Volume 34 Number 49
Produced: Tue May 15 7:28:02 US/Eastern 2001
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Candy at an Aufruf
[Sam Saal]
Rabbinic capture of Biblical
[Andrew Klafter]
Research on Jewish moral ed
[Chaim Shapiro]
Responsa
[<KARIEBANTERS@...>]
Responsa - Mima'amakim
[Zev Sero]
S"fira and Shabbat
[Daniel M Wells]
SMOKING
[Russell Hendel]
Tefilla question - Phraseology
[Mark Steiner]
Tzitzit Site
[Daniel M Wells]
Yahrzeit Calendar Calculator
[Andy Tannenbaum]
Yom Tov Sheini
[Leona Kroll]
Yom Tov Sheni shel Galuyot
[Yisrael & Batya Medad]
Request: kosher in Winona
[Levy-Stevenson, Andy]
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From: Sam Saal <ssaal@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 06:15:04 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: re: Candy at an Aufruf
Janice Gelb <j_gelb@...> wrote:
>I wasn't there to see it unfortunately, but my ex-husband snuck a pink
>construction hat behind the shtender before services for the aufruf and
>stuck it on his head right after the bracha :->
I snuck a bicycle helmet up to the bima for my aufruf which was a couple
Shabbatot before our wedding so my Kalah could attend. She knew I had
the helmet, waited until I thought the salvo had ended and I removed the
it; her perfectly placed shot got me in the head. Fortunatley, only soft
candies were used. I suppose this brings new meaning to the phrase
"don't fire till you see the whites of their bald spot."
>Also, a friend of mine while serving as gabbai once had a very expensive
>watch crystal broken by a hard candy thrown for an aufruf.
At a bar mitzvah I attended in St. Louis' Bais Abraham shul, an errantly
thrown small hard candy exploded a light bulb in the menorah.
Sam Saal <ssaal@...>
Vayiphtach HaShem et Pea haAtone
http://www.politicsnow.co.il/realpic.html
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From: Andrew Klafter <andrew.klafter@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 11:03:17 -0400
Subject: Rabbinic capture of Biblical
Ira Walfish <Ira.Walfish@...>
> I am interested in finding examples of areas in which the Rabbis
> rule that if one does not fulfill a d'rabonin ruling, they are not
> yotzei (fulfilling) the d'orisa commandment (even if they actual
> DID the d'orisa commandment).
1. Tefilla (Prayer), in general, may be an example of this. There are
various approaches to the question of whether prayer is d'rabbanan or
d'oraisa. The opinions that hold that some form of tefilla is a
d'oraisa obligation (e.g: Rambam, Ramban though they differ from one
another) would fit into your paradigm above. A personal, original,
brief prayer would fulfill the biblical obligation. However, the rabbis
instituted complex rules about when one must repeat the shemona esray
even though from a biblical standpoint one would have discharged his
obligation.
Nachum Klafter, MD
University of Cincinnati
Dept. of Psychiatry
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From: Chaim Shapiro <Dagoobster@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 00:49:33 EDT
Subject: Research on Jewish moral ed
I am trying to complete a lit review on Jewish moral education,
especially as it relates to instruction that runs against the philosophy
of the popular culture. Unfortunately, I have mostly found information
on moral lapses in Orthodox schools. If anyone has any info or leads,
I'd love to hear them
Chaim
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From: <KARIEBANTERS@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 06:19:50 EDT
Subject: RE: Responsa
Alan Koor <alkoor@...> wrote
"An acquaintance from my neighborhood (Kfar Ganim, Petach Tikva), is
trying to track down a copy of a She'eilot Ve'tshuvot (responsa)
entitled Mima'amakim written by a Rav Oshry (?)."
Sh'eilos Uteshuvos MiMa'amakim (Rabbi Ephraim Oshry) was originally
published in Hebrew in 5 volumes....You can get an abridged copy in
English "Responsa from the Holocaust" from JudaicaPress.com ISBN:
1880582716
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From: Zev Sero <Zev@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 15:24:31 -0400
Subject: RE: Responsa - Mima'amakim
An English translation appeared many years ago, and is still available
from Judaica Press http://www.judaicapress.com/Responsa.asp for $19.95
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From: Daniel M Wells <wells@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 16:32:27 +0300 (IDT)
Subject: S"fira and Shabbat
Shimon Lebowitz's mentioned:
> if he forgot to count Thursday night but reminded himself Friday
> afternoon after ushering in the Shabbos and davening Maariv, if it is
> still before sunset, he should count Thursday evening's omer without a
> brocho, and resume counting with a brocho on Friday nght.
