Recap of August 11 Session (Parshat Shoftim)

Eli Reich started the discussion by reviewing works he is reading about the development of Jewish intellectual thinking through history, with a particular focus on the Enlightenment era. We spent some time dealing with opinions espoused by Spinoza and Mendelsohn about applying rationality to try and prove that what the Bible says is correct. It is well-known that the Enlightenment ushered in an era wherein traditional religious belief came under attack and religious thought was relegated to being purely a matter of faith that does not stand up to scientific reasoning.

This was an entree to David’s review of some his father’s work on religion and the scientific method. David’s father, Rabbi Dr. George Natan Schlesinger, Z”L wrote extensively on this topic. David read a small excerpt from an article entitled, “The Surprise of Our Lives,” published by Bar Ilan in 1987. The thrust of the article is that scientific reasoning leads us to propose causes for observed phenomena that determine the observed outcome rather than ascribing the outcome to pure chance. This is especially the case when the outcome would constitute a significant surprise – or highly improbable event – if things were left to chance. This is a precursor to the Argument from Design, or the Anthropic Principle, which the group intends to pursue further in the coming weeks.

We then moved the discussion to the weekly Torah portion, Shoftim.

David related a thought from Rav Yissachar Frand about the juxtapositioning of the command to set up a justice system with the prohibition of worshipping and Asheira (tree that is worshipped as an idol). The idea of observing the beauty of a tree in order to recognize the greatness of its Creator is a positive one. However, elevating that creation to a god status is a distortion, and a misuse of the tools we are given to achieve a greater awareness of our Creator. Worship of nature by necessity brings along with it a subscription to one of the main features of nature, namely, the survival of the fittest. This is the point where the Asheira issue relates to a justice system. Without a true justice system, human affairs would also be settled by survival of the fittest. In any conflict, the strong would prevail rather than justice prevailing.

Efroni raised a question on the prohibition against a king seeking to gain too many horses being linked to not going back to Egypt. Slava suggested that the linkage relates to horses being a major feature of ancient Egyptian culture. The idea of this linkage is to tell us that a king must be very careful not to do things that would lead Israel to be influenced by aspects of foreign cultures that are antithetical to Torah.

Other parsha thoughts were offered by Efroni, Yaki and David W. [Please contribute details.]

We spent the rest of our time learning from Pninei Halacha (R. Eliezed Melamed) the laws of Shabbat as they relate to saving lives.

We learned that there is a fairly broad definition of what constitutes a life threatening situation. This includes all situations that are commonly known to be life threatening, any time a medical professional would suggest there is a life threatening situation, any time the sick or injured person believes that his or her life may be in danger (even if the experts says there is no danger). In addition to broad definition, we treat any doubtful situations as life-threatening, and we avoid wasting any time by looking up laws, seeking out Halachic guidance or finding a non-Jew to perform any of the required activities (unless the non-Jew is present and asking him to do what is needed does not introduce any delay or unnecessary risk).

We learned about driving the patient to the hospital. You drive on Shabbat the same way you would drive on a weekday (e.g., don’t think about coasting, if it’s night time, turn on the headlights). After the patient is dropped off, move the car out of the ER drive-up lane so that others can get it, and go to a parking space. When it comes to turning off the engine, if there is a non-Jew readily available to do that, it’s preferable to ask him/her to do it. However, if no one is available, do it yourself so you can quickly go back to the ER and be with the sick or injured person.

This led to the Halachot of accompanying someone to the hospital. Rav Melamed’s position is that it has been observed that when a patient has an advocate, he/she receives better care than if left alone in the hospital. This gives the advocate the status of someone who is contributing to a life-saving effort, and therefore permits the advocate to ride to the hospital, and is why you can turn off your car to get back into the ER quickly if there in not a non-Jew available to do that.

We also covered Halachot that deal with what you can bring to the hospital, what do if you are discharged from the hospital while it is still Shabbat, and what to do if the patient demands more than one advocate.

The above represents our discussion. No specific Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred. The Halachic portion of the discussion, while representing fairly clear Halachic guidance on the subject of saving lives, should be reviewed. We encourage people to develop good knowledge about how to handle life-threatening situations before such situations should arise (i.e., study the Halachot and confer with your local Halachic authority, but not during the situation!).

Recap of Shloshim 7/27/2013

We had a siyum to celebrate the finishing of San Hedrin, and the end of the 30 day period of mourning. This is the tractate that David remembers learning with his father when he was a child. David spoke some more about the problem of suffering at our gathering, and the material contained in a paper that his father wrote on the subject. Hashem created a most perfect world, but the definition of a perfect world is one in which the opportunity to do moral acts is maximized. Suffering gives us the opportunity for a virtuous response, to do moral acts such as compassion, kindness, and tzeduka to help alleviate the suffering. A most perfect world does not have the least amount of suffering possible.

One of the problems with suffering is that it is harmful to the relationship that one has with Hashem. By helping alleviate the suffering of others, we help improve the relationship of others to Hashem. We are then rewarded by a better relationship between ourselves and Hashem.

Efroni spoke about some of the amazing coincidences. He noted how his grandfather passed away on the day of his grandfather's (Natan's) page in the Talmud, with the odds of this happening by chance being around 1 in 2000. He also spoke about coming to Memphis planning to study 112 sections of gemara, and the fact that this is exactly how many sections are contained in the San Hedrin. And he also spoke about how this all happened during the 3 weeks, which are traditional times of mourning for us.  Efroni also spoke about how the Torah is a means to an end, and how a person who follows the Torah is more important than the Torah itself, and this is how he thinks of his grandfather.

Recap for 20 Av 5773 (Parsha Eikev)

Last Shabbos we discussed the idea of clinging to Hashem, and how we do this by imitating his ways – doing mitzvah, acts of kindness, and following the Torah. This Shabbos we broadened the discussion to include the idea of loving Hashem. We discussed what it means to be commanded to love Hashem.  How can we be commanded to have this emotion of love?

We discussed how we can love Hashem, by studying the details of his creation. Hashem created everything, so anything that we study, such as the Torah, or secular subjects such as science, math, and psychology, are included. As we study these subjects, it should be amazing to us the beauty and intelligence of Hashem that is manifested in our physical world. And we discussed how the act of studying all these subjects and details doesn’t only lead to our love for Hashem, it is love for Hashem in and of itself.

David talked about how there are 3 levels to a relationship with Hashem. At the most primitive level, we fear Hashem and that we will be punished if we do not follow the Torah and act in a moral way. At the next higher level, we appreciate Hashem for what he can do for us, personally. And at the highest and most desirable level, we appreciate what and who Hashem is, in and of itself, regardless of what he can do for us. As we get to a higher level, we still have fear, but what we are fearing is missing out on opportunities to get closer to Hashem and grow spiritually, rather than some type of punishment.

