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