Weekly Dvar Torah
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Tuesday, March 09, 2010 / 23 Adar 5770
Losh Part Three: Examples
By: Dr. Chaim Levsky

Please have our Rabbi and teacher, Yaakov Yechezkel ben Blimka (Posen) in mind in your learning and davening/prayers. Rav Posen, a veteran teacher and halachic authority in NYC, published the book that serves as the basis of this group and reviews each e-mail. He will be undergoing surgery this week.

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Now that we have covered the basic principles of losh, let's discuss some examples:

1. If one wants to make instant cereal with milk into a thin mixture (Belilah Rakah) then a change must be made in the order of adding ingredients and in the method of stirring. If one usually adds the milk to the cereal, then the cereal should be added to the milk. If one usually adds the solid to the liquid, the reverse should be done.

2. If there is no "usual" order of adding the ingredients there is a halachic dispute. Most authorities permit putting the solid in first and then adding the liquid. The Chazon Ish (R. Karelitz, leader of Judiasm in Israel and worldwide halachic authority, 1878-1953) held that one may not prepare a mixture that has no usual defined order of adding the ingredients. Rabbi Posen suggests a method to make such a mixture by adding additional grounds for leniency. One should add the ingredients together in small batches. Several small portions of food can be put together in a larger bowl for the purposes of mixing. Mixing can be done in an unusual way such as criss-cross strokes.

3. Whenever one is making a thin mixture be careful to add sufficient liquid so that it comes out as a pourable mix. If less liquid is added you will end up with a thick mixture (Belilah Avah) which is more stringent (see next e-mail).
Friday, March 05, 2010 / 19 Adar 5770
Peace of Mind
By: Michael Winner

Last month, I made mention about my daughter starting to say brachos, and the importance of saying them out loud so your children can hear. Over the past couple of weeks, Chaim Moshe, all 16 months of him, also started to "say brachos" as well. He will hold his food and say, "almlasdfkfkmlkaaflkmsdf" then take a bite or drink. Of course, he would repeat this for every single bite or sip, but he knows that you're supposed to say something.

Now, Chaim isn't talking yet. There are a few words he's starting to say, "Abba", "Momamamama", "bottle"... he's even said "toothbrush". But for the most part, he prefers his battle cry, "GAH!" and his salutation, "Allo, allo, allo!". Last Shabbos, I washed my hands and said a brocha. Immediately after, my wife and I heard Chaim say the first three words of that brocha very clearly.

Again, it comes to show you that education starts at a very young age, and you better be careful on how you act around them.

"Six days work shall be done, and on the seventh day it should be a complete rest sacred to the Almighty" (Shemos 31:15)

Rashi explains that the rest that one experiences on Shabbos, should be a permanent rest and not temporarily.

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explained that a temporary rest means that a person has not really changed his inner traits, but simply controls them over Shabbos. He still has a temper, he gets in fights, he argues... maybe on Shabbos, he cuts down on that, in honour of the day, but in general, he's the same person he was on Friday.

What Rashi is trying to point out is that we should use Shabbos to take that control and make it a permanent part of our personalities. When we speak of peace on Shabbos, we're not speaking about world peace or peace from work, but rather a peace of mind.

On Shabbos, we don't think or speak about business or other topics that bring us away from having peace of mind. Yes, you can argue that debating politics might be enjoyable, but does it bring peace of mind that Shabbos deserves? No.

I just saw that Rav Areyh Levin would not open letters that arrived for him on Friday after noon. He was worried that it might contain information that was not pleasant and he did not want to be troubled with such news over Shabbos.

Shabbos is a time where we can put away the nonsense of the outside (aka "real") world, and focus oneself on more important things, such as peace with Hashem and with himself.

Have a great Shabbos!
Thursday, February 25, 2010 / 11 Adar 5770
haman.blogspot.com
By: Michael Winner



I saw an amazing piece several months ago on Purim, by Rav Dessler. For those who didn't know, Rav Dessler was originally from Europe and came from some of the greatest of rabbeim of the previous century. During the war, he was in England building up the Jewish community there. Shortly after, he moved to Israel and served as Moshigiach at the Ponovitz Yeshiva.

During the war years, he wrote many letters to his talmidim on all facets of Jewish life. The collection of those letters and speeches he gave in England and Israel were put together in a publication called Michtav M'Eliyahu.

