Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

7 Tammuz, 5771/July 9, 2011

Shechitah: A guide for evolution

One might be forgiven for thinking of shechitah, the newest Daf Yomi theme, as a dry topic, mind-numbing in its emphasis on minutiae. Indeed, the sage Rav (Bereishit Rabbah 44:1) argued that the point of the mitzvah is obedience, that there is no inherent value in those fine points. Rav said, "Why would G-d care whether one performed shechitah from the front or back of the neck? The mitzvot were only given in order to refine [G-d's] creations." Others would disagree, though. Many chachamim, and particularly the mystics, have contended that the design of each element of a mitzvah involves deep arcana and is of cosmic importance. And beyond that, our masters and mentors, particularly among the chassidim, have attached ethical and moral lessons to the most dry legal codicils. In a striking example, Rav Yaakov Yechezkel Greenwald, author of "VaYaged Yaakov" and Pupa Rebbe until his passing in 1941, taught lessons in personal evolution based upon the five central potential disqualifications in an act of shechitah: Shehiyah (pausing) Shechitah is disqualified if the shocheit pauses during the act. So, too, we who would improve ourselves must act with alacrity, not pausing and not allowing ourselves to be distracted. It is not for naught that we are encouraged, "Those

Parshat Balak

Vol.2 Num. 41

R Mordechai Torczyner
him." If all who are committed to Torah will plead modesty, the result will be a world devoid of visible Torah. Hagramah (veering) Shechitah must be performed within a specific vertical space along an animal's neck, and veering out of that space invalidates the shechitah. The same applies to our development - a Jew must recognize that certain sites are better suited for growth than others. Rabbi Akiva warned his son (Pesachim 112a) not to set up his studies in the town square, lest passersby distract him from his learning. Pirkei Avot instructs us, "Go into exile, to place of Torah study." For a practical example: Our homes are comfortable, certainly, but they are as filled with distractions as the town square; better to go to a beit midrash or shul to study. Ikkur (uprooting) There is some debate regarding the proper definition of ikkur; students of Daf Yomi will recall Rashi Chullin 9a and Rosh Chullin 1:13 as essential sources. Rav Greenwald chooses to explain ikkur as shechitah with a flawed knife, such that the trachea or esophagus is pulled rather than sliced. Comparing the act of shechitah with our actions of self-improvement, Rav Greenwald adjured us to aspire to flawlessness in our actions, since each defect will affect our results. Rav Greenwald saw in shechitah and its laws a metaphor for the work we do in evolving our best selves, slaughtering our old identities and replacing them with a new and improved version of ourselves. Pairing energetic alacrity with patient care, being unabashedly public in our commitment, selecting our venues for growth wisely, and demanding a commitment to excellence at all times, we will perpetually create ourselves anew, each day better than the last. torczyner@torontotorah.com

who are energetic rush to perform mitzvot first." Or as Pirkei Avot warns, one should never stall and say he will study when he finds free time, for with such an attitude he will never have free time. Derasah (pressing) A shocheit must slice an animal's trachea and esophagus in a back-and-forth cutting motion; if he becomes impatient and presses down into the neck, the shechitah is disqualified. In the same vein, we must be on guard against impatience with our own growth. We are expected to learn patiently, taking time and making certain that we truly understand the Torah we study. Further, we are expected to work on our character and our intellect simultaneously; one who sacrifices his personal growth in pursuit of rapid intellectual growth is guilty of derasah, pressing and trampling upon important components of self -development. Chaladah (tunneling) The shechitah knife must be visible to the shocheit as he cuts; tunneling into the neck so that the knife is hidden from view disqualifies the shechitah. Similarly, we must make sure not to hide our self-improvement from the public. Legitimate concern for modesty, or for embarrassment, might grow and cause us to go underground with our growth, but our commitment to HaShem and to Torah must include pride in our beliefs. As the Tur wrote (Orach Chaim 1), "One must be bold like a leopard, and not reticent before those who would mock

