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| רבני שו"ת מורשת |
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הרב אישון שלמה
מסחר וצרכנות כהלכה
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הרב אלנקווה יוסף
כללי וטיפול בחרדה, חינוך ילדים ודיני אבלות
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מר גלברד שמואל
טעמי המנהגים ומקורותיהן
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הרב לאו דוד
שאלות הלכתיות
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הרב ערוסי רצון
משפט התורה, משנת הרמב``ם ושאלות הלכתיות
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הרב עמית קולא
הלכה ומחשבה
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הרב אברהם יוסף
שאלות בהלכה, הלכות שבת וחג.
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הרב שרלו יובל
שאלות בהלכה; מחשבה ומשנת הציונות הדתית
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מכון התורה והארץ
מצוות התלויות בארץ
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רבני מכון פועה
גניקולוגיה ופוריות, טהרת המשפחה, חתנים
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מכון עתים
ייעוץ ומידע במעגל החיים היהודי
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מכון שלזינגר לרפואה והלכה
רפואה והלכה
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מכון שילה
פסיכולוגיה קלינית-טיפול זוגי ומשפחתי, טיפול ב
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הרב איר שמחוני
שלום בית, ייעוץ זוגי, הורות
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הרב ברוך אפרתי
הלכות צבא וסוגיות אזרחיות
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הרב משולמי כתריאל
מודעות והגשמה עצמית
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הרב יעקב רוז`ה
אבלות, זיהוי חללים והתרת עגונות
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אמונה
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הלכה בתחום הצבאי, שבת ומועדים וטהרת המשפחה
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בריתות
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הרב ראובן בר-כץ
זוגיות, קשיים בחיי הזוגיות והאישות
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רבני דרך אמונה
הלכות מדינה, משנת הרב קוק, משנת הציונות הדתית
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רבני מכון משפטי ארץ
דיני ממונות
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הרב שמעון בן שעיה
גישור כהלכה - זוגיות, שלו``ב, גירושין, אישות
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RRBBMMTranslated by Moshe Goldberg, HaifaBBMMRR
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פרשת וארא
(גיליון 14
א` שבט, תשס``ז20/01/2007
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Political Horizons - by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Director of Zomet Institute
(Point of View
/Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of t)
''Therefore, tell Bnei Yisrael, I am G-d. And I will take you out from the suffering of Egypt, and I will rescue you from their labor. And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great jud...
''Therefore, tell Bnei Yisrael, I am G-d. And I will take you out from the suffering of Egypt, and I will rescue you from their labor. And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment, and I will take you to me for a nation, and I will be your G-d. And I will bring you to the land and give it to you as a heritage.'' [Shemot 6:6-8].
Horizon by Stages
Moshe needed the permission of the nation to be redeemed by a ''difficult process,'' including challenging the supreme ruler and taking a risk of a temporary worsening of their condition. After all, ''ever since I came to speak, he has treated this nation badly'' [Shemot 5:23]. Moshe even gave the people a perfect sign that he was the long anticipated savior. '''G-d will surely remember you' – When you use this code they will listen to you, since it has been handed down to them as a sign from Yaacov and Yosef that this will be the code of the redemption. Yaacov said, 'G-d will surely remember you' [Bereishit 50:22], and Yosef said, 'G-d will surely remember you' [20:25].'' [Rashi, Shemot 3:18]. But even this sign was not enough to invigorate the nation, which was so deeply entrenched in a state of despair, ''because of impatience and harsh labor'' [6:9].
As it were, the Almighty finds a solution, teaching us how to react in later generations too. ''Therefore, tell Bnei Yisrael...'' This is a response to their complaint, their asking ''What will be,'' their ''impatience,'' and their harsh criticism, ''You have not rescued the nation'' [5:23]. What is the solution? How will the nation learn to accept the suffering on the way to ultimate redemption? The answer lies in the continuation of the verses quoted above, in maintaining what would today be called ''a political horizon'' – I will take you out... I will rescue you... I will redeem you... I will take you to me... and I will be... I will bring you... And I will give to you...''
That is, even a leader with proof and with traditional signs needs a program for the long range and vision for the future. A nation, even if it is in deep distress, will be motivated to act for redemption if it is presented with a visionary and ambitious plan, even if it is one that will proceed by stages.
Leading from Bondage to Freedom – Will it Only Take ''Three Days''?
