Volume 34 Number 38
Produced: Tue May 8 21:46:13 US/Eastern 2001
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Candy at Happy Occasions
[<EDardashti@...>]
Candy Tossing
[Yisrael & Batya Medad]
Eruv
[Aharon Fischman]
Eruv Question
[Yosef Gavriel and Shoshanah M. Bechhofer]
Hallel in Maariv on Pesach
[Maslow, David (NCI)]
Machine Shmura and Non-Shmura
[Tzvi Harris]
Population Survey - Request for Assistance
[Daniel Katsman]
Sefirah counting
[Shmuel Himelstein]
Shalom Aleichem on Friday night Chol Hamoed or 2nd days of Yom Tpv
[Rachi Messing]
Tapes of Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz
[Ben Katz]
Why is Matzoh Shmurah different? (2)
[Stephen Phillips, W. Baker]
Yom Tov Sheini
[A. Seinfeld]
Yom Tov Sheni
[Perets Mett]
Yomtov Tefillah
[Shmuel Himelstein]
Request: Need short-term rental in Rehovot
[Brown, Mordechai]
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From: <EDardashti@...>
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 14:23:21 EDT
Subject: Re: Candy at Happy Occasions
The act of showering the Bar Mitzvah or the Hatan with candy would be
explained in anthropological circles as an act of "sympathetic magic."
Those showering the recipients are substituting the candy for all that
is sweet in life.
The reverse is also true in acts performed on Purim. The noise making
to blot out the evil Hama's name, or the writing of Haman's name on the
sole of one's shoes so that the name is stamped on and is worn out.
Lots of similar actions may be witnessed at the Rosh Hashannah
ceremonies of the Jews of the East and Spain. The breaking of a scallion
in half and wishing that the same will happpen to the enemies of Israel.
The eating of pomegrantes so that we mayas full of mitzvot as the seeds
of the pomegranate. The eating of lung so that are sins will be as
light as the lung. Of course the eating of the apple and honey.....
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From: Yisrael & Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 23:10:56 +0300
Subject: Candy Tossing
As a spin-off on the Candy at Aufruf, our Rav at Shiloh, in line with
others, have required all candy to be wrapped and hard so as not to
cause "mi'us", denigration of food although he has expressed himself
that the best preference is not to throw at all.
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From: Aharon Fischman <afischman@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 13:15:39 -0400
Subject: Re: Eruv
Asher Goldstein <mzieashr@...> wrote:
> Halakhically, isn't the permission of the ruling body (town council, local
> prince, etc.) needed to erect an eruv outside of Israel?
From what I understand of the case, the Eruv Commitee obtained
(non-binding) permission from the (Bergen) county adminstration. They
had no direct jurisdiction, so that is when the local town council
(Tenafly) ordered the Eruv down.
Aharon
<afischman@...>
www.alluregraphics.com
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From: Yosef Gavriel and Shoshanah M. Bechhofer
Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 14:05:55 -0500
Subject: Re: Eruv Question
>From: Asher Goldstein <mzieashr@...>
>An internet site posted this:
>...>The legal showdown between Orthodox Jews in Tenafly and the
> >Borough Council over maintaining an eruv atop utility poles begins
> >in federal court.... The hearing before U.S. District Judge ... will
>determine >whether the eruv, which the Orthodox erected without permission
>from Tenafly >officials, should be allowed to remain attached to borough
>utility poles....
>
>Halakhically, isn't the permission of the ruling body (town council, local
>prince, etc.) needed to erect an eruv outside of Israel?
Yes, but the permission need not be from the local government proper,
but may be from a police or fire official, or even a state as opposed to
local jurisdiction, etc.
KT,
YGB
<ygb@...> http://www.aishdas.org/rygb
(Author, "The Contemporary Eruv")
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From: Maslow, David (NCI) <maslowd@...>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 08:27:49 -0400
Subject: Hallel in Maariv on Pesach
Both the Mishnah Brurah and the Ezras Torah calendar indicate that
Hallel is not said as part of maariv by Nusach Ashkenaz on the first
nights of Pesach, yet many synagogues that otherwise closely follow
Ashkenaz practice have the custom of saying Hallel those nights.
Is this a general observation, and if so, what is the reason for this
apparent discrepancy?
David E. Maslow, Ph.D.
Chief, Research Resources Review Section
Grants Review Branch, National Cancer Institute
301 496 2330
Fax: 301 496 6497
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From: Tzvi Harris <ltharris@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 20:40:58 +0300
Subject: Machine Shmura and Non-Shmura
I once heard that shmura matza is made with whole wheat flour, while
non-shmura is made with regular flour (regular meaning not-whole-wheat).