In fact this applies almost to anything day-of-week related. Thus if a
women became niddah, or a boy born, after Kabollos Shabbos before
sunset, Friday is counted as being the first day.
The bigger problem, especially at places like the Kotel in Jerusalem, is
were a person who is about to daven Friday's Mincha close to sunset
answers the reply to the 'Borechu' from a nearby minyan about to daven
Shabbos Maariv.
Is it justifiable for a person to have kavvanah not to accept Shabbat on
hearing Borechu when he knows that his schul and the majority of the
local community have already accepted Shabbat. Even more problematic is
when Friday Mincha is about to take place a short while after sunset!
If the majority of the Tzibbur have already accepted Shabbos, then
really Kal VeHomer, is it not presumed that really he has already
accepted Shabbat with or without his kabballah and thus preferable to
daven Shabbos Maariv twice (the second time as tashlumim) rather then
daven Friday's Mincha?
Daniel
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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 00:17:01 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: RE: SMOKING
Lulu Feldhamer in Mail Jewish Vol 34 number 37 asks about the
prohibition of smoking.
A very good summary of arguments can be found at
http://www.RashiYomi.Com/bm1-20a.htm published on the email
group Bais Medrash hosted by Torah.Org.
Basically I contrast two laws in Rambam: One MAY eat bad fruit
(Characters 4) but one is PROHIBITED from sucking coins (because
of the dirt on them) or from drinking uncovered water because of
the dangers of snake venom.(Rambam: Murder 12)
Hence I suggest that if an item (a)has some nutritional value
and (b) does not pose an IMMEDIATE danger then it is permissable
to eat it (like the bad fruit). But an item that has an immediate
danger (like uncovered water) or an item with a long range danger
which has no nutritional value (like sucking coins) is prohibited.
Hence smoking which resembles sucking coins in both degree of danger
(long range) and lack of nutritional value should be prohibited.
Hope this helps
Russell Hendel; http://www.RashiYomi.Com
cc: <luluf2002@...>
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From: Mark Steiner <marksa@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 14:09:29 +0300
Subject: Re: Tefilla question - Phraseology
Ben Katz wrote: And while I am on a high-horse about "anim zemirot": I
can't resist pointing out that it is "vayeshavucha: (from lehashvot, to
equalize or compare) in the 8th line (not "vayashvucha").
This is a classic example of being right (maybe) for the wrong
reason. If the word were from lehashvot (hif`il) then the correct form
would indeed be vayashvukha.
The emendation suggested by Ben is based on reading the word as a
pi`el meaning "render" as in Ps 18:34 meshaveh raglay kaayalot, "He
renders my legs [as swift] as those of the ayalot." The verse in an`im
zemirot then means that we "render" Hashem according to His deeds,
because we cannot understand His essence. While this is reasonable, I
don't think that the current vocalization is so obviously wrong that it
justifies a dogmatic correction.
Mark Steiner
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From: Daniel M Wells <wells@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 15:22:32 +0300 (IDT)
Subject: Tzitzit Site
The following site shows, with extremely good pics, how to tie tzitzit
according to askenaz,sephard and arizal minhag.
http://israelvisit.co.il/beged-ivri/techelet/tying0.htm
Daniel
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From: Andy Tannenbaum <yahr@...>
Date: 13 May 2001 16:48:41 -0000
Subject: Yahrzeit Calendar Calculator
I have a new web site that calculates a 50-year yahrzeit calendar
given a date from the civil or Jewish calendar. The output format
is suitable for printing on a single sheet of paper.
This service is available at:
http://shamash.org/trb/yahr/
For instance, if you enter April 1 1980 prints:
Input Hebrew Date:
4/1/1980 Tue, 15th of Nisan, 5740
April 8, 2001 Sun, 15th of Nisan, 5761
March 28, 2002 Thu, 15th of Nisan, 5762
April 17, 2003 Thu, 15th of Nisan, 5763
April 6, 2004 Tue, 15th of Nisan, 5764
April 24, 2005 Sun, 15th of Nisan, 5765
...
April 17, 2049 Sat, 15th of Nisan, 5809
April 7, 2050 Thu, 15th of Nisan, 5810
I hope you find it useful.
