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North West London’s Weekly Torah and Opinion Sheets

A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone

‫ | ט’ אב תשע”ו | פ’ דברים‬13th August 2016

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‫הדלקת נרות‬

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For questions on Divrei Torah please contact the Editor in Chief, Rabbi Yonasan Roodyn rabbiroodyn@ jewishfuturestrust.com

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

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Summer - Kiddush Hashem at Home and Away Rabbi Jeremy Golker | Head of Kodesh, Hasmonean High School

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It had been a long week and a frum businessman, with whom I am acquainted, was pleased to find a seat on the busy Underground train as he headed home for Shabbos. The lady opposite him also seemed to have had a tiring week as she put her hand bag down next to her and promptly fell asleep.

relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu and live with a reality of His existence. This was really the function of the Beis Hamikdash, it created a home for the resting of Hashem’s Presence and a means to find that closeness with Hashem.

Dazzled by the sudden rays of light as the train emerged from the tunnel approaching Golders Green Station, the lady slowly arose from her slumber. The train soon pulled to a halt and she suddenly realised that it was her stop and dashed off the train.

The destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and galus generally is a darkness which means creating that spiritual reality is much harder.

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But whilst it may not be easy, living with Kiddush Hashem is not just a means of fulfilling the function of the Beis Hamikdash, it is living life as it should be lived.

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He watched the scene unfold before him. As the train doors shut and the train slowly pulled away, the lady realised she had left her bag on her seat. The last thing she saw was a frum businessman walk towards her bag. However he knew that he had to rush as Shabbos was fast approaching. He would not have time to trace the owner of the hand bag and try to return it before Shabbos. It would have to wait until Motzoei Shabbos. Straight after havdallah, he opened the handbag and eventually found the phone number of its owner and duly called her. “I’ve been waiting for your call!” exclaimed the lady. “Can I come around and pick it up now?” She arrived at his home a short while later with a bottle of wine as a gift. He noticed the wine was kosher and had been bought from a local kosher shop. Out of curiosity he asked when she had bought the wine as the kosher stores had been shut all day. The lady’s reply was nothing short of astonishing. As she saw a religious Jew approach her bag, she knew it was being taken so that it could be returned as soon as possible to its owner. In anticipation, she has rushed straight to the store on Friday and bought it so as to give a gift to the kind soul who would return her bag. A remarkable Kiddush Hashem indeed! The Nesivos Shalom notes that the ultimate purpose of a Jew in this world is to achieve dveikus to Hashem, to create a real 1

1 Bamidbar, Bein Hametzarim, page 200

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The Chafetz Chaim would explain Hashem’s words to Moshe: “Ki hamokom asher atah omed alav, admas kodesh hu” “The place on which you stand is holy ground”2. Whichever place or whatever situation you find yourself in is holy. Right here and now, this is the time and place where you are able to grow and create holiness. The holiday season we are now in is also an opportunity to create that Kiddush Hashem. I once heard a beautiful allusion to this in the Shmonei Esrei of Shabbos Mincha3. People need a rest and go on holiday for different reasons and we refer to them in this amida. One is “menuchas ahavah u’nedavah” – time to spend quality time with family and loved ones. “Menuchas emes v’emunah” – time to recharge spiritual batteries, to think, dream and contemplate more, to daven more slowly and spend more time learning. “Menuchas shalom, v’shalva, v’hashket u’vetach” – time to recharge physical batteries and relax in quiet tranquillity. All of these types of rests are fine, so long as “Al menuchasam yakdishu es Shemecha”, that they create a Kiddush Hashem. May we all merit to recharge our spiritual and physical batteries over the summer and live lives of Kiddush Hashem. 2 Shemos 3:5 3 I would be most grateful if any reader would let me know where I may have seen or heard this idea.

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BY BORUCH KAHAN

This week’s Sedrah is the last of a group of 5 that are spread out in 4 of the Chamisha Chumshei Torah what do they all have in common. The clue is in the number 5 mentioned above. Thanks to Rav Eli Segal of Hendon who provided me with this week’s riddle. Any comments can be directed to bkahan47@yahoo.co.uk. Answer on page 6

Yerushalayim, Antwerp, Baltimore, Beit- Shemesh, Borehamwood, Chile, Cyprus, Edgware, Elstree, Gateshead, Gibraltar, Hale, Holland, Hong Kong, Ilford, Johannesburg, Lakewood, Larnaca, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Miami, Milan, New York, Petach Tikva, Philadelphia, Radlett, Santiago, Tallinn, Toronto, Vienna, Zurich

Rabbi Alan Wilkinson | Rabbi, Great Ormond Street Hospital The Gemara1 addresses the difference between the tochecha in Sefer Vayikra and the warning in Sefer Devarim, and notes: “The former are in the plural, and Moshe conveyed therein a Divine message, while the latter are in the singular and Moshe composed them himself.” In the Zohar, this distinction is widened to include the entire Sefer Devarim. This assertion, despite its support in the first person wording of the Sefer, nevertheless seems to contradict the very basis of our faith in the Divine origin of the entire Torah. 1 Megilla 31b

