כשהוא הולך, הוא אומר: ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר.

This blessing, “Blessed are You, haShem, our God, King of the universe, Who makes firm the steps of man” is based on a verse of Tehilim, the Psalms of King David.

“The steps of a man are made firm by HaShem, when He likes that man’s way” (Psalms 37:23). The pasuq means that when a person has the intention of conducting himself in the right way, going in a path that conforms with the will of God, HaShem will help him, watching that this man will not stumble on his way. As it says in the next verse (37:24): “If that man stumbles, he will not fall down, because HaShem will hold his hand [somekh yado i.e., will support him, preventing his falling] “

The Talmud says that one should say this blessing when he walks (ki masge) in the morning. For Maimonides  (MT Tefila 7:6) it is said when a person is ready to walk out from his house in the morning  to go to Synagogue, to work, etc. (laṣet lederekh). The same idea expressed in the Psalms: once we have chosen the right path, we ask HaShem to prevent us from falling down.

It seems that according to other opinions, this berakha alludes (also) to the first steps we take in the morning, upon getting out of bed.

“Just how do we tall, two-legged creatures manage to stay upright while in motion, or even standing still? How can we possibly keep our balance on those two small platforms we call feet? The answer lies in a remarkable web of coordinated systems-voluntary and reflexive, neural, muscular, and skeletal-that collectively allow us to walk along a sidewalk or run along a forest path, largely without a second thought.” (Nova)

This berakha reminds us of the gratitude we owe God for our capacity to walk.   Recognizing that the Creator has endowed us, the human specie, with the extraordinary ability to walk upright.

“My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.” by  Rabbi Benjamin Blech

We have explained that Shabbat begins at sunset and that we are instructed to add some additional time at the beginning of Shabbat. Thus, we always receive Shabbat before sunset (see this).

Now, at what time does Shabbat end?

We must bear in mind three time-references: sunset (sheqi’a); nightfall (ṣet hakokhabim) or “dusk”, which Halakhically is determined by the visibility of three medium-size stars, and twilight (ben hashemashot) which is the lapse between sunset and nightfall.

Technically speaking, Shabbat concludes at nightfall. And similar to what we do when Shabbat begins, we extend Shabbat, adding a few minutes after nightfall before we actually end Shabbat.

Now, let me explain briefly why we cannot set a universal time for the end of Shabbat. The conclusion of Shabbat depends on the length of the twilight time-zone. And twilight varies depending on the year’s season and especially on the latitude of the observer. In the Ecuador, for example, twilight would last approximately 10 -15 minutes, while in some cities of England, a couple of hours. Another point to bear in mind is that there are different criteria to establish what twilight is (for Rabenu Tam, for example, “sunset” takes place at a later, time!) even in the non Halakhic world. We find that there is “civil twilight”, “naval twilight” and “astronomical twilight” (see this), depending on the angle of the sun below the horizon, which obviously affects the darkness of the sky and the visibility of the stars.

In Israel twilight is calculated at 13 and a half minutes. In New York, for example, it is estimated by most Rabbis that twilight lasts for approximately 30 minutes (this is close to the “civil twilight” or “civil dusk”). Therefore, what is beyond debate is that in New York you cannot end Shabbat less than 30 minutes after sunset.  As a result, in some communities they would end Shabbat 35 minutes after sunset, extending Shabbat for just 5 additional minutes. In most communities they would end Shabbat 40 or 50 minutes after sunset, i.e., 10 or 20 minutes extension (tosefet).  The truth is that, since there is no minimum mandatory length of time that it should be added to Shabbat, the amount of time you add to Shabbat once twilight is over is a matter of conventionalism or Minhag (tradition, custom).

Candle lighting in NYC:   4:56 pm  (sunset is today 5:14 pm)

Shabbat ends in NYC:      5:54 pm  (30 minutes twilight + 10 minutes additional time, tosefet)

Interesting MIX Jewish voices of Lekha Dodi

In the last chapter (Chapter 1000th) of his monumental book Mishne Tora, Maimonides conveys a very interesting idea about the Messianic times, which sheds light on the limits and credibility of Jewish oral tradition.

First (MT, Melakhim 12:1) Maimonides asserts that nature will not change in Messianic times. He also says (12:2) that apparently, it will be a war between Gog and Magog and before that a Prophet will come to guide the Jewish people in the right path and to establish peace on earth.

