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‫פרשת בא‬

‫בס"ד‬

AARON, DAN AN

D REUV

BOKOBZA Knesset YehezkEN el (Rav Bassous), UK

16th January 2016 ‫ו’ שבט תשע"ו‬

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MAKING EVERY DAY A GOOD DAY Rabbi Shloime Yitzchok Bixenspanner

Rav of Kahal Yereim in Toronto. Recently appointed as the future Rav of the Hendon Adass.

In this week’s Parsha [13-3] we find that Moishe Rabbeinu was telling Klal Yisroel to always remember the day that they went out of Mitzrayim, adding on in the next Posuk, ‘Hayom atem Yoitzim bechodesh Ho’oviv’.

You should know that you left in the spring season.

Rashi raises the question why was it necessary for Moishe Rabbeinu to let them know at that time, the season of the year.

This information was very obvious to his audience who were the ones that actually left Mitzrayim.

Rashi answers that Moishe Rabbeinu was trying to demonstrate how much Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves Klal Yisroel by choosing the perfect weather for them to travel in.

However we still need some clarification. When dealing with such a major event as redeeming people who were enslaved under such hard conditions for so many years without any reprieve in sight, what difference does the nice weather really make in the grand scheme of things?

Let us try to ask anyone who was liberated from the camps after the horrors of the Holocaust if they remember what the weather was like on the day of their liberation. We can imagine that this particular detail totally slipped their mind since at that time it really didn’t make much of a difference to them in the bigger picture that they were dealing with.

The Meforshim explain that Moishe Rabbeinu was trying to teach Klal Yisroel a very powerful lesson in the way that Hakadosh Boruch Hu runs His world.

In the world we live in there is a concept of ‘one of those days’, which means that if a person wakes up late in the morning and things don’t go as smoothly as he would like, he writes it off as ‘one of those days’.

We also have a concept of a ‘bad day’ which means that if besides things not going smoothly, his coffee spills or he gets locked out of his car etc, then he writes that off as a ‘bad day’.

The list continues with a ‘terrible day’ being next given the ‘right’ circumstances.

Chazal tell us in Maseches Chullin 7 B, ‘Ein odom nokef etzbo’oi milemato elo eem kein machrizin olov milemalo’ which means that even the slightest discomfort and the smallest pain that a person has in this world is decreed upon beforehand from Shomayim. According to this understanding there is no such thing as a ‘bad day’ or even ‘one of those days’, since everything that happens in a person’s life as well as all those things that he would have liked that they should happen and yet they don’t happen, is the direct will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Now we can understand what Moishe Rabbeinu was trying to tell Klal Yisroel with the words of ‘look how much Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves you by taking you out of Mitzrayim in the perfect weather’. Everyone agrees that even though travelling in bad weather conditions can be frustrating, if that would have been the case when they left Mitzrayim no one would have uttered even the slightest complaint. However since this was not part of the decree that Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avrohom ovinu about at the bris bein habesorim, Klal Yisroel didn’t have to go through that extra hassle. This shows Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s tremendous unconditional love to us, because even such a detail that from our part could have easily gone unnoticed, was not spared by Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and the only reason for that is in order that we should not have to suffer even a tiny bit more than necessary.

PARSHAH

‫לעילוי נשמת הש"ץ שלמה בן אברהם משה ז"ל לעילוי נשמת חנה בת אלעזר ע"ה‬

that the Yishmaeilim who transported Yosef to Mitzrayim were carrying with them different kinds of good smelling perfumes.

Rashi points out that the Torah is teaching us how Hakadosh Boruch Hu saved Yosef Hatzadik from extra suffering by having them transport good smelling perfumes instead of the foul smelling gases which was their regular cargo. The Baalei Mussar add on, that the Torah is hereby also trying to teach us the ways of Hakadosh Boruch Hu in general. The chances are that Yosef would not have remembered what smell he was exposed to while being sold as a slave to Mitzrayim. However this extra suffering which although it can be considered very minute while looking at the larger picture, was not part of the master plan and therefore he was not subjected to it.

This will give us a beautiful Pshat in the two Psukim that we started with. Firstly Moishe Rabbeinu was telling Klal Yisroel to always remember the day that you went out of Mitzrayim.

The significance in the day that they left Mitzrayim is the fact that as soon as the designated day came about they didn’t stay for an extra second. Secondly he told them to always remember the season of the year that they left Mitzrayim which teaches us that there is no such thing as suffering for no reason, since this is why we were spared from something as insignificant as bad weather on our trip to freedom.

We find this concept in the Ohr Hachaim in Parshas Shemos [3-7] who explains why Klal Yisroel stopped working in Mitzrayim for almost a year while the makkos were May Hakadosh Boruch Hu help us that we should be able happening. His reason is that in essence there were 2 decrees to reach a level where we can learn to realise that every day in that Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avrohom ovinu about at the our lives is a good day, although some days may be a bit more Bris bein Habesorim. 1- That they were going to be exiled challenging than others. to a foreign land. 2- That they will be subjected to hard labour. These 2 decrees did not necessarily end at the same time.

