Ask The Rabbi 
13 March 1999
Issue #230
Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei
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This publication is available in HTML format at 
http://www.ohr.org.il/ask/ask230.htm 
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Researched at Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem 
This Issue Contains: 
1. Skip the Temple, Pass The Bar	5. Milk-Sop
2. Going Back				6. Snake Speak
3. Bad Samaritans			7. Yiddle Riddle
4. If I Were a Rich Man			8. Public Domain 
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___Skip the Temple, Pass The Bar___

B. Apple from the U. of Baltimore <bapple@ubmail.ubalt.edu> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I am in the middle of studying for the bar examination and am very nervous 
about it.  I am a practicing Jew, but do not go to temple very often.  I 
feel guilty for asking for G-d's blessing to pass the bar because of my 
failure to go to temple.  Should I feel this way, or does the fact the L-rd 
is in my heart make my prayers OK?

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

Dear B. Apple,

	I'll let King David answer your question!  King David wrote:  "G-d is 
close to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth."  (Psalms 145)

	G-d is close to you when you are close to Him.  You don't necessarily 
need to go to synagogue in order to be close to G-d, because G-d is 
everywhere.

	It's extremely meaningful to attend synagogue and pray with a 
"minyan" of ten.  But even if you don't do this, there's nothing wrong or 
hypocritical about praying to G-d in whatever situation you find yourself.

	So meditate on G-d's Unity and Omnipotence, and pray.  This can be 
done in your own language, in your own individual way of expression known 
only to you and G-d.


___Going Back___

Email@Withheld from Montreal, CA wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I am currently a student at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and spent 
the past year at a yeshiva in Jerusalem.  The contrast of a religious 
environment and a completely secular one has proved quite difficult for me.  
My Torah study has faltered along with many other aspects of Jewish 
observance.  I am wondering if you can suggest a way for me to remain 
religious while striving socially and academically in this secular 
environment.

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

Dear Email@Withheld,

	Ever heard the old expression that "no Jew is an island," or 
something like that?  An essential "survival technique" for any religious 
Jew is to be part of an observant community.  If you live in the dorms, 
this presents a problem.  It would be much better if you could board with 
an observant family.  It's very likely that such opportunities exist in 
Montreal; if at all possible, this should be your first step.

	Secondly, you need steady Torah study as part of your daily life.  
It's essential to set aside some time every day and night to study Torah, 
preferably with a chavruta study-partner.  Contact Rabbi Eliyahu 
Finkelstein or Rabbi Nosson Kulefsky, and they will help you find a study 
program that fits your college schedule.  I've included their address 
below.  Wishing you success!

Ohr Somayach of Montreal
6772 deVimy, Montreal, PQ H3S 2R9 
Tel: 514-341-6712 / 731-8348

___Bad Samaritans___

Janet from Dallas, Texas <vanheyst@usa.net> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Could you please tell me the ways in which Samaritans differed from other 
Jews?  I am preparing a talk and would like to be able to enumerate why the 
Samaritans were considered different from other Jews.  Thank you for your 
help.

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

Dear Janet,

	The Samaritans were non-Jews brought to Israel by the Assyrians to 
populate the North after the exile of the Ten Tribes.  They ostensibly 
converted to Judaism, but in reality they continued worshipping idols, save 
for a period when they were mistakenly considered genuine converts; hence 
the Samaritans were not considered Jews, neither by Jewish law nor by the 
Jewish people.

	They did not accept the Oral Tradition, which forms the overwhelming 
bulk of Jewish law.  They also did not accept any books of the Bible except 
for the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua.  Today, the Samaritan version of 
the Torah manuscript differs from ours by about 800 letters.

	The Samaritans often acted as enemies of the Jewish people.  They 
tried to destroy the Temple and to inform against the Jews to Roman 
authorities.  The parable of the "Good Samaritan" was actually an anti-
Semitic story intended to discredit the Jews.


___If I Were a Rich Man___

Daniel Rabchinskey from Mexico City, Mexico <derej@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

We are taught, "Who is rich?  The one who is happy with what he has."  
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this phrase does not apply to every aspect of 
our lives, or how does it work?  Let's say that in the material aspect it 
works, be happy with your house, car, food, etc.  But what about the 
spiritual side?  I don't think that it applies there, because if we are 
happy with our present knowledge, we wouldn't be looking for more and I 
wouldn't be asking this question!  So, how do we apply the principle?  
Thank you so much for your time and effort.  Shalom.

