OnegShabbosפרשת ויגש
27 Dec ‘14 ה’ טבת תשע”ה
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Emotions Were Kept In Check To Be Faithful To Halacha
At the beginning of Perek 45, the pasuk says: “Then Yosef could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there stood no man with him, while Yosef made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud...”
Ironically, before Yosef “lost it” and started to cry he ordered that all (Egyptians) be removed from the room. Why? Rashi says because he did not want the brothers to be humiliated in front of the Egyptians. Yosef knew that his brothers would be tremendously embarrassed when he revealed himself to them as the ruling power of the most powerful nation in the world -- knowing that years earlier they had sold him into slavery. He did not want anyone in the room to see the embarrassment his brothers would be suffering.
Anyone who has been in a situation where they were so overcome with emotion that they broke down crying will realize the difficulty in this narrative. All of us have such moments in life. When we break down crying it is not possible to say “wait a minute, before I break down, I have to check my e-mail.” Emotions overcome a person.
“Yosef could not hold himself back.”
Somehow Yosef was able to hold it in long enough to give the order for the others to leave and long enough for all of them to file out in an orderly fashion. He knew that the halacha prohibits one from publicly embarrassing his fellow man. This is a classic example of human emotions clashing with a halacha. A person has to develop such control that he will not disregard the halacha despite his emotions.
Many times, we say to ourselves “I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t stop.” Therefore, we take liberties. Yosef did not take liberty. The
halacha says you cannot embarrass your brothers. Despite the overwhelming emotions at play, Yosef controlled his emotions and acted according to halacha.
I saw a similar story involving Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz. There was a student of the Mir Yeshiva who lived in America who had a child who was very sick. The student sent a friend of his to go ask Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz that he pray for the child. Rav Chaim took the name and said he would pray for him. Unfortunately, the next day the child took a turn for the worse, and this friend had to go back into Rav Chaim and tell him that the child passed away. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz asked the friend to please extend blessings of condolences to the father of the child in America. The friend left the room and then Rav Chaim (who had been learning with a chavrusa who later told the story) burst out crying. He cried uncontrollably for several minutes. The chavrusa asked him why he did not start crying immediately. He explained, “I saw the friend of my student who delivered the news was already an emotional wreck. I did not want to add to his trauma by crying in front of him. I withheld myself until he left the room and then I let myself go.”
This is a similar story to what occurred by Yosef. We need to have enough control over our emotions so that our outbreak does not negatively impact others in ways that the halacha would not want us to impact them.
The Torah Shiurim of Rabbi FrandRabbi Yissochor FrandMaagid Shiur, Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, Baltimore
Eretz HaTzvi ....................................... 2Rabbi Shraga Kallus ......................... 3Parsha Perspective ............................ 4Home Grown ...................................... 5Rabbi Yonason Roodyn .................... 6Weekly Nach ....................................... 7Dr T ...................................................... 8Guidelines to Tefilah ......................... 9MeYemini Michoel ..........................10Halacha Conversation ....................11Rambam ............................................12
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Eretz HaTzviRabbi Zvi TeichmanCongregation Ohel Moshe, Baltimore, MD
To Life, To Life, L’Chaim!Life is filled with challenges. We win some and we lose some. Sometimes
the losses seem to be greater than our victories. Where do we draw the strength to deal with the frustrations, the failures, and the despair that sets in their wake?
As Yaakov Avinu descends to Egypt he is presented by Yosef to the King of Egypt.
Pharaoh inquires, (בראשית מז ח) כמה ימי שני חייך, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
Yaakov responds,חיי ימי שני היו ורעים מעט שמה ומאת שלשים מגורי שני ימי ט), שם (שם מגוריהם בימי אבתי חיי שני ימי את השיגו The days of the years of “ ולא my sojourns have been a hundred and thirty years. Few and bad have been the the days of the years of my life, and they have not reached the life spans of my forefathers in the days of their sojourn.”
We are taught that Yaakov was penalized for “griping” about the difficulties of his life. G-d confronts Yaakov telling him, “Didn’t I save you from Lavan and Esav? Didn’t I return Dinah and Yosef to you? Because you complained, your life will be reduced by the number of words employed in these verses describing this encounter with Pharaoh.”
From the Torah’s initial description of Pharaoh first speaking to Yaakov until the last word in Yaakov’s response there is a total of thirty three words. This corresponds to the difference between the age Yitzchok lived to, 180, and Yaakov’s departure from this world at the age of 147. (דעת זקנים מבעלי תוס’ בשם (המדרש
G-d’s taking Yaakov to task for seemingly not remembering how He saved him seems imprecise and almost unfair. Although G-d certainly saved him but didn’t he also proverbially “push him off the cliff”? Didn’t G-d dispatch the conniving Lavan, the menacing Esav, the lecherous Shechem and allow for the dissent between the brothers to develop into hatred?
Is Yaakov’s anguish over all the tensions and travails he faced in all those daunting challenges, before he was ultimately saved, not justified in explaining his premature “gray hairs”?
It seems that by including into the count of thirty three words the verse depicting Pharaoh’s questioning as well, that Yaakov was being faulted for just simply “appearing” old and provoking Pharaoh to inquire about his age.
Is this the first time he looked old? Did he suddenly age first now?
Most likely whatever weakened state he was in, as a consequence of having dealt with a lifetime of troubles, certainly preceded his encounter with Pharaoh. Why then wasn’t he held accountable much earlier?
The Baal HaTurim alleges that during the episode when Rachel unbeknownst to Yaakov hid Lavan’s idols, and Yaakov declared that whomever did steal them, (שם לא לב) לא יחיה, “shall not live!”, it backfired on him and he was punished that he would not live the equivalent number of years numerically equivalent to the word of(יחיה, )5+01+8+01) 33!)בעל הטורים תחילת פ’ ויחי
Are these two sources in conflict?
Perhaps the Torah is intimating that in the world of Yaakov, the personification of the attribute of אמת, Truth in this world, he must bear the consequence of that high station. Yaakov who couldn’t tolerate in his home the snatching of even idols and considered it an offense culpable with death, would be held accountable to that same pure standard of truth himself.
We live in a world where it is difficult to discern the even-handedness of G-d in both good and bad that comes our way. With perfect perception we would celebrate equally for tragedy as for joy, ultimately they are similarly for our benefit, but we are incapable of sensing it fully.
Yaakov Avinu was held to a much higher standard. Yaakov should have sensed the “truth” of G-d’s presence with acuity even in his troubles. He was therefore taken to task and had to forfeit thirty three years of his noble life for that shortcoming.
Could it be that Yaakov failed in his very life mission?
