Answers to this Weeks Riddles

(For the riddles, please see back page)

1. i) The Iyun Yaakov (Shabbos 119b) explains: The Gemara (118b) promises: כל המשמר שבת נותנין לו משאלות לבו – “Anyone who guards Shabbos will merit all that his heart desires.” Consequently, it make sense: מי שמחלל שבת נשרף כל חמדת ומשאלות לבו – “Anyone who desecrate Shabbos will have all his desires and wants of his heart burnt”.
2. ii) The Iyun Yaakov offers a second answer: The Gemara (118b) says: “If Klal Yisroel would keep two Shabbosos they would immediately be redeemed, and the Beis HaMikdosh would be rebuilt with fire, like it says, “With fire I destroyed it, and with fire in the future I will rebuild it”. One who desecrates Shabbos, delays the fire of the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdosh, therefore, measure for measure the fire burns down his property.
3. iii) The Medrash Rabbah (Bereishis, Parsha 11) relates, that “Shabbos” complained to the Ribbono Shel Olam that everyone has a pair, except for me. Sunday has Monday, Tuesday has Wednesday, and Thursday has Friday. However, I am left all alone. Hashem then comforted “Shabbos” and said that Klal Yisroel will be your pair. It comes out that Klal Yisroel and Shabbos are a pair, i.e. husband and wife. The Gemara in Sotah (17a) teaches: איש ואשה זכו שכינה ביניהן לא זכו אש אוכלתן – “If husband and wife get along, the Shechinah dwells in their midst. If they don’t, fire consumes them.” Based on the above, it comes out that if Klal Yisroel don’t keep Shabbos, they are being unfaithful to their spouse (Shabbos), and fire consumes them. With this, we can understand why the punishment for chillul Shabbos is fire consuming one’s property. (Ben Yehoyodah, Shabbos 119b)

1. The Baal HaTurim on the pasuk: לא תבערו אש בכל מושבותיכם ביום השבת – “Fire shall not be kindled in all your dwelling places on the day of Shabbos”, writes: אמר הקב''ה אור שלי פירוש של גיהנום שובת בשבילכם, גם אור שלכם יהא שובת – Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “My fire (i.e. Gehenom) rests on Shabbos, therefore, make sure that your fire rests as well.” The Alshich explains the aforementioned pasuk to mean, לא תבערו אש, the fire of Gehenom doesn’t burn, ביום השבת, on Shabbos. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (65b) relates that R’ Akiva told Turnastrufus HaRosha that the grave of his father doesn’t emit smoke on Shabbos. Rashi explains: “Because the fire of Gehenom doesn’t burn on Shabbos.” The Zohar (Parshas Terumah pg. 130a, and 135b) writes: We don’t start Maariv on Friday night with והוא רחום , as we only say it during the week when we are scared for the night to start, as Gehenom at night is much scarier than it is in the day. However, on Shabbos there is no Gehenom, therefore, we don’t recite והוא רחום . Another Zohar (Parshas Terumah pg. 150) writes: Only someone who guards Shabbos doesn’t get punished in Gehenom on Shabbos, however, if one is mechalel Shabbos then he does get punished. The Gilyonei HaShas (Sanhedrin 65b, quoting Kesav Shem Tov, and Sefer Korban Chagigah siman 39) writes: The Mishnah in Shabbos (44a) which says: כל הנרות מטלטלין חוץ מן הנר הדולק בשבת – “All candles can be moved, except for one lit on Shabbos”. Means: All the neshomas are removed from Gehenom on Shabbos and are not judged, except for נר הדולק בשבת, the neshomas that lit fires on Shabbos, i.e. the neshomas that desecrated Shabbos.

1. The sefer Likutim MiPardes (Vol. 2, ois 9, erech tevilah) writes in the name of the Medrash Tanchumah (it is also mentioned in Medrash Talpiyos ois 9, anaf tevilah) that the women he spun the threads for the Mishkan immersed in a mikvah first, and this is hinted at in the pasuk (35:25) which says, לב בידיה טוו – the wise women span with their hands, the beginning letters of these three words spells טבל, which means to immerse. Another hint is, חכמת לב בידיה – “the wise hearted span with their hands”, the gematria [numerical value] of the first letters of these three words totals 40, which hints at the 40 se’ah of water which is needed for a kosher mikvah.

1. i) Rav Avrohom, the brother of the Vilna Gaon, notes that the Torah stressed (Shemos 25:2) that the primary prerequisite for contributing to the Mishkan was נדיבת הלב – an inspired heart. This only applied to someone who felt that he owned items and was motivated to generously donate them. Moshe had negated his entire essence to Hashem to the point that he did not view himself as possessing anything he could contribute.
2. ii) The Mishmeres Ariel suggests that on the way out of Egypt, the Jews became rich by borrowing the gold and silver of their Egyptian neighbors. The Gemara (Sotah 13a) says that Moshe spent that time retrieving Yosef’s bones, so he did not have any precious metals to donate to the Mishkan.
3. iii) Rav Berel Soloveitchik answers that Moshe was the treasurer who accepted all the donations for the Mishkan. Contributing to the cause required giving over the item and transferring ownership to the treasurer. Because Moshe was the treasurer, he had no way to give to himself and was therefore unable to donate. (R’ Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)

1. The Shu”t Har Tzvi (Orach Chaim 1, Tel Horim, Koseiv) discusses this shailah. R’ Tzvi Pesach writes that it will depend on if we go after the results of one’s action, or if go after one’s act. If we go after the results then one would be chayav, if, however, we go after the act then one won’t. He concludes tzorich iyun. Some cite proof from the Gemara in Shabbos (104b) which says that if one removes the roof of a “Ches” and makes it now look like two “Yuds” one is chayav, as it is like writing two letters. In the case of the “Ches” one didn’t write any letters and we say he is chayav, therefore, certainly in our case of the copy paper one should be chayav. In Shemiras Shabbos (Perek 31, he’orah 43) they bring from R’ Shlomah Zalman, that if one writes one letter on this copy-paper and in the end it comes out as two letters, according to the opinion which holds if one writes two of the same letters (דכותב ב' אותיות משם אחת חייב) one is chayav, in this case as well, one would be held accountable.

Please note, that during the weeks of bein hazmanim I often print a reduced amount of booklets, due to difficulty with distribution. To make sure you don’t miss out, please make sure to sign up by sending “subscribe” to [email protected]. We will iy’H discuss important Pesach related topics in the upcoming weeks.