מל ולא טבל - Yisro 5775

 ויחד יתרו - Yisro rejoiced. The Gemara in Maseches Sanhedrin 94a (in the 5th wide line) relates a different translation to the Posuk. אמר רב שהעביר חרב חדה על בשרו that he passed a sharp sword on his flesh. Rashi says ונתגייר את עצמו שמל He was Mal himself, he performed a Bris Milah on himself in order to be a Ger. That is the Gemara. The question is that the Gemara in Maseches Avodah Zora 27a (top of Amud) says that a Goy is not eligible to perform a Bris Milah. That the Bris Milah must be done by someone who himself is obligated in Milah. As a matter of fact, Rav is the Baal Memra there that says that a non-Jew is ineligible to perform a Bris Milah. Halo Davar Hu! How could Yisro perform a Milah on himself? In Maseches Avoda Zora on Daf 10b (those who are learning with the Mishmar will get there shortly), we have the story of (שלום בר קטיעה (who is someone who also performed a Milah on himself. In the back of the Gemara, the Poras Yosef (one of the Meforshim) asks the same Kasha, how could he perform a Milah on himself? A non-Jew is not eligible to perform a Bris Milah? He answers that a non-Jew is not eligible to do a Bris Milah on a Jew. When he does it on himself for Gairus that itself is turning him into a Jew and therefore, he is eligible. It is sort of Gito V'yado Ba'in K'echad. An idea that the Bris Milah and the Gairus come simultaneously and therefore, to do a Bris Milah on himself he is eligible. Wonderful Dvar Torah. Yisro was Mal himself and a Ger can do Milah on himself because he becomes a Jew as the Milah is performed. Great! Not so great. There is a problem. The Gemara in Yevamos 46a (7 lines from the bottom) teaches us that Mal V'lo Toval K'ilui Lo Mal 

That somebody who is a Ger that had a Bris Milah for Geirus but he didn't go to the Mikvah it is as if he didn't have a Bris Milah. It doesn't count and he is not a Ger. The Shita of Tosafos (there in Yevamos) is that it has to be done in that order Bris Milah first and Tevillah second. If so, this entire episode is very difficult. How could Yisro perform a Bris Milah on himself? The Poras Yosef's Teretz that he became a Jew as he did the Milah is not true as he was still lacking Tevila in a Mikva. He wasn't a Jew at the end of the Milah. It is a tremendous Kasha. To answer this I would like to tell you one of my favorite stories, a story that I got from a Teshuva Sefer, the Aruch Laner's Teshuva Sefer. The Aruch Laner was asked a Shaila that was sent to him from Yerushalayim. There was a gentleman who was Megayeir and he had his Bris Milah. Typically, a Ger has his Bris Milah but doesn't go to the Mikvah until the Milah heals. So usually there is time, maybe a week between Milah and Tevilla. This non-Jew now a Ger had a Bris Milah but not yet a Tevilla. He came to Shul on Shabbos with his new Shtreimal and Bekeshe all proud to be a Jew. When he got to Shul someone there said, what? You are not a Jew yet. You had a Bris Milah but you didn't yet go to the Mikvah for Geirus. Mal V'lo Toval K'ilui Lo Mal. Someone who had Milah and not Tevilah is not a Ger. Not only shouldn't you be observing Shabbos but you are prohibited from keeping Shabbos. A Goy Sheshavas is Chayuv Misah. Therefore, go home and do Melacha. That he did. This (middle of Geirus ) gentleman went home and did Melacha and came back to Shul. When he came back to Shul, the Bais Din that was in the process of being Migayeir him said one minute. You did Melacha, no. we have a Kabbalah that once you do Milah even though you don't do Tevillah you are still supposed to keep Shabbos. Confusing introduction to Judaism. Others said no, what kind of Kabbalah is that as he is still a non-Jew. There was a dispute in Yerushalayim. It was sent to Rav Yaakov Elltinger (1798 - 1871) the Aruch Laner to resolve. He responded that it is true, after Milah he is still not yet a Jew and it is also true that we have a Kabbalah that he should keep Shabbos. Therefore, both are true. It must be that he is no longer a nonJew but he is not yet a Jew. That needs explanation. The Shoel Umaishiv explains that after Milah before Tevillah he is like the Jewish people before Mattan Torah. Before the Torah was given the Jews were commanded about Shabbos at Marah. He too, at that point is partially on his way to being a Jew just as Klal Yisrael were on the way to Har Sinai and therefore, he keeps Shabbos even though he is still not yet a full-fledged Jew. Taking this idea from this episode we can extend it here as well. The Jewish people were already obligated in Bris Milah as they performed Bris Milah in Mitzrayim. Therefore, a Ger with Bris Milah without Tevilah is a Jew for the Mitzvah of Bris Milah.

With this we can explain Yisro. Yisro could perform Bris Milah on himself. Why? For Bris Milah the Milah itself is Gito V'yado Ba'in K'echad or Milosoi V'geiruso Ba'in K'echad. Therefore, Gairus like Shabbos is something that a Ger post Milah pre Geirus (Tevilah) could keep.

Keeping The Idol - Vayeitzei 5771

31:19 (וַתִּגְנֹב רָחֵל, אֶת-הַתְּרָפִים אֲשֶׁר לְאָבִיהָ) We know that Rochel stole the Avoda Zora of her father Lavan. However, instead of doing what we would do and throwing them in the ocean, she kept it with her. The Divrei Yoel (Satmar Rebbe) asks, why did she keep it with her? What did she want with the Avoda Zora, it is Assur B’hana?

He answers that Rochel knew how to be Metaheir the Avoda Zora. The Gemara in Maseches Avoda Zora describes a method in which an Avoda Zora can be made Muttar B’hana through Bittul, and she knew how to do it. This was her plan. This is why she held the Avoda Zora with her all along.

The question is, would we do that? Would we want to have benefit from an Avoda Zora? Isn’t it a little strange? The B’nei Yissaschar in Chodesh Av says regarding something Treif that falls into a pot of Kosher food in a matter which is Bateil B’shishim, it is Muttar. Let’s say a little milk fell into a Fleishig soup, if the milk was 1/60^th of the total soup, the soup is Muttar. Is there an Inyan not to eat this soup as there is something non Kosher in the soup?

This is a Shaila in the Pischei Teshuva and he brings that it is good to be Machmir not to eat it. The Nesivos says on the contrary, the Torah says it is Muttar and you could eat it.

The B’nei Yissaschar goes a step further and says it is a Mayla for a person to eat something that was Treif and is Bateil. You are not allowed to do it deliberately because Ein Mevatlin Issur L’chat’chila. However, if it happened in a Muttar way that Issur became Kosher, that Kabbalistically is called Klipos She’toharu, things that were Tamei and now became Tahor. Under such circumstances, the item actually becomes better than if it never became Tamei. Therefore, a person should eat that type of food.

This would explain why Rochel would Dafka want an Avoda Zora, to be Metaheir the Avoda Zora and to thereby make the Avoda Zora into something usable. Klipos She’toharu is like B’makom She’haBaal Teshuva Omed Ein Kol Ha’adom Omed. Something that was on the other side and became Tahor is on a higher level.

This would explain what had occurred. I am assuming that Rochel understood that it was not a danger to hold the Avoda Zora. Even if Lavan had found it he would not have killed his children over it. I am not coming to answer the question of any type of danger, I am only coming to answer the question of why she would want an Avoda Zora.