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As we continue to struggle with the horrific events of last week, many have been looking for a concrete way to do something meaningful in memory of Leiby Kletzky z”l. Nachman and Esty Kletzky, Leiby’s parents, have established a tzedakah fund in their son’s memory “to accomplish all the wonderful things that Leiby would have achieved - had he lived.” The website to donate to the memorial fund is:

http://www.give2gether.com/projects/help-support-leiby-kletzky/

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May our mitzvos bring an aliyah to Leiby’s neshoma and bring the Redemption speedily in our days.

Halacha of the Week

In our halacha shiur this past Wednesday night, we mentioned the contemporary obligation to separate terumos and ma’aseros from produce grown in Israel. This mitzvah applies even if the produce is foundoutside the biblical boundaries of the Holy Land, such as the Dorot carrots in the Springfield Shoprite, and the Carmel peppers in the Union Costco, which both require the separation of terumos and ma’aseros before they can be eaten. The following are the directions taken from the OU website for performing this mitzvah:

1) Place all of the produce in front of you.

2) Remove slightly more than 1% of the produce. For example, if there are 100 peppers, separate one whole pepper and a small part of a second pepper.

3) A coin, which is valid currency in the country in which the redemption is performed, is designated for redemption. At the time of this writing, one penny is sufficient.

4) Teruma and ma'aser may not be separated on Shabbos and Yom Tov.

5) It should be noted that while reciting the formula below (#6), neither the produce nor the separated portion should be moved, since the formula refers to designated locations.

6) The following text is recited:
· The amount in the northernmost part of the separated portion, which is greater than 1% of the total amount of the produce, shall be Terumah Gedolah.

· The remaining part of the separated portion, plus an additional 9% on the northernmost side of the produce shall be Ma'aser Rishon.

· The part of the separated portion that was previously designated Ma'aser Rishon shall be Terumas Ma'aser.

· 10% of the remaining produce in the southern side shall be either Ma'aser Sheni or Ma'aser Oni, in accordance with the year of the shmittah cycle during which the produce was grown.

· If the 10% on the southern side is Ma'aser Sheni, it should be redeemed by transferring its kedushah, calculated at is value plus 25%, to the coin.

· If the produce is Neta Revai, it should be redeemed by transferring its kedusha, calculated at its value plus 25%, to the coin.

Alternatively, if one has difficulty with the full text or it is not available, this simplified text may be recited:

"All separations of Terumah and Ma'aser and redemptions of Ma'aser Sheni and Neta Revai shall be effected in accordance with the text of the Chazon Ish."

7) The separated produce (the part which was more than 1%), and the designated coin are wrapped and discarded.

Personal Note
This week our family leaves to Eretz Yisrael for our summer vacation. If anyone has any halacha questions, I will be accessible via e-mail. For any halacha questions that need an immediate response, or for any other emergency situations which need rabbinic assistance, there are Rabbis from neighboring communities that will be available to provide such assistance. Christine Spinner, our shul’s office manager, and Dr. Len Bielory, our shul president, have the emergency contact information for these Rabbis. Additionally, Christine and Len also have emergency contact information to reach me in Israel if necessary, so again, please be in contact with one of them.

Have a great Shabbos. Hope to meet you soon in Yerushalayim!!!

Halachos of the Week

The period from Rosh Chodesh Av (this year Sunday night, July 31^st) through Tisha B’Av (Tuesday, August 9^th) is known as the “Nine Days”. Due to its proximity to Tisha B’Av, this period carries six customary signs of mourning above and beyond those of the Three Weeks. They are:

1)      Construction- this refers to any major construction or decorating in the home which can be postponed until after Tisha B’Av without incurring substantial financial loss. All critical home repairs are obviously permitted.

2)      Wine and Meat – consuming these things are prohibited except on the following occasions:

(a) Shabbos during the Nine Days. At Havdala the wine is customarily given to a child (over the age of 6) to drink, but if unavailable, an adult may drink the wine.

(b) When attending a Siyum made at the conclusion of a tractate of Talmud, a tractate of Mishna studied with commentary, or a book of Tanach. 

(c) As a guest at a Bris Milah or Pidyon haBen.

3)      Laundering- the cleaning of clothing, bed linens, and tablecloths, even through a non-Jew is not permitted. The prohibition is suspended (up to but not including Tisha B’Av) in the following situations:

            (a) when all of one’s garments are soiled, then what one requires minimally is permitted.

            (b) Children’s clothing

This also includes the tailoring and repairing of clothing, unless one’s income is from tailoring.

4)      Wearing Laundered Clothing- freshly laundered clothing, except undergarments, should not be worn during the Nine Days. However, if they were donned prior to this period, even briefly, they may be worn. On Shabbos, freshly cleaned clothing may be worn.

5)      Shaving- where an unsightly appearance could be detrimental to one’s profession or business, one can shave during this time, up until the week in which Tisha B’Av falls, otherwise one should refrain.

6)      Swimming and Bathing - one should not bath and swim for pleasure during this time. To relieve discomfort, to clean one’s self, and for halachic and health purposes, they are permitted.

 May all these prohibitions soon be a thing of the past, with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days. With blessings from the Holy Land,

Rabbi Marcus

Halachos For This Week

I pray that we will not have to observe these halachos this week, and instead, I will be able to greet you all at the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim,

B’Virchas Ha’Aretz,

Rabbi Marcus

 EREV TISHA B’AV

The primary observance that makes Erev Tisha B’Av (Mon., August 8^th) unique is the “Seudah HaMafsekes”, the final meal eaten before the fast day. Ideally this meal should be eaten after midday (preferably after Mincha), and it should mark the end of one’s major eating before Tisha B’Av. However, it is preferable that one should have in mind that he or she will still be eating or drinking something after this meal, so that this meal should not constitute acceptance of the fast. Customarily this meal is eaten on the ground, and it consists of bread, hard-boiled eggs, and water. Birchas HaMazon should be recited alone, without a group of three making a zimun.

