Volume 63 Number 11
Produced: Thu, 24 Nov 16 01:33:02 -0500
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
FitBit (was Battery Drain)
[Robert Schoenfeld]
Genuine converts
[Martin Stern]
Genuine Jews (was Genuine converts)
[Martin Stern]
Hearing Aids (was Battery Drain)
[Carl A. Singer]
Law of Return (was Genuine converts)
[Leah S. R. Gordon]
Notifying the congregation (2)
[Yisrael Medad Martin Stern]
What is an Orthodox Jew? (4)
[Martin Stern Isaac Balbin Orrin Tilevitz Haim Snyder]
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From: Robert Schoenfeld <frank_james@...>
Date: Wed, Nov 23,2016 at 03:01 AM
Subject: FitBit (was Battery Drain)
Carl A. Singer wrote (MJ 63#09):
> What of a "fit-bit" -- a wrist mounted device which counts steps, for example.
> Some of the simpler devices have NO manual interface -- that is when you're
> wearing them you simply have this thing on your wrist. To see the count, you
> need to engage a computer. However, your movement is noted by the device and
> should you remove the device, this may also be noted.
FitBit and similar devices count steps, so going to Shul for Shachris or
Mincha/Maariv also count as exercise. The battery drain is the same whether on a
weekday or on Shabbos. Unless one recharges the unit, reads it out or changes
batteries, just wearing one is OK
Bob
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 05:01 AM
Subject: Genuine converts
Orrin Tilevitz wrote (MJ 63#10):
>
> Regarding Rabbi Wise's point (MJ 63#09) that according to Rav Goren the
> Yerushalmi took a more lenient position on converts, a point of information:
>
> At least at one point, conversion certificates issued by Rav Goren had a
> caveat, "ein lo tokef michutz laaretz [this certificate has no authority
> outside of Israel]".
>
> I had always thought that this was intended merely to encourage the convert
> not to leave Israel. Maybe there was more to it. However, a rav in the U.S.,
> presented with this certificate and a question of what to do about it, asked
> Rav Goren about it on one of his trips to the U.S., and his response was "es
> is gornisht [it is nothing]. I'll erase it if you want."
Many thanks to Orrin for this information. Some 30 years ago, a certain
non-Jewish lady from England went to Israel to work on a kibbutz and fell in
love with one of the members. Unfortunately for her he was a cohen but,
nonetheless, she applied to convert. Apparently, she told the Beit Din that
the relationship had been terminated and, on that understanding, was
accepted with such an endorsement on the certificate.
Shortly thereafter she returned to the England and married the same cohen in
a Reform ceremony. The problem arose when they wished to enrol their
children in the local Jewish school and the case was referred to the London
Beit Din, which deals with all such personal status problems in the UK. On
the basis of Rav Goren's endorsement it decided that her conversion was
invalid, at least outside Israel, and neither she nor her children were
Jewish and, therefore the latter could not be admitted to the school.
This created quite a furore at the time, mainly orchestrated by the Reform
and Masorti movements, but nobody raised the point to which Orrin refers.
Of course, it could have argued that the fact that she appeared to have
misled the Israeli Beit Din, and intended all along to marry her
cohen-boyfriend, which would have been a much stronger reason for declaring
her conversion universally invalid ab initio, but this was not done by the
London Beit Din though others suggested it in the controversy in the press.
I am also personally aware of another young lady who 'converted' in Israel
on the understanding that she had no marital intentions, only to return to
England shortly thereafter. AFAIK there was no such endorsement on her
conversion certificate and the Beit Din, despite its suspicions to the
contrary, did not prevent her from marrying her former 'estranged' boyfriend
in the absence of clear proof of her bad faith. However, in that case the
young man was not a cohen.
Surely this shows the danger of insufficient checking of conversion
applications, the results of which are not avoided by adding such caveats.
Martin Stern
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 02:01 AM
Subject: Genuine Jews (was Genuine converts)
Yisrael Medad wrote (MJ 63#10):
> Martin Stern writes (MJ 63#09) in our continuing odyssey on the issue of
> conversions that
>
>> It would, therefore, be helpful if Yisrael could clarify...
