Parshat Vayelech / Shuvah
6 Tishrei, 5776/September 19, 2015
Vol. 7 Num. 4
This issue is sponsored by Nathan Kirsh
in loving memory of his parents and
There will be no Toronto Torah for Succot; look for YU To-Go in your shul
The King is in the Building
The mother of all Jewish conventions,
the septennial hakhel gathering
which we hope to celebrate with
Mashiach shortly features an
assembly of Jews of all ages. Devarim
31:12 records Moshes instruction,
Gather the nation: men, women,
children, and the stranger at your
gates. After the shemitah year, on the
second night of Succot, all who call
themselves by the name Israel must
assemble and hear sections of the
b ook of De va rim re ad a l oud .
Historically, this reading was done by
the king, in an area of the Beit
haMikdash.
The Torahs demand that children
participate in the celebration is unique
among our mitzvot; in no other
communal mitzvah does the Torah
explicitly require their participation.
The Talmud (Chagigah 3a) is sensitive
to this quirk, and it suggests that the
reason to bring the children is to
provide reward for those who bring
them. This seems circular, though;
does the Talmud mean to say that G-d
created a mitzvah solely for the sake of
rewarding those who fulfill it?
One might explain the Talmud to mean
that those who bring their children will
be rewarded by the natural results of
their actions. For example: Sefer
haChinuch (612) contends that hakhel
increases our love of Torah, through
the glory of this gathering. Perhaps,
then, having our children at hakhel
rewards the bringers, by inculcating
love of Torah into those children.
Alternatively, Ibn Ezra (Devarim 31:12)
sees the benefit of hakhel as
educational; those who attend will be
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
inspired to ask questions, and then to
learn more throughout the year. Having
our curious children at hakhel will
inspire them to inquire and learn.
However, a third benefit of bringing
children may be linked to the practice of
having the king conduct the public
reading. Rambam does not list hakhel
as a kings mitzvah, and indeed the
Torah does not identify the reader
explicitly. However, our sages (Sotah
41a) took for granted that this should
be the king. [See also Yereim 233 and
266, Tosafot Yom Tov to Sotah 7:8, and
Minchat Chinuch 612:2.] Certainly,
there is added splendour and gravitas
when the king leads a ritual, but why
this ritual, in particular?
Every seven years, during the period of
shemitah, the normal rules of society
c e a s e t o f u n c t i o n : t h e fe n ce s
surrounding fields are broken, the
tithes that support kohanim and leviyim
a r e n egle cte d , the hie r ar ch i cal
relationship between employer and
employee is severed, hardworking
farmers become men of leisure, and
loans are forgiven and forgotten. This
can constitute a healthy break for
society, and a communitys rules can be
strengthened by this sort of periodic
vacation. [See Jeffrey Rubenstein,
Purim, Liminality and Communitas.]
However, with such a hiatus we risk the
possibility that the community might
fall in love with its lawless vacation, and
forget to return.
This may be part of the role of hakhel:
To remind the Jewish nation that its
existence is still governed by the rules
and institutions of the Torah. Thus the
nation reads key biblical passages: the
fundamentals of our faith; the tithes
given to the kohanim, the leviyim and
the needy; the monarchy; and the
national covenant into which we enter
at the end of the book of Devarim.
(Mishnah Sotah 7:8; Tosefta Sotah 7:17)
We re-commit ourselves to these
obligations, and to our national
structure.
Within this context, having the king
perform the reading is entirely logical;
the king is the heart of the command
structure we reiterate with hakhel. And
bringing our children is its own reward,
for even children who are too young to
comprehend the reading will realize that
the entire community has assembled as
one to hear the instructions of its king,
and this will create a lasting
appreciation for the honour of our
government and societys institutions.
Last week we performed a version of
hakhel as we gathered to mark Rosh
haShanah. Among the central themes of
that day was the coronation of G-d as
King, and this, too, was a necessary
reminder of our command structure.
From Yom Kippur to the following Rosh
haShanah, very little in our lives
declares to us, Hashem hu haElokim!
