Volume 42 Number 91
Produced: Fri Jun 4 6:20:17 US/Eastern 2004
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Auto donation of hair (2)
[W. Baker, Reuven Miller]
Hinduism, Avode Zore and Shittuf
[Michael Poppers]
Illegal Torah website
[Seth Kadish]
Kosher in Adelaide, Australia
[Janice Gelb]
Kosher Lamp
[Michael Mirsky]
Kosher Vegemite (2)
[I. Balbin, Dani Wassner]
Mikva Night and Invitations
[<chips@...>]
Mikva on Friday night
[Rose Landowne]
When to be stringent vs lenient
[Russell J Hendel]
Wigs (3)
[Michael Kahn, Janet Rosenbaum, Martin Stern]
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From: W. Baker <wbaker@...>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 11:41:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Auto donation of hair
> From: Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
> If an unmarried woman grows her hair long and then marries, may
> she cut her hair and use that hair to fashion a wig for herself?
>
> I remember learning that it's forbidden.
>
> The source of the mitzvah is that an "adulteress's" hair, as punishment,
> is to be "loosened." Considering hair care in Biblical times, the best
> guess is that hair was normally braided. A big question is whether all
> females had braided hair, or just married ones. It seems like "loose
> hair" was used to signify a "loose woman." The English idiom is
> probably Biblical.
As I recall from my study of Talmud several years ago, I remember that
the virgin bride goes to her wedding with her hair loose about her.
Perhaps she wore it braided for comfort and ease when working, but it
wsa loose for the wedding. This would imply that her hair did not have
to be hidden prior to the marriage.
Wendy Baker
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From: Reuven Miller <millerr@...>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 10:16:53 +0300 (IDT)
Subject: Re: Auto donation of hair
> We are talking about halachah and not kabbalah. As far as I am aware
> there is a halachic problem with wearing a sheitel made from one's own
> shorn hair and no amount of kabbalistic speculation can be used to
> permit what is halachicly prohibited.
>
> Martin Stern
You mean that there is _no_ halachic problem?
(which is accepted practice)
Or if you are saying that there is a problem what is your source?
Reuven Miller
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From: <MPoppers@...> (Michael Poppers)
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 09:17:50 -0400
Subject: Re: Hinduism, Avode Zore and Shittuf
In M-J V42#88, IBalbin wrote:
> By the way, I started reading a Tshuvo on this topic by Rav Yitzchok
Raitport (see http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~spotter/sheitel/raitport.pdf).
However it is missing a page. Does anyone have the missing page or know how
I can get it easily? <
P.14 was missing last week but is now present in that PDF.
All the best from
-- Michael Poppers via RIM pager
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From: Seth Kadish <skadish@...>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 09:24:40 +0200
Subject: Illegal Torah website
A few weeks ago I posted a link to a Russian language website
(chassidus.ru) that had electronic texts of hundreds of sifrei kodesh,
including a punctuated siddur, which I had learned about from a
Russian-speaking friend of mine.
The site gave absolutely no information about where the texts came from
nor how they might be used. I felt that something was fishy about this,
so instead of just using the texts I sent a letter asking for permission
to use some of them. A while later I got a reply from the DBS
corporation that the texts were stolen from them and used without their
permission.
It seems obvious to me that this is a clear issue of mitzvah ha-ba'ah
ba-aveirah, and that texts taken from that site when it was still active
should not be used. The texts are available legally at
http://www.dbs123.com/.
Seth (Avi) Kadish
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From: Janice Gelb <j_gelb@...>
Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 09:38:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Kosher in Adelaide, Australia
Channah asks:
> I am traveling to Adelaide, Australia. Can you give me a list of any
>kosher products there by the manufacturer so I might eat something
>besides veggies.
I was waiting for an actual Australian to answer but I guess a
three-time traveler will have to do :-> I recommend getting in touch
with the following synagogue:
Adelaide Hebrew Congregation
13 Flemington Rd.
Glenside 5065
South Australia
Contact: Rabbi Engel
Tel: 618-9338-2922, 618-9379-9122
Fax: 618-9379-0142
Email: <rabbi@...>
I was able to buy frozen kosher food, including meat pies, there on my
first trip in 1999, although I don't know if they're still offering that
service.
