Parshas Noach opens with an introduction to who Noach was and why he deserved to be chosen by Hashem. Parshas Lech Lecha jumps straight into the story of Avraham and fails to tell us what Avraham did and why he was chosen by Hashem.
Adam was created by the hands of Hashem and his neshoma was the highest and most pure. Adam didn't have to be chosen to be the first man, by default he was the first man - it wasn't possible to have prior merits.
Since Adam's creation every human has to work on himself and create himself, in order to be special and find favor in the eyes of Hashem. The Maharal says that is true for everyone except for Avraham. Noach had to merit to be the one to be saved from the mabul and be the one that rebuilt the world. Avraham was created special and prechosen to be the one to start the nation of Yisroel. Just like Adam was a new creation not like anything that preceeded him, so too Avraham as the father of Klal Yisroel had to be a total new creation created from the very start for the purpose of being Hashem's children.
Happy birthday to Yakov Simcha K.!
30 October, 2009
21 October, 2009
Parshas Noach
וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה--לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ. The Gemora learns from this verse that a Ben Noach who rests on Shabbos is punishable by death.
We know that the Avos observed the entire Torah before it was given. What did they do on Shabbos- if they rested on Shabbos, as a Ben Noach they would have been guilty of death?
The Panim Yafos answers: The issur for a Ben Noach to rest on Shabbos is 'Yomam Vlayla'- day and then night as the words of the posuk go. While Shabbos for Yisroel is night before day. The Avos did melacha on the night of Shabbos (Motzei Shabbos), thus avoiding the problem of a Ben Noach resting on Shabbos. (The problem would arise if Yom Kippur fell on a Sunday and no melacha is permitted motzei Shabbos - R' Akiva Eiger deals with this issue)
The Aruch L'ner (Tshuvas Binyan Tzion 126) says that this question is a relevant halachic question. He states a case where a child is found and we don't know if it's a Jew or not. The Rambam says that he has to keep the stringencies of a Jew. The question is what does this person do on Shabbos? The Aruch L'ner says that the Panim Yafos's deduction from the posuk- that the Shabbos of a ben Noach is day before night, is not accurate. The wording of the posuk cannot be taken literal to mean that the prohibition is only day before night. We know that night comes before day, from the pesukim in Bereishis 'Vayihi erev vayihi boker'- night before day. Since that was said at the time of creation it applies to all of creation- including a Ben Noach. The Posuk of Yomam Vlayla does not come to teach us that in this case the opposite is true. For in most places in tanach we find reference to the day before night, because the day is more important then night. Only four places in all of Tanach is the order reversed- night before day- and each has a specific reason for it. The Aruch L'ner has a different solution. On shabbos we must rest from 'melocha'- work. How do we define work? The basic defenition is 'to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work'- strenuous activity. If that were the case then it would be assur to move a heavy object across a room, while walking out of your house into a public domain with a key in your pocket would be totally permitted. Yet we know the opposite to be true. To Klal Yisroel the meaning of melocha was defined by the mishkon- work that was done to build the mishkon remains assur on Shabbos. We got that definition when we recieved the Torah. Since the Bnei Noach didn't receive the Torah and it's new definition of melocha, they are prohibited from doing melocha in its most literal translation- strenuous work. The solution for someone that dosn't know if he is jewish would be to move something heavy in a private domain. It's a melocha for a Ben Noach to be working and yet as a Yisroel he wouldn't be guilty of transgressing Shabbos. The flip side of this is that a Ben Noach that walks out of his house with a key in his pocket will still be called resting on Shabbos and thus deserving of death.
A huge Mazel Tov to the Ginzberg family on the birth of a baby boy!
And a huge Mazel Tov to a loyal reader and commenter- MFS- C. Neuhoff and family and the entire Edelstein family on the birth of their little princess!
We know that the Avos observed the entire Torah before it was given. What did they do on Shabbos- if they rested on Shabbos, as a Ben Noach they would have been guilty of death?
