TEFILA: Thanking the Creator for the rooster’s circadian rhythm

בָרוּךְ….. הַנוֹתֵן לַשֶכְוִי בִינָה לְהַבְחִין בֵין יוֹם וּבֵין לָיְלָה
“Blessed are you, HaShem… Who gives the rooster the understanding to distinguish between day and night.”
Birkot haShaḥar is a series of blessings that we say in the morning thanking God for the renewal of the day. As we explained last week, as soon as we wake up we begin by thanking God for being alive (see this). Then, we pronounce the second blessing, acknowledging that the Creator granted the rooster the understanding to distinguish between day and night.
To properly grasp the rational of Birkot haShaḥar we need to bear in mind that these blessings were said as a person was waking up, getting up from bed, walking and getting dressed.
This blessing was pronounced when one would hear the rooster’s crow. The rooster does not crow necessarily when it sees light or when the sun rises, but before dawn. Thanks to a biological process known as circadian rhythm, roosters  can  keep track of time after midnight, which is when they usually start crowing.  Some species of rooster would crow four times during the night with the third cockcrow at around four o’clock in the morning (see a very interest article here).
This berakha emphasizes the fact that the Creator endowed the rooster with this extraordinary skill, which used to help us to wake up and serve our Creator (Time measurement is traditionally regarded as an exclusive human ability. Many Rabbis actually understood the word sekhvi not as rooster, but as “heart” or human cognition).
The Rabbis discussed if this blessing should be said only when we actually hear the rooster’s crow (Maimonides) or even if we did not experience the rooster’s crow directly (haAri).  Yemenites and a few other Jewish communities follow Maimonides, but the majority follows the custom to recite this blessing anyways.
 
 
READ “An Open Letter to William Hague from Aunty Mindy“

 



Rabbi Hayim Palachi (1788-1869)

Rabbi Ḥayim Palachi (also Palaggi or Palacci) was born in Smyrna, Turkey in 1788.  He was the grandson of Rabbi Yosef Ḥazan, the author of Ḥiqre Leb, and the disciple of Joseph Gatenio, author of Bet Yiṣḥaq.
In 1847 he became the ab bet din of Smyrna and of another six neighboring communities. In 1855 he was appointed Ḥakham Bashi of Izmir by the Ottoman authorities .
During his Rabbinate period he gave importance to social welfare; and as an important mission he thought of founding a Jewish hospital. He requested assistance from the wealthy Jews in town. With the help of respected Senior Leon Adut they contacted Baron Rothschild in Vienna and received the necessary support. He was also able to receive the support from Sir Moses Montefiore. The Jewish hospital was established. At the time, the population of Izmir was 220,000, with the Jewish population consisting of about 16,000 souls.
Rabbi Palachi’s set a goal to maintain mandatory education to all Jewish children. He adopted a community law which required every Jewish father to give Talmud Tora education to his children. Children would continue their education until they were able to read and write properly, and could grasp the fundamentals of Tefila. Only the instructor was allowed to decide when the students had achieved the required educational goals. Rabbi Palachi made sure that all the poor children also received education.
Rabbi Ḥayim Palachi was very sensitive to events that affected Jews outside Izmir as well. During the blood libel in Damascus in 1840, he called for the support of his Egyptian Jewish friend Don Abraham Kamando, Baron de Rothschild and Sir Moses Montefiore. Through their intercession, the innocent Jewish victims in Damascus were exonerated.
(Adapted from Rabbi Naftali Haleva, present day Rabbi in Istanbul, Turkey)
This is a picture of the Izmir community in 1896. In the center, one can see rabbi Abraham Palachi (rabbi Ḥayim Palachi’s son)
Rabbi Ḥayim Palachi was an extraordinarily  prolific writer. He  authored more than 70 works, most of them have been published. Many of his manuscripts were burned and a great number were not published. Most of his books contain in their titles his name, “Ḥayim”  or “Ḥay”
*Darke Ḥayim  on Pirqe Abot.
*Leb Ḥayim a, responsa, interpretations, and comments on the Shulḥan ‘arukh.
*Nishmat Kol Ḥai , rabbinical responsa.
*Ḥiqeqe Leb , homilies and eulogies.
Other books: Nefesh Ḥayim; Tora ve-Ḥayim; Kaf ha-Ḥayim; Mo’ed le-Khol Ḥai; Ḥayim ve-Shalom; Sefer Ḥayim; Ginze Ḥayim, etc. 

