Miserliness leads to idolatry and denial of Gd

Hi,

“Do not make gold the source of your foolishness, for this is the genesis of idolatry. Spread your money around, for this is Gd’s Will. It is within His capacity to fill your lacking and to provide food for your household.”

(Orchot Chaim of the Rosh, #29)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

What was arov?

Hi,

“Why did Gd bring the plague of Arov? The Egyptians told the Jews to bring bears and lions, in order to pain them [the Jews]. Therefore, Gd brought a mixture [taarovet] of beasts, as it is written, ‘And a great arov came.’ So said Rabbi Yehudah.

“Rabbi Nechemiah said: They were species of wasps and gnats.

“Rabbi Yehudah’s words appear to be correct. Regarding the frogs, it is written, ‘And they gathered the [dead] frogs in piles and piles,’ but regarding arov it is written, ‘And Gd did as Moshe said, and He removed the arov.’ The Egyptians received no benefit from the frogs, and so the frogs died and made Egypt smell, but they would have benefited from the hides of arov, and so none of them were left. Were the arov species of wasps and gnats, they would have died and been left to make Egypt smell.”

(Midrash Tanchuma Vaera 14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of a sense of shame

Hi,

“One who lacks a sense of shame will sin easily, as it is written (Yeshayah 3:9), ‘That which is recognizable on their faces testifies about them.’ One who has a sense of shame will not sin easily, as it is written (Shemot 20:16), ‘And so that awe of Him will be upon your faces, lest you sin.”

(Masechet Derech Eretz, Arayot 13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine tools are everywhere

Hi,

[Kohelet 5:8 mentions, “Yitron ha’aretz bakol he,” which may be translated, out of context, as “the excess of the land is everywhere.”]

"Our masters said: What is, “The excess of the land is everywhere?” Even those things which appear to you as excess, like flies and lice and gnats, are actually part of Creation, as it is written (Bereishit 1), “And Gd saw all that He had made.”

"Rabbi Acha ben R’ Chanina said: Even that which you see as excess, like snakes and scorpions, are included in the world’s creation. Gd said to the prophets, “Do you think that if you fail to carry out My mission, I will have no messenger? ‘The excess of the land is everywhere’ – I can have a snake or scorpion or frog carry out My task.”"

(Midrash, Shemot Rabbah 10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Not only service, but Love

Hi,

"Our merciful Father had mercy upon us and aroused a spark of will and intelligence in our heart, to know that it is insufficient for us to be like servants, children of servants, who also work for the king...

"Our desire and thirst is to be like children, as in, "You are children to HaShem your Gd," such that in our service of Gd, in Torah, prayer and other mitzvot, we will feel our nearness to Gd."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Shapira, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Matarat haChevra)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Offering compliments

Hi,

“How do they dance before the bride?

“Beit Shammai said: They praise the bride according to her particular traits. Beit Hillel said: They say, ‘She is a pretty and favored bride.’

“Beit Shammai said to Beit Hillel: If she was lame or blind, would we still say she was a pretty and favored bride? The Torah says, ‘Distance yourself from falsehood!’

“Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: According to you – If someone made a bad purchase in the market, should people praise it in his eyes, or degrade it in his eyes?

“Based on this, the sages said: One should always be pleasant with others.”

(Talmud, Ketuvot 16b-17a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Don't walk in front of me

Hi,

“Our honored master, Rav Menachem Mendel, said: When people come to honor you, such as if they honor you to walk before them, and you understand that they will insist, then accept the honor without a fight… The pious one in Chovot haLevavot said further that even if the one who honors you wants to walk before him just so that he will appear humble, you should still do as he wishes.

“Humbly, we would use this to explain Mishlei 14:12, “There is a straight path before a man, and its aftermath is the path of death.” This means: Sometimes it is a straight path when you walk before a ‘man’, meaning a man of status, as in this case. ‘And its aftermath’ – Sometimes the aftermath of that path, meaning to walk after another person, is the path of death.

“This is the meaning of ‘Know Him in all of your ways, and He will straighten your paths. (Mishlei 3:6)’ This is a small passage upon which all of the essentials of Torah depend.”

(R’ Tzvi Elimelech Shapira of Dinov, Agra d’Pirka 17)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Wilderness

Hi,

‘And Moshe led the sheep to the wilderness. (Shemot 3:1)’

“Why did Moshe pursue the wilderness? To distance himself from theft [in grazing the sheep].

“Alternatively: He pursued the wilderness because he saw that he would achieve greatness in the wilderness. Torah came from the wilderness, mitzvot came from the wilderness, the mishkan came from the wilderness, the Shechinah was manifest in the wilderness, monarchy and priesthood came from the wilderness, the well came from the wilderness, the manna came from the wilderness, the clouds of glory came from the wilderness – and so he pursued the wilderness.”

(Midrash Tanchuma Shemot 12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why are we here?

Hi,

"Man has no advantage over animal other than in his higher, wise soul, which will return to the Honored Gd who gave it. It was brought into the body for its education, in order to learn the deeds of its Master and guard His mitzvot. All wisdom will provide its master with life, and there are many forms of wisdom, each aiding and all like rungs of a ladder ascending to the true forms of wisdom. Fortunate is one whose heart’s eyes are open, turning toward Divine light and toward His good in the end."

(R’ Avraham ibn Ezra, Yesod Mora, Hakdamah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yosef remains Yosef

Hi,

The Torah states, at the start of Shemot and after a list of the sons of Yaakov: "And Yosef was in Egypt."

Rashi: "What does this come to teach us? Don't we know that he was in Egypt? It comes to instruct you about Yosef's righteousness. He was Yosef who herded his father's sheep, he was Yosef who was in Egypt and became king and remained righteous."

(Rashi to Shemot 1:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Dangerous medical treatment

Hi,

"What doctor would not give antibiotics, in a case of need, because of the rare danger of very serious complications involved in giving such medications? In surgery, too, there is a need for such decisions. There is mortal danger in every surgery, whether from the surgery or from the anesthesia. Were we instructed to act only when our success was certain and there was no reason to suspect that our actions might speed the patient's death, then the practice of medicine would be entirely shut down. The medical decision is the balance between potential and danger."

(Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, Tzitz Eliezer 13:87)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Be a donkey!

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar said: Yissachar is called a donkey?! If it's because he works in Torah, we should call him a horse, a lion or a leopard! Why is he a donkey?

"They said: It's because a donkey carries a burden and does not kick its master, as other animals do. It possesses no arrogance, and it is not concerned about sleeping in a prepared area."

(Zohar, Bereishit 681)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

To sanctify, and not to desecrate

Hi,

"The entire house of Israel is instructed to sanctify Gd's Name, as it is stated, 'And I will be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel. They are also instructed not to desecrate it, as it is stated, 'And you shall not desecrate My holy Name.'"

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah Hilchot Yesodei haTorah 5:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of a moment of human life

Hi,

"If one would reduce the value of human life because its end was nearing, human life in general would lose its absolute value and gain relative value - relative to the expectations of one's life, one's health, one's benefit to society, or some other arbitrary measure."

(Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovitz, HaRefuah v'haYahadut pg. 152)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Ruin and Repair

Hi,

"R' Nachman of Breslav said, 'If you believe things can be ruined, you should believe that things can be repaired.' A positive perspective is essential for a productive life. Resigning oneself to failure eliminates the possibility of progress."

(Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski, Rebbes and Chasidim, pg. 81)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The few over the many

Hi,

"The few who aid the righteous are better than the many who aid the wicked."

(Tehillim 37:16, as explained by Rashi)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The depths and the heights

Hi,

“Nothing pains a sage like his own stumbling in a degrading trait, and nothing gladdens him like his joy at improvement of his traits.”

(Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon 4:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Seek glory!

Hi,

“Mussar [ethical instruction] commands a person, ‘Love yourself and acquire glory – but know the source of your fortune on earth, and know your glory. Glory is only in Torah, Glory is only in humility, Glory is only in abandoning glory.’”

(Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon 4:14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

All nations praise Gd

Hi,

“All Israel is obligated to acknowledge and praise before the heavens when a miracle occurs for them.

"It is written: ‘Praise Gd, all nations; exalt Gd, all nations; for His generosity has been mighty for us.’ Should the nations all praise Gd because His generosity has been mighty for us?! Rather, this means: ‘Praise Gd, all nations, for what Gd has done for you. All the more so, we should praise Gd, for His generosity has been mighty for us.’"

(Rav Achai Gaon, Sheiltot, Vayyishlach 26)

חג אורים שמח,
Mordechai

Why is Chanukah an eight-day holiday?

Hi,


"Although the miracle [of the oil] lasted only for seven days, since there was already enough oil for one day, still, only one-eighth of the oil lit each night and so the miracle occurred even on the first night.

"Others have written that [it is an eight day holiday because] the enemy had prevented the mitzvah of circumcision, which happens at eight days.

"Others have written that it is because this [first day] was the date when they dedicated the Beit haMikdash for the services which had been halted by wicked Antiochus.

"In truth, a midrash says that the work of the mishkan [in the desert] was concluded on the 25th of Kislev, and they did not dedicate it until the first of Nisan, the time when our ancestors were born. HaShem made it up to Kislev in the days of Matityahu. Therefore, they modeled Chanukah on the dedication of the mishkan, which incorporated a seven-day dedication period and then, on the eighth day, Aharon and his sons completed the inauguration of the work of the mishkan, as is explained in the Torah. King Solomon also dedicated the Beit haMikdash in this way, as is recorded in Divrei haYamim II 7:8-9... To remember this, they named the holiday 'Chanukah [dedication]', as in the dedication of the mizbeiach [altar] and the dedication of the beit hamikdash. There is also a hint in this to the 25th - 'חנו כה - They camped on 25.'

