Volume 22 Number 42
Produced: Tue Dec 19 1:31:46 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Adopted children and Yichud
[Gedaliah Friedenberg]
Boating and Shabbat
[Larry Loewenthal]
Female Singing
[Ed Ehrlich]
Jewish Astronaut and Halacha
[Josh Backon]
Jewish Family Violence
[Jeanette Friedman]
Kashrut of Tic Tacs
[Shmuel Himelstein]
Kashrut Queries - Tic Tac
[Jonathan Meyer]
Playing musical instruments on Shabbat
[Robert Kaiser]
Rabbi ?
[Mordechai Perlman]
Shabos Cooking
[CP]
Text of blessing sons on Leil Shabbat (Friday night)
[Leon M. Metzger]
Unblech
[Melech Press]
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From: Gedaliah Friedenberg <gedaliah@...>
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 09:02:38 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Adopted children and Yichud
Newsgroups: shamash.mail-jewish
Rav Cohen shlita, the main posek in Monsey, spoke on this issue
recently, since he himself has many adopted children. He said that the
laws of yichud do, in fact, apply to adopted children.
On a similar note, I heard Rav Greenspoon (also of Monsey, and a Rebbe
in Ohr Somayach of Monsey) who mentioned that there is an opinion
(albeit a minor one) that raising someone elses children fulfills the
mitzvah of pre u'rvu. He cited the posek who has this opinion, but I do
not remember who it was.
Gedaliah Friedenberg
<gedaliah@...>
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From: <LLoewentha@...> (Larry Loewenthal)
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 13:24:05 -0500
Subject: Boating and Shabbat
In response to the inquiry regarding getting off a boat on shabbat. I
have been a sailor for many years and prior to sailing raised this issue
with my young israel rabbi. The following guidelines were given to me at
that time which I continue to follow today.
If the boat is tied up to a dock before the shabbat and does not move
until motzei shabbat then one can get on and off at will during the day
because the boat then becomes like a house attached to the land.
If the boat is at anchor and not tied up then unfortunately one cannot
leave the boat. The boat is like a home as long as you remain on
it. Even if the boat is sailing and you got on before shabbat it is ok
to remain on the boat while it is moving but one cannot get off even if
the boat were to tie up to a dock during the shabbat one must then
remain on until motzei shabbat.
An interesting aside. Lets assume there is a non-jew who can captain the
boat, and lets assume that it tied up to a dock before shabbat but
sometime saturday during the day the nonjewish captain wanted to take
the boat sailing. A jew then would be allowed to get on and off the boat
at will friday night and could be on the boat when it sails on shabbat
but cannot in anyway help with the sailing and in addition if the boat
tied up again then the jewish passengers could not leave the boat until
motzei shabbat.
I hope this answers the questions at least based on my understanding.
Larry Loewenthal
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From: Ed Ehrlich <eehrlich@...>
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 95 09:57:42
Subject: Female Singing
I read that because of objections to hearing a female sing, Barbara
Streisand was not permitted to sing at the memorial ceremony for
Yitzak Rabin held in New York. Nether the less, a mixed choir did
participate in the ceremony.
I know that some men observe a prohibition against listening to a
voice of a female singing. But does it make any difference if it's a
single voice or women or girls participating in a mixed choir?
Any comments? Also what is the prohibition based on?
Ed Ehrlich <eehrlich@...>
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From: <BACKON@...> (Josh Backon)
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 95 15:12 +0200
Subject: Jewish Astronaut and Halacha
The YEDIOT newspaper in Israel has a weekly column on the Charedi
community and today's column dealt with the recent Israeli decision to
send an astronaut to NASA and its implication for Halacha. Rav Levi
Yitzchak Halperin of the MACHON HAMADAI-TECHNOLOGI L'BA'AYOT HALACHA in
Jerusalem just paskened that mitzvot that are dependent on a dimension
of time don't exist out of the earth's atmosphere. This includes Shabbat
(although he recommends that the Jewish astronaut keep one day in every
seven as his Shabbat and to follow all the relevant halachot), tfillin
(although he recommends that the Jewish astronaut put on tfillin every
24 hours when he sees the rising of the sun), and wearing tzitzit.
As far as the female astronaut and TAHARAT HAMISHPACHA: all she has to
do is count one day instead of 7 (but go find a mikveh in space :-)
Last but not least: Rav Zvi Cohen discussed whether the Jewish astronaut
has to light a menorah on Chanuka (no, if he's alone); and whether the
space ship needs a mezuza (yes ! if the space ship will be aloft for a
few months). And the punchline is whether martians can be Jewish. He
quotes a sefer called SEFER HABRIT written 600 years ago and rules that
space creatures can not be converted. Can you just imagine a martian in
a Bet Din l'Giyur ? :-)
Josh Backon
<backon@...>
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From: <FriedmanJ@...> (Jeanette Friedman)
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 12:55:51 -0500
Subject: Re: Jewish Family Violence
After having been subjected to a great deal of verbal abuse for bringing
up the issue of Jewish family violence on line, I am really gratified to
read about the Nefesh Conference. They are much needed in our community.
Anyone with current information that can help people inform themselves
about recognizing the signs of abuse and PREVENTING it, please e-mail
these "hotline" numbers, or the numbers of qualified
professionals/organizations/referral services who can help people when
they need it.
There are many Jewish communities that cannot meet their members needs
in these respects. It is vital that they get help quickly and safely.
I am building a data base that will be downloadable. There are already a
number of resources listed in Battered Women and Battered Women
Resources in the Judaism II library. These files contain phone numbers
of Jewish organizations that I have been able to contact, and sample
sermons from rabbis of different denominations. If anyone cares to add
to that base, please e-mail me the information at <FriedmanJ@...>
Thank you very much.
