The Weekly Shtikle Blog

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Thursday, October 27

The Weekly Shtikle - Bris / Bereishis

This coming Sunday, 28 Tishrei, is the Yahrtzeit of my dear friend, Daniel Scarowsky, z"l.

This week's shtikle is dedicated leiluy nishmaso, Daniel Moshe Eliyahu ben Yitzchak.

Earlier today was the bris of our baby boy whom we named Yitzchak Chaim. Below are some thoughts expressed at the seudah.


Parshas Bereishis is a very appropriate week for us to be making this Bris. We have just finished a complete cycle of the Torah, one we've been through over and over again. And here we are, cycling back all the way to the beginning and starting all over again. We've done this year in and year out and still we approach it once again as a new beginning. It was just less than 4 months ago we were standing here celebrating Efrayim's Bar Mitzvah. Now, don't worry, I definitely realize that we are by no means done but a Bar Mitzvah certainly does signify a momentous checkpoint in the cycle of life not just for the child but for the parents as well. And here we are now starting a whole new beginning, trying to dust off the cobwebs of baby parenthood, trying to figure out yet again the best way to change a diaper. It certainly brings the timing into perspective.

My father challenged me to try to find some hints to bris milah in the parsha. While that might be somewhat difficult, the references to childbirth and child-rearing are almost too easy. But I'd like to reflect on a point that the Rav spoke about in his drashah this past Shabbos. To summarize, the challenges of chinuch must be tackled long before they appear to become relevant. The effort you put into building a home and raising your children must start well before they enter this world. There is a Rashi which seems to directly support this point. Harbah arbeh itzevoneich veheironeich, b'etzev teiledi vanim (3:16). "I will intensify your pain and travail, with great pain you will bear children." Rashi understands the first term, itzevoneich, as a reference to tza'ar gidul banim, the anguish involved in raising children. It is only the next two that refer to the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. There is certainly so much that can be discussed about this pasuk but the glaring nuance to me has always been this interesting chronology placing the challenge of tza'ar gidul banim first. Although it has been argued that since Chava had already given birth when the curse was given, it made sense for tza'ar gidul banim to come first, I still believe that this pasuk, with Rashi's interpretation is teaching us this lesson of how early this challenge must be addressed.

The name we chose for our son, Yitzchak Chaim, is the name of my wife Haviva's father's father, Rabbi Yitzchak Yeres. Haviva shared a very special bond with her grandparents from her many visits to the Bronx and as well, during her years in Eretz Yisrael. I came into the family at the later stages of his life. He was not able to attend our wedding but I did have the good fortune of being able to meet Sabba Rabba and Savta Rabba, as they were called, when we visited Eretz Yisrael early in our marriage. What I found so striking was not only his nei'mus, the sweetness with which he interacted with everyone around him with his radiant smile, but how quickly and seamlessly that sweetness became apparent. It wasn't hidden under many layers; he wore it on his sleeve. I still have fond memories of our one visit and how he called for our taxi back to Yerushalayim and escorted us to the car to pre-pay and make sure we got in, like he did for so many other grandchildren. I can still recall the sweetness of his voice in the annual birthday voicemails he would leave. And the truth is, you could even feel it in the emails he would write. I brought with me a publication that was put out by the family after his passing for the benefit of those who did not know him to perhaps get a glimpse of what I'm trying to portray. One of the iconic photos of Sabba Rabba is of him pensively but joyfully holding the lulav and esrog in shul on Sukkos.  So it is most fitting that our Yitzchak Chaim was born on Sukkos. Although we were already decided on the name, I was actually looking for some sort of sign after he was born. Haviva was placed in room 174 which I quickly calculated was the gematria of עקד, which was good enough for me. Of course, it's never a bad idea to have a solid mnemonic to make sure you always get the right hospital room.

Sabba Rabba was born in the 1920's in Camden, NJ. The environment in America back then, of course, was one where maintaining a religious Jewish identity was hardly a foregone conclusion. Supplementing a public-school education with afternoon Talmud Torah was the norm. But he persevered and ultimately married and settled in the Bronx and taught limudei kodesh in Ramaz. Remarkably, after retiring, in his 60'she returned to Yeshiva University to complete his semichah which he had started many years prior and actually finished with one of his other sons. Even in his later years after having made aliyah, he always made time for learning. I often enjoy hearing stories about how Sabba Rabba and Savta Rabba used to live their pashut, simple lives in ways we cannot even fathom these days. We see fancy houses and cars and other various luxuries and feel that is something we would like to have but really it is our minds playing with us and convincing us that those exterior items might make our lives better. But if we really sat down with a clear and honest mind we would realize that the real true kin'ah, that which we really crave, is the ability to live life as simply as they did in bygone generations without any desire for all the new-fangled indulgences we enjoy today. Although this might be a lofty goal to seek, the stories we hear from the olden days in the Bronx give us – at the very least – a small taste of what that life was like.

