Mishpatim: The Deepest Prayer

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Nestled amongst the many civil laws that form Mishpatim’s essence  are two cry-out sections. First, within the stark prohibition of oppressing the widow/orphan :[Shemos, 22:21-23]

You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat him [them], when he cries out to Me, I will indeed hear his cry. Then I will cause My anger to flare, and I will kill you by the sword. Your wives will become widows and your children will be orphans.

Then within one’s obligation to return the collateral to the destitute borrower: [Shemos,22:24-26]

When you lend money to My people, to the poor person who is with [among] you, do not act toward him as a [demanding] creditor. .. If you take your neighbor’s garment as security, you must return it to him till sunset; For this alone is his covering, the garment for his skin. With what shall he lie down [to sleep]? If it happens that he cries out to Me, I will hear [his cry] for I am gracious.

Much connect these two pieces. Both prohibit mistreating the underclass. Each relates the pain of the weak. Finally, when the disadvantaged cry out, Hashem will listen and respond.

A key word however, divides the two sections in a most significant way. We are vaguely familiar with it in other contexts – for it possesses great liturgical resonance, even as its precise meaning remains a bit beyond our grasp.

Before we identify it, let us present a  final textual contrast:

In section 1, the oppressed widow/orphan cries out. Hashem responds in a stark fashion – one that creates a midah kineged midah, (a quid pro quo). Don’t oppress the widow/orphan for I will become angry and that shall become the lot of your wife/child. This jarring verse leaves little to the imagination. Why God will listen to the orphan/widow receives no mention in the pasuk.

In section 2 however, Hashem’s response to the borrower’s cry lacks any notion of quid pro quo (e.g., I will make you poor), does not speak of Divine anger, and comes fully equipped with its logic [ why will God listen to the borrower’s cry (for I am gracious).

Most (I suspect) will intuitively emerge with the near-unanimous explanation of the commentaries[1]: The difference between the two sections is clear. In section 1, it is obvious why God hears the cry of the taunted widow/orphan. The oppressor has committed a terrible evil. No rationale need be explicated. Section 2 however confounds: Consider that the borrower’s right to the collateral seems illogical. Given that reality, what incentivizes the borrower to pay back? More significantly, the halachic universe dictates that ba’al chov koneh mashkon, i.e. the lender actually owns the collateral. Why must he (more than anyone else) return the pajamas back to the borrower? The Torah therefore explains why Hashem will listen to the borrower.

And what is the reason? The Torah’s answer here is stunning in that it provides neither legal rationale nor explicit condemnation of the lender.this alone is his covering, the garment for his skin; with what shall he sleep?” then closes in on that key word.  If he cries out to Me, I will hear his cry. Why?  For I am chanun (gracious). Rather the Torah tugs at our heart: “

In this word chanun, one of thirteen Divine attributes of mercy, lies the essence.

What is this wondrous midah of God known as chanun? Ramban’s beautiful words[2] deserve our attention:

[God] Shows favor .. even though he is unworthy, the word chanun being derived from the word chinam.(for nothing). You (the lender) should not think that .. the garment of the non righteous man I will take as a pledge and not return to him- for God will not hear his cry.. therefore He (God) said: I am chanun (gracious) and I hear the cry of all who are mitchanein (beseech) me.

Chanun – Divine grace, [distinct from rachum (mercy)] comes for free, i.e, even to the one does not deserve at all. Invocation of Hashem’s attribute of chanun “requires” Him to respond – no matter what. For the lender to get in the way of chanun is a risky venture – even if he has not technically violated anything.

Of course, the attentive reader might ask – if chanun is for free, how do I buy in? More precisely, given its incredibly powerful nature, when does it manifest itself,?  An incredibly deep section of Zohar illuminates our opening section:

R. Yossi taught: “A prayer for a poor man when he enwraps himself and pours out his speech before the Lord.[3]”… This was composed by King David [when contemplating poor man’s plight as he his father-in-law (Shaul)] … He thus taught that the prayer which the poor man offers to the Almighty, ascends in advance of all other prayers. The phrase, “a prayer of the poor [tefillah l’ani]”, finds its parallel in the expression[4]: “A prayer of Moses, the man of God [tefillah l’Moshe]”[5], the two being inseparable and of equal importance. ..Observe that the prayer of other people is just a prayer, but the prayer of a poor man breaks through all barriers and storms its way to the presence of the Almighty. So Scripture says: “And it shall come to pass, when he cries unto me, that I will hear; for I am chanun”;

What activates the midah of Chanun? It is the tefillah l’ani, the piercing anguished cry of the poor – the one who may “deserve nothing” but also realizes that he has no recourse. In his utter loneliness and despair, the impoverished recognizes that ultimate faith in humanity is folly (al tivtichu .. b’ven adam sh’ein lo teshua) and that, b’emes,  there is no place to turn but to Hashem.

