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The Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection is the one-stop shop for the Torah inspiration shared by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe in one simple feed. The Jewish Inspiration Podcast, Parsha Review Podcast, Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Living Jewishly Podcast and Unboxing Judaism Podcast all in one convenient place. Enjoy!
00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You are listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Living Jewishly podcast.
00:09 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back everybody, and good Sunday morning to all of you. We are resuming the Everyday Judaism podcast. The goal, the intention of this podcast, of all of these episodes, is for us all to gain and strengthen our knowledge in the laws of Judaism. There are millions and millions of laws, but they're pretty easy. Once you understand the general concepts, once you dig into it, it suddenly becomes second nature. So I'm encouraging you all to take the time, study it, learn the roots of everything and it'll make sense to you much more. Now we're going to be learning through this book.
00:54
This is the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, which is the concise, abbreviated laws of the Shulchan Aruch. Now we see here in our magnificent Levitt Family Library in the beautiful New Torch Center, we have thousands of books. So how do you get into one book? So this is one of five. I recommend that everybody own a copy of this. You don't have to. It's not part of the class, it's not mandatory. But I provide my own summary for each of the laws, each of the sections of law. Every section is called a siman. A siman is like a chapter. We're in chapter 19 now and we're going to be talking about mashiv haruach, which is an addition that is added to the amida.
01:41
Now, before we get into this, I want to just lay down the rules of this class. The first rule of the class is that everybody needs to come with a halachic question at the beginning of every week. So anything that comes up during the week, write it down on a piece of paper and bring it with you to class so that we can address it. And it's more than just that. Some of you are in a conversion process. That's fine, that's great. This is the class for you. Some of you are just wanting to strengthen your connection with your own knowledge of the laws. That's also great, that's fine, it's fabulous, it's the right place.
02:20
The most important part of learning and growing in Judaism is asking questions. And if you are to approach a betin, a Jewish court, and say I want to convert and I know the laws, they're going to ask you the following question Well, who do you ask your questions to? And if you don't have an answer to that, they're going to say bye-bye, go someplace else, because we're not going to convert you. Because if you don't have questions, that's also a problem you have to have. There's like literally a million laws. Right, we're going to fall at some place into a doubt of what do I do? What does the Torah want me to do, what does God instruct in his Torah and what does the halacha demand of me to do?
03:10
Okay, so now getting into the framework of understanding halacha. Halacha is surprisingly A easier and B more flexible than you think. Now, rabbi, it's not flexible. It's either yes or no. Well, that depends on every situation, which is why it's important to ask, because to one person they ask a question to the rabbi, they may get one answer. To another person, they get another answer. It's not black and white. It's not black and white. It depends on a multitude of circumstances and a rabbi, whenever a question is being asked, will always ask back a question, because that's the way Jews answer questions with another question, right? So they'll ask back a question asking to define the circumstance.
03:59
So you're saying, for example, what do I do if I am standing and praying my Amidah prayer and someone is behind me so I'm not allowed to take my three steps back because they're in the middle of their Amidah prayer? And when someone is praying the Amidah, they're like an angel. Their legs are together, feet are together, standing like one, like they have one leg, like the angels. That's the way we pray the Amidah. Now, when someone's praying and talking to God in such a significant way, you're not supposed to interrupt by walking in front of them, unless there's a table there or a bench there, if there's something a partition blocking. But in general we're not supposed to interrupt someone else's praying. So now you can ask a question to a rabbi. Well, what do I do if I'm waiting for the person behind me? So that means I'm done my prayer. The person behind me is still praying, so I can't take my three steps back, which is what the halacha tells us. But now the congregation, the repetition of the Amidah, begins, and now I'm supposed to participate in part of that, but I didn't finish because the guy behind me what am I supposed to do? The rabbi will ask well, a bunch of different questions to ask Is there any partition between you and the person behind you? Well, if there is a partition, then you can take your three steps back and be ready for the Kedushah part of the repetition of the Amidah. If there is no partition, then you're going to have to stand in your place and what many of our halachic decisors will say is for you to just lift up your leg, so then you're done with your Amidah, so to speak. You halachic decisors will say is for you to just lift up your leg, so then you're done with your Amidah, so to speak. You didn't take it three steps back, but now you can continue with the congregation and repeat and join in with the repetition of the Amidah.
05:56
I don't want to confuse anyone here, and a lot of what we're going to talk about today is really nuanced. Today is really nuanced. It's a change that we recite in our Amidah for six months out of the year. Every six months we change these two or three words in our prayer Okay, summertime, wintertime, summertime, wintertime. And by us it goes wintertime is from Sukkot till Pesach, like now from Sukkot, from the holiday of Sukkot, till Pesach, and from Pesach till Sukkot is summertime. So we have different blessings that we ask the Almighty in the summertime than we do in the wintertime. The summertime is a time when the sun is shining most of the time we hope, and in the wintertime is when we want the rain. So, and that's the way our produce, our agriculture, that's the way it works best for that as well. So we're going to notice that there's going to be a change that is made. Now.
07:05
There's other additions that are added in our prayers, in the Amidah specifically, and that is for Rosh Chodesh. For Rosh Chodesh, we add Ya'alevi Yavo, we add for Chol Moed. For all holidays, all festivals, we add Ya'alevi Yavo. On Hanukkah, we're going to add Al Hanissim for the miracles, and this is, by the way, also in our Amidah and also in the Grace After Meals. It's just an addition. For the special day, for Shabbat, it's a completely different Amidah. And for our grace after meals, it's an addition that's added to the regular prayer for Shabbat, for Rosh Chodesh, et cetera, et cetera.
07:55
Rosh Chodesh is the first day of every month. Sometimes it is celebrated as two days one for the last day of the concluding month and for the first day of the concluding month and for the first day of the nude month, the new month. And that is the beautiful Judaism. You're always on your toes, there's always something happening. Always, this week, wednesday night, we a different edition that is added to our Amidah and to our Grace After Meals, our Bekat Hamazon.
08:32
Okay, so again, if you have any questions, please, at the end of the class we're going to have time for questions. Hold the questions, write them down on a piece of paper if you need this, because it should be paper on the table and we are going to go through. You all have the sheets in front of you. Those of you who are online. If you look at the description or the link of this podcast, you will see the link for our Google Drive where we have all of the summarized sheets that we have gone through. So, chapter 19, simon 19. I want you to start using the right words. Simon. It means a chapter. So we're going to simon 19,.
09:13
Laws of mashiv haruach and other additions. So, mashiv haruach, what does it actually mean? The words of mashiv haruach, that is, who makes the wind blow and brings down the rain, these are words that are added. Four words that are added during the winter time he who makes the wind blow. When is it windy During the winter? When does the rain fall During the winter? These words are added.
09:43
Now, for some, this is another. Again, not to confuse you, I know there's going to be a lot of information here, but there's also different customs. For example, nusach Ashkenaz, which is more of like the German Jews. They don't recite any edition during the summer months, only during the winter months, the summer months, only during the winter months. Nusach Sfarad, which is more of like the Jews who lived in the Arabian Peninsula, so Jews from Morocco and Jews who lived in Iraq, iran, syrian Jews, they do add, and Jews who are living in Eastern Europe. They do add Morit Hatal.
10:29
Okay, so we're going to talk about this and let's begin with halacha number one. In the winter, we insert he makes the wind blow and makes the rain descend, into the second blessing of the Amidah. In the summer, we add, we say we insert morid hatal, he makes dew descend. Halacha 2. The winter insert begins by Musaf, by the Musaf prayer of Shemini Atzeret. The summer insert begins by Musaf on the first day of Pesach. So again, the summer begins the first day of Pesach. The winter begins the last day of Sukkot.
11:15
Now, why does winter begin the last day of Sukkot? Anybody know why? Think about Sukkot. What do we do on Sukkot? We sit in our sukkah. Do you want it to rain in your sukkah? No, so at the end of Sukkot, we sit in our Sukkah. Do you want it to rain in your Sukkah? No, so at the end of Sukkot, when we're out of the Sukkah already, that's when we begin the winter, so that it doesn't disturb and interrupt. This is what the Talmud tells us that it doesn't interrupt with us sitting in the Sukkah, we're praying for the rain, so that it rain into our Sukkah. No, so, at the end of the holiday of Sukkot, shemini Atzeret, that's when we begin to pray for the rain, and then the beginning of Pesach is when we begin to ask for Morit Hatal Halacha 3.
11:55
It is proper for the Gabai or the Shamash, I would say the person in charge of the synagogue. Every synagogue has the guy who gives out the honors. He's called the Gabai or the Shamash, and it's proper for him only to declare the change allowed to the congregation before the Musaf Amidah. Now, what happens if one is not in a synagogue and not part of a congregation For whatever reason they live far away or they're not there that day, part of a congregation for whatever reason, they live far away or they're not there that day, if one is without a minion, that change should be made in the Amidah only after the time that the congregations of the town would have already made the announcement for the change, meaning we're a community and even if we're not inside the congregation building. We should wait for the time that they would have said it, announced it, to make that change in the congregation. You shouldn't do it before the rest of the community makes that change In places.
12:54
Number five in places where during the summertime the Mashi V'Rach O'Morid HaTal version is said, where they also say may the winds blow and the dew descend, some people have that version. The Gabbai, the Shamash, should declare that version appropriately. So again here we see that different places have different customs. Everybody has an insert for the wintertime, not everybody has for the summertime. Okay, and even then there's different versions in how it is said.
13:32
If halacha 6, if during summertime when Morit Hatal is said, one erred and mistakenly said the wrong one, he said If it was remembered prior to concluding the blessing of Baruch Atah Hashem, then it should be added where it was remembered. But if the blessing was already concluded, the Amidah should be repeated from the beginning. Okay, here's the thing. If you make a mistake, what do you do? I by mistake said my Amidah and I realized after I forgot to add it, and we'll see soon. We'll see at the end in Halacha number I think Halacha number 13 over here, or 14, is that after 30 days, when it is already recited 90 times by then we have a habit and then we don't have to.
14:29
It means what's if after? I'm like I don't know if I said it or not, I don't know if I put that insert in. I'm unsure. Well, after 30 days or 90 times, having said the correct way, you don't need to repeat the Amidah. It is assumed that you said it the right way, so you don't need to repeat the Amidah. It is assumed that you said it the right way.
14:46
So what do many people do? Many people, as soon as they make the change, they recite it immediately 90 times, so that they never fall into a doubt, and they say it with the part of the prayer that is right before it. So, for example, when you're adding, which begins at the end of the holiday of Sukkot, people will say and they go again 90 times. And that way they're already in the habit of saying it like that, and if they have a doubt after that point, they will not need to repeat the Amidah again. So the idea is, you want to create that habit of saying it as quickly as possible, and that way you don't have any doubts of whether or not you said it correctly or incorrectly.
15:42
Now, 6a if this mistake was made during the first evening morning, or Musaf of Pesach said the wrong one, the Amidah need not be repeated, since it is not entirely inappropriate to begin omitting it from the beginning of Pesach, because we only introduce it by Musaf prayer. But according to Halacha, it's not necessarily inappropriate to begin that already the first night of Pesach. Okay, introductory, this is now a new topic that we need to discuss here and that is the sixth blessing of the Amidah. Is the sixth blessing of the Amidah, is the sixth blessing after, sorry, one, two, three, four, five, six. Okay, so the sixth blessing after the first three, the first three and the last three are standard, are already normal parts of our prayer Meaning. They are locked in, they're cemented in Every single prayer that we pray has the first, three and last three blessings.
