Correction to last week: Moshe and Korach’s claim of inheritance is in Shemos and not in chapter 3 above as I wrote. Ble Neder I plan to investigate this with Parsha Korach. But this week I go into more chapter 3 of last week.
Parsha Naso
This week we have the longest Parsha in the Torah and perhaps that
is why the Rabbis took two of the three Leviim families into last week’s Parsha
and only now continue with the third.
The answer can be found in the order of birth of the three
subdivisions of the Leviim. 3:17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and
Kohat, and Merari. Last week, we had Kohat listed first because they received
the Aron so they started first and it says in Hebrew ‘Rosh’. For Merari it does
not say ‘Rosh’ and this week’s Parsha we begin with Gershon and the word ‘Rosh’
is used for he was the oldest. Another reason why Kohat was chosen was that the
numbers of that division of the tribe were larger and the burdens were very
heavy which required more Leviim. – Thanks to Rav Eldad Shlita of my Kollel quoting
the Medrash Rabbah.
4:21 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses saying: 22
'Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their
families; 23 from thirty years
old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them: all that enter in
to wait upon the service, to do service in the tent of meeting.
Why the ages 30 to 50 when the army is 20 to 60 years of age? I
believe this is for a number of reasons. A person reaches his maximum strength
at the age of 28 for in Hebrew the word Chaf-Chet is Koach meaning strength and
Chaf is 20 and Chet is 8. Around 50 a person begins to lose his strength and
the ability to react and concentrate is less. You usually see the most
experience fighter pilots in this age range but as they go up in rank their
administrative abilities remove them from the practical skills. Gold, Silver
and Brass are not light metals nor is the wood used for the Aron HaKodesh and
strong individuals had to hold and carry.
… 46 All
those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes
of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers' houses, 47 from thirty years old and upward
even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service,
and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48 even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and
five hundred and fourscore. 49
According to the commandment of the LORD they were appointed by the hand of
Moses, everyone to his service, and to his burden; they were also numbered, as
the LORD commanded Moses.
So out of the over 22, 000 Leviim about a little over a third met
the age category for working.
5:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 'Command the children
of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath
an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead; 3 both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye
put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.' 4 And the children of Israel did so, and
put them out without the camp; as the LORD spoke unto Moses, so did the
children of Israel.
There are different levels of Kedusha. The land
outside of Eretz Yisrael, the land outside of the encampment, the land area of
the Mishkan and the land of Kadosh HaKodashim. People who are Tumay had to be
outside of the holy area.
5 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 6 Speak unto the
children of Israel: When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit,
to commit a trespass against the LORD, and that soul be guilty;
To
act treacherously against God: [Scripture] repeats the section [dealing with] a
thief who swears falsely, which is stated in parshath Vayikra : “… and acts
treacherously against God by falsely denying to his fellow…” (Lev. 5:21). It is
repeated here because two new matters are introduced. The first is that it is
written: “they shall confess,” which teaches us that he [the thief] is not
required to pay a fifth and [bring] a guilt [offering] when incriminated by two
witnesses, until he admits to the deed himself, and the second [matter] is that
what is stolen from a proselyte must be given to the kohanim. - [Sifrei Naso
1:13]
We learn here that stealing from man is like
stealing from G-D or trespassing on a holy item such as a Korban, Teruma,
Maaser, or Maaser Sheni outside of Yerushalayim.
7 then they shall confess their sin
which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and
add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he
hath been guilty.
For
the principal amount of his guilt: This is the principal amount on which he has
sworn [falsely]. — [B.K. 110a] To the one against whom he was guilty: The one
to whom he is liable. — [Keth. 19a] [I.e., if the payee owes this amount to a
third party, the thief must pay the third party.]
8 But if the man have no kinsman to
whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is
made shall be the LORD'S, even the priest's; besides the ram of the atonement,
whereby atonement shall be made for him.
But
if the man has no kinsman: For the claimant who made him swear has died, and
has left no heirs. To whom to make restitution: when this one decided to
confess his sin. Our Sages say: Is there any man in Israel who has no kinsman-either
a son, a daughter, a brother, or some other relative from his father’s
family-all the way back to our father Jacob? Rather, this is [referring to] a
proselyte who died, leaving no heirs. — [Sifrei Naso 1:23, B.K. 109a, Sanh.
68b] [since a proselyte is judged as a newborn, without relationship to those
born prior to his conversion.] The debt which is restored: Heb. הָאָשָׁם הַמּוּשָׁב. The [“debt” (הָאָשָׁם)
refers to the] principal and [“which is restored” (הַמּוּשָׁב)
refers to] the fifth. — [B.K. 110a] To the Lord,[is to be given] to the kohen:
God assumes ownership and gives it over to the kohen [on duty] in that watch. —
[B.K. 109b] Besides the atonement ram: mentioned in [parshath] Vayikra (Lev.
