Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

21 Tammuz, 5771/July 23, 2011
Thank you for reading all year; we look forward to returning in Elul!

Parshat Matot

Vol.2 Num. 43

Tvilat Kelim and the sanctity of the Jewish family

It is in the discussion of organizing and managing the spoils of the successful military campaign against Midyan that the Torah reveals to us the rules of purging dishware and cookware and the obligation to bring them all to tevilah in a mikva. Whereas purging is a technical chapter in the laws of kashrus making sure that we avoid eating from the absorption of non-kosher foods, tevilas keilim is a different matter altogether. Tevilas keilim is according to most rishonim an independent Biblical mitzvah, and this is the first time it was being taught to us.

R Yaakov Neuburger

revenge for the diabolical strategies of centrality to our thinking. Thus this Bilam that were exercised by Mid- war indicates that our existence is yanites. (Bamidbar 2:18, Rashi) dependant on a healthy family structure. That infidelity and idolatry are so True their battle against us brought us closely associated further emphasizes to one of the lowest points of the mid- that when integrity and loyalty are bar narrative. Women were sent into trampled we remain without anchor or our ranks and first encouraged familial purpose. The converse that truthfulinfidelity which in turn led to serving ness and faithfulness are necessary peor, a service which defiles human for the successful transmissions of conduct and religious service as well. our legacy as individuals and as a This ultimately led to the public repu- people is boldly stated by our battle diation of no one less than Moshe Rabe- against Midyan. inu and all he stood for by one of the tribal leaders. Additionally, the encoun- Clearly to remind ourselves of the imter introduced the coupling of infidelity portance and preciousness of the famwith idolatry, a theme that Yirmiyahy ily and its attendant relationships and Whether first taught after this battle Hanovi would often revisit in warning attitudes through the study of a oneor first recorded, there must be some us of the impending destruction of the time battle will have little impact. Afmessage in our studying the mitzvah first Beis Hamikdosh. ter all, creating the warmth and the of tevilas keilim in response to the batvibrancy of a successful home and tle with Midyan rather than in the Remarkably, Moshe is told that the bat- family requires unflagging patience, common presentation of a directive to tle against Midyan is to be waged nei- sincere respect and an ongoing comMoshe to teach as other halachot ap- ther because of the idolatry nor be- mitment to cheerfulness (Rambam, pear, with notable but rare exception. cause of any loss of life nor because of Ishus 1:19). It demands the utmost the rebellion that it brought about, respect for home making and home To be sure the war against Midyan rather because they sought to under- makers, unquestionably challenging was unusual. We are certainly familiar mine our familial relationships in a two income family climate. with battles that have been waged in (Bamidbar, ibid). Bilam is recorded to our defense, such as against Amalek have advised Midyan that our G-d Perhaps setting the mitzvah of tevilas and against the armies of Sichon. We hates decadence and introducing it to keilim into the context of the bold also understand that we are com- our people was Midyans surest man- statement of the Midyan battle undermanded to battle in order to establish ner of affecting a military like victory. scores the mitzvah as an enduring the Land of Israel as our home. Yet reminder of what we fought for so long the battle of Midyan was neither to For our people, going to war for a cause ago. Thus we announce the uniqueremove a present threat nor to ready is probably the strongest statement ness and sanctity of the Jewish family land for our families. It is presented as that could be made in advocating its whenever introducing any table and cooking utensils of non-Jewish origin into homes (Talmud Yerushalmi, Parshah Questions Avoda Zara 5:15). Hopefully this will Why were the Jewish people commanded only to attack Midian and not instruct us to be ever mindful of the efforts required to make a home the Moav? (Rashi, Ner Uziel and Torah Temimah to Bamidbar 31:2) haven that it must be for growth in Why is it important that Bilaam was killed by the sword? (Rashi, Netziv, faith and character, and accord absoOznayim LTorah to Bamidbar 31:8) lute respect for all those efforts and What significance is there to the naming of two cities Novach and Chavot their dedicated providers. Yair? (Rashi, Maayan Beit HaShoeivah to Bamidbar 32:41)

