Rabbi Adi Cohen

The eternal existence of the Jewish people, in spite of the upheavals they suffered, is a wonder to behold. However, the wonder increases sevenfold in light of the fact that the nation’s history was accurately predicted ahead of time in the Torah. The Torah foresaw the Jewish People’s exiles, persecutions, dispersion across the face of the Earth, scarcity of population, and eternal survival.

Unprecedented Dispersion

In the section known as the tochehah, where the Torah warns of the calamities that will befall the nation on account of their misdeeds, we read, “And Hashem will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the Earth to the other” (Devarim 28:64).

The Torah informs the nation what they can expect in the distant future – exile. And not just any exile, where the nation is exiled to a certain land, but rather an exile in whichthe exiled nation is scattered “from one end of the earth to the other.”

Unfortunately, this prophecy came true, and even today, there is hardly any place on earth that does not have Jews residing there.This prophecy stands in contradiction toall historical experience, for there is no nation that has ever been exiled to every possible place in civilization as the Jewish people. Similarly, it contradicts logic, for the Jews by nature are a close-knit people, and it is unnatural for them to be entirely scattered and spread out to the four corners of the earth.

“Deities of Wood and Stone”

In the verse cited above, the Torah continues: “And there you will serve other deities unknown to you or your forefathers, deities of wood and stone.”

The Torah predicts that the Jewish People will be subservient to worshipers of other deities in their exile and will have to perform forced labor, such that they will be considered to have actually worshiped the deities. As Rashi writes: “They will not serve the actual deities themselves,but rather will pay taxes in the form of forced labor.” These deities will be those unknown either to them or their forefathers, and will be“deities of wood and stone.”

Surveying Jewish history, we find two relatively new religions that came into being after the Jews’ exile began, whose adherents could thus not have forced the Jews into service beforehand. These religions, of course, are Christianity and Islam,and they are symbolized by wood and stone, respectively: the symbol of Christianity is the wooden cross, and that of Islam is the stone in Mecca.

Small Yet Enduring

The Torah also writes: “And you will remain few in number, whereas you were once as numerous as the stars of the heavens, because you did not obey Hashem, your Gd” (Devarim 28:62).

The Torah here foresees that the Jewish population in exile will be small, yet they will neverthelesssurvive. Common sense tells us that the more populous a nation is, the greater its chance of survival. A small population runs a greater risk of it disappearing as a result of assimilation within its host nation, if only for the simple reason that finding a mate from one’s people is more difficult.

Indeed, during the entire course of the Jewish exile, the Jews were a small nation, numbering 17 million at its peak, and just one million at its lowest ebb. And yet, despite all odds, the nation survived.

An Exile Within an Exile

The Torah continues: “And among thosenations, you will not be calm, nor will your foot find rest” (ibid. 65).

Here, the Torah warns that even after the Jewish People are scattered among the nations of the world, they will know no rest; they will not be left alone. They will be expelled and forced to wander from place to place, which has, of course, been the Jews’ experience throughout the millennia of exile.

There is no historical precedent of a people that underwent an exile within an exile like the Jewish people have experienced. Moreover, it is impossible to explain how self-respecting governments, such as France, England, Spain, Germany, Russia, and others, issued edicts of expulsion to innocent Jewish citizens without any reasonable justification. How could the Torah have predicted ahead of timethat different nations, with completely different characters and mentalities, would all behave the same way in regard to one particular matter – their relationship to the Jews – unless this was written by Gd Himself?

The Mystery of Anti-Semitism

The Torah continues in the same section:“And your life will hang in suspense before you. You will be in fear night and day, and you will not believe in your life. In the morning, you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening, you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the fear in your heart which you will experience and because of the sights that you will behold” (Devarim 28:66-67).

The Torah in this passage foresees the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, which is unparalleled in world history. Professor Yosef ben Shlomo writes in “The Monthly Survey” (for the officers of the Israeli Defense Forces):

This hatred [of the Jews] is basic and unconditional, and therefore depends on no factors, not on personality and not on national character, not on the economic situation and not on social conditions, not on the type of government and not on its relationship to the Jews, not on their success and not on their lack of appeal, not on failure and not on progress, for we have been tried in all these circumstances and the hatred remains.

