Friday, February 22, 2013

Purim Trivia


The minhag of wearing masks was not only on Purim.
Which other day did they wear masks ?


 Shu"t Dvar Shmuel* # 247 (R. Shmuel Abuhav Levorno Italy 1600 ) re masks that were worn on
 Shavuos for Simcha.

The big mistake on this parsha (Tezaveh)


The pasuk “V’nishma  Kolo B’vo’oh el Hakodesh” (Shmos 28- 36)
(You shall hear it’s (bells on the me’il of the Kohen Gadol)
sound when he enters the Kodesh)

The Torah Temimah quotes a Yerushalmi  ( Yoma  perek 7 hl. 3 )
Yavo Kol  V’yechaper Al  Kol Hahoreg  Nefesh  ( The sound of the bells should
come and forgive for the sound of  one who kills a person)

The T.T. explains what does sound  have to do with murder.
He says we find by Kayin the pasuk says “Kol Dmei Achicha Tzoakim”.

If you look up the Yerushalmi you will realize that the T.T. made a
hugh mistake.

The Yerushalmi says two things had no kaporoh ,  1) Lashon Harah   2)  Killing
a person B’shogeg.
On Lashon Harah (KOL- sound) Yavo Kol  V’yechaper Al  Kol.  ( STOP_PERIOD)
Hahoreg  Nefesh  Yavo misas Kohen Gadol.

The T.T.  read it Yavo Kol  V’yechaper Al  Kol  Hahoreg  Nefesh  without the period.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Mitzvah Tanz

Mitzvah Tantz

Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 21- 5
It is forbidden to be served by a woman at all, whether she is an adult or a minor, whether a slave or free, lest he come to have forbidden thoughts. What service were they speaking of? Washing his face, hands, and feet,--
Rema. Some say that all this is forbidden only when they are alone, but in a place like a bathhouse where many people are found, one may be washed by an idolatrous slave woman, and this is the custom. And some say that anything not done in an affectionate manner where his intent is only for Heaven's sake, is permitted. Thus the custom is to be lenient in these things.
Bach Quotes the Maharshal “ For this reason the minhag is to dance with the Kallah  (hand in hand)
so that her husband will love her or for the kovod of her father, however, Talmidei Chachamim,
 should refrain” (dancing with the kallah)
The Bach adds that in his country (Galicia) “the minhag was, even for Gedolim to dance with the
Kallah. Where the minhag is to dance you  keep the minhag, where there is no such minhag
then there is an issur (to dance with the Kallah).”
The Poskim  who strongly opposed this minhag, (hand in hand) call this a mitzvah haboh beaveiro.
Eventually the Rabonim managed to abolish this minhag of dancing hand in hand with the kallah
and instituted instead to dance with a napkin held by the kallah.
 For the father and grandfathers of the kallah there never was a problem holding hands and
therefore the minhag continues on until today.
The Chasidim replaced the napkin with a gartel, probably to keep a further distance  from the
Kallah or could  be they had no napkins.
Dancing and being measmeach the kallah is a Mitzvah (Tur –mitzvah gedolah) and by using
a gartel or napkin it becomes a MITZVAH  instead of a Mitzvah Haboh Beaveiro.

For those who who never had the original minhag (hand in hand) there was no need to
institute the new minhag of using a napkin or gartel. Hence the opposition of the
Yeshivishe people for todays Mitzvah Tanz.

