LeKavod Shabbos

Miketz 5781 12/18/2020 Printable Shabbos Reading Materials Specially Formatted for Easy Reading For a free subscription, email [email protected]

לעילוי נשמת נחמה בת ר׳ נח ע״ה Srulie Toiv- Editor / Stories Compiled by Daniel Keren

The Unexpected Covid 19 Bonus

Here's another story; it happened to a yungerman who is in our chaburah: He published a sefer last year, which was sold primarily to menhalim, principals of chadarim, who distributed the sefarim among their students. One organization wanted to make a large order and distribute the sefarim among their friends and supporters; however, the head of the organization said that he couldn't buy the sefarim without a receipt. It had to be sold legally. The yungerman didn’t have any legal papers to offer, and he didn’t know how to obtain them. After some inquiries, effort, and not an insignificant sum of money, he made his small business official. He wrote receipts to this organization and to several principals who wanted to buy his sefer, and needed to prove that they made this purchase. This happened last

Please Daven for Cholei Yisroel & In memory of

ע״ה R’ Dovid Tzvi Ben Rifka Rochel Fredrick Gelber

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 1 year, in Teves and Shevat. Soon afterward the Covid 19 pandemic hit, and the [Israeli] government was distributing monthly grants to small businesses to help them during this challenging time. This yungemran legally opened his business only two months before the virus outbreak, and he had several invoices. That was sufficient for him to be eligible for the monthly grant. This yungerman was going through financial difficulties, and this monthly bonus helped him immensely. From this story, we learn two lessons: (1) Hashem gives parnassah, sometimes from the most unexpected places. (2) Although you might think something is negative, it is actually for your good. This yungerman considered it an unnecessary expense and hassle to arrange the legal papers, but it was for his benefit. It made him eligible for the grants. Torah Wellsprings: The Collected Insights of Rabbi Eli Biderman.

The Jew Who Loved the Mitzvah of Hahnasas Orchim

Reb Eliezer, the father of the great Baal Shem Tov, loved performing the Mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim, welcoming guests. He used to send people out to look for anyone who needed a place to eat, so they could come to his house & have a warm meal. Before sending guests on their way, he would give them a package of food so they wouldn’t get hungry on the road before they got to their destination, and he would also give them gifts, so they had everything they needed. Hashem saw how exceptionally Reb Eliezer did the Mitzvah, and decided to test him so he could earn a great reward. The Satan jumped at the chance, & said, “I’ll go test

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 2 him!” But Eliyahu HaNavi said, “Perhaps it is better if I go.” Hashem allowed Eliyahu HaNavi to go test Reb Eliezer. It was Shabbos afternoon when Eliyahu HaNavi appeared at Reb Eliezer’s door. Eliyahu HaNavi was disguised as a very poor man. He was holding a walking stick & wearing a backpack, & he gave the impression that he was being Mechalel Shabbos, desecrating Shabbos, by carrying in a place without an Eiruv. Eliyahu HaNavi knocked at the door, & after he was welcomed, said “Gut Shabbos,” & entered Reb Eliezer’s house. Reb Eliezer was very careful not to embarrass his guests, & always tried to make them comfortable. He controlled himself & didn’t say anything about his guest being Mechalel Shabbos. Instead, he made a great effort to serve Shalosh Seudos with happiness, & after Shabbos, he served the Melaveh Malkah Seudah to his guest. Reb Eliezer wouldn’t hear of letting his guest leave at night, & insisted that he remain overnight. The next morning, Reb Eliezer gave the poor man a large package of food & a nice amount of Tzedakah, so he could buy himself some new clothes. He didn’t say a word about how the man was Mechalel Shabbos, & wished him farewell. It was then that the man revealed to Reb Eliezer that he was really Eliyahu HaNavi! “Hashem sent me to test you on the great Mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim,” he said. “Because you passed the test so well, & didn’t embarrass me when I came to your door, Hashem will Bentch you with a very special child who will shine brightly in Klal Yisroel!” Soon after, the benevolent Reb Eliezer had a child who grew up to be the famous Baal Shem Tov! Jersey Shore Torah Bulletin.