We discussed the mitzvah of learning Torah and whether or not we get benefit if we don’t understand the learning. We did agree that maximum benefit comes from being able to recap what we learned and provide the knowledge to others. However, unlike secular subjects such as math and biology, making the effort to learn has benefit in and of itself regardless of whether or not we understand the material. If we simply give up learning, we may miss the opportunity to eventually get to a point where the learning is beneficial.  Our journey of learning may take us to a place where we don’t understand, but later lead us to a place where the learning is not only understandable but inspirational to us as well.

Efroni led a discussion about Torah commanded blessings with respect to meals and learning Torah. With meals, we say the Torah level blessing afterwards, whereas with learning we say the blessing in the beginning. We discussed possible reasons for this difference.  One possible reason is that with Torah study the learning never ends whereas with meals there is more of a definite end point.

Ariav gave a dvar Torah on this week’s parsha, Eikev. In the parsha, Moses tells the people what they have to do. We discussed why Moses acts like there is not really that much that the Jews need to do when there seems to be a very large number of commandments in the Torah. We discussed how we need to look at the volume of commandments relative to what the Jews are going to receive in return. When we look at all that Hashem gives us, we can see that what we are asked to do in return is not that much. We also discussed the fact that Hashem really doesn’t need us to do anything – all these commandments are actually for us.

Finally we had some discussion of science and religion. Howard pointed out that science will never be able to explain how something comes out of nothing. Science is concerned with cause and affect. What is most interesting is that Hashem created this concept of one event causing another, cause and affect.  Cause and affect rely on time, which is something else Hashem created.  The question of who created Hashem does not make sense, because cause and effect - if it exists at all - may work very differently in the spiritual world of Hashem, than Hashem's manifestation of this for us in the physical world.

Recap for 13 Av 5773 (Parsha Va'etchanan)

This Shabbos we discussed what it means that we do not do work on Shabbos. We discussed the one type of work that is a Torah violation, but not a capital offense: lighting a fire. This is because Hashem did not create fire during the first six days of creation. Hashem did create the sun, but this is not the same as a fire, as there is no oxygen in space.

We discussed the parsha, known as Va’etchanan. In the parsha, Moses recounts the story of receiving the ten commandments at Mt. Sinai, and repeats the ten commandments to the people. Moses speaks to us on the importance of following the Torah and its commandments. We discussed how Hashem did not descend all the way down at Mt. Sinai, but that there is a distance between him and us.

This distance illustrates the fact we can never completely cling to Hashem. We do the best we can by imitating Hashem’s ways. We do mitzvah, such as visiting the sick and loving acts of kindness. These bring us closer to Hashem.  We follow the Torah as best we can.

We discussed how Hashem created a world in a way that would enable us to do all this mitzvah. David spoke some more about what his father would say with respect to the problem of evil and suffering in the world. The most perfect world has suffering so that we can do mitzvah and practice these character traits such as love, kindness and compassion. This is known as the virtuous response to suffering. If there was no suffering and we simply experienced well-being all the time, we would not know we were experiencing well-being because there would be nothing to compare it to. This may be another reason why there is suffering.

We discussed some more how Hashem gives all of us free will, and how some of us choose to not to do good and/or follow the Torah with this free will. If everyone automatically followed the Torah, then we would not have free will but would be robots and not human beings. Hashem wants us to make choices with free will, rather than automatically having choices made for us.

We discussed why “in the beginning” appears first before Hashem, and not the other way around. It would seem that first, Hashem had to create time itself. We never really answered this question.  Hashem exists outside of time and space. Since we live within time and space, it is very difficult to understand what it is like outside of time and space. Everything that exists in the physical world exists in time, so time would have to be created first.

We continued our discussion of work by non-Jews. If we own a company with a non-Jew, the non-Jew can work on Shabbos but must realize 100% of the profits from that day. We are allowed to own stock in a company that does business on Shabbos. However, if the company is primarily Jewish run and is open on Shabbos, we should divest of this stock.

Finally, David talked about how we will be discussing more topics from his father, including religion and science in coming weeks. We also talked about how we should love our fellow Jew even if they are not as religious as us. And we talked about all the accomplishments going on in Israel, but it is disappointing that some of the Rabbis are fighting with each other as they are.

Recap for 6 Av 5773 (Parsha Devarim)

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha, known as Devarim. This is the first parsha in Deuteronomy. In the parsha, Moses speaks to the people and gives them a recounting of everything that has happened up until now.  Moses recounts to the people how they had committed several sins including the sin of the spies and the sin of the Golden Calf.  Moses also recounts some of our mitzvah and accomplishments, including the construction of the tabernacle. We discussed how at this point in time in our history, it was very important for us to focus on the good we had done, and to build on our accomplishments. This would help propel us to continue making progress, eventually entering and settling the land of Israel.

There are several specific details of the Parsha that we discussed. The locations that Moses brings up are the locations in which he transmitted Torah to us. We also discussed how we did a lot of complaining throughout history, but we never complained when it was revealed that we would no longer be taught directly by Moses. This indicates that our priorities were out of line. Learning Torah should be a top priority in our life.

We did some more learning of material from David S father, HaRav Natan Ben HaRav Shmuel. David led the discussion of what his father would say concerning the problem of evil and suffering. Hashem created the most perfect world possible, given that the goal of the world is not to have the most well-being possible, but to have the most moral acts possible that we choose to do.

We discussed moral acts such as compassion, tzeduka, and forgiveness. These are only possible in a world where everything is not so perfect and sometimes there is evil and suffering. We discussed the virtuous response to suffering. One example we discussed, if someone is poor and suffering we can do the mitzvah of providing them with tzeduka and assistance. When the poor realize our help, they see Hashem working through us and this helps them maintain a good relationship with Hashem.

There is some suffering that is so severe, suffering that we are powerless to do much about, such as the holocaust. Maybe Hashem did intervene and the holocaust would have been much worse. There are some events that we just do not know why they happen, or are allowed to happen. We discussed how we should not bring up these events, such as the holocaust, in order to help us with a personal agenda.

We continued our discussion of Shabbos, and what we can ask a goy to help us with. Avishai told a story of getting into an elevator and asking a goy what floor he was going to. The goy gave a floor, and Avishai and his friend then went to the same floor. In this case they did not specifically ask the goy to press a certain floor.

We discussed how we can ask a goy explicitly to do something for us as long as it is not a Torah level violation, and it is absolutely necessary that the violation be done because we are suffering a major discomfort.   We can ask a goy to turn off a noisy microphone at shul.  Another example we discussed, we cannot ask a goy to light a fire for us as this would be a Torah level violation, however, we could go to the house of a goy and benefit from a fire that he had lit on Shabbos. 

Zach told a story of leaving stoves on low, and how it is permitted to turn the stove up and down on Yom Tov, but not on or off. The management of the apartments turned all the stoves off. This was a case in which they were able to use non-Jews to turn the stove’s back on.

We discussed the importance of mourning during the first 9 days of Av. It is very important that we mourn the destruction of the temples and not accept the current state of things. Only those who mourn the destruction of the temples are worthy of the rebuilding of the temples.