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

Dear Daniel Rabchinskey,

	Should a person be content spiritually?  Yes and no.  Different 
people have different spiritual capabilities, and a person should be 
thankful for whatever spiritual capabilities Hashem has given him.

	However, a person should never be content with his spiritual 
achievements.  The Talmud states that "jealousy of Sages increases wisdom."  
Our Sages teach us that a person should always say, "When will my actions 
reach the level of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?"

Sources:

* Tractate Bava Batra 22a
* Tanna D'vey Eliyahu, 23:1


___Milk-Sop___

Name@Withheld from Teaneck, New Jersey wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Is there some halacha about bread not allowed to be dairy?  I was reading 
an advertisement in a store in Brooklyn and it was written on the paper 
something about bread not being allowed to be dairy.  Is this a halacha?  I 
have never heard of this before, but I looked around and all the bread I 
saw was "pareve."  Maybe this halacha just never came my way.

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

Dear Name@Withheld,

	Yes, it's prohibited to bake bread either with milk or with meat.  
That is, bread must be pareve.  This is stated in Shulchan Aruch as 
follows:  "It is forbidden to knead dough for bread with milk, in case a 
person should (accidentally) eat it with meat...It is similarly forbidden 
to bake bread in the oven with meat fat."

	But if you mark the bread with some identifying symbol before baking, 
or if you bake it in an identifying shape so that it's clear that this 
bread is not pareve, then it is permitted to make it dairy or meaty.  Since 
it's marked, you won't mistake it as pareve.  (Marking it after baking 
doesn't help, and such bread may not be eaten.)

	For example, I have heard that the Badatz Eida Charedit kashrut 
supervisory board in Jerusalem requires all dairy pastries to be either 
triangle or moon-shaped for this reason.

Sources:

* Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 97
* Pitchei Teshuvah 97:3


___Snake Speak___

Gene <HYKAEH@aol.com> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I recall having read that in the Talmud there is a comparison between the 
fangs of a snake and lashon hara, slander.  It states that a snake will 
bite with his poisonous fangs to harm someone with no benefit to itself.  
This analogy is likened to the person who commits the sin of evil speech.  
Will you be kind enough to tell me where this teaching can be found?  Many 
thanks.

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

Dear Gene,

	This statement can be found in the Talmud in Arachin 15b and Ta'anit 
8a.

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Yiddle Riddle

Last week we asked:

	What letter from the Aleph Beis is missing from the Bircat Hamazon 
and why?  

Answer:  

	"Peh sophit" -- final peh.  The reason being that who ever says the 
blessing after bread properly will be saved from "aph, shetseph and 
ketseph;" all of these words are expressions of Hashem's anger and they all 
end with the letter "peh sophit."

* Tashbetz Katan 366 

* Riddle and answer submitted by Rabbi R.Y. Eisenman, Passaic, 
NJ<RYE613@aol.com>

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

Re:  How Big is a Yarmulke?  (www.ohrnet.org/ask/ask221.htm#Q3):


	Regarding the question that appeared in "Ask the Rabbi":  How big 
must a head-covering be?  My friend Rav Yacov Rappaport quoted his father 
(Dayan Rappaport of London) as saying that a kippah should be big enough to 
cover your seichel (intellect)!

* David Olesker <olesker@IsraelMail.com>

**********

My Favorite Rabbi:


	Just a few words to let you know that this is my favorite page in the 
whole World Wide Web.  This is my Rabbi!  I love you people!  My family is 
learning a lot too.  Shalom and keep up the good work.

* Felix from South America <felixvelez@hotmail.com>

**********

Re:  Not by Chance:


	I read the letter in "Public Domain" submitted by Judith Amrani of 
Houston in which a "chance" reading of a name on your site led to a reunion 
with a long-absent friend.  Many of us believe, many of us know, that these 
"chance" happenings are not by chance, but are guided from above, if we 
choose to notice.  I note many, many such "coincidences" occurring in my 
own life, and they seem to increase the more I study, the more observant I 
become.

* P.I. Danzig <PIDanzig@aol.com>

**********

Re:  Archived Yiddle Riddle:

	In connection to your Yiddle Riddle there, I'd like to point out that 
the Dutch minhag (custom) is to only say the shehecheyanu blessing on the 
Megillah in the evening.

* Y. Katz, Amsterdam  <sskatz@hetnet.nl>

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