LeKavod Shabbos
Nitzavim 5781 September 3, 2021 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 Baby Carriage Rav A. Leib Scheinbaum writes a story that shows how deeply committed one can be in his belief, & to what extent this faith will carry him. It is a story about 2 Chasidim who would visit their Rebbe every Succos, & each year, they would stop overnight at the same inn. One year, the innkeeper approached them humbly & said, “You know, I am neither a Chasid nor a student of your Rebbe, but I have a great favor to ask of you. My wife & I have been married for 10 years, & unfortunately, we have not yet been blessed with a child. Can you please ask the Rebbe to Daven for us?” The Chasidim agreed to do so. The very next morning, the innkeeper’s wife began walking around the neighborhood with an expensive baby carriage. When her friends came over to wish her a ‘Mazel Tov’, she explained that while she did not yet have a child, she soon would, since the Rebbe was going to Daven for her! Please Daven for Cholei Yisroel & Dedicated in memory of ע״ה Daniel Ben Masha Hinda Mina Gitel Bas Yehudah
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Hearing this, the 2 Chasidim were somewhat embarrassed, because they knew that Tefilos did not always produce the desired results. They said nothing & continued on with their journey, & faithfully carried out their mission when they arrived at their Rebbe. When the 2 Chasidim returned the following year to the inn, there was a Bris in progress, as the innkeeper & his wife recently just had a baby boy. The innkeeper was quite elated & thankful to have these Chasidim, & he treated them as guests of honor. Later on, when the Chasidim arrived at the Rebbe’s home, one of the Chasidim entered the Rebbe’s office and complained, “Rebbe, you do not even know the innkeeper! Yet, you Davened for him, & it was successful. I have been your trusted student since I was a child. I visit you every year just as my father did before me. Yet, I am married for 20 years, and I have made the exact same request of you, & my wife & I have still not had children. Rebbe, is this fair?” The Rebbe took his student’s hands and looked him in the eyes, and asked, “During all those 20 years, did you ever go out & buy a baby carriage? How great was your faith in the power of Tefilah in comparison to that of the innkeeper’s wife?” Rav Scheinbaum taught that Bitachon, trust in Hashem, has to be unequivocal. We either believe, or we do not. To believe when it is convenient, to trust when there is no other alternative, is not trust. It is selfserving & hypocritical. When we say we believe, when we express our trust, we have to be prepared to purchase that baby carriage! Torah U’Tefilah.
A Young Couple’s Tragedy In 5408 (1648) the fate of Eastern European Jewry became darkened with clouds & shrouded in heavy fog. A murderous Jew hater by the name of Bogdan
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Chmielnicki rose up from deep in the Ukrainian wasteland to marshal his hordes of Cossacks, & wage war against his Polish overlords. While battling the Poles, he went out of his way to attack Jewish communities throughout Poland and Lithuania, massacring tens of thousands of Jewish men, women, and children. Terrible stories of devastation are recorded & many of the most luminous Torah scholars, as well as their families & entire communities, perished during those perilous times. The city of Vilna also drank from the cup of woe. The Cossacks invaded the city & brought terrible carnage upon its inhabitants. The city was overtaken with terror and many took to flight, among them the Rosh Av Beis Din, R’ Ephraim Hakohen zt”l (author of Shaar Ephraim), along with his brilliant son- in-law, R’ Yaakov Ashkenazi zt”l (father of the renowned Chacham Tzvi) & his newly married young wife. They eventually crossed the border and settled in the province of Mehrin. Nevertheless, many hardships awaited them while en route. In his haste, & amidst the chaos of evacuation and fleeing, R’ Yaakov lost his way and became separated from his father-in-law & wife. He wandered alone for a while but eventually he was captured & fell into the hands of the murderous Cossacks. The Cossacks took great delight in murdering innocent men, women & children, & often they would loot their valuables before dispatching them with the sword. When R’ Yaakov was lined up to be executed, something inexplicable happened. The murderous Cossack raised his sword, preparing to kill the young Jew, when at the last minute & for no readily apparent reason, he took pity on him & said, “Get up & flee from here to save your life.” R’ Yaakov ran for his life.
