Volume 34: Number 35
Thu, 31 Mar 2016
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Message: 1
From: Micha Berger
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 17:51:54 -0400
Subject: Re: [Avodah] moshe broke the luchot
On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 07:32:46AM -0800, saul newman via Avodah wrote:
:
: Why did Rashi choose to end his commentary in this way?
:
: I would like to try and answer this question with a personal story...
: Suddenly Mr. Gottlieb took his siddur, his prayer book, and flung it on the
: floor across to the other side of the room. A large gasp was heard coming
: from all of the class. Hands went up to our mouths. We were all shocked and
: stunned.... He then said he would give us one more chance...
: And Mr. Gottlieb, wherever you are, I just want you know that you had a
: life-long effect at least on one little boy in your class. Yasher Koach!
: At least for me, I understand why Rashi chose to complete his commentary on
: the Torah with the Almighty congratulating Moses for breaking the Tablets
: in the heat of anger. Tablets on which God Himself had written the Ten
: Commandments.
If I may quote myself, this is how I explained the problem of ignoring
"derekh eretz qodmah ... leTorah":
The Vilna Gaon, as quoted in Even Sheleimah, also warns that
following halachah and studying Torah are not a complete definition
of following the Word of G-d. He writes that the relationship of the
Torah to the soul is described by a comparison to rain for the ground;
it causes what was planted there to grow, whether a sam hachaim
or a sam hamaves. Similarly, Torah causes what is in his heart to
grow. If what is in his heart is good, his yirah will grow; if what
is in his heart is a root sprouting poison weed and wormwood then
the bitterness that is in his head will grow. The Vilna Gaon bases
himself on our gemara, and then concludes pragmatically, Therefore,
one must cleanse ones heart every day, before study and after it,
of impure attitudes and middos, with a fear of sin and with good
deeds. If you start with desirable plants, it will produce healthier,
more beautiful plants. But if you water weeds, you will only produce
more weeds. Learning Torah without attention to character refinement
will simply produce more forceful personalities with bad middos.
Rav Yisrael Salanter makes a similar point with a different
metaphor. He compares poor middos to being a burglar. If a robber
approaches someones home without any tools, he isnt particularly
dangerous. However, if he comes bringing a lock-pick, weapons and
other tools of the trade, he poses a threat to society. Similarly,
someone with poor middos but no Torah does far less damage than
someone who arms those bad middos with learning. Perhaps Rav Yisrael
is referring to all the damage people can do when they justify their
actions by attributing their destructive decisions to the Will of
G-d or justifying them as really being for the best.
Moshe came down the mountain, sawq a nation that was worshipping AZ
"lehatir lahem es ha'arayos". They were not only unready for the Torah,
their having access to it would be counter-productive.
As R' Shimon writes in his haqdamah to Shaarei Yosher:
One can use this to explain the whole notion of breaking the [first]
Tablets, for which I have not found an explanation. At first glance,
understanding seems closed off.
Is it possible that Moses our teacher would think that because the
Jews made the [Golden] Calf they should be left without the Torah? He
should have just waited to teach them until they corrected their
ways, not break them altogether and then have to fall before Hashem
to beg for a second set of Tablets.
Our sages received [a tradition that] there was a unique ability
inherent in the first Tablets. As it says in Eiruvin (page 54[a]),
What does it mean when it is written [in the Torah], engraved on
the Tablets? Had the first tablets not been destroyed, the Torah
would never have been forgotten from Israel. Which is, they had the
power that if someone learned them once, it would be guarded in his
memory forever.
This quality Moses felt would cause a very terrible profaning of the
holy to arise. Could it happen that someone destroyed and estranged
in evil deeds would be expert in all the rooms of the Torah? Moses
reasoned a fortiori from the Passover offering about which the
Torah says, no outsider shall eat of it. Therefore, Moses found it
fitting that these Tablets be shattered, and he should try to get
other Tablets.
