BS”D

Sukkah 53b (2)

Menachem Av 7, 5783. July 25. 2023

Short notes.

1- We began with a quip about the בני גד ובני ראובן volunteering, not only fight the כנעניים for 7 years, but also to remain on the West Bank an additional 7 years until ארץ ישראל  would be divided the the 10 שבטים.

See below in Hebrew.

2- The Mishna about the various amounts of תקיעות blown in the בית  המקדש on a daily basis.

A minimum of 21 and a maximum of 48.

For example: 6 Tekios on Erev Shabbos. One of the 6 was to alert people to remove their תפילין.

9 for תמיד של שחר and 9 for תמיד של בין הערבים.

The Mishna then continues to illustrate days when a maximum of 48 תקיעות  were blown – on a Friday in middle of Chol Hamoed Sukos.

See here a helpful chart.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-GRqapDVe4LgjyKdnFKi8XT6ys9a13EP22tKfLsWQzY/edit?gid=0#gid=0

 

A fragment of rock “לבית התקיעה”  from where they would blow the trumpet…

Now 6 of the 48 were for the regular Erev Shabbos תקיעות. We discussed the obvious question – does this not prove that תפילין should be donned on חול המועד?

Unless we apply the לא פלוג rule. Meaning that they followed a steady schedule of 6 תקיעות every  ערב שבת  year round even if on a particular week it was redundant.

3- We spoke about the fascinating מהר”ץ חיות take on רבי יהודה דורתאי who ‘left the חכמים and moved South’, out of ארץ ישראל .

פסחים ע,ב

Despite his bold move of setting up a ‘tish’ or Yeshiva on his own, a very rebellious move indeed, the גמרא would quote ברייתות and other sayings from that Yeshiva.

Reb Yochanan even went there to try to bring them back.

 

Thus we find places in ש”ס that quotes from people from that area are prefaced that ‘he is from the South’.

One is on our Daf: כי אתא ר’ אחא בר חנינא מדרומא

The idea is to show that despite the dislike of the חכמים towards them, they would not refrain from mentioning them and attempting to be מקרב them.

 

More on this topic BL”N at the next Shiur.

Food for thought. Tomorrow at Minchah we will say נחם.

Why is the בית המקדש not mentioned explicitly?

נחם ה’ אלהינו את אבלי ציון ואת אבלי ירושלים, ואת העיר האבלה והחֳרבה והבזויה והשוממה. האבלה מבלי בניה, והחריבה ממעונותיה, והבזויה מכבודה, והשוממה מאין יושב. והיא יושבת וראשה חפוי כאישה עקרה שלא ילדה. ויבלעוה לגיונות, ויירשוה עובדי זרים, ויטילו את עמך ישראל לחרב, ויהרגו בזדון חסידי עליון. על כן ציון בְּמַר תבכה וירושלים תתן קולה. לבי לבי על חלליהם, מעי מעי על חלליהם, כי אתה ה’ באש הצתה ובאש אתה עתיד לבנותה. כאמור: ואני אהיה לה נאם ה’ חומת אש סביב ולכבוד אהיה בתוכה. ברוך אתה ה’, מנחם ציון ובונה ירושלים.

Have an easy fast.

יהי רצון מלפניך ה’ אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו שיבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימינו ותן חלקנו בתורתך

———–

להפיג קצת את הצער של ימים אלו…..

אולי אפ”ל בהלצה….

בפרשיות מטות ודברים סופר על בני גד ובני ראובן שהציעו למשרע”ה שיקחו חלקם בעבר הירדן.

משה הסכים בתנאי שיחלצו למלחמה נגד הכנענים, עם שאר השבטים, עד סוף הכיבוש.

בני גד ובני ראובן, לא רק שהסכימו, אלא גם לקחו על עצמם להישאר עד אחרי ה’שבע שחלקו’.

 

מאיפה באה כזו מס”נ, לא להתאחד עם משפחתם לעוד שבע שנים! והעיקר, לכאורה מה יוסיף נוכחותם בעידן חלוקת הארץ?

ידועה הסיפור על הגבאי שאמר לעגונה ר”ל, אחרי שיצאה מהרבי’לה הקדוש עם ברכה ממנו שבעלה יחזור אלי’-  ‘גבירתי, בעלך לא חוזר. נקודה’.

