Shabbat clothing

Hi

"It is written (Isaiah 58:13) regarding Shabbat, 'You shall honour it, refraining from performing ordinary tasks.' 'You shall honour it' indicates that your Shabbat clothing should not be like your weekday clothing. 

"This follows along the lines of Rabbi Yochanan's practice of calling his clothing, 'The source of my honour.'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 113a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The order of acquiring knowledge

Hi,

"The Sages also mentioned that one is first charged regarding knowledge of Torah, then he is charged regarding knowledge of [general] wisdom, and then he is charged for the Torah he should learn, meaning to draw from it that which he should perform. So the order should be, that [Torah] concepts should be known first via tradition and then clarified via [logical] proof, and then the deeds which improve one's path should be deduced. 

"This is what they said (Talmud, Shabbat 31a), regarding a person being expected to achieve these three items in this order: when one enters [posthumous] judgment, they first say, 'Did you set time for Torah? Did you analyze with wisdom? Did you understand one thing from another?'"

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 3:54)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Guard your health!

Hi,

"Rav Pappa said: One who could drink beer, and instead drinks wine, is violating the prohibition [against wasteful spending], 'Do not destroy.' 

"But this is not so – the concern for destroying one's body is greater."

(Talmud, Shabbat 140b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Yarmulkas for Thieves

Hi,

"Rav Nachman’s mother was told by an astrologer, “Your son is a thief.”

"She then never permitted him to have his head uncovered; she told him, “Cover your head so that you will have awe of Heaven upon you, and pray to G-d for help.” He never knew why she asked this of him.

One day he was sitting underneath a palm tree, and his wrap fell off his head. He raised his eyes and saw the palm tree. His instincts overpowered him, and he climbed up and bit off a bunch of dates with his teeth."

(Talmud, Shabbat 156b)

חג אורים שמח,
Mordechai

Special clothing for Shabbat

Hi,

"It is written regarding Shabbat, 'You shall honour it, refraining from performing ordinary tasks.' 'You shall honour it' indicates that your Shabbat clothing should not be like your weekday clothing. This follows along the lines of R' Yochanan's practice of calling his clothing, 'The source of my honor.'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 113a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Don't get sick

Hi,

"One should always pray to avoid contracting illness, for once a person is ill, he is told, 'Bring merit and then you be freed.'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 32a)

[In other words, less merit is required in order to avoid illness than in order to be freed from it.]

Have a good day,
Mordechai

48 Ways: #21 - Minimizing frivolity

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The twenty-first of the 48 is miut s'chok, reducing frivolity - the pursuit of fun without inherent value.

The Talmud tends to characterize s'chok as frivolity, as opposed to simchah, which is a state of happiness; see Shabbat 30b about G-d being manifest upon a person who is engaged in joy of a mitzvah, but not in s'chok, and Rabbi Akiva's criticism of s'chok v'kalut rosh, frivolity and light-headedness, in Pirkei Avot 3:13.

There is much more to say on Judaism and fun, but we are taught here that one who spends his time on frivolity will not succeed in Torah scholarship.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

48 Ways: #18 - Minimizing pleasure

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The eighteenth of the 48 is miut taanug, reducing pleasure.

We are taught that we should take advantage of pleasurable opportunities and use them to thank G-d; as the Talmud Yerushalmi (Kiddushin 4:12) teaches, "Rabbi Chizkiyah said, citing Rabbi Kahan, citing Rav: A person will have to give a justification and accounting for everything his eye perceived and he did not consume. Rabbi Elazar was concerned about this, and so he would hoard his coins and use them to eat every type of food once each year." However, we must also recognize that the more time and energy one devotes to pursuing pleasure, the less time and energy one devotes to his studies.

For an ideal example of this, see the case of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, and his fall from Chagigah 14b to Shabbat 147b.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Peace in the home

Hi, "Rava said: It is obvious to me that if person has a choice between (1) acquiring fuel to illuminate his house for Shabbat, and (2) acquiring fuel for the Chanukah menorah, he should acquire fuel to illuminate his house for Shabbat; the importance of household peace overrides the mitzvah of publicizing the miracle of Chanukah. "It is also obvious to me that if a person has a choice between (1) acquiring fuel to illuminate his house for Shabbat, and (2) acquiring wine for kiddush, he should acquire fuel to illuminate his house for Shabbat; the importance of household peace overrides the mitzvah of kiddush." (Talmud, Shabbat 23b) חג אורים שמח, Mordechai

The mitzvah of lighting a menorah

Hi,

"What blessing does one recite [when kindling the Menorah]? 'Who sanctified us with his mitzvot and instructed us to light the Chanukah lamp.'

"But where did He give us such an instruction?! [Chanukah, occurring after the Torah was given, has no instructions in the Torah!]