.They stood him (Yaakov) before Pharaoh ,ויעמדהו לפני פרעה (שם מז ז)
While many interpret this to emphasize the need to support him as he was frail and old, the Sechel Tov explains this to mean that Yaakov’s radiant beauty toward over all those present.
Yaakov Avinu wasn’t walking around with a smirk of disaffection for his situation in life. He exuded positiveness as evident in his generously bestowing blessings upon Pharaoh both upon arrival and departure. But Yaakov knew that in this encounter began the long exile ahead both in Egypt and all subsequent exiles.
Yaakov knew that it would be extremely difficult to keep our heads high in the face of the ordeals we would face in those difficult days. Yaakov sought to portray the toll suffering can take on our bodies and psyche. He boldly forfeited thirty three years of life so that we would gain strength from observing how Yaakov survived an endless onslaught of the most difficult challenges man can face. Dangerous enemies, death , rape, disharmony at home, conflict among children, financial strife are all among the multi-faceted trials Yaakov faced in his lifetime.
Pharaoh observes a beaten and physically worn but radiant individual. He curiously seeks to understand כמה ימי שני חייך, How can one find חיות, vibrancy, even in a life filled with arduous challenge.
Yaakov reveals that life has to be perceived as מגורי, a “sojourn”, towards a much greater destination.
literally this translates as, Few and bad have been the ,מעט ורעים היו שני ימי חייthe days of the years of my life.
But this is strange, since if the emphasis is to downplay the few morsels of “happy life” he managed to experience in the course of his “sojourn”, then what does Yaakov mean when he says they were “bad”? Didn’t he mean to imply that although they were good they were few in number?
Rav Yaakov Mecklenberg in his masterful work, HaKsav V’HaKabbalah, cites sources that indicate that the word רעים used here can mean fragmented. Yaakov was accentuating the fact that even the few redeeming moments were scattered over time, there was never any continuous happiness.
Perhaps we can take this translation and use it with a positive twist.
Yaakov is giving a prescription as to how we can keep our chin high in the face of adversity. By dwelling on the moments of interspersed joy and success we can be buoyed and thrive. These morsels can be relished and appreciated giving us reason to go on. Yaakov was instructing that by valuing the מעט, the small joys and realizing that they are רעים, regularly disbursed throughout our lives, we can extract שני ימי חיי, years and days of “life” and vitality.
Yaakov concludes, ולא השיגו את ימי שני חיי אבתי בימי מגוריהם, and they have not reached the life spans of my forefathers in the days of their sojourn.
Maybe Yaakov is suggesting that the best is yet to come, there is still hope. One must always live with optimism that things can improve. Indeed the remaining happy years of Yaakov’s life were seventeen in number, numerically equal to 17 ,(9+6+2) ,טוב!
The Holy Arizal alleges that Yaakov’s age of 130 at this juncture corresponds to the self- imposed journey of escape from responsibility that Adam fled to, leaving his wife for 130 years, after feeling dejected subsequent to the sin of his partaking from the Tree of Knowledge.
Yaakov in his willingness to confront challenge, despite its debilitating consequences, was the tikkun for Adam.
The Holy Dzhikover points out that the word מעט is an acronym for מועיל, beneficial, ערב, sweet, and טוב, good. (עטרת ישועה פ’ ויחי)
We hope to find that which is sweet in our encounters with life. At times it may not be sweetness we obtain but at least we hope to achieve success in at least that which is beneficial and allows us to survive. But ultimately it is about the ultimate טוב, good, that we pursue, even if it doesn’t appear so, at those moments when we sense an absence of benefit and sweetness in our lives.
We must grasp these רעים, fragments, of מועיל, success, ערב, sweetness and ,good, treasuring and holding on to them throughout our sojourn called life ,טובif we are to emulate the towering greatness we are capable of in the image of our illustrious father Yaakov!
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S P O N S O R E D
Rabbi Shraga KallusRosh Kollel Ateres Sholom, Yerushalayim
What’s in a Name?
In this week’s parsha we find the names of the children
and grandchildren of Yaacov Avinu. The Medrash is quick
to point out the peculiar names of Binyamin’s children.
Becher, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chuppim etc. The Medrash
attributes all the names to his brother Yosef Hatzadik.
Binyamin, as a tribute to his “lost” brother, named every
child with a reference to Yosef. For example: Becher
because Yosef was Binyamin’s bechor. Chuppim, because
he missed my chuppah and I missed his. Muppim, because
of his beauty (yofi). It is interesting to note that none of
them did he call Yosef. It would seem that this would be
the source for the well-known minhag not to name a child
after someone who died tragically.
The Yam Shel Shlomo in Gittin P.4 (31(, in reference to the spelling of the name Yeshayahu in a Get, says that the minhag is to name Yeshaya and not Yeshayahu, albeit that the Navi himself had the latter spelling and pronunciation. He explains that in fact since the Navi was murdered by his own grandson we do not name after him and rather our name is based on the name Yeshaya a person who lived 400 years prior to the Navi, mentioned in Divrei Hayamim.
The Beis Shmuel in Even Ha’Ezer 129 (10( argues, and proves from the Rema that we use the name Gedalyahu with a vav at the end although he too met a tragic end.
The Chasam Sofer Even Ha’Ezer B (25) says that the minhag is to write Akiva with a Hey and not with an Aleph, albeit that in Shas it is spelled with an Aleph, because of the unpleasant end that Rav Akiva faced. He takes somewhat of a middle approach that the use of the exact name of one who died tragically i.e. accident, murder etc. should be avoided; however if a change is made in the name the problem is rectified. Hence Akiva, Gedalya, and Yeshaya would be acceptable variations.
We find however a contradiction to this approach from Rashi in Divrei Hayamim 1 Perek 3 where Rashi explains that Dovid Hamelech had two children Elishama and Elifelet, both of whom died young, and he named two other children with the same names. We also find the Gemora in Moed Katan 25B telling the tragic story of Rav Chanin
who was niftar before the bris of his son, who was called Chanin after his father.
It would seem that there is a difference between a person being murdered or dying in an accident Rch”l or dying young Rch”l. Reb Moshe Feinstein in Igros Moshe volume 2 (122( says we don’t find a problem naming after Shmuel Hanavi or Shlomo Hamelech both of whom died at the age of 52. He explains that if a person finished his lifelong mission early it isn’t considered to be “bad mazal”. Many Tzadikim such as the Rema, Arizal, and the Ramchal, to name but a few, died young after completing their mission. On the other hand Yeshayahu, Gedalyahu, and Akiva met a terrible ending. Therefore the letter of the law would allow for naming after one who died young as we find in the case of Dovid Hamelech and Rav Chanin, but to name after one who had a tragic end should be avoided.
