Shabbat-B'Shabbato

Parshat Mishpatim (Shekalim)

25 Shevat 5775 (14 February 2015)
AS SHABBAT APPROACHES
Righteous, Average, and Evil People - by Rabbi Mordechai
Greenberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Kerem B'Yavne
One of the main features of the special Torah reading and Haftarah
for this week, Shekalim, is the unity of Bnei Yisrael. The unity in a
partnership is different than the unity in a community. A partnership
is a number of individuals who have banded together into a large
entity, but a community is a single unit, all of whose organs are linked
to each other, drawing sustenance from each other and
complementing each other. And that is why every person in Bnei
Yisrael gives half a Shekel, to teach us that every Jew is not whole
without being linked to his colleagues.
There is even room in a community for evil people. It has been noted
that the word "tzibur" a community is an acronym for "righteous,
average, and evil." The evil people are bound into the same
community, using "and" as a link. We cannot ignore them, because if
they are missing there will be a general lack in Bnei Yisrael. It is
written, "A fast day which does not include anybody from among the
sinners of Yisrael is not a valid fast day" [Keritut 6b]. The proof is
from the spice "chelbonah," which has a bed smell but which must be
included in the incense in the Temple. "The same is true for
combinations in general, where the sinners are supervised and also
give off a bad odor." And if the chelbonah is missing it will be
noticed, because "it has the ability to bring out the odor in other
spices." [Meshech Chochma the Haftarah of Devarim].
However, there are times when things are much worse and they
become topsy-turvy, as is hinted in the Torah portion. "If you see
your enemy's donkey kneeling down (rovetz) from the weight of its
burden..." [Shemot 23:5]. "Instead of the normal situation of
'tzibur," where the tzadik (righteous one) is first and then we can
tolerate evil ones in our midst, a terrible complication comes about
and the evil ones are first, and then the operating word is not tzibur
but rovetz. We might develop a desire to flee, heaven forbid.
However, we are told, 'You cannot ignore them' [ibid]. It is our
country, it is our government. 'And would you stop helping him?'
Heaven forbid! 'You cannot ignore them!' We are intimately linked to
the entire nation of Yisrael, including its many problems." [Rav Tzvi
Yehuda Kook].
That Talmud in Pesachim asks about the verse, "And if you see the
donkey of your enemy..." Doesn't this contradict the verse, "Do not
hate your brother in your heart" [Vayikra 19:17]? The answer is that a
person who has seen another one commit a sin is allowed to hate
him. The Talmud sets priorities: If an enemy needs help unloading a
donkey and a friend needs help to load, the mitzva is to first help the
enemy, in order for us to learn to control our evil inclination. The
Tosafot explain that the hatred because of a sin starts out as scolding
but it might develop into real hatred. There is therefore a mitzva to
help the enemy load his donkey first, in order to calm the evil
inclination and thereby avoid the pitfall of absolute hatred.

The wise men of Yisrael explain that the mitzva to hate one who has
sinned is only valid if we have first fulfilled the mitzva of rebuking
the sinner. But since the sages have taught us that today nobody
knows the proper way to rebuke, we are not allowed to hate another
Jew. As the Chazon Ish wrote: "The law that an evil person should be
put into a pit and not be given help to extricate himself is valid only
when the Divine supervision is openly revealed, but at the time when
it is hidden and the simple folks have lost their faith... And since our
main goal is to mend the situation... We must bring them back with
strong bands of love and stand them up in a ray of light, as far as we
can go."
At this time when the political parties are struggling against each
other, it is appropriate to remember the words of Rav Avraham
Yitzchak Kook: "It is a bad sign for any party to feel that it and only
it holds the key to the source of all wisdom and all honesty, and that
everybody else is only pure vanity and blowing in the wind."
POINT OF VIEW
Abandoning Students with Special Needs - by Zevulun Orlev
This week's Torah portion is filled with social mitzvot, between one
man and another, and they are all centered around protecting the
weak and those who are in need of our support. Rashi comments on
these mitzvot that they are just as important as the Ten
Commandments: "Just as they are from Sinai, so are the others from
Sinai."
Unique Educational Institutions
Recently there was a strike of teachers and parents in the "Bnei
Chayil" Yeshiva in Kedumim, which escaped the notice of the major
headlines. This yeshiva, which has a well-deserved reputation for
caring for students with special needs and learning deficiencies,
such as impairment of attention and concentration, is in danger
of closing. This situation should light up a red warning light for us
all.
For the last year a struggle has been taking place about the future of
five religious Zionist high schools which share the vision of being a
normal institution that accepts special needs children which would
otherwise be sent to schools for special education. The five schools
are: "Neve Ruchama" for girls, "Bnei Chayil (Tzviyah)" in Jerusalem,
"Bnei Chayil" in Kedumim, "Ahavat Yisrael" in Kochav Hashachar,
and the yeshiva in Alonei Habashan, on the Golan. The principals of
these schools believe that special-needs children have a better chance
of success if they are allowed to study in a school that is not labeled
as "special education." And they have proven successes in such
matters as marks on the countrywide "Bagrut" matriculation exams,
post-graduate study in Hesder yeshivot and military prep schools,
service in the IDF, setting up a family, and full integration into their
communities. This enterprise is a remarkable story of achieving an
educational vision, with the focus of the success dependent on the
self-image of the students.