For Children: Which materials require tevilah in a mikvah when purchased from a non-Jew? (Bamidbar 31:22)

Reprinted with permission from www.torahweb.org

Parshah Answers
Why were the Jewish people commanded only to attack Midian and not Moav? Despite being antagonized by both Moav and Midian, Moshe is instructed to only attack Midian. Rashi explains that Moavs attack was motivated by fear as the Jewish people passed through their land. Midian on the other hand, entered a war that they had no part in. That voluntary aggression is why they were singled out for battle. Rav Uziel Milevsky notes that the Jewish people were not only commanded to kill the Midianim but to hate them as well (Tzaror Bamidbar 25:17). This was a response to the intermarriage between the men of Israel and the women of Midian; it was critical at this point to eradicate the friendship that still lingered between the two nations. The Torah Temimah quotes a midrash from the Yalkut which learns from the verse Nikom nikmat you shall take revenge that revenge should ultimately be taken upon both Midian and Moav (contrary to our first two approaches above). In fact, Moav began the fight against the Jewish people, and if anyone should have been killed it was them. This is why Moshe thought to wage war on Moav himself, until Hashem forbade him from doing so (Devarim 2:9). Moshe was told not to battle Moa v ye t, b e ca use D ovi d HaMelech would come from them. Rather, Hashem told him that revenge against Moav would have to wait for Dovid haMelech. Why is it important that Bilaam was killed by the sword? Rashi suggests that Bilaams death was middah kneged middah, a measure for measure punishment. When attacking the Jewish people Bilaam chose to curse them verbally, manipulating their power of prayer and using it against them. It was appropriate that Bilaams life would be taken with the skill of his people, which was the use of the sword. Netziv argues that Bilaams death was distinct from that of the others killed in the war with Midian, because he did not actually fight. Bilaam was executed via capital punishment, because of his earlier sins against the Jewish people. Rav Zalman Sorotzkin, author of the Oznyaim LTorah, relates Bilaams death to the death of the Egyptians at Yam Suf. Chazal taught us on the pasuk it consumes them like straw (Shemot 15:7) that the Egyptians were compared to straw that floats upon the water because their death was not instantaneous; it was prolonged, so that they would not die before receiving the appropriate punishment. Bilaam, too, was not allowed to die of natural causes; his murder was a precise atonement for his actions.

Dovid Zirkind
What significance is there to naming two cities Novach and Chavot Yair? Rashi explains that Chavot Yair was named for Yair, son of Menasheh, because he had no children. On the verse Vayikra luh Novach bshmo he called it Novach after his name Rashi notes that the letter hey lacks a dagesh (dot), which would have been grammatically appropriate. A midrash deduces from here that, unlike Chavot Yair, the name of the city of Novach would not survive. In Maayan Beit HaShoevah, Rav Shimon Schwab explains that the Torah contrasts the values of Yair and Novach and the ways in which they related to physical property. By naming his city simply Novach, the conqueror declared that the city was part of his identity. It was as if they shared the name. However, in naming the Villages of Yair, Yair emphasized that he was separate from his physical assets. He was just using his name as a description of whose property it was. R Schwab continues that we must always be separate from the assets we accumulate in life, but the opposite is true of our mitzvot. Some mitzvot can become part of who we are. For example, the Talmud refers to one who studies Torah at the highest level as a living Torah. Man can make the mitzvot part of himself if he is fortunate enough to embrace them - but he must also remember to not do the same with the mundane of this world. For Children: Which materials require tevilah in a mikvah when purchased from a non-Jew? Vessels made from gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and lead all require tevilah (immersion in a mikvah) on a biblical level. Our Rabbis instruct us to tovel glass as well. We do not tovel earthenware objects (ie. clay, pottery). dzirkind@torontotorah.com

