Is Richard Peel a Bad Guy?

My wife got a message from a friend to be on the lookout for a fellow named Richard Peel. He is accused of being a hacker. When he becomes your friend on facebook he is able somehow to use that to hack your mail.

I just searched, there are 89 folks named "Richard Peel" on facebook. Who is the bad one? I don't know. I don't recall anyone in my past named Richard Peel. So if one comes knocking on my door, I'll just say "No."

Shemot 12:31

Here is the text of a note posted on Facebook by one of my friends. Below is my answer.

A popular thing for liberal rabbis in LA is to make a name for themselves by debunking the exodus story. The latest defamation of Jewish history comes from this Los Angeles Jewish Journal article: http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=19278

Even though his theory that the exodus story is a compilation of various ancient beliefs and practices he does leave us with one good question from the text.

In Exodus 12:22 G-d commands all of Israel not to leave their houses until the Morning. Several verses later, after G-d has punished Egypt by killing their first born, Pharoh summons Moshe and Aharon to him in the middle of the night and tells the Israelites to leave. How were Moshe and Aharon able to leave their houses in the middle of the night against G-d's command and did the Israelites also start leaving Egypt in the middle of the night? (See Ramban and Ibn Ezra on Exodus 12:31)

What are your thoughts?


Here is my answer:

Josh:

I'm going to try to answer your question. Please just bear in mind that I didn't have a lot of time to research the commentators.

How do we understand the phrase (Shemot 12:31) "And he (Paro) called to Moshe and Aharon ..."

Let's start with Rashi. Based on the Mechilta he explains that Paro was going from door to door and calling out asking the people where Moshe and Aharon lived. In other words, according to Rashi there is no hint that Moshe and Aharon went outside before daybreak.

Ibn Ezra takes a very different approach. He claims that on the night of the 15th of Nisan Moshe and Aharon stayed in the capital of Egypt. That is, they didn't return to Raamses where the rest of the Jewish people were that night. Then he says (my translation): "And behold they went out from the door of their house at the command of Hashem at midnight. And Moshe went with the servants of Paro to Raamses to take out the Jewish people." So according to Ibn Ezra, Moshe and Aharon did go out during the night, but this was only since they received an explicit command from Hashem. He goes on to say that the rest of the people did not leave their homes until after daybreak.

Ramban seems fundamentally to agree with Rashi. He begins by quoting Rashi, but then does not state any disagreement with Rashi, rather he explains Rashi. Here he brings in the Ibn Ezra (though not by name) that the night of the 15th of Nisan Moshe and Aharon stayed in the capital of Egypt. Ramban then relates that based on the visit from Paro, Moshe and Aharon sent a message to the Jews in Raamses that they had permission to leave. Ramban discusses that there is a distinction between "redemption" and "going out." The redemption from Egypt happened at night. With the death of the first born they received permission from Paro to leave. The going out from Egypt only occurred the next morning. This is based on the verse (Numbers 33:3) "... on the morrow after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians."

I hope this helps answer your question.

Pesach Seder

I've embedded three documents in this post. Here is a brief explanation of them.

The Order of the Pesach Seder attempts to show how the seder falls naturally into four sections. Each section ends with drinking one of the cups. Based on this it is easy to understand a halacha about the four cups. The drinking of the four cups is not fulfilled simply by drinking four cups one after the other. Rather each cup must be drunk in its proper place at the end of its section of the seder.

The second document is the Outline of the Maggid Section of the seder. It is so easy to get lost in Maggid. One mistake people often make is spending lots of time at the beginning of Maggid and then rushing through the last few steps. The real "meat" of the Maggid section is steps 8-14. See Rambam Mishne Torah Hilchot Chametz and Matza chapter 7 halacha 4. It is worthwhile to pace ourselves at the beginning and be sure to devote time to these sections.

By the way, I'm not suggesting that step 17 be slighted. It is certainly important that all participants at your seder be present for the recital of step 17!

The final document is called The Four Parts of the Seder. This chart is based on the book Torah Patterns by R. Moshe Shlomo Emanuel. We are all familiar with the concepts of past, present and future. That which precedes any intentional creation is purpose. Purpose also gives the past, present and future meaning. In the case of the Jewish people, God first determined to create a Holy Nation and that overriding purpose has influenced our past and present and will continue into our future.

The Kadeish section of the seder is the expression of purpose. Kiddush stresses the concept of kedusha which comes from the mitzvot. The purpose of the Exodus is that the Jewish nation should attain kedusha.

In the Maggid section we relate what happened in the past. Maggid ends with reciting two sections from Hallel. These parts of Hallel, more than the rest of Hallel, mention the Exodus. Also, the final blessing of the section is "Who redeemed Yisrael" in the past tense.

