Volume 52 Number 28
Produced: Sun Jun 25 22:25:50 EDT 2006
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Airline Meals - During 9 days
[Carl A. Singer]
Airline Meals during the Nine Days
[Tzvi Stein]
Dagesh and Trop
[Russell J Hendel]
Excellent July Programs coming up at Drisha
[Freda B Birnbaum]
Kedusha to Yerushalyim Shel Zahav
[Yehonatan & Randy Chipman]
Midrash
[Sammy Finkelman]
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From: Carl A. Singer <casinger@...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 04:06:05 -0400
Subject: Airline Meals - During 9 days
> Hi all. I will probably be attending the ICIAM '07 conference in
> Zurich, which lasts from Monday 16 July 2007 through Friday 20 July
> 2007. It turns out that 16 July is 1 Av. Is it possible to order a
> non-meat kosher airline meal from most airlines? If not, how do
> people handle this kind of situation? Thanks.
>Art Werschulz
All kidding aside, bring a peanut butter sandwich -- or if washing is
difficult, some cheese sticks and fruit Maybe a candy bar or three.
I do not know if there currently are non-meat kosher meals available.
Also, this will vary by airline and city of departure.
You're airline meal will be one of 1000's prepared at your departing
airport -- don't expect it to be right. There may be vegetarian meals
that have hasgocha, but there will likely be many that don't (NK - TE -
NS) Not Kosher - Traif Equipment. - No Supervision
Carl
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From: Tzvi Stein <Tzvi.Stein@...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 07:40:23 -0400
Subject: Re: Airline Meals during the Nine Days
From my unfortunate experience, this concept is way too complicated for
airlines to grasp. If you try to order a kosher vegetarian meal, you
will very likely receive a *non-kosher* vegetarian meal. You should
rather bring your own food.
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From: Russell J Hendel <rjhendel@...>
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:56:37 -0400
Subject: Dagesh and Trop
This posting answers several questions raised by Orrin as well as some
comments by Mechy.
Pronunication is determined by EITHER the rules of pronunciation OR the
various markings(such as accents). Quite simply the Aleppo codex does
NOT place a meteg (Secondary accent)before every shva na even though
they SHOULD be pronounced na. So you dont have to "wait" for the
secondary accent to declare it a na...you can simply use the rules of
pronunciation.
How do I know they should be pronounced na if there is no meteg
(Secondary accent). Because there is a rule that Secondary accents
change to the MUNAX cantillation if eg they are in a zakef word with no
previous pashthah. So for example in the Shma we have
Ve-A(Munax)-Hav-Ta. Here the secondary accent on "A" was changed to
MUNAX. If you look thru the Aleppo the MUNAX is always there AS IF the
secondary accent was there originally even though the secondary accent
in general is sometimes there and sometimes not. So we see from this
ACCENT TO MUNAX rule that the Aleppo believed all these accents to be
secondary EVEN THOUGH it doesnt always notate it.
Another example are words like "HA-A-ZEE-Ay-LI" which has one primary
accent and two secondary accents. This alternation of accents
Facilitates word pronunciation (just as alternation of color facilitates
reading a spreadsheet). This "alternate accent" rule is mentioned by the
Radack. Some Bibles have all 3 accents some have 2 and some have 1. But
no one disputes that you must read the word this way.
To go back to Cha-Zo-the-Roth---after a tenuah gedolah you must have a
shva na. This rule is phonetic. If you say Cha-ZOOTHE-Roth you either
wronly pronounce Cha-Zath-Roth with a small syllable or else say
Cha-ZOOOO-THE-ROTH with a proper na. Mechy says the masorites did not
pronounce the na mid word. Again: If you say TZOOOOTH with a proper LONG
SYLLABLE on the OH then the "TH" automatically becomes an independent
entity (and hence a na). Of course you could try and distinguish between
TZOOOTH vs TZOO-TH vs TZOO-THE-ROTH but the fact is the only way to have
a NAX is to SHORTEN THE VOWEL (TzaTh).
Next Orrin brings up the issue of "exotic cantillations" like the Shirah
cantillation in journeys. First some halachah. Strict halahchah
prohibits us from changing any pauses or end-verses that Moses did not
change. So I for one would like to see this minhag of singing verses in
pairs ended.
But I think a conceptual approach would be better: Why did this rule
develop in the first place? Presumably people were talking during these
aliyoth listing journeys because they are boring. So to counteract the
boredom someone sang them unusually and paired them to get thru them
quickly. In other words I consider this a "momentary ruling" to fight
talking in the synagogue.
Personally when I lein these I try and pause sufficiently to preserve
all masoretic markings. But this is not always possible. In such a case
e.g. a dagesh should be softened if necessary. Why? Because Moses
received a transmission of PAUSES WORDS and LETTERS at Sinai. I say that
Moses received PAUSAL information at Sinai (Despite a gemarrah in
nedarim that APPEARS to make this a controversy) because it is
impossible to imagine that Moses heard from God "Hear Israel, God is
your Lord, God is one" without Also hearing the pauses.
