Volume 22 Number 46
Produced: Wed Dec 20 11:47:40 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Anim Z'mirot
[Danny Skaist]
Curses
[Yeshaya Halevi]
Descendants of Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt'l
[<BGILLERS@...>]
Four Hours Without Food
[Ira Benjamin]
Hanukah Candles on an Airplane
[Aryeh Frimer]
Jewish Astronaut and Halacha
[Mike Gerver]
Kabbalistic Curses
[Zvi Lieberman]
Lighting Chanuka Candles on a Plane
[Michael J Broyde]
Main Posek in Monsey?
[Al Silberman]
Matisyohu HaKohen
[Mordechai Perlman]
Menorah on Planes
[Gedaliah Friedenberg]
Shower on Yom Tov
[Warren Burstein]
The origin of the SEVIVON
[Gilad J. Gevaryahu]
The Unblech
[Michael E. Beer]
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 12:40 IST
Subject: Anim Z'mirot
>Mike Singer
>Moreover, I seem to recall that "Shir HaKavod" is not part of the
>Lubavitch service. Is that correct, and if so, why is that?
It is correct. It is regarded as too holy to be sung every shabbat.
There is, however, a Lubavitcher nigun for Anim Z'mirot.
danny
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From: <CHIHAL@...> (Yeshaya Halevi)
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 11:48:22 -0500
Subject: Re: Curses
Shalom, All:
Many have written about the "pulsa denura" curse, and in both the
Jerusalem Post and mail-jewish I even saw reference to Leon Trotsky being on
the receiving end of that curse, courtesy of the Hafetz Hayeem. (Trotsky
later received an ice pick in his head, which killed him.) Left unsaid was
the interval between the curse and the demise. Was it a day? A month? A
decade?
To put this in perspective, though, let's reflect that Adolf Hitler,
Josef Stalin and perhaps hundreds of other mass murderers were no doubt
similarly cursed. It didn't do much good, unfortunately.
<Chihal@...> (Yeshaya Halevi)
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From: <BGILLERS@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 05:16:15 -0800
Subject: Descendants of Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt'l
Two sons survived the War: Reb Dovid who was in the concentration camps,
and Reb Simcha who remained in the U.S. after coming here with his
father to fundraise for the yeshiva - Ohel Torah in Baranovich. Reb
Dovid died in l975 and is buried in Eretz Hachaim cemetery near Bet
Shemesh. Reb Simcha died four years ago. He had no children. Reb Dovid
had two children: Elchonon, who died of cancer in l982, and Mina - who
is married to me. We live in Newton,Ma with our family.
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From: Ira Benjamin <benjira@...>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 17:33:36 -0800
Subject: Four Hours Without Food
How might it occur that one who is in mortal danger, one's life on the
line, would enter into a situation where the danger exists, even when it
is avoidable?
Allow me to demonstrate:
Two men hiking through a dense forest.
Narrow trail.
Destination in sight up ahead.
Very tired, thirsty and hungry.
But wait...
At their feet,
Soft earth, very soft earth.
Is it quicksand or mud?
STOP!!
What is it?
Hard to tell.
Neither are experts.
A way around?
No.
Trail surrounded by high walls of rock and thick trees.
Either they go back, four more hours of hiking,
Or take a chance.
Is it worth the risk?
Is it quicksand?
They're not experts.
No way to know.
MUST go back.
Can't risk their lives.
WON'T risk their lives.
Not even for a small chance of danger.
Just not worth it.
NOW...
A relative's wedding.
Relative not Frum.
Trying hard to please us.
Rents out a "Kosher" hall.
At the wedding...
Little Tznius. (Modesty of dress.)
Chupa, maybe good, maybe not.
Food, maybe tastes good, maybe not.
Food, Kosher? Maybe yes, maybe not.
STOP!!
Check out the caterer.
I'm no expert.
Hard to tell.
Food Kosher or is it quicksand?
Take a chance?
Only choice, wait four hours.
Is it Kosher?
Maybe not.
Hungry.
Won't starve.
I ask you: What would you do?
Risk eating the food?
Can't risk it.
WON'T risk it.
Not worth it.
My life on the line.
Can't chance it.
I ask you again: What would you do?
What's your answer?
