Oneg Re'eh

‫בס"ד‬

‫הריני בא ללמוד תורה לשמה לעשות נחת רוח לאבינו שבשמים‬

‫פרשת ראה‬ ‫ל' אב (ר"ח אלול) תשע”ח‬

NORTH WEST LONDON’S WEEKLY TORAH & 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

11TH AUGUST 2018

'‫ פרק ה‬:‫פרקי אבות‬ ‫יז‬:‫טז‬-‫כו‬:‫ יא‬:‫קריאת התורה‬

SHABBOS TIMES FOR LONDON, UK ‫מוצאי שבת‬ ( 9.45PM

‫ ) ר”ת‬9.30PM

‫שקיעת החמה‬

‫חצות‬

‫סו"ז תפילה‬ ‫גר''א‬

8.31PM

1.06PM

10:36 AM

‫סו"ז ק"ש מג"א סו"ז ק"ש גר"א‬ 9.22AM

8.46AM

‫הנץ החמה‬

‫עלות השחר‬

5.39AM

4.27AM

‫זמן הדלקת‬ ‫נרות‬

‫פלג המנחה‬ ‫עש''ק‬

8.17PM

18:59 PM

Rabbi Zev Leff Rav of Moshav Matityahu

The author can be contacted at zevleff@gmail.com

Ahavas Chesed The Love of Kindness

Parshah

Grant truth to Jacob, kindness Abraham, as you swore to our forefathers from ancient times (Michah 7:20) In the first, second, fourth, and fifth years of the seven-year shemittah cycle, Jews living in Eretz Yisrael were commanded to separate a tenth of their crops and bring them to Jerusalem to eat. In the third and six years of the cycle, that tenth was given to the poor as ma’aser ani.

At first glance, it would seem that the order of ma’aser sheni and ma’aser ani should have been reversed. Why were the landowners not required to first share with the poor and only subsequently to enjoy their produce in Jerusalem. In other words, why was ma’aser ani not given at the beginning of the threeyear cycle, and only then ma’aser sheni?

Rambam (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:2) writes that one must give tzedakah with a joyous countenance, and that giving with a disgruntled mien negates the mitzvah. Thus we see that the attitude with which one gives tzedakah is intrinsic to the mitzvah itself.

The prophet Michah (5:17) defines that which G-d wants from us as “to do justice, love, chesed, and walk modestly with G-d.” And in the concluding blessing of Shemoneh Esrei we thank Hashem for giving us, “through the light of His countenance a Torah of life and a love of chesed.” It is not enough to do chesed.

One must love chesed.

More than any other positive commandment, writes Rambam, tzedakah is a sign of the essence of a Jew. It is the very fibre of Jewish existence and the source of our future redemption. (Pirkei Avos 2:13), refers to an attitude which fosters chesed.

The goal of our striving in this world is the perfection of our neshamos. The mitzvos are the means to achieving this goal. There are two mitzvos

NOW IN THE FOLLOWING PLACES

which enable us to emulate Hashem as He relates to us. ON is talmud Torah. Through the study of Torah we attach ourselves to G-d’s mind, as it were, as He created the world. The second is chesed. The basis of all existence is G-d’s desire to do chesed to His creation. Hence when we do acts of chesed with a strong desire, we follow in Hashem’s footsteps.

Avraham discovered Hashem through the characteristic of chesed of recognizing the chesed inherent in the creation. He so longed to perform acts of chesed, that even when he sat in great agony after his own bris milah, he suffered when no guests appeared. Our mother Rivkah, too, was distinguished by her love of chesed. It was for that quality alone that Eliezer tested her.

We are now prepared to understand the order of ma’aser sheni and ma’aser ani. By commanding us to bring one-tenth of our crops to Jerusalem to rejoice there, Hashem taught us two vital lessons. The first is that our material possessions are a present from Hashem and He can dictate how we use that material bounty. The second is that using material wealth in the way prescribed by Hashem generates feelings of joy and sanctity.

This Week’s Oneg Shabbos is dedicated

‫לעי״נ‬

‫אריאל‬ ‫יהודה ז״ל‬ ‫בן ילחט״א‬

‫ר׳ פנחס צבי‬ ‫הי״ו‬ Mr Ariel Klein ‫ז״ל‬

Once we have internalized these lessons in the first two years of the cycle, we can offer that bounty to the poor in the third year — not perfunctorily but with a true love of chesed.

The letters of Elul hint to the verse, “ am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me,” signifying our intensified relationship with Hashem leading up to the Yamim Noraim. To achieve this we must condition ourselves not only to do chesed but to love it.

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Yerushalayim, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Baltimore, Beit- Shemesh, Birmingham, Borehamwood, Budapest, Cancun, Detroit, Edgware, Elstree, Gateshead, Gibraltar, Glasgow, Hale, Henderson, Hong Kong, Ilford, Johannesburg, Lakewood, Larnaca, Las Vegas, Leeds, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Memphis, Miami, Milan, New York, Oslo, Paris, Petach Tikva, Philadelphia, Pressburg, Radlett, Ruislip, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Stanmore, Southend, Tallinn, Tarzana, Toronto, Uman, Vienna, Zurich

Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier

20

Founder, Shmuz.com

The author can be contacted at office@theshmuz.com

SEDRA SUMMARY Thank you to Chabad.org Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17 “See,” says Moshe to the Bnei Yisrael, “I place before you today a blessing and a curse”—the blessing that will come when they fulfill Hashem’s commandments, and the curse if they abandon them. These should be proclaimed on Har Gerizim and Har Eval when the people cross over into the Holy Land.

A Temple should be established in “the place that Hashem will choose to make dwell His name there,” where the people should bring their sacrifices to Him; it is forbidden to make offerings to Hashem in any other place. It is permitted to slaughter animals elsewhere, not as a sacrifice but to eat their meat; the blood (which in the Beis Hamikdash is poured upon the altar), however, may not be eaten.

A false prophet, or one who entices others to worship idols, should be put to death; an idolatrous city must be destroyed. The identifying signs for kosher animals and fish, and the list of non-kosher birds (first given in Vayikra 11), are repeated.

