Does the Shema Command Us to Speak Hebrew?  by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

 21 Menahem Av 5781

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does the Shema 

Command Us to

Speak Hebrew?



by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

“And you shall teach them to your children, TO SPEAK IN THEM” when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Devarim 11:19, Parashat Eikev)

 

Rashi on the words "TO SPEAK IN THEM" quotes the Sifrei that when a child first begins to talk, his parents should speak to him in Hebrew and teach him Torah, and this will guarantee the child a long life. This same idea is found in the Tosefta in Chagigah which states that when a child knows how to talk, his parents should teach him Hebrew.

 

The clearest source which identifies learning Hebrew as a Mitzva is found in the Rambam's commentary on the Mishna in Pirkei Avot, chapter 2. The Mishna states that one must be as careful regarding a minor Mitzva as one is with a major Mitzva. As an example of a minor Mitzvah, the Rambam cites studying and speaking Hebrew. The Rambam here clearly considers learning and speaking Hebrew to be a Mitzva, even though people think it is a minor Mitzva.

 

The difficulty is that although the Rambam's view is clear in his Mishna Commentary, he does not codify this Mitzva of learning or speaking Hebrew in his Mishneh Torah, nor does such a Mitzva appear in the Shulchan Aruch. The Torah Temimah in Parshas Eikev wonders why the Poskim omitted any reference to the requirement to learn and speak Hebrew. However, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in Iggros Moshe, Even Ha’ezer, chapter 35, actually states clearly that there is a Mitzva to speak Hebrew. Although he states there is no prohibition to speak in any other language.

 

The Ramban in Parshas Ki Sissa writes that Hebrew is called Loshon Hakodesh precisely because it is the language used by the Holy Torah. The Yerushalmi in Shabbos states that one who speaks Loshon Hakodesh is guaranteed to be in Olam Haba. The Korban Ha’eidah explains this Talmudic passage that speaking Hebrew leads to Spiritual Purity.

 

It is interesting to note that the Shulchan Aruch in O. C. (Chapter 307) rules that whereas it is not appropriate to read certain types of literature on Shabbos, but if they are written in Hebrew, they may be read on Shabbos. The Magen Avrohom explains that this is because the Hebrew language itself has Kedushah, and one can learn how to learn Torah simply by reading books and even letters written in Hebrew.

 

The Midrash in Vayikra Rabba states that even though the Jews were at the 49th level of impurity in Egypt, they were still worthy of Redemption because they continued to speak Hebrew. The Midrash brings other reasons why we merited Redemption, but we see that speaking Hebrew is your identity card as being a member of the Jewish People.

 

***

 OK, so it's ironic that we don't have this in Hebrew. I get it, but it will take me too long to translate it! - HDG

Why does Yirmiyahu refer to Tisha B’Av as a Festival? (Rabbi Sprecher)

 7 Menachem Av 5781

 

 

 

 

 Why does Yirmiyahu refer to

Tisha B’Av as a Festival?



by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

On Tisha B'Av we mourn for the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples. The Talmud in Trachtate Taanit (p. 30) states that all Mitzvot that apply to a mourner during the Shiva also apply to the entire Jewish people on Tisha B'Av.

 

In other words, according to Halacha we are all sitting Shiva on Tisha B'Av. But, how can this be? For the Halacha states that if a close relative has died and we did not know about it until after 30 days, there will be no formal Shiva. We would sit Shiva symbolically for only an hour, and then get up and go about our regular routine. How then, can we sit Shiva on Tisha B'Av for tragic events that occurred thousands of years ago?

 

Rav Soloveitchik answers this question with a statement in Talmud Yerushalmi which states," Every generation in which the Holy Temple has not been rebuilt is like the generation in which it was destroyed again." Thus, we are not mourning on Tisha B'Av only for tragic events that happened thousands of years ago, but we are also mourning for the ongoing tragedy of not having the Temple rebuilt in our time.

 

Why is the Holy Temple so important to us as Jews? The Chofets Chaim explains that more than half of the 613 Mitzvot depend solely on the Temple. This means that for close to 2000 years we have been unable to fulfill the majority of Mitsvot. Therefore, we need the Holy Temple in order to become spiritually healed and whole again.

