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

Gratitude to Gd

Hi,

“Rav Yosef taught: What does Isaiah 12 mean when it says, 'I will praise You, Gd, for You were angry at me, Your rage will settle and You will console me?'

“This passage speaks of two men who embark on a business trip, and one of them gets a thorn in his foot and is unable to continue; he begins to blaspheme Gd. Some days later the ship on which he would have traveled sinks in the sea, and he hears this and praises Gd...

“This is similar to Rabbi Elazar's statement: What does Tehillim 72 mean when it says, 'He performs miracles alone, and His glorious Name is praised forever?' Even the recipient of a miracle is unaware of the miracle he receives.”

(Talmud, Niddah 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine outrage at idolatry

Hi,

"A philosopher asked Rabban Gamliel: It is written in your Torah, 'For HaShem your Gd is a consuming flame, an outraged Gd.' Why is Gd outraged at the worshippers, but not at the idol itself?

"Rabban Gamliel responded: I will give you a comparison. Imagine a king who had a son. The son acquired a dog and called it by his father's name. When the son swore oaths, he swore 'In the name of my father the dog.' When the king hears of this, upon whom will his anger fall, on the dog or on his son?”

(Talmud, Avodah Zarah 54b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Mitzvot with reward here and in the next world

Hi,

"Four endeavors bring a person fruit in this world, while their essential reward is held over for the next world. Three are: Honoring one's parents, Performing acts of kindness and Bringing peace between people. Studying Torah is parallel to all of these."

(Avot deRabbi Natan 40:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Loving Gd

Hi,

"'Loving Gd' means that one should thirst, and truly desire, to be close to Gd. One should run after His holiness just as he would run after anything he strongly wanted, to such a point that even the mention of Gd's Name, or description of His glory, or involvement in His Torah will
itself be pleasant and enjoyable for him. It should be like love for the spouse of one's youth, or one's only child, a powerful love. Even speaking about it should be enjoyable to him."

(Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Just), Chapter 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The most important concepts in the universe

Hi,

"Seven entities were created before the universe: Torah, Repentance, Gan
Eden (Heaven), Gehennom (Hell), the Divine Throne, the Temple, and the
name of the Messiah."

[As I understand it, the lesson is that these seven entities/concepts
are so fundamental to Gd's Creation that they had to exist in order to
enable the creation of the Universe.]

(Talmud, Pesachim 54a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The role of the chazan in Birkat Kohanim

Hi,

Regarding the blessing conveyed to the Jews by the kohanim:

"The chazan [who recites each word ahead of the kohanim] is the agent who draws influence in a 'pipeline' from the source of blessing first, pouring it as a blessing upon the heads of the kohanim.

"The chazan first says to the kohen, 'May Gd bless you,' so as to make the kohen a vessel full to overflowing with the blessing of Gd. Then, when the kohen says to the Jews, 'May Gd bless you,' he pours from this full vessel into an empty vessel.

"Were the kohen not blessed first, he would be pouring from one empty vessel into another."

(Kli Yakar to Bamidbar 6:23, expanding an idea expressed by Rabbeinu Bechayye)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Chesed and Din: Generosity and Justice

Hi,

"A person must have these two traits, Chesed [unlimited generosity] and Din [measured justice], meaning that for Divine matters he must use Chesed to ascend ever higher, without limit, and to be involved only in Torah and service, whereas for physical matters, for eating and other matters, he must use Din and not pursue fulfillment of his desires."

(Vilna Gaon, Aderet Eliyahu to Ruth 1:1)

Have a great day and Chag Sameach,
Mordechai

Make sure to feast on Shavuot!

Hi,

"Mar Breih diRaveina fasted all year, except Shavuot, Purim and the day before Yom Kippur.

"Shavuot because that is the day when the Torah was given, Purim because Esther 9 identifies Purim as, 'Days of feasting and joy,' and the day before Yom Kippur as Chiyya bar Rav of Difti taught...One who eats and drinks on the 9th day of Tishrei (the day before Yom Kippur) is as though he had fasted on the 9th and the 10th."

(Talmud, Pesachim 68b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Do it yourself

Hi,

"The same is true for all mitzvot: The mitzvah is for one to do it himself, more than for one's proxy to do it."

(R' Avraham Gombiner, Magen Avraham 250:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The illness of Self-Delusion

Hi,

"Among these human illnesses, there is one disease which is so common that I think that no one can escape it, except a rare individual... This disease can be of greater or lesser (severity), like other physical and spiritual illnesses. The illness to which I refer consists of the fact that every individual person considers himself more perfect than he really is, and desires and lusts that all that enters his mind should possess perfection, without effort and fatigue."

(Maimonides, Medical Aphorisms 25:59)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of Yerushalayim, 1963

Hi,

"Jerusalem is one of Israel’s oldest mountain cities, and it was an important center of settlement, a national center and a military center even before the Jewish kings established the land’s capital and religious center there. Over time it became sacred to Christianity as well; only Rome is known with the same type of holiness in their eyes. The tradition of holiness passed to the Muslims as well; in their eyes, only Mecca and Medina have greater holiness.

