Friday, February 21, 2020

Parsha Mishpatim, Daf Yomi explanation, stories, watch out for false internet info


Parsha Mishpatim


 We did not know what Moshe was doing when he judged the nation last week (18:13) nor what he taught to the judges of 10, 50, 100 and 1000. This week we start off the laws of Nezekim (damages) to property or person.

This week’s Parsha has a lot of Mitzvos and laws and I took a small sampling and left out the usual eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth that is monetary compensation etc.

 21:1 Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before them. 2 If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3 If he come in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he be married, then his wife shall go out with him.

There are two reasons a person is sold as a Hebrew (Slave) Servant. The first is that there is famine in the land or he has piled up debt. The second is that Beis Din sells him for stealing and the compensation is given to the party whom the thief has affected.

4 If his master gives him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

This is the non-Jewish gone to the Mikvah slave/servant woman. The property of the non-Yisrael slave or children of a slave belong to the master.

5 But if the servant shall plainly say: I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free;

The Jewish servant has it good. He has a caring woman, children and food and board from the master. He likes it this way.

6 then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

Why the awl to the Mezuzah of the door? What is forever? The ear that heard on Sinai ‘I am the L-RD your G-D’ and master you should have trusted in ME. Forever is until the Yovel Year when Liberty is proclaimed throughout the land to all Hebrew Servants. The man should have had faith in G-D and worked hard and saved to free his wife and children for money.

7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do. 8 If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed; to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 10 If he take him another wife, her food, her raiment, and her conjugal rights, shall he not diminish. 11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out for nothing, without money.

The poor man ‘sold’ his daughter to the rich man to learn the ways of his household and marry the rich man’s son or the rich man herself. If her personality or work habits etc. did not please the man or his son she would go out with money and if he marry her, she shall be treated like any other wife (the Torah was written pre-Ketuvah days but today she would have the contract guaranteeing her rights).

…22:1 If a thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.

Last week, I mentioned that you should not steal applied to human trafficking and selling to slavery. This week we deal with normal break-in theft. There is still one more type and that is of the armed robber.

2 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him--he shall make restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

This is the main reason we end up with Hebrew Servants.

3 If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep, he shall pay double.

In order to discourage theft, a fine of the value of the animal stolen plus the return of the animal was required. If he ate the animals, he was fined 4 or 5 times the value.

… 15 And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 16 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

We see this in more details in Sefer Devarim.

17 Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live.

This is not the magician who says Adaber KiDevar (he is doing a trick ‘I will speak and this thing will appear’). His Abracadabra is known is a trick before the eyes. However, if the magician plays like he is using extraneous powers we put him to death for then he is challenging HASHEM as if there was another power in the world or using Shaydim aka demons to move things.

…18 Whosoever lies with a beast shall surely be put to death.

See Vayikra 18:23, 20:15 where the prohibition reappears near that of homosexuality. Today the wicked after getting a generation or more to accept homosexuality now are working on toleration of bestiality. In some cases giving more rights to beasts than mankind.

19 He that sacrifices unto the gods, save unto the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed. 20 And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye were strange land of Egypt.

This may be referring to all strangers not only the Ger Toshav. For the Ger Toshav and you live together but this stranger is passing through or learning or temporarily working in the land (such as the railroad and farm workers of today).

21 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

There is no greater pain one can afflict on a person that to take advantage of a poor widow or an orphan who grows up uncertain with no backing.

22 If thou afflict them in any wise--for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry-23 My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

This is what happens if you afflict or take advantage of a widow or orphan. However, if you reprove or rebuke them for going off the Derech Shel Torah, that is correct to do as their father or mother would not want them to become problems to society. This may also apply to a divorced woman although she chose to marry and divorce for we do not know all the details and if she was abused.

24 If thou lend money to any of My people, even to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor; neither shall ye lay upon him interest.

This applies only to a ben or bas Yisrael. If the loan is for business or you stipulate that you, yourself, will owe money to the bank with interest to help this person, you make write out a special Heter to accept interest via a contract.  

25 If thou at all take thy neighbor's garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him by that the sun goes down; 26 for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin; wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he cries unto Me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

You cannot take the rob or blanket of the poor man who needs to bundle up at night. For even if he gives it to you daily as his pledge, he must receive it back each night. Now this might not sound great for the man who loaned out, but just as HASHEM will punish you for holding on to the pledge, so too, HE will reward you for not holding the pledge with either a longer life or more financial gains.

