A Layman and a Lamdan Sit Down to Shmooze Part Two

Hello everyone. My name is Nachman Siegel. I want to take this opportunity to thank Amudim and Yummy Schachter and his staff at Charity Bids for another opportunity to sit down with the amazing Harav Hershel Schachter Shlita. Uh part two or the second installment of what we've been calling the layman and the London. And we'll use this opportunity to explore some of the issues that I and I think many others are curious about and concerned about. Rebbi, a pleasure to speak with you again. Thank you for agreeing to do this. Good. Where did you spend Shemini Atzeret this year? I was in Woodmere. And what do you remember about hearing the news about what went on in Israel? And what do you remember about your immediate reaction to the news that you heard? Shabbos morning, they already knew that many Jews were killed. I think there's someone who lives there in the neighborhood who made the um the sound system for the Israeli army. So he I think I think he was on the phone all Friday night discussing issues that they had with the with the with the uh communication system that the army had. So he already told people in the neighborhood. So before Shacharis already before davening on Shabbos morning on Rosh Hashanah Shemini Atzeret, we already heard that there was an attack and many Jews were killed. They didn't They didn't say No one thought that it's uh so many, over a thousand people. The word was that many Jews were killed, but there was And then the hakafot were all toned down. Instead of singing cheerful nigunim, they were singing Ani Ma'amin. And all this Shira Emuna, but they cut down on the they fulfilled the Hakafos Bekitzur in an abridged form. And they sang toned down nigunim. Yeah. And then of course after Simchas Torah, you and all of us become familiar with all the details or as many of as were coming out. And the entire Jewish world is basically tossed into a state of mourning. Um how else could you describe it? Uh it's now a few weeks later and by the time this is made available to everybody it'll be even a little further on. What should our mood be? What should the what should the Simchas, the weddings be like now in this period of time? What would you recommend to people who don't know if they should be sad or carry on their regular day? What do you think the Avira should be right now? I'm scheduled to go to a wedding tonight. I think the weddings should should proceed. We should encourage the young couples to have more children after the Second World War. Everyone was encouraged to have more children because the Nazis had killed so many Jews. So we should all have extra children, but I think the weddings we should uh try to give um the full Simcha by wedding, but other functions I don't think. We should try to tone everything else down. The other night I got a phone someone sent me an email. He's trying to get me. I wasn't home past Shabbos. I was forgot already where I was. I was out of town. So uh someone said he's trying to get me. He sent an email by us it was late Sunday night. So when can he call me on the phone? So my wife picked up the email 11 minutes after the person sent it. So she sends it back an email, you can call now. He calls me on the phone and he tells me he lives in Beit Shemesh and the people are so sad there and all of Eretz Yisrael. So, they were considering having a comedian come and crack jokes for an hour, clean jokes, nothing off-color. So, they wanted to ask my opinion. So, I said, and then he tells me afterwards he tells me that they already did it last night. Right. They wanted to contact me in advance, but they uh they couldn't get me, so they did it last night. What do I think? So, I said there are hundreds of bodies that were not buried yet. They can't identify who the bodies are because they're burnt and they said a burnt body can't even test for DNA. They cut off the heads, they cut the bodies are so destroyed, you can't even There are hundreds of bodies that they have in freezers, they they didn't bury it. How can you have a comedian crack jokes? I said Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch has a comment. In one of his essays on the possuk "When Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim", so the Egyptians are chasing after them with the weapons to to stop them from running away and they come in front of the Yam Suf. So, the Yam Suf in front of them and Tzri behind them and they say to Moshe Rabbeinu, "Not enough graves in Egypt?" I mean, "Why are you taking us out of Egypt? There are no graves but midbar." So, Rabbi Hirsch has a comment, the Jews were known to be good comedians throughout all the generations because they went through so many crises, the only way to survive is by making a joke out of it. I agree, but not "B'shaa she'mayseim mit'alefon af". They didn't bury hundreds and hundreds of mayseim yet. I thought it wasn't right. I thought it wasn't right. So, the fellow