Decree # 1 was slated to end on the 15th day of Nissan as Rashi says in this The last Mishna of the third Perek of Rosh week”s Parsha [12-41] that as soon as that moment came they were whisked out Hashana tells us of 2 important lessons of of Mitzrayim without staying on for a split Emunah that Bnei Yisroel had this in fact was by Boruch second longer than the decree. Decree # famously turned into a very popular song by Kahan 2 ended almost a year before decree #1.

Yigal Calek and his choir some years ago one Hakadosh Boruch Hu didn’t want them to was the story of the Milchemes Amalek in next week’s Parshah have to suffer any longer than they had and the second was that of the copper snake in Parshas Chukas. to and therefore he orchestrated that the However there is a Chazal that brings down a third instance ten Makkos should drag out and in that that never made it to the Mishnah and regretfully nor to Yigal time period they were not going to be Calek’s song that comes in our Parshah. subjected to hard labour.

Riddle of the Week

We find the same concept in Parshas Vayeshev [37-25] where the Torah tells us

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What is that incident and where is that Chazal?

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For any questions on Divrei Torah please contact the NEW Editor in Chief,

Rabbi Yonason Roodyn, rabbiroodyn@oneg.org.uk

GIVING & TAKING

Rabbi Emanuel Danan

Rosh Kollel Shaarei Halacha/Gateshead

Was I put into this world to take or to give?

His performance of the truth is done because of the fact that it is the truth, and the reward will happen to follow.’’

There seem to be sources that support both sides. A seeming contradiction.

We will mention but a few: 1) What is the purpose of creation? Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato in the beginning of Mesilas Yesharim (Chapter 1) writes; ‘’The saintliness and the root of perfection is the service of G-d lies in a man’s coming to see clearly and to recognise as a truth the nature of his duty in the world, and the end towards which he should meet his vision and his aspiration in all of his labours all the days of his life.

Our sages of blessed memory have taught us that man was created for the sole purpose of rejoicing in G-d and deriving pleasure from the splendour of His Presence: for this, is true joy and the greatest pleasure that can be found.’’

The indication from her is that we were created to have pleasure. What is that pleasure? Closeness of G-d.

2) The pasuk in Devarim (10:12,13) says: And now, Yisrael, what does Hashem, your G-d, ask of you but to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Hashem and His statutes, which I command you today.” Wow, that’s a tall order. Is that all that G-d requires of me?

What more is there? The answer lies in the last two words of the pasuk: ‫לטוב לך‬ – For your benefit. “All this is for your good, not for Me,” says Hashem. All the hard work that the athlete invests, the exercising, the routine, the diet, the discipline, the lack of “hanging” out with the guys, is all for his benefit. We are the athletes competing in the “marathon of life”. We work, we win – we don’t, we lose.

3) On the other hand we know that the ultimate manner of serving G-d is to do His will because it is His will and not for the purpose of earning our reward. The Mishna (Avos 1:3) says; ‘’Do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive their reward. But, be like a servant who serves his master without thinking about the reward that he will be given.’’

The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva (10: 2) writes; ‘’The one who worships Hashem out of love, toils in Torah and the performance of mitzvos, and walks along the paths of wisdom not because of any worldly reason, not because of fear of retribution or because of the desire to inherit the good.

The answer to this riddle would seem to be found in the Sefer HaChinuch in this week’s Parsha. In Mitzva 95 the Chinuch uncharacteristically elaborates on speaking about the underlying principles and foundations behind the mitzvah of building of the Mishkan. It is a fascinating and revealing Chinuch. There is one point, however that I think is directly relevant our subject.

Here are his words; “You should know my son that the only thing that Hashem receives when we perform His Mitzvos, is the fulfilment of His will to bestow of His upon His created beings. This bounty of blessing can only be given to people who are worthy of receiving that blessing. They have to be the right type of vessels to be able to be recipients of this bounty. Man makes himself into an appropriate receptacle by the performance of Torah and Mitzvos.

The tzaddik, in his performance of Torah and Mitzvos does so because he wants to enable the Al-mighty to fulfil His will. The rasha distances himself, because he knows that G-d wants to bestow His good upon this person and yet is unable to do so because “there are too many holes in this vessel”.

The purpose of creation is man. As the posuk says, (Iyov 35:7) ‫אם צדקת מה תתן לו‬. ‘’If you have acted righteously, what can you give Him?’’ ‘’Every man is obligated to say ‘The world was created for me.’” (Sanhedrin 37a). However, the way to achieve this goodness is by doing the will of Hashem because that is His will. To achieve this elevated status of closeness to our Father, one must try and divorce himself from self-centredness. We have to resemble G-d and turn ourselves into receptacles.

