In Tanach when discussing service of foreign gods the terms used are: elohim acheirim, el zar, el neichar. They all relate to the object of the service - the foreign gods. However in Chazal the usual term is avoda zara - foreign worship. Here we refer not to the object of the service but to the one who is serving. Not to the חפץ הנעבד but to the עובד. What is the reason for this change?
We find that a Jewish man can have the status of a goy. Either by serving idols or violating shabbos publicly or doing any aveira to get Hashem angry - להכעיס. Included is in this second category is one who is a kofer. The first way gives a person the status of a goy but NOT of a "min". The word "min" denotes a person who is in a category unto himself. The chidush is that a Jew can be considered a goy but not be in a category unto himself. The reason for this is that even one who violates shabbos has the opportunity to do tshuva and come back just as he left. He is thus not considered in his own distinct category. However one who is a kofer [the second category] IS considered a "min" because about him the pasuk says כל באיה לא ישובון - those who leave on the path of kfira cannot return [עי' ע"ז יז א ורמב"ם הל' ע"ז ב ה]. Not being able to return [in a conventional way] indeed classifies someone as a min - a separate, distinct category.
During the time of the נביאים there was a tremendous desire and lust to follow strange gods. One who did so was thus not considered a "min". He was just following his base desires, which while being forbidden, still would not make him a min. This was BEFORE the yetzer hara to serve idols had been eliminated. [The gemara in Chullin discusses the shchita of Achav as a shchitas mumar but not a shchitas min]. After the yetzer hara had been eliminated, in the period of the mishna and gemara , a person who served idols was considered a min. His act was much worse than it had been before. Without a yetzer hara to serve idols he nevertheless did so.
Now we understand why in the time of Chazal a new term came into usage - avoda zara - foreign service. We no longer relate to the idols [elohim acheirim, el zar, el neichar] but to the one performing the forbidden service. This is to show the severity of his act.
והדברים נפלאים למביני מדע!
עפ"י אגרות פחד יצחק עמ' לב
תיקנתי את הטעות בהערה 2 שם
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Return To Family
If you tell a slave that he is being freed him primary joy is going to stem from the fact that he is no longer dependent on others. What is strange is that when the Torah describes the freeing of slaves in the year of Yovel [ויקרא פרק כה] it says ואיש אל משפחתו תשובו - A man will return to his family. Returning to his family is seemingly secondary to his main feeling of satisfaction that emanates from the fact that he is now a free man and not bound to the whims and desires of others. It MUST be that if the pasuk mentions it then the return of the עבד to his family is what defines his freedom.
The Hebrew word for freedom is דרור. The Rishonim explain that it connotes a sense of permanence. דרור means דור הולך ודור בא - a generation comes and a generation goes. דור - generation, connotes constant movement. The word דייר means tenant. A tenant and not a landlord. A ball is a כדור - which can also mean "like a generation". It rolls and rolls. [Talking about כדור I would like to express my sympathy to Yankee fans. There is always next year. אין שום יאוש בעולם כלל.] Constant flux and change. The word דרור is דור with the letter "reish" twice. A doubling of a letter means a strengthening of the concept. So if דור is constant flux then דרור is the stability and constancy that underlies all change.
That is why the Torah calls freedom דרור. The unchanging status of man is that he is free. We were created ישר to go straight with Hashem. כי לי ישראל עבדים - We are Hashem's עבדים and not anyone else's עבדים. Only because of man's wiles and crookedness [אני עשיתי את האדם ישר והם בקשו חשבונות רבים - קהלת] he stole, went off the straight path, and was sold as an עבד and thereby lost his freedom.
Yovel restores man to his pristine, unchanging state of freedom and is thus called שנת דרור - the year of complete freedom and stability. The fields are returned to their original owners and slaves are released from bondage. Since this is the time of restoration and return to the source, the Torah adds ואיש אל משפחתו תשובו - men return to their families.
