As I wrote in the previous post, there are two events that we are commemorating by mourning during the omer, and they seem to have happened on different dates. Rabbi Aqiva’s students died in the first part of the omer, while the Crusaders reached Ashkenaz in late Iyar. Depending upon which is event you consider primary, I could see justifying...
×: ×לו ×”×™×ž×™× ×©×‘×™×Ÿ פסח לעצרת, מוחזק ×צל כל ישר×ל ×–×” ×©× ×•×ª מ×ות רבות לימי דין וימי ×בל, ×ž×¤× ×™ שבזמן הקצר ×”×–×” מתו ×©× ×™× ×¢×©×¨ ×לף זוגות תלמידי ×—×›×ž×™× ×ª×œ×ž×™×“×™ רבי עקיב×, כד××™×ª× ×‘×™×‘×ž×•×ª (סב:), ×•×›×•×œ× ×ž×ª×• במיתת ××¡×›×¨× (ש×).ועוד: ר××™× ×• שעיקרי ימי הגזירות ×‘×©× ×•×ª מ×ות שעברו בצרפת ו××©×›× ×– הוו ×‘×™×ž×™× ×לו, כמבו×ר ×ž×”×¤×™×•×˜×™× ×©×¢×©×• ×§×“×ž×•× ×™× ×• על שבתות ×לו שבין...
×™×¢× ×¢×ž×¡ גשמיות ××™×– ×‘× ×ž×™×¨ ×¨×•×—× ×™×•×ª. Another’s physical needs/wants are for me, spiritual. I first heard this sentiment from R’ Shaul Margoliszt”l, the Chassidishe rav of the shul of my childhood, The Lubavitcher Rebbezt”l describes it as an old Chassidic saying (Igros vol. 13, 27 Iyyar 5716). I think the earliest source is Rav Yisrael Salanter, as quoted in the...
(I think this will be the last post in this series on ge’ulah.) גדולה תורה יותר מן ×”×›×”×•× ×” ומן המלכות, שהמלכות × ×§× ×™×ª ×‘×©×œ×©×™× ×ž×¢×œ×•×ª, ×•×”×›×”×•× ×” ×‘×¢×©×¨×™× ×•×רבע, והתורה × ×§× ×™×ª ב××¨×‘×¢×™× ×•×©×ž×•× ×” דברי×, ו×לו הן:… וה×ומר דבר ×‘×©× ×ומרו. ×”× ×œ×ž×“×ª: כל ×”×ומר דבר ×‘×©× ×ומרו ×ž×‘×™× ×’×ולה לעול×, ×©× ×מר “ות×מר ×סתר למלך ×‘×©× ×ž×¨×“×›×™.” Torah is greater than the priesthood...
I found I couldn’t let the day go without comment, so here are two old posts of mine written originally for other fora on the subject of the meaning of Zionism. R’ Aharon Soloveitchikzt”l gave the following parable, to explain his position on the sanctity of “secular” Zionism. During WWII, a family raised just enough money to get one son...
(Significantly expanded May 6th.) When someone hears bad news, such as a death, the gemara (Pesachim 50a) tells them to say the berakhah of “Dayan haEmes“. This phrase is often translated “the True Judge” as though it were a noun-adjective pair. But that would have a hei hayedi’ah (a leading “ha-” prefix meaning “the”) on both words. If “emes” were...
Last week I drew the conclusion from the Qetzos haChoshen that Torah is not Truth, it — combined with the Jewish People — is the process by which “Truth will bloom from the earth”. As I wrote then: One wonders if this is related to the Maharal’s explanation of machloqes (disputes in halakhah). In an earlier entry, I described his...