Parshat Tazria-Shabbat Hachodesh April 2, 2011 27 Adar 2, 5771

TORAH Rabbi Frand on Parshat Tazria

ARTSCROLL, 608
HERTZ, 459
The 'Eyes' Have It When known sin in this category is remedy. The garment
It Comes To Tzaraas of that of tale bearing (lashon remains impure and
Maftir
Artscroll, 348 Clothing haRa). However, the Talmud ultimately it must be burnt.
Hertz, 253 teaches that Tzaraas is also a
At the end of Parshas punishment for "tzorus ha- The Chidushei HaRim says
HAFTORAH Tazria, when the Torah ayin" [narrowness of the eye]. that the expression "lo
ARTSCROLL, 1219 states the laws of the This term does not merely hafach es eino" has a
HERTZ, 1001 refer to stinginess and being double meaning. Certainly,
Tzaraas affliction
affecting clothing, the tight-fisted. A person is on a simple level, the
Times
pasuk [verse] says, "the described as "narrow of eye" if meaning of the phrase is
Candle Lighting 7:02 am Kohen shall look, after the he never sees the positive. It is that it did not change its
affliction has been the opposite of generosity of appearance. But, the phrase
Friday Mincha 7:00 am washed, and behold (if) spirit. It connotes someone also connotes the fact that
Hashkama 8:00 am the affliction has not who always sees evil. It is a the affliction did not
changed its appearance (lo stinginess that extends beyond change the 'eye' of the
Youth 8:30 am one's money to the way in owner of the garment. In
hafach es eino) and the
Parsha Shiur 8:30 am affliction has not spread, it which one views life in order to repent and to have
is contaminated, you shall general. his garment's affliction
Main Minyan 9:00 am remedied, his 'eye' must
burn it in fire..." [Vayikra
Beit Midrash 9:15 am 13:55]. If tzaraas is a punishment for change - from being stingy
"tzorus ha-ayin", it would of spirit to being generous
Gemorah Shiur 5:55 pm
Although the literal and follow that the remedy which of spirit.
Mincha 6:55 pm straightforward would cause the tzaraas to go
interpretation of the way is repenting and changing In addition, the Chidushei
Shabbat Ends 8:10 pm
expression "lo hafach es from a 'narrow eyed' (tzar HaRim says that the word
Sunday eino" means that the ayin) person to a 'good "Nega" [affliction], which
April 3 7:30/8:30 am appearance of the eyed' (tov ayin) person. In appears in this pasuk can
Mon., Thur. 6:35/7:45 am affliction has not changed, other words, change from actually be considered a
the Chidushei HaRim (R. being a disciple of Bilaam the rearrangement of the letters
Tuesday 6:30/7:45 am Yitzchak Meir of Ger wicked, who was a 'narrow of the word
Rosh Chodesh [1799-1866]) cites a eyed' person, to being a "Oneg" [pleasure]. The
Wed., Fri. 6:45/7:45 am beautiful insight based on disciple of Avraham who was difference between the
a Gemara [Eruchin 16a]. a generous person, possessing word "Nega" and the word
Mincha Sun/Fri. 7:10 pm
The Talmud mentions that a 'good eye' [Avot 5:19]. "Oneg" is just a matter of
Latest times for Tzaraas is a punishment where the (letter) "ayin" is
Shema/Shmoneh Esrei for certain specific sins. If the tzaraas does not placed. (The letter "ayin"
The most commonly improve... If it stays the same also connotes 'eye'!) In
April 2 9:48/10:51 am
size then the garment has no these two words, the letters

