Volume 11 Number 9
Produced: Thu Jan 6 8:09:21 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
A comment of the Rav's on adoption
[Isaac Balbin]
Boats on Shabbos
[Yosef Bechhofer]
Dikduk (Hebrew grammar) - name Elana
[Ellen Golden]
Dreams
[Freda Birnbaum]
Jan 16--Family Purity
[Neil Parks]
Lost E-mail Message
[<rotha@...> (Arthur Roth]
Ma'oz Tsur and Behema Daka
[Naomi G. Cohen]
No Nechama from Southern Comfort-Revisited
[Aryeh Frimer]
Pru urvuh to what lengths?
[Jeffrey Claman]
Sunday Tisha B'Av
[Danny Skaist]
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From: Isaac Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 04:03:19 -0500
Subject: Re: A comment of the Rav's on adoption
| From: Alan Zaitchik <ZAITCHIK@...>
|
| I got no farther than that when the Rav interrupted me and said,
| as dramatically as only the Rav could, "I know what you are referring
| to and I FORBID YOU TO READ IT! I FORBID YOU TO READ IT!". (I was
| referring to some halachic discussions concerning the "issur yichud"
| (prohibition of being alone with a member of the opposite sex) between
| adoptive parents and their (post-puberty) adopted children of the opposite
| sex. I had seen this in a Lubavich publication, but I am not sure whether
| it originated with the Rebbe or not.)
I wonder why the Rov FORBADE you to read it. Was this because this might
be upsetting, at which point one must ask why the prohibition as opposed to
advice to ignore it? If the reason is Toiv Sheyiyu Shogegim, then maybe
the Rov agrees, but thinks it is a matter that Roiv would be Nichshal
on and hence better left alone. Of course,the Lubavitcher Rebbe may think that
his Chassidim are more willing to listen to his pronouncements and
he therefore did come out strongly warning people of the problems.
I should point out that Rav Waldenberg also has a whole Kuntres on Yichud in
Tzizt Eliezer, and from memory, he also warns against the problem
of Yichud. Rabbi Bill Altshul recently told me that in an article on the issue
Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch questions why Chazal didn't seem to warn about
this problem in all of Shas.
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From: <YOSEF_BECHHOFER@...> (Yosef Bechhofer)
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 04:03:23 -0500
Subject: Boats on Shabbos
In response to a recent query:
a) Chazal note that the prohibition of exceeeding techum Shabbos does
not apply to any vehicle that is more than ten tefachim above solid
ground, so it does not apply (and therefore there is no inherent issur
in travel on Shabbos) to boats or planes. Disembarking, however, is a
separate problem, and subject to severe limitations.
b) I was told just this week by a relative looking into kosher
cruises that many modern cruise ships have electronically controlled
toilets. This WOULD present a problem on Shabbos.
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From: <egolden@...> (Ellen Golden)
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 04:03:25 -0500
Subject: Re: Dikduk (Hebrew grammar) - name Elana
From: <danny@...> (Danny Weiss)
For all you Hebrew grammar experts out there -- what is the correct
vowelation for the name Elana (pronounced ee-lah-nah, accent on the
lah).
In Hebrew - aleph, yud, lamed, nun, heyh. The aleph gets a hiriq, the
nun gets a qamats. What about the lamed? Qamats or Patah? And does the
lamed get a dagesh? This word/name is not quite analogous to the usual
femininization of a masculine noun (eg, ayal to ayala) since usually the
accent goes to the last syllable (the la in ayala), but not in Elana (it
remains on the lamed). In fact, why does the accent stay on the lamed?
I asked my husband, and he said "Qamats." No question for him. He
admits that he's open to hear anyone who disagrees (I'll show him...
he doesn't subscribe to more lists than he wants to read, and he's
into math). He also admits he's not taught Hebrew for a long time
(we're old fogies... both of us).
V. Ellen Golden
<egolden@...>
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From: Freda Birnbaum <FBBIRNBA@...>
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 07:29 EDT
Subject: Dreams
In V11N5, Lawrence Teitelman mentions, in the context of another
discussion, that
>one can fast a "ta`anit chalom" on Shabbat because the relief
>experienced by a person fasting after a bad dream constitutes "oneg
>Shabbat".
Does anyone know of any material, preferably in English, whether
halachic, historical, psychological, or anecdotal, on the subject of
dreams in general and fasting after a bad dream in particular; and does
anyone know of anybody who takes this seriously nowadays? This is not
meant to be flippant; I occasionally read references to this but never
hear anyone discuss it.
I have come across some very interesting and serious material on dreams
and one's religious life, but most of it is by Christians (particularly
by an Episcopal priest, John Sanford, who derives much of his
psychological hashkofa from Jung) and I would like to know if there is
anything else is out there; I've looked, but haven't seen anything.
