avakesh

Following the megilla reading

One should follow the reader word for word in the megillah, or preferrably recite it together with the reader. What if one follows along and recites but his mind wanders for a few moments but then one finds himself having kept pace and still on on the same words as the reader, but not having focused on some words or lines. This is an alltogether common scenario. Is the fact that he silently kept pace with the reader a sufficient indication that he "heard" every word? He was aware of what the reader was saying and kept pace along with him, but this was with lower level of awareness, more automatic than conscious. Is one yotse under such circumstances?

It seems to me that one would fulfill his obligation in this common case, based on the following Tur in siman 59:

My father wrote in a responsa that we quietely pronounce the blessings of "yotser ohr" and "aravis" along with the cantor, for in silence no man can be continuously aware of what the cantor says. Even if he followed the reader in silence and in the middle of a blessing his mind turned away to other matters, he lost the "intention (kavana)", but when a man reads along with the reader, even if he reads some of it without awareness, he is "yotse".

The Tur seems to be saying that when one reads along with another person, some degree of awareness is perforce maintained by the effort of keeping pace, even if conscious awreness is temporarily lost. Such is not the case when one attempts to listen along and follow in silence, for then there is nothing to keep one connected to the reader once conscious concentration leaves him. However, if one reads along, even withotu full awareness, he is yotse.

This approach also obviates the kasha of Beer Halacha, ain sham.

Purim at BMG (Lakewood)

A very funny Purim post

by RaisinSoul, here

How to remember

This week in honor of Purim we will repost and explore a Midrashic passage that discusses the commandment to remember and destroy Amalek. This obligation is expressed in the following verse: "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you went out of Egypt...do not forget (Devarim 26,17-19).

On this the Toras Kohanim in Bechukosai 2 comments:

"Remember - you might think, "in the heart". When it says, "do not forget", forgetting in the heart has already been said. How do I understand "remember"? That you should say it with your mouth. (i.e. read the megillah on Purim)[1].

At first glance, this passage appears to be a classical derash, far form the simple meaning of the Bibilcal words. Where and how did the Sages see the obligation of Megillah reading in the above verse?

To understand this Midrashic passage, let us consider how the word "zakhor" used in this verse can be translated into English. There seem to be several candidates for a translation. We have, of course, the usual translation "remember"; however, there are also other contenders. They include words such as: recall, remind, reminisce, and commemorate. Each of these words has a different connotation. "Remember" itself connotes simple natural awareness of a memory, something that just is, something that does not need to be maintained; the others contain within them various degrees of activity and effort.

The Sages understood the word "zakhor" as more akin to the latter group.

Remember (zakhor) the Sabbath day (Shemos 20)" - commemorate (zakhreihu) over wine (to say Kiddush)[2].

In fact, for the meaning "zakhor" as awareness, you would use a different word. In Biblicl Hebrew you would express it as "not forgetting".

He who forgets his learning transgresses a negative commandment, as it says: "Lest you forget these things and lest they leave your heart... You may think that this applies even if one's learning overpowers him. The Torah states:" Lest they leave your heart". One is not liable unless he sits down and actively uproots them from his heart(Avos 3:8).

In other words, the Torah commands you to remember, that is to retain what you had learned. It is expressed as a commandment to not forget. What is forbidden is to consciously and deliberately attenuate or erase these memories. Contrast this kind of memory with recall, reminding, review and commemoration, which are active and directed.

What this means is that when "zakhor" is placed next to "lo tishkach", it signifies a different kind of memory. The latter only demands that you passively remain aware but the former demands some kind of action to externalize and strengthen the memory. This active remembering may include review of relevant laws, a prescribed Torah reading or a performance of a ritual act[3] . The Sages are not making a "derash"; they are revealing to us the exact meaning of Hebrew words.

The same undersanding is found in Bereishis Rabbah 88:7 on the verse The chief butler did not (zakhar) remember Yosef and (vayshkacheuhu) he forgot him (Bereishis 40:23). The Midrash defines the difference between remembering and not forgetting:

Every day the butler made conditions (at dinnertime I will mention Yosef to Pharaoh; at nightfall I will tell Pharaoh about Yosef - Eitz Yosef), and the angel came and confused him. Every day the butler tied knots to remind himself and every day the angel came and untied them.

One has to appreciate that tying knots for the ancients was like taking notes is for us. The knots remind you of what you meant to recall. It is in allusion to this that the knots of the tzitzis serve to "remember all the commandments". The butler performed specific actions to "(zakhor) remember" Yosef but to no avail. Not only did his review not help him, he did not even retain an awareness of Yosef (vayshkacheuhu) and his special ability to interpret dreams.

Realizing that "zakhor" is a word that includes an activity associated with remembering, allows us to understand how the Chazal derived Megillah reading or parshas Zakhor from the simple meaning of the verses.