TISHA B’AV

1. Leather shoes may not be worn throughout Tisha B’Av. Certain styles of sneakers and other sports shoes contain pieces of leather. The prohibition of wearing leather shoes also includes those made partially of leather, and would include the aforementioned shoes as well.

2. Bathing, or washing, any part of the body for pleasure is forbidden. However, it is permissible to wash for the purpose of removing visible surface dirt. One is allowed to rinse the food to be used for cooking.

3. Persons who are unable to fast due to illness should eat no more than necessary to maintain and preserve their health. [For details on exact amounts, please contact me.]

4. Intimacy with one’s spouse is forbidden on this night. 

5. One should not study Torah on Tisha B’Av, except for sections dealing with the destruction, mourning and similar themes. Some examples of what one can learn:

            (a) Megillas Eicha and its Midrash; (b) the story of the destruction from the 5^th perek of Gemara Gittin, and from the last perek of Gemara Sanhedrin; (c) the book of Job; (d) the prophecies of destruction from Jeremiah and other prophets; (e) the 3^rd perek of Gemara Moed Katan which deals with the laws of mourning; (f) the general laws of mourning and the laws of Tisha B’Av, as found in the Shulchan Aruch.     

6. During the evening and morning of Tisha B’Av, and up until midday (this year at 1:03 pm), one should not sit on a chair or bench that is above 12 inches from the ground when it can be avoided.

7. Business transactions should be avoided in the morning; in the afternoon, however, they are permitted.

8. We do not greet others on Tisha B’Av, similar to a mourner in shiva. One who is greeted by another on Tisha B’Av can respond, but should do so in a subdued manner befitting the day.

9. On the morning of Tisha B’Av we do not put on the Talis Gadol and Tefillin. The Talis Katan (‘tzitzis’) is worn from morning on, but without a beracha.    

TISHA B’AV AFTERNOON

1. In the afternoon (after 1:03 pm) it is permitted to sit on a chair or bench.

2. At Mincha, the Talis Gadol and Tefillin are worn with the accompanying blessings.

3. Parts left out of Shachris are inserted in Mincha.

 MOTZEI TISHA B’AV

1. Tradition records that the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash was completed on the tenth day of Av. Therefore, the custom is to abstain from the following until midday (1:03 pm) on the 10^th of Av:

            (a) eating meat/drinking wine; (b) haircuts; (c) listening to music; (d) swimming and bathing for pleasure; (e) laundering of clothing.

2. Many have the custom of delaying Kiddush Levanah until Motzei Tisha B’Av in order that this mitzvah, replete with joy, should represent our hope for the renewal of all of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.

MAY WE MERIT THAT THESE DAYS OF MOURNING BECOME DAYS OF CELEBRATION AND REJOICING SPEEDILY IN OUR DAYS!!!

In Shulchan Aruch, Rav Yosef Caro (16th century halachist and mystic) writes that there is a custom to begin reciting selichos (special prayers and supplications) on Rosh Chodesh Elul, and to continue to do so through Yom Kippur. This is a minhag that has been adopted by Sephardim, but not Ashkenazim. The latter group starts saying selichos closer to Rosh HaShana. We can easily understand the general custom of reciting selichos, of increasing our petitioning of Heaven, and particularly that of the Ashkenazim who begin getting ready for the High Holiday season a week or so before it commences. Such an awesome day, the time of Divine Judgment, necessitates some sort of preparation, but isn’t a whole month of preparation a bit much? Why do the Sephardim have to get up so early (or alternatively, stay up so late) for almost the entire month of Elul?

When one puts this special time period in its proper historical context, the custom of the Sephardim is actually quite beautiful. Rav Gedalya Schorr zt”l (20th century American Torah Scholar) explains that we first find significance attached to the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf in the Sinai desert. After Moshe had successfully forestalled G-d’s plan to destroy Am Yisrael, the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur became a time of intense teshuva for the Jews, enabling a restoration of their extraordinary relationship with Hashem.

Thousands of years later, we follow the precedent set by our ancestors in the desert, and engage in a process of meaningful teshuva and prayer for 40 days (whether with selichos or otherwise) to similarly rebuild our relationship with Hashem.

Have a great Shabbos and Kesiva v’Chasima Tova to all.

This past week we began our ‘practical halacha’ shiur series with a study of some of the laws of Yom Tov, with the first shiur discussing the conceptual basis, and regulations, of ‘Eruv Tavshilin.’ Below is a brief summary of the basic laws guiding eruv tavshilin, from an article by Rabbi Tzvi Rosen, a Star-K Kashrus Administrator.

A fundamental difference between Yom Tov observance and Shabbos observance is the allowance of ochel nefesh, food preparation on Yom Tov. "Ach Asher Yei'achel L'Chol Nefesh Hu Levado Yei'aseh Lachem...” The Torah permits us to cook, bake, and prepare food on Yom Tov proper, in order to eat the prepared food on that day of Yom Tov. One is not permitted to prepare from one day of Yom Tov for the second day of Yom Tov or for after Yom Tov. This prohibition of hachana, of preparing from one day of Yom Tov to the next, presents a problem when the second day of Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos or when Shabbos follows a two day sequence of Yomim Tovim. Can one halachically prepare food on Yom Tov for the Shabbos Yom Tov or for Shabbos? 