They hate us with the complaint that we are too good, and on the other hand, because we are blood suckers; we are separate but we also mix too much. They hate us in a period of economic prosperity and persecute us in times of economic depression. The monarchy is disgusted by us, and so is the dictatorship, or the democracy; in anarchy we are the first prey of the looters. They view us as responsible for every disaster, and unnecessary for any success; they beat the one who bends to them and attack the one who walks upright; they prevent the observance of our religion but will not absorb the one bent on assimilation; at every moment and in every situation they have a reason to hate the Jews.

Just over eighty years ago, in 1923, David Lloyd George, a former Prime Minister of Britain, was quoted as saying:

Of all the bigotries that savage the human temper there is none as stupid as the antisemitic. In the sight of these fanatics, Jews of today can do nothing right. If they are rich, they are birds of prey. If they are poor, they are vermin. If they are in favor of war, that is because they want to exploit the bloody feuds of gentiles to their own profit. If they are anxious for peace, they are either instinctive cowards or traitors. If he lives in a strange land, he must be persecuted and pogrommed out of it. If he wants to go back to his own, he must be prevented.

Drawing the World’s Attention

The Torah describes further: “And you will become an astonishment, an example, and a topic of discussion, among all the peoples to whom the Lord will lead you” (ibid. 37).

Rashi explains “an astonishment,” to mean that the Jewish people will be an object of astonishment, for all will be shocked and horrified by the hardships and suffering they endure. And “example,” Rashi writes, means that “when some terrible calamity befalls a person, people will say: ‘This is like the trouble that happened to so-and-so.’” Meaning, the Jewish People will serve as an example of every trouble and sickness.

“And a topic of discussion,” according to Rashi, means that “people will speak about you.” The Jews will always be the focus of people’s attention, and they will examine them with a magnifying glass, looking carefully and scrutinizing them to identify faults.

There is no logical reason why such a tiny people, scattered over the entire planet, would draw so much of the world’s attention. But hasn’t history proven the accuracy of the Torah’s words? In every generation, the entire world spoke about the Jews, and especially in our day, the Jews – and the Jewish State – are always featured on the news, and are continually the subject of conversation.

Mark Twain wrote in 1899:

If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people.

After enduring exiles, expulsions, open hatred, and schemes to annihilate them, the Jews should naturally have disappeared. But the Torah surprisingly promises that even with all this, the nation will survive:

“But despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them nor will I reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant with them, for I am Hashem their Gd.” (Vayikra 26:44)

Likewise, the prophet Malachi proclaimed:“For I, Hashem, have not changed; and you, the sons of Jacob, have not been annihilated” (Malachi 3:6). The Rambam, in his famous Epistle to Yemen, writes: “Just as it is impossible that the existence of Gd could be nullified, so is it impossible that we should be lost and nullified from the world.”

These explicit promises, and others, appear throughout the books of the Torah and the Prophets. They assure that the Jewish people will be few in number, scattered among the nations, persecuted and hated, and yet will somehow survive forever.

The Land of Israel: Blossoming and Desolation

 “For Hashem your Gd is bringing you to a good land, a land with brooks of water, fountains and depths, that emerge in valleys and mountains, a land of wheat and barley, vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil-producing olives and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, you will lack nothing in it.” (Devarim 8:7-9).

Before Beneh Yisrael entered the Land of Israel, they were told that the Promised Land is a fertile land, suitable for settlement and agriculture, with sufficient water, such that its inhabitants will lack nothing. On the other hand, the Torah foresees that after the Jews will be driven from their homeland, “I will make the Land desolate, so that it will become desolate also of your enemies who live in it… Your land will be desolate, and your cities will be laid waste” (Vayikra 26:32—33).

The Land of Israel is a land that lends itself to prosperity, but after the exile, it will remain desolate and uninhabitable. The Torah foresaw that when the Jewish People will dwell in the Land, it will blossom, but after they go into exile, it will be desolate, and not even the enemies of the Jewish Nation will inhabit it.

This prediction runs counter to both logic and all historical precedent. Normally, if a nation is driven from a land that is conducive for economic prosperity, then other nations will come to take advantage of the land’s qualities. And the Land of Israel is not only well-suited for agriculture, but is also considered sacred by many millions of Christians and Muslims, who always desired to live there. Moreover, the territory of the Land of Israel is at the intersection of three continents – Asia, Europe, and Africa – which gives it strategic importance for the transportation of goods and assets, both commercial and military. Furthermore, the climate is mild and the soil is fertile, such that many would certainly wish to settle there.

