Volume 13 Number 76
Produced: Fri Jun 24 15:43:50 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
abbreviation
[Aleeza Esther Berger]
Abbreviations
[S.Z. Leiman]
Aerobics and Torah
[Michael B Freund ]
Brain Death Exam
[Sheryl Haut]
Gematria
[Roberta Keck]
Graven Images (v13n71)
[Mark Steiner]
Halacha / Mishna Yomis
[Yaakov Menken]
Imperceptible objects
[Mike Gerver]
Israeli Customs
[Warren Burstein]
Rabbi Schwab and the missing 165 years
[Ed Bruckstein]
sim shalom
[Norman Tuttle]
statistics article on codes
[Aleeza Esther Berger]
Torah reading from humash
[Aleeza Esther Berger]
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From: Aleeza Esther Berger <aeb21@...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 15:04:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: abbreviation
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. One that nobody suggested, and which
turned out to be right, was mem-ayin = Menahem Azariah da Fano. Thanks to
Ezra Rosenfeld for pointing out the articles in Tehumin and Crossroads on
the topic of haftarah-parchment (one of which contained the solution to
this abbreviation).
A.B. (Aliza Berger)
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From: S.Z. Leiman <szlyu@...>
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 02:27:39 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Abbreviations
In a posting dated June 6, Aliza Berger asked about several puzzling
abbreviations in Magen Avraham to Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim 284. Mem-ayin
refers to She'elot u-Teshuvot R. Menahem Azariah [of Fano], responsum 93.
Mem-bet refers to She'elot u-Teshuvot Mas'at Binyamin, by R. Benjamin
Aaron Slonik, responsum 99. Lamed-het refers to Lehem Hamudot, by R. Yom
Tov Lipmann Heller, ad Rosh to hilkhot tefillin 8:23. In later editions
of the Talmud, including the Vilna editions, the title Lehem Hamudot was
changed to Divrei Hamudot.
For a fuller discussion of the issue raised by these sources (i.e.,
whether or not printing has the halakhic status of writing), see Yizhak
Ze'ev Kahana, Mehkarim be-Sifrut ha-Teshuvot (Jerusalem, 1973), pp.
272-305.
S.Z. Leiman
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From: Michael B Freund <MBF@...>
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 1994 12:29:03 -0400
Subject: Aerobics and Torah
Can anyone refer me to Halachic sources concerning the need to maintain
one's physical health - specifically, issues such as is there a chiyuv
(requirement) of any sort to exercise or stay in shape. I am aware of
the command of "ushmartem me'od et nafshoteychem" (you shall guard
yourselves very much) , and that the Rambam addresses the issue, but any
further ideas on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
Michael Freund
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From: Sheryl Haut <0006665205@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 94 20:18 EST
Subject: Brain Death Exam
As a neurology resident I am expected to perform brain death
exams, especially in patients who are potential organ donors. These
are patients whose hearts are beating but show no brain activity. If
the patient is found to have no brain activity, they either go for
organ transplant (if the family has given permission) or are removed
from the respirator (unless the family has strong religious\ethical
objections.)
What are the halachic implications for performing such an exam?
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From: <BKECK@...> (Roberta Keck)
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 1994 10:51:39 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Gematria
Does anyone know of any (scholarly) books on the subject of gematria
- just looking for general information regarding its history, including
Talmudic examples/bases, etc.?
Thanks,
Roberta Keck
Otterbein College
Columbus, Ohio
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From: Mark Steiner <MARKSA@...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 15:49:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Graven Images (v13n71)
In answering to a question, whether the "fact" that there are
photographs of rabbonim in all Jewish homes means that nobody takes the
stricter view today, I reply:
1. Jerrold Landau reported that there are homes in which
there are no pictures. I merely showed the source for this chumra. The
halakha is as given in the Shulhan Arukh, which permits flat pictures of
human beings--to be drawn.
2. In any case, once the picture is made it is a separate
question whether it may be displayed (these are two separate chumrot as
I argue).
3. If pictures are forbidden at all, IMHO pictures of
rabbonim are worse than other pictures of humans, at least if we assume
that talmidei chachomim are in some sense more close to G-d than others.
The source for the prohibition of depicting human beings is that humans
are made in the image of G-d.
Mark Steiner
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From: Yaakov Menken <ny000548@...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 21:32:33 -0400
Subject: Halacha / Mishna Yomis
The address in America for a Halacha/Mishna Yomis calendar is Rabbi Elias
Karp, 4701-15th Ave. Apt. 3C, Brooklyn, NY 11219.
Of course, you can just join the <halacha-yomi@...> list
and find out daily!
