Volume 7 Number 71
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Amaratzut
[P.V. Viswanath]
England... where to stay.
[Peter Hopcroft]
Herbert Goldstien - Need help to renew contact.
[Leon Dworsky]
Housing in Georgetown, Silver Spring, Baltimore...
[Joseph P. Wetstein]
Kosher Food in Washington DC (2)
[Marc Meisler, Pinchus Laufer]
Kosher Whiskey
[Frank Silbermann]
Lesbianism in MODERN Halacha
[Avi Hyman]
Orlando
[David Kaufmann ]
Vienna
[Jeremy Newmark]
Women & Orthodoxy (2)
[Steve Edell, Allen Elias]
Women's Minyanim
[David Sherman]
Women/Orthodoxy/Synagogue
[Julia Eulenberg]
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From: <VISWANATH@...> (P.V. Viswanath)
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 93 11:26:10 -0400
Subject: Re: Amaratzut
In a recent issue of m.j. josh rapps uses the term amaratzut. As far as
I know, this term comes from yiddish (with the hebrew origin, am-ha-aretz)
and as such would normally be pronounced amoratzes, with the stress on
the penultimate syllable. Has this perchance been taken into spoken
Hebrew?
Meylekh Viswanath (<viswanath@...>)
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From: <st862yb6@...> (Peter Hopcroft)
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 93 11:43:46 -0400
Subject: England... where to stay.
Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has any info on bed-breakfast places in London,
as well as any Kosher hotels, or the names of the current kosher
restaurants in town. My parents may be taking a trip, and would like
to know what kosher England has to offer.
Thanks!
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From: <ljd@...> (Leon Dworsky)
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 93 00:38:13 -0400
Subject: Herbert Goldstien - Need help to renew contact.
> This is often placed at the end of author's introduction to sefarim, and
> sometimes other books. See, for example, Herbert Goldstien's Classical
> Mechanics.
Speaking of Herbert Goldstien (Please G-D he is in good health), is
anyone on this network in touch with him? If so, could you please
send me his email address.
Many thanks in advance.
Leon Dworsky <ljd@...>
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From: Joseph P. Wetstein <jpw@...>
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 93 13:06:20 -0400
Subject: Housing in Georgetown, Silver Spring, Baltimore...
I will be IY"H employed for the summer in the Baltimore-Washington Area,
and I am looking for a place to stay from July 5 - September 15. I would
like to be within walking distance to a frum shul.
If anyone has a room to rent, basement, roomate spot or just some space
available for the 2.5 months, I would appreciate it.
If anyone has any suggestions, you can contact me thru:
email: <j.wetstein@...>
phone: 215-895-1740 day
215-745-8543 eve
Thanks!
Yossi Wetstein
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From: Marc Meisler <0004857437@...>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 93 20:30:50 -0400
Subject: RE: Kosher Food in Washington DC
First, regarding kosher food in Washington DC, I just moved back here
after 7 years in Boston and was told that the GW Hillel kosher cafeteria
is now closed but may reopen in the fall being catered by a fish
restaurant from Baltimore although it may not only serve fish. It won't
be Chinese. Second, regarding shaving, what is the status of the
sideburn clippers on most razors? I would think that would be
considered a blade directly touching the face. I cannot try the "test"
of running it accross my arm because I have a rechargeable razor and it
needs to be on in order to use the clippers.
Marc Meisler
<mmeisler@...>
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From: <plaufer@...> (Pinchus Laufer)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 93 16:59:30 -0400
Subject: Re: Kosher Food in Washington DC
At the moment, there is no food service at the GWU Hillel. The Hunan
Deli at the GWU Hillel has been closed. The Hillel is trying to get a
replacement for the kosher food service. As with other food related DC
questions, I will relay info as available.
Pinchus
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From: Frank Silbermann <fs@...>
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 93 04:48:33 -0400
Subject: Kosher Whiskey
Somewhat brought up a question about the kashrut of whiskey that was
aged in old wine barrels. My understanding is that gentile wine is not
in itself treif, but rather is forbidden as an ordinance to control
socialization with gentiles.
Are the laws of nullification more lenient in such circumstances (as
contrasted with, say, substances forbidden min HaTorah)?
Frank Silbermann <fs@...> Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana USA
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From: <Avi_J._Hyman@...> (Avi Hyman)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 93 17:38:16 -0400
Subject: Lesbianism in MODERN Halacha
I am currently researching a subject which may involve me knowing
something about how the Jewish community would have viewed lesbians in
the 1930s/40s/50s/60s. Were there any Halachik responsa/discussions on
this issue back then, or was it not a talked about at all?
<AJHYMAN@...>
University of Toronto
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From: David Kaufmann <david@...>
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 93 23:28:42 -0400
Subject: Re: Orlando
For information about Orlando:
Rabbi Dubov
Chabad of Greater Orlando
642 Greenmeadow Ave
Maitland, FL 32751
Phone 407-740-8770
David Kaufmann INTERNET: david@.ee.tulane.edu
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From: <bm145@...> (Jeremy Newmark)
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 93 05:20:14 -0400
Subject: Vienna
Does anybody know of Kosher shops/restaurants in Vienna. Is there an Orthodox
shul there ?