"Another reason is explained in Sefer Chashmonai: Because of the decrees, they could not bring korbanot on the previous Succot and Shmini Atzeret. To commemorate this, they created Chanukah for eight days. Then, when they were shown from heaven the miracle of the kindling, this showed that Gd agreed with their decision to make it eight days."

(R' Yechiel Michel Epstein, Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 670:4-5)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Working on Chanukah

Hi,

"The sages taught: One who labors on Friday, the eve of Yom Tov, Saturday night, the night after Yom Tov, Chanukah, Purim or Rosh Chodesh, or any time when there is some element of sin - which includes public fasts - will never see a sign of blessing from it."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 121)

Note that R' Yehudah haChasid is adding to the classic list of Pesachim 50b here; the original talmudic list included nothing other than the Shabbat and Yom Tov-related occasions. Of course, there are other sources related to working on the additional days, and those were the basis for R' Yehudah haChasid's statement.

Chag sameach and chodesh tov,
Mordechai

The Meaning of Light

Hi,

"It is the way of the Torah to identify all of the world's benefits as 'light'. It doesn't refer to actual light, but rather peace and quiet and dignity and health, as in Esther 8:16 - 'The Jews experienced light and joy...'"

(Rabbeinu Bechayye, Kad haKemach, Ner Chanukah)

Chag urim sameach,
Mordechai

Chanukah as a biblical holiday

Hi,

"Establishing a festival on a day when a miracle occurs is a biblical mitzvah. If this is warranted for a transition from slavery to freedom, it is certainly required for transition from death to life!

"Therefore, in my humble opinion, Purim and Chanukah are biblical. However, the details of what to do - sending portions of food, or lighting flames, or creating some other memorial - is rabbinic."

(Responsa of Chatam Sofer 233)

חג אורים שמח,
Mordechai

Flipping the miracle of Chanukah on its head

Hi,

"Based on Tosafot Chagigah 28a שאין, who says that the fire on the altar in the Beit haMikdash came from the heavens and never ended, we may say that the miracle that the oil in the menorah was not finished during those days, involved fire that Gd sent down from the heavens as well.

"In truth, on the eighth day Gd created a miracle in that this fire, which normally would not finish its fuel, did finish the fuel in the menorah. Without this miracle, the Jews would have thought that Gd did not desire their oil. This was the miracle of the eighth night."

(Chatam Sofer haShalem, Shabbat 23a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Another benefit of the victory of the Chashmonaim

Hi,


"The essential miracle of the Chashmonaim in the second Beit haMikdash was as a preparation for this bitter exile. Had the Jews descended into this bitter exile as they did after the destruction of the first Beit haMikdash, when they were lawless in Torah, they would have lacked the strength to endure this bitter exile and remain Jewish.

"It was only by the miracle of the Chashmonaim, and the subsequent fences and boundaries and protections which were then instituted, that we had strength to remain in our faith all through this long exile."

(Chatam Sofer, Torat Moshe III Devarim pg. 71b)

Chag Urim Sameach,
Mordechai

Shabbat and the ultimate inheritance of the Jew

Hi,

“The gemara states, ‘One who enjoys Shabbat will be given a boundless portion, as it is written, I will feed you the portion of Yaakov… and you will spread…’

“This means the following: We are taught that when Gd said to Yaakov, I will give you the land upon which you lie, He folded up all of Israel and placed it beneath him. This is the root of the concept of ‘the foundation stone,’ which is the root of the world. Yaakov Avinu, the complete man, for whom all was created, merited this foundation site upon which all else depended. There it is written, I will give it to you, and to your descendants, and so all Israel owns a portion of this gift.

“This is fulfilled on the sacred Shabbat, regarding which the sages wrote, ‘I have a great gift in My storehouse, and it is called Shabbat.’

“This is the meaning of the Torah’s statement regarding Shabbat, No man should leave his place. Shabbat gives each Jew a place.”

(R' Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, Sfat Emet to Vayyetze 5652)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Beautifying the menorah

Hi,

"[The menorah of the Chashmonaim] was made of iron spits, covered with tin. When they became wealthier they made it of silver. When they became still wealthier, they made it of gold."

(Talmud, Rosh haShanah 24b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why traditional prayer is not instrumental

Hi,

"We have seen that our ancestors who instituted the prayers did not enact musical instruments even though song emerged from among us in the service in the Beit haMikdash. Our ancestors abandoned it; we see that they felt it inappropriate, because there is no joy before Gd since the day the Beit haMikdash was destroyed."

(Rav Moshe Sofer, Chatam Sofer 6: Likkutim 84)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The message of the oil

Hi,

"The essential miracle [of the oil] was performed only to demonstrate to them the love of Gd for them… A miracle occurred for them in the essential fact that they were fully redeemed from the wicked Greek empire, who told Israel, “Inscribe upon the horn of the ox that you have no share in the Gd of Israel,” and who decreed various shemadiot. Now that the Jews were redeemed, and a great miracle was performed for them in that they would reign over their foes, this miracle of the flames was also performed for them, testimony for Israel that Gd is among them."

(R' Yehoshua Falk, Pnei Yehoshua to Shabbat 21b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Love and Awe

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: One who acts [for Gd] out of love is greater than one who acts out of awe...

"There were two students of Rava. One said: I was told in a dream, 'How great is Your goodness, which You have stored for those who are in awe of You.' The other said: I was told in a dream, 'All who trust in You will be glad, and will sing eternally... those who love Your Name will rejoice in You.'

"Rava said: Both of you are completely righteous, one out of love and the other out of awe."


(Talmud, Sotah 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honor My Name

Hi,

"And you shall not desecrate My Holy Name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel; I am Gd, who sanctifies you."

(Vayyikra 22:32)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The future of Jerusalem

Hi,

Yoel 4:17 says, "Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will no longer pass through."

"“Strangers will no longer pass through” to harm them, as they had done until today. It is also possible that strangers will not enter Jerusalem because in the future her sanctity will grow. Just as one – even a Yisrael - may not enter the heichal, so the whole city will be holy, and strangers from the nations will not be permitted to enter."

(Radak to Yoel 4:17)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of respect

Hi,

"Rabbi Yitzchak said: Yerushalayim was destroyed only because they equated the small and the great, as it is written, “And as is with the nation, so will be with the kohen… and the land will be emptied out.”"

(Talmud, Shabbat 119b)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

A generation and its leader

Hi,

"R’ Yehudah Nesiah and the Sages debated whether the generation matches the leader or the leader matches the generation.

"As far as what? If you are discussing their spiritual level, meaning that one says that if the generation is good then the leader will be good, and the other says that if the leader is good then the generation will be good, then what about Tzidkiyah, who was good in a bad generation? And what about Yehoyakim, who was bad in a good generation?... Rather, it’s about harsh and gentle styles."

(Talmud, Arachin 17a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gluttony - The body betrays the person

Hi,

“Do not be embarrassed by your teeth, by eating too much. This is a function of the yetzer hara. So it is written (Mishlei 25:19), ‘At a time of trouble, trust for a disloyal person is like a damaged tooth or a dislocated foot.’”

[The message is that eating too much will harm a person, as treason does.]

(Kallah Rabti 3:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Corruption isn't new, and we have ways to deal with it

Hi,

“Initially the hides from korbanot [temple offerings] were left in the office in the beit haparvah, and in the evenings they were divided up among the family of kohanim serving in that shift. However, strongmen would take these by force, so they enacted that the hides would be distributed on Fridays, so that all of the shifts would come take at the same time. However, the more powerful kohanim continued to take by force. The owners of the offerings took charge, consecrating the hides to Heaven.”

(Talmud, Pesachim 57a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

There is honor in giving tzedakah

Hi,

"Rabbah ordered that tzedakah be collected from the estates of the orphans of Bar Maryon.

"Abbaye asked: Didn't Rav Shemuel bar Yehudah teach that one may not levy tzedakah taxes upon orphans, even for the sake of redeeming captives?

"Rabbah replied: I am doing this in order to give them communal honor."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 8a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The purpose of a miracle

Hi,

"Know that via miracles, all can see that the world was created, and that there is a Cause above all Causes that created the world, and that all realms were created other than blessed Gd."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi, Chanukah: Kedushah Rishonah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Support the Sages!

Hi,

"I say that the Jewish people are obligated to support, with honor, their sages and judges whose livelihoods are their Torah, so that they will not need to cease their heavenly work for the sake of melachah, and so they will not be disgraced before amei ha’aretz because of their poverty, and so they will be treated with honor."

(R' Shimon ben Tzemach Duran, Tashbetz 1:142)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of labor

Hi,

"There is a great level in supporting one’s self with the work of one’s hands, and this was the trait of the early pious ones, and through this one merits all honor and goodness in this world and the next, as it is written, 'When you eat the labor of your hands, you are fortunate and it is good for you.' You are fortunate in this world, and it is good for you in the next world, which is entirely good."

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Talmud Torah 3:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Promises

Hi,

"Kohelet 5:5 says, 'Do not use your mouth to make your flesh sin.' Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi explained: This refers to people who pledge tzedakah publicly, and do not fulfill it."

(Midrash, Kohelet Rabbah 5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The need for money

Hi,

"A chassid of either the Lechevitcher or Kobriner Rebbe was with his rebbe for Rosh HaShanah. On the first night, he told his rebbe he needed money.