The great success was made possible in part because the schools were
able to convince the Ministry of Education to provide budgets for
these students as if they were studying in special needs schools
(technically, this means "code 07," which provides substantially
higher budgets than for regular students), since it is clear that extra
resources are needed to take care of them. But this is a problem, since
from the beginning the Ministry put severe limits on the number of
special needs students that the schools were allowed to admit: first
10% of the total number of students, and then 20%, 30%, and 40%.
A tough struggle was needed for each increase of the limit. It is
interesting to ask why this matters at all to the Ministry, since a
student will be budgeted according to the same "code" no matter
where he studies. But in spite of this, the Department of Special
Education of the Education Ministry has fought with all its
might to keep the percentages low. Why is this so? It is because
these institutions are not in the "territory" and under the supervision
of the Department of Special Education. That is, what we have
before us is a power struggle within the Ministry of Education.
The Retreat of the Ministry of Education
After all of this, four years ago the matter was settled and the
required budgets were approved. However, a year ago the Ministry
changed its mind. Evidently the staff began to feel that public
support for the institutions was waning, and they once put sharp
limits on the number of special needs students that could be
accepted. In spite of the budget cuts the schools continued their
educational tasks as in the past. But when the government was
dispersed, the situation became worse and alternative arrangements
that had been set up were no longer honored. When the danger
became imminent and the budget dried up completely, the parents of
"Bnei Chayil" in Kedumim initiated a strike. Immediately, the Office
of the Prime Minister (substituting for the Minister of Education,
who had resigned) became involved. The General Manager of the
Ministry called an urgent meeting, but there is still no permanent and
stable solution. Meanwhile (as of the end of Shabbat of the Torah
portion of Yitro), external considerations continue to take precedence
over the good of the students.
The moral level of government education must be judged by
the way it treats students with special needs, such as those who
are impaired or who come from weak socioeconomic backgrounds.
And we cannot avoid the difficult question: Where are the public and
its leaders? Why is this problem being ignored? Why do we not hear
about a grass-roots movement to provide support for these righteous
institutions? And do not be fooled by public relations headlines about
prominent figures who "as it were" are lending their support.
Problems are not solved by headlines and by newspaper stories.
I have written in the past in this column that as far as I am
concerned the closing of an educational institution is worse
than uprooting a settlement, something which we all view as an
unforgivable and terrible act. Settlements which are destroyed can be
rebuilt, but in general when an educational institution is closed it
cannot be reopened. Its students scatter to other places, and it will be
impossible to bring them back. In this case, they will all be in search
of special needs schools, which may not be readily available. There is
in general no way to give back a stolen education, and such a loss can
be a mortal wound to the needs of the students.
What we have in front of us is a moral-public test of the highest
degree Where does the value of education stand in general and the

value of teaching these special students in particular? Are they a top

priority or marginal issues? Will they lead to idle talk or action? To
story-telling or fruitful activity? Will the action taken be mere public
relations moves or solid accomplishments?
Let us not abandon these five institutions, all with a staff of
managers, teachers, educational support, and hundreds of students
and parents, with thousands more that can be anticipated for the
future. The strength of a chain is that of its weakest link. We must
make sure that the link of weak students will remain strong
within our social chain.
(A note of disclosure: In all of my public roles I have actively
supported these five institutions.)
FROM THE TREASURY OF CHASSIDIC STORIES
A Chassidic Tale in Need of an Ending - by Zev Kitzis, Kibbutz
Hadati Yeshiva and Bar Ilan University
In the anonymously written but important book "Kahal Chassidim"
(Lemberg, 5625 1865, pages 9-10), there is an ancient Chassidic
story which in effect is on the subject of the roles played by stories.
Because of its length, I have summarized the story below.
******

