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1. Why was he called “Noach”?

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AHNoach - The Importance of Gratitude

Rabbi Yehonasan GefenRabbi for Keter HaTorah

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Bereishis, 11:5-6: “Hashem descended to see the city and tower which the sons of Adam built; and HaShem said, ‘Behold, one people, and there is one language for all of them, and this they begin to do!’”

Rashi: Bereishis, 11:5: The sons of Adam: “But then, the sons of whom – perhaps the sons of donkeys and camels?! Rather, they [showed that they were] the sons of Adam Harishon, who was ungrateful and said, ‘the woman whom You gave to be with me.’ So too, these were ungrateful but rebelling against He who bestowed good upon them and rescued them from the Flood.”

In the midst of the account of the Tower of Babel, the Torah alludes to an additional flaw that the nations expressed in their efforts to build a Tower in order to fight G-d. Rashi, quoting the Midrash, tells us that Hashem compared them to their ancestor, Adam, who was ungrateful; when he sinned by eating from the fruit, he blamed Hashem for creating the woman who caused him to sin. In truth, Hashem had bestowed a great kindness on him by providing him with a partner. So too, Hashem saved Noach from the Flood and instead of appreciating His kindness in saving them, Noach’s descendants attempted to fight Him.

One may point out that the issue of ingratitude seems quite trivial compared to the seemingly far greater sin in and of itself of kefirah1 and attempting to somehow wage war with the Almighty; why then, does the Torah allude to this seemingly insignificant flaw? The answer to this question can be found in the Torah prohibition to marry male converts from the nations of Ammon

1 Kefirah is the denial of the basic tenets of belief in G-d.

and Moav or their descendants.2 One of the reasons the Torah offers as to why it is forbidden to marry them is that they did not offer bread and water to the Jewish nation when they were in the desert. The commentaries query this, saying that whilst their inaction shows that they were not kind-hearted, why is it so severe that their descendants can never marry into the Jewish people? They explain that their sin was greatly magnified by the fact that they owed a great debt to the Jewish people; Avraham Avinu saved Lot, the Patriarch of Ammon and Moav, when he rescued him from the four Kings. The ingratitude that his descendants expressed by refusing to help the Jewish people reflected such a great character flaw that it meant that they could never marry into the Jewish people.3

So too, the ingratitude that the people demonstrated by not only not thanking G-d for saving Noach, but by actually having the audacity to ‘fight’ Him, significantly magnified the severity of their actions. We learn from here the fundamental importance of the trait of hakaras hatov (gratitude) and the contemptible nature of its opposite: ingratitude. It seems that the reason why ingratitude is such a serious flaw is that it contradicts the very foundations of emunah and Torah observance that Hashem bestowed upon us

- an unparalleled kindness by giving us life and the opportunity to connect with Him. This alone is a highly compelling reason to observe the mitzvos; to demonstrate our appreciation for what Hashem did and constantly does for us by trying to fulfill His will4.

2 Devarim, 23:4-5.3 See Ramban 23:5.4 Of course Hashem does not need us to fulfill the Torah for His sake, rather it is for our

own benefit.

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2. What is the difference between the ship of the תיבה and an ordinary ship?

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AHNoach - the Madness of Silence

Rabbi Daniel FineMaggid Shiur, Aish Gesher and author of Journey through Nach

There is an art which is gradually becoming lost: the art of silence. In a world full of noise, exacerbated by social media noise, there exists a (for once unspoken) understanding that assertiveness, dominance and expression are the social currency.

Yet as much as Judaism values a correctly placed word (and rejects a misplaced word) we also value silence tremendously - the Rambam underlines that the way of Torah scholars is to cherish silence and count their words in a placed and meticulous fashion. After all, silence is the key to maintaining a strong inner world: empty vessels make the loudest noise. Those who have no inner world or confidence tend to project their lives outwards in a bid to offset their inner disharmony via external popularity and attention. Yet the balance between silence and speech is a most delicate one: being silent when it is inappropriate to do so is also a tragic error. Many examples of this spring to mind (Talmudic too), but one of recent history is especially interesting, noteworthy and memorable.

One of the perks of teaching in yeshivah is that one gets to visit interesting sites with the students - to build a relationship with the students, of course. A month or so ago we visited the Ayalon Institute, a secret underground Haganah factory which produced bullets under the noses of the British in the 1930s. This ‘factory’, no bigger than a tennis court, was hidden on a kibbutz underneath a laundry room (and next to a bakery to conceal the smell and noise) yet produced over two million bullets which were instrumental in the War of Independence.

