lekavod shabbos · 2020. 12. 23. · licensed shochet (a ritual kosher slaughter) a mohel for the...

LeKavod Shabbos Magazine VAYIGASH 5781 THE JEWISH HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND 1

LeKavod Shabbos

Vayigash 5781 12/25/2020 Printable Shabbos Reading Materials Specially Formatted for Easy Reading For a free subscription, email [email protected]

Srulie Toiv- Editor / Stories Compiled by Daniel Keren לעילוי נשמת נחמה בת ר׳ נח ע״ה Nothing Is Coincidental, Not Even a Set of Sofas By Sofya Sara Esther Tamarkin

Shmuel Aulov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (then part of the Soviet Union), and came to the United States as a teenager in 1991. He went to public school and had little knowledge of Judaism. When Shmuel, known as Alex, was 15, his cousins invited him to an event in a synagogue. He remembers that the rabbi inquired about his last name. “The rabbi asked me if I was a Kohen. I did not know the answer. The rabbi told me to ask my father, & when I did, I was surprised to learn that our family are Kohanim. “Raised in the Soviet Union, we couldn’t openly practice our traditions, and my father never told me about our special role among the Jewish people. I went back to the rabbi to share my news, and he confirmed that in fact my last name, Aulov, was common among Kohanim. “He

Please Daven for Cholei Yisroel & R’ Dovid Tzvi Ben Rifka Rochel

In memory of Yitzhak Garfunkel ע״ה

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/23400/jewish/Tamarkin-Sofya-Sara-Esther.htm


explained that this meant that I have special responsibilities among the Jewish people. I felt both curious and empowered by this newly discovered role.” Shmuel began to learn about Judaism and his role as a Cohen. He dedicated hundreds of hours to learning, eventually completing the entire Talmud. In time, he became a licensed shochet (a ritual kosher slaughter) & a mohel for the Bukharian community in New York. He became a teacher for bar mitzvah age boys, patiently teaching them their Torah portion, rejoicing in celebrating each child’s milestone. Shmuel’s wife, Leah, was making her own sacrifices by sharing her husband’s time with those in need of his guidance and wisdom. As time passed, the Aulov family was ready to move into a more spacious apartment. Leah recalls, “I was excited to buy furniture, matching accessories and fixtures for our new home in Queens, N.Y. While shopping around, we were happy to hear that our friend found a wholesale furniture company that offered magnificent discounts in Philadelphia, where she lives. On Sunday, we set up an appointment to see the showroom, driving 2 hours to the warehouse. “We decided on the furniture for the children’s rooms, master bedroom & kitchen. Yet there was no option we liked for our living room. The warehouse owner suggested that we take a set of black couches that included an armchair, a love seat & a sofa for almost no cost. This was his last set, he explained, & he wanted to give it away. While my husband found this to be a great saving, I wasn’t thrilled. The couches were black & didn’t match the design of our new living room. But I decided to make it work for the time being. “The owner offered


to deliver our furniture on his truck. While following the truck home, my mother called me with a surprise. My parents had decided to give us a gift: white leather couches that I had always dreamed about for our living room. Alex & I were so grateful. “Now the issue was what to do with the set of black couches. My husband & I decided to donate the set to anyone who needed furniture. I called a friend & asked if she or anyone she knows might need a new set of couches. She told me that she had recently bought new furniture; however, her sister-in-law was looking for new couches. Then my friend paused & added that this family is very ‘particular’ & only wanted furniture in black. This seemed like a match made in Heaven, & my husband & I were so pleased to offer to deliver the set on our way home.” It’s not often that we learn of the complexity of someone’s circumstances or what role we play in seemingly random occurrences. A few hours after we parted, Leah called to share the full side of this unbelievable story. One year ago, Leah’s friend’s sister-in-law & her husband lost their precious 3-year-old daughter. She fell asleep on the couch & died in her sleep from a brain aneurysm. In total despair, the family threw away their old couches & decided not to have any living-room furniture for the entire year. As time went on & the horrific year was coming to the end, the family symbolically decided to purchase a set of black living-room couches. But due to their overwhelming depression, the family had also suffered financial difficulties and were struggling to make ends meet. When Leah asked if anyone needed furniture, she was unaware that the offer to donate black couches


