BS”D
Yud Shvat, 5780. February 4, 2020
Some topics discussed:
1- Continued from last week:
Reducing the height of a Sukkah that is more than 20 amos high.
By placing pillows and blankets on the floor. The issue here is the fact that these items will not remain on the floor permanently.
We mentioned the Meiri (top line) that writes about expensive carpets that although a wealthy man would not care if they get ruined, nevertheless ‘his mindset is not in the majority’ and we follow what most people think.
But see here.
Speaking of the Meiri, we mentioned that the existence of his manuscripts were unknown for many years. Many of the great פוסקים were unaware of his writings.
We spoke about Reb Avrohom Soifer who published many of the מאירי manuscripts who was a frequent visitor by the Rebbe.
2- Speaking of carpets…. we mentioned the prohibition of kneeling on a stone floor. From there we moved onto the ‘falling on our face’ נפילת אפים while saying תחנון, and if one is permitted to do so on a stone floor that is covered with carpets.
Having mentioned תחנון we related the fascinating story quoted in the ארוחות חיים Orchos Chaim. By ר’ אהרן מלוניל
After שמונה עשרה one says והוא רחום ..to be said in a loud voice while standing…….and the גאונים write that ‘we have accepted upon us and our children to eternity’……
..and this is the Minhag to say והוא רחום and why it was enacted. The story is with a boat of Jews….that were exiled from Yerusholayim to a foreign nation. When asked by the king of this land what nation they belonged to they responded ‘from the Jewish nation’.
The king then tells them that ‘if you are indeed Jewish then I want to test you just as חנני׳ מישאל ועזרי׳ were tested by being thrown into a burning furnace’.
They responded to the king ‘give us 30 days’. The king granted their wish and they fasted the entire time. In the interim whatever they saw in their dreams they discussed with their colleagues.
At the end of the 30 days, one of them, ‘an older G-D fearing man, who was not well versed tells them that ‘In my dream a Posuk was read to me. It contained twice the word כי and three times the word לא, but I have no clue what Posuk it is’.
So another elder sage tells him that surely the following is the verse they showed you from heaven:
כִּי תַעֲבֹר בַּמַּיִם אִתְּךָ אָנִי וּבַנְּהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּךָ כִּי תֵלֵךְ בְּמוֹ אֵשׁ לֹא תִכָּוֶה וְלֶהָבָה לֹא תִבְעַר בָּךְ.
ישעי׳ מג, ב.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
And, concluded the elder, ‘you should go into the furnace and you will surely be saved’!
At the order of the king a large new fire pit was built at a crossroad. The old G-D fearing man that had the dream entered the fire pit, he was unharmed and the fire split into three paths. He then saw three צדיקים that came to greet him. They then recited והוא רחום. The first one said until אנא מלך. The second one said until אין כמוך. The third from there until the end.
Based on this story the חכמים established that והוא רחום should be said every Monday and Thursday.
http://www.chabad.org.il/Magazines/Article.asp?ArticleID=8245&CategoryID=1582
3- We began the Sugya of Dofen Akuma. דופן עקומה
To be continued.
4- Speaking of long and short walls we related the humorous saying of Red Yochanan Gordon. ‘If one has a short foot the other is a little longer’.