The 45 people who worked in there were ordered to keep their work an absolute secret - even from the other workers on that kibbutz, who they nick-named giraffes (for they were unaware of what was going on under their noses) and even from their spouses. They would pretend to set off early each morning to a nearby kibbutz, only to perform a u-turn and sneak back into the kibbutz to the laundry room. So conscious of their secret were they that they had to sit under a radiation ‘sun lamp’ for a prescribed amount of time each day to make sure they had a healthy colour so as to avoid any suspicion. In fact, the place was so secret that nobody found out about it until 1975! Furthermore, when a single giraffe did find out about the operation accidentally, the group thought about killing her, only to instead offer for her to join them.

The part of this story relevant to our discussion about silence (don’t worry, the parshah will come in at some point too), is that at one point one of the workers returned home to her giraffe husband with copper clippings in her hair (she had forgotten to remove them before leaving the factory). Her husband was irate, accusing his wife of having an affair with a neighbour who worked at a nearby metal factory. Instead of simply explaining what was really going on and breaking the silence, the lady instead broke her marriage: she did not reveal anything to her giraffe husband and they indeed got divorced - the (former) husband did not find out the true story until a few decades later! This is one example of silence going too far.

We have a relatively famous one in our parshah too...

The Haftarah of Noach dubs the flood ‘the waters of Noach’ (mei Noach), which the Midrash explains to mean that Noach was responsible for the deluge, for he did not pray for the world’s salvation. Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz explores and analyses this idea...

There is another Midrash (Tanchuma) in relation to Avraham’s prayers for Sedom. After his lowest bid of ‘ten righteous individuals’ had been turned down, Avraham desisted from davening any further: why? The Midrash writes that he learned this from none other than Noach - just as Noach knew that it would not work to daven for the eight worthy people at the time of the flood, so too did Avraham do the same. This Midrash would seem to vindicate Noach’s actions! How do the two midrashim work together?

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz explained via one further Midrash and incident in Nach. Chazal note that Pharaoh had three advisors in Egypt: Bilam, Iyov, and Yisro. When Pharaoh (at the behest of Bilam) suggested throwing all the Jewish male babies into the river, there were mixed reactions from these advisors. Yisro ran away, since one could not disagree with Pharaoh to his face, Iyov remained silent, and Bilam was happy that his plan had been accepted by Pharaoh. Chazal continue that Hashem treated these three according to their reactions. For his absconding, Yisro was rewarded with a great son-in-law and the merit of joining the Jewish People. Because Bilam approved of killing the Jewish babies, he was himself killed by the Bnei Yisrael. On the other hand, for his silence (as opposed to deserting) Iyov was punished with tremendous pains and suffering. The Brisker Rav explained the middah ke’negged middah element of these punishments, writing that Iyov was punished with pains as a result of his silence. For Iyov’s silence was born out of desperation in assuming the situation could not be solved - yet if one really cares for the subject and event in question then one cries out regardless of whether one’s cries will achieve any concrete results. Consequently, Iyov’s tremendous pains and suffering produced cries which could also not solve, salvage or emend the situation.

Rav Shmulevitz explains that though Noach knew his tefillos could not help, he should have still cried out to express his pain and sorrow at the dire situation the world and its inhabitants were facing. It would have been a cry of care, even if not a prayer that would have a chance of being answered. Yet Avraham, who had already showed his tremendous care in his constant davening for Sedom, was thus justified in not davening any further.

The lesson for us is that in life we are faced with various situations and examples of suffering and tragedy - some we can solve and affect directly and others we cannot. Yet even the latter category does not absolve us from a duty of care and empathy - even a cry out of pain is precious and expected.

In summary, we have briefly outlined the tacit and delicate balance between silence and vocalism, between prayer and crying out in pain, and the importance of understanding and applying both disciplines and areas.

Wishing you a good Shabbos.

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NWhat’s In A Name? The Lesson Of Nimrod

Rabbi Josh BennettCommercial Development Manager, Federation

There is a wonderful habit shared by some

groups of Israeli citizens - when it comes to

naming their newborn babies, they open up a

Tanach and search for a name which they feel

best suits their little one.

Being native Hebrew speakers, they are far more attuned to the

inherent meaning of the name than many of us in Chutz La’aretz.

But regrettably, while delving into Tanach, many of the same new

parents don’t consider checking out the meforshim on those very

names at the same time – and this has been known to lead to some

rather unfortunately-named youngsters. One fairly commonly

used example is the name Nimrod, who features in this week’s

parsha (though perhaps we shall be don l’kaf zchus – give the

benefit of the doubt - and assume these parents are naming their

offspring after the Israeli long-range missile, or perhaps even the

maritime patrol aircraft previously used by the RAF).

