עץ החיים

Two of the spies got special Divine assistance and

did not fall to sin like the other spies. Why were

they spared?

Chazal say that Moshe Rabbeinu davened for

Yehoshua, and כלב went to the קברים of our

forefathers and davened to be saved.

The big question that many מפרשים ask is, if a

person would daven that he should pass every test

and such a tefillah would work, that would make it

that when the person will be faced with the test to

choose good or bad, he really has no בחירה

anymore, because the תפילה already made him

choose the good. And we know that this is

an impossibility. In fact, Chazal teach

us just the opposite. When it comes to

making the choice to pass a test or

fail, it is completely up to our

decision at that moment and is not

הכל בידי שמים As it says .בידי שמים

The reason for this .חוץ מיראת שמים

is, because if we could just daven

before every test and the תפילה will

give us an automatic ticket to pass,

then there would basically be no

reward given to us in the Next World for

choosing good. Only due to the fact that by

every choice we are the ones who have the choice

at that moment to do good or bad, it is a real

challenge and we choose good, then we are worthy

of reward.

If so, how could Moshe Rabbeinu daven for יהושע

not to sin, which is something that is not dependent

on Heaven's choice but solely on יהושע's free-

choice. And how could כלב daven not to sin if

ultimately it is up to him and not בידי שמים?

The first answer I saw in the sefer אדעת שרג from

גרוסברד זצוק"ל אמו"ר הגאון הגדול רב שרג who says that

if you look well at the words that we say in

davening, you will see that we say, ואל תביאני לא"

חז"ל We see that לידי נסיון ולא לידי בזיון..." )ברכות ס:(

were not מתקן to ask Hashem that we should be

בנסיון עומד – since תקע that is not בידי שמים but

rather it is up to us, and it is not שייך to be מתפלל

for that. Rather, what חז"ל instituted was that a person

should daven that the נסיון should not come to us at all

in the first place.

This, too, is what משה רבינו was מתפלל for his Talmid

Yehoshua. משה רבינו didn't ask Hashem that Yehoshua

should choose good over bad, rather משה was מתפלל for

him that he should be saved from the עצת מרגלים. In

other words, that יהושע shouldn't even get pulled into

their ideology in the first place.

The Ben Ish Chai says another answer:

The Ben Ish Chai explains that the reason the spies

wanted to speak derogatory about Eretz Yisroel

to the Jewish People even though each and

every one of them was a ישראלב וגדול צדיק ,

was because they thought they had good

intentions in mind for doing so. The spies

thought to themselves that if they tell בני

the truth of how geshmak the land ישראל

of Eretz Yisroel is, they wouldn't receive

so much שכר for coming up, since they

will also be coming for the גשמיות in the

land. Therefore, the מרגלים twisted

everything and painted a black picture of

Eretz Yisroel so that the Yidden should

ignore them and go only for spiritual purposes.

However, the truth of the matter is that as even though

had good intentions for doing this, it was really עצת היצר

as portrayed itself at the end. Ultimately, it turned out

to be one of the biggest catastrophes.

This, explains the Ben Ish Chai, is how we can

understand how the Tefillos for יהושע and כלב worked.

Since as we mentioned, the entire reason why יראת שמים

is not בידי שמים is to give reward to the person that he

was מצליח to overcome his challenge and if Heaven

would save him from sin he will get very shvache

reward. However, explains the Ben Ish Chai, all this is

only possible for something which is obvious and

known that it is a sin, because then a person really has

the ability to use his free-choice to choose right from

wrong. However, when you're dealing with a type of יצר

that is clothed in the garments of mitzvah and good

intentions, when you're dealing with a type of יצר that

Please read but not during חזרת הש"ץ or קריאת התורה.

-English Weekly-

Powerful Prayers

Year 7 Issue #336

is tricking you to think it is the best חשבון in the world,

so most definitely in this case one needs aid from

Hashem to show him the light and the truth, since

without Hashem's help, we won't even have the feeling

of choosing right from wrong.

Therefore, this was the תפילה of משה רבינו for יהושע and

the תפילה of כלב, that they should not be drawn to

sinning in a situation of a sin that is disguised as a מצוה.

The שפת אמת asks: why is it that מס' נזיר comes before

כל הרואה סוטה בקלקולו say חז"ל if we know that ,מס' סוטה

only נזיר which alludes to the idea that יזיר עצמו מן היין

comes after סוטה?

The פת אמתש answers from his Zaida, the חידושי הרי"ם

that really a person needs to avoid the situation of the

Satan in the first place. This is only possible if one is

meaning he should make himself – "יזיר עצמו מן היין"

boundaries so he doesn't come to the נסיון in the first

place. This, concludes the שפת אמת, is the remez in the

fact that מס' נזיר is situated before מס' סוטה to remind us

to avoid coming to the נסיון in the first place.

