Volume 39 Number 26
Produced: Wed May 14 6:34:53 US/Eastern 2003
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Candles while Travelling
[Leah S. Gordon]
Drambuie Liqueur
[Michael Shoshani]
Dress and Custom
[Ira Bauman]
Kiddush on YK
[Shimon Lebowitz]
mega-shiurim
[Eli Turkel]
Modern Orthodox Educational History (2)
[Lawrence Kaplan, Eugene Bazarov]
Potato Starch
[Levy Lieberman]
Refuseniks
[Eli Turkel]
Requirement to Eat meat
[A Seinfeld]
Shabbat Candles
[Bernard Raab]
Shaving and S'fira
[Joel Rich]
Shaving during S'firah
[Tzvi Briks]
Shir hashirim in artscroll
[Leah Aharoni]
Tachanun
[Yisrael Medad]
translating Shir haShirim (2)
[Brandon Raff, Bernard Raab]
When Will It Ever Get Here?
[Moshe Nugiel]
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From: Leah S. Gordon <leah@...>
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 18:59:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Candles while Travelling
One reason that it is potentially more dangerous to light candles in a
hotel room (vs. at home) is that you wouldn't ordinarily light candles
in your bedroom and go to sleep with them lit (or at least I wouldn't),
because of fear of fires--in fact, falling asleep while smoking is
supposedly a cause of many house-fires. In any case, in a hotel room,
there may not be any room other than your "bedroom" in which to light.
This naturally would lead to more danger of injury in case of fire. BTW
my sister and parents once woke late Friday night to a conflagration
from shabbat candles in a hotel room; thank Gd everyone was fine.
I had good success, as mentioned here earlier, asking a hotel restaurant
if we could light there (I brought tea-lights).
--Leah Gordon
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From: Michael Shoshani <trnstudios@...>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 09:46:27 -0500
Subject: RE: Drambuie Liqueur
>The weekly newsletter of the Antwerp Chareidi Kehilla Machzikei Hadas
>has a notice from their Bedatz saying that they have information from US
>Kashrus organisations that there are chashoshes on the Kashrus of
>Drambuie Liquour.
Drambuie is currently on the "not recommended" list of the Chicago
Rabbinical Council as well.
http://www.crcweb.org/Lists/liquor%20list.htm#Liqueurs
Michael Shoshani
Chicago IL
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From: <Yisyis@...> (Ira Bauman)
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 09:51:38 EDT
Subject: Re: Dress and Custom
I can't decide which is less tzniusdik...tight jeans or a short
skirt. But dress, like obscenity, depends upon local standards,
and convention is that women wear skirts, men wear pants.
Convention, alongside fashion, is a constantly changing process. A look
at the typical American woman's casual wardrobe will show that pants are
probably worn more often that skirts.
I am reminded of what my rebbe taught us in high school. To him it was
obvious that an observant Jew must wear a hat during prayer. His reason
was, "Would you not wear a hat if you had an appointment with the
president of the United States?" Well, after Kennedy's bare-headed oath
of office in 1961, men no longer wore hats. My rebbe, however, still
wore his.
I think that convention only goes so far. There are intrinsic factors
in these dress codes that need to be explored further.
Ira Bauman
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From: Shimon Lebowitz <shimonl@...>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 15:08:48 +0200
Subject: Kiddush on YK
> (b) I forgot to add the obvious point, to my story about Reb Yisroel
> Salanter making kiddush in public during a cholera epidemic, that this
> happened on Yom Kippur. I suppose that all readers understood this.
I was not familiar with this story, do you happen to know if the YK in
question was also a Shabbat?
The reason I ask is that I have heard that when health requires eating
on YK, one should *not* make kiddush, unless the day happens to also be
Shabbat. The reason I was given is that the takana of Chaza"l (enactment
of the sages) to make kiddush over wine was never intended to include
YK.
Shimon Lebowitz mailto:<shimonl@...>
Jerusalem, Israel PGP: http://www.poboxes.com/shimonpgp
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From: Eli Turkel <turkel@...>
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 18:11:17 GMT
Subject: mega-shiurim
Incidentally, one of the bochurim felt complelled to follow the "one
gulp" rule, even using the mega-shiur, thus (in my opinion) endangering
himself.
On a more mundane level one does not perform a mitzvah unless the eating
is done in a normal manner. Since, one does not usually eat such large
quantities in one swallow I find it hard to define this as "derech
achila". I have seen seforim that state that this is defined as usual
since that is what comes out of the shiurim. This implies that "normal
eating" is defined by chumrot and not by actual practice which I find
difficult to accept.
BTW in recent lectures in Bar Ilan several different lecturures showed
historical evidence that the size of eggs and olives have NOT changed
much over the centuries. In fact in the last few years it is easily
verified that eggs are larger than they were 20 years ago.
Prof. Eli Turkel, <turkel@...> on 05/11/2003
Department of Mathematics, Tel Aviv University
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From: Lawrence Kaplan <lawrence.kaplan@...>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 11:09:15 -0400
Subject: RE: Modern Orthodox Educational History
The author of the biography of Rabbi Reines was Rabbi Joseph Wanefsky
who passed away a few years ago.
Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik did not teach at Rabbi Reines' Yeshiva, but at
a similar institution, the Takhkemoni School in Warsaw. He left it after
a clash with the Director, Dr. Meyer Balaban over eudcational
policy. See the memoir of Shulamith Meiselman (the daughter of Rabbi
Moshe Soloveitchik) about her family.
Lawrence Kaplan
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From: Eugene Bazarov <evbazarov@...>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 09:02:12 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Modern Orthodox Educational History
Not only is Rav Reiness' Yeshiva important for the history of Day
Schools, it is very important for the history of black-hat Yeshivas in
the U.S.. Rav Reiness' Yeshiva was called "Torah Ve'Dass". And the most
influential black-hat yeshiva was/is Torah Ve'Dass. Following Rav
Reiness' derech, they were one of the first cheders to have secular
studies and hence were able to get a lot of students. What was - and
remains - banned in Israel and Europe (i.e. a black-hat high school with
secular studies) is accepted in the U.S. because of Rav Reiness! The
founders of Yeshiva Torah Ve'Dass were followers of Rav Reiness. And
hence most black-hat yeshivas in the US follow Rav Reiness' derech
(except chasidisher yeshivas and some high schools in Lakewood.)
E.V. Bazarov
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From: Levy Lieberman <kushint@...>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 15:31:23 -0400
Subject: Potato Starch
I've heard that the reason Potatos are not included in the Kitniyos
category (even though it's starch can easily be confused with grain
flower) is because, at the time of the institution of the G'Zeirah of
Kitniyos, potatos were still an unknown entity in the European
countries.
- Levy
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From: Eli Turkel <turkel@...>
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 18:21:24 GMT
Subject: Refuseniks
There are those who do it. I think it is great the next elected Mayor
of Jerusalem will likely be a Torah observant Jew, known for his care
for non observant Jews. (Look at his resume) Many of the Refusnik
leaders in Russia became observant when they were finally free.
Being picky the latest polls I saw did not give him a real chance of
becoming mayor. Most likely there would be a runoff which he would lose.
More to the point can you give us names besides Mendelovich of refusenik
leaders who became observant. Sharansky is traditional and one or two
others in the former Yisrael ba-aliya party were religious. However, it
is clear that most Jewish Russian leaders are not religious
Prof. Eli Turkel, <turkel@...> on 05/11/2003
Department of Mathematics, Tel Aviv University
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From: A Seinfeld <ASeinfeld@...>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 10:44:30 -0500
Subject: RE: Requirement to Eat meat
Anyone who so slanders the Torah need only look at the first
commandment: "From every tree of the garden you must eat..." We are
required to enjoy the world (in a kosher way).
>It seems to me that Judaism is often slandered for not encouraging man
>to pursue pleasure. This is one of the few commandments (Eating meat on
>Shabbath) that does so encourage. Hence I think it deserves serious
>study
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From: Bernard Raab <beraab@...>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 16:57:25 -0400
Subject: Re: Shabbat Candles
Russell J Hendel makes a wel-known point regarding Shabbat candles:
"...there is a definite legal requirement to light at the PLACE OF THE
MEAL ....."
