tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54389835582003059812024-02-02T07:50:24.356+02:00Tzohar LaTeivaI hope that with G-ds help I will be able to share some of the insights that Ihave learned from my teachers. In the profile I stated my occupation as "talmud scholar" but I am only a scholar(talmid chacham) in the sense that I have had the privilege of learning from scholars much greater than I (talmid shel chachamim.)David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-6583416506667089472016-05-23T03:01:00.000+03:002016-05-23T03:01:35.582+03:00Shabbat Callah Of Bracha Tehilla The last Shabbat callah where I gave a dvar torah was for our beloved daughter Esther Dina (Esti) of blessed memory who passed away three months ago. Of the hundreds who visited us during the shiva to express their condolences many left us with the wish that we would next meet at a happier occasion. Hashem heard their prayer and the day after the 30 day period of mourning our youngest daughter,Bracha Tehilla came with her intended chatan,Yeshurun Eitam to announce that they are planning to get married. The Kabbalist mystics tell us that during the first year after passing the soul of the departed visits this world. I feel Esti's presence here among us and I am sure that she shares our joy on the occasion of the marriage tomorrow Gd willing of Tehilla to Yeshurun.<br />
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This dvar Torah is really a dvar Midrash. The Midrash is the compilation of stories and legends composed by Rabbinic scholars in the third and fourth century to explain what is betwen the lines of the Torah. At that time the land of Israel was ruled by the Romans. The Jewish community was still recovering from the disaster of the Bar Cochba rebellion where over 100,000 Jews were killed and the land almost completely destroyed. At the same time the Romans were going through a period of questioning their pagan religion which would result eventually in the emporer Constantine declaring Christianity as the official religion of Rome, but many were also interested in Judaism.<br />
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The Midrash tells us that the wife of the Roman governor called the "Matrona" invited one of the great Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud,R'Yossi ben Chalafta to explain Jewish Theology.She asked him" What is the greatest thing your GD has done in the world?" He answered" Gd created the world and all that is in it."She replied "We believe that the world was not created but always existed and Jupiter rules it together with many lesser gods.But for arguments sake lets say I agree that the world was created in 6 days as you say.What has Gd done in the world since then?" R' Yosi replied " It is only because of the will of Gd that the natural world continues to function.As to what Gd does_ He doesn't interfere in the natural world except in special cases like the miracle of the parting of the Red sea during the Exodus from Egypt. But there is one miracle that he performs every day which is even greater then the miracle of the parting of the red sea,and that is the joining of male and female into one unit. The Matron laughed at this." The mating of male and female is a natural event. Our god Jupiter doesn't bother himself with this but leaves it to one of the lesser gods named Cupid."I myself am sure that I can do a better job at matchmaking than your Gd,and to prove it I will match 50male slaves with 50 female slaves." Rabbi Yosi replied"You are very wrong if you think that the joining of male and female is a natural event. It is rather a divine gift,but good luck. I will return in a month to see if you succeed.<br />
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The Matron was as good as her word. She gathered100 slaves and told the 50 male slaves to choose the females they were most attracted to. On that day 50 marriages were contracted and the slaves were set free to start their lives as couples. After a week the troubles began. All the men came to the Matron begging her to annul the marriages. "I don't understand" she said, you picked the women yourselves.What happened? They said "After we got what we wanted on the first night we found that we could not live with these women. We would rather be slaves of the Matron than slaves to these women!!<br />
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The Matron immediately sent for Rabbi Yosi. She said "You were absolutely right.Mating is not a natural process like it is with animals. It seems that Gd himself must intervene for it to work.But I still dont understand the connection between the miracle of marriage and the parting of the Red Sea Rabbi Yosi replied "Well you see my lady that when Gd created the first man,Adam, he was created androgenous-that is to say there was both a male and female persona within him. He was created in the image of Gd who himself has both male and female attributes. Only as an afterthought Gd said that it is not good for Man to be alone,I will make a helpmate for him. He then separated the female from the male persona and created woman(this is the parable of "Adam's rib). The miracle of marriage is that these two can come together even though in many ways they are opposites. The separation and conjoining of Man and Woman is a greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea The Matron said you are wise and your people are wise. Now tell me how to become a Jewess<br />
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Forty days before conception a heavenly voice proclaimed "The son of Efraim Eitam is meant for the daughter of David ben Elchanan Tzohar" But we must ask if there is divine intervention in matchmaking,why is it so difficult for Gd who is all powerful and all knowing.And more to the point why doesn't it always work out. Why is divorce permitted and even commanded in some cases. The answer is that there is something besides the divine imperative in matchmaking.The Talmud states that in general the divine imperative decides, except in three special cases- Longevity,Sustenance and Family. In family matters there is something working besides the divine imperative. In Yiddish this is called "bashert" meaning fated or meant to be. Rav Kook in Orot HaKodesh teaches us that our destiny is not fated but depends on ourselves. This means that every prospective bridegroom must make an effort to find his determined bride.<br />
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A boy and girl who grew up together in settlements 5 miles from each other till age 6 in the Golan Heights found each other 20 years later in Jerusalem! If thats not bashert what is?! Gd willing we will witness on sunday the joining of the two halves-Yeshurun ben Efraim ve Illit Eitam with Bracha Tehilla bat David ve Risa Tzohar....MAZAL TOVDavid Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-30923201502204360082015-02-09T15:09:00.000+02:002015-02-09T15:09:48.101+02:00 Case for the establishment of Monarchy In Israel<br />
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It's election time again and the various parties have opened a dirty campaign slinging mud at each other. The level is remarkably shallow concentrating on personal slu rs directed at Bibi and his wife. The same is true of Buji and Tzippy And when its all over the shuk of parliamentry democracy with its deals and horse trading to form a ruling coalition begins.The messy parliamentry democracy in Israel could use a change. WE should look to our sources, our history.Kings ruled over the people and land of Israel for over 400 years from Saul to Tzidkiyahu Then again in the second temple the Hashmonaim established a kingdom for 2oo years. <br />
THe ideal would be for melech hamashiach ben David to come and declare the kingdom of G-d,that is what we are all waiting for. But until that happens why not set up a provisional malchut like that of the Hashmoniaim.?The people would elect a King (som tasim aleicha melech).This malchut would turn over its power to the Mashiach we he arrives. A Sanhedrin would also be appointed by gedolei chachamei yisrael to serve as supreme court/legislature.There would be no coalition, only the king and his officers and officials at It is interesting to note that the famed mystic "haCHalban has announced that Mashiach benYosef is likely to be born this year to a family that can trace its roots to to Yehoshua bin Nun. He will come and establish malchut in Israel,defeat our enemies and begin building beit ha Mikdosh.Bimhera beyameinu amen!!!David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-37376191053865088042013-10-07T09:15:00.000+03:002013-10-07T09:15:08.310+03:00Light Up he WordThe word "teiva" means not only Noah''s ark but also means "word". The Baal Shem Tov said tzohar la teiva mean that we must light up the word with prayers and torah learning.Every letter contains worlds of spiritual and divine content and when they come together they create new spiritual worlds. This is the tzohar (light) lateiva (word). Then a person can rejoice in the new entities that he has created<br />
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Baal Shem Tov, Amud HaTefilla,<br />
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<br />David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-70985939213379990132013-08-05T12:33:00.000+03:002013-08-05T12:33:41.076+03:00The Obligation of Living in Israel <i>Based on shiur given by HRHG Shmuel Eliyahu</i><div>
