YGB - יג"ב: October 2024

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Rischa D'Araisa Season 10 Episode 6: וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ Election Special: Looking Back and

Rischa D'Araisa Season 10 Episode 6:

וַיִּ֤פֶן כֹּה֙ וָכֹ֔ה וַיַּ֖רְא כִּ֣י אֵ֣ין אִ֑ישׁ

Election Special:

Looking Back and Forth

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/89827

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan Episode 11: Bameh Kokheinu Gadol?

History and the Future should impact the Present, not vice versa.

First of two unfinished pieces on bursting out of constriction into broad expanses.

Podcast format at https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/89930

https://www.aishdas.org/raek/2shehein1.pdf beginning on p. 40

also referencing the poem "Zimri" at

https://www.aishdas.org/raek/zimri-yeshiva.jpg

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Iggeres D'Rav Sherira Gaon, part 5: Two Versions, Two Opinions as to When the Mishnah Was Written

Iggeres D'Rav Sherira Gaon, part 5:

Two Versions, Two Opinions

as to When the Mishnah Was Written

The major difference between two versions of the letter:

Was the Mishnah written by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi

or by the Rabbanan Savurai?

Big difference!

Links to subsequent episodes in the series will appear in the comments here.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Atzvus and Simcha (Sadness and Happiness) Go Together

Atzvus and Simcha

(Sadness and Happiness)

Go Together

A talk at the Leil Hoshannah Rabbah Simchas Beis HaSho'eivah of Cong. Anshei Palisades about how to approach Simchas Torah 5785 in light of the events of the past year. How sadness and happiness are not contradictory but complementary, and the unique happiness of Ditzah.

The story of Maran Reb Yisroel Salanter zt"l and Simchas Torah appears in the Seridei Eish zt"l's LePrakim:

Sunday, October 20, 2024

The Remarkable Gemara About Sasson and Simchah, Sukkah 48b

The Remarkable Gemara

About Sasson and Simchah

Sukkah 48b

The text and translation of the passage from Sefaria:

הָנְהוּ תְּרֵי מִינֵי, חַד שְׁמֵיהּ שָׂשׂוֹן וְחַד שְׁמֵיהּ שִׂמְחָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שָׂשׂוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה: אֲנָא עֲדִיפְנָא מִינָּךְ, דִּכְתִיב: ״שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּ וְגוֹ׳״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שִׂמְחָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן: אֲנָא עֲדִיפְנָא מִינָּךְ, דִּכְתִיב: ״שִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂוֹן לַיְּהוּדִים״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שָׂשׂוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה: חַד יוֹמָא שָׁבְקוּךְ וְשַׁוְּיוּךְ פַּרְוַונְקָא, דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי בְשִׂמְחָה תֵצֵאוּ״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שִׂמְחָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן: חַד יוֹמָא שָׁבְקוּךְ וּמָלוּ בָּךְ מַיָּא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן״.

Apropos this verse, the Gemara relates: There were these two heretics, one named Sason and one named Simḥa. Sason said to Simḥa: I am superior to you, as it is written: “They shall obtain joy [sason] and happiness [simḥa], and sorrow and sighing shall flee” (Isaiah 35:10). The verse mentions joy first. Simḥa said to Sason, On the contrary, I am superior to you, as it is written: “There was happiness [simḥa] and joy [sason] for the Jews” (Esther 8:17). Sason said to Simḥa: One day they will dismiss you and render you a messenger [parvanka], as it is written: “For you shall go out with happiness [simḥa]” (Isaiah 55:12). Simḥa said to Sason: One day they will dismiss you and draw water with you, as it is written: “With joy [sason] you shall draw water.”

אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא מִינָא דִּשְׁמֵיהּ שָׂשׂוֹן לְרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: עֲתִידִיתוּ דִּתְמַלּוֹ לִי מַיִם לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן״, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִי הֲוָה כְּתִיב ״לְשָׂשׂוֹן״ — כִּדְקָאָמְרַתְּ, הַשְׁתָּא דִּכְתִיב ״בְּשָׂשׂוֹן״ — מַשְׁכֵּיהּ דְּהָהוּא גַּבְרָא מְשַׁוֵּינַן לֵיהּ גּוֹדָא וּמָלֵינַן בֵּיהּ מַיָּא.

