Torah Teasers
Parshas Re’eh
1. In Parshas Shmini (11:17-18) when listing the non-Kosher birds, the Shalach bird is listed 3 positions before the Racham. In Parshas Re’eh (14:16-17) the Shalach slides down the list four places and is listed after the Racham. Why? Ans… Rav Chaim Kanievsky answers that the Gemara (Chulin 63a) says that when Rebbi Yochanan saw a Shalach, he said the pasuk, “Mishpatecha Tihom Rabba; Your judgement is a deep abyss.” When he saw a Racham he said, “Rachamim came to the world.” The Shalach represents Din and the Racham represents mercy. In a perfect world, Din rules. That is how Hashem wanted to create the world, until He saw that the world needed Rachmanus to survive. So now, the world is not perfectly just, since mercy is mixed in. LeAsid Lavo, Din will reign supreme once again. Before the chait of the Meraglim, Moshe was supposed to enter Eretz Yisrael and Moshiach would have come. Until the chait, the world was set to march towards perfection and Din ruled. Therefore, in Parshas Shemini, the Shalach which is Din, is listed before the Racham. In Parshas Re’eh, as the Bnei Yisrael are set to conquer Eretz Yisroel without Moshe, and destined to go to Galus once again, Hashem shines His Rachamim on the world, and the Shalach is pushed down the list, letting the Racham come out on top.
2. “Lo Sisgodidu.” The simple meaning of the pasuk is that one should not make scrapes in his body when mourning over a dead person. The Gemara also learns from these words – “Lo Saasu Agudos Agudos; Do not make Klal Yisrael into many different groups by having contradictory Halachic Practices. What is the connection between the simple meaning, which concerns mourning, and the Drash, which has to do with the unity of Klal Yisrael? Ans…. Some say that we find that when it comes to availus, each person tries to show that he is in greater mourning than another person. This can bring us to machlokes; when for example 2 people want to Daven for the Amud, or when 2 people have Yahrtzeit and each one feels that his availus is more important. For this reason, we connect the 2 limudim of the pasuk, “Lo Sisgodidu.” When mourning, do not cause separation and machlokes in Klal Yisrael. This can also be the reason why concerning availus, we go according to the maikel (less stringent) – in order to lessen strife and machlokes among the Jewish nation.
3. The Torah in parshas Re’eh (14:7-8) lists a number of un-kosher animals, the Gamal (Camel), Arneves (Hare), Shafan (Hyrax), and Chazir (Pig). It lists the first three in one Pasuk and the Chazir by itself. The order here is slightly different than in Parshas Shemini where the Shafan and Arneves are in reverse order. Why? Ans…. Rav Chaim Kanievsky answers with the Medrash that says that these four un-kosher animals represent the four galuyos Bnei Yisrael will endure. In Parshas Shemini they are listed in chronological order, Gamal is Bavel, Shafan is Paras, Arneves is Yavan, and Chazir is Edom. In Parshas Re’eh it lists them in order of ferocity. Gamal is Bavel, which lasted only 70 years. Yavan, the Arneves, held its iron grip over us for 103 years. The Shafan, which is Paras, will continue until the arrival of Moshiach. Edom is as brutal as all three combined, which is why it warrants its own pasuk – to equal the single pasuk including the other three.
4. “Paso’ach Tiftach Es Yadecha Lo – Open up your hand to the poor (Re’eh 15:8).” The Gemara in Bava Basra (10a) tells the story of how Rav Papa was walking up the stairs and his foot slipped and he was about to fall. Chiya Bar Rav MiDifti said to him, “Maybe a poor person came to you and you did not support him.” What is the connection between an accident on the steps and not giving tzedaka? Ans … The Vilna Gaon explains this enigmatic comment with the “Trop” (the notes used when reading in the Torah) on the words Paso’ach Tiftach. The notes are “Darga” and “Tevir” which literally means “Steps” and “Break”. After seeing Rav Papa’s accident on the stairs, Chiya Bar Rav MiDifti’s first thought was that this must be the cause and effect of a tzedaka issue.
5. “Ki Yakum BiKirbicha Navi; When there will be among you a false Navi who will tell you to worship Avodah Zara…This false Navi shall be put to death.” The Baal Haturim states on the words,” BiKirbicha” that it is the same gematria as “Zeh Ha Ishah” – “This is referring to the woman”. What’s the pshat in this puzzling Baal Haturim? Ans…. Rabbi Akiva Eiger explains that in the time of the Baal Haturim, there were many missionaries who were trying to convince the Jews that Christianity was the correct religion. They even went so far as to bring proofs from the Torah. To refute this, the Baal Haturim said that the words “BiKirbicha Navi” has the same gematria as “Zeh Ha Ishah UBnah” – in the parsha of Navi Sheker (A False Navi) it alludes to “The woman and her son” – referring to Yoshkeh and his mother. The censors got a hold of this Baal Haturim and took out the word “UBnah” and that’s why it only said, “Zeh Ha Ishah”. Later this whole Baal Haturim was removed and can only be found in old manuscripts.
6. The end of the Sedra discusses the 3 Regalim. Why do we have a big gap without Yamim Tovim from the month of Tamuz through Elul? Ans…. The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni – Parshas Pinchas 29; 50) answers that HaShem planned to give us a Yom Tov in each month. But after we sinned at the Chet Ha’Egel, HaShem took away the Yamim Tovim in Tamuz-Elul, and paid them back to us in Tishrei. Tamuz was supposed to have Rosh Hashanah, Av – Yom Kippur, and Elul – Succos – with Shmini Atzeres as the only one in Tishrei. But we sinned and caused the Yomim-Tovim to pile up in Tishrei.
