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Third decade
Second thousand
Closer-Nasi's intro
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1121
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Jan 23-24 '15
OU Israel Center • 22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem • (02) 560-9100
Every so often, a feature from within the pages of Toraqh Tidbits is brought
to the Front Page for Lead Tidbit treatment. With the mitzva of HACHODESH
HAZEH LACHEM - the mitzva for B'nei Yisra'el to set up its calendar - in this
week's sedra, we once again bring the Word of the Month feature from the
modest box at the bottom of page 2 to greater attention and focus.
And... this edition of TT hit the stands (as they say) on Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat.
Besides being a Rosh Chodesh, which would justify this topic, it is the date
of beginning of the review of Torah and Mitzvot which Moshe Rabeinu
conducted in the last place of encampment before entering Eretz Yisrael,
from that date until his death on 7 Adar. So let's review a bit...
cont. page 4
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hl:ai zeny
They baked the dough
that they had brought
out of Egypt into
unleavened (matza)
cakes...
JERUSALEM in/out times for Shabbat Parshat BO
Candles 4:30PM • Havdala 5:44PM • Rabbeinu Tam 6:18PM
Pi x
ParshaP
Explanations further on
With the molad of Sh'vat being on
Tuesday morning, the first opportunity for Kiddush L'vana would
have been Friday night - except that we don't say KL on Leil Shabbat
or Yom Tov unless it is the last opportunity. So, according to Minhag
Yerushalayim (3 full days after the molad), first op this month is
Motza"Sh (Jan 24). Those who follow the 7-day-after-the-molad rule
will have their first op on Tuesday night, January 27th. Last op is Leil
TU BiShvat, all night TUE-WED, February 3-4. Actually, almost all
night, i.e. until 5:16am. This time needs to be adjusted for location.
Candles
Shabbat Parshat BO
Havdala B'shalach-Shira
4:30 Yerushalayim / Maale Adumim 5:44 4:36 5:50
4:47 Aza area (Netivot, S'deirot, et al) 5:47 4:54 5:53
4:45
Gush Etzion
5:45 4:51 5:51
4:45
Raanana / Tel Mond / Herzliya 5:45 4:51 5:51
4:45
Beit Shemesh / RBS
5:45 4:52 5:51
4:45
Netanya
5:45 4:51 5:51
4:45
Modi'in / Chashmona'im
5:45 4:51 5:51
4:46
Rehovot
5:46 4:52 5:52
4:45
Be'er Sheva / Otniel
5:47 4:51 5:53
4:30
Petach Tikva
5:45 4:36 5:51
4:44
Ginot Shomron
5:44 4:50 5:50
4:43
Gush Shiloh
5:44 4:50 5:50
4:34
Haifa / Zichron
5:44 4:40 5:50
4:45
Chevron / Kiryat Arba
5:45 4:52 5:51
4:44
Giv'at Ze'ev
5:45 4:51 5:50
4:47
Ashkelon
5:47 4:54 5:53
4:31
Tzfat
5:42 4:38 5:48
4:46
Yad Binyamin
5:46 4:52 5:52
R' Tam (Jerusalem) - 6:18pm • next week: 6:24pm
Ranges are 11 days, Wed-Shabbat
1-11 Sh'vat • January 21-31
Earliest Talit & T'filin
Sunrise
5:45-5:41am
6:38-6:33¼am
Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma
9:14-9:12am
(Magen Avraham: 8:36-8:35am)
Sof Z'man T'fila
10:06-10:06am
(Magen Avraham: 9:35-9:35am)
Chatzot
11:50¼-11:52½am
(halachic noon)
Mincha Gedola
12:21-12:23pm
(earliest Mincha)
Plag Mincha
3:58-4:05½pm
Sunset
(based on sea level:
5:08-5:17pm
5:03-5:12pm
OU Israel and Torah Tidbits do not endorse the
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of OU Israel, the Israel Center or Torah Tidbits

What often goes for imagination in
the young is really an underdeveloped sense of reality.
 First we must teach the sense of
duty, then the laws.
 Sometimes it is not so much that
WE are lazy as that our MINDS are,
and simply do not instruct our
bodies in the obvious thing to do.
CF of Blood, Locust, Darkness
Also Eglon, king of Moav
from "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein z"l
www.createspace.com/4492905
Bo, Naso, and Ki Teitzei
44, 120, 206, 206, 208, 272, 328, 368, 434, 444
continued from the Front Page
Last Shabbat, we benched Rosh
Chodesh Sh'vat. Part of that was the
announcement of the molad. It took
place on Tuesday, at 15 minutes and
1 cheilek (3¼ seconds) after 11 in the
morning.
The molad is the instant that the
Moon is between the Earth and the
Sun in its monthly orbit around
Earth. When we do not have a
Sanhedrin, the calendar is determined by a calculation, which uses among other things - the AVERAGE
time of a complete cycle of phases.
This average time is called a
LUNATION.
The molad emtza'i is fixed at 29
days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and one
part of a minute (1p = 3¼ seconds,
there being 18 chalakim in a minute,
which is the same as 1080 chalakim
in an hour - which is significant,
because the Rambam does not use
minutes - only days, hours and parts
of an hour.)
The actual molad of Sh'vat 5775 was
Tuesday, January 20th at 3:15pm,
Israel Winter Time. This month, that
works out to be 4h 20m later than
the announced molad. Next month,
the gap is only 2h or so, and the
month after that, the actual molad is
less than an hour earlier than the
announced.
The discrepancy between actual
molad and average is a result of
various natural laws concerning the
motion of heavenly bodies. Because
the orbits of the Moon around the
Earth and the Earth-Moon around
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the Sun are not perfectly circular, the
time from one real molad (new
moon) to the next, varies. Just as an
example, the time between the
actual molad of Tevet and that of
Sh'vat was 29d 14h 38m, close to
two hours longer than average.
From Sh'vat to Adar, the time will be
29d 10h 33m, a little more than two
hours shorter than average.
Space is short. Average molad of
Tishrei is used to determine when
Rosh HaShana is. The other moladot of
the year are used for the announcement at M'vorchim, and to determine
the timing of Kiddush L'vana each
month. Except for Tishrei's, the moladot are not used to set the calendar.
In the time of Sanhedrin, the average
molad is of no significance. The actual
molad is the thing. Sanhedrin is must
calculate (or Google) the actual molad
to help determine which evening might
the Moon be first visible.
Obviously, there is a whole let more to
learn and review. Another time. Let's
finish now with two points.
According to Rambam, both systems of
Kiddush HaChodesh - the one during
the time of Sanhedrin (past and future)
when months were sanctified, often
based on eye-witness testimony the
first visibility of the lunar crescent AND the calculation method we use
when there is no sitting Sanhedrin, in
which each month is set by the
calculation and sanctified by a longago Sanhedrin - both systems are
HALACHA L'MOSHE MISINAI.
Final point: Our current system is neat
and smooth, but lacks our active
involvement, which G-d prefers. Y'HI RATZON...
 page 4  The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Bo
15th of 54 sedras; 3rd of 11 in Sh'mot
Written on 205.67 lines in a Torah, 24th
14 parshiot; 8 open, 6 closed
106 p'sukim - ranks 29th (7th in Shmot)
tied with Toldot & Vayigash; but larger
than each, otherwise
1655 words - ranks 21st (5th in Shmot)
6149 letters - ranks 20th (6th in Shmot)
Rise in rankings results from BO's
p'sukim being much longer than average
for the Torah (longest in Sh'mot).
BO has 20 mitzvot; 9 pos, 11 prohibitions
This ends an 18-sedra run of practically
no mitzvot. Nitzavim, Vayeilech, Haazinu
& V'zot HaB'racha, all of B'reishit (12
sedras) , and Sh'mot & Va'eira have a
total of 5 mitzvot. The other 36 sedras
have the other 608! If we were to
classify sedras by mitzva count, there
would be 6 sedras in the mitzva-packed
category, 11 other sedras in double digits
(Bo included), 12 sedras with 3-9 mitzot,
8 sedras with one or two mitzvot, and 17
sedras with no mitzot.
[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start
of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is
Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the
parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the
parsha.
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Numbers in [square brackets] are the
Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND
Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI;
L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and
pasuk from which the mitzva comes.
Kohen - First Aliya
11 p'sukim - 10:1-11
[P> 10:1 (11)] G-d once again
(previously with Frogs and Dever)
sends Moshe to Par'o (in his palace)
to warn about the Locust.
The signature of this week's
sedra - BO EL PAR'O is a phrase
that occurs three times, each time
as an introduction to one of the
Plagues. Specifically, G-d said to
Moshe to "come before Par'o" for
the middle plague of each 3-plague
set - FROGS, DEVER (animal
disease), and LOCUST. Baal HaTurim points out that when G-d
sends Moshe to the royal palace, He
uses the term BO. When He sends
him to the river to find Par'o there,
He uses the term LEICH.
This time, however, it is with the
additional statement that G-d has
hardened Par'o's heart so that His
wonders will be evident to all, and
that all will know Him. Moshe and
Aharon warn Par'o of the potential
devastation (the description of
which is noticeably longer than for
other plagues). Par'o's servants
(advisors?) pressure Par'o into
agreeing to release the People. Par'o
offers Moshe the adults. Moshe's
reply (something which becomes a
 page 5 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Jewish hallmark for the ages - pun
intended) is that our religious
experiences must include ALL Jews,
young and old. (Judaism places a
premium on Chinuch and on the
transmission of knowledge and
values from one generation to the
next.) Par'o rejects this and chases
Moshe and Aharon from his
presence.
