Torah Tidbits

7 February 2012 / 14 Shevat 5772
Torah Tidbits Article Archives

Why Do We Count?

Context: In the midst of the Torah’s discussion concerning the festival cycle, immediately after the commandment concerning the Omer offering (a barley offering in the Temple which marks the beginning of the harvest and allows the use of that season’s grain), the following mandate is found:
“And you shall count for yourselves - from the day after the ‘Sabbath’, from the day you bring the waved offering of the Omer - seven weeks; complete shall they be. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath, shall you count fifty days; and you will offer a new meal offering to the Lord.”
As codified by the rabbis, this mitzva, known as the mitzva of S’firat Ha’omer, the Counting of the Omer, obligates each Jew to verbally count the days and weeks from the second day of the holiday of Pesach until the first day of the holiday of Shavuot.

Published May 05, 2011

P'sukei d'Zimra: ASHREI The Message of Generations

Meaning: translation…
Every day I will bless You, and I will laud Your Name forever and ever. Hashem is great and exceedingly lauded, and His greatness is beyond investigation. Each generation will praise Your deeds to the next, and of Your mighty deeds they will tell.
Theme: An essential concept of the prayer
Passing It On

Published May 05, 2011

Becoming a Kohein

In every group, there is one person who stands out as special. In childhood, it is often the kid with the greatest athletic prowess. Later in life, different attributes begin to qualify a person to become the group’s star.
In my post-high school peer group, many years ago on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, we had one such towering figure. I use the word “towering” literally, because he was well over six feet tall. He had jet- black hair, which turned the heads of all the young ladies who passed him by. He had an outstanding academic record and seemed to earn his grades effortlessly.

Published May 05, 2011

Natural Medicine - A Historical Perspective

The use of natural remedies is by no means a new phenomena. In the time of the Mishna the instruction was to seek the advice of doctors and to follow the conventional medical advice of the time. The Mishna states that one of the basic requirements of any city is the presence of a doctor. However there were people who sought out other “medical” alternatives and the Sages of the Mishna had to relate to halachic questions that arose due to using such treatments.
“One is permitted to carry (on Shabbat where there is no eruv) the egg of a locust, the tooth of a fox or a nail since this is medical treatment, says Rabbi Meir

Published May 05, 2011

Parsha Points to Ponder

1) Why does the Torah have to give a special command to the Kohanim not to pull out hairs over the death of loved ones (21:5) if that command actually exists for all Jews (D’varim 14:1)?
2) Why does the Torah use the peculiar language of A MAN FROM YOUR SEED when introducing the laws of blemishes for Kohanim and not the usual CHILDREN OF AHARON as we find in the laws preceding these commands (21:1) and the commands immediately after (22:2)?
3) Why does the Torah need to tell us that the laws of the Omer are FOR ALL YOUR GENERATIONS (L’DOROTEICHEM - 23:21)?

Published May 05, 2011

CHIZUK-and-IDUD-for-Olim-not-yet-Olim-respectively

The age-old question still burns in our mind: If the Jewish People are Hashem’s “favorite son”, His first- born, then why are we constantly under duress? Why is there so much negativity cast in our direction and why are we perpetually set upon by the forces of evil?
The Zohar’s commentary on Parshat Emor - which details the unique laws of a Kohen - offers one insight to this enigma. The Kohanim are granted more Mitzvot to perform than any other segment of our people. Imbued with this added dose of Kedusha, they attain a special, elevated status. But at the same time, they become more highly susceptible to Tuma - spiritual “contamination” - and are required to be more vigilant in their behavior than other Jews, and more protective of their exposure to death or immorality.

Published May 05, 2011

Wisdom and Wit

The wife of R’ Menachem Mendel of Kotzk once complained to the Rebbe’s shamash that things seemed to be missing from the house. “Why shouldn’t they be missing?” he said. “After all, nothing is locked away, the whole house is wide open, and it is so easy for anyone to steal anything.”
Hearing this comment, R’ Menachem Mendel became very upset. “What do you mean,|” it is so easy to steal?” How can anyone steal when it is specifically forbidden in the Torah?”

Published May 05, 2011

A-Candle-by-Day

The ability to stick to a decision is often

Published May 05, 2011

Vebbe Rebbe

Question: It has happened that religious Jews have been tried and/or sent to jail for criminal activity in America. Some rabbis have called on the broad Jewish community to pray for them or petition authorities for their release. Is this a traditional Jewish approach?

Published May 05, 2011

FROM A MEASURE OF BARLEY TO 2 LOAVES OF WHEAT [1] by Dr. Meir Tamari

The night following the Seder, at the beginning of Chol HaMoed, each individual starts counting days and weeks till we complete 7 full weeks, 49 days. This is a type of counting that has spiritually elevating goals that are to be reached through the medium of physical and material possessions both of the individual Jew and of the nation-collective. It is a counting that nowadays is observed also together with other rituals which, at first glance seem unrelated, but can be shown to be ideologically and spiritually closely associated with this Sefirat HaOmer.
“It is a positive [Torah] mitzva to count seven weeks from the day of bringing Korban HaOmer [waive offering of an omer-measure of barley], as is it written ‘from the day that you bring the waive offering you shall count seven complete weeks’ (Vayikra 23:15)” (mitzvat asei 161; Hilkhot T’midim 7: 22-25). Ramban, argues that since the Bet HaMikdash was destroyed, this counting is not D’Oraita because of the korban itself as Rambam rules, but rather as a memorial of the Temple service. Nevertheless, both authorities clearly see the reason for Sefirat HaOmer as being the offering of a measure of barley to the Temple. Furthermore, the whole structure of the prayers connected with Sefira bear this out. After the counting there is “HaRachaman, may He restore the Temple service to its place speedily in our days”, followed by a Psalm (T’hilim 67) that is a thanksgiving by the peoples of the world for the harvests of the earth.

Published May 05, 2011

Lesson # 559 Laws of Sales (2)

The Rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud, and the codes and commentaries and response literature discuss a variance from “the price” -  The Rabbis of the Mishna and Talmud determined that:
(1) If the discrepancy from “the price” is exactly one-sixth, the sale is effective but the benefiting party, whether the seller or the buyer, will have to reimburse the wronged party for such one-sixth variance.) Exactly one-sixth is the maximum discrepancy that the halacha will tolerate and still have the sale be effective. There are other opinions in the Talmud, such as one-third, one-twelfth, and one- twenty-fourth variance from the price (Baba Metzia 49b-50b).

Published May 05, 2011

Emor Stats

EMOR Stats
31st of 54 sedras;
8th of 10 in Vayikra
Written on 215 lines in a Torah (rank: 20th)
17 parshiyot; 11 open, 6 closed (above avg.)
124 p’sukim, rank: 15th; 1st in Vayikra

Published May 05, 2011

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