STORY: Once upon a time there was a miser who was quite wealthy and a poor Torah Scholar came to him for a loan. The miser had a horrible reputation in the town. The Torah Scholar came crying to the man for a loan and said that with the help of HASHEM the loan would be paid back as he had no collateral.

A good deal of time went by and the man finally managed to save penny after penny to pay back the loan. The Miser refused to take the money saying that the man’s partner had paid back the loan in full and offered him business deals beyond his wildest dreams.

Years passed and the Miser died. The townspeople did not want to take part in his funeral. The Rabbi of the town stood on the dais is Schul and told the above story and how this loan had bought the man a big portion in the next world.

27 Thou shalt not revile God, nor curse a ruler of thy people.

You cannot go against G-D so do and accept HIS will. You shall not go and curse your ruler. However, one can pray to get rid of a bad government as we do on Rosh Hashanah.

28 Thou shalt not delay to offer of the fullness of thy harvest, and of the outflow of thy presses. The first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto Me.

Do not delay the Bikurim of the fruits, Teruma, Ma’aser, (for the Levi Teruma Ma’aser) and Ma’aser Sheni or Ani. Do not wait more than 30 days to redeem your first born son.

29 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me.

Neither shall you delay the giving of the Bechor of an animals or redeeming a first born donkey.

30 And ye shall be holy men unto Me; therefore, ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

Trafe and Novella shall go to the dog for not whetting its tongue when you left Egypt but you can only eat kosher animals slaughtered according to Halacha.

23:1 Thou shalt not utter a false report; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

We have recently seen this in the IDF, FBI, CIA etc. and it ruins people’s lives or botches up statistics for the army planning division.

2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice;

You must do what is correct before HASHEM and not with mob rule and obtain a herd mentality. You shall be truthful and keep Just.

3 neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.

You can feel sorry for a poor man and give him charity but do not favor him. Nobody forced students to go to College and take out loans. They might have been better off as plumbers, carpenters, electricians, construction or auto workers.

4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

The enemy here is a fellow Ben or Bas Yisrael but not some stranger or terrorist.

5 If thou see the ass of him that hates thee lying under its burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt surely release it with him.

Again only an enemy from your own people but not another people or antisemite.

6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. 7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.

The true Rabbinical Judge must view himself standing over Gehennom. If he listens and believes a false statement, he will grant injustice to an innocent person in favor of a slick of tongue person. Some liars are good others get caught immediately. Roger Stone lied to Congress and they caught him immediately. I can’t list all of those who weren’t caught or ignored as that would fill volumes those who understand will understand.
8 And thou shalt take no gift; for a gift blinds them that have sight, and perverts the words of the righteous.

We have similar language in Parsha Shoftim in Devarim.

9 And a stranger shalt thou not oppress; for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

You should not take advantage of a Ger Tzeddek, who is a full Jew; nor a Ger Toshav who is a Goy and not-Kodesh. However, the just thing to do is treat them fairly before the L-RD. For the Ger Toshav is allowed to be among us as he or she has denounced Avoda Zara and accepted Jewish Sovereignty. The Ger Toshav is a Ben or Bas Noach and has a place in the next world. Not treating them justly will diminish our place in the next world.

10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the increase thereof; 11 but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.

Just like the Shabbos for mankind, the fields must be left fallow during the Shmita Year.

12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.  

Like the last two Parshiyos, we are reminded of observing Shabbos. The reason for such admonishment is that the holiness and benefits for all of Am Yisrael is so great that the Yetzer works overtime that we will violate Shabbos Kodesh.

…17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos.

18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning. 19 The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

One of the three times in Torah this is mention against any enjoyment even for your animals from milk and meat. Not to cook this and not to make a mixture or give such to a non-Jew.

20 Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Take heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; be not rebellious against him; for he will not pardon your transgression; for My name is in him.

The ending of the name of the Angel wither it is Michael, Gavriel, Rafael, etc. Has G-D’s name as his last two letters.

…24:1 And unto Moses He said: 'Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off; 2 and Moses alone shall come near unto the LORD; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.' 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said: 'All the words which the LORD hath spoken will we do.' …15 And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. 16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 And the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Hopefully next year, I will dedicate more time and deal into explaining this last section.


