Taanis 16b
What Makes Someone Fit to Lead the Davening
Part of Ein Yaakov · 17:04
Taanis aggada on the qualities required of a shliach tzibur, the Tzemach Tzedek's lesson to a frightened shochet, and halachos around the daily haircut of a king.
Audio Transcript
We're holding here in the middle of this piece here. It's all speaking about a chazan. which scared everybody yesterday from who's the ืฉืืื ืฆืืืืจ. Has to have a lot of qualities. He has to have no aveirot and he has to really mean it and all kinds of things. Huh? Oh. There's a pasuk that says ืืืชื ืื ื ืืืชื ืืืจืื ืืืขืจ The Oibershter like complaining the navi saying the name of the Oibershter. What daf are you holding? We're holding here. Also, yeah. The ืื is so. The ืื isn't so. Ahem. Dam I'm fine. I'm okay. Adam come in. Good. It's a ืืฉืืื ืคืจืืืช you learn Tanya you know it's a same thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the Oibershter says my nachalah, my inheritance which refers to the Yidden work your ืืืจืื ืืืขืจ ืก\"ื ืข\"ื the page is this in Ta'anit they were like a lion in the forest ื ืชื ื ืขืื ืืงืืื put the voice to me ืขื ืื ืฉื ืืชืื that's why I hate her. in other words something that the Oibershter is complaining to the Yidden because of something of their saying that I don't like them. ืืื ื ืชื ื ืขืื ืืงืืื? What is that they ื ืชื ื ืขืื ืืงืืื and that's why I don't like him. ืืืจ ืืจ ืืืืจื ืืจ ืืืืื ืืืจ ืจื. Mar Zutra bar Tuvia said the name of ืจื, ืืืืจื ืื Some say, ืืืจ ืจื ืืื ืืจ ืืืขืืจ. ืื ืฉืืื ืฆืืืืจ ืืืืจื ืืคื ื ืืชืืื ืฉืืื ื ืืืื. The Oibershter is complaining, if you have a chazan for the amud that's not fit, then the Oibershter complains, says that then you're giving your a voice and I I I don't like it. So, you have to have a chazan. So, it's gets people scared. So, if people are scared to go to the amud, those are the people that should go. Ha, the ma'aseh of the Tzemach Tzedek. ืืื ื ืืืื what's it mean? ืืื ื ืืืื like he doesn't fit to what the No, it doesn't mean. He's not fit what we said before that he's ืืจืืฆื ืืื and then he's he's in He means uh yeah. But the
That's the story with the Tzemach Tzedek that there was a shochet that came to the Tzemach Tzedek says, \"Rabbi, I want to quit. I can't do it anymore.\" He said, \"Why not?\" \"I'm afraid, you know, it's uh you have to be a yirei shamayim a shochet, you have to I'm afraid.\" So, he said to him, \"So, who should be a shochet? Someone who is not afraid?\" Same thing here. People are afraid of this. Good, if you're afraid. If you're not afraid, then there's a problem. Alter Rebbe doesn't print Ta'anit? Gemara Ta'anit? No. Good. Then we go back to the Mishnah. The Mishnah describe the whole ืกืืจ of ืชืขื ืืชืื during the time when they have to fast for for rain. So then it says that they said different special berachot. Besides the 18 berachot of every Shemoneh Esrei, they said six more berachot and one of them they added off and they said, ืื ืฉืขื ื whoever they the one that add answers Shlomo, David, all the different people that different berachot should answer us and between each berachah, it says ืืื ืืื ืกืช ืืืืจ ืืื: ืืจืืขื ืื ื ืืืจื ืืจืืขื. That the ืืื ืืื ืกืช means the one in the Beit HaMikdash the was the the the gabbai would make an announcement and say, \"ืืจืืขื, blow shofar.