Torah Down Under

The Rambam says in Hilchos Avel (14:1-2) מצות עשה של דבריהם לבקר חולים ולנחם אבלים ולהוציא המת ולהכניס הכלה וללוות האורחים ... ואלו הן גמילות חסדים שבגופו שאין להם שיעור. אף על פי שכל מצות אלו מדבריהם, הרי הן בכלל ואהבת לרעך כמוך... “It is a mitzvah mi’derabanan to visit ill people, to comfort mourners, to bury the dead , to marry off a kalah and to accompany guests. These are kindness done with the body that have no limit. Even although all of these mitzvos are mi’derabanan , they are included in the mitzvah of ve’ahavta le’reachah kamochah .” According to the Rambam, if someone visits an ill person he is doing two mitzvos. First of all he is doing a mitzvah de’oraisah of ve’ahavta le’reachah kamochah ; secondly he is doing a mitzvah mi’derabanan of bikkur cholim . Why did the chachamim enact mitzvos de’rabbanan of gemillus chasadim if the same actions are already included in the mitzvah de’oraisoh of gemillus chasadim ? The passuk says in Yisro; ו...

The first mishna in the 3 rd perek of Bava Basra says that it takes three years to gain a chazakah on land. This means that if someone farms a field for 3 years, and then the previous owner claims that the field belongs to him and that he never sold it, we believe the current occupier that he bought the field seeing as he has occupied the land for 3 years without the previous owner complaining. In addition to being in the land for 3 years, the current resident also has to have a ta’anah – that is, he has to explain how the land came to be his. So for example, he may say that the previous owner sold the land to him or that he gave it to him as a present. The Shulchan Aruch in Hilchos Nizkei Shecheinim ( Choshen Mishpat , 153:16) says that in addition to chazakah applying to acquiring land or other property, it also applies to acquiring rights to make use of a neighbour’s property. The Shulchan Aruch says; חפר שמעון בכותל זה והכניס בה קורה אחת ושתק ראובן ולא מיחה בו החזיק במקום ה...

The passuk says in this week's sedrah ; וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ "And Hashem said to Avraham, go for yourself from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house to the land that I will show you." Rashi explains; "לך לך" - להנאתך ולטובתך ושם אעשך לגוי גדול כאן אי אתה זוכה לבנים ועוד שאודיע טבעך בעולם "Go for yourself: For your benefit and for your good and there I will make you into a great nation [but] here you will do not merit children and furthermore I will make your nature known in the world." -           Why did Hashem tell Avraham to go for his benefit, surely Avraham would have gone even had this not been for his benefit? The mishna says in Pirkei Avos (3:1); אַנְטִיגְנוֹס אִישׁ סוֹכוֹ קִבֵּל מִשִּׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּהְיוּ כַעֲבָדִים הַמְשַׁמְּשִׁין אֶת הָרַב עַל מְנָת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס, אֶלָּא...