 



TEFILA: Elo-hay! Neshama… the blessing of a new day.

א’ נְשָמָה שֶנָתַתָ בִי טְהוֹרָה, אַתָה בְרָאתָהּ, אַתָה יְצַרְתָהּ, אַתָה נְפַחְתָה בִי, וְאַתָה מְשַמְרָהּ בְקִרְבִי…
“My God! The soul You gave within me is pure. You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me, and You guard it while it is within me. One day You will take it from me, and restore it to me in the time to come. As long as the soul is within me, I will thank You, HaShem my God and God of my ancestors, Master of all works, Lord of all souls. Blessed are You, HaShem, who restores souls to lifeless bodies”.
“Elo-hay! Neshama...” is the first blessing of Birkot haShaḥar, the morning benedictions that we say upon waking up in the morning. The Talmud  (Berakhot 60b) explains that when we wake up–before we even open our eyes– upon realizing that we are alive, we praise God for having restored our souls to our inert bodies.  The Rabbis explain that every morning we witness in our own bodies a virtual act of resurrection (teḥyiat hametim), the beginning of a new life, since when we sleep, the soul–a fraction of it– departs the body.
This berakha also states an extremely important idea that differentiates Judaism from many other religions. We do not posses an unclean soul. Our God-given souls are originally pure. The task ahead of us is not reparation but preservation: each new day we must apply ourselves to keep our souls pure. We are beginning each morning anew, clean and pure as a newborn individual.
In this blessing we also acknowledge that our soul does not really belong to us.  God insufflated it within us; He did not give it to us. We know (and we say) that in the same way God gave us (= lentus) our soul, one day He will take it back… In the meantime, while the divine soul is within us, we will praise Him and thank Him for the most generous gift of all: life.
“A Cantor’s tears” Dudu Fisher sings  Elokay! Neshama… at a Synagogue in Krakow.

 



Rabbi Hayim Nahum (1872-1960)

Rabbi Ḥayim Naḥum was born in 1872 in Izmir, Turkey. He was an extraordinarily intelligent person with an exceptionally diverse education. He received his formal Jewish education in Tiberias and his secondary education at a French Lycee. He held a degree in Islamic Law from Constantinople. He attended the Sorbonne’s School of Oriental Languages in France while at the same time attending the Rabbinical Academy of Paris. He then returned to Constantinople and taught at the Turkish Military Academy.
Rabbi Naḥum’s unusual background and eclectic interests earned him great respect. From 1909 until 1923, he served as Ḥakham Bashi (Chief Rabbi) of the Ottoman Empire and was granted the title of “Effendi” (Lord) by the Turkish government. Rabbi Naḥum successfully intervened in favor of Jews in various localities of the Empire, especially in assuring government protection for them during World War I (it seems that it was due to him that the project of expelling the Jews from Jerusalem was averted).
In 1923, Rabbi Naḥum agreed to become the head of the Jewish community in Cairo, and thus the Chief Rabbi of Egypt. Here, too, Rabbi Naḥum became a man of noted success within the greater gentile society. From 1930 to 1934 he was a member of the Egyptian Parliament. He helped found the Royal Academy of the Arabic Language, and was instrumental in making possible the reconvening the Society for the Historical Study of the Jews of Egypt.
With the rise in Arab nationalism in the late 1940s, life for Egyptian Jews became increasingly difficult. There was an abundance of political intimidation and economic oppression. Although he gave into government pressure to denounce Zionism (using vague, meaningless phrases), he held firm in his refusal to have synagogues recite prayers for an Egyptian victory in the 1948 war. Ignoring his own failing health (and blindness), Rabbi Naḥum spent his final years in service to the greatly diminished Egyptian Jewish community. He was 88 years old when he died.