16:54
What's in between? The 13 blessings during the weekday, or the one blessing on Shabbos, or the three blessings, four blessings, sorry of Rosh Hashanah, that changes, but the first three and last three blessings. Or four blessings, sorry of Rosh Hashanah, that changes, but the first, three and last three blessings of the Amidah are always the same. So the sixth blessing of the 13 is Baruch Aleinu, which is bless on our behalf, hashem, our God this year, and all its kinds of crops for the good. So what we're asking for is our livelihood. We're asking for our crops.
17:30
So, over here, during the sixth blessing, which is Baruch Aleinu, we ask for bountiful harvests and ample rainfall for the earth and its inhabitants. Therefore, when the season of rain arrives, we add a special prayer for dew and rain, tal U'matar, which is now but that is very different, by the way, than the first blessing that we spoke about earlier why we begin reciting the same Tal U'matar Levracha at Mariv, at the evening prayer, 60 days after fall begins, which is December 4th or December 5th in a leap year, and it is recited till Pesach, like the other additions. So V'Sein Tal U'matul Avracha, which is now part of our daily prayers now that we are December 22nd. So we started this 18 days ago. We started saying and give dew and rain for a blessing on the face of the earth and satisfy us from your bounty and bless our year like the best years.
18:43
Baruch atah, hashem. Bless to you, hashem, who blesses the years. And, by the way, this is a great part of our prayer to ask for success in our livelihood. You want to get a raise in your job. Here you go. You're asking for bounty, you're asking for livelihood. You're asking for your harvest. What's our harvest today?
19:07
Today, we don't grow crops like we used to. We buy that in the store. We buy our flour, we buy our ingredients in the stores. Okay, but you know what? We need to earn a living in order to be able to buy that. And this is a great place. Our sages teach us to ask for livelihood every single day in your prayer, during the Baruch Aleinu prayer, so you can add the extra words from your heart Before you say Baruch Atah, hashem.
19:31
At the end of the blessing, you can add to Hashem I want to change companies, I want to get a better paying job, I want to get a raise, I want to get a promotion. You hear this, mark. This is the place Baruch Aleinu, shower us with your blessings, halacha 8. If one erred, someone made a mistake and did not save Yisrael, talamat Elvracha Again. If it was remembered prior to concluding the blessing with Baruch Atah and Hashem, then it should be added where it was remembered. But if the blessing was already concluded, the Amidah should resume and instead should be said during the proper place of the blessing in Shema Kolenu. So Shema Kolenu is the last of the 13 blessings inside the typical weekday blessings of the Amidah.
20:43
Shema Kolenu is where we ask Hashem to accept our prayers. There's a special place over there where we add in our personal requests, any request, anything that you desire. This is a great place to add it in Shema Koleinu, where we say Reikam alti shivenu, don't allow our prayers to return empty-handed and we can insert our own words. If you look in your prayer book, you will see that there's a space there for you to insert your personal requests, whatever it is. God help me with my back pain. God help me sleep better. God help me with my project that I'm working on. God help me with my. Whatever that personal request is. That is the special place to insert it. So if someone forgot to say V'sen Talamatar and they already said the name of Hashem in that blessing, they should not repeat.
21:36
Do not go back to the beginning of the Amidah or the beginning of the blessing, but rather insert it in the part of Shema Kolenu where it should be added. Now, to some of you hearing this, you're thinking to yourself. I am dizzy because you're saying all these things. It's fine, don't worry about it. You'll get to understand it and see it more and become more familiar with it. The more you learn, I guarantee it. It's like the beginning when you started learning Bereshit Noach Lech Lech HaVayera, learning there are 54 portions in the Torah. You're like, oh my goodness, I thought there were just five books. Now you're telling me that there's 12 portions and now each portion is divided up to seven pieces. Oh my goodness, what am I going to do? But then you become familiar with it. It becomes more right. So this is part of a process.
22:21
However, 8a halacha, 8a, if it is still, if it still wasn't remembered in Shema Kolenu until after saying the blessing with Baruch Atah Hashem, then they should go back to the beginning of the sixth blessing and repeat the Amidah from that point. Number nine, halacha, number nine. If one earned and did not save a saint halamotil avracha and only remembered at the end of the Amidah when reciting yihiyu l'ratzon, then the entire Amidah must be repeated. Yihiyu l'ratzon is the end of the right. Before we say osa shalom bimromav and we take our three steps back, right before we say that, we say that, we say may the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before you, hashem, my rock and my redeemer.
23:11
Halacha number 10. If during summertime, when V'Sein V'Racha is said in the sixth blessing, one erred and said V'Sein Tal U'mata Levracha, or he said, then the blessing of should be repeated. If one heard and only remembered at the end of the when reciting, then the entire should be repeated. Okay, if one is unsure whether he remembered this is what we were talking about earlier he's unsure to say the proper term, then if it was within the first 30 days from when the change was made and the new phrase was already said 90 times, it is assumed that the proper form was said by habit. However, if it was still within the 30 days, it is assumed that the wrong form was said and the Amidah must be repeated from the beginning. What is the trick for that? As soon as the change is made, you recite that blessing 90 times without saying the name of Hashem, because we don't say Hashem's name in vain. And if it's not part of the actual prayer, but we're saying it just for getting ourselves accustomed to the new habit of how we say those words. So then it is a good way to avoid that doubt, halacha 12.
