Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Va'eira
No 1606: 28 Tevet 5776 (9 January 2016)
AS SHABBAT APPROACHES
"Let My People Go, and they will Serve Me" - by Esti Rosenberg, Head of the
Midrasha for Women, Migdal Oz
Morning and night, when we describe the unity of G-d's name with our love,
we remind ourselves and we remember the Exodus from Egypt. It was a wondrous
journey, giving birth to a unique nation, but which had much more than that,
in that it led to the appearance of the Shechina, the Holy Presence, in the
real world and in human history.
When the Creator commands Moshe to go to Pharaoh, he spreads out before him
the Divine plan for the redemption of Yisrael. "This is what G-d says:
Yisrael is My firstborn... Let My son go and he will worship Me. But you
have refused to send him. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son." [Shemot
4:22-23]. The original plan is an attempt to redeem the people, and it
focuses on the Plague of the Firstborn. If Pharaoh refuses to give the
slaves their freedom, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in one fell swoop
kill Pharaoh's firstborn. And the result will be that in the end Pharaoh
will release Bnei Yisrael.
Most of the commentators wonder why it was necessary for G-d to strike at
the Egyptians with Ten Plagues in order to take Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt.
In fact, it seems from the above quote that the original plan was to have
only the Plague of the Firstborn.
Moshe went to Pharaoh, who reacted with two stark statements: "I do not know
G-d, and neither will I send Yisrael away" [5:2]. Pharaoh's statement that
he does not recognize the Creator of the World is what turns the tables
around. The goal of the Exodus from Egypt becomes not only to free the
nation of Yisrael from slavery but to serve as the basis through which the
entire world will encounter the Creator and get to know His behavior. From
this point on, the redemption from Egypt has two goals – not only the
release of the slaves but also to reveal the Shechina to Pharaoh, to his
slaves, and to the entire world. "And Egypt will know that I am G-d, when I
wave my hand over Egypt, and I will take Bnei Yisrael out from among them."
[7:5].
And that is why Ten Plagues are necessary, as part of a long process leading
to knowledge of the Creator and His ways.
The learning process is gradual, consisting of stages which reveal various
aspects of the Shechina in the world. The goal of the first set of Plagues –
"By this you will know that I am G-d" [7:17] – is to show His existence in
the world, and it is aimed towards the components of the powerful forces of
Egypt – the river and the sorcerers. The second set of Plagues help to
strengthen the message, "So that you will know that there is nothing else
like Me in the entire world" [9:14]. The Holy One, Blessed be He, is not
only the Creator and Almighty, He is also active, and guides our day-to-day
living.
What is unique about the Plagues in the Torah portion of Va'eira is that
they upset the normal flow of life and are very disturbing and irritating,
but they do not interfere with government operations. They are meant to
oppose the words of Pharoah, "I do not know G-d." And indeed the portion
ends with Pharaoh's recognition – "G-d is righteous, and I and my nation are
evil" [9:27]. The portion of Bo will concentrate on Plagues which destroy
Egypt and completely, so much so that Pharaoh's slaves will cry out, "Don't
you know that Egypt is lost?" [10:7]. The last Plagues will bring about the
final result – the release Bnei Yisrael.
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"Let My people go, and they will serve Me." [7:16].
POINT OF VIEW
Increasing Production: The Challenge for the Next Budget Year - by Zevulun Orlev
Predictions
There is a national custom, which is also practiced worldwide, to calculate
budgets on the basis of the secular calendar, one year in advance. No day
passes during this period without a conference/gathering/event/discussion
with the objective of economic "predictions" for the coming year. The entire
elite of national economics, the Minister of the Treasury, the Governor of
the Bank of Israel, the leaders of the national economy, the private sector,
banks, investment companies, successful businesses, professors of economics,
and newspaper reporters - all widen their gaze to ask what will happen, and
should happen in the future. None of the speakers wants to be considered
fools or babies, as is indicated in the well-known source: "Rabbi Yochanan
said, From the day that the Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from
the prophets and handed over to fools and babies" [Bava Batra 12b]. And so
every speaker begins with the declaration, "I am not a prophet," and then
continues with laundered cautious declarations: "I expect/estimate/assume,
my prediction is..."
The people who understand analyze what happened in Israel in the financial
realms in the past year – such matters as inflation, interest, growth,
investments, the shekel and the dollar, housing, cost of living index – and
from this try to build up a prediction for the future. Wiser people analyze
changes that took place in the world, such as a decrease in growth rates,
increased unemployment, the sharp decrease in the price of oil, the increase
in interest rates in the United States, the increase in world terrorism, the
migration of peoples in Europe, crises in awakening markets such as China,
the retreat of the United States from its worldwide leadership role while
Russia gained in strength, and other factors which might have an influence
on the Israeli economy.
All the experts agree that this past year was not a good one in economic
terms, to put it mildly. The indications are clear: The interest rates are
very low, there are almost no investments, there is no growth, there is a
negative inflation rate, poverty is on the increase, apartments are becoming
more expensive, the stock market and the investment markets are just
managing to maintain their positions, and there are other issues too. In the
end, no single person correctly predicted the dramatic economic events of
the world and of Israel during the past year. The economic reality in Israel
and in the world changed so rapidly that it was not possible to predict them
in advance. It is quite reasonable to assume that the same thing will happen
in the future.