came a few days before the 1st year anniversary of the tragic event. Shmuel remembers, “It was clear that without understanding the ‘plan,’ we were part of something bigger than we thought. Here we were, buying furniture for our new home, & hours later, we were at the door of the family who suffered an unimaginable loss. I knew that we were at the right time in the right place. “We rang the doorbell and introduced ourselves to the couple. It was difficult to conceal our emotions. Leah simply said that her friend suggested that the set of new black couches might find its home here. The family was surprised at our visit but agreed to accept our delivery. Their reaction as the new couches were being unloaded from the truck was indescribable. ‘It’s a miracle,’ I heard the woman say. ‘A message.’ “Leah & I stood silently, as the family saw the black couches simply appear in front of their house at the time they needed them.” Events around us are not chaotic occurrences, but carefully crafted, interwoven threads of one “big picture.” In the words of the Rebbe, in a letter in 1951, to someone who was experiencing anxiety: “Looking from the inner dimension, firmly affix your thought with simple faith possessed by all Jews who are ‘believers and sons of believers’ that G d, who created the world 5711 years ago, creates the world anew each & every moment, & conducts it according to His will.” Our world is wired by our individual journeys, meeting in time & space in accordance with the Artist’s vision. This makes each one of us an irreplaceable fiber interwoven into the fabric of the master plan, designed by the Creator of the World, Himself. Chabad.Org Magazine.


Wedding Hardships By Eliezer Shore

My wedding day “the happiest day of my life, my long awaited dream come true, the blessing for which I prayed daily.” At least, that is what it was supposed to be. Some people get married amid fanfare and grand excitement, with all the thunder and lightning of Mount Sinai. For others, meeting their life-partner is more like encountering a long-lost friend, and marriage like slipping on a pair of comfortable house shoes. There are those, however, who fairly have to drag themselves to the chupah (wedding canopy) their cold feet weighing them down like icebergs. On the verse, “G-d makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners “b’koshorot” (Psalms 68:7), Chazal comment, “Some people marry in bechi (tears) and some people marry in shir (song)” ( Bereishis Rabbah 68:4). Sadly, I was among the former. After ten frustrating years on the shiduch scene, having spoken to dozens of matchmakers, dated hundreds of girls and shed a thousand tears, I finally met the woman who was going to be my wife. We went out a total of seven times before becoming engaged, and a mere three months later, I was already donning my wedding suit and preparing for the ceremony. My bride was excited, my friends overjoyed, and my parents relieved. Only I was terrified. Looking back now, almost two decades later, I can admit that marriage had been for me a terrifying prospect - one that became exponentially worse the older I grew. I was thirty-seven at the time, and all those years of hopeless dating had taken their


toll on me, filling me with doubts and fears: Is she the right one? Am I making a mistake? Should I wait for someone better? But, as I said, at that moment, straightening my tie and dusting off my new hat, these questions were no longer relevant. The wedding day was now upon us and it was far too late to back out (though the thought had crossed my mind). I recalled a famous quote, “Send not to know for whom the wedding bell tolls. It tolls for thee. To make matters worse, I was alone in my doubts, with no one to share my fears but G-d Himself, to whom I turned in constant, heartfelt prayers. I spent the day of my wedding rushing around Jerusalem on last minute errands, praying Mincha at the Kotel, immersing in a mikvah. My good friend Simcha accompanied me through all this. As my shomer (“protector”) , I suspect that he saw his job more as preventing me from running away than getting me to the chupah safely. By the time we finished all the errands it was already late, and the time to set out for the hall had slipped past. I quickly changed into my wedding suit at Simcha’s house, near the Bar-Ilan intersection in north Jerusalem, and prepared to set out for our destination: the wedding hall at the Diplomat Hotel in Talpiot about a half-hour drive away. It was at that moment that Simcha dropped an unexpected bomb. “Meir,” he said, “We’re running very late. Your chupah is scheduled for an hour. I’m afraid that if I drive you there, then drive back here to pick up my family, and then drive to Talpiot again, I’ll miss the chupah. I know it’s not so nice, but would you be willing to take a taxi there?”� “A taxi!?” my mind screamed. “No! No!” After waiting so


