sins and the sins of their ancestors...'"

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Fasts 5:1)

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

17th of Tammuz

Hello,

The fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, observed Thursday July 9 this year, commemorates five tragedies:

1. Moses descended from meeting Gd and receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai, saw the Jews celebrating with the Golden Calf, and broke the two tablets Gd had given him.

2. The daily Tamid offering, which had been brought regularly in the Jerusalem Beit haMikdash [Temple] from the time the Jews built the Mishkan for over one thousand years, was halted during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem before the Beit haMikdash was destroyed.

3. The Romans invaded Jerusalem, prior to destroying the second Beit haMikdash. (The Babylonians invaded Jerusalem to destroy the first Temple on the 9th of Tammuz.)

4. A Greek or Roman official named Apostimos held a public burning of the Torah.

5. Idols were set up in the Temple itself; it is not clear what year this happened.

(Mishneh Berurah 549:2)

Be well,
Mordechai

Embarrassing others

Hi,

"It would be better for a person to hurl himself into a fiery furnace than to embarrass another in public."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 59a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Share the joy

Hi,

When you receive something good, make sure to share it with others:

"And you shall be happy with all of the good which HaShem, your Gd has given to you, and to your household. You, the Levite, and the stranger at your gate."

(Devarim 26:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Appreciating the value of community

Hi,

"As a person ascends in his spiritual development, he becomes more sensitive to the great value of the community. The community begins to live in his essence. In his heart, and in the depths of his desire, he feels the great needs of the community, the great value of the exciting life of being part of the community, and the entire community stands in his mind's eye as a single bloc. He fels the immanent existence of the community, and is filled with unlimited love and respect for it."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haKodesh 3:157)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Government

Hi,

A conflicted message for the Fourth of July:

"Rabbi Chanina, the deputy Chief Kohen, said: Pray for the welfare of the government; if not for fear of the government, each person would swallow the other alive."

(Pirkei Avot 3:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Judging our leaders

Hi,

Preface: 70 elders assisted Moshe in judging cases for the Jews in the desert, on their way from Egypt to Israel.

"Why are the 70 elders not identified by name in the Torah? Lest people say, 'Is our judge like Moshe and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, or Eldad and Meidad [figures of the desert era]?'"

[Rashi's explanation: Now that the 70 are not identified, we have no way to know whether our judges are better or worse than any of them.]

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 25a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Chauvinist or Sensitive?

Hi,

You might call this chauvinist, but I prefer to see it as sensitive:

"Rav said: One should always be careful lest he oppress his wife with his speech. She cries more easily, and so his punishment for oppressing her will come quickly."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 59a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The point of being elevated

Hi,

"When Gd elevates a person in status, he should not take pleasure in his own ascent. Rather, his essential focus should be on elevating others, guiding the nation of Gd in the path of Gd, and elevating sparks to Gd."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi to Parshat Vayyigash אנכי אעלך גם עלה)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part III)

Hi,

The concluding passage in this series:

"Rav Chisda told the Sages: I wish to tell you something, but I worry that you will then abandon me! One who learns Torah from a single mentor will never see a sign of blessing.

"They abandoned him and went to learn before Rava.

"Rav Chisda then told them: This is only for logic, but for gemara [absorption of core text] it is better to learn from one mentor, so that he will not have conflicting texts."

(Talmud, Avodah Zarah 19a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part II)

Hi,

Part II of III

"Rabbi Meir said: If you have learned from one rav, do not say, ‘It is enough for me,’ but go to learn Torah with another sage.

"Do not go to all, but go first to one who is close to you, as it is written (Mishlei 5:15), ‘Drink water from your cistern, and flowing water from your well.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 3:6)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One Mentor or Many Mentors? (Part I)

Hi,

"“Make a rav for yourself” – How? This teaches that one should make himself a fixed rav, and learn mikra, mishnah, midrash, halachah and aggada from him. If the rav were to omit an explanation in mikra, he would say it in mishnah. If the rav were to omit a reason in mishnah, he would say it in midrash. If the rav were to omit an explanation in midrash, he would say it in halachah. If the rav were to omit a reason in halachah, he would say it in aggada. Thus this person will sit in his place and be filled with good and blessing.

