A Mother-in-Law's Oil, and the Fire Between Husband and Wife
A Mother-in-Law's Oil, and the Fire Between Husband and Wife
Part of Halacha, Hashkafa and Parenting · 6:14
A short piece on the halachic relationship between a mother-in-law and son-in-law, framed through a cautionary story, the metaphor of fire in marriage, and a note on Adam's unusual sacrifice.
Audio Transcript
讗诪专讛 诇讛, she said to her, 讝讬诇 讗讬拽砖讬讟 讘诪砖讞讗 讚讗驻专住诪讗, \"Go get put yourself on oil of balsam, balsam oil which is...\" The mother-in-law said to the daughter-in-law, \"Put yourself on, get...\" Huh? Why did the Gemara have to explain? Okay, but she hated her so much, you'll see. The second, 讗讝诇讗, so she went, 讜讗讬拽砖讬讟. 讗讬拽砖讬讟, so she got dressed and then she put all this perfume on her. 讻讬 讗转讗, when she came, 讗诪专讛 诇讛, she said to her, 讝讬诇 讗讚诇讬 砖专讙讗, \"Go light a candle.\" 讗讝诇讗 讗讚诇讬 砖专讙讗, so she went to light a candle. 讗谞驻抓 讘讛 住讜, the mother-in-law blew at the fire and it caught on herself, 讗谞驻抓 讘讛 谞讜专讗, she blew the fire 讜讗讻诇转谞讛, killed her. The the daughter-in-law. Killed the daughter-in-law because she was full of oil. Yeah, so make sure she told her special, no, she told her to put yourself on the oil, and she planned to kill her, so she did this and this. So, this is a very strange story. Okay. To be careful of your mother-in-law. Everyone should be careful of his mother-in-law. Huh? Is this where the source is? No, that's not the only place, I mean, that's Actually, a son-in-law and a mother-in-law, the Gemara says are close. The
Gemara says, fakert, there's a chashash, there was a person that lived in the same house as his mother-in-law, and the chachamim put him in cherem because he got too close to her, I mean the Gemara says. A mother-in-law and a son-in-law are close, a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, they hate each other. They're one of the six women that says that you don't trust. Like a person comes and says that this man died, you trust him even if it's one ed and his wife could remarry, and she's not an agunah. And even if a woman comes, if a woman which normally a woman is 驻住讜诇 诇注讚讜转, in this case she's ne'eman, once. But there's six women who are not believed. One of them, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, cuz these are people who don't like each other. Okay, this wasn't I'm not in the story, but It was teaching us that the oil is very volatile. Huh? You took that joke. Watch out for your mother-in-law. He's teaching about balsam oil. He's talking about oil, not about oil. It said Gemara. Be careful with balsam oil, it's highly volatile. Okay. Good. Flammable. Yeah. Okay. So rule number one, stay too close to the fire. That's That's the other thing. Okay. Another lesson. Okay, we're holding here 讟\"讝, the next thing. That
happened to my son on a date. Oy vavoy. He was on a date in New York City, and the girl, they they they want to they don't want to have curly hair, they want to have straight hair. So they call they go they say He put on some crazy Chinese you know, special you have to go to a special shop where they Chinese your hair and they make it they take curly hair and make it straight. They put on real strong chemicals. So it has chemicals on it. So they had a candle in the middle of the thing and she went close and whoop fire her hair caught on fire. On her date? The date is gone. It's over. The date the date is gone. And uh Yeah, he had to put it out. But at least he knew the story of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter where there was a fire or something and and the and people were afraid. No, a woman was drowning, they're afraid to touch the woman, he told them 讞住讬讚 砖讜讟讛. Who says that? The 讛讙讛讛, whatever, but 诪讗讬 讞住讬讚 砖讜讟讛? 