Page Zero of Torah Tidbits 759 Dear TT•PDF reader, The hard copy of TT is read primarily by people living in Israel. The website and the email, which now links heavily to the website, is read by people all over the world. Largest segment of the readership is from the States, but many people in Israel prefer the electronic versions of TT, either because hard copy is unavailable to them, or they like the pick and choose your features aspect of the eTT. We have subscribers in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Holland, Czech Republic, and many other places around the world. We know a little about the whereabouts of the readership from their email addresses. We wanted to share this with you and thank you for reading, because without you, our "falling tree in the forest" might not be making a Lead Tidbit cont. from Front Page sound. This issue is a TRIPPPLE one, passage is said in Aramaic, which was the covering Shabbat HaGadol (Tzav), common spoken language at the time of Pesach, and Sh'mini. With Chag the compilation of the Hagada. Hebrewending for us on Monday night, we was not understood by many Jews. It is vital that all Seder celebrants know the were afraid we wouldn't be able to meaning of this opening statement, hence keep to our production timetable. It it is in Aramaic rather than Hebrew, as the was not easy to put this issue out, but rest of the Hagada is. (Actually, our last part of the Hagada Chad Gadya is also in we hope you find it informative and Aramaic.) So our "child" sees all kinds of useful. CHAG KASHER V'SAMEI'ACH. curious things, he has one thing explained to him up front • why we eat matza. Yet, from p.2 what does he ask about? Matza. Bright WORD of the MONTH kid? Yes, says Rav Sorotzkin. He isn'tA weekly TT feature to help clarify practical asking why we eat matza; he just heard and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, and understood the answer to that one. thereby enhancing our appreciation of G•d's His question is why is it KULO MATZA, gift to Am Yisrael of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... exclusively matza. If matza is the bread of poverty, slavery, and affliction, then where We will have switched to Summer Time, make is the fluffy, sweet, freshly baked challa that 7:01pm. That's right around sunset with that can represent freedom and nobility? moonrise having occurred minutes before. KL That's the question, and it's a good one. must be said when the sky is dark and the moon The answer comes at the end of Magid, shines brightly. That won't happen on Monday when we pick up the same broken piece of night before the deadline for KL. Therefore, matza and ask the question about why we eat it. But the answer is different. This Sunday night is the last op. time, matza IS the bread of freedom, Speaking of the Moon and Leil HaSeder, the Moon reminding us of the haste with which were will be just past opposition (Full Moon) and will taken out of Egypt by G•d. appear to us that night as full. (In other words, Pesach is CHAG HAMATZOT because of we cannot perceive of the slight diminishing of how well matza represents slavery and our the Moon so soon after NIGUD.) If you take a redemption from it. walk outside after the Seder, don't forget to look When you hold a matza in your hand and at the Moon for a while. are about to eat it in fulfillment of the mitzva of Leil HaSeder • or any other time While looking at the Moon is not dangerous (as is you eat matza on Pesach, look at it as a looking at the Sun), staring at a full moon can before and after. See the repeating cycles give you a headache and a strained feeling in Jewish History that are many befores behind your eyes. So take it easy, but do marvel and many afters. Maybe we can break the at G•d's wonderful creations. cycle and hasten the Geula, `"aa Before, After, Before, After Once in a while we have a Trippple issue of Torah Tidbits, and it is a "killer" to produce. Hopefully you are reading these words on time, which means that TT 759 actally made it. But working on Shabbat HaGadol material, and Pesach material, and Parshat Shmini material all at the same time, has given rise to the title of this Lead Tidbit. The content will be Seder specific, but will generalize, as well. Rav Sorotzkin, in his Hagada "HaShir v'haShevach" asks (and answers) the following question: We do many things at the beginning of the Seder that are intended, in part, to arouse the curiosity of the Jewish child. (Here, the term Jewish child applies to an actual child, and to someone of any age, whose Jewish knowledge and practice is on the meager side. Actually, any thinking and