Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev

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 Volume XII - Issue 20

 The DRS Weekly Torah Publication
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This week’s issue of

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   

is sponsored by
Holy Partners
By Marc Eichenbaum, 11th Grade GourmetGlatt.com • 516.569.2662

B irth is one of the happiest and most significant occurrences in life.

Yet, in this week’s parsha we read “A woman who conceives and
gives birth to a son shall be ritually impure for seven days (12:2).”
Tumah is usually associated with negative experiences such as death and
tzaraas. If birth is one of the most joyous of days, why does a mother who
PARSHAS TAZRIA
PARSHAS HACHODESH
27 ADAR 2, 5771
APRIL 2, 2011
just gave birth become tamei, ritually impure? Furthermore, why is there a All Zmanim are calculated by myzmanim.com for
Woodmere, NY (11598)
difference between the birth of a boy, where the mother is tamei for seven Candle Lighting: 7:01 pm
days, and the birth of a girl, where the mother is tamei for fourteen days? Latest ‫קריאת שמע‬: 9:48 am
‫ שבת‬Ends: 8:02 pm

Rabbi Frand offers the following answer to this question. The gemara
in Nidah (31a) says that there are three partners in the creation of a person;
the father, the mother, and Hashem. From here we see that when a woman
conceives a child, she is actually partners with Hashem, and therefore be-
comes closer to Him. During the entire pregnancy the woman is close to To sponsor an issue of
Hashem and very holy.    ,
email us at
dvarimhayotzim@gmail.com
(Continued on page 2)

Becoming Whole
By Yoni Kadish, 10th Grade

“U’Vayom ha’shimini yimol basar arlaso” (12:3)

“And on the eighth day his foreskin shall be circumcised”