The list is doing well (currently 315 subscribers and counting), and we
will probably follow with a Mishna Yomis list shortly. Therefore, if
anyone is interested in contributing one or two mishnayos on a weekly
basis, please write me! This will probably involve translating the
Mishna with Kahati.
Yaakov Menken
<menken@...>
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From: <GERVER@...> (Mike Gerver)
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 1994 4:04:44 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Imperceptible objects
Sam Juni asks (v13n58) whether it is really true, as claimed by Mitch
Berger, that there is a halachic principle, predating the debate on
spontaneous generation, that objects which humans cannot perceive can be
ignored halachically. He doubts this "since science had assumed...that
things exist only within the human perceptible range."
What about Democritus' atoms? These were postulated to exist on
philosophical grounds, even though they were assumed to be too small to
see.
Mike Gerver, <gerver@...>
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 12:22:52 GMT
Subject: Re: Israeli Customs
Kehilat Yedidya in Israel has a weekly kiddush. Most of our members are
English speakers, but no one has ever complained about this particular
aspect of our practices.
I understand that Yakar (founded by British immigrants) also has a
weekly kiddush.
|warren@ an Anglo-Saxon."
/ nysernet.org Stuart Schoffman
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From: Ed Bruckstein <bruckstn@...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 15:49:45 -0400
Subject: Re: Rabbi Schwab and the missing 165 years
On Tue, 21 Jun 1994, Eli Turkel wrote:
> Mechy Frankel points out that Rav Schwab published an article
> claiming that Chazal deliberately hid the missing 165 years for their
> own reasons. He further justifies why he is revealing the reason when
> they hid it.
> I have heard rumors that since then that Rav Schwab has repudiated
> that article. If there are any subscribers in the Breuer community it
> would of interest if they could verify what the facts are.
Rabbi Schwab did not repudiate the article. As a matter of fact, in The
Jewish Observer (an Agudath Israel of America monthly journal) earlier
this year (approximately March, but I will check), there is an article
about the missing years quoting and expanding on Rabbi Schwab's approach
to the missing years.
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From: <ntuttle@...> (Norman Tuttle)
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 94 11:08:18 -0400
Subject: sim shalom
Re: Sim Shalom, on B. Freundel's explanation
That is interesting; I also noticed that the "Ashkenazi" custom of many
shuls/ siddurim includes Sim Shalom only when the Birchat Kohanim is
invoked. However this is not the only minhag. Other shuls say Sim
Shalom in Mincha, including my Yeshiva, which generally follows minhag
HaG"RA, and some German communities. See R.S.R. Hirsch in HOREB, his
classical work, section 643 (pp. 492-3 in the Fourth Edition published
by Soncino Press), Hebrew words translated here:
"Only the last bakashah in the blessing of Shalom is changed, in
accordance with the character of the Mincha Service. As distinct from
the Morning Service one no longer asks for enlightenment in striving for
peace (Sim Shalom), but for positive help in the actual process of
achieving it (Shalom Rav). This petition of Sim Shalom is, however,
retained on a public fast day, when the striving for the blessing of
enlightenment was originally proclaimed by the Kohanim also at Minchah;
and in some places also on the Sabbath, a day dedicated entirely to the
striving for enlightenment, for which reason there is also on the
Sabbath K'riath HaTorah at Minchah."
We must note (I have not read previous discussion besides Freundel's
comments) that Sefard/Ari/Chasidish also includes Sim Shalom at every
Mincha, and it is possible that some Chasidim also recite it for Maariv
in place of Shalom Rav.
Again, note that the phrase "Ahavah Rabah" is replaced by the phrase
"Ahavat Olam" in Nusach Sefard when reciting Shacharit. Some Chassidic
congregations, however, use the phrase "Ahavah Rabah" on Sabbath day
(only).
Nosson Tuttle
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From: Aleeza Esther Berger <aeb21@...>
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 1994 15:20:01 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: statistics article on codes
Apparently it hasn't come out yet but is imminent. When I find out I
will post the reference.
Aliza Berger (Department of Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics, Teachers
College)
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From: Aleeza Esther Berger <aeb21@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 1994 14:33:58 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Torah reading from humash
This is related to the thread on haftarot. I'm interested in anecdotes
or halakhic sources on the permissibility of doing the public Torah reading
from anything but parchment. I believe this is a different question than
reading from a pasul (imperfect, e.g. a letter missing) sefer. There is
apparently a geonic source for reading from non-kosher parchment when no
kosher sefer Torah is available. Also I know a story about someone reading
from a humash on a U.S. army base. Does anyone know more?
Aliza Berger
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End of Volume 13 Issue 76