Author: Rabbi Milder

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Bamidbar – Why Moshe Rabbeinu Was So Special

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The Book of Bamidbar begins: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the Tent of Meeting on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the exodus from the land of Egypt, saying” (Bamidbar 1:1). There is a very concise but telling Medrish in the beginning of this week’s Torah portion of Bamidbar. “Another interpretation, ‘And Hashem spoke to Moshe,’ It’s a praise for Moshe that 600,000 [Men] were standing [at Mount Sinai] and the Kohanim, and Leviim, and Elders were standing there, and from all of them He didn’t speak to besides Moshe” (Bamidbar Rabba 1:6).

The Etz Yosef explains why the Medrish points out that Moshe is praised here for it is because the pasuk writes ‘in the Desert of Sinai’ where all the Jews were standing nevertheless [Hashem] spoke only with him, and this is his praiseworthiness and his praise, that he was chosen from everyone else because of the level he was on. (Click here for Hebrew text.)

The Maharz”u  points out that by the 600,000 men it just states “standing,” meaning from a distance but by the Kohanim, Leviim, and Elders the medrish says “standing there,” indicating that they were standing close to Moshe and around the Mishkan, and yet Moshe was the only one spoken to by Hashem.
The Maharz”u also references the first Medrish Rabba in the beginning of the Book of Vayikra, which goes into more detail of why the fact that Hashem only spoke directly with Moshe Rabbeinu was such great praise: “Rebbe Tanchum the son of Chanilai said that it is the nature in this world that a package which is hard for one to carry, is easier for two to carry. If two can’t carry it than four probably can. Does it make sense then that a package which is hard for 600,000 is easy for one? All the Jews were standing by Har Sinai and saying, ‘if we continue to hear [the voice of the Lord, our God, anymore, we will die] (Devarim 5:22). Moshe heard the voice of speech Itself and lived. Proof that this is so, for from everyone [Hashem] only called on Moshe, that is why it says, ‘And He called unto Moshe’” (Vayikra Rabba 1:1).

The Etz Yosef explains the greatness of Moshe Rabbeinu, that the intent of the medrish is to logically deduce that the coming together of those of perfection should add to the strength of their perfection, amounting to more than what they originally had. Therefore since there were 600,000 together at Har Sinai there should have been a greater amount of perfection to prepare themselves to accept the G-Dly influence there. But because they said, “‘if we continue to hear etc.” it seems the power of all of them together wasn’t enough to be able to hear the “voice” of Hashem, yet Moshe Rabbeinu had the strength by himself, more than all of them put together. (Click Here for Hebrew text.)
Granted this was a unique feat, but why did the medrish feel it was worthwhile to emphasize and praise? If you want to praise Moshe isn’t it better to praise him for being the humblest person ever, or the most G-D fearing, as we see that he told the Jewish people at the end of his life that Hashem only asks of them to fear Him. What does only ask of them mean? Fearing Hashem isn’t so easy! But Chaza”l say that for Moshe Rabbeinu it was. Or maybe the care and love Moshe had for each individual should have been worthwhile to emphasize and praise, so what is the praise here?

However, it would seem that the Medrish is alluding to something that is mentioned in the beginning of the first chapter of Mesillas Yesharim, “The foundation of piety and the root of perfect service [of G-d] is for a man to clarify and come to realize as truth what is his obligation in his world and to what he needs to direct his gaze and his aspiration in all that he toils all the days of his life. Behold, what our sages, of blessed memory, have taught us is that man was created solely to delight in G-d and to derive pleasure in the radiance of the Shechina (Divine Presence). For this is the true delight and the greatest pleasure that can possibly exist. The place of this pleasure is, in truth, in Olam Haba (the World to Come). For it was created expressly for this purpose.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)

It is true that Olam Haba is ultimately the place where one will get the full delight in G-D and derive the most complete radiance from His Shechina. However Moshe Rabbeinu got closer than anyone else in this world before he went to Olam Haba and for that reason, that he was able to fulfill the ultimate purpose and goal in existence better than anyone else, he deserved specifically that praise the medrish is emphasizing.

