CLILEI TORAH Volume 2 • Shavuos 5776 YOUNG ISRAEL OF GREATER CLEVELAND BEACHWOOD BRANCH 2463 South Green Road Beachwood, Ohio 44122 Phone (216) 382-5740 E-Mail: [email protected] HEBREW ACADEMY BRANCH 1860 South Taylor Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Rabbi Naftali Burnstein, Rabbi Rabbi Aharon Dovid Lebovics, Associate Rabbi (Hebrew Academy) Jeffrey Soclof,President PRODUCTION TEAM Sarah Rudolph, Editor Rabbi Moshe Berger, Scholar-in-Residence Leslie Seiger, Project Coordinator Kenny Fixler, KF Graphics, Layout and Design Esther Frayda Safrin, EF Graphic Innovations, Cover Design Scott Wolfson, Eveready Printing Table of Contents Rabbi's Letter ...............................................................................................................................I Editor’s Note ................................................................................................................................II Sponsors ..................................................................................................................................... V TANACH The Mystery of the Fallen Angels - Leonie Jacob ..................................................................1 Yaakov’s Theory of Social Relations - Joseph Steiner ............................................................8 Nobody’s Fault but Ours: Complaining in Parshat Beha’aloscha - Jeff Albert ..................12 Through Textual Analysis - David Weinerman ............19 ירמיה Finding Parallels: Decoding The Civil War That Wasn’t - Sarah C. Rudolph .....................................................................23 HALACHA The Power of Minhag - Meshullam Feigenbaum .................................................................29 The Horseman vs. The Landowner: Competing Views on Competing PropertyClaims - Joshua A. Klarfeld .................................................................................................................36 Praise as Part of the Mitzvah of Shema: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Analysis of the Ira Taub .............................................................................44 - ברוך שם כבוד Recitation of HOLIDAYS (PESACH TO SHAVUOS AND BEYOND) A ‘Minimum Requirement’ for the Eating of Matzah - Abba Spero ...................................53 Understanding Geula and Yeshua – Redemption and Salvation- William T. Wieder ...........56 Growth on Shavuos - Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein ..................................................................62 Chesed and the New Chag - Avi Jacobs ...............................................................................64 TALMUD TORAH Learning and Earning: The Torah Ideal - Alex Zelczer ..........................................................69 The Meaning of Talmud Torah Kneged Kulam - Joshua Botnick ........................................73 Lernen is Our Mitzvah; Learning is from G-D - Rabbi Moshe Berger ..................................90 HASHKAFA AND DIVREI HIT’ORERUT The Gift and Responsiblity of Having More - Rabbi Yoel Schwartz .....................................95 Shaatnez and Conflict Avoidance - Stan Fireman ................................................................98 From Egypt to Sinai: The Aquatic Experience, Shock Therapy and Apoptosis - Moshe Goldfinger ..104 Antietam and the Yetzer Hara- Warren Sobol ..................................................................109 A Message to My Daughter on the Occasion of Her Wedding, in the Week of Parshat Beshalach - Billy Sax ......................................................................................................................................................113 Kol D’mamah Dakah - Hillel Chiel ......................................................................................115 The Journey of Life: Do not fear – A poem in English and Hebrew - (Arnold) Avraham Altman ..................................................................................................119 Letter from the Rabbi Dear Members, We are very proud to once again present to our members and friends our Torah Journal. It is a tribute to those who took from their busy schedules to put together their thoughts and insights. A very special thank you to Rabbi Moshe Berger for bringing this project to fruition. It was his excitement and encouragement to our members that helped them articulate their thoughts of Torah and then put them into writing. In addition, it helped our members realize their potential in thinking and developing Torah thoughts. The professionalism of this journal is thanks to our editor, Sarah Rudolph. Her eye for detail and her expertise have created a journal we can use and continue to enjoy and learn from. May we continue to grow from strength to strength. Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein I Clilei Torah of Cleveland Editor's Note In the course of a recent conversation with one of our writers, I was reminded of a teacher at Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim, where I was privileged to learn for two years after high school. Rabbi David (the head of the school when I was there) used to comment something like “this problem has been bothering me for thirty years!” with surprising frequency. Generally, this was his introduction to a possible solution to whatever the question was – but I was even more interested in the 30-year struggle than in the answer he had finally crafted. While some might find the idea of wrestling with a question for years on end to be discouraging, I find it exhilarating and inspiring. Imagine being so deeply connected to Torah that a particular idea attaches itself to your heart and mind and won’t let go, remaining in the background throughout all other activities and studies. Imagine the dedication required to not give in to the question, but to keep thinking, returning to it again and again, always with a spark of optimism: “Maybe if I just look at it from a different angle…” or “Maybe if I just pose the question to this scholar, or that friend with a different perspective…” or “Maybe if I just read this book…” – always hoping for a solution, always ready to pull the question off the back burner if a new avenue of exploration presents itself. And imagine the joy and sense of fulfillment when, one day, something clicks. The idea has been grasped; the contradiction has been resolved; the anomaly has been explained. This, to me, represents the soul of Clilei Torah, our shul Torah Journal. These essays are not school assignments, to dredge through whether or not they happen to catch our interest. Every article submitted is personal, the product of passion and dedication. Maybe one writer Shavuos 2016 / 5776 • Volume 2 II read something that struck a chord, and chose to put in the effort to share it with others. Maybe another once noticed a Torah idea that seemed to fit, or not fit, with that individual’s professional expertise – and decided it was time to hash it all out. Maybe somebody simply encountered an interesting question and sought answers – or thought of their own. Maybe that question was noticed years ago, has been in the back of the individual’s mind ever since, and this project provided an opportunity to finally jump in and wrestle in earnest, until a satisfying solution – or, beginning of a solution – could be found. A project such as this is an amazing opportunity for all of us, both to feed our personal passions and to learn from what drives others. I have been enriched by every article submitted, and I offer my sincerest appreciation to the writers for allowing me to join them in the process. On that note, there are many others who deserve a note of public acknowledgment: First, thank you to Rabbi Burnstein for the support and guidance that made the idea of this journal a reality. And to Jeff Soclof and Leslie Seiger, for taking the initiative on the behind-the-scenes coordination necessary to any successful project! And of course, our deep appreciation goes to our generous sponsors, without whom all of our efforts would have been for nothing. The physical journal was made possible, and beautiful, by the efforts of: Esther Frayda Safrin (EF Graphic Innovations) in designing our cover; Ken Fixler (KFGraphics), for working hard and fast to get all our text laid out and formatted for easy reading; and Scott Wolfson at Eveready printing, for literally putting it all together. We are fortunate to have such a pool of professional talent in our shul! III Clilei Torah of Cleveland I also owe a word of personal thanks to my husband and children for bearing with me while I was attached to my laptop in recent weeks. Almost last, but certainly not least: It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Rabbi Berger. Much of the scholarship and depth of thought contained in these pages is due to his tireless efforts in working with many of our writers. No one will ever know the true measure of heart, mind, and soul Rabbi Berger put into this project, but I got enough of a glimpse to attest that our shul is truly fortunate to have a scholar of his caliber and character. And again – to our members. Those who already wrote, and those who are already thinking about what they’d like to work on for Volume 3. Thank you for your time, for your patience with me and my edits, and for your Torah. .ותן בלבנו להבין ולהשכיל, לשמוע ללמוד וללמד, לשמור ולעשות Sarah Rudolph, Editor Shavuos 2016 / 5776 • Volume 2 IV k SPONSORS k Avi and Francoise Jacobsq Jeffrey and Teri Lautmanq Mark and Shani Polsterq Frank and Beth Rosenberg For the continuing relational teaching that Rabbi Berger makes so meaningful.q