Upcoming Daf Yomi an explanation by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli


On Amud 50A toward the bottom of the Amud there is a Mishnah about 3 people joining each other to say grace after the meal. In the Mishnah there is a small Halachic bit of information. A BLESSING IS NOT SAID OVER THE WINE UNTIL WATER IS PUT IN IT!

When we turn the Daf over to Amud 50B, we see that wine not diluted by water is not really fit for drinking or making a Bracha over it. To understand this, I once made my own grape juice from my garden. Almost 30 years ago and full of energy, water was cheaper, I fertilized the grapes and watched and picked them. I did not have enough to really try to ferment in a barrel into wine. Instead, I made a few liters of grape juice. I put them into blender. The grape juice was like the ancient farmer juice except that I did not crush them with my feet. It was very thick almost like a concentrate and even if I poured off the top part it was better if I would dilute the sweet thick grape juice. This is how wine was made perhaps with a cloth filter over time to remove the skins and excess pulp. The wine flowed but it was much more vicious than today’s watered down version. Still it is the custom especially among Torah Scholars to put a drop of water in the wine before use and especially if a blessing was made on that bottle so as to make the wine different from Kiddush for the grace after meals with that one drop.


The Four Parshiyos


This week we read in addition to the usual Parsha the first of the four Parshiyos between Adar and Nissan. We read from Parsha Ki Sisa Shemos 30:11-16 about the redemption money for everybody of ½ Shekel which was used to improve the roads after the winter to go to the Mikdash and drinking and perhaps toilet facilities. The other Parshiyos of Zachor, Parah and HaChodesh follow. I hope to cover them ble Neder.


$98,000 in Cash by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles



When Rabbi Noach Muroff needed a desk, he looked to Craigslist for a good deal. He got way more than he bargained for.
The desk, purchased for $150 dollars, turned out to be hiding $98,000 stuffed in a ShopRite plastic bag that had fallen behind the file cabinet.
And Muroff gave it all back.
Muroff bought the desk in September 2013, right before Rosh Hashanah. When it wouldn't fit through the door, he and his wife had to disassemble it. That's when they spotted a shopping bag full of a cash inheritance that the previous owner assumed had been lost somewhere in her home.
The ninth grade teacher at the Yeshiva of New Haven (Connecticut) looked at his wife and, despite the fact that it was nearly midnight, dialed the original owner's number. The money was returned the next day. According to Muroff, he didn't sleep that night knowing that sum was in the house.
"Our jaws kind of just hit the floor. We were in total shock and disbelief. This kind of thing only happens in the movies," Muroff said, laughing when telling the story to Anne Cohen of The Jewish Forward newspaper.
When Muroff's story went viral on the Internet that November, Cohen immediately made a note of it for the Forward's "Most Inspiring Rabbis in America" section. But when no one nominated him, she did so "on behalf of all those who expressed their awe and admiration for Muroff's honesty."
In the months since Muroff's story made the headlines, the rabbi has received emails and phone calls from strangers telling him how much his story meant to them.
A father told him about his son who bought a camera on Amazon and received one worth three times what he had paid. He wrote the company a letter saying he was Jewish and was raised to be honest and would send back the camera. The son cited Muroff as his inspiration.
A man from Idaho wrote to him saying he had had this perception of Jews as greedy people and that Muroff's integrity had made him reconsider.
Without fail, Muroff is asked what went through his head when he decided to give up almost $100,000. According to him, it was a decision that took less than a minute to make.
"Both my wife and I were raised as Orthodox Jews. We feel strongly that honesty is always the way to go," he declared. "We're commanded to do so in the Torah; and also to try to put oneself in the other person's shoes: how would you feel if you were the one losing such an amount? I know that my father in a million years would never have touched the money."
Muroff received a gift of $3,500 from the original owner (plus the $150 he paid for the desk). But the words that came with it sum up his real value:
"Dear Noah, I cannot thank you enough for your honesty and integrity. I do not think there are too many people in this world that would have done what you did by calling me. I do like to believe that there are still good people left in this crazy world we live in. You certainly are one of them."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lightly edited by Yerachmiel Tilles from a submission by Daniel Keren (Original article by Anne Cohen and the photo appeared in the March 13, 2014 edition of "The Jewish Forward").
Connection: Weekly Reading of Mishpatim - finding and returning lost objects (Ex. 23:4. See also Deut. 22:3).


