The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Seitzei

A Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to my nephew Nochum Aharon Shonek on his marriage last night to Chaviva Rosenfeld of Monsey, NY. Mazal Tov to the extended Shonek, Bulka and Jakobovits mishpachos.

One of the many topics covered in this week's parsha is that of marriage and divorce. The term used for the divorce document is geit. The first Tosafos in maseches Gittin (which daf yomi recently completed) teaches us that being that the gematria of geit is 12, it is the custom to make all gittin 12 lines long. The question asked in the name of the GR"A (although it is not so clear that it was his question) is why did Chaza"l decide to use specifically this word which has no meaning elsewhere? Why did they not choose any other combination of letters which adds up to 12? He gives a fascinating answer. The letters gimmel and tes are never found next to each other in any one word in all of Tana"ch! This combination therefore symbolizes how, with a geit, a couple has become separated.

What is even more fascinating is the question that R' Chaim Kanievsky, zt"l, asks on this. Why use gimmel and tes to convey this idea? Gimmel-kuf, zayin-tes, zayin-tzadi and samech-tzadi are also never found next to each other in all of Tana"ch!! He gives two answers, although they are not nearly as entertaining as the question. First, none of those combinations adds up to 12. Second, gimmel-tes is the first combination encountered when starting from the beginning of the Aleph-Bais.

Have a good Shabbos.

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Weekly Shtikle: Mitzvas Zechiras Amaleik this week?

Dikdukian: Shiluah Ha...

Dikdukian: Shva vs Kamatz by R' Ari Storch

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

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - Shofetim

In parshas Mishpatim we are taught of the prohibition against the accepting of bribes as well as the drastic ramifications thereof. Here we are told that (Shemos 23:8) "bribery blinds the open-eyed and perverts the words of the righteous." In a very similar pasuk in this week's parsha we are told that (16:19) "bribery blinds the eyes of the wise man and perverts the words of the righteous." The word pikchim is replaced with chachamim.

 

The GR"A explains that the references to a judge as a pikei'ach and a chacham pertain to two separate requirements a judge must meet. The word chacham always refers to Torah wisdom. A judge must always be aware of the pertinent laws and know how to judge a case in accordance with the Torah. However, there may be times when the law will dictate a certain judgement in a case, but the judge senses an element of corruption in the testimony. Indeed, the gemara (Shevuos 30b) teaches that in such a case, a judge should trust his senses. For this, a judge must be worldly and understand the people in order to accurately analyse the testimony. This is the meaning of a pikei'ach.

To explain why each pasuk is found in its specific parsha, it is interesting to note that the names of the two parshios are very similar. Mishpatim refers principally to the laws by which we are governed. Therefore, the commandments tend to address the nation more generally. Shofetim refers to the individuals who are to carry out those laws. Therefore, the prohibition against bribery is addressed to the chachamim only, while the reference in Mishpatim appears to address everyone, at least those who wish to be regarded as a pikei'ach.

 

There is another discrepancy between the two pesukim that the GR"A does not deal with. The pasuk in this week's parsha refers to the "eyes of the chachamim" whereas with regards to pikchim in Mishpatim there is no mention of the eyes, rather the pikchim will be blinded. Perhaps this may be understood based on the GR"A's explanation. That which is seen by the eyes represents a certain degree of reality. As the saying goes, "seeing is believing." Likewise, the Torah laws that govern the judgement are absolute, undebatable truths. Nevertheless, a bribe can distort one's perception of reality to the point that he is blinded even to these truths. This is reflected in the pasuk in our parsha.

 

The vision of a pikei'ach is much more abstract. His perception of the testimony is his own judgement call. There are no absolute rights and wrongs. Thus, the blinding is less severe. For this reason, the pikei'ach is not referred to with regards to his eyes like the chacham is.

 

Furthermore, we find that the chachamim are referred to (Vayikra 4:13) as eini hakahal, the eyes of the community. In a spiritual sense, the chachamim represent the eyes of the nation, leading and guiding us with their vision. For this reason, the eyes are mentioned regarding the chachamim and not the pikchim.

 

Have a chodesh tov and good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Weekly Shtikle: Additional Symbolism of the Shofar

Dikdukian: Two of a Kind

Dikdukian: Clean Blood

 

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

 

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - Re'eih

This week's parsha contains a number of sections related to various types of avodah zarah. Nowadays, it is very difficult for us to comprehend the strong inclination towards idol worship that existed in those times. This is because, as the gemara (Sanhedrin 64a) explains, the yeitzer hara for avodah zarah was destroyed during the early years of the second Beis HaMikdash through some supernatural process. However, certain nuances in the pesukim offer us an insight into avodah zarah which perhaps may help us combat the pseudo-avodos zaros of our day.

 

First, the Torah warns us (12:30) "lest you inquire after their gods, saying: 'How do these nations serve their gods? I shall do likewise.'" The Torah is clearly warning against the dangers of what might be disguised as "intellectual curiosity." One is only permitted to study the ways of the nations if it is clearly done in order to know how to answer their challenges or the challenges of another who is arguing their point of view. To simply explore their gods and their worship out of curiosity is unfortunately where it all begins.

 

The Torah then proceeds to discuss three different examples of how idolatry might come to infiltrate the community. First, there is the false prophet. Then there is the meisis, the friend or family member who privately attempts to lure another towards idolatry. Last, we have the city which turns as a whole towards other gods. In each case we find a common term used by the seducer:  "Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them." Again, we find that the idolater is always looking to appeal to the curious side of his victim. He is not attempting to lure you into worshiping a deity with whom you are somewhat familiar. He uses the mystery of the unknown to pique your interest. Throughout these sections, the Torah is repeatedly reminding us to keep our intellectual curiosity in check.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: Oh Deer!

Dikdukian: Jewish Milk

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

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.

The Weekly Shtikle - EIkev

This past Wednesday, the 15^th of Av, marked the 14^th yahrtzeit of my Opa, Mr. George Jakobovits. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Tovia Yehudah ben Yoel, a'h.

 

There are a number of interesting little differences between the first parsha of keriyas shema, which we read last week, and the second which we read this week. One of them is that in the first parsha, the mitzvah of keriyas shema, the words "beshivt'cha beveisecha, uv'lechtecha vaderech" are written before the mitzvah of tefillin is mentioned. It is the other way around in the second parsha.

 

R' Chaim Kanievsky, zt"l, in his unique manner, offers a novel explanation. The Beiur Halacha in the beginning of siman 58 concludes that keriyas shema kevasikin, i.e. immediately prior to haneitz hachamah (sunrise), takes precedence over davening with tefillin. If you can do only one or the other, it is better to recite shema kevasikin. Rashi has explained that the first parsha speaks to a yachid, a single individual while the second parsha is addressing the rabbim, the masses. The gemara (Yoma 37b) asserts that a tzibbur does not have the ability to synchronize all together kevasikin. Therefore, it is definitely suggested that the tzibbur daven at a time where they would be putting on tefillin.

 

So, the first parsha which refers to a yachid, puts keriyas shema first because for a singular individual, performing this mitzvah in its ideal manner takes precedence over the mitzvah of tefillin. But the second parsha speaks to the rabbim, so it puts tefillin first since for them, it takes precedence as keriyas shema in its ideal time is not a recognizable reality.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: To Afflict the Corrector

Dikdukian: To Make a Misnaged Cringe

Dikdukian: Those Bad Egyptians

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

 

--
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to shtiklelist+unsubscribe@weeklyshtikle.com.