What is a Talmud Chacham?

Rashi says!

The gemorah in Brachos Daf 4b-5a:

 א"ר יהושע בן לוי אע"פ שקרא אדם ק"ש בביהכ"נ מצוה לקרותו על מטתו

 אמר רבי יוסי מאי קרא רגזו ואל תחטאו אמרו בלבבכם על משכבכם ודומו סלה

 אמר רב נחמן אם תלמיד חכם הוא אין צריך 

,Rashi

ואם תלמיד חכם הוא. שרגיל במשנתו לחזור על גרסתו תמיד דיו בכך

The p'shat in the gemorah is that since he is a Talmud Chacham and has the 'shmirah' of his Torah he doesn't need to lein Krias Shema before going to bed. Although we see in this how Rashi describes a Talmud Chacham....שרגיל במשנתו לחזור על גרסתו תמיד


Update (July 3rd 2012): See a response to my post at the Parsha Blog, Here.

Standing up for Nach

I have posted a shailo by the STaM forum in regards to if one has to stand for Nach that was written on Klaf (just like one has to stand for a Sefer Torah.)
See here for the post.

Matnas Cahunah

The shailo was asked recently if a Cohen is makiyum a mitzvah when he is makabel matnas Cahunah (specifically in regards to Pidyon HaBen and Pidyon Peter Chomer.) After a little searching I found that the Chasam Sofer (!) speaks about this. It was quite interesting since I didn't see this brought down in any recent seforim and upon asking Chochamim this shailo this mareh makom was apparently not known. If anyone knows any seforim that bring down this Chasam Sofer (aside from what is mentioned in Likutei Ha'Aros) please let me know!

The Chasam Sofer can be found here in Yoreh Deah Siman 292.

He writes the following,

כבר ראו עיניו במ"ש פר"ח בי"ד סי' ס"א סקי"ג דיוצא ידי נתינת

 מתנת כהונה לזכות לכהן ע"י שלוחו בידיעת הכהן

ורצונו וראייתו מסעי' י"ד שם ברורה אלא שכ' עפ"י ספרי

 דבלא ידיעת הכהן לא יזכה ע"י שליח ולא ביאר טעם

...הדבר וטעמו פשוט כי גם כהן המקבל מתנת כהונה עשה מצוה בקבלתו

After finding such  a Chasam Sofer the next place to look is in the Sefer Likutei Ha'Aros. The volume which this Teshuva appears is in Crach Daled. However this volume is not available on Hebrew Books. L'maseh over there he brings many achronim that argued on the Chasam Sofer. However as well he brings re'as for the Chasam Sofer. He points out that in Teshuvas Chasam Sofer Orach Chaim Siman 49 (See here) he writes the same thing. However perhaps there is a stira to all of this what what he writes in a Teshuva in Yoreh Deah Siman 299 (See here -- In the Teshuva in YD Siman 299 he writes that if the Avi HaBen is the one making the Shechayanu then it's considered to be a "Bircas HaMitzvas" if the Cohen is the one making it then it's considered a "Bircas HaNenin".) All of this is discussed in Likutei Ha'Aros. 

One very nice thing he brings down in Likutei Ha'Aros is that we have a re'ah from this weeks Parsha to the Chasam Sofer that the Cohanim are makiyum a mitzvah when they are makabel matnas Cahunah. See here in Sefer Pirchei Cahunah in the Kuntres Keser Cahunah for the re'ah from this weeks parsha.

(starts at ois gimmel on the page linked to above and goes until the next page. I will let the reader see it inside themselves instead typing it here.)

Shailo in torn klaf

I have posted a shailo by the STaM forum in regards to writing on klaf that was torn.
See here for the post.

Selling STaM via the Internet

I have posted a teshuva by the STaM forum in regards to different issues that came up with those selling STaM via the Internet.
See here for the post.

Shailo in Megillas Eichah

I have posted a shailo by the STaM forum in regards to the Pasuchos in Megillas Eichah.
See here for the post.

Tznius outside the home

As a follow up to the previous post here is a Teshuva from the Shevat HaLevi in regards to an isha that puts on make-up only when she leaves her home. See the Teshuva inside here (Shevat HaLevi Chelek 6 Siman 33 Ois 2).


