Misphatim 5773 February 9, 2013

A Taste of Stories For The Soul Think Straight By Rabbi Akiva Stern Light for All Times Murder. Hate crimes. Oppressing laws that were discussed previously that the weak. All bad things, right? are called chukim, laws that are not self- Back in the 1990s, a Jewish Okay, but why? explanatory or even understood (such There are certain things that we as the classic chok, the red heifer). One advertising executive came up with innately know are horribly wrong. might have mistakenly thought that an idea. What if the New York Times Sometimes we hear a story of an atrocity only chukim are of Divine origin, as listed the Shabbos candle lighting that happened and it really shakes us there isn’t any clear rationale for them. time each week? Someone would up. We simply expect every human But perhaps , which seem have to pay for the space, but imagine being to share certain morals, and we obvious to any conscientious person, are the Jewish awareness and pride that are shocked and outraged when we simply the product of a baseline global might result from such a prominent perceive a breach in what we consider to moral code. The Torah addresses that mention of the Jewish Shabbos every be basic human ethics. misconception and states that mishpatim week. He sold a Jewish philanthropist But for a moment, let's ponder the are mandated by G-d Himself, just as on the idea, which cost almost $2,000 source of our expectations. One could chukim are. a week. ask, why is baseless hatred wrong? So why do we feel so powerfully For the next five years, each It is but an emotion. Why is it that drawn to these mishpatim, ideals of right Friday, Jews around the world would when someone owns something, and and wrong? Rabbi Schorr continues that see: “Jewish Women: candle someone else takes it by force, we see it G-d implants these morals in the heart, lighting time is __.” Eventually the as a miscarriage of justice? Who decided soul and psyche of each person in order philanthropist had to cut back, and that ownership is more than current to facilitate the continuity of the world. in June 1999, the little Shabbos possession? In fact, is the idea of “justice” If we had no respect for the property, notice stopped appearing. From that anything more than an emotion? lives and what we consider to be the week on, it never appeared again. The answer may astound you. This inalienable rights of every human, Except once. week’s parsha deals with mishpatim, laws anarchy would reign, and destruction that seem to have a logical basis, such as and desolation would ensue. On January 1, 2000, the NY laws of theft and damages. The first verse This concept is essential to each and Times ran a Millennium edition. It begins, “And these are the mishpatim that every one of us! We must be aware that was a special issue that featured three you shall place before them.” (Shemos while G-d created us with a perfectly- front pages. One had the news from 21:1) Rashi (ibid.) explains that the honed sense of right and wrong, we January 1, 1900. The second was the verse begins with the conjunctive “and” can easily become corrupted. Society’s actual news of the day, January 1, to connect this parsha with the previous norms and values profoundly affect our 2000. And then they had a third front one, the Giving of the Torah. Just as weltanschauung. We need not look too page, which projected future events those laws were given by G-d, says Rashi, far to find blatant examples of depravity of January 1, 2100. This fictional page so, too, these were given by G-d himself. and immorality that have leeched into included things like a welcome to the Rabbi Gedaliah Schorr (1910-1979), and poisoned our outlook. The very fifty-first state: Cuba; a discussion as in his work Ohr Gedalyahu, poses a glaring small things that a few short years ago to whether robots should be allowed question: Why would anyone posit that were totally unacceptable have becomes to vote; and so on. only some of the commandments written completely, standard, and even proper! And there was one more thing. in these sections of the Torah are of May we internalize the message of Down on the bottom was the candle Divine origin?! If we know and believe this week’s parsha and make sure our lighting time in New York for January moral compass ever points straight, that the previous set of commandments 1, 2100. Nobody paid for it. It was just were G-d given, why would we need the that is be precisely in line with Torah put in by the Times. The production Torah to specify that these are, as well? laws and values, so that we will not be manager - an Irish Catholic - was He answers that this parsha deals swayed by the ever-changing whims of asked about it. His answer was with mishpatim, which can be easily the society that surrounds us. understood. In contrast, there are other right on the mark: “We don’t know what will happen in theContiued year 2100.on back You can’t predict the future. But of one thing you can be certain. In 2100 Jewish women will be lighting Shabbos candles.” Kollel Happenings Interpersonal Issues KOLLEL’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY Saving Another from a Loss CELEBRATION FEB. 26TH Included in the mitzvah of returning if an employee is the last one to leave lost objects is saving another from a the office, he has an obligation to turn The Kollel will be celebrating fifteen years of bringing Torah loss. For example, if one notices that off the lights to save his employer from to Denver Jewry on Tuesday, his neighbor, who is not home, has a paying for the electricity. February 26th, at 6:30 pm, at burst pipe in his home, and he has the Adapted with permission from “The the newly-renovated McNichols ability to turn off the water main, he Halachos of Other People’s Money” by Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. would be obligated to do so. Similarly, Rabbi Pinchas Bodner (Feldheim Publishers)