In one letter I recently read, Rav Dessler is answering a student who started to have doubts concerning the Jewish leaders. The whole essay is worth reading (Strive for Truth, Vol. 1, p. 217), but for obvious brevity, I'll shorten his piece on Purim.

First though, it's important to quote what he said before giving his answer.

"Were it not that I understand that you must have picked up these ideas from other people who call themselves bnei Torah but reject their teachers and desecrate G-d's name, I would not have replied to you at all. But knowing that you are basically straightforward and have only heard expressions of this sort from outside sources, and bearing in mind our close friendship, I have resolved to turn night into day and give you a clear reply. First of all I want to tell you that I had the merit to know several of these great ones personally..."

From his opening words, we see the importance of staying away from things that denigrate Torah scholars.

Unfortunately, with today's media and the erroneous concept of "Freedom of Speech", which has no basis in Jewish life (see the laws of Loshon Horah, for example), it's very difficult to stay away from such things. But nonetheless, we are obligated to do our best to stay away from such people and sources (i.e. Jewish newspapers, magazine, blogs and news sites that contain loshon horah)

That being said, let's look a little deeper into Purim.

Megillas Esther from beginning to end, covers a period of nine years.

We begin the story with a party thrown by Achashverosh. The leaders of the generation, including Mordechai himself, forbid the Jews to attend. He said to them, “'Do not go... so that the Adversary shall not have occasion to accuse you', but they did not listen to him” (Gemara, Megillah 12a).

After he made such a statement, the Jewish media and blogs all cried that Mordechai was out of touch. It was a matter of pekuach nefesh (saving a life) to go, for if the Jews don't go, Achashverosh will take insult and try to kill us. What does Mordechai know anyhow, he's old and obviously must have forgotten his learning.

So they went. And what happened to them?

Nothing.

Nine years later, Haman is at the zenith of his power. Whenever he walks down the street, everybody is obligated to bow to him, not because he's godlike, but out of respect that his office deserves. Mordechai refuses to bow.

The media and bloggers go at it again. Mordechai in endangering us all! He's being "too frum"! "You should know that you will bring about our death by the sword!" (Aggadas Esther), they cried.

And what happened after Mordechai refused to bow, despite the protestation of the bloggers?

Haman and Achashverosh decree that the Jewish nation should be wiped out.

Now.... let's take a break at this point and be honest with ourselves. Picture yourself in Persia at that time. Who would you have believed?

That's right. We would have either been completely siding with the bloggers, or at minimum, not siding with Mordechai.

After all, when he warned against going to the feast, nothing happened. Yet, when he decided to be extra frum, we were all sentenced to death!

Simple cause and effect. Mordechai was obviously wrong.

Obviously, this is incorrect thinking. We know that the cause of our trouble with Haman was from the feast and had nothing to do with Mordechai. But at the time, it was beyond a doubt in the eyes of those who do not trust our Sages that Mordechai was in the wrong. It was so evident, that they refused to believe anything else.

How scary it is to wonder how we would side if something similar came up today.

Purim is about emunah, faith. It’s emunah in Hashem, which we have spoken about previously, and it’s emunah in our Sages, each in their generation. It’s a very difficult thing to master, considering that sometimes what we see is different then what our Sages see. However, it is proven time and time again, that our leaders, who became leaders through personal sacrifice for Torah, have the ability to see beyond that our eyes show us.

These newspapers, websites, and blogs who speak loshon horah left, right, and center, and who think they know better… they are run by people who work for the Yetzer Horah. They believe that they can see more than Mordechai and can point out where his is wrong and right; and that’s why it’s important to stay away from them.

Emunah in Hashem and emunah in our sages are the key to Purim. May the light of Purim open our eyes to catch a glimpse of things we cannot during the year.

Have a great Shabbos and a Purim Samayach!
Friday, February 19, 2010 / 5 Adar 5770
Kindess
By: Michael Winner

My friend and I were learning yesterday. As a was reading through a Rashi, I noticed that while he was looking at his Gemara, he wasn't paying any attention. Naturally, I stopped and obnoxiously asked him if he was interested in focusing in on our learning for once in his life.

The nice thing about us is that we both have the attention span of a newt, so this banter is not new.

He apologized and explained that he was thinking about a “mole saw” he recently saw. Just as I do computers on the side to support myself, he does carpentry.

