PHILOTORAH


May HaShem protect our soldiers and the hostages; may He send Refu'ah Sh'leima to the many injured; may He console the bereaved families and
all of Israel, and may He end this war with success and peace for Klal Yisrael.

YERUSHALAYIM in/out times for B'CHUKOTAI (m)

24 Iyar 5784 <> May 31 - June 1, '24

7:05PM <> PLAG (earliest) 6:12PM  <<>>  8:22PM <> R' Tam 8:58PM

For other locales, click on the Z'MANIM link <> Fri. nite count - 39 (5 & 4)



CALnotes

The 20th of Iyar

This year that was on Tuesday, May 28th.

That is a date in the Torah for the first traveling of the People after Matan Torah - as stated in Bamidbar 10:11 (B'haalot'cha) - And it was in the second year (following the Exodus) in the second month (Iyar) on the 20th of the month that the Cloud lifted from the Mishkan. Having arrived at Sinai on the first of Sivan, a mere six weeks out of Egypt, the people stayed at Sinai for almost a full year. Although they were supposed to be heading for Eretz Yisrael, it was another 39 years until they actually entered the Promised Land.



Shabbat M'vorchim

This Shabbat - B'chukotai Chazak - the 24th of Iyar, June 1st - we bench Rosh Chodesh Sivan. Rosh Chodesh Sivan is always one day in our current fixed calendar, because Iyar has only 29 days.

Rosh Chodesh is on Friday, June 7th.

The molad of Sivan is on Friday (May 31), 25 minutes and 9 chalakim (parts) after midnight. This 'translates' to 1:03am Israel Summer Time.

In Rambam notation: VAV (Fri) VAV (6 hrs. after 6:00pm) TAV-NUN-TET (459 chalakim)

The actual (astronomical) molad is on Thursday (May 30th) at 6:39pm Israel Summer Time.

Remember: The announced molad is not changed for daylight savings time or for location. It is to be announced the same wherever Jews are in the world. The clock-time equivalent for the molad is adjusted  for location and DST - it has relevance to Kiddush L'vana timing. 



The 18th & 19th of Iyar

18 Iyar - Lag BaOmer, is the traditional yahrzeit of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai.

It is also the yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Isserles, the Rama (May 1, 1572).

19 Iyar is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg.



Rosh Chodesh Sivan

which we bench this coming Shabbat, can fall on a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday. In other words, its LO B'HaZ - not on Monday, Thursday, or Shabbat. That's one of the six other codes for days a date cannot fall on, the starting one being LO ADU ROSH.

 LO ALEF-DALET-VAV 	(LO ADU)
 LO BET-HEI-ZAYIN 	(LO B'HaZ)
 LO ALEF-GIMEL-VAV 	(LO AGU)
 LO BET-DALET-ZAYIN 	(LO B'DaZ)
 LO ALEF-GIMEL-HEI 	(LO AGaH)
 LO BET-DALET-VAV 	(LO B'DU)
 LO GIMEL-HEI-ZAYIN 	(LO G'HaZ)



B'CHUKOTAI

33rd sedra of 54; last of 10 in Vayikra

Written on 131 lines, ranks 47th

5 parshiyot; 3 open, 2 closed

78 p'sukim, rank: 46 (7th in Vayikra)

1013 words, rank: 47 (7th in Vayikra)

3992 letters, rank: 47 (7th in Vayikra)

Small sedra; only 7 sedras are shorter



MITZVOT

12 mitzvot - 7 positive, 5 prohibitions

14 sedras have more; Va'etchanan also has 12; 38 sedras have fewer.



Book of VAYIKRa: 10 sedras, 36.6 columns, 1537 lines, 859 p'sukim, 11950 words, 44790 letters, 247 mitzvot (95 pos. & 152 prohib.) Smallest Chumash in number of sedras, columns, lines, p'sukim, words, & letters. Its sedras (avg) have the fewest verses, words, and letters. OTOH, it has more mitzvot than any other Book (over 40% of Taryag).



Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary

[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha.

Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.



Kohen - First Aliya - 3 p'sukim 26:3-5

[P> 26:3 (11)] If we keep the Torah and mitzvot, then HaShem will provide beneficent, timely rainfall and bountiful crops. The yield of the Land will be so great, that each agricultural season will blend into the next one. And we will have plenty to eat on our own Land.

"If you walk on the path of My statutes..." Rashi comments that this is not just another way of saying "keep the mitzvot", but rather it points to our task of immersing ourselves in a Torah and Mitzvot way of life. Another commentator points to the word "walk" and says that it is insufficient to just "stand still" within an environment of mitzvot, one must take continual strides towards greater spiritual heights. Ponder too, the word HALACHA.

SDT: And the tree of the field will give forth its fruit. Rashi says this refers to non-fruit-bearing trees that will bear fruit when G-d's full blessing will be given. One of the commentaries explains why Rashi departs from the simple meaning of the pasuk. Since if one says a Borei Pri HaAdama on a fruit, his bracha is valid, because fruits grow on trees which grow from the ground, then regular fruit are included in the previous phrase "and the ground will give forth its yield". The phrase referring to trees is superfluous, which leads Rashi to his statement. 

The Gemara says that IM B'CHUKOTAI TEILEICHU is more that just stating the facts: If this, then that; if not this, then something else. The Gemara says that HaShem is asking us, pleading with us, to keep the mitzvot and immerse ourselves in Torah. If He asks, how can we not do what He wants - He created us, He put us into this world.

SDT: The promises of prosperity from the opening p'sukim of the parsha are made for Jews who live in Eretz Yisrael. The same deal, apparently, does not apply to those who live in Chutz LaAretz. This, says Torat Kohanim, in analyzing the word B'ARTZ'CHEM. This is truly amazing and provides much food for thought. If you will follow My laws and mitzvot, says G-d, then you will be blessed with many good things IFF (if and only if - it's a real word; look it up) you live in Eretz Yisrael. If you live outside of Israel, G-d still expects compliance with Torah and Mitzvot, but does not promise prosperity and peace because of it.

IM B'CHUKOTAI TEILEICHU... If you will GO in My statutes... LALECHET, to go, implies movement, constant movement upward - no stagnation in serving G-d. - Chidushei HaRim



Levi - Second Aliya - 4 p'sukim 26:6-9

Further reward for (or results from) following the Torah and keeping mitzvot, will be peace and tranquility in the Land (of Israel). Both natural disasters (wild beasts) as well as human enemies (sword) will be kept at bay by HaShem. And when we do encounter our enemies, G-d will grant us the ability to vanquish them mightily. If we keep to our side of the deal (so to speak), we will be blessed with fertility and G-d will keep His covenant with us.

Notice how there is a promise of peace in the land and a promise for the might to vanquish the enemy. Peace in this context seems not to refer to our enemies; it means peace among Jews. Enemies from the outside might still exist, and we are promised the ability to defeat them.

The promises of blessings in this first part of the sedra come in two forms: not only agricultural and military, but natural and subtle on the one hand and open and obvious, on the other. Beneficial and timely rain much appreciated. Bumper crops much appreciated (one would hope). But rain and growth of produce is part of nature. On the other hand, the magnitude of promised military success is seemingly more miraculous. Yet (on the first hand), nature also consists of no rain and drought and failed crops. So unparalleled agricultural success is truly miraculous as well.



Shlishi - Third Aliya - 37 p'sukim 26:10-46

The longest Sh'lishi of any sedra

This Aliya begins with the last four p'sukim of the "good" part - the promises for our proper Torah behavior. G-d will be with us; He is the One Who took us out of Egypt, broke the yoke of our oppression, and led us out with heads held high.

[P> 26:14 (13)] But then we get to the TOCHACHA, one of two portions of the Torah (there are actually several others, but these are the big two) containing G-d's detailed admonition to the People, warning of the dire consequences that will result from disregard of Torah and mitzvot. Because it is so painful to hear these terrible words, especially realizing how often they have come true, the custom developed to read this portion in a low voice. We are ashamed that G-d needs to threaten us in so graphic a way. Today the minhag is to call the Rabbi, Gabbai, or the Baal Korei himself for this portion. (In many congregations, it is the gabbai who gives out the Aliyot who gets the Tochacha, so that no one else can feel slighted by him.) The Tochacha is always contained within one Aliya which begins and ends on "cheerier" notes. This is the reason for the widely disparate distribution of p'sukim among the Aliyot of this sedra. (Almost half of which are in this one Aliya.)

On the other hand, there are those who frown on the custom of lowering the voice, because we are supposed to love reproach, since it helps us straighten ourselves out. On the other hand, most follow the custom to read the Tochacha in a softer voice. Torah readers should be careful though, not to read too low to be heard properly, and not too fast to be properly heard.

A significant theme of the this Tochacha is the connection between the keeping of the laws of Sh'mita and our hold on the Land. We must always realize that we do not keep Eretz Yisrael without any strings attached. We have a clear commitment and responsibility to keep the Torah and fulfill the mitzvot as individuals AND as a community. Sh'mita was commanded in the previous sedra. In this week's sedra, we are presented with the dire consequences of the disregard of this important mitzva.

[S> 26:27 (20)] Continual reference is made of both physical and spiritual benefits from observance of mitzvot, and the opposite, for disregard of the mitzvot. This combination of promise of good and threat of bad, together with the body of mitzvot of the Torah, constitutes the covenant between G-d and the People of Israel at Sinai via Moshe.

SDT: Yaakov is spelled with a VAV 5 times in Tanach (Once in this week's sedra and four times in Yirmiyahu). Rashi points out that the name of Eliyahu is missing a VAV five times. It is as if Yaakov takes collateral from Eliyahu to guarantee that he will eventually come to announce the coming of Moshiach.

V'ZACHARTI ET B'RITI YAAKOV V'AF ET B'RITI YITZCHAK V'AF ET B'RITI AVRAHAM EZKOR V'HAARTZ EZKOR: (Vayikra 26:42)

G-d will remember the covenant with Yaakov and the one with Yitzchak and the one with Avraham... Midrash Rabba says that the words ET with each of the AVOT come to include the IMAHOT. If so, asks the ADMOR of GUR zt"l, where is the fourth mother? He answers that the fourth one is Rachel, and the Torah has already told us of G-d's remembering her, as it says: VAYIZKOR ELOKIM ET RACHEL... (B'reishit 30:22)

R'YMP z"l pointed out several distinctions between the two Tochachot in the Torah. The first Tochacha is part of the Sinai covenant and therefore is contained in B'chukotai, which is read shortly before Shavuot. The second Tochacha is in Ki Tavo because it is part of the Arvot Mo'av experience. He also points out that the first Tochacha ends with a promise of redemption THAT IS PART OF the Tochacha. The second one does not. Only in the following sedra do you have the promise of Geula. The first is orderly if you don't listen, then such and such will happen. And if you still don't, then worse. And if... then even worse. The second Tochacha is a series of threats and punishments, one after the other. The first Tochacha relates to the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash and the exile that followed it; the second to that of the second Beit HaMikdash. The first Tochacha came from G-d via Moshe; the second, from Moshe.



R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 15 p'sukim 27:1-15

[P> 27:1 (8)] In pledging funds to the Mikdash, it is possible to offer the "value" of an individual [350, A114 27:2]. The Torah lists amounts for individuals depending on sex and age. In the event that the donor is poor, a kohen may reduce the amount.

[S> 27:9 (26)] If a person pledges an animal to the Mikdash which qualifies as a korban, he may not exchange or redeem that animal (even for one of greater value) [351, L106 27:10]. If he attempts to do so, then both the original animal and its attempted substitute (t'mura) are consecrated to the Mikdash [352, A87 27:10]. An animal not fit for the Altar is to be evaluated by a kohen [353, A115 27:11], and can be redeemed by adding 1/5 of its valuation.

