Volume 61 Number 83
Produced: Wed, 29 May 13 12:48:49 -0400
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Coincidence of Chanukah and Thanksgiving
[Irwin Weiss]
Customs Commemorating Bet haMikdash Practices (4)
[Yisrael Medad Sammy Finkelman Katz, Ben M.D. David Tzohar]
Lost Tribes of Israel (2)
[Robert Israel Josh Backon]
Metzizah Syllogism
[Sammy Finkelman]
Music/spirituality/davening
[Leah S. R. Gordon]
Picture of Menorah in Shul
[Sammy Finkelman]
Tefillah / Bet haknesset
[Haim Snyder]
The women of the wall (was The Sharansky compromise)
[David E Cohen]
Why should Aharon wear gold in the first place?
[Yisrael Medad]
Yizkor on chag - contradiction with Simchat Chag
[David Ziants]
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From: Irwin Weiss <irwin@...>
Date: Sun, May 19,2013 at 08:01 AM
Subject: Coincidence of Chanukah and Thanksgiving
http://stevemorse.org/jcal/chanukah.html
This article has major implications for persons who:
1) Keep Kosher
2) Observe Thankgiving by consuming turkey
3) Have the minhag of eating latkes on Chanukah with sour cream.
Irwin Weiss
Baltimore, MD
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From: Yisrael Medad <yisrael.medad@...>
Date: Fri, May 10,2013 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Customs Commemorating Bet haMikdash Practices
In MJ 61#82 Stu Pilichowski asks:
> are there any practices in modern times associated with the Menorah? Why don't
> we have symbolic menorah's in shuls that we clean and light everyday?
May I point out that perhaps while not a Menorah, the custom was indeed to
light oil lamps in synagogues, and the prayer in Hebrew after the two Yekum
Purkan paragraphs at Shabbat Musaf specifically seeks a blessing for those
who "provide lamps for light" in synagogues. The Mishnah Brura, OH 154:13,
makes it clear that candles or oil lamps were part and parcel of the
synagogue.
Yisrael Medad
Shiloh
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From: Sammy Finkelman <sammy.finkelman@...>
Date: Fri, May 10,2013 at 01:01 PM
Subject: Customs Commemorating Bet haMikdash Practices
Stuart Pilichowski wrote (MJ 61#82):
> My question: why were some practices chosen and others seemingly ignored? For
> instance, are there any practices in modern times associated with the Menorah?
> Why don't we have symbolic menorah's in shuls that we clean and light everyday?
We *have* symbolic menorahs. The Shliach Tzibbur davens in front of them on
weekdays. We don't light them every day because we can't do that on
Shabbos. They get turned on at the beginning of the davening and turned off
at the end on weekdays. Now they are electric.
This is besides the menorahs of Chanukah.
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From: Katz, Ben M.D. <BKatz@...>
Date: Sun, May 12,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Customs Commemorating Bet haMikdash Practices
Stuart Pilichowski wrote (MJ 61#82):
> Many common daily and Shabbat practices are traced to keeping up a custom that
> was performed in Temple times. Ritual hand washing and hakofot on Hoshana
> Rabba come to mind as popular examples.
>
> My question: why were some practices chosen and others seemingly ignored? For
> instance, are there any practices in modern times associated with the Menorah?
> Why don't we have symbolic menorah's in shuls that we clean and light
> everyday?
I don't think practices are "chosen". They evolve. Many shuls for example up
to the 6th or 7th century had altar paddles "zecher lamikdash" (in remembrance
of the Temple). For some reason these didn't "resonate" with many communities
and were abandoned.
There was also a tension between zecher lamikdash and mimicking what we no
longer had. For example, after the Temple was destroyed we know that some
communities purposefully continued to eat roasted meat on the night of Passover
while others purposefully would not - and of course it was the latter custom
that "won out"; see Mishna Pesachim 4:4.
