Community Magazine August 2006

 ”  18 Community Magazine like Ben Bag Bag, who comes from the outside and appreciates the vastness and all-inclusiveness of Torah, to remind us of how excit- ing it is. For him Torah is always new and fresh; he still marvels at the depth and profundity of Torah knowledge. He therefore reminds us never to cease delving into Torah, to continue studying and ana- lyzing its words, “for it contains everything” – all fields of study, all areas of human thought, are contained in the Torah. Harvard University vs. Yeshivat Porat Yosef Numerous sources attest to the accuracy of Ben Bag Bag’s asser- tion – that everything is contained in Torah, that Torah is all encom- passing, and that this is not merely an exaggeration. The Ramban, in his introduction to the Book of Bereishit, describes the extent of Moshe’s knowledge that he received at Sinai, and he lists several different areas over which he achieved mastery: geology, bot- any, zoology, psychology, medicine and astronomy. The Kuzari (philo- sophical work by Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, Spain-Israel, 1075-1141) discusses Moshe Rabbenu’s mas- tery of geography. Before ever hav- ing set foot in the Land of Israel, he presents to the People of Israel an accurate, detailed outline of its bor- ders. His successor, Yehoshua, also mastered this field – he divided the Land of Israel among the twelve tribes, specifying where each bor- der between the tribes would be situated. The Ramban adds that King Solomon composed a medical book containing the cure for every disease and illness known to man. Even a person suffering from the common cold could open this book and find the cure. These great men mastered every field, every disci- pline through the intensive study of Torah. “Delve in it, and delve in it again, for it contains everything.” If one exerts himself sufficiently in the study of Torah, he will eventu- ally acquire mastery over every area of human thought. Scientific Knowledge in the Talmud In Masechet Sota, the Talmud establishes that the gender of a fetus is determined forty days after conception. It therefore rules that until forty days, a person may pray that the child be a certain gender, but after that point such a prayer is considered a tefilat shav – a meaningless prayer – since the gender has already been determined and one may not pray for a miracle. This knowledge was known to the Sages of Talmud two-and-a-half millennia ago. Only of late has science begun discovering this infor- mation. It was recently established that the gender is determined at sixty days after conception. Eventually this will be corrected to forty Dedicated for the yeshua of the Jews in the land of Israel 1969 Coney Island Ave (bet. P & Quentin) 718-382-5559 H alav Y israel • P at Y israel • K emah Y ashan Where the Community Unwinds & Dines in the Summertime! open from 12pm-11pm We Welcome All Who Join Us In The Summer Months With A Free Pizza Pie At Your Table... Just For Asking! With Dinner For 2 Or More Exp. August 31 ‘06 Not Combineable With Any Other Offers all new lunch menu OPENATNOON Omelets,Wraps,Toasts, Salad Combos, Iced Coffee,Cappuccino and more! STARTINGAT $7.95 regular menu also available! MONDAY NITE SUMMERTIME BUFFET ONLY$19.95 Includes Appetizer, Salad, Soup & Main Course.