Learning Point: Many, although not all instances of "derash far removed from the simple meaning", are in fact examples of informed reading of the verses by people who understood and appreciated the precise significance and nuance of Biblical Hebrew much better than we do. It is an error to assume that the words that we usually use to translate specific Hebrew words, correctly represent all the shading and nuances of the original. Considering the whole range of cognate English words can sometimes cue us into the unique and specific meaning of the Hebrew word and reveal the basis of Midrashic comment.

Freilechen happy Purim

Drink responsibly

Hope

As long as a man lives, he has hope

(Yalkut Shimoni, Koheles 9:4, section 989)

Material Science in the Mishkan by Chaim Gershon

The materials, which were used, are first enumerated in the beginning of Terumah

before the subsequent discussion of the various vessels and garments that will be constructed from them: does this textural precedence mean that only these materials can be used and it is not possible to use alternatives?  Was kashrus of the vessels of the Mishkan dependent on their shape or dimensions and function or is their chemical composition?

Goldis said to have been created for the Mishkan/Temple. Similarly,Tachashwas created just for the Mishkan (also see Toras Menachem Hisvadus 5752 volume 1, p.157 Week in Review Terumah 5754) to accentuate the singular purpose of the Mishkan. From these two examples, it would appear that there were special materials that are inherently required for each of the parts of the Mishkan/Temple.

If we put aside the view that the Third Temple will descend from Shamayim, the question is whether a whether a different natural, or synthetic substances or a composite can be substituted if man builds the next Beis HaMikdash? One can be sure gold will still be used as it has retained its value over the centuries; however, copper has become too expensive for pennies; perhaps the copper kelim will no longer have the proper relative importance?

Chazal forbid using iron due to its historical association with war, but weapons are no longer exclusively associated with war, so, perhaps stainless steel tools will be as acceptable, and they don't rust. If not, will we have to rediscover the shamir worm to cut stone, or will lasers be acceptable? What about Electrical lighting? Heating by gas furnaces or will the Cohanim still walk on a cold floor?! Would uranium now be the forbidden element?! What about using advanced ceramics and engineering plastics?  L'havdil, will the construction crew have to be sold on plastics like the Amish?!

If we err on this issue, will the wrong selection of building materials prevent the proper operation of the mizbayach with Heavenly fire coming down in response to korbanot? 

  In regard for the blue dye, the Tiferes Yisrael (Introduction to Mishna Shabbas) has concluded that chilazon is not required to make kosher techeles for tzitzis and bigday Kehuna: a spectrally equivalent blue dye that is just as colorfast can be used just as well! Maybe Mishkan can be made from the more easily fashion ready-to-use, more decorative walls from polymer concrete that have many advantages over old-fashioned stone.

Still one can say the timeless fabric of wool endures: it is hard to believe that the Kohen Gadol should dress according to a fad that could become such a fashion nightmare as the polyester leisure suit of the 1970’s !

Many questions! May we soon see the resolution of these questions with the coming of Moshiach Zidkeinu.

 

Avakesh comments:

 

One could argue that there can be no deviation whatsoever from the materials that Torah lists, because of the following verse: כְּכֹל, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ, אֵת תַּבְנִית הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְאֵת תַּבְנִית כָּל-כֵּלָיו; וְכֵן, תַּעֲשׂוּ. 

 According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it.(Shemos 25:9)

 

Rashi understands this as a commandment to keep the general shape and structure and implies that the metals are not included. This is consistent with his commentary to gemara in Sanhedrin 16b, where he explains that vese as referring solely to the question of whether vessels that are made in the future require annointing or can be sanctified with service alone. 

 

Rashi says:

And so should you make it---

in future generations, in the event that one of the vessels should be lost or when you will make for Me the vessels for the Eternal House (the Beis Hamikdosh), such as the tables, the lamps, the wash basins, and the stands [for the wash basins] which Shlomo made, then make them according to the forms of these.

I note that Chashmonaim when they entered the Temple, first set up a menorah of seven iron spears. "Why do we kindle lights on Hanukah? Because when the sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priest, defeated the Hellenists, they entered the Temple and found there eight iron spears. They stuck candles on them and lit them." (Pesikta Rabbati ch. 2). This seems to point out that other metals are acceptable.

Netsiv to Shemos 25:9, on the other hand, brings a Tosefta, which he expands to mean that all the particulars of the Mishkan corresponded to the underlying structures of the Creation. Among them, one should surely count the metals of which they were made: gold corresponds to gevurah and silver to malchus etc. The verse not only calls on us to construct a replica of the original Mishkan, it demands that it be built is a way such that Shekhina should dwell within it.  It is a Halachic imperative according to Netsiv, not just a nice idea. Rabbi Elie Munk writes in The Call of the Torah: "According to the Kabbalists, the Tabernacle represents a microcosm of the universe [and] reflects the universal source from which life and blessings emanate to all the spheres of creation.") If so, we will need to preserve the metals that Torah listed.