"The rebbe replied: If you had money, would you then repent?

"He answer: Rebbe! Without it, I definitely won't be able to repent!"

(Or Zoreiach, cited in Tziyyun Yekarim Vol. 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of living in Israel

Hi,

"Rabbi Meir used to say: Israel atones for the sins of those who live there. It is written (Yeshayah 33:24), 'The nation that lives in the land is נשוא עון.'

"But that is still vague [because the term נשוא עון has multiple meanings]! We wouldn't know whether their sins are removed when they live there, or whether the people bear their sins when they live there! The question is resolved by another biblical sentence (Devarim 32:43): 'And His land will atone for His nation.' We see that their sins are removed when they live there."

(Sifri, Devarim 333)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Jealousy among the tribes

Hi,

[Leah named her son ראובן Reuven, which may be parsed as “ראו בן,” “See, a son.”]

“Leah declared, ‘See the difference between my son and the son of my father-in-law. My father-in-law’s son [Esav] sold his birthright with full knowledge… and regarding him it is written, ‘And Esav hated Yaakov’…

“But my son, even though Yosef took my son’s birthright from him against his will… he was not jealous, as it is written, ‘And Reuven heard, and saved [Yosef] from their hands.’”

(Talmud, Berachot 7b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Domestic disturbance

Hi,

"Bad behavior in one’s home is worse for a parent than the ultimate war of Gog and Magog. Regarding Avshalom’s rebellion it is written, “A psalm of David when he fled from his son Avshalom… HaShem, how great are my enemies, many rise against me!” But regarding the war of Gog and Magog it is written, “Why do the nations make noise, why do the nations speak emptiness,” but it does not say, “How great are my enemies.”"

(Talmud, Berachot 7b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Keep on learning!

Hi,

"So long as a person's soul is within him, one is obligated to continue to grow.

"Granted that one who learns when he is older is compared to ink on an erasure-marred paper, but because of the greatness of wisdom and its tremendous worth, the ink of wisdom on erasure-marred paper is of inestimable value, and there is no number that can be attached to its greatness."

(Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon 3:26)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A horror - but this was their reality

Hi,

[Note: This story also appears in sources from the 13th century; I am using the later source because it's one I have at hand.]

"Once, [during the Crusades,] a rabbi slaughtered many children because he was afraid the invading enemy would make them leave their religion. Another rabbi present was angry at him and called him a murderer, but he did not listen.

"The opposing rabbi declared, “If I am correct, may that rabbi be killed in an abnormal way!” And so it happened; the non-Jews caught him, flayed his skin and placed sand between the flesh and the skin. The decree [of shmad] was then nullified, and it is possible that the children would have been saved and not killed, had he not slaughtered them."

(Rav Yosef Caro, Beit Yosef Yoreh Deah 157)

Be well,
Mordechai

The merit of our ancestors

Hi,

"If you are tested and you keep from sinning, do not take credit for yourself, saying, ‘I withstood the test.’ Perhaps your ancestors were tested, and when they did not sin they asked of Gd that when their descendants are tested, they also keep from sinning."

(R' Yehudah haChasid, Sefer Chasidim 160)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Slandering a community

Hi,

[The following was written in response to a writer who accused the Jews of Morocco of horrible crimes under the Almohad persecution of the 12th century.]

"If the great pillars of the world – Moshe, Eliyahu and Yeshayahu and the ministering angels – were so punished when they raised just a few words against the Jewish people, then how much more so the lightest of the world’s lightweights, who would loose his tongue upon the communities of Israel, sages and their students, Kohanim and Levites, to call them sinners and wicked people and non-Jews and people who are disqualified from testimony and deniers of the Gd of Israel!"

(Rambam, Iggeret haSh'mad, Part 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Heaven and Earth: Agents of reward and punishment

Hi,

"Rabbi Benayah would say: When a person is found guilty in court, his witnesses are the first to punish him, as it is written, ‘The hand of the witnesses will be against him first,’ and then others come along.

"So, too, when the Jews do not fulfill Gd’s will it is written, ‘And Gd’s anger will rise against you, and He will close the heavens,’ and then the other punishments will come. And when the Jews fulfill Gd’s will it is written, ‘And it will be on that day – this is the word of Gd – I will answer the heavens…’"

(Sifri Devarim 306)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Think before you speak, think before you write

Hi,

"A person should not speak and orate before the nation’s ears until he reviews that which he wishes to say once, twice, thrice and four times, studying it well, before speaking…

"This is regarding speech; when a person will engrave it by hand and write it on a book, it would be appropriate for him to review it one thousand times, were it possible…"

(Maimonides, Iggeret haSh'mad)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The tunes used for prayer, Part 2

Hi,

"Music itself is the essence of worship, as it is written, ‘And our lips will complete our bulls.’ This is prayer with humility and a pleasant voice and joy and trembling, with glory and beauty in the house of our Gd! If the sound they use when making music in the house of their idolatry is the sound which introduces humility into the heart, with its type of music and what people are accustomed to hearing…

"Could it be believed that because fools corrupted it and established it in the house of their prayers, we would be prohibited from using something our nature requires, one of the body’s five senses?!... In that case, we should also prohibit the cup of wine from havdalah, since they bless upon the wine of their libations in their churches!..."

(R' Yisrael Moshe Hazan, Krach shel Romi 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The tunes used for prayer, Part 1

Hi,

"Would that they would warn poets and singers not to sing Kaddish and Kedushah in the garb of the nations, with the maqam [a musical mode of song popular in Arabic lands since the Middle lands]. One who knows it will come to bad thoughts, and so the leader sins and causes others to sin. This is an offering with inappropriate intent, and it will not be acceptable."

(Rabbi Chaim Palagi, Kaf haChaim 13:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One's obligation toward others

Hi,

"Every Jew is instructed to separate others from sin, even an individual who does not have the status of a court."

(Rabbi Yaakov of Lissa, Netivot haMishpat, Choshen Mishpat 3:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Becoming a chassid

Hi,

"Two chassidim were carrying on a conversation.

"'How would you define what a chassid is?' one asked.

"'A chassid is someone who wishes to become a chassid,' the other answered.

"'Well, who would not wish to become a chassid?' the first asked.

"'Someone who thinks he already is a chassid,' the other answered.

"A chassid is a person who constantly strives for self-improvement and for greater spirituality. Although he knows one can never achieve perfection, he nevertheless aims to approach it as close as possible."

(Rabbi Dr. Avraham Twerski, Rebbes and Chassidim, chapter 40)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom does not necessarily translate into wealth

Hi,

"Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua were travelling on a boat. Rabban Gamliel had bread, Rabbi Yehoshua had flour. Rabban Gamliel’s bread was finished, and he depended on Rabbi Yehoshua’s flour. He said to Rabbi Yehoshua: Did you know we would take this long, that you brought flour?

"He replied: There is a star which ascends every seventy years, and it fools the sailors. I said, ‘Perhaps it might ascend and fool us.’

"Rabban Gamliel said: You knew all this, and still you entered the boat?!

"He replied: Before you express shock at me, express shock at your two students on land, Rabbi Elazar Chisma and Rabbi Yochanan ben Gudgida, who can estimate the drops in the sea but who lack bread to eat and clothes to wear!"

(Talmud, Horiyyot 10a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of Jerusalem

Hi,

In Shemot 14:15, as the Jews stood between the attacking Egyptians and the raging Yam Suf [Sea of Reeds], Gd said to Moshe, 'Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Jews, and they will travel.'

"R’ Yishmael said: ‘Why do you cry out to Me? I will split the sea for them in the merit of Yerushalayim,’ as it is written (regarding Yerushalayim, in Yeshayah 52:1), 'Awaken, awaken, don your strength, Zion! Put on the clothes of your glory, sacred city of Yerushalayim, for the uncircumcised and impure will enter no longer,' and (Yeshayah 51:9-10), 'Awaken, awaken, don your strength, you arm of Gd, awaken as in earlier days, the generations of old! You are the one who cut Rahav into pieces, who pierced the dragon, you are the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great depths, who made the depths of the sea a path through which the redeemed could travel.'"

(Midrash, Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael, Beshalach 3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reacting to a miracle

Hi,

"A man was travelling in Ever Yamina when he was attacked by a lion. Miraculously, he was spared. He went to Rava, who told him, 'Whenever you come to that place, recite this blessing: Blessed is the One who performed a miracle for me on this site.'"

(Talmud, Berachot 54a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The inevitability of repentance

Hi,

"Even when Jews sin, they ultimately repent."

(Midrash, Shemot Rabbah 23:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Like a dove

Hi,

"As a dove is saved only by its wings, so the Jews are saved only by their mitzvot."

(Talmud, Berachot 53b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Emotional Privacy

Hi,

"If it is good for a man, and his heart is full of joy, let him reveal his feelings to Gd... thank Him and yearn for Him; but not exhibit them to others, lest an alien gaze desecrate this holy of holies."

(Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, eulogy for R' Zeev Gold, cited by R' Shalom Carmy in Tradition 43:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Responding to evil

Hi,

"Of David: Do not compete against evildoers, and be not jealous of those who practice corruption. Like grass they will soon wither, and like the green grass they will fade. Trust in Gd and perform good deeds, dwell and the land and nurture your faith."

(Tehillim 37:1-3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honoring mitzvot

Hi,

"One may not examine coins by the light of the Chanukah flames... lest the mitzvah be degraded for him."

