Volume 28 Number 76
Produced: Tue Jun 15 6:12:44 US/Eastern 1999
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Ayin in the Rama's shul
[Micha Berger]
Chalav Stam outside America
[<SAlbert@...>]
Direction during Prayer in New York
[Roger & Naomi Kingsley]
Extra candle on Friday Night
[<Dagoobster@...>]
Keeping one's feet together
[Ezriel Krumbein]
Mehitsah
[Prof. Aryeh A. Frimer]
north route to Yerusalayim
[Ezriel Krumbein]
posting
[Frances Klein-Lehman]
Quickie Source for LUACH SHAYMOTH and POALIM
[Russell Hendel]
Should we follow a symbolic Zohar if it involves a Biblical Prohibit
[Russell Hendel]
Source of mechitsah in Shul
[Prof. Aryeh A. Frimer]
T'fillin on Chol Hamoed
[Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz]
Work assignments for non-religious Jewish colleagues
[<SAlbert@...>]
Work Assignments on Shabbat
[Isaac A Zlochower]
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From: Micha Berger <micha@...>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 08:10:34 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Ayin in the Rama's shul
The only legacy I can think of that remains of the Ashkenazi `ayin is the
Yiddish "Yankef" for "Ya'akov". I'm not sure how much that tells us about
the original sound, except it had some passing similarity to a nun.
Micha Berger (973) 916-0287 MMG"H for 14-Jun-99: Levi, Korach
<micha@...> A"H O"Ch 328:4-10
http://www.aishdas.org Eruvin 95b
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From: Steve Albert <SAlbert@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 11:04:32 EDT
Subject: Re: Chalav Stam outside America
To add to the original question a more specific one: We have available
here a "kosher" cheese (Brie or Camembert) from Denmark, but the
hechsher specifies that it was made from unsupervised milk. (I think
the company is Samson, if anyone happens to know of them.) Does anyone
know anything about govenment regulation of milk in Denmark?
Steve Albert
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From: Roger & Naomi Kingsley <rogerk@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 01:56:07 +0300
Subject: Re: Direction during Prayer in New York
> It's apparently a fact that people all over the world have some kind
>of East-West mental representation of the globe, that almost totally
>excludes both non settled poles.
Interesting. And what is the practice in Hawaii? or Alaska? Does Alaska
have some switch-over line in it?
Roger Kingsley
<rogerk@...>
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From: Chaim Shapiro <Dagoobster@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 13:20:32 EDT
Subject: Extra candle on Friday Night
The accepted custom is for a woman who forgot to light Shabbos
candles one week to add one candle for the rest of her life. Does the
same apply to a single male living by himself? If it does, when he
Marries, is his wife require to add the extra candle as a tikkun for him
as well?
Chaim
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From: Ezriel Krumbein <ezsurf@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 12:10:45 -0700
Subject: re: Keeping one's feet together
>From: Avraham Reiss <areiss@...>
>I have looked further into the question of keeping one's feet together
>while davening (A generic term, including Amidah, Kedusha and Kadish).
>I have found sources for Amidah and Kedusha, but no source for keeping
>one's feet together when saying Kadish.
I have found a source. Sefer HaKaddish - Mikoro, Mashmauto vDinav by
Dovid Asaf, Rav BHaifa published Haifa 572"6. On page 212 in discussing
if it it is required to stand while saying Kaddish. "similarly, one
should be careful with those children who are saying Kaddish that they
should be wearing belts, and to align their feet one next to the other
like in Tifilah ( assume this means Shemona Esrei)." Unfortunately the
footnote cites the Kaf HaChaim siman 95 and 125. The first siman
relates to Shemona Esrei even though it only refers to Tfilah and the
second siman relates to Kedusha. In neither siman could I find
reference to Kaddish. With all that, in practice I do try to keep my
feet together when I say Kaddish.