said, "Do I have to do teshuvah?" I said, "You did it l'shem shamayim, so you don't have to do teshuvah, but I don't think it's right." Let me let me um turn to some of the positive aspects, if we could use that term with this entire episode and of course people are talking about the unity call Israel internationally one has to admit has been incredible. And trying to be brothers and sisters to our brothers and sisters in Israel. What do you think of the And I'm looking for more than just beyond it's a wonderful thing. I'm so curious about your entire impression of the initiative of soldiers studying daf yomi in tanks. Soldiers of all backgrounds insisting on putting on tzitzis. Soldiers of all backgrounds making sure to put on tefillin every single day. It's you know the house I grew up in my father never stopped reminding us of secular kibbutzim that burnt tefillin in that era. That's how much they hated Jewish ritual. It is it seems like a completely different country now. What did you think of all these and and the initiatives like this that keep going on? The Rambam quotes the Gemara anus on the go to Malibu Chiva. The Jewish people only only have a goal if they do Chiva. What can be if they don't do Chiva? So the Gemara says will be my Malik Russia Haman. Haman want to wipe out all the Jewish people men, women and children. So these these terrorists go like Haman. And they and that's called Satmar bus because when Haman convinced Ahasuerus to kill all the Jews So Ahasuerus took off his seat and went and gave it to him and he signed the edict. So the Gemara says Ahasuerus Satmar bus when God appoints a Malik Russia like Haman that's more effective than all the 48 of them that we had. They gave Musa Musa nobody listened. When makes Ahasuerus Satmar bus they make they punished the Jews then we do Chiva. Other people other nationalities would throw away the whole religion if they're being oppressed. They would get rid of the whole religion. But the Jewish people, every Jewish person has a what the Bal Hatanya calls ahava mesuteret, a hidden love for Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We don't have tabula rasa. Tabula rasa, it's true by the umas oilam. When they're born, their mind is blank and any notions that they have are developed later based on their parents or the influence from their teachers or their neighbors and so on. But by Bnei Yisrael, it's not tabula rasa. We all have a ahava mesuteret to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And when a baby A baby knows when he does something wrong. When the parents give petch to the baby, baby knows why they're giving him petch. And baby knows that Ribono shel Olam gave petch. My impression is that all the people who are chilonim, they realize that this was an inyan min Hashamayim and they they have a love towards Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Their whole superficial attitude that they're going to burn tefillin and not going to keep mitzvot, the whole thing is a shtick. And their real self comes out. That's what the Rambam says when a person doesn't want to give his wife a get and the Beis Din pressures him, so the Rambam quotes the Gemara, but he writes it in a fancy way. He says his true self wants to follow the din. The Beis Din says we want you to give your wife a get, so he says he doesn't want to give. That's a pseudo personality who says he doesn't want to give. His true self does want to give the get. He wants to listen to the Chachamim. And when we beat him up and we pressure him till he says "I want to sign it", he is telling the truth. His true self wants to do the mitzvah. My impression is that that's what's happening now. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mamid Melech Rosh Hakohanim. And they made a shchita. It doesn't make sense, but there are chate'im that all of the all of the gods were sleeping. Everybody was sleeping. It took so many hours till Tzahal came and and helped the people outside. They The whole thing, they all realized that this was an anus manager in line. And when the baby gets patching knows what he did wrong. So they all want to they all want to do mitzvahs. We have to follow up now. We have to have people follow up and continue to explain to them how to do the other mitzvahs. How to be show me mitzvahs. It It's obvious how painful this is and uh how difficult it is for you to discuss some of these things which I certainly appreciate. I'll try to make this the last question that that deals with the pain. But I'm asking this question strictly from a Halakhic standpoint. We know that if if one for instance wants to give his life for someone else's life. Someone comes to you and asks, "Can I ask can I be a member of the Secret Service where I am expected to jump in front of the president if someone tries to kill him, right?" Somebody in the Shabak who has a responsibility to protect the Prime Minister. That's a serious Halakhic shaila I would think. You