Men
Reuven Mordechai Ben Chana Batya, Yaakov David Ben Sarah, Avraham Ben Sarah, Menachem Mendel Ben Faigie Ruchel, Gilon Chaim Ben Yonit, Ofek Ben Tali, Shimon Ben Miriam, Avraham Moshe Ben Miriam Tova, Baruch Kalman Ben Leiben Jacobs, Mendel Ber Ben Sarah, Aharon Ben Tamar, Shmuel Baruch Ben Golda.
Women
Sarah Bat Channah, Chana Leah Bat Esther, Kreindel Bat Esther, Kreynah Leah Bat Rachel, Simcha Bat Mazel, Sara Bat Hodda, Kyla Chaya Bat Sarah Polson, Leiba Bat Devorah Esther, Tova Rochel Bat Chaya and Yocheved Yaakovite bat Leah.
May Hashem grant them all a speedy recovery and a complete healing.
Daven for the release of Gilad Shalit-Gilad Ben Aviva-may Hashem bring him home safe and sound. If you asked to have someone put on the refuah list please update me on how these people are doing. If you would like to add someone to the list please send me an e-mail parshapreview@gmail.com
Once again, you can have this Parshah Preview dedicated in honour or memory of a loved one, you can ask for a refuah or simply acknowledge a milestone. It does not cost a thing all you have to do is ask.
Join my blog @
http://parshapreview.blogspot.com/2010/10/yitzis-parsha-preview-vayeira.html
or
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124915804223995
Happy Birthday to:
David Bitton-Thursday, October 21, 2010
Steven Burke- Thursday, October 21, 2010
Ella Koblenz-Sunday, October 24
David Zam-Monday, October 25
Jane Okong'o Oloo-Monday, October 25
Elie Arrobas-Wednesday, October 27
Robert Fleischer-Thursday, October 28
Sheila Weverman Shalva-Thursday, October 28
Devorah Silbershlag-Thursday, October 28
Leah Chwaiewsky-Friday, October 29
Michel Bouganim-Saturday, October 30
“Ad Meyah Vesrim Shannah”
Parshah Vayeira - Genesis 18:1-22:24
Torah Reading for Week of October 17-23, 2010 - Cheshvan 9-15 5771 Candle Lighting for Toronto is 6:05 P.M.
Candle Lighting for Thornhill is 6:04 P.M.
Number Of Mitzvot in Parshah Lech-Lecha : 0
Although none of the Taryag (613) mitzvot are counted from Vayera, there are many mitzvah-lessons to be found in the Parsha. Many of the details of the Mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim (hospitality), considered part of the mitzvah of G'milut Chasadim, are derived from the behavior of Avraham Avinu. Similarly, Bikur Cholim, (visiting the sick), also a part of G'milut Chasadim as well as being part of the mitzvah to emulate Hashem.
0 Mitzvot Aseh (Positive Commandments)
0 Mitzvot Lo Taaseh (Negative Commandments-Prohibitions)
Haftora (Additional portion, from Prophets, which is read after the Parsha):
Melachim ll / Kings II 4:1-37 (Ashkenazim);
Melachim ll / Kings II 4:1-23 (Sepharadim)
New Torah Webinar
Every Wednesday evening starting at 8:00 P.M. via Skype-Torah direct to you in the comfort of your home. If you would like to participate please email me with your Skype contact details and I will add you as a contact and call you for the seminar. First seminar will take place on Wednesday October 27, 2010 @ 8:00 P.M. I will be looking at the Parsha of the week, some Mussar and the halochot pertaining to Shabbat. E-mail me your Skype contact details @ parshapreview@gmail.com or add me on Skype @ Yitz007 or “Yitzchak Alloul”.
The Torah Reading on Shabbat day is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya (meaning to go up) since for each Aliya, one person "goes up" to make a bracha on the Torah Reading. We invite the Cohen first, followed by a Levite who then in turn is followed by an Israelite. When a Cohen is not in attendance we call an Israelite in their place, if a Levite is not in attendance then the same Cohen is called in their place.
Parsha Summary – Vayeira
The three angels appear to Avraham and foretell the birth of Yitzchak. Upon hearing the news, Sarah laughs to herself.
The angels depart to destroy Sodom, and Hashem [G-d] tells Avraham about His plans for destroying Sodom. Pasuk 18:18-19 proclaims G- d's confidence in Avraham to teach the world the concept of justice. Avraham negotiates, unsuccessfully, on behalf of Sodom.
The story of the destruction of Sodom is told. Lot's generosity to the "two visitors" is rewarded and he, his wife, and only two of their children are saved from Sodom.
