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