>
> Instead of that, let's muddle things up more.
>
> If the concern is that non-Jews are converting but with no true/genuine
> intention of observing halachic Judaism, in other words non-observance is the
> measure of one's Judaism, what could develop is, despite Rabbinic
> pronouncements such as A Jew, even though he has sinned, is still a Jew
> (Sanhedrin 44a), that certain Rabbis of a certain strain of Judaism could
> adopt a certain stricture that would begin to seek to deny the Judaism of Jews
> born Jewish from the start.
Yisrael is certainly muddling things up more.
A "true/genuine intention of observing halachic Judaism" is the sine qua non
of conversion. Someone who insists that "non-observance is the measure of
one's Judaism" never becomes a Jew in the first place so the pronouncement
that "A Jew, even though he has sinned, is still a Jew" simply does not
apply to this person.
If that person were female, then the same would be true of her descendants
as well. Therefore it is a strain to treat them, as he seems to suggest, as
being "Jews born Jewish from the start".
Hopefully I have misunderstood what he is saying so, I repeat "It would,
therefore, be helpful if Yisrael could clarify ... what he really means".
Martin Stern
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From: Carl A. Singer <carl.singer@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 06:01 AM
Subject: Hearing Aids (was Battery Drain)
Perets Mett wrote (MJ 63#10):
> Carl A. Singer (MJ 63#09) wrote:
>> A related question deals with hearing aids.
> What is the related question with hearing aids? Many (most?) hearing aid
> batteries are not rechargeable.
The questions revolve around maintenance of the hearing aid on Shabbos.
Specifically:
(1) changing batteries
(2) adjusting volume
Carl A. Singer, Ph.D.Colonel, U.S. Army Retired
70 Howard Avenue
Passaic,
NJ
07055-5328
www.ProcessMakesPerfect.net
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From: Leah S. R. Gordon <leah@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 07:01 AM
Subject: Law of Return (was Genuine converts)
Martin Stern wrote (MJ 63#10):
> Admittedly they have a problem but that has been caused by the secular
> authorites allowing non-Jews with some Jewish ancestry to immigrate under
> the Law of Return. It is for the Israeli state to solve their problems NOT the
> Rabbinate.
How can Martin say this?? He must be aware that the Law of Return was written
as pikuach nefesh because it used the same definition of a Jew as those who
wished to murder us!
Leah S. R. Gordon
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From: Yisrael Medad <yisrael.medad@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 02:01 AM
Subject: Notifying the congregation
Isaac Balbin writes (MJ 63#10) about my amazement (MJ 63#09) as to whether a
flag being raised would suffice for those behind the mechitza, i.e., our wives,
our mothers, our daughters, our sisters and other female guests who have a right
to know what's going on in schul.
> And what about it? If the flag is high enough they will see it
Has Balbin ever been behind a mechitza? Two rows back? Not every Women's Section
is slanted up.
Yisrael Medad
Shiloh
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Tue, Nov 22,2016 at 02:01 AM
Subject: Notifying the congregation
Isaac Balbin wrote (MJ 63#10):
> Yisrael Medad wrote (MJ 63#09):
>
>> Orrin Tilevitz suggests (MJ 63#08) that, to notify the congregation, a flag
>> should be waved as that's what they did in Alexandria to let people know when
>> to say "Amen". (Sukkah 51a)
>>
>> And for those behind the mechitza, especially in the back rows (the front row
>> women may be peeking)?
>
> And what about it? If the flag is high enough they will see it as well as the
> men in the back rows, especially as the men's side often is bigger.
I must apologise for, perhaps, not making things clear when I started this
conversation (MJ 63#07) that my main concern was with WEEKDAY davenning,
more specifically mincha and ma'ariv. I very rarely am aware that any women
come so, in those cases, the above discussion is a bit of a red herring.
In any case, even on Shabbat or Yom Tov mornings, it is extremely unusual for
women to be there before the beginning of davenning - perhaps they feel it is
mechzer keyuhara [showing off superior piety] - so, even then, Yisrael's worry
that they may not notice that the Shatz has begun the tefillah, which was the
original topic under discussion, is rather far-fetched.
