`vz ik edl - Torah Tidbits Israel Center TT 1199 6 page 4 Ki Teitzei 5776 You can't tell the players without a scorecard That traditional cry of the scorecard vendors at baseball games

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Why is Rosh HaShana 5777 on Monday(and Tuesday)? The molad of Tishrei 5777 (which we don't announcebut which is necessary to fix the calendar) will be on Shabbat (Oct 1)14h 40m 4p. The rule for our fixed calendar is that Rosh HaShana isfixed on the day of the molad of Tishrei... except if the molad is afternoon (12h), in which case, it is pushed to the following day. But if theday that should be RH is a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday, RH ispushed to the following day. For RH 5777, we have a double push -Molad Zakein from Shabbat to Sunday and LO ADU ROSH to Mon.

PPexplanations on p.66and in the PPx file at

www.ttidbits.comParshaPPPPPiiiiixxxxx

Candles Plag KI TEITZEI Havdala Ki Tavo

6: 08 5:27 Yerushalayim / Maale Adumim 7: 19 5:59 5:19 7:09

6: 25 5:29 Az a area (Netivot, S'deirot, et al) 7: 21 6:16 5:21 7:12

6: 23 5:27 Gush Etz ion 7: 19 6:14 5:19 7:10

6: 24 5:28 Raanana / Tel Mond / Herz liya / Kf ar Saba 7: 20 6:15 5:20 7:11

6: 24 5:28 Beit Shemesh / RBS 7: 20 6:15 5:20 7:10

6: 24 5:28 Netanya 7: 21 6:15 5:20 7:11

6: 24 5:27 Modi'in / Chashmona'im 7: 20 6:14 5:20 7:10

6: 25 5:28 Rehovot 7: 20 6:15 5:21 7:11

6: 22 5:28 Be'er Sheva / Otniel 7: 20 5:59 5:20 7:11

6: 08 5:28 Petach Tikva 7: 21 6:08 5:28 7:11

6: 23 5:27 Ginot Shomron 7: 19 6:14 5:19 7:10

6: 23 5:26 Gush Shiloh 7: 19 6:13 5:19 7:09

6: 15 5:28 Haif a / Zichron 7: 20 6:05 5:20 7:11

6: 23 5:27 Chevron / Kiryat Arba 7: 19 6:14 5:19 7:10

6: 23 5:27 Giv'at Ze'ev 7: 19 6:14 5:19 7:10

6: 25 5:29 Ashkelon 7: 21 6:16 5:22 7:12

6: 13 5:26 Tz f at / Bik'at HaYarden 7: 18 6:03 5:18 7:09

6: 25 5:28 Yad Binyamin 7: 20 6:15 5:20 7:11

6: 25 5:29 Tel Aviv 7: 21 6:15 5:21 7:11

Rabbeinu Tam (J'lem) - 7:54pm • next week - 7:45pm

OU Israel Center TT 1199 6 page 4 Ki Teitzei 5776

You can't tell the players without a scorecardThat traditional cry of the scorecardvendors at baseball games might ormight not be true. But it made for acatchy title for this Lead Tidbit.

What is definitely true, is that youcan't understand the WrittenTorah without the Oral Torah.

Original title was intended to includethe words EXCLUSIVE and INCLUSIVE,but we didn't come up with anywording that would grab you.

So here goes...

BEN. What's a BEN? Son? Or child?Exclusive or inclusive.

YOM. What's a YOM? Daytime, asopposed to nighttime? Or a full 24hour day? Exclusive or inclusive.

CHAMOR. What's a CHAMOR?Donkey? Or any animal? Exclusive orinclusive.

And it goes on and on like this in theTorah.

V'SHINANTAM L'VANECHA - You shallteach your... sons. Males are obligatedto learn Torah for its own sake.Females are not. They must learn thepractical aspects of Torah. Their 'pure'learning is optional and voluntary.

Your sons. Exclusive sense.

V'HIGADTA L'VANECHA... And youshall tell about the Exodus to your...children. Males and females are bothobligated by Torah law to be on thetelling and listening ends of SIPUR

Y'TZI'AT MITZRAYIM. Inclusive mean-ing of the same word.How are we supposed to know thedifference? Torah She'b'al Peh - TheOral Torah. The Oral Law andTradition.In Ki Teitzei, we have maybe thesharpest example of the BENquestion. If a many dies without aBEN, then his brother takes his wife(widow) as a wife (Y'VAMA, in thiscase), in order to uphold the name ofthe deceased in Israel. One cancertainly argue that BEN would meanson and not daughter. A daughterdoes not perpetuate her father'sname. A son does. But there is noYIBUM if the man had any child.Interpret BEN the wrong way and youare permitting an incestuous union. YOM in the context of Brit Mila andthe Four Species of Sukkot is exclusive- it means day and not night. But inthe context of Remember the ShabbatDay to sanctify it, night is included inthe word YOM. In fact, the mainfulfillment of that mitzva is at night -Friday night Kiddush and Havdala onMotza'ei Shabbat.Firstborn donkey (male) is the subjectof a mitzva. No other non-kosheranimal is. Chamor is exclusive. OTOH,many times the Torah says Chamor, allother animals are included.Shaatnez is only wool and only linenand only wearing. Exclusive. And onand on. The Written Word and theOral Law are totally inseparable!


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Ki Teitzei49th of the 54 sedras;

6th of 11 in D'varim

Written on 212.8 lines; ranks 21st

44 Parshiyot; 2 open, 42 closed; rank: 1

110 p'sukim; ranks 28th (5th in D'varim)

1582 words; ranks 23rd (5th in D'varim)

5856 letters; ranks 26th (6th in D'varim)

Slightly larger than average p'sukim;

below average for D'varim. Overall, an

average-sized sedra. But Mitzva-wise...

74 of Taryag - 27 pos., 47 prohibitions

Ki Teitzei has the most mitzvot (12% ofthe Torah's), most positive mitzvot(10.9%), most prohibitions (12.9%), andmost parshiyot of any sedra.

The MD (mitzva density) of Ki Teitzei is673 m/kp (mitzvot per 1000 p'sukim).This is very high, as we would expect.The whole Torah's MD is 105. Ki Teitzeiis the second most mitzva dense sedra.Most dense is K'doshim, with 51 mitzvotin its 64 p'sukim, it has a MD of 797.

[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S > X:Y (Z)] indicatestart o f a parsha p'tucha o r s'tuma. X:Yis Perek:Pasuk o f the beginning o f theparsha; (Z) is the number o f p'sukim inthe parsha.

Numbers in [square brackets] are theMitzva-co unt o f S efer HaChinuch ANDRambam’s S efer HaMitzvo t. A=AS EI(positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition).X:Y is the perek and pasuk fro m whichthe mitzva co mes.

Kohen - First Aliya 12 p'sukim - 21:10-21

[S>21:10 (5)] The "beautiful cap-tive": A Jewish soldier must resistthe "normal" temptations of battle,but is permitted to take a captivewoman - but only according to theapproved Torah procedures [532,A221 21:11].

Looking at this mitzva from bothends, we first see it as a "conces-sion to the base inclinations of aman", in the heat of battle. On theother hand, it demands more ofthe Jew than is common of soldiersall over the world (obviously, notall soldiers), who are notorious forimmoral behavior.

If he decides after the one-monthwaiting period not to marry her,he must release her withoutabusing, humiliating, or selling her[533, 534; L263, L264 21:14]. AJew's marriage to a Y'FAT TO'ARis also conditional on her conver-sion to Judaism. If she does notwant to convert, he must releaseher. If she does convert and theywant to marry, then it is a full,regular Jewish marriage, withK'dushin & Ketuba...


[S>21:15 (3)] A man may not favorthe son of his beloved wife overhis firstborn from a "less-loved"wife. (The juxtaposition of thesetwo topics implies that marryingfor the wrong motive is likely tolead to a "hated wife".)

This passage is the source of thefirstborn's inheritance. Rambancounts two mitzvot here - the posi-tive command to give the firstborna double portion and the prohibi-tion of not giving it to him.Rambam and the Chinuch includethe rules of the firstborn as part ofthe laws of inheritance fromParshat Pinchas and not separatelyhere. This is just one of manyexamples of different countingsamong the Sages who attemptedto identify the traditional 613mitzvot.

The Vilna Gaon sees aREMEZ to the double portion of theB'chor in the letters of the wordB'CHOR: BET-KAF-REISH. Eachletter is double the letter before it -BET (2) is double ALEF (1), KAF(20) is double YUD (10), REISH(200) is double KUF (100). (Noother letters are double theirpredecessors.)

MATH FUN

If you have the right math-mindedchild or adult you can share theabove SDT and tell them that the100% increase from the value ofthe previous letter is the most inthe ALEF-BET. then ask them forthe letter or letters that have thenext greatest increase of theirprevious letter(s) and the letter orletters that have the least increasefrom their predecessor(s).

[S>21:18 (4)] The "rebellious son"is warned by his parents to mendhis ways. If he continues to defythem, violates certain mitzvot,engages in a specific sequence ofactions, and if he is of a specificage and at a particular stage ofphysical development, and hisparents are healthy, normal, anddeemed to be on equal levels ofcharacter, then, and only then,would it be possible to executehim as a "Ben Sorer U'moreh".Although it is (almost) impossibleto reach that ultimate point - andsources indicate that there neveractually was a case of "therebellious son" - this parsha servesas a stern warning to waywardchildren AND their parents! Somemitzvot seem to be intendedprimarily as deterent and Mussar.

Just as one example of the improb-ability of there actually being aBEN SORER UMOREH, the boy inquestion would have to bebetween 13 and 13.25 years oldand would have to be at thebeginning stage of puberty. If thatthree month window of time doesnot coincide with the onset ofpuberty, he cannot be an "official"rebellious son. There are so, somany other technical conditions


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that must be met that it seemsobvious that we were not expectedto actually execute a rebelliouschild as a BEN SORER UMOREH...

Levi - Second Aliya 9 p'sukim - 21:22-22:7

[S>21:22 (2)] Those executed bystoning were hung after death[535,A230 21:22] for a brief periodbefore sunset. They were thenburied [536,L66 21:23] (with thehanging post) to avoid extraembarrassment to the Divineimage in which we were allcreated.

The hanging of the body afterexecution (which is done in somecases, not all) serves as adeterrent for others and is part ofthe atonement process for the soulof the guilty party.

A MINI-LESSON IN ENGLISH

The past tense of 'hang' is 'hung' -if that which was hung wasinanimate. If a person wasexecuted by hanging, then thepast tense of hang is hanged. Thecattle thief was hanged for hiscrimes. The picture was hung onthe wall. And in this case, the deadbody was hung on a post shortlybefore sunset...

Using "Kal VaChomer" (if this isthe respect shown the body of anexecuted felon, how much moreso...), we are taught that burial, ingeneral, and "as soon as isfeasible", in particular, is theproper procedure for the dead[537, A231 21:23]. This is part ofthe Torah law.


[S>22:1 (3)] One is required toreturn identifiable lost objects totheir rightful owners [538, A20422:1], even if doing so is difficult.One cannot ignore this respon-sibility [539,L269 22:3] even if itis easier to just leave the objectalone. Technically, the laws of LOST &FOUND apply to possessions offellow Jews. However, with thepotential for Kiddush HaShem andits opposite, depending upon whatone does, it is important to go outof one's way to return a lost itemto a non-Jew as well (and maybeeven more so, in some cases!).This too is part of halacha, not justnice to do.[S>22:4 (1)] Nor may one ignorea fellow's beast of burden that hascollapsed under its load [540,L27022:4]. One is required to help hisfellow load his animals [541,A20322:4]. Sefer HaChinuch points out thatthis mitzva-pair applies to otheranimals, not just donkey, and itapplies to people as well, byreasoning a KAL VACHOMER. If yousee a fellow human over-loadedwith what he or she is carrying (ortrying to carry), it is a mitzva tohelp out. Furthermore, if you areapproached by friend or neighborwho offers to help you carry someof your packages, you shouldconsider letting him/her, ratherthan the typical, “It’s okay, I gotit.” It allows your burden to beeased while the other person doesa mitzva. Everyone benefits.[S>22:5 (5)] Men and women maynot interchange apparel [542,543;L39,40 22:5] nor do certain things

that are specific to the oppositesex.