What is also interesting it it does not seem clear that there is an
explicit source requiring standing durring Kaddish. I do think it would
be highly inappropriate not to stand. However the sources seem only to
require standing if the Kaddish is said after something done while
standing such as Shemona Esrei or Hallel. I am not sure of the
practical implications of this. However if I am correct, that it may
not be required to stand for Kaddish, it sould be hard to find a source
for keeping ones feet together. (Altough I did see the Kaf HaChaim
mention that if was was in a wagon and could not stand for Shemona Esrei
one should still try to keep ones feet together if it will not ruin your
Kavana).
Kol Tov
Ezriel
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From: Aryeh A. Frimer <frimea@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 08:59:07 +0300
Subject: Mehitsah
I have just completed a series of Shiurim on Mehitsah and found it
astonishing that, to the best of my knowledge, none of the poskim deal
with the issue of mehitsah at Hakhel which is biblical, at which women
were obligated to attend, and which precedes the Simchat beit HaShoevah.
Any sources or thoughts? One presumes they were all in the same area
(azarah). But there is no evidence that there was any separation of the
sexes.
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From: Ezriel Krumbein <ezsurf@...>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 23:59:35 -0700
Subject: re: North Route to Yerusalayim
> From: Joseph Geretz <jgeretz@...>
> While we're on the subject of facing Yerushalayim during davening, may I
> raise the question of why the North Pole and lines of lattitude play a
> role in determining the relative direction of Yerushalayim vis a vis New
> York. The most direct route to Yerushalayim is closer to North than it
> is to East when starting out from New York.
There is an article in the Journal Yeshurun Volume 3 from 1997 by Rav
Yehuda Hershkowitz page 586. It is in hebrew and I have not taken the
time to read it yet. From the accompanying diagrams it seems to address
this issue.
Kol Tov
Ezriel
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From: Faygie Klein-Lehman <faygie_klein@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 20:25:27 PDT
Subject: Looking for books by Shaul S. Deutsch
I am looking for the following two books, does anyone know where they can be
purchased? Eichlers and other similar stores don't have it
Thanks,
Faygie
Larger Than Life:The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Years in Riga & Berlin
by Shaul S. Deutsch Chasidic Historical Productions Ltd; ISBN: 0964724316
Larger than life:the life and times of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Schneerson
by Shaul S. Deutsch
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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 20:59:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Quickie Source for LUACH SHAYMOTH and POALIM
Cherry Hall asked for a source for LUACH HASHAYMOTH which was given
to her by RoselanDow (Vol28n62).
I would just like to add that if you don't want a whole book but just
a complete good summary, then volume 5 of Ibn Shoshan's dictionary has
a 20-30 page summary in back of everything---ordinary and weak verbs,
nouns, inflections etc (The footnotes cover many exceptions). Thus you
get two books in only a few dozen pages. I have used it and it compares
well to most modern secular grammar books.
Russell Hendel; Phd ASA
Math & Comp Science, Drexel
Moderator Rashi Is SImple
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/
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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 21:05:31 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Following a symbolic Zohar if it involves a Biblical Prohibition
Herschel in v28n74 cites sources for how to deal with (non) simultaneous
psaks from the zohar and gmarrah. I wish to raise one point which was
already under discussion in vol 28 in the early issues.
Take an idea like abstaining from Kiddush during the "reign of Mars"
(from 6-7 on Friday night). This is a zoharic concept at best and is not
found in normative halacha (like the gmarrah, mishnah...).
The question I raised is the following: It is well known that sometimes
the Zohar says things in symbolic form. It is also well known that the
Zohar is a very esoteric book.
By contrast there is an explicit Jewish Law (eg Rambam, Idolatry 11)
that it is Biblically prohibited to decide what activites you are doing
based on the position of astral bodies.
How then can we risk violating a Biblical law based on a Zohar whose
meaning may be symbolic?
I could go on but I believe the above makes my point clear. I would
really appreciate enlightenment from those who believe we are doing no
wrong by following these zoharic thoughts.
Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA RHendel @ mcs drexel edu
Math & Comp Science
http://www.shamash.org/rashi/
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From: Aryeh A. Frimer <frimea@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 16:38:12 +0300
Subject: Source of mechitsah in Shul
Source of mechitsah in Shul
Rav Moshe Feinstein - De'oraita (Cited in Litvins book; Resp Iggerot
Moshe I, sec. 39ff)
Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik - derabanan (As Above)
Rav Regensberg (Litvin) and Rav Binyomin Silber (Resp. Az Nidberu) -
Custom
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From: Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz <sabbahillel@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 09:13:49 -0400
Subject: Re: T'fillin on Chol Hamoed
Roni Grosz <roni.grosz@...> wrote:
> The fact that many congregations start with Tefilin-donners and those
> who don't on Chol HaMoed doesn't justify this wrong practice. If
> possible the congregation should make two minyianim, one with and
> without Tefilin. If this is not done I am afraid that the minority group
> is transgressing "lo titgodedu" (you should not make separate
> fractions") although I would not know what to advise them (probably
> davening without minyian and later joining a minyian to hear Borchu,
> repetition of Amida, Kedusha, Kriat HaTorah, etc ...)
Our shoul has the mechitza running down the length of the shull (to the
side). On chol hamoed (since there are usually not enough people for
two minyanim (one of each type), the tefillin wearers will daven on the
other side of the mechitzah so as not to have a problem of lo tisgod'du
and then come back into the main area when they take off their tefillin.
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From: Steve Albert <SAlbert@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 11:04:37 EDT
Subject: Re: Work assignments for non-religious Jewish colleagues
One other book I'd recommend is a guide for physicians and hospital
personnel who have to treat patients on Shabbos, written by Dr. Binyomin
Sokol (my wife's uncle). I believe the title is "Medicine and Halacha:
A Physician's Hospital Guide" but since I don't have a copy here, I may
not be exactly correct.
Steve Albert
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From: Isaac A Zlochower <zlochoia@...>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 14:53:46 -0400
Subject: Work Assignments on Shabbat
The question was raised in ml: 28;68 about the responsibility, if any,
for a supervisory physician to dissuade a non-observant Jewish physician
from signing up for shabbat duties in a hospital. In ml: 28;72, a
response was given which cited many of the relevant recent rulings that
permit a physician to perform required functions associated with
healing. However, it did not, it seems to me, address the specific
question relating to a non-observant physician deliberately choosing a
shabbat shift. My own non-professional perspective on this issue would
be to assume that the non-observant physician would otherwise be engaged
in impermissible activities on shabbat. "His" driving to the hospital,
signing charts, ordering x-rays and operating electrical equipment, and
other such activities in the hospital, would, however, be considered
permissible if it were needed for the patients health. Therefore, why
try to persuade him not to engage in such activities when the
alternative will not diminish his violation of the shabbat? You can try
to educate him on the basis for your medical activities on the shabbat
and the nature of your shabbat activities outside of medical practice,
but it is not your responsibility to have him emulate your stance. Your
paramount responsibility, it seems to me, is to the patients in your
care, particularly since you are the supervisory physician in the
pediatric ward of a hospital. Any decision that you make that is not in
their interest, would be wrong, in my opinion. We only have a right to
be stringent in halacha if it does not harm anyone else.
There is a well-known story about the great talmudist, R' Chaim
Soloveitchik who was also the Rav of Brisk (Brest-Litovsk). When his
young grandson, Yasha Ber (later to become famous as the Rav) became ill
with a fever, R'Chaim sent for a doctor and told his son, Velvel (later
to be known in Rabbinic circles as R' Velvel Brisker) to carry the lit
candleabra to the boy's bed to provide more light for the doctor.
Someone who was aware that a gentile maid could have been so delegated
had the temerity to ask R' Chaim if he wasn't being lenient in doing
work on shabbat. R' Chaim replied, no!, I am being stringent on the
question of possibly saving a life. That was both a lesson for his son,
who presumably had already shown tendencies of being stringent in
halacha, and for us, as well.
Yitzchok Zlochower
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End of Volume 28 Issue 76
