Volume 36 Number 31
Produced: Sun May 12 11:38:53 US/Eastern 2002
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Dishes OK next year?
[Jay F Shachter]
Probability
[Nachman Yaakov Ziskind]
Rashi haKadosh (2)
[Israel Rosenfeld, Avi Feldblum]
Rus and Shlomo Hamelech
[I Kasdan]
Sukka vs. Omer
[Michael Appel]
Women as Halachic Resource
[Yisrael and Batya Medad]
Women in synagogue lay leadership roles (7)
[Ben Katz, Bernard Raab, Warren Burstein, Zev Sero, Michael J.
Savitz, Jonathan & Randy Chipman, Abe Brot]
Yom Tov appeals
[David Kramer]
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From: Jay F Shachter <jay@...>
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 08:20:07 -0600 (CDT)
Subject: Dishes OK next year?
In v36n30, the following remark was made:
> .... I've also been told that Sanzer
> Hasidim in Israel, in Netanya, who of course have no 8th day, eat
> gebrochts at the last meal of Pesah (presumably after nightfall of the
> 7th day, when they are observing yomtov as a tosefet kedusha).
If they ate "gebrochts" after nightful of the 7th day during the last
meal of Pesax, it is no proof of anything whatsoever: even xamec is
permissible under those circumstances. The prohibition of xamec is not
dependant on qdushat hayyom [the sanctity of the day]. You could eat
bread during the latter part of that meal, while all the yomtov
prohibitions of mlakha [forbidden labor] are still in effect, and then
proceed to recite "ya`leh vyavo" in birkat hammazon. There's no need to
wait for evening prayers and Havdala.
Jay F. ("Yaakov") Shachter
6424 N Whipple St, Chicago IL 60645-4111
(1-773)7613784
<jay@...>
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From: Nachman Yaakov Ziskind <awacs@...>
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 09:50:28 -0400
Subject: Re: Probability
| From: Reuben Rudman <rudman@...>
| The fact is that during the 19th century many seforim were written, in
| Hebrew, about what we consider secular subjects, including philosophy
| and the newly emerging sciences. There is one sefer in which Kant is
| discussed in detail, and criticized. This sefer also has large sections
| devoted to biology and physics. It was lauded by the Chasam Sofer and
| is mentioned in many 19th century Responsa.
Reuben, what was the name of that book?
Nachman Yaakov Ziskind, EA, LLM <awacs@...>
Attorney and Counselor-at-Law http://yankel.com
Economic Group Pension Services http://egps.com
Actuaries and Employee Benefit Consultants
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From: Israel Rosenfeld <israel.rosenfeld@...>
Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 19:25:12 +0200
Subject: Re: Rashi haKadosh
> From: Eli Turkel <turkel@...>
> Why is Rashi called haKadosh and Rabbenu Tam is not
Because Rashi haKadosh was written with Ruach Hakodesh.
Behatzlacha raba.
Yisrael
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From: Avi Feldblum <mljewish@...>
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 11:14:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Rashi haKadosh
On Wed, 8 May 2002, Israel Rosenfeld wrote:
> Because Rashi haKadosh was written with Ruach Hakodesh.
I'm interested, how do you know that? I would assume that one would need
to have the level of Navi to be able to state that, yet that status ended
prior to Rashi.
Avi Feldblum
<mljewish@...>
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From: I Kasdan <Ikasdan@...>
Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 08:03:34 -0400
Subject: Re: Rus and Shlomo Hamelech
The gemorah in Bava Basra 91b indicates that Rus (Ruth) was still alive
at the time of Shlomo Hamelech. Recognizing that not all agadeta is to
be taken literally (in this instance, for example, see Radak on Melachim
1;2, 19; but see Maharsha on BB 91b and cf Rashi on Melachim 1;2, 19)
how do we know if this maamar is or is not, and if not, what hidden
lesson or point is the gemorah trying to impart?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael Appel <myappel@...>
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 08:31:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Sukka vs. Omer
Perets Mett <p.mett@...> wrote:
> The rationale (whether you accept it or not) given is that it is
> contradictory to perform a seider after counting sefiro, a mitsvo
> which relates specifically to 16th Nison which is after the date of
> of the mitsvos of the seider.