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Fearing that he would fall into the hands of other murderers, he hid himself during the day among the dead for about a week. During the night, he got up & gathered plants which he ate to stay alive. In the end, the Cossack murderers left the area and R’ Yaakov began to wander in search of his wife & her father. Meanwhile, a number of weeks went by and his wife hadn’t heard of her husband’s whereabouts. She feared the worst. After much inquiry, 2 people came forth & witnessed that R’ Yaakov was slain by the sword of a Cossack, and they saw him lying on the ground with the rest of the Kedoshim. The witnesses were brought before the famous Rebbe, R’ Herschel of Krakow zt”l, & he ruled that she was permitted to remarry based on the eye witnesses’ account. The young woman, however, was devastated. She was not even 20y years old & refused to accept that her brilliant husband was killed. Months went by but she would not be comforted. And suddenly, after 6 months, her husband showed up! An unbelievable surprise! And he had an amazing story to tell. It was true that they held a sword to his head & it was true that he had lain there with the dead. However, unlike the others, his head hadn’t been detached! His executioner hit him with the flat side of the sword & instead of beheading him he knocked him to the ground! R’ Yaakov was miraculously saved. R’ Herschel, however, was so distraught over his erroneous psak which almost led to a terrible sin, that he resolved to never issue a psak on these matters ever again. R’ Yosef Eliyahu Henkin zt”l always recounted this story in order to illustrate just how careful one should be before allowing an agunah to remarry. Torah Tavlin.
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Predicting the Birth Of Her Sister’s Baby Rav Yechiel Spero relates a powerful, true story. Shimmy and Rochel were a young couple that had been married for ten years, and weren’t yet Bentched with children. One day, Rochel’s sister, Ahuva, came to visit them with her husband, Simcha, and after the visit, Ahuva commented to Simcha, “It seemed to me that Rochel wasn’t feeling so well. Do you think she might be expecting? Did Shimmy say anything to you?” Simcha replied, “No, he didn't tell me anything about that.” Ahuva said, “If she's expecting, I bet the baby will be born in the week of April 3rd next year.” Simcha said, “That’s a very interesting prediction. What makes you say that?” But Ahuva only said, “Let’s wait and see.” As it happened, the next year, during the week of April 3rd, a baby was born to Rochel and Shimmy! What joy they felt after waiting ten years for this child! In a quiet moment, Ahuva was approached by her husband and he said, “How did you know?” Ahuva responded, “I’ll tell you. Last year we had a problem with playgroups with our own child. We had a great play group with an excellent Morah. But then circumstances changed, and we had to take our child out of that playgroup and bring him to a different play group. Because of that, I started paying the new Morah and I couldn’t pay the first one any longer. “However, my original playgroup Morah insisted that we agreed that I would pay her until the end of the year, and to avoid a conflict, even though it was difficult, I paid her through June. But then she said that according to her, the year ends in September, and not in June, and I would have to pay her for two more months. “I didn’t know what to do. I asked different teachers what their policy
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 5 was, and I asked other mothers, and everyone said that the end of the year is June, not September. In fact, I went to some Poskim to see Halachically would I am required to do, and they also told me that I have no responsibility to keep paying the Morah. “Then, I was discussing everything with my father, and he agreed that I don’t have to pay. Nevertheless, he advised me and said, ‘I can't tell you what to do with your money, but I have a suggestion.’ “He said, ‘You know, your sister and brother-in-law really need a Zechus. Maybe this could be the Zechus that helps them. Perhaps you should just let it go. Pay the extra few months to the Morah, in the merit that they should have a child.’ And I listened to him. I started to pay our old Morah money that I did not think she deserved. In fact, she was not even entitled to that money. “But I didn’t want to cause a Machlokes. I didn’t want to cause a disagreement. And I said that in this Zechis, let Rochel have a child, and the first payment I made was on July 3rd. Exactly nine months later, in the week of April 3rd, is when the miracle occurred, and that’s how I knew the date the baby could be born!” Rav Spero comments, “When we are willing to go the extra mile, even when it doesn’t always make sense, then Hashem does so as well, and we can see how far the results will go!” Torah U’Tefilah.
Did You Remember to Pray? A Goy once stole some valuables and dumped it in a Jew’s house. The police arrested the Jew, and [the judge] sentenced him to be hung in a week, despite his pleading that he was innocent. The K'sav Sofer (Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyomin
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Sofer, 1815-1871) spent this week with sleepless nights and long trips to the authorities, in a vain attempt to save this Jew. The night before the hanging, his father, the Chasam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Schreiber, 1762-1839) came to him in a dream, and accused him for not doing anything for the Jew. [For despite all his efforts, the main effort, Tefila wasn’t really done]. The K'sav Sofer woke up the whole town, and they got together to daven for hours. The next day, as the Jew was being led to be killed, the Goy suddenly decided that he should admit the truth; which he promptly did, and the Jew was saved! Stories of Novardok.