Actually, 1/4 of the amount is added, so that the amount added becomes 1/5 of the total amount paid. E.g. An animal was valued at 100 shekel. 1/4 of that is 25. Add that to the first amount, and the person must pay 125. The 25 which he added is 1/5 of the 125. This is how CHOMESH works in all situations that call for it.

Let x be the CHOMESH such that 

x = 1/5 (1+x)

5x = 1 + x

4x = 1

x = 1/4

That was a little Torah algebra - aren't you glad you studied algebra X years ago?

A person can also offer the value of a house [354, A116 27:14], in which case a kohen (expert in matters of real estate) determines its value, and the house is redeemable by adding 1/5.

Ponder this... If donating the value of a male child between 5 and 20 years of age, for example, is equivalent to a pledge of 20 shekel, then why not just donate 20 shekel? What is the significance of labeling certain amounts as the "value" of a person?

Part of the answer seems quite obvious. We psychologically relate much more strongly to our giving the value of person to the Beit HaMikdash than we would to a mere sum of money. This would be especially so if the person were ourselves or a loved one. Modern fundraising psychology borrows this idea. Compare the emotional connection of contributing, let's say, $100 to a charitable cause, compared with the same $100 which is called "foster a child" or "feed a family" for a certain period of time. The money is the same. But the emotional response is quite different. There is probably more to this question, but...



MITZVAnotes

Notice the unusual, almost unique nature of T'MURA (the attempted exchange of an animal for another sacred animal). Generally, when the Torah prohibits something, an individual is considered to violate that prohibition when he does that which was forbidden. One may not cook meat with milk. Doing so is a violation. One may not steal. Stealing is a violation. Etc. Etc. One may not exchange one animal for a consecrated one (that is fit for the Altar). But one cannot do so. The attempted exchange fails. The sacred animal is still sacred. So in this instance, that which is forbidden is not accomplished. It cannot be done. The attempt itself then is the violation. This is highly unusual. In addition to the attempted exchange failing, it also carries the additional penalty of the new animal also becoming sacred. And T'mura can be punishable by MAKOT (whipping), which makes it more unusual, since no act was done. A prohibition that involved no act is rarely punishable by human courts. Nor is a violation with a penalty additionally punished by MAKOT.



Chamishi - 5th Aliya - 6 p'sukim 27:16-21

If a person dedicates the value of his property to the Mikdash, it is to be evaluated by a kohen based on quality and number of years to the next Yovel [355, A117 27:16]. It then becomes redeemable by adding a fifth. If a person did not redeem the land, then Yovel does not release it to him, but rather to the Mikdash as consecrated property.

The same applies if the officials at the Mikdash sold the property before redemption. At Yovel, it reverts to the Mikdash.



Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 7 p'sukim 27:22-28

If the property in question is not hereditary, but rather purchased, then the rules differ. The land is evaluated in the same way, but at Yovel it reverts to its original owners, and not to the Mikdash.

A firstling (if it is male) is automatically sanctified to the Altar; one may not consecrate it as another korban [356, L107 27:26], because it is already Kodesh. This rule of not switching one sanctity for another, applies to other categories of korban as well.

A non-kosher animal offered to the Mikdash is sold off.

If something itself is consecrated to the Mikdash (rather than its value), it cannot be redeemed; it remains holy.



Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 6 p'sukim 27:29-34

Consecrated property goes to the kohanim [357, 358, 359; A145, L110, L111 27:29]. A person under a death penalty has the status of "Cherem" (non-redeemable items). The land's tithe (here referring to Maaser Sheni), is sacred; it is (either to be eaten in Jerusalem or) to be redeemed.

The tithe of the animals (cows, goats, sheep) are to be separated by counting every tenth one regardless of the quality of the animal [360, A78 27:32]. These animals are sacred and must be brought to the Beit HaMikdash as a korban Maaseir, within the animal's first year of life. Its meat may only be eaten in Jerusalem, under conditions of ritual purity, and for a limited time (two days and the night between them). Maaser B'heima may not be redeemed [361, L109 27:33]. Violation of this rule results in both animals being considered holy.


More about Maaseir B'heima

Two (at least) significant differences between Maaseir of produce and that of animals:

With produce, you gather your yield and take a tenth, preferably from the best of the crop. With animals, you set the newborns up so they will pass through a narrow opening in their enclosure one by one; you count and declare the 10th one to be Maaseir. You do not choose which animal is Maaseir. Whichever one "passes under your staff" tenth, that's the one. (So too for 20th, 30th, etc.) It could be the potential blue ribbon winner at the county fair or it could be a scrawny, sickly animal. 

With produce, if T'rumot and Maas'rot  are not taken from the gathered produce, the entire amount is Tevel and forbidden to eat. All tithing must be done before the rest is considered appropriately prepared.

With animals, if a person has 10 newborn lambs, let's say, and he doesn't perform the mitzva of Maaseir B'heima, then he failed to do a mitzva, but the 10 lambs are all "kosher" and acceptable. Maaseir B'heima is almost like a voluntary mitzva.

And unlike B'CHOR (mentioned earlier), which becomes sacred the moment it is born - whether or not the owner proclaims it KADOSH (which he is supposed to do) - it is, in all cases, KADOSH. Not so with Maaseir B'heima. The animal is not sacred unless the owner follows proper procedure and declares the animal holy.

BTW, 29 newborns only 2 will be Maaseir.

"These are the mitzvot... at Sinai." This final pasuk of the sedra (and book of Vayikra), closes the section that was opened by the first pasuk of B'har, the usual partner sedra to B'chukotai.



CHAZAK, CHAZAK...

It is customary for the congregation to stand for the concluding pasuk of each book of the Torah. This seems NOT to raise the strong objections that standing for the Aseret HaDibrot does. The Torah-reader reads the final words with a dramatic flair, signalling the congregation to respond with CHAZAK, CHAZAK, V'NITCHAZEIK (Strong, strong, and let us be strengthened).

The reader then repeats that phrase. Some say that the person who receives the Aliya should NOT say the phrase, as this might constitute an interruption between the Torah reading and his concluding bracha. And/or possibly a different reason - that the congregation is saying Chazak... to him.

It is considered a special honor to receive this Book-completing Aliya.



Maftir is the last three p'sukim.



Haftara - 17 p'sukim - Yirmiyahu 16:19-17:14

The words of the prophet contain warnings and admonitions which echo the Tochacha contained in the sedra. The haftara ends with a prayer for G-d's help in keeping us faithful to Him and His Torah.

Rabbi Jacobs z"l mentions that this haftara is probably more matched to the other Tochacha sedra, Ki Tavo, but Ki Tavo needs one of the 7 Consolation haftarot, so this one went with B'chukotai.



Bringing the Prophets to Life

Weekly insights into the Haftara
by Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler
Author of Bringing the Prophets to Life (Gefen Publ.)


B'chukotai - 17 p'sukim, Yirmiyahu 16:19-17:14


As we did last week, we again read a message from Yirmiyahu HaNavi in this week's haftara. But unlike last week's reading, one that focused upon assuring Israel that she would yet return to her land, today's haftara reflects the harsh words of the tochacha, the admonition that we read in this week's parsha. In it, the prophet eschews any words of comfort as he rails against the wayward nation who had turned to other gods. Yirmiyahu, contrasts the fate that would befall those who have forsaken G-d with those who have remained faithful to Him. The devoted followers are likened to a lush tree planted by a brook whose roots spread, whose foliage and fruit are lush and who could, therefore, survive even a drought. Those unfaithful to Hashem, however, are equated to a lone tree planted in a desert - a parched wilderness - where, Yirmiyahu implies, it grows few roots and little fruit, and therefore, would not survive the difficult years of drought.

The prophecy, when seen in light of the Torah's tochacha, is certainly a logical choice for the haftara. Like the parasha, our haftara reading predicts the punishment of exile for sinful Israel, warning that Israel will, in the end, be forced to serve her enemies. Interestingly, Yirmiyahu uses the unique term of V'SHAMAT'TA (v. 4) meaning that Israel would "withdraw from the land" an expression that echoes the Torah's condemnation of Israel refusal to "withdraw from the land" i.e., to observe the SH'MITA - while living in their own land.

And there is yet another connection that makes this selection a fitting one for this parasha. 

The haftara closes on a strange note. Yirmiyahu seems to have completed his harsh message to the nation and then, strangely, turns to Hashem and speaks of his own condition. R'FA'EINI HASHEM V'EIRAFEI", he cries, "Heal me, Hashem, and I will be healed." Beyond trying to understand what the words themselves denote, we are puzzled regarding as to why it was even included in the haftara. Some commentaries suggest that Yirmiyahu was asking for relief from the "wounds" he received, the hateful words and curses he heard from the sinful nation. Some believe that the prophet was requesting healing for the actual physical pain he received from the blows and rough treatment he received from the nobles and officers. And there are yet others who believe that Yirmiyahu was praying for the nation itself, hoping that G-d would cure their "illness", to remedy their lack of faith in G-d.

I prefer relying upon this last approach that, I feel, fits in well with the basic theme of Yirmiyahu's prophecy, i.e., the people's lack of trust in Hashem. The navi began by admonishing those who relied upon false gods, those who trusted in wealth or those who were confident in their power. Here, the prophet closes these thoughts with the words R'FA'EINI… , expressing the idea that ONLY if G-d heals me am I truly cured and ONLY if Hashem saves me will I have true salvation! Trust in anything else is false and useless. This is precisely what the Torah expresses as well, since the failure to observe sh’mita was due to the nation's lack of faith in G-d's promise that there would be enough for them during these Sabbatical years. 

Yirmiyahu's words of faith were a powerful message to the ancients and they remain just as relevant for us today. 



ParshaPix explanations

The fun way to go over the weekly sedra with your children, grandchildren, Shabbat guests


B'HAR

<> four Unexplaineds

The Beit HaMikdash between two Shabbat candles - the last pasuk in B'har - ET SHABTOTAI... My Shabbats you shall keep and My Mikdash you shall revere...

In the haftara there is mention of seven shekel and ten being weighed in paying to redeem the field in Anatot.