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 3

Stranger on a Train Appeared in Readers' Digest in 1948

Marcel Sternberger, a photographer, was a creature of habit. He used to take the 9:09 Long Island Railroad to Woodside every morning. But on the morning of January 10, 1948, he didn’t do it. He decided to go and visit a sickly friend who was dying. He wanted to pay him a visit because he knew he wouldn’t be around that much longer. As a result, Marcel hopped on a different train – a train that he had never ridden before. As he got on another man got up hurriedly to leave. This left a vacant seat which Marcel managed to get. Sitting next to him was a man who was reading a Hungarian newspaper. Marcel Sternberger, being of Hungarian decent himself, eventually struck up a conversation with the fellow. He asked the stranger what he was doing in New York City. The man replied that he was in the city looking for his wife. “What do you mean, you’re looking for your wife?” The stranger then said, “Well, my wife and I used to live in Dubreken in . During the war, I was taken away and made to work in the Ukraine burying the German dead. In time I managed to escape and run back to freedom. When I returned home, I found that my wife had also been taken away by the Nazis. One of the neighbors said they thought she had been taken to Auschwitz and therefore she would have been killed in the gas ovens.” Someone else told him that they thought that the Americans had arrived in time to save some of the prisoners and had taken some of them to America. His wife might have been among those that

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 4 were rescued. He said, “By a long shot, I’m hoping my wife is here.” Marcel Sternberger kept listening to this story. The more he listened, the more familiar the account sounded to him. He asked, “What is your wife’s name?” The stranger said, “My wife’s name is Maria. My last name is Paskin. It’s Maria Paskin.” Sternberger took out his wallet and found a dog-eared piece of paper. As he looked down he saw the name Maria Paskin with a telephone number. He had met the lady at a party some time back. She had shared with him the same story that he had just heard. For some reason, he made a note of her name and number. Marcel then said, “Look, I want to do something for you now. What is your name?” He said, “My name is Bela Paskin.” “Bela, get off with me at the next station.” As they got off of the train, Marcel went over to a phone and called the number on the dog-eared piece of paper. After many, many, rings a feeble voice answered the phone. Marcel asked if he was speaking to Maria Paskin and she said that he was. He then went on to say, “Maria, my name is Marcel Sternberger. We met some weeks ago.” She said that remembered him. He said, “Can you tell me what your husband’s name is?” Rather shocked, the lady answered, “My husband’s name is Bela Paskin.” “Can you tell me a little more about him?” Again, the two stories were identical. Sternberger said, “Just a moment, I think you’re about to witness one of the greatest miracles you will ever see.” Then, as Marcel held on to the receiver, he called Bela Paskin into the booth and he said, “Would you please speak to this person?” In about 10 seconds or so Bela’s expression changed. His look was

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 5 beyond description. He then started to scream as the tears profusely poured down his creeks, “It’s Maria! It’s Maria! It’s Maria!” Marcel Sternberger took him away from the telephone and hailed a taxi. He was going to go with his new friend to be a part of the moment when he decided that the occasion was too sacred for him to witness. So he put Bela Paskin into the cab, paid the taxi driver, told him where to take him, and sent him on to the reunion of his dreams. Aish.com Reprinted from Wikipedia

Marcel Sternberger (1899–1956) was a Hungarian-American [Jewish] photographer. He took portraits of many icons of his time including President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, , Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, , H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Prime Ministers and Indira Gandhi of India, and many others. His portrait of President Roosevelt became the image used as the model for the American dime. He served as "Private Photographer to the Belgian Royal Family" beginning in 1935 and his images of the royal children were printed on Belgian postage stamps, which bore his name. Active from 1934 until his death in Christianburg, Virginia in 1956, his 22-year career spanned a tumultuous period in modern history. He began his life as a journalist, turning later to photography to capture events around him. While not a photojournalist in the traditional sense, his portraits of the world's political and cultural elite offered a glimpse into the personalities shaping events of the 20th century. Over the course of his professional life, he developed a technique for using

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 6 light, positioning, and a contemporaneous interview of his subjects to create not only a striking image of an individual, but one that allowed for personality, emotion, and experience to be visually expressed..

