Either way, we work

Hi,

[The Torah describes the pre-Adam state of the world (Bereishit 2:5): 'And there was no man, to work the land.']

"Man was created only to work. If he merits, he works in Torah. If he does not merit, he works the land. Fortunate is the man who works in Torah."

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 13:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Joy of Torah

Hi,

Preface: Yosef haBavli asked Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua a technical question regarding the acceptability of a korban [Temple offering] which had been processed with improper intent.

"Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua said: It is kosher.

"In the evening he said, 'Kosher.'

"The next morning he said, 'Kosher.'

"At midday he said, 'Kosher.'

"That evening he said, 'Kosher - but Rabbi Eliezer rules it is disqualified.'

"Yosef haBavli's face shone at that point, and so Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua said to him, 'Yosef! It appears to me [from the look on your face] that we did not learn this correctly until now!'

"Yosef haBavli explained: Rebbe, it is true; Rabbi Yehudah taught me that this offering was disqualified, and I circulated among all of his students and found no one who could corroborate my recollection. Now you have taught me 'Disqualified' and so you have returned my lost object to me!

"Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua began to cry. He said, 'Fortunate are you, Torah scholars, that words of Torah are so beloved to you!' And he cited Tehillim 119, 'How much I love Your Torah; it is my speech all day!'"

(Talmud, Menachot 18a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of being earnest

Hi,

“Answer questions earnestly, as is in your heart, in sincerity and simplicity, and use your intellect only to determine that an answer is not incorrect. Even your intellect should be simple and earnest, a tool to serve the earnestness and simplicity of your heart, to help her and to bring her intent into action.

“And if you find that this answer will harm you, or there is some other reason you cannot give this answer, then say, ‘I don’t know,’ as the sages instructed, rather than bend and corrupt with a twisted answer, without earnestness and without simplicity.”

[I believe his “as the sages instructed” refers to Kallah Rabti, “‘Teach your tongue to say, ‘I don’t know,’ lest you lie and be trapped.”]

(R’ Klonymus Kalman Schapira, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Seder Emtza’ei v’Yesod haChevra 15)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Choose your companions wisely

Hi,

"One should increase his meals with Torah scholars, and decrease his meals with ignorant people, for later on the ignorant person will speak evilly of him [regarding anything that happened at the meal]."

(Tana Dvei Eliyahu Rabbah 12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The limits of good intentions

Hi,

"Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz (Sichot Mussar 5732 #2) observes that the Talmud (Bava Batra 16a) is offering no mitigation of Peninah's guilt. Rather, it is expressing that when dealing with the genuine pain of other individuals, good intentions are no defense; the end result is just as anguishing. As he puts it, if one places a person's arm in an oven, even if one means well, it is no less burnt."

(Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, The Right and the Good, pg. xxi)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Eat nicely!

Hi,

To preserve the honor of Torah, its representatives should not behave crudely. Therefore:

"A Torah scholar should not eat standing up, should not lick his fingers (from his food) and should not chew his cud before others."

(Derech Eretz Zuta 5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Chosenness? Or the love that comes with acceptance of a covenant?

Hi,

"R’ Akiva used to say: Man is beloved for he was created in the image [designed by Gd]; he was informed of extra love in being told he was created in the image, as it is written…

"Israel is beloved in that they are called children of Gd; they are informed of extra love in that they are called children of Gd, as it is written…"

(Pirkei Avot 3:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Free Will, people and animals

Hi,

"One of the ways in which humans are distinct from animals is that we are free, whereas animals are not… True, under certain circumstances an animal may avoid gratifying a biologic drive. For example, a hungry jackal looking for food may come across a delectable carcass, but if this happens to be in the possession of a ferocious tiger, it will not approach the carcass. However, this is not because the jackal consciously suppresses its appetite, but because the fear of being killed by the tiger overrides the hunger. This is not at all an instance of free choice, but merely a greater biologic drive, that of survival, overcoming a lesser drive, that of hunger.

"Some psychologists would have us believe that human behavior is on the same plane and that our freedom of will is but an illusion… It is quite evident, however, that in practice we do not subscribe to this theory. Our entire concept of human responsibility, with our elaborate system of positive and negative sanctions, is based on the assumption that humans are not at the mercy of impulses and that we indeed have the freedom to choose and determine much of our behavior."

