Per Hashem’s command, Yehoshua has the Jews circle Jericho and the Kohanim circle Jericho and blow their shofars. There are lots of sixes (a physical number, like the six days of the week), lots of sevens (a spiritual number, like Shabbas), and, after the circling, the shofar blasts, and the shouting of the Jews, the … [Read more…]
Examples of Rabbi Gettinger’s unique approach to learning: 1) This is a chiddush of his that’s classic Rabbi Gettinger and easy to explain. In the second Rashi on daf 2a (dibbur hamaschil: Ad sof ha’ashmura rishona (until the end of the first watch period)), Rashi writes, “shelish halayla” as the Gemara explains later. However, if … [Read more…]
In the first few lines of the broader lines on 10b, the Gemara explains how the Shunamite woman knew Elisha was holy. And she knew due to two reasons: a fly never passed upon his table and, when Elisha slept within her home, she never saw a seminal emission upon his sheets. One obviously cannot … [Read more…]
In Vayechi, Yaakov speaks to Yosef about the importance of Yaakov being buried in Israel and not in Egypt. In Yehoshua (Perek 2), per Yehoshua’s request, two Jews are spying on the land of Jericho and a woman, Rahab, is sheltering these two Jews from the soldiers of the King of Jericho who is aware … [Read more…]
Berachos 5 speaks extensively about afflictions: afflictions of love, afflictions that cannot be love, financial afflictions, afflictions involving children, etc. This is a daf about pain, suffering, and our trying to understand this pain and suffering. Similarly, Parshas Vayechi directly follows Parshas Vayigash without the usual Parsha break. Rav Hirsch points out that Yaakov’s 17 … [Read more…]
Hashem tells Yehoshua to “be strong and courageous” (Chazak v’Ematz). This is contrasted with Hashem telling Yehoshua to “not fear and not to lose resolve” (al ta’arotz v’al taychat). In both cases, Hashem is speaking to Yehoshua following his Torah. And when Yehoshua speaks with the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half the tribe of … [Read more…]
While we’re discussing bain hashemashos in the current dafs, I wanted to mention that Rabbi Emanuel (Menachem) Gettinger (zzl) wrote an excellent sefer titled “Mnach Yoma” (Hebrew) on Rabbeinu Tam’s opinion on bain hashemashos. “Mnach Yoma” can be ordered from Ezras Torah at this link. Share
THREE FASTSThree fasts (another three) are connected to each other: the 10th of Tevet, the 17th of Tammuz, and the 9th of Av. The Chochomim could have made the 9th of Av, Tisha B’Av, a fast day and left it at that. But, for obvious and less obvious reasons, they wanted Jews to memorialize more … [Read more…]
When it is night, when you are facing darkness, are there three or four watches? (There appears to be three.) And the Daf speaks to several threes which, seemingly, are connected. (And, at the risk of going too far in terms of threes, this is Daf 3.) One is unity, agreement, simplicity.Two is duality, tension … [Read more…]
Within the Daf (Berachos 2), while determining at what time we can say the Shma at night, we compare the times when (a) a poor person eats, (b) a person eats their Shabbas meal, and (c) a Kohain immerses. obviously these three examples are significant because they speak to specific times. But one can’t help … [Read more…]