know, can one go ahead and make a commitment that they will take a bullet for somebody that they're you know, as an assignment you know, instead of them being killed. As painful as it is I'm asking this strictly Halakhically. I- I- Is there a difference in in Halakhic perspective when it comes to family members? We know that there are parents who on Shemini Atzeres out of instinct and many of them with with with forethought said, "I must protect my child. I must make sure that these terrorists come after my family that I'm the one they get instead of God forbid one of my children for instance. Is is there a difference Halakhically when it comes to family and we think about uh that one's life comes first?" Usually the din is my life comes first but the shas malchama it does not apply. This was mamash a malchama. After the terrorist activities the whole malchama broke out. In malchama you have to do whatever is best for the war effort. I don't know I don't know if that's best for the war effort that the parent should give his life instead of the child. You have to do whatever is best for the war effort. It's a header when you have a war effort, you have a header to put your soldier's life in danger and you have the header to kill the enemy. You're not allowed to kill any human being even a non-Jew. So this is literally a war effort on my family. I have it sounds like I have an obligation and or at the minimum I certainly have to save the maximum amount that you can save. Is that the best way to save is to protect the children? I don't know. Yeah. Hopefully nobody will have to make that decision again. Um the reaction includes some interesting suggestions and I I don't know if that's the right word for it. Um obviously anything that you say people regard as a war effort not just a suggestion but I I think you have to admit that that there are rabbis and communities and congregations that always that are not always ready to make changes. For instance, you recommended the saying of a war effort. Uh I I would assume that that and and I don't know if rabbis were in touch with you about this about pushback they may have gotten from their communities or their synagogues or certain shuls that have a certain tradition or or operate a certain way. What what was it a big discussion with rabbis when when you suggested this or I didn't discuss it. I discussed it with a small group of rabbis. No but nobody had a problem with it or said to you I'm having trouble with my congregation accepting this or anything like that. I thought that maybe the war effort may find it too taxing to say the war effort every day twice a day for an extended period of time. So as it turns out I happened to speak to Rabbi Haskel Lookstein. We're friendly from We were both when we were both single learning in the yeshiva next to each other. So he said his war effort are saying the war effort with his with his love every day. He says he takes over. He says the husband and wife He says that they don't say it line by line. He says they're prepared to say every day if the if the rabbi feels that the ba'alebatam don't feel like saying it, then okay, maybe she got it down to twice a week. She Commission like in the days of the time knowing when it would be a a Torah there was no rain, there was no water. Today, if there's no rain, they already know how to desalinate the water in the ocean. So, they're just going to cost money, but there's no sakana. But, years ago if there wouldn't rain, there would be a sakana. Not as much sakana as a war time. So, there would be tightness every Rabbi Akiva said you got to say Malkenu. That's when they said Malkenu the eighth Torah. And ironically and I remember last year when we had our conversation, we were discussing and you mentioned why we don't say by Mincha and it was Rosh Hashanah Musaf why you don't say Musaf by Musaf. for that reason because it was such a long day already Rosh Hashanah. People want to go eat, yeah. So, it's uh it's a consideration when you when you impose so to speak on a congregation. And then and then someone asked me and this is this conversation as we sit here is close to Rosh Chodesh Kislev and a rabbi happened to ask me last week, I wonder why there isn't more of an effort to declare a fast day after all this and then of course you in reference to Chodesh is coming Monday. Uh you again should we call it a suggestion of the recommendation recommendation that we go ahead and fast at least half a day if possible the entire day. Um is there are you surprised that there's more not more of an effort among areas of the community to in fact declare a fast? Yes. We a group of rabbis sent letters to the chief rabbis. They'll listen to them more than the people will listen to me. We encouraged them they should be tightness and I all of all over the world?" That's the only central authority that we have now as a chief rabbinate. We didn't hear any response from them. I think it's it's not my place, but if no one's doing anything, so I wrote my recommendation. I recommended it's a good idea. We should all we should be misana. Couple of technical V'sein Tal U'Matar questions. Um there was a discussion that V'sein Tal U'Matar should be postponed in Israel where they start saying it on Zion Marheshvan. It should be postponed because we want the soldiers to be in dry conditions, etc. I was wondering what you thought of that. The whole reason why they postpone until Zion Marheshvan the Gemara says that everyone who came to be oleh regel by foot will be able to go back home by that time. If you're asking in dry weather, yeah. So there's a consideration, but for the farmers you do need the rain. So I I thought on this issue, I thought maybe Baruch Aleinu we should only say the same brocha. But in Shma Koleinu everyone should say the same Tal U'Matar having in mind that should rain for the farmers. It doesn't doesn't always rain all over. Should rain for the farmers, but it shouldn't rain where the soldiers needed to be dry. Right. Um and then while we're on V'sein Tal U'Matar, for some reason every year I find myself going to Israel after Zion Marheshvan and coming back before December 4th or December 5th. So and sometimes I was in novel who and I want davening for the amud. So if I'm davening for the amud in Israel, I assume there's no question I would say V'sein Tal U'Matar. Um what what does the person who's not davening for the amud do in Israel? And if they are someone like myself in that situation who already switched so to speak because I've already said it publicly from the amud, what am I doing when I get back to chutz la'aretz? Uh those who visit Eretz Yisrael between Zion Marheshvan and December 4th, that's a dispute in the commentaries in Shulchan Aruch. The Shaarei Teshuvah next to the Beis Yosef quotes the dispute. In recent years, the gedolim tried to figure out how can you satisfy the What can you do to satisfy the both opinions? So, the only one who came up with a shtikel compromise, I think they quote from the Steipler. He suggested Steipler was the brother-in-law of the Chazon Ish. He suggested that you should say the same tal um Shema Koleinu. Because if the din requires that you were supposed to say Boruch Aleinu and you forgot and you say Shema Koleinu, then you're yoitze. So, here you can satisfy the both opinions by saying In fact, years ago the OU used to have a big convention every other Thanksgiving weekend. Agudah used to have every year. Thanksgiving weekend, the OU had every other year. So, the I think the last two conventions two two big conventions that the OU had on the Thanksgiving weekend were in Yerushalayim. And Thanksgiving is in between Zion Heshvan and December 4th. So, that was what we did. That was our practice. Everyone said Saint Tal Um Shema Koleinu. So, if you're davening for an omelette in Eretz Yisrael, you have no choice. Everybody there says Saint Tal Um, you have no choice. When you come back, it doesn't necessarily follow that one should continue saying the same Tal Um, but uh but uh but but on the other hand, there's nothing wrong with saying the same Tal Um. Rabbi Soloveitchik pointed out that he said he had from his grandfather Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik that all summer long in America or in Europe in Poland where Rabbi Chaim lived in Lithuania, there was no dry season like in New York. There's no dry season. It rains They have the records. How much All year long it We don't have a dry season. So, the Rosh He in his Teshuvot he didn't understand why we don't say we say Tal U Matar all year long. We don't have a dry season. So, he was outvoted. All the other rabbonim outvoted him. So, our prime say thought he would have voted, but he's right. So, he had the practice the whole summer long when he say we say brocha, he always say we say Tal U Matar in sh'ma kolenu. So, that's why that that's a good idea. One one started saying say Tal U Matar in Eretz Yisrael, comes back to America, let him continue to say in sh'ma kolenu. The Gemara has that though once you started, you keep on saying. Well, he has it in a different case. When you bench geshem on sh'mini atzeret, so there was one opinion in the Amoraim that the second day of yom tov, simchas Torah, so sh'mini atzeret in the morning by mussaf, you say say you say mashiv haruach, but mincha you say mashiv haruach, but then by maariv you do everything you repeat everything that you did on the first day, you see? So, you don't say mashiv haruach. And shachris on simchas Torah, you don't say mashiv haruach. Then at mussaf, you bench geshem again. So, that we don't accept that in my Once you said mashiv haruach, you keep on saying. But there is no din that once you said Tal U Matar, you keep on saying Tal U Matar. But it's a good idea because we need rain anyway in America. We always need rain. There is no dry season. I don't even think the Dover Beito has that yom tov. Have you