Mutual Respect: by Ariel Sacknovitz, Director of Production, 12th Grade
Mutual Respect: by Ariel Sacknovitz, Director of Production, 12th Grade
Mutual Respect: by Ariel Sacknovitz, Director of Production, 12th Grade
~"ca
Volume XV - Issue 12
The DRS Weekly Torah Publication
H
A
L
B
n
a
a
:
H
A
L
B
Mutual Respect
By Ariel Sacknovitz, Director of Production, 12th Grade
DR3\ D3"
To sponsor an issue of
a:n n nxin n:a~.
info@hayotzim.com email us at:
This weeks issue and every issue of
a:n n nxin n:a~
is sponsored by
GourmetGlatt.com 516-569-2662
I
n this weeks parsha, we see something very interesting by the makah of Barad (hail). Hashem tells Moshe what to
say to Pharaoh: Because this time, I am sending all My plagues into your heart and into your servants and into
your people, in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth. (Shemos 9:14)
This bothers Rashi, because wasnt Makos BChorot the makah with all the plagues being sent from Hashems
heart, not Barad? Rashi answers by saying that this is talking about Makos BChorot, its just a preview for it. Howev-
er, the Sifsei Chachamim asks on this: Why is Hashem choosing to foreshadow the makah of Bchorot now, by the 7
th
makah? He answers by saying that Rashi didnt mean Makos BChorot, rather he meant Makos Bikores, which is just
another way of saying Barad. So, now were back to our original question: why is Hashem saying Barad is the most
plague-filled makah?
The answer is that this makah was the worst for Pharaoh, so Hashem is sending all his plagues out now by Bar-
ad because it will hurt Pharaoh the most. However, Makos BChorot will be the worst for the people of Mitzraim. The
Rashbam, however, gives a different Pshat. He says that Barad really was the most wondrous, plague-filled makah. It
(Continued on page 2)
These were the same Aharon and Moshe to whom G-d said, Take the Chil-
dren of Israel out from the land of Egypt (Shemos 6:26-27)
R
ashi comments that in certain places Aharon is mentioned before Moshe,
while in others, Moshe precedes Aharon. This is meant to teach that they
were considered as being equal to one another. A question can be asked; no
two people are actually equal. Each person is inherently different, each unique, pos-
sessing different capabilities and skills. One person might excel in one area, while
the other excels in a totally different area. We must therefore define equality as
proposed by Rashi differently. There is a tremendous lesson to be learned from
Moshe and Aharon, or shall we say Aharon and Moshe. Every human being wants
to be honored.
This is mans nature. Aharon had every right to demand honor from Moshe
simply because Aharon was Moshes older brother, while Moshe could have de-
manded honor from Aharon since Moshe was chosen by G-d to lead the Jews out of
Egypt. Yet, we never find such a conflict between them. Each respected each others
unique greatness. It was not about demanding honor that occupied their minds; it
was about recognizing the others greatness that counted. This is what made these
(Continued on page 2)
Seeing the Miracles Behind Barad
By Eitan Kaszovitz, Layout Editor, 10th Grade
PARSHAS VAERA
24 TEVET, 5774
DECEMBER 27, 2013
All Zmanim are calculated by myzmanim.com for
Woodmere, NY (11598)
Candle Lighting: 4:16 pm
Latest : 9:37 am
Ends: 5:21 pm
2
By Natanel Abramchayev
In this weeks Parsha, Hashem says to
Moshe, I have also heard the groaning of the
Children of Israel whom Egypt enslaves (6:5).
However, at a second glance, there seems to be an
extra word in the verse. The word also shouldnt
be there. Who else heard the groaning of the Jew-
ish people that the Torah felt it necessary to put the
word also here? I have researched and found the
answer in the Chasam Sofer. He gives a beautiful
explanation to this verse. The word also refers to
the Jews themselves who heard the cry of their
brethren, and despite their own suffering, they still
tried to help their fellow; it is through this merit
that they were worthy of Hashems mercy!
