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Rosh Chodesh Sivan

is on 

Tuesday 15 May

This Shabbat is Shabbat Mevarechim

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on 0791 957 8106 by 13th May

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SHABBAT

Shabbat Times

לוח זמני תפלה לקיץ תשע"ח

Summer Timetable 5778 – 2018

*    For those not in synagogue, but wishing to bring in Shabbat with the community, candles should be lit about 30 minutes after the time listed for Minha and Kabbalat Shabbat. (Unless the time listed in the ‘latest candle lighting’ column is earlier, when candles should be lit by that time, in all cases.)

Pirke Avot 5:50 pm

Mincha 6:00 pm

Followed by Shiur

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Children’s Tehilim straight after Musaf

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Anyone wishing to donate a Kiddush Please email Moorlanenews

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Q & A on Parashat Behar – Bechukotai 

All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated.

Behar

1. Why does the Torah specify that the laws of shemita were taught on Har Sinai?
   25:1 – To teach us that just as shemita was taught in detail on Har Sinai, so too, all the mitzvot were taught in detail on Har Sinai.
2. If one possesses shemita food after it is no longer available in the field, what must he do with it?
   25:7 – Remove it from his property and declare it ownerless.
3. The Torah commands, "You shall sanctify the fiftieth year." How is this done?
   25:10 – At the beginning of the year the Beit Din declares, "This year is kadosh (sanctified)."
4. Which two "returns" are announced by the shofar during yovel?
   25:10 – The return of the land to its original owner, and the "return" (freedom) of the slave from slavery.
5. From where does the yovel year get its name?
   25:10 – From the sounding of the shofar. A ram's horn is called a yovel.
6. What prohibitions are derived from the verse "v'lo tonu ish et amito — a person shall not afflict his fellow"?
   25:17 – One may not intentionally hurt people's feelings, nor give bad advice while secretly intending to reap benefit.
7. What is the punishment for neglecting the laws of shemita?
   25:18 – Exile.
8. If shemita is observed properly, how long is the crop of the sixth year guaranteed to last?
   25:21,22 – From Nissan of the sixth year until Sukkot of the ninth year.
9. After selling an ancestral field, when can one redeem it?
   25:24 – After two years following the sale, until yovel. At the beginning of yovel it returns to the family automatically.
10. Under what circumstance may one sell ancestral land?
    25:25 – Only if one becomes impoverished.
11. If a home in a walled city is sold, when can it be redeemed?
    25:29 – Only within the first year after the sale. Afterwards, even in yovel, it does not return.
12. What does the word "days" mean in this week's Parsha?
    25:29 – The days of an entire year.
13. What is considered a walled city?
    25:29 – A city that has been surrounded by a wall since the time of Yehoshua.
14. Why does the Torah say in 26:46 "Torot" (plural) and not "Torah" (singular)?
    25:35 – A non-Jew who lives in Eretz Yisrael and accepts upon himself not to worship idols.
15. To what is one who leaves Eretz Yisrael compared?
    25:38 – To one who worships idols.
16. If a person says "The leg of this animal shall be an olah offering" the animal is sold and sacrificed as an olah offering. What is the status of the money received for the animal?
    25:38 – The prohibition against taking interest is accompanied by the phrase, "I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of Egypt." Rashi explains that just as Hashem discerned in Egypt between those who were firstborn and those who were not, so too will Hashem discern and punish those who lend with interest, pretending they are acting on behalf of others.
17. List three prohibitions which demonstrate the dignity with which one must treat a Jewish indentured servant.
    25:39-43 –
    1.Do not make him perform humiliating tasks
    2.Do not sell him publicly
    3.Do not make him perform unnecessary jobs
18. Who supports the family of the Jewish indentured servant during his years of servitude?
    25:41 – His master.
19. If a Jew is sold as a servant to a non-Jew, does he go free after six years?
    25:54 – No. If he is not redeemed with money, he must wait until the yovel to go free.
20. Where is it permitted to prostrate oneself on a stone floor?
    26:1 – In the Mikdash.

