There is a very beautiful song [sang at the siyum hashas] that goes כד יתבין ישראל ועסקין בשמחת התורה, קודשא בריך הוא אומר לפמליא דיליה חזו בני חביבי דמשכחין לצערא דילהון ועסקין בחדוותא דילי - When the Jews sit and are involved in the simcha of Torah Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to His holy group of angels - Look at my beloved children who forget about there own pain and are involved in my joy.
It is so touching and I really want to believe Hashem says it. The problem is that I have been looking for the source for a long time and just because it is so moving [especially when put to music or when it was quoted at the funeral of a young yeshiva boy who was murdered], that doesn't mean it's true.
According to Wikipedia [SHLITA!] the closest thing we can find is a comment of Rebbe Avraham ben HaGra in his sefer Ba'er Avraham [Vilna 1887]: ראו בנים חביבים שיש לי דשבקין צערא דידהו ועסקין
בדידי, מיד מתמלא רחמין על ישראל
See my beloved children who leave there own pain and involve themselves in my [Torah], immediately He is filled with mercy for the Jewish People.
Close....
Even if we have no earlier source - it makes sense that Hashem has tremendous nachas ruach when we forget our own pain and immerse our entire being into His Torah.
Also - if we believe it, that may cause it to happen. The power of Emunah is NOT to be underestimated....
Any insight sweet friends?
Friday, August 3, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
An Ignored Document
A word on Talmudic methodology:
There are two types of questions on a text.
One type of question is on what it DOES say. Maybe there is a contradiction from a different source or perhaps the logical is internally flawed or a myriad of other problems one can detect with a discerning eye.
Another category is questions on what the text DOESN'T say and trying to understand the omission.
Case in point: Under certain circumstances the Rabbis uproot and dissolve the marriage of a man and a woman. The gemara wonders what the mechanics of the dissolution are. Normally we need a get to end a marriage but here without a get they "get" out of the marriage. Says the gemara [in ksubos 3a; gittin and yevamos as well] "I understand how we can uproot a marriage that was created through the means of a monetary gift [קידושי כסף] from the man to the woman but how do we uproot a marriage that was created with ביאה?"
Question on what IS written - Why is it so simple for the gemara to understand that we can uproot קידושי כסף but so puzzling to understand how we can uproot קידושי ביאה? On the surface if the Rabbis are invested with the power to uproot kiddushin then it should apply equally to כסף and ביאה yet the gemara differentiates between the two.
Question on what ISN'T written: Here the text CRIES out - There is a third way to marry a woman and that is with a document [שטר]. First of all - do the Rabbis have the power to uproot a marriage created with shtar? More importantly - HOW COME THE GEMARA DOESN'T BREATHE A WORD ABOUT IT? It is SOOOO obvious!! The gemara discusses כסף and ביאה and ignores the "elephant in the room" - שטר.
WHY????????
There are two types of questions on a text.
One type of question is on what it DOES say. Maybe there is a contradiction from a different source or perhaps the logical is internally flawed or a myriad of other problems one can detect with a discerning eye.
Another category is questions on what the text DOESN'T say and trying to understand the omission.
Case in point: Under certain circumstances the Rabbis uproot and dissolve the marriage of a man and a woman. The gemara wonders what the mechanics of the dissolution are. Normally we need a get to end a marriage but here without a get they "get" out of the marriage. Says the gemara [in ksubos 3a; gittin and yevamos as well] "I understand how we can uproot a marriage that was created through the means of a monetary gift [קידושי כסף] from the man to the woman but how do we uproot a marriage that was created with ביאה?"
Question on what IS written - Why is it so simple for the gemara to understand that we can uproot קידושי כסף but so puzzling to understand how we can uproot קידושי ביאה? On the surface if the Rabbis are invested with the power to uproot kiddushin then it should apply equally to כסף and ביאה yet the gemara differentiates between the two.
Question on what ISN'T written: Here the text CRIES out - There is a third way to marry a woman and that is with a document [שטר]. First of all - do the Rabbis have the power to uproot a marriage created with shtar? More importantly - HOW COME THE GEMARA DOESN'T BREATHE A WORD ABOUT IT? It is SOOOO obvious!! The gemara discusses כסף and ביאה and ignores the "elephant in the room" - שטר.
WHY????????
The Gift Of Life - Crowning Hashem
Today I was at the dentist and he removed my temporary crown. Problem is that the fine gentleman knocked it towards my throat. Where it got stuck. [Now the story gets exciting..]
I started gagging. The dentist started panicking and banging my back [I don't think you are supposed to do that, but what I do I know about these things]. He then stuck his finger down my throat to try to get me to cough it up. All the while I am coughing up blood - but not the crown. I think to myself "What a terrible way to die. Choking to death on a temporary crown." The blood continues to flow.