The 12 Bottles of Gold By Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser The Zohar relates an extraordinary episode concerning the value of a neshamah. R’ Abba once noticed a child playing in the streets. He asked the boy his name and then inquired, “If I take you to yeshiva would you learn Torah?” The boy, Yosi, asked, “How much would you pay me?” R’ Abba was very anxious to save his soul, and answered, “Whatever you ask for.” The boy asked for twelve bottles of gold coins, and R’ Abba agreed. Yosi began to learn with great enthusiasm, anticipating the substantial reward that he had been promised. He continued for many years, and all who knew him were deriving great nachas from his success. Only the yetzer hara was deeply disappointed, as the relationship the two had enjoyed had been severed. The Evil Inclination badgered him, “Do you really believe that R’ Abba will give you those twelve bottles of gold coins? He doesn’t even have twelve bottles.” Yosi became upset, and stopped learning. When R’
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Abba saw Yosi with his head on the table, he worriedly asked him, “What happened?” “Do you remember you promised me twelve bottles of gold coins when we first met?” asked Yosi. R’ Abba replied, “I promised you I will give you the money, and you can trust me. Return to your learning.” R’ Abba was troubled, though, because he, in fact, did not have the money, and when he came home, he confided his concerns to his wife. “Don’t worry,” she said, “If you trust in Hashem, He will provide, as it says (Iyov 4:5), ‘And now when it [the test] befalls you, you become weary? It touches you and you are bewildered!’ There is no need for agitation.” As they were eating their evening meal, there was a knock at the door. An elderly man, with a bundle on his back, stood in the doorway, crying that he had a matter of life and death to discuss with the Rav. The elderly man revealed that the past Shabbos R’ Yochanan had expounded in the bais medrash that one who did not have a daily established time for Torah study would have difficulty standing at techiyas hameisim (resurrection of the dead). “I have been a farmer for seventy years and have been prosperous. What will I do with this wealth?” he cried as he emptied his bundle of gold coins on the table. “I cannot take it with me. Perhaps you can buy a little Torah with this gold,” he begged. R’ Abba’s eyes lit up as he told the old man about Yosi, and an agreement was reached whereby the elderly man could assure his share in olam haba and Yosi would acquire the gold coins he had been promised. Years passed & Yosi became one of the greatest sages of the yeshiva. One day, however, he cried out, “Where is that elderly man? I hope he is still alive!’ “Why?” everyone asked. “I just learned (Talmud Yerushalmi) that
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R’ Brachya states that all the gold in the world is not equivalent to the magnificence of one word of Torah. How foolish I was to sell fifty percent of my Torah to that elderly man for his gold coins. It was an erroneous transaction!” Although R’ Abba tried to calm him down, Yosi refused to be placated. The search began for the elderly man, and he was eventually found. The elderly man would not accept renunciation of the deal, & an argument ensued. R’ Abba then noted with a smile, “I see that there is great joy in Heaven. Let the gold be distributed to the poor, & you will both merit a wonderful share in the World-to-Come.” The Jewish Press.
“And what is Your Name?” By Rabbi Levi Garelik My parents — Rabbi Gershon Mendel and Rebbetzin Bessie Garelik — were sent to Milan, Italy, by the Rebbe over 60 years ago, before I was even born. So, I am privileged to be one of the first children born to his emissaries. And I am also one of the first people to be named Levi Yitzchok after the [Lubavitcher] Rebbe’s father. When my mother brought up the idea of giving me this name, my father agreed because, as a child, he had spent time in Almaty, Kazakhstan. That was where Rabbi Levi Yitzchok was exiled by the Soviets for the crime of teaching Torah and supporting Jewish religious practice. Although my father never met Rabbi Levi Yitzchok — since even being in the vicinity of a Schneerson back then was considered a crime — he felt a connection to him. Eventually, my father and his sisters grew very close to the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Chana, and they all escaped Russia together. But that is another story. Later, when I was a toddler, my
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 9 parents sent Rebbetzin Chana a framed picture of myself, and she wrote back expressing her gratitude. It apparently meant a lot to her that I was named after her husband because she put my picture on the breakfront of her dining room. And she even mentioned to others, “I have my Levi Yitzchok.” But I never got to meet Rebbetzin Chana because the first time I visited New York she had already passed away. That visit took place in the winter of 1967 when I was seven, and my mother brought me along with my five siblings to meet the [Lubavitcher] Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt”l, 1902-1994]. We timed our trip to coincide with Yud-Tet Kislev, the 19th of Kislev, when Chabad celebrates the “Rosh Hashanah of Chasidism” because on this date in 1798, the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad Movement, was freed from Czarist prison. The day before we left Italy for America, the Italian translation of