Ask The Rabbi
15 February 1997 
Issue #139 (Parashat Terumah)
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This Issue Contains:
1.  Shoot Me or I'll Kill Myself
2.  Hard Heart
3.  Yiddle Riddle
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Surie Fleischman<sally@post.tau.ac.il>

>If a Jew were to hold a gun to his own head and threaten to kill himself 
>unless you ate pig for example, what should you do?  Please answer as soon 
>as possible (Just kidding!).  Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Surie Fleischman,

In general, you must do anything in your power to save a life.  Except for 
murder, idol worship or forbidden relations, you must even perform Torah 
prohibitions in order to save a life.

However, it's forbidden to transgress the Torah to save the life of someone 
who, with forethought and malice, is trying to cause another person to sin.  
So, theoretically, in the hypothetical case you asked about, you would not 
be allowed to eat the unkosher meat.

But in reality, anyone who would do such a thing is probably emotionally 
disturbed and not fully responsible for his actions.  In such a case, you 
would eat non-kosher food -- you would even break Shabbat -- to save the 
person.

Sources:
o Yoreh Deah 158:2
o Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 329:1

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David T. Subar <dsubar@interna.com> wrote:

>The Parsha refers to Hashem hardening Pharaoh's heart, and therefore not 
>letting our people free.  This hardening caused further plagues, including 
>slaying of the first born.  Therefore, Hashem's action (hardening of 
>Pharaoh's heart) led to unnecessary suffering, since Pharaoh was of the 
>mind to free the Jews.  How is this explained by the Sages?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear David T. Subar,

Great question!  Here are two answers:

The extra plagues weren't a punishment for Pharaoh's stubbornness; rather, 
they were punishment for previous actions, such as oppressing innocent 
people, throwing babies in the river and attempted genocide.  All these 
actions were done with free will.

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart was merely a pretext, so to speak, for the 
timing of Egypt's punishment.  It was timed so as to impress indelibly and 
historically upon the collective consciousness of the Jewish People that 
Hashem controls everything.  But Pharaoh and company got only what they 
deserved, based on their previous bad deeds.

Here's another answer:  Really, the hardening of Pharaoh's heart wasn't 
taking away his free will.  Just the opposite!  The plagues had taken away 
Pharaoh's free will (in the opposite direction) by making Hashem's 
existence too obvious.  By hardening his heart, Hashem was merely restoring 
Pharaoh's free will to the point it had been prior to the plagues.

That is, Hashem didn't force Pharaoh to say "No."  He simply gave Pharaoh 
the opportunity to do so.  Nothing but his own stubbornness stopped Pharaoh 
from repenting.

Sources:
o  Ramban, Exodus 7:3 citing Midrash Rabbah
o  Sforno, Exodus7:3

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Yiddle Riddle

Last week we asked:
Halachically, what do the following days have in common?
1.  21 Cheshvan
2.  3 January
3.  14 Iyar

Answer:  They are the days outside Israel after which you no longer have to 
repeat Shmoneh Esrei prayer if you forgot whether or not you:

1.  Said "Mashiv Haruach u'Morid Hageshem"
2.  Said "Tal U'Matar"
3.  Omitted the above

The silent prayer contains seasonal additions for rain.  On Shemini Atzeret 
we begin praising Hashem for rain by saying Mashiv Haruach u'Morid 
Hageshem.  Starting the night of December 4th we add a prayer -- V'ten tal 
u'matar Livracha -- asking for rain.  On the first day of Pesach, we stop 
saying both of these.

If you forgot whether you correctly added the seasonal addition (or in the 
proper season omitted it), during the first thirty days you are assumed to 
have erred due to force of habit.  Therefore you must repeat the prayer 
correctly.

The dates listed above are, respectively, thirty days after the beginning 
of saying Mashiv Haruach u'Morid Hageshem (Shemini Atzeret), "Tal U'Matar" 
(December 5th), and ommitting them both on the first day of Pesach (15 
Nissan).

Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 114,117
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