Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Beha’alotecha No 1676: 16 Sivan 5777 (10 June 2017)

AS APPROACHES As a Child Runs Away from School - by Rabbi Mordechai Greenberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Kerem B'Yavne

“‘And they journeyed from the Mountain of G-d’... He would give them mitzvot every day. When Moshe told them to move from there on a journey for one day they went on a journey for three days and one night, like a child who leaves school and runs away” [Torah Sheleima, Bamidbar 10:33].

And then, immediately, we are told, “And the people started to complain, doing evil in the eyes of G-d... and the rabble among them developed a lust... who will feed us meat?” [Bamidbar 11:1,4]. The link between fleeing from Mount Sinai and the fear of receiving more mitzvot and the difficulty to withstand lustful desires is clear, and this phenomenon is repeated in other events. The question is how to relate to this event – calmly or with worry? Just look at the difference between authors of today and those of the previous generation.

In today’s literature, one who is considered by many to be the greatest Hebrew author wrote, “We will have to decide what we came here to do... More and more this will become a Middle Eastern land, just like Barcelona and Marseille... and it will be fundamentally nonreligious. Hedonistic, very much material... This futuristic picture is the present, it is Tel Aviv. I think that the coastal plain has won, and Jerusalem will become a city which people visit, like going from on a trip abroad... In the war between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I am completely on the side of Tel Aviv.”

However, here is what was written by the “genius of Hebrew poetry,” as Rabbi Avramsky called Chaim Nachman Bialik: “I feel that even our Tel Aviv, and the settlement movement as a whole, are sick at this point. The signs of the malady have appeared first of all in the attitude of our brothers towards refugees... We raised rents, stealing from them their last small change... The shameful profiteering, the glow of gold, has blinded us... But the main sign of this sickness and terrible internal disintegration is the multitude of political parties, hate among brothers which devours us completely... The settlements are sick, and our very own Tel Aviv is ill...”

Bialik felt that the source of this malady was the fact that the people fled from traditional schools. The educators “are making the very same mistake that our authors made with respect to our literature. The grave error is that they want to begin everything from scratch. The new education will not succeed very well, it will not teach good Jews like the ‘cheder’ and the traditional Beit Midrash did. Why should we hide the truth? The traditional education was not bad either for our Judaism or for our humanitarianism. Just the opposite – it made us into good Jews with good character.”

Bialik wrote, “The Torah was the center of the openly trampled aspirations and yearnings of our nation during the exile. The declaration, ‘Yisrael and the Torah are one’ was not a mere statement. A foreigner can never really understand... The Torah is not only a religion and a belief... The Torah is the handiwork of the Creator of the World, the tool with which he created the world, and it is the purpose for which the world was created... Without Torah nothing can exist, and there is no merit to physical existence.”

When students came to greet Bialik in 5984 (1924), he told them that they should not cancel Torah studies, even in order to rebuild the Temple. He said, “Return to your labors and your Torah, this is the strongest and most eternal edifice. Without it our labors have no value at all. Return to the study of Torah, it has the same value as everything else combined.”

POINT OF VIEW The Disgraceful National Conversion Law - by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute 1

“And Moshe said to Chovav (his father-in-law Yitro, who converted to Judaism)... go with us and we will do good for you... And it will be, that whatever good G-d does for us we will do for you.” [Bamidbar 10:29,32].

A Scandalous Proposal by the Minister of Justice

Recently a draft of a new “Official Law of Conversion in Israel” has been circulated. This proposal explicitly rejects some converts to Judaism. As we explain below, the law is meant to bypass the Supreme Court, but all it manages to accomplish is to spill out the baby (or the “newly-born” convert) with the political bathwater. As if to say, “Neither you nor I will have him!” [Melachim I 3:26] – as in King Shlomo’s famous judgement about the dispute between two mothers.

It is quite upsetting to me to see that the proposal is being presented by the government committee on new laws, headed by the Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, behaving in a way that does not suit her. Perhaps she looked for legal advice but she evidently did not turn to experts in conversion from the religious Zionist camp. (I, for one, was not consulted, in spite of the fact that I turned to the office of the Minister to volunteer my services, but I received no reply.)