613 Mitzvot: Mitzvah 102 Eating from the Chatat and Asham
R Mordechai Torczyner
Many types of korbanot are brought in the Beit haMikdash; two of these korbanot are the chatat and ash am, which generally atone for transgressions. A Jew who brings such an offering does not eat from it; parts are burned on the mizbeiach and parts are given to the kohanim to eat. As the Sefer haChinuch explains, korbanot brought for atonement should be treated with the greatest respect and consumed only by a kohen who serves G-d, and only in the Beit haMikdash, where G-d is visibly served. Indeed, since this is really about the respect accorded the korban, Ramban does not list this as an independent mitzvah; it is inherent in the overall mitzvah of bringing a korban.
torczyner@torontotorah.com

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HaAm VHaAretz
Rav Moshe Stern (The Debreciner)
R Netanel Javasky

Rehavia
R Mordechai Torczyner

Torah in Translation
Giving ones parent a cigarette
Beer Moshe 1:60:10

I examined the law regarding the case in which a father commanded his son to bring him something that was harmful for him to eat. The father knows that this food is harmful for him and the doctors have even instructed the father to avoid it. In such a situation, would the son be required to bring him the food in fulfillment of the mitzvah to honour ones parents, or not?

Rav Moshe Stern, the Debreciner Rav, was born in Neuhaizal, Slovakia in 1914. His father, Rav Avraham, was the Rav of the town. Rav Moshe left the town to study in Pressburg, in the yeshiva headed by Rabbi Akiva Sofer, a great-grandson of the Chatam Sofer. He would later marry a great-granddaughter of the Chatam Sofer.

After his marriage, Rav Stern moved to Debrecen, Hungary's second largest city, where he was appointed a poseik and dayan. During World War II the city was almost entirely I have seen a similar discussion in the destroyed. The
Birkei Yosef; he ruled that as long as the food is not dangerous (life-threatening ed.), even if it is harmful, the son must give it to the father. This is also the implication of the Sefer Chasidim (234) However I think that the matter is not so simple and I see a proof to the opposite position: A father may forgive his honour, but the consensus lies with the Rivash who cites the Raavad that a father may not forgive his degradation The gemara (Sotah 8b) records a dispute as to whether a person is more concerned with being degraded or with suffering physical pain, and anyone who sees justice will see that this is only debatable where the degradation is great . The Rambam does rule that a person is more concerned with being degraded, but that would only be regarding huge disgrace, which a person would never want to occur, even after his death. If we were comparing physical pain with a minor degradation, everyone would agree that a person would rather avoid the physical pain [We see that pain is worse than degradation, and that a father may not permit his son to degrade him. ed] It is then obvious that a son may not give his father something which is harmful to his health, for there is no greater pain than harming his health, and if one may not degrade his father and even a slight degradation is forbidden, how much more so must one abstain from paining his father

Rehavia was established in the western hills of Jerusalem on a large plot of land purchased in 1921 from the Greek Orthodox Church by the P a l e s t in e L a n d D e v e lo p m e n t Company (PLDC) on behalf of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The first phase, called Rehavia A, was bordered by King George Street to the east, Ramban Street to the south, Ussishkin Street (then named Yehudah HaLevy) to the west, and Keren Kayemet l'Yisrael Street to the north. German-Jewish architect Richard Kaufmann designed the development as a garden n e ig h b o r h o o d , f e a t u r i n g l o w buildings and a great deal of greenery; these features dominate the area to this day, although some taller buildings are now under construction in the area. To preserve the quiet character, the neighborhood association allowed commercial businesses only on the two main roads at the neighborhood's edges. The roads open to traffic were deliberately built narrow, to keep them less busy and thus quieter. The main, tree-lined boulevard which bisected the neighborhood was open to pedestrian traffic only. Later expansion was primarily to the south, in the direction of Aza Street. Most of the streets are named for the great Jewish scholars and poets of Golden Age Spain Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Abarbanel and so on. Among the landmark buildings in Rehavia are Yeshivat Netzach Yisrael (formerly Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman zt"l's yeshiva), the Yad Yitzchak ben Zvi research institute studying Jewish communities in Israel and elsewhere, the Jewish Agency building (housing the WZO, JNF and Keren haYesod headquarters), the Yeshurun and HaNassi shuls, and Beit Meir, which houses the world offices of Torah miTzion. torczyner@torontotorah.com

