מעשים מוכיחים זה את זה - Toldos 5769

It says in 25:34, “וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו, אֶת-הַבְּכֹרָה” (that Eisav scorned the birthright). It is a B’zoiyoin that Eisav sold the B’choirah for a little bit of food. However, Chazal tell us, as brought down by Rashi in 25:32, (הנה אנכי הולך למות: (מתנודדת והולכת היא הבכורה שלא תהא כל עת העבודה בבכורות כי שבט לוי יטול אותה ועוד) אמר עשו מה טיבה של עבודה זו, אמר לו כמה אזהרות ועונשין ומיתות תלוין בה, כאותה ששנינו אלו הן שבמיתה שתויי יין, ופרועי ראש. אמר אני הולך למות על ידה, אם כן מה חפץ לי בה) those performing the Avoidah who drank wine are Chayov Misah. Eisav said אני הולך למות על ידה, אם כן מה חפץ לי בה, (I will eventually die as a result of the B’choirah, if so, why should I desire it). So therefore, he sold the B’choirah. Why is that וַיִּבֶז עֵשָׂו, אֶת-הַבְּכֹרָה? He sold it because he felt unworthy of it?

The answer has to do with an idea, Maasim Moichichim Zeh Es Zeh. Sometimes you can judge what a person is doing, by looking at other things that he does. Like here, Eisav had just returned from doing battle with Nimroid over some B’godim so that he could have the honor of being the strongest warrior in the world. Not everyone is guaranteed to survive a battle with Nimroid. It was a great risk to do battle with him. For honor, Eisav was willing to put his life at risk. So for other things Eisav was willing to die. So he couldn’t Taina that he was unworthy of performing the Avoidah in the Beis Hamikdash because he might die.

Another example is found in Parshas Ki Sisa, 32:9, “וְהִנֵּה עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף הוּא, (Posuk Yud) וְעַתָּה הַנִּיחָה לִּי, וְיִחַר-אַפִּי בָהֶם וַאֲכַלֵּם” (And behold they are a stiff necked people. Now leave me alone and my wrath will blaze against them and destroy them.) In 34:9 it says, “כִּי עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף הוּא, וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲו‍ֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ” (although it is a stiff necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sins, and take us as your own possession). It is a P’liyah, Hashem wants to destroy us because we are an עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף, so Moshe Rabbeinu’s Taina back to Hashem 2 Perokim later is save us because we are an עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף?

Klal Yisroel uses the Midah of עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף  for good as well as bad. So even though Hakodoish Baruch Hu was unhappy with Klal Yisroel this one time, overall, the Midah of עַם-קְשֵׁה-עֹרֶף  is a good package.  

They say over from the Gerrer Rebbe, why is the third meal on Shabbos called Sholosh Seudos, it should be Seudas Shlishis? The Gerrer Rebbe said, every day a person eats 2 meals. So you don’t know if those 2 meals are for K’void Shabbos or not, however, when you eat the 3^rd meal, that is obviously for K’void Shabbos and it is Maasim Moichichim Zeh Es Zeh that the other 2 meals were eaten for K’void Shabbos. So the whole Chashivus of Sholosh Seudas on Shabbos lies in the 3^rd Seudah that a person has on Shabbos. We eat many times not for Sheim Shomayim. When it comes to Mitzvois, we really have to be careful to be Zahir not to be cheap on our eating. Many people when it comes to Sholosh Seudos are Yoitzei with Mezoinois or Peirus. Is that the way we eat when it is for our own pleasure?

For our own pleasure we go out of the way for the best type of foods. So when there is a Mitzvah of Hakadosh Baruch Hu to eat, we have to eat properly. Maybe that is why when it comes to being Yoitzei a K’zayis, we try to be Yoizei all the Shitois. If there is a snowstorm and a person doesn’t go to Minyan because it is hard to go out, he shouldn’t go out later to play in the snow with his kids. The idea is to be consistent. This was the failure of Eisav, Vayivez Es Habichoira.

Kiddush On A Shot Glass - Yisro 5771

20:7 (זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁוֹ) I would like to speak briefly about the Mitzva of Kiddush. The Mitzva is to make Kiddush at night Min Hatorah and Midirabbanan by day as well. According to everyone the Mitzva Lichatchila is with wine or with grape juice, with wine as the preference when a person makes his Kiddush.

I once heard from Rav Shlomo Zalman Braun the author of Shearim Mitzuyanim B'Halacha who was one of the first Chassidishe Rabbanim in Flatbush. He said a person should keep all Chassidishe Minhagim except two. One of those two is the Minhag of many Chassidim to make Kiddush on Schnapps. First of all even if you make Kiddush on a Reviis of Schnapps it is not Lichatchila (preferable). Certainly if a person makes Kiddush on a 1 ounce of Schnapps is not performing the Mitzvah the way it should be done. It seems from the Shulchan Aruch that a person is not even Yotzei B’dieved.

My father A”H used to make Kiddush on Schnapps and when I got a little older I mentioned to him that it is a Shaila. He said he will ask the Debrecene Rav. The Debrecene Rav held of all the Chassidishe Minhagim. From then on he made Kiddush on wine or grape juice. He did drink Schnapps later after the fish but he made Kiddush on wine or grape juice.

I would like to share with you something that I heard from Rav Moshe. I once asked Rav Moshe about this Minhag and of course Rav Moshe held to make Kiddush on wine but I asked it to him in the following context. 

I told him that the Chassidim make Kiddush on 1 ounce cup of Schnapps and we have a complaint that it is not the Shiur. I told him that a certain Chassidishe Rav had spoken and had been Melameid Zechus on the Minhag based on the Taz in the beginning if Siman 210 S’if Aleph.

The Taz (who says that to make a Borei Nifashos one must drink a Reviis) holds that a person can make a Borei Nifashos on a smaller amount of Schnapps because Schnapps is not something that is a drink that is drunk B’rivi’is. The Taz does say that it is not in the requirement of a Reviis. He says that it is not even possible to drink a Reviis. The Mishna Berura doesn’t Pasken like the Taz but at least the Taz should be a suitable Teretz for the Minhag Haolam.

Rav Moshe told me to go home and look at the Taz completely and I will see that it is a mistake. He told me this at the end of Schacharis one day and I came back to Yeshiva and with a few friends we learned the Taz. I would like to share with you what I think Rav Moshe meant.

The Taz does say that on Schnapps less than a Reviis a person can make a Borei Nefashos. However, if one reads the Taz they see his Psak. He writes at the end that since Tosafos Shitta is that a Borei Nifashos can be made even on a Mashehu so here we can be Mitztareif Tosafos Shitta to my Sevara that a Borei Nifashos can be made on a Mashehu of Schnapps.

Tosafos Shitta that a Borei Nifashos can be made on a Mashehu, however Tosafos doesn’t hold that way by Kiddush. So that even though the Taz held this way regarding Borei Nefashos that has nothing to do with Kiddush where this is no Tziruf of Tosafos Shitta. I think that is what Rav Moshe meant. If you like Schnapps drink Schnapps but make Kiddush on a Reviis.

How Much Kugel? - Beshalach 5770

A Pshat in the Parshas Haman: The Rama at the end of Siman 242 which is at the beginning of Hilchos Shabbos writes, there is a Minhag to eat a type of food that has a layer on top and on bottom to have a reminder of the Man which had a layer on the top and on the bottom of Tal. This is where the Minhag of eating Potato Kugel comes from. Potato Kugel has a layer on top and on bottom. This is a Zeicher to the Man. The one day of the week that Man did not fall on is Shabbos. Shouldn’t the Minhag of eating Kugel be the other 6 days and not on Shabbos? The Biyur Halacha actually brings this Kasha from Kadmoinim in Siman 242.