 

 



TEFILA: Understanding The Blessing Asher Yasar

…אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה, וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים, חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים. גָּלוּי וְיָדֽוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶֽךָ, שֶׁאִם יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אוֹ אִם יִפָּתֵֽחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם, אִי אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם אֲפִילוּ שָׁעָה אַחַת. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה ,רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת
In Masekhet Berakhot, (60 b) the Rabbis mentioned the blessings to be said every morning when we wake up (birkot hashaḥar). One of them is asher yaṣar. This berakha praises God’s wisdom in the creation of our body and its functions, particularly the digestive system. It refers to the sophisticated processes by which our bodies absorb the nutrients from the food we eat and drink, identifying the good and discarding the waste. Following the words of Yiob (19:26,  “from my body I will see God”) the Rabbis considered our bodily functions as a perpetual testimony of God’s wisdom. 
  
God designed a self-sufficient and autonomous body–with organs and numberless orifices and valves–which heals itself without our voluntary intervention. 
  
This berakha also hints that most of us only realize the full extent of God’s wisdom in the fashioning of our body when our bodies, God forbid, stop working properly.  It indicates that if any element of its sophisticated mechanisms would not work properly–an organ will open up, a body vessel will clog up, or a valve will not unlock–we will not be able to survive.  This berakha opens our eyes and hearts to the wonders of our body, inviting us to recognize the wisdom (and compassion) of its Creator.  
After we leave the bathroom, we wash our hands and recite this blessing of gratitude to the Creator of the awesome human body.
  
“Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, Who formed man with wisdom and created within him many orifices and organs. It is revealed and known before Your Throne of Glory that if one of them ruptures, or one of them clogs up, it would be impossible to survive even for a short moment. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who heals all bodies and acts wondrously.”
  

READ HERE Dr Daniel Gordis “When Balance becomes Betryal” 



Israel’s mandatory wars

Milḥemet Miṣva (war by commandment or a mandatory war)  refers to the wars to conquer the land of Israel in the times of Yehoshua’ bin Nun; the war against ‘amaleq and any war that the Jewish people wages in self defense (see MT melakhim, 5:1), i.e., when lives are threatened and vital national interests are at risk. 
The Tora indicates that first, we have to offer peace to the enemies (Deut. 20:10). If they do not accept the offer of peace, then Israel should go to war to defend itself.  For this type of war, the King (=Executive power) was not required to ask for the approval of the Sanhedrin (=Legislative power). Milḥemet Miṣva is launched at the discretion of the King. 
One of the first Miṣvot for the fighters and soldiers who go into these wars is not to fear. In the words of Maimonides (MT,melakhim 7:15) “Once the man [the Jewish soldier] begins his engagement in war, he should rely on the Hope of Israel [=God] Who will rescue him in times of trouble. He needs to know that he is waging this war for the the sanctification of His name (Yiḥud Hashem). He should entrust his life in His hand, and he should not fear; not be scared…. And when a Jewish soldier fights with all his heart, without fear, and with the sole intention of sanctifying the name of God, he will be protected from harm, and nothing bad will happen to him, and he will [have the merit to] establish a solid family in Israel, and his merit will be for him, and his descendants for ever”   
In these days, the soldiers of the IDF are fighting a Milhemet Misva, a war to protect the lives of the citizens of the south of Israel.
They have unlimited courage, the highest morale and they rely on the Almighty, the Protector and Shield of Israel, to save them from harm and bring victory to Am Israel, by their hands. 
May the Almighty protect them and all the citizens of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom!   
Candle lighting in NYC:  4:17 p.m.
Shabbat ends in NYC:    5:25 p.m.



מי שברך לחיילי צה”ל
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵֽנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַֽיִם, וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן יְיָ אֶת אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵֽינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמוֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָּלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶֽגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵֽינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, וִיעַטְּרֵם בְּכֶֽתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבַעֲטֶֽרֶת נִצָּחוֹן, וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהוֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם, לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אוֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.



