Talented vrs Frum- Which Doctor do you go to?

The halachaboy was sick this week which got him and his trusty staff thinking about all different medical questions. When Halachaboy realized he was not a world renowned posek and his words would hold no weight by themselves he decided to look in the Sefer Iggros Moshe- Rav Moshe Feinstein's earth shattering responsa collection for some interesting medical questions. The following may be incoherent to you, but my head is pounding and stomach rumbling so read through it and take some pills of wisdom..... Rav Moshe was asked if one was sick and had a choice of two doctors to go to, one was frum but while qualified not as talented as choice two a non frum/non-Jew, which doctor should you go to? Rav Moshe answered that not only should one, but one has a requirement to go to the more highly talented doctor. It is interesting though that in the response Rav Moshe does not mention the reasoning is based off of pikuach nefesh - the frum doctor who isn't as good might kill you. Rav Moshe says that even though both doctors will heal you, the non frum doctor is the better choice because he possess a greater understanding of science. I thought this responsa answers up an age old question: Isn't taking medicine a lack of faith in hashem? Aren't we suppose to have bitachon Hashem will help us? I know we should't rely and wait for miracles but whose to say we are suppose to jump at the first solution either. According to Rav Moshe, sciene and medicine is a miracle- the fact man thought some fungus somewhere can cure or the fact you can put a poison (mercury) in a glass put in your mouth and it will tell you if your sick!!!!!!AMAZING! Further, since science is a miracle one is required to go to the doctor who poses the greater intelligence of such miracles. I apologize- for the brevity-- next week I will be back on my A-game

The Issur to Learn Torah on 12/25

I will now walk on some hot water... There is a minhag not to learn torah on the eve of December 25th (until midnight). This minhag dates back over 1000 years. Most of us never heard of this, and thank god the Christians have been extremely friendly to us but the leading Rabbis still rule one should not learn on the eve of Christmas. The question though, is how can the rabbis rule that one is forbidden to learn torah? Many rabbis give answers and I would like to discuss a few of them. For a further discussion on the matter please feel free to email me at thehalchaboy@gmail.com . Sefer Lukutei Pardes says the reason for this decree was because for centuries when the goyim went out to celebrate if they saw Jews learning they would start a pogrom and riot. Therefore the rabbis decreed it was assur to learn (Pikuach Nefesh). This is a little difficult because thank god the reason doesn't apply anymore but it could be that just like we celebrate two days of yuntif so too here. Karban Nesanel says the reason is because of avelus (mourning) for JC. We all know JC was a frum Jew and learnt by some of the leading rabbis mentioned in the gemara. He went off course and for that we mourn and mourners aren't allowed to learn torah. Chasam Sofer raises two contentions on this explanation. First if this was true the minhag not to learn should be all December 25th and not just the eve till midnight. Second, if the reason was due to mourning learning sad things (like on Tisha B'av) would be allowed. Rather, says the Chasam Sofer, the reason is because on the eve of December 25th the goyim have a special service at midnight. (although I think they bumped it up recently, maybe because of zrizim makdimim???)Thus, the rabbis ruled all Jews shouldn't learn torah from sunset to midnight, rather they should sleep and get up at midnight and learn torah then to counteract the goyim's tefillos. However, there is one more answer I want to focus on. What caused JC to go "off the derech"? Many explain that when JC learnt torah he learnt it for its intellectual value, and not because Hashem commanded so. He learnt torah like one would learn chemistry, math or poetry. Learning Torah this way is very dangerous, for just like you pick up textbook you can just as easily put it down and use it as to harvest dust. The Rabbis realized this potential stumbling block and decreed for one night everyone shouldn't learn. They wanted everyone to realize that Torah isn't like any other subject. By not learning torah, we are keeping the torah (the words of the rabbis). It is not a paradox. In any other study or field you can only grow by learning more, but in Torah we realize it is all up to Hashem and if He decrees us to not learn, then we are growing by not learning. Sadly, too often people begin to learn for the wrong reasons (its fun, challenging, stimulating etc) and one of the results is that when those sensations cease, so does the learning. I remember taking physics; I really enjoyed it for a week or two and then decided I would rather exist as subatomic matter than sit in that classroom. Since then not only have I never learnt one more thing about physics but the things I did learn I have long forgotten. Unfortunately, many people go through the same thing with torah. Learning Torah might not be the most thrilling experience, but neither is breathing...........Pick a topic you enjoy (gemara, tanach, rashi, tehillim, gematria, halacha, kaballah... there is no shortage) and jump in. They say that by not learning on the eve of the 25th l'shma (and just reflecting on the fact that torah isn't just another field of intellectual pursuit) Hashem forgives him for all the other times he was bitul torah, for no reason. For the Kids : We all know the famous idea that if everyone stopped learning torah for one second at the same time the world would collapse. So how could the Rabbis' forbid the learning of torah to everyone? Rav Yonasan Eybshutz answers "Minhag Yisroel Torah" by keeping the minhag we are keeping the torah. Perhaps you can think of another reason? TheHalachaBoy@gmail.com would love to hear it.

The transition between Yimei Simcha to Yimei Ta'anis

Doesn't it seem that prior to or after any joyous occasion a somber day follows? I mean after Rosh Hashanah is Tzom Gedalya, Purim has Taanis Ester; Pesach has Sefira, Shavous and the Three Weeks. Which brings me to Chanukah and Asara B'teves (next Wednesday). While some feel this is the Jewish version of the south beach/Adkins diet- overindulge then starve yourself, I feel there is a deeper message.(shocker, right?) Many Rabbis have written on this topic and IY"H my pen should just flush out a new theme. After contemplating the senseless tragedies and heinous shootings this past week in Colorado and Nebraska , I began to wonder what sets these seemingly normal, albeit a little awkward, people off. The common thread connecting the two stories seems to be that both killers lacked a will to live. One was fired from his job and dumped from his girlfriend; the other's religious institution closed its doors on him. As human beings we have some innate drives. Deep, buried in the subconscious there are things we all need (while an Xbox is cool, it doesn't make the list). One of those yearnings is a sense of purpose, community and continuity. We all need to feel we are accomplishing something; we have peers and family, and steering towards a goal. Sadly, those killers lacked these three dimensions. Judaism, however, provides all three to us. We are doing mitzvos. We are Klal Yisroel. We will earn Olam Haba. Some days are sad, some are happy, but that isn't the point. Through the cyclical calendar of Judaism Hashem is telling us what is important in life. Is being happy important, yes. But, it isn't our full goal in life. Just as eating hundreds of jelly doughnuts and latkas feels good, being happy isn't our only purpose on this earth. Hashem puts us on the earth to do Mitzvos (of which most of them do make us happy). He creates in us an innate yearning for purpose and continuity. Just as we look ahead to the festive days, so too we look to the sad days. The key is that we do it together as a community. When Hashem told Adam "Lo tov bara es Hadam Levado" it isn't good for man to be alone, He wasn't just talking about a wife, Hashem realized the requirement man has for friends, peers, family and community. The Gemara says that if you have a conflict in schedule between a wedding and a funeral you should choose the funeral. Why is that? One answer, we could now suggest is that since everyone else will probably choose the wedding, it is incumbent upon you to provide the lonely mourner a sense of community, a shoulder to cry on. Therefore let us all try to reach out to all Jews and provide them the community and camaraderie we often cherish. The fast is Wednesday. It starts at 5:45 and ends at 5:07. Eating and drinking are prohibited, all other activities are allowed. Brushing teeth and mouthwash is ok, just don't swallow. Let us all partake in the sad, like we partake in the good. Let us do it together.

Electric Menorahs

Many people when asked if an electric menorah is allowed to be used to fulfill the mitzva of hadlkas neros chanukah instinctively reply with an adamant no. Yet, when asked why, they give one of those akward "I dunno" shrugs (you know the one when your mom says if Timmy jumped off a bridge would you???) Furthermore, we know turning on the lights on shabbas is assur because one of the 39 melachos is ma'aver (kindling a fire). But if lights are considered fire on shabbas why not consider them fire on chanukah?? Rav Josh Flug brings down that there are generally two paths to answer this question. The first is quoted in the name of Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach and the Maharal of Prague. Rav Shlomo says that while electric lights are considered fire, by chanukah there is a requriment to light the menorah like they lit it in the beis hamikdash.The obvious problem with this answer is the 67% of us (and rapidly declining due to those neat-o keep you hand clean oil contraptions) that use wax candles, might as well take the candles and build a kite with them because you aren't accomplishing anything with your lighting. So thankfully, the Tzitz Eliezer (Rav Eliezer Waldenberg) brings a second answer based on a gemara in shabbas (where all the chanukah gemaras are) which says one cannot fulfill his responsibility of lighting with a bonfire. This is due to the fact that people will see the bonfire and not realize it was lit for the purpose of Chanukah. Thus being the case if one were to use electric lights people might not realize the purpose either. This answer also has its obvious flaws, for the electric lights we want to use are only used on chanukah and are attached to a menorah. However, if you thought it was OK to flick on some lamp and fulfill your chiyuv you are wrong. So whats the answer? HalachaBoy and his staff have no real good answers, but assume since our grandfathers didn't have electricity the minhag became to light without using it. Thus said if you are in a super super serious bind (I would ask your local orthodox competent rabbi, first) it seems you could rely on an electric menorah. Obviously, none of us should ever need to use one, but if you are confined to a hospital room, or on a plane and for some reason think lighting a match and oil is a problem there is what for you to rely on. Last weeks Q- We all know the miracle of Chanukah lasted for eight days because that's how long it took to get kosher oil. (Four days each way). But since at least one of those days must have been Shabbas, and you are not allowed to travel, how did the trip only take eight days? Some answers received - g-d shortened the distance (kifitzas derech), they carried with a shinui which is allowed for a mitzva (like by bris milah) and maybe miracle was really 9 days and first day doesn't count because that oil wasn't a miracle(this one I admit is a little weak). This weeks Q- The famous question of the Beis Yosef : The miracle of chanukah was that the oil lasted 8 days- but naturally the oil should've lasted one. So why do we celebrate for 8 days; shouldn't it be seven? (Note: there is a sefer out there that gives 100 answers to this question but ill settle for 1 from anyone[Editor's note: There is a sefer that just came out with 500 answers]).