עפ"י אגרות פחד יצחק עמ' כח
ואולי ניתן להוסיף על דברי מרן זצ"ל שגם לעתיד לבוא כאשר האדם יחזור לטהרתו המקורית ויצר הרע ישחט, הנביא מוצא לנכון לתאר שיבה למקור וחיבור שני אלמנטים שהופרדו עקב מרירות הגלות - כנאמר במקרא קודש "והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על אבותם" ויה"ר שנזכה להתגשמות הנבואה בקרוב אמן כן יהי רצון
The Hebrew word for freedom is דרור. The Rishonim explain that it connotes a sense of permanence. דרור means דור הולך ודור בא - a generation comes and a generation goes. דור - generation, connotes constant movement. The word דייר means tenant. A tenant and not a landlord. A ball is a כדור - which can also mean "like a generation". It rolls and rolls. [Talking about כדור I would like to express my sympathy to Yankee fans. There is always next year. אין שום יאוש בעולם כלל.] Constant flux and change. The word דרור is דור with the letter "reish" twice. A doubling of a letter means a strengthening of the concept. So if דור is constant flux then דרור is the stability and constancy that underlies all change.
That is why the Torah calls freedom דרור. The unchanging status of man is that he is free. We were created ישר to go straight with Hashem. כי לי ישראל עבדים - We are Hashem's עבדים and not anyone else's עבדים. Only because of man's wiles and crookedness [אני עשיתי את האדם ישר והם בקשו חשבונות רבים - קהלת] he stole, went off the straight path, and was sold as an עבד and thereby lost his freedom.
Yovel restores man to his pristine, unchanging state of freedom and is thus called שנת דרור - the year of complete freedom and stability. The fields are returned to their original owners and slaves are released from bondage. Since this is the time of restoration and return to the source, the Torah adds ואיש אל משפחתו תשובו - men return to their families.
עפ"י אגרות פחד יצחק עמ' כח
ואולי ניתן להוסיף על דברי מרן זצ"ל שגם לעתיד לבוא כאשר האדם יחזור לטהרתו המקורית ויצר הרע ישחט, הנביא מוצא לנכון לתאר שיבה למקור וחיבור שני אלמנטים שהופרדו עקב מרירות הגלות - כנאמר במקרא קודש "והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על אבותם" ויה"ר שנזכה להתגשמות הנבואה בקרוב אמן כן יהי רצון
The Magnitude Of Gratitude
Ideally, one should give tzdaka anonymously in order to save the receiver from embarrassment. What is surprising is that it is only considered a preferred form of tzdaka but is not an obligation according to the strict letter of the law. We must understand why! If one can save someone from embarrassment then why is he not obligated to do so??
Not only is does this confound logic we also have a gemara that seems to contradict this rule. The gemara in Ksuvos [67b] relates that Mar Ukva jumped into a furnace in order to save a pauper from embarrassment: Mar Ukva had a poor man in his neighborhood into whose door-socket he used to throw four zuz every day. Once [the poor man] thought: ‘I will go and see who does me this kindness’. On that day [it happened] that Mar Ukba was late at the house of study and his wife was coming home with him. As soon as [the poor man] saw them moving the door he went out after them, but they fled from him and ran into a furnace from which the fire had just been swept. [See there for the rest of the story]. If there isn't an obligation according to the strict letter of the law then why would he do such a thing?
In order to answer this question we have to first understand that the obligation to feel gratitude is not just a matter of good character but is actually a halachic obligation. An example of this obligation can be found in the law of an עבד כנעני. The law is that one may not free such an עבד as the pasuk says לעולם בהם תעבודו. However, if one is indebted to him for an act of kindness [that the עבד was not obligated to perform] then it is permitted to free him [see the sefer דולה ומשקה page 273]. This is because the obligation to express gratitude is so fundamental and basic that it must be exhibited even to the point of freeing an עבד עברי.
When an עני receives צדקה the gemara says פניו משתנות- his face turns colors out of shame. This color change in the face is because a person's honor is in his freedom and since the obligation he now has towards his benefactor subjugates him, his face changes colors to express the loss of his freedom. He is now indebted to someone else and is thus no longer a free man. Just as one would not tell a rich man that he doesn't have to pay for an item because it is unpleasant for him so we would not say to a poor man that he need not be ashamed because it is unpleasant. The shame is an expression of his new found obligation to his benefactor which cannot be overlooked.
This is all according to the strict letter of the law. However, if one wants to go above the letter of the law he should forgive this obligation of embarrassment. Once he forgives, any embarrassment caused is like every other case of embarrassing a fellow man, which is a very stringent sin. The case of Mar Ukva [Ksuvos 67b] was an instance where the man had already received the money and the embarrassment had been forgiven. Now he was about to find out who his benefactor HAD BEEN after mechila on the embarrassment had already been granted. That is why Mar Ukva felt compelled to jump in the furnace.