I noticed this also while we were sifting the shmura flour for hand
matza this year. It was thick and dark, and appeared to be whole wheat.
Maybe someone can confirm this.
Tzvi Harris
Talmon, Israel
Please note our new e-mail <tzvi@...> and web address
Halacha Yomit for Day Schools http://www.halachayomit.com
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From: Daniel Katsman <hannahpt@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 23:18:16 +0200
Subject: Population Survey - Request for Assistance
I am conducting an informal survey of the prevalence rates of kohanim
and levi'im in the general Jewish population. I need information from
synagogues regarding number of members, number who are kohanim, and
number who are levi'im. I would like to request the assistance of shul
gabba'im and others in a position to provide such information. The data
can be sent to the above e-mail address, with the subject line
"Population Survey". Data should include:
Name of shul
Location
"Ethnicity", e.g. Ashkenazi, Sefaradi, other
Number of members
Number of kohanim
Number of levi'im
If your lists include children of members over bar-mitzva, that is fine
also; just stipulate the nature of the population.
I will keep Mail-Jewish informed of the progress of the survey.
If anyone knows of such a study having been carried out in the recent
past, please let me know.
Thank you for your assistance.
Daniel Katsman
Petah Tikva
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <shmuelh@...>
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 15:41:12 +0300
Subject: Sefirah counting
While there are minor differences between the way the Ashkenazim and the
Sephardim count the Omer (primarily in the placement of the word
"BaOmer"), and of course there is the classic BaOmer and LaOmer
difference, I was most surprised and intrigued to see that in the Tiklal
- the Yemenite Siddur - all the counting is in Aramaic rather than
Hebrew ("HaIdna ...." rather than "HaYom ..."). Does any know of the
source for this? Rambam, given the Yemenite reliance on him for P'sak?
Shmuel Himelstein
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From: Rachi Messing <rachim@...>
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 23:51:37 -0400
Subject: Shalom Aleichem on Friday night Chol Hamoed or 2nd days of Yom Tpv
There was discussion this year whether or not to sing Shalom Aleichem
this past Friday night which coincided with the second days of Pesach.
Part of the question centered on if singing Shalom Aleichem is halachic
based or minhag. Any thoughts?
- Rachi
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ben Katz <bkatz@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 12:46:06 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: Tapes of Shiur by Rabbi Berkowitz
>From: Joseph P. Wetstein <jpw@...>
>I recently heard a tape by Rabbi [] Gold in response to Rabbi [] Berkowitz
>about Religious Zionism. Does anyone know where I could listen to the
>original tape(s) by Rabbi Berkowitz or possibly contact him?
If you mean Rabbi Eliezer Berkowitz, zatzal, he has been dead for about
5 years. Rabbi Eliezer Berkowitz was an outstanding talmid chacham and
philosopher who fled Nazi Germany and was a rabbi I believe in Australia
before coming to Chicago. He made aliyah and died in Israel. He was a
talmid of the Sereidai Aish (Yaakov Yechiel Weinberg) and never got the
kavod due him at the Skokie Yeshiva because he was liberal on many
issues (as was Weinberg). For more information see Marc Cohn's recent
biography of Weinberg and any of Berkowitz's writings (including Women
and Judaism).
Ben Z. Katz, M.D.
Children's Memorial Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases
2300 Children's Plaza, Box # 20, Chicago, IL 60614
Ph. 773-880-4187, Fax 773-880-8226
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From: Stephen Phillips <stephenp@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 23:51 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Re: Why is Matzoh Shmurah different?
> From: Wieder, Maurice <maurice@...> Can anyone explain why
> Machine made Matzoh Shmurah should look and taste differently from
> Machine made Matzoh Not-Shmurah even when manufactured by the same
> company? This year we used Hadar Shmurah Matzoh which is made by
> Yehudah Matzoh Co. The matzohs are totally different as is the matzoh
> meal. In past years we used other brands and the shmurah is always
> darker and does not work well in my wife's recipes.
I think the difference is that Shmurah Matzos are made with wholewheat
flour which is darker (and, IMHO, tastier) than the flour used for
regular Matzos.
Stephen Phillips.
<stephenp@...>
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From: W. Baker <wbaker@...>
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 14:51:44 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Why is Matzoh Shmurah different?
I don't have an autohritative answer to this, but it sounds like the
Shmura is made from a partially or totally "whole wheat" flour which
would result in all the symptoms you describe, darker color, different
taste and a heavier matzo meal that would act quite differently in
recipes like matza balls, cakes, etc.
