Menakhot 99b-100 The importance of learning some Torah every day

Today’s daf TB Menakhot 99b-100 emphasizes the importance of studying Torah every day. With Shavuot, the holiday of receiving the Torah, approaching in less than five weeks we should rededicate ourselves to study Torah in its widest sense every day. Studying Torah leads us into a meaningful life.

“The baraita teaches that according to Rabbi Yosei, even if the old shewbread remained on the Table for a short while in the morning, and the new shewbread was placed on the Table toward evening, and even though it did not reside constantly on the Table, this fulfills the requirement that the shewbread should always be on the Table. Rabbi Ami says: From Rabbi Yosei’s statement we may learn that even if a person learned only one chapter of the Mishna in the morning and one chapter of the Mishna in the evening, he has thereby fulfilled the mitzva of: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall contemplate in it day and night, that you may take heed to do according to all that is written in it, for then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

“Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Even if a person recited only the recitation of Shema in the morning and in the evening, he has fulfilled the mitzva of: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth.” And it is prohibited to state this matter in the presence of ignoramuses [amei ha’aretz], as they are likely to get the impression that there is no need to study Torah beyond this. And Rava says: On the contrary, it is a mitzva to state this matter in the presence of ignoramuses, as they will realize that if merely reciting the Shema leads to such a great reward, all the more so how great is the reward of those who study Torah all day and night.

“Ben Dama, son of Rabbi Yishmael’s sister, asked Rabbi Yishmael: In the case of one such as I, who has learned the entire Torah, what is the halakha with regard to studying Greek wisdom? Rabbi Yishmael recited this verse about him: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall contemplate in it day and night.” Go and search for an hour that is neither part of the day nor part of the night, and learn Greek wisdom in it.

“The Gemara notes: And this statement of Rabbi Yishmael’s disagrees with the opinion of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: This verse is neither an obligation nor a mitzva, but a blessing. Rabbi Yonatan explains: The Holy One, Blessed be He, saw Joshua and observed that the words of Torah were very precious to him, as it is stated: “And the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face…and his servant Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the Tent” (Exodus 33:11). The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Joshua: Joshua, are the words of Torah so precious to you? I bless you that “this Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth.”

“The tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael teaches: The words of Torah should not be considered as an obligation upon you, i.e., one should not treat Torah study as a burden, but at the same time you are not permitted to exempt yourself from them.

Ḥizkiyya said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He delivers the afflicted due to His affliction, and opens their ear by tribulation; and also He has allured you out of a narrow opening to a broad place without confines below it, and that which is set on your table is full of fatness” (Job 36:15–16)? Come and see that the attribute of flesh and blood is unlike the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He. The attribute of flesh and blood is that a person allures another from the paths of life to the paths of death, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, allures the person from the paths of death to the paths of life, as it is stated: “And also He has allured you out of a narrow opening,” i.e., from Gehenna, the opening of which is narrow so that its smoke is collected within it. And lest you say: Just as the opening of Gehenna is narrow, so too, all of Gehenna is narrow, the verse states: “For Gehenna has been arranged of old, it has been prepared even for the king, deep and large, its pile is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord kindles it like a stream of brimstone” (Isaiah 30:33).” (Sefaria.org translation)

No wonder our sages have compiled a list of metaphors for Torah. Midrash and Talmudic literature often compare Torah to essential, sweet, and life-sustaining substances like water (essential, lifegiving, humbling) and honey/milk (pleasurable, nurturing). These metaphors highlight that, just as water flows to low places, the Torah resides with the humble, and like honey, it offers sweetness, nourishment, and wisdom. 

Key Comparisons of Torah to Substances:

Water (Mayim): Referenced in Isaiah 55:1, water symbolizes life. The Midrash (Taanit 7a) teaches that just as water has no taste unless one is thirsty, Torah is best appreciated when studied with yearning. It is also seen as a humbling equalizer that flows from high to low places. (Just as a person cannot go without drinking water for three days, the rabbis ordained that we should read the Torah on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays so no three days would pass without listening to the words of Torah.-gg)

Honey and Milk (Devash v'Chalav): Based on Song of Songs 4:11, "Honey and milk are under your tongue," the sages compare the sweetness and joy of Torah study to honey, which represents spiritual pleasure.

Wine (Yayin): As discussed in Sifrei Devarim, wine represents the joy and intoxication of deeper understanding, often connected to the deeper, esoteric insights of Torah.