M&H Whisky is for the Land flowing with Milk & Honey, mentioned in the haftara

The decorative floor tile is forbidden to bow upon


B'CHUKOTAI


Graphic of rain falling from the sky, onto the ground, from which a plant is growing. To the right of that image is a watch. Together they represent G-d's promise of beneficial rain in its proper time and that the ground will yield its bounty <> To the right of the watch is another part of the promise that we will eat bread in abundance <> And to the right of the bread is another part of the promise, peace in the Land. Peace is promised on two levels: peace from our enemies and neighbors and internal peace. <> The non-mathematical statement that 5 is greater than 100 and that 100 is greater than 10,000 is yet another part of the promise for our following Torah and Mitzvot. Namely, that if our enemy were to attack us, five of us would repel 100 and 100 would chase away a myriad (10,000, that is) <> Zodiac symbol for Taurus, the Bull, represents newborn calves, which are tithed separately from the other two kinds of kosher animals. The sign for Aries represents lambs and that of Capricorn is for goats. The newborns of goats and sheep can be combined for the purpose of MAASEIR B'HEIMA, because both kinds of animals are called by the collective term TZON <> Speaking of tithing one's newborn animals, the lineup of ten lambs, counted from top to bottom. The 10th one to pass under the shepherd's crook is designated as holy, hence the starburst around it <> a family, with each member marked with their ERECH (value) in original shekels. 50 for a male between 20-60, 30 for a female in the same age range. 20 for a boy between 5-20 and 10 for a girl that age. The baby is marked 5?3 because we cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl. Boys from one month to five years are valued at 5 shekels and girls that age are 3 shekels. Seniors (over 60) have a value of 15 and 10, male and female respectively <> 125% is the total amount one pays to redeem that which carries with it an addition of chomesh <> The fellow lifting the barbell with ease must be very strong, as in CHAZAK, CHAZAK... <> the UZI, as in the opening words of the haftara <> the point of a fountain pen is called a nib. In Hebrew, TZIPOREN (which also means fingernail and clove, the spice). The haftara speaks of the sins of Yehuda being inscribed with an iron pen and a nib of diamond (?) <> Former US Secretary of State is for the unusual word that occurs seven times in the Tochacha - KERI - and nowhere else in the Torah <> The tree is the Juniper, which is ARAR, as in the haftara <> ARAR is spelled AYIN-REISH-AYIN-REISH - When a native English speaker tries to pronounce ARAR, it comes out like the name of the letter R doubled. As in the logo of Rolls Royce <> The carnation is TZIPOREN in Hebrew <> CHAMISHITO YOSEF ALAV, a fifth must be added - bottle of whiskey is a fifth and Yosef is Yosef <> and there are two new Unexplaineds



In Memory of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l


The Rejection of Rejection

B'chukotai

There is one aspect of Christianity that Jews, if we are to be honest, must reject, and that Christians, most notably Pope John XXIII, have also begun to reject. It is the concept of rejection itself, the idea that Christianity represents God's rejection of the Jewish People, the "old Israel". 

This is known technically as Super-session or Replacement Theology, and it is enshrined in such phrases as the Christian name for the Hebrew Bible, "The Old Testament". The Old Testament means the testament - or covenant - once in force but no longer. On this view, God no longer wants us to serve Him the Jewish way, through the 613 commandments, but a new way, through a New Testament. His old chosen people were the physical descendants of Abraham. His new chosen people are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, in other words, not Jews but Christians. 

The results of this doctrine were devastating. They were chronicled after the Holocaust by the French historian and Holocaust survivor Jules Isaac. More recently, they have been set out in works like Rosemary Ruether's Faith and Fratricide, and James Carroll's Constantine's Sword. They led to centuries of persecution and to Jews being treated as a pariah people. Reading Jules Isaac's work led to a profound metanoia or change of heart on the part of Pope John XXIII, and ultimately to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the declaration Nostra Aetate, which transformed relations between the Catholic Church and the Jews. 

I don't want to explore the tragic consequences of this belief here, but rather its untenability in the light of the sources themselves. To our surprise, they key statement occurs in perhaps the darkest passage of the entire Torah, the curses of B'chukotai. Here, in the starkest possible terms, Moshe sets out the consequences of the choices the we Israel make. If we stay faithful to God we will be blessed. But if we are faithless the results will be defeat, devastation, destruction, and despair. The rhetoric is relentless, the warning unmistakable, the vision terrifying. Yet at the very end come these utterly unexpected lines: 

And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord (Vayikra 26:44-45).

The people may be faithless to God but God will never be faithless to the people. He may punish them but He will not abandon them. He may judge them harshly but He will not forget their ancestors, who followed Him, nor will He break the covenant He made with them. God does not break His promises, even if we break ours. 

The point is fundamental. The Talmud describes a conversation between the Jewish exiles in Babylon and a Prophet: 

Samuel said: Ten men came and sat down before the prophet. He told them, "Return and repent." They answered, "If a master sells his slave, or a husband divorces his wife, has one a claim upon the other?" Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the prophet, "Go and say to them, "Thus says the Lord: Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away." (Yeshayahu 50:1; Sanhedrin 105a)

The Talmud places in the mouths of the exiles an argument later repeated by Spinoza, the suggestion that the very fact of exile terminated the covenant between God and the Jewish people. God had rescued them from Egypt and thereby become, in a strong sense, their only Sovereign, their King. But now, having allowed them to suffer exile, He has abandoned them and they are now under the rule of another king, the ruler of Babylon. It is as if He has sold them to another master, or as if Israel were a wife God had divorced. Having sold or divorced them, God could have no further claim on them. 

It is precisely this that the verse in Yeshayahu - "Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you?" - denies. God has not divorced, sold, or abandoned His people. That too is the meaning of the promise at the end of the curses of B'chukotai: "And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away ... and break My covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God." God may send His people into exile but they remain His people, and He will bring them back. 

This, too, is the meaning of the great prophecy in Yirmiyahu (31:35-37): 

This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord Almighty is His name:

"Only if these decrees vanish from My sight", declares the Lord, "Will Israel ever cease being a nation before me?"

This is what the Lord says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below be searched out, will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done!"

A central theme of the Torah, and of Tanach as a whole, is the rejection of rejection. God rejects humanity, saving only No'ach, when He sees the world full of violence. Yet after the Flood He vows: "Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done" (B'reishit 8:21). That is the first rejection of rejection. 

Then comes the series of sibling rivalries. The covenant passes through Yitzchak not Yishmael, Yaakov not Eisav. But God hears Hagar's and Yishmael's cries. Implicitly He hears Eisav's also, for He later commands, "Do not hate an Edomite [i.e. a descendant of Eisav] because he is your brother" (D'varim 23:7). Finally God brings it about that Levi, one of the children Yaakov curses on his deathbed, "Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel" (B'reishit 49:6), becomes the father of Israel's spiritual leaders, Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. From now on all Israel are chosen. That is the second rejection of rejection. 

Even when Israel suffer exile and find themselves "in the land of their enemies", they are still the children of God's covenant, which He will not break because God does not abandon His people. They may be faithless to Him. He will not be faithless to them. That is the third rejection of rejection, stated in our parsha, reiterated by Yeshayahu, Yirmiyahu, and Yechezkel, axiomatic to our faith in a God who keeps His promises. 

Thus the claim on which Replacement or Supersession theology is based - that God rejects His people because they rejected Him - is unthinkable in terms of Abrahamic monotheism. God keeps His word even if others break theirs. God does not, will not, abandon His people. The covenant with Abraham, given content at Mount Sinai, and renewed at every critical juncture in Israel's history since, is still in force, undiminished, unqualified, unbreakable. 

The Old Testament is not old. God's covenant with the Jewish people is still alive, still strong. Acknowledgement of this fact has transformed the relationship between Christians and Jews and helped wipe away many centuries of tears.

Around the Shabbat Table:

How do you understand the idea of an unbreakable covenant between God and the Jewish people? 

What can we learn from the "rejection of rejection" concept, regarding how we treat others, particularly those who are different from us? 

How can we best keep our commitment to our faith and heritage, even when it is challenging?

Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH



Message from the Parsha - Rabbi Katriel (Kenneth) Brander

Challenge & Self Worth

In this week's parsha, following a brief overview of the blessings we will merit if we observe the mitzvot, the Torah describes what God has in store for the Jewish people should they diverge from the ways of the Torah. This litany of condemnations, known colloquially as the TOCHACHA, 'rebuke', fills the first half of Parshat B'chukotai, spelling out the many forms of suffering that would be visited upon the Jews were they to turn away from God. Reading these verses may well leave some of us overwhelmed, fearful, and depressed - which is why in many communities they are traditionally read in an undertone. 

Yet the real puzzle of the parsha is what follows. With the TOCHACHA finished, ostensibly finishing off Sefer Vayikra, the Torah shifts gears to discuss the mitzva of ARACHIN: when a person vows to donate to the Beit HaMikdash the value of himself or another person. The Torah then presents a "price index" for how much one would owe, based on the age and gender of the person whose equivalent worth was dedicated.  

What does the mitzva of Arachin, a method for making monetary donations to the Beit HaMikdash, have to do with the TOCHACHA? In what way are these two components of our parsha connected?

A teaching attributed to the Kotzker Rebbe offers profound insight into this juxtaposition. Upon reading about, and all the more so, upon experiencing the horrors described in the passages of the TOCHACHA, we may find ourselves calling into question our very worth as people. Of what value is the life of any person in the face of the possibility of remarkable failure in the eyes of God or immeasurable loss and suffering here on earth? As the inevitable depression strikes in the face of communal tragedy -  much like what we experienced in the wake of October 7th -  as well as when personal setbacks occur, we may begin to ask ourselves: Are we worth anything at all?

And it is here, at this very juncture, that the Torah instructs the Jewish people on the mitzva of Arachin, the commandment that declares in full voice that each and every one of us holds value. This section reaffirms how every person, created in the divine image, is worth something. Our intrinsic value, the Kotzker Rebbe teaches, can never be taken away, and must inspire us to pave a way forwards -  even in our most trying times.

This idea is highlighted in the Midrash Tanchuma (Buber ed. B'chukotai #6) in its interpretation of the verse from T'hilim (89:7), "For who in the heavens is comparable to God?" The term for "comparable", YAAROCH, is read by our rabbis as a reference to ARACHIN, in which we consecrate the worth of a person. 

It is God who turns to the angels, insisting that even for all their sanctity, their worship is less cherished by Him than that of humans on earth. For the Torah is designed for humans - beings who have parents and children, who hunger and thirst, who feel jealousy and anger. Beings who must sometimes fight lonely wars to root out evil; who have the capacity to lose their sense of self-worth, yet who also hold within their hearts the remarkable capacity to regain it. 

It is we, the humans who bring the offerings of Arachin, who insist upon our dignity, and are cherished by the Almighty, even in the face of incomprehensible tragedy and struggle. This is how we have survived so many calamities as a people and struggles as individuals. It is our intrinsic inner value that enables us to persevere, both as a community and as individuals. 



PTDT - PhiloTorah D'var Torah

Obviously Sadly Necessary

MASHAL: A Dad tells his son to come with him to visit Uncle Joe & Aunt Sue.

Ideally, that request should be enough to get compliance - even joyous compliance - from the son.

But the father senses that the son needs a little incentive.

And after the visit, he says to the son, we'll go out for ice cream.

That certainly should result in the son's happy agreement to the visit.

Sadly, that sometimes isn't enough.

But this visit is important and the father says: If you don't come, you'll lose your screen privileges for a whole day.

HKBH, AVINU SHEBASHAMAYIM, asked us - commanded us - on the laws of Sh'mita, in the beginning of Parshat B'har. (And also back in Mishpatim.) That should be enough to receive out compliance with that mitzva and its prohibitions.

The beginning of this week's sedra of B'chukotai indicates that it wasn't enough just to command us; HaShem needed to tell us about going out for ice cream - the first 11 p'sukim of the sedra contain a wide range of promises that will be ours IM B'CHUKOTAI TISHMORU...

Mitzvot - and the promise of reward for our keeping them. Wouldn't you think that was more than enough for our living a Torah Life with reverence and love of HaShem?

Comes the following 32 p'sukim or so and tells us that we need the threats of punishment as well as the promises of reward.

Is the TOCHACHA focused on Sh'mita and Yovel, as some commentaries say? Or are Sh'mita and Yovel representative of all mitzvot of the Torah, as other commentaries say? Or is it somewhere in between, as other commentaries say?

Yes, yes, and yes - because the point is that the Torah's telling us what G-d wants of us, isn't enough. B'chukotai shows us that. And promises of a beautiful life of peace and prosperity are obviously sadly not enough. The TOCHACHA (here and in Ki Tavo, and in the V'HAYA IM SHAMO'A passage of the Sh'ma, and other places in the Torah) certainly indicates that we - B'nei Yisrael as a whole, and we as individual Jews - need the reminders of reward & punishment.

That there is Reward & Punishment is a major principle of our Belief. But, ideally, we should serve G-d out of Love and Reverence without focusing on Reward & Punishment. 