The Mitzvah to mourn on Tisha B' Av is only temporary, until it becomes a permanent day of joy in the Messianic Era as stated in Zachariah 8:19. Thus, Tisha B'Av is destined to be part of our Halachic tradition, but not as a day of eternal mourning. In the Scroll of Eicha, which is read on Tisha B’Av, Yirmiyahu (Eicha 1:15 and 2:22) refers to Tisha B’Av as “Moed” (a Festival). That is why we don’t say Tachanun and Selichot on Tisha B’Av (Shulchan Aruch 559:4).

 

What are the signs of the approaching Messianic Era? And how can we hasten Mashiach's coming? The Talmud states that the Jews returning from exile and the greening of the land of Israel is the key sign for the beginning of the Redemption. "There is no clearer sign then when the Land of Israel gives its produce abundantly, then the end of the exile is near, (Sanhedrin 98B, Rashi).

 

The Vilna Gaon told his disciples that Mashiach will come after the majority of the Jews in the Diaspora come to Israel. Thus, every Jew who makes Aliya hastens the Mashiach’s coming, thereby transforming the Fast of Tisha B’Av into a Feast.

For close to 2,000 years, our land rejected all would-be conquerors and remained desolate and barren. The Sifra explains that the Torah's curse of the land during our long exile, "I will make the land desolate," (Parshat Bechukotai) is actually a blessing in disguise because we didn't have to worry when we went into exile that our enemies would settle our land. Therefore, the greening of Israel is a clear signal that G-d's decree of "desolation" for the land is over and the Redemption is near. The Land of Israel had to go into "hibernation” waiting for us, her children, to return from exile.

 

The prophet Yirmiyahu saw the coming Redemption of the Messianic Era and its celebration as being an even greater event than the Exodus from Egypt. As the Prophet says in Yirmiyahu 16: 14, 15 – "Days are coming, says Hashem, when it will no longer be said, 'As Hashem lives Who took out Israel from Egypt,' but rather 'As Hashem lives, Who took out Israel from all the lands where Hashem dispersed them.' And Hashem will return them to their own land, which I gave to their forefathers."

 

According to HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu, זצ"ל and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, we are presently in the dawn of the Messianic Era. If Mashiach should arrive before Tish'a B'Av, then we will be feasting and celebrating on that day, instead of mourning and fasting.

************

With haShem's help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'בעזרת ה 

and

Happy Birthday, Yehonatan ben Malka! (Erev 9 Av)

613 Mitzvot – or 913? --by Rabbi Sprecher

 25 Iyyar 5781



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first published here

“But they shall not come and look as the Holy Objects are covered, lest they die.” (Bamidbar 4:20)

 

The Sefer HaChinuch writes that Parshat Bamidbar does not contain any of the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah.

 

The Baal Halachot Gadolot disputes the words of the Sefer HaChinuch and says that Bamidbar does have one Mitzvah, the verse cited above. This verse prohibits the Levi’im from staring at the utensils of the Mishkan as they were being wrapped by the Kohanim in preparation for transport. Once the Holy Objects were properly covered, it was the task of the Levi’im to load them on their shoulders and carry them to the next station in the midbar*.

 

The Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvot says that the count of the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah includes only those that were relevant and applicable forever. Mitzvot that were one time occurrences, or short term for the midbar, were not included. Had they been, there would be almost 300 additional Mitzvot besides the 613 Mitzvot! Thus, Rambam agrees with Sefer HaChinuch that there are no Mitzvot in Parshat Bamidbar because the prohibition of the Levites from staring at the utensils of the Mishkan was only applicable in the midbar therefore making it a temporary Mitzvah.

 

Rambam bases his opinion on the Talmud, Makos 23b, which quotes the pasuk “The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaacov.” (Devarim 33:4)

 

The gematria of the word Torah is 611, the number of Mitzvot that Moshe himself taught Israel after the nation had heard the first two of the Ten Commandments from Hashem Himself, thus making a total of 613.

 

Since the Mitzvot are described as the heritage of the Congregation of Yaacov, it stands to reason that the 613 Mitzvot are not one time events, but permanent ones that apply forever.

 

This would exclude the prohibition cited in the verse above, which was applicable only during the forty years of the generation of the midbar.

 

***

* midbar = desert. Bamidbar, the Hebrew name for the Book of Numbers, means "in the desert."