feeling Jew should have a child•like curiosity and inquisitiveness about aspects of Judaism that are not thoroughly known to the individual.) The child is then encouraged to ask questions. Among his questions are the famous Four. The first of the Ma Nishtana questions is about eating matza. The questioner seems to be asking, "Why do we eat matza on Pesach?" Says Rav Sorotzkin, that is not an astute question at all. We have just recited HA LACHMA ANYA, the opening passage of the MAGID portion of the Seder. That Ranges are FRI•FRI 11 Nisan • 2 Iyar • (Mar30•Apr20) Remember: Ranges span 22 days Earliest Talit & T'filin 5:41•5:22am Sunrise 6:32•6:14am Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma 9:37•9:26am (Magen Avraham: 8:52•8:40am) Sof Z'man T'fila 10:39•10:31am (Magen Avraham: 10:09•9:59am) Chatzot 12:44•12:40pm (halachic noon) +2O Mincha Gedola 1:15•1:12pm (earliest Mincha) Plag Mincha 5:39•5:46pm Sunset 7:01•7:11pm (based on sea level: 6:56•7:06pm) Last opportunity for Kiddush L'vana this month is Sunday night, leil 14 Nissan • i.e. B'dikat Chametz. As we've noted before, the actual deadline this month is Monday at 6:01pm. Since cont.p.3 Orthodox Union OU ISRAEL OU Kashrut • NCSY • Jewish Action Seymour J. Abrams • Orthodox Union • Jerusalem World Center NJCD / Yachad / Our Way • Kharkov OU Israel Center programs • Makom BaLev • Lev Yehudi Synagogue Support Services • IPA Pearl & Harold M. Jacobs ZULA Center • OU Tzafona OURadio.org • Young Leadership Machon Maayan • NESTO • Beit Kharkov Project Areivim • OU West Coast OU Israel Communities • OU Kashrut in Israel... Stephen Savitsky, President, Orthodox Union Yitzchak Fund, President, OU Israel Harvey Blitz, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox Union Rabbi Emanuel Quint, Senior Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Exec. Vice President, OU Prof. Meni Koslowsky, Vice President Eliezer Edelman, Exec. Dir. Operations and Management Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Vaad member Headquarters: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 Stuart Hershkowitz, Vaad member 212•563•4000 • website: www.ou.org Moshe Kempinski, Vaad member Sandy Kestenbaum, Vaad member Zvi Sand, Vaad member Produced, printed*, collated, and folded in•house Harvey Wolinetz, Vaad member Phil Chernofsky • (02) 560•9100 ext. 124 Rabbi Avi Berman, Director•General, OU Israel [email protected] • www.ou.org/torah/tt Menachem Persoff, Director of Programs, Israel Center Advertising: Ita Rochel Phil Chernofsky, Educational Director and TT editor [email protected] • (02) 560•9100 ext. 125 22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem 91370 TT Distribution • [email protected] • 0505•772•111 phone: (02) 560•9100 • fax: (02) 561•7432 OU Israel and Torah Tidbits do not necessarily endorse the email: [email protected] • website: www.ouisrael.org political or halachic positions of its editor, columnists, or advertisers, Torah Tidbits and many of the projects of OU Israel are nor do we guarantee the quality of advertised services or products assisted by grants from The Jewish Agency for Israel [132,A29 6:6] and was not allowed to be TZAV STATS extinguished ever [133,L81 6:6]. The portion from the beginning of Tzav until 25th of 54 sedras; 2nd of 10 in Vayikra this point is one of the daily readings of the Written on 169.8 lines in a Torah, rank: 38th Korbanot section of the Shacharit service. It is very important to recite the portions of Korbanot, based 8 Parshiyot, 7 open and 1 closed on the concept of "And our lips will substitute for the 97 p'sukim • 36th (3rd in Vayikra) bulls". The Gemara relates the following: Avraham Avinu same as Sho'f'tim, which is a bit larger than asked G•d "what method will my descendants have to Tzav pursue atonement for their sins?". G•d told him that sacrifices will help bring atonement. Avraham then asked Sources say that TZAV has TZAV (96) what will be during the time that the Beit HaMikdash will p'sukim. Our Chumashim have 97. Either not stand and sacrifices will not be practiced. G•d's one•off is acceptable for G'matriya answer: "I have already prepared for that eventuality. As purposes, or there was a slightly different long as they read the Torah portions about sacrifices, I p'sukim•breakdown in the past. will consider it as if they actually offered the sacrifices, 1353 words • 38th (3rd in Vayikra) and I will forgive them their iniquities." This idea is hinted at by the words in the opening pasuk of the sedra: 5096 letters • 38th (3rd in Vayikra) ZOT TORAT HA'OLAH • This Torah (portion) of the Olah • HI (sounds like the English word he) HA'OLAH..