The Ramban, in hiscommentary to Vayikra (ibid.), underscores this anomaly, and explains its significance:

What the Torah relates here is a good tiding. The Land “will become desolate also of your enemies,” which informs us that in all our exiles, the Land will not acceptour enemies. This is also a great proof and promise for us, for nowhere else in civilization will you find a land that is good and spacious, which had always been settled, that is as desolate as the Land of Israel. Everyone tries to settle there, and no one is successful.

Both descriptions of the Land of Israel – the prosperity it will offer the Jewish People, and its state of desolation when they are in exile – have proven to be true.

The historian Josephus Flavius, who lived during the Second Temple period and saw the Land of Israel before its destruction, writes in The Wars of the Jews:

It is a rich land with ample pasture, with many fruit trees and a wealth of grain that attracts men from far away who love agriculture. The entire land is tilled by its inhabitants; there is no desolate stretch of land anywhere. Because of the land’s great fertility, the cities and villages of the Galilee are very populous; the smallest village has 15,000 inhabitants.

Let us contrast this description with the testimonies of famous tourists who visited the Land in the 19^thcentury.

A.V. Schultz wrote:

And what is the current state of Palestine? It has turned into a desert in comparison to its former traditional fertility. In our travel we were forced more than once to hike for hours until we found a shady place to rest under a tree.

Mark Twain, who visited the Holy Land in 1867, recorded his impressions in Innocents Abroad:

Arrived at an elevation of twelve hundred feet above the lake (Sea of Galilee) as bald and unthrilling a panorama as any land can afford, perhaps, was spread out before us… Desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action… we never saw a human being on the whole route…hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.

Elsewhere, he described: “Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fieldsand fettered its energies.” He concludes: “Palestine is no more of this work-day world. It is sacred to poetry and tradition – it is dream land.”

Professor Sir John William Dawson wrote the following in 1888:

Until today no people have succeeded in becoming settled as a nation in Palestine. No national entity or national spirit has acquired a foothold there. That mixed multitude of sparse tribes that dwell there hold onto the land only as share croppers, temporary owners, and it appears as if they are awaiting those with the right to permanent ownership of the land to return.

Fulfillment of Promise

When we look at the Land of Israel today, after the Jews have returned, we feast our eyes on the lush green fields and blossoming fruit trees that fill the length and breadth of the Land, and are amazed by the skyscrapers and huge bridges in the bustling cities. All this took place within only one hundred years. This spectacular flourishing is a testament to the Torah’s promise of the blessings offered by the Land when the Jewish People reside within it.

Such an important event in the history of the Jewish People – the Jews’ return to the land, and its blossoming in response – should certainly be foretold by one of the prophets. Sure enough, the prophet Yechezkel foresaw thousands of years ago the Land’s return to prosperity with the gathering of the Jewish exiles, describing it as though it unfolded before his eyes:

Mountains of Israel, hearken to the word of the Lord… So said Hashem, Gd, to themountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, to the desolate ruins and to the deserted cities, which became a scorn and a mockery to the remnant of the nations that are around… And you, the mountains of Israel, will produce your branches, and you will bear your fruit for My people Israel because they are about to come… and you will be tilled and sown. And I shall multiply men upon you, the whole house of Israel in its entirety, and the cities will be settled, and the ruins will be built up. (Yechezkel 36:1-10)

Yechezkel prophesizes that upon the Jews’ return, the Land willbear fruit and prosper as it did once before. The Talmud adds that the flourishing of the Land of Israel is a sure sign of redemption: “Rabbi Abba said: There can be no more manifest sign of the imminent redemption than what is said: ‘And you, the mountains of Israel, will produce your branches, and you will bear your fruit for My people Israel because they are about to come’” (Sanhedrin 98a).

Rabbi Shmuel Ideles, the Maharsha,writes in this commentary to the Talmud: “As long as the Jewish People are not on their Land, it does not yield its fruits the way it should. However, when it goes back to yielding fruits, this is a revelation of the imminent redemption and that the Jewish People will return to their Land.”

The Torah and the Prophets promised thousands of years ago that the Land of Israel will flourish only when the Jewish people inhabit it, and this promise is being fulfilled right before our eyes.

Inventions are the ingenious gadgets and machines that have made our lives a little more fun, interesting, and easier. Real inventions are the things that we did not think were possible yesterday, and yet, it would be difficult to live without today. From the tiny paperclip to the massive jet engine, every month we will explore the history behind our world’s most famous inventions and learn about the innovators that designed them.