A tenth of all produce is to be eaten in Yerushalayim, or else exchanged for money with which food is purchased and eaten there. In certain years this tithe is given to the poor instead. Firstborn cattle and sheep are to be offered in the Temple, and their meat eaten by the kohanim.

The mitzvah of charity obligates a Jew to aid a needy fellow with a gift or loan. On the Shmitta year, all loans are to be forgiven. All indentured servants are to be set free after six years of service.

Our Parshah concludes with the laws of the shalosh regalim, Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos —when all should go to “see and be seen” before Hashem in the Beis Hamikdash.

For forty years in the midbar the Jewish people ate mon. Guided by Moshe Rabbeinu, engaged in constant Torah study with every physical need taken care of, the Klal Yisrael lived on a lofty spiritual plane. Now that they were being ushered into a different era – entering Eretz Yisroel where they would begin living in a natural manner – they were given many directives to retain their status as an exalted nation.

One of the points that Moshe Rabbeinu made to the Klal Yisrael is that when they settled the land and followed the Torah, they would find

Parshah Consumerism and the Overspent Generation

“When Hashem your G-d will broaden your boundary as He spoke to you, and you say, “I will eat meat,” for you will have a desire to eat meat, to your heart’s entire desire you may eat meat.” – Devarim 12:20 success in their endeavors, and Hashem would expand their borders. When this would occur, they would desire meat. And they would be allowed to eat it anywhere they wished.

Rashi is bothered by the relationship between the expanding of borders and the “desire to eat meat.” It almost implies that the expansion of borders brings on the desire. Rashi explains that the Torah is teaching us a principle in derech eretz. A person should only desire meat when he can afford it. When Hashem expands our borders and we enjoy financial success, then it is appropriate to desire meat – not before.

This Rashi seems difficult to understand.

What is wrong with desiring meat? The Torah might tell me that if I can’t afford meat, I shouldn’t eat it. If it is beyond my means and purchasing it would create an undue expense, I shouldn’t buy any. But what is wrong with just desiring it?

Pleasures and Lusts The answer to this can be best understood with a moshol. Imagine that you find yourself shipwrecked on a desert island. You haven’t eaten in three days, and you are driven by one burning desire – food. As you hobble along the island, you notice a brown paper bag under a palm tree. You open it up to find a dry peanut butter sandwich that has sat out in the sun for three months. You gulp down that sandwich with more gusto than anything that you have ever eaten in your life.

Here is the question: how much pleasure did you derive from eating that sandwich? There is no question that you had a powerful urge, a very real desire, but how much enjoyment did you receive from that activity? The answer is not much. It certainly relieved your hunger, and in that sense brought a release from pain, but it would be hard to imagine that for the rest of your life you would be reminiscing back to the sensation of the bitter, spoiled peanut butter and dry, cracked bread as it scratched your throat when you swallowed it.

This is a good example of the distinction between pleasure and lust. You ate that sandwich with great desire – a lot of passion – but you didn’t derive much pleasure from that

activity. Lust is the pull to engage in a given activity. Pleasure is the amount of enjoyment you receive from it. As unusual as it may sound, most people fail to make a distinction between pleasures and passions.

Hashem wants us to be happy This seems to be the answer to the Rashi.

While it is true that life is a battle, and exerting self-control is the primary vehicle of growth, Hashem created us to be happy. If you bring new desires into your world, desires that you can’t possibly fulfill, you are destined to be miserable.

You will be constantly wanting, constantly hungry. Your life will become the opposite of a pleasurable existence.

The Torah is teaching us that our desires are things that we can and need to control. If you have the capacity to meet the desire to eat meat, there is nothing wrong with allowing those desires to surface. Hashem created many pleasures for man to enjoy, and you should use those pleasures to better serve Him. But if you don’t have the means to fulfill those hungers and you allow them to be present, then you will be living a very uncomfortable existence, constantly hungering for something that can’t be met.

When Hashem grants you abundance and you can afford luxuries, then you will desire meat – but not before. The Torah is educating us into a higher form of living. When you enjoy the pleasures and control your desires, you use this world for its intended purpose, thereby living b’shleimus – complete, not lacking.

Consumerism - a national culture of competitive acquisitions This concept is very applicable as we are the Chosen Nation – expected to be above the rest of the nations. Unfortunately, that sense of living at a higher standard can become perverted into materialism, where the expectation is that for people like “us,” nothing less than the best will do. And so our weddings, our wardrobes, our homes, and our cars have to be the best. The way our children dress and

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Rabbi Dovid Hodges

21

Head of Burial Society, Federation

The author can be contacted at dovid.hodges@federation.org.uk

Parshah

parshas re’eh Imagine you were the military officer responsible for monitoring the airspace in the UK or better yet the United States. Your evening shifts are filled with quiet and calm, but you diligently monitor the screen knowing the chain of command and your responsibility.

Your country, friends and family rely on you and their security rests in your hands. Suddenly, late one night when all seems quiet, the siren starts HOWLING and in big letters on your screen is the word ‘LAUNCH’! It is the highest alert possible and everything checks out in order. What do you do? As you sit there the alarm goes off again and a second missile has been launched! Then a third and a fourth and a fifth! The computers no longer say missile ’launch’ but ‘missile strike’. Every second you delay puts your countrymen, friends and family one step closer to destruction. What would you do now? On September 26, 1983, this was Stanislav Petrov’s dilemma. The fate of the world rested in his hands and making one decision would plunge the world into nuclear war and the other, peace during the Cold War. The parsha begins with Moshe telling the Jewish People, ‘See, this day I have set before you blessing and curse. Blessing, if you obey the mitzvos of Hashem your G-d that I command you today and curse if you do not obey the commandments of Hashem your G-d…’. When looking at the pasuk in Hebrew one is struck by several questions. Firstly, why does the pasuk use the term ‘see’ when Moshe is speaking to klal Yisrael? Secondly, the pasuk begins

in the singular by stating see/‫ ְר ֵאה‬, and then it switches to the plural when it says before you/ ‫לִ ְפנֵ יכֱ ם‬. Rashi tells us these are the blessings and curses that will later be recited on Har Gerizim and Har Eval. If this is so, then why does Moshe say he is setting before klal Yisrael blessings and curses ‘this day’ when it takes place after the Bnei Yisrael cross the Jordan river when standing at Har Gerizim and Eval?