 

 

More news on the La"G laOmer tragedy, and other topics, can be found on the right hand sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

UPDATE 20210508: Rivka Levy has a Meron video focusing on the bottom of the stairs and needs help figuring out what's happening there. More HERE.

 

Also a new UPDATE  20210509: Video from 'Area 42' where the crush happened.

No Talking in Shul!

 4 Iyyar 5781 / 19th day of the omer, which equals two weeks and five days of the omer count

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher  first published here

 

“My Shabbatot you shall observe, and My Sanctuary you shall revere.” (Vayikra 19:30). Rashi comments that giving the proper respect to the sanctuary (Beit Hamikdash) is expressed by not entering with one's walking stick, or while wearing shoes or a money belt or with dust on one's feet. Today we have no Beit Hamikdash, but the Gemara in Megillah 29 teaches that our shuls are מקדשי מעט which means mini sanctuaries and must be treated with great respect and reverence.

 

Tractate Derech Eretz Raba chapter 3, one of the 14 so called “minor tractates,” records an incident at the end of the life of R. Eleazar ben Azariah when he was seriously ill, his students came to him and asked him “How can we be worthy of life in the World to Come?” He answered them “Go out and be careful with the honor due to your friends, and when you are standing in prayer, know before Whom you are standing. This will earn you life in the World to Come.”

 

Chavos Yair wonders why R. Eleazar ben Azariah prefaces his advice with the words “Go out”. It seems out of place and irrelevant to the advice he offers.

 

He explains that R. Eleazar ben Azariah’s comment for addressing the great difficulty some people have avoiding talking during davening. This occurs mainly on Shabbat when friends see each other and have time to catch up on news of family, community or business. This is especially true now that many of us are back in shul, after a year, and some of us feel that we have to catch up with our friends, so we must be conscious of this.

 

Unfortunately this talking often takes place during davening or Kriat HaTorah, and leads to a desecration of Hashem’s sanctuary. At times a person feels that it is impolite not to respond to a question or comment from one's shul friend and feels compelled to talk, even if it is in the middle of davening in shul.

 

In this light, we can understand the message of R. Eleazar ben Azariah. If you want to be careful in the honor due your friends, then GO OUT of Shul and talk there. When you are davening in shul, be aware before Whom you are praying. This will earn you life in the World to Come!

 

If only people would take to heart the words of the Chavos Yair and thereby bring about a marked improvement in the decorum in our shuls, they would then merit the great benefits that come from sincere prayer.

 

***

 

(...and maybe Mashiah will feel welcome in our batei knessiot, be"H he should come any moment now? Shabbat shalom umevorach! - HDG)

A Word to the Wise

 25 Adar 5781

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first posted here

“See, G‑d has proclaimed Bezalel by name…he filled him with G‑dly spirit, with wisdom, insight, and understanding.” (Shmot 35:30-31)

 

Bezalel, the master architect of the Mishkan, was endowed with exceptional wisdom and knowledge necessary to make a dwelling place for G‑d’s Shechinah. Midrash Tanchuma comments that Bezalel already had possessed great wisdom before he was appointed to this monumental position. This is because G‑d grants wisdom only to one who already has wisdom, as the verse in Daniel 2 states, “He gives wisdom to the wise.”

 

The Midrash relates that a Roman matron once asked Rav Yosi about the logic of this verse in Daniel. Why does G‑d give wisdom to the wise? Wouldn’t it make more sense to give it to fools who need the wisdom, she asked. Rav Yosi answered her, like a Jew always does, with another question: if a rich man and a pauper would approach you for a loan, to whom would you lend money?

 

“To the rich man, of course” the matron replied, “because I am more assured of getting back my money from him. The pauper may default on the loan and have nothing with which to repay me.”

 

This is the answer to your question, Rav Yosi replied to the matron. G‑d gives wisdom to the wise because they know how to use the wisdom to repay G‑d. The fools will take the wisdom and waste it on nonsense, thereby default on the wisdom they were given.

 

Where does the original wisdom of the wise come from? Shlomo Hamelech answered this when he said, “The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom.” (Mishlai 4:7) A person must have a desire to acquire wisdom and demonstrate that it is the most precious commodity in life for him. Then G‑d will grant him this unique gift. Bezalel was such a person. He was someone whose heart inspired him to approach the work and to do it. (Shmot 36:2)

 

A person may have an extremely high IQ, but that does not make him wise. He must desire to use this special intelligence for the right purpose. There was a landmark study done a number of years ago which showed that some of the most evil people in recent history had exceptionally high IQ’s. Yet this did not prevent them from committing some of the worst crimes.

