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Shabbat Parashat Balak 5784

Balak | 14 Tamuz 5784 | 20/07/2024

Parashat Hashavua: The Teru’ah of the King

During his second attempt at verbally attacking Bnei Yisrael, Bilam instead said: “Hashem, its G-d, is with it, and the teru’ah of the king is within it” (Bamidbar 23:21). There is a great schism in Israel, within the broader populace and even within the religious community. Some see a contradiction between full dedication to Halacha (as they see it) and being subject to governmental law. Others claim that it is impossible to be a citizen of a law-based state and not see himself as obligated to follow all the laws (even when many are not in line with Halacha). We will analyze that dispute based on the expression “the teru’ah of the king.” What is a tru’ah, and to which king is Bilam referring? Tannaim (Rosh Hashana 32a) disagree on this matter. Rabbi Yossi says that this pasuk can be used on Rosh Hashana as one of the ten p’sukim that relate to shofar blowing. Rabbi Yehuda says the pasuk is not related to either the shofarot or malchiyot (Hashem’s dominion). What is behind this disagreement?

Ask the Rabbi: Accepting Shabbat Early during Army Service

I am on reserve duty and wonder whether it is better to accept Shabbat early or whether I must be concerned that I may need to do melacha during tosefet Shabbat?

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Halacha Digging its Heels in Face of Pressure – #237

Zvi Henri Frank, a lead administrator of the Jewish Colonization Association, the conduit for Baron Edmond De Rothschild’s support for the development of the Yishuv. This a follow-up to the letter we presented last week regarding those who did not want to rely on the Heter Mechira.

P'ninat Mishpat: Conditions of the Leasing of a Community Supermarket

The defendant (=def) won a tender to run the local supermarket in a yishuv (= the plaintiff =pl). The store’s previous operator (=po) refused to leave until he would be paid 450,000 NIS for the appreciation in the store’s value (monitin) during his tenure. During negotiations, po’s claims became appreciated, and def paid po at pl’s urging. Subsequently, pl and def drew up a new agreement, compensating def, with different terms depending on how long def remained, but not enabling him to receive monitin. For some reason, the new agreement signed was not the final draft that the sides had shared. Years later, pl demanded of def to vacate the store, and since he refused to move out in a timely manner, charged him $100 a day as a penalty as prescribed in the contract. Def argues that the waiving of the right of payment for an increase in monitin should not be valid, considering def agreed to pay po for it. Although draft agreements after the payment still contained that clause, def claims he did not sign them for that reason. Although def ended up signing such an agreement, def claims to have done so by mistake because of the agreement’s focus on the update in the rental rates and because a representative of pl tricked him by promising to provide benefits for def, such as the ability to keep rights to the supermarket indefinitely, which pl is now not honoring. The latest draft of a new agreement allowed def to stay on through the end of 2024. Finally, def should be able to demand monitin from his replacement, just as pl expected him to pay po.

Balak 5784
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Balak 5784

We daven for a complete and speedy refuah for:

Nir Rephael ben Rachel Bracha
Tal Shaul ben Yaffa

Ori Leah bat Chaya Temima

Arye Yitzchak ben Geula Miriam

Neta bat Malka

Meira bat Esther

Together with all cholei Yisrael

Hemdat Yamim is dedicated

to the memory of:

Those who fell in wars

for our homeland

Prof. Yisrael Aharoni z"l

Kislev 14, 5783

Rav Shlomo Merzel z”l
Iyar 10, 5771

Rav Reuven & Chaya Leah Aberman z"l
Tishrei 9 ,5776 / Tishrei 20, 5782

Mr. Shmuel & Esther Shemesh z"l

Sivan 17 / Av 20

Mr. Moshe Wasserzug z"l

Tishrei 20 ,5781

R' Eliyahu Carmel z"l

Rav Carmel's father

Iyar 8 ,5776

Mrs. Sara Wengrowsky

bat R’ Moshe Zev a”h.

Tamuz 10 ,5774

Rav Asher & Susan Wasserteil z"l
Kislev 9 / Elul 5780

R' Meir ben

Yechezkel Shraga Brachfeld z"l

Mrs. Sara Brachfeld z"l

Tevet 16 ,5780

R 'Yaakov ben Abraham & Aisha

and

Chana bat Yaish & Simcha

Sebbag, z"l

Rav Yisrael Rozen z"l
Cheshvan 13, 5778

Rav Benzion Grossman z"l
Tamuz 23, 5777

R' Abraham & Gita Klein z"l

Iyar 18, /5779Av 4

Rav Moshe Zvi (Milton) Polin z"l
Tammuz 19, 5778

R' Yitzchak Zev & Naomi Tarshansky z"l

Adar 28, 5781/ Adar II 14 5784

Nina Moinester z"l

Nechama Osna bat

Yitzhak Aharon & Doba

Av 30, 5781

Rabbi Dr. Jerry Hochbaum z"l

Adar II 17, 5782

Mrs. Julia Koschitzky z"l

Adar II 18, 5782

Mrs. Leah Meyer z"l

Nisan 27, 5782

Mr. Shmuel & Rivka Brandman z"l

Tevet 16 5783/ Iyar 8, 5781

Hemdat Yamim
is endowed by
Les z"l & Ethel Sutker
of Chicago, Illinois
in loving memory of
Max and Mary Sutker
& Louis and Lillian Klein z”l

A weekly divrei Torah leaflet: A Glimpse at the Parasha, Ask the Rabbi, From the writings of Harav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, zt”l, Pninat Mishpat (Jewish Monetary Law).