On a somewhat tangential point, the current campaign for Partnership Minyanim
(let alone the so-called Women of the Wall and their demand for 'equal rights to
daven as and how they wish' who strike me as being motivated more by a desire to
provoke a reaction than any genuine spirituality) would carry more weight if the
above-mentioned absence were not their default position. Perhaps, one day I will
notice streams of ladies coming to a weekday shacharit at 6 a.m. on a cold and
rainy winter morning but, somehow, I doubt it will ever happen.
Martin Stern
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 20,2016 at 02:01 AM
Subject: What is an Orthodox Jew?
Irwin Weiss wrote (MJ 63#09):
> Martin Stern (MJ 63#08) continues the conversation about genuine converts and
> mentions the case of Ivanka Trump, (daughter of the President Elect) who is
> married to a guy named Kushner.
>
> The US media always mentions that they are Orthodox Jews. What is an Orthodox
> Jew?
>
> To me, an Orthodox Jew is one who is
>
> 1) Jewish and
> 2) Shomer Mitzvot - one who obeys commandments (or at least strives to do so)
> such as Kashrut, Shabbat, modesty AND who follows our tenets with regard to
> personal values.
>
> I note that Mr. Kushner is shown on television many times, and I have yet to
> see him with any form of head covering. I have no knowledge of what he eats
> or where he davens or what he believes or how he acts in any other fashion.
>
> To me, merely paying dues, or otherwise affiliating with, an Orthodox shul
> does not make one Orthodox. Here in Baltimore we have persons who belong to a
> modern Orthodox congregation, who eat tref at home and at restaurants, and who
> drive on Shabbat, and so forth. Are they Orthodox Jews?
I think Irwin is raising a very valid point. The term "Orthodox Jew" is
unfortunately used with two quite distinct meanings:
1) Someone who observes mitzvot as commandments from HKBH - what I would
call 'Orthodox by conviction'
2) A member of an Orthodox shul - what I would call 'Orthodox by affiliation'
The reason for these two usages is that, originally, the term "Orthodox" was
introduced in the 19th century by adherents of Reform in Germany as a catch-all
- dare I say it, term of abuse - for all those 'unenlightened' Jews who did not
accept the 'modern' Reform ideology and jettison all out-dated mediaeval rituals
(as it saw traditional Jewish practices).
Insofar as category 2 Jews are concerned, I feel we must do all we can to keep
them within the fold in the hope that they, or their children, will become
observant.
> I personally know people who belong to a Conservative shul here who are very
> strict about Kashrut and Shabbat, and, although they may daven with a
> different siddur and with mixed (male and female) seating, they are very kind
> and moral people.
The problem with SOME strands of the Conservative movement is that, in
abandoning the traditional doctrine of Torah min Hashamayim, its members keep
mitzvot as hallowed traditions rather than Divine commandments - this is
basically Solomon Schechter's concept of "Catholic Israel". By making this
change, they certainly give themselves considerable leeway to modify practices
- for example its permission to drive to synagogue on Shabbat. Orthodoxy, on the
other hand, would, at most, turn a blind eye to members doing so. This is an
example of how the Conservative movement differs from Orthodoxy by allowing
social conditions to override halachic strictures.
> This should not be interpreted as any sort of criticism of Mr. Kushner or Ms.
> Trump. I don't know them and have no opinion of them.
AFAIK, the Kushners are relatively observant, at least as far as kashrut and
shabbat are concerned (I heard Mrs Kushner's father, President-elect Donald
Trump, reported as saying he has become accustomed to not being able to contact
them on Shabbat), and they send their children to Modern Orthodox Jewish
schools. They are members of Rabbi Haskel Lookstein's Modern Orthodox
Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan which they attend regularly. This
article, which touches on the topic, appeared in the Jerusalem Post recently:
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Ivanka-Trump-and-Shabbat-Pure-family-time-472181
That Mr Kushner appears in public without a head covering is not a major worry -
there is ample precedent for this in the West European Orthodox tradition -
though a kipah has become a bit of a badge of affiliation over the last 70 years
or so. While I find Mrs Kushner's clothing style inconsistent with the Jewish
woman's dress code (in reality a much more serious matter), I have to assume
that it does not differ significantly from other members of the congregation and
that Rabbi Lookstein must have failed to inform her of the details before
arranging her conversion - another example of the 'blind eye' approach.