R' Yonatan b. Uziel in his Aramaictranslation/commentary on Torah,"defines" the prohibition of awoman wearing a man's garb, asthe mitzvot of Talit and T'filin. Noteveryone agrees, but it's some-thing to think about; it mightexplain (partially) why womentraditionally have not voluntarilydone these mitzvot, even thoughthere are many other mitzvot thatare not obligatory on women thatthey have taken upon themselves.

[P>22:6 (2)] When one happensupon a (kosher) bird's nest (in thewild), it is forbidden to take themother bird alone or with her eggsor chicks [544,L306 22:6], but onemay (must? - this is the subject ofa dispute with a decidedlykabalistic flavor on the side thatsuggests it is an imperative ratherthan the assumed "if you want theeggs...") take the eggs/chicks ifone first sends the mother birdaway [545, A148 22:7]. This is anenigmatic mitzva that defies logic.It is shrouded in mysticism, moreso than most other mitzvot.

Although our Sages attribute kind-ness to animals as a reason forsome mitzvot - e.g. not muzzlingan animal that is working withfood, helping to unload a beast ofburden, not plowing with an ox anda donkey together - they (our


Sages) were more cautious withShilu'ach HaKen. It can be arguedthat it is far kinder to leave a nestalone than to chase away themother bird. This mitzva is moreCHOK-like than other mitzvotinvolving animals.

Shlishi - Third Aliya 29 p'sukim - 22:8-23:7

[S>22:8 (2)] One is required tobuild a protective fence aroundone's (habitable) roof [546,A18422:8]. It is forbidden to leavesafety hazards on one's property[547, L298 22:8].

Oral law defines these mitzvot asmore inclusive than just one's roof.Rabbinic law, "taking the Torah'slead", extends "safety & health"rules further into many areas.Rambam says that a person maynot tell others: "Don't tell me whatto do; if I want to risk my health orlife, it's my business." Saying thiscan make a person liable to thepunishment of MAKAT MARDUT(under conditions when that pun-ishment was meted out). All Israelare reponsible for each other.

One may not plant mixed grains ina vineyard [548,L216 22:9], normay one eat the resulting products[549,L193 22:9].

"Strangely", these two mitzvot -MAAKEH and Mixed Grain - share asingle parsha. What connects themto each other more than otherneighboring mitzvot? (Keep inmind that Ki Teitzei has the mostparshiyot of any sedra. Manymitzvot are in their own parsha, sowhen two different kinds of mitzvot


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[S>22:10 (2)] Plowing with ox anddo nkey together is forbidden, asis the tying together of any non-compatible animals (or humans)for any purpose [550, L218 22:10].Rambam holds that the Torah pro-hibits any combination of a kosherand non-kosher animal, based onthe fact that the Torah's exampleis one of each. Rambam says thatcombinations of two kosher or twonon-kosher animals is forbidden byRabbinic law. Many authoritieschallenge Rambam's distinctionand say that it is all Torah law. Do not wear Shaatnez (wool andlinen) [551, L42 22:11]. [S>22:12 (1)] ...put tzitzit on allfour-cornered garments that youwear [counted back in Sh'lach].[S>22:13 (7)] It is a mitzva tomarry according to Jewish Lawand for the husband to write aK'TUBA for his wife with variouspromises and assurances [552,A213 22:13].The juxtaposition of tzitzit to mar-riage seems to be the source ofthe minhag of many AshkenaziJews of starting to wear a Talitwhen one marries (even thoughthe Talit Katan is worn from earlychildhood). Other communities dis-agree with waiting until marriageto wear Talit Gadol.

If a man had falsely accused his(betrothed) wife of infidelity, hemay not divorce her (unless she sodesires) [553, 554; A219, L35922:19]. Penalties are also paid tothe girl's family for the insult.

[S>22:20 (2)] If the betrothedmaiden did, in fact, willfully,intentionally have relations withanother man, and there are kosherwitnesses and proper warning,and all the other rules of evidence.then she is an adulteress and canbe executed (by stoning).

[S>22:22 (1)] If a man and amarried woman have relations(knowing full-well the marriedstatus of the woman), and neitherwas forced, then they are bothsubject to the death penalty foradultery. [This prohibition countedfrom Commandment #7 in ParshatYitro, is repeated in Va'etchanan.]

[S>22:23 (2)] The same applies ifthe woman is “just” betrothed(this is more than engagement inour time). The specific incident of


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stoning is generalized to themitzva upon the court to carry outthe punishment of "stoning" when-ever required [555, A220 22:24].

[S>22:25 (3)] Both consentingparties to a forbidden relationshipare culpable. However, if it is pos-sible to consider the woman anunwilling participant, then shemust not be punished. We mustnot punish anyone who might notbe responsible for their actions[556, L294 22:26]. This is thesource of giving people the benefitof the doubt. This does not meanthat the person always deservesthe benefit of the doubt. Maybethey actually sinned. The answer -it will have to be left to G-d topunish them; we are obligated toexplain the situation as in thisexample - "certainly the girlscreamed but there was no one tosave her."

[S>22:28 (2)] A man who forceshimself on an unmarried maidenmust pay a fine to her father. Ifthe girl wants to be married to theman, he must marry her and neverinitiate divorce (she, of course,may insist that she wants nothingto do with him and then the courtwill force him to divorce her hadthey married) [557,558;A218,L35822:29].

[S>23:1 (1)] A man may not marryhis father's former wife (even afterhis father's death).


Mazal Tov toDavid & Sorra Landau and family

on the Bar Mitzva oftheir grandson

[S>23:2 (1)] Castrated men (notall - it depends on how theirsituation happened) have marriagerestrictions [559, L360 23:2].

[S>23:3 (1)] A "mamzer" hasmarriage restrictions [560, L35423:3]. A mamzer is the offspringof a union that is prohibited by theTorah, with a death penalty. Thisincludes incestuous and adulter-ous relationships. A mamzer hasmarriage restrictions. He may,however, marry a mamzeret or afemale convert to Judaism. Andvice versa for a mamzeret.

[S>23:4 (4)] Amonite and Moabitemales may not marry into the"Congregation of G-d" [561, L5323:4], because of the cruel, inhos-pitable behavior of those twonations towards Israel. And alsobecause they hired Bil’am to“bless” us. Nor may we ever offerthose two nations peace as analternative to war, as is requiredof all our other enemies [562,L5623:7].

The Torah is giving a reason for amitzva, something that it rarelydoes. We are to do mitzvotbecause they are G-d's commands.In this case, it is precisely thereason given for this mitzva thatallowed our Sages to declare Ruththe Moavite able to marry into theNation. It was the Moavite menwho displayed that unforgivablebehavior, not women, who did not"go out" and confront B'nei Yisrael.

R'VI'I - Fourth Aliya 17 p'sukim - 23:8-24

[S>23:8 (2)] OTOH, converts fromEdom and Egypt are not to bediscriminated against, but canfully integrate only from the thirdgeneration on [563,564 L54,5523:8].

[S>23:10 (6)] A military campmust be kept spiritually andphysically clean. Sanitary facilitiesmust be provided outside thecamp and soldiers must beequipped with appropriate toolsfor maintaining proper sanitation[566,567; A192, A193 23:13,14].

An offshoot of this mitzva: entry toHar HaBayit (referring to the areawhere the Beit HaMikdash and itscourtyard DID NOT stand) bypeople with certain types of ritualimpurity is forbidden [565,L7823:11]. (The area where theMikdash stood - or might havestood - is off-limits to allT'MEI'IM.)

Conceptually, we must realize thatG-d's presence among us is affec-ted by our moral behavior. Thus,these mitzvot have ramifications toJewish society as a whole, and notmerely in a military setting.

[S>23:16 (2)] A slave who runsfrom his master to us for protec-tion, may not be returned. Normay we abuse a slave who seekshaven in Eretz Yisrael [568,569;L254, L255 23:16,17].

[S>23:18 (2)] Prostitution is forbid-den [570, L355 23:18] and itsrevenues may not be used forsacred matters [571,L100 23:19].


Mazal Tov toYehudit & Itzhak KotlerElizbeth & Yossi Goltz

and familieson the marriage of their children

Hillel and Michal

(Some sources consider the pro-hibition sex between unmarriedpeople as part of mitzva #570.)

[S>23:20 (2)] Although interest onpersonal loans may not be takenfrom a Jew, it is correct to lend tonon-Jews with interest [572, 573;L236, A198 23:20,21].

Society in general accepts thereasonableness of moderate inter-est on loans. Since a non-Jew cancharge a Jew interest, the Torahgives us permission to takeinterest from them. Usury, loansharking, is universally recognizedas a wrong-doing; but the banagainst any interest at all isparticular to us - it is as if G-d iscommanding us to go out of ourway to help the less fortunate inour midst.

[S>23:22 (3)] Pledges to theMikdash must be fulfilled withinthe cycle of the three festivals[574, L155 23:22].

It is advisable to refrain frommaking promises, but once made,a person must keep them [575,A94 23:24]. (Hatarat N'darimprovides an "out" for certainill-advised promises, within limits.Consult a Rav for specific cases.)

Chamishi 5th Aliya 6 p'sukim - 23:25-24:4

[S>23:25 (1)] Workers are entitledto eat of the food they are workingwith [576,A201 23:25], but maynot take extra (home) withoutpermission [577, L268 23:25].

[S>23:26 (1)] Workers mustn't eatwhile they are working [578, L26723:26]. In other words, their rightto eat [576] is restricted to theirbreaks.

We see a beautiful balance in thearea of Torah Law as it relates toboss-worker relations. On the onehand, the worker is allowed to eatfrom that which he picks. On theother hand, he cannot do this whilehe is actually working, as thiswould reduce his efficiency,thereby short-changing his boss.On the other hand, the boss mustprovide breaks during the day,

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when the worker is allowed to eat.On the other hand, the worker maynot take any of the fruits homewith him, without permission.Talmudic law adds to this list forboth sides. For example, it advisesa worker not to overdo the eating,although it is permitted, lest theword get out and people will stophiring him. Boss may not takeadvantage of worker, and workermay not take advantage of theirboss.

[S>24:1 (4)] If a married couplewants to end their marriage, itmust be done with a proper "get"[579, A222 24:1]. If a divorcee hasremarried, and is subsequentlywidowed or divorced, she cannotremarry her first husband [580,L356 24:4].

Shishi - Sixth Aliya 9 p'sukim - 24:5-13

[S>24:5 (2)] A man is exempt frommilitary service during the firstyear of his marriage [581, L31124:5], during which time he is tosee to it that his wife is happy[582,A214 24:5].

This applies to Milchemet R'shut,optional wars. For MilchemetMitzva - obligatory wars - there areno exemptions.

One may not take a vessel used forpreparing food as a securityagainst a loan [583,L242 24:6].We must be sensitive to the needsof the borrower.

[S>24:7 (1)] Kidnapping andselling the victim is a capitaloffense. Kidnapping is already

counted as a prohibition fromCommandment #8, LO TIGNOV(i.e. stealing a person) in Yitro.That was the "warning"; this is the"punishment". Both are needed.

[S>24:8 (2)] We must not removesigns of "Tzora'at" [584,L30824:8]. Always remember whathappened to Miriam. [Somemitzva-counters count thisZACHOR among the 613.] Whathappened to Miriam is that shewas punished for speaking ill ofher brother Moshe and she wasafflicted with Tzoraat; hence, theconnection between these twop’sukim that share this parsha.