In many passages in the Torah the land of Israel is related to in three ways.</div>
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1-The fulfillment of the covenant between Hashem<i> </i>and the patriarchs..</div>
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2-The commandment to obey the mitzvot when you come to possess the land</div>
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3-The commandment to conquer the land and settle it</div>
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There is a commandment to conquer the land and to conquer its inhabitants..</div>
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Dev.1:5<i>See I have set before you the Land, th</i><i>e Land which was sworn by Hashem to your fathers,....</i></div>
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<i>Baidbar 33:51-And you will disposess all the inhabitants thereof.</i></div>
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On this commandment the RMBN wrote(lacunae to Sefer Ha mitzvot laRMBM 5)</div>
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"We are commanded to possess(inherit) the Land....not to leave it to anyone else or a wasteland as it is written "possess the Land and settle it for I have given it to you as an inheritance.</div>
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The commandment of conquest and settlement and the promise of the land are one and the same.While there can be some interpretation of the individual passages, taken together the promise and the commandment are clear.</div>
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The obligation of settling the Land of Israel is also clear in Halacha.</div>
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The source is the Mishna</div>
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which states Ketubot 13-11 "all are brought up(to Israel) and none are taken away and why? Elsewhere the Gemarra states that he who dwells outside of Israeli is as if he </div>
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<i>has no G-d.Both the RIF and the ROSH</i> Write this in the halacha.</div>
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The RMBM paskens in Hil. Melachim3,4That one should always live in Eretz Yisrael even in a city of mostly Gentiles.<i>Because he who goes abroad is likened to an idolater</i></div>
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The ShulchanAruch (Even HaEzer 75-3,4)rules according to the RMBM..The Pitchei Tshuva explains that the RMBN counted this mitzvah as a positive Torah commandment which according to the Sifri is worth all of the mitzvot together.RMBM doesn't disagree, but since the mitzvah is so all encompassing he did </div>
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<i> </i>notlist it seperately.</div>
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Here I rest my case.A simple one really no chiddushim. If Shabbat is important to you or tefillin or tzizit,or any of the mitzvot,then Aliya and living in Israel should be just as important</div>
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David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-57897436584285715542013-04-09T06:45:00.001+03:002013-04-09T06:45:14.465+03:00Tzohar Shoah and Geulah<i>B</i><i>ased on a sicha given by Rav Uri Sherky</i><br />
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How can we begin to understand the national catastrophe perpetrated on our people by the Nazis and their collaborators YmSh ? First of all we must understand that this was not the first Shoah in Jewish history. That took place in Pharo's Egypt where Hebrew children were thrown into the Nile and according to one peirush only20% of the Hebrews left Egypt in the Exodus while 80% were annihilated. Another Shoah was planned and almost carried out by Haman averted only by the mesirut nefesh of Esther and Mordechai and the Jews who defended their communities in Shushan and throughout the Persian Empire<br />
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What do we learn from this? Whenever Galut precedes Geulah there is an intermediate time which is the time of Amalek The Ramchal put it this way-During the Galut the divine light comes to Israel through a Tzohar, a narrow aperture or window.In the time of Geula, the gates of redemption are open tolGeulah in the divine light. But in the cusp between Galut and Geulah there is a time when darkness reigns and Amalek rules.<br />
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This happened in the Exodus from Egypt before the conquest of Yehoshuah. And again in the time of Haman between the Babylonian Exile and the return to Zion and the second Temple.<br />
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And lastly at the end of Galut Edom and before the Geulah of the State of IsraelsThis perspective might help us understand-But in the end the Shoah is beyond understanding.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-65051765743125727082013-02-17T21:05:00.003+02:002013-02-17T21:14:09.898+02:00God Bless AmericaWe recenly returned from a short trip to the US to visit my parents who live in an assisted living community in Pennsylvania and especially to be with Risa's mother who is housebound and lives alone in her home in the neighborhood of Hilcrest in Queens NY.<br />
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As always when I visit the US i am frustrated by seeing the affluent self satisfied .Jewish community which is completely indifferent to the idea of Aliyah to Israel This community is exemplified by the Young Israel Synagogue of Hillcrest located not far from my Mother-inLaw's home. It is a big Modern Orthodox "shule" that has four active minyanim, three daf yomi shiurim, a young charismatic Rabbi (who gave a nice Pro Israel drasha on Shabbat.In short they seem to have everything. And yet I felt like getting up and shouting <i>Jews WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? </i>Can it really be that these religious comitted Jews are content to sit on the sidelines and watch as the divine march of Redemption continues in Eretz Yisrael? (see my post in Hebrew from two years ago "The golden Galut")<br />
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Speaking of sidelines, I happened to be in America during "Super Bowl Week" and Super Bowl Sunday, a festival where the entire country is caught up in the ultimate violent sport-American Football. Ironically before the game a choir made up of children from the school in Conneticut that was the place of the massacre of over twenty children a few weeks ago. They sung GD Bless America. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. An interesting phenomena was that instead of the bawdy halftime show, Yeshiva University put up a special program on You Tube telling us about Yiddishkeit and football. Team play, Rambam praising physical fitness yadda yadda yadda. Really strange.<br />
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So GD bless America, far far away from us.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-43589119356889593562012-09-04T13:26:00.000+03:002012-09-04T13:49:39.589+03:00The King in the field-Ellul in the YeshivaThe month of Ellul, the month before Rosh Hashana is a special time in the Yeshiva. The word Ellul is an acronym for Ani Ledodi Vdodi Li.From Shir Ha SHirim "I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me" relating to the special relationship of the Jewish People to Hashem.The last letter of the four words is yud numerically 10x4=40 denoting the 40 days between rosh chodesh Ellul and Yom Kippur, the same 40 days that Moshe entreated Gd on Mt. Sinai to forgive The sin of the golden calf and give the second tablets of the commandments. Ellul also is connected to the Aramaic root A-L-L which means to come and specifically to come in order too seek out. Onkelos translates spies-allalin.,those who come to seek out the land<br />
Who is coming and what is he seeking?. The Sages tell us that during the year Hashem is like a king in his palace and the commoners must be granted special permission to enter. But in the month of Ellul, before his coronation the king leaves the palace and goes into the fields to meet his subjects This is the time that the King is closest to his people..<br />
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Yeshivat Machon Meir is known as the "ba'al teshuva Yeshiva" of the Dati Leumi community . That was true 20 years ago when I first attended the Yeshiva. Most of the 100 or so students were men who came from secular backgrounds and were taking their first steps toward the world of Torah and commandments.Today with over 400 students there avreichim and talmidei chachamim along with Ba'alei Teshuvah.<br />
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The personality of Rosh Yeshiva , Rav Dov Bigon, himself a ba'al teshuva, is the leading light of the yeshiva. He has"hadrat panim' a glowing countenance that radiates tremendous charisma and at the same time total humility.Before tefillat Arvit he gives a short "shmuss", a discussion based on the teachings of Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook. HaRav taught that teshuva, usually translated as repentance, really means "return" that every Jew has the ability to return to his real self, his pure inner self whose source is divine. This is so no matter how far he has strayed from the path of Torah and mitzvot.<br />
