Chanukah poem

The Yevanim were able to penetrate
Our Holy Temple and its gate
13 breaches they did cause
In the soreg, one of the holy walls

The Chashmonaim decided then and there
To wage a war where it would be clear
That although the Greeks could physically fight
One does not win with human might

Lo vichayil vilo vichoach
Rather, with HaShem’s spirit, His ruach
Mi chcomocha baeilim was their battle cry
They called out mi laHaShem eilay

Few against many, weak against strong
Victory for the Jews did not take long
Matisyahu and his sons prevailed
The Greeks and the Hellenists truly failed

The greater miracle was in the lights
Which lasted not one but eight nights
Praise and thanks we offer to HaShem
Acknowledging forever His Great Name

Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah Volume 1 Issue 10

רמזי דאורייתא
Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah
Volume 1 Issue 10

It is said (Bereishis 41:1) vihinei min hayeor olos sheva paros, when behold! out of the River there emerged seven cows. It is noteworthy that in this dream Pharaoh saw cows, which are called paros, and there was no poseir, interpretation, for the dream. The word paros contains the same letters as the word poseir.

Chanukah always occurs between the parshiyos of vayeishev and Mikeitz. It is noteworthy that the difference in gematria between the words vayeishev (318) and Mikeitz (230) is Chanukah (89).

It is said (Bereishis 41:14) vayigalach vayichaleif simlosav, he shaved and changed his clothes. It is noteworthy that the word vayigalach is an acrostic for the words vihinei Yosef gilah liPharaoh chalomo, and behold Yosef revealed the dream to Pharaoh. Furthermore, the word vayichaleif forms an acrostic for the words vihinei Yosef chalom liPharaoh poseir, and behold Yosef interpreted Pharaoh’s dream.

It is said (Bereishis 41:16) Elokim yaaneh es shalom Pharaoh, it is G-d Who will respond with Pharaoh’s welfare. The word yaaneh can be interpreted to mean that G-d will afflict the peace of Pharaoh, i.e. He will cause Pharaoh distress.

There are various allusions to Yosef in the dreams of Pharaoh. The words (Bereishis 41:2) vihinei min, and behold, equal in gematria Yosef (156). The word (Ibid) baachu, equals in gematria 17, and this alludes to the fact that Yosef was seventeen years old when he was sold by his brothers. The words (Ibid verse 32) ki nachon, it is because (the matter) stands, equals in gematria Yosef (156).

It is said (Bereishis 41:33) viatah yeireh Pharaoh ish navon vichacham, now let pharaoh seek out a discerning man. The words navon vichacham equal in gematria the name Yaakov (182). Perhaps this alludes to the idea that Yosef was intimating that Pharaoh should appoint him or one of his brothers to be in charge of the food storage.

The Pinei Menachem writes that the word liYefes can be rearranged to spell the word pisil, a wick, alluding to the idea that by defeating the Greeks we merited the mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah Menorah with wicks and oil. It is noteworthy that the word Yefes, the forerunner of the Greek nation, also forms an acrostic for the words Yevanim pilim Torah, Greeks, elephants (which the Greeks used in battle) and this led to a victory for Torah.

It is well known that the word Chanukah forms an acrostic for the words ches neiros vihalacha kiBeis Hillel, eight candles and the halacha follows Beis Hillel (that we light on the first night one candle and we subsequently ascend in the amount of candles that we light). We can suggest that the word Chanukah also forms an acrostic for the words Chashmonaim natzchu viachar kein hidliku, the Chashmonaim were victorious and afterwards they lit.
It is said in the chapter of Tehillim that many recite every day of Chanukah (30:6) ki rega biapo chaim birtzono, for His anger endures but a moment; life results from His favor. The word biapo equals in gematria the word Chanukah, alluding to the idea that initially HaShem was angered with the Jewish People. Once the Chashmonaim demonstrated self-sacrifice, HaShem favored the Jewish people and allowed them to be victorious. (I saw recently in a sefer this gematria).