"Rabbi Meir would say: To what may we compare someone who learns Torah from one rav? To someone who owns one field, and plants part with wheat and part with barley, part with olives and part with other trees, and thus this person will be filled with good and blessing.

"When someone learns from two or three, he is like someone who has many fields, and who plants one with wheat, another with barley, one with olives and another with other trees. Thus he is scattered among the lands, with neither good nor blessing."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 8:1-2)

This is not the whole picture, though. To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transcending our obligations

Hi,

"Casual partaking of food - i.e., a piece of bread the size of an egg, or a cooked dish of the five kinds of grain; fruit, wine and water when not taken as part of a meal; all these may be consumed outside the sukkah...

"However, he who is fully imbued with the significance of the sukkah will not drink even water outside it."

(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb paragraph 222A)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance matters more than fasting

Hi,

"Know and understand that although the sages have said, ‘Fasting is good for a [bad] dream like fire for flax,’ that is only if one repents along with the fast."

(Sefer Chasidim 226)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Accepting tzedakah

Hi,

"If people give a person tzedakah because he studies Torah or is involved in mitzvot and good deeds, he should not use it; he should give it to someone who is as great as he, and involved in Torah and mitzvot as he is.

"However, if they say, ‘We are giving it to you on condition that you will not give it to anyone else,’ then he may not even give it to a greater person, much less a lesser person."

(Sefer Chasidim 329)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Call your parents

Hi,

"One who leaves his parents’ town to travel to a dangerous place, such that his parents are fasting or at least in pain [while worrying about the danger], is obligated to hire a messenger as soon as possible to write to his parents that he has made it through the dangerous area and arrived at his destination. This way they will not be pained or fast further."

(Sefer Chasidim 576)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honesty

Hi,

"The prophet Tzefanyah said (Tzefaniah 3:13), ‘The remnant of Israel will not perform corrupt acts and will not speak falsehood, and misleading language will not be found in their mouths.’

"Therefore: If one has a son or daughter, one may not say, ‘They wanted to give me a great sum for my daughter to marry so-and-so,’ or, ‘They wanted to give me a great sum for my son to marry so-and-so,’ or, ‘They wanted to give me a great sum for my merchandise,’ when such had never occurred."

(Sefer Chasidim 338)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The fatal pursuit of honor

Hi,

"One should not pursue honor, for it buries those who possess it. Many righteous people died in office, because the designated time had come for the next person to take office, and the former was pushed away because of the latter."

(Sefer Chasidim 558)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Pray in a language you understand

Hi,

"If a Gd-fearing person who does not understand Hebrew comes to you... tell him to learn the prayers in whatever language he understands, for prayer is only with the heart's comprehension. If the heart does not understand what he utters with his mouth, what good is it> Therefore, it would be better for him to pray in the language he understands."

(Sefer Chasidim 588)

[To which I always add: But he should then take the time to learn Hebrew, and not forever rely on translations...]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Shabbat clothes

Hi,

"It is written [regarding Shabbat] (Isaiah 58), 'You shall honor it.' This teaches that one's Shabbat clothing should be different from one's weekday clothing."

(Talmud, Shabbat 113a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

King David and Bathsheba

Hi,

"Anyone who says that David sinned [with Batsheva] is only mistaken. It is written (Shemuel I 18), 'And David was insightful in all of his ways, and Gd was with him' - could he have sinned, and still had Gd with him?

"Then how do I understand the sentence (Shemuel II 12), 'Why did you disgrace the word of Gd, to commit this evil?' That he wished to do it [sleep with Batsheva before she received her get of divorce], but he did not actually do so."

(Talmud, Shabbat 56a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Intellectual equilibrium

Hi,


"When a drop of water falls into a cup filled with oil, a drop of oil is forced out.

"So, too, when a Torah thought enters the heart a thought of mockery is forced out, but if a thought of mockery enters the heart then a Torah thought is forced out."

(Midrash Shir haShirim Rabbah 1)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Consideration for others

Hi,

"Rabbi Akiva instructed his son, Rabbi Yehoshua: Never enter your own home suddenly (lest you surprise someone), and certainly not your friend's home."