(Talmud, Shabbat 22a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Blessings and Curses

Hi,

"Mishlei 10 says, 'The name of the righteous is a blessing, and the name of the wicked should rot.'

"Rabbi Yitzchak taught: One who mentions a righteous person without blessing him violates this instruction - 'the name of the righteous is a blessing.' And one who mentions a wicked person without cursing him violates this instruction - 'the name of the wicked should rot.'"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 49)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rabbis as physicians

Hi,

"As far as your request to record the medicines from the seventh chapter in Gittin, from Rav and Shemuel to the breakpoint of the mishnah, in terms of how they were received and to provide their translations:

"We must inform you that the rabbis were not doctors, and they stated general things they saw in their times, one by one. These are not mitzvah matters. Therefore, you shall not depend upon these medicines; one should not practice any of them until after they have been checked and we know with certainty from expert physicians that this will not harm or endanger someone. So our fathers and elders taught us and told us, not to practice any of these medicines other than kibla which we know causes no harm."

(Rav Sherira Gaon, Otzar haGaonim, Eruvin, Teshuvah 376)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

All help comes from Israel

Hi,

"“He will send your help from the sacred place (Tehillim 20:3).”

"R’ Levi said: All of the benefits, blessings and comforts Gd will provide for Israel will only be from Tzion, as it is written… (the midrash goes on to cite numerous biblical passages in which aid and blessings come from Tzion)"

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 24:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Is there no Messiah for Israel?

Hi,

Rabbi Hillel said: There is no Messiah for Israel, for they already consumed him in the days of Chizkiyah. Rav Yosef said: May his Master forgive Rabbi Hillel!...

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b)

"Rabbi Hillel did not come to contradict the arrival of Messiah; he did not say, “The son of David will not come.” Rather, he wished to say that Messiah will not come in the merit of Israel, meaning at the ‘possible’ time I have mentioned, and so he said that there is no Messiah for Israel, meaning he will not come because of their merit. Their merit was reduced because of the miracle performed in the days of Chizkiyah, in the fall of Sancherev, and this is the meaning of “they already consumed him in the days of Chizkiyah.” This means that they ate their merits at that time. The result is that Messiah will not come at the possible time, but at the time when he must come, the time which has already been decreed."

(Abarbanel, Yeshuot Meshicho, II 3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The nature of prophecy

Hi,

"I say that… prophecy sometimes comes to a prophet as a concept known with certainty in their minds, and sometimes in visions they perceive with their imaginations, and sometimes in a voice sensed with their ears or an awesome sight perceived with their eyes, and all of these are species of prophecy."

(Abarbanel to Shemuel I 3:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Is Gd a Man or a Woman?

Hi,

“These are names of Gd, sometimes masculine and sometimes feminine… Not only these names,are sometimes male and sometimes female, but there is no Divine Name or Trait which is not mentioned sometimes one way and sometimes another way, other than those words which are specifically masculine, like רחום [merciful] and חנון [gracious] and פוקד עון [who remembers sin], which cannot appear in feminine form. But the Names are sometimes masculine and sometimes feminine, and there is no doubt that this true."

(Ramban, ha’Emunah v’haBitachon Perek 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

What is a "great" nation?

Hi,

"Gd promised Avraham, 'And I will make you a great nation.'

"What will be the greatness of your children? Torah, as it is written (Devarim 4:6), 'People [will see these laws and] will say... This is only a wise and understanding nation.'"

(Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The two tests of Lech Lecha

Hi,

"Gd declared to Avraham: The first and last tests with which I will test you will only be with the words, 'Lech lecha [Go for yourself]':

"'Go, for yourself, from your land (Bereishit 12:1)' and 'Go, for yourself, to the land of Moriyah (Bereishit 22:2).'"

(Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The scent of Abraham

Hi,

"What did Avraham resemble? A pitcher of perfume placed in a cemetery, such that no one knew it scent. One person took it and moved it from place to place, and its scent began to waft through the world.

"So Avraham lived among idolaters. Gd declared: Why did you dwell among wicked people? Depart from them and spread word of your great deeds in the world! And so it is written (Bereishit 12): 'Go, for yourself.'"

(Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The punishment for theft

Hi,

"For the sin of theft, govai ascends and famine exists, and people eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, as it is written, ‘Hear this, cows of Bashan on Mount Shomron, who cheat the poor and crush the indigent… the plenty of your gardens, vineyards and figs will be consumed by the gazam.’ And it is written, ‘The remnant of the gazam will be consumed by the arbeh, and the remnant of the arbeh will be consumed by the yelek…’"

(Talmud, Shabbat 32b-33a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Gossip

Hi,

"The prohibition against accepting gossip includes a circumstance in which one hears the story from two or more people, or a story is circulating in the city that so-and-so said or did X. Accepting and deciding that such a story is true is prohibited. This applies even if the speakers are not wicked, stating that they intend only to benefit this person for the future."

(R' Yisrael Meir Kagan, Chafetz Chaim, Hilchot Rechilut 6:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The tougher battle - self-control

Hi,

"They said regarding a pious man that he encountered men returning from a war against enemies. After a mighty battle they had taken spoils, and he said to them: You have returned from the minor war bearing spoils, now prepare for the major war.

"They asked: What is the major war? He replied: The war of the inclinations and its soldiers."

(Rabbeinu Bachya, Chovot haLevavot 5:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Are you Aggressor or Victim?

Hi,

"Among a person's ethical obligations is to work to plant in his heart this great principle: That in every confrontation, he weigh upon the halachic scale who is the pursuer and who is the pursued.

"Study of ethics engenders love and mercy for the pursued, and bitter rage against the pursuer. How terrible is the obstacle, how great is the trap, to be among those who switch the pursuer for the pursued and the pursued for the pursuer!

"Knowledge of the truth can come only through the writings of the authorities, as transmitted to us by the pillars of the world, our masters of blessed memory."

(Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon 3:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Souls on the Ark

Hi,

[Bereishit 6:19 says: And from all of the living, from all flesh, pairs of each you shall bring upon the Ark...]

"Rabbi Hoshia said: Even spirits entered the Ark with Noach, as it is written, 'From all of the living' - from those for whom spirits, but not bodies, were created."

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 31:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Righteous in his generation

Hi,

[Bereishit 6:9 says that Noach was "righteous in his generation."]

"'In his generation' - Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah disagreed.

"Rabbi Yehudah said: He was righteous for his generation, but had he been in the generation of Moshe or Shemuel he would not have been considered righteous....

"Rabbi Nechemiah said: If he was righteous in his generation, his righteousness would have been all the greater [alternatively: it is all the more certain that he would have been righteous] in the generation of Moshe or Shemuel."

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 30:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hosting guests

Hi,

[Note: In Talmudic times, poultry was more expensive than beef.]

“Why do the offerings of Succot decrease each day?

“The Torah taught you the way of the world, via those offerings. If a person goes to stay somewhere, and his friend receives him, then on the first day the friend will receive him well and feed him poultry, on the second day the friend will feed him beef, on the third day the friend will feed him fish, on the fourth day the friend will feed him vegetables, and so it will decrease until the friend feeds him beans.”

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:25)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Shemini Atzeret, the Jews and the Nations

Hi,

“’On the eighth day, you shall have a celebration’ – This is the meaning of Tehillim 109:4, ‘In return for my love they hate me, but I am entirely prayer.’

“On Succot Israel brings before You seventy bulls for the seventy nations. Israel declares: Master of the Universe, we bring before You seventy bulls for the nations, and they should love us, but instead they hate us – In return for my love, they hate me!

“Therefore, Gd said to them: Now bring for yourselves. ‘On the eighth day you shall have a celebration for yourselves…’"

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:24)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

How Shmini Atzeret was born

Hi,

[The following is based on part of Yeshayah 26:15, rendered in this midrash as, ‘You have added for the nation; You have added for the nation, and You have been honored.’ The purpose is to explain how the 7-day holiday of Succot gained an eighth day.]

“The Jewish people declared before Gd: Master of the Universe! It is Your responsibility to provide us with festivals [literally: appointed times], and it is our responsibility to bring appropriate offerings to You. ‘You have been honored.’ You gave us Rosh Chodesh, and we bring offerings before You; on Pesach we brought offerings to You; on Rosh haShanah we brought offerings to You; on Yom Kippur we brought offerings to You; and the same was true for Succot. We have not abandoned a single festival!

“And so the Jewish people declared before Gd: It is for You to add festivals for us, and it is our responsibility to bring offerings before You and honor You. ‘You have added for the nattion, and You have been honored’ – HaShem said to them, ‘By your lives, I will not remove festivals from you, but rather I will add times for you to rejoice.’ And so it is written, ‘On the eighth day, you shall have a celebration.’”

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:23)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

HaShem and the Four Species

Hi,

"[Describing the Etrog, the Torah says] 'The beautiful fruit of a tree' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'You are clothed in glory and beauty.'

"[Describing the Lulav, the Torah says] 'Palms of dates' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'The Righteous will flower like a date.'

"[Describing the Hadas, the Torah says] 'Braided branch' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'He stands among the Hadasim.'

"[Describing the Aravah, the Torah says] 'Willows of the stream' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'Praise the One who rides among Aravot; Gd is His Name.'"