A Formula for Economic Strength
In order to advance and to prepare for the future in a proper way, it is
necessary to understand the process of cause and effect. What came first,
the chicken or the egg? This is true at both the national and the personal
levels at the same time.
An analysis that is not very complex can show us that the basic question is
the following: "How big is the cake that can be divided?" How much economic
growth is to be expected? If the population of the country grows every year
by 1.9%, it is clear that if the economy does not grow any faster than this
the quality of life will not improve. If the growth rate decreases the
quality of life will go down, and if the growth rate increases the quality
of life will rise at the same rate as the gap between the population
increase and the economic growth rate. In the last twelve months, the net
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economic growth rate was close to zero (just about 2%). And that is a brief
summary of the economic situation of our country.
How can we go about increasing our economic growth rate? There are two main
factors: (1) Investments to be used for building new factories, development
of infrastructures and technologies, and more. (2) Increasing productivity –
GDP, the Gross Domestic Product per person. This means that every worker
must produce more (products and services must be provided more efficiently
than before), and the number of workers must be increased. In the United
States, the average production of a worker is more than $50,000, in Europe
the number is about $40,000, and in Israel it is only $30,000. That is, the
average worker in Israel produces less than other workers in the Western
World. In addition, we have fewer workers than other countries in relation
to our total population.
Economic investments will depend on government policy. Increasing worker
productivity also depends on the government, but not only the government. It
also depends on each and every individual, since it is linked to education,
knowledge, skill, and professionalism of the workers. The way to improve all
of these elements is through education and professional training in addition
to recognizing the proper work ethic. Budget cuts in the resources for
education, study, and professional preparation is the responsibility of the
government, and they can have severe consequences in terms of the quality of
life of all the people. But every person can still accomplish a lot within
his home, concentrate on being more professional in his or her work, and
achieve a higher level of knowledge and efficiency.
The start of a new budget year gives us an opportunity to strive for higher
productivity at the national and individual levels even if global conditions
are not encouraging and the economic data within Israel do not provide any
support. Increasing the level of productivity is the main factor that will
enable us to enlarge the national economic "cake" and to grow. Such an
increase will help raise the level of available personal resources for
education and degree study, and at the national level it will provide a
basis for larger investments and a reduction of poverty levels and the
social gaps – and therefore to a higher standard of living.
This is not a vision. It is established fact!
SWEETNESS FOR THE SOUL
Calming the Soul, and Advice in Serving G-d - by Rabbi Itiel Gilady, Lecturer in the
School for the Soul and Editor of the Writings of Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg
This week, on the twenty-fourth of Tevet, is the anniversary of the death of
the Alter Rebbe, who wrote the Tanya, which can be considered the "written
Torah" of Chassidut. In the introduction, the Tanya describes the unique
traits of the book in that the text is based on "therapeutic experience" of
many years, in answers to questions brought to him by his disciples in
personal consultation. He writes that "a person will find calm for his soul
and good advice for whatever is difficult for him in his service of G-d."
Two Sides of the Coin
The secular form of therapy, even if performed by a religious therapist,
does not usually bring the Holy One, Blessed be He, into the picture, and it
is not aware of the Divine soul. It therefore separates between spiritual
healing and the worship of G-d. On the other hand, one of the basic
principles of Jewish psychology is to form a link between spiritual healing
("calming the soul") and serving G-d ("whatever is difficult for him in his
service of G-d"). Every spiritual problem can also be defined as difficulty
in serving G-d (for example, sadness/depression/despair are a difficulty to
the joy of serving G-d), and every difficulty in serving G-d can be viewed
as a need for a deeper spiritual relationship (for example, a difficulty
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with prayer can stem from problems in the relationship between parents and
children). There are advantages to looking at both sides of the coin, and a
good therapist will know how to switch from one mode to the other as needed.
Treating a problem as something that is "difficult in the service of G-d"
can help to release the person from an image of being unfortunate and
mentally ill. After all, we all have to cope with "difficulties in the
service of G-d" – otherwise this would not be called "avodah" – labor. This
is true for both the therapist and the patient, and the Holy One, Blessed be
He, gives us the strength to serve Him. Using the definition of a difficulty
in serving G-d also forces the person to take action, and this can sometimes
encourage and push him forward more than standard therapy or attempts at
rehabilitation.
One the other hand, identifying the difficulty in serving G-d as the result
of a deeper spiritual problem shows that not every problem can be solved by
brute force – by applying a greater effort and more strength – but that it
is necessary to delve into the depths of the problem and to find a true and
efficient solution. (This in itself entails a more internal service of G-d,
since the Holy One, Blessed be He, also expects us to improve our ways and
not only to perform the positive acts of the service of G-d.) And before a
solution is reached, the fact that a person recognizes his own limitations
is an important aspect of the treatment and the progress – both in spiritual
healing and in the service of G-d.
What is Under my Control and What is Not?