the Alter Rebbe’s seminal work, the Tanya, came off the press. This project was very important to the Rebbe, and he had appointed my father to make it happen. We would be bringing him the first copy, and it was decided that I should be the one to make the presentation. We would all wait outside 770 as the Rebbe left to go home in the evening, and that is when I would hand him the new Italian Tanya. I will never forget the scene. We had just come from the airport and we were standing out in the street; it was already dark, as it was December. The light was shining from the window of the Rebbe’s office, and we knew that when that light went off, he would be coming out shortly. Before this, I had heard the Rebbe’s voice on the recordings of his farbrengens, but I had never seen him. Now, finally, I did! The Rebbe walked down the front
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 10 pathway to where we were standing, and then stopped. We all recited the blessing of Shehecheyanu and the Rebbe responded Amen, and then I stepped forward with the Italian Tanya, which was not yet bound — it was just loose pages covered in plastic. The Rebbe took it from me with both hands, looked at it, and said, “Thank you!” And then he got into his car and left. The following Shabbat, there was a farbrengen, and I was so excited to participate. I was given a box on which to sit right next to the Rebbe’s table, and that is where I stayed through the entire event. Although I spoke Yiddish, I didn’t understand much of the talks the Rebbe gave, but the part I liked most was the singing — when the songs started, I felt I was in the Garden of Eden. Later, when I was older and understood more, I looked at the transcript of that talk and saw that the Rebbe said, “One of the milestones reached in honor of Yud-Tet Kislev was that the Tanya was just printed in Italian….” He spoke about the whole idea of translating chassidic teachings into foreign languages, and that by doing so we are actually refining these languages and preparing the world for Mashiach. When the Rebbe finished speaking, I suddenly saw people pointing at me, and saying “Go, go… Go over! The Rebbe is calling you.” I looked up and saw that the Rebbe was smiling towards me, so I walked over to him and he handed me a piece of cake. I took it and sat back down on my box. After a few weeks in New York, it was time for us to go back to Italy. We were standing together in the hallway of 770, when the Rebbe’s secretary approached us. “The Rebbe wants to see the Garelik family for a private audience right now!” he announced. We were entirely unprepared for this, but the Rebbe
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 11 had summoned us, so we went in. The Rebbe spoke to my mother for a while. Later I found out that most of the conversation was about my education, because at the time the Lubavitch school in Milan was in its infancy and most of my learning was private. After speaking with my mother and my sister, the Rebbe turned to me and asked in Yiddish, “What is your name?” “Levi Yitzchok,” I said. “What are you learning?” he continued, smiling all the while. “… Parshat Toldot.” “What does Toldot mean?” “It means ‘children.’” “Whose children?” “The children of Yitzchak.” “And who were Yitzchak’s children?” “Yaakov and Esav,” I answered correctly. “And which of them was more observant?” the Rebbe continued, using the Yiddish word “frum” for “observant.” Now, I knew Yiddish, but I had not heard this term before. So, I turned to my mother and said in Italian, “Non capisco quella parola — I don’t understand that word.” But, of course, the Rebbe spoke Italian, so he immediately rephrased himself, asking me, “Who was better?” I knew the answer to that: “Yaakov!” “In that case, let’s talk about Yaakov. Do you know if he had any children?” Sure, I knew. Yaakov’s twelve sons became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. To my luck, my uncle had given me a puzzle which had all their names, so I was hoping that the Rebbe would ask me this question, and he did. I jumped on it, and I started reciting their names, until the Rebbe stopped me at the sixth with: “Good enough!” But he was not done yet. “What was the name of the third one again?” “Levi,” I answered. “And what is your name?” No problem answering that question. Then the Rebbe got serious and looked me straight in the eyes. “And whom are you named after?” Now, in Italian there is a very elegant
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 12 way to say “your,” but I did not know the equivalent in Yiddish. So instead of saying, “your father,” which I felt might be disrespectful, I said, “the Rebbe’s father.” When I said that, the Rebbe gave me a massive smile. He then called me over and gave me a prayer book, which I treasure to this day. That was my first audience with the Rebbe when I was a small child. There were many others that followed, but this one will always stand out in my memory. Here’s my Story, an oral history project of the JEM (Jewish Educational Media) Foundation