The focus of the Seudah is the present and our present freedom. The eating of the matzah and marror do relate to the slavery and bitterness of Egypt. However, by eating them we personally experience that servitude and bitterness and thus pull the past into our present.

The final section of the seder, Hallel, relates to the future. We start out by opening our doors which shows that we are looking forward to a time when no one would dare to intrude and take advantage of any perceived weakness. We ask Hashem to pour out His wrath on those nations who have oppressed us. Also, we pour Elijah's Cup, to show our faith that soon Eliyahu will come and announce the arrival of Mashiach. We recite those parts of Hallel that we didn't say before. This half of the Hallel focuses on the future redemption of the Jewish people.

The other lines of the chart have similar explanations, but I don't have time to write more about them now.

If you have access to the book Torah Patterns, I highly recommend spending time with it.

Chag kasher v'sameach

Read this doc on Scribd: Outline of the Pesach Seder

Parshat Metzora - Two Birds

The week's parsha begins with the procedure for permitting the Metzora to return to his home. Here are some of the verses from Vayikra 14 (Judaica Press translation):

Leviticus Chapter 14
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 This shall be the law of the person afflicted with tzara'ath, on the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the kohen.
3 The kohen shall go outside the camp, and the kohen shall look, and behold, the lesion of tzara'ath has healed in the afflicted person.
4 Then the kohen shall order, and the person to be cleansed shall take two live, clean birds, a cedar stick, a strip of crimson [wool], and hyssop.
5 The kohen shall order, and one shall slaughter the one bird into an earthenware vessel, over spring water.
6 the live bird, he shall take it, and then the cedar stick, the strip of crimson, and the hyssop, and, along with the live bird, he shall dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird, over the spring water.
7 He shall then sprinkle seven times upon the person being cleansed from tzara'ath, and he shall cleanse him. He shall then send away the live bird into the field.

Verse 4 mentions that "two live, clean birds" are to be used. One bird will be slaughtered (verse 5) and the other bird will be set free (verse 7). We should first note that these birds do not have the status of offerings. In a later stage of his cleansing the metzora will bring offerings. If he has sufficient means then he will bring lambs. If he is poor then he will bring either two turtledoves or two young pigeons (see verse 22). Because those birds will be brought as offerings the Torah specifies only those bird species which may be brought on the altar. However, in the beginning step of his purification the Torah only requires two clean (kosher) birds.

Rashi in his comment to Verse 4 tells us why the metzora brings birds:

Rashi Leviticus Chapter 14
4 clean Excluding an unclean bird. Because lesions of tzara'ath come as a result of derogatory speech, which is done by chattering. Therefore, for his cleansing, this person is required to bring birds, which twitter constantly with chirping sounds.

Rashi's explanation doesn't help us understand why two birds are required. The Baal HaTurim on Verse 7 offers this insight (my translation):

He shall send away the bird: This is a hint that the tzara'ath has flown away from him. And one bird was slaughtered, as if to say, thus the tzara'ath should not come to him again. And one bird was sent away, as if to say, that if he (the metzora) will continue to do evil, the tzara'ath will return to him like the bird that was sent away.

The person who was struck with tzara'ath had engaged in speaking lashon hara. The only way for the tzara'ath to be healed was for him to do teshuva. He has now reached that level. The Baal HaTurim tells us that the two birds teach the metzora that what happens next is up to him. His actions in the future will determine whether or not the tzara'ath returns.

I saw another explanation, but failed to record the source. A person could have thought that after being healed from the tzara'ath that he should never talk again. The Torah tells him that that is not a correct idea. One bird is left alive, that is, still chattering. The healed metzora too is permitted to speak, it is just up to him to learn to speak only in appropriate ways.

I am the Long Tail

Not too long ago Lisa brought home the book The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. His basic premise is very simple. The cost of storing inventory digitally is extremely low, even approaching zero. Businesses with digital inventory can have virtually unlimited inventory always in stock. Not only that, but people will buy the less popular items. Each item may sell only a few times a year, but that can mean thousands of sales each month.

Here is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article about this:

The phrase The Long Tail (as a proper noun with capitalized letters) was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article to describe the niche strategy of certain business such as Amazon.com or Netflix. The distribution and inventory costs of those business allow them to realize significant profit out of selling small volumes of hard-to-find items to many customers, instead of only selling large volumes of a reduced number of popular items. The group of persons that buy the hard-to-find or "non-hit" items is the customer demographic called the Long Tail.

I don't sell anything, so how am I the long tail? I've posted several videos on YouTube. Just yesterday I discovered a feature of YouTube. My videos have been viewed over 300 times since I posted the first one last August. YouTube gives me information about where the viewers are located.