The first Tablets were made by G d, like the body of writing as
explained in the Torah. The latter Tablets were made by man [Moses],
as it says Carve for yourself two stone tablets. (Exodus 34:1)
Tablets are things which cause standing and existence, that its not
letters fluttering in the air. Since they were made by Hashem, they
would stand eternally. But the second ones, which were man-made,
only exist subject to conditions and constraints.
The beginning of the receiving of the Torah through Moses was a
symbol and sign for all of the Jewish people who receive the Torah
[since]. Just as Hashem told Moses, Carve for yourself two stone
Tablets, so too it is advice for all who receive the Torah. Each
must prepare Tablets for himself, to write upon them the word of
Hashem. According to his readiness in preparing the Tablets, so
will be his ability to receive. If in the beginning or even any time
after that his Tablets are ruined, then his Torah will not remain.
This removes much of Moses fear, because according to the value and
greatness of the person in Awe/Fear of Hashem and in middos, which
are the Tablet of his heart, this will be the measure by which heaven
will give him acquisition of Torah. And if he falls from his level,
by that amount he will forget his Torah, just as our sages said of a
number of things that cause Torah to be forgotten. Upon this great
concept our sages told us to explain the text at the conclusion of
the Torah, and all the great Mighty Hand [and Awe Inspiring acts]
which Moses wrought before the eyes of all of Israel.
To my mind, this thought is a worthy note on which to end the Torah. Torah
is of great value, but only if you are already determined to develop yir'as
Hashem and midos.
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha
--
Micha Berger It is a glorious thing to be indifferent to
mi...@aishdas.org suffering, but only to one's own suffering.
http://www.aishdas.org -Robert Lynd, writer (1879-1949)
Fax: (270) 514-1507
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Message: 2
From: Micha Berger
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:01:19 -0400
Subject: [Avodah] Fitbit on Shabbos
: On 2/17/2016 6:15 PM, Jay F. Shachter via Avodah wrote:
: I can't answer all of your questions but I can throw out one
: possibility for one issue, the motion detectors. Rav Rabinovitch has
: ruled that the basic issue with these devices are "ovdah d'chol". ...
: Therefore, RR concludes that any device set off when someone passes
: by these devices is not a problem.
: http://ravtzair.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/blog-post_6.html
Related question.... The Fitbit.
Many of the pedometers, sleep trackers, etc... have no display. Of
those that do, they generally display the time and only show exercise
and health info after one presses a button. Typically they sync to a
phone, tablet, or computer via bluetooth and there you can keep track
of progress. (Which is why some devices don't even bother with a display.)
If someone were to wear one on Shabbos, every step is counted (or toss
and turn in bed recorded, or...) but the only effect on Shabbos is in
the voltage levels in microscopic traces within chips.
After Shabbos, however, the effects of what he did on Shabbos are
observable.
I presume this is either gerama or not even gerama.
If gerama, it might be permissible only to someone who is morbidly obese
or has a sleeping disorder or some other medical need. There is a nafqa
mina lemaaseh.
Thoughts?
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha
--
Micha Berger The Maharal of Prague created a golem, and
mi...@aishdas.org this was a great wonder. But it is much more
http://www.aishdas.org wonderful to transform a corporeal person into a
Fax: (270) 514-1507 "mensch"! -Rav Yisrael Salanter
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Message: 3
From: Micha Berger
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:11:22 -0400
Subject: Re: [Avodah] malchei yisrael
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 07:37:58AM -0800, saul newman via Avodah wrote:
: I don't see where rZS's
: gentile principle of the people deciding should hold any sway, anymore
: than if they decide to move shabbat to tuesday. There is no hetter for
: a non-Davidic line scion. on that basis alone the people were wrong.
What they did was assur, unless (as you note in text I deleted) it's
a navi's hora'as sha'ah.
But whether or not the pe'ulah is assur, it might still have a chalos.
(This is an interesting and common use of the word bedi'eved. There is
also bedi'eved as applied to the action, which I think is less common.