Lot's wife looks back upon the destruction of Sedom and dies, and Lot and his two daughters escape into the mountains. Lot's daughters conspire to rebuild humankind, and taking advantage of Lot's drunkenness, they become pregnant from Lot resulting in the birth of Ammon and Moav. Avraham encounters Abimelech after which Sarah gives birth to Yitzchak in the year 2048.
Yishmael and Hagar are forced out of Avraham's home, and an angel reassures Hagar of Yishmael's destiny.
Abimelech and his general Phichol resolve their conflict with Avraham over water rights, and they "sign" a covenant of peace.
In the year 2085, when Avraham was 137 and Yitzchak was 37, Avraham is commanded to sacrifice Yitzchak. This amazing story heralds the end of Avraham and Sarah's era, and the beginning of Yitzchak and Rivkah's era.
“Being in the right place at the right time”
This week’s Torah reading Vayeira contains the story of the obliteration of the cities of Sodom and Gemorah, despite Avraham's well-meant prayers for their rescue. Avraham attempts an extensive process of debates with Hashem, the plain result of which is that, assuming Sodom has a minimum of 10 tzaddikim (righteous individuals), it will be saved. Clearly, it did not. The next morning Avraham gets up, sees from a distance that Sodom was burning, and returns "to the very place where he had stood before Hashem" the day before when he prayed (Genesis 19:27).
What is the significance of the fact that Avraham returned to the same place?
Anyone who sets aside a steady place for his prayer, the G-d of Avraham will help him. Furthermore, when he dies, it is said about him, "What a righteous man! What a humble man!" How do we know that Avraham set aside a place for his prayer? As it is written, "And Avraham arose early in the morning, [returning] to the place where he had stood before Hashem." (Talmud, Brachot 6b)
The Talmud promotes setting aside a place from where to pray. The fact that one who does so will merit the help of the G-d of Avraham, who teaches us its importance, is readily understood. However why does the Talmud refer to such a person as "A righteous man - a humble man?" While the component of stability in prayer is undoubtedly commendable, in what way is it humble? Additionally, it seems somewhat peculiar that the Talmud originates from this passage that "the G-d of Avraham will help him," seeing that Avraham's plea for the saving of Sodom was ultimately rejected!
The story of Balak and Bila'am is well known. Balak, king of Moab, hires Bila'am to curse the Jews on his behalf. They travel from one spot to another in the desert, in each spot erecting an Altar and offering sacrifices, in the hope that Hashem will accept their "prayers." After each failure, Balak remarks to Bila'am, "Let us go to another place - perhaps from there you will be able to curse them."
For Bila'am and Balak to admit the fact that perhaps their prayers were not worthy of being accepted was not a thought. If their prayers weren't being accepted, some outside force must be preventing them from being answered. Perhaps by going somewhere else, their evil chants would somehow initiate the proper sequence of connections, thereby facilitating their diabolical prayers to take effect. If, in its place they would have taken the time to reflect on what they were doing, they might have come to the apparent deduction that it was not the place from where they prayed that was lacking, but the individuals performing the praying, and the goal of their prayers. In their extreme overconfidence, they simply couldn't gauge that perhaps their entire undertaking was flawed from the start.
Avraham likewise experienced disappointment in prayer. He had beseeched urgently for the people of Sodom, yet it was to no gain. With the exclusion of the family of his nephew Lot, who were protected in his merit, the city was demolished.
What caused him to fail? Where had he been unsuccessful? "Perhaps," Avraham thought, "I simply was not worthy that my prayers should be accepted. Am I so virtuous and worthy that two entire cities should be saved because I deem it so?" Avraham understood that notwithstanding all his well-meant supplications, it simply was not meant to be. There was nothing that could be done for the people of Sodom, and no prayer, no matter how worthy, was going to transform that.
Avraham definitely wasn't going to place any blame on the place from where he prayed, as if to say that had he prayed somewhere else, maybe things would have turned out differently. Instead of looking for outward reasons for his failure, as did Bila'am and Balak, Avraham looked within. We see this as Avraham returns to the same place he had stood the day before. He prays once again for whatever that day's needs were. In doing so, Avraham teaches us the correct outlook towards prayer: Always return to the same place. If there's something absent and your prayers are going unanswered, do not look for outside answers like we are so prone to do. Look within; you might find what's missing is really in you.
This is why, regarding one who sets aside a place for his prayers, following the patriarchal example, it is said, "What a righteous man! What a humble man!" His humility lies in his ability to "take the blame.
Instead blaming his environment or his surroundings, the righteous man realizes that not always will he be worthy that his prayers be answered, and not always will he pray for the right thing. He feels not the least bit insulted or disparaged, and returns time and time again to pray before Hashem, despite past disappointments.