Jeremy Newmark
City University, London
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From: <edell@...> (Steve Edell)
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 93 18:16:40 -0400
Subject: Women & Orthodoxy
Rachel raises some very interesting questions which I will respond as a
"practicing orthodox" person.
First, there is at least one Orthodox synagague in Jerusalem, called
Yedidya, which has all of the following: women's minyan (when requested
by or for someone specifically, ie, a Bat Mitzvah), a curtain Mehitzah
separated down the middle & not front to back (so women get to see just
about as much as men do) and a few other things. For instance, on
Hagim, women & men share the reading of the prophets. Many of the women
who go to this shul are among "The Women of the Wall", as they were wont
to be called - these are women who doven every new month, with a Safer
Torah, at the Western Wall. They have generally been discouraged to do
so, but when they brought the matter to court... I'm not sure if their
right to do this was upheld or if the Rabbanut (Israel's Rabbinical
Counsel) withdrew the complaint
On a similar issue, Rabbi Riskin, who now lives in Efrat, in Israel, has
on several occassions invited Nechama Liebowitz, a great Torah scholar,
to speak _in front_ of students of his. The Rabbanut tried to stop it,
but Rabbi Riskin just said that he doesn't understand their request, as
N.L. is in her 80's..... :-)
At Yakar, another synagogue in Jerusalem, study classes are co-ed and
include Torah & Gemarah, as well as philosophy, etc..
The problem as I understand it for women to be called up to the Torah is
not with the women, but with the weaker species, us men. Our thoughts
during _dovening_ (prayer) should try to be as 'pure', as infocus, as
possible. Most guys I know, esp. including me, won't be able to do that
with pretty & young women going to the Torah all the time.
One more point - Orthodoxy, by definition, is very slow in changing it's
values. Women hundreds of years ago were less interested in "being
equal". It will take some time for Orthodoxy to change. But it _will_
change.
Steven Edell, Computer Manager Internet: <edell@...>
United Israel Appeal, Inc
(United Israel Office) Voice: 972-2-255513
Jerusalem, Israel Fax : 972-2-247261
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From: Allen Elias <100274.346@...>
Date: 05 Jun 93 16:55:22 EDT
Subject: Women & Orthodoxy
The general rule is: only someone obligated to perform a mitsveh can
carry it out for others as a proxy. Actually, every man is required to
read the entire weekly portion of the torah. The people being called up
are acting in the congregation's behalf and performing the mitsveh in
their stead. Women, who are not obligated to read the Torah, therefor
could not fulfil this mitsveh for the others.
[Note: If you accept the above, then you cannot say "baruch hu u'varuch
shemo" after the person called to the Torah says the name of Hashem in
the blessing. I do not know that this is the majority psak. Mod.]
Separate services for women are very rare in the Orthodox world.
Occasionally, women get together to read Tehilim (Psalms) as a public
demonstration.
[It may not be as rare as you think. Mod.]
There was a controversy several years ago at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem. A group of women (American Reform) organized their own
service in the women's section. There was violence and the police were
called in. The police did not allow this to take place any more. The
group said they will go to court, but no outcome was announced. It is
not clear if the Rabbis opposed this because they were women or because
they were Reform.
If a woman wants to say Kaddish she needs a minyon of ten men. But this
is very rare. The only cases where this was accepted were poor orphans
who could not find anyone to say Kaddish for their parents.
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From: <dave@...> (David Sherman)
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 93 16:32:22 -0400
Subject: Re: Women's Minyanim
Rachel Sara Kaplan asked about women's minyanim.
The Canadian Jewish News recently ran a fairly long article about the
women's minyan at Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan. Lincoln Square
is well-known as an Orthodox shul that is also progressive in outlook.
The women who organize their services have looked into the halachic
issues in detail. My recollection from the article is that they read
the Torah but without the brachos. I presume that anyone seriously
interested in this issue could get more information from Lincoln Square.
David Sherman
Toronto
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From: Julia Eulenberg <eulenbrg@...>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1993 14:19:28 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Women/Orthodoxy/Synagogue
Rachel Sarah Kaplan wrote, asking about the permissability of women
reading from the Torah, saying Kaddish, etc. I'm sure that you will get
a lot of specific answers to your questions. I won't add to those.
However, you did request a book, and I can suggest something that will
answer these questions and more. I've just finished reading it and will
be using part of it in the class I'm teaching next year: _Daughters of
the King: Women and the Synagogue; A Survey of History, Halakhah, and
Contemporary Realities_, by Susan Grossman and Rivka Haut.
Julie Eulenberg (<eulenbrg@...>)
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End of Volume 7 Issue 71