I also think it would only apply to an asei -- don't plan on doing the
mitzvah that way, but if you did it without knowing / without planning, you
are yotzei.)
As for "gentile principle", another example is marriage. Bereishis 2
"vedavaq be'ishto vehayu lebasar echad" as well as the Noachide issur
arayos define a concept of pre-Sinai marriage. Having qiddushin doesn't
rule out that concept still applying to us. Cases where qiddushin isn't
chal, but they are still married in terms of eishes ish, or perhaps
"kemaaseh Eretz Mitzrayim".
-Micha
--
Micha Berger "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
mi...@aishdas.org 'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
http://www.aishdas.org 'And whoever does more, he is praiseworthy.'"
Fax: (270) 514-1507 - Rav Dovid Lifshitz zt"l
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Message: 4
From: Micha Berger
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:11:22 -0400
Subject: Re: [Avodah] malchei yisrael
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 07:37:58AM -0800, saul newman via Avodah wrote:
: I don't see where rZS's
: gentile principle of the people deciding should hold any sway, anymore
: than if they decide to move shabbat to tuesday. There is no hetter for
: a non-Davidic line scion. on that basis alone the people were wrong.
What they did was assur, unless (as you note in text I deleted) it's
a navi's hora'as sha'ah.
But whether or not the pe'ulah is assur, it might still have a chalos.
(This is an interesting and common use of the word bedi'eved. There is
also bedi'eved as applied to the action, which I think is less common.
I also think it would only apply to an asei -- don't plan on doing the
mitzvah that way, but if you did it without knowing / without planning, you
are yotzei.)
As for "gentile principle", another example is marriage. Bereishis 2
"vedavaq be'ishto vehayu lebasar echad" as well as the Noachide issur
arayos define a concept of pre-Sinai marriage. Having qiddushin doesn't
rule out that concept still applying to us. Cases where qiddushin isn't
chal, but they are still married in terms of eishes ish, or perhaps
"kemaaseh Eretz Mitzrayim".
-Micha
--
Micha Berger "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
mi...@aishdas.org 'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
http://www.aishdas.org 'And whoever does more, he is praiseworthy.'"
Fax: (270) 514-1507 - Rav Dovid Lifshitz zt"l
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Message: 5
From: Marty Bluke
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:51:45 +0300
Subject: [Avodah] Black on black tefillin retzuos
I am looking to get new retzuos as the paint is peeling off my current
retzuos. There seem to be 2 basic options, the traditional black on one
side white on the other and the new black on both sides. Anyone have any
experience with black on black? Does it really last better?
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Message: 6
From: Micha Berger
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2016 10:39:03 -0400
Subject: Re: [Avodah] Black on black tefillin retzuos
On Thu, Mar 31, 2016 at 03:51:45PM +0300, Marty Bluke via Avodah wrote:
: I am looking to get new retzuos as the paint is peeling off my current
: retzuos. There seem to be 2 basic options, the traditional black on one
: side white on the other and the new black on both sides. Anyone have any
: experience with black on black? Does it really last better?
Yes it does.
But.... I approved this post move to launch a halachic question I had.
(Answers about the longevity of such retzu'of would be more for Areivim
than here. Unless you include both in one email..)
1- Is black on the underside a problem of chatzitzah?
2- A question I asked before, but was not satisfied with an answer...
When the leather is soaked in dye so that it's black through-and-through
(which is why it lasts better), is it still `or as per the requirements for
retzu'os?
As a parallel, to explain why I had the question.... Tekheiles is blue
wool. Plain wool and dyed wool have different names, belong to different
categories. In the past, we didn't use leather that was dyed all the
way through. Does anyone address how we know whether it remains in the
same category?
Tir'u baTov!
-Micha
--
Micha Berger Our greatest fear is not that we're inadequate,
mi...@aishdas.org Our greatest fear is that we're powerful
http://www.aishdas.org beyond measure
Fax: (270) 514-1507 - Anonymous
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