[S>24:10 (4)] We must not beoverly forceful in the taking of asecurity from a poor person whohas borrowed from us [585, L23924:10]. We must not withhold thatwhich has already been takenfrom him; if he needs it, we mustreturn it to him [586,587; L240,A199 24:12,13]. Another positive-prohibition pair of mitzvot.

Along the lines above, of G-dexpecting (commanding) us to goway beyond the norm (of the restof the world) in our treatment ofborrowers (basically, this involvespersonal loans to fellow Jews - notbusiness investments, includingloans that are set up like abusiness deal (heter iska). Let's


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Shana Tova U'Metouka

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say you lend someone money andhe gives you his winter coat as asecurity for the loan. Repaymentwas due at the end of the summer,but the person was not able at thattime to repay the loan. Then thewinter is upon us and he still hasn'trepaid the loan. You have to givehim his coat back so that he won'tbe cold in the winter. Logical? No,not really. You lent him money.You took something in security ofthe loan. He hasn't given you themoney yet. You shouldn't have togive him the coat back. That's thestandard of regular human behav-ior. The nicer people among thenations of the world might alsogive back a needed object. Butthat would be their personaldecision. We, the Jewish People,are required - commanded - togive it back. ASHRECHA YISRAEL.

Sh'VII Seventh Aliya 28 p'sukim - 24:14-25:19

[S>24:14 (2)] We may not takeunfair advantage of our less-fortunate workers. A day-laborermust be paid on time [588, A20024:15]. The prohibition of delayinghis wages is counted elsewhere.

[S>24:16 (1)] Close relatives maynot testify against (or for) oneanother in criminal cases [589,L287 24:16]. There is also theimplication here that a person willnot be punished for deeds of hisparents or children. This is anexample (one of many) of a pasukteaching us two or more quitedifferent things.

[S>24:17 (2)] One must notpervert justice even on behalf of


an orphan [590, L280 24:17].Securities for a loan must not betaken from a widow [591, L24124:17]. Our experience in Egypt isto be remembered as the motivefor many of these "sensitizing"mitzvot.

[S>24:19 (1)] That which is forgot-ten in the fields after harvestingmust be left for the poor; oneshould not return for it himself[592, 593; A122, L214 24:19].

[S>24:20 (3)] The previous parshaset down the rules of SHICH’CHA;this parsha adds rules for properkind behavior when picking olivesand grapes. Again we arereminded of our Egyptian experi-ence. Even though Egypt wasunspeakably cruel to us, ourexperience there is supposed tosensitize us.

[S>25:1 (4)] The punishment ofmakot (whipping) is to be admin-istered by the courts to thosefound guilty of sins punishablethusly, but care must be taken notto exceed the required number oflashes [594,595; A224,L300 25:2,3].

The prohibition of not exceedingthe approved number of lashes,also includes the more generalprohibition of striking a fellow Jew.

Do not muzzle an animal when it isworking with food [596, L21925:4].

[S>25:5 (6)] The widow of a manwithout offspring is forbidden tomarry anyone else [597,L357 25:5]until... She either "marries" herbrother-in-law (Yibum) [598, A21625:5] or the relationship isterminateded by cont. page 57

OU Israel Center TT 1199 6 page 17 Ki Teitzei 5776Q

ixac mgpnDivrei Menachem

[email protected]

In our Parsha we read of a soldier who goesout to war and whose passion for a beauti-ful female captive is inflamed. Recognizingthe soldier's uncontrollable desire for thecaptive, the Torah describes an avenue forthe lustful soldier to satisfy his urge. Thesoldier may not molest the woman, but he isto put her through a process designed tosoften his desire so that he may eveneventually decide not to marry the captive.

Rashi backs up such a line of argument. Heposits that since the subsequent verses inthe Torah relate to no less than a hated wifeand an extremely rebellious child - the likelyresults of such a union - the implication isthat the Torah disapproves of the soldier'smarriage to the captive woman. Neverthe-less, this litigation is unusual because aconcession is made - as the rabbis put it - inresponse to the evil inclination (Sifre). Seem-ingly, the circumstances of battle are anexception; they do not represent the norm.

Notably, we recall that the faint-hearted donot have to participate in [an initiated] war.If , as our rabbis suggest, the fear stemsfrom a cognition of one's sins and thepossible negative consequences in battlethen, arguably, those who went out to fightwere righteous. However, if the warriorswere virtuous, why would we even conceiveof their passions being aroused over anenemy captive?

That, it appears, is the nub. As RoshHaShana approaches, we might just fall in tothe trap of thinking that we are righteous(enough) or that we have atoned (enough);we become complacent. Was that thesoldier's mistake? Indeed, Kohelet remindsus: "There is no man so righteous on earthwho does good and does not sin" (Kohelet7:20).

from the virtual desk of theOU VEBBE REBBET he Orthodox Union - via i t s websi te - f ie lds quest ions of a l l t ypes in the areas of Kashrut , J ew ish Law andV a lues. Som e of them are answered by Ere tz Hem da, the Inst i tute f or A dvanced J ew ish Studies, J e rusa l em ,headed by R av Yose f Carm e l and R av M oshe Ehrenre ich, f ounded by HaR av Shaul Y israe l i z t " l , to preparerabbanim and dayanim to serve the Nat iona l R e l igious com m uni ty in Israe l and abroad. A sk the R abbi i s ajoint venture of the OU , Yerusha layim Network, Ere tz Hem da... and OU Israe l ' s T orah T idbi ts.


Answering MonetaryQuestions – part IIQuestion: [We present a discussionthat emerges from a set of questions.]People often ask us questions aboutfinancial disputes they are involved in. Werespond that we do not get involved inpractical monetary situations that affectanother side whose view we have not heard.Most take this in stride. Others take offense.One pointed out that there are monetarydiscussions on our site. So, I decided todiscuss our approach in more detail.

Answer: Last time, we cited sourcesand reasons not to answer suchquestions. Now we will explain whywe answer a minority of suchquestions and relate to others.

Questions of consistency on this topicgo way back. Many of the "fathers" ofthe prohibition to answer questionsabout conflicts without hearing bothsides seem to violate it in otherteshuvot. Perhaps the most importantcompilation of distinctions is found inthe Pitchei Teshuva, Choshen Mishpat17:11, upon which much of the belowis based.

First, it is standard, recommendedpractice for dayanim who are unsure

of the proper ruling to send the case'sdetails to get a greater authority'sopinion (Shulchan Aruch, CM 14:1).The dayanim are responsible forpresenting the claims accurately andruling; the expert may rely on them.

The Me'il Tzedaka (53) cites sourcesand a broad practice for a talmidchacham to answer when he knowsthe querier and is confident he wantsto know the truth and will notformulate false claims. (The Me'ilTzedaka rejects this leniency unlessthe respondent believes the case doesnot apply to the querier.)

Other sources for leniency refer tovarious cases with great need to getinvolved, such as: (1) The informationis needed to save people from sin(Shut Maharashdam, Yoreh De'ah153). (There are many teshuvot aboutposkim who got involved when therewere suspicions about a shochet.)(2) Someone was attacking theintegrity of a talmid chacham (ShvutYaakov III,99). (3) The opinion wasneeded for the mitzva of helping awidow (Shut Maharshal 24).

Another type of case where somepermit discussion is where thequestion relates to general halachicissues and not to factual background

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about which everyone agrees (ShutHaRama 112). In a related justifica-tion, poskim will often also say thatthey are not suggesting a ruling for thecase, but are just explaining gemarotor general halachic issues to interestedparties, and it is not their responsi-bility what conclusion those who nowunderstand the halachic topic will sayabout their case.

The Pitchei Teshuva also cites anexception when the question is aboutwhich beit din has jurisdiction. Thelogic is that the alternative ofaddressing the matter formally beforebeit din does not apply if they cannotagree on a beit din.

While some of the cases where we arelenient are based on one of the above,our most common justification toexpress tentative opinions is in caseswhere there are not clear litigants.(Most of the sources discuss thosewho are or are expected to belitigants.) For example, a person doesnot want to go to beit din and is happyto pay or forgo the money if he iswrong. We often say: "We cannot tellyou that you are right, but only if youare wrong" (see Living the HalachicProcess, vol. I, J-1), and even thenonly when we know the person orhave indications that he is sincere onthis point. When it appears thatsomeone wants to adjudicate, and wefeel that he will create enemies and

head/heart aches with a small chanceof winning, we often will advise ingeneral terms (and with a lack ofcertainty) that he would be wise todrop the matter.

The above are some of our guidelines.We request of those who turn to us: ifyou believe you belong to theexception, not the rule, and we are notconvinced, respect our right to bemore machmir than you wereexpecting or are used to. We think thisis proper for an organization servinganonymous people about whosecircumstances we know little andwhich runs a Beit Din which pursuesethical excellence, including imparti-ality, even when the advice-seekerwants answers.Rav Daniel Mann, Eretz Hemdah InstituteQuestions? email [email protected]

Having a dispute?For a Din Torah in English or Hebrew

contact 'Eretz Hemdah - Gazit' RabbinicalCourt: 077-215-8-215 • fax: (02) 537-9626

[email protected]


70 PERSPECTIVES;ONLY ONE TORAH

by Dr. Meir Tamari

Israel was poised to settle as a state inits own land and such settlementwould result in the decentralization ofcivic life. So Ki Teitzei emphasizesmaintaining kedusha among theindividual members through thelargest number of mitzvot of any oneparsha. These 74 mitzvot are meant tomaintain Israel's kedusha in all thespheres of living; respect for theindividual, family relationships,material possessions, kindness toanimals, agriculture and commerce.

The parsha tells us that a man may notbequeath to the son of his loved wife,the birthright belonging to the son of ahated one (Devarim 21:16). So wemay ask how could Yaakov take thebirthright from Reuven ben Leah thehated (less loved) wife and give it toYosef ben Rachel the loved one. "Abechor's ability to fulfill his potentialeven though as the firstborn he has noone to learn from or depend on, gives

him the birthright. Reuven did nothave this ability to lead the brothersand even his t'shuva merely followedin Yehuda's example. However,Yosef, even while alone amidst thetum'a of Egypt and without thesupport of a family, was able toachieve his full spiritual potential andso merited the status of a bechor.Therefore Ya'akov was justified inpassing him the birthright" (ShemMiShmuel).


The Torah was concerned that theholy seed from which Israel stems,should not be perverted by unholy andprofane marriages (Yevamot 77). Tomaintain Israel's holiness, Hashemexcluded marriage with Amon andMoav because they lacked chesed andthen by those marriages forbiddenbecause of physical deformities, birthand ancestry. "Marriages involvingmen who because of mutilated sexualorgans are unable to have children,denude marriages of their wholepurpose. A second type of man, amamzer (son of a forbidden marriage)similarly defiles the holiness of Israel.Ancestry from such a marriage meansin effect no appropriate children,thereby once again defeating thewhole purpose of Jewish marriage. Sothe parsha warns each person to becareful and wary of the danger ofhaving children who will not beeligible to enter marriage with Israel"(Abarbanel).

Then there are mitzvot concerningkedusha in the environment andecology of the national settlement.One example is, "you shall not takethe mother bird [while she is nesting]on her young]" and "you shall let themother go free" (25:6-7). These areconsidered by Ramban to be based onmercy since he maintains that animalsand birds have certain feelings fortheir offspring; this would also be hisreasoning for the isur of slaughteringa cow and her calf on the same day.Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzva 544),however, would extend the reasoning


beyond simple mercy, arguing that ifit was merely mercy then shechitawould not be permitted. He sees thismitzva as developing an awareness ofHashem's concern for the preservationof all the species of the Creation.

