Volume 11 Number 52
Produced: Sun Jan 30 23:25:10 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Computer Jobs in Israel - January 1994 Update
[Jacob Richman]
Ha GRIZ al Harambam
[Meshulum Laks]
Kippot
[Zev Farkas]
Midrash, R' Nachman, Chasidut/Kabbalah/Purim
[Daniel A. Yolkut]
Mormonism, 'Avodah Zarah, and Software
[Yaakov Kayman]
Non-Orthodox members of Batei Din
[Bruce Krulwich]
Seforim on the Net?
[Mark Lowitz]
Trees on Tu B'Shvat in Shmitta
[Aryeh Blaut]
Unemployment
[Jonathan Green]
Wedding details
[Jonathan Baker]
Which Blessing? (2)
[Israel Botnick, David Charlap]
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From: Jacob Richman <jrichman@...>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 94 16:51:27 -0500
Subject: Computer Jobs in Israel - January 1994 Update
Shalom!
The new January 1994 CJI Listing has 500 companies with job offers.
Below is a description of CJI and how to subscribe.
Computer Jobs in Israel (CJI) is a one way list which will automatically
send you weekly updates regarding computer related job positions in
Israel. Every two months the master updated jobs document is sent out to
the list. This list will also send you other special documents /
announcements regarding finding computer work in Israel. Mailings are
1-2 per week.
To subscribe send mail to <listserv@...> with the text:
sub cji firstname lastname
Good luck in your job search,
Jacob Richman (<jrichman@...>)
CJI List Owner
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From: Meshulum Laks <LAKS@...>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 18:36:00 -0500
Subject: Ha GRIZ al Harambam
Recently, someone mentioned that there were letters to the Rav, R Y.B.
Soloveitchik, in the sefer "Ha GRIZ al Harambam", I have not been able to find
references to this book in Jewish Book stores or in on line catalogues. I
believe J Wolff or someone else may have referred to it. Any idea which sefer
is meant? I have Hagriz on Shas.
Meshulum Laks
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From: Zev Farkas <farkas@...>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 1994 21:12:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Kippot
since the kind of yarmulka (kippa, scullcap) a person wears has become a
political badge, it made me wonder:
is there any halachic basis for a yarmulka having to be of a certain size,
color, shape, thickness, texture, opacity, or number of layers?
Zev Farkas, PE :)
<farkas@...> 718 829 5278
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From: Daniel A. Yolkut <yolkut@...>
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 94 14:53:25 -0500
Subject: Midrash, R' Nachman, Chasidut/Kabbalah/Purim
Some comments on recent issues in mailjewish, as well as some questions of
my own for the 'olam':
1. To the best of my knowledge, the quote about believing and
disbelieving midrash was made by the Kotzker (Rav Menachem Mendel
Morgenstern of Kotzk) and was a play on the concepts mentioned by the
RaMBaM in the Haqdama l'pereq heleq, and also related to chasidic stories.
2. In a related question, I have long wondered about the status of
Kabbala as a fundamental belief in Yahadut, and as there have been
Rishonm and Acharonim (if anyone has meqorot they would be greatly
appreciated) who have been opposed to Kabbala, how free are we to deny the
status of Kabbala (or ignore it?) In high school, I was greatly
influenced by a Gemara Rebbe who was a tremendous rationalist and opposed
both Hassidut and kabbala. However, I have lately been wondering about the
legitimacy of this approach, considering that great gedolim, and
particularly seminal Halakhists (such as the RaMBaN, the Meechaber
etc.)were deeply involved in Kabbala. Does anyone have any thoughts on
this topic or know of anything written on the topic? Additionally, what
books would be recommended for someone who would like to get a handle on
at least the basic kabbalistic and Chasidish hashkafot?
3. Finally,as to the rov banav, I believe that one pshat suggested is
that Haman in fact had 208 sons, the gematriya of rov spelled maley.
Bvirkat HaTorah VHaMitzvot,
Daniel A HaLevi Yolkut
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From: Yaakov Kayman <YZKCU@...>
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 94 14:53:00 -0500
Subject: Mormonism, 'Avodah Zarah, and Software
Regarding the question raised about whether we may use the Mormon
Church's genealogy software, which is presumably used by the Mormons
(btw, they themselves prefer the term "LTS," for "Latter Day Saints,"
to "Mormons," which some of them find offensive)
for purposes antithetical to Judaism, if I remember the gemara (Chulin?)
properly, even if <x> IS clearly 'avodah zarah, its "implements" are not
necessarily forbidden. I believe the law is that a knife made to be used
for slaughtering sacrifices to idols may nonetheless be used by us
**BEFORE** it has actually been used for that.
Yaakov K. (Internet:<yzkcu@...>)
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From: Bruce Krulwich <krulwich@...>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 18:35:32 -0500
Subject: Non-Orthodox members of Batei Din
Today's ISRAELINE cited Ha'aretz as saying that the Israeli "High Court of
Justice" ruled that "candidates who are not Orthodox Jews can still serve in
local religious councils," and "instructed the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
councils" to consider non-Orthodox candidates.
