Volume 26 Number 70 Produced: Sun Jun 8 9:39:47 1997 Subjects Discussed In This Issue: At the old ball game [Aaron D. Gross] Burning Tablecloths on Shabbat [Ranon Katzoff] Daf Yomi [eli turkel] Davening times on a plane [Tzadik and Sheva Vanderhoof] Hebrew words for Rose [Leslie Train] Jewish Music Influences [Jordan Lee Wagner] Kol isha [Ben Rothke] Lag Be'omer [Yosey Goldstein] Mikva questions [Rafi Stern] Passport Photos [Eric W. Mack] Pointing at the Torah [Hyman L. Schaffer] Singing Pesukim [Shimmy Messing] Tallit [Dov Ettner] Tallit - Minha [S.H. Schwartz] Wedding Explanation [Seth Ness] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aaron D. Gross <adg@...> Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 13:50:52 -0700 Subject: Re: At the old ball game >From: Chaim Shapiro <ucshapir@...> > 2) The Cubs almost always sell out, and I couldn't get any good seats. >However, given the teams record and the time of year, the stands were >almost completly empty, so I moved down. The park is certainly makpid >... >the tickets, I would be forced to move. The purchaser of those seats, >if indeed they were sold, chose not to atttend. It doesn't harm him if >I sit in his empty seat. What then is the issur? How is this different from being a squatter? If you owned a vacant apartment building, do you have the right to insist that squatters not inhabit your building? --- Aaron D. Gross -- http://www.pobox.com/~adg AWARDS: GEOCITIES; ONLINE ACCESS MAGAZINE; O-U MODEL SITE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ranon Katzoff <katzoff@...> Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 00:00:27 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Burning Tablecloths on Shabbat On the question discussed here of whether and how to deal with a burning tablecloth on shabbat, consider the words of the Mishna B'rura 334.73 (on Orach Chayim 334.26): [Good Source, seeing that it was from the introduction to the Mishna Brura that this thread started from. Mod.] "From here comes the "heter" to put out a fire *everywhere* (b'chol makom), since it may happen that if one does not put it out there may be *in that city* (sham ba'ir) someone who for reason of age or illness cannot escape and the fire will overtake him." (my emphasis) Ranon Katzof ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: eli turkel <turkel@...> Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 11:23:13 +0200 (IST) Subject: Daf Yomi Readers may be interested in a new dafyomi list. This includes a daf discussion group, a page or so of insights on the daf, a background for the daf and set of questions for review. What I find most exciting is the possibility of asking questions on the daf. In order to join them, send an email message to: <listproc@...> The message should contain *nothing* other than one or all of the following lines: sub daf-discuss Your Name sub daf-insights Your Name sub daf-background Your Name sub daf-review Your Name sub daf-questionofday Your Name (Substitute your own first and last names for the words "Your Name" in the above messages.) Each of our mailing lists will deliver to you information on the daily Daf in 2-7 Daf installments, once or twice/week. A short description of the content of each list follows. These lists are part of the Dafyomi Advancement Forum, founded by Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld (http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/dafyomi2/). Rabbi Kornfeld has authored one of the most advanced parsha pages on the internet for the last two years. Gmar Tov, Eli Turkel <turkel@...> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tzadik and Sheva Vanderhoof <stvhoof@...> Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 01:05:35 +0300 Subject: Davening times on a plane The discussions of davening times reminded me of a very "le'maaseh" shailoh that came up for me on a trip from Israel to the U.S. last year. The plane left Israel late at night and sometime during the trip I noticed that the sky was beginning to get light. Seeing that they were starting to serve breakfast, I decided to daven right away so that I'd be able to eat. I was in the middle of the brachos of Kria Shema, and by this time the sun was actually visible out the window, when someone interrupted my davening with the explanation that it was too early to daven because, although the sun was visible from our very high altitude, the point directly below the plane was in total darkness and it was considered "night" for us. I followed his advise and stopped davening and also relied on the fact that it was "night" to allow myself to eat breakfast, since one is allowed to start a meal before dawn. Soon afterwards, a minyan formed in the back of the plane for davening. Because I was now nervous about the time issue, I did not join the