Problems with things on the internet


A few years ago, I saw a post on Facebook going viral that Willy Nelson and passed on. I fell victim to a hoax and felt really bad that I did not check with the Wikipedia. This week on What’s App, I received six pictures of two suns. The letter in Hebrew claimed it was a rare phenomenon of the sun and the full moon in the sky at the same place at the same time. As a former astronomy, I was not fooled in the least by the pictures. If they were sun and the full moon they would have been time photos of at least two weeks apart. From when the moon is in the sky with the sun at about the same place is a new moon as in a solar eclipse. For the full moon rises at the same time as the sunset or both could be at opposite ends of the sky such as the night of Sukkos or Pesach. There is another thing that the photos might be and that is ice crystal clouds reflecting and refracting sunlight at just the precise angle early in the morning. One of the ‘two suns’ photos showed a smaller clear sun and a hazier larger sun. As in an eclipse, the sun and the moon have the same diameter.


Hiker finds helmet of pilot who crashed. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/B19NJwF7I

Princess Diana’s niece converts to Judaism. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276061

The story of Lt. Col. Shlomo Ovadia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxV7scAzU_Y

R’ Yehuda Glick tells arrest on Temple Mt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276178




Inyanay Diyoma


US wants UN renewed Iranian Sanctions. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276011

Iran claims ready for war US and Israel. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275980

Egypt has first case of Corona Virus. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276008

Gaza acts war but talks peace. We could take action or expand fishing rights up to them. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275994

In Munich she was Hitler’s neighbor. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276014

Because of Shmita, I missed out of being in this unit. Paramedic tells the story. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/H1Im3azQU

High Court may have opened up excuses for refugees staying here. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rky11PLxQL

Likud wants to bring in economic Gerim before the election. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Bk0P6SZQ8

As in Iraq and Iran protests threaten Hezballah. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Byd2n17mL

Ed-Op UN boycott could hurt Arab income as it includes supermarkets, banks and other services not only manufacturers. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Skw0J9M7U

Ed-Op second class citizens near Gaza. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Hk54nspfL

Japan did not let Israel evacuate citizens from Corona Ship but now the US wants evacuation. https://www.foxnews.com/health/us-coronavirus-plan-would-evacuate-some-americans-from-quarantined-cruise-ship-in-japan-report




General Flynn appeals justice atrocity. https://www.foxnews.com/media/sidney-powell-michael-flynn-guilty-plea-withdrawal

Border Patrol will search sanctuary cities for illegals. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-sanctuary-cities-ice-illegal-immigrants




Bennett bragging, we killed 30 terrorists. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276037

US facilities in Iraq hit by Shiites. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276034


The left at work – Why is Trump compared to Hitler. Diane Weber Bederman attacks the question. https://dianebederman.com/why-is-trump-compared-to-hitler/

Iran has developed a Nuclear Payload Missile. https://www.debka.com/first-ever-iranian-display-of-future-nuclear-capable-sejjil-missile/

More on Iranian Nuclear Payload first strike Missile an article by Stephen Hughes ret. US Army. https://www.academia.edu/42010406/Iran_Raad_500_Missile?auto=download

CT Senator meets with Iranian FM. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276192
New IDF Iran Directorate to be formed. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Bk300jtYm8

Ship Quarantine was a virus incubator. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJKEyUt7L
Woman injured in stone throwing attack close to check point on a road that sometimes I use and people from Kiriat Sefer use. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276093
Iran plans to turn the graves of Mordechai and Esther into a Palestinian Consulate. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276108

Hezballah erects massive statue of Iranian General on Syrian Border. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276102



UAE to build first nuclear plant. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HkoMIm00Q8

Cyber terror the greatest threat since 1948. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276271

Hospital guards run over in ramming attack. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276273

4th Israeli from Corona Ship hospitalized. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276256

Israelis on way home from Japan. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276270

Education Minister calls to block App. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276232


Hamas is in charge of border not Israel. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SkESv0PmU



Ed-Op Health Ministry spreads panic. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HyED669XI

Yemeni the right-wing’s moral duty. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Byt00P5cQU

Gunman in German ends up killing mother & self. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJlGpQnQU


Fishman Iranian Smoke Gaza Mirrors. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SkOulWhQL


Have a wonderful and healthy Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 1:03 PM