Torah Teasers
By Rabbi Moshe Erlbaum
Parshas Vaera
Questions
1. In this parsha, what is called a "morasha" - "a
heritage"? What else in the Torah is called a
"morasha"?
2. Which grandfather and grandson lived the same
amount of years?
3. In this parsha, which married couple begins their
names with the same letter of the Aleph-Bet?
4. Who is the ancestor of every king from the King-
dom of Judah, and every High Priest except for
one?
5. In this parsha, which person has the same name as
an ancient city in the Land of Israel?
6. Which body parts are referred to in this parsha? (7
answers)
Answers
1. In this parsha, the land of Israel is referred to as a
"morasha" - "a heritage" (Exodus 6:9) In parshas
V'zos Habracha, the Torah itself is called a
"morasha" (Deut. 33:4).
2. Levi and his grandson Amram both lived 137
years (Exodus 6:16, 18).
3. The names of Aharon and his wife Elisheva both
begin with the Hebrew letter aleph (Exodus 6:23).
4. Aminadav, the father of Nachshon and Elisheva
(the wife of Aharon), is an ancestor of King David
(Ruth 4:20) and of every High Priest except for
Aharon (Exodus 6:23).
5. Chevron, an ancient city in Israel, is also the name
of the third son of Kehas (Exodus 6:18).
6. This parsha refers to: arm, hand, heart, palm of a
hand, eyes, finger, lips. (1) Hashem informs
Moshe that He will redeem the Jews "with an out-
stretched arm" (Exodus 6:6). (2) Hand is men-
tioned several times, mostly regarding the hand of
Hashem that will punish the Egyptians (e.g. Exo-
dus 7:4) (3) Heart appears several times in refer-
ence to Pharaoh's "hardened heart" (Exodus 7:3 is
the first place). (4) Moshe informs Pharaoh that he
will spread out the palms of his hands to stop the
plague of hail (Exodus 9:29). (5) Moshe is told by
Hashem to take a handful of ashes and throw them
skyward in front of Pharaoh's eyes (Exodus 7:8).
(6) The Egyptian magicians admit that the plague
of lice is from "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:15).
(7) Moshe refers to himself as having "blocked
lips" (Exodus 6:17).
The complete edition of
Rabbi Moshe Atik's Torah Teasers
is now available on AMAZON
(keyword Torah Teasers)
This Weeks Parsha Puzzler
Lelui Nishmat his loving grandfathers and uncles:
contained snow, smoke, fire, hail, and sulfur all in one! The mak-
ah of Barad was really a true nes. It was the most miraculous thing
that could happen. There are so many things that we dont realize
that Hashem put into this makah. Rashi explains that the biggest
wonder was that fire and water were able to co-exist. Not just that,
but it really symbolized something. It symbolized the fact that alt-
hough Bnei Yisrael had gone through many small disputes among
each other, like by the Dor Hamabul (which had a severe punish-
ment of death), they are still always able to come together and be
one nation. Water and fire always are against each other, and one
(Eitan Kaszovitz Continued from page 1)
(Continued on page 7)
two brothers great. They, in essence, neutralized, or equalized,
their human tendencies for honor by recognizing each others
unique capabilities, and instead of being honor seekers they be-
came honor givers. The Torah is therefore teaching us an exam-
ple of how two brothers have the capacity to live in harmony if
they so choose. The Torah uses their names interchangeably to em-
phasize this very point. How are our interpersonal relationships? Is
it like Aharon and Moshe, or Moshe and Aharon? Does it really
matter who comes first? It shouldnt, as long as G-ds glory is of
paramount importance!
Given over by Yehuda Katz
(Ariel Sacknovitz Continued from page 1)
Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev 3
As we welcome the Shabbos, we say the Kabalas
Shabbos. This tefillah is generally musical (although in
some places it is more musical than others), and therefore I
thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the
things that we do when swayed by music, like clapping,
dancing, banging, etc.
