Volume 12 Number 22
Produced: Tue Mar 22 12:56:55 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Chumrot - Pesach or otherwise
[Ben Berliant]
confronting Louis Farrakhan
[Francine S. Glazer]
egg matzoh on erev pesach
[Gary Fischer]
Egg Matzos
[Danny Skaist]
Peah
[Paula M Jacobs]
Pesach Recipe - Chocolate Mousse Cake
[Ari Kurtz]
The mitzvah of matza and omer customs
[Jeffrey Claman]
Time of Sedar
[Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071]
Working in Nissan and Tichri
[Laurent Cohen]
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From: Ben Berliant <C14BZB@...>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 12:05:32 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Chumrot - Pesach or otherwise
A big thanks to Harry Weiss for posting (and to Rabbis Freundel
and Gorelik for originating) the letter to the Jewish Press regarding
excessive chumrot. Among the excellent points mentioned there were:
>3. Creating unnecessary division and machloket between those who
> keep a clearly halachic standard and those who keep a more
> "machmir" standard.
Many years ago, when I was single, I lived across the hall from
a frum couple, both highly educated, who frequently invited me to their
home for Shabbat meals. After many such invitations, I felt impelled to
reciprocate, so I invited them to join me for a Shabbat meal. The woman
declined, explaining that they ate only Glatt, and they knew that I
didn't. I offered to serve only chicken, but she still objected,
saying, "But you'll still use the same pots!"
If a well-educated woman, product of well-known yeshivot cannot
distinguish between halacha and chumra, what hope is there for the rest
of the world?
BenZion Berliant
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From: pilot.njin.net!<fglazer@...> (Francine S. Glazer)
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 08:04:08 EST
Subject: confronting Louis Farrakhan
I am a professor at Kean College. Many of you, at least in the NY/NJ
area, have probably seen Kean in the newspapers quite a bit in the
past few months, starting last November, when Khalid Abdul Muhammad
spoke at the college. He was invited by the college's Pan-African
Student Union, and was allowed to speak under the first amendment
(Kean is a state college, and is obligated to let all those who are
invited to speak, do so.) Muhammad's talk sparked off a HUGE ruckus
in the newspapers: he spoke for over 3 hours, and maligned everyone
who is not a part of Nation of Islam (Catholics, homosexuals, other
minorities, whites, other blacks including Nelson Mandela, and
especially Jews), calling for their destruction.
The ADL published a full-page ad in the NY Times, which many of you
may have seen, containing selected horrifying excerpts from the talk.
That started a spate of repudiations of Nation of Islam from other
black leaders. Louis Farrakhan, under pressure from the black
community, demoted Khalid Muhammad, deploring the manner in which he
spoke, but "standing by the truths that he uttered."
Now, that same student group has invited Louis Farrakhan to speak at
Kean College on Monday, March 28 at 8 p.m. Attendance at the talk
will be limited to the Kean community. The Jewish Faculty and Staff
Association of Kean College, in conjunction with local Jewish
organizations, is planning a protest vigil to begin at 7:30 that
evening. The vigil will run long enough that people observing Yom Tov
Pesach will be able to get to Kean and join in for a significant part
of the vigil.
There will doubtless be a tremendous amount of media attention
focussed on Kean, the initial site of all the uproar. Our goal is to
have at least 1000 people there in protest of Louis Farrakhan and his
message of hatred.
If you'd like more information, please send me email. You can also
try calling your local Federation or Jewish Community Relations
Council to see if they have more info.
I know that that Monday night is the end of a three-day YomTov. I
know that all anyone will want to do is take a shower. But please, if
you live within an hour of Kean College, PLEASE consider jumping into
your car and going to Kean to participate in the vigil. We cannot be
silent in the face of this hatred and bigotry. There is very little
you can do that is more important.
Francine Glazer
<fglazer@...>
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From: Gary Fischer <gfis@...>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 94 20:43:08 -0500 (EST)
Subject: egg matzoh on erev pesach
Robert Gordon asks about egg matzoh on erev pesach and states that he has
heard that on erev pesach one may (1) use challah for lechem mishna very
early or (2) use egg matzoh at the "usual time." My understanding is that
Ashkenzim may not eat egg matzoh even on erev pesach, once the time for
eating chametz is past. Egg matzoh may be used for lechem mishna this
year, but the meal still must be completed before the time for eating
chometz is past. The reason for using egg matzoh would be if you are
concerned that crumbs may "escape," especially if there are young children
around. I have heard some who are opposed to egg matzoh, feeling that it
comes under the same restriction as eating matzoh on erev pesach, however.
Gary Fischer
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 08:02:20 -0500
Subject: Egg Matzos
>Robert Gordon
>or (2) the make Hamotzi at the usual time on egg matzah. Now what is
>the reason for not doing the latter? One reason I heard is that there
>is a question as to whether it is permissible to make Hamotzi on egg
>matzah.