Parshah Questions

Why did HaShem display anger toward Bilaam for going with Balaks messengers, after permitting him to go? (Rashi, Siftei Chachamim and Ohr HaChaim to Bamidbar 22:22) Who is Agag? What is his relevance to a Jewish monarchy? (Rashi, Rashbam, Netziv, and Meshech Chachmah to Bamidbar 24:7) To what do the words ohalecha (your tents) and mishkenotecha (your dwelling places) refer? (Rashi, Seforno and Netziv to Bamidbar 24:5) For children: Why does the Torah say that Bilaam hit the donkey three regalim, rather than use the regular word pe'amim, when saying he hit her three times? (Rashi to Bamidbar 22:28)

The Search for Truth

Did Bilam really outsmart Hashem? think he could The Talmud cites several all inclusive principles. Hillel told the proselyte that the essence of Torah is, Love your fellow as yourself, and Rabbi Akiva said that this is the allencompassing principle of Torah. Ben Azai said that the verse This is the book of the generations of A d a m ( B r e i s h i s 5 : 1 ) is a ll encompassing. The Talmud says, Which is a small verse upon which all the essentials of the Torah depend? Know Him (Hashem) in all your ways (Mishlei 3:6, Berachos 63a). I would like to suggest that there is an all-encompassing verse of mussar, human behavior and psychology: All the ways of a person are right in ones own eyes (Mishlei 21:2). Some people may do something wrong even though they know that it is wrong, but the overwhelming number of people believe that what they are doing is right, and are often very resistant to any suggestion that they may be wrong. Perhaps this is the greatness of the patriarch Abraham in his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. For decades, Abraham vociferously protested the pagan ritual of human sacrifice. G-d would never desire h uman sa cr if ic e. Th is is a n abomination! If he carried out the Divine command to bring Isaac as an offering, he would have to declare, All my life, I have been in error. Abraham was willing to do so. It is a sign of greatness to admit that one was wrong. We are often victims of self-deception. When we have a desire to do something, the defense mechanisms in our subconscious minds can develop ingenious reasons why what we wish to do is right and proper. This is termed rationalization. We concoct logical reasons for what we wish to do and we believe them, and if criticized, we vigorously defend our mistakes. Rabbi Eliahu Dessler in Michtav MEliyahu (Search for Truth) has a powerful essay on the Perspective of Truth. He cites the Torah statement that a bribe will blind the eyes of a judge and distort even the thoughts of the righteous (Devarim 16:19). We are all bribed by our desires, and we cannot think objectively. We rationalize our behavior. The Talmud says that even the minutest bribe can bring about a distortion of judgment. The tzaddik of Apt was a judge in a litigation that went on for several days. Abruptly, he withdrew from the case, saying he had lost his objectivity. On Friday evening, when he put on his Shabbos kaftan, he found an envelope with money that one of the litigants had put into a pocket. Now I understand why I lost my objectivity. A litigant had tried to bribe me by putting money in my kaftan. Even though I did not discover the bribe until several days later, my thinking

R Dr. Abraham J. Twerski

had shifted to favoring him. I did not know why this was happening, but I felt that I had lost my objectivity. That is the power of a bribe. It can distort your judgment even if you are unaware of the bribe. How much more so are we subject to distortion when the bribe is within us, and has the power of a strong desire! A chassid asked Rebbe Yisrael of Rhizin for a guideline to avoid faulty decisions. The rebbe told him that the way a tightrope walker keeps his delicate balance to avoid falling to his death, is that when he feels a tug to one side, he leans a bit to the other side. Many of your desires arise from the yetzer hara. When you feel an urge to do something, pause and think of reasons why you should not do it. That may enable you to keep your balance, to do what is right. Forty years of treating people with alcohol addiction have shown me the validity of Rabbi Desslers observation. One recovered alcoholic said, In all my years of drinking, I never took a drink unless I decided it was the right thing to do at the time. The calamitous results of alcohol and drug abuse are totally ignored. The craving for the pleasant effect of the chemical b lind s on e to its d isas tro us consequences. One is bribed into rationalization. Rabbi Dessler states that intense learning of mussar and sincere prayer for Divine guidance can protect us from dangerous selfdeception. Bilam was no fool. He was told in no uncertain terms that Hashem would not allow him to curse Israel, and he obviously knew the infinite power of Hashem. Yet, his hatred for Israel distorted his judgment, and he tried to do what he logically knew he could not do. If we wish to do what is right, we must be on the alert and on the defensive. Our defense mechanisms operate in the subconscious part of our minds which is cunning, baffling and powerful. We must exercise our conscious mind to the limit with prayer and mussar to avoid selfdeception. Reprinted with permission from www.torahweb.org