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30:9)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Starting the accounting anew on Succot

Hi,

“This may be compared to a nation which needs to appease its king. When the king arrived within ten mil, the leaders came out and praised him, and he forgave one third of their burden. When the king arrived within five mil, the average people came out and praised him, and he forgave another third. When he entered the nation, everyone – men, women, children – came out and praised him, and he forgave everything. He said to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“So on the eve of osh haShanah the leaders fast and Gd forgives one-third of their sins, and from Rosh haShanah to Yom Kippur individuals fast and Gd forgivens one-third of their sins, and on Yom Kippur all of them – men, women and children – fast, and Gd says to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“From Yom Kippur to Succot all of Israel is involved in mitzvot – this one with his Succah, this one with his Lulav – and on the first day of Succot all of Israel stands before Gd with their lulavim and etrogim in Gd’s Name, and Gd says to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“This is what Moshe meant when he told the Jews, ‘You shall take for yourselves on the first day.’”

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

The reward for the expensive lulav

Hi,

"Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: From the reward for ‘taking’ you may deduce the reward for ‘taking.’ In Egypt Gd said, ‘You shall take a bundle of hyssop.’ How much is it worth? Four coins. And that mitzvah caused Israel to receive the spoils at the Sea, the spoils of Sichon and Og, and the spoils of 31 kings. Lulav costs a person more money, and includes more mitzvot, how much more so will be the reward!

"Therefore Moshe warned Israel, “Take for yourselves on the first day.”"

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The First

Hi,

“It is written: ‘And the first one [Esav] emerged.’

"Rabbi Chaggai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: In the merit of ‘And you shall take for yourself on the first day [the mitzvah of the Arba Minim]’:

"I, the First, am revealed to you, as it is written (Yeshayah 44), ‘I am the first and I am the last.’

"I will punish the First [Esav] for you, as it is written, ‘And the first one emerged.’

"I will build the First for you, meaning the Beit haMikdash, as it is written, ‘The throne of honor, elevated from the first.’

"I will bring you the First, meaning Mashiach, as it is written, ‘Behold, here, the first for Zion.’"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 63:8)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

The shelter of the Divine Succah

Hi,

"It is written, “Any ezrach in Yisrael shall dwell in succot.” Anyone who is of the sacred Jewish root and stem shall dwell in succot, beneath the shade of Hashem."

(Zohar to Parshat Emor)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Passion and Purity

Hi,

"Pure thought depends upon awakening and passion, and passion depends upon pure thought. Were a person capable of softening his heart and being continually passionate, his thoughts would be more pure. Were a person possessed of pure thought, he would be able to be increasingly passionate and awakened whenever he prepared himself.

"Therefore, a Jew needs both of these: To work and to elevate his thoughts as well as the awakening of his passion."

(Rav Klonymus Kalman Shapira, Bnei Macshavah Tovah, Seder Emtza'ei v'Yesod haChevra 8)

Gmar chatimah tovah,
Mordechai

Forgiveness pays off

Hi,

"If a person declines to exercise his own rights, Gd declines to notice his sins."

(Talmud, Rosh haShanah 17a)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Forgive even if you can't forgive

Hi,

"Even if one declines to forgive in order to help the penitent, he must remove the hatred from his heart, since the penitent has sincerely asked for forgiveness."

(R' Yisrael Meir Kagan, Mishneh Berurah 606:9)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Persistence in seeking forgiveness

Hi,

"One who sins against another, and requests forgiveness and is rejected, should assemble a line of people to appease his former victim… Regarding one who does this, the verse says, ‘He redeems his soul from passing into destruction.’"

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Bava Kama 8:7)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Tough love for the arrogant

Hi,

"When one sees that this trait [of arrogance] dominates his nature, he must think about great matters which frighten and confuse a person's thoughts, regarding the beginning of creatures and their end, how existence began and its ruin and end. When he recognizes that all that exists changes and passes, and that certainly his own existence will change and his body will be destroyed, the spirit that was arrogant in his life will become low and regretful at the time of his death."

(R' Shlomo ibn Gabirol, Tikkun Middot haNefesh 1)

Gmar chatimah tovah,
Mordechai

Tzom Gedalyah (nidcheh)

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.

This year, the day after Rosh HaShanah is Shabbat. Therefore, the fast is pushed off (nidcheh) to Sunday.

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Silent prayer is more acceptable?

Hi,

"One who prays and rises before his Master should not make his voice heard in his prayer. One who makes his voice heard will not have his prayers heard. Why? Because true prayer is not the voice that is heard...

"Therefore, one should not make his prayer audible; rather, he should pray silently, with the voice that is not heard, and that is the prayer that will always be accepted."

(Zohar Bereishit pg. 209b)

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

Apology

Hi,

I would like to take a moment to ask everyone receiving this email feed for mechilah (forgiveness) for anything hurtful or offensive I wrote, or should have written and did not, in the past year. I know that people's sensitivities are varied, and although I try to keep this in mind, I am aware that I don't always succeed.

If there was anything at all, please let me know; I will grow by learning from my errors.

May we all be inscribed and sealed for a great new year,
Mordechai

Praying: Silent, Loud and in Tears

Hi,

Commenting on Tehillim 39:13, "Hear my prayer, Gd; lend an ear to my wailing. To my tears be not silent..."

"'Hear my prayer, Gd' - This refers to silent prayer.

"'Lend an ear to my wailing' - This refers to prayer in which one raises his voice in his trouble, like Shemot 2:23, 'And their wailing arose to Gd.' What is their wailing? In one's prayer, one raises his voice and turns his eyes above, as in Yeshayah 22:5, 'And wailing to the mountains.'

"And this prayer, 'To my tears be not silent,' ascends before the King and no gate can stand in its way, and tears are never returned empty.'"

(Zohar Bereishit pg. 132a)

May we be inscribed and sealed for a great year,
Mordechai

The goal of praying silently

Hi,

"Why did they enact silent prayer? So as not to embarrass those who have sinned [and are admitting it in their prayer], just as the Torah did not assign separate locations for those who bring sin-offerings and burnt-offerings [so as not to explicitly identify those who bring sin-offerings for atonement in the Beit haMikdash]."

(Talmud, Sotah 32b)

May we be inscribed and sealed for a great year,
Mordechai

Ask for a gift, not a salary

Hi,

"When praying, one should not do so from the perspective of, 'Gd will do what I ask because I have prayed with proper concentration,' for this simply evokes his sins [in order to weigh whether one in fact deserves to have his request fulfilled].

"Rather, one should pray from the perspective that HaShem will fulfill his request out of generosity."

(Tur, Orach Chaim 98)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah: Will is everything

Hi,

"The will to goodness is everything; all of the skills in the universe are only the means to completing it. The content of his will [to goodness] is imprinted upon his soul by the light that is affixed within, and as a result, the great flow of Divine inspiration is manifested upon him continually, and a will which is great in its holiness, beyond the trait embedded in other human beings, grows powerful within him…"

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 9:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Does sinning hurt?

Hi,

"All sins cause the heart to grieve, for they demolish the unity of the individual person and the universe… Every ethical severing from that whole, whether from thoughts or deeds, individual traits or general balance, causes many small cuts which instigate great internal pain for all aspects of the soul…"

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 8:3, 8:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The innate desire to return

Hi,

"Teshuvah always resides in the heart; it is stored in the heart even during the sin itself."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Descent which enables ascent

Hi,

"The path of all existence is founded upon teshuvah. Entities come into existence as a descent from the Divine realm to worldly realms – a form of descent and of terrible “death” – to which no descent in this universe, from level to level, from great talent and acquisition to lesser talent and acquisition, can compare. This is engineered on the higher calculation of justice, which gauged the justice of existence before anything was created…

"But this descent has the foundation for greater ascent stored within… as it is written, “Before mountains were birthed and earth and foundation were formed, You have been Gd for all eternity. You laid man low, and declared, ‘Return, sons of men!’”"

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 11:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance: Don't delay

Hi,

"Examine the evil which befalls one who delays repentance; were he not to delay, but rather repent… then when sin would next come to hand, he would control his nature and remember drinking the bitter cup [of regret], and he would drink it no longer."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Harsh words for a penitence procrastinator

Hi,

"The only people who delay repentance are ignorant people, who are asleep and do not take things to heart, who have neither the intelligence nor the understanding to hasten to flee for their lives."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah: Don't Delay!

Hi,

"Know that when one who has sinned delays repenting, his punishment becomes heavier by the day. He knows that there is anger upon him and that he has an opportunity to escape - meaning teshuvah - and he remains rebellious in his wickedness when he could escape the devastation."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah is always accepted

Hi,


"Teshuvah is accepted even if one who has sinned returns only as a result of his troubles, and certainly if he returns out of awe of HaShem and love of HaShem, as it is written, 'When you are in trouble and all of these events befall you, in the end, and you return to HaShem your Gd and you listen to His voice.'"

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The kindness of giving someone another chance

Hi,


"Among the ways Gd has benefited His creations is the way He prepared a path for them to ascend from the deficiency of their deeds and to flee from the trap of their errors, to save their lives from destruction and to remove His anger from upon them.

"In His kindness and righteousness He has taught and instructed them to return to Him when they sin against Him, for He knows their nature."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transforming the fear via repentance

Hi,

"Each sin implants a unique element of fear into a person's spirit, and it does not depart other than via repentance. The fear itself changes into faith and courage, in proportion to the depth of the repentance."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 8:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Thoughts of Teshuvah: Calming but challenging

Hi,

"Teshuvah, by nature, gives a person a calm mind as well as a heavy mind.

"It comforts him, even with the first thought of teshuvah; a world's great and elevated joy exists within a single point of its great light.