The Gemara relates a similar incident: A certain heretic named Sason said to Rabbi Abbahu: You are all destined to draw water for me in the World-to-Come, as it is written: “With sason you shall draw water.” Rabbi Abbahu said to him: If it had been written: For sason, it would have been as you say; now that it is written: With sason, it means that the skin of that man, you, will be rendered a wineskin, and we will draw water with it.

A talk at the Sukkah of our son-in-law and daughter, Rabbi Ari and Rebbitzen Meira Federgrun, at the Simchas Beis HaSho'eivah of the shul in which they serve as Rav and Rebbitzen, Cong. Bnai Israel Ohev Zedek, of Philadelphia, PA. https://www.biozshul.org 2nd night of Chol HaMo'ed Sukkos, 5785.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Rischa D'Araisa Season 10 Episode 5: Nurturing The Essence on Yom Kippur: The Chesed of Realistic Teshuvah

Rischa D'Araisa Season 10 Episode 5:

Nurturing The Essence on Yom Kippur:

The Chesed of Realistic Teshuvah

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/89145A

Please click on this link to contribute whatever you can to keep this podcast on the air:

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Monday, October 07, 2024

Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan Episode 10: Toras Ha'Adam Part 2

On our responsibility, attitude and relationships with non-Jews.

On the hierarchy of the Seven Noahide Laws.

Conclusion of the unfinished essay.

Podcast format at https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/89147

https://www.aishdas.org/raek/2shehein1.pdf beginning on p. 39

Teshuvah Drosho 5785: Answering Reb Elchonon's Question on Teshuvah vs. Toheh Al HoRishonos

This is a brief synopsis of the chiddush of my Shabbos Shuvah Drosho. The Drosho was given at Cong. Anshei Palisades on Shabbos Shuvah 5785 and the synopsis was given at the Mesivta of Clifton today. I am posting it on 6 Tishrei, the 50th yahrzeit of my grandfather, HoRav Dov Yehuda Schochet zt"l, and it should be l'illui nishmoso.

It is on Reb Elchonon's question. My brother, Reb Yochanan Meir shlit"a, addresses the question briefly at

https://evenshesiya.com/parsha-sheet-vayelech-shabbos-shuva-rebirth/

There’s a famous question attributed to Rav Elchanan Wasserman ZT”L HY”D: Teshuva is considered to be a tremendous KINDNESS from Hashem. What is the major kindness when in Jewish law there is a simple equivalent: If a person is “Toheh al harishonos”-regrets doing a Mitzvah he loses the reward of that mitzvah. It should follow that if a person regrets wrongdoing he should ‘lose’ the punishment of that wrongdoing. That’s Torah law, so what’s the kindness? One of the several answers to this question is: Teshuva is not about escaping penalty alone, it’s about getting past the sin so that it’s no longer in you or in the world! Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin points out that seemingly goyim have Teshuva also as per the story of Ninveh in the book of Yona. He differentiates by saying that goyim’s Teshuva only helps them escape penalty, it doesn’t expunge the sin and the contamination it caused! Their Teshuva is truly nothing more than regretting one’s actions. If it works to lose reward, it works to ‘lose’ punishment. Jewish teshuva actually expunges the evil! why is there this difference? Because we have Shabbos and they don’t! Just like Shabbos shuts down the profane so as we can get beyond so also Jewish Teshuva has the power of Shabbos to expunge all evil, because Shabbos was gifted to us.

You can find more material, which I used in the actual drosho, but not in the synopsis at:

https://etzion.org.il/he/talmud/seder-nashim/massekhet-kiddushin/קידושין-דף-מ-עא-תוהה-על-הראשונות

(the author's answer in the name of Rabbi Ezra Bick is essentially the Pachad Yitzchok's answer which you can find in English in Rabbi Ahron Rapp's section at

https://parsha.net/devarim/NitzavimVayelech60.doc

and in Hebrew at

https://www.dirshu.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/20האזינו-שובה.pdf),

https://files.daf-yomi.com/files/bookfiles/daf-al-hadaf-kidushin/daf-al-hadaf-kidushin205.pdf,

https://tora-forum.co.il/attachments/נפש-אברהם-גליון-ג-pdf.114493/,

and

taamu.co.il/dwqa-question/מה-החסד-בתשובה-שה-מוחל-עוונותינו-הרי-ג/

I give two answers. I think the first one is not bad, but the second one is really good, BH, and I feel מן שמיא קא זכו לי and I hope to write it up here at some point.