To be precise, we should note that the Tanya defines spiritual healing as
"calming the soul" and proposes "the proper advice" for difficulties in
serving G-d. When the two realms are looked at separately, the approach is
usually the opposite of this idea. A patient will be told that he should
"calm down" somewhat in his Divine service and focus on finding advice for
the treatment of spiritual healing. (It is true that "a danger should be
approached more seriously than a prohibition," which also includes a danger
to a person's mental health, and there are times when a spiritual problem is
so serious that the person will be defined as a "fool" who is not obligated
to perform mitzvot, but this is only in extreme cases which are relatively
rare.)
In the end, "everything is in the hands of heaven, except for the fear of
heaven." Our mental health is in G-d's hands, and it is up to us to calm
down and to depend on Him. Many times we feel tension because our mental
state causes harm to the personal image which we have created for ourselves,
and the internal calm is an acknowledgement that "I did not make myself."
(See Tanya, Chapter 31.) On the other hand, the service of G-d is our duty,
and it is under our control – always matched to our powers, since "the Holy
One, Blessed be He, does not severely criticize His creatures about their
behavior." It is our task to search for good and helpful advice. Only a
feeling of calm, with which the therapy begins, can allow us to build a
positive path in the service of G-d, and to implement the advice in a
"clean" and helpful way.
The Tanya ends the sentence that we quoted at the beginning of this article
with the following: "And his heart should have faith in G-d, who wants to
finish in the best way for us." Bringing G-d into the therapy room reminds
both the patient and the therapist that in the end "everything is in the
hands of heaven" and gives a feeling of calm and confidence that the
treatment will succeed – with the help of G-d, who wants to finish in the
best way for us.
Reactions: itiel@pnimi.org.il
A PARSHA INSIGHT
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Enough Tolerance! - by Rabbi Asaf Harnoy, Post-Graduate Beit Midrash for Torah and
Leadership, Jerusalem
Tolerance is a very good characteristic. It means to be patient while on the
road and in a queue in a store, and at home it is a great trait which every
person should pursue. However, there are times when tolerance is not a
virtue – there are circumstances and events where tolerance is not the best
option.
How often do we show tolerance to ourselves when we don't wake up as soon as
the alarm clock rings? How often do we show tolerance for the fact that we
arrived late for the daily prayers? How often do we show tolerance for not
eating the healthiest foods, and how much tolerance do we show for our own
bad traits in general, which should be worked on and improved?
A tolerant person, by definition, is one who can accept difficulties. He can
show acceptance and cope with delays in many different realms and matters.
However, there are times when what is needed is more care and a sense of
haste. There are times when we show tolerance for something even though we
should not be tolerant at all!
Oppressed in Egypt
For many long years, Bnei Yisrael performed heavy labor in Egypt. In the
beginning, when the oppression began, we may assume that there protests and
resistance against this process. It stands to reason that the transition
from respected citizens who lived in the land of Goshen, which was good and
inviting, to a status of slaves engaged in heavy labor could not have been
accepted at first without some objections. However, as years passed, Bnei
Yisrael became accustomed to the harsh suppression in Egypt. Generation
after generation, from father to son, the people began to "understand and
accept" that this was their fate, and this the way they were meant to live
for all the generations to come. Waking up every morning into a harsh regime
of slavery must have been difficult and bad, but any attempts to change the
situation were completely beyond the scope of the thoughts of these people.
To put it another way – Bnei Yisrael learned to be patient and tolerant. As
time went by, year after year, they became accustomed to the situation and
they accepted the harsh conditions. When Moshe finally came to redeem them
from Egypt, they "did not listen to Moshe, because of impatience and because
of the harsh labor" [Shemot 6:9].
The first and greatest miracle that the Holy One, Blessed be He, performed
for Bnei Yisrael was the fact the He "took them out from the 'tolerance' of
Egypt" [6:7]. The Holy One, Blessed be He, changed the people, so that they
would no longer tolerate the existing oppression. He caused the people to
wake up and understand that they were tolerant in a situation where this was
not a good trait. He pushed them into eliminating their acceptance and their
tolerance for oppression, and that brought hope for change and a desire for
redemption.
They Sighed – the Beginning of the Redemption
According to Chidushei HaRim, the beginning of the redemption took place
when the people let out a great sigh and a cry against the oppression. That
was it. They were no longer able to tolerate the harsh labor, they no longer
had any patience, and therefore they cried out to G-d. "And Bnei Yisrael
sighed because of the labor, and they cried out. And their cries rose up to
G-d" [2:23].
Cautious Tolerance
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Each and every one of us has some good traits that should be developed and
maintained, and we also have traits and behavior patterns which we should
improve and fix.
One of the important points that can be learned from this week's Torah
portion is the need to wake up and cry out against our patient acceptance of
the negative things. First and foremost, and this is the most important
insight, we must realize that just as the trait of tolerance is good with
respect to many positive realms, it can also be dangerous and harmful with
respect to negative things. The redemption from Egypt began first of all
with the rejection of the trait of tolerance – that is, the rejection of the
tolerance for the oppression which the people had learned to accept.
As is true for all of the characteristics of the soul, every person from
Yisrael must learn to channel the trait of tolerance to its proper place.
This would be patience and tolerance on the road and in the street, patience
in the family and in the relationship between a couple – in all of these
cases, this trait should be practiced expansively and in a large measure.
