Misnagdim vs. Chasidim

In Shulchan Aruch, (O.Ch. 131) פסח שני, is not enumerated as a day when תחנון is not said. The Pri Megodim explains Since פסח שני is a Yom Tov of Yechidim (individuals who couldn't make it on the 14th of Nissan) The same as the 9 days in the year when individual Kohanim brought Korbanos (Ta'anis 26a) yet we say תחנון since it's not the Tzibur celebrating, so too on פסח שני

it's not a YomTov for the Tzibur, תחנון is said.

There are many Poskim (סידור של"ה אלי' רבה סידור התניא א"א מבוטשאטש ועוד) who argue and hold not to say תחנון on פסח שני

Misnagdims complaint against Chasidim was that they don't follow Halacha. One of the examples they used was not saying תחנון on פסח שני. 

They didn't complain on not saying תחנון on a Yahrzeit of a Tzadik. (which is a non-Halachic Minhag) Since this Chasidic Minhag of not saying תחנון on the Yahrzeit of a Tzadik is exclusively for Tzadikim Talmidei Bal Shem, therefore, this Minhag didn't start until after the second or third generation of Chasidim. (Unheard of before)

It is interesting, today except for Talmidei Chazon Ish, almost all Yeshivishe & Ashkenaz Minyonim don't say תחנון on פסח שני.

Non Jewish Minhag

הלכה ולא למעשה                                          

NOT SHAVING DURING SEFIRA - NON JEWISH MINHAG

The Mekubal & Doctor, Harav Moshe Dovid Valla (Talmid of the Ramchal)

claims that not shaving or trimming the beard during Aveilus, and Sefira 

is a Non Jewish Minhag.

"Only by the Goyim, since they all shave during the year, so by refraining 

from shaving shows Aveilus.

For Yidden, since they have been growing beards during the year, therefore,

letting it grow during Sefira is not a form of Aveilus. Chazal didn't have

beards in mind when they said not to cut the hair during that period.

However, since the masses don't shave their beards during the

Sefirah, we should condone it and come up with the reason it's

done to be ממתיק הדינים (sweeten & lighten the harsh judgments) 

of the long hair*."

The Shu"t Chasam Sofer (Y.D.348) too, claims the Poskim's intention was

only for the hair of the head and not the beard.

* Kabbalistic

Good Times Ahead

Parshas Hashavua

The Zohar (Parshas Achrai Mos Daf 58a) 

writes, זמנין אית בשתא דרעווא אשתכך ו

זמנין אית בשתא דדינא אשתכך

"There are times in the year when עת רצון 

is to be found".

R. Chaim Vital in the הגהות writes, 

The times of עת רצון are to be found i

n the months of אדר,ניסן,אייר,סיון

Payos Behind The Ears

Parshas Hashavua

לא תקפו פאת ראשכם ויקרא יט כז                                                                           

The Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos writes the reason why the Torah gave us the Lav of לא תקיפו פאת ראשכם so we shouldn't look like the כומרי ע"ז (pagan priests) who used to shave off their sideburns and thereby rounded off the hair on their head.

Perhaps, children who place their Payos behind their ear end up looking like the כומרי ע"ז. Since they have no facial hair (no sideburns) their hairless skin becomes exposed at the same spot where the כומרי ע"ז shave off their sideburns.

My personal observation of old photographs and paintings of children, Chasidim, and non-Chasidim alike, we won't find

children with their Payos behind their ears. 

4 portraits by Isidor Kaufmann 1853-1921  

Riddle For Parshas Hashovua

?

Parshas Hashavua

Which Mitzvah can only be performed while sitting?

for answer click here 

The Two Stories

The two stories (Sefer טל ירושלים)

                                                                   Chai Rotel

The first מקור(source) of the Chai Rotel Segulah is from the Sefer שו"ת מהריל לא אבוש - טל ירושלים* 

He writes, that he met two people (in Meron) serving a lot of Mashkeh and asked them

their reason for doing so. 

One of them answered him that he was childless for 14 years. When he went to Meron

on Lag Baomer he made a Neder in a loud voice " He will donate 18 Rotel Mashkeh so

that Hashem should grant him a בן זכר that year." The people surrounding him all answered אמן.

The Ribono Shel Olam granted him his wish and he had a בן זכר that year.

3 years later he came back to Meron to cut the hair of the child and pay up his promise.

The second person had a similar story but being childless for 10 years.

I find it interesting that this Segulah works before you pay for it. You even have time 3 years later to pay.

