Torah Down Under

The gemara in Pesachim (50b) says; ...דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ומצות אף על פי שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה “Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav, a person should always learn Torah and perform mitzvos even shelo lishmah because by doing this they will come to keep the mitzvos and learn Torah lishmah .” Rb Chaim Volozhin z”l (Pirkei Avos, Ruach Chaim, 1:13) explains that even although the gemara says that it is permissible to perform the mitzvos and learn Torah for ulterior reasons, this is only in a case where a person intends to eventually come to a level where he will perform the mitzvos lishmah . However if a person intends to always keep the Torah and mitzvos shelo lishmah , this is not permitted. The Pachad Yitzchak (Shevuos, 6:4) asks as follows: The source for Rav’s halacha is provided by the gemara in Nazir (23b); אמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ובמצות אפי' שלא לשמן שמתוך שלא לשמן בא לשמן שבשכר מ"ב קרבנות שהקריב בלק הרשע ז...

The possuk says in this week’s sedrah; לֹא יַחֲלִיפֶנּוּ וְלֹא יָמִיר אֹתוֹ טוֹב בְּרָע אוֹ רַע בְּטוֹב וְאִם הָמֵר יָמִיר בְּהֵמָה בִּבְהֵמָה וְהָיָה הוּא וּתְמוּרָתוֹ יִהְיֶה קֹּדֶשׁ “[If a person makes a korban then] he should not swap it and should not exchange it, neither a good animal for a bad one or a bad animal for a good one. If he did exchange it then both the original korban and the animal that he swapped it for will be hekdesh .” There is a generally rule that you do not receive malkos for a lav she’ein bo maaseh – an aveira that does not involve an action, such as speaking lashon hara .   The Rambam (Hilchos Temurah 1:1) says that temurah is an exception to this rule; כל הממיר לוקה ... ואף על פי שלא עשה מעשה מפי השמועה למדו שכל מצות לא תעשה שאין בה מעשה אין לוקין עליה חוץ מנשבע וממיר ומקלל את חבירו בשם שלשה לאוין אלו אי אפשר שיהיה בהן מעשה כלל ולוקין עליהן “Anyone who swaps a korban for another receives malkos…and even although he did no action. Even...

Bikkurim When a person brings bikkurim , they read the pessukim of arami oved avi in which they thank Hashem for both the fruit and also the land: וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הֵבֵאתִי אֶת רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לִּי ה ' "And now behold I have brought the first fruits of the land that you have given me, Hashem." Subsequently, in order to bring bikkurim and also read the pessukim in the Beis Hamikdash, the grower has to own both the produce as well as the land which the produce was grown on. If someone buys land at a time of Yovel, then the person who bought the land only owns the land till Yovel, and they are not the permanent owner of the land. Do we say that this person can read the pessukim and thank Hashem for the land because he is currently the owner of the land, or do we say that because he will have to give the land back in Yovel he is only a tempoary owner of the land? The gemara in Gittin (48a) explains that the answer to this question ...

The Rambam says in Hilchos Klei Hamikdash (4:15): אין מעמידין כ"ג אלא ב"ד של שבעים ואחד “Only the beis din hagadol in Yerusholayim can appoint a cohen gadol .” However, when the Rambam enumerates the things that require a beis din of 71 at the beginning of the 5 th perek of Hilchos Sanhedrin, although he mentions appointing a king, he does not mention appointing a kohen gadol. Why is this? Dayanim today The gemara in Bava Kamma (88) explains that we do not have semicha in an unbroken line from Moshe Rabbeinu. Therefore, we are not qualified to judge any case where the Torah requires dayanim. Nevertheless, the chachamim said that in order to maintain law and order we still judge any type of monetary   case which is frequent and which involves a monetary loss . The gemara explains that we can do this becuase  שליחותייהו עבדינן   - beis din today are the sheluchim of the dayanim who did have semichah in an unbroken line from Moshe Rabbeinu. The Ra...