Oil (Shemen): Midrash Tanchuma compares Torah to oil, highlighting how study (like oil) starts slowly but eventually illuminates, nourishing the soul.

Bread (Lechem): Nourishes the soul just as bread nourishes the body. (https://www.google.com/search?q=the+midrash+that+compares+Torah+to+water%2C+honey%2C+etc&oq=the+midrash+that+compares+Torah+to+water%2C+honey%2C+etc&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAjIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCjMwNTE3ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBW0c8E_UiFZi8QVtHPBP1IhWYg&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)

 

 

Menakhot 99 The school of hard knocks also teaches wisdom

On today’s daf TB Menakhot 99 the Gemara explains that there were three Tables upon which the shewbread was placed. “Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: They would arrange the shewbread only upon the Table of Moses. Rather, how do I realize the meaning of the verse: “And the tables upon which was the shewbread…of pure gold” (II Chronicles 4:19–20)? These are the three tables that were in the Temple, of which there were two that were situated in the Entrance Hall to the Sanctuary, on the inside near to the entrance to the Temple, i.e., near the entrance to the Sanctuary. One of these tables was made of silver, and the other one was made of gold.

“On the table of silver the priest places the new shewbread that has been baked, before its entrance into the Sanctuary, so that the loaves may cool a little from the heat of the oven. And when the old shewbread is removed from the shewbread Table it is placed on the table of gold upon its exit from the Sanctuary, until the frankincense is burned on the altar. The reason the shewbread is placed on a silver table before it is brought into the Sanctuary and on a gold one when it is removed is that one elevates to a higher level in matters of sanctity and one does not downgrade (מַעֲלִין בַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְלֹא מוֹרִידִין). Since it is set on the gold shewbread Table all week, it cannot be downgraded to a silver table upon its removal. The Gemara concludes: The third of the three tables is the one Table of gold inside the Sanctuary upon which the shewbread is always found.” (Sefaria.org translation) (Obviously, gold is more precious than silver; consequently, once the loaves of bread rested upon the gold Table to return it to a silver one was deemed disrespectful.-gg)

“Having mentioned the principle that one does not downgrade in matters of sanctity, the Gemara cites a related issue. The verse states: “At that time the Lord said to me: Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first…And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you shall put them in the Ark” (Deuteronomy 10:1–2). Rav Yosef teaches a baraita: This verse teaches that both the tablets of the Covenant and the pieces of the broken tablets are placed in the Ark. One should learn from here that with regard to a Torah scholar who has forgotten his Torah knowledge due to circumstances beyond his control, e.g., illness, one may not behave toward him in a degrading manner. Although the first tablets were broken it is prohibited to treat them with disrespect, due to their sanctity. A Torah scholar who forgot the Torah knowledge he once possessed is likened to these broken tablets.” (Sefaria.com translation)

I would extend this lesson of the rabbis to all people. There are two types of learning. One is book smarts and the other is street smarts. The life lessons learned in the school of hard knocks are no less valuable than sitting in a classroom. Just by living and experiencing life and learning from mistakes also constitutes wisdom. Consequently we should treat every elderly person who suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s with the same type of respect the rabbis wanted us to treat a Torah scholar who has forgotten his Torah due to circumstances beyond his control. Nobody created in God’s image deserves to be treated in a degrading manner.

 

Menakhot 98 A Torah tidbit

TB daf Menakhot 98 records the disagreement between Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and Rabbi Shimon concerning the placement of the menorah in the Temple’s courtyard. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi held that the long end of the menorah ran east to west while Rabbi Shimon held that it ran from North to South. Each sage interpreted the same verse differently.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi reasoning: “The Gemara asks: And with regard to the Candelabrum itself, from where do we derive that it was positioned from east to west? This is derived from the fact that it is written with regard to the western lamp of the Candelabrum: “Outside the Curtain of the testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron shall set it in order, to burn from evening to morning before the Lord continually” (Leviticus 24:3). The phrase “shall set it in order” is written in the singular, referring only to the western lamp.

“The Gemara explains: One can infer from the fact that the verse states that the western lamp is set “before the Lord,” i.e., before the Holy of Holies, that the location of all the other lamps of the Candelabrum is not considered “before the Lord,” as they are not situated in the same proximity to the Holy of Holies. This would be the case only if the Candelabrum was positioned from east to west. But if it enters your mind to say that the Candelabrum was positioned from north to south, then all the other lamps should also be considered “before the Lord,” as all the lamps are an equal distance from the Holy of Holies.” (Sefaria.com translation)

Rabbi Shimon’s reasoning: “The Gemara replies that according to Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, the term “before the Lord” means that the wick of the middle lamp is turned toward the Holy of Holies, as the priest who kindles the lamps turns the wicks of the other lamps slightly to the side, whereas the wick of the middle lamp is turned directly toward the Holy of Holies.