ever seen Dover Beito? It's a luach of 1,800 pages where he goes to every possible minute for every single day of the year. Not just shabbos and yom tov. I don't know if he discusses that about possibly on simchas Torah duplicating what you've done sh'mini And in the days of the Gemara, there was such an opinion. It was outvoted. It was rejected. Amazing. It would be impossible to function as a rabbi or a communal leader without a luach. I recognize my limitations. And very often there are many challenges that are presented on our desk that we don't know where to go. So, we have to turn to the people who have the professional experience both in social work, both in addiction, both in what whatever the challenge may be. So, I look at my role as a conduit to get people to the place where they can be healthy. That's where Amudim comes in. There are so many different counselors, therapists, individuals who are willing to help you no matter what time of day or night. It is across the spectrum that Amudim has helped me on so many different varied issues because they recognize they have one job. Their job is to help every Jew anywhere on the face of the earth. Uh you get calls from all around the world, of course. I'm wondering if anybody contacted you about bringing their son or daughter back from their Yeshiva or seminary year in Israel. No. I was visiting with my son and wood mayor on the last days of Yom Tovs on Shabbos. On Shabbos, there was a girl who was not in seminary. She was visiting in Eretz Israel. And they when they heard what happened, so the family wanted what everyone to come back right away cuz there's a sakana. If you're in a Yeshiva, if you're all of the seminaries, most of them are in the center of the country. The The There was No, there what wasn't over there. That wasn't It was by the border that the trouble was. So, I had a we had to call that girl on the phone on Shabbos to insist that she should come back with the rest of the family. She's not going to be able to take care of the rest of the family was coming back on the first plane on Shabbos. And the girl was going to be by herself. So, she wasn't going to know how to take care of herself. She's a teenage girl. So, we had to call her on Shabbos to convince her that she has to come back here on the next plane. Wow. Um last year we had a whole conversation about disposable income and how you wish more people would ask you Silas about stuck out and where to give and how to give. In the war situation, how do we evaluate it taking into account now the support that we must give to to causes in Israel. Uh we know traditionally local causes, local community has a press has a precedence when it comes to stuck out. Uh does that rule still apply when there's so many people in need, our brothers and sisters in Israel? Uh and in general, what can we say about the God should someone who's mocked me to give my sir? That's the requirement. Should they be giving more because it's a time of danger? What guidelines do you think people should use when it comes to stuck out during these times? I think we certainly should give more. Uh the thing is everyone should try to give my success of them if they can afford it. Some people can't afford it. Should try to give 1/10 and then the Ram among places recommends that you should give uh 1/5. So, I come one place he recommends 1/10 one place. Means if if there's a greater need. Uh places points out that if you make more money you're allowed to give more than more than 1/5. I give way more than 1/5 of my income. And now giving even more than that. I give more. And the local versus Israel discussion? We give to the local also, but there's not the proper Usually it should be 2/3 and 1/3. Should give to the local Yeshivas and the local shul where you dove in. And you can't say all the shuls in New York is uh on the area of her. The shuls where I dove in and the mikvah which my my wife uses, I used to use. Uh or or the Yeshivas where my grandchildren go now, my children where my grandchildren now. So, that's on the area of her. They don't have to be in my city. My children some of my children are up in Baltimore Yeshiva other my grandchildren learning Yeshivas in other So, that's all all called on the the Shiva that you use that your grandchildren use those uh So we give them we give them precedence so usually you give up until 2/3 to the local and 1/3 for the rest. Now we should continue giving for the local they they also need money but we should give more to the charities so those who have should give more. A couple of um You know what before I get to some of the more trivial things this is a situation that I was made aware of which I'm so curious to ask you about. Um there's now one or even more at this point organizations that coordinate kidney donation um specifically targeted for the Jewish community to be you know as giving as possible when it comes to you know having discovered that one is a match for