Today's Halachos are dedicated by a daily reader L'Ilui Nishmas her grandmother, Miriam bas Tzvi A"H. May her Neshama continue to climb higher and higher in Gan Eden and may she be a Meilitzah Yeshara for her entire Mishpacha.
1) Chazal teach us that one who sins, besides for the obligation to do Teshuva, should also try to limit his bodily pleasures and comforts to counteract the pleasure he derived from the sins. This is referred to in Halacha as "Teshuvas HaMishkal, the balanced Teshuva".
This includes fasting, crying and accepting upon oneself to limit even some otherwise permissible bodily pleasures, and other things which we shall discuss in the near future B'Ezras Hashem
Doing this complements and completes the Teshuva. (See Sha'arei Teshuva Sha'ar 4:12. But of course, the main Teshuva is the Charata, Azivas Hacheit and the Vidui. See Shu"t Chasam Sofer Orach Chaim Siman 173)
2) One who does such a complete Teshuva to the point that he genuinely feels great pain for doing things that were against the will of Hashem - referred to as Teshuva M'Ahava, Teshuva out of love of Hashem- does not need to add additional discomforts to his life as the pain he feels for sinning against Hashem is sufficient to counteract the pleasures he derived from the sins. (See Sefer Chareidim Perek 65 and Sha'arei Teshuvah ibid.)
However, one who has not reached that level of feeling pain for having sinned, although his Teshuva is accepted, it is considered Teshuva M'Yirah, Teshuva out of fear of Hashem and fear of heavenly retribution, and requires Yesurim, bodily discomforts to be complete and to reverse the negative pleasures of the sins.
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers.
These Q&A are 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@Gmail.com
Reader's Question:
Do we say a bracha on [chewing and bubble] gum?
Answer:
Yes, a SheHakol is required before chewing gum as the taste buds get pleasure from it.
However, no Bracha Achrona is recited afterwards as not enough has been eaten to require one. (See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim Siman 202:15.See Igros Moshe Orach Chaim Vol. 2 Siman 57, Shu"t Ohr L'Tzion Vol. 2 Perek 14:8. This is also the way Rabbi Yisroel Pinchos Bodner shlita rules in "Halachos of Brachos" page 456.)
Though there are some Poskim who maintain that no Bracha is required ( Shu" t Yitzchok Yeranen Siman 37 and Shu"t Yaskil Avdi Siman 54), this isn't the psak of most contemporary Poskim.
For Halacha L'Ma'aseh, as always, a Rav should be consulted.
CHIZUK CORNER
This section is dedicated L'Ilui Nishmas the late Telzer Rosh Yeshiva , HaRav Chaim Yaakov ben Rav Binyomin Moshe Stein Zatzal.
We will B'Ezras Hashem post here each day a short inspirational thought to help us all improve our lives and grow in our service of our Father in heaven, HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THIS SECTION, PLEASE EMAIL IT TO HalachaForToday@Gmail.com
When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. (Tehilim 27:2)
The simple reading of this verse is that when Dovid's enemies sought to attack him, they stumbled and fell. However, the verse does not state how they stumbled and fell. The Yaavetz Siddur renders the translation of the word כ'4;שְׁלו'8; as a request from Dovid to HaShem that they should stumble. Perhaps this alternative translation offers us an insight in how to deal with the Evil Inclination, who is our most formidable foe. The Gemara (Sukkah 52a) states that Yeshaya referred to the Evil Inclination as a מ'0;כְשׁו'5;ל, a stumbling block. When we see that the Evil Inclination seeks to derail us from serving HaShem properly, we need to immediately cry out to HaShem that the Evil Inclination should stumble and fall so that we can continue to serve HaShem with all our strength.
Written by Rabbi Binyomin Adler. To receive his Torah emails send request to shabbostaamhachaim@gmail.com
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