Ironically, the way we become receivers is by “truly giving”. Truly giving means that we are not thinking of our immediate benefit when we perform the Mitzvos.

This seems paradoxical. We know that the purpose is to receive and yet when we perform the Mitzvos, ideally we should not think about the proverbial ‘pearls and diamonds’. However, if we are to continue in the path of giving we will experience these ‘pearls and diamonds’.

These feelings of freedom of the spirit and G-dliness that result from our “giving” state of mind and actions is a mutual consequence as a result of closeness to our Father. To want to achieve this state of mind and body would therefore not be considered serving Hashem for a reward. It is not a reward at all, rather it is a natural result of Kirvas Elokim closeness to Hashem.1 1 See Avos D’Rabbi Nosson Chapter 5: ‫ כדי שיהא שכרכם כפול לעתיד לבא‬,‫אלא הוו כעבדים המשמשים את הרב שלא ע"מ לקבל פרס ויהי מורא שמים עליכם‬

Bubby’s Blog NEWS FROM THE CHURVA SHUL And now write for yourselves this song… (Devarim 31:19).

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Many years ago a group was formed to make a common effort — an association of fifteen individuals, each of whom would contribute NIS 500 a month for fifteen years, for a total of NIS 90,000, enough to commission a sefer Torah. Thus the

amount given by the whole group is NIS 90,000 a year. Each year a lottery is conducted, and one of the fifteen avreichim merits to commission a sefer Torah that year! We have already had the zechus to take part in many such hachnasos sefer Torah.

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HASHKAFA

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How many days did Makkas Choshech, the plague of darkness last for?

MORAL MONEY

Rabbi Dovid Roberts

FEDERATION

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Rav, Kehillas Netzach Yisroel & Director of Education, Federation

There is an intriguing question that the Rishonim ask in relation to the following posuk;

‫ּומּגָ ַרת ֵּב ָיתּה ּכְ לֵ י־כֶ ֶסף ּוכְ לֵ י‬ ִ ‫ּשה ִמ ְּשׁכֶ נְ ָּתּה‬ ׁ ָ ‫וְ ָׁש ֲאלָ ה ִא‬ ‫ל־ּבנ ֵֹתיכֶ ם וְ נִ ַּצלְ ֶּתם‬ ְ ‫ל־ּבנֵ יכֶ ם וְ ַע‬ ְ ‫ּוׂש ָמֹלת וְ ַׂש ְמ ֶּתם ַע‬ ְ ‫זָ ָהב‬ :‫ת־מ ְצ ָריִ ם‬ ִ ‫ֶא‬ We were instructed to ‘borrow’ vessels of silver and gold, as well as garments and ‘empty out Mitzrayim’.

Hashem seems to

be instructing Moshe that Bnei Yisrael should use false pretences to acquire the wealth of Egypt, with no intent to ever pay it back.

How are we to relate to the deception and dubious means used to essentially steal the wealth of Mitzrayim?

Very different approaches are proposed by the Rishonim. The Ibn Ezra is quite dogmatic;

‫ כי מצוה‬,‫ ואלה הלא יראו‬.‫ויש מתאוננים ואומרים כי אבותינו גנבים היו‬1 ‫ והוא נתן עושר למי‬,‫ כי השם ברא הכל‬,‫ ואין טעם לשאול למה‬.‫עליונה היתה‬ .‫ כי הכל שלו הוא‬,‫ ואין זה רע‬.‫שירצה ויקחנו מידו ויתננו לאחר‬ In essence, he is saying that when there is an express command from Hashem to do something, it is not subject to questioning from our subjective moral standpoint. The World is His, and He disburses its resources in whatever manner He sees fit. Fundamentally, the question is invalid! An attitude entirely devoid of apologetics.

The Rashbam on the other hand, would apparently concede to the validity of the question, and he posits the following understanding;

‫ שהרי [כתוב] ונתתי את חן‬,‫ במתנה גמורה וחלוטה‬- ‫ושאלה אשה משכנתה‬ :‫ זהו עיקר פשוטו ותשובה למינים‬.‫ כמו שאל ממני ואתנה גוים נחלתך‬.‫העם‬ His resolution of the moral conundrum involves the Egyptians gifting their possessions to the Jews, on the basis of a specially provided Divine Grace – a ‫ חן‬- that Hashem blessed the Yidden with.

(It seems, as a historical footnote, that this was a favourite accusation as an anti-Jewish polemic!) He perceives the moral dilemma as having validity based only upon the translation of the word ‘‫ ’שאל‬as meaning ‘borrowing’. Once he has demonstrated that the word has an additional connotation of ‘giving’2, the problem falls away.

