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Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas • NITZACHONניצחון Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas VOLUME 1:1 • PESACH - SHAVUOS 5774 • LOS ANGELES Nitzachon Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Volume 1:1 Pesach – Shavuos 5774 Adas Torah 1135 South Beverly Drive Los Angeles, CA 90035 www.adastorah.org [email protected] (310) 228-0963 Rabbi Dovid Revah, Rav and Mara D’Asra Michael A. Horowitz, President Nitzachon Editorial Team Michael Kleinman, General Editor Yaakov Siegel, General Editor Penina Apter, Copy Editor Rabbi Andi Yudin, Copy Editor Rob Shur, Design and Layout www.rbscreative.com VOLUME 1:1 • PESACH - SHAVUOS 5774 דברי חכמים Rabbi Dovid Revah: Celebrating the Torah: Explaining the Special Nature of Seuda on Shavuos ..................................................................................... p. 13 Guest Contributor Rabbi Asher Brander: Erev Pesach, Matza, & Marriage: The Curious Halacha of Matza Non-Consumption ..................................................................................... p. 17 PESACH Dr. David Peto: Talmud Torah and Seder Night ..................................................................................... p. 37 Eli Snyder: Questions upon Questions: The Thematic Implications of the Mah Nishtana ..................................................................................... p. 47 Rabbi Yaakov Siegel: All of Nature is Miraculous or All Miracles are Natural: Opposing Views on Yetzias Mitzrayim ..................................................................................... p. 51 Yossi Essas: Arami Oved Avi ..................................................................................... p. 59 Adiv Pachter: Boxing at the Seder? ..................................................................................... p. 63 Dr. Michael Kleinman: Pirsumei Nisa: Special Halachos for a Special Mitzva ..................................................................................... p. 67 Dr. Yakov Agatstein: Celebrations of our Fathers: The Ushpizin as Ties that Bind the Moadim Together ..................................................................................... p. 73 Yoni Barzideh: Excuse Me Officer, Four Cups or Five? What is the Legal Limit? ..................................................................................... p. 79 Nina Adler: The Seder as a Precursor to Modern Educational Thought ..................................................................................... p. 85 Dr. Hillel Well: The Crime of Crying ..................................................................................... p. 91 3 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 1:1 • PESACH - SHAVUOS 5774 Elazar Shemtov: Ashkenazim Eating at the Home of Sephardim Who Have the Custom to Eat Kitniyos During Pesach ..................................................................................... p. 95 Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter: Will the Mitzva of Recalling the Exodus From Egypt be Continued in the Future Era? ..................................................................................... p. 99 SEFIRAS HA’OMER Yitzi Kempe: What Do Yitzias Mitzrayim and Sefira Really Mean? ..................................................................................... p. 105 Yaakov Rich: A Brief History of the History of Rabbi Akiva’s Students ..................................................................................... p. 109 Noam Casper: Life’s Best Kept Secret ..................................................................................... p. 125 David R. Schwarcz: Can Sefiras Ha’Omer Help Maintain Balance in our Lives? ..................................................................................... p. 131 SHAVUOS Rabbi Yisroel Gordon: We Will Hear: Eavesdropping on Sinai ..................................................................................... p. 139 Donny Feldman: Heyu Nechonim L’shloshes Yamim ..................................................................................... p. 149 Dr. Sam Goldberger: Two Days of Shavuos, Why? ..................................................................................... p. 153 Rabbi Avner Shapiro: “Our Eyes and our Hearts Should Be There All The Days” Remembering Har Sinai and Teaching the Generations, in the Commentaries of the Ramban ..................................................................................... p. 157 Meir Nemetsky: Sfas Emes on Shavuos ..................................................................................... p. 161 ניצחון • NITZACHON 4 VOLUME 1:1 • PESACH - SHAVUOS 5774 Editor’s Preface As Adas Torah reaches its tenth anniversary, this Journal of Torah Ideas represents an important milestone in the development and growth of our kehilla. The variety of