In the past, I have already discussed a perplexing question: Did the people in Egypt know that they were bound for the Land of Canaan, for the purpose of settling in their homeland? Or were they presented only with the ''fraud'' by Moshe, when he said to Pharaoh, ''we will go a distance of three days'' [5:3]? One who looks at the long negotiations in the Torah portions of Va'eira and Bo will see that the entire argument is simply about the request for a ''vacation'' of three days. ''Send my people out, so that they will worship me in the desert'' [Shemot 7:16, and others]. And that is all. This is the horizon for the time being. In next week's portion, Pharaoh will begin to be a bit suspicious but in the end he still accepts the cover story of the celebrations in the desert. (''Our youths and our elderly will go... There is evil that awaits you... Let only the men go...'' [10:9-13]. See the Ramban and Chizkuni, who write that Pharaoh was hinting at a lurking suspicion.) Only in the portion two weeks from now will Pharaoh realize that ''the nation has fled... and he chased them'' [14:5,8]. But did Bnei Yisrael know the real goal of the operation? And if they did indeed know, can it really be that 600,000 men and their wives and children kept the secret hidden, without any information leaks?
It is true that according to one opinion in the Midrash the nation was redeemed for ''four reasons,'' and one of the reasons is that ''they did not reveal their secret – Moshe had told them, 'every woman will borrow clothes from her neighbor' [3:22], and they knew about this for twelve months but not one of them told the Egyptians'' [Bamidbar Rabba 20]. But this refers to the enticing intermediary step, ''You shall take advantage of Egypt'' [3:22] but not to the ultimate and difficult objective, ''I will bring you to the land... and give it to you as a heritage'' [6:8].
On the other hand, how could it be that they did not know the goal? After all, Moshe laid out all the stages of the plan at the beginning of this week's Torah portion, as quoted above! Which is it, did they know or not? Did they have a final objective or not? I propose the following answer: The leader did in fact present the goal, and he told the people the details of the final horizon, leading to the ambitious redemption. And even if the people did not fully internalize the goal, even if they saw this objective as something far away, in the distant future, it was sufficient to start the wheels of redemption on their way.
Do We Have a Vision on the Horizon?
The phrase ''political horizon'' is used today mostly in referring to a gesture towards the Palestinians. ''We must create a political horizon for them, so that they will curtail their murderous violence.'' This ''vision'' is the exact opposite of what was discussed in relation to the redemption from Egypt. Today it is used to refer to enhancing the motivation of our enemies. But I have another question: What is our own ''horizon?'' The most common feeling of the people, one that bursts forth from every corner, is that we have no such thing! We live for the moment! The Prime Minister said a long time ago that his ''agenda'' is to ''rule the nation.'' This is leadership for the sake of leadership, a desire to remain in place, to tread water or to be dragged along, instead of marching forward (which would be translated as ''Kadima''). But in what direction are we marching?
I call for the national rightist sector (who is that, anyway?), of which I am a part, to present a political horizon, even if it is far in the distant future. My own vision is for ''a Jewish nation within the boundaries of the heritage of our forefathers, which shows respect for the minority groups living with it.'' If they are loyal, they will be given rights, but if not, they will be treated as second-class residents or worse. This vision must be proclaimed day and night, even if it seems to be very far away from where we are at present. Together with a vision of the ultimate goal, it is necessary to present a road map, a plan by stages. What is the next step? Where do we go after a short ''three day vacation,'' after the celebrations? How do we proceed to the final horizon?
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Inviting Somebody Who Is Not Religious - by Rabbi Re'eim Hacohen, Rosh Yesh
(Responsa For Our Times
/Rabbi Re'eim Hacohen)
Question: Is it permitted to invite somebody for a Shabbat or holiday meal when there is a high probability that he or she will travel and thereby desecrate the Shabbat? A refusal to invite such a p...
Question: Is it permitted to invite somebody for a Shabbat or holiday meal when there is a high probability that he or she will travel and thereby desecrate the Shabbat? A refusal to invite such a person might lead to losing all contact in the future, such that he or she will never have the opportunity to experience what it means to observe the mitzvot. It should be noted that such a person will most likely desecrate the Shabbat, perhaps even more severely, even if we don't invite them.
Answer: In the wake of some recent articles that have been published which claim that we should not be involved in any accounting of the sins or mitzvot performed by irreligious people, I want to emphasize that the point of departure in our discussion here is that ''one from Yisrael, even if he has sinned, continues to be part of Yisrael'' [Sanhedrin 44a]. We must follow the path accepted by all the great rabbis and base our discussion on the assumption that the burden of performing the mitzvot and avoiding sin is relevant even for one who has abandoned religious practices. There are two specific prohibitions that are relevant with respect to the above question: (1) ''Do not place a stumbling-block in front of one who is blind'' [Vayikra 19:14]. (2) It is forbidden to ''provide support for one who does a sin'' [Avodah Zara 55b].
