HALACHA OF THE WEEK: Asarah b'Tevet - The Fast of the 10th of Tevet - Tuesday, December 14, 2021 The fast begins 72 minutes before sunrise (6:00 a.m.) and continues until the end of the day (4:49 p.m. which is 30 minutes after sunset). Food and drink may be consumed any time during the preceding night, if one has not gone to sleep "for the night" (or if one planned to wake up early to eat before the start of the fast). Asarah b'Tevet [the tenth of Tevet] commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, which led to the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash In 1951, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared this day to be the day of mourning for all who perished in the Holocaust and whose yahrzeit is unknown – “Yom HaKaddish HaKlali.” [Yom HaShoah was not established by the Chief Rabbinate, but by the Knesset, and its date was chosen for its proximity to the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.]
Some Laws of this Fast Day: The fast begins 72 minutes before sunrise (6:00 a.m.) and continues until the end of the day (4:49 p.m. is 30 minutes after sunset). Food and drink may be consumed any time during the preceding night, if one has not gone to sleep "for the night" (or planned to wake up early to eat before the start of the fast).
Although it is permitted to bathe on a fast day, it has become customary not to take a hot shower or bath [Aruch haShulchan 550:3].
The rabbis differ as to whether it is permitted to rinse one's mouth with water on the Asarah b'Tevet [Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chayim 567:3]. Some permit rinsing the front part of the mouth and even brushing one's teeth, taking care that no water enters the throat [Aruch haShulchan 567:3], while others allow this only when in distress [Mishna Berurah 567:11].
Medications PRESCRIBED BY A DOCTOR may be taken on this fast day. One who has difficulty swallowing pills without water may even drink the amount of water required to swallow them [Nishmat Avraham, vol. 5, pg. 46 in the name of Rabbi S.Z. Auerbach].
If unintentionally one ate some food, the fast should be resumed and completed [Mishna Berurah 549:3].
DVAR TORAH At the end of last week’s parsha, Yehuda admitted that the brothers are guilty as charged and volunteers that all of them would become a slave to Yosef — “also us and also the one in whose hand the goblet was found.” Yosef, however, refused to consider collective punishment and said that he would only punish the brother in whose hand the goblet was found. “The rest of you can return in peace to your father.”
This week’s parsha begins with a different approach by Yehuda. “Vayigash Elav Yehuda” - and Yehuda drew near to challenge Yosef! In fact, the midrash says that Yehuda asked Naftali to check the defenses of Egypt to see what would be involved if they needed to go to war!
What happened between the end of last week's parsha and the beginning of this week's that made Yehuda prepared to kill Yosef in order rescue Binyamin?
The Netziv suggested that it's because the brothers had blamed themselves for all of these problems. They kept coming back to the same conclusion: “We are guilty” ["aval asheimim anachnu"] for having sold their brother twenty-two years earlier. Therefore, every time something happened, they could say “this is a punishment for what we did.”
All of which made sense until the last verse of Parshat Miketz. Because it was then that Yosef wanted to punish not the "guilty ones" but their innocent younger brother - which put matters in a new light. And that's the reason that Yehuda stepped forward and challenged Yosef - because it was then that Yehuda understood that things had changed, and they needed to take responsibility for their brother.
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MAZAL TOV * to Shelly and Miriam Aberman on the upcoming marriage of their daughter Tamar to Elisha Schmutter, son of Carmit and Chezki Schmutter. Mazal Tov to grandparents Art and Sandy Aberman and Dr. Fred and Laura Krause. * to Mike and Evey Margolies on the birth of a granddaughter. The proud parents are Rebecca and Binyomin Hachen (Israel) * to Drs. Michael and Basya Schwarcz on the marriage their son, Aryeh to Tova Gottlieb. REFUAH SHLAIMA * to Etai Rimel – Etai Yaakov ben Tzipporah, who is recovering in rehab.
CONDOLENCES *to Drs. Basya and Michael Schwarcz on the loss of Basya’s father, Mr. James (Jim) Kalman, a"h.
SPONSORS @ KINS To sponsor a Kiddush, donate to the Kiddush Fund or Learning Fund please click here. Kiddush at KINS North is sponsored by Chaim and Esti Ben-Porat in commemoration of Chaim’s mother, Adina Ben-Porat’s yahrtzeit.
Seudat Shlishit at KINS North is sponsored by Shelly and Miriam Aberman in honor of the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Tamar, to Elisha Schmutter.
A donation to the Kiddush Fund was made by: * Dr. and Mrs. Avy Dachman in honor of those finishing Daf Yomi Mesechet Taanis this coming week. Dr. Dachman will me making a Siyum during Seudat Shlishit at KINS North.
* Larry and Sheryl Merzel in commemoration of the yahrtzeits of Larry’s parents, Sam and Evelyn Merzel and in honor of Larry and Sheryl’s special anniversary.
BIRTHDAYS Dr. Eli Jacobs (12/12) Meira Kahn (12/12) Rachel Stein (12/12) Mrs. Miriam Jacobs (12/13) Mrs. Chani Isenberg (12/15) Lior Matanky (12/15) Shlomo Applebaum (12/16) Shelby Frankenthal (12/17) Mr. Alan Sorscher (12/17)
ANNIVERSARIES Larry and Sheryl Merzel (12/12) Howard & Shoshana Benditzson (12/15) Seth and Hamutal Appel (12/16) Alan and Jodi Gershman (12/16) Dr. Jordan and Elis Pollack (12/17)
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