many years to get married, after suffering so much doubt and turmoil during the engagement period, after finally overcoming it all, at the very least, I wanted to travel to my wedding with a good friend. But instead, I graciously replied, ‘Of course, Simcha, no problem” for what else could I say? And so, we called the Bar-Ilan Taxi service and gave them the address. “5 minutes,” they replied. And so, five minutes passed and another five minutes and another five minutes. This is ridiculous! I declared. I’m going to be really late! This isn’t fair! At last, we heard the horn of the taxi outside in the street. I bid Simcha farewell and ran down to the waiting cab. I sat down in the back seat and gave the driver the address. “The Diplomat Hotel in Talpiot,” I told him. “Sorry. I don’t want to go there.” “WHAT!!?” I responded. “You heard me. This is my last call of the day, and I live around here. I don’t want to drive to Talpiot.” I was almost speechless. “But I ordered the taxi. I told them the destination!” “Sorry,” he repeated. “Listen,” I said, trying to appeal to his Jewish sensitivities. “I’m a chatan and I’m late for my own chupah . Surely, you would take me to that. “No, he replied. “I’m not interested. You can get out of the cab!” By now I was livid. “Is this how you treat a customer!? Is this how you treat a chatan !? What type of a Jew are you!? I yelled at him, and stormed out of the cab. I rushed back to Simcha’s house. “Simcha! The taxi driver didn’t want to take me. There isn’t time to order another one. I’m running out to the street to see if I can hail one down.” I ran down to the street, near the Shmuel Hanavi & Bar-Ilan intersection, & put my hand out to hail a taxi. The street was


filled with cars. About thirty seconds passed and a mini-van pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down. There, inside, sat four of my good friends from Tsfat! “Meir! What are you doing here?” my friend, Aryeh Leib asked. I’m on the way to my wedding. What are you doing here?” “We’re on our way to your wedding, too!” “Well, don’t worry,” I replied, “I promise that you’re not late!” Of course, they sat me in the front passenger seat & showed me the honor due a king. Wedding music blared on the car stereo and someone gave me a cell phone (still a rarity in those days) to call the hall and tell them that I was on the way. In the end, it all worked out better than if I had planned it myself. Twenty years have passed since that day - good years and hard years, years of joy and years of challenges. But I’m still married, and I thank G-d every day for my wife and family. Over the years, when I’ve struggled with the inevitable difficulties that married life brings, the tremendous hashgacha pratis (Divine supervision) I saw on my wedding day helps me pull through. I have no doubt that Eliyahu Hanavi was involved, But if you ask me who he was in this story, that’s harder to say. Was he embodied by my friends, who saved me in a moment of need, or perhaps he was the taxi driver, whose obstinacy proved to be a blessing in disguise, for which I thank him until today.

The Two Builders By Rabbi Yechiel Spero

Though he enjoyed remarkable success with the building of the Ponevezh Yeshivah in Bnei Brak in the early 1940’s, the Ponevezher Rav was not satisfied


with merely building a structure of brick, metal, and stone. He wanted to build people, as well. After the war, he chose survivors for the manual labor needed in the yeshivah, and trained them on the job. Eli, who had lost just about everything and everyone dear to him, became the yeshivah’s plumber. Before long, he regained some of his spirit and was fully dedicated to the yeshivah’s cause. He was soon joined by Yossel the electrician, and together they helped with the upkeep of the building and unclogging sinks and fixing broken light fixtures. They felt so proud to accomplish and contribute to the yeshivah’s learning that to them these were no menial tasks. Perhaps the individual who gained most from working for the yeshivah was Moshe Vaitrick, the carpenter. Another war survivor, Moshe was close to despair on many occasions. However, the Ponevezher Rav would not allow him to give up, instead recruiting him to build the shtenders, bookshelves, tables, and chairs for the bet midrash, as well as the bed frames, cabinets, and night tables for the dormitories. Summers in Bnei Brak can be sweltering, with temperatures reaching well over 100 degrees, along with stifling humidity – and most yeshivahs did not have air-conditioning. On one exceptionally steamy day during ben hazemanim, Moshe was giving the shtenders a makeover when he found that he was sweating profusely and needed to sit down for a few minutes. While he took his short break, his mind began to wander. As often happened, his memories took him to a world long gone. He thought of his family and friends and allowed himself to feel the sadness once more. Suddenly, the Ponevezher Rav


walked into the empty bet midrash. From a distance, he saw Moshe sitting there. Noting the slump of Moshe’s shoulders and the difficult working conditions that day, he approached his longtime friend. He placed his hands on Moshe’s shoulders and remarked encouragingly, “Moshe, what a zechut the two of us must have. We’ve been building Yeshivat Ponevezh all these years. Let’s keep it up.” Moshe looked up and smiled as he contemplated the Rav’s comment: “The two of us…” Yes, the Ponevezher Rav had placed his broken friend on equal footing with him. One was a world-class Rosh Yeshivah and perhaps the greatest builder of Torah in Eress Yisrael. The other was a simple carpenter building and fixing tables and chairs. And yet, it was ‘the two of us…” Now invigorated, Moshe smiled again, lifted his hammer, and banged a loose nail back into place. There was much work to be done. After all, along with a special partner, he was building Ponevezh.