The sin of ''placing a stumbling-block'' has been expanded in the Talmud to include causing another person to sin. ''Rabbi Natan said: How do we know that one should not offer a cup of wine to a nazir or a limb from a living animal to a Ben Noach? It is written, 'Do not place a stumbling-block in front of one who is blind.''' [Pesachim 22b, Avodah Zara 6b]. In Avodah Zara, the prohibition is limited to a case where the sinner would not be able to sin on his own but only with the help of the other person. The example given in the Talmud presents an image of ''two sides of a river'' – the nazir on one side and the cup of wine on the other. However, if the other person can commit the sin without outside help, the one who does provide support has not violated the prohibition of ''placing a stumbling-block.''
This would seem to imply that if doing a sin does not depend on removing a conceptual ''stumbling-block,'' there is no prohibition. Does one who provides support perform some other sin? According to the RAN in Avodah Zara, there is indeed a rabbinical decree to avoid ''supporting one who performs a sin.'' This prohibition is also noted by the Tosafot with respect to a person who helps somebody else move something on Shabbat from one private area to another. The Tosafot write that even though this does not violate a direct halacha of Shabbat, it does violate a rabbinical decree. This was also accepted as a halachic ruling by the ROSH. And the SHACH notes that all of the early rabbis agree that there is a rabbinical decree against helping a Jew to sin (Yoreh Dei'ah 151:1).
In his commentary on the Mishna, the Rambam expands the law of a ''stumbling-block'' to include the decree of providing support: ''G-d said, 'do not place a stumbling-block in front of one who is blind.' This refers to one who has been blinded by lust and evil thoughts. Do not provide support and add to his blindness. It is therefore forbidden to help a sinner do a sin, and it is forbidden to cause him to sin. Rather, we should do the opposite.'' [Shevi'it 5:6, based on the translation by Rabbi Kapach].
The conclusion is that if it is clear that the guest will travel on Shabbat because of the invitation but he might not travel otherwise, it is clearly forbidden to invite him, because of the Torah prohibition of a ''stumbling-block.'' It should be noted, however, that with respect to many irreligious people, it can be assumed that if they do not come to a Shabbat meal they will travel someplace else. However, if the guest was invited for the entire Shabbat or holiday but makes his own decision to travel and not stay for the entire day, the host has avoided the sin of a ''stumbling-block,'' since the invitation did not force the guest to sin. With respect to the rabbinical decree of supporting a sinner, according to the SHACH and the Noda B'Yehuda, this does not apply to a sin performed intentionally (Yoreh Dei'ah 151).
In summary: One should invite a guest for Shabbat or a holiday in such a way that he is not forced to desecrate the holy day. If the guest decides on his own to violate the Shabbat or the holiday, this does not transform the invitation into a forbidden act. The positive value of a Shabbat meal is such that there is no problem in issuing such an invitation, as long as no explicit Shabbat desecration is involved.
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- The Spark of Judaism - by Rabbi Yikhat Rozen, Merkaz Neria, Kiryat Malac
(A Lesson for The Children
/Yikhat Rozen)
More than ninety years ago, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook went on a ''Journey of Repentance'' with several other prominent rabbis. On this journey, the rabbis visited the new settlements that had been b...
More than ninety years ago, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook went on a ''Journey of Repentance'' with several other prominent rabbis. On this journey, the rabbis visited the new settlements that had been built in the land and met young people who were rebuilding the land, most of whom were not religious. Rabbi Kook's goal was to reveal and emphasize their good traits, and with his love and kind words to influence them to become closer to Judaism.
During the entire trip, the rabbis were greeted with joy and enthusiasm. Many people were indeed influenced by the rabbis and strengthened their observance. As a result of the trip, many group kitchens were made kosher and various matters of Judaism that had been neglected were mended. But the main thing was that hearts were rejoined, the Jewish spark was rekindled, and the light of Torah returned to places where it had seemed that it no longer burned.
However, the rabbis were not greeted with success wherever they went. Some people met the rabbis in a very cold way, only waiting impatiently for them to leave. In one place, Rabbi Kook met a young man who argued with him vehemently and said, ''I am not religious at all, and I do not want you to talk to me about the Torah and the mitzvot! I cannot accept the things that I heard from you, rabbi! I have no religious feeling left in me!''