[Igros Pachad Yitzchak page 24]
Wonder of Wonders:-)
Not only is does this confound logic we also have a gemara that seems to contradict this rule. The gemara in Ksuvos [67b] relates that Mar Ukva jumped into a furnace in order to save a pauper from embarrassment: Mar Ukva had a poor man in his neighborhood into whose door-socket he used to throw four zuz every day. Once [the poor man] thought: ‘I will go and see who does me this kindness’. On that day [it happened] that Mar Ukba was late at the house of study and his wife was coming home with him. As soon as [the poor man] saw them moving the door he went out after them, but they fled from him and ran into a furnace from which the fire had just been swept. [See there for the rest of the story]. If there isn't an obligation according to the strict letter of the law then why would he do such a thing?
In order to answer this question we have to first understand that the obligation to feel gratitude is not just a matter of good character but is actually a halachic obligation. An example of this obligation can be found in the law of an עבד כנעני. The law is that one may not free such an עבד as the pasuk says לעולם בהם תעבודו. However, if one is indebted to him for an act of kindness [that the עבד was not obligated to perform] then it is permitted to free him [see the sefer דולה ומשקה page 273]. This is because the obligation to express gratitude is so fundamental and basic that it must be exhibited even to the point of freeing an עבד עברי.
When an עני receives צדקה the gemara says פניו משתנות- his face turns colors out of shame. This color change in the face is because a person's honor is in his freedom and since the obligation he now has towards his benefactor subjugates him, his face changes colors to express the loss of his freedom. He is now indebted to someone else and is thus no longer a free man. Just as one would not tell a rich man that he doesn't have to pay for an item because it is unpleasant for him so we would not say to a poor man that he need not be ashamed because it is unpleasant. The shame is an expression of his new found obligation to his benefactor which cannot be overlooked.
This is all according to the strict letter of the law. However, if one wants to go above the letter of the law he should forgive this obligation of embarrassment. Once he forgives, any embarrassment caused is like every other case of embarrassing a fellow man, which is a very stringent sin. The case of Mar Ukva [Ksuvos 67b] was an instance where the man had already received the money and the embarrassment had been forgiven. Now he was about to find out who his benefactor HAD BEEN after mechila on the embarrassment had already been granted. That is why Mar Ukva felt compelled to jump in the furnace.
[Igros Pachad Yitzchak page 24]
Wonder of Wonders:-)
The Radbaz On Looking At A Rebbi
Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא), also called Radbaz (רדב"ז) after the initials of his name, Rabbi David iBn Zimra, was an early Acharon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek, rosh yeshiva, chief rabbi, and author of more than 3,000 responsa as well as several scholarly works.
In 1517, upon the abolition of the office of nagid by the Turkish government, the Radbaz moved to Cairo. There he was appointed Hakham Bashi, or Chief Rabbi of Egypt, a title he held for forty years. He was highly revered for his vast knowledge, integrity of character, and extensive philanthropy. Independently wealthy, the Radbaz was a successful merchant with business connections in other countries. The yeshiva which he founded and supported attracted many distinguished students, among them Rabbi Bezalel Ashkenazi and the Arizal.
Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate and divided the greater part of his fortune among the poor, making special provision for Torah scholars. He then moved to Jerusalem. But he did not stay there long, due to the burdensome taxes that the Turkish government had imposed upon Jews. He settled in Safed, where he became an active member of the rabbinical court presided over by Rabbi Yosef Karo, who held him in great esteem. He spent the last 20 years of his life in peace, continuing his learning and his writing.
The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573 at the age of 110 (some authorities say he was 94 years of age).
[From wikipedia]
The Radbaz writes as follows: עוד
אמרו בספרי החכמה כי בהיות האדם מתכוון אל רבו ונותן אליו לבו תתקשר נפשו
בנפשו ויחול עליו מהשפע אשר עליו ויהיה לו נפש יתירה וזהו שנאמר והיו
עיניך רואות את מוריך, וזהו והתיצבו שם עמך ואצלתי מן הרוח וכו' וכן התהלל
רבנו הקדוש שאם היה רואה את פני ר' מאיר היה מגיע למדרגה עליונה וזה
הטעם בעצמו בתפלה כי בהביט אדם אל אוהביו או לקרוביו או לרבו תתעורר
נפשו אל הכוונה השלימה וניתוסף עליו רוח ממרום
The books of kabbala teach us that when a person thinks of his Rebbi, his soul attaches itself to the Rebbi's soul and he thereby receives great spiritual bounty and he will have an added soul, as the pasuk says "Your eyes should see your Master" etc. Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi said that if he would see the face of Rebbi Meir he would reach a very high level of spirituality. That is why if when davening one looks at someone he loves or his Rebbi his soul will be aroused to complete devotion and a spirit will be added to him.