The Panim Yafos answers: The issur for a Ben Noach to rest on Shabbos is 'Yomam Vlayla'- day and then night as the words of the posuk go. While Shabbos for Yisroel is night before day. The Avos did melacha on the night of Shabbos (Motzei Shabbos), thus avoiding the problem of a Ben Noach resting on Shabbos. (The problem would arise if Yom Kippur fell on a Sunday and no melacha is permitted motzei Shabbos - R' Akiva Eiger deals with this issue)
The Aruch L'ner (Tshuvas Binyan Tzion 126) says that this question is a relevant halachic question. He states a case where a child is found and we don't know if it's a Jew or not. The Rambam says that he has to keep the stringencies of a Jew. The question is what does this person do on Shabbos? The Aruch L'ner says that the Panim Yafos's deduction from the posuk- that the Shabbos of a ben Noach is day before night, is not accurate. The wording of the posuk cannot be taken literal to mean that the prohibition is only day before night. We know that night comes before day, from the pesukim in Bereishis 'Vayihi erev vayihi boker'- night before day. Since that was said at the time of creation it applies to all of creation- including a Ben Noach. The Posuk of Yomam Vlayla does not come to teach us that in this case the opposite is true. For in most places in tanach we find reference to the day before night, because the day is more important then night. Only four places in all of Tanach is the order reversed- night before day- and each has a specific reason for it. The Aruch L'ner has a different solution. On shabbos we must rest from 'melocha'- work. How do we define work? The basic defenition is 'to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work'- strenuous activity. If that were the case then it would be assur to move a heavy object across a room, while walking out of your house into a public domain with a key in your pocket would be totally permitted. Yet we know the opposite to be true. To Klal Yisroel the meaning of melocha was defined by the mishkon- work that was done to build the mishkon remains assur on Shabbos. We got that definition when we recieved the Torah. Since the Bnei Noach didn't receive the Torah and it's new definition of melocha, they are prohibited from doing melocha in its most literal translation- strenuous work. The solution for someone that dosn't know if he is jewish would be to move something heavy in a private domain. It's a melocha for a Ben Noach to be working and yet as a Yisroel he wouldn't be guilty of transgressing Shabbos. The flip side of this is that a Ben Noach that walks out of his house with a key in his pocket will still be called resting on Shabbos and thus deserving of death.
A huge Mazel Tov to the Ginzberg family on the birth of a baby boy!
And a huge Mazel Tov to a loyal reader and commenter- MFS- C. Neuhoff and family and the entire Edelstein family on the birth of their little princess!
14 October, 2009
Parshas Bereishis
The shir of Shabbos begins with an introduction מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת this is the shir of Shabbos. (Point to ponder: why doesn't any other shir shel yom start with the same introduction?) If you read and learn the rest of the chapter you will not find a single reference to Shabbos. How did this chapter become the chapter of Shabbos? Why when you say this chapter, do some poskim hold that you were mekabel Shabbos?
Let us learn the chapter of Tehilim to get a better understanding. טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַיהֹוָה וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיֽוֹן- everything Hashem does is perfect and should be praised. לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְֽדֶּךָ - in the dawn when everything is bright, tell the world of Hashem's chesed. וֶאֱמֽוּנָֽתְךָ בַּלֵּילֽוֹת- when it's dark and there's no hope in sight, talk of your faith in Him. Dovid Hamelech goes on to answer the question that has bothered everyone since Moshe: בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּֽמוֹ עֵשֶׂב - Why do the wicked florish? Why is it that the evil can enjoy the world while the rightous suffer? To this King Dovid answers: לְהִשָּֽׁמְדָם עֲדֵי־עַֽד - they will be lost forever. The wicked enjoy this world for it is all they have, they don't have a part in the world to come. צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּֽה- The righteous don't need the pleasures of this world. שְׁתוּלִים בְּבֵית יְהֹוָה בְּחַצְרוֹת אֱלֹהֵינוּ יַפְרִֽיחוּ - they will florish and enjoy the house of Hashem in the world to come. The theme of the mizmor is perfection. If you look at the world through Hashem's lens you will not see any bad in the world- every good deed is payed in full, while no bad deed will go unaccounted for. We just dont have the eyes to see it and sometimes we need to rely on our faith, לְהַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁר יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְֽלֹא עַוְלָתָה בּֽוֹ - that all of Hashems ways are perfect.
The final posuk of the six days of creation- the posuk that ushered in the first Shabbos is: וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד - Hashem looked at the entire creation, at everthing that will ever traspire in the world- the yetzar tov and the yetzar horah, the good and the evil, everything- and it was very good- perfect. וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי - with that knowledge the world was ready to enter Shabbos. Shabbos is 'Yom shekulo tov' the day when all in the world is perfect, a day that we leave all of our worries of the week and we enter the world of Hashem- the world of perfection.
What is a more appropriate shir to welcome the Shabbos then the shir that sings of the perfection of the world?
Adopted from Pachad Yitzchok- Shabbos mamer 2.