This month we explore the history behind an invention that most of us likely just take for granted…

The Post-it Note

Post-it Notes are one of the world’s favorite office supplies. Here’s a little fact about those sticky notes that might surprise you – like many of today’s great inventions, they were invented by accident!

In 1968, 3M researcher Dr. Spencer Silver had the job of developing adhesives for 3M. Although his mission was to create a stronger, more reliable adhesive for the aerospace industry, Silver ended up with something else. He created a weak adhesive that could be removed easily without leaving behind a residue. The glue also kept its stickiness when applied with pressure and was reusable. “At the time, we wanted to develop a bigger, tougher adhesive,” Silver said in a later interview. “This was none of those.”

For a number of years, Silver had a solution on his hand looking for a problem. He presented the adhesives at numerous business meetings and proposed their use for bulletin and message boards, but his proposals were rejected.

In Search of a Bookmark

In 1974, fellow 3M scientist, Art Fry, recalled one of Silver’s presentations when seeking out a way to solve a problem he was having with his bookmarks. Fry would use pieces of scrap paper to mark places in his books. However, it seemed like they always fell out. He dreamt up a bookmark that could stick to the pages, but that could also be easily removed without damaging the paper. That’s when Fry remembered the adhesive invention of his colleague. The adhesive would be perfect, he thought, and Fry then started developing the notes using Silver’s adhesive for 3M.

Using Silver’s adhesive, Fry was able to produce reliable and reusable sticky notes, but it became quickly apparent that these sticky papers had much more potential than just bookmarks.

The Color Yellow

Yet, still, one more accident would help shape the future of the Post-it Note. When Fry and his team began developing the product, they could only find yellow scraps of paper to experiment with. The signature Post-it Note yellow of today can be traced back to this “accident.”

After developing the product, 3M released the Post-it Note during a 1977 test run in four cities in the United States. At the time, they were called “Press ’n Peel” notes, and sales were discouraging. Eventually, 3M decided to pull them off the shelves.

The Launch of the Post-it Note

However, in 1979, 3M re-marketed the Press ‘n Peel notes as Post-it Notes. To re-launch the product, 3M gave free samples to offices throughout the Boise, Idaho Metro Area. It was a huge success as more than 90 percent of offices that received a free sample re-ordered them!

And the rest, as they say, is history. 3M released Post-it Notes nationally in 1980, and expanded distribution into Canada and Europe the following year. Since then, Post-it Notes have become a nearly universally-known office supply item, and today, 3M produces and sells more than 50 billion individual notes per year.

Is Yawning Contagious?

Absolutely! It’s one of the body’s most contagious, uncontrollable actions.

In fact, yawning is so contagious that seeing a picture of someone yawning can make you yawn. Not only that, but even reading or writing about yawning can make you yawn! (Are you yawning yet?)

Scientists continue to research the “contagious yawn” phenomenon, but they have yet to discover what exactly causes people to yawn simply because they see another person yawning.

One theory is that yawning may be an unspoken form of communication, and “contagious yawning” is related to empathy (the ability to recognize, understand, and share the feelings of others). People with higher levels of empathy yawn more often when someone else yawns, compared to people with lower levels of empathy or those with emotional disorders.

A recent study discovered that yawns are most contagious among close friends and family members. Apparently, the closer you are to someone genetically or emotionally, the more likely it is that you’ll “catch” his/her yawn. Research has also shown that children under the age of five, as well as older adults, are less likely to yawn in response to somebody else yawning.

What Exactly Is a Yawn?

Everybody yawns on a daily basis, from infants to great-grandparents and everyone in between. But, have you ever wondered what exactly is a yawn?

A yawn is a big intake of air. The mouth and jaw open wide. Through the mouth and nose, there’s a deep inhale, followed by a slow exhale. Sometimes, people close their eyes when they yawn; often they stretch their arms or legs, too. Although we yawn more often when we’re tired or bored, scientists have ruled out sleepiness or lack of oxygen (which would cause sleepiness) as causes for yawning. Then why, exactly, do people and animals yawn?Scientists still do not know for sure, but they do have a few theories.

Animals Yawn Too!

Did you know that dogs, cats, and other animals yawn, too? In fact, nearly all vertebrates, from fish to reptiles to primates, yawn. What’s even more amazing is that research has proven that yawning is contagious among some animals as well. Examples include dogs, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Experiments have shown that dogs will even yawn after a person yawns!