The minhag has become generally to shy away from naming after even one who was niftar young, possibly because of ayin hara. It is clear however from the Chasam Sofer and many of the poskim that an additional name removes the stigma (even a change in spelling was enough for the Chasam Sofer). The Munkatcher added that the new name should be first. Some have the name of adding a mazeldika name such as Baruch.
Many Gedolim considered over the age of 60 to not be considered “young” as we find in the Mishna in Avos that 60 is the start of “old age”.
In regard to one’s parents it seems that minhag is to name after them, even if they were niftar young. The poskim explain that since the letter of the law permits it, and by naming after a parent one is fulfilling the mitzvah of kibud av v’eim, the mitzvah will protect the child. Especially a mitzvah that the Torah says has a reward of longevity.
Many Gedolim allow naming children after the Kedoshim of the Holocaust -- due to the fact that so many were killed in such a short time one certainly can’t say that the niftar had a bad mazal -- rather it was the mazal of the time.
We should be zoche to the days of the Moshiach when all the above will be halacha v’lo l’maaseh!
לע''נ
רות שאשא בת יעקב מאיר ע"ה
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S P O N S O R E D
The Weekly Parsha PerspectiveReb Chaim Simcha Jakubowicz
Holy Hugs & a Mission !
The פרשה deals with the story of how after
revealing himself to his brothers, יוסף is eventually
reunited with his father, however while we find that
falls upon his fathers neck crying, his father יוסף
decides that now would be a good time to say שמע
! רבונו של עולם to the ישראל
The reason behind this was that יעקב felt such emotion he intended to utilise the emotion of such an ultimate feeling that he directed it to ה׳.
The story goes that when one of the great גדולים was a child something made him upset, he went straight away and took a תהלים to daven from, when his ספר father asked him what he was doing, he explained that he wanted to use the emotion he felt in directing it towards the רבונו של עולם!
The ability of channeling emotion is always in directing it towards a higher purpose, emotion can either control us or we can control it, this is what יעקב with regards to how מדרש explains from the רשיmanaged to say שמע because he was able to direct the emotion towards ה׳ in effect reaching greater spiritual heights of greatness utilising those emotions.
Further the לועז always had יעקב explains that מעם a feeling and strongly suspected that his son was alive physically, however he wondered if his son was dead to him spiritually, if because of his great beauty and abilities he would have succumbed to physical desires, and upon seeing him and recognising his son who had remained and managed to attain his lofty spiritual heights in one of the most טומאה places on earth, he managed to find peace, it was therefore far more relevant for him to direct his emotions towards ה׳ in הקרת הטוב!
Further more the מדרש explains יעקב knew that his role in the world was to bring about the 12 tribes and
ensure their purity and spiritual loftiness towards the
building of ישראל this is what Reb Yakov Culi zt’l,עם
explains that it was his fear all those years knowing
that he may fail in his mission, such was the height
of יעקב, he could have fallen to his knees, cried the cry
that any normal parent would not be blamed for feeling,
the tremendous overwhelming feeling of seeing ones
son after so long, instead he maintained his greatness
even more, reaching a tremendously high level due
to his ability in remaining focused in his mission and
directing that emotion!
We find that even before reaching מצרים the מדרש
explains the פסוק how יעקב sent יהודה ahead to establish
a תלמוד would be learnt and a תורה a place were בית
future for the בני ישראל secured, despite the fact that he
knew he would meet his son, he remained focused on
his mission in ensuring the continued existence of a
nation that was his responsibility to see built up.
The פירוש יונתן further explains that we find יוסף cried
when he embraced his father out of the pain he felt for
his fathers honour as he did not want his father to bow
before him, the lesson here is incredible in what can be
seen as one of the most emotional reunions in the whole
did not forget his place or role יוסף despite it all ,תורה
towards his father, despite the potential he could have
had in losing control, due to his being overwhelmed by
this reunion!
Regardless of their extreme feelings and emotions
the אבות show us how the direction of those emotions
and control over never forgetting their missions and
responsibilities took precedence over the most basic
and understandable reactions that anyone could feel,
may we too be זוכה to grow and succeed in coming
closer and successfully combine all our emotions and
feelings towards all our ultimate goals and missions!
לע''נ
ר' יוסף דב בן ר' משה הכהן אלביצקי ז"ל
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S P O N S O R E D
Home Grownfrom the Golders Green KolelThis week: Rabbi Moshe Heimann
Yaakov Ovinu: The Utimate “Truly Observant” Jew
It almost defies belief. Yosef, the beloved son torn away from his father at the tender age of seventeen, mourned by his father for twenty two years, given up for dead, supposedly torn to shreds by a wild animal and then lo and behold the body of Yosef is finally identified some hundreds of miles away from its original location, very much alive and ruling with royal splendor over a large kingdom as second in command to the great Pharaoh of Egypt
The news is gently broken to Yaakov so as not to shock him unduly. And the posuk then tells us ‘vatechi ruach Yaakov avihem’, after his long years of suffering, Yaakov’s spirit comes to life again, he is once more revived and rejuvenated.
And then the great finale, Yaakov travels down to Mitzrayim to meet his beloved long lost son. The two ride towards each other, they meet and Yosef falls on his father’s neck crying, and Yaakov... The posuk is strangely silent in this regard and it would seem that Yosef’s emotive greeting went quite unreciprocated. In explaining this, Chazal tell us that the omission is intentional, Yaakov did not respond to Yosef because he was in the midst of reciting krias shema.
How are we to comprehend Yaakov’s actions, was there no other opportunity to recite the shema?!
A number of the commentaries provide various interpretations. The Maharal (in Gur Arieh) explains that the shema creates devekus with Hashem. What appeared as doom and gloom, transpired as for the best, at this rare moment when Yaakov comprehended Hashem’s grand master plan, he experienced a great love and immense gratitude to Hashem that he chose to capture it by connecting with Hashem through the shema.
The hallmark of greatness is precisely this ability to discern the spiritual dimension in each moment, distil it and apply it to yet greater purpose.
I would like to suggest another explanation.
The drama integral to Yosef’s story is the suddenness of reversed fortunes. Yosef, first denied royalty by his siblings, then sold as a young enslaved foreigner (nar eved ivriy), later incarcerated – accused of committing a lewd act, languishing for long years in a dungeon. All at once he is rushed to Pharaoh’s palace and in one fell swoop reaches the highest office of the country.
