Volume 18 Number 87
Produced: Tue Mar 14 0:51:41 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Cookies 'N' Mint
[Aryeh Blaut]
Counting People
[Joseph Steinberg]
Gloves and Handwashing
[David M Kramer]
Gloves and Handwashing:
[Doni Zivotofsky]
Hair Covering
[Yitzchok Adlerstein]
Hebrew Character Recognition
[Avi Bloch]
Ibn Ezra on Eretz Yisrael
[Yitzhak Teutsch]
Life, Afterlife, Resurrection and all that
[George S. Schneiderman]
Pidyon Haben
[Ari Shapiro]
Saying Kaddish
[Bernard Katz]
Shaking Hands (2)
[Sheila Tanenbaum, Rachel Rosencrantz]
Shragai and Schlesinger
[Dave Curwin]
The world -to-come?
[Moshe Waldoks]
Woman Reading Megillah vs Haftara
[Michael J Broyde]
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From: <AryehBlaut@...> (Aryeh Blaut)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 22:09:51 -0500
Subject: Cookies 'N' Mint
>From: A.M. Goldstein <MZIESOL@...>
>Is Hershey's relatively new chocolate product, called Cookies 'N' >Mint,
>kosher? Some Hershey products have a kashrut label and some do >not.
>This one does not. It is made in Hershey, PA, and the word is that
>all Hershey products made there are kosher. Does that general
>statement apply to products beyond Kisses and Hugs? The >package
>lists a toll-free number, which answers from 9am-4pm: 1-800-468-
>1714. I'd appreciate someone's finding out.
When this product came out on the market last year, I called Hershy and
they told me that at the time the lables went to print, there was a
problem with some of the ingrediants, therefore, no O-U was printed. By
the time the product hit the market, the problem was solved, but the
labels were made already. Therefore, they are on the O-U list but ,
eventhough a new product, the symbol is not on the label.
Aryeh
(<aryehblaut@...>)
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From: Joseph Steinberg <steinber@...>
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 10:41:02 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Counting People
When G-d asked for the Jewish people to be counted he said that everyone
should give 1/2 a shekel (and the money would be counted) 'V'lo Yiyeh
Ba'hem Negef B'fkod O'tam' -- and there shall not be a plague among them
when they are counted. I believe that some understand this to mean that
people should always be counted in some 'indirect manner' to avoid a
'plague.'
JS
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From: David M Kramer <david_m_kramer@...>
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 95 09:42:36 EST
Subject: Gloves and Handwashing
Steve Albert writes: MJV18N83
> It may be that HaRav Moshe Tendler holds differently (certainly it
>has been a subject of sheilos to various poskim), so that he and his
>wife chose to use gloves instead. It could also be that the
>circumstances on an airplane, with a very small lavatory and narrow
>aisles where it might be difficult to make a beracha, dry one's hands
>and return to one's seat without having to interrupt and speak,
>motivated him to use gloves even if he would have allowed washing in a
>lavatory in more normal circumstances.
A friend of mine, a musmach of YU and a talmid of Rav M. Tendler, asked
Rav Tendler about the washing on the airplane story. Rav Tendler said
that there was no sink in the aisle so he was compelled to wash in the
lavatory. After he washed in the lavatory he put the gloves on as a
chumrah (stringency) which he and his wife personally accepted upon
themselves, since a bathroom may be considered a makom m'tunaf (a dirty
place where ritual washing may not be allowed). Rav Tendler emphasised
that:
1. He and his wife ritually washed in the airplane's lavatory.
2. After washing they put on gloves to eat bread.
3. This was a personal choice to be extra stict.
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From: <DONIZ@...> (Doni Zivotofsky)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 20:06:20 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Gloves and Handwashing:
In response to Steve Albert's query about gloves and handwashing: In the
upcoming edition of the Journal of Halachah and Contemporary Society (this is
becoming a common answer on this list) there will be an article on issues of
halacha and modern plumbing and washing in the bathroom is dealt with. R.
Moshe , R. Ovadia Yosef, R. Waldenberg and the Hazon Ish all have reservations
about washing in the bathroom. That may be why R. Tendler wears gloves (like
his Father-in-law?). Many other contemporary poskim such as R Henkin and R
Wolkin permit. One can see the article for further details.