The Rambam rules2: “Three fall into the category of apikorsim, kofrim b’Torah, denying the Torah: Someone who says that the Torah is not from Hashem; if he says of even one verse or even one letter that Moshe composed it himself, then he is a kofer b’Torah.” The source for this ruling is a beraisa in Sanhedrin 99a. What does ‘Moshe composed it himself’ mean? Is it possible that Moshe said even one single letter of the Torah of his own initiative? One pasuk in particular has been subject to discussion with regards to this issue: ‘ho’il Moshe be’er es haTorah hazos’3. Rashi explains this as meaning ‘Moshe began to explain this Torah’. The Ramban, citing supporting texts from the nevi’im says that the words mean ‘Moshe desired to explain this Torah’. According to the Ramban Moshe wants bnei yisrael to know that ‘he himself, decided to [explain the law]. He was not commanded to do so by Hashem.’ In his introduction to Bereishis, however, the Ramban is very clear about Moshe’s role and his use of the first person in Devarim: ‘Moshe served as a scribe copying from an ancient book…for it is true and clear that the entire Torah from the beginning of the 2 Hilchos Teshuva 3:8 3 Devarim 1:5

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book of Bereishis until the words ‘l’aynei kol Yisroel’, were spoken from the mouth of the Holy One Blessed Be He directly to the ears of Moshe.’ The Abarbanel, in his introduction to Devarim, says that the sefer consists primarily of Moshe’s explanations of laws and concepts about which uncertainty had developed during the years in the midbar. According to this opinion, it would appear that Moshe offered an independent analysis concerning these laws, but then Hashem commanded him to include that analysis in the Torah. According to the Abarbanel, Hashem weaved Moshe’s contribution into the Divinely authored Torah. The Maharal of Prague, later quoted in the name of the Vilna Gaon, provides a detailed approach to the uniqueness of Devarim. The first four books were ‘placed by Hashem in Moshe’s mouth’. Hashem speaks through Moshe. In Devarim, according to this idea, Moshe’s involvement changes and he becomes a shaliach. The Maharal examines the nature of communication and says that initially the Torah reflects Hashem’s perspective in the communication that shapes the Torah. Man merely has a passive role, receiving the finished product. With Devarim everything changes. This sefer is designed, according

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PARSHAH

Devarim is Different!

to the Maharal, to include the perspective of the recipient. Devarim is known as Mishneh Torah and contains elaborations and explanations that are required for our understanding of Hashem’s laws. Moshe is no longer merely a scribe but an active participant in the formulation of the text. Not just a transmitter but a shaliach shaping the text from his own perspective, the viewpoint of man4. The Kli Chemda suggests that in actual fact the differences between the sefarim is more subtle. He suggests that although Moshe’s words and deeds contribute to the narrative from Sefer Shemos, the final recording of the law mirrors Hashem’s instructions word for word without any change. Moshe explained and elaborated on halacha towards the end of his life to ensure that bnei yisrael understood and appreciated the mitzvos. After Moshe offered his analyses Hashem directed him to record them in the book of Devarim as part of the Torah. By accepting and incorporating Moshe’s contributions into the divinely authored Torah, Hashem makes those contributions an integral part of the Torah. The whole idea of mesorah is essential to us. The receiving of our heritage from the previous generation and then passing that heritage to the next generation. As part of the process the Torah passes through us, it is no longer in Heaven. Once Hashem has established the legal and methodological foundations of halacha it is handed over to the Rabbonim of each generation for continuing interpretation and application. Similarly, as we pass the Torah to our next generations we are influenced by our experiences and perceptions. We have to ensure that our personal imprint on the Torah and our mesorah is in line with the Torah received by Moshe and transmitted to Yehoshua as an unbroken chain. 4 Tiferes Yisrael 43

You might notice something strange when hearing the reading of the Torah on Shabbos. The reader (in some communities) instead of stopping by the place written in the Chumash as Sheini, stops one pasuk before it. Why?

Dayan Yehoshua Posen | Federation Reb Shabsi Yudelevitch ‫זצ''ל‬ once related how a group of tourists were walking through the neighbourhood of Meah Shearim on Tisha B’Av morning, and they wandered into a shul. They saw the lights were dimmed and all of the mispalelim were sitting on the floor and appeared very distressed. One of the tourists asked a mispalel sitting by the door, what was going on? The mispalel explained that: “Thousands of years ago we had a large magnificent temple, and our enemies came and destroyed it. Today is the anniversary of the date when it was destroyed, and so we are in mourning for the loss of our temple!” The tourist contemplated this, and after a minute he asked “Tell me, was your Temple insured?” The Yied replied, “No.” The tourist responded: “In that case it really was a big loss. Next time, it’s worthwhile getting insurance!” We are of course not in aveilus because we didn’t have insurance! However, like a person who was born blind, we can’t begin to understand what we are missing and therefore we are not able to properly mourn its loss. Chazal tell us how the Beis Hamikdash enabled Klal Yisrael to experience the Hashra’as Hashechina in a far closer, more intimate way. However, it is very difficult for us to begin to comprehend what that means and therefore to begin to appreciate the magnitude of our loss. But there is a perspective we can understand.

fell out. The Gemara implies that this story is connected to the Churban HaBayis, and in fact quotes a pasuk in Eichah in relation to this story. The question is, what has this story got to do with the Churban? Reb Chaim Zeitchik zt’’l explained that Rabban Gamliel understood that all the tragedies and difficulties that befall Klal Yisrael, whether on a communal level or on a personal level, have their origin in the fact that we no longer have a Beis Hamikdash! When Rabban Gamliel heard and felt his neighbour’s pain, he in turn cried over the root cause of this tragedy - the Churban HaBayis. Apart from the incredible level of human loss Klal Yisrael suffered during the Churban of the Bayis Rishon and Bayis Sheini the Batei Mikdash served as a conduit through which HaKadosh Baruch Hu brought down to the world, health, wealth, bracha and hatzalacha.

