Eating Milchigs On Shavous

The Mishna Verura (494 sk 12) says one of the reasons for eating Milchigs on Shavuos is because after Matan Torah, they couldn’t eat meat, because it was too time consuming.

They would need to shecht, remove the chailev , rinse ,salt and cook in a new pot.

They chose instead milchig.

What's pshat ?

Matan Torah was on Shabbos and couldn’t do all this because of issur Shabbos and not because of takes too much time

מלמד שכפה הקב"ה עליהם את ההר כגיגית

מלמד שכפה הקב"ה עליהם את ההר כגיגית  ואמר להם אם אתם מקבלים התורה,   מוטב, ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם           The four questions on שבועות 1) Where is there בחירה when a gun is pointed at you and you are forced to accept it.? 2) Why were the other nations not threatened with שם תהא קבורתכם and why was the mountain not dumped on them for refusing to accept the Torah? 3) Why the need to force them to accept the Torah when they already said נעשה ונשמע and were ready to accept it ( תוס' שבת פ"ח ע"א) 4) Why שם תהא קבורתכם "there" why not פה "here" under this mountain? Answer: Perhaps, Hashem wasn't threatening or forcing the בני ישראל to accept the Torah on הר סיני. There was no need to do so, being, a) they had already done so  (נעשה ונשמע) b) no point in forcing to accept the Torah by having a gun pointed at them. Hashem told the בני ישראל after they said נעשה ונשמע that it was a good decision they made by accepting the Torah. The only way for עם ישראל to survive & remain a nation forever is by accepting and keeping the Torah. Otherwise, had they not accepted the Torah then they too would ח"ו end up "שם" over there where the other empires & nations of the world are buried and disappeared from the face of the earth. "  אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורותיה  Our nation is a nation only by זכות of its Torah" (רב סעדיה גאון) .אמבצי

What are some shavous foods

WHAT TO BAKE FOR SHAVUOS (a) Seven-layer cake (b) 3 cornered kreplach- ( Haman Taschen) (c) Saffron Matzah (d) Saffron cake (e) 4 cornered Challah (f)  Honey cake (g) Butter Challah  NO source for cheesecake  SOURCE: The Sefer יוסף אומץ ס' תתנ"ד writes the Minhag was to make a cake/kugel in the shape of a (a) seven-rung ladder. The reason for it is because, during  Matan Torah, Hashem tore open all 7 heavens to show that אין עוד מלבדו.  The Minhag in many German Kehilos was to bake for שבועות  a seven-layer cake for the seven weeks we counted. The Sefer מנהגי ישורון writes of the Minhag to eat (b) 3 cornered Kreplach (Haman Taschen) to commemmerate Matan Torah דיהיב אוריאן תליתאילעם תליתאי ע"י תליתאי ביום תליתאי בירחא תליתאי (MULTIPLES OF THREE) The כל בו writes that "the מנהג בכל ישראל* is to eat on שבועות, (c) Matzah baked with Saffron.The Chok Yaakov O. Ch 494 has a (d) girsa “עוגה” (cake) instead of Matzah. The כל בו gives the reason " because it is *משמח את הלב (brings joy to the heart)." *Saffron has an ancient history of use as a drug. It has a narcotic effect  similar to opium. (GOOGLE) The כל בו also writes to bake a (e) Challah with four corners (looks like two)  to remind us of the שתי הלחם and/or it symbolizes "twins" (מזל סיון תאומים)  The רוקח writes that on Shavuos morning you bring the children for the first time in Shul and serve them a specially inscribed (f) honey cake. The משנה ברורה quotes from the מגן אברהם to bake (g) one Challah with butter. This will force you to have a second Challah (זכר לשתי הלחם) to eat with the meat.

Shavous Trivia

What do Erev Shavuos & Hoshana Rabah have in common ?

There is something  forbidden to be done on only two days (weekday) in the year..

The two days are, Erev Shavuos & Hoshana Rabbah.

Rabbi Nota Schiller Shlita beautiful vort on Shavous

A number of years ago I met Rabbi Nota Schiller Zatzal , Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Someach Yerushalayim. He told

me this beautiful Vort of his. I apologize for inaccuracies and not being eloquent as the Rosh Yeshiva is.

We find  non committed Yidden have little or no connection to the Yom Tov of Shavuos,  compared to other Yomim Tovim.

The reason for this is. all other Yomim Tovim have a Cheftza  Shel Mitzva (Shofar,Lulav,Matza,Menora Megilla etc.)

The Yom Tov of Shavuos- Zman Matan Toraseinu  has no Cheftza Shel Mitzva.

Torah has no boundaries and no limitations. It is infinite.. 

Objects  on the other hand are finite. They come in sizes,weights boundaries and are limited.

When celebrating the infinite Torah, we can't do it with a  Cheftza , which is finite and has boundaries.

In place of  having a Cheftza Shel Mitzvah we stay awake all  night to learn.We learn without limitations night & day.

This is what Shlomo Hamelech meant (Drush) when he said in Shir Hashirim (2:7) :

                                                           

                     אם תעירו ואם  תעוררו את האהבה עד שתחפץ

Staying awake Shavuos night and learning Torah turns it into חפצה של מצוה .without boundaries

JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO

 

JUST BECAUSE HE WANTS TO  The (ספר מקור חיים (בכרך enumerates the lists of חיובים for עליות according to the Minhagim in Worms (Germany). One of the חיובים   mentioned is  "Whoever wants" (מי שירצה), is a חיוב on the first day of שבעות and on the first day of ראש השנה." How do you become a חיוב just because you want to and why on the first days of שבועות & ראש השנה?

 

Segula From Reb elyashiv

Segulah from an Ish Halacha Chazal tell us , at Matan Torah all the sick were healed. R.Y.S. Eliyashuv zt”l said, every year on Shavuos this same Hashpa’ah comes down to the world. On Shavuos it is an opportune time to daven for Refuos , there is a special segulah for Hashem to heal the sick. He said the best time to daven is, during the Kriah of the Aseres Hadibros. Yehi Ratzon , the Melech Rofei Ne’emon should send us Refuos V’yeshuos etc.

Moshiach

 

*The Alexander Rebbe זצ"ל is quoted as having said there were two groups at the levaya of בועז, one saying to look at the lifetime of צדקות and even he was נכשל at the end by marrying a מואבית. The second group saying to note the Hashgacha that he was kept alive to a very ripe old age in order to marry רות and bring forth the progeny that would result in דוד המלך and משיח.  Who was right? Said the Rebbe, We cannot use the Hashgacha to interpret the Halacha, what we must do is use the Halacha to interpret the Hashgacha and as the Beis Din of שמואל decided "מואבי and not מואבית" then we understand that Hashgacha kept בועז alive to fulfill that Mitzvah and linkage to משיח שמעתי מהרב הגאון ר' נטע שיללר שליט"א ראש ישיבת אור שמח ירושלים*    ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mori V'Rabi Harav Hagaon R. Shlomo Miller Shlita told us once during Shiur,  "Someone asked him a שאלה and he answered to the שואל (questioner) to be מקיל The שואל wasn't satisfied with the answer. He felt to be מחמיר (stringent) would be more appropriate. He tried to convince R.S.M. to change his mind and agree to be מחמיר R.S.M. told him,  " (פלוני אלמוני (טוב because he wanted to be מחמיר not to marry רות missed the opportunity of  becoming the grandfather of דוד המלך and מלך המשיח There are times when being מחמיר is not the most appropriate thing to do."

Why? - Why?

 Why? - Why?

1) מגילת אסתר we don't read on שבת because גזירה שמא יעבירנו
(he might carry it in a רשות הרבים) 

Why do we read on שבת the other 3 מגילות & we are not
concerned with גזירה שמא יעבירנו ?  

2) מגילת אסתר is read-only after קריאת התורה because תדיר קודם
(done more often comes first) 

Why the other 3 מגילות we read it before קריאת התורה & we
don't we apply the rule of תדיר קודם?           

Psak From R' Elyashiv -Shavous

The Poskim say, If you didn’t daven Shachris ,you may not go to sleep

in the morning unless it is more than a half an hour before Alos Hashachar.

R. Eliyashsuv zt”l said

Those who go to sleep before Alos Hashachar not having davened, should

make sure to do so, at least a half an hour before Alos Hashachar, otherwise

it would have been better had he not stayed up for the night altogether.

Staying up the night of Shavuos is a only a minhag Not going to sleep before Alos is a Halacha.