Locust were sent by G-d to punish
Egypt by devouring the produce of
the land. This was "measure for
measure" punishment for the
excessive field and planting work
that Par'o imposed on the People of
Israel in order to demoralize them
and to prevent them from having a
normal family life.
Commentaries point out that Par'o
and the Egyptians continually overdid their oppression and enslavement of the Jews. Even if we were to
suggest that punishment is unfair to
those who were acting according to
G-d's wishes, so to speak, and
carrying out His Plan, it is for the
excesses that they are being held
strictly accountable. "Yes, I told you
to rough them up, but I never said
anything about beating them so
mercilessly." (This does not mean to
suggest that people who "play a part
in G-d's plans" are not held
accountable for their "regular"
actions. They are. But there is
special emphasis on the excesses.
Having the people slave at making
bricks is one thing. Withholding
straw for the purpose is excessively
cruel. For example.)
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On the other hand, the excessive
cruelty of the Egyptians is partially
responsible, so to speak, for G-d's
switching to His Midat HaRachamim
in judging the people, from the
Midat HaDin which might have kept
us in Egypt longer. The original
prophecy to Avraham Avinu called
for 400 years. Actual time spent in
Egypt (not even in slavery) was
"only" 210 years. The inclusion of
the years from Yitzchak's birth is
(can be seen as) G-d's reaction (so
to speak) to the excessive harshness of the Egyptian experience.
Levi - Second Aliya
12 p'sukim - 10:12-23
[S> 10:12 (9)] G-d tells Moshe to
raise his hands over the land.
Moshe raises his staff (notice: his
staff, not his hands - why?) and the
locust come. So overwhelming is
this plague, that Par'o "hurries" to
call for Moshe and Aharon, admits
to them that he has sinned, and
asks them to pray for the removal
of this terrible plague. Moshe does
so, and a "reverse" wind causes the
locust to totally disappear. G-d
once again hardens Par'o's heart.
[P> 10:21 (9)] Plague #9 - Dark-
ness (just like #3 Lice and #6
Boils) is brought sans-warning.
The thrice-repeated pattern is (1) find
Par'o at the Nile and deliver the
warning, (2) go to his palace and
bring the warning "closer to home",
and (3) twice-warned is sufficient; he
 page 6 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
won't let the People go, bring the
next plague without additional
warning. Additionally, there is an
escalation in severity from the first
to the second to the third plague in
each set of 3 plagues. The 10th
plague stands alone: Par'o was
warned of it "up front" and it is
mentioned more than once as the
"ultimate" punishment for Egypt.
Darkness, an unusual, unnatural,
tangible darkness (not merely the
absence of light), descends upon
the Egyptians for a paralyzing 3
days (Rashi says that it was for 6
days). In the Jewish neighborhoods,
there is light.
Let's define "natural" darkness as
the absence of light. Consistent with
the other Makot, the plague of
Darkness was not natural. Some of
the unnatural qualities of the Darkness of Egypt were that it was
substantive, and that lighting a fire
would not dispel it. This was a
supernatural darkness. Perhaps, a
darkness like pre-Creation darkness
(B'reishit 1:2). Along these lines (but
different) is an explanation attributed to the Vilna Gaon. Darkness, as
well as Light, is a creation; it is not
just the absence of light. One of the
laws of nature that G-d created is
that light dispels darkness. During
Makat Choshech, nature was turned
upside-down - darkness dispelled
light.
"Man did not see his fellow,
nor did a person rise from his
place..." Chidushei HaRim writes that
this is a description of the worse
kind of darkness in human life,
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when a person does not see the
suffering of his fellow. Not only does
he not extend his hand to help the
other, but the ultimate result is the
inability of the individual to even
help himself. The People of Israel
had light throughout their dwellings.
May we always be able to see the
plight of our fellow Jews and
respond with acts of Chesed worthy
of our Heritage.
Shlishi - Third Aliya
9 p'sukim - 10:24-11:3
Par'o calls for Moshe and tells him
to go, even with the children, but
to leave the livestock behind.
Moshe insists that ALL will leave.
Par'o once again refuses, and this
time he threatens death (he had
Moshe's in mind - G-d "applied it"
differently) if he sees Moshe again.
He thus inadvertently prophesies
his own death. This is part of the
"topsy turvy" aspects of the Exodus.
[P> 11:1 (3)] G-d "reminds" Moshe
that there is one more plague (the
"real" one; the one that was
presented up front, the one mentioned before all of the others) and
then Par'o will send the people on
their way.
G-d tells Moshe to tell the people
to "borrow" things from their
neighbors. He says that the
Egyptians will miraculously feel
kindly towards the Jews (even
though the Jews are responsible, in
 page 7 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
the eyes of the Egyptians, for their
recent suffering). G-d even implanted in the eyes of the Egyptians
an admiration and respect for
Moshe.
Rashi points out the unusual way
that G-d instructs Moshe to talk to
the people. He says, "please".
DABER-NA. Rashi explains that G-d
did not want Avraham Avinu to
"complain" that the oppression
prophesied should come true, but
not the promise of leaving Egypt
with great wealth. Hence, Moshe,
please speak to the people and
have them take... Targum Onkeles,
on the other hand, translates NA as
NOW (not as please).
R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya
27 p'sukim - 11:4-12:20
[S> 11:4 (5)] Moshe says, in G-d's
name, that He (G-d) will kill ALL
Egyptian firstborns, that the
screaming from the deaths will be
unprecedented, and that in total
contrast, utter tranquility will
reign in the Jewish area.
[S> 11:9 (2)] G-d says that Par'o
will once again refuse even this
threat, so that the full course of
wonders and miracles will benefit
the People of Israel.
One commentator says that
Moshe was distraught by the extent
to which Par'o went in his refusal to
let the People go. Such dedication to
wickedness in the face of such
devastating punishment was truly
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disheartening to Moshe. How can
the power of evil be so strong? How
can someone fight against it and
hope to win? G-d's answer was that
it was He Who hardened and
strengthened Par'o's heart. Left on
his own, Par'o would have given in
long before. Theoretically, G-d could
do this to punish us, but in this case
it was for our benefit.
The Sfas Emes marvels at
the fact that only G-d would give the
power to a wicked person to oppose
Him. Why would G-d give Par'o the
ability to defy Him? In order to bring
about the marvels and wonders of
the Exodus, so that the People of
Israel shall know beyond doubt that
G-d has taken them out of Egypt.
[S> 12:1 (20)] G-d commands the
setting up of the Jewish calendar
[4,A153 12:2] (even before we left
Egypt).
He then commands the taking of a
lamb or goat for each household
(or so). The animal was to be taken
on the 10th of Nissan (this rule
was for "Pesach Mitzrayim" only,
and not for future Pesachs;
therefore it is not counted among
the mitzvot of the Torah) and held
for the 14th of the month, when it
was to be slaughtered in the
afternoon [5,A55 12:6]. Its blood
was to be smeared on the doorposts
and lintel (only that first Pesach).
The sacrifice is to be eaten on the
night of the 15th of Nissan [6,A56
12:8], having been roasted, eaten
with matza and maror (this being
 page 8 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
part of the mitzva "for the
generations", but not counted
separately among Taryag); that is,
neither cooked nor partially done
[7,L125 12:9], but roasted whole.
No part was to be left over until
morning [8,L117 12:10]; any
leftovers were to be burned
[143,A91 this mitzva is counted in
Parshat Tzav, not in Bo, but 12:10 is
used to add the Korban Pesach's
NOTAR to the positive command in
Tzav which textually addresses the
leftovers of a different sacrifice]. It
was to be eaten with "belt tied", in
haste, ready to leave (these details
are for Egyptian Pesach only).
Korban Pesach is an example of a
piece of text in the Torah that mixes
episode with mitzva. Much more
often, we find either/or. It is a bit
confusing to distinguish between
the details of the mitzva of KP for all
generations and those elements of
the story of the Exodus which were
meant only for that first Pesach. In
fact, it is not just confusing; it is
impossible to accurately differentiate between the two categories of
details... WITHOUT the Oral Law.
The Talmud informs us as to what
constitutes the mitzva of KP. The
Written Word is not complete. Our
Torah consists of two inseparable
parts - the Written Word and the
Oral Law (embodied in the Talmud
and other sources). This is a fact
that is reinforced over and over
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again throughout the Torah. If one
attempts to understand the Written
Word without the Oral Law and
Tradition, there will be confusion at
best and distortion and perversion
of G-d's Word, at worst.
Then G-d will "pass through" Egypt
on that night, kill the firstborns,
and "pass-over" the Jewish home
with the blood-marks. This shall
become a holiday for all generations. Matzot are to be eaten for
seven days and on Erev Pesach,
Chametz is to be eliminated from
our homes [9,A156 12:15]. (Intentionally and spitefully eating
Chametz on Pesach is a rejection of
membership in Klal Yisrael, hence
the punishment of "excision".)
The basis of Yom Tov is set down in
12:16 - specifically that Melacha is
prohibited, as on Shabbat, except
for "that which is needed for food".
The source of "sh'mura" matza is in
12:17. The mitzva of eating matza
on seder night [10,A158 12:18] is
followed by the prohibition of
owning of chametz during all of
Pesach [11, L200 12:19]. Foods
containing chametz are forbidden
[12,L198 12:20].
Because the prohibition of chametz
and the mitzva of matza are linked
to each other in the same pasuk, we
do not view Matza as a purely
positive time-related mitzva. Hence,
 page 9 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
women are not exempt. In fact,
women are obligated to perform
other Seder mitzvot as a package
deal with matza. Specifically, women
are obligated on the mitzva of
Hagada - they should not be silent
observers at the Seder, but should
participate in transmission of the
story and details to their children
and guests. Women are also obligated (for a different reason) to
drink four cups of wine, which is a
Rabbinic command.