Let's make the TOCHACHA unnecessary. PTDT



Walk through the Parsha with Rabbi David Walk

THE UPRIGHT

B'chukotai

This week's Torah reading is famous for its blessings and curses. Blessings for 'walking in My rules'; curses if you 'reject My laws and spurn My rules'. There is a common concern that the catalog of curses appears to outweigh the brief of blessings. This anxiety that God's justice outweighs Divine compassion is buttressed by the fact that there are eleven verses of blessings and 32 verses of curses. Does the mere volume tell the whole story?

Of course not! Rabbeinu Bechaye points out: A Midrash warns us not to say that God did not offer many verses of blessings but instead devoted many verses to the list of curses and that this reflects on the preponderance of the attribute of Justice. We should note instead that the list of blessings commences with the letter ALEF and concludes with the letter TAV, i.e. the blessings cover all the letters of the ALEF-BET, whereas by contrast the curses begin with the letter VAV and conclude with the letter HEI, as if to show that they go in reverse order and do not even cover one single whole letter of the ALEF-BET. It is not the number of verses which is the relative strength of the attribute of Mercy and the attribute of Justice but the order in which these letters are arranged,the attribute of Mercy is far greater.

The power of the Blessings is in the content and structure, not the mere amount. Other authorities point out that the potency of the Blessings comes from the vigor of our imagination. The goodness isn't described in detail, because we want everyone to dream the nature of the rewards in our own minds. The punishments are described in detail, because they aren't the stuff of our dreams. They are the prose of punishment. The blessings are the infinite poetry of everyone's sublime fantasies. We see evil as limited; God's bounty is infinite.

However, there is one unique term in the blessings which I believe opens an entire universe of ideas. That term is KOMEMIYUT. This word appears nowhere else in TANACH. That makes it hard to translate exactly.

That's why we find so many attempts to translate it: make you go upright, with heads held high, to live in freedom, make you stand up straight, let you walk proudly, make you walk with your faces uplifted, so that you can walk with dignity, make you walk straight, make you walk erect.

Robert Alter powerfully describes the term in the context of the verse to deliver a compelling metaphor: 'I broke the bars of your yoke, and made you walk upright' - the two bars of the yoke connecting to the crossbar are broken and enslaved Israel, forced to go about pulling heavy burdens on all four like a beast, can now stand up straight.

God has returned our humanity to us. Anti-Semites have dehumanized us throughout the ages. The blessing is that our return to Eretz Yisrael will undo millennia of degradation.

But what is this KOMEMIYUT? Many Israelis call the 1948 War of Independence, MILCHEMET HAKOMEMIYUT. There are a number of answers to this question. Rav Soloveitchik explained: Fourth, the Beloved knocks in the heart of the youth which is assimilated and perplexed. The period of HESTER PANIM in the 1940s brought confusion among the Jewish masses and especially Jewish youth. Assimilation increased, and the urge to flee from Judaism and the Jewish people reached its apex. Fear, despair, and ignorance caused many to forsake the Jewish community… A seemingly unstoppable tidal wave stood over us and threatened to destroy us. Suddenly, the Beloved began to beckon to the hearts of the perplexed, and His beckoning, the establishment of the State of Israel, at least slowed the process of flight. Many who were once alienated are now bound to the Jewish State with ties of pride in its mighty accomplishments… (Kol Dodi Dofek). Jewish Pride became a Thing. That's KOMEMIYUT!

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein wrote similarly: Unquestionably, the movement to return to Zion has brought about physical salvation for many Jews; no less important has been its restoring their pride. Jews who were subject to persecution have now reclaimed their dignity.  The State of Israel imbued Jews everywhere with an "upright stature". 

But I think my favorite is the explanation of Rav Ari Kahn: The blessing of KOMEMIYUT, can be understood from the previous verse: And I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and you shall be my People. This is an incredible combination: God will walk with us, manifest, like a friend. We will appreciate the vastness which separates us from God, yet feel close. We are then able to hold our heads high, yet not be arrogant… The last exile lasted longer than any other. From this exile we have now begun to emerge - hopefully, with heads raised high, not due to an exaggerated self-worth, but because we know it is God who has chosen to take us along this historic path. This time, we will not hide, nor will we deceive ourselves. The pendulum has begun to swing back, and the blessings have begun to pick up momentum. We will walk this Land together with God.

We're living through a very difficult episode in our rebuilding of the Holy Land. We can't allow the events of October 7 and their aftermath to loosen our commitment to Medinat Yisrael. Even people walking KOMEMIYUT can feel tragedy and loss. It's how we react to these difficulties which defines our KOMEMIYUT.

There are always descendants of Amalek whose life's purpose is to drag us down and place us in chains. They accuse us of the most heinous crimes. We must remain committed to KOMEMIYUT, and continue to stand tall. 



Rav Kook Torah

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison <> www.ravkooktorah.com

Eternal Inheritance

The warnings-rebukes of B'chukotai are harsh. Grim admonitions of war and famine, exile and persecution if the Jewish people will refuse to listen to God and keep the Torah. Yet, in the midst of all the darkness, a ray of light glimmers.

"I will make the land so desolate that [even] your enemies who live there will be astonished. I will scatter you among the nations, and keep the sword drawn against you. Your land will remain desolate, and your cities in ruins." (Vayikra 26:32-33)

The Ramban noted that a remarkable blessing lies hidden among all of these punishments.

"What it says, 'your enemies who live there will be desolated' - this is, in fact, good news. It proclaims that during all of our exiles, our Land does not accept our enemies.

This is an amazing proof and promise to us. For throughout the settled world, you will not find a good and spacious land that was always settled, and yet is devastated to the extent that the Land of Israel is now. Since we left the Land, it has not received any other nation or people. All attempt to settle it, but none succeed."

When the Ramban arrived in Eretz Yisrael in 1267, he witnessed the Land's desolation with his own eyes. As he wrote in a letter to his son:

"What can I tell you about the Land? It is much abandoned and greatly desolate. The holier the place, the more profound the destruction. Jerusalem is devastated the most, and the area of Judah more than the Galilee." 

Kitvei HaRamban 1:368. In 1867, exactly 600 years later, Mark Twain toured the Middle East. The famous American author described the country he saw in his travelogue:

"The further we went the hotter the sun got, and the more rocky and bare, repulsive and dreary the landscape became... There was hardly a tree or a shrub any where. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country. No landscape exists that is more tiresome to the eye than that which bounds the approaches to Jerusalem" (The Innocents Abroad, p. 555).

"An Inheritance to Israel"

Rav Kook noted that another verse alludes to this special connection between the Land and the Jewish people:

"[God] struck down great nations and slew mighty kings... all the kingdoms of Canaan. And He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel, His people" (T'hilim 135:10-12).

Why did the psalmist repeat, "an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel His people"?

This, Rav Kook explained, refers to two great kindnesses. First, God delivered the Land of Israel from the Canaanite nations to the Jewish people. This was not a temporary conquest, but a NACHALA, an eternal inheritance.

And what about the second kindness? God imprinted a special character on the Land. Due to its unique holiness, the Land is not suitable for any other nation. It is forever "an inheritance - an inheritance exclusively to Israel, His People."

As a result of this special connection between the Land and the People, we possess a clear sign to know when Israel's redemption is at hand. Rabbi Abba in Sanhedrin 98a taught that when the Land of Israel gives its fruit in abundance, that is an overt sign that the end of Israel's exile draws near. As it says,

"And you, mountains of Israel, will give forth your branches, and bear your fruit to My people of Israel, for they will soon be coming" (Yechezkeil 36:8).

Adapted from Olat Re'iyah vol. II p. 83



Parsha Story

Stories and Parables from the famed Maggid of Dubno

by Rabbi Chanan Morrison

The Two Thieves

B'chukotai

Two young men were once caught stealing. Both were lead to court to be sentenced for their crimes.

The judge questioned the first thief about his background. He immediately recognized his father's name; he was a well-known criminal, who had been in and out of jail many times.

The judge then summoned the second young man. This time the judge was shocked when he heard details about the young thief's family. "I know your father - he's the rabbi of a nearby town! And your grandfather is a well-known scholar."

The judge then handed out the sentences. To the first thief, he decreed a relatively short time in prison. But for the second, he assigned a much longer sentence.

When he heard the decision, the rabbi's son was outraged. "Why is my punishment so much harsher than my friend?"

The judge explained. "Your friend grew up in a broken home, with a criminal father who was more often in jail than at home. It is not surprising how he turned out. He is less responsible for his actions than an regular citizen.

"But you -  the son and grandson of prominent, highly-respected people -  how could you stoop so low as to become a thief? You should know better! Therefore you deserve a harsh sentence."

Remembering the Patriarchs

In the section of the TOCHACHA, God rebukes the Jewish people: "I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, as well as My covenant with Yitzchak, and My covenant with Avraham" (Vayikra 26:42).

We would expect that now, as God remembers the saintly Avot, God would have compassion on their descendants. But instead, the text continues to describe harsh punishments for our sins: "The land will thus be emptied of them." Why is this?

In fact, this verse is part of God's criticism of Israel. "I know your parents and ancestors - you are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov - and still you left the path of Torah and integrity! You deserve to be punished harshly for your actions."

Kosher Pride

We are used to thinking that pride is a bad trait and modesty is a good trait. However, there can also good pride and harmful modesty. How is that?

A person who thinks to himself, "Who am I that I should do this mitzva? Who am I fooling - I'm a nothing!" Such negativity is a false and destructive modesty - the counsel of the evil inclination.

But a person who says to himself, "How could I do this sin? How could I abase my Divine soul? I am the son of kings, the daughter of queens - a descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, of Sara, Rivka, Rachel and Leah. How could I stoop so low?" Such an outlook is a positive sense of pride, the counsel of the good inclination.

Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 295-296



Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher z"l

Jerusalem - What's In A Name?

The phrase "Yom Yerushalayim" is first mentioned in T'hilim 137:7, 3000 years before the 6 day war. Where does the name Yerushalayim come from? The answer is given by Tosafot in Tractate Taanit 16, who state that the name Yerushalayim is a combination of two words, one uttered by Avraham at the Akeida (B'reishit 22), HAR HASHEM YEIRA'EH, which means "The mountain where G-d will be seen"; and the city was already called SHALEM, peace, by Malkitzedek (B'reishit 14).

Thus, the city of Yerushalayim combines the two names, given by these great people, Avraham and Malkitzedek - YEIRA'EH and SHALEM. Tosafot also explain that  the reason we don't put a YUD between the LAMED and the MEM in the word Yerushalayim,  is that we focus on the name, SHALEM, which means peace and has no YUD. 

Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau stated that the name Yerushalayim appears 667 times in NACH, and only three times in NACH do we find  the word Yerushalayim spelled with a YUD MEM at the end of the word. Isn't it an amazing coincidence that the IDF reunited Yerushalayim on the exact non-Jewish month and year 6/67? We know that there are no coincidences. Thus, the word for coincidence in Hebrew is MIKREH, spelled MEM-KUF-REISH-HEI, which rearranged spells RAK MEHASHEM, only from G-d!

The question now arises why we pronounce the word Yerushalayim with a YUD when the vast majority of times it is written without the final YUD? The answer is that the PATACH YUD MEM ending in Hebrew makes the word dual, for example, "OZNAYIM" (ears), "RAGLAYIM" (feet), "YADAYIM" (hands). The above question is answered by the Talmud which explains that there are two Jerusalems, a heavenly one which is situated directly above the earthly Jerusalem. Just as the heavenly Jerusalem is G-d's eternal capital, so is the earthly Jerusalem, Israel's eternal capital, despite the objections of many countries of the world.