24:40
If on the first night of Pesach one mistakenly said the regular weekday Amidah, this can happen on Shabbat as well, where suddenly you're in the middle of praying and you realize, uh-oh, I just said the weekday Amidah, I should have said the Shabbos one instead of the festival Amidah, and reach the point of Baruch Aleinu where we add this extra part since one once a little typo here, since once beginning the blessing, it must be concluded properly. The insert, however, of V'Sein Baracha or Talumatar should be omitted, since the congregation hasn't begun the V'Sein Baracha insertion yet till the next day, musaf Right. So therefore the same applies with all the inserts. We always follow the congregation when the congreg day Musaf right. So therefore the same applies with all the inserts. We always follow the congregation when the congregate right. So you finish that blessing and then you'll begin the proper holiday blessings of the Amidah. But you have to finish that blessing, you can't stop in middle. But you don't put in the insert If one forgot to insert Yalav Yavo, and this is going to be relevant next week when it's Rosh Chodesh.
25:51
Next week we're going to have a Rosh Chodesh of Teves, the month of Teves. So on Rosh Chodesh, shachris or Mincha, specifically the morning or the afternoon prayers, or on Chol HaMoyed, during a festival, during the Shachris, mincha or Mariv. If they remembered at any point, before concluding the Amidah by reciting Yuli Rotzon, then they return to Ritzei and insert the Yalav Yavo again. If it was remembered before the blessing of Hamachzer, shechina, solot Zion, which is right before the Modim, then Yalav Yavo is recited right there. If one only remembers after reciting Yeru L'Ratzon at the end of the Amida, the entire Amida must be repeated from the beginning. Now on Rosh Chodesh, at Ma'arif, one or two days of Rosh Chodesh, so it's the evening prayer, ma'arif prayer. You never repeat the Amidah for Yalav Yavo at Ma'arif. Why? This is because the new month was never sanctified at night. This is because the new month was never sanctified at night. Therefore we do not repeat the Amidah if it was forgotten in the evening. Okay, only for Yalav Yavo.
27:14
Now Halacha 14. If one forgot to insert Yalav Yavo at Shacharis, on Rosh Chodesh or Chol Amoed, so it's the morning of Rosh Chodesh or Chol HaMoed, and one forgot to insert the Yalav Yavo, even if it was only remembered after Mosaf, the Shachar Samidah must be repeated, and if the Shachar's time has passed already, then mincha should be repeated twice. Now there's a halacha, very simple halacha. If someone forgets to pray one of the prayers, they need to recite the next prayer twice, so suddenly, only if the time passed. Okay, so there's a certain time when the morning prayer should be prayed, there's a certain time when the afternoon prayer should be prayed and a certain time when the evening prayer should be prayed. Now, if someone forgot one of those prayers and the time has passed, the next prayer should be repeated twice. We're going to get into this, we're going to get to those halachas later, but it's called tashlumin, where you double pay the next one. Okay, so it makes sense. You missed one, you pay a double on the next one.
28:24
When an Amidah is required to be repeated, one should wait a few moments before repeating Meaning. You don't just like, oh, I need to repeat it, I made a mistake. Let me just start right now. Wait a few moments, collect your thoughts, gather yourself together and then repeat the Amidah. It shouldn't be one right after the other Echazan, who forgot to insert Yalav Yovah in his silent Amidah. So Echazan, the one who leads the prayer service, or the cantor. So they say the silent Amidah and then they do the repetition out loud. What's if in the silent Amidah, their personal Amidah, they forgot to say the Yalav Yovah? So what do they do now? What do they do now? So, because they're going to say the repetition, we assume that he's going to say it correctly with the repetition and therefore does not need to repeat the silent Amidah again and then cause the congregation to be delayed. Cause the congregation to be delayed On a fast day, personal or communal fast.
29:29
Which is common First is we have six fast days in the regular year, regular calendar year, six fast days. But a person can make a personal fast day. For example, a bride and groom the day of their wedding fast. If someone had a bad dream and it was considerably concerning to them, they can fast. Fasting is a form of cleansing and therefore, by the way, people do this today for weight loss, right? People do this intermittent fasting and things like that. So fasting is something which is not uncommon.
30:09
But either way, when one fasts, communal or personal anenu, a special prayer is added at Shema Kolaynu. If one forgot, they can add it at the end of the Amidah and omit the word and then say, meaning the ending of it, which is at every moment, that G-d is there. I am going to pull it up right here. The way it concludes this is during the Mincha prayer. It is inserted in Shema Kolenu. We say which is who redeems and rescues in every time of distress and woe. So, since it's not recited at the proper place, it is that those four words are omitted If one only remembers after already taking the three steps back. The Amidah is not repeated. Okay, now we brought five or six, seven different scenarios right. We spoke about the beginning, the Mashi V'Rachamor Adagashim or Mor Adatal. We spoke about V'Sein Baracha and V'Sein Tal HaMotar, which is in the sixth blessing, and then we spoke about Yala V'Yavo. And now we're adding over here at the end the Aneinu prayer that is added when one is fasting In all of these cases, if one remembered while they're still praying the Amidah, because they forgot it, unless it is Rosh Chodesh and not by evening. Okay, so there's a lot of details here. It should hopefully again take these notes home, review them If you have any questions next week, god willing, sunday morning, I look forward to seeing everyone with their questions.
32:04
We'll address the questions Now. My dear friends, those of you who are online on Facebook, youtube, twitter, linkedin, rumble Twitch. We're going to sign off here. Thank you so much. You're welcome to submit your questions if you have them. Anyone who has any questions, please submit them. You can email me at ej. Sorry, that's everyday Judaism. No, that's not the email. You can just email me at qna at torchweborg. Qna at torchweborg. I look forward to addressing your questions and please like, share rate these podcasts. We appreciate it immensely. Have a magnificent week. Those of you who are here. We are going to take your questions now. I look forward to hearing them. So, yes, yes, that's an excellent question.