It is said (Ibid verse 12) hafachta mispidi limachol li, You have transformed my lament into dancing for me. The word hafachta can be arranged as follows: The middle letters spell out the word pach, flask, alluding to the flask of oil that was found in the Bais HaMikdash. The first and last letters in at bash (where aleph is taf, beis is shin etc.) are tzadi and aleph, which equal in gematria the word biChanukah (91) , on Chanukah.

It is said (Ibid verse 13) limaan yizamercho chavod vilo yidom, so that my soul might sing to You and not be stilled. The words vilo yidom equal in gematria biChanukah.

















Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah
Volume 1 Issue 10

is sponsored in honor of the Jewish People worldwide who delight in the mitzvah of Chanukah.

Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
For sponsorships please call 248-506-0363.

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Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah Volume 1 Issue 9

רמזי דאורייתא
Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah
Volume 1 Issue 9

It is said (Bereishis 32:4) vayeishev Yaakov bieretz migurei avail bieretz Canaan, Yaakov settled in the land of his father’s sojourning, in the land of Canaan. Rabbeinu Bachye writes that it is permitted for one to change the vowels of a word to employ a homiletical interpretation to a verse in the Torah. Thus, we can suggest that the word vayeishev, written with a tzerei under the letter shin, can be read as vayasheiv, with a patach under the letter yud and with a segol under the letter shin. The word vayeishev means and he blew away (see Bereishis 15:11). This alludes to the idea that Rashi writes that Yaakov saw all of the chiefs of Esav mentioned at the end of Parashas Vayishlach and the solution to eliminating them was eileh toldos Yaakov Yosef, these are the chronicles of Yaakov: Yosef, as Yosef was the flame that would extend the fire of Yaakov and destroy Esav, who is symbolized by straw.

The Baal HaTurim writes that the word migurei can also mean fear. It is noteworthy that Yitzchak (208) is equal in gematria to the word gur (209), which means fear, and Yitzchak is described as (Bereishis 31:42) pachad Yitzchak, the dread of Yitzchak.

It is said (Bereishis 37:2) vihu naar es binei Vilhah vies binei Zilpah nishei aviv, but he was a youth with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. This passage can be interpreted homiletically as follows: Yosef was naar, i.e. engaged in, Vilhah, which equals in gematria 42, and one of the Names of HaShem is the Name of 42. The word Zilpah can be arranged as follows: the zayin and the hey equal 12, which alludes to the idea that the Gemara (Sota 36b) states that Yosef was worthy of having 12 tribes born to him, if not for the incident that occurred with the wife of Potiphar. The letters lamed and pay equal in gematria 110, and this alludes to the years that Yosef lived.

It is said (Bereishis 37:3) viYisroel ahav es Yosef mikol banav ki ven zekunim hu lo viasah lo kisones pasim, now Yisroel loved Yosef more than all his sons since he was a child of his old age, and he made him a fine woolen tunic. The word zekunim (207) is equal in gematria to the name Yitzchak (208), and this alludes to the idea that Yaakov loved Yitzchak because he was similar to his father Yitzchak, and Yosef was the continuation of the tradition from Avraham and Yitzchak.

It is said (Bereishis 37:5) vayachalom Yosef chalom, Yosef dreamt a dream. The word chalom contains the same letters as lechem, bread, alluding to the fact that the first dream of Yosef was regarding bread and sustenance that Yosef would ultimately provide to his family in Egypt.

It is said (Bereishis 37:7) vihinei anachnu mialmim alumim bisoch hasadeh, behold! we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 84:10) states that Rabbi Acha said that Yosef was intimating to the brothers that in the future you will conceal (the word alumim, written with an aleph, can also be read with an ayin, meaning concealed) matters regarding me from our father and he will say (Ibid verse 33) chaya raah achalashu, a savage beast devoured him. It will be the silence of my mother Rachel that will ultimately save me (see commentators to Medrash regarding how Rachel’s silence ultimately saved Yosef). It is noteworthy that the stone on the Choshen that symbolized Binyomin was referred to as yashfeh (Shemos 28:20) and the Medrash (Esther Rabbah 6:12) interprets the word yashfeh to mean yesh peh vishoseik, there is a mouth and he remains silent. This alludes to Binyomin who knew about the brother’s sale of Yosef but did not reveal it. The word mialmim (161) is equal in gematria to the name Binyomin (162).