In the Kunteres** of R.Osher Zelig Margolis zt"l who quotes the letter the Kedushas Tziyon Zt"l sent

to his Chasid to be Mazkir the childless couple " and when Hashem will help them with a child,

they will happily pay their donation". Here too, payment will be done only after he is helped.

Did You Know (184)

The Bais Lechem Yehuda quotes the R. Chaim Vital that the אריז"ל  cut his פאות at the point where the beard starts. (mandible connects with skull - mid ear)

The אריז"ל held, פאות longer than this shiur are just simply hair and not פיאות. According to the Zohar*, The פאות (hair) should not rest on or be mixed with the beard. They should be placed behind the ears.

מנהג חב"ד follows the אריז"ל and cut their פאות short for this reason. 

There are others who explain the  אריז"ל differently and claim that one may have the length of the פיאות up to the bottom

of the chin. (not longer)

Many Chasidim grow their פיאות and never cut them based on the Mechaber's Loshon in Shulchan Aruch לא תגע בו יד.

Even though it's clear from the Bais Yosef on the Tur that he is not referring on the length of the פאות.  

*נשא דף קל"א

מלאך הברית

The Gemoro (Eruvin 43a) assumes that Eliyahu Hanavi cannot appear on Shabbos or Yom Tov, because of the איסור of חוץ לתחום. (if איסור תחומין is למעלה מעשרה )

How can we say at a Bris, on Shabbos & Yom Tov “זה הכסא של אליהו- עמוד על ימיני-?

The Shu”t Chasam Sofer (Chelek 6-98) explains that there are two parts to E.Hanavi. His

Guf (body) which is resting in גן עדן התחתון, in this world. The other part is his

Neshama, which went up to heaven and serves as a Malach.

At a Bris he appears as a Malach (מלאך הברית) from heaven. A Malach is not

obligated to keep the Mitzvohs. There also is no Din of Techumin from heaven to earth

(Tosfos 45b dh. Leima) .

When the time will come, Bimeheiro Veyomeinu to bring us the Besura of Higia Z’man

Geulaschem, E. Hanavi will appear with his Guf & Neshama.  at this stage, he is like any

Yid who is Mechuyav in Mitzvohs. He can’t come on Shabbos & Y.T. from Gan Eden

Hatachton which is Chutz L’tchum.

Tishbi Yetaretz Kushyos Uboyos will be with his Guf, therefore

we don’t have the problem of Lo Bashomayim Hie

Those who believe that E. Hanavi appears at the seder,

it can only be the Neshama (Guf can’t come from chutz l’tchum) אמבצי

Yom Hatzmaut

Yom Hatzmaut - 

At the Knessia Gedola (Agudah) in 1936, there was a fierce debate between the Gedolim whether to accept the Peel Commission for partition of Palestine.

 The Polish (Chasidic) Gedolim supported  Chalukah, thereby supporting establishing a Jewish state in part of Palestine.

The Litvishe & Hungarian Gedolim opposed Chalukas Ha’aretz and thereby were against the establishment of a Jewish state. (by insisting for the whole, chances of this to happenwas nil)

Reb Moishe Sternbuch Shlita (Teshuvos  V’Hanhogos 2: 140) writes he heard this from

R Y.B. Soloveichik zt”l (Yerushalayim) and wrote it down exactly as heard.

R. Elchonon Wasserman &  R. Aharon Kotler zt”l  were very upset and were about to step out of the Knessia & Agudah.

 R.Chaim Ozer zt”l convinced them not to do so and to remain there.

The Brisker Rav zt”l was also very angry for even discussing the issue. He held establishing a State is a גרם שפיכת דמים. 

R.A. Kalmenowitz zt”l asked him why he was making such a big deal of it. The British Government couldn’t care less what the  Rabonim at the Knessia will decide.

The Brisker Rav answered him as follows 

  “  We find in Gemoro that the Ribono Shel Olam runs his world according to the Psak of the רוב (ehrliche yidden). At the Knessia there are רוב גדולי ישראל They are debating whether to accept part or to insist for the whole of Eretz Yisroel, but they all agree for the establishment of a Jewish State.
 He therefore fears that  the Ribono Shel Olam will make it happen,  and a Jewish State will be born

Shochet And Mohel

The נוהג כצאן יוסף writes,

"Those standing next to the Mohel say quietly (for the Mohel to hear) the end of the Bracha (על המילה) so to make sure 

the Mohel doesn't ח"ו mistakenly end the Bracha with על השחיטה."

In most smaller communities they hired one person who was the Melamed teaching the children, the Shliach Tzibbur,

the Shochet, & Mohel.

