249. Tazriah Metzora

‫הריני בא ללמוד תורה לשמה לעשות נחת רוח לאבינו שבשמים‬ ‫מוצאי שבת ר"ת‬

249

Issue

‫פקד יפקד ה' אתכם‬

‫בס"ד‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬ ‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

25th April 2020

‫פרקי אבות פרק ב' • ט"ז לעומר‬

‫מוצאי שבת‬

‫קבלת שבת‬

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MAN

LON

JLM

BMTH

GLSCW

GHD

MAN

LON

JLM

BMTH

GLSCW

GHD

MAN

LON

8.34

9.42

9.28

7.54

9.15

9.51

9.35

9.30

9.12

6.38

8.03

8.27

8.14

8.12

7.57

How to Stop the Plague

P

arshas Tazria discusses the laws of tzora’as, the spiritual ailment cause by committing the sin of lashon hora - slander or gossip about another Jew. This ailment, called a negah (plague), can appear on one’s house, his clothing, or even his own body. The process of declaring a patient pure or impure is performed by a kohen, by quarantining the afflicted item, and re-examining the afflicted area to see if the negah spread.

homes. One day, as he was handing out siddurim and other religious items, a Jewish man flatly refused to accept any.

Rabbi Silver asked him to explain what exactly had turned him off from Jewish practice.

"I saw a Jew who had a siddur, yet he only allowed it to be used by the inmates in exchange for their daily bread ration. Imagine," he sneered, "a Jew selling the right to daven for bread!"

"And how many customers did this man get?" inquired Rabbi Silver.

Rabbi Silver put his hand around the gentlemen and gently explained. "Why are you looking at the bad Jew who sold the right to pray? Why don't you look at the many good Jews who were willing to forego their rations and starve, just in order to pray? Isn't that the lesson you should take with you?"

My grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky zt”l explains based on the teachings of the great 17th century gaon, Rav Ephrayim Zalman Margolious, in his classic work, Shem Ephrayim. The Sefer HaZohar states that one who repents from his negah (plague), will experience oneg (pleasure). The Hebrew words negah and oneg contain the same letters, only in a different order. The word negah (plague) has the letter ayin in the beginning, while oneg (pleasure) has the letter ayin in the beginning.

The Torah is teaching us a powerful lesson.

One who was afflicted by tzora’as did not use his ayin, eye, to look past the scene in front of him. He looked at the scene at face value, and commented negatively. He placed his eye in the back of his mind - behind his thoughts and

‫ספר דברים‬

‫לע"נ מרת טויבא רחל נאה ע''ה‬ ‫בת ר' שמואל שמעלקא הי''ד‬ ‫נלב''ע כ''ה מנחם אב תשע''ז‬

Rabbi Binyamin Kamenetzky Z’L

However, one who repented from that flaw, learned how to put his eye in front of a scene, and look beyond what is unfolding in front of his eyes. He can see the negative results of slander, and the positive results of a good eye.

One who put their ayin in front, will experience oneg - pleasure. M

"Far too many!" snapped the man.

After the end of World War II, the brilliant Torah sage, Rabbi Eliezer Silver, Rabbi of the city of Cincinnati, visited and aided thousands of survivors in displaced persons camps in Germany and Poland who were waiting to find permanent

‫ספר במדבר‬

‫לע"נ ר' יקותיאל זלמן נאה ז''ל‬ ‫בן ר' חנניה יו''ט ליפא הי''ד‬ ‫נלב''ע ט''ז אדר תשע''ז‬

‫ מחשבה וסיפורים מאוצרו של‬,‫דברי תורה‬ ‫הגאון רבי בנימין קמנצקי זצ“ל‬

words. Thus, the Torah tells us that one who is deemed impure by the kohen, “did not change his eye”.

"After the way I saw Jews act in the camp, I don't want to have any connection with religion!"

The passuk says, “And the kohen shall see the negah... and it did not change its appearance, (Vayikra, 15:55). Interestingly, the passuk uses the term eino, which can also mean “his eye,” to mean appearance. There are other ways to say “appearance.” The more common term is mareihu, which the passuk uses many times before. Why does the Torah use the term eino now?

‫אמרי בנימין‬

‫ספר ויקרא‬

This weeks issue is dedicated

‫לעילוי נשמת‬

‫מרת צירל גליקל‬ ‫בת ר׳ מאיר יהודה הלוי‬ ‫גרינוולד ע״ה‬ Mrs M Grunwald ‫ע"ה‬

OMA Who lived by and passed on the message of

"‫"קינדער האב בטחון‬ “Children, have trust in Hashem”

‫נפטרה כ״ו ניסן תשע״ח‬ .‫ה‬.‫ב‬.‫צ‬.‫נ‬.‫ת‬

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2

Oneg Shabbos Issue 249

Tazria- Who Brought You?

Rabbi Mordechai Rhine MA-EdL Southeast Hebrew Congregation- Knesset Yehoshua, Silver Spring MD

This page is sponsored by

M&N Insurance | mninsure.com

The metzora was hit hard. For as long as anyone can remember, he was “Mr. Popular.”

Everyone tried to stay on his good side. After all, if you crossed him, he would speak about you shamelessly. And then, one day, it all came to an end. An affliction called tzora’as came upon him indicating that Hashem was displeased, and the metzora was excised from the community. Sentenced to a life alone, outside the camp, his popularity and influence came to an abrupt end. No longer could he harm people. Instead of using his glib tongue to destroy people, he would now call out to all that came near, “Contaminated, Contaminated!” urging people to stay far away.