You can find a list of local and international manufacturers who are
clients of Kosher Australia certification at
http://www.kosher.org.au/clients.htm
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From: Michael Mirsky <mirskym@...>
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 23:18:09 -0400
Subject: Kosher Lamp
<chips@...> said in response to my post:
"> This is what bothers me about this product. Since it's movable, Might
> it be muktzeh, especially if it could be easy to turn it off by
> accident?"
[Why would a lamp be muktzeh to move? A fan is not and even flowers are
not. -rp]
I looked this up in "The Halachos of Muktza" by R. Yisroel Bodner. He
says that an electric light which is switched on is likened by some
poskim to a lit oil lamp, and has the following rules:
- it can't be moved (he quotes R. Moshe Feinstein and R. Auerbach)
- if it was on bain hasmoshos it can't me moved all Shabbat (even after
being turned off by a non-Jew or a time clock).
- the table or other supporting base becomes a "bosis" to the light (ie it
also can't be moved)
So it seems that the lamp's cover which adjusts the light could be
moved, but the body of the lamp itself mustn't be moved.
I'm not sure about a fan, possibly it is a kli shemelachto le'issur and
can be moved if you need the space it's sitting on. As far as flowers
are concerned, cut flowers can be moved, but not flowers or a plant
growing in soil in a pot.
Michael Mirsky
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From: I. Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 17:53:44 +1000
Subject: Re: Kosher Vegemite
> From: Shayna Kravetz <skravetz@...>
> After an Australian non-Jewish friend gave me a small container of
> Vegemite as a gift, I embarked on a quest to find out if it was kosher.
> I contacted these people who were both courteous and helpful:
> ...
> I expect that Channah can get answers there. (And, by the way, the
> Vegemite was kosher. The telltale is a K juxtaposed to the factory
> use-by date stamp to identify kosher manufacturing runs.)
Unfortunately, the following was just issued by Kosher Australia:
"Due to changes in Kraft Food's manufacturing plant and processes, Kraft
is no longer able to accommodate the necessary kosher regimes required
for kosher Vegemite as a result of other non-kosher products also made
on this same equipment. Consumers should lodge any concerns regarding
this decision directly with: Kraft Foods Ltd ... "
For those of you who love Vegemite, send them a letter ESPECIALLY if you
are overseas. If you've never had Australian Vegemite, you haven't
experienced Me-in Olam Haboh (a taste of the world to come) perhaps get
on their web site at http://www.kraft.com.au/ and then click on Contact
Us and send them an email asking them to bring back Kosher Vegemite!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Dani Wassner <dani@...>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 16:05:15 +0200
Subject: Kosher Vegemite
Shayna Kravetz (mail-jewish Vol. 42 #88 Digest)wrote that "Vegemite" is
Kosher if properly stamped. I would like to update you on this.
For those who don't know, "Vegemite" is not just an Australian food, but
an icon. It is a black spread made of a yeast extract (similar to the
British Marmite). Most Australian kids literally grow up on the stuff.
(Personally, I grew up eating Vegemite every single day for breakfast,
on toast).
Unfortunately, a few months ago the manufacturer, Kraft, stopped making
a Kosher version. This is what they wrote to me:
"Unfortunately due to manufacturing changes made at our Port Melbourne
production facility in 2003, Kraft has made the decision to no longer
manufacture kosher Vegemite."
Vegemite-lovers are urged to write to: <CServices@...> to ask
Kraft to reinstate kosher Vegemite.
