This week’s Parsha Preview is co-dedicated to the refuah of the following people:
Men
Dov Ber Ben Yehudit, Reuven Mordechai Ben Chana Batya, 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
Meira Bat Sarah, Natalie Bat Sarah. 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.
This week’s Parsha Preview is dedicated in memory of Harav Mordechai Bensabat Ben Hacham may his Neshama have an aliyah.
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Oy-The Good News
Sara, Freidi and Channah are in Mt. Sinai Hospital’s maternity ward, each of them awaiting news of their own daughter’s impending birth.
Soon, a nurse goes over to Sara and says, "Mrs. Levy, I have wonderful news for you. Your daughter has just given birth to twins. She’s fine and you’re now the bubbeh of two lovely healthy boys. Mazeltov!"
As Sara gets up to leave, she turns to Freidi and Channah and says, "Oy, what good news I’ve just heard. My daughter Frummy has just given birth to twins. But what’s very strange about it is that my son-in-law works for the Twin Brothers fish market."
Later, a nurse goes over to Freidi and says, "Mazeltov to you Mrs. Gold. Your daughter has just given birth to triplets. She’s fine and you’re now the bubbeh of three lovely healthy girls."
As Freidi gets up to leave, she turns to Channah and says, "Oy, what good news I’ve just heard. My daughter Shprintzah has just given birth to triplets. But what’s strange is that my son-in-law works for the Triple Springs Water Company."
On hearing this, Channah gets up and says, "Oy Veh! I’m going to leave with you."
"Why?" asks Freidi.
"Because my son-in-law works for Seven-Up!!”
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 – Toldot
Yitzchak is 40 years old when he marries Rivkah. After 20 years, Esav and Yakov are born. The Parsha jumps from their birth to Yakov's purchase of the 1st born rights from Esav at the age of 15.
The Parsha returns to the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah and the famine which forces them to settle among the Plishtim. Yitzchak, like his father before him, has a moral confrontation with Avimelech, after which his fields are uniquely prolific and financially successful.
Yitzchak's financial success leads to jealousy with his Plishtim neighbors. He re-digs Avraham's wells, resulting in a confrontation with the Plishtim over water rights. He moves back to Beer Sheva.
Hashem (G-d), in a dream, confirms for Yitzchak the future of his children. Avimelech, the King of the Plishtim, and his General, Phicol, approach Yitzchak to make a peace treaty.
The treaty between Yitzchak and the Plishtim is celebrated. The Parsha returns to the story of Yakov and Esav. Esav's marriage to two Canaanite women at the age of 40 brings disappointment to Yitzchak and Rivkah. When Yakov and Esav are 63 and Yitzchak is 123, Yitzchak blesses Yakov and Esav. The Parsha details the duplicity of Yakov and Rivkah in fooling Yitzchak.
Yitzchak blesses Yakov with spiritual and material gain, after which Esav returns to discover Yakov's plot. He receives his own blessing for material gain, and is determined to kill Yakov. Rivkah, fearful for Yakov's life, convinces Yitzchak to send Yakov to her brother Lavan in search of a shiduch - a wife. Yitzchak confirms on Yakov the future of the Jewish nation before his departure to Lavan.
Yakov departs for Padan Aram, and Esav marries the daughter of Yishmael. (his 1/2 1st cousin).
Parsha – Toldot
The hardest work is to go idle. ~Yiddish Proverb
(Based on a Parsha class that I gave in October 2009)
In this week’s Parsha we are introduced to Yitzchak, the second of our Avot (forefathers) and seemingly the most puzzling. I choose this week’s parsha to discuss the comparisons and contrasts as the Torah hardly speaks of Yitzchak and when it does speak of him it is in Parshat Toldot (The Parsha known as Parshat Yitzchak). Furthermore, even parshat Toldot is taken up in good part by Yaakov (Jacob) and Eisav (Esau) and the brachot (blessings) to Yaakov. Avraham has 2.5-3 parshiyot dedicated to his life and Yaakov has many parshiyot dedicated to his life.
