Comments

I'm thrilled that a bunch of you have taken advantage of the new commenting feature that we recently enabled.  I want to clarify our policy, and explain why some of your comments have not yet been published.  In order to have your comment published, it is important that you attach your name to it - we will not publish anonymous comments.  For the ones that we already received, you can either resubmit it with your name, or identify yourself by e-mail and we'll publish them.

Have a great Shabbos & keep the questions & comments coming through the summer.

Junior Partner vs Senior Partner

This past Thursday, I went to a dinner in Montreal for LIBI (an organization supporting Tzahal soldiers) which was honoring close friends of my parents, whose son is currently serving in Tzahal. The whole dinner was a very powerful experience. Many different Israeli army officers spoke about their experiences in the war in Gaza (and the great efforts invested in preventing civilian casualties) and in setting up field hospitals in Haiti after the earthquake. One soldier spoke about how he was blinded in a terrorist attack, but returned to active duty in Israeli intelligence, because he felt that if he were to change his life - even one bit - after his injury, he would be allowing the terrorists to win.

However, what I found most powerful was a speech that a rabbi gave near the end of the dinner. The goal of the dinner was to raise money for Tzahal and the rabbi was encouraging people to make donations by saying that they now have a one time opportunity to become "junior partners" with the State of Israel. Even though they don't live in Israel, they don't send their children to the army, they don't suffer sleepless nights, they still have a chance that Jews for 2000 years could only dream about - becoming "junior partners" with the State of Israel, by supporting them financially.

I felt that this was a great analogy to use as it sets out an important distinction about one's relationship to the State of Israel. On one hand, the financial support for Israel provided by the American Jewish community is crucial, but on the other hand, it only makes you a "junior partner", not an equal "senior partner". To get that promotion, you have to take the next step of making Aliyah and linking your destiny fully with the Jewish people in Israel (this is the same debate that was playing out during the time that the 2nd Bet Hamikdash was being rebuilt - do you send money from Bavel - or do you join Ezra and Nehemiah in building up the land personally?).

And, if you think about it - why would someone be satisfied with only being a "junior partner" when they can be so much more? Thoughts?

Shevet Levi

Maayanot alum Talia Friedman asks:

Why were there so few Leviim? I heard the drash that it is because they were priests, so Pharoah did not enslave them, and hence they did not merit to have so many people

but...

1) they only became priests after the bechorim sinned, so they were not yet priests

2) if Pharoah had respected the priests, the first born sons, he would not have thrown them into the river

3) if Pharoah did respect the Leviim, for whatever reason, then wouldn't he not have thrown their boys into the river, so they would have been the most populous

4) since when do we believe that more suffering causes more children?

 

Please explain this drash to me.

 

I have some thoughts, but let's see what you all come up with in the comments.

 

בואי כלה

Maayanot alumna Rebecca Schenker asks:

Is there a specific way to turn during "boi bishalom"

This is a really interesting question, with not much textual evidence but different minhagim (see a conversation about it here).  In the typical shul, where the aron kodesh faces towards ירושלים - east here in America - and the entrances are in the back of the shul, everyone would agree to face the back.  Some people do this because they say to face the doors to welcome שבת, and therefore you should face the entrance wherever it is (even in the front?).  Rav Goren is quoted saying that שבת is not human or physical only spiritual, and doesn't need a door to enter (I wonder if he opened the door for שפוך חמתך at the seder), and therefore you should always face west (no matter where you are relative to ירושלים) towards the sunset.  Other minhagim say to face away from the aron kodesh, or opposing ירושלים.

In the old YU בית מדרש, which faced north (I think) and had its doors on the side, this led to an interesting sight.  There were two rabbeim who once  a year were in Yeshiva together for Shabbos, and sat near each other in shul.  One of them would face the doors (east), and one faced away from ירושלים (west) so for those moments, they were standing, and singing directly facing each other.

Have a great Shabbos .

Of Sticks & Stones - Part II

A while back I posted about the episode in this week's Parsha when Moshe hits the rock to draw water, and is barred from entering ארץ ישראל as a punishment.  At the time I promised a more serious theory "later", and with a large stack of finals that need to be graded in front of me, this seems as good a time as any.

Most מפרשים have ideas on this, and many of them are different, because the text itself is so unclear and raises so many questions.  First, what exactly did Moshe do wrong?  Why was it so bad that it merited losing the opportunity to lead the people into Israel?  How could hitting the rock be so bad, if that was how he was instructed to draw water from it back in פרשת בשלח?  If he wasn't supposed to hit the rock, why did Hashem tell him to take his staff?  What is the significance of him hitting the rock twice?  Finally, why is Aharon punished?  I'll save that last question for a later date (now that I came back to this, you can believe me), but will try to address the other questions.  (See Art Scroll's Stone Chumash for a summary of some of the classical interpretations.)