 

What is the message for us today in our personal lives? Rav Pam stated that any Torah teacher can testify that success in Torah learning is not necessarily dependent on intellectual ability. What is needed is a strong desire to succeed, to review and to patiently grow. What’s more, one has to treasure every bit of Torah knowledge that one acquires. That is the key to success!

 

 

A partial answer to a fascinating question

light of 12 Heshvan 5781

This is the picture on the "Fourth Revolution in Torah Learning" article.

 The question, on the Tomer Devorah blog in her article "'Fourth Industrial Revolution' or Fourth Reich?" was:

I know this question will be off-putting to many people, but my inquiring mind needs to know, is the The Fourth Revolution in Torah Learning somehow part of all this, too?  If anyone has a serious answer to this, please respond in the comments section below.  Thanks!

I ended up with a post-sized reply, so I got permission to put it here instead. I don't actually think I can answer it; but I am pointing out some signposts I found along the way. 

Whether she finds something here or not, I pray that Devash will find what she is looking for. After all, I believe she is asking whether the Jewish People (or people who are perceived to be Jews and may or may not be) are contributing to the world's domination and demise by evil people who wish to be worshiped and obeyed as god, when our mission is the repair of the earth and all who live on it, when HaShem is openly King of the domain He created and made. It's a really important question!

You might want to read the articles linked to above before coming back to read mine. Or read them in reverse order. Whatever will help you understand better and help answer her question.

***

To attempt even a l-i-t-t-l-e bit to answer your question, Devash: First of all I probably had this question too, but in a different form. I have a post coming up that takes on at least part of what it will take to bring us back from the brink of utter submission to the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" — or Fourth Reich.

 I think we have to examine each "revolution" along with the path all of them take, and ask ourselves whether we'd arrived at the place we were meant to. Or were we deviated just a little bit each time? Maybe a lot?

The justification for each one of them is "The time has come “to act for God [by their] transgressing Your Torah." I think a hint to the answer to your question is found in this sentence. What kind of statement is this? Can we really act for the One who defined transgression (averáh) by transgressing? Is this a challenge, to see how far H' can push us away and still have us struggling to find our way back, or praying for help to find the way? 

Or, maybe it's an opportunity for others to try to pick off the ones who have deviated from the path. And this is where the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" may come in, if it does. If we have deviated too far, or our goals meshed sufficiently with theirs, even accidentally, it might be easier for the NWO people to demand of those among us what they want from the rest of the world. And what if they are really among us, living where we live and so on? I shudder to think about it.

Back to the path our revolutions took. It seems that each revolution was an answer to an exigency:

1. Transcribing the Oral Torah: We're about to lose our land and be scattered all over the world. How are we going to cling to our oral understanding of Torah without ending up completely different from where we started? Like the author of the article, I'm not sure we had a choice in the matter. And it may have contributed to a certain lack of ease in how we understand Torah from the Talmud that was created. The "Jewish Body of Knowledge" does keep getting bigger and bigger...and bigger...I'm wondering who the next contemporary sage is, to have his interpretations considered like part of the Talmud, after R' Moshe Feinstein, or maybe after R' Ovadia Yosef.

2. "His Torah is his Trade": We're in a dilemma: Can we balance Torah study with a profession in our country of exile and still do both well enough to keep each one, and still teach our children and otherwise engage with our family? And where are we now? In the end some of us were shamed into giving up Torah study and working harder (I'm looking at you, Christian Europe.). Some of us were ashamed to even go out at all because of all the humiliations (I'm looking at you, Muslim countries, mostly in the Middle East and North Africa.). Some of us may not have had enough Jewish women to marry, the exile we were in loved us so much (I'm looking at you, Kaifeng, China.). All these took place over vast periods of time. And earning money for teaching Torah was eventually permitted, as the article states. 

Someone has to teach the children...if Abba can't do it, he has to hire someone. The more Abbas that can't, the more the moréh can make while charging each one less.