(The Spark Within by Rabbi Yechiel Spero) Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace as compiled by Rabbi David Bibi.

The Holy Miser of Krakow

In 1550 in Krakow, during times of poverty, there was a rich Jew named Yossele who was known as The Miser of the community. He hoarded his wealth, & never gave charity. Children would walk by his house and throw stones; people would ignore him as he walked past them. One day, he became ill & he passed away, & the Chevra Kaddisha refused to bury him due to his selfishness. Days passed, & his body was not buried. A neighbor felt very sorry for Yossele’s wife & children & decided he would privately bury him himself. He hauled Yossele


onto his wagon, dug a grave for him near a tree outside of the cemetery, threw him in & put dirt on him, leaving The Miser to be forgotten. The next night, on Thursday, the Chief Rabbi of the community, Reb Kalman, answered a knock on his door. It was a poor person, asking for some money for Shabbat. The rabbi said, “Sure, but I’ve never seen you before. How did you make last Shabbat?” The poor man said, “I have never been able to make a decent living, & for 20 years, every Thursday morning, there were 5 rubles in an envelope on my broken doorstep, but not this morning.” 5 minutes later, there was another knock at the door. Another pauper asked, “Reb Kalman, please help me, I need some money for Shabbat.” Reb Kalman replied, “I’d be glad to, but where were you last week?” And the man said, “I’ve been living here ten years and unable to make enough money for Shabbat. Every Thursday morning, there was an envelope with 2 rubles underneath my broken door, but not this morning.” Within hours, all the poor people in Krakow came to the rabbi and told the same story. After Reb Kalman caught on that it was Yossele supporting the entire community, he asked, “How come one gets 5 rubles, one gets 2, one gets 10? How did he know their addresses?” So he asked the paupers at his door, & one-by-one they told similar stories. “I knocked on his door, and he answered warmly. Yossele asked me where I’m from, how many children I had, & what I did for a living. He was attentive & kind when he asked me what I would need to tide me over for the week. He wrote everything down & thanked me for visiting. “Then out of nowhere, he screamed & threw me


out of his house! He told me he would never give up his precious money! I went home to my wife to tell her Yossele was a crazy & selfish miser. And that Thursday, I received 5 rubles on my doorstep. I had forgotten all about him.” Reb Kalman was heartbroken. Not only did Yossele give, he gave like Hashem gives, without credit, the holiest way. And they didn’t even bury him. The rabbi called for a fast day for all of Krakow. The people of the community cried & begged Yossele for forgiveness. When Reb Kalman was crying & inconsolable at the ark, he fainted, & Yossele came to him in a dream. “Reb Kalman, please tell all my brothers and sisters there is no reason to fast. This is the way I wanted it. I wanted to have the privilege to give like G-d gives—without anyone knowing. Please tell them I am in Gan Eden in the highest place. I have everything I need.” Reb Kalman said to him, “But, tell me, Yossele, weren't you lonely being buried there all alone?” Yossele smiled and said, “But I was not alone. Our Avot Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov were there. Our Imahot were there too. Moshe Rabbenu, Aharon Hakohen, Yosef Hatzaddik and David Hamelech walked with me, and Eliyahu Hanavi led the way with a candle to show me to my place in Gan Eden.” This is true giving. Yossele did the ultimate hesed like Rachel Imenu, sacrificing without anyone having any idea. On his elaborate tombstone in Krakow, Reb Kalman had it engraved, saying: Here lies Yossele Hatzaddik, the Holy Miser. Jack E. Rahmey based on the Torah teachings of Rabbi Amram Sananes. The story of the Holy Miser of Krakow is one of the great classics in the Jewish literature. Most versions attribute the rabbi in the story to Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller who gave instructions that after his death, he should be buried next to the Holy Miser.