A Fascinating Kiddush Hashem Every once in a while, there is a story published about a Yid who truly lives up to the Torah’s mandate to be a light unto the nations. It has happened numerous times recently when a religious Jew showed what Jewish ethics is really all about. This story took place in 2016. Mr. Shlomo (Sol) Werdiger, CEO of Outerstuff, a company that produces sports apparel, received a phone call from Mr. Oh Joon, the South Korean U.N. Ambassador, asking to meet him for lunch at a Kosher restaurant in Manhattan. Although Sol didn’t know the purpose of the meeting, he agreed to meet with Mr. Joon. At the meeting, Mr. Joon told him the following. “I have always heard negative stereotypes about Jews and Israel, and I took it at face value. Then, my daughter took an internship working on design in your company. Throughout the year, she has been telling me how wonderful it is to work at your business.” Mr. Joon spoke with equanimity and appreciation. Then, he continued, “I must tell you that there are four areas which stood out and impressed my daughter. 1) Every day, at 1:30 p.m., no matter what was going on at the office, all the men including those from neighboring offices, retreated into a room to pray with sincerity and calm. 2) Every Friday, the office shut down early in the

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 7 afternoon in preparation for your holy Sabbath and is closed on the Sabbath – this includes all workers no matter which faith or religion they maintain. 3) My daughter observed that each petitioner for charity – and there were many – was treated with respect and left with a check in hand. 4) My daughter was treated with the utmost respect and dignity.” Because of the amazing experience and lessons the company taught his daughter, Mr. Joon took out his checkbook and was ready to write a check returning all his daughter’s earnings! He was wealthy and could afford it and he wished to impress upon Mr. Werdiger the extent of his gratitude and newfound appreciation for the Jewish people. Sol Werdiger wouldn’t hear from it. “Thank you but I cannot accept your generosity. Your daughter worked hard and earned her salary and rightfully deserves her pay, and I will not accept any remuneration.” Then the ambassador relayed the following: “As you might know, I have voting privileges on behalf of my country, South Korea, at the United Nations. Because of my renewed appreciation of the Jewish people, I abstained from voting on resolutions against Israel on three occasions. In fact, at one resolution, I was the ninth vote needed to pass the motion and resolution against Israel and because I abstained, it didn’t pass!” Sol Werdiger said that no one at the office had any idea that this girl was the daughter of an ambassador and no one ever imagined what type of impact their typical conduct at work had on her or how this impacted the votes against Israel. When R’ Shmuel Wosner zt”l counseled people about honesty in business, he would cite the Be’er HaGolah that says: “I

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 8

write this for future generations: I saw many that became great and wealthy from the mistakes of non-Jews. In the end, they weren’t successful and lost their money and didn’t have blessing from it afterward ... And many have sanctified Hashem’s name and have returned funds where non-Jews erred in significant amounts. They prospered, became wealthy and were successful and left substantial amounts to

their descendants.” (Heard from Mr. Sol Werdiger at a weekend retreat) Torah Tavlin.

The Benefits of a Catastrophe

Here is a story on this topic that I heard it from the baal maaseh: This person had the machlah (cancer), & his immune system was compromised due to the treatments. When the corona epidemic broke out (around Purim time), his doctor warned him to be cautious that he doesn’t catch the disease because his body is too weak to fight it off. He was cautious – as much as possible. He kept away from people, he washed his hands often, & he wore a mask. Unfortunately, he still contracted the virus. As the doctor predicted, it wasn't easy for his body to fight off the disease. He needed a respirator, & for a few days, his life was hanging on a thread. But, baruch Hashem, gradually, the virus left his body. Then the miracle occurred: The antibodies that fought off the virus also attacked the cancer. He was healed from both diseases! This story is not meant to encourage those who are ill with cancer to try to catch the virus. That is something for doctors to determine – not us. We tell this story to bring across the point that when something negative

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 9

happens, it is actually positive. When the person in this story caught the virus, which he tried so hard to avoid, he & his family thought it was terrible. However, the problem ended up being the critical cure that he needed. Similarly, whenever we go through challenging moments in life, we must know that it is all for the good.

Torah Wellsprings: The Collected Insights of Rabbi Eli Biderman.