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In Ellul when "the King is in the Field" there is an aura of kedusha, of holiness in the Yeshiva. When we can search our souls and ask forgiveness in order to participate in the crowning of the King on Rosh Hashana.<br />
The dovening is very different than what I had gotten used to in my shul in Rechovot. The Rav there was Rav Avraham Rubin a Slonim Chassid. Slonim Chassidut takes dovening very seriously. The Rav used to say to us "Prayer is not a sing-along, it is not entertainment, but communion with the divine that requires total concentration.At Yeshivat Machon Meir the dovening is full of song, much of it influenced by niggunim from the Chassidic courts of Mozhitz, Vizhnitz and also modern tunes of Shlomo Carlebach,, Avraham Fried and Ben-tzion Shenker. To me there is no contradiction here. Kriat shema and shmoneh esrei are said silently and with great concentration, but songs of praise are sung with joy and exuberance. There is even dancing on Kabbalat Shabbat. This is in line with the synthesis of the seriousness of the Litvish Yeshiva world together with the unbridled joy of Chassidut that you find in the Yeshivas such as Machon Meir which are identified with Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook and Har HaMor.<br />
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It is a great privilege to learn Torah from Rabbanim such as R' Bigon, Doron Katz,Chanoch Ben-Pazi, and Elisha Vishlitzki. May Hashem give me the strength to take advantage of this opportunity to meet the King in the field with his ministers. who show us the way to approach Him and crown him with the crown of Torah.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-50950894114069671982012-08-06T21:51:00.000+03:002012-08-06T21:51:56.015+03:00Let us put Jersalem above our chiefest joyWe have just moved to Yerushalayim,fulfilling a dream we have had for many years. Actually I should say we returned to Jerusalem. It was in this very neighborhood of Kiriat Moshe that Risa and I met forty years ago. We spent the first three years of our marriage in Jerusalem. Those were magical years that we had together before we had children..Our apartment is across the street from Yeshivat Machon Meir where I learned for three years almost twenty years ago.When I entered the Bet Midrash and sat down and opened a Gemarra, it felt as if those interim years fell away and I was at home. The rosh yeshiva,Rav Bigon immediately recognized me and welcomed me back to the yeshiva. I don't know yet if I will be learning full time at Machon Meir, there are other options, but I will probably learn at least one seder there.<br />
The neighborhood has changed very little in the past twenty years except for the fact that it seems that there are more Chardalim (National Charedi) and less DatiimLeumiim (National Religious) and secular. That is fine with me since I consider myself to be closer to Chardali today, particularly the Mamlachti (statist) trend. Yeshivat Mercaz Harav which along with Yeshivat Har HaMor are the flagships of the Chardali (sometimes called "Torani" movement. It is very comfortable to live in a neighborhood where most of the people look like you, and doven in the type of shul that you do.<br />
We hope and pray that Hashem will grant us many years of health to serve Him in his city, Yerushalayim our chiefest joy.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-8842572708171010812012-06-25T18:39:00.000+03:002012-06-25T18:39:04.183+03:00Chadarav II<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Chadarav p16</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How can I say things to others, if I don't say them to my own soul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How can I disseminate spiritual and material knowledge</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">if I dont have the key to the hidden treasures inside me</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Open your gates" I say to my inner sanctums</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">to my heart and my conscience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My soul yearns to penetrate those inner sanctums</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In all that I try to raise up from the light of Torah and the world</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I find the pure roots must come from the depths of the soul itself </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">whose light comes from the light of Torah, the glory of the world</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If I can come back from Torah to my inner soul then I can add life</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">to reenter the rooms of Torah, the rooms of ancient treasures.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Every clear revelation has a tripartite meaning:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">for the soul, the Torah and the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Answer the words of my tongue for all your commandments are righteous" (ps.119:172)</span>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-91563987968729154112012-06-24T20:29:00.001+03:002012-06-24T20:29:09.989+03:00"Chadarav-The Innermost Thoughts of Harav Kook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_qOQ4i8o1bdUjKBRfIm-hZfQeO0eP8j4taWeKx9hf3WbAxcySD6uJqcte99EmnC2Wd-qi1t_bnXzNzYsyqNBj8h-32PNVf7h_medKQeMgUeltJITYxAEp9NbuchhhyphenhyphenHsf2yY3ObHGOI/s1600/scan0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_qOQ4i8o1bdUjKBRfIm-hZfQeO0eP8j4taWeKx9hf3WbAxcySD6uJqcte99EmnC2Wd-qi1t_bnXzNzYsyqNBj8h-32PNVf7h_medKQeMgUeltJITYxAEp9NbuchhhyphenhyphenHsf2yY3ObHGOI/s640/scan0001.jpg" width="464" /></span></a></div>
Chadarav-Harav Kooks innermost thoughts<br />
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About ten years ago Shirat Devorah publishing put out a slim volume called"Chadarav"(His inner sanctums). It is a collection of the personal writings of Rav Ytzchak Hacohen Kook. ZTZL. There had been some controversy over the publication due to th very personal, intimate nature of the material. Finally after the death of Rav Tzvi Yehudah ZTZL, the Rav's son, the family released the manuscripts for publication. The result is an extraordinay work that sheds light on the innermost spiritual life of Harav.<br />
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<h4>
After reading an excellent translation of one of Harav's poems in the <a href="http://rechovot.blogspot.co.il/2012/06/why-are-we-here-answer-from-rav-kook.html">Rebbitzin's Husband" blog</a>, I decided to try translating passages of Chadarav in English. The Rav's allusive alliterate poetic style are a challange for the translator. I hope That I can succeed in capturing some of the spirit and flavor of the Hebrew original</h4>
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<i>The King brought me to his innermost (chamber(Shir HaShirim 1:4)</i></div>
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As the Holy one blessed is he has innermost chambers of his Torah<br />
so do the talmidei chachamim have each one of them innermost chambers of their Torah<br />
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I have but to stand<br />
and listen to myself<br />
to hear the secret conversation<br />
that is produced in the innermost sanctums<br />
I will hear and my soul will live<br />
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From inside of me, from the fountain I must find the hidden treasure<br />
I am ever connected to the holy anguish of the search for higher perfection<br />
and that cannot be fulfilled.<br />
because that is the eternal yearning whose source is the thirst for the divine<br />
for which nothing else in the world can quench<br />
only he who seeks this thirst is open more and more<br />
and recognizes more and more<br />
that he himself must become the source of the pleasure<br />
the basis of all spiritual pleasures<br />
the glory of Shaddai<br />
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more to come....</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-66597949917683866452012-04-10T13:37:00.000+03:002012-04-10T13:37:50.379+03:00In Mitzpeh Ramon "Hakol B'seder"This year Risa and I were invited to the Passover seder by our oldest son Efi in his home in Mitzpeh Rasmon in the Negev highlands. Now with the new expressway to the south (kvish 6) the trip from Rechovot takes less than two hours, a relatively easy drive on good roads all the way. We rented a car from Avis for the trip. I am glad that we decided not to buy a car and rent whenever we need to. For five days it came to about 650 shekels and we had use of the car for part of chol hamoed too. On Thursday we packed up the car and set off for Mitzpeh Ramon. We contributed the wine, grape juice and hand baked shmurah matzot. These are very special matzot made in the chareidi settlement of Kommemiut not far from Rechovot. They are made from hand stone ground whole wheat which was "watched" from the time of harvest so as not to come into contact with any moisture.The hechsher boasts of "chai chumros" (18 stringencies) including that the wheat was harvested by G-d fearing Jews who said "leshem Yichud" before operating the harvester, the rolling pins are sanded down every 18 minuets, the water used for the dough comes from a special closed cistern supervised year round by a special mashgiach etc. etc. The matzot are rolled out super thin by a special group of women(davka !) and baked by men who continuously recite a cycle of Psalms. In any event IMHO these are the best tasting hand baked shmura matzot that I have ever tasted.<br />
