Volume 35 Number 42
Produced: Thu Sep 6 6:19:32 US/Eastern 2001
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Advice Sought
[Leona Kroll]
Any explanation?
[Shmuel Himelstein]
"Auctioning" Aliyos and Kibbudim
[Marc Wilson]
Bloomberg Family Tsedaka
[Saul Davis & Michal Faroy]
French Press
[Lawrence M. Ziffer]
Origin of "Next Year in Jerusalem"
[David and Toby Curwin]
Taam Elyon - Ta'am Tachton
[Shmuel Himelstein]
Taxes
[I Kasdan]
Tisha b'Av
[Stan Tenen]
TM
[Leona Kroll]
Touching tefillin
[Michael J. Savitz]
Transcendental Meditation (2)
[Akiva Atwood, chihal]
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From: Leona Kroll <leona_kroll@...>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2001 23:22:15 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Advice Sought
I'm looking into changing neighborhoods and would appreciate info
regarding the communities in HAr Nof and Bayit Vegan.Please respond
directly to my email (since obviously this is not shiach to mljewish
discussions). I'm especially interested in the following info:
ganim for boys aged 2-5- prefer Montessori-style, small size, dati or
hareidi environment
size of anglo community
transportation to and from other parts of town (i.e., variety and
frequency of buses).
shiurim for women
activeness of community- are there bikkur cholim societies, gemachs,
etc. any chugim for women? any mommy and me playgroups?
supermarkets- availability of mehadrin or higher
produce and other goods
interaction between and tolerance of different groups- will Chabad,
Litvak, Dati,Hareidi, etc talk to one another, hang out together, invite
each other to simchas? Are there secular Jews living in either area?
are they part of the community?
price range of apartments- one or two bedroom.
as you can tell- i am clueless. please help.
ps- recommendations on other neighborhoods in Jerusalem are welcome.
toda rabah!
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <himels@...>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 18:21:08 +0300
Subject: Any explanation?
Can anyone explain why (at least in Misnagdic Shuls) in the Kedushah on
Shabbat or Yomtov the congregation recites both the Congregation's and
the Chazan's parts (e.g. Kadosh, kadosh .... Mimkomecha ....), while on
the weekdays only the Congregation's parts are recited by the
Congregation?
Shmuel Himelstein
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From: Marc Wilson <Takkeh1@...>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2001 15:31:07 EDT
Subject: "Auctioning" Aliyos and Kibbudim
Can anyone send me marei mikomos (pro or con) on the minhag of
"auctioning" aliyos and kibbudim?
Most grateful.
Marc Wilson
Rabbi Marc Howard Wilson
Congregation Beth Israel
425 Summit Drive
Greenville, South Carolina 29609
(864) 232-9031
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From: Saul Davis & Michal Faroy <sdavis@...>
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2001 22:57:49 +0300
Subject: Bloomberg Family Tsedaka
The Bloomberg family were terrorist victims recently (in Israel). Tehiya
Bloomberg, the pregnant mother of five children, was killed in a
shooting attack on the road to their home where she was a beloved
community nurse. Her husband Steve and 14 -year old daughter Tziporah
were wounded. Tziporah, the eldest child was paralysed and faces a long
traumatic recovery, without a mother to care for her.
I am writing to ask for your help in contributing whatever you can to a
special fund set up to help the Bloomberg family. Please check out the
web site www.bloomberg.org.il for further information and addresses to
send your contribution.
This is the same Bloomberg whose father taught French in Hasmonean High
School in London. Please pass this message to all 'Hasmoneans' you are
in touch with. Steve went to Hasmonean too.
Saul Davis
Beer-Sheva, Israel
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From: Lawrence M. Ziffer <lziffer@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 22:43:09 -0400
Subject: French Press
Is anyone aware of any psak regarding the use of a French press to make
coffee on Shabbos? I would have assumed that there are some significant
reasons for it being assur, but someone recently told me he heard that
under certain conditions it might be mutar.
Larry
<Lziffer@...>
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From: David and Toby Curwin <tobyndave@...>
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 09:32:11 +0200
Subject: Origin of "Next Year in Jerusalem"
Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "Next Year in Jerusalem"
(L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim - ha'bnuya)? As far as I know it only
appears at the end of the Seder and at the end of Neila. One of my
haggadot says that it first appears in the 15th century, but I don't
know if that means it wasn't said before. In addition, the Neila usage
might be earlier. Does anyone know if it has other uses outside of those
two services?