5:25), which he is required to bring.
9 And every heave-offering of all the
holy things of the children of Israel, which they present unto the priest,
shall be his.
Every
offering: Heb. תְּרוּמָה. Rabbi Ishmael said:
Is the terumah brought to the kohen ? Does he not go around the granaries
seeking it? So what does the clause “brought to the kohen” mean? These are the
first fruits, of which it is stated, “you shall bring to the House of the Lord,
your God” (Exod. 23:19), but I do not know what to do with them. Therefore,
Scripture states: “to the kohen , [it] shall be his.” Scripture teaches us
regarding the first fruits, that they are to be given to the kohen . — [Sifrei
Naso 1:30].
10 And every man's hallowed things
shall be his: whatsoever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.
Both the Cohanim and the Leviim were responsible
for either the Mikdash or the education of children and their compensation was
specified in the Torah. This does not preclude Rabbanim and a Sanhedrin from
other tribes but the tribes including the Rabbis were expected to work in some
form. Rabbi Yochanan the cobbler (literally in Hebrew Sandal), Rabbi Yose the
doctor, the Rambam and Hillel was so poor he could not pay for his seat in the
Beis Medrash.
11 and the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 12 Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man's wife go aside, and act
unfaithfully against him,
Rashi is clear on this point. If you withhold gifts
to the Cohain or HASHEM then your wife will give her favors to others.
Should
any man’s wife go astray: What is written above [i.e., before] this subject?
“Everyone’s holy things belong to him.” If you withhold the gifts of the
kohanim, then-by your life!-you will have to come to him to bring him an
unfaithful wife. - [Ber. 63a] Any man: Heb. אִישׁ אִישׁ,
lit. a man, a man. [The double expression] teaches that she has been doubly
unfaithful-against [the Lord, who is known as] the Man (אִישׁ)
of War on high (Exod. 15:3), and against her husband (אִישָׁהּ),
lit.,“her man”] below [in this world]. Should any man’s wife go astray: Heb. תִשְׂטֶה. Our Sages teach (Tanchuma Naso 5):
Adulterers do not commit adultery unless a spirit of folly (שְׁטוּת) enters them, as it is written [here],“should go astray” [תִשְׂטֶה, can also mean to become a שׁוֹטֶה, i.e., to become “foolish”], and it is written, “One who
commits adultery with a woman is devoid of sense” (Prov. 6:32) (Tanchuma Naso
5). The simple meaning of the verse is: “Should [any man’s wife] goes astray.”
She deviates from modest ways, thus arousing his suspicion, as in [the
verse],“turn away שְׂטֵה from it and pass”
(Prov. 4:15), [and]“Let your heart not veer off יֵשְׂטְ
into her ways” (Prov. 7:25). And deal treacherously with him: What is her
treachery?
There is a Medrash containing the following
story: A man was coming home and he heard his wife chiding his daughter saying,
“Be discreet in your actions! I gave birth to ten children but only one was
from your father!” When the time came for the man to pass on he let it be known
that all his property and money was going to his only son. The brothers did not
know what to do so they went to the local Rabbi. The Rabbi told them to pound
on the grave and demand that the man tell them unto which son he wanted to give
the money. They did so but the spirit of the man did not visit them. The Rabbi
asked “Did all of you go?” They replied to the Rav that all but so and so. The
Rabbi ruled that he is the true son!
13 and a man lie with her carnally,
and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, she being defiled secretly, and
there be no witness against her, neither she be taken in the act; 14 and the spirit of jealousy come
upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; or if the spirit
of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not
defiled;
We are not dealing with a sick individual who is
jealous all the time like the man who demanded that is girlfriend send a photo
over the phone of her location every once in a while to check up on her. We are
dealing with a normal person who through a slight variation in her behavior
became jealous. There was just a little something in a behavior change that
brought this about. Women are better at finding out a man through a strand of
hair, lipstick that is not theirs somewhere, and a behavior change.
