The Arukh haShulchan (OC 56:1,3) discusses the meaning of the opening words of Qaddish “Yisgadel veyisqadeish shemeih rabba“. Praying that Hashem’s Great Name be made great and holy. And since a name is how we refer to something, we are talking about how humans perceive Hashem’s presence. The Arukh haShulchan mentions a tradition that “שמיה – His name” is an...
“זְכֹ֤ר ×”’Ö¨ ×€ ×œÖ´×‘Ö°× ÖµÖ¬×™ ×Ö±×“Ö—×•Ö¹× ×ֵת֮ ×™Ö¤×•Ö¹× ×™Ö°Ö½×¨×•Ö¼×©×Ö¸Ö«×œÖ¸Ö¥Ö´× …— Hashem, remind the children of Edom of the Day of Jerusalem…” – Tehillim 137:7 It seems odd to me, but this is the oldest source for the idiom which the Chief Rabbinate of Israel took as the name of the holiday. But what is Yom Yerushalayim? The name of the city...
(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...
(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...
R. Shimon said: When the Holy One, blessed be He [– HQBH], came to create Adam, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties. Some said, “Let him be created,” while others urged, “Let him not be created.” Thus it is written, ” חֶֽסֶד־וֶ×ֱמֶ֥ת × Ö´×¤Ö°×’Ö¼Ö¸Ö‘×©×וּ, צֶ֖דֶק וְש×Ö¸×œÖ£×•Ö¹× × Ö¸×©×ָֽקוּ׃ — Love and Truth fought together, Righteousness and Peace kissed each...
I am not a political pundit, so I don’t have much to say about current events. But how can we not discuss this topic?The Hebrew for war is milchamah. The root of the word is /לח×/ (bread or food in general). The gemara notes this point in Sukkah 52a, when it , and just read the conjugation, we need to...