The rabbi was greatly upset and agitated. How could a Jew say that he had no religious feeling at all? Could any Jew be so far removed from the Torah? It should be noted that the pioneers and the farmers who met the rabbi knew very well what Judaism is and knew about faith and the fear of G-d. They had left their studies in a yeshiva on purpose, as a protest against the Torah and as a way to distance themselves from religion. But the rabbi held back and did not answer the young man. He understood that there would be no point in arguing with him. Instead, he changed the subject, moving to a friendly conversation about other topics related to the land and its rejuvenation. The two men spoke in perfect harmony. And then, Rabbi Kook mentioned casually that he knew of a rich Jew who contributed greatly to developing the land. He bought large tracts of land, and then built and developed the area. In addition to other purchases, the man was about to buy a large tract of land in Jerusalem from the Turkish government, where he wanted to erect a market. ''Where exactly is this area?'' the young man asked. And the rabbi replied, ''The area includes the entire Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and other sections in the area. Since he has no emotional ties to the area, the man intends to destroy everything that he considers 'ancient structures' and to develop the area into a commercial district.''
When the young man heard this, he jumped up and shouted excitedly: ''What? The area of the Temple Mount? The Western Wall? That cannot be! It is not right to destroy our holy buildings just to make a new market!''
And Rabbi Kook explained the matter to the young man. ''I certainly agree with you, but this rich man refuses to accept any talk about holy places and historical value of the site. For him it is just cheap land...''
But the young man would not hear of this. ''How dare he,'' he said, ''this is chutzpah, it is not Jewish! Is money the only thing that is important? If I get the chance, I will take care of this man myself!''
This is what the rabbi was waiting for. ''You see, my young friend, that you are wrong about yourself. You are not empty of all Jewish feelings after all. You still have a feel for Judaism, and that is what caused you to jump up when you heard about this indecent proposal. This small spark in your heart may well grow into a great torch of holiness...''
(Source: ''Praises of Rabbi Kook'')
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Becoming Spoiled in the Neighborhood Corner Store - by Rabbi Amichai Gordin, Yesh
(Holy and Secular
/Rabbi Amichai Gordin)
My mentor and teacher Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein studied in his youth with Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, author of the book ''Pachad Yitzchak.'' Many years later, when Rabbi Lichtenstein served as the head of...
My mentor and teacher Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein studied in his youth with Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, author of the book ''Pachad Yitzchak.'' Many years later, when Rabbi Lichtenstein served as the head of Yeshivat Har Etzion, he went on a trip to visit Rabbi Hutner. One of the subjects that came up in their conversation was service in the IDF. Rabbi Lichtenstein, who was one of the main supporters of the Hesder yeshivot, asked Rabbi Hutner about the fear that the students might become spoiled by their experience in the army.
''You are afraid that they will be spoiled by the army?'' Rabbi Hutner asked. ''It is also possible to become spoiled in the neighborhood corner store. Send them to the army, and let them be careful not to be spoiled.''
Rabbi Hutner's reaction is important, but it also involves a risk. It is important because it teaches us that in order to accomplish something in the world it is necessary to take risks. But it is dangerous because there are some risks that must never be taken. There are paths along which the dangers are too great, paths which must never be taken.
Life includes many spiritual dangers. These include: an important book with spoiled lessons; workplaces where there is an inferior spiritual atmosphere; a university where heretic ideas are taught; a good friend who has distorted ideas; and much more. The question of which dangers are acceptable and which must be avoided is difficult and complex. Unfortunately, there is no simple and clear answer to this question. The proper answer changes from one person to another and from one situation to another. However, there are three central questions that we can ask which will help us find the proper answer:
(1) Is it permitted to take a dangerous step?
The answer to this depends on two things: (a) Is there any other choice? Is there a safer path that will lead us to the same destination? If there is such an alternative path, we are forbidden from taking the dangerous path. We should take the secure path and not the dangerous one. (b) How common is the damage? If the damage happens quite often, we should stay away from the danger. If we see that many of those who took this path were harmed, and that the danger is real and close by, we should avoid the path.
If the answer to these two questions is in the negative, we are allowed in principle to take a chance, but we must first check what benefit the danger might bring us.
(2) Is there any benefit in taking the risk?