It’s an uncomfortable conversation for many, yet it might just be the single most important conversation people will ever have in their lives: estate and legacy planning. Emanuel Haas and Ari Zaltz of the law firm Haas & Zaltz, LLP are there to help their clients navigate the highly complex and sensitive issues that arise when making decisions that range from long-term care to inheritance distribution.

One of the biggest concerns Haas and Zaltz work to address with their clients is the prospect of needing long-term care as they get older. In fact, they caution that not making appropriate provisions for long-term care is one of the biggest and costliest mistakes families can make, even though it is one that can be easily avoided.

Haas explained that very often an individual receives a diagnosis or experiences a trauma or other type of debilitating incident that creates the need for long-term care. If a plan is not in place, issues can crop up that make navigating this significant life change much more challenging for everyone. But when a plan for long-term care is already in place, it’s much easier for all involved to react with confidence.

“If you ask a random person who they think covers care as they get older, many people will tell you it’s their health insurance. Other people will tell you Medicare. Unfortunately, neither of those answers are true,” explained Zaltz.

“Sometimes a parent needs money and care immediately. If it’s not done properly and you don’t avail yourself of an elder law attorney, you can really get wiped out. A nursing home today is just an unbelievable amount of money,” he cautioned.

Haas and Zaltz advise clients to plan early, as young as 55, and when everyone is still well. “We try to do traditional estate planning but with an added level to make sure that our clients’ assets are protected for themselves, first and foremost, and subsequently for the next generation,” Zaltz said.

Otherwise, chaos can and will surely ensue. Not only will adult children be faced with how to provide long-term care for a parent, but also with the difficult prospect of how to pay for it. If a parent’s care is not being covered by Medicaid, the cost is nothing short of astronomical.

Many people don’t realize that a person only qualifies for Medicaid once his or her wealth has been depleted. Medicare is only available to those 65 and older (and with certain disabilities) and offers very limited benefits for long-term care.

Haas explained that when a person opts to become dependent on Medicaid for long-term care, a lien will be placed on his or her property and possibly any other assets.

“At least in New York, Medicaid cannot force a sale of a home because even if somebody is in a nursing home and will never come back, there is always an ‘intent to return home’ for that individual,” Haas said. Upon that person’s passing, however, Medicaid will recover what it spent on the decedent’s care, typically by selling the property.

Haas and Zaltz explain that in fact, Medicaid can go after any asset someone owns, but by setting up a trust, the home and any other assets placed in the trust will be protected. “Very often the home is the most valuable asset, and in some sense, creating a trust is a really straightforward way of addressing that problem,” Haas said.

Haas and Zaltz advise their clients that if they have assets in their name, which could be as simple as a home, they should place them in certain kinds of asset-protection trusts. That way, if a parent should require care as they get older, they will still immediately qualify for Medicaid and be entitled to government benefits. Upon their passing, the government won’t be able to claw back those assets which the parents may have intended to leave to their children.

A trust allows a person to say they no longer own the home and instead, the home is “owned” by a trust. Although a “trustee” is a nominal owner, it doesn’tactually belong to them, nor are they necessarily the beneficiary of the trust. In a trust, it can be stipulated that the parents maintain the right to live in the home until their passing. If the trust sells the home, possibly because the parents living in the home wish to downsize, the parents can still maintain the right to reside in any residential property owned by the trust.

It is extremely important to note, however, that the person(s) creating the trust must wait a period of 60 months from the time of the transfer in order to become eligible to receive Medicaid.

“The reality is that the seniors who transferred their home to a trust won’t even notice a difference,” Haas said. “They’ll live in a home just the way they always lived. They can move. They can sell the property and buy a different property and have the same right to live there, and nobody will know the difference. The only difference is that the asset will be protected.” To learn more about what you can do to protect your assets for yourself and your children visit www.haaszaltz.com or email them at info@haaszaltz.com. To make an appointment call 718-412-5288.

Rabbi David Sutton & Dr. David Katzenstein, LCSW-R 

We all claim to be ready to die for the sake of Hashem. But are we ready to live for His sake?

Accepting the Yoke of Heaven

In Alei Shur, Vol. II, p. 362, Rav Wolbe discusses how we recite Kriat Shema twice every day and we are mekabel ol Malchut Shamayim,accepting upon ourselves the yoke of Hashem’s Kingship. In so doing, we crown Hashem King over all our limbs and commit to control our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our hands, our feet, our thoughts, and our feelings.