Rav S.R. Hirsch sees the adjoiningmitzva of building a parapet asteaching awareness of nobility of thehuman home beyond mere habitationor shelter. "Animals and birds buildnests and lairs instinctively andegoistically, whereas in humans thosedrives are joined by the demands ofmorality. In building his house, indeedin all his activities, Man must bemotivated also by consideration forthe welfare of others so that no harmcomes from them" (D'varim 22:8). Inthis spirit, Chazal basing themselveson this verse, ruled that one may notraise a vicious dog or leave a shakyladder in one's home. So too, one isobligated to remove anything whichmay cause damage, even from thepublic property. The risk of damage ispresent in every action, so forbiddinganything on this ground, may cause atotal freezing in human activity. SoChazal ruled that an area of normalactivity of the majority of peoplewould be considered to be exemptfrom claims or from prohibition. In

keeping with this, the parapet has onlyto be of a height and strength thatprevents the average person fromaccident

Then there are mitzvot that that areexamples of the duty to show mercybut also demonstrate Man's limitedownership. "When you come intoyour neighbor's vineyard you may eatgrapes" (23:25); this gives a workerthe right to eat of the produce withwhich he is working. To deny himthat right would be mental cruelty andan irresistible invitation to steal. Atthe same time, the Torah forbids himto take any food home or to reap thewheat with a scythe which would givehim more than what he could gatherby hand. These prevent abuse of thegift and may serve as a guide for themodern practices of workers benefits.The owner, in turn, is reminded onceagain that Hashem, the real owner ofwealth limits his rights over hispossessions.

These mitzvot are all examples of theduty to show mercy and to do justiceon which Hashem founded ournational society.


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DraftingYeshiva Students

Stor ies from the Land of Is rae lAdapted from Mashmi'a Yeshu'a, pp. 270-272

“When you wage war against yourenemies...” (D'varim 21:10).

Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen zt"l toldthe story of his part in defendingJerusalem during the 1948 War ofIndependence:

During the winter of 5708 ['47-'48], Iwas one of the younger students atthe Mercaz HaRav yeshiva. I wasalso a member of the Haganah, thepre-state Jewish defense organiza-tion. This was during the period ofArab rioting and attacks thaterupted following the UnitedNations vote on November 29th,1947, to establish a Jewish state.

In those days, there was muchdiscussion in Mercaz HaRavwhether the yeshiva studentsshould enlist to fight and defend.Both my father, the Rav HaNazir,and Rav Tzvi Yehuda were of the

opinion that everyone as obligatedto go out and fight. This was amilhemet mitzvah, a compulsory warin which all are expected toparticipate.

However, those close to the head ofthe yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov MosheCharlap, argued that yeshivastudents should continue theirTorah studies in the yeshiva, andthe merit of their Torah learningwould bring victory in battle. Theywould quote the verse in Yeshayahu62:6, “On your walls, Jerusalem, I


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have posted watchmen”, explainingthat these watchmen protecting thecity are in fact scholars, diligent intheir Torah study.

At that time, the situation in theJewish Quarter in Jerusalem’s OldCity was desperate. I came up withthe idea of organizing a group ofyeshiva students to establish a“Fighting-Defense Yeshiva” in theJewish Quarter. The yeshiva’s dailyschedule would be comprised ofeight hours for defense and guardduty, eight hours for Torah study,and eight hours for rest and sleep.

The proposal was brought beforethe Haganah command and wasapproved. But those close to RabbiCharlap were vehemently opposedto the idea. The controversy withinMercaz HaRav disturbed me deeplyand caused me great anguish.

One day, as I exited the yeshiva, Isaw huge notices posted at theentrance to the yeshiva. It was abroadside quoting Rav AvrahamYitzchak HaKohen Kook zt"l, thatyeshiva students should not bedrafted into the army. When I readthe notices, I was in shock. Was Iacting against the teachings of ourmaster, Rav Kook?

Agitated and upset, I made my waydown the road toward Jerusalem’sZion Square. There I saw a figurewalking toward me, slightly limping.As he came closer, I saw that it wasRav Tzvi Yehuda. I felt very close toRav Tzvi Yehuda; he was like anuncle to me.

When he saw my shocked face, Rav

Tzvi Yehuda became concerned.“What happened, She'ar Yashuv?Why do you look like that? Don’t beafraid. Tell me!”

Under the pressure of his question-ing, I told him about my efforts toorganize a “fighting yeshiva” in theJewish Quarter, and my distresswhen I saw the posters whichindicated that we were actingagainst his father’s guidance.

When he heard my words, Rav TzviYehuda was horrified. He grabbedme by my shoulders and roared,“This is a complete forgery! Adistortion and utter falsehood!” Hewas so upset, his shouts echoeddown the street.

After calming down, he explained

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that the notices had quoted a letterhis father had written in Londonduring the First World War. The letterdealt with drafting yeshiva studentswho had escaped from Russia toEngland. Rav Kook felt that thesestudents should be exempt from thedraft, just as the British exemptedother clergy students.

But here - Rav Tzvi Yehudamotioned emphatically with hishands - here we are fighting for ourhold on the Land of Israel and theholy city of Jerusalem. This isundoubtedly a milchemet mitzva;whereas in England, the demandwas that the yeshiva students fightfor a foreign army.

The rabbi’s words reassured me. Iasked if he would be willing to writethem down so that they could bepublicized. He agreed. The rabbipublicized a broadside in which heobjected to the use of his father’sletter to Rabbi Hertz, Chief Rabbi ofEngland, during World War I.

I also asked Rav Tzvi Yehuda topublish his views on the matter in amore detailed and reasoned format.He replied that there is no point incomposing an article when the cityis under siege and the printingpresses are closed down. However, Iwas able to obtain a special permitfrom the Defense Board, so that apamphlet containing five articleswas published soon after.

In his article, Rav Tzvi Yehudaexplained that joining the army atthat time was important for threereasons:

• To save lives (pikuah nefesh);

• To fulfill the mitzva of conqueringand settling the Land of Israel(mitzvat yishuv ha’aretz);

• Due to the great public KiddushHashem, sanctification of God’sName, when the nation of Israel isredeemed from danger.

Even though I was the one who hadinitiated the pamphlet’s publication,I did not receive a copy when it wasprinted. Due to special circum-stances, several months passedbefore I received a copy.

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I was one of the volunteers whosucceeded in finding a way to slipinside the walls of the Old City. Ijoined the fighters there, and I wasseriously wounded in battle.

When the Old City fell to the ArabLegion on May 27th, '48, I was takenprisoner. The Jordanian commanderwas shocked to discover that only26 of the surrendering Jewishsoldiers survived the battles withoutserious injury. Embarrassed toreturn victorious to Jordan with sucha small group of prisoners, hedecided to also take woundedsoldiers.

After seven months as a prisoner inJordan, we were returned to Israel ina prisoner exchange deal. I wastaken to Zichron Ya’akov torecuperate, and Rav Tzvi Yehudacame to visit me the first morningafter my arrival.

The morning of Rav Tzvi Yehuda’svisit, as I was removing my tefillinafter morning prayers, I peered outthe window and saw Rav TzviYehuda slowly making his way upthe mountain. Afterward, I found outthat he had taken the very first busfrom Jerusalem, and had traveledearly in the morning all the way toZichron Ya’akov in order to greetme.

I ran toward him, and he hugged andkissed me. He cried over me like achild. The truth is that my situationwas so grave that my family andfriends had nearly given up all hope.Until then, such a thing had neverhappened - returning alive fromcaptivity in an Arab country. But the

Jordanian King Abdullah hadwanted to show the world that hewas an enlightened monarch whorespected international law....

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After recovering from his outburst ofemotion, Rav Tzvi Yehuda put hishand in his coat pocket and broughtout a small pamphlet containing hisarticle about defending the country.Inside was a personal inscription:

For my dear beloved friend - theinitiator, advisor, and solicitor [of thistract]. This pamphlet is set aside,from the day it was printed, until“God’s redeemed will return in peace,and joyfully come to Zion.”

Decades later, I still have thattreasured pamphlet carefully storedin my possession.


Ki Teitzei

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You have to be a builder“When you build a new house”, saysthe Torah, “you shall make a parapet(ma’akeh) on its roof” (D'varim 22:8).

As Ibn Ezra and Rashbam point out,the word ma’akeh is not foundelsewhere, but its meaning is easy todeduce. The parapet you install willguard against people falling off theroof and getting hurt or killed.

The fact that the Torah uses thephrase, “When you build a newhouse”, indicates that while buying orinheriting a house is important, andeven then a parapet is needed,building a house has a significance allof its own.

It’s not just that building is a dreamcome true and the design and contentof the house have probably been goinground in a person’s head for manyyears, but building has a metaphoricalas well as a literal meaning.

Metaphorically it conveys the idea ofcontributing to one’s street or society.Just as other people built for you, soyou should build for the generations tocome.

The contribution that your predeces-sors made towards their age could wellhave been what was needed in thosedays, but you have to look at your ownage and situation and decide on whatyou - in your age - must and can putinto your civilisation.

But when deciding on what you willbuild, you must remember the“parapet” law and ensure that whatyou do will not harm the world or itsinhabitants but be a source of peaceand blessing.

Rabbi Apple served for 32 years as the chiefminister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, andwas Australia's highest profile rabbi and leadingspokesman for Jews and Judaism on theAustralian continent. He is now retired and livesin Jerusalem. He blogs at www.oztorah.com


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From the S'forno Jacob Solomon

G-d is walking with you in your[army] camp in order to save youand grant you victory. Your campmust be holy. Let Him not seeanything lascivious among you andturn away from you (23:15).

The Torah demands army campcleanliness and appropriate behavioreven during times of war when thesoldiers' basest instincts may rise tothe surface. G-d assures His soldiersthat He will assist them to victory inbattle as long as their behavior iscompatible with purity, cleanliness,and decency (23:10-15). If not, He will"turn away from you". The S'fornoexplains that violating suitable moralconduct on the field of battle is akin toturning one's back on G-d's presencewithin the camp. G-d in turn will takeaway His assistance, "turn away"(22:15) and abandon you.

Indeed, the laws of camp conduct areimmediately followed with additionaldirections for desirable behavior onactive military service. "You must notreturn a run-away slave… to hismaster. He shall live among you", and"No Israelite woman may be aprostitute." Though these mitzvot

apply in all circumstances, they areespecially relevant to the military.Runaways, according to the S'forno,are especially common in war whenslaves accompany their masters tobattle and flee to refuge on the otherside. And harlots are particularly likelyto follow army camps to ply theirtrade. The Torah therefore requirescompassion to the runaway slave andzero-tolerance for prostitutes asmeans of behaving compatibly withG-d's presence in the camp.


The details of desirable behaviorcompatible with Sh'china in the armycamp is followed with details ofdesirable behavior that is compatiblewith Sh'china among the People ofIsrael - "in order that G-d will bless youin what ever you do, in the Land"(23:21). The S'forno explains that theframe for the next set of directives is,likewise, to keep the Sh'chinaamongst Am Yisrael. They include:sensitivity to the situation of theworker and the borrower (and at thesame time not reneging on theinterest payments agreed with anon-Jewish borrower), keeping prom-ises, avoiding gossip, enabling peopleand animals working on the farm toreasonably sustain themselves on thefield's growing produce, promoting

the wife's happiness and permittingdivorce only when there are substan-tial grounds, ensuring that theenvironment is safe, and that court-ordered physical punishment is effec-tive and yet not excessive, andmaking it possible for the continua-tion of the name of married man whodies without children.