Sh'muel Bet 5 states that Jerusalem was Israel's D.C., which stands for DAVID'S CAPITAL, three thousand years before Washington, D.C. was the capital of the U.S.A. Jerusalem will remain Israel's eternal, undivided capital, despite the objections of our so-called "peace partners" and the United Nations.  -ESP

Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH



Q&A

Reprinted from Living the Halachic Process by Rabbi Daniel Mann - Eretz Hemdah, with their permission [www.eretzhemdah.org]

Eating Dairy on Shavuot

Question: Does one really have to eat milchig on Shavuot? If so, when is one supposed to do so, and what steps should he take regarding eating meat and milk? There seem to be many minhagim and little clarity on the issue.

Answer: We can give you only partial clarity - and an assurance that there are many legitimate ways to fulfill the minhag. 

The minhag to eat milchig food on Shavuot seems to have begun in Ashkenazic lands in the days of the Rishonim, and it is accepted by the Rama. However, over time it has become a more accepted practice among S'fardim, as well. There are many theories as to the rationale behind the minhag, which affect the optimal way to follow it. Also, some ostensibly good ways of fulfilling this minhag raise halachic problems. Given the plethora of opinions on the matter and the fact that people recognize that this minhag is not overly crucial, it is not surprising that both rabbis and laymen have developed varied systems. 

The Rama understands that the minhag is meant to remind us of the SH'TEI HALECHEM (two loaves of bread), which were offered on Shavuot in the Beit HaMikdash. The Magen Avraham explains that by having both milk and meat products in a meal, it will be necessary to have two loaves of bread with which to eat the food. For that reason, he suggests that we bake some milchig bread. Although bread is supposed to be pareve, loaves that are small or are made in a special shape, both of which were customary on Shavuot, are permitted. This approach explains why many eat milchig and fleishig at the same meal despite the problems that this entails (see below), as the halachic tension it creates is part of the observance.

Another reason to split a meal into milchig and fleishig parts is that many authorities require a meat meal both at night and during the day of Yom Tov. Others say it is sufficient to have meat during the day. Therefore, those who have one fully milchig meal on Shavuot usually do so at night.

Other reasons for the minhag are based on kabbalistic ideas regarding milk, hints derived from the word as an acronym, and the idea that after receiving the Torah, Bnei Yisrael needed time to be able to prepare kosher meat and therefore had to eat dairy. According to these approaches, it may be sufficient to have milchig food at any point during Yom Tov, including a snack or kiddush after Shacharit. 

Clearly, one should not compromise the laws of meat and milk in order to fulfill this minhag. Therefore, if eaten in succession, milchig must be first. In between the two parts of the meal, one should clean his mouth by eating pareve food and by drinking or rinsing, and he should also either rinse or inspect his hands. He should also change the tablecloth. (Many people simply eat the milchig food on a plastic tablecloth on top of the regular one.) Some people are careful to make a full break between the milchig and fleishig parts of the meal through Birkat HaMazon (or a b’racha acharona in the case of those who fulfill the minhag with cake). However, that is a particularly stringent practice and is not halachically required. If one does bentch, note that there are varied opinions as to how long to wait before starting the meat meal.

In brief, it is all but impossible to coordinate the most stringent approach to the integration of milk into a meat meal on Shavuot with all the stringencies involved with eating milk and meat in general. Some systems are so cumbersome that they might have a negative effect on people's simchat Yom Tov, cause them to make mistakes, or unnecessarily delay the minhag of learning all night. Therefore, people should continue a family minhag with which they are comfortable or adopt one that works for them. One who wants to figure out the most machmir system may be blessed, but he should be aware of "collateral damage".



OzTORAH by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple z"l

FOR THE SAKE OF REWARD

You cannot read the catalogue of calamity in B'chukotai without a shudder.

"I will decree upon you panic, disease and fever, making your eyes weaken and your souls suffer; you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it; your strength shall be spent in vain, and I will punish you seven times for your sins…" (Vayikra 26).

True, the rewards for obedience to God will be worth having, but why must all this be spelt out in such detail?

We all know what to do and what not to do. We are grown up enough to be aware of our duty. Are rewards and punishments really necessary?

In general principle the answer has to be no. The right thing should be done LISHMAH, for its own sake, not for the sake of a reward or to avoid punishment.

The point is made in Pirkei Avot (ch. 1) by Antignos of Socho who told his disciples not to be like servants who minister to their master on condition of receiving a reward.

Since not everyone is ready to serve God on the highest level, obedience is spurred on by the promise of reward or the threat of punishment.

Some are surprised that the rewards listed in the Torah are all material and this-worldly.

Ibn Ezra believes that spiritual rewards might not help the majority of people, who understand only physical things.

Ramban argues (commentary on D'varim 11:13) that since it is axiomatic that God will give spiritual rewards, only the material aspects need to be stated.

Nonetheless, human experience is that material rewards do not always come. The wicked often prosper and the righteous suffer. Some say that it is in the here-and-now that things are not always fair but all will be put right in the World to Come.

Joseph Albo (Ikarim 4:39) offers the suggestion that it is the nation as a whole which receives the earthly reward or punishment, but not necessarily the individual.



EATING YOUR BREAD

One of the blessings envisaged in this week's parsha is "You shall eat your bread to satiety and dwell in safety in your land" (Vayikra 26:5).

It does not say, "You shall eat bread", but "you shall eat your bread" - the blessing is when the bread is yours, earned honestly by your own effort.

Eat someone else's bread and you will never be at ease with your conscience. Take advantage of others and you will regret it all your life. Twist the system to your own advantage and you will get no benefit or advantage.

So your house is not as luxurious as your neighbour's? So you don't drive such a good car? So you don't have such elaborate holidays?

Live at peace with what you have gained honestly, however simple and unsophisticated it is. Be grateful for the results of the sweat of your brow - eat whatever bread is yours, and thank God for what you have. -OZ

Y'HI ZICHRO BARUCH



Sedra Highlight - Dr Jacob Solomon

B'chukotai

If you go with My statutes, and observe My commandments and perform them… (26:3).

Rashi's interpretation focuses on Torah engagement, deep involvement in Torah. The more effort one puts into it, the more it belongs to you, the more you are part of it. "Following My statutes", according to Rashi, means putting dedicated and persistent effort into studying Torah. The purpose of constant commitment to learning is not for intellectual exercise, but to make "observing My commands and performing them" possible. Such genuinely motivated regular engagement in Torah learning leads to the observance and the fulfillment of the mitzvot, for which G-d promises the prosperity needed for success and accomplishment in Eretz Yisrael. Plenty to eat, and safety from the enemy. 

The Ohr HaChayim takes this further. He puts the emphasis on the word TEILIECHU literally to mean to go; you move forward: you move forward to increased spiritual growth. It is the word TEILIECHU that distinguishes the individual person from an animal on one hand, and from an angel on the other hand. An animal exists as an animal for his entire life: born with the limitations of an animal and dies with the limitation of the same animal. In contrast, the angel is created as an angel; complete, perfect. The angel does not grow into an angel or into a more developed angel. But the human being, unique among all creations, has the privilege of being able to grow into a greater individual. That is what is emphasized by TEILEICHU: you persistently and increasingly progress with Torah study and mitzva observance, enabling you to come closer to G-d through involvement in Torah and observance of mitzvot. In short, your journey through Torah brings growth through Torah. 

This insight of the Ohr HaChayim fits in nicely with the Ramchal's presentation of G-d and humanity. G-d Himself is the very pinnacle of good, which He wants to give to people. It is our task to work towards reaching such levels (Da'at Tevunot 18) so that we can receive G-d's blessings in the spirit that they are given in this parasha and elsewhere, so that G-d Himself feels comfortable as it were in the company of His People: "I will walk among you. I will be G-d to you and you will be a people to me" (26:12). In short, not taking G-d's blessings as free handouts, but recognizing them in harmony with growth in Torah and HAKARAT HATOV, appreciating G-d's benevolence… sincere HAKARAT HATOV being an expression of spiritual growth… 



Menachem Persoff - menpmp@gmail.com



Consider, if you will, that if there were a prophet today, would the people take heed? Or would they ignore dire warnings, as did the populace of Yehuda in Yirmiyahu's time? For in our times, do not his words from this week's haftara yet conjure fear in our hearts? - "O worshipers on mountains, in the field: Your wealth, all your treasures, I shall make into booty... Accursed is the man who trusts in people… and turns his heart away from Hashem" (Yirmiyahu 16:1-6).

Oh, how tragic the circumstances, the expressions of evil that overcame our people! The Ramchal (Daat Tevunot) explains that evil was created by Hashem, such that man is an imperfect being in an imperfect world given the attribute of Free Will to perfect and to bring the world closer to its ultimate redemption. Evil exists when there is an imbalance of the emanations that control existence, brought about by man making the wrong choices, actions that gradually cause G-d's Presence to "disappear" until pure evil takes reign.

On the metaphysical level, during S'firat HaOmer, we embark on a 7-week journey to fix combinations of these emanations (S'firot) until perfect harmony is achieved and "evil" is wiped out. Clearly, on the level of action, we could strive towards that goal. How poignant, however, that Yirmiyahu reminds us, in tandem with other Nevi'im, that Hashem will never totally abandon us, whatever our misdeeds. So let each of us be his or her personal prophet and do our little bit to fix the world and thus to repair the broken pieces. MP 



The Daily Portion - Sivan Rahav Meir

When God's blessings are within our grasp

Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

We are always in need of blessings, but especially now. The weekly Torah portion of B'chukotai begins with a series of wonderful blessings. True, a serious rebuke appears later on and yet there is much that is comforting and promising in the first 11 verses of the parasha. These verses follow below, each preceded by a short contextual or clarifying note:

Everything depends on making the proper choices. "If you follow My statutes and keep My commandments and fulfill them..."

Keeping God's commandments leads to rain, growth of crops, and fruitful trees: "I will provide your rains in their proper time. The earth shall give forth its produce and the tree of the field shall give forth its fruit."

In a similar fashion, you will be rewarded with immense harvests and permanent homeland security. "[Because of the abundant produce] threshing will overtake the grape harvest and the grape harvest overtake the [time to] plant, and you will eat your bread to satiation and you will live securely in your land."

And you will enjoy a life of peace. "I will grant peace in the land; you will lie to sleep without fear. I will banish evil beasts from the land, and no sword shall pass through your land."

With victory over your enemies. "You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword."

Despite being heavily outnumbered: "Five of you will pursue one hundred and one hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword."

You will then have many children: "I will turn to you to make you fruitful and multiply, and establish My covenant with you."

And more than enough to eat from year to year:  "You will eat the old [store] long kept and the old [store] you will have to clear out because of the new."

With my Holy Temple in your midst:  "I will set My Sanctuary among you and My spirit will not reject you."

And perpetual closeness between us: "I will walk among you and I will be a God for you, and you will be My people."

Reminding you that I am Your Redeemer from slavery into a glorious future:  "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt from where you were slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and led you forth standing upright."

So what does the future hold? Everything that any one of us could ever desire. And the good news is that our future rests in our own hands. We need to do the right things, and be worthy of God's blessings.

To receive Sivan Rahav-Meir's daily WhatsApp: tiny.cc/DailyPortion



Dvar Torah by Rabbi Chanoch Yeres

to his community at Beit Knesset Beit Yisrael, Yemin Moshe

Graciously shared with PhiloTorah

B'chukotai

Ramban emphasizes the centrality of the Land of Israel in the blessings in this week's Parsha. Every promise relates another factor advantageous to establishing a nation in its own land. The Pasuk continues.

