Reb Eliezer

ברכות לז,א

When eating cooked rice make a mezonos and borei nefoshas see Piskei Teshuvas 208,12 Tosfas on the top of the page explains the meaning. The first part are nessecities for life as water and bread, and the secod part are extras which a person can live without. I heard from Rav Pollak Shlita that through what people are missing, they become united as they must rely on others to fulfill it similarly, as water gets formed from hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen provides the electrons that oxygen is missing creating a compound not easily separated.

The above should be blows not blews.

According to the gemora on fruit flavored tums we should make a shehakol. SA O’CH 204,8

ברכות לו,א

שהכל נהי-ה בדברו The question is under the yud is a segol or a kometz (o)?

This happens to be a big argument. After doing research the Otzar Hatfilos rules like the Magen Avraham in SA O’CH 204 s’k 14 to say with a segol from a sefer Chochmas Manoach and the Machtzis Hashekel SA O’CH 167 s’k 8 from Shut Meil Tzedaka 42, whereas the Yaavetz in his siddur rules to say with a kametz. The Chasam Sofer in his siddur has it with a segol.

According to the Meil Tzadakah above (if I understand correctly) we should use a present perfect in a bracha and not the simple past meaning continuing on.

I found an interesting question להורות נתן טז,ג we find in Mishlei 13, 19 תאוה נהי-ה תערב לנפש the Redak, GRA and Metzudos translated a broken desire and others translated a past desire is sweet for the soul. This is written with a kametz. So the shut mentioned says that this proves to say it with a segol even though in Sheilas Yaavetz 94 argues strongly to say it with a kametz. According to the Malbim, he translates it as desire is sweet for the nefesh habehamis, the human animal inclination.

The questioner who asks below that we should bentch on wine must hold that bentching does not need wine because if it does, there is no end to it.

See https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1533&st=&pgnum=271&hilite= from the Chasan Sofer who explains every extra letter in this mishneh of כיצד מברכין in detail.

ברכות לה.ב

Yom Kippur by Nileh we are asking for forgivenes for one paricular specified sin למען נחדל מעושק ידינו we should get away from stolen goods in our hands. Hashem provides us with goods to serve him. If we are not using them properly, we are stealing it away from Him. See Toras Moshe from Rav Nossan Adler Shmos (22,6) . Therefore the chazal instituted brochos to appreciate the food we are provided and He gave us tastebuds to enjoy it. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger in his teshuvas paskens if someone does not make a hamotzi on matzos, he is not yotzei the mitzva of matzos considering it stolen matzos becoming a mitzva habo baaveiro.

I just heard a story where a young boy died from the flu because the mother listened to Facebook rumor encouraging not to take Tameflu.

There is an argument between the Rambam and the Ravad Hilchas Teshuva (8,2) what olam habo is. The Rambam says after life and the Ravad says Techyas Hamesim.

The Rambam does not count teshuva a mitzva only viduy but the Ramban does. Maybe we need an awakening to do teshuva which is out of our control. A person usually thinks tbat he is doing the right thing. Similarly, tbere is no mitzva to be meshuga as it says והיית משגע but it can happen as teshuva it says ושבת it can happen.

It says in Pirkei Avos 6 ברוך שבחר בהם ובמשנתם blessed is one who picks them and there learning. Explains the Yakut Hagershuni, sometimes people are willing to listen to their learning but when it comes to business, they think the talmidei chachomim are not well versed and therefore would not marry them.

The shmonei esrei can be looked at as a letter to Hashem being read. Every letter has three parts, an introduction, the body and the conclusion. The Baal Haikrim summarizes the thirteen beliefs of the Rambam into three. Belief in G-d, reward and punishment, and Torah given from Heaven. These are the first three brochos. The third brocho reflects kabolas Hatorah where they came to realize there is one G-d. There are three beliefs, belief in G-d, Hashem is in mashgiach (in control) and He is One. These are first three brochos. We bow down in the beginning and end. The body are our requests. The conclusion, as the davenen is against the korbonos, we are asking for the opportunity to be able to do it. We thank Hashem that we are alive and able to praise Him. We bow down again in the beginning and at the end. We finish with the important peace where Rashi says in beginning of Parashas Bechukosai ונתתי שלום בארץ if no peace, there is nothing.

