Volume 22 Number 32
Produced: Wed Dec 6 1:54:54 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Article by Rav Lichtenstein
[Dave Curwin]
Chafetz Chaim and Smoking (2)
[Dave Curwin, Eli Turkel]
Hair & 3 Year Olds
[Eliyahu Teitz]
Haircuts at 3
[Elisheva Appel]
Ketubot
[Janice Gelb]
Lilith
[Freda B Birnbaum]
Lillith
[Jeffrey Woolf]
Marshmallow Fluff
[Jeremy Nussbaum]
Now about Chanukah & xmas
[crp_chips]
Smoking (2)
[Percy Mett, Richard K. Fiedler]
Starting to eat if one can't Bensch.
[Immanuel O'Levy]
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From: Dave Curwin <6524dcurw@...>
Date: Mon, 04 Dec 1995 16:26:25 EST
Subject: Article by Rav Lichtenstein
I am looking for an article written by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, in 1973,
discussing the difference between "bitachon shel emuna" and "bitachon
shel ahava". I think it appeared in an Israeli journal called "Deot",
but I don't know who put it out, or if it still exists. Does anyone
know where I can find it?
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: Dave Curwin <6524dcurw@...>
Date: Fri, 12 May 1995 00:39:21 EDT
Subject: Chafetz Chaim and Smoking
[From the depths of my mbox, but they seem still to be relevant and
current. Mod]
Eli Turkel wrote (regarding Rav Auerbach):
>6. He avoided giving opinions about medical questions (from the medical
> side not the halachic side) and made fun of "segula" (charms). However,
> he did not want to prohibit smoking because the Chaftez Chaim and
> Oneg Yom Tov smoked.
This seem unlikely, because the Chafetz Chaim in Zecher L'Miryam,
strongly discourages smoking -- for wasting of time, and if I
remember correctly, also for health reasons.
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"
*all opinions expressed here are my own*
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From: Eli Turkel <turkel@...>
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 08:46:14 +0300 (IDT)
Subject: Re: Chafetz Chaim and Smoking
> Dave Curwin writes:
> > Eli Turkel wrote (regarding Rav Auerbach):
> > >6. He avoided giving opinions about medical questions (from the medical
> > > side not the halachic side) and made fun of "segula" (charms). However,
> > > he did not want to prohibit smoking because the Chaftez Chaim and
> > > Oneg Yom Tov smoked.
> >
> > This seem unlikely, because the Chafetz Chaim in Zecher L'Miryam,
> > strongly discourages smoking -- for wasting of time, and if I
> > remember correctly, also for health reasons.
What I wrote was copied from an article and I have no personal
knowledge. When I read this it also bothered me as I know that the Rav
Waldenburg (Tzitz Eliezer) quotes the Chaftez Chaim as being against
smoking. However, while at Y.U. I met Rav Zachs Ztl the son-in-law of
the Chaftez Chaim and he was a chain smoker.
Eli Turkel
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From: <EDTeitz@...> (Eliyahu Teitz)
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 1995 17:40:46 -0500
Subject: Re: Hair & 3 Year Olds
>Well in many ways a man is compared to a tree. He starts from a small
>seed. He grows and branches out and eventually he is to bear fruit. (Be
>fruitful and multiply is only encumbant on men.)
> Now a tree cannot have its fruit picked for the first 3 years. So,
>likewise a, a boy's hair is not cut for the first 3 years. At 3 the
>hair is cut, he get's his arbot canfot (tallit katan) and kippah and
>much simcha is had.
Why does this logic not apply to women as well? And yet I have seen
nowhere that girls wait until three to get their hair cut.
The best explanation I have come across yet has nothing at all to do
with halacha. It seems that the Czarist army in Russia used to
conscript young men to the army. They would collect their data on the
number and gender of children at a young age, before they were likely to
be hidden.
Girls were not drafted; boys were. So a habit developed to let a boys
hair grow until after the army inspectors left the area. Once a child
was past a certain age, they were assumed to have been counted already,
and it was safe to cut their hair.
