Ask The Rabbi 
24 April 1999 
Issue #234
Parshat Acharei - Kedoshim 
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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. Looking Down Our		4. Beth Jacob
 Noses at Moses			5. Sweet Land of Lactose Bee
2. Interference			6. Yiddle Riddle
3. It Ain't Kosher!		7. Public Domain 
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___Looking Down Our Noses At Moses___

David Levine <dlevine@inter.net.il> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

G-d willing, I hope to buy my son his bar-mitzvah tefillin.  The price for 
a "good" pair is $500-$800.  I noticed that one can get numerous 
stringencies and "hidurrim" in the teffilin, with each extra "hidur" adding 
to the price.  I hope to get him the best, but I was wondering if in the 
past they kept all these stringencies?  It seems that some "extras" are 
only available today with our technology and manufacturing methods, and 
that it wasn't possible to produce this quality of teffilin in the past.  
If so, then do we have to be more machmir (strict) than Moshe Rabeinu?

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

Dear David Levine,

	I once heard a story about a renowned Rabbi.  One year in preparation 
for Succot, he bought three etrogim, even though the mitzvah requires only 
one.  He did this in order to fulfill all of the different opinions 
regarding exactly what constitutes a valid etrog.  Seeing this, his wife 
commented, "My father didn't have three etrogim."  Answered the Rabbi, 
"Your father also didn't own three suits.  If I can afford three suits, I 
can also afford three etrogim."

	This doesn't put us on a higher spiritual level; previous generations 
did the best that they could with their available resources, and we do the 
best that we can with ours.  The point is not to compare yourself with 
others, but to do your best with whatever G-d has given you.


___Interference___

Name@Withheld wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

A person who is dear to me says he became an atheist.  He still loves 
Jewish humor, a good Jewish joke, but refuses to come to a synagogue -- 
even to meet his old friends there!  My question is:  May I pray that 
Hashem turn his heart to Judaism?  Maybe, if he is nudged a little, he will 
make the rest of the road on his own feet.  But isn't Hashem expecting that 
a person turn to Him of his own volition?  He gave us freedom of will so 
that we could discern good from evil and make the right choice, and my 
concern is that I may be asking for something self-contradictory.  Is it 
ethical to pray that another person become more Torah observant?

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

Dear Name@Withheld,

	I'm touched by your question.  From a logical point of view, your 
question is very sound.  Doesn't G-d want us to observe the Torah through 
our own free choice?

	Clearly, it is a mitzvah to pray that our fellow Jews should return 
to the Torah path, just as we pray for ourselves in the daily prayers, 
"Return us, our Father, to your Torah."

	But does it make sense to pray for someone to become Torah observant?  
Doesn't this contradict free will?  Not really.  You see, every person, 
Torah observant or not, has free choice.  So, when you pray for someone to 
become Torah observant, you are praying that his free choice be changed 
from one level to another.

	For example, right now let's say that his free choice level is 
"Should I eat one ham sandwich today or two?"  We pray that he become a 
Torah observant Jew, and then his choices will be on a higher level:  
"Should I study Talmud for one hour today or two?"  We pray that his free 
choice level be elevated to that of a Torah Jew.

	Another answer to this question is that we pray that G-d put the 
person in a situation where it will be easier for him to choose to keep the 
Torah.  For example, let's say a person doesn't keep the Torah because he 
never had a good Torah education.  Through your prayers, G-d can open an 
opportunity for him to learn about Judaism; for example, he "bumps into" an 
observant Jew who invites him for Shabbat.

Sources:

* Responsa Iggrot Moshe, Orach Chaim 4:40:13
* Avotot Ahavah, by Rabbi Mordechai Becher and Rabbi Moshe Newman


___It Ain't Kosher!___

Mark Spice, Sheffield, UK <mark.spice@uk.hboc.com> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I know kosher means foods etc. that are allowed.  But what is the term for 
foods, etc,. that are not kosher?

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

Dear Mark Spice,

	In common jargon, non-kosher food is called "treif."

	Actually, the Torah doesn't use the word kosher to refer to kosher 
food!  Regarding animals, the Torah speaks about the animals that are tahor 
(pure or kosher) and tamei (impure or non-kosher).  Otherwise, we refer to 
non-kosher food as "asur," which means "forbidden."

	Regarding mitzvah-objects -- like a Torah scroll or a succah -- we 
refer to them as either "kosher" (valid) or "pasul" (invalid).


___Beth Jacob___

Moshe Lowenberg <Cars118@aol.com> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

Why are Orthodox girls' schools throughout the United States called "Beis 
Yaakov?"  What was the relationship between Yaakov and girls' education?  
Thank you for your attention to this.  We were not able to come up with an 
answer in our study group.