613 Mitzvot: Mitzvah 100 To keep the choshen atop the ephod
R Mordechai Torczyner
The kohen gadol wears a vest, called an ephod, as part of his uniform in the Beit haMikdash. He also wears a breastplate, called choshen, atop the ephod. The choshen holds twelve gems, representing each of the twelve tribes. Beit haMikdash, reflecting beauty and completeness for all who visit. This seems to have been the view of the Rambam as well, for he wrote (Hilchot Klei haMikdash 9:10) that one is liable for separating the choshen and ephod only if he does so derech kilkul, in a destructive way; one who does so as Mitzvah 100 instructs the kohen part of maintenance of the garments, gadol to make sure that the choshen for example, would not be liable. sits squarely on the ephod, and does not sway from that spot. The Sefer torczyner@torontotorah.com haChinuch explains that this is part of the precise Divine design for the

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HaAm VHaAretz
Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher
David Teller

Rechov HaGidem
A small street in Yerushalayim, joining Betzalel and Hamaalot, was named, for a long time, HaGidem the Amputee. This was meant to honour Joseph Trumpeldor, who died defending Tel Hai in 1920. The name offended the residents, though; why name a street for a hero's handicap? The neighbours wrote to the municipality, demanding that the street be listed using Trumpeldor's actual name, but they ran into a spelling problem. One of the local residents, a Mister Guttman, was a loyal supporter of the Herut movement and a veteran member of Etzel (a.k.a. the Irgun, the militant right-wing pre-state organization). Guttman said that according to the instructions of Herut leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the name Trumpeldor should be written with the Hebrew letter tav, and not a tet. [This was because Jabotinsky and his followers had established the Beitar movement, and they wanted the name Beitar to refer to more than Bar Kochba's second century CE fortress. They also wanted it to be an acronym for "Brit Yosef TRumpeldor." Since the fortress was named Beitar with a tav, they should use a tav in the acronym, and so Trumpeldor would need to be spelled with a tav.] On the other hand, the rest of the residents were members of anti-Herut parties Mapai and Mapam, and they wanted to spell Trumpeldor with a tet, to oppose Jabotinsky's spelling. Because of the arguments, the name of the street remained HaGidem. Several years ago, the street was finally renamed Trumpeldor [with a tet], but not without trouble. Businesses located on the street demanded compensation from the city for their need to change advertisements, stationery and business cards.
Excerpted and adapted from an article in Ha'Aretz http://www.haaretz.com/printedition/features/a-walk-acrossjerusalem-history-1.202461