somebody who needs it. And somebody was informed that they are a match uh and that they potentially could be a match for others as well and they meaning the potential donor said this is just not a good time of year for me to take off from work and do this can can my role maybe for somebody else be postponed a few months. Now and of course they have had this problem in the organ not problem they've had the situation you know many many times they know how to deal with it but I'm curious when one has the potential to go ahead and essentially save a life you know what kidney donation means and how serious it is. Do they in fact have a requirement to drop everything even if income and other considerations are at stake or can they in fact postpone it you know with the likelihood that someone else down the road is going to be a match to them they'll be able to help someone else. Interesting question. I don't know have to think about that. I think strictly speaking even if I'm a match I'm not obligated to give my kidney. It's it's a midas classidus it's lifnim mishuras hadin. It's highly recommended. Strictly speaking, not obligated, but once the person made up his mind that he is going to do it, how much is he going to lose already? How much is he going to lose from his salary? I would think that he should. Once he made up his mind that he that he is prepared to give the kidney, so he should give it even if it's going to involve a little loss of money. Okay, now for some of the trivial things about our tradition that you know I'm always curious about. Um this minig of staying up all night the second night of Shavuos. Was that a thing when you were younger, or is this something that's really developed over the last few years? I don't remember ever staying up. But my sons learned in Baltimore Yeshiva, they said they had the practices that they do stay up the second night. Likely something that developed over the years, or it it may have existed 100 years ago just in other Yeshivas and other communities. I'm not familiar. I never heard of it. you as crazy as it drives me? And I guess it can't be a problem of baltosef. It's a nice minig, right? Okay. Uh also we're around the time of Hanukkah and the I mean so many have made the effort in our community over the last decades to it to in to to recommend um uh fire safety regulations and practices, etc. Uh it has become I don't want to say standard, but much more of a practice that if someone has to be somewhere during the night of during one of the nights of Hanukkah, they will go ahead and light Hanukkah licht. They'll make sure that the candles burn for the minimum amount of time, and then they'll blow out the candles. And I'm wondering, is that and and I'm sure that just like for me, when I do this, I'm sure many other people are are somewhat disturbed by it. Who wants to blow out the Hanukkah candles, you know? It would It was our enemy for the years who wanted to extinguish the Hanukkah candles. You know, we ourselves have blown out Hanukkah candles. So, I'm wondering is there a slight is there legitimacy to that feeling or literally once it's burned for the appropriate amount of time it blowing them out is as if they went out by themselves. I'm pretty sure the Shulchan Aruch says after the amount of time it burned enough, you are permitted, it's okay to blow it out. But, the question is how much is the amount of time that's necessary? So, some poskim say that if you live in New York and people are walking in the streets all night long, has to burn all night long, not just a half an hour after Nacht. Uh uh ach tikhlah rishonah shuk. Tikhlah shuk the Rambam writes k'mo chatzi sho'ah, approximately half an hour. But, if you live in New York, if you live in Manhattan, the people walking around all the time. shukker. Yeah. Yeah. They say Rabbeinu Asher used to live across the street from a theater from a movie theater and the people used to come out from the movie theater later at night. So, he was careful to have his candles burning from from shkiyah time until after they would come out from the movie. And if you live in Manhattan, the people roaming the streets, throngs of people roaming the streets all night long. Depends where you live. If you live in a community where everybody goes to sleep, so then there's tikhlah rishonah shuk. The Bnei Yissachar was a Chassidish rebbe from a few centuries ago. He has a separate sefer Hilchos Chanukah. He learns pshat in the Rambam like that, like Rabbeinu Asher learned. If people are roaming the street all night long, it has to burn all night long. So, at the minimum blowing them out early, meaning before they would naturally go out, could be a real problem. Yeah. You know. Yeah. Because at the minimum you want them to at least burn the you know, until they go out. Um but again, I don't know if I should tell you that um we discussed this last year also, you know, fire safety is essential, obviously, and so important, and everyone's