48 Steps To Torah

Number 2: Shmiat haozen

The second step to acquiring Torah is Shmiat HaOzen, which literally means listening of the ear. This phrase is slightly problematic; surely all listening is done with the ears? down and evaluating whether it is actually true.

The Hasmonean High School Weekly Sedra Sheet

13th October 2012
Dvar Torah

Living Torah
Issue No: Shabbos In: Shabbos Out:

However, the temptations are not always external to us, and often the most powerful desires come from within. For example, the weekly Shabbos The answer to this question is that there are two afternoon dilemma of whether to have a fourth types of listening. There is the classic of course I piece of cake would easily be avoided if we am listening type of listening, which we subcon- thought it through. On the one hand, I get an sciously engage in an awful lot of the time and is amazing, divine, scrumptious piece of (insert deliperhaps more accurately described as not listencious cake here) which will ultimately last for all of ing. The second, rarer form of listening is active about five seconds, but on the other hand I will and attentive listening whereby the listener actu- have to contend with a horrible stomach ache for ally engages with what the speaker is saying. This the next three hours. When you look at it from this is precisely the type of listening the Mishna is alangle, making the correct decision becomes so luding to. Too often we can come out of a shiur much simpler. (Have the cake, right?) thinking hang on, what was the subject of the The importance of the power of listening is reflectshiur again? Therefore, Chazal advise that we are ed in Halacha too. The Gemara (Bava Kama 85b) attentive in our listening, challenging, digesting says that if you blind somebody, you must pay him and revising what we hear so that we will rememthe value of his sight, but if you cause somebody ber and internalise it. to go deaf, you must pay him the value of his enThe idea of digesting and scrutinising what we tire body, as if you killed him. This demonstrates hear is also hinted in the word Ozen. This word how essential hearing is, that losing the ability to is closely related to Moznayim meaning scales. hear is tantamount to death. This is no mere accident, and as so often with LaWhen we hear words of Torah emanating from a shon HaKodesh, it is teaching us a valuable lesson, great person, they can have a tremendous spirituthat we must evaluate and weigh up everything al effect on us. However much intellectual we hear. The trait of objective criticism is especial- knowledge of Torah one amasses, one cannot ly important for us in a world where people try to hope to acquire Torah without learning from someone greater than oneself, through attentive convince us of anything and everything which will listening. entice us. We can combat this effectively with a simple but pivotal analysis, breaking the claim
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Gifts, relationships and mitzvos

In Parshas Bereishis we read about the episode with Kain and Hevel which resulted in Kain killing Hevel. From this episode we can ask some important questions which will give us a good understanding about doing Mitzvos and serving Hashem. The Torah explains that Kain, who was a farmer, brought an offering from his crop and Hevel, who was a shepherd, brought an offering from his flock. For some reason Hashem accepted Hevel's offering but did not accept Kain's offering. Out of anger and jealousy, Kain killed his brother Hevel. There are two questions that are asked on this. Firstly, why did Hashem only accept Hevel's offering and not Kain's? And secondly, what was the purpose of this offering in the first place? ested with all this business and so he just gives his wife a cheque and tells her to go buy whichever diamond she likes. As you can imagine, the husband who took care in selecting his wife's ring gets married successfully, whereas the one who simply gave his wife a signed cheque, didn't end up getting married. As you can see the first one got married because he put more effort into it and expressed a closer relationship than the one who couldn't be bothered and didn't put much effort in at all.

So too, from the Torah it is clear that Hevel put a tremendous amount of effort in and picked the best of his sheep, compared to Kain who gave the poorest of his crop. The difference between them is not the value of their gifts, but rather their attitudes. Hevel understood that this was an opportunity to develop a close relaLet us start with the second question. Hashem is tionship with Hashem and to get closer to him; infinite and does not need offerings. He owns he therefore chose his best sheep. Kain did not everything and gains no benefit from them. So understand this and so he just took the first what is the point of them? thing he saw. An offering or gift is an expression of relationship. The act of giving expresses the relationship between the giver and receiver. The gift itself does not matter; rather it is the relationship it builds that is so significant. For example: Imagine two recently engaged couples who are busy buying wedding rings. One husband takes much time selecting the most beautiful diamond to put on his wife's ring and is constantly polishing it to perfection. The other husband isn't interThe Torah is telling us how we are meant to do Mitzvos and serve Hashem. Hashem doesn't need our Mitzvos which have no meaning behind them, He wants our Mitzvos which are done out of love, desire and devotion - this is a real Mitzvah. A Mitzvah is like an empty shell and we have to fill it with the right attitudes. Knowing this we can perform Mitzvos properly and they will be accepted by Hashem.

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Yartzheit

Dvar Torah

The Bluzhever rebbe

This Wednesday, the 1st of Kislev, will be the 23rd pletely different havara. Disliking the havara of the Yartzheit of the Bluzhever Rebbe, HaRav Yisrael survivor, the shul fired him. Spira ZTL The Rebbe immediately phoned the president of the The Bluzhever Rebbe was a Holocaust survivor, and shul. After he had confirmed that the shul had inhe empathised greatly with all others who were in deed fired this shattered survivor, the Rebbe grew similar situations. Once, a Holocaust survivor en- angry. tered the room of the Bluzhever Rebbe, a broken Listen to me, he said. This man is a Holocaust man, physically and mentally, with his life in tatters. survivor, and deserves full respect from you, an The Rebbe felt it incumbent upon himself to help American who never went through what he went rebuild this mans life. One of the many facets of through. I demand you re-hire him! The President this was to find him a job. refused. The Rebbe ended with a warning: You will The Rebbe knew of a shul in the state of New Jersey regret this. which lacked a baal koreh- a torah reader. He conA week later, the president phoned back. The Rebbe tacted the shuls administration, and informed them did not pick up the phone. On that same day, there that he had found them someone to perform this was a ring on the doorbell of the Rebbes house, job. After negotiating with the shul, they agreed to and a blind man walked into the room, supported pay the man a certain salary. Satisfied, the Rebbe by two younger men. It turned out sent this survivor off to New Jersey. that this man was the President, A few weeks later, however, this who had gone blind shortly after same broken survivor walked into turning down the Rebbes request. the Rebbes room again, looking The President threw himself at the even more bedraggled that previRebbe, pleading for forgiveness. The ously. The shul had fired him. This Rebbe replied I am willing to forman, it turned out, was from the give you, but my heilige Galicia region of Poland, and, as a zeides (holy ancestors) cannot. The result, spoke Hebrew with a strong president remained blind. Galicianer havara (pronunciation). The shul, however, was a Lithuanian shul, and spoke Hebrew with a com-

The moon and humility

On the fourth day of creation, Hashem created the sake of the moon *Gur Aryeh+ the moon and the sun. The Pasuk says: How many of us without necessarily realising And Hashem made the two great it spend our lives pursuing kovod-honour? How luminaries- the bigger one for the day and the often do we try to be the best? What we dont smaller for the night (Perek 1 Pasuk 16) realise is that it is this selfishness and competitiveness that often leads us to bitter disappointment, The Medrash says that the sun and the moon as with the moon in the Medrash. Instead of alwere originally made the same size but the moon ways trying to be the best compared to others, we complained saying; its not right that two kings should aspire to and constantly work on being the should rule over one country and share one best that we can be, reaching our own full potencrown! Hashem replied since you are saying tial regardless of others thereby resulting in that you and the sun cannot be the same size, I better relationships. will diminish your size and power whereas the sun will continue to shine brightly. The moon was In fact, we see that Hashem Himself guides very sad upon hearing this and immediately it us with the proper attitude of modesty. We see regretted its rash and immodest protest. that Hashem says let US make man. Why did Hashem say US if he created the world himself? But Hashem with his kindness and compasRashi says that Hashem was speaking to the Malosion said comfortingly because you are so sorry, I chim- the angels. This is not because Hashem will lighten my verdict and surround you with needed the assistance of angels, but rather it is to countless stars which will add to your shine with show mankind that even Hashem follows the their twinkles. However, because you tried to modest practise of seeking the opinion of others. claim supremacy your light will be If Hashem is modest then how much more so we, dimmed. (Chullin 60b) who can do nothing like what He has done, should We know the stars came to conciliate the moon as be modest! (Bereishis Rabbah) the posuk could have said from the outset And Good Shabbos! Hashem made the two great luminaries and the stars but from the fact that the stars are only mentioned later teaches us they were created for

Gematria: The gematria of the word is the same gematria as the words ( Israel, the chosen one of the nations) which is also the same gematria as the words hinting to us that the whole world was created for the Jewish people, the chosen nation to fulfil the 613 commandments.

Riddle:
Who is mentioned in Parshas Bereishis whose father and father -in-law had the same father- inname?
Last weeks riddle:
When is it possible to have five days of consecutive Torah reading without having read Hallel? This occurs when Rosh Hashana falls on a Thursday and a Friday. The next day is Shabbos, then Tzom Gedaliah is on the Sunday. On Monday, we read from the Torah again. On all these days, there is Torah reading with no Hallel.