AHAREI - KEDOSHIM
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RABBI JONATHAN TAWIL
The Rabbi, who was born in a simple home in Jerusalem and began his career in Bat Yam, was known for promoting dialogue between faiths, emulating kindness and rejecting violence.
DIRECTOR TAL
Iyar 7th 5780
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THE WEEKLY QUOTE
The Rabbi served as the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel from 1993 -2003, and was the leader of the institutions "Benin Av" in Ramat Shlomo and "Dabei Eliyahu" in the Beit Dagan area of Jerusalem.
LEAVING A LEGACY Is it possible not to be on LinkedIn, yet have hundreds of thousands of followers? In 2012 I was honoured with the privilege of organising a trip to London for a Very Important Person. This might be controversial especially on LinkedIn, but this person had hundreds of thousands of followers and……..no social media! His success with his followers continued until recently. Is that at all possible in 2020? How can one be successful, content and lead an empire without the use of social media? See my Facebook page for more This man started investing in human resources many years before the advent of internet, and was able to keep all his followers. How? It’s something that sometimes goes overlooked. The personal touch, the care, the understanding, the passion and the devotion to Judaism and G-d and humanity. I am talking about Rabbi Bakshi Doron Z’l.
Over the past few years the Rabbi was unwell and recently passed away due to the coronavirus. Current Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said that "the Rabbinic world, the Torah world and the Halacha [Jewish law] world lost one of its first pillars" His passing leaves a great void in the Jewish world. Although due to the current pandemic he was buried only surrounded by family, the burial was followed online by millions of views.
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What made him so popular? How does one get to be such an influencer without the use of social media?
DVAR TORAH
His son related the tip of the ice berg in a few words;
Leaving A Legacy
"He was available for every Jew, he had a devotion to the public. He did not belong to any particular sector; his big heart contained the entire State of Israel. He was a man of the people of Israel."
RABBI JONATHAN TAWIL
DVAR TORAH
Spiritual growth is working on area ...
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RABBI ALAN GARBER
OUR CHACHAMIM
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HALACHOT
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HILLEL THE ELDER
"The Rabbi was a man of kindness and giving who worked to bring the hearts of the people of Israel closer together," He was an important link in the chain of the tradition of Torah in the Jewish nation. His vast knowledge of the sources of learning, along with his unique character traits, and his accepting of all people really stood out.
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Guidelines for One Who Forgets to Count the Omer .../ RABBI ELI MANSOUR
Kid’s Q&A & STORY Time
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He was a Rabbi, a teacher, and a father to many communities in Israel and abroad, bringing together Jews of all backgrounds. I will share one personal short story that really made an impact on our lives. We come from a traditional background and at one stage my elder brother started becoming more religious. He showed passion into wanting to know more about our roots, understand more about our purpose in this world and wished to come closer to G-d. He decided to go to Yeshiva! In those days it was a real taboo to go to Yeshiva. Only a few people went from his school, and they were from the “more religious” families. This “Yeshiva idea” was news to our parents, who at the time were pushing for him to go straight to university (not just any university – he excelled in his studies and was accepted to LSE!). Deferring LSE for a year was not really done. The likelihood was that if he did they would not accept him again, nevertheless the need for truth, clarity and purpose led my brother to one of the best Yeshivot in the world - Kol Torah. At the time his Rosh Yeshiva was Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach Z’l. After a year of intense Jewish Study my father wanted him back. Of course, my brother wasn’t
contempt with one year and asked to stay for a second year. It was already a miracle that LSE accepted him after a year’s deferral would they now accept him if he defers again? My father was concerned, until he received a phone call from Rabbi Bakshi Doron Z’l. The Rabbi asked my father for a favour. The conversation went something like this. “Sure, whatever it is Rabbi, I will try and help”. “Unfortunately, there is a Sefer Torah that has been stolen in London,” said the Rabbi. “So sorry to hear,” answered my father. “I need your help, I know you are a good contact in London, I am sure you can help”. “Of course Rabbi, we will make every effort to find it and bring it back to its original place.” Answered my father. “Great, thank you so much”, replied the Rabbi. And then what he said shocked my father. “The Sefer Torah is your son!” There was a long pause, and the Rabbi continued, “He has so much potential, he has so much passion, yet he has been lost, stolen away from
his tradition. He is in Yeshiva now catching up on all that lost time, please allow him to finalise his studies, you will not lose out and don’t worry about the place in university.” My father smiled in awe, what genius, what care for someone else’s son and how amazing it was to have a Rabbi who really valued every person so much that they could call him a Sefer Torah. Needless to say my brother stayed another year, received his place the next year in LSE and graduated with honours. Let’s focus for a moment on this story. What amazes me, is the Rabbi took from his busy schedule to make one small short call. It had resounding effect. It’s the small acts we do that transform us. And when the individual is transformed we collectively are transformed. So if you desire followers, desire to be an influencer then start with the small short direct acts. I guarantee they will last for ever in the echelons of many people’s hearts.