April 9 9:41/10:46 am
Kiddush Is Seudah Shlishit is
sponsored by
Next Shabbat Sponsored by Lisa & Alan Adler
Metzora
Great Neck in memory of his parents
Bella & Murray Adler, z”l.
Candle lighting 7:09 pm
Synagogue
Mincha 7:10 pm
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100
'Nun' and 'Gimmel' are stationary. The only difference
between the words is whether the 'ayin' is at the beginning
or at the end. This alludes back to our theme that the
difference between having an affliction and having pleasure
is completely dependent on the placement of the 'eye'. If a
person has a 'good eye', with the proper approach and the
proper perspective on life - he will have 'Oneg'. Otherwise
he will be stuck with 'Nega'.
If a person finds himself incapable of changing his
perspective, he will wind up being forced to burn his
clothes. "If the affliction has not changed its appearance (lo
hafach es eino)... you shall burn it in fire..."
There is a famous Medrash that tells of a peddler who came
into a city and inquired "Who wants longevity? Who wants
longevity?" Rav Yannai inquired of the peddler what he
was selling. The peddler directed Rav Yannai to the pasuk
in Tehillim: "Who is the man who desires life...? Guard
your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking
deceit" [Tehillim 34:13-14]. Rav Yannai commented that he
never understood the interpretation of this pasuk until this
peddler taught him about it.
All the commentaries are bothered by an obvious question
on this Medrash: how is it that Rav Yannai never
understood the interpretation of a straightforward pair of
pasukim [verses] in Tehillim, until a peddler explained it to
him? It would seem that there is nothing subtle to
understand here! What did the peddler see that Rav Yannai
did not see?
The Shemen HaTov explains that certainly Rav Yannai
understood that a person who desires life needs to guard his
tongue. But Rav Yannai had understood that the only way
to guard one's tongue from evil is to become a hermit. Rav
Yannai thought that cleanliness of speech required being
somewhat anti- social. Rav Yannai believed that mixing
with society, having friends and engaging in conversation
was a sure formula for NOT being able to live up to the
standards of "Who is the man who desires life".
Great Neck Synagogue
Shabbat Activities Program
Great Neck Synagogue
Shabbat Activities Program
Dale Polakoff, Rabbi
Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi
Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi Emeritus
Michael Bleicher, Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Interns
Zeev Kron, Cantor
Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus
Mark Twersky, Executive Director
Joseph Hecht, President
Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
Shabbat Announcements Parshat Tazria-Shabbat Hachodesh 5771
Rav Yannai was shocked that the PEDDLER was
"selling" this verse. Peddlers are known for their 'gift of
gab'. They travel from city to city and from house to
house and have plenty to tell and plenty to share and
plenty to say. In classic Hebrew literature, the peddler was
always portrayed as a gossip. The very name of the
profession (Rochel) is related to the word for tale-bearing
(Rechilus).
Rav Yannai's revelation was not so much the
interpretation of the pasuk but the teacher of the lesson:
"If the peddler can tell me that a person such as he can be
careful about Lashon HaRa (gossip), then my approach
must change. I now realize that a person can intermix with
society, talk, be sociable and still be careful not to speak
Lashon HaRa."
Rabbi Layzer Levine, the father-in-law of Rabbi Berel
Wein, grew up in the house of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi
Yisrael Mayer Kagan. [Rabbi Kagan was the author of
numerous works of Halacha and ethics, but is known by
the name of his largest work on the laws of gossip,
"Chofetz Chaim" ("desires life", from the passage in
Psalms quoted above).] It is well-known that the Chofetz
Chaim was himself the paradigm of someone who was
careful not to speak Lashon HaRa. Therefore, we imagine
that he was a person of very few words, who rarely spoke
to those around him.
Rabbi Wein heard from his father-in-law that the opposite
was true. The Chofetz Chaim was constantly talking! He
was constantly engaged in conversation with people. And
nonetheless, he was careful about Lashon HaRa.
That is what Rav Yannai learned from the peddler.
In addition, there is another lesson here. Many times in
life we are bombarded with messages. Some of these
messages are very important. Some of these messages
may come from the most unlikely of sources. Even the
lowly peddler can deliver a powerful message to the great
Rav Yannai. However, we must listen for such messages.
Someone like Rav Yannai, who is constantly open to
messages, will constantly learn and constantly grow.
"From all my teachers I have become wise" [Tehillim
119:99]. A person must have the ability to learn from
every teacher and from every situation. The messages are
out there. Our job is to remain awake enough to receive
them.
 The Women’s Rosh Chodesh Program
Invites all women to
Ask the Rabbi
Hilchot Pesach Review
with Rabbi Polakoff
And
Insights into the Hagaddah
with Rabbi Lichter
Please join us on Thursday Night, March 31st at 7:30 p.m.
At the home of Rabbi Ian and Katie Lichter,
76 Berkshire Road