However, there are times when the right thing to do is to limit this trait.
Self-tolerance of improper behavior, which we should work at to improve, is
not a good thing. In such cases we must act promptly and not be tolerant,
and then we can hope for salvation.
NOTES FROM THE HAFTARAH
Kingdoms at War - by Rabbi Oury Cherki, Machon Meir, Rabbi of Beit Yehuda
Congregation, Jerusalem
The main message of the Haftarah for this week's portion (Yechezkel 28:2529:21), aside from the discussion of the punishment that will befall Egypt
which is similar to the plagues in the Torah portion, is the lesson it
teaches us about international struggles. This includes the story of the
rise and fall of various empires. In ancient times, the status of Babylon
and Egypt were similar to the current positions of Europe and the United
States. The final form of human civilization as a whole depended on which
one of the two nations would be victorious. Soon after the events described
in the Haftarah, Persia would reshuffle the deck and completely change the
situation in the Middle East, but at that time the great struggle was
between Babylon and Egypt.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, is "the master of dreams." That is, He utilizes
historical events as a way to advance the broad events in the world on the
way to "tikun," moral improvement. He is not interested in having wars,
which cause the greatest destruction that has ever been designed by man in
his evil ways, but after the fact the Divine guidance utilizes them to build
up a more advanced stage (see Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Orot, page 13).
Egypt was the arch-type of a rich world power which makes a political and
military covenant with the nation of Yisrael. The prophets are united in
their opposition to the idea of depending on "reeds for support" (see 29:6),
insisting that Egypt will not be reliable during a crisis. Egypt maintains
an unchanging form of human society and thus blocks the way for a new world
to develop. However, the Babylonian alternative is not very encouraging from
the moral point of view. Babylon conquers other nations in order to satisfy
its own needs, so much so that the prophet paints a sarcastic picture of the
conquest of Egypt by the King of Babylon as financial compensation for the
conquest of Tzor! (29:18-20).
With the success of Babylon in the background, the alternative of Yisrael
breaks out and rises up, a possibility that is very necessary in order to
bring humanity back to an ethical basis. The prophet predicts what will
happen when Babylon is victorious: "On that day I will cause the strength of
the House of Yisrael to blossom, and your speech will be heard among them,
and they will know that I am G-d" [29:21]. And in fact Babylon was conquered
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by Persia, and Koresh made his declaration, which established the return to
Zion during the days of the Second Temple.
Only prophecy that is necessary for later generations is written down, and
Yechezkel's prophecy is relevant for our time. As our exile came to an end,
we saw how the Balfour Declaration was given as huge empires fell, when the
other nations formally recognized our right to return to the land of our
fathers and to establish our country, as in ancient times. This is an
example of what we were taught by the sages: When you see governments
struggling against each other, know that the feet of Mashiach are not far
behind (Bereishit Rabba 42:4).
Let it come quickly, in our time.
Rabbi Cherki is the head of Brit Olam – Noahide World Center, Jerusalem
KLEZMER MELODIES
"And I will be Sanctified through them in the Eyes of the Nations" - by Moshe (Mussa)
Berlin
(The above verse is the beginning of this week's Haftarah - Yechezkel
28:25.)
* * * * * *
Back in the mid-nineties a Jewish advertising executive in New York came up
with what seemed to be a very wild idea. It would be a great sanctification
of G-d's name if the New York Times – considered the world’s most
prestigious newspaper – would list the Shabbat candle lighting time every
week.
The man thought about his idea and consulted with some friends, and then he
got in touch with a Jewish philanthropist and sold him on the idea. It cost
almost two thousand dollars a week. But he did it.
And for the next five years, each Friday, Jews around the world would see
"Jewish Women: Shabbat candle lighting time this Friday is ..." This was
followed by a listing of various cities.
Eventually the philanthropist had to cut back on a number of his projects.
And in June 1999, the little Shabbat notice stopped appearing in the Friday
Times. And from that week on it never appeared again.
Except for one time.
On January 1, 2000, the NY Times ran a Millennium edition. It was a special
issue that featured three front pages. One had the news from January 1,
1900. The second was the actual news of the day, January 1, 2000. And then
they had a third front page, projecting future events of January 1, 2100.
This fictional page included things like a welcome to the fifty-first state,
Cuba, as well as a discussion as to whether robots should be allowed to
vote. And so on.
And in addition to fascinating articles, there was one more thing. Down on
the bottom of the Year 2100 front page was the candle lighting time for
January 1, 2100. Nobody paid for it. It was just put in by the Times.
Everybody was surprised by the decision of the production manager of the New
York Times – an Irish Catholic – to publish this list, and for free! When he
was asked about it, his answer was amazing. And it speaks to the eternity of
our people, and to the power of Shabbat.
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He explained: "We don’t know what will be in the year 2100. We cannot know
what will happen with Cuba, and if or how robots will have the right to
vote. But of one thing you can be certain, that in the year 2100 Jewish
women will be lighting Shabbos candles."
[Quoted widely on the internet.]
* * * * * *
Check and see what day of the week January 1, 2100 will be. I checked, and I
found that it will be Friday, on the eve of Shabbat for the Torah portion of
Shemot. Our sages have taught us that Bnei Yisrael were redeemed from Egypt
because of the merits of the righteous women (who are mentioned in the Torah
portion).
