Michael el Chayil

I have been giving a weekly shiur on Sefer Chafeitz Chaim for some time. Just last night, we finished the sefer. Minutes after the shiur  concluded, I received two different emails inviting me to online presentations about the Chafeitz Chaim, whose yarhtzeit is today, 24 Elul. Amazing coincidence, no? The last syef, 15, of the last siman, 9, of Hilchos רכילות, which follows a slightly larger section on Hilchos לשון הרע, begins with an all too common scenario that the Chafeitz Chaim uses to demonstrate just have fast and how deeply a relatively parve situation can dive into the murky waters of רכילות ולשון הרע. Near the end of that example, the saintly Chafeitz Chaim explains how one should act in that situation. Then, for the last paragraph, the closing thought and message, that same saintly Chafetz Chaim seems to take a sharp left turn. ודע/Now know that everything we have written in this sefer regarding the great care one must take to stay away from the sin of לשון הרע is re...

Have I mentioned how fortunate I feel to be learning in the Peterson Park Kollel? The mishna in Avos (4:2) says it is better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox. Besides all the talmidei chachamim who learn full time, there are lots of ba'alei batim (talmidei chachamim in their own rights) who spend a portion of their day in the kollel. In the mashal, I am barely the tip of the tail of the lion; and I feel very fortunate to be there. As one of those ba'alei batim was leaving, he left me with a question: Why don't we say thank you to HaShem on Rosh HaShannah for everything that He has done for us since last Rosh HaShannah! I had an inkling of an answer, but the question was so good that I just wanted to enjoy it for a while. I thanked him as he was running out and then I spent some time contemplating that apparent gaping omission. The truth is, the Mishna Brura, siman 112, addresses that question from a different angle. In shmone esrei, we are allowed (and encour...

We live in a world of GUIs -- graphical user interfaces. I grew up in a world of CLIs -- command line interfaces. I like CLIs. You tell the computer what to do; it does it. Simple. GUIs are, well, gooey. The programmer decided the best way for you to accomplish your task, and now it is his way or the highway. Just follow the rules, push the right buttons and you'll be fine. (Let's be honest  -- there are no buttons; just spots on the screen where that same arrogant programmer put a graphic of a button.) Sometimes, though, even that GUI expert has to come down off his high horse and actually explain something. That, I find, is when a lot of problems start. People are so used to "touch and swipe" that they read some of the words. Then when something goes wrong, they exclaim, "Hey! My phone isn't working! Why did it do that?" As bad as it is to skim the words in a pop-up alert, it is nothing compared to skimming a Biur Halacha. I think it is fair to say tha...

When we first moved to Dallas, we told the rabbi, Rabbi Aryeh Rodin, shilta, that we would like to "upgrade" our level of kashrut to the community standards. That is, we felt we were keeping kosher (we were not, of course), but wanted to be sensitive to other people's (in our mind, unnecessary) stringencies. You know, stringencies like looking for a hechsher when the ingredients on the label seemed just fine. Buying kosher cheese, even though we knew it was made with vegetable rennet. You know, stringencies. Rabbi Rodin came over and started by telling us, "There is nothing magic or mystical about kashering. The basic rule is that you get it out the same way it got in. Pots that always used with liquid for cooking, were to be kashered with hot water. Something that was used with dry heat -- like a roasting pan and the oven grates -- had to be kashered with (high) dry heat. Simple. I was very impressed and it changed my perspective on kashrus and the kashrus industry....

Let's take a look at the annual cycle we experience. The Three Weeks culminating in Tisha b'Av itself are accompanied by three special haftaras reminding us of our situation. Following that we have seven Shabbosim of consolation, also with their special haftaras; so special, in fact, that they even override the haftara for Rosh Chodesh Elul. We then have the Days of Awe; ten days of repentance beginning with Rosh HaShanna and concluding with Yom Kippur. Five days later, the season of our joy, Sukkos! Many years ago, I had the merit that R' Matisyahu Soloman, z"tzvk visited me at home; more on that visit in this TftD . I saw a two volume set of מתנת חיים, writings by R' Matisyahu Soloman, z"tzvk  on the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur. Of course, I took a set right away. (I already have מתנת חיים on the Pesach Hagadah.) R' Solomon begins by noting that this annual cycle -- suffering and mourning, then consolation, then repentance and forgi...

