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SPECIAL DOUBLE PORTION L'KAVOD SHABBOS KODESH
Halachos for Erev Shabbos Kodesh
1) It is proper to remind a sick person to be mochel (forgive) those who may have sinned against him/her in regard to monetary issues or by verbally insulting them or other issues.
Doing this is not only beneficial to those who receive forgiveness; it is also beneficial for the sick person, as Chazal tell us (Talmud Yoma 23a) that one who is Ma'avir Al Midosav, (overlooks sins against themselves) merits having Hashem be Ma'avir Al P'Sha'av, (overlook his/her sins.) (See Chochmas Adam Siman 151)
Likewise, the sick person should ask Mechila (obtain forgiveness) from anyone that he/she may have sinned against financially or otherwise. (ibid.)
2) If the sick person is unlawfully in possession of money or objects belonging to other people, it is of paramount importance to make sure it gets returned to its rightful owner. (See Kitzur Shnei Luchos HaBris (Shla Hakadosh) at length Inyanei Bikur Cholim Dibur Hamaschil Im Gemilus Chasadim, page 256 in the old print)
It is also a good idea for a sick person to do Hatoras Nedarim (annulment of vows) and to give Tzedaka. (Chofetz Chaim in Ahavas Chesed Perek 3:3)
When talking to a sick person regarding all of the aforementioned items (Vidui, Mechilah, Teshuva, getting affairs in order etc.) it is best that there be no women or children in the room, lest they begin to cry and cause the Choleh to become heartbroken. (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah Siman 338:1)
Halachos for Shabbos Kodesh
1) When there is more than one person who is sick and one must choose between them, the order of precedence follows the same order as when it comes to giving Tzedaka, as we learned in Hilchos Ma'aser :
The order of precedence for giving Tzedaka (in most cases) is as follows :
*Him/herself
*Spouse
*Children under the age of 6
*Parents
*Grandparents
*Children older than 6
*Grandchildren
*Siblings
*Other relatives
*Neighbors
*Poor People from your city (However, if one lives in a large city such as New York, only his immediate neighborhood is considered his city for this purpose according to Rav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach Zatzal)
*Poor people from other cities
Poor people from Eretz Yisroel take precedence over poor people from other cities (besides your own)
Poor people from Yerushalayim take precedence over poor people from other cities in Israel. (Shu"t Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah Vol. 2 Siman 274) .
This includes both the new and old cities of Jerusalem (Psak of Rav
Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach Zatzal)
A Kohen takes precedence to a Levi, and a Levi takes precedence over a Yisroel, when their needs are equal. (See Shu"t Shevet Haleivi from Rav Shmuel Wosner Shlita Vol. 3 Siman 125)
2) If the choice is between a Choleh that is a rich man and a Choleh that is a poor man, the poor man takes precedence, as rich people usually have plenty of visitors and people tending to their needs. This applies even if the rich man is a Talmid Chacham. (See Sefer Chasidim 361 and Sefer Gesher HaChaim Perek 1:5. See also Tosefos to Chulin 104b Dibur Hamaschil V'Nosenes. See also Yosef Ometz page 324 regarding the praiseworthiness of visiting poor Cholim)
If the choice is between a Talmid Chacham and an Am Ha'Aretz, the Talmid Chacham takes precedence as doing so honors the Torah. (Sefer Chasidim ibid.)
However, if the Talmid Chacham is not a Yarei Shamayim (does not exhibit signs of fearing heaven, and his Torah knowledge is thus simply academic and thus does not give him any status as it says (Tehilim 111) Reishis Chochma Yiras Hashem) and the Am Ha'Aretz is a Yarei Shamayim, the Am Ha'Aretz should be visited first. (ibid.)
For Halachos of Bein HaMetzorim (The 3 weeks & 9 Days) Click Here
question
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers. Taken from the Q & A pages on the Halacha For Today website.
Although the answers I give to questions are taken directly from the Sifrei HaPoskim, and aren't my own, they are still for study purposes only, NOT for Psak Halacha.
Questions can be emailed to HalachaForToday@Yahoo.com
Reader's Question:
When davening for a choleh, by adding their name into the list of cholim in Refainu in shmoneh esrei, is it ok if the person is not actually sick "hospital type sick", rather mentally/emotionally. Can that person be added in there?
Answer:
Yes, a person with an emotional or mental illness may- and should- be davened for like other Cholim.
