Ask The Rabbi
10 January 1998 
Issue #175 (Parashat Vayechi)
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Did you know that EVERY question EVER published in Ask The Rabbi is
available on-line in an index for easy look-up?
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This Issue Contains:
1.  This Year in 1000 Oaks.  Next Year...?
2.  Edible Oinkers -- Will Ham be "LegitiMeat?"
3.  A Blessing on your Neck
4.  Today, I am a Man
5.  Yiddle Riddle
6.  Public Domain
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Dov Ben Essine from 1000 Oaks, California,<Foundry@elume.com> wrote:

>Dear Rabbi,
>
>Why is it that we are still saying "Shana Haba B'yerushalayim -- Next Year 
>in Jerusalem," since any Jew can now go there and live there of his own 
>free will?  Thanks for your answer.

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

Dear Dov Ben Essine,

The story is told of a poor man, Shmelke, who lived in a small village.  
The town folks wanted to support him, but without him feeling like he was 
accepting charity.  So they came up with a plan:  They hired him to sit at 
the city gates and wait for the Mashiach.

One day, a traveler approached the city and asked Shmelke what he was 
doing.  "This is my job,"  Shmelke said.  "My job is to wait here to greet 
the Mashiach."
"Does it pay well?" asked the traveler.
"Not really," said Shmelke, "but it's steady work."

When we say "Next year in Jerusalem" we mean that all Jews should actually 
be in Israel and in Jerusalem (not just as tourists!).  We mean Jerusalem 
as it is ideally meant to be -- with the Temple, the Sanhedrin and a Jewish 
Monarch.  We're still waiting.  Even we here in Jerusalem say "Next year in 
Jerusalem!"

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Dvora from New York, New York <Scorpion@nac.net> wrote:

>Dear Rabbi,
>I have heard that it is mentioned somewhere in the Talmud that in the 
>future, pork will no longer be trefah -- unkosher.  I find this hard to 
>believe!  Is there anything you can find to back this up?

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

Dear Dvora,

The Sages say, "Why is a pig called `chazir?'  Because it is destined to 
`chazor' --  return -- to a state of purity."  It's not clear if this is 
literal or allegorical.  Either way, the idea is this:  Everything, even 
evil, is ultimately rooted in holiness.  The good is merely hidden and 
covered up.  In the future, when Hashem "slaughters the evil inclination," 
evil will vanish and everything's inherent good will be revealed.  Even 
pig, representing everything "not kosher," will find its proper place.

Sources:
Shelah Pesachim 504
Kohelet Rabba 1:9

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[Name and email withheld] from Alabama wrote:

>Dear Rabbi,
>Would you please tell me what the writing is around the neck of the tallit 
>(prayer shawl)?  Could you please write it in English and in 
>Hebrew/English?  I'm not sure I worded that correctly, but what I mean is 
>that I can't read the Hebrew writing too well.  Thanks!

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

Dear [Name and email withheld],

Before putting on a tallit, we say the following blessing:  "Baruch Ata 
Ado-noi Elo-heiynu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu 
l'hitatef batzitzit" which means "Blessed are You L-rd, our G-d, King of 
the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to 
wrap ourselves in a tallit."

Recently, some people began writing this blessing on the neck of the 
tallit.  This has a practical advantage for someone who doesn't know the 
blessings by heart:  He can hold up the tallit, read the blessing and then 
put it on.  Traditionally, however, the tallit has no writing on it.  
Indeed, Maimonides in one of his letters maintains that it is forbidden to 
embroider verses from the Torah and blessings on a tallit.  One reason he 
gives is that a person may inadvertently wear the tallit in a place like a 
bathroom, where it is forbidden to bring written words of Torah.

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Sharon from Chickasha, Oklahoma <sharon@net2go.com> wrote:

>Dear Rabbi,
>My son and I are trying to research the Biblical age of accountability and 
>the Bar Mitzvah.  We would appreciate any help.  Thank You.

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

Dear Sharon,

The age thirteen for a boy is derived from a verse about Yaakov's son Levi.  
Referring to Shimon and Levi, the Torah says "each man took his sword ...."  
At that time Levi was thirteen years old.  He is thus the youngest person 
the Torah calls a "man."  The Torah specifically referred to him as a "man" 
in order to imply that thirteen is the age of male adulthood.

By age thirteen, it can be assumed that a boy has reached physical and 
mental maturity and is therefore responsible for his actions.  For a girl 
this is at age 12.  By Torah law, a 12 year-old girl or a 13 year-old boy 
can enter into legal contracts, incur legal obligations and must observe 
all the commandments, like keeping kosher and observing Shabbat.

Sources:

Rashi Tractate Nazir 29b
Tractate Sanhedrin chapter 8

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Yiddle Riddle:

Last week we asked:

"Here's a Yiddle Riddle my son Dovid is submitting:  Which person in Tanach 
was born before his mother ever was, died before his father, and is buried 
in his grandmother?"
Rabbi Chaim Salenger <Chaim@ohr.israel.net>

Answer:  Hevel [Abel]:
Born before his mother ever was -- his mother, Eve, was never "born."
Died before his father Adam -- Hevel was killed by his brother.
Buried in his grandmother -- his father, Adam, came from the earth, so the 
earth is his "grandmother."

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THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Comments, quibbles, and reactions 
concerning previous "Ask-the-Rabbi" features.

Re: "Watching the Detectives" (Ohrnet Vayeitzei) concerning the New York 
police detective who feels guilty about extracting confessions from violent 
criminals by feigning friendship:

Would you please forward my sincere appreciation to this cop.  I'm a Dutch 
trainee police-officer and I have struggled with the same issue for a long 
time.

        Arthur Swart from Amsterdam, The Netherlands <arthur_swart@usa.net>

-------------------------------------

Re: "Subway Psalms" (Ohrnet Toldot) about saying Tehillim [psalms] in the 
subway:

You probably should have mentioned to him that when he says Tehillim he 
should make an effort not to arouse any "bad feelings" by his neighbors on 
the subway (See Orach Chaim 1:1 MB 5).
                                           Micha Males <males@actcom.co.il>
---------------------

Re:  "Every rule has an exception" (Ohrnet Toldot):

This rule is, in fact, self-contradictory!  What would be the exception to 
this rule?  A rule without exceptions.  If such a rule exists, then the 
"rule" that "every rule has an exception" is false!
The Ziskinds, Cannery Row, Monterey, Cape Town <az@uctvms.uct.ac.za>

Even if there are no rules without exceptions, then this rule itself is the 
exception.
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