Volume 15 Number 18
Produced: Thu Sep 1 8:35:08 1994
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Administrivia
[Avi Feldblum]
An Introduction to the Work of the Meru Foundation
[Cynthia Tenen]
Dor Yeshorim and Gaucher's Disease
[Yaakov Menken]
Rav's Teshuva Drasha
[Arnold Lustiger]
Rebbe's Library
[YY Kazen]
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From: mljewish (Avi Feldblum)
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 08:28:40 -0400
Subject: Administrivia
Hello All,
I have a few more items that I have placed in the archive area.
First, Arnie Lustiger has prepared for us another on of the Rav's
Teshuva drashot in time for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Yasher Koach,
Arnie, I know how much work it takes to prepare these. The file is
uploaded under the name - yom_kippur_94. The ftp/gopher directory is -
rav.
We have some additional information from Stan Tenen on the Meru
foundation work. The file name is - meru_overview, and the ftp/gopher
directory is Special_Topics. If we get additional information from Stan
for the archives, we will likely make a seperate Meru area on the gopher
and put together it's own Web page.
The third file is an announcement about the opening of a Library
exhibit/resource area at Chabad. The file name is chabad_library and the
ftp/gopher directory is Special_Topics.
Reminder on How to Access the MAIL-JEWISH Archive Areas:
To get files using the listserv email method, you need to send a message
to the listserv address which is:
<listserv@...>
Sending the request to <mail-jewish@...> or
<mljewish@...> WILL NOT WORK to retrieve files!
The body of the email message should say:
get mail-jewish FILENAME
where you replace FILENAME with the name of the file you wish to get, as
given in the announcement of the file going onto the archive area.
To get a list of what is in the archive area, send the message:
index mail-jewish
to the listserv address.
FTP:
ftp to israel.nysernet.org, cd to israel/lists/mail-jewish. You are now
in the mail-jewish area. To see what directories are in the area, you
can do a ls or dir command. to get any of the above mentioned files,
first cd to the directory given, then use the "get" command to get the
file.
Gopher:
gopher to shamash.nysernet.org, choose 10 - Jewish Lists, choose 30 -
Mail-Jewish. You now are at the main mail-jewish gopher menu. Menu item
2 is the Special Topics area, menu item 3 is the Rav Soloveicheck area.
WWW/Mosaic:
[Still under construction, but getting there. I'd like to hear your
comments on this area] Choose URL - http://nysernet.org/~mljewish, then
just click on either the special topics area or the Rav area. Let me
know what problems you have here, please.
Avi Feldblum
mail-jewish Moderator
<mljewish@...>
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From: Cynthia Tenen <meru1@...>
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 13:24:48 -0700
Subject: An Introduction to the Work of the Meru Foundation
[The following file has been uploaded to the mail-jewish archives. The
first two paragraphs are included here. See at end for instructions to
get the file. Mod.]
THE HEBREW LETTERS -- TEFILLIN IN HAND
An Introduction to the Work of the Meru Foundation
c. 1994 Stan Tenen
In 1983 when we started Meru Foundation, we had shown that there was a
pattern to the letters in the first verses of B'Reshit. We had several
theories of what it might represent and why it was there. We now know
one of its most important qualities.
The letters of the first verse of B'Reshit can be paired off so as to
fold a ribbon with the text written on it into a recognizable geometric
form. The most compact and elegant representation of this form is a
particular and unique form of vortex. We have shown that this vortex
represents a path of self-organization applicable to living systems,
consciousness, and physics. It represents an ideal fruit whose form
traces the embryonic unfoldment of a "seed" into a "fruit-tree" into a
"fruit bearing new seed" (B'Reshit I.11.), an idealized candle flame
representing the self-referential qualities of our consciousness and
their use for exploration in meditation, as well as an idealization of
the Quantum of Action providing a geometric basis for describing the
dimensions of the physics of unfolding spacetime.
Stan Tenen, Director of Research
Meru Foundation, P.O. Box 1738
San Anselmo, CA 94979 U.S.A.
Internet: <meru1@...>
CompuServe: 75015,364
[Full text of the Meru Overview can be gotten by email by sending the
request:
get mail-jewish meru_overview
to: <listserv@...>
ftp: israel/lists/mail-jewish/Special_Topics/meru_overview
gopher: in the Special Topics folder
www: http://nysernet.org/~mljewish, click on Special Topics
Mod.]
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From: Yaakov Menken <ny000548@...>
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 00:57:10 -0400
Subject: Dor Yeshorim and Gaucher's Disease
Well, I just got a call from Caroline Little, Deputy General Counsel at
USNWR. Apparently, a large box in the letters section of the next issue
will contain both text from them (a "clarification") and quotes from three
different letters that they received in response. There was very negative
feedback - and much of it came from all of those on the Net who wrote
letters. Thank you to everyone who did! We'll see after Rosh HaShanah.
