Volume 17 Number 88
Produced: Wed Jan 11 17:41:13 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Bat mitzvah
[Aleeza Esther Berger]
Charitable contributions in 1995
[Gilad J. Gevaryahu]
Closed circuit television cameras
[Rav Yisrael Rozen]
Israeli "Zip Codes"
[Daniel Geretz]
Legal Loopholes
[Meylekh Viswanath ]
Men wearing rings
[<FSmiles@...>]
Miami Beach Eruv
[Moshe Brejt]
Midnight
[Eli Turkel]
: Rings
[Dov Ettner]
Reb Moshe's birthday
[Erwin Katz]
Seeking Book Review Posting
[Shoshana Benjamin]
Sensors
[Rav Yisrael Rozen]
Sequestration
[Chaviva Smith]
Teshuvot of R' Moshe
[Robert A. Book]
Udders, and Eyver Min Ha Khai
[Meylekh Viswanat ]
Video Camera on Shabbos
[Daniel Geretz]
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From: Aleeza Esther Berger <aeb21@...>
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 21:12:16 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Bat mitzvah
> Anyway, my wife and I think that an all women "Ritual Pool Party" in
> Orthodox circles would be a better alternative to a Bat Mitzvah. I
> know, usually women do not go to the Mikvah until just before marriage,
> but they certainly used to go from puberty on. Any thoughts?
>
> -Menachem & Elianah Weiner (Liane and Merril)
I think that the posters' use of euphemism to describe the event
being suggested for commemeration ("first cycle" for menarche) in itself hints
that this might be embarrassing for the girl, and not the best the way to
go. Just because only women would be there doesn't mean lots of men
wouldn't find out about the occasion. Similarly, I would not suggest
celebrating a boy's first !euphemism! instead of bar mitzvah. I always
liked the idea of emphasizing obligation in commandments (spiritual)
(as is done for both bar and bar mitzvah) rather than physical signs of
maturity as is done in some other cultures, thus showing that there is
more to people than physicality. Also, halakhically the obligations kick
in at 12 and 13, rather than at physical signs, another reason to go the
age route.
Aliza Berger
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From: <Gevaryahu@...> (Gilad J. Gevaryahu)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 12:22:21 -0500
Subject: Charitable contributions in 1995
As a tax practitioner I would like to point out to the group, that the
tax treaty between Israel and the USA went into effect on January 1,
1995.
Section 15A(1) of the treaty allows for the deduction in the USA for any
DIRECT charitable giving to charities in Israel. Note that the treaty
defines charitable organization in Israel as per the Israeli law. We no
longer have to go around (indirectly) like we used to do before, now we
can send checks directly. [The treaty {15A(2)} also allows the reverse].
Gilad J. Gevaryahu, CPA (Isr.& PA)
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From: Rav Yisrael Rozen <zomet@...>
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 14:06:40 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Closed circuit television cameras
Philip Ledereic asked about closed circuit TV cameras and monitors.
Most modern Poskim who are familiar with the issue agree that there is no
prohibition in walking past the lens of a camera and "appearing" on the
monitor, as is common in many security systems.
The reason is that the operation is a continuous one and the changes
which the camera detects cause current modulation, which is permitted,
but not switching (i.e. opening and shutting a circuit) which is
prohibited. The Zomet Institute which specializes in this field utilizes
this principle in various systems.
If however, the "information" is being recorded on a video cassette,
this might be prohibited due to "makeh b'patish", the Halachic category
which includes "creative" acts on Shabbat. However, if the pedestrian is
not interested and is routinely walking past the camera, there would be
no prohibition.
Regarding television, I would suggest reading my exchange of letters
with Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l and Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth which appeared
in the 14th volume of Techumin, Zomet's annual publication of monographs
and articles relating to Torah, Society and Science.
Rav Yisrael Rozen eng.
Head - Zomet Institute
The Zomet Institute is a non-profit public service institute dedicated to
problem-solving research in the areas of Torah and science, Halacha and
technology. Its operating program relies on philanthropy to underwrite
special projects and publications.
Zomet Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion 90433 Tel:(02) 931442, Fax:(02) 931889
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From: imsasby!<dgeretz@...> (Daniel Geretz)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 20:38:45 EST
Subject: Israeli "Zip Codes"
Not to be nitpicky but...
As of last time I checked, "ZIP Code" is a registered trademark of the
United States Postal Service. You don't really mean to tell me that they
call them "Zip Code" in Israel too, do you?
Daniel Geretz
<dgeretz@...>
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From: Meylekh Viswanath <PVISWANA@...>
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 17:46:18 EST5EDT
Subject: Legal Loopholes
Eli Turkel writes regarding the case of R. Tarfon who married 300
women during a famine so they could eat his terumah (he was a
kohen):
> The Gemara doesn't state but again I assume that after the famine was
> over he divorced the women he wasn't living with.
Isn't kidushin al manas legaresh (kidushin with intent to ultimately
divorce) invalid?
Meylekh
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From: <FSmiles@...>
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 03:51:37 -0500
Subject: Men wearing rings
Rabbi M D. Tendler of Yeshiva University told us that married doctors
should wear wedding rings so that single nurses will know they are
married and not bother them.
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From: <MBREJT@...> (Moshe Brejt)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 13:19 EST
Subject: RE: Miami Beach Eruv
Hi! Are you sure that the boardwalk was included in the eiruv?