Rav Hirsch proposes that in the aftermath of the plague of darkness, during which Klal Yisrael proved their morality and honesty by not taking advantage of the Egyptians3, the latter’s feelings changed and they gave happily and out of respect. Rav Hirsch is thus able to depict the Israelites as widely admired by Gentile society and prototypes of his ideal of the Mentsch-Yisroel The Gemara in Sanhedrin (91a) puts it as follows; ‘On one occasion the Egyptians lodged a complaint against the people of Israel before Alexander the Great. They said to him: Is it not written: ‘and Hashem gave the people favour in the eyes of Egypt’ and they complied? Now give us back the silver and gold which you took from us ... He said to them: I too will bring you proof from the Torah, for it is written: ‘And the sojourn of the Jews who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years’. Give us compensation for the labour of 600,000 men whom you enslaved in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years ... They searched but could find no answer.’

In other words, this was absolutely justified at any level. The Egyptians enslaved an entire population, without cause, for centuries, and wages were legally due. The reason Klal Yisrael despoiled Egypt was exclusively on the basis of the ‫( ציווי השם‬Divine commandment) (note that Hashem felt it necessary to ask them using the expression of ‫( נא‬please) (Brachos 9). Rav Hirsch sees Hashem’s exhortation as being indicative of Klal Yisrael not wanting to be seen to lose their honourable reputation by engaging in apparently morally dubious behaviour, but the action had its own moral rationale as well.

Rav Saadya Gaon and the Rashbam (according to the Moshav Zekenim) and the Chizkuni take this approach as being reparations for centuries of unpaid wages.

A fascinating gloss is put on this by Rav Zalman Sorotzkin in

‫ אזניים לתורה‬who brings this quandary to life by drawing a parallel with the debates which raged in the early 1950s over the propriety of requesting and accepting West German reparations. He suggests that there was a similar dilemma in Egypt, where many bereaved Jewish parents were opposed to negotiating a settlement and accepting ‘blood money’ from the Egyptians, and thus Hashem had to make a special request for them to do so.

‫ וע’ פיה”מ להרמב”ם ב”ק פ”ד מ”ג‬1 ‫ ועוד‬,‫ וכן דעת ר’ חננאל‬2

T H I S PA G E I S K I N D LY S P O N S O R E D B Y T H E F E D E R AT I O N

DO YOU HAVE A SHAILA? ASK THE federation

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What is the new start found in Parshas Bo?

‫ עי’ במכילתא‬3

WHAT PHARAOH DIDN’T KNOW

Rabbi Aron Litwin

The Jerusalem Kollel Headed by Harav Yitzchak Berkovits

With the locust, darkness and death of the firstborns came the final blows that brought the Egyptian empire to its knees. Hashem, all powerful had won and the once mighty Egypt was in despair. The truth is that it took a long time to bring Pharaoh down. He hung in there through ten long and agonizing plagues. Many would have crumbled after three or four but he hung in there until the end. The Torah tells us that in fact Pharaoh wouldn’t have been able to withstand the Divine onslaught alone, so Hashem ‘hardened his heart’.

Hashem forced Pharaoh to be resilient about letting the Jews go until He had delivered all ten plagues.

Perhaps the most crucial feature in the way this world runs is our free will. We have the right to choose between right and wrong and receive consequences accordingly. How then, did Hashem deny Pharaoh this basic right? How could Hashem now punish a man for an act after forcing him to do it?

The Beis Halevi sheds light on this difficulty. He explains how with the open miracles Hashem was performing, there was no choice for Pharaoh but to let the Jews go. There was no challenge inside

PARSHAH

4

him, so why didn’t he quit earlier in the game? Why did he remain so stubborn?

In the early 1950’s, after the destruction of the Second World War, clothes were not so easy to come by. A person often owned only one pair of trousers. He would wash it by night and hang it out to dry before daybreak. If a child were to get an oil stain on his trousers there would be serious consequences since there was no way to remove it and his trousers would now be ruined.

My Uncle Danny of fond memory, at the tender age of three approached my mother, may she be well. He was crying and something wasn’t right. Without too many words he pointed to the oil stain on his trouser leg. He had come to his older sister (who was 6 years old) for some sage advice as to how he could get out of this predicament. My mother, wise and intuitive as always, had a brain wave, she dunked his entire trousers in the oil and the stain was no longer noticeable!

We often make mistakes; we draw a black mark on our pure white soul. The greatest mistake however would be to think that our only way out is to blacken the entire surface and then our error won’t be noticeable. This was Pharaoh’s misconception, he was sucked into his ways and he saw no way out other than digging himself deeper into the mud. Once he had begun the battle he saw no escape other than going into war with Hashem neck-deep.