Finally, the gemarah in Sota tells us that when the Bnei Yisrael stood at Har Gerizim and Eval they were divided by tribes. Six stood on Har Gerizim and six stood on Har Eval. Why were the Jewish people split in half at the time of the giving of the blessings and curses rather than having them all stand together as a whole?

the scales. Additionally, this is why they were told see/‫ ְר ֵאה‬because they actually needed to see for themselves that they were split into two halves and the well-being of klal Yisroel and the world depended on them! Moreover, the pasuk continues in the plural saying before you/‫ לִ ְפנֵ יכֱ ם‬to impress upon every individual that the Jewish community and people are dependent upon them and one action means the difference between blessing and curse.

Finally, the pasuk tells uses the word ‘this day’/ ‫ היום‬to stress to us that every day each of us must see our lives as literally hanging in the balance. One mitzvah or aveirah changes everything not only in our own lives but the entire world!

The sefer Be’er Yosef provides an insightful answer to our questions based on the Talmud in Kiddushin 40b. The Talmud says that each person should see themselves as if they are half guilty and half innocent. If they do one mitzvah they tip the scales to innocent and if they do one aveirah they tip the scales to guilty.

Furthermore, Rabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Shimon says if the world is judged according to the majority and if a person does one mitzvah they are praiseworthy and the whole world is judged meritoriously and if they do one aveirah they tip the scales and the whole world is judged accordingly. This is why the bnei Yisrael were split up on Har Gerizim and Har Eval to instil in them the enormous obligation they bear for each other and the world. They were to see that blessing and curse hang in the balance and one mitzvah or aveirah would tip

About 10 years ago, on our way to shul during Rosh Hashanah a friend and I were discussing the concept of judgement and the negative associations many people had with it. During the conversation, he made the most stunning and life changing comment that has stuck with me all these years. It is one I have taught my children and family. He said judgement can be a good thing because it means your actions have importance and impact. It means you, and what you do, matter.

As we stand prepared to embrace the month of Elul and make the necessary preparations for Rosh Hashanah maybe there are two messages we need to take with us. One that we need to truly view ourselves, klal Yisroel and the world as hanging in the balance and one mitzvah can change everything. Secondly, that each one of us and our actions are important.

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Continued from Page 20

the types of toys that they expect are nothing short of top-notch. And we find ourselves with an ever-increasing cost of living. When barely surviving in our communities means that we are expected to earn three to four times the national median household income, something is wrong with our lifestyle.

We live in times of mass prosperity where the average person is rich, but to enjoy that

great bracha, we must maintain control.

Everything in this world was created for man’s use – but it must be used properly, in balance, in the right time, and in the right measure.

When man does that, he enjoys his short stay on this planet and accomplishes his purpose in Creation.

For more on this topic please listen to Shmuz #156 Get out of Debt

Rabbi Shafier is the founder of the Shmuz.com – The Shmuz is an engaging, motivating shiur that deals with real life issues.

All of the Shmuzin are available free of charge at www.theShmuz.com or on the Shmuz App for iphone or Android. Simply text the word “TheShmuz” to the number 313131 and a link will be sent to your phone to download the App.

Rabbi Dr Abraham Twerski

22

Founder and Medical Director Emeritus Gateway Rehabilitation Center

The author can be contacted at

Building Self-Esteem in Children

Hashkafa

To help your children attain self-esteem, you need to develop your own self-esteem.

Whenever I lecture on self-esteem, I am invariably asked, “What can we do to give our children self-esteem?” Many parents notice that even their young children have self-esteem problems. My answer is that selfesteem is contagious. Parents who feel secure, confident and good about themselves will pass that feeling on to their children. Parents who are anxious, insecure and have low selfesteem are likely to pass that feeling on to their children. Therefore, to help your children attain self-esteem, develop your own self-esteem.

and teaching, they may grow up without a sense of responsibility and dignity.

I also recommend a book by Dr. Patricia Berne, Building Self-Esteem in Children. It is an excellent book, but I take issue with Dr. Berne on one point. She says that “if you have given your children self-esteem, you have given them everything. If you have not given them self-esteem, then whatever else you may have given them has little value.” My disagreement with her is that you cannot give your children self-esteem, any more than you can give them happiness. You can only provide them with the love, care and environment that is conducive to self-esteem. You can give them the building blocks, but they have to develop self-esteem by themselves.

The waitress returned with the parents’ orders, and in front of the child she set two hot dogs and a coke. The mother was horrified, but the child grinned from ear to ear and said, “Look, Mummy! She thinks I’m real.”

Parenting a child is the most important thing we will do in our lives. Parenting is a skill, and in today’s world in which children face unprecedented challenges, parenting requires great skill.

We are not all born intuitive parents, nor can we rely on raising our children the way our parents raised us. The world is changing rapidly and previous techniques may not be adequate. It is crucial that young parents-tobe learn parenting skills before they have to apply them.

There are a variety of theories on parenting, and each authority feels his method is most effective. There is really no way to determine which one is best. What is most important is that both parents agree on a particular method and apply it consistently. Children caught between two different methods, or inconsistent parents, may be confused and unable to develop a proper course in life.

Parenting for self-esteem is somewhat like walking a tightrope. There is not too much room for deviation in either direction.

If children are not allowed to exercise their decision-making skills because the parents do everything for them, they may never develop self-confidence. If children receive no guidance

Parents took their six-year-old son to a restaurant. After taking the parents’ orders, the waitress turned to the child, “And what will you have?”

The child responded, “Two hot dogs with lots of mustard and a coke.”

The mother smiled to the waitress and said, “You can bring him roast beef with mashed potatoes and vegetables.”

