Recap for 6 Av 5777 (Parsha Devarim)

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming observance of Tisha B’Av, and the period of mourning that precedes this.  I would like to express condolences to David, Linda and their family on the loss of Shulamith Schlesinger, mother and grandmother.  Please try to attend our early minyan and come on time, so we can have a minyan for David and also Howard, who recently lost his mother, to say Kaddish.

David spoke about how his mother, Shulamit, came from Lithuania to Israel when she was a child. In Israel she met her husband, Rav Dr George Shlesinger. During her life she and her husband lived in several different places including Israel, England, Australia and the United States, in this order. In addition to being a mother, Shulamith was also a school teacher, and Rabbetzin. Efroni commented that his grandmother helped defend Israel, the country she loved, just as he has done. Ariav commented that his grandmother had a lot of expertise in Tanack, the Hebrew language, and all the different places in Israel.

This Shabbos we discussed the upcoming observance of Tisha B’Av, and the minor fast days as well. David Schlesinger led discussion. Tisha B’Av is the day the temples were destroyed, the spies returned with a bleak report, and many other tragedies occured. Most of the minor fast days are related to the Temple as well. We discussed that when the second Temple was built, we stopped observing the fast days, other than Yom Kippur. When the Temple was destroyed we started observing them again. When the third Temple is built, the fast days will become days of celebration and we will no longer fast.

Tisha B’Av is a major fast day, like Yom Kippur. On the major fast days, we fast, avoiding food and drink for 25 hours. There are exceptions, especially for those who are pregnant, vulnerable, and/or sick. This should be discussed with one’s Rabbi. We discussed how on Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur we do not wear leather shoes. Historically there may have been exceptions, and ways to make a leather shoe uncomfortable.  This should be discussed with one's Rabbi if it is not possible to acquire non-leather shoes.

We discussed the meal immediately prior to the fast of Tisha B’Av, which is a small meal that follows a large meal that occurred earlier. During the smaller “separation meal”, we sit in low chairs and eat round food, such as hard boiled eggs, dipped in ash. Instead of eating eggs, some eat lentils and other round food. David commented that the custom of eating eggs is similar to the meal prepared for mourners upon returning from a funeral.

We discussed how prior to Tisha B’Av there is a 3 week period of mourning that becomes more intense the 9 days prior to Tisha B’Av. During the 3 weeks we refrain from listening to music and getting haircuts, amongst other prohibitions. During the 9 days, we refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, except for Shabbos. During the 9 days, we also refrain from swimming or bathing for pleasure. Customs may differ with Sephardi, and there may be exceptions, for example eating meat following the completion of a tractate.  All this should be discussed with one's Rabbi.

David talked about how these periods of mourning prior to Tisha B’Av have similarities to the period of mourning known as Shlosim, in which one who is mourning the loss of a loved one also does not listen to music or get haircuts. We discussed the case in which someone finds himself in the situation in which one mourning period follows another. In some cases it may be permissible to take a 1 day break, and get haircuts and listen to music. One should check with their Rabbi.

We discussed the minor fast days. On the minor fast days we fast from sun up until sun down. We are more lenient as far as making exceptions - allowing one to be able to drink and/or have food - than we are for the major fast days.

We discussed how holidays such as Sukkot, can be a much harder to observe in a meaningful way, than Yom Kippur.  This is because on holidays such as Sukkot, one experiences great distraction of physical things and pleasures such as food and drink. Every now and then, on Yom Kippur, and a lesser extent on Shabbos, we remove physicality which helps eliminate distractions allowing us to focus on the spiritual. However, we discussed that as Jews our purpose is to bring spirituality to the physical world, “elevating the sparks of kiddusha”, which is why we do not separate ourselves from physicality during all the time, and do include the physical to a large extent on holidays and Shabbos.

Efroni spoke about how we are often simply given fundamentals in the Torah, and then it is up to us by listening to our Rabbis, to interpret given the current times we live in and come up with how we should live our lives. Efroni spoke about how we often disagree on interpretation, and that neither side is right or wrong. However, in some cases the Torah is very clear, and there is not much room left for interpretation.  If a so called prophet contradicts the Torah, we should listen to the Torah.

David told a story about his dad, Rav Dr George Schlesinger, who would give a speech telling the audience that it will be very long, and the only permissible reason to look at watches would be to see if they still work. After 4 or 5 minutes, the speech would end to the surprise of everyone!

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

Recap for 28 Tamuz 5777 (Parshiot Matot and Masei)

This Shabbos we had a siyum in honor of finishing tractate Bava Basra, in the merit of David’s mother, Shulamith. We discussed parsha Matot and Masei, including commentary from Rav Yeager. We heard a dvar torah from Rav Males. I would like to thank Norm and Eileen for sponsoring our Kiddush. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We finished tractate Bava Basra and held a siyum. We did this in the merit of, and honor of David’s mother, Shulamit bat Zahava. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

The last Daf of Bava Basra is on the subject of loans and guarantees which are made by a third party guarantor. David discussed the different cases in which a guarantor comes about, such as being appointed by the court, being included in writing in the loan agreement, and being a guarantor simply by making an oral promise to guarantee a loan.