What merits did they have? Among other things, they maintained, over and
over, the proper time for lighting Shabbat candles!
Here is something for you to check: When was the last time that Friday was
January 1, and the Torah portion was Shemot?
See the answer below:
It was last week: The Torah portion of Shemot.
To see this story told (in Hebrew) at an evening of women's prayer and to
hear the song, "Vezakeini Legadel," click here.
For reactions: sulamklezmer@gmail.com
HALACHA FROM THE SOURCE
Can I Visit a Friend for a Meal? - by Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, Director of the Center
for Teaching and Halacha and a Teacher in Yeshivat Har Etzion
Question: In my house we are very stringent about the food we eat. I have
been invited for a Shabbat meal in a friend's house, and it seems to me that
his family does not observe the strict kashrut laws the way we do at home.
Examples would be that they might not wait a full twenty-four hours between
heating meat and milk in an oven, or immersion of their dishes in a mikveh,
or checking rice for contamination – and other matters about which we in my
house are very stringent. What should I go?
Answer: The Talmud tells us that in spite of many disputes between Rav and
Shmuel, Rav visited Shmuel and was confident that Shmuel never gave him
anything that was prohibited according to Rav's approach. "Clearly the
offspring of his grandfather would never give me anything that I think is
forbidden" [Chulin 111a].
The RAMA accepts this ruling as halacha (Yoreh Dei'ah 111:2). Thus, when a
person who maintains regular kashrut (all year round, not including Pesach)
invites a guest who insists on a more stringent "mehadrin" level of kashrut,
it is clear that the host should make an effort to raise the kashrut for
this meal, so that the guest can eat food at the level which he usually
eats. Otherwise it would be as if a host invites a vegetarian to a meal and
gives him meat. In general, a host is responsible to provide food that the
guests will consider tasty and at the proper level of kashrut. He will
therefore raise the level when necessary to accommodate all of his guests.
When a Guest can Deviate from his or her Usual Custom
What should a person do if he fears that he will be given something that
would be forbidden according to his normal standard? If this entails
something that is halachically forbidden, one is not allowed to treat the
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matter leniently (see Shulchan Aruch and the RAMA, Yoreh Dei'ah 112:13,19,
and the SHACH). However, if it is a stringency, the guest can temporarily
relax his standard and eat what his host gives him. We therefore customarily
eat at the home of a friend who is religious (during the year), even though
some of our usual customs might not be observed. Specifically:
Waiting 24 hours between meat and milk to use an oven: Since after the fact
food cooked in this way can be eaten (Responsa Tuv, Taam, Vadaat, 1:176;
Igrot Moshe Yoreh Dei'ah 1:59), we can be lenient in this matter.
Dishes that have not been immersed in a mikveh: Since food placed in dishes
that have not been immersed is not prohibited, and since there are many
reasons to allow a guest to eat from such dishes (Igrot Moshe Yoreh Dei'ah
3:22; Responsa Beit Avi, and more), we can be lenient.
Rice or flour that was not fully checked: Since the infection of rice is not
usually very great, it is possible to be lenient after the rice has been
cooked. (Contamination of rice is usually at a minor level, and the Rashba
feels (Torat Habayit Hakatzar 2,3) that one can be lenient after the rice
has been cooked. The same is true for flour that was not sifted – after the
fact, one can be lenient.
Kashrut of the Host's Dishes
Should the guest worry in a case that the host accepts relatively lenient
rulings (that the guest usually does not accept) that the dishes have been
contaminated?
The Shulcha Aruch rules that a specific type of fat found near the intestine
is forbidden, but the RAMA notes the following:
"This is the custom everywhere, except for the sons of Reimus, some of whom
allow eating it. And they should not be scolded for this, since this is what
they have been taught by a wise man. And wherever it is considered as
forbidden it can be ignored as usual if it comprises less than one-sixtieth
of a mixture. But the dishes of the sons of Reimus are not prohibited, since
they feel that this is permitted."
That is, in spite of the dispute about kashrut, their dishes are not
considered unkosher. Thus, one who is stringent about a specific halacha is
allowed to eat in the home of a friend who does not observe the halacha.
Similarly, it is the usual custom to be lenient and eat at a friend's home,
even when one of them eats only "glatt" meat and the other does not observe
this stringency (as long as the host provides "glatt" meat for this specific
meal). In this case, the dishes are not considered to be unkosher (since in
general dishes are not used within 24 hours of their last use). (See Darchei
Teshuva Yoreh Dei'ah 122:27).
This ruling implies that when the host relies on a lenient approach, his or
her dishes are not considered to be unkosher even for those who are more
stringent in the matter. This is also the ruling with respect to Shemitta of
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Minchat Shlomo 1:44), and Rabbi Mordechai
Eliyahu (Shemitta Guidebook for Consumers, 5754, page 3, note 18).
The Importance of Eating at a Friend's Home
Aside from the discussion of detailed halachic considerations, it should be
emphasized that it is very important to encourage having people eat at the
home of friends. It is written in the Talmud, that "an individual witness
can be believed in matters of prohibitions" [Gittin 2b]. Rashi explains:
"If this would not be so, nobody would be able to eat at a friend's home and
no person could ever rely on the people in his own home." [Yevamot 88a].
