Volume 9 Number 35
Produced: Mon Sep 27 15:25:51 1993
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
A Rogatchover Ma'aseh (story)
[Arnold Lustiger]
Academic Hebrew <=> English Dictionary
[David B Cooper]
Birkat HaGomel For Women
[Aryeh Frimer]
Birth Customs (2)
[Warren Burstein, Shlomo H. Pick]
Children's Jewish Fiction
[Sam Gamoran]
Correction on Halakhic Night
[Jeff Mandin]
Evolution and the Mabul
[Aryeh Frimer]
It's a girl!
[Malcolm Isaacs]
Mezuzas and Disaster
[David Gerstman]
Moscow Zmanim
[Pinchus Laufer]
The big white ball in the sky
[Hayim Hendeles]
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From: <alustig@...> (Arnold Lustiger)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 11:23:52 -0400
Subject: Re: A Rogatchover Ma'aseh (story)
Sometimes these stories are apocryphal, but here goes:
When the Rogatchover was 3 years old, the Rebbe of his cheder class
asked the class the following question: How many total Chanukah candles,
including the shamesh, are lit during Chanuka? He offered to let the
class out early if someone could come up with the answer. The
Ragatchover answered the question in the following way: there is a
phrase in Tehillim "hapach nishbar ve'anachnu nimlatnu": "the trap
breaks and we escape". The gematria of "pach" is 88. If the "pach" is
"nishbar", "splitting" pach results in 44, which is the answer to the
Rebbe's question. The result: "anachnu nimlatnu": we escape!
Arnie Lustiger
<alustig@...>
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From: <dacooper@...> (David B Cooper)
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 93 14:02:20 -0400
Subject: Academic Hebrew <=> English Dictionary
A colleague at school is looking for an academic Hebrew - English -
Hebrew dictionary/lexicon (like Alcalay) on either disk or CD-ROM. Does
it exist?
Please reply either directly to me (TO: Ed/Mod: or to the board if
there's interest in having the topic publicly addressed)
_hag samech_
David B Cooper Jewish Theological Seminary of America
<DACOOPER@...> New York, NY 10027
(212)865-6693
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From: Aryeh Frimer <F66235@...>
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 93 01:50:04 -0400
Subject: Birkat HaGomel For Women
Shavuah Tov and Gemar Chatimah Tovah to all!
Regarding Birkat HaGomel For Women:
Regarding women reciting Birkat Hagomel (after Childbirth, life
threatening accidents, Transatlantic air Travel etc.), I refer those
interested in an extensive discussion and a list of references on this
issue to my article on women and Minyan (Tradition 23 (4) Summer 1988 -
hard copies are available on request with mailing address). Much of the
article appeared in some of the earlier issues of Kol Isha. Briefly, the
vast majority of poskim note that a women is obligated in this Bracha,
that it can be said in shul while the woman making the bracha stands in
the Ezrat Nashim near the Mechitzah so the men can hear, or it can be
said after shul in the presence of a minyan. The above article indicates
that many modern poskim indicate that 10 women constitute a Minyan for
this purpose. While some poskim do permit a husband to say the bracha
for his wife, most poskim are against it. Rav Waldenberg notes that it
is an old Yerushalmi Minhag to gather a minyan at the house of the
Yoledet (new mother) Friday evening following the Birth for her to say
HaGomel.
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 93 07:34:38 -0400
Subject: Re: Birth Customs
Lorne Schachter writes:
>When the Beis HaMikdash was around, women had to offer korbanos after
>giving birth to a child. Today, we don't do that, but the Kedushah of
>Shmoneh Esrai has taken its place.
Shouldn't the woman then wait, before kedushah, the amount of time
that she would have to wait before bringing a korban, e.g. 40/80 days?
And what is the reason for considering kedushah (as opposed to some
other prayer or something else altogether) the equivalent of an Olah
and Chatat?
|warren@ But the weeder
/ nysernet.org is hungry.
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From: Shlomo H. Pick <F12013@...>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 04:52:09 -0400
Subject: Birth Customs
shalom
i would like to recall an obscure (southern?) german custom that
i had seen in my youth in Hartford in a german rite shul.
The first time that the mother left her house for shul and she
arrived there (after the birth), a special tune (niggun) was used
in the E-l Adon on shabbat morning starting with the line
"semeichem betzeitum ve-sasim bevoam"
happy when the leave and joyous upon arrival
referring to their leaving their houses and coming to shul this
first time after birth.
gemar chatima tova
shlomo
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From: <gamoran@...> (Sam Gamoran)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 04:32:23 -0400
Subject: Re: Children's Jewish Fiction
A friend of mine, Cheryl Gunsher of Edison, NJ has started her own
publishing house, "Prism Press" and has put out two of her own books
(she's written, illustrated, published and is now marketing them on her own).
The two titles she already has out are:
Danny the Dizzy Dreydl
Lev the Lucky Lulav
In the works for a winter introduction is:
Gabe the Grumpy Grogger
The audience is young children from traditional Jewish households.
I find her work to be quite delightful.
