Israel's mandatory wars

Milḥemet Miṣva (war by commandment or a mandatory war)  refers to the wars to conquer the land of Israel in the times of Yehoshua' bin Nun; the war against 'amaleq and any war that the Jewish people wages in self defense (see MT melakhim, 5:1), i.e., when lives are threatened and vital national interests are at risk. 

The Tora indicates that first, we have to offer peace to the enemies (Deut. 20:10). If they do not accept the offer of peace, then Israel should go to war to defend itself.  For this type of war, the King (=Executive power) was not required to ask for the approval of the Sanhedrin (=Legislative power). Milḥemet Miṣva is launched at the discretion of the King. 

One of the first Miṣvot for the fighters and soldiers who go into these wars is not to fear. In the words of Maimonides (MT,melakhim 7:15) "Once the man [the Jewish soldier] begins his engagement in war, he should rely on the Hope of Israel [=God] Who will rescue him in times of trouble. He needs to know that he is waging this war for the the sanctification of His name (Yiḥud Hashem). He should entrust his life in His hand, and he should not fear; not be scared.... And when a Jewish soldier fights with all his heart, without fear, and with the sole intention of sanctifying the name of God, he will be protected from harm, and nothing bad will happen to him, and he will [have the merit to] establish a solid family in Israel, and his merit will be for him, and his descendants for ever"   

In these days, the soldiers of the IDF are fighting a Milhemet Misva, a war to protect the lives of the citizens of the south of Israel.

They have unlimited courage, the highest morale and they rely on the Almighty, the Protector and Shield of Israel, to save them from harm and bring victory to Am Israel, by their hands. 

May the Almighty protect them and all the citizens of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom!   

Candle lighting in NYC:  4:17 p.m.

Shabbat ends in NYC:    5:25 p.m.

מי שברך לחיילי צה"ל

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵֽנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַֽיִם, וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן יְיָ אֶת אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵֽינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמוֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָּלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶֽגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵֽינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, וִיעַטְּרֵם בְּכֶֽתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבַעֲטֶֽרֶת נִצָּחוֹן, וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהוֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם, לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אוֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.

Rosh Hodesh Kislev

√ Today is the first day of the month of Kislev. Rosh Ḥodesh Kislev will be celebrated for one day only.  

√ Rosh Ḥodesh -the beginning of the Hebrew month- is a semi festive day. The hierarchal order of the Jewish festive days is: Shabbat, Yom Tob, Ḥol haMo'aed, and then Rosh Ḥodesh. In the times of the Bet haMiqdash, when there was a special qorban (sacrifice) offered in Rosh Ḥodesh with sounds of Shofar and trumpets, men used to avoid working in Rosh Ḥodesh. Today, in some communities, mostly Ashkenazi communities, women do not work or refrain from doing certain melakhot during RoshḤodesh. 

√ In Rosh Ḥodesh we are indicated to behave and be in a happier mood (ra-ui lismoaḥ bahem). As we said, although it is not forbidden to work on Rosh Ḥodesh, it is meritorious to celebrate Rosh Ḥodesh with a special meal (Shulḥan Arukh, OH. 419:1). This is done by having some foods on Rosh Ḥodesh which are considered luxuries foods, particularly meat and wine (By the way, this is the reason why Sephardic communities refrain from eating meat during the month of Ab, only from the second day of Ab, once Rosh Ḥodesh is over).

√ It is forbidden to fast on Rosh Ḥodesh. It is also customary to avoid visiting the cemetery on Rosh Ḥodesh. Most cemeteries are closed for visits on Rosh Ḥodesh. When the anniversary of a loved one (sal, yohrtzait) falls on Rosh Ḥodesh it is customary to fast or visit the cemetery before or after Rosh Ḥodesh. For this same reason -some exceptional cases apart- eulogies should not be delivered on Rosh Ḥodesh. Depending on the circumstances, rabbis will rather deliver a Debar Tora -general words of Tora wisdom- in honor of the deceased, minimizing personal emotional remarks, which might cause an additional sadness to the audience.

                                  מי שברך לחיילי צה"ל  

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵֽנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַֽיִם, וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה, בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם. יִתֵּן יְיָ אֶת אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵֽינוּ נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמוֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָּלֵינוּ מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶֽגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם. יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵֽינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם, וִיעַטְּרֵם בְּכֶֽתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבַעֲטֶֽרֶת נִצָּחוֹן, וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב: כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַהוֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם, לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אוֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.

Click HERE to read "Operation Pillar of Defense" by www.debka.com

SEPHARDIC RABBIS: Rabbi Yishaq ben Walid (1777-1870)

"The western luminary" (Ner haMa'arabi). That was the title given by Morrocan rabbis to one of its most illustrious: Rabbi Yiṣḥaq ben Walid (or Bengualid) from the city of Tetuán, in the north (Spanish) of Morocco. 

Rabbi ben Walid belonged to a family of Rabbis, who left Spain after the expulsion in 1492. Since childhood, and despite the loss of his father at a very early age, he dedicated himself completely to study Tora.  After the death of his father, the financial situation of the family was so desperate that the mother had to sell her husband's books, a set of the Talmud, to maintain themselves.  Rabbi ben Walid worked for years saving penny after penny to buy back what he considered to be his most important patrimony: The Talmud.  