Your Money or Your Kids? Later in the Parasha Mattos-Masei 5781 we are told that the descendants of Gad and Reuven said to Moshe that before going to war, “We will build pens for the flocks of sheep and cities for our small children (32:16).” The phrasing suggests that they gave priority to their flocks over their children. Why would they do this? Moshe later criticized them by reversing the order of the words they used, “Build for yourself cities for your small children and pens for your flock.” We also may be guilty of the same thing with our children. At the time of the pidyon haben the kohen asks the father “Do you want the money or your son?” Naturally, it is not a question that is meant to indicate an actual real-life choice, and the kohen would refuse to take the child if the father said he preferred the money. The question is intended to send a message to the father about his duties as a parent and how he must always put his child first. There’s a famous modern-day parable about the son of a lawyer who once asked his father, “Dad, how much do you charge for an
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 13 hour of your legal services?” The father replied, “I charge $200 an hour, son. Why do you ask?” The son answered, “Because I saved up $200, can you spend an hour with me?” There’s another story of a teacher who was marking her students’ homework one night after dinner while her husband was sitting nearby, playing a game on his cell phone. Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes. “Why are you crying my dear?” her husband asked. “Yesterday I gave my class a writing assignment called ‘My Wish,’ “she told him. “OK, and what’s making you cry?” he asked again, keeping one eye on his game. “The last paper moved me so much it made me cry. Listen, I’ll read it to you,” she replied, wiping her eyes. “My parents love their smartphones very much. The care about their smartphones so much that sometimes they forget to care about me. When my father comes home from work tired, he has time for his smartphone but not for me. When my parents are doing some important work and their phones rings, they will answer it right away, but they will not answer me…even when I’m crying. They play games on their phones, but not with me. When they are talking to someone on their phones, they never listen to me, even if I’m telling them something important. So my wish is to become a smartphone.” Now it was the husband who was wiping his eyes. “Who wrote this?” he asked quietly. She looked up at him and said, “Our son.” Let us not sacrifice our family and relationships over the pursuit of material things. Smartphones are here to make our lives easier, but not to control us, & make us addicted and unsociable. It’s not too late to return to a real family life, back to the old days when we didn’t have the Internet & computer games. Put down that phone
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 14 for a while. Talk to your children, your spouse, or your friends. Set a good example for your children. Whatever you do, they will also do. Talk to the people you love & make sure they feel loved. And you can receive love from them too. Jack E. Rahmey based on the Torah teachings of Rabbi Amram Sananes
Kabolas Panim of a Rebbe By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld Have a topic you want to read about? Email [email protected]
We find in Melachim 2:4:23 that the woman whose son died told her husband, “I am running To Elisha Hanavi.” Her husband asked her “Why are you going, it is not Rosh Chodesh or Shabbos?” In the Gemara in Rosh Hashana 16b Reb Yitzchok learns from the above posuk that one must greet his Rebbe during Yom Tov. The Malbim explains that this is in the stead of being Oleh Regel. The Ritva asks, why don’t we learn out from the posuk that one must greet his Rebbe every Shabbos? The Maharsha asks, where in the posuk do we see Yom Tov mentioned? The Pnei Yehoshua asks, how can we learn from a woman who has no chiyuv of mitzvos asseh that the zman is gorem? The Maharsha answers that a Regel (Yom Tov) is not less than Rosh Chodesh. The Rambam in Hilchos Talmud Torah 5:7 says that one is required to visit his Rebbe on Yom Tov. The Rambam does not bring this halacha down in Hilchos Yom Tov. The Shulchan Aruch does not bring down this halacha in Hilchos Talmud Torah and not in Hilchos Yom Tov but does bring it down in Hilchos Shabbos saying that if one is traveling to one’s Rebbe then he may cross the water. The same is brought down in Hilchos Tisha B’Av & in Hilchos Eiruvin. The question is, why is it not mentioned in Hilchos Yom Tov? The Noda B’Yehuda, in
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 15 the middle volume 94, explains that there was a chiyuv to greet one’s Rebbe only in the times of the Bais Hamikdash, & only on Yom Tov, not on Shabbos or Rosh Chodesh so that one should not show more respect for a Rebbe than Hashem, since we are only Oleh Regel 3 times a year. Therefore, in this day & age, when we are not Oleh Regel, we are not required to greet our Rebbe. The Ritva, on the other hand, differentiates that it depends upon how far the Rebbe lives from the talmid. If the talmid can go & come back on the same day, then he should go. Otherwise, there is no chiyuv. The Magen Avraham says there is a mitzvah kiyumis, not a chiyuvis, to be mekabel pnei Rabbo baRegel. The Sefer Yaaros Dvash Vol 1:12 says that since the churban, the chiyuv of visiting a Rebbe is that much greater as we have no other source to connect with Hashem. The Ramban al HaTorah Shmos 20:8 says that this is the reason we go to visit our Rabbonim; to get the Dvar Hashem! Reb Aryeh Levin would go to visit the almanos of his Rebbeim. He said these women remembered that when their husbands were alive the house would be full of people to bring simchas Yom Tov & after their husbands died the Yom Tov would be so depressing. Reb Aryeh Levin therefore made sure to go and visit them & be mesameach them! The Noda B’Yehuda lived a life of poverty; he never could afford to drink tea with sugar. When he became Rav in Mitz, all the Balei Batim came to visit and when the Rebbetzin served tea she did not serve sugar. After Yom Tov someone told the Rebbetzin that tea must be served with sugar so on the next Yom Tov she served tea the way she had in the past, without sugar. After everyone drank their tea, she brought out a tray of sugar, not understanding that the 2 go together! The question arises, does one have a chiyuv to greet his Rebbe
