Volume 62 Number 50
Produced: Thu, 23 Apr 15 01:50:40 -0400
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Haftarah/Yahrtzeit
[Martin Stern]
Nikra rasha or nikra chotei
[Joel Rich]
Nutrition among US Chareidi girls
[Irwin Weiss]
Old Age Care
[Joel Rich]
Query regarding Chareidi Jewish Newspapers in New York
[Yael Levine]
Question for parents on Parsha Pinchas bar/bat mitzva kids
[Michael Rogovin]
Rabbi Akiva and Sefirah
[David Lee Makowsky]
Seating on planes
[Martin Stern]
Synagogues During Second Temple Period
[Yisrael Medad]
The method for psak of the Beit Yosef
[Dr. Josh Backon]
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 23,2015 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Haftarah/Yahrtzeit
Joel Rich wrote (MJ 62#49):
> As best I can tell, the source for saying haftarah the Shabbat before a
> yahrtzeit is the Zohar in Acharei mot (77a) which refers to a "yanukah" (tinok
> - young child) saying a haftarah. Given the "lower" level of the maftir aliya
> we let a child below bar mitzvah age have it in circumstances - doesn't it
> seem odd to make it the perceived priority? Or am I missing something?
In some communities the person given Maftir also acts as Ba'al Mussaf in
order to avoid this particular point.
Martin Stern
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Sat, Apr 18,2015 at 10:01 PM
Subject: Nikra rasha or nikra chotei
The gemara uses the expression "Nikra Chotei"(he is called a sinner) or "Nikra
Rasha"(he is called an evil one) from time to time. Has anyone seen anything
written on the relative ranking of such categories?, e.g. since it doesn't say
"assur [it is prohibited] ..." does it mean it's not a complete prohibition but
something less?
KT
Joel RIch
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From: Irwin Weiss <irwin@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 23,2015 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Nutrition among US Chareidi girls
Leah Gordon writes (MJ 62#49) with regard nutrition among US Chareidi girls,
mentioning vitamin D, perhaps a lack of it, caused, inter alia, by a lack of
exposure to sunshine.
I am not a medical doctor, but would assume that sunshine helps with vitamin D
absorption only if the sun hits the skin. Thus, if a person wears long dresses
so that the skin of the leg is not exposed, and garments which cover the arms
all the way down to the wrists, then there is only a minimal exposure to the
rays of the sun.
I did read somewhere that Iranian women have a high incidence of Multiple
Sclerosis, a disease thought to be related to low levels of vitamin D. Iranian
women seem to cover nearly all of their skin, thus nearly eliminating exposure
to sunshine.
I would assume that consuming too much vitamin D is bad for you - Moderation
seems to be a good thing in most things, after all, skin cancer is a big issue
that arises from too much sun exposure.
Perhaps one of the physicians on mail jewish can comment.
Irwin E. Weiss
Baltimore, MD
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 30,2015 at 06:01 PM
Subject: Old Age Care
I'm looking for historical (i.e. from matan torah up through say 1776) actual
"halachic" approachs taken in the Jewish community to caring for those who could
no longer support themselves due to infirmities of age. Who did so and who paid?
Kol Tuv,
Joel Rich
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From: Yael Levine <ylevine@...>
Date: Wed, Apr 8,2015 at 05:01 PM
Subject: Query regarding Chareidi Jewish Newspapers in New York
I'm interested in knowing what Chareidi Jewish daily and weekly newspapers as
well as magazines were published in New York in the mid-1980s, in English,
Hebrew and Yiddish. - besides the Jewish Press.
Thank you,
Yael Levine
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From: Michael Rogovin <michael@...>
Date: Tue, Mar 24,2015 at 09:01 AM
Subject: Question for parents on Parsha Pinchas bar/bat mitzva kids
I think that at age 12-13 it is perfectly appropriate for children to know about
sex. One need not know every detail but that men and women can be intimate and
that the appropriate context is marriage and in private seems a sensible
approach. At this age few children even in more right wing circles are so
sheltered that they don't see what is happening around them no matter what
parents hope for. Trust me, second graders can get quite an education on school
buses. And not always accurate or in the right context. Sex can be base or
beautiful. Pretending it does not exist causes more harm than dealing with it
honestly. Bar and bat mitzvah age children are neither naive nor fragile.
Michael Rogovin
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From: David Lee Makowsky <dmakowsk@...>
Date: Mon, Apr 13,2015 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Rabbi Akiva and Sefirah
Something has bothered me about the restrictions we have during Sefirah. We are
told this is due to the deaths of Rabbi Akiva's students and those deaths were
caused by the students themselves not being respectful towards one another.
It seems to me that the explanation given does not paint Rabbi Akiva in a
favorable light. How could Rabbi Akiva have permitted this? Wasn't Rabbi Akiva
so great that it would be impossible for any student of his to engage in such
behavior?
Am I either missing or not understanding something?
As to why the Gemorah would give this as a reason I was once at a shiur where we
learned there is reason to believe the given explanation is not what happened,
but the government censors would not permit the actual reason. We were given
another possible explanation as to what happened but I don't want to discuss
that here.
David Makowsky
<dmakowsk@...>
(847) 942 - 2636
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 23,2015 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Seating on planes
Carl Singer wrote (MJ 62#49):
> We're also dealing with expectations -- If I request a kosher meal (and I
> always double check) and don't get one, you can be sure that I will follow
> up with management.
>
> Once the airline gives me an option for any kind of request -- in this case
> lefty / righty -- then they're setting up expectations. Since I am right
> handed and I request that no lefty be to my right -- what do I do if, indeed,
> there is a lefty on my starboard? Do I accost him -- berate the stewardess
> -- write (right :) a nasty letter ....
>
> Back to the initial issue - sitting next to a woman -- if I check the box
> and it doesn't happen what would be acceptable behavior -- do I demand that
> seats be rearranged .....
In my opinion the most one can do is make a request to the steward/ess to
move if such a seat should be available - but one should NEVER demand
anything if that is likely to lead to ill-feeling or, r"l, a chillul Hashem.
Martin Stern
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From: Yisrael Medad <yisrael.medad@...>
Date: Mon, Apr 6,2015 at 02:01 AM
Subject: Synagogues During Second Temple Period
We have addressed this issue in the past and I although I do not (yet) have
the text, I alert the list members to this article:
Biblical Archaeology Review (Volume 41, Number 3):
Synagogues"Before and After the Roman Destruction of the Temple
By Rachel Hachlili
Were there synagogues before the Romans destroyed the Temple, or did they
develop only afterward? Communal structures from the Second Temple period
have been discovered, but should they be considered synagogues even though
they dont share the major architectural feature common to post-destruction
synagogues?
Yisrael Medad
Shiloh
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From: Dr. Josh Backon <backon@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 23,2015 at 12:01 PM
Subject: The method for psak of the Beit Yosef
Joel Rich (MJ 62#49) asked on the method of psak of Rav Yosef Karo, the Beit
Yosef. I suggest reading the following sefer:
http://www.maharitz.com/hordot/aemat_leyhakuv.pdf
200 leading rabbanim of Rav Karos generation approved of his method of psak.
Josh Backon
<backon@...>
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End of Volume 62 Issue 50