Andy Tannenbaum
<yahr@...>
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From: Leona Kroll <leona_kroll@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 02:16:51 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Yom Tov Sheini
"The argument that visitors 2,000 years ago kept only one day and thus
should do so today was not lost on R. Yosef Karo. The Rambam had
already rejected the presupposition of this argument (Hilkhot Yom Tov
6:11; cf. Hiddushei R. Hayim Halevi for an analysis) when ruling (in
another context) that the Second Day has a different status today than
it did then; and that the term "minhag avoteinu" in this context does
not mean that we behave as though there were still a Sanhedrin, etc."
There is an opinion expressed by the Rogotchover in a letter to either
his brother or brother-in-law, and it is entirely unclear whether this
was intended as a pasak or as food for thought, that one should in a
certain respect conduct oneself based on the conduct 2,000 years
ago. According to this opinion, and again it is determined solely by the
status of the place and not by the status of the person, that one would
keep one day only in those places where there was an existing yishuv in
the days of the Sanhedrin. Thus, for example, you could have a visitor
in the Old City of Yerushalyim keeping one day and an Israeli in Kfar
Chabad keeping two days.
What an incredible heritage we have!
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From: Yisrael & Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 07:46:19 +0300
Subject: Yom Tov Sheni shel Galuyot
In his monumental "Ir HaKodesh veHaMikdash", Rav Yechiel Michel
Tukachinsky (whose practical calendar we follow yearly as published by
his son Nissan) deals with the issue in chapter 19. He is quite thorough
and utilizes the opportunity to deal with the boundaries of
Eretz-Yisrael. The pivotal principle is "da'ato lachzor" - whther or
not he intends to return abroad.
He summarizes on page 261 of volume II, basing himself
on Rav Salant, that one who intends to return:-
a) on Motzei Yom Tov, he himself shouldn't make the Havdala
b) on first day Chol Hamoed, while doing no work, he davens 18 and
in Mussaf adds "Day Two"
c) on Shemini Atzeret, he shouldn't sit in the Succah and on
Motzei Chag says "Ata Chonantanu"
d) on Isru Chag, puts on Tefillin, says 18 but no work
e) second night Pesach, he notes that making a Second Seder is
a "chashash", a suspicion, of Avoda Zarah and therefore they should
eat but a kazayit of Matza and Maror with no bracha, 4 cups but a bracha
only on the first and that of Birkat Hamazon and say the Hagada with no
final bracha
f) when Chag is on a Thursday, he should make an Eruv Tavshilin, if he
cooks for himself, without a bracha.
He mentions a psak by the Chacham Tzvi that "in Eretz-Yisrael one does
not overly investigate whether one intends to return" (ein mashgichin al
da'ato lachzor). And he deals with other elements which need further
study as, for example, whether or not the need to act one way or the
other is because of a change in place or in the need to follow the
minhag of the previous generations who happened to decree a certain
behavior for that place.
And I seem to recall a story that Rav A.Y.H.Kook was very angry with
people who celebrated Second Seder and indicated that there should be no
public aspect to it but done as if in secret.
Yisrael Medad
Shiloh 44830
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From: Levy-Stevenson, Andy <andy.levy-stevenson@...>
Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 17:55:51 -0500
Subject: Request: kosher in Winona
From: Asher Goldstein <mzieashr@...>
>Is there anyone on the list from Winona, Minn., who can answer questions
>about kashrut and synagogues and hotels in that city, or someone who
>might know someone who can? This is for my brother-in-law's wife, who
>does not subscribe to mail-Jewish. (She lives in Brooklyn, and I will
>forward any responses and then have her contact correspondents
>directly.)
Winona is a LONG way off the beaten path Jewishly. It's about 80 miles
from Minneapolis & St. Paul, where there is everything she'd need;
shuls, food, we'd glad to offer home hospitality etc. and about 20 from
Rochester where there's a little (Lubavitch services the Mayo Clinic
with bikur cholim etc. ... no kosher meat or bread if I recall
correctly).
You or she are welcome to contact us for more info. Work phone is
612-302-6053, home is 952-920-6217, or you can email at this address.
Hope she's visiting for good & pleasant reasons, not an emergency.
Whatever we can do to help, we're glad to do.
Andy & Robin Levy-Stevenson
Minneapolis, Minnesota
<andy.levy-stevenson@...>
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End of Volume 34 Issue 49