This very well-established halacha is routinely violated at every kosher
hotel I have ever patronized, where Shabbat candles are invariably lit
in a separate room, sometimes quite far from the dining room. Does
anyone know of a documented heter for this, or is it simply a case of
practical reality (and safety) overiding the halacha?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: <Joelirich@...> (Joel Rich)
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 08:33:44 -0400
Subject: Re: Shaving and S'fira
> I address this to those who go by the psak that it's permitted to
> shave during sfira, because it's not acceptable to be seen "like that"
> in public
R' YD Soloveitchik IIRC held that we need to look at sfirah consistently
with the mourning of 12 months for a parent -thus if people are likely
to say you look messy, it is permitted to shave (aiui) and perhaps
required for shabbat.
KT
Joel Rich
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From: <Brikspartzuf@...> (Tzvi Briks)
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 11:12:51 EDT
Subject: Re: Shaving during S'firah
It is amazing that in my Shul in Scarsdale, I'm the only one 'sporting'
a Sefirah Beard. I, of course, wear it for Kabblastic reasons to
reflect the pure 'light' of the Omer Naki. This represents the level of
the Keter that will eventually make its manifestation on Shavuot.
Tzvi Briks
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From: Leah Aharoni <leah25@...>
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 12:35:21 +0200
Subject: Shir hashirim in artscroll
In mail-jewish Vol. 39 #21 Shmuel Ross wrote
> The only thing I can think of is that perhaps people are objecting to
> the lack of a literal translation of Shir HaShirim in the ArtScroll
> *Siddur*, but, in that case, they're simply looking in the wrong place.
> (If you're turning to a siddur for a translation of a megillah, it's not
> the publisher who has the problem here.)
The most important considerations in any translation are audience and
function.
Artscroll siddur targets a lay audience with limited Hebrew language
skills, who would like to know "what's flying" during the all-Hebrew
davening, including the reading of megilot on chagim.
Therefore, I find Shmuel's criticism of people, who "turn to the siddur
for a translation of a megillah" puzzling.
Leah Aharoni
English/Hebrew/Russian Translator
Telefax 972-2-9971146, Mobile 972-56-852571
Email <leah25@...>
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From: Yisrael Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 22:37:14 +0200
Subject: Tachanun
As explained to me by Rav Yaakov Libi, a holiday's sanctity extends
backwards to cover the Mincha time of the previous day. This is a given
(so don't ask me why). Therefore, tachanun therefore is not said on
days before Shabbatot and Chaggim.
But, the holiday must be from the night through the day. If not, this
rule doesn't apply. An example would be Pesach Sheni, where the korban
is sacrificed only in the time of late afternoon of the day. So, while
on Pesach Sheni itself, one does not say Tachanun, one would recite it
on the previous day's mincha.
Yisrael Medad
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From: Brandon Raff <Brandon@...>
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 13:19:20 +0200
Subject: Re: translating Shir haShirim
While I have not been following the full discussion on the translation
of Shir haShirim, I would recommend reading the Hirsh Chumash,
translated according to Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh Zt'l, which I think
is an excellent translation and true to the Hebrew. For a more
Kabbalistic approach to Shir haShirim I would recommend reading the
works of the Alshich on it.
Brandon
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From: Bernard Raab <beraab@...>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 16:25:26 -0400
Subject: translating Shir haShirim
Leah Aharoni writes:
>It is my guess that either Artscroll did not want its lay readership to
>understand the literal meaning of the Shir haShirim text, or it could
>not find satisfactory terminology to express the Hebrew ideas in
>English.
English is an unusually rich language, borrowing as it does from so many
others, and Artscroll has done a commendable job overall in translations of
all of our sacred texts, so suddenly it is stumped by Shir Hashirim?
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From: Moshe Nugiel <mosheand@...>
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 18:49:49 +0200
Subject: When Will It Ever Get Here?
The last thing we ask for in the Birchat Ha'Codesh is for the Geulah to
be close ('Krova') which I assume means soon. However, if our request
is granted, the Geulah will never arrive! Each month it will be close,
but not here. Why don't we simply ask for the Geulah to arrive next
month?
Moshe
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End of Volume 39 Issue 26