The Story of Shvartza Wolf

When I was a little boy of about 8 or 9 years old, there was a substitute that we had by the name of Rabbi Brody. It was always very exciting for us when we had him as our substitute Rebbe, especially since he would continue a story that fascinated us children. The name of the story he told us was called Shavartza Wolf. [I heard that there is a song based on this story]. I will use it as a mashal. The story was that there was a fellow who wanted a bracha that he should have children, and his Rebbe told him that his only salvation is to go to the forest and ask for a Bracha from Shvartza Wolf. Shvartza Wolf was known in the town as a nothing and someone that nobody paid any attention or wanted to have anything to do with. In his desperate situation, the man travelled into the forest and found the home of Shvartza Wolf. Nervously, he knocked on the door, and when it opened he saw the most despicable, filthy looking person that he had ever seen. Desperately he begged Shvartza Wolf for a bracha but Shvartza Wolf refused him. That night the fellow slept in the barn outside the home of Shvartza Wolf and cried and repented to Hashem for all his sins and begged Hashem to clean his soul. Feeling like a new soul, the following day, he nervously went and again knocked on the door of Shvartza Wolf's home but this time he saw something totally different than he had seen the day before. This time he did not see a filthy man, but rather, he saw a man who looked like an angel, his face shining like the sun. He saw kedusha radiating from the face of Reb Shvartza Wolf. He was smiling and he warmly welcomed


him into his home. Shvartza Wolf told him that in a year's time he would merit having a son and he should name him after hm. The following day Shvartza Wolf was niftar, and one year later this fellow had a child. This is the tale Rabbi Brody told us. Now, whether this story is true or not I don't really care. What I do care about is an important yesod (principle) in life. The yesod is, that how we view others has very much to do with exactly what is going on inside of us. One who is packed with garbage will have a lot of trouble feeling kedusha and seeing the kedusha in others even of his Rebbeim and teachers. We have to understand that most of the time it is not a lackingן in their greatness, rather it is a lacking in us, because we are lacking certain levels of kedusha (holiness) ,that is why we have trouble seeing it in them. However, the more we work on our level of kedusha, the more we will come to recognize and see the greatness in the ones who are great. As this means that if someone says something negative about another, ultimately, he is probably the one who possesses that negativity. Eitz HaChayim.

The Old Sinner’s Gold Coin

The famed chasid Reb Zalman Zezmer z”l traveled as an emissary of the Alter Rebbe, R’ Schneur Zalman of Liadi zt”l. Prior to embarking on his journey, the Rebbe blessed Reb Zalman with success and gave him a most unusual instruction: to avoid staying in any house where the front door faced east. Reb Zalman set out on his way, pondering his Rebbe’s strange directive. One snowy night found Reb


Zalman trekking through a forest. As the night wore on, the cold became more and more intense. Fearing for his life, Reb Zalman was relieved to see a light in the distance. He approached and knocked on the door of a house. It even had a Mezuza! A Jewish home! A kindly old woman opened the door and invited him in for a hot drink. “Sit here by the stove and have a cup of tea. The men will soon return. They will put your horse in the barn. Please sit down.” Just as he sat down and began thawing out he realized that he hadn’t davened Mincha yet. He asked the woman which direction was east so as to face Jerusalem. He then davened wholeheartedly, thanking Hashem for his good fortune. But as he finished, it struck him that something was wrong: the eastern wall was the one in which the main entrance of the house was situated! Without hesitation, he put on his coat and walked to the door, saying apologetically, “I’ll be right back,” but the door was locked. “I forgot something in the wagon,” he called to the old woman, who had slipped out of the room. Suddenly a key turned in the door and four brawny young men entered from the storm. As soon as they saw their visitor, they grabbed him, emptied his pockets, tied him up in a corner, and sat down to eat while their mother examined the booty. “Well, look what we have here!” She held up the thick wad of money she found in his wallet. “Looks like we caught a big fish this time.” One of the sons examined the money, went to the cupboard, took out a large bottle of vodka and put it on the table with a bang. “Brothers, lets celebrate! G-d has been good to us! We have enough money here for a long, long time!” Then the door