העגונה האומללה רצה בחזרה לרבי’לה וצועקת במר נפשה להבין מה קורה כאן. בעלה חוזר או לא חוזר?

הרבי’לה שואל את הגבאי תגיד לי בבקשה, מאיפה אתה יודע שבעלה לא חוזר.

עונה הגבאי: ‘הרבי’לה שלי הקדוש הסתכל בשמים והבטיח לה שהוא חוזר. אני הסתכלתי עלי’ ואני בטוח שהוא לא חוזר….’

משרע”ה אומר לבני גד ובני ראובן להצטרף למלחמה נגד הכנענים ואחרי זה לחזור הביתה.

גד ובני ראובן אכן מסכימים. אבל מוסיפים על הבטחתם. הם ישארו עד סוף חלוקת הארץ.

למה?

כי הם פרקטיים ומכירים את אחיהם ויודעים שלאחר מלחמת הכיבוש תתחיל אז מלחמת העולם השניה – חלוקת הארץ……

והרי הבטיחו למשה רבינו להישאר עד אחרי המלחמה…..

 

 

 

BSD

Suka 53b

Tamuz 29, 5783. July 18, 2023

1- We began with the story of דוד המלך digging into the ground at the exact location where the מזבח would eventually be built. The purpose was to create a drain channel to reach the underground water stream.

When the wine and water would be poured from the holes atop the מזבח, it would drain into these channels drilled by דוד המלך.

In doing so, he unintentionally ‘unplugged’ the underground water system causing it to flow upwards with great force flooding the earth and placing the entire world in danger of ‘drowning’.

Unable to re-plug this hole, he asked if one would be allowed to write the ‘שם ה on a shard to drop this shard into the water well until it reaches the hole and plug it.

His teacher אחיתופל replied with a קל וחומר from סוטה where the שם השם is erased to ‘bring peace between man and wife’. Thus, to save the world, one could of course cause the (unintentional) erasure of the שם השם.

We discussed a few topics on this interesting story.

2- Question of Rashi in Makos 10a about the chronological order of the story:

דוד המלך purchased the plot of land (from ארוונה) where the בית המקדש was built (by שלמה המלך ) close to his פטירה. But אחיתופל was not alive at that time!

דוד המלך’s son אבשלום rebelled against him 3 years before that. אחיתופל, who sided with אבשלום, when he realized that אבשלום would lose against his father דוד המלך, ended his own life. So, asks Rashi, how do the years jive?

[We mentioned briefly from a previous Shiur (May 2012) that this rebellion actually caused דוד המלך to lose his status as a מלך!]

Rashi answers is that דוד המלך, knowing that eventually he would purchase the property and the בית המקדש will be built on it, dug this well/drain years prior to purchasing it.

The מהרש”א takes issue with this explanation by Rashi. No one knew, prior to דוד המלך purchasing the הר הבית, where the בית המקדש would eventually be built.

The מהרש”א suggests that דוד המלך actually thought that the בית המקדש will be built elsewhere. As the גמרא says in  זבחים,  נד ב he chose a place called עין עיטם until he was told that it should be built on a lower mountain top.

So  דוד המלך dug these holes years in עין עיטם before he purchased the הר הבית and indeed אחיתופל was still alive at the time.

3- We mentioned the גליוני הש”ס who asks why דוד didn’t mention the story of משה רבינו writing the שם השם and dropping it into the נילוס to cause the casket of יוסף הצדיק to raise?

His answer briefly is that it was before מתן תורה.

The brilliant works of Reb Yosef Engel

4- The question of the ערוך לנר. What was דוד המלך’s question if one would be allowed to cause the ‘שם ה to be erased. It was פיקוח נפש where everything (except for  גילוי עריות, שפיכת דמים and עבודה זרה) is allowed!

He suggests that perhaps the erasing the  שם השם is considered חילול השם which is a branch of עבודה זרה.

5- Others suggest that דוד המלך’s question was if the erasing of the שם השם was a proven method to save lives. Just as using  non kosher medicine to save a life is not only permitted but an obligation to use. Had this erasure of the שם השם been ‘clinically’ proven to be effective, there would not have been any doubts.