To deal with this issue our Rabbis instituted a procedure known as eruv tavshilin. The process of eruv tavshilin works in the following manner. On Erev Yom Tov, the head of the household, or a designee, should set aside a baked item such as bread or matzoh, and a cooked item such as meat, fish, or eggs (i.e. a food that is eaten along with bread). Each item should be at least the size of one kezayis, preferably the size of one beitzah. He or she should then recite the blessing of "Baruch...Al Mitzvas Eruv" and the proclamation, both found in the Siddur. This proclamation states that the cooked and baked items should permit us to continue baking, cooking, lighting a flame from an existing fire and do all the necessary preparations from Yom Tov proper to Shabbos. It is now viewed as though meal preparations for Shabbos have already begun before Yom Tov and Shabbos meal preparations may continue on Friday Yom Tov, Erev Shabbos. Once done, the eruv covers all household members and guests. The foods set aside for the eruv should be saved and may be eaten on Shabbos.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be 3 opportunities to make an eruv tavshilin over the next 6 weeks – Sept. 28^th, Oct. 12^th, and Oct. 19^th.

Have a great Shabbos and Kesiva v’chasima tova.

For a mitzva that seems to be intended only for farmers living in the Land of Israel during the existence of the Beis HaMikdash, the bringing of the bikkurim, or first fruits, appears to be more important than one might expect. The Midrash in Bereshis Rabbah (1:4) teaches that one of the primary purposes for which the world was created was to enable people to offer the bikkurim. Additionally, Rashi in this week’s parsha (26:16) quotes another Midrash that after a person would perform this mitzva of presenting the first fruits to the kohen in the Temple, a Heavenly Voice would bless the individual that he should have the opportunity to do this mitzva again the following year. What makes this commandment different from any other? Why doesn’t God bless us that we should have the chance to build a sukkah again next year, or to hear the shofar again?

I believe what makes bikkurim such a precious mitzva to be granted a unique status is something much more fundamental than grapes and figs. At the heart of this commandment is a basic tenet of Judaism, one that colors all mitzvos, a principle extremely significant for us as we prepare for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. It is an idea that we must constantly live with in these very difficult and uncertain times. The underlying message of this mitzva is that G-d runs the world. Simple, yet at times challenging to truly believe and to live with the belief. It’s stressed in the Torah’s description of the commandment, and in the text that is read when the fruits are presented to the kohen. This message is the primary theme of the approaching holiday of Rosh Hashana -‘Malchus,’ accepting Hashem’s Divine Kingship upon us, and upon the entire world.

May we merit to clearly see the Almighty’s Hand in all the events taking place this upcoming week.

Have a great Shabbos and a Kesiva v’Chasima Tova to all.

“Yom teruah yiheyeh lachem”

 “It shall be a day of shofar-sounding for you” (Bamidbar 29:1)

The Gemara identifies this verse as the source for the mitzva of tekias shofar on Rosh HaShana. The Chozeh mi’Lublin, the Holy Seer of Lublin, one of the great Chasidic leaders of the 19^th century, offers an additional interpretation of the verse that provides a fresh perspective to this special Yom Tov. The Chozeh suggests that the root of the word, ‘teruah’ is from the Hebrew word for friendship, ‘reius.’ As such, Rosh HaShana is a day that is meant to be colored by our love and concern for others. Our prayers are not to be focused solely on the needs of family and friends, but instead we are to pray for the welfare of all of Am Yisrael and the entire world. 

 May 5772 be a year of blessing and redemption for us all.     

On behalf of Lea and our entire family, I wish you a year of joy, peace, fulfillment, and blessing. Shana Tova.

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Halacha of the Week

PLEASE NOTE: WE MAKE AN ERUV TAVSHILIN TODAY!!!

A fundamental difference between Yom Tov observance and Shabbos observance is the allowance of ochel nefesh, food preparation on Yom Tov. "Ach Asher Yei'achel L'Chol Nefesh Hu Levado Yei'aseh Lachem...” The Torah permits us to cook, bake, and prepare food on Yom Tov proper, in order to eat the prepared food on that day of Yom Tov. One is not permitted to prepare from one day of Yom Tov for the second day of Yom Tov or for after Yom Tov. This prohibition of hachana, of preparing from one day of Yom Tov to the next, presents a problem when the second day of Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos or when Shabbos follows a two day sequence of Yomim Tovim. Can one halachically prepare food on Yom Tov for the Shabbos Yom Tov or for Shabbos? 

 To deal with this issue our Rabbis instituted a procedure known as eruv tavshilin. The process of eruv tavshilin works in the following manner. On Erev Yom Tov, the head of the household, or a designee, should set aside a baked item such as bread or matzoh, and a cooked item such as meat, fish, or eggs (i.e. a food that is eaten along with bread). Each item should be at least the size of one kezayis, preferably the size of one beitzah. He or she should then recite the blessing of "Baruch...Al Mitzvas Eruv" and the proclamation, both found in the Siddur. This proclamation states that the cooked and baked items should permit us to continue baking, cooking, lighting a flame from an existing fire and do all the necessary preparations from Yom Tov proper to Shabbos. It is now viewed as though meal preparations for Shabbos have already begun before Yom Tov and Shabbos meal preparations may continue on Friday Yom Tov, Erev Shabbos. Once done, the eruv covers all household members and guests. The foods set aside for the eruv should be saved and may be eaten on Shabbos.

“After the Destruction of the Temple, the Gates of Prayer were closed. Nonetheless, the Gates of Tears are still open.”

 Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot 32b

May our tears on this Yom Kippur storm Heaven, thus enabling our prayers to reach their loftiest levels and make 5772 a year of blessing and Redemption, bringing peace to our families, our People, and the World. May we all have a wonderful year.

 Shana Tova and Good Shabbos.  

The culmination of the Days of Awe and Z’man Simchasainu is a day of incredible joy and merriment, but what exactly are we celebrating? The obvious answer is that on Simchas Torah we celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of Torah reading. We started with Bereishis a year ago, and we have finally come to a close with the reading of V’Zos HaBracha. We honor that accomplishment.

The Chidushei HaRim (founder of the Gerrer Chasidic Dynasty) offers a different perspective of the rejoicing on this distinctive day. He would tell his students that on Simchas Torah we do not look back at the past, but instead, we dance for the future. The year of 5771, with its cycle of Torah reading and study, has gone. Did we utilize the opportunities it presented for spiritual growth and inspiration? For the answers to, and issues raised by these questions, we have already traversed the landscape of the Yomim Noraim, and studied together about it on Shabbos Shuva.   These are not our concerns on Simchas Torah. On this day we rejoice with the Torah by looking forward to the meaningful relationship that we will develop with it in 5772. According to the Chidushei HaRim this is the reason why we celebrate on Simchas Torah: we are excited and overjoyed by the potential and promise of the new year. 

Let’s make the most of it: search online among the numerous daily Torah opportunities, choose one that interests you, and make Torah a part of every day of 5772. Have a great Shabbos and a Chag Sameach.

When giving Noach guidance as to how to build the ark, G-d instructs him to construct a ‘tzohar’ for the vessel (Genesis 6:16). All agree that the purpose of this tzohar was to provide illumination for the inhabitants of the teyvah, but Rashi quotes an argument as to what this ‘tzohar’ actually was. Some understand the word to mean ‘window,’ while others identify it as a special, precious stone that emitted light.

The Noam Elimelech, Rav Elimelech of Lizensk (18th century Chasidic scholar), offers a valuable insight based upon a play on words in this pasuk. Although it refers in context here to the ark, the word ‘teyvah’ can also be translated as ‘word.’ Applying Rashi’s comments regarding the meaning of ‘tzohar,’ the Noam Elimelech proposes a different understanding of G-d’s command to Noach to make a ‘tzohar’ for the ‘teyvah’: the words that we speak should shine with light, and should be treated carefully, as one treats precious gems. We must recognize that our words have the power to bring life, healing, and kindness to the world, or G-d forbid, they can have the opposite effect. How can we infuse our words with such positive force? If we realize that each and every word spoken is as valuable as precious stones, weighing each one vigilantly.

May we heed this lesson of Rav Elimelech, and pay special attention to our speech this new year.

Have a great Shabbos.

The reality of our community’s demographics necessitates the following ‘Rabbi’s Message’ be shared on an annual basis:

             Every year, with the autumnal changing of the clock, we as a shul community are faced with the difficult challenge of maintaining our minyanim for the next five months. The minyan most in danger of not surviving the daily search for a few good men, is our weekday Mincha/Ma’ariv minyan, which begins at 4:25 PM this week. How many of us are home by 4 PM on a consistent basis? Not too many. Therefore, anyone who happens to be home at the time of the shul Mincha/Ma’ariv minyan, please come join us. Additionally, any teens that get home from school before 4 PM are asked to please contact me so that we can arrange transportation to take them to and from minyan.

Please note that we have already begun our late night Ma’ariv minyan, at 9:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, in the Beis Medrash. Even if you can’t make the earlier Ma’ariv minyan, please join us at 9 PM to help us ensure that the later one is viable. This late Ma’ariv has the benefit of a minyan coordinator, R’ Adam Dolin, who sends e-mails and text messages to the regulars of Late Ma’ariv confirming that we in fact have a group committed to ensure the minyan for that night. Anyone who would be willing to sign up to be a member of this group, please speak with Adam or me.

As a shul, the need for continuity in our daily minyanim is obvious. A major component of Jewish communal life is to be able to gather thrice daily in prayer. Minyanim have to be available for those who want the benefit of davening with a minyan every day, and for those who need to say kaddish in observance of a yahrtzeit or aveilus. I hope that this winter we will be able to say that we, as a congregation, did not let an opportunity to pray together slip away unfulfilled.

Have a great Shabbos.

After the unforgettable episode of Akeidas Yitzchak, the Binding of Isaac, the Torah tells us in perek 22, pasuk 19, “Vayashav Avraham el n’arav, vayakumoo vayelchoo yachdav el Be’er Sheva – And Avraham returned to his young men, and they stood up and went together to Be’er Sheva.” Why does the Torah find it necessary to tell us that Avraham went home? What lesson is the Torah teaching us with such a simple senetence?

R’ Mendel Vorker (19^th century Chasidic sage and leader) offers a beautiful explanation as to the lesson from this pasuk. He asks that after Avraham and Yitzchak were able to withstand the horribly frightening nisayon, the test of Akeidas Yitzchak, how do you think they felt about themselves? One could only imagine that they felt exhilarated and exceptional. After all, wasn’t it obvious, at least after the fact, that they had just overcome a huge trial from G-d? Avraham is informed right when the akeida is over that at that very moment he attained the status of a “yirai Elokim” – one who truly fears the Almighty. With all of this incredible success in their development of a meaningful relationship with Hashem, one might expect that it went to their heads. Therefore, comes 22:19 to teach us that Avraham and Yitzchak post-akeida were just as affable and able to get along with others as they were before the test. Their progression up the ladder of spirituality did not diminish their friendliness, nor their ability to walk together with even the simplest of people.