T he Chasam Sofer notes that our verse states: “and on the eighth day his foreskin shall be circumcised”,
whereas in regards to circumcising one’s servants, the Torah states, “and you shall circumcise him”, with-
out making reference to the foreskin. Similarly, when referring to a convert, the Torah states, “all of his
males should be circumcised”, again without mentioning the foreskin. He explains that there is a fundamental dif-
ference between a Jewish child who undergoes circumcision and a servant or converts who does the same.
The Jewish child only needs to have the foreskin removed to reach the state of wholeness, so to speak;
whereas, the servant or convert must be completely cut off from their pasts so as to become whole. For example,
(Continued on page 2)
2 ‫דברים היוצאים מן הל“ב‬
Torah Teasers
By Rabbi Moshe Erlbaum
‫פרשת תזריע‬
Questions
1. ‫ פרשת תזריע‬discusses the law of circumcision. a)
Who was the first person in the Torah to receive
a circumcision from his parent? b) Who was
the first baby to have a circumcision when he
was eight days old? c) Which other baby is cir-
cumcised elsewhere in the Torah?
2. Which law of a female is double that of a male?
3. Which of the ‫ עשר מכות‬appear in the ‫?פרשה‬
4. Which colors appear in the ‫?פרשה‬
5. In what context is ‫אש‬, fire, mentioned in the
‫( ?פרשה‬2 times)
6. What topics involve the number seven? (2 an-
swers)
Answers
1. a) In ‫פרשת לך לך‬, Avraham circumcises his son
‫ ישמעאל‬when ‫ ישמעאל‬is thirteen years old. b) In
‫ פרשת וירא יצחק‬was the first baby to receive a
circumcision at eight days old. c) In ‫פרשת שמות‬,
the second son of ‫ משה‬is circumcised by his
mother ‫צפרה‬.
2. The ‫טומאה‬, ritual impurity of childbirth lasts
seven days for a male child and 14 for a female
child. In addition the days of ‫טהרה‬, purity,
following those days last 33 days for a baby
boy and 66 for a baby girl.
3. The Torah discusses the laws of one who has
‫צרעת‬, leprosy, on a boil found on his skin. Thus,
‫שחין‬appears.
4. The following colors appear in the ‫ פרשה‬all
relating to the laws ‫צרעת‬: ‫ לבן‬white, ‫ אדמדמת‬red,
‫ צהב‬yellowish gold, ‫ שחר‬black, and ‫ירקרק‬
greenish yellow.
5. a) The Torah discusses a person who has ‫צרעת‬
on a burn that has healed. The word for burn is
a "‫ ִמ ְכוַת אֵש‬.” b) Clothing which has incurable
‫ צרעת‬must be burned by fire.
6. A woman who gives birth is ‫ טמאה‬for seven days
after the birth of a boy. A person with ‫צרעת‬, and
clothing with ‫ צרעת‬can be quarantined in seven
day periods.
o n
is
DH
yutorah.org
(Marc Eichenbaum—Continued from page 1)
The Kuzari defines tumah as the absence of kedusha;
whenever kedusha leaves, tumah fills its spot. After a woman
gives birth, the extra kedusha of being a partner with Hashem no
longer exists. Consequently, tumah takes the place of the
kedusha and the woman is considered tamei. This also explains
the difference between the births of boys and the birth of girls.
When a women is pregnant with a boy she becomes holy and
therefore is tamei when the kedusha leaves. However, when a
woman is pregnant with a girl, she becomes even more holy,
since she is not only a creator and partner with Hashem, but she
is carrying a potential future creator and partner with Hashem.
As a result, a woman pregnant with a girl attains double the
amount of kedusha than does a woman pregnant with a boy;
therefore, she also is tamei for double the amount of days after
childbirth than a woman pregnant with a boy.
Have a great Shabbos! ■
(Yoni Kadish — Continued from page 1)
the Jewish born child, removing the foreskin alone makes him
worthy of partaking in the Paschal sacrifice. The ger and eved,
however, must undergo the entire conversion process
(immersion and circumcision) to be considered worthy of par-
taking in the sacrifice. The circumcision relates to the entire es-
sence, they must cut off all ties to that which makes them un-
worthy of bringing the karbun, whereas the Jewish child need
only to remove the foreskin.
Have a Great Shabbbos! ■
(Stories of Greatness- Continued from page 5)
she would stand outside the Rebbe's door, and when the Rebbe would
come out, she could thank him personally and give him a letter of
gratitude.
She took her place and stood there, holding her letter and
waiting nervously. Then the big moment arrived, the door opened
and the Rebbe emerged. She took one look at him... went into a
swoon, and fell unconscious to the floor!
When she came to, a doctor was kneeling over her. "You
were so excited that you passed out," he explained, as she began to sit
up.
"Was that the Rebbe?" she asked. "Was that him?"
"Why certainly," the doctor answered, "Why do you ask?
Didn't you know that that was the Rebbe?"
"Because," she said, "that was the man I saw in Warsaw. He
was the one who helped me in the Warsaw train station!"
Later, the Rebbe's secretary made some calculations. He re-
called that on the same day on which the woman claimed to have
seen the Rebbe in the Warsaw train station, he had entered the
Rebbe's room and found the Rebbe sitting motionless for a long time,
oblivious to his surroundings, as though he were "somewhere else."■
Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev
HALACHA
Corner
A Jewish Perspective on Birthdays
By Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz
I. Introduction. There is a common practice in many
contemporary societies for people to celebrate the
anniversary of their birth. The exact method of
celebration ranges from simple wishes of “Happy
Birthday” to extravagant parties that are thrown in
honor of the event. In this essay we will analyze a
number of issues relating to the celebration of a
birthday. Most importantly, we will deal with the
question of the significance of the anniversary of
one’s birth. Should one celebrate a birthday? If so,
how should it be celebrated? Are there certain mile-
stone birthdays that should be considered more sig-
nificant than others?
II. The significance of a birthday. The Talmud
Yerushalmi (Rosh Hashana 3:8) records that when
Amalek came to do battle with the Jewish people,
they were careful to have those whose birthday it
was, fight on the front lines. The commentator
Korban Edah explains that on one’s birthday, he
has a special mazal that may be helpful in an other-
wise risky situation. The Chida (Chomat Onach
Iyov chapter 3) points out that this is not merely a
belief of the pagan nations, but is actually firmly
rooted in kabbalistic sources. The Chida writes that
on one’s birthday his mazal is particularly strong.
Based on this idea, the great Sephardic Chacham,
Rabbi Chaim Paladgi writes that one should give
extra tzedakah on his birthday because the in-
creased mazal of the day will allow a person’s ac-
tions to have a greater impact on his overall person-
ality and character (Tzedakah L’chaim). The Arvei
Nachal (Parshat Shemini) writes that when a per-