"This is as it is taught in a baraita: The verse states: “When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light toward the front of the Candelabrum” (Numbers 8:2). This teaches that the priests would turn the front of each lamp toward the middle lamp, but the middle lamp was turned toward the Holy of Holies.” (Sefaria.com translation)

At this juncture Rabbi Natan makes an observation based upon Rabbi Shimon’s reasoning which is my Torah tidbit today. “Rabbi Natan says: One can infer from here that the middle position is preeminent.” (Sefaria. com translation) When we read the Torah on Mondays and Thursday a minimum of 10 verses are divided into 3 aliyot. That means that 2 aliyot contains 3 verses and one contains 4 verses. But which one contains more verses, the first, second, or third aliyah?  

Rashi ד"ה אל מול פני המנורה comments “From here we infer that the middle position is commendable - regarding three that read Torah on Mondays and Thursdays, and we say in Megillah 21b: "we do not read any less than ten verses. And Rabbi Yochana says: the middle [alyiah] is preferable, and that is four verses, and the others are three and three.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Tosafot raises a difficulty with Rashi’s explanation. “The middle is preferable. And the explanation of the book [Rashi] is regarding that we read the Torah that we do not read any less than ten verses, and the middle reads four verses, being preferable. And regarding this he brings the baraita there, in the third chapter of Megilah (Megilah 21b) but it is difficult - because they bring also other baraitot, that affirm that the first and the last [alyiot] are preferable [as well].” (Sefaria.org translation)

In the end the first aliyah for Mondays and Thursdays as well as on Saturday afternoon is divided into three portions with breaks that make the most sense. The only caveat is each aliyah must contain a minimum of three verses.

Menakhot 97 How a dining room table can effect our atonement.

Every Friday the kohanim would bake the 12 loaves of showbread. On Shabbat the old loaves were removed from the Table and the new loaves were put in their place. According to tradition the old loaves were as hot and fresh as the day they placed on the Table. They were given to the kohanim to eat.

The Gemara wonders whether or not the Table could become ritually unready (טָמֵא). Offering one solution after another why it could not become ritually unready that was rejected, the Gemara answers: “The Table is different, because the Merciful One called it wood, as it is stated: “The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits, and so its corners; and its length, and its walls were also of wood, and he said to me: This is the Table that is before the Lord” (Ezekiel 41:22). This verse is referring to the shewbread Table, and it describes it as being made of wood, even though the wood was not visible. This indicates that its status is like that of all wooden vessels, which are not susceptible to impurity unless they are carried both when empty and when full.

“The Gemara challenges: Why does the verse begin with the word “altar” and conclude with the word “Table,” even though both terms are referring to the same item? Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar both say the following interpretation: When the Temple is standing, the altar effects atonement for the transgressions of a person, but now that the Temple is not standing, a person’s table effects atonement for his transgressions, if he provides for the poor and needy from the food on his table.” (daf TB Menakhot 97a, Sefaria.com translation)

We do not have to look far to discover the hungry in our midst.

Hunger Quick Facts for 2024

·        Overall: About one in 7 households (13.7 percent) experienced food insecurity, or lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet. An estimated 47.9 million Americans lived in these households.

·        5.4% of U.S. households (1 in 20) experienced very low food security, a more severe form of food insecurity, where households report regularly skipping meals or reducing intake because they could not afford more food. 

·        Children: 14.1 million children lived in households that experienced food insecurity, a slight increase from the 13.8 million children reported in 2023. 

·        Race and ethnicity: Rates of food insecurity were higher for Black (24.4 percent) and Latinx (20.2 percent) households. The rate for Black households was more than double the rate of White, non-Latinx households (10.1 percent).

·        Rural: A higher portion of households in urban areas (16.0 percent) and rural areas (15.9 percent) experienced food insecurity compared to suburbs (11.9 percent).

·        Geography: Households in the Southern region continued to experience higher rates of food insecurity than any other U.S. region, with 15.0 percent of households experiencing food insecurity in 2023.