(Talmud, Pesachim 112a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Adding to the Torah, and subtracting therefrom

Hi,

"Prohibition #313 instructs us not to add to the written or received Torah, as it is written, 'Do not add to it.'"

(Maimonides, Book of Mitzvot)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gd and Evil

Hi,

A provocative statement:

"All is envisioned by Gd beforehand; even the evil which Gd does not want to take place is foreseen...and Gd gives permission for that to occur, too."

(Maharal on Pirkei Avot 3:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Strengthening the lands in which we live

Hi,

I have been told that some readers are having trouble viewing these daily emails in Microsoft Outlook; please let me know if you are among them, and how you have corrected the problem. Thanks.

"It is therefore Israel's religious duty, a duty imposed by Gd and no less holy than all the others, in whatever land they dwell in, not only to fulfill all the duties which the law of that land explicitly lay down, but over and above that, to do with thought, word and deed everything that contribute to the weal of that nation."

(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 609)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rav Kook on Organizational Operations

Hi,

"What I find difficult is that most of the practical-minded people who are drawn to our movement turn their eyes to matters of authority, while my own eyes and heart are raised to the spiritual content and the foundation in sanctity.

"It is clear to me that however the matters of authority go, if a sacred spirit is with them then they will turn out for the best."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Letter from 1919, Igrot haRa'ayah 3:262)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine Control and Free Will

Hi,

"The evil a person commits generates its own evil, and the good generates its own good…

"This is what Gd desired when He created the world – He wanted one human being to be able to affect another, even to do harm, and even for evil to happen to a person on earth simply because of bad Mazal."

(R’ Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, Emek haNetziv, Sifri Bamidbar 42)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Bundle up!

Hi,

"Colds and fevers are in the hand of the fool; one who guards his life will distance himself from them."

(Mishlei 22:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Learning not to complain

Hi,

"In the fall, Rachel and Rabbi Akiva slept in a straw storage area, and she picked straw from his beard. He told her, 'If I had it, I would give you a Yerushalayim shel zahav [a beautiful gold ornament with the horizon of Jerusalem]!'

"Eliyahu haNavi came and appeared as a person and called at the gate, saying, 'Give me a little straw, for my wife has given birth and we have nothing on which she could lie.' R’ Akiva told his wife, 'See, this man even lacks straw!'"

(Talmud, Nedarim 50a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The pain of Rabbi Eliezer, the teacher of Torah

Hi,

"[When Rabbi Eliezer was on his deathbed] he took his two arms and placed them on his chest and said: Woe to you, my two arms, which are like two rolled Torah scrolls!

"I have learned much Torah, and I have taught much Torah. I have learned much Torah, but I took from my mentors only as a dog takes from water. I taught much Torah, but my students only took from me as an applicator takes from eye make-up.

"Further, I studied 300 laws regarding a strong white baheret mark [of tzaraat], and no one ever asked me about them! And I studied 300 laws – some say 3000 laws – in planting cucumbers, and no one ever asked me about them, except Akiva ben Yosef!"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 68a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Blessing of Convenience

Hi,

There is a biblical blessing (Devarim 28:3), 'You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field.' It seems to be superfluous, since it is surrounded by other passages blessing your domestic and agricultural prospects. The Talmud explains that this is meant to be a blessing of convenience:

"Rav taught: 'You will be blessed in the city' means that your house will be near the synagogue; 'You will be blessed in the field' means that your business will be near the city."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 107a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When cruelty is mercy?

Hi,

"Cruelty toward people who trick others into following emptiness, is an act of mercy toward the rest of the world, as it is written, 'That Gd may retreat from His anger and give you mercy.'"

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sanhedrin 11:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Idea Recycling

Hi,

"There are things regarding which people say, 'See, this is new,' but they already existed forever, in the generations before us."

(Kohelet 1:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of welcoming guests

Hi,

Preface: The nations of Ammon and Moav, descendants of Sarah's brother Lot, were living east of Canaan when the Jews arrived from the desert. The Jews requested safe passage, and were denied, and the result is that the Torah [Devarim 23] instructed us not to marry [male] Ammonites and Moabites.

