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Date Posted: 22:50:47 06/14/12 Thu
Author: d
Subject: fb124


#486 Be Carefree Yet Careful

While you should work on overcoming unnecessary worrying, have a healthy fear of danger and sensibly guard yourself from harm. Overcoming worry does not mean putting yourself in danger, but in having a calm attitude in dealing with difficulties and accepting what cannot be changed.

(Ralbag; Hadaios Vehamidos 5:2; Rabbi Pliskin's Gateway to Happiness, p.158)
#487 Heroic Choices, Heroic Life

When you consistently make heroic choices, you create a heroic life.

You are constantly writing your autobiography, even if it isn't written on paper. The choices you make are the material which shape your autobiography. When you make enough heroic choices, you create a heroic masterpiece.

(From Rabbi Pliskin's book, "Courage")


See Rabbi Pliskin's new book "Life Is Now"




25 Sivan

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi David Hirsch Frankel (1704-1762), rabbi of Berlin and author of a popular commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud, Korbon Ha'Eida. In the 4th century, due to conflict between the Roman Empire which controlled Israel, and the Parthian Empire which controlled Babylonia, there was limited contact between these two main Jewish communities, The Jerusalem Talmud was redacted in the year 350, and shortly thereafter the yeshivas in Israel were closed due to religious persecution and anarchy in the Late Roman Empire. A separate edition, the Babylonian Talmud, was more carefully edited, as Babylonian Jewry was outside the Roman Empire and thus not subject to the ongoing persecutions. The Babylonian Talmud is the edition most widely studied today. The Jerusalem Talmud is much shorter and more difficult to decipher, and it suffers from a dearth of authentic commentaries. For centuries, Rabbi Frankel's Korbon Ha'Eida has been an indispensable aid to students of the Jerusalem Talmud.
26 Sivan

In 1942, the advancing German army was stopped at El-Alamein in North Africa. Under the leadership of General Erwin Rommel, the Nazis threatened to annihilate the Jewish community living in Israel. So great was the threat that the Jewish Agency went about destroying its records, and rabbis distributed thousands of burial shrouds throughout the country. During this time, Rabbi Yosef Kahaneman, who lived in the Lithuanian town of Ponevich, escaped Europe and made his way to the Holy Land. Upon arriving on the shores of Tel Aviv, he proudly proclaimed: "I have come to establish a yeshiva. Rommel's troops do not deter me. Even if I am able to spread Torah learning for only a few days, that in itself would be of eternal significance." Rabbi Kahaneman built the Ponevich Yeshiva, and today it flourishes with thousands of students.



25 Sivan

When I speak, my words are master over me. When I do not speak, I am master in that I withhold them (Orchos Tzaddikim, Chapter 21).

Everyone has an inherent drive for power and control. We may use it for evil; for example, we may seek control over other people. On the other hand, we may use it for good and try to control our own drives and urges. In any case, it is often frustrating to discover that something is beyond our control.

Words are within our control until we have spoken them;then, we cannot control their effects. At the very best, we can retract what we have said, but that only sets up an opposing force to that which we have created. The original words can never be recalled. We often find ourselves powerless and subjected to the consequences of what we have said, in which case the words we have spoken have indeed become our masters.

How do we avoid this feeling of powerlessness? We have to take control of our speech and learn to keep silent when we have nothing constructive to say. If we do have to speak, we should choose our words very carefully.

If we had to choose a boss, we would certainly be very careful in our selection. We should be no less cautious with words.


Today I shall ...
... watch carefully what I say, realizing that once I have said something, I am powerless over those words.

26 Sivan

You shall stand in awe of your God. This includes Torah scholars as well (Pesachim 22b).

On 16 Nissan, it was explained that the true fear of and reverence for God refers to the fear of doing anything that would estrange one from Him. Inasmuch as the commission of transgressions causes such estrangement, the fear of God thus refers to fear of sinning.

Since reverence for Torah scholars is derived from the verse referring to fear of God, it means that we should be afraid to behave in a manner that would alienate us from Torah scholars or them from us.