15 then shall the man bring his wife
unto the priest, and shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an
ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense
thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial,
bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16
And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17 And the priest shall take holy
water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the
tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall set the woman
before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the
meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy;
and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causes the
curse. 19 And the priest shall
cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: 'If no man have lain with
thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband,
be thou free from this water of bitterness that causes the curse; 20 but if thou hast gone aside, being
under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee
besides thy husband-- 21 then
the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the
priest shall say unto the woman--the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among
thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to
swell; 22 and this water that
causes the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy
thigh to fall away'; and the woman shall say: 'Amen, Amen.' 23 And the priest shall write these
curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink
the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the
curse shall enter into her and become bitter. 25 And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of
the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before the LORD, and bring
it unto the altar. 26 And the
priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial-part thereof,
and make it smoke upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the
water. 27 And when he hath made
her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have
acted unfaithfully against her husband, that the water that causes the curse
shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her
thigh shall fall away; and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
A few years ago I wrote the famous story of the
Chida Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Asulai who was a Cohain who called a couple to
his office and asked that the husband give his wife a Get. He spoke to the wife
who deigned all hanky-panky. At his point he read the Parsha and again asked
the wife to confess. She refused and no sooner than she left his office that
her thighs and stomach swelled and she passed away on the street. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Joseph_David_Azulai
and http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111929/jewish/Rabbi-Chaim-Joseph-David-Azulai.htm
28 And if the woman be not defiled,
but be clean; then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed. 29 This is the law of jealousy, when a
wife, being under her husband, goes aside, and is defiled; 30 or when the spirit of jealousy
cometh upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife; then shall he set the woman
before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 And the man shall be clear from
iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity
Below there are two stories one about falling
out of love and my advice to stay in love but caution it takes an effort of two
full time to make a marriage work. One-sided marriages cannot under any
circumstances work.
6:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them: When either man or woman shall clearly
utter a vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to consecrate himself unto the LORD,
Who
sets himself apart: Heb. כִּי יַפְלִא,
sets himself apart. Why is the section dealing with the nazirite juxtaposed to
the section of the adulterous woman? To tell us that whoever sees an adulteress
in her disgrace should vow to abstain from wine, for it leads to adultery. —
[Sotah 2a]
3 he shall abstain from wine and
strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink,
neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
Our Rabbis taught that if a man sees a loose
woman who is a Sotah let him vow to be a Nazir and refrain from wine and strong
drink in order to be on guard against his Yetzer.
4 All the days of his Naziriteship
shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the pressed grapes
even to the grapestone. 5 All
the days of his vow of Naziriteship there shall no razor come upon his head;
until the days be fulfilled, in which he consecrates himself unto the LORD, he
shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. 6 All the days that he consecrates
himself unto the LORD he shall not come near to a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean
for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when
they die; because his consecration unto God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his Naziriteship he
is holy unto the LORD. …
I just want to bring
down the Rashi on Pasuk 15: He shall present himself: Heb. יָבִיא אֹתוֹ, lit.,“he shall bring him,” i.e., he shall
bring himself. This [word אֹתוֹ“himself”] is one of
the three [cases of the word] אֶת which Rabbi Ishmael
expounded in this way [as being reflexive]. Similarly,“thereby bringing upon
themselves (אוֹתָם) to bear iniquity and
guilt” (Lev. 22:16) - [“ אוֹתָם ” meaning]
themselves. Similarly,“He buried him (אֹתוֹ)
in the ravine” (Deut. 34:6) he [Moses] buried himself. — [Sifrei Naso 1:124] Perhaps a guilt offering
for being holier than thou. There were exceptions Shimshon and Shmuel HaNovi
because of the dedication before their birth or those who were out of the
ordinary because of their own beauty or having been tempted by their Yetzer but
there were few with real pure motives. The Korban and the cleansing
process is described and the making of an atonement for the Rabbis view except
under rare circumstances it a sin for a man to become a Nazir.
21 This is the law of the Nazirite who
vows, and of his offering unto the LORD for his Naziriteship, beside that for
which his means suffice; according to his vow which he vows, so he must do
after the law of his Naziriteship.
Although this is in order in the Chumash, I
wonder if this too was not given earlier. This is the priestly blessing said
daily in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Yisrael on Yom Tov only.
22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 23 'Speak unto Aaron and
unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye
shall say unto them: 24 The LORD
bless thee, and keep thee; 25
The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance
upon thee, and give thee peace. 27
So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
The main point of the blessing is to keep the
Shechina upon Am Yisrael and bring peace to the people.
7:1 And it
came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the
tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture
thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and
sanctified them;
Our Sages of blessed memory state that there is no “early” or “late”
in the Torah. We have just gone back in time to the time when all the sons of
Aaron were alive.
Why you may ask then is this Parsha here? Because we started out
on the subject of the census and the positions of the tribes around the Mishkan
in the Machane of the Bnei Yisrael.
2 that
the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, offered--these were
the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were
numbered. 3 And they brought
their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen: a wagon
for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they presented them
before the tabernacle.