Additionally, these mitzvot may beseen as developments and refine-ments of derech eretz, decentbehavior. That has to be of especiallyhigh standard to be in tune with themany mitzvot bein adam laMakom(between Man and G-d), as exempli-fied by the Bikurim (bringing of thefirst fruits) that opens the next Parsha.p




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9:00amRabbi BreitowitzMinchat Chinuch

The Study of Mitzvot

9:15am Mrs. Shira Smiles

10:30amRabbi Sholom GoldParshat HaShavua

11:30am T'hilim Group (women)

11:30amRabbi Aharon Ziegler

Topic for Sept 20thDifferent Yahrzeit Customs

12:15-1:15pmRabbi Nachman Winkler

Telling His Story

1:45pmDr. Deborah Polster

Internal Jewish Developmentsduring the Second Temple Period

3:00-5:00pmKnitting Club with Verna

6:30pm NEW CLASSRabbi Shmuel Herschler

see p.34 bottom left

8:00pmRabbi Tzvi Hersh Werinreb

Aspects of T'shuvasee p.33, top

9:00amRabbi Aharon Adler

Mitzvot of the Chagimsee p.34 top-left

9:45am (no charge)Reuven WolfeldSedra Treasures

10:15amRabbi Anthony ManningHalachic & Hashkafic Issues

in Contemporary Society11:15am - L'AYLA

Rabbi Shmuel HerschlerIn-depth Trei Asar

2:00pm (2 hrs)Women's Beit Medrash

Rebbetzin Pearl BorowThe Book of MALACHI

Chumash with M'forshim

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Topics in Parshanut

Sept. 21,28 • 7:30pmRabbi Shimshon NadelContemporary Halacha

Sept. 21 • 8:00pmAnnika Hernroth

RothsteinSee p.35, left

9:00amRabbi Ari Kahn

Parshat HaShavua

Sep. not 15th, 22nd...Dr. Hayim Abramson

Midrash Hashavua

10:10amRabbi Baruch Taub"Thursday, the Rabbi

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Current Eventsin the Weekly Haftara

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Topics in theBook of Sh'muel

See page 60 for the video scheduleand more program items




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Wednesdays 8:15pmHalacha B'Iyun:Sheilah of the Week

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Shofar - The Soul’sAlarm Clock

by Rabbi Ephraim SprecherDean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva

Rosh Hashana is a time to step backand regain our lost vision. And thecall of the Shofar is how we do it. TheRambam states that the message ofthe Shofar is to “Awaken those whoare asleep”. The Rambam’s analogyto sleep is profound. The dreams weexperience in our sleep seem so real atthe time, yet the moment we wake up,we realize they were merely allusions.

So to, we often live life in a spiritualslumber. We dream of accumulatingmaterial possessions and all the latesthi-tech gadgets, and we forget aboutour true purpose in life. The Shofar isG-d’s call to wake us up, to rememberwhy we are in this world. The shofarcalls us to regain our vision, totranscend our daily mundane affairsand return to who we really are. It is acall to our souls to return to the realityof why G-d created us. The Shofar isthe alarm clock to the G-dly soul. Itcalls us to live a life of doing Mitzvotand making the world a better place.

It is significant that Rosh HaShana,the day of Judgement, takes place onthe anniversary of the creation of

Adam. There is a profound connectionbetween these two aspects of the day.The fact that G-d created the worldand the human being means that lifehas a Divine purpose.

At the heart and soul of Judaism’sworld view is that life has an elevatedpurpose. G-d created each and everyone of us to carry out a uniquemission, by fulfilling His Mitzvot.People can forget the true purpose oflife, and slip into a dream-like world,where trivial matters such as smartphones, assume inflated importance,and spiritual values are forgotten.

The Shofar, with its simple call,awakens us to see the world the way itreally is, instead of how it appearswhen we are in a state of spiritualslumber. G-d has given us theincredible gift of Rosh HaShana towake us up and reconnect us withwhom we are and why we are.

Reconnecting with our soul and withour true divine purpose in this worldbrings with it great joy. This is whyRosh HaShana, though it is a day ofjudgement and introspection, is alsocelebrated as a joyous Festival. It is aday in which we celebrate theprofound joy of knowing our uniquepurpose, of renewing our sense of,“that no one can do it my way”.

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The brutality of war, which ofcourse is unavoidable since theimmediate purpose of war is to killas many of one's adversaries aspossible, transforms the moralcompass and the logical judgmentof soldiers. The Torah posits a caseof a Jewish soldier taking andassaulting a non-Jewish womancaptive. It then forces that soldierinto a marriage with the woman thatwill undoubtedly have generationalconsequences. The Torah alsorecognizes the psychologicaldamage that such a relationship willsuffer because of the original actengendered by war. Divorce, familydysfunction and domestic discordare most likely to follow this couplein the near and far future. Yet, theTorah makes allowances for suchan occurrence in the first place.Why should the Torah countenancesuch seemingly immoral behavior?Does this not legitimize immoraland violent behavior? The Torahnot only opposes sin but it is verycareful to emphasize that even theappearance of possible sin is to beavoided at all costs. Yet, here wesee an entire section of the Torah

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that is devoted to somehow allow-ing and condoning what in all othercircumstances would be considereda sinful and fairly negative patternof behavior. The stain of the originalact is not a race to buy thesubsequent protocol of laws andcommandments that the Torahadvances. So, why does not theTorah simply forbid the act initially,as it forbids many other acts ofhuman desire and violent behavior?Why here is allowance made forhuman weakness and error when inso many of other cases of this typethe moral code of the Torahremains steady and inflexible?

This moral dilemma has vexed thescholars of Israel throughout theages. Rashi here, quoting Talmudand Midrash, states that the Torahhere recognizes and "speaks" to thebase nature and animalistic desiresof humans. It therefore accommo-dates itself to the situation andattempts to channel it into a morepositive relationship with all of thelaws that it then formulates forobservance. But this really onlybegs the original question of why isthis case allowed to be soexceptional and other instances ofthe same type of base humannature are explicitly forbidden underalmost all circumstances. There isan instance of insight that does

appear in the comments of the laterrabbis to this matter. In essence, itstates that war by its very naturechanges the human nature of thesoldiers who participate in itsbattles. The soldier is no longer ahuman being in the sense that heonce was, but rather he becomes alegitimate killer who is to becomedevoid of all ordinary humanfeelings, restrictions and inhibitions.As such, the soldier requires aspecial code of law that is notrelevant to ordinary people andusual situations. It is to this state ofbeing that the Torah addressesitself. Unfortunately, war has been asteady occurrence throughouthuman history. Peace is the rarity,not war. The Torah in recognizingthis sad fact of human existencethus makes necessary adjustments,unpleasant and dangerous as theymay be, to this ugly fact of life.


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Previous (Sho-f'tim) TTriddles:

[1] Missing: V'HAYA & NACHALA

D'varim 17:14 (in Shoftim) -

ÆLi¤dŸl' ¡ ' ³d x ¸¤W£ u ¤x À dÎl ¤ ŸazÎi«¦M...D®A dY §a ©Wi§e DY §W ¦xi«¦e K ½l o´¥zŸp

introduces the mitzva of appointing aking and the mitzvot applicable to aking and about a king.

D'varim 26:1 (first pasuk of Ki Tavo) -

'd Æx ¤W£ u ¤x ½ dÎl ¤ `FazÎi«¦M Ædid§eDY §W ¦xi«¦e d®l£g«©p L §l o¬¥zŸp Li ½¤dŸl' ¡

:D«A Y §a¬©Wi§e

introduces the topic of Bikurim and therecitation that accompanies the bring-ing of Bikurim.

Very similar p'sukim, with the one fromShoftim not having the words V'HAYAor NACHALA. Not to mention the VAVin the Ki Tavo TAVO but not in theShoftim TAVO. And the fact that the KiTavo pasuk is whole and the Shoftimquote is only half a pasuk.

[2] FPTL: I did this

Almost always, the Front Page Top Left,FPTL - which is what we call theTTriddle that relates to the TT issuenumber rather than the sedra orcalendar - is a word, phrase, or wholepasuk from Tanach.

In this case, the phrase is ASITI ZOT (Idid this) - 70+300+10+400+10 (790) +7+1+400 (408) = 1198. It wasAvimelech who claimed to G-d that hehad taken Sarah in all innocence,believing her to be Avraham's sister, ashad been declared. The phrase is also inT'hilim 7:4.

[3] A difference of 71 - interesting!

SHO-F'TIM V'SHO-T'RIM... The wordsSHOFTIM and SHOTRIM match letter forletter except that the former has a PEIand the latter a TET. Numerically, thedifference between Judges and'deputies of the court' is 71 - as in thenumber of shoftim on the Great


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Sanhedrin.

Ed. note: I left the explanation as Iwrote it, even though it isn't correct. Iwas confused by the SHO- followed bya FEI and the SHO- followed by a TET.The mark of a Hall of TTriddle Famer isthat he can solve TTriddles even whenthey are incorrectly presented. Here iswhat MM/Bklyn wrote:

[3] Going out on a limb. If you mean the differencebetween shoftim and shotrim, pei minus tet = 80 - 9= 71. Perhaps the Sanhedrin of 71. The problem isthat the difference between the two words is actuallyreish vs pei (for a difference of 120).

Hey, that is interesting too because theAnshei Knesset HaG'dola had 120members (the basis of Israel's Knessethaving 120 members). Way to go, Mike.

Just to review the pronunciation ofthese two words - since they are mostoften mispronounced by many. This iswhy we spell Shoftim in Torah Tidbitsas SHO-F'TIM. The first syllable is SHO,the SHIN voweled with a CHOLOMCHASEIR. The FEI (and the TET inShotrim) with its SH'VA NA, begins thesecond syllable, which is F'TIM (ofT'RIM). In TT, we mostly use anapostrophe to indicate the very shortvowel sound of a SH'VA NA. SO we useSH'MA rather than either SHMA orSHEMA. B'RACHA rather than BRACHAor BERACHA. We are not totallyconsistent, e.g. we use MENORA ratherthan M'NORA. The latter is more correctbut the former spelling is too wellknown not to use it.

[4] MazalPic

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presented in the Eikev-m'vorchim issueand would have been explained inR'ei-R"Ch, had R'ei been a week laterrather than together with Eikev. So weshould have explained it in Shoftim, butforgot about it. Okay, here it is in the KiTeitzei issue, mid-Elul. Pictured is thereverse side of a U.S. nickel (5 cents).The Obverse has Thomas Jefferson, firstSecretary of State of the US and its thirdpresident. His home was a plantation inVirginia near Charlottesville, known asMonticello (not to be confused with theCatskills town of the same name, whichwas named for Jefferson's home). Thenickel is the Elul MazalPIc because ofthe Virginia connection. The state ofVirginia was names after the 'VirginQueen', i.e. Elizabeth the first. She waschildless, hence the nickname. Themazal of Elul is Virgo, HA-B'TULA.


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Rabbi Weinreb's Weekly Column:

Ki TeitzeiThe Rich Fruitsof Forgiveness

The spirit of forgiveness is in theair.

Since the beginning of this month,the month of Elul, Sephardiccommunities have been recitingS'lichot, prayers petitioning theAlmighty for his forgiveness. Theyhave been doing so each andevery day, rising before dawn inorder to get to the synagogue ontime. Ashkenazic communities,following their custom, will delaythe recitation of these petitionaryprayers until the week before RoshHaShana.

No matter one's liturgical custom,the theme of forgiveness isuppermost in the consciousness ofevery Jew. For some, beseechingthe Almighty for His forgiveness istheir primary concern. Othersfocus upon obtaining forgivenessfrom those whom they haveoffended during the course of thepast year. Still others struggle withthat most difficult task: beggingforgiveness from those whom they

have offended. One way or theother, forgiveness is our dominantconcern for at this time of year.

When we turn to the Torahportions during these weeks it isonly natural to search the text forreferences to this important theme.Sometimes those references arereadily apparent. For example, lastweek we read this moving prayer:"Our hands did not shed thisblood… Absolve, O Lord, Yourpeople Israel… And do not let guiltfor the blood of the innocentremain among Your peopleIsrael… And they will be absolvedof bloodguilt" (D'varim 21:7-8).

But this week's Torah portion, KiTetzei (D'varim 21:10-25:19),presents us with a challenge.Don't get me wrong. This week'sparsha contains numerous lawsabout some very important topics,such as moral warfare, returninglost objects, proper treatment ofrunaway slaves, divorce, honestyin business affairs, and theconcluding cautionary paragraph,urging us not to forget that vilest ofour enemies, Amalek. But explicitreferences to forgiveness areabsent.


