Volume 12 Number 69
Produced: Wed Apr 20 12:36:32 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Reading on Shemoneh Esrei
[Todd Litwin]
Teaching position Dilemma
[Carole Shamula]
Ve'af `al pi sheyismahme'ah
[Gedalyah Berger]
Yom Tov Sheni (3)
[Eliyahu Juni, Danny Skaist, David Ben-Chaim]
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From: <litwin@...> (Todd Litwin)
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 1994 20:07:19 -0400
Subject: Reading on Shemoneh Esrei
I want to thank the many people who responded to my request for suggested
readings on the Shemoneh Esrei. For those who might be interested, here is a
list of the suggestions, more or less in the order received, along with
how many times each was suggested:
[There were a few more responses that I received, to the extent that
they dublicate what is here, they will not be posted to the list, but
thanks for your replies and I think we have a nice list generated here.
I have also rearranged the order a bit, to put related volumes together.
Mod]
Title Author/(Pub) Times Suggestioned
----- ------ ------------------
Meditations on Prayer Rav Jacobsen 5
(Hebrew: Netiv Binah)
The Weekday Siddur Jacobson 2
The Sabbath Service Jacobson 1
Olat HaRaaya Harav Kook 1
(Hebrew only?)
Baruch she'amar al hatifilah R. Baruch 1
(Hebrew only?) Epstien
Baruch She'amar ? 1
(Hebrew only?) [I'm pretty sure this is same as above. Mod]
The Art of Jewish Prayer Y. Kirzner 3
and L. Aiken
(Aronson, 1991)
The World of Prayer Elie Munk 6
Artscroll Siddur Mesorah 1
Artscroll Sefarad Siddur Mesorah 1
Talmud: Tractate Megillah 3
(17b & beginning of 3rd perek;
haven't checked if these two
are the same)
Talmud: Tractate Taanis 1
Talmud: Tractate Berachot, 1
28b
My Prayer, Vol 1 Rabbi Nissan 1
Mindel
To Pray as a Jew Donin 2
The Shmoneh Esrei Rabbi S.R. 2
reprinted in Hirsch
Collected Writings, vol 3
The World of Prayer Jason Aronson 1
(I'm gathering that the three works by Jacobson may be different volumes
of the same work, but I haven't checked this.)
From the looks of this list, I won't need to ask anyone for
recommendations on books to read for a long time to come! Thanks all!
Todd
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From: <FVSA10A@...> (Carole Shamula)
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 19:39:43 -0500
Subject: Re: Teaching position Dilemma
I am currently in search of a teaching position in the Judaic
Studies Department of a secondary school or upper-elementary school. I am
Orthodox and I applied mainly to Orthodox institutions although there were
a few schools that I sent my resume to, which were either Conservative or
non-affiliated with any one group.
The reason why I am writing to you is because one of the
Conservative institutions has an opening for a Talmud teacher. I spoke to
the Rabbi of the school and she asked me if I have synagogue skills. I
asked her what she meant and she said "trup". I have been learning the
Ta'amim but according to the Sephardic Minhag. She said that sounds
interesting since she never knew we have our own tradition and the position
requires you to read the Torah on Mon. and Thurs. mornings in our
egalitarian minyan. She realized that I'd need to think about it but
meanwhile I sent in my resume to her attention.
This opportunity is very enticing however I have been told by
rabbis and colleagues that this would be commiting political suicide. I
was told by a principal of a prominent Orthodox yeshiva in Brooklyn that he
wouldn't have a problem hiring a teacher who tyaught or who is
simultaneously teaching at a Conservative school but if I were to read the
Torah at their minyan I'd look like I myself am Conservative and that would
be a problem.
Hopefully I will find a position within the Orthodox world but if
not, is it right to penalize me for taking a position in a Conservative
institution and possibly influencing some students towards Orthodoxy?
Is it so terrible?
"What's your opinion, we'd like to know".
Carole Shamula
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From: Gedalyah Berger <gberger@...>
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 16:27:20 -0400
Subject: Ve'af `al pi sheyismahme'ah
Micha Berger asked:
> How would you translate the twelfth "ani ma'amin"? (The famous
> one about mashiach.)
>
> ..ve'af al pi sheyismame'ah - and even though he tarries
> im kol zeh achakeh lo - with all that I'll wait for him
> b'chol yom - every day
> sheyavo - that he will come
>
> Does this mean we expect him to come today? If so, what is the part
> about 'sheyismame'ah'? Does it mean every day I wait?
I think it pretty clearly means the second; what reason is there to
think that he will come today? His tarrying might cause one to begin to
doubt that he will come at all, so we declare that despite the tarrying
we continue to believe in, wait for, and look forward to his arrival.
Gedalyah Berger
Yeshiva College / RIETS
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From: <ao107@...> (Eliyahu Juni)
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 02:11:23 -0400
Subject: Re: Yom Tov Sheni
Both Chacham Tzvi (Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, 16/17th cent.?) and the
Shulchan Oruch HaRav (R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, first Rebbe of Lubavitch)
rule that every Jew, regardless of place of residence, should keep 1 day
of Yomtov in Eretz Yisrael and 2 days in chutz la'Aretz, regardless of
place of residence or duration of stay; I haven't seen them recently, so
I don't remeber exactly where.
Though the issue is a very complex one, I beleive it boils down to whether
we view the "minhag avoseinu" (custom of our forefathers) to keep 2 days
of Yomtov as a personal minhag or a geographically-linked one, with added
complications due to the drashah of "lo tisgod'du"
"Minhag avoiseinu" is a reference to the letter sent by the amoraim (or
was it from the early g'onim?) of Eretz Yisrael to the communities in
galus when Hillel haSheni instituted a systematized calendar,
eliminating the safek (doubt) which resulted in the need for a second
day Yom Tov outside the areas which could be reached by messenger from
Yerushalayim in the time from Rosh Chodesh to Yom Tov.
The amoraim wrote, "hizaharu b'minhag avoisechem bideichem"--be careful
with the custom of your forefathers in your hands--i.e., don't stop
keeping 2 days of Yom Tov outside Eretz Yisrael. This has been
interpreted in various ways. One explanation is that they felt it would
be inappropriate to reduce the length of Yom Tov from what had become
the norm; another is that they were worried that there would be problems
or confusion with the new calendar, which could lead to chillul Yom Tov,
so they preferred to leave things as they stood. (I'm sure there are
others which I don't know of or don't remember.) These different
interpretations lead to different views as to the nature of the minhag
and its applicability in the absence of a safek.
I haven't heard of any kehillos outside Eretz Yisrael but which could be
reached by a messenger from Yerushalayim in the time from Rosh Chodesh
to Yom Tov that kept only one day of Yom Tov even after the systematized
calendar was introduced, even though there were some kehillos in Syria,
and possibly in Egypt, which were probably close enough, even then. I
think I once heard that such kehillos were required to keep 2 days even
when messengers came to notify them of the proper day of Yom Tov, so
they would not be confused in case one year the messengers could not
make it; but I don't remeber if it was a quote or just speculation, and
it seems to fly in the face of the sending of messengers--what use was
there in sending them if everyone kept 2 days anyway?
Today the dividing line has been drawn not according to communications,
(whether modern or of the period when the calendar was determined by
testimony,) but according to k'dushas Eretz Yisrael. I'm not sure
why--it may be based on a different understanding of the minhag and the
reasons behind it. This is probably the reason for keeping two days of
Yom Tov in those areas of the modern State of Israel which do not have
the status of k'dushas Eretz Yisrael or whose halachic status is in
doubt, such as Eilat.
As for the "standard practice," my impression is that almost all
contemporary poskim approach the issue as a personal minhag, and not as
a geographical one; hence all the t'shuvos defining at what stage a
person is considered to be a resident of Eretz Yisrael, considering
hether one who comes to learn for a year or a number of years is a
resident, and the like. One notable exception is Chabad, which follows
the Shulchan Oruch HaRav in virtually all of Halacha. I think that
according to the Chacham Tzvi and the Shulchan Oruch HaRav, even someone
from chutz la'aretz who comes just for Yom Tov and doesn't even stay a
week would have to keep 1 day of Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael, and in the
reciprocal case, 2 days of Yom Tov in chutz la'aretz; the issue is not
related to where the traveller lives.
<ao107@...> Eliyahu Juni
(416) 256-2590
<ek705@...> / ejuni@freenet.fsu.edu
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 10:55:43 -0400
Subject: Yom Tov Sheni
>Josh Klein
>2) Keep "1 1/2 days"-- daven like the kahal (ie hol hamo'ed, not hag), but
>don't do melacha. In practice, those who hold this have been known to ride
>buses on YT sheni, as long as someone else pays.
Riding a bus on the 2nd day yom tov is not reserved to those who hold 1 1/2
days yom tov, but even those who hold 2 full days.
There can be no issur if a Jew (the bus driver and the payer) does for you
what he is allowed to do according to halacha. The only posek that I have
heard disagree with this, also held that you can't ride "shabbas elevators"
either. The issur was described as "riding" and that goes for busses and
elevators alike.
>2) Keep "1 1/2 days"-- daven like the kahal (ie hol hamo'ed, not hag), but
The question I have is what about t'fillin on the last day of hutz l'arat
hag, when Israelis wear them and outside of Israel they are not worn?
If you keep 1/2 day, do you put them on for mincha or after or what ???
danny
Is sunday the shabbas sheni of golus :-)
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From: David Ben-Chaim <DAVIDBC@...>
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 04:05:27 -0400
Subject: Re: Yom Tov Sheni
From: Ben Berliant <C14BZB@...>
>it is "universally accepted" that an Israeli who finds himself in hutz
>la'aretz on Yom Tov Sheni is forbidden to do melacha even privately.
>Regarding Tefila and Tefilin it is to be observed as a weekday, although
>Tefilin are worn only privately.
An Anecdote about Yom Tov Shani:
I was a Shaliach Aliyah in Chicago for 2 1/2 yrs., with the Wife and
3 boys. On the second days of holidays, we stayed home, pulled down the
shades and watched T.V., did work etc. Outwardly we didn't make waves
(we lived in West Rogers Park, which is like Boro Park in N.Y.) One yom
tov shani of Sukkot there was a knock at the door, and in walk friends
from the neighborhood. We had white shirts ready, turned the telly off,
and entertained them in our Shukka. After about an hour, their little
boy says "Ima, lets go home, they're not watching the World Series, like
you said they would be doing!"
The Pesach after that, the kids refused to sit home on the second
day, and so we left the car south of the Jewish neighborhood, put on
baseball hats (Chicago White socks) and walked the several blocks to the
car (intending to go to the zoo in the Southside of Chicago.) As a
punishment from heaven for this deception it turned out that the battery
in the car had died as I left the headlights on. Needless to say, the
other Yom tov shani's we stayed at home!
| David Ben-Chaim |
| The Technion, Haifa, Israel 32000. |
| Tel: 972-4-292502 |
| email: <davidbc@...> |
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End of Volume 12 Issue 69