Parshas Tazria 5784

 

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”

 

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Tazria

4 Nissan 5784/ April 12, 2024

 

This week’s Musings is lovingly dedicated in memory of my Sabbah, Mr. Abe Staum, R’ Avrohom Yosef ben R’ Naftali Herz haLevi z”l, upon his yahrtzeit tonight, 4 Nissan.

WHAT WAS WON’T BE

There have been some strange and unusual events the last few weeks.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in March 1977 to carry the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) across the Patapsco River. The bridge bears an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually.

On March 26, 2024, a cargo vessel leaving the Port of Baltimore had a complete power blackout and collided with one of the main spans of the bridge causing the bridge to collapse into the river below.

A little over a week later, an earthquake rattled the tristate area. There’s a lot of dangers and challenges that we expect living in the tristate area; earthquakes are not one of them. The question everyone was asking afterwards was, “Where were you during the earthquake?” and “Did you feel it?”

Many said that although they felt rumblings or saw walls shaking, they didn’t dream that it was actually an earthquake.

Four days later, there was a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the view of the Sun, partially or completely. Although there should be a solar eclipse every month, because the Moon does not have a perfectly circular orbit, it is unusual. The next solar eclipse will be on August 23, 2044.

Is there any commonality between a bridge collapsing, an earthquake, and a solar eclipse?

We like when things are predictable. When the unexpected occurs, we feel blind-sighted and unprepared to deal with the consequences.

In June 1927, the night before a solar eclipse, the elderly Chofetz Chaim told the crowd that had gathered for maariv, “Hashem has implanted in his creation the phenomenon of a solar eclipse, as a means of refuting those misguided souls, who believe in other immortal powers. The time comes when the sun is eclipsed, so that we all know and internalize - the sun is a creation and not a creator!

“It’s a mitzvah for us all to come and see with our own eyes… it’s only a mortal chunk of creation.”

Every day the sun rises and the sun sets. What was yesterday will be again tomorrow…. until it isn’t. The solar eclipse is a reminder that there is a power above nature, and everything is subject to change on a whim.

Bridges are a testament to human accomplishment. Raging rivers flow through cities, cutting off byways and highways. Human ingenuity and engineering produce mighty bridges that stand majestically atop the river, allowing traffic to continue unimpeded atop the flowing waters. But when a bridge collapses in moments, it reminds us that human accomplishment has its limits.

It hardly needs to be said that an earthquake is the ultimate reminder of human vulnerability and helplessness. The solid bedrock we build our lives upon and trust for stability, are mere plates in the Hands of our Creator.

The events of the past weeks remind us that what was is not necessarily what will be.

On September 11, 2001, at 8 am, no one could have dreamed that by noon the twin towers would be reduced to a pile of smoking rubble.

In March 2020, no one could have dreamed that virtually overnight the world would be subsumed by a pandemic that would disrupt all civilization and claim over a million lives.

On Hoshana Rabbah 2023 no one could have imagined that the following day a nightmare would ensue for the Jewish people that we still don’t know how it will end.

 

On the night of the Seder, there is a custom to eat round matzos. Round matzah symbolizes the natural order of the world, in that it follows a predictable repetitive pattern. At the Seder, before beginning to relate the details of Yetzias Mitzrayim, we perform Yachatz breaking the middle matzah. Doing so reminds us that at the time of redemption Hashem overrode His own rules of nature and performed numerous miracles to redeem His people. It also reminds us, that as effortlessly as we break the matzah, so can and does Hashem override nature as He sees fit.

Recounting the events of the exodus reminds us that just because it’s been a certain way for so long doesn’t mean it will remain that way.

The pasuk (Iyov 28:3) states, “He made an end to darkness, and He fathoms every end…”

Pesach not only celebrates liberation of long ago, but also reminds us that no matter how unlikely it seems, the future can always be better. The mighty Pharaohs of yesterday will be destroyed by the rising sun of redemption.

 

Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,

R’ Dani and Chani Staum

stamtorah@gmail.com 

 

Parshas Shemini 5784

 

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”

 

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Shemini/HaChodesh

Mevorchim Chodesh Nissan

26 Adar II 5784/ April 5, 2024

TIMES LIKE THESE

 

We live in crazy times. I don’t think anyone will argue with that. But I recently realized that I don’t ever remember a period in my life when people didn’t comment that we are living in crazy times.

I clearly recall sitting at a Shabbos table a few years ago when someone said exactly that.

People often say things like: “Things have never been this bad”, “I feel like the end is coming”, “Mashiach has to come; things are so crazy.”

The reality is that this article could have been written five years ago, ten years ago, or twenty years ago, and I’m quite sure it would have been applicable during all those times as well. (For all you, dear reader, know, this article may actually be reprinted from ten years ago….)

When I listen to Torah lectures from past years, this point becomes even clearer. The lecturer will invariably connect his message with the current events of that time. Discussions of antisemitism, terror attacks, political instability in Eretz Yisroel and/or the United States, plethora of personal challenges and tragedies, to name a few, were constants then as well. In varying degrees these have been ongoing challenges that our community has contended with in recent decades.

When I commented to a friend that things have always felt erratic and out of control, he replied that it’s unquestionably worse now. It’s hard to know whether that’s really true. We know how the past played out. Even if things did not turn out well, when viewing events in retrospect, we can hardly recapture the angst and anxiety of the moment. Contrast that with the fact that in the present we don’t know what the future holds so we feel anxiety over our current situation far more acutely.

In May 2020, at the height of the Covid-Pandemic, Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky wrote a seminal article in Mishpacha Magazine, entitled “Sometimes Mashiach is NOT the solution.”

One of the points he addressed in that article is the often-touted sentiment that “things have never been this bad.” Rabbi Lopiansky offers numerous examples to debunk that myth.

He notes that cholera and typhus epidemics ravaged communities in Europe, women commonly died in childbirth, appendicitis was usually deadly, and fires would destroy entire towns in a few hours.

“I often hear that “Never, ever has there been so much anti-Semitism.” This sentiment is astonishing! Even putting aside the Holocaust for a moment, there are people alive today who have lived in countries where the normal legal status of a Jew was second- or third-class citizen. Throwing rocks at Jews in public was the norm rather than the exception.

“And most disconcerting is the claim that “Never, ever has the Jewish Nation experienced such spiritual decline.” Yiddishkeit literally disintegrated from the mid-1700s until World War II, with enormous numbers of Yidden abandoning it completely.

“The postwar renaissance is nothing short of a miracle. Of course, there are some issues that challenge our generation more than previous generations and there is much to improve, but that does not belie the general picture of the state of our Yiddishkeit relative to other generations…

“We need to teach our children history. And that history needs to include much more than dry names and dates and stories of gedolim. They need to have an accurate understanding of the experiences of the Jewish communities of each generation -- the daily life, the hardships, the challenges, the successes, and the wounds.”

 

The legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey poignantly quipped: “In times like these, it’s helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.”

Koehles, the wisest of men teaches us that, “There is nothing new under the sun.” No matter what comes our way, the Jewish people have been here before. That’s not to say that the tears and anguish are not bitter and painful. But it helps to know that we have emerged in the past and will do so now again.

My rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, notes that we are the only nation that makes a blessing on marror. It’s unpleasant and symbolizes anguish and heartache. But we also know that soon after Marror is Shulchan Oreich, the festive meal, and the celebration of our ultimate redemption and triumph.

Currently, the Jewish people are living through a period of marror. Indeed, it is a crazy time, and we have no way of knowing what will be. But we do know that we have been through worse and just as we have prevailed then, so we will prevail now.

In the end the afikomen will be removed from its hiding place and restored to us; not the afikomen of matzah, but the afikomen of Korbon Pesach.

May every Jew merit ascending to Yerushalayim for Pesach this year from all corners of the globe, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, United States, and Gaza.

 

Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,

R’ Dani and Chani Staum

stamtorah@gmail.com

 

 

Parshas Tzav 5784

 

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”

 

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Tzav/Parah

19 Adar II 5784/ March 29, 2024

SWEET WINE

 

Recently, one of our neighbors joined us for a Shabbos Seudah. The neighbor appreciates fine wine and gave us a bottle as a gift. It’s always a bit uncomfortable for me when I’m gifted with a bottle of wine, as the extent of my appreciation of wine doesn’t go much beyond Cream Malaga, Bartenura, and Asti. I do not understand when people swoosh their wine in their glasses or any other ‘wine etiquette’.

Of course, I thanked my neighbor for the bottle but admitted that I didn’t have much of a taste for it. He poured me a bit and insisted that it went down very smoothly, and I should try a bit. I humored him and drank a bit of the wine. It tasted very much like all the other expensive dry wines I have ever drank. Please pass the soda.

My neighbor and I began discussing the intricacies of producing wine. He noted that not only do wines produced from different locations have a different taste, but even wines produced by grapes in the same vineyard can have different tastes. The exact amount of water, sunlight and climate all impact the taste of the wine.

My neighbor pointed to the indentation on the bottom of the wine bottle and asked me if I knew why it was there. When I replied that I assumed it was because the wine companies were cheap and wanted to save money, he almost gagged. His annoyance with my naive response was noticeable. It was as if he felt he had to defend the honor of fine wines throughout the world.

He explained that the indentation, called a punt, serves an important purpose. True wine connoisseurs are extremely sensitive to anything that can alter the taste of the wine. When a person grasps a bottle of wine, the body heat in the fingers can subtly affect the taste of the wine. To prevent that, the server places his thumb in the punt under the bottle and grasps the bottle with his other fingers wrapped in a cloth. Then he pours the wine without his fingers coming into direct contact with the bottle.

 

When one drinks alcohol, it heightens whatever emotions he was feeling beforehand. If he is happy, his happiness will become more extreme, and he may begin to sing and dance. But if he is sad, his sadness will likely deepen as well.

The celebrations of Purim and Pesach are both inextricably connected to wine. Aside from the more basic connections, these two holidays are particularly emotional celebrations of our national pride.

They are also both celebrations of our uniqueness as a people. When Achashveirosh invited all citizens of Shushan to his party, many Jews attended feeling that they - Jew and gentile alike – were all equal subjects of the king. But Haman starkly reminded them that the Jew is not the same. We are special, whether we want to be or not.

Pesach celebrates when a band of hapless slaves were redeemed from amidst the immoral world superpower. It became clear then that the formerly enslaved nation was a nation of royalty.

On Seder night, we commemorate the four levels of freedom by drinking four cups of wine. Meshech Chochma explains that it is particularly on wine that we commemorate these expressions because, more than any other food or drink, wine symbolizes the uniqueness of the Jewish People. The Gemara (Megillah 13b) relates that Haman maligned the Jews by telling Achashveirosh that if a fly would fall into a Jew's cup of wine, the Jew would fish out the fly and drink the wine. However, if the king would touch the Jew’s cup, the Jew would spill out the wine.

To enjoy wine, it’s not only about the taste and texture of the wine itself, but also how it’s handled.

It seems that our enemies, and even some of our “friends”, just don’t get it. Those who mishandle the Jewish people, or tamper with the Jewish people may initially be successful and may hurt us badly. But, rest assured, they’ll end up where all our previous enemies have ended up.

At the same time, the Jewish people will continue to raise their glasses of wine at the Seder and proclaim in v’hee sheamdah, “In every generation they have stood upon us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed is He, saved us from their hands.”

 

Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,

R’ Dani and Chani Staum

stamtorah@gmail.com

Parshas Vayikra 5784

 

“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”

 

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Vayikra-Zachor

12 Adar II 5784/ March 22, 2024

 

OFF HIS HIGH HORSE

 

A friend who is a dentist gives mishloach manos full of huge cavity-inducing candies… and a business card. 