>
> Other opinions disagree and specifically advise counting at the first
> opportunity in order to fulfil the requirement of 'Temimos' (that the
> omer counting should be complete)
It seems to me that this is analogous to the issue of sitting in the
sukkah on Shemini Atzeret in chu"l. In both cases, due to a "sfeika
deyoma" -- a doubt (that existed when the practice of yom tov sheini was
first established) as to what day it really is -- we have to treat the
day as though maybe it is yom tov and maybe it is yom chol (actually
chol hamo'eid). Of course, we fully observe the yom tov. In both of
these cases, the particular day of chol that we are concerned that it
might be has a particular observance associated with it. In both cases,
the "mainstream" practice is to do the chol observance in its normal,
preferred fashion.
This is not directly relating to _sitting_ in the Sukkah, but in Rabbi
Blumenkrantz's Pesach book (at least in the editions from 2000 and
2001), he gives a rationale for counting omer at Maariv on the second
seder night, even though we don't make a b'racha of Lei'shev BaSukah on
Shmini Atzeret. (Which, it seems from the Gemara, I would think no one
does.) The distinction is that we only need to worry about
contradictions occurring simultaneously. Thus, we can't make Kiddush on
Shmini Atzeret and end it with Lei'shev Basuka (simultaneous). However,
since davening Maariv and conducting the Seder are separate actions, any
contradictions between the two are not considered. Perhaps then,
according to this reasoning, if one forgot to count the first night
after Maariv, he should wait until after the Seder (ie as opposed to
counting it during a pause, such as the meal.)
Michael
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Yisrael and Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 21:53:43 +0200
Subject: Women as Halachic Resource
I thought this would be an interesting topic.
Rav Mordechai Eliyahu writes in his weekly "Kol Tzifayich" (which itself is
the transcript of his weekly shi'ur which is broadcast via satellite) for
Behar-Bchukotai No. 169 about the Rabbanit Simcha Tzadka thus:
"she was the wife of the Chacham Shaul Tzadka, the mother of my uncle,
the brother of my mother, HaRav HaTzadik HaGaon Rabi Yehudah Tzadka zt"l
Rosh Yeshivat Porat who possessed great knowledge in all the halachot
and customs of the Ben Ish Chai who would visit her house and she was
used to asking him questions in all matters and the greats of her
generation used to come to her and ask her how the Ben Ish Chai would
make halachic decisions and practice customs in those matters".
Going back to the article of Chaim Soloveitchik on the difference of
"learning" - one from books and the other, from observing and watching
the practices at home and copying them, are there other indications that
authorize dependence on women as reliable resources for halacha?
[How about each time one sits down to eat a meal prepared and supervised
by a women in her own kitchen? Avi.]
Yisrael Medad
p.s. this question is in honor of Rose Landowne who managed to fit in
a lot of mitzvot in one and a half days of a visit to Yerushalyaim and
participate in the wedding of our daughter, Tzruya, to Oren Luzone, and
to help out with all manner of things.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ben Katz <bkatz@...>
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 13:05:12 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
>From: Andy Levy-Stevenson <andy_twrr@...>
>Does anyone know of situations where a woman has become the president of
>an Orthodox synagogue? Our shul has a potential situation with
>succession of its executive board.
>
>I know that there are opinions that prohibit this, as well as opinions
>that permit it; I'm also clear that our LOR is the one to pasken on
>this. I'm more interested to hear from people who have specific
>experience of a woman as president of a shul.
Here in Chicago there is a modern Orthodox shul (Anshe Shalom in the
Lakeview neighborhood) whose president was my friend's aunt. And no, the
world didn't come to an end. The current rabbi of the shul is a wonderful
man named Asher Lopatin, a rabbi who proves that "modern Orthodox" is not an
oxymoron.