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Torah Riddles Test #193

 2.      Question: Why can’t the view that holds we eat milk products on Shavuos because the Jews didn’t have checked sharp knives right after the Torah was given to properly slaughter animals, hold that Hashem gave us the Torah on Shabbos?

Background:

A.     The medrish Pirkei diRebbe Eliezer (46) holds the Torah was given on Shabbos the gemara in Shabbos 86b holds it was given on erev Shabbos.

B.      A knife has to be checked for no nicks to be sure there is a smoothe cut by the shechita. As soon as Hashem gave the Torah and obligated us in all the mitzvos at matan Torah which is Shavuos they didn’t have any kosher knives to use that day to slaughter animals, so in commemoration we have a custom to eat milchig on Shavuos.

 Answer: If Hashem gave us the Torah on shabbos we couldn’t anyways slaughter because of shabbos so there would be nothing special to commemorate. (See Dirshu Mishna Berura 494 footnote 18)

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Torah Riddles #192

1.      Question: Why is one allowed to accept Yom Tov early on Shavuos, before sunset?

 Background:

A. On Shavuos we make it a point to daven maariv and say Kiddush once it is completely dark in order so that 49 complete days have passed in the omer as the Torah says should happen before the onset of Shavuos.

B. Rav Nissim Karelitz said that if you take on yom tov early only regarding stopping doing melacha that does not take away from the 49 complete days needed.

  Answer: Since that time is still considered the 49th day of the omer, it’s just that it’s forbidden to do melacha because of Tosefes yom tov, therefore it’s not really recognizable that you are impeding on the day rather you are just passively not working (See Dirshu Mishna Berura 494 footnote 2).  


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Sefer Chofetz Chaim chapter 8 halacha 7

If a person Is known to be a “bad guy” then you are allowed to speak lashon hara against him in order keep others away from him and not learn from his ways and hopefully he might repent as well if he sees so many people speaking out against him. Just be sure to say this lashon hara only for the sake of spreading the truth not to benefit, be it fame or fortune, when spreading this lashon hara, neither out if hatred for the guy.

What is considered a rasha status, a “bad guy” status? It is a person that habitually or many times committed a sin that everyone knows is wrong, like murder, adultery, or robbery, and even if it’s a minor sin, like a rabbinic prohibition, for example the gemara in Shabbos 40a discusses a case where the rabbis enacted that people cannot go into a sauna on Shabbos because people used to take hot baths on Shabbos from water heated up from before Shabbos and then it was discovered that bath house attendants use that the water on Shabbos so the rabbis forbade it then people use to make believe they went to saunas on Shabbos really going to the bathhouse so that became forbidden too. Rava said that whoever disobeys this enactment is a rasha and people could spread lashon hara about him. Because everyone knew about this enactment and people still disobeyed then lashon hara can be said against them to be sure no one else follows suit but a person who is in a habit of committing non-famous sins then know can say lashon hara about him because maybe he just doesn’t know any better. This person must be known throughout the city as a “bad guy” not just rumors and you can’t exaggerate more then what you know he does. Bottom line honesty and for the sake of truth is the key.

The Chofetz Chaim concludes that even though this halacha might create an excuse for those who constantly speak lashon hara to brand others wicked and have an excuse to spread more lashon hara but he still felt he must write down this halacha for the sake of the truth and he quoted a verse in Hoshea14:10 “For the ways of Hashem are straight and the righteous walk within them and the sinners stumble within them.”