The author/illustrator/publisher/distributor can be contacted at
Prism Press
117 Highland Ave
Edison, NJ 08817 USA
908-572-5519
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From: Jeff Mandin <jeff@...>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 11:40:47 -0400
Subject: Correction on Halakhic Night
Earlier I stated that R. Henkin zt"l held that night began 60 minutes
after sunset in New York City. In fact he ruled according to R. Tam:
that Shabbas ends 72 minutes after sunset. The 60 minute ruling is
"b'shaas ha-dchak"(in a situation of pressing need).
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From: Aryeh Frimer <F66235@...>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 03:53:26 -0400
Subject: Evolution and the Mabul
I'd like some input regarding a problem that has bothered me for a
while. Given that the entire animal population of the world was
destroyed in the Mabul except for those that were with Noach in the Ark,
how do we explain the fact that there are animals in Australia
(Kangaroo, Kola Bear) found nowhere else in the world. [It occurred to
me that perhaps they were indeed found everywhere but managed to survive
only in Australia because there they have no natural predator.] I would
also appreciate suggestions of how they might have gotten to Australia
from Mt. Ararat (somewhere in Turkey).
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From: <M.Isaacs@...> (Malcolm Isaacs)
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 12:49:25 -0400
Subject: It's a girl!
On Motsa'ei Yom Kippur, at 11:01pm, my wife Karen gave birth to a baby
girl at Edgware General Hospital, London UK. She weighed 8lbs exactly.
B"H, both mother and baby are fine, and were released from hospital on
Sunday (yesterday). The baby's name is Shoshanah Tovah. Her big sister
Ilana (20 mths) is quite excited about it all - 'likkle baby in Mummy's
tummy'!
Now, the 11th of Tishrei is regarded as a minor Yom-Tov (see Ramah
at the end of Hilchot Yom Kippur). We build the Sukkah, so that
we can go from one Mitsvah to another, and we get up particularly
early for Shul. If Yom Kippur was 2 days long, like Rosh
Hashanah, the 11th of Tishrei would be the second day (it's only
one day because of the dangers of fasting 2 days on the trot, and
we're sure of the calendar anyway, so there isn't really a safek
(doubt) over the date - I think the Aruch Hashulchan says this).
Since I doubt I'm going to get too much time to delve into
seforim (I find feeding the baby is a very peaceful time, ideal
for learning - but I value my sefarim too much :-), does anyone
have anything to add about the significance of the 11th of
Tishrei?
Gmar Tov,
Malcolm
PS If anyone has the time (and inclination) to send a quick email
message/Mazal Tov to the mother/baby, it would be greatly
appreciated.
[As moderator, I guess I get to be the first. Mazal Tov, Malcolm, and
Mazal Tov to mother and baby. Tizkah Legadlah LeTorah, LeChupa,
U'LeMaasim Tovim! Avi Feldblum.]
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From: <dhg@...> (David Gerstman)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 04:51:55 -0400
Subject: Mezuzas and Disaster
At a shiur given by a friend, in the context of Aseres Y'mei
Teshuva and Yom Kippur, he referred to the "Pele Yo'etz", a sefer with
items of Hashkafa listed more or less alphabetically. Under the
category of "Sanigoria" (perhaps translated as "positive impression")
the PY discusses the importance of judging other Jews positively ("Dan
L'Chof Zechus"), for it has an effect in Shamayim too.
Toward the end of this essay, the PY takes those to task who try
to find fault with the dead; giving reasons why they died. (He noted
that instead of going in order of "Acherei Mos, Kedoshim, Emor," people
go in reverse "Acherei Mos, Metzora" :-) Until I learned this, I hadn't
really found the attribution of fault for disasters to be distasteful.
but I should rethink my feeling on the subject.
Regardless, at this time of the year it is important to try and
find Zehuyos for ALL Jews, even if it requires us to make excuses.
Hopefully, by finding the best in our fellow Jews we will be zocheh to
Geula Shleima and Kapara Gemura this year.
David Gerstman
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From: <plaufer@...> (Pinchus Laufer)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 04:52:01 -0400
Subject: Moscow Zmanim
Can anyone help me with finding the times for beginning and ending of
Shabbos in Moscow for Weekends of Oct 28 & Nov 5?
Thank You,
Pinchus
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From: Hayim Hendeles <hayim@...>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 93 09:43:53 -0700
Subject: The big white ball in the sky
Last night, looking at the moon, I had the following question:
The moon is sometimes referred to as the "levana" - e.g. after
Yom Kippur we made "kiddush levana"; but it also is referred to as
the "yareach" - e.g. Joshua stopped both the sun and the "Yareach".
Does anyone know what the difference is between the 2 terms? After all,
I don't make "kiddush yareach", nor did Joshua stop the "levana".
(I am sure that there are numerous references to both term, of which
I can't think of any offhand :-(
I do know, oftentimes, the Malbim will often explains the different
nuances between 2 Hebrew words that translate to the same thing in
English. I think, oftentimes, Rabbi Hirsch is also big on this.
So, I have no doubt there is a difference between the 2 terms - but
have no idea what, or where to look.
Sincerely,
Hayim Hendeles
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End of Volume 9 Issue 35