Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Vayyera 15 Marcheshvan 5772/November 12, 2011

Vol.3 Num. 7

Mazal Tov to Gillit and Yair Manas on the birth of a baby girl! May she grow to Torah, Chuppah uMaasim Tovim!

Jews and Politics

The sage Shemayah was a leading scholar of the first century BCE and mentor of the great Hillel, but his words in Pirkei Avot 1:10 have gained little traction with Jews over the centuries. Shemayah advised, "Love labour, hate positions of authority and do not make yourself known to the government." Ignoring this judicious counsel, we strive for early retirement, we clamour for power, and we have a long, colourful history of cultivating relationships with the government du jour. Shemayah's own flouting of his first two pearls of wisdom is fascinating; he held the sinecure of President of the Sanhedrin, so that his advice amounts to, "Do as I say, not as I do." But to focus on his third recommendation, why did so many giants of our past Rabbi Yehudah haNasi, Mar Shemuel, Shemuel haNagid, Don Isaac Abarbanel, Sir Moses Montefiore, to name a few cultivate relationships with the governments of their day? On one level, our government alliances are simply a product of Pragmatism. We would like certain things from society: the right to practice our religion without being harrassed, the option of sending our children to Jewish schools, the freedom to take Shabbat and Yom Tov off of work without penalty. We would like certain ideals reflected in municipal and federal policy. A pragmatist says that if we want to achieve, we must involve ourselves, express our opinions, and contribute to the public good. We find this point of view expressed by Rabbi Yissachar Techtel, author of Em haBanim Smeichah, regarding Israel and the involvement of Torah-observant Jews in birthing the nascent state. Writing in 1942, Rav Techtel berated those who complained about the secular character of the Zionist leadership. He asked, Were you involved when they started? Did you build their towns with them? Did you move to the land and help build it up? We must be willing to be involved. A second reason for investment is Gratitude. We receive food through a system of highways, profit from a stable commercial environment, and live safely thanks to police. We enjoy parks in which to play, and roads on which to drive. Our taxes fund these services, but society provides the oversight, design and maintainenance. Gratitude dictates that we pay for this service, and playing a role in government is part of that payment. Rav Moshe Feinstein argued for gratitude in a 1984 letter: "A fundamental principle of Judaism is hakaras hatov recognizing benefits afforded us and giving expression to our appreciation. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each Jewish citizen to participate in the democratic system which affords us the freedoms we enjoy. The most fundamental responsibility incumbent upon each individual is to register to vote." Beyond pragmatism and gratitude, th ough, we tr adi ti onal ly fl out

R Mordechai Torczyner
Shemayah's advice because we are taught to invest in Community. We are a Jewish community, but we are also part of a larger community, and we are responsible to that larger community. As the gemara (Shabbat 33b) explains, Yaakov pioneered this approach. When Yaakov moved his family to Shechem, he contributed to the infrastructure of the land; Rav said that Yaakov established a currency, Shemuel said that Yaakov founded a marketplace, and R Yochanan said that he constructed bathhouses for the population. Rashi explains that Yaakov did this when he purchased land in the area; upon becoming landed, he made an investment in the public good. The same message may be seen in our ancestor Avraham's plea on behalf of the hypothetical righteous population of Sodom. Avraham contended, Perhaps there are righteous people b'toch ha'ir, in the midst of the city, emphasizing that the individuals who could forestall catastrophe would be people who functioned as part of the citizenry, not as an isolated enclave. The work Panim laTorah cites the Vilna Gaon as highlighting this language, and Ibn Ezra and Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch did likewise in their biblical commentaries. Our worth stems from our involvement with the greater populace. G i v e n t h e s e th r e e e l e m e n t s Pragmatism, Gratitude and Community why did Shemayah stand against entry into government? Perhaps Shemayah's words were formed in response to the Sanhedrin he personally led, a group of sages who cowered before the murderous King Herod (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14:9; see also Sanhedrin 19a). Shemayah was justly concerned that a nation which consorted closely with corrupt kings could be intimidated or bought. Nonetheless, the weight of Jewish tradition is with the Abarbanels and Montefiores; for reasons both selfish and selfless, we seek the good of the land we inhabit investing, building, and governing as well. torczyner@torontotorah.com