The Bracha על השחיטה he made regularly whereas על המילה was done on rarer occasions.

Thank you Thank you

The Maharil writes the reason we say at a Bris, "Hodu
Lashem  Ki Tov*", twice, 

is because the Gemoro says Arbo'o Tzrichin L'Hodos.

(Four people who were saved need to thank Hashem)

One of the four who needs to thank is someone who gets out of
prison. The baby coming out of the mother's womb is like coming out of prison. 

The second Hodu is for the Mother who was sick during childbirth

No Gehinom

לז"נ הקדוש, הבחור מנחם בן אברהם אשי הי"ד

נעקד"ה א' אייר תש"ד ע"י הנאצים הארורים ימ"ש

I had theזכות  today of being the בעל ברית (Sandek)  of my Uhr  Einikel  

The Leket Yosher* (Y.D. P52) writes that  the Minhag  is to 

give Sandekaos to

the great grandfather of the child because the עולם (Velt) says 

“ A Sandek for a great grandson

is an אינו רואה פני גיהנם (won’t see the face of Gehinom)

It seems, just because the Velt says so even though there is no known מקור for it we assume 

it to be true and the Ribono Shel Olam accepts what the Velt says.

*ר' יוזל (יוסף) הושטיט – תלמיד של תרומת הדשן  

Vort For Parshas Shemini

PARSHAS HASHAVUA

 

אל-תְּשַׁקְּצוּ, אֶת-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם

 

The  Bais Yosef (Y.D. 121) quotes the ארחת חיים who says:

“The same way one needs to Kasher a vessel that has absorbed איסור, so too must one Kasher a vessel that absorbed 

דבר מאוס (repulsive) like urine etc. You should not be מקיל on this מנהג”

The ב"י argues. He holds " This מנהג of Kashering such a vessel has no source and nobody follows it.
 All you need to do is rinse clean the vessel and may use it without Kashering."

I once heard an explanation on the מחלוקת ארחת חיים & ב"י, is if the איסור בל תשקצו is an איסור גברא (subject)

or איסור חפצא (object).

The ארחת חיים holds it is an איסור חפצא, therefore, when it is absorbed in a כלי it is no different than any other איסור 

absorbed which needs Kashering.

The ב"י holds בל תשקצו is an איסור גברא therefore since the vessel was cleaned and he is not repulsed by it he can use it.
Therefore there is no need to Kasher it.

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דעת תורה

  דעת תורה

Harav Hagaon Reb  ELYASHIV ZT"L the POSEK HADOR was fully aware:

1) of the ספרים הקדושים who write about all the השפעות טובות by being Lag Baomer in Meron.

2) of all the Gedolim of the past and present who traveled to Meron for Lag Baomer.

3) of the hundreds of thousands of Yidden who get inspiration & Chizuk in Meron on Lag Baomer.

4) of the thousands of ישועות & מופתים that happen every year to those who travel to Meron for Lag Baomer.

YET HE HELD,  דעת תורה  IS TO LEARN & NOT TO TRAVEL TO MERON FOR LAG BAOMER.

This might be one of the rare occasions where one can be מקיים the Chazal of " 'אפילו אומרים לך על ימין שהוא שמאל וכו"

Recipe for Knaidlach-Incredible Story from the Bais Halevy

DAF HASHAVUA

 הוריות ב' ע"ב

 אמר ליה אביי להוראה, גמיר וסביר משמע 

Recipe for Knaidlach calls for four eggs

The maid came to the Bais Halevi on Yom Tov and said

 "My Bal Habusta sent me to the Rov with this שאלה.

She told me to make Knaidlach using three eggs and I made it with four eggs. May we eat the Knaidlach?"

The Bais Halevi answered not to eat it in the meantime, but to come back again the following day with the same שאלה .

The onlookers found the question and the answer puzzling.

The Bais Halevi explained, The maid must have been nervous when asking the שאלה and left out part of the story.

The Bal Habusta probably told her to use three eggs because that's all the eggs they had in the house.The maid knowing therecipe calls for four eggs picked up another egg from the chicken coop.

.Egg was laid on Yom Tov (ביצה שנולדה ביו"ט)

He told her to come back the following day because the fourth egg is not בטל being it is a דבר שיש לו מתירין

After Yom Tov, it's not Muktza anymore therefore ביטול doesn't apply and one must wait to eat the knaidlach till after Yom Tov.

A Rav, not only needs to know the answer but also needs to know and understand the question ( שאלה )