"Along with this, though, it continually sets before his spirit his obligations to complete the task, which keep him from arrogance and place upon him a sweet light which enhances his life in a great and permanent way."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 7:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah is rooted in the heart

Hi,

"Teshuvah always resides in the heart; even at the moment of sin, the impulse for teshuvah is hidden in the soul, radiating influence which will be revealed later, with the arrival of the regret that calls for teshuvah. Teshuvah resides in the depths of existential life, for it preceded the universe, and before sin arrives its teshuvah is already prepared.

"Therefore, nothing in this universe is as certain as teshuvah, and, ultimately, all will be repaired."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Peace

Hi,

I know that some believe it's best to lay disputes on the table and fight them out. Nonetheless:

"Peace cannot emerge from the midst of a quarrel."

(Midrash, Sifri to Devarim 286)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part III

Hi,

[Third in a three-part series]

"The greatest repentance comes from experiencing the illuminating revelation of general goodness, of the Divine goodness which is present in all worlds, the light of the Life of the Universe. We imagine the soul of all, which emanates from above, glorious and holy, to the extent that we can grasp.

"We then perceive that the whole is truly good and just, and that the good and just in us comes when we are true to the whole. How could we be torn from the whole, crumbled away and different, separated, like insignificant dust?

"As a result of this revelation, which is truly recognition of Gd, repentance comes to the individual and the community."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part II

Hi,

[continuing from yesterday]

"There is also gradual repentance, not a flash of lightning inside converting him from the depths of evil to the good, but rather a feeling that one needs to improvied his ways, the paths of his life, his desires, his thoughts. He walks this path and conquers, little by little, the ways of righteousness. He mends his traits, improves his deeds, and teaches himself how to improve to greater and greater extents, until he achieves a great level of purification and correction."

[to be continued]

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part I

Hi,

"In terms of its duration, repentance comes in two types: Sudden repentance, and Gradual repentance.

"Sudden repentance comes from a sort of spiritual lightning that enters the soul. At once one recognizes the bad and ugly nature of the sin, and he becomes a new person, already sensing within himself a complete change for the good. This comes about via the appearance of an internal splendor, some great spiritual revelation, the paths of which may be sought in the hidden depths."

[to be continued...]

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The world is progressing toward repentance

Hi,

"The world does not remain static; it develops and evolves, and true, complete evolution must bring about total material and spiritual health. This will introduce the life of repentance."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 5:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The natural drive for teshuvah

Hi,

"It is the nature of the human spirit to walk a righteous path. When one strays from the path, falling into sin, then - if his soul is not entirely corrupted - this sense of righteousness pains his heart, he melts from the pain, and he is energized to return and mend that which he has made crooked until he feels that his sin has been wiped away."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The fundamental nature of Teshuvah

Hi,

"Teshuvah [repentance] occupies the greatest portion of Torah and Life, and upon it are founded all of the hopes of the individual and the community."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Introduction to Orot haTeshuvah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An interesting religious approach to the pursuit of wealth

Hi,

We are familiar with texts which denigrate the pursuit of wealth, arguing that people amass wealth for a future they might not live to see. Here's a different perspective:

"The ant lives only six months, and consumes only one and a half wheat kernels, but it gathers any wheat and barley it can find all through the summer.

"Rabbi Tanchuma said: In its entire life it consumes only a wheat kernel and a half, and it gathers all of this - why? It says: Perhaps Gd will decree that I should live, and so I need to have food prepared to eat."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The invasion of Canaan

Hi,

"What did Yehoshua do? He spread messages wherever he went to battle, writing, 'One who wishes to depart may depart, one who wishes to make peace may make peace, and one who wishes to make war may make war.'"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

There will be justice or Justice

Hi,

"Rabbi Eliezer said: Where there is justice there is no justice; where there is no justice, there is justice.

"What does this mean? Rather: If justice is performed in this world, Gd does not need to execute Justice from above. If justice is not performed in this world, Gd executes Justice from above."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Justice vs. Korbanot, revisited

Hi,

[You may wish to see this post first.]

"It is written [Mishlei 21:3]: One who performs acts of righteousness and justice has done something which is more choice, for Gd, than an offering.

"This says that these are acts are more choice than offering, and not only equal to an offering. How is this so? Offerings apply only in the time of the Beit haMikdash, while righteousness and law are conducted in the time of the Beit haMikdash and in a time when there is no Beit haMikdash. Also, [most] offerings atone only for accidental sin, but righteousness and law atone for accidental and intentional sin."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honest ants

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta said: An ant once knocked down a single wheat kernel (for collection). All of the ants came to sniff it, but none of them took it. The ant which had selected it came and took it.

"See the wisdom and glory in the ant: It learned from no one, it has neither judge nor officer... You, for whom I have appointed judges and officers, certainly should listen to them!"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Start them young

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 22:6], 'Educate a child according to his path, and then he will not stray therefrom even when he ages.' Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua taught lessons based upon this sentence.

"Rabbi Eliezer said: If you teach your child Torah while he is still young, he will grow and continue in that path, as it is written, 'he will not stray therefrom even when he ages.


"Rabbi Yehoshua said: It is like an ox which does not learn to plow [in its youth], so that there is great difficulty with it in the end."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 22)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of a good reputation

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 22:1], 'A name is more choice than great wealth, and good favor more than silver and gold.'

"Come and see how valuable a good name is in this world. Even if a person has a thousand gold dinar, if he has not acquired a good name then he has acquired nothing."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 22)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who controls the heart of the king?

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 21:1], 'The heart of a king is like streams of water in Divine control; wherever He chooses, He will incline it.'

"Rabbi Yishmael explained: 'Streams of water in the hand of Gd' because just as when you place water in a vessel you can incline it to any side you choose, so when flesh and blood ascend to the throne, his heart is put in Divine control. If the world merits then Gd inclines the king's heart toward positive decrees, but if the world is guilty then Gd inclines it toward bad decrees. Every decree he produces first emerges from Gd. This it says, 'Wherever He chooses, He will incline it.'"

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

How to live a long life

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 21:23]: One who guards his mouth and tongue keeps trouble from himself.

"This teaches that a person's death and life are only subject to his tongue. If one merits and controls it, it will provide him with life. Otherwise, it will kill him. And so it is also written [Mishlei 18:21], 'Death and life are in the control of the tongue.'"

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzedakah providing protection

Hi,

[Note: 'Af' translates literally as anger.]

"It is written [Mishlei 21:14], 'A gift in secret will bind 'Af.' If a person gives tzedakah in secret, Gd will bind the angel of death, who is called 'Af,' away from him and his household."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Justice vs Korbanot

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon said: One who practices righteousness and justice is considered as though he had brought burnt offerings and celebration offerings to Gd, as it is written [Mishlei 21:3], 'One who practices righteousness and justice is more choice to Gd than a celebration offering.'"

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The effect of tzedakah upon one's children

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon said: One who pursues [opportunities to give] tzedaka will have children who are masters of tzedakah, as well as Torah and Aggada [Torah which is not law-oriented]."

(Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The limits of personal responsibility

Hi,

"One is not held responsible for actions taken during his moment of pain."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True Friends

Hi,

Background:
Taanit 23a says, "One must have friends, or death."
But Bava Batra 16b says, "One must have friends like those of Job, or death."

Maharsha to Bava Batra 16b explained, "This text teaches us that 'one must have friends' does not mean just any friends, but friends like thoes of Job, who traveled many parasangs in order to comfort him."

Have a great 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 Sunday night and Monday July 25-26 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 special character:

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 the land 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

Estate Advice

Hi,

"Shemuel said to Rav Yehudah: Sharp one! Do not be among those who shift portions, even from a bad son to a good son."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 133b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Value of Momentary Righteousness

Hi,

"And R’ Yitzchak said: We only judge a person according to his actions at that time, as it is written, “For Gd has heard the voice of the youth, as he is there.”"

(Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Re-creating Sinai

Hi,

"Rabbi Eliezer's study hall was arranged like eyelashes (in an arc, presumably), with a single stone designated as his seat. Once Rabbi Yehoshua entered and kissed the stone, saying, 'This stone is like Mount Sinai, and the one who sits there is like the Ark of the Covenant.'"

(Midrash, Shir haShirim Rabbah 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Better to have a Sharp Mind or a Powerful Memory?

Hi,

"Even if one is sharp and extremely talented in logical analysis, and one increases his wisdom as a result of his logical analysis, it is still better to be a limed cistern [which does not leak, ie forget].

"As the gemara says at the end of Horiyyot, when we compare Sinai and an Uprooter of Mountains, it is better to be Sinai, as this person is; everyone needs the person who has a lot of wheat [meaning, broad knowledge of texts]."

(Machzor Vitry 425 on Pirkei Avot 2:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hope, after Tisha b'Av

Hello,

"And I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will make them glad in the house of My prayer. Their offerings will be desirable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. This is the word of Gd, Elokim, who gathers in the scattered of Israel: I will yet gather them in!"

(Isaiah 56:7-8, the last verses of the Haftorah for the afternoon of Tisha b'Av)

Hope you had an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Tisha b'Av and Yom Kippur

Hello,

In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Monday night-Tuesday:

"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.

"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.

"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'

"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."

(Talmud, Taanit 30b)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

Exile from the Garden of Eden and Exile from Israel

Hello,

"Rabbi Avahu cited Hosheia 6:7, 'They are as man [Adam], they violated the covenant.' This is a reference to Adam the First.