opened again and it was their father. “Aha!” He shouted as he looked at the money on the table and the bound victim on the floor. “Good work boys! Excellent! We’ll have to kill him though. I’m glad you left him for me. You know what? In the morning I’ll take care of him. Now let’s drink to our good fortune!” Before long they were all drunk as Lot and forgot completely about the unfortunate chasid. Late that night, when they were all sleeping soundly, the father woke, looked around to make sure that no one else was awake, and tiptoed over to Reb Zalman. He motioned him to be silent, cut his ropes, and silently ordered him to rise. He returned to the chasid his coat and whispered in his ear, “Here is your money back,” as he slipped the wallet into his coat pocket. The father then tiptoed to the door, opened it and whispered to the chasid, “Now go! Take your horse and flee here as fast as you can - run for your life.” But before the chasid could make his exit, the man pressed a gold coin into his hand. “This is for charity from an old sinner. Tell your Rebbe to please pray for me.” Dawn was beginning to light up the horizon, the storm had stopped, and the grateful chasid set out briskly on the road back home. When he entered the Rebbe’s room,R’ Schneur Zalman looked up at him and smiled. “I know what happened, you don’t have to tell me. I was up all night interceding on your behalf.” The chasid produced the golden coin and communicated the old thief’s request. The Rebbe took the coin and wedged it in a crack in the wall next to his desk and said no more. Fifteen years passed and R’ Zalman Zezmer, who was now married with a family, had become one of the


Rebbe’s gabbaim (attendants). One day, he answered the door to an old beggar and told him to wait. When he entered the Rebbe’s room and informed him that there was a beggar at the door, the Rebbe pulled the gold coin from the crack where it had been resting for the past fifteen years and told the chasid that this was the old man who had released him years ago. It seems that when his wife and sons awoke and realized what he had done, they beat him and drove him from the house. Just a few hours after that, the police made a surprise raid and took the mother and sons off to prison. From then on, the old man began a life of wandering and atonement, waiting for a sign that his repentance had been accepted in Heaven. Torah Tavlin.

Business Halacha Institute – Yours or Mine?

Donny lived in a very small upstairs apartment. He paid his neighbor Asher a small fee to store some boxes in his garage and look after them. One day, Asher saw smoke coming from his garage. He immediately called the fire department and went to see what happened. Asher saw that the corner of his garage had caught fire! He grabbed a fire extinguisher, which contained the fire, but was not big enough to extinguish it. He quickly removed what he could from the garage, until the fire department arrived. Donny's boxes got burned. Asher informed Donny that his boxes were destroyed in the fire. "You weren't able to save them?" asked Donny. "Time was precious," answered Donny. "I had only a few minutes and couldn't save everything. I took what I could of my belongings and had to leave yours. It was lost through oness, an uncontrollable circumstance." "I understand that the boxes were burned," said


Donny. "However, I can't agree wholeheartedly that they were burned through uncontrollable circumstances. You had a few minutes. If you wanted to, you could have saved them. You chose to save your belongings, instead." "I think that's fair enough," said Asher. "Why should your belongings get priority over mine?" "I never said that mine should take priority," said Donny. "On the other hand, I paid you to store the items and look after them. As you know, a paid guardian is liable for loss unless due to uncontrollable circumstances. I'm not convinced this was uncontrollable since you could have saved my boxes." "I don't think that my responsibility to guard requires me to suffer a loss of my own," replied Asher. "The box was lost in fire, which is considered oness." "Nonetheless, something that you could prevent can't be called uncontrollable," insisted Donny. The two decided to approach Rabbi Dayan about the issue. Donny asked: "Is Asher liable for the boxes?" "Rama addressed this question in his responsa (#106)," replied Rabbi Dayan. "He ruled that the guardian is liable, since he could have saved the entrusted item. Although he also faced personal financial loss, this is not considered an oness toward the item itself, so that he is considered negligent" (C.M. 303:3). “Rama bases this on the Rashba (B.M. 42a), cited by Nimukei Yosef (B.M. 53b), that even if the paid guardian was overcome by exhaustion or illness that prevented him from guarding, he is liable; he is exempt only for oness directly to the entrusted item. This case, where he could have saved it when he saw the fire, is not considered oness to the item. “Rama further compares this to the Gemara (B.M. 93b) that a paid guardian is liable if he neglected to hire others to save the item from ferocious animals or bandits. Similarly, the paid guardian is liable if he neglected to