An additional two thoughts:
1] This is why there are siddurim [particularly Sefardi ones] with pictures of tzadikim on the cover [particularly Sefardi]. I used to think it odd because we don't daven to the tzaddik but this may be a source [אבל עיין במ"ב סי' צ' סקע"א].
2] If looking at something holy arouses a spirit of holines then the corollary is that looking at something unholy can be very damaging to the spirit. This is why we have a mechitza for davening. Looking at the ladies on the other side are liable to trigger in the male feelings not always connected to the realm of the sacrosanct מחשבות לא טובות מאד. Shuls in which the mechitza is up to the women's ankles will negatively impact the efficacy of the prayers there.
The Radbaz was born in Spain around 1479. He was thirteen years of age when his parents, banished from Spain, settled in Safed, where he studied under the direction of Joseph Saragossi.
For unknown reasons, he left Erez Yisrael at the age of 31 or 32 and traveled to Fes, where he became a member of the beis din presided over by the nagid Isaac Sholal.In 1517, upon the abolition of the office of nagid by the Turkish government, the Radbaz moved to Cairo. There he was appointed Hakham Bashi, or Chief Rabbi of Egypt, a title he held for forty years. He was highly revered for his vast knowledge, integrity of character, and extensive philanthropy. Independently wealthy, the Radbaz was a successful merchant with business connections in other countries. The yeshiva which he founded and supported attracted many distinguished students, among them Rabbi Bezalel Ashkenazi and the Arizal.
Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate and divided the greater part of his fortune among the poor, making special provision for Torah scholars. He then moved to Jerusalem. But he did not stay there long, due to the burdensome taxes that the Turkish government had imposed upon Jews. He settled in Safed, where he became an active member of the rabbinical court presided over by Rabbi Yosef Karo, who held him in great esteem. He spent the last 20 years of his life in peace, continuing his learning and his writing.
The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573 at the age of 110 (some authorities say he was 94 years of age).
[From wikipedia]
The Radbaz writes as follows: עוד
אמרו בספרי החכמה כי בהיות האדם מתכוון אל רבו ונותן אליו לבו תתקשר נפשו
בנפשו ויחול עליו מהשפע אשר עליו ויהיה לו נפש יתירה וזהו שנאמר והיו
עיניך רואות את מוריך, וזהו והתיצבו שם עמך ואצלתי מן הרוח וכו' וכן התהלל
רבנו הקדוש שאם היה רואה את פני ר' מאיר היה מגיע למדרגה עליונה וזה
הטעם בעצמו בתפלה כי בהביט אדם אל אוהביו או לקרוביו או לרבו תתעורר
נפשו אל הכוונה השלימה וניתוסף עליו רוח ממרום
The books of kabbala teach us that when a person thinks of his Rebbi, his soul attaches itself to the Rebbi's soul and he thereby receives great spiritual bounty and he will have an added soul, as the pasuk says "Your eyes should see your Master" etc. Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi said that if he would see the face of Rebbi Meir he would reach a very high level of spirituality. That is why if when davening one looks at someone he loves or his Rebbi his soul will be aroused to complete devotion and a spirit will be added to him.
An additional two thoughts:
1] This is why there are siddurim [particularly Sefardi ones] with pictures of tzadikim on the cover [particularly Sefardi]. I used to think it odd because we don't daven to the tzaddik but this may be a source [אבל עיין במ"ב סי' צ' סקע"א].
2] If looking at something holy arouses a spirit of holines then the corollary is that looking at something unholy can be very damaging to the spirit. This is why we have a mechitza for davening. Looking at the ladies on the other side are liable to trigger in the male feelings not always connected to the realm of the sacrosanct מחשבות לא טובות מאד. Shuls in which the mechitza is up to the women's ankles will negatively impact the efficacy of the prayers there.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Learning Shas - The Sefarim Or The Party?
So who is in? Deri? Yishai? Both of them? What does Rav Ovadiah say? What is he thinking??