A couple of years ago I began feeling excruciating pain down the inside of my leg. I went to see a doctor who told me that I had a slipped disc in my back. I replied “Doctor, my back feels fine, it’s my leg which hurts!” to which the doctor explained, “There is nothing really wrong with your leg, but the slipped disc is sitting on the sciatic nerve which travels down your leg. The pressure on the nerve is ‘telling your brain’ that your leg is hurting; but in actual fact you are experiencing what is known as referred pain.”

However, we focus and mourn the ‘partially referred pain’, our own personal tzoros, and we hardly acknowledge the Churban HaBayis. We are so removed from it, that many people find it hard to invoke any feeling of loss for it at all, and instead focus on more recent tragedies, such as the Holocaust.

The Gemara1 tells of a woman who was a neighbour of Rabban Gamliel and who unfortunately lost a child. In her pain and distress she audibly cried the whole night, mourning her son. When Rabban Gamliel heard her distress, he too cried the whole night until his eyelashes

There was once a couple who waited many years for a child, and were bentched with a son. When the boy reached the age of five, his health started to rapidly deteriorate. His parents sought out the best doctors to try and diagnose what

1 Sanhedrin 104b

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was wrong. Eventually, the parents were informed that their son had a very rare heart condition, which weakened the heart muscles. The only way to save him was to toughen him up, and try to make him more of a fighter. They explained that a child of this young age would not be able to achieve this in the warm and caring environment of his home. Drastic action was required. The only way they could save their dear son would be to send him away to an orphanage far away from where they lived. They would only be able to visit him every three months, and he would probably have to stay there at least a couple of years! The parents were naturally distraught. They tried explaining the situation to their young son, but he could not comprehend why his loving parents would desert him and send him away from his family and home. Without a choice, the parents had to bid their child a very emotional farewell. After three months, the parents eagerly arrived at the orphanage for their first long awaited visit. However, when they saw the conditions of the home, and how their son appeared, they were shocked. They tried to make the most of the short visit, but their son spent most of the time pleading to come home and asking them why they were doing this to him. By the time the parents had to leave their hysterical son, they were emotionally distraught. With each visit they found their son less distressed, but more distanced from them. This caused them tremendous pain, but they knew it was for their son’s own good. After a couple of years, things deteriorated to a stage where their son didn’t even acknowledge them; and whilst they eagerly awaited each visit, it was of no significance to him. This was the source of the greatest pain of all to the couple. After all that they had sacrificed for the wellbeing of their son, they had stopped being a factor in his life… they had saved a life but lost a son! The Gemara2 explains how at the time of the churban the kruvim where hugging each other, Rav Shimshon Pincus zt’’l explains that this was to show that Hashem loves Klal Yisrael and was destroying the Beis HaMikdash for our own good. However, as the galus drags on, we become more and more distanced from him and are oblivious to how desperate He is to bring the geulah and be reunited with us. May we be zocheh to repair our relationship with our Father in Heaven so that He can bring us home speedily and in our days. 2 Yuma 54b

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Who is the wise man that may understand this and who is he to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it? Why has the land perished, burnt up like a wilderness that none pass through? And Hashem said, “Because they have forsaken my Torah, which I set before them, and have not obeyed My Voice, nor walked therein” (Yirmiyahu 9:11-12). The question of why the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed and the Land left desolate was posed to the Sages and the prophets1. None could explain until HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself revealed that it was a result of having forsaken the Torah. The Gemara continues that the failure to listen to G-d’s voice and walk in the Torah’s ways refers to their failure to recite birkas haTorah. Rabbeinu Yonah asks how this seemingly obvious fact — that the Torah was forsaken — could have eluded the Sages and prophets? To his question we can add others. The Gemara in Yoma2 says that the first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of immorality, murder and idolatry. Why, then, did Yirmiyahu mention only the failure to make a blessing over Torah study. Moreover, where did the Sages see in the verse itself that it refers to the failure to make a blessing rather than total abandonment of the Torah? Rabbeinu Yonah answers that in fact the generation learned Torah constantly and fulfilled the mitzvos. That is why the Sages did not recognise that they have forsaken the Torah. But if so, how did they fall to such a level that they committed the three cardinal sins? Why didn’t their Torah learning protect them? To this Hashem replied: their Torah learning was lacking, as seen from their neglect of the blessing over their learning. Let us try to understand what dimension the blessing adds to Torah learning and how this deficiency is hinted to in the verse itself. Yeshayahu3 castigated the Jewish people for serving Hashem, “Command by command, line by line, a little here, and a little there.” His rebuke was based on their failure to integrate the observance of all the mitzvos into a unified service of Hashem. Just as Hashem is One, so, too, is His will one. He has one all-encompassing request of man. As the verse says, “What does Hashem your G-d ask of you other than that you fear Him?4”. What Hashem demands from us is a constant awareness of His presence and of our obligation to emulate Him and act according to His will. All the 613 mitzvos are in fact expressions of emunah in Hashem5. Since we are human beings in a physical world, we cannot relate to Hashem’s will without it being broken down into segments that we can deal with individually. Imagine a globe of the world encased in a larger globe. In the outer globe, 613 small windows are cut, each window exposing a small portion of the surface of the enclosed globe. A composite picture from all the windows would yield a view Nedarim 81a Yoma 9b Yeshayahu 28:10 Devarim 10:12 See Maharsha to Makkos 23b

