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ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS

prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem

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Berachos 7

Questions

1)

(a) We learn from "ve'Simachtim be'Veis Tefilasi" that Hashem Davens too. This means presumably, that Hashem evokes His own mercy.

(b) Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yossi was the Kohen Gadol, and it must have been on Yom Kipur, when he went into the Kodesh Kodshim to offer the Ketores, when Akasriel Kah Hashem Tzevakos said to him "Yishmael My son, bless Me". He replied "May it be Your will that Your mercy should quash Your anger, and that Your mercy should overcome Your Midas ha'Din, and that You will act with them beyond the letter of the law.

(c) Akasriel Kah Hashem Tzevakos's nodded His head in assent (as if to say 'Amen' to Rebbi Yishmael's Berachah). We learn from here not to belittle the Berachah of an ordinary person (i.e. someone inferior to oneself).

2)
(a) "Panai" in this context, means anger. So what Hashem was saying to Mashe was "Let My anger first die down and then I will be pacified" - to teach us that one should not attempt to pacify someone, whilst he is angry.

(b) One 58,888th's of an hour is the split second that Hashem gets angry each morning.

(c) When Bil'am testified about himself "ve'Yodei'a Da'as Elyon", he was not claiming to know Hashem's mind (he didn't even know the mind of his ass); what he *was* saying was that he knew the exact moment, that 58,888th's of an hour each morning when Hashem was angry, and he had the ability to exploit it, to curse anybody he wanted.

(d) And it is that power of Bil'am to which Hashem was referring when he said "Ami, Zechor Na ... Lema'an Da'as Tzidkos Hashem", because Hashem, bearing in mind that ability, thwarted his plans, by witholding His anger during the entire period that Bil'am attempted to curse Yisrael.
And that is what Bil'am himself exclaimed in frustration "Mah Ek'ov, Lo Kaboh Keil! etc."

3)
(a) We learn from "Ki Rega be'Apo" etc. that Hashem's anger only lasts for one moment.

(b) Hashem is angry every morning for precisely one moment, as the sun rises, when the kings remove their crowns, place them on the ground, and bow down to the sun.

(c) Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi tied a cock to his bed, intending to see the precise moment when its comb turned completely white, at which point he would curse that Tzedoki who caused him so much trouble. But he fell asleep, and missed the moment. So he decided that it must be wrong to cause others to get punished - even Resha'im - in keeping with the Pasuk "ve'Rachamav Al Kol Ma'asav".

(d) 'Mardus Achas' means one Musar. Chazal say that when a person humbles himself before Hashem, it is better than many Malkiyos, and, according to Resh Lakish, it is even better than a hundred Malkiyos.

4)
(a) According to Rebbi Yochanan quoting Rebbi Yossi, Moshe asked Hashem for the Shechinah to rest on Yisrael, that it should not rest on non-Jews, and that Hashem should show him His ways: Why there is a Tzadik who has it good etc. (See next question) - and all of these requests were granted.

(b) 'A Tzadik ve 'Tov Lo', the Gemara at first says, is a Tzadik ben Tzadik.
A Tzadik ve'Ra Lo is a Tzadik ben Rasha. A Rasha, ve'Tov Lo is a Rasha ben Tzadik, and a Rasha ve'Ra Lo is a Rasha ben Rasha.

(c) Children suffer for the sins of their parents when they are guilty of the same sins. But when they do not, they do not suffer for their parents' sins.

(d) Tzadik ve'Tov Lo, the Gemara concludes, is a complete Tzadik, and Tzadik ve'Ra Lo is a Tzadik who is not a complete Tzadik. Rasha ve'Tov Lo is a Rasha who is not a complete Rasha, whereas Rasha ve'Ra Lo is a complete Rasha.

5)
(a) "When *I* wanted (to show you My Shechinah at the burning bush") said Hashem to Moshe, *you* did not want. Now that *you* want (to see My ways), *I* do not want!" Therefore "Lo Suchal li'Re'os es Panai!"

(b) For hiding his face, Moshe merited that his face shone; For being afraid to look, the people were afraid to approach him; and because he did not look, he saw Hashem's image. That is the opinion of Rebbi Shmuel bar Nachmeini quoting Rebbi Yonasan.

(c) Moshe saw the back of Hashem's Tefilin shel Rosh.

6)
(a) Hashem promised Moshe that he would make him into a great nation, Although the condition for this (the destruction of K'lal Yisrael), was averted, the promise nevertheless came true.

(b) We learn from here, that Hashem never goes back on promises that He has made to do good (provided the recipient does nothing to lose his rights, as we learnt earlier, Daf 4a).

7b---------------------------------------7b

Questions

7)

(a) We learn from the Pasuk in Bereishis "Adon-ai, ba'Mah Eda Ki Irashenah"? that Avraham was the first person since the creation of the world to call Hashem 'Master'.

(b) Even the prayers of Daniel, who lived more than a thousand years after Avraham, were answered only due to the above-mentioned merit of Avraham.

(c) Chazal learn from "Panai Yeileichu va'Ha'nichosi Lach", that one should not attempt to pacify someone until his anger abates.

8)
(a) Leah was the first person since the creation of the world to thank Hashem. She thanked Him for the birth of Yehudah, her fourth son (one son more than her fair share of three sons each for each of the four mothers) - her thanks are reflected in Yehudah's name.

(b) "Re'u Ve'ni". See - how *my* son is different, Leah was saying , than the son of my father-in-law. The latter willfully sold his birthright to Ya'akov; yet when Ya'akov received the bleesings, he hated him for it. Whereas my son (Reuven) lost his birthright to Yosef, and, even though it was taken from him against his will, that did not dter him from saving Yosef (the recipient of those blessings) from being killed by his brothers.

(c) 'Rus' is from the same root as 'Riveihu' (he satiated - like "Kosi Revayah") - referring to Davis ha'Melech, who satiated Hashem with songs of praise.

(d) We learn from the Pasuk "Lechu Chazu Mif'alos Hashem, Asher Sam *Shamos* ba'Aretz."Instead of reading it 'Shamos', read it 'Sheimos', signifying that Hashem placed names in the world, meaning that names have a meaning.

9)
(a) A rebel in one's own family is worse than the battle of Gog and Magog.

(b) David ha'Melech was relieved, when he discovered that the rebel in his household turned out to be his own son. Surely he figured, his own son will feel a spark of compassion for his father, more than a slave would.

10)
(a) We learn from "Ozvei Torah Yehalalu Rasha, ve'Shomrei Torah Yisgaru Bam", that one is permitted to start up with Resha'im in this world.

(b) The Pasuk "Al Tischar ba'Merei'im, ve'Al Tekan'eh be'Os'ei Avlah" means that one should not be jealous of sinners (not that one should not start up with them).

(c) Even in matters of religion, one is ill-advised to start up with a Rasha, when he is at the height of his success (because Hashem will continue to smile at him - since everyone has his moment in life); and the Gemara then qualifies this, by giving the green light to start up with the Rasha even when he is at the height of his success - to a total Tzadik (and it is the incomplete Tzadik whom the Torah warns not to start up with him even in matters of religion).

(d) The Gemara's final statement 'Sha'ah Mesachekes Lo Sha'ani' comes to warn even a total Tzadik to leave the Rasha alone, even in spirtual matters, because Hashem's smile will prevail (though it is not clear how this differs from the first answer in the previous question).

11)
(a) If someone fixes his place for his Tefilah (or for his Torah-study), all his enemies will fall before him (see also Gittin 7a).

(b) At first, the Beis ha'Mikdash was built with the intention that Yisrael's enemies will not cause them any suffering at all. But when they sinned, their merits deteriorated, and the Beis ha'Mikdash could only protect them from total destruction ('Hashem poured His wrath on to the wood and stones'), but not from suffering or exile.

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