(The Spiritual Self, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski pg. 4-5, 6-7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Learn Torah in order to practice it

Hi,

Avot 2:2 says, "Torah which does not involve work will be void, and cause sin."

To which Midrash Shemuel says, "This warns people to learn Torah [specifically] in order to guard and practice it. Mitzvah deeds are called 'work', especially when they are performed continually."

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Blame the corrupt judges

Hi,

"Rabbi Yosi ben Elisha said: If you see a generation beset by great trouble, investigate the judges of the Jews. Suffering befalls the world only because of the judges of the Jews, as it is written (Michah 3), 'Hear this, heads of the house of Jacob and officers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and distort all that is straight!...'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 139a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Our Joy on Purim

Hi,

Regarding Purim:

"As physical life was threatened here and physical life saved, so, apart from the public recital of the story handed down to us perpetuating the event, Purim stresses the enjoyment of festivities, mutual gifts and consideration for our poorer brethren.

"Together with this we should joyfully remember how our life was given to us again, and in this feeling of joy we should each revive the spirit of our common brotherhood and give it greater scope by bringing cheer to our less fortunate ones."

(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 247)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Drinking on Purim

In what has become an annual tradition, here are my thoughts on drinking on Purim. It's based on my past posts, but with significant changes to take into account the comments from previous years.

Warning: Soapbox ahead.

On Purim we celebrate the ultimate joy of a sudden national rescue, and our sages taught that we should imbibe alcohol at the Purim Seudah as part of this celebration. Just as we abstain from various foods and from drink at certain times of the year to induce sadness, so we indulge in various foods and in drink at other times of the year, to induce joy. The gemara’s standard for imbibing is to drink until we cannot tell the difference between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai” (Megilah 7b).

Authorities differ on how much to drink, but the following is clear: An adult who is medically, psychologically and emotionally able to drink, and who has a designated driver, should drink some amount of alcohol - preferably enough that he will feel lightheaded (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 695:2). One should enjoy his Seudah relatively early in the afternoon, drink a little, and then sleep off the effects of the alcohol.

Many people, and I include myself in this number, have embraced the practice of drinking minimally at the Purim Seudah and then fulfilling the state of intoxication by taking a nap after the meal. This approach is sanctioned by the Rama (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 695:2). Most years, I actually do the eating/drinking/nap before participating in a communal seudah.

I know the following is obvious, and I apologize for taking your time with it, but if my blog has any reach at all then I feel an obligation to state this obvious point. Please:

1) There is no reason to give alcohol to minors who are pre-bar mitzvah to drink on Purim. It is not necessary for their fulfillment of any mitzvah. The practice might be secularly legal as sacramental wine - consult an attorney - but it is a foolish and dangerous ritual and therefore prohibited as endangering our children as well as violating our obligation of chinuch for our children.

I do believe there is a difference between giving children a taste of wine from Kiddush and engaging them in Purim drinking. The former is a formal setting, and no one (I hope) is drinking to get a buzz. On Purim, though, because the general drinking is more loose and more geared toward celebration, I believe that the rule should be that children drink no alcohol at all.

2) If your own child is a minor, but older than bar mitzvah, and able to handle a small amount of wine, then it makes sense to help your child fulfill the mitzvah with a small amount, in a supervised setting, assuming this is legal in your jurisdiction.

3) Adults should not drink on Purim in the presence of young children, beyond what would normally be consumed at a meal on Shabbat. Immature children cannot tell when we are in control and when we are not, cannot comprehend the dangers associated with alcohol, cannot accept the idea that adults can do what children are not permitted to do, and cannot understand the difference between Purim and the rest of the year.

The finest joy is a celebration which centers around a Mitzvah, and this is the essence of Purim – the four mitzvot (Megilah, Sending Gifts of Food, Giving to the Poor and having a Feast) which are about experiencing joy and spreading joy and thanking HaShem for saving us from destruction.

I apologize for wasting anyone’s time by stating the obvious, but as I said above, I feel the responsibility of stating this in any forum I have available.

