Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 13 Iyyar 5772/May 5, 2012 / 28 Omer
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Vol.3 Num. 29

Is Unity Always Ideal?

At the beginning of Parshat Kedoshim, the Chumash says, Speak to the entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael and tell them, You shall be holy. Rashi, quoting from a midrash, explains that this portion was taught to an assembly of the entire nation, because most of the Torah's essential principles depend upon it. What does this midrash mean? How do the Torah's essential principles depend upon Parshat Kedoshim? The Torah Temimah (R Baruch HaLevi Epstein, son of the author of the Aruch haShulchan, nephew of R' Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, and the first director of the Ezras Torah foundation) explains that most of the Torah is embodied in Kedoshim because this portion contains the verse Love your neighbour as yourself (Vayikra 19:18). The great sage Hillel (Shabbat 31a) named this verse as the main part of the Torah, with the rest serving as an explanation of this maxim. Rabbi Akiva similarly declares this to be a central part of the Torah. (Sifra Kedoshim 2, and quoted by Rashi to this verse) Thus Kedoshim contains the central part of the Torah in that it exhorts us to love our friends as we love ourselves. Their death is almost unfathomable to us - how could so many students of a leading sage fail to give honour to each other? This is especially perplexing in light of the fact that Rebbi Akiva himself teaches that one should love his fellow as he loves himself! Why did these students die? The Shem MiShmuel advances a novel interpretation of this Talmudic passage. He explains that a person honours his friend because he sees that his friend is unique in some way. Every human has at least one area in which he excels. Since each person reciprocates these feelings, the result is a society in which each person respects all other people. Society will function in this way only when each person views himself as distinct from the group. If the members in a society view themselves as parts of a whole, rather than as unique members of a group, they will cease to honour each other. This can be analogized to the way a persons left arm does not honour his right arm; similarly, one part of a whole will not honour the other part of the whole. When people feel too close to each other, when they feel as if they are parts of a whole, they take each other for granted.

Yair Manas
Rabbi Akiva actually became too close to each other. By focusing so much on the other person, each student took the others for granted, and thus failed to properly respect his friends. Further, the Shem miShemuel notes an additional pitfall of excessive closeness: It causes someone to forget about himself. A person must have a healthy balance of focus on himself and focus on community. Too much focusing on others causes one to not respect himself, and too much focusing on oneself also causes one to not respect others. While it is vital to cultivate communal unity, it can never come at the expense of an individuals growth. Perhaps, we can now understand Rabbi Akivas statement that a person must love his neighbour as he loves himself he must love himself first, before he loves his friend. In essence, Rabbi Akiva is teaching that a person must focus on himself, as well as focus on others. When one accomplishes this, the result is that not only do the individuals become better people, but the community also flourishes. May we all use this time period to improve ourselves, our families, and our communities. ymanas@torontotorah.com

The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) tells us that the very same Rabbi Akiva had 24,000 Therefore, the Shem MiShemuel students, and all of them died because concludes that perhaps the students of they failed to give honour to each other.

Parshah Questions
Answers to some of the questions appear on the back page When is the process described for entering the Holy of Holies performed? (Rashi, Vilna Gaon to 16:3)

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Is azazel a person, place, or thing? (Rashi, Ramban, and Ba'al HaTurim to Vayikra 16:8) What causes the atonement of Yom Kippur? (Rashi Shavuot 13a, Ibn Ezra, Seforno to 16:30) What is the mitzvah of kedoshim tihyu? (Rashi, Ramban, Ralbag, Da'at Zekeinim miBa'alei HaTosafot, Ba'al HaTurim, Siftei Chachamim, Netziv, Ohr HaChaim, and R' S.R. Hirsch to Vayikra 19:2)

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I am the Seer
Hillel Horovitz

