Volume 65 Number 31
Produced: Thu, 10 Mar 22 16:22:21 -0500
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Has Reform Judaism failed? (4)
[Prof. L. Levine Joseph Kaplan Isaac Balbin Elazar Teitz]
Measures (in gzeirot)
[Ben Katz, M.D.]
Newly discovered texts
[Joel Rich]
Rabbi not answering a question
[Joel Rich]
Triage
[Joel Rich]
What is the proper procedure for putting on shoes?
[Prof. L. Levine]
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From: Prof. L. Levine <llevine@...>
Date: Wed, Mar 2,2022 at 03:17 PM
Subject: Has Reform Judaism failed?
Irwin Weiss wrote (MJ 65#29):
> 2) Anti-Jewish people lump us all together. Doesn't matter if we are Torah
> observant, Chassidim, Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox. We are all
> enemies of them. This has obvious historical precedent which does not need
> to be spoken.
I did not pick this up when I first read what Irwin wrote when he first posted
this, but from the above it seems that he does not consider Chassidim to be Torah
observant Jews!
Irwin, you must be a big Misnaged. It is nice to know that there are others
around besides me!
Yitzchok Levine
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From: Joseph Kaplan <penkap@...>
Date: Wed, Mar 2,2022 at 04:17 PM
Subject: Has Reform Judaism failed?
Professor Yitzchok Levine wrote (MJ 65#30) the following about inviting
non-observant Jews for Shabbat:
> In response to Irwin Weiss (MJ 65#29):
>
> Inviting them to our homes has halachic problems.
>
> Suppose they have to drive to your house? Are you allowed to invite them?
> While Chabad does invite people that they know will violate Shabbos, many
> non-Chabad poskim say one should not do this.
There are many poskim other than Chabad who also permit this. Onviously, the
suggestion to invite such people doesn't apply to those whose poskim prohibit it.
> How do you know that they are halachically Jewish? If they are not, then
> what are you accomplishing by inviting them?
Life's not perfect and we don't always know everything 100. In fact we don't
know most things 100%. I don't know 100% that I"m Jewish and I think the same is
probably true about most of us. Who knows what might have happened sometime in
the distant past. I also don't know 100% that I"m a kohen but nonetheless I
duchan on yom tov and take the first aliyah during layning (when the gabbai
offers it to me.) We all live our lives with some uncertainty. So in this case
we simply take people at their word. And worst comes to worst, if they're not
halachically Jewish, then all we've done is give a meal to a nice non-Jewish
family. No harm, no foul.
> You must make sure that your wine is mevushal.
Doesn't sound like a big problem to me.
> What if they bring you food as a gift that is not kosher? What do you with
> it, so that they are not insulted?
Me: People often bring gifts that we don't serve at the meal. No one's been
insulted yet as far as I can see. Also, not a big problem. And, of course, for
those who are insistent that they eat only at houses that follow their level of
kashrut and accept food gifts only that meet that same level, the same question
would apply to invited Orthodox Jewish guests who have a different level of
kashrut. And my answer would apply to those situations as well.
Joseph
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From: Isaac Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Thu, Mar 3,2022 at 01:17 AM
Subject: Has Reform Judaism failed?
Yitzchok Levine wrote (MJ 65#30):
>
> While Chabad does invite people that they know will violate Shabbos, many
> non-Chabad poskim say one should not do this.
If he could enlighten us with references to Chabad vs non-Chabad Poskim on
this matter thereby supporting his supposition.
In point of fact, there are a number of poskim who suggest ways to permit this
and none are from Chabad and all are relied upon by non-Chabad!
Best,
Isaac
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From: Elazar Teitz <emteitz@...>
Date: Fri, Mar 4,2022 at 01:17 PM
Subject: Has Reform Judaism failed?
Professor Yitzchok Levine mentioned some of the problems involved in inviting
Reform Jews, including the comment that "How do you know that they are
halachically Jewish? If they are not, then what are you accomplishing by
inviting them?"
It should be noted, in this context, that if the invitation is for a Yom Tov
which is not Shabbat, that not only is nothing accomplished, but it is prohibited.
EMT
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From: Ben Katz, M.D.<BKatz@...>
Date: Thu, Mar 3,2022 at 11:17 AM
Subject: Measures (in gzeirot)
Joel Rich wrote (MJ 65#30):
> As part of this weeks Gruss Kollel shiur with Rav Bednarsh, I asked about his
> statement concerning why measures (in gzeirot) dont change with changing
> reality. He articulated three possible approaches:
>
> The first was an extension of the Chazon Ish, who held that the definition of
> treifa was fixed by the state of veterinary medicine at the end of the 200
> years of Torah (Chazon Ish E"H Hilchot Ishut 27:20). I would add the
> possibility that this approach could be a subset of a theory that, even when
> there are reasons given, a legal system may choose to decouple the reason
> from the measure and therefore, even if the reason changes, the measure
> stands.
>
> The second approach is that when the rabbis gave a nigleh reason for the
> measure there were also other nistar reasons that we are not privy to,
> therefore the measures dont change.
>
> The third approach was that a properly constituted Sanhedrin would change the
> measure. They wouldn't frequently change because legal systems tend to be
> conservative but when the reason changes the measures should change.
>
> Guess which he likes, which I like and tell me which you like?
Mr Rich's choices above are not the only ones.
There are many "nowadays things are different" responses in the halachic
literature. One that comes to mind is wearing a gartel, where I believe it is
Rashi who stated in a teshuvah "nowadays with pants a gartel is not needed"
(obvious paraphrase).
Finally there are serious reasons to make changes. The worst negative
consequence of not allowing any change to my mind is the fact that some
communities still practice metzitzah bapheh (oral suctioning of blood during a
circumcision) which is potentially life threatening.
Ben Zion Katz, MD
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From: Joel Rich <joelirarich@...>
Date: Wed, Mar 9,2022 at 04:17 AM
Subject: Newly discovered texts
How do those who propound the theory that texts recently discovered were kept
out of the main stream by God's will, understand why he allowed us to find them
now? As a test or as a hint that now is the time to incorporate them or
something else?
Kt
Joel Rich
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From: Joel Rich <joelirarich@...>
Date: Wed, Mar 9,2022 at 04:17 AM
Subject: Rabbi not answering a question
My question is about a statement made in a shiur that there were some questions
that a rabbi shouldn't answer but let the person do as they will. I wasn't clear
as to whether that was based on the thought that the person would not listen or
some other basis. What I would want to understand is if someone comes in asking
for a psak why is it preferable not to tell him what we understand God's will to be?
Kt
Joel Rich
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From: Joel Rich <joelirarich@...>
Date: Wed, Mar 9,2022 at 04:17 AM
Subject: Triage
What would halacha say about this triage?:
The Maryland center is one of several transplant centers that had declined to
list Mr. Bennett for the chance to receive a human heart because he had failed
to comply with doctors orders and attend follow-up visits, according to Mr.
Bennett's son, David Bennett Jr. He said his father, who has a family history of
heart disease, takes his medication here and there but not consistently.
It was a hard blow that he got turned down for a human heart, but at the same
time I realize that the powers that be have to have some objective criteria in
determining who will be most successful with the hearts, the younger Mr. Bennett
said.
Bartley P. Griffith, a professor of transplant surgery who performed the
operation, said transplant centers follow strict guidelines when deciding who is
eligible for heart transplantation. Because of the shortage of human hearts and
other organs, the centers take into account social issues such as family support
and the ability and willingness of patients to follow the lifelong medication
regimens needed to ensure that the organ stays healthy after transplantation.
Kt
Joel Rich
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From: Prof. L. Levine <llevine@...>
Date: Fri, Feb 18,2022 at 01:17 PM
Subject: What is the proper procedure for putting on shoes?
>From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis
> Q. What is the proper procedure for putting on shoes?
>
> A. The Gemara (Shabbos 61a) records a dispute about the proper order for
> putting on shoes. Rebbi Yochanan said the left shoe is put on first.
> However, a Beraisa states that the right shoe should be put on first.
> Therefore, Rav Yosef said, one may do it either way. Rav Nachman Bar
> Yitzchok said that a God-fearing person should follow both opinions
> by putting on the right shoe first but tying the left shoe first.
> Rav Ashi reported that he saw Rav Kahana putting on his shoes and he
> was not careful. The Rishonim dispute which opinion we follow. The
> Rif, Rambam, Rosh and most Rishonim omit this halacha. Apparently,
> they follow the ruling of Rav Yosef and Rav Ashi, that you may put
> on your shoes whichever way you want. However, the Tur and Shulchan
> Aruch follow the opinion of Rav Nachman Bar Yitzchok that you should
> put on your right shoe first but tie your left shoe first, and we
> follow the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch. The Taz (2:3) writes that
> fundamentally the Tur and Shulchan Aruch also agree that the halacha
> follows the majority of Rishonim. However, since it is possible to
> avoid all uncertainty by tying your left shoe first, it is proper for
> a God-fearing person to do so. Therefore, the Taz concludes that if
> there is a difficulty, one may put on their shoes in any order.
I note that this message does not deal with case when one is putting on shoes
that have straps, or are slipons or have velcro instead of laces.
Indeed, when did shoes start having laces?
A google search for "When did shoes start having laces out?" yielded
> Shoe laces as we know them today did not exist. In 1889, American producers
> created the hard edged laces that we use today. Metal eyelets for shoes and
> boots were introduced in 1889.
YL
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End of Volume 65 Issue 31