I may be misunderstanding this. Does this mean to say that local Rabbanut
organizations are being forced by Israeli law to admit non-Orthodox rabbis?
Can someone explain what's happening, and the implications?
Dov (Bruce) Krulwich
<krulwich@...>
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From: <mlowitz@...> (Mark Lowitz)
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 94 14:53:21 -0500
Subject: Seforim on the Net?
Does anyone know if there are seforim available through telnet or
ftp? I recall once seeing part of RAMBAMs Mishnah Torah but I don't
recall where it's located.
Thanks in advance.
Mark Lowitz
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From: Aryeh Blaut <ny000592@...>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 03:54:22 -0500
Subject: Re: Trees on Tu B'Shvat in Shmitta
>From: Josh Klein <VTFRST@...>
>
>This year the JNF (Keren Kayemet) is advertising a "once every seven year
>special deal". Since (they say in the ad) one cannot plant trees during
>shmitta, they are organizing hikes through JNF forests, and concerts in
>national (reforested) parks. It's a great idea, and is nicely in the spirit of
>shmitta. ....
I am surprised about the "deal". I am a teacher/administrator at a day
school which normally collects money for trees each year. I called JNF
and they faxed me a several pages stating what the Rabbanute has allowed
in the way of planting trees, even during Shmita. Our school will still
collect the money this year, to plant trees next year.
Aryeh Blaut
<ny000592@...>
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From: <JHG10@...> (Jonathan Green)
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 02:56:38 -0500
Subject: Unemployment
I am a student at the University of Cambridge, and am writing a thesis
on the Israeli hyperinflation of 85. I'm having great difficulty finding
the monthly unemployment figures for Israel from 1980 to 1992 - the best
libraries in England don't seem to have them. Can anyone out there help?
This would be much appreciated.
Jonathan Green
Please reply to <JHG10@...>
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From: <baker@...> (Jonathan Baker)
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 94 14:52:46 -0500
Subject: Re: Wedding details
Merril Weiner asks about bencher sources, among other things.
We, too, wanted a Sephardic transliteration for our wedding benchers.
The only bencher I had seen with that was the UJA bencher. Problem
is, you can only buy them from the UJA, and they don't do custom covers.
They told me that I could buy them and give them to a printer who could
take off the original covers and put on new ones (I've seen some with
custom covers on them). This seemed like too much to do, so we copied
an idea from our cousins. We bought the UJA benchers, and put a sticker
on the inside front cover with the appropriate information: names and
date. I made up the sticker by cutting and pasting the lettering from
a spare copy of my invitation (physically, with scissors and rubber cement,
not with a computer) and xeroxing it onto Avery 8.5x11 label stock. I
couldn't find any label stock pre-cut to the right size, only pre-cut
to mailing-label size and uncut, so I used the uncut, and cut it to
size with a paper-cutter, putting about a dozen labels on a sheet.
Jonathan Baker
<baker@...>
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From: <icb@...> (Israel Botnick)
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 10:19:22 EST
Subject: Which Blessing?
in Volume 11 Number 46 Lon Eisenberg asked about which bracha
achrona (afte blessing) should be said on a food that is
secondary(tofel) to a desired food.
You don't have to look in the mishna brura for this one :)
It's right in the shulchan aruch 212:1. When there is an Ikar
(primary food) and a Tafel(secondary food) the tafel is exempt
from both a bracha rishona and a bracha achrona. You only need
a brocho achrona for the ikar.
Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT'L (vol. 4 #42) adds that even if the tofel is
bread and even if there was not enough of the ikar eaten to warrant
its own brocho achrona (less than an olives bulk) one still would not
say the Birkat hamazona. He says that borei nefashot should be recited
since the bread can be counted towards the required amount for the
Ikar.
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From: David Charlap <david@...>
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 94 18:35:35 -0500
Subject: Which Blessing?
eisenbrg%<milcse@...> (Lon Eisenberg) writes:
>
>If one wants to eat something, but can't eat it without the help of some
>bread (in the Mishnah Brurah, salty fish is used as an example, but
>perhaps a better example for us would be humous or tehina), then the
>bread is considered insignificant ("tofel") to the item truly desired,
>so the blessing is made over the desired item (and there is no need to
>wash for "hamozei", even if a large quantity of bread is consumed). I
>assumed that the blessing upon finishing ("brakha aharonah") would also
>be for the item which was desired, but was unable to find this in the
>Mishnah Brurah.
I remember something like this. I believe this is why many have the
custom of eating at least a bite of bread separately from all other
food immediately after saying Hamotzi. This way, at least that bite
obligates you to say Hamotzi and Birkat Hamazon.
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End of Volume 11 Issue 52