6- The above led us to touch and scratch the surface of a huge topic. What איסורים are we allowed to transgress to save someone’s life? For example, when and what type of non Kosher medication may be administered to a חולה ר”ל.

Briefly – there are many types of actions to heal sicknesses לא עלינו Administering medicines, remedies etc. Spiritual healings.

We can categorize them into 3 groups.

A- רפואה ידועה. Meaning a tested and verified medication or other action that we are sure that this can heal this particular sickness.

Even a pill that definitely works for others but on this particular patient it is a ספק is considered a רפואה ידועה.

Like antibiotics. Even if not kosher,  it must be taken if it will save a life.

See Alter Rebbe in OC 328, 2. And 306, 29 and the Kuntres Achron there.

B- רפואה שאינה ידועה. Meaning, a medication that has not been established yet; is still undergoing trials. The ingredients of this pill or method have the means of healing but as of now has not been 100% proven to be effective or we don’t yet understand the science of how it works.

 

Perhaps: Heating a hot water bottle on Shabbos to place on an aching stomach. באנקעס? Acupuncture?

“[T]he effectiveness of cupping has been demonstrated only as a treatment for pain, and even for this indication doubts remain.”

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies.

C- סגולה. A ‘medication’ that has no logical reason for it to work. Yet some people swear that it is effective for them while others claim it to be voodoo medicine and ineffective. It may very well be that it does work for some. But it is outside the world of science. There is no logic to its effectiveness. Homeopathy?

7- Can non kosher pills that ‘heal’ only as a סגולה be used if not kosher? Can one be מחלל שבת to acquire these pills? Drive to a ‘healer’ on Shabbos?

אברהם יצחק שפרלינג טעמי המנהגים

Hepatitis Remedy?

We discussed the צמח צדק that says it is perhaps it is actually a מחלוקת in a Mishna!

See  OC 38.

8- Where does a קמיע fit in this discussion?

A, B or C.

This is a topic on its own. We mentioned the ראשונים that allow an expert קמיע writer that has a proven record that his קמיעs are effective to write a קמיע on Shabbos!!!

9 – We discussed various scenarios but will mention here a most interesting one: Writing a פדיון נפש to a צדיק on Shabbos.

The מהרש”ם relates a story (3, 225) of a Rov in Zlotchov who allowed to instruct a goy to write a Pan that was sent to Brody to the שר שלום of Belz. The Rov of Brody, Reb Shlomo Kluger was very unhappy and banned this Rov and removed him from his position.

When the שר שלום of Belz heard about it, he too was displeased and said that ‘now I must Daven to ensure the patient will recover as otherwise the חילול שבת  would have been caused (indirectly) by me’.

And indeed, the חולה recovered!

See here for more on this topic.

ומסיימין בטוב with a Brachah for a Refuah Shleima to all our friends in need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BSD

 

Suka 53a

Tamuz 22, 5783. July 11, 2023

 

תניא אמר ר’ יהושע בן חנניה כשהיינו שמחים שמחת בית השואבה לא ראינו שינה בעינינו כיצד שעה ראשונה תמיד של שחר משם לתפלה משם לקרבן מוסף משם לתפלת המוספין משם לבית המדרש משם לאכילה ושתיה משם לתפלת המנחה משם לתמיד של בין הערבים מכאן ואילך לשמחת בית השואבה איני והאמר רבי יוחנן ^אשבועה שלא אישן שלשה ימים מלקין אותו וישן לאלתר אלא הכי קאמר לא טעמנו טעם שינה דהוו מנמנמי אכתפא דהדדי:

 

We have learned in a Beraisa : Reb Joshua ben Reb Hananiah said: When we were engaged in rejoicing at the drawing of water, our eyes saw no sleep. How so?

The first hour for the morning daily sacrifice; afterwards for praying, and from that to the מוספים; after that the מוסף prayer; afterwards we went to the house of learning; from there we went to eat and drink at home, and afterwards the Mincha prayer; and from the Mincha prayer to the daily evening sacrifices, and from that time we rejoiced at the drawing of the water till the morning.

They did not sleep for seven days?

Did not Reb Yochanan say: If one says: ‘I swear I will not sleep three days’, he gets מלקות for a false oath, and can go to sleep immediately?