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We arrived at Efi's house in the early afternoon and everything there was already prepared. The charoset mixed the horseradish ground, the Lettuce rinsed and the food for the meal cooking in the kitchen. Our daughter-in-law Ora is amazing. She is totally organized with each of the five children ( one to ten years old)r washed and dressed for the holiday the four little girls in new holiday dresses. She went about finishing the last preparations and giving out orders to the children, calm and collected without ever raising her voice. I honestly don't know how she does it. I sat down with our oldest grandson Oz Avraham and we talked about the halachot of the seder. He also asked me about the siyyum that I had made earlier that morning, traditionally made by firstborn sons to commemorate the miracle of the plague of the firstborn where Hashem passed over the firstborn of Israel and struck down the firstborn of Egypt (see my previous post). I explained that the Gemarra Yerushalmi gave the laws of moving forbidden objects on Shabbat. I mentioned that in the time of Chazal they had a special press which was used for smoothing out wrinkled clothes and the gemarra dealt with the question of whether or not it was permitted to use or move this press on Shabbat. Oz asked me if moving parts of the press could be compared to opening and closing the door of a house and therefore be permitted. I was amazed that Oz (10 years old) was familiar with the relevant Mishnah and actually asked the same question asked in the classical commentaries.I told him that the commentary Korban Haeidah explained that while it is permitted to open or close a door it is forbidden to<i> dismantle the door or set it on its hinges. </i>In the same way it is forbidden to assemble or dismantle the launderer's press which is bolted to the floor and therefore considered part of the building. Discussing a knotty problem in the gemarra with your grandson-now that is real<i> nachas !!</i><br />
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In the evening we sat down to the Seder led by Efi. Efi is a Rav and educational counselor in the Mitzpeh Ramon high school Yeshiva, and he masterfully led the seder giving everyone especially the children a chance to participate. To explain why the Haggadah enumerates the particulars of all the plagues and miracles he made up a parable.A king sent his favorite son on a long journey. the prince sat in the carriage and was unaware of what was happening outside. The king sent his special guard to protect the prince. A gang of rebels tried to attack the carriage but the guard chased them away.The guard also protected them from wild animals and made sure that the carriage stayed on the right course. When the carriage arrived at the royal palace the guard brought a step ladder so that the prince could climb down. The prince said to the king that he wanted to thank the guard for helping him get down from the carriage. The king said to him that he should first thank the guard for saving him from the many dangers of the journey. In the same way we must thank Hashem for each and every one of the signs and miracles he performed for us in the Exodus from Egypt and the sojourn in the desert. During this story the children hung on every word, with total concentration.<br />
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Another chiddush was that after the "Dayyenu" hymn which enumerates fifteen stages of the deliverance from Egypt saying that each stage in and of itself would have been enough for us to give praise to Hashem,Efi asked each of us to say our own personal "dayyenu". When it was my turn I said that if Hashem had only shown me the way of teshuva-dayyenu. If He had only brought me out of the diaspora to the land of Israel-dayyenu. If He had only given me my beloved wife-dayyenu. If He had only given us our six precious children-dayyenu. If He had only granted us our twelve grandchildren-dayyenu. How much more so that I must give thanks for all of these and many other things that Hashem has granted me. Dayyenu vedayyenuDavid Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-37528449503711336832012-04-09T21:53:00.000+03:002012-04-09T21:53:05.900+03:00Fast of the Firstborn-Siyyum Masechet Shabbat YerushalmiIt seems that we Jews cannot celebrate a holiday without mourning or fasting first. Before Purim there is Ta'anit Esther. Before Sukkot there is Yom Kippur and before the modern yom tov of Israeli independence day there is memorial day..Last week the day before Pesach was ta'anit Bechorot-the fast of the first born, commemorating that terrible night in Egypt when Hashem passed over the first born of Israel and struck down the first born of Egypt. It is customary for all first born and fathers of first born sons to participate in the festive meal in honor of the completion of a tractate of the Talmud and therefore be exempt from the fast.<br />
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This year I made a siyyum on the completion of massechet Shabbat of thr Talmud Yerushalmi.. The siyyum was also in honor of the yahrtzeit of my father-in-law, Abe (Avraham ben Efraim) Rich Alav haShalom who passed away on Erev Pesach twelve years ago..<br />
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On page 91B the last Mishna in the Yerushalmi Shabbat deals with the laws of moving forbidden objects on Shabbat. We learned that is forbidden to arrange the straw on a mattress . Straw is muktzeh (a forbidden object) since in general there is no use for it on Shabbat. It is permitted however to lie down on the straw and move it with your body. This is<i> tiltul muktzeh keliachar yad ie moving a forbidden object indirectly. </i>Also if the straw can be used as fodder, or if there was a pillow on it before Shabbat it is not considered <i> muktzeh.</i><br />
We also learned that a householder's press ( used for smoothing wrinkled clothing) may be dismantled on Shabbat but it is forbidden to dismantle a professional launderer's press. Rabbi Yehudah says that in any case if the press was loosened before Shabbat it is permitted to remove the clothes.<br />
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The Gemarra Yerushalmi says that the law of the Mishna is only relevant where the straw was never used before for a mattress, but if it had been used before it is considered to be part of the mattress and is permitted. R' Ya'akov bar Iddi said that earlier authorities asked if the straw could be moved using the elbows. R' Yannai, one of the foremost Amoraim of the Yerushalmi., said it is forbiddento do so, and added a curse upon all who are lenient in this ruling saying "May his house fall upon all who rule leniently in this case." R" Chiyya said that one must differentiate between the rich and the poor since straw is the only mattress that the poor man has while the rich can afford soft feather beds and pillows.<br />
In another case chachamim agreed with R'Meir that the lids of cisterns can be untied or cut open on Yom Tov but not on Shabbat. But there is a kushia-In principle the laws pertaining to building or taking things apart do not apply to recepticles.(<i>binyan vestira be kelim) </i> The answer is that cisterns are dug out or built into the ground therefore the laws of building and demolition apply.Similarly the launderer's press was a built in contraption and therefore cannot be dismantled. R' Yossi added that there is also a question of <i> tiltul machmat chesron kis </i>that is since the launderer's press is an expensive piece of machinery it is forbidden to move it or touch it on Shabbat.<br />
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הדרן עלך פרק תולין וסליקא לה מסכת שבתDavid Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-18551937068540009752012-04-02T21:37:00.001+03:002012-04-02T22:10:26.113+03:00Forty Years Together-BashertExactly forty years ago 12 Nissan we stood on the roof of a building overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. We stood under a chuppa that was my tallit and I said "harei at mekudeshet li", you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moshe and Israel..<br />
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So much has happened in those four decades. Twenty years of raising six children and settlement building in the Golan Heights. Then moving to Rechovot where I dedicated myself to learning Torah while Risa continued taking care of the home and supporting the family.<br />