"However, there is no nation or religion in the world for which Jerusalem is holier or more important from a national and religious perspective than it is for the Jews. Israel and Jerusalem are nearly identical to the Jew; even if Israel is all holy, Jerusalem is holy of holies. The oath of the Babylonian exiles - “If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its strength, may my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not elevate Jerusalem at the head of my joy” - does well to express the heartfelt emotions of the Jewish nation toward Jerusalem in almost all generations."

("Jerusalem" article in Maps of Israel, Published by IDF in 1963)

Yom Yerushalayim sameach,
Mordechai

The sanctity of Jerusalem

Hi,

"Why do I say that in the Beit haMikdash and Yerushalayim the initial sanctity lasts for the future? Because their sanctity was a result of the presence of the Shechinah, which cannot be nullified. The sages said: It is written, ‘And I will destroy your sacred areas’ - Even when they are destroyed, they remain in their sanctity."

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit haBechirah 6:16)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah study or Human relations?

Hi,

"We do not nullify Torah study for a deceased person or for a bride.

"Abba Shaul said: Actions precede study! And so R’ Yehudah practiced: When he saw a deceased person or a bride being escorted, he turned to his students and said, “Actions precede study.”"

(Masechet Semachot 11:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

On-Time Wages

Hi,

"The sages taught:

"From the fact that the Torah (Vayyikra 19) stated, 'Do not let the payment of an employee's work sleep with you,' I can already see that one is in violation [of the law against withholding payment] if he waits [to pay] until the next morning.

"Why did the Torah add, 'until morning?' To teach that the violation is a one-time violation, on that first morning.

"What happens after that? Rav said: One is in violation of a separate prohibition against withholding payment. Rav Yosef asked: What is the scriptural source for this additional prohibition? It is written [Proverbs 3]: 'Do not tell your friend, 'Go and return tomorrow, and I will give it to you,' when you have the payment there now.'"

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 110b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Where is Gd?

Hi,

"“And I will walk [v’hithalachti] in your midst” - A mithalech is someone who walks here and there, rather than remain in a given place exclusively.

"HaShem said: If you will perform My mitzvot, I will walk among you. The influence of Divine honor will not be limited to one place, as it was in the Mishkan and Mikdash, as it is written, “And they will prepare a Mikdash for Me and I will dwell among them,” meaning that I will dwell among them in this way and in this place alone, as I had stated at first, “The place where I will meet with you,” “There I will meet with the Children of Israel.”

"Rather, I will walk among you, and My glory will be visible everywhere you are located. Wherever the righteous ones of the generation will be, that place will be more sacred than My dwelling above, for there My intent will be brought to fruition.

"It is written (Yeshayah 66:1), “The Heavens are My throne, and the earth My footstool,” and yet, “To this one I will gaze: To the one who is humble and of low spirit, who trembles at My word.”"

(R' Ovadiah Seforno to Vayyikra 26:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Sanctity of the Synagogue and Study Hall

Hi,

"“You shall be in awe of My mikdash” - This refers to the sanctified places, after the Beit haMikdash is destroyed.

"It refers to the synagogues and study halls, which remain holy even though the Beit haMikdash is destroyed. It is said (Yechezkel 11:16), “And I have been for them a miniature sanctuary [in their exile],” and the sages explained this to mean, “These are the synagogues and study halls. (Megilah 29a)”"

(R' Ovadiah Seforno to Vayyikra 26:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When in Rome...

Hi,

"One should not vary from local custom, in order to avoid strife."

(Talmud, Pesachim 51b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom brings strength

Hi,

"Wisdom will make the wise stronger than ten [wicked] rulers of cities."

(Ecclesiastes 7:19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teaching our children Torah

Hi,

"We start teaching our children from the book of Vayyikra, for our sages said, ‘Start children from the book of Vayyikra, because Gd declared: Let the pure come and involve themselves in issues of purity.’"

(Kol Bo, as cited in Shach to Yoreh Deah 245:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Historic and Contemporary Authority

Hi,

"Why are the 70 elders [who assisted Moses in judging the Jewish nation in the desert] not identified? Lest people say, 'Is our judge like Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, or Eldad and Meidad?'"

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

(Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 25a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Calculating the Ultimate Redemption

Hi,


"Rav Chaim Vital’s comment is known, that one who knows the measure of the levels, and who can estimate our daily descent, can know when the moment of redemption will arrive. After our soul descends to the dust and our belly sticks to the ground, then Gd will rise and help us, for when she falls until there is no more room to fall, then will come the redemption of “at its time.” It is written, “She has fallen, and she will not continue,” meaning that when she has fallen so much that she cannot fall further, meaning she has fallen to the ground, the end of all levels, then, “Rise, betulah of Israel.”"

(R' Dovid ben Shlomo Eibeschutz, Arvei Nachal to Parshat Behar, Derush 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai