Mishpatim

Ah… finally! The downpour of rain that we have been waiting for!

For the most part, this winter, like many before it, has been a disappointment so far.  There has been rain, but really not so much.  And here, you actually feel it.  If we don't get good rains, the fruits and vegetables over the next year will be more expensive and of poorer quality.  So now we're in the middle of a period where this is ongoing rain, with a few breaks here and there.  It's cold, damp, wet, and our homes are made with stone, so … it's cold in the house as well.  Ah!  I LOVE it!!!

Of course, this causes me great pain in another way.  Has anybody here been to the Golan Heights in the winter/early spring?  It's amazing. Everything is green!  Perhaps in the coming weeks, when there is a break in rain, I'll rent a minivan from somebody locally and take the kids on a day trip.  So many places to go here, so little time and money to do it.

This week's parsha contains some of the most fundamental laws in the Torah: money and property matters.  What's so amazing about it is, that for many people, religious and non-religious alike, these laws are often the most ignored or overlooked in our own day-to-day life.

Many people will have no problem going to ask a rav a question about kashrus, Shabbos, davening, etc., but when it comes down to money/property matters, we tend not to think twice, and do what we feel is right.  At most, if it's something that could result in heavy penalties, we'll consult a lawyer, but go to a rav?  Only "frummies" do that.

The fact that this parsha, which contains a whole slew of halachos, is placed right after the Ten Commandments of the previous parsha, tells us the importance of money/property matters.

Several years ago, we learned around half of Baba Kamma (one of the tractates dealing with property and money matters).  We did not learn the halachos that came out, but we did learn a little deeper than most do.  While I cannot remember details on what I learned (they moved too fast for me), one of the things that I came out with that year was the idea of opening one's eyes to these concepts.

In the religious communities in Israel, for example, it's common to hang papers on walls with announcements of deaths, community needs, etc. However, one needs to ask, did you have permission to use that wall?  In Yerushaliyim, many tzaddaka boxes are welded onto the bus stops.  Did you get permission to use those bus stops?  When you accidentally break something at a shop, perhaps you're obligated to pay?  When you build an extension on your house/apartment, are you even allowed to, if it bothers the neighbors?  How much time are you allowed to take in your work to sit and send SMSs or make personal phone calls?

All of these are examples without straight answers, and many times we don't think about them, because we "feel" we know what the answer is.  But the Torah is telling us that these laws are no less important than that of Shabbos and kashrus, and one needs to be able to speak to a competent rav regarding such issues.

A good friend of mine started with me in the kollel many years ago.   For many years he worked as a local handyman, first part time, and then full time.  And for the last two years, he worked in one of the schools as a government employee.  As he was doing that, he took night courses and became a certified electrician.  This past summer he was telling me that he really wanted to leave his job and go independent.  He was not happy with the treatment he was getting and he saw that he was not going to be getting any raises any time soon.  However, on the other hand, he had a steady income and who knows what will happen if he goes on his own.  In the end, after seeking advice from his rav, he left his job and started working independently.  Just last week he said to me, "Baruch Hashem! I have tons of work right now.  I haven't even done any marketing.  The only hishtadlus I've done has been being honest with the customer and making sure I do a good job."  So, I turned to him and said, "So you're telling me that following halacha is a segulah (badly translated as: 'good luck charm') for good income?"

When it comes to Shabbos and kashrus, it might not always be easy to hear the words, "it's forbidden," but we still follow it.  Yet, when it comes down to money, it's much more difficult to do so, so we don't ask.  But it's very important to learn the basics of the halachos of money and to always work in an honest and moral way, not according to society or our peers, but according to the Torah.

The other night, when the clock struck nine, my wife turned to the kids and said, "You know what that means?  A few of you need to go to bed now."  "No," they replied, "It means that Abba is going to come out and make himself coffee."  Me, working in the office, did not hear any of this, and of course, being nine o'clock, it was time for coffee, so just as they finished saying that sentence, I came out of the office with my mug, and everybody started to laugh, with me not having a clue why.

I guess my schedule is a bit predictable.

A few years ago, the Moshgiach of my yeshiva had to go to a beis din (Jewish court) on behalf of his sister regarding some money that somebody believed she owed her.  The Moshgiach knew that that case was open and closed since its black and white in the Shulchan Oruch, however, the opposing side was convinced otherwise and was convinced that he was a big enough talmid chacham to know better.  So, they went to beis din.  They specifically went to the beis din of Rav Yisroel Fischer, who was one of the most well-known experts in this area of halacha.

As they were sitting waiting for their turn, the other guy kept saying, "This is really a waste of time, the halacha is clearly on my side, but I'm doing this for you to make you happy, etc."  All the while the Moshgiach remained silent.  When they went in, both sides gave their cases, and Rav Fisher turned to the other guy and asked, "So, what do you want?"  When he repeated his case and why he believed he was right, Rav Fisher gave him a look and a sharp rebuke on his knowledge of halacha. He then added, "And don't you even THINK about taking this to court!" (Going to a secular court is forbidden under most circumstances, and it's not a good sign if somebody things you're going to do so.)

The next day, this person saw the Mosghiach and was still aghast, "I spoke to many reliable talmidei chachamim, and they all agree the halacha is on my side, but what can I do?  Rav Fisher might be wrong, but he's still Rav Fisher."  The Moshgaich asked him, "Do you mind if we look at the halacha together?"  So, they opened up a Shulchan Oruch, and there, in plain sight, the case was clearly according to the Moshgiach.  "There must be a different way to learn this!" replied the man.

Choshen Mishpat, financial law, is a very tricky area of halacha and one of the hardest to learn.  Most people, unfortunately, confuse their "common sense" with halacha.  Instead of learning what the Torah says about certain financial aspects, we use our "common sense" to figure it out.

This is why this week's parsha, which is the basis of choshen mishpat, is right after the parsha of the giving of the Torah.  Hashem is telling us, that HALACHA, not our own biased "common sense" is what guides us, even in financial disputes.

This is something that we must be very careful with, both regrading how we act towards others and also how we view others.  Many times people might do things which we think are clearly forbidden, yet in reality are completely allowed.  It's important to always clarify with a competent rav regarding any financial issues that may arise so you know that you're always in the right.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

There are times when you take extra pride in your children.  This week, I experienced it.

My daughter is in seventh grade, and, like all the girls in her school, she has English as one of her classes.  Unlike most of the school, she’s fluent in speaking English, and is on a high (for Israelis) level of reading.  For years, during class, she’s been doing her own workbooks that we buy for her, because everybody agrees that it’s a waste of time for her to participate in the class.

This year, the school decided to take all the higher-level English speakers for seventh and eighth grade and have a separate class.  There’s a total of seven girls in the group.  From the possible teachers, there are a few who have American parents, and therefore, they speak a pretty good English.  That being the case, the school decided to take a teacher who DOES NOT speak English, BUT is certified to TEACH English.  Makes sense?

Naturally, my daughter wasn’t too fond of this decision, since the teacher thinks that her (non-existent) English is better than my daughter's, because she’s a certified English teacher.  The teacher decided to put together a "newspaper" of some sort in English.  My daughter was to write about tornados, earthquakes, and volcanos, but she didn’t want to do the project, since she figured the teacher wouldn’t even read it.

So, in steps her mentor in life: me!  I explained that if she needs to do it, she should at least have fun with it and test the teacher.  So, I explained, start writing the paper, and close to the end, when she’s most likely not to read it, put in your own nonsense.  At worst, the teacher catches it.  At best, all the students will get to read it.  So, that’s exactly what she did.  She described that our city, over 160 years ago (it’s only 25 years old or so), was a victim of a 26-meter high tsunami, which killed over 240,000 cats.  And the last known volcano erupted in Tiberius a few years ago, and there is another one located under a certain well-known hill in the city, to which Rav Chaim Kanievsky said, when it erupts, it’s a sign that Moshiach is coming.

She handed in her paper three days ago.

Haven’t heard a thing from her teacher. J

Okay, too much rambling.

This week’s parsha contains much of the basics of Jewish civil law, known as Choshen Mishpat, which is considered to be one of the most challenging, if not THE most challenging aspect of Jewish law.

Once, the Moshgiach of my yeshiva, on behalf of his sister, had to go with somebody to Rav Yisroel Fisher, known as an expert in Jewish civil law. It seems this other person claims that the Moshgiach’s sister owed him money.  Instead of going to court, they agreed to go to Rav Fisher and do what he says.  The Moshgiach explained:

“It was a simple case.  It’s stated very clearly in the Shulchan Oruch.  I was going to make this guy happy, but it was open and closed.  As we are waiting there, the guy keeps on rambling on about how he himself is an expert in civil law, this case is really open and closed, it’s too bad that they have to waste so much time on this, and that he’s only doing this to make us happy.  We finally go in to see Rav Fisher.  This guy gives over the whole story, and in the end, Rav Fisher looks at him and says, ‘Nu?… what right do you have to ask for the money?' and then gives him a small verbal ‘smack-down’ for even entertaining such a thought.  We left and this guy was in shock.  The next day he comes to me and says, ‘I spoke to other experts in the field, and they too were in shock, they said that Rav Fisher was going against halacha, but, what can you do, it’s Rav Fisher….' So, I said to him, ‘You know what?  Let’s see for ourselves what the Shulchan Oruch says!’ So they open it up and lo and behold, in black and white, not ‘if’s and’s or but’s’, the halacha was exactly like Rav Fisher said.  The guy was silent for a moment, and blurted out, 'There must be another way to learn this!'”

Last week’s parsha and this week’s parsha are wonderful parshos regarding faith in Hashem.  Last week, there was a focus on the mun that fed us in the desert for forty years, and the lesson that Hashem will provide for us, and that we should not overdo our hishtadlus for money.

This week, we see faith in what the Torah teaches.  The Moshgiach said that many people falter when it comes to Jewish civil law, because they feel that they know it well, since whatever seems logical to them, must be the halacha.  However, civil law is still Torah and runs according to Torah.  One cannot decide on it based on what "seems right."  By accepting this in our minds, we will have a deeper level of faith in the Torah and it’s judges.

This week, I took my eight year old son to Yerushaliyim for our yearly matzah baking.  In general, I don’t like these “father and son” trips, since, as a father, I don’t like spending time with my children.  And if I’m going on a trip, heck if I’m going to volunteer to take some of my private time and share it.  But, what can I do?  He deserves it.  He’s been working hard in his learning, he’s been helping around the house a lot, his behavior has been very good.  He deserves it.  So, we took a day trip, had some lunch, bought a few things, baked matzos, and caught the last bus home.

My friend on the other hand . . . we’ll see how he feels.  Last year, I wrote on his matzah box “Find a cockroach, win a prize!” and placed a plastic cockroach on the top of the matzos (and left a small prize on the bottom).  When he got home, he opened up the box to let the matzos cool off properly, and jumped quite high, when he saw a cockroach sitting there.

 
Michael Winner

This year, I wrote on his box “100% cockroach free!  Trust me.” and I placed a small plastic mouse on the bottom.  Can’t wait to receive the phone call by the end of Pesach.

Okay, on to Torah!

“Do not be a follower of the majority for evil; and do not respond to a grievance by yielding to the majority to pervert the law” (Shemos 23:1)

I heard recently a small dvar Torah brought up on this pasuk, in regards to the current societal situation we’re living in.  I’m hearing more and more pieces of strange, new, and sick levels of what’s considered acceptable and what’s not considered acceptable in the US.  One example I heard is the NFL is threatening Texas, never to allow a Super Bowl to be played there.  Why?  It seems Texas wants to code in law that public restrooms/dressing rooms are to be used according to a person’s gender that they were born with.  So, if a man feels like a woman and dresses up as one, according to the NFL, he should be given free access to the women’s restrooms and dressing rooms.  I’m being told that this is considered to be normal in many social circles in the US.  G-d help you all.

With this pasuk, the Torah tells us that we are not a society that bends according to the direction of social winds.  We have laws and beliefs that are immovable.  What is wrong, remains wrong.  What is right, remains right.  We have court systems to determine all the grey areas in practical application.  However, when the Torah lays down a system of clear-cut beliefs, we don’t sway from them, even if a majority of people believe in it. And it is because we have staunchly stood by these beliefs that we have continued to remain a nation for so many thousands of years.  May we continue to remain strong in those (now) unpopular beliefs and norms.

Have a great Shabbos!

A certain 3-year-old was having a small nuclear meltdown the other day. In the middle of his crying and screaming, the baby (known as “Mr. Shmooshers”) started impersonating the tones of the screaming. He did it so well, the even Mr. 3-Year-Old, realized that the baby was “making fun of him,” to which he immediately responded with, “DIE BABY, DIE!”

No matter how long I’m here for, it’s still hard to get it in my brain that “die” means “stop” in Hebrew . . .

Okay, on to Torah!
The first thing that we learn following the famous Ten Commandments is this week’s parsha which goes into great detail concerning financial law and property law, amongst other things.

Rav Avidor Miller wrote, “The Ten Commandments is the heart of our Torah, and it is like the Midrash that compares the Torah to an important matron; whenever she goes out in public, she is escorted before her and after her by noblemen. This escort is what indicates the matron’s importance. So too, the Torah is escorted by judgment, this is what enhances the importance of the Ten Commandments.

"Idealism is fine, but idealism without practical application will never be sustained. Idealism without legalism will never endure. The idealistic aspects of the Torah are not enough; it must be cloaked within the mantle of the law”.

I remember years ago speaking to somebody, and he explained to me his view on Judaism, “I believe in the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.”

I never understood that . . . if you ignore the letter of the law, how do you understand the spirit of the law?

Years ago, I was learning Bava Kama (which deals with monetary law). Unfortunately, we only completed half of it. More unfortunately, I don’t remember it. FORTUNATELY, though, I learned that Bava Kamma is one of the life-changing things to learn, even if you are not learning out all the relevant halachos. Why? Because it makes you think before you do anything. Throughout the whole year, everything I started seeing, I started to think, “Is this legal? Is this proper? Whose responsibility is it?”

When you stick a political sticker on somebody’s wall, you are in fact damaging it. When you drive (and I can’t believe people do this) and your children are not buckled and standing on the back seat leaning forward, and G-d forbid something should happen to them . . . YOU are FULLY responsible, and should not be crying, “Why did this happen to me?” This is even for small things with good intentions.

In Jerusalem, it became a “custom” for people to hang or permanently attach tzedakah boxes to bus stops. Then one day, the government took them down (I think with a warning, I can’t remember), took all the money, and put it into one government charity fund. Of course, people were up in arms, but let’s ask the big question: Who says it was halachically legal to attach your tzedakah box to the bus stop?

We learn, “It has been told to you, O Man, what is good and what Hashem asks of you – to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk secretly with Hashem” (Micah 6:8). The first thing on the list is to do justice.

If you do not understand the basics of what belongs to whom, who has responsibility for what, etc., then you have no way of becoming a greater person. Before taking an action that might have an effect on another person, one must thing carefully, and ask proper authorities if such a thing is halachically acceptable.

I would like to finish up with a little bit more of Rav Miller: “Mesillas Yesharim, Chovos Halvavos, Orcahs Tzaddikim (books on ‘self-improvement’) are all fine and good, but one needs to know what to do not to damage his fellow man. A pious ignoramus full of idealism and good intentions – there is no telling the amount of damage he can contrive against his fellow man because he is not learned.”

The more one familiarizes himself with monetary and property laws, the more he becomes aware of other people, and the more he becomes aware of other people, the bigger tzaddik he can become.

Have a great Shabbos!

Michael Winner

You can tell that the election season is nearing with all the ads coming out for this party or that.

In the US, things are relatively boring. You have Republicans, Democrats, and a few Independents. Everybody, politicians and citizens alike, tend to stay with “their” party, and that’s it.

In Israel, you have a few “old time” parties such as Likud and Labour, but being “old time” doesn’t equal being powerful. Every election brings us new parties and politicians are constantly moving around as well.

Last election we saw the “Pirateem” (The Pirate Party—a European-based party, I believe), and a few years before that, we saw the “Pensioner” Party, whose sole goal was to gain the votes of old people to get more money and benefits for them. This year, somebody decorated their home with posters from what I thought was the “K’Chalon” Party (“Like a Window” Party . . . you know . . . everything they do is visible to everybody), until somebody told me “Kachlon” is somebody’s name.

And because each party gets seats according to how many votes they receive, you never know who’s going to end up in the Knesset and who will end up in the ruling coalition.

Far more entertaining than the US system!

Okay, on to Torah!
Note: This is a dvar torah to learn out a concept, not to learn practical halachah, so always ask your rav what to do in such a situation.

“After the majority, you shall follow” (Shemos 23:2)

This pasuk is clearly talking about concerning following the majority of sages in a Jewish court. If there is a difference of opinion in a court, you go after the majority.

However, there is another application used with this pasuk.

Let’s say you have a bowl into which three pieces of meat fell ACCIDENTALLY; two of them are super-kosher and one of them is super-pig. However, you don’t know which piece is which. According to the Torah, this mixture is considered kosher.

There is a disagreement between the Rosh and the Rashba (halachic commentators) if one is allowed to eat them together at once or if one can eat only one piece at a time.

According to the Rashba (for reasons too complicated to get into), there is a rabbinic enactment saying that one cannot eat them at once. Rather, one can only eat from one piece at I time, and he will have the mindset of “THIS piece is kosher, the non-kosher piece is one of the other two.”

The Rosh on the other hand brings in the pasuk, “After the majority, you shall follow.” According to this line of thinking, the Rosh rules that one is allowed to take little pieces from each piece and eat them together at once. Why? Because the Torah ruled that if this is the majority that is the end of the discussion; the entire mixture is completely kosher! This is probably one of the few, perhaps the only, case where you will be able to eat kosher pig.

In the end the Shulchan Oruch and the Rema both side with the Rashba. However, the Rema says that in a time where there would be some form of loss, one can rely on the Rosh.

We see that the Torah gives power to the majority, even going so far to make pig kosher!

Michael Winner

“And he sent the youths of the children of Israel and they offered burnt offerings” (Shemos 24:5)

To “seal” the covenant between the Jewish nation and Hashem, Moshe had the “youths” of Israel offer burnt offerings. The Ramban explains that these “youths” were young men who never sinned, since “they are the choicest and holiest members of the nation.”

Once, the Prime Minister of Israel wished to meet with Rav Shach to discuss an important matter with him. A member of the Prime Minister’s office wished to set up the appointment on a certain date and time. Rav Shach apologized and explained that he would not be able to meet at that time, since it was already booked with another important meeting. Needless to say, the office of the Prime Minister was not happy with, what they that was, a snub.

A few months later, a member of the Prime Minister’s office was visiting a religious family whom he was friendly with. They were discussing their son’s bar mitzvah which took place a month or so earlier. They happened to mention that they even went to Rav Shach to get his blessings for success. As the conversation continued, this person started to get a weird feeling. He began asking certain questions and then found out that the reason Rav Shach could not meet with the Prime Minister was because he had a more important meeting with a bar mitzvah boy!

He returned to the office the next day and said, “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. This man lives in a different world, one that is beyond our comprehension!”

Have a great Shabbos!

Michael Winner

My apologies for last week. My health was not at its best.

At nights, I work for two companies. One is run by two Brits and one is run by two New Yorkers. I’ve been working for them for years now and enjoy a good friendship with all of them. One gives me free internet service and a VOIP line (part of the work I do) and one just sent me a package of tea from England, since I’m running out and can’t stand non-English tea. All in all, I work well with them and enjoy my work with them.

However…

Working with New Yorkers takes its toll. Last week, things were getting stressful and one of our new sites was leaked to the public before we had a chance to make sure it’s working. We had over a thousand signups within a few hours, and I was rushing to fix things on the fly. Being so, I would take phone calls from within the company and hear their complaints about this or that. I would reply with something like, “I’m on it” and then hang up on them. I NEVER used to hang up on people. It’s not the nicest thing to do.

When I spoke with my boss about it the other day and how the New Yorkishness is having a negative effect on me, he tried to defend New York and say it really wasn’t THEIR fault or anything…

So, I hung up on him.
Okay, on to Torah!

“Two and a half amos shall be its length, an amah and a half its width and an amah and a half its height” (Shemos 25:10)

The Ba’al HaTurim notes that the measurements of the Aaron (the ark that carried the Ten Commandments, made ‘famous’ by “Raiders of the Lost Ark”), are all in half units. He explains that anybody who wishes to be successful in their learning, must break and humble themselves. A person who is haughty, might successfully gain raw knowledge of the Torah, but they will never incorporate it into their ‘system’.

Every year, different locals hold competitions for children in their area on who can learn and memorize the most mishnayos. Each year would produce children who were able to memorize dozens of mishnayos and repeat them and understand them without difficulty. One of my chavrusas once told me that somebody did an informal study on what happened to some of the winners of these competitions. Where are they holding years later in yeshivah? He found out that they weren’t anything special. One would think, with the ability to memorize mishnayos, a person’s ability to understand the Gemara would be far greater. However, these are kids. They did it for the prizes or the attention. They didn’t learn with the correct intentions (they ARE kids after all, certainly this is not an attack on these competitions), and therefore they were unable to digest their learning and incorporate it into their lives.

May we all see success from our hard work in learning.

Immediately after receiving the Torah at Sinai, we delve into the mundane halachos of “money matters”. One would think that right after such a holy event, we would move onto deep philosophical issues.

The Chazon Ish, in Sefer Emunah U’Bitachon, writes that it’s impossible for a person to develop himself spiritually without understanding and nurturing himself with halacha, Jewish law. He gives an example of a group of teachers who are upset over the opening of a new school in their area. They mistakenly think that it is wrong for somebody to open a new school, where there is one already, which in turn will endanger their livelihood. However, in the case of schools, the Gemara states (Bava Basra 21b), “envy of Torah scholars increases wisdom”, and the opening of new schools will only serve for the good. If these teachers were to protest, even though they are attempting to protect their livelihood, they would be going against halacha. Conversely, in the case of businesses, the opposite would be true.

When I was in university, somebody came over to me and asked me if I knew the laws of Nazirus (where a person takes an oath to abstain from wine, grows his hair long, etc… to separate himself from this word and focus solely on the spiritual… a whole dvar torah unto itself). Now, this person was very interesting. He wore a small kippah, ate non-kosher food (he held it was kosher), and was completely self “educated”, never once did he enter a yeshiva, and did not have a rav to speak to. A VERY interesting person. And before we continue, let me note: he was single.

I told him that I knew very little about it. Nonetheless, he decided to ask his question. “I decided to take upon myself the ‘nazarite vow’ again for 30 days, and I want to know if one has to refrain from relations during that time”.

Silence.

I don’t think even the birds chirped at such a question, coming from a NON MARRIED person who wished to “become a nazarite”.

I responded saying, that I don’t knw, but at the same time, since we don’t have a Beis HaMikdash, I don’t think it’s possible to become a real nazir. He assured me that I was wrong and went on his merry way.

I doubt he’s ‘religious’ today, but he serves as a good example. How many areas in Jewish law are we ignorant in? How many mitzvos are we not doing appropriately? I’m not talking stringencies… I’m talking basics. How will it look in the next world when we see all the mitzvos we did, were done incorrectly, only because we failed to learn properly?

By spending some time every day learning halacha, we will be able to perform our mitzvos more appropriately, and in some unfortunate cases, we can actually start to do them properly. With this, says the Chazon Ish, we will be spared the embarrassment after 120 years, of seeing our lives being led in error.

Have a great Shabbos!

If you were to ask my daughter what a television or movie is, she’ll have no idea. Ask her what a computer is, and she’ll tell you it’s something her parents use for work. Ask her about Disney or some other cartoon; she’ll give you a blank stare.

While I grew up with television and movies, she’s growing up in a Torah environment. Not only does it shape the personality, but it shapes the sense of humour as well.

One night, I told Rochel Leah to put on pajama pants and socks since it was very cold in the apartment. As she was getting dressed, she hikes up her white socks over her pants and says with a devilish grin, “Look Abba! I’m Chassidish!”

Frum humour. I love it!

Okay, on to Torah!
An excellent question is asked on this week’s parsha. One would think that after the experience at Sinai, the parsha following it would contain things for those on a very high spiritual level. Instead, we are bombarded with a parsha full of monetary and criminal halachos (laws). Why move from Sinai to something so mundane?

The Ramban hints to the fact that these minute laws give us the ability to keep those mitzvos that we received on Mt. Sinai. They are the basic “building blocks” for one’s neshama.

In order for anybody to move up the spiritual ladder of life, he needs to be well grounded in halacha to know exactly what is expected of him to do. I saw recently in the Aruch HaShulchan (Hilchos Talmid Torah 246:17) that a person who is working with little time to learn, should not use his time in Gemara, but rather in halacha.

I’ve been very thankful to be able to sit and learn throughout the day. Many times have I been forced to reconsider positions that held previously in halacha and hashkafah (Jewish outlook), simply because I’m actually learning properly, rather than learning by hearsay.

Recently, we learned the source of a certain halacha. While I was in the States, I was always under the impression from other people that those who kept this “stringency” were simply going beyond halacha. Now, I’m a tad wiser, and I understand that those few who kept that “stringency” were really keeping the halacha properly. It was everybody else who was relying on a leniency in halacha. A well-based leniency - but a leniency nonetheless.

An uneducated or partially-educated Jew will usually make a yardstick for himself with him in the middle. Anybody on the left of him is not as religious. Anybody on the right of him is a fanatic. An educated Jew will take the Torah as the yardstick. With proper knowledge of basic halacha in all areas of Torah, he is able to properly gauge where he is holding in life. He understands what the law is, what the leniencies and stringencies are, and when they are applicable. He will have a far better grasp on what Hashem wants of him and will be able to grow to spiritual heights that he would never had been able to achieve without this basic knowledge.

With this, I wish you all a great Shabbos!

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!

I was sitting in front of my computer the other night, on a ‘phone’ meeting with a client via Skype. I’m set up with a microphone and earphones so my wife shouldn’t be bothered too much by my talking. As we’re discussing some changes to a project, I notice two, long, stringy antenna pop over the top of my monitor, quickly followed by a two inch long cockroach.

What did my client hear at that time?

“What the… HOLY MOTHER!!! MALKA GET ME A CUP NOOOOOWWWWW!!!”

I quickly scooped it up and threw it out the window. Thankfully, my client lives in Israel and understands what an Israeli cockroach (even the non-flying kind) is like.

According to the Manly Manual of Manliness (2007 revised edition), even when a man has an alligator biting one arm, a snake wrapped around his leg, and a scorpion repeatedly biting him, it is absolutely forbidden for him to cry out in a womanly way. In fact, he is obligated to kill each creature with his bare hands while screaming in a manly way, and preferably make something useful out of their hides.

However, the manual continues and makes one exception: The Israeli Cockroach. In that case one is permitted under ANY circumstance to scream like a woman. No man is allowed to make fun of you if you do, for their size and hideousness are so evil.

And by the way… while I did let of a MANLY scream, I did not scream like a woman.

Okay, on to Torah!
"If a person steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it. He must pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for the sheep" (Shemos 21:37)

Rashi comments that the reason that a thief must pay back less for a sheep compared to the ox, is because of the embarrassment he suffers for carrying the sheep.

I'm sure you're all questioning this right now. So let's go over it.

When a person steals an ox, he simply has to lead it away. Unless, he's the cockroach from my computer, he won't be able to put it on his back and carry it away. A sheep on the other hand, must be carried away, and running away with a sheep on your back can be quite embarrassing.

Rav Simcha Zissel commented that this is amazing thing. A thief is not known for being the most sensitive person around. Yet, he will still suffer a slight amount of embarrassment when he is running away with a sheep on his shoulders, and that embarrassment is considered to be a bit of a punishment in of itself.

Now imagine this. If that little bit of embarrassment has the power of taking away punishment, imagine the reward for the embarrassment somebody goes through for doing a mitzvah.

Many o'times, a person will stay away from doing a mitzvah because they will be made fun of by others. But that person should strengthen himself by reminding himself of the reward for doing a mitzvah under such circumstances. Imagine if a person was willing to give you $10,000 if you would allow them to make fun of you for an entire hour. You would do it! So, next time you feel uncomfortable doing a mitzvah in fear of others’ ridicule... just think of the reward you will receive in the future.

Have a great Shabbos!