June 17, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Gevalt, it’s almost shabbos! What a week. I’m ready for a day to kick out of regular gear and into shabbos mode and get re-ensouled.
I want to thank everyone who wrote in or subscribed to the blog or participated in the discussions this week. And in particular a big thank you to Melamed Garry for all his help with sourcing uncited quotations and translating the obscure (to me) Hebrew used in the Yiddish texts.
And now, though I did not have a chance to do any translating today, I will leave you with a great contemporary teaching on this week’s parsha. Rabbi Avram kindly gave over this video teaching today, especially for this shabbos. The “DigitalMaggid with Rabbi Avram Davis” video series has been on a brief hiatus, but we plan to resume our regular schedule next week and we’ll keep you posted on our new releases. (To see the video click “read more” below — the viewer doesn’t fit the column so well.)
So, Good Shabbos! everyone and we’ll see you next week for a lot more wonderful stories and teachings from the tradition.
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June 16, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Another commentary on Numbers 19:20 comes from R’ Yehoshua’le Dzhikover:
פֿאראן מענשען וואָס דענקען דורך דעם וואָס זיי גיבען צדקה, דארפען זיי ניט דאווענען, צדקה שטײט העכער פֿאר דאווענען. זאָגן די חז”ל: ”ציפּה זהב במקום הנחת פּה — פסול!“
- There are those who think that by virtue of what they give in tzedakah (charity), they do not need to daven (pray). But the Sages of Blessed Memory say: “If it is covered in gold at the place where the mouth is applied — it is invalid.”
This is a slight misquote from the Talmud, Tractate Rosh Hashana 27a. It should read: ציפּהו זהב במקום הנחת פּיו פּסול. It is from a discussion of the particular type of shofar that can be used to fulfill the requirements of the Rosh Hashana shofar service. It is saying, in essence, that the shofar used in that particular service cannot have a gold-plated mouth piece.
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Posted in Dzhikover, Midos (Virtues, Pos. attributes), Shelach, The Parshas (Torah portions) |
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June 15, 2011
by Digital Maggid
This one is from the Holy Ba’al Shem Tov, as a commentary on Numbers 15:20.
I’m feeling lazy today, so I’m going to do it entirely in transliteration. I’m guessing most people aren’t really reading the Yiddish anyhow.
Reishit arisoteikhem chalah tarimu
Of the first of your dough you shall
set apart a cake
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
A yid vos davent
A Jew who davens (prays)
machmes er iz geboten gevoren tsu davenen
because he got ordered to daven
khotch er ken nit kayn peyrush hamalkhes
even though he can’t understand any explanation of the realms
un davent on shum kavone
and davens without any intention
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Posted in Ba'al Shem Tov, Midos (Virtues, Pos. attributes), R' Dov Ber | Maggid of Mezertich, Shelach, The Parshas (Torah portions) |
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June 15, 2011
by Digital Maggid
In the 15th chapter of the book of Numbers, verse 21, Torah instructs us:
מראשית ערסתיכם, תתנו לה’ תרומה
m’reishit arisoteikhem
titenu lashem t’rumah
From the first of your dough you shall
make an offering to Hashem
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
R’ Moshele of Kozhenitz offers the following insight:
בימי הנעורים, ווען דער יצר־הרע גרענט,
In your youth, when the yetser-hara (evil inclination) burns
ביזט יונג, פול מיט לעבען,
while you are young and full of life
מיט חשק אונ תאוות,
with gusto and passion
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June 14, 2011
by Digital Maggid
A refreshingly short teaching today after yesterday’s novela.
This is from R’ Moshe Tzvi Giterman of Savran (1775-1837). He succeeded his father as the Maggid of Savran in 1802, and later succeded Levi Yitzchok as Rabbi of Berditchev, in addition to serving as rabbi for several other cities. His followers numbered in the thousands. His teachings were published in a collection called Likutei Shoshanim.
טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Tovah ha-aretz me’od, me’od
The land is exceedingly good.
(Numbers 14:7)
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
.ארץ ישראל איז טאקע א גוט לאנד פאר אידען
Eretz Israel is indeed a good land for the Jews.
געדאנקט אבער: ”אך בה’ אל־תמרדו“
:Remember, however
“.Rebel not against the Lord”
(Numbers 14:9)
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June 14, 2011
by Digital Maggid
This teaching that comes from the Kotsker Rebbe is very sweet but pretty complex. There are many subtleties of language at work here that don’t quite translate, yet it is so sweet that I’ve decided to go for a rather idiomatic translation and attempt to explain a few of the subtleties afterwards. I am confident though that even absent the subtleties, you will find this a very worthwhile teaching. It’s also a bit longer than most I have posted to date, but hang with it … there’s a surprise ending you won’t want to miss.
Numbers 13:18
וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת-הָאָרֶץ…ur’item et ha-aretz
… and see the land …
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
דערפאר ווערט א כלי חרס טמא נאר מתוכו
Because an earthenware vessel can become impure only from the inside
און עס העלפט נישט קיין טהרה
and no ritual cleansing will help it
”אין לו תקנה אלא שבירה “
ain lo takanah ela shvirah
“.there is no remedy except breaking”
ווײַל א כלי הרס ווערט געמאכט פון דער ערד,
Because an earthenware vessel is made of earth
וואס האט קיינ שומ ווערט נישט
that has not yet become anything,
און דאס גאנצע ביסעל חְשיבות
(… and this is quite important)
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June 13, 2011
by Digital Maggid
Ant medicine? How’s that? Are we stealing from the Navajos now? Not at all! This is old Torah. And this teaching comes from the Berditchever, our master of the week. This teaching is quite well-known, actually, and it is floating around in cyber space (a little) in Hebrew, if not in English, though I learned it from the old Yiddish text.
Many thanks to Melamed Garry for helping me out with the Hebrew quotes from Rashi.
This is a commentary on Numbers 13:33 … the Hebrews have just arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and have sent spies to scope out the territory and report back on who’s there and what the place is like. Well, it’s a virtual paradise brimming with all manner of fruits and livestock and, mamish, it’s the “land of milk and honey.” Only problem is, it’s inhabited by giants. No kidding. Giants.
And our master quotes the Torah:
(.וכן היינו בעיניהם.“ (יג.לג”
v’khen hayinu b’eineihem
(13:33) “and so we were in their sight.”
◊ • ◊ • ◊ • ◊
”.שמענו אומרים זה לזה נמלים יש בכרמים כאנשים”
We heard them telling each other:
“There are ants in the vineyards that look like people.” (Rashi, Sotah 35a)
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Posted in Master of the Week, R' Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rashi, Shelach, The Parshas (Torah portions) |
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June 12, 2011
by Digital Maggid
This week our learning will be on Parshas Shelach: Numbers 13:1 – 15:41.
For a synopsis of the parsha, try Parsha in a Nutshell. Or you can read the entire parsha in English with pointed Hebrew on Mechon-Mamre.
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