Volume 12 Number 98
Produced: Fri May 6 0:28:11 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Early Shabbat in Israel
[David Kramer]
Fossils as an anti-religious diversion
[Sam Juni]
Haftarah from a Klaf (Parchment)
[David Sherman]
Hevel Va-Rik
[Marc Shapiro]
Hotel Room Locks
[Joe Klein]
L'cha Dodi
[Adam Aptowitzer]
Living in Israel as Mitzva
[Shalom Carmy]
Majority in Israel, Ashkenazic or Sephardic
[Benjamin Svetitsky]
Misleading evidence take 2
[Mitch Berger]
P'sik Reisha and Misasek
[Yechiel Pisem]
Patur from Mitzvos due to discomfort
[Marc Meisler]
Teshuat Ha-Shem Ke-Heref 'Ayin
[S.Z. Leiman]
Teshuvot on Prayer for the Medinah
[Michael Broyde]
yeshuat hashem keheref ayin
[Benjy Kramer]
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From: David Kramer <davidk@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 09:32:15 -0400
Subject: Early Shabbat in Israel
Regarding the thread about early Friday night minyanim during the summer:
It turns out that in Israel there is a very easy way to determine when
to start the summertime early minyan. If you look at any calendar with
candle lighting times - the time listed for Yerushalayim candle lighting
(in NON daylight savings time) works out to give you just enough time to
daven mincha before Plag.
[ David Kramer | INTERNET: <davidk@...> ]
[ Motorola Communications Israel Ltd. | Phone (972-3) 565-8638 Fax 565-9507 ]
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From: Sam Juni <JUNI@...>
Date: Wed, 4 May 1994 12:54:38 -0400
Subject: Fossils as an anti-religious diversion
Several days ago, a posting (by Adlerstein, I think) appeared referring
to the idea that G-d may have "planted" fossils which were pre-dated in
order to "test" our faith in the supposed Jewish orthodox position re
the relatively young age of our world. In some other posting I though I
saw this idea attributed to the Lubavicher Rebbe, who originated the
idea that G-d may have created elements with various degrees of
Carbon-14 decay, just as he in fact created various living things in
various stages of (full) development, rather than restricting himself to
creating neophytes only. I would like to comment that I do not recall
the Rebbe linking the rationale of G-d's creation of pre-dated objects
to the notion of the test of faith. My understanding of the idea is that
G-d may well have another design for the Carbon-14 decay (besides its
utility for geologist research), and it is that design which was
responsible for the creation of Carbon in intermediate stages of decay.
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From: <dave@...> (David Sherman)
Date: Mon, 2 May 94 12:52:33 EDT
Subject: Re: Haftarah from a Klaf (Parchment)
> On the related notes of synagogue practice and also "why so many people
> don't do something", does anyone have an idea why so few congregations read
> haftarah from a klaf (parchment)?
Presumably because requiring the ba'al maftir to prepare for
reading the haftarah the same way the ba'al koreh must prepare
for reading the Torah would disqualify 95% of the people to whom
maftir can now be given. This way, maftir/haftarah is an honour,
not a chore.
David Sherman
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From: Marc Shapiro <mshapiro@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 16:10:21 -0400
Subject: Re: Hevel Va-Rik
In response to Rabbi Freundel. Jews in the middle ages believed that
hevel va-rik referred to Jesus. There is no evidence whatsoever that
they took this from apostates. In fact, I am not aware of any attacks on
Jews for this until the late middle ages, long after the Haside Ashkenaz
had written about hevel va-rik referring to Jesus.
Marc Shapiro
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From: <jklein@...> (Joe Klein)
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 1994 15:50:09 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Hotel Room Locks
( I'm assuming that the keys referred to are the plastic gray ones with some
holes in it).
When we stayed at the Crown Hotel (a hotel under O-U supervision), in
Miami this winter, I asked the Mashgiach about using these cards on
Shabbos. He told me that the keys were totally mechanical and therefore
did not pose a problem.
<jklein@...> (212) 464-3000
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From: Adam Aptowitzer <aaptowit@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 01:12:14 -0400
Subject: re: L'cha Dodi
I've been following the recent discussion about the direction to face
when praying with a great deal of interest, looking for the answers to
two questions I have. The first concerns Seth Ness' statement about
facing the door at the last verse of L'cha Dodi. Well, what about if
you are in a tent with all four sides open, or even if you're davenning
under the stars?
My second question concerns something my Uncle told me several years
ago. He said that if one doesn't know which direction is east (we are
going under the assumption that East is the correct direction to pray)
one should pick a direction and use it consistently. I was wondering if
anyone could tell me his source for this. Thanks.
Shabbat Shalom
-Adam
<aaptowit@...>
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From: Shalom Carmy <carmy@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 09:32:07 -0400
Subject: Living in Israel as Mitzva
Let me point to a strikingly original approach to the question of living
in Israel that has recently been published by R. Yoel Bin-Nun.
The volume is ISRAEL AS A RELIGIOUS REALITY, ed. Chaim Waxman (JAson
Aronson Press).