If this is the case, it would be healthier at the sme time.
Wendy Baker
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From: A. Seinfeld <aseinfeld@...>
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 09:28:12 -0700
Subject: Re: Yom Tov Sheini
They both keep 2 days in America because there is a hazaka that they will
get "stuck" in chutz l'aretz and not return after 1 year.
By the way, how many Israelis do you know who live in America (for many
years!) but who don't say, "I'm not here permanently..."
> But I do have a question that almost was a real incident. An American girl
> marries a an American man living in Israel. He keeps one day Yom tov, she
> keeps two days. They spend Pesach in America with the intention of spending
> a year here with the intention of returning to Israel for just one year .
> So, does the wife continue to keep two days and her husband keeps one day as
> an Israeli, or does she follow her husband's tradition since she is married
> to him--and keep just one day--even though she has no reason to keep one day
> since she has no intention of living in Israel permanently.
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From: Perets Mett <p.mett@...>
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 15:38:28 +0100
Subject: Re: Yom Tov Sheni
The wording has become slightly garbled so let me relate a similar
phenomenon.
It is not uncommon for a bochur from chuts lo-orets who is in yeshivo in
Israel to marry a girl who is a resident of Israel. The norm is that he
keeps two days yom tov, especially if he intends to return to Chu"L
after studying in yeshivo.
What happens after they marry, and the couple are still living in Erets
Yiroel temporarily before returning to Europe or America or
wherever. There is a psak (I cannot tell you how widespread it is, but
it is very logical) that they continue keeping the same number of days
of Yomtov as before.
Since he has been keeping two days of Yomtov until now, and he intends
to return to Chu"l, he needs to keep two days yomtov after they are
married. She, on the other hand, has never left EY and is spending
Yomtov in EY, so there is no reason for her to keep more than one day
until they actually emigrate.
Bernard Raab <beraab@...> wrote:
>
>Now that we are in an era of ease of travel undreamed of in past times,
>the difficulty of this ruling has become only too apparent. Anyone who
>has tried to observe a day of chag in Israel while the entire country is
>back at work knows what I mean.
With respect, I find this somewhat meaningless. IF there is halachic
requirement to keep two days of yomtov, the fact that all the Jews
around me keep only one day makes no difference to my observance. The
fact that it might be difficult, or uncomfortable, does not change what
I have to do.
> One of most popular compromise positions is the
>so-called "day-and-a-half".
I am not sure what Bernard meant by 'popular'.
AFAIK the most popular psak i.e. the normative halocho, is that visitors
from Chuts lo-orets observe two days yomtov while in Israel.
[Perets, I do not know how you can write that anything is "the normative
halocho" in this case, as there remain differences of opinion among the
poskim, as has been reported here in the past, with different poskim
lining up for 1 day, "1.5" day and 2 day. Mod.]
Some poskim are unhappy with the fact that this psak amounts to a kulo
in several respects e.g. wearing tfilin, and public displays of yomtov
on a day which is not Yomtov for the local population. The psak of a
"day-and-a-half" is to daven etc like the residents of Erets Yiroel but,
l'chumro, to perform no forbidden work on the 2nd day of yomtov.
>This MAY mean as well that you do not launch into
>eating chametz on the "8th day" of Pesach, no matter how much you are
Not MAY mean, but MUST mean. Not eating chomets on Pesach is basically
an issur koreis, and therefore more stringent than not working on
YomTov.
Perets Mett
London
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <shmuelh@...>
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 15:35:27 +0300
Subject: Yomtov Tefillah
In the Yom Tov Amidah there is a paragraph which begins with "Kadesheinu
Bemitzvotecha ..." On Shabbat, these words are preceded by "Elokeinu
Veilokei Avoteinu, Retzei Bimenuchateinu". Why the first three words
("Elokeinu Veilokei Avoteinu") should be reserved only for Shabbat seems
very strange. Phillip Birnbaum, in his Siddur, gives a logical solution.
He believes that the present scheme is based on a printer's error. While
only the words "Retzei Bimenuchateinu" should have been in brackets, to
be said only on Shabbat, someone inadvertently put all 5 words in
brackets.
Otzar Hatefilot states that Yavetz claimed that this was indeed an
error, as specified above.
Anyone have any more information on this?
Shmuel Himelstein
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From: Brown, Mordechai <mbrown@...>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 17:09:25 +0300
Subject: Request: Need short-term rental in Rehovot
I'm looking for an apartment in Rehovot for parents coming to visit from
the US. They will need it for about a month from just before Yom Kippur.
Mordechai Brown
<mbrown@...>
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End of Volume 34 Issue 38