Chamishi 5th Aliya
8 p'sukim - 12:21-28
[P> 12:21 (8)] Moshe gathers the
elders of the People and relays
G-d's instructions. He also tells
them that when the People get to
Eretz Yisrael, they will continue to
commemorate the events of the
Exodus, with questions and
answers from one generation to the
previous one. The People do as
commanded.
Moshe tells the people that which
G-d had previously commanded
him to tell them. Here it says: Take
a bundle of hyssop (aef`), dip it in
the blood of the Korban Pesach,
and daub it on the lintel and the
two doorposts.
Notice: Not only is going into Eretz
Yisrael part of the Promises of
Redemption, but in the laws of
Korban Pesach there is reference to
"when you will come to the Land..."
G-d will pass through Egypt smiting
their firstborns, and He will see
blood on the doorposts and lintels
of the Jewish homes, He will not let
the "Destructive Force" (MAL'ACH
HAMAVET, Angel of Death) to come
to your homes... What was the
MASHCHIT doing in Egypt on that
night, when the Hagada states that
it was G-d Himself who smote the
Egyptian firstborns? Some explain
that the MASHCHIT was in charge,
so to speak, of "regularly scheduled
deaths". G-d did not allow him to
enter a Jewish home that night so
the contrast with Egypt would be
total. Meaning that those who were
"scheduled" to die that night were
given an extension in order to
highlight the contrast between
Egypt and Israel.
Shishi - Sixth Aliya
23 p'sukim - 12:29-51
[S> 12:29 (8)] It comes to pass at
exactly midnight that the Egyptian
firstborns are smitten, and that the
Egyptians shower the Jews with
gifts, and hurry them on their way.
[P> 12:37 (6)] And so the People of
Israel leave Egypt. The People leave
in such haste that they take
quick-baked breads with them
without taking the time to let the
dough rise. Approx. 600,000 men,
plus women and children leave
Egypt, together with many
Egyptians who are smart enough to
flee with them. Thus ends a 430
year period of exile (according to
The Torah tells us that when
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 page 10 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
some opinions, this is the time from
the B'rit bein HaB'tarim to the
Exodus - this is another way of
explaining when the "enslavement began"). That night shall be a
special night for all of Israel
through the generations.
[P> 12:43 (8)] The Torah now
shifts from relating the story of the
Exodus back to the rules for the
Korban Pesach. Jews who have "left
Judaism" and embraced another
religion [13, L128 12:43], nonJews, even those who are committed to the Seven Noahide Laws
[14,L126 12:45] may not eat
Korban Pesach. The Korban must
be eaten in one place; removing it
from its place is forbidden [15,
L123 12:46], as is breaking a bone
in it [16,L121 12:46]. Only Jews
participate. An uncircumcised Jew
may not eat of the KP [17,L127
12:48]. A true convert to Judaism is
equal to a born-Jew. The People
did as commanded.
[S> 12:51 (1)] On this very day, the
multitude left Egypt.
Sh'VII Seventh Aliya
16 p'sukim - 13:1-16
[P> 13:1 (10)] As a commemo-
ration of the Exodus (specifically
plague #10), we are to sanctify
firstborns (human, kosher farm
animals, and donkey. Each type of
"b'chor" is treated differently)
[18,A79 13:2]. The Torah sets
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down the yearly observance of
Pesach, even after entry into Israel.
Chametz may not be eaten [19,
L197 13:3] nor even owned [20,
L201 13:7] on Pesach. It is a mitzva
to relate the story of what
happened [21,A157 13:8] at the
Seder. T'filin also serve as a
reminder of the Exodus. Pesach
must be in the spring, the time of
renewal of nature.
[P> 13:11 (6)] A firstborn-male
donkey must be redeemed [22,A81
13:13] (by giving a sheep or its
value to a kohen) or destroyed (if
the owner refuses to redeem it
[23,A82 13:13] (not preferred).
The Torah reiterates the significance of the younger generation
asking and receiving answers
about the origin of the Nation. The
T'filin angle is also repeated.
The two final portions of BO (all of
Sh'vii) join the two first portions of
the Sh'ma as the four passages of
the Torah contained in each of the
two T'filin (written together on a
single strip of parchment in the
"shel yad" and on four separate
parchments inserted into four
distinct chambers in the "shel rosh").
Haftara 16 p'sukim
Yirmiyahu 46:13-28
Parallel to the sedra, Egypt's downfall (at the hands of Bavel) is
prophesied. (It is rare that a
 page 11 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
prophecy to another nation is used
as a Haftara.) Israel, however, shall
not fear; G-d is with us! The pasuk
that assures us about the Ultimate
Redemption mentions that it might
happen in the distant future.
Nonetheless, we shall not despair.
This can be seen in context of the
well-known notion that Mashiach
will either come in his appointed
time, or sooner. Depends on us.
The Babylonian army is compared
with the countless nature of
swarms of locust. Thus Egypt falls
to locust again - and there is
another connection to the sedra.
OU Israel Center TT 1121
mgpn ixac
Divrei Menachem
[email protected]
Nehama Leibowitz, in one of her lessons
on Parshat Bo, noted that but for three
specific instances prior to our parsha, no
mitzvot had been given to our people:
Now we are suddenly overwhelmed, not
only with twenty mitzvot (mostly concerning the observance and commemoration of Pesach) but also with the
seemingly laborious minutiae associated
with these ordinances.
Why so? Taking a leaf out of Sefer
Hachinuch, N. Leibowitz reminds us that,
"Our first appearance in world history in
the role of G-d's Chosen People… took
place at this season [of Pesach]. It is
accordingly fitting that we should
commemorate that event by performing
such acts as would re-enact within us
that spiritual achievement, thus perpetuating its impact on us for all time."
And in answer to the question as to why
wouldn't we suffice with but one major
act of remembrance, the Sefer Hachinuch
expounds that, in essence, our characters
are shaped by our actions (and not the
other way around). For are we not aware
of persons who espoused righteousness
but whose deeds, nevertheless, led them
astray?
From another religious perspective we
may recall, with the author of Sefer
Hachinuch, our rabbis' teaching that, "The
Holy One Blessed Be He desired to give
Israel the opportunity of gaining merit. He
therefore gave them many precepts."
Clearly then, as we shaped up as a nation
of priests, we needed to internalize that
the more we became preoccupied with
Mitzvot, the more refined (and deserving)
we'd become. It seems that some lessons
never change.
 page 12 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Vebbe Rebbe
Shabbat Clock for an Urn
Question: My hot water urn has a
Shabbat setting, in which the water is
heated at a constant level and the switch for
boiling the water is diabled. The socket
where I plug it in is on a Shabbat clock that
is off at night. When it goes on in the
morning, the water that has become cold
heats back up. Is that permitted?
Answer: Although we accept the
opinions among Rishonim that it is
forbidden to reheat boiled water that
has cooled down (Shulchan Aruch and
Rama, Orach Chayim 318:4,15), you
would not be considered cooking
since this is done automatically.
The question is whether your setup
violates the Rabbinical prohibitions of
shehiya or chazara. Shehiya, leaving
food on the flame from before
Shabbat, is sometimes forbidden, out
of a concern one will raise the heat. It
is permitted if the heat source is
covered in a way that reduces its
efficiency (Shulchan Aruch, OC
253:1) or (likely) regarding a
non-adjustable heat source (Hilchot
Shabbat (Eider), p. 340). However,
neither lenient factor exists here (one
can raise the heat from Shabbat to
normal mode). It is usually permitted
to use this urn when the water has
already been boiled, as further boiling
causes unwanted evaporation (see
Shulchan Aruch ibid.). Your case
could possibly be more problematic
since one may desire the extra heat to
heat the cold water.
OU Israel Center TT 1121
Chazara, returning food on Shabbat
that had been removed from the heat,
has more stringency, including that it
is forbidden on a normal, adjustable
heat source even if raising the
temperature is detrimental (ibid. 2). Is
your case considered chazara,
considering that the heat is returned to
function by a machine rather than a
person? The answer may depend on
the reason of the stringency of
chazara. Rabbeinu Tam says it is a
heightened concern one will raise the
heat since the food was returned after
time off the flame. The Ran says that
returning cooked food to a heat source
can be confused with cooking. In this
case, Rabbeinu Tam's reason seems to
apply, while the Ran's does not since
you do nothing on Shabbat.
Let us examine discussion about a
parallel case. The Pri Megadim (OC,
EA 253:41) and the Chazon Ish (OC
37:21) wonder about the permissibility of various cases similar to what
the Rama (OC 253:5) allows. A
non-Jew may put, on Shabbat
morning, cold cooked food near a
fireplace, which a non-Jew will be
permitted to light due to the great
cold, thereby also heating the food.
Why are we not concerned that after
the fireplace is on, a Jew will stoke
the coals? The Pri Megadim suggests
that this must rely on the opinion that
reheating liquids is permitted, and so
too the reheating is not significant
enough to prompt one to stoke the
coals. The Chazon Ish gives a few
possible answers. One is that we treat
 page 13 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
a case where the food is put down
when there is no heat as equivalent to
shehiya. This helps since the Chazon
Ish claims elsewhere (37:27) that the
concern of raising the flame regarding
shehiya does not apply to fully cooked
food even if it is now cold. On the
other hand, reheating cooled water
may be worse than reheating other
cooked foods (Orchot Shabbat 2:(11)).