Have a great Shabbos!

This column is authored by R’ Dovid Shaya - מדריך חתנים מומחה בעניני נישואין ושלום בית This section was meant to appear in פרשת בהעלותך

Laundered Money! IMAGINE buying a lottery ticket, putting it on your pocket, and totally forgetting about it. So far nothing unusual.

Imagine leaving the ticket in your pocket until your shirt goes in the laundry – pocket, ticket and all. Still nothing

special. But what if… it turns out that your ticket was actually none other than… the winning ticket?!

Well, that is exactly what happened two weeks ago to a lady from California who claimed that her winning ticket

had gone through the wash and shriveled to bits! And let me add one minor detail here – the ticket was the sole

winner of $26 million dollars!

HAVE YOU EVER felt like a dream or a goal was within your reach, oh so close, and something happened to

ruin it?? Did it ever happen that circumstances beyond your control stopped you from accomplishing what you

were hoping for? Of course, as ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim, we know and are equipped to deal with life’s

disappointments. But how about if that goal was actually a spiritual goal, did you ever feel that you finally have

your path clear in Avodas Hashem, only for that path to hit an impenetrable road block right before the

destination? And what if the name of that roadblock was… your spouse??

Many of the complaints I encounter from couples are exactly along these lines. The husband says, my wife does

not give me enough time to learn – I am always needed at home! And the wife says, I wanted to marry a masmid -

I was promised a masmid – but this husband of mine can’t even say a proper dvar torah at the Shabbos table,

without stuttering and spluttering!

You see, we all have hopes and expectations about what our home will look like, or how our day schedule will

work best, but sometimes, despite our best efforts, because of the person we married, those goals simply cannot

materialize, and it's easy to ask Hashem, why. Why would Hashem want to stop me from coming close to Him,

and why, oh why, does this Stop Sign happen to look remarkably similar to my very own soulmate?!

I once heard a vort of the Leshem which changed the way I think and I hope it will affect you too: The pasuk in

this week’s parshah says – נועל פי ה' יסעו...ועל פי ה' יח . The Ba’al HaLeshem asks, I understand that we need 'ע"פ ה

surely – ע"פ ה' יסעו because they wanted to keep going and Hashem had to command them to stop. But why יחנו

they themselves wanted to do travel onwards – why does the Torah seem to be saying that Hashem had to

command them to do so?

Says the Leshem, at every one of the 42 encampments, there was a different and unique nisayon to overcome,

because the place itself engendered its own yetzer hara. This way, by the time they entered Eretz Yisrael, the

yidden had worked on each nisayon and achieved pure shleimus. And so, each time they worked hard to perfect

a new area of their personality, and finally succeeded, suddenly they were told to move on to the next location.

But this itself became a very difficult nisayon – they had just conquered a midda, and they were not allowed to

enjoy this tremendous spiritual accomplishment and Closeness, without having to throw themselves back again

into a place of richuk – distance from Hashem! So Hashem had to command them to leave the place against their

will.

We learn from here, that Hashem has His own plan for what is best for our ruchniyos. We may think that situation

‘x’ is best for my Avodas Hashem, but Hashem decides that quite the opposite, actually situation ‘y’ – which

appears to present a major downward turn in our ruchniyus, is really what we need to experience to reach our

shleimus. And who is there to direct us, to guide us where and how to achieve this shleimus – our wonderful,

caring and amazing spouse!

So, if a situation is quite obviously not going the way you intended, instead of fighting a losing battle, perhaps

view this as a signal that sometimes you have to go down, to go up! Lose the battle to win the war! Think and

contemplate how this might actually be a test of a midda, which if dealt with well, will actually rocket me upwards

in terms of my personal development. And remember: Our spouse is not the bad guy here, they are simply

positioned in a way to redirect us towards our own unique Avodas Hashem – much better than winning the lottery!

Words Under a Picture

1) The שו"ע paskens that it is ossur to read the words

unde/rneath a picture on Shabbos. )שו"ע ש"ז סע' טו(

The Reason

2) The reason חז"ל assur'd reading the words under a picture

is because if it would be allowed, people may think they can

also read real שטרי הדיוטות.

On A Wall

3) When looking at a drawing on a wall of Golyas or Dovid

Hamelech, where underneath the picture it says, "This is a

picture of Dovid Hamelech", it is ossur to read those words.

(.This is common in schools that have big paintings) )שם(

You Know Who It Is

4) If you know who the picture is of without looking at the

words underneath, then there is no איסור to read the words.