The Rebbe’s Promise of G-d’s Help Coming Even from Mice

Hillel ran a tavern, which he rented from the wealthy non-Jewish landowner. His customers, the local peasants, appreciated Hillel's service and honesty. Only one peasant showed open animosity toward the Jewish tavern keeper. Stefan, a coarse, foul-mouthed lout who was almost always drunk, resented the fact that Hillel, as he was known affectionately, refused to serve him more whiskey when he had had too much. Stefan swore revenge on the Jew. And so, he decided to implicate Hillel in a crime. Stefan went to the government authorities and told them that Hillel was not collecting the proper tax on the whiskey he sold. To back up his accusation, he provided the names of several of his fellow Jew-hating peasants willing to swear that Hillel sold them "illegal" whiskey. An investigation was launched. The false witnesses appeared and swore their false statements. The judge, an anti-Semite himself, took this opportunity to condemn all Jews for their thievery and trickiness, and imposed the harshest sentence possible on the hapless Hillel. Hillel, of course, denied any wrong-doing. With tears in his eyes he claimed that he was the victim of a vicious plot. Many of his customers came and gave LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 10 testimony as to Hilke's good character, and even the landowner himself spoke warmly of "his" Jew. The investigators saw that Hillel was indeed, not guilty, but what could they do? They couldn't simply ignore the sworn testimony of Stefan's friends. The case dragged on for almost a year, during which time Hillel became depressed and broken, staying in his house much of the time reciting Psalms. Hillel's wife, Devorah Leah, watched as her husband grew more and more discouraged. Her father had been a chasid of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch. She requested her husband travel to Lubavitch to seek the advice and blessing of the Rebbe. Hillel, however, did not come from a Chasidic family, and had never visited a Rebbe, and wasn't anxious to do so now. But, as the date of the trial drew nearer, he decided to listen to his wife and set off for Lubavitch. In Lubavitch, Hillel saw many people waiting for days to see the Rebbe privately, so many that Hillel was discouraged and almost returned home. It was only after explaining the urgency of his situation to the Rebbe's secretary that he managed to get an appointment for the following day. When he entered the Rebbe's room, Hillel suddenly felt at a loss for words. He began to weep as he poured out his heart to the Rebbe, explaining the terrible plot which had been instigated against him. The Rebbe listened patiently, and then said, "Don't cry, Hillel. G-d will surely help you. Everything in the world, every single creature, was created for a particular purpose. Even mice sometimes benefit man. Go home, Hillel, and put your trust in G-d." Hillel left the Rebbe encouraged, though he did not exactly understand the

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 11

Rebbe's words. Hilke's wife was equally mystified, but she trusted that G-d would fulfill the blessing of the tzadik. The day of the trial arrived, and Hillel and Devorah Leah traveled to the courthouse which was filled to overflowing with people eager to hear the verdict. Hillel sat on the defendant's bench, pale, reciting Psalms with such an intensity that he became oblivious to his surroundings. The trial opened, and Stefan was brought in. He repeated all his false accusations but when he was questioned by the defense lawyer, he became confused and was caught in his own contradictory statements. He wasn't worried, though, since he was sure that the testimonies of the other witnesses would wrap up the case. But when the names of the next witnesses were announced, there was a long silence. Not one of Stefan's gang members had shown up; it seemed that something had happened to each one to prevent him from appearing. Things were going well for Hillel, but the prosecutor wouldn't give up. He requested the original documentation, and so, the judge sent his clerk to bring the papers from storage. All present waited impatiently for the clerk to return, but when he did, he was empty-handed. He whispered something to the judge, who roared back, "Bring whatever there is!" "But Judge," said the clerk, "There is nothing left. Mice have eaten up the whole file!" "That's impossible," roared the judge. "Go and bring me the whole drawer." The clerk soon returned with a large, heavy drawer filled with shredded bits of paper. And so it was that although every other document in the drawer was in perfect condition, only the file of Hillel had been completely destroyed by the mice. Hillel, absorbed

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 12 as he was in reciting Psalms, had no idea what had happened, and was surprised by the crowd of well-wishers and relatives who ran to him wishing a mazel tov. When he learned that the charges had been dropped, he thanked G-d for having saved him from this terrible plot. As they returned home, his wife filled in all the details of what had transpired in the courtroom, and only then did Hillel begin to understand the words of the Rebbe. “L’Chaim Weekly,” a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization.