Let me elaborate: the proposed law grants a hermetically sealed monopoly to the special conversion courts that are connected with the Chief Rabbinate. (Note that I have a soft spot in my heart for these courts, since in 1995 I established them and then headed them for five years. And then I continued to serve as a conversion court judge.) These “seemingly official” courts made an internal ruling not to perform conversions of non-Israeli citizens. Thus, an Israeli man who has found a non-Jewish mate (and this happens among the religious Zionist and even the Chareidi sectors), can only bring her to be converted in private Orthodox conversion courts, which are often more stringent than the courts of the Chief Rabbinate. At this point we should mention the outstanding court in Bnei Berak, run by Rabbi Karlitz – the only rabbi in the Chareidi sector who treats this matter as an important mitzva, based on today’s reality.

Ruth from Moav, Ivanka from America, Count Pototsky from Poland, and Onkeles from Rome - would not be able to convert in Israel today, because of the sharp “sword” of this new proposal. The only way that they would come under the rules of the Law of Return would be for them to convert in Paris or in Rome, in Melbourne or Houston. Isn’t it more reasonable to expect the Israeli Jew to follow his loved one to her religion or her nonreligious lifestyle? How will the grandparents and other Jewish members of his family feel about such a turn of events? (To my sorrow, I am aware of hundreds of cases where this has happened. “The law must be upheld.”)

Last year, in March 2016, the Israeli Supreme Court made a positive move and ruled that conversion in an Orthodox community recognized in Israel will grant the same privileges as conversion in an Orthodox court in Moscow, Amsterdam, or Johannesburg. But now this new proposal is meant to restrict the hand of the Supreme Court, to prevent it from interfering in the Divine territory of the Ministry of the Interior. Does our Justice Minister realize the consequences of her proposed decree? As I noted above, this does not seem like behavior we would expect of her...

In the Shadow of a Reform Nightmare

Well, I can reveal the secret behind these maneuvers. We have developed an obsessive fear of Reform Judaism! Perhaps they will take it on themselves to establish stalls on every street corner, and the Supreme Court will sign approvals with their eyes closed! (Don’t forget, however, that all types of conversion have been accepted for years for the purpose of the Law of Return, and there are all sorts of conversion combinations that are legally accepted in our country.) I must also admit that religious harbors an even harsher fear – that Modern Orthodox courts will be established which will compete with other courts in price and in a lenient approach.

2 However, as I noted above, I have serious doubts whether our Minister of Justice is aware of all of these nuances as she promotes her proposal which rejects true converts and ignores any effect this might have on hundreds of potential mates.

What Should be Done?

Today I do not come only to criticize. I can suggest the ultimate solution to counteract the fear of the Reform and the Liberal conversions. I propose that every convert in an “unofficial Orthodox” court (including the Chareidi courts and of course our own conversion court in Gush Etzion) will appear within a month of completing their conversion before a conversion court of the Chief Rabbinate (if he or she so desires). That is, private Orthodox conversion will be formally recognized in Israel only after being approved by the official courts. This is a “win-win” situation.

My dear readers: Read once again the above quote from this week’s Torah portion, referring to settlement rights given to Yitro and his family to live on good land. Can we learn from this ancient experience?

(Written after the end of Shabbat, Torah portion of Nasso.)

ZIONIST CHASSIDISM A War in Your Land - by Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, Head of the Religious Council of Gush Etzion

The following Torah insights were delivered by the Rebbe of Husiatyn in 5708 (1948), about one month after the State of Israel was established, in the midst of the War of Independence.

Because of the distress of the war, the Rebbe begins his words about the Torah portion with a note:

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One of the 48 ways to take possession of the Torah is happiness. It is therefore not easy to say words of Torah in our current situation. “For behold, Your enemies make a tumult, and those who hate You have raised their heads... They say, let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Yisrael will never be remembered again...” [Tehillim 83:3,5]. Therefore, I will say no more than a few words, in order not to cancel my regular custom. And when G-d helps us and Yisrael will be crowned with victory, the victory of the righteous, we will be able to expand our thoughts... When we hear the news of the victory of righteousness, my lips will no longer be silent.

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The Rebbe, who was always sensitive to the situation of the community of Yisrael, and certainly during the War of Independence, felt the difficulty together will all the other people, and this almost prevented him from speaking words of Torah. (In another place, he complains about the fact that he is not able to go to war himself and that he is therefore limited to prayers and Torah insights.)

The Enemy who Oppresses You

The use of trumpets at a time of war appears in this week’s Torah portion, and it should be obvious that at a time of war the Rebbe would comment on the relevant verse: “And if you are involved in a war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, you shall blow the trumpets, and you will be remembered before your G-d, and you will be rescued from your enemies” [Bamidbar 10:9].