Bechukotai

1. To what do the words "bechukotai telechu" (walk in My statutes) refer?
   26:3 – Laboring in Torah learning.
2. When is rain "in its season?"
   26:4 – At times when people are not outside (e.g., Shabbat nights).
3. What is the blessing of "v'achaltem lachmechem l'sova" (and you shall eat your bread to satisfaction)?
   26:5 – You will only require a little bread to be completely satisfied.
4. What is meant by the verse "and a sword will not pass through your land"?
   26:6 – No foreign army will travel through your land on their way to a different country.
5. Mathematically, if five Jewish soldiers can defeat 100 enemy soldiers, how many enemy soldiers should 100 Jewish soldiers be able to defeat?
   26:4 – Two thousand.
6. How much is "revava"?
   26:4 – Ten thousand.
7. Which "progression" of seven transgressions are taught in Chapter 26, and why in that particular order?
   26:14,15 – Not studying Torah, not observing mitzvot, rejecting those who observe mitzvot, hating Sages, preventing others from observing mitzvot, denying that G-d gave the mitzvot, denying the existence of G-d. They are listed in this order because each transgression leads to the next.
8. What is one benefit which the Jewish People derive from the Land of Israel's state of ruin?
   26:32 – No enemy nation will be able to settle in the Land of Israel.
9. What was the duration of the Babylonian exile and why that particular number?
   26:35 – 70 years. Because the Jewish People violated 70 shemita and yovelyears.
10. How many years did the Jewish People sin in Israel up till the time the northern tribes were exiled?
    26:35 – 390 years.
11. In verse 26:42, the name Yaakov is written with an extra "vav." From whom did Yaakov receive this extra letter and why?
    26:42 – In five places in the Torah, Yaakov's name is written with an extra "vav" and in five places the name Eliyahu is missing a "vav." Yaakov "took" these vavs as a pledge that Eliyahu will one day come and announce the redemption of Yaakov's children.
12. What positive element is implied by the words "and I will bring them into the land of their enemies?"
    26:41 – G-d Himself, so to speak, will bring them into their enemies' land. This means that even when the Jews are in exile, G-d will supply them with leaders who inspire them to keep the Torah. This guards the Jews from assimilating into the host culture.
13. In verse 26:42, why is the word "remember" not used in connection with the name of Yitzchak?
    26:42 – Because the image of Yitzchak's ashes (who was prepared to be brought as an offering) upon the altar is always before G-d.
14. Why does the Torah say in 26:46 "Torot" (plural) and not "Torah" (singular)?
    26:46 – To teach that both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah were given to Moshe on Har Sinai.
15. What happens when a poor person dedicates the value of a man to the Beit Hamikdash and doesn't have sufficient funds to fulfill his vow?
    27:8 – The person whose value was donated goes before the kohen, who sets the obligation according to the poor person's ability to pay.
16. If a person says "The leg of this animal shall be an olah offering" the animal is sold and sacrificed as an olah offering. What is the status of the money received for the animal?
    27:9 – The money is "chullin," meaning it does not have "holy" status, except for the value of the animal's leg which does have "holy" status.
17. If a person dedicates his ancestral field to the Beit Hamikdash and fails to redeem it before yovel what happens to the field?
    27:16 – It becomes the property of the kohanim who are on rotation at the beginning of yovel.
18. Where must "ma'aser sheini" be eaten?
    27:30 – In Jerusalem.
19. When a person redeems "ma'aser sheini" what happens to the food? What happens to the redemption money?
    27:31 – The food becomes permissible to him outside of Jerusalem. The redemption money must be brought to Jerusalem and used to purchase food to be eaten there.
20. How does a person tithe his animals?
    27:32 – He passes them through a door individually and every tenth animal he marks with a rod smeared with red dye.

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Halachot from Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Ztz'l

חג השבועות

נאמר בפרשת מתן תורה, "ויסעו מרפידים ויבאו מדבר סיני, ויחנו במדבר, ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר". (שמות יט).

