Ask The Rabbi 
7 November 1998 
Issue #212
Parshas Vayera
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This publication is available in HTML format at 
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Researched at Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem 
This Issue Contains: 
1. The Boss's Bad Side	5. Talmud Chacham
2. Lunar Liturgy	6. Yiddle Riddle
3. Thought and Action	7 Public Domain
4. Is Hashem in the Bible?
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____The Boss's Bad Side____

Name@Withheld from Miami, FL wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

On teshuvah (repentance), when one has sinned against another, it is not 
going to have been a pleasant experience.  Judaism teaches us as 
individuals to "do" rather than to give lip service for something.  
Therefore, is it not better to just "do" and improve upon a sin rather than 
apologize and ask for forgiveness?

I think of a time when my employer and I had a heated discussion and things 
were said that were better left unsaid.  While I feel the need for teshuvah 
through my disrespect of my employer, I feel that this can be accomplished 
by improving upon my work product and attitude, rather than re-visit a 
sensitive and bothersome approach.  I would appreciate your insight.

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

Dear Name@Withheld,

	Although you are correct regarding the main components of teshuvah, 
you also have an obligation to appease your employer if he still holds a 
grudge.  However, it does not have to be in an embarrassing way; you can 
send chocolates or a bottle of whisky with a short note.


____Lunar Liturgy____

Peter Merker from NYC <peter106@aol.com> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Where does the halacha for kiddush levana (blessing for the New Moon) come 
from and have there been any Torah authorities who were opposed to it?

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

Dear Peter Merker,

	The source for blessing the new moon comes from the Talmud.  To my 
knowledge, there have never been any Torah authorities who opposed it.

	I assume that your question is based on the misconception that 
sanctifying the moon bears a resemblance to moon-worship.  This is an 
absolute fallacy.  We are not worshipping the moon, we are praising G-d for 
His marvelous creations, including the miracle of the moon's monthly 
rebirth.  One of the principal ways to recognize G-d is through G-d's 
works; the immutable monthly cycle of the moon is one of the more visible 
aspects of G-d's masterful creation.

	Additionally, we see the monthly rebirth of the moon as a symbol of 
G-d's promise to ultimately redeem the Jewish People and to make us whole 
again.

Sources:

* Talmud Sanhedrin 42a


____Thought and Action____

Name@Withheld wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I have heard that Halacha is related to philosophy and you can learn 
philosophical ideas through Halacha, but I don't understand how, please 
help.

Dear Name@Withheld,

	This is true.  Here's an example:  The Code of Jewish Law states the 
following:  "It is customary to say to someone who has bought new clothing, 
`May you wear it out and renew it.'  And there are those who wrote that one 
should not say this for shoes or clothing made of leather, for if he does 
wear it out, another animal will have to be killed to make a new garment, 
and it states, `His mercy is upon all His creations.'  Now, although this 
reasoning is not conclusive, many people do not say this [blessing over 
leather shoes or clothing]."  

	That is the halacha.  What is the philosophical lesson?  Even though 
we are allowed to use animals, we should nevertheless not celebrate their 
death.  As Nachmanides says:  The regulation of shechita (ritual 
slaughter), in all its details, is in order to reduce the pain that the 
animal registers, and it acts as a reminder that we are not dealing with 
things outside the law; they are not automatons devoid of life, but they 
are living beings.

	This is just one of the examples of the connection between Jewish law 
and Jewish outlook. There are countless others.  Perhaps the best 
exposition of this idea is found in a book called Horeb, by Rabbi Samson 
Raphael Hirsch.

Sources:

* Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 223:6 Rema
* Nachmanides, Deuteronomy 22:6


____Is Hashem in the Bible?____

Marilyn Brewer <mbrewer@fastdata.net> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Who is Hashem?  I have never found that name in the Bible.

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

Dear Marilyn Brewer,

	We use the word Hashem to refer to G-d.  Literally, Hashem means "The 
Name."    The word Hashem actually appears in the Torah, as in "...fear the 
great and awesome Hashem (Name) -- the L-rd your G-d." (Deutoronomy 28:58).

	Essentially, the reason for using a substitute is out of respect.  
The actual name of Hashem has inherent sanctity and must be treated with 
respect; for example, it may not be erased.


____Talmud Chacham____

Sheldon J. Elfenbein from Massapequa Park, NY <ivorydoc@optonline.net> 
wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Please differentiate Talmud, Mishna, and Gemara.

