What kind of role model are you? #Emor#devartorah#parashathashavua

During a summer of international sports scandals involving gambling and substance abuse, two athletes were applauded for their character as much as their professional accomplishments. A record crowd of 75,000 cheered Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn during their 2007 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “Whether we like it or not,” Ripken said, “as big leaguers, we are role models. The only question is, will it be positive or will it be negative?”

Gwynn echoed the sentiment: “There’s more than just playing the game of baseball. . You’re responsible, you’ve got to make good decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done.”

If this is true for athletes, how much more so for our elected leaders and their advisors of both parties. Incendiary rhetoric from both the right and the left is dividing our country. Political violence is wrong and has no place in a democracy and needs to be condemned. Unfortunately, hypocrisy, lies, outrageous statements, and scandalous behavior are no longer shocking. They seem to be the new norm of our country. We need leaders who don’t throw fuel on the fire. As the leader of our country and the free world we should expect more of the President of the United States. While decrying political violence on the left, Pres. Trump has, quite simply, crossed the line both more forcefully and more often. I’m saddened that he has not become a role model we need at this time to reduce political violence.

In this week’s Torah portion, Emor, outlines the special rules and regulations that the kohanim, the priests had to observe. As leaders of the Jewish people they were their role models especially when it came to grief and loss. Today each and every one of us is a role model in one way or another for our family, for our Jewish community, and for the wider secular community.

Every day, people are watching us. We have no better role model than Abraham who lived up to God’s charge back in Genesis saying, “walk in My ways and be blameless. “ (17:2) Bad behavior causes others to become disillusioned, while character fosters hope. What kind of role model will we be for someone watching today?

Chapter 11 Menakhot The Showbread Institue

Just the other day we finished the 12^th chapter of our massekhet. This chapter delved into all the details concerning the lekhem hapanim, the 12 loaves of bread that were on the Table, and the shtai halekem, the two loaves of bread that were part of the Shavuot offering.

One of my congregants, Helene Zipkin shared a link about the Showbread Institute. I hope the next time I visited Israel, I will go there and see how they turn the Gemara into a reality. I thought I would share with it you.

“Showbread Institute

In the Book of the Zohar (Terumah, 155a) it is written that the secret of the Showbread (Lechem Hapanim in Hebrew) is the secret of the "Panim" פנים ("face" or "inner spirituality"). The hidden secrets of the Showbread Table made by Betzal'el in the Tabernacle and King Solomon in the Temple and the Showbread baked by the Garmu family during the 2nd Temple period, have remained a mystery for almost 2000 years.

 

The purpose of the Showbread Institute is to research the Table and the Showbread and try to decipher them - How was the Table constructed? What did the Showbread look like? How did they bake it? and more. Combining various disciplines, an in-depth study of the ancient sources, cereal chemistry, engineering, archeology and others, we attempt in the Showbread Institute to solve the puzzle by peeling away layer upon layer until we finally uncover the truth. With Divine help we have already made incredibly profound discoveries about the Showbread that have never been published before and the purpose of the Showbread Institute is to make them public, in print and via other media, lectures and workshops. These discoveries are not solely the realm of academia, but have practical application and are highly relevant to our lives today.

 

The Showbread Institute was established in 2018 by Eliezer Meir Saidel, a master baker by profession, after many years of research into the Meal Offerings of the Temple and particularly the Showbread. When he began to teach others about the Showbread via lectures and workshops, he decided to open an official institute to serve as an umbrella organization for the research, publication and educational activites, in Karnei Shomron, Israel. The Showbread Institute fosters peace and tolerance through our charity work, engages in outreach by circulating between communites, educational institutions, schools, yeshivas, ulpanas etc. in Israel and abroad, lecturing, teaching and reacquainting the People of Israel with the Temple Service in preparation for the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple, speedily in our days.

 

” https://www.showbreadinstitute.org/

 

 

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!

Elijah’s most important job #Shabbathagadol#devartorah#haftorah

There are many traditional reasons why the Sabbath before Passover is called Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Sabbath. I think it’s great because we’re heading into the final countdown to Pesach. Although I dread how much more cleaning we have to do before the holiday, I look forward to the Seders when my children and grandchildren will be around the table. I can’t wait.

There is an Elijah connection between Shabbat Hagadol and the Passover Seder. Elijah is mentioned in this week’s haftorah and near the end of the Seder we open up the door to invite Elisha into her home.

“Reb Shlomo (Carlebach) would teach that Eliyahu Hanavi, Elijah the prophet, delights in bringing children and parents together. As it says in the book of the prophets (which we read this Shabbat as the haftarah) "Behold I send you Elijah the prophet... He shall restore the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents." (Malaci 3:24)

“Rabbi Shlomo taught that the Seder night is all about bringing parents and children closer to one another. So at the end of the Seder, Elijah the prophet knocks on the door to say that before the Messiah comes, he needs to do the work of bringing parents and children closer to one another. We hope and pray that when Elijah visits our home he will say, ‘I am happy to see that I will not need to make another stop here before the coming of the Messiah... Because here I see that you have come so close to one another.’" A Night that Unites Haggadah Page 224-225

I hope that your family Seder will be filled with love and harmony that when Elijah enters your home he will see parents and children’s hearts turn towards each other and thus we shall merit our final redemption on your account.

 

TB Menakhot 72b-73 Why there are two versions of Rashi’s commentary

Yesterday we finished the sixth chapter of our massekhet. It went off topic because it discussed the laws of the ’omer that was offered up on the second day of Passover and the two loaves of Shavuot. Today with dappim TB Menakhot 72b-73 we returned to the discussion about typical menakhot. The Mishnah on daf 72b begins “And these are the meal offerings from which a handful is removed and the remainder of the offering is eaten by the priests: The meal offering of fine flour; and the meal offering prepared in a pan; and the meal offering prepared in a deep pan; and the meal offering baked in an oven that is brought entirely of loaves; and the meal offering baked in an oven that is brought entirely of wafers; the meal offering of gentiles; and the meal offering of women; and the omer meal offering, i.e., the measure of barley brought as a communal offering on the sixteenth of Nisan; and the meal offering of a sinner; and the meal offering of jealousy, brought by a sota.” (Sefaria.org translation)

The Vilna edition of our massekhet contains two versions of Rashi’s commentary. The Schottenstein daf yomi edition explains why:

“The Vilna edition of our tractate contains two commentaries called “Rashi” for chapter 7-10. The first is the commentary that was attributed to Rashi in the earliest printed editions of the Talmud, beginning with Venice 5282. The other is a manuscript version taken from the margin of the Gemara of R’ Bezalel Ashkenazi, the compiler of the Shitah Mekibetzes, who recorded it in his own hand, and who asserted that it and not the printed version is the authentic commentary of Rashi. Indeed, the quotations of Rashi that are cited by Totafos to these chapters are from the manuscript version. There is no manuscript version for the other chapters, and R’ Bezalel Ashkenazi (in at note printed in Shitah Mekibetzes at the beginning of chapter 11) concedes that the printed commentary for those chapters is indeed that of Rashi.

“As to the original ‘Rashi’ commentary to chapter 7-10, R’ Ezra Altschuler, in the introduction to his Takanas Ezra and tractate Me’ilah, cites reasons to believe that it was authored by Rebbeinu Gershom. Similarly, Dikdukai Sofrim notes that this commentary is strikingly similar to that of Rebbeinu Gershom to our tractate, and would seem to have been called from his commentary. The recently published Dikdukai Sofrim to Chullin states that the original ‘Rashi’  was to chapter 7-10 was actually authored by Rebbeinu Elyakim who was a student of the disciples of Rebbeinu Gershom and a contemporary of Rashi. [Rebbeinu Elyakim authored a Rashi-style commentary at almost the Talmud, which only the commentary to Tractate Yoma has come down to us.]”

Menakhot 70 The prohibition against kitniyot, legumes, is a mistaken custom

I’m sure we’re all preparing for Passover by shopping for all the Kosher for Passover foods we need and reviewing the Haggadah to make our Seder interesting and meaningful. Daf TB Menakhot 70 could not have arrived at a more timely moment. I’m sure that many of you know the Ashkenazi prohibition against eating kitniyot, legumes, on Passover. I’m going to show you based on a Teshuva written by Rabbi David Golinkin that this is a mistaken custom; consequently, kitniyot are most definitely permitted during Passover.

 The Mishnah on this daf enumerates five different types of grain that the Gemara will limit the making of matzot to them. “Wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and rye…The Gemara asks: And there, with regard to matza itself, from where do we derive that it must be from one of those five grains? The Gemara answers: Reish Lakish said, and likewise a Sage of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught, and likewise a Sage of the school of Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov taught, that the verse states: “You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it matza, the bread of affliction” (Deuteronomy 16:3). This verse indicates that only with regard to substances that will come to a state of leavening does a person fulfill his obligation to eat matza by eating them on Passover, provided that he prevents them from becoming leavened. This serves to exclude these foods, i.e., rice, millet, and similar grains, which, even if flour is prepared from them and water is added to their flour, do not come to a state of leavening but to a state of decay [sirḥon].”