Then he explains: vekhol elu hadebarim…. “in all these matters [related to the messianic age] and similar to them [=events which will happen in the future], no man will be able to know how will they happen until they actually happen. Because although the Prophets wrote [metaphorically] about these matters, the meaningof what they said is unknown to us [debarim setumim] because our Rabbis do not have any tradition [kabbala = oral tradition] as to how these words should be understood. And that is why the Rabbis have different opinions on these matters.  In any case, the order in which these events will occur or their details, are not a foundation of our faith. [And since there is no tradition on these matters, and the Rabbis just speculated about the interpretation of the words of the Prophets] a person should therefore not involve himself in analyzing the Hagadot [=Rabbis parables] and Midrashim [=Rabbis interpretations] on these matters, because learning these subjects will not bring a person to love God or to fear God.  One should likewise refrain himself from calculatingwhen the Mashiaḥ will come. Our sages have warned us about this negative practice by saying: ‘May the souls of those who calculate the coming of the  Mashiaḥ be rot’. One must hope and believe in general that the Mashiaḥ will come, as we have explained”.

READ

All about the Mashiaḥ by Aryeh Kaplan z”l,  from Aish.com

Rabbi Eliyahu Hazan  (1846-1908) , son of Yosef Rafael Hazan, was born in Izmir, Turkey . His grandfather was Rabbi Hayim David Hazan, the author of nedib leb and the Chief Rabbi of Israel (Hakham Bashi and Rishon LeZion) in 1861. In 1856, when he was 10 years old and with the blessing of his parents, he was taken by his grandfather to Yerushalayim. There, he studied day and night for many years. At a very young age he was part of the Bet Din (rabbinical court) of Rabbi Abraham Ashkenazi. In 1866 his grandfather granted him his Rabbinical ordination.

In 1872 when visiting Tripoli (Libya), he was offered to serve as the Chief Rabbi of Libya, a very important and numerous Jewish community on those days.

The first task he took upon himself was to make some improvements in the area of education. In his most famous book,ta’alumot leb Rabbi Hazan describes the situation of the Libyan community in this area: “And I saw that the cause of their insufficient education in Tora and general studies (derekh ereṣ) is the lack of a proper Talmud Tora (a Jewish school), because the children attend some informal classes in the Synagogues… where there is only one teacher for 60 or 70 students at a time… and those parents who want to give a better education to their children are forced to send their children away to Europe or to the [private] Catholic schools in the area”

Despite some opposition, Rabbi Hazan founded a Jewish day school in Tripoli, in which Jewish children were given instruction in religious topics, as well as in other subjects, like mathematics and the Italian language, which was the most essential tool to guarantee that the students will have a melakha (profession or commerce). He also required that all school instructors would be certified teachers.

(To be continued…)

Upon leaving Yerushalayim to establish himself in Libya he writes: “My family and I left with a broken spirit the Holy city, the city of my ancestors’ graves… “. In honor of Yerushalayim Rabbi Hazan wrote this beautiful poem “ochil yom“, where he expressed his deep longing for the Holiest city.  This piyut is very popular among Jews from North Africa.

כשהוא מניח רגליו על הקרקע, הוא אומר: ברוך…רוקע הארץ על המים

The Rabbis of the Talmud said that when we wake up, as we are getting out of bed and we step on the solid ground, we should recite the blessing “Blessed are you, haShem our Lord, King of the universe, Who extends the dry-land over the waters”.

The words of this berakha are borrowed from a verse in Tehilim (Psalms, 136:6) in which King David praises and thanks the Creator of the world for all His favors toward mankind, among them, the creation of dry land (=the continents).

Dry land was not, technically speaking, “created” (=out of nothing) but extended over the waters. According to the Tora God ordered the waters to recede and gather together so dry-land could be seen as it emerged from the oceans and spread over the planet’s surface (1:9).

Contrary to what ancient civilizations believed, but compatible with what modern science affirms, our Rabbis asserted that upon its creation planet earth’s surface was covered by water.   The Tora refers to this in the second pasuq of Genesis. The earth’s surface is defined as “tehom”, i.e., the oceans in their primitive state, before they were organized into yammim (= our oceans), see Gen. 1:10. As this blessing states, on the surface of our planet water was there first, before land, and not the other way around.

In a different Psalm (Tehilim 104:9) but referring to the same event our blessing describes, Kind David also remind us that the Creator has established a “border” (gebul) to the waters –an invisible miraculous fence which we call “gravity”– by which He rules the dynamics between the oceans and the continental land, allowing life to continue.

