48 Steps To Torah

Number 3: arichas sefasayim

The ability to articulate clearly and succinctly demonstrates a deeply rooted understanding, not only to others, but most importantly to yourself. This point is brought out by a quote attributed to Reb Chaim Volozhiner, a prominent disciple of the Vilna Gaon. Oib Es Felt In Hasbara Es Felt In Havana, which means that whilst an idea may seem crystal clear in your head, actually verbalising it is often extremely difficult. Therefore, verbally elucidating Torah concepts is a potent and efficacious method of learning and chazering (revising) them. Gaining fluency in accurately articulating an idea is a vital component of Torah learning and without it, concepts you thought were crystal clear in your mind will soon become confused and unclear. Arichas Sefasayim also includes being precise and accurate with what you say, as highlighted by the Mishna (Avos 1:11): Scholars, be cautious with your words. Imprecise phrasing can lead to listeners inferring unintended implications and messages which will distort their understanding. In fact, the whole of the Torah, Written and Oral, is based on statements made with bulls-eye precision and hundreds of lessons hang on each and every word. Therefore, being attentive to intricacies such as spelling, pronunciation, diction (the notes), punctuation, word order and grammar is essential when learning and repeating words of Torah. The importance of this is exemplified by Yoavs failure to completely wipe out Amalek because he misread the pasuk timche et zecher Amalek, which means wipe out the memory of Amalek, as zachar Amalek, the males of Amalek (Bava Basra 21b). This shows the enormous ramifications the incorrect understanding of merely one word can have. Whilst talking excessively in mundane matters is a negative thing, the ability to explain something at length in order to make a point clear is of paramount importance when relaying Torah. The Chofetz Chayim, whose meticulous observance of refraining from speaking Lashon Hara was renowned, was known to speak lengthily when conveying Torah concepts. The message we can draw from here is that there is no contradiction between the prohibition of Lashon Hara and Arichas Sefasayim. Lashon Hara does not prevent us from speaking; rather it enables us to speak properly and at great length if necessary, particularly to clarify Torah ideas. As we mentioned above, speaking ideas out loud promotes clarity and understanding. This can be understood with the moshul (example) of showing gratitude. We are all taught to say the magic words thank you after someone does you a favour. But surely the other person knows we are appreciative of what they have done for us? The answer is that by verbally expressing our gratitude we demonstrate that our appreciation is clear in our mind. So too by Torah learning, when we can articulate a concept, it shows that the idea is clear in our mind. One can use this as a litmus test on themselves to see whether they understand a Gemara/ Rashi/Tosafos etc. In the area of Arichas Sefasayim, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik and Albert Einstein appear to agree. Both are reported to have stated: If you cant explain something simply, you dont understand it well enough.

The Hasmonean High School Weekly Sedra Sheet

Dvar Torah

Living Torah
Issue No: Shabbos In: Shabbos Out:

20th October 2012

409 5:44 6:44

The Light of a Tzadik

A Tzohar you shall make for the ark (6:16) nection between whether Noach was a Tzadik or not, and the source of light in the ark.

Do you have a Kindle? Send us your Kindle E-mail address and we will send the Living Torah directly to your device!

For latest updates, to make a suggestion, or to receive a weekly online edition of the Living Torah, please email hasmolivingtorah@gmail.com Editorial Team: Zvi Silkoff - Gabi Luknar - Ari Morris - Aron Coten - Rafi Hambling Director: Rabbi D Meyer
This Shabbos, Daily Nach will be up to Shoftim Perek 10. Email dailynach@gmail.com to join.

Rashi mentions that there is a machlokes in the Midrash what this tzohar was. One opinion is However, there actually is a connection. The that it was a window and the other opinion is that Torah tells us (Bereishis, 19:17) that when Lot was it was a jewel that gave off light. fleeing from Sodom, he was told by the angel not to turn around so that he would not witness his In the beginning of our Parsha, Rashi quotes antown, Sodom, being destroyed. Rashi explains other machlokes among the Amoraim regarding over there that the reason for this is that he parwhether Noach was a Tzadik, or whether he was ticipated in the sins of the people of Sodom, and only a Tzadik compared to the rest of his generawas only saved on a merit of Avrohom. For this tion because they were so bad. The question is reason, it was inappropriate that he should witasked why would someone say that Noach was ness Sodom being punished while he was being only a Tzadik compared to his generation, when rescued. you could have given him an even bigger compliment by saying he would have been a Tzadik in We can now link the two disputes cited above. any generation. An answer could be that it is try- The opinion that holds that Tzohar means a wining to teach us a lesson. You can be the biggest dow also holds that Noach was a complete TzadikTzadik in your town or road, but that doesnt not just because his generation was so bad. mean you can stop there, because in another Therefore he was allowed to build a window and town there may be someone else with an even witness the destruction of his generation greater Torah knowledge. So wherever you are in (because he was never going to be part of it). But your Avodas HaShem, dont give up growing, even according to the opinion that states that Tzohar if you think you are at your highest madregah, means a jewel holds that Noach was only a tzadik because there may be someone else who has a relative to his generation and therefore did not greater Avodas HaShem which means you can deserve to see them perish. This is because, like grow more. Lot, he was saved on a merit- because he was a Tzadik compared to them. Therefore, he didnt At first glance the two disputes mentioned above deserve to see them being punished. seem totally unrelated. There is no seeming conGut Shabbos