Avraham and Yaakov merited name changes through their deeds; Avram to Avraham and Yaakov to Yisrael. Yitzchak was born Yitzchak and remained Yitzchak. The name itself is enigmatic. His principle character trait was defined by midat hadin – (strict justice) – as opposed to chesed (kindness) as represented by Avraham and rachamim (mercy) as represented by Yaakov. Yet his name was Yitzchak “because of laughter (tzchak).”
The Gemara Shabbat 89b(Talmud) states that in the future Hashem (G-d) will say to Avraham (chesed), “Your children have sinned,” and he will answer, “Let them be wiped out for the Holiness of Your Name.” Hashem is not happy with this answer, and therefore goes to Yaakov (rachamim) and says, “Your children have sinned,” He receives the same answer that Avraham gives. He then goes to Yitzchak (strict justice), “Your children have sinned.” Yitzchak, however, argues (as it were) the point and ultimately saves them. This whole Gemara is about as enigmatic as you can get – chesed and rachamim opting for punishment (G-d forbid) and the trait of strict justice saving them. This Gemara could have a whole parsha page dedicated to a discussion all by itself. Nevertheless, we see here the concept of Yitzchak – to laugh, not now, but in the future.” Az yimalei Tzchak pinu” (then, in the future, will our mouths be filled with laughter).
“Vatizchak l’yom acharon” (and she will laugh on the last day). This refers to Shmini Atzeres which itself is a reference to the future world.
It seems from Yitzchak’s actions that he does not do anything new or anything that can be called distinctive or unique to him. He has no hand in finding his future wife-shiduch (marriage partner). Eliezer (Avraham’s servant) is charged with this task via the shlichut (proxy) of his father Avraham. He dug up the same wells that Avraham dug found and digs up. In fact he keeps the same names of the wells that Avraham used. Yitzchak uses the same ruse that Avraham and Sarah use in Egypt that Rivka (Rebecca) was his sister as opposed to his wife. He makes a covenant with Avimelech, the king of the Philistines.
The differences from the other avot are that Yitzchak cannot leave the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael and the there is no need for Hashem to change his name.
We find that the middah (character trait) as stated before, is strict justice which translated into action is pure unadulterated service to Hashem. The supreme level of an eved (servant) is that he negates his actuality to his master. These concepts are taught to us by the sefer Mesilat Yesharim “What a servant owns belongs to his master.”, “Do not be like servants who serve their master in order to receive reward but like servants who serve not for re-compensation.” The meaning in this is that a person should endeavour to serve Hashem with no ulterior motive of receiving reward, whether in this world or the next. Why? Because only then is the service pure and without personal agendas.
Here is where we start to experience a problem. One of the thirteen ikrim (essentials) of emunah (belief) – Number 11 –as outlined by the Rambam is that Hashem will indeed give reward for Torah and mitzvot that a person does. Seemingly this is in conflict with what the Mesilat Yesharim counsels. The simple answer is that the majority of people do not have in mind the reward when they do a mitzvah. For the majority of people the reward is not the motivating factor. However a problem does arise when the person in question has a specific talent (e.g. a chazzan, a public speaker, an artist) will, nevertheless, also feel a certain pride, a sense of accomplishment that they can accomplish the mitzvah with ease and superiority. Therefore, if a person knows that he will be rewarded for a good deed, that knowledge will automatically affect his actions.
Yitzchak’s Yirat shamayim (awe of heaven) was and is unparalleled. Unlike us, for example during the recitation of the Shmonei Esrai our minds start to wander. I often have to catch myself. I move through the teffilah without realizing and catch myself at Modeim wondering how did I get here so quickly and can’t remember reciting the brachot along the way. Yitzchak, however, whose very essential trait was strict justice and purity of service, was in constant fear and dread (Pachad Yitzchak) of the potential of making a mistake and the potential lack of purity of intention and service. Therefore, Yitzchak’s service was non-service. Better not to venture into the unknown to possibly do something wrong either in actuality or intention. “His self-negation vis-Ã -vis the holiness of Hashem’s Name was complete and perfect. Therefore, this brought him to minimize action for fear of mistakes or that he would mix personal agendas in his thought processes. Hashem only sends nisionot (tests) that we can handle. Perhaps the reason why Hashem commands Yitzchak to remain in Eretz Yisrael without the ability to ever leave, for he knows that Yitzchak would be unable to handle the trials of Chutz Laretz (lands outside of Israel) because he was a Korban to Hashem he never lost this status of being consecrated to Hashem. Therefore Yitzchak’s fear caused him to minimize his actions.” This did not come from an inferiority complex, chas v’sholom, but a tremendous recognition of the Greatness of Hashem and the potential and possibility of dishonoring Him. L’havdil, (to separate) like a person working on a bomb squad – one small mistake and it’s over. Therefore, he did nothing on his own, only what he knew Avraham had done before him. “The holiness of Yitzchak was shechideish ha’avodah bat bli chidush (he originated the service of non-origination).”
