Volume 11 Number 44
Produced: Wed Jan 26 23:09:05 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Ben Asher - update
[Mechy Frankel]
Censorship about Situation in Israel
[Jeff Woolf]
Censorship and Revisionism
[Isaac Balbin]
Hechsher of Rabbi Asher Zeilingold and in general
[Barry Siegel]
Opinions of Neuwirth, *Shemirath Shabbath* (2)
[Lon Eisenberg, Stephen Phillips]
Rabbi Zeilengold's hechsher
[Shully Adler]
Rav Shach
[Warren Burstein]
Shmirat Shabbat book
[Aliza Berger]
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From: <frankel@...> (Mechy Frankel)
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 1994 16:29:02 EST
Subject: Ben Asher - update
About 10 nanoseconds after my posting on masora work appeared I was e-mailed
(rhymes with "nailed") by my old friend and Washington Heights lansman Moish
Bernstein who kindly, and relatively gently, updated me to the fact that I was
wasting at least part of an enjoyable head of steam on a (perhaps) dated
target. Apparently, there is some more recently published Penkower work (circa
last year) relating to a recently found Torah text collated to a Ben Asher
text. I haven't, of course, seen any of this yet, and will ask readers to take
note of my weasely worded introductory comment "Unless Marc is referring to
something more recent...blah, blah, blah" (weak, I know) - apparently he was
referring to something more recent. I have no idea at this point how any of
this might change any of my assessments, though I suspect it might/will affect
at least some once I catch up to the reference.
Mechy Frankel
<frankel@...>
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From: Jeff Woolf <F12043@...>
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 05:15:09 -0500
Subject: Re: Censorship about Situation in Israel
I know we try to eschew politics here, but sometimes extraordinary
measures are required. In last Friday's Jerusalem Post there was an
article by the editor, David Bar Ilan about the heavy handed censorship
being wielded by the Jewish establishment inthre US to prevent any
platform for those opposed (or even mildly concerned about either the
government's agreement with the PLO or the way in which negotiations are
developing). NO Federation papers print articles which do not toe the
Peres/Beilin line. No speakers are allowed address Jewish groups without
being sure they will be 100% behind the present government.
This past week I personally encountered several instances of this
sort of censorship. I would ask the MailJewish readership to see if they
can influence their local papers to (in the name of equal time, just as
was done in the days of Likkud where Laborites had free access to the
Press) at least allow for a wider range of opinions. The Jewish People
has a right to know that things are not at all monolithic here and that
the opposition to the extreme view of the accord (reinquishing of ALL
territory captured in 1967-which has support in the government is
opposed by over 90% of the people. This plan includes turning East
Jerusalem over to Arab control-as documented in a document leaked to the
Jerusalem Post a month ago.
Shabbat Shalom.
Jeff Woolf
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From: Isaac Balbin <isaac@...>
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 94 08:15:16 -0500
Subject: Re: Censorship and Revisionism
| From: Jeff Woolf <F12043@...>
|
| More on censorship: My good friend Shlomo Pick has rightly pointed that
| censorship cuts across the lines. Moreover, his expose on the famous
| letter of Reb Haim Ozer threw me for a loop (and destroyed a very good
| lecture I give). However he DID miss a big example. At the end of
| Hiddushei HaGriz HaLevi Al HaRambam are a series of letter From Reb
| Velvel to various people. Members of the Rav's family have told me that
| most of these were written to the Rav. However, out of discomfort at the
| close relationship obtaining between the Rav and his uncle ALL names
| were excised. I suspect the same deal is true of the Hazon Ish's
| letters.
I think you meant Rabbi Shaul Wallach, although I am sure Rabbi Shlomo
Pick is a good friend :-)
On this topic, I had heard that names were excised from many exchanges
of Chiddushei Torah between Reb Velvel and the Rav because that was the
Brisker way. That is, it isn't important to ascribe *who* said what,
rather the Emes and the Limmud Torah was the main point. I heard this
from in the name of a Mirrer Kollelnik.
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From: <sieg@...> (Barry Siegel)
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 94 09:54 EST
Subject: Hechsher of Rabbi Asher Zeilingold and in general
> Is anyone familiar with the hechsher of a Rabbi Asher Zeilingold of
> "Upper Midwest Kashruth". I have found his symbol on a couple of
> things.
According to my LOR who also works as a Senior Kashrus Rav at the
O-U, his hecsher is reliable.
(I am responding to this inquery in order to raise this issue below)
I hesistate to respond to these type of questions.
I doubt many Rabbi's would want to be quoted in a public forum.
Also there are just so many Kashrus standards for the person as well
as the individual Rabbi.
Unless there is a major reason for one Rav to negate another in PUBLIC
one can't and shouldn't do it (and this is very much a public forum).
I doubt any Rav would want to be quoted on the record. For instance,
if I responded to the above queery as 1 LOR says yes and one says no,
how would that help you? Even by me responding that my LOR says
"he is OK" does that help you?
When KASRUS magazine does their kosher symbols issue, they don't recommend
or negate any Rav or orginazation. They merely say to check with your LOR.
Does anyone have a suggestion about these type of questions and responses?
This is a very large Kashruth reliablility problem in the world today
and is only getting worse. Unfortunately I know of no easy answer.
Any ideas,
Barry Siegel HR 1K-120 (908)615-2928 hrmsf!sieg OR <sieg@...>
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From: eisenbrg%<milcse@...> (Lon Eisenberg)
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 94 01:55:36 -0500
Subject: Opinions of Neuwirth, *Shemirath Shabbath*
I find it very well organized and quite helpful when needing to look up any
basic halakha of Shabbat. Although, IMHO, he tends not to be overly strict
or lenient, unfortunately he has apparently yielded to "pressure from the
right" to change things that were "permitted" in the first edition to "should
be avoided" in the second (e.g. solar water heater on Shabbat, tea bag in a
kli shlishi [3rd vessel]).
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From: Stephen Phillips <stephenp@...>
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 94 19:05:29 -0500
Subject: Opinions of Neuwirth, *Shemirath Shabbath*
> From: Constance Stillinger <cas@...>
> I would like to hear people's opinions of Neuwirth, *Shemirath
> Shabbath*.
> Do people in the Torah observant community find it a useful reference?
> Is it accurate---and if not, is it generally too strict or too lenient?
There are 3 Hebrew volumes and 2 English volumes of SSK [Shemiras
Shabbos Kehilchoso]. Of the former, one is the 1st edition and the other
two are the 2nd editions which very much expand on the 1st edition. I
believe that certain Poskim (including Reb Moshe ztz'l] expressed some
concerns as to some of the contents of the 1st edition and as a result
Rav Neuwirth published the 2nd edition. The English volumes are based
solely on the 1st volume of the 2nd edition. They are not a straight
translation from the Hebrew, but incorporate all the relevant Halochos
as set out in the Hebrew edition without any foot-notes.
The Hebrew editions (particularly the 2nd edition) have extensive
foot-notes which must be read if one is to use the Sefer to its best
advantage.
I certainly find SSK very useful and I'm sure that many in the "Torah
observant communities" do too. I cannot say whether it is lenient or
strict. Perhaps it is neither; if something is permitted then it says
so, and if not then it prohibits it. Rav Neurwith is I believe from
Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalyim. The Rosh Yeshivah of Kol Torah is Rav
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, one of the foremost Poskim in the world, and as
far as I can discern SSK utilises Rav Auerbach's Pesokim wherever
possible (although I do recall coming across a Halocho to do with
changing time switches on Yom Tov where Rav Auerbach was lenient and SSK
was strict).
A good friend of mine and Talmid Chochom, Harav Chaim Kramer of one of
the Breslav institutes in Yerushalyim, once commented to me (when we
were discussing SSK) that it takes great courage and knowledge to write
a sefer on Halocho which contains Heterim [permissions], especially on a
subject as strict and vast as Hilchos Shabbos. As the saying goes
"Ko'ach De'Heteira Odif" [a permissive P'sak is more powerful than a
prohibitive one]; ie. it's very easy to prohibit something, but not so
easy without the required knowledge to permit something.
Stephen Phillips
<stephen@...>
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From: <MVERMAN@...> (Shully Adler)
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 1994 12:23:22 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Rabbi Zeilengold's hechsher
b"H
In response to Elliot Lasson's query, Rabbi Asher Zeilengold is the rav of
Adath Israel Synagogue, the Orthodox shul in S. Paul, Minnesota. His hechsher
is reliable, and accepted by the Orthodox rabbis and communities of the Twin
Cities.
Rabbi Zeilengold is a Lubavitcher. Unless specifically indicated, products
bearing his hashgaHa are _not_ Halav yisrael.
Be-tei'avon!
Shully Adler
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 94 19:36:47 -0500
Subject: Re: Rav Shach
I'm interested in the sociological question of who is likely to consider
Rav Shach to be the leading Torah scholar of our generation
In Israel, I suppose this is the opinion of the "Litvesheh" community
and a portion of the Sefaradi community that does not support Rav Yosef.
Well what I'm doing here is assuming that the communities that support
Degel Hatorah hold the above opinion of R. Shach. Since the
establishment of the United Torah Judiasm slate, do supporters of Aguda
consider him to be a great, or the greatest, Torah scholar?
Do I have this right, and how does the sociological breakdown in Galut
occur? Will a LOR who formerly sent his shelot to Rav Moshe zt"l now
send them to Rav Shach, or to someone else?
/|/-\/-\ The entire kitchen Jerusalem
|__/__/_/ is a very strange gazelle.
|warren@ But the cabbie
/ nysernet.org is not all that worried.
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From: <A_BERGER@...> (Aliza Berger)
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 1994 12:30:01 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Shmirat Shabbat book
Connie asks about the book by Rabbi Neuwirth "Shmirat Shabbat".
I have found that people use this book as a reference. About
leniency/stringency, well, that is relative! I believe there was a
first edition of the book, not available any more, and the present
edition has a few different rulings - more stringent, mostly - than the
first edition. But that's just what I've heard, I haven't investigated
it thoroughly myself. The first edition wasn't translated into English.
There is another book in English about the laws of Shabbat - by Rabbi
Shimon Eider of Lakewood. I don't know about differences in leniency/
stringency compared to Shmirat Shabbat, but I do know that they are
arranged differently. Rabbi Eider's book gives a more theoretical
slant; he will more often say which of the 39 melachot (types of work) a
ruling derives from, and how. Shmirat Shabbat does this less. The
Rabbi Eider book should be just about as available in the bookstore as
the English Shmirat Shabbat.
Aliza Berger
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End of Volume 11 Issue 44