The symbolism of water and a rock is familiar to us from the famous story of Rabbi Akiva:

Once, while shepherding his flocks, he gazed into a pool, where he saw a hollowed-out rock resting under a waterfall. He wondered how the rock, one of Nature's hardest substances, had been hollowed out. When he was told that the water had, over a long period of time, made the drastic change in the rock, he reasoned as follows:
"If a rock, though extremely hard, can be hollowed out by water, how much more so should it be possible for Torah, which is compared to water, to change my heart, which is soft. I will begin to study it, and try to become a Torah scholar."

So, water is Torah (which we kind of knew anyway), and the rock is the heart that is resistant to Torah's influence.  So when Hashem (and by extension Moshe) deals with the question of how do we get water from a rock, what they are really trying to do is get Torah compliance (or trust in Hashem) from a difficult and stubborn nation.  At first in בשלח, immediately after leaving Mitzrayim the nation was immature, even infantile (as many of you have heard me discuss many times ואכמ"ל).  When you have a child and you are trying to teach them not to touch the stove or run into the street, persuasion is not called for, you must physically and forcefully remove them from the danger.  This was the model of discipline for the דור המדבר, and we find it repeated in practice over & over - the Jews sin, and are punished swiftly and strongly. 

Here in פרשת חקת, we fast forward 38 years, and now find Moshe leading the generation that will ultimately enter Israel.  Once again, the people complain for water, but now it is time for them to grow up.  The new mission for the nation is no longer to enforce compliance by threat of immediate force, but by teaching them the right thing to do, so that when they get to Israel, and live in a natural world without punitive miracles regularly frightening them into submission.  That doesn't mean that there is no room for the threat of punishment  - the memories of past retribution is a valuable tool in teaching them to act properly.  Therefore, take the stick to the rock ("speak softly, but carry a big stick"), but this time don't hit the rock, speak to it, gently.  Demonstrate to the people how the new reality differs from the old one. 

But Moshe missed the chance.  By hitting the rock, he showed himself to be a מדבר leader, who was so used to the people disappointing him, being true "stones", that he couldn't adjust to them as actually being able to take some responsibility for their own behavior.  Worse, when after striking the rock once, no (or not much) water emerged, instead of reevaluating his approach and trying a new model, he hit the rock again, symbolizing an inability to evolve into the type of leader that בני ישראל would need in ארץ ישראל.

While this explanation is a little more critical of Moshe Rabeinu than I would normally be comfortable with, in this context I think it is appropriate.  The Torah tells us that he committed a grave sin, it then becomes our responsibility to try to figure out what it was.

Crash Course on Korach

Another great Parsha video from "G-dcast", examining the Korach-Moshe debate. Shabbat Shalom!



Parshat Korach from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

Great to Be Here

The Gemara in :מנחות מג  famously teaches about some of the ברכות that we say every day, including - שלא עשני "גוי  The reason we say the ברכה in the negative, instead of שעשני יהודי, is based on the opinion in the גמרא that טוב לאדם שלא נברא משנברא - it would have been better for man to never have been created.  This was all I could think of when reading this article by (Sanhedrin favorite) Peter Singer.  Interestingly enough, the Torah places having children as its very first מצוה.  By the logic in the article, that seems inconsistent.  If man is really better off never having been born, why does the Torah place such value on having children?  I have some ideas, but what do you think? 

Better Late Than Never

Tziporah Herzfeld asked:

So I was wondering, if Bnei Yisrael were supposed to go to the Beit HaMikdash on all of the shalosh regalim, why do we only have a make up for going if people couldn't make it on Pesach? Did they not bring korbanot on the other chagim, so it didn't matter if they couldn't make it on the chag?

You're absolutely right that everyone would come for all of the רגלים and bring a קרבן חגיגה.  The best time to bring it was on the first day of יום טוב, but if you missed it you could make it up for the rest of the חג.  For שבועות, which is only one day, you had 6 days afterward to make up the קרבן.  This is why many of us did not say tachanun for that second week of סיון.  As for why there is a special make-up rule for פסח, the simplest answer is that it is a more significant קרבן - it is one of the only two מצות עשה that are punished by כרת (anyone know the other one?).
Recently, when we read about פסח שני in פרשת בהלותך, one of the local parsha sheets had an essay by Rav Ovadia Yosef addressing this very question.  He attributed the special rule to the initiative of the people who advocated for the opportunity.  Remember, the rule came up in the Torah as the response to individuals who were טמא on פסח and said "למה נגרע" - why should we miss out on this מצוה.  Their passion and desire to bring the קרבן פסח triggered the accommodation.
This interpretation raises some technical issues about how the מצוה was given (did Moshe learn it on הר סיני?), I think that the message is valuable.  It is important to note, though, that the proper answer to the feeling of למה נגרע was to ask a שאילה, and follow the conclusion.