I and my wife spend a Shabbos in Miami Beach about 4 years ago
and if my memory serves me correctly, I thought that the
boardwalk was not in the eiruv for the reason you stated - it is
on the side closer to the hotels and not the ocean.
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From: <turkel@...> (Eli Turkel)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 95 12:52:26 +0200
Subject: Midnight
As to why the first born were killed at midnight I saw a statement
of the Malbim that I don't completely understand. He says that at that
midnight the constellations were changing to "ma-adim" and that was more
appropriate for slaying the first born.
I also saw in the name of Maharil Diskin that "at midnight" meant that
the first born in each house was killed at midnight judged according to
each individual house. As midnight varies around the globe there are
differences of fractions of seconds (microseconds, nanoseconds? if someone
wants to make the calculation) and this was accounted for by G-d.
<turkel@...>
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From: <dovle@...> (Dov Ettner)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 16:06:48 +0200
Subject: Re : Rings
Chabad Hasidim do not wear rings. Generally speaking, the majority of
observant males I know do not wear rings in Israel. The majority of the
opposite sex here wear many.
Dov
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From: ERWIN_KATZ_at_~<7BK-ILN-CHICAGO@...> (Erwin Katz)
Date: Mon, 09 Jan 95 16:39:34 CST
Subject: Re: Reb Moshe's birthday
I spoke to Reb Dovid Feinstein and in 1885 there was only one adar.
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From: Shoshana Benjamin <shu@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 22:29:56 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Seeking Book Review Posting
Some time ago a compilation of reviews of a new book by Daniel Lasker
was posted on one of the Jewish lists I subscribe to, possibly,
mail-jewish. I would much appreciate the sender, or anyone else,
forwarding me the posting. The book is:
Hasdai Crescas' Refutation of the Christian Principles. An English
translation of Crescas' (d. c. 1410) philosophical polemic against
Christianity concentrating on the Christian dogmas, e.g., Trinity,
Incarnation, Transubstantiation, Virgin Birth, Baptism, etc.
With thanks,
Shoshana Benjamin
<shu@...>
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From: Rav Yisrael Rozen <zomet@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 11:03:55 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Sensors
Alan Davidson asked about a sensor which is activated by the proximity of
a passing pedestrian. Halachically, it is clearly preferable to avoid
walking past an area where there is a known sensor of this type.
On the other hand, if this is the normal walking route and it is very
difficult (or impossible) to change it, one may walk past the sensor,
based on a recent teshuva written by the Head of the Bnei Brak Beit Din,
Rav Shmuel Wozner. This however, is only in a vital situation ("she'at
hadechak") due to "lo mitkavein", "lo nicha lei" and other considerations.
Rav Yisrael Rozen
Head - Zomet Institute
Zomet Alon Shevut, Gush Etzion 90433 Tel:(02) 931442, Fax:(02) 931889
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From: <lcsmith@...> (Chaviva Smith)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 08:56:23 -0500
Subject: Sequestration
Current events with respect to the O.J. Simpson trial prompted me to
start a new topic. I was wondering if anyone knows what kind of
consessions would be made for those of us who are Torah-observant jews.
Issues like kashrus, shabbos, chagim, especially Pesach in this case,
mikvah for married women (they are allowing family visits), time and
privacy for tefillah, learning (since I understand that all written
material will be confiscated [siddur included?]) were most prevalent in
my mind, but maybe there are others.
How would the legal system handle us? Six months or more would involve
a lot of holidays, shabbosim as well as other life cycle events. Would
these special needs necessarily exempt us from a long, lengthy
sequestered jury duty?
Chaviva
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From: Robert A. Book <prbook@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 11:25:47 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Teshuvot of R' Moshe
Can anyone tell me if Igrot Moshe or any other Teshuvot of R' Moshe
Feinstein are available in English, and how I might obtain them?
Thanks,
--Robert Book <rbook@...>
University of Chicago
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From: Meylekh Viswanat <PVISWANA@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 16:13:14 EST5EDT
Subject: Udders, and Eyver Min Ha Khai
Meshulum Laks <mpl@...> writes about the peculiar
status of the milk that is found in a geshokhtn cow, that this milk is
not milkhik:
> We are all aware that the torah has prohibited mixtures of meat and
> milk, whether for eating cooking or deriving benefit. However as the
> Talmud says, since the prohibition is derived from the sentence 'do not
> cook a kid in its mother's milk', 'what is prohibited is the milk of its
> mother, which excludes the milk deriving from an already slaughtered
> animal'. Thus the unexpressed milk still nascent in the udder does not
> yet have the status of milk to prohibit mixtures of it with meat. Thus
> from Torah law, the milk from the udder is ignorable, and one could
> cook udder and eat it with the usual meat preparation.
I remember learning another case that is analogous to this: A live calf
found in the uterus of a properly slaughtered cow can be eaten without
any further slaughtering, and it does not violate eyver min ha khai. I
hope that my memory and my understanding serve me right.
Meylekh Viswanath
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From: imsasby!<dgeretz@...> (Daniel Geretz)
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 20:38:49 EST
Subject: Video Camera on Shabbos
The issue of walking in front of a video camera on Shabbos can be taken to
a theoretical extreme: What about military reconnaisance planes and/or
sattelites? Some of these may have enough resolution (or will someday)
that it could become a problem to walk outdoors *at all* on Shabbos.
Should we stay inside all of Shabbos and pull down the shades?
Daniel Geretz <dgeretz@...>
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End of Volume 17 Issue 88