There is further room for leniency
considering that Shabbat started with
the urn operating and there was no
action since then (see Am Mordechai,
Shabbat, p. 51). Still, the Shemirat
Shabbat K'hilchata (1:40) is stringent
when the water has cooled off totally,
and the Orchot Shabbat (2:(49)) is
uncertain.
Your urn has a feature that provides
further grounds for leniency - when
the Shabbat mode is on, one cannot
raise the heat. This is similar, in some
ways, to one who seals an oven where
food is heating, which is permitted
even though the seal can be removed
(Shabbat 18b). It is unclear if the
Shabbat-mode button that is deactivated by a simple press is sufficient
deterrent (see cases in Orchot Shabbat
2:18-19). It is also unclear if this
leniency applies when elements of
chazara exist (see ibid. 55). However,
combining this factor along with the
aforementioned grounds for leniency,
it is not difficult to justify leniency.
Rav Daniel Mann, Eretz Hemdah Institute
Questions? email [email protected]
OU Israel Center TT 1121
Rabbi Weinreb's Weekly Column:
Bo:
"Tell Me a Story"
Since back in early autumn, when
we began reading the Book of
B'reishit, we have been reading one
long story. It has been a very
dramatic story, extending over
many centuries. It began with the
creation of man, and proceeded
with the narrative of the transformation of a small family into a large
nation.
For the past several weeks, the plot
has thickened. That nation became
cruelly enslaved. In this week's
Torah portion, Bo (Sh'mot 10:113:16), the story takes a suspenseful turn. We sense that the redemption from slavery is imminent. But
before redemption begins, the
narrative is interrupted.
The Torah shifts gears. It is no
longer a story that we hear, but a
set of God-given commands: "This
month… shall be the first of the
months of the year for you. Each
member of the community shall
take a lamb… Your lamb shall be
without blemish… You shall keep
watch over it until the fourteenth
day of this month and… slaughter it
at twilight, eat the flesh that same
night… not eat any of it raw… not
leave any of it over until morning."
(12:1-10)
Whereas the novice reader of the
Torah is jolted by this drastic
transition from the narrative mode
to a set of laws, Rashi and Ramban
 page 14 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
were not surprised by this sudden
shift. They wondered why the Torah
would focus at such length on
storytelling and not proceed directly
to this passage of ritual law.
"Is the Torah a story book?" they
ask. "Is it not, rather, a set of
instructions for ritual and ethical
behavior?" They each answer these
questions differently, but both
conclude that much of the Torah,
perhaps even most of it, is one long
and fascinating story.
witness the ten plagues. They
missed the thrilling flight from
Egyptian bondage. They did not
personally experience the wondrous
miracle of the splitting of the Sea.
They were brought back to Moshe
by their maternal grandfather Yitro,
so it is not at all clear whether they
were even present at Mount Sinai
when the Torah was given.
I think that the reason is quite
simple. The Torah recognizes the
power of the story to influence the
minds and hearts of men. An author
who wishes to profoundly impact his
reader will do well to choose the
narrative mode over other modes of
communication. In secular terms, a
good novel is more powerful than
the best law book.
The early 20th century Chassidic
master, Rabbi Yehoshua of Belz,
wonders about this puzzling fact.
His answer is a most instructive
one: God wanted Moshe to tell his
sons the story of the Exodus. He
wanted Moshe to be the storyteller
par excellence, the one who would
model storytelling for every subsequent father in Jewish history.
Gershom and Eliezer were denied
witnessing the Exodus because
God wanted them to serve as the
first Jewish children who would only
hear its story; who would not know
the real-life experience of the
Exodus but only hear its narrative
told to them by their father.
Taking note of this important lesson
enables us to understand an otherwise puzzling phenomenon. Despite
the fact that the Exodus from Egypt
was, and remains, the central
experience of Jewish history, there
were at least two Jews who were
alive at the time of the Exodus who
did not experience it directly. I refer
to Gershom and Eliezer, the two
sons of Moshe. They remained
behind in Midyan when Moshe
struggled with Par'o. They did not
This, teaches the Belzer Rebbe, is
the simple meaning of the verse in
this week's Torah portion: "…So
that you (singular in the Hebrew)
may tell the story, in the ears of
your child and child's child, of how I
made a mockery of the Egyptians
and how I displayed My signs
among them - in order that you may
know that I am the Lord" (10:2). The
singular "you" at the beginning of
the verse, explains the Rebbe,
refers to Moshe himself. He is to tell
Why does a book designed to teach
the reader about proper religious
belief and practice take the form of
a narrative?
OU Israel Center TT 1121
 page 15 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
the story to each of his sons
individually, because he is the only
father then alive whose sons would
hear the story of the Exodus
second hand. In this manner,
Moshe set the stage for all subsequent Jewish fathers. A Jewish
father must be a storyteller!
A good story's power is familiar to
all of us. The secret of the
Chassidic movement's success was
not its texts or teachings, but the
inspiring stories it told to its early
adherents. To this day, Chassidim
maintain the tradition of storytelling
in their melava malka, their postShabbat repast, every week.
Personally, I long ago became
familiar with an approach to psychotherapy called narrative therapy, in
which the patient uses his or her
own personal narrative as the basis
for curative change. My favorite
mentor would emphasize that when
a therapist first encounters a
patient, his opening question should
not be, "What's your problem", but
rather, "Please tell me your story."
As I reflect upon those of my
teachers who left a lasting
impression upon me, I recall the
fact that they all told stories.
Indeed, I remember those stories
better than the academic lessons
they taught me.
I remember a youth group leader
named Shmuli who told us stories
and gave us cupcakes every
Shabbat afternoon. I later learned
that he obtained those stories from
OU Israel Center TT 1121
an early Chabad publication entitled
Talks and Tales. Those tales left
me with a taste for religion that
even surpassed the taste of those
delicious cupcakes.
I remember my seventh-grade
teacher who read us the stories of
William Saroyan at the end of each
class, laying the foundation for my
abiding love of literature. And, of
course, there were the stories my
unforgettable Talmud teacher told
us about the heroes of rabbinic
history, which ultimately inspired me
to pursue a career in the rabbinate.
Frankly, I fear that storytelling is
becoming a lost art with the rapid
change of our modes of communication. Grossly abbreviated electronic messages have replaced the
face-to-face encounters that are
essential for storytelling. The
absence of the good story will effect
personal development negatively
and will impede the spiritual
development of our children and
grandchildren.
For me, Torah is but the most
outstanding of the many stories
which shaped my Jewish identity. I
can think of only one modality that
rivals the narrative as a basis for
emotional growth. That modality is
music. But space limits me to
describing the narrative nature of
the Torah in this column. I will
reserve my take on the Torah as
music for another Person in the
Parsha column. Watch for it. 
 page 16 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
TORAH MITZION
by Dr. Meir Tamari
Parshat BO with
Religious Zionist Scholars
Rabbi Yitschak taught that the Torah
should have begun with our parsha
since it contains the first mitzva.
Instead, it started with B'reishit
because Creation demonstrates the
authority of Hashem, the Creator, to
allocate Eretz Yisrael to His Nation.
Now, parshat Bo presents the mitzvot
that are the basis of our eternal annual
celebration of yetzi'at mitzrayim and
even of our future redemptions.
We recall the anguish of Moshe's
question at the start of his mission,
"Behold Israel does not pay attention
to me, how then will Pharaoh listen
and I am difficult of speech"? Moshe
feared that since they were unwilling
to listen to his message of redemption,
they would not leave Egypt even
when Pharaoh let them go. Whether
this reluctance was the destructive
effect of slavery or whether it flowed
from the material comfort of their
exile or both, there is much evidence
to support Moshe's fears. Eighty
percent of the people were destroyed
during the plague of darkness because
they did not want to leave Egypt
(Sh'mot Rabba). In the Torah itself,
we are repetitively told not that Israel
left Egypt but rather that Hashem took
them out with power and might. The
greatest indignity perhaps lies in the
verse, "since they had been driven out
OU Israel Center TT 1121
of Egypt" (12:39). Yechezkiel
describes Hashem as dragging Am
Yisrael out of Mitzrayim by the locks
of their hair. Yetzi'at Mitzrayim was
to be the final redemption. However,
due to Israel's unwillingness to accept
this completely, further exiles and
redemptions
became
necessary.
"Perhaps this is shown by the fact that
at Yam Suf they sang, 'G-d will reign
for ever', instead of [now] 'G-d reigns
forever' " (HaRav Yehuda Shaviv,
Yeshivat Har Etzion).
"The Yerushalmi talks not of four
terms of redemption but rather of 4
redemptions; redemption from the
exiles of Bavel, Persia, Greece and
Edom. The redemption from Edom
will be the ultimate redemption,
bearing witness to miracles as great as
those of Yetzi'at Mitzrayim. Our
generation has seen those great
miracles and mighty wonders whereby G-d after redeeming Israel from
the terrible destruction wrought by the
modern descendants of Edom, has
gathered our exiles from the 4 corners
and granted us victories over our
enemies. However, just as in Egypt,
many of us are unwilling to be freed
and redeemed even while praying
regularly and fervently for such
redemption" (Harav Ya'akov Vainstein, formerly rabbi of Port Elizabeth
South Africa and subsequently
founder of Ramat Shapiro educational
institutions in Israel).
That the purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim
was the entry into Eretz Yisrael is
repeatedly made clear throughout the
 page 17 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Torah. Owing to the sanctity of this
land the entry gives spiritual and
religious significance to the mitzvot
even when they are observed outside
Eretz Yisrael. In the 2nd paragraph of
Sh'ma, t'fillin and mezuza are
followed by the words, "'in order that
your days may be prolonged on the
land that I, G-d give you'; you shall
observe them even in chutz la'aretz so
that they should not be strange to you
when you return to Eretz Yisrael"
(Rashi, D'varim 11:21). Rashi
reiterates what the Torah repeatedly
states, that the real purpose of all
mitzvot is their observance in Eretz
Yisrael.