Even if in principle we are permitted to enter into danger, we must check if there is any good that can result. What possible benefit may there be, and how great is the danger involved? There is a difference between the danger of being infected with the flu and the danger of contracting cancer. We must be more wary of cancer than the flu. There is also a difference between the benefit of physical pleasure and financial benefits. A low level of danger might be justified for pleasure, while in order to improve our livelihood we might be willing to take a higher level of danger. We must weigh the benefit against the level of danger.
The question of benefit against risk is complex, and we must be honest with ourselves and check it in a personal and very real way. There are no general rules in this. Every person must arrive at his own personal and honest answer to this very difficult question.
(3) How can we fight against the spiritual danger?
Clearly, even if we have decided to take a risk, we must still avoid apathy. We must be aware of the danger and prepare for it. Two things are necessary in order to prepare. (a) We must arrive at the danger with a significant spiritual load. Without the proper spiritual atmosphere we will not be able to struggle against it. (b) We must be acutely aware of the risk. The only way to fight danger is to be aware of it. If we approach the future with spiritual strength on one hand and with an awareness of the danger on the other hand we will know that we have done all we can to avoid danger.
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The Situation Has Gone Too Far! - by Rabbi Shlomo Schock, teacher in Yeshivat S
(A Chassidic Thread
/Rabbi Shlomo Shok)
When we played as children, it often happened that we would bang into each other. Everything would return to normal, as long as in the entire mess nobody started to bleed. But the moment we saw any ...
When we played as children, it often happened that we would bang into each other. Everything would return to normal, as long as in the entire mess nobody started to bleed. But the moment we saw any blood, we were struck by a great fear of the unexpected and fearsome change that had happened. This was of course the best moment to burst out in a heart-rending cry upon seeing even a few drops of blood, even if we no longer felt any pain. What is there about blood that can awaken such a deep fear in us? Why did the Almighty choose to begin the plagues in Egypt with the sight of blood?
The Torah teaches us, ''For blood is the soul'' [Devarim 12:23]. No other biological system is linked to our souls like blood. When we see blood on a human body, questions of life and existence rise up in full force. We begin to fear immediately for loss of life, we see a red sign that tells us to turn away from the reality of bleeding.
The Almighty fills Egypt with blood. He expects the Egyptian soul to wake up, to weep and show remorse for what the soul most feels – the loss of life. If only the Egyptians had responded to the hint of their soul that had been brought out by the huge amounts of blood, and had given Bnei Yisrael their freedom, their lives. They could have been spared all the other plagues, which followed and were the consequences of the plague of blood, instead of showing a lack of concern for human blood.
The plagues that struck Egypt should not be viewed as a historical story that can be summarized in the search for the ''Afikoman'' on Pesach. There is an important lesson to be learned about our lives at the present time from these plagues that took place in Egypt. From the plague of blood, we must learn how careful we must be not to spill blood and to be sensitive to its loss.
We must incorporate the special sensitivity about the spilling of blood when we enter our cars to drive, especially in view of the unnecessary killing that we hear about on the roads. We must be better than Pharaoh, and we must accept the sign of red, so that we turn our souls away from the normal and routine way that we usually react.
Things have gone too far! If we do not cry out, at least within ourselves, at the sight of the blood that overflows into our lives, isn't there a danger that we will need another nine plagues in order to overcome our rude and unfeeling attitudes? The exodus from the bloody land of Egypt should not have to wait until the final plague, that of the firstborn. We must leave Egypt behind time and again, this time wearing our belts and our experience, so that we will never again stoop to the low spiritual level of Pharaoh.
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In the Footsteps of the Thirty-Five - by the Kefar Etzion Field School
(Touring The Land)
The fifth of Shevat is approaching, the anniversary of the day when the Company of Thirty-Five fell in an attempt to provide help for the defenders of Gush Etzion. We will therefore tour from Har-Tuv ...
The fifth of Shevat is approaching, the anniversary of the day when the Company of Thirty-Five fell in an attempt to provide help for the defenders of Gush Etzion. We will therefore tour from Har-Tuv to Gush Etzion, tracing the path of the Thirty-Five.
We begin our tour at the Shimshon Junction, on the old road from Ramla to Jerusalem. In the year 5708 (1948), a poor road passed this point going from Shaar Hagai to the area of Beit Guvrin, which was densely settled with Arab villages. The ''Road of Heroism'' (Ramla – Shimshon – Shaar Hagai) was only paved after the War of Independence, and at the time Har Tuv was a remote and isolated settlement.