Parents must give their children an opportunity to feel that they are real, and that they are people, very much a part of the family, but distinct entities in their own right. Children should be permitted to make age-appropriate decisions. Their feelings should be respected, and yes, even their right to privacy should be respected.

Respecting a child’s feelings means realizing that a child has the right to have feelings.

There are some feelings that we consider objectionable, and it is only if we recognize that the child has these feelings that we can help him cope with them and redirect them, wherever possible, to constructive channels.

How should you react if a child expresses a desire for something treife? “I could sure go for one of those burgers.” Would you say to him, “What a terrible thing to say! No good Jewish child would think that way?”

If so, then you are at odds with the Talmud that I cited earlier that says that, “A person should not say, ‘I do not want pork.’ Rather, one should say, ‘I do want pork, but my Father in Heaven has forbidden it’ “ (cited in Rashi, Vayikra 20:26). Condemning a child for feelings over which he has no control is giving him the notion that he is inherently bad. Rather, this is an opportunity for a parent to explain to the child that there may be many things we may desire, but inasmuch as we live by the Will of Hashem as revealed in the Torah, we may not have some things that we desire.

But what if a child says, “I hate mummy!”

Should the response be, “That’s terrible! Hate is an awful feeling. You should never hate anyone, and certainly not your mother”? The child has a negative feeling toward mummy, if only because she refused to buy him the candy

or toy that he wanted. The fact is that the child does not hate mummy, but is using the word “hate” to express his anger at her, because he does not know any other words to use. This may be an opportunity to tell the child, “I don’t think you really hate mummy. I think what you mean is that you are very angry with her. You know, sometimes you do things which may make me angry, but even when I’m angry at you, I still love you very much.”

(By the way, do not assume that words that children use mean the same thing to them as they do to you. Try to find out just what the child means by a word he uses. Just as “I hate” may really mean “I’m angry,” the expression “I wish he were dead” is not the horrible thing you may take it to mean. The child may have no idea what “dead” means, and may be saying only, “I wish he would go away for a while.”)

You may then try to explain to the child that there are times when daddy and mummy will not give him what he wants because they know it is not good for him. You understand that this may make him angry, but that as parents, you must do what is best for him. The child may not grasp this or agree with it, but you have validated the fact that he has a negative feeling, and even that you can understand why a juvenile mind would feel that way.

I’m not sure that even if a child’s feeling is “hate,” that the parent has a right to simply condemn it. The mitzvah “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Vayikra 19:17) is unfortunately not universally observed even by adults. A parent should do some serious soulsearching to find whether he has eradicated all residuals of hatred within himself as the Torah requires.

We teach our children best by modelling.

If a child can become aware that the parent does not hate anyone, there is a much better chance that he can be helped to overcome this feeling. Rather than denying the child’s feeling, the parent may help him understand why hatred is a destructive feeling, and that he should try to overcome it. The parent will first have to have recourse to the mussar [personal growth] writings that teach how to eliminate hatred in himself. These teachings may be beyond what a child can understand, but if the parent succeeds at this, he can better convey it to the child.

If a child’s perception of reality is dismissed as incorrect, he may lose confidence in his ability to make judgments. When father and mother have a loud interchange, and the child

23 says, “Why were you and Daddy fighting?” it is foolish to say, “Daddy and Mummy were not fighting.” Rather, you might say, “Daddy and Mummy were disagreeing on something, and just got carried away and shouted instead of talking. But Daddy and Mummy always makeup” (or I hope they do). Of course, Daddy and Mummy should learn how to disagree without shouting at each other.

Halacha from

Obviously, children require discipline. Parents should learn effective ways of disciplining without shaming or ridiculing the child.

I must repeat a personal experience that I have related elsewhere.

When my father disapproved of something I did, he would say in Yiddish, “Es past nisht” (That does not become you. It is beneath your dignity). I was not told that I was bad, but rather that what I did was inappropriate for someone as good as me.

Rabbi Shraga Kallus

Children need positive strokes. We “catch” our children doing wrong things. The good things they do may be taken for granted. We should make an effort to “catch” our children doing right things at least three times a day and commend them for it.

A five-year-old girl was given a new jump rope, and she proceeded to try to jump. Her parents clapped loudly at her performance and then went on to do their things. A bit later, the child approached her parents, saying, “I think I can do it, but I need more clapping.”

Parents must be careful not to “use” their children. When I see a two-year-old wearing designer clothes, I wonder if these were bought because of their quality or because the parents wanted others to see that their child was wearing designer clothes. Whereas designer clothes for a two-year-old is rather innocent, insisting on what school the son or daughter must attend because of its prestige for the parents, or what family he or she must marry into to suit the parents’ social standing, is far from innocent.

Parents must make an effort to know their children, to know their talents and strengths and to help the child maximize his/her unique potential. Children should not be demanded to do something beyond their physical and psychological maturation.

In my early days as a Rabbi, I prepared boys for Bar-Mitzvah.

There was one boy who was absolutely tone-deaf. I had no idea how he would ever chant the Haftarah. The father insisted that he must be the chazzan, and when the boy said that he couldn’t, the father shouted, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you want to be a Jew?” Hopefully, most parents exercise much better intelligence and judgment, but sometimes a parent may not be aware why the child does not perform up to his expectations. A father who had hoped that his son would be a sports athlete may be bitterly disappointed if the child cannot hit or catch a ball. In such a case, it is the father who must correct unrealistic expectations, and encourage the child to develop the skills he does possess.

Children did not ask to be brought into the world. The parents who brought them into the world owe them the best shot at developing themselves to the fullest and, within the parents’ means, the best opportunities to achieve self-esteem and happiness.

Although we cannot expect young children to keep a journal, we can help them make use of some of the suggestions I made. For example, in the evening, ask the child about the events of the day.

Sometimes you might ask, “What did you like best about today?” or “Was there anything you didn’t like today?” These are openings to give a child the opportunity to look at the positives and a chance to get help with the negatives. To do this, parents must set aside some time to talk with the child, which is in itself a good self-esteem builder.