For example, my most viewed video is called Lemur Walk. It has been viewed over 200 times.

Here is what's really amazing. It has been seen by people all over the world! Here's a partial list of the countries:

United States
Canada
England
Germany
Spain
Netherlands
Italy
Poland
Croatia
Greece
Brazil
Chile
Turkey

I never would have guessed that viewers were coming from all over the world!

Now I did this just for fun and to share with family and friends. I only hope that those viewing my content enjoy it and come to view Jews and Jerusalem more positively.

Tigers and Elephants

Sunday was our first chance in a few months to visit the Jerusalem Zoo. The weather was perfect for a spring outing. Partly cloudy, even a few sprinkles, and not too many people at the zoo.

We've always enjoyed the zoo on cool days. These are the days that the animals are more likely to be active. We were not disappointed.

Our first stop was the Sumatran tiger exhibit. The Jerusalem Zoo now hosts two tigers - Avigdor and Chana. For months they were in the same enclosure but separated by a fence. That fence is no longer needed so Avigdor and Chana can have all the close contact they want.

When we arrived on Sunday afternoon, Avigdor was lounging on the ridge from which he can see the entire area. Chana was exploring compound right near one of the viewing windows. That is where I captured this video:



A little later we went over to the Asia elephant compound. The Jerusalem Zoo hosts one male, four females, and one male calf. The adult male is separated from the other elephants.

We were treated to a sight that I've never before seen. The mother and son elephants were swimming and playing in the pool.

This was no short dip, stick your foot in and then head back to dry land. They were chasing each other, playing tag, holding each other under the water. It was amazing how long the baby could stay under water. We watched them for at least 20 minutes. Here is the video that I took of them playing:



Here's one very cute thing we saw: Eventually mom decided it was time to get out of the water. The baby then proceeded to stand in front of her and block her from leaving. Mom prevailed and they left the pool. After about thirty seconds on dry land the baby plunged back into the water. He frolicked for another minute or so and then rejoined his mom on land.

First Aid Trained

Back in the old country, when we lived in Baltimore, Lisa took a first aid course. After we made aliyah she was disappointed that she wasn't able to maintain her first aid certification.

That changed a few years ago when Hebrew University decided that interested staff should be trained in first aid. The courses and tests have all been in Hebrew.

This past Sunday they received training in the use of a new defibrillator. After the course was over there was a short ceremony and all those who had successfully completed the course received official Hebrew University First Aid Personnel reflective vests!

Congratulations Lisa.




See, I told you they were reflective vests! Note the Hebrew U. logo on the right side of Lisa's back.

At the Bubble - Parshat Vayakhel

Parshat Vayakhel - Precious

In the last three parshiot Moshe received the commandments concerning the mishkan and all its details. Now again in this parsha (and also next week in Pekudei) the details are recorded. All told, the Torah repeats the work of the mishkan five times. Why?

Ramban explains the reason in his commentary on Shemot 36:8. In a long comment he explains why each repetition was necessary. He concludes (my translation):

In general, all of this is in way of showing affection and distinction, to say that Hashem desires the work (of the mishkan) and He mentions it many times in his Torah to increase the reward of those who are involved with it (studying it). It is similar to what the Sages said in a midrash, "The ordinary conversation of the forefathers' servants is more precious before Hashem than the Torah of the children. The section of Eliezer takes two or three columns."

The story of Eliezer, Avraham's servant, seeking a wife for Sarah is given tremendous coverage in the Torah. The entire episode occupies 67 verses in Sefer Bereshit and that includes the repetition of the story that Eliezer recounted to Rivka's family. By way of contrast, there are many (seemingly more significant) halachot that are barely hinted at with a verse, or a word, or sometimes even just a letter.

We learn from this repetition how precious a subject is to Hashem. May we all (and I certainly include myself) be able to devote ourselves to learning these parshiot and understanding the preciousness of the mishkan.

At the Bubble - Parshat Ki Tisa

It is difficult to understand Aharon's involvement in building the Golden Calf. Let's take the approach that the people (as a whole) did not want a replacement for Hashem but needed a replacement for Moshe. It seems that Aharon could have suggested something other than the Golden Calf.

The Chizkuni (born in Provence, France about 1250) offers an understanding of Aharon's thinking. Here is my translation of his comment on Shemot 32:2:

Aharon's intentions were completely righteous. He thought in his heart, "If I say to them to appoint over themselves one of the prominent members of the community, tomorrow when Moshe returns, the new leader will not want to step down from his position and this will cause dissension and (possibly) bloodshed. If I don't appoint someone for them, then they will do it themselves and this will cause an increase in arguments. If I say that I myself will be the new leader, this will cause Moshe too much pain. I will involve the people in activities until Moshe returns. I will make something that has no substance and when Moshe comes he will undo it." And this is what Aharon did. Therefore, he said to them, "Break off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your wives, etc., just like Rashi explained.