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Thus there is more to leading a Torah life than merely observing 613 rules. The ultimate goal is to understand the implications of each mitzvah in the context of the overall Divine will that must shape our personality, outlook, and actions. In addition to shemiyah lekol Hashem — listening to G-d’s voice and obeying His commands — one must also have shemiyah bekol Hashem — listening into G-d’s voice, an understanding of the implications and meaning of those mitzvos in their broader context. Observance of the Torah “tzav letzav, kav lekav,6” i.e., rule by rule, without sensitivity to the aspects of Divine will revealed in each mitzvah, is inadequate. Yaakov told Esav, “I lived with Lavan and kept all 613 mitzvos and didn’t learn from his evil deeds.” Keeping the 613 mitzvos and not learning from Lavan’s evil ways are two separate things. Only if one seeks Hashem’s will within the mitzvos, can he create a Torah hashkafah, a character and lifestyle that precludes being influenced by Lavan’s evil ways. That was the deficiency of the generation of the Churban. They kept the mitzvos and learned Torah, but did so perfunctorily. “Within their mouths and lips do they honour Me, but their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is as a commandment of men learned by rote7”. Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz zt’’l was once invited to be the guest of a certain individual for the Friday night seudah. Arriving home with his host, it was immediately obvious that the hostess had fallen asleep from an exhausting erev Shabbos and had failed to awaken on time to put the finishing touches to the table. Her embarrassed husband berated her for her failure to cover the challos. Reb Shraga Feivel thought to himself how absurd it was for the man to humiliate his wife for not having covered the challos — a minhag designed to keep the challos from being “embarrassed” during Kiddush and to teach us how sensitive we must be to another ‘s honour. The host, in his concern for the minhag, had completely ignored its implications. Failure to see the mitzvos as an expression of the totality of Hashem’s will, and not as just disjointed commands, leads to the distortion of mitzvos themselves. One year I received an urgent call just before Yom Kippur from a woman in my congregation. Her husband had been told by his doctor that he was suffering from a condition which could prove lifethreatening if he fasted. Nevertheless he was determined to 6 Yeshayahu 28:10,13 7 Yeshayahu 29:13

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of the globe within. So, too, the individual mitzvos are merely partial manifestations of Hashem’s one, all-inclusive will. Each mitzvah is a window through which we glimpse a portion of that will.

fast. I spoke to his doctor and consulted another observant doctor to confirm the diagnosis. There was no doubt that fasting would endanger his life. I called in the man and explained to him that he must eat on Yom Kippur. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Rabbi, you’re a young man and I’m about three times your age, well into my seventies. Since my bar mitzvah I have not eaten on Yom Kippur, and I do not intend to start now.” I replied that I could not force him to eat on Yom Kippur, but that as soon as he left my office, I would instruct the gabbai never to give him another honour in our shul. When he asked why he deserved such treatment for being strict with respect to Yom Kippur, I told him that we are prohibited from honoring idol worshippers. “What idol worship am I guilty of?” he demanded to know. I explained, “Hashem, the G-d of Israel, has decreed that you must eat on Yom Kippur. If some other g-d has commanded you to fast, it is irrelevant to me if you call it Zeus, Kemosh or Yom Kippur — all idols are the same.” The Gemara8 describes how the kohanim used to race up the ramp of the altar to determine who would perform the sacrificial service that day. Once, two kohanim were neck-toneck, at which point one drew a knife and thrust it into his adversary’s heart. Distorting the mitzvos by losing sight of their context transformed the sacrifices into a cult, which led in turn to murder. Hashem’s answer to Yirmiyahu revealed how people who studied and observed Torah could fall to the depths of immorality, murder and idolatry. “They forsook My Torah” — not the Torah, but My Torah. They failed to hear G-d’s will expressed in the Torah; — they failed to hear into My voice. And therefore they failed to walk in the ways of the Torah — they failed to make the Torah an all-encompassing guide. All of this is symbolised by the failure to make a berachah prior to learning. The bracha begins, “asher kideshanu bemitzvosav”— the purpose of the mitzvos is to sanctify us and to inspire us to holiness. The second bracha emphasizes that the purpose of Torah is to make us — those who know and emulate G-d’s character traits in order to develop a complete Torah personality. And the third brachah emphasises, — that Hashem has chosen us from the nations of the world and given us the responsibility to become a nation of Kohanim and a holy people. The bracha enjoins us not to merely hear the words, but to consider their implications. For this reason we refer to an observant Jew as a shomer Torah u’mitzvos. At first glance, the reference to both Torah and mitzvos seems redundant. The intention is to emphasise that in addition to mitzvos, this person observes the Torah, the complete expression of Hashem’s will. The purpose of Eretz Yisrael is to provide the most conducive, holy environment in which to observe the mitzvos so that we can create a total Torah life for the Jewish people as a whole. But when the Jewish people observe mitzvos perfunctorily, without the intention to live a complete Torah life, then the need for the land is negated, and its physical destruction follows. That is the lesson Hashem revealed to Yirmiyahu. 8 Yoma 23a

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Tishah B’av on a Sunday….. Rav Chaim of Volozhin and the Chasam Sofer remarked that throughout the course of history, many nations have experienced physical destruction and the loss of national independence, yet none continues to mourn their loss as the Jewish people do. These other nations have accepted the irrevocable nature of their misfortunes and the fact that there is no hope that their former empires will ever be restored to their former greatness. Their once glorious kingdoms have forever vanished from the hearts and minds of their people.

famous for being the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, nevertheless, it is to be treated as a normal Shabbos in almost all aspects.