son focuses his efforts on a particular positive char-
acter trait on his birthday, God will supply extra
help to continue along that path (cited by Sefer
Minhag Yisrael Torah page 264).
III. Is a birthday cause for celebration? At the core
of the issue of whether birthday celebrations are
appropriate is the question of whether the day of
our births is actually a happy day. The gemara
(Eruvin 13b) records that there was a running dis-
pute between the Beit Shamai and the Beit Hillel
whether a person would have been better off never
3
being born, or better off having been born. The ge-
mara comes to the somewhat startling conclusion
that it would have been better for a person to have
never been born. Based on this passage, Sefer
Divrei Torah (5:88) writes that the anniversary of
one’s birth is no cause for celebration. To the con-
trary, we would each be better off never having
been born.
A. One can take issue with the conclusion of the
Divrei Torah on the following grounds. Tosafot
(Eruvin ibid.) asks that this gemara seems to
contradict a gemara in Avoda Zara (5a) that re-
quires a sense of gratitude to our forefathers,
without whom we would never have been born.
Tosafot explain that the gemara in Eruvin deals
with one who is a “regular person” who would
have been better off not being born, whereas the
gemara in Avodah Zara deals with one who is a
“tzadik” and is therefore certainly better off hav-
ing been born. Rav Hershel Schachter has under-
stood the definition of “tzadik” in this context to
refer to one who is observant in torah and mitz-
voth. If we were to accept Rav Schachter’s defi-
nition, it is possible that an observant Jew may
celebrate his birthday. In a similar vain, the
Divrei Torah (ibid.) writes that a non-Jew, who
is only obligated in seven mitzvot, and therefore
has less opportunity to sin, is better off having
been born. It would therefore be entirely appro-
priate for a non-Jew to celebrate a birthday. In
general, the acharonim who address the issue of
birthday celebrations are split as to their propri-
ety.
B. The opposition to birthday parties. Sefer Otzar
Kol Minhagei Yeshurun points out that the only
time we find mention of a birthday celebration in
ancient Jewish literature is by Pharoh making a
party for his servants (Bereishit 40). As men-
tioned previously Divrei Torah writes that Jews
have nothing to celebrate on their birthdays.
C. Those who do not find fault with birthday cele-
brations. Rav Moshe Feinstein, in the course of
(Continued on page 4)
4 ‫דברים היוצאים מן הל“ב‬
HALACHA
Corner
discussing the propriety of a bat mitzvah celebra-
tion states that it is no more than a glorified
birthday party, which itself is only a seudat re-
shut (Responsa Iggerot Moshe Orach Chaim
1:104). The implication of this statement is that
while there is no reason to specifically encourage
such a seudah, there is also no objection to it (I
have heard that Rav Moshe himself used to insist
that each of his grandchildren call him on his
birthday to wish him well). Rav Ovadia Yosef,
in addressing this comment of Rav Feinstein,
writes that a bat mitzvah is indeed a special occa-
sion where we celebrate a person’s obligation in
mitzvoth. Furthermore, Rav Yosef continues,
even if it were nothing more than a birthday
party, it would still be a seudat mitzvah if divrei
torah were recited.
D. The Chatam Sofer (Torat Moshe, Parshat
Vayeira) points out the general (non-Jewish)
custom to celebrate birthdays, and claims that
Avraham would make such a celebration for
Yitzchak on the anniversary of his brit milah.
(Regarding celebrating the anniversary of a brit
milah see Ben Ish Chai, Parshat Re’eh 17 who
composed a special prayer for this occasion.)
IV. How to celebrate a birthday. In spite of the possi-
ble significance of a birthday, we do not find any-
where in shas or rishonim that a birthday should be
marked by an annual celebration. (See, however,
Moed Katan 28 that a 60th birthday may be cause
for celebration.) However, some acharonim raise
the issue of celebrating a birthday and look favora-
bly on this custom. The Ben Ish Chai (Parshat
Re’eh 17) records the custom to celebrate a birth-
day every year, and comments that it is a nice cus-
tom that he followed in his own family. It goes
without saying that the notion of a “party” devoid
of any torah content, where people just eat and min-
gle, would not have any significance from a torah
perspective. How then should one celebrate a birth-
day?
A. She’hechiyanu. Responsa Ginzei Yosef (4) writes
that some “anshei ma’aseh” have the custom to
recite a she’hechiyanu over a new fruit or a new
garment on their birthdays. Responsa Chavot
Yair (70) writes that one should make a special
Continued
seudah and recite she’hechiyanu on his 70th
birthday. The significance of the 70th birthday
seems to be that Chazal assume that the average
life span of a person is seventy years. It is there-
fore appropriate to thank God for having lived a
“full” life (indeed, Ruchoma Shain reports that
her father, Rav Yakov Yosef Herman zt”l held
a celebration upon turning 70 for this exact rea-
son). The acharonim debate whether this ber-
acha should be recited with God’s name
(b’shem u’malchut – see Pri Megadim,
Mishbetzot Zahav, Orach Chaim 444:9, and
Hagahot Chatam Sofer, Orach Chaim 222).
The Kaf hachaim writes that one should recite a
she’hechiyanu on his 60th birthday as well, in
celebration of the fact that he is now past the
age that he would have died had he been chayav
kareit. He does suggest, though, that this ber-
achah be made on a new fruit with the intention
to exempt the obligation to make the she’hechi-
yanu in honor of this milestone birthday.
B. Torah Learning. The K’tav Sofer (Responsa
Yoreh Deah 148) writes that on his 50th birthday
he celebrated by making a public siyum on
masechet Pesachim and “thanking God for
bringing me to this point in my life, and for giv-
ing me the strength to learn and teach torah”.
He also took the opportunity to pray that God
should “help me continue to work for His sake
and the sake of His torah… and that God should
be with him as He was with his forefathers in
the battle to promote the growth of torah, re-
build the many breaches that have been made in
the torah, and to be saved from those who speak
evil of our torah”. As mentioned above, Rav
Ovadia Yosef goes so far as to say that it is ap-
propriate to have a special meal on one’s birth-
day where he recites divrei torah, and that such
a meal would enjoy the status of a seudat mitz-
vah (Responsa Yabia Omer, Orach Chaim
6:29).
C. Personal reflection. The K’tav Sofer also used
his birthday as a time for personal reflection.
Kuntros Ohel Leah (written by the son of the
K’tav Sofer and printed at the beginning of
(Continued on page 5)
Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev 5