This is a pertinent opportunity for me to wish Mazel Tov to my sister Naomi who got married to Mochi Chesner just a few days ago, since this untimely message is true in many aspects of our daily life, especially marriage. Often one can get into an argument with a spouse or friend and it seems that the only way out is to hold onto our side of the dispute, firmly. Giving in to the other person’s perspective seems like a distant, unrealistic option and we often dig in our heels

his heart; it was obvious that he had to let them go. The purpose of

and decide that it is ‘my way or the highway’. This is just like Pharaoh

Hashem ‘hardening his heart’ was not to detract from his free will,

who saw the only option as wading deeper and deeper into the mud.

on the contrary, it was to enable it! When Hashem made Pharaoh stubborn it was only to balance the open miracles, and now Pharaoh

What we must realise is that we have another choice; we can choose to see the other side of the story and accept that our opinion

had a perfectly poised decision to make; should he let them go or not.

is not all or nothing. We can ‘let go’ of our preconceived notions and

What I want to understand is, if Pharaoh indeed had free will, why

allow the other person’s perspective to shine. We can work towards

didn’t he let the Jews go? Hashem had shown open miracles, no-one

agreeing on a common goal and allow the uniqueness of two people

knew better that Pharaoh himself that even the greatest magicians

to radiate. This… is ‘What Pharaoh didn’t know’!

in the world were no match for the G-dly power that stood against

May we always merit peaceful relationships.

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Why are so many mitzvos remembering the leaving from Mitzrayim?

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ALEINU CONFERENCE

Last week over 200 Rabbonim, Rebbetzins and Mechanchim gathered together to hear shiurim and divrei chizuk relating to their avodas hakodesh of outreach and ensuring Jewish Futures. The conference was graced by Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu, HaRav Shraga Feivel Zimmerman and Harav Noach Orlowek.

One of the highlights of the conference was a shiur by

Harav Yitzchak Berkovits

on the sefer mezakeh harabbim by the Alter of Novardhok, and was given to all attendees. The shiur is written up in part here.

‫ מזכה הרבים‬- MEZAKEH HO’RABIM The Sefer Mezakeh Harabbim comes after several sections of Madreigas HaAdam. The Alter of Novardhok speaks about Adam HaRishon before the cheit and its relevance to us today. He first goes through the obligation for a person to first perfect himself. He explains that the purpose of life is tikun hamiddos and arriving at shleimus. A person needs to be honest with oneself, not live in a fantasy world, we must understand that we have an internal yetzer hora that is part of every decision we make and unless we are able to rise above that and identify with our neshamos, then all our decisions big or small, even leshem shamayim will be tainted by the yetzer hora.

This is how the sefer develops, right up until the final chapter where there is a total turnaround. He then proceeds to tell us we don’t have the right to focus solely on ourselves at a time when the children of klal yisrael are being brought up without basic Torah values and are not being given the privilege of even a basic Torah education.

He quotes the famous gemara in Bava Metzia 85b that tells us that the great Rabbi Chiya became a farmer who then planted flax, went hunting, trapped animals, shechted them and fed their meat to orphans. He wrote the five books of the Torah on their skins and taught five children the chamisha chumshei Torah and then the shisha sidrei Mishna to six others. Then he told the children to learn one part and teach that to the others, they will all do the same and then Torah would not be forgotten from klal yisrael.

He explains – Rabbi Chiya was mafkir himself as a individual, pushed aside all personal growth for the sake of saving Torah in klal yisrael. The number one responsibility, despite the fact we need to build ourselves, is to build klal yisrael. How can that be?

Because whatever we do for ourselves remains within us. When we deal with klal yisrael we are affecting eternity. The permanent avodah, that which will make a mark on humanity, is worrying about the future of klal yisrael.

Then he goes further and explains that Rabbi Chiya was teaching his talmidim to learn for the sake of teaching one another. Their learning was on the level of nitzchius, al menas lelamed in order to share. He wasn’t just giving them a chinuch and then telling them one day now your time is to teach. Rather from day one – when he taught Bereishis to one child and he taught Shemos to another - he told them that you are learning Shemos so that the one learning Bereishis can learn from you.

The whole Torah is nitzchius, each child had a feeling “I am learning to preserving torah in klal yisrael. I am learning to teach.”

The gadlus of Rav Chiya wasn’t that he just taught talmidim but that he taught his talmidim that the secret of nitchius of everyone’s learning is what they prepare to give over to others.

The Alter introduced his talmidim to the beauty of growth, being honest with oneself, becoming pure and growing towards shleimus. Getting rid of anger, jealousy, getting rid of that evil, destroy the sheker, and the Novardakers loved it. He says you love it, you see you are moving towards shleimus, STOP! Now you are ready for mesirus nefesh, NOW you can be dedicate yourself for the klal.

It had to be this way. Mezakeh harabbim couldn’t come first. It had to be everything that proceeded it first, building yeshivas – based on mussar, then at the same time - sending out the message of going out there to do kiruv. And they did.