May we all merit to pattern ourselves after our holy ancestors, and carry on Avraham Avinu’s legacy of yashrus. Have a great Shabbos.

P.S. Lea and I would like to thank everyone for their beautiful, and much appreciated berachos and mazel tov wishes in honor of the birth of our daughter, Meira Batsheva.

HILCHOS CHANUKAH

On Tuesday night we begin celebrating Chanukah, a yom tov during which we make a concerted effort to bring mitzva observance to its highest levels (i.e. “mehadrin min hamehadrin”). Let us take this opportunity to review a number of its laws:

·        In the Amida and Birchas haMazon we add in the paragraph of ‘Al HaNisim’. If it is forgotten, one does not repeat the tefila.

·        The ideal time for lighting the Chanukah candles is the time known as ‘tzais hakochavim - when the stars are visible,’ which is around 5:05 pm this time of year (approximately 30 minutes after sunset, according to the Vilna Gaon). Lighting can certainly be done later, especially if that means the family will light the menorah together.

·        If necessary, the lighting can be done anytime at night as long as there are people awake to participate in this mitzva along with the person who is lighting. Similarly, if necessary, one can light even before sunset, from approximately 3:40 pm. An example of when we must light earlier than the ideal time is on Friday afternoon, when the Chanukah candles must be lit before the Shabbos candles.  

·        The Chanukah lights should burn for at least one half hour after tzais hakochavim. If one lights before the ideal time (e.g. at 4:00pm), the candles must still burn for a half hour after tzais hakochavim. Once again, the example of Erev Shabbos comes to mind because once lit on Friday afternoon, the lights should continue to burn for at least 75 minutes.

·        One should not derive benefit from any of the Chanukah Neiros (e.g. read by their light), except for the shamash. This is in stark contrast to the Shabbos candles which are intended to provide numerous benefits, including illumination.

·        Once the proper time for lighting the Chanukah candles arrive, one should not eat much more than a light snack until after fulfillment of this mitzva. Please note that there are certain circumstances under which one would be allowed to eat.  

·        The primary mitzva is to light the neiros; thus, if they are lit and immediately thereafter they are accidentally extinguished, one does not need to relight them.

Have a great Shabbos and a Chanukah full of light.

The following is a beautiful Chanukah thought from the Chief Rabbi of England, Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I hope you find it as meaningful as I did. Have a great Shabbos & Chanukah sameach.

We all know the miracles of Chanukah, the military victory of the Maccabees against the Greeks, and the miracle of the oil that should have lasted one day but stayed burning for eight. But there was a third miracle not many people know about. It took place several centuries later.

After the destruction of the second Temple, many rabbis were convinced that Chanukah should be abolished. After all, it celebrated the rededication of the Temple. And the Temple was no more. It had been destroyed by the Romans under Titus. Without a Temple, what was there left to celebrate?
The Talmud tells us that in at least one town, Lod, Chanukah was abolished. Yet eventually the other view prevailed, which is why we celebrate Chanukah to this day.

Why? Because though the Temple was destroyed, Jewish hope was not destroyed. We may have lost the building but we still had the story, and the memory, and the light. And what had happened once in the days of the Maccabees could happen again. And it was those words, od lo avdah tikvatenu, "our hope is not destroyed," became part of the song, Hatikvah, that inspired Jews to return to Israel and rebuild their ancient state. So as you light rhe Chanukah candles remember this. The Jewish people kept hope alive, and hope kept the Jewish people alive. We are the voice of hope in the conversation of humankind.

The Mei HaShiloach, R’ Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Ishbitz, points out that in the beginning of Parshas Vayigash we gain important insight into the personality of Yehuda from his confrontation with his brother, Yosef. As is noted by many commentaries, in this episode Yehuda demonstrates a profound sense of responsibility for his family in his passionate and powerful defense of Binyamin, a responsibility that would ultimately evolve into the halachic and philosophical concept known as arvus, brotherhood. But this is not what the Ishbitzer is focused on; he finds yet another facet of Yehuda that is also destined to become an integral part of the collective psyche of Bnei Yisrael that would serve us well throughout the millennia.

The Mei Shiloach observes that at the end of Mikeitz, we find a tremendous pessimism amongst the brothers, a profound sense of despair over what has occurred. Yehuda and company are ready to give up and allow themselves to be taken as slaves. However, at the beginning of Vayigash, Yehuda is ready to battle Yosef, any lingering despondency seems to have vanished! This is what the Ishbitzer explains is one of the most important traits of the Jew that we inherited from Yehuda: the ability to banish despair and to seize hope in its place. R’ Shlomo Carlebach once explained that the greatness of the Jewish People can be seen by how we are able to get up from off the floor on Tisha b’Av, the national day of mourning, and immediately dance on Tu b’Av, one of the two happiest days on the Jewish calendar, just a few days later.

In the merit of our faith and refusal to despair, may the many struggles of the present soon be replaced by the pure rejoicing of the near future.

Have a great Shabbos.

When Yaakov Avinu realizes that his life is coming to a close, he calls his sons to gather around him so they can all receive a blessing from their father before he takes leave of them. However, that was not the only purpose. Yaakov had an additional reason in bringing them all together.