I have never checked into the density of Acadia Wood but it
appears to me outside of a miracle 6 wagons pulled by 2 oxen would be insufficient
to move the heavy beams. In fact I have never seen such a tree with such a
large trunk that grew 20 Amos aka 10 meters high. Redwoods and Sequoia Trees
yes but an Arcadia Tree no! We shall see below also that 2 wagons went
elsewhere and the Leviim only had 4 wagons for the beams.
4 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 5
'Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tent of meeting;
and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his
service.' 6 And Moses took the
wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon,
according to their service. 8
And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto
their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave
none, because the service of the holy things belonged unto them: they bore them
upon their shoulders.
The sons of Kohat were honored with the holiest objects but the
holiest objects required human handling and not bore by oxen or wagon. Special
Kavana and thinking were required.
10 And
the princes brought the dedication-offering of the altar in the day that it was
anointed, even the princes brought their offering before the altar. 11 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'They
shall present their offering each prince on his day, for the dedication of the
altar.'
Because every prince offered the same offerings as the tribes were
equal, I will not repeat them more than once. Why Nachshon first as Reuven was
the oldest? We can say that Yehuda was the largest tribe or that Nachshon
jumped in first at the parting of the sea up to his nostrils but the blessing
of Yacov gave the kingship to Yehuda and the king leads the nation. Ah you say
Moshe was king at the time! The honor here is based on the future history of
mankind and Am Yisrael.
12 And he
that presented his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of
the tribe of Judah; 13 and his
offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty
shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary;
both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 14 one golden pan of ten shekels, full
of incense; 15 one young
bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 16 one male of the goats for a
sin-offering; 17 and for the
sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs
of the first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. …
The section below is an
accounting for the total amount of gifts given by the princes:
84 This
was the dedication-offering of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, at
the hands of the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins,
twelve golden pans; 85
each silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and each basin seventy;
all the silver of the vessels two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the
shekel of the sanctuary;
Based on a Shekel being 100 grams I think somewhere between 96 to
98 grams and approximately 28 grams to an ounce and 857.14 rounded off ounces of
silver taking the medium price which varies between $19 to $23 dollars an ounce
using $19 we have in today’s terms $16,309 which is affordable for a prince of
a tribe when divided by 12.
86 twelve
golden pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of
the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans a hundred and twenty shekels;
Price of Gold as of yesterday $1,256.39 (troy ounces or 31 grams)
and 385 troy ounces of gold. In today’s terms is $484,608 and all these
calculations are minus the exchange rate and the work of the gold and silver
smith. Now without the price of a bulls, rams and Billy-goats we are getting
into half a million dollars. By the time we finish the cost is about one
million dollars total for the tribes in modern terms.
87 all
the oxen for the burnt-offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs
of the first year twelve, and their meal-offering; and the males of the goats
for a sin-offering twelve; 88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace-offerings twenty
and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs of the
first year sixty. This was the dedication-offering of the altar, after that it
was anointed. 89
And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then
he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the
ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.
Harry
Truman not only recognized the State of Israel but was a mensch.
Harry Truman was a
different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions
regarding our nation's history as any of the other 32 Presidents preceding him.
However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the
White House.
The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence, Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.
When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.
After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.
When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me.. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."
Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.
Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, too many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale (ie. Illinois ).
Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!
We ought to have cloned him for telling it like it is and being frugal with our tax dollars!
The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence, Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.
When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.
After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.
When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me.. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."
Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.
Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, too many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale (ie. Illinois ).
Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!
We ought to have cloned him for telling it like it is and being frugal with our tax dollars!
Using somebody’s Wi-Fi is it OK? http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2592560/jewish/Can-I-Use-My-Neighbors-Wi-Fi-Without-Permission.htm
Response:
Before beginning a discussion about using unsecured Internet connections according to Jewish law, it must be noted that many countries and states have specific laws that prohibit accessing someone else’s computer or network without authorization. According to Jewish law, as long as civil law does not contradict Torah law, “the law of the country is the law,” and the Halacha follows civil law.1 In New York State, for instance, unauthorized use of a computer network is considered a Class A misdemeanor.2Therefore, any discussion on this topic from the perspective of Jewish law must be based on the assumption that civil law does not explicitly address it. Nevertheless, the question of using an unsecured network raises a number of halachic issues, and is worth delving into further.
Borrowing Without Permission
When you use your neighbor’s Wi-Fi, you are essentially “borrowing” his computer, router, modem and Internet connection without permission. The Talmud records a dispute among the sages as to whether one who borrows something without permission is considered a borrower or a thief.3 The halachah follows the opinion that this person is considered a thief, even if he or she intends to return the object afterward.4There are exceptions to this rule, however. In cases where the object of “theft” is something that no one (not even a small number of people) would object to someone’s borrowing without permission, and there is no risk of damaging the object, halachah considers it permissible to use it without approval.5
Although accessing the Internet through an open Wi-Fi connection rarely causes damage to the network, it seems safe to assume that at least a small number of people would object to their Wi-Fi being used without permission, and doing so would be considered stealing.