We discussed how in some of these cases an acquisition is necessary by the guarantor, in order for there to be a binding liability. We discussed that if the guarantor is appointed by the court, it is not necessary for the guarantor to make an acquisition. We discussed that this acquisition is similar to what we do when selling our chumatz. I remember lifting up a pen when selling my chumatz before Pesach.

We discussed the interesting case in which a creditor is applying physical force, such as choking, to a debtor and a third party promises to guarantee the loan in order to stop the physical force. In this case the courts will rule the guarantor must pay back the loan, if the debtor is unable to do so and meet the terms of the contract. If the guarantor would not have to pay back the loan, this would make it more difficult for someone to guarantee a loan in order to stop someone from being hurt.

The tractate which follows Baava Basra is Sanhedrin. Rob pointed out a connection between the two tractates. The last part of Baava Basra is about monetary matters, as is the first part of Sanhedrin.

Rav Males spoke about how Jews are the chosen people, and the Levites are the chosen people amongst the Jews. Those who murder someone accidently are sent to a city of refuge, or an area which is amongst the Levites. The Levites are at a very high level spiritually, and are best for encouraging mental and spiritual healing to take place.

We discussed some other cases in which something undesirable occurs through us, however we are not liable.  For example, we may eat non-kosher food which had a valid hechsher on it. Or we may carry in an area in which the Eruv was up when properly checked, but later something happened to bring it down that no one was aware of. In these cases in which we made the proper presumptions, we are not liable. However, we should try to see what the reasons are that something undesirable happens through us, rather than through someone else, and see if there are areas in which we can improve, or grow spiritually.

We discussed how the koshering of utensils comes from the week’s parsha. We discussed the difference between how a stove and microwave works. With a microwave, the heat comes from within the food, however this gives off steam which can result in particles being released from the internal walls. This is why a microwave has to be designated either for meat or for dairy. We discussed the differences between using fire and boiling water in order to kosher utensils.

We discussed the upcoming period of mourning. We discussed that ultimately Hashem would like us to have a relationship and connection with him. We are given tools, such as the ancient Temple, synagogues, the Torah, Rabbis, in order to enable us to live spiritual lives and connect with Hashem. However, through-out history we have sometimes used these tools as shields, so Hashem has had to destroy them. The Temple is one example of this.

Finally, we discussed how sometimes we have certain beliefs in our gut that are based on our experiences and how we have been programmed. We discussed that it is possible to use our free will and reprogram ourselves but it may necessitate putting ourselves through certain experiences, making certain decisions, and it can be a long process.

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

Recap for 14 Tamuz, 5777 (Parsha Balak)

This shabbos we discussed parsha Balak. And we heard a dvar torah from Rav Males. I would like to thank Yaki and Shirley for hosting our kiddush. The learning was in memory of David’s father, HaRav Nattan Ben HaRav Shmuel, and Yaki’s mother, Hannah Ben Shmuel, on the occasion of their yahrzeit.

Rob Golder led a discussion of Rav Dr. George Schlesinger’s article “Humility”, which appears in the publication Tradition.  We discussed how in the parsha, Balak did not have much humility.  In the article, Rav Schlesinger discusses the trait of humility. The article points out that humility is very important, and may in fact be the most important character trait, based on how it is mentioned in the Torah. The article talks about Moshe having the character trait of humility.

Rav Schlesinger discusses in his article how the Rambam usually advocated for a middle ground when it comes to character traits. For example, it is important to be generous, but not good to be so generous we enable others to not have to take responsibility. However, unlike other character traits, it would seem the more modest we are, the better.

Rob shared more about the article, and how Rav Schlesinger discusses the difficulty of defining humility. The article talks about how humility is often defined as the lack of arrogance, but that this definition is not clear. The article discussed how this is like defining a married man as someone who is not a bachelor.

The article goes on to discuss how we can practice humility by being modest. However, this is not necessarily that clear to define either. For example, when asked what one does for a living, to say I am the best, would not be humble.  However, if someone is clearly marketing his services, to say I am the best at what I do, does not necessary indicate a lack of humility. Howard commented that when someone makes a statement, what matters in determining whether or not the person is humble and modest, is to whom the statement is made, and the purpose in making it - not what the statement is.

David has shared at previous learnings, that his father would define being humble as being aware of one’s strengths, but believing that one’s strengths are no more important than anyone else’s strengths. We can show that we are humble with both our words, and our actions.

Rob mentioned that Rav Dr Schlesinger had a lot of thoughts and writings on the topic of time. Norm spoke about how science has finally agreed that time has a beginning, with the “big bang” theory. Norm commented that this is something that has always been in the Torah. Yaki spoke about how Hashem had to create the concept of a beginning, as a first step in his act of creation. We spoke about how Hashem created time as we know it, and that we live within time so it is hard for us to see things from outside of time. 