32:57
You follow the custom that is yours when you're there. If you're in a place where there is a different custom, you follow the custom of the place, right, don't be a thorn in the eyes of the people. Or, as they say, the halacha says this if everyone is sitting, you sit. If everybody's standing, stand. Don't do the opposite of what everyone's doing. Don't stand out. Don't be different. Right, be different. In your own personal life, in your own family, be different. I always say be different by being better, be different by being better. That's fine, but you don't have to, if you're in the congregation, follow what everyone does. Oh, so, typically these types of fasts are morning to evening, so from sunrise or a little bit before sunrise till the stars are out. So any type of fast that a person does, we can talk about it. We're going to get to it later, but we just did halacha number 19. Next week we're going to be doing God willing, I finished writing out this page at three o'clock in the morning this morning.
34:02
I'm very dedicated to this class because I think it's very important. It needs to be, because there's no way around it. If you don't know the laws, they're not going to. It's not you know. And if you know anybody else who's in the conversion process, please welcome them in, because they're going to need this. They're going to need it, whether it be listening to the podcast, but then they won't be able to ask questions or they can be here. Come with your questions. By the way, there's no I want to share, just so that you understand. I get questions. I'm a rabbi. I'm an ordained rabbi.
34:34
I went to yeshiva to learn halacha and to study it, and to not only study it but to learn its sources. So when you understand the sources, it's much easier. For example, keeping Shabbat is much easier. The more you learn, the less you know, the more difficult it's like, oh, I can't do anything. Right, because the more you learn, the more you see that it's actually, it makes sense. But if you don't know, it's like, oh, you can't do that, you can't do that, you can't do that, you can't do that, can't do that, can't do that, you can't do anything. That's not true, okay. So the more you know, the better.
35:10
Now we had a Kosher Month program that we used to run for many, many years and it was introducing people to kosher and part of the program was Kosher Eaters Anonymous and it was a support group for those who were learning about kosher. And I had a woman who had become religious later in her life lead that group and it was an amazing gift that she led the group because she was able to share information that I was never able to even understand would be an issue. One of the questions that the people asked I was listening to the whole program. She was like a circle and it was like one of these anonymous groups. So a person asked. He said I don't understand. I'm going to have questions all day. Who am I going to ask? She said do you have a phone? Of course everyone has a phone. She says pull out your phone, take down the rabbi's number and put it on speed dial. I said I can't do that. He said, yes, you can. You get every rabbi or the rabbi that you're comfortable with asking your questions. Put them on speed dial and I get questions. I get questions all the time from students that are present students and past students and they'll text me a picture.
36:22
Rabbi, is this a good kosher symbol? Rabbi, what do I do? I use my meat ladle for my cheese, for my cheese, whatever. You know it's like, whatever, ask the question. It's a great question, every question is a great question. And you know what? I'm very committed to the questions that I'm asked and if I don't know, I'll do the research. There are times I don't know.
36:46
It's an area that I may not have studied. I may not have strong understanding. I got a very, very interesting question this week. Someone asked me about alternative medicine, energy medicine like energy with stones, with all that kind of heezy-beezy stuff. Is it halachically okay? I never got that question before. I never got that question before.
37:18
So I asked my rabbi and my rabbi said there are very, very strong opinions on this. There's one opinion that says that this is idolatry, it's pure idolatry and it is forbidden. There are other opinions that say it's no problem. So my rabbi says so what do I do? What do I tell the student? My student is asking me what do I do? He says if they decide to go with it and to do it, there's enough to rely on. They're not idolaters, don't worry about it If they decide that they want to do it. But you have to know the two sides. You understand? So it's. There are a million questions that could be asked. Let's ask those questions, let's not be like well, I don't want to interrupt the rabbi, I get questions all the time.
38:05
So the rabbis included chicken with the laws of meat. The reason is because they can be confused. Well, the world is, and the world could see you with your chicken and your parmesan and say like isn't that meat? And see like, one second, maybe that's a confusion for other people who are going to see it. And therefore the rabbi said milk and chicken is the same. It's an excellent question. Milk and chicken. Milk and chicken is the same. It's an excellent question. Milk and chicken, chicken and meat are the same category and therefore are both, even though the Torah only says that you shouldn't mix milk and meat, but chicken is included in that. So we don't say that because I'm not going to be confused.
38:42
It's fine, the rabbis put it together, they lumped them together, that now, chicken and meat. Because you can see something, you can see chicken on a plate and you cannot know sometimes whether or not it's meat, white meat or chicken. And therefore, to avoid that confusion and not have someone commit a biblical prohibition of eating milk and meat together, which is pretty serious, by the way so therefore it's. But you know what? There are fake. Today we have the alternative cheese that's like Parmesan I happen to love Parmesan, by the way, on all dairy stuff oh, on my ravioli and stuff like that, but not on my chicken. Never tasted it. It looks great on those advertisements, by the way, by the way.