"Gd declared: I brought Adam the First into the Garden of Eden (Bereishit 2:15), I gave him instructions (Bereishit 2:16), he violated My instructions (Bereishit 3:11), I sentenced him to divorce (Bereishit 3:24) and exile (Bereishit 3:23) and I mourned him with 'Eichah' (Bereishit 3:9). It is written as 'Eichah' [even though it is read as Ayekah].

"So, too, I brought his children to Israel (Yirmiyah 2:7), I instructed them (Vayyikra 24:2), they violated My instructions (Daniel 9:11), and I sentenced them to divorce (Hosheia 9:15) and exile (Yirmiyah 15:1), and I mourned for them 'Eichah' (Eichah 1:1)."

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah Petichta 4)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

The loneliness of exile

Hi,

"It is written (Yirmiyah 15:17), 'Because of Your hand, I dwelled alone' - Pharaoh's hand struck me and I did not dwell alone, Sancherev's hand struch me and I did not dwell alone, but when Your hand struck me I dwelled alone, as it is written (Eichah 1:1), 'How did she come to dwell alone, the city that had once contained a great nation.'"

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah, Petichta 3)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

Linking Torah study and the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash

Hello,

[I know that the following is not the dominant popular viewpoint; people tend to view Torah study as an intellectual exercise, and less significant than the social aspects of Judaism. This is all the more reason to cite this source for study.]

"Rav Huna and Rav Yirmiyah said in the name of Rav Shemuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak:

"We have found that Gd overlooked idolatry, sexual immorality and murder, but did not overlook the rejection of Torah. It is written (Yirmiyah 9), 'Why was the land lost?' And then the passage does not say, 'For idolatry, sexual immorality and murder,' but rather, 'For they abandoned My Torah.'

"Rav Huna and Rav Yirmiyah said in the name of Rav Chiyya bar Abba:

"It is written (Yirmiyah 16), 'They abandoned Me, and they did not guard My Torah.' Gd was saying: I wish that they had abandoned Me and still guarded My Torah, for through their involvement in Torah, its light would have brought them back to righteousness."

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah, Petichta 2)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

Neturei Karta

Hi,

"Rabbi Yehudah haNasi sent R' Asi and R' Ami to go repair the cities of Israel. They would ascend to cities and say, 'Bring us the guardians of the city ["Neturei Karta נטורי קרתא"].' The people brought out the heads of the guards. R' Asi and R' Ami said, 'Are these the guardians of the city? These are the destroyers of the city!'

"The people asked them, 'Then who are the guardians of the city?'

"They replied, 'These are the teachers of Torah and Mishnah, who read and teach and guard the Torah day and night, as it is written (Yehoshua 1), 'You shall read it day and night,' and (Tehillim 127), 'If Gd will not build a house, its builders will have worked for nothing. If Gd will not guard a city, its guard will have been diligent for nothing.'"

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah, Petichta 2)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

A reason for destruction: Low salaries for teachers of Torah?

Hello,

"It is written (Yirmiyah 9), 'Who is wise, who will understand this? Why is the land lost? HaShem declared: Because they abandoned the Torah.'

"R' Shimon bar Yochai said: If you see cities uprooted from their places in Israel, know that they did not properly reward teachers of Tanach and Mishnah."

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah, Petichta 2)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

Daughter of exile

Hi,

[Isaiah 10:30 says to the Jews, "Give forth your voice, daugther of Galim; listen, Layish!"]

"'Daughter of Galim [גלים]' means 'Daughter of exiles [גולים]' - The daughter of Avraham, regarding whom it is written, 'And there was a famine in the land, and Avram descended to Egypt. The daughter of Yitzchak, regarding whom it is written, 'And Yitzchak went to Avimelech, King of the Philistines, to Gerar.' And the daughter of Yaakov, regarding whom it is written, 'And he went to Padan Aram.'

"'Listen' - Listen to My mitzvot, listen to the words of Torah, listen to the words of prophecy, listen to acts of righteousness and good deeds."

(Midrash, Eichah Rabbah, Petichta 1)

May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai

Household fire

Hi,

"Rava said: Why is a woman called אשה? Because she is אש [fire]. Why is a man called איש? Because he is אש [fire]. With the extra י in the man's name and the extra ה in the woman's name, the Name of Gd [י-ה] is among them.

"If they overheat, the Name of Gd departs from their midst, and only fire and fire remain."

(Kallah Rabti 1:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True Wealth

Hi,

"It is better to have a piece of dry bread and peace, than to have a house filled with slaughtered animals and fighting."

(Mishlei 17:1)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

No justice, No joy - Part II

Hi,

Continuing from yesterday's link between the dissolution of the Sanhedrin and the end of musical celebration, the Talmud Yerushalmi clarifies that the loss of the Sanhedrin led to the sages banning song:

"Rav Chisda said: In the beginning the awe of the Sanhedrin was upon them, and people did not say repellent things in their songs. Now that the awe of the Sanhedrin is not upon them, they say repellent things in their songs."

(Talmud Yerushalmi Sotah 9:12)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

No justice, No joy - Part I

Hi,

"When the Sanhedrin ceased, song ceased from the party houses, as it is written, ‘They will not drink wine with song.’… How do we know that this was written specifically when the Sanhedrin ceased? Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua explained: It is from, ‘The elders ceased from the gate, and the young men from their music.’"

(Talmud, Sotah 48a)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai

True humility

Hi,

"There are four elements in humble behavior:
a. Functioning in a humble manner;
b. Bearing one's own embarrassment patiently;
c. Fleeing from honor;
d. Treating others with respect."

(Mesilat Yesharim [Path of the Righteous], R' Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Chapter 23)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Our approach to the world

Hi,

This is a re-run, but I use it today for the Fourth of July:

"Our approach to and relationship with the outside world has always been of an ambivalent character, intrinsically antithetic, bordering at times on the paradoxical. We relate ourselves to and at the same time withdraw from, we come close to and simultaneously retreat from the world of Esau. When the process of coming nearer and nearer is almost consummated, we immediately begin to retreat quickly into seclusion. We cooperate with the members of other faith communities in all fields of constructive human endeavor, but, simultaneously with our integration into the general social framework, we engage in a movement of recoil and retrace our steps. In a word, we belong to the human society and, at the same time, we feel as strangers and outsiders."

(Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik, Confrontation, 1964)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Michah's Three Principles of Judaism

Hi,

Michah 6:8 instructs us that Gd expects of us to, “Practice justice, love generosity and walk privately with Gd.”

On this Rav Yaakov Ettlinger commented:
“Michah specified three actitvities, representing three types of mitzvot: Between Man and Gd, between Man and Other, and between Man and Self.

“Between Man and Self – Practice justice, meaning to weigh all of one’s deeds to ensure that they are just, and he has no corruption in his hand.

“Between Man and Other – Love generosity, meaning providing acts of generosity between himself and another.

“Between Man and his Creator – Walk privately.”

(Aruch l’Ner to Makkot 24a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Redemption through tears

Hi,

"'And he [Yosef] gave voice, in tears [when he was reunited with brothers]' - Just as Yosef appeased his brothers only with tears, so Gd will redeem the Jews only with tears, as it is written [Yirmiyah 31:8], 'In tears they will come, and in beseeching I will bring them.'"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 93:13)

Note Radak to Yirmiyah 31:8 - "There are tears of joy, for example, 'And Yaakov kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and cried.'... So, too, this is a case of crying fromgreat joy. When they come to their land they will cry, for it will have been many years since they were exiled therefrom."

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Serving Gd with one's 'wealth'

Hi,

"'Honor HaShem with your wealth (Mishlei 3:9)' - This means that one who is beautiful should not be promiscuous... Alternatively, this means that one whose voice is pleasant should lead davening [prayer]."

(Midrash, Pesikta d'Rav Kahana 10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Why we fast

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

The 17th of Tammuz

Hello,

The fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, observed Tuesday June 28th 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. (According to the Talmud Bavli, the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem to destroy the first Temple on the 9th of Tammuz. According to the Talmud Yerushalmi, both invasions occurred on the 17th 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

Ethics beyond Halachah

Hi,

"If, however, we recognize that Halakhah is multiplanar and many dimensional; that, properly conceived, it includes much more than is explicitly required or permitted by specific rules, we shall realize that the ethical moment we are seeking is itself an aspect of Halakhah."

(R’ Aharon Lichtenstein, Does Judaism Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakhah?)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Natural Morality

Hi,

"Rabbi Yochanan said: Had the Torah not been given, we would have learned privacy from the cat, [the impropriety of] theft from the ant and fidelity from the dove."

(Talmud, Eruvin 100b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Be the tree

Hi,

"The Torah compares people to trees, but there are four kinds of trees:

"One is the thorn, which no one will take, for it is useless. It was created only to harm others; these are the wicked…

"The second is the bramble, and people take shelter beneath its branches and leaves; these are people who engage in the way of the world.

"The third is the fruit tree, like those who perform mitzvot and are compared to a fruit… but people do not benefit from the body of the tree, itself.

"The fourth is the cedar, regarding which people benefit from the body of the tree, in construction. This is like a person of Torah; the person is purified in all of his travels and ways, even in his normal conversation. Still, some cedars are better for one person’s construction and some for a mast for a ship at sea and so it supports thousands of people; so there is a scholar who is good for those who are around him, near to him, and then there is a scholar who leads his world, like the captain of a ship. This is the meaning of “Like cedars upon the water,” that we use them on the water."

(Netziv, Haamek Davar to Bamidbar 24:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Perform a single mitzvah well

Hi,

"That which grows in a garden is not like that which grows in a field; a field is planted with only one or two varieties, as opposed to gardens which have many kinds of seeds. Still, each garden has one central variety, and small quantities of other varieties are planted around it.