讻讙讜谉 讚拽讗 讟讘注讗 讗讬转转讗 讘谞讛专讗... And he says, \"I can't save her because...\" Yeah, yeah. So, he put out the fire, but it wasn't it wasn't was not a mesugal for a good date. I can imagine. Doesn't sound good. Okay. So, the Gemara Yeah, we're holding 讟\"讝. But was your wife around? Huh? Was your wife around? Ish and ishah. Now she wasn't going to be a mother-in-law. It really had a 讬\"讚 and a 讛', no? Okay, okay. Esh. Yeah. Cuz you have fire between the Yeah. If
things don't No, if it goes good, Yeah. it's 讬\"讛, 砖讻讬谞讛 砖专讜讬讛 讘讬谞讬讛诐. If it doesn't go good, then you both have 讗\"砖 to 讗\"砖. Like the Minchas says, 讗砖 讗讜讻诇讛 讗砖. Yeah, but that's not so bad. If you have fire and and and wood, it's a problem. Fire and fire is good, if they were good. Yeah, so the 讙诪专讗, 诪讗讬 讛讜讛 注诇讛 讚转讞砖 砖讛讬讛 讘讬诪讬 诪砖讛? What happened to the 转讞砖? We know that one of the skins that they use in the time of Moshe Rabbeinu with the Mishkan was 注讜专讜转 转讞砖讬诐, from 转讞砖. Now, we have no idea we don't have a 转讞砖 nowadays. What happened to the 转讞砖? 讗诪专 专讘讬 讗诇注讝专, 讗诪专 专讘讬 砖诪注讜谉 讘谉 诇拽讬砖, 讗讜诪专 讛讬讛 专讘讬 诪讗讬专, 专讘讬 诪讗讬专 used to say, 转讞砖 砖讛讬讛 讘讬诪讬 诪砖讛 讘专讬讛 讘驻谞讬 注爪诪讛 讛讬讛, it was a time of Moshe Rabbeinu, the 转讞砖 was a special kind it was a special uh Animal. animal, a creature. 讜诇讗 讛讻专讬注讜 讘讛 讞讻诪讬诐, the Chachamim had no 专讗讬讛 讗诐 诪谉 讞讬讛 讛讜讗 讗讜 诪谉 讘讛诪讛 讛讜讗, whether it's a 讞讬讛 or a 讘讛诪讛. And there's a difference between a 讞讬讛 and a 讘讛诪讛 cuz a lot of halachot. A 讞讬讛 is the it doesn't 讻讬住讜讬 讛讚诐, a 讘讛诪讛 doesn't. A 讞讬讛, the 讞诇讘 is mutar, a 讘讛诪讛 the 讞诇讘 is asur. I mean 讜拽专谉 讗讞转 讛讬转讛 诇讜 讘诪爪讞讜, it had one horn on its forehead. 讜诇驻讬 砖注讛 谞讝讚诪谉 诇讜 诇诪砖讛, it boom, happened, a temporary thing the Aibershter made it come, 讜注砖讜 诪诪谞讜 诪砖讻谉, and they made the 诪砖讻谉, 讜谞讙谞讝, and afterwards it got hidden. So we have no more 转讞砖. History then, we used to have a single-horned Was it Unicorn. Yeah, unicorn. No, no, I think it means a kind, because one animal was not enough to make all that skin. A whole big animal? No. Then the Gemara says, 诪讻讚讬 拽专谉 讗讞转 讛讬转讛 诇讜 讘诪爪讞讜, since it says it had one horn on his forehead, 砖诪注 诪讬谞讛 讟讛讜专讛 讛讬讗, assume it was a kasher animal, right? 讻讚讗诪专, it was, it was said, 砖讜专 砖讛拽专讬讘 讗讚诐 讛专讗砖讜谉, the ox that Adam Harishon was 诪拽专讬讘, in other words the day Adam Harishon was created he brought a korban to the Aibershter. What was it, a 砖讜专, and that 砖讜专 拽专谉 讗讞转 讛讬转讛 诇讜 讘诪爪讞讜, it had a one horn in his forehead.
How did he know it was, how did he know it was mutar to be 诪拽专讬讘 讗讜转讜? Because you can't bring a korban with a treifah animal, and since he brought a korban of this... Who told him he has the right to bring a korban? Noach was told... Noach was also not told. Was not told. He understood himself. It says that he understood, since the Eibershter told him to bring seven... But the pasuk says 谞转转讬 诇讻诐 讗转 讻诇 讻讬专拽 注砖讘, the pasuk was matir him the flesh. To eat. To eat. So if he's matir this, just like a korban, but Adam Harishon didn't have a pasuk like that, so how did he know? He didn't eat it. No, he didn't eat the korban. No, he didn't eat the meat. But to bring a korban, because to the Eibershter...