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 16 on Rosh Hashana? This is not a question according to the Noda BiYehuda since we don’t have the Bais Hamikdash, but what is the halacha according to the Yaaros Dvash and Magen Avraham and other Achronim? The Turei Even in Rosh Hashana 16b says that there is a chiyuv on Rosh Hashana to greet your Rebbe, therefore, when the posuk says Chodesh Hayom it means Rosh Hashana, which is also Rosh Chodesh. The Panim Yafos in Reeh 16:7 gives an explanation regarding the posuk that one shall not be seen Pnei Hashem empty. The “es” of that posuk is marbeh talmidei chachamim. Yom Kippur would fall under this category as well, as the posuk says Shabbos, which means the Yom Tov of Shabbos, which is Yom Kippur! The Shailos U’Teshuvos Divrei Yatziv in Orach Chaim 228 says that according to the poskim who say on Rosh Hashana there is no chiyuv of simcha, there would be a greater chiyuv to be mekabel the Rebbe. Even Reb Eliezer, who praised the lazy people who stayed home for Yom Tov to keep Simchas Yom Tov with their family, will agree that on Rosh Hashana there may not be a mitzvah of simcha. The Paneach Raza at the end of Re’eh paskens that there is a mitzvah to greet one’s Rebbe on Rosh Hashana. Another interesting question involves a bachur from Chutz Laaretz who keeps two days of Yom Tov; can he be mekayem the mitzva of kaballas Rabbo on the second day, or does it need to be his Rebbe’s Yom Tov also? Another kler is regarding what the chiyuv is; is it a din for the kavod of the Rebbe, or is it a din of Yom Tov? If it is a din of the kavod of the Rebbe, then the Rebbe could be mochel. This could be the reason why many are not makpid to visit their Rebbe or Rov! May we all be zocheh to the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash & be mechuyav with kabolas pnei Rebbe according to everyone!
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Business Halacha Institute – Missed Learning The Schillers had spent the summer in a bungalow colony. It was their last week there. Throughout the summer, they had paid Rabbi Lerner to learn with their son, David, for half an hour a week, on Tuesday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. This Tuesday morning, Mrs. Schiller announced to her family: "Since it's our last week here, I planned a special surprise for today." The family set out for a day-long outing. As 5:00 p.m approached Rabbi Lerner settled down at his table, waiting for David to come learn. The clock ticked, but David did not arrive. At 5:10, Rabbi Lerner said to his wife: "This is strange. David is usually pretty punctual." "Perhaps he was in the middle of a ballgame and got delayed," his wife said. "You know, it is summer." At 5:15 Rabbi Lerner tried calling the Schillers, but there was no answer. At Maariv that evening, Rabbi Lerner met Mr. Schiller. "I missed David today," he said. "What happened?" "I'm so sorry!" apologized Mr. Schiller. "My wife had planned a special day-long outing for today." "I was waiting for David," said Rabbi Lerner. "I would have appreciated advance notice." "Of course," replied Mr. Schiller. "Unfortunately, we completely forgot about David's lesson with you." "I will be away tomorrow and Thursday," said Rabbi Lerner, "so that I don't think we can make up the lesson this week." When Mr. Schiller returned home, he mentioned to his wife that they had forgotten David's lesson. "I can't believe I forgot that!" exclaimed Mrs. Schiller. "David so much enjoys learning with his Rebbi!" "Did Rabbi Lerner say anything about payment?" asked Mrs. Schiller "He didn't ask for payment," replied Mr. Schiller, "but did mention that he was waiting and would have appreciated advance notice." "Even if he doesn't demand payment," said Mrs. Schiller, "perhaps we owe him? At least morally?" Mr. Schiller called Rabbi Dayan and asked: "Do we owe Rabbi Lerner anything for the missed lesson?" "This depends on whether Rabbi Lerner lost an alternate opportunity to earn," replied Rabbi
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Dayan. "In the setting of a bungalow colony this is less likely. “The Mishnah (B.M. 75b) teaches that if an employer or employee retracted before work began, the other party has only tar'omes (rightful complaint) against him, but not a monetary claim. Some write that there is not even a heavenly monetary obligation” (C.M. 333:1; Pischei Choshen, Sechirus 10:[7]). “In this case, you are the employer and Rabbi Lerner the employee. When David did not attend the scheduled learning session, this is comparable to an employer who retracted. Although Rabbi Lerner taught David throughout the summer, since each lesson is paid for and considered separately, each lesson stands by itself and missing it would be considered as retracting before work began. Therefore, in the absence of a lost alternate option, you have no monetary obligation. “However, if Rabbi Lerner had rejected an alternate work option because of his commitment to you, you would be liable for the lost wages. This is considered a