‏הצגת רשומות עם תוויות חשבון. הצג את כל הרשומות
‏הצגת רשומות עם תוויות חשבון. הצג את כל הרשומות

יום ראשון, 20 במאי 2012

Ladies First - Bamidbar 5769

In 2:32 (אֵלֶּה פְּקוּדֵי בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם: כָּל-פְּקוּדֵי הַמַּחֲנֹת, לְצִבְאֹתָם--שֵׁשׁ-מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים, וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים), we see that there were 603,550 Yidden. In 3:43 (וַיְהִי כָל-בְּכוֹר זָכָר בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת, מִבֶּן-חֹדֶשׁ וָמַעְלָה--לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם: שְׁנַיִם וְעֶשְׂרִים אֶלֶף, שְׁלֹשָׁה וְשִׁבְעִים וּמָאתָיִם), we see that there were 22,273 Bechoirim. The ratio of Bechoirim to men is 1 to 30. In other words, in that group of between the ages of 20 and 60, for every Bechor, there were 30 other men. That ratio means every person had 30 siblings. Now if you would tell me that there were sometimes women that were born first, then I can say if there were another 22,000 women born first then there were another 600,000 women in Klal Yisrael. It wouldn’t change the ratio which is 1 to 30, and that is extraordinary. So every person had 30 siblings. Maybe you will say it is not shver as they gave birth 6 at a time. If we look at 3:39 (כָּל-פְּקוּדֵי הַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר פָּקַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, עַל-פִּי יְרוָר--לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם: כָּל-זָכָר מִבֶּן-חֹדֶשׁ וָמַעְלָה, שְׁנַיִם וְעֶשְׂרִים אָלֶף), we see that there were 22,000 Leviim. As Rashi brings down, there were 300 Leviim that were Bechoirim. This poses a real problem as the ratio is 1 Levi Bechor for every 73 male siblings. Leviim did not have the Bracha of Shisha B’keres Echad so you can’t attribute it to that?
In the Ma’ayon Beis Hasho’aiva, from Rav Schwab, he says it must be that there were a great proportion of families that had daughters that were born first. So it was not the same amount of women born first as men born first. We know, Bas Techila Siman Yafa L’bonim, part of the Bracha is Bas Techila. This was a generation that had Bracha. So it must be that this generation had a disproportionate amount of daughters born first. So if there were 22,000 men Leviim, there most probably was 22,000 women Bas Leviim, however, there were many more first born Bas Leviim, and this would even out the Cheshbon.

יום שני, 5 במרץ 2012

611 or 609? - Yisro 5772


The Gemara says at the end of Maseches Makkos 23b (4 lines from the bottom going to the top of 24a) (דרש רבי שמלאי שש מאות ושלש עשרה מצות נאמרו לו למשה שלש מאות וששים וחמש לאוין כמנין ימות החמה ומאתים וארבעים ושמונה עשה כנגד איבריו של אדם אמר רב המנונא מאי קרא תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה תורה בגימטריא שית מאה וחד סרי הוי אנכי ולא יהיה לך מפי הגבורה שמענום ). Torah is Gematriya 611. The Gemara says that Moshe Rabbeinu gave us 611 Mitzvos. One minute, there are 613 Mitzvos? The Gemara says no, the first 2 Dibros were given from Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s mouth. Therefore, there remained only 611 Mitzvos so it sounds wonderful. There is a problem because (אָנֹכִי) and (לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ) are 4 Mitzvos. The Aseres Hadibros are not 10 Mitzvos. They are 10 Dibros. There are many more than 10 Mitzvos. (אָנֹכִי) is one Mitzvah but (לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ) contains 3, (לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, עַל-פָּנָי), (לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, וְכָל-תְּמוּנָה), and (לֹא-תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם, וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם). All of the people who count the Mitzvos count these as separate Mitzvos. Therefore, if (אנכי ולא יהיה לך מפי הגבורה שמענום) there should be 609 Mitzvos that we heard from Moshe Rabbeinu.
Agav, the Shitta of the Behag is that Anochi is not one of the Taryag Mitzvos. The Behag holds that faith in Hashem is a Hakdama to Torah. So just as faith in Hashem is not one of the Sheva Mitzvos of a Bnei Noach it is not one of the 613 Mitzvos. Many ask on the Behag from this Gemara. The Gemara says that there were only 611 Mitzvos because (אנכי ולא יהיה לך מפי הגבורה שמענום). We have a bit in the way of answering. Anochi is indeed not one of the Mitzvos. The Behag will hold that 2 of the Mitzvos that were taken off were both in (לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ). Of course the problem is that (לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ) contains 3 Mitzvos. 

(א"ה עי' רמב"ן ומגילת אסתר ריש ספר המצות ומשך חכמה על הפסוך אנכי ה)

יום שלישי, 10 בינואר 2012

Moshe's Age – Parshas Shemos 5769


It says in the Posuk that Moshe was 80 years old when he stood before Paroh.This is before the 10 Makkos. The yidden went out of Mitzrayim in Nissan, about 37 days after Moshe’s birthday. No one says the Makkos only took 37 days. There are a number of Makkos that says B’feirush that they took 7 days. That being said, when Moshe stood in front of Paroh, it was before Zayin Adar of that year. If he would have been 80, on his next birthday he would be 81. Then the 40 years in the Midbar would make him 121 which we know is not the case. So it is a Davar Peleh that the Cheshboin doesn’t really shtim? There is a R’ Yaakov Emden that says that the Yidden were in the Midbar for 39 years and that the Torah rounds it off. This is also shver, because the Gemarah goes thru a Cheshbon with the Man showing that it was 40 years.