The Power of the Team Uniform

Yesterday my family (myself, husband, 5 children) were on our way to Yavneh Academy for a BBQ celebrating the end of the season for the Yavneh Baseball League, in which one of my daughters played (on the same team as Mrs. Herzog’s daughter). While we were getting onto Route 17 from Route 4, a car, which had lost control on a ramp going in the opposite direction, careened across the grass and slammed into the sliding door of our minivan, right where my daughter was sitting. The door was pretty smashed, but baruch Hashem no one in our car was injured (and there seemed to be only one minor injury among the 3 other cars that were involved in the accident). My father, who taught me to drive, always tried to correct my over-cautiousness by telling me “cars don’t fall out of the sky.” The one that hit us didn’t quite come from the sky, but I think it was the closest thing.

The first major mussar I took from this experience is our vulnerability; the idea that our lives can be taken or forever altered in an instant. This idea is always true, but it’s hard to think about all the time and still function. But it is important to think about it when a reminder like this comes along. My daughter is full of plans and potential – she was going to celebrate the end of a fun baseball season, then she was going to babysit, and study for her finals. She plans to go to camp this summer and work as a mother’s helper. Instead, she could have spent last night in the hospital, and the summer and beyond recovering from broken limbs. The accident reminded me to maximize, both bein adam le-makom and bein adam le-chaveiro, the time that we have here.

The second thing I took away from this (still in baseball mode) is the power of the team uniform – team Orthodox, that is. No fewer than 5 cars carrying Orthodox people stopped to ask if they could help us, drive us somewhere, call someone for us, etc., as my family was standing on the side of the road (even though the police had already arrived). Some even pulled off the highway, parked in a nearby parking lot, and walked over to us. I had heard about the phenomenon of strangers stopping to offer help to other Orthodox Jews– there’s even an urban legend about a non-Jew who keeps a black hat and jacket in his trunk in case he has car trouble – but never experienced it for myself. If my husband had been wearing shorts, a T-shirt and baseball cap, and I and my children the same, who would have known we were Orthodox? (The five kids may have been a tip-off, but still…) I felt proud that someone looking at my family could know right away who we are, and that the kinship they felt with us moved them to go out of their way to offer help.

Men vs. Women

This Shabbos my fourth grader gave a d’var Torah that I liked very much and wanted to share with you. First, I want to thank her teacher, Morah Danya Stechler for the very nice idea. (For all of you old Ma’ayanoters, that’s Rabbi Stechler’s wife!)

When Hashem tells/allows Moshe to send the meraglim, He says שלח לך אנשים.... Many of the mefarshim discuss the strange wording of “Send for yourself…”, and give various explanations for this phraseology.

The Kli Yakar gives a number of different ideas. One of which is that it was the men of the generation who were not so dedicated to Eretz Yisrael and wanted to turn around and go back to Mitzrayim. The women, however, loved Eretz Yisrael, as is evidenced by b’not Tzlafchad who requested to inherit their father’s portion of land there.

Therefore Hashem said, “Since you, Moshe, think that these men are qualified and that they care about Eretz Yisrael, send for yourself men. But in My opinion, it would have been better to send women, because they would not say bad things about Eretz Yisrael!”

We should all take the message from this Kli Yakar that one of our responsibilities as women is to teach ahavat Eretz Yisrael to all of Klal Yisrael!

Israel Advocacy 101

I've heard a lot of students and teachers discussing the recent events in Gaza and I wanted to post some links for anyone who's interested in finding out exactly what all the controversy is about. A few days ago a group of ships (flotilla) of Turkish pro-Palestinian activists tried to run through Israel's blockade of Gaza to bring in material and supplies to the Palestinians living there. Israel has blockaded off Gaza and will let in aid, food and supplies, but only through land and after it has been searched for anything that can be used for weapons (as Hamas, which is in charge of Gaza, has previously used these convoys to smuggle in weapons and rockets which are then shot at Israeli towns such as Sderot). Israeli commandos boarded the ships and were then attacked by the activists on board one of the ships with metal pipes and other weapons. The Israeli commandos then fought back in self defense, but in the ensuing fighting (with the Israelis being better armed), at least 9 activists were killed and a number of Israeli soldiers were wounded (2 seriously).