fight a single wolf that attacked the herd, since he could have fought it off, even though he risked injury. He is exempt only if he could not have saved the item without endangering himself” (C.M. 303:4,8). "Shach (303:7) cites the Rama and concurs with his ruling. He further infers from the Rama's language – that the guardian was 'negligent' – that even an unpaid guardian is liable. However, later Acharonim rule that only a paid guardian is liable, but not an unpaid guardian. “They explain the Rama's intention that the paid guardian was 'negligent' vis-à-vis his heightened responsibility, and thus it is not considered oness” (Ketzos 303:3; Chasam Sofer, C.M. #16). "An unpaid guardian, however, is not required to guard more than the average person would look after his own property," concluded Rabbi Dayan. "Furthermore, an unpaid guardian is exempt also from oness directed at him, including monetary oness, unlike a paid guardian" (C.M. 291:12-13; Nesivos 303:5; Pischei Choshen, Pikadon 3:28). Verdict: A paid guardian who could have saved the entrusted item but saved his own instead, is liable for the entrusted item; an unpaid guardian is exempt.

Tenth of Teves on Erev Shabbos By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld Have a topic you want to read about? Email [email protected]

The Bais Yosef in Siman 550 brings in the name of the Avudraham that Asarah B’teves is different than all other fast days since if it would have fallen out on Shabbos it would not be pushed off to a different day. The posuk in Yechezkel 24:2 uses the terminology “Beetzem … Hayom Hazeh.” The Torah uses this terminology regarding Yom Kippur. The Avudraham adds that Asarah B’Teves can fall out on Friday and we do fast then, unlike the other fast days which don’t fall out on a Friday. The Rishonim argue with

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the above premise. Rashi in Megillah 5a says regarding the fact that if Tisha Be’Av falls out on Shabbos we push it off to Sunday, the same rule applies to Shiva Asar Be’Tamuz and Asara Be’Teves that fall out on Shabbos and we push it off until Sunday. There are many Rishonim that agree with Rashi, including the Meiri, the Rambam and the Kol Bo. They all say that if Asara B’Teves comes out on Shabbos we do not fast on Shabbos, unlike the above mentioned Avudraham. We can explain this machlokes based on the Minchas Chinuch, mitzvah 301 that says the four Rabbinical fasts were not appointed to a particular day of the month, but rather one day of the designated month needs to be a fast day. The months we need to fast in are Teves, Tamuz, Av and Tishrei, but not on a particular day of the month. That is why the posuk in Zechariah 8:19 just calls them Tzom Horevii, Tzom Hachamishi, Tzom Hashvii and Tzom Hoasiri. Reb Chaim Brisker, in his stencils, asks based on the Avudraham why is Asara B’teves different than all other fast days? He answers that all other fasts are identified by the month and don’t have to be on a particular day, but Asara B’teves, where the posuk in Yechezkel says beetzem Hayom … shows us that the day of the month is also part of the identification of the taanis. This would be similar to a taanis chalom which one cannot push off! The question is, why does the posuk call it Tzom Ho’asiri? The Dikdukei Sofim don’t have the girsa in the Gemara mai asiri asiri lechodoshim. The machlokes would be based upon whether or not we have the girsa in the Gemara of Asiri Lechodoshim, then it would be like Rashi and all other Rishonim that say that it is not docheh Shabbos. On the other hand, the Avudraham would not have that girsa, hence he held that Asara BeTeves was davka


on Yud Teves and it would be docheh Shabbos. This could be the reason that when it does come out on Friday we fast into Shabbos and we don’t break the fast before Shabbos. The Sefer Bais Moed drush 15 says that just like the beginning of all punishment began on Asara B’Teves and thereafter all the other fasts came about, so too, when we will have hatzlacha and have the Bais Hamikdosh rebuilt etc. it will begin on Asara BeTeves. That is why the posuk, when it enumerates the fast days beginning with Asara BTeves and ending with Tzom Gedalia, says that it will turn over into days of Sasson and Simcha. The posuk uses the terminology of yiheyeh and yihyu; it will begin with the first one mentioned and turn into a zeman of Simcha. May we be zocheh to the Geulah Sheleima and have the Simcha of Asara BeTeves!