The Rambam points out that the middle way is the best. When it comes to gaiva, he says that one should further himself to the other extreme of humility knowing that he will not stay there but end up in the middle. Extreme humility is also not good because it brings to depression and sadness. He might not feel that it Is worth doing mitzvos as he cannot do them right. When it comes to tzadakah, don’t over do it by giving more than a fifth to have to rely on others for your livelihood and don’t be stingy.
By the metzora, we take two extremes, an ezov and a ceder tree. We want him to move from one end to the other opposite of what made him sin. The goyim only understand extremes to make them holy like a fire offering but we bring also a peace offering. We make peace through us also having a part to eat from it together with Hashem. We sanctify the mundane. The tzelem only shows extremes, whereas the magen david only has midpoints. So, too much salt destroys food and too much yeast makes dough sour and rise too much. To refuse too much, already explained above.

We include in a minyan the good and bad. We can look at it relatively or absolutely. It is very important to see ourselves in unity. A great tzadik in a minyan actually can hurt others by openning a question above, why aren’t you like him? So we include the rashoim also to compare us to them. Sometimes a tzadik like Chanoch, who was only concerned for himself. is c’v taken away before his time to be kapora on us but if the tzadik cares for our behavior then he will live long. The Daroshes Haran explains that chelbno with its bad smell was included in the spices to wake up the others and strenghten them to overcome its smell. So maybe, like Yaakov llearned from Aisov what not to do, so do we learn from the rashoim how not to behave. As mentioned before, the tzadik gets paid for his bad deeds in this world and the reward for his good deeds is left for the next world, whereas the rasha is the opposite. He gets paid for his good deeds over here and his bad deeds in the next world. We can learn from a rasha how to do mitzvos with great desire as they do aveiros.

The Daroshes Haran questions what the gemora answers that for Moshe Rabbenu fearing Hashem was a small thing but he is talking to the Bnei Yisroel, was it a small thing towards them? He says, yes. Moshe Rabbenu felt that through what the Bnei Yisroel went through by all the miracles they saw, the Bnei Yisroel acquired yiras shomayim, so continue fearing Hashem became easy for them. The meaning of gemora is towards Moshe seeing the Bnei Yisroel.

It says סיג לחכמה שתיקה a smart person knows when not to speak. Sometimes כל המוסיף גורע whoever adds diminishes. When it comes to Hashem as we say in Akdomus, if all trees would be pens, all waters ink, all heavens parchment and all inhabitants scribes we could not describe the greatness of the Ribonei Shel Olam. Only people who lack wealth show off. If someone is realy wealthy does not need to show off. Therefore, we are only allowed to praise Hashem with the words of Tehilim and what chazal designated otherwise we do more harm than good. By the chazal, the less tiltles they have the greater they were e.g. Hilel. Shamai, Rebbi, Rav and Shmuel.

ברכות לג,ב

The Chinuch 545 explains that Hashem’s mercy is not an emotion that happens naturaly but an understanding where mercy is required. so one who compares Him to a human being is being quieted down.

I heard about Havdalah, there are different ways to differentiate. We use them from lower to higher: taste, smell, sight and the mind. Not everyone would know how to blow a shofar for sound. It says by Korach that in the morning Hashem will reveal who folows Him. The Dubner Magid has a mashel. A man goes to a store at night having a candle burning. He wants to buy some material for a suit. The dealer shows him different colors and thinkness, so he says I don’t care, I just need the suit to cover myself. So the dealer puts out the light and tells him. if you don’t care and there is no difference to you, you don’t need a light. A light is there to differentiate. This is the first brocho we make in the morning to thank Hashem that we can differentiate between night and day, good and bad, and right and wrong. Many make havdalah sitting as the Rambam Hilchas Shabbos (29,18) holds that havdalah is like kiddush.

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The Tur O’CH 114, gives a mnemonic for Techiyas Hamesim מפתח – מטר, פרנסה, תחי-ה, חי-ה. Rain, support, resurrection and birth. Rain – When the seeds are planted in the ground, they first become destroyed and then resurrected through rain. Maybe that is also why it is called גבורת גשמים, besides creating a flood. Support – עני חשוב כמת, the one being supported by Hashem is being resurrected. It says השלך על ה’ יהבך והוא יכלכלך throw your worries on Hashem who will support you.
The Dubner Magid has a mashel. A man was carrying a package by foot.
A guy with a horse and wagon comes and picks him up. After a while he looks back and sees that man is resting his package on his lap. He tells him, why don’t you place your package in the wagon? So the man says, I don’t want to burden your horses with my package. The guy tells him, I don’t understand you, If you rest your package on your lap, don’t the horses carry it? We worry about our support but ultimately Hashem provides our livelihood. Birth is obvious, bringing a new being into the world.