"Rav Avya answered: From 'Do not deviate from the words of the sages.'

"Rav Nechemyah answered: From 'Ask your father and he will tell you,

your elders and they will tell you.'"

(Talmud, Shabbat 23a)

חג אורים שמח,

Mordechai

The reward for care in mitzvot

Hi,

"Rav Huna said: One who is careful regarding Shabbat lights and Chanukah lights will merit to have children who are Torah scholars. [Rashi explains that this is linked to the verse, 'For a mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah is light.']

"One who is careful regarding mezuzah will merit to have a beautiful dwelling.

"One who is careful regarding the tzitzit will merit to have a nice garment.

"One who is careful regarding the mitzvah of kiddush will merit to fill barrels of wine."

(Talmud, Shabbat 23b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah is not enough

Hi,

"Rabbah bar Rav Huna said: Any person who has Torah but does not have awe of Heaven is like a storehouse manager who has been given keys to the inner doors but not to the outer doors; how will he get inside?"

(Talmud, Shabbat 31a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Whose children are we?

Hi,

"Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachmeni cited Rabbi Yonatan: What is the meaning of, ‘You are our father, for we do not know Avraham and Yisrael does not recognize us, You are HaShem our Father, Your Name was always, ‘Our Redeemer?’

"HaShem will say to Avraham, ‘Your children have sinned to Me.’ He will say, ‘Master of the Universe, they should be destroyed for the sanctity of Your Name!’

"HaShem will say, ‘I will tell Yaakov, who had the pain of raising children and who may daven for mercy upon them.’

"HaShem will say to Yaakov, ‘Your children have sinned to Me.’ He will say, ‘Master of the Universe, they should be destroyed for the sanctity of Your Name!’

"HaShem will say, ‘Logic is not with the elderly, and counsel is not with the children.’ HaShem will say to Yitzchak, ‘Your children have sinned to Me.’

"Yitzchak will say: Master of the Universe! Are they my children and not Yours?..."

(Talmud, Shabbat 89b)

Gmar tov,

Mordechai

Our angelic commitment at Sinai

Hi,

On the Jews' promise at Mount Sinai of "Naaseh v'Nishma," "We will do and we will hear," in which they pledged loyalty to Gd even before they heard what Gd would instruct them:

"R' Elazar taught: When the Jews said 'We will do [whatever You say]' even before they said 'We will hear [whatever You instruct us],' a voice emerged from heaven and asked, 'Who revealed this secret of the angels to My children?'

"For it is written (Psalms 103), 'Bless Gd, mighty angels, who perform His words and heed His voice.'" [Again, doing precedes hearing.]

(Talmud, Shabbat 88a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Piety trumps Torah knowledge

Hi,

"R' Shimon and R' Elazar were sitting together, when R' Yaakov bar Acha approached.

"R' Elazar said to R' Shimon, 'Let us rise before him, for he is someone who piously fears sinning.

"R' Shimon replied, 'Let us rise before him, for he is a man of Torah.'

"R' Elazar said back, 'I told you he is someone who fears sinning, and you reply that he is [merely] a man of Torah?!"

(Talmud, Shabbat 31b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

With all of your strength

Hi,

The Talmud states, "Rava said: Torah is a potion of life for those who go to the right with it, but a potion of death for those who go to the left with it."

Rashi explains: "'To the right' refers to those who involve themselves with it using all of their strength, to know its secrets, like one who performs a task with his right hand, his essential hand."

(Talmud, Shabbat 88b)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

The battles of Torah scholars

Hi,

"Rabbi Yirmiyah said, citing Rabbi Elazar: When two Torah scholars sharpen each other in legal discussions, Gd is joyous, and they ascend to greatness. This does not happen if they do it for non-altruistic motives, though, or if they become arrogant."

(Talmud, Shabbat 63a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The music of idols

Hi,

"When Solomon married the daughter of the Pharaoh, she brought him one thousand musical instruments. She said, "So they play for this idol, and so they play for this idol," and he did not protest."

(Talmud, Shabbat 56b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Israel and the Diaspora - A more positive side

Hi,

"Isaiah 27:6 says, 'Israel will bloom and flower.' Rav Yosef taught: These are the scholars of Babylon, who produce blooms and flowers for Torah."

(Talmud, Shabbat 145b)

[Note: Rav Yosef was in Israel.]

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Mazal

Hi,

"R' Chanina said: Mazal makes one wise, mazal makes enriches, and mazal affects Israel.

"R' Yochanan said: There is no mazal for Israel. R' Yochanan follows the view he expressed elsewhere: "How do we know that there is no mazal for Israel? Yirmiyahu 10:2 says, 'So says Gd: Do not learn the ways of the nations, and do not fear the signs of the heavens, for the nations fear them.' The nations fear them; Israel does not.""

(Talmud, Shabbat 156a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai