Pirkei Avos

When the going gets toughthe tough introspect

,
; , . , "Shimon ben Shatach said: Examine witnesses thoroughly and be careful with your words lest through them they learn to lie."
The circumstances which provoked the author to write this Mishna are quintessential to our understanding of the complex mechanism which makes up a Jew. Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik wrote that a religious individual is made up of two components; the homoreligious man who cleaves to the spiritual world, and the cognitive man who manifests themself in the material and rational world. We can perhaps call these two components ones emotions and ones intellect. It is the connection between these two opposing elements which are spoken about in our Mishna. Shimon Ben Shetachs very own son was a victim of a misguided Judge. The Sadducees, who opposed zealous defence of Judaism, set two false witnesses to make a claim against Shimon Ben Shetachs son. The claim was listened to and ruled upon by a Judge of the Bet Din, and resulted in the sons execution. Such a tragic event must surely have had a profound effect on Shimon Ben Shetach. Judaism has a strong focus on justice and therefore it was decreed in Sanhedrin that every city in Israel is required to have a major high court of 23 judges, large enough to preside over capital cases. The Mishna in Sanhedrin (1:6) rules that this obligation extended all the way down to the smallest village of 120 adult males. R Yochanan Zweig explained that Judaism recognizes that harsh sentences are very poor deterrents of crime and only increase the fear of getting caught; they are not the moral fibre to avoid crime. However, he further explains that Judaism has the approach that the very presence of judges should be not only what prevents crimes being committed, but that which pro-actively causes society to be more moral. This is why court systems occupy such a large place in Jewish societies; they are not as a fear mongering, dictatorial preventative of crime. The Judges would achieve this goal by embodying the values and traditions of which they are the bearers and upholders so that others would emulate them. It is this point which I believe caused Shimon ben Shetach to write his Mishna. R Soloveitchik also writes that mans reaction to a tragedy in his life should not be to point the finger of blame, and indeed, nor should it be a passive reaction. Judaism recognises the need for emotions and mourning; but one should be (eventually) calm, cool and collected. R Soloveitchik believes that by a person bettering themself and asking what they can do to impact the world following a tragedy is the perfect way to react. Following his sons execution, there is no doubt that Shimon ben Shetach mourned, but he also connected his intellect and emotions to introspect and to root out the source of his misery. As a result of this, he instituted that Judges should examine witnesses carefully to avoid further tragedies. Tragedy is a terrible thing; but we cannot allow it to run our lives. We must arise, and move forward with the help of Hashem who Mekimi meafar dal brings me up from the dust of the earth. Many people move on, it is the few who move forward.

The Hasmonean High School Weekly Sedra Sheet

12th Teves 7th January 2011
Dvar Torah

Living Torah
Right Until the end...

Issue No: 389 Shabbos Out: 17:06

In this Parsha (49:38), it says And Yaakov ceased from commanding his children and he gathered his feet upon his bed, he expired and was gathered up to his people. Yaakov was productive right up until the very end of his long life. Even in the last moments of his life he was giving guidance to his children and all future generations. Why are the last words of Yaakov so important that the entire text of that address is recorded in such vast detail ad infinitum? Why is his last act of his life linked in verse with him being "gathered up to his people"? Rabbi Dessler points out that a persons true essence shines through in their last moments. That is why Yaakovs last few minutes are so crucial to our understanding of his character. Rabeinu Yona asks a question and remains without an answer. In a typical case where a persons years are numbered at 70, why don't they begin to repent by the age of 35? After the fuel tank on a plane sinks below half full, one should consider landing.

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter met Rabbi Yosef Yozzel Horowitz, who at the time was a merchant. Rabbi Yisrael remembered the young man as a great scholar and asked how he had come to abandon his youthful idealism. Reb Yosef answered rhetorically, "How am I to live!?" Reb Yisrael Salanter retorted, "How are you going to die?" The words went through him like a knife. In time, because of that encounter, he was to become the father a vast yeshiva school system with thousands of students leaving a rich legacy of personal teachings. A man once asked, "When is the best time to buy an umbrella?" The answer, "Before it starts raining." Once the rain begins, one may become drenched and the price of umbrellas rises significantly. Battles and tests are won and passed in times of preparation.

Do you have a Kindle? Send us your Kindle E-mail address and we will send the Living Torah directly to your device!

For latest updates, online content and a weekly email version of the Living Torah, please subscribe by sending a blank email to hasmolivingtorah@gmail.com Editorial Team: Shmuli Margulies - Mikey Lebrett - Yossi Prager Avraham Grant - Micha Athersych Director: Rabbi D Meyer

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter spent the last hours of his precious and productive life, anticipating his own death, in conversation with an attendant about the fears other people would have regarding being near dead bodies. Even before his death he was concerned about others feelThis type of thinking is not necessarily morbid. ings. King Solomon, the wisest of all men, says in Koheles, "It is better to go to a house of What one really believes determines how one mourning than to go to a drinking party." The chooses to live their lives and affect the lives of Talmud tells us on the verse, "And G-d saw all others. Yaakov continued to work on his speech that he had created and it was very good", that right up until his time to pass. We must truly the ingredient that turned the world from work on what matters to our good character, "good" to "very good" was the introduction of not only to improve ourselves, but to help othdeath. What could possibly be so very good ers. There is always time to achieve even larger about death? personal growth.

Story

Dvar Torah

Charity for liberty

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was one of the holiest men that ever lived. Besides authoring the 'Zohar', being a master Torah Shebiksav and a miracle worker, he was one of the few Jews in history who spent every instant of his time learning Torah; no casual conversations, coffee breaks and certainly no holidays...only Torah. So everyone was surprised when, the day after Rosh Hashanah, he showed up at the door of his nephews family home and began to lecture them about the importance of giving Tzedaka. Although they didn't really have money to spare and didn't understand the urgency of what he was saying, they listened attentively; when Rabbi Shimon spoke, everyone listened. "Give with an open hand," Rabbi Shimon begged. "Don't worry about tomorrow, Hashem will provide. And most important: write it all down. Every penny you give, write it down and carry the list with you at all times. I want to see a big sum at the end of the year." Rabbi Shimon made them promise and he left. for the king, both of which were utterly beyond their means. When Rabbi Shimon heard what had happened he immediately rushed to the prison and got special permission to visit his relatives. "Where is the account of the charity you gave?" He asked. "How much did you give?" "Here," they replied as one of them pulled the small parchment from his pocket. Rabbi Shimon took the account and noticed that they had given almost six hundred dinar; they were just six dinar short. "Do you have any money with you?" he asked. They produced six dinar that they had sewn into their garments in case they needed it. Rabbi Shimon took the money, bribed one of the officials, the charges were dropped and they were released.

Water before the pot

And [Yaakov] blessed them on that daymay Ha- larger vessel using a smaller vessel, he first has to shem make you like Ephraim and Menashe, and he break the vessel, so too for Hashem to increase the placed Ephraim before Menashe. persons success and happiness, He first breaks him as a means of doing this. This Posuk seems to have extra words; since we can see that Ephraims name was mentioned first in the This is what the Gemoro means when it says that Brocho, why does the Torah need to spell this out for Hashem first places the water and then puts the pot us? We know that no letter is written in the Torah around it; first he brings the kindness into the world, without a good reason! (according to the Zohar, water represents kindness,) and then brings the suffering which enables the perThis can be explained through interpreting a Gemoro son to accept the kindness (which is represented by in Megillo (15a ;) R Elozor said in the name of R the pot.) Chanino, come and see that the behaviour of Hashem differs from that of a human; a human first places the Using this explanation, we can now explain why the pot on the stove and then puts the water in, while Posuk has to tell us that Ephraim was placed before Hashem first puts down the water, and then puts the Menashe. This is because that fact itself was part of pot around it. What is the meaning of this state- the Brocho! Menashes name represents suffering, as ment? Yosef gave him this name because Hashem let him forget his suffering. Ephraim represents the salvaThe Kedushas Levi explains this based on a Posuk; tion, as Yosef called his son Ephraim as Hashem had all the illnesses that I placed on Mitzrayim, I will not made him fruitful. Yaakov placed Ephraim before place on you, for I am Hashem your Healer. AltMenashe to teach us that even when Hashem gives hough Hashem does sometimes bring illness and us suffering, He has already brought the salvation suffering on the Bnai Yisroel, this does not enter the into the world. category of the illnesses that he placed on Mitzrayim, because there His intention was to inflict suffering. We should learn from here that whenever we are With us, the suffering is only a means to get to the suffering, whether in regards to our material wellhealing and salvation that will come later. being, or whether in regards to our Avodas Hashem, Hashem has already brought our salvation into the When Hashem brings suffering on us, He has already world; He is only giving us suffering so that we will be thought of the salvation that He will bring through it; ready to accept it. He only uses the suffering as a tool to reach this salvation. Just like when a person wants to make a Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Shimon explained to them what had happened. "This past Rosh Hashanah, I fell asleep and dreamt that the government would demand Almost a year later they had another strange of you six hundred dinars. That is why I told you visit--from a group of Roman soldiers with an to give charity, to negate the decree." order for their arrest. Someone accused them of selling silk without paying the tax to the govern- "Then why didn't you tell us about that?" they ment. They began weeping and protesting their complained. "We would have given the money innocence but to no avail. immediately and spared ourselves a lot of anguish." Trembling with fear, they were led off to prison where they were given a choice: either pay an "But then," replied Rabbi Shimon. "You wouldn't outrageous fine of six hundred dinar or produce have done the mitzvah for its own sake." an even more outrageously priced silk garment

Gematria of the Week:

Many gematria sceptics are often discomforted when they hear that the gematria is one out. How do we know that a gematria can be one out? In this weeks parsha, Yaakov tells Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe would be considered like Reuven and Shimon, i.e. that Yaakov would give Ephraim and Menashe the status of tribes. If one takes the gematria of )237( it is one away from the gematria of ,)137( you may think that one out doesnt work, so the posuk tells us that Ephraim and Menashe are considered like Reuven and Shimon. Despite being one out in gematria, the comparison still works!

Riddle of the Week:

Which person in the Torah passed away at an age that the first, second and third digit of his age was the same number?
(Answer in next weeks edition)