Rabbi Bachya ben Asher, (midthirteenth century-1340) known colloquially as Rabbeinu Bechaye, was Does Cursing Work? one of the eminent biblical scholars in Rabbeinu Bechayye to Parshat Balak Medieval Spain. A talmid of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (the Rashba), "Only the matter that I speak to you Rabbeinu Bachyas principal work was [shall you say]"(Bamidbar 22:20)... his commentary on the Torah, modeling his style after the Ramban's Here we should ask: Did Bilaam have use of Kabbalistic writings in his the power to damage and cause benefit, interpretation. or not? If you say that he had (the ability to effectively curse), how is it Unique to Rabbeinu Bechayes possible that flesh and blood could commentary is his introduction to each change a decree of the Creator? For if p a r s h a h , i n w h i c h h e o f t e n the Creator decreed on Israel, "For they underscores the fundamental ideas are blessed (Bamidbar 22:12)," how and questions that will be discussed. could (Bilaam)'s curse change what was Each introduction begins with a verse already decreed? And if you will say from Mishlei and allows the reader to there is no substance in his curse, then feel a part of Rabbeinu Bechayes why did G-d stop him, as it says, "You mental process in studying the shall not curse the nation (Bamidbar parshah. 22:12)"? Let Bilaam curse all day as long as G-d blesses (the Jewish people), like Other works of Rabbeinu Bechaye the passage, "They curse, and you bless include his Kad HaKemach, a sefer of 60 chapters covering a wide range of (Tehillim 109:28)"! philosophic and ethical teachings, and The answer to this is that Bilaam did Shulchan Shel Arba, which details not have any power at all in his speech proper conduct during different meals, to effectuate a blessing or curse. There as well as a discussion of the World to is proof that the curses he expressed did Come. not have power, from the fact that the figure out the time that G-d would blessings he expressed did not have become angry, and he definitely had power. If he had power in his speech to the power in his speech to curse. bless, then when it became clear to him that it was not the will of G-d to curse Nonetheless, the question still stands Israel as Balak had commanded him, in its place: We know that Hashem why didnt he bless Balak and his did not get angry in those days nation? This would have completed the (Brachot 7a), so all of his words and intent of Balak that Israel should not wisdom were nullified, the strength rule over him. And why did he push o f h i s s p e e c h a n d w i s d o m himself into being rented for the silver collapsed So why didnt (G-d) leave and gold of Balak? Let him bless himself him to curse them? Why did He say that he should become a great king over to him, "Do not curse the nation all the other kings, and he wouldnt (Bamidbar 22:12)"? need his (Balaks) silver and gold. Indeed, we find explicitly that he The answer is that G-d knew of the (Bilaam) blessed himself in saying "May plague that was to occur (see the end my soul die the death of the upright of the Parshat Balak), and lest they (Bamidbar 23:10)", and his blessing was say that the plague was because of not fulfilled rather, his end was Bilaams curse, He prevented him terrible and his hope turned into from cursing. But, certainly, Bilaam frustration, for he died an abnormal did not have any power from the side death as it is written, "And Bilaam the of his speech to bless or to curse, son of Beor the sorcerer, they killed with only from his wisdom in identifying the sword (Yehoshua 13:22)." the time when G-d would be angry.

Torah in Translation

We see that he did not have the power in his speech to curse through his words. However, in his wisdom he knew how to

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Parshah Answers
Why did HaShem display anger toward Bilaam for going with Balaks messengers, after permitting him to go? Shaul, the first King of the Jewish people, would defeat in war. Netziv adds that the survival of Agag from that war is significant because it was the reason that Shaul would lose his throne. The reference of his kingdom shall be upraised refers to Dovid becoming king after Shauls death. The ultimate redemption of the Jewish people will be a descendant of that dynasty which arose through Agag's survival. Assuming the approach of Rashi, Meshech Chachmah points out that this is the only prophecy of Bilaam addressed to a specific person. This may be why the prophet Michah (6:5) emphasizes the defeat of Agag in Gilgal as the most impressive of Bilaams statements. It was most specific, and it was clearly fulfilled in Shauls victory. Rashbam argues that Agag is the title of each Amaleki ruler, like the title Pharaoh or Avimelech. Therefore, this may be more of a general statement, consistent with Bilaam's other prophecies, rather than a reference to the battle fought between Shaul and Amalek. To what do the words ohalecha (your tents) and mishkenotecha (your dwelling places) refer? I n on e app r oach , Rashi suggests that ohalecha refers to the Mishkan and Batei Mikdash, which brought atonement to the people via their korbanot. Mishkenotecha refers to the periods when there is no Beit HaMikdash, and no sacrifices can be