We discussed some of the customs we follow during the first 9 days. In the old days bathing was done at bath houses and was only done once a week or so. In the past there would be a total prohibition on bathing during the 9 days. However, today, when we usual bath once a day, we are permitted to continue bathing during the 9 days, but we should do it in a way that is less enjoyable. One thing we should do is turn down the temperature of the water. We should also take quick showers rather than large baths and avoid pleasures such as whirlpools. We should also avoid meat and wine during the 9 days. However there are some exceptions. We are permitted to eat meat on Shabbos. And we are permitted to eat meat during celebrations such as a siyum or bris.

Finally, David talked about how the Kiddush originally started. David was walking home with Alan from the Yeshiva and they decided to go and do some learning together between the end of the services and lunch time. It was great to have Alan at the Kiddush this Shabbos, as well as visitors from the University of Maryland, Zach, Johnathon, Johnathon, and Yakov.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 28 Tamuz 5773 (Parsha Matot)

This Shabbos the learning was in honor and memory of David S. father, HaRav Natan Ben HaRav Shmuel.  This Shabbos, as many others, much of our learning comes from and originates from Rav Natan Ben Shmuel.

We began our learning by discussing one of the week’s parshas, which is known as Matot.  We discussed the section of the parsha which includes the laws concerning vows. We are obligated to keep our vows. However in certain circumstances, a husband or father can annul the vows of his wife or daughter. We discussed how vows should not be taken lightly. We should be careful not to make too many vows, as each vow adds to the laws and commandments that are already included in the Torah.

David S. shared a story that his father, Rav Natan, would tell. This story describes an interesting paradox. A husband issues a conditional get. The get states that 30 days from today a divorce will be granted, retroactive to today, as long as the wife keeps her vows. What happens, the wife pledges not to eat any meat, the husband annuls the vow, and then the wife eats meat. All this takes place within the 30 days. The question is – is the divorce granted? If the divorce is granted, then the husband annulled the vow during a period of time in which he wasn’t the husband, so the wife committed an aveira and the divorce should not have been granted. But if the divorce is not granted the husband had the power to annul the vows and the wife did not commit an aveira, so the divorce should have been granted.

This Shabbos we discussed some of the issues surrounding evil and suffering in the world. Why does Hashem allow evil and suffering? David S. shared that this was a topic that his father would often talk about. One of the main points we discussed, is that Hashem doesn’t just allow suffering, he intentionally created a world in which suffering and evil would exist. This suffering gives us work and mitzvah to do, in order to create well-being out of the suffering, and turn the negative of suffering into a positives. This helps us to grow, become closer to Hashem, and finish the act of creation that Hashem started.

David S. shared how his father would say that Hashem created the best and most perfect world that is possible. And the most perfect world for us, is a world that is not perfect. This world includes us having free will. If we automatically made choices that were the right choices to make, we would not have free will, we would be like robots. Evil is one of the proofs that we do in fact have free will, and some of us choose to follow the Torah and do what is right and some of us do not.

If there was no suffering, and we always had a feeling of well-being, we would not know we were having a feeling of well-being because there would be nothing to compare it to. One of the questions we discussed is why there is severe suffering, such as with the holocaust and earthquakes? It is possible the holocaust and earthquakes would have been a lot worse without Hashem’s intervention, but why do things like this happen to begin with? We did not come up with a single satisfactory answer, but it is clear that there are events and circumstances we are powerless to do much about. One point that was made is that either there is going to be suffering or there is not, and if there is suffering then all suffering is going to occur, including some that is severe, and/or some that we can do nothing about. If we could control everything, what would be the role for Hashem in our lives?

Another question we discussed is the other extreme, and why it is necessary to have minor annoyances that we cannot do anything about. Hashem gives us free will to choose which annoyances we want to do something about, and which we are going to tolerate and accept. It is clear that Hashem intended the most perfect world for us, to be one that is not perfect in which some things would have to be tolerated and accepted.

One of the topics we discussed this Shabbos, is how everything comes from Hashem, including money. David W talked about how families use to live with maids, butlers, and servants and then lose their wealth. The same way that Hashem can give us money and wealth, he can take it away.

Hashem would like us to enrich ourselves, so that we can use our wealth to perform mitzvahs such as giving Tzedukuh. We discussed giving of Tzedukuh to poor people. In giving tzedukuh, we are representing Hashem. This helps the poor maintain a good relationship with Hashem, and Hashem then has a better relationship with us. We discussed how it is desirable to be helpful to the poor, without enabling them to continue having problems. If we are going to give someone money, then it is better that it be a loan. Better yet, would be to give someone a job. This would be better than giving someone money or loaning it to them.

We spent some time this Shabbos discussing the issue of non-Jews doing work. There is nothing prohibiting a non-Jew from working on Shabbos, but there are prohibitions against us benefitting from this work. We are not allowed to directly ask a non-Jew to do work for us. However, it is possible to train non-Jews. Brian R talked about how an employee has been trained to follow certain rules - like not changing the state of the lights - when he is dressed up as if it is a special day.

We are not allowed to benefit from a Torah level violation by a non-Jew. However, most violations are rabbinic violations, and we can benefit from these as long as the non-Jew did not have us in mind as a beneficiary. For example, if a non-Jew turns on a light in order that he can see better, and then forgets to turn it off, we can benefit from the light being turned on.

Finally David W shared some good news that Israel is doing very well economically. He also shared that it is helpful that surrounding enemies are not focused on Israel, but are fighting each other. He shared that one area in which Israel needs to improve, is internal fighting, and that it would be nice if we could all get along.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 14 Tamuz 5773 (Parsha Balak)

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha known as Balak. In the parsha, Balak summons the prophet Balaam to curse the Jewish people. We discussed how the section about the Jews appearing to threaten Balak, are at the end of the prior week’s parsha. If this threat was the reason for summoning Balaam why wouldn’t this be at the beginning of this week’s parsha? David S. led discussion and made the point that there are other reasons for attacking the Jews other than preventing a threat. Some people simply hate the Jews and attack them for this reason.

We discussed how Balaam is a prophet like Moses, but Balaam did not have the same instant access to Hashem that Moses had.  Nevertheless, Hashem was able to communicate to Balaam exactly what he was to say. Instead of cursing the Jews, Balaam was told to, and did bless the Jews and told of the coming Messianic era. Many believe this was the worst situation the Jews had ever been in, and that it was a miracle and blessing that Balaam was able to come and speak the words of Hashem rather than what Balak wanted him to do.

This Shabbos we had a siyum to celebrate the finishing of the study of the Eruvin tractate. Prior to the siyum, we studied the last page of this tractate. We learned about travelling on Shabbos.  On Shabbos, we are not allowed to travel more than a certain distance outside of the city’s boundaries. Those who are stuck outside the city boundaries when Shabbos begin, may not be able to return to the city.

After the siyum we began study of the Pesachim tractate. We learned that on Pesach it is not necessary to search for Chumatz in the rooms in which we never took Chumatz. Jews that are participating in the Daf Yomi program all study the same pages of the Talmud at the same time.