According to the Chizkuni, Aharon was faced with a very difficult dilemma. As he thought about the various options at his disposal, each of them would lead to a more serious consequence than the current situation. Aharon was guided by the principles of not hurting an individual and avoiding strife between groups. As for not hurting an individual, he probably recalled that at the Burning Bush Moshe had refused the leadership role because Aharon was his older brother. How would Moshe feel now if it appeared that in his absence Aharon had grabbed the leadership of the Jewish people? Hence, Aharon participated in building the Golden Calf and tried in every possible way to make the process as slow as possible, hoping that Moshe would return before the situation completely deteriorated.

As always, I would appreciate your comments.

At the Bubble - Parshat Tetzaveh

Last week's parsha described in great detail the vessels of the mishkan (the sanctuary), the mishkan itself and its courtyard. This was introduced with a command and a promise (Shemot 25:8) “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me – so that I may dwell among them.” The Jewish people were promised that if they would build the mishkan in the proper way then Hashem would dwell amongst them.

This week's parsha describes the garments of the kohanim – those who have the special privilege to serve daily in the mishkan. It then describes the initiation ceremony for the kohanim, including the offerings that must be brought to make them fit to serve. Then the parsha devotes a few verses to the daily burnt offering that was brought each morning and evening in the mishkan.

The last verses of the parsha are devoted to the Golden Altar, a small altar made of wood and covered with gold. The Golden Altar, like the table and the menorah, was placed inside the mishkan. Moshe was commanded that the kohain would bring incense on this altar every morning and afternoon.

We might think that the Golden Altar should have been commanded at the same time as the table and the menorah. Furthermore, why is the Golden Altar described at the end of this week's parsha, the last part of the mishkan to be mentioned? This is especially puzzling when we look at the Midrash Tanchuma which declares that Hashem considers the offering of the incense on the Golden Altar as the most precious part of the service!

The commentary of Rav Ovadia Sforno gives an answer to this question (Shemot 30:1). He explains that Hashem's dwelling amongst the Jewish people occurred in three stages. The first stage was properly building the mishkan and its vessels. This caused the Divine Presence to dwell on the mishkan. The second stage, bringing the offerings as described in the dedication ceremony for the kohanim, caused Hashem's glory to appear to the Jewish people.

The Golden Altar did not play a role in these first two stages, rather the role of the Golden Altar is to give honor to Hashem after He favorably accepts the service of His people. As the midrash states (Tanchuma Tetzaveh Chapter 15), “The incense offering does not come to atone for sin or transgression or guilt, it comes only to bring joy.” Therefore, it is only proper that the command to build the Golden Altar should be stated last, separate from the other parts of the mishkan.

Note: This devar Torah is also the text for the "Short Vort" that I recorded for Yeshivat Darche Noam. You'll find a link to the mp3 file on the Yeshiva's home page.

At the Bubble - Parshat Terumah

This week's parsha explains the how the mishkan (tabernacle) and most of its vessels were to be built. The verses detail what materials were to be used, the shapes of the vessels and their dimensions. Here are the verses (Judaica Press translation) about the construction of the menorah:

Exodus Chapter 25
31 And you shall make a menorah of pure gold. The menorah shall be made of hammered work; its base and its stem, its goblets, its knobs, and its flowers shall [all] be [one piece] with it.
32 And six branches coming out of its sides: three menorah branches from its one side and three menorah branches from its second side.
33 Three decorated goblets on one branch, a knob and a flower, and three decorated goblets on one branch, a knob and a flower; so for the six branches that come out of the menorah.
34 And on [the stem of] the menorah [shall be] four decorated goblets, its knobs and its flowers.
35 And a knob under the two branches from it, and a knob under the two branches from it, and a knob under the two branches from it; so for the six branches that come out of the menorah.
36 Their knobs and their branches shall [all] be [one piece] with it; all of it [shall be] one hammered mass of pure gold.
37 And you shall make its lamps seven, and he shall kindle its lamps [so that they] shed light toward its face.
38 And its tongs and its scoops [shall be] of pure gold.
39 He shall make it of a talent of pure gold, with all these implements.
40 Now see and make according to their pattern, which you are shown on the mountain.

One question that has puzzled me is why the menorah was required to be made from a single block of gold? Rabbeinu Bachya (1263-1340) provides an answer to this question and explains the meaning of the various parts of the menorah. What follows is a summary of parts of his commentary on verses 31 and 38.

The menorah had seven lamps. The lamps are a hint to the Torah which is called "light," as the verse in Proverbs 6:23: "For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light ..."