Concerning Gaucher's:
Those familiar with the Yeshivish / Chassidish community will tell
you that a program such as Dor Yeshorim, which serves that community
and relies on its voluntary participation, would get _nowhere_ without
most vigorous approbation and encouragement from Gedolei Yisroel.
Dor Yeshorim has that support for _all_ of its programs.
Yosef Bechhofer wrote:
>The above correspondence confirms to my suspicion that no Posek has
>sanctioned this [Gaucher's] Testing...
Isn't it worthwhile to check closer to the source before assuming the
worst about a Jewish charitable organization? One was only able to reach
that conclusion because the correspondent was misinformed. Either that,
or Rabbis Auerbach, Karelitz, Wosner, Svei, and Feigelstock (shlit"a) are
no longer answering shailos [legal questions]. Those were mentioned
to me by name when I called Rav Ekstein to tell him the news (and ask
him about Gaucher's). Did he ask every posek on earth? No. But no one
that he asked has contradicted the host poskim and Chassidishe Rebbes
that have already approved going on to Gaucher's testing.
And after all, who _would_ reply negatively? What seems to be missing
here is that Dor Yeshorim only provides information. The _couple_ makes
the decision.
Concerning Tay-Sachs, Reb Moshe Feinstein zt"l said that in a day when
a) the risk is well-known, b) the _cause_ is well-known, and c) the test
is easily available, failing to be tested for a genetic condition is
_not_ Bitachon, but rather ignoring the facts that lie before one's face.
This is equally true for the other conditions. While it is true that
Gaucher's and CF can be treated, it is also true that they can never
be cured. Couples should know these risks _before_ they marry, and
then decide for themselves given proper information.
The past director of a lab used by DY writes that "Personal decision
making is precisely what is at risk in mandating which pieces of genetic
information individuals have the right to utilize... The DY program
provides hours of counseling to couples who have been found to both be
carriers of TS, CF or Gauchers to educate them about their specific risk.
Such a couple is keenly focused on this information which pertains to
them _in_ _particular_; i.e. this is education about oneself."
And please, let's not ignore medical conditions because some people
manage to overcome them. Not every Gaucher's sufferer does as well as
Rav Steinsaltz - nor do we know how much _he_ feels his condition has held
him back. President Roosevelt was paralyzed from the waist down, due to
polio. Should we not be killing the virus because he still became
President? Indeed it is true that had Mr. & Mrs. Steinsaltz Sr. used DY,
they might have chosen not to marry. But in a day when the information is
available, do couples not have the right to use it? Perhaps _both_ of
them would have had Rabbis for children - _this_ we do not know, and
must leave to Bitachon.
Although it is certainly far-fetched to assume that a program like this
one would test for _obeisity_, why not? If my wife and I had been told
that 1 in 4 of our kids would be pudgy... thank you, we're a bit deeper
than that. We'd just try to keep the kid away from the snack food.
Sincerely,
Yaakov Menken
<menken@...>
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From: <alustig@...> (Arnold Lustiger)
Date: Fri, 26 Aug 1994 13:53:51 -0400
Subject: Rav's Teshuva Drasha
I am once again privileged to post a Teshuva Drasha from the Rav, Rabbi
Yosef Ber Soloveitchik zt'l, the third in a series of translations. Because
in this particular drasha aspects of Rosh Hashanah in detail, I decided to
post this contribution prior to the aseret yemei teshuva.
The shiur, from 1975, addresses the Teshuva process between Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, with particular emphasis on the concept of "hirhur teshuva".
As usual, I would appreciate any comments or corrections. Previous
translations of the 1979 and 1977 drashot appear in the archive. Next year
"haba aleinu letova", I hope to post the 1973 drasha.
Ketiva Vechatima Tova,
Arnie Lustiger
<alustig@...>
[Full text of the Teshuva Drasha can be gotten by email by sending the
request:
get mail-jewish yom_kippur_94
to: <listserv@...>
ftp: israel/lists/mail-jewish/rav/yom_kippur_94
gopher: in the Rav folder
www: http://nysernet.org/~mljewish, click on Rav Soloveicheck
Mod.]
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From: YY Kazen <yyk@...>
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 14:14:37 -0400
Subject: Rebbe's Library
An Exhibition of the Library of Lubavitch
in the exhibition hall of the library
Opening date: August 25, 1994
Closing date: November 3, 1994
Displays in the exhibition will include artifacts and
manuscripts from the previous Chabad leaders including
gifts the Rebbe received relating to the Mitzva Campaign
(Mivtzoyim) which he initiated, urging Jews the world over
to fulfill the commandments.
[Full text of the announcement can be gotten by email by sending the
request:
get mail-jewish chabad_library
to: <listserv@...>
ftp: israel/lists/mail-jewish/Special_Topics/chabad_library
gopher: in the Special Topics folder
www: http://nysernet.org/~mljewish, click on Special Topics
Mod.]
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End of Volume 15 Issue 18