Parshah Questions

R Meir Lipschitz

(Answers are available at http://bit.ly/uQZClD) How do we know who the two youths of Avraham are? (Rashi, Mizrachi, Gur Aryeh to Bereishit 22:3) What were the ten tests of Avraham? (Rashi, Rambam, and Rabbeinu Yonah to Avot 5:3) What lessons can be learned from the Akeidah? (Moreh HaNevuchim 3:24, Rabbeinu Bachaye Devarim 21:21 v'chol Yisrael, Abarbanel Bereishit 22:1, Hertz Chumash The Binding of Isaac (Akedah) ) For children: How do we know that welcoming guests is a great mitzvah? (Rashi Bereishit 18:2, Shevuos 35b, Shabbat 127a) meir.lipschitz@gmail.com

Laws of Shnayim Mikra

In addition to hearing the weekly Torah portion, adult men1 are required to read the weekly Torah portion (but not a Yom Tov reading or haftorah2) twice, and the Aramaic translation of Onkelos.3 This obligation, which seems to be rabbinic, applies irrespective of one's Torah knowledge; even one who spends all of his time learning advanced Torah must devote his time to this mitzvah.4 In place of the Aramaic translation of Onkelos, one may read Rashi's com m e n ta r y. 5 Auth or i t i e s d i ffe r concerning which is preferable; some6 prefer Onkelos, as it is endorsed by the Talmud, which dates an Aramaic translation by Onkelos the convert to the second Beit haMikdash.7 Others8 prefer Rashi, as his commentary is built on Talmudic thought and is more elaborate than that of Onkelos. Pious individuals are advised to read both.9 If choosing between the two, one should keep in mind that comprehension is of primary importance. There are three approaches as to how one may go through each Torah portion. (1) One reads through each parshah (i.e. paragraph; a section marked off by a or )twice, afterward reading Onkelos/Rashi for that section.10 (2) One reads each verse twice, followed by Onkelos/Rashi for that verse.11 (3) One reads through each parshah once, followed by each individual verse of that parshah with Onkelos/Rashi.12 One may choose any format. 1 3 Most authorities require one to read the Torah text twice before continuing to Onkelos/Rashi,14 but some prefer a reading of Onkelos/Rashi in between the two Torah readings.15 When using Rashi, those verses that have no commentary should be read a third time instead.16

R Ezra Goldschmiedt

Hitoriri: Jewish Spirituality

Each portion is to be read im hatzibbur, with the community. One is considered to be reading im hatzibbur from the time one prays Minchah on Shabbat17 until Minchah of the following Shabbat. Optimally, one should finish the weekly portion before the daytime kiddush to ensure that a lengthy meal won't prevent him from finishing on time.18 One who did not finish before Minchah should still complete the portion, as some authorities allow for it to be completed before the conclusion of Shabbat, or before the following Tuesday night, or before the new cycle of Torah readings are begun on Simchat Torah.19 The reading of VeZot HaBeracha is considered im hatzibbur until Parshat Bereishit is read on Simchat Torah morning, which is also when one may begin reading Bereishit for the next cycle.20
1 Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchatah 42:231 2 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:7 3 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:1 4 Teshuvot HaRashba 1:206 5 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:2 6 Arukh HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 285:12; Beur Halachah 235 s.v. Targum 7 Megilah 3a 8 Shulchan Arukh HaRav 285:2 9 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:2 10 Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim 285:1 11 Shulchan Arukh HaRav 285:3 12 Birur Halachah 285 13 Shulchan Arukh HaRav 285:3 14 Kaf HaChaim 285:6 15 Bikurei Chaim, Mekor Chaim 3:11 16 Mishnah Berurah 285:5 17 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:3; 18 Mishnah Berurah 285:7 19 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:4; Beur Halachah 285 s.v. Yashlim 20 Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 285:4 Bikurei Chaim 2:18

The Fate of a Snake

Hillel Horovitz : : " ", " , . ? : ' : " ", ' . ' : " " , '. ' . , ' . , , . ' ' . ' .' : " ", . ? ! , ', ' .