In truth, there is more of a connection between rotted teeth and Purim than you may realize. 

 

One of the beloved parts of the Purim story is when Haman paraded Mordechai upon the king’s horse through the streets of Shushan. As the procession passed Haman’s home, Haman’s daughter, confident that her father was atop the horse with Mordechai being forced to lead it, cast the family chamber-pot upon her father’s head. When Haman looked up to see who had so shamed him, she recognized that it was her father, and she jumped to her death.

If Haman was repeatedly calling out “Such shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor”, how did his daughter not recognize her father’s voice? 

Earlier in the story, after Haman conveyed to Achashveirosh his idea for how the king should bestow honor upon a worthy dignitary, Achashveirosh instructed Haman to implement his own plan by bestowing that honor upon Mordechai. Achashveirosh told him, “Take the royal clothing and the royal horse as you have spoken, and do so to Mordechai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Do not leave out anything from all that you have spoken.”

What was added with the final words of instruction not to leave out “anything from all that you have spoken”?

The Ben Ish Chai explains that Haman had suggested to the king that the dignitary whom the king wishes to honor should be honored in three ways – by wearing royal clothes, riding the royal steed, and having another dignitary proclaim before him, “Such shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor”.

Achashveirosh did not want Haman to be like the vendors in the shuq (marketplace) who periodically call out their products to inform every new wave of passersbys of what they are selling. Rather, he wanted Haman to keep repeating the refrain over and over. As soon as Haman completed saying it, he was to begin again. In this way, Mordechai would be honored in all three ways throughout the entire procession.

This is why Achashveirosh added, “Do not leave out anything from all that you have spoken”? If Haman would only call out the refrain periodically, during lapses, Mordechai would not be receiving the full tripartite honor that Haman had suggested.

Shushan was a large city with many streets. If Haman was forced to keep repeating the same refrain loudly without stopping, with time his voice invariably became strained. When the parade neared Haman’s home, his daughter indeed did not recognize the tired, strained voice of the person leading the horse. That was how she unwittingly dumped the family refuse upon her father’s head.

         So, it turns out that Haman was thrown off his metaphoric high horse to lead an actual royal horse before he himself became a little hoarse.

 

The Ben Ish Chai offers an additional explanation as to why Achashveirosh added the final words of instruction, “Do not leave out anything from all that you have spoken”.

Haman was an old man. [In Ta’ama d’Kra, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, notes that Haman and Mordechai were both 95 years old.] At that age, he was undoubtedly missing many or most of his teeth. Without teeth, it’s challenging to enunciate certain letters, particularly the letters ז, ס, ש, ר,צ.

Achashveirosh understood that when Haman would call out the words “Such shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor” being that he lacked teeth, it would sound slurred and unclear. No doubt that Haman would make sure to make it sound even more unclear by purposely mumbling the words.[1]

There is one way to ensure that the words will be clear, even without teeth. If one says the words slowly and loudly, the words will be clear and understood.

Achashveirosh, therefore, warned Haman to make sure that the words, literally, did not fall out of his mouth. Rather, he should ensure to say each word slowly and clearly so everyone will understand exactly what he is saying.

So Haman was not only smelly like a horse and a little hoarse (or perhaps very hoarse), he was also toothless.

 

Perhaps it’s in commemoration of Haman’s rotting teeth that children the world over have adopted the custom to eat endless amounts of candy and sugar on Purim.

Still, we should remind our children that as soon as Purim is over, they should make sure to brush their teeth. After all, they definitely don’t want to end up as the wicked son at the Seder whose teeth get blunted.

 

Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos

Purim Sameiach & Freilichen Purim,

        R’ Dani and Chani Staum

stamtorah@gmail.com

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[1] I have said this thought over at the Purim seudah. It is a lot of fun to demonstrate this idea by covering your teeth with your lips and calling out “Such shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor.” It’s especially fun after a few cups of wine.