Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vol.4 Num. 17
Hillel Horovitz
allowed to sacrifice his life; One who is allowed to do so; One who is in front of ten Jews. It is clear that Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah are counted in the third group. The Rambam sheds more light on this subject in his Book of Mitzvot (Mitzvah 9): "[This is] similar to the actions of Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah in the days of the wicked Nevuchadnezzar, who forced people to bow down to a statue, and everyone including Jews bowed down. Nobody there sanctified G-d's Name, and this was a tremendous shame for the Jewish people. Everyone did not fulfill this mitzvah, there was nobody to fulfill it; everyone was afraid." There are times when it is not obligatory to sanctify the name of G-d, but when no one does so then that, itself, is a disgrace for G-d's Name. Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah understood that even though it is not obligatory, everyone was watching; all of the Jews were looking on to see what they would do. That is when these men learned from the frogs. Within this understanding of the midrash, they understood that when it came to the frogs, each frog said, "Why should I be the one going in to the o v e n ?! " H o we ve r , ce r ta i n fr og s understood that if they wouldn't do it, no one would sanctify the name of G-d. It was up to them. From Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah we can learn that each and every one of us has the obligation to sanctify G-d's name, but from them we can also learn about the ability to draw lessons from anyone, even from frogs. hhorovitz@torontotorah.com
Looking at a Nation
Th e beginning of our par shah stimulated our sages to draw a very interesting comparison between Moshe and the patriarchs. As Rashi (6:3) explained it, G-d blamed Moshe here for not living up to the standards of our forefathers. When G-d promised the fathers that they would inherit the land, they neither questioned nor doubted the promise. Moshe Rabbeinu, on the other hand, asked at the end of last week's parshah, "Why have You harmed these people, why have You sent me?" (Shemot 5:22) This raises a question, though. In a well kn own midr a sh ( Nedarim 32a ), Shemuel argues that the reason for the enslavement in Egypt was Avraham's question, "How will I know that I will inherit it?" (Bereishit 15:8) If so, the whole exile in Egypt is a consequence of Avraham's making a comment which was very similar to the one made by Moshe here. Why, then, does G-d criticize Moshe? As a matter of fact, when looking closely at the verse cited by Shemuel, we see an even more acute question. Just two verses earlier the Torah tells us that Avraham had faith in Hashem, and that this was accounted for him as righteousness. Can it be that in so short a time, right after the Torah itself attested to his level of faith, Avraham would show the slightest doubt in G-d's promise? What, then, was the difference between Avraham and Moshe, and what did Hashem want Moshe to learn from Avraham's ways? It seems that the focal point is the change from Individual to Nation, a change achieved by the slavery in Egypt - the "iron crucible" (Devarim 4:20). The
Hatred
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
The Torah's instruction, You shall not hate your brother in your heart (Vayikra 19:17), is the foundation of a broad mitzvah prohibiting hatred. This is one of a class of mitzvot which relate to the emotions and the inner workings of ones mind; the class includes the prohibition against coveting others property, as well as the mitzvah of loving Hashem. As with the other prohibitions in this class, the Sefer haChinuch explains that one is in violation for trying to develop hatred, but not for that which occurs against his will. Additionally, one must work to eliminate any hatred that is present. The Meiri (Yoma 75a) expanded the scope of this biblical verse. As he explained it, the Torah is obligating us to benefit others even when we dislike them, and not to permit our emotions to occlude our moral vision. torczyner@torontotorah.com
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R Ezra Goldschmiedt
Torah in Translation
Rabbi Dr. Yissachar Dov (Bernard) Illowy (1814-1871) was one of the first Orthodox rabbis to arrive in America, serving as a leader in New York City, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis, New Orleans and Cincinnati. A descendant of a respected rabbinical family, Rabbi Illowy learned in Pressburg, Hungary under the Chatam Sofer, from whom he received rabbinical ordination. Rabbi Illowy was also accomplished in the world of academia, earning a doctorate in Hebrew from the University of Budapest, and afterwards learning under the guidance of Rabbi Shemuel Dovid Luzzato in Padua, Italy. Securing a position in the European rabbinate was difficult, as Rabbi Illowy was suspected by the authorities of sympathizing with revolutionaries against the ruling Habsburg monarchy. He migrated to America, where religious observance was sorely lacking at the time. An eloquent speaker, Rabbi Illowy did much to spread Orthodox values and practices in the communities that he served, although his efforts were ofte n me t wi th in surm oun table challenges. Some of his writings, originally appearing in periodicals and other works, were collected by his son Henry in the work Milchamot Elokim (see accompanying translation). In addition to the halachic discussions contained therein, the book serves as a fascinating window into American Jewish life in the 1800's. egoldschmiedt@torontotorah.com
After I researched and asked others what they relied on in eating them, and they were unable to answer anything other than that one saw his friend do so, and that this was how the leniency spread, I immediately commanded the shochet of my congregation that he no longer slaughter this type from that day onward... And I said to them that the [kosher] signs on their own are of no significance to permit any type of species that is not known to us, and for which it has not been traditionally transmitted to us from earlier generations that they are kosher... This "tradition" of theirs is not enough to enable me to permit. First, for there was never in any of these [other] congregations [that would eat Muscovy duck] a rabbi ordained from an expert beit din, or even a student who could rule [on such matters]. Further, it has been over thirty years in which it has been impossible to find properly slaughtered meat in the Jewish markets of these congregations...
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