Volume 11 Number 33
Produced: Fri Jan 21 0:09:37 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
10 Tevet and Holocaust Memorial Day
[Joel B. Wolowelsky]
Administrivia - relayed from Daniel Faigin
[Daniel Faigin]
Aleph-Bet
[Steven Friedell]
Kiddush Clubs
[Anonymous]
Kiddush Clubs and Long Davening
[Sam Gamoran]
Mishloach Manot
[Benjamin Svetitsky]
Mishloach Manot Distribution Software
[Carolyn Lanzkron]
NCSY SHABBATON... HELP!
[Jeffrey Secunda]
Rav Meir
[rosenfeld,elie]
Shabat and erev Pesah
[Dana-Picard Noah]
Torah UMesorah
[Stephen J. Chapman]
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From: <sl14403@...> (Joel B. Wolowelsky)
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 94 15:11:51 -0500
Subject: Re: 10 Tevet and Holocaust Memorial Day
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate set up 10 Tevet as Yom HaKaddish HaKellali,
the Yahrzeit day to be observed by family members who do not know the
exact date on which their relatives died in the Shoa.
I discussed this in "Observing Yom Hasho'a," _Tradition_, 24:4, Summer
1989. See also Yeshaya Steinberger, "Aseret beTevert, Yom HaShoa
sheHafakh leYom haKaddish heKellali," _Shana beShana_, 5751.
Joel Wolowelsky
<sl14403@...>
[Similar response submitted by: Elhanan Adler - <ELHANAN@...>,
<warren@...> (Warren Burstein) and
<YOSEF_BECHHOFER@...> (Yosef Bechhofer) who adds:
If I recall correctly from what my 8th grade Rebbe in Chorev in
Yerushalayim told us, this is because it is forbidden halachically to
fix a day of mourning or eulogy during the month of Nisan. This
objection to Yom haShoah is compounded by the fact that the way this
date was arrive at was: The Warsaw ghetto uprising began on, I believe,
the second day of Pesach (this is from memory, I might be off, but it
was on Pesach). The secular date of the uprising in the year that the
Knesset passed the Yom haShoahlaw came out on 27 Nisan.
Mod.]
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From: <faigin@...> (Daniel Faigin)
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 94 19:02:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Administrivia - relayed from Daniel Faigin
On Tue, 18 Jan 94 22:00:50 -0500, Andrea Frankel <andrea@...> said:
> They started out by wanting to reassure everyone that the casualties
> are "not as bad as they look", but later said there are many, many
> injured, and parts of the San Fernando valley are completely leveled.
There are pockets in Northridge, Granada Hills, and Santa Monica that have
problems. Much is OK, although in shock.
> Dan's laptop had a full backup of all their personal files, which is good
> since it looks like the PC will need a new hard disk (apparently they're not
> earthquake proof). Naturally, it will be a while until Dan's Liberal
> Judaism mailing list is up and running again.
Our PC was fine, and my list is back (although slowed down, because I don't
want to tie up phone lines.
> Please remember them in your prayers, and if you can, make a donation
> of blood or money (or both).
This shabbat, please remember to keep the people in LA in your prayers.
Daniel
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From: Steven Friedell <friedell@...>
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 94 8:56:10 EST
Subject: Aleph-Bet
I think the issue of the final letters is a little backwards. Except
for the final mem, which seems to be a special case, my guess is that the
other "final" letters were the original forms. Scribes would add a line at
the bottom when the letters were at the beginning or the middle of the word
to "connect" the letters to the ones following. Thus the "regular" Kaf is a
final kaf with a line added to the bottom. The "mem" is different--it maybe
that there were two different ways of writing this letter--see Isaiah 9:6
where the "final" mem is used in the middle of a word.
--Steve Friedell
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From: Anonymous
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 94 13:34:37 EST
Subject: Kiddush Clubs
Freda Birnbaum writes regarding kiddush clubs:
> Seems to me a more authentic or legitimate response to the impatience
> with the long service would be to go to a hashkoma minyan which is
> usually much shorter, no sermon, etc.
A number of years ago I regularly davened at a hashkama minyan. When
laining ended eighty minutes after the commencement of services, many of
the minyan's most prominent members headed off to the nearby shul kitchen
for their kiddush, being sure to make their berakhot loud enough so that
everyone in the shul could hear. (Maybe they just had a lot of kavana?!)
So Hashkama minyans suffer from many of the same "ale"-ments that afflict
main minyanim.
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From: gamoran%<milcse@...> (Sam Gamoran)
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 01:34:43 -0500
Subject: Re: Kiddush Clubs and Long Davening
I've noticed that in Israel the Shabbat morning davening is *much*
shorter than in most (non-hashkama minyan) American shuls. I am not a
sociologist but I do think that there is a sociological reason for this:
For many Jews in the galut (diaspora), Shabbat morning in Shul is one of
the few times to be among Jews in a Jewish environment. Hence the
desire to "stretch it out." This applies equally well to Conservative
synangogues (but not to Reform whose services are usually shorter - I
believe for them the desire to be in a Jewish surrounding is also less
intent).