David Curwin
Efrat, Israel
<tobyndave@...>
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <himels@...>
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:58:17 +0300
Subject: Taam Elyon - Ta'am Tachton
According to the Tukechinsky Lu'ach (the standard Ashkenazi Haredi
Lu'ach used in Israel), the Minhag here (Yerushalayim?) is that when one
reads the Aseret HaDibrot as part of the Sidrah (in Yitro), one uses
Ta'am Tachton. On Shavu'ot, one uses Ta'am Elyon.
Shmuel Himelstein
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From: I Kasdan <Ikasdan@...>
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 12:38:48 -0400
Subject: Taxes
Regarding the issue of taxes, see Eli Clark's piece "PAYING TAXES: TIME
TO STOP THE EVASION" at http://www.jlaw.com/Commentary/payingtaxes.html
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From: Stan Tenen <meru1@...>
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 09:36:28 -0400
Subject: Tisha b'Av
For various reasons, I've been thinking a lot about Tisha b'Av and the
story of Khamsa and Bar Khamsa, et al. I realize that I really don't know
much about the details, even though I've heard the story many times.
I'd appreciate hearing some comments on the story, some pointers to the
original source and re-tellings, and I'd also appreciate some insight into
how our sages have interpreted the story.
I'd like to discuss this in more detail here on mail-jewish, because I want
the halachic perspective rather than other speculation.
Best,
Stan
Meru Foundation http://www.meru.org <meru1@...>
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From: Leona Kroll <leona_kroll@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 23:55:05 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TM
TM is VERY problematic. They don't tell you the truth about the mantras,
but they are the names of Hindu idols. there is a book called "The
Raging Mind" that discusses it in detail.
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From: Michael J. Savitz <msavitz@...>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 08:06:28 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Touching tefillin
Does anyone know the reason why (at least according to Artscroll) there
is a custom to touch the arm-tefillin and then the head-tefillin when
reciting the verse "Poteach et yadecha / umasbia lechol chai ratzon" in
the Ashrei (both times it is recited in shacharit), and when reciting
"Yotzer or / uvorei choshech" in the bracha right after Barechu? What
is the connection of these passages to the tefillin?
Conversely, does anyone know why, when reciting the parshiyot "kadesh li
kol bechor" and "vehaya ki yeviacha" after laying tefillin, there does
_not_ appear to be a custom (at least none indicated by Artscroll...) to
touch the tefillin when the mitzva of tefillin is mentioned in these
passages ("vehaya lecha leot al yadecha / ulezikaron bein einecha" and
"vehaya leot al yadecha / uletotafot bein einecha")? Touching the
tefillin would make more sense here. This is in contrast not only with
Ashrei and Yotzer Or, as mentioned above, but also with the first 2
parshiot of the Shema, which each mention the mitzva of tefillin, and
where there _is_ a custom (lefi Artscroll...) to touch each of the
tefillin and then to kiss one's fingers. Why the inconsistency in the
treatment of the 4 parshiyot of the tefillin (the 2 from the Shema and
the 2 others)?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this question. Ketivah
vechatimah tovah.
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From: Akiva Atwood <atwood@...>
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 11:57:57 +0200
Subject: RE: Transcendental Meditation
> 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?
TM has real problems with Avodah Zarah -- part of the initiation (at
least when I studied it a few decades ago) involves bowing down and
giving offerings to Hindu statues.
Zen meditation is much less problematic.
Or just buy a copy of "The Relaxation Response" by Dr. Benson. He has a
non-religious meditation technique based on TM.
Akiva
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From: chihal <chihal@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 20:51:43 -0700
Subject: RE: Transcendental Meditation
Shalom, All:
Although I never took a formal TM class, I do occasionally
meditate and long ago discovered that I got the same or better benefits
by changing the mantra from "Om mane padme hum" ("The jewel in the
lotus," if I'm not mistaken) to "Am Yisrael hai vi'kayam" ("The Jewish
People/Nation is/are alive and established," for lack of a better
translation). Mantras are supposed to be personal, so this is quite in
keeping with that philosophy.
Yeshaya Halevi
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End of Volume 35 Issue 42
