On a Shabbos morning, Binyamin was the first one to come to shul. He thought he would enter the shul, sit down and learn some mishnayos before tefilla. But a surprise was waiting for him inside...
When he opened the door, he saw a pigeon flying around under the ceiling of the shul. The shul was small and the bird was continually flying from one wall to the other. Binyamin froze, observing the bird. The cold wind rushed through the shul’s entrance.
As Binyamin was about to close the door, he paused and thought to himself, “Right now, the bird is not trapped because it can fly out from this entrance. But if I close it, it will be trapped in the shul. And trapping an animal on Shabbos is the melacha of tzod!”
Question: May Binyamin close the shul’s door?
Hints & Answers
HALACHA CHALLENGE: The Mishna Berura (315:5) writes: “Therefore, an untamed bird that entered a house through an entrance or a window, even though, it is not trapped there, nevertheless it is prohibited to close the entrance and the window. But when there is cold weather and there is suffering [due to the cold air entering the house through that entrance or window] or when there is any other suffering [because of that opened door/window], the Chayei Adam writes that it is permitted to close [the window/door] if the person’s intention is only to be saved from the cold air and he is not interested at all in trapping the bird...”
RHYMES: “eye”
RIDDLE: There should be a minimum of seven Kaddishim every day, corresponding to what is written in Tehillim (119:164), Sheva bayom hillalticha - I praise You seven times daily [Mishnah Berurah 55:5] Try this good idea: as you answer a kaddish with kavana, add 1 to your count. Once you reach 7 on that day, you’ve emulated David HaMelech - you’ve praised Hashem in a complete way.
*Menucha answers are not to be taken as final decisions in halacha.
