Parsha Question

My mother recently found buried in one of her bookshelves a notebook of mine from 7th grade.  Looking through it, I found the following question, with no answer written down.  For all I know, its very obvious, but I’m not sure what the answer is.

The Pasuk says that Hashem smelled Noach’s korban and was so pleased that he promised never to bring a mabul again.  Why did Noach get such a reward for a simple korban?  Hevel, Kayin, and Adam also brought korbanos, but they didn’t get such a promise.  What was different about Noach’s korban?

Facebook

My sister recently introduced me to Facebook. I’ve tried to stay away from it because I heard about how bad it can be, etc. But wow. This thing can be addicting.

Dishonesty amongst college students

I’ve always known that there is rampant cheating in just about anything where cheating is possible.  Universities are even bigger game for cheating as the motivation lies in getting better grades and getting a degree as quickly as possible.  The steps teachers have to take are pretty tremendous.  I know that some teachers require students to email a copy of any paper in addition to hard copies so that the teachers can google the paper and see if plagiarism has occurred.   But I didn’t realize that teachers had to resort to treating students like 6th graders.

As part of a class assignment today,  several students and I manned a booth at Towson University’s Health Fest today.  We were showing various pieces of adaptive equipment that occupational therapists use to help people with disabilities.  For example, in order to cut an apple, you need two hands, one to stabilize the apple, and the other to actually cut it.  But what if someone had a stroke and are very weak on one side of their body?  How will they cut the apple?  So one of the tools we had was a cutting board with two nails protruding from it, as shown here:

By sticking the apple inside the nails, it stabilizes the apple, allowing you to cut with just one hand.  This can be used for all sorts of things you’d need to cut.  Anyway, we had a whole bunch of other fun low-tech gadgets that can help people with various disabilities be more independent.

So back to my main point, we had several people come around looking at the various booths, and you can easily tell who’s really interested in what you have to say.   But then there were those who came to your booth, took a brochure, and then asked you to sign it for them so that they can take it back to class as ‘proof’ that they were at the Health Fest and went around to all the booths.

Now I can understand that going to the Health Fest would be a class assignment for many of the health-related disciplines, but to make your students get signatures from each booth as proof?  Is the level of dishonesty amongst college students so bad that we have to treat them like 6th graders?

Filtering water on Shabbos

Yesterday’s daf (50) was talking about leaving uncovered water out and how we’re concerned that a snake could come and drink from the water, thus injecting some of its venom into the water. If you were to want to drink the water, the gemara offers the following solution: filter it, even on Shabbos. The question is asked, but if you filter the water on Shabbos, isn’t that borer? You are specifically trying to separate the bad (the venom) from the good (the water)?

The reason we allow people to filter water is because we’re not sure that there is something bad in the first place. It is only there as a precaution. You might not be filtering out anything bad. In this day and age where filters are commonly found in people’s homes, it is not necessary to disable the filters just for Shabbos because there might not necessarily be bugs or whatnot in the water.

Tehillim

Last night, a local 5 year old boy was playing on the playground at BJ’s in Owings Mills, and fell off. At the time, they thought he was ok, but when he went home, he started vomiting up blood. He ended up having emergency brain surgery last night at Hopkins.

Ephraim Moshe ben Baila Chaya

Updated on October 24, 2006 at 9:35am:

He is B”H out of the PICU, and still being weaned off the sedations.

Updated on October 25, 2006 at 11:25pm:

The father of the boy sent out the following email:

[Wife's name] and I want to thank you all for the well wishes. BH Ephraim Moshe has made very significant progress and he is IYH on his way to a complete recovery.

We hope to have him home for Shabbos.

We sincerely appreciate the Tfilos and Tzedakah that the olam has made b’zechus his refuah shleimah. It is truly a brocho to live in such a wonderful chesed-oriented community.

We hope to share in Simchos!

Sheva Brachos Etiquette

Ok, be prepared for a rant, because that’s what’s coming!

I was recently at a sheva brachos that was called for 6:30. The unfortunate minhag is to start late, and because of extraneous variables, I too, was late, showing up at 6:55. There were three other people there, including the host. By the time we actually started, I think it was 7:40. Now this was in no way the fault of the hosts, who worked tremendously hard and were actually ready at the appropriate time. It is 100% the guests fault for showing up as late as they did. Them, and the chosson and kallah. What is it about newlyweds that make them late to sheva brachos anyway? My wife and I were on time to every single one of our sheva brachos, coming earlier than most guests. I hate to be blunt, but its not like they’re ‘busy’ so why are they so late? It’s at the point where if you come on time, then people ask, “why are you here already” (as was the case with my wife and I).

