(For the riddles, please see back page)
1)
The Ramban (Bereishis 1:28) explains the pasuk, “u’milu es ha’aretz u’chivshuah” as granting humanity permission to inhabit and cultivate the earth. Rabbi Simchel Zissel Broide (Sam Derech, Parshas Kedoshim) notes that without this explicit Divine permission, it would have been prohibited to cultivate and settle the Earth. He extrapolates from this that taking samples or cultivating land on the moon (or any other planet) would be similarly prohibited. It would be akin to working on someone else’s property without their consent, as the pasuk in Tehillim (115:16) states, “HaShamayim Shamayim l’Hashem, v’ha’aretz nosan l’bnei adam.”
Various poskim have raised concerns about space travel in general:
R’ Menashe Klein, in Mishneh Halachos (6:259), writes that space is considered a makom sakonah, as the journey to space and stay in outer space involve significant risks. Therefore, space travel would be forbidden because halachah prohibits voluntarily entering dangerous situations. Although this Teshuvah was written in 1971, and spaceflight has become much safer since then, with a current fatality rate of 1.3 percent, it remains inherently risky. For example, on February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia (Mission STS-107) disintegrated upon re-entry, resulting in the tragic deaths of all seven of its astronauts, including Israeli fighter pilot and astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon.
Another issue raised by the poskim pertains to the fulfilment of mitzvos in space. Representing the Jewish People in space, Col. Ilan Ramon, though from a secular background, sought to observe Shabbos in orbit. He consulted R’ Tzvi Konikov of Chabad space and Treasure Coasts to determine how to observe Shabbos in space, where a full day-night cycle occurs every 90 minutes, making a week pass every 10.5 hours. This led to fundamental discussions among the poskim on how – or if – it is possible to fulfil time-bound mitzvos in space.
R' Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos v’Hanagos 5:84) for instance, takes an extreme stance, arguing that the time dilation effects of gravity in space exempt one entirely from time-bound mitzvos. He concludes that it is strictly forbidden for a Jew to travel to space. Furthermore, he decries the allocation of billions of dollars to space exploration as a waste of resources, driven by national pride rather than necessity. In his opinion, the Jewish nation should generally stay away and not contribute in any way to this industry.
Perhaps we can suggest an additional concern with space travel. The seforim hakedoshim bring from mekubolim that one shouldn’t gaze at the moon. The Chareidim (cited in Mishnah Berurah 426, s.k. 13) was very stringent about looking at the moon. The Magen Avraham (426, s.k. 8) writes in the name of the Shlah that during kiddush levonah one should be careful no to gaze at the moon, and one should simply look at it once and that’s it, from then on it is forbidden to look. If there is a problem with gazing at the moon, certainly going there should be a problem, as when travelling to the moon, one is certainly going to look at it. (See also Shu”t Veyan Avraham, Vol. 1, siman 4, ois 23)
An Interesting Story With R’ Chaim Kaufman zt”l
In the 1950’s, there was already talk about the possibility of putting a man on the moon. At the time, R’ Chaim Kaufman asked the Shotzer Rebbe (Rabbi Shulem Moskovitz) “Will they ever put a man on the moon?” The Rebbe responded with a definitive “No!” He buttressed his answer by quoting the pasuk “The Heaven belongs to Hashem and the Earth belongs to mankind.” (Tehillim 115:16).
As we all know, President Kennedy pledged early in his brief presidency that by the end of the decade of the 1960’s, America would put a man on the moon, and so it was—on July 20, 1969, a man walked on the moon!
At any rate, R’ Chaim Kaufman now had a strong question on the definitive answer given to him years earlier by the Shotzer Rebbe. This Rebbe was no longer alive by that time, so the author went to the Biala Rebbe and told him about his previous conversation with the Shotzer Rebbe. The Biala Rebbe did not say, “The moon landing was all a fake—it took place in a Hollywood studio (as some claimed at the time). He did say that the event that occurred was not a contradiction to the cited pasuk. Even though America indeed placed a man on the moon, but Neil Armstrong could not survive on his own in the atmosphere of the moon. He had to bring oxygen from earth, he had to wear a space suit to protect him from the moon’s environment. His lifeline was still the ‘Aretz‘ (Earth). He may have physically been on the moon, but since he still needed all the earthly elements to exist, he was still considered an ‘earthling’ – not a ‘moonling.’ The eternal truth of the pasuk “HaShamayim Shamayim L’Hashem v’ha’Aretz nasan livnei Adam” remains. Neil Armstrong still remained a human being who belonged to the earth, his source of life.
2)
The Gemara in Menachos (36b) learns from the pasuk:והיו לאות על ידך - “They shall be a sign on your arm”, that tefillin are considered an “ois”, therefore, one shouldn’t wear them on Shabbos as Shabbos itself is considered an “ois” and one shouldn’t add on to the “ois” of Shabbos. The Smag (Esin 3) writes: A Jew always needs to walk around with two witnesses which testify about him that he is Jewish. During the week we have milah and tefillin, however, on Shabbos we have Shabbos instead of tefillin, therefore, there is no need to wear tefillin.
The Shu”t Be’er Moshe (Vol. 8. siman 55) quotes Rav Leib Friedman zt”l, Ra’avad of Pressburg, who discusses a case of a soldier who has to unfortunately be mechalel Shabbos to fight, if such a soldier should wear tefillin as he is missing the witness of Shabbos. He concludes that he doesn’t need to wear tefillin, as the covenant of Shabbos Kodesh automatically testifies for him.
We already find a similar shailah in the Terumas HaDeshen (2:108). The Terumas HaDeshen discusses a case of mesu ochiv machmas milah, someone who has brothers who died when having a bris milah, where the halachah is that we don’t perform a bris milah on the younger brother as it is dangerous. The Terumas HaDeshen wonders if such a child is obligated to wear tefillin on Shabbos to ensure that he has two oisois. The Terumas HaDeshen concludes that the din of two oisois is Aggadic in nature not Halachic, therefore, such a person shouldn’t wear tefillin on Shabbos.
3)
This question was posed to the Minchas Yitzchok (3:11) and he answered as follows: Although the above is very despicable, and there is a big question if one is able to make a berachah when the picture is revealed, as perhaps it comes under the prohibition of “a tefech of a woman is considered an ervah” which may apply even to photograph – and certainly if it’s an immodest picture of a woman that one knows, where it may lead to stray thoughts.
However, this doesn’t change the reality, and the reality is that the left arm is the weaker arm. There is space on the arm for two pairs of tefillin, therefore, even if the tattoo covers the entire place where the tefillin should go, one can constantly cover over most of it, and leave behind just a small area with enough room for the tefillin, and make the tefillin as small as halachically allowed, and the picture won’t be so recognisable. When making the berachah on putting on tefillin, he should be careful to cover the tattoo [the cover one makes for the tattoo should be made from a thin piece of skin, and even if the tefillin accidentally slip, it won’t be a chatzizah [interruption] as min beminoi eino chotzeis, items of the same material don’t create interruption]. He concludes, he has heard that nowadays it is possible for experts to remove tattoos.
4)
There is a widespread minhag not to eat the ends of a loaf of bread. When R’ Chaim Kanievsky was asked about this he said he is unaware of any mekor [source]. The Shu”t Minchas Yitzchok (9:8, ois 7) also writes that he is unaware of any mekor, however, he writes that he is careful not to. See Teshuvah inside for a number of sources which say that one must be careful with things that bubbe’s [grandmothers] say are problematic, even if we don’t understand.
In the sefer Ta’amei HaMinhogim (Inyonei Netilas Yodayim, he’orah on ois 176) he brings a reason for this minhag. He quotes the Ya’ares Devash (Derush 12, for Asorah B’Teves) who explains the Gemara in Sanhedrin I(102b) which says that when cutting bread one should start from the place שקדים בשולא – it started to bake first. Meaning, where it baked first, on top, on the sides or on the bottom, but not the middle. The Ya’ares Devash explains, the chitzonim [evil sources] attach themselves to the place where the bread starts to bake first, as the Sitra Achro likes to cling to thins that are first.
Based on this, the Ta’amei Minhogim explains, that we cut the edges off the bread to nullify their power, and the reason we cut specifically the edges is because this is the part of the bread that they cling to.
The Ta’amei Minhogim then cites a hint from a pasuk in this week’s parsha. The pasuk says: כל ערל לא יאכל בו, which the Ta’amei Minhogim interprets as: any bread which is oral, uncircumcised, i.e. the edges haven’t been cut off, לא יאכל בו – one should refrain from eating it.
5)
The Shu”t Ish Matzliach (Vol. 2, siman 27) discusses this question. He says that we can learn the answer to this question from the Yom Tov of Succos. The halachah is, if on Succos it is raining and one is eating in the house (many poskim hold even on the first night if it is raining one is exempt from succah, and even those who are stringent, on second night are lenient) he still mentions Chag HaSuccos in kiddush, and we don’t say it’s contradictory. Therefore, on Pesach as well, even if one needs to eat chometz, he can mention Chag HaMatzos, as in the end of the day it is still Pesach.
We can compare this to a similar shailah which R’ Shlomah Zalman discuses. If one starts eating a meal on the last day of Pesach, and it continues after nacht, and one then starts to eat chometz, the halachah is that one can still recite Yaaleh Veyovoi and mention Chag HaMatzos in Birchas Hamazon. As although one may have eaten chometz, since the meal started in the day whilst it was still Pesach, it is considered a Pesach meal. (Milium, Shemiras Shabbos Vol. 2)
6)
The Sefer HaYashor brings that Pharaoh went together with his daughter Basya. The Sefer HaYashor brings that Basya said to Moshe: “Is this how you repay me for all the good I did to you; I brought you up and looked after you and now you do this to me and the house of my father?” Moshe then said, “Just like she hasn’t been effected from the plagues until now, this time as well (Makkas Bechoros) she will be ok.”