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There is a Yiddish expression-"bashert" which roughly translated means "destined". It is often used to express the idea that this couple wasw "meant for each other". That is how I always felt it was with Risa and myself.. We have been together from the first time we met on a Shabbat afternoon in Ellul. It was clear to me from the very beginning that this was bashert. As Chazal said, "Forty days before conception a heavenly voice proclaims'The daughter of so and so is meant for the son of so and so.In this case the daughter of Avraham Ben Efraim for the son of Elchanan ben David.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-52595516586901024582012-03-10T22:21:00.000+02:002012-03-10T22:21:35.435+02:00Baruch Dayan HaemetThis week was the yohrtzeit of the Fogel family of Itamar in the Shomron, mother and four young children who were brutally murdered by Arab terrorists one year ago. I have always said that the greatest test of faith is when we are confronted with the death of an innocent child. The vast numbers of the Holocaust can be understood perhaps in a historical context. Perhaps the Jews of diaspora Europe were doomed to be devoured by the German Amalek. Perhaps there was <i> hester panim.</i> But how do we understand the murder of a baby in his crib in the very heartland of Eretz Yisrael?<br />
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This year we witnessed a number of perplexing tragedies including the murder of the heavenly mystic Baba Elazar in Beersheva and the death of Rav Ehud Barzilai of Mitzpeh Ramon who died at a young age of brain cancer. After hearing of these tragedies I said to myself, automatically, "baruch dayan haemet" blessed be the true judge. The truth is of course that I can see no justice in these events. .While I believe that nothing in this world is arbitrary, I cannot fathom the justice in these tragedies<br />
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I spoke about this with one of my Rebbes and he told me to concentrate on the idea that the tribulations of this world are only transitory. When we hear about the death of a child we mourn because we have no idea of the purpose for which his soul was brought into this world and even less the reason that soul was taken from this world.<br />
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Next shabbat is parashat Parah which deals in the purification from tumat mavet, the impurity of death. Harav Kook` wrote that the point of this parasha is to understand that death is the ultimate illusion and that life as imbodied by the divine soul is everlasting.<br />
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Baruch Dayan HaemetDavid Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-90833402493954475022011-12-08T19:59:00.000+02:002011-12-08T19:59:25.612+02:00Hadran Masechet Bikkurim an Seder Zera'im of the Talmud Yerushalmi<i>Dedicated to Bat-Sheva bat Chana Bluma and Rephael ben Miryam may Hashem grant them perfect health</i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div>With the help of Hashem Yishtabach Shemo, I have finished learning masechet (tractate) Bikkurim, the last tractate in Seder (order) Zera'im of the Jerusalem Talmud. From the beginning of the first tractate, Brachot till the end of Bikkurim there are 11 tractates, almost 400 folio pages which took me almost two years to learn. At first I learned a page a day. When that proved to be impossible, I set aside an hour and a half each day for learning the Yerushalmi. I owe a great debt to Rav Chaim Shpitz, my Rosh Kollel and chevruta for much of this learning, for helping me with his great erudition and especially for his moral support. I also wish to thank Rav Yechiel Halevi Barlev for his commentary "yedid Nefesh" without which I would have been lost in the forest of differing and often contradictory girsaot(textual versions).Also to the Schottenstein team for their exhaustive commentary on several of the tractates.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Seder Zra'im begins with the tractate Berachot-blessings. This seems to have nothing to do with the general subject of the seder-zera'im(seeds) which has to do with the laws pertaining to agriculture and the use of the land in the Land of Israel. Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Nassi began Seder Zra'im with Berachot to emphasize that we can only partake of the produce of the land after we say the approppriate blessing to acknowledge Hashem as the source of all sustenance He began with the blessings of kriat shema, proclaiming the One-ness of Hashem before we even consider partaking of his bounty. And also to say that it is not "kochi ve'otzem yadi" (human strength and striving) which brought us this great bounty.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Berachot begins with the Kohanim- "When do we recite kriat shema? From the time the kohanim enter(the Temple) to eat the teruma" And the seder ends with the laws of how bikkurim (first fruits) were allocated to the Kohanim. Says the Yerushalmi-" Chachamim say that they (the bikkurim) are given to the leading members of the Watch and are then distributed among them as are all kodeshim (Holy offerings)</div><div>The Gemarra ends with a discussion of the usage of bikkurim and compares it with the usages that can be made of a Torah Scroll. "We have learned- it is said in the name of RaSHBaG " One can sell a Torah scroll in order to marry a woman, and to learn Torah, how much more so to sustain ones life!" Here he disputes the Bavli where RaSHBag says the opposite-that one cannot sell a Torah scroll for living expenses, It seems that the Yerushalmi is saying if you don't have enough to live how can you marry or learn Torah ?? (my peirush)</div><div>"We also learned-One who sells a sefer torah that belonged to his father will never see a blessing from the transaction, but of one who keeps a sefer Torah in his home it is said (Tehillim 112) " Treasure and wealth is his home and his righteousness will last forever."</div><div>הדרן עליך מסכת ביקורים וסדרא דזרעים ברחמיו מרובא וסייעתא דשמיא טובא אמן</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-11291199432328024652011-11-11T14:44:00.000+02:002011-11-11T14:44:28.089+02:00Postscript to R"M EilonI was wrong. In the end the public prosecutor handed down an indictment against RMEilon. He refused to consider a plea bargain which would have resulted in a sentence with no jail time. He refused because he would not plead guilty to a crime he did not commit.<br />
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Last week R' Motti came out with his version of the events. (Can be seen on YouTube) He admits that he hugged those two young men, but not for any sexual satisfaction. Having been on the(receiving end of R'Motti's embrace while it was very emotional, had absolutely no sexual overtones. Rav Motti's style is very physical, something like R'Shlomo CarlebachZL(from whom I also got a hug) .who also would embrace women, again without sexual intent. Rav Motti ;accuses forum Takkana of using half truths and outright lies, and of inciting the accusors to submit a complaint to the authorities 5 years(!) after the events took place. He also related that R'Mordechai Eliyahu ZYA when he read the report of Forum Takkanah he tore it into shreds and told R'Motti that he should ignore it and continue teaching. Rav Eilyahu asked to address the forum but they refused (!!!) By the end of RMottis speech the tears were rolling down my cheeks.<br />
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What was the role of R' Aharon Lichtenstein in this travesty? It is reported that he is sorry that he ever got invoved.But it is too late. When R' Mottis innocence is clear to all R'Lichtenstein should be the first come forward in sackcloth and ashes and get down on his knees to beg forgiveness from Rav Mordechai EilonDavid Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-47312082968214933672011-10-28T13:07:00.000+02:002011-10-28T13:07:14.654+02:00The Tzohar Of Rav Mordechai Eilon<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"עת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>איכה באה הישוע מתוך הצרה? אותיות </i> צרה <i> הם גם אותיות </i> רצה ו צהר הצדיק מתוך רצון טהור לעשות רצון השם יכול להפוך חשכת צרה לאור הצהר</div><div style="text-align: center;"> נועם אלימלך</div><div style="text-align: center;">"<i>It is a time of trouble for Ya'akov and from (within) it he will be saved"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> How does salvation come from within the trouble? The letters of the word for trouble צרה are also the letters for the words for will-רצה and tzohar (the light in Noah's ark) צהר</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>From the pure will to do the will of Hashem a righteous person can transform the darkness of misfortune to the light of the tzohar.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhansk-Noam Elimelech </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This Shabbat is parashat Noach which is the parasha in which the word "tzohar" appears. I am always on the lookout for a new interpretation of tzohar (I already know of at least ten). My daughter was at the sheva brachot celebration of the marriage of the son of Rav Mordechai Eilon last year on shabbat parashat Noach. She brought home a pamphlet with the dvar torah that the Rav gave which included a new (for me) interpretation of tzohar based on the Noam Elimelech quoted above.