Finally it seems that I swallowed it. בתיאבון is not the operative word here.
The bracha was that at mincha and maariv when I thanked Hashem על חיינו המסורים בידיך - for the gift of life, I MEANT it!
In the future instead of taking the "crown" for myself I would prefer giving it to Him, as we cry out in kedusha "Kessseeerrrrrrrr yitnuuuuuu lichaaaaaaa".....
I started gagging. The dentist started panicking and banging my back [I don't think you are supposed to do that, but what I do I know about these things]. He then stuck his finger down my throat to try to get me to cough it up. All the while I am coughing up blood - but not the crown. I think to myself "What a terrible way to die. Choking to death on a temporary crown." The blood continues to flow.
Finally it seems that I swallowed it. בתיאבון is not the operative word here.
The bracha was that at mincha and maariv when I thanked Hashem על חיינו המסורים בידיך - for the gift of life, I MEANT it!
In the future instead of taking the "crown" for myself I would prefer giving it to Him, as we cry out in kedusha "Kessseeerrrrrrrr yitnuuuuuu lichaaaaaaa".....
Never Done
Can you imagine the following scene??
A university has a HUGE graduation. Tens of thousands of people come to celebrate that after years of hard work the class has finally graduated. The next day at 6:00am the university library is PACKED. All of the graduates are there and many new students as well and everybody is poring over the books. An observer asked "What is going on?? Didn't you guys finish?" The answer was forthcoming "We NEVER finish. Calculus and Art History are LIFE. We must review everything we learn and try to understand even DEEPER."
NEVER!!!
Mi ki-amcha yisrael!! Tens of thousands of Jews celebrate the completion of a rigorous course of study that included math, science, history, botany, philosophy, psychology etc. etc. The holy Talmud includes all wisdom. [A sick person once came to the Chazon Ish who took out a pen and paper and illustrated exactly what should be done in surgery. The person brought the drawing to the surgeon who was so blown away he went to visit the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak. "Where did you learn this? Only the biggest professors in the world know about this procedure! Where did you study [The U of Bnei Brak:-)]??" "It's an explicit Rashi in maseches chullin", replied the Chazon Ish]. The NEXT DAY everybody hits the books and starts all over. NO! That SAME DAY people already start again. And many new students eagerly join.
Why?? We Jews are capitalists. Always looking for ways to make a buck. Where is the financial reward, the professional advancement? ZILCHO. We do it for love of Torah, as an expression of our commitment, as a fulfillment of our obligation as Jews to twist and turn our brains in order to plumb the depths of G-d's wisdom.
IIIIIIIIYIIIIIIYIIIII am I proud to be Jewish:-)! I'll bet you are too....
A university has a HUGE graduation. Tens of thousands of people come to celebrate that after years of hard work the class has finally graduated. The next day at 6:00am the university library is PACKED. All of the graduates are there and many new students as well and everybody is poring over the books. An observer asked "What is going on?? Didn't you guys finish?" The answer was forthcoming "We NEVER finish. Calculus and Art History are LIFE. We must review everything we learn and try to understand even DEEPER."
NEVER!!!
Mi ki-amcha yisrael!! Tens of thousands of Jews celebrate the completion of a rigorous course of study that included math, science, history, botany, philosophy, psychology etc. etc. The holy Talmud includes all wisdom. [A sick person once came to the Chazon Ish who took out a pen and paper and illustrated exactly what should be done in surgery. The person brought the drawing to the surgeon who was so blown away he went to visit the Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak. "Where did you learn this? Only the biggest professors in the world know about this procedure! Where did you study [The U of Bnei Brak:-)]??" "It's an explicit Rashi in maseches chullin", replied the Chazon Ish]. The NEXT DAY everybody hits the books and starts all over. NO! That SAME DAY people already start again. And many new students eagerly join.
Why?? We Jews are capitalists. Always looking for ways to make a buck. Where is the financial reward, the professional advancement? ZILCHO. We do it for love of Torah, as an expression of our commitment, as a fulfillment of our obligation as Jews to twist and turn our brains in order to plumb the depths of G-d's wisdom.
IIIIIIIIYIIIIIIYIIIII am I proud to be Jewish:-)! I'll bet you are too....
אם צריך לברר בספק ספיקא
The question that has consumed many a Torah scholar...
When you have a sfeik sfeika is it necessary to investigate whether it is really permitted or may one close his eyes and say "sfeik sfeika is permitted" - nothing to talk about!?
That is the subject of this article.
When you have a sfeik sfeika is it necessary to investigate whether it is really permitted or may one close his eyes and say "sfeik sfeika is permitted" - nothing to talk about!?
That is the subject of this article.
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