Sweetest friends! If someone wants to know what he is thinking he is invited to open one of the dozens of volumes he has written. THAT is the real Rav Ovadiah Shlita. UNPARALLELED greatness in Torah. All of this politics is a waste of time [for us - not for him. He has to run this country:-)]. If someone would ask him - "Rabbeinu - should I follow politics or learn, what is better?" You could only imagine what he would answer.
Here is one of the many [and most recent] shiurim I have been zoche to give based on his breathtaking sefarim.
Sweetest friends! If someone wants to know what he is thinking he is invited to open one of the dozens of volumes he has written. THAT is the real Rav Ovadiah Shlita. UNPARALLELED greatness in Torah. All of this politics is a waste of time [for us - not for him. He has to run this country:-)]. If someone would ask him - "Rabbeinu - should I follow politics or learn, what is better?" You could only imagine what he would answer.
Here is one of the many [and most recent] shiurim I have been zoche to give based on his breathtaking sefarim.
Can't Hide It From Avraham
Hashem says המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה. ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום ונברכו בו כל גויי הארץ "Can I hide what I am going to do [destroy Sodom] from Avraham? He is going to be a great nation and all of the nations of the earth will be blessed through him." [Bereishis 18/17]
What does the fact that Avraham is going to be a great nation have to do with the sense of obligation that Hashem felt to inform him of His plans?
It seems that the explanation is that it would fly in the face of the entire purpose of creation if Avraham Avinu wasn't told. He is going to be a great nation and all of the nations of the earth are going to be blessed through him. Such a central personality must be told. This needs further understanding. What does the purpose of creation have to do with Hashem revealing his plans?
When Hashem created the world it says again and again "ויאמר" - Hashem said. But when creating man it first says "נעשה אדם בצלמנו" - Let us create man in our image. Thought preceded action. Only with respect to the creation of man thought preceded action. This is a model for man for the rest of world history that just as his creation was premeditated so too all of his actions should be preceded by thought.
Adam was created as the ideal man but after his sin his spiritual stature was diminished. Until Avraham came along nobody who personified the ideal man about whom Hashem said נעשה אדם - let us make man. He was called by Chazal האדם הגדול בענקים - A giant of a man [Adam is also described as a giant]. Meaning, Avraham was the premeditated man we read about in Bereishis.
In this light we can understand why Avraham must taste the sweetness of נתקיימה מחשבתו - Hashem's plans being fulfilled. Just as he was the paradigmatic מקיים מחשבתו - Executor of Hashem's grand plan, so too when Hashem has a plan he MUST be privy to it so that he can enjoy experiencing the נתקיימה מחשבתו.
Pil'ei pil'ei plaot!
עפ"י הספר דולה ומשקה על סוכות עמ' רכג ועי' מאמרי פחד יצחק מאמר קה
What does the fact that Avraham is going to be a great nation have to do with the sense of obligation that Hashem felt to inform him of His plans?
It seems that the explanation is that it would fly in the face of the entire purpose of creation if Avraham Avinu wasn't told. He is going to be a great nation and all of the nations of the earth are going to be blessed through him. Such a central personality must be told. This needs further understanding. What does the purpose of creation have to do with Hashem revealing his plans?
When Hashem created the world it says again and again "ויאמר" - Hashem said. But when creating man it first says "נעשה אדם בצלמנו" - Let us create man in our image. Thought preceded action. Only with respect to the creation of man thought preceded action. This is a model for man for the rest of world history that just as his creation was premeditated so too all of his actions should be preceded by thought.
Adam was created as the ideal man but after his sin his spiritual stature was diminished. Until Avraham came along nobody who personified the ideal man about whom Hashem said נעשה אדם - let us make man. He was called by Chazal האדם הגדול בענקים - A giant of a man [Adam is also described as a giant]. Meaning, Avraham was the premeditated man we read about in Bereishis.
In this light we can understand why Avraham must taste the sweetness of נתקיימה מחשבתו - Hashem's plans being fulfilled. Just as he was the paradigmatic מקיים מחשבתו - Executor of Hashem's grand plan, so too when Hashem has a plan he MUST be privy to it so that he can enjoy experiencing the נתקיימה מחשבתו.
Pil'ei pil'ei plaot!
עפ"י הספר דולה ומשקה על סוכות עמ' רכג ועי' מאמרי פחד יצחק מאמר קה
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