Martin Stern
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Isaac Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 20,2016 at 06:01 AM
Subject: What is an Orthodox Jew?
Irwin Weiss wrote (MJ 63#09):
> To me, an Orthodox Jew is one who is
>
> 1) Jewish and
>
> 2) Shomer Mitzvot - one who obeys commandments (or at least strives to do so)
> such as Kashrut, Shabbat, modesty AND who follows our tenets with regard to
> personal values.
> ...
> I note that Mr. Kushner is shown on television many times, and I have yet to
> see him with any form of head covering. I have no knowledge of what he eats
> or where he davens or what he believes or how he acts in any other fashion.
>
> To me, merely paying dues, or otherwise affiliating with, an Orthodox shul does
> not make one Orthodox.
It is someone who believes that Torah is Min HaShomayim (from heaven) including
Torah Shebe'al Peh (oral law) according to the Mesora (tradition) - In more
modern terms, I don't make the Torah suit me, I make myself suit the Torah.
What they actualise as a result of their beliefs does not affect those beliefs.
Wearing a Yarmulka though is really one of the more trivial things and I don't
judge Kushner by that, but if I read, as I did, that they turn off their phones
on Shabbos, and they have it as a day of rest, then this is Eidus (testimony)
that God who created the world rested. That they have their reasons, are just
'WHAT'. 'WHAT' is only valid, when it doesn't affect 'WHY' - Reasons are
secondary. That's why the Madonnas of this world with their red bracelets are
just 'WHAT people' without the 'WHY' and therefore won't be considered Jews.
Some might say accepting the 13 Beliefs of the Rambam is essential, but that is
one codification, that has become standardised. There are others. Would you
reject them?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Orrin Tilevitz <tilevitzo@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 20,2016 at 09:01 AM
Subject: What is an Orthodox Jew?
Irwin Weiss writes (MJ 63#09):
> I note that Mr. [Jared] Kushner [Donald Trump's son-in-law] is shown on
> television many times, and I have yet to see him with any form of head
> covering. I have no knowledge of what he eats or where he davens or what he
> believes or how he acts in any other fashion.
I don't know him, but I am told that he davens in Park East Synagogue (Orthodox)
and that his children attend the Ramaz School (Orthodox). That said, a
substantial percentage of Ramaz's student body is not particularly shomer torah
umitzvot, Orthodox or otherwise.
But I would hesitate at classifying anyone's observance or affiliation based on
whether they cover their heads in public. Although public head-covering has
certainly become more common in recent decades, R. Moshe Feinstein in a teshuva
points out that covering one's head is merely a "midat chassidut" and permits
not covering one's head on that basis. Also, I personally know males who do not
cover their heads in public yet who observe shabbat and kashrut quite strictly,
attend only Orthodox (not "open Orthodox") synagogues, and have been through daf
yomi. I have also run into Reform rabbis who cover their heads in public, and
was told by one yarmulke-wearing young guy around here whom I tried to recruit
for our shul that he davened at the local egalitarian Conservative shul.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Haim Snyder <haimsny@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 20,2016 at 11:01 AM
Subject: What is an Orthodox Jew?
Irwin Weiss (MJ 63#09) remarks about Jared Kushner that, among other things, he
never has seen him on television with a head covering, thereby, apparently,
bringing into question his status as an Orthodox Jew.
I don't remember seeing Joe Lieberman with a head covering on television outside
of a synagogue (and certainly not in the Senate), and no one implies that he
isn't an Orthodox Jew.
Haim Shalom Snyder
Petah Tikva (formerly of Philadelphia and Houston)
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End of Volume 63 Issue 11