We can go through much of our year,
even while observing mitzvot, without
devoting significant thought to the
meaning and implications of the Divine
Throne. So it is that once each year we
set aside time to gather with the explicit
aim of coronating our King. May we,
with our children, carry the impact of
that grand celebration forward into the
year.
torczyner@[Link]
OUR BEIT MIDRASH
ROSH BEIT MIDRASH
RABBI MORDECHAI TORCZYNER
SGAN ROSH BEIT MIDRASH
RABBI JONATHAN ZIRING
AVREICHIM RABBI DAVID ELY GRUNDLAND, YISROEL MEIR ROSENZWEIG
CHAVERIM DAR BARUCHIM, YEHUDA EKLOVE, URI FRISCHMAN, AVISHAI GASNER,
SHMUEL GIBLON, MICHAEL IHILCHIK, RYAN JENAH, SHIMMY JESIN, ELI LIPSON, CHEZKY
MECKLER, ZACK MINCER, JACOB POSLUNS, SHAI REEF, ARYEH ROSEN, SHLOMO
SABOVICH, ARIEL SHIELDS, DAVID SUTTNER, DAVID TOBIS, YAAKOV ZELIGER
We are grateful to
Continental Press 905-660-0311
Book Review: A Guide to the Complex
Rabbi Jonathan Ziring
A
Guide
to
the
Complex:
Contemporary Halakhic Debates
Rabbi Shlomo Brody
Maggid 2014
Jachters Gray Matter, the length and
detail of the articles in those works
often make them inaccessible to the
wider public.
Who is the author?
Rabbi Shlomo Brody is a Rebbe at
Yeshivat HaKotel, the director of Tikvah
Israel Seminars for Post High School
Students, a junior research fellow at the
Israel Democracy Institute and a
presidential graduate fellow at Bar-Ilan
University Law School. He is also the
author of the Jerusalem Posts Ask the
Rabbi column, from which the articles
for this book were drawn.
As all of the pieces in Rabbi Brodys
book originated as articles in the
Jerusalem Post, they are extremely
brief, in accordance with the style
required for that medium. Yet, in a
space of about 1000 words each, he
manages to effectively outline the
central arguments preferred for each
side of the issue he addresses, drawing
the full gamut of decisors from across
the spectrum. Thus, even the
uninitiated can take a sophisticated
peek into the inner workings of the
halachic world. As Rabbi Dr. Jacob J.
Schachter notes in his appraisal of the
b ook , Rab b i Br od ys wor k i s
particularly impressive, as he shows a
mastery of both academic and
tr a d i ti on al sour ce s, som e thi ng
uncommon in halachic works of this
kind, and manages to maintain a calm
and respectful tone even when dealing
with the most heated of issues. Indeed,
Rabbi Brody writes that his goal was to
respond to community discourse
which he saw had much heat, but
little light.
What makes the book unique?
A Guide to the Complex stands out in its
ability to convey difficult halachic
concepts involving pressing issues to a
wide audience. Rare for halachic books,
it was awarded the 2014 National Book
Award, a testament to its ability to
meaningfully reach many elements of
the Jewish community and explain
what lies behind the most intricate, and
often contentious issues, of the
Orthodox world. While, as the author
notes, there are several stellar works
that aim to inform the educated layman
or English-reading scholar of
contemporary halachic issues, such as
Rabbi J. David Bleichs Contemporary
Halakhic Problems and Rabbi Howard
What topics are addressed?
The book is helpfully divided into nine
613 Mitzvot: #454-455: Adding and Subtracting
sections, each of which contains some
pieces which are fascinating but
benign, and some which are extremely
touchy, all of which Rabbi Brody treats
with the same expertise and respect.
Within the medical ethics section, he
manages to give the reader a taste of
the halachic issues involved with
abortion of Tay-Sachs fetuses and
birth control. Within the section on
technology, he covers everything from
the permissibility of shaving with
electric razors to the advisability of
metzizah bipeh. The Israel section
ranges from the value of living in the
land of Israel to the permissibility of
prisoner swaps or giving away land for
peace. Similar breadth can be seen in
the remaining sections, which deal
with social and business issues, ritual,
womens issues, kashrut, identity and
marriage issues, and Shabbat and
holidays.
In conclusion, the range of topics
discussed, breadth of sources drawn
upon, and clarity and respectful
nature of the discourse make A Guide
to the Complex an excellent resource
for anyone who wants to gain insight
into contemporary halachic debates.