This Shabbos we discussed how we spend the week getting ready for Shabbos, but we don’t want to spend Shabbos getting ready for the week! However there are exceptions in cases in which we would suffer a financial hardship. For example if we cooked too much food for Shabbos, we can put any remaining food in the refrigerator for the coming week. We are allowed to clean on Shabbos, only if what we are cleaning is taking away from our enjoyment or ability to observe the day. We should not read material that we need for our work or studies on Shabbos, but there are exceptions if we really enjoy the subject and are leaving enough time for Torah study. The most appropriate subject to study on Shabbos is the Torah.

We discussed the 3 week period of mourning that takes place from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av. The first and second temples were both destroyed during this period of time. Throughout history, there has been many tragedies during this period. Both the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are fast days. We refrain from certain activities during the entire 3 weeks. These activities include getting a haircut, shaving, listening to music, wearing new cloths, and scheduling a wedding.

We discussed some of the exceptions to these restrictions. We can listen to music in the background, as long as listening to the music is not our primary activity. Someone who makes his living playing live music, can continue to play live music for non-Jews, but should refrain during the first 9 days of Av. We can schedule a bar mitzvah with music during this period, but only if it is on the child’s actual birthday.

Finally, David S. told a story from his father about getting ready for spiritual experiences such as the after-life and how this is analogous to getting ready to go to an event such as an opera. We can all go to the same opera, but those who get ready for it by doing their homework and learning, will get more enjoyment, reward and satisfaction out of it, not be bored etc. etc. Likewise, those who study Torah, grow spiritually and get close to Hashem during their life in the physical world, will get more enjoyment, reward and satisfaction out of spiritual experiences such as the after-life.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 7 Tamuz 5773 (Parsha Chukat)

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s Parsha Chukat. David S. led discussion, which started out with why there is a 38 year gap. This is there to draw attention to a comparison between this parsha and the story of getting water back in Exodus. Back in Exodus, only the elders were brought before the rock and water was provided based on the merit of Miriam. In Parsha Chukat, water is to be provided based on the merit of all of us, so everyone was called to come forth to witness the miracle of the water being provided.

However Moses does not follow his instructions. He strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. He also does not take the opportunity to talk to the Jews about how they have all reached the level of meriting this miracle. Hashem decrees that Moses will not be able to enter the promised land of Israel. Although this seems like a harsh consequence, leaders are expected to uphold the highest standards. We discussed some of the reasons Moses may not have followed his instructions, such as impatience. Regardless of the reason, Moses is still regarded as a great leader.

Efroni brought us another very interesting dvar Torah with material from Rabbi Avigdor Neventzel. We discussed how Abraham could have received the entire Torah, at a time prior to the Jews arrival to Mt. Sinai. We discussed angels and how we all receive our soul and Torah knowledge, which is what happened with Abraham. However, unlike Abraham, once we are born we become oriented and focused in a self-centered way and lose touch with Torah. Although we are created in the image of God, we transform to a state where only some Torah and morality can be figured out on our own.

We discussed the difference between Chukkim and Mishpatim. Mishpatim is Torah that makes sense and is rational. Mishpatim we can probably figure out on our own without learning the Torah. This includes such things as not stealing, and not hurting others. Chukkim includes commandments that we would not figure out on our own without studying Torah. These include kosher laws such as not eating pork. These are commandments that we follow for spiritual reasons because the Torah says so, and for no other reason. Abraham had knowledge of both the Chukkim and Mishpatim, prior to Mt. Sinai, however other Jews like us must learn the Torah, especially to gain knowledge of the Chukkim.

We continued our discussion of Shabbos. There are some people who work on Shabbos and we talked about how they can be paid for this. We do not actually pay them for what they do on Shabbos, but for their preparation. For example, a babysitter we would pay him or her for the work done before Shabbos of preparing a story to tell the children. A caterer we would pay them for preparing the food before Shabbos. A hotel, we would pay them for letting us rent the room before and after Shabbos.

We discussed what type of reading is appropriate on Shabbos. We should stick to what we enjoy, always making sure we do not take away from our Torah study time. As an example, a dentist should not read any type of articles about dentistry on Shabbos. However if someone is not a dentist and really enjoys dentistry, it may be permissible for them to read articles about this if they really enjoy the material.

On Shabbos we try to make this a special day and refrain from our normal weekday activities. We don’t want to spend a lot of time doing things like cleaning. However if the cleaning is taking away from our enjoyment of Shabbos, it may be permitted to do cleaning such as wiping off dishes that have accumulated in the sink. But we would not want to start something like washing windows. We can play games on Shabbos if we really enjoy them, but again, we do not want to take away from our time for Torah study.

During our lunch, we had an interesting discussion about the kosher status of synthetic meat. If a piece of pork was made molecule by molecule would it be kosher? If a piece of beef was made molecule by molecule would it be kosher?  In the future rabbis may have to deal with these issues.  The kosher laws we have now assume meat is coming from live animals. We never really came up with answers for these questions.

Finally we discussed some miscellaneous topics this Shabbos. We talked about perception and the hallo affect. We should try to be positive about people and avoid lashon hara. If we are negative about people, we will always perceive them this way regardless of how they really are.  Brett talked about how we can use secular law to force someone to get a Get. Joey talked about how a child who is not yet born does a conversion along with his/her mother.  If a mother does a conversion when her baby is already born, the baby is converted but has to reconfirm the conversion at bar/bat mitzvah time.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 30 Sivan 5773 (Parsha Korach)

This Shabbos David S led a discussion of the week’s parsha Korach. In the parsha there are rebellions by Korach, Dathan and Aviram against Moses and Aaron. We discussed how there were actually 2 rebellions. The first rebellion is with Korach, who wishes to serve Hashem but does not want to accept his (Korach’s) role in the community. The second rebellion is with Dathan and Aviram, who never have any faith or belief in Hashem to begin with.

Korach was like a blocker on a football team who wants to play quarterback. He thought everyone was equally holy, so anyone - including himself - could play the role of Moses or Aaron. He did not realize that he may have been able to act out the role of Moses and Aaron, but he did not have all the qualities of Moses and Aaron.  Korach did not have the depth of a relationship with Hashem, as did Moses and Aaron.  Regardless of what qualities Korach had, the fact is Hashem specifically choose Moses and Aaron to have the roles that they did. This is all a lesson for us today.  We all have a role to play, and all of our roles are important.  But we can't just choose any role that pleases us personally.  We have to consider what is the role that is Hashem's plan for us that best fits into Hashem's overall plan.  We talked this Shabbos about the importance of community, and living on a team in which we give and take with others.

Dathan and Aviram questioned why we even left Egypt, to begin with. They had no faith or belief in Hashem. They refused to even take part in the experiment that Moses had set up. This is why their punishment was worse than that of those who took part in the sacrifice. Dathan and Aviram were swallowed up by the earth, where-as the rebels lead by Korach died from flames during the sacrifice. The rebels lead by Korach died a more honorable death. As for Korach, himself, we discussed how Korach was really worthy of both punishments, because his rebellion lead others to rebel, even if the other rebellion was more extreme.