"And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of G-d; and they shall be afraid of you." (28:10)

Rabbi Shmuel Maybruch pointed out that coincidence cannot explain the success of a country and its citizens. Rather, G-d has intervened. The nations of the world will recognize G-d's unmistakable hand in producing such an agricultural utopia and thereby be wary of the Israelites. When the Israelites are collectively functioning optimally, G-d will bless both their land and them to the extent that one will not even require the assistance of doctors with the natural guidelines of this world. Ramban explains that removing illness or malady, will find the remedy by restoring the afflicted person to a level at which he will merit G-d's blessing.

However, even when the Israelites were settled in the Land of Israel, sovereign over the land, agriculturally stable and benefiting from the blessings of G-d, it becomes necessary to resort to the more conventional, material method of recovery from our problems and challenges. When the Israelites established the habit of resorting to such methods, G-d left them at the mercy of natural biological and physiological constraints.

Today, unfortunately, we do not merit this form of G-d's benevolence and we must work within the boundaries of real-world challenges. Since we are not yet in the Land of Israel which is completely exposed to G-d's bountiful blessings and special level of His direct protection, relying on our physical capabilities is encouraged and required.

Just as G-d blessed our people to return to a united Jerusalem, so too we pray that G-d will help our nation accomplish all the tasks at hand and bring everlasting peace to us and the world. 



The Weekly 'Hi All' by Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld

B'chukotai 5776 (?)

One of the central themes of the Mussar movement was - and continues to be - the sharp rebuke excoriating the disconnect between the knowledge of the good and the doing of the good. The fact that people know the ethical right is no guarantee they will act upon it.  A person may know - will agree - that it's wrong to lie, to lose one's temper, to indulge in lashon hara, and the like, and yet he will persist in that behavior. All sorts of reasons are marshalled to excuse the delinquency: it's just who I am; I can't help myself; it wasn't my fault, I was provoked; and so forth. That the study of ethics does not necessarily produce people of moral excellence is sadly all too true. In a word, the popular adage, "practice what you preach", is easier said than done.

This disruption between study and deed prompted many of our great commentators to take exception to the following Mishna in Pirkei Avot (4:5): "Of one who learns in order to teach, they enable him to learn and teach …" Rashi, among others (Rabbeinu Yona and Tashbetz), finds this formulation unacceptable. If someone learns only to teach and not to do, he clearly must be interested in only promoting himself. He craves attention and wants to be respected as a Torah scholar. Adjusting his behavior to conform with his teachings is unfortunately not part of his personal agenda. Hypocrisy, especially among rabbinic sages, was always looked upon with much reproach and disdain. Rashi therefore amends the text to say that one who studies only in order to teach will not be enabled to study and teach. The reward in being "enabled to learn, teach, guard and perform" is only earned when, as the Mishna continues, "one learns in order to do."

In Parshat B'chukotai, the Torah tells us the conditions under which HaShem will provide the Jewish people with peace and sustenance. "If you will go with My decrees and observe My commandments and perform them …" (Vayikra 26:3). The commentaries attempt to explain the apparent redundancy of the first two clauses: "if you will go with My decrees", and, "and observe My commandments". Rashi, quoting Torat Kohanim, explains that, "If you will go with My decrees" refers to AMEILUT BATORAH, the physical and mental exertion necessary to master Torah knowledge. The second part, "and observe My commandments", builds on the first to convey the message that, "you should toil in Torah in order to guard and fulfill it…"  The meaning is clear: Gd's blessings will only be forthcoming if our toiling in Torah is with the intention of keeping the Torah.   

Based upon the above, I would like to suggest how we might better be able to actuate and mobilize our moral intelligence into deeds of virtue and goodness. The answer is AMEILUT, a concept which affirms the truth that not only are hard work and patience necessary prerequisites to acquire knowledge, but the very same strenuous effort and mental resolve must be brought to bear when attempting to change behavior as well. When Rav Yisroel Salanter famously observed that it is far easier to master the entire Talmud than to reverse one bad habit, he may have been exaggerating, but not by much. 

And so, if you truly want to be a better person, you'll have to work at it! Know that only dogged persistence and patient stamina will yield a finer you. Strategize with yourself the way you would if you wanted to land a successful deal. Carefully plan what you need to do to control that temper, to act with charity and kindness when you're in no mood to do so. Identify those YEITZER HARAs, those mischievous tendencies that trip you up time and time again. Of course, continue to study our sacred ethical teachings, but after you've put the book down, confront yourself, challenge your present moral baselines and honestly grill your conscience with such questions as: "Whom am I kidding; why can't I be a better spouse and parent? Can't I try a little harder to show some understanding and sympathy instead of flying off the handle? Why am I more interested in promoting myself instead of improving myself? Why do I hide my biases when I ought to be more objective and honest with my family and friends?"

Indeed, such questions are not easy to ask and even harder to answer, but nothing short of that AMEILUT will reward us with a better self. I'm sure you've heard this clever bit of mussar, but in light of what we've been saying, it deserves repetition. A diligent Torah student once proudly told his Rebbe that he had gone through the entire Shas (another word for the Talmud). The Rebbe retorted, "But has Shas gone through you?!" 

May we all merit to learn and do and thus earn the rich reward in knowing that in courageously translating our moral intelligence into deed, we have properly and proudly transformed ourselves into a veritable Kiddush HaShem! 



Afterthoughts - Yocheved Bienenfeld

B'EIMA UVYIR'A

IN DREAD AND AWE

In the Shacharit davening, we say a shortened form of K'dusha in describing the behavior of the celestial beings praising Gd. At one point, it describes them as MASHMI'IM B'YIR'A - proclaiming with awe. The most fitting translation of YIR'A is "awe". Yet, in my naive ignorance, I understood it as meaning "fear" - which is a more common understanding of the word. Now, I can't just decide to change the meaning of a word to suit my own ideas, but I discovered that I wasn't so far off target. For just a sentence or two later, we are told V'CHULAM OSIM B'EIMA UVYIR'A R'TZON KONAM. And in three different siddurs, I found the translation to be not only "awe": but with EIMA - dread; they perform the desire of their Creator with awe and dread. Then my wondering about the "fear" that the angels felt was not so illegitimate. If I may be permitted to follow this train of thought, these words paint a different picture.

We have other indications of the angels "in fear". In the UNTANEH TOKEF which we say on the YAMIM NORA'IM, it says UMAL'ACHIM YEICHAFEIZUN V'CHIL UR'ADA YOCHEIZUN - Angels will hasten and a trembling and terror will seize them…'. I always wondered why they would be afraid. But a sentence later it says 'to muster the heavenly host for judgment - for they cannot be vindicated in Your eyes in judgment". The angels, too, undergo a DIN to a certain extent, for their existence is dependent upon Israel. (The world was created for the sake of Israel and all existence hangs in the balance when Israel is judged.)

Another source in the Yom Kippur davening indicates, indeed, a "human" reaction of fear and dread before HaShem. In the piyut of the Ten Martyrs, we read "The celestial Serafim cried out bitterly: Is this the Torah and this its reward?... The enemy insults Your great and awesome Name… A voice from Heaven responded "If I hear another sound, I will transform the universe to water… this is a decree from My presence; accept it…".

The angels challenge Gd because of the unexplainable horror they are witnessing. As we, unfortunately know, throughout our history, there are times when HaShem acts in such a way that is not like Who He really is, that they (and we) are terrified. But they must remain silent and wait for the result in order to continue. And the K'dusha resumes "And they all open their mouths in holiness and purity… and bless, praise… and declare the kingship of the Name of Gd… Holy is He." That's when they can sing His praises in awe and remind themselves of His greatness in all different characteristics because, ultimately, He is KADOSH HU - separate and untouchable and incomprehensible. Only when it is over and there is hindsight, can the fear turn into understanding.

ADDENDUM:

In light of the above and of what we are currently experiencing, nightmarish though it may be, I would like to bring the words of 15-year-old Evyatar Ne'eman who lost his father in this war. Words that were reprinted in Torah Tidbits 1565 on B'har:

We presently find ourselves in the process of birth. Despite the pangs of birth, we must remember that the pain which goes along with them is essential for the baby to eventually come out into the world. If we only look back on our history, we will see that each time a terrible tragedy occurred, we grew and became greater because of it. We have no idea what we will 'gain' this time, but the greater the tragedy, the greater the salvation that is sure to come.

May his words serve as a chizuk to all of us. 9



Insights into Halacha - Rabbi Yehuda Spitz

Ohr Somayach (yspitz@ohr.edu)

(PhiloTorah editor's notes in green)

Adorning the Shul with Greenery on Shavuot: Minhag Yisrael or Chukot HaGoyim?

Festooning with Foliage

In honor of Shavuot, many shuls receive entire forest-like makeovers. With branches forming a Chupa-like canopy over the bima, trees set up next to the Aron Kodesh, and greenery abounding, many entire shuls are festively festooned for Z’man Matan Torah.

Yet, we find that other shuls do perform some adorning, but in a much more minimalist manner, using only flowers and grasses. And of course, there are shuls where no special Shavuot decorating is done at all. Indeed, there is quite a varied spectrum of minhagim, with each Kehila and shul following its own traditions. This article sets out to explore the main prevailing minhagim customary throughout Klal Yisrael in relation to this inyan, as well as their halachic background.

Minhag Replicating 
Matan Torah

The great codifier of Ashkenazic halacha, Rav Moshe Isserlis, better known as the Rama, in Hilchot Shavuot (Orach Chaim 494:3) writes - V'NOHAGIN... - 'the custom is to spread grass(es) on Shavuot in the shuls and in houses, as a remembrance to the joy of Matan Torah.' Mentioned in various formats as the tradition of several early Ashkenazic authorities, including the Maharil and T'rumat HaDeshen... the Rama codified this minhag of greenery on Shavuot as proper practice.

There are several rationales given by our luminaries to explain the connection between our adornment of a shul for Shavuot and the actual day of Matan Torah - history's very first Shavuot, including:

The Levush explains that since at the time of Matan Torah, the pasuk specified (Sh'mot 34:3) that the cattle and sheep were prohibited to graze in the area, implying that Har Sinai (which was in a desert) became surrounded by grass at that time. Therefore as a ZECHER L'MATAN TORAH, we do the same.

The Maharil, who seems to be the earliest mention of this minhag, states that the custom is to festoon the shuls specifically using fragrant grasses and flowers. Several s'farim source this to the Gemara Shabbat (88b) that elucidates the pasuk in Shir HaShirim (5:13), 'Your cheeks are akin to bundles of spices… your lips like flowers', to be referring to Matan Torah. Every dibur that HaShem spoke filled the world with an ethereal fragrance. Therefore, in commemoration, we spread aromatic flowers on Shavuot.

The Midrash Talpiyot adds an additional interesting reason based on the Alshich's explanation... that Reuven found the DUDA'IM BIMEI K'TZIR CHITIM to be referring to Erev Shavuot. The Ramban cites several definitions of what the DUDA'IM might be, including a fragrant flower and fertilely plant. Accordingly, this means that Leah conceived Yissachar, the greatest Talmid Chacham of the Sh'vatim, on Shavuot night. To allude to this we festoon the shuls with fragrant flowers on Shavuot, Z'man Matan Torateinu. 

An alternate, but similar approach is given in the Pardes Yosef... citing one of the previous Gerer Rebbes zy"a. Since we know Moshe Rabeinu was born on the seventh of Adar and was hidden for three months, before he was placed in the reeds on the banks of the Nile, this means that he was actually saved by Batya on Shavuot.