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Behar/Bechukosai – The End Does Not Justify the Means


The Chofetz Chaim in his Sefer Shmiras Halashon goes parsha by parsha enumerating the many episodes of unfortunate lashon hara and the prohibitions that are listed in the Torah on this subject. In the first portion of this week’s double portion of Behar and Bechukosai, the conclusion of the Book of Vayikra, the Torah states, “And you shall not wrong, one man his fellow Jew, and you shall fear your G-D, for I am the Lord, your G-D” (Vayikra 25:17). The Chofetz Chaim explains that “here the Torah warns us about onaas devarim, wronging verbally, meaning a person should not provoke his fellow Jew with words, and it says in the gemara, Bava Metzia 58b, that wronging verbally is worse than wronging monetarily, for one is done with his body and the other is done with his money, one can be returned and the other cannot be returned. It says there, Bava Metzia 59a, that all the gates in Heaven are closed except for the gate of the wronged, in order to pay back the wrongdoer. Onaas devarim is also considered a subcategory of lashon hara as we find in Yoma 44a” (Shmiras Halashon, volume 2, chapter 17). (Click here for Hebrew text.)

Rashicomments on this pasuk, ולא תונו איש את עמיתו YOU SHALL NOT THEREFORE BE EXTORTIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER — Here Scripture warns against vexing by words (wounding a person’s feelings) — that one should not annoy his fellowman, nor give him an advice which is unfitted for him but is in accordance with the plan and the advantage of the adviser. But lest you should say, “Who knows whether I had any intention to do him evil?” Scripture therefore states: “but you shalt fear your G-D”! — He Who knows men’s thoughts, He knows it! In all cases where it is a matter of conscience (more lit., a matter handed over to the heart), when no one knows the truth except the one who has the thought in his heart, Scripture always states: “but be afraid of your G-D”! (Sifra, Behar, Chapter 4 1-2; Bava Metzia 58b; cf. also Rashi on Leviticus 19:14.)

The Sifra, or Toras Kohanim that Rashi is quoting, lists a number of examples of this prohibition:

  1. If a person is a baal-teshuva, penitent, don’t tell him, ‘Do you remember what you used to do…’
  2. If he is a son of a convert, don’t say, ‘I remember how your family used to act…’
  3. If a person is sick, suffering, or buried his children, don’t tell him what Iyov’s friends told him, ‘Isn’t your fear your foolishness, your hope and innocent ways, please remember who is cleanly lost and where did the straight people be annihilated.’
  4. If you see donkey drivers asking for grain or for wine don’t tell them to go to a certain person who never sold grain or wine in his life.
  5. Rebbe Yehuda says that one should not check into an item and ask for a price without any intent on buying it.

Rabbeinu Bachye shares a reason for the gemara in Bava Metzia 59a which says, ”Rav Ḥisda says: All the gates of Heaven are apt to be locked, except for the gates of prayer for victims of verbal mistreatment, as it is stated: ‘And behold, the Lord stood upon a wall built with a plumb line, and a plumb line in His hand’ (Amos 7:7).” The Reason is because the one who is verbally wronged is very much pained, and his mind is weakened, and his heart is humbled over his suffering, and he prays from out of his worrisome heart with intent and is heard. If the [speaker] would say ‘Who knows if I had bad intention’ therefore the pasuk concludes, “and you shall fear your G-D.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
People sin for various reason but don’t deny afterward that no one knows what happened; so what’s the big deal? First of all, why would a person think that remorse for a sin is dependent on who saw it? Secondly, would a person who sins normally deny his folly towards Hashem once he realizes his mistake if he is a G-D fearing Jew? So why is this case any different? Does this person who speaks verbal abuse have to be a denier of Hashem to the point that the Torah has to say, “and you shall fear your G-D?” This expression is not found in too many places. It doesn’t say anywhere that when a person does a sin in private, he should fear Hashem! What is the emphasis here?!

However it would seem based on this Rabbeinu Bachye that this person actually might think he has an excuse to say to himself ‘Who knows if I had bad intention’ because look at the results that he produced by totally insulting and humiliating his fellow Jew. The victim was able to reach such great heights in prayer that he has the ability to be answered whereas others are not so readily answered. The perpetrator caused the victim to reach such great heights of intent in prayer that he might be delusional to think that in fact he did a mitzvah by helping another to come so close to Hashem, to the point that he might tell himself, “who knows if I had bad intentions”. That is why the pasuk concludes, “and you shall fear your G-d,” so one should not come to think that the end justifies the means.