Then, sometime later, an indication of change arrived. As quickly as it had come, the tzora’as was gone. Presumably, the metzora had given much thought to the message of tzora’as and to its related commandments. He had been placed in isolation for a while and he had time to think about how his use of words was isolating people. It was time for change. With change and teshuva come healing, and the metzora was ready to have the kohen re-evaluate him and declare him cured. The verse states, “This is the law of the metzora on the day of his purification: He shall be brought to the kohen.” Says the medrash: When it says “He shall be brought,” it sounds like someone escorts him. But, this is not true, for everyone has distanced themselves from him and he has no friends. Rather, understand the word “V’huva- And he shall be brought,” as “V’Hu Va- and he brings himself.”

When the gemara or medrash tell us to read or understand a word differently than it is written, it does not mean that there is a copyist error. Rather, the Torah is telling us in the written form how things look, while the tradition tells us what is really going on.

The shame heaped upon the metzora is so great-- especially as he falls from the greatest popularity-- that the only way we can imagine that he can show up in society again is with a friend to escort him and encourage him. So, when he shows up, we assume that someone is with him. How else did he gain the courage and fortitude to show his face in public again? The reality, however, is that as true as his challenge is, there is no one

to encourage him because everyone has distanced themselves. At this point, the metzora recognises the destruction he has brought about by careless and carefree speech. He is now shameful of his behaviour. The metzora is lonely, alone.

Only with great personal fortitude can he coach himself- almost like an outsider- to show up in society again.

I recall as a teenager going to an interview at a Yeshiva that was located off the beaten path. There were no buses that made it that way. Only a train that stopped once a day in the outskirts of town. The Rosh Yeshiva courteously asked me, “Who brought you?” knowing that it was a journey that needed assistance. That is the assumption regarding the metzora. The emotional journey to come is so great that the assumption is that he must have had help. But, the medrash wonders, “There is no one to help him because all have distanced themselves?”

The conclusion in the story of the metzora is that he indeed had to go it alone. But, in most cases, when a journey is so formidable, the person deserves an escort and a healthy dose of encouragement.

In my personal, daily use, of my cell phone, I try hard to minimize the use of texting, and instead make the effort to use e-mail for the exchange of textual information whenever possible. I find that texting has an instantaneous and urgent tone to it, and often infringes on the simple ability to live life.

There are some people who really benefit from a ‘texting’ relationship.

Among them is a young man who found

that he was “drifting,” and turned to me for guidance and encouragement. I explained to him that the formula to stay “connected” Jewishly has much to do with studying Torah on a daily basis. He heartily agreed, but pleaded for structure and encouragement. I suggested that he text me after he engaged in a daily learning session. The text need not be long. It could simply be the number of minutes he spent learning, and whether it was on his own, with a chavrusa, or listening to a shiur, live or recorded. He now texts me regularly, “40 - Torah Anytime,” or “30 parsha,” and I make the effort to reply with words of praise and encouragement.

The medrash teaches us that the metzora is a remarkable exception. He has no one to help him, so he must help himself. But, in general, “V’huva,” people need to be escorted in friendship to regain and to grow.

Rabbi Mordechai Rhine is the Rav of Southeast Hebrew Congregation- Knesset Yehoshua in White Oak, MD. He also is the Director of TEACH613, an organization which promotes Torah and mitzvah education through classes and virtual media. Rabbi Rhine’s “Take Ten for Talmud” ten minute audio program based on Daf Hayomi is available by free e-mail subscription. His book, “The Magic of Shabbos,” and the Perek Shirah Collection CD Series are available in Judaica stores, and through www.teach613.org.

Mazel Tov to Rabbi G Liss and family on the birth of their son Ariel Yehoshua ‫ נ''י‬and to Grandparents Liss and Klein For questions on Divrei Torah, please email the editor Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn at editor@oneg.org.uk

To receive this via email please email subscriptions@oneg.org.uk

To suggest an idea or a response to the ideas exchange please email ideas@oneg.org.uk

25th April 2020

‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬

3

Rabbi Eli Mansour

Parashat Tazria

The Edmond J Safra Synagogue

Eliyahu Ha’nabi and the berit mila “Redemption”

P

arashat Tazria begins with the law of tum’at yoledet – the state of impurity that descends upon a woman after she delivers a child. The Torah establishes that the woman is impure for either seven or fourteen days – depending on whether she delivers a boy or a girl – and she is later required to offer a special sacrifice to regain her status of purity.

This halacha seems, at first glance, very difficult to understand.

The very first misva that Hashem commanded after creating the first human beings is peru u’rebu – the obligation to procreate.

Having a child is something precious and beautiful. It is one of our most sacred duties. Why, then, would childbirth bring upon a woman a state of tum’a (impurity)? In fact, the gemara tells that Hashem has a “container” in the heavens containing all the souls destined to come down into our world, and once this container is empty, Mashiah will come. As such, every time a woman delivers a child, she brings the world closer to its state of redemption. For what reason, then, does she become impure?

Another seemingly peculiar aspect of the Torah’s discussion of tum’at yoledet is the mention of the misva of berit mila in this context. As it discusses the case of the birth of a boy, the Torah found it necessary to reiterate the command to circumcise the child on his eighth day. Why is this misva repeated here? Of what relevance is berit mila to the halacha of tum’at yoledet?