(TURN OVER)
Memories
Once there was a small town in Eastern Europe named Homel. There was one shul and the local townsmen would come each day and davin. They were simple folk but they liked to davin with feeling and kavana. Their davining was laden with much singing and even spontaneous dance. They enjoyed meeting in the small shul and their tefilos were always a joyous and emotional celebration.
However, there were some men who disliked their style of worship. They insisted that the proper manner of davining, as directed by the authoritative Code of Jewish Law, demanded that decorum be observed. They fought that the shul’s tefilos should be arranged according to the clock, in order to enable the townsmen to complete their davining in an orderly fashion, so they could go to work without undue delay. There was no time for feeling and song.
This second group finally prevailed on the tiny shul and they forbid the impromptu singing and dancing and sincere kavanas that had marked the joyous tefilos. Now, the davining was conducted according to a set pattern. They would begin at a certain time and each tefiloh took a specified measured time. In this manner, the minyan was very orderly and finished at the specified time allotted.
The first group, the men who enjoyed the more heartfelt divining, were completely down trodden. They felt that their world had come to an end. They just could not manage to davin in the constricted time without the joyous impromptu outbursts of soulful song and kavana they so longed. They wrote a letter to a famous Rav, the Dubno Magid, who was known for his power of speech.
The Dubno Magid was known to travel from community to community and tell stories that had deep moral messages. When he received this communication from the depressed men of Homel, he decided to visit the town. After spending a few days in the town and davining at the tiny shul, he announced that he would give a speech after maariv. The small shul was jam-packed. Every one turned out to hear the famed Rav speak. The Dubno Magid ascended the podium and began speaking.
“A hundred years ago, several wealthy gentile land-owners made a hunt together. They spent the day chasing after wolves and foxes. After an exhausting day, one of the landowners invited the rest of the participants to come to his house for a festive meal commemorating a successful hunt. The men obliged.
The landowners began eating a festive meal and drinking wine. They began re-calling the pleasures of the hunt. Each one was bragging about their part in the hunt and how well they had done. Soon the men were reveling in their overindulgence in wine. Each man tried to outdo the other. Finally one tipsy landowner stood up and began to brag about his Jewish worker.
“My Yankel is such a smart Jew. I don’t have to do anything. He comes in and does everything. He runs my farms and balances my books. When I go back, I know that everything will be taken care of perfectly!” The next land-owner, not to be outdone, jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “My Mendel is even better. He does everything that your Yankel does, but even more. No matter how bad things go in my businesses, somehow he balances the books so that I make a profit. I don’t know how he does it, but he does it!”
Each person began bragging about their Jewish workers who labored hard and long to make big profits for the wealthy landowners while receiving only a pittance in exchange. Finally, the host, who was quite tipsy, stood up and said, “My Moshe is everything that your Jews are, PLUS! He is so smart that he could even train a horse to pray!!!!”
The rest of the men disagreed. No one could train a horse to pray. No, that, they refused to accept. “I will bet each of you 2000 rubles that he can do it!” The men smiled at each other. This looks too good to be true. Two thousand rubles? It’s a bet!
The drunken landowner ordered that Moshe and a horse be brought in. “Moshe, I have bet these gentlemen a large amount of money that you are so smart that you can teach this horse to pray. I know that you can do it. Come back in a month with the horse and we will collect our money. Woe to you if you fail!”
Moshe tried to reason with the drunken landowner, but to no avail. He took the horse to his home despairing of the future.
His wife greeted him asking why he looked so depressed. Moshe explained the wager and what he was requested to do and the veiled threat if he did not succeed.
“What is the problem?” his wife answered, “those men do not know what prayer is. Train the horse to bow, and rock and to turn the pages of the siddur with his tongue and they will think that he is praying.”
“Maybe your right. What do I have to lose?” So Moshe took the horse and worked on training him to mimic a Jew praying.
At the appointed day, all the wealthy landowners assembled, looking forward to wining a bet. Moshe came in and set up a podium. He placed a siddur on it and opened it to the proper page. Next he brought in the horse. He placed a yamulka on its head and a tallis over its long neck. “Horse, Pray!”, he commanded.
The horse took three steps forward, bowed and began rocking as if in meditation and contemplation of the Creator. After a few moments, the horse extended his long tongue and swish, he turned the page. He continued rocking in the best traditional Jewish style of prayer. He swooshed again with his large tongue and turned the page again. This continued for several minutes until the horse bowed again and took three steps backwards and stopped.
“Hurrah!” screamed the host; “I have won my bet! Pay up!” “Not so fast,” the other land-owners replied, “the horse was not praying!” “What do you mean?! Of course he was! We saw with our very own eyes!” “That’s not praying. The horse is merely rocking and turning pages. Prayer is also an expression of the heart. This is not prayer!”
“What do you mean that it is not prayer? It certainly is!” “Never mind,” the men said, “we are not going to pay you any money unless you can find some place where people actually pray like this. No one prays like this!”
“Wait a minute,” the Dubno Magid replied, “there is a place where they pray like this. In Homel they pray like this!”
This week’s Torah is B’Zchus: all those Bnei Torah who are about to dive into the “Yam shel Torah” for Elul Z’man.
Distributed by the Chevre Marbitz Torah D’NMB

Created By Rov Allen Sherman
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