613 Mitzvot: Mitzvah 112 Creating rest during the seventh year
R Mordechai Torczyner
Mitzvot 326 and 327 declare prohibitions against working the ground and trees of Israel every seventh year. Mitzvah 112 adds a mitzvat aseh, commanding us to actively create a state of rest for the land. The Rambam and Sefer haChinuch deduce this from Shemot 34:21, "You shall create shabbat from plowing and harvesting," while some deduce it from other passages. However: Why does the Torah need to specify that we shall neither plow nor harvest? We already know, "You shall not sow your field" (Vayikra 25:4)! Rabbi Akiva explains that this passage teaches us to extend the sanctity beyond the seventh year; we stop plowing long before the year begins, and afterward we do not harvest that which grew independently during that year. Rabbi Yishmael agrees with Rabbi Akiva's principle of extending the year's sanctity, but he deduces it by analogy from Yom Kippur, Shabbat and Yom Tov, all of which we extend beyond their strict start and finish. (Rosh haShanah 9a) torczyner@torontotorah.com

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Biography: Rav Elyah Lopian

Torah in Translation

R Dovid Zirkind

HaAretz

Purity of Action
Rav Elyah Lopian Lev Eliyahu, pg. 60
Translated by R Dovid Zirkind
In each generation every person, from the youngest to the oldest with no exception, all pray each day without interruption, Purify our hearts to serve You in truth! This means the following: True worship of G-d is completely free of partiality and personal bias. Otherwise, one is not called a servant of G-d, but rather a servant of himself, and there would be no greater falsehoold than inserting worship of the self in place of worship of G-d. Where does personal bias originate? I would say it results from the material, physical nature of mans body, that he loves himself before all, and his sole interest for all twenty-four hours of the day without interruption is to sate the desires of his body and the yearnings of his heart. Consequently, in every thought, speech and action that man is involved in, even unintentionally his self-love and personal bias enters, and does not leave until he fights it and expels it with great strength. For this we pray even all the tzaddikim and chassidim in each generation Purify our hearts to serve you in truth! Because the purity of the heart is tainted by [even] the smallest amount of dirt the impurity of self-interest which is falsehood! The heart which is pure of interwoven lies is the one that merits to worship G-d in truth! There are precious stones and pearls in this world, and they are rare. However, parallel to them there are many stones and polished glasses that appear in the eyes of a novice like precious stones. One needs an expert to examine and understand that they are fake. There is also glass that is so polished and shiny that even the expert can mistake it for an expensive pearl, and so it is subjected to many tests to recognize its identity. The same is true of gold; there is a test to identify if it is a form of gold or not, and even if it is identified as gold we still must know if it is pure gold or if it contains impurities, and what percentage is gold, etc. Behold, this material requires many fundamental challenges, tests and examinations before it will be completely identified. The same is true with mans actions, because each action is preceded first by the thought process of the intellect and the emotions of the heart. Therefore, even if you see before you two people performing an identical action with no distinction between them, this is only in the action. At the core