"Both the questions of the Rasha and
the Tam at the Seder are related to the
entry into Eretz Yisrael but in
different ways. The Rasha, knowledgeable and familiar with the halacha
of Pesach, sees no necessity any more
for all that ritual, now that entry into
the land has brought new dimensions
to the nation. To the Tam, however,
because of his ignorance and distance
from Judaism, the entry into the land
was nothing more than an event, so he
just asks 'what is this'?" (Rabbi
Aharon Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshiv
Har Etzion).
Therefore, at the covenant at Har
Sinai, G-d tells Israel that He will
bring Am Yisrael into the land so that
there they may become a kingdom of
kohanim and a holy nation; not an
assembly of pious people nor a
congregation of religious souls but a
nation and a kingdom. "It has to be
OU Israel Center TT 1121
recognized that the armed freeing of
Eretz Yisrael has been the first step
towards the final redemption - atchalta
d'geula" (Harav Tzvi Yehuda Kook,
Rosh Yeshivat Mercaz Harav). Of the
final redemption Chazal have already
told us that, "there is no difference
between this world and Y'mot
HaMashi'ach except that then we will
no longer have shiabud malchiyot, the
yoke of foreign rule, over us"
(Sanhedrin 99a).
Parasha Bo opens with Kiddush
HaChodesh that reveals our nationalreligion's spiritual and religious
uniqueness. This very first mitzva
freed us from the mechanical
limitation of time since a human court
alone decided on calendar. Furthermore, only a beit din in Eretz Yisrael
had the authority and power to do so.
Like the Moon, Israel knows periods
of brightness and near eclipse but
never extinction; like the Moon, Israel
constantly revives and is renewed.
"Chazal ask what is the bracha for
Kiddush
HaChodesh,
'baruch
m'kadesh chodashim, m'chadesh
chodashim or m'kadesh Yisrael. We
must renew the old practice of
blessing the chodesh by saying
m'kadesh Yisrael" (Harav A. Y,
Hakohen Kook).
(Adapted from Doresh BTzion: in honor of Joe Simon
z"l of Har Nof, past chairman Mizrachi and South
African Zionist Federation, whose whole life was
religious Zionism).
 page 18 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
The following is from
Sapphire from the Land of Israel
A New Light on the Weekly Portion
from the Writings of
Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
website: ravkooktorah.org
Donkey - Holiness
Adapted from Igrot HaRe’iyah vol. II, p. 188, letter
555 (1913); Orot, p. 85 (Orot HaTechiyah, sec. 45)
Immediately before leaving Egypt,
the Israelites were commanded to
commemorate the final plague of
makat b'chorot, the death of the
firstborn, by consecrating their
firstborn, saying:
When Par'o stubbornly refused to let
us leave, God killed all the firstborns
in Egypt, both man and beast. I
therefore offer to God all male
firstling animals, and redeem all the
firstborns of my sons (Sh'mot 13:15).
This mitzva applies not only to
firstborn (human) babies, but also to
kosher animals (cow, goat, sheep),
and - surprisingly - to firstborn
donkeys: “Every firstling donkey
must be redeemed with a sheep”
(13:13).
Why are firstborn donkeys also
included in this mitzva?
This is even more surprising when
we consider that some non-kosher
animals, such as camels and pigs,
have only one sign of impurity.
Donkeys, however, exhibit both
signs of impurity.
[Donkeys are not ruminants, nor do
they have cloven hooves.]
OU Israel Center TT 1121
The Zohar teaches that the donkey
is avi avot ha-tum'a, the ultimate
source of impurity.
In addition, the Maharal of Prague
[Rabbi Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel
(1520-1609) in Gevurot Hashem, ch.
29] noted that the Hebrew word for
“donkey” (chamor) shares the same
root as the word for “material”
(chomer). The donkey, he explained,
is a symbol of materialism and
crassness.
So why did God bestow the special
holiness of bechor on this ignoble
creature?
Hidden Holiness
One explanation proposed by the
Sages in Bechorot 5b is that
donkeys helped facilitate the
Exodus, as they hauled the
treasures of Egyptian gold and silver
for the Hebrew slaves. Yet the
Israelites could have used some
other pack animal. It would appear
that there is something special
about the donkey, that it symbolizes
an inner truth about the redemption
of the Jewish people, both in Egypt
and in the future national rebirth of
the Messianic Era.
The Israelites in Egypt had sunk to
the lowest levels of idolatry and
impurity. Outwardly, they were
indistinguishable from their Egyptian neighbors. According to the
Midrash, even the angels were
unable to distinguish between the
two nations. They questioned God’s
decision to rescue the Israelites at
the Red Sea, protesting, “Both the
 page 19 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Egyptians and the Israelites worship
idols!”
But as with the donkey, the impurity
of the Jewish people was only on the
surface, hiding a great inner holiness. It was a superficial defect, as it
says, “Do not look upon me
[disdainfully] because I am black;
for [it is only] the sun that has
darkened me” (Song of Songs 1:6).
The Messianic Donkey
We find a similar idea with regard to
the future redemption. The Sages
noted that the prophets used
conflicting metaphors to describe
the Messianic Era. In Daniel’s
nighttime vision, the Messianic king
arrives “on the clouds of the
heaven” (7:13). The prophet Zecharia,
on the other hand, spoke of a
righteous king who makes his
appearance as “a pauper, riding on a
donkey” (9:9). So how will the
Messiah arrive - floating on clouds,
or sitting on a donkey?
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi explained
that the Messiah’s form of transportation depends on us:
If [the people of Israel] merit, he will
come “on heavenly clouds”. If they
do not merit, then he will be “a
pauper riding on a donkey” (Sanhedrin 98a).
In other words, if the Jewish people
attain a spiritual level high enough,
they will merit a supernatural
redemption replete with wonders
and miracles – the Messianic king
on clouds. If, however, the
redemption arrives because the final
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hour has come, but the Jewish
people are not worthy – then the
redemption will unfold through
natural means (see Ohr HaChaim on
Num. 24:17).
Thus, “a pauper riding on a donkey”
is a metaphor for an undeserved
redemption, a redemption which
comes despite a poverty of merits. It
is a redemption based on natural
processes, as exemplified by the
donkey, a symbol of the material
world. Yet this donkey, while
externally crass and impure, has a
special holiness hidden within – the
holiness of the firstborn.
According to Rav Kook, the image of
the Messiah arriving on a donkey
characterizes the period of Ikveta
d'Mashicha, the generation when
the “footsteps” (ikvot) of redemption
are first heard. The Talmud (Sota
49b) describes this era as a time of
terrible spiritual decline, replete with
brazenness, immorality, and corruption. But the Zohar asserts that,
despites its external faults, the
generation will be “good on the
inside”. This inner goodness is
reflected in the unusual nature of
the Jewish people in the preMessianic Era. Despite the darkness
clouding their behavior and beliefs,
they are characterized by an innate
holiness, which finds expression in
their great love for the Jewish people
and the Land of Israel.
The Function of
Chevlei Mashiach
The Sages indicated the deeply
disturbing
nature
of
Ikveta
 page 20 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
d'Mashicha with the term “chevlei
mashiach”, the ‘birth pangs’ that
precede the Messianic Era. In his
seminal work, Orot, Rav Kook
discussed various reasons for the
intensified degree of materialism
that characterizes the era of
national revival. His central argument is that the Messianic ‘birth
pangs’ come to correct an imbalance stemming from centuries of
stateless dispersion.
defense organizations,
institutions, and so on.]
Rav Kook explained the process
using the following analogy. The
dregs at the bottom of a wine bottle
help preserve the wine. If a bottle
lacks dregs, and we wish to correct
the situation by adding dregs, the
initial result will be to muddy the
entire bottle, temporarily ruining it.
But as the dregs settle at the
bottom, the wine regains its clarity
and benefits from the preservative
nature of the dregs.
The period of Ikveta d'Mashicha is a
difficult time, and not all the Sages
were eager to experience it. Rav
Yosef, however, demonstrated great
spiritual courage, saying, “Let the
Messiah come; and may I merit to
sit in the shadow of his donkey’s
dung” (Sanhedrin 98b). Once again,
we find the metaphor of the donkey
used in connection with the
Messianic Era.
So too, involvement in material
pursuits is necessary to ensure the
flow of normal life. The exile, with its
concentration on spiritual matters,
enervated the life-force of the
Jewish people to such an extent that
their national survival was in danger.
The Jewish people needed to return
to their land in order to survive as a
nation. The return to the land and to
a more balanced national life meant
greater involvement in life’s material
aspects.
political
Initially, the crassness and brazenness of the pre-Messianic Era are
cause for great consternation. But
as the negative forces are subdued,
like the settling of the wine dregs to
the bottom of the bottle, their
detrimental aspects dissipate.
Transforming Darkness to Light
Rav Yosef was accustomed to
looking at the inner essence of
things. He recognized the tremendous inner holiness hidden in this
problematic generation, as symbolized by the Messiah’s donkey. Rav
Yosef
understood
that
the
Messianic light will demonstrate
how to utilize all forces, even the
most coarse - “the donkey’s dung” for the sake of good. He knew that
the darkness of national rebirth will
lead to an even higher light of Torah
and knowledge of God. 