It is said (Bereishis 37:20) vinashlicheihu biachad haboros, and throw him into one of the pits. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 84:16) states that when Yosef was cast into the pit, Yaakov’s pit, so to speak, became empty of Torah. The word haboros is equal in gematria to 613, which alludes to the 613 mitzvos contained in the Torah.

It is said (Bereishis 37:26) vayomer Yehudah el echav mah betza ki naharog es achinu vichisnu es damo, Yehudah said to his brothers, “what gain will there be if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?” It is noteworthy that the words mah betza (207) equal in gematria the word raz, secret, and the word ohr, light. This alludes to the idea that by Yehudah uttering these words and saving Yosef from death, he merited to retain his kingship and have Dovid and Moshiach descend from him (see Rashi Bereishis 49:9). Thus, contained in Yehduah’s words were the secret and light of Moshiach.

It is said (Devarim 33:11) bareich HaShem cheilo ufoal yadav tirtzeh michatz masnayim kamav umisanav min yikumun, bless, O HaShem, his resources, and favor the work of his hands; smash the loins of his foes and his enemies, that they may not rise. Rashi writes that this verse alludes to the battle that the Chashmonaim waged against the Greeks. It is noteworthy that the word cheilo forms an acrostic for the words Chashmonaim, Yevanim, and the letters lamed and vav equal in gematria 36, which is the amount of candles we light on Chanukah. Furthermore, the word yadav equals in gematria 30, which alludes to the idea that the Chashmonaim donned the mantel of kingship which belongs to the tribe of Yehudah, and the name Yehudah is equal in gematria 30, and the Mishna (Avos 6:6) states that kingship is acquired with thirty privileges.

The word Chashmonaim contains an allusion to the decrees that the Greeks instituted against the Jewish People. The first three letters ches, shin, and mem allude to Chashmonaim, Shabbos and milah.

The Maharal (Ner Mitzvah) writes that the word heichal, sanctuary, equals in gematria 65, and the word Yavan, Greece, equals in gematria 66. This teaches us, writes the Maharal, that the Greeks was able to be above the Heichal. It is noteworthy that in the song Maoz Tzur that is sung on Chanukah, we recite the words binei vinah yimei shemonah kavu shir urinanim, men of insight- eight days established for song and jubilation. The word binah equals 67, intimating that by battling the Greeks mentally and spiritually, the Chashmonaim were able to defeat the Greeks and their false philosophies. This idea finds further support in the Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 91:9) that states that when someone would say a correct idea before Rabbi Tarfon, he would respond with the words “kaftor vaferach,” a knob and a blossom. When someone would say something that did not have substance, Rabbi Tarfon would say, “lo yereid bini imachem, my son shall not go down with you (Bereishis 42:38). The Netziv (Haamek Davar Ibid) explains that the word bini also means intellect. Thus, Rabbi Tarfon was declaring that his intellect did not agree with the person. We can suggest that when Rabbi Tarfon did agree with the reasoning, he would say “kaftor vaferach,” a knob and a blossom, which were ornaments of the Menorah, indicating that this thought had its source in the Menorah, the symbol of wisdom. It is noteworthy that Reuven was the one who offered to have his two sons killed if he would not bring back Binyomin to Yaakov, and Yaakov responded that my son shall not go down with you. There is a Medrash (Medrash Peliah) that states: it is said (Shir HaShirim 7:14) hadudaim nasnu reiach vial pisacheinu kol megadim chadashim gam yeshanim dodi tzafanti loch, all my baskets, good and bad, emit a fragrance; all at our doors have the precious fruits of comely deeds, both the Scribes’ new ordinances and the Torah’s timeless wisdom; for You, Beloved, has my heart stored them. The words hadudaim nasnu reiach refer to Reuven saving Yosef from death, and the words vial pisacheinu kol megadim refer to the Chanukah lights. What is the association between Reuven saving Yosef and the Chanukah lights? Perhaps the idea is that the word Reuven is an acrostic of the words reu bein, see and understand (see Rashi from Gemara Brachos 7b for a different interpretation of the word bein). Thus, Reuven saw the danger that Yosef was in and understood that it was up to him to save Yosef from certain death. Similarly, on Chanukah one must understand and act on the awareness that the Greek philosophy contains an inherent danger that could lead one away from HaShem, Heaven forbid. It is noteworthy that the word pesach, entranceway, in at bash is vav, aleph, samach, which equals in gematria binah (67). The word megadim equals in gematria 97, and the word Chanukah equals in gematria 89. When one adds the 8 days of Chanukah to the word Chanukah, together they equal 97.