(corner of Colfax & Bannock).

Tribute journal in honor of Rabbi

Yehuda Amsel, who will be present at the event to receive Ask the Rabbi an award. Ad deadline extended High Voltage until February 15th. Reservations, as well as ads for Rabbi Amsel From: Jon Katz in Cambridge, MA between battery-powered lights, such as or other Kollel personnel, or in Dear Rabbi, flashlights, and those that run on elec- honor or memory of a loved Can you settle a debate I have been tricity generated from a power plant. one, can be emailed to journal@ having with some of my friends? Is it Battery-powered lights are all right since denverkollel.org, or call 303- permissible to light Shabbos candles they contain “fuel” - i.e., the battery 820-2855. Friday night using an electric light? If - which is right there when you light so, would you be able to say the bless- it. Regular lights, on the other hand, ing? How about if one does not have any have no “fuel.” Rather, the electricity candles around? is “piped” in from the outside; further- TRUST THY FATHER more, the electricity doesn’t really exist yet - it’s being created every second at Join Rabbi Schachne Sommers Dear Jon Katz, for “Trust Thy Father,” a series Two reasons are given for lighting the power plant. In a sense it’s like light- ing a wick with no oil. based on Chovos Ha’Levavos/ Shabbos candles: shalom bayis, peace in It’s known about Rabbi Moshe Fein- Duties of the Heart. Discover adn the home, and oneg Shabbos, delight of stein that once when he was in a hotel delve into vital Jewish concepts Shabbos. It’s hard to experience shalom of Bitachon. The classes take and unable to light candles, he “lit” a bayis while stumbling over furniture, or place on Tuesdays, from 7:55- flashlight and made a blessing over it. 8:25 a.m. at Aish. For info email oneg Shabbos while eating in the dark. [email protected] or call By filling the home with light, Shabbos Sources: The Radiance of Shabbos, Rab- 303-820-2855. candles promote harmony and peace, bi Simcha Bunim Cohen, and Shmiras Shab- and they make the food enjoyable. bos Kehilchasa 2:43, footnote 22. Most poskim, therefore, say that you A DEEPER LOOK may use electric lights and even recite Reprinted with permission of Ohr So- the blessing over them, since they add Join Rabbi Shachne Sommers mayach, Jerusalem, www.ohr.edu as he discusses a number of to shalom bayis and oneg Shabbos the difficulties encountered in same way as candles. the weekly Torah portion, and Some poskim, however, differentiate develops a comprehensive approach to resolve the issues, simultaneously conveying Stories for the Soul a deeper understanding of Contiued from front the material being discussed. what will happen in the year 2100. This non-Jewish production manager Sunday nights 7:40-8:30 pm You can’t predict the future. But of sensed a profound truth. Thus is the at the Kollel, 1516 Xavier, and power of Jewish ritual. Thus is the one thing you can be certain. In 2100 Tuesday nights at Aish Denver eternity of our people. 8-9 pm. Jewish women will be lighting Shabbos Adapted with permission from ShulWeek by candles.” Rabbi Boruch Lederman. The Torah Weekly is made possible through a generous grant from the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ, in memory of Harry H. Beren, z”l. Denver Community Kollel: 1516 Xavier Street, Denver, CO 80204 Tel: 303-820-2855 Fax: 303-820-2806 Email: [email protected] Web: www.denverkollel.org To receive Torah Weekly by email, send an email to [email protected]