[Don’t forget to see the Halacha
Encounters below!]
It is quite
ironic that one of the few times the Torah gives us a description
of Acharis Hayomim via prophecy, it is done so through Bil’am
HaRasha. Nonetheless, his visions in Parshas Balak, while somewhat
cryptic, provide us with both the events and the lessons that
will help us approach Acharis Hayomim, the end of time. In
one such pasuk it says “Hen Am Levadad Yishkon Uvagoyim
Lo Yischashuv” -“Behold it is a nation that will dwell in
solitude and not be reckoned among the nations.” (23,
9)
The Netziv
explains this pasuk as follows. As long as Klal Yisroel lives
in seclusion from the other nations, it will survive, but if
it attempts to dwell amongst the nations it will not survive.
This lesson, explains the Netziv, has been shown numerous times
throughout history. As soon as the Jewish nation began finding
too much comfort among the other nations, it came under persecution.
We see a similar theme in Megillas
Esther. When Haman approached the king with his plan to wipe
out the Jews, he said“Yeshno Am Echad Mefuzar Umeforad Bein
HaAmim …” - “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed
among the peoples…” (3, 8) The pasuk once again seems to
imply that the fact that they were spread out among the nations
had something to do with their deserving annihilation. In fact,
the story of Purim begins with Jews partaking of the feast of
King Achashverosh, which is another example of this theme of
becoming too comfortable among the nations leading to our downfall. To
explain this phenomenon, the Beis Halevi says that the purpose
of Divine affliction ism in fact, in order to separate us from
the other nations. If we were to separate ourselves on
our own, there would be no need for affliction from Hashem.
The Torah seems to be telling us
something that completely contradicts logic. Logic dictates that
the way to survive in Golus is to blend into the crowd and not
try to act too differently from the other nations, lest we prompt
hatred. But the Torah is telling us the exact opposite! The only
way to survive is to keep our differences and separate ourselves
from their ways.
Perhaps we can illustrate just how
different we are supposed to be from the goyim by analyzing the
Havdalah we say every week. “Hamavdil…Bein Ohr Lechoshech
Bein Yisroel LaAmim” “He Who separates… between light and darkness,
between Yisroel and the other nations.” This seems to imply
that the relationship between Ohr and Choshech is the same as
the relationship between Yisroel LaAmim. To the extent that Ohr
is different from Choshech so too is Yisroel different from the
Amim. In other words, the difference between us and the other
nations is night and day.
All this is sensible on a theoretical
level but in practice it seems impossible to separate ourselves
from American culture. The Yidishe Shtetl remained in
Europe and we are forced to live in communities amongst non-Jews.
Secondly, in order for us to financially support ourselves we
are going need to go to work with the rest of American society,
which encompasses most of our day, so practically it seems very
difficult to maintain this level of separation.
In these circumstances we need to
keep at least something completely holy. In seforim we find two
entities that are referred to as being a microcosm of the Beis
HaMikdash: our homes and our minds (see Nefesh Hachaim Shaar
Alef). These two entities should be unaffected by the impure
society in which we live. It should come as no surprise that
the non-Jewish home is centered around entertainment. The non-Jew
has no obligation to make the most of his time in this world,
so his major interest is being entertained. He also has no problem
with being mafkir his senses to Hollywood, allowing them
to impose any images or ideas they please.
But a Jewish home is the complete
opposite. This is where we make the most of every second of our
lives. It is where we become partners with Hashem Yisbarach in
creating and raising the next generation. A Jewish home is permeated
with Torah and Mitzvos. It is a microcosm of the Beis HaMikdash,
which is where the Shechina would reside. It is obvious that
a Jewish home should have nothing at all in common with a non-Jewish
home.
We also have to safeguard our minds
for they too represent the Beis HaMikdash. We specifically have
to make sure that our values are those set out by the Torah,
not by American culture. Before one decides to allow anything
into his home or his mind he should ask himself if he would be
willing to bring it into the Beis HaMikdash, as it says in Nefesh
Hachaim that if someone brings an immoral thought into his mind
it is as if he brought a harlot in to the Kodesh HaKodoshim.