Yaakov (the “v’aviv shamar es hadavar”) contemplates this amazing example of Divine Providence. Intense darkness has given way to a great light, melancholy and despair have turned into rejoicing. Hashem has redeemed him from his intense sorrow. And then the euphoric moment when he sees Yosef approaching cries out ‘Shema Yisrael’, “Hear Yisrael: Hashem who is now only ‘elokeinu’, only accepted by us, will become
‘Hashem echad’, the G-d of Oneness, when all humanity proclaim Him as Hashem”, (as interpreted by Rashi Devarim (6:4)).
Yaacov recognises his personal witness to dramatic redemption as a forerunner of what is to come. It is a springboard from which to contemplate the ultimate Divine Plan when in a sudden dramatic reversal, the entire world’s populace will come together united in the recognisation of Hashem’s name and an idyllic new era will dawn. At this moment of intense personal geula, Yaakov envisions the prophecy of the final redemption when Hashem’s royalty will be celebrated throughout the world.
This is the quality of our chachamim the ‘einiei ha’eidoh’, to be our ’eyes’ in capturing and contemplating the essence of Hashem’s plan for us
and what Hashem demands from each one of us. They have the unique ability to observe the truth by penetrating the fog that distorts much of our thinking. They are the “observant” Jews who give us the clarity to see the way ahead.
Without the chachomim to guide us we are prone to stumble in the darkness. Our inclinations “bribe” us into seeing things in a distorted way so that they serve our immediate selfish desires; this “bribe” is known as negius. Often the little inner voice luring us into one bad life choice and another as we succumb to our own self-deception is no more that a figment of our imagination; just as Pharoh suited himself when he denied Hashem even in the face of constant makos! Bribery has the ability to blind the eye from obvious observations, reaching a false conclusion, as the torah warns, “ki hashochad yeaver eyney chachomim”.
According to the Ohr Hachyim (42:8) even the great shevatim possessed this fallibility, blinding themselves from recognising that it was Yosef who was standing before them.
(This idea is hinted in a nice gimatria that occurred to me. If we start with “441) ”אמת), and then remove the impartiality by blinding the ““עין 130)) to reach a erroneous judgment, what is left is “312) “שחד), as this is the effect of bribery or personal negius.)
The Torah calls the chachamim “eyney haeidah”, “the eyes of the people”. This is the same word used in the above mentioned posuk “ki hashochad yeaver eyney chachomim”. The “seeing eye” refers to the ability to observe and comprehend the deeper inner truth, as Moshe praised Yisro, “vehiyisa lanu l’eynayim” (Bamidbar 10:31), in recognition of this special ability to observe a situation, assess it in detail, and offer solutions that stood up to the test of Hashem’s own sanction. Yisro’s uniqueness was also expressed in his desire to join am yisrael in the desert. Whilst millions of people had heard about the miracles, it took a special personality like Yisro to see the truth, internalise it, and to convert it into action.
This well honed attention to detail extends into the mundane too, giving the chacham the special dispensation to reclaim a lost object on the strength of recognition alone (tevias ayin [Baba Metziya 24a]).
Avrahom was no doubt the first ‘observant’ Jew. By observing and contemplating the laws of nature alone, he saw in the miracle of the sun rising and setting, the Hand of Hashem. In contrast, we tend to walk through life hardly noticing the intricate details and beauty of the creation surrounding us. We are certainly prone to lapsing into a lethargic state of awareness where we do not perceive all the wonderful sightings of His presence that constantly come our way.
A chacham’s ability to advise us is also a product of his foresight – to be “roeh es hanolad”, lit. “seeing the offspring”, i.e. the various outcomes that would lead from a particular action. This endows him with the ability to see into the future. And as we know “chacham adif minavi”, the knowledge that a navi possesses is limited to what he has been shown, whereas the observant “chacham eynav b’rosho” (Koheles 2:14) sees the whole composite picture. (It is perhaps no accident that the letter “70) “ע), which means “eye”, is the same numerical value as “סוד”, or “secret”, because a true eye can foresee the hidden essence.)
‘Titen emess le’Yaakov’: The Parsha gives us a rare insight into the sublime purity that governed all of Yaakov’s thoughts and actions. His middas ha’emes ensured he was never bribed by his negius, consequently every observation was followed by a true assessment (thereby connecting the two middos of Yaakov, din and emes).
We proudly proclaim ourselves to be ‘bnei Yisrael’, the children of Yaakov who was “the ultimate truly observant Jew”.
לע''נ
חיה שפרה בת יהודה ע"הכז סיון תשעד לפ"ק
6
Rabbi Yonason RoodynAish UK
Developing our Emunah through the 6 Constant Mitzvos
As מאמינים בני מאמינים who have been brought up with a belief in Hashem we are often satisfied with the fact that we have emunah in the Ribbono shel Olam, perform His mitzvos and learn His Torah to the best of our ability. As a result of this, we can often downplay the importance of actually developing our emunah and consciousness of Hashem.
Life as observant Jew carries with it a myriad of mitzvos, responsibilities and minhogim with their specific definitions and details. The Shulchan Oruch comprises of over 1,500 chapters with over 10,000 paragraphs governing how we should lead our lives, from the moment we wake up until going to sleep at night, from birth through to death. We have halachos that tell us which shoelace to tie first and we also have halachos that instruct us how to run an economy. Halacha teaches us how to infuse every conceivable action and situation with the rotzon Hashem.
The Remoh at the beginning of Orach Chayim1 outlines the goal of the Shulchan Oruch, by telling us what mitzvah observance is meant to do for us. He famously quotes the Rambam2 and says,
שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד הוא כלל גדול בתורה ובמעלות הצדיקים אשר הולכים כישיבתו בביתו לבדו והוא ועסקיו ותנועותיו האדם ישיבת אין כי האלקים לפני עם והוא כרצונו פיו והרחבת דבורו ולא גדול מלך לפני והוא ועסקיו ותנועותיו שהמלך לבו אל האדם כשישים כ"ש המלך במושב כדבורו וקרוביו ביתו אנשי הגדול הקב"ה אשר מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו כמו שנאמר אם יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא אראנו נאם ה' מיד יגיע אליו היראה וההכנעה
בפחד השי"ת ובושתו ממנו תמיד
“I have set Hashem before me constantly”; this is a major principle in the Torah and amongst the virtues of the righteous who walk before Hashem. For a person’s way of sitting, his movements and his dealings while he is alone in his house are not like his way of sitting, his movements and his dealings when he is before a great king; nor are his speech and free expression as much as he wants when he is with his household members and his relatives like his speech when in a royal audience. All the more so when one takes to heart that the Great King, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, Whose glory fills the earth, is standing over him and watching his actions, as it is stated: “’Will a man hide in concealment and I will not see him?’ - the word of Hashem” (Jeremiah 23:24), he immediately acquires fear and submission in dread of Hashem, May He Be Blessed, and is ashamed of Him constantly
The Remoh brings the posuk from Tehillim3 that we see often above the omud in shul,תמיד לנגדי ה’ I always place Hashem’ ,שויתי in front of me’. He then quotes the Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim
1 או''ח א':א'2 מורה נבוכים ח''ג פ' נ''ב
3 ט''ז:ח'
that this means that a Jew is meant to develop a constant sense of consciousness of Hashem.