)הגרשז"א בס' שלחן שלמה הע' על ס"ק כב, הגריש"א בס' מנוחת שלמה

ח"ג סי' ג(

Scratched into The Wall

5) All agree that if the words underneath the picture of

Dovid Hamelech are scratched into the wall, it is מותר to

read. )שו"ע ש"ז סע' יב(

Pictures in the Sefer Sichas Chulin and Other Such Sefarim

to read, as mentioned מותר of Mitzvos are שטרי הדיוטות (6

last week. )מג"א ס"ק טז( Therefore, in regard to ספרים with

pictures such as the world renowned Sichas Chulin, or

Pirush Chai, and picture Mishnayos, etc. it is permitted to

read the words underneath the illustrations since there is no

)הגרח"ק בס' שאלת רב פ"כח אות ט'( .גזירה שטרי הדיוטות במצוה

Sculpture

7) It is ossur for one to gaze at any type of sculpture that

was created for idol worship, even during the week. 'גמ(

שבת דף קמט.(

Magazine

8) A magazine that has only ads is muktzah since it is ossur

to look at ads on Shabbos.

Business Section

9) Also, reading a business newspaper or reading the

business section in a newspaper or magazine is ossur. שו"ע(

ש"ז סע' יג(

Pictures In a Catalog

10) One who has עונג שבת by looking at pictures of products

in a catalog that has no prices written under the picture is

permitted to do so on Shabbos if – he has no intention of

actually buying anything. לי שבת אות ט', ששכ"ה פ"כ )ע' ס' טלטו

סע' יז, וכן פסק מו"ר הגר"י ברקוביץ שליט"א(

Comics Captions

11)If one has a הגדה של פסח with comics, or any book that

teaches מדות טובות or יראת שמים it is muter to read on

Shabbos the words under the pictures. [There is also another

heter as well that one is permitted to read any words under a

picture that are in book from or stapled together, or in a

newspaper, since the גזירה of reading words under a picture was

never made for pictures that are in a book format. כן ד' השערי(

סע' לג, וכן פסק מרן הגריש"א, עי' בספר אשרי האיש או"ח פרק ט"ז אות אפרים

ב', וכן אמר לי מו"ר הגר"י ברקוביץ, ויש חולקין([

More Pashkevilin

12) Recently they've been hanging big posters in shul

entranceways with pictures of people with their names

underneath, in this case it would be ossur to read the words

telling who the people are. )שו"ע סימן ש"ז סע' טו(

Aron Hakodesh

13) Around many ארוני הקודש there are pictures of the כלים

of the משכן, or different designs for the שבטים and

underneath them it says their name, reading the words under

these pictures is questionable. ]For the Shvatim there would be

a heter since it would seem that the name of the Shevet does not

actually explain what is going on in the picture. Also even though

one does not know what the keli of the Mishkan is without reading

the words perhaps it would be muter because of Mitzvah. [ אבל

עדיין צריך עיון[

What Can I Read?

14) There is an entire discussion regarding what kind of

material is מותר/אסור to read on Shabbos. (Or even during

the week.)

15) The שו"ע paskens that one is forbidden to read any

material that is שיחת חולין on Shabbos. )שו"ע סימן ש"ז סע' ט"ז(

Mussar, Yiras Shamayim

16) The Poskim write that any book whose material will

give you מוסר, bring about growth in מדות טובות, or give you

more יראת שמים are not ע' משנ"ב שם ס"ק נח( .בכלל שיחת חולין(

Thriller Novels

17) Therefore, reading a kosher thriller or novel is

forbidden, unless it will bring about מוסר, good מידות or fear

of Heaven. (See Halacha number 20 that if one will see someone

doing so one does not need to protest)

Gedolim Books

18) All Gedolim books are מותר to read on Shabbos.

Not מחויב to burn "garbage cans"

19) The majority of the Poskim write that although reading

news on Shabbos is not ideal according to הלכה, if one sees

someone reading news tidbits on Shabbos they need not

protest, since מעיקר הדין, it is an "עונג שבת" for the person

and that is what they are being סומך on. )פוסקים(

20) The שו"ע says that on Shabbos one is permitted to learn

only תורה, however, "sha'ar chochmos" are forbidden. The

which means some permit ,"ויש מי שמתיר" concludes שו"ע

learning sha'ar chochmos on Shabbos. )שו"ע סימן ש"ז סע' יז(

paskens that משנ"ב the (for Ashkenazim) ,הלכה למעשה (21

the minhag follows the opinion of the "יש מי שמתיר",

however, a ירא שמים should be משנ"ב ס"ק ס"ה( .מחמיר(

The Halachos of Reading on Shabbos

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Living The Daf – דף נא מס' יומא

- בית הלוי - ”…שלחן And you should make a“ "ועשית שלחן..." )כה:כג(

was on his left מנורה the ,משכן you should place on the north side” When a person entered the שולחן The “ … והשלחן תתן על צלע צפון )כו:לה(

side and the שלחן was on his right. The question is: Shouldn’t it be the opposite? The מנורה which represents חכמה should be on the person’s

right – לב חכם בימינו. Whereas the שלחן which represents פרנסה should be on the person’s left. What’s the פשט?

