Volume 19 Number 42
Produced: Sun May 7 15:48:49 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Administrivia
[Avi Feldblum]
Avoidance of Simcha during Sefira
[Jerrold Landau]
Combining Parshas
[Marc Meisler]
Counting Sfira
[Shlomo H. Pick]
Different parshiyot in Israel & Chul
[David Katz]
Films on the Omer
[Leo Keil]
Haircutting, Mourning, Omer and the ARI
[Harry Schick]
Independence Day
[Ari Shapiro]
Intentional delay
[Ari Belenky]
Sidros Israel/CHu"L (v19#39)
[Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer]
Yom Haazmaut (2)
[Micky Adler, Lon Eisenberg]
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From: Avi Feldblum <feldblum>
Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 15:41:36 -0400
Subject: Administrivia
Hello all,
I would like to apologize to all the readers of mail-jewish for the
recent unannounced silences on mail-jewish. Between Pesach, work,
feeling ill, and lastly a week out of the country, I've not been able to
get to mail-jewish in a timely manner. I plan, b'ezrat HaShem to be in
New Jersey for the next nine days or so, and to get things back on an
even keel during the next few days. I do not forsee a trip out of
country untill mid to late June, and will try and let you all know in
advance if I expect any prolonged silences to occur.
Again, my apologies to you all, and now I will try and overfill all your
mailboxes with accumulated email. I will go over the 4 messages per day
limit, but will stay within 6 messages per day.
Avi Feldblum
<mljewish@...>
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From: <landau@...> (Jerrold Landau)
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 17:56:28 EDT
Subject: Avoidance of Simcha during Sefira
As has been pointed out, there are various customs as to the avoidance
of simcha during the Sefira period. For those observing the first 33
days (which seems to be a common custom), part of these days occur
during Pesach. The days of Pesach (along with the days of the other
festivals) are among the happiest days of the year. In particular, the
mitzva of Vesamachta Bechagecha (Rejoicing on the Festival) applies.
How does one reconcile the avoidance of simcha with the simcha of Yom
Tov? This is not a problem in some areas, as haircutting and weddings
are prohibited on Chol Hamoed in any case. But it would seem somewhat
incongruous to avoid musical entertainment (in particular live musical
entertainment, which most people agree is prohibited during the
semi-mourning period of sefira) during these happiest days of the year.
For those observing the first 33 day custom, is there any custom at all
to avoid entertainment during the Chol Hamoed days, or does the Chol
Hamoed cancel out the semi-mourning?
Too late for this year, but an interesting question nevertheless.
Jerrold Landau
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From: Marc Meisler <mmeisler@...>
Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 14:21:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Combining Parshas
A different explanation I've heard for why the diaspora doesn't catch up
until Mattos-Massay is so that we read Parshas Bamidmar on the Shabbos
before Shavuos. I find this a weak explanation because in Israel Bamidar
is sitll read two weeks before Shavuos and not the week before. Even if
this were the case, why couldn't the diaspora catch up with Chukas-Balak?
Marc Meisler 6503E Sanzo Road
<mmeisler@...> Baltimore, Maryland 21209
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From: Shlomo H. Pick <F12013@...>
Date: Tue, 02 May 95 15:23 O
Subject: Counting Sfira
concerning akiva miller's 11 customs, i have two comments:
1. there is a twelfth custom as recorded in luach eretz yisrael by
tikochinsky and i have also seen recorded in the name rabbi elyashiv:
from pesach until rosh chodesh sivan, with it being permitted to get
married on the night of rosh chodesh.
2. what does observance of sefira on pesach mean? the two basic laws
of sefria are haircuts and getting married (nesu'in), and for other
reasons they are forebidden on chol hamoed and/or yom tov. so how does
sefira during chol hamoed (let's say) express itself?
bebirchat yom ha'atzmaut same'ach
shlomo pick
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From: David Katz <dkatz@...>
Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 12:07:52 +0300 (IDT)
Subject: Re: Different parshiyot in Israel & Chul
As told to me by Phil Chernofsky wo works with me at the Israel Center -
The order of the parshiyot was created for Chutz Laaretz - we in Israel
were still using a 3 year cycle. Later on, Israel also adapted the Chul
system and the Pesach ending on Shabbat problem was created. Therefore,
it is not up to Chul to find a way to catch up, but rather it is up to
Israel to find a double parsha to splitup and thereby slow down.