Food smells good. :) :)
Uri Benjamin
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From: Aryeh Frimer <F66235%<BARILAN.bitnet@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 08:29 O
Subject: Hanukah Candles on an Airplane
Nearly all airlines forbid open flames on the plane, certainly
not for a duration of 1/2 hour or more. Furthermore, most poskim hold
that one cannot fulfill the mitsvah of neirot Hanukah with electricity -
since one needs a light source which approximates oil (oil or candle -
nevertheless you do fulfill pirsumei nisa.
Rav Chaim David Halevi rules in Aseh lecha rav vol. 6, short
questions (also appeared in longer article in HaTsofeh) that perforce
one should light a flashlight without a berakha. Rav Dovid Cohen ruled
the same for my brother Dov.
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From: <GERVER@...> (Mike Gerver)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 2:59:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Jewish Astronaut and Halacha
>From Josh Backon in v22n42:
> do is count one day instead of 7 (but go find a mikveh in space :-)
Josh and other readers may be interested in a related discussion back in
v6n3, v6n5, v6n7, and v6n12, under the headings "Mikvah on Mars",
"Mikveh on Mars" and "Mikvaot on Mars."
Mike Gerver, <gerver@...>
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From: <Zvi@...> (Zvi Lieberman)
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 12:09:59
Subject: Re: Kabbalistic Curses
> From: <Ezr0th@...> (Elanit Z. Rothschild)
> Menachem Glickman wrote in Digest 34:
> > The prayer entreats that whoever gives a hand to
> > desecrating burial places should have his hand cut off. This is
> > understood idiomatically to mean that the person should be unsuccessful
> > in his endeavours to desecrate the graves. But the anti-religious media
> > chose to understand it as a 'Kabbalistic curse'."
>
> How would you explain the "Kabbalistic curse" placed on Rabin, z"l, only
> (I think) a week before he was assassinated-
> "and on him, Yitzhak son of Rosa, known as Rabin, we have
> permission...to demand from the angels of destruction that they take a
> sword to this wicked man...to kill him... for handing over the Land of
> Israel to our enemies, the sons of Ishmael."
>
> Is this another "misunderstanding" by the "anti-religious" media? I
> don't think there is any "idiomatic" way of explaining this curse to
> mean non other than death. When a tefilla is repeated that was
> originally composed by a Mekubal, in means, IMHO, exactly what it was
> originally written for. If they wanted to say something else, then they
> would have found a different tefilla to say. Words have strong meaning.
> The point of tefilla is not for Hashem to read between the lines.
> Wishing for someone to be unsuccessful in there work and wishing for
> someone's hands to be cut off are two, majorly different things. Words
> can get you in trouble if you don't think before you speak.
> Elanit Z. Rothschild :-)
> <ezr0th@...>
Major differences here. The Teffila recited in public, by people in
public was one from the great Gaon R' Chaim Palaggi. It is in our
tradition to use the words of our teachers in prayer before Hashem
rather than inventing our own.
What was said about Rabin - it is claimed was recited by "kabalists."
Who were they? Were they individuals of stature? If they were, we would
have heard about them being at the least interrogatted and perhaps
arrested and tried for "incitment." After all, so many other distigushed
rabbanim have been interviewed for the benefit of the media. For all we
know it could have been yet another event sponsored by Eyal and Avishai
Raviv for the benefit of the Israeli television.
Most probably some people forming a "cabal" rather than "mekublim."
Zvi H Lieberman
<zvi@...>
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From: Michael J Broyde <relmb@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:37:38 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Lighting Chanuka Candles on a Plane
One writer asked about lighting channuka candles on a plane, when all of
the family is on the plane. THis question can only be answered in the
context of the fundamental dispute between achronim as to whether the
obligation of channuka candles called in the Gemera "ner ish ubato"
means, "a candle per person per house" or "a candle per person per
household." The Aruch HaShulchan (667) rules that only a "household" is
required and not a "house." Many other achronim disagree, as noted in
various poskim (MB implictly disagrees). According to Aruch Hashulchan,
one is under an obligation to light in the plane, and thus one should
light a single candle in that situation (by the way, even if someone
extinguishes it, one still fulfills the miztvah). Thus achronim who
require a "house" and not merely a "household," rule that when one is
not in a house, one cannot light channuka candles. (My own opinion is
that this second approach is the majority one, and also anylitically
correct). According to this appraoch, one should seek out an achsanai
(border or guest) and have him light candles for you and himself in your
house, and thus fulfill the obligation.