In regard to electricity, it may be different:

In Ner Mitzvah(pp. 13-16),  R. Mashash describes the superiority of the electric menorah in even clearer terms.

ועוד אני אומר, דפשוט וברור, שאם היה אור האלקיטריסיטי מצוי בזמן המקדש, ודאי שבו היו מדליקין המנורה, משום שאי אפשר להיות שנמלא בתינו החולין באורים גדולים של אור החשמל היקר הזה, שהוא מעין דוגמא של מעלה, ובבית אלהינו הקדוש נדליק בשמן זית, שאפי[לו] העניים הגרועים מואסים אותו בזה”ז, ופשוט שממנו נדליק בבית האחרון שיבנה בב”א

And I say more, that it is simple and clear, that if the electrical light existed in the time of the Temple, certainly with it they would have lit the menorah, since it is impossible to be that we would fill our everyday homes with these great lights of the precious electrical light, that it is a kind of example from the heavens, and in the House of Our Holy Lord we would light with olive oil, that even the extremely poor are disgusted by it at this time, and it is simple that from it [i.e. electrical light] we will light in the last house [i.e. Temple] that will be built speedily in our days amen. (p. 15) 

 

Yosef Mashash-מים חיים חלק א, נר מצוה

 

Hat tip to Menachem Mendel

 

 

 

 

 

The Story of Esther in Hawaian Pidgin

Portable Yiras Shomayim

from Jerusalem Post

Haredi airline passengers are being advised to hang a new type of mehitza – a halachic barrier to separate the sexes – around the top of their airplane seats, to shield their eyes from immodest neighbors and in-flight movies.

The Rabbinical Council for Public Transportation, which is also representing the haredi community on the issue of gender-segregated “mehadrin” buses, is now placing advertisements in haredi newspapers encouraging the community to purchase the traveler mehitzas.

The new mehitzas, made of white nylon, stick onto the fabric of the airplane chair using Velcro and can be arranged to make a protective “shield.” The mehitza goes around the head and is mostly in front of the passenger’s face, protruding only a little to the sides. Its designer, who asked that his name not be published, declined to share pictures and his design details, but said the mehitzas were “airy” and did not bother anybody.

“They’re very nice,” said Rabbi Shimon Stern, spokesman for the Rabbinic Council for Public Transportation. “Very cute. It’s very practical.”

The mehitzas are designed to be portable and fit into a small box, which passengers can bring on the plane.....

Getting back to Daf Yomi

Stopping smoking is the easiest thing to do. I've done it many times.

Mark Twain.

So, I got back into Daf Yomi, at Sanhedrin, after stopping after Gittin, at the birth of yet another child. It is an easy thing to do for I've done it many time. About 5. Over 28 years, to be more exact.

There are many things I learned over the years, which I am ready to share. I had some successes along the way but failure is definitely the best teacher.

So here are my pointers on how to succeed at Daf Yomi.

1.Start early. Begin daf beis one ot two days before everyone else and stay ahead. It is inevitable that you will miss a day here and there. If you don't, you are not really living. It takes a lot to learn a set amount every day, and if you are involved in other activities, like earning a living, family and/or communal work, you WILL sometimes miss a day. You have to plan for failure and build into it the possibility of success. This way, if you miss a day you will not be discouraged and you will retain a realistic chance to catch up. Most daf yomi learners give it up after they ao far behind that they do not see a way to catch up. If you start ahead you are less likely to fall too far behind.

Of course, the same may be acomplished by just skipping the dafim that you miss, but that is not as good a solution. First, not everyone has the personality to give up dafim without regrets. Second, it is not really learning daf yomi, is it?

2. Know your style! If you go slowly and identify many important points at first reading, perhaps that's all you need, If you tend to run through the daf and get the gist of it and then return for review, you need a differetn strategy. In that case, you may, and I do, learn through the daf twice, so that every day you review the daf that everyone else is doing today but you did yesterday, and then go ahead with the first run-through of the daf that the others will do tommorow.

3.Plan the extent to which you want to get into this. Will you learn all Rashis, or only the important ones? How and which tosafos do you want to cover? Will you focus on the practical psak that arises out of the daf or on covering the main disagreements in rishonim. WIth the many sheets, shiurim and daf aids that are now available, you can tailor your goals very well, and the ongoing focus on the methodology will save you time and provide the sense of accomplishment that will sustain and keep up your motivation.

Above, all approach this as only a part of your learning. The Daf can never substitute for the lofty and very motivating goal of becoming a Talmid Chacham. If you settle for ltat is what you will achieve - no more. If you don't really believe that you can, you are not likely to accomplish. Yes, it takes years, sometimes lifetimes. Yet, settting high goals is the way one succeeds in everything and this is no less true of Talmud Torah.

Hatzlacha Rabbah!