ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem
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Berachos 7
Questions
1)
(a) We learn from "ve'Simachtim be'Veis Tefilasi" that Hashem Davens too.
This means presumably, that Hashem evokes His own mercy.
(b) Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yossi was the Kohen Gadol, and it must have been
on Yom Kipur, when he went into the Kodesh Kodshim to offer the Ketores,
when Akasriel Kah Hashem Tzevakos said to him "Yishmael My son, bless Me".
He replied "May it be Your will that Your mercy should quash Your anger,
and that Your mercy should overcome Your Midas ha'Din, and that You will
act with them beyond the letter of the law.
(c) Akasriel Kah Hashem Tzevakos's nodded His head in assent (as if to say
'Amen' to Rebbi Yishmael's Berachah). We learn from here not to belittle
the Berachah of an ordinary person (i.e. someone inferior to oneself).
2)
(a) "Panai" in this context, means anger. So what Hashem was saying to
Mashe was "Let My anger first die down and then I will be pacified" - to
teach us that one should not attempt to pacify someone, whilst he is angry.
(b) One 58,888th's of an hour is the split second that Hashem gets angry
each morning.
(c) When Bil'am testified about himself "ve'Yodei'a Da'as Elyon", he was
not claiming to know Hashem's mind (he didn't even know the mind of his
ass); what he *was* saying was that he knew the exact moment, that
58,888th's of an hour each morning when Hashem was angry, and he had the
ability to exploit it, to curse anybody he wanted.
(d) And it is that power of Bil'am to which Hashem was referring when he
said "Ami, Zechor Na ... Lema'an Da'as Tzidkos Hashem", because Hashem,
bearing in mind that ability, thwarted his plans, by witholding His anger
during the entire period that Bil'am attempted to curse Yisrael.
And that is what Bil'am himself exclaimed in frustration "Mah Ek'ov, Lo
Kaboh Keil! etc."
3)
(a) We learn from "Ki Rega be'Apo" etc. that Hashem's anger only lasts for
one moment.
(b) Hashem is angry every morning for precisely one moment, as the sun
rises, when the kings remove their crowns, place them on the ground, and
bow down to the sun.
(c) Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi tied a cock to his bed, intending to see the
precise moment when its comb turned completely white, at which point he
would curse that Tzedoki who caused him so much trouble. But he fell
asleep, and missed the moment. So he decided that it must be wrong to cause
others to get punished - even Resha'im - in keeping with the Pasuk
"ve'Rachamav Al Kol Ma'asav".
(d) 'Mardus Achas' means one Musar. Chazal say that when a person humbles
himself before Hashem, it is better than many Malkiyos, and, according to
Resh Lakish, it is even better than a hundred Malkiyos.
4)
(a) According to Rebbi Yochanan quoting Rebbi Yossi, Moshe asked Hashem for
the Shechinah to rest on Yisrael, that it should not rest on non-Jews, and
that Hashem should show him His ways: Why there is a Tzadik who has it good
etc. (See next question) - and all of these requests were granted.
(b) 'A Tzadik ve 'Tov Lo', the Gemara at first says, is a Tzadik ben
Tzadik.
A Tzadik ve'Ra Lo is a Tzadik ben Rasha. A Rasha, ve'Tov Lo is a Rasha ben
Tzadik, and a Rasha ve'Ra Lo is a Rasha ben Rasha.
(c) Children suffer for the sins of their parents when they are guilty of
the same sins. But when they do not, they do not suffer for their parents'
sins.
(d) Tzadik ve'Tov Lo, the Gemara concludes, is a complete Tzadik, and
Tzadik ve'Ra Lo is a Tzadik who is not a complete Tzadik. Rasha ve'Tov Lo
is a Rasha who is not a complete Rasha, whereas Rasha ve'Ra Lo is a
complete Rasha.
5)
(a) "When *I* wanted (to show you My Shechinah at the burning bush") said
Hashem to Moshe, *you* did not want. Now that *you* want (to see My ways),
*I* do not want!" Therefore "Lo Suchal li'Re'os es Panai!"