In Parshas Noach, the posuk states,הוא היה גבר ציד לפני יהוה על“

He was a mighty hunter before“ – כן יאמר כנמרד גבור ציד לפני יהוה”

Hashem; therefore it is said: “Like Nimrod, mighty at trapping

before Hashem” (10:9). Rashi, based on the Midrash Rabbah,

explains the following: צד דעתן של בריות בפיו ומטען למרוד במקום; that

the expression ‘gibbor tzayid’ implies that Nimrod would ensnare

people’s minds with his mouth and lead them astray to rebel

against Hashem. He explains the end of the posuk as meaning

that anyone who rebels against Hashem is compared to Nimrod,

being mighty at trapping. Seemingly, Rashi is using the root of

Nimrod’s name מרד, which means to rebel, as proof of this point.

The parsha continues two pesukim later by telling us that Ashur

left the land, and Rashi informs us that this was in response to

seeing his sons rebelling against Hashem, due to the influence of

Nimrod himself.

The Chofetz Chaim tells us that every single letter on the Torah

is accounted for and if a Sefer Torah were to have either an extra

or missing letter, that Torah would be invalid. Based on this idea,

the Chofetz Chaim asks, why is the Torah telling us the story of

Nimrod; it seems entirely unnecessary? He answers by saying

that every story that is recorded in the Torah is there to teach us

a lesson in how to conduct ourselves and from what to distance

ourselves.

In earlier generations, like those in the times of Nimrod, there

were groups of people who rebelled against G-d because of the

strength and power that they had. However, during these times,

there were also those (like Ashur who ran away from Nimrod and

his followers) who opposed these rebellious groups and received

great rewards for their actions.

The biographical accounts of Nimrod and Ashur are included

in the Torah to teach us that a person shouldn’t make the mistake

to think that only the rebellious, like the powerful and assertive

Nimrod, are successful. Rather one should believe that Hashem

has the strength to save anyone from any situation if they simply

perform His will and carry out His commandments. We see what

ultimately happened to Nimrod - his plan was unsuccessful and

he was killed by Eisav. The story of Nimrod is a lesson for us; it

teaches us how to react when others try to influence us negatively.

We must distance ourselves from these people completely, in the

way that Ashur did, even if it takes us away from our family and

our community. Just as people like Nimrod use their wisdom

to uproot Torah from our hearts, we too must use our Torah-

based wisdom (which is greater) to increase the exaltedness and

greatness of G-d in this world.

So the next time you need to name a baby, and you decide to

search for a name in Tanach, it might be worth looking between

the lines, or even at the commentary under the lines, to make sure

it really is something appropriate.


3. Was there any creatures that did not enter the תיבה and still managed to survive?


4. A minimum of two of each animal were taken to ensure their survival, a male and female. Why did he take more from the kosher animals?

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Bible Personalities from "People of the Book" (2007: Targum)

Rabbi Osher Chaim LeveneOrah

Noach: Man of the EarthName: Noach. Life span: 950 years.Spouse: Na’ama.Father: LemechGrandfather: MethushelachChildren: Shem, Cham, Yefes.

Â Invented farming tools Â Built an Ark for 120 years upon G-d’s instructions. Â Gathered all species of animals into the Ark Â Survived the Flood waters, which destroyed all

life except for those in the Ark. Â Sent out the dove to determine whether it was

time to leave the Ark Â Exited the Ark and sacrificed offerings before G-d Â Instructed by G-d to repopulate the world. Â Planted a vineyard and became drunk. Â Shem and Yefes covered their naked father Â Cursed Cham and Canaan for their disgraceful

conduct.

Humanity and the world had plummeted to the nadir of decadence. So after ten generations from Adam, G-d decreed that the nascent world together with all its inhabitants would be destroyed by the Flood – with the exception of Noach and a remnant of the species.They alone were spared – escaping the Flood within the confines of the Ark – so that from them, life would flourish once again and begin anew. The oft-repeated theme associated with Noach is his intimate relationship with the soil.Ever since man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the ground was accursed because of him. Thistles and thorns sprouted as man struggled to work the land and grow its produce.1 But this was alleviated through Noach who gave “comfort” to the farmers.2 He invented farming tools to assist the tillers of the land; his name alluding to how it was now became possible for the farmers to noach, “rest.”3 And he is credited, in the aftermath of the Flood, of planting a vineyard, described as “Noach the man of the earth”.4 What is the meaning of Noach’s rapport with the ground? And what relevance does this have to his classified as a tzaddik, righteous person5 who survived the Flood?In analysing the Man-Woman relationship, the “Male” dimension refers to the energies of a mashpiah,

1 Bereishis 3:17-192 He was initially named Menachem, meaning “comfort” (Yalkut

Shimoni, Bereishis 42).3 See Rashi, Bereishis 5:29 citing Bereishis Rabbah 25:2.4 Bereishis 9:20.5 Bereishis 6:9.