davar haaved, which is garmi (directly caused loss), and carries halachic monetary liability. Usually this payment is only partial, since the worker had free time (k'po'el batel), but regarding a melamed (teacher), we assume that he would prefer the opportunity to teach Torah to idle time, so that the employer is liable for the full wages” (C.M. 333:2, 334:4). “In the context of a bungalow colony, unlike a professional tutor during the year, it is unlikely that David's learning came at the expense of alternate opportunities and that the circumstances are those of davar haaved. "Nonetheless," concluded Rabbi Dayan, "since Rabbi Lerner has tar'omes, while there is no mandated payment, it is appropriate to appease him in some way, taking into account that this was an oversight, not willful canceling.” Verdict: An employer who retracted before the worker began and did not lose an alternate opportunity has no financial liability, but should appease the worker to mitigate his rightful complaint.
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10 Tashlich Facts Every Jew Should Know By Menachem Posner
1. It Means Cast Away Tashlich is the Hebrew imperative to “cast away,” taken from the verse, “He shall return and grant us compassion … and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.”1 As we shall discover, this verse is part of the Tashlich service. 2. It’s Done Near Water Tashlich is performed near a lake or a river, preferably one with fish and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. In some neighborhoods, a local pond can do the trick. In others, specially dug pools of well water are used. 3. Rosh Hashanah Afternoon Is the Ideal Time The time for Tashlich is on the afternoon of the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah, after the Mincha service. In the event that the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat, when carrying in public spaces is forbidden & it is not practical to bring along the requisite prayer books, Tashlich is held on the 2nd day of the holiday instead. Those who are unable to do Tashlich during the ideal time may do so until Yom Kippur, or even until Hoshanah Rabbah, the final day of Sukkot, which is seen as the very end of the season during which we attain Divine favor & pray for a sweet new year. 4. It Evokes the Binding of Isaac As suggested by its name, the Tashlich ceremony involves symbolically casting our sins into the water. Water flows freely and provides nourishment, symbolizing G‑d’s kindness, which we wish to evoke on the day when the world stands in judgement before Him. The fish, who have no eyelids & never blink, remind us of G‑d’s watchful eye, & how He is constantly watching over us.The water reminds us (and G‑d) of how Abraham waded through neck-deep water on his way to follow G‑d’s command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. 5. It Is Also a Coronation Ceremony When King David’s son Solomon was anointed as his successor, King David commanded that it be done at the Gihon Spring. The Talmud explains that it was standard practice to crown new kings near a spring to symbolize the
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 20 wish that their reign continue uninterrupted, just like the waters of the spring, which flow undisturbed. Since Rosh Hashanah is the day when we accept G‑d’s kingship, it is fitting that this ceremony takes place near flowing water. 6. The Text Corresponds to the 13 Attributes of Mercy When Moses stood on Sinai begging for forgiveness after the sin of the Golden Calf, G‑d taught him the 13 Attributes of Mercy. Any Rosh Hashanah Machzor (prayerbook) should have the text for Tashlich, which begins with the final 3 verses of the Book of Micah, which contain 13 phrases corresponding to the 13 Attributes. We then say Psalm 118:5-9, which corresponds to the nine related attributes evoked by Moses when he begged for forgiveness after the sin of the Spies.When saying the verses, we have in mind the corresponding attributes, but we do not verbalize them. We then say Psalm 33 and Isaiah 11:9, followed by a prayer asking G‑d to accept our prayers and that we merit to return to Him and be forgiven for our sins. 7. Giving Bread to Fish Is a Problem Many people enjoy taking along bread and tossing it to the fish. However, there is no actual source for throwing food to the fish, and in some of the earliest sources for the custom of Tashlich, as far back as the 14th century, the rabbis decried this practice. The primary problem is that on Jewish holidays we may only feed animals that are dependent on us, and not wildlife like fish. 8. We Shake Our Garments There is a custom to shake the corners of one’s garments (or tallit katan) to symbolically show that we are casting our sins into the river, ready to begin the new year with a clean slate. 9. The Rebbe Would Lead a Parade Starting in the 1940s, when Chabad relocated to Brooklyn, the Chassidim would walk just over a mile to the pond at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to perform this ritual. In 1941, just months after he arrived in New York, the Rebbe
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 21 organized the walkers into 2 rows, & had them march down Eastern Parkway while singing a Chassidic melody. 10. There Has Been Renewed Interest Recently All around the world, this ritual has seen a renaissance, with communities gathering together for Tashlich. Often they take along a shofar in order to perform the mitzvah for anyone who may not have attended services that morning.
