Shiur Shkolim 3a 11/14/23

BSD

Shkolim 3a

Kislev 1, 5784. November 14, 2023

Short notes.

Tombstones and monuments:

Our Mishnah: On the 15th of Adar we renew the מציבות (using fresh white lime/paint). This is to alert the כהנים to avoid coming into contact with the טומאה.

Montefiore Cemetery | Wellwood Memorials

1- We continued the story of the מצבה of a Reb Zecharia ben Yedidya that was found in a garden dating back to the year 5159 or 1398. (ה’קנ”ט) and the תשובה of the חתם סופר (YD 337) that discusses the ramifications of טומאה of this קבר.

[The Jewish quip of the museum guide that told a group of visitors that ‘this dinosaur is 6 million and twelve years old’]

2- His conclusion based on Chazal: it’s not only the Luz bone that lasts for many years but that bones in general can still exist thousands of years after burial.

So whose bones remain and whose turn to עפר? The חתם סופר quotes the גמרא in Shabbos (152, b) That one who was not a jealous person merits that his bones remain intact.

(משלי יד , ל) ורקב עצמות קנאה כל מי שיש לו קנאה בלבו עצמותיו מרקיבים כל שאין לו קנאה בלבו אין עצמותיו מרקיבים

So this Reb Zecharia ben Yedidya, being that he has a חזקת כשרות and was not a jealous person, we must assume that his bones are still intact despite it being interred for hundreds of years. Therefore a Kohen should avoid the area of his מצבה.

3- Discussed the עצם לוז and why it lasts forever.

Briefly, this bone gets its nourishment only from food consumed at a מלוה מלכה.

אדם הראשון who ate from the עץ הדעת, was cursed that he will be returned to the earth from which he was created. כִּי עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל עָפָר תָּשׁוּב

However, the עץ הדעת was eaten on Friday. It follows that although the body of אדם הראשון received nourishment from the עץ הדעת, the לוז bone did not, since it was not a מלוה מלכה!

מלוה מלכה – Heichal Menachem – Monsey

Thus, it was not cursed to turn back to עפר and therefore never decomposes!

4- We spoke about the famous Pre War Rov of Kishinev, Reb Yehuda Leib Tsirelson ע”ה of Besserabia who dedicated his life for כלל ישראל and fought many battles against Anti Semitism. Sadly he was killed by the Germans ימ”ש.

Hebrew. English.

In one of his books ( מערכי לב YD 42), we come across a question that was asked by the Rov of Karlsburg if it is proper to build a commemorative monument for Jewish soldiers that perished in WW1.