ISSUE 1593
ב"ה
United We Stand
DEC. 28TH 2024 ▪ כ״ז כסלו תשפ"ה
פרשת מקץ
PARSHAT MIKEITZ SHABBAT CHANUKAH & MEVARCHIM
Chanukah a Short-Lived Festival
Rabbi Baruch Taub Page 76
Where was the Location of Chanukah? Rivi Frankel Page 84
OU Israel wishes you
חנוכה !שמח
YOM KIPPUR
RABBI BARUCH Emeritus, The BAYT Toronto TAUB Rabbi OU Israel Faculty
The Golden Mean
In fact a careful reading of the first and second chapters of Rambam’s Hilchot Deot will reveal that this is the proper understanding of the Golden Mean, the middle path in exercising character traits. Contrary to the generally accepted understanding of this central motif that this “middle road” is “moderation” in the classic sense ( not extremely arrogant yet not extremely humble, but somewhere in the middle). Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk was known to say “A horse walks in the middle of the road not a Jew”. A proper analysis of Rambam’s halachot will reveal the true understanding of the Golden Mean.
The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once commented that the definition of a true philosopher is someone who can defend two polar opposite theories and be comfortable with Galbraith was on to something, but he was preceded by Chazon Ish. In a letter, Chazon Ish comments on the qualifications of a Navi. He quotes Rambam for example who states that Nevu’ah can only be received and transmitted if the prophet is b’simcha. Remarkably that He can also exercise extreme means, comments Chazon Ish, that when Yirmiyahu wrote Eicha he was b’simcha! humility and an embracing love This counter-intuitive reality highlights ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIPS 02-560-9125 TORAHTIDBITS.COM the fact that a person has the capacity to It is not about a constant positioning “in
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