The Rebbe asks why there is a need in this verse to mention “the enemy who oppresses you.” On one hand, the phrase is superfluous, and in addition it

3 implies that there is only one specific enemy, even though the end of the verse explicitly mentions a number of enemies. The Rebbe explains:

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According to the Sifri, this verse is referring to the wars of the end of days, before our eternal redemption. It is thus possible that the verse is hinting at the current war being waged against us in Eretz Yisrael. The singular “enemy who oppresses us” is indeed only one – and it has incited a number of enemies to join the war (Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon) ... It is clear that this does not imply that blowing the trumpets alone is enough to bring about our salvation and our victory. The main need is for repentance, about which the sound of the trumpet warns us and awakens our hearts towards G-d.

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The one who incites against us is a single person, and this is Gog and Magog (as the Rebbe already thought in the year 5700, 1940). And he incites many others to join him, including all the countries that fought against Israel in the War of Independence. The spiritual path to victory in this war is through the sound of the trumpets, which can lead to repentance.

Half and the Full Form

According to a tradition of the Maggid of Mezerich, the word “chatzotzra” – a trumpet – is made up of two words: “chetzi” – a half – and “tzura” – a form. Here is how the Rebbe explained this concept:

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The community of Yisrael and their Lover (G-d) are each only half a form. The complete form takes shape only when the two are combined.

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As it were, G-d Himself is not complete until He is combined with Yisrael, which itself is not complete until it is combined with the Master of the Universe. Only then does the complete form of the “trumpet” come to exist.

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The same is true of us, now. As we prepare with G-d’s help to build and to develop Eretz Yisrael into a sophisticated Hebrew nation, while we are at war with the enemy who oppresses us, we must remember the hint of the two trumpets. That is, we must remember that the kingdom of Yisrael without its unique link to the King of Glory is only half a form. (“Blow the trumpets” [Bamidbar 10:9] – the word used is “vaharei’otem” – from “rei’ut” – meaning friendship and companionship. And it is written, “He has the ‘teru’ah’ of a king” [23:21]. The Rashbam explains that this too is from the root meaning companionship. “Blow the trumpets” – this is a hint that the two halves of the form must be combined – as it were – to create a single whole.) If we accept the way of Torah which leads to complete unification of the community of Yisrael with the King of Glory, we will quickly merit the fulfillment of the verse, “You will be remembered by your G-d, and you will be saved from your enemies” [10:9].

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In the midst of the war, the Rebbe of Husiatyn emphasizes the importance of the Jewish character of the country and the necessary link to the Master of the World. This combination is what will help us win the war. “Blow the trumpets” is a reference to companionship. It is necessary to enhance the link between the community of Yisrael and the Master of the Universe, so that we will win the War of Rejuvenation of the nation of Yisrael, and we can then establish a country built up on a foundation of righteousness.

4 THE ROOTS OF FAITH – Basic Tenets of Jewish Philosophy Reward and Punishment - by Rabbi Oury Cherki, Machon Meir, Rabbi of Beit Yehuda Congregation, Jerusalem

Can our relationship with the Creator be compared to a grocery accounts list connected to a mechanism for collecting debts? The entire system of reward and punishment in the Torah, which Rabbi Yosef Elbo sees as one of the three principle foundations of Judaism (see his book “Ikarim”), is a source of difficulty for any person who truly wants to cling in an ideal way to G-d. The idea of reward and punishment seems to diminish the Creator and to urge us to perform our labors in order to receive the reward. However, by definition this is a way of performing the mitzvot which is not “for its own sake,” and is therefore at a relatively low level. Because of this difficulty, Rabeinu Yeshayah Halevi Horwitz discusses the matter. In his book “Shenai Luchot Habrit” (SHELAH), he describes a third principle of clinging to G-d as an alternative to the principle of reward and punishment. He writes that clinging to G-d is the real objective of the system of rewards.

However, we should note that the term the sages used to describe the concept in faith of rewards is not “reward and punishment” but rather “A reward that reflects the good deed” (“mida keneged midah”) – [Sanhedrin 90a]. In an expanded version this is, “A man is measured in the same way that he measures others” [Mishna Sotta 1:7]. This means that what we see is not really external punishment or reward for the act, rather our actions include within them the consequences, in the same way that our hand becomes wet when we put it in water or is burned by a flame. This is the in-depth meaning of the declaration, “The reward for a mitzva is a mitzva” [Avot 4:2].