- Uri
I. Introduction
a. This is one of those things in Halacha that
is viewed as a great mitzvah or a great avei-
rah. The Gemara comes down very clearly
on this issue; in Beitza (36b), it clearly
states that any activities such as clapping,
banging, or dancing are not done on Shab-
bos, as a Gezairah that we might come to
fix a musical instrument, which would be
Tikun Maneh. So, we see that the whole
prohibition is a Gezairah Miderabanan.
II. Possible Heiterim
a. The Gezairah against clapping, banging,
and dancing is interesting, because we have
a similar Gezairah where we worry about us
coming to fix instruments against playing
the instruments themselves, and this is even
a step beyond that. Therefore, one may im-
plement certain kulas by clapping, such as
doing it Kilachar Yad, which the Biur Hala-
cha rules may not be used by playing the
instruments themselves.
b. Another Heiter that one may employ by
clapping is that the Gezairah doesnt exist
anymore. Tosfos points out that nowadays
we dont know how to fix instruments, so
the Gezairah doesnt apply. Yet, the Aruch
Hashulchan points out that this isnt neces-
sarily true, as certain instruments are very
simple to fix (for example a guitar string),
and that there is no way that they had such
superior knowledge in the past versus in the
present. Rav Moshe says that this is also
difficult because we have a rule that unless
we have a greater Beis Din in number and
wisdom, we may not uproot a Gezairah
(even, as the Ram points out, if the Geza-
irah no longer applies). So, Rav Moshe says
that we must say that this must be like a
Gezairah that was never accepted through-
out Klal Yisroel, and even though it was
accepted back then, Tosfos is telling us that
if we transported those Rabbis to modern
times, they would not make this Gezairah.
c. Another Heiter in terms of dancing might
be, as the Aruch Hashulchan says, that the
Gezairah was only made against specific
dances which match specific songs, and that
a general dance wouldnt be included.
Rabeinu Chananel says in Beitzah (37) that
a dance is defined as lifting one leg right as
the other leg is dropping, similar to a jump
in each step, but a few men walking in a
circle would not even be considered danc-
ing, as Rav Ovadia ztl clearly points out.
d. The Magen Avraham points out that a
Heiter for dancing on Simchas Torah is Ka-
vod Hatorah, so some poskim, such as Rav
Avraham David Mipotoch, extend this
Heiter to other areas of tzorech mitzvah,
such as for zemiros or sheva brachos on
Shabbos.
III. What is the Minhag in this area?
a. First of all, the Rema points out that even if
you hold that this is Asur on Shabbos, if
one sees somebody else doing these things,
then he should not correct him, since it is
better for them to be doing it beshogeg then
bemeizid. The Mishnah Brurah points out
(and as we pointed out before) it might even
be mutar if it is letzorech mitzvah. Howev-
er, since Rav Ovadia doesnt hold of this
Rema, he holds that one should correct
them. The Biur Halacha quotes that Rabbi
Akiva Eiger said that we should correct this
practice, since it might lead to dancing be-
(Continued on page 4)
Given by Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz
on yutorah.org
Singing and Clapping on Shabbos
0-Minute
Halacha Shiur
1
Transcribed by
Uri Himelstein
4
This weeks parsha talks about the maca of tzfardaya frogs. Many people ask why the Torah doesnt refer to
the frogs in the plural tense, rather it refers to them in the singular tense. Rashi offers an answer and says that a huge
frog came out of the Nile, and the Egyptians were hitting it, and a swarm of frog erupted from its mouth. This is a
beautiful demonstration of midda kneged middah. Pharaoh was afraid that the Bnei Yisrael would become too many,
so he constantly beat us. But the more he beat us, the more we were fruitful and multiplied. Everything that Hashem
does is midda kneged middah. The frogs entered into the body of the Egyptians, and Rashi says that they would croak
in their innards. Normally, if a frog entered into a person, he would die. But they didnt die. It was a nes upon a
nes. And not only that, but the frogs went into their stomachs. This was also midda kneged middah. The Egyptians
made us unbelievably nervous. If we didnt make enough bricks, we would have to use our babies as a substitute. So
too, Hashem went beyond nature and made the Egyptians constantly nervous by placing croaking frogs in their in-
nards.
