The Weekly Shtikle - Noach

This past Wednesday, 28 Tishrei, was the 23^nd yahrtzeit of my dear friend, Daniel Scarowsky, z"l.

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

 

A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to my nephew Yaakov Yeres of Cherry Hill on his bar mitzvah this Shabbos. Mazal tov to the extended Yeres and Stark families.

There are many questions surrounding Noah's sending of the two birds at the end of the episode of the mabul. Last year, we explored what the actual purpose was in the first place. Another interesting issue that is discussed is whether Noach was even permitted to send these birds out. After all, he was commanded to enter the teivah and waited explicitly for HaShem's direction to leave.

One of the most fascinating approaches comes from Netziv in Ha'amek Davar. He suggests that this raven and dove were actually not from the pairs of animals brought along for survival. Rather, as a member of the nobility, Noach possessed these birds as pets which was evidently customary even in earlier times. Therefore, these birds were allowed to be let out. (See a further discussion there as to why these specific birds were chosen.)

It occurred to me that this interpretation might explain another nuance in the pesukim. Both the raven and the dove are referred to (8:7-8) in the definite form – ha'oreiv and ha'yonah. If Noach just took any one of those birds, it should have just said, for example, vayeshalach yonah. But if these were his own special birds that he owned, the use of the definite form is much more understandable.

*****

On the lighter side (since, as illustrated below, the teiva was quite heavy): A good friend of mine and noted author, Mordechai Bodek, wrote a homourous book called Extracts From Noah's Diary. Every year since, I have forgotten to insert a plug for the book. This year (with his help,) I finally remembered.

Have a good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Al Pi Cheshbon: The Weight of the Teiva and The Constant Rate of Recession 
AstroTorah: Sailing the Friendly Skies by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: The World's First Boat?

AstroTorah: Interesting Calendrical Facts About the Mabul

Dikdukian: Noach's Three Sons

Dikdukian: Different Ways to Wake Up

Dikdukian: Take it Easy

Dikdukian: Geshem vs. Gashem

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The Weekly Shtikle - Sukkos

As part of the requisite mitzvos pertaining to Sukkos, we are told (Vayikra 23:42) "You shall dwell in sukkos for a seven-day period." Interestingly, the word sukkos is in plural. The first inclination would be that this is because the nation as a whole will dwell, collectively, in many sukkos. However, the adjacent pasuk referring to the mitzvah of the four species refers to the esrog as pri eitz hadar in singular form, despite the fact that the nation as a whole will be taking many. In fact, it is further puzzling that the rest of the species are referred to in the plural. The hadassim and aravos are understandable. But the lulav, of which we only take one, is also in plural.

     

For now, I would like to address only the discrepancy in the wording of sukkos. There is a significant difference between the mitzvah of sukkah and that of lulav and esrog. The mitzvah to take a lulav and esrog is very personal and private in nature. This is epitomized by the fact that one must own his own four species and cannot fulfill the mitzvah with someone else's.

 

The mitzvah of sukkah, by contrast, is one that naturally includes others, notwithstanding the opinion of R' Eliezer (Sukkah 27) that one must remain in the same sukkah for the duration of the chag. Everyone makes the sukkah their temporary dwelling, the place where they eat all of their meals. Some are unable to make their own. Families and individuals, whether they have their own sukkah or not, are almost certain to share this mitzvah with others, either by eating in others' sukkah or inviting them eat in their own. Therefore, the mitzvah of sukkah is given in the plural because it is the intention that one should eat in many sukkos whereas the mitzvah of lulav and esrog can only be fulfilled with one's own set of the four species.

Have a good Yom Tov and good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Sukas Dovid Hanofeles

Al Pi Cheshbon: Number of bakashos in Ya'aleh veYavo

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The Weekly Shtikle - Yom Kippur

In this tumultuous presidential election campaign season, there has been no shortage of entertaining memes. One video clip shows one of the candidates repeating the exact same line over and over again in various different speeches. In numerous different settings, this candidate is seen claiming to "see what can be, unburdened by what has been." While it is certainly a laughable string of clips, there might actually be a valuable message behind this catchphrase, extremely pertinent to Yom Kippur and the ideas of teshuvah.

This point is best brought out with a beautiful thought I heard from R' Tzvi Mordechai Feldheim in the name of R' Shimon Schwab, zt"l. Each and every night, in the hashkiveinu prayer we recite during maariv, we beseech HaShem to "remove the satan from in front of us and behind us." The satan in front of us is simple enough to understand. This is the force that stands between us and becoming closer to HaShem. It is ever-present, drawing us toward sin and preventing us from performing mitzvos. But what is the nature of the satan behind us?

