Toco Hills 2020 Shavuot-Night Print & Learn-Along Dear all, Chag Sameach and Happy Zman Matan Torateinu to you and your families! On most years many of us would be spending tonight together, learning Torah in the shul. Unfortu- nately we cannot be physically together again yet, but in the spirit of Har Sinai, where the Jewish people were k’ish echad b’lev echad, we wanted to try and recreate that experience as much as possible. Hence, the learn-along was born, a way for us all to learn together, even while apart. In this packet please find six shiurim, prepared by community members, each in their own particular style and manner, just as they would have given them in shul if they were able. Just print them out before Yom Tov and learn-along at your own pace. Feel free to only “attend” the ones you like, and to sneak out in the middle for some cheesecake and cof- fee. And the best part is, if you do fall asleep in the middle, no one will ever know :) TABLE OF CONTENTS The Residual Holiness of the Beth Jacob Parking Lot & Reflections On My Return to Minyan .................................................................... 3 By Rabbi Nachi Friedman 7 ......................................................................................................................................................................................... כי אם בתורת ה’ חפצו By Ari Leifer One, Two, Skip A Few … Ninety-Nine, One Hundred ....................................................................................................................................... 13 By Amir Shuster Last Eight Pesukim of the Torah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 By R. Ely Landman Yehuda & Tamar: Why is the Mashiach found in such a strange place? A Look at Various Leadership Models ...................................... 21 By Yoni Graber Reflections on Corona and Shavuot ............................................................................................................................................................... 32 By Moshe Goldfeder Does the Reward Fit the Crime? ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39 By Matt Lewis The Residual Holiness of the Beth Jacob Parking Lot & Reflections On My Return to Minyan By Rabbi Nachi Friedman individually), I attended my first minyan in our shul’s parking lot. As) ביחידות After many weeks of davening many of you know, the minyan followed the guidelines of the CDC to ensure the safety of the participants. The topic) of davening) סוגיא following question came up when davening in the parking lot. We will analyze the outside and the qualifications of what makes something into a shul to answer the question below. :(Question) שאלה Does davening in our Shul’s parking lot on a regular basis give our parking lot an elevated status with elements of holiness similar to a shul? Is it still ok to ride bikes in the parking lot or use it as a shortcut to go from Lavista to Beechcliff and vice versa? (See Mishna Megillah 3:3 for a small list of activities not allowed to do in a place that was formerly used as a shul.) Would these restrictions apply to our parking lot when we transition from outdoor minyanim to indoor (B’ezrat Hashem)? Before we can answer the question above, we must first analyze the topic of davening outdoors: Davening Outside: The Gemara Brachos 34b writes: ַוְָאמר ַר ִבּי ִחיָּיא ַבּר ָּאַאב ַָאמר ַר ִּיב ָיֹוחנָן: ַאל יִתְ ַפ ֵּל ָָאדם ֶא ָלּא ַבְּביִת ֶשׁיֵּׁש ָשׁם ַחּלֹונֹות. ֶשׁנֶ ַּאֱמר: ַ״וְכוִּין ִפְּת ָיחן ֵליּה ִבְּע ִל ֵּיתּה ָ)ל ֳק ֵבל( ]נֶ ֶגד[ .יְרּושְ ֶׁלם״ ַָאמר ַרב ָכּהֲנָא: ִחֲציף ַעֲלי ַמאן ִדּמְ ַצ ֵלּי ַבְּבקְ ָתּא And on the topic of prayer, Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yohanan said: One may only pray in a house with windows, as then he can see the heavens and focus his heart, as it is stated with regard to Daniel’s prayer: “In his attic there were open windows facing Jerusalem” (Daniel 6:11). With regard to the appropriate place to pray, Rav Kahana said: I consider impudent one who prays in a field. Per the Gemara, it would appear we are not allowed to daven in our parking lot. In fact, the Shulchan Aruch rules like this: :לא יתפלל במקום פרוץ כמו בשדה מפני שכשהוא במקום צניעות חלה עליו אימת מלך ולבו נשבר One should not pray in an open place, such as a field, for one someone is in an enclosed place, the fear of the king falls upon him and his heart breaks [in prayer]. How can the Gemara rule against davening -וא”ת הכתיב ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה :Tosfot questions this ruling outdoors? Yitzchak Avinu prayed his historic mincha prayer in a field! This prayer is historic as it serves as the precedence for our mincha prayer. How