Volume 61 Number 94
Produced: Wed, 04 Sep 13 13:19:12 -0400
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
A pronunciation problem
[Martin Stern]
Educational Resources, Cool Videos, Games and Greeting Cards for Rosh
[Jacob Richman]
Heads up This Rosh Hashanah
[Mark Symons]
New Israeli Stamps, 29 years in Israel, Shana Tova!
[Jacob Richman]
To Confuse Satan - A Rosh Hashanah Message
[Mois Navon]
Wedding Custom (6)
[Rose Landowne Carl Singer Alex Heppenheimer Chaim Casper Sholom Parnes Susan Kane]
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Tue, Aug 27,2013 at 03:01 AM
Subject: A pronunciation problem
Art Sapper wrote (MJ 61#93):
> In response to Martin Stern's comment (MJ 61#92), that he does not understand
> why R. Ganzfried of Hungary, the author of the Kitzur Schulhan Aruch,
> recommended to Ashkenzim that they distinguish netween aleph and ayin even
> though they and he would been hard-pressed to do so, especially when the ayin
> ends a word:
>
> I have two responses. First, it is possible that R. Ganzfried was aware that,
> especially among some Ashkenazim (including, I believe, Hungarian chassidim)
> the ayin was pronounced as an "an" sound, i.e., as a velar nasal. Thus, I
> have heard Yaakov pronounced as Yankov. That is the origin of the "n" in the
> diminutive Yankel. So he perhaps was recommending that pronunciation -- e.g.,
> that "shema" be pronounced as "sheman." This would have easy to pronounce,
> even if odd to our ears.
I presume Art means the ayin was pronounced as an "nk" sound which is
essentially the same as the Dutch/Portuguese use of "ng" which I cited as
being problematic. Though the latter do pronounce it this way even at the
end of a word, e.g. shemang, I have never heard anyone else, even where they
use it in, for example, the diminutive Yankel, use it there.
Martin Stern
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From: Jacob Richman <jrichman@...>
Date: Mon, Aug 5,2013 at 02:01 PM
Subject: Educational Resources, Cool Videos, Games and Greeting Cards for Rosh
Hi Everyone!
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year 5774, begins
Wednesday night, September 4, 2013.
All resources listed below are listed and linked at:
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayrh.htm
The Jewish Trivia Quiz
has 55 multiple choice questions about Rosh Hashana.
Which special prayer is said in the days before Rosh Hashana ?
Which group of foods is customary to eat on Rosh Hashana ?
What are the other three names of Rosh Hashana ?
How many times is the shofar sounded during Rosh Hashana ?
Which food is customary NOT to eat on Rosh Hashana ?
The above questions are examples from the multiple choice
Flash quiz. There are two levels of questions and two timer
settings. Adults and children will find The Jewish Trivia Quiz
entertaining and educational.
Rosh Hashana Clipart
Whether you need a picture for your child's class project,
a graphic for your synagogue, Hillel or JCC New Year
announcement, the Jewish Clipart Database has the pictures
for you. You can copy, save and print the graphics in
three different sizes.
Today, I added 7 new greeting cards to the database.
Rosh Hashana Cool Videos
The list has 232 cool Rosh HaShana videos.
There is something for everyone.
Additional videos will be added before Rosh Hashana.
To learn more about Rosh Hashana , I posted on the website
72 additional links ranging from laws and customs to games and
recipes. Site languages include English, Hebrew, French,
German, Italian, Portugese, Russian and Spanish.
All 72 links have been reviewed / checked this week.
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayrh.htm
Please share the resource page.
Thank you!
Enjoy!
Tonight is the start of the Hebrew month of Elul.
Chodesh Tov! - Have a good month!
Jacob
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From: Mark Symons <mssymons@...>
Date: Tue, Aug 27,2013 at 09:01 AM
Subject: Heads up This Rosh Hashanah
Sammy Finkelman wrote (MJ 61#93):
> Maybe some kind of freedom for the Beis din was also accepted as legitimate
> but I am not sure where that comes from. Anyway the idea of complete freedom to
> declare whatever day they wanted was even eventually incorporated into the
> Kiddush and the Shemonah Esrei with the phrase Mikadesh Yisroel V'Hazemanim,so
> it's accepted.