The Novardokers did kiruv. They were at the train stations when Jewish students were on the way to universities, which in those times was a one way ticket to assimilation. The Alter’s bochurim succecced in saving many people from oblivion during those troubled times.

The Alter of Novardhok gave klal yisrael leaders and taught them that leadership has to be with mesirus nefesh in so many different ways. It is this willingness to be so dedicated to the klal that produced such remarkable results.

Written by Rabbi Zvi Gefen, Aish UK.

Easy Givin g – ‫את ידך‬

‫פתוח תפתח‬

Excerpts from the sefer Easy Giving / ‫( פתח תפתח את ידך‬which includes extensive notes and comprehensive halachic sources), authored by Eli Katz and Emanuel Meyer and available from sefarim shops in NW London. Contact us at info@tzedokoh.co.uk tzedakah

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katz meyer

Mar14 COVER

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11/04/2014

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HALACHAH CHARITY

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE HALACHOS OF COMMUNAL OBLIGATIONS, MITZVAS TZEDAKAH AND MA’ASER KESAFIM

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In Section A, we clarified the obligation to support the essential communal infrastructure and its precedence over mitzvas tzedokoh. In Section B, we focused on the mitzvah min hatorah of tzedokoh, its exclusive purpose to financially support aniyim / poor people and the prohibitions related to tzedokoh including the obligation not to ignore the requests of an oni. In Section C, we discuss the laws relating to the custom of ma’aser kesofim - donating 10%-20% of your income, starting with the two primary sources, the ma’aser kesofim income and expenditure calculations and the main categories for distribution (tzedokah & Torah support for aniyim, chesed, other mitzvos and also restricted uses).

Section C - Ma’aser Kesofim CHAPTER 6 - ALLOCATING FUNDS FOR CATEGORY 1: TZEDOKOH (ANIYIM) CONTINUED) D.

pupils from parents who are aniyim, and therefore only a portion of your donations may be considered as tzedokoh for aniyim. For example, in various secondary schools in North-West London, where fees are subsidised and set at around fifty percent of the costs, and roughly fifty percent of parents pay full fees, it could be assumed that half of the parents who pay the fees in full could in fact afford to pay the full costs. In many cases this is indeed the situation, whereby parents who can afford full costs do in fact donate the additional amounts in excess of the subsidised fees. However, this is not always the situation, and therefore a small portion of your donations to that school may potentially be used to support boys with wealthy parents and thus this portion cannot be considered ma’aser kesofim for Category 1 – aniyim

SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF TORAH INSTITUTIONS. 1. Based on our understanding of Gateshead Yeshiva Gedola, the fees are typically set to exactly cover the full costs per bochur. Any shortfalls are thus sponsorship of bochurim whose parents are not able to pay their fees.

Furthermore, the Yeshiva insists wherever possible, that only parents who have genuine financial difficulties are allowed to pay reduced fees. Thus any donations to the Yeshiva, which are all used to offset the shortfall, would all be classed as tzedokoh for aniyim, i.e. for those parents who are unable to afford the full fees.

2. Where yeshiva or school fees are less than the costs, then it is possible that a small percentage of your donations is not going towards sponsoring

CHAPTER 7 - ALLOCATING FUNDS FOR CATEGORY 2: GEMILLAS CHESSED d. Medical institutions such as hospitals, Zaka, Hatzoloh, and Chana.

A. GENERAL RULES

e. Voluntary donations to shuls.

1. As explained above Chapter 5:B.3, the primary causes for distribution of your ma’aser kesofim is to aniyim and to support Torah, however you may also allocate up to thirty-three percent towards secondary causes.

2. It would seem that the priorities which apply to tzedokoh as described in Chapter 4:A.1 apply also to Category 2 – general chessed distributions and general Torah support. Chessed is providing support and assistance to others, who are not necessarily aniyim.

f.

Supporting other communities’ shuls, brisim, mikvahs etc.

2. Support for medical costs for aniyim who are unwell is the very highest category of tzedokoh.

C. TORAH SUPPORT NOT FOR ANIYIM. 1. This would include: a. Kiruv and youth organisations which teach Torah to the general public who are not aniyim.

B. CHESSED 1. Key examples of Category 2 would include:

b. Supporting institutions which publish seforim.

a. General gemillas chessed. b. Gemachim. c. Special needs, for example, Kisharon, Camp Kef, Camp Simcha, Shema Koli and Ezra Umarpeh.

c. According to some opinions, general donations to schools and yeshivos which are not sponsoring specifically children of parents unable to afford full fees. d. Additional building enhancements to beautify Torah institutions.

Chapter 8 - ALLOCATING FUNDS FOR CATEGORY 3: OTHER MITZVOS A. GENERAL RULES. 1. This category is for all donations used for good causes, or optional mitzvos, which are not tzedokoh, Torah support or chessed.