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Several years ago, I decided tomeet the challenge and to burrowbeneath the surface and find suchreferences. The Talmud teachesus, “If you toil, you will find.”Following this Talmudic advice, Itoiled indeed. And I did not toil invain, for I found quite a few hiddenreferences to our central theme,one of which I hereby share withyou.

There is a passage in this week'sTorah portion which, far fromexuding a spirit of forgiveness,reflects almost inexplicable harsh-ness. Near the very beginning ofour parsha, is the passage thatdeals with the ben sorer u'moreh,the wayward and defiant son. Itreads:

"If a man has a wayward anddefiant son, who does not heed hisfather or mother and does notobey them even after theydiscipline him, his father andmother shall take hold of him andbring him out to the elders of histown… They shall say to theelders of his town, 'This son ofours is disloyal and defiant; hedoes not heed us. He is a gluttonand a drunkard.' Thereupon themen of his town shall stone him todeath. Thus you will sweep out evilfrom your midst…" (21:18-21)

There is no trace of forgiveness inthese verses. Our Sages ques-tioned the fairness of such a harshpunishment for such a young lad.


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Rashi, following Talmudic sources,reasons that this boy is not beingpunished for his current behavior.Rather, this behavior is indicativethat he is headed for a life of greatcriminality, in which he willeventually steal and even murderin order to satisfy his gluttony anddesire for drink. But those of uswho read the text, especially if weare or have been parentsourselves, understandably searchfor some ray of hope for thiswayward teenager.

One such ray of hope is found inthis passage in the BabylonianTalmud, Sanhedrin 88b: "Thiswayward and defiant son, this bensorer u'moreh, if his parents wishto forgive him, he is forgiven."

At first blush we wonder about thisleniency. After all, if we are tofollow Rashi's explanation of whyhe is so harshly condemned, weshould be concerned that byforgiving him his parents have letloose a dangerous murderer uponsociety. The Torah seemsconvinced that this young lad isinevitably destined for a severelyantisocial career. A strict readingof the text demands that weeliminate this potential murderoushazard from our midst. Whyshould parental mercy of a fatherand mother be allowed toendanger the welfare of society?

One approach to understandingthe power of parental forgiveness

is provided by Rabbi ChaimZaitchik, in a collection of master-ful essays, entitled MaayaneiHaChayim (Wellsprings of Life).He argues that whereas it cangenerally be assumed that ayoung man so wayward and sodefiant can never overcome hisperverse tendencies, such anassumption must be abandoned ifexperts can testify that he can berehabilitated. Asks Rabbi Chayim,"What greater experts can therebe than this boy's own parents?"They know him better than anyoneelse and if they forgive him, it mustbe that they have detected in himthe capacity to shed the passionsof youth which have heretofore ledhim astray.

This is one lesson of forgiveness.If you know a person well, youknow that he can change hisways, and hence merit ourforgiveness.

I would like to suggest anotherapproach to understanding thispassage in the Talmud. Myapproach rests upon my ownobservations during the course ofmy career as a psychotherapist. Itwas during those years of psycho-therapeutic practice that I learnedthat forgiveness changes the


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behavior of the person who isforgiven. People who haveoffended others are often somoved by the fact that thoseothers have forgiven them thatthey commit to a future of exemp-lary behavior. The experience ofhaving been forgiven by the otherssignals them that those otherstrust them. They are so inspired bythat new experience of beingtrusted that their behaviorimproves radically.

In the words of a preacher that Ioverheard on the radio long ago,“We don't forgive people becausethey deserve it. We forgive thembecause they need it."

Sometimes we think that there is arisk to forgiving those who haveoffended us. After all, we askourselves, "Are we not letting him‘off the hook’? Are we notabsolving him from his respon-sibilities? Does he not consider us‘suckers’ for having forgiven him?”

But I have found that the oppositeis often true. Forgiving theoffender ennobles him, and sendshim a message which enables himto correct his past habits. In thewords of none other than AbrahamLincoln: "I have always found thatmercy bears richer fruits than strictjustice."

I must conclude by citing a "higherauthority" then the greatest ofAmerican presidents. I present youwith a verse from Psalms, as

explicated by the great medievalcommentator, Avraham ibn Ezra.The verse is Psalm 130:4, recitedin many communities during theperiod from Rosh HaShana untilYom Kippur.

The verse reads: 'But with Youthere is forgiveness; therefore,You are feared."

As some of you know, I authored avolume of essays on the Book ofPsalms. Here is how I phrased thedifficulty of this verse: "How doesGod's forgiveness lead to our fearof Him? Quite the contrary; onewould think that we would be lessfearful of a forgiving God, knowingthat he would not punish us, butwould readily forgive us."


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And here is how I presented IbnEzra's response: "He points outthat if sinners were convinced thatthere was no forgiveness for theiriniquities, they would persuadethemselves that repentance ishopeless. Why reform one's waysif one was damned to punishmentanyway? Precisely the fact thatGod does forgive removes thathopelessness from them. Theyrealize that if, out of fear of God,they approach Him and beg His

forgiveness, they can be hopefulof attaining it. The fact that Godforgives… motivates repentanceand personal change."

As we approach the HighHolidays, Days of Awe, but alsoDays of Mercy and Forgiveness,let us be moved by the Almighty'spower of forgiveness to forgiveothers, to forgive ourselves, and toimprove our ways so that wedeserve His blessings for ablessed New Year.


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Medina & HalachaExploring the Jewish State

through the lens of Jewish Law$Rabbi Shimshon HaKohen Nadel

Restoring the SanhedrinPart 1

S'micha: The Chain of Tradition

The miraculous birth of the State ofIsrael, followed by the dramaticreclamation of Jerusalem, raises manypractical questions hitherto onlydreamt about. Among them: Can werestore the Sanhedrin, today?

While controversial, throughout JewishHistory there have been a number ofattempts to renew S'micha and evenrestore the Sanhedrin.

S'micha, or rabbinic ordination, is theauthority to adjudicate cases andanswer questions of Jewish Law. A BeitDin of s'muchin can impose penaltiesand fines, and administer corporal, andcapital punishment (See Sanhedrin2a-3b; Sanhedrin 13b and Rashi, ad loc.,s.v. l'meidan dinei k'nasot).

But today's rabbis are not reals'muchin. Instead, today's S'micha isheter hora'ah, authorization thatallows rabbis to render halachicdecisions (Teshuvot haRadach 18:10-11.See also Rema, Yoreh De'ah 242:14).Dayanim today act as proxies ofprevious generations who had realS'micha, but are nevertheless limitedin the types of cases they may hear -mostly monetary matters which arecommonplace (See Gittin 88b, and thecomments of Rashi, Tosafot, Rashba,and Ritva, ad loc.; Bava Kama 84b;Chidushei haRamban to Sanhedrin 23a;

Chidushei haRan to Sanhedrin 2b. Seealso Rambam, Hil. Sanhedrin 5:8; Tur,Choshen Mishpat 1 and Beit Yosef, adloc.; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat1:1 and S'ma, ad loc.).

In fact, many rulings can only berendered by s'muchin, and manymitzvot in the Torah can only beperformed when there is real S'micha.

Ish Mi'pi Ish

The Torah (Bamidbar 27:18,23) relateshow Moshe conferred S'micha uponYehoshua: "Hashem said to Moshe,'Take to yourself Yehoshua bin Nun, aman in whom there is spirit, and leanyour hand upon him.'" "He leaned hishands upon him and commanded him,as Hashem had spoken throughMoshe." Moshe also ordained the


Seventy Elders (Bamidbar 11:16-17,24-25).

In turn, Yehoshua and the SeventyElders gave S'micha to their students,and so on and so forth. Real s'muchincould trace their authority, ISH MIPIISH, back to the Beit Din of MosheRabeinu (Rambam, Hilchot Sanhedrin4:1. See also Rambam's Introduction toMishneh Torah).

This chain of tradition continuedunbroken for generations.

The Chain is Broken

Sanhedrin 14a describes how theRomans decreed that S'micha nolonger be conferred. The Talmudrelates how Yehuda ben Bava gave uphis life to preserve S'micha:

"One time, the Evil Empire [Rome]decreed a decree against the JewishPeople: Anyone who confers S'michawill be killed, any town in whichS'micha is conferred will be destroyed,and the surrounding t'chum [of thetown which granted S'micha] will beuprooted. What did Yehuda ben Bavado? He went and sat between two largemountains, and between two largecities, and between two t'chumeiShabbat, between Usha and Sh'faram,and ordained five elders. They were: R.Meir, R. Yehuda, R. Shimon, R. Yosi,and R. Elazar ben Shamua. Rav Avyaadded R. Nechemia as well. When theirenemies discovered them, [Yehuda benBava] said to them, 'My sons, run!'They said to him, 'Rebbe - what willbecome of you?' He responded tothem, 'I am placed before them [myenemies] like a rock that cannot beturned.' It was said: They [the Romansoldiers] did not move from there until

they had driven through him threehundred iron spears and made him likea sieve."

With this tremendous act of self-sacrifice, Yehuda ben Bava ensured thecontinuity of S'micha for another twocenturies. But eventually, the chain ofS'micha dating back to Moshe Rabeinuwould be broken.

According to many, the S'micha finallyended around 360CE, when Hillel IIdissolved the Sanhedrin and fixed theJewish calendar (R. Avraham bar ChiyahaNasi, Sefer ha-Ibur, 3:7, in the nameof Rav Hai Gaon; Ramban, SeferhaZechut, Gittin, Ch. 4; Ramban,Hasagot ha-Ramban L'Sefer haMitzvot,asei 153; Ran in the pages of the Rif,Gittin 20a; Tashbetz, Zohar haRakiah,54; Sefer haTerumot, Sha'ar 45; Azariahde Rossi, Me'or Einayim, 25. Cf.Chiddushei haRamban to Gittin 36a).

There is evidence, however, whichsuggests that S'micha continued to beconferred in the Land of Israel forcenturies (See R. Chaim Yechiel Born-stein, Mishpat ha S'micha V'koroteha,Warsaw, 1919, pp. 404-419, and R. DovRevel, "Chiddush ha S'micha LifneiArba Mei'ot Shana", Chorev 5:9-10,5699, pp. 1-26. See also J. Newman,S'micha, Manchester University Press,1950), pp. 144-154, who suggests thatsemichah continued until the death ofR. Daniel ben Azarya Gaon in 1062, andYehuda ben Barzillai of Barcelona,Sefer haShtarot, p. 132, where it isimplied that as late as the 12thCentury, there was some form ofS'micha in the Land of Israel).

Next week, we will explore if and howS'micha can be renewed.


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Klinefelter SyndromeLast time we discussed some of theconditions that impact women gettingmarried, such as not having a uterus orovaries. There are, of course, less severecases which will also have an impact butmay not require such controversialtreatments. For example, if a womanhas a very irregular cycle this mayimpact her having children but canusually be treated with hormones. Thismay raise concerns about gettingmarried, but generally this can behandled by giving correct informationabout the chances of pregnancy andguidance as to how and when to sharethis information as well as when to seekmedical assistance.

On the other side of the equation areyoung men who also have a medicalcondition that adversely affects theirfertility. They can have a low spermcount, or even have no sperm produc-tion at all, a condition called azoo-spermia or a lack of spermatogenesis.This could be the result of damage tothe testicles, or due to a geneticabnormality. For example, a man shouldhave XY genes, which are the genesresponsible for developing the malecharacteristics and sperm development.In certain cases men have XXY, alsocalled 47XXY, a condition calledKlinefelter syndrome. This randomlyoccurs in about 0.1% of live male birthsand causes various symptoms, the mostsignificant for this article being a low

level or complete lack of sperm produc-tion.