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <himelstein@...>
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 14:34:19 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Kashrut of Tic Tacs
In Israel, Tic Tac, a breath freshener made in a plant in Italy, carries
the following statement as part of the label (in Hebrew, of course, but
here translated by me): "Local supervision, with the endorsement of the
Chief Rabbinate of Israel." This implies that a local body in Italy
supervises the product for Kashrut, and that the Chief Rabbinate in
Israel has found that supervision acceptable. Whether it means that the
Chief Rabbinate sends people to check is something I simply don't know.
Shmuel Himelstein
<himelstein@...>
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From: Jonathan Meyer <meyerj@...>
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 12:35:52 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Kashrut Queries - Tic Tac
Not being your LOR, nor even a food chemist, I would take my advice with
caution, but I believe that magnesium stearate is an ingredient that
engenders serious potential problems. Why? Magnesium stearate is, I
believe, a salt produced from stearic acid, a byproduct of stearin, beef
fat. It is an ingredient often found in white mint type candies, like
white lifesavers (wintergreen, etc.), tic tac, etc.
Jonathan Meyer
<meyerj@...>
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From: <KAISER@...> (Robert Kaiser)
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 13:30:22 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Playing musical instruments on Shabbat
Does anyone know of the sources that prohibit Jews from playing
musical instruments on Shabbat? I was told that Talmud Bavli does not
in fact prohibit the playing of music on Shabbat , but merely makes a
fence law against using instruments, because an instrument might break
while it is in use, and someone might be tempted (on Shabbat) to make a
repair to it (which is forbidden on Shabbat). I have also heard that
the commentary to this gemara states that this is not always forbidden,
and only is forbidden in the instrument player is skilled in instrument
repair. If not, there would be no reason to forbid the plaing of music.
Do I understand this correctly?
I know that in recent Halakhic literature, there is a legend
that Jews are forbidden from playing instruments on Shabbat because of
the destruction of the Temple. According to this, somebody, somewhere,
forbid forevermore the playing of musical instruments on Shabbat as a
constant reminder of the destruction of the Temple. However, I recently
talked with a number of people a lot more knowledgeable in Judaisim than
me, and none of them could find any source whatsoever for this. They
were aware that the Shulkhan Arukh rules this way, but they could find
no substantiation. Of course, the Shulkhan Arukh never gives the basis
for a ruling and never quotes it sources, so that is a dead end. Does
anyone have a 'super' Shulkhan Aurkh with additional commentary and
notes that allows us to look up the source of R. Karo's ruling?
My question: Is this in fact a mere legend, or is there an
actual source where I can read about this?
Robert Kaiser
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From: Mordechai Perlman <aw004@...>
Date:
Subject: Rabbi ?
I was criticized for including in my list a certain Rabbi who is
considered an Orthodox Rabbi. I do not deny that he was once considered
Orthodox and in fact probably was too. In fact, if my memory serves me
coorectly, he was for a time considered a protege of a famous Rav in New
York.
However, he has made statements here in Toronto which run
counter, not to my sensibilities or those of my friends, but those of
the Rambam. He has publicly found fault which the accepted view that
the Oral Law is of Divine origin. This is not a question of differing
opinions. There are some absolute truths in Judaism and a limit to what
is considered in the realm of "differing". In fact, that famous Rav,
who gave him s'micha, was asked to withdraw the s'micha but said that a
s'micha given cannot be withdrawn.
Mordechai Perlman
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From: CP <chips@...>
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 12:52:36 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Shabos Cooking
]From: <bsegal@...> (Binyomin Segal)
]There are two issues I have.
]First, any "return" of food to a heat source on Shabbos requires that
]the source be "garoof ukatoom" (referring to the requirement with a
]flame of either covering the coal with ash, or brushing it out. in
]modern practice this translates to the need for a blech ie a metal sheet
]seperating between the flame and the pot). ...
There is a major contention of just what `garoof` is intended to do.
One is that there be a seperation between the flame and pot, period.
The other is that the configuration should be such so that the person
will not forget it is Shabos and "stir things up". There are two
situations where it makes a difference.
1: A blech which is smaller than the pot & larger than the flame
2: Whether all that is needed is to remove/block the controls.
-CP
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From: <LMETZGER@...> (Leon M. Metzger)
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 95 11:09:39 CST
Subject: Text of blessing sons on Leil Shabbat (Friday night)
The Pasuk (phrase) in the Torah is Y'simcah...V'ch'Menashe. Every
Siddur (prayer book) that I have seen uses that text for the blessing of
the sons that is recited on Leil Shabbat (Friday night) and other
occasions. Recently, I have been informed that some substitute
U'Menashe for V'ch'Menashe. I have been told that Reb Archik, the
Lomshe Rov, used the alternative text.
1. Is anyone familiar with this custom?
2. Does anyone know the reason for why the text does not follow the
Pasuk in the Torah?
Leon M. Metzger
<LMetzger@...>
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From: Melech Press <PRESS%<SNYBKSAC.BITNET@...>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 00:29:57 EST
Subject: Unblech
In response to Shmuel Himelstein's Dec. 17 question concerning the
so-called "unblech" (a metal container filled with water and to be used
to permit placing food on the stove on Shabbos, presumably with the
heter of kdeirah al gabei kdeirah [pot on top of pot]: Rav Feivel Cohen,
a prominent Brooklyn Moreh Horaah, publicly prohibited it some time ago.
I haven't heard of any other comments from recognized authorities.
M. Press, Ph.D. Dept. of Psychiatry, SUNY Health Science Center
450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 32 Brooklyn, NY 11203 718-270-2409
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End of Volume 22 Issue 42