The pasuk at the beginning of chapter 49 tells us that the ailing patriarch said to his children, “Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will occur to you at the End of Days.” Rashi, quoting the Gemara in Tractate Pesachim, informs us that Yaakov meant to reveal to his progeny when the Messiah would come and put an end to the Exile, and thereby eradicate all suffering from the world. The Shelah HaKodosh (R. Yeshaya Horowitz; 1560-1630; major scholar and mystic) adds that Yaakov wasn’t merely giving his sons a date, a time by which to expect the Mashiach’s arrival. He was also teaching them a crucial lesson as to how the Nation would merit Divine salvation, or, G-d forbid, forestall it. With one word our forefather was able to transmit this essential teaching: “hai’asfu – assemble/gather together.” The physical act of the brothers coming close to one another epitomized an elusive value that would be, and is, vital to their descendants.

For the Jewish People to experience the Messianic Era, Yaakov Avinu was stressing that they would first have to experience unity, and care for one another. Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred, the scourge of Am Yisrael’s existence since the story of Yosef and his brothers, will have to be eliminated before the Ultimate Redemption is allowed to transpire. Considering current events in Eretz Yisrael, this message is particularly critical and compelling.

Have a great Shabbos.

The following is a column that was sent to me by someone from Shul who found it meaningful, and I would like to share it with you. It first appeared in last weekend's edition of the Jerusalem Post. Have a great Shabbos.

My Brothers Do I Seek

by Jonathan Rosenblum
Jerusalem Post

I came to full Jewish observance relatively late in life. I was nearly thirty and married when I first walked through the doors of Ohr Somayach. I don't fully remember the entire process of becoming religious. But certainly the most important element of our decision was exposure to people of a refinement and depth that we had never before encountered.

For the last twenty years, I have been writing biographies of modern Jewish leaders. If one bright thread unites the lives of all the disparate figures whose lives I have researched it is their commitment to the Torah imperative that "the Name of Heaven should be become beloved through you."

In the 1930s, Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, today renowned as one of the premier Jewish thinkers of the century, supported himself in London tutoring young public school students. He instructed one of those young students to drop a coin in the cup of all the numerous beggars along the way. To another, he suggested that he should always go to the upper-deck of the London bus he rode to the lessons. Since he only travelled one stop, perhaps the conductor would not reach him to collect his fare, and then he – an identifiably religious Jewish boy – would hand the change to the person next to him and say in a loud voice, "The conductor did not collect my fare, please pay him for me." The lesson: Not only must one sanctify G-d's Name through one's actions; one must seek out opportunities to do so.

These figures saw themselves as teaching about Torah in every situation. Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, the wise man of American Jewry, once took a ball out of his pocket in a doctor's office and started playing with a young boy. When asked if it was not beneath his dignity, he replied, "He may never see another old Jew with a white beard. I want his association to be a good one." When he passed away, a group of nuns in Monsey wrote a letter lamenting the loss of the old rabbi who always smiled at them on his walks.

For thirteen years, the Klausenberger Rebbe traveled the globe raising the money to build Laniado Hospital in Netanya, to create a model of a Torah approach to healing. Once he learned that a pamphlet on the laws of family purity was being distributed to patients, and ordered it be stopped immediately. He built the hospital not to do missionary work but to demonstrate how the Torah views healing, he explained. That was reflected in the no-strike clause in every doctor's contract, the surfeit of respirators so no triage decisions would ever have to be made as to who would receive a respirator, the willingness of nursing students, inspired by the Rebbe, to spend days and nights by the beds of patients upon whom everyone else had given up; and the use of much more expensive, but less painful, disposable syringes for shots.

The Rebbe was famous for his stringency with respect to shmiras einayim (guarding one's gaze). But in the DP camps after the War (in which he lost his wife and eleven children), when he heard that young Jewish girls, dehumanized by what they had been through, had set up a red light district, he personally went to bring them back to their heritage.

These great Torah leaders treated each every person with whom they came into contact with respect and empathy. Reb Yaakov Kamenetsky and another rosh yeshiva once entered a cab, in which the music was blaring. The other rosh yeshiva asked the cabdriver to turn-off the radio. But Reb Yaakov told him not to. "The driver's work is so monotonous that he'll go mad without out it so we have no right to ask him to turn it off," said Reb Yaakov, citing a Talmudic passage in support.

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach would not jump up from his seat on the bus if a woman not dressed according to halachic standards sat down next to him, lest she feel insulted. He would simply push the button as if his stop was coming up and get off the bus.

A religious family undertook to cover the expenses of the fertility treatments of a non-religious Jewish couple, and sent them to Israel to receive blessings from great tzadikim, including the Rosh Yeshiva of Mirrer Yeshiva, Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel. When the couple arrived at the Rosh Yeshiva's house in summer attire, not usually seen in Meah Shearim, Rebbetzin Finkel greeted the wife with a hug and words of encouragement – "You are both Jewish. It is such a big thing to marry Jewish today."

So as not to embarrass her visitor, the Rebbetzin explained that her husband was such a holy man that out of respect she dons a shawl when she goes into speak to him, and offered her guest another shawl and a piece of matching jewelry.

Reb Nosson Tzvi remained silent when the couple entered. The person who escorted them in started to explain their situation, but the Rosh Yeshiva stopped him short: "Of course I know who they are, I'm thinking of their pain." Then he turned to the husband and asked, "Do you ever feel people are staring at you?" The husband nodded. Reb Nosson Tzvi added, "I often feel that way and that people cannot understand what I'm saying [on account of the loss of muscular control from debilitating Parkinson's disease]." Let's cry together. And that's what the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva and the childless couple did.