39:28
I just want to share with you the halacha says and you should just know this conversation that we're having the most important part of learning halacha and I look forward to it at the end of every class, to having these discussions with so many different pieces come in from these questions. So let me share with you what Rashi says in Leviticus, where it talks about kosher and unkosher. Rashi says that a person who sees or hears about unkosher food, food that's not kosher shouldn't say it's disgusting, but rather should say it actually looks delicious. But Hashem said I can't eat it. And I do this with my children when we watch football. My children love watching football. They're big followers of the Texans and all the other teams, and you have these great advertisements for Applebee's and all of these things and you see this like oh my God, that really looks great. But do you know what? Hashem said that it's not kosher and therefore we can't eat it, right? So don't think that just because it's not kosher, it's like oh, that's disgusting, right? No, no, no, it looks actually pretty good. Hashem said I can't eat it and that's why I'm not going to eat it, and I'm not even going to be tempted, should I not? Hashem said no, it's a no, it's a great question. I love these questions, yes, but I want you to understand. Let me just do this again. If you haven't seen this before, this will be eye-opening. If you have, then just be patient with me, okay? Okay, so let me explain to you so that you understand exactly how halacha works. Okay, god gave us the Ten Commandments. Okay, god gave us the Ten Commandments, subsequently gave us the Torah. Right, moshe finished writing that Torah before he died and the five books of Moses are five books of Moses. That Moses transcribed by the word of Hashem, I'll just share with you.
41:25
I have a student of mine who is a very well-respected attorney and he was asked to teach a class in University of Houston Law School and he did a series on Jewish law versus American law and he asked me if he can ask me any questions during the process. I said anytime, any place, you just call me, I will be there. One evening I get a frantic phone call at 1130 at night. He says where are you? I said I'm home. Is everything okay? He says I need you at my house immediately. I said no problem, sit tight, I'll be there in seven minutes. He lives only about seven minutes from my house. I come there and he is under a pile of papers, a pile of books you have no idea Notes. I'm like what in the world is going on here? He says I'm about to teach my course tomorrow at University of Houston. Remember I mentioned to you a few months ago. He says but I'm just reading through all of my notes.
42:26
He said I decided to go to my congregation. I'm not going to mention what leaning they have, but he said I asked the rabbis. Three different rabbis separately interviewed them, gave them the same questions. The question started with who wrote the Torah. He got three different answers. He just looked at the notes and he realized that he got three different answers from three different rabbis. That is ridiculous. I said to him I'm not even going to answer that question. You are going to answer it.
42:55
I said in your congregation when they lift up the Torah, known as Chagva, they lift up the Torah, which means to hold it up, and they turn, holding the Torah. They turn it so that they show the letters of the Torah to all the congregants. I said what's the song that you sing? And he starts humming it. He's like this is the Torah that Moshe gave the Jewish people. This is the Torah that Moshe gave the Jewish people, al pi Adonai biyad Moshe, by the word of Hashem, through the hand of Moses. I said now tell me who wrote the Torah. Moses wrote the Torah through the word of Hashem. I said so tell me what's the correct answer Moses. Very good, moses wrote the Torah.
43:46
Moses did not have the right to add or subtract even a single letter. Not a single letter. An example of that is the beginning of the book of Leviticus. It says Vayikra. That's the name of the book in Hebrew, vayikra. You notice the aleph is small Because God says okay, we're up to the third book now. Vayikra, hashem Omoshen, god called Moses.
44:16
Moses felt that it was a little bit arrogant for it to be like. God called him, like imagine you get a president calling you lahavzil alif, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf, alf called me on my personal phone. Moshe felt that it was arrogant, so he made the Aleph small and it reads Vayikar. And it happened to meet God. He can't change what God said. So he made the Aleph small. The Aleph is there, but the Aleph is small To show his humility. But Moses could not change even a single letter of the Torah, not a single letter of the Torah.
45:09
So now the green section here is the Torah, the prophets and the writings, which is known as the written law, the only books, by the way. There are only 24 books total in the written law? Do you know how many books were actually written by the prophets law? You know how many books were actually written by the prophets? The Talmud says thousands and thousands of books of prophets were written, but they weren't accepted to be part of the 24 books of the written law, the Torah Shabbat. It had to be with perfect precision of clarity, because everything was given through prophecy and if it wasn't 100% wholesome, so to speak, it wasn't included. Or if there wasn't something for us to learn for all generations from it, it wasn't included. So it's not simple for a book to be made into part of the 24 books of the written law. Okay, then what happened? Those written law don't change not even a letter of it, and it was explained. For example, we've talked about this many, many times in our classes.
46:22
The Torah tells you what to do, but not how to do. The Torah says to put a mezuzah, but it doesn't tell us what a mezuzah is. It says to put it on your doorpost. It forgot to tell us the details. What is that mezuzah? The Torah tells us to slaughter an animal. It forgot to tell us how to slaughter the animal. The Torah tells us to put on tefillin, but it forgot to tell us what they are and what color they should be, and hundreds of other examples of how the Torah commands us to do something. It tells us what to do, but not how to do. Well, that was given from Moses at Mount Sinai, and Moses taught it to Aaron and to his sons and to all of the sages, all the way, from what God taught Moses all the way to Joshua, all the way down to what we are learning right here, the Torch Rabbis and Rabbitsons to you. So everything we're learning is sourced, generation to generation, 131 generations of rabbi to student, all the way to God giving Moses at Mount Sinai the Torah and the explanations of everything.
47:33
Okay, so I want you to know that at any point of our study, you can always stop me and ask me well, what's your source for that? And I will tell you the source for it. And ask me, well, what's your source for that? And I will tell you the source for it. Now, the reason I don't share the source is I had someone, one of our listeners and I thank our podcast listeners for reaching out to me and I love the feedback, I love getting the comments, I love getting the questions. And he said to me you know, you say a source but you don't give the exact location of the source.
48:05
You say our sages, and I do that intentionally. The reason I do that is because I've had many, many times over the years where students, for example, if I'm quoting the Shulchan Aruch or I'm quoting a Maharal and the people would be the well, how do you spell that? And it becomes a big distraction for the class. So I said you know I'm not going to give the exact source. Or baba basra, well, which tractate is that and what you know what? After class, I can give all the sources the exact location and it should be said within the class, but I don't necessarily give the exact said within the class, but I don't necessarily give the exact location because of the distraction it might cause to the rest of the participants.