Man himself is a vessel that measures the contents of a life, which can either fill it or leave it lacking. Therefore, even though in general it is good to give in to others, one who says, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, gives in to the people, will be forced to give up on his life” [Bava Kama 50a]. In the end, it is not the Holy One, Blessed be He, who gives a reward to a person – rather, the person provides his own reward. (See Nefesh Hachaim, Section 1, Chapter 12). That is the meaning of the statement in the Mishna: “All your actions are recorded in a book” [Avot 1:2]. The person himself is the book where all of his actions are recorded.

All of this means that the dilemma of evil that happens to a righteous person cannot be solved within the framework of “If you follow My decrees” [Vayikra 26:3]. This is in fact only one of the dimensions of Divine guidance, which the Ramchal calls “guidance of justice” as opposed to “guidance of uniqueness” (see “Da’at Tevunot”). The latter encompasses broad consideration of the goals of human history. It can very well happen that when a righteous person suffers it is not because of a specific sin but rather that he needs to modify his identity in order to be better integrated into historical changes taking place during his time. This is what happened to Iyov, who was made to suffer in spite of his absolute righteousness, when the time came for him to join in Avraham’s righteous style (see Bava Batra 15b). The internal need for change can lead to changing experiences which can cause the person’s character to change. As the sages have written, “Suffering can cleanse a person’s entire body (that is, his identity)” [Berachot 5a].

WHEN THE CHILDREN OPEN THEIR HEARTS Sit Quietly and Listen - by Meirav Maggeni, Author of Content and Stories in Chemed, the Religious School System

Our teacher Miri said to me in a stern voice, “If you talk one more time without permission, I will have to ask you to leave the room.” Miri is our new history teacher. What do you think? Did I manage to hold back? Right you are, there was no way for me to stop talking. So Miri told me to leave the room for ten minutes.

5 I thought, “Ten minutes is a very long time, what should I do?” And in the end I let my feet take the lead.

I walked around the schoolyard, trying to collect my thoughts. This was a very hard task for me. What do you think, that I don’t try to concentrate in class, that I don’t try to stop talking? It is simply that I can’t help myself. I just can’t stop. Every night before I go to sleep I make a decision to be quieter in class, to be more orderly, and not to forget my notebooks and the workbooks. And not to be late wherever I go...

I kicked at the pebbles that I came across in the yard, and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Imma always tells me that I am very smart and creative. But whenever I sit in front of a teacher and try to listen, I can hear a lot of different sounds together with her voice. Ruthy is sharpening her pencil, Vardit is shaking her foot. A butterfly is flying over Chagit’s head. And at the end of the lesson, I am never sure what the teacher wanted to teach us. Just try listening to five radio stations at once, and you will understand how I feel.

I arrived at the school playground. This is shared by boys and girls, but except for sports lessons we girls can’t get onto the playground, because the boys are always playing soccer there every chance they get. But this time I found that the whole area was empty. What a pleasant surprise! I had the whole area to myself! I ran from one end to the other, ridding myself of some of my frustration and my pain. I ran without thinking – one round of the yard after another.

On my fifth round, I suddenly heard a sharp whistle. Ohed, the sports teacher, stood in front of me, amazed. He said, “Wow! What a great talent! I have said to you in the past that you are fast and nimble, like nobody else that I know!” He said this to me, from under his thick mustache.

I was breathing very hard. I said, “Thanks for the compliment.” The running calmed me down, and Ohed’s words were a great compliment. And then he looked at me, and asked, “But wait a minute - why aren’t you in class?”

I wanted to answer, but Ohed answered for me. “Let me guess – the teacher sent you out of the class, didn’t she?” I said, “Yes, for ten minutes...” And I saw that I was late again. And without thinking, I kept on talking: “I am always late, I am not organized, I talk in class, and I have trouble concentrating... And I often also say things before I think about them, and then I am sorry. Abba explained to me that I have a disability that has to do with concentration, something like DDED or DEHD.”

Ohed laughed, and he said, “You must mean ADHD, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. How did you know what I meant?” Ohed walked back to the class with me, and he told me, “I am just like you. When I was little they all scolded me for the way I behaved. Today I understand that G-d gave me a special challenge. He created me in such a way that I do not have enough dopamine in my brain. This compound helps make sure that there are no shortcuts in the brain, and if it is lacking I tend to lose my ability to concentrate...”

And I started laughing. “You have a shortcut in your brain? What does that mean? Wait – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get personal. There I go again...”

Ohed joined me in laughing. He said, “You know what? Even though I do not have enough dopamine, I am very happy. I manage to succeed in many things because of my strong will, and when something interests me I can stay focused on it for a long time. I spend a lot of time practicing.”