Nothing can quite make you feel as old as quoting a comic strip that is unknown to your listener. When I spoke to a group of college students, I knew better than to refer to Doonesbury (even though it is still around). I thought I was safe, though, with Dilbert. Nope. Sigh... Anyway,  on strip that is spot has Alice, the female engineer, looking for a better position in the company. The rule in companies, by the way, is that when you want to promote an internal candidate to a new position, you often need to post it, just in case there are better qualified candidates than the one you want to promote. The idea is sound, but when the manager just words the requirements in such a way that only one person fits. In the Dilbert example, Alice reads the job description: near-sighted, has a red pickup truck, and answers to "Bob". Dilbert notes that "they probably have someone in mind"; Alice still contemplates if she could make it work. (I have seen -- and even written -- jo...

Before you start to wonder if I was abducted by aliens... No, I am still the guy who gets a haircut when his wife lets him know that he is not welcome in the house until he gets his haircut. It turns out, though, that committing to getting a haircut has serious halachic ramifications. The mishna (Shabbos 9b) starts with: A person may not sit down in front of the barber close to mincha until he davens. Rashi explains that "sit down in front of the barber" means "to get a haircut."  Let's think about that. Rashi did not get paid by the word. Rashi is everyone's rebbi in how to most succinctly explain a topic. We all marvel at how Rashi is able to open up and explain a topic with so few words. Rashi always is either pointing out an essential feature you may have missed or stopping you from heading down the wrong path. I racked my brain trying to figure out what else I could have thought the mishna meant by "sitting down in front of the barber" other t...

I spent the majority of my childhood in the 1960s. They were tumultuous times. I was too young to be an active participant, but I was an observer and I have certainly seen how those events shaped history for decades to come. My wife and I were traveling through Memphis and decided to visit the National Civil Rights Museum , which takes you through the centuries of history and ends at the room in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. It was intense and enlightening on many levels. That Motzei Shabbos we wanted to visit the music district and we happened to get a Lyft driver who was a very nice black lady. She asked us about our stay. I mentioned the visit to the Civil Rights Museum. She asked about my impressions. (My wife was already nervous at that point.) I told her that I grew up in California where the schools were never segregated and how shocked I was by just how bad things had been in the South. I asked her if things are all good now? She said there ...

I was in St. Louis. We had a nice dinner at the local kosher Indian restaurant that was in the neighborhood near the shul. We got to our hotel on the other side of town; apparently השגחה was not operating when I chose the hotel. I got up in the morning to drive to the Agudah to daven k'vasikin alone, and then finish davening with a minyan. They don't have a vasikin minyan; oh well, I guess השגחה was still not operating. I set the destination into my GPS and started driving. Something seemed odd. The night before the GPS had taken us from the restaurant straight to the freeway and the hotel was just a couple of blocks from the exit. That morning, though, the route was along city streets for a while and then to the freeway. I decided to just double check that I had set the destination correctly. I pulled over a couple of intersections before the freeway entrance I was directed to take. Yup... destination correct, so I pushed "continue with trip" on GPS. The route had ch...

This week's parasha is עקב. The word has a few meanings, but in context it means "because of"/"due to"/"as a result of". The first few verses tell us that as a result of harkening to, safeguarding, and performing the משפטים/laws that HaShem has commanded, HaShem will keep the covenant that He made with you, and will show you the kindness He promised to your ancestors. And He will love, bless, and multiply you. And He will bless the fruit of your soil -- grain, wine, and oil. And He will bless your flocks. And He will love you above all other nations. And neither your nor any of your cattle will be sterile nor barren nor ever miscarry. And He will remove all sickness from you. And He will take care of your enemies by giving them the kind of diseases you knew about in Egypt. That is a pretty fair offer, no? One might even say more than fair. Now the more usual word for "because of"/"due to"/"as a result of" would be בגלל or ...