Non-religious Jewish politicians who worked closely with Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the long-time president of Agudath Israel of America never felt that he looked down on them. New York Mayor Ed Koch said, "He personified the Talmudic rule, 'Hate the sin, not the sinner'." Upon Rabbi Sherer's death, Alexander Schindler, the head of the American Reform movement, wrote a eulogy in The New York Times. The morning after his funeral, the black woman behind the entrance desk at the building housing Agudath Israel's office, whom Rabbi Sherer always made a point of greeting effusively and inquiring after, and the Latin American building superintendent, whose family had been spared deportation because of Rabbi Sherer's use of his political connections on their behalf, both wept openly.

LAST FRIDAY NIGHT, a rav who was one of my role models at the beginning of the journey and remains one today spoke about yesterday's fast of Aseret b'Tevet, which, according to some opinons, is the date of the sale of Yosef by his brothers. The Torah portion of the week, VaYigash, relates how Yosef and Binyamin fell on each other and wept. Rashi comments: Yosef wept for the two Temples that stood in the portion of Binyamin, which would be destroyed; and Binyamin wept for the Mishkan at Shiloh, in the portion of Yosef's son Ephraim, which would also be destroyed.

What is the connection between those destructions and the reunion of Yosef and Binyamin? Yosef had constructed an elaborate test for his brothers to see whether his brothers would stand by their half-brother Binyamin, and thus rectify their sale of him. The brothers passed that test. But only in part. Throughout Yehudah's plea to Yosef on Binyamin's behalf, he refers to the latter as the son of their father Yaakov and as "the lad", but not as "our brother." Something was still lacking in brotherly unity. And that lack was felt in the destruction of the Temple for causeless hatred.

Until we can repair that lack of brotherhood, the Temple will not be rebuilt. Mrs. Tzila Schneider, the head of Kesher Yehudi, is trying to do just that. In recent years, she has organized thousands of learning partnerships between religious and non-religious women. The main message she offers the hareidi volunteers is: "If you see yourself as only a teacher in this relationship, but don't feel you have anything to gain or learn from your secular partner, this program is not for you. This program is only for those who believe every Jew is special and that we are all intimately bound to one another." I have been present at events in which the phone study partners met each other for the first time, and the warmth and excitement was palpable. Many pairs sat with their arms around each other for the rest of the evening.

Last Shabbos was spent with a group of over 100 women university students receiving an introduction to Torah Judaism under the auspicies of an organization called Nefesh Yehudi. I was amazed by the sophistication and command of the breadth of Jewish thought of the lecturers, including Mrs. Miriam Kosman, who made her debut in these pages last week. The conversation on Friday night lasted until 4:00 a.m., and the students did not hold back with their questions on every topic – relationships, homosexuality, why most hareidi women wear wigs, and, of course, Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Neither that Shabbaton or hundreds like it or 7,000 phone partnerships in Torah learning will fully repair the tear in Klal Yisrael. But they are steps in the right direction.

I HAVE NEVER REGRETTED the decision to become religious. I cannot even imagine how much less rich my life would have been without Torah. But it must be admitted that there is much in our society that does not conform to the paragons one meets upon entering the hareidi community. And much that I have subsequently been exposed to would have made the decision much harder at the beginning.

It is unrealistic to expect an entire community to attain the level of the great figures I have spent the last two decades writing about. But, at the very least, we should strive to emulate their example of turning every encounter with a fellow human being, and especially a fellow Jew, into a positive experience. Those whose insularity has rendered them oblivious to that message fill me with pain and anger.

              In the Talmud Yerushalmi, Rabbi Yochanan associates the mitzva to drink four cups of wine on Seder night with the four different expressions of redemption found in the beginning of this week’s parsha. The four terms are part of a message of hope that G-d instructs Moshe to bring to the Jewish People (6:6-7). They are:

1. “V’hotzaisi – And I will take you out”,
2. “V’hitzalti – And I shall rescue you”,
3. “V’ga’alti – And I will redeem you”,
4. “V’lakachti – And I shall take you for Me as a people.”

Each one of these phrases corresponds to a different phase of the Exodus, and in drinking the four cups we remember, and celebrate, each and every stage. According to Rabbeinu Bachya (1263-1340; scholar and philosopher), the first step was to have the hardships and burden of the Egyptian slavery removed from Am Yisrael: “V’hotzaisi.” Next, was to actually take the Jews out of the strange and foreign land: “V’hitzalti.” The phase of “V’ga’alti” refers to the time when the Jews began to emerge from their slave mentality, when they saw the Egyptian Army destroyed at the Splitting of the Sea. At that moment they saw their oppressors, their former masters, finally removed as a threat. The final stage of “V’lakachti” occurred at Sinai, when the Jewish People and God forged an eternal relationship through the giving, and receiving, of the Torah. 

            It is interesting to note that the word used as the last of the four stages is a form of the word ‘lakach,’ meaning ‘to take’. Throughout Tanach, this same word often appears, in one form or another, to refer to the commencement of significant relationships, especially in the context of marriage. We thus arrive at an early hint to the true nature of the Sinai Revelation. The newly assumed status of ‘Nation’ was in addition to the more personal, much more intimate, and perhaps more important status of ‘Bride’. The meaningful relationship between man and G-d reflects, and demands, the commitment found in the healthy relationship of husband and wife.

 Have a great Shabbos.

P.S. The next ten days present a considerable challenge for our weekday minyanim. A sizeable number of our regular weekday minyan attendees will not be in town. Therefore, we are inviting all to join in with the tzibur and ensure the continuity of our minyanim, and to assist in maintaining the presence of passionate prayer in our shul.