A very simple way to help children build their self-esteem is for the family to eat together. In “Family Meals May Prevent Teen Problems,” APA Monitor, 28 (10), 8, Oct. 1997, the researchers found that the best readers from elementary through high school came from families that ate their meals together. These children develop more extensive vocabularies at an earlier age, are better equipped to articulate, and score two to three grade levels higher on standardized reading tests. The family mealtime created a sense of belonging and allowed parents to keep abreast of what was going on with their children.

An excerpt from Dr. Twerski’s new book “Ten Steps to Being Your Best”.

Rosh Kollel, 'The 2nd Seder Kollel'; 'Machon Hora'ah L'Rabanim'

Hadlokas Neiros

Part III – Understanding the Bracha

QQ

I do not understand, all Mitzvos we make the Bracha prior to the performance, so why is the Bracha on candle-lighting made after the candles are kindled?

And, why do we cover our eyes?

A

The Poskim explain that when lighting Shabbos candles it is not possible to recite the Bracha and then light the candles. This is due to the concern that the words of the Bracha, “L’Hadlik Neir Shel Shabbos”, are an implicit acceptance of Shabbos, thus forbidding lighting the candles afterwards.

Due to this concern, Ashkenazi custom is to light the candles and only afterward make the Bracha In order to connect the subsequent Bracha with the earlier lighting, the custom is for the woman to cover her eyes with her hands while reciting the Bracha. This practice guarantees that no benefit is derived from the candles until the Bracha is recited. Only once the Bracha is completed should she uncover her eyes and enjoy the candlelight. [After the Bracha is recited, one should open her eyes and derive benefit from the light before Davening.

This achieves that there is no unnecessary interruption, Hefseik, between the Bracha and the Mitzvah.]

On Yom Tov, since one is allowed to light a candle (from an existing flame), it is possible to recite the Bracha and then light the candles. Unless one has a specific custom otherwise, this is the preferable course of action.

Adapted by Rabbi Avraham Chaim Slansky

Rabbi Slansky can be contacted at avislansky@gmail.com FIND RABBI KALLUS'S SHIURIM ON TORAHANYTIME.COM

Bronx Former Shuls Tour: A Review

24

By Sergey Kadinsky

The landscape of the Grand Concourse in the Bronx resembles Queens History Boulevard, with a five-mile procession of middle-class apartment buildings along a wide thoroughfare of local and express lanes. Among the apartments are dozens of buildings that have Jewish features on them, reminders of a bygone era in that borough’s history.

“The buildings are still standing. For the most part, they’ve become churches,” said Ellen Levitt, author of Lost Synagogues of the Bronx and Queens, an encyclopedic guide to the current conditions of former synagogue facilities. On Sunday, July 10, she gave a tour of the Grand Concourse’s former congregations.

“Most of them closed by the 1970s, but the buildings are still standing.”

My connection to the Grand Concourse goes back to my high school days, when I had a couple of friends who lived in the neighborhood. They were not Jewish, but their apartments had mezuzos hidden behind layers of paint. It piqued my curiosity, and I was told by their parents that the neighborhood was once overwhelmingly Jewish.

The 22 tour participants included residents of all boroughs and nearby suburbs, mostly middle-aged and elderly, who were either raised in the neighborhood or grew up hearing about it. “I moved out in 1974 and was among the last,” said Flatbush resident Joel Schnur.

“It was a dangerous neighborhood. I carried a knife daily, except on Shabbos, and used it on a couple of occasions.”

The tour began at the corner of Tremont Avenue and the Grand Concourse, where blue paint had covered the brick arched windows and Stars of David on a Christian nursery school. “This is the former Temple Zion,” said Levitt. The elaborate decorative elements of many former synagogues evoked a bygone culture whose people had left the neighborhood entirely while leaving behind plenty of evidence. In contrast to the former shuls in Arab countries and Eastern Europe, in New York’s inner-city neighborhoods relocation was voluntary. “Sometimes it was under economic duress. They wanted to move to nicer neighborhoods,” said Levitt. In the years following World War II, this meant trading in the relatively spacious apartments of the Grand Concourse for the backyards and driveways of the suburbs, following the patterns of the general population.

A public school teacher, Levitt developed an interest in former shuls while driving by the shul she had attended as a girl. “In April 1999, I decided to see what had become of the synagogue. Once known as Shaare Torah, in Brooklyn’s Flatbush section, it had morphed into the Salem Missionary Baptist Church,”

said Levitt. “I snapped photos of the site, on East 21st Street and Albemarle Road.”

Some former synagogues have so many Jewish architectural elements on them that, if not for the metal church signs nailed to the façades, one could assume that the neighborhood is still Jewish. “These lost synagogues are intriguing. We can appreciate them for their past: how they were created, how they flourished, how they declined,” said Levitt.

Turning a corner on 177th Street, the tour passed by a park built on vacant land in 1993, busy with teens playing basketball; but a reminder of why many Jews had left by the 1970s was also at that location – in the form of memorial candles on the sidewalk for a homicide victim. Two police officers stood by the makeshift tribute. Sandwiched between the playground and a parking lot, a Pentecostal church bears the engraved name of an earlier occupant, Congregation Mesilath Yeshurun, which had its last services here in 1975. While the police officers appeared surprised to see a tour group on Walton Avenue, the church was in the middle of Sunday services, aware of the building’s past and inviting the visitors to take a glimpse of the sanctuary, where Christian slogans took the place of memorial plaque on walls.

From my own experience leading walking tours, limiting one’s script exclusively to the topic at hand leaves out things that the group saw in between, such as the flourishing community gardens built on empty lots, prewar public schools designed in the Collegiate Gothic style that evokes elite universities, and the Puerto Rican, Dominican, and West African newcomers who moved into the Bronx neighborhoods vacated by Jews.

Levitt’s background as a teacher made her a natural to give tours based on her ability to lecture in front of large audiences.