[Side point, although Bat Par'o's true name was Bitya (Divrei HaYamim Alef 4:18), the Midrash Rabba explains that this act of saving Moshe's life merited her to be called "Batya" - daughter of HaShem.] 

As Moshe was the leader through whom we received the Torah, we commemorate by spreading grasses on Z'man Matan Torateinu...

The Bnei Yisaschar cites a mashal of the Midrash Rabba about a king in his orchard, to explain that Bnei Yisrael at Har Sinai were K'SHOSHANA BEIN HACHOCHIM, akin to a rose among thorns (Shir HaShirim 2:2), to mean that in the z'chut of Bnei Yisrael's united and unequivocal declaration of NAASEH V'NISHMA, the world was saved. Therefore, to symbolize this, on Shavuot we adorn our shuls with flowers.

Interestingly, the Chid"a cites an early, albeit infamous, source for this minhag that also evidences its antiquity: none other that the vile and villainous genocidal madman, evil Amalakite, and overall arch-enemy of the Jews, Haman HaRasha. According to the Targum Sheini on Megilat Esther, during Haman's diatribe to king Achashveirosh haranguing Klal Yisrael, and regaling him of all the 'bizarre' customs of the Jews, one of them was about the spreading and gathering of apples and flowers on the roofs of their shuls on Shavuot. Although we generally do not learn halacha from Aggada, on the other hand, the Nodeh Bi'Yehuda explains that we still can and do glean Minhag Yisrael. Accordingly, and although performed in various communities with variations, nonetheless, we clearly see that this Shavuot minhag has early origins.

Trees Are Terrific

When discussing this minhag, the Magen Avraham adds another element: Placement of trees in the shuls, to commemorate the fact that Shavuot is Rosh HaShana for PEIROT HA'ILAN, tree fruits (Gemara Rosh HaShana 16a). Many later eminent authorities... follow his precedent, citing this minhag as well. Consequently, in addition to the festooning of grasses and flowers, many Kehilot add trees, granting their shuls a full forest-like effect.

The Minchat Elazar of Munkacs, in his sefer Shaar Yissachar, cites an allusion to this minhag from the Zohar HaKadosh in Parshat Emor. Quoting the p'sukim in Parshat Pinchas discussing the Yom Tov of Shavuot (Bamidbar 28:26), the Zohar writes that Rav Shimon (bar Yochai) expounded on the pasuk of "The trees of the forest rejoiced before HaShem' (Divrei HaYamim Alef 16:33; which we all know from reciting HODU daily), and then goes on to explain the Kabbalistic secrets of trees (SOD HA'ILAN V'ATZEI CHAYIM). Hence, we see an important connection between trees and Shavuot.

It is reported anecdotally (although the facts are somewhat disputed) that the Chatam Sofer was very makpid on this minhag, and one year when the gabbai did not set up the trees in the shul for Shavuot, he did not live out the year. Other reports state that instead, his house burned down. Whichever way the story actually occurred, we may discern that the Chatam Sofer indeed placed trees in his shul in addition to the greenery of Shavuot.

Tree-mendous Opposition

On the other hand, we find that the Vilna Gaon forcefully and vociferously opposed this minhag, roundly condemning its practice. And according to his Talmid-Chaver, Rav Avraham Danzig zt"l, in both of his essential and renowned halacha s'farim, Chayei Adam on Orach Chayim and Chochmat Adam on Yoreh De'ah, as well as sefer Maaseh Rav, which details the Gaon's personal hanhagot, the GR"A actually and actively was 'mevatel' (abolished) this minhag from Klal Yisrael.

His reasons for doing so, was that in his day (and nowadays as well) the non-Jews set up trees in their houses of worship as part of their holiday service and festivities. The GR"A maintained that if we continue to do so as well, it would be violating a basic Biblical tenet of "Chukot HaGoyim", and is therefore essentially forbidden. But to properly understand this, some background is required.

Chukot HaGoyim?

In Parshat Acharei Mot, we are exhorted not to follow in the ways of the local non-Jewish populace, UVCHUKOTEIHEM LO TEILEICHU. According to the Rambam and later codified by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, this prohibition includes manners of dress, haircuts, and even building styles. Tosafot mentions that this prohibition includes two distinct types of customs: idolatrous ones, and those that are non-sensical; implying even if they are not done L'SHEIM AVODA ZARA, with specific idolatrous intent, they would still be prohibited to practice.

However, other Rishonim... define the prohibition differently. They maintain that a non-sensical custom of the Goyim is only prohibited when it is entirely irrational, with no comprehensible reason for it, or when it has connotations of idolatrous intent. Likewise, following a custom that would lead to a gross breach of modesty (p'ritzut) would fit the category. On the other hand, they maintain, observing a simple custom of the Goyim that has no reference to Avoda Zara, especially if there is a valid reason for its performance, such as kavod, giving proper honor or respect, would indeed be permitted.

Although the Vilna Gaon rejects their understanding of the prohibition, and the Gilyon Maharsha seems to follow Tosafot, nevertheless, the Rama explicitly rules like the Maharik and Ran, as does the Beit Yosef. Accordingly, they hold that as long as a custom is secular, with no connection to Avoda Zara, such a custom may still be observed.

Most authorities over the generations... all rule in accordance with the Rama's ruling, that as long as one has valid reasons for performing a specific custom, it does not necessarily get classified as the problematic Chukot HaGoyim, unless its origins are rooted in idolatrous practice.

Rav Asher Weiss adds that several Acharonim made an important distinction - ruling that even if a custom started due to goyim (i.e. a specific style of dress), once it is common for Jews to act similarly, it can no longer be considered Chukot HaGoyim. Rav Weiss illustrates this salient point with the minhag of Kaparot. Although the BeisYosef... that shlugging Kaparos is considered Darchei Emori, with the Tur and Rama defending this practice as a kosher common one, would anyone nowadays think that Kaparot is Darchei Emori? Has anyone ever heard of a single, solitary non-Jew waving a chicken around his head on an October morning? Quite assuredly not. Hence, even if a minhag may have started out as a non-Jewish custom, it possibly may no longer be considered as such.

Furthermore, it must be noted that the Seridei Aish at length proves that the GR"A's shita actually runs contrary to the vast majority of Rishonim who conclude that unless there is at least a 'shemetz' of Avoda Zara in their actions, copying them would not be a violation of Chukot HaGoyim.

Opposition and Divergence - It's Not Easy Going Green

Even so, regarding Shavuot, the GR"A's opposition to setting up trees in shuls was so forceful, that he was actually mevatel the minhag. He explains that since our putting trees in shuls is simply a minhag, but not an outright Mitzva, it cannot counteract the potential prohibition of Chukot HaGoyim present, since the non-Jews do so for religious purposes as part of their holiday worship.

On the other hand, several Acharonim, including the Shoel U'Meishiv and the Maharsham, argued with his assessment, and defending this custom, even referring to it as 'Minhag Yisrael'. They maintained that as long as we are performing the minhag for our own reasons, especially to give honor, we do not have to worry about the practices of other religions. They cite precedent from the Rivash, a Rishon, who allowed visiting a cemetery to mourn a niftar every day of Shiva, even though this was a custom most commonly practiced by Arabs; explaining that this does not fit into the category of Chukot HaGoyim. In this vein, they contend, the same should hold true regarding placing trees in our shuls on Shavuot.

An additional reason posited by the Maharsham is that the proscription of Chukot HaGoyim can only apply if we are performing the exact same action as the non-Jews. However, regarding trees, they place trees outside as well, whereas we only do so inside our shuls. Therefore, he avers, our minhag is still permitted.

A similar rationale is given by Rav Yitzchok Isaac Yehuda Yechiel Safrin zt"l of Kamarna, explaining that since our intent is not the same as theirs, but it just happens to be that we are performing similar actions, it is not considered Chukot HaGoyim. This is similar to the dispensation for one who works in the King's palace, that he may dress accordingly and not be concerned with potential violations of Chukot HaGoyim.

An added wrinkle to this debate is that it is not entirely clear which minhag the GR"A sought to abolish. Was he exclusively referring to trees? Or was his intention to argue that even grasses and flowers are now problematic? Authorities differ as to defining his intent.

For example, the Chayei Adam and Mishna B'rura understood that the Vilna Gaon only opposed the minhag of placing trees in shuls due to Chukot HaGoyim; ergo, he never objected to festooning with greenery, and is therefore certainly permitted. In contrast, the Aruch HaShulchan, as well as several Talmidei HaGR"A maintained that the Vilna Gaon intended to put an end to any sort of Shavuot custom involving plant adornments, not just trees.

Minhagei Yisrael - Seeing Green?

This is why in practice, this minhag has a wide spectrum of variations in its observance.

Kehilot of Ashkenazic-German origin (Yekkehs), as well as most Chassidic communities, follow the minhag of the Magen Avraham and his defenders, especially as an allusion to this custom was found in the Zohar HaKadosh, and not only festoon the shul with greenery as per the Rama, but also place trees.

Many others, in deference to the general understanding of the Vilna Gaon's position, do not employ trees in their adorning, but will still decorate their shuls utilizing flowers and grass, in essence following the Mishna B'rura's conclusion. This is also the opinion of many contemporary Gedolim including the Chazon Ish, the Steipler Gaon, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, and Rav Yisrael Yaakov Fischer, zichronam livracha, contending that the Vilna Gaon only opposed setting up trees, but not grass.

A third custom, based on the strict interpretation of the GR"A's ruling, as understood by the Aruch HaShulchan and several Talmidei HaGR"A, is not to bedeck the shul at all with any greenery - not trees nor grass nor flowers, as they are all viewed as potential violations of Chukot HaGoyim. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l ruled this way, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l was quoted as maintaining that this is the proper minhag, and accordingly, there is no Shavuot festooning performed in the famed Lederman shul in Bnei Brak. Some even refer to this custom of non-decoration as 'Minhagei HaYeshivot.'

Curiously, there is no mention of any sort of Shavuot greenery adornment in Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin zt"l's authoritative Ezras Torah Luach, even though he cites the two other main minhagim of Shavuot brought by the Rama, namely staying up all night and eating milchigs. To this author, this strongly implies Rav Henkin's well-known predilection to following the rulings of the Aruch HaShulchan - one of the Gedolim from whom he received S'micha, and hence lending credence to the notion that his glaring lacuna of this minhag was intentional, intending to show that he meant to follow his Rebbi's position on this matter.

Interestingly, this minhag, as opposed to the other Minhagei Shavuot, is also noticeably absent from Rav Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky's essential Luach Eretz Yisrael - even though this minhag pertains specifically to shul observance. This also implies that Minhag Yerushalayim's tendency to follow Minhagei Talmidei HaGR"A trumps alternate practice, and hence no mention of festooning with foliage.

Remarkably, there are several Chassiduses, including Chabad, Kamarna, and Munkacs, whose Rebbes have written in support, even strongly worded defenses, of the minhag to place trees in shuls on Shavuot, yet, their own community custom is not to do any Shavuot shul decorating.

Regarding Sefardic observance of the Shavuot greenery minhag, it seems from the fact that there is a noticeable lacuna as to its existence in the works of early Sefardic authorities, from the Rambam to the Shulchan Aruch, or even the later Ben Ish Chai, indicates that it is essentially an Ashkenazic minhag. Yet, we do find several Sefardic poskim over the centuries, including the Knesset HaGedola, Chid"a, Rav Chaim Pala'ji, and the Kaf HaChayim, discussing the custom's reasons and merits. In fact, nowadays, there are Sefardic shuls who do observe at least some semblance of the minhag. Perhaps this is due to Rav Ovadiah Yosef zt"l's staunch support of the custom, referring to it as 'Minhag Yisrael that is rooted in the words of Chazal.'