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rAV sHACH SPEAKING
CHIZUK CORNER
As a Zechus for the Refuah Shelaima of one of the Gedolei HaDor, the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva , HaRav Chaim Stein Shlita, R' Chaim Yaakov ben Chasya Miriam, B'soch Sha'ar Cholei Yisroel, we will B'Ezras Hashem post here each day a short Chizuk thought to help us all improve our lives and grow in our service of our Father in heaven, HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
If you have a short machshava that you think would be appropriate to post here, please email to me at halachaForToday@Yahoo.com for consideration.
קוה אל ד', חזק ויאמץ לבך, וקוה אל ד'
Chizuk For Today:
קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה'
"You shall be holy, because I Hashem am holy." (Ibid. 19:2)
Our sages ask: How can Hashem command that we be holy because He is holy? It is impossible for a human being to come close to Hashem's holiness! He is the source of all holiness and His kedusha fills the entire world. How can it be expected of a person, who has an animalistic soul within himself, to be holy because so is Hashem?
The Torah commands, "And you shall not come any time (b'chal eis) into the Sanctuary." The Avodas Yissoschar quotes a verse in Koheles (9:8): "At all times (b'chal eis) your clothes shall be white, and oil upon your head shall not be lacking." The person's clothes refer to his actions and deeds. Not only must we be careful to be holy, but our actions must be pure as well. The Ateres Tzvi takes this a bit further and writes that a person must think of himself as if he is wearing perfectly white clothes and walking around with a cup of oil on his head. If he makes a wrong move, the oil will spill and his beautiful clothes will be stained. This is how careful a person must be before doing anything, because with one hasty and thoughtless action the person can stain his soul.
What happens if a person has unfortunately already sinned, and his soul is no longer sparkling white? He may lose the motivation to continue guarding his actions. The yetzer hara may convince him that the oil has already spilled all over him, so what point is their in being careful not to get his soiled clothing a bit more dirty? This is the meaning of the Torah's command: "Do not come into My Sanctuary any time - b'chal eis." Do not think that only if you fulfill the "b'chal eis" - the obligation to keep your clothes white b'chal eis, at all times - only then can you come into My Sanctuary. Even if your clothes became dirty and your actions are less than perfect, you can still cleanse yourself and become holy. And do not think that you must be perfectly clean; as long as you try to do your best you are always welcome in My Sanctuary.
How indeed can a person cleanse himself from his sins and become worthy of being close to Hashem? Hashem tells us: "Open for Me an opening that is as small as the eye of a needle, and I will open for you a large opening, like the entrance of a chamber." The holy Ropshitzer Rav zt"l asks: How do we create an opening the size of the eye of a needle? He answers that the key to creating the initial opening is through prayer. We must pray to Hashem that we should be able to find an opening in our hearts. In fact, the words li pesach - "for Me an opening," have the numerical value of the word hatefillah - prayer.
The holy tzaddik of Kamarna teaches that nowadays when it is much more difficult for a person to become holy and purify himself, every bit of effort is a lot more valued by Hashem than in previous generations when the people were on a higher spiritual level altogether. Although our service of Hashem cannot be compared to the great, elevated service of our forbears, it is very precious and dear to Hashem. In fact, we sometimes have a greater chance of earning a portion of Olam Habbah than the people of past generations, because with just a little bit of effort we can achieve much greater things and bring tremendous pleasure to Hashem.
We can now see how these two sidros combine to teach us an important lesson. Aharon's two sons were exceptionally great; they were even greater than Moshe and Aharon! They died in their efforts to come extremely close to Hashem, because with such great people, Hashem was much more exacting in His judgment.
Today, we cannot even fathom such greatness. In our days, if we strive to come into Hashem's Sanctuary and serve Him, we should remember that new leniencies apply to us. Even if our clothes are not completely white at all times, we can still come into Hashem's presence and get close to Him. We will not be held up to the same standards of holiness as Aharon's sons were.
This is why Hashem commands of us to be holy, because He is holy. Hashem is reminding us that indeed, because He is the source of holiness, we can become holy ourselves. Although it may seem difficult or even impossible, we should remember that Hashem is holy and He can help us come close to Him. We just need to pray to Him, to open our hearts a crack - the size of the eye of a needle, and He will pull us closer to Him.
May Hashem help that every Jew should be able to purify himself and become holy, and through this may we all merit being blessed with Hashem's bounty. May everyone be helped with whatever he needs, and may we all merit greeting Moshiach speedily, in our days, Amen.
Important Numbers