There are truly so many ways in which we wish our little Yitzchak Chaim to emulate his namesake, to be an aliyah for the neshamah and ultimately be a source of – as Sabba Rabba would often say – harbeh nachat.
Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: And the Days Was
AstroTorah: The Two Luminaries

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com
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Sunday, October 23

The Weekly Shtikle - Baby on Sukkos

With overflowing gratitude to HaShem, we are overjoyed to announce the arrival of a beautiful little 8-pound baby boy this past Wednesday night. Both Mommy and Baby and are doing well, B"H, and were home for Shabbos. The following are some thoughts I expressed at the Shalom Zachar.

Going through the mishnayos of Sukkah, there is some intriguing discussion relating to childbirth and early childhood, as they pertain to sukkah. In the Mishnah (2:8) discussing the exemption of children of the mitzvah, and the limitations of that exemption, it is mentioned that upon the birth of a grandchild, Shammai the Elder arranged a makeshift sukkah over the bed of his daughter-in-law on the baby's behalf. This represents a more extreme view on the age at which children become required to eat in a sukkah for the purposes of chinuch. The more lenient, mainstream opinion of chachamim is that a child becomes obligated in the mitzvah of sukkah when he is no longer dependent upon his mother. The gemara explains that this refers to a child who calls only once and then is silent. After all, even children who are over Bar Mitzvah and fully obligated do need their mothers for something every now and then. It is certainly an interesting perspective, bringing a baby into this world who is totally and completely dependent on others for every aspect of his life, looking ahead to a time down the road when he will achieve his own self-sufficiency.

This more lenient position is also interesting in its own right. There are general laws pertaining to chinuch across the board relating to all mitzvos. But it seems that sukkah has its own unique parameters defining a child's obligation. Furthermore, why is it specifically this aspect that defines the time at which a child is ready for this mitzvah?

The general idea of the mitzvah of sukkah is that we leave the secure walls of our house and dwell in a somewhat flimsy hut with an even weaker roof. What this transition symbolizes is that we realize that the protections and fortifications we have built for ourselves are superficial in nature and as façade to the reality that it is HaShem who is truly protecting us and watching over us. We step outside and subject ourselves to the elements to let go of our perceived independence and recognize our actual dependence on HaShem. A child who is anyway fully dependent on others for everything cannot appreciate this idea. It is only when a child has reached some level of their own independence that they can truly grasp what it means to let go of it for a week. Therefore, the beginning of the child's obligation to eat in the sukkah is defined by this aspect of their development.

Have a good Yom Tov.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:


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The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

Friday, October 14

The Weekly Shtikle - Haazinu

In the concise, yet powerful, rebuke contained in this week's parsha, we are warned (32:26) of a time when HaShem will consider our utter and complete destruction, to put an end to us and our memory. However, HaShem will hold back for the reasons explained in the very next pasuk. "Were it not that I dreaded the enemy's provocation, ... lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, and it is not HaShem who has wrought all this." It is the enemy's blasphemous arrogance that turns HaShem's anger to them and spares us.

It is easy to read this or observe this and allow it to pass by as simply a "close call." But that is clearly not sufficient. In order for HaShem's rage to be turned toward our enemies, we must make sure to possess the very merits they lack. If they are to meet their demise because they were unable to see HaShem's Hand in their victory, then certainly it is incumbent upon us to see HaShem's hand in our defeat. When difficult times are upon us, we must not lose sight of the fact that everything is part of HaShem's plan. If we are able to face adversity and accept that it is HaShem's will, it is that very virtue that causes HaShem to turn His wrath from us upon those who refuse to acknowledge His Divine Hand. If not, we are no better than they are so why should we be saved?

This is indeed a task not to be taken lightly and perhaps one that evolves over the generations and the various challenges we face as a nation. When we face Godless and faithless enemies relying completely on their own might and not recognizing any Divine intervention, this distinction is easily made clear. However, an enemy claiming to serve and fear God and act on His will demands an even greater level of faith from us. It is imperative for us to emerge as the true believers in order to ensure that HaShem's wrath is directed at our enemies.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com
The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com