Volume 63 Number 37
Produced: Tue, 27 Jun 17 00:16:45 -0400
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
A strange arrangement of korbanot
[Martin Stern]
Another korban anomaly
[Martin Stern]
Emotional support versus Issur negiah?
[Joseph Kaplan]
Is Mincha Different?
[Haim Snyder]
Kah Keili (was: A strange arrangement of korbanot)
[Elie Rosenfeld]
Letter from Europe
[Joel Rich]
Parentheses
[Joel Rich]
Short Yom Tov Torah Readings (was Hilcheta demeshicha)
[Elie Rosenfeld]
Tefillin check
[Joel Rich]
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Fri, Jun 9,2017 at 04:01 AM
Subject: A strange arrangement of korbanot
Orrin Tilevitz wrote (MJ 63#36):
> Martin Stern asks (MJ 63#35) regarding the piyut "Ya Eli", which, AFIK, is
> said most of the time in most shuls with an eastern-European nusach on shalosh
> regalim
This might explain why I was unfamiliar with it.
> as the introduction to musaf, why the author might have arranged the korbanot
> in an apparently non-logical way.
>From its structure, it would appear to be reshut (introductory request) for
Ashrei rather than mussaf.
> How about: meter and rhyme?
That had occurred to me but I wondered if there might have been a more
significant reason. It seems from what Gershon Dubin wrote (MJ 63#36) that
this is the case since it is a slightly modified quotation of Vayikra 7:37
though, there, there is no mention of 'Hatodah' though 'Hatorah' does appear
(was this a copyist's error?)
Martin Stern
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Sun, Jun 25,2017 at 05:01 AM
Subject: Another korban anomaly
I noticed in the parashat hanesachim [meal and wine offering that accompany
animal offerings] in Shelach lekha (Bam. 15:1-13) that the order - lamb,
ram, bull - are in the reverse order from other places in the Torah such as
the parashat hamussafim (Bam. 28:11 - 29:39). Cattle also take precedence to
sheep and goats in the parashat ha'olah (Bam. 1:1-13) and parashat
hashelamim (Bam. 3:1-17) so it seems that generally the larger, and more
expensive, korban is mentioned first. Presumably there is some reason why it
is reversed with these subsidiary offerings but I have been unable to find
any explanation.
Can anyone make a suggestion for the apparently anomalous order?
Martin Stern
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From: Joseph Kaplan <penkap@...>
Date: Fri, Jun 9,2017 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Emotional support versus Issur negiah?
Joel Rich asks (MJ 63#36):
> Reuvain is a Modern Orthodox senior citizen. In his community, presumed
> social negiah restrictions [physical contact between members of the opposite
> sex] are generally not observed (e.g., hello includes a social hug between
> the sexes), although Reuvain is meticulous in his observance of them.
>
> He is in his office in a conference with two colleagues when Miriam, the wife
> of a third tier social friend, also well past childbearing age, comes to the
> office door and says with a tear in her eye, "Reuvain, I hate to do this to
> you."
>
> Reuvain quickly asks his colleagues to excuse them, and Miriam blurts out,
> "David (her husband) just passed away," and she begins to slump, crying.
> Reuvain quickly gets up and walks to her and hugs her to comfort her and keep
> her upright. As he does so, he realizes she did not make any request or
> action alluding to any need prior to his action, but she did seem to very
> much appreciate it. She also belonged to the portion of the community which
> did not presume a social negiah restriction.
>
> Was Reuvain's action preferred, acceptable, or prohibited? If not preferred,
> what should he have done?
If I may answer, with a choice not given, I would say his action was human.
Joseph
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From: Haim Snyder <haimsny@...>
Date: Fri, Jun 9,2017 at 03:01 AM
Subject: Is Mincha Different?
Joel Rich (MJ 63#35) brings down a quote from the Shulhan Aruch which mentions shaharit and arvit but
not minha, and then asks if minha is different.
I wonder why he had to refer to the Shulhan Aruch for this. Every morning, after the blessings on the
Torah, most people read the quote from tractate Shabbat 127a which says, among other things,
"v'hashkamat beit hamidrash shaharit v'arvit" which also doesn't refer to minha. Here, I think the absence
is more pronounced, since many people go to minha and stay for arvit, not making a special trip for arvit.
This is not exactly an answer to his question, but it shows that his citation is not unique.
Sincerely,
Haim Shalom Snyder
Petah Tikva
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From: Elie Rosenfeld <rosenfeld.elie@...>
Date: Fri, Jun 9,2017 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Kah Keili (was: A strange arrangement of korbanot)
Since we're discussing this piyyut, here's a trivia question I thought of a
while back.
There are ten Yom Tov days of the Shalosh Regalim per year in chutz la'aretz.
According to the prevalent minhag of the shuls that recite this piyyut:
- On how many of those days is it always recited?
- On how many is it never recited?
- On how many is it sometimes recited?
The result may be surprising!
Elie Rosenfeld
<rosenfeld.elie@...>
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Mon, Jun 26,2017 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Letter from Europe
I seem to remember a letter from a European (German) Jewish community to
someone/thing in Eretz Yisrael with the general message that their hometown was
where they intended to wait for Moshiach whether moving to Eretz Yisrael was
possible or not. Does this sound familiar? If so, does anyone know the source?
KT
Joel Rich
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Sun, Jun 11,2017 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Parentheses
1. In the Shulchan Aruch - who is the author of the statements in parentheses in
the Rama like print that don't start with Hagah?
2. In Rashi (or Tosfot), who decided to put certain words in parentheses and
why? (e.g., differing manuscripts, logic, etc.)
KT
Joel Rich
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From: Elie Rosenfeld <rosenfeld.elie@...>
Date: Fri, Jun 9,2017 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Short Yom Tov Torah Readings (was Hilcheta demeshicha)
Martin Stern (MJ 63#35) asked about dividing up the Torah reading on the first
day of Shovuos if it could fall on Shabbos. An even trickier one would be the
2nd day of Rosh Hashanah reading, which is only 24 pesukim and would be very
hard to break up into more than the current five aliyos.
A simple answer to this question is that the Torah readings were established by
Chazal to align with the current fixed calendar cycle. In earlier periods of
Jewish history there were other cycles; e.g. a triennial cycle in Eretz Yisroel.
If/when we ever return to a non-fixed calendar, Chazal of that era will have to
update some of the lainings accordingly.
Elie Rosenfeld
<rosenfeld.elie@...>
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Sun, Jun 11,2017 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Tefillin check
A Rav posted a shiur on the internet concerning what atonement is needed by one
whose tefillin were pasul [invalid] yet were worn for years without knowing this
was the case. It was claimed that he thus never fulfilled the commandment to
wear tefillin. In fact, many pasul tefillin were pasul from the start (e.g.,
missing a letter). The Rav later reported that a listener heard the shiur and
had his tefillin checked and found such a pesul, even though he had bought the
tefillin from a reputable sofer and had them checked earlier by another
reputable sofer. The Rav was pleased with this result.
Two questions:
1) Given that the listener had been following a (the?) recognized halacha by not
checking them, is atonement (or not fulfilled status) appropriate?
2) As a societal issue, how should current rabbinic leadership view the tradeoff
of now requiring (suggesting) frequent checks? We will have some who will have
the listener's result. OTOH, we will also have those whose tefillin will more
likely become pasul due to uncurling the klaf and the increased costs of checking.
BTW - why didn't the halacha mandate this in the first place? What has changed
and what might change in the future? Would constant PET scan checking be
appropriate?
KT
Joel Rich
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End of Volume 63 Issue 37