The Fortunate I.D. Card Mistake

An elderly American couple moved to Eretz Yisrael to live their final years in the holy land. A few years ago, the wife died & was buried on Har HaMenuchos. The widower moved to Kiryat Sefer to live near his children. His ID card (teudat zehut) still said he lived in Yerushalayim. He tried to correct his ID to state his new residence but being an American & not well versed with Israeli bureaucracy, he didn’t succeed. Eventually, he made peace with the fact that his ID states that he lives in Yerushalayim. When he was niftar, the family sent a copy of his ID papers to the chevrah kadishah of Har HaMenuchos, & the chevrah kadishah sold them a plot next to his deceased wife. He was interred there. The family later discovered that they had experienced a miracle. Due to a shortage of available burial sites on Har HaMenuchos, the chevrah kadisha only allotted plots for residents of Yerushalayim. Had their father's ID stated that he lived in Kiryat Sefer,

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 13 he wouldn’t have been buried next to his wife. This elderly person thought it was a problem when he couldn’t correct his ID papers. Torah Wellsprings

By Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss A Powerful Story One of the methods by which we can smoothly absorb vital Torah teachings is through the vehicle of a story. I would like to share with you a well-documented vignette which carries some powerful and important lessons. There was a chossid of the Maggid MiKozhnitz by the name of Reb Yosef. He and his wife were childless for many years. Often, he would ask the Maggid for a blessing but the Rebbe was not forthcoming. Finally, Reb Yosef’s wife, who was painfully pining for a child, forcefully told her husband that he should say to the Rebbe, “My wife told me not to leave the Rebbe’s presence until he blesses us with a child.” Although uncomfortable, Reb Yosef acceded to the wishes of his suffering wife and told the Rebbe in her name that he wasn’t going to budge from the spot where he stood until he received a blessing. The Rebbe stared at him and asked him, “Are you ready to become completely impoverished in order to have a child.” Reb Yosef was a responsible man and told the Rebbe that he couldn’t honestly answer the question unless he first asked his wife. So, he went home and posed the question to his wife and she immediately responded, “What a question! What wouldn’t I do in order to coddle a child in my arms?” Reb Yosef went back to the Rebbe and told him that they were ready to accept his demands. The Kozhnitzer Rebbe then told

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 14 him, “Travel to the venerable Chozeh MiLublin and he will provide you with instructions.” Dutifully, Reb Yosef journeyed to the Chozeh and told the famous Rabbi that he was sent by the Kozhnitzer to receive instructions on how to go about having a child. The Chozeh gazed at him for a while and then informed him, “When you were a younger man, you were engaged to a girl and then broke off the engagement. You should know that your actions caused her tremendous pain. You never properly appeased her nor did you ask her for forgiveness. It is because of this that you are not able to have children… Travel now to the great market at Bolta. There you will find her and there you should ask for her forgiveness.” So, Reb Yosef set off to Bolta without having any idea how he was supposed to find a women he hadn’t seen in many years. Indeed, for several days he searched to no avail. One day there was a huge storm and he, together with others, ran for cover into a nearby store to get shelter from the rain. As it was very crowded within this small enclosure, he was pushed very near to a woman. Being a religious chosid, he backed away from her whence she turned to him and said, “Many years ago you backed away from me and now you are doing the same thing!” He looked at her and realized with amazement that this was the very woman he was searching for. Immediately, he revealed the purpose of his mission, apologized profusely and begged for her forgiveness. She responded that she had a very poor brother living in Slovakia who was having trouble marrying off his daughter because of lack of funds. She stipulated to him that if her were to go to her brother and give him 200