The Sifsei Chaim4 points out that this quote from the Rambam is actually from the end of the Moreh Nevuchim, meaning that this is actually the goal of mitzvah observance rather than the first step. Nevertheless, the Remoh places it at the start of the sefer so as to tell us where our observance of the mitzvos ought to lead us to, namely a constant awareness of being in the presence of Hashem.
The Nesivos Sholom in a number of places quotes the Zohar that makes a similar point, that the 613 mitzvos are Divinely mandated tools to achieve the mitzvah of תדבק deveikus or attachment to ,ובו Hashem. These mitzvos are meant to help us create an ongoing sense of awareness of and connection to Hashem, which is the ultimate goal of the Torah.
It is at this point that the Mishna Brurah in the Biur Halacha5 teaches us how to turn this lofty theory into reality.
הרוצה לקיים שויתי כראוי יזדרז לקיים מה שנכתוב בשם ספר החינוך ומפני ובסימן ]בהקדמתו החינוך וז"ל בספריהם גדולים כמה העתיקום חביבותם גודל האדם מעל יפסקו לא תמידי חיובן מצות שש תפ"ז[ תל"ב תי"ח תי"ז כ"ו כ"ה למתן קץ ואין מ"ע קיים בהן שיחשוב רגע וכל זמן וכל ימיו כל אחד רגע אפילו
שכר המצות ואלו הםOne who wants to fulful ‘shivisi’ properly should be careful to fulfil
that which is written in the name of the Sefer HaChinuch, and because of their belovedness they have been copied by many gedolim in their world. And these are the words of the Sefer HaChinuch: ‘There are six mitzvos whose obligation is constant, they do not depart from a person for even a moment all his life, and any time and any minute that he thinks of them he fulfils a positive commandment and there is no limit to the amount of reward for these mitzvos and these are what they are…
The Chofetz Chaim is telling us clearly that the way to achieve the goal of all of Shulchan Oruch is through these six constant mitzvos. In a sense just as the Rambam’s 13 principles are the foundations of our emunah, these six mitzvos are the foundation of all of our avodas Hashem. They are a prism through which all of our thoughts and actions can be filtered, and provide us with a very real way of living a life of attachment to Hashem.
These mitzvos are dependent on thought alone, they are not limited to any specific time or action, they are fulfilled within our mind alone. This in turn fosters a feeling of closeness to Hashem. The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva6 when discussing the mitzvah of ahavas hashem likens it to a man who is lovesick and is constantly thinking about his beloved. Closeness in a relationship is not a function of physical proximity, rather it depends on how much we are thinking about the other one7.
Over the coming weeks we will be discussing these six mitzvos in turn, with each one providing us with a fresh new angle on how to develop our relationship with Hashem.
4 מידות ועבודת ה' ח''א עמ' ת''ה5 בה''ל ד''ה הוא כלל
6 הל' תשובה י':ג'7 ע''פ הפרקים הראשונים של ס' בלבבי משכן אבנה
Shabbos Mincha followed by Shalos Seudos: 3.55pmSunday Morning Shacharis followed by Halacha Chabura & Breakfast: 9:00am (This week's Topic: Birthdays in halacha - happy or sad?)
S P O N S O R E D
7
S P O N S O R E D
Weekly Nach Journey through NachThe material has been adapted from ‘Journey Through Nach’ published by Adir Press and distributed by Feldheim. To pre-order the Journey through Nach two-book box-set or for more info, email [email protected]
Perek 15:
This perek describes the territory belonging to Yehuda,
including Calev’s inheritance, with all its borders and cities,
and the mountainous area and the lowland. The passuk
mentions the promise made by Calev that he would give his
daughter to the one who conquered Kiryas Sefer: ultimately
Osniel ben Kenaz conquered the city (Calev’s maternal
brother). The Yevusim were not driven out and thus still lived
among Yehuda in Yerushalayim.1 Rashi also explains that the
reason Bnei Yisrael did not expel the Yevusim was because
Avraham’s pact with Avimelech (of whom the Yevusim were
descendants) was still intact.
Perek 16
This perek outlines Efraim’s land and cities. The Vilna
Ga’on (16:1( writes that Yehuda and Efraim are mentioned
first because they are the two leaders of Klal Yisrael – it is
from them that Moshiach ben David (Yehuda) and Moshiach
ben Yosef (Efraim) will come (indeed, note that Yehoshua was
from the tribe of Efraim). Efraim is mentioned before Menashe
here (despite the latter being Yosef’s firstborn(, because
Yaakov gave Efraim the bracha before Menashe in parshas
Vayechi (Metzudas David 17:1(. The Radak offers a slightly
different explanation- he writes that Yehuda’s and Efraim’s
portions were discussed first because their land was on the
(most important) borders.
Perek 17
This perek details Menashe’s region. Tzelofchad’s
daughters requested that they receive the land Moshe
promised them (in Parshas Pinchas), and Yehoshua obliged.
The tribes of Yosef (Efraim and Menashe) demanded they be
given more land, as they had received a small portion and
were many people. They rejected Yehoshua’s solution of
conquering another mountain, but Yehoshua reiterated his
plan, insisting that Menashe was strong enough to conquer
the mountain and clear the forest on the mountain of Efraim.
1 See the Radak Shoftim 17:1 at length for a discussion of the history of the conquering of Yerushalayim.
Perek 18
In this perek, the people gathered and established the
Mishkan in Shiloh (it was previously in Gilgal). The remaining
seven tribes had not yet received land, and Yehoshua criticized
them for delaying. Initially, the tribes were intentionally lax
in dividing up the land, because they feared that once each
tribe got their plot, they would be unwilling to fight for their
brothers. They preferred national unity over a speedy division
of Eretz Yisrael (Metzudas David 18:3(. Yehoshua ensured
that Bnei Yisrael appointed three people from each tribe to
survey Eretz Yisrael and to map their territories. He then cast
a lot for the land of the remaining seven tribes. The Radak
(18:1( writes that this apportioning occurred fourteen years
after the initial entry into Eretz Yisrael; this includes seven
years of conquering, and seven years of dividing up the Land.