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If we could not rely on a single person as a witness, nobody would ever be
able to be invited to a friend to eat. It is true that the matter we are
dealing with is different, because in our case we know that the host does
not fully understand some of the laws (such as the halacha of checking for
worms and how serious a matter it is, or that he relies on his feeling that
maaser must have been taken from all fruits and vegetables in the open
markets). However, the above quote from the Talmud can teach us one
principle: It is important for a person to visit a friend and to eat in his
home! The ideal is for Jews to eat in the homes of their friends.
Summary
One is permitted (and even encouraged) to visit a religious family even if
there is a possibility that their level of kashrut is lower than what the
guest usually observes. A priori, the host should make sure to raise the
level of kashrut to what is normally observed by the guests, but if he or
she has not done so, many different types of food can be eaten. (It is not
necessary to worry about problems with the oven or the dishes.) One should
be wary of leafy vegetables which have not been grown under special bug-free
conditions or were not washed properly. However, rice that was not fully
inspected or cake and bread made from unsifted flour can be eaten.
There are other matters to which we should pay attention, but this is not
the place to go into detail - such as the kashrut of meat and chicken,
setting aside teruma and maaser, and challah.
NATURE AND THE TORAH PORTION
The Tanin - by Dr. Moshe Raanan, Herzog College and the Jerusalem College for
Women
"When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, make for yourselves a sign, then tell
Aharon: Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, let it become a
'tanin'" [Shemot 7:9].
The name "tanin" has three different meanings in the Bible and as used by
the sages. (1) A huge ocean mammal, the Whale (Leviathan), which the sages
call "orzila d'yama" – the "ram of the sea." (2) The crocodile, which was
very widely distributed in Egypt, and was the most feared beast of the land.
(3) A snake or a mythical serpent. This is seen in the miracles performed by
Moshe and Aharon in this week's Torah portion, but it will not be discussed
further because of a lack of space.
The "Tanin" as a Whale
The "tanin" is the first creature that appears by name in the Torah, as
opposed to all the other creatures, which are described in the story of the
Creation only as part of a broader group to which they belong (that is,
assuming that the word "tanin" in the Torah refers to a specific species).
In the Torah portion of Bereishit, it is written, "And G-d created the great
'taninim' and all the living creatures which roamed in the water according
to their species, and all of the winged birds, by their species" [Bereishit
1:20-21]. Rashi explains: "'Taninim' – large fish in the sea. In the Agaddah
this is taken to refer to the Leviathan and its mate. They were created as a
male and a female, and G-d killed the female and salted it away for the
righteous people in the distant future, because if they had been fruitful
and multiplied the world would not have been able to continue to exist." And
RADAK writes, "Some say that all of the large 'taninim' are called the
Leviathan..."
Why were these
Maharsha gives
of the sea. As
also appear in
animals mentioned by name as part of the Creation? The
the following answer: "'Taninim' – 'orzili d'yama,' the ram
is written in Chulin, equivalents of all creatures on land
the sea. And since the largest creature mentioned on the land
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is the ram, as noted above, we must say that the very largest of the animals
created in the sea, the 'tanin,' is also related to the ram. And the reason
that the 'ram of the sea' is mentioned by name and not the 'ram of the land'
is that the ones in the sea are larger by far than the ones on the land."
[Insights into the Midrash, Bava Batra 74b]. Thus, according to the
Maharsha, the "taninim" (that is, the Leviathans) and all the creatures of
the sea were created before the land creatures because of their notable huge
size. Indeed, the largest creature that has ever existed on the earth is the
blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, which can reach a size of 170 tons, while
the largest land animal is the African elephant, which can reach a size of 7
tons.
It is very tempting to identify the 'tanin' as a whale, since many sources
in the Bible and in the literature of the sages imply that the tanin is the
largest animal in the sea. Here is how Iyov refers to the Leviathan: "Can
you pull a leviathan with a hook, can you pull its tongue with a rope?"
[40:25]. "Smoke comes from its nostrils, like a seething pot, or a cauldron"
[41:12]. On this second verse, Metzudat David comments, "'From its nostrils'
– A large amount of air is blown from its nostrils, appearing as smoke
because of its great heat, and this is compared to the air flowing out of a
pot or a cauldron which is boiling and gives out a large air flow." This is
typical of the image of a whale exhaling when it comes to the surface for
air.
The "Tanin" as a Reptile
On the other hand, a verse by Yechezkel describes the "tanim" as a
crocodile: "I am coming to you, Pharaoh, King of Egypt, the great crocodile,
crouching in his rivers, who says: The river is mine, I made it." [29:3].
Pharaoh, who took on the role of a deity, chose as his symbol the crocodile,
which was the largest and most dangerous animal in the Nile. Clearly, this
is not a whale, which lives in the open ocean and not the Nile River. In
addition, the verb "crouch" is fitting for the crocodile, which spends most
of its time in a swamp or on a riverbank and not in open water. Malbim
comments: "'The great tanim' – The Egyptians believed that the Nile was
holy, and that the large crocodiles in it were divine. They thought that
there was one crocodile bigger than all the others which ruled over them
all, and he had created himself and the Nile. And Yechezkel compared Pharaoh
and his mighty power to this."