■ Shabbat Shalom
RABBI ALAN GARBER - SHENLEY UNITED JEWISH COMMUNITY
SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS WORKING ON AREA OF GREATEST RESISTANCE Our sedra opens by stressing that the teachings of Kedoshim were specifically taught to the “entire assembly of the Children of Israel” (Vayikra 19:2). The usual procedure would be that Moses would teach Aaron, and then Aaron’s sons, then the 70 Elders and then he would teach the entire assembly. Rashi explains that the beginning of the sedra contains the main body of the Torah and therefore it was fitting for it to be taught directly to the entire people. There are several explanations as to what the “main body of Torah” refers to; The Alshich (1508–1593, Safed) explains the term “you shall be holy” is an overall imperative to every person and that Judaism does not subscribe to the idea that only certain people are obligated to live a spiritually elevated life,
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rather being holy and aspiring to holiness applies to everyone.
the areas that we find the most resistance that is where we have to put our efforts in to grow.
According to Rabbi Akiva, the command to “love your neighbour as yourself”, that also appears at the beginning of the sedra (Vayikra 19:18) is the main teaching of the Torah and similarly had to be taught to the entire assembly. The Baal HaTurim gives us a third insight that within the sedra of Kedoshim we can find the 10 commandments and therefore it is appropriate that it was taught to the entire assembly.
We are in the middle of the period of counting the Omer, between Pesach and Shavuot. It is during this time that we are specifically working on our spiritual growth. We study and internalise the teachings of the Ethics of our Fathers with the goal of making ourselves a fitting vessel to receive the Torah on the incredible festival of Shavuot.
When the sedra restates the 5th commandment to honour our parents there some significant changes. Our sedra says teaches “Each person, his mother and father, he shall fear” (Leviticus 19:3). Rashi cites that here the Torah states mother before father because a child usually fears his father more than his mother. In the actual 10 commandments however, the Torah tells us to honour our father first and then our mother, as the natural tendency is to honour our mother first before our father. This is a wonderful lesson for us in our spiritual development. In
Under the current “Covid-19 lockdown crisis” Hashem is showing the 7 billion of Humanity what is important in life. It is a life dedicated to Torah, Avodah (prayer) and acts of kindness (Avot 1:2) that is our goal and what keeps the world going, rather than the running after the transitory pleasures of life. May Hashem bless us to turn this time of “crisis” into a time of personal growth and through this may Hashem bless all of Humanity with spiritual and physical healing! ■ Shabbat shalom Get in touch 0207 561 6600 michael@cityprinting.co.uk
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PLEASE PRAY FOR REFUAH SHELEIMA OF:
Mordechai ben Musha Yeta I Aharon ben Leah I Pinchas ben Tamar I Rivkah bat Sarah I Yona bat Esther Naomi bat Mazal I Myriam Lea bat Sarah I Rafael Chaim ben Rachel I Elisha Ben Ayala I Sarah Bat Rachel Refael
HALACHOT
OUR CHACHAMIM
RABBI ELI MANSOUR HILLEL THE ELDER We all know that the patience, gentleness, and humility of Hillel the Elder has become proverbial. It was only on one occasion that he was seen getting angry, and it was precisely his humility – the feeling that he had of his own lowliness – that had ignited his anger in front of the idleness of so many competent men. In brief, the story goes that Hillel had been questioned on a law, yet had to admit that he once knew it, but had since forgotten. This had happened to him under the influence of anger. Later, he remembered what he had forgotten (see Pesachim 66a for details). Yet anger should be censured. The Sages bring remarkable examples of the unfailing patience and gentleness of Hillel the Elder. One day, someone wagered that he could make him get angry. The bet was 400 pieces of gold. It was just before Shabbat and Hillel the Elder was preparing for its arrival. The man therefore rushed to Hillel’s home and cried, “Hillel the Elder! Where’s Hillel the Elder?” At the time, Hillel was washing himself, and so he interrupted his preparations, wrapped himself in his clothes, and went to the one who was calling him. “What do you want, my son?” he asked. “I have a question to ask you.” “Ask me then.” “Why are the heads of Babylonians so round?” And Hillel the Elder, himself Babylonian, answered him with a smile. “You have asked a profound question, my son, and I will answer you. It is because they have bad midwives that don’t know how, when a baby is born, to give the head a good shape.” The man didn’t reply. Later, he again asked Hillel a question: “Why are the people of Tadmor weak-eyed?” “Because they live in a sandy country,” Hillel the Elder replied.