Ramazei DiOraysa: Hints in the Torah
Volume 1 Issue 9

is sponsored in Michigan by the Godfrey family in memory of their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather Shlomo Ben Dovid ob”m Mr. Samuel Schey, Niftar 25 Kisleiv 5734, December 20, 1973.

Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.
For sponsorships please call 248-506-0363.

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please send email to ramazeidioraisa@gmail.com
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Shabbos: Ta'am HaChaim Vayishlach 5768

Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vayishlach 5768

Shabbos in the Parashah

In this week’s parashah it is said (Bereishis 32:25) vayivaseir Yaakov livado vayeiavek ish imo ad alos hashachar, Yaakov was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 77:3) states that the man who wrestled with Yaakov was the angel of Esav. Why was the angel of Esav wrestling with Yaakov? The Torah records the result of the struggle. It is said (Ibid verse 26) vayar ki lo yochol lo vayiga bikaf yireicho vateika kaf yerech Yaakov biheiavko imo, when he perceived that he could not overcome him, he struck the socket of his hip; so Yaakov’s hip-socket was dislocated as he wrestled with him. It would seem from this that the angel of Esav was initially attempting to overwhelm Yaakov completely, and when he saw that Yaakov was a formidable opponent, he merely wounded him. Yet, the Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 77:3) tells us that this dislocation of the hip-socket was an ominous omen for the future of Jewish life, when the Jewish People would be attacked on a spiritual front, known as the doro shel shemad, the generation of destruction. The commentators point out that this “dislocation” was manifest in the period known as the Greek Exile, which culminated in the miracle of Chanukah. The Medrash (Megillas Chashmonaim and Medrash Antiochus) states that one of the decrees that the Greeks promulgated against the Jewish People was that they could not observe Shabbos. Let us understand this decree and we will see how it has practical applications in our own times. At the onset of Shabbos a Jewish woman lights Shabbos candles, ushering in the Holy Day. We then pray in shul and we come home and eat a festive meal. On Shabbos morning we again pray in shul and eat another festive meal, and we repeat this in the afternoon by praying Minchah and eating the third meal. If the Jewish People were prohibited from observing Shabbos, does this mean that they actually were forced to desecrate the Shabbos? It would appear that the Greeks, unlike the Nazis of cursed memory, did not intend that the Jewish People should be engaged in back-breaking labor on Shabbos. Rather, the Greeks sought to remove the sanctity of the Shabbos from the Jewish People. Once the Jewish People would not be engaged in sanctifying the Shabbos through prayer, Torah study and festive meals, what else could they do but visit the theaters and entertain themselves in a manner foreign to Jewish lifestyle? This is what can also occur to us, heaven forbid, if we do not sanctify the Shabbos properly. It is insufficient to merely desist from physical labor, eat a few bowlfuls of cholent, and then assume that we have observed the Shabbos properly. Rather, we must engage ourselves in intense prayer, Torah study, and delight in the festive Shabbos meals, and then we will truly be victorious over the Esav-Greeks who constantly challenge our service of HaShem. It is further noteworthy that the words the Torah uses to describe the battle between Yaakov and the angel of Esav are biheiavko imo, as he wrestled with him. The word biheiavko contains the word avukah, which means a flame. We can interpret this homiletically to mean that the angel of Esav was attempting to remove the “fire” from Yaakov, i.e. to dampen the enthusiasm with which the Jewish People exhibit in their Torah study and performance of mitzvos. Hashem should allow us to merit that in the coming days that lead up to the festival of Chanukah we will reignite the spark within us that brings us closer to HaShem and His service. We will thus merit greeting Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily, in our days.