Intelligent (and astoundingly beautiful) design underwater.  By David Gallo, from TED.com

The new day, in the Hebrew calendar, begins at some point between sunset and nightfall. Nightfall is defined as the time when is so dark that three medium size stars are visible in a clear sky. The length between sunset and nightfall is relative to the geographical location and the season of the year (for a great technical discussion about this issue see minhat cohen, by Rabbi Abraham haCohen Pimentel, Amsterdam 1668). In Israel, for example, this time is calculated at approximately 15 minutes. In New York, approximately 30 minutes. The window between sunset and nightfall is known as twilight or ben haShemashot.

Again, the new Hebrew day, any day, begins at some point between sunset and nightfall. This exact point cannot be established Halakhically. But we know that (i) the previous day does not end before nightfall and (ii) the next day does not begin before sunset.

The rabbis, therefore, established that Shabbat begins at sunset and ends at nightfall, i.e., the strictest possible consideration.

There is another element to bear in mind in order to understand the standard time Shabbat begins and Shabbat ends: our tradition (based on TB, Yoma 81b) is to add time to Shabbat, at the beginning and at the end of it. In other words, although Shabbat officially begins at sunset, we receive Shabbat before sunset. And although Shabbat ends at nightfall, we delay the end of Shabbat for a few minutes after nightfall.

In New York, for example, sunset is today at 4:57p.m.. The “conventional” custom is to receive Shabbat 18 minutes before sunset, i.e., 4:39 p.m. However, if we did not receive Shabbat at 4:39 p.m. we can still receive Shabbat a few minutes later (if, for instance we need to drive, cook, etc)  as long as (i) we add a few minutes to Shabbat and (ii) we don’t cross the sunset line.

(To be continued…)

* Calculating the end of Shabbat at 40 minutes after sunset. In many communities the end of Shabbat is determined at 50 minutes or more after sunset. 

Previously, we explained that according to Jewish tradition in the times of the Mashiaḥ the Jewish people will live in Israel in an independent state,  ruled by the Mashiaḥ, a descendant of King David.

Maimonides (in his Pirush haMishnayot and MT) writes;

“Our sages did not long for the Messianic age in order that the Jews might rule the world and dominate the gentiles.  They did not desire that the nations should honor them, etc. They only hope for one thing: to be free to involve themselves in the Tora and its wisdom. They wanted nothing to disturb them or distract them, so that they should be able to strive to become worthy of the life in World to Come (‘olam habba)”.

“Do not think that the ways of the world or the laws of nature will change in the Messianic times. This is not true. The world will continue as it is. It is true that the Prophet Isaiah predicted ‘The wolf will live with the sheep…’, this, however, is merely an allegory that the Jews [the sheep] will live safely, even with the nations that are like wolves [who wish to devour Israel]. War will no longer exist, as the prophet (Isaiah 2:4) says ‘Nation shall no longer lift up sword against nation’.”

“They will no be changes in nature. People will live longer lives but they will eventually get sick and die. The Mashiaḥ’s kingdom will last for a very long time, This is because mans lifetime will be vastly extended. Worries and troubles will no longer exist, and therefore people will live much longer. The Mashiaḥ, obviously, will also die (Isaiah 42:4), and his son will rule in his place.”

“It will be a time when the number of wise men will increase. ‘All the world will be filled with knowledge’ (Isaiah 11:9). The main occupation of humanity will only be to know God. The Jews will therefore become great sages, know many hidden things, and achieve the greatest understanding of God possible for a mortal human being.”

 

 

                                Arab Youths Harassing Two Hasidic Jews in Jerusalem

 

Cairo was also home to an Ashkenazi community, which was founded in the aftermath of the progroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century.  The Ashkenazi community had its own Synagogue where they would hold services according to their customs and traditions.  Still the basic community services (cemetery, sheḥita, education) were provided by the  Sephardic community for both. In 1893 the lay leaders of the Ashkenazi community decided to have their own services. Rabbi ben Shimon (1847-1928) did not refuse and the Sephardic community gave the Ashkenazi community a parcel in the cemetery for free.  They also appointed their own Rabbi, Rabbi Rafael Ginzburg, who passed away three years after his appointment. At the end of the 19th century he was succeeded by Rabbi Aharon Mendel haCohen, a great rabbinical scholar from Tiberia. Rabbi ben Shimon and rabbi Mendel worked together for the benefit of the Jewish community. Rabbi Ben Shimon brought Rabbi Mendel as part of his Bet Din (rabbinical court). Even though Rabbi Ben Shimon in his position as the Chief rabbi of Egypt, appointed in 1893 by the Turkish Sultan, was technically the single authority of the entire Jewish community, before he issued a new rule, he would consult with rabbi Mendel and seek his approval.  The relationship and camaraderie between the two Rabbis was known as an example of team-work and mutual respect between a Sephardic and an Ashkenazi rabbi.

Even when they would disagree on certain issues, they would still respect each other greatly. In 1903, rabbi Mendel together with rabbi Zvi Makowsky (va-ashiba shofetaikh) planned to reestablish the Sanhedrin (ḥiddush hasemikha), i.e., a universal Rabbinical Supreme Court that, among other things, would (i) resolve all the disagreements between Rabbis and arrive at one final Halakhic decision, mandatory for all (ii) appoint community rabbis who will act on behalf of this Sanhedrin. Rabbi Ben Shimon was very enthusiastic about the idea in general, but he was skeptic about its realization.  In a  beautiful letter addressed to rabbi Mendel (which could be found in nehar miṣrayim B, pp. 583-587) he tried to dissuade him. Rabbi ben Shimon’s opposition to this idea was based purely on pragmatic grounds: In present times –he said– with so many divisions among the Jews, it will be impossible to persuade all the Rabbinical and lay leaders to surrender their local authority and empower one single entity above them.   Unfortunately, Rabbi ben Shimon was right and the project never came to fruition.

 Read more  HERE about past and present attempts to renew the Sanhedrin

“Blessed are You haShem. our God, King of the universe,  Who gives strength to those who are exhausted. “

Following the same idea of birkot hashaḥar, this blessing too describes what we do or experience when we wake up in the morning. In this case, the feeling that last night we were exhausted and, thanks God, in the morning we feel reenergized and ready to start a new day.

Our rabbis were very conscious of the positive effects of sleep for the renewal of our energy. Analyzing the verse “And God saw all He had made and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31) R. Shimon bar Yoḥai said: “very good” refers to sleep. As explained by R. Menashe ben Israel in The Conciliator: “Sleep is good for although it suspends the operation of the nobler faculties of the soul, yet the repose obtained by it gives fresh vigor and strength for study and the exercise of the arts and virtues.”

There is a technical issue with this particular blessing: unlike all other blessings we recite today in birkot hashaḥar, this blessing was not mentioned in the Talmud or Maimonides. The bet yosef actually questions its recitation and in some Sephardic Siddurim this berakha is not found.

In his book Keter Shem Tob (p.19) , Rabbi Shem Tob Gaguin (see here) says that in his opinion this berakha must have been formulated “in times of religious persecution, when the Jews were mistreated and tortured to renounce to their faith and convert to a different religion.” The Jews still persisted because God renewed their courage and gave them the strength to endure such suffering. An additional proof for this idea seems to be the context in which the words noten laya’ef koaḥ  appear in the Scripture (Isaiah 40: 29 and 31):  “HaShem gives power to the faint…they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run [escaping from the enemy] and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”

WATCH Adam Carolla, change your life from Prager University

Lighting Shabbat candles is a rabbinical decree. The candles should be lit mainly to have light in the room where the family will have dinner.   The Shulḥan Arukh, however, says (OH, 263:6) that a single young student who lives outside home should light a candle in his bedroom [the same applies for a girl] saying the blessing for it.  In other words, if dinner takes place in a different place, then both places should have their candles lit.

The same principle applies in a case of an Hotel, when we eat in the Hotel’s dinning room and we sleep in our own room, we need to have a candle in both.  Rabbi Obadia Yosef (yalqut yosef, Shabbat 1, p.148) clarifies that if the Hotel does not allow to have a candle lit in the room, for safety reasons, one should leave an electrical light lit, and before turning it on, the correspondent blessing should be said.

Now, as to the Hotel’s dinning room, while there is an obligation to have candles lit there, there is no “personal” obligation to light a candle in the dinning room. In other words, if someone else already lit a candle in the dinning room, there is not need for me or my wife to light another candle.

However, if someone still wants to light an additional candle in the dining room, then, there is a difference of opinion between the Sephardic and Ashkenazi tradition.  Sephardim do not say a berakha for lighting an additional candle (OH 263:8) because it is considered an unnecessary berakha [berakha lebatala]. While the Ashkenazi tradition (Rama, idem) holds that one should recite the berakha on an additional candle [tosefet ora], because it adds to the splendor and enjoyment of Shabbat.