Nevertheless, precautions should be kept in mind before giving a tour. When a tour route is organized, it is best to take a dry run ahead of the tour date to make sure that there is enough to see along the way, to anticipate questions from participants based on the surroundings, and that the route is realistic depending on the age, physical abilities, and weather conditions.

As a native of the neighborhood, Schnur often added his personal insights to the guide’s

narration, but he should not have appeared as more knowledgeable than the guide.

On the opposite end of the age spectrum were Batsheva and Danny Solomon, a young Brooklyn couple pushing a double stroller.

“We were dropping off a brother in Queens and were looking for something to do. We found this tour online,” said Danny Solomon.

Coming from the borough with the largest Jewish population, they were surprised to walk down 169th Street, which was the Bronx’s synagogue row of the mid-20th century. “They even had a mikvah here,” said Solomon.

Like them, I was puzzled to learn that so many expensive structures were abandoned within the span of a decade. I did not know how tough it was in those days, when neighborhoods were redlined by banks, properties sold in fire-sales by blockbusting real estate agents, or burned for insurance by owners. Such neighborhoods were subjected to disinvestment that led to an uptick in crime while services and infrastructure deteriorated.

Certain neighborhoods had highways carved through their hearts.

It was a New York unimaginable for today’s young adults, who only know of the city as a place where people want to live, paying premium prices to do so.

The sight of doorways with traces of mezuzos and Hebrew letters on churches serves as a reminder of the ephemerality of exile.

Whether it is Baghdad, Warsaw, or a borough whose population was nearly half Jewish in 1930, these places were all temporary stops in the historical journey of the Jewish people.

Reprinted from the July 12, 2016 edition of the Queens Jewish Link. For a free copy, please forward your request to keren18@juno.com

Rabbi Binyomin Hoffman

25

Parsha Pages

The author can be contacted at leibhoff@gmail.com

‫אור החיים על התורה‬

Parshah

“See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. (Es ha’beracha) (11,26) The blessing: that you hearken to the commandments of Hashem….”

Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh in his commentary points out that the word “es” seems to be superfluous. The word “es (and),” is an adjunct is coming to include something that is not explicitly mentioned in the verse. There is a Positive Commandment, “You shall fear (revere) Hashem. (Es Hashem Elokecha Tirah).” The Gemara explains that the word “es,” which in its own right has no interpretation, however indicates an adjunct to the subject matter being discussed (which is the reverence of Hashem in this case), is coming to include Torah Sages.

The Torah requires one to revere the Torah Sage no less than one must revere Hashem Himself.

Regarding the verse in the Portion of Re’eh, what is the word “es” coming to include, regarding the blessing that one will receive if one adheres to the Torah?

Ohr HaChaim continues, “In addition to the blessing that one will receive if he follows the ways of Hashem, one will merit another ornament (benefit). What is this additional benefit? When one engages in Torah study he will experience a degree of pleasure and joy that is extraordinary and overwhelmingly positive.

This unique pleasure and joy will bring life to his spirit. As it states in Yeshiya, ‘When you hear it (Torah) your spirit will be enlivened.’ Just as one is able to sense things with his physical senses, the Jew is able to sense the exquisite taste of Torah. Rather than one seeking reward for studying Torah, one who truly senses its delight, will feel obligated to his benefactor (Hashem) for giving him such an overwhelming degree of pleasure and joy.” Thus, the word “es” regarding the blessing for adhering to the Torah, is coming to include not only the knowledge and wisdom of its truth, but also the unlimited degree of pleasure and joy that one will experience.

This is the additional benefit hat the Jew will receive by adhering to the Torah.

The Gemara in Tractate Kiddushin states, “I (Hashem) have created the evil inclination, and the Torah as its antidote.” It seems from the Gemara that if one engages in Torah study, he will naturally incapacitate his evil inclination.

Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that it is only when the Torah is studied for its own sake (lishmah), that it has the capacity to act as an antidote against the evil inclination and protect the individual from its influence. However, the Torah that is studied not for its own sake (shelo lishmah) will not being about this effect. It will not be an antidote against the evil inclination.

One would think that engaging in Torah study is

in itself sufficient to counter the evil inclination, regardless of one’s intent.

“You shall Obliterate their names from that place…” (12,3) Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains on an allusionary level this is referring to the spiritual conflict between good and evil. We as physical beings are only privy to see the physical world around us. However, the only reason the physical world has any value, is because it has a spiritual counterpart that is associated with it, which gives it value and potency. For example, the verse states regarding the exodus from Egypt, “They saw Egypt traveling behind them.” If the Torah was referring to the Egyptian army that was pursuing the Jewish people, it should have referred to them in the plural (i.e.

Egyptians). Rashi cites Chazal who explain that the verse is referring to the archangel of Egypt that was pursuing the Jewish people. Ultimately when the archangel of Egypt was incapacitated/ destroyed, the Egyptian people no longer exist.

The physical world is only a reflection of its spiritual counterpart.

Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh continues that the way evil is obliterated in the world is by incapacitating and destroying the spiritual forces that correspond to that evil. When the Torah commands us to “obliterate their names (of idolatry)” it is in fact referring to the ability of the Jew to destroy the spiritual counterparts of evil by acting within the context of the Torah.

When the Jew increases and intensifies his good deeds, he will be able to destroy the evil that is obvious and concealed in the world (the power of satan). When the Jew sanctifies Hashem’s Name he intensifies the power of holiness and purity in the world – thus weakening and dispelling the evil forces from existence. However, when the Jew transgresses and violates the Torah, he empowers the nether forces/evil and undermines the Altar of Hashem.

“You should surety give” (15,10) Rashi explains even many times according to the needs of the person in a way that does not embarrass.