ÂÂ One may learn Torah as usual, including any

ÂÂ One may not take his book of eicha or kinnos

ÂÂ Seudah Shlishis, although it is also the

Q. May one wash the dishes on motzai shabbos as usual?

ÂÂ Havdala is postponed until Sunday night (after the fast ends). One who will not be fasting (pregnant/feeding women) require havdalah before doing any eating.8 Many poskim allow children who will be eating to eat without hearing havdalah first.9 The father may make havdalah for them if there is no-one else provided they drink the wine/grape juice. If there is no-one around, a women can make it herself. There are two practices one must maintain on this motzai shabbos, 1) one must say ‫ אתה חוננתנו‬in Shemonei Esrei of maariv to enable him to perform melacha, such as drive home, switch on lights etc. Women must be told to say ‫ ברוך המבדיל‬when Shabbos ends before doing melacha, 2) make ‫בורא מאורי‬ ‫ – האש‬the beracha on a freshly lit fire before reciting eicha. It’s best that a women hears this beracha from a man, but if this isn’t possible, they may make it themselves.

Halachos Applicable to This Year: When Tishah B’av falls on Sunday, there are always interesting changes that need to be made to one’s usual pre-Tishah B’av halacha checklist; we will try to summarize most of them. EREV SHABBOS

ÂÂ Shabbos Clothes on Erev Shabbos may be worn at the time one normally puts them on before Shabbos. They may be freshly laundered, but not brand new.1

ÂÂ Showering is the same as we mentioned last week in regards to the nine days, and many hold that if one normally showers with hot water and soap may do so this erev Shabbos also (in any case it shouldn’t be too long!).2 Some are stringent and wash the parts they need to with lukewarm water and enough soap just to remove sweat/dirt.3

ÂÂ One’s leather shoes may not be removed until Shabbos has concluded (unless one removed them earlier to put on slippers). Some remove it after saying ‫ברוך המבדיל‬, others in shul after ‫ ברכו‬at the start of maariv.10 Some shuls delay the starting of maariv to allow people to

SHABBOS 4 5 6 7 8

Mishnah Berurah 10 quoting the Taz. Ramo 2, so was the custom of the Chazon Ish. Shulcha Aruch 10. Ramo, Mishnah Berurah 24. Rav Wosner zt”l in Shevet HaLeivi, Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach zt”l. 9 Rav S Wosner, Rav Y S Elyashiv, Rav S Z Aurbach, Rav C Kanievsky, R M Shternbuch. 10 So was the custom of the Chazon Ish.

It is forbidden to display mourning in public, and although it is the tenth of av – the day that the Beis Hamikdosh went up in flames and is 1 Mishnah Berurah 9. 2 Mishnah Berurah 97, Chayei Adam 133:19. 3 Ramo 16.

remove their shoes at home when Shabbos has ended and then come to shul.

topics one wishes to learn.4 Some recommend that one specifically concentrates on topics related to the time of year (eicha, halachos of Tishah B’av, etc.).5 Pirkei Avos is not said. ‘seudah hamafsekes’ the last meal before the fast begins, the usual halachos do not apply and one may eat whatever he wishes, including even meat and wine (something which is normally forbidden at this time on a regular year).6 One must stop eating by Shkiyah.7

In sharp contrast, even though the actual destruction of the Beis Hamikdash took place some 2000 years ago, the enormity of the catastrophe is as real today as it was when these tragedies befell us. Our deep pain and anguish are constantly felt and do not diminish with the passage of time. Chazal reassures us that the powerful kingdom of Hashem will once again be restored and resume its former majesty and grandeur. This is one of the reasons why the mournful day of Tishah B’av is referred to as a moed, a festival.

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to shul on Shabbos so it will be with him for maariv as this is preparing from Shabbos to weekday.11

A. No. for various different reasons, such as one is not allowed to get one’s hands wet during Tishah B’av, they may only be washed on Sunday after Chatzos (Halachic Midday). If they are being washed to prevent flies from being attracted by the leftovers on the dishes, it is permitted even before chatzos (but one should wear gloves).12 Q. On Sunday night, must women wait for their husband to come home from shul and make havdalah before breaking her fast? A. Yes. However, if this is difficult for her, she may drink water before hearing havdalah if necessary.

ÂÂ Although normally certain activities that were prohibited during the nine days remain prohibited until chatzos the day after Tishah B’av, this year everything is permitted straight after the fast (music, haircuts etc) with the exception of eating meat and drinking wine. Drinking the wine or grape juice of havdalah after Tishah B’av is permitted.13 I remember when my Grandfather told me about his experience of going to the kosel for the very first time after it was liberated during the six-day war. The emotion and awe of seeing the last segment of the Beis Hamikdosh was amazing. There is a famous story of two soldiers that were completely secular watching people crying and hugging the kosel. Having no idea of the significance of these stones, they watched the goings on untouched by emotion. All of a sudden, one of the solders started to cry, and the other turned to him, and said, why are you crying? He answered, because I don’t understand what there is to cry about, that’s why I am crying. When we sit on this floor this year on Tishah B’av, hopefully we will realize what we are missing and actually have something to cry about. 11 Misgeres Hashulchan on the Kittzur Shulchan Aruch. 12 See Machzei Eliyahu 67. 13 Ramo 1, Mishnah Berurah 4.