 Howard commented that science can never explain how something came out of nothing, but that this is described in the Torah. Yaki spoke that there is a belief that time goes on indefinitely but it loops back in some ways so that there is some repetition. Yaki spoke that perhaps there is some type of Exodus that occurs on the 15th of Nissan every year.

Yaki spoke about how there were 3 leaders amongst our people, Moshe, Aaron, and Miriam. Yaki spoke about how we received mana in the merit of Moshe, water in the merit of Miriam, and the clouds of glory in the merit of Aaron. We discussed how when Miriam died, the well stopped providing water to us. Yaki commented that this was only temporary, in order to show us that the water had been flowing in the merit of Miriam. 

Yaki commented that Moshe’s sin in hitting the rock, was trying to get water to flow in his merit, rather than having the water continuing to flow in the merit of Miriam. Yaki commented that when we influence something in this world that continues after we pass away, such as was the case with Miriam, it benefits us spiritually, as our essence continues to stay alive in this world.

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

Recap for 7 Tamuz 5777 (Parsha Chukat)

This Shabbos the learning was in memory of David’s grandmother, Zahava bat Shaul, whose yahrzeit is today. David spoke about how this is his mom’s mom, who came to Israel from Lithuania.

This Shabbos, we discussed Parsha Chukat, including commentary from Rav Yeager. Howard mentioned that this is his bar mitzvah parsha. David Schlesinger led discussion.

We discussed how the Torah seems to skip over the 40 year period when we were wandering the desert, following the sin of the spies. Howard commented that Parsha Chukat, occurs after the opening up of the earth and swallowing of many people that occurred in last week’s parsha Korach. This would cause all the survivors in the current parsha, to feel very vulnerable after witnessing the perishing of others.  

Both David and Howard commented that the Torah skips over a large period in which the purpose was to wait for an entire generation to die off. David commented that the primary purpose of the Torah is not to give a chronological historical accounting of our people, but to use historical accountings to illustrate themes and concepts to us. We discussed that often we skip periods of time, and then come back to them later, because the main purpose of the Torah is to present important themes. One of those themes we have discussed is that Hashem is not only the creator, but plays an active role in our lives today.  The stories in the Torah are meant to illustrate this, rather than simply be a historical narrative.

We discussed how Judaism is a religion which celebrates and emphasizes life, which is why we come impure after coming in contact with the dead.  We discussed the purity laws in the parsha, including using the ashes of the red heifer to regain purity.  Although Judaism does not glorify death, we do honor and respect the deceased, while being primarily a religion of life. Dave W commented that many hospitals are named Mt. Sinai, which is where we were kept alive to receive the Torah.

We discussed that perhaps the Torah skips over this time period when we are in the dessert, to bring together a direct comparison between the prior generation that was not ready to enter Israel, and the current generation that still faces obstacles but has changed in significant ways. We discussed that hopefully while wandering the desert the next generation grew spiritually to have a greater connection and faith in Hashem, which is necessary to deal with the obstacles that would face us in conquering and entering Israel. We discussed how many of us thought we could enter the land of Israel, and then no longer have to be accountable to Hashem, but this is not the case.

David commented that just like we faced obstacles in conquering and settling the land of Israel, which required faith in Hashem, we have obstacles in our personal lives today, which require faith in Hashem to overcome. We discussed that we should consider the meaning of events in our life, including obstacles, with respect to our relationship with Hashem and his plans for us. These events may seem to not be there just for us, because they affect everyone, however we should consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in our own life, and let others consider events with respect to Hashem’s role in their life.

We discussed how in the parsha, Moshe is instructed by Hashem to speak to a stone which will then provide water. We discussed how Moshe did not follow Hashem’s instructions, and hit the stone instead. We discussed that Moshe was not allowed to enter the land of Israel, not only because he did not follow Hashem’s specific instructions, but because his leadership style – symbolized by his hitting of the stone – was not the best suited for the spiritual level of the new generation. Dave W commented that hitting the stone with a stick, resulted in a solid turning into a liquid, whereas hitting the water of the Red Sea with a stick, resulted in a liquid turning into a solid.  A solid turning into a liquid would seem to indicate more progress than the other way around.

We discussed that even stones have purpose, especially if we as humans use them for spiritual purposes. We discussed how in the Torah there are sections in which stones play a role. In particular, in this week’s parsha the stone’s role is to bring forth water. Moshe thought the best way to get water from the stone was to hit it. Moshe’s leadership style was to force things in a more aggressive way, than what would be most suitable for the new generation. We discussed that this is the reason why Moshe was not allowed to enter Israel, it was not solely that he did not follow Hashem’s specific directions.  Moshe was not the best leader for our next stage of history.

Finally, we discussed how the most important decision we have to make is whether or not to believe and have faith in Hashem. If Hashem revealed himself in a more obvious way, this would take away our free will. Hashem wants us to choose to believe in him, rather than being forced.

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