2. Donations to this category should not be allocated from the first ten percent of your ma’aser kesofim. Only if you separate ma’aser kesfoim in excess of ten percent can you use the excess for this category.

4. One may donate to individual needy gentiles who request donations or general institutions and worthy causes such as Cancer Research or other health charities, although this is less preferable as a use of ma’aser kesofim. If not donating could give rise to anti-semitism, then you must make a donation.

3. An additional condition is that you may only allocate your ma’aser kesofim to this category, if otherwise you would not have performed this mitzvoh.

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To Be Continued ....

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*: This deal is dependent on a minimum of 20 weeks sponsors signing up. **: This will be approved by the editor and board of the Oneg Shabbos.

QUIZ TIME

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4. livingwithmitzvos.com

Why do we always call it ‫ יציאת מצרים‬that literally means “the leaving of the Egyptians” not the Jews?

MY WEEKLY HALACHIC QUESTION

Rabbi Avi Wiesenfeld

Rosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halachah Beis Horaah

TU-BISHVAT (part 1) of the Torah, but one who eats an insect, even the smallest insect, transgresses up to six.

The fifteenth of Shevat is the Rosh Hashanah for the trees. The Gemara explains that by this time of year most of the rain that is due to fall has already fallen1. There is an ancient minhag in many communities to eat many different kinds of fruits on Tu-Bishvat.

The Yerushalmi teaches that a person will have to give an accounting as to why he saw something and never made a beracha on it, demonstrating that things that Hashem created were not important in his eyes2.

CHECKING FOR BUGS One of the most common prohibitions that is transgressed during Tu-Bishvat is the prohibition against eating bugs. Many fruits are infested with bugs, and without the proper inspection and preparation, one can transgress this prohibition repeatedly.

The Torah prohibits the consumption of small crawling creatures. The contaminating effect consuming these things has on the neshamah impedes a person’s ability to elevate and sanctify himself, and it has a negative effect on one’s character traits3.

This prohibition is one of the most severe prohibitions that a person commonly confronts, as Chazal tell us4 that the eating of just one bug could entail between four to six Torah prohibitions. If so many Torah prohibitions are transgressed by eating just one bug, imagine how many prohibitions are transgressed when one eats a fruit that is infested with many bugs. For comparison’s sake, a person who eats a kezayis of pork transgresses one negative commandment 1 Gemarah Rosh Hashana 15a, see Rashi.

2 Yerushalmi Kedushin end of Perek 4, brought in the Mishnah Berurah 225:19, Aruch Hashulchan 5.

3 See Vayikrah 11:43.

4 See Gemarah Maccos 17b, Rambam, Machlos Asuros 2:22.

The London

Shiur Guide

QUIZ TIME

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FOLLOW MY LATEST SHIURIM ON TORAHANYTIME.COM ÂÂ Often, one can notice something on the fruit but

The Pele Yoetz writes, “In our seforim, the authors have already decried this phenomenon very bitterly, for all who [are referred to as] Yisroel will not eat neveilos, treifos, or pork and the like in exchange for all the gold and silver in the world. Even if one were to force a Jew to undergo bitter torture and even death, he would not defile himself with such foods, even though pork is tasty. But eating neveilos or treifos or pork involves the transgression of just one negative commandment, while eating one worm involves the transgression of four or five negative commandments. Thus, one who is careless in his eating and does not check his food is liable to violate myriads of negative prohibitions with equanimity, without deriving any enjoyment from all this, only due to a lack of caution.”

Let me introduce you to some of the insects that may grace your fruits or vegetables:

Aphids

Thrips

he does not recognize this as a bug. If, when he uses a magnifying glass and sees that it is a bug, it is included in the prohibition. This is because this is considered as though it can be seen with the human eye.6 In this case, the magnifying glass is used not to see the insect, but simply to assist in confirming that what appears to be a speck of dust or dirt is in fact an insect.7

ÂÂ Similarly, the colour of the insect is often camouflaged by the colour of the food surrounding it, such as in the case with insects commonly found in lettuce leaves. These insects are also included in the prohibition and they are forbidden despite their unnoticeable appearance.8

ÂÂ An insect which cannot be seen by a person with bad eyesight but can be seen by one with normal eyesight is also included in this prohibition.9 Q. If one slices through a fruit and notices that he cut through an insect, does the knife remain kosher?

A. Yes. The knife should be washed with cold or lukewarm water.10 The fruit may be eaten after the part of the fruit where the insect was found is completely removed so that no trace of the insect and its blood remains.