A story is told about the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. One time a Talmid Chacham came to Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh and requested his assistance. Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh agreed on the condition that the Talmid Chacham first relate verses from the Torah where two of the same letters were connected together from the letters Aleph through Tav. The Talmid Chacham replied that he would do so but he first stated

that there was no such combination for the letter “‫ ”ע‬in Tanach. He then preceded to list: )‫ ג‬,‫ומקללך אארו (ראשית יב‬ )‫ז‬,‫בשבתך בביתך (דברים ו‬ )‫ ח‬,‫ועשית מעקה לגגך (דברים כב‬ )‫ מט‬,‫דדו או בן דדו יגאלנו (ויקרא כה‬ )‫ יא‬,‫וישכב במקום ההוא (בראשית כח‬ )‫י‬,‫ווי העמודים (שמות כו‬ )‫ט‬,‫על מזזות ביתך (דברים ו‬ )‫ כב‬,‫חח ונזם (שמות לה‬ )‫ו‬,‫והיו לטטפות (דברים ו‬ )‫ טו‬,‫ובחרת בחיים (דברים ל‬ )‫ג‬,‫ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה (במדבר ל‬ )‫ ח‬,‫וללי אמר (דברים ל‬ )‫ ו‬,‫ממלכת כהנים (שמות יט‬ )‫ ו‬,‫ושננתם לבניך (דברים י‬ )‫ ג‬,‫ויסעו מרעמסס (במדבר לג‬ )‫חפף עליו כל היום (דברים לג יב‬ )‫ ט‬,‫בחצצרות על עולותיכם (במדבר י‬ )‫ ב‬,‫חלקת מחקק ספון (דברים לג‬ )‫ יד‬,‫וימררו את חייהם (שמות א‬ )‫ ב‬,‫שש משזר (שמות לט‬ Before stating the letter “‫ ”ת‬the Talmid Chacham stopped and say that the Holy Rabbi should now bless him as promised. Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh agreed and gave him a proper beracha and nice sum of money.

Then the Talmid Chacham proceeded to the final verse: )‫ י‬,‫נתון ותתן לו (דברים טו‬ The verse implies that the given needs to give and give again. Therefore, Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh was pleased with the ingenuity of the Talmid Chacham and proceeded to give him another sum of money.

Parsha riddle Thank you to Boruch Kahan bkahan47@yahoo.co.uk

QUESTION

Question: The four types of animals listed as having only one Siman of Taharah and therefore are Ossur to eat are repeated here from what we have already been told in a previous Parsha in Sefer Vayikro. Find anything strange?

CLUE The four animals according to one opinion in the Medrash represent the four Goluyois.

ANSWER FROM LAST WEEK Question: There is one Daf and Omud somewhere in Shas that has on it two Marei Mekomois from the Mesoras HaShas the commentary of Rabbi Yeshaya Pick both times they are on two different Toisfos on that Omud and both times he refers us to two different Toisfos with the same Dibur Hamaschil from the same Perek in Shas but on different Dafim in that Perek. Which Dafim of which Perek of which Masechta does he refer us to look at the two Toisfos?

In Maseches Shabbos (Daf 89a) the Mesoiras Hashas refers us to Bovo Kamma Perek Merubah (Daf 73b) Toisfos D.H. Kedi. Later, on that same Omud in Shabbos (Daf 89a) he again refers us to another Toisfos in Bovo Kamma Perek Merubah (Daf 82a) that also has the same D.H. Kedi. This second Tosfois gives us much information to help us understand the order and dateline of what took place with Hashem and Moshe Rabbeinu and the giving of the two sets of Luchois based on the Pessukim in our Parsha and that of Parshas Ki Siso.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Schechter

26

tefilah Kabbolas Shabbos – Dogged Devotion Author of Seforim, Parshah Pshetl

The author can be contacted at yankieschechter@gmail.com

Tefilas Kabolas Shabbos – First Mizmor – Tehillim 95:1 “‫”לכו נרננה לד' נריעה לצור ישענו‬

“Come let us sing joyfully to Hashem, let us call out to the Rock of our salvation.” Kabolas Shabbos begins with six Mizmorim, whose common theme is that Hashem is the Master of the universe, as well as yearning for the days of Moshiach.

This Mizmor begins by telling us to sing joyfully to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, acknowledging His greatness, and ends with Hakodosh Boruch Hu exhorting Klal Yisroel not to emulate the sins of our ancestors in the Midbar, which caused Hakodosh Boruch Hu to swear that they would not enter the Land of Eretz Yisroel. What is the connection between these two parts of the Mizmor, and why is this the opening Mizmor for Kabolas Shabbos?

Rav Shamshon Refoel Hirsh explains that these six Mizmorim correspond to the other six days of the week, with all of the days receiving their Shefa from Shabbos Kodesh.

It says in Parshas Vayakhel, “‫וביום השביעי יהיה‬ ‫ – ”›לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד‬The Kedusha of Shabbos, which goes beyond the actual day of Shabbos, is split into two parts. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday receive Kedusha from the upcoming Shabbos; and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday receive Kedusha from the previous Shabbos. The Kedusha of each Shabbos is found in two weeks, half of the week before and half of the week after.

Shabbos 118b – “If only Klal Yisroel would heed two Shabbosos K’halacha, they would be redeemed immediately.” The Zera Beirach explains that when it says “two Shabbosos”, it means a Shabbos which gives off Kedusha to two weeks – the half week before and half week after. When the Torah says “‫ ”זכור ושמור” – “זכור‬a Loshon of remembering, refers to the past – the half week before Shabbos. “‫ – ”שמור‬is a Loshon of future, represents the half week after Shabbos. (‫)אדרת אליהו‬ “‫ – ”ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת‬Chazal say that “‫ ”השבת‬is a Remez to the Bais Hamikdash. Avrohom Avinu called the Makom Hamikdash, “‫ ;”הר‬Yitzchok Avinu called it “‫ ;”שדה‬Yaakov Avinu called it “‫”בית‬, and Dovid Hamelech called it “‫ – ”תפילה‬the Roshei Taivos is “‫”השבת‬. The rebuilding of the third Bais Hamikdash is dependent on our heeding Shabbos properly (Shabbos 118b). In the Zechus of Klal Yisroel heeding “‫ ”השבת‬properly, they will be Zoche to the Bais Hamikdash which is Merumez in the word “‫”השבת‬. This Bais Hamikdash will not be destroyed like the first two were, rather this one will last “‫”לדורותם‬, forever. (‫)אדרת אליהו‬ Vayakhel 35:3 “‫ ביום‬,‫לא תבערו אש בכל משבתיכם‬ ‫“ – ”השבת‬You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos.” Every Erev Shabbos, when the day of Shabbos Kodesh becomes Kodosh, a proclamation is sent forth that all of the fires of Gehinom should cease. The Holy King comes, the day is infused with Kedusha, and He protects all, even the wicked. Immediately the fires cease, and there is Menucha for the wicked. However, the fires of Gehinom do not cease for those who never heeded Shabbos. All of the Resha’im in