The Baal Shem Tov commanded one of his disciples, Rabbi

Yaacov, that after the death of the Baal Shem Tov he should
travel all over the world and make his living by telling stories
about his master. Rabbi Yaacov was upset because he
understood that his master had decreed that he would live a life
of poverty and wandering, but the rabbi calmed him down with
a promise that in the end this occupation would bring him
wealth. After a long period of wandering around, during which
Rabbi Yaacov fulfilled the command of his master, who had
passed away, he heard that in Italy there was a wealthy religious
Jew who was willing to pay a high price for stories about the
Baal Shem Tov. After a great effort Rabbi Yaacov started out on
the long and arduous trip. When he finally reached his
destination after many long months and very high expenses, the
worst possible thing happened to him. He had a total
"blackout" he forgot everything. He couldn't remember a
single story, and in spite of his great efforts he could not even
remember one incident. Rabbi Yaacov spent a terrible Shabbat
in the home of the wealthy man. He tried to raise up the image
of the Baal Shem Tov and his students in his mind, but to no
avail. He wept and prayed, he even "shattered his brain into
little fragments," as a story-teller might describe it, but he was
not able to bring even one story into his memory. In the end the
two men parted, and Rabbi Yaacov started out on the long trip
to return home. However, the moment he sat down in the
carriage, a memory popped into his head, a strange story that
had no explanation. He immediately returned to the wealthy
man and told him what he had remembered.
One time, on the eve of the Christian holiday of Easter, the Baal
Shem Tov took Rabbi Yaacov to a distant city. They found the
Jews of the city hiding in their houses out of a fear of a coming
pogrom, while in the city square a prominent bishop was giving
a sermon to the Christians about the disgrace of the Jews.
Everybody was shocked when the Baal Shem Tov sent Rabbi
Yaacov to the bishop and invited him to come to the Baal Shem

Tov. Rabbi Yaacov could remember how he went to the bishop

and said to him in Hebrew that the Baal Shem Tov wanted to
see him. Everybody was shocked to see that in the end the
bishop responded to the invitation, and came to see the Baal
Shem Tov. The two men went into a closed room for a very long
time. After this, the bishop disappeared, and nobody knew
where he had gone.
When Rabbi Yaacov finished his story, the wealthy Jew told him
that he was the bishop in the story. He had been an apostate,
and the Baal Shem Tov had removed him from the impure
shells and led him on the path to repentance. He said, "When
you called me I was transformed into a different man and I
went to see the Baal Shem Tov... He said to me, here is a sign
that your sins have been forgiven When a man comes and tells
you about your own story."
And there our story ends. The journey of the wealthy Jew on the
path of teshuvah was over, and Rabbi Yaacov understood that
this brought to an end the task that the Baal Shem Tov had
given him. And in the end he also achieved the great wealth
that the Baal Shem Tov had promised him.
******
Much can be said about this wonderful tale, but let us concentrate on
one question: Why did the disciple forget the many stories that he
knew?
A Chassidic tale needs a context. In a strange environment, in a land
far away from the natural scenery of the stories, Rabbi Yaacov begins
to feel that his stories have melted away and have disappeared. They
have lost their internal logic, and all that remains in his hands are
facts that are unexplainable and confusing. And then the miracle
happens. The unfinished story that Rabbi Yaacov remembers finds its
missing part. The past meets the present and reality too. Rabbi
Yaacov and the wealthy man complete the two missing parts of the
story for each other, and they understand that this completes the
cycle and that each one has accomplished his appointed task, thus
taking part in achieving perfection.
We are all looking for an end of a story. We all want to be sure that
the difficult path of obstacles through which we pass in this world
will reach a good and happy ending. We search for the assurance that
in our lives we are building the correct and good story. Without a
story, even dramatic changes that take place in a lifetime from a
bishop to a G-d-fearing Jew might disappear and remain without
any explanation. In this story, Rabbi Yaacov reveals not only the
identity of the bishop but also his own life story. Rabbi Yaacov
himself spends his time searching for the end of the mission that was
given to him. The wealthy man and Rabbi Yaacov help each other
understand their own lives and to reach the point where they both
know the end of the story. Perhaps this is the reason that the Rebbe
of Apta used to recite the Kaddish after every story was told about a
righteous man...
HALACHA FROM THE SOURCE
Shemitta Work in a Garden by Mentally Challenged People - by
Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, Director of the Center for Teaching
and Halacha and a Teacher in Yeshivat Har Etzion