רבינו חיים בן עטר, ה"אור החיים" הקדוש הקשה, שהרי בפסוקים שקודם לכן כבר נאמר "לצאת בני ישראל מארץ מצרים, ביום הזה באו מדבר סיני", ואם כן לכאורה, מדוע כפלה התורה וכתבה שוב "ויחנו במדבר", הרי ברור הדבר שאם הגיעו למדבר גם חנו שם, ואם כן מה באה ללמדינו התורה בדבר זה?

ומסביר האור החיים הקדוש, כי פסוק זה בא ללמדינו שלשה עיקרים בקבלת התורה, שמבלעדי שלשת הדברים הללו אי אפשר היה לקבל את התורה, ועל ידם נתרצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לתת לבני ישראל את התורה.

הראשון, "ויסעו מרפידים", שקודם קבלת התורה, היו עם ישראל ברפיון ידים ועצלות גדולה, כדרכם של עבדים משוחררים, ואף על פי כן הם הכינו עצמם והתגברו על מדותיהם הטבעיות, לקבל את התורה בזריזות ובחשק, וקבלו על עצמם שלא להתעצל בלימוד התורה. כי כך טבע הדבר בלימוד התורה, שדברי תורה צריכים חיזוק כל העת, ולכן התורה טורחת בכל פעם שהיא מזכירה ענין לימוד התורה, לתת תוספת חיזוק, כמו שנאמר "לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך, והגית בו יומם ולילה, הלא צויתיך חזק ואמץ", וכן על זה הדרך. ולפיכך הוצרכה התורה לציין "ויסעו מרפידים", שהיו נרפים מאד, ברפיון ידיים, ואף על פי כן זרזו עצמם לקבלת התורה בחשק ושמחה,  ו"יסעו" מאותו הרפיון שהיה להם קודם לכן. שזהו עיקר גדול ותנאי לזכות לכתרה של תורה.

העיקר השני, "ויבאו מדבר סיני ויחנו במדבר", שהכוונה בזה שהגיעו עם ישראל למדרגה רוחנית שהיא בבחינת מדבר, שהכל דשין ודורכין עליו, והוא מקום הפקר לכל, כמו כן ישראל הגיעו למצב של ענווה ושיפלות רוח, כי מבלעדי זה אי אפשר לזכות לתורה, כי אין התורה שורה על גסי הרוח, ועל כן משה רבינו זכה שהוא יקבל את התורה, לפי שהוא היה סמל ואות למופת של ענוה גדולה שלא היה עוד כמותה. גם לא ניתנה התורה אלא על ההר הנמוך שבהרים, הר סיני, כי אין השכינה שורה על גסי הרוח וגבהי הלב, ורק בזכות הענוה זכו ישראל לכתר תורה.

והעיקר השלישי, "ויחן שם ישראל כנגד ההר", אשר כמו שפירשנו כבר, לשון "ויחן" הוא לשון יחיד, מפני שעם ישראל באותו הזמן היתה בינהם אחדות גדולה, כאיש אחד בלב אחד, וגם זה הוא תנאי גדול לזכות לתורה, כי אין קבלת התורה רק ליחידים שבישראל, אלא דוקא לכל כלל ישראל יחד, ועל כן התורה צריכה תמיד להיות נלמדת בציבור, ואמרו רבותינו "חרב אל הבדים", חרב אל אותם שלומדים בד בבד, כלומר לבדם, כי אין אדם זוכה לישרות בתורה, אלא כשהיא נלמדת עם עוד אדם, שיעיר את תשומת לב חבירו כשהוא טועה בלימוד. (ואחר שידע כבר את עיקרי לימוד התורה בדרך נכונה, יוכל ללמוד לבדו מתוך ספרי האחרונים, אשר גם על ידי העיון בהם יוכל לעמוד על טעותו), ואשרי העם שהם באים בליל שבועות ללמוד תורה בציבור, במקום שהשכינה שורה בו, אשר על כגון זה נאמר "ויחן שם ישראל כנגד ההר", כי כאיש אחד, זכו לקבל את התורה, וכמו כן אנו, נזכה לאורה של תורה, משאת חיינו, בזכות ענוה ושפלות רוח, לקבל מהגדולים מאיתנו את האמת, ולהודות תמיד על האמת, ולהשתדל כמה שאפשר להיות באחדות גדולה, שמתוך כך תשרה עלינו השכינה הקדושה, ונזכה לכתרה של תורה.