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From: David Tzohar <davidtzohar@...>
Date: Wed, May 15,2013 at 03:01 PM
Subject: Customs Commemorating Bet haMikdash Practices
Stuart Pilchowsky (MJ 61#82) asked if there are any customs that are related to
the lighting of the menorah in the Mikdash. I think that the custom of the "ner
tamid" that is always lit above the aron kodesh has its source in the ner
maaravi of the menorah which was eternally lit. Another custom from Temple times
is Birkat Kohanim where the kohanim go up to the duchan (platform) to bless the
people with the tripartite priestly blessing.
--
David Tzohar
http://tzoharlateivahebrew.blogspot.com/
http://tzoharlateiva.blogspot.com/
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From: Robert Israel <israel@...>
Date: Fri, May 10,2013 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Lost Tribes of Israel
In MJ 61#82, Martin Stern wrote:
> In today's Israel Hayom newsletter, there is an article by Florida
> International University religious studies professor Tudor Parfitt entitled
> 'Lost tribe of Israel' found in Papua New Guinea?
>
> http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8829
>
> in which he writes about the Gogodala, a tribe of former cannibals in a
> remote corner of Papua New Guinea, who identify themselves as a Lost Tribe
> of Israel. Inter alia, it states
>
>> The idea that the population can trace its roots back to ancient Israel
>> is shared by other tribes. There are those who believe that the whole
>> Papuan population has its roots in the Holy Land.
>>
>> Parfitt has written 25 books and has been studying Judaizing movements
>> around the world for 30 years. He is best known for his work with the
>> Lemba tribe of Africa, which was shown to have a historic link to
>> Israel. His recent book "Black Jews in Africa and the Americas" records
>> the growth of Israelite movements throughout Africa and elsewhere. His
>> research trip shows that the Gogodala are part of this growing, global
>> Israelite movement.
>
> Professor Parfitt can't be dismissed as just another "British Indiana
> Jones" but holds an honours degree in Hebrew from Oxford University - he
> was a contemporary of my wife on the course (as was Prince Hassan of
> Jordan uncle of the present king, incidentally).
>
> How should we react to such claims?
It's not clear to me which claims Martin is referring to. Note that, in
contrast to the Lemba whose DNA, the results of the analysis of Gogodala
DNA in 2003 were inconclusive. I don't see Parfitt as making any claims at
this point other than that the Gogodala identify themselves as a "lost
tribe" and are adopting Jewish practices, and that this is interesting from
an anthropological point of view.
Robert Israel
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From: Josh Backon <backon@...>
Date: Fri, May 10,2013 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Lost Tribes of Israel
Martin Stern wrote (MJ 61#82):
> In today's Israel Hayom newsletter, there is an article by Florida
> International University religious studies professor Tudor Parfitt entitled
> 'Lost tribe of Israel' found in Papua New Guinea?
This reminds me of Irving Bernstein from the Bronx who gets stranded on a deserted
island in the South Pacific. He promptly builds 2 shuls: the one he'll attend
and the other (spitting in disgust!!) he'll never step foot into :-).
Josh Backon
<backon@...>
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From: Sammy Finkelman <sammy.finkelman@...>
Date: Sun, May 19,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Metzizah Syllogism
Is there anything wrong with this syllogism (or two syllogisms collapsed into
one)?
In the time of Rav Papa, there were people who performed a Bris Milah but
skipped the step of Metzitzah on Shabbos because of fear or belief that it
violated Shabbos (see Shabbos 133a). This could only have been a Melachah
D'Oraiso (Torah violation of Shabbos). (Tosfos at Kesuvos 5b specifically says
so.)
Metzitzah B'peh is not wounding, and cannot be a Melachah D'Oraiso, and we are
talking about D'Oraiso, because "healing" which is a Rabbinical violation
because so much medicine was compounding something, can be done, especially
since the baby after a Bris is considered a Choleh Sheyesh Bo Sakaneh. Therefore
Metzitzah in the time of Rav Papa cannot have been B'Peh.