 (https://frac.org/hunger-poverty-america#:~:text=Hunger%20Quick%20Facts%20for%202024,experiencing%20food%20insecurity%20in%202023.)

Approximately 1.4 million New York City residents, or over one in 10 New Yorkers, face food insecurity. High costs of living and the end of pandemic-era federal assistance have contributed to rising hunger rates, with roughly 44% of families with children and one in three adult New Yorkers experiencing food hardship in 2023. 

Key Facts on Food Insecurity in New York:

·        Impact on Children: Nearly 1 in 4 (25%) children in NYC do not know where their next meal will come from.

·        Regional Data: In 2023, roughly 1 in 5 (19%) New York State children experienced food insecurity.

·        NYC Boroughs: Food insecurity affects 39% of residents in the Bronx, with over 30% of adults in Brooklyn and Queens experiencing the same strain.

·        Pantry Usage: Food pantry usage has remained twice as high compared to pre-pandemic levels.

·        Disparities: Black and Hispanic New Yorkers are more than twice as likely to experience food insufficiency compared to white New Yorkers. 

(https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+new+yorkers+face+food+insecurity&sca_esv=defc19db23a7a250&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS915US915&sxsrf=ANbL-n4loRL15nAfOjYogIFKUlPc3f4maw%3A1776627874466&ei=ojDlabiPHM2optQPo_yQ6Ao&biw=1229&bih=584&oq=how+many+New+yorkers+live+with+food+insecurity&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLmhvdyBtYW55IE5ldyB5b3JrZXJzIGxpdmUgd2l0aCBmb29kIGluc2VjdXJpdHkqAggBMggQABiABBiiBDIFEAAY7wUyBRAAGO8FMgUQABjvBUi3ogFQwxtY4GFwA3gBkAEAmAGLAaABpgiqAQQxMC4yuAEByAEA-AEBmAIPoAKxCcICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAggQABgIGA0YHsICChAAGAgYChgNGB7CAgoQIRigARjDBBgKwgIIECEYoAEYwwSYAwCIBgGQBgeSBwQxMi4zoAebNrIHAzkuM7gHkQnCBwcwLjUuNy4zyAdNgAgA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp)

Being generous around holidays like Thanksgiving and Passover is easy. Unfortunately hunger doesn’t disappear after those holidays have come and gone. We can turn every day grocery shopping into a spiritual act by buying an extra nonperishable food item every time we go to the supermarket. Then at a regularly appointed time, donate nonperishable foods to a food bank like City Harvest. By helping others we will also be helping ourselves. By feeding the hungry our table will effect atonement for us.

More than the Four Questions #Passoverseder#Haggadah

Around the Passover Seder table all questions are welcome. In fact the Haggadah I use is entitled A Night Of Questions. In order to make your Seder more meaningful I offer you these questions to personalize different steps of the Seder. I encourage you to give yourself some time to think of your own answers to these questions before you ask your guests around the table. You might even want to share these questions beforehand with them as well. I hope your reflections and answers will be a worthwhile activity even if time does not allow you to answer all of the questions.

Here are the questions:

As our Seder journey, begins what blessings have you received this year? How much do you attribute to the efforts of your own labor and to what extent do you perceive God’s role in these gifts? What opportunities do you take to express gratitude?

For Urkhatz: “This evening is a departure from routine. All is open to question. Washing the hands is usually accompanied by a blessing. Now, each participant washes silently. This act is meant to spark questions. It is in silence that questions are born. It is in silence that God’s presence is felt.” (The  Lovell Haggadah, page 38) Think of the times in which you have experienced God’s presence.

For Yakhat: Only when we give something up can we make room for the new; only when we admit we are broken can we begin the journey toward healing. What are we lacking as individuals? Within the community? Where will we begin our search?

For Maggid: What does your presence add to the Seder? How can our community be more responsive to those who need hospitality and support?

For The Four Questions: What questions are on your minds tonight?

For The Four Children: Who would you choose as modern characters (political, artistic, etc.) or other biblical personalities to represent The Four Children?

For Blessed is the One who upholds the promise to Israel, Blessed is God: God tells Abraham that his descendants will become slaves. Is there anything redeeming about the experience of slavery? What role does it play in the formation of our Jewish identity?

For “And we cried out to Adonai, the God of our ancestors”: Why did the Israelites have to “cry out” before God responded? How do we sense God’s responsiveness today? Do you turn to God more in times of need or in times of joy and why?