All over the world, massive anti-Israel demonstrations are taking place - condemning Israel for using too much force and for the unfair treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza. It is important to take the time to get informed about what really happened in order to be able to (1) defend Israel if these facts are exaggerated (2) to think critically about some of the important moral and ethical issues that this incident raises (as we should also feel comfortable being critical about Israel's actions if we are uncomfortable with them).

For some facts and videos of what really happened on the ships, check out http://www.flotillafacts.com/ and the IDF's youtube channel. Here is also a great editorial in the NY Times by Michael Oren and a Jerusalem Post interview with the Israeli commandos.

This incident raises the moral question of whether or not Israel is justified in instituting "collective punishment" onto all the Palestinians living in Gaza, by having a blockade in the first place. How far are we willing to go to protect the safety of Israeli citizens (by making sure weapons are not being smuggled into Gaza)? Recently, my 11th grade Jewish Philosophy classes debated these issues and we spend some time playing a computer game created by the Israeli Mossad (Intelligence) called "Peacemaker". In this game, you play as either the Israeli Prime Minister or the Palestinian President and you have to try and bring peace to the Middle East (a shout-out here goes to Ayala Laub, who by playing as the Palestinian President actually solved the peace process!). This game, while frustrating, brings to light a lot of the checks and balances that Israel takes into account when trying to balance defending itself with maintaining human rights. Do we put in more checkpoints to protect our cities from terrorists or do we remove checkpoints to ease the lives of regular Palestinians? I encourage you all to try out the game yourselves (you can play the free demo by clicking here, but it will only let you play for a limited amount of time)!

A Whole New Way to Learn the Parsha

I wanted to share with you all this great website called "G-dcast". Each week they put out a 3-4 minute cartoon video on the Parsha with a message that can be appreciated by anyone. It usually has a great lesson and can be helpful whether you are looking for a Dvar Torah on the Parsha, or just for a summary on the Parsha for the youth groups that you run for your shul. Either way, it's awesome simply because it is in cartoon! Here is this week's "G-dcast" on Parshat Shelach, with a meaningful lesson as to why the spies were really being sent and about what it means to be a leader (check out the "G-dcast" videos on other Parshiyot here). Enjoy!

Celebrating Memorial Day

A number of years ago, if you would have asked me what Memorial Day meant to me, I would have said – Our annual family barbeque, no school!, and Memorial Day sales in stores. That was as meaningful as it got.

Until one year when I decided to take my kids to watch the Memorial Day parade near our house. In addition to the marching bands and groups of police and firemen were groups of veterans, in their uniforms, marching as well. It was then that for the first time I really appreciated Memorial Day for what it is – Yom HaZikaron for America.

Along with feeling concern and gratitude for חיילי צה"ל, I also feel appreciation for American servicepeople, stationed all over the world, who help make this world a safer and better place for everyone. If not for the sacrifice that every one of them makes, leaving safety behind to face unknown dangers, America would not be the country that it is, a country that stands up for democracy and that is a haven for the oppressed.

Memorial Day is our opportunity to pay homage to those soldiers who gave up their lives so that we could live in peace, and to show appreciation to those who fought and came back - sometimes wounded or traumatized - so that our lives could carry on like normal, although theirs would likely not.

It is an American holiday, not a Jewish one, but celebrating it meaningfully is an expression of the very Jewish value of הכרת הטוב. So if you have the opportunity, watch a parade and clap as the veterans walk by, or if not, let’s take a moment away from our barbeques and shopping trips to think about the real meaning of the day, and appreciate those whom it is meant to honor.

Amazing Story in the News (CLICK HERE)

This is a brief news report about how a frum Jew became the principal of one the most dangerous public schools in the Bronx and turned the school around. A real Kiddush Hashem!

Heartbeats

First of all, I want to give a huge yasher koach to the organizers, performers, audience, and everyone who contributed to this amazing event. I feel so privileged to be in a school with students, faculty, and a parent body who are so committed to Chessed.
Two things came to mind tonight while I was watching the amazing performance.
The first is a Gemara in Masechet Ta'anit and Makkot in which Rebi states, "Harbeh Torah Lamaditi M'Rabotai, u'mechaverai yoter mehem, umeitalmidai yoter m'kulan"-- I learned alot of Torah from my teachers, and from my peers I learned even more, and from my students I learned more than from them (my teachers and peers).
The fact that despite your busy schedules you have been involved in this tremendous act of Chessed--and have put your "all" into it-- is truly inspiring and has reminded me about the importance of giving to others and the attitude with which we should give to others.