May this be the first step in our permanent redemption and the
coming of Mashiach speedily in our days.
Rabbi
Weiss is a full time member of the Kollel.
Halacha Encounters
Q When one sets the table on Shabbos,
are there any issues of “Borer?”
One who has transgressed the laws
of Shabbos has committed a very grave sin. The Chofetz Chaim
tells us that the only way to prevent this from happening is
by constantly reviewing the laws of Shabbos. These laws are complicated
and numerous, and if one does not study them it is impossible
to adhere to them. The melacha of “Borer,” selecting, is frequently
transgressed because of its many intricacies. Let us discuss
a few situations where one may encounter this melacha.
The melacha of borer is the act of
perfecting a desirable matter through the selection and removal
of the unwanted matter with which it was mixed. It is permitted
to select an item from a mixture only if all of the following
three conditions are met:
1 - One must select the desirable matter from the unwanted matter,
and not vice-versa.
2 - The selection must be done only
by hand, not with an instrument.
3 - The selection must be done immediately
prior to the use of the desired matter.
If one has a mixture of multiple
items but all of them are desirable, the Pri Megadim is uncertain whether
one can sort them out for later use, in other words must
we follow the rules of borer when both items are desirable. (ex:)
If one has a bowl that consists of a mixture of peanuts and raisins.
Can he separate the peanuts and raisins into two piles for later
use. (For immediate use is certainly permitted). The Pri Megadim
is inclined to be lenient. However, the psak of the Mishna Berura and other Poskim - based
on the Rambam – is that sorting them is not permitted except
for immediate use. The Halacha follows this view.
Let us return to our original question
regarding setting the table. If one’s cutlery is all mixed
up together and one would like to set the table, the halacha
would be the same as applies to the peanuts and raisins we discussed
above. Therefore, one may only set the table right before the
meal. However, there are heterim mentioned by the Poskim for
one who needs to set the table in advance (i.e. Friday night
or Shabbos morning for Shabbos lunch).
Heter
#1
Hagaon R”Moshe Feinstein ZT”L permits one to
eliminate the mixture by spreading out all the cutlery at once
so that each piece stands separately. Once the mixture is eliminated
one can then proceed to set the table. The explanation of this
heter is that the melacha of borer is the selecting or sorting
of a mixture. Once the cutlery is spread out, no sorting of a
mixture was done. Not all Poskim agree with this solution. They hold that the elimination
of the mixture is part of the borer process.
Heter#2
Another solution mentioned by the
Poskim is if the mixture of
cutlery is wet, it would be permissible to remove one or two
pieces to dry, and then to put them into their proper places
at the table. The explanation behind this solution is that at
the time when one removed the one or two pieces of cutlery from
the mixture it was for immediate use – to dry. Once they are
removed from the mixture in a permitted way one may place them
at the proper place at the table. Some Poskim, amongst them HaGaon
R’ Yoseph Shalom Elyashiv, Shlita, question this heter
since the true intent when one removes the cutlery from the mixture
is to sort it.
Other Common
Scenarios Involving Sorting
1 - When cleaning up from a kiddush
sometimes all the cakes are mixed up. To sort out each type of
cake separately would be a violation of Melachas Borer.
2 - If dishes of different sizes
have been stacked together, it is forbidden to sort them and
place them in their proper positions in the dishwasher.
3 - A board game that has pieces
of different colors (i.e. Checkers, Chess, Connect Four, Risk)
mixed together at the end of the game may not be sorted out before
putting the pieces away. (One can sort them out before the game
since that is sorting for immediate use). If one has a marble
chess game and he leaves it out on display, one may reset the
pieces at the end of the game. Since he leaves it out on display, it
is considered sorting for immediate use.
Rabbi
Langer learns full time in the Kollel and is a frequesnt
contributor to Halacha Encounters.
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