The Mekhilta deRabbi Yishmael 8:1 teaches the same prohibition and exemption. "Seven days shall you eat matzoth"(Exodus 12:15): I might think that all types of matzoth are understood (i.e., that all grains are permitted as matzoth). It is, therefore, written (Devarim 16:3) "Do not eat chametz upon it; (seven days shall you eat matzoth upon it"). Scripture speaks only of something that can become chametz (i.e., that can turn sour) — wheat, barley, rye, oat, and spelt. This excludes rice, millet, poppyseed, pulse, and sesame, which do not become chametz, but which putrefy.

We have an explicit Gemara where the rabbis ate rice! “The Gemara asks: What are these two cooked foods (in honor of the festival) mentioned in the mishna? Rav Huna said: Beets and rice. The Gemara relates that Rava would seek beets and rice for his meal on Passover night, since this ruling came from Rav Huna’s mouth. Although Rava realized that Rav Huna was merely citing examples and did not mean that one must eat those specific foods, he wanted to fulfill the statement of his teacher precisely. ” (TB Pesakhim 114b)

The prohibition against kitniyot also contradicts the theory and practice of the Amoraim in Babylonia and in Israel, the Geonim and most of the early medieval authorities in all countries (altogether more than 50 Rishonim).

This prohibition isn’t an ancient one in Israel. This custom is mentioned for the first time in France and Provence the beginning of the 13^th century by Rabbi Asher of Lunel, Rabbi Samuel of Falaise, and Rabbi Peretz of Corbeil-from there and spread to various countries and the list of prohibited foods continued to expand. Nevertheless, the reason for the custom was unknown and as a result many sages invented at least 11 different explanations for the custom. So many different explanations means that nobody knows the real reason why kitniyot was originally forbidden. As a result, Rabbi Samuel of Falaise, one of the first to mention it, refer to it as a “mistaken custom” and Rabbi Yrukham called it a “foolish custom.”

Rabbi Golinkin posits a reason why this mistaken custom took root. “It is not the custom to eat kitniyot on a holiday since is written (Deuteronomy 16:14) ‘You shall rejoice in your holiday’ for there is no joy in eating cooked kitniyot” (Rabbi Manuakh, Provence, 1265 ca, his commentary on Rambam, Laws of Hametz and Matza, halakha1) Many Talmudic sources associate the eating of kitniyot as the opposite of rejoicing. Similarly, poor Greeks, Romans, and Arabs also ate kitniyot. It is not surprising why those who forbid the eating of kitniyot on the holiday. Especially kitniyot were served in a house of mourning and on 9^th of Av from the Talmudic times onward as well in the Middle Ages in Germany and Austria. In is logical to infer it eating kitniyot was not an appropriate symbol food on the happy holiday as Passover which has so many food requirements.

Many rabbinic authorities have ruled that it is permitted (and perhaps even obligatory) to do away with this type of “foolish custom” including Maimonides, the Rosh, the Ribash, and many others.

There are many reasons why we should do away with this “foolish custom”. It affects from enjoy the holiday by limiting the number of permitted foods especially those who are gluten intolerant.

 

Teshuva by Rabbi David Golinkin, 5749, published in Responsa of the Va’ad Halacha of the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel, Volume 3 5748-5749.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TB Menkhot 65ff The counting of the omer at our second Seder

The opening mishnayot of the sixth chapter discusses the omer minkha of barley which permits all the new grain now to be eaten. The ritual is described in great detail to publicize the correct procedure as opposed to the sect of Jews called Boethusians who didn’t accept the oral law. According to the rabbis one begins counting the omer from the second day of Passover with the 50^th day culminating as Shavuot. The Boethusians started the countdown from the first Sunday after the 15^th of Nisan, the first day of Passover.

“(Remember in the land of Israel only the first day of Passover is celebrated as a Yom Tov. The second day would already be Hol Hamoed) How would they perform the rite of the harvest of the omer? Emissaries of the court would emerge on the eve of the festival of Passover and fashion the stalks of barley into sheaves while the stalks were still attached to the ground, so that it would be convenient to reap them. The residents of all the towns adjacent to the site of the harvest would assemble there, so that it would be harvested with great fanfare.