3. Torah Study for Women: A very real issue: With non-Jewish girls getting education around them, were Jewish girls expected to continue to receive almost none, and meanwhile have the strength to withstand the temptations to go outside our boundaries? Has it turned out to be good for the Jewish people until now? (Please take this in the best sense: I do wish that the sages responsible hadn't been so quick to lower us in their opinion. If we weren't smart enough to avoid belittling important Torah teachings, then HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO TRUST US TO RAISE YOUR (really OUR) CHILDREN??? After all, it takes intelligence to prioritize according to importance. And our children are really our most important priority when it comes to the future.)

I don't think that is really why women weren't educated: It costs money. The more school education the girl receives, the less children the grown woman ends up bearing. (Bill Gates pointed that out when speaking of the poor women of Africa (and India?), but I don't have time to find where he said it right now. It applies to all of us.) We kept needing to make up for all the slaughters and still maintain a holy people while we were in exile (and for many, while we ARE in exile)! But the real question here is whether the quality of Jewish education, both for boys and for girls, is better today or worse, is more appropriate or less so, and is even available or not (you'd be surprised at how many Jewish children have no opportunity for Jewish education! Chabad to the rescue — in many places.). 

And there are other reasons I can't think of right now. But this has proved to be an open door for sneaky organizations with a hidden motive to steal away Jewish women from true Judaism! I'm looking at you, Open Orthodoxy, Tikkun Olam and others as well.

Now, to bring up the theoretical revolution, #4, Torah Study for Gentiles — which hasn't really arrived yet in the manner our author (whoever he may be) seems to be writing about. He acknowledges "...modern Judaism is suffering from a deep crisis. Many individuals (and even groups) have distanced themselves from Torah study and even from their Jewish identity." Maybe it's because they were taught by the Gentiles, or even the Jews, who secretly want to further divert their path?

And the author of the article you asked about really believes that by teaching Gentiles our Torah beyond the laws of Noah it's going to help Jews who are far from HQB"H? We have to take a few steps before going there:

1. Make sure we start that only when non-Jews in general have the proper respect for the people who have been carrying Torah and living by it as best we can for close to 3,500 years, despite all their machinations and conspiracies — from Ephron the Hittite until this very day. 

Hidden antisemitism will come out if it's there. It shouldn't embarrass us to expose them, no matter how much a fuss they make of it, once we decide they have crossed a line they shouldn't have.

2. Are they firmly grounded in Noah's Laws? They should be. The Seven are the basis of ALL LAW on the earth, as we both, and our readers, know well. 

Further, it is dangerous for them to learn Torah before derekh eretz, the basis of Noahide law. It is poison to the person who lacks it, whether s/he be Jew or not. We all needed to learn to say "please" and "thank you" before we reached the age when we would learn any Torah precept.

There may be more steps. If I think of any more, I may update them here in the body of the post. Take this as a call for comment on the part of others who think of more!

The Menorah – Light Up My Life!

13 Sivan 5780 | Erev Parashath Beha'alothkha

for the ascension of the soul of Yerachmiel Lipman Nissim ben Ezra and Alegre

לעילוי נשמת ירחמיאל ליפמן ניסים בן עזרא ואלגרה

   by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first posted here at Hava haAharona

Parshat Beha’alotcha begins with the Mitzva for the Kohen to light the Menorah daily, in the Mishkan and later on in the Beit HaMikdash even on Shabbat.

 

What is the message of the Menorah for us when we have no Mikdash? And we know that the Torah is G‑d’s GPS (G‑d’s Personal System) for us in the year 2020 and beyond.

 

The Mishna (Avot Ch. 4) teaches, "There are three crowns: The crown of Torah, the crown of Kehuna (priesthood) and the crown of Monarchy." Corresponding to these three, with which Israel were crowned, there were three crowns on the Temple vessels. The crown of Torah corresponds to the gold crown, which was set on the Ark of Testimony (containing the Two Tablets). The crown of Kehuna corresponds to the incense altar, for only regarding the Kohanim (priests) does it say, "They shall place incense in Your Presence, and put sacrifices on Your Altar" (Deuteronomy 33:10). Finally, the crown of monarchy corresponds to the table in the Sanctuary, for tables, which in Biblical and later Hebrew can symbolize wealth and bounty (see Psalm 23), may here be viewed as evoking the economic and political power of the state.

 

Still, the Mishna adds that there is yet another crown, "the crown of a good name," which "surpasses them all." This crown is NOT enumerated among the others. Rather, it is kept separate from them and it stands on its own. To what does this crown correspond in the Temple?