I discussed this with someone (who came from the Lubavicher Chassidim) on the
afternoon of the first day of Shavuous and he thought maybe the melachah was
Dash - the toldah of squeezing. But that would be a very weak case. First, there
is a dispute as to whether squeezing is an Issur D'Oraiso at all. Second, there
are issues of whether anyone wants the blood - they do not. Third, there is the
Shiur (the amount necessary to be a Torah violation would be the volume of a fig).
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From: Leah S. R. Gordon <leah@...>
Date: Thu, May 16,2013 at 11:01 PM
Subject: Music/spirituality/davening
Someone requested on M-J that we write in with stories of spirituality
through musicality of davening.
This morning (it is motzei-2nd-day of Shavuot here now) I was in a sort of
reverie during Hallel. I admit that I was davening along, but not
necessarily paying full attention. All of a sudden, the melody for the
middle of psalm 118 ("ozi v'zimrat ya..." ["The Lord is my strength and my
song..."]) just hit me very strongly. The whole congregation was singing,
and the melody suddenly entered my brain with a deep meaning of the words,
and I was literally, though subtly, moved to tears at the strength and the
feeling of the prayer and the moment and how it sounded and felt to be
singing with everyone at that moment.
I hope no one will think this a foolish thing to admit, and I have to say,
I considered requesting that it be posted anonymously because it seems sort
of silly on reflection, but it is a true story and I hope it is illuminating to
someone out there.
Not every prayer or psalm hits me like this, of course, but I would say
that it has happened a handful of times, and always by means of a strong
melody.
--Leah S. R. Gordon
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From: Sammy Finkelman <sammy.finkelman@...>
Date: Sun, May 12,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Picture of Menorah in Shul
Here is a picture of a Menorah (Ner Tamid) in a shul:
http://i39.tinypic.com/3130o4j.jpg
There are 6 lights (one is not working here) in order not to imitate too closely
the 7 branched candelabra in the Mikdash.
This is ordinarily turned on for davening and off afterwards, except that it is
on all the time that the timer has lights on in the small shul on Shabbos.
There are also two big menorahs, hanging over the front exit doors, one on the
far left and one on the far right, in the big shul. Somehow I never noticed
them in 31 years. They have 8 branches, they go on and off with the lights on
Shabbos. There is also something in front of the Aron Kodesh. It went off during
the davening this past Shabbos because it was on a different timer and that
timer stopped too soon.
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From: Haim Snyder <haimsny@...>
Date: Mon, May 13,2013 at 04:01 PM
Subject: Tefillah / Bet haknesset
In MJ 61#82, Stuart Pilichowski gives his recommendation for how to deal with
not understanding the prayers as they are being said. He presumes that the
translation should be read during the prayers.
I would take a totally different approach. Don't try to read the translation
during the prayer. Do it before the prayer. There is nothing that says that we
can't read the prayers outside of shul. If we take the prayers one at a time
and read the translation while not under the time pressure of "keeping up with
the congregation", we can learn to understand what we are saying. Then, when we
are in shul, we can maintain the pace of the others without sacrificing
understanding what we're saying.
Presumably, we would start with the prayers like Sh'ma and the first blessings
of the Amida, which have a requirement to be understood when they are said. We
can add others as we desire based on whatever criteria we establish for ourselves.
By doing this, we can also improve our understanding of other prayers, since
there is a lot of repetition of words in the various psalms and other prayers.
Regards,
Haim Shalom Snyder
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From: David E Cohen <ddcohen@...>
Date: Mon, May 13,2013 at 09:01 AM
Subject: The women of the wall (was The Sharansky compromise)
First off, I want to make it clear that I roundly denounce the physical and
verbal violence employed by hooligans against the Women of the Wall on
Friday. Such uncivilized behavior is completely unacceptable, especially
coming from those who fancy themselves benei Torah.
