Rav Ovadia Yosef z”l | 
לצעוד שלוש פסיעות לפני התפלה
כתב הרוקח (הובא ברמ"א סימן צה), שלפני שעומדים להתפלל תפלת העמידה, יש ללכת לאחריו שלוש פסיעות, ולאחר מכן יחזור לפניו שלוש פסיעות ויעמוד בתפלה. וטעם הדבר, משום שהוא דרך קירוב והגשה לדבר שצריך לעשות, כמו שנאמר לגבי משה רבינו עליו השלום, שלפני שהתפלל לה' יתברך, נכנס לתוך שלוש מחיצות, חושך, ענן וערפל. והובא מנהג זה בספר כנסת הגדולה ועוד בדברי האחרונים.
ואמנם בספר אליה רבה כתב שאין צריך לנהוג כן, שהרי מנהג זה לא נזכר כלל בתלמוד, ולא בדברי רוב רבותינו הראשונים. אולם בספר משנה ברורה כתב שלמעשה מנהג העולם לעשות כן. והגאון רבינו יוסף חיים בספר בן איש חי (פרשת בשלח) כתב, שיש טעם גדול בדבר על פי הסוד, ללכת שלוש פסיעות לאחריו, ושוב לשוב בשלוש פסיעות למקום תפלתו.
ואמנם יש אומרים שמנהג זה נכון דוקא כשהאדם יושב בבית המדרש ללמוד, או שיושב בביתו, ולפתע הגיע זמן התפלה וקם להתפלל, שאז עליו לעשות הכנה לתפלתו, לצעוד שלוש פסיעות, אבל מי שכבר פסע הרבה פסיעות בלכתו לבית הכנסת להתפלל, שוב אינו צריך לדקדק בזה כלל.
והגאון הפרי מגדים כתב, שאף על פי שמי שצעד לבית הכנסת אינו צריך לנהוג כן, מכל מקום מכיון שאין טורח כל כך בדבר, ראוי לנהוג כן.
ולמעשה, הנוהג לפסוע שלוש פסיעות לאחריו ולפניו, תבוא עליו ברכה, אך מנהג הרבה מגדולי רבותינו הספרדים, שלא היו מדקדקים במנהג זה כלל, מפני שסמכו על דברי הפוסקים שלא הביאו מנהג זה, או שסמכו על הפסיעות שבלאו הכי פסעו בלכתם לבית הכנסת להתפלל. וכן ראינו למרן רבינו עובדיה יוסף זצוק"ל, בזמן שהיה מקום התפלה שלו ממש במקום שהיה יושב, לא היה פוסע לאחריו ולפניו, אלא היה נוהג כדברי מרן השלחן ערוך והפוסקים שלא הזכירו מנהג זה כלל. |
Daf Bite – טעם דף | Arakhin 17a-b: Kings Among Men Who is the true leader? Does the leader’s behavior mold the behavior of the community or is it the community’s activities that affect the leadership? In response to this question the Gemara on today’s daf discusses two of the last kings of Judea during the period of the first Temple. King Yoshiyahu was a righteous king, and two of his sons became king. The Gemara identifies his son Yehoyakim as a king who was not good, even though his generation was a virtuous one, and his other son Ẓidkiyahu as a virtuous king, even though the generation was evil. In support of this position, the Gemara teaches: For Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: What is the meaning of: “In the beginning of the reign of Yehoyakim, the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Judah”? The Holy One, Blessed be He, wanted to revert the world to chaos and void because of Yehoyakim, but when He considered his generation, His anger subsided. The Holy One, Blessed be He, wanted to revert the world to chaos and void because of the generation of Ẓidkiyahu, but when He considered Ẓidkiyahu, His anger subsided. (steinsaltz.org) |
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A Moment of BAN | G-d replied with flowers. |
A Story – of coffee beans | An adolescent kid pour his heart to his father. He faces many challenges, and hardships of youths. Storms and crises are often present in his life. "How do you deal, Dad?" The child asked, "What should I do?" The father chose to reply in a creative way. He led the kid into the kitchen, and placed three pots on the stove. In the first he put an egg, in the second carrots, and in the third pot he placed a handful coffee beans. The father lit the fire and left. After a while the father returned with his child to the kitchen. He opened the first pot, took the egg and put on a plate. Took the lid off the second pot, took the carrot and put it in a bowl. Last he filtered the coffee from the third pot and poured it into a cup. Now he looked at the kid and and asked: "What do you see?" The child approached the table and looked at the three products: The carrots were soft and was crushed when he touched it. He peeled the egg, and it was hard. The coffee smelled wonderful and tasted good. "Pay attention," the father said to his child, "the three different products teach us about different ways of coping with different situations in life. Each product was presented with same situation - it was placed in boiling water - but each came out differently: The carrot entered the water hard and strong, and came out soft and crushed; The egg entered soft, and came out hard; But the coffee beans were different from both. After staying in the boiling water, they turn the water itself into something good, with a delicious fragrance. To which one of the do you resemble?" The father asked his child. "When you face difficulties, when you are faced with challenges, how do you react, how you act, what guides you? Do you, like the carrot, looks strong on the outside, but actually loses strength and become soft, give up? Or do you like the egg lose all softness, look the same on the outside but your heart is hard? Or do you like the coffee beans, bring forth the best of you when actually reaching boiling point - challenges and difficulties are getting the best out of you and you energize your immediate environment? *** Instill in our children the understanding that difficulties are not intended to take us down, but rather to help us grow. |
Time to Smile  | One woman heard that across the sea there is a special herb that if you drink from it you become young. So she called her son who was aboard and asked him to get her this very special herb drink. After a few months the son came back home for a visit. At the airport he noticed that a woman with a stroller is looking at him. The woman approached him and said: “Shalom son. No hug for me?! I am your mom!” The son was amazed: “Mom!? I didn’t recognize you. You look sooooo young!” “Yes,” the mother said, smiling. “I know. It is the herb you sent me. I am sooooo happy!” “Wow,that’s great” the son replied, “but mom, who is the baby in the stroller?” “Well,” the mother sighed, “it’s dad... he drank the entire bottle.” |
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