BSD

Brochos 4a

Elul 23, 5785. 09/16/2025

Short notes.

1- The 3 answers on why משה רבינו said כחצות הלילה and not the precise moment of חצות:

A – He didn’t know precisely when חצות was, down to the second.

(דוד המלך did know via a miracle when his harp began to play. )

B- He did know, but told the מצריים ‘approximately חצות’ because they were unable to figure out when חצות occurred.

C – משה רבינו heard this from Hashem at חצות on the night before מכת בכורות. What he told the מצריים was כחצות, meaning that ‘at this same time tomorrow night, the מכה will occur’. (so כחצות does not mean approximate at all. Rather ‘just as tonight’).

2- Our גמרא:

כָּךְ אָמַר דָּוִד לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, לֹא חָסִיד אֲנִי? שֶׁכָּל מַלְכֵי מִזְרָח וּמַעֲרָב יְשֵׁנִים עַד שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁעוֹת, וַאֲנִי, ״חֲצוֹת לַיְלָה אָקוּם לְהוֹדוֹת לָךְ״ (תהלים קי״ט:ס״ב).

It is said: “A prayer of David…Keep my soul, for I am pious” (Psalms 86:1-2)……..

David’s declaration of piety referred to his awakening during the night to pray, and so said David before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, am I not pious? As all of the kings of the East and the West sleep until the third hour of the day, but although I am a king like them, “At midnight I rise to give thanks” (Psalms 119:62).

Mentioned the Maharsha that points out the expression ‘kings of the East and the West’ and not of the North and South.

ונקט מלכי מזרח ומערב כו׳ וכן בכמה מקומות נקט הכי לפי שיישוב עולם כולו מקצה מזרח עד קצה מערב אבל בקצה דרום ובקצה צפון אין שם ישוב מפני הקור והחום כמ״ש התוכניים:

East to West where the human race lives. As opposed to the North and South that are not populated due to cold and heat.

This was written about 400 years ago, so we’re not exactly sure what he meant. Heat? ארץ ישראל is located in one the hottest latitudes.

Comments?

3- Long discussion on the Urim v Tumim and other topics.

Yale University Coat of Arms. ‘Light and Truth’ 

Here.

• The various opinions on what exactly it was.
• Even Ezra, Rashi, Ramban, Rambam.
• When asking for direction, the stones would either light up or would move around to form a word. Is that called writing? Is it permitted to ask on Shabbos?
• Is performing a miracle considered ‘work’? Can one extinguish a fire using a miracle?

See these sites for interesting discussion – of unknown provenance.

https://www.berotbatayin.org/what-is-the-difference-between-the-urim-tumim-and-the-ouija-board/

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-urim-vetumim

 4 – The saga of Achitophel.

Was it really revenge that caused him to join the rebellion against דוד המלך? Was אחיתופל a גואל הדם for his son in law?

(Batsheva was the daughter of  אליעם – Eliam, who was Achitophel’s son.)

“וישלח דוד וידרש לאשה ויאמר הלוא זאת בת שבע בת אליעם אשת אוריה החתי”

In conclusion, when news of קידוש החודש needed to be spread, but also kept secret, the symbol used was דוד מלך ישראל חי וקיים. Rosh Hashanah 25, a.

כתיבה וחתימה טוב לכולם.