Doni Zivotofsky
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From: <yitzchok.adlerstein@...> (Yitzchok Adlerstein)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 23:36:51 -0800
Subject: Hair Covering
>Usually when I mention the "hair covering" one, the "right"
>responds by saying: Sure, and next if Shabbos turns someone off
>maybe they should forgo that as well. Nice but irrelevant point.
>One is a gender based mitzvah, one is not; one is Rabbinical (with
>the exception of the Trumas HaDeshen who's says haircovering is
>Biblical) and Shabbat is Biblical.
I think that this posting is in error. In fact, it is the Terumas
Hadeshen (#242) who suggests that the Rambam holds that hair covering
for married women is Rabbinic, and not D'orayso [of Biblical origin].
Of course, this is a minority view. For an excellent review and count
of the views of the rishonim, see Shut Yechaveh Da'as (5:62), by Rav
Ovadiah Yosef. He cites one other responsum that sees the obligation as
Rabbinic. He discards it, however, in face of the overwhelming evidence
that the rishonim held that covering hair is D'orayso.
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From: <avi@...> (Avi Bloch)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 09:54:38 IST
Subject: Hebrew Character Recognition
I am looking for software for Hebrew character recognition, spefically
one that can be used by a sofer stam. The software should run on a PC
and should use a standard scanner.
Please e-mail me directly since I don't read mail-jewish regularly.
Thanks in advance
Avi Bloch
<avi@...>
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From: Yitzhak Teutsch <TEUTSCH@...>
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 13:49:31 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Ibn Ezra on Eretz Yisrael
Dave Curwin asks in Mail-Jewish v.18,no.83 for the source of Ibn Ezra's
statement concerning the person who owns a portion of Eretz Yisrael. It
can be found in parshat Va-yishlach on the verse "Va-yiken et helkat ha-
sadeh..." {Yaakov purchased a portion of the field} -- Gen. 33:19.
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From: George S. Schneiderman <schneid@...>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 04:08:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Life, Afterlife, Resurrection and all that
I messed up in a recent posting. The underlined "resurrection" below
should be "reincarnation." As I then proceeded to point out in the
original posting, there is at least some basis for resurrection in
Tankakh, and lots in the Talmud. It's *reincarnation* that I have serious
qualms with as normative Jewish thought. Sorry for any confusion.
> > Judaism believes in resurrection and in reincarnation--all the other
______________
> Whoa! Slow down a bit! Resurrection? Sure, you can find kabalistic
--------------
> sources supporting its existence, but I would hardly call it normative
> doctrine. Nothing on it in Tanakh, nothing I'm familiar with in the
> Talmud, although I imagine it must come up, and probably has some support.
--George S. Schneiderman <schneid@...>
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From: <m-as4153@...> (Ari Shapiro)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 21:22:13 EST
Subject: Pidyon Haben
I understand why a Levi who has a B'chor doesn't have to be podeh
(redeem) him. However, this also applies if the mother is the daughter
of a Levi and the father is a yisrael. Why should this be, after all
the son will be a yisrael like his father?
Ari Shapiro
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From: Bernard Katz <bkatz@...>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 13:10:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Saying Kaddish
A friend of mine who is a psychiatrist and is now an ovel is interested
in information related to the psychology of saying Kaddish. He is
interested in the question of its psychological role in enabling
people to cope with bereavement. In other words, what meaning or
significance has it had for people in such circumstances? He would
be grateful both for personal reactions as well as references to
published sources.
My friend does not have access to mail-jewish and asked that I post
this for him. I would, of course, be happy to pass along to him any
private messages.
Bernard Katz
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From: <SheilaTAN@...> (Sheila Tanenbaum)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 14:23:19 -0500
Subject: Re: Shaking Hands
I am a woman physician. Over 10 years ago I was working in a hospital, where
an obviously haredi middle-aged man, father of 10, etc., who worked in
Utilization Review, would occasionally seek me out for opinions on
appropriate length of stay, even on patients who were not in my care. He had
trained as a physician's assistant, and would frequesntly "pump" me for any
leads to places that were hiring in that field.