He meant to say: We have not tasted any sleep, but we napped each on the other’s shoulders.

We touched upon a few topics of this ברייתא.

1- Sleeping outside of a Suka.

Our eyes saw no sleep.

We have not tasted any sleep, for we slept on each  other’s shoulders.

How did these חסידים ואנשי מעשה take a nap outside a Sukkah?

The Halachah is that sleeping in a Sukkah is a requirement and unlike eating, where a snack is permitted to be eaten outside a Suka, sleeping out of a the Sukkah is prohibited  – even a שינת ארעי.

The תשב”ץ discusses  (א, ק) the issue of the חסידים ואנשי מעשה  that participated in שמחת בית השואבה and took a quick nap ‘on the shoulder’ of others. It seems that this nap was not in a Suka.

The תשב”ץ suggests that perhaps the reason for the איסור for a short nap outside a Suka is only a חשש, as one may sleep for a long time.

So according to the  תשב”ץ, a שינת ארעי would be permitted, at least מן התורה.

[Perhaps he also meant  that these חסידים ואנשי מעשה had no fear to sleep for a long time since there were napping while on their feet].

Others apply the rule of  העוסק במצוה פטור מן המצוה. This would answer the question on these  חסידים ואנשי מעשה that took a nap outside the Sukkah.

The Rebbe writes about this ברייתא that ‘perhaps this is the source for Chasidim not sleeping in a Sukkah’.  See here: LS 19, 272. Footnote 48.

 

We also discussed the lengthy שיחה of the Rebbe explaining the מנהג חב”ד not to sleep in the Sukkah based on the above story that occurred at שמחת בית השואבה. See here. LS 29 page 211 and on.

2- Davening בזמן הבית.

 The first hour for the morning daily sacrifice; afterwards for praying,

Praying in the בית המקדש? Don’t we always say: תפילות במקום קרבנות תקנום?

So we discussed another תשב”ץ. This one is in 2, 161.

He derives from our גמרא that indeed, there was תפילה in the בית המקדש. Undoubtedly, he adds, their נוסח  was different that ours. Surely they didn’t say ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים or

שיבנה בית המקדש …

See there more details and the ירושלמי he quotes.

3 – Women davening Musaf

 And from that to the מוספים; after that the מוסף prayer

 Mentioned the famous Reb Akiva Eiger (9) that women are not obligated to daven Musaf.

Whereas שחרית and מנחה (or any short תפילה) they are obligated to daven daily, (either because it’s not a  מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא or because they are asking for רחמי.  See below from the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch)  davening Musaf on the other hand, is only a commemoration of the קרבן מוסף.

This Korban, being a קרבן ציבור was acquired from the מחצית השקל that was collected yearly. Now, since women are פטור from מחצית השקל they have no obligation to Daven מוסף.

[Others disagree with Reb Akiva Eiger’s Psak].

The question asked by many is from the above story where R. Joshua ben R. Hananiah says that they went to daven Musaf. But R. Joshua was a Levi and Leviim didn’t need to give מחצית השקל as well. So why did he daven Musaf?

[It’s a ‘weak’ question. Maybe he was referring to the others. Additionally, while there is no obligation, it does not mean one cannot daven Musaf].

4 – Not sleeping for 3 days.

 If one says: I swear I will not sleep three days, he gets מלקות for a false oath, and can go to sleep immediately

 The simple reason he gets מלקות is that a human cannot control his lack of sleep and will surely fall asleep.

What about eating? A person can control his eating and refrain from earring until he ‘expires’ from hunger. See here in Rambam and Kesef Mishna.

How long can one last?

In מגילת אסתר it says that Esther requested that מרדכי to declare a 3 day fast.

לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשָׁן וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל תֹּאכְלוּ וְאַל תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים לַיְלָה וָיוֹם גַּם אֲנִי וְנַעֲרֹתַי אָצוּם כֵּן וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָבַדְתִּי אָבָדְתִּי.

We discussed that in Yevamos 121b It says explicitly that they fasted 3 days with no breaks.

On the other hand , in מדרש רבה and other places it says that they did break their fast every night. They explain the פסוק  as follows:

לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשָׁן – to daven.

וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל תֹּאכְלוּ וְאַל תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים – meaning to fast just 3 days. Not the nights.

And we should pray – לַיְלָה וָיוֹם

———————————–

BSD

 Suka 52b (2)

Tamuz 15, 5783. July 4, 2023

1- We continued with the Agadata where the Gemara describes the 4 ‘craftsmen’ that constructed or will construct projects.

משיח בן דוד and משיח בן יוסף, the 2 משיחים who will rebuild the 3rd בית המקדש.

אליהו הנביא who built the מזבח on הר הכרמל and Shem, the son of נח assisted his father with the building of the תיבה.

Mentioned briefly the שיחה of the Rebbe about the building of the תיבה. Since נח was instructed עשה לך תבת עצי גפר, the issue is- if  the לך meant to exclude any assistance from others?

In פשוטו של מקרא it is indeed so, which explains why Rashi does not need to explain why it took 120 years for  נח to construct it!

We find a similar expression to the building of a סוכה:

. חג הסוכות תעשה לך. And yet, there is no obligation for one to build his own Suka.

See here in LS 15, page 34 and on.

2- The גמרא continues to describe the great strength of the young כהנים that carried up the 30 לוג of oil to the top of the lamps for שמחת בית השואבה.

It compares their strength with the son on מרתא בת בייתוס, who was a very muscular כהן .

He was able to carry two sides of an ox. To show his strength he did this while walking  עקב בצד   גודל –  heel near the toe – meaning very slowly.

3- We discussed that it seems from Rashi that in general, the כהנים when carrying heavy loads in the Beis Hamikdash would run.

Mentioned the תוספות ישנים in Yoma 22a who say that all the movements of any עבודה  inside the בית המקדש would be עקב בצד גודל. Perhaps it’s a sign of respect not to rush or run.

שהזהיר הקב”ה את הכהנים שלא יהו פוסעין פסיעות גסות על גבי המזבח אלא יהו מהלכין עקב בצד גודל

4- One the chants of the חסידים ואנשי מעשה, was “We’re lucky that our conduct, when we were young, is not embarrassing us now, in our senior years”.

Their singing seems to be boasting about their status. Isn’t that contrary to being a חסיד?

5 – Spoke a bit of history about the Kotzker Rebbe, Reb Menachem Mendel Morgensztern. For a time perspective, he was 25 years old when the Alter Rebbe passed away in 1812.

 

His grandson, Reb Yisroel Morgensztern from Pilov, the 3rd Kotzker Rebbe, was known as an active proponent for Jews to move to Israel.

Reb Manachem Mendel’s daughter married Reb Avrohom Borenstein who was known as the Sochotchover Rebbe and author of the אבני נזר.

His son was Reb Shmuel is known by his epic book called שם משמואל.

In the Avnei Neizer CM 95. Page 125 Reb Shmuel (per the instruction of his father) writes to his cousin, Reb Yisroel the Rov of Pilov about the above question. How can a צדיק boast of his status and level of piety?

See here.

His point is that knowing one’s greatness is not a contradiction to being humble.

He begins with our גמרא where the חסידים would chant that ‘we have not done anything in our young years to be embarrassed about’.

Yet, they were very humble and חסידים.

He quotes a מדרש that משה רבינו considered the ‘lepers of ירושלים’ more worthy of him!

 

He continues about the oath administered to all prior to being born:

“משביעים אותו, תהי צדיק, ואל תהי רשע, ואפילו כל העולם כולו אומרים לך צדיק אתה, היה בעיניך כרשע”.

Meaning that one needs to strive to be a צדיק, but it’s important to remember that even if you reach such a level, and the entire world thinks you have become a a צדיק , consider yourself a רשע.

So knowing one’s own greatness is compatible with being truly humble.

 

We mentioned the expression of the שם משמואל, that the explanation of the above ‘has been explained by the Rav OBM [The Alter Rebbe] in the Tanya, and since the book is easily available there is no need for me to copy it’.

 

 

6- We concluded with the many explanations of the chant by Hillel:

אם אני כאן הכל כאן.

To be continued BL”N next week.

 

 

 

 

ר’ ישראל מורגנשטרן הרב מפילוב

https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C_%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%A0%D7%A9%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%9F