“What do you mean, you practice running?”

Ohed laughed again. “No, I teach myself not to be late, to be orderly, not to get angry quickly, and even to concentrate. And you know what? I even practice running, because physical activity compensates for the lack of dopamine. If you want, I will help you practice,” Ohed said as we reached my

6 classroom. “And I think you should tell your teacher Miri about our little talk here. Ask her to let you go outside now and then to run around a bit, so that mister dopamine will be happy and you will remain calmer.”

I said, “Thank you, you have been very helpful. I can’t wait until our first training session...”

Ever since then, I have been meeting Ohed for training exercises, and I can arrange my time much better than before. I pause and count to twenty before I start to say anything, and I can even finish my tests to the very end, without skipping any questions. For children with enough dopamine all of these things are simple, but even without enough dopamine I manage quite well.

What makes me feel very good ever since I started practicing with Ohed is that I have learned to love the EDAH, or whatever it’s called, because I feel that I am smart and creative, and I can cope with tough challenges.

If G-d didn’t give you enough dopamine in your brain, like me, I want to tell you: Don’t despair! Ask your mother and father to have you meet an expert who can help you exercise. Always remember that you are smart and creative, and you are probably good at sports (at least, that’s what Ohed says). With G-d’s help, you can succeed!

STRAIGHT TALK Children are not the Bridge - by Rabbi Yoni Lavie, Manager, "Chaverim Makshivim" Website

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Alice asked. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where –” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

The banner was prominently displayed in the full-color advertisement: “Instead of closing ranks – It is important that we learn to get along!” And there was a picture of smiling parents who chose to register their sweet children for “mixed education” – where both religious and irreligious children study. “Let them study together without giving up what is important to you and your identity... Get to know the others without having any fear...” These were some of the proud slogans which appeared further on in the ad.

There can be no doubt that this phenomenon is related to an element of truth that goes straight to our hearts. Who can refuse to identify with the deep desire to be linked to the nation of Yisrael at all its levels? Who would not want to tear down the walls of estrangement and enmity that exist among the different sectors of our nation? However, does this really mean that we must mix the educational systems in as young a grade as kindergarten? The answer is a resounding NO!

A Supermarket of Ideas

I wrote the following notes as one who served in the IDF with irreligious people, studied with them in the university, and lived for many years in a town which was mostly populated by irreligious people. I sincerely believe that “we are all brothers” – that we are all united by the beat of a single Jewish soul, and that unity of Yisrael is an ultimate value.

However, mixed schools do not bring us any closer to attaining this goal. Rather, they only serve to move us further away from the ideal.

Why is this so? It is because it is impossible to educate with sincerity if we are not committed to our own truth in the ultimate sense. In the post- modern world, which has been taken over by pluralistic discussions which aggressively espouse multiple truths and grant legitimization to every irrational idea, it is almost dangerous to make the following statement: We

7 believe with all our soul that “Moshe speaks the truth, and his Torah is the truth.” The choice of the Torah is not one possible reply to a multiple- choice test where all answers are acceptable. Rather, it is the only valid choice! For us, “Torah” is not simply another subject to be studied, together with arithmetic, English, and science. Torah is the core of our lives. It is the soul which makes waves in the sea of our lives, it shapes and guides our life. To study Judaism and to teach the faith means not only to impart information to the children and to make them acquainted with traditional folklore. It means to light within them a fiery flame and to inspire them with a spirit and a soul.

And this then brings up the question, as harsh as can be: Is it possible to teach children a love for Torah, spiritual excitement and dedication to the goal of observing the mitzvot, when in the same breath they are presented with a living and breathing alternative in the form of their dear friends who live in a very different lifestyle?

Is it possible to educate towards an obligation to the halacha and an acceptance of authority, when the children see with their own eyes the option of abandoning such a life in favor of a different way, which is presented as a legitimate lifestyle that commands equal respect and admiration?

Is it enough to find teachers who can provide a personal example in their behavior and knowledge, or must we search for people who will be a model and an object to be imitated in all walks of life?

These are all critical questions which must be addressed by anybody for whom the education of his or her children is a critical issue.