On some level, we are all that proverbial borrower desperately seek to pay back the ultimate Lender who gives all; when we achieve the clarity moment that we really can’t pay back, we are tzoeik,  a penetrating cry of the heart, one so potent that equals the strength of our greatest pray-er, Moshe Rabbeinu, we can not possibly be refused – for it appeals to the midah of chanun. How moving it is that Hashem demands from the lender to enter God mode – teaching as it were, for but a moment, you can be like Me.

In our daily amidah, we turn to Hashem and ask for forgiveness: Selach lanu . From cheit (unintentional) to pesha (rebellious), please wipe away our sin. It is a logical request. We feel bad and express our regret (ki phashanu, ki chatanu). As the bracha concludes (baruch ata Hashem – Blessed are you God), suddenly our confidence dissipates. Perhaps we haven’t done the proper repentance; maybe our teshuva does not rise to the level of our trespass. We begin to panic and invoke chanun – hamarbeh lislo’ach . It is as if we are saying

Hashem, even if I do not deserve it – at the end of the day. I ask in earnest and from a place of great depth – so forgive me even as I am not worthy.

May all the shattered hearts pierce the Divine throne and bring ultimate redemption so swiftly.

A gutten Shabbos – A freilichen Adar

Asher Brander

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[1] Cf. Chizkuni, Rashbam, Ramban amongst others

[2] His basic notion is derived from Rosh Hashana 17

[3] Tehillim, 102:1

[4] Tehillim, 90:1

[5] I have omitted a remarkable section of this Zohar that evokes a comparison between between Moshe’s tefillah and the poor man’s tefillah . Tefillah may also refer to the singular of  tefillin. Thus the Zohar says : “the one alluding to the tefillin of the head, the other to the tefillin of the arm”. It is a wondrous and deep line and rich notions of comparison may be drawn.

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Yisro: Seeing the Voice

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Immediately following the aseres hadibros (colloquially know as the Ten Commandments) , the Torah relates

And all the people saw the voices[1] and the torches, the sound of the shofar, and the smoking mountain, and the people saw and trembled; so they stood from afar.

In this famously incomprehensible verse that speaks of sighting sound, Rashi reminds us of the famous midrash known to our Yeshiva schoolchildren.

the voices: They saw what was audible, which is impossible to see elsewhere. – [from Mechilta d’Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai]

A plain ole miracle; we must wonder for what purpose? To Rashi, we shall return – but first let us analyze Bnei Yisrael response to this moment

They said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear, but let God not speak with us lest we die.”

The Rishonim argue – whether this response comes following the aseres hadibros or prior. Either way, for Bnei Yisrael, something about God-Speech is too much.

Moshe comforts his people

But Moshe said to the people, “Fear not, for God has come in order to exalt you, and in order that His awe shall be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin.”

We seek to understand the dialogue:

First, a simple survey of non-Rashi approaches to the notion of seeing [רואים] the kolos

1. Rashbam – it refers to the hail- stones as it says earlier [9:28] The sounds of Elokim and hail

2. Rabbeinu Bechayei … for the sound came amidst the fire as it says [Tehillim 29] the voice of Hashem pierces the blazes of fire and they saw the fire … thus it says they saw the voices

3. Chizkuni – they observed the [reality of the] voices; i.e. the word ra’ah applies to that which can be deduced/intuited, even if it can not be seen. [as in the nation saw that Moshe tarried in descending the mountain - cf. Shemos 32:1]

4. Seforno – they reflected regarding the voices that they would not be able to tolerate them … and did not want to die

5. Rosh – they benfited/enjoyed the voices as in v’ra’ah es ervasah … which implies enjoy and not simply seeing

All of these p’shat oriented approaches still leave us knocking at the door of depth – for we must still ponder why this moment is necessary at all.

We digress for but a moment to the akeidas yitzchak story. Hashem commands Avraham [Bereishi, 22:2]

And He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you.”

A few verses later the text relates:

On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

Avraham identifies the mountain even as the text never relates that Hashem told Avraham which mountain it shall be! It is a famous question that our classical meforshim deal with [cf. Rashi, Ramban ibid].

With Rav Kook’s stirring words [Olas Reiyah,pp87-88], we return full circle:

the wondrous events that took place for the holy father during these 3 days of walking can not possibly be explained, fathomed or expressed – they reside in the hidden consciousness of the Holy of Holies. That which occurred on the 3^rd day – that a holy light appeared- in the place that speech should have designated “the mountain that I shall tell you” – there instead came a prophetic vision! For the soul rose to an elevated place level where all the perceptions merge – speech and sight  like all other spiritual phenomena  then reside in the same domain. The speech therefore was characterized in the form of vision and that holy sight so penetrated the deepest place of his holy soul … of the powerful father that he felt so deeply connected with the place that it was impossible to designate with some external sign .. rather it was the place so specially designated to concentrate the entire holiness of his life

Avraham never hears God “speak out” the mountain – for at a certain place, speech and sight merge; that is the deepest place of the neshama where one can intuit/envision with utter clarity what the dibbur of Hashem is. In Kotzker terminology, vision is external and speech comes from within. The merging of the two means that one can see deeply into the will of God.