Another defect at the chromosomallevel is what is called Y deletions. Suchmen are missing part of the Y chromo-some which affects sperm production.There are various branches of thechromosome that can be missing and ifthere is a deletion in certain key areasthe man will not produce sperm.

While being extremely significant andhaving major ramifications on suchmen's lives, these conditions are usuallynot known prior to getting married.Most men will not have undergone agenetic karyotype test before gettingmarried. And, since both of these arerandom occurrences which are notinherited, we cannot even see a familypattern that will predict such condi-tions. So most men will not know aboutthis until they are already married andtrying to start their family.

This is a blessing for such men, assomeone recently told me, he is veryhappy that he never knew this informa-tion before he got married, for if he didit is very likely that he would not havemarried at all. On the other hand, itcreates a situation in which there arewomen with preexisting and knownconditions that will affect her fertility,but there are few men in this category.This makes things very difficult whenlooking for marriage partners for suchwomen. More on this next time.

Rabbi Gideon Weitzman


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And the prophet in in half of your head

continued from page 16

chalitza [599, A217 25:9], inwhich case she may marry anyoneelse (but a kohen).

The Torah speaks of a man dyingwithout having a BEN. Does thatmean "son" or "child"? In this case,the word BEN includes any off-spring. If a man has no sons, only adaughter, and he dies, his widow isfree to marry anyone except aKohein Gadol. And she may nevermarry her late husband's brother.If the man had no offspring, hiswidow must* marry his brother (*orreceive Chalitza from him). Totalopposites, depending upon exactlywhat BEN means. How do weknow? Torah She'b'al Peh, theOral Law. We cannot understandTorah without it.

[S>25:11 (2)] If person "A" is pur-suing "B" to kill him, we must saveB's life even if it means killing "A"[600,A247 25:12]. Do not showmercy to the pursuer, "A" [601,L293 25:12]. If it is possible tostop "A" without killing him, wemust do so - to kill him would bemurder - even though he forfeitshis life, so to speak - because he isa RODEIF.

[S>25:13 (4)] Mere possession offalse dry or liquid measures orweights is forbidden [602, L27225:13]. Honest weights andmeasures is one of the pillars ofsociety; G-d despises those whocheat in business.

[P>25:17 (3)] The final portion ofthe sedra is "Zachor". We arecommanded to remember whatAmalek did to us on our way out ofEgypt [603, A189 25:17]. TheJewish People as a whole arecommanded to destroy the rem-nant of Amalek from this world[604, A188 25:18]. We (eachJew) must never forget whatAmalek did [605,L59 25:19].

Technically, these mitzvot apply to thespecific Amalek nation. The idea ofremembering and never forgetting,however, must be extended to theAmalek-types that have plagued usthroughout Jewish history.


Haftara 22 p'sukimYeshayahu 54:1-55:5

Ed. note: The haftara for Parshat R'ei isANIYA SO'ARA (Yeshayahu 54:11-55:5) andthat of Ki Teitzei, RONI AKARA (54:1-10).When R'ei is also Rosh Chodesh (as it wasthis year), the Rosh Chodesh haftara bumpsthat of R'ei - because there is anotherappropriate Shabbat to add it to thehaftara, namely Ki Teitzei. If this wouldn'tbe so, we probably would not havebumped ANIYA SO'ARA. This means thatfor this Shabbat, Ki Teitzei, we read thehaftara of Ki Teitzei and follow it with thatof R'ei. They are continuous in the book ofYeshayahu. And the combined readinghappens also to be the haftara of ParshatNo'ach (for Ashkenazim).

Jerusalem is compared to a mourn-ful mother bereft of her children.G-d promises that rather thanshrinking away, Jerusalem willneed to be expanded to accom-modate the increase in populationas Jews return to her in droves.Exile might be bitter but it willcome to an end. G-d promises toreturn His kindness to His Peopleand City and never again banishus, as He similarly promised aboutthe Flood.We have the hopeful message thatG-d will take back the exile-afflicted people of Israel in greatsplendor. It is also a prophecy of atime when our enemies will notsucceed against us. Spiritual thirstand hunger will be tended to andall will be good for us...IF we will listen to G-d. There it is.The same deal as in many placesin the Torah. A deal that is sosimple, we should only be able toexercise our free will and keep ourend of the covenant.


The final chapters of Sefer Yishayahu,from the 40th perek until the 66th, areknown as the pirkei geula, thechapters of redemption, as they focusupon the glorious future that awaitsIsrael, and not on the sins of thenation that would soon lead to theirexile. It is for this reason that all sevenpost-Tish'a B'Av selections are takenfrom these very chapters. As Philpointed out, the haftara we read thisShabbat, is actually made up of twoprophecies of comfort, combining theselection usually read on Parshat R'eiwith that always read on Parashat KiTeitzei, as both messages are takenfrom the 54th chapter, with fiveadditional verses from the 55thchapter added at the end.

As we have learned in the past, eachindividual haftara is meant to exceedthe prior ones in reassuring andconsoling the nation. It is interesting,therefore, to ponder what message isfound in the first ten psukim of thisShabbat's selection, that part which isusually the only selection that is readfor Ki Teitzei, that led Chaza"l to see itas a more consoling prophecy than theones we have read in previous weeks.Certainly, the promise to increaseIsrael's population and broaden herborders were most welcome, but notnew. Likewise, G-d's assurance torebuild the ruined cities and return thepeople to their land had been heard inour earlier readings.

I would suggest that the mostpowerful and comforting message thatwe find in this selection is Hashem'sdeclaration that, just as He vowednever again to flood the world as Hedid in Noah's time, so He takes an oath

never to pour out His wrath upon Hispeople. A commitment taken throughan oath by the Holy One was one thepeople fully believed and was, perhaps,the reason why the opening words ofthis prophecy call upon the nation torejoice, "Rani Akara".

Yet, in many ways, it is the finalpromise given at the end of this firstsection that speaks loudly to us today.It is G-d's promise guaranteeing Hislove for His people even when they sin;even when He must punish them.Indeed, there are few prophecies thatcompare to these loving words "Forthough the mountains may be movedand the hills may falter - My mercieswill never be removed from you… saysHashem…"

Probing the Prophets, weekly insights into theHaftara, is written by Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler,author of Bringing the Prophets to Life (Gefen Publ.)

Dr. Maurice E. JosephJewish Video Program

in the Library - 12:30pm - no charge

MON September 19thRabbi Sholom Gold

The Rosh HaShana Torah Readings

TUE Sep 20 • 2 hrs • MAIN HALLLabyrinth of Lies

First time showing - 1950s Germany,a prosecutor discovers SS veterans

serving in government and other keypositions - tries to arrest them but is

obstructed. Can he bring the murderersof Jews to trial? Does nobody want theperpetrators brought to justice? Waseverybody a Nazi? A SUPERB thrillerBASED ON A TRUE STORY. Winner of

numerous awards. DISCUSSION AFTERTHE FILM. (German w/subtitles)

WED September 21stRabbi Aharon Adler

Yom Kippur was created before Man


The Israel Center and the Ol d C i ty Free L oan Associ a ti onGemach - Free Loan Societyproviding interest-free loans for people infinancial distress (living in the J'lem area).

Interviews at the Center • Bring IDTuesdays 10-12 and 19-20:15

THU Sep 22 - 8:00pmat the OU Israel CenterThe Power of T'filaRe-examining the Prayerfor Tzahal • Source sheetsprovided • byMenachem GottliebAdmission: 20å

RCA T'shuva DrashaHaRav Baruch Taub

“The Truth About Yonah”

Sunday, Sept. 25 • 7:30 pmat the OU Israel Center

Open to the public • No charge

Shiur SponsorsRabbi Taub's shiur (Thu Sep 15th)

sponsored by David Katzin loving memory of his Mother

on her yahrzeitd"r awri za `biit dxetv p"rl

Rabbi Breitowitz's shiur (Sun Sep 18)sponsored by Hadassah & Zev Fuchs andfamily, on the 14th yahrzeit of Hadassah's

dear father Harry Lefkowitz z"ll"f odkd sqei oa lld p"rl

This year with much gratitude to Hashemher family celebrated 4 B'nei Mitzvot of

great-grandchildren named in memory ofher Father. May his Memory continue to

be a Blessing to the Family

Mrs. Smiles's shiur (Tue Sep 20th)sponsored by Mrs. Harriet Stavsky

in honor of her granddaughter's weddingand the arrival of a new great-Grandson

Mazel Tov!

The shiurim of Rabbi Breitowitzand Rabbi Gold (Tue Sep 20th)

are sponsored by Mel Davidin memory of his dear wife

"r aiil dix` za dig diavdRabbi Kahn's shiur (Thu Sep 22nd)

sponsored by Elaine Pomrantz in lovingmemory of her Father, yahrzeit, 19 Elul

l"f mdxa` oa xi`n i`zay p"rlTo sponsor a shiur,

call Chana at (02) 560-9128


People in walking distance are invitedto join the Shabbaton participants

for davening and shiurim

FRI September 16th6:15pm

Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat,Dvar Torah, Maariv9:15pm (estimated)

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinrebon The Life and Tragic Death

of a Forgotten Hero:Rav Yitzchak Nissenbaum HY"D

SHABBAT DAY7:30am

Shiur by Phil on Shofar

8:15amShacharit, Layning, Drasha, MusafRabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler

11:30am (estimated)Shiur by Rabbi Winkler

Mitzvot, Mitzvot - Is that all?

2:45pm (estimated)Learning with Phil

Mitzvot, Avot, and more...

4:45pmShiur by Rabbi Sam Shor

Shofar: the Spirit behind the Sound

5:45pmMincha

7:10pmMaariv & Havdala

PLEASE NOTE: This week's TT(1199-Ki Teitzei) is 'regular' (but larger)

TT 1200 (Ki Tavo) will also have theRosh HaShana and Yom Kippur

pull-out section. Deadline for ads andsubmissions - Sunday, September 18th

TT 1201 (Nitzavim) will contain theSukkot pull-out. Deadline for ads and

submissions - Sunday, Sept. 25th

No TT during RH, YK, Sukkot weeks

TT 1202 (B'reishit) will be a lite issue -ads and submissions by Sunday,

October 9th. Rosh Chodesh Benchingchart and text will, IY"H, be in the

B'reishit issue

SLICHOT NIGHT(first S'lichot)

Motza"Sh September 24th

9:30pmPre-Slichot shiur by

Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Poupko

10:30pmS'LICHOT - led by

Dr. Ronnie Wachtel

11:30pmPre- (or post-) Slichot shiur by

Rabbi Jeff Bienenfeld

12:30amS'LICHOT - led by

Rabbi Nachman (Neil) Winkler

Note: We will have Slichot bookletsavailable, but it is not a bad idea to

bring your own, if you have


CHIZUK ! IDUDDivrei Torah from the weekly sedra

with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael -Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim

This past week the Jewish world wassaddened by the announcement of thepassing of Haifa’s Chief-Rabbi, EliyahuYosef She'ar-Yashuv Cohen zt”l. Storiesabound regarding his close connection,as a young child, to Rav Kook, aconnection which he continued tomaintain with Rav Kook's son, Rav TzviYehuda. Last week’s dvar Torah emphasized thepositive attitude espoused by a number ofrabbis towards the IDF, in general, andtheir high regard towards the armyuniform in particular. Rav She'ar Yashuv zt"l deserves mentionin this regard. He described his innerturmoil in the months preceding thefounding of the State of Israel, as he felthe could not calmly accept theexemption he received as a yeshivastudent from the general call-up. Hisnovel answer was to continue learningTorah while combining the learningduring the day with guard duty in the OldCity of Jerusalem at night. In later yearshe would proudly describe how, togetherwith a number of other friends, theysuccessfully put this plan into actionthereby founding the very first(unofficial) Hesder Yeshiva. Rav Shear Yashuv zt”l was injured in thefighting, and taken captive by theJordanian forces after the Old City fellinto their hands. In subsequent years hereturned to serve in the IDF as achaplain, climbing the ranks to become aLt. Colonel, as Chief Rabbi of the AirForce. At his wedding, Rav Shear

Yashuv zt”l chose to stand under thechupa dressed in his air force uniform,donning the air force beret. Some reactednegatively to what appeared to them asinappropriate attire for a groom, notingthat the custom in Jerusalem was to weara shtreimel – not an army cap. RavKook's retort was “Who says that thegarb of the Russian aristocracy is moreappropriate for the chatan than the garbof Tzeva HaHagana L'Yisrael, theJewish Defense Forces? A Chatan, headded, is likened to a king and these areBigdei Malchut, royal attire (see TalChermon, Moadim p.135)Last week's Dvar Torah elicited numer-ous reactions. One Kollel studentremarked that many Chareidi Gedolim ofyesteryear were positive when it per-tained to chayalim, mentioning thenames of some luminaries like RabbiChaim Shmulevitz of the Mir Yeshiva,and Rabbi Kahaneman (the founder ofthe Ponovitch Yeshiva in Bnei Brak).

