Volume 35 Number 41
Produced: Wed Sep 5 21:25:26 US/Eastern 2001
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Administrivia
[Avi Feldblum]
Dumb Waiter
[Carolyn Lanzkron]
Fasts
[<HLSesq@...>]
Lottery
[Janice Gelb]
the Lottery
[Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz]
Lottery and Physical World
[Yossie Abramson]
Siddur HaAri Kol Yaakov
[Ginsburg, Paul]
Ten Commandments - Taam Elyon/Tachton
[Matthew Pearlman]
Tevilas Keilim
[Gershon Dubin]
TM, other meditation classes
[Robin E Schwartz]
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From: Avi Feldblum <mljewish@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 21:09:33 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Administrivia
Good evening (or morning etc) to all!
My apologies for the ben-hazamanim (intersession) for the last three weeks
on mail-jewish. We have moved from Highland Park to Allentown, and it has
taken me a bit longer than I expected to be up and functional again. I
will be working on getting through the email backlog and expect to have
issues back going out by late tonight / early tomorrow.
Avi Feldblum
mail-jewish Moderator
<mljewish@...>
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From: Carolyn Lanzkron <clkl@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 10:57:18 -0400
Subject: Dumb Waiter
Hello,
Thank you for all of the wonderful responses about the dumb waiter. I'm so
glad to learn that all of the challenges are mechanical, rather than
halachic! Thank you also for the concern about the staircase. That is an
important point. Mercifully, the staircase is sturdy and safe for those not
suffering from the combination of high heels and a tray of food!
Also, for those who have offered to come and be "better behaved" guests
- by all means, please contact me via e-mail privately so we can know
when to expect you! (We'll even let you operate/play with the pulleys!)
All the best,
CLKL
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From: <HLSesq@...>
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2001 09:53:08 EDT
Subject: re: Fasts
Can anyone explain why fasts other than Tisha B'av end at Tzeis
hakochavim(nightfall) and not at shkia (sunset)? Is this because they
are considered medivrei kabbala and not derabbanan ?
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From: Janice Gelb <j_gelb@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 09:59:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Lottery
Janet Rosenbaum <jerosenb@...> wrote:
> Has anyone written responsa forbidding playing the lottery? If so, what
> was their reasoning? I was just in Mea Shaarim and noticed for the
> first time the residents lining up at the Lotto booth.
When I was living in Israel in the mid-80s, one of the gedolim (I forget
who) said that buying a lottery ticket was permissible because it was a
way for HaShem to provide you with money. However, as HaShem would know
the code number of the ticket you bought, this only allowed you to buy
one :->
-- Janice
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From: Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz <sabbahem@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 09:54:54 -0400
Subject: RE: the Lottery
>From: Janet Rosenbaum <jerosenb@...>
>Has anyone written responsa forbidding playing the lottery? If so, what
>was their reasoning? I was just in Mea Shaarim and noticed for the
>first time the residents lining up at the Lotto booth.
The discussion is usually tied to Yosef and why he was imprisoned an
"extra" two years (Miketz). The basic answer is that Hashem requires a
certain amount of "histadlus" (effort) from us before providing whatever
we are supposed to get. In this case, buying the ticket would be the
required level of hishtadlus to allow Hashem to provide whoever is
supposed to get the money without requiring a miracle.
There is a story about a man who fervently davenned to be allowed to win
the lottery. Several (many?) weeks went by and he did not receive any
money. Finally he davenned fervently and asked "Why didn't I win?".
All of a sudden, a bas kol (voice from heaven) boomed out: "Idiot, you
forgot to buy the ticket".
It is a major test to remember that whatever our hishtadlus, it is
hashem who provides the income.
Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz - <sabbahem@...>
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From: Yossie Abramson <yossie@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 19:12:10 -0400
Subject: Lottery and Physical World
A state run lottery as opposed to gambling casinos are permitted. In most
states the money that is collected is used for education or just general
operating expenses. So even if you don't win, you still get some use out
of the money. So it will just be like a donation to the state.
-Yossie
> From: Alexander Seinfeld <aseinfeld@...>
> Subject: Obligation to enjoy physical world
The way I heard it, it was R' Samson Raphael Hirsch. I looked for a
source but can't find any.
Yossie
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From: Ginsburg, Paul <GinsburgP@...>
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 10:09:26 -0400
Subject: Siddur HaAri Kol Yaakov
Would anyone know where I could purchase a reprint of Siddur HaAri Kol
Yaakov?
Paul Ginsburg
Rockville, Maryland
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From: Matthew Pearlman <Matthew.Pearlman@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 11:17:53 +0100
Subject: Ten Commandments - Taam Elyon/Tachton
The Ten Commandments have two sets of notes Taam Elyon and Taam Tachton.
In our shul we read Taam Elyon whenever we lein in public, ie Shavuot,
Yitro, Vaetchanan. Specifically, we also read Taam Elyon for the first
commandment. I believe this is the general minhag in England. I would
be interested in learning of any other minhagim in other communities,
and in particular whether anyone uses Taam Tachton in public.
Thank you
Matthew Pearlman
Email: mailto:<enquiries@...>
Web: http://www.lcp-actuaries.co.uk
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From: Gershon Dubin <gershon.dubin@...>
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 09:42:46 -0400
Subject: Tevilas Keilim
From: Ephraim Stieglitz <ephraim@...>
<<How would you apply this to disposable items like aluminum baking
pans>>
Many poskim (halachic decisors) require them to be toveled.
Gershon
<gershon.dubin@...>
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From: Robin E Schwartz <res10@...>
Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2001 09:33:39 -0400
Subject: TM, other meditation classes
Does anyone have practical experience with taking a Transcendental
Meditation or other meditation class? It's clear that these classes are
wonderful for stress reduction, but it sounded to me like there might
be some real avodah zarah involved?
Elisheva Schwartz
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End of Volume 35 Issue 41