“giver” and the “female” exhibits the concept of mekabal, “recipient”.6 Perhaps the most profound is the relationship between G-d, the Benefactor of all goodness in the world – the Male-prototype – and the world as the Female-beneficiary. The interplay between these two forces encompasses the wider give-and-take of life, as opposite forces within the universe interact and interrelate. Where operating as it should, this union engenders the sanctity of marriage and a harmonious relationship that produces fruit. A variation of this finds expression in the descent of rainfall. What descends from the clouds in the sky – the Male (the metaphor for rain is “husband of the land”7) – waters the soil in the ground – the Female (the word adamah, “land” is a feminine noun). This seed impregnates the soil and gives “birth” to crops. Rain defines the relationship between G-d and the world. It is the benchmark of Israel’s relationship with G-d, as to whether they merit rainfall descending to irrigate their crops. The special property of working the ground, especially in the Holy Land, accentuate how the interaction of heaven and earth signals the most central relationship between G-d Above and the Jewish people on the world below.The sin of the Generation of the Flood was in the area of relationships and that of sexual immorality.8 In particular, was the perversion of the Male-Female union in the sin of hotzaas zerah l’vatolah, the wanton wasting of man’s seed. That era did have children but their interest was not grounded in the mitzvah of procreation and populating the world.9 This schism between man and woman had its parallel in the ultimate, catastrophic breakdown in relationships – namely between G-d and this world. This also faltered. The world’s destruction was specifically through the rain which descended for forty days and forty nights in the Flood. No more would rainfall and man’s seed exemplify the harmonious union of Male and Female, just as the clouds above irrigated the ground so that it can bear fruit. No more would the relationship between G-d and the world continue in its existing state. The waste of seed was mirrored in the Flood,

6 See our essay on Chava: Mother of Life7 Taanis 6b. The Talmud (ad loc) further notes that the blessing

on rain commences when the groom (rain) goes out to meet bride (earth).

8 Their sin was of immorality (See Vayikra Rabbah 23:9, Tanchuma, Vayera 9; see also Sifri Zuta 11:4). This led to the interbreeding of different species of animals and plants (Bereishis Rabbah 28:8).

9 Bereishis Rabbah 30:2. Lemech would marry two wives: one to bear children and the other for his pleasure (Bereishis Rabbah 23:2).

where rain, usually the seed of life, became an instrument of death. Rather than beckoning in life, rain now washed away the earth’s depravity.10 Of that world, only Noach and his Ark remained. Noach was the man whose relationship and rapport with the ground, reflecting his relationship to G-d, survived intact. He opposed his civilization’s immorality. He was born circumcised,11 with the mark

that connotes purity and restraint in intimacy. And he is termed a tzaddik, the epithet applied to a righteous person with perfect fidelity in human relationships.12 Stress is placed on Noach’s siring of three children – Shem, Cham and Yefes – as a prelude to the Flood.13 He himself was the one who sought to produce offspring and populate the world.14 The postdiluvian age heralded a new chance for mankind: to re-enter into enduring and wholesome relationships, properly harmonising the Male and Female forces – both between G-d and the world, and between man and woman. Accordingly, G-d blessed all living beings to procreate.15 It was Noach, “man of the Earth”, who was chosen to populate the land, to plant and cultivate its produce. He was the appropriate master to cultivate a new epoch – beckoning in one of harmonious and productive relationships. In acting as he did in these two realms, Noach restored the proper relationship between male and female.16 And he set out to re-establish the relationship, where rain would, once again, impregnate the soil, armed with the divine covenant that G-d would never again destroy the world and the universal laws—the Seven Noachide Codes—to prevent the degeneration and corruption of society.

10 See Tanchuma yashan, Noach 27, 16 that this generation declared they only needed G-d for rainwater and even that was unnecessary. Measure for measure, G-d’s response came through the rain.

11 Midrash Socher Tov 9:7.12 Yosef, who resisted Potiphar’s wife, is called Yosef HaTzaddik.

See our essay on Potiphar’s Wife: The Temptress. See Shem MiShmuel, Noach for some fascinating parallels between Noach and Yosef.

13 Bereishis 6:10. 14 Bereishis Rabbah 30:2. During the period that the immoral

generation was judged for the breakdown in marital relations, Noach and all other creatures were forbidden to cohabit in the ark (Sanhedrin 108b).

15 Bereishis 8:16, ibid 8:19. Noach procreated and populated the whole world. (Midrash Gadol, Bereishis 5:32). Cham castrated Noach fearful that Noach would father more children (see Sanhedrin 70a).

16 Bereishis Rabbah 36:3.


5. What leftovers do we have from the Mabul?

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Post Sukkot Reflections from BirkenauRabbi Raphy GarsonRabbi Ohr Yisrael Federation Synagogue, Elstree & Director of the Hertfordshire Learning Experience

Imagine if you treated a sefer like you did your phone:Always looking at it.Wouldn't leave home without it.Whenever you have a spare minute taking it out and looking at it. It being the focus of your day.Not being able to tear yourself away from it.

Rabbi Yossi Chazzan

Bubby's Blog

On the first night of Chol Hamoed Sukkot I flew to Edinburgh. The following morning a group of around 180 students and 60 teachers carefully chosen from over 90 schools and funded by our Government flew to Krakow. This was another

“Lessons From Auschwitz (LFA)” trip, an initiative set up by my dear colleague Rabbi Barry Marcus of the Central Synagogue. His successful program, now run in conjunction with the Holocaust Educational Trust and the remarkable Anita Parmar (Head of the LFA program), has seen over 30,000 students and teachers take this journey in the last 12 years.

It was indeed an experience to guide and see the Shoah through the eyes of students and teachers of all religions and backgrounds. Their reactions were humbling and the journeys do indeed change their perceptions and their lives, as they become future ambassadors to teach further afield about what they have seen.

Despite having visited Auschwitz too many times, this was the first time I entered the watch tower at the infamous entrance to Birkenau. This privileged view, previously only seen by the Nazis, sends shivers down your spine as you take in the vista of a landscape of death that goes beyond where the eyes can see.

As I stood there in that place where in the past, soldiers stood armed with machine guns pointed at defenceless, weak, Jewish prisoners, my mind began to wonder about our recent holiday of Sukkot.

The Nazis did not care if you were Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Chassidish, Litvish, Reform, Conservative, Progressive or even if just your grandparents were Jewish - every Jew was thrown into the gas chambers. Many died with Shema Yisrael on their lips, every Jew died a Kadosh!

To use the words of King David “Eich Naflu Hagiborim” - how we have fallen. We no longer understand that at the end of the day, all of us are brothers and sisters, with one loving Father in heaven - Hashem!

Perhaps G-d understood that this would be our reality. So He instructed us to take the Arba Minim on Sukkot for 7 days every year.

We are all aware that of the midrash that explains how the Arba Minim - four species, represent four different types of Jews:

Â The Etrog fruit has a good taste and a good fragrance. It represents a person with both wisdom (Torah learning) and good deeds.

Â The Hadas (myrtle) has a good fragrance, but is inedible. It represents a person who has good deeds, but lacks wisdom.

Â The Lulav (date palm) is edible, but has no smell. This represents the person with wisdom, but without good deeds.

Â The Aravah (willow) has neither taste nor smell. It represents a person with neither good deeds nor Torah learning.

We gather these four together and bind them, and we wave them all together. And guess what! - The Arba Minim is only kosher if all four species are taken together. If one of the species is missing, the entire set is invalid.

So too the composition of the ketoret, the incense once brought daily in the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, teaches this idea. There were 11 ingredients, of which one, the chelbanah spice, smelled terrible. Yet, the incense was only valid if all the ingredients were included together. A clear lesson to look at all the Jewish people as a unit, working together.

Standing on that guard tower reminded me that there may be people we don’t like, but we still have to deal with them. We dare not say that certain people are not part of our world, or that they do not belong to us. Humanity is one indivisible unit.

Sukkot is the time when we are instructed to be “happy”. True happiness is when we realize that we are all interconnected. When we learn this truth we can be more patient and tolerant of others. LFA teaches this lesson, when people of all faiths come together, to learn, to grow and be inspired.

70 years ago the Nazis reminded us of this truth. Every year on Sukkot we bring the message home for seven days. Our challenge is to keep it with us for the rest of our lives and to teach this foundation of all humanity to the next generation.


6. Do we know what happened to Noach’s תיבה after the Mabul?

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Launching NO FONE FURSDAY!Not touching your phone throughout Shacharis on Thursday mornings.Can you handheld that? 0800-613-HANDLE-IT?

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Weekly Halachic ConversationRabbi Avi WiesenfeldRosh Kollel, Yerushalayim and Rav at Kav Halachah Beis Horaah

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Kosher Food That Can Endanger Your LifeA frantic woman phoned me one Erev Yom Tov with the following dilemma: she had peeled many onions in preparation for frying them the following morning with liver, and while on the phone to a friend, having told her what she was preparing for Yom Tov, her friend informed her that she can no longer use those onions, and even more so, using them would be dangerous. Is this really true and why?