"Rabbi Yochanan said, in the name of Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma: Offering a meal is so great that its absence caused two families to be distanced from Israel!"

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 103b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

It's the thought that counts

Hi,

When the Jews who had just escaped Egypt were attacked by Amalek, they fought back under the leadership of Yehoshua, while Moshe prayed to HaShem.

The Torah says (Sh'mot 17), 'When Moshe raised his hands, the Jews were victorious. When Moshe rested his hands, Amalek was victorious.' On this, the Talmud comments:

"Did Moshe's hand make war or break war?! Rather, as long as the Jews looked heavenward and bound their hearts to their Father in heaven, they were victorious. Otherwise, they fell."

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 29a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Creating honor and pleasure for Yom Tov

Hi,

"One should not scrimp on Yom Tov (holiday) expenditures; one must create honor and pleasure for the day, just as for Shabbat."

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 529:1)

Have a great Yom Tov,
Mordechai

The seventy sparks of Torah

Hi,

"It was taught in the yeshiva of Rabbi Yishmael: The Torah says, 'It [Torah] is like a hammer, splitting stone.' Just as a hammer is split into many sparks, so every one of Gd's declarations was split into seventy sparks."

[Note: Rashi and Tosafot disagree as to whether the stone or the hammer splits in this metaphor. I have followed the view of Tosafot here.]

(Talmud, Shabbat 88b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yom haMeyuchas

Hi,

Today [Monday] is a special day on the calendar: Yom haMeyuchas יום המיוחס.

"Yichus יחוס" is usually used in reference to lineage, but it means "association." Someone with "good yichus" is someone who has good associates. Similarly, a day that is "meyuchas" is a day with special associates.

There are two common explanations for why this day has special yichus:

1. One reading of the pesukim detailing the dialogue between HaShem and Moshe before Sinai shows that on this day Moshe conveyed HaShem's message, "You will be a kingdom of kohanim and a sacred nation," to the Jews. (Taamei haMinhagim)

2. This day has nothing inherently special, but it is the day after Rosh Chodesh and the day before the 3 days of preparation for the presentation of the Torah, and that gives it special status.

Either way, Happy Yom haMeyuchas!
Mordechai

"We will do and we will hear"

Hi,

On the value of our ancestral commitment to obedience to Gd, which preceded Gd's actual instructions:

"When the Jews said 'We will do' before 'We will hear,' a heavenly voice declared to them: Who has revealed this secret, which the angels use, to My children?

"It is written [regarding the angels], 'Bless Gd, His angels, mighty ones who perform His word, to hear the voice of his command.' First the angels commit to action, and only later do they hear the specific instruction."

(Talmud, Shabbat 88a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Poverty of Rabbi Akiva and Rachel

Hi,

"Each day R’ Akiva would bring a bundle of wood. Half he would sell to support himself, and the other half he would use for his own needs. His neighbors complained, saying to him, ‘Akiva! You have destroyed us with smoke! Sell the wood to us, and purchase oil with the money and study by the light of a lamp!’

"He replied, ‘I meet many needs with the wood; I use part to study, part to warm myself and part on which to sleep.’

"R’ Akiva will make paupers liable for judgment, for when they are asked [by Gd], ‘Why did you not learn Torah’ and they reply, ‘Because we were poor,’ they will be told, ‘R’ Akiva was exceptionally poor and destitute!’ And when they say, ‘We had children,’ they will be told, ‘R’ Akiva had sons and daughters.’ But they will say: It is because of the merit of his wife Rachel.

"R’ Akiva went to study Torah when he was forty years old. After thirteen years he taught Torah publicly.

"They said: He did not pass away until he had tables of silver and gold, and he ascended to his bed with ladders of gold. His wife had tunics and a "City of Gold" ornament. His students said: Our master, you have embarrassed us with what you have made for her! R’ Akiva replied: She endured great pain with me, for Torah."