After a certain time, the man came back and asked, “Why do Africans have such wide feet?” With inexhaustible patience, Hillel the Elder answered: “Because they live in a marshy land.” “I still have many questions to ask you,” said the man, “but I am afraid of making you angry.” “Ask on, my son,” said Hillel the Elder, “ask me everything you want to know.” Although Shabbat was arriving, Hillel the Elder sat down in order to be more attentive to the anthropological and ethnographic questions that this stranger, a man that he had never before seen, wanted to ask. “Are you really Hillel,” said the man, “whom they call a prince in Israel?” “Yes, that is correct my son,” he replied. “Well, I hope that here are not many more in Israel like you!” “And why not, my son?” asked Hillel. "Because of you," said the man, "I have lost 400 pieces of gold, for I wagered that I could make you angry.” "Be warned for the future," said Hillel the Elder. "Better that you should lose 400 pieces of gold, and 400 more after that, than it should be said of Hillel that he lost his temper!" In that time of trouble and distress, it was Israel’s great fortune to have a man as kind and gentle as Hillel the Elder as a prince. He could thus guide the young though all of life’s pitfalls by means of Divine teachings and preserve the Torah for generations to come. Herod, the descendant of Idomean slaves, had been raised to royalty with the support of the Romans and had assassinated the remaining offshoots of the Hasmonean dynasty. As for the members of the Sanhedrin, he had them executed, as Shemiah had foretold them. All Israel was filled with hatred for the abhorred tyrant, yet the rage of Herod was broken by the gentleness of Hillel. ■ EE FR
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GUIDELINES FOR ONE WHO FORGETS TO COUNT THE OMER OR CANNOT REMEMBER IF HE COUNTED The Mitzva of Sefirat Ha'omer requires counting the proper number each night during the Omer period. If a person forgot to count the Omer one night, then he should count during the following day without a Beracha, and thereafter continues counting each night with a Beracha, as usual. Even if a person forgot to count the Omer on several successive nights, so long as he counted during the day in each instance he continues counting the Omer with a Beracha. If, however, a person forgot to count the Omer one night and did not count at all during the following day, then he may no longer recite the Beracha over the counting of the Omer. He should continue counting each night, but without reciting a Beracha. For this reason, many congregations have the practice to count the Omer aloud – without the Beracha – each morning during Shacharit, after the Kaddish following the Chazan's repetition. This is intended to ensure that anyone who forgot to count the Omer the previous night will at least count that day, so that he may resume counting the subsequent night with a Beracha. It should also be noted that although praying with a Minyan is of great importance throughout the year, it is particularly critical during the Sefira period, as one is far more likely to forget to count the Omer when he prays privately than when he prays with a Minyan. If a person cannot remember whether or not he counted the Omer one night, and he did not count during the following day, does he continue to count with a Beracha, or must he count without a Beracha, given the possibility that he missed a day? Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Chazon Ovadia (Laws of Yom Tov, p. 238), rules that a person in such a case continues to count with a Beracha, as this situation involves a "Sefeik-Sefeika," or "double doubt." First, there is the question of whether or not the person indeed neglected to count the Omer. But in addition, even if he had neglected to count, it is unclear whether or not Halacha follows the opinion that one who misses a day of counting can no longer count the subsequent nights. According to some authorities, each night of the Omer constitutes an independent Mitzva, and thus forgetting to count one night does not affect one's obligation on the subsequent nights. Hence, in a situation where one is unsure whether or not he counted, two points of uncertainty are involved, in which case we may be lenient and allow the individual to continue counting the Omer with a Beracha. Chacham Ovadia adds yet another factor, namely, the position of the Rif (Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi, Morocco, 1013-1103) and the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-North Africa, 1135-1204) that counting the Omer constitutes a Torah obligation even nowadays. With regard to Torah law, we rule stringently in situations of uncertainty. Thus, according to the view of these authorities, a person who is unsure whether or not he must count the Omer is obligated to do so. Although we generally do not follow this position of the Rif and the Rambam, their view represents yet another consideration for requiring a person in such a situation to continue counting the Omer with a Beracha. Summary: A person who forgets to the count the Omer one night should count during the following day without a Beracha, and then resume counting that night with a Beracha. If one forgets to count one night and does not count during the following day, either, then he resumes counting the subsequent night without reciting a Beracha. If one cannot remember whether or not he counted one day, he continues counting with a Beracha. ■ BUSINESS SPORTS FOOD TRAVEL
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e m i T s d i K TEST YOURSELF - Q&A ➊ Why does the Torah emphasize that Parshat Acharei Mot was taught after the death of Aharon's sons? ➋ What is the punishment for a kohen gadol who inappropriately enters the kodesh kodashim? ➌ How long did the first Beit Hamikdash stand? ➍ What did the kohen gadol wear when he entered the kodesh kodashim? ➎ How many times did the kohen gadol change his clothing and immerse in the mikveh on Yom Kippur? ➊ To strengthen the warning not to enter the kodesh kodashim except on Yom Kippur. ➋ Death. ➌ 410 years. ➍ Only the four linen garments worn by an ordinary kohen. ➎ Five times.
Answer