Dovid Zirkind
brought; the Beit haMikdash is likened to a collateral (mashkon) taken with the intention of being returned. Their destruction served as atonement for the people. Sforno sees ohalecha as a reference to the study houses of Israel where Torah is learned. [Yaakov is described in the Torah as someone who sat in the Ohel and studied Torah.] Mishkenotecha refers to the Temples and synagogues of the people, where the spirit of G-d (from the word Shechina) rests. These were impressive in the eyes of Bilaam because their presence alone provided merit for the nation as a whole, even for those who did not study and pray in them. Netziv notes that both ohel and mishkan here are in the plural tense. The two ohalot are the tents of men and women. The two mishkenot are the meeting places of those who study Torah and those who devote their life to the betterment of the community. The four statements of Bilaam that follow address each of these groups individually. For children: Why does the Torah say that Bilaam hit the donkey three regalim, rather than use the regular word pe'amim, when saying he hit her three times? In his rebuke of Bilaam, the donkey hints to her rider that he will not be successful. "Surely," said the donkey, "You will not succeed in destroying a nation that celebrates three festivals (regalim) every year." dzirkind@torontotorah.com

Rashi suggests that G-d was angry with Bilaam because Bilaam knew that G-d did not want him to go and yet he desired to go. Siftei Chachamim elaborates that Bilaam was only given permission to go for his own financial benefit, but G-d understood that he desired to curse the Jewish people. It was this evil desire that angered G-d.

When turning down the messengers of Balak after their first appeal, Bilaam tells them that Hashem instructed him not to participate. Now, says the Ohr HaChaim, Hashem instructs him to go but he does not tell them he is following Hashems instruction. By doing this Bilaam gave the impression that he would go regardless of Hashems wishes.

Additionally, the Ohr HaChaim notes the Torahs depiction of Bilaam traveling separately from officers who were sent by Balak to retrieve him. This may indicate that Bilaam began preparing, in solitude en route, to curse the people, without waiting for Hashems instruction as he was supposed to. Who is Agag? What is his relevance to a Jewish monarchy? In blessing the Jewish people Bilaam states His king shall be exalted over Agag, and his kingdom shall be upraised. Rashi tells us that Agag is the king of Amalek whom

Schedule for the Week of July 9, 7 Tammuz

Shabbat, July 9 7:45AM R Azarya Berzon, Ramban Al HaTorah, Or Chaim Post-Hashkamah R Azarya Berzon, Clanton Park Post-Hashkamah, R Meir Lipschitz, Shaarei Shomayim One Hour before Minchah, R Azarya Berzon, Masechet Kiddushin, Mizrachi Bayit Sunday, July 10 6:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Gemara Kiddushin, Shaarei Shomayim 7:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Masechet Makkot, Shaarei Shomayim Monday, July 11 7:15PM R Meir Lipschitz, Halachah in the Kitchen Week 2 of 4, 3000 Bathurst #1201, Women 7:45PM R Azarya Berzon, Rambam, Clanton Park 9:30 PM R Azarya Berzon, Ramban al Hatorah, 12 Midvale Road Tuesday, July 12 7:45 PM R Azarya Berzon, Halachah and Hashkafah for Life, Clanton Park 7:50PM R Mordechai Torczyner: Minchat Chinuch at Clanton Park, Egg Matzah 8:30PM Dovid Zirkind: Interactive Parshah, Westmount Learning Centre Wednesday, July 13 7:15PM R Azarya Berzon, Highlights of the Weeks Shiurim, Clanton Park 8:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Beit haMikdash and Aveilut Shomrei Shobbos Thursday, July 14 7:45PM R Azarya Berzon: Rav Soloveitchik on the Mitzvah of Kriyat Shma, Clanton Park 10:00PM R Azarya Berzon: Rambam Hilchot Talmud Torah, Clanton Park Mon-Fri 6 AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Daf Yomi, BAYT

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