Eliyahu Teitz
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From: <ELISHEVA@...> (Elisheva Appel)
Date:
Subject: Haircuts at 3
Rachel Rosencrantz explained very well why there is a tradition of not
cutting a little boy's hair until he is three; I just want to add one
more point. The reason the first cutting of the hair is significant is
that this is the first time the payos are left uncut (or maybe trimmed,
but not cut close, depending on one's minhag) - this is the first time
that the mitzvah of "not rounding the corner of one's head" is
fulfilled.
Another reason for the significance of the age of three is that Avraham
Avinu was three years old when he recognized his Creator.
Elisheva Appel
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From: <janiceg@...> (Janice Gelb)
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 1995 13:38:08 -0800
Subject: Ketubot
In Volume 22 Number 27, Debra Fran Baker says:
> The first regards ketubot. I just sent my ketubah in to be framed
> properly and I'll get it back in two weeks. This is okay because on our
> wedding day they filled out two of them - the pretty one we bought AND a
> not-so-pretty one provided by the caterer. I still have the caterer's in
> my possession.
>
> If it isn't standard practice for the caterer to provide an extra (we were
> actually surprised by this), it struck me that all a couple would have to
> do is photocopy their own before the wedding day and have that copy also
> filled out and witnessed, as we did with our extra.
When I got married, we had a very elaborate large "science fiction"
ketubah. It didn't occur to us until after the wedding that using this
to get our marriage validated once we moved to Israel would probably
not be such a hot idea. Photocopying it would have been physically
impossible. So, we bought a standard ketubah in a stationery store, had
the rabbi who did the ceremony (my father-in-law) fill it out, and sent
it to the original witnesses to sign and return to us.
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with this
<janiceg@...> | message is the return address.
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From: Freda B Birnbaum <fbb6@...>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 14:45:10 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Lilith
In V22N29, Elisheva Appel asks for information re Lilith:
> I did ask a rabbi once where this appears in the Midrash, but he said he
> had never heard of Lilith, so I'm hoping someone out there can help me.
> I'm curious about the source of this legend, and more details about it.
> Also wondering why some Jewish feminists have adopted her as a hero.
Don't know offhand, but good English sources would be Louis Ginsburg's
_Legends of the Jews_ and the _Encyclopedia Judaica_.
Some Jewish feminists consider her an example of a woman who refuses to
be subordinate to men or male-run systems. There's some interesting
stuff in the masthead of _Lilith_ Magazine and also probably in Judith
Plaskow's books, can't remember the name of her first one offhand. Most
recent one is _Standing Again at Sinai_, interesting even if it turns
out not to have anything about Lilith. Certainly not the last word, but
worthwhile reading for feminists of all persuasions; tho be warned if
this is a concern, Plaskow is not "orthodox".
Freda Birnbaum, <fbb6@...>
"Call on God, but row away from the rocks"
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From: Jeffrey Woolf <jwoolf@...>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 00:35:48 +0300 (IST)
Subject: Lillith
A full (and very good) review of Eisenberg-Sasso's book on Lillith
appeared in the Jerusalem Post Weekend magazine two weeks ago.
Jeff Woolf
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From: <jeremy@...> (Jeremy Nussbaum)
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 95 14:05:48 EST
Subject: Marshmallow Fluff
> From: <raisrael@...> (Andy Sacks)
> Marshmallow Fluff (with an o/u) is now sold in Israel. The o/u is printed
> on the label. In addition, a large Hebrew label, containing the
> ingredients is glued on. So far all seems"kosher."
> Strawberry Fluff is also sold. Here too the big Hebrew label which is
> glued on in Israel has the o/u. But, upon carefully removing the Hebrew
> label, the original American label does not have an o/u (as does original
> flavored Fluff).
>
> 1. Is Strawberry Fluff under o/u supervision. If so, why does it not
> have an o/u printed on the label. If it is not under o/u supervision,
> why have the Israeli importers printed an o/u on the label?