48:50
So, either way, for generations and generations, people studied the 24 books of the written law and they knew every word of it. They understood what it meant and they knew how to conduct their lives. But people were starting to forget the rest of the story, all of the deeper things. I'll give you an example. I prepared many, many, many, many hours for this class. But how long did it take me to actually present the class? It takes only like 30, 35 minutes, but I prepared for hours and hours.
49:23
So where's all that information going? It's getting truncated into a small short class and a lot of the information you have and a lot of things you're writing just the headlines in your notes. You're like, oh, yeah, yeah, he said a story about this and that, right, it reminds you. So you write in shorthand and then you elaborate on it. It reminds you, so you write in shorthand and then you elaborate on it. That's the way the written Torah is the shorthand.
49:47
The elaboration of it is the oral Torah and that's the Midrash, which is the rest of the story. The Kabbalah, which is the rest of the story. The Mishnah, which structures it into six orders so it's all of Torah is designed by six orders of how the Mishnah is structured seeds, holidays, women, damages, holiness and purity and 63 tractates of Mishnah are divided up into those six categories. We have 11 books in seeds dealing with agricultural rules and laws of food and blessings. We have 12 books in seeds dealing with agricultural rules and laws of food and blessings. We have 12 books in holidays, which is dealing with all Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
50:31
The Rosh Hashanah is a track date. Yom Kippur is a track date. Sukkot is a track date. Megillah, which is for Purim, is a track date. Pesach is a track date. Shavuot is a track date. Each one is a track date. Each of theach is a tractate. Shavuot is a tractate. Each one is a tractate. Each of the holidays is a tractate. Shabbat is a tractate.
50:49
Okay, we have seven books in dealing with women's issues and relationships. So the contract between a husband and wife, which is called a ketubah, is a tractate. Kedushin we can't call it. It's not an acquisition. A man does not buy a woman. She's not an object. He buys her rights to exclusivity so that she cannot be with another man that he acquires. With what does he acquire? There are three ways to acquire that exclusivity. That is a tractate. Onto its own. Divorce is a tractate. All the rights of a husband and a wife, oaths, all in that category. The 10 books of damages. What's if I drive my car over your lawn? What's if you hire me to install, you know, your bushes in your landscaping and they all die? Am I responsible? Am I not responsible, was it? Normal for it to happen?
51:48
Was it not normal? All of damages? What's if I punch you and I break your jaw? God forbid, shoes aren't violent, but what happens if that happened by mistake? What's if it was on purpose? All of these things? If, god forbid, someone killed someone else? All damages. Ten different books dealing with that. In fact, our Dafyomi Sanhedrin is one of the books in the Zikin in damages, dealing with all of criminal and civil laws. We have Kutchum, which is holiness, 11 books there dealing with offerings and dietary laws, and then 12 books dealing with purity, which is all the temple service, spirituality and family purity.
52:28
Okay, so that's the Mishnah, 63 tractates. Now the Mishnah is written in code too. It needs to be decoded because you can't make law out of the Mishnah. You're not supposed to rule any laws from the Mishnah, only from the conclusion of the Talmud. And let me give you the first Mishnah of all the Mishnahs, and then you'll understand how the Talmud works.
52:51
Mishnah says first Mishnah, the first one, open up the first book of Mishnah. It says from when do you recite the Shema in the evening? From when do you recite the Shema in the evening? So there's so many assumptions here. It's imagine this, imagine this. Maybe I say, okay, mark, when are we going skiing? He's like what, skiing? What are you talking about? We're going skiing. I didn't know we're going skiing. Who said we're going skiing? I didn't know we're going skiing. Who said we're going skiing?
53:26
There's an assumption here that you recite the Shema in the evening. When you ask, from when do you recite the Shema in the evening? There is an assumption that you say Shema in the evening. Where do we get that assumption from? Where is the author? Rabbeinu HaKadosh? Judah, the prince who wrote the Mishnah, is making a wild assumption. Based on what is that assumption? That's what the Talmud does. The Talmud starts attacking After the Mishnah is quoted.
53:54
The Talmud says what? Who says you recite the Shema? Ah, there is a verse in the Torah that tells us that we recite Shema in the evening and morning. You see what's going on here. The Talmud is there to verify the Mishnah through the sources in the Torah. It works like that. Everything needs to be sourced. There's no, this is not.
54:21
We mentioned this in our Talmud podcast just on Friday. This isn't the Washington Post, where you have anonymous sources. Everything needs to be sourced. The Talmud is going to ask what is your source, mishnah? You make a claim that you recite Shema in the evening, asking by asking when do we start reciting Shema in the evening? There's an assumption that you recite Shema in the evening. What's your source? Oh, it's a verse in the Torah that says U b'shach b'chav komecha, that you should recite the Shema when you lay down and when you arise, meaning evening time and morning time. Okay, that's what the Talmud does. And then the Talmud brings the source and says oh, so that's the. So we have to recite the Shema in the morning and the evening. So what's the proper time? And then he brings proof to that as well Everything sourced in the written law. If it's not sourced, it's not the law.
55:26
Okay, then came the Rambam in the purple section. Rambam, in the 1100s, learned all of the Torah, the prophets, the writings, all of the Midrash, the Kabbalah, the Mishnah, the Talmud both Talmuds, the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud of the mission of the Talmud both Talmuds, the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud and went through all the conclusions of all the summaries of all the laws and organized them in 14 different categories, and the Rambam gave what's known as Halacha. Okay, so now what is Halacha? It's the conclusion and the Rambam. If you look at the Rambam, every single line of the Rambam has a source in the Talmud, which will tell you the source in the Torah of exactly every word. There's no such thing that the Rambam writes something just out of oh, this is my thought, this is my idea, this is my idea, this is my decision. Nobody has the authority to make up rules. It has to be sourced.