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From: Benjamin Svetitsky <bqs@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 16:30:41 -0400
Subject: Majority in Israel, Ashkenazic or Sephardic
Fred Dweck is out of date. The Israeli Bureau of Staistics reported
last year that the aliyah from the FSU has made Ashkenazim the majority
of Jews in Israel. The single largest ethnic group is Russians,
followed by Moroccans and then Romanians.
A statistic I would like to know is the communal/ethnic breakdown of
observant Jews in Israel. Anybody know?
This brings up a question I've wondered about for some time. I
understand that Ashkenazi traditions in Israel date back only to the
immigration of the students of the Gr"a from Vilna. Why weren't they
obligated to accept minhagei ha-makom -- local customs -- which were
Sepharadi (maybe modified by the Ari z"l)? And how could subsequent
Ashkenzim retain their respective customs when THEY came?
I guess I'd like to eat peanut butter on egg matzah on Pesach ...
Ben Svetitsky <bqs@...>
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From: <mberger@...> (Mitch Berger)
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 12:30:43 -0400
Subject: Misleading evidence take 2
When I had posted earlier the notion that Gd had created fossils as
misleading evidence, I was not clear. I wasn't merely stating my
opinion, I was asking a question. How can the Lubavitcher Rebbe shlit"a
hold such an opinion, since the Creator is above such maliciousness.
Micha Berger May the Omnipresent have mercy on them and take them from
<mberger@...> constriction to openness, from dark to light, from slavery
(212) 464-6565 to salvation:
(201) 916-0287 Ron Arad, Zechariah Baumel, Zvi Feldman, Yehudah Katz
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From: Yechiel Pisem <ypisem@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 14:57:52 -0400
Subject: P'sik Reisha and Misasek
There is a halacha in Hilchos Shabbos called "misasek"--you are not at
all involved in what you are doing. A p'sik reisha is only when you know
what you are doing is assur but you are not doing it for the result of
the action.
Yechiel Pisem
<ypisem@...>
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From: Marc Meisler <mmeisler@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 15:40:53 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Patur from Mitzvos due to discomfort
Lou Eisenberg wrote that one is patur from mitzvos if they cause "severe
discomfort." The specific examples he gave are accurate but I think that
the general statement only applies in rare cases. After all, that could
be taken to mean that if one will be very tired in the morning, he does
not have to daven. I have never heard anyone say this.
Marc Meisler 1001 Spring St., Apt. 423
<mmeisler@...> Silver Spring, MD 20910
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From: S.Z. Leiman <szlyu@...>
Date: Thu, 5 May 1994 00:46:53 -0400
Subject: Teshuat Ha-Shem Ke-Heref 'Ayin
Michael Broyde (vol. 12, number 94) asked about the origin of the phrase
"teshuat ha-shem ke-heref 'ayin."
The phrase is mediaeval in origin. It occurs in a morality tale about a
doctor who was imprisoned and tortured, yet managed to survive the
ordeal by "healing" himself with 7 medicines of wisdom and psychological
insight. The seventh medicine was the saying in question. See R. Yisrael
al-Nakawa (d. 1391), Menorat ha-Maor, vol. 4, p. 247; cf. R. Jacob
Horowitz (d. 1622), Yesh Nohalin, chapter 11, end (ed. Jerusalem, 1992,
pp. 235-7).
Variant forms of the phrase appear as early as R. Saadia Gaon. See his
Siddur (ed. Davidson-Asaf-Joel), p. 55. For fuller discussion, see S.
Abramson, "Imrei Hokhmah," in Minhah li-Yehudah (J.L. Zlotnick=Avida
Festschrift), Jerusalem, 1950, pp. 20-29 and 295.
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From: Michael Broyde <RELMB@...>
Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 09:49:06 -0400
Subject: Teshuvot on Prayer for the Medinah
I would be very interested in any teshuvot that can be found concerning
the prayer for the medinah; I am aware of only one printed teshuva on
this topic from the perspective of a non-mizrachi posek. That is found
in Beit Avi (by Rav Leibes) 5:69. In that teshuva he permits the saying
of the prayer for the medinah. Rabbi Leibes is the Av Beit Din of a
major New York Beit din.
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From: <sl14402@...> (Benjy Kramer)
Date: Tue, 3 May 1994 16:48:02 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: yeshuat hashem keheref ayin
I did not think that I could find the source for this and suddenly I
found it :-) See Michlol Hama'amarim Ve'hapitgamim - Mosad Harav Kuk
1961
He quotes an article in a book Mincha Le'Yehuda (a book written in honor
of Rav Yehuda Leib Zlotkin) on this very topic (ie. the origin of
"yeshuat Hashem kaharef ayin") see the bottom of page 27 (the article
was written by Reb Shraga Abramson)
The book was pointed out to me by Rabbi Avraham Kurtz our resident
librarian (at the Yeshiva of Flatbush)
Talk about bringing "ge'ula" to the world!!
By the way: Who says "kol ha'omer davar beshem Om'ro Mayvee ge'ula
la'olam" isn't it ironic that people don't quote that statement by name :-)
Benjy Kramer
YoF Teachers (<sl14402@...>)
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End of Volume 12 Issue 98