The next available double parsha in a leap year is Mattot Massei and in a
non leap year - Behar Bechukotai.
David Katz, Director - Nitzotz Student Volunteer Program 011-972-2-384206
NCSY Israel Summer Programs P.O. Box 37015
email: <dkatz@...> Home:011-972-2-991-3474 Jerusalem ISRAEL
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From: <leo_keil@...> (Leo Keil)
Date: Mon, 01 May 95 16:02:48 EDT
Subject: Films on the Omer
>> what is the current ruling about films on the Omer?
My Rav holds that you shouldn't go to movies EVER, but for those who do go to
movies, there is no difference between Sfira and the rest of the year.
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From: Harry Schick <75773.171@...>
Date: 02 May 95 23:10:50 EDT
Subject: Haircutting, Mourning, Omer and the ARI
Regarding the different views of abstention of simcha during the days of
the Omer I question based on a look at the ARI (albeit not totally
comprehensive) whether his dates of not having a haircut can be assumed
to also pertain to abstaining from simcha. It is not clear from what I
have seen that his intention was anything beyond the cutting of hair. In
terms of his kaballah there is good reason to not cut the hair relative
to the omer without pertaining to mourning.Has anyone seen anything in
his work that includes talk of these days being mournful?
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From: <m-as4153@...> (Ari Shapiro)
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 19:42:53 EDT
Subject: Independence Day
<2. Where do we learn to add Yom Tov psalms [pesukei dezimrah] for this
<occasion? We don't do it on Hannukah or Purim?
That is a good question. The Yom Tov pesukei dezimrah is said because
of the kedushas hayom(holiness) of Yom Tov or Shabbos. We don't even
say these on chol hamoed which have kedusha on a torah level. Therefore
it certainly seems we should not say these on Yom Ha'atzmaut which is
not even a d'rabbanon (Rabbinical obligation) and has no kedusha. R'
Shachter quotes the Rav as saying that Judaism doesn't believe in
ceremonies. Everything we do has a reason. Therefore he thought that
saying the kabbalas Shabbos Psalms on Yom Haatzmaut night was incorrect.
We say them on Friday night because the Gemara in Shabbos describes how
the Tannaim would say let us go welcome the shabbos. Therefore we say
Kabbalos Shabbos as an extension of this idea that we are welcoming in
the Shabbos. (Hashem as our guest). Note we don't say this on Yom Tov
because on Yom Tov we aren't welcoming Hashem to our home but we are
supposed to go to his home, the Beis Hamikdash. Therefore on Yom
Ha'atmaut it doesn't make sense to say kabbalos shabbos. We are not
welcoming Hashem to our homes, it is just an empty ceremony. The same
thing would seem to apply to saying the pesukei d'zimrah of Shabbos on
Yom Ha'atmaut.
Ari Shapiro
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From: <belenkiy@...> (Ari Belenky)
Date: Mon, 1 May 95 16:58:38 PDT
Subject: Intentional delay
Rafael Salasnik asks "does anybody have a better explanation for why we
leave the difference (Chutz l'aretz does not catch up with Israel) till
Mattot- Massei?"
I would answer that Mattot-Massei are the first missing chapters in
Zohar. And Zohar was written in the cave.
I suggest to everybody to complete my syllogism.
Do we really know who (and when) broke The Book into parshiot?
Ari
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From: <sbechhof@...> (Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer)
Date: Mon, 1 May 1995 18:34:51 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Sidros Israel/CHu"L (v19#39)
Rafi Salasnick asks about why we wait in leap years to catch up with
Israeli kri'a all the way till Matos-Masei. The answer, I believe, is
that Chazal want the Rebuke in Bechukosai to be read before Shevuos,
separated by a week, and the Rebuke in Ki Savo to be read before Rosh
HaShana, separated by a week as well. I do not recall off hand if this
is a Gemara or Medrash, but it should be not that difficult to
verify. The Shavuos Tochacha (Rebuke) pattern this year cannot be
followed in Israel, but is retained in Chutz la'Aretz.
Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
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From: Micky Adler <madler@...>
Date: Tue, 02 May 95 14:07:58
Subject: Yom Haazmaut
Dear Lon Eisenberg,
I read your questions concerning Yom Haazmaut at Jewish Mail, here are
my answers to your wonders:
The basic starting point is that the customs for Yom Haazmaut were put
out by the Rabanut Harsahit, and it has at least the authorization of
"takanat hachamim" if not more. Deciding the day of Yom Haazmaut and
thus the saying of the Hallel was done by them and the trigger of the
declaration of the Jewish state by D. Ben-Gurion on that day is the same
of Hazal deciding on the days of Purim i.e. the same day that Haman
decided to kill the Jews v'nahfoch hu...(by the way the gmorah says that
Hallel should be said on Purim only that Kriat Hamegila is instead!)
Saying Shabbat's Psukey d'zimrah is based on the custom of Hoshana Raba
in which we do the same (Don't forget to omit Mizmor Shir l'yom hashabat
and Nishmat!).
Concerning the date of Yom Haazmaut, it is also included in the Chief
Rabbinate as takanat hachamim, that in order to prevent hilul Shabat,
the day will be moved ahead. We find this again on Purim that hazal put
different dates for different people starting from Adar 11 to Adar 16.
Note that when Purim in Jerusalem comes out on Shabat it is moved ahead
and back in order to prevent hilul shabat.(Also Tisha B'av l'havdil...)
I would like to add that there is a psak from R. Shlomo Goren Zts"l that
the 5th of Iyar has to be kept also as a day of simcha without avelut,
tachanun etc., even on a year that it is moved to Iyar 4 or 3,(also
similar to Purim).
Hag sameach and let Hashem make the coming year, a real independence
year.
Micky Adler
Hashmonaim
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From: Lon Eisenberg <eisenbrg@...>
Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 11:07:26 +0000
Subject: Re: Yom Haazmaut
It was nice to hear from you. How are things in Ramat Modi`im?
Anyway, I disagree with some of what you say:
>The basic starting point is that the customs for Yom Haazmaut were put
>out by the Rabanut Harsahit, and it has at least the authorization of
>"takanat hachamim" if not more.
Who says they have the same authorization as the "hahamim"? I'm not
denying that they have authority, but I think that's pushing it a bit.
By the way, a friend at work pointed out that the whole concept is
actually based on an individual's yom tov for being saved; since
different locations were saved at different times during the War of
Independence, the rabbanuth chose one day for all to observe together,
rather than having a different "private yom tov" in each separate
location.
>Saying Shabbat's Psukey d'zimrah is based on the custom of Hoshana
>Raba in which we do the same (Don't forget to omit Mizmor Shir l'yom
>hashabat and Nishmat!).
What does Yom Ha`azmauth have to do with Succoth? I would more compare
it to Purim and Hannukah, when we don't say long pesukei dezimrah.
>Concerning the date of Yom Haazmaut, it is also included in the Chief
>Rabbinate as takanat hachamim, that in order to prevent hilul Shabat,
>the day will be moved ahead. We find this again on Purim that hazal
>put different dates for different people starting from Adar 11 to Adar
>16. Note that when Purim in Jerusalem comes out on Shabat it is moved
>ahead and back in order to prevent hilul shabat.(Also Tisha B'av
>l'havdil...)
But when Purim comes out on Shabbath, we still say Al Hanissim and read
the portion for Puprim on Shabbath. It seems to me that the same should
be done for Yom Ha`azmauth (this year on Friday).
>I would like to add that there is a psak from R. Shlomo Goren Zts"l
>that the 5th of Iyar has to be kept also as a day of simcha without
>avelut, tachanun etc., even on a year that it is moved to Iyar 4 or
>3,(also similar to Purim).
Although I'm not disagreeing with this idea, I will point out that Rabbi
Leff says that he follows those who say that Yom Ha`azmauth is not
enough to suspend aveiluth (and admits that there are those who say it
is). I believe in Matityahu some people say Hallel and others do not
(probably the same for Tahanun). Rabbi Leff did mention that during
tephillah that day, one should be especially thankful for the State (I
wonder which day this year he says to do that).
Lon Eisenberg Motorola Israel, Ltd. Phone:+972 3 5659578 Fax:+972 3 5658205
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End of Volume 19 Issue 42