[Thus the early pioneers were
occupied primarily with the physical
revival of the Jewish people in Eretz
Yisrael - draining swamps, planting
crops, building cities, establishing
OU Israel Center TT 1121
 page 21 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
OzTorah
WHEN WE GET THERE
how we are to worship the Lord until
we get there." K
As the plagues unfold things get
more and more desperate for
Pharaoh and the Egyptians until
Pharaoh is almost ready to cave in
(Sh'mot 10). He actually talks about
letting the Israelites go to worship
God in the wilderness but he asks
who will be going and what would
they be doing, and he doesn't like
the answer.
Shabbat Shalom
Commenting on this impasse,
Pinhas Peli quotes a story of Rabbi
Chayim of Sanz. Rabbi Chayim
asked his disciples, "What would
you do if you found a purse of
money on Shabbat - would you pick
it up?"
"Of course not", said one young
man. "You fool!" said the rabbi, who
then turned to the second student.
"Rabbi", said that one, "I would pick
it up." "You sinner!" said the rabbi,
who then looked at the third
student.
"Rabbi," said the third student, "I just
don’t know. I would struggle with
myself before deciding. I hope I
would be able to decide properly!"
"At last we have the right answer!"
said Rabbi Chayim.
Pinhas Peli applies this story to the
dilemma of the Israelites in Egypt.
What would they be doing when
they encountered God in the wilderness? Textbook answers aren’t
necessarily the answer. In Peli’s
words, what the Israelites could
have said was, "We shall not know
OU Israel Center TT 1121
Reprinted (with permission) from
Parsha Booklet (4) by
Rabbi Berel Wein
Salvation and redemption do not
come easily. In this week's parsha
the cost of Israel's redemption is
graphically detailed in the Torah.
Though the major cost and punishment is meted out to the Egyptian
Pharaoh and his nation, the oppressors and enslavers of the Jewish
people, Midrash teaches us that the
Jews also suffered great loss in this
process of redemption and of gaining their freedom.
According to certain midrashic
opinion most of the Jews never
were able to leave Egypt at all. Only
a minority successfully followed
Moshe out of the house of slavery.
And ironically, even most of those
who did leave Egypt would
eventually be unable to live to see
the promised land of Isrel.
Why must
the
process
of
redemption and independence be
such a long and painful one? After
all, the Lord could certainly have
made it much easier on all
concerned. The obvious lesson is
that freedom and redemption, both
physical and spiritual, has little
value if it is not hard won.
That is the symbol of the blood on
 page 22 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
the doorposts that signaled the
immediate moment of redemption.
"And I [the Lord] said unto you: With
your blood [and sacrifice] shall you
live!" The rabbis interpreted the
repetition of this phrase twice as
referring to the paschal sacrifice
and the blood of circumcision.
Redemption is apparently meant to
be hard won. It is not a gift that
entails no cost. Becoming a Jew
entails blood at the beginning of life.
Becoming the truly free Jew that the
Torah commands us to become
entails lifelong sacrifice and the
blood that this entails.
Our generation is also involved and
absorbed in a struggle for redemption and salvation, both personal
and national. This struggle has
taken a great toll on our enemies,
but in a psychological and spiritual
measure, perhaps even a greater
toll upon us. Much blood has been
spilled in this struggle and, truth be
said, no imminent success is yet
visible to us.
A great portion of world Jewry in the
twentieth century did not survive to
see the beginnings of our redemption and restoration to sovereignty
in our ancient homeland. Many
others have now faltered in their
resolution to see it through until
reaching the Promised Land.
Whereas the Jews leaving Egypt
had dominant figures such as
Moshe and Aharon to lead and
inspire them our times and situation
lack such towering personalities.
OU Israel Center TT 1121
But that may be precisely what the
rabbis meant when they stated;
"We have no one that we can truly
rely upon except for our Father in
Heaven." Every generation experiences crises of faith and belief. Our
generation which is witness to the
death of all of the false ideals that
permeated Jewish society over the
past two centuries is truly left with
no one to rely upon "except for our
Father in Heaven".
But the prophet has assured us that
"as the time when you left Egypt, so
too now will you witness wonders
and greatness." The bitter and
costly process of redemption is
upon us. May we be privileged to
see its successful completion with
great speed and minimum pain. 
TtRiDdLeS
Previous (Va'eira) TTriddles:
[1] FPTL: source of
AD ME'AH V’ESRIM SHANA
Front Page Top Left: Towards the
end of Parshat B'reishit, we read of
the reckless behavior of the nobility
(B'NEI HA-ELOHIM) with their
indiscriminate taking of women as
they chose. G-d makes a statement
to the effect of limiting the lifespan
of man to 120 years, giving that
amount of time for repentance
before He metes out punishment.
V'HAYU YAMAV MEI-A V'ESRIM
SHANA. ...and his days shall be 120
years. Gimatriya: 6+5+10+6 (27) +
 page 23 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
10+40+10+6 (66) + 40+1+5 (46) +
6+70+300+200+10+40
(626)
+
300+50+5 (355) = 1120.
[2] Who says that the MATEH was a
DVD in disguise?
Targum Onekles does. Sh'mot 7:17,
Moshe, speaking for HaShem says:
...behold, I will strike with the rod
that is in my hand upon the waters
which are in the river... BAMATEH
ASHER B'YADI, with the rod in My
hand. Onkeles renders that phrase
as ici
¦ a¦ iC¦ `¨xh§ gªA§ - CHUTRA we know
as the stick in Chad Gadya. And
there it is: DVD. Thanks, brother B
and thank whoever showed it to
you.
[3] Yitzchak and Pinchas are both
mentioned in Va'eira
There are many names mentioned
in Parshat Va'eira. Among them are
Yitzchak and Pinchas. Why single
them out? Because of their numeric
values. YITZCHAK = 10+90+8+100 =
208. PINCHAS = 80+10+50+8+60 =
208. VA'EIRA = 6+1+200+8 = 208.
[4] The link between the man, his
grandson, and his grandfather's
brother
The man is LEVI. His grandson is
AMRAM, father of Moshe, Aharon,
and Miriam. Levi's grandfather is
Yitzchak. Yitzchak's brother is
YISHMAEL. The link between LEVI,
AMRAM, and YISHMAEL is the
length of their lives - 137 years.
[5] 2nd of the 2nd and 1st of the 3rd
are anagrams
three sets of three makot, and then
the final one. The second plague of
the second set is DEVER, a disease
that killed cattle. The first plague of
the third set is BARAD, the
supernatural hail. DEVER and
BARAD are anagrams.
[6] World's first grandson, No'ach's
great-grandfather, Avraham's
grandson, and his great-greatgrandson
The title of the world's first grandson
goes
to
Kayin;s
first
son,
CHANOCH. No'ach's great-grandfather was CHANOCH, father of
METUSHELACH (trivia: Metushelach's English name is Methuselah,
which is also the name of a 6 liter
size - that's 8 times the size of a
normal wine bottle! - of sparkling
wines). Avraham had children and
grandchildren, etc. from his marriage
to Ketura (tradition says that she
was Hagar - another person whose
name has a gimatriya of 208). One
of those grandsons was CHANOCH.
And in Va'eira, we read of one of
Reuven's sons being CHANOCH.
That's four different people named
in the Torah with the same name.
(Kayin's son's name is spelled
without
a
VAV;
the
other
CHANOCHs have a VAV.) We are
not sure, but this might be the
record for names in the Torah. In the
rest of Tanach, there seems to be
many names for many different
people - probably more than 4
people sharing the same name. If
anyone has definitive information in
this regard, we'd be interested to
hear about it - [email protected] - thanks.
The 10 plagues are often group in
OU Israel Center TT 1121
 page 24 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
[6] MazalPic
As has been our practice for many
years, we have a pictogram in the
Word of Month box on page 2 that
represents the name of the month
or, more commonly, the mazal of the
month. We switch to the new
month's MazalPic on the Shabbat
that we bench Rosh Chodesh. Way
back, the MazalPic was straightforward. In the last several years, we
have tried for a TTriddle-like picture.
For Sh'vat, whose mazal is D'LI
(water bucket), Aquarius, we used
an alternative Zodiac system,
namely from the Native American
culture. (We've done this occasionally in the recent past.) This month's
MazalPic is the Otter, the Native
American Zodiac sign for this month
of the year.
The "Patience"
of Slavery
by
Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher
Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva
The Hagada says, "In every generation a person is obligated to see
himself as if he had personally been
liberated from Egypt." How do I
personally make the transition from
slavery to freedom when I was never a
slave? Every person is, in a sense,
born a slave - to ignorance, to lust, to
passion, and to selfishness. Our task is
to free ourselves from our personal,
spiritual slavery to the Yetzer Hara.
In Sh'mot 6 the Torah mentions the 4
expressions of redemption from
Egypt. Let us focus on the first
expression of redemption. "…and I
will take you out from under the
oppressive burdens of Egypt." The
Hebrew word for oppressive burdens
is SIVLOT.
Yet the same word SIVLOT also
means patience, the ability to bear an
oppressive burden. The modern
Hebrew word, SAVLANUT, from the
same root, means tolerance and
patience. The same phenomenon
occurs in the English translation of the
same root. The verb, to suffer, means
to be in great pain, but it also means
the ability to tolerate pain. When we
suffer injustice such as worldwide
terrorism, we are tolerating it.
G-d's promise to the Jewish People
was to deliver them not only from the
physical oppressive burdens of Egypt,
but to liberate them from the patience
and tolerance of slavery. Patience is a
virtue of the righteous, but it can also
be the yoke of the slave. To be able to
bear patiently with apathy and
indifference, the yoke of Egypt, was
the lowest depth of slavery and
degradation.