minyan. Soon after this, the plane started descending, and sure enough the sun actually "unrose", and it started getting darker again. The plane landed in the US in total darkness at about 4am local time. I later davened again from the beginning on the ground, after the sun rose. Does anyone know of any accepted tshuvas about the issues of davening times when in a plane at a very high altitude? I later heard from a rabbi that he believes that minyanim are often formed in the plane at an incorrect time and that one should not join these minyanim. Incidentally on the way back, I noticed someone davening Shacharis about 2 hours before we landed in Israel (landing was around 5 pm). Even though he was still within the time limit for Shacharis had he still been in New York, it was pretty clear that where the plane currently was, the time for Shacharis had long since past, and it was actually assur for him to daven Shacharis. I didn't mention anything to the person, though, not knowing the right way to go about it. Any comments? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Leslie Train <ltrain@...> Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 23:38:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Hebrew words for Rose Vered is from Old Persian; therefore no biblical reference. Les Train ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <JordanleeW@...> (Jordan Lee Wagner) Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 02:29:09 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Jewish Music Influences > In discussion with Eli several other examples of Jewish inspired music > were noted (by both of us). > --The Kaddish and several other symphonic works of Leonard Bernstein E.g., The Jeremiah Symphony, which is based on Haftarah chant. > This raises an interesting question: > How many other serious symphonic musical works derive themes from Jewish > sources---Teamim, chazanuth, Biblical themes? Are there any books on > these? Perhaps other people out there are interested in compiling a list > of these. There are many of these. E.g., Mussourgsky. E.g., Vaughn-Williams fantasy on a Jewish Theme. E.g., The Moldau (if you assume that Salomoni Rossi Hebrao's setting was the original tune);.etc. etc. And if you include Jewish composers, then very many more. Even in their "non-Jewish" compositions, Jewish composers' sound worlds might have been shaped (even unconsciously) by their background. One might expect to find something Jewish somewhere in Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Jewish-dominated French opera (D.Milhaud, Mayerbeer, Offenbach (son of a chazzn), J.HaLevy [e.g., Eleazar's aria in Act IV of "La Juive"], S.Naumbourg,etc.); Anton Rubinstein, Kurt Weill (son of a chazzn), Gershwin, Korngold, etc. You could probably collect a long list by inquiring at the alt.music.jewish newsgroup. (alternativly try contacting the Jewish Music Institute at Hebrew College, Brookline MA.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ben Rothke <BRothke@...> Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 22:31:55 -0400 Subject: Kol isha Does anyone have a source as to at what age the issur of kol isha (listening to a womens singing voice) commences? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Yosey Goldstein <JOE-G@...> Date: Tue, 21 May 96 21:18:02 EDT Subject: Lag Be'omer [Inyanei De'yoma (issues of the day) although a year old. Mod.] Last Shabbos I was talking to my Rov and I asked him why does Everybody say Lag Be'omer, even when they say Le'omer when they count? He answered me that the main Yom Tov of Lag Be'omer stems from the fact that it is Reb Shimon Ben Yochai's Yarzeit. The Gemmorah at the end of Moed Koton tells us that when we say "good bye" to a living person one says LECH LESHOLOM, go to peace. However when saying "good bye" to a deseased person one says LECH BESHOLOM, Go IN peace. (See the Maharsha for an explanation of what the difference is) Therefore since it is Reb Shimon Ben Yochai's Yarzeit we use the term Ba'Omer With a Bais, the same way we say lech Besholom. Thanks Yosey ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rafi Stern <rafistern@...> Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 23:37:50 PDT Subject: Mikva questions When I discussed the issue of Friday afternoon Mikva opening with my carpool we came up with three questions: 1. Why do Sefardim go to Mikva earlier on Friday night than Ashkenazim? Is this a related topic? 2. Is there any essential difference between a woman going to Mikva on the first day of her sheva' nikiim (the seven "clean" days) and going a few hours before the end of the seventh day. Of course I am assuming that there is no yichud (privacy with her husband) during the rest of the week - an example could be a woman who is travelling on business and is returning only after nightfall on the seventh day and wishes to immerse before leaving for reasons of convenience. 