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Rashi (1:22) brings that the people asked the spies to come and tell them which language the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael spoke. Why did they want to know this as what diﬀerence did it make to them?

R’ Binyomin Zev Goldberg | Author of “Koloh D’Yaakov” on the weekly Parsha and the Moadim ‫וַ ּנַ ֲעבֹר ֵמ ֵאת ַא ֵחינּו ְבנֵ י ֵע ָׂשו‬ “And we passed on from our brother Eisav.” (2:8) Harav Shimon Schwab zt’’l notes that the use of the word, “brother,” to describe Eisav’s descendants is quite frequent in the Torah. He cites the pasuk (Parshas Chukas) where Moshe sent messengers to ask permission from Edom (the descendants of Eisav) to pass through their land. There, Moshe tells the messengers to say, “So speaks your brother Yisrael,” bringing up the fraternal relationship. Furthermore, the Torah follows this approach when forbidding attacks against Eisav’s descendants, when it says, “Do not irritate an Edomi, since you are his brother.” Why, asks Rav Schwab is this so? Why is this particular nation, unlike any other of the nations that are also family of the Jews such as Ammon and Moav, referred to with this distinctly important description? An answer that he suggests is that unlike other nations, Eisav was also a monotheist, as were his descendants. He brings proof for this from the fact that while the Torah mentions various cultures and nations gods, there is no such mention of any gods for Eisav/Edom. Even Eisav himself, who famously denied fundamental aspects of Judaism never questioned Hashem’s existence. Rather, he knew fully well that Hashem existed and simply chose to ignore

Him and act as he wished. (Author’s note: to support this last statement, Rav Schwab points to a Gemara1, which says that Eisav did several evil acts on the day Avrohom died. However, the Gemara there says that Eisav was, “Kofer B’Ikkar,” (denied a fundamental precept) and implies that this indeed refers to some aspect of his belief in Hashem. Perhaps, this can be understood based on a Midrash quoted in the Beis HaLevi. The Beis HaLevi brings the Midrash Rabbah who says that when Avrohom died, Eisav announced, “There is no judgement and there is no judge.” A superficial reading of these words would imply that Eisav was saying that Hashem does not exist, however this does not appear to be correct, especially in view of Rav Schwab’s comments. Rather, Eisav was perhaps admitting that Hashem exists, however simultaneously denying that Hashem runs the world with reward and punishment, the second of the three Ikkrim of the Sefer Ho’Ikkrim. As such, it can be said that Eisav was indeed a heretic, however his heresy was limited and localised while he indeed maintained a belief in Hashem2. 1 Bava Basra 16b 2 See Kolo D’Yaakov Parshas Toldos (5772) for further details on this heresy of Eisav

PARSHAH

Brothers In Arms

For this reason, continues Rav Schwab, it is possible to refer to Eisav and his descendants as brothers, since on the most fundamental level, they believe in the same thing as the Jews, so the brotherhood that was created with the physical birth of Yaakov and Eisav, continues. This, suggests Rav Schwab, may also be the reason that the Torah in Sefer Bereishis enumerates the numerous chiefs, princes and other leaders of the entire clan of Eisav. Since they did not serve idols, he writes, they deserved to have their names mentioned at least up until the times of Moshe. However, he notes that Edom/Eisav did eventually serve idols, as brought in Divrei Ha Yamim3. There, the pesukim relate that at the time when the Jews were well settled in the land, their neighbours began to serve idols. This, concludes Rav Schwab, does not change his point. This is because by that stage, even the Jews were worshipping idols. It cannot be, he contends, that a higher standard would be demanded of the non-Jews than the Jews, rather, when the Jews began worshipping idols, the focus on Eisav’s not worshipping them fell as well. As such, it is reasonable to say that all the while that the Jews did not serve idols, Eisav did not do so either, meaning that Eisav was a monotheist and could be referred to in the Torah as the brother of the Jews. 3 Divrei Hayamim 2 25:14

ANSWERS 1 Where Sheini starts is with the pasuk that begins with the word “Eicha” and is about a complaint. Therefore in order to not start with something bad there is a stop of Sheini made one pasuk before it. 2 The pasuk of (1:12). It uses the word “Eicha” and discusses Moshe’s frustrations at the people constantly arguing and bickering. It is said in the same tune used for Megillas Eicha. Parshas Devarim is always the week before we read Megillas Eicha. 3 The Vilna Gaon (Aderes Eliyahu) brings that those appointed over one thousand were directors of battles; those over hundreds were the real judges of court cases; those over fifty were those who taught Torah to the masses (known as “the Zekeinim”) and those over ten were the policemen, shotrim. 4 Each nation has its own characteristics that are reflected in their language. Therefore knowing their language would tell them a lot about the people. (Gur Aryeh) The Jews had been commanded to kill the seven nations of Eretz Yisrael. However, these people could trick them and dress up as other nations. How then would they know whom to kill? They would know this by knowing what language they spoke. (Sifsei Chachamim)