Thus, when G-d saw the Hebrew
slaves so rooted in their slavery that it
had become their second nature
(Sh'mot 6), "…for they did not listen
to Moshe because of shortness of
spirit and hard labor." He had to
redeem them. The Jewish People had
reached the ability to bear patiently
the entire system of Egyptian slavery.
That was the 49th level of impurity,
for beyond that point there would
never be any return. Israel then would
be lost forever.
Therefore, even though G-d had told
Avraham that his children will be
enslaved for 400 years, G-d had to
intervene after 210 years of slavery to
redeem Israel before they reached the
point of no return.
BET for B'CHORIM, implying that they were one of
the plague. Some explain that the firstborns had
heard of Moshe's repeated warnings about their
impending deaths and were upset - to say the least that Par'o would not release the Jews thereby saving
the Egyptian firstborns. And they rebelled and went
on a rampage attacking people. Hence, B'CHOROT
were part of the plague, not just targets.
Gimatriya Match
d®¨pW¨ rW­¥
© ze¨ mir¬¦W¦
§ YÎo¤A md¨½ x§
¨a`§
©¸ e
:Fz« l¨ x§r¨ x¬©U§A FlŸ­ Od¦ A§
'd² d¯¨Ev¦ xW¤¸`«
£ M© l`®¥x¨U¦
§ i i´¥pA§ Îl¨M EU­ r«£©I«e©
:EU¨
« r o¬¥M oŸx£
­d`Îz
«© `§
«¤e d¬¤
WŸnÎz`¤
D© n¥ d§ n© z§ d¦ l§
The people baked matza quickly,
because they left Egypt in haste
and could not linger.
The first is simple. A HEI with a
CHIRIK under it sounds like the hi
of the English word hit.
The first pasuk (B'reishit 17:24) tells us about one
individual Jew. The second pasuk
(Sh'mot 12:50) tells us of all of Klal Yisrael doing as
they were commanded. Brit Mila and Korban Pesach
are the two positive mitvot - one personal and one
communal - that are like Membership Rites in Klal
Yisrael.
The second HEI has a SH'VA
under it. That only happens in the
middle of a word - never at the
beginning or the end. The SH'VA
under a HEI is ALWAYS a SH'VA
NACH. If closes the syllable begun
by the letter before it. Here,
MAHHH. L'HIT-MAHH-MEI (one
more syllable. NOT HA. The
PATACH is pronounced first. And
the HEI is aspirated because of the
MAPIK in it. AHHH. Try not to
swallow either HEI.
These two p'sukim have the same gimatriya (3548)
When we list the plagues, we do not say Makat Dam,
Makat Tz'fardei'a, etc. Only for Makat B'chorot.
Simple explanation is that blood and frogs, lice and
hail, etc. were plagues. Firstborns were not. Their
being killed was. Hence, Makat B'chorot. However,
with Rabbi Yehuda's SIMANIM, the 10th plague is
2) Why does Moshe mention the
youth before the elders when asking
Par'o for the right to leave to
worship G-D when respect would
dictate mentioning the elders first
(10:9)?
OU Israel Center TT 1121
Parsha Points to Ponder
by MK Rabbi Dov Lipman
Bo
1) Why does G-D tell Moshe that he
should go to see Par'o BECAUSE he
has hardened Pa'ro's heart (10:1)?
Why is the fact that G-D hardened
Par'o's heart a reason for him to go
see Par'o?
 page 26 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
3) Why does the Torah write the
word MATZOT without the letter
VAV when commanding that we eat
matza for the seven days of Pesach
(13:6)?
Suggested answers
1) The Chatam Sofer answers that
Par'o's resistence to letting the Jews
go demonstrated his high degree of
lack of G-Dliness and impurity. Thus,
Moshe would not want to go near
him. G-D tells Moshe that He
hardened Par'o's heart which means
that G-D is there influencing Par'o
and that manifestation of G-D's
Presence is enough to create the
purity necessary for Moshe to go
and see Par'o.
2) The Ktav Sofer teaches that
Moshe mentioned the youth since
they were at the forefront of his
mind because the pagan culture of
Egypt was influencing them the
most due to their lack of entrenched
tradition from earlier generations.
3) The Netziv explains that the letter
missing hints to the fact that there
not an actual commandment to eat
actual matza all seven days of
Pesach (that commandment is only
for the first night) but, rather, that we
not eat leavened bread.
OU Israel Center TT 1121
MACHON PUAH
Ideally There Would Be No Doctors
Last week we saw a Midrash that Rabbi
Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva taught a
farmer that in the same way that he
must work the land in order to obtain a
good yield so must we heal people who
are sick. We cannot claim that God
made them ill and it is His responsibility to heal them. As the verse
(Sh'mot 21:19) states "and he will surely
heal him" that the Gemara (Baba Kama
85a) explains as a source that the
doctor is permitted to heal the sick
person. Rashi elucidates "and we
should not say, He made him sick and
He will heal him."
In the blessings in Parshat B'chukotai
(Vayikra 26:11) the Torah states "I will
place My temple among you and My
soul will not be disgusted by you." The
Ramban explains this blessing as
presenting the ideal state for the
Jewish people. When the Jewish people
will do God's will then they will not live
according to the laws of nature, not
the individual nor the nation. God will
heal them and they will not need to
rely on doctors, as it says "I, God, heal
you" (Sh'mot 15:26). The Ramban writes
that this is the way that the righteous
acted in the time of the prophets. And
the proof is Chizkiyahu who sought
counsel from Yeshayahu the prophet.
The counter example is King Asa, about
whom it says "and even in his illness
he did not seek God but rather doctors"
(Divrei HaYamim II 16:12). The Ramban
points out that were it the norm that
in the time of prophecy that whoever
was ill went to the doctor then the
verse need not write this explicitly. We
 page 27 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
can thus deduce that Asa was the
exception to the rule and that all the
righteous people in his day when they
were ill immediately sought counsel
from God or from His representatives,
the prophets.
"But whoever seeks God will not seek
doctors, and what portion do doctors
have in the house of those who do the
will of God, after He promised 'I will
bless your bread and your water and
remove all illness from you" (Sh'mot
23:25).
The Ramban is adamant that an ill
person should pray to God and not rely
on doctors. How does he explain the
aforementioned Gemara that permits
the doctor to heal the sick person? This
is not directed at the sick person,
states the Ramban, and they should
not go to doctors. But if a person does
go to the doctor then the doctor is
permitted to administer medication
and heal them. There is no permission
for the sick person to go to the doctor,
but the doctor is permitted to heal.
More on this next week.
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, Director, Puah Institute
CHIZUK ! IDUD
Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra
with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim
See page 5 for the reason that this
column did not appear this week. Our
heartfelt condolences to Rabbi Roness.
Portion
DOGS
My grandfather had a grocery store
in midtown Manhattan. A cowboy
once gave him a dog to keep him
company in the store. That dog was
called Princess. When my parents
moved to a house, my mother
wanted a dog so she would feel safe
and so we got our small canine ( who
wasn't really much of a watch dog).
When I moved to a house with my
family, I also thought it was time to
get a dog, but my husband sent me
to check in the Jewish sources about
this furry animal.
In Baba Kama (89b) Rashi says that
dogs "bark, and bite, and [the fear of
them] causes women to miscarry" .In
Baba Kama (15b) it says that one is
not allowed to own a KELEV RA, a
wicked dog. The Talmud says we
learn this from the verse "do not
allow a dangerous situation to
remain in your house" (D'varim 22:8).
Dogs are potentially dangerous and
can cause the spilling of blood.
According to the Maharshal, any dog
that barks at people he doesn't know
is a KELEV RA. In the Talmud
(Shabbat 63a), Rashi explains this
prohibition. He says having a dog
can reduce the amount of chesed
that one can do from his home since
poor people will be afraid to come to
the house because of the dog so he
won't give as much tzedaka.
Although the Hagahot Maimaniyot Rav Meir HaKohen says that if the
OU Israel Center TT 1121
 page 28 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
dog is not RA, wicked, then it is okay
to have one, and the Rama says that
those living amongst non-Jews can
have a dog for protection. My
husband still didn't want to get a dog.
I must admit that although I'm disappointed about not having a dog, I
don't miss the responsibility of walking and caring for a dog.
Why all this talk about dogs? I guess
I was inspired by a verse in this
week's portion. When Moshe tells the
nation about the final plague - the
death of the firstborns - he describes
the great cry of anguish that will be
heard throughout all Egypt as a
result of all the deaths. He tells them
they needn't worry because "among
the Israelites, a dog will not even
whine" (11:7). This seems like a bit
of a funny way to describe the
security that the Jews will have while
the Egyptians are experiencing the
loss of their firstborns. Why does the
Torah use the imagery of no dogs
barking as a way to inform them of
the upcoming redemption? What
kind of promise is this anyway?
Some commentators, such as Rav
Saadia Gaon, say the dog is just
taken as an example of a destructive
animal who God promises won't hurt
the Jewish people during the
Exodus. Ibn Ezra says that it is
referring to the Egyptians guard dogs
who won't harm the Jewish slaves as
they run away from Egypt - neither
causing them emotional harm by
barking at them or physical harm by
chasing and biting them.
Jews leave Egypt not bringing more
attention to them as they try to sneak
out in the middle of the night - so the
Egyptians wouldn't wake up and
chase after them.
Our Rabbis teach that as a reward
for not barking during the Exodus the dogs receive a special reward we are instructed to throw them the
flesh of an animal "torn off in the
field" (T'REIFA) which we are not
allowed to eat (Sh'mot 22:30). This
teaches us that Hashem rewards
every good deed - even those done
by animals. That should inspire us to
do more good deeds.