I don't think that the incorporation of the word Yisroel into those
b'rachot is necessarily an indication of that freedom (although I also
considered that to be the case, having been taught that many years ago),
because the wording on a regular Shabbat in Nusach Eretz Yisrael (which I
recently came across) is "M'kadesh Yisrael v'Yom HaShabbat".
Mark Symons
Melbourne, Oz
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From: Jacob Richman <jrichman@...>
Date: Tue, Aug 27,2013 at 12:01 PM
Subject: New Israeli Stamps, 29 years in Israel, Shana Tova!
Hi Everyone!
I scanned and posted on my website the new Israeli stamps
that were issued in August 2013.
I included the stamp itself, the first day cover,
and an English and a Hebrew flyer about the stamp.
Festivals 2013 - Etrog Boxes
- Bezalel, Jerusalem, 20th Century
- Austria, 19th Century
- Iraq, 19th Century
- Betar - World Zionist Youth Movement
- IMI - Israel Military Industries (1933-2013)
- Endangered Species - From the Desert to the Arctic
Israel - Greenland Joint Issue
Israeli Music - Children's Songs (12 stamps + plate block)
- I Am Always Me
- Merry Choir
- The Prettiest Girl in Kindergarten
- Why Does the Zebra Wear Pajamas?
- Buba Zehava (Doll)
- I Wanted You to Know
- What Do the Does Do?
- Brave Clock
- My Dad
- The Post Van
- Horse Rider
- Brave Danny
The new stamp images are located at:
http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/stamps/index-2013.html
I also uploaded the images to Facebook.
The Facebook address is:
http://on.fb.me/israeli-stamps-2013
Please share the page. Thanks!
--------------------------
This Friday (August 30) marks my 29th anniversary
of making aliyah - moving to Israel.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and
I still have my Brooklyn accent (and proud of it!).
Back in the 70's there was a t-shirt that said it all:
"I love New York but Israel is my home".
If you want to know why I made aliyah, check out
the videos and articles at:
http://www.jr.co.il/aliyah/why.htm
Next week is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
I posted Rosh Hashana educational resources at:
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayrh.htm
The Rosh Hashana video list now has 256 video links.
I am sure it will get larger over the next week.
Enjoy the videos at:
http://www.jr.co.il/videos/rosh-hashana-videos.htm
Enjoy the holidays and have a good year!
Shana Tova!
Jacob
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From: Mois Navon <mois.navon@...>
Date: Mon, Sep 2,2013 at 10:01 AM
Subject: To Confuse Satan - A Rosh Hashanah Message
One of the most prominent features of the Rosh Hashanah service is the
blowing of the shofar. The Talmud teaches that while there is an initial
set of blasts done to fulfill a divine command, there are numerous
additional blasts done "to confuse Satan." The very idea that we can
"confuse Satan" strikes us as ridiculous - and well it should, for this
teaching was designed to awaken our curiosity, prompting us to discover the
profound nature of the multiple blasts of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
I invite you to listen to my latest shiur and learn the power of the
"confusing" shofar blasts by clicking on the following links:
"To Confuse Satan" (audio shiur in English)
[http://www.divreinavon.com/ShiurimMPEG/ConfuseSatan_ENGLISH.m4a]
לערבב את
השטן שיעור
בעברית
[http://www.divreinavon.com/ShiurimMPEG/ConfuseSatan.m4a]
Source Sheet [http://www.divreinavon.com/shiurim/ConfuseSatan1.pdf]
Ketiva VeHatima Tova,
Mois.
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From: Rose Landowne <Roselandow@...>
Date: Mon, Aug 26,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Wedding Custom
Chaim Casper writes (MJ 61#93):
> I would add that this is one of many ways that our contemporary times have
> added layers of "frumness" (if I may coin a phrase) to our weddings.
>
> 37 years ago, my wife and I were married without a mehizah on the dance floor.
> There was separate dancing, but no one thought anything the worst for it.
>
> 15-20 years ago I noticed that people were using plants as a mehizah on the
> dance floor.
>
> 5-10 years ago people here in Miami were using 6ft high mehizahs on the dance
> floor.
>
> Today, I cannot go to a simhah here in Miami with a mehizah less than 8ft
> tall. After all, one can see through the plants and one can look over the 6ft
> high mehizah (most people standing on a chair will be able to look over a 6ft
> mehizah but not over an 8ft mehizah).