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">First a few words about R'Mordechai Eilon. I consider him to be one of my Rebbes, one of the three or four Rabbis who most influenced me spiritually. When I was learning in Yeshiva in Yerushalayim I would go every week to hear the shiur he gave in the Yeshurun synagogue.Hundreds would come to this shiur. People would be standing in the aisles and three deep in the back. I would go a half an hour early to get a seat in the front.When Rav Motti (as he liked to be called) came in and took his place at the lectern you could feel the electricity in the air. Then Rav Motti would begin speaking in his deep mellifluous baritone and continue for an hour and a half without notes. His shiurim were a tapestry of pshat plus insights from baalai mussar and chassidut.I have never in my life seen or heard anyone with anywhere near the charsma of Rav Mordechai Eilon. In the quote from Noam Elimelech Rav Motti asks how can one be saved in a time of trouble. He knows whereof he speaks. Several years ago he was accused of "inappropriate behavior" involving two of his students. A self appointed "forum" of rabbanim and other leading personalities of the National Religious sector led by R' Aharon Lichtenstein summoned him for a hearing. Although he denied the charges he agreed to go into "galut" to the settlement of Migdal near the Kinneret. He agreed to this to protect his accusers so their names would not be made public. His talmidim refused to accept this gezeira and flocked to Migdal to hear their Rebbe's Torah. Last year the Forum made the case public and Rav Motti came back to giving shiurim in Jerusalem and elsewhere. His shiurim now lean more toward pnimiut haTorah with Kabbalistic overtones and references to the Chassidic masters formost the Tanya of Admor Schneur Zalman of Lyadi founder of the Chabad movement. In the meantime he has had a hearing by the public prosecutor who has decided there is no case for an indictment.<br />
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This background explains why R' Eilon brought the peirush of the Noam Elimelech. From within his own troubles he found the strength to focus his will on disseminating Torah and through the confluence of his will with the will of Hashem he became the tzohar la teivah, to bring the inner light of the Torah to Am Yisrael<br />
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</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-22167319314546878692011-10-26T16:07:00.000+02:002011-10-26T16:07:03.476+02:00Siyyum Masaechet Challah Talmud Yerushalmi<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <i>This siyyum is dedicated to my dear sister Batsheva bat Chana Bluma </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i><i> and her husband </i><i>Raphael ben Miryam may Hashem grant them perfect health</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the help of Hashem yitbarach I recently finished the study of another masechet of the Talmud Yerushalmi, masechet Challah. The general subject of the masechet is the mitzvah of hafrashat challah, taking a certain amount of the dough that is made from the five grains (wheat, oats barley spelt and rye) as an offering it to the Cohanim. According to the law of the Torah this is a mitzvah only in Eretz Yisrael but Chazal extended it to chutz laaretz with some differences in the observance of the mitzvah</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The last Mishnsh in the masechet deals with the laws of taking challah in chutz laaretz and goes on to compare it to the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits) and asks if there is a case where bikkurim can be brought from chutz laaretz.. The gemarra learns the halacha from a case that came before the sages. A certain Jew named Ariston brought bikkurim from Apamia ( a region of Syria) and the sages accepted it. This requires an explanation since the basic law of the Torah is that bikkurim are only brought from Eretz Yisrael. We learned in the Mishna (48A) He who buys land in Syria is as if he bought land close to Jerusalem.That is to say that Syria which was conquered by King David even though it is not part of the inheritance of the tribes promised by Hashem in the Torah, has some of the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and Chazal decided that it is permissable (although not obligatory) to bring bikkurim from those regions of Syria which were conquered by King David. The Bavli (Gittin 8A) says that it is permissable even to ask a non Jew to write a deed on Shabbat for the purchase of land in Syria. The Yerushalmi extends this to the bringing of bikkurim from Syria. The question remains why bikkurim is different than Truma which definitely cannot be brought from chutz laaretz including Syria. This is difficult since in most respects bikkurim is similar to truma. The Yerushalmi explains that the difference is that bikkurim is the sole responsibility of he who brings it. He has the responsibility of bringing the bikkurim to the Kohen in the Temple, whereas truma is left on the threshing floor and the Kohen is himself responsible for taking it. If it were permissible to bring truma from Syria than the kohanim would be tempted to leave Eretz Yisrael and go to Syria to take the truma, and Syria even though it has some of the holiness of Eretz Yisrael it also has tumat eretz ha amim. There is no such problem with bikkurim since it must be brought to the Temple and the Kohen does not go out to get it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There is another difference between truma and bikkurim. Truma is an obligation that must be given to the Kohen. Bikkurim on the other hand is more an expression of thanksgiving to Hashem for giving us the blessing of sustenence. I would learn a kal vachomer from bikkurim to limud Torah. If we express thanksgiving to Hashem tor granting us earthly blessings how much more so must we thank Hashem for giving us the opportunity of learning his holy Torah, every masechet, perek and pasuk.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Hadran alach masechet Challah </div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-5650288934333705412011-06-02T19:12:00.000+03:002011-06-02T19:12:24.651+03:00Duchenen- The Priestly Blessing<div style="text-align: center;"><i>And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying:"Speak unto Aharon and his sons saying:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Thus shall you bless the children of Israel , say unto them</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>May Hashem bless you and keep you</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>May Hashem make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>May Hashem lift up his countenance unto you and grant you peace</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them"</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Num6:22-27</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">In Parashat Naso, after the laws of the Nazir, the Torah brings the commandment of Birkat Cohanim-the priestly blessing. This is called "duchanen" in Yiddish after the word duchan (originally a hebrew word) which means the platform from which the Cohanim blessed the people in the temple.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I havealways felt that the duchenen holds a special place in the synagogue service. It is said that the Shechina (the appearence of G-d in this world) emanates from the hands of the Cohanim when they bless the people. This is the only ceremony from the Temple that we continue to perform in the synagogue. Just as the Cohanim in the Temple ascended the duchan to bless the people, today they get up in front of the congregation, remove their shoes ( as was required in the Temple), put their talitot over their heads and raise their hands in a special configuration. I always get a spiritual high when they intone the same tripartite blessing that was said in the Temple 2,000 years ago.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the privilages of living in Eretz Yisrael is that we have birkat Cohanim every day. In the galut birkat Cohanim is done only during musaf of the holidays. Why is this so? According to the RAMBAM and Sefer Ha-Chinuch, birkat Cohanim is one of the 613 laws of the Torah, and must be said every day.<br />
Rav Tzvi Yehudah Kook ZTZL said that the essence of the blessing is "simcha"(joy or gladness). The Jews in galut lack simcha because of all the troubles and tribulations of living among the Goyim. Only on the holidays is there an atmosphere of joy and gladness as we are commanded "vesamachta bechagecha" (be joyful on your festival) Only then can the Cohanim bless the people. The REMA and the Mishna Brura paskened that in the galut ducchanen is done only on the festivals and yom Kippur.<br />
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Harav A.I. Kook ZTZL said:" From the source of exalted unity the divine sovereignty of the commandment (of birkat Cohanim) is revealed in His world as a blessing of love, chesed and rachamim" Only in Eretz Yisrael in the time of the ingathering of the exiles, can that exalted unity be found. This is part of the beginning of our redemption, may Hashem fulfill it speedily and in our days.</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-53677367030996946142011-05-21T21:27:00.001+03:002011-05-21T21:27:35.100+03:00Bar YochaiThirty nine years ago like this year Lag B'omer was motzai shabbat.Where was I on that shabbat? Thats right I was in Meron for the Hilulla of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.<br />