Hitoriri: Jewish Spirituality

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A Risky Proposition
R Dovid Zirkind
"Rabbi Akiva would say: Jesting and frivolity accustom a person to promiscuity. Tradition is a safety fence to Torah, tithing a safety fence to wealth, vows a safety fence for abstinence; a safety fence for wisdom is silence." (Pirkei Avot 3:13) Despite the prevalence of nedarim (vows) throughout both the Chumash and our oral tradition, the ethical value of nedarim and their role in mitzvah observance is subject to great controversy. Shlomo HaMelech wrote: It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay (Kohelet 5:5). Inherent in taking a neder is the risk of failure, of falling short of a goal that moved from the realm of the voluntary to that of halachic obligation. It is that creation of risk that the Yerushalmi challenged, saying, What the Torah forbade was insufficient for you, so you forbade t h i n g s w h i c h w e r e permissible! (Nedarim 9:1) Why does one take a neder, if - by definition - it increases the possibility of sin? Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the neder creates a powerful motivation for a person who struggles with a given issue. (Commentary to Avot 3:13) By uttering the formula of a neder, one transforms his personal goal into a halachic value, hopefully propelling him to accomplishing it. Rabbeinu Yonah likens such a decision to medical treatment. When a doctor treats a minor condition, he can employ a less vigorous antidote. However, as the severity of the illness increases the doctor may be forced to treat more aggressively, overlooking harmful side effects in the process. This is the statement of Rabbi Akiva; vows are a powerful tool in the war against ones inclinations, if his struggles force him to take extreme measures. In explaining the verse, That which comes from your mouth you shall safeguard and fulfill (Devarim 23:24), the Ohr HaChaim advises that we choose nedarim cautiously, ensuring we will live up to our self-established goals. Each person is presented with unique challenges and a unique personality with which to meet those challenges. Nedarim allow each of us to tailor our religious life to meet our individuality; however, we must challenge ourselves cautiously. Setting goals is admirable, but we must remember to ask, which neder is right for me? dzirkind@torontotorah.com

613 Mitzvot: #151 Please Wait for the Intermission

R Mordechai Torczyner
We have already seen several mitzvot geared toward elevating the beauty and honor of the Beit haMikdash and the avodah [service] conducted therein. The kohanim wear beautiful garments, the kohanim must be wellgroomed, and so on. Mitzvah 151 adds that a kohen may not leave the Beit haMikdash while in the course of performing the avodah. Even if another kohen will complete the avodah, the original kohen may not leave. Even if the kohen is personally unable to complete the avodah, such as where an immediate relative has died, he may not leave until the avodah is completed by another kohen. (Minchat Chinuch 151:1, 4) One lesson of this mitzvah, as explained by the Sefer haChinuch, is that walking out may unintentionally demonstrate rejection or degradation of what is being done in the Beit haMikdash. Similarly, we are instructed not to walk out of the shul while the Torah reading is in progress; we always look for ways to show how we value Torah. (Talmud, Berachot 8a; Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 146:1) torczyner@torontotorah.com

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Biography: Rabbi Yaakov Weil

Torah in Translation

R Mordechai Torczyner
Rabbi Yaakov Weil, also known as Mahari Weil, was born in the town of Weil in the early 15th century. He studied under Rabbi Yaakov Moellin (Maharil) in Mainz, and received ordination in 1427. Although he was offered a position in the German community of Nuremberg, he declined to take it lest this offend a senior rabbi who lived there. Ultimately, the young sage from Weil became the Rabbi of Augsburg, where he served with distinction for eight years until the Church convinced the city's leadership to expel its Jews. He then served Erfort, one of the largest Jewish communities in Germany. As one of the greatest Ashkenazi authorities in the generations preceding the Shulchan Aruch, Mahari Weil's opinion was sought by the leaders of his day and his work is cited with greatest respect by later writers. Nonetheless, he was known for his humility, preceding his challenges with self-deprecation and expressions of great respect. He signed his name, "The small Yaakov of Weil", and sometimes "One who pursues peace, the small and young in Israel." While maintaining great humility, Mahari Weil was not one to be intimidated; he criticized Rabbis who sought special privileges (teshuvah 163), and the harsh words penned in the "Torah in Translation" accompanying this column were actually addressed to his father-in-law. Very little remains of Mahari Weil's writing, but we do have a collection of responsa and his shechitah regulations. It is believed that he passed away some time before 1460. torczyner@torontotorah.com