There is, however, another reason why some say that using an open Wi-Fi network without permission would be permitted.
Objects of No Substance
When discussing the mitzvah of listening to the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the halachah posits that if someone blew from a stolen shofar, he nevertheless fulfilled his obligation. The rationale in this case is that the laws of theft do not apply to entities without substance, like sight and sound.6(It should be noted that there is a dispute about whether the reason one still fulfills his obligation is because the mitzvah is only to hear the sound of the shofar, and the laws of theft do not apply to sound alone, or because [unlike, for example, the mitzvah of lulav] there is no requirement that the shofar must belong to the one using it.7 The halachah follows the opinion that the reason is because the laws of theft do not apply to something without substance.8)
Based on this idea that things without substance cannot be stolen, it would seem that using a neighbor’s open Internet connection without permission would be permitted. However, other commentaries point out that stealing something without substance isn’t considered stealing because using that intangible object did not cause a loss to the owner. Should it cause a loss, it would certainly be considered damaging or stealing another person’s property.9
Generally, subscribers pay an Internet service provider (ISP) for a limited amount of access to the Internet, called bandwidth. The speed of an Internet connection depends on the amount of available bandwidth at a given time. Wider bandwidth allows more data to be sent and received simultaneously, resulting in faster Internet service. When a non-subscriber downloads large files using an open Internet connection while the subscriber is using the Internet, the reduced bandwidth can significantly slow the owner’s connection. In other words, this causes a loss to the neighbor.
Therefore, although an Internet connection may be classified as something without substance, if using it causes the owner a loss in any way, it would be prohibited to use it without permission. If one used the Internet in a way that had no effect on the owner’s speed, however, or at times when the neighbor isn’t using the Internet, it might be halachically permitted.10
Although less common, some service providers charge subscribers based on the amount of data used. In this case, using a neighbor’s Wi-Fi without permission could cause a loss regardless of the time of day, and using the open network would be prohibited without permission.
“This One Benefits. . .”
When discussing this issue, some rabbis refer to a well-known Talmudic concept that if “one person will benefit, and the other one suffers no loss,”11 you cannot hold the other person back from deriving that benefit.12 In fact, in some instances Halacha forces the owner to allow the other person to derive that benefit.13 But as we explained above, in many instances using someone else’s Internet connection does indeed cause a loss to the owner. Therefore, this rationale would apply only in a scenario in which the owner does not suffer a loss.So, to answer your question: If you live in a place where using an unsecured Internet connection without permission is permitted by civil law, and you can be sure that your using the Wi-Fi will not slow your neighbor’s connection, increase his bill or cause him any other kind of loss, Halacha would theoretically permit you to use the Wi-Fi without permission. But why not play it safe? Knock on his door and ask him if he minds—it’s the neighborly thing to do.
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FOOTNOTES
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Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim
28a, Gittin 10b, Bava Kamma 113b and Bava Batra 54b. See also Shulchan
Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 369, and Igrot Moshe, Choshen Mishpat 1:88.
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Babylonian Talmud, Bava
Batra 88a.
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Shulchan Aruch, Choshen
Mishpat 292:1.
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Sefer Meirat Einayim (Sema)
292:4; Shulchan Aruch ha-Rav, Choshen Mishpat, Hilchot Metziah 28 and
Kuntres Acharon ad loc. See also Shulchan Aruch ha-Rav, Choshen
Mishpat, Hilchot She’eilah 5.
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Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah
3:1; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 586:2.
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Both opinions can be found in
the Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah 3:1. See also Maimonides’ Mishneh
Torah, Hilchot Shofar Sukkah ve-Lulav 1:3, and gloss of Raavad ad loc.,
who each follow one of the opinions in the Talmud. This dispute continues
with the commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch, with Magen Avraham
siding with Maimonides, and Taz with Raavad.
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Mishneh Torah loc.
cit., and Kesef Mishneh ad loc. See also Magen Avraham on Shulchan
Aruch, Orach Chaim 586:2, and Shulchan Aruch ha-Rav 586:4.
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R. David Lichtenstein, Kuntres
Internet be-Halachah, Chapter 5 (http://ihalachah.com/files/hibh.pdf).
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Ibid.
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Babylonian Talmud, Bava
Kamma 20b.
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Shulchan Aruch, Choshen
Mishpat 363:6.