3. Why is there any need to ensure that there is no yichud between the husband and wife when she returns early from the Mikva. If we "trust" the couple to be in yichud during the time when she is nidda and now she has gone to mikva (i.e. she has shown that she is trying to do the right thing), then why don't we trust them now? What do we mean anyway by this "trust"? What sanction do we hold against someone who is not careful about yichud in this situation, but there are no sexual relations between the couple? Have they done some kind of Aveira? Which one? Rafi Stern Tel: (H)972-2-9919162 (W)972-3-6873312 Email: <rafistern@...> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <ce157@...> (Eric W. Mack) Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 09:37:52 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Passport Photos The photographer told my wife she had to remove her hat for a passport photo. Has anyone successfully objected to this? Eric Mack <ce157@...> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <HLSesq@...> (Hyman L. Schaffer) Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 10:58:57 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Pointing at the Torah According to Minhag Yisrael Torah by R. Yosef Lewy(which discusses minhagim and their sources according to the numbering of Shulchan Aruch--3vols. have appeared to date), the author searched the sources and was unable to find a source for this custom. He posits that it may be related to the well-known statement of chazal that "zeh" in the Torah indicates that Hashem showed Moses something with his finger, and that it has carried over to the word "zos" as well.He also brings from Sefer Chaim of R. Chaim Palgi a possible source from Medrash Rabba on the verse in Shir Hashirim "vdiglo olai ahavah": in other peoples, the rule is that one who points at the likeness of the king is sentenced to death (for disrespecting the king) but Jewish children go to school and point at the name of hashem, to which Hashem says "vdiglo olai ahava" (lit. his banner is upon me with love"), do not read vdiglo, but rather "agodlo" hisfinger(or thumb) is upon me with love. From this loving pointing at the word of hashem might stem the pointing at the Torah (admittedly not explaining why with the pinky). As to why some hold the tzitzit, R. Lewy posits so that the pointing not be with the naked finger (which might connote disrespect) or else to connect the remembering of the tzitzit with that we are supposed to remember, namely the mitzvot in the sefer Torah. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <shimms@...> (Shimmy Messing) Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:43:57 EDT Subject: Singing Pesukim A while back, there was disscussion of singing dayeinu by the seder. It was argued that it should not be sung so no words should be repeated. At the seder at my house, someone brought up the issue of singing pesukim. He said that there are some rebbeim in YU that don't sing pesukim at all but rather hum along. Can anyone tell me what the problem with singing pesukim and why, if it indeed shouldn't be done, do we so often. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: <dovle@...> (Dov Ettner) Date: Mon, 26 May 97 17:33:23 +0300 Subject: Tallit There are Yemenite Jews who wear a tallit for Mincha Erev Shabbat and Kabalat Shabbat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: S.H. Schwartz <schwartz@...> Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 18:55:22 -0400 Subject: Re: Tallit - Minha From: Menashe Elyashiv <elyashm@...> > I think that those who do use a T. for Arvit(Maariv) do so because it > used to be said before dark or at least started before dark. I was under the impression that it is for kavod haTzibbur. This is analogous to those congregations where men don a talit gadol for an aliyah -- k'riah, hagbah/g'lilah, or even p'ticha -- at mincha Shabbat afternoon. It also explains why boys who do not wear a talit gadol must don one for a morning aliyah. Steven (Shimon) Schwartz http://www.access.digex.net/~shimmy/ With Rebecca, Forest Hills, NY: <schwartz@...> Computer Associates, Islandia, NY: <schwartz@...> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Seth Ness <ness@...> Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 20:52:34 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Wedding Explanation hi, does anyone have an explanation of the jewish wedding that can be handed out to non-observant and non-jewish guests? If so could you email it to me, if its ok with you that I use it? Thanks. Seth L. Ness, Ph.D. Ness Gadol Hayah Sham <ness@...> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Volume 26 Issue 70