HaAretz

Motza
R Ezra Goldschmiedt
Already mentioned in the book of Yehoshua (18:26), Motza is a fairly isolated city just a few kilometres south of Jerusalem. Ancient mikvaot, as well as a ceramic jug (bearing an inscription of the city's name) dating back to 800 BCE, have proven the existence of a Jewish community in Motza since the times of the first Beit HaMikdash. The Talmud (Sukkah 45a) notes that the willow branches used for the Beit HaMikdash's hoshanot ceremony were taken from Motza, as their unique length (approximately 5.5 metres) allowed them to extend over the altar. Because of Motza's role in this service, its residents were absolved from paying taxes to the government. The Ottomans forbade the sale of land to outsiders during their reign, but Shaul Yehudah, a Jewish immigrant from Baghdad, managed to secure Motza with the help of the British consulate in 1859; this may have been the first time a Jew purchased a significant portion of land in modern Israel. However, difficulty cultivating the hilly land, a failed roof tile factory and many complications in legalizing settlement in the area, made Motza's development during this period difficult. With the help of the Chovivei Tzion movement, as well as B'nai Brith, Motza was more formally established in 1894, at which point its population was able to grow and thrive. A significant portion of the land was purchased in 2010 by Canadi an bi ll i on ai re H er shy Friedman for the development of apartment complexes. Motza is also the home of the Efrat winery, one of Israel's leading producers of wine. Theodor Herzl, who passed through Motza during his trip to Israel in 1898, was moved by the area's beauty and planted a cypress tree there, marking the area with special significance; members of the Zionist youth would plant trees there every year on the day of his yahrtzeit until World War I, when the Turks cut down those trees that had been planted. egoldschmiedt@torontotorah.com

Pay Your Wifes Ransom

Rabbi Yaakov Weil Responsa of Mahari Weil 149
Translated by R Mordechai Torczyner
I have already written to you, Avram Ezra, and your wife Frieda, that you should not withhold good from its owners, and you should re-pay R' David Senner for his redemption of Frieda and you have not listened, and you have turned a rebellious shoulder. To repair the world, lest the door be locked before generous people, I have placed my soul in my hand and written to our masters and explained at length, with reasons and proofs, and our masters have agreed with me, as you will see in our masters' letters I will write some of this to you, to keep you from doubt and inform you that there is nothing to your words and you only wish to challenge. It is obvious that every Jewish man must redeem his wife. It is also obvious that even if the captive refuses redemption, he is redeemed out of his own assets against his will, and if others redeem him then the captive must pay, as Maharam Rothenburg wrote You wrote, "There is no need to rush [to redeem] before we can appease the Duke." You acknowledged here that there was doubt about this, for the Duke had not yet been appeased, and while waiting they might make things worse for your wife and she might die. Further, they might convert the orphan to their religion. At the least, there is possible danger to life And so wrote Maharam in a responsum, "Do not say that perhaps the captors would have released the captive in the end for free. We do not depend upon doubt regarding a threat to life, but we redeem him against his will." Here, too, even within your view, there was doubt. This does not require examination As far as your statement that he redeemed her for more than her value we do not live based on your word, which rejects that which is known We can prove your liability from Sanhedrin 73a: "How do we know that one who sees his friend drowning in a river or dragged by an animal or attacked by bandits is obligated to save him? It is written, 'You shall not stand by the blood of another.' But is this lesson learned from here? It is

learned from another source: ' We learn that one is obligated to save another's body from loss from the command, 'You shall restore it to him!'' No; were we to learn it from that source, we would say that the obligation is limited to saving with one's own efforts, and does not include hiring others. From 'You shall not stand by' we learn that one is obligated to hire others." And do not say that this is limited to danger to life, for our case is worse than danger to life. Bava Batra 8b says, "Captivity is worse than death, the sword and famine."

