Skip to main content

Thought for the Day: I Made a Mistake and This is a Correction

I used to be shy about admitting mistakes in learning for fear that people would think that I am not a reliable source.  Just because I made little mistakes, I thought, shouldn't stop people from listening in general.  After all, continued my yeitzer hara, better for them to at least listen the to things I am right about about and the other things aren't really so bad.  As I have learned more and begun to really appreciate the depth and breadth of my ignorance, however, I am thrilled to have concrete examples of why you need to be an skeptical consumer.  I have enough problems with my own deficiencies in avodas HaShem, thank you.

Case in point, I reported in Thought for the Day: Some Things That Trump T'filla b'Tzibur, that the psak of the Mishna Brura is that if a person consistently comes late for davening that he should just daven in order; skipping, I erroneously reported, is only for the occasionally tardy.  A good friend challenged on on that statement.  I looked and looked in siman 52 (the laws of one who is late to davening but still before yishtabach) and couldn't find that p'sak again.  What the Mishna Brura does say over there is that even if one does not regularly daven with a minyan because he gets up too late,  but once in a while happens to get there near the end of p'sukei d'zimar, then by all means he should skip to get t'fila b'tzibur at least this time (s.k. 1).  I was not ready to retract, however, because many are the p'sak of the Mishna Brura that show up in odd nooks and crannies.  Besides, which, I knew I had seen that wording about not working except on an occasional basis.  And even more besides which, I am stubborn.


I am happy to report that I was correct in remembering the wording.  It just happens to be in a different context.  Namely, how early can you say k'ri'as sh'ma.  In siman 59 (hilchos k'ri'as sh'ma), syef 4, the Shulchan Aruch says that one who recites k'ri'as sh'ma after alos hashachar has, after the fact, fulfilled his obligation.  On that the Mishna Brura (s.k 19) says this this is davka only occasionally, once a month or so, that one can be yotzei b'di'avad.  However, if a person regularly says k'ri'as sh'ma before the appropriate time, then even b'di'avad he has not fulfilled his obligation and must repeat.  Unless, the Mishna Brura, continues, it there is a constant pressing need ("sha'as d'chak" are the words he uses); in which case it is permissible, because what choice does he have?


I know I already sent out a TftD today, but I was uncertain if a thought for the day and a retraction for the day make for two thoughts or zero.  Surprisingly, I decided to be machmir.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for the Day: Pizza, Uncrustables, and Stuff -- What Bracha?

Many years ago (in fact, more than two decades ago), I called R' Fuerst from my desk at work as I sat down to lunch.  I had a piece of (quite delicious) homemade pizza for lunch.  I nearly always eat at my desk as I am working (or writing TftD...), so my lunch at work cannot in any way be considered as sitting down to a formal meal; aka קביעת סעודה.  That being the case, I wasn't sure whether to wash, say ha'motzi, and bentch; or was the pizza downgraded to a m'zonos.  He told if it was a snack, then it's m'zonos; if a meal the ha'motzi.  Which what I have always done since then.  I recently found out how/why that works. The Shulchan Aruch, 168:17 discusses פשטיד''א, which is describes as a baked dough with meat or fish or cheese.  In other words: pizza.  Note: while the dough doesn't not need to be baked together with the meat/fish/cheese, it is  required that they dough was baked with the intention of making this concoction. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: What Category of Muktzeh are Our Candles?

As discussed in a recent TftD , a p'sak halacha quite surprising to many, that one may -- even לכתחילה -- decorate a birthday cake with (unlit, obviously) birthday candles on Shabbos. That p'sak is predicated on another p'sak halacha; namely, that our candles are muktzeh because they are a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור and not  מוקצה מחמת גופו/intrinsically set aside from any use on Shabbos. They point there was that using the candle as a decoration qualifies as a need that allows one to utilize a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור. Today we will discuss the issue of concluding that our candles are , in fact, a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור and not מוקצה מחמת גופו. Along the way we'll also (again) how important it is to have personal relationship with your rav/posek, the importance of precision in vocabulary, and how to interpret the Mishna Brura.  Buckle up. After reviewing siman 308 and the Mishna Brura there, I concluded that it should be permissible to use birthday candles to decorate a cake on Sha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: Why Halacha Has "b'di'avad"

There was this Jew who knew every "b'di'avad" (aka, "Biddy Eved", the old spinster librarian) in the book.  When ever he was called on something, his reply was invariably, "biddy eved, it's fine".  When he finally left this world and was welcomed to Olam Haba, he was shown to a little, damp closet with a bare 40W bulb hanging from the ceiling.  He couldn't believe his eyes and said in astonishment, "This is Olam Haba!?!"  "Yes, Reb Biddy Eved,  for you this is Olam Haba." b'di'avad gets used like that; f you don't feel like doing something the best way, do it the next (or less) best way.  But Chazal tell us that "kol ha'omer HaShem vatran, m'vater al chayav" -- anyone who thinks HaShem gives partial credit is fooling himself to death (free translation.  Ok, really, really free translation; but its still true).  HaShem created us and this entire reality for one and only one purpose: for use...
Post a Comment
Read more