The answer lies in an understanding of the concept of tum’a.

This word does not, as many people mistakenly believe, refer to “contamination,” or any sort of filth. Rather, as the Zohar teaches, tum’ah is the result of lost sanctity. When something is filled with kedusha, and then that kedusha is lost, the forces of impurity fill the vacuum that is created. A number of sources draw a comparison to two jars – one that contained honey, and another that contained vinegar, which were emptied. Not soon afterward, insects and flies descended upon the empty honey jar to consume the sweet drops of honey that remain, but no insects go to the vinegar jar.

Similarly, as long as a soul is in the body, the kedusha of the soul keeps the “insects” – the forces of tum’a – away, but once the body is “emptied,” the vacuum is filled by these forces that seek to feed off the “sweetness” of the residual kedusha which remains. These forces go only to where there was “honey” – kedusha – but not to where there was “vinegar.” They are attracted to the “sweetness” of kedusha, and are able to descend upon a holy place once the kedusha is no longer present.

months. Once the child is born, this kedusha is lost, and the void is filled by the forces of impurity.

Extending this notion further, we can explain why the period of tum’a is longer after the birth of a girl than after the birth of a boy.

The primary difference between the birth of a girl and the birth of a boy is that after the birth of a boy, there is a berit mila – and the berit mila has the effect of eliminating the woman’s state of tum’a.

Tradition teaches that Eliyahu Ha’nabi attends every berit performed on a Jewish child. And, as we know, Eliyahu is going to be sent to us before the arrival of Mashiah in order to prepare us for redemption. He will inspire, motivate and guide us to repent, to eliminate all our “impurities,” and draw closer to Hashem so we will be ready to greet Mashiah. Eliyahu attends a berit because a berit is what we might call a “miniature redemption.” A berit mila is a moment of immense kedusha, an occasion that brings a level of purity and holiness to all those who are in attendance – resembling, in small measure, the purity and holiness that Eliyahu will help us achieve when he will arrive to prepare us for the final redemption.

Naturally, then, the period of tum’a that follows childbirth ends after seven days – because at that point, the child is circumcised, and Eliyahu arrives and eliminates the impurity. And this is why the Torah mentions berit mila in this context – because it is the reason why the period of tum’a after the birth of a boy ends after only seven days. The Torah is indicating to us that the occasion of a berit has a profound spiritual impact which rids the woman of her state of tum’a – giving us a glimpse of the spiritual elevation that we will experience in the future, when Eliyahu comes to prepare us for Mashiah, speedily and in our days, Amen. M

In other words, tum’a is what happens when kedusha departs.

This, then, explains the concept of tum’at yoledet, the state of impurity that befalls a woman after childbirth. The gemara famously tells us that during pregnancy, an angel sits with the fetus and teaches the child the entire Torah. Remarkably, a woman during pregnancy is a “mobile yeshiva,” with Torah being studied inside her. There is great kedusha inside the woman during those

Mazel tov to Family M Dansky on the occasion of Dovi’s Barmitzvah and to Grandparents Pearlman and Dansky.

4

Oneg Shabbos Issue 249 This page is sponsored ‫לע''נ ביילא בת ר׳ משה ע''ה‬

The symbol of someone else’s unhappiness

Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz Author The Observant Jew, Migdal Ohr

“And on the day living flesh appears in it, he shall be impure.” (Vayikra 13:14) The Torah puts the power to make a blemish pure or otherwise into the kohen’s control. If he pronounces a skin eruption tzara’as, and says it is impure, it takes effect. If he does not say anything, then the person is not impure.

The Gemara (Moed Katan 7b) learns from this verse that there are days when the kohen looks at blemishes and days where he does not. For example, a groom is given the seven days of Sheva Brachos before he is seen by the kohen, whether for his body, house, or garment. Also, during a holiday, one is given the week of the Yom Tov before he is seen. So says R’ Yehuda. Rebbi says we learn from a posuk in Metzora that the kohen gives the order to empty an afflicted house before he checks it. If he can delay for the monetary benefit of utensils in the house, surely he can delay for something mitzvah related!

The question is: tzara’as is not a physical ailment. It’s a spiritual one. If that’s so, then Hashem is the One who gave the man tzara’as on Pesach, or on the day after his wedding. Shouldn’t we accept that Hashem wants him to go through this now, regardless of what’s happening in his life? How can Chazal tell us that the kohen waits until afterwards?

Besides for the fact that Hashem specifically gave us the power to interpret the Torah and Chazal frequently do so to better the lives of people, He also gave us the rules to do so. In other words, by pushing off the checking of a groom, the kohen is fulfilling what Hashem wants. But what of the fact that the blemish appeared now? If Hashem didn’t want the man to become impure with tzara’as until after his wedding, why not give it to him later?

The answer is that Hashem isn’t vindictive, but people often are.

Hashem is patient and forgiving but people often are not. By pushing off

the viewing of the potential metzora, Hashem is teaching us a valuable lesson.

Though the person who got tzara’as undoubtedly committed one or more sins which led to these symptoms, and he is keenly aware of it, Hashem doesn’t demand that he suffer for it. He gives the person advance notice that he ought to introspect and change his ways. The sins that lead to tzara’as usually involve thinking less of others and mistreating them because of it. We don’t respect them so we steal from them or speak negatively about them. We don’t care about their feelings or else we would act differently.