>
> Alas, it is only a matter of time before the trend setters realize that one
> can see around from the sides of an 8ft high mehizah.
To take it back a few more years:
43 years ago we got married with separate dancing in concentric circles.
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From: Carl Singer <carl.singer@...>
Date: Mon, Aug 26,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Wedding Custom
As Chaim Casper notes (MJ 61#93) the mehitzah's are getting higher - then again
I was at one wedding (Skverer) where men and women were in separate rooms.
I found most humorous one wedding where the photographer who was on a ladder to
shoot over the mehitzah to the women's dancing had a small monitor mounted on
his ladder -- and guys were "watching" the women's dancing via the monitor.
Carl Singer
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From: Alex Heppenheimer <aheppenh@...>
Date: Mon, Aug 26,2013 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Wedding Custom
A great deal of the discussion on this topic in MJ 61 issues 91-93 seems to be
based on the assumption that the practice of having the mothers escort the bride
and the fathers escort the groom is some kind of newfangled custom, thus leading
to cynical comments about "increasing frumkeit" and "soon they won't even mix
under the chuppah" and so forth.
In fact, though, a quick look in Nit'ei Gavriel (Nisu'in 14:3 and footnotes
there) yields the fact that indeed this was the more widespread custom, at
least in Poland, Galicia and Hungary. A halachic source for it is the Rema to
Yoreh De'ah 391:3, who speaks of a mourner being permitted to "escort the groom,
as is the practice in our country, where two men escort the groom to the chuppah."
(This source predates the chassidic movement by some two centuries, meaning that
this isn't - as some posters thought - a chassidic innovation.)
As Martin Stern correctly noted in MJ 61#92, "there are two customs regarding this
and it behoves everyone to follow whichever is current in his community...It is
not correct to deride other people's customs just because one may have a
different one. Nahara nahara ufashtei."
Kesivah vachasimah tovah,
Alex
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From: Chaim Casper <surfflorist@...>
Date: Mon, Aug 26,2013 at 06:01 PM
Subject: Wedding Custom
As a follow up to my post on Wedding Custom (MJ 61#93):
I mentioned the discussion of this topic (the "hasidishe" custom where the
father and father-in-law escort the hatan/groom while the mother and
mother-in-law escort the kallah/bride to the huppah) to my wife. She mentioned
to me that she remembers our mehutan (my son's father-in-law) saying to her that
he preferred this hasidishe custom because at least in his Litvishe social
circles, all the men walk with the hatan and the fathers from the badeken to the
huppah. Then the women walk with the kallah and the mothers from the badeken
to the huppah.
Thus, if the parents of the hatan escort their son to the huppah, then the
mother of the hatan would be surrounded by men. Similarly, if the parents of
the kallah escort the bride to the huppah, then the father of the kallah would
be surrounded by women. And that would have made my mehutan feel very
uncomfortable. On the other hand, my wife would have been willing to forego
her comfort zone for the privilege of escorting our son to the huppah. But as
I said in my original post, my mehutanim got their wish and the fathers walked
the hatan to the huppah while the mothers walked the kallah to the huppah.
B'virkat Torah and wishes for a shanah tovah u'm'tukah,
Chaim Casper
North Miami Beach FL
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From: Sholom Parnes <sholomjparnes@...>
Date: Tue, Aug 27,2013 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Wedding Custom
Maybe I should wait until Purim to propose this:
If we are striving for one-upmanship in the frumness department, how about
separate weddings? The chattan will get married on Sunday night in New York
and the kallah will get married on Wednesday in Jerusalem. We might be able
to find some sort of esoteric leniency to allow one or two joint sheva
brachot (obviously this will have to be via Skype).
Just sayin'.
And a happy, healthy, prosperous and meaningful New Year to all!
Sholom J Parnes
Efrat 90435 ISRAEL
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From: Susan Kane <adarconsulting@...>
Date: Wed, Aug 28,2013 at 11:01 PM
Subject: Wedding Custom
Further to Martin Stern's submission (MJ 61#93): in Saudi Arabia, women do not
attend their own weddings. A male relative acts as the bride's agent to effect
the wedding, then there are entirely separate receptions for men and for women,
late into the night.
I assume, at some point, the bride and the groom do end up in a room alone
together.
Susan Kane
Boston, MA
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End of Volume 61 Issue 94