"So, too, each Jew is filled with the mitzvot of Gd, but each has one special mitzvah in which he is extra careful, as is seen in Mechilta Beshalach 251, “One who performs a single mitzvah, faithfully, is worthy of Divine inspiration.”"

(Netziv, Haamek Davar to Bamidbar 24:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of kindness, regardless of who performs it

Hi,

"Acts of kindness are compared to spices… Even those who travel an outlaw path are still an orchard of pomegranates, filled with mitzvot like pomegranates…

"Kindness is not like the Torah's mitzvot, which are compared to oil… Oil has no scent of its own, but only absorbs scent from its environment… while spices are not so, but have the same scent regardless of who bears them."

(Netziv, Haamek Davar to Bamidbar 24:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Comparing the generosity of women to a stream

Hi,

"It is known that women benefit paupers more directly, with tzedakah and kindness that are compared to a flooding stream. Tzedakah flows, providing benefit to others, and so it is like a stream. The choicest of the kindnesses of the women of Israel is when they bring others to Torah and service of Gd… like a mikvah of purification, bringing the Jewish people to sanctity… This is why the well was given in Miriam’s merit, and the well left when she died…

"Like a stream, even if it is not qualified for immersion because it lacks 40 seah or because it is zochalin, many people still benefit from it. Still, it’s better if the stream leads to a spring or to a great river, to complete its kashrut, meaning that it leads to sanctity. So the deeds of women in helping a person, even if they are not specifically dedicated toward sanctity, are still good like a stream of tzedakah."

(Netziv, Haamek Davar to Bamidbar 24:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Message to Moshe: Trust the Jewish People

Hi,

"[Gd said to Moshe in Sh'mot 15, as the Jews stood at the brink of the Sea,] “Why do you cry out to Me” – Moshe was included in the biblical passage that said, “And the Jews [standing at the Sea] cried out to Gd.” However, Moshe’s cry was not out of fear of Pharaoh and his forces, for he had already told the Jews of the future downfall of Egypt, saying, ‘You shall not see them thus again; HaShem will fight for you.’

"Moshe's cry was against the officers of Israel, who were bold in saying, ‘Are there not enough graves in Egypt?’ Moshe thought that the people would not listen to him and enter the sea, because of their complaints. Therefore HaShem said to him, “Why do you cry to Me” in this manner? You suspect those who are kosher! Speak to My children, and they will travel [into the Sea]; they will not rebel against your word."

(Rav Ovadia Sforno to Sh'mot 15:15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The choice is ours

Hi,

"“The choice is given”: This teaches that a choice is given to people to perform good or evil. Further, it is written, ‘And you shall choose life,’ and we do not tell a person, ‘Choose,’ unless he has the option of choosing. We learn that the choice is in his hands."

(Comment of Rabbeinu Meshulam ben Klonymus to Pirkei Avot 3:15, cited in Aruch סעד)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Profiteering from mitzvot

Hi,

"Scribes of scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot, as well as their merchants and their merchants’ merchants, and anyone involved in Heavenly business - to include techelet merchants - will never see a sign of blessing, unless they are involved for the sake of heaven."

(Talmud, Pesachim 50a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine Reciprocity

Hi,

"‘And it will be, if you listen’ – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sichnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: HaShem declares, ‘If you will listen to My mitzvot, I will listen to your prayers.’"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The mezuzah reminder

Hi,

"Among the roots of this mitzvah is to act as a reminder of faith on HaShem whenever a person enters or exits the home."

(Sefer haChinuch, Mitzvah 423)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Setting the Shabbat table before and after Shabbat

Hi,

“A person ought to set the table before Shabbat even if he will only eat a minimal amount, and a person ought to set the table after Shabbat even if he will only eat a minimal amount, to honor the Shabbat at its entry and its exit.

“One should prepare his house while it is still day before Shabbat, to honor Shabbat. The light should be lit, the table should be set for the meal, and the bed should be arranged; all of this is part of honoring Shabbat.”

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Shabbat 30:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

All together now

Hi,

"R’ Chana bar Bizna cited R’ Shimon Chasida: Any fast which does not include some of the Jews’ [former] sinners is not a fast, for the smell of galbanum is bad and yet it is included with the ingredients of the ketoret [incese].

"Abbaye brought this source (from Amos 9): ‘And He established His group upon the land.’"

(Talmud, Keritot 6b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Unity

Hi,

"‘Lo titgodidu’ - You shall not split into groups, but rather all of you should be one group, and so it is written, ‘And He established His group upon the land.’"

(Midrash, Sifri Devarim 96)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Eclipses as Omens

Hi,

"Affliction of the sun is a bad sign for the whole world. This may be compared to a king who makes a feast for his servants and leaves a lamp before them, then grows angry at them and says to his servant, ‘Take the lamp from before them and leave them in darkness.’"

(Talmud, Succah 29a)

[I take this not as superstition, but as a statement that if Gd was always satisfied with humanity, then we would have a source of light which was never removed. The fact that it is removed from time to time is a reminder of our dependency, and of our occasional insufficiency.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The merit of burying others

Hi,

“Yosef acquired merit by involving himself with the burial of his father, and so the one to involve himself with Yosef's burial was none other than our master Moshe.”

(Tosefta Sotah 4:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Safety in the dining room

Hi,


"What are the characteristics of a scholar's dining table? Two-thirds of the surface is covered with a cloth, and one-third is uncovered [on which one places serving dishes which might otherwise dirty the tablecloth], and it holds dishes and greens. The protruding ring is pointed inward. [The ring was a pointed attachment which was used to hang up the table when not in use; the same advice would apply to any protruding part.]

"But we have learned that it is all right to have the ring point outward!

"Some explain that this is only where there are no children around. Others explain that this is only where there is no servant around. Others explain that this is only during the day [so that the ring is visible and therefore less dangerous]."

(Talmud, Bava Batra 57b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Dealing with the government

Hi,

“Be careful of those in authority. They become close to people for their own benefit, appearing like friends as long as they benefit from the relationship, but they won't stand by a person when he is in trouble.”

(Pirkei Avot 2:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Say Hello!

Hi,

"One who knows that another person normally greets him is obligated to precede the other in greeting, as it is written (Tehillim 34), 'Seek peace and pursue it.' And one who is greeted and does not reciprocate is called a thief, as it is written..."

(Talmud, Berachot 6b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Another reason for righteous people to make aliyah...

Hi,

"'When the exiles ascended to Israel, shooting stars, quakes, mighty winds and thunder stopped, their wine did not turn to vinegar and their flax was not harmed.' The sages turned their eyes to R’ Chiyya and his children."

(Talmud, Chullin 86a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Moshe receives the Torah in awe

Hi,

"R’ Natan asked: Why did Moshe need to wait for six days, without Gd’s communication? To clean out all eating and drinking from within him, until he could be sanctified and become like a ministering angel.

"R’ Matya ben Charash replied: My master! It was only to intimidate him, so that he would receive the words of Torah with intimidation, awe, trembling and shaking, as it is written, ‘Serve Gd with awe and rejoice with trembling.’"

(Avot d'Rabbi Natan 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Living in Zion and Longing for Zion

Hi,

“[Psalms 87:5 says:] And regarding Zion it will be said: A person and a person have been born there, and Gd will establish it above.

"Rabbi Meisha, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, explained this passage: This refers to a person born in Zion, or a person who hopes to see Zion.

"Abayye said: One of them [Israelis] is worth two of us [Babylonians].”

(Talmud, Ketuvot 75a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Moshe selects the spies

Hi,


Two alternative explanations for why Gd said to Moshe (Bamidbar 13:2), "Send agents for yourself" -

"Alternatively: Send agents for yourself, specifically, meaning that you will look at them with Divine inspiration to judge whether they are good for this mission. Most people err in assessing flatterers who display themselves as kosher and wear a coat of hair in order to deceive...

"Alternatively: Agents for yourself - they appear to you as important people because you look with eyes of flesh to see only that which is visible, as it is. At that time they were kosher. But in My eyes they are not kosher, for I see on two levels, present and future, and I see that they will participate in evil counsel."

(Kli Yakar to Bamidbar 13:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Seeking Zion

Hi,

“How do we know that we are supposed to perform acts memorializing the Temple?

“The verse (Jeremiah 30) says: 'I will give you health and I will heal your wounds, this is the word of Gd, for they termed you 'abandoned.' She is Zion, and no one seeks her.' This teaches that she requires seeking.”

(Talmud, Rosh haShanah 30a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Hunger and Prophecy conflict

Hi,

"When inspiration does not come from Gd to the prophet independently, but the prophet needs to seek it out, it will not be grasped unless he humbles his nature entirely, such that the soul will be dedicated and will grasp that hidden element. One's natural needs prevent this."

(Derashot haRan, Derush 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The reward for not accepting lashon hara

Hi,

"R’ Yochanan said: Why did Yeravam ben Yoash, king of Israel, merit to be numbered with the [righteous] kings of Yehudah [in Hosheia 1:1]?

"Because he did not accept harmful speech regarding Amos."

(Talmud, Pesachim 87b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Self-incrimination and Usury

Hi,

“Rabbi Yosi taught: Come see the blindness of people who lend money for interest!

“Ordinarily, if a person calls another person “wicked,” that person will battle him to the death. These people, though, bring witneses, a scribe, and pen and ink, and write and seal a document saying, 'This person denies the Gd of Israel!'“

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 71a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai