• NITZACHONניצחון Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM - PESACH - SHAVUOS 5775 • LOS ANGELES Nitzachon Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Volume 2:2 Purim-Pesach-Shavuos 5775 Adas Torah 1135 South Beverly Drive Los Angeles, CA 90035 www.adastorah.org [email protected] (310) 228-0963 Rabbi Dovid Revah, Rav and Mara D’Asra Alan Rich, President Nitzachon Editorial Team Michael Kleinman, General Editor Yaakov Siegel, General Editor Yaakov Rich, Associate Editor Andrea Kahn, Copy Editor Rob Shur, Design and Layout www.rbscreative.com VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM, PESACH AND SHAVUOS 5775 ראש וראשון Rabbi Dovid Revah: The Sweet Taste of Marror ..................................................................................... p. 13 Rabbi Kalman Topp: Guest Contributor Afikoman: The Mysterious Half ..................................................................................... p. 19 שפתי ישנים Rabbi Osher Zilberstein zt”l: Am Yisrael ..................................................................................... p. 29 Rabbi Simcha Wasserman zt”l: Reaching Out ..................................................................................... p. 33 PURIM Eli Snyder: The Klippa of a Kippa: Addressing our Dress through the Custom of Costumes ..................................................................................... p. 41 Avraham Azizi: Leaders Acting Like Children: The Unusual Events that Led toKlal Yisrael’s Salvation on Purim ..................................................................................... p. 45 Benhoor Hanas: Parshas Zachor ..................................................................................... p. 49 Nina Adler: A Purim Message for the Ages ..................................................................................... p. 51 Yoni Tuchman: Rabba on Trial: A Purim Assault and the Spectrum of Strict Liability ..................................................................................... p. 57 Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter: Shaul Hamelech, Amalek, and Purim: A Reevaluation ..................................................................................... p. 65 Daniel Nagel: Wine: Made from the Best Stuff on Earth ..................................................................................... p. 71 David R. Schwarcz: Did A Prophet Have the Authority to Institute the Mitzva of Reading Megillas Esther? ..................................................................................... p. 75 Isaac Kleinman: Understanding Esther’s Actions ..................................................................................... p. 81 Dr. Yakov Agatstein: Jewish Unity: The Essence of Purim and Shushan Purim ..................................................................................... p. 91 3 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM, PESACH AND SHAVUOS 5775 PESACH Adiv Pachter: The Precious Stones and Man’s Partnership with Hashem ..................................................................................... p. 97 Gershon Revah: Bringing a Pesach Sheini When In Doubt ..................................................................................... p. 101 Anna Glatt: Was Pharoah in Denial? An Analysis of the Makkos Through a Psychological Lens ..................................................................................... p. 109 Yaakov Rich: Is Moshe a Hebrew Name? ..................................................................................... p. 115 Dr. Abie Mendelsohn: Heseiba to the Left: A Little Tough to Swallow ..................................................................................... p. 131 Robert Millman: Always Appreciate a Smile ..................................................................................... p. 137 Rabbi Yaakov Cohen: The Sweat of our Pesach Preparations and Our Marriage to Hashem ..................................................................................... p. 141 Dr. Michael Kleinman: Singing at the Seder ..................................................................................... p. 145 Rabbi Pinchas Gelb: Or le-Arba’a Asar and the Ta’anis Bechorim ..................................................................................... p. 151 Rabbi David Mahler: Repossessing Lost Opportunities: The Chag of Pesach Sheini ..................................................................................... p. 159 Josh Rothenberg: The Mystery of Chatzos ..................................................................................... p. 165 Leigh Greenberg: Korban Pesach For The Soul ..................................................................................... p. 175 Asher Revah: Korban Pesach: An Analysis of the Mitzva to Eat When Satiated ..................................................................................... p. 183 SHAVUOS Rabbi Yisroel Gordon: A Secret Book of Names: The Torah You Thought You Didn’t Know ..................................................................................... p. 189 Charlie Stein: Hashem’s Greatest Creation: The Ability to Choose ..................................................................................... p. 197 Daniel Wiesel: The Direct Relationship BetweenHakadosh Baruch Hu and Bnei Yisrael ..................................................................................... p. 201 Rabbi Yaakov Siegel: Turning the Mountain on Its Head ..................................................................................... p. 205 ניצחון • NITZACHON 4 VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM, PESACH AND SHAVUOS 5775 Editors’ Preface Ma’alin bakodesh v’ein moridin, we are excited to present you with the newest issue of Nitzachon. Expanded by popular demand, this issue—our largest to date— includes numerous essays and divrei Torah on Purim, in addition to thoughts about Pesach and Shavuos. As Nitzachon becomes a twice-yearly celebration of the Torah accomplishments of Adas Torah, it is worthwhile to reflect on the origins and foundation of our kehilla and its successes. To be sure, Adas Torah is nourished and sustained by the tireless efforts of the Rav and Rebbetzin, sheyichyu, the idealism and vision of its founders, and the unending devotion of its many members who are the life of our vibrant makom Torah u’tefilla. Its formation, a mere eleven years ago, however, was not at all yesh me’ayin. The existence of our kehilla of ba’alei batim, who are growing and accomplishing in talmud Torah and avodas Hashem, is the culmination of decades of inspiring Torah growth throughout the entire Los Angeles community. Over the last hundred years, countless Rabbanim chashuvim have toiled endlessly to teach Torah and to build shuls, yeshivos, and mosdos Torah v’chesed. Some had large followings, others were mostly unknown. Some are household names today, others long forgotten. No matter if they learned and taught in Pico, Fairfax, Boyle Heights, or West Adams, we are all their talmidim. In gratitude to these great Rabbanim, we are beginning a new section in Nitzachon, called Sifsei Y’sheinim. We will present the thoughts of Los Angeles Torah giants from years past, prefaced by short descriptions of their personalities and accomplishments. Chazal say (Midrash Tanchuma Ki Sisa 3) that if a great Torah scholar teaches many students who continue to repeat their teacher’s Torah, the students never truly let their Rebbe die. This is the meaning of thepasuk in Shir Hashirim (7:10), “doveiv sifsei y’sheinim,” the students make the lips of the slumberers speak. In this issue we present essays written by two of our city’s greatest Torah scholars and teachers. First, we present thoughts on the secret of Jewish continuity by Rav Osher Zilberstein zt”l, the rabbi of the Breed Street Shul and the towering leader of the Boyle Heights community from the 1930s into the 1970s. Additionally, we present an influential essay by Rav Simcha Wasserman zt”l, a rosh yeshiva, pioneer of the kiruv movement, and a leader in the Los Angeles kehilla from the 1950s through the 1970s, calling attention to the importance of outreach to Jews of all backgrounds. While these essays were composed for, and presented in bygone eras, they are true examples of doveiv sifsei y’sheinim as their wisdom and messages are as timely as ever for us, their talmidim. Michael Kleinman Yaakov Siegel Yaakov Rich 5 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM, PESACH AND SHAVUOS 5775 ניצחון • NITZACHON 6 VOLUME 2:2 • PURIM, PESACH AND SHAVUOS 5775 This journal is dedicated in memory of .כד אלול תשע"ד who was niftar on קפל בן אליעזר זצ"ל He was beloved by all and is dearly missed. My father, Carl Millman, was blessed to have lived for 93 years. He was married to my beloved mother Phyllis ad me’ah v’esrim for close to 71 years. His life was dedicated to everything Jewish. My father grew up in the tiny city of Wausau, Wisconsin. The small Orthodox community was comprised of but a few families. When Dad went to Madison, Wisconsin to attend university at age 18, for him it was like moving to New York City. The college community had thousands of Jewish young men and women. It was there that he met my mom and they became a couple. Ultimately, he became president of UW Hillel, as did my mother at a later date. My father left to join the American army in 1941 and was a part of what Tom Brokaw has called “The Greatest Generation” - the men and women who fought the war against Nazism and Fascism. After the war they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my mother’s hometown, and began to raise a family. During his adult