Dani Wassner
Jerusalem (formerly Sydney)
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From: <chips@...>
Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 17:03:43 -0700
Subject: Re: Mikva Night and Invitations
> Also, I'd like to refute the comment that "you have a week's notice"
> of a mikvah night and can thus plan accordingly. That is often not
> the case. Often the "original" mikvah night is delayed by 1 or more
> nights due to halachik shailos (bedikas, etc.). Since it is sometimes
> difficult to get these shailos paskened immediately (i.e. one must
> make an appointment with a rav), the psak on them is also delayed
> sometimes.
>
> White lies are not such a great solution, in my experience. Many
> people just do not lie well, and whenever one lies, one must keep
> track of the lies to avoid inconsistencies. For example, if you claim
> to have had a migraine, a friend months later suffering a real
> migraine could ask you how you dealt with it and you might have
> forgotten the lie and respond, "I never had a migraine".
I seem to be missing a major point. Why can't the hostess simply be told
"Yes, thank you but I will probably be a few minutes late" and if the
hostess asks why just tell her there is a mikva appointment. Why can't
the hostess (as opposed to the host) know?
-rp
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From: <ROSELANDOW@...> (Rose Landowne)
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 07:29:06 EDT
Subject: Re: Mikva on Friday night
I was told by Rabbi Riskin, many years ago, that in case need (sh'at ha
dhok), one can light candles early, but after plag hamincha, yet not
accept shabbat, and tovel before shabbat begins, as long as husband and
wife are not alone together before dark.
Rose Landowne
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From: Russell J Hendel <rjhendel@...>
Date: Mon, 31 May 2004 23:04:11 -0400
Subject: When to be stringent vs lenient
Regarding Tovias question (v42n87)about the impracticality(sometimes!)
of being there when the wife comes home from Mikvah:
First: We can point out the famous Rashi on Gn32:14-16 that different
people have different marital visitation obligations. Thus sailors have
an obligation only once every six months. Clearly sailors cannot be
there when their wives come home from Mikvah
Second: The Rav (Rabbi Soloveitchick) emphasized in his talks that one
should only seeks KULOS (Leniencies) in halachic spheres where they are
called for.
However the obligation to visit ones wife is BIBLICAL. It is derived
from the explicit verses (Ex21) that wives have rights to food, clothing
shelter and visitation. Thus the ATTITUDE of the POsayk (Decider of
Jewish law) should be stringent not lenient here since the goal of the
law is to protect the womans feelings.
In the case of a night worker I suppose (anyone know of a source) that
it might be preferable to have relations by day(even though that is
usually not desirable).
Russell Jay Hendel; http://www.Rashiyomi.com/
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From: Michael Kahn <mi_kahn@...>
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2004 12:21:23 -0400
Subject: RE: Wigs
>My hunch is that the word originally denotes that particular style of
>peruque/perucke/peruk which was popular in 19th Century Europe (it
>shows up in one of Andre Gide's novels for instance).
I always assumed that shaital meant covering, similar to the english
word, shade, window shade, etc.
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From: Janet Rosenbaum <jerosenb@...>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 07:30:38 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Wigs
Ephraim Tabory <tabore@...> writes:
> I am searching for the alleged Hindu ritual that has led to the latest
> "off with their wigs" reaction. I have not found any indication of such
> a ritual on Hindu or/and Indian web sites. Are there readers who have
> first hand knowledge of such a ritual (or who can point me to a primary
> source about this) please? Thanks.
Googling for tonsure and hindu, I found lots of links.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=tonsure+hindu&btnG=Search
Janet
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 13:50:40 +0100
Subject: Re: Wigs
on 2/6/04 11:49 am, Avi Feldblum at <mljewish@...> wrote regarding
Hindu tonsuring:
> See, for example, the reference in Isaac Balbin's posting above,
> although that author argues that the ritual is Buddist not Hindu.
The ritual tonsuring at Tiraputi may well be a relic from the times when
the area was Buddhist which the Hindu counterreformation could not
abolish. Perhaps the Sikh practice of never cutting the hair is somehow
a reaction against this ritual tonsuring since Sikhism, unlike Hinduism,
does not have any statuary in its temples. Has anyone any information on
the matter?
Martin Stern
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End of Volume 42 Issue 91