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Torah Riddles Test #191

2. Question: Why technically if you don’t answer amen but you just had in mind and the person saying the blessing had you in mind then it’s as if you said the blessing by any blessing besides if one bentches gomel upon hearing someone being saved, where the person actually saved must answer amen to fulfill his obligation of bentching gomel?

Background:

A.      The Mishna Berura (8:5:15) says that if 2 or 3 people are putting on their tallis all at the same time they should make the blessing all at the same time and if they want one can say it for everyone and the rest answer amen and even though one should anyways always answer amen to a blessing, but in this case when they want to fulfill the obligation themselves then answering amen shows they want to be apart of it, but technically even if they didn’t answer amen they fulfilled their obligation for the blessing [by just listening and having in mind.]

B.      When bentching gomel for himself a person should say Blessed is Hashem…Who has bestowed every goodness upon me. The Mishna Berura (219:4) says that if someone else said Blessed is Hashem… Who has bestowed every goodness upon you, and you answer amen then it works for yourself.

 Answer: Rebbe Akiva Aiger quoted in the Be’ur Halacha (219:4 “vi’ana amen”) says that since the listener cannot say “bestowed goodness upon you” then he cannot fulfill his obligation with the language of that blessing so listening is like answering would not apply and therefore he must answer amen which means he is acknowledging the subject of the blessing and not specifically how it was said.

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Torah Riddles #190

1. Question: According to the Tur why do children who say they came back from a funeral have to explain in detail that they were just at a funeral of so and so and there were eulogies by these people etc. in order for the wife of the deceased to be allowed to be remarried but if he just said as testimony that so and so died he is believed without further interrogation or need to speak innocently, for her to be remarried? What the difference between the two cases?

Background:

A. We believe testimony of almost anyone, even a maidservant or slave or a child for a woman to get remarried because of the issue if aguna and she will make sure her husband is dead before actually getting married last all the fines in chapter 10 of Yevamos will be upon her.

 B. Children are prone to make up stories and playing games like performing a funeral for an ant.

C. When a child reaches the age of 7 or 8 he has enough knowledge to do some level of business and is not considered like an insane person.

Answer: The Taz (Even HaEzer 17:13:9) says that since a child of 7 or 8 is mature enough to do business then he can be relied upon for aguna like any other non-real witness because we aren’t worried he’s insane but when talking about a funeral we are concerned they are making up stories so they have to give more details in order to prove they are telling the truth.

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Emor – Just One Shabbos


The Torah, in this week’s portion of Emor, requires a newborn animal set aside to be an offering to be 8 days old before it is allowed to be sacrificed, as it says: “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain under its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day onwards, it shall be accepted as a sacrifice for a fire offering to the Lord” (Vayikra 22:27).


The Medrish Rabba brings a parable as to why one must wait 7 days before bringing a newborn animal as a sacrifice which, it says, is also the reason why the bris milah is on the 8th day. “‘It shall remain under its mother for seven days.’ Rebbe Yehoshua of Sechnin said in the name of Rebbe Levi, a parable to a king who entered one of his provinces and decreed and said, ‘Which ever citizen here who would like to see my face must first see the face of the matron.’ So to, Hashem said, ‘You shall not bring before me an offering until Shabbos has passed, for there isn’t 7 days without Shabbos, and there isn’t a bris milah without a Shabbos, therefore the pasuk continues,‘and from the eighth day onwards’” (Vayikra Rabba 27:10).