I wasn't yet 21 years old and just married a couple of months. Risa and I decided along with two other couples to make the trip from Yerushalayim to Meron for Lag B'Omer. No one had a car. We packed everything we needed for 3 days and got on an Egged bus for the North. We arrived at Meron on Friday, set up our tents and got ready for Shabbat together with the hundeds already on Mt Meron near the Holy site where Rashbi is buried.<br />
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I will never forget that Shabbat. I dovened with the Sfinka Chassidim. At the end of Kabbalat Shabbat everyone got up to dance. About fifty men, hands linked at the waist and the small of the back formed a circle. Slowly at first we began the dance, a shuffle really. We were singing "pizmon Bar Yochai" Invoking the name of the Holy Tanna "Bar Yochai, nimshachta oshrecha, shemen sasson mechaveirecha" "Bar Yochai you are annointed in gladness" Singing the refrain over and over, stamping one step back and two steps forward. This continued for more than half an hour, but I lost track of time and place. The strangest thing was here I was dressed in a short sleeved white shirt and kippa seruga in the middle of a throng of black coated chassidim wearing fur shtrrimels, but no one looked at me as if I didn't belong. It was as if we weren't in Israel 1972 but were connected to something above and beyond the present. It wasn't hard to imagine that there were Jews who almost 2,000 years before had come to this mountain in the Gallil to bury their Rebbe, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-67692950407106956212011-05-19T22:52:00.000+03:002011-05-19T22:52:54.449+03:00Hadran Ma'asrot YerushalmiI once heard from my teacher and rabbi Rav Shlomo Aviner shlita, that a ben-torah must learn all of the written Torah and all of the oral Torah of the Tanna'im at least once in his lifetime. This would include Tanach,mishna, tosefta , midrash halacha and aggada and of course Gemarra Bavli and Yerushalmi.<br />
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</div><div>I had the great zechut of finishing all of the Gemarra Bavli with my rav muvhak Rav Yechezkel Daum ztzl, twice in two cycles of seven years each. Two years ago I started learning Gemarra Yerushalmi with the intention of learning one daf every day. I soon discovered that I would have to devote an entire seder (4hrs) in order to finish a daf every day.There is no Rashi on the Yerushalmi and there are many girsaot often contradictory.Instead of the shakla vetaria (give and take discussion) of the Bavli, the Yerushalmi learns by tradition of rav letalmid with many maaseh rav as examples.In the end I did hattarat nedarim on my intention of doing .daf yomi, but I continue learning Yerushalmi one or two hours a day. So far I have finished Berachot,Peah, Demai, Kilayim,Trumot and most recently Ma'asrot.<br />
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I made the siyyum of masechet Ma'asrot in honor of the Yohrtzeit of my father in law, Abe Rich Alav Hashalom. who passed away 11 years ago erev Pesach. Another word for a siyyum is hadran, from the Aramaic meaning to repeat. We give thanks that Hashem has helped us to learn this masechet, may he help us to repeat and learn other masechtot in the future. The subject of Ma'asrot is the mitzvah of tithes, taking 10% of all agricultural produce for the Cohanim and Leviim. The last Mishna in Ma'asrot deals with the obligation of taking ma'aserot from grains and seeds. There are three dinnim:<br />
1-The five grains;wheat oats spelt rye and barley must be tithed d'oreita and even grain that sprouted from what was tithed must again be tithed.<br />
2-Kitniot (legumes) must be tithed derabbanan, and what sprouts from it is exempt.<br />
3- Zir'onei gina (garden seeds) which are not ordinarily for human consumption are exempt from tithes.<br />
The Gemarra brings a maaseh that came before R' Yochanan. A woman was carrying a basket of asparagus, some seeds dropped on the ground which sprouted. The question was asked whether or not maaser must be taken from the sprouts. Rav Yochanan ruled that the sprouts are exempt from all tithes.<br />
One of the the talmidim who was present, Rabi Hiyya Bar Vah said to Rabi Yochanan that it is clear from the Mishnah that asparagus seeds are considered zironei gina and of course the sprouts are exempt even though the vegetable itself must be tithed.Rabi Yochanan replied disparagingly, "You Babylonian! I gave you the oyster and you show me the pearl? Had I not made the ruling you would not have been able to answer! Here we see the Yerushalmi typically learning the din from tradition and case law. We also see some of the tension between the Tannaim of Eretz Yisrael and those of Bavel.<br />
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Hadran alach masechet Ma'asrot<br />
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</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-86558169807521325602010-10-16T21:33:00.000+02:002010-10-16T21:33:17.025+02:00Avraham Avinu, Ha-Yehudi Ha-RishonWhen I was nine years old, in the third grade, we were presented with our first book in Hebrew. It was called Hayehudi harishon The first Jew). It had a drawing on the cover of a family dressed like Arabs, with the children sitting on camels. This was the story of Avraham avinu, the patriarch Abraham.<br />
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This was in a Conservative after-school Hebrew school where we learned twice a week after going to public school from 8:00 till 3:00 PM. For almost all the kids this was a real burden and they did it because their parents forced them. From the beginning I was fascinated by learning another language, an ancient tradition that I was connected to. We were chosen, we were special, and I was part of it. Of course I was well aware that we were Jewish. My granpdparents spoke Yiddish, we celebrated the major holidays and the Christians (who my parents called "the Goyim") had their own holidays. But what did it mean? Until then I had no idea. It was just a fact of life.<br />
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After learning the aleph-bet and the basic grammar we got our first book and we started learning, in our own special language, about Avraham who at the age of five, wondered who put out the light in the sky in the evening and lit it again in the morning. When one night he saw a lamp burning in a window and he thought that just as the master of the house lit the lamp,the Master of the World must light up the sun. He didn't accept the explanation that the sun itself was a god, and even less that the clay idols that his father produced had anything to do with it. He knew, there must be a God. This simple faith struck a chord in me. At the time I was much too young to put such a thought into words, but looking back, I think that it was really there.<br />
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Later I identified with the idea of "Lech lecha" Hashem commanded Avraham to "go forth", to leave behind his homeland and his father's house and go to the "land which I will will show you". In my early teens I decided that the lifestyle of my fathers house would not be mine. The commandments of the Torah meant something real to me, without defining for myself the theological basis. When I was sixteen I read an excerpt, translated into English from Orot by Rav Kook. It changed my life. Here was a coherent, all encompassing view of what it meant to be a son of the Jewish people.It said that Torah was part of peoplehood and it all flowed from Hashem.There was an absolute unity of the universe with the Jewish people and the Land of Israel in the center and Hashem above it all.<br />
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Another interpretation says that "Lech lecha" means not to go forth, but to go into yourself, to find your inner self. That is what it meant for me as it had meant for Avraham Avinu, Hayehudi Harishon.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-50702937032712350102010-07-22T19:48:00.000+03:002010-07-22T19:48:50.052+03:00The struggle of Gush Katif: an exercise in futilityThis week is the anniversary of the hitnatkut, "disengagement" from Gush Katif. Thousands of idealistic hardworking Jews including some who had already been expelled from settlements in Sinai, were forcibly thrown out of their homes. Then their once thriving settlements were razed to the ground. The Batei Knesset and Yeshivot were left standing. According to Halacha it is forbidden for Jews to destroy a synagogue. So as soon as we left the Palestinians looted them and set them aflame.May we see Hashem avenge his houses of worship that the sons of Yishmael so wantonly destroyed.<br />
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None of the purported goals of the hitnatkut were achieved ; certainly not peace. Instead we got a strengthening of Hamas, a major military campaign (Cast Lead) which destroyed much of what was left of Gaza worsening the suffering of its inhabitants. Then there is the endless suffering of the displaced settlers which continues to this day. The government continually reneged on the promises made to them. Many are still unemployed and live in temporary housing.<br />
