Have you ever wanted to become a member of our 

Bet Hakeneset and enjoy the benefits of being 

part of a Sefardi Shul where everybody has

an opportunity to participate in the tefila?

Then why not become a member?

Speak to a member of the Mahamad 

and help us grow & build this Bet Hakeneset

to greater heights

Tizke Lemitzvot

****

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.)

Mincha 6:00 pm

Followed by Shiur

Children’s Tehilim straight after Musaf

Anyone wishing to donate a Kiddush please email Moorlanenews

****

Q & A on Parashat Shelach

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

1. Why is the portion about the meraglim written immediately after the portion about Miriam's tzara'at?
   13:2 – To show the evil of the meraglim (spies), that they saw Miriam punished for lashon hara (negative speech) yet failed to take a lesson from it.
2. To what was Moshe referring when he asked the meraglim "Are there trees in the land"?
   13:20 – Were there any righteous people in the land whose merit would "shade" the Canaanites from attack?
3. Who built Hebron?
   13:22 – Cham.
4. Which fruits did the meraglim bring back?
   13:23 – A cluster of grapes, a pomegranate and a fig.
5. How many people carried the grape cluster?
   13:23 – Eight.
6. Why did G-d shorten the meraglim's journey?
   13:25 – G-d knew the Jews would sin and be punished with a year's wandering for each day of the spies' mission. So He shortened the journey to soften the decree.
7. Why did the meraglim begin by saying the land is "flowing with milk and honey"?
   13:27 – Any lie which doesn't start with an element of truth won't be believed. Therefore, they began their false report with a true statement.
8. Why did the meraglim list Amalek first among the hostile nations they encountered?
   13:29 – To frighten the Jews. The Jewish People were afraid of Amalek because Amalek had once attacked them.
9. How did Calev quiet the people?
   13:30 – He fooled them by shouting, "Is this all that the son of Amram did to us?" The people quieted themselves to hear what disparaging thing Calev wished to say about the "son of Amram" (Moshe).
10. Why did the Land appear to "eat its inhabitants"?
    13:32 – G-d caused many deaths among the Canaanites so they would be preoccupied with burying their dead and not notice the meraglim.
11. Besides the incident of the meraglim, what other sin led to the decree of 40 years in the desert?
    13:33 – The golden calf.
12. On what day did Bnei Yisrael cry due to the meraglim's report? How did this affect future generations?
    14:1 – The 9th of Av (Tisha B'av). This date therefore became a day of crying for all future generations: Both Temples were destroyed on this date.
13. "Don't fear the people of the Land…their defense is departed." (14:9) Who was their chief "defender"?
    14:9 – Iyov.
14. Calev and Yehoshua praised Eretz Canaan and tried to assure the people that they could be victorious. How did the people respond?
    14:10 – They wanted to stone them.
15. "How long shall I bear this evil congregation?" G-d is referring to the 10 meraglim who slandered the Land. What halacha do we learn from this verse?
    14:27 – That ten men are considered a congregation.
16. How is the mitzvah of challa different from other mitzvot associated with Eretz Yisrael?
    15:18 – The obligation to observe other mitzvot associated with Eretz Yisrael began only after the possession and division of the Land. The mitzvah of challa was obligatory immediately upon entering the Land.
17. What is the minimum amount of challa to be given to a kohen according to Torah Law? Rabbinic Law?
    15:20 – No fixed amount is stated by the Torah. Rabbinic Law requires a household to give 1/24 and a baker to give 1/48.
18. Verse 15:22 refers to what sin? How does the text indicate this?
    15:22 – Idolatry. "All these commandments" means one transgression which is equal to transgressing all the commandments – i.e. idolatry.
19. Moshe's doubt regarding the punishment of the mekoshesh etzim (wood-gatherer) was different than his doubt regarding the punishment of the blasphemer. How did it differ?
    15:34 – Moshe knew that the mekoshesh etzim was liable for the death penalty, but not which specific means of death. Regarding the blasphemer, Moshe didn't know if he was liable for the death penalty.
20. How do the tzitzit remind us of the 613 commandments?
    15:39 – The numerical value of the word tzitzit is 600. Tzitzit have eight threads and five knots. Add these numbers and you get 613.

****

Halachot from Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Ztz'l

שאלה: כאשר יוצאים לטייל וכדומה, ומתארגן מניין של עשרה אנשים לצורך תפלת מנחה או ערבית, האם כל אחד מצטרף למנין, אף על פי שאינן נמצאים בחדר אחד סגור?