Hashem sets the example. He has good reason to make this person “pay” for what he’s done. There’s an opportunity to ruin his wedding or his Yom Tov – but “Wait. Don’t do that.

Let him enjoy the festivities and have another chance.” By giving the fellow tzara’as now but not having it viewed so he can live his life with joy, Hashem teaches the rest of us how we, too, should treat others: with appreciation and respect.

R’ Eliyahu Dessler zt”l is known as a giant in Torah and mussar. His esteemed

wife was no less involved in proper selfguidance and looked at the world through the prism of Torah and midos tovos, good character traits.

Once, she saw someone admiring something in the window of a pawn shop.

When she asked what the person was doing, the woman replied that she did not intend to buy any of the luxury items she saw, but simply enjoyed looking at the beautiful merchandise in the store window.

Rebbetzin Dessler replied, “I simply cannot take any joy from looking at the items in a pawn shop window. It is there because someone fell upon difficult times and had to part with a dear possession.

How can we possibly be happy to see something which is the symbol of another person’s unhappiness?” M

25th April 2020

‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬

5 This page is sponsored by OGR Stock Denton | ogrstockdenton.com

Rabbi Michoel Jablinowitz Rosh Yeshiva Ateret Yerushalayim

W

Wh ph en be ysi th sp co ca e iri me l tu s al

e read in this week’s parsha the laws of purity and impurity in man, beginning with their application after childbirth. Rashi begins the parsha by quoting the words of Rav Simlai who comments that just as man was created after the animals, his status of Tumah and Taharah is brought after the animals. Last week’s parsha contained the laws of pure and impure animals, and this week’s parsha deals with man’s state of impurity.

source of impurity. Similarly, the place of the greatest physical desire in man can be his source of connection to holiness by having a bris milah on the eighth day. Or conversely, it can cause him to spend a lifetime in pursuit of pleasure and face the punishment of not having a life beyond this physical world of olam hazeh.

The teaching of Rav Simlai comes from the beginning of the Medrash Rabbah on our parsha.

The Medrash actually begins with a quote from the pasuk in Tehillim (139:5), ‘Achor v’kedem tzartani’, You have created me front and back.

Rabbi Yochanan teaches on the verse that if man merits, he can receive a portion in both Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba. And if not, then he receives a punishment as the pasuk concludes, ‘Vatashes alai kapecha,’ He shall place His hand on you and punish you. The main idea of Rabbi Yochanan seems to be that man can determine his fate. He can just focus on this world and then he will be punished, or he can work hard and merit in the world to come as well. Either kedem, he merits only his first place, i.e. Olam Hazeh, or Achor, he will merit later Olam Haba.

The Sfas Emes learns that the words in the pasuk achor v'kedem tzartani, represent the two parts of man, the body and the soul, the guf and the neshamah. You have created me with two conflicting desires; the guf, which desires physical pleasure, and the neshamah, which is seeking spiritual fulfilment. And he learns that the word tzartani is to be understood as the word tzarah, a term which can refer to two wives married to the same man. Just as two women married to the same man are rivals for his attention, so too our physical and spiritual sides rival for our attention.

And how do we resolve this conflict? The third pasuk in our parsha says (Vakirya 12:3), ‘U’bayom ha’shemini yimol besar orlaso. The mitzvah of milah, which is an os bris kodesh, give us a connection to the holiness of olam haba. This is expressed in the fact that the bris milah is performed on the eighth day. The natural world was created in seven days and the number eight is le’ma’alah min hateva; it is above and beyond nature. And the Mishnah in Sanhedrin teaches, kol yisrael yesh lahem chelek b’olam haba she’ne’emar v’ameich kulam tzadikim. The reason all of Israel merits in the world to come is by being a tzadik, and this definition results from the os bris kodesh as was illustrated

by Yosef Hatzadik.

The mitzvah of milah highlights this dichotomy in man.

While man has a spiritual neshamah which can bring him to amazing levels of kedushah, he also has a physical guf. And the pure physical side of man is even lower than animals; a dead animal, neveilah, passes on tumah, or impurity for one day, while the corpse of a human is avi avos hatumah, the greatest

The connection to the holiness of the Bris Milah is present at all times. And this could be the idea behind the gemara in menachos 43b that Dovid Hamelech was in the bathhouse and was upset that he didn’t have any mitzvos with him at that moment; no talis, no tefillin, etc. And then he saw his Bris Milah and remembered that this is a mitzvah which is always with him. It’s the os bris kodesh which is our constant connection to Kedushah.

And we have this connection once a week as well on Shabbos. Shabbos is me’eiyn olam haba, it is a weekly connection to ruchniyus. On Shabbos, the constant struggle between achor v’kedem comes to a halt.

Even eating on Shabbos is b’kedushah; on Shabbos the physical becomes spiritual. And this is the Shalom of Shabbos, the notion of u’feros aleinu succas shelomecha. The rivalry between the guf and the neshamah ceases and all is holy.

The end of the pasuk, vatashes alai kapecha, is understood by the Sfas Emes to mean He shall place His hand on you and help you. Chazal teach in Yoma 38b, haba letaher mesayin oso, the one who comes to purify himself is assisted by Hashem. When we decide to allow our spiritual to dominate over the physical and to merit both the present world and the world to come as well, vatashes alai kapecha. Hashem will give us the assistance we need to constantly maintain our connection to the os bris kodesh and be zocheh to merit olam haba. M

6

Oneg Shabbos Issue 249

Chinuch

by Personal Example While walking out of the building of the preschool, the sweet three-year-girl held her father’s hand tightly, looked at him and said, “Abba, today my friend insulted me.”