In conclusion, whether or not your shul on Shavuot resembles a grassy Har Sinai or some variation thereof, it is important to remember that "Minhag Yisrael Din Hu", so you can rest assured that by following the Mesorah of your Kehila, you are properly celebrating Kabalat HaTorah.

The author wishes to acknowledge Rabbi Gedalyah Oberlander's excellent ma'amar on topic in Kovetz Ohr Yisrael (vol. 20; Sivan 5760).

See website for all the footnotes and sources.

Rabbi Spitz's footnotes are very extensive. The ones I decide to include are few among the many. If you want more than this PhiloTorah column provides, click on the website, find the topic and do some more reading.

For any questions, comments or for the full Mareh Mekomot / sources, please email the author: yspitz@ohr.edu

Rabbi Yehuda Spitz serves as the Sho'el U'Meishiv and Rosh Chavura of the Ohr Lagolah Halacha Kollel at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Yerushalayim. He also currently writes a contemporary halacha column for the Ohr Somayach website titled "Insights Into Halacha".

ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/

Disclaimer: This is not a comprehensive guide, rather a brief summary to raise awareness of the issues. In any real case one should ask a competent Halachic authority.

Rabbi Yehuda Spitz's English halacha sefer, "Food: A Halachic Analysis" (Mosaica/ Feldheim) containing over 500 pages featuring over 30 comprehensive chapters discussing the myriad halachic issues pertaining to food, is now available online and in bookstores everywhere.



B'CHUKOTAI

GM One of the promises from HKBH if (when) you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them... (opening pasuk of B'chukotai) is expressed in Vayikra 26:12 (B'chukotai) - 

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.

The gimatriya of this pasuk is 3059. There are two other p'sukim in Tanach whose gimatriyas match, and one of them says, 'Look at me.' It is Bamidbar 19:19 -

The ritually clean person shall sprinkle (the Para Aduma Potion) on the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall cleanse him on the seventh day, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he shall become ritually clean in the evening.

This pasuk shows us a person in the process of becoming pure. That cannot be accomplished without another person's help. One can immerse in a mikve on his own, but purification from TUM'AT MEIT can only be achieved with the help of another.

The combination of striving for TAHARA and the co-operation between Jews to achieve that state, speaks well of Klal Yisrael and makes us worthy of HaShem's promise in our first pasuk.

And there is more. The NISTAR value of our pasuk is 1615. And of the 10 p'sukim in Tanach with that gimatriya, one of them says: 'Here I am." Look at Sh'mot 14:14 (from B'shalach) - 

HaShem will fight for you, and you shall remain silent.

Part of G-d's promise of 'walking among us' and taking us to Him as a Nation, is His promise to fight on our behalf. In this earliest battle against Mitzrayim, He did the job on His own (so to speak) and we just observed. From then on, the Plan is for G-d to partner with us in our battles against our enemies.

May He keep TZAHAL safe and strong and may He fight with us (as He has been doing since the beginning of the war) to bring the war to a totally successful conclusion - and quickly.



RED ALERT!

B'chukotai

by Rabbi Eddie Davis (RED) of the Young Israel of Hollywood - Ft. Lauderdale (Florida)

DIVREI TORAH

<> "If you will follow my ordinances ..." (26:7). Rashi explains that the Torah promises great reward for toiling in [the study and observance of] Torah. Similarly, Chazal note (B'rachot 28b) that we toil and receive reward, while others toil and go unrewarded. The Chafetz Chayim illustrates these Ma'amarei Chazal with a parable: A person went to a shoemaker and engaged him to make a pair of shoes for him for which he promised to pay $100. A week later, when the man came to pick up his shoes, the shoemaker said to him, "I'm sorry, but they are not finished yet. However, since I've put a great deal of time and labor into producing them, I would like to be paid for my efforts." The man replied, "I beg your pardon, but I ordered a pair of shoes, and am obligated to pay you only when the job is completed. Your toil has no value to me as long as the product remains unfinished." The Chafetz Chayim concludes: The contrary is true in regard to the reward for fulfilling the Torah and Mitzvot. If a person tries his best, and utilizes his capabilities to their fullest in the pursuit of Torah, then he is rewarded even if he is not successful in producing a finished product and understanding and observing the Torah in its entirety. The reward comes for toiling for the sake of Torah.

<> "If you will follow My ordinances..." The Divrei Sha'ul notes that Chazal in Sanhedrin interpret the word Chukotai as meaning "the laws which I have etched out [and decreed] already." He compares this to soldiers who are learning how to shoot by aiming their guns and shooting towards the center of the target. However, if they were to shoot first and then draw a circle around the bullet mark, their attempts at marksmanship would be worthless.

The same is true in regard to our observance of Torah and Mitzvot. We are obligated to guide ourselves according to the laws which were already established by Hashem. However, we dare not enact laws of our own which are unrelated to the Torah and attribute religious significance to them. This is why the Torah stresses: "If you will go in My ordinances" - in the laws which I have etched out already - then you will merit great reward.

<> "I will lay your cities in ruin and I will make your sanctuaries desolate; I will not savor your satisfying aromas" (26:31) "In ruin … desolate". Your cities will be devoid even of passersby and there will no longer be groups of Jews making pilgrimages to the Temple (Rashi). HaKtav V'HaKabala explains the difference between the two terms. Churban refers to a condition in which something does not function as it should. A synagogue can be described as "in ruin" if it is in disuse, because even if its walls are still standing and in good repair, it is in a state of spiritual destruction, as the Temple was when the people were no longer worthy of God's Presence. The term "desolate" is used only for something whose desolation is apparent externally. Thus the land is described below as desolate because it was unplanted and untended. Gur Aryeh explains that the several series of seven punishments end here and refer only to what would happen in Eretz Yisrael. The misfortunes described later in the chapter would occur during the various exiles.

<> "And I will bring upon you a sword avenging the covenant..." (26:25). The Netziv of Volozhin said that a king who conquers a foreign country does not punish the inhabitants even though they fought bitterly against him, since they did not commit any crime; they merely wanted to prevent another king from ruling them. However, when members of a king's own nation rebel against their monarch or aid the enemy, the king punishes them severely, for they have no excuse for their actions. This is what the verse means. If Bnei Yisrael will, Chas v'Shalom, rebel against the Torah, Hashem will punish them severely and bring upon them "the sword which avenges the Covenant", since they will be guilty of having rebelled against their own King.

<> "Then shall the land have satisfaction with its Sabbaths all the days that it lies desolate and you be in your enemies land..." (26:34). The Midrash relates that one of the causes of the destruction of the First Temple and the exile of the Jews to Babylonia was the transgression of the commandment of Sh'mita. In fact the Midrash points out the "measure for measure" aspect of this punishment by correlating the time spent in this exile, seventy years, with the exact number of seventy Sh'mitot which the Jews violated during their stay in the land of Israel. Why was the punishment so severe for the transgression of this one commandment? Our Sages explain that the fundamental teaching of Sh'mita is Divine mastery over the universe, particularly the land of Israel. The repeated violation of the Sh'mita year depicted a collective Jewish denial of this premise; a mistaken assertiveness of their human control over their own property and specifically over their own land. The only way to teach the Jewish nation that God alone maintains ultimate control over this land was to exile them from it.

<> In the B'chukotai section of the Sefer HaBrit, the Torah traces the seven steps of those who cease to study Torah. This progression is as follows (see Rashi): 

(a) Diligent study ceases; 

(b) Mitzvot are no longer fulfilled;

(c) Animosity is developed against those who perform mitzvot; 

(d) The Rabbis are detested;

(e) Attempts are made to prevent others from performing mitzvot; 

(f) Denial of the authenticity of mitzvot;

(g) Denial of the existence of God. 

The Parsha then goes on to enumerate the catastrophes which will befall the nation if they do not repent. After each admonishment, God says, "If you simply consider what has befallen you thus far as happenstance (KERI), then I will heap tragedy upon you sevenfold." This spiral decline is actually what occurred to Bnei Yisrael as they left Egypt. They did not wish to leave Egyptian soil and to learn Torah. More of this spiritual decline can be cited from the Torah and the Midrash.

<> "A person who sanctifies his house..." (Vayikra 27:14). The Kotzker Rebbe commented on this verse:

When a person is involved in spiritual matters, it is relatively easy for him to do so in a sanctified state. But true holiness is when a person sanctifies the seemingly mundane daily activities of running his house. When one behaves in an elevated manner in his own house, he is truly a holy person (Amud HaEmet). Torah ideals and principles are not only for when one is in a yeshiva or synagogue. Rather, Torah principles and values apply to all areas of our lives. At home one has many opportunities for acts of kindness to one's own family. Also, behaving properly towards members of one's own family at home is frequently more difficult than behaving properly towards strangers. But the more difficult it is to apply Torah principles, the greater the reward. The more sanctified your behavior at home, the greater you become.



Questions by RED 

From the Text

1. The blessings of Hashem will allow 5 Jews to chase 100 of the enemy. How many of the enemy will 100 Jews be able to chase? (26:7)

2. What will we have to do to earn these blessings? (26:3)

3. What number is used throughout the TOCHACHA/Admonition, indicating the severity of the punishment? (26:18)

4. What is the monetary value of a man in the 20-60 age bracket? (27:3)

5. If you donate your field to the Holy Temple, what will happen in the Jubilee year? (27:24)

From Rashi

6. When is the right time for it to rain? (26:4)

7. What is the greatest blessing of them all? (26:6)

8. What blessing is it to eat very old grain? (26:10)

9. "You will sow your seeds in vain…" (26:16). How will it be in vain?

10. What was the process to designate a tenth of your animals as Ma'aser? (27:32)

From the Rabbis

11. "I will place My Sanctuary among you" (26:11). Rashi explains that this refers to the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim. What else can it be? (S'forno)

12. The Abravanel attempts to interpret each line of the TOCHACHA as a blessing, How does he interpret the curse "You will eat the flesh of your sons…" (27:29) as a blessing?

13. The Exile in Babylonia lasted 70 years, why 70? (Talmud)

From the Midrash

14. Four people asked improperly of Hashem. Hashem answered 3 of them favorably, and one unfavorably. Yiftach was the one answered unfavorably. How so?

From the Haftara (Yirmiyahu)

15. What is the connection between the Haftorah and the Torah reading?

Relationships

16.

a) Kalev - Elazar

b) Aminadav - Itamar

c) Yaakov - Amram

d) Ada - Tzila

e) Rachel - Mupim



ANSWERS

1. 10,000 non-Jews

2. Learn Torah and perform the Mitzvot

3. Seven

4. 50 shekels

5. The field will return to your possession.

6. When people are not in the street: on Friday night.

7. Peace.

8. The stored crops will remain fresh and will taste better than the new crops.

9. You will sow your seeds in vain because nothing will grow. And if they grow, your enemies will take it from you.

10. The animals were herded into a corral with a narrow opening. The animals went through the opening one by one, and the owner marks the tenth animal with a painted stick, making it Ma'aser.

11. Hashem's presence will rest upon Jews wherever they are.

12. You will eat the kosher meat at your son's house.

13. During the time of the First Beit HaMikdash, the Jews did not observe 70 Sh'mita years. Hence the Exile was 70 years.

14. Hashem allowed Yiftach's daughter to greet her father first and suffer the consequences.

15. In both, Bnei Yisrael will reject the Torah and suffer the curses of Hashem.

16.

a) Uncle & nephew

b) Grandfather & grandson

c) Great-grandfather & great-grandson

d) Co-wives (of Lemech)

e) Grandmother & grandson