That being said, the despicable behavior of some critics of WoW does not
make all criticism of the group's positions illegitimate, and I think that
the discussion can, and should, continue.
The advocates of WoW often make the argument that their practices are
considered a mainstream form of Jewish worship by a large percentage of
Jews around the world, and since the Kotel belongs to all Jews, that form
of worship should be allowed at the Kotel. I think that many people are
very uncomfortable with taking this argument to its logical conclusion.
There is also a large percentage of Jews around the world whose synagogue
practices include photography of a bar/bat mitzvah and playing musical
instruments on Shabbat. There are thousands of Jews in the U.S. who may
attend their synagogues regularly, and who would see a Shabbat service
without guitar accompaniment as lacking an essential component. Should
this, then, be permitted at the Kotel? I would venture to say that the
vast majority of halachically observant Jews, even the most liberal, would
find such practices disruptive to the Shabbat atmosphere that they are
looking for when going to the Kotel on Shabbat.
Personally, I don't think that women wearing talitot and davening in a
group is the equivalent of playing guitar on Shabbat. The former is
permitted by halacha (even if not customary, and even if it's not an
approach that I identity with), and the latter is forbidden. But this is
exactly the point that WoW should be making. I would find it much easier
to be sympathetic to their cause if they would say that they are committed
to halacha and accept, in principle, that public activities at the Kotel
should conform to halacha, but they are advocating for a less narrow view
of what that includes.
There are many observant Jews who do not celebrate Yom haAtzmaut and Yom
Yerushalayim, and who maintain that a blessing recited on Hallel on those
days is in vain, yet the festive prayer services attended by tens of
thousands of worshippers at the Kotel on these days do not garner any
significant protest. This is because those opposed know that those who are
reciting Hallel are not doing so in order to rebel against the halachic
system or challenge the role of halacha in establishing the norms of
behavior at the Kotel. They believe that the celebrants are simply
misguided and "hold incorrectly" on this particular issue.
I suspect that many of those most strongly opposed to WoW take for granted
that a woman wearing a tallit could only be doing so because she is someone
who does not accept the binding nature of halacha, and thus they see WoW as
a precedent that can lead to all sorts of organized non-halachic activity
at the Kotel. If spokespeople associated with WoW would stop talking
about "breaking Orthodox control" of the Kotel and taking down the mechitza
each day, and make it clear that they are simply looking to do something a
little "different" within the big tent of halachically acceptable behavior,
then I think a lot of the heat would die down, and the critics -- even
those who believe WoW to be misguided and "holding incorrectly" -- would be
more willing to "live and let live."
-- D.C.
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From: Yisrael Medad <yisrael.medad@...>
Date: Fri, May 10,2013 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Why should Aharon wear gold in the first place?
In MJ 61#82, Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz writes:
> "the gold is a 'prosecutor' (reminding Hashem of the golden calf)"
So why is there an Altar of Gold, the "gold altar of incense" (Exodus 39:38;
40:5), which, I would surmise, is a step up in sanctity from priestly clothes?
Yisrael Medad
Shiloh
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From: David Ziants <dziants@...>
Date: Mon, May 20,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Yizkor on chag - contradiction with Simchat Chag
How ideal is the custom that developed in Ashenazi communities that people who
unfortunately don't have a parent, say yizkor on Chag? What are the sources for
this?
I can understand this being said on Yom Kippur, but and why is there not a
contradiction at other times with simchat chag [rejoicing on a festival]? Were
there rishonim or achronim [=Rabbis of both early and late period] who did not
agree with saying this prayer on such days?
I am not saying that we should abolish an existing custom but am interested in
finding out where it came from.
Is it any easier in chutz la'aretz [outside the Land of Israel], because in chutz
la'aretz, it is said on the extra last Rabbinic day?
David Ziants
<dziants@...> (mailto:dziants@013.net)
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End of Volume 61 Issue 83