 

The Maharal of Prague associates this crown with the fourth vessel of the Temple - the pure-gold Menorah. The Menorah has no gold crown on it. Neither is it made of acacia wood inlaid with gold. Rather, the whole menorah is like a pure golden crown, embellished with golden cups, spheres and flowers. The crown of the menorah is not something extrinsic to it - the menorah itself is a crown.

 

It is the same with a person’s good name. It is not an external crown that is placed upon his head. A man's good name touches on his very essence. It includes his whole personality in all its components. It is not an external image, fashioned by public relations professionals, photographers, and newsmen. A person’s good name is the reputation that he earns for himself through his whole life's work, all his deeds and ventures. That is why this crown surpasses all the others.

 

A man's good name does not find expression at the beginning of his life. Rather, it is acquired through strenuous, daily toil over the course of one's whole life. King Solomon therefore said, "A good name is better than precious oil" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). But however good it may be, oil is applied externally to a person's body, while a person's good name is that person himself.

 

Moreover, that same verse concludes, "and the day of death is better than the day of birth." Only on the day that a man dies is the good name that he acquired for himself during his life fully revealed. The Menorah causes us to reflect on the type of life we are living.

***

Please pray for complete healing for Rabbi Sprecher: R' Ephraim Avraham ben Rivka.

Thank you!

Prayer for CORONA Victims during SEFIRA + 2 VIDEOS

9 Iyyar 5780

 by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

What do we hope to accomplish when praying for a person stricken with CORONA? G‑D knows exactly what we need. My Rebbe Rav Pam, would repeat the question a cancer patient asked him in all sincerity. If pain and suffering are caused by one’s sins (Shabbat 55) and serve as a purifying process to spare the person from suffering in Gehenom, how may one pray that G‑D remove the pain?

 

Does a critically ill patient tell the physician not to operate or administer painful treatments to cure him of the deadly illness? Of course not! In fact, he pays the surgeon great sums of money to do so. If G‑D, the Great Physician, is administering treatments to cleanse me of my sins, asks the patient, how can I pray that the suffering be removed?

 

Rav Pam related that this very question is answered by Rav Chaim Volozhin in Nefesh HaChaim. Rav Chaim explains that praying to G‑D to remove personal or communal suffering is NOT an attempt to change G‑D’s mind. One’s intention should be to relieve the pain that G‑D Himself, as it were, feels when we suffer pain. This is what the Talmud (Sanhedrin 46) says, “When a Jew suffers for his sins what does G‑D say? ‘I have pain in My Head! I have pain in My Arm.’”

 

Additionally, while many Jewish communities around the world are in distress because of CORONA, this is also a great Chillul Hashem because the non‑Jews say, “Where is the Jewish G‑D, who allows His chosen people to suffer?”

 

When a Jew prays for relief from his suffering, his intention should be to remove the Chillul Hashem that such suffering brings, and the aspect of “I (G‑D) am with him in his suffering” (Tehillim 91).

 

Thus the verse in Shmuel Aleph ch1 states, “and Chana prayed AL HASHEM” which means Chana prayed FOR G‑D! Chana meant to say that if I am suffering then surely You G‑D are also suffering. So she prayed for the relief of G‑D, and thereby she would also benefit.

 

By praying for relief from the suffering and pain of CORONA, one is attempting to reduce this Divine Pain, as it were. Such prayer is not only permissible, but is also an essential aspect of AHAVAT HASHEM (Love of G‑D), which according to Baal Hatanya is fulfilled thru AHAVAT YISRAEL (Love of every Jew).

 

How do we demonstrate AHAVAT YISRAEL during CORONA? The answer lies in SEFIRAT HAOMER! The Counting of the Omer teaches us that we get to choose how we spend our time even in isolation. It’s easy to connect to this idea now, during the CORONA lockdown.

 

Despite CORONA’s misery, it gives us an opportunity to repair our broken society, to bridge the gap that divides us. For example, our Holy Soldiers, who were not exactly welcome in Bnei Brak, have now become heroes by delivering food parcels to infected families while risking their own health to help other Jews in distress. Perhaps this is G‑d’s game plan to get the Jewish people to unite and love each other despite our differences.