At that time when we accept ol Malchut Shamayim, someone who knows himself well may sense a voice inside that says, “I want to speak lashon hara.” And it’s quite possible that most, if not all, of our senses want to rebel. Not only do we not want to control our mouths, but we don’t want to control our appetites, our eyes, our bad middot. We don’t want to control any number of things that we should be controlling. And that’s when we are being honest. Someone who’s not attuned to his inner thoughts can easily fool himself. ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Theory) posits that trying to push away these thoughts only invigorates them.

The Fiery Furnace

The rabbis say we are supposed to imagine a burning furnace, ready to devour us if we don’t refrain from worshiping avodah zarah,just like Avraham Avinu was thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to do so (and was saved by Divine intervention). When reciting Shema, we are to think that we are ready to jump into that furnace and give up our life rather than worship idols. We are ready to die for the cause! That’s “u’v’chol nafshecha,” serving Hashem with all our soul.

As a young man learning in Yeshivas Mir, Shlomo Wolbe would say Kriat Shema like a good boy, including having in mind that he was willing to die al kiddush Hashem. Then an hour into his first learning seder, instead of learning, he noticed he was discussing nonsense. Four hours is a long time to learn without any chatting! But he said to himself, “Hold on, I’m willing to jump into a fiery furnace, but I’m not willing to learn for four hours straight? Something’s a little off here. Something is a little hypocritical. Something is insincere.”

And the answer is, his kabbalat ol Malchut Shamayim was not complete.

Putting Hashem in Control

Rav Yisrael Salanter says, when saying Shema, we can accept Hashem’s Kingdom over the seven heavens and the four corners of the earth — and leave ourselves out! So yes, of course, be prepared to die al kiddush Hashem, but kabbalat ol Malchut Shamayim means putting that yoke on all of those inner forces inside of us, on all of those voices that want to be in control, and putting Hashem in control.

A man was becoming a member of the Communist Party, and his comrades asked him a number of questions.

“If you have two houses, what will you do with them?”

He answered proudly, “One for myself, one for Mother Russia.” One check.

“If you have two airplanes, what will you do?”

“One for myself, one for Mother Russia.” Another check.

“If you have two coats, what will you do?”

“One for myself, one for Mother Russia.” Beautiful.

Then they asked, “If you have two chickens, what will you do?”

He didn’t answer.

Again, they asked, “What if you have two chickens?”

No answer.

Finally, they demanded, “Why aren’t you answering?”

And he said, “Well, I HAVE two chickens…” Which means, of course, we’ll give up that theoretical house, plane, and coat. Which is all wonderful. But that’s in theory. Once we’re talking about practical, as they say, tachlis,then the picture changes. “Yeah, I’ll jump into the fiery furnace. But not telling a little white lie? That’s a whole different story.”

TAKEAWAY

What do we do when we find that darker side inside of us? We have to admit, “Yes, I have those forces inside of myself. I can’t suppress them; they might come out. I have to work them through.” And then, follow through

Victor Cohen

Shabbat observance, as we know, requires abiding by numerous restrictions, many of which are well-known to all those accustomed to observing Shabbat. For example, we are keenly aware of the prohibitions against cooking, kindling a fire, using electronic devices, and even handling certain things which are classified as muktzeh. But one of the Shabbat prohibitions that might not be very familiar to observant Jews in today’s day and age is the prohibition against carrying objects into or through the public domain. Many Jews today live in communities with an erub – a symbolic enclosure that, ostensibly, allows for carrying within the area surrounded by the erub. The community in Deal, NJ is one such community, which benefits from an erub.

Unfortunately, however, many people mistakenly assume that this erub grants unrestricted permission to carry on Shabbat. The truth is that the erub relies on leniencies to permit carrying for health and safety purposes, and does not provide a blanket permission to carry.

To understand how the Deal erub works and which kind of carrying it permits, I had the privilege of interviewing Rabbi Nissim Basala, one of the creators of the Deal erub, who continues to maintain and oversee it even today.

The History of the Deal Erub

The process to build the Deal erub began in 1998. Thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Isaac Dwek, Mr. Jack Adjmi, Solly Dweck, and a number of other individuals, the erub was launched in the summer of 1999. It was expanded several times throughout the years, and now surrounds an area of over 24 square miles, extending into sections of Long Branch, Brighton Avenue, and some parts of West Allenhurst. The erub has been down only on very rare occasions, such as after Hurricane Sandy, which took the erub down for around a year.

