Reb Eliezer

The Rambam points out that the middle way is the best. When it comes to gaiva, he says that one should further himself to the other extreme of humility knowing that he will not stay there but end up in the middle. Extreme humility is also not good because it brings to depression and sadness. He might not feel that it Is worth doing mitzvos as he cannot do them right. When it comes to tzadakah, don’t over do it by giving more than a fifth to have to rely on others for your livelihood and don’t be stingy.
By the metzora, we take two extremes, an ezov and a ceder tree. We want him to move from one end to the other opposite of what made him sin. The goyim only understand extremes to make them holy like a fire offering but we bring also a peace offering. We make peace through us also having a part to eat from it together with Hashem. We sanctify the mundane. The tzelem only shows extremes, whereas the magen david only has midpoints. So, too much salt destroys food and too much yeast makes dough sour and rise too much. To refuse too much, already explained above.

We include in a minyan the good and bad. We can look at it relatively or absolutely. It is very important to see ourselves in unity. A great tzadik in a minyan actually can hurt others by openning a question above, why aren’t you like him? So we include the rashoim also to compare us to them. Sometimes a tzadik like Chanoch, who was only concerned for himself. is c’v taken away before his time to be kapora on us but if the tzadik cares for our behavior then he will live long. The Daroshes Haran explains that chelbno with its bad smell was included in the spices to wake up the others and strenghten them to overcome its smell. So maybe, like Yaakov llearned from Aisov what not to do, so do we learn from the rashoim how not to behave. As mentioned before, the tzadik gets paid for his bad deeds in this world and the reward for his good deeds is left for the next world, whereas the rasha is the opposite. He gets paid for his good deeds over here and his bad deeds in the next world. We can learn from a rasha how to do mitzvos with great desire as they do aveiros.

The Daroshes Haran questions what the gemora answers that for Moshe Rabbenu fearing Hashem was a small thing but he is talking to the Bnei Yisroel, was it a small thing towards them? He says, yes. Moshe Rabbenu felt that through what the Bnei Yisroel went through by all the miracles they saw, the Bnei Yisroel acquired yiras shomayim, so continue fearing Hashem became easy for them. The meaning of gemora is towards Moshe seeing the Bnei Yisroel.

It says סיג לחכמה שתיקה a smart person knows when not to speak. Sometimes כל המוסיף גורע whoever adds diminishes. When it comes to Hashem as we say in Akdomus, if all trees would be pens, all waters ink, all heavens parchment and all inhabitants scribes we could not describe the greatness of the Ribonei Shel Olam. Only people who lack wealth show off. If someone is realy wealthy does not need to show off. Therefore, we are only allowed to praise Hashem with the words of Tehilim and what chazal designated otherwise we do more harm than good. By the chazal, the less tiltles they have the greater they were e.g. Hilel. Shamai, Rebbi, Rav and Shmuel.

ברכות לג,ב

The Chinuch 545 explains that Hashem’s mercy is not an emotion that happens naturaly but an understanding where mercy is required. so one who compares Him to a human being is being quieted down.

I heard about Havdalah, there are different ways to differentiate. We use them from lower to higher: taste, smell, sight and the mind. Not everyone would know how to blow a shofar for sound. It says by Korach that in the morning Hashem will reveal who folows Him. The Dubner Magid has a mashel. A man goes to a store at night having a candle burning. He wants to buy some material for a suit. The dealer shows him different colors and thinkness, so he says I don’t care, I just need the suit to cover myself. So the dealer puts out the light and tells him. if you don’t care and there is no difference to you, you don’t need a light. A light is there to differentiate. This is the first brocho we make in the morning to thank Hashem that we can differentiate between night and day, good and bad, and right and wrong. Many make havdalah sitting as the Rambam Hilchas Shabbos (29,18) holds that havdalah is like kiddush.

ברכות לג,א

The Tur O’CH 114, gives a mnemonic for Techiyas Hamesim מפתח – מטר, פרנסה, תחי-ה, חי-ה. Rain, support, resurrection and birth. Rain – When the seeds are planted in the ground, they first become destroyed and then resurrected through rain. Maybe that is also why it is called גבורת גשמים, besides creating a flood. Support – עני חשוב כמת, the one being supported by Hashem is being resurrected. It says השלך על ה’ יהבך והוא יכלכלך throw your worries on Hashem who will support you.
The Dubner Magid has a mashel. A man was carrying a package by foot.
A guy with a horse and wagon comes and picks him up. After a while he looks back and sees that man is resting his package on his lap. He tells him, why don’t you place your package in the wagon? So the man says, I don’t want to burden your horses with my package. The guy tells him, I don’t understand you, If you rest your package on your lap, don’t the horses carry it? We worry about our support but ultimately Hashem provides our livelihood. Birth is obvious, bringing a new being into the world.

The derech eretz that needs strengthening is job opportunities and not proper behavior which can also use some strengthening before Torah.