Rav Kook goes further. It is not a matter of seeing deeper; rather the neshama that achieves utter synchronicity with the d’var Hashem has no need for external manifestations. For Avraham at the apex of his spirituality – he saw what God’s inner desire, [i.e. his speech] was to the point that there were no other options. It was as if the mountain unquestionably called out to him alone.

That utter clarity point which melds speech and vision is a scary place to be at – for it is a moment without options – and free-willed Man always wants another way out. Perhaps it was this very fear that animates Bnei Yisrael – for too much God- Speech means utter clarity and too few options. [We must leave Moshe’s response for a different day]

And for us: we who seek to grow in our Divine service – shall we also fear? Certainly!

But let us take comfort in the knowledge that concomitant to the fear is the beautiful feeling of seeing/sensing and indeed basking in the Divine words of pride and nachas that surely accompany every upward movement; words that touch our neshama and speak to us in the deepest places – that we can surely feel and may someday even see.

Good Shabbos

Asher Brander

Beshalach: The Power Within

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As the Jews are busy collecting their bounty, Moshe brings Yosef [his coffin, that is] out of Egypt. [Shemos, 13:19]

Moses took Joseph’s bones with him,

Ostensibly, it is Moshe upholding a collective promise made some 150 years earlier:

for he [Joseph] had adjured Bnei Yisrael, saying, God will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you

But the midrash sees more than just simple debt repayment here: [Yalkut Shimoni, Bereishis Rabah]

When Hashem told Moshe [by the splitting of the sea] lift up your staff … the sea stood against him .Moshe commanded it in the name of Hashem and the sea did not accept, he showed the stick and it did not accept … until Hashem himself appeared to it and then it split. Another interpretation, it saw the name of Hashem on the stick and split … it saw the Jews fighting each other to sanctify God’s name … another explanation it saw Yosef’s coffin descending into the sea … Hashem said – flee before the one who fled …

ד”א ראה ארונו של יוסף יורד לים אמר הקב”ה ינוס  מפני הנס שנאמר ויעזוב בגדו בידה וינס ויצא החוצה,

…Simeon of Kitron said: The sea was divided for the sake of Joseph’s bones. Thus, the sea saw it, and fled (Tehillim 114, 3)-for the sake of [him of whom it is written], AND HE FLED, AND GOT HIM OUT.

In other words, somehow a fundamental piece of the redemption process and a necessary element to split the sea[1] was Yosef HaTzaddik’s presence. A beautiful literary parallel [the sea fled/Yosef fled] is evinced. We seek to understand the midrashic depth.

First consider: Yosef,  aged 17, away from parents and  friends, finds himself in the Egyptian fleshpot; a remarkable and unlikely ascent has him living amongst royalty, a top officer in Potiphar’s cabinet. Trouble lurks as Mrs. Potiphar desperately wants him. Yosef refuses [Bereishis, 39:8]

But he refused, and he said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me my master knows nothing about anything in the house, and all he has he has given into my hand.

But it is not a one time challenge [Bereishis, 39:10]

Now it came about when she spoke to Joseph day in and day out, that he did not obey her, to lie beside her [and] to be with her.

Indeed, the rare shalshelet note perched atop of Yosef’s refusal implies the ongoing nature of Yosef’s test. The midrash expounds: [Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 5:4]

One will not find one more faithful than Yosef who was in Egypt … and was 17 … and she would entice him with words daily and change her clothing three times a day … all  in order that he should be attracted by her and Yosef controlled his yetzer …

The battle however does not end without a fight. [Bereishis, 39:11]

And it came about on a certain day, that he came to the house to do his work, and none of the people of the house were there in the house.

Two midrashic questions:  Why point out the obvious [he came to the house to do his work] and where was everyone else?

He went into the house to do his work’ — Rav and Samuel [differ in their interpretation]. One said that it really means to do his work; but the other said that he went to satisfy his desires.‘And there was none of the men of the house etc. — is it possible that there was no man in a huge house like that of this wicked [Potiphar]! — It was taught in the School of R. Ishmael: That day was their feast-day, and they had all gone to their idolatrous temple; but she had pretended to be ill because she thought, I shall not have an opportunity like to-day for Joseph to associate with me.

At the brink of spiritual  suicide, Yosef pulls back.