I had left that hospital, and a few years later, met the man, in another
hospital, starting with a group of newly hired physician assistants. I was
delighted to see that he found work in his chosen field, and put out my hand
to wish him a hearty mazel-tov. (Honestly, at work I rarely think about my
gender) He literally jumped back, as if singed.
It was not surprising that he was fired a few months later, having to do with
his approach to treating women.
In looking back, I guess I should have realized that he didn't shake hands,
but I was just so happy at seeing that he got the job he wanted. If he were a
woman, I probably would have hugged her --- so, I guess gender does count.
Shaking hands in a work situation, IMHO, is no more connected to negiah than
smoking cigarettes is to hard drugs ---- or else why is that the largest
number of white men that I see smoking are frum? :-)
Sheila Tanenbaum
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From: <rachelr@...> (Rachel Rosencrantz)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 12:48:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Shaking Hands
> >From: sg04%<kesser@...> (Yechezkal-Shimon Gutfreund)
> I have seen two techniques (both lack something when compared to
> directly dealing with the issue):
> 1. She sticks out her hand, you place your business card in it
> (pretending like you don't understand the convention, or that the card
> was what was desired).
> 2. This technique requires a couple: Women extends hand, your wife is
> standing next to you, she grabs the hand and shakes it. (same technique
> works if the man is the one who extends his hand).
>
> Basically, though, what is wrong with explaining the reason why we don't
> shake hands? We are entitled to our customs, and in today's world one
> can give good examples from society why this is actually a very fine
> process. Certainly, both Jew and non-Jew can be made to understand the
> logic in this. And by spreading the logic of Torah, we are helping
> fufill our purpose on this planet.
Thank you for sharing these techniques. I think the basic problem I
have with explaining why I don't shake hands is that I interact with
many customers for a brief period of time. I don't really have a chance
to establish a working relationship with them so that they would
respect/understand why I don't shake hands. Perhaps I've just not come
up with a good way for me to explain why I don't shake hands. However,
the handing a business card over does deal with the problem without
making the other person feel too self conscious or think that my company
is unwelcoming. I do tend to find that in older companies that people
tend to naturally assume you don't shake hands unless you are familiar
with the person. It's mainly with the younger company cultures that
shaking hands seems to be the same as saying, "Hi, nice to meet you."
How do you explain why you don't shake hands?
-Rachel
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From: Dave Curwin <6524dcurw@...>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 18:29:01 EST
Subject: Shragai and Schlesinger
Can anyone provide biographical information, particularly dates, about
the religious Zionist thinkers Rav Akiva Yosef Schlesinger and Shlomo
Zalman Shragai?
David Curwin With wife Toby, Shaliach to Boston, MA
904 Centre St. List Owner of B-AKIVA on Jerusalem One
Newton, MA 02159 <6524dcurw@...>
617 527 0977 Why are we here? "L'hafitz Tora V'Avoda"
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From: <WALDOKS@...> (Moshe Waldoks)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 15:52:23 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: The world -to-come?
Are we referring to "hisharut hanefesh"- "gilgul haneshamot" -unity with
the mekor hayim- recovering the very essence of our beings- is there
a hiyyuv to accept the common notions which portray angelic hosts and
large clestial academies in a corporeal way. Let's try to establish
once and for all in our discussions of these matters not to become victim
of anthropomorphisms and mythological thinking that leads many away from
the ikkar of our belief that we are part of Elokim-tzelem Elokim. In no
way does this constitute a belief in any physical image, khos vahalilah.
Moshe Waldoks
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From: Michael J Broyde <relmb@...>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 10:21:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Woman Reading Megillah vs Haftara
One of the writers stated:
> Am I incorrect in believing that the halachic difficulty is
> much greater with regard to a woman reading megillah than for a woman
> reading a haftara, for example?
Yes, you are incorrect. To the best of my knowledge, there is no
halachic basis for a woman to read a haftorah, whereas a woman reading a
megila for other women is sanctioned by many halachic authoties, and is
the opinion accepted by Rama as well as many others. To the best of my
knowledge, there are no halachic authorites who would rule that it is
categorically prohibited for a woman to read megialla for a group of
women, at least bedeeved; see Shulchan Aruch OC 689:2 and the many
commentaries on this.
Rabbi Michael Broyde
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End of Volume 18 Issue 87
