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Several of the boys took the opportunity of their regular teacher’s absence, to discuss the soccer tournament which was to take place during the next recess. Rabbi Cohen raised his eyes, and his gaze settled on Yossi, who was sitting amidst the group of offenders. In truth, Yossi hadn’t spoken, but Rabbi Cohen didn’t recognize the boys, yet, and mistakenly took Yossi for one of the talkers.
"You!" Rabbi Cohen extended his finger in Yossi’s direction. "Come see me after class."
Yossi proclaimed his innocence, but his protests only further enraged the teacher. "Look at all the disruption you’re causing! You’re clearly not paying attention to the words of Shirat Chana that we’re learning, now. As a result, I’m requiring you to memorize all of Shirat Chana tonight, and come back to me tomorrow to be tested!"
Yossi, seeing that there was nothing he could do, sat down quietly and waited for the lesson to be over.
The next day, right on schedule, a student sauntered into Rabbi Cohen’s classroom. The boy recited Shirat Chana by heart, flawlessly. Rabbi Cohen complimented him, both on how responsible he was in fulfilling his assignment, and on his accuracy. The boy smiled and nodded, then ran outside, and burst out laughing.
"How’d it go?" Yossi asked Gili, his identical twin brother.
"Amazing! Rabbi Cohen even complimented you on how well you knew the pesukim."
"Thanks for filling in for me!" Yossi enthused, as he gave Gili a slap on the back. "Not everyone has an identical twin who enjoys memorizing pesukim in Navi."
Was Yossi allowed to have Gili be tested instead of him?
Anwer of Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzal:
Ordinarily, it would be forbidden to fool a teacher, as Yossi and Gili did. However, because Yossi was punished unjustly, in this case, he was allowed to have Gili be tested instead of him. However, if Yossi were to receive some kind of benefit, such as a prize, for doing well on the test, it would be forbidden for him to have Gili be tested instead of him.
Summary: Because Yossi was only trying to save himself from unjust punishment, what Yossi and Gili did was permitted.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