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With passing years, admittedly with the help of Professor Hindsight, it becomes more and more clear that the struggle to resist the hitnatkut was an exercise in futility. Tens of thousands participated in demonstrations against the government culminating in the march of over 50,000 from Netivot to Kfar Maimon on the way to Gush Katif. There they confronted the police and the army but after a few tense hours the leaders decided not to escalate the violence and the demonstration fizzled out. Meanwhile hundreds infiltrated across the border to strengthen the resistance of the settlers.They were all removed by the army in the next few days. Naively they believed that these actions would have an influence on the outcome of events. It was not to be.<br />
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The fact is the fate of Gush Katif was sealed the moment Arik Sharon succeeded in pushing his plan through the government and the Knessest. That is how democracy works if you don't have or don't know how to use political power don't expect to twist the arm of the government to do your will.<br />
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We lived in the Golan Heights for 20 years. In the late '80s Yitzhak Rabin proposed a peace plan which included offering to give back the Golan to Syria. A grass roots movement sprang up called H'am im Hagolan (the people are with nthe Golan) A well organized media blitz brought the message to th nation. At the same time political pressure was brought to bear on political elements who had connections to or were sympathetic to the Golan settlements. Within a year Rabin decided that it was politically expedient to shelve his proposals indefinitely.<br />
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Why didn't this happen in Gush Katif? The main reason is that while the people were with the Golan, the people were NOT with Gush Katif. It was a struggle waged almost solely by the Zionist-Religious sector. With their moral, political and religious certitude they were convinced that the whole country was behind them but when they looked back they only saw their own soldiers coming to take them away.<br />
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Rav Tzvi Tau founder and spiritual leader of Yeshivat Har Ha-mor and the "mamlachti" (statism) trend, said that we must strengthen the state not weaken it. As Rav Kook said "the state of Israel is the basis for the Sechina (presence of G-d) in this world. We can take part in the political process, but once a legitimate government is elected it stands in the place of the Jewish Kings as sovereign rulers of Israel/<br />
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I only hope that in the coming struggles in Eretz Israel we will have learn our lesson.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-91828560571459027242010-07-13T02:18:00.002+03:002010-07-13T02:23:21.854+03:00DaveningI have always had trouble with davening. I never felt that I was talking with our father in heaven or that my prayers were answered. I never felt that I was standing before the king of the universe because really, who am I that the king should summon me to stand before him. So why, you may ask do I daven three times a day? It is because I believe that there is a supreme intelligence, a force in the universe that chose the progeny of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as his emissaries in this world to proclaim his presence and do his will.I have no choice, my soul was at the foot of Sinai and the mountain was suspended above us. There we pledged to obey his commandments and that oath obligates us for all time. I daven because I am commanded to daven, not only because I fear punishment but because I am in awe of something that I can never hope to understand.<br />
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The Rambam explains that love of G-d can be compared to the love of a man who is obsessed with a women. She is constantly in his thoughts, he will do anything she asks, he would gladly sacrifice all his worldly goods and even his life for her. But how can a human being express love for that which is not human? Our consciousness fills our being, how can we relate to something that is beyond that consciousness?<br />
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The only answer is that we must evacuate that consciousness and seek within that spark of the divine that was part of our souls at Sinai.However if the answer is within us perhaps we are not worshiping Hashem but worshiping ourselves? But then again Hashem created Man in his image and .breathed in him the breath of life. He is part of us. If we remember that then davening can become more than a ritual. It can be an attempt at connecting to that which is within us and thereby begin to approach the One who was is and forever will be the master of the universe.David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5438983558200305981.post-79372318391884341442010-06-03T20:34:00.000+03:002010-06-03T20:34:36.425+03:00The Destiny of the Firstborn<div style="text-align: justify;"><i> For all the firstborn of the children of Israel </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> are mine, both man and beast,on the day I </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> sanctified them unto me.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> And I have taken the Levites in the place of </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> all the firstborn of the children of Israel.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> Bamidbar 8:20 </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The Torah calls the firstborn (bechor) "<i>petter rechem"- he who opens the womb</i>. He is the first expression of life of the new generation. The next link in the chain of generations of the Jewish People and as such is sanctified to the service of Hashem.. This primogeniture has its expression in all of the living world. The first fruits of the new season, the bikkurim , were brought to the temple on the festival of Shavuot. The firstborn calves and lambs were sanctified and offered to the cohanim.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> It is very interesting that the Torah has a very ambivalent attitude towards the firstborn. Cain is the firstborn but Abel is preferred by Hashem. Yaakov has to buy the bechora from Esau. Yaakov's firstborn was Reuven, but Yehudah becomes the leader of the tribes. Ephraim recieves Yaakov's blessing instead of his firstborn brother Menashe in spite of the protests of Yosef..David was chosen as the annointed king even though he was the youngest of his brothers.It seems as if the Torah is telling us that biological primacy is not enough. Leadership must be earned and if the firstborn is not worthy he will not be chosen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The most telling example is the displacement of the firstborn of the Exodus by the levites. When Hashem smote the firstborn of Egypt and passed over the firstborn of Israel they were sanctified to the service of Hashem. However when the firstborn of Israel worshipped the golden calf they forfeited their exalted status. In their place the Levites, the tribe of Moshe and Aharon who did not sin at the golden calf were chosen. In spite of this some primal holiness was retained by the firstborn of future generations.That is why we perform the ceremony of <i> pidyon ha-ben (</i> redeeming of the firstborn) when a firstborn baby is one month old.<br />
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My grandfather and father were the firstborn in their families. I am a firstborn myself, I have a firstborn son and he also has a firstborn son. We are five generations of bechorim. Each of us in his time has expressed the special character of the bechor "he who opens the womb" by breaking out of the mold, not being satisfied with living within the circumstances into which he was born. My grandfather David Fenster was born in Eastern Europe where very likely our ancestors had lived for the past thousand years.He was the first in his family who realized that there was no future for the Jews in Europe. He emigrated to America at the beginning of the last century. My father, Henry Fenster grew up the son of immigrants in Philadelphia. He was the first in his family to join the U.S Army to fight the Nazis and was probably the first Jewish soldier in our family since the Exile. He was seriously wounded in France but baruch Hashem survived the war and came home married and started a family. I grew up in a typical suburban, middle class Jewish home, but for some reason at a very early age the fact of being Jewish became the most important, driving force in my life. I heard the same call as the patriarch Abraham "Go out of your land, the place of your birth, out of your fathers house to the land which I will show you" As soon as I finished high school and turned eighteen I emigrated to Israel.My son Efi was the first in our family to go to Yeshiva and dedicate himself to the study of Torah.<br />
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I don't know yet what challenges my first grandson, Oz, will face. I pray that he will be the first to greet the Mashiach, may Hashem send him speedily and in our days.</div>David Tzoharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11510921351328863453noreply@blogger.com2