I have done two things this week that were entirely new experiences for me. One, I just completed the topic of הוצאה/moving an object from one domain to another in masechta Shabbos. This time was different, because it is the first time I have learned a gemara by topic instead of by daf. That is, instead of just moving through the gemara page by page, I skipped from the end of 9a to the 11th chapter, הזורק. Now that I have finished the topic, I am going back to 9b. Doesn't sound like a big thing to you? It was very strange for me to leave all those unturned/unlearned pages to jump up to Chap 11. In fact, once I started, it became clear how beneficial this was, as the topics from the first 7.5 daf, which are largely untouched in the intervening pages, are all over the place in the 11th chapter. Why did R' Yehuda do that? No clue. But I do see why that's the way it is learned in kollels. Live and learn. Here's my other new thing: I made a siyum on 8th Av with a chavrusa wh...

We all know that the diaspora thought which we are currently suffering is due, at its core, to שנאת חינם/baseless hatred. We all know, as well, that the way out of this stifling, prolonged diaspora is אהבת חינם/baseless love for each Jew. Wouldn't you think that we should go out of our way to greet each and every Jew we see with enthusiasm? Especially to a Jew who doesn't know about Tisha b'Av. I mean, wouldn't that seem to be a better idea than with the downcast eyes and weak, "Hi... but we don't really greet each other on Tisha b'Av", that halacha requires? A partial answer might be similar to the answer I received many years ago when I first learned about Tisha b'Av. I wanted to know if I could learn Mesillas Yesharim on Tisha b'Av. After all, I reasoned, what better day for character improvement than on Tisha b'Av itself? I was told that no, I could not learn Mesilas Yesharim because it is full of p'sukim and teachings from Chazal; ...

No list of great thinkers of the Western World could possibly elide Socrates. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Socrates fundamental convictions included: human wisdom begins with the recognition of one’s own ignorance the unexamined life is not worth living ethical virtue is the only thing that matters Those, even from a Torah perspective, are laudable ideals. It is widely accepted that the trial that led to his conviction and execution was politically motivated. Socrates challenged the status quo -- not with weapons, but with ideas. Socrates lectured in public to get people to open their minds and think. As far as his actual execution, this is how Google Gemini phases it: Socrates' execution, while controversial, elevated his status as a martyr for philosophy and intellectual freedom. He chose death over exile or compromise, solidifying his legacy as a symbol of unwavering commitment to truth and reason. He certainly is admirable, and that assessment has stood the test of tim...

Among the last few TftDs there has been discussions of how HaShem runs the world, i.e, השגחה/Divine Providence. I wondered if that was really a good term for what me mean, so I checked Google, and it's not bad: Divine Providence , in theological terms, refers to G-d's intervention and guidance in the universe. It's the belief that G-d is actively involved in sustaining and directing creation, including human affairs, towards a specific purpose. This can be understood as both a general, ongoing governance of the universe and specific, extraordinary interventions in the lives of individuals. In  any case, as a consequence, I have a new chavrusa! We are learning a two volume set on Faith, Divine Providence, and Free Will of שפתי חיים. (אמונה/Faith runs through both volumes, but the first volume focuses on Divine Providence, while the second on Free Will; within a Torah framework.) These volumes are based on the monthly talks given by R' Chaim Friedlander, z"tzl over m...