\" You heard a phone? I heard a telephone clinked. Yeah. It's they they they would say to them, ended. ืืจืืขื ืื ื ืืืจื ืืจืืขื. Blow. ืืื ืืื ืืจืื ืืืจืื, the same after every berachah. ืืืืช ืืืืจ, by one berachah they would say ืชืงืขื ืชืงืขื means blow a ืชืงืืขื. ืืืืืช ืืืืจ: ืืจืืขื. And one, they would say ืืจืืขื which is blow a ืชืจืืขื. That's how it went. Once they blew a ืชืงืืขื, once they blew a ืชืจืืขื. Then it says ืขื ืจืืฉืื ื ืืืืจ, and the first berachah they would finish off and say ืื ืฉืขื ื ืืช ืืืจืื whoever answered to Avraham, the one that answered to Avraham, then it would go on Eliyahu and then it would go on to Shmuel. So if you look in the Mishnah, the way it quotes, it may to give a look here in the Mishnah. Here. Uh let's see. Okay. Here he said. Uh the one that answered to Eliyahu Now, before he said Shmuel, he said, \"The one that answered the ืฆืขืงื should listen to our ืฆืขืงื, to our screaming. ืืจืื ืืชื ื' ืฉืืืข ืฆืขืงื.\" Here's the screaming of a Yid. The next ืฆืขืงื. The next one, by Eliyahu, it says ืืจืื ืืฉืืืข ืชืคืื. Here it says the word ืชืคืื. It's all the same idea, but they change the expressions. So the Beraita
says here, ืชื ื, we learn in a ืืจืืืชื ืืฉ ืืืืืคืื ืฆืขืงื ืืืืืื ืืชืคืื ืืฉืืืื. Some change it. By Eliyahu, they use ืฆืขืงื, and by Shmuel, they used ืชืคืื. Instead of the opposite. ืคืจืื ืืืืจื, ืืฉืืื ืืื ืฉืืืื, ืืืื by Shmuel I could see why they how they're able to change to ืชืคืื. ืืชืื ืืื ืชืคืื ืืืชืื ืืื ืฆืขืงื. By Shmuel, we find in the Torah both expressions, so so one chose this, one chose this. ืืืื ืืืืื, ืชืคืื ืืชืื, ืฆืขืงื ืื ืืชืื. Eliyahu just says the word ืชืคืื, but doesn't say the word ืฆืขืงื, so where do we get this idea to say that the Eibershter who answered the ืฆืขืงื of Eliyahu? Where do we see he did a ืฆืขืงื? The Gemara answers, ืขื ื ื ื' ืขื ื ื ืืฉืื ืฆืขืงื ืืื, because one of the things he said is when he asked for the fire to come down, he said ืขื ื ื ื' ืขื ื ื. ื' answer, that's that's ืฆืขืงื, that's called ืฆืขืงื, saying double ืืฉืื ืขื ื ื. Then it says in the ืืฉื ื, ืขื ืืฉืืืขืืช ืืื ืืืืจ, and at the end, it's like this, the last one he said, ืื ืฉืขื ื ืืช ืืื. First he mentioned ืื ืฉืขื ื ืืช ืืื ื, the one that answered ืืื ื ืืืขื ืืืื, in the stomach of the fish, should answer us, and then he said whoever answered ืืื ืืฉืืื should also answer us. So the
question is, ืืืื, after all, ืืื ื ืืชืจ ืืื ืืฉืืื ืืื, ืืื ื was after ืืื ืืฉืืื, ืืื ืืขืื ืืงืืืื ืืืื ื ืืจืืฉื? So why does he mention Yonah before David veShlomo? So the Gemara answer, ืืฉืื ืืืขื ืืืืืชื ืืจืื ืขื ืืืจืฅ, because by David veShlomo the end was ืืจืื ืืชื ื' ืืจืื ืขื ืืืจืฅ, that he have rachmanut on the land, which is Eretz Yisrael, and wanted to finish with that. If he would make David veShlomo first and then Yonah, we would finish on something else. So they would specially switch so we would be able to finish off with the words ืืจืื ืขื ืืืจืฅ. Then it says, weiter, ืจืื ืืืืจ, ืจืื says, this is a different ืขื ืื, ืืืืจ ืื ื, I say, ืืื ืืกืืจ ืืฉืชืืช ืืื ืืขืืื. Be'emet a kohen should never be able to drink wine, because any moment the Beit HaMikdash will be built and you'll have to do the avodah. Actually the Rabbi brings a re'ayah from here that we could expect the Beit HaMikdash to be built in eighteen minutes, because it takes eighteen minutes ืขื ืคื ืืืื to sober up. So why can't you drink wine? Mashiach Beit HaMikdash will be built, after by eighteen minutes you'll be sober. A siman the Beit HaMikdash could be built and be ready for the avodah less than eighteen minutes. ืืื ืื ืืขืฉื ืฉืชืงื ืชื ืงืืงืืชื. But what should I do? La'poal you are allowed because the the the the what helped that you should be able to drink wine the kalkalah, the bad part. So the way Rashi learns it's very hard to understand. What was the reason? You he said really you shouldn't be able to? Because maybe the Beit HaMikdash will be built! But since we see so much time passed