"If so", I asked, "how do you explain thegreat divide between the attitude of thesegedolim, and the current negative atti-tude one finds amongst many of theirtalmidim today?".The kollelnik's answer left me almostspeechless: "Do you know who instructsthe soldiers in their courses", he askedme, "female soldiers!" "Not all recruitsare strong enough to withstandtemptation.” My response was to statethat the Jewish People are faced byenemies wishing to exterminate us, andhe would deny our soldiers properpreparedness due to female instructors!This reminded me of the Talmudic claimthat a “Chassid Shoteh”, a pious fool, isdefined as one who would refrain fromsaving the life of a drowning woman (out

David0503088355

of fear that she may be wearing a bikiniand not a bourkini).Just yesterday (Sunday) it was reportedthat an activist follower of Rabbi ShmuelAuerbach was convicted of insulting aChareidi IDF soldier (a public servant)during davening in a shul in the EzratTorah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Thesoldier had gone to shul dressed in hisIDF uniform. The defendant shouted“Chardak” at the plaintiff as well as “getout of here and take off your kippa.”[Chardak is a derogatory term which ishurled against Chareidi soldiers.Phonetically the word suggests that thosewho serve in the army are like a'chaydak' (germ) or 'charak' (insect)]. This renewed discussion of soldiers andwar, is occasioned by the opening pasukof parshat Ki Teitzei: “When you goforth in battle against your enemies, andHashem, your G-d, delivers them intoyour hands…” This pasuk seems to teachus that in order to be victorious in warone must be pro-active and go forth. Ifone procrastinates and waits for events tocome, then the battle may be lost. This lesson is true, says the KotzkerRebbe, when we fight the battle againstthe evil inclination as well. I would suggest that the lesson of "KiTeitzei" - the realization that one musttake the plunge and go forth - is

applicable to those fighting an internalbattle regarding Aliya. They askthemselves: Is now the right time?Perhaps it is better to wait for a morepropitious time in the future? The correct way to answer these internaldoubts is not by adopting an attitude of“Shev v’al ta'aseh”, but rather by fightingback answering the Yetzer Hara ofdoubt: "Yes, now is the right time” IMLO ACHSHAV, EIMATAI! - If notnow, when!

Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness, Ramat Shiloh, Beit Shemesh

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Maharal on the Sedra

The Open mem andthe Closed mem

D'varim 25:1 - If there is a disputebetween people, and they haverecourse to judgment, and thejudges judge them, and theyvindicate the righteous and find thewicked one guilty.

Rashi - The end of the dispute willbe a trial. We see from this thatpeace does not emerge fromdispute. What caused Lot toseparate from his righteous uncleAvraham was dispute.

Gur Arye - Otherwise, why mentionthe dispute? It could have simplysaid, "When people have recourse to

judgment". Rashi derives that theywill have to come to judgmentbecause they will not be able toresolve the conflict themselves. Theword for peace, shalom, ends with afinal MEM, closed on all four sideswithout a space to break out. Theword for dispute, machloket, beginswith an ordinary open MEM, like aleaky pipe whose water flows onand on, creating more and moredamage, like the dispute. A cloththat is shalem without tears is hardto rip, but a cloth with a small ripcomes apart easily. The argumentstarts with a slightly open MEM andbecomes a wide open CHET.Conflict resolution often requires anoutside force, like the trial, to closethe MEM and end with SHALOM.

- Column prepared by Dr. Moshe Kuhr


The Xed out noose is NOT the hangingthat is meant in Ki Teitzei - rather it is thehanging of the body after execution Soldier in a tank represents the manytimes "army" issues are mentioned in thesedra - The Beautiful Captive, thecleanliness of an army camp, exemptionfrom service for a groom for the first yearof marriage, destroying Amalek... Warning lights to prevent someonegetting injured from a hazard in one'sproperty - the flip side of MAAKEH Bootis for CHALITZA and the whole subject ofYIBUM Nest with eggs results from themitzva of Shiluach HaKen Couple underCHUPA stands for several topics related tomarriage Hands taking money out ofwallet = different monetary mitzvot in thesedra - not to borrow with interest, to paya laborer on time, fulfill one's pledges... Cluster of grapes on top of a stalk of wheatto represent K'LAI KEREM Garden spadeis the YATEID, digging tool, that is requiredof soldiers to have and use for hygienic"bathroom" Toilet is for requirement ofhaving sanitary facilities outside an armycamp String around finger is for thevarious mitzvot to remember - whathappened to Miriam, being in Mitzrayim,Amalek The grave-marker is for themitzva to bury our dead, and reasonablyquickly The donkey = many referencesto either donkey or other animal. Thedonkey gets lost, he is overburdened, hecannot pull a plow with an ox... Barbellswith different weights on each endrepresents false weights and measures.Forbidden even to possess Aardvarkand giraffe are tied together is a Torahviolation of plowing with an ox and a

donkey together Timeclock = payingthe worker on time, and also the mitzvotrelated to workers' & employers' rights, aswell Purim grogger (in footer too)stands for ZACHOR and especially wipingout Amalek KEY = KI, the word thatstarts the sedra off and appears 50 times(including twice V'CHI) Apple tree canbe for the rules of SHICH'CHA or thelocation of a nest, or for the rules to allowapple pickers to eat during their breaks T'filin are not mentioned in Ki Teitzei. Hereit refers to the prohibition of a woman'swearing K'LEI GEVER, men's apparel -according to Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel Pawn = "Something given as security for aloan...", which is in the sedra Xed outcat-o-nine-tails. MAKOT, whipping, punish-ment for many violations, was with abroad leather strip meant to hurt but notcut Goldfish and a dog = a pair of petsor parapets meaning MAAKEH (groan) Upper-right, murex trunculus from whichT'cheilet is made, for G'DILIM TAASEHLACH... Bubble bath for KETZEF inhaftara Dove with olive branch for MEINO'ACH in haftara TAGIM forSHAATNEZ (GETZ) The eye whoseeyelashes were being applied withmascara represents the prohibition for aman to wear a woman's dress. SIMLATISHA does not only mean women'sgarments, but it also prohibits other thingsthat are recognized as things women doand men generally do not (can alsorepresent what the Y'FAT TO'AR does notdue during the month) Gorilla for sale:The Torah prohibits M'CHIR KELEV, whichmeans that if a dog was "sold" byexchanging it for one or more sheep (orgoats, doves...), the animals that areM'CHIR KELEV are not usable as korbanot -maybe gorilla too Paying a taxi fare isfulfilling B'YOMO TITEIN S'CHO-RO... •flowers at bottom are from flax plant and what about the flower in the middle?Your challenge.



GIVING - EMULATINGGOD'S ATTRIBUTES

In this week's portion we are told thata man from Ammon or Moav cannever join the congregation ofHashem. The verses continue to givea reason for this exclusion -"Because they did not greet you withbread and water…" (23:4-5). Lots ofnations have done many cruel thingsto us, murdered us, tried to force usto convert, but descendants fromthose nations who want to fully jointhe Jewish people, may do so if theyare sincere. Descendants from Egypt- who enslaved us can join our nationafter three generations, but maledescendants from Ammon or Moav,on the other hand, will always havemarriage restrictions. Why the differ-ence? The Torah says it is becausethey didn't offer us bread and water.What could be so bad about that totaint them forever?

Even if someone from Ammon orMoav would convert, would whole-heartedly follow all the mitzvot formany years, and his descendantswould study Torah, they and theirdescendants would still be flawedand would only be allowed to marryfirst generation converts to Judaism.How can we understand this?

In the book, "Thoughts for the Monthof Elul" by Rav Nebenzahl, we can

find an answer.

He says that regarding Egypt theTorah tells us "You shall not reject anEgyptian, for you were a sojourner inhis land" (23:8). Although theEgyptians eventually enslaved us,when Yaakov and his family firstcame to Egypt, the Egyptians actedwith chessed, and took them ingraciously. The Egyptians' harshbehavior towards us later on, wasconsidered a spiritual imperfectionwhich could be corrected, (sincechessed was not foreign to them).Egypt who enslaved us is better thanAmmon and Moav who didn't feedus?

One answer he gives relates to thehistory of Ammon and Moav. Theywere descendants of Lot who wassaved heroically by our forefatherAvraham (B'reishit 19). Lot's childrenAmmon and Moav should have beennice to Avraham's children as a signof gratitude for save their ancestor.Instead they chose to follow thecustoms of Lot's father-in-law and allhis fellow inhabitants of S'dom. Inthis way they perpetuated anirreparable spiritual imperfection - alack of chessed.

Rav Nebenzahl explains that Godcreated the world in order to dochessed for His creations and to giveto them as it says, "The world is builton chessed" (T'hilim 89:3). Man's jobis to emulate God (Shabbat 133:)and a way to do that is by doingchessed. He explains, that even ifsometimes we must be takers (i.e.take food to eat, work to make aliving) if our goal when taking is inorder that we will be able to continue


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to give in the future (eat to have thestrength to give to others, earnmoney so we can give zedaka) thenthe act of taking also becomes a wayof giving. Giving and chessed mustbe at our core.

So now in this time of Elul we shouldincrease our giving to others - to ourfellow man by doing all kinds ofchessed and also to God. Goddoesn't really need anything from us,but He gave us many mitzvot to doso we can feel that we are not justtaking from God, but that we aregiving to Him as well. This is so welearn the importance of giving.

ELUL - ANI L'DODI V'DODI LI, I ammy Beloved's - I give to God and Hiscreations, And my Beloved is mine" -God continually blesses us and givesto us.

SINCE SERVING BREAD ANDWATER seems to be very important- this week's recipe is for bread, adelicious sweet challah recipe. Thiscan be shaped into round challahsfor Rosh HaShana.

WHOLE WHEAT SWEET CHALLAH2 kg whole wheat flour+ up to 2 cups if needed2 Tbsp salt4 Tbsp dry yeast4-5 cups warm water1½-2 cups sugar (to taste)2 eggs2/3 cup oilAnother eggSesame seeds

Add the salt to the flour. Add theyeast, warm water and sugar andthen the eggs and oil. Knead forabout five minutes. If the dough issticky add more flour and knead untilthe dough is smooth and soft andeasy to work with. Cover and let risefor an hour in a warm place. Thedough should double. Form intodesired challah shape. It might beeasier to work with the dough with abit of oil on your hands. Beat theegg and spread on top of each loaf.Sprinkle with seeds. Cover and letrise again for another hour tilldoubles. Bake at 190°C about 35min. till they are golden brown and ifyou tap them on the bottom theysound hollow. N

Mazal Tov toAngie & Benny Elisha

and family on thebirth of a grandson

Mazal Tovto Leah Bejell

and family on themarriage of her sister


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Documents

`vz ik edl - Torah Tidbits Israel Center TT 1199 6 page 4 Ki Teitzei 5776 You can't tell the players without a scorecard That traditional cry of the scorecard vendors at baseball games