Since we talked about dogs...
HOT DOGS AND RICE BAKE
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup celery (diced)
½ cup onions (chopped)
5 hot dogs, cut in small pieces
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp mustard
Combine rice, onions and hot dogs.
Stir in mayo and mustard. Place in
greased casserole dish. Cover and
bake at 180°C for 25 minutes.
Chizkuni explains this promise simply
that the dogs won't bark when the
OU Israel Center TT 1121
 page 29 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
Maharal on the Sedra
The Mother Determines the
Sanctified Firstborn Status
Sh'mot 12:30 - …There was a great
outcry in Egypt, for there was no
house in which there was no death.
Rashi: [Another explanation] Egyptian women were unfaithful to their
husbands, and bore sons to
bachelor paramours, sometimes
four or five per woman, each a
firstborn to his father.
G'vurot HaShem 38:143a - With
respect to the plague of the killing
of the firstborns, firstborn is defined
as relating to mother or father. Why,
then, does the sanctification of the
firstborn [13:2] apply only to "the
first of each womb" [13:2], excluding
the father's firstborn? The answer is
that sanctification is appropriate to
something actual, as opposed to
something potential. The first in
actuality is holier than that which
comes after, for the first has
perpetual sanctity, just as Hashem
is the first of all existence. It is
proper to give Him the first of the
womb, for birth induces actuality. In
contrast, though, the firstborn of the
father [which is not the firstborn of
the mother], although he may be
the "first of his strength" [B'reishit
49:3], meaning the first potential
son, he does not come into actual
existence until his birth. As a fetus,
he is considered an organ of his
mother [Gittin 23b], who in turn is
not yet considered his mother. Birth
transforms him to actual existence.
OU Israel Center TT 1121
Sanctity therefore applies only if it
is the firstborn of the mother.
MDK The halachic criteria of firstborn conform to metaphysical rules.
The father contributes to the
formation of the fetus, but which
because the fetus is a person only
in potential only the father cannot
determine, precludes his role in
determining the sanctified firstborn
status.
Column prepared by Dr. Moshe Kuhr
ARBEH (locust) • Upper-right Torah description of the locust as
"covering the eye of the earth".
Question: Who else was described
that way in the Torah? (Ask your
children, grandchildren, or guests) •
black rectangle for CHOSHECH •
Sword for MAKAT B'CHOROT - the
killing of the first borns and/or the
killing BY the firstborns of others in
anger over Par'o's repeated refusal
to yield to the threat made by
Moshe (in G-d's name) against the
firstborns • The word BO is not just
the name of the sedra, but also the
number (BO = 2+1 = 3) of MAKOT in
the sedra. Furthermore, MF adds
that the letters actually tell us
which makot. BET is for B'CHOROT
and ALEF is for ARBEH. Where's
CHOSHECH, you ask? It's there by
you can't see it because it is dark. •
 page 30 The Parshat Bo 5775 issue
BOW (as in bow and arrow) • BOW
as in bow of ribbon • Clock reads
almost midnight. That's what
Moshe said to describe G-d's
intention of Makat B'chorot at
exactly midnight. Commentaries
say that he used that wording so
that the people wouldn't question
G-d if they thought the timing was
off. • The lamb in the doorway
brought into the homes from the
10th of Nissan • Barking dog from
Egyptian areas, because in the
Jewish areas, not a dog barked its
tongue • In Hebrew, canned goods
are called SHIMURIM, as in LEIL
SHIMURIM • Yo-yo represents
Par'o's erratic behavior - get Moshe
& Aharon; get them out of my
sight; bring them back, etc. • O
between the horns of a bull is a
PAR-O. Above the bull is a BOWL.
If you say it just right it comes out
BOW-L PAR-O • Bone for the ISUR
of breaking a bone in Korban
Pesach. It is also for the word that
appears a few times: B'ETZEM
HAYOM HAZEH... • Weather
symbol indicates total cloud cover
and a strong easterly wind - that
brought the locust • T'filin are t'filin.
Two of the four parshiyot inside
T'filin come from the end of BO •
The arrow pointing to one BAYIT
with the other Xed in red,
represents the requirement that
Korban Pesach be eaten by its
chabura in one house, not two •
baby, goat, and donkey stand for
the three types of B'CHOR • Axes
(and the sword) are mentioned in
the haftara • As is the EGLA
YEFEI-FIYA, represented as a
prize-winning calf • Plant is hyssop,
EIZOV • Two mezuzot are on what
the blood of the KP was applied,
but not these kind of mezuzot. In
the context of the sedra, mezuzot
are doorposts • The dove with a
sword is the haftara's CHEREV
HAYONA, lit. (but not the way the
Navi meant) • B'dikat Chametz kit •
Flintstones are neighbors sharing
KP • Lower-right KAZEH R'EI
V'KADEISH • a branch of pomegranate tree is the KP skewer • and
a few UNEXPLAINEDS.
Although Shavuot is called
Z'MAN MATAN TORATEINU,
there are three other dates that
can lay claim to the same title.
Yom Kippur, when the second set
of Luchot were received,
Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat when
Moshe began the review of all of
Torah in the 40th year in the
Midbar, and Purim - elawe eniiw
The following is from
Silver from the Land of Israel
A New Light on Shabbat and
Holidays from the Writings of
Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
website: ravkooktorah.org
The Shabbat Bride
Adapted from Olat Re’iyah vol. II, p. 21
The Friday evening liturgical song
Lechah Dodi [Composed by 16th
century Kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo
Alkabetz of Safed] compares the
Shabbat to a bride: “Come my friend,
toward the bride; let us greet the
Sabbath.” What does this metaphor
teach us?
A Taste of the World to Come
The Shabbat is a time of closeness
to Torah and spiritual enlightenment.
Through the light of our neshama
yeteira, our special “Sabbath soul”,
we are able to grasp that which was
distant and concealed from us
during the weekdays.
This special receptiveness to Torah
on Shabbat is similar to the feelings
of a bride toward her new husband.
The bride does not know her
husband in a deep, intimate way, the
way a wife married for many years
does.
Yet there is an excitement and
tremendous joy in the bride’s love,
which stems from the newness of
the relationship.
The Talmud in B'rachot 57b teaches
that the Shabbat is a “taste of the
World to Come”. One day a week we
can “taste” some of the holiness
and knowledge that will fill the world
in the future era, a time of pure and
continual Shabbat.
Our weekly Shabbat does not have
the depth of enlightenment that will
grace the World to Come, but there
is a delight of newness, like the
excitement and elation of a young
bride. This bridal joy is particularly
appropriate at the very start of the
Shabbat, as we celebrate to greet
her with Lecha Dodi.
The future world will also be blessed
with a newlywed joy, as it says, “God
will rejoice over you as a groom
rejoices over his bride.” This joy will
be the product of an enlightenment
that grows continually brighter, as
the souls in the World to Come
rejoice in their constant renewal and
elevation. 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ?
Very often in Torah Tidbits, you
can find a birthday greeting to
someone. Therefore when browsing through RITE and REASON by
R' Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard (translated by R' Shmuel Himelstein),
we found a question about this
very topic and decided to share
the answer with you,
QUESTION: Is celebrating birthdays an acceptable custom in
Judaism?
ANSWER: The only time that a
birthday is mentioned in Tanach
as a day to have a party is with
regard to Par'o.
[That fact notwithstanding, this is
how Rite and Reason continues].
From the words of the Midrash
below, one can learn that at the
time it was composed, most
people made a party on their
birthday.
"Most people love that day which
is another closure of a year, which
is like the day they were born. The
rejoice on it and hold a party on
it."
Our sages indicate that the birthday of a Tzaddik brings benefit to
the Jewish people, as is stated in
Yalkut Shimoni:
"He drew lots: Rabbi Chama bar
Chanina said, "as it took place in
the month of Adar, [Haman] was
very happy, he said: 'The lot fell in
the month which Moshe died.' He
knew that Moshe died on the 7th
of Adar but not that Moshe was
born on the 7th of Adar."
It appears from the words of
recent poskim that this custom
was accepted in Judaism. Ben Ish
Chai writes: "There are those who
make each year's birthday a festive occasion. This is a fine thing
and this is how we act in our
home.
Rav Ovadia Yosef was of the
opinion that if one had a birthday
party and Torah thoughts are
shared there, it is a mitzva meal.
(Rav Moshe Feinstein, though,
disagreed.)
[Furthermore,] there is a custom
brought in the Talmud that Rav
Yosef made a festive meal for the
Rabbis when he turned 60. He
said: "I am no longer subject to
kareit."
There is also a custom to recite
Shehechyanu upon reaching the
age of seventy.
So, if the shoe fits....
Have a very Happy Birthday!
There is a dispute between Beit
Shammai and Beit Hillel as to when
Rosh HaShana LaIlanot is. Beit
Shammai says Rosh Chodesh
Sh'vat. We can suggest that he
chose that day because all the other
Rosh HaShanas are on the first of
the month. Beit Hillel's reason for
saying 15 Sh'vat is known to be,
"because the majority of the rains
have already come." What does that
mean? How can anyone know that
it won't rain more after a certain date
than before it? And the Hebrew
calendar is not exactly matched up
to the seasons. Here is a possible
answer. The period of timing that is
considered the rainy season runs
from 15 Tishrei (even though we hold
off on mentioning rain until Sh'mini
Atzeret) to 15 Nisan. A "firm" ROV
(majority is 2/3 through that period TU BiShvat.
- Heard from Rabbi Aharon Adler