and the Beit HaMikdash didn't get built, so now we already don't say that well, that's big. So Rashi uses a lashon here: ืืื ืืื ืฉื ืื ืฉืื ืืืจื ืืืืจื ืืงืืงืื ืืื ืืฉืื ืืื ื ืื ืืืืฉืื ื. We don't we don't say maybe it'll be built. Comes the Maharsha, see this bothered me. Must be some extra pshat. So comes the Maharsha, and the Maharsha says, ืคืืจืืฉ ืจืฉ''ื, ืืื ืคืืจืืฉ, ืืื ืืืืง. And therefore ืืืืื ืคืืจืืฉื, if not for Rashi, I would give a different pshat. The case is pashut. The only one that's able to do the avodah, it's if it's your ืืฉืืจ, and your ืืืช ืื, then you have to do the avodah that day. And that's what he means: ืชืงื ืชื, you're allowed to drink wine, ืืื ืงืืงืืชื means that we don't know which mishmeret and Beit Av. It'll be somebody. Yeah, so he says so mimela now it comes out that's like a double safek. If the Beit Hamikdash will be built, and maybe you'll be the one. So so far we don't go. It's a safek if the Beit Hamikdash will be built. Obviously it's a safek. You know, what I, two thousand years passed since then, and it still wasn't built. That's a safek sfeika, though. So it's a safek sfeika. No, it's like we hope we hope. We say ืฉืื ืืื ื. Will it be built now or in the next eighteen minutes is a safek? No, will it be built now or not? We say we always say this. The Berdichever when he wrote the invitation for his child's chasunah, what did he write? That the chasunah is going to be in Yerushalayim. ืื ืืก ืืฉืืื ืื ืืืื ืืฉืื, it'll be in Berdichever. So he already wrote, ืื ืืก ืืฉืืื ืื ืืืื ืืฉืื. I know someone told me, a chasid told the Rebbe that he went to Russia, and did years ago, the communist, and he did all kinds of not good things there. And he came back and wrote a report. So the Rebbe wrote to him, ืื ืืก ืืฉืืื by next year Mashiach will not come, you should go again. I mean, we say that. So here also we're saying maybe Mashiach will come, we hope Mashiach will come. But then, even if Mashiach will come, who says it's your mishmar? So the fact that you don't know, that's So what's the takanah? So if you would know your mishmar, then you wouldn't be able to drink wine. If you know that today is your mishmar, you can't drink wine. Since you don't know, so only a safek, so it's a double safek, it's a safek sfeika, so that's why we we're not What's the ืืฉืื ืคืกืื ืืฉืชืืช ืืื? What if he gets drunk? Well, so also to drink wine, not even drunk. He's not drunk. You can't drink a ืจืืืขืืช ืืื. A kohen cannot If a kohen is supposed to do the avodah, he can't drink a ืจืืืขืืช of wine. Can't drink a ืจืืืขืืช? Well, it makes your mind not ืจืืืขืืช of wine, unless it's ืlocal. There's all kinds of dinim in it, but you know, a kohen is not allowed to drink it. What if at night after ืฉืงืืขื and not here, in Eretz Yisrael, it's not going to be daylight? You won't No, no, no. I mean you won't do the avodah anyway. Full night you don't do the avodah. No, but How long does that take to dissipate which, based obviously on the I don't know, they'll have to figure out. Mashiach is going to work it out. I don't know, just like by Beis Hamikdash could be in 18 minutes, this also could be in 18 minutes, I don't know. These things are not normal. This is ืขืคืขืก ืจืืื ืืืช'ืืืงืข ืขื ืื ืื. But what Rashi says is a ืืืื ื ืืื. ืฉืื ืืื ื. Because the truth is there are so many places in Gemara where we say that certain things you're supposed to do or not allowed to do because ืืื ื ืืืช ืืืงืืฉ, and people are going to say, \"Well, we did this last year. We could do this again.\" So, we
always say that ืืืืฉืื ื ืฉืื ืืื ื ืืืช ืืืงืืฉ. And not only chayshinan, we're supposed to have the hope. ืืื ืืคืืขื ืืืขืฉื, because Rashi says that it's a double a double safek, we don't go. I thought they once thought that this is a ืืืงื. It's a different inyan all together, but stam. The Rebbe once spoke about he says, how someone's stories are told are not so, you can't know if it's true, it doesn't make sense. So, he said that he heard a story somebody said that the Hillel Paritcher used to go around with his pocket always had five shekalim, because he was a bechor, and he would always be ืคืืื himself. Any kohen he saw would do pidyon haben because he never knew if the kohen before was the right kohen, so he did it. They say that in the Vilna Gaon. They say it in the Vilna Gaon, but they say it on Hillel Paritcher. So, the Rebbe said, \"Well, all you have to do is open up the Pelech Harimon, the Hillel Paritcher's's sefer, and you'll see he was a Levi.\" So, how could you say he did pidyon haben? So, I remember after the farbrengen speaking to Rav Shmuel Levitin, so he said, \"lichora, you could say maybe that gufa was a safek.\" Just like a safek with the kohen is a kohen, maybe it's a safek if the Levi if he's a Levi. So, he said, \"But that's far no one would go to have this double safek and still do it.\" So, I'm thinking this is a ืืืงื here that the double safek, maybe the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt and you will be the kohen, you're, so we see that that's already the not not What about the being sure that you're a kohen? What? Or being sure that you're a kohen? Right, that's what we said, no? I thought that's the ืืฉืืจ if it was your ืืฉืืจ. No, that's here. Okay, that's Oh, you mean this should be a third? Yeah. Well, the time of the Gemara, they knew. People knew. Nowadays, they're only Yeah, but we don't know now, so Yeah, okay. Now, ein hachi nami, but when the Rebbe said it, they knew who the kohanim were ืืื ืื ืืืืืก. They were kohanim, yeah, they were real kohanim and they knew it. There's no safek by them. But you could drink on Yom Tov, so anyway, you have to serve anyway. It's not only for the You can, you don't have to. You become So, if you're drunk, you don't go. Here, you'll have to go. Everyone's in the, all of them. But, each person not. So, the
Gemara right at ืชื ื ืจืื ื ืจืื ื ืืขืืขืจื ื: ืืื ืืกืชืคืจ ืืื ืืื. The king takes a haircut everyday. ืืื ืืืื ืืขืจื ืฉืืช ืืขืจื ืฉืืช, a ืืื ืืืื every Friday. ืืื ืืืืื, regular head ืืื, ืืืช ืืฉืืืฉืื ืืื, once in 30 days. ืืื ืืกืชืคืจ ืืื ืืื, a king would take a haircut everyday. ืืื ืืขืื? What's the reason? ืืืจ ืจืื ืืจ ืขืืื: ืืืจ ืงืจื because the ืคืกืืง says: ืืื ืืืคืื ืชืืืื ื ืขืื ืื. You have to see the king beauty. He beautiful, and taking a haircut is nice. Actually, this din is the ืืืงื. The Alter Rebbe in Kuntres Acharon writes an interesting thing. The Alter Rebbe says you're not allowed to cut your nails on Thursday because it starts growing on Shabbos. The ืืดื brings also the same thing with cutting your hair. The Alter Rebbe doesn't say it. In Kuntres Acharon, the Alter Rebbe brings the ืืดื, and he says the ืืดื says hair also. And, I disagree. Why? Because the Gemara says that the king took a haircut everyday. So, people think the pshat is took a haircut everyday, including Thursday. So, re'ayah you're allowed, that's not the pshat. Why do you have to get What What What does he say? Why did they get a haircut everyday? Because it starts It grows everyday. If it would only start growing two days later, he'd only have to take a haircut every second day, why everyday? That's the re'ayah. So, since it says a ืืื would take a haircut everyday, is re'ayah that it starts growing right on the spot. So, therefore, it