Efroni gave a very interesting dvar Torah of material from Rav Avigdor Neventzol. One of the questions we discussed is - if Hashem is all powerful why did it take him 6 days to create everything?  We discussed how Hashem wants us to imitate him.  He wants us to finish creation, and to do it with a day of rest just like him.  If hashem just took 1 day, then we would be celebrating Shabbot every day!   

Another questions we discussed is how Hashem could have done all his work in only 6 days.  Scientifally there appears to be millions of years between the time of the "big bang" and the first appearance of man.  Of course, the definition of “day” may have been different in the beginning before the sun and planets came into existence. But Efroni talked about another explanation that comes from Rav Avigdor Neventzol, which is that Hashem created everything to begin in a mature state.  This would mean that events like the “big bang” were just in Hashem’s “imagination” and just the way things appear to us scientifically.  

Efroni also gave a dvar Torah about toveling, immersing pots and other items in water. It is not necessary to tovel items that are attached. It is also not necessary to tovel items that are made by Jews, or that are owned by non-Jews. These exceptions help provide us a solution if we have an item that presents a problem in toveling. We may be able to pass ownership onto a non-Jew, or have a Jew participate in the manufacturing or putting toegether of an item.

David S. led more discussion and learning on the topic of Shabbot. We learned that it is inappropriate to discuss week day activities that are not allowed on Shabbot. For example, it would be inappropriate to discuss how we are planning to water our plants. However, this mainly applies to the future. Discussing what we have done in the past is ok, unless we are using this discussion to plan for the future. If we do want to discuss the future, it may be ok to talk in vague terms. For example, we could say we are going to take a look at our plants when Shabbos is over.

In our discussion, the point was made again that we need to use common sense on Shabbot to preserve the holiness of the day and to keep the day different than other days. If we do not do this, more rules and laws will need to be put into place. It would be best if it was sufficient to just have general directives and then we could use common sense to come up with the details. We do not want to get to the point of some communities where things like exactly what food is going to be served is spelled out.

Finally we want to wish Alex K. well with his move and hope to hear from him soon!

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 23rd Sivan 5773 (Parsha Shelach)

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of Shabbos, talked about the week’s Parsha Shelach, and various other topics.   We discussed how it may be ok to be lenient in the areas of certain prohibitions on Shabbos.   In each of these cases, the leniency may be allowed because of a greater mitzvah.   We learned about buying houses in Israel, going to the store, and exercising such as running.   We also talked about the prohibitions against measuring and riding a bike.   I would like to thank David S and Linda for hosting the Kiddush and learning, and Brian R. and Jerry for hosting the lunch.   If everyone including myself can come to the EM next Shabbos that would be helpful.

In the case of buying houses in Israel, if Shabbos is the only day we can do this - it is allowed.   However we can’t sign any documents, or exchange money.   David S pointed out - how in ancient times signatures were not used as we know them today – contracts were simply agreed to in front of witnesses.   When buying a house one could agree to pay for it, or make arrangements to pay for it, after Shabbos.

We may be permitted to go to the store and make a purchase on Shabbos, however there are certain conditions.   First, it must be very important to have the purchase in order to realize a greater mitzvah.   An example would be someone shows up at our house and this person does not have anywhere else to go. Second, we can’t exchange money on Shabbos.   In fact, we really should not even discuss payment directly.  Typically, this would be a store that is not normally open, but the owner – someone we may know from a place like our shul – is able to open it for us in order that we can get the item.  Howard talked about how we may be able to hint around the fact we are going to make arrangements later to pay for the item.

We discussed how on Shabbos we take a break from our normal everyday routines, and we should act like we are not in a hurry to go anywhere thus we should generally avoid running.   However, there are exceptions when there is a greater mitzvah – like getting to learning on time – or when it is raining.   Unless we really enjoy running, we should not do this type of exercise on Shabbos.   Exercise we enjoy such as playing volleyball would be a lot better on Shabbos.

We discussed some other prohibitions such as measuring and riding a bike.   We are not permitted to take measurements on Shabbos, such as how much something weighs.    However, we can approximate in order to use a recipe.   Many hold that we should not ride a bike on Shabbos.   There has been concern that we may try to fix a bike on Shabbos, or drive the bike outside the Eruv.   On the other hand, David W pointed out that it is unlikely any of us would try to fix a bike on Shabbos.

We discussed the week's parsha.  In the parsha, 12 spies are sent into Canaan.  They come back with a bleak report.  Yaki gave a very interesting dvar torah, that the purpose of the spying mission was to access the spiritual conditions rather than the physical conditions.  Yaki points out that those chosen to do the spying were 70 year old men, rather than young military soldiers.  The hope is that reporting the poor spiritual condition of Canaan, would motivate the Jews to conquer the land.   Unfortunately, the poor spiritual condition spread over to the spies.  In just 40 days the spies changed in such a way that they were now apathetic towards making a home in Israel, and reported how difficult it would be to conquer the land knowing this would lower everyone's motivation.

My own thoughts are that the Jews may have known they had the physical strength to overcome the enemy, especially with Hashem on their side. Their fear may have been not that they couldn’t win a war, but what their life would be like afterwards.  There was hope that knowledge of the spiritual condition of the place would motivate them, but this did not work.  The Jews were not so desperate that anything would be better, and they choose the security and predictability of their current situation.  Instead of wiping the Jews out, Hashem let them continue wandering around for 40 more years until a new generation had arrived.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 16 Sivan (Parsha Behaalotecha)

This Shabbos, Avishai spoke about the week’s parsha known as Behaalotecha. In the parsha, Miriam questions why Hashem has such a close relationship with her brother, Moses, and not with her.  It would seem that Miriam is jealous of her brother, Moses, which is why she makes negative comments about him. Avishai relayed to us some of the main points in Efroni’s dvar Torah, which include the possibility that Miriam was in fact trying to help her brother, by lightening his load, and this was her primary motivation rather than jealousy.  Nevertheless, we agreed that what Miriam did was still lashon hara.

Miriam was not completely aware of all the facts as to why Moses was able to take on his role and what it takes to be a prophet.  David S. talked about how prophets were not necessarily predetermined, but became prophets by attaining a very high level of spirituality.  In the parsha, Hashem appears suddenly.  We talked about what this means, as a message that not anyone can be a prophet.  The week’s parsha contains a message to all of us that we should be careful not to judge and make assumptions about anything when we do not know all the facts.  We need to be very careful, especially in saying negative things about and judging others.  We may think we are being helpful, but if we knew all the facts it would be obvious to us that we are not.

David S. led a discussion of Shabbos, and how this day is meant to be holy and a day of rest.  There are 39 categories of work which are forbidden, which correspond to a type of work that was performed in construction during ancient times.  We discussed how even though we can do modern work and avoid these 39 categories, we should not engage in any type of work with a few exceptions such as doctors saving lives and rabbis leading services.