 

We have certain physical freedoms taken away from us now, but we are still in control of our time, and how we choose to use it. We count each day, to make each day count by reaching out to the lonely. CORONA that has put millions of people into isolation reminds us that there are people who are always socially isolated. Do we pay attention to those people who suffer from constant loneliness? These lonely people, who have no family, those who are home alone, waiting for someone to give them a kind word, do we hear their voice and feel their pain? Perhaps this virus, that forces us to become lonely, is a wakeup call to remember all the lonely people throughout the year. Loneliness can be painful, but is also easy to alleviate with a friendly smile, a kind word, and a cheerful greeting through a phone call.

 

These seven weeks are the bridge from Pesach, our Physical Freedom, to our Spiritual Freedom of Shavuot – the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. This is a time for personal spiritual growth, when we can overcome physical dependence and bad habits in order to self‑improve.

 

Being in lockdown has given us the opportunity to evaluate our lives – how we spend our time, and to decipher what is really important and what we take for granted. Because we count each day for 49 days, we have a chance to reflect on our personal spiritual growth on a daily basis, to see how our lives are developing. We can evaluate day by day how we spend our time.

 

This SEFIRA (count) will have an important impact on our weeks, months and years for the rest of our lives.

 

The message is that despite CORONA we are still in control of our time and how we choose to spend it.

***

 

 

 

 

Will Animal Sacrifices be Restored When Moshiach Comes??

20 Nisan 5780 | Erev Shvi'i shel Pessah

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

Sefer Vayikra is taken up with sacrificial laws and rituals. For many people, it is easier to relate to narrative portions of the Torah or Mitzvot that apply in our day than to those dealing with Mishkan sacrifices. The last sacrifices were offered in 68 C.E., before the Second Temple was destroyed. Many people would find it hard to conceive how the sacrificial system could actually be restored in the Messianic Era.

 

Yet the Rambam tells us in Hilchot Melachim 11 that Moshiach will build the Third Temple and reestablish the entire Sacrificial System. The question is, what is the purpose of the sacrifices? According to Kabbalah, the Temple Altar is a metaphor for our body and our table at which we eat, containing lessons about how we should go about satisfying our vital, natural function.

 

The "daily diet" of animal, wheat, oil and wine offerings on the Temple Altar corresponds to our daily diet of animal and grain products, fruits and vegetables that go on our table and into our mouth. The reason why some feel uncomfortable about the sacrificial ritual is because it presents our existential situation so boldly in the form of animal blood, fat and other offerings on the Altar.

 

It is a fundamental law of creation that higher life forms consume lower forms of life in order to exist. When a lower life form is eaten and ingested by a higher life form, the lower life form is "elevated" by its turning into the body and nourishing the activities of the higher life form. As humans, our blood and fat are made up of material, derived from other lower levels of existence, mineral, vegetable and animal. Our physical life functions come to nourish and serve a higher life form – the soul.

 

Kabbalah explains that the Temple Altar and the Korbanot guide us to elevate our own blood, fat and energy to fuel the fire of G-d's Service on the Altar of our own bodies. The Altar fire is a metaphor for the human soul as the verse in Mishlei says, "The candle of G‑d is the soul of a human being." Our bodies "burn up" the various nutrients we take in, just as the Altar burns the sacrifices.

 

Our body requires tending in order to serve as an "Altar" for G-d's Service just as the Temple Altar had to be tended. The opening Mitzvah of the day in the Temple – removal of the ashes of the consumed sacrifices may be compared to what is the first physical functioning of a person's day, the elimination of wastes to cleanse the body for G-d's service. Keeping the Altar fire stoked was the daily task of the Kohanim.

 

So too each one of us has the task of keeping the "Altar" of the body properly maintained with the right nutrients in the right quantities. As Kohanim of our own bodies, our aim must be to keep the soul fire burning brightly every day.

 

The fact that the Kohen must eat from a sin or guilt offering and thereby accomplish atonement for the sinner is a wonder. Having the correct intention is a recurrent theme in all Sacrifices. The Kohen has to have the correct intention at every stage in the sacrificial ritual.

 

The Sacrificial System teaches us to eat with the intention of maintaining our body, our personal "Altar of G-d" with nutrients that we can elevate to His service. In this way we will be able to utilize our energy to do more Mitzvot. The blessings we make before and after eating serve as a focus that all eating can be a Service of G‑d.