Question: I was asked a question by "Akim" in Jerusalem. This

organization treats patients who are mentally challenged using
therapeutic gardens. Their activity helps them to keep calm, improves
their motor dexterity, and gives them a feeling of success, when they
see the growth of the plants which they put into the ground.
About 80% of the area of the garden is covered with plastic
containers, each one with a volume of about 300-400 liters, which
serve as the therapeutic planting beds. The containers sit on
platforms which are raised from the ground. In about 20% of the
area the plants go directly into the ground.
What must we do to allow this gardening work by the handicapped
people during the Shemitta year? Note that the counsellors guide the
people but the planting and all the work is performed by the patients
themselves.
Answer:
Is a "Simpleton" Obligated by the Mitzvot?
It is well known that a simple person is released from the
requirement to perform the mitzvot (see Rambam Hilchot Chagiga
2:4, as well as many other sources in the Talmud and the books of
halacha). What is a shoteh a simple person? The Talmud explains
that it is a person who acts in an insane and illusionary way for
example, he tears his own clothing, he sleeps in a cemetery, and so on
(Chagiga 3b). Here is what the Rambam writes with respect to
testimony in court:
"Anybody who is crazy and is always confused in a specific matter,
even though he speaks reasonably about other matters, cannot be a
valid witness and is considered a simpleton." [Hilchot Eidut 9:9].
The Rambam emphasizes that a shoteh can be wise in some matters
but is very confused in other matters. This implies that not every
mental disability makes a person into a simpleton, since sometimes a
challenged person does not act in a crazy manner, but rather his level
of intelligence is lower than normal (this would be "peti," one who is
naive).
However, the Rambam rules that a peti is also considered a
simpleton (ibid), and this is accepted by the Shulchan Aruch
(Choshen Mishpat 35:10). The Maharit feels that this broad ruling
applies only to the laws of testimony (where we must be sure that the
witness can reliably describe what he saw), but that for other matters
such as commerce the actions of the peti are valid (Responsa, Even
Ha'ezer 16). A similar conclusion can be drawn from the words of
the SM"A (Sefer Me'irat Einayim) 21, which emphasizes that a peti
is indeed not valid as a witness "but he is not considered a shoteh."
This would seem to mean that even though a shoteh is free of the
obligation of performing all the mitzvot a peti is obligated to
perform them. (See also responsa "Oneg Yom Tov," 153).
The Required Level of Understanding
In practice it seems that the majority of the rabbis accepted the
opinion of the SM"A and those who followed him that a "peti" is
not a "shoteh." The early commentators disagreed about what level
of understanding is needed for a person to be obligated by the
mitzvot (see responsa of the RAVIA, 921), and recent rabbis have
also proposed various alternatives. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman
Auerbach concludes that a child with mental disability who knows