And not to be a party-pooper at all, but those who want to know more about this theme should see Shaarei Teshuvah of Rav Chaim Margaliyot (printed with a standard Mishneh Berurah), in his final comment on Orach Chaim:

ויותר יש לזרז עצמו בד"ת במקום שיש שם איזה שמחה אף אם היא שמחה של מצוה ועיין בסוף סוכה בענין שמחת בית השואבה וכן מבואר לעיל סימן תקכ"ט אדם אוכל ושותה ושמח ברגל ולא ימשוך בבשר ויין ובשחוק וקלות ראש לפי שאין השחוק וקלות ראש שמחה אלא הוללות וסכלות ולא נצטוינו על הוללות וסכלות אלא על שמחה שיש בה עבודת היוצר עכ"ל והוא לשון רבינו הרמב"ם ז"ל והמפרשים ז"ל פירשו לשחוק אמרתי מהולל ר"ל שיהיה באיזה ענין שיהיה השחוק הוא הוללות עבט"ז לעיל
אך לשמחה מה זו עושה ר"ל שלענין שמחה אין להחליט שאינה יפה שבאמ' יש שמחה של מצוה ולכן יש ליתן לב לדעת מה זו עושה ר"ל מה טובה אם הוא שמחה של מצוה או לא אך הואיל ואפשר כי מתוך אכילה ושתיה והוללת יתמשך לשחוק וקלות ראש לכן יקח תבלין לבסם השמחה בד"ת וחדוות ה' יהיה מעוזו ויטב לבו בד"ת וז"ש וטוב לב משתה תמיד

It is even more necessary to energize one’s self with words of Torah in a place where there is joy, even if it is joy associated with a mitzvah. See the end of Succah regarding simchas beis hashoevah. And so is explained in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 529, “One should eat, drink and be happy on the holiday, but not draw himself after meat and wine and laughter and lightheadedness, for laughter and lightheadedness are not joy, but empty celebration and foolishness. We are not instructed in empty celebration and foolishness, but in joy which includes service of the Creator.” This is a citation from the Rambam.
The sages explained the verse (Kohelet 2:2), “I have called laughter ‘empty celebration’” to mean that in any form, laughter is empty celebration. See the Taz earlier. [I don’t know which comment from the Taz he means.]
But “What does joy accomplish (Kohelet 2:2)” means that regarding joy, one should not conclude that it is not good. In truth, there is joy associated with mitzvot! Therefore, one should set his heart to know what joy can accomplish, meaning, what is its nature – is it joy associated with a mitzvah, or not. But since it is possible that one will be drawn to laughter and lightheadedness as a result of eating, drinking and empty celebration, therefor, one should take spices to sweeten the joy with words of Torah, and his strength will be in the joy of Gd, and his heart will be good with words of Torah. This is the meaning of ‘One of good heart is always at a feast.’

May we have wonderful and safe Purim - ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר!

Chag Purim Sameach,
Mordechai

Feast on Purim!

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

You have to work at it

Hi,

“If someone says to you, ‘I worked [to learn Torah] and I did not succeed,’ do not believe him. If he says to you, ‘I did not work and I succeeded,’ do not believe him. If he says to you, ‘I worked and I succeeded,’ believe him.”

(Talmud, Megilah 6b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

We learn from everyone, in all fields of knowledge

Hi,

In the following passage, Rav Waldenberg explains why a physician may discuss a patient's case with his students while on hospital rounds, without concern for the Torah's prohibition against talebearing:

"There is another reason [to permit this]. In every realm of knowledge, there exists the principle of, 'I have learned more from my students than from all others.' By explaining to them, and from the questions they ask, it is not rare for the physician to awaken to some new facet which will help in the patient's healing. Therefore, this does involve some benefit for the patient."

(Rav Eliezer Waldenberg, Tzitz Eliezer 13:81:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

We dare not waste

Hi,

"The gemara [I know that this is in Mechilta Bo 9, but I have not found it in the gemara - MT] says that if a mitzvah comes to hand, you should not let it go to waste.

"Wasting one mitzvah opportunity is bad, but teshuvah is possible. But wasting one’s self, all of one’s potential actions, is so great that teshuvah is nearly impossible! To our great sorrow, many youths are struck with this."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Schapiro, Chovot haTalmidim Perek 13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of awe

Hi,

"The power of awe is great; one who has wisdom but lacks awe will be irreparably harmed, for wisdom alone is repellent... but when wisdom is accompanied by awe, then that wisdom is a medicine which cannot harm."