When looking into the night sky, besides the moon (and the occasional man-made satellites), you are seeing two realms: the fixed stars and the planets. (Yes, I know there are also comets and meteors. Let's focus on the horses before jumping to zebras.) The fixed stars, so called because their position in the sky never changes; if you know your position on the earth and the time of day, you can find any fixed star. The realm of the fixed stars is called the celestial sphere (there is some history behind that designation; not for now). The planets -- which is Greek for "wanderers" -- wander around the sky. (Feel free to Google any of those or sign up for Overview of Physical Sciences that I plan to teach some time in the future at HTC, בעזרת השם.) The word מַזָל actually means "constellation." (By the way, Google translate is so sure you want the common usage --"luck" or "fortune" -- that I had to play some tricks to finally get the literal tra...

I know the title is a bit schmaltzy, but I didn't know how else to describe it. Oh well. This coming Shabbos will be the 8th of Av. We generally don't like to make a siyum during the Nine Days, but Shabbos during the Nine Days is perfectly permissible. As it turns out, I have three siyumim to attend this Shabbos. I am making one myself for my anniversary/birthday (a person is considered like a newborn child on the day of his geirus, and of course I got married that same day; interesting story, but not for now). One is a close (both emotionally and physically, we sit right next to each other at the vasikin minyan) friend for the yahrtzeit of his mother, a"h. (I was close with his mother also, so I feel connected to that siyum also). One with a new chavrusa -- his very first siyum, and we just happen to be finishing on Friday.  There is a mitzvah to eat the entire day before Yom Kippur. Rashi gives two explanations. (1) We physically need the strength to survive the fast. (2...

If I were to be famous for anything, I would want it to be for not rendering an opinion without sufficient data. I have oft told told chavrusos that, while I don't believe that their proposal is actually a good explanation of the topic we are learning, I also don't have an alternative. When the Chafeitz Chaim says, "you have to say", I sit up and pay attention. When you (you know who you are) say, "you have to say", my typical response to whatever follows is, "your lack of imagination does not obligate me in anything." This does not, of course, make me a popular chavrusa. I have that luxury because I am not a דיין/judge in a בית דין/halachic tribunal. Generally speaking we require three judges on a tribunal. Note: Until just moments ago I thought that "tribunal" actually meant "three judges". You know, like how the word "triumvirate" means a group of three people who hold power, often political. But no, "tribunal...

While we have lost the physical presence of R' Ezriel Cziment, shlita, at least we still have access to his weekly chumash shiur. I was particularly moved by this week's shiur, A Yid Is Never Lost . Today, erev Shabbos, is also erev Rosh Chodesh Av. We hope for the best, but we prepare for anything, so we are looking forward with some trepidation to the "Nine Days", culminating with the fast of Tisha b'Av. This week we have a double portion, מטות-מסעי. Because it is a double portion, and it is nearly always a double portion, parashas מסעי doesn't always get the attention it deserves. There is another reason that מסעי doesn't get so much attention... It begins with a listing of the 42 stops that Klal Yisrael made in the wilderness over the preceding 40 years. Yep, just a listing; a double listing actually, as each new start begins with where they were when they started; which is, nothing but where they stopped, as listed in the previous verse. 42 stops. Jus...

I was recently informed that the rosh kollel of the Peterson Park Kollel gives a 30 minute shiur on the parasha on Friday morning at 8:15 AM. I am so  happy to have started attending this shiur; it is half-ish halacha and half-ish mussar/deep thought/lofty ideas. The shiur is only 30 minutes, but it clearly has more than 30 minutes of ideas packed into it. Last week, for example, the Rosh Kollel stated matter-of-factly that any קשה שכלית/question based on logically reconciling two different statements will have an answer that is also שכלית/logical/straightforward. It may -- and usually does -- also have deep mystical implications, but it also has a שכלית/logical/straightforward explanation. Just that one idea alone has added a new dimension to all of my learning. I am very, very respectful of the Rosh Kollel's time, so I save my question for those rare times that I see a gap (changing from one topic to another, his chavrusa get up, etc). into which I can jump to ask a quick qu...