Freda Birnbaum, <fbbirnbaum@...>
"Call on God, but row away from the rocks"
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From: <neil.parks@...> (Neil Parks)
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 01:31:00 -0500
Subject: Jan 16--Family Purity
Sunday, January 16, 1994, at 8 pm
The Heights Jewish Center Winter Lecture Series presents:
"Insights Into Family Purity Observance"
Guest Speaker, Rabbi Yaakov Feitman, Young Israel of Beachwood
Rabbi Feitman will expound upon various Torah sources offering
insights that deal with the observance of Family Purity and its
tremendous impact on strengthening the Jewish Family today.
Heights Jewish Center
14270 Cedar Road (at Wrenford Rd./Purvis Park)
University Heights (Cleveland), Ohio
216-382-1958
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From: <rotha@...> (Arthur Roth
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 94 15:35:43 -0600
Subject: Lost E-mail Message
Somebody sent me a personal E-mail last night (between 9PM Jan. 4 and 3AM
Jan. 5, can't pinpoint more closely). I inadvertently erased this message
before reading it or determining exactly who had sent it, but certain clues
make me reasonably certain that it was someone from mail-jewish. I would like
the author of the message to understand the circumstances, i.e., that I am not
intentionally ignoring whatever the message contained. If it was important
enough to the author to be worth resending, I'd of course be glad to respond to
a second copy. Sorry for my clumsiness.
Arthur Roth
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From: Naomi G. Cohen <RVOLF01@...>
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 94 22:41:01 IST
Subject: Re: Ma'oz Tsur and Behema Daka
Concerning the final verse of Ma'oz Tsur:
The way I have understood it is: dekhei Admon - refers to Barbarossa (the
red-beard); betsel tsalmon - refers either to the church in general or more
likely to the crusaders in particular (who wore the `tselem' = cross on
their chest); ro'im shiv'ah refers to the Messiah - I forgot how, but it
has to do with a verse from the Tanakh.
On the Behema Daka subject:
One may learn something from what happened in England when the sheep grazers
drove out the small farmers which caused the land to become desolate.
Since the Sages were obviously interested in preserving the ability of the
small farmer to survive, they forbad the parnassa of sheep or cattle grazing
on agricultural land. Further, anyone familiar with what happened in the land
of Israel when the bedouin herds destroyed trees (eating the bark) and deso-
lated the land, will have no problem understanding this law.
DR. NAOMI G. COHEN
SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
WOLFSON CHAIR OF JEWISH THOUGHT
HAIFA UNIVERSITY
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From: Aryeh Frimer <F66235@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 94 06:27:34 -0500
Subject: No Nechama from Southern Comfort-Revisited
In my first installment, I noted that the London Bet Din had deemed
Southern Comfort produced in the USA (in contradistinction to that
produced in Ireland) as well as Bailey's Irish Cream as Not Kosher. I
Faxed the London Beth Din (0044-71-383-4934) inquiring as to the reason
and here is their answer (cryptic as it may be):
"Generally speaking, we are not able to reveal details of ingrediants
and manufacture since such information is given to us in the strictest
confidence.
We can, however, inform you that where an alcoholic drink contains
either caseinates or milk derivatives we would consider the product not
kosher as it would be unsuitable to be served or used at most
occassions. Depending on manufacture, caseinates frequently have the
status of cheese and, as such, are bound by the Halakhic ruling that all
cheese must be made under rabbinic supervision.
With regard to Southern comfort, we do not investigate the American
formulation but rather rely on the results of USA findings."
Can someone contact the OU and get some more info?
Aryeh
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From: Jeffrey Claman <claman@...>
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 04:03:17 -0500
Subject: Pru urvuh to what lengths?
For discussion only:
The following clinical scenario recently came my way:
A Jewish couple having already minimally fulfilled their obligation for
pru urvuh wish to try to conceive again. The woman is in her late 30's and
thus at an age where fetal abnormalities of varying significance are less
than rare. They do not think they could cope with the prospects of an
seriously abnormal infant and are determined not only to have prenatal
testing (either CVS or amniocentesis) but also to terminate the pregnancy
should significant abnormality be detected (eg Down's syndrome, severe
spina bifida). Could it be that under such circumstances the correct
advice given to them would be to prevent pregnancy altogether?
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 06:52:52 -0500
Subject: Sunday Tisha B'Av
>Lou Rayman
>- Finally, Tisha B'Av falls out on Sunday (July 17 - not on Shabbat and
>pushed off till Sunday). Many (if not most?) Rishonim hold that when
>Tisha Bav falls on Sunday, the laws of "Shevua shechal bo Tisha Bav"
>(extra laws of mouning that apply on the week of Tisha Bav) would not
>apply this year.
And unlike shabbat-pushed-off-till-Sunday, where havdala is made on 11th
Av, Havdala is made on the 10th of Av, so no wine for havdalah.
danny
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End of Volume 11 Issue 9