Many archeological finds show that the crocodile played a very important
role as a deity in Egypt and also for some of the surrounding nations.
Hundreds of crocodiles were preserved as mummies at the Kom Ombo site on the
banks of the Nile. This is a temple dedicated to Sobek, a god who controlled
the city of Crocodilopolis, and who was depicted in hieroglyphics as a man
with the head of a crocodile. As part of the worship of this god in some of
the Egyptian temples, crocodiles were fed and decorated in pools.
Another indication of the habitat of the 'tanin' can be found in a letter by
Rav Sharira Gaon. "In the time of religious persecution, which was decreed
by Yizdegard, who was followed by Rav Sama, the son of Rava, and at his time
and that of Mar Bar Rav Ashi, we heard from the early rabbis and we saw
written in their memoires that they asked for mercy, and King Yizdegard was
swallowed up alive by a crocodile (tanin) at his home, and the persecution
ended." [Translation of Rabanan Sevorai, 105]. Such cases happened (and
still happen) in settled areas that are close to rivers, where groups of
crocodiles may wander over great distances in order to hunt. The northern
border of the habitat of the crocodile was in the Lebanon Valley, and there
is testimony from the Middle Ages that they could be found in the swamps of
the Ornat River. In Israel, several sites are named for crocodiles, which
lived here until the beginning of the twentieth century. One example is
Nachal Taninim.
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For more information in Hebrew and for pictures, and to regularly receive
articles about plants and animals linked to the Daf Yomi, write e-mail to:
raananmoshe1@gmail.com
STRAIGHT TALK
Why is no Cultural Alternative Available? – by Rabbi Yoni Lavie, Manager, "Chaverim
Makshivim" Website
Two hundred years or more ago, if you had stopped a person in the street at
random and asked, "Excuse me, sir, what do you do with your leisure time?" –
You would have been met with a blank stare. He would not have understood the
question at all. "Leisure time" was a precious commodity that was available
only to the very wealthy. Most people never had the privilege to encounter
any such thing. Just to be able to survive and bring food home every day,
people were required to work all day long, using up all their energy, six
and often seven days a week.
The Industrial Revolution brought with it the tidings of a new era. The
world had progressed, technology was developed, and manpower was replaced by
machines. The result was that productivity increased by orders of magnitude,
while the number of hours it was necessary to work was drastically reduced.
We can add to this the socialist movements and the trend towards a "welfare
state," which together brought great changes and a shorter work week of six
or possibly even five days. And even on a workday there was a large amount
of free time between the end of the working day and the time for bed.
The large empty gap that was created was quickly filled by a new entity: the
world of entertainment. This has become a mammoth industry with a turnover
of billions of dollars, which constantly churns out enticing products:
movies, performances, plays, books, and music. The driving force for this
industry is not moral values or education. The fuel on which this industry
runs is economic power. The higher the "rating" the more money is available.
And for this "holy" objective, anything goes. The main technique used is to
aim for the lowest common denominator. Whatever is yellowest, cheapest, and
juiciest will grab a larger audience, many more internet clicks, or more
"likes."
The influence of the concept of leisure time goes way beyond what most
people have in mind on this subject. This is not a neutral method for having
a good time. Rather, it is a powerful tool that shapes, influences, and
"educates" an entire culture. Its messages percolate openly and covertly
into the souls of adults, and even more so into the souls of the young,
whose mechanism for filtering out the bad and for critical analysis are less
developed.
What Alternative can we Offer?
We have all heard lectures about the dangers of the internet. We all know
how to explain beautifully that it is necessary to watch things with a
critical eye, and it is vital that we carefully choose the culture that we
consume, even if this means that we must give up on seeing some interesting
items.
The problem is that one who attempts to follow this line of reasoning is
liable to discover that large fractions of existing modern cultural products
are rejected out of hand. They may show an outrageous lack of modesty, they
may be full of violence and intrigue, apostasy and materialism, and a broad
band of values that are totally contrary to the educational path in which we
believe. So we are left with a simple question: What alternative is there?
Reality shows and American soap operas are out of the question. Modern
literature is fraught with garbage, and Israeli shows do not even deserve
being mentioned. Then what is there? How is an average religious boy or girl
supposed to spend their leisure time? We can assume that they have finished
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all their homework, and that reading through the weekly Torah portion is not
their favorite activity. As a replacement for everything that we have taken
away and forbidden, do we have anything else to offer?
Filling the Void
It is not easy to say this, but the general answer to all of the above
questions is negative. If we divide the known realms of culture into five
categories, we will be able to see that in sum total we are barely worthy of
a passing grade for our efforts.
We start with the positive side. The two best-developed areas are journalism
and music. It took many years to happen, but today whoever wants to read
printed or online news can find alternatives that are valuable, clean, and
up-to-date, without any need to go through the portals of large newspapers.