In the past, the observance of Shabbos was not spelled out in detail.  There were only Torah commandments.  But there was an expectation that the Jews would come up with details to carry out these general commandments and keep Shabbos a holy day.  Unfortunately, over time the Rabbis have had to institute additional laws.  We discussed how there may still need to be additional laws on top of this, if we still can’t figure out and follow details that will keep Shabbos holy.

There are several things we should avoid on Shabbos, even though they are not explicitly commanded.  We should avoid talking about work and other topics we normally focus on during the week.   We should avoid making business deals, even if no money is to change hands until after Shabbos. We should avoid dressing in the same cloths we wear during the week.

There are people who can work on Shabbos, but they should do as much work as possible during the week.  We discussed how these people can be paid so much for their Shabbos work.  David S told a story that his Dad tells about how someone can be paid $200 to do something simple like tighten a screw. The person is being paid $1 to turn the screw but $199 to know what screw to turn.

Finally, we discussed how in some situations we can use a non-Jew, known as a “Shabbos goy”, to help us out on Shabbos.   This non-Jew can perform tasks such as turning on a light, or turning off a microphone that is making a lot of noise.   We can’t ask the person directly to perform the task, however we can hint around what we would like him to do.  We talked about some interesting situations we have been in.   In conclusion, it can be desirable to have a few non-Jews living among us.  But it may be a good idea to talk to them beforehand and let them know what may be happening.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

If you like the learning....

We do some material on the Parsha each week based on R. Yaeger's book Netivim. R. Yaeger is a rav at Yeshivat HaKotel who taught my son Ariav last year and I think will be teaching Efroni next year.

I would like to help him raise money to publish another book. Please let me know if you'd be interested in contributing to this effort. No amount is too small (or too large!).

Thanks,
DS

Recap for 9th of Sivan (Parsha Naso)

This Shabbos David S. led our learning of Parsha Naso and various other topics.  The learning was in memory of Ethan Jacobs, whose Yahrzeit was this past week.  Avishai spoke about Ethan.  We remember Ethan as being very proud of Judaism, and having a lot of passion for our Kiddush and learning.  I remember Ethan as someone who was very excited about upcoming events in our community and he wanted to tell people about them.  I appreciate him letting me know and helping talk me into coming.

This Shabbos we discussed the use of electricity on Shabbot.  There are prohibitions against turning the flow of electricity on or off, however we are allowed to use timers that are set before Shabbot begins.  There are simple mechanical timers that turn lights on and off at specific times, and more sophisticated apps that Howard talked about that can automatically determine times based on formulas of variable events such as sundown.  Although timers should be set before Shabbot, we can make adjustments as long as these adjustments prolong the amount of time the flow of electricity remains in its current state – either off or on.

Although we cannot turn lights on or off, except with timers, it is not prohibited to accidentaly change the state of a light (from on to off or off to on).  Yaki pointed out that unless it is our primary purpose to change the state of a light, it may not be prohibited to do so even if we know we are going to change the state of the light.  For example, we may know that walking near someone’s house is going to turn a light on. We should try not to do this, but we don’t have to walk a long distance out of our way to avoid it.

We discussed electric service in Israel.  In Israel it is obviously necessary to provide electrical service on Shabbot, as there can be emergencies and it is permissible to leave lights on through-out the day.  But should Jews be working in electrical plants – especially on Shabbot - when electricity is being supplied to homes and businesses that are not following halakhah on Shabbos?  And should we be getting electrical service from an electrical company that supplies electricity to those not following halakhah on Shabbos?  We discussed how it may be fine for Jews to work in the plants, since equipment may need to be turned on, in places such as hospitals in order to save lives.  However, Yaki talked about how some religious communities in Israel get all of their power from special generators on Shabbos.  These communities want no part of the regular Israeli utility company’s service on Shabbos.  The entire generator system these communities use is automated and does not require anyone to go to work.

David S. talked about some of the interesting Shabbos devices that use springs which store potential energy. There is the Shabbos alarm clock which is set before Shabbos that automatically shuts itself off when there is no more potential energy left.  There are also elevators that stop on every floor.  Although hospitals have to use phones and equipment on Shabbos, they often use devices in which the operator does not directly turn an electrical flow on or off.  For example, there are phones that will hang up every so many seconds they are not being used, but will not hang up immediately like normal phones.

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha Naso. The parsha includes a section about the sotah and another section about the nazir.   In his Dvar Torah, Efroni discusses how these are two sides to how we misuse Hashem’s creation.  The Nazir avoids using the physical world at all.   The Sotah uses the physical world, but uses it in a self-centered way, solely for her own benefit.  Instead of elevating the physical and making it spiritual, she keeps everything physical.  As Efroni describes, Hashem wants us to use the physical world, but in a way that elevates it into the spiritual.

Finally, we continued our discussion of differences amongst Jews. One of the questions we discussed is whether we need to iron our our differences in order for messiah to come.  Another possibility we discussed is that messiah will help us straighten out our differences.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Pre Shavuot Learning

During our pre Shavuot learning, we learned about the holiday of Shavuot which occurs 50 days after Pesach. I would like to thank David S for hosting and leading the learning and Yaki for bringing back another great book from Israel. This is a summary of what we learned and discussed.

Although today Shavuot occurs on a specific date, it is the only holiday that was not mandated to occur on a specific date. The holiday is mandated to occur 50 days after Pesach regardless of when we would observe the new moon. This is a very important holiday. It is believed that Hashem would have reversed the course of man and returned us to a “wild state” if we had not accepted the Torah. We discussed how we actually waited an additional day before actually receiving the Torah, but we celebrate on the 50th day because this is when Hashem made the Torah available to us.

We discussed how Shavuot is also known as Yom Habikurm , day of the first fruits, and Chag HaKatzir, Harvest festival. This is the beginning of the harvest of the first fruits, and in ancient times we would make sacrifices of this first fruit. And unlike Pesach, we would offer up bread during these sacrifices. Shavuot is also known as Atzeret, which means stoppage. This refers to the fact that we do not work on Shavuot.

Shavuot is known as a “wedding” between Hashem and the Jewish people. We commit to be loyal to Hashem, and Hashem commits to be devoted to us. Shavuot is also a wedding between the physical and spiritual, and between the body and soul. Pesach is known as a holiday of the physical world, we are physically free from Egypt. On Shavuot we learn to view the physical through the lens of the Torah and have a holiday that is also spiritual.

As this is a holiday of applying spirituality to the physical, we go ahead and enjoy ourselves physically. As with other holidays we eat our best food and drink. But we also feed our souls and it is customary to stay up all night learning on the first day of Shavuot. This puts us in a proper state for the day to come.

We discussed how Hashem did create us to have an evil inclination. We discussed how we slept in and were not ready to receive the Torah on time. But there does not have to be a conflict between the spiritual and our physical needs. We can learn how to elevate the physical into spiritual dimensions. The Torah is our guide as to how to do this, and how to use our free will to serve Hashem and do Tikkun Olam, which is to make the world a better place.