The second thing that came to mind is a passuk in Tehillim, "kol atzmotai tomarna Hashem mi kamocha"--all of my bones should say to you Hashem, who is like you? (The Gemara in Masechet Brachot actually learns from this passuk that one should bow during Shmoneh Esreh). I think the idea behind this passuk is that all of our limbs--our entire beings--should be involved in Avodat Hashem. While this passuk talks specifically about praising God, I think the idea can be applied to other aspects of Avodat Hashem as well. Heartbeats is a wonderful example of how a person can use her body for singing, dancing, etc. to serve Hashem by performing Chessed.

Yasher Koach again, and I hope that all you blog readers have not only enjoyed watching and listening to Heartbeats, but have taken away from it some important religious lessons as well!

"But what can I do?"

As we find ourselves in the week of committee head applications, a bit of inspiration. 

כי מציון תצא תורה

Esteemed Alum Atara Staiman sends:
hiii blog moderators.....

just wanted to know i felt very proud when i saw the question about eating before "tefillah" aka shemoneh esrei because i think it's a big misconception that you can have your breakfast after saying just brachot on any regular day.
totally didnt know that before this year and i am so happy that is clarified and i hope everyone takes it to heart!
and yes i stalk the blog still.... i just check up on what everyone is thinking- it's so entertaining.
just letting you all know...
and regards from the holy land :)
see you all in maayanot in 2 short little weeks


hope all is great!

Hashem Gave Us a Present...

A little late, but there a still a few hours to line up some reading material going into שבועות.  As always, YU Shavuot To Go is likely to be a good read, though I wonder of it will measure up to other issues, as they have a theme (shidduchim and marriage) for many of the articles.  I've sometimes found that when you limit the writers or speakers by topic, you don't get the same product as when you just ask for their best essay on שבועות.  The one article that I know I'm looking forward to, and that is not compromised in any way is one by our own Mrs. Sinensky.  If that's not enough to keep you busy, you can check out last year's edition, highlighted by an outstanding essay by Mrs. Kahan.

Of course the highlight of שבועות is the annual overnight learning program (Mishmover II?) at Roemer.  While I will unfortunately not be there, I wish I could, as the lineup of shiurim from faculty, alumni and seniors is really amazing.  It's also a great opportunity to study for Talmud exams that many of you have coming up.

חג שמח!

Post Yom Yerushalayim reading recommendations

With Yom Yerushalayim just behind us, and a long Yom Tov break ahead of us, I want to suggest two of my favorite Yerushalayim books. One is Forever My Jerusalem by Puah Shteiner, who was a young child during the fall of the Old City in 1948. It vividly describes Jewish life in the Old City before the 1948 war as well as the agony of the evacuation of all the Jews from the Old City. It's sad in parts, but as we celebrated last Wednesday, we know there's a happy ending to the story. The other book is O Jerusalem, by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre, which is non-fiction but reads like a thriller, with vivid writing and sharp, memorable portrayals of both major and minor players during the War of Independence. I read that about 15 years ago but I still remember many of the scenes. Enjoy!

Dual Perspectives

Reading what Rabbi Besser wrote about היינו כחלמים reminds me of an Ibn Ezra I love on the pasuk in Tehillim 122:2, עמדות היו רגלינו בשעריך ירושלים. He brings two possibilities of why the olei regel might be stopped, standing still in the gates of Yerushalayim. The first is that they were awestruck by its beauty, and were just standing still, staring at the beauty of its walls. The second possibility is because there were so many people going in and out of the gates of Yerushalayim that there was a little bit of a traffic jam, and they couldn’t move (sort of like trying to get through the halls of Ma’ayanot between classes).

Many years ago, when I was teaching this perek, I asked a girl who had never been to Israel to describe what she thought Yerushalayim was like. She described a quiet, peaceful city, with men in long beards walking around with sefarim under their arms, and a palpable feeling of kedusha in the air. Then I asked a student who had traveled to Israel many times to describe Yerushalayim. She described the hustle and bustle of the city, the noise of the traffic, the shops, and how parts of it don’t seem so different from New York City.

I think we can understand this Ibn Ezra as reflecting two types of olei regel. The idealists and those who had never seen Yerushalayim before only saw the beauty and were mesmerized by it. Others, who had “been there, done that” had a more realistic view of it, complete with crowds and long lines.

But maybe we need to incorporate both aspects when we take the leap and go to Israel. We have to be realists so that we know what to expect and that it’s not going to be easy, but we need to be dreamers, mesmerized by its spiritual and physical beauty. Then, with the combination of both perspectives we can take that little leap of faith and still land on our feet.