Volume 10 Number 29
Produced: Sun Nov 28 10:32:45 1993
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Birthright
[Danny Skaist]
Blankets and Tzitzit
[Danny Skaist]
Dreidle
[Jack A. Abramoff]
Kosher Fast Food
[Yisroel Rotman]
Michael Gitt's Tzdeka list
[Steve Roth]
Midrash search
[Jack A. Abramoff]
Origin of the Universe
[Bennett J Ruda]
Remember Amalek
[Lucia Ruedenberg]
Return to Zion
[Morris Podolak]
Tzedaka information
[Freda Birnbaum]
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 93 04:45:28 -0500
Subject: Birthright
>Sam Zisblatt
> At that point, the birthright was his to receive, because
>Esav sold it for a bowl of soup.
Esav did not sell it for a bowl of soup. The Torah says that he sold
the birthright (no terms are mentioned). After Yaakov had aquired the
birthright, and the responsibility, as first born, to feed the family he
gave to Esav the meal consisting of soup, bread and drink, but that is
in the next verse. Had the deal been "soup for birthright" then the
kinyan couldn't have happened, and the deal "consumated" (sorry about
that!), until after soup was given.
danny
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From: DANNY%<ILNCRD@...> (Danny Skaist)
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 93 04:45:30 -0500
Subject: Blankets and Tzitzit
>Eitan Fiorino
>As I had pointed out in my earlier posting, the nature of the garment
>determines whether the garment requires tzitzit or not. Those garments
>defined as night garments are exempt, even if worn during the day. It
>is not correct to say they are exempt because they are only worn at
>night.
True! I do not question that the halacha exactly is as you stated, I
question the current NATURE of woolen blankets. (just to throw in a
deoraita). Since we no longer get up before dawn, blankets are made,
sold, and bought for the express purpose of being used BOTH night AND
day. Should they still be defined as "night garments" ?
The times of day that we use blankets (l'hathila) has changed since the
time of the gemorra, see parek "Hasocher as hapoalim" [he who hires a
workman] in baba metziah for the normal "work day" in those times, or
the discussion of the times of Kriat Shma. Their "day" started and ended
earlier then ours and their blankets were meant to be used only at
night.
danny
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From: Jack A. Abramoff <71544.2433@...>
Date: 26 Nov 93 16:05:27 EST
Subject: Dreidle
The "nes gadol haya sham" (a great miracle happened there) order of the
letters of the dreidle is but one approach. Rabbi Daniel Lapin brings
down a second approach which ties in more to the Chanukah theme of light
versus dark being the central battle. The order of the letters should
be rearranged to gimel-shin-nun-heh, which would stand for the word
"Goshna", or towards Goshen. As you recall from Tanach, the Jews
resided in Goshen during the Egyptian exile. The plague of darkness did
not reach into Goshen, enabling us to make a clear distinction between
light and dark. Light, or Or, in the Torah stands with the tzadikim
(one need only remember the Medrash about the removal of the great light
from the world from Gan Eden, to be returned only in the future).
Chanukah is the battle between light and dark (Goshen and the rest of
Egypt, or in this case, the Torah and the Hellenistic way of viewing the
world). When we play with the dreidle, as with all things in life --
especially during Chanukah, we must be mindful that we should strive for
the light, toward Goshen, not toward the darkness of Hellenism, Mitzraim
or any of its later day incarnations. Rabbi Lapin is from the Gra
school and his great uncle was Rav Elya Lopian, Ztz'l. If you wish to
receive materials from Rabbi Lapin, please feel free to contact him in
care of his organization Toward Tradition, at PO Box 813, Mercer Island,
Washington, 98040, United States, Good Shabbos.
Jack Abramoff
<71544.2433@...>
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From: Yisroel Rotman <SROTMAN@...>
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 93 17:47 0200
Subject: Kosher Fast Food
Adding to Aryeh Frimer's advertisement for Burger Ranch in Rehovot:
There is an excellent Burger Ranch directly opposite the Shopping Mall
witht he infamous MacDonald's. The Burger Ranch is kosher - I make a
point of patronizing it to help give it business.
Yisroel Rotman
SROTMAN@BGUEE
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From: <rot8@...> (Steve Roth)
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 93 13:04:52 CST
Subject: re: Michael Gitt's Tzdeka list
Even though I am one who responded to Michael Gitt's question about the
"legitimacy" of various tzdeka (charitable) organizations, I am skeptical
as to whether this is the way to go about it. What does legitimate really
mean? If his list is an attempt to define who it is worthwhile to give
to, then we have a different problem of relative value judgements. Both
issues are at least partially dealt with by the Vaad HaTzedakos of various
cities in the US, e.g., Rav Fuerst in Agudath Yisrael in Chicago and Rav
Heineman in the Aguda in Baltimore. [These are mainly in regard to
mishulachim (charity collectors) who are coming to town to collect for
themselves or for organizations]. There was an article about the principle
of a Vaad Hatzdeka (charity "certifying" board) about a year ago in the
Jewish Observer by Rabbi Tzvi Boruch Hollander. The whole issue is
obviously controversial. Maybe what is needed is an national/international
Vaad Hatzedaka. As I understand it, such is being considered by the natl
Aguda. Meanwhile, are we interested or qualified to comment on various
organizations here?