Prayer is a manifestation of our anticipation that what we recognize good should come to pass. We recognize, however, that our very perception of good may at times be flawed. In such instances, we ask that Hashem not answer our prayers, but should rather do what only He can know is truly the best thing. Avraham's prayers regarding Sodom were answered. With the exception of his nephew and his family. The answer was a resounding “No." Avraham’s prayers would not be answered because they did not fit with the plans that Hashem had set in motion and every situation has a reason. Those prayers did certainly not go to waste but would be used and answered on someone else’s behalf. Avraham had no way of knowing so. By setting aside a place (and time!) for our prayer, we too merit the help of the Hashem, G-d of Avraham. Magen Avraham. May He always answer our prayers in the way He sees fit!
Halacha of the Week
Please note that the Halachot discussed here are according to Sephardic Tradition as outlined by The Maran Shulchan Aruch. This is just a summary and in no way deemed as a Halachic ruling. Please contact your local Orthodox Rabbi for help.
I will be reviewing the laws concerning Shabbat observance.
Is it Permissible to Add Hot Water to a Pot of Dry Hamin(Cholent) on Shabbat?
Many people prepare Hamin (“cholent”) in a crock pot or other utensil before Shabbat, and the Hamin cooks throughout the night and is served at Shabbat lunch. It occasionally happens that a person notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin has begun to dry, because not enough water had been added before Shabbat. If the pot is taken off the fire or heating element, it will cool off by the time lunch is served. What one would want to do in such a case is add hot water to the pot in order to keep the Hamin moist so that it does not burn. For example, if one has a kettle of hot water on the stove, he might want to pour boiling water from the kettle into the pot of Hamin. Is this permissible, or does this violate the prohibition of cooking on Shabbat?
Ashkenazim and Sepharadim follow different customs in this regard. The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1525-1572) ruled that one may pour hot water from a Keli Rishon (the original pot in which the water was boiled) into a pot of hot, cooked food on Shabbat to keep it moist. Since both the water and the food have already been cooked and are still hot, nothing is being cooked when the hot water is poured into the pot of food, and thus, according to the Rama, no Shabbat prohibition is entailed. Ashkenazim, who generally follow the rulings of the Rama, may therefore pour hot water from a kettle into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat.
The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 253:4), however, disapproves of this practice. He writes (listen to audio recording for precise citation) that those who pour water from a kettle into a pot of food on Shabbat “must be reprimanded” as this violates the prohibition against cooking on Shabbat. The reason is that as the water leaves the kettle it briefly passes through the air, where it is cooled, albeit slightly. Then, when it enters the pot of hot food, it becomes reheated. Halacha follows the view that re-cooking a liquid is forbidden on Shabbat (“Yesh Bishul Ahar Bishul Be’lah”), and therefore, according to the Shulhan Aruch, one may not pour hot water from a kettle into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat, as he thereby reheats the water that had momentarily cooled after it left the kettle. Hence, Sepharadim, who follow the rulings of the Shulhan Aruch, may not pour hot water into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat.
If, however, one mistakenly poured hot water into the pot, the Hamin is nevertheless permissible for consumption. For example, if a person is a guest at somebody’s home for lunch, and the host told of how the Hamin had dried out and he poured hot water into it so it wouldn’t burn, thinking that this was permissible, the guest may eat the Hamin, even though the host acted incorrectly. Food that was cooked on Shabbat in violation of Halacha is forbidden for consumption only “Miderabbanan” (by force of Rabbinic enactment), and there is a famous Halachic rule of “Safek De’rabbanan Le’hakel” – we may act leniently in situations of halachic uncertainty concerning laws enacted by the Sages. Therefore, given the debate between the Shulhan Aruch and Rama on this issue, we may follow the lenient ruling with respect to the Rabbinic prohibition of eating food prepared on Shabbat. Accordingly, even though a Sepharadi may not pour hot water into a pot of Hamin on Shabbat, if this was done the Hamin is nevertheless permissible. This is the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef.
What, then, should a person do if he notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin is drying out?
In truth, the only option in such a case is to remove the food from the fire, and serve it cold. However, one can avoid this situation before Shabbat by filling a food bag with water, tying it, and placing it in the pot of Hamin. If he notices on Shabbat morning that the Hamin has begun to dry, then he can simply pierce the bag of water inside the pot to release the water. In this case, the hot water enters the Hamin pot without first passing through the air, and this is therefore permissible even according to the Shulhan Aruch. If the Hamin does not dry out, then one simply removes the bag from the pot on Shabbat before he serves the Hamin.
This Parsha Preview is sponsored by Cars And Trucks 4 Less, Sales, Leasing and Financing. If you are in the market for a New or Used Vehicle give us a call “we will steer you in the right direction”. Please call 416-829-1761.
Shabbat Shalom Umevorach-A peaceful and Blessed Shabbat
Yitzchak Alloul
No comments:
Post a Comment