A taanis is greater than tzadaka. The benefit of a taanis is twofold. One חלבי ודמי הנמעט בצומי is like a korban sacrificing his fat and blood diminished through the tanis. Two, when one of the senses is weakened, the other is strenghtened. When c’v one is blind, he hears better. When we weaken the physical body, we strenghten the spiritual senses.

ברכות לב,ב

Tefila iis greater than good deeds. A tzadik does not consider his good deeds worthy, If they ask for it, will be deducted from the rewards of their benefits. The Klei Yokor says that he could have asked for the mitzvos he could have done. These would have been for benefit of the Bnei Yisroel. If Moshe Rabbenu would have entered Eretz Yisroel, there would not have been a charben, so his good deeds would not have been deducted. Hashem desires tefila of tzadikim to daven to get close to Him and therefore they daven for a handout. The mothers were barren in order they should daven for children.

It says Shmos (13,21) וַה’ הֹלֵךְ֩ לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם יוֹמָ֜ם בְּעַמּ֤וּד עָנָן֙ לַנְחֹתָ֣ם הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְלַ֛יְלָה בְּעַמּ֥וּד אֵ֖שׁ לְהָאִ֣יר לָהֶ֑ם לָלֶ֖כֶת יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה Hashem went before them by day with a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way and by night with the pillar of fire, so they could travel day and night. Says the Ksav Sofer, when it is going good or bad a person should realize that it comes from Hashem.
It is up to Him to provide good or c’v bad.
When Hashem provides good, think of the dark cloud (it can turn bad) to live your life, and when it is bad, think of light of fire (it can turn good), so you will live well both when it is going good or bad.
The Chasan Sofer says on the Hagadah that we should always keep matzoh and maror in front of us.

It says Shmos (32,4) אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם This is your god Yisroel that took you out from Eretz Mitzraim. Says the Ksav Sofer, that the erev rav pointed to the gold calf telling the Bnei Yisroel, this is why you left Mitzraim because you were promised great wealth.

It says Shmos (38,21) אֵ֣לֶּה פְקוּדֵ֤י הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת The Midrash says באלה הטאו ובאלה נתכפרו the sin was with אלה as above and the forgiveness was through אלה over here. Explains the Shevet Sofer, the fact that they were told that they valued gold and silver so much showed their greatness when they were willing to give it over to build the mishkan.

As mentioned above, according to the GRA the Urim Vetumim lit up כשרה and Eli misread it as שכרה. He was distracted and did not have the proper kavonos in mind for the Teumim that arranges the letters.

חנה stands for, ר’ת חלה, נדה, הדלקת הנר that women are responsible.

Should be above, I have a different reason to break a glass.

ברכות לא,א

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחאי: אסור לאדם שימלא שחוק פיו בעולם הזה Rebbi Yochanan in the name of Rebbi Shimon Bar Jachai says a person should not fill himself up with laughter in this world, before the redemption. It says Tehilim (90,15) שַׂ֭מְּחֵנוּ כִּימ֣וֹת עִנִּיתָ֑נוּ שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת רָאִ֥ינוּ רָעָֽה we are asking Hashem, please give us days of joy against all the days we suffered.
אז ימלא שחוק פינו then all our mouths will be filled with laughter. I heard a joke.
The grandfather of my rebbi Rav Shmuel ztz’l was the Chasan Sofer who was niftar at 48 and his grandson my rebbi, was niftar at 89.
When they come alive at techiyas hamesim, they will come alive as they passed on. They will say that the young 48 year old is the grandfather
of the 89 year old, so we are going to start laughing.
it says Tehilim (126,2-3) אָ֭ז יֹאמְר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֑ם הִגְדִּ֥יל ה’ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִם־אֵֽלֶּה
ג) הִגְדִּ֣יל ה’ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִמָּ֗נוּ הָיִ֥ינוּ שְׂמֵחִֽים They will say among the goyim that if Hashem would make us great as He made them great, we would be happy. Explains the Ksav Sofer that maybe our redemption will be relative to our affliction but for the goyim that is not a redemption. So they say that it will be absolute and they will also consider it a redemption which would make them rejoice.

The MB O’CH 110,,20 says that someone leaving the city should make sure he takes food along and talis and tefilin as we don’t know what might happen. Going out around three miles of the city, we should say tefilas haderech.

The gemora says to add something new to davenen. The idea is that davenen will not be done by rote if it is new. The gemora says that the loss outweighs the gain as it will confuse him not being used to it.

Currently, it is hard to find a reason to daven הביננו. The Biur Behalacha SA O’CH 110,1 says that we don’t say it.
In Siman 98,2 it says that currently we are unable to be mechaven. The RMA in siman 101 says that we don’t repeat because of kavono because the second time he might also be not mechaven. If someone has to on a bus, can daven shmoinei esrei sitting down.