Dedicated to the Loving Memory of: Nechemiya ben Chaim Mandelbaum, z"l (21st Av, 1998), by Shlomo Mandelbaum.

Meoros Hadaf Hayomi Newsletters, in Hebrew and/or English, are available for simcha dedications as well as for memorials such as yahrzeit, shloshim, etc., and are distributed in bulk or by personal subscription, by mail: Sochachov, POB 471, Bnai Brak, Israel; Fax 718-851-4600; or by e-mail dafyomi@netvision.net.il. For more information, please call 718-871-2296.


When A Dog's Bark Is As Bad As Its Bite
'Raising An Ill Tempered Dog At Home'
(Baba Kama 15b)

Our daf teaches us that someone who raises an ill tempered dog in his home transgresses the negative mitzvah, "You shall not place blood danger in your house" (Devarim 22:8). The Yam Shel Shlomo defines an "ill tempered or bad dog" as "a dog that barks at strangers." A dog that barks but does not bite is also considered a "bad dog" because it still frightens other people (Yam Shel Shlomo 7:45; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Hilchos Shemiras Haguf Vehanefesh 3). Such a dog should be kept tied up day and night to avoid transgressing the Torah prohibition (Mechaber, Choshen Mishpat 409:3). The Poskim add that muzzling the dog's mouth is insufficient since as long as the dog is loose and scares passersby, it is considered a "bad dog." This applies to a dog that barks, but according to Rashi, a dog that bites must be put to death (s.v. ad).

Beware Of Dog

The Mishneh Halachos (5:297) discusses whether posting a "Beware of Dog" sign is enough to avoid transgressing, "You shall not place blood in your house." Hanging a sign is probably inadequate since people who do not notice it run the risk of getting a bad shock. However, the Mishneh Halachos defends this practice, pointing out that people are used to relying on printed information on medicine and electrical appliances to warn them against the hazards of improper use. Anyone with common sense can be counted to notice the warnings and take heed, says the Mishneh Halachos, and the same principle applies to "Beware of Dog" signs.

A Guard Dog

Nonetheless, the Mechaber (ibid.) rules that in places where Jews must protect themselves against non- Jewish hooligans and thieves who are liable to harm them or steal their property, dogs can be let loose at night to ward them off.

European Dogs Are More Civil

A fierce debate was sparked among residents of a building located on Djerba, an island off the coast of Tunisia, because of a dog. One occupant acquired a ferocious dog that frightened everyone. To the neighbors' great dismay, he even let the dog roam around the yard untied, claiming it was protecting his home from thieves. The terrified neighbors turned to the Shoel Umeishiv, complaining that their relatives and guests were afraid to visit them because of the dog. The Shoel Umeishiv (Chosen Mishpat 1:32) ruled in their favor, basing his decision on the Shulchan Aruch (Chosen Mishpat 161:5), which says partners in a shared yard can stop each other from bringing animals and hens into the yard; all the more so can they object to a frightening dog.

It is interesting to note that in the course of his extended responsum, the Shoel Umeishiv mentions the ferocity of Djerban dogs compared to the civility of European dogs, which neither bite nor bark, but behave with typical European gentility.

In conclusion, it is only fitting to cite the Maharsha (Shabbos 63a, s.v. kol), who writes that although it is permitted to own a dog that does not fall under the rubric of a "bad dog," the owner should make sure as well that the dog does not frighten away the poor, which would deprive him of the opportunity to perform acts of kindness toward them.

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We hope to bring you news concerning a Daf Yomi shiur every week, describing its history, lecturer(s), and special events. Please forward information regarding your Daf Yomi shiur to Fax no. 718-851-4600 or yeshiva613@aol.com.

Daf Yomi In Kiryat Shemona

The Daf Yomi shiur at Yeshiva Kiryat Shemona is given by Rabbi Yisrael Kirshtein, a musmach of the renowned Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he learned for many years, Rabbi Kirshtein was also ordained by Israel's Chief Rabbinate and by Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. Rabbi Kirshtein's lectures in Talmud and Halacha, and extended range of commentaries, his clarity of thought and incisive analysis, as well as his outstanding ability to communicate complex ideas and subtle distinctions, have earned for him throughout the Yeshiva world an enviable reputation as an outstanding Talmid Chacham. Students clamor for admission to our Yeshiva in order to have the privilege of learning, and growing in learning, with him.

For a number of years, prior to his Kiryat Shemona appointment, Rabbi Kirshtein served on the editorial board, and authored many articles, of the massive and ongoing Encyclopedia Talmudit of the Torah Shelemah Institute. Arriving in Kiryat Shemona with his appointment as co-Rosh Yeshiva, the personable and energetic young Rabbi Kirshtein invested himself totally in his teaching duties, delivering the weekly Shiur Klalli, the encompassing general Talmud Shiur, to the entire student body, as well as teaching the daily Talmud Shiur to one of the five classes.

In 1982, Rabbi Kirshtein established the first Daf Yomi Shiur in Kiryat Shemona, continuing to lead it every evening in the Sephardic Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue, where more than 25 men can be found each evening, pouring over the study of Talmud with him. Since then, Rabbi Kirshtein has organized two mass Siyum Hashas gatherings in Kiryat Shemona with the active, personal participation of both Chief Rabbis of Israel, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, together with other Torah luminaries and Chassidic Rebbes. Hundreds of people from throughout the entire Upper Galilee gathered in the festive conclave to study and honor the Torah upon the completion of the study of the entire Talmud in its seven- year cycle.

The Yeshiva is located in the development town of Kiryat Shemona in the Galilee Panhandle, the northernmost border of Israel. Surrounded on three sides by the Lebanese and Syrian borders, Kiryat Shemona is strategically located to defend and secure the northern border. As a result, Kiryat Shemona was a frequent target of terrorist incursions and, after the 1982 "Peace for Galilee" Campaign, for random Katyusha rocket attacks.

Established in the 1950's as a strategic development town, the government settled in Kiryat Shemona mostly poor Moroccan and Roumanian Jews. While still predominantly Sephardic, and a very small Roumanian contingent, today, fully twenty percent of the town's 22,000 Jewish population are from the former Soviet Union, having been settled here by the government since 1989 during the great wave of immigration following the collapse of the communist empire.

The Yeshiva is located in the Galilee panhandle, which has been called the most beautiful part of Israel. Within a 7-minute drive from the Yeshiva are opportunities to swim, inner-tube, kayak and raft down the Jordan River as well a myriad of hiking trails of varying degrees of challenge, affording beautiful scenery and panoramic vistas. The Yeshiva is 45minutes by car from the Hermon, Israel's only Ski slope. There are many camping-sites, private guest rooms and Kibbutz Guest Houses in the neighborhood.

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