jziring@[Link]
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
Moshe warned the Jewish people regarding the Torah, Do
not add to it, and do not subtract from it. (Devarim 13:1) Per
Rambam, a beit din (rabbinical court) that declared that
cooking poultry with milk is biblically prohibited would be
guilty of adding to the Torah, for expanding the traditional
explanation of You shall not cook a kid in its mothers
milk (Shemot 23:19). Similarly, a beit din would be guilty of
subtracting for declaring that a combination of milk and beef
was permitted. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Mamrim 2:9)
problem of adding to the Torah. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot
Mamrim 2:9)
Raavad and Rashba contend that laws created to protect
biblical law are not subject to the prohibition against
adding to the Torah. (Raavad to Hilchot Mamrim 2:9;
Rashba to Rosh HaShanah 16a)
Raavad also suggests that only adding a commandment
is prohibited; a new prohibition would not be considered
an addition to the Torah. (Raavad ibid.; Chinuch 454)
According to Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei
haTorah 8:1), the prohibition against adding to the Torah or
subtracting from it also underlies the talmudic principle, A
prophet is not permitted to create new components of
Torah. (Shabbat 104a)
The prohibition against adding to the Torah applies
specifically to additions intended as mitzvot, or which might
appear to be mitzvot. (Rosh HaShanah 28b) Therefore, one
who sits in a succah on the day after Succot is guilty of
adding to the Torah; even if he knows it is not a mitzvah,
ignorant passersby will think that the mitzvah includes that
extra day. On the other hand, one who sits in a succah in
July, without intent for a mitzvah, does not violate the
prohibition. [Regarding use of a succah on Shemini Atzeret,
see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 668.]
Despite the above, Jewish law includes many rabbinic
additions designed to protect biblical law. This is understood
as fulfillment of the Torahs mandate of They shall guard My
preserve (Vayikra 22:9) or And you shall distinguish
between the pure animal and the impure (Vayikra 20:25).
[See Rambams introduction to Mishnah, and Haameik
Sheeilah to Sheiltot Matot 137:2.] Further, the Talmud
(Yevamot 89b) declares that the sages are empowered to tell
people not to perform a mitzvah, as in the case of shofar
when Rosh HaShanah is Shabbat. Given the prohibition
against adding to the Torah or subtracting therefrom, how
may the sages add and subtract?
Rambam writes that the sages are required to identify their
protections as rabbinic, and by doing so they evade the
The sages debate whether one may add to a rabbinic
prohibition, such as by lighting a chanukiah on the day after
Chanukah. The Pri Megadim (Petichah Kollelet I 40)
contended that there is no prohibition; this would justify the
popular practice of having everyone in the house light
independent chanukiot. However, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak
Kook (Daat Kohen 218) ruled that the prohibition does apply
to rabbinic law as well.
torczyner@[Link]
Visit us at [Link]
Biography
Torah and Translation
Rabbi Ovadia Seforno
King Davids Request
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
Rabbi Ovadia Sefornos Introduction to Tehillim 119
Translated by Yisroel Meir Rosenzweig
Rabbi Ovadia Seforno was born circa
1476 in Cesena, Italy. He excelled in
Torah from an early age, and moved to
Rome to continue his studies in Torah as
well
as in
languages, medicine,
philosophy and mathematics. He was
supported by his brother, Chanina,
during his studies, and he also
supported himself with some earnings as
a tutor for both Jews and non-Jews.
Rabbi Seforno taught Hebrew to Jews as
well as non-Jews, the latter group
including a man named Johannes
Reuchlin.
Reuchlins
history
is
interesting in its own right; he sought to
develop his Hebrew in order to deepen
his comprehension of Torah and its
commentaries, and he became the
leading authority on the Hebrew
language in the Germanic lands of his
day. He would go on to defend the Jews
against attempts by the Church to
confiscate their books.
Certainly, Rabbi Seforno is best known
for his commentary to the Chumash, in
which he used brief comments to hint at
deeper philosophical ideas and ethical
instruction; this commentary is included
in the standard Mikraot Gedolot edition
of Chumash. However, Rabbi Seforno
also published a commentary to Pirkei
Avot, a set of halachic teshuvot, and
works in grammar (dedicated to an
Italian ruler) and philosophy (dedicated
to King Henry II of France). Rabbi
Seforno also became an accomplished
physician in the city of Bologna, and he
supported the efforts of David haReuveni
to found a Jewish state in Israel.
Rabbi Seforno passed away in the year
1550, approximately.
torczyner@[Link]
Visit us at [Link]
,
,
.
In this Psalm, built upon on alphabetic
acrostic, King David states that the
Divine Torah is the path of life intended
to enable Israel to attain eternal life. He
requests compassion for himself and for
Israel from G-d, He should be blessed,
[asking] that He should guide and help
them to understand the intellectual
portion of His Torah.
, ,
,
:
.
,
) ( : (
.) :
,
.