Let us learn the chapter of Tehilim to get a better understanding. טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַיהֹוָה וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיֽוֹן- everything Hashem does is perfect and should be praised. לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְֽדֶּךָ - in the dawn when everything is bright, tell the world of Hashem's chesed. וֶאֱמֽוּנָֽתְךָ בַּלֵּילֽוֹת- when it's dark and there's no hope in sight, talk of your faith in Him. Dovid Hamelech goes on to answer the question that has bothered everyone since Moshe: בִּפְרֹחַ רְשָׁעִים כְּֽמוֹ עֵשֶׂב - Why do the wicked florish? Why is it that the evil can enjoy the world while the rightous suffer? To this King Dovid answers: לְהִשָּֽׁמְדָם עֲדֵי־עַֽד - they will be lost forever. The wicked enjoy this world for it is all they have, they don't have a part in the world to come. צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּֽה- The righteous don't need the pleasures of this world. שְׁתוּלִים בְּבֵית יְהֹוָה בְּחַצְרוֹת אֱלֹהֵינוּ יַפְרִֽיחוּ - they will florish and enjoy the house of Hashem in the world to come. The theme of the mizmor is perfection. If you look at the world through Hashem's lens you will not see any bad in the world- every good deed is payed in full, while no bad deed will go unaccounted for. We just dont have the eyes to see it and sometimes we need to rely on our faith, לְהַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁר יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְֽלֹא עַוְלָתָה בּֽוֹ - that all of Hashems ways are perfect.
The final posuk of the six days of creation- the posuk that ushered in the first Shabbos is: וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד - Hashem looked at the entire creation, at everthing that will ever traspire in the world- the yetzar tov and the yetzar horah, the good and the evil, everything- and it was very good- perfect. וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי - with that knowledge the world was ready to enter Shabbos. Shabbos is 'Yom shekulo tov' the day when all in the world is perfect, a day that we leave all of our worries of the week and we enter the world of Hashem- the world of perfection.
What is a more appropriate shir to welcome the Shabbos then the shir that sings of the perfection of the world?
Adopted from Pachad Yitzchok- Shabbos mamer 2.
08 October, 2009
Simchas Torah
R' Moshe Weintraub (a rebbi in Torah Vodaath) once said: The world says that mikvah is a big mitzva, for it encompasses all of your body without a separation. Succah is a bigger mitzva for you enter your succah even with your muddy clothing. I say that simcha is the biggest mitzva, for you can sit in a succah and yet your mind can be somewhere else, whereas when you are besimcha your entire mind is filled with simcha.
We can say that this refers to the days of Tishrai. Yom Kipper is like a mikvah, for there is nothing that separates us from Hashem on that day. On Succos we come into our succah with our muddy clothing. The climax of Tishrai is Simchas Torah when all of our mind in filled with simcha. We have no mitzvas execpt to fill our minds with happiness.
Mazel Tov to a dear reader (I hope) Luzy Steinmetz on the birth of a baby girl!
We can say that this refers to the days of Tishrai. Yom Kipper is like a mikvah, for there is nothing that separates us from Hashem on that day. On Succos we come into our succah with our muddy clothing. The climax of Tishrai is Simchas Torah when all of our mind in filled with simcha. We have no mitzvas execpt to fill our minds with happiness.
Mazel Tov to a dear reader (I hope) Luzy Steinmetz on the birth of a baby girl!
02 October, 2009
Sukkos
We end Neilah with the recitation of the posuk "Hashem hu haElokim" seven times. (R' C. Kompel claims that throughout Tanach we find the words "Hashem Hu Elokim" exactly seven times!) The Levush explains that at the end of Yom Kippur we escort Hashem back to his heavenly throne. We recite the verse seven times to escort Hashem through the seven heavens.
When you escort someone you don't just watch him walk off, you walk with him. Yom Kippur ends with us walking Hashem through the heavens to his throne. It is there- at Hashem's side- that we begin the Yom Tov Sukkos. When we sit in the Sukka we are sitting in Hashem's shadow, being embrached by Him- the place where we escorted him on Yom Kippur. My Shvugger Zalmen Leib told me a insight into the Ushpizen that he heard from R' Aron Fogel. What is special about Sukkos that we greet the Ushpizen into our sukka? When we are seated near Hashem in the heavens - which is where our Sukkas are located- who do we expect to meet? - the ones that mingle there all the time, the Ushpizen. They aren't guests at our table, rather we are guests in their world.
When you escort someone you don't just watch him walk off, you walk with him. Yom Kippur ends with us walking Hashem through the heavens to his throne. It is there- at Hashem's side- that we begin the Yom Tov Sukkos. When we sit in the Sukka we are sitting in Hashem's shadow, being embrached by Him- the place where we escorted him on Yom Kippur. My Shvugger Zalmen Leib told me a insight into the Ushpizen that he heard from R' Aron Fogel. What is special about Sukkos that we greet the Ushpizen into our sukka? When we are seated near Hashem in the heavens - which is where our Sukkas are located- who do we expect to meet? - the ones that mingle there all the time, the Ushpizen. They aren't guests at our table, rather we are guests in their world.
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