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13. Talmud Bavli Bava Basra 12b.
In the country of Israel the law seems to imply that Bezek can
take a Mega from each customer to establish a country wide free net for
travelers in the future. So that changes the article to this one enjoys and
that one does not lose out. I am uncertain if the law took effect or has been
proposed or neither but there was of discussion of this. IN THE MEANTIME SECURE
YOUR MODEM FOR LAST BUT NOT LEAST TO PREVENT HACKING.
Falling Out of Love
“We just fell out of love,” another friend’s parents told her when they split up. “We love each other but we’re no longer in love” (whatever that means).
“I don’t know how it happened but we grew apart,” an older acquaintance confided. “We used to be so close but we just drifted in opposite directions.”
What do all these scenarios share? What do all these phrases – “a rut”, “just fell out of love”, “I don’t know how it happened”, “drifted” – have in common?
They are all descriptions of passivity. These unfortunate occurrences just happened to me while I was minding my own business. I bear no responsibility for the situation.
If that is true, we can certainly understand why the three women cited above have given up. They feel that since they did absolutely nothing to cause the situation, since it was something that was imposed on them when they were looking the other way, there is obviously nothing they can do to change or improve things.
This is not the Jewish perspective. We are responsible for the direction and emotional state of our lives. While the idea of greater responsibility may make us shudder, it also implies greater opportunities, greater possibilities, and greater hope.
If a couple has drifted apart, it’s usually because they weren’t paying attention. The word ‘drifted’ couldn’t be more apropos. They weren’t making an effort; they weren’t focused on each other. Of course they didn’t ‘just’ grown apart. It was the result of years of indifference or preoccupation or focus on career-building or the children, to name a few possibilities. Fortunately, in most cases, and even after many years, this can be remedied with sincere effort, interest, hard work – and acceptance of responsibility. It still won’t be easy. It may require professional assistance. But, if both spouses share the goal of reviving the marriage, it can be done.
Likewise with the couple that ‘fell out of love’. Even the word ‘fell’ implies an accident. It may not have been intentional but it was the logical and inevitable consequence of inattention to the marriage and each other. Marriages don’t stay exciting without effort. Life gets busy and complicated and we can’t be bothered or we just don’t have the energy to work at it. But that’s a real shame because it doesn’t take that much – a shared activity, a special dinner out, a day trip to somewhere new, a walk around an unexplored local neighborhood – to put the zip back in. We just have to make the time.
And the same principles apply to friend #1. If every day is the same, only she has the power to shake things up. She needs some meaningful goals to strive for. She needs a plan. She needs to make sure that every day is filled with learning and growing. It’s easy to check out, to allow the days to slip by, to fade from one into the next. But that leads to depression. We feel invigorated when we are accomplishing, when we are giving, when we are developing our spiritual sides.
The three women here chose the easy way out – with tragic results for some of them. The Jewish path requires harder work and difficult choices. But it is the only way to take charge of our lives. The results may not be in our hands but our choices certainly are. We need to reclaim control over our choices and our lives and not just be passive bystanders.
Staying in love by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli
I have my own advice on this:
1) Marriage is not a joke
take it seriously be committed and if you have a fight don’t threaten divorce.
2) Speak to your partner –
get off the internet get on board with his other. A) How to handle
children
B) How to talk to one another – no curses or name calling. C) Do your best not to
raise your voice – we are human it happens to me still at my age but less than
at the age of 20 or 30. It is just that sometimes our partner steps on our
emotional sensitivities. Or we step on theirs.
D) The way to try to prevent stepping one one’s sensitivities is to keep
communicating we all make mistakes and forget and couples married 40 or 50
years still may argue.
E) Try not to tease. My late father-in-law as married 65 years plus with
my mother-in-law before his passing. They got married young and in the
beginning he teased her from time to time. He never stopped even close to the
end.
F) Put in an effort to show that you care if your partner is ill, cries,
raises their voice or is turned off because you raised yours. Stop and say I
love you but you annoyed me.
All these subcategories can only come about with communication channels
open daily.
3) Do simple things to show
your love like during the clean times of the month a daily hug and kiss in the
morning and evening.
4) Complement and praise or
thank when it is due.
5) Volunteer – do you need me
to shop, prepare something for Shabbos, vacuum the rug, hang up the cloths,
make a salad or scrape some carrots and radishes or something?
6) Remember to care and
share.
7) Remember Marriage is a
Partnership as much as possible for live and commit to renew in and reinforce
it. Just as a car, house, computer, etc. needs maintaining so does a marriage.