I hereby move to make some regulations when it comes to sheva brachos. I think that if you’re hosting a sheva brachos, you have the right to announce when it will happen. Therefore, if we host a sheva brachos called for 6:30, I’m going to tell everyone (including the chosson and kallah) that they are more than welcome to come late, but with them or without them, we’re starting at 6:30. And unless you have a valid excuse, there will be no reheating of food either.

Telemarketer gets Own3d!

I saw this here, but its just too funny to pass up.  It’s a guy who gets his revenge on the telemarketers, and you can practically see that the guy is peeing in his pants.

Check Please!

I recently needed to order new checks, so I opened up the Sunday ads to see what was available. It seems that the two most common check companies are Checks Unlimited, and Checks in the Mail. I didn’t really like the offerings, so I went online to their websites to check out what I could find. One thing I found out very quickly is that you have to be really careful in adding up your total. While going online, I also came across some other companies, such as Artistic Checks and Designer Checks. While they all offer different prices, in the end, they are often the same, when you factor in shipping. One company had great prices on checks, especially when you consider that they offered a free 4th box of checks, but then you find out that shipping is $1.95 per box, which raises the price by $8. Other companies have service charges, charges for ordering by phone, charges for ordering by internet, etc.

The point is, before buying checks, make sure you really check your options. Also, do internet searches for offer codes and promotions. Chances are, if you’re ordering checks without a prmotion code, you’re overpaying.

I ended up buying my checks from Designer Checks. I paid $22.50 and I’m getting 4 boxes of duplicate checks as well as a free order of labels. This offer included free shipping, free fourth box, the extra labels, and optional custom lettering. Just enter offer code JL35 when you order.

Birchas Kohanim at the Kotel

Point of Pinchas has first hand video footage of the birchas kohanim from Monday at the Kotel.  It is really inspiring to see and hear thousands of people answer amen to the bracha.

Hookah in the Sukkah

Apparently, Hookah in the Sukkah isn’t only reserved for the Towson Hillel. Today’s Wall Street Journal had a front-page article on Jews and what they’re willing to pay for Sukkah’s this year.

You can read it here. (link is available for 7 days)

The Church of Google

My oh my, what the world has come to.

Black and White

This picture is making its way around the internet:

Why Moslem’s hate

It is ingrained in them to hate from when they are babies.

Hilchos Sukkah, Dr. Suess style

(Contributed by Rabbi Arthur E. Gould)

You can build it very small (1)
You can build it very tall (2)

You can build it very large (3)
You can build it on a barge

You can build it on a ship (4)
Or on a roof but please don’t slip (5)

You can build it in an alley (6)
You shouldn’t build it in a valley (7)

You can build it on a wagon (8)
You can build it on a dragon (9)

You can make the skakh of wood (10)
Would you, could you, yes you should

Make the skakh from leaves of tree
You shouldn’t bend it at the knee (11)

Build your Sukkah tall or short
No Sukkah is built in the Temple Court

You can build it somewhat soon
You cannot build it in the month of June (12)

If your Sukkah is well made
You’ll have the right amount of shade (13)

You can build it very wide
You can not build it on its side

Build if your name is Jim
Or Bob or Sam or even Tim

Build it if your name is Sue (14)
Do you build it, yes you do!

From the Sukkah you can roam
But you should treat it as your home (15)

You can invite some special guests
Don’t stay in it if there are pests

You can sleep upon some rugs
Don’t you build it where there’s bugs

In the Sukkah you should sit
And eat and drink but never…

If in the Sukkah it should rain
To stay there would be such a pain (16)

And if it should be very cold
Stay there only if you’re bold

So build a Sukkah one and all
Make it large or make it small

Sukkah rules are short and snappy
Enjoy Sukkot, rejoice be happy.

Notes
(1) Maimonides (RMBM) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Sukkah, Chapter 4, Section 1. The minimum height of a Sukkah is 10 tepachim. A tepach is a measure of the width of the four fingers of one’s hand. My hand is 3 1/4 inches wide for a minimum Sukkah height of 32 1/2 inches. The minimum allowable width is 7 tepachim by 7 tepachim. This would result in a Sukkah of 22 3/4 inches by 22 3/4 inches.