Reb Elyah Lopian (1876-1970) was born in Grajewo, Poland where he received his religious education from the students of R Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the mussar movement. He emigrated to England in 1928, where he served as the Rosh Yeshiva of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in London's East End. At the age of 74 he fulfilled his lifelong dream of moving to Israel. Upon his arrival R Lopian intended to devote himself to his personal studies, but due to the encouragement of the Chazon Ish he accepted a position as Mashgiach Ruchani (Spiritual Counsel) at the Kenesset Chizkiyahu Yeshiva in Zichron Yaakov. His discourses on the weekly parshah, known for their passionate mussar and astute psychological insights, were edited by his children and published after his death (see translation). One of many powerful stories of R Elyahs greatness was retold by his nephew, Rabbi Dovid Lapin: I recall so clearly only a few years before his passing, how he got up in the middle of a seder (study session) in the Yeshiva one evening and spontaneously started saying Kaddish. The whole Yeshiva stopped learning, stood and answered his soulwrenching Kaddish. No one knew what caused him to do this, and yet not a single person suggested it was the beginning of senility. We sensed we were witnessing one of those cosmic moments we would never understand. Several hours later the news came through that the Syrian Air Force shot down two Israeli fighter-jets, not very far from Kfar Hassidim. The pilots were killed. The time of the incident: exactly as Reb Elya was reciting Kaddish. dzirkind@torontotorah.com
which motivates action, namely the thought and heartfelt emotion, the gap between these people is quite possibly like the distance between east and west. The same is true within a single person, from one action to the next; it all depends on where the action stems from, if it is from the physical nature of his body and the will of his desires or from the holiness of his soul and the intellect of his heart

Tapuach
R Baruch Weintraub , ' ', ' ' . : , , 5 . : - - 5 , - . . ".. " ( : " , " ) : " .)' " (: ", - , . , , : ( ) , : " .) " ( , . '' ' ' " " " . ( ). 9 , , . , , . ' , ' , . . , , . , 575 . " "

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Schedule for November 12-18, 15-21 Marcheshvan

Tuesday, November 15 Shabbat November 12 1:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Zecharyah: Measuring Jerusalem, for Mekorot, Shaarei Shomayim 1 hour before minchah Yair Manas, Gemara Sukkah, 7:15 PM R Ezra Goldschmiedt, Ramban on Parshah, BAYT Mizrachi Bayit 45 minutes before minchah R Mordechai Torczyner, Daf 8:00 PM Mrs. Elyssa Goldschmiedt, Malbim on Chumash, TCS, women Yomi, BAYT 8:00 PM Yair Manas: Minchat Chinuch, Clanton Park, men After minchah R Mordechai Torczyner, Gem. Avodah Zarah: Voluntary Martyrdom II, BAYT Wednesday, November 16 6:40 PM R Dovid Zirkind, Parent-Child Learning I: Angels 10:00 AM R Mordechai Torczyner, Dramas of Jewish History: on Earth, Shaarei Shomayim Building the Second Temple, BEBY, with Melton Sunday, November 13 12:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Business Lunch and Learn at Zeifmans, Week 3 of 3: Holiday Parties & Presents 9:15 AM Hillel Horovitz, Parshah, Hebrew, Zichron Yisroel 8:30 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Rambam: Hilchot Melachim, 11:50 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Rambam: Hilchot Melachim, Or Chaim, collegiates Shomrai Shabbos, men After maariv R Dovid Zirkind, Bava Kama: Introduction to 8:45 PM R Dovid Zirkind, Gemara Beitzah chaburah, Shaarei Shomayim Avot Nezikin, Shaarei Shomayim 9:00 PM R Ezra Goldschmiedt, Ethical Questions for After maariv R Baruch Weintraub, Halachic issues in Superheroes, Week 2 of 6, BAYT Israel, Hebrew, Clanton Park, men Monday, November 14 8:00 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Medical Halachah: Attending Conferences on Shabbat, Shaarei Shomayim ($5 for CME credit) 8:30 PM Hillel Horovitz, Siddur: In-depth, Clanton Park, men Thursday, November 17 9:15 AM R Mordechai Torczyner, Supernatural vs. Superstition, 36 Theodore in Thornhill, women, not this week Friday, November 18 8:00 AM R Dovid Zirkind, Friday Parsha Preview, Village Shul

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