Yartzheit

Dvar Torah

Rav Meir Shapiro

This Tuesday, 7th Cheshvan, will be the 79th Yartzheit should be. Galina was descending into bickering and of Harav Meir Shapiro, Rav of Lublin, Rosh Yeshiva of argument, simply because these two men could not Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, and founder of Daf Hayomi. agree as to who should pay. However, as of yet, Rav Meir, the Rav of the town, had not got involved in this Although Rav Meir Shapiro was to hold many higher argument. Neither of the men had asked him to arbipositions throughout his life, his first was as the Rav of trate, and he had not gotten himself mixed up in the a small Polish town called Galina. It was in Galina that case. However, this was to change. he established his principle that a Rav or Dayan should not be scared of people, and of the consequences his On Taanis Esther that year, Rav Meir summoned the actions may have. Rather, as long as he is acting in two men to his house, and sat them down. He then accordance with the Torah, he should not be afraid. asked them to explain their cases, and each man did so, stating why he felt it was his neighbours fault, and It once happened that a road running through Galina why he should not have to pay. fell into poor condition. In the early 20th Century in Eastern Europe, repairs had to be paid for by private After listening to both of their cases, Rav Meir said individuals, and this particular road passed by the Since you both say that there is no problem regardhouses of two rich Jews, each of whom claimed the ing money, you are to both pay the value of the road other should pay for repairs, saying that it was the costs, which will go towards supporting the local Yeothers fault that the road was in this state in the first shiva. There is a Halacha brought down in Tractate place. They also claimed it was not an Shekalim, that on the 15th of Adar, the issue of money; they could both day after Purim, in the time of the afford the repairs. They just did not Beis Hamikdash, Beis Din should send want to pay for something that they out people to repair roads damaged were not responsible for. It was the in the course of the winter. This year, other persons fault, they said, and 15th Adar is a Shabbos. However my why should I have to pay? court, the Beis Din of Galina, will pay for repairs, starting on the 16th of The argument was not limited to Adar. these two men, however. It spread like a wildfire across the whole town. The situation had been quickly defused, thanks to Rav Meir Shapiro. All of the townspeople were taking part, saying that this man should be obligated to pay, or that the other

The righteousness of noach

The opening Posuk of this weeks Parsha: Eleh toldos Noach, Noach ish tzadik tomim haya bDorosav these are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous man in his generation. This Posuk seems to have gone off topic before it has even started. It proclaims that it will tell us the generations of Noach, i.e. his children and their children, but instead it gives this information a few Posukim later. It replaces this information with the statement that Noach was righteous man. Why does the Torah do this? uation of the human race. The Kli Yakar understands from this that the Posuk has to say that Noach was a Tzadik, and therefore his future generations would be of significance, rather than the preceding generations, who were described in last weeks Parsha.

The word Eileh is telling us that only these future generations are significant, then continues and explains why, by stating that Noach ish tzadik tomim haya bDorosav Noach was a righteous man in his generation. For this reaRashi offers a simple explanation, answering that it is son, that Noach was righteous, he merited to continue the fitting, when a Tzadik is mentioned, that he should be spoken human race after the Mabul, the flood, through his future of in praise. However, this is not an entirely satisfying answer, generations. at least at first glance, given that this is not the first time that However, if we step back for a moment, we realise that Noach is mentioned. At the end of last weeks Sedra, the last the question in Rashi is still unsettled. He says that every time Posuk says VNoach matza chein bEinei Hashem and we mention a Tzadik, we have to mention that he is a Tzadik. Noach found favour in the eyes of Hashem. According to Why isnt Noach called a Tzadik all the other times hes menRashis first answer, this Posuk should also include that Noach tioned? was a Tzadik, a righteous man. The Reem further comments that there are numerous times when other Tzadikim, like Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, are mentioned in the Torah. However, there is no praise awarded to them each time their names appear in the Posukim. Why the apparent inconsistency? Both the Reem and the Gur Aryeh solve the second problem, by saying that the necessity to praise a Tzadik is only when he is mentioned among Reshaim, sinners, as Noach is here. Still, our question on Rashi is equally valid. Even back in the last Posuk of Bereishis, Noach is mentioned in context of sinners. Why is his righteousness not mentioned there? The Kli Yakar offers an answer, looking intricately at the words of the Posuk. The Posuk starts with the word Eileh, meaning these are. The Kli Yakar expounds on this word, explaining that Eileh is used to discount the previous generations, rendering them unimportant and invalid to the continOne of the few mefarshim to answer this question is the Levush Orah. He explains that, if we are troubled by the question, then we have misunderstood the meaning of Rashis quote, Zecher Tzadik Livrocho, from which we learn that one must mention the righteousness of a Tzadik when we name him. The Levush Orah interprets these words entirely differently, explaining that they mean that, if we praise a person, as we did in the last Posuk of Bereishis, then it is necessary to explain why we praise them, as the Posuk at the beginning of this weeks Parsha does. Now we can understand. At the end of last weeks Parsha, the Posuk says that Noach found favour in Hashems Eyes. The Levush Orahs interpretation of Rashi is that now, once we have praised Noach, we must mention the reason that he is singled out, which is that he is a Tzadik, as we do in the first Posuk this week.

Gematria:
: I will not continue to curse (8:21) Hashem did not rule out the possibility of visiting total destruction upon one area of the world, but He did promise never to wipe out the entire world again. For this reason the verse uses the word ,to curse, which has the same numerical value (190) as the word ,then end as in the end of all flesh (6:13). This means the curse that would never again recur was a flood that would bring a global end to civilisation.

Riddle:
When is it possible to Daven six Maariv Amidahs on six consecutive nights, and each one is different?
Last weeks riddle:

Who is mentioned in Parshas Bereishis whose father and father -in -law had the same name? father-inNoach. Both his father and his father-in-law were called Lemech