5 Malbim (Shelach) says that both are true. Amalek and Canaan came down to fight from on top of the mountain while the Emori came from the side of the mountain. Haamek Davor adds that the main nation was the Emoiri as mentioned in Parshas Devarim but they were assisted by Amalek and Canaan. Another answer is that the Emori chased the Jews down the mountain. The Jews fled for assistance to Amalek and Canann but instead of helping them they also chased them away. 6 Rashi brings that like when a bee stings it dies, so too happened to these nations after they attacked the Jews. It is also expressing that this was not a normal battle. Really these nations were weak and it was only due to the sin of the Jews that they were victorious. Another angle about this is like with bees they came in swarms and follow the lead of one so too the bees came out in swarms. (Tosfos) Like bees don’t wait for you to come to them but they come to you so too with these nations (Yohel Ohr) Like bees only sting and injure a person so too the Jews were not killed but only injured. A proof to this is that their deaths are not mentioned in the pasuk. (Rosh)

Riddle Answer There are 5 Sedras whose title drops the first letter Hey (i.e. numerical value of 5) that occurs in the first pasuk of that Sedrah a) Mishpotim (Ve Eleh Ha Mishpatim) b) Shemini (Bayom Ha Shemini) c) Metzorah (Toras Ha Metzora) d) Mattos (Roshei Ha Mattos) e) Devarim (Eleh Ha Devarim)

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After the meraglim, Moshe warned the Jews not to attempt to enter Eretz Yisroel. A group of Jews refused to listen and were chased away. In Parshas Shelach (12:45) it brings that the pursuing nation were Amlek and Canaan while in Parshas Devarim (1:44) it brings it was the nation of Emori. Which one was it?

Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen | Rabbi for Keter HaTorah

As we approach Tisha b’Av, we strive to find ways of improving ourselves, so we can ensure that this will be the last year without the Beis HaMikdash. The famous Gemara in Gittin about Kamtza and Bar Kamtza teaches us a great deal about the cause of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash and what we need to rectify in order to bring about its rebuilding.

TISHA B’AV

TISHA B’AV REDEFINING SINAS CHINAM

less than his favorite. Therefore, says the Ramban, Yaakov did not hate Leah; rather, his love for her was lacking. And therefore we can understand that the word sinah does not necessarily imply an active hatred; rather, it can indicate a lack of sufficient care and love. Thus, the sinas chinam described in Yoma need not have been a virulent hatred; it could also have included apathy and lack of concern for one’s fellow.

The Gemara tells us that Yerushalayim was

Kamtza was surely aware of the feud between his

destroyed as a result of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza.

son and friend, yet he did nothing to make peace

In a similar vein, Rav Yehonasan Eibeschutz,

An unnamed man was a sworn enemy of Bar

between them. Because of his passivity, Kamtza

zt”l, writes that the sinas chinam described in

Kamtza but friendly with Kamtza. He sent his

is held partly responsible for the destruction.4

the Gemara refers not to active hatred, but to

servant to invite Kamtza to a banquet, but the

Furthermore, the Rabbis also seem to be held

disinterest in preventing others from slipping

servant mistakenly invited Bar Kamtza. When

partially responsible for the course of events,

into heretical views. He notes that many heretical

Bar Kamtza came to the affair, the furious host

because they did nothing to prevent Bar Kamtza’s

sects had grown in that period,7 because people

demanded that he leave. Embarrassed, he offered

humiliation. Thus, there seems to be a common

were not willing to rebuke them. He exclaims,

to pay for his own meal in order to be allowed to

theme running through this story: Inaction and

“Do you have a greater hater than this: one who

stay. After that offer was refused, he volunteered

apathy allowed such terrible consequences to

sees his friend drowning in a river [of sin] and

to pay half the cost of the whole banquet, but

take place. Had any of the people involved strived

does not protest?!”8 Based on this redefinition

instead he was thrown out. There were a number

to prevent the injustices that took place, the Beis

of sinah, it is clear that there is no contradiction

of rabbis in attendance, who remained silent

HaMikdash may not have been destroyed. Their

between the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza and

throughout this unpleasant incident. Indignant at

indifference to the surrounding tragedies resulted

the Gemara in Yoma. The sinas chinam referred

their passivity, Bar Kamtza proceeded to slander

in their passivity.

the Jewish people to the Roman authorities, which began the course of events that ended with the destruction.1

This lesson, that apathy destroyed the second Beis HaMikdash, seems somewhat contradictory

to in Yoma involves not only active hatred;9 it also includes apathy toward the pain of one’s fellow, and a refusal to help him grow spiritually.

to the Gemara in Yoma, which states that sinas

The Iyun Yaakov asks why Kamtza is

The fact that the Beis HaMikdash has not

chinam (baseless hatred) was the ultimate cause

apportioned some of the blame for these events,

been rebuilt means that these flaws are still

of the destruction.5 However, on deeper analysis

since he did nothing throughout the whole story.2

very prevalent today, and they apply to many

it seems that sinas chinam is not limited to active

The Ben Ish Chai zt”l, answers by suggesting that

areas of our lives, whether it be in the realm of

hatred; it can also include apathy. We see this

Kamtza was actually present at the banquet and

sharing another’s pain, trying to help those less

from one of the first times that the root of the

witnessed how Bar Kamtza was treated. He could

fortunate than ourselves, or reaching out to the

word sinah (hatred) appears in the Torah: In

have prevented what happened by explaining the

many people who are distant from Torah. This

parashas Vayetzei, after Yaakov Avinu marries

misunderstanding with the invitations. There

is a time of serious soul searching to assess our

Rachel and Leah, the Torah tells us, “Hashem

performance in these areas and strive to improve

is a principle that if someone can protest a

saw that Leah was senuah (literally, “hated”).”6

wrongdoing but does not, it is considered as if he

The commentaries have great difficulty in

himself committed it. The Ben Ish Chai continues

understanding that Yaakov really hated Leah.