There were also six branches projecting from the central stem of the menorah. These six branches correspond to the six directions of the world (north, south, east, west, up, down). The world only exists due to the Torah which was given on the sixth of Sivan.

We see from verse 33 that there were three goblets decorating each of the six branches for a total of eighteen goblets. In addition, verse 34 tells us that the central stem was decorated with four more goblets. Hence, there were a total of twenty two goblets, which is a hint to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet which when combined correctly make up the Torah.

From verses 31 and 36 we understand that the menorah must be made from a single piece of gold. Here is a portion of Rashi's commentary on verse 31:

The menorah shall be made of hammered work that it must not be made in sections. Its branches and its lamps should not be made individually and then attached, as is the custom of the smiths called soldering, but it must come entirely from one piece - beaten with a hammer and cut with a tool, and the branches separated on both sides.

None of the other vessels in the mishkan had a requirement that they must be made from a single piece. Why does the menorah have such a requirement? Rabbeinu Bachya shows how the different parts of the menorah are all allusions to the Torah. This is another such allusion: the entire Torah that we have from Hashem is a single Torah. Even though it is composed of different parts such as tanach, midrash, aggadah, mishna and gemara, it is all one Torah.

I would appreciate any comments that you have on this essay.

Parshat Mishpatim - Don't Say It

No shiur at the Bubble this week. By Wednesday evening all of Jerusalem was covered with snow which continued until well into Thursday. These pictures show the view from our apartment Thursday morning. You can see our patio table is covered with snow. I stuck in a ruler. The hole is at the six inch mark, so we had about five inches of snow on the table!

I still thought I would post an idea about the parsha.

This week's parsha, Mishpatim, discusses a large number of diverse topics. Then in Chapter 23 is a discussion of Shemittah, Shabbat, and Festivals. Here is the Judaic Press translation:

Shemot Chapter 23
10 Six years you may sow your land and gather in its produce.
11 But in the seventh [year] you shall release it and abandon it; the poor of your people shall eat [it], and what they leave over, the beasts of the field shall eat. So shall you do to your vineyard [and] to your olive tree[s].
12 Six days you may do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, in order that your ox and your donkey shall rest, and your maidservant's son and the stranger shall be refreshed.
13 Concerning all that I have said to you you shall beware, and the name of the gods of others you shall not mention; it shall not be heard through your mouth.
14 Three times you shall slaughter sacrifices to Me during the year.
15 You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I have commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of springtime, for then you left Egypt, and they shall not appear before Me empty handed.
16 And the festival of the harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you will sow in the field, and the festival of the ingathering at the departure of the year, when you gather in [the products of] your labors from the field.
17 Three times during the year, all your males shall appear before the Master, the Lord.
18 You shall not sacrifice the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, and the fat of My festive sacrifice shall not stay overnight until morning.
19 The choicest of the first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the Lord, your God. You shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk.

I want to focus on verse 13. Why specifically in this context does the Torah forbid the Jewish people to mention the gods of other nations (avodah zarah)? Although there is a prohibition against serving avodah zarah, why is the prohibition against mentioning them here? What is the relationship between mentioning avodah zarah and Shabbat and Yom Tov?

I have found a midrash that answers part of this question. Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 31:16) quotes this verse and then explains why Hashem established each of the festivals:

Passover is because of the miracles that Hashem did for the Jewish people in Egypt.

Shavuot is because Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people. The Jewish people eat of the fruits of Torah even in this world, as the verse (Proverbs 8:19) says, "My fruits are better than fine gold, even choice gold, and my produce is choicer than silver."

Sukkot is because at that time of year (as the harvest is gathered in) Hashem fills our houses with His material blessing.

The point of the Midrash seems to be that we must not even mention idols because everything that we have is from Hashem. Only due to His miracles were the Jewish people saved from Egypt and formed into a nation. Hashem gave us the Torah which provides us with spiritual nourishment in this world and He gives us everything that we need for physical sustenance. That would seem to explain why in this listing of the festivals they are related to the agricultural cycle which is the paradigm of Hashem fulfilling our physical needs.

The Midrash does not discuss why the celebration of Shabbat and Shemittah are the subject of the verses preceding the prohibition against mentioning avodah zarah. I would like to suggest an answer. We know that Shabbat reminds us that Hashem created the world in six days and "rested" on the seventh day. We begin the Friday night kiddush by quoting verses from the end of the Torah's account of creation. Then, in the bracha itself, we say that Hashem "took pleasure in us, and with love and favor gave us His holy Sabbath as a heritage, a remembrance of creation." When we refrain from forbidden labor on Shabbat (and Shemittah) we acknowledge that Hashem created the world.