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 15 golden coins to help him marry off her niece, she would forgive him. Reb Yosef calculated that if he liquidated all of his possessions he would amass the required 200 golden coins. He went home, procured the money and traveled on to Slovakia. There, he found her brother and indeed his daughter’s shidduch was about to unravel because he could not afford the wedding and the dowry. Reb Yosef went over to him and gave him the 200 golden coins. The man looked at him incredulously and said, “I don’t even know you. Why are you doing this kindness?” Reb Yosef revealed the whole story to him, and that his sister agreed to forgive him if he would help. The man looked at Reb Yosef as if he were a lunatic. “What are you talking about? My sister has been gone for 15 years. I buried her with my own hands. What games are you playing with me?” Shocked and startled, Reb Yosef went on to describe exactly how she looked to the minutest detail and the brother paled saying that he was indeed precisely describing his sister. Reb Yosef went home and remarkably within the year, he and his wife were blessed with a healthy son! This is a well-documented story. One of the places you can find it is in the Sefer Aperyon Shlomo. The Jewish Vues..

Bottle of Oil Business Halacha Institute – Avraham and Yitzchak shared a dorm room in their yeshivah. A week before Chanukah, they went shopping for Chanukah supplies with a friend, Yaakov. Each bought a bottle of oil, each placed in a separate bag. Yaakov was returning to the yeshivah, whereas Avraham and Yitzchak were heading straight home for Shabbos. LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 16

"If you want, I can take the oil to the yeshivah for you," Yaakov offered. "It's not advisable to travel back and forth with a bottle of oil; it can break." "It's enough that you have your own bottle," Avraham and Yitzchak replied. "We don't want to trouble you." "It's really not a problem," replied Yaakov. "I don't mind!" One of them gave Yaakov his bag with the oil, and the other decided to take his home. The afternoon before Chanukah, Avraham said to Yaakov, "I'll come by later to pick up my oil from you." Shortly afterwards, Yaakov met Yitzchak, who similarly said that he would come pick up his oil. "But Avraham just told me that the oil was his!" Yaakov said, puzzled. "No, he took his oil home," Yitzchak replied. "I gave you the oil to bring back to yeshivah." "The truth is," Yaakov said, "I don't remember who gave me the oil. Talk with Avraham." Fifteen minutes later, Avraham approached Yaakov. "I don't know what Yitzchak told you, but I gave you the oil," he said. "He apparently forgot what happened." Yitzchak then showed up, insisting that the oil was his. "I know that I gave you my oil," he said. "Avraham is the one who is forgetting." Yaakov looked at the two. "Are you both serious?" he asked. "Do you really each insist that the oil is yours? "Yes," the two replied. "I will have to consult Rabbi Dayan on this," Yaakov said. He called and asked: "What should I do with the bottle of oil?" "The Gemara (B.M. 37b) teaches that if one of two people entrusted an animal to a shepherd and both claim that it is theirs," replied Rabbi Dayan, "the shepherd is required to pay both if he does not remember whose it is, after they both swear. He is considered negligent in not having recorded and knowing from whom

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 17 he received the animal" (C.M. 300:3; Sma 300:11). However, if the animal was left in the herd not in the shepherd's presence, he can leave the animal between the two, since he is not at fault. Shulchan Aruch writes that the entrusted item should remain with him or with beis din until one of them admits, or they agree to divide it (C.M. 300:4; Pischei Choshen, Pikadon 7:21). A similar issue arises regarding someone who borrowed from one of two people, or bought from one of two sellers, but the halachah in these other cases varies (C.M. 76:2-3; 222:2). If neither one definitively claims the entrusted item, the guardian is not required to pay both, even to fulfill his Heavenly obligation, since they also should have remembered. However, some write that he does have a Heavenly obligation to pay both, similar to someone who borrowed from one of two people and does not remember from whom (Shach 300:16; 76:18; Be'er Hagolah 300:8; Ketzos 300:2). "Thus," concluded Rabbi Dayan, "since the oil was entrusted directly to Yaakov, and both claim it, Yaakov must pay both after they swear (nowadays, beis din would likely impose partial payment in lieu of an oath). However, had Yaakov allowed them to place the bottle in his room and agreed to watch it, or if they were also uncertain, he would not be liable to pay both; the bottle would remain until the two reach an agreement." Verdict: If one of two people entrusted an item and the guardian does not remember from whom, if both claim it definitively, he is required to pay both. If neither claims definitively, some say that he does not have even a Heavenly obligation to pay both; it remains until they reach an agreement.