Israel, for all its faults, is still a constant Jewish environment and
hence there is no need to stretch it out in Shul which is but one aspect
of Jewish living.
In those communities in the States with intense Jewish communities (e.g
my former home in Highland Park, NJ) you see shorter Shabbat services -
generally in the form of hashkama minyanim - since the length of the
main minyan is still a well-entenched custom.
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From: Benjamin Svetitsky <bqs@...>
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 94 13:50:30 -0500
Subject: Mishloach Manot
Sh'vat is here, and Adar follows, which reminds me: _What_ is
happening to Mishloach Manot?? Here is how we do it in Rehovot:
Sara bakes hamentashen until the dough runs out. Then we wrap small
packages of m.m. until the hamentashen run out. Then we send the kids
out with a list, ordered more or less according to distance from the
house. They come home when the m.m. packages run out. Two
exceptions: A _few_ close friends may be on the list even though
they're not nearby; and we keep a couple of packages in the house in
case somebody comes around to whom the kids didn't get. After these
run out, that's it.
Now in America, I hear, you make so many m.m. packages that you need
software to solve the ensuing "traveling salesman problem." And then
if somebody shows up who wasn't on your list, it's cause for panic and
a second round. After all, since everybody else was on your list,
why weren't they? Like what I hear about (le-havdil) christmas lists.
And now I can expect some m.m. packages containing the minimal two
peanuts, with a Macintosh-printed note saying "we decided to send the
rest to tzedakah." Even better is a shul campaign to get the entire
congregation to do this, with centrally managed lists and commercially
wrapped peanuts (and enforced reciprocity!). How can people do this?
Mishloach manot is a mitzvah! Does a proper observance really strain
one's budget to the extent that it cannot coexist with tzedakah? And
do people really think that I want to know about their contributions to
charity?
End of gripe. Fear not, my ahavat Yisrael will be here on Purim,
notwithstanding.
Happy Tu biSh'vat,
Ben Svetitsky <bqs@...>
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From: <clkl@...> (Carolyn Lanzkron)
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 10:39:22 -0500
Subject: re: Mishloach Manot Distribution Software
We did a mishloach manot delivery fundraiser last year for the Day
School. Programming International makes software specifically for
this and for sending honey packets at Rosh Hashanah. They can be
reached at:
Programming International
409 Lexington Street
Auburndale, MA 02166
(617)964-1894
We didn't use this software, though, because I wanted to have more
data analysis and data sharing capability. I used dBase instead. If
you would like my file structures and utility programs, contact me
via email directly and I'll arrange to send you what I have.
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From: Jeffrey Secunda <SECUNDA@...>
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 1994 08:52:00 EST
Subject: NCSY SHABBATON... HELP!
This coming Shabbat, January 22nd, the NCSYers of Sharon, MA are
having a Shabbaton. Due to YU and Stern vacations (our usual source)
we are short a few advisors. We are expecting 70 teenagers grades 8 to 12.
If anyone has a background in NCSY and would like to spend Shabbat
in Sharon helping out the Shabbaton, please call 617 784 7655... ASAP!
Thank you very much!
Pesha Secunda
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From: <er@...> (rosenfeld,elie)
Date: 13 Jan 1994 9:51 EST
Subject: Rav Meir
>It is interesting to note that -- perhpas because Rav MEir learned from
>Acher at a time when Acher was already a heretic -- Rav Meir himself is
>refeered to as 'Acherim' many times throughout the writings of Chazal --
>i.e., Acherim Omrim usually refers to the opinion of Rav Meir....
In fact, I have heard a further theory that the statements by Rav Meir that
are given under the name "Acherim" were the Torah he learned from "Acher".
Incidently, "Acher" AKA Elisha Ben Abuyah wasn't totally blacklisted. He
is quoted (using his real name) in no less than Pirkei Avos [4:25].
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From: <dana@...> (Dana-Picard Noah)
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 94 17:24:14 -0500
Subject: Shabat and erev Pesah
Gary Fischer asks how to have lehem michne on day's meal, when erev
Pesah is Shabat.
The best to do is:
1) to pray chaharit very early, in order to eat before deadline for
eating hamets
2) to have little "pitot", each one kazayit exactly. So you accomplish the
mitsva of lehem mishne, and you do not leave any hamets.
Of course ,seuda chelichit is not possible with hamets.
Let's have a Pesah cacher ve-sameah.
Noah Dana-Picard.
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From: <schapman@...> (Stephen J. Chapman)
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 94 19:56:00 -0500
Subject: Torah UMesorah
Is the Torah U'Mesorah office in NY on the internet? Can anyone tell
me how to reach them?
Stephen J. Chapman EMAIL: <schapman@...>
Leader, ALTAIR Radar MIT/LL Phone: (617) 981-2470
MIT Lincoln Laboratory Kwaj Phone: (805) 238-7994 X-6406
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands Lat. 9 N Long. 168 E
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End of Volume 11 Issue 33