Even though Hashem gave the Jewish people Shabbat as a gift for us to observe, the knowledge that Hashem created the world belongs to everyone, Jew and non-Jew. The Jewish people can't even mention idols because those who acknowledge the idol are denying Hashem. We have two reasons to acknowledge Hashem: Shabbat and Shemittah which testify that Hashem is creator and our Yomim Tovim which testify that Hashem took us out of Egypt and sustains us everyday physically and spiritually. Granted, the non-Jews do not have these festivals, however, they still should acknowledge Hashem as creator. I want to suggest that this is the reason for the ordering of these verses. First, the verses about Shabbat and Shemittah - Hashem as creator, a concept for all creation to accept. Then the prohibition against mentioning avodah zarah - the denial of Hashem. Last, the verses about the festivals - Hashem in His unique relationship with the Jewish people.

I would appreciate any comments that you may have on this essay.

At the Bubble - Parshat Yitro

The highlight of this week's parsha is Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, on Har Sinai. Just prior to giving the Torah, Hashem called Moshe up to the mountain. This is recorded in Shemot 19:20-21 (Judaica Press translation):

20 The Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the peak of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the peak of the mountain, and Moses ascended.
21 The Lord said to Moses, Go down, warn the people lest they break through to the Lord, and many of them will fall.

Let's ask two questions about these verses. 1) What does it mean that "Hashem descended?" Hashem is everywhere so how could He descend onto Har Sinai. 2) Why did Hashem ask Moshe to come up to the peak of the mountain and then immediately tell him to go down?

An answer to the first question is found in Rabbeinu Bechaya's commentary on verse 20. The word "descend" in relation to Hashem always means "reveal" to the intellect. If so, then why does the Torah use the word "descend" when "reveal" would be more appropriate? He explains that the revelation of the Shechinah to humans is always a descent compared to Hashem's loftiness. We should not think that it is possible that when Hashem reveals Himself to a person that there can ever be true seeing. Even Moshe Rabbeinu was not able to see Hashem. As Hashem said to Moshe (Shemot 33:20) "You will not be able to see My face, for no human can see My face and live."

We can find an answer to the second question in the Shem MiShmuel Parshat Yitro 5678 / 1918 (in the paragraph that begins אך לפי דרכנו ). The Gemara (Yevamot 105b) asks rhetorically, "Was Moshe fit to learn Torah directly from Hashem?" Of course, the answer is "No." Therefore, Hashem called Moshe to ascend to the mountain peak, to the place where Hashem had already descended. In this way Hashem elevated Moshe to the necessary spiritual level so that he would be fit to receive the Torah. Even if this would not be a permanent elevation, it would be sufficient for that time to make him fit to receive the Torah.

But now that Moshe had been elevated to such an exalted level, there is a concern that the people will not be able to properly distinguish between the speech of Hashem and the speech of Moshe. Therefore, Moshe can't be on Har Sinai when Hashem speaks to the people. That is why Moshe is told to descend and only after he returns to the base of the mountain and joins the rest of the Jewish people does Hashem speak. (See the last few verses of Chapter 19 and the beginning of Chapter 20.) The Shem MiShmuel concludes by pointing out that Moshe's descent was also of benefit to the Jewish people. When Moshe came down he was still at this exalted spiritual level and yet he had joined himself to the rest of the people. This gave anyone who wanted the opportunity to attach themselves to Moshe and actually share in this exalted level and thereby make themselves fit to learn Torah directly from Hashem.

Tu B'Shvat - Season of Dried Fruit

You will find lots of other blogs describing the message of Tu B'Shvat. That is not our point tonight.

Just a stroll through the shuk Machane Yehuda tells the story. This is the holiday of dried fruit. We went there this evening about 7:30 pm. Most of the stalls were closed except for the stores selling nuts and dried fruit. All of these stores were busy selling tons of dried fruit. Lisa proposes that everyone gets all their fiber for the month in one day!

We made two discoveries this year: dried kiwi and dried mango.

I'm not sure about the dried kiwi. They look beautiful. There is no doubt that they are from the delicious kiwi. But that's where the comparison ends. They don't taste bad, but they don't have the right taste. The texture is a bit too pasty and the flavor just isn't strong enough.

On the other hand, the dried mango tastes great. The dried fruit is in chewy strips about 3 or 4 inches long and an eight of an inch thick - authentic mango jerky. Also, they are really ugly. We never would have bought any based on sight, but they came in a mixture of dried fruits. How good is dried mango? So good that the only reason we went to the shuk this evening was replenish our supply! If you have chance, buy some dried mango!

The kiwi picture is from here. The mango picture is from here.

