Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Beshalach "Tu B'Shevat in Halachah and Custom" Volume 25, No. 16 10 Shevat 5771 January 15, 2011 Sponsored by Irving and Arline Katz on the yahrzeit of grandmother Henia Rachel bat Pinchas a"h (Tu B'Shevat) Micheline and David Peller in memory of his parents Hinda bat Yisroel Yechiel a"h and Efraim Fishel ben Avraham a"h Today's Learning: Tanach: Yeshayah 63-64 Mishnah: Terumot 5:8-9 Halachah: O.C. 610:2-4 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Zevachim 66 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Orlah 6 We read in our parashah, following the splitting of the Yam Suf and the drowning of the Egyptians, "Yisrael saw the great hand that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt; and the people revered Hashem, and they had faith in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." The midrash Yalkut Shimoni comments: In the merit of having faith in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant, they merited to inherit the Land. R' Chaim Palagi z"l (1788-1868; rabbi of Izmir, Turkey) writes: This indicates that the generation that entered the Land had two merits--having faith in Hashem and having faith in Moshe. In contrast, Moshe, who did not enter the Land, had only one merit--that of having faith in Hashem. In that merit, he was able to die in Eretz Yisrael. How so? Although Moshe never crossed the border, Hashem miraculously folded the entire Land under the place where he stood, so that he did merit to die in Eretz Yisrael. This, R' Palagi continues, is alluded to in the verse (Tehilim 116:9- 10--recited as part of Hallel), "I shall walk before Hashem in the land of the living. I have kept the faith, for I speak . . ." "I have kept the faith," is what Moshe Rabbeinu said of himself. Also, "I speak"-- therefore others believed in You. In that merit, they entered the "the land of the living" (i.e., Eretz Yisrael). Seeming, Moshe did not enter the Land. However, the final letters of the four words, "Lifnei Hashem b'artzot ha'chaim" / "before Hashem in the land of the living" make up the letters of the word "mitah" / "death." This hints that Moshe's end was in "the land of the living." (Artzot Ha'chaim p.4) ******** "You will bring them and implant them on the mountain of Your heritage, the foundation of Your dwelling-place that You, Hashem, have made -- the Sanctuary, my Master, that Your hands established." (15:17) R' Moshe Isserles z"l ("Rema"; 1530-1572; rabbi of Cracow, Poland, and author of the glosses on Shulchan Aruch that adapted that work for Ashkenazim) writes: Based on this verse, our Sages teach that there is a "Mikdash Shel Ma'alah" / "A Sanctuary [in the Worlds] Above" that parallels the "Mikdash Shel Matah" / the physical Bet Hamikdash in Yerushalayim. [See the related comment of Rashi z"l to this verse.] What is this "Mikdash Shel Ma'alah"? Rema explains: The "Mikdash Shel Ma'alah" is the world at large. In what way is it like the Sanctuary of the Temple? Just as Hashem is revealed in the physical Bet Hamikdash [through the miracles that occur there and the holiness that is evident there], so He is revealed through His deeds in running the world as a whole. (Torat Ha'olah I:1) ******** "Hashem said to Moshe, `Behold! -- I shall rain down for you food from heaven; let the people go out and pick each day's portion on its day, so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not." (16:4) What was the nature of this test? R' Yitzchak Blazer z"l (1837-1907; also known as R' Itzele Petersburger, after the Russian capital, where he was rabbi; one of the leading disciples of R' Yisrael Salanter z"l) explains that, being unable to stockpile food from day-to-day, our ancestors were challenged so that they would recognize that man's sustenance is entirely dependent on Hashem. Thus we read (Devarim 8:3), "He afflicted you and let you hunger, then He fed you the mahn that you did not know, nor did your forefathers know, in order to make you know that not by bread alone does man live, rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of G-d does man live." R' Blazer continues: In this light, we can understand the statement of our Sages that the Torah was given only to those who eat the mahn. Yirat Shamayim / Fear and awe of Heaven is a prerequisite to successful Torah study. Bnei Yisrael, as a result of being dependent on the mahn, achieved a very high degree of Yirat Shamayim. Therefore, they were ready to receive the Torah. (Kochvei Ohr no. 11) R' Meir Shapiro z"l (1887-1933; Polish rabbi and rosh yeshiva; founder of the Daf Yomi program) offers a different explanation for the statement: "The Torah was given only to those who eat the mahn." The word "mahn" means "preparation" (see Yonah 2:1 & 4:6). And, we are taught that the mahn could have whatever taste a person wanted. Necessarily, that required preparation, i.e., one had to "premeditate" a taste before eating the mahn. The same, writes R' Shapiro, is true of Torah study. Some people taste the sweetness of Torah, while others less so, all depending on whether one has prepared himself adequately. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Ohr Ha'Meir p.108) ******** "He said, `For the hand is on the kais / throne of Kah; Hashem maintains a war against Amalek, from generation to generation'." (17:16) Rashi z"l writes: What is the implication of "kais" instead of the usual word for throne, "kisai"? Likewise, why is the Divine Name divided in half [i.e., yud-heh (pronounced "Kah") instead of yud-keh-vav-keh]? He answers: The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek is entirely blotted out. What does this mean? R' Moshe Alsheich z"l (1508-1593; Turkey, Greece and Eretz Yisrael; author of a popular Tanach commentary) writes: Do not think that Amalek is powerful enough to be the nemesis of G-d! No, he is like straw blowing in the wind before Him! Rather, Amalek symbolizes the yetzer hara, whose destruction is a precondition to the full revelation of G-d's Name (i.e., His Glory). And, since man is tasked with taking the initiative to destroy the yetzer hara, albeit with assistance from G-d, it is as if Hashem Himself is helpless to overcome this enemy until the end of time. (Torat Moshe) R' Chaim Vital z"l (1543-1620; primary student of the Arizal and transcriber of his teachings; also a student of R' Moshe Alsheich) writes: One is commanded to remember Amalek every day; in particular, when one recites [during Kaddish], "Yehei Shmei rabbah . . . ," as stated in our verse. [See explanation below.] (Sha'arei Kedushah, I:4) The Tosafot (commenting on Berachot 3a) record two interpretations of "Yehei shmei rabbah . . ." First, R' Simcha of Vitry z"l (died 1105; a leading disciple of Rashi, and author of an influential work on the Siddur and the laws of prayer) explains the declaration as follows: "Yehei Shemei / May the Name - rabbah / become great [u']mevorach l'olam etc. / and blessed forever and all eternity." Until Amalek is destroyed, Hashem's Name is not revealed in its full greatness, so we pray that this status should change soon. [This is how R' Chaim Vital apparently understands this declaration.] The Ba'alei Tosafot disagree (based on an inference from the cited Gemara). Rather, they interpret the declaration as follows: "Yehei Shemei rabbah / May the Name which is great [be] mevorach l'olam etc. / blessed forever and all eternity." ******** Tu B'Shevat in Halachah and Custom R' Yechiel Michel Tikochinski z"l (1871-1955; editor for 51 years of an annual calendar documenting the customs of Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim; also author of the widely-used work on mourning, Gesher Ha'chaim) writes: Tu B'Shevat begins the new year for trees for purposes of terumah and ma'asrot / tithes, and for orlah / the prohibition on eating the fruits of a tree in its first three years. This day is the dividing line for determining whether one separates ma'aser sheni (which is taken in the first, second, fourth and fifth years of the shemittah cycle and eaten in Yerushalayim) and ma'aser ani (which is taken in the third and sixth years of the shemittah cycle and given to the poor). If, before Tu B'Shevat, fruits reached the stage of development where tithing is required, they are considered produce of the old year. But, fruits that reached that stage after Tu B'Shevat are considered produce of the new year. For fruits, that defining stage is chanatah (approximately, when the blossom appears), except for the etrog, for which the defining stage is picking. One is forbidden to mix fruits of different years when tithing. R' Tikochinski writes further: In Eretz Yisrael, where these laws apply, Tu B'Shevat is observed as a minor holiday. The Ashkenazim are content to observe the day by eating the fruits of the Land and distributing fruit packages to children. In contrast, R' Tikochinski writes, the Sephardim gather to eat fruit in groups, amidst joy and song. Over every fruit, they recite chapters of Tehilim, poems, and songs that praise the Land and its fruit. The wise men of the Sephardim remain awake on the night of Tu B'Shevat and recite "Tikkunim" which are composed of verses from Torah and Ketuvim, and from the words of our Sages, especially from the Zohar, which relate to the fruits of the Land. They also take pains to eat many types of fruits, both tree fruits and produce of the ground. For kabbalistic reasons, they eat 30 types of fruits. They also honor each other with reciting the blessings over the fruit. (R' Tikochinski adds that the reason for these rituals is that each species of fruit has a different "root" in Heaven and requires a separate "tikkun.") (Ir Ha'kodesh Ve'ha'mikdash, III ch.25)