(2) The maximum height is 20 Amot. An Amah is the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. My Amah is 15 1/2 inches for a maximum height of 25 feet. Others say that 30 feet is the maximum.

(3) According to RMBM the Sukkah can be built to a width of several miles. Shulchan Aruch also says there is no limit on the size of the width.

(4) RMBM Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 4, Section 6.

(5) RMBM Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 4, Section 11. RMBM states that one may construct a Sukkah by wedging poles in the four corners of the roof and suspending scakh from the poles. The walls of the building underneath are considered to reach upward to the edge of the scakh.

(6) RMBM Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 4, Section 8-10 discusses the ins and outs of building your Sukkah in an alley or passageway.

(7) There is a location referred to in the Talmud called Ashtarot Karnayim. According to the discussion there are two hills, with a valley in between where the Sun does not reach. Therefore it is impossible to sit in the shade of the roof of the Sukkah. I can’t find the reference…hopefully next year.

(8) RMBM Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 4, Section 6. You can go into a Sukkah built on a wagon or a ship even on Yom Tov.

(9) RMBM Hilchot Sukkah Chapter 4, Section 6. OK, RMBM says a camel but dragon rhymes with wagon a lot better, don’t you agree. Anyway, RMBM says you can build your Sukkah on a wagon or in the crown of a tree, but you can’t go into it on Yom Tov. There is a general rule against riding a beast or ascending into the crown of a tree on Yom Tov.

(10) Chapter 5 deals with the rules for the scakh. Basically, you can use that which has grown from the ground, and is completely detached from the ground. So, for example, you cannot bend the branches of a tree over the Sukkah to form the scakh. But you can cut the branches from a tree and use them as scakh.

(11) This would be a violation of the rule cited in the prior footnote.

(12) Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Sukkah, Perek 636, Section 1 The Sukkah should not be built sooner than 30 days before the Hag. However, if the structure is built prior to 30 days, as long as something new is added within the 30 days, the Sukkah is kosher.

(13) Of course it’s a well known rule that you must sit in the shade from the roof of the Sukkah and not in the shade that may be cast by the walls. It seems that this might affect the height of the walls, depending on the longitude of the location where you are building your Sukkah.

(14) Traditionally, women, servants and minors are patur from the Mitzvah of Sukkah. In our day we hope we know better than to read out half the Jewish people from the observance of Mitzvot. Of course, that’s just a personal opinion of the author.

(15) MBM ibid Chapter 6, Section 6 explains that you should eat, drink and live in the Sukkah for the 7 days as you live in your own home. One should not even take a nap outside of the Sukkah.

(16) RMBM ibid, Section 10 If it rains one should go into the house. How does one know if it is raining hard enough? If sufficient raindrops fall through the scakh and into the food so that the food is spoiled—go inside!

© Rabbi Arthur E. Gould, Sukkot 1999 – 2001.

Caring for your four species

It’s always a struggle to make sure your arba minim survive through Sukkos.  The hardest min, in my opinion, to keep fresh are the aravos.  For some reason, these break off easiest, dry up fastest, and just don’t last as long as any of the other minim.  So while this doesn’t work for everyone, I figured I’d post how I keep my minim fresh, and it usually does work.

With the esrog, there isn’t much care involved.  If your esrog has a pittum, you obviously have to make sure that it doesn’t come off.  If you have a very green esrog and would like it to appear more yellow, you should surround your esrog with apples and then cover everything.  This should help turn your esrog yellow much faster.

The lulav also doesn’t require much care other than making sure that the top of the lulav is left intact and that the middle leaf is not split.

The aravos and hadassim are usually tied together in one of those bundle baskets.  What I do is this:  First, I measure a piece of aluminum foil to the length of the entire aravos, hadassim, and basket holder.  Then, I put paper towels along this length (usually two are adequate).  Next, take a cup of water, put your hand inside, shake off the excess water into the cup, and lightly flick the rest of the water on your hand all along the paper towels.  It is important to NOT get the paper towels too wet as this extra moisture can cause mold to grow very quickly on your aravos.  The point is to get it very lightly wet.  Finally, when not using the 4 minim, carefully wrap the paper towels with the foil so that it is gently wrapped around all the leaves and basket.