ISRAEL NEWS SHTIGLITZ Mass Covid Swab Ahead of School Openings - Israel is conducting a nationwide COVID testing of schoolchildren under age 12, the day before school is scheduled to start on Wednesday. In a last-minute push to prepare for in-classroom studies as the Delta variant surges, parents have been asked to test their kids at home. Kits were picked up from school are equipped with a module that shows results. Children who are deemed COVID-free, must arrive for class with their declaration, while those who test positive are to enter quarantine right away. Children with positive test results are supposed to register for a lab- processed PCR test to confirm the diagnosis. PCR tests are deemed more accurate, and in some very rare cases a home test kit may throw out a false positive. “This program has great potential to reduce the extent of infection arriving in classrooms,” Prof. Miri Yemini, an expert in health and the education system, told The Times of Israel. “The idea is to identify undercover or asymptomatic COVID by getting all children of all ages tested, and getting parents to sign a document saying that the result was negative.” “The concept relies on social obligation and solidarity, not law, and in a sense the success of the new year will be determined based on whether parents comply and perform home tests,” Yemini added. The testing is part of an overall plan which includes masks and social distancing to reopen the schools as safely as possible, though officials foresee an uptick of infections after
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 22 classes begin. Coronavirus commissioner Salman Zarka told ToI earlier this month: “I can promise you that we will have more cases when school opens. When people gather again and again, this is how the virus passes from one to another.” Teachers are now required to have Green Passes, which means they must be vaccinated or have recovered from the virus; or they can produce a negative result from a test performed in the last 72 hours, at their expense. Teachers unions have strenuously objected to this, threatening legal action unless it is applied to all public sector employees equally. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Mail to Kosel Tripled in Past Year - Mail addressed to Hashem at the Kosel tripled over the past year, the Israeli postal service said on Tuesday. The reason for the increase is not known for sure, but Globes suggested “it is probably due to the distress caused by the Covid pandemic combined with the fact that overseas tourists have not been able to enter Israel and personally place their notes between the cracks of the walls,” the traditional way. Israel Postal CEO Danny Goldstein brought a fresh batch of hundreds of prayer notes to Rabbi of the Kosel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch on Tuesday, which were inserted in the Kosel ahead of Rosh Hashana. The twice-annual practice of removing kvitlach (prayer notes) inserted into the crevices of the Kosel was carried out last Wednesday. The same procedure was performed before Pesach. Besides, mail-ins and in-person written notes put in the Kosel, every month, an average of 3,500 notes are sent via the Western Wall Heritage Foundation’s website. The Foundation says it has delivered a total of 804,636 notes to date. Just since the outbreak of the corona pandemic last year, over 100,000 notes have been sent from all around the world, including: the United States, England, Japan, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Czechia, Russia, Germany, and even some from Jordan and the UAE, the Foundation
LeKavod Shabbos Magazine Nitzavim 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 23 said. That figure apparently does not include all those which are placed in the Kosel by mispallelim in person. The Postal Service did not specify the mail-in number for the year. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● U.S. Chooses Unproved Interceptor Over Iron Dome - In a surprising decision, the U.S. Army announced the awarding of a multi-billion-dollar tender for a missile defense system to an unproved American product, rather than Israel’s highly successful Iron Dome, Globes reported on Sunday. The winning system, developed by the U.S. company Dynetics in partnership with Raytheon Technologies, is still at least two years away from operational readiness, and will reportedly be much more expensive than the Iron Dome C-RAM multi- mission. Given Iron Dome’s impressive record under years of actual combat conditions — thousands of interceptions with a hit rate close to 90% — it was thought to be a stronger candidate for the tender. It appears that the Army chose its default position of preferring U.S.-produced equipment, even over what might be considered a superior product. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Teaching a New Dog Old Tricks… Rivky Scheiner went to stay at her Bubbie’s house for a few weeks in the summer and Bubbie Scheiner decided that she was going to teach Rivky how to sew. After Bubbie had gone through a lengthy explanation of how to thread the machine and sew a garment, Rivky stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and said in disbelief, "Bubbie, I don’t understand, you can do all that, but you can't figure out how to use Skype?”
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