Answers to this Weeks Riddles

(For the riddles, please see the back two pages)

1. R’ Aharon Leib Steinman (Ayalas HaShachar, Shabbos 12a) asks this question.
   i) A simple answer to could be, that it’s true that for the pockets one keeps money in there is no need for the special din to check them on erev Shabbos, however, for the pockets that one doesn’t keep money in, people don’t constantly check them, and for these pockets we need the din of חייב אדם למשמש בבגדו ערב שבת עם חשכה – “A person must check his garment’s on erev Shabbos
   ii) When R’ Yitzchok Zilberstein was asked this question he said:אדם עשוי למשמש זה לא מצוה וחז״ ל הפכו פעולה טבעית זו למצוה ויקבל על כך שכר של ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת – “The rule that people constantly check their pockets is not a mitzvah. Chazal, however, came along and changed a natural act of people into a mitzvah. And now one will get rewarded with the mitzvah of ‘Bnei Yisroel guard Shabbos’ when doing so”. I.e. true one does it anyway, however, Chazal commanded us to do so, so that we get rewarded with a mitzvah when doing so.
   With this we can perhaps explain a discrepancy between the way the Gemara brings down the din of: חייב אדם למשמש בבגדו ערב שבת עם חשכה – “A person is obligated to check his garment on erev Shabbos”, and the way the Shulchan Aruch brings it down. The Gemara says: חייב אדם – “A person is obligated”, however, the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 252:7) writes: מצוה למשמש אדם בכליו בער״ש – “There is mitzvah for one to check his pockets on erev Shabbos”. From the lashon “mitzvah” it would seem that there is no strict obligation to do so, however, if one does he gets a mitzvah. How does this fit with the Gemara which says “one is obligated”? (The Achronim, Pri Megodim in Eishel Avraham s.k. 26, Rosh Yosef and others ask this).

Based on the above we can explain, strictly speaking there is no obligation to do so, as people do it anyway. However, Chazal commanded us to do it anyway to give us an extra mitzvah, like we find: רצה הקב״ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות – “Hashem wanted to give Klal Yisroel merits, therefore, he gave them lots of Torah and mitzvos”. Therefore, the Shulchan Aruch says the lashon of “mitzvah”.
This he’orah I saw brought down from R’ Chaim Melin shlita, in his new sefer Losuach Ba’sodeh. I would like to add, that perhaps with this we can also explain why the Gemara in Shabbos (12a) after mentioning the above din brings:אמר רב יוסף הלכתא רבתא לשבתא – “Rav Yosef says: This is a great law of Shabbos”. From this din we see how much Hashem loves us and wants to give us mitzvos, therefore it’s a great law of Shabbos .
iii) Perhaps we can suggest a third answer. It’s true people constantly check their pockets, however, perhaps that’s only when wearing weekdays clothes, as it’s common for people to put money in their pockets in the week. When it comes to Shabbos clothes, however, people don’t normally keep things in their pockets, therefore, they don’t check them as much. (Many times, I have lost a credit card, bus card etc. and realized that it’s because I used it on motzei Shabbos and placed it in my Shabbos jacket pocket.) Since people don’t check their Shabbos clothes as much, a special din is needed to ensure people check their Shabbos clothes pockets as well.

1. This question bothered R’ Aharon Leib as well. In the gilyon Pri Chaim (gilyan 333) it’s brought down that R’ Aharon Leib said over in a shiur that this question bothered him for many years, and he once asked this question to a certain wealthy businessman. The businessman said, “for a few shekel will one really not be able to concentrate?” R’ Steinman then said back, “If it was dollars in the pocket, then you would be able to understand”.
   i) A simple answer may be, that there is no obligation to constantly check the pockets, rather it’s a svora [logic] that people do so. Therefore, in a normal situation people do it, however, when they are omed lifnei haMelech, standing in front of the Ribbono Shel Olam – there is no reason to say that they will be busy checking their pockets, as they are busy and they won’t.
   ii) Another answer may be, during shemonah esrei people are standing still on one spot, therefore, there is no reason for the money to fall out of one’s pocket. Only when people walk around is there a concern that money may fall out of one’s pocket, and therefore, people don’t check.
   R’ Yaakov Meir Stern agrees with the above, and adds, not only is the one davening standing still, those around him are as well. Therefore, even if money does fall out of one’s pocket, there is no concern that others will take it, therefore, in such a case people don’t check their pockets as much.
   iii) Finally, R’ Zilberstein answers:כשמתפללים שמו ״ ע עומדים לפני המלך והעומד לפני המלך שוכח מהכל – “When davening shemonah esrei one is standing in front of the King, and when one is in front of the King, he forgets about everything else.”.
   iiii) Perhaps we can answer, there is a halachah that when davening shemonah esrei one is supposed to have his hands crossed (see Orach Chaim 95:3). If, one does this, then he isn’t able to check his pockets.

1. i) Rashi in Chullin answers: “There is no monetary loss involved when carrying out the mitzvah”.
   ii) The Gerrer Rebbe answers: One of the conditions for fulfilling the mitzvah of shiluach hakan is that one chances upon a nest. Consequently, it is not possible to prepare oneself before carrying out the mitzvah. The main tircha [effort] behind carrying out a mitzvah is the hachonah [preparation], and since it is not possible to do hachonah, shiluach hakan is considered an easy mitzvah.

1. i) The Shu”t Machneh Chaim (Yoreh De’ah 30) suggests that for such a person it’s permissible to dye all his hair black, as when doing so he is not trying to look like a woman, he is simply trying to take away his embarrassing look.
   He cites an interesting proof from the Gemara in Bava Metzia (60a) which teaches that there is a prohibition of ona’ah to paint an eved [slave]. Surely, a slave is obligated to keep mitzvos lo saseh, so why does the Gemara forbid due to ona’ah, it should be forbidden due to the prohibition of “lo yilbash” [a man isn’t allowed to act like a woman]. We see, that if it is not being done for beauty and to look like a woman, but rather to find buyers, it’s allowed. Therefore, in our case as well, it’s not being done for beauty, it’s being done to remove embarrassment, therefore, it’s allowed.
   However, both the Shu”t Divrei Chai (Yoreh De’ah 62) and the Shu”t Maharsham (Vol. 2, siman 243) forbid doing the above.
   ii) A simple solution for this man would be to dye all his hair white. The prohibition is to dye white hairs black, and not vice versa, therefore, dyeing everything white is allowed. However, this is not so ideal for someone who is young.
   iii) Another solution may be to get a non-Jew to dye the white hairs black. The Maharsham (Vol. 2, siman 243) brings this solution and is very unhappy with it. He writes that the prohibition of “lo yilbash” is to walk around dressed like a woman. He says: If a non-Jew would dress a man with a woman’s garment, would it be ok to continue walking around with it? We see that walking around is the main issue, therefore, if one had his white hairs dyed black by a non-Jew, he must remove the dye and return his hair to it’s original white color.
   However, the Shu”t Betzel HaChochmah (Vol. 5, siman 128) argues on the above, and refutes the proof from the case of a non-Jew dressing the Jew with women’s clothes. When one is dressed with women’s clothes, they must be removed as it is visible that one is dressing like a woman, and this leads to abominable things. However, if one has his white hairs dyed black, although doing so may be prohibited, once it is done it is no longer recognizable that one is acting like a woman, as many men have completely black hair. Since it’s not recognizable, there is not even an issur derabonon involved, and he may keep the white hairs dyed black.