Volume 12 Number 58
Produced: Thu Apr 14 0:09:10 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Batei Din & Secular Courts
[Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071]
Computerized Holocaust Archives
[Philip Trauring]
Cremation / ignorance / tshuva
[Freda Birnbaum]
Electronic hillel bulletins
[David Fuchs]
European-style Electric Burners
[Elliot Lasson]
finger-pointing
[Ruby Stein]
Holocaust and Purim
[Norma and Howard Joseph]
meat? why?
[Susan Sterngold]
Michlala
[Joel Goldberg]
Minimal Ma'aser? (2)
[Lon Eisenberg, Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071]
Nazi Converting to Judaism
[Mechael Kanovsky]
Staying Awake for Three Days
[Mechael Kanovsky]
Wheat Oil
[Harry Weiss]
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From: <leo@...> (Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 14:33:58 -0400
Subject: Batei Din & Secular Courts
Someone recently requested information on this subject. There was a good
overview of the subject in the Jewish Observer Jan 1993 issue, written by
Chaim Dovid Zwiebel.
I have the issue and can send a copy to interested parties.
Lenny Oppenheimer
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From: Philip Trauring <philip@...>
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 19:42:03 -0400
Subject: Computerized Holocaust Archives
Does anyone here know of an effort to computerize Holocaust archives? I've
heard of such an effort at the research arm of the Holocaust Museum in D.C.
but I don't know specifics. Anyone have any ideas?
Philip Trauring
Brandeis University
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From: Freda Birnbaum <FBBIRNBA@...>
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 11:46:47 -0400
Subject: Cremation / ignorance / tshuva
In V12N48, Micha Berger comments,
>First, a depressing sociological observation. I used to think the
>furthest Jewry had reached from Halachah r"l, was when the ADL embraced
>the cause of gay rights.
>
>After following the recent discussions about cremation, I realize I was
>very wrong. At least the homosexuals have a taivah [lust/desire] for
>what they do. Things have gotten far out of hand when even death ritual
>is tampered with. You would think that this is the one time that
>people's tendencies would be to become more religious. But our people
>are so out of touch, they aren't even in tune to the Jewish
>understanding of death.
I agree, things have gotten far out of hand etc. But most of the people
who insist on being cremated simply don't have a clue. They're not doing
it for spite. People make cracks about "the Yizkor crowd". At least those
folks know it's time for Yizkor. Many people don't even know what Yizkor is.
These people don't understand that certain ways of dealing with death are
"more religious".
BTW, does anyone know WHY such an aversion to cremation developed in
Jewish thinking? It doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
(Irrelevantly, the Catholic church used to be vehemently opped to it,
but in recent years has allowed it; I don't know why.)
>I have my own theory. Our problem is that when something goes wrong,
>everyone wants someone else to do teshuvah [repentance] to
>prevent it.
YES!
Freda Birnbaum, <fbbirnbaum@...>
"Call on God, but row away from the rocks"
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From: <FUCHS@...> (David Fuchs)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 11:46:54 -0400
Subject: Electronic hillel bulletins
Does anyone know of any electronic Hillel bulletins? I'm the president
of the chapter at Rider University and I am very interested in finding
such a publication if it exists.
David Fuchs
<Fuchs@...>
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From: <Elliot_David_Lasson@...> (Elliot Lasson)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 19:20:41 -0400
Subject: European-style Electric Burners
Does anyone know the status of the "European-style" electric burners,
with regard to kashering them from a non-kosher keeping owner. Would
these differ from the "coil burners" in the kashering process?
Elliot Lasson
Oak Park, MI
<FC9Q@...>
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From: <RUBY@...> (Ruby Stein)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 17:27:18 -0500 (EST)
Subject: finger-pointing
Concerning the topic of finger pointing, R. Yisrael Salanter used to say
that we all carry two sacks draped over our shoulders - a sack of mitzvahs
hanging over our chest and a sack of aveiras hanging over our backs. As we
walk down the road we see only our mitzvahs and everyone else's aveirahs.
Ruby Stein
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From: Norma and Howard Joseph <NOJO@...>
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 12:32:29 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Holocaust and Purim
Rabbi Karlinsky's description of his trip to the Holocaust Museum in
Washington was very moving. However, one could draw a different theological
inference than he does. Purim teaches us that human beings have to take
responsibility, as Esther did respond to Mordecai's challenge not to ignore
the crisis but to act. From this we could say that God prepares the complexity
of events in some way and waits for us to act properly. Unfortunately, no one
responded -neither Roosevelt or others with power to stop the murder.
ALternatively, one could say that finally there was interference, America
entered the war for its own reasons and the killing ended before the evil one's
plans to murder all Jews was completed.
Howard Joseph
<nojo@...>
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From: Susan Sterngold <ss117@...>
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 00:08:52 -0400
Subject: meat? why?
I am not real knowledgeable about halacha but wouldn't it be easier just
to be vegetarian? In addition to not killing animals and helping the
environment, one would not have to worry about whether the butcher is
lying. No separate sinks or dishes for meat or dairy..just a thought..
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From: <goldberg@...> (Joel Goldberg)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 04:03:17 -0400
Subject: Re: Michlala
I had written:
> My sister-in-law attended the overseas program of Michlala last academic
> year. The students were forbidden to go to Har Herzl on Yom Hazikaron.
Leah Waintman <cs932051@...> responded:
I attended Michlalah last academic year (1992-1993) and on Yom Hazikaron
there was a movie shown in the morning. Afterwards, the students were
encouraged to go to Har Herzl, and in fact most did go.
I stand corrected. The incident I'm thinking of indeed did not involve
Yom Hazikaron, but another occasion which is not relevant to this discussion.
My apologies to Michlala.
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From: eisenbrg%<milcse@...> (Lon Eisenberg)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 02:36:48 -0400
Subject: Re: Minimal Ma'aser?
Warren Burstein asks:
<What is "a minimum of Ma'aser"? As I understand it, either one has
<separated precisely a tenth, or one hasn't taken ma'aser.
The tenth that needs to be separated (ma`aser rishon) is done through
declaration, since that is for a Levi and has no kedushah (holiness).
We actually eat it (after verbally separating it), since no Levi can
prove he's a Levi, and therefore, cannot demand our ma`aser rishon.
The most problematic portions are the terumah (which can be eaten only
by a kohen when he and it are not tamei [impure]) and the termuath
ma`aser (the 10th of the ma`aser rishon that the Levi must give to the
kohen). These must be physically separated (so it comes out to just
over 1%, since there is no limit [upper or lower] for the terumah), and
may not be eaten.
Ma`aser shenei is redeemed on a coin (and then we eat it). Ma`aser `ani
(for a poor person), in the 3rd and 6th yr. of the Shemittah cyle
(instead of ma`aser sheni) must be given to a poor person if it is taken
from tevel (food known not to have been tithed), but may be eaten by the
purchaser when dealing with demai (where there is question whether it
has been tithed), wich is the case with most of our food.
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From: <leo@...> (Leonard Oppenheimer +1 908 615 5071)
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 11:04:05 -0400
Subject: Minimal Ma'aser?
Warren writes:
> >b) The Rabbanut HaRashit takes at least a minimum of Ma'aser for all
> >produce procured through Tnuva
>
> What is "a minimum of Ma'aser"? As I understand it, either one has
> separated precisely a tenth, or one hasn't taken ma'aser.
Since Ma'aser is D'Rabbanan (of Rabbinic Origin) today, one takes only
about 1.x % . The amount taken and accompanying formula are printed in
many siddurim, especially Israeli ones. The amount taken is not given to a
Levite, but is disposed of in a respectful manner.
The only Ma'aser that requires a full 10% today, is the tithing of income.
This obligation falls on Jews worldwide, not only in Israel.
Lenny Oppenheimer
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From: <KANOVSKY@...> (Mechael Kanovsky)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 20:18:53 -0400
Subject: Re: Nazi Converting to Judaism
On a nazi converting to judaism, this should not be any worse than a
person from Amalek converting to judaism and that is halachkly permissable.
The Gemarah in Megilah states that the grandchildren of Haman were rabbis in
Bnei Brak and Haman was known to be from Amalek
mechael
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From: <KANOVSKY@...> (Mechael Kanovsky)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 20:19:05 -0400
Subject: Re: Staying Awake for Three Days
On staying awake for three days. The psycology dept. in Bar-Ilan U.
had an experiment on sleep deprivation in where a person was kept awake
for 76 hours and during that time tests were done on him . I was a human
guinea pig in that experiment (the pay was good) and I stayed up for
those 76 hours but I did have what is called micro sleeps where one blanks
out for a few seconds up to a few minutes and suprizingly enough those
micro sleeps are real refreshening and even though I was under constant
watch these micro sleeps occured. So in the purist sense I did sleep during
those three days (I know there is a definition of sleep in chazal i.e.e
40 winks of a horse I am not sure that in the case of a person swearing
that he will not sleep for three days if the definition of sleep here is
the same as sleep for other purposes such as hefsek).
mechael
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From: <harry.weiss@...> (Harry Weiss)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 94 10:36:16
Subject: Wheat Oil
I have been reading the discussions on wheat oil as being theoretic
only. There are numerous whole wheat products on the market that are
touted as being fat free. Oil is 100% fat. Is there really such a
thing as wheat oil?
Harry
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End of Volume 12 Issue 58
