Volume 36 Number 17
Produced: Sun Mar 31 22:49:05 US/Eastern 2002
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Friday Nite Davening
[Rose Landowne]
Muksah question
[Barak Greenfield]
Obligations to a "professional" Mesulach
[Carl Singer]
Tal U'Matar
[Yisrael and Batya Medad]
Tal Umatar
[Abe Brot]
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From: <ROSELANDOW@...> (Rose Landowne)
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 07:56:36 EST
Subject: Re: Friday Nite Davening
Those people hold the general opinion that chazarat hashatz was instituted
because people didn't know the nusach, and if they hadn't been able to
daven, this could be their tifillah. Those who hold by the Rav's opinion, I
believe, stand, rather than sit, and do not say baruch hu ubaruch shmo.
[To slightly clarify, Rav Soloveichik was of the opinion that chazarat
hashatz constituted a special "tefilat HaTzibur" and as such each member
of the kehilla was obligated to take part in it. Therefore one was
required to stand during the chazarat hashatz just as one stood in one's
private shemona esrah, one must answer amen and not baruch hu ubaruch
shmo. Mod.]
<< From: <Joelirich@...> (Joel Rich)
And the reason that almost everyone answers baruch hu baruch shmo during
the daily tefillat hatzibbur (repetition of the amidah) is????? KT >>
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From: Barak Greenfield <DocBJG@...>
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 15:55:31 -0500
Subject: RE: Muksah question
Dr. Josh Backon (<BACKON@...>) wrote:
> Someone who without carrying an adrenaline injector to prevent (fatal)
> anaphylactic shock as a result of a bee sting would fall into the
> category of "choleh she'ein bo sakanah" since one of the definitions of
> "choleh she'ein bo sakanah" is that of a healthy person who *could* be
> seriously ill if he didn't receive a medication in time (as per Iggrot
> Moshe OC III 91 and Nishmat Avraham I (OC) 328 Oht 3).
In fact, Iggros Moshe writes that one who may develop a serious illness
without treatment is a choleh SHEYESH bo sakanah. He thus permits taking
oral medication on yom kippur (even with water, if need be) for a choleh
she'en bo sakanah for fear he might become a sheyesh bo. He refers to a
case in the gemara of one who had a dental illness (ein bo sakanah) that
may be treated on shabbos since it might progress to an intestinal
illness (yesh bo sakanah). More to the point, he refers to the case of
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, who required his congregation to eat on yom
kippur during a cholera epidemic (even those who were healthy),
reasoning that if they were well nourished, they would be less likely to
become infected. Importantly, he permits preventive treatment (involving
chillul shabbos) for healthy individuals who are involved in the care of
those with contagious diseases, in order to prevent them from becoming
cholim sheyesh bahem sakanah themselves.
Nonetheless, the citations that Dr. Backon brings (from Shemiras Shabbos
Kehilchosoh et al) still (mostly) permit carrying the injector only with
a shinui and only in a place which is not a reshus horabbim min hatorah
and only for a dvar mitzvah. Is this because the patient could avoid the
whole problem by just staying home?
Barak Greenfield, MD
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From: <CARLSINGER@...> (Carl Singer)
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 13:33:44 EST
Subject: Obligations to a "professional" Mesulach
I believe some of this has been previously discussed in many forms and
forums -- but let me reintroduce this topic.
Situation:
Someone comes to our door asking for Tzedukah -- we give them a check.
A minute or 2 later 3 more people show up, I give them checks, too
(Likely if all 4 had come at the same time, the checks would have been
smaller --- all 4 have come in a large Lincoln towncar -- the driver has
"the list" -- They now show up at my home every few months -- after a
while I tell them No, once a year ONLY at Pesach -- 4 show up last week
Pesach (3 women and a man). 2 days later the same car pulls up with
different "crew" - these are people are from Russia, Uzbekestan,
Ukraine, etc. -- collecting for themselves and not for any institution.
What is the halachik obligation --
(a) absolute re: giving them tzedukah (would a $1 do instead of a much
more substantial check) to meet minimal obligation and
(b) priorities -- like it or not the rubberband stretches only so far --
so if I end up giving, say $500 over the course of the year to such
"professionals" it's likely that $500 less will go to legitimate
Yeshivas, etc., that I give to.
-----------------------------------------------
Second question: Is it OK to allocate all of one's Yeshiva Tzedukah to
one or 2 schools that I have ties to and tell the other no. Not even
$18 -- but NO. You're not in my community, I have no ties to your fine
intitution. (BTW -- "ties" to me are: Direct -- my children went there.
Emotional -- home town, great-grandparents went there, etc.) Maybe I
should rephrase: What are the pros and cons of focusing one's Tzedukah
per the above on a few institutions and saying no to the rest.
Kol Tov
Carl Singer
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From: Yisrael and Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 20:56:54 +0200
Subject: Tal U'Matar
Re: Michael J. Savitz <msavitz@...> on Tal Umatar
who wrote:
> ...why wouldn't we (in Eretz Yisrael, at least) _stop_
> saying tal umatar 2 weeks _before_ Pesach, rather than on Pesach itself,
> so that we are not praying for rain while people are making their way to
> Yerushalayim?
I recall, but, alas, cannot find right now (Murphy's Law, I guess) the exact
reference in the Mishna Brurah, that on Motzei Chag Rishon of Pesach,
the Gabbai should *not* announce the change in the Shmoneh Esrei from
Ten Tal U'Matar to Ten Bracha because that would be as if we are asking
Hashem to stop the rain as if we are looking askance at His blessings.
[From next message]
I managed to find that Mishna Brura reference in connection with the
question that was posed: that if we delay saying "v'ten tal u'matar"
after Succot so as to permit the pilgrims at least two weeks to get home,
why then shouldn't we delay "v'ten bracha" for two weeks after Pesach.
[Note: The question was why shouldn't we end saying v'ten tal u'matar
two weeks BEFORE Pesach. Mod.]
See 488, Mishna Brurah Note 12: (my translation) "and even if the
deciders of the Halacha agreed that it is improper that the Gabbai
announce this matter in public that we halt the request for rain, as if
we are refusing to accept [or that we disparage] the rain, following the
instruction that 'we do not prayer for too much rain', nevertheless, it
seems to me that the Gabbai should mention unobtrusively to all before
the Evening Prayer of the first night of Chol HaMoed that we say 'v'ten
bracha'."
And in the Chofetz Chayim's Sha'ar HaTziyun there, #12, he further
suggests that a note be placed on the synagogue's bulletin board even
though there are those who doubt that this should be done.
He favors these methods due to the possibility that people will be
making a blessing in vain.
Yisrael Medad
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From: Abe Brot <abrot@...>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 14:44:06 +0200
Subject: Tal Umatar
Michael J Savitz correctly states that, in Israel, Tal Umatar begins to
be said two weeks after Shmeeni Atzeret in order to give the Pilgrims
time to return home in dry weather. He asks, by this logic, why don't we
stop saying tal umatar two weeks before Pessach?
The answer is that in the beginning of the rainy season we are willing
to forgo two weeks of rain, with the belief that G-d will make up the
loss throughout the rainy season. At the end of the rainy season, we
are not willing to lose two more weeks of potential rain, (since we
always need the water). As such, stopping saying Tal Umatar early would
not be sincere, and it is said until the first day of Pessach, which is
the end of the rainy season.
Abe Brot
Petah-Tikva
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End of Volume 36 Issue 17