8) If you have had an
argument – ALL COUPLES ARGUE OR SHOW SIGNS OF ANNOYANCE – when tempers calm
down try to sit or walk and talk and analyze why the fight and where one can
try to avoid a repeat in the future.
9) Remember birthdays,
anniversaries, show respect and be large for it pays off – going cheapskate on
your partner is not a good idea. Example she wants a new dress or he wants a
new computer = if it meets your budget agree if not try to compromise and put
some savings aside for the item. In the long run things pay off.
10) The best advice I received was from the late
Mashgiach of Rehovot before Rabbi Avraham Rubin Shlita. Rabbi Yona Shiber told
me that he was married 55 years and the secret to not fighting was to let his
wife decide. He would say to her here is our budget here is the check book I
write you out a blank check (today a credit card) put in the number what you
want. I think the object is too expensive or above our means but if it means so
much to you, I let you decide. He told me that sometimes the Rebbitzen would
purchase and sometimes she would check the budget and go according to the Rabbi
but there was never an argument over a purchase that the other really desired.
11) My friend Seth who is married for over 50
years once told me to do everything that makes your partner happy. It may not
work all the time but you can’t go wrong by it.
12) NEVER EVER FIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR CHILDREN IT
DAMAGES THEM.
13) If HASHEM renews Maaser Beresheis (the
creation) everyday so renew your marriage as best you can daily.
14) Just as the right hand does not hit the left,
never put your hand on your spouse and this applies to women as well as men.
Plowing the 1st Melacha By Rabbi
Jack Abramwitz:
There are 39 categories of constructive labor called
Melachos. These are the acts that were performed in the construction of the
Mishkan (Tabernacle). These and similar actions are forbidden on Shabbos.
The first 11 Melachos are called
“sidura d’pas,” “the order of (making) bread” and they are agricultural in
nature (see Talmud Shabbos 74 and Rashi there). There were two reasons for
agricultural activity. The first was to grow plants needed to produce necessary
dyes; the second was to make the lechem HaPanim (“show bread”) for the Mishkan.
The Av Melacha (primary labor)
of choreish involves using a plow to loosen the soil so that seeds may be
planted. For practical purposes, any act that loosens soil or makes it more
suitable for planting is a toldah (derivative labor) of choreish.
A famous derivative of choreish
discussed by the Talmud in Shabbos 29b is called “goreir,” meaning “dragging.”
One may not drag a heavy chair or bench on the dirt because of the
inevitability that it will carve ruts in the ground. Even though one does not
intend to do so, he would be violating the prohibition on plowing.
Smoothing out the soil, to fill
holes or flatten bumps, is also forbidden as a derivative of choreish. So,
while walking on soil is permitted, rubbing one’s foot on it is not.
This is just an introduction to
the concepts of the Melacha of choreish; it is not a substitute for a full
study of the Halachos.
Today is Rosh Chodesh and
Shavuos is just around the corner see links here: http://www.ou.org/holidays/shavuot/
To sleep or not to sleep on Shavuos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLhgp7TMVf8&list=PLaID9llq3QgsbVdCtGVyBpseiF0_smeXL&index=2
Medical
“grass” for Shmita: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4522647,00.html
If you
are a Jew in California you will probably laugh at this headline: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4523160,00.html
Major Michael sent me
this outrageous piece of the anti-Israeli extremist Jews: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/5760#.U4DoYShzHwi On the other hand it
appears that the left was making trouble for Yisrael too and they are the
anti-religious forces so try to avoid both extremes – the second article I lost
when I moved over to Office 2013.
From my first Chavrutha Avraham: A tour of Yerushalayim http://www.jerusalem360.co.il/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/jerusalem-tour-eng.html?s=pano44&h=109&v=0&f=90&s=pano4264&h=-93&v=0&f=90
From Valerie in N. Ireland and it is beyond her
understanding about all the lies: Apparently the whole world now knows what
Pastor McConnell has said and indeed Peter Robinson, our First Minister, regarding
Muslims.
Martin Luther wrote this.......
"The Jews are a base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth. The Jews are full of the devil’s feces…which they wallow in like swine, their synagogue is an incorrigible whore and an evil slut." —Martin Luther, “On the Jews and Their Lies,” 1543
Martin Luther wrote this.......
