CLAREMONT WYNBERG HEBREW CONGREGATION Tel:

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1 CLAREMONT WYNBERG HEBREW CONGREGATION Tel: בס ד GOOD SHABBOS # PARSHAT DEVARIM - SHABBAT CHAZON 24 / 25 JULY AV 5775 Parsha: Artscroll Pg 938 Living Torah Pg 866 Haftorah: Artscroll Pg 1195 Living Torah Pg 1223 THE GIANT S CRIB In the city of Bathurst, some 55km from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province, can be found the world s largest artificial pineapple. This is the residents way of paying homage to this prickly fruit that grows so well in the area. Tourists love the idea of climbing inside an enormous 16.7 meter high pineapple. This unusual edifice was constructed between 1990 and 1992 on Summerhill Estate and consists of a fibre-glass skin covering a steel and metal superstructure. Inside the giant fruit one can visit a sixty-seater auditorium and watch a documentary on the pineapple industry. On the second and third floors there are displays of local agriculture and the animal and birdlife in the area. But the fun begins when one climbs the stairs to the third floor observation deck from which there are fantastic views of the surrounding landscape. (From This over-sized attraction stands out because one does not usually associate something so small, in this case a fruit, with something so large. The same was true of a remarkable item in the biblical city of Rabbah (not to be confused with Rabbat, the modern capital of Morocco) in the country of Amon. There one could find the enormous bed of the monarch Og (Devarim 3:11): his bed was an iron bed, in Rabbah of the Children of Amon - nine cubits was its length and four cubits its width, by the cubit of a man. According to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in his footnotes to The Living Torah, this is 13.5 feet by 6 feet or 4.1 meters by 1.8 meters. He adds: Since a bed is usually one third longer than the person, this would indicate that Og was some 6 cubits or 9 feet [2.74 meters] high (Moreh Nevuchim). According to the Guinness World Records website, the tallest living man is Sultan Kӧsen of Turkey who measures 251 cm or 8 feet 3 inches. The tallest man ever on record was Robert Wadlow (died 1940) of the United States who measured 2.72 meters. Thus, Og was just slightly taller than Mr. Wadlow. Many of these modern giants suffer from physical infirmities and in the case of Wadlow, he passed away at the young age of 40 from a septic blister caused by a poorly-fitted brace on his ankle. However, from rabbinic sources, it seems that Og s strength matched his height and that he enjoyed incredible longevity. He might have been a freak but he was a powerful adversary who struck fear in the hearts of even the bravest men, including Moses (see Bamidbar 21:34), who ultimately killed him (Tractate Brachot 54b). What is the purpose of the Torah telling us of Og s bed and why does it say that it was 9 by 4 cubits by the cubit of a man? Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin (Lithuania and Israel, , in Oznayim LaTorah) cites the commentary of Rashbam, Rashi s grandson, who explains that the word for bed in this passage (eres) refers to a child s cot. Hence Og s bed as a child was nine cubits long and these cubits were not that of a child but of a man! This information is meant to impress upon all future readers of the Torah the enormity of God s miraculous supervision of the Children of Israel, namely that despite the stature of their enemies, they were victorious against them. Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk ( ) notes that as a result of Og s longevity and incredible strength, the people of the time worshipped him as a type of demigod not unlike the Greeks who believed certain people (such as the mythical Hercules)