Shabbos in the Zemiros

Ribbon kol HaOlamim

Published in 5401 (1641)

Melech tzach viadom, King Who is pure yet ruddy. This phrase begs for an explanation. How can we depict HaShem as being pure yet ruddy? Although HaShem certainly has no physical attributes, He is described by the Torah and the Prophets in a manner that is comprehensible to the human mind. Yet, what do we mean that HaShem is ruddy? The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 63:12) interprets these words to be referring to the vengeance that HaShem will exact from His enemies and He is thus depicted as being clad in blood–red vestments. Alternatively, the Medrash (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:9) interprets these words to mean that HaShem is white for the Jewish People on Shabbos and red for them throughout the week. This explanation reflects the idea that Shabbos is a time of repentance. Despite the sins that one may have accumulated during the week, with the onset of Shabbos one is cleansed from the filth and he enters into Shabbos with complete atonement.

Shabbos in Tefillah

HaKel haposeiach bichol yom dalsos shaarei mizrach uvokeia chalonei rakia, the G-d Who opens daily the doors of the gateways of the East, and splits the windows of the firmament. In a simple sense, this phrase refers to the rising sun breaking through the portals of darkness. On a deeper level, however, we can suggest based on the words of the Sfas Emes (Ki Savo 5642) that the doors here refer to the opportunities that one has every day to come closer to HaShem. The east refers to HaShem, as Hashem is referred to as kadmono shel olam, literally translated as the pre-existing One of the world, but homiletically interpreted to mean that HaShem is the kedem, i.e. east of the world (see Noam Elimelech Parashas Vayeitzei 29:1). Thus, every day when the sun begins to shine, we should use the illumination as an instruction that HaShem wishes that we should open our eyes and see the wonders that are found in His Torah and in the beautiful world that He created.