The Holiday of Shavuot

Regarding the giving of the Torah, the Torah states (Shemot 19): “And they travelled from Refidim and they arrived at the Sinai Desert and they camped in the desert; and Israel camped there opposite the mountain.”

Rabbeinu Chaim ben Atar, the saintly “Or Ha’Chaim,” asks that in the previous verses the Torah states, “On the third month of the Jewish nation leaving Egypt, on this day they had come to the Sinai desert.” If so, why does the Torah repeat the fact that they “camped in the desert”? Is it not clear that if they arrived at the desert that they camped there as well? What does the Torah mean to teach us by writing this?

The saintly Or Ha’Chaim explains that the Torah is trying to convey to us three key principles regarding receiving the Torah without which accepting the Torah would have been impossible and because of which Hashem decided to give us the Torah.

The first is “Travelling from Refidim” (in Hebrew, “Refidim” is similar to the word “Rifyon” meaning laxity) before the giving of the Torah, for the Jewish nation experienced great carelessness and lethargy as all freed slaves do and even so, they prepared themselves and overcame their natural character-traits in order to be able to accept the Torah in a zealous and energetic manner by accepting upon themselves not to become lazy in their Torah learning. This is indeed the natural course of Torah learning that the Torah needs strengthening and recommitment at all times. It is for this reason that any time the Torah mentions learning Torah, the Torah adds a boost of encouragement as the verse states, “This Sefer Torah shall not budge from your lips and you shall delve in it day and night etc. have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous?” The Torah therefore needed to point out that they “travelled from Refidim,” for they had truly been slacking off, but even so they had energized themselves to accept the Torah with desire and joy and they had thus “travelled away” from the laxity they possessed beforehand, for this is a great principle and important condition for meriting receiving the Torah’s crown.

The second principle is “And they arrived at the Sinai desert and they camped in the desert.” This means that the Jewish nation reached the lofty level wherein they made themselves like a desert which is ownerless and everyone walks through and tramples on. Similarly, the Jewish nation reached a high level of humility and submissiveness, for without doing so, one cannot merit accepting the Torah as the Torah does not identify itself with the arrogant. It is also for this reason that Moshe Rabbeinu was the one chosen to receive the Torah, for he served as an outstanding symbol of extreme humility, the likes of which the world had never seen. Additionally, the Torah was given only on the lowest of mountains, Mount Sinai, for Hashem’s presence does not rest on the arrogant and the haughty; only because of their humility did the Jewish nation merit receiving the crown of Torah.

The third principle is “And Israel camped there opposite the mountain.” The Torah uses the singular form of the word “camped” in order to teach us that the Jewish nation was completely unified at that time, like one man with one heart. This also serves as an important condition in order to receive the Torah, for the Torah was not given to individuals among the Jewish nation; rather, it was given to the entire nation as one. It is for this reason that the Torah must be read in public. Indeed the verse states, “May a sword be to the loners” referring to those who learn Torah alone, for one cannot merit having a correct understanding of the Torah unless he learns with someone else who will be able to bring the errors he has made in his learning to his attention. (Once one masters the principles for how to properly learn Torah, one may then learn from the works of the Acharonim alone, for by delving in them one will likewise be able to realize if he has erred.) Praiseworthy is the nation whose people come together to learn Torah on the night of Shavuot in a place where the holy presence of Hashem rests. Regarding this does the verse state, “And Israel camped there opposite the mountain,” for they merited receiving the Torah as one. May we likewise merit gleaning from the eternal light of the Torah by virtue of our true humility through accepting the true interpretation of the Torah from those greater than us and admitting that their interpretation is indeed true. Let us try our very best to always be completely unified, for this will cause Hashem to rest His holy presence on us and we will thereby merit receiving the crown of the Torah.

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