At that moment his father’s image came …  and said: ‘Joseph, your  brothers will have their names inscribed upon the stones of the ephod …  do you wish to have your  name expunged from theirs and be called an associate of harlots?’

Alas, knowing the triangle does not mean one lives geometry, nor does familiarity with the straight mean that on this path ye trod. Yosef beckons his father’s image and reminds himself of what is right; the act of courage must yet come.

R. Johanan said in the name of R. Meir: …  And the arms of his hands were made active — he stuck his hands in the ground so that his lust came out from between his finger-nails.

Yosef summons all  his inner strength  and is able to control himself. Thus he is Yosef Hatzadik[2] – that particular appellation having a the specific connotation of the one who can control his passion

The God of Israel said, concerning me spoke the Rock of Israel; ‘A ruler over men shall be the righteous (man), he that rules in the fear of God. אָמַר אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִי דִבֶּר צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל  מוֹשֵׁל בָּאָדָם צַדִּיק מוֹשֵׁל יִרְאַת אֱלֹקִים

Our midrashic quid pro quo waxes quite beautiful: Yosef teaches that one (and especially the Jew[3])  is not ultimately bound by nature and predilection; thus his presence forces the sea to overcome its nature

And what’s with the fingernails? Perhaps, that is the vestige of  Adam before the sin, of Adam in control. Thus Yosef takes them and pierced them into the ground, i.e. he rules over his material self and regains control!

A final beautiful insight I heard from Rabbi Shimon Green, shlit”a: The law of conservation of spiritual matter dictates that no spiritual energy is for naught. God stores all the tear drops and Eisav’s cry reverberates through the ages while Paroh’s brief acknowledgement of Hashem’s righteousness attains him eternal reward. And whither all of Yosef’s spiritual energy?

That incredible inner battle that raged within Yosef  – that fingernail in the ground cry de coeur – which represented  the marshalling of every ounce of Yosef’s complete spiritual persona was stored for generations – until it was time to split the sea – whereupon the Yosef’s torrential inner force was the very energy used by Hashem to force it asunder.

In a world that confuses predilection with prediction and feels weighted down by fate and bound by nature [think dysgraphia, twinkie-defense murder, sexual predilections etc.], the Jews leave Egypt powered by Yosef’s gevurah and the notion that the ultimate redemptive personality is bound to God, but very much in control of his nature.

Good Shabbos

Asher Brander

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[1] Herein, the beautiful words of Rabbein Bechayei:              ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף – בעוד שהיו ישראל משתדלים בצרכי הגוף ומתעסקים בשאלת כסף וזהב היה משה

מתעסק בצרכי הנפש בדבר מצוה וכענין שכתוב (משלי י) חכם לב יקח מצות, והיה ביד יוסף זכות קבורת אביו ולכך זכה בגדול ממנו זה משה ומשה ג”כ זכה בגדול ממנו זה הקב”ה שנאמר (דברים לד) ויקבור אותו בגי, וכבר כתבתי זה בענין יוסף. ועוד מצינו שהוצרך משה לקיים מצוה זו ומטעם מה שדרשו רז”ל בזכות יוסף נקרע הים כתיב הכא (בראשית לט) וינס ויצא החוצה, וכתיב התם (תהלים קיד) הים ראה וינוס, מה ראה עצמותיו של יוסף ראה, ביוסף כתיב (בראשית נ) וינחם אותם וידבר על לבם, ובים כתיב (שמות טו) בלב ים:

[2] בראשית רבה צג במדבר רבה יד ועוד

[3] Here is Kli Yakar’s beautiful formulation [Bereishis, 39:12] – one that ties the beginning of the Jewish exile jouney [Avraham at the brit bein habetarim] and the final step [Yosef at the splitting of the sea] together

: ויכול להיות שמאמר ויצא החוצה היינו חוץ לאצטגנינות שלו, דוגמת ויוצא אותו החוצה הנאמר באברהם

, (בראשית טו ה) כך יצא יוסף חוץ למערכה עד שלא היה כח ביד המערכה לשלוט בו, ואדרבה הוא שלט בדברים הטבעים והמה נסו לקולו, וזהו קריעת ים סוף מפני ארונו של יוסף:

Bo: The Moment

Reflections is dedicated to the Jews around the globe who live constant and quiet moments of Kiddush Hashem.

Jewish Standard time is a running joke in our shul; It refers to the Jewish propensity to not quite make it (or end it) on time. Some of my closest friends run their lives on a JST schedule. A famous Rashi “proves” that God is a Yekke [German Jew] (or at least yekkish). First the pasuk of Moshe foretelling the makas bechoros (plague of the first-born): [Shemos, 11:4]

Moses said, “So said the Lord, At about midnight [kachatzos halayla], I will go out into the midst of Egypt.