He asked her, “What happened?”

“She told me that I’m ugly.”

The father turned to his daughter and asked, “Really? So what did you do to her?”

She said, “I didn’t do anything to her.”

“So what did you do?”

This sweet three year old girl answered so purely, “Abba, I went to the wall and I asked Hashem to help me understand that it’s not really her insulting me, that it is Hashem calling to me through her.”

I have never heard such a story, but my friend told me that this story happened to him while he was walking home with his daughter.

If someone would have told me this story about an 80-year-old Jew who lived four hundred years ago, then I would believe it. But nowadays? Could such a thing really happen? How? Children absorb what is said in the house. A child emulates his parents and absorbs the atmosphere in the

home. When there is a yearning to serve Hashem and kedusha in the air, then the children follow and learn to talk that language.

This sweet three-year-old girl was talking about Hashem because her parents lived and breathed emunah and therefore, by osmosis, they instilled it into their child.

The story is not over yet.

The family joined their cousins to eat the Shabbos meal at their grandparents’ house. During the meal, two cousins started to fight. The little girl told her cousins, “Hashem doesn’t let to hit.”

That was her language. How was this her language? Because in her house, instead of threatening the children with, “Abba doesn’t let – watch out from Abba!” she was taught, “Hashem doesn’t allow us to hit.” The parents taught the children that they are constantly standing in front of Hashem.

That is how a Jew educates his children.

Her father continued to tell me told me another story.

It was lunch time in her preschool. All the girls took their sandwiches out of their briefcases to eat. The teacher noticed, however, that this little girl was not eating.

“Why aren’t you eating like everyone else? Are you feeling okay?” the teacher asked gently.

The girl answered, “I’m practicing selfcontrol.” A three year old girl is practicing selfcontrol.

The teacher didn’t understand what that meant, so she waited until the father came to pick up his daughter

Rav Shai Atari Derech HaBaal ShemTov

from preschool. The teacher asked the father, “While all the girls are eating, your daughter just sits looking at her sandwiches without eating it. She told me that she’s practicing self-control.

What’s that supposed to mean?”

The father then described to the teacher a scene that happened often in their home. When the father wanted to relax and eat something, he would prepare himself a cup of tea and cake.

Afterwards, he would sit down near the food, but not eat it right away. He would tell his children, “Do you see how I am not eating right away even though I am hungry. I am practicing self-control. I am training myself to hold myself back.” After waiting a minute or two, he would eat.

The children see that their father practicing self-control and this little girl wanted to follow in his ways.

Such sweetness! We see the values that the parents imparted. They taught their children by personal example how to practice self-control, how Hashem is watching us and does not allow hitting, and how every person is a shaliach from Hashem and that is one of His ways of calling to us.

Chinuch is taught by example. Our messages must be how to get closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and be happy with His mitzvos and these are the values that will be instilled in our children. M

25th April 2020

‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬

7

Daily Inspirational Stories

Listen to over 1270 stories and subscribe to receive them dailyon storiestoinspire.org or Whatsapp: +1 (310) 210-1205 This page has been sponsored anonymously

Rejection Won’t Matter!

Rabbi Elimelech Biderman told a story of a Rabbi from Israel who was struggling a great deal with parnasa. He was marrying off a child and needed an exorbitant amount of money that he didn’t have. With no other choice, he decided to go to America and ask for charity. Before he left, he went to his Rabbi to receive a blessing.

The Rabbi told him, “No matter what anyone gives you, whether its $5000, $500, $5 or even 5 cents, always say thank you with a smile and make sure you keep learning Torah when you’re not out collecting.”

He went, but he was not having a pleasant experience.

He was getting a dollar here, a dollar there, but most of the time he was just being ignored. The people there had heard his type of story again and again and they were not moved to give. It was very hard for him to keep smiling and say thank you for the small change that he was getting, but he managed to do it.

It was towards the end of his trip and he had only collected a very small portion of the funds that he needed.

An acquaintance sent him to an area with very wealthy people. This was his last chance. He didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood, so he just went door to door knocking, but not one person answered the door.

Until, at last, at one house, the door finally opened, but the Rabbi was gripped with fear when he saw a large dog standing in front of him, barking loudly. He began to run, and then he heard a voice from inside the house, saying, “Don’t be afraid; come in, Rabbi.”

He walked into a large house which looked like a palace, and he saw the wealthy owner sitting with his feet up.

“What could I do for you, Rabbi?” the wealthy man asked.

The Rabbi explained his dire situation. The wealthy man then took out a ten-dollar bill from his pocket, he gave it to his dog and told his dog to go give it to the Rabbi. It was bad enough he only received ten dollars, but to take it from the dog... the shame that he felt was too much.

Rabbi David Ashear

Instead of becoming angry, he remembered the words of his Rabbi and politely thanked the man for his contribution.

He then went even further to make that man feel good. Just a couple of hours before, he was learning a Gemara which said: “A person should not raise a bad dog in his house.” So he told the wealthy man, “You have a good dog.”

“What do you mean?” the wealthy man asked.

He explained, “The Gemara says you shouldn’t raise a bad dog, which implies there must be such a thing as a good dog. Your dog knows how to give tzedaka, so he must be a good one.”