We go on to the remains of the settlement of Har-Tuv. This was established in 5642 (1882) by British missionaries, who invited Jews to settle there, with the aim of converting them to Christianity. The attempt failed, and the settlement was disbanded. On Chanukah, 5655 (1894), a group of families from the ''Association of Brothers for Settling Eretz Yisrael'' who had come from Bulgaria arrived. They lived at the site until the settlement was abandoned in a special operation on the day that the state of Israel was established.
The next stop is Tel Beit Shemesh, west of the modern city of Beit Shemesh, about which it was written, ''a city sits on the army outpost.'' This is a famous outpost from the days of the War of Independence, during the period from Operation Dany to the Mountain Operation. We will trace the path of the Company of the Thirty-Five as it started its trek, and also the route along which Har-Tuv was evacuated in 1948. In the Shurek Valley, spread out below our feet, Shimshon, from the local tribe of Dan, fought the Philistines, who lived to the west (see Shoftim, Chapters 13-16). This is where the holy Ark was returned after it had been captured by the Philistines (Shmuel I Chapter 6).
We ride to Moshav Zanuach, bypassing the city of Beit Shemesh from the north and the east. We pass the junction leading to Avshalom's Cave and Ness Harim. We travel on a neglected road through the Zanuach Junction, where an injured man and two men accompanying him left the others in order to return to Har-Tuv, and we continue along the length of the ''Wadi of the Nativ'' to the northeastern end of the Eilah Valley, at the ruins of the Arab village Beit Natif. We then proceed to Moshav Rogalit. This is the path that was taken by the Thirty-Five, making good use of the topography to find a route that was good for walking and for nighttime navigation.
We continue along the Gedud Wadi, close to the path followed by the Thirty-Five, until the Chafrutit Hill. We climb to the top, south of the road named in memory of the Thirty-Five. From this point, it is possible to look through the pine trees and see the path that was taken by the Thirty-Five from the Eilah Valley, through Gedud Wadi, until the junction of several wadis, where they were discovered at dawn. The battlefield where the Thirty-Five fought against a mob of Arabs is down below, to the west. It is possible to see a large village, Tzurif, and a small village Jabah, to the north, on the slopes of the Chevron Mountain, rising about 400 metes above us, and also Gush Etzion. This is the part of the route that the Thirty-Five were not able to reach.
(Written by: Yochanan Ben Yaacov)
Field trips in the footsteps of the Thirty-Five:
3 Shevat (22/1): From Tel Beit Shemesh to Defar Uriah – David Amit
6 Shevat (25/1): A night outing tracing the path of the Thirty-Five (for experienced hikers); a bus tour along the path of the Thirty-Five – Aryeh Rotenberg
7 Shevat (26/1): A bus trip tracing the path of the Thirty-Five (starting from Tel Aviv)
Contact: Kefar Etzion Field School, 02-9935133, www.k-etzion.co.il
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Blood in the Nile - by Rabbi Amnon Bazak, Yeshivat Har Etzion
(Starting Point)
As is well known, the first of the Ten Plagues in Egypt was the plague of blood. Why was this the first plague, and what is its significance? Rashi explains that the first plague struck the Nile becau...
As is well known, the first of the Ten Plagues in Egypt was the plague of blood. Why was this the first plague, and what is its significance? Rashi explains that the first plague struck the Nile because ''the Egyptians worshipped the Nile, and therefore G-d struck their deity and then struck at them directly'' [Shemot 7:17]. However, this idea is not directly shown in the verses of the Torah, which might imply that there are other explanations for the significance of this plague.
It is difficult to ignore how many times the name of the Nile appears in the description of the plague of blood. It occurs fourteen times (this is significant with respect to key words, which often appear in a Torah passage as a multiple of seven). We can assume that the word appears this often in order to relate to previous occasions when the Nile was mentioned repeatedly – when Pharaoh decreed, ''Let every son who is born be thrown into the Nile'' [1:22], and in the story of Moshe hidden in the basket. This implies that the plague of blood is a classic example of a punishment of the type ''measure for measure.'' Pharaoh filled the Nile with the blood of Jewish children, and now the Nile itself was changed into blood. The Nile, the site of a horrible blood bath, became a river of blood.