Rashi (among many others) wonders why Moshe uses the ka and not the ba prefix; the former is approximate time while the latter connotes precision; certainly in God’s world – everything runs on time[1]. Rashi presents two approaches. First his p’shat approach:

At the dividing point of the night: כַּחִצֹת הַלַיְלָה, means when the night is divided. כַּחִצֹת is like “when the meal offering was offered up This is its simple meaning, … context that חִצֹת is not a noun denoting a half.

In other words, the prefix ka implies approximation [or similarity] only when it precedes a noun. Consider:

Kadevarim haeileh asah li avdecha – like these things did your servant do [Mrs. Potiphar complains about Yosef]

In a verb context however, the word ka implies when or at honing in on the moment of action. Consider:

Keshalcho kalah – Hashem said to Moshe, “I will bring one more plague upon Pharaoh … When he sends you out, he will completely drive you out of here.

In his p’shat approach, Rashi teaches that chatzos is a verb, i.e. Moshe is saying that precisely at[2] the breaking of the night into two, at that transitional moment – shall the first-born plague come. We must certainly wonder the significance on the midnight breaking point!

Rashi and the midrash are unsatisfied with this approach as a standalone – for the word chatzos usually implies midnight (the noun). Rashi therefore also cites the midrashic approach:

Our Rabbis, however, interpreted it like כַּחִצִי הַלַיְלָה, at about midnight [lit., half the night], and they said that Moses said כַּחִצֹת, about midnight, meaning near it [midnight], either before it or after it, but he did not say בַּחִצֹת, at midnight, lest Pharaoh’s astrologers err and [then] say, “Moses is a liar,”

What bolsters the midrashic approach is this contrasting pasuk: [Shemos, 11:29]

And it came to pass, that at midnight [bachatzi halayla] Hashem smote all the firstborn of Egypt…

Note the bachatzi halayla …Which connotes an exact time. Wherein the difference?

but the Holy One, blessed be He, Who knows His times and His seconds, בַּחִצוֹת, at midnight. [Berachos 4a]

Our first verse is the intended dialogue of faithful man to cynical man (Moshe to Paroh) and the 2nd pasuk is the voice of the Divine Narrator – it thus reflects the essential truth. In the first verse, Moshe uses the ka imprecise formulation in order not to bolster the diehards who are looking to; Moshe must be ever so guarded in his formulation – he must be precisely imprecise!

And yet here, the cynic must cringe. Even if the Egyptian scoffer managed to tuck away the last year of plagues in the dark recesses of their consciousness, for how long did his pyrrhic victory last? A minute or two after his imprecise EST (Egyptian Standard Time), the monumental plague came and rocked the Egyptian world forever – revealing the awesome hand of God in a deep and irreversible manner! Whither the kah emphasis

A classic mussar approach, so beautifully explicated by Rav Nissan Kaplan, responds with a startlingly simple insight. Every moment counts – and if for a moment Hashem’s name was profaned, then it must be avoided at all costs (in spite of the retroactive clarification). Moments, then are momentous.

It works in the reverse as well. Our parsha’s opening verse explains why Hashem hardened Paroh’s heart and plays out all of the ten plagues – even as Paroh would surely have let our people go:

And Hashem said to Moshe, Go to Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show my signs before him … And so you can tell your and your son’s son what I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs … that you may know how that I am Hashem.

Three motifs emerge:

1. To establish God’s wonders within Egypt/Paroh 2. To teach Bnei Yisrael who Hashem is 3. To be the cornerstone of bnei yisrael’s chinuch transmission

The latter two are wholly understandable; to learn and to teach. Bnei Yisrael must indelibly etch Divine reality upon their hearts. Only then can they teach the next generation. It is the first motif, that waxes remarkable in light of the fact that only days later not one Egyptian remained in the world.

So what’s the point of their knowing God if only to die but a few moments later[3]?! But that is precisely the point! The momentary God consciousness that the Egyptian experienced as he left the world was a massive Kiddush Hashem. Indeed, moments are momentous.

Comforting words: The incredible kiddush Hashem of the Israeli response to the Haitan tragedy has been met with pride – and with a sad knowing that the world’s admiration for the Jews’ chesed will be incredibly short-lived, a momentary blip before the next UN condemnation. Right but wrong – for it is the momentary Kiddush Hashem that we seek.

Words of Caution: We live in two worlds – amongst a world community that responsibly plans for the future and with Jews – most of whom always want to keep their options open (think triple major and double minor) and stash away – just in case, In a future focused world, we must capture the power of now, and again now, and again now – for every moment is pregnant with incredible potential. Our lives then are an accrual of the moments lived properly or less so.