But the Dagesh EVEN THOUGH MOSES HEARD IT, does not have the status of a
TRANSMITTED ITEM. Indeed once a word and the phrase it is in is given
the laws of SOFT-HARD sounds for the consonants BGD KFT follow phonetic
rules which make the phrase unit flow. Thus it is proper for a baal
koray to change the SOFT HARD sounds since this is the only logical way
to pronounce the word. Here is another way of saying this: The reason
the "B" in "LeMaTay BeNay Issachar" is soft or hard is NOT because Moses
heard it this way but rather because a) we have to pronounce those words
and b) when those words form one phrase (or two phrases) then the
natural way to pronounce it is with a hard or soft B or V. In other
words it is WORDS and PHRASES that have "transmitted status" while the
pronunciation has "derived status".
To answer Mechy I dont think anyone has to go mad about this or lose
sleep. For example I say "Ye-he-yeh" vs the correct "Yih-yeh". If I said
"Yih yeh" it would sound like "Yich yeh" and confuse people. Similarly I
dont pronounce Ayins. This goes back to my point above that
pronunciation is by and large not "transmitted" but derived. If someone
decided that pairing verses can stop talking then we simply adjust the
pronunciation and do not lose any sleep over it. Personally again I
would like to see the Minhag abrogated or at least the part about
pairing verses abrogated.
Russell Jay Hendel; http://www.Rashiyomi.com/
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From: Freda B Birnbaum <fbb6@...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 21:56:58 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Excellent July Programs coming up at Drisha
Keeping you all in the loop about Drisha's July programs. Note that some
of the classes are open to men as well as to women.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Judith Tenzer <jtenzer@...>
Register Now for July Programs
Five-Week Session - June 26-July 28
July Institute for Women
* Talmud - two levels - Rachel Furst, Daniel Reifman
* Biblical Hebrew - Shalom Holtz
* Bible Classes - Rachel Friedman, David Silber, Chanoch Waxman
* Philosophy - Ari Ackerman
* Jewish Law - two levels - Wendy Amsellem, Moshe Kahn
* Bible - two levels - Rachel Friedman, Joshua Schreier
* Oral Torah - two levels - Channa Lockshin Bob, Tammy Jacobowitz
* Philosophy - Chanoch Waxman
Matmidot - Advanced Level Talmud for Women
* Morning - Sanhedrin 1-3 - David Goshen
* Afternoon - Sanhedrin 6 - David Silber
* Night Seder - Pesachim 1 - Chanoch Waxman
Summer High School Program for Girls
High school girls from around the world have a memorable five-week
experience. Study Talmud, Bible, Prayer, Jewish Law... Make new
friends... experience New York.
Continuing Education - some classes coed
* Daytime classes in Biblical Hebrew, Bible, Talmud, Philosophy with Ari
Ackerman, Rachel Friedman, Shalom Holtz, David Silber, Chanoch Waxman,
Devorah Zlochower
* Love, Marriage, Divorce and Jewish Law - Rachel Dulitz - Monday,
6:00-7:30 p.m.$125
* Dream Analysis: Jewish and Psychological Perspectives - Shuli Sandler -
Monday, 6:00-7:30 p.m. $125 coed
* Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur: Two Ends of a Single Spectrum? - Elana Stein
- Monday, 7:45-9:15 p.m. $125
* David and Bathsheba - Joshua Schreier - Tuesday, 6:00-7:30 p.m. $100
* Parashat Hashavua - Wendy Amsellem - Tuesday, 6:00-7:30 p.m. $100
* The Akeida: From Text to Philosophy - Chanoch Waxman - Tuesday,
6:00-7:30 p.m. $100 coed
* Bodies, Houses and Evil Speech: Tzara'at in the Midrash - Tammy
Jacobowitz - Tuesday, 7:45-9:15 p.m. $100
* A Burning Flame: The World and Thought of Five Hasidic Masters -
Benjamin Skydell - Tuesday, 7:45- 9:15 p.m. $100 coed
* Beyond the Letter of the Law: Ethical Norms that Became Halakha - Rachel
Furst - Wednesday, 6:00- 7:30 p.m. $125 coed
* Sex Ethics: From the Bible to the Talmud, Augustine, the Puritans and
More - Jonathan Milgram - Wednesday, 6:00-7:30 p.m. $125 coed
* Rabbis Reading Bible: The World of Early Midrash - Jenny Labendz -
Wednesday, 7:45-9:15 p.m. $125
* Proofs (and Disproofs) of God's Existence in Jewish Philosophy - David
Shyovitz - Wednesday, 7:45-9:15 p.m. $125 coed
Tall Tales in the Talmud - Hebrew and English Beit Midrash Study with
David Goshen - coed
Explore the legendary historical events that comprise the Aggadata, the
non-halakhic (nonlegal) discussions in the Talmud. Students will acquire
the methodological tools for learning aggadata, from midrashim to the
philological and literary research of today. Talmud experience is not
required.
Monday, 7:45-9:15 p.m. - in Hebrew - $125
Thursday, 6:00-9:00 p.m. - in English - free
Arts Fellowships for 2006-07
Drisha Institute is accepting applications for Arts Fellowships in
September 2006. Women who are professional artists will learn in an open
and dynamic Beit Midrash, and develop skills to interpret classical
Jewish texts. Visual artists, creative writers, filmmakers, musicians,
and dancers are invited to apply, especially those interested in serving
as educators and role models in the Jewish community.