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

Dear Moshe Lowenberg,

	Before giving us the Torah, G-d said to Moses:  "Thus shall you say 
to the Beis Yaakov, and tell the B'nei Yisrael."  Our Sages explain that 
Beis Yaakov refers to the women, while B'nei Yisrael refers to the men.

	Hence, women's Torah institutions -- whose aim is to transmit the 
teachings of Sinai -- are fittingly called Beis Yaakov in honor of the very 
first link in that chain of transmission, the women who stood at Mount 
Sinai.

Sources:

* Shmot 19:3 and Rashi


___Sweet Land of Lactose Bee___

Miriam from Montreal, Canada <docusys@colba.net> wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I have known for some time that in the phrase "eretz zavat chalav u'dvash -
- a land flowing with milk and honey" the "dvash" refers to date honey (not 
bee honey).  What is the chalav?  Certainly it was not cow's milk.  Was it 
goat's milk or could it be some other type of milk?  Does this have some 
inference that honey and milk should be our main food sources?

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

Dear Miriam,

	The milk referred to is cow's or goat's milk.  The honey is fruit 
honey, such as from figs or dates.

	This doesn't mean that milk and honey should be our main food 
sources, but rather that the Land of Israel is overflowing with everything 
good.

	The Talmud relates that our Sages saw goats eating from fig trees.  
The figs were so luscious that they were dripping with juice; the goats 
udders were so full that milk flowed out.  These two liquids mingled into a 
sweet stream, and the land was literally "flowing with milk and honey."

	Ramban notes that regions with good air, good pasture and good water, 
such as mountainous regions, produce the healthiest animals which give the 
best milk (witness Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate).  But these types of 
climates don't usually produce top quality fruits (ever heard of Swiss 
plums?).  The Torah stresses that the Land of Israel has both.

	"Milk and honey" also allude to mother's milk and bee honey.  These 
are the only two kosher substances which are derived from a non-kosher 
source (bees and people are not kosher).  The implication is that the Land 
of Israel has the spiritual energy to purify even the impure.

Sources:

* Ketubot 111b, Megilla 6a
* Ramban, Shmot 3:8

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Yiddle Riddle

Last week we asked:

What name is mentioned three times in the Torah, once as a non-Jew, once as 
a convert, and once as a Jew.

Answer:  

Re'uel.  The first Re'uel mentioned is one of Esav's sons, who was not 
Jewish (Bereishet 36:4).  The second refers to Yisro, a convert to Judaism 
(Shemot 2:18, see Rashi 4:18).  The third Re'uel is the father of the nasi 
(prince) Elyasaf, prince of the Tribe of Gad.  His name is spelled three 
times as De'uel, and once as Re'uel (Bamidbar 2:14).

* Riddle courtesy of Yitzy Kimmel from Brooklyn, NY <yitzy@sprynet.com>

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


Re:  To Pay the Truth:

	A while ago, I asked you whether I have to tell my supplier that they 
delivered more expensive goods than they had invoiced.  Reluctantly, I 
followed your advice to tell them their mistake and pay the extra money.  
It was the best thing I could have done!  My relationship with them has 
improved immensely, they are much more willing to deliver to me and treat 
me much better.  I followed the halachic advice, and thank G-d I have 
already seen the benefits, and G-d willing I will continue to see more.

* Name@Withheld

**********

Re:  "Give and Take" (www.ohrnet.org/tw/5759/shmos/terumah.htm#COM2):

	You wrote about a body without limbs as a metaphor for Torah without 
mitzvos.  Regarding the body itself you wrote: "Without limbs there can be 
no body."

	May I presume to heighten your sensitivity regarding handicaps that 
are of a purely physical nature?  It is truly unfortunate when a person 
becomes a double or even a quadruple amputee.  However, I learned as a 
volunteer at a long-term care hospital-home that such a handicapped person 
appears to have a "bigger" personality.  (Dare I say "soul"?)  Oft times 
more prominent than the personality in normally equipped four-limbed 
persons.  The personality truly seems to shine forth perhaps in a "kind of 
proportion" to the amount of physical body that is missing.  I still 
remember the vibrant sense of humor that shone from the "bodies" of these 
injured, limbless soldiers.  They taught me an unforgettable lesson about 
just how big a soul can seem to be.  How often do we see in our lifetimes 
that when old age and illness strips us of our physical capabilities, 
Hashem grants us the gift of heightened spirituality?

	Finally, let us look to the story of Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, Germany 
about one thousand years ago:  He composed Unetaneh Tokef in his last days 
of life, after having been brutally mutilated by the Christian bishop for 
refusing to convert to Christianity.  Rabbi Amnon's soul did not lack 
power; on the contrary, it spilled forth soul-powers that prompt us to 
greater spirituality to this very day when we recite Unetaneh Tokef on Rosh 
Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

* Chani Kreisel, Jerusalem

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