Although taste, health, convenience, and kashrus are some of the considerations that consumers think about when making decisions regarding foods, there is, however, another and maybe even more important principle discussed in Chazal: Chamira sakanta me’issurah – we are to be more stringent regarding physical danger than the halachah requires regarding other prohibited activities or foods. The Gemarah (Niddah 17a) notes that a person who eats shelled eggs, peeled onions or garlic that had been left overnight endangers his life. To quote the Gemarah precisely regarding eating such foods: “….his blood is on his own head.”

So what exactly is this mysterious halachah that seems to pose so much danger?

The Gemarah brings in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai that one shouldn’t leave peeled eggs, onions or garlic overnight. In the dark, a ruach ra’ah – an evil spirit, attaches itself to them, and eating them the next day constitutes a hazard which one should not risk.

What is interesting to note is that the primary poskim and even the Shulchan Aruch itself omits this halachah1, which is why many poskim contend that it is not applicable nowadays2. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of poskim hold that the Gemarah continues to be relevant even today, and in fact many poskim warn strongly against eating these foods3.

After hearing this, the women on the other end of the phone was now horrified at the fact that she almost served this potential ‘poison’ to her family. Then she asked me one of the most common questions that

1 הרי”ף והרמב”ם.2 כ”כ הגה’ מרדכי על מס’ שבת עט:, מג”א או”ח סי’ קעג ס”ק א והב”ח שם. וע”ע באג”מ יו”ד ח”ג סי’ כ ושו”ת שבט הלוי ח”ו

סי’ קיא אות ה.3 כ”כ הלקט יושר ח”ב יו”ד, פר”ח יו”ד סי’ קטז ס”ט, גר”ז הל’ שמירת הגוף והנפש ס”ז, ערוה”ש סי’ קטז סעי’ כב, מהרש”ם

ח”ד סי’ קמח. וכ”כ בלקט הלכות לבעל המשנה ברורה על מס’ נדה “צריך ליזהר בזה”.

people ask after hearing a ‘no’. “OK, Rabbi, so what’s the heter (leniency)?”

So, in truth, there are many leniencies that apply in this case, and here are some of them:

• If some of the peel of the onion, egg or garlic is left on, or the root of the onion is left on, it may be left overnight without any concern.

• If the item is mixed with other foods, it may be left overnight peeled. For example, if one made a salad (even without dressing) consisting of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, it poses no problem to leave it this way overnight.

• If one pours a nice amount of salt, vinegar or oil over them, they may be left overnight. A small sprinkle of salt that doesn’t offer much taste to the item is not sufficient.

• Some poskim allow powdered eggs and dried onions/garlic to be left peeled overnight, since this mysterious evil spirit can only rest on food in its natural state4.

• In many instances, even if the food was indeed left overnight, all is not lost, and a Rav should be consulted since in many cases there are many leniencies to rely on, for example, if it was peeled in the night hours, so it wasn’t peeled for the entire night5, and especially since some poskim are lenient with the entire halachah nowadays, there is room for leniency in a case when it happened.

Q. How do factories or hotels deal with this problem?

A. Although most halachic authorities contend that this halachah applies even in this case, and the factory or hotel should not crack open many eggs in preparation for the next morning’s breakfast, Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, was of the opinion that this halachah was stated for the private individual, and not a public setup. Some kashrus organizations rely on this.

Rav Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam, zt”l, (1904-1995), the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, said in his Lag b’Omer gathering in 1976, that the probable reason for all the terrible illnesses afflicting Klal Yisrael, is the laxity in consumption of foods that Chazal warn of their danger. So, I don’t know about you, but I’m not taking any chances!

4 עי’ דרכ”ת יו”ד סי’ קטז ס”ק עד בשם הבית שלמה. וכ”פ להקל הגרצ”פ פרנק זצ”ל והגרע”י זצ”ל בשו”ת יבי”א.5 עי’ שו”ת דברי יציב ח”ב סי’ טז אות ט.


7. Noach had three sons. What was their order of birth from oldest to youngest?

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iving – פתוח תפתח את ידך

tzedakah book cov katz meyer Mar14 COVER SPREADS v10.indd 1

11/04/2014 16:18

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RACHEL CHARITABLE TRUST

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A Practical Guide to the Halachos of Communal Obligations, Mitzvas Tzedakah and Ma’aser KesafimExcerpts from the sefer Easy Giving / פתח תפתח את ידך (which includes extensive notes and comprehensive halachic sources), authored by Eli Katz and Emanuel Meyer and available from sefarim shops in NW London. H

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In Section A, we clarified the obligation to support the essential communal infrastructure and its precedence over mitzvas tzedakah. In Section B, we focused on the mitzvah min haTorah of tzedakah, its exclusive purpose to financially support aniyim /poor people and the prohibitions related to tzedakah including the obligation not to ignore the requests of an ani. In Section C, we discuss the laws relating to the custom of ma’aser kesafim - donating 10%-20% of your income, starting with the two primary sources.