Certainly Yitzchak would have wanted to do action instead of inaction. Obviously doing positive mitzvot brings a person zchar (reward). Yitzchak was therefore willing to give up a greater share of olam habah (the future world) in order that there should not be an iota of blemish in the completeness of his self-negation of being a trustworthy servant in the strictest sense of justice. “Yitzchak sacrificed his soul to Hashem and negated his whole essence and actuality, his will and yearnings, on the altar of Hashem. Therefore, it is considered as if the ashes of Yitzchak are still gathered up and lying on the altar.” So it’s not that Yitzchak has an incredible talent but the contrary he was able to scale back his action so that his devotion to Hashem would be in perfect harmony with his yirat shamayim. (awe of Heaven)
This in no way means that Yitzchak’s devotion was more l’shem shamayim (for the sake of Heaven) than Avraham and Yaakov. They approached their avodah (service) differently. Avraham was the ba’al chesed (giving to others); he brought Hashem’s Name into the world. This requires constant positive action. Yaakov built the Jewish nation and was constantly beset with problems – Eisav, Lavan, Shchem , Reuven, the loss of Yoseph, the premature death of Rachel, – all this required action. Through their actions they merited a name change – an added letter (hai) to Avraham and Yaakov to Yisrael. “The original service of Yitzchak which he planted into the Jewish people is that you don’t necessarily have to be original (shehischadeish ho’avodah bas bli chidush). One has to do – not necessarily create.” Avraham and Yaakov created. Yitzchak served by carrying on.
The Gemara in Shabbat 89b which I quoted earlier states that in the future Hashem will come to the three fathers and say, “Your sons have sinned.” Avraham and Yaakov – chesed and rachamim – will say, “Let them be wiped out for the holiness of Your Name.” Only Yitzchak will argue the point and save them. It does not mean that Avraham and Yaakov will actually use these words. It means they won’t have what to say and by the lack of response would be as if they said it. At the end of days it will be a time when the world will be judged based on the middah of din (justice), when the righteous will be given their zchar (reward) and the wicked otherwise. Therefore, chesed and rachamim will have no input then – it is not their time. Yitzchak, however, whose trait is din, will have input through that very trait and therefore will be listened to.
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.
Pouring Into a Sink With a Strainer on Shabbat
Most sinks today have an insert, a strainer, that is placed over the drain to prevent large solid objects from going into the drain. Often, a liquid with large pieces is poured into the sink, and the insert catches the large pieces while allowing the liquid to fall down the drain. The question arises as to whether one may pour liquids into a sink that has such a contraption on Shabbat. The Shabbat prohibition of Borer forbids separating mixed items. When one pours a liquid with solid pieces into a sink, he in effect separates the liquid from the solid pieces, as the strainer catches the large pieces and removes them from the liquid. Seemingly, then, pouring into a sink on Shabbat would violate the prohibition of Borer.
In truth, however, it is permissible to pour liquid into a sink with a strainer on Shabbat, even if the liquid has solid pieces that will be separated from the liquid. One of the conditions for violating the prohibition of Borer is that one separates “Pesolet” – something which he deems undesirable – from “Ochel” – something which he desires. When a person pours something down the drain, his intention is to discard all of it – liquid and solid alike. Although he indeed separates the solid pieces from the liquid, he is not separating something he doesn’t like from something he likes; he doesn’t like either substance. Therefore, it is permissible to pour liquid containing solid pieces into a sink with a strainer on Shabbat, and doing so does not transgress the prohibition of Borer. This is the ruling of the work Shemirat Shabbat Ke’hilchata, and also appears to be the position of the Mishna Berura.
May Crock Pots be Used for Shabbat?