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yom Yerushalayim - Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem

Hi,

In honor of the 42nd Yom Yerushalayim, celebrated Friday, the 28th of Iyyar:

"Seek the peace of Jerusalem; may those who love you have peace."
(Psalms 122:6)

"May Gd bless you from Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem, all the days of your life."
(Psalms 128:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The student aids the teacher

Hi,

"Students increase the knowledge of the teacher, and broaden his heart [meaning, his understanding]....

"Just as a small piece of wood kindles a large piece, so even a student with little knowledge sharpens the teacher until he produces, via his questions, beautiful knowledge."

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 5:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Turn empathy into action

Hi,

"Not only shall your heart know how to shed tears of pity and to bring consolation to the distressed. Where you can contribute counsel and help to your brothers and sisters, above all to the orphaned, and be the founder of their domestic hearth and the promoter of their happiness, there give freely whatsoever fine and noble you have to give by counsel and deed, in strength and endeavour."

(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 579)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The music of Judaism

Hi,

"Every mitzvah and every halachah has a unique musical character, to which the Jewish nation listens and which it enjoys."

(R' Kook, Eder haYakar v'Ikvei haTzon 48)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Parental honor

Hi,

"When the sages said, 'If a parent forgives his honor, it is forgiven,' that is only in terms of human-executed justice. In Divine justice, a child is still liable for showing disrespect to a parent."

(Sefer Chasidim 573)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An elixir of national life

Hi,

"We have in our hands an elixir of life for the world, in the sense of national life.

"It is agreed among historians that a nation must die and pass from the world, for almost all of the ancient nations have passed and been annulled from the world. If there is some nation surviving from ancient times, then it did not endure exile, and it was not developed properly, as an influence on the world. To be a living, active nation, strong and tested enough to to conquer many challenges, this has never been seen in the world other than in Israel, via the Name of Gd which is tied to them, and the elixir of life, the Torah of life, which is among them.

"This elixir of life will spread from us to the entire world, and the nations will rejoice and sing, for You will judge nations equally, and You will guide the nations upon earth."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTechiyyah 157)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The love of teaching Torah

Hi,

Rabbi Akiva made the following comment while jailed by the Romans for the crime of teaching today; he was eventually brutally murdered by his jailers. At one point, Rabbi Akiva refused to teach his student, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, but he explained:

"My son! More than the calf wishes to drink, the cow wishes to nurse!"

(Talmud, Pesachim 112a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sometimes, a sharp response is necessary

Hi,

"Be not sweet, lest they swallow you up."

(Rabbeinu Yonah to Pirkei Avot 5:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True joy

Hi,

"This is true joy: That a person's heart celebrates because he merits to serve before the incomparable Gd, to be immersed in Gd's Torah and mitzvot, which are true completeness and eternal splendor."

(R' Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Mesilat Yesharim Chapter 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The beginnings of redemption, in the land of Israel itself

Hi,

"It is true - the beginning of redemption definitely continues to appear before us. However, this revelation did not begin today, but from the time when the revealed end began to be revealed, from the time when the mountains of Israel began to produce branhes and bear fruit for the Jewish nation which had come closer. That is when the beginning of redemption was initiated."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Igrot Ra'ayah 3:155, based on Yechezkel 36:8 and Sanhedrin 98a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

What anger indicates

Hi,

When a person is angry, even Gd is not important to him, as it is written…
When a person is angry, he forgets his learning and increases his foolishness, as it is written…
When a person is angry, it is a sign that his sins are greater than his merits, as it is written…

(Talmud, Nedarim 22b)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Intimidation in the household

Hi,

"One who creates excess fear in his home will, in the end, come to immorality, murder and desecration of Shabbat."

(Talmud, Gittin 6b; Rashi there explains how intimidation leads to each of these)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

The Chafetz Chaim on Chazzanut

Hi,

"Early authorites have already spoken at length about the disgrace of singers who extend and separate one letter from its neighbor and one word from its neighbor.

"This corruption is especially prevalent in the tunes at the end of a berachah, when the congregation replies Amen: Sometimes they answer before the chazan actually completes the berachah, and sometimes they extend the tune after the conclusion of the [last] word and they reply Amen after a great interruption."

(Mishneh Berurah 281:4, citing Pri Megadim)

Have a great day,
Mordechai