The answer is: When a person begins to serve Hashem בלימוד התורה, it is permitted for a person to learn even if it is only for ulterior motives.

As the 'גמ states ):ילמד אדם לשמה, שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה לעולם" )פסחים נ" . This is all true when it comes to לימוד התורה, however when

it comes to being עוסק in business, from the beginning a person must have the proper intentions, and the reason he is being עוסק in the work

is in order to have sustenance to be able to serve 'ה and to be מקיים the מצוות.

However, if a person is involved in עניני עוה"ז just that he’ll be able to enjoy the pleasures of life. this person will never eventually get to a

level of doing the work for the correct intentions. Because it is only when it comes to the learning of תורה that a person has the promise of

.a person’s mindset needs to be put in the right perspective already from the start פרנסה Therefore, by .מתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה

With this we can answer our original question. The מנורה is on a person’s left, as a רמז that when it comes to חכמה בתורה a person can start,

even only for ulterior motives. Whereas the שלחן is on the right, to teach us that a person must have the correct intentions already from the

start.

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י"ג תמוז –ר' גדליה זצ"ל בןהרב מיכאל פינחס צחק יעקב בן ר' אריה אליעזר הכהן זצ''להרב י

הרב אברהם מרדכי בן צבי יעקב זצוק''ל כ''א תמוז הרב יונתן אפרים בן הרב יוסף מאיר זצ''ל ט''ו באב

' שבט ל –יהודה אריה ז''ל בן הרב מנחם משה שליט''א הרב יוסף דוב בן מנחם זצוק''ל ל'אב

מירל לאה בת יהודה אריה ע''ה

רבי משה פיינשטיין

פתיל תכלת )טו:לח(

“…a thread of blue wool.”

The gemara (Menachos 43b) says התכלת דומה לים וים לרקיע ורקיע לכסא הכבוד - blue is similar to the ocean, the ocean is similar

to the sky, and the sky is similar to the Kisei Hakavod.

Question: Why did Hashem simply not choose a color similar to the Kisei Hakavod to begin with?

Answer: It is impossible to skip rungs in the spiritual ladder; you have to climb up slowly, step by step. Only then will you

ultimately reach the Kisei Hakavod.

The quickest way to grow in ruchnius is to climb up slowly, step by step.

Parsha Points by Rabbi Lewis

1) The power of speech is very strong and what a person says, even about himself, can cause himself harm.

Rashi [14:28] explains that Hashem punished the people to die in the desert, just as they had declared תְנוּ זֶּה לוּ מַּ ר הַּ דְבָּ מִּ אוֹ בַּ

“or if only we had died in this Midbar.” They ‘asked’ to die in the Midbar and their wish came true, even though they

regretted afterwards what they had said. (People forget what they say and are upset afterwards when things happen that

they are not happy with. However, they brought it upon themselves by saying what they said.)

2) Seeing, leads to remembering, which brings to doing, whether for good or for evil.

For good, the posuk [15:39] says by tzitzis: “And you will see them, and you will remember all the mitzvos of Hashem, and

you will do them.” For evil, Rashi explains (ibid): The eye sees, the heart desires, and the body sins. [See next point] (In

order for the tzitzis to remind you of the mitzvos, you need to think about it when putting them on. If a person ties a string

around his finger and only afterwards decides what it should remind him of, it won't work. When tying the string on the

finger you need to know for what it is coming to remind you. So too, tzitzis—think and then wear.

3) There are people who think that they are immune from the yetzer hora. However, they do not realize that the yetzer hora

has two spies implanted in each person and therefore everyone needs to be careful and on guard.

The posuk [15:39] says that we should not stray after our hearts and our eyes. Rashi explains that the heart and the eyes are spies

for the body, seeking out for him to do evil. (One way to protect yourself is to not look out of your ד' אמות, or to close your eyes

and then, since you will not see, you will not come to desire. However, the heart also has desires in it and the best way to combat

them is to learn Torah, which cleanses the heart from all its impurities and protects it from pitfalls.)