With best wishes,
Judith Tenzer, Drisha Institute
email: <jtenzer@...>
web: http://www.drisha.org
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From: Yehonatan & Randy Chipman <yonarand@...>
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 09:42:09 +0200
Subject: Re: Kedusha to Yerushalyim Shel Zahav
The story about a concert held during the middle of the Six Day War
is almost certainly incorrect. My ex-wife was living in Jerusalem then,
and was present when "Yerushalayim shel Zahav" was sung publicly for the
first time: on the evening after Yom ha-Atzmaut 1967 (three weeks BEFORE
the war), during the course of the annual Israel Song Festival held at
Binyanei Hauma (the largest public hall in Jerusalem). "At the end of
the concert," she reports, "a young girl dressed in a white dress with
long dark hair [i.e. Shuly Natan] got up and sang her song. People went
wild. All the way back from Binyanei we tried and managed to capture the
refrain."
She obviously sang the first three verses. My ex-wife adds that
there was no concert scheduled for mid-war, nor could there have been,
as there was still a blackout at night. But I would add that the fourth
verse must have been added soon after, as it was included in the 10-inch
recording of the song made by Shuly Natan for Hed Artzi ("Ha-Ir be-Afor"
was on the other side), which I heard for the first time at the end of
that summer when my brother returned to the US from a two-year stay in
Israel.
Yehonatan Chipman
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From: Sammy Finkelman <sammy.finkelman@...>
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 06 14:44:00 -0400
Subject: Midrash
There is a midrash about Hashem wearing Tefillin. But in Shir HaKovod -
"Anim Zemiros" which is said - or at least printed - after Musaf every
Shabbos - I don't know what they do in every shul, but in my shul, I
sing it every week - it is clearly understood as a simile because the
verse starting with Beis talks about how similes have been used and this
is the verse with a Kuf.
Indeed the question that the Rambam has on the statement that Hashem
wears Tefillin is not whether it is true, but how is it that a true Jew
could say such a thing. And I think he explains it is a simile and I
think this is in the Guide to the Perplexed (By the way, my Rabbi, Rabbi
Philip Harris Singer, Pinchas Tzvi ben Dovid, ZT'L who died this week,
said several times - what he probably heard from his Rabbinical teacher,
that the Rambam wrote this (mainly) t explain all the references to God
having physical form - I can't rmemeber the exact words he used.
So what is a Midrash? Actually I think the word we should define is is
not Midrash but Droshah because a Midrash is a collection of
Drashos. Deroshah means searching. A deroshah is someone - usually an
important historical Rabbi of course - offering ideas as to
*possibilities* as to what a word or phrase means. Or even what a few
verses mean.
A deroshah, in other words, is an *attempt* - I need to stress attempt -
to gain some extra knowledge. And this is considerd very worthwhile.
What does the mishnah in Pirkei Avos say? ben Bag Bag said: Turn it and
turn it over again. In other words, look at it some more and see if you
can find something else. For everything is in there (Pirkei Avos 5
Mishnah 22 - Mishnah 25 in the Siddur.)
On the other hand the Ikur (core, main thing) is not derashah - but
doing things (mishnah 1:17) This may have been forgitten by some people,
or they don't know how to apply it. But studying is for the purpose opf
doing, or at least teaching how to do.
As for derashas - the explanations as to what verses or words might
mean:
In some cases this is not serious - or literal - at all. In some other
cases it might be very serious - maybe even based on some knowledge.
A Sefer was written once giving justifications for deroshos that were
commonly given or used in speeches in the early Talmudic era - Seder
Olam. That's what Seder Olam really is. It's not a chronology or
history. It does not give flat statements. It even says that we learn
something from a verse. (For example: We learn that they were conquering
7 years from the fact that Kalev said he was 40 when Moshe sent him and
he is now 85. (the last year in the desert is being counted here.)
Now if these facts were known independently, it would not have bene
necessary to prove them. Seder Olam just lists statements that were
probably often made at or near the beginning of long derashos - and here
serashah means a Rabbi's reasonings as given in a speech - and gives
proofs as to why that is so.
But a derashah - is an attempt to search out. Search out what? The
meaning. Or perhaps the lesson. Sometimes maybe we will find a deroshah
that we wouldn't accept this at all now, while earlier maybe it seemed a
little bit more plausible. There are contradictory derashos of course,
because they are not final and were never intended as such. In many many
cases. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The word derashah has a root meaning to search, to seek to find out -
not to find.
Remember the phrase Darash darash Moshe (Vayikra 11:16 - at supposedly
half the Torah in words but someone once said here that's wrong - was it
maybe the middle of the middle panel one time in a Sefer Torah? Could it
have been compiled as a quick way of determining or estimating when
someone put together a Sefer Torah or was examining a Sefer Torah - and
the panels were written separately - whether or not one or more panels
or groups of panels had been left out)
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End of Volume 52 Issue 28