Torah interests you will find in the essays before you –halacha , machshava, drush, philosophy, psychology, and chasidus – parallels the diversity of their authors – dentists, lawyers, mechanchim, doctors , teachers, engineers, Rabbanim, real estate and investment professionals, accountants, and more dentists. The serious thought and hours upon hours of ameilus batorah that created this journal is not but a sampling from, or reflection of our kehilla – it is our kehilla. The accomplished Torah community that we have become is a glorious Nitzachon to be celebrated. This victory,b’ezras Hashem, will be just one of many as we continue to thrive under the guidance, friendship and leadership of our dear Rov and Rebbetzin, sheyichyu. It says in Tana Divei Eliyahu: אין ישראל נגאלין לא מתוך הצער ולא מתוך השעבוד ולא מתוך הטלטול ולא מתוך הטירוף ולא מתוך הדוחק ולא מתוך שאין להם מזונות אלא מתוך עשרה בני אדם שהם יושבים זה אצל זה ויהיה כ”א מהם קורא ושונה עם חבירו וקולם נשמע The Jewish people will not be redeemed because of their pain, oppression, displacement, disruption, stress, or poverty. Rather they will be redeemed when ten people are sitting together and each one is learning and studying [Torah] with his or her friends, and their voice is heard. Now that our voice is heard, we await the ultimate Nitzachon. Michael Kleinman Yaakov Siegel 5 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 1:1 • PESACH - SHAVUOS 5774 This journal is dedicatedl’ilui nishmas Daniella Shaina bas Yehoshua Falik, a”h Thank you for looking at this journal. This journal was put together by people who needed to do more. Who needed moreyiddishkeit in their own lives, and to spread their yiddishkeit to others. Making this journal was not innovative per se – others have made journals in the past. However, this journal is visionary. The people who have compiled this want more and the shul that compiled this wants more. More Torah! So what that we work crazy schedules! So what that most of the divrei Torah here are written bybalabatim who work long, sometimes “crazy”, hours. Why should that stop us?! There are a million things that take our attention; maybe we can have Torah take our attention too. This journal was compiled by people who took time and gave it to Hashem. They made Hashem more a part of their lives. We have a great zechus to be a part of this. It is not a small thing. We are looking for more. This journal was dedicated in memory of a holy woman who also wanted more, but was not given much time to do it. Daniella Shaina Bas Yehoshua Falik, A’’H. She wanted more Torah. She was excited about Torah. She used to put on makeup before Shabbos while listening to shiurim. She would get excited about topics in the parshios as they came up throughout the year. She cared about it. She wanted it. Torah was life, not just a detail in life. She wanted more community. Community is not something that happens by itself. She wanted to make it happen. She worked to make it happen. She wanted a shul lunch so people could meet each other. And at that shul lunch, people were not just seated with their group of friends. The purpose was to meet and make connections. She wanted to bring people closer to each other, to make sure people knew the faces in their community. Not just to know the faces. Her goal was “v’yadata hayom, v’hasheivosa el livavecha”. That knowing the other person should bring to a relationship. People who want more! A community that wants more! That needs more! A community that is not satisfied going through the motions. That is what this community is about. That is what this sefer is about. That is what Daniella Shaina was about. It is a tremendouszechus to be a part of this community and a tremendous zechus to have known this person who shaped our community. We want more Hashem and we want more Torah. Our community came together to write this sefer. To make Hashem more a part of our lives. It is not just a journal. It is kadosh. Noam Casper ניצחון • NITZACHON 6 We are grateful for the opportunity to support the first publication of the Adas Torah Torah Journal. We dedicate this in memory of our dear daughter, Rena bas Yehuda Tzvi a’’h. May this journal not only be a zechus for our daughter, but also an inspiration of Torah for the entire kehilla during the upcoming yom tov. Chag kasher V’sameach. • Jason and Michali Moore In memory of our grandparents משה שמואל בן נתן נטע הלוי ע”ה חנה בת פרץ ע״ה משה יצחק בן יוסף ע״ה Whose love of Torah continues to inspire us every day • Daniel and Annie Nagel In Memory of Our Dear Parents אפרים בן אליהו ליב ע”ה ,Effie Gross חנה בת באנדאט ע”ה ,Ilse Kleinman שמואל בן יצחק ע”ה ,Sydney Kleinman May the inspiration from this journal be a zechus for their neshamos • Brian and Lesley Kleinman החוברת הזאת מוקדשת לזכר נשמת האם היקרה קמו בניה ויאשרוה חוה גולדשין בת יעקב ע”ה This journal is dedicated
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