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Parshah Answers
When is the process described for entering the Holy of Holies performed? Rashi, R' Shlomo Yitzchaki (10401105, Troyes, France), explains that although the Torah describes this as a general ceremony for every entrance, (you shall not freely enter with this you shall enter), it is only performed on the tenth of Tishrei, Yom Kippur. The Vilna Gaon, R' Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kramer of Vilna (1720-1797), had a different approach. According to this foremost leader of non-Chassidic Jewry of the past few centuries, this ceremony was not reserved solely for Yom Kippur; rather, any time the Kohen Gadol was required to enter the Kodesh haKodashim, the Holy of Holies, the procedure mandated in Chapter 16 was followed. Is azazel a person, place, or thing? Rashi relates that azazel was a place, a specific steep cliff. Alternatively, the Ramban, R' Moshe ben Nachman (1194-1270), explains that azazel is not a specific place, but a specific type of steep cliff. According to this understanding, any steep cliff may be used. Finally, the Baal haTurim, R' Yaakov ben Asher (1269-1343), in his commentary (which was allegedly written in entirety overnight), writes that azazel may refer to Haman. What causes the atonement of Yom Kippur? According to Rashi, a degree of atonement is granted by the day itself. According to Ibn Ezra, R' Avraham ben Ezra (1089-1164, Spain), the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur conferred expiation on the nation. This grammarian, poet, and son-in-law of R Yehuda haLevi (author of the Kuzari) did not see the verses as describing a day of atonement, but a day on which the service of atonement was performed. The Seforno, R' Ovadiah ben Yaakov Siporno (1475-1550, Italy), qualifies Rashi's understanding. He, relates that the day only grants atonement to those who have previously repented. What is the mitzvah of kedoshim tihyu, You shall be holy? Rashi explains that this is a requirement to separate oneself from that which was prohibited at the end of the previous chapter, from licentiousness and sins in general. Along the same lines, the Or haChaim, R' Chaim ben Attar (1696, Morocco1743, Jerusalem) explains that this commandment is given to ensure that one has violated both a positive commandment and a prohibition when he or she sins through licentiousness. The Ramban, disagreeing with Rashi in one of his most famous comments in his

Russell Levy
e xp an si ve w or k on C h um a sh , describes the Torah-mandated lifestyle. Not only should we separate ourselves from that which is forbidden, but we must separate ourselves from that which i s technically permitted, but inappropriate, improper, and unsuitable for one who is commanded to be holy for I am Holy. Alternatively, Daat Zekenim, a compendiuim of Torah commentaries originating with the Tosafists of the 13 t h century, shares that the commandment to be holy is connected to the later commandment (19:4), Do not turn to the idols. One is holy by not turning to idols, even for ostensibly valid reasons. Siftei Chachamim, R' Shabtai Bass (1641, Poland-1718, Prague) suggests the holiness can only be manifested in positive actions, and not through separation from the forbidden. R' Bass received his name since he was the bass singer in the Prague Alteneue Shul. In addition to his famous supercommentary on Rashi, is considered the father of Jewish bibliography. The Baal haTurim proposes that if one guards himself from sin, he will be guarded from sinning from above. russlevy@gmail.com

Schedule for May 5 - May 11 / 13 - 19 Iyyar

Shabbat May 5 7:45 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Rav Kook on the Parshah, Or Chaim 10:20 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Parshah, Clanton Park 5:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyer, Standing by your neighbours blood, BAYT, women 95 minutes before minchah R Baruch Weintraub, Netivot Shalom, Clanton Park 90 minutes before minchah Hillel Horovitz, Shiur bIvrit, BAYT, Hebrew 1 hour before minchah Yair Manas: Gemara Sukkah, Mizrachi Bayit After minchah R Mordechai Torczyner, Non-Jewish Business Partners on Shabbat: Gemara Avodah Zarah, BAYT Sunday, May 6 Pesach Sheni 9:15 AM Hillel Horovitz, Parshah, Zichron Yisroel, Hebrew 11:00 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Hilchot Melachim, Or Chaim, collegiates 6:00 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Halachic issues in Israel, Hebrew, 4 Tillingham Keep, mixed 40 minutes before minchah R Baruch Weintraub, Halachic issues in Israel, Hebrew, Clanton Park, men Monday, May 7 8:30 PM Hillel Horovitz, In-Depth Siddur, Clanton Park, men Tuesday, May 8 1:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Zecharyah: Purification, Mekorot, Shaarei Shomayim 7:15 PM R Ezra Goldschmiedt, Ramban, BAYT 8:00 PM Hillel Horovitz, The Early Prophets, Bnai Torah Wednesday, May 9 10:00 AM R Mordechai Torczyner, Dramas of Jewish History: Modern Zionism, BEBY, with Melton 7:30 PM Yair Manas, Responsa, Clanton Park, men 8:00 PM R Dovid Zirkind, Gemara Beitzah, 2 nd Perek, Shaarei Shomayim 8:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Living Midrash, BAYT, women 8:30 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Hilchot Melachim, Shomrai Shabbos, men Thursday, May 10 8:00 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, X-Files of the Talmud 2 of 4, MNJCC Friday, May 11 8:00 AM R Dovid Zirkind, Friday Parshah Preview, Village Shul

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