Binyamin’s land is then detailed.2
Perek 19
This perek details the territories of Shimon, Zevulun,
Yissachar, Asher, Naftoli, and Dan3. Interestingly, the territory
of Dan was split into two parts, with the portions of other
tribes between them (Rashi). The tribe of Dan fought with
Leshem (called Layish in Sefer Shoftim 18:14; Rashi( years
later because the tribe had outgrown their portion (See
Shoftim 18(. Yehoshua is given the city of Timnas Serach by
the people. Note that Shimon did not have their own portion
per se: the tribe of Shimon received land/cities within the
portion of Yehuda, while the tribe of Levi also did not receive a
single unified plot of land. This was a result of Yaakov Avinu’s
curse to Shimon and Levi for massacring Shechem (Gra).
Perek 20
After splitting up the land, Hashem told Yehoshua to
establish the Arei Miklat, cities of refuge, for one who kills
accidentally. Three Arei Miklat were designated across the
Yarden, with the other three in Eretz Yisrael. The passuk
repeats the laws and criteria for unintentional murder (see
Parshas Massei(, and identifies the cities of the Arei Miklat.4
2 The Radak (18:28( resolves the fact that the Yevusi part of Yerushalayim seems to have been ascribed to both Binyamin and Yehuda: either Binyanim had a small strip of land which included the altar (mizbeyach) within the portion of Yehuda, or else the two shared the altar. 3 Mirroring the desert travelling formation, Yehuda and Dan are given the two ends of Eretz Yisrael (Gra).4 Note that the Arei Miklat, Cities of Refuge, across the Yarden would not become halachically effective until the Cities of Refuge in Eretz Yisrael were functioning (see Gemara Makkos 9b(.
לע''נ
ר' שלום שכנא בן ר' חיים יעקב ז"ל
8
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Dr TPsychotherapy & ConsultationDr Sara Teichman psy.d.A psychotherapist in Beverly Hills, California
Girl is Mean
Dear Dr T.,
My six-year-old daughter is a social butterfly who generally can hold her own. From time to
time she complains about other kids being “mean,” but I usually leave it for her to deal with
and she does. However, this week she has complained of a stomach ache and cried every
morning before going to school, because one particular child is mean to her. At what point is it
appropriate for parents to get involved in playground politics?
Dr T Answers
I certainly see your dilemma: on the one hand you
want to support independence and social savoir faire,
but on the other hand, you don’t want to see your child
getting hurt. The bottom line is that for young children
in particular, a parent needs to get involved when the
child is unable to handle the situation on his/her own.
Though your child has been adept in navigating the
tricky ins and outs of her social world until now, her
sustained discomfort tells you that at this point, she
needs your help.
A thought to keep in mind when speaking to the
teacher is that it is better to under-react than overreact.
So, though in your secret nightmare you envision a life
of social isolation and victimhood for your daughter, it
is more accurate to keep in mind that children typically
have bumps on their road to social success. This
challenge is one such bump, and with your guidance,
your daughter will learn to deal with this and other
challenges successfully in the years to come.
So, in the spirit of under-reaction, contact the teacher
on your fact-finding mission. Once the situation is
clarified – and this may take patience, because much
nasty behavior is conducted “under the table” and
out of the teacher’s view — you should look at the
different possibilities. Your plan of action hinges on
your discovery; perhaps there is a bully in the class,
or maybe your child is being oversensitive and/or
possibly misreading social cues. While the resolution
of the class situation is certainly in the teacher’s court,
you and the teacher may want to collaborate and help
your child develop additional skills for negotiating the
social jungle. Learning to deal with teasing (ignore
consistently), acquiring assertiveness (just say “no”),
and practicing “v’ahavta l’reacha camocha” are all
skills that will help your child not just in this situation,
but in the long run, as well.
In conclusion, I would like to suggest that you
consider reading the books by Dr. Stanley Greenspan,
child psychiatrist and the leading expert today on
emotional and developmental issues in infancy and
childhood.
Reprinted with permission from Binah Magazine
לע''נ
יפה שינדל בת ר' יחזקאל ע"ה
9
The Davening DiscussionRabbi Elozor Barclay Rabbi Yitzchok Jaegerauthors of the Guideline Series
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email [email protected]
Times of Prayer part II.
35. May she say all the omitted sections after shemoneh esrei ?
The brachos baruch she’amar and yishtabach may not be recited after shemoneh esrei, irrespective of the time.
According to many opinions, women may not recite the three birchos shema after one third of the day (see next question).
In effect this means that she may say after shemoneh esrei :
• The morning brachos including birchos hatorah.
• Korbanos.
• Pesukei dezimra excluding baruch she’amar and yishtabach.
• Shema.
• Any sections following shemoneh esrei.
36. What if she begins to daven after one third of the day?
According to many opinions, she may say everything except the three birchos shema. Therefore, following yishtabach she should skip to shema, and following shema she should skip to shemoneh esrei. See also question 524.
37. What if she begins to daven close to halachic noon?
If there is very little time, she should say al netilas yadayim, the last verse of shema, and shemoneh esrei. If time allows, she should also say baruch she’amar, ashrei, and yishtabach.
38. May one begin shemoneh esrei just before noon?
If one will be unable to finish before noon, one should not begin shemoneh esrei, but rather daven mincha twice (see chapter three).
39. What is the earliest time for mincha?
The earliest time, known as mincha gedola, is half an hour after noon.
40. Is this half a halachic hour or thirty minutes?
According to the main opinion, it is half a halachic hour. However, some communities have the custom to wait thirty minutes after noon during the winter, when half a halachic hour is less than thirty minutes.
41. What if a person accidentally davened mincha during this half hour?
Although it is forbidden to daven during this half hour even in an emergency, if one accidentally did so, he should not daven again.
42. Is it preferable to daven mincha later in the afternoon?
According to some opinions, it is preferable to daven mincha ketana, which begins two and a half halachic hours before sunset. However, according to many opinions, mincha gedola is equally acceptable.
43. What is the latest time for mincha?
According to many opinions, one must finish shemoneh esrei before sunset, and this is the prevalent custom in Eretz Yisroel.
According to some opinions, one may daven until close to nightfall, and this is the custom in some communities in chutz la’aretz.
44. According to the main view, may one daven after sunset if one did not daven earlier?
According to most opinions, this is permitted, but one must finish shemoneh esrei no later than fifteen minutes before nightfall.
According to some opinions, it is forbidden to begin mincha if one cannot finish shemoneh esrei by sunset, and certainly forbidden to begin after sunset.