.): (
[This portion of the Torah] is comprised
of the knowledge of the greatness of the
Creator, He should be blessed, that
produces reverence of Him, and the
knowledge of the goodness of His ways,
which produces love of Him. [He also
requests] to attain understanding of the
action-based portion of the Torah, which
is separated into:
Edot mitzvot intended to remove
stumbling blocks from the way of our
nation
Pekudim
mitzvot designed to
[ensure] that a person bestows good
upon his fellow by way of a mitzvah
[placed] upon him, such as the mitzvot
of Judge justly between a man and his
brother (Devarim 1:16), You shall
surely rebuke your fellow (Vayikra
19:17), and others.
Chukim - mitzvot for which the
national purpose is not clearly present.
Mishpatim - mitzvot that a man shall
do and live by them. (Vayikra 18:5)
,
.
,
...
The king also requests from G-d, He
should be blessed, that He should assist
him and his nation in this task, in order
that they should be able to involve
themselves in the knowledge of His
Torah and mitzvot and to observe them,
illuminating the eyes of their logic in
order to understand [the Torah], as well
as to remove the impediments [holding
them back] from this. And when, with
his Ruach HaKodesh, he prophesied and
saw the pain of subjugation under
[foreign] kingships, the ingathering of
exiles, the war of Gog, the birthpangs of
Mashiach and his salvation, [King
David] stood and prayed with [these
words] for all [of the above], saying...
This Week in Israeli History: 6 Tishrei 1947
Nuremberg Adjourns
Rabbi David Ely Grundland
6 Tishrei is Shabbat
On the fifth day of Elul, September 1st, 1946, the
international military tribunal in the Palace of Justice in
Nuremberg adjourned after almost a full year of hearings.
Three years earlier, after recognizing the extent of crimes
committed by Germany, the United Kingdom, United States
and Soviet Union published the Declaration on German
Atrocities in Occupied Europe which warned that, upon the
defeat of the Nazis, in pursuit of justice, the Allies would
pursue them to the uttermost ends of the earth.
In a 1997 paper titled International Law: The Nuremberg
Trial: Fifty Years After (The American Scholar 66:4), Michael
Marrus reports that as early as July 1942, President
Roosevelt had written to Rabbi Stephen Wise, President of
the American Jewish Congress, that the American people
sympathize with the victims of the Nazis and will hold the
perpetrators accountable.
In December 1944, the British Cabinet discussed a policy of
execution for the leading Nazis if and when they would be
captured. On August 8th, 1945, the London Charter agreed
that this punishment would be applied for the major war
criminals of the wartime period. 200 German defendants
were tried at Nuremberg; many more were tried in other
courts.
The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg began on
November 19th, 1945, and it lasted until September 1st, 1946.
The trial was responsible for bringing to the fore of world
attention the extent of the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
On October 1st, 1946 (6 Tishrei, 5707) twelve of the primary
defendants were sentenced to death, with others receiving
between ten years and life imprisonment.
As we stand before the True Judge, let us pray that justice be
brought upon those who commit evil, and that we should be
counted among the righteous for lives of goodness and peace.
dgrundland@[Link]
Weekly Highlights: Sept. 19 Sept. 25 / 6 Tishrei 12 Tishrei
Time
Speaker
Topic
Location
Special Notes
Yisroel Meir Rosenzweig
Meshech Chochmah
Clanton Park
Before minchah
R Jonathan Ziring
Daf Yomi
BAYT
After minchah
R Mordechai Torczyner
Gemara Avodah Zarah:
Music in the Mikdash
BAYT
8:45 AM
R Jonathan Ziring
The Fundamentals of Faith
of Rabbi Chasdai Crescas
BAYT Boardroom
Hebrew
8:45 AM
R Josh Gutenberg
Contemporary Halachah:
What is ochel nefesh?
BAYT
Third floor
9:15 AM
R Shalom Krell
Kuzari
Zichron Yisroel
Hebrew
10:00 AM
R Aaron Greenberg
Gemara Chullin
Yeshivat Or Chaim
For Chaverim
11:00 AM
R David Ely Grundland
Relating to Hashem;
Relating to Others
Bistro Grande
For 40+ singles
RSVP to
R David Ely Grundland
Delving Deeper
into the Machzor II
Shaarei Tefillah
R Mordechai Torczyner
Eruvin: Reshut haYachid
Yeshivat Or Chaim
Advanced
Tomer Devorah:
A Mystics Down-to-Earth
Guide to Forgiveness
BAYT
Milevsky
Beit Midrash
Sept. 19
After hashkamah
Sun. Sept. 20
dgrundland@
[Link]
Mon. Sept. 21
8:00 PM
Tue. Sept. 22
10:30 AM
Wed. Sept. 23
After musaf
Yom Kippur
R Mordechai Torczyner
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