“Once it grew dark, the court emissary says to those assembled: Did the sun set? The assembly says in response: Yes. The emissary repeats: Did the sun set? They again say: Yes. The court emissary next says to those assembled: Shall I reap the sheaves with this sickle? The assembly says in response: Yes. The emissary repeats: With this sickle? The assembly says: Yes. The court emissary then says to those assembled: Shall I place the gathered sheaves in this basket? The assembly says in response: Yes. The emissary repeats: In this basket? The assembly says: Yes. “

If the sixteenth of Nisan occurs on Shabbat, the court emissary says to the assembled: Shall I cut the sheaves on this Shabbat? The assembly says in response: Yes. The emissary repeats: On this Shabbat? The assembly says: Yes. The court emissary says to those assembled: Shall I cut the sheaves? And they say to him in response: Cut. The emissary repeats: Shall I cut the sheaves? And they say to him: Cut.

“The emissary asks three times with regard to each and every matter, and the assembly says to him: Yes, yes, yes. The mishna asks: Why do I need those involved to publicize each stage of the rite to that extent? The mishna answers: It is due to the Boethusians, as they deny the validity of the Oral Law and would say: There is no harvest of the omer at the conclusion of the first Festival day of Passover unless it occurs at the conclusion of Shabbat. The publicity was to underscore that the sixteenth of Nisan was the proper time for the omer harvest.” (Sefaria.org translation)

We who live in the Diaspora treat the first two days of Passover as Yom Tov; consequently, we have two Seders. At the conclusion of the second Seder, we count the omer with a blessing. Dr. Jon Greenberg’s Haggadah Fruits of Freedom: Ancient Seder Insights from Nature, Food, and Farming provides a very important understanding of this ritual.

“To a farmer in the land of Israel, the sefira, or counting, from Pesach to Shavuot is a time of anxiety. The weather in Israel is notoriously mercurial at this time of year, keeping farmers continually on edge about whether rain will arrive when it will benefit the growth of the crops, or when warm dry weather is needed to promote the activity of pollinating bees in the ripening of fruits and grains. The first fruits, bikkurim of the Seven Species, were brought to the Temple with great rejoicing beginning at Shavuot. These crops are quite diverse, but they share one important trait: each of them is pollinated at a different time during sefira, and is therefore vulnerable to the vagaries of weather during this unsettled period. Like the highly varied landscape of the land of Israel itself, the competing needs of the Seven Species tempt the farmer to appeal to gods of rain, sun, and other natural phenomena for favorable local conditions. Dedicating one’s bikkurim to the one supreme God is an act of complete and exclusive faith, and abstention from offerings to other gods precisely when the farmer would be most tempted to appeal to them.

“It is perhaps in this light that Midrash Rabah connects the biblical commandment to count seven shavuot temimot (or perfect) weeks, of sefira with the idea of complete faith: Just as we must count seven complete weeks, so, too, must these be weeks of complete faith, when we trust exclusively and with complete confidence in our One God despite the uncertainty of the season that may tempt us to appeal to other gods. The same midrashic passage also states that God will reward our dedication with protection for crops from harmful weather conditions during sefira.

“In Temple times, sefira was inaugurated on the second day of Pesach with an offering of the first of the new spring barley crop. The measure for this grain was known as an omer. Later, this term also came to be the alternative name for the sefira period. The end of sefira was marked by a similar offering always on Shavuot. Because of this greater gluten-forming capacity, wheat flour is preferred over barley flour for bread making. Thus wheat bread has always held a higher status than barley bread. Noting that wheat is mentioned before barley in the biblical list of the Seven Species, for example, the Talmud states that even broken pieces of wheat bread are more appropriate to the dignity of the motzi blessing that whole loaves of barley bread. Even in biblical times when food was generally much less plentiful than it is today, barley was sometimes fed to livestock. The lower prestige of barley and in particular its association with animals and animalistic behavior is also reflected in its use as the offering of the sotah, a woman who was suspected of marital infidelity in Temple times. (the omer and the Sotah minkha were the only two barley menakhot. All the rest of the menakhot offerings were wheat-gg)

“As part of the omer offering, the barley was waived up, down, and in all four compass directions to indicate its designation for the sacred purpose. The meaning of this action is suggested by several midrashim. These sources suggest that the waving in all directions is an acknowledgment that God controls all the world, including its weather conditions that determine the success of crops. One of the midrashim compares God to a cook who asks to sample the dish (the farmer’s crops) at an earlier stage (the second day of Pesach, when the omer of barley is offered), in order to adjust the seasoning (the balance of rain and sun) so as to maximize the harvest.” (Pages 130-133)

So don’t forget to count the omer on April 2^nd at the conclusion of your second Seder. Counting the omer reinforces our faith in the Holy One Blessed be He. Father John Dean taught me this about faith: “Don’t keep the faith. That’s selfish. Spread it around!”