45. Is it preferable to daven mincha alone before sunset or with a minyan after sunset?
According to many opinions, it is preferable to daven alone before sunset.
46. What is the correct time for ma’ariv?
The ideal time is as soon as it is nightfall. A person should make an effort to daven at this time, since enthusiastic people perform mitzvos at the first opportunity.
47. May one daven ma’ariv before nightfall?
In normal circumstances, one should not daven before nightfall. However, on Friday afternoon or in extenuating circumstances on other days, one may daven after plag hamincha (one and a quarter halachic hours before sunset). A man who does so must recite shema again after nightfall. A man who has yahrzeit should make every effort to daven after nightfall.
48. May one daven ma’ariv immediately after mincha?
It is forbidden for an individual to daven mincha and ma’ariv together, unless plag hamincha falls between them. Therefore, an individual who wishes to daven ma’ariv before nightfall, must daven the previous mincha before plag hamincha.
A shul that cannot arrange mincha and ma’ariv at the ideal times may daven ma’ariv immediately after mincha. If possible, the prayers should be scheduled so that plag hamincha (or sunset) falls between mincha and ma’ariv. Shema must be recited again after nightfall.
49. Is it preferable to daven ma’ariv with a minyan before nightfall or alone after nightfall?
If he davened mincha before plag hamincha, he should daven ma’ariv with the minyan, and repeat shema after nightfall.
If he davened mincha after plag hamincha, he should daven ma’ariv alone after nightfall.
50. What is the latest time for ma’ariv?
Ideally, one should daven before halachic midnight. A man who misses this time is a transgressor, but must nevertheless still daven ma’ariv before dawn of the following day.
10
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MiYemini MichoelRabbi Michoel JablinowitzRosh Yeshiva Ateret Yerushalayim
Parshas Vayigash
We read in this week’s parsha (Chapter 45, Pasuk 3) V’Lo Yachlu Echav La’anos Oso Ki Nivhalu M’Panav. When Yosef reveals himself to his brothers, they were unable to respond and they were in a state of shock and bewilderment. The following pasuk even indicates (see Rashi) that they stepped back out of fear. Rashi on our pasuk quotes the Medrash Rabbah (93, 11) which explains that they were feeling a sense of shame. The Medrash itself goes into greater detail and compares their embarrassment in front of Yosef and the judgment of Hashem. Oy Lanu M’Yom HaDin, Oy Lanu M’Yom HaTochecha, Woe to us from the Day of Judgment and the Day of Rebuke. If the brothers responded in a manner of shame and embarrassment to the rebuke of Yosef, a mere mortal, how will we be able to respond to the ultimate rebuke and judgment from the Ribono Shel Olam? How are we to understand the deeper connection between the brothers feeling reprimanded and embarrassed in front of Yosef, Nivhalu M’Panav,
and the judgment of Yom HaDin.
We read in parshas Vayeishev regarding Yosef V’Hu Na’ar Es Bnei Bilhah V’es Bnei Zilpah. Rashi explains that he would do ma’aseh na’arut, he would do childish things, matters of vanity. The Sfas Emes learns (unlike Rashi) that the children of Bilhah and Zilpah saw him as a childish and immature youngster, while Yaakov appreciated Yosef’s maturity and wisdom, as the pasuk states (Chapter 37, Pasuk 3) Ki Ben Zakunim Hu Lo, to Yaakov he was a wise child. What caused this discrepancy between Yaakov and his sons?
The Mishnah in Avos (Chapter 4, Mishnah 20( teaches in the name of Rabbi Yossi B’Rabbi Yehuda, Halomed min HaKatenim L’Mah Hu Domeh, L’Shoseh Yayin M’Gito, V’Halomed min HaGedolim L’Mah Hu Domeh L’Shoseh Yayin Yashan. The one who learns from young people is compared to drinking grape juice straight from the vat, while the one who learns from older people is compared to drinking fine, aged wine. Rebbi disagrees and says, Al Tistakel BaKankan Elah Bameh Sheyesh Bo. Yesh Kankan Chadash Maleh Yashan, V’yashan She’afilu Chadash Ein Bo. Rebbi argues and says that one should not judge from the outside of the container. There are new jugs filled with fine, aged wine, and there are old jugs that do not even have new wine.
The Sfas Emes teaches that Yosef’s brothers held like Rabbi Yossi B’Rabbi Yehuda. They felt that since Yosef was young, there wasn’t
much to learn from him. Grape juice is sweet, but without much substance. Once the sweetness leaves, there isn’t anything to linger afterwards. There is sediment which doesn’t have time to sit. This is why the Torah says, V’Hu Na’ar Es Bnei Bilhah V’es Bnei Zilpah. He was a na’ar to the children of Bilhah and Zilpah. In their eyes, they saw him as an impetuous child. They saw him with faults; hence they focused on his speaking Loshon Hara about them, Vayaveih Yosef Es Dibasm Ra’ah El Avihem. He was an unsettled na’ar with sediment, the sin of Loshon Hara.
Yaakov disagreed and held like Rebbi. Don’t look at the outside of the bottle, but rather look at that which is inside. Though, Yosef was young in years, he was old in wisdom. In parshas Mikeitz, when Yosef interprets Pharaoh’s dream, he is called Avreich. Rashi teaches that this means, Av B’Chachmah, Rach B’Shanim. He was like an older person in wisdom, though he was young in years. This is how Yaakov perceived Yosef, and this is based on the adage of Rebbi. Don’t look at the outside, but rather at the inside.
Rashi’s teaching that Yosef’s brothers were embarrassed is based on the words in the pasuk Nivhalu M’Panav, They were amazed from his face. The embarrassment of the brothers was a result of their having misread the holiness of their younger brother Yosef. They looked at him and saw a young child. Now they looked at his face and saw a wise and holy man. They violated the principle of Rebbi, Al Tistakel BaKankan Elah Bameh Sheyesh Bo.
The reason for their error was because the greatness of Yosef was in his internal strength and greatness. He was Shomer HaBris, the private act of strength he exhibited by rejecting the advances of the wife of Potiphar. This is in contradistinction to the physical strength of Yehudah, who was also Mekadesh Shem Shamayim BaRabim, who publicly sanctified Gd’s name by admitting to his act with Tamar. Now that he was older, they realized on his face his holiness and were shamed by their looking just at the outside and not focusing sufficiently in the past on his inner holiness. They didn’t appreciate the inner kedushah of their younger brother Yosef.
