Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name]
Table of contents
1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour
2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) By Hazzan David Azerad
- What May One Light With, and How Many Candles
3) Holy Jokes!
4) For KIDS
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat Yitro: The Power of “Ayin”
Parashat Yitro tells of Matan Torah – G-d’s giving Beneh Yisrael the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Midrash teaches that after we received the Torah, the other nations felt jealous and complained to G-d, arguing that Beneh Yisrael did not deserve this special distinction of receiving the Torah. They felt that Beneh Yisrael were no different than any other nation, and thus they were no more worthy of the Torah than any other nation. G-d responded by saying, "Bring your genealogical records." Meaning, the other nations do not have the same "Yihus" – pedigree – as Beneh Yisrael, and thus they could not receive the Torah.
How do we explain this Midrash? Why is special pedigree a necessary prerequisite for receiving the Torah?
King Shlomo teaches in Kohelet (3:19), "Motar Ha’adam Min Ha’behema Ayin" – there is no difference between human beings and animals. At first glance, this seems very difficult to understand. Is there really no difference between the human being and the animal?
One explanation given for this verse is that "Motar Ha’adam Min Ha’behema" – the advantage and power that the human being has over the animal is "Ayin" – the ability to say to oneself, "No," to deny oneself something he instinctively wants. When an animal feels hungry and sees food, it will go ahead and take it. By contrast, a Jew who is given a piece of scrumptious food during Ne’ila at the end of Yom Kippur, after twenty-four hours of fasting, will not place it anywhere near his mouth until after the fast. We have the same physical drives as animals, but we have the power of "Ayin," the ability to restrain these drives and deny ourselves the enjoyment that our bodies instinctively want.
This power, however, requires training. In order to deny ourselves what our physical drives make us want, we need to hone our skills of self-restraint and self-discipline. And this is why "Yihus" is so vital for receiving the Torah and committing to live by its rules. The Torah imposes on us many rules and restrictions that require, at times, restraining the animalistic drives within us. We are able to commit ourselves to these rules and restrictions because of our "Yihus," because we are the descendants of Abraham, Yishak and Yaakov, who taught us by example and instilled within all of us the power of discipline and self-restraint. They implanted within their descendants the special quality of "Ayin," and this quality is what we need to commit ourselves to the Torah.
May we all be worthy descendants of our sacred patriarchs, and succeed throughout our lives in developing and properly utilizing this unique skill of "Ayin" so we can live up to the demands and expectations of G-d’s treasured nation.
Halachot this week are selected and Translated by Hazzan David Azerad
What May One Light With, and How Many Candles
The second chapter of Tractate Shabbat has an extensive discussion about what materials may be used for lighting Shabbat candles. The general principle is that the wick needs to be soft and absorbent so that it will draw the oil nicely, and the oil must be of a type that is drawn nicely into the wick. If these conditions are not met, the flame will jump around the wick, and the light will dim. There is concern that one seeing such light will try to fix it, thus transgressing the prohibition of lighting a fire on Shabbat.
The Sages said that of all of the acceptable oils, olive oil is the best because it is easily drawn into the wick and its light is clear and pure (SA 264:6). Today, most women light paraffin or “wax” candles, whose light is stronger and more stable.
The extensive discussion about what materials may be used to light candles alludes to the way to achieve shalom bayit. Just as the wick has to be made of a soft and absorbent material and the oil must be light and easily drawn, so too a couple needs to unite humbly. Just as when we light the wick, fire and light are produced jointly by the wick and fuel, so too a couple, through the fire of faith and light of Torah, can become one, developing and illuminating together. Without a spiritual destination, love withers, just as everything physical atrophies. But when there is a shared spiritual goal that lights the fire of their lives, their love becomes stronger and stronger.
The law requires that only one candle be lit to provide light in the home. However, the custom is to light two candles, one for Zakhor and the other for Shamor. Some women customarily light one candle for each member of the household; others light seven candles, corresponding to the seven days of the week; still others light ten, corresponding to the Ten Commandments. All these customs apply when a woman is in her own home, but if she is a visitor in someone else’s home, the custom is that she lights just two candles (SSK 43:3).
In the past, when homes were normally candlelit, adding more candles beautified Shabbat by increasing light in the home. Now that electric light is common, adding candles does not increase beauty, and it is sufficient to light just the two candles corresponding to Zakhor and Shamor.
If a woman forgets to light candles one week, it is customary for her to add an extra candle every week as a penalty (Rema 263:1). However, this only applies if there was no light at all as a result of her omission. If there was electric light, even though she did not light it to honor Shabbat, since in fact they did not miss out on oneg Shabbat, she is not obligated to add a candle every week for the rest of her life (See Darkhei Moshe, ad loc.; BHL s.v. “she-shakheĥa”; Yalkut Yosef 263, n. 42).
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah or current events, to brighten your day
4) FOR KIDS
Click on the image above to open the youtube video
(click on image to go to site)
TEN COMMANDMENTS & MOUNT SINAI