(b) For hiding his face, Moshe merited that his face shone; For being
afraid to look, the people were afraid to approach him; and because he did
not look, he saw Hashem's image. That is the opinion of Rebbi Shmuel bar
Nachmeini quoting Rebbi Yonasan.
(c) Moshe saw the back of Hashem's Tefilin shel Rosh.
6)
(a) Hashem promised Moshe that he would make him into a great nation,
Although the condition for this (the destruction of K'lal Yisrael), was
averted, the promise nevertheless came true.
(b) We learn from here, that Hashem never goes back on promises that He has
made to do good (provided the recipient does nothing to lose his rights,
as we learnt earlier, Daf 4a).
7b---------------------------------------7b
Questions
7)
(a) We learn from the Pasuk in Bereishis "Adon-ai, ba'Mah Eda Ki
Irashenah"? that Avraham was the first person since the creation of the
world to call Hashem 'Master'.
(b) Even the prayers of Daniel, who lived more than a thousand years after
Avraham, were answered only due to the above-mentioned merit of Avraham.
(c) Chazal learn from "Panai Yeileichu va'Ha'nichosi Lach", that one should
not attempt to pacify someone until his anger abates.
8)
(a) Leah was the first person since the creation of the world to thank
Hashem. She thanked Him for the birth of Yehudah, her fourth son (one son
more than her fair share of three sons each for each of the four mothers) -
her thanks are reflected in Yehudah's name.
(b) "Re'u Ve'ni". See - how *my* son is different, Leah was saying , than
the son of my father-in-law. The latter willfully sold his birthright to
Ya'akov; yet when Ya'akov received the bleesings, he hated him for it.
Whereas my son (Reuven) lost his birthright to Yosef, and, even though it
was taken from him against his will, that did not dter him from saving
Yosef (the recipient of those blessings) from being killed by his brothers.
(c) 'Rus' is from the same root as 'Riveihu' (he satiated - like "Kosi
Revayah") - referring to Davis ha'Melech, who satiated Hashem with songs of
praise.
(d) We learn from the Pasuk "Lechu Chazu Mif'alos Hashem, Asher Sam
*Shamos* ba'Aretz."Instead of reading it 'Shamos', read it 'Sheimos',
signifying that Hashem placed names in the world, meaning that names have a
meaning.
9)
(a) A rebel in one's own family is worse than the battle of Gog and Magog.
(b) David ha'Melech was relieved, when he discovered that the rebel in his
household turned out to be his own son. Surely he figured, his own son will
feel a spark of compassion for his father, more than a slave would.
10)
(a) We learn from "Ozvei Torah Yehalalu Rasha, ve'Shomrei Torah Yisgaru
Bam", that one is permitted to start up with Resha'im in this world.
(b) The Pasuk "Al Tischar ba'Merei'im, ve'Al Tekan'eh be'Os'ei Avlah" means
that one should not be jealous of sinners (not that one should not start up
with them).
(c) Even in matters of religion, one is ill-advised to start up with a
Rasha, when he is at the height of his success (because Hashem will
continue to smile at him - since everyone has his moment in life); and the
Gemara then qualifies this, by giving the green light to start up with the
Rasha even when he is at the height of his success - to a total Tzadik (and
it is the incomplete Tzadik whom the Torah warns not to start up with him
even in matters of religion).
(d) The Gemara's final statement 'Sha'ah Mesachekes Lo Sha'ani' comes to
warn even a total Tzadik to leave the Rasha alone, even in spirtual
matters, because Hashem's smile will prevail (though it is not clear how
this differs from the first answer in the previous question).
11)
(a) If someone fixes his place for his Tefilah (or for his Torah-study),
all his enemies will fall before him (see also Gittin 7a).
(b) At first, the Beis ha'Mikdash was built with the intention that
Yisrael's enemies will not cause them any suffering at all. But when they
sinned, their merits deteriorated, and the Beis ha'Mikdash could only
protect them from total destruction ('Hashem poured His wrath on to the
wood and stones'), but not from suffering or exile.
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