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Volume 22 Volume22 A JOURNAL OF DIVREI TORAH VOLUME 22 VOLUME 22 VOLUME WWW.BETHABRAHAM.ORG • 201.384.0434 CONGREGATION BETH ABRAHAM, 396 NEW BRIDGE ROAD, BERGENFIELD, NJ 07621 COVER DESIGN: JULIE FARKAS 5780 • APRIL 2020 •CONGREGATION BETH ABRAHAM • BERGENFIELD, NJ Dedications Dedicated by Nechie and Heshie Schulhof לזכר נשמת אליעזר בן טוביה ע"ה נפטר יוֹם ראשוֹן חוֹל המוֹעד פסח נחוּם צבי בן מֹשה ע"ה פייגא מלכה בת יוֹנה ע"ה יעקב בן מאיר ע"ה שרה צביה בת אברהם ע"ה נפטרוּ בשוֹאה, יוֹם שני של שבוּעוֹת אסתר בת ניסן ע"ה דוד בן יעקֹב ע"ה יענטא בת נחוּם צבי ע"ה ניסן בן זאב ע"ה לאה בת נתן יצחק ע"ה 3 Dedicated in memory of a wonderful husband and father Benjamin M. Strauss A”H בנימין מאיר בן נפתלי ע"ה Claire Strauss and family In Memory לז"נ חיים יששכר ז"ל בן יחיאל זיידל דוֹב Chaim Feigenbaum z”l Dedicated by the Feigenbaum/Richman/Finkelstein/Maxwell Families Dedicated in memory of our parents Goldie’s Father Yoel Horowitz יוֹאל בן יוֹסף אריה הלוי האראוויץ ע"ה י' אדר תשמ״ו ~~~~~~ Goldie’s Mother Faige Horowitz פייגע בת שלוֹם האראוויץ ע"ה כ"ד ניסן תשנ״ו ~~~~~~ Bob’s Father Shlomie Kikin שלמה בן קלמן יהודה קיקין ע״ה כ״ה תשרי תשנ״ו ~~~~~~ Bob’s Mother Faige Kikin פייגא בת גדליה זוסיא קיקין ע"ה כ"ב ניסן תשס״ו ~~~~~~ Donated by Goldie and Bob Kikin Dedicated by Suzanne and David Prince In memory of Suzanne’s parents Vivian Freund A”H חנה בת אביגדור ע"ה כ"ג סיון Robert Freund A”H אליעזר בן משה ע"ה כ"א סיון _____________________________ Sponsored in memory of Our mother and Bubbe מאשא בת יצחק ע"ה On the occasion of her first yahrzeit on 27 Iyar And in memory of our grandmothers On the occasion of their yahrzeits ביילא בת צבי ע"ה - כ"ח ניסן חיה פסה בת שלום פרץ ע"ה - ז' סיון Tzippy and Aaron Ross and family Dedicated by Baruch and Sharona Benoff In honor of our children and parents And in memory of Mordechai ben Chaim Baruch Dr. Markus Hoffman On the occasion of his 29th yahrtzeit __________________________________________________ Dedicated by the Lejtman family In memory of our beloved fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers Norman Marshall Gross A”H נחמן משה בן חיים אריה הכהן ע"ה נפטר ד' ניסן תש"פ Uszer A. Lejtman A”H אשר אנשל בן ישראל שלמה ע"ה נפטר ט"ו טבת תשע"ה And in memory of our brother, brother-in-law, and uncle Mitchell Gross A”H מנחם אברהם בן נחמן מֹשה ע"ה נפטר כ"ד ניסן תשס"ח Dedicated by Howard and Rochelle Gans __________________________________________________ L’zecher Nishmas Herbert Scheinfeld Rav Chaim Eliezer Ben Harav Yechiel A”H The pillar and inspiration of our family whose love of people, yiddishkeit and Toras Hashem forever resonates through his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren נפטר ערב שביעי של פסח /תשע"ב 2012 Dedicated by Esther Scheinfeld Benzion, Sarale, and Hillel and families __________________________________________________ Table of Contents Divrei Hakdamah ............................................................................ 1 Rav Moshe Tzvi Weinberg Editors’ Note ................................................................................... 2 Inyanei Pesach Shabbos HaGadol – How is it Gadol? ............................................. 5 Yehuda Isenberg 16 .......................... שלוש רגלים The Relationship and Meaning of the Rivka Kahan s Ultimate Goal ............................................................ 25’פסח :Israel Daniella Lejtman 30 ............................................................ הערות וביאורים בהגדה של פסח Tzvi Benoff The Special Nature of Pesach ........................................................ 33 Rabbi A.B. Felsenthal Eating in Halacha .......................................................................... 38 Josh Gelernter The Process of Redemption ........................................................... 42 Rabbi Elozor Preil Understanding the Source of Mitzvas Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim .. 46 Rabbi Ben Kelsen 52 ...................................... הערות על מחלוקת בין ראב"ע ובן זומא והחכמים Corey Tarzik Name Dropping ............................................................................. 56 Seth Lebowitz Maror: What and How Much?....................................................... 60 Dr. Jonathan Tiger The Fifth Cup; What's Missing? .................................................... 64 Rabbi Dr. Melvin Zelefsky Understanding the Mechayev of Hallel on Chol Hamoed Pesach and Its Ramifications for how we Experience these Days ............ 69 Rabbi Benzion Scheinfeld Crossroads of Redemption: Gadlus Ha’adam ............................... 75 Tzvi Aryeh Benoff Pesach through Shavuos: Beginning Anew ................................... 88 Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Berman Inyanei Sefiras HaOmer and Shavuos I am Har Sinai ............................................................................... 