Volume 13 Number 9
Produced: Fri May 13 0:49:32 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Aliyah (2)
[Jeff Woolf, Isaac Balbin]
Cholov Yisroel
[Shalom Krischer]
Coming millenium
[Etan Shalom Diamond]
Direction during prayer
[Aryeh Blaut]
fender bender
[Aleeza Esther Berger]
Fender Bender
[David Sherman]
Kashruth of Spices
[Doug Behrman]
Lihyos bisimchah tamid
[Mitch Berger]
Minhagim
[Aharon Fischman]
Peace Offering
[Yisrael Medad]
Prayer and Eating
[Moshe Kahan]
Retroactive Prayer
[David Charlap]
Schindler's Ring
[Aharon Tzvi HaLevi]
Sonncino/Artscroll
[Yechiel Wachtel]
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From: Jeff Woolf <F12043@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 12:58:41 -0400
Subject: Re: Aliyah
In line with Aryeh Frimer's comments on Aliyah....Since today is Rosh
Hodesh I am reminded of a comment I heard years ago from Yitzhak
Hildesheimer. He noted that all of the things which we ask for in the
blessing of Rosh Hodesh we actively pursue. So how come being gathered
from the four corners of the earth we wait for Messiah to achieve. We
don't do that with earning a living!
Jeff Woolf
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From: Isaac Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 18:31:15 -0400
Subject: Re: Aliyah
Rabbi Frimer claims that not even honouring ones father and mother
stands in the way of Aliyah. I refer Rabbi Frimer to the Responsa of
Rabbi Waldenberg who disagrees with Rabbi Frimer.
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From: Shalom Krischer <PGMSRK@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 94 09:45:27 EDT
Subject: Cholov Yisroel
In the (recent? I finally re-joined so,...) thread about Kulot & Chumrot,
the question of Cholov Yisroel was raised. In particular, if there is no
price difference, should one buy Cholov Yisroel or Cholov Stam? IMHO,
Since Cholov Stam has been ruled Halachakly acceptable, it is certainly
permissible. Since (one may argue {if even necessary}) Cholov Yisroel is
just Cholov Stam with a Jewish overseer, it too is Halachakly acceptable.
Thus, all thing being equal, it would not matter which one you buy. Of
course, life is not so simple, and, all things are NOT equal. Some of the
following "differences" come to mind:
1) Social - Not all milk drinkers use Cholov Stam, but they all will use
Cholov Yisroel. Therefore, if you have family/friends that only use
Cholov Yisroel, you should probably keep some at home.
2) Health - Although the FDA claims that "hormonally produced" milk is OK,
I, personally, am willing to wait for a few years to see side effects.
I suspect (although I do not know for sure) that Cholov Yisroel farms
will not do this (is Tzar {pain} an issue here?).
3) Business - Why not throw some Parnassa (livelihood) to a fellow Jew?
(Especially since there are Halachot to that effect.)
Unfortunately, since Cholov Yisroel is significantly more expensive in
the local PathMark, I tend to buy Cholov Stam.
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From: Etan Shalom Diamond <ed16+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 11:03:41 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Coming millenium
Someone in the department is doing some research on the concept of
"millenium" (to get a head start on the flood of stories that will come
out in the next few years). Obviously, the importance of 1000-year
segments has ties to Christianity and much of the hullabaloo that goes
on is directly related to this. He was wondering, however, if other
religions have similar traditions ascribing importance to millenia. To
that end, I ask you all: is there anything in Jewish tradition
regarding this matter? I think there is something about the world
reaching 6000 years, but other than that, I am not so aware of the
importance of the year 1000 (Jewish calendar), 2000, etc. Any
information on this topic will help (and will let my classmate earn
brownie points with his advisor--an always-important part of grad
school).
Thanks in advance.
------
Etan Diamond
Department of History
Carnegie Mellon University
<ed16@...>
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From: Aryeh Blaut <ny000592@...>
Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 00:41:13 -0400
Subject: Re: Direction during prayer
>From: <gee@...> (Shirley Gee)
> On a related issue, what direction will one face when the Temple is
>rebuilt and one is actually in it?
The Kodesh HaK'doshim
Aryeh Blaut
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From: Aleeza Esther Berger <aeb21@...>
Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 14:42:07 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: fender bender
>However (!!), if the damage was exactly in the same place as the original
>damage, then it is proper to come to an arrangement with the damagor,
>Especially if you know the person.
Why would knowing the person make a difference? This brought to my mind a
judge benefiting someone they know in a case, which (offhand) violates "lo
takir panim" (you shall not recognize faces in judgment).
Aliza Berger
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From: <dave@...> (David Sherman)
Date: Tue, 10 May 94 9:25:21 EDT
Subject: Re: Fender Bender
> To answer my own post, I spoke with a Rav and he said as follows:
> I don't have to worry about the fact that the insurence is paying for
> a new part even though the original part was already somewhat damaged,
> because that is their business. Meaning this is not a question of
> damages (NEZIKIN), but business.
Would anyone care to expand on the concepts involved here? I find
this somewhat troubling, as it seems to me that this reasoning could
be used as justification for all kinds of ethically questionable
actions. Does fraudulent activity become less so because the defrauded
entity is a large corporation?
David Sherman
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From: <aslan7@...> (Doug Behrman)
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 10:20:08 -0400
Subject: Kashruth of Spices
Does anyone have any information about the kashruth status of Indian
spices? In particular I am curious about a spice called asafoetida(or hing)
that is derived from the sap of a tree,but I don't know if it goes through
any further proccessing.
Doug Behrman
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From: <mberger@...> (Mitch Berger)
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 08:29:43 -0400
Subject: Lihyos bisimchah tamid
For the past decade or so, the song has been around
Mitzvah gedolah lihyos bisimchah tamid
It is a great mitzvah to be constantly happy
I believe the words are by R. Nachman of Breslov. Since then I've bought
children's tapes containing songs with similar themes.
Simple as this thought seems, I don't understand it. Is R. Nachman asking me
to be happy during the omer, the three weeks, tish`a bi'av, or when I see
someone in pain?
I came up with something that MIGHT be an answer, but I am eager to hear other
people's thoughts.
The very famous mishnah in Avos reads:
Who is rich? One who is samei'ach with his lot
Perhaps this usage indicates the simchah means contentment as opposed to joy.
Not "happiness" in the sense of a reaction to a particular moment, but
the long term "happiness" of the mishnah.
Micha Berger Ron Arad, Zechariah Baumel, Zvi Feldman, Yehudah Katz:
<mberger@...> May the Omnipresent have mercy on them and take them from
(212) 464-6565 constriction to openness, from dark to light, from slavery
(201) 916-0287 to salvation.
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From: <afischma@...> (Aharon Fischman)
Date: 10 May 94 15:25:45 GMT
Subject: Minhagim
Harry Weiss asked about the changing of place allowing the changing of minhag.
Remembering a D'var Torah I gave in Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck 4 years ago on
the subject, the changing of minhag was applicable where the entire town has a
public minhag that is followed (in my case Tefilin on Chol Hamoed). If there
is no community wide concensus, there is no need to change a minhag. If on
still wants to change a minhag, then it falls under the question of Matir
Neder (Absolution of Vows).
Aharon Fischman
<afischman@...>
<fischman@...>
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From: MEDAD%<ILNCRD@...> (Yisrael Medad)
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 02:49:05 -0400
Subject: Peace Offering
Re M. Kanovsky's posting Vol 13 #2:-
I did not forget the conditions for accepting a peace offering as the
interpretations of the conditions are not Talmudic but Rishonim and even
unto our days when Rabbi Kahane put out his opinion and various Rabbis
argued with him over the terms and parameters of "subjugation", which I
didn't want to get into.
Yisrael Medad
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From: Moshe Kahan <kahan@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 17:28:44 -0400
Subject: Prayer and Eating
Concerning the Mishna Brura all foods would be forbidden beofre prayer;
I never meant to pasken Halakha but merely to bring a maaseh Shehaya in
the Town of Siget, Romania. Whether this was Halakhically prescribed as
per the Mishna Brura is beyond me. I assume that they ate something
small so as to stave off hunger and not for enjoyment. (Perhaps its
connected to the fact that the Mikveh was quite cold and they had to do
something to warm up)
More importantly concerning Rosh HaShono being dissimilar to other Yomim
Tovim and thereofore fasting would be permitted even condoned; I believe
that there is a shita (I will try to find out exactly who) that states
since we all know that Melekhet Ochel Nefesh (work done to prepare food)
is permissable on Rosh HaShono therefore we must conclude that Rosh
HaShono does indeed have a mitsvah of Simcha and fasting would not be
permissable. I would appreciate anyone who reminds me of the mekor of
this shita.
Moshe Kahan
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From: <david@...> (David Charlap)
Date: Fri, 6 May 94 17:51:12 -0400
Subject: Re: Retroactive Prayer
Frank Silbermann <fs@...> writes:
>In other words, how does changing the past differ from any other
>violation of natural law?
I don't think it does. But I also don't believe that God's miracles
generally violate natural law. With very few exceptions, most of the
miracles can be explained as natural phenomena. I believe God works
within nature whenever possible, and therefore, it would be wrong to
ask for something that would require nature to be changed.
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From: Aharon Tzvi HaLevi <yolkut@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 11:03:51 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Schindler's Ring
I was told by my grandfather, a survivor of schindler's list, that at some
point after the war Schindler was approached by his former workers and
asked what happened to the ring. He responded that he pawned it for
schnapps. Yet another example of the complexity of this man who overcame
some fairly large faults to save the lives of hundreeds of Jews,
including myself, my brother and my six first cousins, all of whom are
shmorei tora u'mitzvot--- and somehow, i think the zekhuyot we attain are
somehow atrributable to him. As Rebbe told us "There are those that
aquire Olam HaBa over many years, and there are those the acquire it in
one hour ." Avoda Zara 17a.
Daniel A HaLevi Yolkut
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From: Yechiel Wachtel <YWACHTEL@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 01:01:20 -0400
Subject: Sonncino/Artscroll
Mr. Trauring seems to be impressed with the "semblance of
scholarship" to the (Soncino) translation" of the Talmud. I must admit
that Soncino has helped us get out of some "sticky" situations, but most
times it is so "scholarly" that I find the English as difficult as the
Aramaic. The sqiggles in the foot notes do not add to much to my
understanding, neither is it very important for me to know on which side
of the Tigeris a particular town is, what is important for me is to
understand a "pshat" in a difficult "sugya". I guess I would rather
understand the Gemora than be a scholar.
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End of Volume 13 Issue 9