A remarkable Piazetsner Rebbe prescription for growth frames it so beautifully: [Tzav V’zirus – page 1]

If you [Reuven] want to serve Hashem and raise yourself up and not stand at the age of 70 in your life like you were at bar mitzvah – every year make a goal … what type of Reuven do you want to be next year – what will be his accomplishments, service, character and essence and this imaginary Reuven shall be the measure for you to evaluate yourself … how much are you still missing to be that Reuven, is your daily service and correction of your deeds enough to reach the Reuven of the next year… and if the next year arrives and you did not reach the ankles of that new Reuven, God Forbid …then it is the Reuven of last year or of ten years earlier that is living, not the Reuven of this year … “And Avraham was old coming up in days”, i.e. the Avraham of today was the Avraham of today – and not the Avraham of yesterday

May Hashem give us the ability to live inspired lives – moment after glorious moment

Wishing a beautiful Shabbos to all from Jerusalem! – Asher Brander

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[1] The notion that it always runs on time runs throughout Tanach and midrash. Consider the angelic visit to Avraham and Sarah, the writing on the wall in the book of Daniel, the anointment of Shaul ….

[2] The kaph prefix being the adverbial at

[3] The point becomes sharper as the Egyptians see Hashem’s presence in the yam suf – only to die seconds later.This is explicitly stated in the text immediately preceding the splitting of the sea: 14:4 v’chizakti es leiv paroh v’radaf achareihem b’paroh uv’chol v’yadu mitzrayim ki ani Hashem – that Hashem will harden/strengthen Paroh’s heart in order to glorify via Paroh and so that Mitzrayim shall know that I am Hashem – but didn’t they all die? Ibn Ezra remarkable words : those that remained and those that drowned [shallknow] before their death. Cf Ibn ezra, 14:25. Cf also Rashi on Shemos, 15:12 – tivlaeimo aretz

Prepared by Rabbi Asher Brander [based on Yeshiva University and Rav Neustdadt]

1) What is the proper time to light the Chanukah lights?

The proper time to light in Los Angeles is about 30 minutes after sundown [approximately 5:15pm]. If that is not possible, one should light while there are still people walking in the street (approximately 9 pm). If that is not possible, one may light as long as there are other members of the household that are still awake.

2) How long do the lights have to burn?

There must be enough oil or wax for the lights to burn for one-half hour. On Erev Shabbat, the lights must be able to burn until approximately 5:56 pm.

3) Where is the best place to position my Chanukiah – especially if I live in an apartment?

It should be placed in an area near a window where it can be seen those passing by. If there is no window or the window is more than twenty amot (approximately 36 feet) high[1], it should be placed in the doorway of the home opposite the mezuzah.

4) I am going to a family Chanukah party in the late afternoon and I won’t get home until very late at night. Should I light before I leave, after I get home or at the Chanukah party?

One may not light at the Chanukah party because one is not established there. If another member of the household (including those who travelled with you) will be awake when you return, you should light when you return.

If that is not possible, you may light starting at __ pm, which corresponds to Plag HaMincha.

If you will be the only one awake when you return or if you are leaving before Plag HaMincha , you should have someone light on your behalf at the proper time.

5) I am not going to get home from work until 8:30pm. Should the rest of my family light without me? May I eat dinner before I light?

Your wife should light on your behalf. If this is not feasible, then your family should wait until you get home and if there are children who need to go to sleep, they should light on their own.[2]

It is prohibited to eat a fixed meal before lighting Chanukah lights. Nevertheless, some poskim permit setting an alarm (on one’s phone or alarm clock) as a reminder to light. The alarm should be set for a time when one intends to be home.

6) I am going out for the Friday night meal and I don’t want to leave my lights unattended. Can I light at the home of my guest?

You should light in your own home. If you are in a pressing situation consult with the rabbi to find a solution.

7) I read somewhere that there is prohibition against performing certain activities while the lights are lit. Can you please clarify?

In earlier times, women accepted the practice of refraining from melacha (activities prohibited on Shabbat) to commemorate their participation in the miracle of Chanukah. This custom only applies for the first half hour that the lights are burning (or longer if one lights early). Only activities that are prohibited on Yom Tov are included in this custom. Therefore, food preparation is permissible while other only restrict activities that involve real labor, such as sewing and laundering.

My family is staying at someone else’s house for Shabbat Chanukah. Should we light at home on Friday or light at our hosts? Should we light at our hosts on Saturday Night or go home and light?

On Friday, one should light at the home of the host. It is preferable to leave one’s home before plag mincha. Rav Soloveitchik paskened that on Friday, one should pay the host for a portion of the oil and ask him to add a little extra oil. He will then recite the berachot and light on your behalf.

In terms of Saturday night, there is a dispute among poskim. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach paskens that on Saturday Night, one should light at the home of one’s host and remain there for a half hour. Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Shternbuch paskened that on Saturday Night, one should return home and light. If one remains in the host’s house until Sunday, most poskim would say to light there.