Given over by Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss of the Agudas Yisrael of Staten Island
You can get
a:n n nxin n:a~
weekly by email!
Visit hayotzim.com or scan the QR code with
your Smartphone to subscribe
Its All Connected
By Zachary Goldberg, 9th Grade
tween men and women (and of course this has nothing to do with the Shabbos Gezairah and might even
be advisable to do during the week).
b. Chassidim have the minhag to dance and clap, probably because of all the leniency that we have seen
(the Aruch Hashulchan, who says that the Gezairah was only for special dances, and maybe the Rabeinu
Chananel about the definition of dancing). This isnt necessarily true, though, because sometimes they
get into it and actually dance. The real source is most likely the Minchas Elazar(the Munkatcher Rebbe),
who ruled that only Chassidim may dance because only someone who is really excited about Shabbos
and Yom Tov to the point that they cant control themselves because of Kavod Hatorah can dance; how-
ever, if one is a Misnaged who doesnt feel this compelled, then he may not dance or clap.
c. In many circles, there is a minhag to dance by Kabalas Shabbos, based on the Rabeinu Chananel in Baba
Kama (32a) that Rabbi Chanina would dance when he would say Bou Vneitzeh Lekras Kallah. The
Gemara there is talking about going out to greet Shabbos, and Rabeinu Chananel adds the word
meraked in his explanation of the Gemara. Rav Belski was quoted in Halachickly Speaking (by an-
other Rabbi Lebowitz of no relation) that one may join in the dancing at any shul with this minhag be-
cause it is only a Derabanan Gezairah anyway, and it is also Bein Hasmashos, so there is what to be
somech on. However, he wasnt so supportive of doing this during vadai Shabbos, and instead suggested
that if one must do this because of darchei shalom then one should do it with a shinuy (which, as we
mentioned before, would make it permissible).
IV. Other Kinds of Noise Making
a. The Shemiras Shabbos Kihilchasa paskens (like the pashtus of the Gemara) that one may not bang on the
tables during zemiros as drums. Rav Belski (quoted by Halachically Speaking) said that one may not
even applaude, even though it is just random noise not to any beat. However, Rebbe wasnt so sure about
(10-Minute Halacha Continued from page 3)
(Continued on page 7)
Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev 5
without first swearing an oath as to the validity of ones claim; and here there were neither document nor wit-
nesses.
Nevertheless, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak hesitated to pronounce his verdict and finalize the case. Two nagging
thoughts disturbed him. Why, in his first days in his new position, did the Almighty arrange for his inaugural
judgment to be something so straightforward and clear-cut, with no room to budge left or right to attempt any
sort of compromise? Could it be a hint from Heaven that his practice to always pursue accommodation and com-
promise was not correct? That only adhering strictly to the letter of the law can be considered the way of truth?
The other thought that made him uncomfortable was: Why did the Supernal Judge arrange it so that his
very first ruling in this town would be considered bizarre by the entire populace? After all, the merchant from
Hemelnick was well-known to everyone in town as a scrupulously honest man, as someone who was already
wealthy and as such immune to monetary pressures, and as far from theft as east is from west. Furthermore, eve-
ryone knew that the merchant and the deceased were old friends who trusted each other implicitly, never resort-
ing to documents or witnesses in their transactions. Surely, the entire town would be paying attention to the first
ruling handed down by their new rabbi. Everyone was sure to wonder: Why should the law of the Torah be so
opposite to common sense? Why me and why now? thought Rabbi Levi Yitzchak to himself.
He couldnt bring himself to issue the verdict just yet. The contradiction between the natural sense of
what was right and the law of the Torah was too great. Even though the claimant and defendants anxiously await-
ed his word, he asked them to excuse him for a few more minutes. Turning aside to a corner of the room, he
poured forth in silent prayer his frustration, beseeching G-d to enlighten him with understanding.
