The Weekly Daf #160 Bechoros 53-59 Week of 24-30 Adar 1 5757 / 3-9 March 1997 (Parshas Vayakhel) By Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions =========================================================================== This issue is sponsored by Herschel Kulefsky, Attorney at Law, 15 Park Row, New York, NY 10038, 1-212-693-1671 =========================================================================== Get ready for Purim: Ohr Somayach presents 10 lectures from Rabbi Uziel Milevsky Z"L on Megillat Esther: http://www.ohr.org.il/audio/ra/milevsky/index.htm 3 Corners, 2 Guys and a Night in Persia by Rabbi Mordechai Becher: http://www.ohr.org.il/audio/ra/becher/index.htm =========================================================================== The Tithe that Was The Torah commanded every Jew to tithe his cattle and to offer the tenth cow, sheep or goat as a sacrifice whose flesh is eaten by its owner. By Torah law this applies even when there is no Beis Hamikdash in which to offer a sacrifice, and the tithed animal cannot be consumed until it develops a blemish which disqualifies it as a sacrifice. Our Sages saw a need to forestall a problem which could arise from such a situation. While a Jew is waiting for a blemish to develop he might come to transgress the ban on shearing or working with such a sacred animal, or may even slaughter and eat its flesh before the blemish develops. They therefore decreed that tithing of cattle should be suspended, preferring a passive non-performance of a mitzvah, to an active violation of a ban. This raises a question in regard to what the Talmud (Shabbos 54b) relates about the wealth of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, whose annual tithe of calves was 12,000. This sage was a minor when the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, so that this tithing had to take place only when there was no longer a place to bring sacrifices. How then did he practice cattle tithing in opposition to the aforementioned rabbinical decree? Three resolutions of this problem are found in the commentary of Tosefos in this and other masechtos: 1. The tithing took place while there was still a Beis Hamikdash and was performed by a guardian of the sage who was still a minor. 2. The tithing referred to was not the performance of the mitzvah, but rather a payment of a ten percent tax to the government, and is mentioned only to illustrate the extensive wealth of the sage. 3. The decree against cattle tithing did not come into being immediately with the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, only years later, so that in the days of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah it was still in practice. Bechoros 53b =========================================================================== The Mysterious "Kareiach" "All the sages of Israel seem to be in comparison with me like garlic skin, except for this kareiach." Thus declared the great sage Shimon ben Azai. Who was this kareiach whose greatness was thus acknowledged, and how does this Hebrew word for "bald one" characterize him? Rashi identifies him as Rabbi Akiva, a contemporary of Ben Azai. He bases this on the fact that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha was actually the son of Rabbi Akiva, so that the father was also known by a nickname associated with baldness. Tosefos finds difficulty with this approach because it is unlikely that Ben Azai would refer to Rabbi Akiva in such an uncomplimentary way rather than by name. Two alternative approaches are proposed: 1. He was referring to Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah who was indeed bald and there was no denigration intended in this physical description. 2. There was actually a sage named "Kareiach" and there is no relationship between the name and baldness. In regard to the statement itself the commentaries point out that it should not be misconstrued as a boast by Ben Azai of his intellectual superiority. His intention was to inspire other scholars to apply themselves diligently to their studies by citing his own scholastic achievements which were not the result of his natural brilliance alone but of his extreme diligence. (For another explanation of Ben Azai's remark see "Garlic-Skin Modesty" in the Weekly Daf (Vol. 4 No. 4) for week ending 20 Cheshvan, 5757, Nov. 2, `96.) Bechoros 58a =========================================================================== Do you link to us? Let everyone know about the Ohr Somayach Home Page by dropping the following text into the HTML document of YOUR home page: The Ohr Somayach International Home Page =========================================================================== "I'm looking for the E-Mail address of a student at Ohr Somayach..." Look no further than http://www.ohr.org.il/web/alumni/email.htm =========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: ohrnews - Keep up-to-date with the Ohr Somayach Web Site weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter judaismo - Spanish-Language newsletter on the Parsha & Judaism month - Seasons of the Moon - The Jewish Year through its months Ohr Somayach NEVER charges for any of the above lists. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} mailto:listproc@virtual.co.il =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for The Weekly Daf. Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Written and Compiled by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman Production Design: Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by the Jewish Learning Exchange of J L E Ohr Somayach International J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J L E Tel: 972-2-581-0315 Fax: 972-2-581-2890 J J L E Mailto:ohr@virtual.co.il JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE http://www.ohr.org.il =========================================================================== (C) 1997 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.