Toisafois answers that it is a Zecher that Man did not fall on Shabbos. The Toras Chaim offers another answer that we don’t have a Zecher to the Man of the past in the Midbar we are doing it as a reminder of the Man we will eat in the times of Mashiach when we will be Zoiche to a number of foods that are mentioned. K’negged the Livyasoin we eat fish on Shabbos. K’negged Shor Habor we eat meat on Shabbos. K’negged the Yayin from the Sheishes Y’mei B’reishis we drink Yayin on Shabbos. K’negged the Man that we will eat when Mashiach comes, we eat Pas(h)tida (something that has a layer on top and on bottom like Potato Kugel.)

There is actually a Nafka Mina between the 2. The Man fell 6 days a week. So the Friday night Seuda is a time that we had Man already in the normal way from Friday morning. So it is only a Chiddush on Shabbos day that no Man fell. According to the first Teretz that we said that we eat Kugel L’zeicher that Man did not fall, we should actually eat the Kugel Dafka by day and not Leil Shabbos. According to the second reason that Shabbos is a Mei’ein Yoim She’kuloi Shabbos which starts Friday night, you can eat Kugel on Friday night as well. Yisrael Kedoishim eat Kugel Friday night and Shabbos day. This would be a Nafka Mina between the 2 reasons brought here.

Lechem Meshulash? - Beshalach 5769

Since there was a double portion of Man on Friday for Shabbos, we have Lechem Mishneh as a Zeicher on Shabbos. If a Yom Tov in the Midbar fell out on a Friday, then there was 3 portions of Man on Thursday as Tosafos in Maseches Beitzah on 2b says (והיה ביום הששי וגו'. פרש"י וע"כ בא לאשמועינן דאפילו הכנה בידי שמים (ב) ביצה אסורה דאי משום הכנה בידי אדם כלומר שיאפו ויבשלו מבעוד יום הא בהדיא כתיב את אשר תאפו אפו אלא הזמנה בפה קאמר ואין י"ט מכין לשבת כו' ואין שבת מכין לי"ט מכ"ש דכיון דאין י"ט מכין לשבת כ"ש דאין שבת מכין לי"ט והקשה רש"י אם כן ביצה שנולדה באחד בשבת או לאחר י"ט תתסר מכ"ש דשבת וי"ט לא מכינין אהדדי כ"ש דלא מכינין אחול ותירץ דלגבי סעודת חול לא צריך הכנה דאין סעודת חול חשובה אך תימה הואיל והכנה דאורייתא היאך אופין ומבשלין מי"ט לשבת וכ"ת ע"י ערובי תבשילין וכי אתי תקנתא דרבנן וליעקר הכנה דאורייתא ונראה ליישב דרבה גופיה אזיל לטעמיה דאית ליה הואיל ואי מקלעי אורחין חזי ליה השתא נמי חזי ליה ואפילו לדידן ניחא דכל דבר אפוי ומבושל לא שייך ביה הכנה שאינו מחוסר רק תקון בעלמא דמעיקרא הוה חזי ליה רק גבי ביצה שהוא דבר חדש שלא היתה בעולם ולא היתה ראויה כלל מעיקרא (ולאפות ולבשל תקוני מלתא בעלמא) תימה דכאן משמע שהמן לא היה יורד בי"ט כדפי' רש"י הששי הראוי להכנה וזהו בחול והא אמר ויברך ויקדש ברכו במן וקדשו במן שבשבת לא היה יורד מן אבל בי"ט היה יורד וי"ל דמדרשים חלוקין כדאיתא במדרש (מכילתא פ' בשלח) שבת לא יהיה (שמות טז) לרבות יום הכפורים לא יהיה בו לרבות י"ט שלא היה יורד בהן מן ועי"ל דאפי' היה יורד בי"ט מ"מ בי"ט שחל להיות בע"ש לא היה יורד מדכתיב קרא בו ביום הששי ולא כתיב ששי משמע הששי המיוחד שהוא ראוי להכנה ולא בששי שהוא יו"ט). Why don’t we have a zecher to this as well, when a Yom Tov falls out on a Friday and take 3 Chalakim of Lechem? An answer was not offered, however, we are pointed to the Meshech Chochmoh who deals with this.