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, Voicemail and Pager: 3034
e-mail: <bkatz@...>
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From: Bernard Raab <beraab@...>
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 13:33:08 -0400
Subject: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
Some years back I was a frequent visitor to the Palo Alto Orthodox
Minyon (now also known as Cong. Emek Beracha), when they had a woman
President. She made announcements from the pulpit at the conclusion of
Shabbat services, and I can testify that there was no breakdown of order
or structure, or any other ontoward occurence. Perhaps Rabbi Friedman
will testify further on the subject.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Warren Burstein <warren@...>
Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 16:11:43 +0400
Subject: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
Kehilat Yedidya in Jerusalem has had one woman serving as chairperson
(the equivalent of president) and a number of couples as co-chairs (as
it does at present), http://www.yedidya.org.il/jobs.htm
Kehilat Moriah, also in Jerusalem has (or had,
http://www.geocities.com/kehillatmoriah/kmboard.htm is dated 5761) a woman
as chairperson. This page also lists both a man and a woman (Rabbi Seth
Farber and Dafna Siegman Gan Zvi) as "Religious Leadership".
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From: Zev Sero <zev.sero@...>
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 15:43:09 -0400
Subject: RE: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
At least two shuls in Melbourne - North Eastern and the Sefardic shul -
have had female presidents, with the full consent of their respective
Rabbis. In my own shul - Cong Bnai Jacob in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC
(http://www.parkslopeshul.org) - a few years ago the situation came up,
when some people wanted to nominate a woman for the post, and wanted to
clear it with the Rabbi first, and he said it would be OK; as it
happened, though, she didn't want to take it.
Zev Sero
<zsero@...>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael J. Savitz <michaelj@...>
Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 21:46:51 -0400
Subject: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
The president of Congregation Shaarei Tefillah, an O shul in Newton,
Mass. is a woman, as was the shul's last president.
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From: Jonathan & Randy Chipman <yonarand@...>
Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 16:33:25 +0300
Subject: Re: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
Once again, it would seem that the German Colony in our holy city is
on the cutting edge of women's involvement in synagogue life (see my
posting in that same number on Women and Keri'at Hatorah). The
chairperson of the synagogue board of Kehilat Tiferet Yisrael, beter
known as the Hildesheimer shul, is a woman, Sharon Yakira, now in her
second one-year term. The rabbi of the synagogue and of the
neighborhood, Rav Moshe Klirs, tacitly approves, although I don't know
whether he has issued an explicit pesak on the subject.
Yehonatan Chipman, Jerusalem
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From: Abe Brot <abrot@...>
Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 04:45:06 +0300
Subject: Women in synagogue lay leadership roles
On the subject of an Orthodox shul having a women president, the Young
Israel of Kfar Gannim (located in Petah Tikva) had a woman president
about 8 years ago. Although some of the members were afraid of the
"consequences", it worked out fine.
The shul's Rabbi did not veto the decision, which he could have if he
felt that it violated halacha.
The president, that year, did not make the announcements at the end of
the service -- one of the other officers had the task of making
announcements.
Abe Brot
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From: <DTK1950@...> (David Kramer)
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 15:04:49 EDT
Subject: Re: Yom Tov appeals
> Similarly, on the last day of Pesah I davened in a place other
> than my "usual congregation." Several days after Pesah ended, I
> received a letter saying that, "According to [the congregation's]
> attendance records, [I was] not present for the yizkor appeal.
> Please send in a contribution promptly."
Wow! a Shul that actually takes attendance! I'd be in big trouble!
Seriously, I agree that appeals that appear to be aggressive, probably
are. Suggest the writer talk over the situation with the Rav--assuming
the appeal was made by a lay leader and not the Rav himself.
David Kramer
Silver Spring
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End of Volume 36 Issue 31