Our word is physical on the outside, yet there is much internal holiness hidden within the physical. The way to reach the holiness is by performing mitzvoth and uncovering the kedushah. Oy Lanu M’Yom HaDin, woe to us on the Day of Judgment when we realize we didn’t see Hashem’s presence in the physical world. What shame and embarrassment we will feel when realizing we had the audacity to rebel and not keep the mitzvoth of the Torah. In our world as well we are enjoined to not look merely at the outside, but look deeper for greater meaning, achievable through the study of Torah and the keeping of its mitzvoth. This is the deeper connection between the brothers’ shame and our fear of the Day of Judgment; in both cases we are liable to be guilty of not heeding Rebbi’s warning, Al Tistakel BaKankan Elah Bameh Sheyesh Bo.
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S P O N S O R E D
The Weekly Halachic Conversation
Rabbi Avi WiesenfeldRosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halacha Beis Horaah
S P O N S O R E D
The Strength of an OnionChazal teach us that there are differences between regular foods and
“sharp” foods:
1. Regular foods usually absorb (and transfer) taste only through heat, whereas sharp foods also do so when pressure is applied to them, e.g., when sliced with a knife, or when ground, they absorb taste. This pressure is called duchka d’sakina, “the pressure of a knife.”1
2. Taste absorbed by a utensil at least twenty-four hours previously is considered pagum, spoiled, and does not affect any food or equipment this utensil comes in contact with. Sharp foods, however, rejuvenate spoiled taste, so they can affect the status of other food or equipment.2
Defining Sharp FoodsQ. Which foods are “sharp”?
A. Raw onion,3 radish,4 garlic, leek,5 and horseradish;6 very tart fruit (such as lemon,7 lime, or esrog);8 olives,9 and pickles.10
Q. Is chrain (prepared horseradish) or sauerkraut considered sharp?
A. Yes, according to some authorities.11 Thus, according to these authorities, one should store them in pareve utensils if one wants to keep them pareve.
Similarly, one should remove pickles from a jar only with a pareve utensil, since piercing them with a meat or dairy utensil may transfer taste from the utensil into the pickle. According to these opinions, one would then be forbidden to eat that pickle with the
“opposite” food. If one already speared the pickle with a particular utensil, however, many are lenient.12
Cutting Sharp FoodsQ. Does duchka d’sakina apply only to knives?
A. No. It includes slicers, choppers, graters, pestles, shredders, and even forks.13
1 שו"ע סי' צו ס"א, חכ"א כלל מט סימן א. 2 שו"ע שם בשם י"א, רמ"א שם ס"ג, רמ"א סי' צה ס"ב, חכ"א שם.
3 שו"ע סי' צו ס"ב, ועי' פ"ת שם ס"ק ג.4 גמ' חולין קיא ע"ב, שו"ע סי' צו.
5 "הוא כרתי" – רש"י ברכות מד ע"ב, ועי' בכל אלו בשו"ע שם ס"ב.6 רמ"א שם ס"ב. 7 שו"ע שם ס"ד.
8 מג"א סי' תמז ס"ק לג. וי"א שאף תפוחים חמוצים דינם כדבר חריף – ט"ז שם ס"ק ט וחכ"א כלל מט סימן ד. 9 טור סי' קכב, או"ח סי' תמז ס"ח.
10 דעת תורה למהרש"ם סי' צו בשם הגאון בעל דע"ק: "דלא קילי מפירות חמוצים דהוי בכלל דבר חריף", וכ"כ כמה ממחברי זמננו, עי' שו"ת תשובות והנהגות ח"א סי' תלג.
11 עי' דרכי משה סי' צו אות ד, פר"ח שם ס"ק ה, פמ"ג שפ"ד ס"ק יב.12 משום שאין הדבר ברור שמלפפון נחשב לדבר חריף ואף אם הוא נחשב חריף אינו חריף כ"כ בדברים שאינם
חריפים הרבה יש להקל בדיעבד בכלי שאינו ב"י – חכ"א כלל מט סימן ז. 13 שו"ע ס"ג, פמ"ג סי' צו מ"ז ס"ק ג.
Q. Are separate utensils required for chopping sharp foods?
A. No, but many poskim recommend that one should always use a
pareve knife and cutting board for this purpose.14
Q. What if one cuts an onion with a clean meat knife?
A. One should regard the whole onion as “meaty,” i.e. it should be
prepared and eaten only with meat utensils, and it should not be eaten
with dairy. However, if one eats such an onion, he need not wait six
hours before eating dairy.
Q. What if the knife hadn’t been used within the previous
twenty-four hours?
A. As mentioned above, the pressure applied when cutting sharp
food rejuvenates “distasteful”. Therefore, even if the knife was not
used within the previous twenty-four hours, it transfers taste.15
Q. If one cut an onion with a meat knife, then blended it in a
pareve blender or food processor, does the appliance become
“meaty”?
A. Some poskim say it does; thus, it may no longer be used for
hot dairy, for onions to be eaten with dairy, or for anything sharp that
was cut with a dairy knife.16 However, many authorities rule that it
remains pareve.17 If possible, the blade or blades should be kashered.18
In any case, one should not deliberately blend a fleishig onion
in a pareve food processor.
Onions to be blended in a blender or food processor should be
sliced only with a pareve knife.
Q. If one cut a lemon with a dairy knife and placed it in tea,
may he drink the tea after eating meat?
A. Yes, even if the knife had cut hot dairy within the previous
twenty-four hours.19
Additionally, lemons used in baking should be cut with a pareve
knife, as cakes may be eaten after either meat or dairy.20
14 שו"ת תשובות והנהגות ח"א סי' תלג, קצש"ע )פפויפר( עמ' צח.15 שו"ע שם בשם י"א, רמ"א סי' צה ס"ב, חכ"א שם.
16 מג"א סי' תנא ס"ק לא ומ"ב שם ס"ק צ, משום שבדבר חריף אי"ז נחשב נ"ט בר נ"ט, ועי' חכ"א כלל מט סימן י שהניח בצ"ע לענין דיעבד.
17 אבן העוזר סי' צו ס"ק ג. וכ"כ בפמ"ג או"ח סי' תמז א"א ס"ק לב ובחוו"ד ס"ק ו, מטעם שאין בלוע יוצא מאוכל לכלי בלא רוטב.
18 משום שלענין לכתחילה יש לחוש לדעת החכ"א והמ"ב הנ"ל, וכן שמעתי מהרבה פוסקים.19 כיון שיש בתה שישים נגד טעם החלב שבלימון – ומותר אפי' לדעת הפמ"ג, וגם משום דהוי נ"ט בר נ"ט.
20 ומ"מ בדיעבד יש להקל, כי מן הסתם יש במאפה שישים כנגד הלימון.
לע''נ
ר' חיים אליעזר בן ר' יעקב ז"ל
12
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