This is a commendable fear, because it fosters closeness to scholars. There is another type of fear that has the polar opposite effect, in that it leads to estrangement. This is the fear that because scholars are more learned or more spiritual, one feels so inferior that one withdraws from them. Or perhaps out of fear that scholars may reprimand one for one's dereliction, one may shrink from being close to them.

The Talmud states that a shy person does not make a good student, because he will be hesitant to assert himself to ask when he does not understand something. He may be afraid that asking will expose his ignorance.

Feelings of inferiority can cause people to be strangers to one another. Ironically, sometimes each person may withdraw from the other because each one considers himself inferior. A healthy self-esteem will enable one to be close to others, to be a good friend and a good student.


Today I shall ...
... avoid withdrawing from people more learned than myself.

See more books by Rabbi Abraham Twerski at Artscroll.com


25 Sivan

Charging Interest

Can you explain the concept in Jewish Law which prohibits the charging of interest. Is there a loophole to charge interest even in Orthodox business circles?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah states that it is forbidden to charge a fellow Jew interest on a loan (Leviticus 25:37).

Maimonides comments on this passage that the highest form of charity is to prevent a person from becoming poor - e.g. by offering a loan or employment, investing in his business, or any other form of assistance that will avoid poverty.

Interest is forbidden because we are obligated to help out others when in need. If someone is in dire need for money, in order to sustain himself and his family, and he refuses to accept charity, we should lend him the money he needs, without him worrying about the interest ruining his future.

"Interest" is any time a person gets back more than they loaned, whether it was pre-arranged or not. Not only is it forbidden for the borrower to give the lender back more money than what was loaned, but he must not give anything extra as a result of the loan.

What about business loans?

Imagine a situation where someone wants to do business and is need of a financer. He can make a business deal whereby the full amount of the loan is not guaranteed to be paid back. It is a risk the lender takes, like any other business deal. The borrower is just an agent to do business for the lender (for whatever share they agreed upon). In such a case, a special contract is drawn up called a "Shtar Iska." A copy of this text can be found in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, chapter 66. (see Shulchan Aruch - Y.D. 167)

A Shtar Iska is displayed in most banks in Israel.

In any case, it is permitted to borrow and/or lend from a non-Jew with interest, which is why many observant Jews prefer using banks that are owned by non-Jews.

There are also rabbinic authorities who say there is no prohibition of taking/giving interest from a corporation, only from individuals. Some people rely on this in case of great necessary.

Since the laws of "interest" in the Torah are very complex, in any actual case you should consult with your local rabbi.
26 Sivan

Chanukat HaBayit

We just bought our first home and will be moving in another few weeks. We wanted to make a house-warming party. Is there anything like this in Jewish tradition?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:

A Chanukat HaBayit (literally "dedication of the house") is a Jewish house-warming party.

In a technical sense, the Chanukat HaBayit is when the Mezuzah is affixed to the front door, which should be done immediately upon moving into a new home. (If you're only renting, and the house or apartment is located in the diaspora, then a mezuzah can be put up within 30 days.) See details of how to affix a mezuzah, as well as an instructional video.

Besides that, it is a tradition to infuse the start of a new home with blessings, warmth and holiness. So after you've moved in and unpacked your boxes, invite family and friends to join you for a Chanukat HaBayit celebration. A festive meal is served, words of Torah are spoken, and Psalm 30 is recited. The full ceremony and other details of the Chanukat HaBayit are printed in the book "Sefer HaBayit," by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Lerner.

This is also a good time to appreciate the importance of the Jewish home. It surprises many people to find out that most of the essential functions in Jewish life take place not in the synagogue, but rather in the home -- such as the Passover Seder, the Sukkah, candle-lighting on Shabbat, the Chanukah menorah, and the mezuzah. The continuity of Judaism rests on the home more than anything else.

A "Chanukat HaBayit" can also be held when moving into a new office. This is a good time to remember that Jewish ethics are not confined to the synagogue or holiday celebrations, but rather punctuate every moment of our lives -- including standards of business ethics. There are Jewish laws dealing with employee relations, unfair competition, charging interest, damage to possessions, etc. A Chanukat HaBayit is a good time to commit to following these guidelines, with the hopes that one's business dealings will reflect honesty and integrity, serving as a model for others to follow.



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