2 were the children of the gods made mortal. This is why they preserved his bed (or cradle) for all to see - they viewed it as a relic of a godly being. Rabbi Meir Simcha cites the Rambam (commentary to the Mishna, Niddah 3:2) who explains that although occasionally strange and magnificent beings appear in the world, they are not godly but natural. The rule of nature, explains the Rambam, is that most creatures follow the majority (of their species) - be it in size, shape or strength - but that exceptions are also part of nature. Thus, although most human beings are of an average size and shape, when a giant does appear, he is no less natural than anyone else. That is why the Torah states by the cubit of a man, or more correctly, that man (see Rashi), to emphasize that Og was also a man and not a god. I would like to suggest that this message is enhanced by the Torah s mention that this was the size of Og s bed. Could not the Torah have put across this message by informing us of the size of his helmet or sword, as the Prophet (I Samuel 17:4-7) does regarding Goliath s armour? Instead the Torah chose to focus on the measurements of Og s bed because a bed is a symbol of the weakness of the human condition. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 1:10) records that when God created the first man the angels were so impressed with him that they wanted to praise him as they did God. The Midrash illustrates this situation with a parable: A king and a high official were travelling in a chariot and the subjects of the king, who had never seen him in public, wanted to shout long live the king but they could not tell who was the king and who was the official because both looked so regal. The king removed any doubts by pushing the official out of the chariot on to the ground. Immediately the subjects knew who the boss was. Likewise, God removed any doubts from the minds of the angels by casting man down - that is by putting him to sleep. God neither slumbers nor sleeps but man does and that is proof of his frailty. No human being, no matter how physically powerful or fit, can do without sleep. The Talmud (Nedarim 15a) rules that if someone takes a vow not to sleep for three consecutive days, he is lashed and may sleep immediately. The reason why he is lashed is because it is impossible that he will not break his vow, for one cannot remain awake for such a long time. The Rambam, who was also a great physician, ruled that the average person needs eight hours of sleep a night (Hilchot Deot 4:4) to function. And even the Vilna Gaon, who possessed an almost super-human ability to remain awake, required several hours of sleep. His son writes: For fifty years my father did not sleep more than half an hour at a time, and not more than two hours during an entire day! Og may have been large, powerful and tall, but he was a man and the proof of this was that he too needed a bed. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Liebenberg Due to technical reasons there will not be a new YouTube message for this week s parsha but previous clips on Devarim can be accessed here:

3 THE HAFTORAH WILL BE READ BY RABBI STUART SERWATOR SHABBAT TIMES 16:56 Earliest candle lighting time 17:43 *Candle lighting time 17:40 Mincha followed by Kabbalat Shabbat 18:01 Sunset 18:00 Children s Service 08:30 Shacharit followed by Kiddush Bracha 10:18 Latest time to fulfil the mitzvah of reading the Shemah 10:00 Children s Service 16:50 Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishit 17:59 Fast begins 18:37 Shabbat ends 19:00 Maariv followed by Tisha B Av programme (For more information see pages 5 and 6) *Important note for ladies: It is customary to light candles 18 minutes before sunset but one may light earlier. In case of an emergency, one may light within the 18 minutes, provided it is still before sunset. CURRENT WEEKDAY TIMES Shacharit: Mondays to Fridays - 06:40 Sundays and Public Holidays - 08:00 Mincha and Maariv: Sundays to Fridays - 17:40 DAILY: Gemorah Shiur Between Mincha and Maariv SUNDAY: 10:00-11:00 CWHC For details of all shiurim contact the office at info@clarewynshul.co.za (Tractate Shabbat) following Shacharit for half an hour. A short halachic shiur with an opportunity to Ask The Rabbi. Due to Tisha B Av the TLC course for teenage girls between the ages of years with Rebbetzin Lee will resume next Sunday 2 August. MONDAY: 20:00 Parsha shiur for gentlemen. Contact Felicia Westland for details. TUESDAY: 13:00-14:00 WEDNESDAY: 09:00-10:00 19:50-21:50 20:00 (fortnightly) THURSDAY: 10:00-11:00 11:00-12:00 After Maariv SHABBAT: Lunchtime shiur at the offices of Berk Enterprises. We are studying Sefer HaChinuch. RSVP to Howard Katzeff at howard@berk.co.za. Pirkei Avot - Ethics of our Fathers, for ladies, with Rebbetzin Lee. Yeshiva Learning Sessions - contact Vanessa on / / office@yeshiva.org.za. Ladies Messilat Yesharim shiur at a participant s home. Next shiur 29 July. Ladies Parsha shiur with Rabbi Liebenberg in the Beit Midrash. Ladies Tehillim group meets in the Beit Midrash. Thursday Night Club for gentlemen (monthly) - watch this space for details of the next meeting. There will not be a shiur following the Kiddush Bracha this week. The shiur will take place following the Seudah from 18:00-18:37 when Shabbat comes out. Rabbi Liebenberg will speak on the topic, What comes after Tisha B Av?

4 MAZAL TOV Colin Wolfsohn on the celebration of his 60th birthday on Sunday 26 July. BIRTHDAYS Friday 24 July: Ethan Nates Saturday 25 July: Julius Krawitz Sunday 26 July: Alan Joffe, Jennifer Joffe, Colin Wolfsohn Monday 27 July: Selwyn Ger GREETINGS WELCOME Heftsiba Karol from Israel and Hila Karol from New York who are visiting their grandparents, Sonia and Louis Karol, and their aunt, Simone Karol. Bernard Katz and his daughter, Kira, from Johannesburg, son and granddaughter of Joyce Katz. Adrian and Nadine Baskir and family from London. They recently celebrated their daughter Jacqui s Bat Mitzvah in Cape Town Cedric and Stacey Reingold from Chicago. Alexa Zeh from Sydney, granddaughter of Harold and Sandra Zeh. Harriet Baitz who has been in Toronto visiting her son and his family. FAREWELL Joel Merris and Larry Sherman who will be accompanying the Israeli Hockey Team to the European Maccabi games in Berlin in July/August. Make us proud! CONDOLENCES We extend sincere condolences to Gerald Diamond on the passing of his mother, Anne Diamond. May he be consoled amongst those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem. Condolences are extended to all family members. Tuesday 28 July: Shelley Friedman, Maureen Goldberg, Marc Sternberg Wednesday 29 July: Janine Davimes, Sydney Levine Thursday 30 July: Byron Spilkin ANNIVERSARIES Monday 27 July: Eric and Cheryl Lifson SPONSORSHIPS The Kiddush Bracha is sponsored by the Katz and Zieff families to honour the end of Shloshim for their beloved husband, father, father-in-law and Zayde, Willie Katz. The Ice Cream Table is sponsored by Linda and Ronnie Levinsohn in honour of the yahrzeit of Linda s late mother, Edita Fine - Esther Bat Otto. Upcoming sponsorships 30 July Breakfast: Shoprite Checkers 1 August Kiddush Bracha: Louis and Sonia Karol 1 August Ice Cream Table: Ya kov and Emunah Rachel Van Zyl 15 August Seudah Shlishit: Larry and Nicole Sherman SECURITY Thank you to our team on duty: Johnny Schwartz, David Bloch, Ronnie Levinsohn, Charles Silbert. CONSECRATION The consecration of the tombstone for the late Haide Reingold will take place on Tuesday 28 July at 12 noon. CWEST EVENT Shabbat 31 July/1 August - Special Kiddush Bracha luncheon RABBI KEN SPIRO Rabbi Ken Spiro ( noted author, lecturer and historian from Jerusalem will be our scholar-in-residence next Shabbat 31 July/1 August. Rabbi Spiro s book Crash Course In Jewish History has recently been adopted by UHS as their Jewish history textbook. We will also be hosting Rabbi Dani and Nechama Brett of PBM (Professionals Beit Midrash) Cape Town and the families of the women who attended the JWRP tour with Rebbetzin Lee for a reunion Shabbaton. Rabbi Spiro will give the Friday night sermon and will also speak following the Kiddush Bracha luncheon (all invited) and at the Seudah Shlishit. CHILDREN S SERVICE Please fill out the following survey which will be used as a guide for our shul s purposes only. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM SHUL PREMISES ON SHABBAT

5 בס ד TISHA B AV PROGRAMME (Schedule/Videos are subject to change) SATURDAY NIGHT 25 JULY 16:50 Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishit 17:59 Fast begins 18:37 Shabbat terminates 19:00 Maariv (We sit on low mourning chairs in the hall) 19:10 Eichah (Lamentations) 19:40 Introduction to Tisha B Av - Rabbi Liebenberg 19:50 DVD Presentations Sh eiris Hapleitah World War II was over at last. But for hundreds of thousands of Jewish survivors the future was dark and uncertain. Without parents and homes, who would look after their needs? Where would they go? (Running time 42 min.) The Short Life of Anne Frank In this documentary the story of Anne Frank s life is told through quotations from her diary, unique photographs from the Frank Family albums and historical film extracts. It also includes the only film footage of Anne Frank. (Running time 28 min.) CLAREMONT WYNBERG HEBREW CONGREGATION Grove Avenue Claremont 7708 l PO Box Claremont 7735 Tel: /7/8 l Fax: info@clarewynshul.co.za

6 SUNDAY 26 JULY 08:00 Shacharit followed by Kinot (Dirges) 10:30 Lina Kantor and her son, Gary Kantor, tell, from a personal standpoint, the story of the ancient and happy Jewish community of Rhodes Island and its tragic end 71 years ago, 23 July They recount the story of their own family s miraculous survival, thanks to the actions of two families of Righteous Gentiles, one Christian, the other Moslem. Finally they have a more optimistic story of reunion and remembrance, their return to Rhodes. 11:15 DVD Presentations Heroes of the Holocaust Tales of Resistance and Survival Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Annual Tisha B Av Event 12:53 Midday (We may now sit on regular chairs) 17:30 Mincha followed by Maariv (Talis and Tefillin are worn at Mincha) 18:29 Fast ends Lina Kantor and Gary Kantor May we soon witness the Final Redemption and peace in the Holy Land!