Please RSVP and email your Pesach questions to Katie Lichter

at KatieLichter@gmail.com

GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUE Order Form

is again pleased to serve its membership with

Name__________________________________
the sale of Hand Baked
SHMURAH MATZAH Adress_________________________________
Pick-up for Matzah will be on
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011 Telephone (Home)________Bus.)________
Between 6:30 pm & 8:30 pm
_____lb. Shmurah Matzah
All orders must be prepaid
Please make checks payable to @ $19.50 per lb.________
GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUE
All orders must be received before Total Cost______
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Check must be included with order.
 ANNOUNCEMENTS
MENS’ CLUB UPCOMING EVENTS
Thur, April 7, 8:00pm: Do you or your parents live part-time
or full-time in Florida? Come and learn about Senior
Solutions—a private care management service company, who
deal with the geriatric population in Florida, overseeing their
care, and who understand their culture, mentality and needs.
Sun. May 22: Israel Bond breakfast honoring Howard
& Florin Silberstein.
Sun, June 12: The semi-annual Blood Drive.
Tues & Wed, June 29 & 30: The Annual Defensive Driving
Course.
Sun. July 17: Trip to NYC Jewish Heritage Museum.
SAVE THE DATE
Great Neck Synagogue Family Luncheon in memory of
Sharon Sokol-Heisler will take place on Shabbat, May 7.
Prof. Lawrence Schiffman will be our featured guest speaker
SAVE THE DATE The Combined Sisterhoods of Great Neck
is launching the first program of the "Great Neck Sisters'
Project", a hands-on charity event to bring together Great
Neck Jewish women. We will be collecting products to donate
to the Nassau County Coalition against Domestic Violence
which helps women and children who are victims of violence
and/or sexual abuse. We will collect products from their wish
list and work together to make packages for these victims.
Please join us on Thursday, May 12th from 10:00am-12:00pm
at Temple Israel of Great Neck. Please come dressed
comfortably and be prepared to work. A light breakfast
will be served. Please see two attached fliers with additional
details about this event as well as the wish list.
AM HASEFER SAVE THE DATE
April 5, 2011, at Great Neck Synagogue, Tuesday, 7:45 pm
“When They Come For Us, We’ll Be Gone
The Epic Struggle To Save Soviet Jewry”
By Gal Beckerman
OHEL SHABBATON Next Shabbat, April 2nd please join us in
welcoming our special guests and thank you to those hosting.
PURIM THANK YOU
Thanks once again to Lisa & Michael Aryeh for providing the
Shalach Manot for all the children on Purim.
SAVE THE DATE
Please join us on Tuesday evening, May 3rd at 8:00pm in the
Braun Youth Center for a Sisterhood meeting to discuss and
plan our calendar for next year. We are expanding and
organizing Sisterhood to create new responsibilities and
implement new ideas. We invite everyone to come and
participate in our new endeavor!
SISTERHOOD PRE-PESACH BOUTIQUE AND BUY-BYE
BLING GOLD SALE Please join us on Wednesday, March
30th, 7:00pm to 10:00pm at Great Neck Synagogue to shop
at our Pre-Pesach boutique. Also, on that same day, there will
be an opportunity for you to come to Great Neck Synagogue
to receive cash on the spot for your valuable gold and silver
items. (Gold Sale hours are 10:30am – 3:00pm and 5:00pm –
9:00pm). Appts. available, walk ins welcome. Highest prices
paid! The Sisterhood will receive a percentage of all sales.
Use your cash at the boutique! Thank you to Lisa Kagan and
Susan Sheena for co-chairing this event.
Within Our Family
Mazal Tov to Bonnie and Michael Orbach, on the
engagement of their son Josh to Tzvia Rush.
Mazal Tov to Herman and Sara Davidovicz for being Guests
of Honor at the annual Yeshiva Har Torah dinner on
April 10, 2011.
Mazal Tov to Jonathan and Daniella Muller on the birth of
a baby boy. Mazal Tov also to grandparents Philip and Tina
Machnikoff.
FIRE DRILL
Please review fire escape plans that were mailed to you and that are
around the seats in the Synagogue. We will be holding a Fire Drill in the
next month or so.
CHESED MONTHLY COLLECTION FOR PASSOVER
Thanks to Farla & William Frumkin for leading this months collection.
Please bring Passover products, including Matzah to their garage at
31 North Clover Drive. Please do not bring anything in glass jars.
WOMEN’S ROSH CHODESH PROGRAM
Invites all women to “Ask the Rabbi Hilchot Pesach Review”
with Rabbi Polakoff and “Insights into the Hagaddah”
with Rabbi Lichter. Please join us on Thursday Night, March 31st at
7:30 p.m. at the home of Rabbi Ian and Katie Lichter, 76 Berkshire Road.
Please RSVP and email your Pesach questions to Katie Lichter at
KatieLichter@gmail.com.
NY Mets vs. SF Giants: Wednesday May 4th
Aaron Askowitz is raising money to purchase wheel chairs for the Israel
Sport Center for the Disabled, as his Bar Mitzvah charity project.
Kosher Tailgate Party at 3PM. First pitch 7:10 PM. Individual Game
tickets, including BBQ range from $150 Better Field level, $100 Field
Level, $50 Upper Level.
Purchase Online at www.ISCD.com Please state the purpose of your
donation in the comments line (Mets-Giants fundraiser).
Tickets must be purchased by April 15, 2011 to guarantee
delivery. For more, see Aaron or Reuben Askowitz.
Saturday, 27 Adar 2
Leslie Kahn for Sam Krawchuk
Aaron Seligson for Hyman Seligson
Sunday, 28 Adar 2
Joan Katz for Frank Sadinoff
Monday, 29 Adar 2
Hilda Schulman for Eleazer Schulman
Tuesday, 1 Nissan
Edwin Frederick for Charles Frederick
Y Henry Katz for Erna Katz
Carol Adamsky for Gloria Adamsky Berger
A Edwin Rosman for Flora Rosman
Elaine Wolf for Arnold Wolf
H Wednesday, 2 Nissan
Jacqueline Hott for Louis Hott
R Al Leiderman for Anna Leiderman
Z Payman Rabiei for Junjan bat Mashala
Thursday, 3 Nissan
E Sharon Goldwyn for Frances Kessler
Susan Kaufman for Marvin Goldsmith
I Pauline Loewenstein for Harry Loewenstein
T Kenneth Magida for Rachel Bilsky
Mali Meisel for Pauline Rosenthal
Charlene Milun for Israel Israelite
Carl Mosesson for Norman Mosesson
Friday, 4 Nissan
Frank Buchsbaum for Nicolas Buchsbaum
Ebrahim Gabbaizadeh for Sarah Gabbaizadeh
Ebrahim Gabbaizadeh for Yehuda Gabbaizadeh
Hannah Kleinberg for Rose Gross
Pia Shlomo for David Spilky