It is customary to eat milk and honey on Shavuot. Milk comes from a live animal, and honey comes from an insect.  So it would seem that these would not be kosher.  But milk and honey are kosher. With milk and honey we see that we can take something undesirable, negative and/or unhealthy, and extract from it something desirable, positive and healthy for us. We can turn a negative into a positive. We can apply the same concept to events in our life. Take an event such as a loss, and turn it into a positive by allowing what we lost to inspire us to do some good and Tikkun Olam. This is some of what we discussed at our learning and what the holiday of Shavuot is about.

Recap for 2 Sivan 5773 (Parsha Bamidbar)

This Shabbos, David S led a discussion of this week’s parsha Bamidbar, which begins the book of Numbers.  The Jews conducted a census, but it was different from the census we normally conduct in this country every ten years.  David W pointed out the purpose of the census, which was to determine our preparation to go to war and acquire the land of Canaan.  The Jews counted the number of male Jews age 20 or older who would be fit for battle.  The Levites were also counted, although members of this tribe would only be used for temple service.

We discussed the Torah prohibition against counting Jews, which is why the census had to be conducted by counting coins, rather than people.  This is also relevant today when counting things such as minyans.   We must find another way to determine how many are present.  One way this can be done is to visual determine whether there are 2 groups of 3 and a group of 4, without actually counting.

In the Parsha, there is also a description of how the Jews were organized by tribe.  Each tribe corresponds to one of the children of Jacob, who is also known as Israel.  A person’s tribe always depends on one’s father. To this very day, there are Jews who are a Levy and know this because their father is a Levy.  Alex asked an interesting question as to what would happen if a woman married a man who was non-Jewish or whose tribe could not be determine.  The children would definitely be Jewish, but to which tribe would they belong?  This must have created an interesting problem back then.

Elli brought up some interesting questions about how Hashem relates to us, and what is Hashem’s “mood” when he deals with us.  We discussed how Hashem does not need us to follow his commandments, but wants us to follow them because he loves and cares about us.  We discussed how Hashem uses reward and punishment, not so that we modify our behavior in a way that serves him, but modify our behavior in a way that is in our own interest and well being.  We discussed how this is similar to how we should raise our children.

David S led a discussion of how we do the yearly cycle of reading the entire Torah.  Every week, we read the Torah on Shabbos, Monday and Thursday.  David W pointed out that we read on Monday and Thursday because historically these were the days the Jews would be conducting business, and it was important that they did so in an ethical manner. The Torah puts a lot of emphasis on conducting business ethically. We discussed some of the airline and hotel companies today that do a good job at this, and others that do not.

On Shabbos there are 7 aliyahs, which are calling ups to the Torah.   Historically each person called up would read from the Torah, but today there may just be just one actual reader and the aliyah will consist of just reading the blessings and helping the Torah reader.  In Orthodox shuls, the entire Torah is completed once per year on Simchat Torah.  It is customary to give the first aliyah to a Cohen, and the second aliyah to a Levite.  Sometimes it is hard to determine who should get the third aliyah.  Ellie pointed out that in psychology what we remember most are the first and last aliyahs, so maybe getting the third aliyah should not be as important after all.  We discussed how it is ok for children, even if they are less than Barmitzvah age to do an aliyah.  We also discussed how in ancient times only the Torah was written in Hebrew.  Aramaic was the language that Jews would normally use.

Finally, we discussed what happens if the community misses a Torah reading, perhaps because of a storm or some other unexpected event.  In this case, there is to be a double reading when the community can next get together.  If someone is ill and misses a reading, they do not have to make it up.  There are differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.  We inherit the traditions of our father.  When getting married, a woman inherits the traditions of her husband.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 24 Lyyar 5773 (Parsha Behar-Bechukotai)

This Shabbos we discussed the week’s parsha –Behar-Bechukotai, and the Jubilee year. The Jews were commanded to observe the Jubilee year after every 7 cycles of sabbatical years. The Jubilee year comes up once every 50 years. Today we no longer observe the Jubilee year, but there are still Jews who observe the sabbatical year, every 7 years. During the Jubilee year we are commanded to go above and beyond what is to happen in the sabbatical years. The Jubilee year is like pressing a “reset button”.  All debts are forgiven, and those who were brought into slavery are set free.

We discussed in what form we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. At Mt. Sinai we received general principles which the Jews were to apply to their everyday lives. When we read the Torah today, we see stories that happened after the time of Mt. Sinai. These more recent stories contain more details and help spell out what we are being commanded to do.

The Jews received general principle of the Torah at Mt. Sinai without everything being spelled out. David S commented about how the same thing happens in corporations. Higher level employees such as managers are given general objections, without a lot of details. Lower level employees may need everything spelled out. David W gave an example of this. He talked about contractors who need a checklist in order to get a house ready. They can’t simply be told to get the house ready.

We continued our discussion of choosing a shul for davening. We should prefer a shul where there is Torah learning, over one in which there is not as much learning. We should prefer a quiet shul over a noisy shul. Most importantly, we should prefer the shul in which we can have the most kavanuh. This may be a different shul for different people. This is why it is my opinion that it is desirable for a community to have a lot of minyans in different places at different times rather than one big minyan. This way the needs of a wide range of people can be met.

Once we find a shul and minyan, there are places in which we should avoid davening. We should avoid davening near the door of the shul. We should also avoid davening in front of any mirrors, near windows, or next to the Rabbi.

Brian talked about how we should never assume a shul is not available. He found a shul in San Diego in the most unlikely neighborhoods. But what if we can not find a shul at all? We should avoid davening in wide open fields, and avoid davening anywhere there is a foul odor.

We discussed how the chazzan of the shul should be chosen carefully. The chazzan needs to have outstanding character. It is preferable to find a chazzan with a great voice. If someone is lucky enough to have a great voice, it is a great mitzvah for them to become a chazzan.

We discussed why we say kaddish. Kaddish is not a prayer of mourning, but rather a reaffirmation of our faith in Hashem at a time in which we may have lost some of this faith.  The memory of our loved one inspires us to have faith in Hashem. Even though kaddish is important, if we can use the memory of a loved one to inspire us to do good things in this world, this can be an even greater mitzvah than just saying kaddish.

We discussed the importance of studying on Shabbos, but making it as enjoyable as possible. We try to have an Oneg Shabbot with plenty of food and drink. David S commented how his father would say one minute of Torah study in this world, is better than eternally in the next world. That is because in this world we have an opportunity to elevate ourselves spiritually. Having said this, we still agree that one minute in the world to come is better than a whole lifetime of physical pleasures.

This is a summary of what we discussed this past Shabbos.  No Halachic ruling are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 8 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we discussed the idea that Hashem wants the Jewish people to act collectively and why it is preferable to daven in a minyan.  If we daven with a minyan our prayers will be accepted by Hasem.  They will have an affect somewhere, somehow, although we may not know what this is.  It is a special mitzvah to be one of the first 10 people who show up to daven.  Each of these first 10 people are necessary in order to have the minyan.  However it is important to keep in mind that none of these first 10 are sufficient by themselves.