Moshiach

 

*The Alexander Rebbe זצ"ל is quoted as having said there were two groups at the levaya of בועז, one saying to look at the lifetime of צדקות and even he was נכשל at the end by marrying a מואבית. The second group saying to note the Hashgacha that he was kept alive to a very ripe old age in order to marry רות and bring forth the progeny that would result in דוד המלך and משיח.  Who was right? Said the Rebbe, We cannot use the Hashgacha to interpret the Halacha, what we must do is use the Halacha to interpret the Hashgacha and as the Beis Din of שמואל decided "מואבי and not מואבית" then we understand that Hashgacha kept בועז alive to fulfill that Mitzvah and linkage to משיח שמעתי מהרב הגאון ר' נטע שיללר שליט"א ראש ישיבת אור שמח ירושלים*    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mori V'Rabi Harav Hagaon R. Shlomo Miller Shlita told us once during Shiur,  "Someone asked him a שאלה and he answered to the שואל (questioner) to be מקיל The שואל wasn't satisfied with the answer. He felt to be מחמיר (stringent) would be more appropriate. He tried to convince R.S.M. to change his mind and agree to be מחמיר R.S.M. told him,  " (פלוני אלמוני (טוב because he wanted to be מחמיר not to marry רות missed the opportunity of  becoming the grandfather of דוד המלך and מלך המשיח There are times when being מחמיר is not the most appropriate thing to do."

The four questions

 

מלמד שכפה הקב"ה עליהם את ההר כגיגית  ואמר להם אם אתם מקבלים התורה,   מוטב, ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם           The four questions on שבועות 1) What kind of a religion is it when a gun is pointed at you and you are forced to accept it.?(no בחירה) 2) Why were the other nations not threatened with שם תהא קבורתכם and why was the mountain not dumped on them for refusing to accept the Torah? 3) Why the need to force them to accept the Torah when they already said נעשה ונשמע and were ready to accept it ( תוס' שבת פ"ח ע"א) 4) Why שם תהא קבורתכם "there" why not פה "here" under this mountain? Answer: Perhaps, Hashem wasn't threatening or forcing the בני ישראל to accept the Torah on הר סיני. There was no need to do so, being, a) they had already done so  (נעשה ונשמע) b) no point in forcing to accept the Torah by having a gun pointed at them. Hashem told the בני ישראל after they said נעשה ונשמע that it was a good decision they made by accepting the Torah. The only way for עם ישראל to survive & remain a nation forever is by accepting and keeping the Torah. Otherwise, had they not accepted the Torah then they too would ח"ו end up "שם" over there where the other empires & nations of the world are buried and disappeared from the face of the earth. "  אין אומתינו אומה אלא בתורותיה  Our nation is a nation only by זכות of its Torah" (רב סעדיה גאון) .אמבצי

Where's the cheesecake?

 

What to bake for שבועות (a) Seven-layer cake (b) 3 cornered kreplach- Haman Taschen (c) Saffron Matzah (d) Saffron cake (e) 4 cornered Challah (f)  Honey cake (g) Butter Challah  I couldn't find a source for cheesecake on שבועות The Sefer יוסף אומץ ס' תתנ"ד writes the Minhag was to make a cake/kugel in the shape of a (a) seven-rung ladder. The reason for it is because, during  Matan Torah, Hashem tore open all 7 heavens to show that אין עוד מלבדו.  The Minhag in many German Kehilos was to bake for שבועות  a seven-layer cake for the seven weeks we counted. The Sefer מנהגי ישורון writes of the Minhag to eat (b) 3 cornered Kreplach (Haman Taschen) to commemmerate Matan Torah דיהיב אוריאן תליתאי לעם תליתאי ע"י תליתאי ביום תליתאי בירחא תליתאי The כל בו writes that "the מנהג בכל ישראל* is to eat on שבועות, (c) Matzah with Saffron".The Chok Yaakov O. Ch.494 has a (d) girsa “עוגה” (cake) instead of Matzah. The כל בו gives the reason " because it is משמח את הלב (brings joy to the heart)." The כל בו also writes to bake a (e) Challah with four corners (looks like two)  to remind us of the שתי הלחם and/or it symbolizes "twins" (מזל סיון תאומים)  The רוקח writes that on Shavuos morning you bring the children for the first time in Shul and serve them a specially inscribed (f) honey cake. The משנה ברורה quotes from the מגן אברהם to bake (g) one Challah with butter. This will force you to have another Challah (זכר לשתי הלחם) to eat with the meat.

The Black Sabbath

 

The Black Sabbath Shu"t Chasam Sofer (O.Ch. 159) writes, "There is great mourning, especially in the lands of Ashkenaz. They are מחמיר on the Shabbos before שבועות like we are מחמיר the Shabbos before תשעה באב." In Ashkenaz Kehillos,  the Shabbos before שבועות was called "Der Schwartze Shabbos" They said Yizkor for the murdered Yidden going back to גזירת תתנ"ו and for all the killings of since then. The אב הרחמים was originally  said only once a year on the  Schwartze Shabbos.  Eventually, they added Shabbos Chazon for אב הרחמים to be said.  Hence, Minhag Ashkenaz was to say אב הרחמים only twice a year.