Shabbos Story

Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the head of Moscow’s rabbinical court, lived in Jerusalem in his old age. He would read the Torah in his shul every Shabbos very beautifully and very carefully. Many people in Jerusalem came to daven in his shul just to hear him. On Shabbos during Pesach, many people streamed into his shul to hear him read Song of Songs, which he did with fervor and an outpouring of love. In particular when he reached the verse, “Behold you are beautiful my beloved, behold you are beautiful, your eyes are those of doves,” he would read with great excitement and with tears. Rabbi Aryeh Levine, as a close student, decided one year to ask his rebbi why, when he reached this verse every year, he would break down in tears. Does this verse not describe so beautifully the love that exists between G-d and the Jewish people? “Let me tell you the reason,” answered Rabbi Chaim. “Once when I was a rabbi in Moscow, a Jew came to me and asked to speak with me privately. I thought, who knows what kind of trouble this Jew is in, to the point that he is embarrassed to speak in front of strangers. We went into a side room, and I was surprised to hear that his ‘secret’ was the announcement that - mazel tov - his wife had just given birth to a baby boy. He had come to invite me to perform the bris. (Rabbi Chaim Berlin was known as an expert Mohel.) “I asked my guest what was the reason for secrecy in the matter; after all, every Jewish boy has a bris. What then is there to hide? “’Your honor should know,’ he replied, ‘that I live in an entirely non-Jewish area, and none of my neighbors or acquaintances know that I am a Jew. I own a large warehouse of Christian religious articles, and of course if it were to become known that I am a Jew, I would lose my comfortable income, and there might be danger to my life. Therefore, while I'm inviting you to give my son a bris, I ask for advice as to how to arrange the bris so that no one will be aware of what is happening.’ “Of course, in such a situation there was no room to think of fulfilling the mitzvah in an exemplary way, with a minyan and festive meal, as is the Jewish custom, and therefore I told him that he should be prepared to be the sandak (to hold the boy on his knees), and then we would be able to carry out the bris by ourselves. “’No, I will not be able to do that, Rabbi,’ replied this Jew in fright. ‘I have a soft heart and I cannot bear to look at anyone being hurt. How then will I be able to watch my young son having a bris? Perhaps my hands will shake and I will, God forbid, drop the baby from my lap.’ “I asked him for a few more details about his situation, where he lived and the like, and then I made the following suggestion: ‘Firstly, on the day of the bris, send away all the non-Jewish servants that are in your house, so they will not see what you are doing there. Secondly, since there is in the city a Jewish doctor, a famous surgeon, whose services are requested by many non-Jews as well, you should ask him to come on the eighth day to be present at the time of the bris, and you should tell your neighbors that a physical blemish was found in the baby and he needs a minor operation. And I will come with the doctor at the appointed time. The doctor will be the sandak, and I the Mohel. And the doctor will be able to come afterwards a few times to your house to oversee the healing of the bris, and everything will go peacefully.’ “On the appointed day, the Jew came to lead me to his house, together with the famous surgeon. We passed through streets and areas that in all the years I had lived in Moscow, I had never had the opportunity to pass through, because never did a Jewish foot tread there. We reached his house, which was like a nobleman’s, and there was not a single sign that this was a Jewish home. On the contrary, it had many types of idols and many Christian religious objects. We arranged the bris according to Jewish law, with the doctor serving as the sandak, and I the Mohel. When we parted I asked him to come to me on the third day after the bris in order to tell me how the baby was doing. “On the third day this Jew came to my house, and since he suspected that I had invited him so that he would pay me for my services, he offered me a bill of 20 rubles. Of course I refused to accept it. He thought that I was not satisfied with the sum he was offering, and therefore he added to it until I was able to convince him that I simply refused to accept reward for my efforts on behalf of such a great mitzvah. However I did disclose to him my real intention in inviting him to come to me, which was that I had a great desire to know what had brought him to fulfill the mitzvah of bris milah with such self-sacrifice, despite the fact that after speaking with him and visiting his home I saw that he had no connection whatsoever with Judaism. “Upon hearing these words, his eyes filled with tears. With a bowed head he said: ‘I know, Rabbi, that I have distanced myself from the Source. Sometimes my heart is broken, but with my situation I do not know whether I will be able to do a full Teshuvah (repentance)...’ And here he started weeping uncontrollably. After he calmed down somewhat, he continued. ‘I think that my tender son, who has been given the bris, will be even more distant than I am from Judaism, for at least in my childhood I lived like a Jew. But my son will not grow up with any sign of Jewish life. Even so, it is possible that this son, when he grows up, will become acquainted with Jewish life, and perhaps the spark will ignite and he will want to be a Jew. It is for this reason that I don't want to block the way for him to return to our source. That is why I made such a great effort to give him a bris, so that the road will be open to him and he will be able to return easily to his source’.” When Rabbi Chaim Berlin reached the end of the story, he was moved to tears once again and added: “This incident made clear to me the saying of the Sages on the verse above: ‘Behold, you are beautiful my beloved, behold you are beautiful, your eyes are those of doves,’ which I had difficulty understanding throughout my life. “Our Sages explain the repetition of words, ‘Behold, you are beautiful’ in the following way: Behold you are beautiful - before the sin, and behold you are beautiful - after the sin. And the matter is not clear at all; what is the beauty after the sin? But this incident elucidated their intention to me. The answer lies in the final words, ‘your eyes are those of doves.” “One of the unique tendencies of a dove is that she does not distance herself so far from her nest that she will not know her way back. “This is what our Sages mean by: ‘Behold, you are beautiful - after the sin.’ A Jew, despite the fact that he sinned and distanced himself from his source, still turns his head backwards and tries not to lose his way entirely back to his nest. And if not he, then at least his offspring will be able to return to Judaism. And this is the praise of ‘your eyes are those of doves’.”