got to be so careful. Because shabbos, etc. Uh, and even shabbos can What's the best recommendation for shabbos candles? So, a couple's in their home, they're going to be going out to to eat somewhere. Um, you know, many women light large candelabras that they would literally be leaving, you know, lit as they go to uh uh to this Is Is it better to light at the home of the person you're eating by? Is it better to just take two candles and not, you know, seven or eight candles and maybe put them in the sink and, you know, light a couple of tea lights and and and do the minimum that way? What What's the best procedure when you when you are legitimately concerned about leaving fire burning? I think if they're going to light in the place where they're eating, they're not in fulfillment of the mitzvah of halachos neyros shabbos and halachos neyros chanukah, it's to be based on your home. So, which is my home? So, if there's one place you're eating, one place you're sleeping, so if they're both equal, then the place where you eat wins. But over here, it's not equal because I'm just eating with them once a year or twice a year, and I'm sleeping in my own apartment, where I sleep all the time. That's kavua. One is kavua, one is aroi. So, the one that's kavua wins. I would think that your second suggestion makes more sense. If you're not home anyway, so what are you going to light for each child and each grandchild? So, just light two candles, but But in a safe Put it in a safe place. But the after candles, you have to be able to get benefit from the candles when you come home. So, um if the candles are going to be out by the time you come home, you can't say a brocha on the candles. The poskim Most of the poskim are of the opinion that you can't say a brocha on hadlakas neyros shabbos on electric bulbs if it's incandescent, if it has a filament. Now, they don't make them anymore with filaments. Now Now, it's LED. Many hold you can't be yotzei with LED, only with uh a When you heat metal till it glows, the Ramam says that that's a melacha lav ora, that's called aish. Rav Soloveitchik money was in university in Berlin. His parents moved to America. So he couldn't talk on learning with his father. He couldn't talk on the telephone it would cost a fortune. So he used to go every so often he would take the train to Vilna to talk on learning with Rav Chaim Ozer. So he said he remembered Rav Chaim Ozer had a machlokes with the Maharsham. The Maharsham was a great posek in Galicia in the early 1900s. So his opinion was that turning on electric bulb on Shabbos is only prohibited mid'Rabbanan. Because electric bulbs didn't exist in the days of the Mishkan. It's only a melacha if it was in the Mishkan, then it's an av melacha. If it If it existed in the days of the Mishkan, it's represented by what was in the Mishkan. If it's a tolda, then it'll be a tolda. But if it didn't exist in the days of the Mishkan, then it's not even a tolda. It can only can only be an issur d'Rabbanan. Rav Chaim Ozer disagreed. And to demonstrate that he holds that it's aish mamash, so he would make borei me'orei ha'aish on electric bulb. On Motzei Shabbos, Rav Soloveitchik told us that others printed that also. He would make mehadar to demonstrate that he held that that it's aish. So So most of the poskim, Rav Yair Moshe doesn't agree, but most of the major poskim in Europe before the war were of the opinion that that you can say the bracha "a madlik ner shel Shabbos" on electric bulbs. So that's We should really do that when That's Rav Soloveitchik and many others recommended. The din is when you light ner shel Shabbos, the room has to be dark. So usually by us the lights are burning all day long. Rav Soloveitchik always said you have to turn off the lights, light the candles, then turn on all the lights, and then say the bracha. the brocha goes on everything. On the candles and on the electric bulb. And then even if the candles go out, but the electric bulb is still on. But you have to make sure you have an electric bulb that has a filament. You have to buy some of the old time bulbs. Great suggestion. I'm just thinking that we have one of those right over where my wife lights, so I guess that would work. Yeah. Um, you remember the first night of Sukkot? We all turned to you for direction because we were expecting a tremendous amount of rain. Yeah. Someone suggested to me, why can't we make kiddush, especially if the Sukkot is still, you know, really completely um, uncomfortable because of how wet it is and because, you know, it's still dripping from the schach. And of course in some places it was still raining. Make kiddush at home, have a seudah, and then when it stops raining and things start getting cleaned up in the Sukkot late at night the first night, go and and wash and to make hamotzi and have a seudah. Does that suggestion work at all? Or one must one wait till the last minute to make the first kiddush, to make the orig- you