Today is: Yom Khah´mee´shee, Elul 9, 5771 • 9 8, 2011
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Topics in the news
.
A plane crash near Yaroslavl, Russia, kills at least 43 people, including most of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Kontinental Hockey League team (left winger Alexander Vasyunov pictured).
.
At least 11 people are killed in a bomb blast near the High Court of Delhi, India.
.
The Swiss National Bank introduces a minimum exchange rate with the euro, intended to combat the Swiss franc's overvaluation.
.
The 2011 World Championships in Athletics concludes with Jamaica setting a world record in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay.
.
Current events
.
Business and economy
.
Unemployment in Australia increases to 5.3% for August. (Market Watch)
.
Disasters
.
The death toll in Japan from Typhoon Talas reaches 54 with 55 people still missing. (Kyodo via Japan Times)
.
Politics and elections
.
Up to forty thousand public sector workers gather in the Australian city of Sydney to protest a wages cap and job cuts in the 2011-12 budget proposed by the Government of the state of New South Wales. (News Limited), (Daily Telegraph)
.
The President of the United States Barack Obama to address a joint sitting of both houses of the Congress to put forward a jobs plan. (Voice of America), (Bloomberg)
.
Sport
.
In American football, the 2011 NFL season gets underway with the Green Bay Packers playing the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Reuters)
.
Today's Laws & Customs
.
• Elul Observances
.
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
.
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
.
Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27
.
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
.
Today in Jewish History
.
• Nachmanides Renews Jerusalem community (1267)
.
Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270) arrived in Jerusalem, after being forced to flee his native Spain (see "On This Date" for Av 12) and renewed its Jewish community there. The synagogue he established is functional today, having been restored following the liberation of the Old City during the Six-Day War in 1967.
.
Daily Quote
.
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt. That he encountered you on the way and cut off those lagging to your rear, when you were tired and exhausted; he did not fear G-d. And it shall come to pass, when the L-rd your G-d has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land which the L-rd your G-d is giving you for an inheritance to possess it, that you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget.
.
- Zachor reading, Deuteronomy 25:17-19
.
Daily Study
.
Chitas and Rambam for today:
.
Chumash: Ki Teitzei, 5th Portion Deuteronomy 23:25-24:4 with Rashi
.
Tehillim: Chapters 49 - 54
.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 12
.
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
.
• 1 Chapter: Shechenim Chapter Thirteen
• 3 Chapters: Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 13, Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 14, Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 15
.
Hayom Yom: "Today's Day"
.
My grandfather said in reference to hitbon'nut, the profoundly concentrated contemplation on a subject extremely difficult to comprehend: If the subject is of deep personal concern, the person will come to understand and comprehend it very well. The proof of this is in the Torah, in laws involving women, etc., and the ingenious arguments that they may put forth on their own behalf. These arguments are discussed by Tanaim, Amoraim and Gaonim, all exceptionally brilliant minds, and the Torah is the Torah of Truth.1 Yet this woman is far removed, intellectually, from being able to devise such (ingenious, brilliant) claims. But the truth is that when a subject is of deep concern to a person, even those of weak intellect will come up with profound concepts.
.
FOOTNOTES
.
1. In Talmudic discussion of arguments which litigants may offer on their own behalf, some arguments would appear to be too involved and ingenious for the layman, so how could these claims possibly occur to the litigants? And since these arguments are suggested in the Torah of Truth, they must be accessible to these litigants!
.
Today's Mitzvah
.
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
.
Negative Commandment 124
.
Baking the Remainder of a Meal Offering as Leaven
.
"It shall not be baked leavened. It is their portion; I have given it to them of My fire offerings "—Leviticus 6:10.
.
It is forbidden to bake the remainder of the Meal Offerings [i.e., the part of the offering not offered on the altar, to which the priests are entitled] as leaven.
.
Positive Commandment 88
.
Consumption of the Meal Offerings
.
"And the remainder of it, Aaron and his sons shall eat as unleavened bread"—Leviticus 6:9.
.
The kohanim (priests) are commanded to eat the remainder (i.e. the part that has not been offered on the altar) of the meal offerings.
This mitzvah is restricted to male kohanim.
.
Positive Commandment 83
.
Fulfilling Sacrificial Obligations
.
"You shall inquire after His dwelling and come there. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings"—Deuteronomy 12:5-6.
.
We are commanded to satisfy all our pledges on the first festival – of the three biblical festivals: Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot – following the undertaking of the pledge.
.
This includes all pledged sacrifices, monies, as well as the various mandatory gifts for the poor.
.
Negative Commandment 155
.
Delaying the Fulfillment of a Pledge
.
"When you vow a vow to G‑d, your G‑d, do not be late in paying it"—Deuteronomy 23:22
.
It is forbidden to postpone the fulfillment of a sacrificial pledge. One has not transgressed this prohibition until three festivals have passed after the pledge was made.
.
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
Genesis Chapter 1
.
בְּרֵאשִׁית
.
Yom Khah´mee´shee. Fifth day
.
כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים--יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם, שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה; וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל-הָאָרֶץ, עַל-פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם. 20
And God said: 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'
כא וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים; וְאֵת כָּל-נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם, וְאֵת כָּל-עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 21
And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
כב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים, לֵאמֹר: פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים, וְהָעוֹף, יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ. 22 And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'
כג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי. {פ} 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. {P}
.
Topics in the news
.
A plane crash near Yaroslavl, Russia, kills at least 43 people, including most of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Kontinental Hockey League team (left winger Alexander Vasyunov pictured).
.
At least 11 people are killed in a bomb blast near the High Court of Delhi, India.
.
The Swiss National Bank introduces a minimum exchange rate with the euro, intended to combat the Swiss franc's overvaluation.
.
The 2011 World Championships in Athletics concludes with Jamaica setting a world record in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay.
.
Current events
.
Business and economy
.
Unemployment in Australia increases to 5.3% for August. (Market Watch)
.
Disasters
.
The death toll in Japan from Typhoon Talas reaches 54 with 55 people still missing. (Kyodo via Japan Times)
.
Politics and elections
.
Up to forty thousand public sector workers gather in the Australian city of Sydney to protest a wages cap and job cuts in the 2011-12 budget proposed by the Government of the state of New South Wales. (News Limited), (Daily Telegraph)
.
The President of the United States Barack Obama to address a joint sitting of both houses of the Congress to put forward a jobs plan. (Voice of America), (Bloomberg)
.
Sport
.
In American football, the 2011 NFL season gets underway with the Green Bay Packers playing the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Reuters)
.
Today's Laws & Customs
.
• Elul Observances
.
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
.
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms).
.
Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27
.
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
.
Today in Jewish History
.
• Nachmanides Renews Jerusalem community (1267)
.
Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, 1194-1270) arrived in Jerusalem, after being forced to flee his native Spain (see "On This Date" for Av 12) and renewed its Jewish community there. The synagogue he established is functional today, having been restored following the liberation of the Old City during the Six-Day War in 1967.
.
Daily Quote
.
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, on your way out of Egypt. That he encountered you on the way and cut off those lagging to your rear, when you were tired and exhausted; he did not fear G-d. And it shall come to pass, when the L-rd your G-d has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land which the L-rd your G-d is giving you for an inheritance to possess it, that you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget.
.
- Zachor reading, Deuteronomy 25:17-19
.
Daily Study
.
Chitas and Rambam for today:
.
Chumash: Ki Teitzei, 5th Portion Deuteronomy 23:25-24:4 with Rashi
.
Tehillim: Chapters 49 - 54
.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 12
.
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
.
• 1 Chapter: Shechenim Chapter Thirteen
• 3 Chapters: Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 13, Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 14, Maaseh Hakorbonos Chapter 15
.
Hayom Yom: "Today's Day"
.
My grandfather said in reference to hitbon'nut, the profoundly concentrated contemplation on a subject extremely difficult to comprehend: If the subject is of deep personal concern, the person will come to understand and comprehend it very well. The proof of this is in the Torah, in laws involving women, etc., and the ingenious arguments that they may put forth on their own behalf. These arguments are discussed by Tanaim, Amoraim and Gaonim, all exceptionally brilliant minds, and the Torah is the Torah of Truth.1 Yet this woman is far removed, intellectually, from being able to devise such (ingenious, brilliant) claims. But the truth is that when a subject is of deep concern to a person, even those of weak intellect will come up with profound concepts.
.
FOOTNOTES
.
1. In Talmudic discussion of arguments which litigants may offer on their own behalf, some arguments would appear to be too involved and ingenious for the layman, so how could these claims possibly occur to the litigants? And since these arguments are suggested in the Torah of Truth, they must be accessible to these litigants!
.
Today's Mitzvah
.
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
.
Negative Commandment 124
.
Baking the Remainder of a Meal Offering as Leaven
.
"It shall not be baked leavened. It is their portion; I have given it to them of My fire offerings "—Leviticus 6:10.
.
It is forbidden to bake the remainder of the Meal Offerings [i.e., the part of the offering not offered on the altar, to which the priests are entitled] as leaven.
.
Positive Commandment 88
.
Consumption of the Meal Offerings
.
"And the remainder of it, Aaron and his sons shall eat as unleavened bread"—Leviticus 6:9.
.
The kohanim (priests) are commanded to eat the remainder (i.e. the part that has not been offered on the altar) of the meal offerings.
This mitzvah is restricted to male kohanim.
.
Positive Commandment 83
.
Fulfilling Sacrificial Obligations
.
"You shall inquire after His dwelling and come there. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings"—Deuteronomy 12:5-6.
.
We are commanded to satisfy all our pledges on the first festival – of the three biblical festivals: Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot – following the undertaking of the pledge.
.
This includes all pledged sacrifices, monies, as well as the various mandatory gifts for the poor.
.
Negative Commandment 155
.
Delaying the Fulfillment of a Pledge
.
"When you vow a vow to G‑d, your G‑d, do not be late in paying it"—Deuteronomy 23:22
.
It is forbidden to postpone the fulfillment of a sacrificial pledge. One has not transgressed this prohibition until three festivals have passed after the pledge was made.
.
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
Genesis Chapter 1
.
בְּרֵאשִׁית
.
Yom Khah´mee´shee. Fifth day
.
כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים--יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם, שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה; וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל-הָאָרֶץ, עַל-פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם. 20
And God said: 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'
כא וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים; וְאֵת כָּל-נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם, וְאֵת כָּל-עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 21
And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
כב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים, לֵאמֹר: פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים, וְהָעוֹף, יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ. 22 And God blessed them, saying: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.'
כג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי. {פ} 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. {P}
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