After the war, Rav Moshe was invited to be the rav of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he stayed for a year. Afterwards, he moved to New York and established a kehillah there. Rav Moshe published an 8-volume work of responsa, Shut Be'er Moshe, in which he addressed contemporary halachic issues, in addition to giving support to old lesser -known minhagim. He also published a short work where he discussed numerous questions involving the interface of electricity and halachah. His responsa are cited by many contemporary authorities. Rav Stern passed away on 2 Av 5757 (1997).
medical condition. He wanted to know how he should respond when his father asks him to go to the store to buy cigarettes, or to pass him the cigarettes so he can smoke. He asked if he must listen to his father, if he is allowed to listen, or if he is forbidden to obey.

I replied that it is forbidden to obey his father in this situation; even passing him the cigarettes would be forbidden. However, I am not sure if the son should actively hide or take away his fathers cigarettes. I think it Based on this discussion, I ruled thus in better that he not do this. the following situation: Someone asked me whether he may give his father a njavasky@torontotorah.com cigarette. The opinion of the medical world is that cigarettes are harmful, and doctors specifically warned his father to stay away from smoking due to his

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HAKARAT HATOV
Over the course of the past year, we have had the pleasure and privilege of working with many wonderful schools, shuls and organizations in the Jewish community. We would like to express our hakarat hatov, and to thank all of you for giving us the opportunity to work with your students, congregants and members to help make a difference.

Adas Israel-Hamilton Ateres Mordechai Ayin l'Tzion BAYT Bnai Torah TanenbaumCHAT Clanton Park Shul DANI
Forest Hill Jewish Centre

Kehillat Shaarei Torah

Machzikei haDas, Ottawa

Shaarei Tefillah Shomrai Shabbos

Thornhill Community Shul

Marlee Shul Mekorot Miles Nadal JCC Mizrachi Bayit Mizrachi Canada NCSY / Torah High Netivot Or Chaim Minyan Shaarei Shomayim

Ulpanat Orot The Village Shul Westmount Shul Yeshivat Or Chaim Zichron Yisroel of AHS
Thank you, and we pray that next year our partnerships only grow stronger!

JLIC and Hillel at University of Toronto, York and Guelph

Schedule for the Week of July 23, 21 Tammuz

Shabbat, July 23 Avreich Shabbaton in Clanton Park! 7:45AM R Azarya Berzon, Ramban Al HaTorah, Or Chaim Post-Hashkamah R Azarya Berzon, Clanton Park 5:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Reuven, Gad and Lech Lecha, BAYT for women One Hour before Minchah R Azarya Berzon, Masechet Kiddushin, Mizrachi Bayit After Minchah R Mordechai Torczyner, Masechet Avodah Zarah, BAYT Monday, July 25 7:45PM R Azarya Berzon, Rambam, Clanton Park 9:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Ramban al Hatorah, 12 Midvale Tuesday, July 26 7:30PM R Mordechai Torczyner: Minchat Chinuch at Clanton Park, The Mumar at the Seder, Part II 7:45 PM R Azarya Berzon, Halachah and Hashkafah for Life, Clanton Park 8:30PM Dovid Zirkind: Interactive Parshah, Westmount Learning Centre

Sunday, July 24 6:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Gemara Kiddushin, Shaarei Mon-Fri 6 AM R Mordechai Torczyner: Daf Yomi, BAYT Shomayim 7:30PM R Azarya Berzon, Masechet Makkot, Shaarei Sunday, Aug 7 8 PMR Mordechai Torczyner and R Shomayim Mordechai Scheiner pre-Tisha bAv at BAYT

We would like to thank koshertube.com for filming our shiurim! Visit us at www.torontotorah.com