Section C - Ma’aser KesafimChapter 1 - The Background and Laws of Ma’aser Kesafim

E. WHO IS OBLIGATED TO SEPARATE MA’ASER KESAFIM?1. The obligations regarding ma’aser kesafim are for the most part the

same as for tzedakah.

2. All adults over bar or bas mitzvah are obligated to fulfil ma’aser kesafim.

3. Young adults who are fully supported by their parents and have an income of their own, from baby-sitting for example, are also obligated.

4. It would seem that children over the age of chinuch, ages five to six and above, should be encouraged to separate ma’aser kesafim from their casual earnings such as Chanukah gelt or babysitting.

5. An ani, as defined above Section B 1:C.1 is not, according to most opinions, obligated to give ma’aser kesafim. In fact, it would be wrong for someone to give ma’aser kesafim if by doing so he would then need to receive tzedakah himself. He is still, however, obligated to donate one-third of a shekel, as per Section B 1:B.4.

6. According to some opinions even an ani is obligated to fulfil the ten percent ma’aser kesafim (even though an ani is exempt from the general din of tzedakah, anything over one-third of a shekel), provided that he has at least an absolute minimum amount of sustenance. We suggest that if someone is unsure whether he is exempt from ma’aser kesafim as an ani, he should ask a rav.

7. Even an ani who is exempt from ma’aser kesafim should nevertheless still calculate and separate the ma’aser, and then use it for his own needs. The Chazon Ish holds, that an ani should calculate and record his ma’aser kesafim liability, and pay any outstanding sums when he can afford to.

8. An ani who receives tzedakah and would like to give ma’aser kesafim should give his donations back to the tzedakah fund which supports him.

Chapter 2 - The Ma’aser Kesafim Calculation

A. CALCULATING YOUR MA’ASER KESAFIM.

1. You should keep a detailed spreadsheet or computation of your earnings, other income, allowable expenses and capital gains, in order to calculate your ma’aser kesafim precisely. Especially as there are important reasons to calculate exactly ten or twenty percent, see previous chapter 1:A.4.

2. A Microsoft Excel sheet to help with your ma’aser kesafim calculations is available at http://www.ggbh.info/tzedoko/

3. This calculation should be performed regularly, preferably every six months, but at least once a year. The usual practice is either erev Rosh Hashanah, or – to help align with your financial record keeping

– the end of your tax year, which is on 5th April in the UK.

4. It is preferable that as soon as you receive your monthly salary or drawings, you separate and distribute ma’aser kesafim. This is because it is easier to give away a smaller amount on a monthly basis than a larger amount once a year.

5. You should separate ma’aser kesafim immediately from any form of income, profit made on a business deal, or capital gain made on the sale of property or investments.

B. CHARITY ACCOUNTS1. In many countries, the UK included, you will receive a tax benefit,

either in the form of a reduced tax bill or a tax repayment, based on your charity donations. The details will differ country by country, based on your local tax laws.

2. In the UK, in order to maximise your tax benefit and reduce complexity, it is helpful to have a charity account with an organisation such as Achisomoch (www.achisomoch.org), SOFT or other similar organisations. You can transfer all or some of your ma’aser money to these accounts using the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Gift Aid scheme. These organisations then keep your funds in a designated account and organise the basic rate tax reclaims for you. They can provide you with a voucher book or other means to donate your ma’aser funds to different causes.

3. Another option is to set up a private charitable trust or company, and transfer your ma’aser kesafim funds into the charity account.

4. You have not fulfilled ma’aser kesafim until the funds are distributed from your charity account to tzedakah, therefore, you should distribute the ma’aser funds from your charity account or trust at the earliest opportunity without any delay, but see previous Section B, Chapter 4:E.4. To Be Continued...

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s 1 Rashi (5:29) says that this name is associated with "comfort" as he invented the plough that helped man till the land.

2 The difference lies in the shape. Usually a ship is narrow at the bottom and widens as it goes upwards. It also has sails. However, the tayva was the opposite being wide at the bottom and went narrower as it went upwards and was without sails. (See Ibn Ezra, Noach, 6:14)

3 The fish survived in the water and Oig survived near the Tayva, outside of it.

4 Noach knew that later he would bring sacrifices from them. The Radak adds that since meat was permitted to makind and Noach kept the Torah, he took more kosher animals to replenish the stocks to enable the eating of meat.

