Michael el Chayil

What really was the final straw that led to the destruction of the entire world except for the righteous Noach and his family? Robbery. (Rashi to B'reishis 6:13, quoting from Sanhedrin 108a). I have a point I would like you to ponder. Given that it was the sin of גזל/robbery (not a sneak thief, but someone who steals with impunity) is what sealed the fate of the Generation of the Flood, wouldn't you think that a prohibition against גזל/robbery ought to make the Top Ten List, aka, עשרת הדברות? But it is seemingly not there at all. Or is it? Before the big reveal, please note that לא תגנוב/Thou Shalt Not Steal (as they say in America) an exhortation that forbids kidnapping. (Fun fact: the victim does not need to be actually removed from their residence to be considered kidnapped. According to Cornell Law School (and we all know how much weight the opinion of ivy league schools carries nowadays): Kidnapping is a crime at common law consisting of an unlawful restraint of a person...

I printed out R' Biderman on parahas Vayakhel last week and saw that it started with "El Man de Hoy en Dìa" -- מן/Mahn Nowadays. (I transliterate מן as "mahn" so it doesn't get confused with English word a male adult. No such issue in Spanish.) Anyways... I thought I had printed out the Manatìales de la Torà for the wrong week, since the mahn is not discussed on this parasha. Nope; correct parasha. Hang on... this parasha (and the following) is ... ahem "just" a review of the parts of the משכן, right? The fact that the Torah seemingly repeats what has already been described in detail is a fascinating topic, but not for now. The topic for today is really encapsulated in the first three verses of the parasha, which feel wildly disjointed. Let me paraphrase: (1) Moshe gathered the entire nation to tell them: these are the things HaShem commands be done. (2) You shall work six days a week, but it is a capital crime to perform forbidden labors on Shabbo...

I have a pet peeve that rankles every year about this time. I know it is meant with the best of intentions... but we all know the path to you-know-where is paved with those. I have learned to stay calm and (mostly) just sigh when I get a card that says, "In lieu of mishloach manos, a donation has been made in your name to <local/international incredibly worthy charity>." I am quite touched that someone thought about me when making that donation to <local/international incredibly worthy charity>, and I am really very happy that <local/international incredibly worthy charity> has more funds to continue and extend their incredible work. However, it ain't in lieu of nuttin. (Oh does my poor grammar rankle? See what I mean?) Chazal decreed that we should hear Megillas Esther twice (night and morning), have a wine meal, give money to the poor, and also to send two portions of food to a friend. That last bit is encoded in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 695:4 (which...

I had a boss who was rabidly atheist. He often felt it was his mission to help me see the error or my ways. My favorite was when he came running into my cubicle and said: "You can't eat pork, right?" Right... "Not any amount of pork at all , right?" Right... but there was something about gleeful tone, so I added, "Unless it is less than one part in 60, in which case it is nullified as undetectable."  You should have seen his face fall. "Oh... I was going to point out that it was impossible that with all the pork in the work, that not even one molecule of pork might be in your food. But I guess that doesn't make any difference now." I am pretty sure there is no such thing as a "molecule of pork", but that is really the least ridiculous thing about that event. While I said that "one in sixty" very matter-of-factly, the whole topic of ביטול/nullification is not simple. The essence of ביטול/nullification is that the Torah ...

There is an amazing organization dedicated to inspiring people to guard their eyes in our times, called  וימאן Set Your Eyes on Greatness . You can sign up for a daily inspirational video on WhatsApp. Now that I am retired, I get to have breakfast with a couple of my grandchildren and then take them to school each weekday. Part of our routine is watching the וימאן video. The two of them organized a schedule to take turns starting the video. It is an additional inspiration for us to see what inspires our priceless grandchildren. By far the most popular videos are about ordinary people using ordinary strategies. I highly recommend a recent video called Rubbing Away A Frosty Night . (Available from TorahAnytime as well as וימאן ). This morning I got to share my own story. Yesterday was a beautiful day in Chicago; nearly 70 degrees -- quite a rarity in Chicago for spring time. (I wish that was sarcastic...) I took advantage by going for a bike ride. I took my usual route through the fo...

Have I mentioned that I am retired? Oh... I may have once or twice. Things are somewhat different now that I spend my mornings in kollel. One thing hasn't changed: the coffee room, where everyone meets before first seder. Maybe the conversations are a bit different. This morning was interesting. Me: "Such a nice change to get my morning coffee in a kosher environment." Avreich: "Your work environment couldn't have been so bad, you worked in a hospital, right?" Ah, no... I am not that kind of doctor. I worked as a computer programmer. I said how happy I am now that after learning and davening in the morning, I can come to learn at the kollel. Someone asked what time I get up. I said, "Early." They made a couple of guesses, I just answered, "earlier" each time. Finally they decided to try the other end of the day, "So what time do you get to sleep?" I have a pat answer for that one also, "When I can." Then I explained th...