HALACHA
Corner Continued

K’tav Sofer al hatorah) records an incident
when a student went to visit the K’tav Sofer
and found him crying. The student asked his
rebbe what the reason for his tears was, and the
K’tav Sofer responded that it was his 54th birth-
day and he began to judge himself (dan, the
Hebrew word for “judge” has a gematria of
54) and realized that he has not accomplished
nearly as much as he should have in his 54
years in this world. He sensed that he was lack-
ing in torah knowledge and righteousness, and
was moved to tears by this realization.
D. Bein Adam L’chaveiro. Of course, the notion of
respecting others and showing them that they
are appreciated is a universal one, and is not
limited to any single day of the year. Even so,
Responsa Aparkasta D’anya (123) records that
the Tiferet Yisrael insisted that his children
write notes of mazal tov to each other on their
birthdays. The custom to send a birthday card,
while far from any form of halachic obligation
or established custom, is a fine way to make
others feel good about themselves, which is
obviously a fulfillment of V’ahavta l’reacha
kamocha.
E. Sefer Hakatan V’hilchotav (chapter 84) writes
that the Jews of Yerushalayim made a birthday
celebration for their rabbi, Rav Shmuel Salant,
in honor of his seventieth and eightieth birth-
days respectively. As a form of celebration,
Rav Salant sent the amount of coins corre-
sponding to his age to tzedakah.
V. Conclusion. We have explored the concept of a
birthday and a birthday celebration from a Jewish
standpoint. As with anything positive in our lives,
we have found that our rabbinic leaders have devel-
oped uniquely Jewish ways to celebrate a birthday.
Using the opportunity of a birthday to rethink our
priorities, strengthen our commitment to torah, and
our commitment to other people would certainly be
a most productive method of celebration. ■

(Stories of Greatness- Continued from page 6)