can we make such a ruling? Chazal offers a number of answers to this question: Yitzchak was allowed to daven outdoors as – י”ל דהתם מיירי בהר המוריה -Tosfot Brachos 34b DH Chaztif (1 he was davening on Har Hamoria (a very holy place). This elevated presence of Hashem in this spot will surely instill fear of G-d in the person praying. Thus, one is allowed to pray outdoors in areas like the Kotel. Tosfot’s second answer – א”נ בקתא דהכא מיירי בבקעה במקום שרגילין שם בני אדם לעבור והולכי דרכים -Tosfot (2 states outdoor is not ideal location for prayer as there will be many distractors and people passing by that will כונהhurt your ability to pray. Yitzchak’s spot was unique as it did not have traffic, so he was able to have proper (concentration). -דבמקום המוקף מחיצות לית לן בה :a. A similar approach is taken by the commentary Shaarei Teshuva OC 101 In a place that is fenced off or gated it is permitted to daven outside. Like Tosfot, the reason for the prohibition appears to be about ensuring proper concentration. If this can be achieved outside with some precautions, it would be permitted. Thus, our parking lot would be permitted as it is gated and distractions have been removed. 3 3) Sefer Imrei Yosef offers a different distinction: Praying outdoors is similar to the prayer practices of non-Jews. Yitzchak’s time, this practice did not exist, so he was permitted to daven outside. מחדש בחי’ הריטב”א לפסחים דף ח’ סע”א וז”ל דרך חציפות הוא Kaf Hachaim 90:31 quoting the Ritvah writes (4 When the Gemara -להתפלל אדם בבקעה במקום שהרבים מצויים שם ואם היו מתפללים שם עשרה אין בו משום חציפות עכ”ל calls one who davens brazen, that is referring to someone davening alone in a field. If one davens with a minyan, it is permitted. So even if we had distractions, since there is a minyan we are allowed to daven outdoors. Based on the commentaries above, it would appear that we are allowed to have our minyan outside during this time. While we can all agree it is not ideal, it is not in violation of the Gemara and the Shulchan Aruch’s prohibition of outside prayers. However, we have not yet established that the parking lot would develop holiness based on our prayers. Precedent for the Outdoor Prayers In fact, we have a source in our Gemara that discusses praying outdoors. The Gemara Taanis 15a writes the following procedure when increased prayers are necessary due to lack of rain: מתני׳ סדר תעניות כיצד מוציאין את התיבה לרחובה של עיר ונותנין אפר מקלה על גבי התיבה ובראש הנשיא ובראש אב בית דין וכל אחד ואחד נותן בראשו What is the customary order of fast days? Normally the sacred ark in the synagogue, which was mobile, was kept in a locked room. However, on fast days they remove the ark to the main city square and place burnt ashes upon the ark, as a sign of mourning. And they also place ashes on the head of the Nasi, and on the head of the deputy Nasi, and each and every member of the community likewise places ashes upon his head The Rishonim offer two reasons as to why the street does not get an elevated holiness status despite it being used as a place of prayer: 1) Rambam in Hilchos Tefillah 11:21 writes: רְ ָחֹובּה ֶשׁל ִעיר ַאף ַעל ִפּי ֶש ָׁה ָעם ִמתְ ַפ ִיןּלְּל ּבֹו ַבְּתעֲנִּיֹות ַּובְמ ָעֲמדֹות ִמפְּנֵי ֶש ַׁה ִקּּבּוץ ַרב ֵוְאין ָב ֵּתּי כְּנֵ ִסּיֹות מְ ִכ ִילין ָאֹותן ֵיןא ּבֹו קְ ֻד ָשּׁה ִמפְּנֵי ֶשׁהּוא ַערְ ַאי וְֹלא נִקְ ַבּע ִלתְ ִפ ָלּה. ֵוְכן ָב ִּתּים וַ ֵחֲצרֹות ֶש ָׁה ָעם ִמתְ ַק ִבְּצין ָב ֶּהם ִלתְ ִפ ָלּה ֵאין ָב ֶּהם קְ ֻד ָשּׁה ִמפְּנֵי ֶשֹׁלּא ָקבְעּו ָאֹותם ִלתְ ִפ ָלּה ִב ַּלְבד : ֶא ָלּא ַערְ ַאי ִמתְ ַפ ִּלְּלים ָב ֶּהן ָכְָּאדם ֶש ִׁמּתְ ַפ ֵּל בְּתֹוְך ֵבּיתֹו The broadway of a town, though the people worship there on fast-days and at special services, the assemblies on such occasions being too large for the synagogues to accommodate—has no sanctity because its sacred use is casual and it has not been appointed for worship. Similarly, houses and courts where people meet for prayer have no sanctity, because they have not been set apart for worship but are only so used casually, just as a man prays in his own home. .It is frequently used as a prayer -רגיל להתפלל :Rashi Taanis 15a writes (2 Both Rambam and Rashi agree that the streets used for davening during a drought would not qualify as a place of prayer as it is either not frequently used or not established. How would this apply to our parking lots that are now being established and frequently used for prayers? Distinguishing between Kavua (Rambam) & Frequent (Rashi) For a long time, I had wondered what the argument above between Rambam & Rashi. I developed the following distinction during a softball game in Teaneck NJ. • My father and I used to play in a league called Old Farts Softball.