Gehinom ask why the fires do not cease for a portion of Resha’im. The judges respond that those who rebelled against Hakodosh Boruch Hu and transgressed the entire Torah, they did not heed Shabbos, their fires do not cease even on Shabbos. Being that they never rested in the world below, there will be no rest for them from the fires in the next world. A Malach brings the Guf of these wicked people into Gehinom, in front of the other wicked people who see that the Guf is full of worms. They all gather around this Guf and state, “This is that Rasha who was not worried about the Kovod of the Creator, he rebelled against Hakodosh Boruch Hu and the Torah. Woe to him, it would have been better had he never been born, and not come to this embarrassment.” (‫)זוהר הקדוש‬

the Shlah Hakodosh say, “‫ ”עתידין‬and “‫– ”לעתיד לבא‬ which both mean that in the future Klal Yisroel will sing Shira to Hakodosh Boruch Hu? In Mitzrayim, Klal Yisroel did not sing Shira to Hakodosh Boruch Hu until they saw the Mitzriyim dead on the river bank. However, in the future, Klal Yisroel will have Emunah in Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and they will sing Shira even before miracles happen for them. The double Loshon is to tell us that while in Mitzrayim they did not sing Shira until they saw the complete miracle, at a future time, Klal Yisroel will sing Shira for Le’asid Lavo, for the times of Moshiach, even before it happens, due to their great, “‫ ”אמנה‬- Emunah in Hakodosh Boruch Hu. “‫ – ”'לכו נרננה לד‬Let’s sing to Hashem for the future wonders that He will perform for us. (‫)שבט מישראל‬

‫ – פרק שירה‬Dogs – “‫ באו נשתחוה‬:‫כלבים אומרים‬ ‫ נברכה לפני ד' עשנו‬,‫“ – ”ונכרעה‬Come! Let us prostrate

We begin Kabolas Shabbos, and the holy day of Shabbos enters. This holy day has great Kedusha, and great opportunity for salvation. If we keep Shabbos properly, we can be saved from Gehinom, and it is the Kedusha of Shabbos which can bring the Geulah. We need to recognize that everything comes from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and we must have Emunah that Hakodosh Boruch Hu will bring the final Geulah. There will be many miracles performed for us, and we must have complete faith in it. If one has complete Emunah that something will happen, that makes it as if it has already happened, and we must certainly thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu for that. We must not fall into the trap of our ancestors, who despite seeing the greatness of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and that which He did for them, sinned greatly against Him. The dogs sing out to Hakodosh Boruch Hu – they are loyal, and in Mitzrayim, they were kicking the bones of the Avodah Zara, en-route to causing them to be nullified. We must be at least as loyal and grateful as dogs, and truly thank Hakodosh Boruch Hu. There are many Chazzonim who sing the ending of this Mizmor with a beautiful and uplifting melodious voice – “‫ אם יבאון אל‬,‫אשר נשבעתי באפי‬ ‫“ – ”מנוחתי‬Therefore, I (Hakodosh Boruch Hu) have sworn in My anger, that they shall not enter into My contentment”, as if this is something good.

If one looks at these words, it does not look like something one would sing with great joy. However, with our understanding of this Mizmor, we can explain that while it is true that our ancestors sinned greatly, we are now rejoicing in the amazing Koach of Shabbos. We sing to Hakodosh Boruch Hu with great joy for the future miracles that we have Emunah will come. If we heed Shabbos properly, learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, and have complete Emunah in Hakodosh Boruch Hu, we will have much to rejoice for, for we know that the Geulah is coming. May we be Zoche to see the Geulah Shlaima, ‫!במהרה בימינו אמן‬

ourselves and bow, let us kneel before Hashem, our Maker.” The praise of the dogs comes from the opening Mizmor of Kabolas Shabbos that we are speaking about. This is the climax of Perek Shira.

It is well known that dogs are known for their great loyalty, and for their displaying gratitude to their masters who treat them well.

The Zohar Hakodosh says on the words, “‫ועצם‬ ‫“ – ”לא תשברו בו‬And you shall not break a bone in it.”

There was great degradation and embarrassment to the Avodah Zarah in Mitzrayim. The bones of the Avodah Zarah in Mitzrayim were strewn in the streets and in the marketplace. The dogs came along and kicked the bones from place to place.

This was more difficult for the Mitzriyim than all of the Makkos – to see their Avodah Zarah being treated with such disgrace. It was apparent to all that the bones were from their Avodah Zarah, and the Mitzriyim were mortified. Klal Yisroel threw the bones around without care, but they did not break the bones, rather it was the dogs that broke them.

This in their eyes was even more disrespectful to their Avodah Zarah. When the Mitzriyim saw the dogs pushing, and breaking the bones of their Avodah Zarah, they hid the bones in the dirt so that they dogs should not find them, and continue to disrespect their Avodah Zara. By the Mitzriyim themselves burying the Avodah Zarah, they nullified the Avodah Zarah, so that it was not called Avodah Zarah anymore, and this brought more Kovod Shomayim into the world. This helps reign in the Koach of the Sitra Achara. Klal Yisroel were not able to be nullify their Avodah Zara, and that is why the dogs needed to be involved, so that the Mitzriyim themselves would end up nullifying their Avodah Zarah.

The Shlah Hakodosh says, “‫עתידין ישראל שיאמרו‬ ‫ שנאמר 'תשורי מראש אמנה‬,‫שירה לעתיד לבא‬.”. Why does