I have two teenage grandsons -- cousins of each other -- for a few days this summer between camps and other activities. Our schedule is to wake them up for davening (neither is a vasikin guy yet; as the kiruv people like to say), then I go learn, the meet me at kollel to learn for an hour, we have lunch (I get to make it for them!), and figure out an activity. Today was... rope course! In case you have not experienced that, feel free to ask Google "rope course description"; we went to GoApe.com. The courses consisted of varying levels of bridges between trees. The easiest was rope (to walk on) within an netting enclosure. Then there were platforms separated by 18 inches or so held securely by double ropes, then separated, free swinging platforms, then single ropes with no enclosure, etc. The rule at this place was that one adult (that would be me) could be responsible for up to two adolescents (that would be my grandsons). There were five courses, each ended in a zipline as t...

I am learning איוב/Iyov/Job, so I guess you will be also. Ok, I just need to get something off my chest. Do you know how איוב, which transliterates very nicely to Iyov, got butchered into Job? יעקב'Yaakov to Jacob? Or ישעיהו/Y'shaiyahu into Isaiah? First the Greek translation, the Septuagint, just blanket turned all ש's to "S" instead of "Sh", regardless of the original word. Then Latin turned the final ח into an H. Finally, the Bible was first printed in German, in which their "J" is pronounced like our "Y". German actually has a voiceless uvular fricative (our ח) and a voiceless palatal fricative (our כ). But good ole 'Merican doesn't, so those just became a soft or hard 'k'. Pronounce Michael or Jacob as a German would and they sound pretty close to the original. The word "messiah" got adulterated by both Greek and Latin. Huh... phylogeny recapitulates ontology. That is, the development of their distortion...

I am now guilty of discussing this Radak on chapter 145, verse 17 twice: צַדִּיק ה' בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו וחָסִיד בְּכָל־מַֽעֲשָֽׂיו: HaShem is righteous in all His ways, all His actions are kind Says the Radak: HaShem provides food to all living being with righteousness and integrity. And even though some animals are predatory, such as the cat that eats the mouse; and the lion, bear, leopard and other predators that eat other animals. And birds of prey eat other birds and small animals. Yet all is done with precision. Each animal has an allotted time to live, when it is time for them to die, sometimes their death is accomplished by feeding another animal, sometimes for other reasons. You know what they say: third time's the charm. Let's drill in on this. According to this Radak, each and every lamb has its life planned out. Each has a time to die. This by lion, this by old age. This by wolf, this to be a korban Pesach. Doesn't that sound like lambs are subject to the same l...

Baruch HaShem, I had some very interesting jobs over my half century in the workplace. There was really only one place I worked that I detested. Rather than tell you several examples of how bad it was, I'll just tell you about interactions with two of my managers. My then manager started the review with: Michael, I don't think we got our money's worth from you this year. (To be fair -- not  that I have any obligation to be fair -- he was a fundamentalist Christian with whom I had just had a conversation about Judaism and Christianity. Obviously that conversation did not go well for him and he was likely still stinging. He therefore did the good Christian thing and decided to get back at me from his position of authority over me. I had another manager who told me it was arrogant of me to give reasons for my opinions. Fun times. The root cause, though, of my revulsion to working there was that it was a company that provides advice to companies about how best to market their p...

I heard that R' Moshe Feinstein, z''tzl, was concerned about getting a pacemaker. Why? Because he was concerned that it would be considered a מום/defect that would render him unfit to be a member of the Sanhedrin that will be appointed after the arrival of the Mashiach, may he arrive soon and in our lifetime. I had a couple of questions. First, was that story true? If it was, then how could R' Moshe, as great as he was, hope to get on the coveted 70 (maybe 71) appointments? I mean, R' Moshe would be in competition with Acharonim, Rishonim, Amaraim, Tannaim, Ishei Tanach; even the Avos! There is only one address for questions such as that in Chicago: R' Fuerst. I told R' Fuerst I had heard that story about R' Moshe and the pacemaker. The dayan responded, "I have also heard that story." I really love R' Fuerst. After a short pause, the dayan told me he has one proof it might be true, and another that it might be false. Why might it be true? O...