know, the actual kiddush? Because there was a minority opinion that we really don't accept. We have respect alu v'alu divrei Elokim chaim, we have a dispute, so we have respect for the other opinion, even though we don't pasken like that. So because there was such a minority opinion that you're obligated to make kiddush the first night and eat in the Sukkot even if it's raining, so that's why we want to do it as soon as possible. So that's why we don't follow that recommendation. We don't follow that recommendation. We should have the meal at home and then when it stops raining later on we should go. You're not supposed to eat before you do a mitzvah. So here the mitzvah is to eat in the Sukkot the first night, to eat in the Sukkot. Make kiddush and eat in the Sukkot. So we're going to eat supper first in the house and then we're going to eat in the Sukkot later. Well then later make a leishav basukkot, right? Yeah. Wow. We should do it now like that. We should we should make kiddush in the rain and have a kazayis and then finish eating that, and then when it stops raining later, we have to go back and lay shibasu again, yeah? Right. That's an idea. Years ago, the practice was when it was in days of the Shulchan Aruch and early after 1600s, when it would be raining the first night, they would say lay shibasu in the rain. Then later poskim don't follow that opinion. We really don't hold like that opinion. I think there is some poskim who do my own if there's some poskim who would like make lay shibasu Lay shibasu, I don't know. But that in recent years, nobody done Most people don't do like that. Right. And also if if somebody I mean, this was actually a halacha maaseh. Someone said that the only place and a little bit complicated, but it happens to be true. I know the place. The only place where they could eat on Simchas Torah is in their Sukkah, right? Uh that's cuz they have a large crowd, it's a porch, etc. But they dafka don't do it, and they they arrange for a different place to eat. They don't want to look like bal toseph. And I said to them, I said, "If one does not have kavana to, you know, to sit in the Sukkah for mitzvah Sukkah, nonetheless, it could be bal toseph if you sit there and eat on Simchas Torah." I was wondering about your thoughts on that. No, the Gemara said that it's not a violation about this, but you should do whatever you can to demonstrate that you're not in violation about toseph. So, if you can put the shlak on top, so put the shlak on. Tell everybody the shlak on. could be made? Uh It's a problem. No. The Gemara says you can always have When you have a pot of soup and you serve the soup, so you're supposed to take the soup pot out of the Sukkah. Doesn't belong in the Sukkah. So, if it's Simchas Torah, and you want to demonstrate that it's not Sukkah, so you leave. You leave the pot, and you leave the dirty plates. You're not allowed to leave the dirty plates in the Sukkah after you finish eating. The used cups, you may leave in the Sukkah, but the dirty plates you're supposed to take out. So, leave the dirty plates in the Sukkah to demonstrate that it's not Sukkas. The Gemara says that. The Gemara says that. Finally, Rabbi, um, I had an interesting experience a couple of weeks ago in Israel. Uh, three soldiers, boys, from the Lebanese front came straight to the studio where I was broadcasting from and I had an opportunity to speak to them, which of course was very inspiring. I don't have to tell you, uh, they're to be admired. Uh, and I and I stood when they walked in and I said I said to my audience I said it's the first time in 15 years. The last time I stood during a broadcast was when my father walked into the studio. It's the first time and I'm wondering, do you think there is a an obligation to stand for IDF soldiers? The Mishna says when the pilgrims would be bringing the Bikkurim to the Beis Hamikdash, the pilgrims might not learned people, but they're going to do a mitzvah. So, one is on his way to do a mitzvah, you stand up. So, it says in the Bartinura comments on that Mishna in Bikkurim that when they bring the baby in for the bris, everybody stands up. And they're not standing up out of respect for the baby. He didn't do anything in his life yet. He's standing up out of respect for the kvatter who's bringing the baby to do a mitzvah. When the chevra kadisha brings in a dead body, so we don't stand up for the dead person. We never stood up while he was alive. Why should we stand up for him? We're standing up out of respect for the chevra kadisha. So, we we should stand up. And then the Pischei Teshuvah says when the gabbai walks around with the pushka, he's getting everyone to give tzedakah, we should stand up out of respect for the gabbai. We should stand up for these people. They're they're doing mitzvahs. They're protecting all of us. Rabbi, the next time we meet, I hope there's true shalom and simcha al Yisrael. Amen. Thank you so much. Very good. Shikoach. Mhm.