Suddenly, the owner of the honey jumped off his seat as if struck by a bolt of lightning, and exclaimed: I
remember! I remember! So struck was he by his recollection, and so convinced of its importance and relevance,
he didnt hesitate to interrupt the Rabbi, who was standing in the corner, absorbed in his personal prayer.
Honored Rabbi, please forgive me, he called out excitedly. While waiting here I had the most amazing
realization! An old memory, which I havent thought about in many years, just flashed through my mind. Res-
cued from oblivion! I'm talking about something that happened fifty years ago, when I was just a young lad.
Our father died suddenly, leaving us a large inheritance in cash and possessions. Included in this was a
storage room filled with casks of wine and oil.
One day, the father of these two young men -- may his rest be peaceful -- came to our home in Hem-
elnick. He claimed that the wine and oil were his -- that he had stored it with our father for safekeeping. My
brothers and I were still quite young then, and had never been involved in any of our fathers business affairs. We
had no idea what we were supposed to do, but we were reluctant to give up the merchandise just like that.
We all went to the rabbi of the town and presented our case. He ruled in our favor, explaining that noth-
ing can be taken from the inheritance of orphans without absolute proof and an oath. The wine and oil remained
in our possession. After a while, we sold the entire lot for a good price.
What I just realized is that the money we received for that wine and oil is exactly equal to the value of
my honey, which is now in the possession of the sons of my departed friend!
Rabbi Levi Yitzchaks face shined with inner happiness. With his apt comparison of the two parallel
events fifty years apart, the merchant had conceded his own present case. For the same reason that, as an orphan,
he was entitled to keep the wine and oil that long time ago, he had to relinquish his claim on these orphans for his
honey today.
Now, all was clear to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak: Divine Providence had presented him this case, so early in his
new tenure, to teach him an important lesson. Not always is what seems obvious and true to human eyes neces-
sarily the truth, or even fair. Absolute truth resides only with the laws of the Torah. G-ds ledger is always open,
and all accounts are forever being reckoned and balanced. Some may take fifty years for resolution, others more,
others less. What is guaranteed is that the Master of the Universe constantly oversees to be sure that justice is
done.
(Stories of Greatness Continued from page 8)
6
The one among Pharaohs servants that feared the word of Hashem
whisked his servants and livestock indoors. (Shemos 9:20)
Moshe very graciously gave the Egyptians ample warning that they were about to be stricken by barad, the
seventh plague. Hailstones would rain down from the heavens and destroy everything in the field. If they wanted
to save their livestock, they should bring them indoors quickly. What did the Egyptians do? The Torah tells us
(9:20-21), The one among Pharaohs servants that feared the word of Hashem whisked his servants and livestock
indoors. But the one that paid no heed to Hashems word left his slaves and livestock in the field.
Statistics are usually quite reliable, especially when the percentages are very high. So far, Moshe was six
for six in his predictions about the upcoming plagues. He had not yet made a single mistake. One would think the
probability of him being right again regarding the seventh plague was pretty high. So why didnt all the Egyptians
pull their slaves and livestock indoors until the danger passed, at least on the off chance that Moshe was right?
The Midrash identifies the one that feared the word of Hashem as Iyov and the one that paid no heed to
Hashems word as Bilam, both of whom were advisers to Pharoah. Bilam was an interesting fellow. In some
ways he was intelligent, even brilliant, but in others he was quite obtuse, a person so focused on himself that he
pays no heed to what is going on around him. Many years later, when Balak hired Bilam to curse the Jews, he
mounted his trusted donkey and began the journey. Then his donkey saw a sword-wielding angel in the middle of
the road and he came to a sudden stop, refusing to budge an inch, no matter how much Bilam prodded and cursed
him. Finally, miraculously, the donkey spoke to Bilam: Is this my normal pattern of behavior? Have I not been
your trusted donkey for all these years? Have I ever stalled on you once or given you a moment of trouble? So
why are you beating up on me? In other words, cant you see that something extraordinary is happening here?
Why dont you pay attention to whats going on, Bilam? Wake up! The Chafetz Chaim points out that the entire
episode of Bilam in the Torah appears as one long uninterpreted narrative, no stumos, no psuchos, no breaks
whatsoever. Why? Because Bilam never stopped to think about what he was doing. He never stopped to take
stock and consider the wisdom of his actions.
This was Bilam. When Moshe issued his warning about the impending hailstorm, Bilam could not be both-
ered to pay heed to it. He was thinking about his own plans, his own agenda. His mind was made up. We think
this sort of behavior is bizarre. We laugh at Bilams foolishness. But are we much better ourselves? Consider just
a small thing, the pace of life. It used to be that we had to spend inordinate amounts of time on tasks that are ac-
complished easily and quickly by modern appliances. We have cars, computers, phones, email. The list is practi-
cally limitless. So have we had a net gain in time? Have we managed to catch our breaths because of all these la-
bor-saving devices? Do we have more time to learn, to spend with the family, to reflect, to rest? In fact, just the
opposite is true. We are more rushed than ever. The pace of life is so rapid that we can barely breath. Something
is wrong. But do we pay heed? Do we stop and think about what is going on around us? Do we stop to assess
our lives to see if we may perhaps have gone a little off the track? Maybe Bilam isnt the only one who fails to
stop and think
Adapted from Rabbi Frand on the Parsha
By Yoni Fenster, 12th Grade
STOP
And Think
Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev 7
By Chaim Leib Alper, 9th Grade
In this weeks Parsha, we watch as Pharoahs magicians desperately try to copy the first 3 plagues that G-d,
through the hand of Moshe and Aharon, brings upon Egypt.
The Torah says in Pasuk 22, Perek 7, in regards to the Plague of Blood, The necromancers of Egypt did the
same by means of their incantations; so Pharoahs heart was strong
In the Plague of Frogs, Pasuk 3, Perek 8, it says the same but with a subtle change, The necromancers did the
same through their incantations, and they brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt
Perhaps through the minute addition of, and they brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt, we can derive
that the magicians didnt just create some harmless frogs to show their skill, but in fact they worsened the plague by
bringing up even more horrible frogs, just so as to demonstrate their powers to be equal to that being supposedly used
by Moshe and Aharon.
Perhaps this could be another reason that Pharoahs heart wasnt hardened right away, because unlike by the
blood, his once all-powerful magicians were becoming detrimental.
Although it may seem preposterous that the great magicians of Egypt brought even more hardship on Egypt
just to show off, in our present time many people do things harmful to both themselves and others to increase the re-
spect that others have for them.
We can all learn from this episode that some people do damaging actions to increase their honor, and that we,
as the chosen people of Hashem, should not follow in their footsteps.
this because this doesnt seem to be what chazal had in mind; they seemingly had only musical clapping
in mind.
b. The Rema says that it is mutar to whistle on Shabbos, but the Magen Avraham says that it is only mutar
to do it to get someones attention, and not to whistle in a musical way. The Mishna Brurah argues and
says that it is totally mutar, and that Chazal were never gozeir on any noise that comes from the mouth,
just like singing. This is very interesting, because according to that Mishnah Brurah, one would be al-
lowed to beatbox as many acapella groups do to produce musical sounds, even though it seems to be
worse musically than clapping.
(10-Minute Halacha Continued from page 4)
would think its impossible for them to get along, just like we think it is impossible for every single Jew to get along
and co-exist. However, Hashem sent the message to Pharaoh that it is possible for all members of a nation to unite as
one, and perhaps he should consider uniting with the Jews, or at least agree to make peace for a brief amount of time
like the fire and water did. And since Hashem saw Pharaoh wouldnt understand this message, the Sifsei Chachamim
says that Hashem sent a different message. Hashem chose to make the flames in the hail go down, even though flames
always rise up. The reason for this is that now a nation that has been on top all this time over the Jews will decline and
fall down.
Perhaps we can see and understand this amazing message through the miracle of Barad and unite together as
one nation. Only when that occurs will we be able to see the forthcoming of Moshiach, bimheirah viyameinu, amen.
(Eitan Kaszovitz Continued from page 2)
8
The DRS Yeshiva High School For Boys
700 Ibsen Street, Woodmere, NY 11598
Phone: (516) 295-7700 - Fax: (516) 295-4790
a:n n nxin n:a~
Weekly Torah Publication of the DRS Yeshiva High School
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions,
feel free to email us at info@hayotzim.com
STORIES OF GREATNESS
TOLD OVER BY: NOAM LEVY
This weeks story shows us the real in
-depth involvement Hashem has in our daily
lives. While sometimes we realize and other
times we dont, we have to always believe
that Hashem has our best interests in mind
and that everything will work out in the end.
Hopefully, from this story, we can strengthen
our faith and always keep in mind that Ha-
shem is looking after us. Adapted from cha-
bad.org. Have a great Shabbos!!
- Noam
Less than a week after the tzaddik
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak moved to Berdichev in
1785 to serve as chief rabbi there, three men
knocked on his door to ask him to decide a
question of Jewish law between them. It
would be his very first case as a rabbinical
judge in his new position.
A wealthy merchant from the nearby
town of Hemelnick had brought several bar-
rels filled with honey to sell at the big fair in
Berdichev. Unfortunately, just then, the price
of honey dropped sharply. Not wanting to
suffer a loss on his investment, he asked an
acquaintance to store the honey for him until
the price rose again.
The two were old friends, and the lo-
cal man was happy to oblige. Knowing each
other to be completely honest, they didnt
write down anything of their arrangement or
call in witnesses.
Time went by. The price of honey re-
mained low, so the barrels remained in their
Berdichev cellar, untouched and unnoticed.
More time went by. The man on whose prop-
erty the honey was stored contracted a fatal
disease and passed away. Everything hap-
pened so quickly, he never had a chance to
explain to his family anything about the state
of his affairs.
More time passed. The price of honey
finally began to slowly climb. When the in-
crease became significant, the owner of the
barrels showed up at his deceased friend's
house and claimed his honey from the sons
who had inherited and taken over their fa-
thers business. They, however, having heard
nothing about it from their father, refused to
honor the Hemelnicker merchants claim. Af-
ter some discussion, they decided to proceed
to the bet-din (rabbinical court) to present the
case before the new rabbi.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak listened to the
litigants carefully, even though the law in
such a case was clear. Of course he would
have to rule against the out-of-town mer-
chant. Even if there had been witnesses or a
signed document, Torah law stipulates that no
claims against orphans (i.e., heirs who are
disadvantaged by the fact that they have no
way of knowing what transpired between the
deceased and their litigant) can be collected
(Continued on page 5)
PUBLICATION
STAFF
Editors in Chief
Eli Alter
Yitzie Scheinman
Associate Editors
Matthew Haller
Eitan Kaszovitz
layout editors
Daniel Aharon
rabbinic articles
Ariel Axelrod
Moshe Lonner
Moishy Rothman
student articles
Production Staff
Ariel Sacknovitz
Moshe Spirn
Avi Weingarten
directors of production
David Billet
Danny Fried
/Authors
Netanel Abramchayev
Akiva Ackerman
Simon Afriat
Chaim Leib Alper
Natan Alper
Zachary Blisko
Ari Brandspiegel
Avi Bulka
Brian Chernigoff
Binyamin Davidson
Yoni Fenster
Shalom Gelbtuch
Zachary Goldberg
Yoni Gutenmacher
Yehuda Inslicht
Zack Kalatsky
Yaakov Kaminetsky
Yosef Naiman
Benyamin Pleshty
Benjamin Ramras
Yakov Schwalb
Jacob Skolnick
Eli Stahler
Jeremy Weiss
10-Minute Halacha
Rabbi A. Lebowitz
Orator
Uri Himelstein
Transcriber
Maggid of DRS
Noam Levy
Menahel
Rabbi Y. Kaminetsky
Faculty Advisors
Rabbi E. Brazil
Rabbi M. Erlbaum
Rabbi A. Lebowitz