eyefortruth

i didnt go through all these pots so i dont know if this particular point was addressed, but its quite clear that one has a mitzvah min hatorah to rid chametz from his home even on pesach. there is a discussion in the rishonim as to whether or not the mitzvah of tashbisu is to be in a chametz-free state when chatzos comes, or if it means that when chatzos comes we must now rid ourselves of chametz. however, the rambam who clearly paskens the former understanding, says that if someone does a bedika on pesach because he forgot or was unable to do so before pesach, he makes a bracha on the bedika, whereas after pesach he would not (and yes, he would need to do a bedika after pesach. i cannot recall offhand the particular halachah but its either the second or third perek of hilchos chametz umatzah). the least it would be would be a mitzvah to remove the possibility of being over the issur of bal yeraeh ubal yimatzeh, but truthfully it seems quite clear that a person has a positive mitzvah to remove the chametz from his reshus on pesach as well.

as for gebroks, i enjoy my matzah brye and mtzah balls every pesach, and plan on continuin to do so. i cannot understrand the minhag, it makes absolutely no sense. the shulchan aruch brings lihalachah that a zaken or choleh who cannot chew and swallow the matzah can soak it in water and be mekayem his mitzvas aseh of achilas matzah with said matzah (provided that it doesnt become completely broken up because of the water). there is also the halacha that matzah can never bcome chametz. i cannot grasp the notion that the same matzah that one will eat to fulfill his tora obligation of matzah, will at the same time be suspected of not even being matzah. is there not a more tarti desatri than that? anyways, enough of my rant against gebroks. the reality is, 99% of people who keep it keep it because its their minhag. just like kitniyos. everyone would abandon such a minhag in a heartbeat if they had the ability to, but what can we do, i guess we need a ??? ??? ????? ????? ??????

theres a ran (on the Rif) at the beginning of the masecta who wants to explain shittas rashi as follows: there are two way of min hatorah fulfilling ones obligation regarding tashbisu, either through bittul or through bedika/biur. the rashi on the mishna, explains the ran, is referring to one who doensnt do bittul, therefore his bedikas chametz is fulfilling a din d’oraisa. (how the ran says that no bittul was done is based on the fact that the gemara introduces the din that habodek tzarich sh’yivatel in the nmameof r’ yehuda in the name of rav, which makes it a chiddush from the gemara and not from the mishan itself). however the gemara on 4a already assumes that one must do bittul, and so his bedika is d’rabbanan. however the truth is, the halacha that bedika is d’rabannan doesnt mean to say that it isnt min hatorah. what it means is that since one can fulfill his obligation simply through bittul, the obligation to do bedika in spite of that is d’rabannan. so in the case of the rented house, the obligation to do bedika is only d’rabannan because the renter can simply do bittul, but still, chazal obligation someone to do a bedika on this house, the question is now who.

hope this helps. either way, look at the ran inside. it becomes pretty necessary to understand like him throughout the whole first perek

Is there any one reason why people go off the derech? I would imagine not. However, it would seem pretty clear that what most allows for it is our total integration into American/Western society. For centuries Jews did not assimilate in the numbers that they do today, probably because they couldn’t more than any other reason. Jews were kept in ghettos, seperate from the rest of society, and when they werent, they were limited in profession and in title. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that if Judaism became more appealing all of a sudden no one would want to go OTD. The last time I checked, the ??? ???? happened not too long after every single person at Har Sinai experienced prophecy. Not to sound too closed minded, but the surest way to prevent assimiliation and this OTD problem (which are one and the same thing) is to make it as difficult as possible to happen, by exposing our children as little as possible to values contrary to our own. By no means am I denying the importance of improving our Jewish society, and of presenting Judaism in its most appropriate form, but by the same token, I do not believe that a most perfect Judaism will prevent the OTD problem in any country in which we have become fully integrated with a society antithetical to ours(see latest NYC mayor elections as the newest example of our involvement in American life).

Questions on the Parasha:

1. The Torah tells us at the end of the Parasha what happened to Terach, Avram, and Haran. What about Nachor? We know who he married but then the trail goes cold?

2. After the Mabul, Hashem commands Noach to leave the Teiva. Why would he need a commandment to leave? Wouldn’t it be quite obvious that once the land dries Noach can leave? After all, he sent a raven and multiple doves to check whether the floodwaters had receded?

The second question has two answers brought in the Midrash, and the truth is there is quite a powerful mussar in one of them. Maybe that can be a Dvar Torah.

Surely an ultra-rationalist like you would quickly realize that it is impossible to simultaneously ask what it means to be yeshivish, and label another person as being such.

Also, the Rambam, rationalist as he was, still believed in Divine intervention, which is a purely irrational conclusion. He also believed that the world was created, i.e. has a beginning, even though Aristotle himself could not support such a statement with any logical proof. One cannot be a believing Jew without accepting fundamental tenets which are not based in pure logic. But when you think about it, it is impossible for someone to live his life based on pure logic. For example, the fact that A caused B cannot prove that given another opportunity, A will in fact cause B in the future. Yet no one thinks twice about getting on a plane, or turning the ignition in a car. We live life based on assumptions, or experiential proof, i.e. we assume things to be true because they have shown themselves to be.

Enough of my rant against “rational” Judaism. Be whatever kind of Jew you want to be, as long as it is within the confines of Halachah.

WIY – the Rambam’s Shittah is quite clear in Hilchos Teshuva as well as his Hakdomo to Perek Chelek, that Olam Haba is a purely spiritual place that exists in PARALLEL to our current reality. Mashiach is not a supernatural occurrence, and will happen in this world. In fact, the Rambam says quite clearly that Moshiach will die.

The other approach (that of the Ramban and Raavad, and Ramchal, and pretty much anyone who subsribes to Kabbalistic thought) is that Olam Haba is a new, physical reality which will replace our current world, i.e. that Techias Hameisim is the starting point of Olam Haba. At least this is how i understand it.

if i may, i think these girls want a guy who works but are too afraid to say that for fear of not being considered a good candidate for a shidduch. so they say they want a guy who learns and works.

wait, going on yeshiva world would be bad for a shidduch? im so happy im not yeshivish