It is very common among Shabbat-observant Jews to use a “crock pot,” or slow cooker, for preparing food – such as Hamin – for Shabbat morning. The crock pot consists of a pot that is placed inside a mechanism that has a heating element on the bottom and surrounds the pot of food. The food inside the pot cooks slowly, at a speed that can be determined with a dial. Because the food cooks at a slow pace, this device is very well-suited for preparing meals for Shabbat, when cooking is prohibited. Many people place the raw Hamin in the crock pot and turn it on before Shabbat, and the food cooks throughout Friday night and is ready to be eaten fresh at Shabbat lunch.
One might, at first glance, question the Halachic propriety of using crock pots for Shabbat in light of the prohibition of “Hatmana,” or “insulating.” The Sages enacted a prohibition against insulating a pot of food before Shabbat to keep it warm for the Shabbat meal. Even though the insulation is prepared before Shabbat, and even if the insulation only maintains the food’s heat, and does not generate additional heat, insulating food for Shabbat is forbidden. In Talmudic times, hot food was commonly insulated in smoldering coals, and the Sages feared that in a person’s anxious desire to keep the food warm, he may stoke the coals on Shabbat, which would constitute a Torah violation. They thus forbade insulating food before Shabbat as a safeguard against stoking the coals.
Would it be permissible, then, to place food in a crock pot before Shabbat to cook on Friday night? After all, the crock pot operates through “insulation,” as the pot of food is surrounded by the outer mechanism which generates heat through an electric current and cooks the food.
Hacham Ovadia Yosef addressed this question and ruled that one may use a crock pot for cooking food on Shabbat, due to a combination of a number of different factors.
First, some Halachic authorities held that the “Hatmana” prohibition applies only to food that one wishes to eat on Friday night. In this case, a person is anxious to keep the food warm for the Friday night meal, and he might therefore stoke the coals. But if one insulates food that he intends to eat only on Shabbat morning, he does not even think about the food at all. In the case of a crock pot, after one turns on the mechanism before Shabbat, it is not on his mind at all until he removes the food on Shabbat morning. Although other authorities dispute this ruling, we may combine the lenient position with other factors as a basis for allowing the use of crock pots.
Secondly, according to some authorities, one violates the “Hatmana” prohibition only if he covers the entire pot. In the case of the crock pot, the outer mechanism does not cover the top of the pot. Of course, the pot is covered with a lid, but the lid is considered part of the actual pot of food, and not part of the insulation. Hence, the pot is not entirely covered. It should be noted that it would thus be improper to cover the top of the crock pot with towels or rags to maintain the heat, as this would result in the insulation of the entire pot.
Thirdly, some authorities held that one violates “Hatmana” only if the pot of food comes in direct contact with the insulating material. In a crock pot, there is a small space of air in between the pot of food and the outer mechanism, such that it would not violate the “Hatmana” prohibition according to this view.
Yet a fourth consideration is a view among the Poskim that limits the “Hatmana” prohibition to situations where there is indeed cause for concern that one may mistakenly increase the heat in his anxiety to maintain the food’s temperature. As mentioned, in Talmudic times, food was generally insulated with coals, which gradually lose their heat over the course of time. This gave rise to the concern that one may stoke the coals to maintain or increase their temperature. The mechanism of a crock pot, by contrast, operates through an electric current, and thus its heat remains constant and does not diminish with time. There is thus no reason to fear that a person may tinker with the mechanism in an effort to maintain or increase the food’s temperature.
Taking into account these considerations, Hacham Ovadia concludes that it is permissible to place raw food in a crock pot before Shabbat and have it cook in preparation for the Shabbat morning meal. He adds, however, that one must either cover or remove the knob that controls the speed of cooking, in order to ensure that one may not mistakenly change the pot’s temperature during Shabbat. For example, one can take a small piece of aluminum foil and tape it over the dial, as a reminder not to turn it on Shabbat.
Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv likewise ruled leniently on this issue. A crock pot was brought to him in his home and he was shown how it operates. After viewing the demonstration, he ruled that it is entirely permissible to use it for Shabbat in the manner described.
Shabbat Shalom Umevorach-A peaceful and Blessed Shabbat
Yitzchak Alloul
