Between 17 of tamuz and 9 of Ab

Today is the 18th of Tamuz, 5770

Ben haMetzarim is a period of 3 weeks, from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av (July 19th/20th). As we have explained, it took the Babylonians three weeks from the time the Babylonian army breached the walls of Yerushalaim until they finally burned and destroyed the Bet haMikdash. During this time, besides the massive destruction and pillaging of the Holy city, thousands of people were tortured and killed.

That is why during these 21 day period we observe certain traditions of mourning that build up as we get closer to Tisha BeAv.

SHEHECHEYANU for NEW FRUITS: Eating a new fruit that will require us to say the blessing Shehecheyanu during the three weeks should be done only on Shabbat.

WEDDINGS: No weddings take place during the three weeks.

 

ENGAGEMENTS: Saying Shir Lamaalot with no music is allowed until Rosh Chodesh Av (July 11th /12th).

MUSIC: We refrain from listening to music during the three weeks. Religious music is allowed, if it is not live music.

CLOTHING: It is not permitted to buy new clothing, except: 1. For a bride or groom that will get married after Tisha BeAv. 2. If the article is on sale and it will be substantially more expensive after Tisha BeAv. Our tradition is also to not buy gold and/or Jewelry from Rosh Chodesh Av.

HAIRCUT: It is permitted to get a haircut only until Rosh Chodesh Av. Our Minhag is that men do not shave from the Shabbat before Tisha BeAv until after Tisha BeAv.

NEW HOUSE: it is permitted to close or move into a new house until Rosh Chodesh Av.

EATING MEAT: Our tradition is to refrain from meat after Rosh Chodesh Av until the day after Tisha BeAv. A person who is sick or weak or a woman during the first 30 days after giving birth, are allowed to eat meat. Although chicken would be preferable to meat. Fish is allowed during the three weeks.

 

The above mentioned are some examples of the basic traditions that we follow on these days of mourning (for more information ask one of our community Rabbis).



The fast of 17th of Tamuz

17th of Tamuz, 5770

Five tragedies happened to the Jewish people on the 17thof Tammuz:

1. In Biblical times, Moses descended from Mount Sinaion this day and upon seeing the Jews worshipping the Golden Calf, he broke the first set of Tablets that carried the Ten Commandments.

2. King Menashe, one of the worst kings of the Kingdomof Yehuda, placed on that day an idol in the Holy Sanctuary of the Temple, around the year 700 BCE.

3. In the time of the First Temple, on the 17thof Tammuz in the year 587 BCE, the Kohanim (priests) stopped offering the daily sacrifices due to the shortage of sheep during the siege of the city by the Babylonian army.

4. One year later, 586 BCE the walls of Yerushalaim were breached after many months of siege by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces. Three weeks after the breach of the wall the Bet haMikdash was destroyed on the 9thof Av.

5. Around the year 50 of the Common Era, Apostomus, a Roman captain, seized a Torah scroll and burned it in public.



The fast of 17th of Tamuz

Today is the 16th of Tamuz, 5770
Tomorrow Tuesday June 29th is a fast day, Shiva Asar beTamuz. The fast begins at dawn and ends at 8.59 PM.
 
On the 17th of Tamuz there are only two prohibitions: eating and drinking. NO additional limitations apply, such as the prohibition of washing the body, wearing leather shoes, working, driving, etc.
 
Who is exempted from fasting?
Minors: boys under 13 and girls under 12 years old are completely exempted from fasting.
Nursing women: According to the Sephardic Minhag, after giving birth women are exempted from fasting for 24 months, even if they are not actually nursing their baby.
Pregnant women, especially after the first 3 months, are exempted from fasting.
A person who is sick, for example, flu or fever or one who has a chronic disease, for example, diabetes, is exempt from fasting.
Elders should consult with their physicians if the fast will not affect their health. If it will, they are exempted (and in some cases, prohibited) from fasting.
 
All other healthy people should fast and remember the tragedies that fell onto the Jewish people in this period.
 
Our custom is to authorize to wash one’s mouth or brush the teeth in this Taanit, provided one will be very careful to lower his head as to avoid swallowing water unintentionally.
 
Tomorrow, B’H, I’ll explain why we fast on this day.



The right Focus

13th of Tamuz, 5770

Yesterday a short but fierce ‘tornado’ struck our Great Neck community causing unseen devastation and damage. (see: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/powerful-thunderstorm-takes-heavy-toll-on-li-1.2049955).

Everything happened in less than 20 seconds…. Hundreds of homes were affected and probably ‘thousands’ of tress fell on the streets,on backyards and on top of houses. In my house, which I believe was affected in an average way, six tress fell down. Three of them fell on the garage, one of them on the car another one over an A/C structure and the tallest one fell on the neighbor’s backyard but it uprooted half of my driveway. Great Neck looks like a battlefield! Everywhere you see destruction and devastation. And of course, no power (no AC, freezer, etc).

Is it God’s wrath unleashed on our community? Punishing us for the ‘terrible’ things we do, as probably some ‘spiritual opportunists’ will state?

Indeed our Chakhamim teach us that every time a tragedy affects us we need to reflect on our lives. Why? Because tragedies or ‘acts of God’ of this nature are very powerful reminders of our fragility and perhaps the best invitation to reflect on our mortality and limited existence.

But today I think we should focus on something else: Despite the terrible effect of the ‘tornado’ BARUCH HASHEM there was no one killed or even hurt, as far as we now, which given the numbers of trees and live wires that fell , to me, it is a obvious miracle (Nes Galui)!!!

Many times, we chose to focus on God’s wrath but this time I chose to focus on God’s mercy, on Magen Abraham, God that protected Abraham and saved his life so many times.

I chose to focus on MODIM ANACHNU LAKH ‘we are thankful to You God Almighty’ al nishmotnu hapekudot lakh knowing that ‘our lives are ‘deposited’ with You, at Your care …’

A tragedy of this magnitude also gives us the chance to look for opportunities of Chesed, helping and caring for others in times of need.

May haShem always protect us from harm!

Shabbat Shalom!!!



Should milk be Kosher certified?

Today is the 11th of Tamuz, 5770
2000 years ago the rabbis of the Talmud forbade buying cow milk from a non-Jewish milkman. Why? Because the non Jewish milkman would have other animals than cows in his farm. At the time of collecting the milk he would normally mix it with camel milk, donkey milk, etc. which obviously aren’t Kosher! The rabbis then forbade buying ‘milk’ from a gentile milkman unless the milking process was supervised by a Jew, making sure it is pure cow milk.

But, what happens today when the circumstances have changed? Should we still suspect that in today’s food industry companies would mix cow milk with non Kosher milk?

There are three opinions on this issue and as we have explained, given two or more opinions everyone should follow his community Minhaguim.

Opinion # 1: the Rabbis made a decree and ‘formal rabbinical decrees’ must be derogated to run out. They don’t expire by themselves, even when the circumstances have changed. Accordingly, milk has to be supervised.

Opinion # 2: The USDA inspection service serves the same role as the original ‘Jewish supervisor’, therefore any normal cow milk is permitted (R Moshe Feinstein z”l)

Opinion # 3: The Rabbis did not issue a ‘formal decree’ but a ‘warning’ (Rambam). Therefore, when circumstances change, the warning is not in effect anymore. The original warning assumed that the gentile milkman would have an extra profit from mixing milk (Chut haMeshulash). Today, non kosher milk would cost more than cow milk. No restrictions are necessary. Normal cow or goat milk is allowed.



HA-EL HAGADOL HAGIBBOR VEHANORA

Today is the 10th of Tamuz, 5770
“God, who is great, powerful and awe-inspiring.” These words of the first Berakha of the Amida are really exceptional. Why? Because we normally praise God by referring to what He does for us: Ozer, Moshia, Magen, helps, saves, protects, etc. We never refer or describe anything about haShem HIMSELF.

Our rabbis were very reluctant to do so because no matter what we would say, we would always fall short from praising God Almighty. Take the word “powerful.” Can this word, which we use to describe a car (what a powerful engine!) or the president of an important company (a “powerful” man!) etc., be enough to describe haShem’s infinite power and might?

We believe that describing God’s ‘power’ or ‘greatness’ is absolutely beyond our human capability or vocabulary. Therefore, any praise that we would say about God HIMSELF would be actually considered an (involuntary) offense…

The rabbis therefore were hesitant to authorize the use of these words and the only reason they allowed us to say these attributes is because Moshe Rabbenu said them (Ekeb).
“Had Moshe not pronounced these attributes and had not the men of the Great assembly ordained this in our prayers, we would be unable to say it” (Berakhot 33b)

In a sense, we are not actually daring to describe God’s attributes, we are just reiterating Moshe Rabbenus’ ‘s words.
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AHABAT ISRAEL: When it gets to Israel, facts don’t matter…..

Today is the 9th of Tamuz, 5770

We must know the painful truth about Israel’s situation and make it known to as many people as we can. We can’t defeat some of the NY Times’ cynical columnists in their relentless criticism against Israel. We should, however, first know the facts ourselves and then make every effort to spread the truth over the Web.
Take for example Hamas and the Gaza strip. Israel has been criticized and portrayed as the ‘bad guy’ for not lifting the blockade, which is so unfair for the ‘innocent’ Gazans. Hamas is portrayed as the victim. As if it was just another separatist political movement, like the Spanish ETA or the Kurdish PKK. Now, what does ETA want? ETA, as most nationalistic groups, declare that their goal is to gain political independence from Spain and create an independent Basque state. In a sense, they are advocating for a Basque state that will leave peacefully alongside the Spanish state…
But what does Hamas want? One good thing about Hamas is that they NEVER tried to hide their true intentions and they even wrote a ‘Charter’ where they explicitly manifest their goals.

Article Thirteen: Peaceful Solutions, [Peace] Initiatives and International Conferences

…the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement. For renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion; the nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its faith, the movement educates its members to adhere to its principles and to raise the banner of Allah over their homeland as they fight their Jihad: “Allah is the all-powerful, but most people are not aware”. *

What do all Israel critics mean when they demand Israel to lift the blockade or to engage in ‘conversations’ with Hamas? Hamas is an Islamic organization, and I know as a Rabbi, that unlike nationalistic expectations, religious principles are NOT negotiable….

Hamas seeks only the destruction of Israel. And Israel must do whatever it sees fit to prevail.

DO SOMETHING FOR ISRAEL

* http://middleeast.about.com/od/palestinepalestinians/a/me080106b.htm

Read Pilar Rahola, a voice of reason in EU: http://www.aish.com/jw/s/96560674.html

Read the column of one of Israel’s unconditional critics, advocating ‘dialogue’ with Hamas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11iht-edcohen.html?scp=2&sq=roger%20cohen&st=cse



Do you have to taste the Kiddush wine?

Today is the 6th day of Tamuz, 5770

You are listening to the Kiddush with the intention of being included in the Mitzvah. At the end of the Kiddush the Mekaddesh (the person that recites the Kiddush on behalf of everyone) drinks from the wine. Do you have to taste a little bit of that wine too?

The answer is a good example of Halakha vs. Minhag.

HALAKHA: Unlike the Mekkadesh who must drink a minimum quantity (one cheek!) your obligation for the Kiddush is completely fulfilled by listening and being included in the Mekaddesh’s intention, even if you don’t taste from the wine.

Still, there are different traditions or MINHAGUIM:

The general Sephardic tradition is that each family member would sip from the same cup the father or grandfather just said the Kiddush on, as a sign of Chibub Mitzva (affection for the just performed Mitzvah ) and respect for the elders .

In any case, you don’t need to drink any significant amount, a little sip is enough.

According to another tradition, not everyone drinks from the same cup, but the Mekaddesh pours from his cup into everyone else’s cups. This is also recommended when you have non-family guest. Again, a little sip is enough.

Another tradition is that everyone has his own cup with his own wine (ROSH)

Today there is a special set ‘Kiddush wine fountain’ that allow to comply with these two last traditions simultaneously! .

 



What is a Minhag (tradition)?

Today is the 4th day of Tamuz, 5770

In virtually every Halakhic subject there are very often some controversies as to what the final application of the law is. The origin of these controversies is not the same for every case. Most of the time, they depend on different interpretations not of the Biblical commandment but of the Talmudic determinations.

Illustration: The Talmud said that between eating meat and dairy one should wait “from one meal to the next meal”. Most rabbis interpreted this Talmudic statement as related to ‘time’: after eating meat, one has to wait the ‘time’ that normally one waits from one meal to the next: 6 hours (Rashi, Rambam). Other rabbis interpreted ‘next meal’, literally: you cannot have meat and diary on the same meal, like beef and a dairy dessert, but you don’t need to wait full six hours (Tosafot).

In this context, Minhag means the interpretation each community follows in the case of Halakhic controversy. Both are totally valid, as they don’t refer to the core case (the prohibition of eating together meat and milk) but to the details of it.

In the area of Minhaguim, as long as a community follows a valid Halakhic opinion, even if it comes from a minority opinion, it is a valid Minhag.

EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW AND FOLLOW HIS OR HER COMMUNITY MINHAGUIM.

BH, in the next HOTD about Kashrut I will bring some examples of Minhaguim in this area.

By popular demand: link to reliable Kashrut symbols: . http://www.crcweb.org/agency_list.php.

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Eloke Ya’akob. The God of our father Jacob.

Today is the 3rd of Tamuz 5770

Jacob most traumatic life experiences revolved around deception. His brother Esav was a ‘master’ of deception. Esav was an accomplished hunter, as our rabbis explained, because he mastered the art of deceiving animals, hiding his presence by acting and looking like them. Esav was also a talented deceiver of humans. He was able to make his own father, Yitzchak, believe that he, Esav was a righteous man and that he –and not Jacob- would deserve to be appointed as Yitzchak’s (and Abraham’s) successor. In this extreme circumstances Jacob ended up deceiving his deceived father…. Jacob was forced by his mother to become Esav/deceiver in order to make things right…

Still, and although he did what he did on behalf of his mother, Jacob paid a very high price for his desperate act. Later on, as our rabbis explained, he himself was deceived twice by his father in law Laban in similar circumstances. Deception as a victim or a performer, characterized Jacob’s first part of his life.

But then, he fought with an angel. Who was this angel? Our rabbis said: saro shel Esav. Elie Wiesel interpreted the struggle between Jacob and the angel as a struggle between Jacob and himself (or, from a more Freudian approach: between Jacob and the Esav/deceiver within him). Defeating the angel (the personality of –saro shel- Esav, that he was forced to adopt) allowed Yaakov to make a turning point in his life and become ish emet, a man of truth.

Jacob reminds us the value of repentance, our duty to change and our bad incorporated habits and the love for truth.

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Send this link to NYTimes and other Newspapers ‘comments’ so readers who see your comment can click on this link.

Let everyone know the truth.