Rav Schwab explains that the satan behind us is the cynical voice that emerges when we try to make significant change. It is particularly active during this time of year. When we make up our minds to do teshuvah, the satan behind us says "yeah, that's what you said last year, and the year before." It has you believing that things must stay the same because that's the way they have always been. (Perhaps we should name him Newton.) We ask HaShem nightly for assistance in combating this force that pulls us down and burdens us by what has been.

Have a good Shabbos and a gemar chasimah… tov? {See below)

 

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

 

Weekly Shtikle Blog Roundup:

Dikdukian: Remember Us for the Good

Dikdukian: A Happy Ending

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The Weekly Shtikle - Rosh HaShanah

I assume that I'm not the only one who, more than once, while itching for the end of mussaf on Rosh HaShanah, has read Artscroll's explanation of the symbolism behind the 100 shofar blasts. The source is Eliyahu Ki Tov's Sefer HaToda'ah, wherein he explains that Devorah, in her song following the defeat of Sisera and his Canaanite army, states (Shofetim 5:28-30) that Sisera's mother whimpered and groaned while she awaited her sons return. She did so 101 times, according to the midrash. We sound the shofar 100 "whimpers" to express our opposition to the barbarism Sisera's mother supported but we fall short by one blast to show the smallest inkling of sympathy for her pain.

Surely, there must be more behind this connection. The mother's whimpers are not enough for us to base such a significant custom on this episode in Tanach. (I have always thought it ironic that the heroine of the story of Sisera's defeat was Yael who single-handedly killed the ruthless general. The mishnah (Rosh HaShanah 3:3) states that the shofar used on Rosh HaShanah is the straight horn of an ibex, a "yael." This observation is made slightly less significant by the fact that our custom is not in accordance with that mishnah.)

The theme of Rosh HaShanah is accepting upon ourselves the yoke of HaShem's Kingship. We do this every day when we recite the Shema and declare that HaShem is One. The essence of a king is a single, authoritative entity with no superior and no equal. Thus, recognizing HaShem's oneness is a crucial part of accepting His Dominion. To achieve that recognition, we must come to accept that the good and the bad, life and death (as in this past week's parsha) all come from a single source. In the Torah, we are often confronted with seemingly contradictory messages - messages of kindness and compassion alongside messages of apparent cruelty and destruction. As well, on Rosh HaShanah, we often reflect upon the events that have transpired over the past year - the blessings and the good fortune, the tragedies and hardships. The challenge, again, is to realize that these are not conflicts but simply Divine decrees.

The story of Sisera presents a very similar challenge (although not necessarily unique in Tanach.) We read about poor Sisera - all he wanted was a glass of water and what did he get? A glass of milk and a tent pole through his skull. And then we read about his poor, grieving mother. Yet we must be careful to keep our emotions in check, to realize that Sisera was a man of great cruelty and that his demise was the will of HaShem and an essential component of B'nei Yisrael's miraculous victory. With this, the story of Sisera's demise is more closely related not only to shofar, but to the general theme of Rosh HaShanah itself.

This challenge has certainly become more prevalent over the past year. In the response to the horrific terror attacks of a year ago, we have witnessed scenes of heart-wrenching devastation. While these scenes evoke feelings of sympathy, we must also understand that this destruction is part of a necessary step to uproot evil and keep our people safe. I am not in a position to suggest exactly how to strike the balance of those emotions, just to observe that the challenge exists.

May you all have a shanah tovah umsukah, a kesiva vachasimah tovah and a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: HAL

Dikdukian: Remember us for the Good

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The Weekly Shtikle - Nitzavim / Vayeilech

This week's shtikle comes with some sad news, the passing of my dear uncle, Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin, z"l, in Yerushalayim. This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Yisrael ben Refael Zev, z"l.

Nitzavim contains a most important and timely discussion of the significance of teshuvah and the study of Torah. The pesukim proclaim 

 "For this mitzvah (the whole Torah, according to Rashi) that I command you today is not removed from you, nor is it far. It is not in the heavens that you may say who will go up to the heavens and take it for us and teach it to us and we shall do it. Nor is it across the sea that you may say who will cross the sea and take it for us and teach us and we shall do it." (30:11-13)

At first glance, this passage seems to be expressing a leniency, comforting us that Torah and teshuvah are not out of our grasp. These are not difficult things for us to achieve. However, R' Kulefsky, zt"l, points out that Rashi reveals that in fact, the passage may be indicating the exact opposite. Rashi quotes from the gemara (Eiruvin 55a) that while the Torah is reassuring us that it is not across the sea or in the heavens and therefore, one need not journey there to attain it, it is implying that if it were, we would be expected to go such lengths. The Torah is, in fact, relating a stringency in HaShem's expectations of us. No matter how far from our reach the Torah is, no matter what extremes are necessary to grasp it, those extremes are nevertheless expected of us.