takes so, if it starts on the spot, so why shouldn't he be able to do it on Thursday? That's the din why you can't take cut your nails also not so pashut. What's the pshat there? But, that's what that it says there. That's clearly. Who it starts growing right away. Yeah, so what? Even if it does grow right away, memela, what's the So? No, side Cup You keep You could do a melacha on Friday that continues on Shabbos? I don't know, I'm saying this is ืขืคืขืก ื ืืืื ื ืืื by the nails. Anyway, just some bringing this. So, kohen, a melech does it everyday because he has to look nice. ืืื ืืืื ืืขืจื ืฉืืช ืืขืจื ืฉืืช, why every Friday? ืืื ืืขืื? What's the reason? ืืืจ ืจื ืฉืืืื ืืจ ืืฆืืง: ืืืืื ืืืฉืืจืืช ืืชืืืฉืืช ืืื. Since on Shabbos the ืืฉืืจืืช change, so, what we want is that when the new ืืฉืืจ comes and they meet the ืืื ืืืื, he should be his nicest. That's why we do it every Friday. And, ืืืืื is ืืืช ืืฉืืืฉืื ืืื, once in 30 days. Minalan? Where do we know that? ืืชืื ืคืจืข ืคืจืข ืื ืืืจ. We
learn out a gezeira shava, the word ืคืจืข from a nazir. ืืชืื ืืื, it says by a ืืื: ืจืืฉื ืื ืืืืื ืืคืจืข ืคืจืข ืื ืืฉืืื. It says that they shouldn't they're not allowed to have ืคืจืข, which means they're not allowed to have long hair. But, how long is called long hair? Since it says here ืคืจืข, ืืชืื ืืชื, in the ืคืกืืง it says by a ื ืืืจ: ืงืืฉ ืืืื ืืื ืคืจืข. By a ื ืืืจ it says his ืคืจืข should be long, and it's holy. What's a ื ืืืจ? ืื ืืืื ืฉืืืฉืื ืืื. What's ืกืชื ื ืืืจืืช? ืกืชื ื ืืืจ is ืฉืืืฉืื ืืื, thirty days. So over there we refer to hair of thirty days as ืคืจืข. ืืฃ ืืื, here too, when it says don't have ืคืจืข, it means ืฉืืืฉืื ืืื, so he has to cut at least before ืฉืืืฉืื ืืื, before the thirty days. Let's go another few lines. Learn a halacha from Yechezkel. Yeah. That's calm. Why not? Okay, I didn't want to stop for that, but let's stop anyway. He's asking a kashya. Bichlal we can't learn from ืืืจื ืงืืื. We don't learn from Tanach. You can't learn halachot out of Tanach because it says ืืื ืื ืืื ืจืฉืื ืืืืฉ ืืืจ. A navi can't make up, so we can't learn any halachot from Tanach. Nazir is not Tanach? Not in nazir, the first other ืคืกืืง, ืจืืฉื ืื ืืืืื ืคืจืข ืื ืืฉืืื is Yechezkel. The answer is pashut. We cannot learn a halacha, but we could learn a ืืืืื ืืืืชื. All we're looking for is what is the teitch of the word ืคืจืข? ื ื ืื we would have a dictionary, and we'd find in the dictionary ืคืจืข means thirty days, is that So, it's it's only it's not It just teaches you the teitch of the word, that you could learn. The Gemara says it. The
Gemara in the beginning of Bava Kamma, the Gemara says that ื ืืืื is ืืงืจื. When it says ืื ืืื, if if an ox will gore you, it means with a horn. How do you know it means with a horn? The Gemara quotes a pasuk in Tanach. Right, the Gemara Tanach? How could you bring from Tanach? And the Gemara answers, we're not learning a din from Tanach, we're learning out the teitch of what ื ืืืื means, pshat teitch. So if the Tanach tells you that that's what it means, you can learn out, the same thing also, you're allowed to learn that out. It helps the limud. It's a proof for the limud, in a sense. No, it just tells you the teitch of the word. That's what I mean. I mean, in order to get to the Yeah, you know it says it shouldn't have ืคืจืข, we don't know what ืคืจืข is. So it comes that here comes Yechezkel, tells you, ืคืจืข, I I heard, I know that, that ืคืจืข means thirty days. Okay. So, having three safekot doesn't doesn't change anything from Two to three doesn't change. I mean two I mean two safek, a double safek, doesn't change. Keeps track.