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