that this answer is even more compelling

Accordingly, the Ramban explains that when

according to the Maharsha, who writes that

one has two wives, the one he loves less is called

Bar Kamtza was the son of Kamtza. Accordingly,

senuah—he does not hate her, but he loves her

1 Gittin 55b. 2 Iyyun Yaakov on Gittin 55b. 3 Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggados on Gittin 55b.

4 Ben Yehoyada on Gittin 55b. 5 Yoma 9b. 6 Bereishis 29:31.

in some way. May this be the last Tisha B’Av of mourning that we have to experience. 7 Such as the Tzeddukim (Sadducees) and Baitusim. 8 Rav Yehonasan Eibschutz, Yaaros Devash, vol. 1((okay?)), derush 10. For more discussion of Rav Eibeschutz’s explanation of the gemara in Yoma, see my essay “Parashas Devarim: Giving Rebuke.” 9 Yet genuine hatred certainly existed then and still affects us today.

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6. The pasuk (1:44) compares the way the enemy nation attacking the group of Jews who insisted on entering Eretz Yisrael to bees. Why compare them to this more than anything else?

Rabbi Elchonon Feldman | Belmont United Synagogue Tragedies sadly come in all shapes and sizes but Chazal pinpoint a specific event that was so grossly unfortunate that it acted as the forerunner, the precursor, of all tumultuous misfortunes that would befall our people throughout history. This episode is the chet hameraglim (sin of the spies) as the Gemara states: “Today you cried for nothing; in the future I’ll give you a real reason to cry.1” 1 Ta’anis 29a

The immediate fall-out of this incident was the Divine decree that an entire generation would die in the wilderness never entering into the land of Israel. This led to a most harrowing custom which would take place on Tishah B’av during our people’s forty years wanderings through the desert. The Talmud Yerushalmi records that Moshe would instruct the Bnei Yisrael on the eve of Tishah B’Av to dig their own graves. Then as the sun set and the fast commenced they would climb in, lie down and wait until the morning. Those whose decree it was to die within that year did not rise and the remainder ascended, repeating the process each year. Words fail when trying to articulate the gross anxiety that each person most have felt as they lay in their own tombs and this annual experience must always be considered when we think of or imagine the idyllic life of the generation who left Egypt. However just as when a parent metes out punishment to a wayward child, when Hashem must discipline us it causes him great pain. In parshas Devarim we see a fascinating juxtaposition when discussing the final leg of the journey into the land of Israel. The Torah says as follows: So it was, when all the men of war finished dying from among the people, that Hashem spoke to me saying,2 2 Devarim 2:16-17

Why, asks Rashi and many other commentators, does Moshe specify only now that Hashem spoke directly to him? Rashi quotes a Sifri that says as follows: But since the spies were sent until now, the Hebrew word vayedaber (denoting Hashem’s speaking to Moshe with endearment) is not mentioned in [this] section, only vayomer (denoting a less endearing form of communication), to teach us that during those entire thirty-eight years during which time the Israelites were under ban by Hashem, the Divine speech was not directed towards Moshe in an expression of affection, face to face, and with peace of mind. This is to teach us that the Divine Presence rests upon the prophets only for Israel’s sake. This is so poignant. Moshe the greatest prophet that will ever exist. A human being who is considered to be a true servant of G-d, a beloved even, still is kept at arm’s length during the period when our people were being punished and felt distant from Hashem. If G-d cannot be close to us in His manifest presence, then we see from this juxtaposition, He will not be close to anyone, even Moshe. There is no greater pain, no stronger anguish, than Hashem’s feelings (keveyachol) of having to hide and be distant from us. This much is clear from our Torah.

PARSHAH

A Stronger Desire To Return

As we sit at our table this Shabbos we know that today is the ninth of Av. If this calendar date would have fallen on a weekday, no food nor drink would have passed our lips and we acknowledge as well the great sadness that we would be feeling in commemorating through communal mourning the destruction of our Temple and many other tragedies of Tisha B’av. However, now that the Fast has been postponed to Sunday we have a great opportunity for reflection. Shabbos, isn’t simply the postponement of the Fast, rather it now plays the role of an oasis, a small moment of pause in which we can sense the deep and powerful unconcealed relationship that Hashem yearns to have with us even in the midst of our chastisement. This Shabbos more than any other can bring us to greater appreciation for the eternal love that Hashem has for us and His pain in our distance from Him. In this way perhaps as we enter this year into Tishah B’Av 5776 we too will feel a greater longing, a stronger desire to return. Our sadness and longing for a relationship with Hashem will be more acute and our annual day of mourning will be so much more than an anniversary date. In doing so perhaps we will truly all merit together the fulfillment of the prophecy in Yeshaya that is read in this week’s haftorah: “Therefore,” says the Master, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, “Oh, I will console Myself from My adversaries, and I will avenge Myself of My foes. And I will return My hand upon you and purge away your dross as with lye, and remove all your tin. And I will restore your judges as at first and your counsellors as in the beginning; afterwards you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City. Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent through righteousness.” Amen, may it be Hashem’s will.

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