He told me that a few years ago he was walking down the street, when a picture in a hardware store caught his attention. It was a "beautiful" (his words) drill with all sorts of thingies that I'm sure I would find fascinating, if I really cared about drills. He was so enamored by this piece of beauty, it took him 30 seconds or so to realize the other part of the picture... a not-so-dressed woman was holding the drill. There he was a nice, religious guy, standing in public starting at a photo of a not-so-dressed woman. He swears that he never noticed the woman, because frankly, the drill spoke more to his heart.

Nerd.

"The center crossbar shall go through the middle of the beams, from one end of the Mishkan to the other" (Shemos 26:28)

This week's parsha is the first dealing with the construction of the Mishkan, the predecessor to the Beis HaMikdash.

The Targum Yonoson writes that the center crossbeam that went through the length of the walls was made by wood from the trees that Avraham planted, so many centuries earlier.

Rav Mordechai Mann of Bnei Brak commented that these trees were planted by Avraham in order to shade guests and other wanderers. They were planted simply in order to provide kindness to others.

Rav Mann says that the reason these trees were used specifically, was to teach us that even while we are working in Torah and mitzvos, we need to never forget that we have to keep kindness and compassion in mind throughout the whole time.

I saw from Rav Pliskin, a story about Rav Akiva Eiger, who, when asked by a government official if he had any free time to meet him said, "I have no free time, but I always try to be courteous to my visitors".

Have a great Shabbos!
Friday, February 12, 2010 / 28 Shvat 5770
Internalizing Our Learning
By: Michael Winner

Boys are fun. Now, granted compared to girls, they're pretty dumb creatures, but their ability to appreciate violence is something that needs to be respected.

Recently, Chaim has discovered my wife's garlic presser, which, in his eyes, makes a great set of numb chucks. Look, a wall! WHACK! Look, the floor! WHACK! Look, Rochel Leah's head! WHACK!

And he does it with a big smile on his face as if he's made the greatest discovery on earth.

It reminds me of a friend of mine when his oldest was around 5 years old. This boy comes from very calm parents. No television. No radio. No internet. Basically, no access to the concept of violence. Yet, when he saw a neat looking bug one day, he said, "Look Abba, a bug! Can I squish it?"

Men are men and boys are boys.

Okay, on to Torah!

For the past six months, our yeshiva has been learning Bava Kamma, which is the tractate in the Talmud (Gemara) that deals with damages. When is a person obligated to pay for damages? How much does he pay? What are the circumstances? Etc, etc...

A lot of Bava Kamma is based off of this week's parsha. People think that when the Torah is speaking of an ox goring an ox, it has no relevance to today's society. But, just learning the first two pages of Bava Kamma, changes that. You see clearly that when it says ox, it doesn't just mean literally an ox, but each part of the damage done (how it gored, who is gored, when it gored, where it gored, it’s history), represents different aspects of a case of damages.

Last Shabbos, I had a realization that changed how I looked at learning. Right now, our learning does not focus on halacha in modern day; we focus more on the Gemara. I try to follow up in the Shulchan Oruch over Shabbos, but we spend our time focused on the Gemara and some commentaries. For years I've wondered about learning Gemara without following through with the relevant halchos. How does it help you become a better Jew?

Over the past several months, I've noticed that I've become more sensitive to the topics brought up in Bava Kamma in our world. When you see people driving irresponsibly, when you see political stickers placed in public and private (other's) property, tzeddakah boxes molded onto bus stops (while it's a nice idea, I'm pretty sure it's completely forbidden), etc..., you begin to think how the Gemara thinks. You realize that you start thinking about questions that others have obviously not thought of.

I've always heard that a Ben Torah needs to internalize his learning. But how does one do that if he's learning only Gemara?

After a bit I realized that it IS possible. Even if you do not learn the actual laws, the more you learn a subject and try to internalize it, the more sensitive you become to that subject. Perhaps, you won't know the final halacha in a given situation, but you will begin to think about all the ideas of that situation.

In the case of Bava Kamma, the underlying message is: Be Responsible. The more you internalize it, the more your actions will be preceded with thoughts of, "Will this harm somebody else", "Is this dangerous?", "Can this damage something".

The Gemara (30a) says that if a person wants to be pious, he should learn Nizikin (damages), Brachos (Blessings/Davening), and Pirkei Avos. The Maharal writes that these three things represent the three "spheres" of a person's job in this world.

Brachos will help a person visa vie his relationship with Hashem. He will gain an appreciation for everything that Hashem has given him.

Avos will help a person with his relationship with himself. It helps him understand his mission in this world and how to view the world from a Torah perspective.

Nizikin (damages), will help a person with his relationship with other people. By constantly thinking about other people and their property, he becomes more sensitive to their needs.

If a person can internalize those three things, says the Gemara, he will be pious.

The key is to internalize. Not just learn it in a beis medresh. A person who will look at a case in the Gemara and say, "Of course he's obligated to pay for the damage he caused! He's a fool for putting himself in the situation in the first place!" and then later in the day a similar act of that which he condemned earlier, is an example of not internalizing it.

By internalizing our learning, even if it's not halacha, will help sensitize us to become better Jews.

Have a great Shabbos!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 / 26 Shvat 5770
Losh Part Two: The Two Steps
By: Dr. Chaim Levsky

As we mentioned last time, there are two basic steps in performing losh / kneading – (1) combining the liquid and solid ingredients and (2) mixing them together. Practically, we treat each act as a prohibition. Therefore, we do not add ingredients together even without mixing them. In addition, if ingredients were added together before Shabbos, they still cannot be mixed together normally on Shabbos because that step of the melacha is prohibited as well.

Sometimes, one may achieve a mixture through an unusual means (with a "shinui") for the purposes of food preparation without violating Losh. One may not combine the liquid and solid ingredients to make a belilah avah (thick mixture, defined last e-mail). On the other hand, one can make a belilah rakah (thin mixture) by changing the normal order of adding the solid and liquid elements together. For example, if one normally adds milk to the instant baby cereal then he would have to do the reverse - add the solid to milk already in the bowl. If there is no usual order of putting the food and liquid in the bowl, the food should be placed first and the liquid subsequently added.

The mixing process must also be modified to avoid Losh. This can be done in a few different ways. Some opinions permit making very small amounts of a mixture at a time (in the usual large bowl). Generally accepted modifications include mixing using criss-cross strokes instead of mixing around in a circle. Alternatively one can mix without using a utensil at all by shaking the bowl or pouring back and forth repeatedly between two bowls.

We will move on to practical examples next time.
Friday, February 05, 2010 / 21 Shvat 5770
The Good Critical Eye
By: Michael Winner

At times like this, you get a peek into what Eretz Yisroel will look like when Moshiach comes.

Thankfully, over the past few days, we’ve received some much needed rain. Now, our community is the most eastern one in Jerusalem. We’re on the edge of the desert, overlooking the Jericho Plain. We see the mountains of Jordan very easily and on clear nights we can see it all lit up.

Being on the desert, we mainly see light-brown sand. But after rains like this, the hills become a nice shade of green. Even the desert flourishes!

"And the father in law of Moshe saw all that Moshe did to the people and he said, 'What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why are you sitting by yourself and the entire people standing nearby from the morning to the evening?" (Shemos 18:14)

Rashi states that Moshe would sit like a king and the people would stand around him. This is something that bothered Yisro, and therefore Yisro censured Moshe for it and gave an idea on how to correct the situation.

Rav Yeruchem Levovitz commented that the greatness of Yisro was his ability to criticize for the good. After coming from his home in Midian to join the Jewish nation, he immediately recognized the situation that Moshe was put in and told him how to correct it.

Yisro spent most of his life trying out different religions, seeking out the one, true, G-d. With his critical eye, he was able to ascertain that they were all false and come to realize that Hashem was that one, true, G-d.

From here we see that having a critical eye can be a good thing. However, says Rav Levovitz, one must be VERY careful in using it. "There is only a thin line that makes all the difference in whether criticism is very positive or very negative. Before using your critical faculties on others, make certain to be self-critical. Only if you constantly criticize yourself can you be certain that your criticizing others come from truth seeking. Fortunate is the person who has the positive type of criticalness."

Rav Pliskin said over a story from the Chazon Ish, where the Chazon Ish said to somebody who was critical of others, "According to my personality I would never become involved in matters concerning other people. It is much easier for me to sit in my own corner. But I do not give in to my yetzer horah. I go against my nature and become involved when I think it is appropriate. On the other hand, your yetzer horah is that on every possible occasion you love to say what is in your heart. But you should do the opposite. Guard yourself not to look for faults" (P'air Hador, Vol IV, p. 160)

With that, I wish you all a great Shabbos!






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