Berachos 034: Being Shali'ach Tzibur

[Kollel Iyun Hadaf]

x-mailing-list: daf-disc...@shemayisrael.com
(Please include header and footer when redistributing this material.)
_________________________________________________________________

                 THE DAFYOMI DISCUSSION LIST

      brought to you by Kollel Iyun Hadaf of Yerushalayim
             Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
                      d...@dafyomi.co.il

 [REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE TO DISCUSS THE DAF WITH THE KOLLEL]
________________________________________________________________

Berachos 034: Being Shali'ach Tzibur

Chaim asked:

Dear Rav Kornfeld,

Could we please get some more help with two more questions?

1) Why when the gemara mentions the custom of declining the opportunity to be 
the shaliach tzibbur, do we also say that when called up for an aliyah of the 
Torah reading one should take the shortest path, and if I understand correctly, 
cannot decline once called by name?

How is the "aliyah" honors for other functions different -- any item that might 
be auctioned for Simchas Torah, such as opening up the Aron HaKodesh, or 
lifting up the Sefer Torah?  How are these different than the aliyah of being 
the shaliach tzibur?

2) Why does the gemara use the example of one who eats food cooked without salt 
to describe someone with too little time, that he does not have to decline the 
first invitation to lead davening, and not mention the cases, elsewhere in 
Gemara, of the meat that is cooked only 1/3 of the way by Michoel ben Drasoi, a 
famous bandit apparently, who was always on the run, and had to eat his meat 
barely cooked?

Is it because the Gemara doesn't need as an extreme example, that not having 
time to spice food is more common than cooking food only the minimal amount?

Does any commentary on this gemara bring up this other benchmark of timing in 
cooking?

Chaim Chesler

--------------------------
The Kollel replies*:

1) Being the Shaliach Tzibur is more than just an honor, it is a position of 
leadership.  A person who is offered a position of leadership must, at least, 
pretend that he is not worthy of the position (see Rashi on the Mishnah of 
Berachos 34a and the Gemara there). An Aliyah to the Torah or any other honor 
in shul should be accepted immediately.  If not, the person is showing 
disrespect for the Torah.

2) I believe that the meaning of the Mashal of the unsalted meat is that just 
like such meat lacks taste, so too the person that immediately accepts the 
position of Shaliach Tzibur is demonstrating a lack of maturity and awareness 
of the weightiness of the task (and a person that refuses too many times is 
like an oversalted piece of meat - too conservative.)  For that reason Chazal 
didn't compare him to Ma'achal Ben Drosai.

Kol Tuv,
Yonasan Sigler

*This is not a Psak Halachah


>>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<<
The *D*AFYOMI *A*DVANCEMENT *F*ORUM, brought to you by Kollel Iyun Hadaf

Write to us at d...@dafyomi.co.il or visit us at http://www.dafyomi.co.il
Fax(US): (206) 2020-DAF; Fax(Isr): (02) 591-6024; Tel(Isr): (02) 651-5004 


_______________________________________________
Daf-discuss mailing list
Daf-discuss@shemayisrael.co.il
http://shemayisrael.co.il/mailman/listinfo/daf-discuss_shemayisrael.co.il