You MUST make hamotzi on egg matzah if you kovea seudah [base a meal ?] on
it. This normally means 6 eggs worth if eaten alone, or 4 eggs worth if the
meal contains other foods. The "Shabat meal" is kovea by itself and does
not require such large ammounts.
> Another possible reason I thought of is that egg matzah
>is too much like ordinary matzah and therefore cannot be eaten erev
>pesach.
Egg matzah can be eaten evev pessach until the end of the 9th hour, that's
about 2:30 P.M. Jerusalem time. (I have the exact time at home).
> A third possible reason is the possibility that egg matzah is
chometz.
Egg Matzos are not chometz, although not eaten by healthy Ashkanazim for
pessach.
> Are any of these reasons in fact correct?
No
>Are there poskim who allow using egg matzah?
Yes
danny
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From: <pjacobs@...> (Paula M Jacobs)
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 07:08:55 -0500
Subject: Peah
I need to make a presentation the week before Pesach to my Talmud class
and would appreciate the following help: In Baba Metzia (9b), the issue
is discussed whether the owner of a field can declare his field
ownerless in order to gather Peah (Aryeh, thanks for help re Migo).
(Argument relates to discussion re whether he can gather Peah for a poor
person). I have reviewed Mishna Peah (4), but my question is this: Are
there any circumstances under which the owner of a field can declare his
field ownerless, including the field in which he left Peah? Furthermore,
why would he want to do so? And finally, what provisions are made for
the poor owner of a field? Does he simply collect Peah from another
field or are there conditions under which he might be able to declare
his field ownerless?
Thank you very much and Hag Sameach v'kasher! Paula
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From: Ari Kurtz <s1553072@...>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 02:43:26 +0200
Subject: Pesach Recipe - Chocolate Mousse Cake
in a past letter I noticed a request for non gabroch cooking recipies
well i'm not much of a cook but here is one that great all year round
also
Chocalate Mousse Cake
8 oz choc
1 cup margerine :
- melt together keep warm
- set oven at 325 put shallow pan of water on
bottom of oven
8 eggs seperated
3/2 cups sugar :
- beat sugar and yolks until lemony colour .
- add chocolate mixture beat till stiff .
- beat egg whites until stiff . pour 1/4 whites
into choc mixture .
- fold in rest of egg whites .
- grease bottom & sides of sping form pan .
- put 3/4 mixture into pan .
- bake 45 - 50 min .
- refriggerate rest of mixture . pour over cooled
baked base .
- put in freezer .
chug shemacch
Ari Kurtz
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From: Jeffrey Claman <claman@...>
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 20:57:44 -0500
Subject: The mitzvah of matza and omer customs
What is the source for the positive commandment to eat matza? I believe
this mitzvah applies only to the first two days (first day in Israel) of
Pesach.
Also, I understand that there are two customs with regards the observing
of national mourning during the omer period: One is 33 days beginning from
the second day of Pesach through Lag B'Omer. The other begins from the
first day of Iyar and continues until the third day of Sivan. What is the
basis for these two different customs?
Jeffrey Claman
Vancouver
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From: <leo@...> (Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071)
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 1994 11:23:34 -0500
Subject: Time of Sedar
> From: <dschweber@...> (Daniel Schweber)
> Let me tell you right off that I am Conservative. But I am
> interested in what the orthodox view on starting the seder earlier than
> what is said. (My family is going to a friends house the first night,
> and they don't have any young children, so we can start the first seder
> after Shabbos) But the problem is Sunday night. My family is hosting
> the second seder, and there are young children. We as a family feel
> that they be present at the beginning of the seder and on many years
> have started a little early.
The problem is that one may not start even preparing for the second seder
before the first day is finished, since one may not do melacha "work" on
one day of yomtov for the next. Thus the second seder will inevitably
begin somewhat late. Best advice - Have the kids take a long nap during
the afternoon. (Good advice for most adults too!)
Lenny Oppenheimer
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From: Laurent Cohen <cohen@...>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 1994 10:01:47 +0100
Subject: Working in Nissan and Tichri
There is a Gemara in Berachot where a Rav (Rabbi Chimon Bar Yohai?)
advised his students to learn full time all year long except in Tichri
and Nissan where they could take the time to work in the fields. Every
year in Nissan and Tichri, I feel that we will have B"H wonderful Hagim
but for that, here is coming a month where we will not be able to work
much, being very busy
-in Tichri with Selihot, Roch Hachana, Yom Kippur, preparing for
arbah Minim and the Sukkah, taking days off for all these Hagim days,
-in Nissan, obviously with the preparation for Pessah to which is also
added the many weddings (+Cheva Brachos) which usually come just before
Pessah (this is a place to send best wishes of MAZELTOV to Carolynn and Avi).
My question is how can we understand the above advise with the previous remark:
-was it just because these are very busy months and that Torah learning
will not be efficient, that the students could take this time to work,
-or did the preparation for these months take less time at the time of Gemara.
Pessah Kasher VeSameah to all
Laurent Cohen
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End of Volume 12 Issue 22