The wealthy man then asked the Rabbi for a favor. He said, “Please, could you go across the street and tell my neighbor what you just told me about my dog?” The Rabbi didn’t want to do it, especially after he only got $10 from this man, but again he overcame his inclination and he said, “Sure, no problem.”

He went across the street and an older gentleman answered the door. The Rabbi gave him the message.

Minutes later, that man was across the street, hugging the first man. It was the father-in-law of the wealthy man. He had been so upset that his son-in-law got a dog, he hadn’t spoken to him in months, but when he heard what the Rabbi said about the dog, he had a change of heart.

The wealthy man was so grateful; he wrote out a cheque to this Rabbi for $18,000 and gave it to him for the wedding. At that moment, all the rejection that the Rabbi experienced the past week didn’t matter anymore.

The Rabbi got what he needed.

Hashem prepared him, right before the visit, with the right words to say and put him in front of the right person. And just like that, his trip was a great success. We could all be helped. Continue hoping and praying to Hashem and b’ezras Hashem, we should all be helped with our needs.

Reprinted from Emunah Daily.

8

Oneg Shabbos Issue 249

Restoring the the primacy primacy of of Choshen Choshen Mishpat Mishpat Restoring Under the Under the auspices auspices of of Harav Harav Chaim Chaim Kohn Kohn ‫שליט"א‬ ‫שליט"א‬

Rabbi Meir Orlian Halachah Writer, BHI

BUSINESS DONATION It was Purim day. The joy of Purim (and some wine…) helped Mr. Silver keep his mind off the impending DONATION lawsuit his business faced the following week. Many needy people knocked on Mr. Silver’s door for tzedakah. One venerable Rabbi shared the extreme financial plight of his Torah institution. “If we don’t raise $500,000 at this year’s dinner, we will have to close,” he pleaded.

Mr. Silver decided to contribute $25,000 from the business for a Diamond Page ad, as a merit for the impending lawsuit.

The following day, Mr. Silver asked his partner, Mr. Gold, how his Purim was. “It was lovely,” replied Mr. Gold. “In addition to family, we invited some of the needy families in the community to our Purim seudah.”

“A lot of people came by for matanos l’evyonim,” Mr. Silver said. “One of them I gave a business check for a dinner journal.” He told him about the institution.

“How much did you give?” asked Mr. Gold. “$25,000,” replied Mr. Silver.

“Twenty-five thousand!” exclaimed Mr. Gold. “I never agreed to such a large sum.”

“We’ve given to charity before from the business account,” said Mr. Silver. “I felt this was a truly needy cause and a merit for our impending lawsuit.”

“In the past we’ve given only small sums, no more than $3,000,” replied Mr. Gold. “To be honest, I don’t so much identify with that institution, anyway. I’m not willing to share in this expense and ask that you compensate the business.”

“I gave the donation as a business gesture,” argued Mr. Silver. “We often make business decisions on our own from the company’s account, with much larger sums. I don’t see why this should be any different.”

“This is not a regular business decision,” responded Mr. Gold. “I don’t think you have a right to make such a decision unilaterally.”

The two came before Rabbi Dayan and asked: Can Mr. Silver consider the donation a business expense?

“The principle stated by the Shulchan Aruch,” replied Rabbi Dayan, “is that partners should act in accordance

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with the common commercial practice for such an enterprise, unless they initially stipulated otherwise or acted with the other partner’s knowledge. If some businesses act a certain way and others do not, one partner should not act without his partner’s consent” (C.M. 176:10; Shach 176:33).

“Rabbi S.M. Schwadron (Maharsham 1835—1911) was asked about a business that faced a great potential risk.

One partner had given very generous tzedakah and sent money to tzaddikim to daven on behalf of the business, without his partner’s consent. The other partner refused to accept this expense for the business.

“Maharsham ruled that since this is not a widespread practice and many do not do this, the other partner did not have to share in the expense, and certainly not if he objects (Mishpat Shalom 176:10).

“He cites a responsum of Rama of Pano (#89) regarding a person who gave away some of his daughter’s property to tzedakah in her illness. If the son-in-law demands payment for what he took, the father-in-law is liable.

“Tur (C.M. 176:46) similarly cites from his father, the Rosh, that if two brothers were partners and one donated from the joint property prior to his death, the remaining brother can demand his share corresponding to that donation.

“Nonetheless, it seems common nowadays for businesses to donate a certain sum for charity causes, such as dinner journals or school programs, in accordance with the nature and capital of the business,” concluded Rabbi Dayan. “Thus, if the sum was clearly reasonable for such a business, it would be a valid business decision.

However, if the sum was greater than widely accepted for such a business, the other partner can refuse to share the expense of that donation” (Tzedakah U’mishpat 10:13).”

Verdict: A partner can donate charity at the business’s expense without his partner’s consent only to the extent of what is widely accepted for a business of that nature. ‫לע''נ אריאל יהודה ז''ל בן ר' פינחס צבי נ''י קליין‬

Provided by Business Halacha Institute. The BHI is a non-profit organization based in New York that educates and guides people in up to date applications of monetary halacha. For more information or to browse the BHI archives, visit www.businesshalacha.com

25th April 2020

‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬

9

SHEMIRAS HALOSHON

FOOD FOR THOUGHT TO SPARK N CONVERSATIO

YOUR REFLECTION Every husband is reflected in his wife and every wife is reflected in her husband. Marriage represents a synergistic partnership between two people.