said...," and she mechanically repeated her entire story. "Tell me," said the man when she had finished, "what was your
husband's name and what did he look like?"
"Ehh, well..." She was still in a semi-daze. "His name was Feivel, but I'm sure he changed it. And he was heavyset.
He walked with a sort of a limp, and he had a thick black beard, but I'm sure he's shaved the beard off, and he has a sort of
mark on his forehead. It's been two years, who knows how he looks now...." She almost began to weep when he interrupted
her. "I think I know where he is. Please follow me. It's not far from here." He escorted her out of the station, down the street
to a large busy intersection, and gave her directions how to go from there to a certain tavern. "I believe that your husband is
sitting in the back of that bar, playing cards and gambling."
After everything she'd been through, she asked no questions. She just nodded to the stranger and began walking
according to his directions. And after an hour she found it! She took a deep breath and entered the dimly lit tavern, drag-
ging her suitcase and feeling terribly out of place.
She made her way through the smoke and noise to the back of the room and stared blankly at the figures sitting
there, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark.
Suddenly one of the gamblers turned, looked at her and let out a cry of horror. "Sara!!! How did you know I was
here? How did you get here?!" She could see more clearly now, and the man who was speaking looked something like her
husband. He was thinner, with no beard... but it was him!
When she explained how the Rebbe had sent her and how some Jew gave her directions from the station, he began
pacing back and forth like a madman, running his fingers through his hair, waving his arms and repeating to himself, "I
don't know any Jews, I don't know any Rebbe!! How could anyone know? How?"
He was so affected by the miracle that he began weeping, and then fell to his knees begging her forgiveness. One
thing led to another and one month later, he shamefacedly returned home with her and repented completely of his evil
ways.
The next year she traveled again to Lubavitch, but this time to thank the Rebbe. The Rebbe's secretary arranged that
(Continued on page 2)
6 ‫דברים היוצאים מן הל“ב‬
PUBLICATION
STAFF
STORIES OF GREATNESS
Editors in Chief
TOLD OVER BY: YEHUDA ISAACS Yaakov Feldstein
David Freilich
One day, a very distraught woman She was overjoyed! But her smile faded
showed up in the town of Lubavitch. Women as she realized that there was no more to the mes- Associate Editors
usually did not wander about all alone one hun- sage. Layout Editors
dred years ago, but this poor woman had made an "But where in Warsaw? What should I Judah Max Abittan
Dani Scheinman
arduous week-long journey because someone do there?" Yitzie Scheinman
told her that the Lubavitcher Rebbe could help "That is all the Rebbe answered," an-
her. swered the secretary. "I'm sorry, there was no Rabbinic Articles
"Is this where Rebbe Shalom Dov Ber is? more." Yechiel Auman
I must see him," she pleaded to one of the She even wrote in another letter asking Student Articles
Rebbe's secretaries. "I've come from so far away, for some details, but no response was forthcom- Avrumi Blisko
and your Rebbe is my only hope. Please, I must ing this time. Adam Goldstein
see him! Only he can help me." But her cries When the Chassidim heard the story they
Director of Production
were to no avail; the Rebbe wasn't receiving. took up a collection and bought her a round-trip Andrew Mermelstein
"If you write your request on a paper I train ticket with enough money for a month's
promise that I will give it to the Rebbe and the room and board. Two days later there she was, Production Staff
Nison Basalilov
Rebbe will see it, but I can't promise more than standing bewildered in the Warsaw train station Jeremy Bienenfeld
that. I'm sorry," he said apologetically. with her old suitcase and no idea where to go or Yaakov Bluestein
With no other choice the poor woman what to do next. ‫סופרים‬/Authors
found a quiet place to sit and write her request. People were rushing by her, occasionally Benny Aivazi
She was an agunah, a living widow. Her husband bumping into her, someone almost knocked her Yonatan Aivazi
had strayed from Judaism about two years ago over, but she just stood there. She had the address Ariel Bagley
Dan Bamshad
and then upped and left her. She had no source of of a hotel on a crumpled piece of paper in her David Beer
income, three hungry children to feed, and she hand. She took it out of her pocket but she didn't Marc Eichenbaum
could not remarry without receiving an official want to walk anymore, she was tired, she just Yered Elisha Ginsberg
Yitzchak Ginsberg
divorce bill (Get) from her husband. But she had wanted to give up. "The children are in good Shmuli Gutenmacher
no way of tracking him down, and no one even hands," she thought to herself. She was alone and Yaakov Hawk
knew where to begin. The woman was at the end confused and she wanted to cry. Someone else Elisha Ishaal
of her wits; she had no money, no husband, no bumped into her. "Maybe I'll just go back home." Aaron Joseph
Yoni Kadish
experience, and now her last hope, the Rebbe, The thought was still in the corner of her Barak Klammer
was vanishing before her eyes. mind when she heard someone say, "Excuse me." Eli Lonner
"The Rebbe probably won't even pay She snapped out of her reverie and saw Avi Moisa
Yonatan Mehlman
attention to my letter," she said to herself. But standing before her a neatly dressed Jew with a Gavi Nelson
she handed it in and hoped for the best. reddish beard. "Excuse me," he said in Yiddish, Jonny Perlman
The answer was fast in coming. Less "I notice that you are standing for a long time. Shmulie Reichman
Yigal Saperstein
than an hour later the Rebbe's secretary stood Are you feeling all right? Perhaps I can be of David Silber
facing her with good news. some help? Are you waiting for someone?" Alex Selesny
"The Rebbe says that you should travel "I'm here because the Lubavitcher Rebbe Daniel Stroh
to Warsaw." (Continued on page 5) Jesse Steinmetz
Jeremy Teichman
Benjamin Watman
David Weitz

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