Here is one important line from the Teshuva,

איברא הרבה נהגו שבבית לא מקפידות כ"כ ע"ז, וגם הבעל אינו מקפיד משא"כ כשיוצאות שאינן רוצות להתבזות שמקשטות באופן ממוצע להיותה מכובדת הנה זה דרך העולם ואין בידינו למחות 

Tznius

While an inyun that some might consider "controversial" or "political" I'd much rather stay away from here is something that I felt the need to comment on. Especially since we find poskim that had discussed. In recent time there have been some woman within the Charedi Community (I'd also like to avoid that phrase if possible!) Who have taken an extreme in tznius. For those that live in Eretz Yisrael (b'frat Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh) have come across these woman from time to time and surely have seen the signs from the Eidah Charedis expressing that this is not the "derech" that woman in Klal Yisrael have went in in the previous generations (of course they have put out kuntresim supporting their dress and position.) However let's put this aside for a moment and look at the historical aspect. 


In a recent post on the Seforim Blog (of which I am an avid reader) Marc Shapiro discussed these woman. He cited many places where it was discussed a dress of woman as it once was that definitely seems similar to the way this group of women dress now a days. He wrote there,


"R. Joseph Messas (Mayim Hayyim, vol. 2, Orah Hayyim no. 140) points out that Shabbat 6:6 refers to Arabian Jewish women going out veiled, which means that their entire face was covered except for their eyes. He also points to Shabbat 8:3: כחול כדי לכחול עין אחת, which as explained in the Talmud refers to those women who were so modest that they were completely veiled, with only one eye showing in order for them to see (see Rashi, ad loc. See also Rashi to Isaiah 3:19.) Messas tells us that in his youth he personally saw Jewish women who dressed like this: וכן ראינו בימי נעורנו. R. Meir Mazuz’s mother testified that brides in Djerba would only show one eye, also for reasons of modesty."

The second point brought here from R' Messas that the woman would cover their entire face besides for one eye can be found in the Gemorah in Shabbos Daf 80a (See here.) Over there the Gemorah is speaking about the shiur that one would be chayiv if they took out "כחול" on Shabbos. The Gemorah explains that the shiur is "עין אחת" since the "tznu'os" would only reveal one eye from there face and  only one eye they would apply this sort of "make-up" (why are these tznius woman even putting make-up on one eye?!) In any case the Gemorah continues (now this seems to be where the Kuntresim stop) 

מיתיבי רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר כחול אם לרפואה כדי לכחול עין אחת 

אם לקשט בב' עינים 

תרגמא הילל בריה דר' שמואל בר נחמני כי תניא ההוא בעירניות

Rashi says, 

בעירניות. בנות כפרים אינן צריכות צניעות כל כך שאין שחוק וקלות ראש מצוי שם ועמה מועטין ואינן מכסין פניהם 

וכוחלות ב' עיניהם

The Gemorah had a kasha since we see from R' Shimon Ben Elezar that you are chayiv only when you take out enough for 2 eyes (when it's for make-up.) The Gemorah answers that that was in a certain place like Rashi explains where there wasn't a problem of sochok v'kalos rosh and therefore they didn't need so much tznius (at least not to the extent of the place where they covered their face.) Therefore we see that which people want to say the minhag was that the woman dressed so tznius-dik was in fact yes a minhag and people dressed this like. Although we see from the continuation of the Gemorah and Rashi that there were some places where they didn't dress like that because there was no need for it. Certainly one can't say that it's a halacha, or something that is a chiyuv to dress according some minhagim recorded in Gemorah, Rishonim, and Achronim. The situation we are in now a days I suppose one could argue both ways if there is a need for such "extremes" in Tznius. However that would be getting into a "political" discussion which as I stated I don't want to get into. Only to point out this interesting Gemorah.

Shailo in Chok Tochos

I will take the opportunity to mention now that I am a contributing member to The International STaM Forum. From time to time I post different shailos in Hilchos STaM to the members there and participate in the discussions. 

