Parshas Behar 5776
Candle Lighting Time: 8:02 pm
May 27, 2016
Volume 12 Issue 27
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Dvar Torah

Be Real

  By Rabbi Shmuel Sussman

"Es Kaspucha Lo Siten Lo B'neshech." The Torah forbids us from loaning money with interest to other Jews. The verse ends by saying "I am Hashem your God, who took you out of Egypt". Rashi explains that Hashem is saying that I am the one who differentiated between a firstborn and a non-firstborn. So too, I know when one lends money with interest to a Jew and claims that he is lending money that belongs to a non-Jew. Rashi (Bamidbar 15:41) makes a similar comment on the posuk regarding tichelis. The Torah commands us to put a string of blue tichelis (made with the blood of an animal called chilazon) on our tzitzis.  The Torah concludes with the words "I am Hashem your God, who took you out of Egypt". Rashi explains once again, that Hashem is saying that I am the one who differentiated between a firstborn and a non-firstborn. So too, I know when one is wearing real tichelis and one when is wearing imitation tichelis (which comes from the kala ilan plant). Rashi (Vayikra 19:36) makes the same comment yet a third time, regarding the law of having accurate scales. The Torah commands us to make sure that our scales are accurate. Once again, the Torah ends by saying "I am Hashem your God, who took you out of Egypt". Rashi interprets this too to mean that I am the one who differentiated between a firstborn and a non-firstborn. So too, I know when one's scales are accurate and when they aren't. The source of these three Rashis is a gemara (Bava Metzia 61b).
Rabbi Shimon Schwab (d. 1995), in his sefer Mayaan Beis Hashoeiva, asks the following: Why does the gemara understand that the posuk alludes to the fact that Hashem knew exactly who was the firstborn were? Why doesn't the gemara pick any other aspect of Yetzias Mitzrayim, e.g. the ten plagues? Rabbi Schwab explains that the unifying theme between these three pesukim is that they are examples of people trying to fool others. A major theme of Yetzias Mitzrayim was that Hashem demonstrated clearly that it is He who runs the world and no one else. He quashed any notion that anyone else has a say in deciding world events. This message climaxed by the tenth plague, the death of the firstborns. It is impossible for a person to know who is really a firstborn and who isn't. The fact that only the real firstborns died was clear testimony that Hashem rules the world all by himself. Therefore, the gemara understood that when the Torah mentions Yetzias Mitzrayim by these three commandments, it is referring to this idea, when Hashem revealed the truth about who is the authentic ruler of the world.
We must take this message of Yetzias Mitzrayim, which is so central to our faith, and apply it to our daily lives. There are so many things that we do to fool ourselves and others, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously. We must focus on our actions and ask ourselves, "What are we doing that is real, and what are we doing that is false?". In the merit of correcting our actions to be truthful, may Hashem reveal to the world once again that it is He who runs the world, and redeem us from this exile, speedily in our days.
 

 
Dvar Halacha
 
Laws of Sefiras Ha'Omer 
Part 3
By Rabbi Yochanan Eskenazi
 
One should preferably stand while reciting the brachah and counting (Shulchan Aruch 489:1, Mishneh Berurah 489:6, Aruch Hashulchan 489:4).  Therefore, one should be careful not to be lean on anything while counting (Koveitz Halachos 6:1).  If one did not stand, he has nevertheless fulfilled his mitzvah (Mishneh Berurah 489:6, Aruch Hashulchan 489:4).  Someone who finds it difficult to stand [e.g. an older person] may l'chatchila count while sitting down (Koveitz Halachos 6:1).
 
One should not interrupt in between the reciting of the brachah and the counting. This includes even a silent interruption of more than toch k'day dee'bor (a few seconds) or saying something that is not "sefira-related" (Mishneh Berurah 489:29).
 
One may count in any language, as long as he understands what he is saying.  If one counted using a language that he does not understand, he has not fulfilled his obligation, even if he counted in Hebrew (Mishneh Berurah 489:5).  Harav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlit"a, understands that when counting in Hebrew he is not yotzei only in a situation that he had no idea what he was saying.  However, if he was aware that he was counting even though he did not understand the exact translation of the words, he has fulfilled his obligation (Koveitz Halachos 6:5).  Additionally, one may not fulfill his obligation of counting with either thinking or writing (Koveitz Halachos 6:3-4).
 
As mentioned, when the Torah refers to the mitzvah of counting sefira, there is a mention of both days and weeks.  Therefore, the mitzvah requires counting both the days and the weeks of the Omer (Gemara Menachos 66a, Shulchan Aruch 489:1 & Mishneh Berurah 489:7).  The first seven days, one only mentions the day.  Starting from the eighth day, both the day and the week are mentioned.
 
If after day seven, one accidently only mentioned the day and not the week [e.g. on the 40th day one counted "today is the 40th day of the Omer" and did not say "today is the 40th day, which is 5 weeks and 5 days of the Omer"] there is a machlokes whether he has fulfilled his obligation.  Therefore, one should recount that night without a brachah [and continue counting with a brachah the next night].  If after the 7th day, one accidently just counted the weeks [e.g. he said "today is 5th week and 5 days of the Omer], he has not fulfilled his obligation and should recount that night with a brachah, for it is considered as if he never counted (Mishneh Berurah 489:7).
 
If one counted using roshei tay'vos (an acronym), for example, instead of saying "today is the 39th day etc." he said "today is lamed tes yom etc." there is a machlokes whether he has fulfilled his obligation or not.  Therefore, he should recount that night without a brachah, and continue counting with a brachah the following night (Be'ur Halachah 489:1 s.v. moneh v'holaich).


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