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 18

Kovod of Day or Night By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld Have a topic you want to read about? Email [email protected]

In Bereishis 43:16 Yosef told his servants to slaughter an animal and prepare. The Medrash 92:4 says that the word prepare is referring to Shabbos as the Torah tells us to prepare for the 7th day. The Medrash in Naso 14:2 says that the story with Yosef and his brothers took place on Friday. That is why in 43:25 it says they prepared the gifts for Yosef, & Rashi says they prepared it by putting the gifts into nice kailim. This would be the source for the obligation to prepare the Shabbos table with a nice white tablecloth lichvod Shabbos as we see in Orach Chaim 262:1. The above is based on the Gemara in Shabbos 117b that tells us that Rav Chisda says a person should wake up early on Friday morning to spend money for Shabbos as quoted in Shulchan Aruch 250:1. This holds true even if one has many servants, nevertheless, one should do something him/herself lichvod Shabbos. Rav Chisda would cut the vegetables & Rav Nachman would move the furniture that was used a whole week out of the house & bring in special furniture lichvod Shabbos. The Gra in 529 says that the din of Oneg Shabbos is on Shabbos itself, whereas the din of Kavod Shabbos is from before Shabbos. Whatever a person does to prepare for Shabbos is called Kavod Shabbos. Included in this would be preparing the tablecloth, the chairs, & making everything ready so when one comes home from Shul on Friday night everything is ready to go. Why is there only a din of hachana for the night meal & not the day meal? We find that the Gemara in Pesachim 105a says that the day meal

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 19 takes precedence over the night meal, yet we find that as far as preparation goes, it is only applicable to the night meal. When it comes to the actual meal, we mentioned that the day meal comes first in importance, for example, if someone does not have enough food for both meals, it is preferred that the food be used for the meal during the day. This is seen in Shulchan Aruch 271:3. The Magen Avraham 4 brings down the Zohar that says you need to be mesader the table at night to have bread & other foods ready. Reb Yitzchok adds that one must do it for the daytime meal too. The Machtzis Hashekel brings down that the Magen Avraham says that the Zohar argues on the Gemara and seems to say that the night meal is more important than the day meal. It is just that the Halacha is like our Gemara & not Kabala, because we pasken according to the Gemara when the Gemara argues with Kabala. We could say that really the Zohar does not argue with our Gemara. Really, the day meal is more important than the night meal. The Zohar is speaking regarding preparing the meal, in case the night meal is more important, so it’s essential to have it prepared. As far as preparation goes, the night meal is more important, but of course the day meal would also have a mitzvah of preparation. The ikkar mitzvah of hachana is for the night meal. This would really make a nafka mina if a person has only one tablecloth and won’t be able to use it for 2 meals. He should rather use the nice tablecloth for the night meal, whereas someone who does not have enough food itself should save the food for the day meal. Oneg is more important for the day meal whereas kavod is more important for the night meal. May we be zocheh to the Geulah Sheleima, to the Yom Shekulo Tov!

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 20

ISRAEL NEWS SHTIGLITZ Morocco & Israel to Establish Diplomatic Relations with U.S. Backing - Morocco & Israel agreed Thursday to establish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by the U.S., the 4th Arab-majority country in recent months to say it would normalize ties with Israel. The agreement came after the U.S. ended its official neutrality & recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. President Trump spoke by phone with Morocco's King Mohammed VI to secure the agreement. Trump noted that U.S.-Moroccan ties date to 1777. Middle East negotiator Jared Kushner said, "This is something that's been talked about for a long time but something that seemed inevitable at this point and something that we think advances the region & helps bring more clarity to where things are going." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump & Mohammed for a "historic peace." "Everybody knows the tremendous friendship shown by the kings of Morocco and the people of Morocco to the Jewish community there," Netanyahu said. "This will be a very warm peace." ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Six Israeli Creations among TIME's 100 Best Inventions for 2020 - Six Israeli tech firms have been named in TIME magazine's annual list of 100 Best Inventions. Beewise offers a smart home for bees, the Beehome, that helps bees thrive at a time when 40% die every year as a result of disease, pesticides, and climate change. It uses precision robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI). TrialJectory's software uses AI to read through thousands of clinical trials and extract information about patients for researchers. Augmedics'

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 21 xvision headset uses augmented reality to turn a patient's CT scan into a 3-D image to help guide spinal surgeons. Mifold has developed a compact, portable child's booster seat with a design that keeps the seatbelt off the child's stomach & neck for better safety & comfort. City Transformer offers a folding electric 2 seater car that can reach up to 55 miles per hour. 4 of them fit into a standard parking spot. DouxMatok's Incredo Sugar allows bakers and food companies to reduce sugar content by 30-50% while retaining the same level of sweetness. The sugar grains are engineered so that most of the flavor reaches the taste buds. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Israel's National Cyber Directorate - The Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) was created to become involved in the aftermath of cyberattacks. Maj.- Gen. (ret.) Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel, chairman of Israel's National Council for Research & Development, said, "Israel was the first country to understand & come to the conclusion that cyber...required a national program." "Israel has many more advanced systems that can be impaired than our neighbors. We created a national program for critical infrastructure like electricity & water, as well as for safeguarding hospitals & transportation." Inside the directorate in Beersheba, which employs 350 people, the Cyber Emergency Response Team handles hundreds of reports about cyberattack attempts daily, handling 10,200 incidents over the past 12 months. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 22

Ministers Huddle to Stop Crowding at Ben Gurion- An inter-ministerial team has been designated to oversee compliance with coronavirus regulations at Ben Gurion Airport, where crowding led to blatant violations last week, They are charged with recommending immediate measures to enforce masks & social distancing at check-in counters or in line for passport control, where hundreds of passengers arriving from abroad were seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a photo taken by a reported that he then posted on Twitter. The Israel Airport Authority said in a statement Sunday that it was “working to ensure the flow of passengers in a safe way with the aim of not creating unusual loads.” The authority said it is permitted to have passengers from up to 8 flights every 3 hours in the terminal, “and we ask the passengers to keep to social distancing and to wear masks.” Normalization of ties with the UAE now poses a threat to Israel’s sagging efforts to prevent a third lockdown. A senior Health Ministry official warned Sunday that travel to the United Arab Emirates could be a coronavirus “ticking time bomb.” This was due to Israel’s decision to keep the UAE on its list of “green” countries with low infection rates, reportedly to avoid a diplomatic rift just months after establishing formal ties, even though morbidity has been rising in the Gulf country. “Dubai is our new Turkey,” the unnamed official was quoted as saying by Ynet, referring to the large number of Israelis who returned from Turkey while carrying the virus, contributing to its spread in the country. The Health Ministry expects that 224 COVID-19 patients will return from the UAE to Israel in December, Ynet reported, more than any other country (next are Turkey with an estimated 86 and the United States with 66). Some 10,000 Israelis are currently in Dubai, the report said.

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 23

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Israel to Attempt New Moon Landing - On Wednesday, SpaceIL, which launched the Beresheet spacecraft that crashed on the moon in April 2019, announced Beresheet 2, involving 2 landers and an orbiter, to be launched in 2024. The two landers would be much smaller than the first spacecraft and would land on different parts of the moon, while the orbiter would circle the moon for years. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Israel Normalizes Ties with Bhutan - Israel established full diplomatic relations with Bhutan. A Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas with 800,000 residents, Bhutan has formal diplomatic relations with only 53 other countries - a list that does not include the U.S., UK, France or Russia. Bhutan's government "thinks of Israel as a leading country in technology & innovation that can help them progress & use more advanced technology & train their youth," said Israel's Ambassador to India Ron Malka. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Moishe is Getting Older… Old Moishe Applebaum goes to his doctor complaining of aches and pains all over his body. After a thorough examination, the doctor gives him a clean bill of health. "Moishe, you're in excellent shape for an 85 year old man. But I'm not a magician – I can't make you any younger," says the doctor. "Who asked you to make me younger?" says Moishe. "You just make sure I get older!" Aish.com

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine  MIKETZ 5781  THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 24