I have made a new post which is a shailo in regards to "Chok Tochos" by the letter "Daled". 

See the post here. I don't plan on posting the shailo or the teshuva I have on it, or any of the the discussion on this inyun by the blog here. Those interested can follow along by the STaM Forum.

Amoroim and Kavana in Tefillah

Here is a fascinating Gemorah found in Yerushalmi Brachos at the end of Perek 2 Halacha 4 (Daf 17b at the bottom of the page.) A simple reading of the gemorah comes out that these Amoroim are saying that they didn't have kavana when davening! How could it be? What does this Gemorah mean? What is it coming to teach us? What can we take from it?

א"ר חייא רובא אנא מן יומי לא כוונית אלא חד זמן בעי מכוונה והרהרית בלבי ואמרית מאן עליל קומי מלכא קדמי ארקבסה אי ריש גלותא

שמואל אמר אנא מנית אפרוחיא

רבי בון בר חייא אמר אנא מנית דימוסיא

א"ר מתניה אנא מחזק טיבו לראשי דכד מטי מודים הוא כרע מגרמיה

Granted that the Pnei Moshe explains by all these Amoroim the problem was is that they were thinking in learning (and for that reason weren't m'kavain in their tefillah.) Could be there are other mafarshim, tzrich l'ayin. With this pashut it certainly comes to answer a little bit. Obviously one would say our lack of ability to be m'kavain in Tefillah has nothing to do with the fact that we are so "tored" in our learning. Again, tzrich inyun into the whole thing. None the less a very interesting Gemorah.

Shmu'os of Rav

How chashuv are the "Shmu'os" of Talmidei Chachamim...


See the Gemorah in Shabbos Daf 10b.

רב חסדא הוה נקיט בידיה תרתי מתנתא דתורא אמר כל מאן דאתי ואמר לי שמעתתא חדתא משמיה דרב יהיבנא ליה ניהליה א"ל רבא בר מחסיא הכי אמר רב הנותן מתנה לחבירו צריך להודיעו שנאמר לדעת כי אני ה' מקדשכם יהבה ניהליה אמר חביבין עלך שמעתתא דרב כולי האי א"ל אין א"ל היינו דאמר רב מילתא 

אלבישייהו יקירא א"ל אמר רב הכי בתרייתא עדיפא לי מקמייתא ואי הוה נקיטנא אחריתי יהיבנא לך

Rashi says:

מילתא אלבישי' יקירא. מעיל דמיו יקרים למי שרגיל ללובשו כלומר לפי שאתה תלמידו של רב ורגיל בשמועותיו אתה מחזר אחריהם

You see from here how chashuv the shmu'os of Rav were to Rav Chisda. Not only that but the 2nd "shmu'ah" that Ravah bar Machsia said over where Rav himself says how chashuv the shmuos of Chachamim are, that in and of itself was even more chashuv to Rav Chisda!

Shimush Chachamim

It seems to me now a days that the relationship between a Rebbe and Talmid isn't what it used to be. Now a days you don't see young talmidim running after Chachamim to learn from them. You don't see a "push" by Avrechim to get into a Kollel simply because they want to learn from a particular Rov. While I'm sure there are people that do this as a whole we don't see it so much anymore. Even on the other side, Rabbonim, Roshei Kollelim, Roshei Yeshivos, etc. have made themselves so busy to properly give time to each and every talmid that would want to learn from them.

Already though, Rashi gives us a feeling of what Shimush Chachamim should be like...

It says in the Braisa (see here) at the end Avos:

התורה נקנית במ"ח דברים ואלו הן...בשמוש חכמים

Rashi says there:

שדוחק ונכנס בכל מקום לשמוע דבריהן ולשמשן

The Sfas Emes (See here) writes however that b'zman hazeh could be that learning from seforim is considered to be "Shimush Chachamim".

With these 2 things in my mind my goal in this blog is to share with the world (and hopefully receive feedback and comments) different shailos and teshuva b'halacha, interesting things from seforim, savaras and chiddushim, biurim, and various thoughts and ideas in all areas of Torah. All of these gathered through years of Shimush Chachamim and Pilpul chavarim, together with the limud of many seforim.