Monday, February 18, 2013

for those who appreciate poetry


"אפתחה במשל פי / אשר שמעתי בימי חרפי / כי היה באחד המקומות / אשר נקבו בשמות / אמן אחד צייר / וצייר צלם איש על נייר / והיה האיש ההוא / תם וישר / יפה תואר ומשוח בששר / וידביקהו על לוח עץ / ועל פתח ביתו היה אותו נועץ / להראות העמים והשרים את יופיו / כי כליל הוא מהדרו וצבי עדיו / ויהי כאשר כל העם רואים / והנה בתוך הבאים / זקן אחד רצען / על משענתו נשען / וראה והביט גם הוא / אחרי כן פתח את פיהו / ויאמר הנני עומד משתאה / איך הצייר שגה ברואה / הלא תראו כי שרוך הנעל / הפוך למטה למעל / וכשמוע הצייר את זאת / יצא גם הוא לראות / וירא ויניע ראש / והודה ולא בוש / ויאמר צדקת אתה הזקן / אך הלילה המעוות אתקן / וכן תקנהו טרם הלך לישון / ולמחרתו הוציאו כמשפט הראשון / ויבוא הרצען שנית / ויוסף להביט בתבנית / ויאמר לצייר יפה תיקנת ועשית / אבל בדבר אחד שגית / כי רואה אני דבר נבזה / כי הברכיים אינם דומים זה לזה / האחד גדול והאחד קטן / ויאמר לו הצייר לך אל השטן / כי משרוך הנעל ולמעלה/ אין לך בחכמה חלק ונחלה / ויהי הרצען לבושה ולכלימה / ויפן וילך בחימה / וכן יראתי גם אני / שכמקרה הרצען יקרני / בעניין זה החיבור / רעה עלי ידובר / ויאמר אלי מי שהוא / מה לך פה אליהו / כלך למדברך אצל דקדוק ומסורות / אין לך עסק בנסתרות / אל תחמוד כבוד יותר מלימודך / ואל תנבל כסא כבודך / ולכן יראתי לקרב אל המלאכה / פן לא אראה בה סימן ברכה / אך רוחי הציקתני / ואש עצור בעצמותי ושרפתני / וכלכל לא יכולתי / ומאת השם עזר שאלתי / יצרף לי למעשה המחשבה / ויורני בדרך הטובה / כי מכיר אני את מקומי / שיותר מידי נטלתי גדולה לעצמי / שמלאני לבי לפרש כל השורשים / אשר בשום מקום אינם מפורשים / ואף מאותם המפורשים כבר / אחדש בכל אחד איזה דבר / ורובם מן הגמרא ומדברי רבותינו / כגון בראשית רבא ותנחומא וילמדנו / ואף שבעוונותיי / כבר עברו רוב שנותיי / ולא ראיתי בטובה / בהוויות אביי ורבא / ולחכמים מעט שימשתי / ומשאם ומתנם לא בשתי ביקשתי / מכל מקום לבי לא מנעני / ובאגדות ובמדרשים יגעתי / להוציא מהם דברים חשוקים / ובפרושי ומדרשי הפסוקים / עד שרוב גירסתם היא לי ידועה / וזה יהיה לי לישועה / את הספר הזה לחבר / ולברר וללבן את אשר אדבר / ............/.


The fable tells the story of the famous Greek painter Apelles (a contemporary of Alexander the Great), and a cobbler,. Apelles drew a beautiful young man and pasted the painting on wooden board that he placed at his doorway to impress all passers-by. Among them was an old cobbler, leaning on his cane. The cobbler gazed at the painting and commented: "I am surprised how the artist made such a mistake. You see, the shoelace goes upside down". When the artist heard that, he went out to see, nodded his head and consented: "You are right, old man. But tonight I shall correct the mistake". And so he did before going to sleep and the next day he hung the painting in place as before. And the old cobbler came again. He looked at the painting and told the artist: "Well done but there is still another mistake: the knees are not alike, one is bigger than the other". The artist said then commented angrily: "Go to hell. From the shoelace upwards you know nothing". The cobbler was ridiculed by all around and turned away in a rage. And, says Eliahu Bachur, he is afraid that the same will happen to him with this book, the "Tishbi". Somebody will say: "What are you doing here? Go back to Hebrew grammar and Massoret. Don't deal in what you don’t know and don’t ask to be honored in doing so". Therefore, he was afraid to undertake that work, in which he might fail. However, he could not restrain himself and asked God for help in showing him the right way. Eliyahu adds that he knows his place and that he may be presumptuous in daring to explain all the Hebrew roots, which are not explained elsewhere, adding that even to those that had been explained, he was still bringing something new from the Gmara and other sources.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

How to tell if it is an amei ha'aretz shul


This Shabbos Parshas Shekalim , most shuls will say Piyut (Yotzros) during or after chazoras
hashatz. The Piyut said during chazaras hashatz  is called Kerovos *1 or Kerovotz *2.

Adding Piyutim to the tefilos started in the times of the Gaonim .
When the minhag started ,there was strong opposition from some of the Gaonim.
The  reason for opposition was    1) Meshane Mimatbea  Shetovu Chachomim (changing
the nusach hatefillah that the Anshei Kneses Hagedolo established.  2) Hefsek in middle
of the tefillos.

The Otzar Hageonim ( Brochos 178-180) quotes R. Nachshan Gaon “ In the Mesifta and
wherever there are Rabanan they don’t change the tefillos from the way the Rabanan
established. They also don’t bring in to the Bais Hakneses a chazzan that knows piyut.
A  Bais Hakneses where Piyut is said, testifies on themselves that they
aren’t  Talmidei Chachamim.”
          *1 see Abudraham 2 reasons why it’s called Kerovos
              *2 Tosfos calls it Kerovotz (Brochos34a A.Z. 8a)

HURRY 86% OFF!!! POLONO Label Maker Machine with Tape

  POLONO Label Maker Machine with Tape, P31S Portable Thermal Printer, Built-in Cutter Mini Label Makers Handheld Sticker Maker with Multipl...