(Rabbeinu Bechayye, Kad haKemach, Yirah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Appropriate awe

Hi,

"Although we are taught not to be in awe of flesh and blood, we are warned to have awe of kings, the community and Torah scholars."

(Rabbeinu Bechayye, Kad haKemach, Yirah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Misplaced rage

Hi,

"The foolishness of a person warps his path, but his heart rages at Gd."

(Mishlei 19:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Divine ecology

Hi,

Bereishit 2:3: “Gd blessed the seventh day”

“Gd blessed its expenditures.

“Rabbi Levi said, in the name of Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina: Every day has losses, and the Torah mentions a berachah, and so the day does not lose anything [ultimately]. Birds and fish were created on the fifth; people slaughter birds and eat them, catch fish and eat them, but the Torah mentions a berachah and the day does not lose anything. People and animals were created on the sixth day; people slaughter animals and eat them, and people die, but the Torah mentions a berachah and the day does not lose anything. What is the purpose of the berachah for the seventh day? Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Chama bar Chanina: For the expenditures [that one does not emerge from the day lacking that which he spent for the day].”

(Bereishit Rabbah 11:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The special character of Benjamin

Hi,

“The Shechinah was manifest upon Israel in three places: Shiloh, Nov and Givon, and the Beit haMikdash. In each of these it was manifest only in the portion of Benjamin, as it is written (Devarim 33:12), ‘He covers Benjamin all day,’ all of the coverings [by HaShem] occur only in the portion of Benjamin.”

(Talmud, Zevachim 118b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Prayer should be prayer-focussed

Hi,

"When one is involved in prayer he should seek Gd in an understanding of the matters of prayer and in desirable concentration, with heartfelt faith, in the matters of his prayer. He should not seek knowledge of Gd in other areas at that time. Since he is involved in this service at that moment, Gd is present in this service specifically, as it were, and there he will find Gd - and nowhere else."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Mussar Avicha 2:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

In the merit of great descendants

Hi,

"Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: What was done for the ten tribes was not done for the generation of the Flood.

"Regarding the generation of the Flood it says (Bereishit 6), 'The thoughts of their hearts were only evil all day,' while regarding the ten tribes it says (Michah 2), 'Who perform evil on their beds' at night, as well as by day, 'By the light of morning they practice it.'

"Despite this, no remnant was left of the generation of the Flood, while a remnant was left of the ten tribes. This was in the merit of the righteous men and righteous women who would emerge from them."

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 28:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Accepting lashon hara for one's own protection

Hi,

"Although we have clarified that accepting lashon hara - concluding that the matter is true - is biblically prohibited, the sages still said that one must be concerned for its possible veracity. This means that one must accept it as a concern, protecting himself from any harm which could come, were the news true."

(R' Yisrael Meir Kagan, Chafetz Chaim, Hilchot Lashon HaRa 6:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A truly Jewish home

Hi,

"A truly Jewish home should glow with an inner light. The presence of committed Jews there makes itself felt no matter what the external forms. A home bespeaks the personalities of its inhabitants; a Jewish home radiates Jewishness."

(Rav Adin Steinsaltz, Teshuvah, Chapter 20)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

As Gd is a witness

Hi,

Gd watches us:

"How do we know that Gd is termed a ‘witness’? As it is written, ‘And I will draw close to you for justice, and I will be a hastening witness, (Malachi 3)’ ‘And I know and testify, this is the word of Gd, (Yirmiyah 29)’ and, ‘And HaShem Elokim will be a witness upon you, from His holy sanctum. (Michah 1)’"

(Midrash, Sifri Devarim 306)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Interconnectedness of mitzvot

Hi,


Liturgy recited by many Jews in introducing various mitzvot includes the phrase, “And the 613 mitzvot which depend upon it [this mitzvah].”

“Know that the 613 mitzvot are the general group, and each mitzvah exists as an independent entity. The general group needs the individual entity, though, and so the 613 mitzvot depend upon each independent mitzvah.”

(Sfat Emet, Responsa 1, expanded in commentary to Netzavim 5664)

Have a great day,
Mordechai