Shabbos in Navi

Yehoshua Chapter 12

In this chapter the Navi enumerates the kings who were defeated by Moshe and Yehoshua. It is said (Yehoshua 12:7) veileh hamelachim asher hikah Yehoshua uvnei Yisroel bieiver hayarden yamah mibaal gad bivikas haLevanon viad hahar hechalak haoleh Seirah vayitnah Yehoshua lishivtei Yisroel yerushah kimachlikosam, these are the kings of the land whom Yehoshua and the Children of Israel smote on the western side of the Jordan, from the plain of Gad in the Lebanon valley to the split mountain that ascends to Seir; Yehoshua gave it as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their divisions. The Baal HaTurim (Bereishis 33:14) writes that the words hahar hechalak alludes to Yaakov, who was ish chalak, smooth-skinned, and the word seirah alludes to Esav, who was hairy. Perhaps the idea here is that the Gemara (Shabbos 118b) states that had the Jewish People only observed the first Shabbos in the Wilderness, no race or nation could have assailed them. The Gemara (Shabbos 118a) states that Shabbos is called a boundless heritage, which is the heritage of Yaakov. The reason that the Jewish People were victorious against the thirty-one kings of Canaan was because they observed the Shabbos, the heritage of Yaakov, and they were thus able to defeat Esav and his descendants.

Shabbos in Agadah

Throughout history, the gentiles have attempted to destroy the fabric of Jewish life by banning Shabbos observance. What is so unique about Shabbos that fuels this drive of the gentiles to eradicate its observance? Aside from the conventional anti-Jew sentiments that the gentiles have, Shabbos is unique in that it is described in the Gemara (Shabbos 10b) as follows: HaShem said to Moshe, “I have a wonderful gift in My treasure house and Shabbos is its name.” The gentiles evidently recognize that Shabbos is a gift solely for the Jewish People, so they attempt to steal Shabbos from us so they can somehow benefit from it. Yet, what they fail to realize is that a gentile who observes Shabbos is liable the death penalty (Sanhedrin 58b). Thus, Shabbos represents a dichotomy, that it provides life for the Jewish People and death to the gentiles if they observe the Shabbos. Hashem should allow us to merit observing the Shabbos faithfully and to appreciate the life source contained in the Holy Shabbos.

Shabbos in Halacha

One should not pour hot water from a kettle or urn (kli rishon) into a cup that is wet, as the droplets of cold water that are in the walls of the cup will be cooked by the flowing hot water. If the droplets of water were previously boiled, however, one is not required to dry the cup before pouring hot water into it. Nonetheless, it is preferable that one dries the cup or shakes out the remaining liquid before pouring hot water into the cup.

Shabbos in Numbers and Words

In the Friday night prayers we recite the words atah kidashta es yom hashevii lishmecho, You sanctified the seventh day for Your Name’s sake. The first letters of the words atah kidashta es yom hashevii in mispar katan, digit sum, equal 9, and the word Shabbos in mispar katan equals 9.

Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Vayishlach 5768

is sponsored Lerefuah Sheleima Bonnie Bas Edith

I will iy”h deliver a class in Navi this Friday night at my home

at 26100 Marlowe Place in Oak Park.

We will be studying Sefer Shmuel, the first Perek.

The class will be 8:30-9:15 and there will be Oneg Shabbos

Have a wonderful and delightful Shabbos

Prepared by Rabbi Binyomin Adler.

For sponsorships please call 248-506-0363.

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