(Does most of the religious community take advantage of this option, or do
they continue to read the secular outlets? This is a worthy question in its
own right...) In the realm of music, we have seen in the last few years many
artists (quite a few of them have recently repented) who have published
albums and songs which have even gone beyond the boundaries of our own
sector and are included in the general playlists. The realm of poetry has
also developed well, and it has given birth to a large number of highquality creations. However, this is more elitist and it doesn't attract very
large crowds.
As opposed to this, the other three realms – theater, literature, and movies
– leave much to be desired, and they are sorely missed. The best developed
one among the three is the theater. Religious acting schools (with special
credit to the pioneer, "Aspaklaria") have taught a large number of actors in
the last two decades, and they have performed many plays. The crop is still
small, but there is a beginning of a period of blooming. This can best be
seen in the world of children. Whoever searched during Chanukah for quality
performances for children was able to satisfy their desire. And even when
there is no holiday there are a number of options. The most prominent of
these is the television channel "Arutz Meir" for children, which has
presented a large number of quality productions. In the realm of comedy,
everybody is familiar with the talented "Underdoss" group, but aside from
them and a standup comic here and there, no good alternatives exist for
clean humor.
In the realm of literature the situation is not much better. In this area of
writing, which should in theory have been an important realm for us, the
level of supply is low, and the number of religious authors for youth and
adults is embarrassingly small. It must be admitted that in the visual world
in which we live, the "screen" generation much prefers to watch a film clip
than to actually pick up a book and read it, and all over the world the
value of the printed book has dropped dramatically. The Chareidi sector is
the last one that is keeping the fire going, and it has succeeded in
developing a broad industry of leisure-time books, but most of its products
are openly educational and are not suitable for other sectors.
The last realm for us to discuss is movies, where the gap between the
attractive form of the medium and what can be found in the markets is huge.
Research shows that the religious community leads all the others in direct
surfing of the internet, leading both Chareidim and the nonreligious.
American shows are the bread and butter of many religious youths, but
whoever wants to search for a worthy series of full-length movies on Jewish
topics will quickly find his or her way to a parched desert, where a dry
bush can be found growing here and there, but nothing more. The religious
movie schools "Maaleh" and "Torat Chaim" have begun to pave the way for
religious movie-makers. But if you try to think of examples of full-length
movies (Ushpizin, To Fill the Void, etc), you will find that they were all
produced by penitents who had a nonreligious background in movie-making.
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How did we get into such a situation? How can we create real alternatives,
and what obstacles stand in our way? With G-d's help, we will continue with
these questions in our next article.
For reactions, added material, and to join an e-mail list: milatova.org.il
EXHIBITION ABSTRACTS
A Talit that Survived Fire, Water, and the Sword - by Keren Chakak, Heichal Shlomo
Museum
David Ben-David was born in 1920 in a small village in the Carpathian
Mountains. On the fifteenth of March, 1939, when the Nazis burned synagogues
in the Czech Republic and in Moravia, Ben-David managed to save his tallit
from the flames.
When the "illegal ship" Patria was blown up, the tallit sunk with the ship,
but it was found by divers and returned to its owner. It was also rescued
from "the sword" when it survived the surrender of Gush Etzion.
Ben-David's daughter embroidered the story of the tallit on it. Every day,
on Holocaust Memorial Day, Ben-David asks to wear his tallit. Therefore it
is taken from the Heichal Shlomo and brought to him in Nir Etzion.
This tallit, the tool of a mitzva which is closest to the body, has become
part of Ben-David's body, and we send him our wishes for many more pleasant
and enjoyable years.
RIDDLE OF THE WEEK
by Yoav Shelosberg, Director of "Quiz and Experience"
Va'eira
Who is it whose second half of his father-in-law's name is that of his son?
Answers for last week, Shemot - The riddle was: We read that Tziporah
circumcised her son: "And Tziporah took a sharp stone and cut off her son's
foreskin, and she threw it at his feet..." [Shemot 4:25]. What Hebrew idiom
(which in a literal sense is not relevant at all to this event) can be used
describe Tziporah's action?
- Milah B'Sella – Taken literally, this could mean "circumcision using a
stone" – which is exactly what Tziporah did. As an expression, "milah
b'sella, shetika b'trei" is the equivalent of "silence is golden."
Our thanks to the one who sent us this riddle, Yissachar Sharaub, from
Moreshet.
* * * * * *
We will be happy to publish your riddles here, with proper credit to the
author. Send your suggestions to the e-mail address given below.
Do you have a bar/bat mitzva coming up? Are you looking for a special quiz?
To order: www.hidonim.com
e-mail: info@hidonim.com
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SHABBAT-ZOMET is an extract from SHABBAT-B'SHABBATO, a weekly bulletin
distributed free of charge in hundreds of synagogues in Israel. It is
published by the Zomet Institute of Alon Shevut, Israel, under the auspices
of the National Religious Party.
Translated by: Moshe Goldberg
To subscribe: http://www.zomet.org.il/eng/?pg=subscribe&CategoryID=165
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Visit the Zomet Institute web site: http://www.zomet.org.il
Contact Zomet with comments about this bulletin or questions on the
link between modern technology and halacha at: zomet@netvision.net.il
Or: Phone: +972-2-9931442; FAX: +972-2-9931889 (Attention: Dan Marans)
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