In the negotiations between Moshe and Pharoh leading up to the eighth plague, Makas Arbeh – the Plague of Locusts, Pharoh asks Moshe who would be leaving Egypt to serve Hashem. He responds, “Binarainu uviz’kainainu nailaich, b’vanainu uviv’nosainu…- With our young ones and our elders we will go, with our sons and our daughters…” (10:9). Moshe’s message is clear: the entire nation, young and old, women and men, even their possessions, is essential for establishing the proper framework for service of the Creator. Each one has a role, and the worship would be incomplete without the participation of the totality of Am Yisrael. As we know from our experience at Mount Sinai, “k’ish echad b’lev echad - as one individual, with one heart.” The true greatness of our People can only be realized with the full participation of its adherents, with all of our glorious differences intact. Something we all need to remember.

Have a great Shabbos.

P.S. On Shabbos, February 11^th, Congregation Israel will be hosting a Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim alumni Shabbaton. If anyone can please house some of our guests, please let me know. Thanks so much.

            In Parshas BeShalach, we read about one of the daily miracles which Hashem performed for the Jews during their sojourn in the desert. Each morning, manna descended from heaven to provide that day’s sustenance. On Shabbos morning, however, no manna fell. Instead, twice the usual daily ration fell on Friday, half of which was set aside for Shabbos. Gemara Shabbos (117b) teaches that we are to begin our Shabbos meals with two loaves of bread, in remembrance of this double portion. This is known as ‘lechem mishneh.’

The following is a quick review of some of the laws of lechem mishneh:

1. Both men and women are obligated in this halacha.
2. When one person makes the beracha over the challos for everyone else, his or her lechem mishneh suffices for all of them.
3. One should use two complete loaves for lechem mishneh.
4. A loaf is considered whole even if it has a split or crack provided that when one lifts the challa by the weaker section it does not break in two.
5. Loaves that became attached during baking may be separated and are still considered whole for lechem mishneh purposes.
6. One who lacks two complete loaves should use one whole loaf and one cut loaf together.
7. If whole loaves are not available, one should use two cut or broken pieces.
8. A fully baked frozen challa may be used as lechem mishneh and need not be thawed out first.
9. One law regarding meals in general: one should be sure to eat a k’zais of bread (half a piece of a regular size challa) within 4 minutes, sometime during the meal to ensure an obligation in Birchas HaMazon.

[The above is based on the book, Kavod v’Oneg Shabbos/The Radiance of Shabbos by Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen]

Have a great Shabbos.

Although the Rambam and others decry it, many communities have the custom that the congregation stands as the Aseres Hadibros are read. The opposition to this practice is due to the fact that in numerous places the Gemara objects to any action that would give the misimpression that one part of the Torah is holier, or more authentic, than any other. As such, Rambam reasons, when we rise for the Aseres HaDibros aren’t we demonstrating that we consider these verses more important than the rest of the parsha for which we did not stand?

Rav Yosef Dov halevi Soloveitchik, the Rav zt”l, suggested that perhaps we stand to reenact the Sinai experience when we all stood at the foot of the mountain in awe and fear, with exhilaration and trembling at hearing the Divine decrees. The annual reenactment is intended to remind us of the importance we should ascribe to all of the Torah, remembering our attitude and demeanor when we first received it, how we cherished and excitedly looked for it. Now that we have it, we strive to recall this initial enthusiasm that hearing the Torah generated, so we can once more learn to appreciate and value it properly.

Have a great Shabbos.      

In his commentary on Mishpatim 21:1, Rashi quotes the Gemara in Maseches Gittin (88b) which states that it is prohibited for two Jewish people to go to secular court to adjudicate their dispute. Most consider this to be a Torah prohibition. If a Jewish person turns to the secular court system to make a financial claim against another Jew, the Rambam writes that such a person is considered a ‘rasha,’ wicked, and it is as if he blasphemed and cursed G-d’s laws. 

Rav Herzog, the second Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel, Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem in the first half of the 20th century, and many other authorities, point out that it makes no difference whether or not the judges hearing the case are actually Jewish or not. One still violates this prohibition if the judgment is not in accordance with halacha. According to Rav Herzog z”l, if the judges are Jewish, and the court is in the land of Israel, yet they listen to a secular judicial system and do not decide such matters based on Jewish law, it is one thousand times worse than two Jews going for a secular judgment to non-Jewish judges in a foreign land.

Rav Akiva Eiger, the great 18th century halachic authority, comments that any monies gained by a judgment from a secular court which would not have been won under Torah law are considered stolen funds and must be returned to the owner. If the person who inappropriately won them would use such monies to betroth a woman in marriage, the couple would not be considered married! (Choshen Mishpat 26:1)

Please note that there are many circumstances when two parties would be allowed by halacha to go secular court. Some further details can be found in Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, 26:1-4.

Have a great Shabbos.

"The hidden things belong to Hashem, our G-d, and the revealed things are for us and our descendants forever, to observe all the words of this Torah." (29:28).

The K’sav Sofer (R’ Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer; 19th century Torah leader of Hungarian Jewry) notes that our Sages relate that there are two possible times of salvation: one which is hidden from us, and one which is revealed. Here, Moshe prophesied about the long and bitter exile which the Jewish people were destined to endure, the conclusion of which was not revealed to the prophets. This hidden time is known only to Hashem. Our task is to patiently wait for the preordained time of Redemption to arrive; we are mere observers. However, the time of redemption which "is revealed to us and our descendants" is when we will "observe all the words of this Torah." We can become active participants in the coming of the Redemption, by committing ourselves to living a life of Torah and to walk in the ways of the Almighty.

May our Teshuva, Tefilla, and Tzedaka bring about the revelation of G-d’s Kingship in the world, speedily in our days.

Have a great Shabbos and a Shana Tova.