99 Menachem Gans The Sheep Says Baa, What Do You Say? ................................... 106 Moshe Schapiro Simchas Kabalas Hatorah ........................................................... 118 Dr. Jonathan Tiger “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path” ................ 120 Chanan Schreiber Inyanei Maseches Brachos Stories in the Gemara .................................................................. 125 Rabbi Elchanan Dulitz Our Morning Prayer .................................................................... 131 Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan 136 ............................ שומע כעונה and ברכה Others with a מוציא Being Chaim Ozer Shulman Toward Jerusalem ....................................................................... 143 Rabbi Neal Turk Bain Hashmashos ........................................................................ 148 Dr. Barry Finkelstein 153 ................................... הערות במס׳ ברכות שנאמרו בק״ק בית אברהם תש״פ Rabbi Brian Gopin Inyanei Purim 165 ............................................................................. אורה מתוך שמחה Meir Finkelstein Divrei Hakdamah Rav Moshe Tzvi Weinberg n his introduction to the Achiezer (published 1922) Rav Chaim Ozer writes: מחשבות תוגה מתרוצצות בקרב לב חושב: האם שעת חירום כזאת מכוונה I להוצאת ספרים לאור עולם, הלא ישאל השואל, עם ישראל טובע בים של דמעות ואתם אומרים שירה? ... אולם זה כח ישראל סבא לאלקיו ולתורתו בכל הדורות ובכל התקופות והזמנים, גם כשחרב חדה היתה מונחת על צוארו, תורת ד’ היתה שעשועיו כל היום, גם בעת החורבן אשר כל קיום הלאום היה בסכנה ... יבנה וחכמיה שארית ישראל היתה אוד מוצל מאש, אשר כעמוד הענן האירו את ישראל בגולה, על ידם נשמר ונמסר הכתב והקבלה. Thoughts of distress should enter the heart of a thinking person: Is it appropriate to put out a book in a time of national emergency? One should really ask: the nation of Israel is sinking in a sea of tears and you are reciting celebratory praises? … However, this is the dedication of the Jewish people to its Lord and His Torah in all generations and all situations. Even when a sharp sword is resting on its neck, the Torah of HaShem is its enjoyment throughout the day, even in times of destruction where there is a threat to the very existence of the nation … [During the period of] Yavneh and its scholars, the Jewish people were an ember plucked from the fire which lit up the Jewish people in exile like the Clouds of Glory. Through them, the text and tradition were preserved and passed on. Rav Chaim Ozer justifies his publication of a Torah work during the unfolding trauma of communal destruction. He saw it as an expression of Rav Yochanan Ben Zakai’s famous choice to preserve the city of Yavneh and the continuity of Torah as the highest ideal within the context of churban. 1 Editors’ Note hortly before kriat yam suf (Shemot 14:15), the Torah records that God says to Moshe: daber el b’nei yisrael S v’yisa’u. Speak to b’nei yisrael and have them move forward. Rashi supplies the implication of God’s message: despite the daunting obstacle of the sea that stood before them, b’nei yisrael should advance while trusting in God. This interpretation can serve to inspire us during the current crisis by highlighting the need for “moving forward” while believing that God has the power to save us. “Moving forward” for our community has taken many forms so far, including shiurim by our rabbis shared electronically, individual and communal acts of chesed, and the attempt to use our new and temporary practice of tefila b’yechidut as an opportunity for developing greater kavana. This edition of Ohel Avraham is offered as a part of our community’s effort to always move forward with trust in God in the face of daunting obstacles. Thank you to all of those who submitted essays for your time and efforts. A special thank you, as always, is due to all of this journal’s generous sponsors. We thank Julie Farkas for designing and modifying the cover year after year. In the merit of all the ways in which our community continues to “move forward” under the leadership of our mara d’atra and with the guidance of medical professionals and public health authorities, may God speedily deliver our community, all of b’nei yisrael, and all people from the current crisis. Avie Schreiber Seth Lebowitz 2 Inyanei Pesach Shabbos HaGadol – How is it Gadol? Yehuda Isenberg here are many reasons proposed for why the Shabbos before Pesach is called “Shabbos HaGadol”: For God Himself,1 for Bnei Yisrael,2 a great miracle occurred in mitzrayim on the T 3 4 Shabbos or motzaei shabbos immediately before the Exodus, it was a catalyst for the initiation of mitzvos,5 the historical practices of our 1 God became Gadol on this Shabbos because it became clear to all that He had providence over the world (Aruch HaShulchan, OC 430). If so, a less esoteric name would
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