Rabbi The Me’or Einayim shares with Shmuel us a beautiful elucidation. He Silber explains that the beauty of Suburban Orthodox marriage is that my wife is my mirror and I am her mirror.

Sometimes when you see a deficiency in your spouse, what you are really seeing is a deficiency in yourself. Your spouse is your mirror. When you see something broken in the other person, you are really seeing something in yourself.

This is not necessarily just related to marriage.

We see the same dynamics with parents and children, but in marriage this is an incredibly dynamic idea.

Many times when an issue comes up and something happens, instead of being surprised at one’s spouse’s reaction and lashing out, it is proper to step back and ask oneself honestly, “Is what I am seeing in the actions of my spouse a reflection of what is broken in me?”

In marriage, our spouses reflect us. When you see something broken in the other person, the first order of business is not to give them the recipe to fix themselves, but the first order of business sometimes may be to take internal stock and ask ourselves, “Is what I am seeing in my spouse really a manifestation of that which is broken inside of me?”

Don’t adjust the mirror.

Adjust yourself.

PERFECT FOR HASHEM Everyone in our life has some traits we don’t find appealing. One person is too quick-tempered, another too laid-back. One is careless and another is picky. We have a list of flaws we see in ourselves as well – traits that make us feel that we’re less than we could be. Some people feel it is their job to insist on perfection, and to accept nothing less from themselves or others.

Is that what Hashem wants from us? The Satmar Rav, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, says no. His proof is the sukkah, which we identify with peace in the phrase sukkas shelomecha – the sukkah of Your peace. The connection, he says, is in the broad parameters the halachah allows for a kosher sukkah. It can be made of anything. It can be missing a wall. Its walls can be warped. It can be lacking some of its sechach. Nevertheless, Hashem accepts it as 100 percent kosher.

Perfectionism drives peace from our lives. It causes us to view others critically and hold them to impossible standards. It also drives peace from our hearts when we cannot accept our own flaws. People, like sukkahs, are 100 percent kosher, even when they’re not 100 percent perfect!

As heard from Rabbi Yoel Gold at the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation 2018 Convention

The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Reviewed by Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Lowy. For discussion only; actual halachic decisions should be made by a rav or halachic expert on a case-by-case basis.

10

Oneg Shabbos Issue 249

Daf Yomi WEEKLY

‘‫שבת נ‬

HALACHAH Highlight LEANING ON A CAR OR SITTING ON A PILE OF WOOD ON SHABBOS

‫צריך לקשר‬...‫ חריות של דקל שגדרן לעצים‬.‫נ‬

Branches of palm trees that were cut to be used to sit on...they must be tied before Shabbos. 50a

If one possessed hardened branches of a date palm that had been harvested for fire wood, the only way to remove their muktzeh status from them would be to tie them into bundles before Shabbos. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel disagrees and states that it is unnecessary to actually tie them.

Rather, intention alone (to sit on them) before Shabbos is sufficient to remove their muktzeh status.

Two birds, cedar wood, crimson thread and hyssop This is the unique combination of materials used in the purification process for someone who sinned by speaking Loshon Hora.

The Shulchan Aruch1 brings down this Beraisa and states that as long as no designation was done to these branches before Shabbos, be it physically or mentally, they would remain ‫ אסור‬to move. The Mishnah Berurah debates whether sitting on these branches would constitute the violation of ‫ טלטול מוקצה‬since there is not a direct movement of the muktzeh object.2

Each item demonstrates fascinating symbolism connected to the sin. The cedar wood grows tall and represents haughtiness, the hyssop a lowly bushthe idea of humility. The crimson wool dyed with a pigment made from a lowly creature, again, humility.

‫טלטול מן הצד‬-moving muktzeh indirectly; this is permitted on Shabbos but only in certain scenarios.

But why use two birds?

To better appreciate the difficulty of the Mishnah Berurah, we must clarify two issues regarding the prohibition of muktzeh :

‫טלטול בגופו‬-moving muktzeh in an abnormal fashion (e.g. foot, elbow etc.); this is always permitted on Shabbos.

(It is interesting to note why the Mishnah Berurah. refers to it as ‫טלטול‬ ‫ מן הצד‬when it appears to be more similar to ‫)טלטול בגופו‬.

Keeping this in mind, we can better understand the question of the Mishnah Berurah whether sitting on the branches would be considered a movement of muktzeh.

The Mishnah Berurah brings down a Magen Avraham which states that sitting on these branches would definitely not be considered ‫ טלטול‬even if the branches would inevitably move when sitting on them, and would therefore be permitted on ‫שבת‬. He quotes the ‫ מאירי‬who states likewise that it would be permitted, but then adds that when unnecessary, one should refrain from doing so.

What is perplexing about this Mishnah Berurah is that in ‫ סימן ב"ש‬in the ‫שער הציון‬3 regarding if one has dirt on his shoe and wishes to wipe it on a stone, we find that one must be careful not to move the stone while wiping his shoe. This seems to be in direct contrast to what the Mishnah Berurah says here, that since it is an indirect movement, it would be permitted on ‫שבת‬- ‫ע” וצ‬.