The Yefeh Toar observes that the reason why Shabbos is compared to a matron is because Shabbos is referred to as the Shabbos Queen. The lesson learned from this comparison is that Shabbos is a testimony to the fact that G-D created the world, something from nothing, and that Hashem watches over and is involved in His lower species. This belief must come before everything. Therefore, those that bring an offering to burn before The Great Hashem without belief in the nuance of the world and Hashem’s constant involvement has an untruthful belief. For this reason, one Shabbos should pass before the mitzvah of bringing an offering and the mitzvah of bris milah. (Click here for Hebrew text.)


What kind of a person is this medrish referring to? If it is someone who does not have any belief at all then why is he bringing a sacrifice or giving his son a bris? Even if he is just doing what his family does because that is the Jewish thing to do, then what does one Shabbos do for him? He has no clue how or why to keep Shabbos properly, so one Shabbos passing won’t make him a believer? Yet, if this is referring to someone who is already a believer in Hashem and he is bringing a peace offering, burnt offering, or even a sin offering for accidentally sinning, then he is already a believer and he even has observed many Shabbosim until now; so what does this add? It can’t be for the sake of the animal or baby’s belief who were just born because they don’t have the intellectual capacity to think in these terms?!

It must be referring to a believer who until now, if you would ask him, of course he would say that Hashem created the world from nothing and has, is, and always will be consistently involved in its existence and in minor and minute details that exist in what He created. However, the experience of observing a Shabbos reinforces this belief before such a momentous event as a father connecting his son to the Jewish covenant with Hashem or a person bringing an offering on the altar of Hashem to more closely connect or reconnect with Him for whatever reason he or she is bringing the offering. This could be one of the reasons why we have a shalom zachor the first Shabbos after a baby boy is born, to acknowledge and reinforce this belief in Hashem, (see Sefer Taamei HaMinhagim: Inyanei Milah).

 Without the experience or observance of the first Shabbos when the baby boy or animal is born then whatever belief, as strong as it was, won’t be the same and in fact it’s as if the previous belief is nothing.  

There are infinite levels of belief in Hashem and all the facets of His involvement in this world. These beliefs must be constantly reinforced but there are specific auspicious times like when bringing an offering or bris milah where one is creating a special connection with Hashem so at these times Hashem requires one to experience a Shabbos in order to create a deeper impression of belief in preparation to connect with Hashem.

Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder

Vayikra 22:27).

The Medrish Rabba brings a parable as to why one must wait 7 days before bringing a newborn animal as a sacrifice which, it says, is also the reason why the bris milah is on the 8th day. “‘It shall remain under its mother for seven days.’ Rebbe Yehoshua of Sechnin said in the name of Rebbe Levi, a parable to a king who entered one of his provinces and decreed and said, ‘Which ever citizen here who would like to see my face must first see the face of the matron.’ So to, Hashem said, ‘You shall not bring before me an offering until Shabbos has passed, for there isn’t 7 days without Shabbos, and there isn’t a bris milah without a Shabbos, therefore the pasuk continues,‘and from the eighth day onwards’” (Vayikra Rabba 27:10).

The Yefeh Toar observes that the reason why Shabbos is compared to a matron is because Shabbos is referred to as the Shabbos Queen. The lesson learned from this comparison is that Shabbos is a testimony to the fact that G-D created the world, something from nothing, and that Hashem watches over and is involved in His lower species. This belief must come before everything. Therefore, those that bring an offering to burn before The Great Hashem without belief in the nuance of the world and Hashem’s constant involvement has an untruthful belief. For this reason, one Shabbos should pass before the mitzvah of bringing an offering and the mitzvah of bris milah. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What kind of a person is this medrish referring to? If it is someone who does not have any belief at all then why is he bringing a sacrifice or giving his son a bris? Even if he is just doing what his family does, because that is the Jewish thing to do, then what does one Shabbos do for him? He has no clue how or why to keep Shabbos properly, so one Shabbos passing won’t make him a believer? Yet, if this is referring to someone who is already a believer in Hashem and he is bringing a peace offering, burnt offering, or even a sin offering for accidentally sinning, then he is already a believer and he even has observed many Shabbosim until now; so what does this add? It can’t be for the sake of the animal or baby’s belief who were just born because they don’t have the intellectual capacity to think in these terms?!