ISRAEL NEWS SHTIGLITZ

The Beginnings of the Israel-Morocco Peace Deal - In early 2018, a Jewish billionaire born in Morocco who was close to the Moroccan government asked his friend Ram Ben Barak, former deputy chief of Israel's Mossad, if he could use his contacts in the U.S. to have the Trump administration recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. In return, Morocco would agree to reopen the Israeli liaison office in Rabat and establish full diplomatic relations. In April 2018, Ben Barak, accompanied by his friend from Morocco, went to Jerusalem where they met with Dore Gold, the former director general of the Foreign Ministry and someone close to Netanyahu - and today the president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs - and presented the "framework" to him. Gold checked and came back with a yes. A month later the three met in a European capital with the Moroccan prime minister, followed


by another meeting with the same participants and Moroccan ministers in London. On July 26, another meeting was held at the White House with the same participants as well as Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and senior U.S. officials, followed by a clandestine meeting between Netanyahu and Bourita two months later on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Yet more than 2 years would pass before Trump's Dec. 10 announcement of the new diplomatic relations. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Israel Tests Defenses Against Cruise and Ballistic Missiles - The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) said Tuesday it successfully completed a series of live-fire intercept tests of an advanced version of the David's Sling weapon system against cruise and ballistic missiles. The tests also demonstrated the capabilities of the Iron Dome system in intercepting UAVs and cruise missiles. They further demonstrated the interoperability of Israel's multilayered air defenses (Arrow, David's Sling, and Iron Dome) to intercept different threats simultaneously. The tests were conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Non-Citizens Now Able to Do Israeli National Service - Jews without Israeli citizenship will be able to do National Service (sherut leumi) thanks to new regulations passed on Monday in the Knesset that will go into effect on Sep. 1. Any Jew who is eligible for Aliyah based on the Law of Return, or is participating in a program like Masa or Taglit-Birthright Israel, has the option to fill any National Service position within Israel for 12 months.


● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Knesset Dissolves, Elections in 90 Days - For the fourth time in two years, Israeli citizens will be voting as the Knesset was dissolved at the stroke of midnight Tuesday, with the deadline for passing a state budget expiring. As required by law, the elections are scheduled to take place on March 23, 2021 – exactly 90 days after the dissolution of the Knesset. With the coalition partners Likud and Blue & White failing to pass a budget, a bill to extend the deadline until December 31 failed with 49 votes against and 47 votes in favor. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud and Defense Minister Benny Gantz of the Blue & White party blamed each other for the collapse of the coalition. “This is an erroneous decision on Blue & White’s behalf, but if they force these elections on us, I promise you we will win. With your help, the people of Israel, Likud will bring a huge win,” Netanyahu said Tuesday night as the clock counted down to midnight. Netanyahu hailed his success in securing millions of COVID-19 vaccines for the country, recent normalization deals with several Arab countries and a strong economy. Under the power-sharing deal between the coalition partners, failure to pass a budget was the only loophole which would allow Netanyahu to avoid giving up the premiership to Gantz in November 2021. Likud held up the budget for months while trying to renegotiate the coalition agreement. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Court Orders Ukraine Airlines to Pay for Anti-Semitic Remarks - An Israeli court ruled on Tuesday that Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) must pay compensation to two passengers who were subjected to anti-Semitic remarks by airline staff, Globes


reported. In an incident that occurred on April 24, 2019 on a UIA flight from Vienna to Tel Aviv with a stopover in Kiev, the passengers were ridiculed for attempting to switch items from their suitcases to backpacks to avoid an overweight fee for an extra 100 grams. The UIA personnel commented in English, smirkingly, “Why do Jews always have a problem about paying?” They also joked among themselves in German in front of other passengers. The passengers claimed they were prevented from boarding their flight because of overbooking, but UIA said it was because they refused to pay for excess baggage – a claim that the court accepted. Rishon Lezion Small Claims Court Judge Dalia Oestreicher ordered the Ukrainian airline to pay 5,000 shekels compensation for verbal abuse as well as a delay in receipt of the baggage in Israel, after they refused to pay for excess baggage. UIA denied that allegations, insisting that, on the contrary, it the passengers were the ones who behaved badly, insulting their staff, raising their voices and disrupting barding procedures, according to Globes. The judge accepted the passengers’ version that they were racially abused and ordered UIA to pay them NIS 2,000 each and a further NIS 1,000 for the delay in their receiving the baggage. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

The Big Move... When the Kleins moved from Flatbush into their spacious new house in Lakewood, Leah, a visitor from the old block asked 7-year-old Elimelech if he liked the new place. "It's terrific," Elimelech said. "I got my own room, Yanky has his own room, & even baby Tehilla has her own room. But poor Mommy is still stuck with Tatty."

lekavod shabbos · 2020. 12. 23. · licensed shochet (a ritual kosher slaughter) a mohel for the...

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