Steve Roth, MD; Anesthesia & Critical Care; Univ of Chicago
tel: 312-702-4549 (office)/312-702-3535 (fax)/312-702-6800 (page operator)
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From: Jack A. Abramoff <71544.2433@...>
Date: 26 Nov 93 14:56:44 EST
Subject: Midrash search
I am searching for the source (perhaps a Medrash?) which describes
Chanoch as a tailor, commenting that we can learn out business ethics
from him. Does anyone remember such a Chazal, other than the brief
mention in Michtav M'Eliyahu? Please let me know. Good Shabbos.
Jack Abramoff <71544.2433@...>
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From: <bruda@...> (Bennett J Ruda)
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 93 08:27:46 -0500
Subject: Origin of the Universe
I saw Ed Cohen refer to the Book by Aviezer called In the Beginning.
Another book that may be worth looking into is Genesis and the Big Bang
by Gerald L. Schroder-- He uses aspects of the theories of General and
Special Relativity to reconcile Sefer Beraishit and the Science.
Rabbi Shimon Schwab Shlit"a also reconciles the two in an article "How
Old is the Universe" appearing in Selected Writings and in the book
Challenge: Torah views on Science and its Problems, edited by Aryeh
Carmell and Cyril Domb. There is an entire chapter there on Evolution,
including a letter by the Lubavitcher Rebbe Shlit"a.
There are a couple of articles in Return to the Source. This book is
also a collection of articles. It's focus is different. To examine the
difference between the truth of the Torah and the truth of Science and
show how they are different and incompatible and therefore cannot really
contradict each other.
Along similar lines is Rudolf Flesch, who wrote Why Johnny Can't Read,
who in his book The Art of Clear Thinking has a chapter on Science where
he explains how Science goes from theory to theory and is not concerned
with final absolute truth.
It all makes for an interesting discussion.
Bennett J. Ruda || The World exists only because of
SAR Academy || the innocent breath of schoolchildren
Riverdale, NY || From the Talmud t
<bruda@...> || Tractate Shabbat
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From: <RUEDNBRG@...> (Lucia Ruedenberg)
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 93 18:36:58 -0500
Subject: Remember Amalek
I am looking for references on the meaning and interpretation of the
concept of "remember Amalek" and "Adonainissi". Any help would be
greatly appreciated.
please post responses to the address below since I am not subbed to this
list.
-Lucia
<ruednbrg@...>
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From: Morris Podolak <morris@comet>
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 93 04:11:13 -0500
Subject: Return to Zion
> Interestingly, A musmach friend of mine pointed out that there is an
> opinion in the gemara at the end of in Kesubos, where R' Yehuda says
> that Jews have no right to return to Israel before being invited by
> Moshiach himself. My friend says that this opinion is carried by
> Tosafos and is given so much weight by R. Moshe Feinstein that he
> considered living in Israel today "permissable and Laudworthy" but not
> obligatory.
I would just like to point out, for those on the net who are not
familiar with the literature, that the above quote is NOT a translation
of the Gemara, but rather an interpretation, and not to be seen as more
than that. In addition, there are many people who argue that this
Gemara no longer applies today, after the holocaust and the fact that
the UN has allowed for the existance of a Jewish state. One good
reference is Kol Dodi Dofek by Rav Soloveichik ztz"l. There are many
other sources, and I will be happy to supply them if asked. Finally,
Rav Moshe talked about the obligation to make aliya, not about those who
already live in Israel. Please let us try to keep our facts straight in
these public postings. Moshe
P.S. Now that I have criticized others, let me take a bit of my own
medicine, and correct a statement I made a while ago. Some asked about
toldot to the av melacha of "shnei battei nirin". I wrote that I
thought there was a Yerushalmi about Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish
finding 100 toldot for every av. I was wrong. I should have checked
before posting, and I apologize. In fact the Yerushalmi says they spent
three years on the subject and found 39 toldot for every av.
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From: Freda Birnbaum <FBBIRNBA@...>
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 93 00:36 EDT
Subject: Tzedaka information
In m-j V10N26, Michael Gitt gives us some results of his survey of
tzedaka organizations. In the absence of any specific criticism of an
organization, is there any useful purpose in indicating that there was a
negative response, or no response, about an organization? The 900 or so
members of this list are not really all that large of a sample; yet to
tell 900 folks that you heard something negative, but not what or from
whom... is that really fair to the organization?
Freda Birnbaum, <fbbirnbaum@...>
"Call on God, but row away from the rocks"
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End of Volume 10 Issue 29