R' Kulefsky would illustrate this idea with a story that was told of R' Zalman of Volozhin, the brother of R' Chayim. When studying late at night, if he were to need a sefer which was not immediately available to him, he would not simply move on. He would travel even to another city to obtain that sefer. His actions were based on the above. If the Torah were across the sea or in the heavens, one would be expected to sojourn there to attain it. If the Torah he seeks is in another city, surely he is expected to make the journey.

Have a good Shabbos and a kesivah vachasimah tovah.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Dikdukian: Nitzavim Takes it on the Nee

Dikdukian: Don't you Worry

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The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Savo

As a general rule, the passage chosen for the haftarah is meant to mirror the Torah portion in one or many ways. We are currently in the midst of the seven consecutive haftaros of nechamah, comfort, as a rebound from the three devastating haftaros we read in the lead-up to Tish'ah B'Av. Still, at the same time, there are definitely connections to be made to the parsha. There is one that stood out to me in the case of Ki Savo.

In this week's haftarah, we find among the comforting words of Yeshaya (60:17) that HaShem will replace copper with gold, iron with silver, wood with copper and stone with iron. The most prominent portion of the parsha is, of course, the ominous tochacha. In it we find the following warnings: (28:23) "The skies above you be like copper, and the earth underneath you iron." (28:36) "…where you will serve other gods of wood and stone." (28:48) "an iron yoke."

The Torah uses specific materials in expressing the curses that will befall us if we do not follow in the proper path. Those very materials are then used in the comforting words of the haftarah. (It is interesting to note that while the tochacha does not mention gold and silver specifically, it does mention gods of wood and stone. Very early in next week's parsha, there is a reference (29:16) to gods of wood and stone, silver and gold.)

Have a good Shabbos.

 

Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:
Al Pi Cheshbon: Balancing the Shevatim 

Dikdukian: Tough Day at the Office

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The Weekly Shtikle - Ki Seitzei

Did you have unusual difficulty reciting kiddush levanah last week? You are not alone. See my post on the subject.

I also direct you to an intriguing (short) shiur from Rabbi Dovid Heber regarding the special uniqueness of tonight's kiddush al hakos. Don't worry if you only see this after Shabbos. Next week's is even more special. View or listen on TorahAnytime.

In this week's parsha we are taught of the prohibition against plowing with an ox and a donkey together (22:10). Rashi writes that this prohibition applies to any combination of two animals. Rambam, however, is of the opinion that this applies only to a combination of a kosher animal and a non-kosher animal. Ba'al HaTurim explains that if the non-kosher animal sees the kosher animal chewing its cud it will think that it was fed and this will cause unnecessary distress to the non-kosher animal. R' Yaakov Kamenetsky in Emes l'Yaakov notes that this reasoning is not sufficient for Rambam's opinion. According to that reasoning, it would be permitted to plow with an ox and a camel, both of which chew their cud. However, Rambam clearly holds that it is forbidden.

Sifsei Kohein explains this pasuk in a symbolic manner. He writes that the words lo sacharosh beshor uvachamor yachdav are indicative of a prohibition against the extensive discussion and deliberation on the matter of the two צessiahs, Mashiach ben Yoseif and Mashiach ben David. The shor is a reference to Mashiach ben Yoseif, as we see that on Yoseif it is said (33:17) bechor shoro.. The chamor refers to Mashiach ben Dovid who is described (Zechariah 9:9) as ani verocheiv al chamor. The word tacharosh refers to thinking, plowing of the mind so to speak, as it does in Mishlei 3:29.

Sha'arei Aharon cautions, however, that this position of the Sifsei Kohein is not to be confused with the constant requirement we have to anticipate the coming of mashiach as stated in Chavakuk 2:3 and stressed more strongly in the gemara (Shabbos 31a). We are commanded to yearn for the deliverance of mashiach constantly and, as stated in the Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith, based on the pasuk in Chavakuk, even if he tarries, still we wait for him every day that he shall come. The unnecessary deliberation over the technicalities involved in the coming of mashiach, explains Sha'arei Aharon, ultimately facilitates a lapse in the fulfillment of these duties. If we know too much of when and how he will come, we will no longer yearn for his appearance daily as we are required.

Have a good Shabbos.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Shiluah Ha...

Dikdukian: Shva vs Kamatz by R' Ari Storch

 

        Shiluach HaKein Game

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