Rosh Hodesh Kislev

√ Today is the first day of the month of Kislev. Rosh Ḥodesh Kislev will be celebrated for one day only.  
√ Rosh Ḥodesh -the beginning of the Hebrew month- is a semi festive day. The hierarchal order of the Jewish festive days is: Shabbat, Yom Tob, Ḥol haMo’aed, and then Rosh Ḥodesh. In the times of the Bet haMiqdash, when there was a special qorban (sacrifice) offered in Rosh Ḥodesh with sounds of Shofar and trumpets, men used to avoid working in Rosh Ḥodesh. Today, in some communities, mostly Ashkenazi communities, women do not work or refrain from doing certain melakhot during RoshḤodesh. 
√ In Rosh Ḥodesh we are indicated to behave and be in a happier mood (ra-ui lismoaḥ bahem). As we said, although it is not forbidden to work on Rosh Ḥodesh, it is meritorious to celebrate Rosh Ḥodesh with a special meal (Shulḥan Arukh, OH. 419:1). This is done by having some foods on Rosh Ḥodesh which are considered luxuries foods, particularly meat and wine (By the way, this is the reason why Sephardic communities refrain from eating meat during the month of Ab, only from the second day of Ab, once Rosh Ḥodesh is over).
√ It is forbidden to fast on Rosh Ḥodesh. It is also customary to avoid visiting the cemetery on Rosh Ḥodesh. Most cemeteries are closed for visits on Rosh Ḥodesh. When the anniversary of a loved one (sal, yohrtzait) falls on Rosh Ḥodesh it is customary to fast or visit the cemetery before or after Rosh Ḥodesh. For this same reason -some exceptional cases apart- eulogies should not be delivered on Rosh Ḥodesh. Depending on the circumstances, rabbis will rather deliver a Debar Tora -general words of Tora wisdom- in honor of the deceased, minimizing personal emotional remarks, which might cause an additional sadness to the audience.
                                  מי שברך לחיילי צה”ל  
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵֽנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַֽיִם, וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן יְיָ אֶת אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵֽינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמוֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָּלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶֽגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵֽינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, וִיעַטְּרֵם בְּכֶֽתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבַעֲטֶֽרֶת נִצָּחוֹן, וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהוֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם, לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אוֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.
Click HERE to read “Operation Pillar of Defense” by www.debka.com



Rabbi Yishaq ben Walid (1777-1870)

 

“The western luminary” (Ner haMa’arabi). That was the title given by Morrocan rabbis to one of its most illustrious: Rabbi Yiṣḥaq ben Walid (or Bengualid) from the city of Tetuán, in the north (Spanish) of Morocco. 

Rabbi ben Walid belonged to a family of Rabbis, who left Spain after the expulsion in 1492. Since childhood, and despite the loss of his father at a very early age, he dedicated himself completely to study Tora.  After the death of his father, the financial situation of the family was so desperate that the mother had to sell her husband’s books, a set of the Talmud, to maintain themselves.  Rabbi ben Walid worked for years saving penny after penny to buy back what he considered to be his most important patrimony: The Talmud.
He was known for his brilliant mind, his piety and above anything else for his humbleness.  In 1830, after the head of the Rabbinical court, rabbi Moshe haLevy,  passed away, and knowing that the community leaders will consider him as a candidate, rabbi Ben Walid  fled to Gibraltar and hid for a while, running away from honors, as Pirque Abot indicates.  Only at the insistence of the community leaders who presented him a petition with the signatures of sixty of the most prominent rabbis of the time, Rabbi ben Walid accepted the new position. His condition, however, was that he will make his Halakhic decisions always with at least two other rabbis, and never by himself.
He had a special inclination for ḥesed and charity. He would provide food to the needy, especially before Shabbat and Holidays. One time he gathered the leaders of the community and told them: “My family is starving. I need a raise.” And he proposed to create a tax on kosher meat, the “gabela” (Spanish for community tax) , to generate the extra money. After the community leaders accepted the rabbi’s request he explained that the “starving family” he was referring to, were the needy people of the city, his brothers and sisters. And for many years all the money from the gabela was given to the most needy of the city.
√ Rabbi Ben Walid  refused to publish his book in order to avoid a financial burden on the impoverished Jewish community of Tetuán.  In 1855, his oldest son Shemtob, published his book vayomer Yiṣḥaq in the city of Livorno, Italy.  This book is a collection of rabbinical responsa which includes the Minhaguim and traditions of Spanish Moroccan Jews.  We present  HERE one of the first edtitions of vayomer Yiṣḥaq  from www.hebrewbooks.org

 

√ Those who read Hebrew and are interested in knowing more about the life of rabbi ben Walid should read the introductions/dedications written by his two sons, Shemtob Ben Walid and Vidal ben Walid, at the beginning of the book.  
  