Parshat BeShalach

This parsha records the final escape of the Jewish people from Egypt with the splitting of the sea. The Jews are traveling on foot while the pursuing Egyptians are riding chariots. Then Chapter 14 verse 25 records (Artscroll translation): He removed the wheels of their chariots and caused them to drive with difficulty. Egypt said, "I shall flee before Israel, for Hashem is waging war for them against Egypt."

This verse always leaves me with my mouth hanging open. Who did the Egyptians think was fighting for the Jewish people? The Egyptians have just endured 10 plagues which have shown that Hashem controls every aspect of nature. Even before the plagues began Hashem told Moshe that the result of the plagues would be (chapter 7 verse 5) "And Egypt shall know that I am Hashem, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt; and I shall take the Children of Israel out from among them."

So how can it be that in Shemot 14:25 it seems as if only now the Egyptians realize that Hashem is fighting for His people?

Rabbi Moshe Alshich in his commentary Torat Moshe explains that the Egyptians had thought the plagues were the result of Paro's failure to show proper respect for Hashem. When Moshe and Aaron first appeared before Paro, he said (Shemot 5:2) "Who is Hashem that I should heed His voice to send out Israel?" Then, when the Egyptians saw the Jews apparently trapped between the sea and the wilderness (Shemot 14:3), they thought that Hashem had abandoned the Jewish people. It was only now, as they pursued the Jewish people into the sea and their chariots began to fall apart that the Egyptians realized that everything that had happened in Egypt and what was happening now was the Hashem fighting for His people.

Kissing Frogs

We've been kissing frogs, as in, "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince."

The frogs we've been kissing are in the form of apartments for sale in Jerusalem. Somehow, we thought finding an apartment to buy might be easy. In fact, there are a lot of apartments for sale. Even in our very minuscule price range there are a lot of apartments for sale. However, actually making a deal has been hard.

I think this was our first frog. We emailed an agent about a particular apartment that we saw advertised on his website. Two or three days later he finally called us. That was ok, except when he reached us were sitting in the terminal at Ben Gurion ready to board our flight to the States. Ten days later we returned from the States. I called the agent to ask about the apartment. "No problem," he said, "I'll call the owner and set up a viewing." Two days later he called to say the apartment, unknown to him, had been sold.

Next frog. I told the agent in some detail what we were looking for. He said, "Oh, I have a great apartment in that price range." Two days later Lisa and I went to see the apartment. It was lovely. A well cared for apartment on a quiet street but close to bus transportation. And the price was right. On the bus ride home we talked about the apartment and how great it would be. As soon as we were home I called the agent and told him we wanted to buy. "Great," he said, "I'll have my manager call you."

Later that afternoon I got the call from the manager. He explained that he had talked to the owner, a widow who was interested in moving into a retirement home. He explained that there was only one problem. When they had first listed the apartment as being for sale, the exchange rate of the dollar was about $1 = 4.25 NIS. Now, however, the exchange rate had dropped below 4, but she still wanted a shekel price based on the old exchange rate. This was the equivalent of asking for roughly another $15,000!!! Ribit. Ribit.

More frogs later...

(BTW, the frog picture is from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sillyfrog/)

At the Bubble - Parshat Bo

This week's Torah reading begins:ויאמר השם אל משה בא אל פרעה כי אני הכבדתי את לבא ואת לב עבדיו למען שתי אתתי אלה בקרבו

The Lord said to Moses: Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of Mine in his midst.

The question that everyone asks concerns the word "come." Why does Hashem tell Moshe to "come to Paro" when it is clear that Moshe will be required to "go to Paro"?

One commentator (R. Yosef Bechor Shor) explains that Hashem is giving Moshe an assurance. When Moshe goes before Paro, he will not be alone. Hashem Himself will accompany Moshe. And not only that, Moshe need not fear that his mission is in vain. It is true that Paro's heart is hard, but it is Hashem who has hardened Paro's heart. Without that hardening, Paro would have sent the Jewish people away. However, Hashem has hardened Paro's heart so that all of the plagues can be brought on the Egyptians and then the Jewish people will learn about Hashem and be able to proclaim to their offspring what they experienced.

Rabbeinu Bachaya (Spain 1263 - 1340) uses the beginning of this week's parsha to explain the structure of the 10 plagues. With an understanding of the structure we then understand why the word "come" is used.

The plagues can be divided into three sets of three plagues followed by the final, tenth plague. The sets are (each row is one set):

blood	frogs	lice
wild beasts	pestilence	boils
hail	locusts	darkness
death of firstborn

The first two plagues in each set were preceded by a warning given by Moshe to Paro. The third plague in the set was not preceded by a warning. Furthermore, the warnings were given in different places. Before the first plague in each set Moshe was told to go and stand before Paro. Then the warning was delivered to Paro outdoors. Before the second plague in each set Moshe was told to "come before Paro." According to Rabbeinu Bachaya this indicates that these warnings were given to Paro inside Paro's palace. In other words, the intent of the word "come" is that Moshe was being commanded to enter into Paro's palace.