In some cases it is not possible to daven with a minyan.  We will then have to daven with kuvanah in order that our prayers be accepted.  We discussed specific cases in which it is permissible to daven on our own.   If one would suffer great economic harm it may be permissible to daven on one’s own.  We also discussed if one is a teacher of Torah it may be permissible to daven on one’s own.  If we can’t daven with a minyan we should try to do it at the same time as the minyan that we are usually a part of.  Of course if we are in a different time zone, we may need to say prayers at a different time.  I remember on a plane ride to Israel we davened at the time the sun “came up” relative to the plane.  It was still dark at the shul near my house.

This Shabbos we also discussed the week’s parsha.   After 9 Plagues, pharaoh still refuses to let the Jewish people go.  In the parsha, Mosha seems to already know what is coming next, what the 10th plague will be, and how Pharaoh will react to this final plague.  How can Mosha already know what is going to happen?  We remember back to an earlier parsha where Hashem spoke to Moses about this.

In the parsha, Hashem hardens pharaoh’s heart which makes it even more likely the Jews will be freed.  Why would Hashem do this?  It seems to be planned out in advance that there will be 10 plagues, and exactly which plague will be the last.  We remember the conversation at the burning bush, but what is so special about the 10^th plague in which the first born are killed.

The first born, held special status in Egypt.  We learn that it is not status or physical strength that should determine power, but morality and spiritual principles.  Egypt should free the Jews because it is the right thing to do, not because something that is powerful in the physical world compels them to do so.  There are many different types of power in the world.  Power that comes from strength, and power that comes from status.  But the most important power is doing what is right.  And knowledge of this, comes from Hasem and our Torah.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 15 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we discussed who can be counted in a minyan.  One of the things that is important is that those who are present in the minyan know what is going on - at least to some extent.  So, for example, someone who is drunk may not be counted.  If the person can’t recognize authority figures, known as “level 2” intoxication, they can’t be counted.  Certainly someone who is completely out of it from drinking, known as “level 3” intoxication, can’t be counted in the minyan.

We discussed whether or not a nonobservant Jew can be counted.  If the Jew is not observant in public on purpose, he can’t be counted.  On the other hand, if the Jew is being respectful of others, he can be counted even if he is not observant.  However it is necessary that the role of chazzan be fulfilled by an observant Jew.

We discussed the difference between just being physically present and being ready and able to participate in the specific prayers.  People may arrive at different times and be at different points in the service.  It is only necessary to have a majority of the minyan at the same point in the service for most of the prayers, except for the repetition of the Amidah which requires 9 out of 10.

We discussed this Shabbos how Hashem freed us from slavery in Egypt.  We did not have to prepare ourselves for this freedom, it was simply given to us.  Our freedom was finally granted suddenly after the 10^th and final plague.  We did not even have time to wait for our bread to rise it was necessary to leave suddenly.

We contrasted this experience with receiving the Torah.  In this case, it was necessary to be ready.  Hashem had us go the long way because it would take time for us to be ready to receive the Torah.  Hashem was willing to do almost everything for us in order to get us out of Egypt, but from that point forward it became necessary for us to do our part and not rely solely on Hashem.  It took us 40 days to get to Mt. Sinai and be ready to receive the Torah.

We contrasted both of these experiences with entering the land of Israel.  The threshold of preparation that was necessary for this was even greater than in the other two cases.  In fact it ended up taking us 40 years to be ready to enter the land of Israel.  The spies returned from Israel with a pessimistic report, and we refused to have faith in Hashem, so we had to wait an entire generation until we could enter the land.

We also discussed the prohibition against cooking on Shabbos and why this prohibition came about.  The original design of the world was to be so that Hashem would provide for all our physical needs, and we could focus on spirituality.  We would not have to prepare food at all.  There would be "trees" that would provide us with bread, cooked meat, and drinks, etc. etc.

In the Garden of Eden all our physical needs were taken care of, however we still had to focus on the spiritual and the mitzvah we were given not to partake of the forbidden fruit.  Since we did not fufill this mitzvah, today we have to spend most of our time working in the physical world.  However, we still have Shabbot.  And on Shabbot we are not suppose to be focused on working, which is why we do not cook - but prepare our food ahead of time.

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.

Recap for 22 Sh'vat 5773

This Shabbos we continued our discussion of what it takes to make a minyan.  The shul may have many rooms, but it is necessary to have 10 men physically present in the main room.  Additional men can then gather in an adjoining room, and they will count as having been part of the minyan, but they can not count for meeting the requirement of having 10 men.

There are 4 levels of minyan participation.  The first level is being present in the main room.  The second level is being present in an adjoining room.  The third level is being present in the parking lot or somewhere within listening distance.  And the fourth level is listening to a minyan over the radio, television, internet, or some other communication device.  We discussed whether or not we could answer "amen" to a radio broadcast.  We can, but it is less than the ideal situation of being actually present with a minyan.

We discussed what would happen if there are enough to have a minyan and begin a service, but someone leaves.  If someone leaves in the middle of a section, resulting in less than 10 men, it is permissible to finish the current section – even if it normally would require a minyan.  It is also permissible to do the kaddish which separates the sections.  But any subsequent sections requiring a minyan will have to be put on hold until 10 men are present.  Some minyans immediately stop when someone leaves, and this is not necessary.

Yaki spoke this Shabbos about the differences between believing something because it is logical, and believing something because we believe it in our gut and as a core of our being.  There are some things in which it is better to choose to believe, and to believe it with all our heart.  This includes our belief in Hashem.  This way we can never be talked out of it.  

Our belief in Hashem makes logical sense, that the incredible organization and design of the world did not come about randomly and by accident, but we also have to belief this as a choose and as a core foundation of our being.  David pointed out how there are things that we just belief and no amount of argument is going to convince us otherwise, such as politics.  This is the same with our belief in Hashem.

We talked about how Pesach is coming up, and how this sometimes brings stress and anxiety in people when it should bring great joy and happiness.  Many people think Pesach means a complete and never ending “spring cleaning” of their home, and it brings anxiety to them that all this will need to be done within a deadline.  But according to the actual halakhah the preparation required is a lot less than this.  It has just become a custom to take this opportunity to do a lot of cleaning.

We discussed the parsha and how the order of events as described in the Torah is not the actual order of events.  The organization of the Jewish people is described before the giving of the Torah, however the Jewish people’s organization as described occurred afterwards.  We discussed possible reasons for this.  One of them is that we must be organized in order to accomplish our mission of learning Torah and applying it and using it as a guideline.  There were 600,000 Jews at the time, and in order for all of them to absorb the Torah and incorporate it in their lives it was necessary to have an organizational structure.

We talked about the month of Adar, and how we elevate our level of Simcha during this month.  We discussed how the greatest joy occurs following times when we were in our darkest moments.  Our emotions compare our current well-being to the place we recently were at, and this large gap results in a lot of happiness.  An example that was brought up, if we are in a boat and reach shore we may be glad to have arrived; but if it started and continued hailing while we are on the boat we are going to be absolutely delighted and relieved to have made it to shore!

This is a summary of what we discussed this Shabbos.  No Halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.