Encountering the “Secular” Alternative

Our Jewish identity, unity of the nation, and our links to our traditions are important to us. The question is whether the way to achieve our goals is to mix together children between the ages of 5 and 10 who will be divided into “prayer groups” and “meeting groups” and then join together only to be separated once again, or if this is a recipe for creating children full of internal contradictions and frustrations along with ambiguous identities. How should a seven-year-old girl feel when her friend brings something very tasty to school but she cannot eat it because “we are religious”? What should an eight-year-old boy think who knows that he is not allowed to desecrate the sanctity of Shabbat, even though his companion with whom he shares a desk at school has no such problem? Is there any way to teach a specific type of identity if you present to the students the idea that all of the identity types are equivalent and legitimate? And if we feel that the element of “inclusion” is so important, why is it selective and only valid for the irreligious ones? Why do we not apply it to our chareidi brothers? And what about the Christians and the Moslems? Aren’t world peace and the Divine love for all of G-d’s creatures important values too?

It goes without saying that we must show respect for every person on earth, for each one was created in the image of G-d. And we can learn a lot from many of our nonreligious brothers, specifically their good behavior patterns and their value systems. However, a “secular” life in terms of not observing the yoke of the Torah and the mitzvot is a serious error and a moral distortion, and it brings serious harm to the path and the mission of the nation of Yisrael.

Of course we do not want to raise children who are disconnected from life or isolated from the real world. We know that the moment will come when they will encounter alternative ways of living. The question is: At what stage will this happen? Will it be after the boy or girl has a well-developed personality, with a solid basis for behavior and a stable and clear faith, or will we confuse them before they have had a chance to build up their way of life? There is no problem to accept to religious schools students whose irreligious parents have chosen to send them to the schools, as long as the school maintains an educational and faithful line that is clear. However, it is not fair or wise to send children into a confused and contradictory mix

8 with which they do not have the background or the ability to cope. There can be no doubt that the love for Yisrael and unity of the nation are exalted values, but whoever tries to love others before he or she had been taught to love the truth and themselves will eventually lose both sides of the coin.

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ZOMET AT THE CROSSROADS Volume 37 of “Techumin” has been Published - by The Zomet Institute

“For many years, Techumin has been the flagship of Torah periodicals, for the glory of in particular and the State of Israel in general. This year is symbolic in that the new volume is number 37, a hint of the word ‘degel’ – flag – whose numerical value is 37.” [From the editor’s introduction to the new volume].

Techumin is a leading publication on the subjects of Torah, society, and the state. It has appeared consistently year after year, and this year we have just been privileged to publish volume 37. The new work has more than 50 comprehensive articles on timely and “burning” subjects. For example: Coping with a wave of nationalistic arson attacks on Shabbat; the use of an inflatable Succah; medical use of cannabis; prenuptial agreements; the source of authority of the Takanah Forum; the blessing of the Kohanim from a wheelchair; halachic times in a submarine and on a satellite; and more.

All of the articles in the new volume have been loaded into the internet version of Techumin (on the Zomet site), with an advanced and user-friendly interface for searching according to contents or keywords. (Limited access is free of charge, full access is available for a nominal annual fee.)

RIDDLE OF THE WEEK by Yoav Shelosberg, Director of "Quiz and Experience"

Beha’alotecha There are two consecutive words in the Torah portion. The first word is a number. The second word is a hint of the end of the second out of ten.

Answer to last week’s riddle. It was: In this week’s Torah portion it is ten for one. And for one out of four, ten for two.

- The answer: A weight of ten shekels of gold. - In the portion of Nasso, the weight of one spoon was ten gold shekels: “One spoon ten shekels of gold, filled with incense” [Bamidbar 7:14]. - Rivka, one of the four Matriarchs, received two bracelets, both weighing ten shekels of gold. “And it happened, when the camels finished drinking, the man took a golden ring weighing half a shekel and put two bracelets on her hands, ten shekels weight.” [Bereishit 24:22].

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We will be happy to publish your riddles here, with proper credit to the author. Send your suggestions to the e-mail address given below.

Do you have a bar/bat mitzva coming up? Are you looking for a special quiz? To order: www.hidonim.com e-mail: [email protected]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SHABBAT-ZOMET is an extract from SHABBAT-B'SHABBATO, a weekly bulletin distributed free of charge in hundreds of synagogues in Israel. It is published by the Zomet Institute of Alon Shevut, Israel, under the auspices of the . Translated by: Moshe Goldberg To subscribe: http://www.zomet.org.il/eng/?pg=subscribe&CategoryID=165 Visit the Zomet Institute web site: http://www.zomet.org.il 9 Contact Zomet with comments about this bulletin or questions on the link between modern technology and halacha at: [email protected] Or: Phone: +972-2-9931442; FAX: +972-2-9931889 (Attention: Dan Marans) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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