March 13, 2006
פורים
Click here for more on פורים from previous years.
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March 10, 2006
Purim Torah
Got Purim Torah? Please submit as a comment.
Thanks.
פורים שמח
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March 03, 2006
פרשת תרומה - עמודי החצר
Don't forget to check out my essay on the configuration of the עמודי החצר here.
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March 01, 2006
משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה
אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה (:תענית כ"ט)
A couple of notes concerning this gemara with which we are all familiar:
- A reader once pointed out there is a tendency to assume that this שמחה applies solely to the month of אדר, perhaps only to the lead up to פורים. However, רש"י's interpretation would indicate that this is very much not the case. He writes:
- My Zadie, Rabbi Yaakov Bulka, points out that the gemara quoted above is making a clear corrolation between אב and אדר. As we know, the reduction of שמחה in the month of אב is for all intents and purposes absolute as virtually all forms and expressions of שמחה are eschewed. Likewise, explains my Zadie, the שמחה in אדר shall not be a mere increase in joy and happiness. Rather, we must strive to reach a level of absolute and total שמחה.
משנכנס אדר: ימי נסים היו לישראל פורים ופסח
Clearly, the hapiness and joy which we strive for with the onset of אדר is meant to carry through consecutively through פסח.
May we all be זוכה to reach that level.
חודש טוב
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February 24, 2006
פרשת משפטים - Trivia
A great trivia question for this week's parsha and anybody learning Makkos, courtesy of HaRav Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky, zt"l:
The law of עדים זוממים states that a witness who attempted to make his friend pay a certain amount of money and he is found to be lying and goes through the necessary process of הזמה he must pay the money himself. It is generally assumed that he pays the one he tried to make pay. But what is the source for this? Maybe he should pay בית דין. [For a real challenge stop reading here.]
Said R' Yisroel Salanter, the answer is in Rashi in this week's parsha. And you could go through the entire parsha, and still not find it. Happy hunting! (I'll post the answer as a comment later next week.)
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January 22, 2006
Better Late Than Never
With this blog, I will probably be more relaxed about sending out shtikles after Shabbos. Besides, some of the ארץ ישראל readers who have become accustomed to not receiving the shtikle before Shabbos have mentioned that they tend to be more "in tune" with the parsha after Shabbos. Sometimes, in the middle of laining, something just hits you. Until now, it would have had to wait another year, assuming I actually remember it. But thanks to the Weekly Shtikle Blog - no more.
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January 19, 2006
Blogosphere Meets Shtiklesphere
To be completely honest, I'm not a big fan of blogs. However, as the blogosphere underwent its exponential growth in popularity, I saw an opportunity to expand the reaches of the Weekly Shtikle. I saw two main purposes a blog would serve:
Every now and again, I will get a comment or two vie e-mail from a Weekly Shtikle reader. While we might engage in a valuable exchange which enhances, challenges, or maybe even corrects the shtikle, it is shared only amongst those parties who engage in this exchange. If these exchanges were centralized in a blog, it would facilitate wider participation and exposure.
Very often I (or a reader) will have a valuable small thought on the parshah. I generally like the shtikles to have a significant size to them and some thoughts and observations are merely deemed not "shtikle-worthy." A blog would provide a forum where all thoughts, big or small can be presented
And so, on the occasion of the beginning of Sefer Shemos, I have finally taken the dive and started the Weekly Shtikle Blog. I encourage all readers to share all their comments on the shtikle as well as any independent thoughts on the parshah, although all content will be monitored and screened. Also, please tell your friends about the Weekly Shtikle and its blog, להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה.
While Blogger.com is probably the best and easiest place to put this blog, I was attracted by the Baltimore flavour of Baltiblogs.com and decided it would be nice for the Weekly Shtikle Blog to have some of that Baltimore flavour as well. In my infinite indecisiveness, I resolved to set up both blogs (the Baltiblogs one is taking some time to set up) and do my best to have the content mirrored.
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