Rav Moshe Heineman from Baltimore, one of America’s preeminent halachic scholars, was brought to authorize the erub, and he spent three days walking the entire length of the erub to assure its validity. The erub was inspected also by Rav Avraham Moshe Katzenelbogen, the rabbi who oversees the Jerusalem erub. Rabbi Basala says that he consults with Rav Moshe Heineman’s younger brother, Rav Shmuel Heineman – who runs the Star-K Hechsher in the New York/New Jersey area – with regard to erub-related matters.

The Four Shabbat Domains

Just as maps show different kinds of areas – residential, commercial, public, etc. – halachah similarly recognizes four different domains with respect to the prohibition of carrying on Shabbat:

1. Reshut hayahid – private property, referring to homes and other enclosed properties.
2. Reshut harabim – a public thoroughfare.
3. Karmelit – a public area that does not meet the qualifications of a reshut harabim, because of its size or the relatively little traffic passing through it (see below).
4. Makom patur – a small area such as a fire hydrant or a small ditch in the ground.

Inside a reshut hayahid, of course, carrying is permissible. However, Torah law forbids bringing something from a reshut hayahid into a reshut harabim, or vice-versa – from a reshut harabim into a reshut hayahid. Torah law also forbids carrying within a reshut harabim. Carrying from a reshut hayahid into a karmelit, or from a karmelit into a reshut hayahid, is forbidden miderabbanan – by force of rabbinic enactment. It is similarly forbidden miderabbanan to carry within a karmelit,

An erub is effective in halachically converting a karmelit into a reshut hayahid; the enclosure around the karmelit allows us to regard the enclosed area as a private domain, thereby sidestepping the rabbinic prohibitions against carrying within a karmelit, carrying from a karmelit into a reshut hayahid, and carrying from a reshut hayahid to a karmelit. Once the karmelit has been “downgraded” to a reshut hayahid through erub, all these become permissible.

Significantly, an erub has no effect on a reshut harabim. If an area is halachically defined as a public thoroughfare, then the construction of an erub does not allow carrying on Shabbat within this area, or to or from this area.

Hence, in order to determine whether an erub can be effective in a given area, we must determine whether halachah treats this area as a karmelit or as a reshut harabim.

The Differing Opinions, and Why They Matter

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 345:7) brings two opinions regarding the definition of a reshut harabim. According to the first opinion, any area that is 25 feet wide or larger qualifies as a reshut harabim. The second opinion, by contrast, maintains that a public area does not qualify as a reshut harabim unless 600,000 people or more pass through it in a day. The question of whether streets in Deal are to be regarded as a reshut harabim or a karmelit – and, by extension, the question of whether an erub is effective in permitting carrying in Deal – hinges on this debate. According to the first view, a large public area qualifies as a reshut harabim, and thus suburban neighborhoods such as Deal, despite their relatively quiet streets and little traffic, must be treated as a reshut harabim, where an erub is ineffective. The second view, however, would allow constructing an erub in places such as Deal that does not see heavy volume passing through them.

In other words: according to the first opinion, bringing a small object outside one’s home in Deal on Shabbat would constitute a Torah violation, just like cooking on Shabbat, despite the erub. According to the second view, this is entirely permissible.

Who is the Erub For?

In light of these differing opinions, Rabbi Basala explained that the Deal erub was erected not to grant a blanket license to carry on Shabbat, but rather for the benefit of those who have a particular need to carry, that justifies relying on the lenient position.

“It was intended for someone, who, let’s say, needs to carry medicine in their pocket,” Rabbi Basala said, “or who need some sort of walker.” By contrast, he clarified, the erub “wasn’t meant to cover people playing basketball.”

Secondly, as Hacham Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, writes in a responsum on the subject, “You should build the erub to save people who don’t know they are violating Shabbat.” Many people are unfamiliar with this prohibition, and so an erub should be erected so they are protected from Shabbat desecration, at least according to the lenient view quoted by the Shulhan Aruch.

Thus, the erub was created for people who need it, and to protect people who are unaware of this prohibition. It is not set up for casual carrying.

In fact, Rabbi Basala said that he himself does not use the erub, even though he leads an entire team dedicated to ensuring it is up each week.

The rabbi emphasized the responsibility we all have to familiarize ourselves with the halachot of Shabbat. He noted the well-known comment of the Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933), in his Mishnah Berurah, that learning the laws of Shabbat is an indispensable prerequisite to the proper observance of Shabbat. This is relevant also to the prohibition of carrying. One cannot willfully decide to not know about this issue so he can rely on the erub without any restrictions.