that the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave us the Torah and that we are
observing His mitzvot can be considered an adult when he reaches
the age of 13 (even if his intelligence level is only that of a 5 or 6 year
old). Such a child can be counted in a minyan and is accepted for
other purposes, but he will not be liable for punishment for a sin, and
he will not be accepted as a valid witness. (Responsa Minchat Shlomo
volume 1, 34).
The Laws of Shemitta in the Garden
As noted above, in about 80% of the specific garden the planting is
done in plastic containers. On the face of it, these are hydroponic
beds, and if they are inside a house (underneath a roof) the Chazon
Ish has ruled that one who is lenient has a good source for his actions
(Shevi'it 22:1; 26:4).
In our case these are very large beds, which some rabbis consider as
being attached to the ground because of their size, but we can still be
lenient in our case for several reasons: (1) Some rabbis are lenient
when growing under a roof even if the bed is not separated from the
ground. (2) Some rabbis do consider a large bed as hydroponic
growing. (3) The Chazon Ish does not consider a bed that holds 400
liters as being attached to the ground. (4) In our case the issue is one
of a doubt in a rabbinical decree.
Another point for discussion is whether we can be lenient in a case
where the purpose of the planting is therapeutic and not as a means
of planting, but since from the point of view of the patient the
planting is indeed the main objective, this consideration cannot be
used as a mitigating factor.
In Practice
We should differentiate between different levels of those being
treated. People with a mild mental disability or mental frailty
(whose mental level is at least that of a seven-year-old) should only
plant inside the plastic containers. A shade mesh (with at least 50%
density) should be spread out over the containers, and plastic sheets
should be put underneath them. In this way the plants in the
containers will be considered as hydroponic beds underneath a roof.
People with extreme mental disability are not obligated by the
mitzvot, and they can therefore plant directly in the ground.
However, it is best even for them to create a place where the halacha
allows planting, especially since the exact halachic definition of the
level of disability which leads to a lack of obligation is not clear.
Therefore, these areas too should be covered by a mesh (more than
50% density), since some rabbis are lenient today in any case where
planting takes place under a roof (even in the ground itself). We can
certainly be lenient in this case of a therapeutic garden.
Summary
This response was given to the Akim organization in Jerusalem, and
they did indeed fulfill the halachic requirements. I therefore
wrote to them giving permission to operate as outlined above.
As part of the process of responding to this question I went to see
the garden for myself. In this way I became acquainted with this very
worthy enterprise, which provides help and support for these
precious people. Their mission is difficult and complex, and it
requires great mental strength. I hope and pray that G-d will give

them the strength and happiness that they need in order to succeed in
their vital mission!
WHAT IS THAT PHRASE?
In those Days on this Date - by Yaacov Etzion
On both Chanukah and Purim we recite two blessings the first time
we perform the special mitzva of the holiday lighting candles or
reading the Megillah - which includes the phrase, "This time." The
first blessing is, "He who performed miracles for our ancestors in
those days, at this time," and the second one is "shehechiyanu" "that
You kept us alive and maintained our existence, and allowed us to
reach this time."
However, the meaning of the phrase is different in the two blessings.
In the second blessing, the phrase "this time" refers to the present
time, at the moment the blessing is recited. In the blessing about the
miracles, on the other hand, we are referring to the wonders that He
performed many years ago, in "those days," on the date which we
are celebrating.
There are those who explained that the phrase "at this time" in the
blessing on the miracles is a way of giving thanks for the miracles of
the past and also for the miracles that we experience every day of our
lives, but this does not seem to be a straightforward use of language.
In early versions of the blessing the text is shorter: "He who
performed miracles for our ancestors at this time." This is clearly
a reference to the current date and not to the current era in which we
live.
For example, see the Responsa of Rav Achai Gaon. "On a day when
a miracle happened to Yisrael, such as Chanukah and Purim, one is
required to recite the blessing, 'Blessed is He who performed
miracles for our ancestors at this time.' And the same language is
used upon arriving at a place where a miracle happened to Yisrael:
'He who performed miracles for our ancestors at this place.'" The
same conclusion is implied by a sentence that was part of an older
version of the Al Hanissim prayer: "Just as You performed wonders
and miracles and great feats in those days at this time, so perform
for us, our G-d, good wonders and miracles at this time."
If this is so, why didn't the sages use more precise language, and say
"in those times on this date?" The answer is that the word "taarich"
date did not exist yet when the blessings were formulated. In fact,
the word taarich is basically an Arabic word. It was incorporated into
the Hebrew language as it is today because Jews in Arab lands had a
custom of writing Arabic using Hebrew letters. In Arabic there are
two different letters which are close to the "chet" of Hebrew. One is
a guttural letter, which appears in the name Mohamed. The other is a
palatal letter, which is pronounced somewhat like the letter "chaf"
(without a dot, as in the name of the city Chevron in Arabic El
Chalil). In the middle ages this was represented in Hebrew letters by a
"chaf." And this is how the Arabic word "taarich" was written,
meaning to be a host ("orayach") or to set a date. And this was
incorporated into Hebrew.
STRAIGHT TALK
Women on the Firing Line by Rabbi Yoni Lavie, Manager,
"Chaverim Makshivim" Website
"The Police force is perplexed. A seventh general is being
investigated. A senior officer in the Police is suspected of sexual