Why were the warnings given in different places? Rabbeinu Bachaya explains that this is because of Paro's excessive pride and conceit. He was proud of the Nile River and conceited about the extent of his kingdom and the palace that he dwelt in. Therefore, the warnings were given in these places so that Paro's punishment could come the very place where he sinned.

Rambam and Annulling Decrees

Here is a brief statement of the Rambam on the subject of annulling decrees from an earlier generation. It includes both the Rambam in Hebrew and my translation of the text. It is clear from the Rambam that it is very difficult to annul decrees, even if it seems that the reason is no longer valid.

(I don't know how to make the Hebrew text be right justified! Oh, well, it's still readable)


רמב"ם הלכות ממרים פרק ב

הלכה ב
בית דין שגזרו גזרה או תקנו תקנה והנהיגו מנהג ופשט הדבר בכל ישראל, ועמד אחריהם בית דין אחר ובקש לבטל דברים הראשונים ולעקור אותה התקנה ואותה הגזרה ואותו המנהג, אינו יכול עד שיהיה גדול מן הראשונים בחכמה ובמנין, היה גדול בחכמה אבל לא במנין, במנין אבל לא בחכמה, אינו יכול לבטל את דבריו, אפילו בטל הטעם שבגללו גזרו הראשונים או התקינו אין האחרונים יכולין לבטל עד שיהו גדולים מהם, והיאך יהיו גדולים מהם במנין הואיל וכל בית דין ובית דין של שבעים ואחד הוא, זה מנין חכמי הדור שהסכימו וקבלו הדבר שאמרו בית דין הגדול ולא חלקו בו.

הלכה ג
במה דברים אמורים בדברים שלא אסרו אותן כדי לעשות סייג לתורה אלא כשאר דיני תורה, אבל דברים שראו בית דין לגזור או לאסור אותן לעשות סייג אם פשט איסורן בכל ישראל אין בית דין גדול אחר יכול לעקרן ולהתירן אפילו היה גדול מן הראשונים.

Rambam Laws of Insurgents Chapter 2
Halacha 2
A beit din that promulgated a decree or regulation or custom that spread throughout the Jewish people and there arose after them another beit din and wanted to annul the decrees of the first one or to uproot their decrees, regulations or customs, they are not able to do so unless they are greater than the first one in wisdom and multitude. If they were greater in wisdom but not in multitude or in multitude but not in wisdom, they are not able to annul their words. Even if the reason that the first beit din made the decree or regulation is no longer valid, the later ones are not able to annul unless they are greater than them. How will they be greater than them in multitude since every beit din has seventy one members? This is the number of the sages of the generation who agreed to and accepted the statement of the great beit din and did not disagree with it.

Halacha 3
What situation were we discussing [in Halacha 2]? That they did not forbid something in order to make a fence for the Torah, rather like other laws of the Torah. But things that the beit din saw fit to decree or to forbid to make a fence, if their prohibition spread throughout all the Jewish people, another beit din is not able to uproot and permit them, even if it is greater than the first one.

A Place for Us

So why isn't this guy posting more often?

There is a very simple answer. We've just been too busy. In fact, most of our time these days is devoted to searching for an apartment to buy. We haven't found it yet, but we're still trying. Since we returned from the States in October we've seen at least 20 apartments. We've spent hours on the phone with real estate agents, lawyers and mortgage brokers.

We've also found some neat resources on the internet to search for apartments in Israel.

By far the most useful is Lagur. It has lists of apartments all over Israel in every price range. Searching is simple and some times there are pictures of the apartments. The apartments are listed by real estate agents, so it's up to them how much detail they give any apartment. The downside to Lagur is that Firefox does not display it well. (In fact, Firefox has trouble displaying a lot of Israeli websites.) That meant we were using IE, a browser that I prefer to avoid. Just in the past week I discovered that Opera will correctly display Lagur, so that is now my browser of choice for searching Lagur.

Another useful site is called Shiran. The listings here are also provided by the real estate agents. It doesn't seem to be as popular with agents as Lagur, but we did find some interesting properties listed there. Shiran also has a list of agents and their email addresses and websites. Like Lagur, Shiran works best with IE or Opera.

I'll mention one other site. It has the strange name of Homeless. This site allows real estate agents and owners to list properties. They maintain separate lists depending upon who posted. Once again, this site is best seen with IE or Opera.

So that's what we've been doing. We've had some real adventures in home buying during the last three months, but it's too early to tell those stories.

Stay tuned for updates, as we search for a place for us!