For Dayainu: Make a list of 12 things you are grateful for.

For Pesakh, Matzah, Maror: what symbols or steps of the Seder do you consider most important?

For Next Year in Jerusalem: How do you express your hope in the Jewish future? What does “Jerusalem” represent for you, as a physical place and as a metaphor?

The 4 Questions is more than just a child song #Passover2026#devartorah#haggadah

 I am blessed with young grandchildren. I kvell when each one excitedly shows how much he or she has learned by reciting individually and as a group The 4 Questions, the Ma Nishtana. I’m so proud of them as they have begun their Jewish education journey.

Rabbi Daniel Kohn in his book The Way In: Essays On How The Seder Shapes The Soul teaches The 4 Questions is more than just a child song.

“Almost any child, when asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ will answer with a dream of impact: ‘I want to be a firefighter, a scientist, a teacher.’ From an early age, we yearn to make a difference, to matter, to shape the world. That longing is the seed of meaning within the human soul.

“True freedom is not doing whatever we wish; it is knowing that what we do counts-that our choices shape the world and bring new realities into being. Not all choices are equal. Some align with truth, love, and holiness; others diminish life. Cheirut is the freedom to choose what is real and worthy, the freedom to act as a partner in creation.

“Tonight is different. And in noticing the difference, we recognize that life itself is not static. We are not prisoners of circumstance; we are participants in shaping the world’s unfolding story. Just as the year returns and brings new possibilities, just as the Exodus story renews itself with every retelling, so too can we.

“Ma Nishtana is more than a child song. It is the return of the child dream to matter-the awakening of the soul to its own power to choose, to change, and to create meaning in the light of freedom.” (page 37)

Passover calls us to become the people we truly aspire to be. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are only six months away. Avoid the High Holiday rush by awakening your soul now to its own power to choose, to change, and by making a positive difference in your small corner of the world. If together we succeed choosing to align our lives with truth, love, and holiness, our final redemption will be right around the corner.

Why don’t you recite the blessing shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ) the first time you don tefillin? TB Menakhot 75

Today’s daf TB Menakhot 75 explains when we say the blessing before we observe a mitzvah for the first time and when we don’t. “Rav Yosef said: From where do I say this halakha? (If a cooked dish contains pieces of bread there the size of an olive-bulk  like challah kugel and matza brei one recites the blessing hamotzi. Otherwise if the cooked dish contains less than an olive-bulk pieces of bread, one recites the blessing borai menai mezanot, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי מְזוֹנוֹת.-gg)  “As it is taught in a baraita: The first time an Israelite would stand and instruct a priest to sacrifice meal offerings in Jerusalem on his behalf, he would recite: (shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ) Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life and sustained us and brought us to this time, as it is the first time that the Israelite fulfills the mitzva of bringing that offering. Following the removal of the handful, when the priest would take the meal offerings in order to eat them, he would first recite the blessing of: Who brings forth bread from the earth. And we learned in the mishna: And in all meal offerings that are broken into pieces, the priest breaks them into pieces the size of an olive-bulk. This proves that over pieces of bread that are the volume of an olive-bulk, one recites the blessing of: Who brings forth bread from the earth.” (Sefaria.com translation)

Why should one recite the blessing shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ) when offering the minkha for the first time, but not the first time the child dons teffilin? Both are mitzvot!

Note 23 concerning this passage on our daf in the Schotenstein explains the difference.

“(The blessing of shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ) is a prayer of thanksgiving to God for having brought one to a particular occasion, such as the performance of a mitzvah that comes at a certain time.) The Baraita teaches that it is recited by a Kohen when he offers a minkha-provided that he has not yet brought a minkha that year…

“Tosafot explain that the Kohanim were divided into mishmarot that served in the Temple one week at a time on a rotating basis. The number of mishmarot was 24, allowing for the rotation to begin anew twice a year. Every mishmar was divided into batei av (a family), each of which served for one day of the week. An individual Kohen would serve as a member of his beit av only one day and every six months. When a Kohen offered a minkha or animal offering for his first time on the day assigned to his beit av, he will recite the shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ), as one does before performing a mitzvah that is limited to a particular date, e.g. shofar and lulav.”

The donning of tefillin isn’t limited to a particular date; consequently, the first time somebody puts on tefillin s/he doesn’t recite the blessing shehekhiyanu (שֶהֶחֱיָינוּ) Any day except Shabbat and holidays is always a good day to don tefillin!