harassment of women who were under his command... One out of

every three women inIsrael has had an experience of sexual
harassment at least once in their lives... There has been an increase in
sex crimes and violence against women in Israel..."
[From this week's newspapers].
It seems that the feminist movement and the organizations defending
the rights and position of women have never been stronger. One
woman is a candidate for Prime Minister, not very long ago a
respected woman ran for the office of President of Israel, women
serve in very senior positions and hold key offices in every realm of
endeavor. And the awareness of their rights and their status has never
been so high.
However, in spite of this, the harsh data from the field shows a very
different picture. Never in the past have so many women been
exploited, harassed, attacked, and objectified as in modern times. The
way women are treated as sex objects and the style of conversation
and behavior which concentrate on the physical views of women
have become accepted means of expression. This has happened not
only for those who wear police uniforms but as a norm which has
spread throughout the entire social structure of the nation. It seems
that there is a tremendous gap between the festive declarations of
equality and respect for women and the reality on the ground.
"Saving" the Women
One of the realms where people are fond of attacking the religious
sector and especially the Chareidim is the subject of "the status of
women." The first widely accepted axiom is that in traditional
Judaism women have a status of a lower class. They suffer from
discrimination and humiliation, their lives can be summarized as
bringing children into the world and cooking for their husbands. And
if this is not enough, they are forced to cover themselves with
mounds of clothing that is hot and unfashionable, just to protect
their men from their own reckless evil inclination. All of this is such a
clear and well-established fact that nobody ever makes any serious
attempt to find out if it has any basis in reality or not.

You will not see the following questions in any newspaper, and there
is nobody else who dares to throw them out at modern culture, since
they undermine the basic behavioral norms to which the culture has
become so accustomed: When was the last time you came across an
advertisement for a dishwasher or a family room rental that was not
adorned by a picture of a half-dressed model? Does a young girl who
wants to dress in a solid and modest way for a social affair or who
wants to protect her body and her honor until she gets married have
any legitimate way to do this? Or will she automatically become the
object of scorn and mockery? ("What's wrong, baby, did you
suddenly become religious?") Does an adolescent girl have a basic
right to refuse to go to the beach with her classmates because she
feels uncomfortable in the situation (which, come to think of it, is
insane) of revealing herself in her underwear in front of crowds of
men, some of whom are total strangers? Or will she be viewed as a
creature from outer space that just landed on the earth?
The mockery of those who follow religious principles is very funny
when it is spouted by those who follow the dictates of modern
culture, as indicated above. "Secular religion" has commandments
and clear rules that go into great detail about how a woman must
dress (or rather must not dress) and how she must behave. How does
this differ from Mei'ah She'arim or Bnei Berak? Everybody simply
chooses the norm of (non-)dress that she wants. One type is dictated
by the halacha and the other is dictated by the street. Who can say
that the second one is to be preferred?
The culture which disparagingly rejected out of hand the "primitive"
rules of modesty quickly descended to an abyss where a woman who
was created in the image of G-d, who has her own personality,
emotions, and self-respect, is transformed into an object to be used
for marketing and into a body that is measured by external sexual
standards. The link between permissiveness in western culture and
the frighteningly high percentages of harassment and rape is stronger
than the link between smoking and lung cancer. Is anybody ready to
admit this simple fact?
Liability of the Women

Modern culture, on the other hand, is known to have a goal of

releasing women from the wretched slavery of the "dark religion,"
and it is nothing less than a harbinger of freedom and self-fulfillment,
honor, and pride.
But what happens when you take a look at the real world and
discover that the emperor has no clothes? The culture of
permissiveness and enlightenment, the one which so arrogantly and
patronizingly rises up over the halachic and traditional limits and
obsessively shatters all the old principles, is the last alternative that
can teach any lessons about showing respect for women and about
the best recipe for correct relationships between men and women.
This culture pays lip service to the status of women but really sins by
objectifying them and transforming them into sexual objects, in the
worst possible way. This is a culture which sets cruel fashions that
require women and girls to dress in a way that is revealing and
degrading, with a "meat market" that judges them not according to
their qualifications and their personalities but based only on their
external appearance. This is a culture that raises a banner of freedom
and shattering all limits between men and women, but its rotten fruits
are the destruction of the family unit, with divorce measured in tens
of percentages, separated couples, and broken children.
The "Religious" Secular People