Rabbi Basala concluded by emphasizing two other points relevant to the use of the Deal erub.

First, he wishes to remind everybody that the erub does not allow handling muktzeh items, such as an umbrella. Relying on the erub allows carrying permissible objects, not items classified as muktzeh. It is imperative to educate oneself about the topic of muktzeh to know which objects may not be handled under which circumstances.

Secondly, the fact that “Deal has an erub” does not mean that the entire town is encircled by the erub. Those who rely on the erub may do so only after ascertaining that the area where they will carry is indeed included in the erub. Maps are available for this purpose.

All are encouraged to check the status of the Deal erub, and to sign up for the mailing list, at http://www.njerub.org/, where the information is updated weekly. Updates are also available by phone at 732-660-1001.

Yehudit Gindi

You never believed you would make it to the finish line, but here you are, and you’re pretty sure you aren’t dreaming. As you behold the dining room table adorned with your Pesach finest, you realize that you have overcome what once seemed to be a near-impossible feat. After weeks of backbreaking labor, you can relate to those who have climbed to the peak of Everest, for seder night has finally arrived.

At the seder, each person is supposed to feel as if they were redeemed from the harsh slavery of Egypt. For the woman, whose raw hands are a testament to all the sweeping, spraying, sautéing, and scrubbing that she has been up to, this is no problem.  Just as the Jewish people witnessed Hashem’s miracles during the redemption, the Jewish wife and mother experiences Hashem’s miraculous hand in her Pesach preparations each year. So don’t fret. When you find yourself knee-deep in the pre-Pesach pandemonium, rest assured that with the help of these tips, and of course with the ever-present help of Gd, your seder will be spectacular.

Get It All Together

We’ve mentioned it in these pages before, but it is so crucial that it bears repeating: make a list of all the things that you will need on the seder table. Without a written list, the to-dos will be just a big mumbo-jumbo in your mind that will create loads of unnecessary pressure. So put pen to paper and you’ll be off to a successful start. 

Kadesh, Urhatz…

What if you can’t seem to remember exactly what the seder calls for? Well, here’s one way to refresh your memory. When making your “Things for the seder” list, you can either go to Google, or you can take out a Pesach Haggadah. While taking extreme caution to keep it far away from any food, sift through the pages. You’ll probably find a picture of the seder plate and all the significant foods to display, as well as the order of the seder. As you notice items you will need, write them down. (Some key items to remember: haroset, the shank bone, hardboiled eggs, and celery, just to name a few!)

Shulhan Orech

Once all your kosher-for-Pesach dishes have been dusted, washed and dried, you can begin setting your seder table. You’ll want to do this hours before the seder begins so you’re able to walk into the main event relaxed and prepared. An elegant white or ivory tablecloth makes for a stunning backdrop; just be sure to cover it with plastic, since you can expect several grapejuice spills. Rhinestone napkin rings are eye-catching accents, and they will complement all types of silverware. Complete the décor with a nice floral centerpiece, and your table is ready.

So the Children Should Ask

The purpose of the seder is to pique the children’s curiosity so they’ll ask questions and give you the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of telling about the Jewish nation’s redemption from Egypt. So, to prevent the kids from falling asleep on top of their marror-filled matzah sandwiches, make the seder kid friendly!  Have incentives ready for children who ask great questions or say the Mah Nishtanah. Bring the Pesach story to life by investing in some bright, colorful Haggadot so the children can follow along. And don’t forget some prizes for he or she who discovers the afikoman!  Before you know it, it will be 2am and your children will be awake singing the “Had Gadya” finale with gusto!

Getting Some Zzz’s…

Speaking of staying awake until 2am, which is likely to happen on seder night, it is a must for your children to take a nap pre-seder. You know how it goes: the kids will resist, but you must insist! This way, the children will be well-rested and ready for loads of fun and learning come seder time. Oh, and moms are allowed to take naps, too! So if you can manage to find even a half-hour, try to squeeze in even a short catnap. The seder is a magnificent time, but putting it all together can sometimes seem like an arduous journey. But you’ll be there soon enough, and you can pat yourself on the back knowing it’s the culmination of all your hard work. When you finally sit down and see the smiling faces of family and guests surrounding you, you’ll know that the hours of effort were well worth it.