Michael Broyde
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From: <asilberman@...> (Al Silberman)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:58:44 -0500
Subject: Main Posek in Monsey?
In M-J Vol22 #42 a poster described a Posek in Monsey as "the main posek in
Monsey". I found this title extremely humorous as would anyone who lives in
Monsey (are we talking about the same Monsey?).
First of all, was the title necessary to give credence to this posek?
Surely, if the poster considered this Rov his posek the Psak would have
import without that title.
Second, Monsey is B"H blessed with Poskim covering the full religious
spectrum and one can pick a Posek from every color of the rainbow. I live
in Monsey for over 20 years and had never heard of Rav Cohen until he
caused an unnecessary uproar in the Jewish world several years ago (if we
are talking about the same R' Cohen). I can think of many Poskim in Monsey
who would take umbrage at such an unnecessary designation.
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From: Mordechai Perlman <aw004@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 09:07:57 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Matisyohu HaKohen
On Tue, 19 Dec 1995, Barry S. Bank wrote:
> What is the halachic status of Pinchas in killing Zimri [Numbers 25:1-15])?
There is a law which is Halacha L'Moshe Misinai (a law which has
no source in the written Torah but is purely received tradition from
Hashem through Moshe). The language mentioned in the G'mora for it is,
"Habo'el Aramis Kano'im Pog'in Bo". This means that one who lives
sexually with a gentile woman, the zealous ones may kill him.
A Lichtige un a Lustige Chanuka
Mordechai Perlman
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From: Gedaliah Friedenberg <gedaliah@...>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 23:54:02 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Menorah on Planes
Newsgroups: shamash.mail-jewish
Although this does not quite answer Yaakov's question:
The last time I flew to Eretz Yisroel during Chanukkah, Chabad had a large
booth in the Kennedy Airport terminal with menorahs and candles. Many
people lit the menorah before we left (the flight left after sundown).
I do not know if this solution is l'halacha (it is not one of Yaakov's
3 options), but you may want to investigate this option.
Gedaliah
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 10:15:32 GMT
Subject: Re: Shower on Yom Tov
Zale Newman writes:
>A noted halachik authority in Toronto taught that there are circumstances
>whereby one may take a "kind of shower" on Yom Tov but 5 conditions must
>ALL be kept.
>1) cool shower only! (no hot water)
>2) only part of the body can be under the water at a time. (ie: arm or
> leg, but one should not stand under the water)
My understanding is that one may bathe in unheated water on Yom Tov as
well as on Shabbat, and that the one part of a body at a time is only
required for bathing in hot water on Shabbat.
|warren@ an Anglo-Saxon." -- Stuart Schoffman
/ nysernet.org
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From: <Gevaryahu@...> (Gilad J. Gevaryahu)
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 22:07:16 -0500
Subject: The origin of the SEVIVON
The origin of the SEVIVON (also: dreidel, trendel, fergel, & verfel)
Drash: Every year around Hanukkah we read parashat Vayigash, where in
the Haftara it is said "kach lecha etz echad" (take for yourself a piece
of wood-i.e., sevivon). We read in the parasha "v'et Yehudah shalach
lefanav . . . Goshna" (Bresh. 46:28) Goshnah is spelled Gimmel, Shin,
Nun, & Heh which we put on the sevivon.
Gimmatria: N, G, H, S adds to 358 and so does Mashiach
History: The sevivon goes back to the Roman period. Roman soldiers
brought it to England. In Babylonia people played with it. In the Middle
ages it was known in France under various names "Tam va'chetzi," "Tam
ve'chaser," "Tam kes". Kes is mentioned in Rashi as half (Shemot 17:16).
All sevivon's uses in the past were for games of luck, and all used
various letters to mean: All, None, Half, etc. In the past also
Christian children used to play with it around Xmas.
Source: Sefer Ha'Moadim V, 1961, an article by Rabbi Dr. Meir Grunwald,
pp.225-226.
Gilad J. Gevaryahu
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From: <MEBESQ@...> (Michael E. Beer)
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 1995 22:14:06 -0500
Subject: The Unblech
Regarding the "UNBLECH", a local gentlemen who is a member of the Young
Israel of Flatbush in Brooklyn, invented the "Kaderah Blech", which I
understand has some Rabbinic approval, those interested might contact the
Young Israel of Flatbush for more info.
Michael E. Beer
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End of Volume 22 Issue 46