√ Click here to see the unmarked grave of rabbi  ben Walid in the Jewish cemetery of Tetuán.


TEFILA: Netilat Yadayim

                  בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹ-ינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם.
One of the first things we do in the morning is washing our hands in preparation for our prayers. This ritual washing of the hands is called: netilat yadayim. 
Literally, netilat yadayim means “elevating, raising or lifting our hands”.  We use that expression because at the conclusion ofnetilat yadayim the hands are elevated.  Other rabbis (Abuderham) explained that the Hebrew word netila should be understood in the sense of ‘receiving’. i.e., receiving the waters that are poured into our hands. 
The rabbis are divided as to what the main reason for the ritual washing of the hands in the morning is. 
√ The first Biblical source for the washing of the hands is found in Exodus 30:19-20. The Kohanim (=Priests) would wash their hands (and feet) before performing the holy service.  The Rishba says that we imitate the Kohen, preparing ourselves to dedicate our day to serve God, by washing our hands every morning. 
√ According to the Rosh the main reason for netilat yadayim in the morning is basic hygiene. Our hands might have touched unclean parts of our bodies during sleep and therefore, before the morning prayer, we should clean our hands. 
√ The Shulḥan ‘arukh mentions also the reason of impurity (ruaḥra’a). In the words of Rabbi Melamed, when we sleep we lost part of our divine image, which we recover upon waking up.  But the state of impurity remains in the hands until we wash them ritually. This is why the Shulḥan ‘arukh (4:2) indicates that we have to wash our hands, alternating three times, as a purification ritual. 
√ Maimonides mentions the washing of the hands as a prerequisite for every prayer. (MT, Tefila 4:2). Thus, according to Maimonides we should wash our hands not only for the morning prayer (shaḥarit) but for the afternoon and night prayers as well.    Thus,  Psalms 26:6  says: “I will wash my hands in cleanliness,and [then I] will go around Your altar, O Lord”.


“When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.”
                                                                              Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972)



SHABBAT: Modifying a Shabbat timer

As we have explained before (see here) during Shabbat we can’t turn on or off any electrical appliance or lights. However, it is permitted to program a timer (sha’on Shabbat) from Friday, before Shabbat begins, to turn on and off lights or some other electrical appliances.
Modern Rabbis discussed the issue of modifying the time of the timer during Shabbat. For example, if I programmed the timer to turn off the lights at 10.30 p.m., and then I realize that I will need the lights for one more hour, can I reprogram the timer to turn off the lights at 11.30 p.m.?
Many Rabbis would forbid to do this, but Rabbi Obadia Yosef, Rabbi Auerbach and many other Rabbis authorize to reprogram the timer in the following circumstances:
1. First, it should be a manual timer (see for example this) , not a digital timer (see this ).  A digital timer cannot be modified during Shabbat.
2. When dealing with a manual timer we would be allowed to move the knobs forward, but not back to turn the lights off or even on. We could move the knobs, for example, from 1.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.,  but not from  2.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m..
3. Rabbi Melamed says (Penine Halakha, Shabbat B, p.24) that in exceptional circumstances (sha’at hadaḥaq) most Rabbis would also authorize to reprogram the timer to turn off the lights at an earlier time.  Rabbi Yosef mentions the case of a sick person (even in a non-life threatening situation) for example, if the lights don’t allow him or her to rest.  Similarly, in certain cases (leṣorekh Miṣva)  we would be allowed to reprogram the timer to turn the lights on at an earlier time. Rabbi Yosef mentions as an example,  Limud Tora.
Shabbat Shalom!
Candle lighting in NYC:     4:31 p.m.
Shabbat ends in NYC:         5:38 p.m.