לשאלת רבים: בניגוד למה שנתבאר כאן בעבר, לגבי הדילוגים בשעת אמירת "קדוש קדוש קדוש" בקדושה שבחזרת הש"ץ. המנהג הוא שמדלגים פעם אחת בכל פעם שאומר "קדוש", ולא שלש פעמים. ולדעת מרן הרב שליט"א, אין צורך שכל דילוג יהיה יותר גבוה מקודמו, אלא יהיו כל הדילוגים שוים.

תשובה: בני אדם היוצאים לטייל, בפרט בימים אלה, צריכים מאד מאד להזהר, שלא להתבטל חלילה וחס בשום תפילה, וכל שכן מהנחת תפילין בישוב הדעת כראוי. וכן יזהרו לברך ברכת המזון בנועם ובנחת. וכן בכל עניני המצוות. שכן עיקר הטעם שאדם ירא שמים יוצא להנפש, הוא בכדי לרפאות את נפשו, ולחזק את כחו, להמשיך במרץ בעבודת הבורא, אם בלימודו ואם במלאכתו. ובודאי, אם ילך ויתרשל בענינים רוחניים בשעה שהוא יוצא לנופש, לא רק שאין בכך תועלת לנפשו, אלא אדרבה, נמצא שהוא מכשיל את עצמו, ומתיש כמו, ומתרחק מעבודת ה', ומי יודע כמה חודשים ושנים יקח לו לתקן אחר כך את המעוות.

מנין של עשרה אנשים המתפללים במקום אחד, אף על פי שלכתחילה בודאי שיש להתפלל בבית כנסת, מכל מקום במקום שאי אפשר בענין אחר, מותר להם להתפלל אפילו במקום פתוח, ומצטרפים זה עם זה למנין. ואמנם יש מהאחרונים שכתבו שצריך שיהיו כולם מסתופפים יחד ממש, ולא שיהיה אחד עומד כאן והשני רחוק ממנו, מכל מקום למעשה כל ששומעים את השליח ציבור, ורואים אלו את אלו, מצטרפים למנין.

אולם כתב הגאון רבי יצחק יוסף שליט"א, להעיר על כך, שיש להזהר שלא יתפלל אחד מהמתפללים ברשות אחרת ממש. ולדוגמא, אם מתפללים בצד כביש, ויש שם גדר העומדת למחיצה בין הכביש לשולי הכביש, הרי שהגדר (שגובהה יותר משמונים ס"מ) מבדילה בין הרשות שעומד בה השליח ציבור, לרשות האחרת שמעבר לגדר, ושם, יש מקום לומר שאין המתפללים מצטרפים לתפילה במנין כלל.

כמו כן יש להזהר, כאשר מתפללים במקום פתוח, שלא יתפללו משני צדי כביש או שביל כדומה, שמכיון שאותו השביל הוא רשות הרבים, הרי שרשות הרבים מפסיקה בין מחצית מהמתפללים לבין המתפללים האחרים, ובאופן כזה יש לומר שאין הם מצטרפים אלו לאלו למנין

Question: When one goes on a trip or the like and a group of ten men gather to pray Mincha or Arvit, can they all be included in the Minyan (quorum of ten men) although they are not in an enclosed room?

Answer: When people go on trips or vacations, especially during this time of year, one must be extremely careful not to miss any prayer, G-d-forbid, and certainly not to miss donning Tefillin with the proper mindset and concentration. One must likewise make sure to recite Birkat Hamazon slowly and pleasantly. The same applies to any of the Mitzvot, for the purpose of a G-d-fearing individual taking a vacation is in order to relax his spirit and recharge his strength so that he may be able to continue serving Hashem with enthusiasm, either by learning or working. Certainly if one slacks off in matters of spirituality while on vacation, not only does this not benefit his soul at all, on the contrary, he is actually causing himself to falter by weakening himself and distancing himself from the service of Hashem. Who knows how many months or years it will take him to correct this failure?

If ten men are praying in one area, although it is certainly better for them to pray in a synagogue, it is nevertheless permissible for them to pray in an open area when there is no other choice and they are all indeed included in the Minyan. Although there are Acharonim who write that they must all band closely together and not stand far apart from each other, as long as they all hear the Chazzan and can see one another they are all included in the Minyan.

Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Yosef Shlit”a points out though that care should be taken that none of the ten men prays in a totally separate domain, for instance, if they are praying on the sidewalk and there is a fence or gate between the street and the sidewalk, the fence acts as a partition between the domain the Chazzan is standing in and the domain on the other side of the fence (if it is at least 80 cm high). In such a situation, there is room to say that not all of the men present are included in the Minyan.

One must likewise be careful that when such a Minyan gathers that the men should not stand on opposite sides of the street or a path because the street is considered a public domain and serves to segregate between the various worshippers. In this way as well, there is room to say that not all of the men are included in the Minyan

 ****