The marshmallow fluff on sale in some supermarkets in boston have an o/u
on the unflavored and no o/u on the strawberry flavored version. I have
not checked into the lack of o/u and have presumed that there is an
issue with the flavoring.
> 2. Is there an Internet address at which one can check out these matters?
I can't find an email address on the o/u web presence on shamash.
Perhaps our esteemed moderator can provide one.
[While the OU is slowly joining the email world, I do not know that they
have an email address that is being read at the Kashrut division. If I
hear anything new, I'll let you know. Mod.]
Jeremy Nussbaum (<jeremy@...>)
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From: crp_chips <chips@...>
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 09:50:30 -0800
Subject: Now about Chanukah & xmas
Picking up on the thread of Thanksgiving and its approbiatness for Jews
to eat turkey, what about Chanukah this year?
Is it allowed to give presents after Shabos Chanukah?
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From: <P.Mett@...> (Percy Mett)
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 18:27:33 +0000
Subject: Smoking
Zvi Weiss <weissz@...> wrote on Wed, 29 Nov 1995 18:05:00 -0500 (EST)
> One point that I have never seen addressed (esp. by those who permit
>existing smokers to continue to smoke (presumably because of the
>addictive nature)) is that an "impossible" message is being sent to our
>young.
> On the one hand, we tell people Do Not Smoke (it is dangerous,
>expensive, unhealthy, etc.) and we direct these messages to the
>young... On the other hand, these same people see their Rebbeim, Poskim
>(in some cases), and others all puff away -- even when others may find
>it objectionable.
It all depends on which messages you listen to. Smoking is now being
banned in a number of yeshivos. At Shaarei Torah in Manchester, England
smoking is strictly forbidden and is considered suffcient reason for
expulsion from the yeshiva.
I have never seen the Gerrer Rebbe shlit'a smoke. In fact, his
predecessor issued a call to his chasidim more than ten years ago
forbidding smoking in the Beis Hamedrash and encouraging smokers to cut
down.
It is certainly my impression that that today's youth smoke far far
lesss than my contemporaries in yeshiva did in the 1960s.
Perets Mett
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From: <dfiedler@...> (Richard K. Fiedler)
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 08:10:06 -0600
Subject: RE: Smoking
Stan Tenen seams to be very focused on the cost/benefit ratio of smoking
vis-a-vis for himself and in so doing skips the main reason that smoking
cannot be tolerated - it's effect on others.
The dangers of second hand smoke are now well documented. A smoker is
statistically reducing the life span of all who suffer to be in his
vicinity.
I am in avalouts. Last week I had the amoud and a stranger to our minyon
came in and davened mincha next to me. He reeked of smoke. It was the
most unpleasant experience I have ever had davening. If I had to do it
over I would even stop in the middle of hazora and leave the area.
Dick Fiedler <dfiedler@...>
Skokie Il (708) 329-9065 Fax (708) 329-9066 /\
Efrat Israel (02) 9932706 Fax (02) 9932707 \--/--\--/
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From: <imo@...> (Immanuel O'Levy)
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 95 16:56:35 GMT
Subject: Starting to eat if one can't Bensch.
If one does not have a Benscher to hand and one is doesn't know
Bensching by heart, is one allowed to start eating a meal knowing that
one won't be able to Bensch afterwards? Alternatively, if it's a
special occasion and one doesn't the addition by heart (e.g. it's
Chanukah and one does not know Al Ha'Nissim by heart), may one start to
eat?
(This problem actually occured to me once on Chanukah, but fortunately
the person I was with knew Al Ha'Nissim by heart and he said it aloud so
that I could follow along with him.)
Immanuel M. O'Levy, | INTERNET: <imo@...>
UCL Dept of Medical Physics, ----------------------------------
1st Floor Shropshire House, 11-20 Capper Street, | Tel: +44 (0)171-209 6266
London WC1E 6JA, Great Britain. | Fax: +44 (0)171-209 6269
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End of Volume 22 Issue 32