Specifically, there is a direct relationship between the plague of blood and the time when Moshe was placed in the basket. When Moshe is sent to Pharaoh before the plague, G-d commands him, ''Stand opposite him on the bank of the Nile'' [7:15]. This is very reminiscent of what happened to Moshe as a baby. ''And she put it in the reeds on the bank of the Nile, and his sister stood far away, in order to see what would happen to him'' [2:3-4]. (Note that the phrase ''on the bank of the Nile'' does not appear in connection with any of the other plagues.) This emphasizes the revolutionary changes from the time of Pharaoh's decree until the events of the plagues. When Moshe was hidden in the basket, there was no way for his family to directly oppose the evil decree, and the only thing that his sister could do was to passively stand by. But now the situation was different. Moshe is not afraid to stand up directly to Pharaoh and to take on the role of the one who gives the commands. The same Moshe, who was given his name in memory of the way his life was saved – ''For I have drawn him out of the water'' [2:10] – now stands and declares, ''Egypt will grow weary of trying to drink water from the Nile'' [7:18]. And this means that Pharaoh must at last understand that the situation has changed, he must begin to understand the source of this new power and to act accordingly.
Pharaoh refuses to understand the new reality, and he is therefore struck with Ten Plagues, until he is finally willing to send Bnei Yisrael out of bondage. But his obstinacy continues until the very last blow – when the Red Sea is split – where the Egyptians are drowned in the sea, once again closing the cycle of measure for measure, in contrast to when the children of Yisrael were drowned in the Nile. Thus, we see that the structure of the Ten Plagues is clear. The beginning and the end – blood and the splitting of the Red Sea – are both linked to the Egyptian cruelty, with their decree to ''let every son who is born be thrown into the Nile.''
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Summary of the Laws of Cooking on Shabbat (1) - by Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, Rabb
(halachic reasoning
/Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon)
The Laws of Cooking: Food that is not fully cooked.
(1) Kli rishon (utensil that was directly on a flame): Prohibited by Torah law, even after being removed from the fire.
(2) Kli sheini (utensi...
The Laws of Cooking: Food that is not fully cooked.
(1) Kli rishon (utensil that was directly on a flame): Prohibited by Torah law, even after being removed from the fire.
(2) Kli sheini (utensil heated by a kli rishon):
(a) Sephardim are lenient in general, except for food that is easily cooked.
(b) Ashkenazim are stringent, except for water and oil (and possibly spices).
(3) Kli shelishi (heated by a kli sheini):
(a) Igrot Moshe, Yavi'a Omer: Does not cook (and is therefore allowed. Therefore: a tea bag may be put into a kli shelishi.
(b) Chazon Ish, Shemirat Shabbat K'Hilchata: Forbidden for food that is easily cooked. Therefore, tea can be prepared only from precooked extract.
(4) Solid food:
(a) Mishna Berura, Shemirat Shabbat K'Hilchata: One should be stringent, as with a kli rishon. Therefore: spices should not be put onto hot potatoes.
(b) Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, according to the RAMA: This can be considered the same as a liquid, and it is therefore permitted in a kli sheini.
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The Kehati Pamphlets - by Rabbi Uri Dasberg
(People of the book
/uri dasberg)
We recently wrote about the fact that even in modern times there continues to be a phenomenon of printing separate pamphlets. That is, instead of printing the entire text from beginning to end, a book...
We recently wrote about the fact that even in modern times there continues to be a phenomenon of printing separate pamphlets. That is, instead of printing the entire text from beginning to end, a book is published in separate chapters, which can be collected by the readers and then gathered into a single volume. This is not only an ancient practice, it is something that still happens. Forty-eight years ago, a bank official by the name of Pinchas Kehati began to print booklets as an aid to the daily study of the Mishna and the halacha. Every week he wrote a commentary on 14 Mishnayot to be studied (two a day), and he added five halachot a day from the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, together with a few insights related to the weekly Torah portion. These booklets, 32 pages long, were printed and distributed by the Department for Torah Distribution of Heichal Shlomo, then the seat of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The first booklet was published for the period of 27 Cheshvan to 2 Kislev 5719 (1959).
Time has gone by, and these booklets have been gathered into a twelve-volume set of the Mishna with its commentary, and many editions have been published all over the world. In the days when the world was separated from the Soviet Union by an iron curtain, some people managed to visit the Jews there, to teach them and provide them with encouragement. They would put holy objects, siddurim, chumashim, and machzorim in their suitcases, and when they left Russia they would conveniently ''forget'' them in the homes of Jews and in synagogues. One of these messengers tells the following: When I passed through Russian customs, a tough-looking policeman, a perfect Gentile, checked the contents of my suitcase. And then he pointed to several books, and he said: ''Aha, Kehati!''