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

Dear Sheldon J. Elfenbein,

	The Mishna is the famous composition by Rabbi Yehudah the Nasi in 
which he compiled the Oral Law (revealed at Mt. Sinai) and the major 
teachings of the Tanaim, the early scholars from the time of the Second 
Temple until about 100 years after its destruction.  The Talmud is the 
composition containing the explanations of the Mishnah by the Amoraim, the 
later scholars who lived after the death of Rabbi Yehudah the Nasi, circa 
220 CE-500 CE.  It was compiled mainly by the Sages Ravina and Rav Ashi in 
the last generation of Amoraim.

	The word Gemara is simply the Aramaic word meaning Talmud; hence 
these terms are used interchangeably.

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Yiddle Riddle

Last week we asked:  During a certain period of the year, there is 
something we do three times a day, almost every day.  We do it twice with 
one part of the body and once with another part of the body (according to 
Ashkenazic custom).  What is it?

Answer:  Nefilat apaim (tachanun) during selichot.  It is performed twice 
with the left arm and once with the right, as follows:

	Starting several days before Rosh Hashanah and continuing until Yom 
Kippur, we say penitential selichot prayers, part of which includes nefilat 
apaim, the putting down of the head.  Nefilat apaim is performed by putting 
one's head down upon one's sleeve and saying a prayer.  It is customarily 
performed by putting one's head down upon one's weaker arm (for most 
people, the left arm.)

	Nefilat apaim is repeated two more times as part of the normal daily 
prayers, once during the morning prayers (shacharit) and once during the 
afternoon prayers (mincha).  During mincha, it is also performed as 
mentioned above, by putting the head on the left arm.  During shacharit 
however, in deference to the tefillin which one wears on one's left arm, 
one performs nefilat apaim upon one's right arm.

* Riddle submitted by Rabbi Yonasan Taub


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The Public Domain
Comments, quibbles, and reactions 
concerning previous "Ask-the-Rabbi" features


Re:  Little Kippur (Ask #208):

	Regarding the question of Hoshana Rabba being called Yom Kippur 
Katan, allow me to explain the background as to how this misunderstanding 
arose.  Coming from a North-Hungarian Germanic extraction (Ungarisha 
Overlander), allow me to say that in my Father's house, Hoshana Rabba was 
always referred to as a Mini Yom Kippur; in other words, if you had not 
quite made it by Yom Kippur itself, you could still correct the sealing of 
your decree up to the end of Hoshana Rabba.  Now take the English 
expression Mini Yom Kippur and translate it into Hebrew, what do you get?  
"Yom Kippur Katan."

* Joseph Lunzer, Har Nof, Jerusalem

**********

Re:  Mini Ha Ha (Ask #210):

	Regarding your Yiddle Riddle, the shortest word in the Torah is the 
hey in Parshat Ha'azinu in the word Ha'lashem.  It is written as a large 
letter and is considered a word to itself.  I am a ba'al koreh and was 
taught that when reading this passage, one should read it as two words 
(i.e., Ha Lashem) similar to the word aish dat in Parshat V'zot Habracha, 
which is pronounced as two words although written as one.

* Michael Mirsky <mirskym@mail.interlog.com>

Ohrnet Notes: 

	There are several accepted customs regarding the conducting of the 
Torah reading. Please see Minchas Shai on Devarim 32:6

**********

Re:  Suffering for Adam's Sin (Ask #209):

	Your explanation of why future generations suffer from Adam's sin 
reminded me of an illustration I once heard from a well known scholar:  If 
a rich person squanders his wealth and his children are raised in poverty 
as a result, they are not "punished" for their father's actions, yet they 
suffer as a result of their father's actions.  This does not contradict the 
principle that one is not punished for the sins of his fathers.

	Similarly, I saw that statistically, people whose mothers smoked 
while they are in utero are more likely to become smokers than people whose 
mothers didn't smoke.  These children definitely suffer because of their 
mothers' actions, but certainly have the free will to choose whether to 
smoke or not, and if they choose to smoke, are responsible for their own 
actions.

	On a humorous note, I remember the line of the beggar from "Fiddler 
on the Roof:" 

Beggar:  "Only one kopek?  Last week you gave me two kopeks!"

Rich Man:  "I had a bad week."

Beggar: "If you had a bad week, why should I suffer?"

* Benjie Gerstman, Jerusalem  <gerstbpg@netvision.net.il>

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