It must be referring to a believer who until now, if you would ask him, of course he would say that Hashem created the world from nothing and has, is, and always will be consistently involved in it’s existence and in minor and minute details that exist in what He created. However, the experience of observing a Shabbos reinforces this belief before such a momentous event as a father connecting his son to the Jewish covenant with Hashem or a person bringing an offering  on the alter of Hashem to more closely connect or reconnect with Him for whatever reason he or she  is bringing the offering. This could be one of the reasons why we have a shalom zachor the first Shabbos after a baby boy is born, to acknowledge and reinforce this belief in Hashem, (see Sefer Taamei HaMinhagim: Inyanei Milah).

 Without the experience or observance of the first Shabbos when the baby boy or animal is born then whatever belief, as strong as it was, won’t be the same and in fact it’s as if the previous belief is nothing.  

There are infinite levels of belief in Hashem and all the facets of His involvement in this world. These beliefs must be constantly reinforced but there are specific auspicious times like when bringing an offering or bris milah where one is creating a special connection with Hashem so at these times Hashem requires one to experience a Shabbos in order to create a deeper impression of belief in preparation to connect with Hashem.

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Sefer Chofetz Chaim chapter 8 halachos 5,6

The prohibition of lashon hara only applies to someone who is considered “part of your nation” which excludes an apikores. An apikores is someone who denies the entire Torah came from Hashem or even doesn’t believe that one mitzvah or one drasha, like a kal vachomer or gezeila shava comes from Hashem. Now the avos diRebbe Nosson (16:5) says “A person can’t say I only love rabbis but simpletons (am haaratzim) I don’t love. You have to love every Jew besides an apikores and people who convince others to sin, as King David said, ‘Those that Hashem hates I hate’ (Tehillim 139:21).” An apikores is hated by Hashem because he willfully acknowledges Hashem’s Torah and denies it so it is permissible to speak out against him and degrade him to his face and behind his back since the verse says these prohibitions only apply to those who are acting within “your nation” but a non-observant Jew who doesn’t know any better, he’s a simpleton, who doesn’t know or understand the severity of Torah life should be loved by every Jew just like Hashem loves them and one cannot speak lashon hara about them.

One must have heard himself, blasphemous talk coming out of the mouth of the would be apikores to be allowed to speak out against him or if it is known everywhere, at least throughout the city, that a certain person or group is an apikores then it’s permissible to speak out against them, for example Jews for Jesus or, an extreme example, Hitler and Nazis who everyone agrees they were bad. But if you heard secondhand information that someone might be an apikores then you are allowed to take precautions and even tell others to stay easy from him for them until it’s confirmed but you can’t just speak out in public against them until verified.

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Torah Riddles Test #189

 2. Question: Why does the Ohr Letzion poskin that anyone can give a haircut to their 3 year old at anytime of the omer but the bottom Tosfos in Bava Metzia 10b says that not even women can cut off the peus of boys?

Background:

A. The negative mitzvah of cutting off peus on a Jewish Male doesn’t only apply to a man but even a woman can’t do the action even to a boy who is not obligated in mitzvos but the women still transgressed the prohibition of cutting off the sidelocks. (See Tosfos there.)

B. The laws of mourning don’t apply to children whether it is for a relative who died or during the 3 weeks leading into Tisha b’av etc.

C. Not cutting hair during the omer is a custom in order to remember the loss of Rebbe Akiva’s students.

 Answer: Mourning doesn’t apply to a child at all so anyone can cut his hair even if they are mourning since not cutting hair only reflect mourning which doesn’t apply to the child but the prohibition of cutting off peus is an issue on the cutter not just the one being done to so even if the child isn’t obligated in the mitzvah as of yet but the hair cutter or the one allowing the hair cut to be done is.