The unique character of Kehati's explanations is the popular approach and his precise translation. Rabbi Pinchas does not assume that his readers will necessarily remember his explanations from one day to the next. Rather, he moves along with them step by step, not allowing anybody to fail to understand even a single word. He gives a comprehensive introduction for every new tractate and for every new concept, so that the reader begins a new Mishna already anticipating the ideas that he will encounter. And at the end there is always a summary that will not let you forget what you have just learned. But there is no need to worry! Tomorrow, Rabbi Pinchas will remind you, and he will once again teach you concepts that you already learned today. And anybody who wants to see original Torah insights can find them here too, based on ideas of such rabbis as Unterman and Yisraeli, among others. This sometimes includes Torah novelties that were not published by the rabbis themselves.
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The Fifth Matriarch - by Dr. Eli Shussheim, Director of Efrat Association, Enco
(Guests for shabbat)
(This column is sponsored by the Education Department of World Mizrachi: See www.mizrachi.org/chinuch)
''And Amram took his aunt Yocheved as a wife'' [Shemot 6:20]. Yocheved, the mother of Moshe, A...
(This column is sponsored by the Education Department of World Mizrachi: See www.mizrachi.org/chinuch)
''And Amram took his aunt Yocheved as a wife'' [Shemot 6:20]. Yocheved, the mother of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, was in her mother's womb at the time when Yaaacov and his sons arrived in Egypt, but she was still counted in the total of seventy people who went to Egypt (see Rashi, Bereishit 46:15). This teaches us that an unborn fetus is considered a living person and can be counted among those who have already been born.
Yocheved was Shifra, one of the Jewish midwives mentioned in last week's Torah portion. As a reward for her actions together with her daughter Miriam (who was less than six years old!), the Almighty provided them with ''houses'' – the priesthood for (Aharon), the Levites (Moshe), and royalty (through Miriam, who was an ancestor of the dynasty of David). (See Rashi, Shemot 1:21.)
As a reward for saving all the children of Yisrael, Yocheved was privileged to establish the entire nation of Yisrael. While it is true that the sages list four Matriarchs, Yocheved, with the generations that followed from her offspring, can definitely take her place as a fifth Matriarch, since she was the mother of the most ''elite'' of all of the Bnei Yisrael.
In looking in detail at the passage of the Hebrew midwives in last week's Torah portion, we can see that it is first written, ''And G-d did good for the midwives, and the nation multiplied and became very great'' [Shemot 1:20]. Only in the next verse is it written, ''Behold, since the midwives feared G-d, He made houses for them'' [1:21]. One may wonder why the Torah does not tell us immediately that G-d rewarded the midwives by giving them houses. The answer is that the best privilege that the midwives could want was to see the nation multiply and become powerful. Only afterwards were they given their own private reward.
A midwife is also called a ''chachama,'' a wise woman, because she has the ability to foretell what will happen in the future. Yoecheved saw not only the physical birth of the children, she also understood the future in that if Pharaoh's decree had been put into effect the entire Hebrew nation would have been destroyed. On the other hand, by supporting more births, she knew that she was helping the nation of Yisrael to grow and become great.
Yocheved can serve as a role model to this very day. To our great sorrow, we live in a generation where we destroy hundreds of children every week and thousands every month, while they are still in their mother's wombs, and we take away their right to live. We are obligated to rescue them and give them life. Now, just as it was then, this is the secret of the future and the fate of the nation of Yisrael.
Activity Beyond the Sermon: The Efrat Association
In its efforts during the last 30 years, ''Efrat'' has managed with G-d's help to rescue more than 23,000 children. There can be no doubt that this is a tremendous success, especially since the formal authorities of the country refuse to recognize us in any way, and the association operates without any government or municipal support but only with private support from within Israel and abroad.
The secret of the success of the Efrat Association lies in the methods of operation that we have developed. From the very beginning, we decided not to organize demonstrations against abortions, as is done in the United States and other countries, and not to instigate any riots. We understood that this is a first-class issue of education and awareness, one that is often related to financial hardship. We have therefore operated for the last 30 years in these two realms.
Efrat has established a broad publicity campaign, including distribution every year of thousands of booklets, pamphlets, videotapes, CDROMs, and films. In addition, lectures are delivered in high schools, colleges, and IDF installations throughout the land. At the same time, we have established a gigantic logistical framework providing financial support for pregnant women who have considered having an abortion. We give such women generous support, including equipment for the baby and a monthly food package during the first year after the birth.
With the aid of our generous supporters, we had the privilege in the past year of saving more than 2,600 babies! This is the secret of our success. It is the technique which has proven itself, and which can be credited with rescuing the lives of tens of thousands of children. We will continue operating in this way, to save many more lives.
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