Q. If one finds bugs in his food, may he throw the entire food away?

Leafminer

Worms/Cabbage Looper

Q. Does this prohibition include insects so small that they cannot be detected by the eye?

A. Any insect that can be detected by the human eye is included in this prohibition. If it cannot be seen in this manner, one does not transgress the prohibition.5

5 Rashba, Rashi to Eiruvin 28a, Succah 18a, Chochmos Adam 38:8, Aruch Hashulchan 46.

A. Yes. There is no problem of bal tashchis to throw away the remaining fruit when one feels repulsed by it. The same is true regarding any fruit or vegetable that is infested and one has no appetite to clean out all the insects and eat it.11 Listen to Rabbi Wiesenfeld’s shiurim on checking bugs (and many other topics) at torahanytime.com

6 Yaavitz 2:124, Shevet Haleivi 7:125:2.

7 Rav Shlomo Zalman zt”l brought in sefer Bedikas Hamozon page 102.

8 Binas Adam 38:49, Pri Toar 64:15.

9 Darkei Teshuva 15, Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach zt”l.

10 See Chachmas Adam 48:27.

11 Rav Wosner zt”l, Rav Y.S. Elyashiv zt”l brought in Bedikas Hamazon Chapter 4.

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5. When else in the year do we read in the Torah from Parshas Bo? livingwithmitzvos.com

HALACHAH

7

A THREE-PLY CORD IS NOT SEVERED

R’ Benzy Shternlicht

Kollel Toras Chaim Headed by Rabbi Avi Wiesenfeld

We start this week’s parsha with a dialogue between Hashem and Moshe where it says, “ and so that you may relate in the ears of your sons and your sons’ sons, that I made a mockery of Egypt and my signs that I placed among them – that you may know that I am Hashem”.

Hashem was telling Moshe that all the makos and the other punishments the Egyptians are suffering should be told over to future generations to instill in them a belief in Hashem.

There is an interesting point in this posuk and that is how Hashem wants this message to be transmitted, specifically from father to son. More interesting is the fact that this giving over to children seems to stop after two generations, why shouldn’t it be given over to further generations too?

I would like to suggest an answer based on two gemaros with which we can both answer these questions and find an important lesson for our own lives.

The first gemara is found in Bava Metzia 85b, where it says in the name of R Yochanan that anyone who is a talmid chacham and his son is a talmid chacham and so too his grandson, then the Torah will never leave his family. A very similar gemara is found in Bava Basra 59a, where the gemara brings a posuk from Koheles (4:12)”A three-ply cord is not severed”.

This is brought in reference to R’ Oshia, the son of R’ Chomoh the son of R’ Bisa.

In both of these gemaros their seems to be one theme and that is that once Torah is passed on to three generations there is a guarantee that the Torah will endure in that family forever.

With this in hand maybe we can begin to understand the posuk we brought down before, but first the gemoro, how does the fact that three generations were talmidei chachamim guarantee the future?

We can understand this by looking into two different traits we find in ourselves, one of them is enthusiasm and the other is lethargy. In everything we do in our lives whether it be learning, working or anything else, we are faced with a choice, to do the task with joy and excitement or to just get it done as quickly as possible, without much thought.

The gemara is telling us that if we perform mitzvos with enthusiasm and happiness, to the extent that that our children see it and follow it and so too their children, this will guarantee that this trait of enthusiasm for the emess will stay within the family.

It may be that what Hashem was explaining to Moshe was that all these incredible signs and wonders you are experiencing in Mitzrayim will serve as a major foundation for all the future generations. Through their reliving and recalling the miracles which they saw with their own eyes to their children and them on to their children, there will be three generations with a deep Emunah in Hashem which will stand firm till the end of time.

PARSHAH

8

ANSWERS 1. It consisted of two groups of three.

However, the seventh day of darkness took place when the Egyptians chased the Jews in the sea.

2. Rashi at the beginning of Bereishis says that the Torah should have really started from Parshas Bo since this is where the first mitzvah is said to all the Jews.

3. The Ramban at the end of Parshas Bo explains that it is a foundation for our belief. Hashem openly revealed He is in charge of the world by Yetzias Mitzrayim and from this we realise that this remains true despite the cloud of nature that hides Him. 4. Perhaps we see from here how the Jews were so steeped in the 49th level of tumah that they were hardly recognisable from the real Egyptians!

5. We read parts from Parshas Bo as the Maftir for Parshas HaChodesh and also for the reading for the first day of Pesach as well as the reading for the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach.

Riddle Answer The Medrash Tanchuma in Parshas Beshalach 27 almost at the end of the Sedrah brings down that in our Parshah Perek 12 Possuk 13 “and it shall be that the Dam (blood) shall be an Os (sign) etc.” did the blood help the Angel of Death or Yisroel but all the time when Yisroel put blood on their entrances Hakadosh Baruch Hu pitied them and would not let the Angel of Death come to their house so again this shows an instance of Emunah of Bnei Yisroel.

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*: This deal is dependent on a minimum of 20 weeks sponsors signing up. **: This will be approved by the editor and board of the Oneg Shabbos.

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