56:31
I will share with you a very, very interesting interaction that I had with my rabbi. I was sitting with him and we were this is many, many years ago. I was probably 17 years old and I had a really interesting idea on the Parsha. So I went over to him and I said I have a chidush, I have an intriguing new idea on the Parsha, and I shared with him my idea and his face was glowing. He's like oh, I love that.
56:56
What's your source? I said I have no source. He says then it's garbage. And he went back to learn and I was like devastated, like what do you mean? Such a novel idea, such a concept? Well, if you don't have a source for it, it's garbage. It's nice that you come up with a nice flowery idea and you have oh, but it makes me feel good and it's a spiritual pa-pa-pa-pa, right, it's garbage. If you don't have a source for it, it's garbage. That's the way the Torah works. There's plenty of area in the Torah to find a source for something, but if you don't have the source for it, I'm sorry, okay, I don't want to use such a harsh word of garbage, but that's what my rabbi told me. Okay, so that's the halacha. So the halacha is a summary. So now, when you learn halacha properly and you go to the source, you'll be going through the Talmud, you'll be going through the Mishnah, sometimes through the Midrash or the Kabbalah, and then end up in the Torah for your source for everything. So when Mark asked his beautiful question Paramejan on chicken, so that in this area right here of the Talmud and the Mishnah, it was instituted.
58:29
In their understanding of the Torah. They can't make up rules, but they can adjust it so that it's clear and to remove all confusion. They cannot make up rules. There are seven laws, seven, a total of seven that were instituted by the rabbis. Only seven laws.
58:55
One of them is washing hands before you eat. Now, what's its source? They have a source for it. The Torah doesn't say it explicitly. The Talmud doesn't say it explicitly. The Talmud doesn't say it explicitly. The Talmud actually does. The Talmud says that because in the temple they would wash their hands before they're doing the service. Eating is like doing a service and therefore we make the same bridge. The same concept, the same rules apply and therefore we wash our hands. Lighting Shabbos candles is a rabbinic law. Again, it's sourced, meaning it's not sourced directly, but it is linked. They're able to make an equivalent. Over here, we see this. Over here, we see that we're able to bring a seven times. That's it. Anybody who tells you rabbis make up laws? It's incorrect, inaccurate. All right, did I answer your question? Right? And that's why there is.
59:54
That's why, at every mikvah in the evening, when women go to the mikvah to purify themselves, and I don't want to say yeah, to purify themselves and to begin a new chapter, because it's a new chapter of being able to create at that point, to create a new life. So then at the mikveh, there's a woman at the mikveh who. She is just there to ensure that every woman is clean, that they're washed properly. They'll check their nails to make sure that there's no dirt under their nails or nail polish. Everything is pristine. You can make chicken soup out of that water. How clean it is. All right, it is sparkling clean. A. The water is clean. B. The people going into that water are spotless, clean, checked thoroughly. And those are laws that typically my wife or one of the women would learn with the women. But that is something that's very, very holy and pure to ensure that there is a.
01:01:06
I remember when I was running a camp in the former Soviet Union in Ukraine and there was no mikveh there and there were some married couples there and the women would go together to the river late at night and the woman would go. The woman who was the time that woman would go, the woman who was, you know, the time that she would go to the mikveh, would go into the river and be completely submerged in the water and the other woman would say that means she is indeed fully immersed. Again, the here is not a not in the here, there is not. It is amazing the pristineness of how the Torah wants a marriage to be renewed every month, to be renewed, to be renewed. It's a fresh. The Talmud says that a couple that properly observes the laws of nida, of family purity, it's like a honeymoon 12 times a year.
01:02:11
And people ask the rates of divorce out there in the world, like 50, 60, 70%. It's crazy. In some counties in California it's like 110, 120% because they've divorced multiple times. It's crazy. What is the ingredient to keep it together, keep it fresh and renewed? And during the time that a woman is not able to be with her husband, there's no touching, there's no hugging, there's no kissing, there's no physical contact whatsoever. It brings a whole new attraction. It brings a whole new excitement. It brings a whole renewed vigor to the relationship. It's like a bride and groom. You know for the very first time every month. And that's why in the religious community the divorce rates are below 5%. You know there are times that there are irreconcilable differences between the husband and wife, but in a general way. You know, it keeps the excitement, it keeps the freshness of a relationship. It's always right first, always right first. There's only one exception for right and left, where you tie the left first. Everything is always right first. Everything is always right first.
01:03:43
So for bread, for eating bread, you do right, right, left, left, or right right, right, left, left, left. Some people do three, some people do two. Allah says to do two, but for all other washings you do right, left, right, left, right, left, three. For hamotsotzi, you do one, one, one, one, okay, and you make sure that it's from the wrist down and you make sure you keep your hands.
01:04:12
We actually talked about it. You can go back to episode number number two, prayer podcast. The last Friday also talks about that. The Talmud podcast of last Friday, that's right, we talked about that there in the Talmud, that's thinking Talmudist, but I'll Simeon 2 in our series here. It would be worthwhile for everybody to catch up. So if you can go back, listen from the beginning. So one, two, three go in order. You have the notes. I'm going to send everyone the notes so you have, from waking up in the morning, exactly the laws of washing hands, and then we go to the laws of getting dressed, the laws of behavior in the washroom. Right always, right first, correct. All right, my dear friends, this was magnificent. Welcome back and I look forward. Next week, god willing, 11 o'clock, same place, same time, no breaks. Torah never sleeps.
01:05:10 - Intro (Announcement)
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