9) I am travelling to Israel. My flight is during the day and I won’t land in Israel until the next day. What should I do?

One can technically fulfill the mitzvah on the airplane since he is eating and sleeping there. However, practical considerations do not allow one to fulfill the mitzvah.

If there are members of the family who are remaining at home, they may light on your behalf. Some say this option works even if they light while it is daytime at your current location, while others opine that this only works if they light while it is night at your current location.

If there is nobody to light on your behalf, your only option is to use a battery operated Chanukiah [or flashlight] and light without reciting a beracha.

10) My family is staying in a hotel and I don’t think the hotel will let me light in the room. What should I do?

If you are eating most of your meals in the dining room, you should light in the dining room.

Some permit light in the lobby of the hotel.

11) I would like to leave the house after lighting the Chanukah lights, but I don’t want to leave the lights unattended. May I blow out the lights after lighting them?

You may blow out the lights one-half-hour after lighting (if it is after 5:56 pm).

12) I light with oil and it often does not burn completely. How do I dispose of the oil?

If the oil burns for more than one-half-hour, you can dispose of the rest. However, it is preferable to have in mind that the extra oil should not become muktzeh (dedicated as Chanukah oil). If the oil did not burn for one-half-hour, you can either use it on one of the following nights or burn it after Chanukah. It may not be used for anything else.

13) On Saturday Night, should I recite Havdalah first or light the Chanukah lights first?

This has been an ongoing debate for many centuries and there is no clear resolution. If you have a specific custom, you should follow your custom. If not, the custom in our congregation is to recite Havdalah first at home.

14) What is the rule if I forget to insert Al HaNissim in Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat HaMazon?

Al HaNissim does not have to be repeated. If one realized his mistake before reciting Hashem’s name in the beracha, he may return to Al HaNissim. If not, one should continue and later on, one can recite הרחמן יעשה לנו ניסים ונפלאות כשם שעשית לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה. בימי מתתיהו …. This can be added to Birkat HaMazon in the middle of the HaRachaman section or in Shemoneh Esrei before reciting “Yihiyu L’Ratzon” (at the end of Shemoneh Esrei).

15) I went to a shiva house for Shacharit and they skipped Hallel. Should I recite it individually?

Yes. There are different customs regarding Hallel on Chanukah in a shiva house. One custom is to recite Hallel while the mourners remain silent. The other custom is to skip Hallel and those who are not mourning recite Hallel individually after they leave the shiva house.

16) What is Shabbos Chanukah protocol

a. A. If possible, one should daven Minchah on Friday before lighting Chanukah candles.

If no early minyan is available, then it is better to light first and daven with a minyan afterwards.

b. Chanukah candles are always lit before Shabbos candles; 2) Chanukah candles are lit as close as possible to Shabbos.

c. Where the husband lights Chanukah candles and the wife lights Shabbos candles, the ideal would be for all Chanukah candles to be lit followed by the wife lighting Shabbos candles.

d. If sunset is fast approaching, the wife should light Shabbos candles regardless of whether or not the Chanukah candles have been lit by her husband. If she sees that her husband will not light his menorah on time, she should light the Chanukah menorah herself, followed by Shabbos candles.]

e. In a home where the man lights both the Chanukah and the Shabbos candles [e.g., the man lives alone; the wife is away for Shabbos], the same procedure is followed. If, by mistake, he lit Shabbos candles before Chanukah candles, he should light his Chanukah candles anyway [as long as he did not have in mind to accept the Shabbos].

f. In a home where the woman lights both Chanukah and Shabbos candles , she must light Chanukah candles first.

g. If, by mistake, she lit Shabbos candles first, she may no longer light Chanukah candles. She must ask another person – a man or a woman – who has not yet accepted the Shabbos to light for her. The other person must recite the blessing of lehadlik ner shel Chanukah, but she can recite the blessing of she’asah nissim [and shehecheyanu if it is the first night].

h. If, after lighting the Shabbos candles but before the onset of Shabbos, the Chanukah candles blew out, one must re-kindle them. One who has already accepted the Shabbos should ask another person who has not yet accepted the Shabbos to do so.

[1] From Rabbi Tzi Haber: Ideally the Menorah should be placed outside on the street for maximum Pirsuma Nisa (publication of the miracle). This is still done in Israel, but outside of Israel the minhag is to place the Menorah indoors. The Rema explains that the proper place indoors is by the door opposite the Mezuzah so that one is surrounded by Mitzvos. However, the Magen Avrohom and others say that if one has a window that faces a public thoroughfare one should place the Menorah in the window.