After the above general reckoning of existing culture, we cannot

avoid one more critical aspect of the matter. This is the women
themselves. Just writing the following lines is a dangerous move,
since anybody who dares today to write a single word of criticism
about the way women choose to appear in public can expect a hail of
lethal arrows shot at him or her by the liberal inquisition "It is the
right of every woman to dress as she sees fit and to appear in public
in revealing attire when she wants to, and nobody has any right to say
anything or to treat her differently because of what she decides to
do."
Even if we can agree with the last part of the above sentence and
reject any harassment or harm to a woman who chooses to appear in
public in a revealing fashion, it would be sanctimonious hypocrisy of
the first order to claim that aggressive exposure of the body has no
effect on the surrounding atmosphere and does not broadcast any
message. Anybody who wants to be treated as a person and not a sex
object should seriously consider whether it is a good idea to dress like
an object. Whoever chooses to cooperate with the degrading norm of
dress in modern culture should be aware that doing so exacts a price.
Such a woman harms herself and her surroundings, and she thereby
moves the focus of how she is treated from internal and qualitative
elements to the cheap and external side. The necessary changes must

be made by all of society, men and women alike. The benefits of

living a pure life, relevant and clean, where every man and woman is
respected for their good qualities, will be felt by us all.

fields and vineyards, will he appoint you as leaders of thousands

and leaders of hundreds, that you have decided to revolt against me
and nobody revealed to me that my son and the son of Yishai made
a covenant..." [Shmuel I 22:7-8].

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ITEMS FROM "IN THE TENTS OF SHEM"
The Name of a Convert (Part 2) - by Dov Rozen (Summarized
by Yisrael Rosenberg)
The usual custom in the world is for parents to choose the names of
their children. However, converts have a special privilege in that they
can choose their own Hebrew names.
Noach Meister is quoted as saying, "I love animals, family and home
living, nature, sunlight, and more... The image of Noach in the ark
with all of the animals is very appealing to me." (Hatzofeh, Sivan
5736).
A German pilot who fought in World War II chose the name Yitro
when he converted, because of what Yitro said: "Now I know that Gd is the greatest of any other deity" (Haaretz, Elul 5731).
An article by Tzvi Lavie about "a German soldier who studied in a
yeshiva" (Yamim V'Leilot, Sivan 5739) ends with the following:
"Wolfgang Hestermann became Yonah Emanuel. Why? Emanuel is
another name for the nation of Yisrael. Yonah a dove - is a symbol
of peace, not with Egypt but between one Jew and another. Yonah
was also the prophet who learned from personal experience that a
person cannot escape if he is destined to fulfill a spiritual mission."
Biagid became Bat-Sheva Bernstein. "When she converted she took
on the Hebrew name Bat-Sheva, which is reminiscent of her birth
name which (in Swedish) means to take an oath. Today she links this
with her oath of allegiance to Judaism and to observing the mitzvot."
(Maariv, Sivan 5740).
Happy they are!
RIDDLE OF THE WEEK
by Yoav Shelosberg, Director of "Quiz and Experience"
Mishpatim
When it is taken a "block" is formed
When it is removed it leads to freedom.
What is it?
Answer to last week's riddle - The riddle was: The heads of X and
10X who are mentioned in the Torah portion with respect to
leadership are also mentioned in the Prophets by a King who
complained about a revolt.
If the leaders of hundreds are in charge of X, then the leaders of
thousands are in charge of 10X.
- They are mentioned in the Torah portion, in the advice given by
Yitro: "And now you should choose from the nation prominent men
who fear G-d, men of truth who hate graft. And appoint over them
leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifty, and
leaders of ten." [Shemot 18:21].
- They also appear in Shaul's complaint to his slaves about the revolt
by David: "And Shaul said to his slaves who stood there with him:
Listen to me, sons of Binyamin. Will the son of Yishai give you all

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