 

May we be worthy of bringing the Thanksgiving offering in the rebuilt Third Temple very soon in our day.

***

 

Life After Death: A Class by R' Ephraim Sprecher

29 Adar 5780 | Yom Kippur Qatan | Erev Rosh Hodesh Nisan


Note: This video was recorded in Diaspora Yeshiva's Rebbe's study by an independent source (Szerman Films) as raw footage two years ago, and provided to R' Sprecher's media provider for posting during the corona crisis. Watch and see how relevant it is today, especially toward the end!  - HDG

Time Alone with HQB"H before the Final Redemption?

light of 3 Adar 5780

UPDATE BELOW

Many thanks to Yeranen Yaakov, who answered my question about where to find the primary texts presented for this post.

I've been looking around since the announcement of the Coronavirus CoViD-19 when it was confined to China until it was recently referred to as a pandemic, wondering what purpose HQB"H might have in bringing this upon the world.

A particular aspect of the situation lends itself to speculation on my part: Isolation. Whether the quarantine is forced on people who came from places known to be infected with it, or self-regulated, isolation can be a blessing as well as a curse. The pace of life has increased dramatically in the last couple of decades, leaving people little to no time to themselves. Besides that, many don't want to have time to contemplate where they've been and where they're headed. They're getting it anyway; if not now, then later. I suspect that most of the world will be locked down before much longer.


In any case, as I see it, it's here to give us time to think. Lots of time, in fact, too much time for a lot of people. What, are we all carriers of tzora'at? G-d seems to be giving those of us who want to avoid a highly contagious pneumonia-like disease (or worse) and who need some time off a break that should be welcome, but may not be — especially if, as I hear, this is a multi-phase virus that just keeps on giving. (no confirming links yet, so I don't believe it right now.) UPDATE 29 FEB 2020 after Shabbat: I just reviewed an interesting video on the topic that was given to me by Neshama of Going Home...To Yerushalayim. The gist of the answer to my question is: Consider the source: Apparently there was some news in Japan about being able to catch corona a second time, including some nasty things about China; they have a rivalry, so it's possible that they're spreading lashon hara. But some things make sense to the narrator, and around 20 minutes in, the medical analysis begins. You can read more here if you want to go deeper. Mainly, decide for yourself and try not to get exposed even the first time, never mind the second time.

I'm not one of them just yet but I'm thinking about whether I should ask about getting tested. Dear readers, do you realize that many people are walking around asymptomatically infected for nearly a month and don't even know it? I'm keeping an eye and an ear out for indications that people are not quarantined who should be. If you're a better informed Israeli, by all means, please comment!

One of the complicating things is the time of year as I'm writing. It is still the depth of winter for many; but closer to the equator the weather has begun to warm up, and also the tendency for temperatures to go up and down. This makes it more difficult to avoid regular colds and flu, never mind a pandemic (although you might be less vulnerable if you've had the flu already and have recovered completely).

Other bloggers have more info on the progress of the virus and possible prevention protocols than I; see Tomer Devorah (especially here) and Going Home...to Yerushalayim, especially here and here.

Others are more into the halachic aspects (such as Life in Israel), while others are closer to my focus, but in a wider way (End of Days/Years of Awe, Tomer Devorah here).

However, I believe I have the word from haShem concerning the mandate to isolate ourselves temporarily: Yeshaya/Isaiah 26:20 and following. Here is the search I did, which includes commentary from Rashi, Metzudat David, Malbim, Ibn Ezra and more illuminating texts.







[Notice here the Dragon (tanín, which has also been translated from Hebrew as crocodile) - a familiar symbol of the Far East, particularly China, especially the "snake with legs" aspect of the dragon symbol. -HDG]

More from Chabad on Isaiah 26 and 27 with Rashi.

In addition, we should consider the practical advice in this section from TB Bava Kamma 60b:











My only thought here is that we Jews must suffer separation from others and each other, and think about next steps once the danger is past. The Final Redemption is coming, at least so it seems. Those among us who have not believed it prior to now, and those who have actively opposed it, must reconsider their path. How each of us responds to this will be very important to how it will end — for us and for the whole world.

There is a lot more to say about the contexts of these passages and about how they may apply to us, but I'll stop here for now. Take care of yourselves, and pray hard, keeping the end in mind! סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה