Answers to this Weeks Riddles

(For the riddles, please see back page)

1. Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Kuntres Sefer Zikaron) lists 37 actions that Chazal refer to as causing a person to forget his learning, including: not sufficiently reviewing one’s studies, arrogance, anger, anxiety, excessive eating, studying foolish matters, not standing up for one’s teacher, not washing one’s hands when required; eating olives too frequently, bathing oneself using water leftover from somebody drinking, placing one’s feet on top of one another when washing them, placing one’s clothing under one’s head when sleeping, walking underneath the rope used to lead a camel or underneath the camel itself, walking between two camels, walking between two women, a woman walking between two men, walking where one can smell a rotten carcass, walking underneath a bridge that water has not passed under for 40 days, eating bread that is not fully baked, drinking from a stream that passes through a cemetery, gazing at the face of a dead person, reading protruding writing on a tombstone, speaking to a woman in the marketplace, placing one’s shoes on the wrong foot, sewing or tailoring clothing while wearing it, putting on two garments at the same time, drying one’s hands on one’s clothing, leaving a book open when leaving the room, cutting one’s nails one after the next instead of in the proper order, and gazing at the face of an angry person.
2. The Shevus Yaakov rules that just as a person is obligated to avoid suspicion on Chanuka by lighting more than one menorah if he has multiple entrances to his house facing in different directions (Orach Chaim 671:13), so too a person who takes down his mezuzah to have it checked must leave the cover in place, lest he be suspected of neglecting to place a mezuzah on his doorpost altogether. (Parsha Potpourri)
3. The Biur Halachah (60 d.h. v’chein halachah) writes that a person who normally makes “early Shabbos” and davens on Friday night before nightfall expects to repeat shema again after dark. As such, if one week he happens to make “late Shabbos” and davens at the proper time, unless he explicitly had clear intention to fulfill his obligation, he must repeat shema again because his default intention is presumed to be in accordance with his usual custom, which is to fulfill his obligation not when saying shema as part of Ma’ariv, but during his subsequent repetition of shema. (Parsha Potpourri)
4. The Tikun Moshe asks the above and suggests two answers:
   i) When it comes to tefillin, one of the two pairs is pasul, therefore, there is no issue of ba’al tasif [adding to mitzvos]. However, when it comes to mezuzah, Rashi agrees that if one does like Rabbeinu Tam he fulfills the mitzvah, therefore, there is a problem of ba’al tosif.
   ii) When one puts on tefillin, he can have special intention that he doesn’t want to violate ba’al tosif, however, when it comes to the mitzvah of mezuzah it’s not possible for one to constantly have in mind that he doesn’t want to violate ba’al tosif.
   I would like to add two more answers:
   iii) Although the Tikun Moshe doesn’t mention this, there seems to be a very simple answer. When it comes to the mitzvah of mezuzah, we make a compromise between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam and we place the mezuzah on a slant, therefore, we can fulfill both opinions with one mezuzah. However, when it comes to tefillin this is not possible, therefore, people are stringent and wear both pairs.
   iiii) The Noda B’Yehudah (Mahadurah Tinyona, Orach Chaim 4) asks, why we are only concerned for the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam when it comes to the order of the parshiyos, and not in the direction in which they are placed inside the tefillin (according to Rabbeinu Tam they should be put in horizontally, yet, we don’t do this, and even in Rabbeinu Tam tefillin all we change is the order of the parshiyos). He answers that we only worry about the order of the parshiyos as many Geonim also learn like Rabbeinu Tam, and that based on kabbalah there are reasons for wearing two pairs of tefillin. Since even by tefillin we aren’t worried about Rabbeinu Tam’s opinion regarding the direction of the parshiyos, when it comes to mezuzah we also aren’t.
5. The Shu”t Kesav Sofer (Orach Chaim 61) brings a rayah that it’s ok. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 323:7) rules: If one forgot to tovel a vessel brought from a non-Jew on erev Shabbos, he may give it to a non-Jew as a present for Shabbos with intention that the non-Jew give it back after Shabbos. How is one allowed to do this, surely giving a present to a non-Jew is forbidden? We see from here says the Kesav Sofer, that giving a non-Jew a matonah al menos lehachzir is allowed.
   See the Sdei Chemed (Vol 4, pg. 71) who quotes many poskim who allow.
   However, a number of poskim (see Avodas Avodah, Avodah Zorah 20a and others) who says that giving a non-Jew a matonah al menos lehachzir is also forbidden.
   What do these poskim do with the above rayah?
   Seemingly we can suggest a simple answer based on the Birkay Yosef (Orach Chaim 254). The Birkay Yosef says, that there is no issur to give a non-Jew a present if the Jew stands to benefit from doing so. In the case of tevilas keilim the Jew benefits, therefore, it’s allowed.
6. Rav Shmuel Wosner (Derashos U’Sichos Shevet HaLevi 5759 pg. 346-7) notes that the selection of shidduchim by watching the eligible females dance was fraught with great responsibility and could easily end in sin. Therefore, Chazal specifically chose to do so on days that would offer protection. Yom Kippur is a holy day on which people are focused on prayer and atoning for their sins and will not be enticed to sin. Regarding Tu B’Av, the Gemara in Ta’anis (31a) teaches that on that day, the nights begin to lengthen and a person is expected to utilize the extra time for Torah study. Because the night of Tu B’Av was spent in the diligent study of Torah, which protects a person from the yetzer horah (Kiddushin 30b), the following day was selected for this purpose. (Parsha Potpourri)