Until now we have been discussing muktzeh items that would be classified as ‫ מוקצה מחמת גופו‬i.e. items that have no real constructive value on their own, such as stones and branches. This type of muktzeh is more stringent than vessels or the like which, although at times may be considered muktzeh, they are nevertheless considered only as ‫כלים שמלאכתם‬ ‫ לאיסור‬which may be moved when wishing to derive a permissible benefit from them. Therefore, a car, which most halachic authorities consider as a ‫כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור‬, would be permitted to lean on when one is tired and wishes to relax on Shabbos even if the car would move a little from doing Brought to you by so. ‫ אות ל"ה‬3 ‫ ס"ק פ"ב שם‬2 ‫ סימן ש"ח‬1

The birds, perhaps more obviously, are for the chatter and chirping connected to gossip. (Rashi) Rav Shlomo Ganzfried zt’’l (the author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch) explains that one bird represents negative speech and the second bird, the one left to fly free represents positive speech. This teaches us that we aren’t supposed to avoid speech altogether, but rather, to use it positively.

Rav Paysach Krohn tells a story of a boy who unfortunately was ill and dying. He requested that at his funeral one particular teacher should be the one to speak. He explained that when he was younger the boys in the class were not getting on. To help the situation the teacher gave the students papers with the name of each classmate on, and all the boys had to write the good qualities that he saw in the other boys. The dying boy shared, that everything that he had accomplished, was because of what was on that paper. It was this that brought out his good qualities, and therefore it was this teacher, that he wanted to speak at his funeral.

How many times do we think a compliment but not voice it?

Instead of merely thinking them, transform positive thoughts into speech, and use them to build people!

‘Death and life are in the hands of speech’ (Mishlei 18:21) Praise, encourage, teach and connect.

Choose life!

www.jgift.org

25th April 2020

‫ר"ח אייר תש"פ‬

‫מצורע‬-‫פרשת תזריע‬

Sages through Ages THE

11

Dr Benji Schreiber

The Imrei Emes of Gur Góra Kalwaria, Poland 1866 – Jerusalem 1948 ‫שבועות‬ Rav Avraham Mordechai Alter, the third Gerrer Rebbe, is best known as the Imrei Emes after his Sefer. He transformed Ger into the most influential Chasidic movement in Poland between the world wars and it was his leadership which made Ger the large and powerful movement that it is today in Eretz Yisrael.

He was born in Ger (Góra Kalwaria) a small town in Poland, which lifted a ban on Jewish settlement in the early 19th Century. His grandfather, Rav Yitzchok Meir Alter, the Chidushei HaRim (1866-1799) and founder of Ger Chassidus, was his sandek. His father, Rav Yehuda Leib Alter, the Sfas Emes (18471905) was the second Rebbe. When aged 15 he married Chaya Rada who bore him four children, including Rav Yisroel, later the ‘Beis Yisroel’ and Rav Simcha Bunim, later the ‘Lev Simcha’. He was widowed in 1924 and remarried his niece Faiga Mintshe who bore Pinchas Menachem, later the ‘Pnei Menachem’ in 1926. Unlike most Rebbetzins of her day, she had a sound secular education, wore a sheitel rather than a head scarf and spoke French. Three of his children became subsequent Rebbes.

Initially he lived in his father-in-law’s home in Biała, and he then moved to Ger and learnt with his father daily over the next 22 years. He became renowned for his learning.

He had a rapidly growing library and had learnt every sefer in it, including those by more recent Sefardi Rabbonim. In his love for Seforim he would know each Sefer by the print and the paper, knowing where and when it was published.

learning breaks between Kabolos Shabbos and Maariv on Friday night and between Shacharis and leining on Shabbos morning.

He was financially independent with his own business. With his phenomenal recall, he remembered each of his chassidim and their families. His influence rapidly grew and spread across Poland and wider and his chassidim became Rabbonim in many towns and villages across Poland. He was referred to as The King of Chassidus Poland and he was estimated to have some 100,000 chassidim.

Rather than being critical or negative of others, he was positive and pro-active in nurturing the religious life, encouraging the publishing of ‘kosher’ newspapers, of religious political movements (Agudas Yisroel and its youth movement) and of religious settlement in Eretz Yisroel. He visited Palestine in 1921, and visited Rav Kook while there, and wrote a letter of encouragement and inspiration to his chassidim from his return ship. He visited Eretz Yisroel five times in all and in his last visit in 1935 he intended to stay and kept only one day Yom Tov, although he did then return. He encouraged settling in Eretz Yisroel and the so called Fourth Aliya

Rebbe In 1905, aged 39, he became Rebbe after the passing of his father, holding his first Tisch on Shavuos. He showed strong leadership.

He returned the davening times to those of the Shulchan Aruch and instituted Torah

The Imrei Emes in the Churva shul, Yerushalayim, explaining the news of the Shoah in 1942. Next to him is his son, the Pnei Menachem.

(1924-1931) did include large numbers of Ger Chassidim.

In the Second World War he moved from Ger to Warsaw. In the German bombing of Warsaw his beloved brother in law, Rav Yitzchok Meir Alter, was killed, and his hearing was damaged. While the Nazis tried to hunt him down, his chassidim managed – with the help of the Polish resistance and the Italian government - to smuggle him to Italy. His Chassidim wanted to arrange his onward travel to the USA but he insisted on going to Eretz Yisroel.

In Nissan 1940 he arrived in Palestine and settled in the Sfas Emes Yeshiva in Yerushalayim that he had founded in 1925.

Since then, the centre of Ger has been in Yerushalayim. For the rest of the war he worked tirelessly to help rescue Jews from Europe. At his levaya the Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchok HaLevi Herzog, said that the Torah was given on Shavuos and taken away on Shavuos. M

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