He was known for his brilliant mind, his piety and above anything else for his humbleness.  In 1830, after the head of the Rabbinical court, rabbi Moshe haLevy,  passed away, and knowing that the community leaders will consider him as a candidate, rabbi Ben Walid  fled to Gibraltar and hid for a while, running away from honors, as Pirque Abot indicates.  Only at the insistence of the community leaders who presented him a petition with the signatures of sixty of the most prominent rabbis of the time, Rabbi ben Walid accepted the new position. His condition, however, was that he will make his Halakhic decisions always with at least two other rabbis, and never by himself.  

He had a special inclination for ḥesed and charity. He would provide food to the needy, especially before Shabbat and Holidays. One time he gathered the leaders of the community and told them: "My family is starving. I need a raise." And he proposed to create a tax on kosher meat, the "gabela" (Spanish for community tax) , to generate the extra money. After the community leaders accepted the rabbi's request he explained that the "starving family" he was referring to, were the needy people of the city, his brothers and sisters. And for many years all the money from the gabela was given to the most needy of the city. 

√ Rabbi Ben Walid  refused to publish his book in order to avoid a financial burden on the impoverished Jewish community of Tetuán.  In 1855, his oldest son Shemtob, published his book vayomer Yiṣḥaq in the city of Livorno, Italy.  This book is a collection of rabbinical responsa which includes the Minhaguim and traditions of Spanish Moroccan Jews.  We present  HERE one of the first edtitions of vayomer Yiṣḥaq  from www.hebrewbooks.org

√ Those who read Hebrew and are interested in knowing more about the life of rabbi ben Walid should read the introductions/dedications written by his two sons, Shemtob Ben Walid and Vidal ben Walid, at the beginning of the book.  

  

√ Click here to see the unmarked grave of rabbi  ben Walid in the Jewish cemetery of Tetuán. 

TEFILA: Netilat Yadayim

                  בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹ-ינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם.

One of the first things we do in the morning is washing our hands in preparation for our prayers. This ritual washing of the hands is called: netilat yadayim. 

Literally, netilat yadayim means "elevating, raising or lifting our hands".  We use that expression because at the conclusion ofnetilat yadayim the hands are elevated.  Other rabbis (Abuderham) explained that the Hebrew word netila should be understood in the sense of 'receiving'. i.e., receiving the waters that are poured into our hands. 

The rabbis are divided as to what the main reason for the ritual washing of the hands in the morning is. 

√ The first Biblical source for the washing of the hands is found in Exodus 30:19-20. The Kohanim (=Priests) would wash their hands (and feet) before performing the holy service.  The Rishba says that we imitate the Kohen, preparing ourselves to dedicate our day to serve God, by washing our hands every morning. 

√ According to the Rosh the main reason for netilat yadayim in the morning is basic hygiene. Our hands might have touched unclean parts of our bodies during sleep and therefore, before the morning prayer, we should clean our hands. 

√ The Shulḥan 'arukh mentions also the reason of impurity (ruaḥra'a). In the words of Rabbi Melamed, when we sleep we lost part of our divine image, which we recover upon waking up.  But the state of impurity remains in the hands until we wash them ritually. This is why the Shulḥan 'arukh (4:2) indicates that we have to wash our hands, alternating three times, as a purification ritual. 

√ Maimonides mentions the washing of the hands as a prerequisite for every prayer. (MT, Tefila 4:2). Thus, according to Maimonides we should wash our hands not only for the morning prayer (shaḥarit) but for the afternoon and night prayers as well.    Thus,  Psalms 26:6  says: "I will wash my hands in cleanliness,and [then I] will go around Your altar, O Lord".

"When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people."

                                                                              Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972)

JEWISH WEDDINGS: Understanding the text of the Ketuba

As we have explained, the text of the Ketuba is divided into three parts. The first part states all the basic data which is included in any legal document: the date, place and the names of the bride and groom. 

  

√ Within the first part of the Ketuba there is also an indication of the status of the bride. In normal circumstances it will be written before the name of the bride: betulta, which literally means virgin, following the Biblical verse in  Exodus 22:16 where the Tora refers to the "dowry of the virgins".  If the bride is a widow or a divorceemeterakhta or armelata, Aramaic for divorcee or widow is used.  In many communities, in certain circumstances, the rabbi in charge of the ketuba will simply write kalata, i.e., "the bride".

  

√ Following the names of the bride and groom, the ketuba states that the bridegroom has declared to his bride: "Be my wife according to the law of Moshe and Israel".  

  

Two important points:

  

1. First, why does the ketuba state that the husband has already made his declaration? Although the ketuba is usually written, and often signed by the witness before the ḥupa begins, in other words: before the declaration (qiddushin) from the groom to the bride took place, the ketuba is sometimes signed after that declaration and it is always read out loud and given to the brideafter that declaration. 

  

2. The Ketuba is written as a statement that the witnesses attest. The ketuba is not written in the name of the husband or the rabbi who performs the wedding.  It is the declaration of the witnesses. They bear testimony of what the groom declared to his wife, etc.  It is the witnesses testimony and signatures what makes the ketuba a legal document.  

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and 

take without forgetting"

                                                                     Princess Elizabeth Bibesco (1897-1945)