The upper height limit for placement of the Menorah outside or in the window is usually 20 amos or 35 ½ feet high. This is because that is the highest the eye naturally sees. Therefore if the window of the apartment is less than 35½ feet from ground level and opens to the street, he should place his Menorah in the window. If however he lives on a higher floor, then it gets a little complicated. Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Shevet Halevi say that if there is another building ‘across the way’ that can see your window then you should light in the window because you have Pirsuma Nisa for them. Rav Moshe Shternbuch and Rav Elyashiv argue and say that the concept of Pirsuma Nisa is only applicable for the general populace in the street, not for the guy across the street.

So, according to the latter opinion, or in a case where there is no mile high neighbors who would be able to see into your window, then we go back to the Rema and should light by the door. There is however a catch – the Magen Avraham explains that the Rema isn’t telling us that the minhag is to light by the door, he’s telling us the minhag should be to light by the door. Rav Moshe Feinstein explains that the idea being surrounded by mitzvos at the door alone is not a strong reasoning. When one was lighting by the door anyway because he was lighting outside, then we say that he should place the Menorah opposite the Mezuzah. If however he wasn’t lighting outside then the Minhag never was to light by an interior door to be surrounded by Mitzvos. The Rema is telling us that those who are careful in Mitzvos should do so, but it’s not the Minhag.

The upshot is, if you have a window that opens to the street and is lower than 35 ½ feet, or if you have a neighboring building with apartments at your level, you should put your Menorah in the window. If you are otherwise situated, perhaps you should light by the door according to the Rema, but the prevalent Minhag is not to.

[2] R. Shimon Eider, Halachos of Chanukah page 28.

The road leading to Bina, a rural village in India, is rough and ragged, but the local villagers seem happy. Against the backdrop of the scenic landscape, the tribal residents take pride in their traditions and rituals. Yet, the tempest within the heart of Bhagirath Mohandas Prasad, then a young man of about twenty-two, refused to abate.

The storm began when, at eighteen, Prasad, emerging from his sheltered childhood, began to question his religious roots. Every home he’d visit boasted several idols which the families worshiped, and the inquisitive lad, the youngest of five children, couldn’t help but doubt their authenticity. He sought answers in newspapers, books, and educated people. What was the use for these rituals? The explanations he received didn’t calm the tempest either. The silent statues only emphasized his profound frustration.

rty minutes to sundown. There was only one thing to do. He jumped into his rusty Dodge and ten
minutes later, he was knocking on the door to Yussie’s apartment.

It was now an hour before Shabbat, and only nine men were available, including the rabbi. Rabbi Levi sat at his desk and looked down once again at his congregation list. He called everyone he could think of. Why did it have to be Fourth of July weekend, when so many families are out of town?

Then he thought about who wasn’t on the list, and he smiled. He still had one last hope—Yussie Yablonski. Of course! Yussie would not be going out of town. Yussie had no car to go out of town with. Yes, Yussie would be the tenth man and complete the minyan! He dialed Yussie’s number.

“We’re sorry, but the number you have dialed has been temporarily disconnected. Please check the number and dial again or ask the operator for assistance.”

Translation: Yussie had not paid his telephone bill. Again.

Rabbi Levi looked at his watch. Forty minutes to sundown. There was only one thing to do. He jumped into his rusty Dodge and ten minutes later, he was knocking on the door to Yussie’s apartment.

“$5.95 for a cup of coffee? You gotta be kidding!”

Well, millions of people around the world enjoying their Starbucks obviously don’t think so…

In Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz’s book, Pour Your Heart into It, he writes that “the best way to build a brand is one person at a time—starting with your staff.”

And so, with his assuming ownership of the company in 1987 he promptly made sure that every single employee became a shareholder in the company. They in turn also became passionate about their coffee, like he was.

The company’s astounding annual financial reports indicate that the ball didn’t stop rolling there…

Yet, while Mr. Schultz must be credited with amazing results transforming four coffee shops in Seattle into more than 16,000 in 49 countries, he definitely can’t claim originality for his strategy.

5,747 years before he took over the company, the world’s first Entrepreneur, the Creator of heaven and earth, employed a similar tactic when launching our world into existence.

In describing the Sixth Day of Creation, the verse tells us that G‑d rested from all His work which he created “to make.”

To make what?

The commentaries note that a deeper interpretation would read: “Everything which He created to be perfected.”

He created an incomplete world which still needed to be “finished.”

In doing so, He transformed Adam and Eve – and their subsequent offspring – from stewards of the universe into shareholding partners.

A partner in the creation of the world is both a responsibility and an opportunity.

Either way it changes our attitude from one of mechanical obedience into emotional passion.

While we can get away with doing the bare minimum: a Friday night with friends as the sum total of Shabbat, avoiding prawns and bacon for the sum total of kosher, and sending an annual check to the local charity for the sum total of helping others—that’s not the Starbucks attitude.

Remember, you’ve got shares in the company. Be passionate about it.

$500 for two little black boxes?”

Of course! It’s a Starbucks pair of tefillin!

yup, this is the first wp entry