5 Certain hot waters like the hot springs of Teveria (Rashi, 8:2) were not closed when the Mabul finished.

6 There is a Midrash on Megillas Ester that Homon managed to get such a long piece of wood the size of fifty Amos from the Tayva of Noach.

7 There are three opinions. The Radak (Divrei Hayomim I, 1:2) holds that it is like the order always mentioned in the pesukim, namely Sheim then Chom and then Yefes. The Ramban holds that Yefes was the oldest and then was Sheim with Chom being the youngest. The Sifsei Chachomim learns in Rashi (5:32) that the oldest was Yefes then Chom and Sheim was the youngest.

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SIntroduction to Hilchos BrochosDayan Elimelech VanzettaRav of the Orthodox Jewish Community of Chile. Resident of Edgware. Former Secretary General of the Conference of European Rabbis. European Director of 70 days for 70 years

Please could you ensure that there are ample sheets left in shuls for Shabbos before taking one home — as there have been few left in shuls.

Please Dispose Of This Sheet Appropriately As It Contains Words Of Torah

“Ta’amu uR’u ki tov Hashem”1 – Taste and see that Hashem is good. Based on this pasuk the Midrash2 tells us: “Keep all mitzvos that I gave you in the Torah. If you eat of the fruits of the ground or the tree make a blessing over them, for if you eat and don’t make a blessing you will be stealing from the fruits, the tree, the ground and the One who makes them grow. If, however, the person eating makes a blessing, he crowns the One who created them. Therefore, taste and see that Hashem is good.”

Zait Ra’anan, commenting on the words of the Midrash concludes that when one says the appropriate blessings before eating, one reaches a high spiritual level and is compared to someone who keeps all the mitzvos in the Torah. But why is this so?

Rabbi Yaakov Chayim Sofer, in his book Ner Yehudah writes that the above mentioned Miedrash fits in perfectly with another Midrash3, which says: “Said the Holy One, Blessed be He - ´If you ate and you said Baruch Atah Hashem – Blessed are you, Hashem – do not think that I did you a favour and gave you what’s mine to eat, for you have eaten from what is yours and it is as if you have fulfilled the entire Torah, as it is written

– Veachaltah, ve’savatah u’verachtah4- and you shall eat, and you shall be satiated and you shall bless, and shortly before5 it is written ´Kol hamitzvah…´ - All the mitzvah.”

We see, therefore, that one who makes a blessing before eating, it is as if one has obtained permission from the Almighty Himself to enjoy His world6 and he causes a change in status to the extent that any food (over which a blessing was said) is now considered his rather than Hashem’s. Moreover, so great is his merit that it is as if he has fulfilled the entire Torah.

1 Tehillim 34:92 Yalkut Shimoni on Tehillim 343 Yalkut Shimoni on Tehillim 164 Devarim, Parshas Eikev 8:105 Devarim, Parashas Eikev 8:16 Further elaborated in Maseches Brachos 35a

Why does a blessing carry with it so much weight that it is equivalent to fulfilling all the mitzvos in the Torah?

Rav Shlomo Wolbe7 zt”l explains the words of the Medrash and says that through blessings we can taste the goodness of the Almighty in the fruit we’ve enjoyed, each pleasure and its special flavor, whereas if one eats without a blessing one is simply eating food, plain and simple. Furthermore, someone who says a blessing is crowning the Creator and realizing that he’s eating holy foods as he’s just experienced the essence of Divine goodness within his dietary pleasures. He therefore acquires greater emunah (faith) and recognition of Hashem’s benevolence in each pleasure he experiences in this world.

Based on Rav Wolbe’s words we can infer that brachos are a key element in our developing a greater understanding of Divine Providence in the world. That is, a person who eats without making a blessing is restricted to a physical, material realm, whereas someone who says a blessing, from the bottom of his heart (as opposed to blessings by rote), acquires a knowledge that anything and everything one attains in life emanates from the goodness of the Almighty. This leads a person to greater and greater emunah in Hashem, a concrete faith which is the outcome of truly recognizing His goodness, and strengthening one’s feelings of gratitude towards Him.

Blessings which we say with the right attention and concentration lead us to recognizing Divine Providence, which in turn, fosters in us a greater spiritual connection to Torah and the observing of mitzvos. We see, therefore, that brachos are indeed a pathway which leads us to observing all the mitzvos in the Torah, as rightfully proposed by the aforementioned Midrashim.

With Hashem’s help, we will be looking further into this very important subject over the next weeks, in the meantime, why not use these words as a tool to work on our concentration when saying any brachah, especially the ones we are more used to and, therefore, tend to pay less attention?

May all our blessings be well received and accepted by the Ribono Shel Olam and may every one of our brachos bring us closer to Him.

7 Alei Shur, vol. II, p. 316

Oneg Noach

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