"The Jews are a base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth. The Jews are full of the devil’s feces…which they wallow in like swine, their synagogue is an incorrigible whore and an evil slut." —Martin Luther, “On the Jews and Their Lies,” 1543
Presidential Politics in Israel: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Ben-Eliezer-Itzik-battle-for-runoff-against-Rivlin-in-Israel-president-race-354865
Inyanay Diyoma
IAF
message to Assad: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/180959#.U39uyptWHIU
Iran is
banking on a two or three front war: http://debka.com/article/23940/New-pact-restores-Hamas-to-the-Iranian-fold-with-a-200m-annual-stipend-and-military-aid
Bennett
trying to get Jewish Rule in Yehuda and the Shomron: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Bennett-Ill-push-as-hard-as-I-can-for-unilateral-move-in-Judea-and-Samaria-353188
The war
of Gog and Magog is approaching and we will witness the destruction of large
cities in Europe and possibly the States the west does not understand the
Jihad: http://debka.com/article/23942/The-big-charade-Nuclear-diplomacy-is-a-flop-the-finale-is-secretly-postponed-to-2015
Attack
in Brussels 3 or 4 dead and an arrest: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/180977#.U4D1JptWHIU Attack in Paris two
stabbed and in the hospital: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181005
New
Diabetes Research longer lasting insulin: http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/mouse-study-raises-possibility-of-new-treatment-for-diabetes/?xid=aol_eh-news_24_20140519_&aolcat=HLT&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl14%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D480216
Mentioned
about the targeting of the Sderot Train last week: http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/politics-and-military/military/watch-sderot-train-targeted-by-hamas-5354
Muslims
threaten this Christian Woman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzCAqXrBGtU#t=43
Alert
Soldiers prevent terrorist attack: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/180983#.U4HugZtWHIU
This is
condensed from the Hebrew about the population transfers of 23,000,000 ethnic
Germans after WWII and millions of Greeks, Turks, Polish people, Ukrainian and
Balkan people and there is no perpetual refugee camps then comes what is condensed below of the
propaganda: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4523523,00.html
From
Barry Shaw of the Jerusalem Post:
Education system of my Arab Neighbors no wonder they only win terrorism prizes:
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11533
Hezballah
could be a strategic threat: http://debka.com/article/23946/Nasrallah’s-latest-war-speech-is-taken-literally-by-Israeli-military-chiefs-
Man
fails his bomb making class: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181037#.U4QZeZtWHIU
You are
going to love the “genius” Lapid after reading how tens of thousands of Israeli
lives are endanger: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4524108,00.html
Move to
Israel and let Europe be hit by the Iranian Bomb: http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Far-rights-election-success-worries-European-Jewry-354460
From my
cousin David spoken in English How do you like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbLFo02jlH8
Shin
Bet arrests Salafist in the Negev: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Israeli-citizen-arrested-for-aiding-two-relatives-to-get-to-Syria-fight-alongside-extremists-354487
The IDF
stops regular pilot alertness as the IDF makes do because of the Syrian and
Lebanese Chutzpa thanks to Lapid who is as nice as Obama is to US armed forces.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4524108,00.html
Obama
might be waking up as the Israeli Treasury Sleeps: http://debka.com/article/23949/Obama-about-turns-on-Syria-US-military-training-and-weapons-for-moderate-Syrian-rebels-
George
Tsoros, J Street and HaSatan don’t even have to put in an effort here: http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/dunetz-antisemitism-systemic-msnbc
Rescuing
of Ukrainian Jews: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4524570,00.html
Arab
Rain of rocks and glass on Seminary Students: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181141#.U4Z_YW5WHIU
Essentially
there is a building freeze in Ramat Shlomo and other parts of Yerushalayim so
this lie for internal consumption hurts us internationally and angers the US
and Europe – just shut up and build: http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Netanyahu-We-intend-to-build-everywhere-in-a-united-Jerusalem-354698
Debka
warned us months ago now Congress is saying that the diplomacy of Obama puts
the region into a Nuclear Arms Race: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181168#.U4bmmJtWHIU
From
Barry Shaw on BDS: http://israeltheviewfromhere.blogspot.co.il/2014/05/this-is-why-bds-is-all-noise-and-no-bite.html
Ben
Dror Yemini more blood libels against Israel by anti-Semites: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4524729,00.html
Why
I am skeptic of in active social media friends or suspicious people: I had one
on Facebook send me a “friend” request 23 minutes after joining the media site
please vet your contacts: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4525214,00.html
The
IAF fights back: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181176#.U4dRdSg0z5Y
The
Finance Ministry fights back while lives are at risk over money: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4525429,00.html
Never
Renounce Terror: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181184#.U4dS1Cg0z5Y
It
will take a long time to find: http://debka.com/article/23951/The-Tel-Aviv-couple%E2%80%99s-Brussels-killer-got-away-clean-after-Belgians-missed-out-on-intelligence-routine
Wishing everybody a good Shabbos, good month and Chag Shavuos
Samayach! The weekly Drasha should be out next week but I am traveling so I
might not make it.
Be well,
Rachamim Pauli
