Volume 24 Number 36
Produced: Mon Jun 10 1:01:26 1996
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Aliyahs for Specific People
[Elozor Preil]
Best Kosher Restaurant in Paris
[Jim Phillips]
Best Tikkun
[David Steinberg]
Descendants of Maharam of Rutenberg
[Israel Pickholtz]
Duchaning and "Ribono Shel Olam"
[Jeff Fischer]
Duchening and Dreams
[Andy Goldfinger]
Duchening Nigun
[Mordechai Lando]
Grape Seed Oil
[Immanuel Burton]
Haftarah book error and more misphrasings
[Yitzchak Hollander]
Har Kegigit
[Mark Steiner]
Lo Adu Rosh
[Louis Rayman]
Mitzvos applicable today
[Alan Davidson]
Number of Mitzvoth Applicable Today
[Russell Hendel]
Rechabites (bnei Yisro)
[Yechezkal-Shimon Gutfreund]
Sacrifices
[Edwin R Frankel]
Synagogue Council
[Melech Press]
Torah & Evolution
[Joe Goldman]
Two Tikkunim
[Andrew Marc Greene]
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From: <EMPreil@...> (Elozor Preil)
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 14:47:39 -0400
Subject: Aliyahs for Specific People
> I was never makpid to NOT get that aliyah. In fact, at a bar mitzvah
> once that aliyah was given to me because everyone else was 'scared' of
> it - the b.m. boy didn't know the difference or even care. Should we be
> afraid of a single guy getting the aliyah of Yehuda/Tamar? Of a ger
> getting any particular aliyah? Or maybe we should make sure that a bar
> mitzvah boy doesn't get ben-sorr-er u'morehr just in case!
>
> Don't be afraid of a piece of Torah. It won't bite.
And yet, it is not by accident that the first two aliyot of Ki-Tissa are
so long . The reason is so that the entire episode of chet ha'egel (the
golden calf) should be read by kohen and levi, whose ancestors did not
participate in the sin.
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From: <RocketP@...> (Jim Phillips)
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 23:03:39 -0400
Subject: Best Kosher Restaurant in Paris
Dear Friends
I would like some opinions of mj readers on the Best Kosher Meat
restaurant in Paris, and what their best dish is. Results of this question
will be held strictly confidential and only shared with my closest 300
friends. Thank you Jim Phillips M.D.
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From: David Steinberg <dave@...>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 10:53:55 -0400
Subject: Best Tikkun
This year I had the zchus to buy and repair a Sefer Torah. In the
process of doing the computer check, they make a photocopy of the sefer.
I now have that copy.
I used it as a tikkun to prepare when I lained and I hope my boys will
learn to lain from the tikkun to lain their bar mitzvak parshios and
beyond.
As I am most certainly NOT a baal koreh, I found it made it much easier
for me.
Dave Steinberg
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From: Israel Pickholtz <rotem@...>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 05:40:47 +0300
Subject: Descendants of Maharam of Rutenberg
Does anyone know of a book that contains the descendants of
Rabbi Meir ben Baruch - the Maharam of Rutenberg?
Israel Pickholtz
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From: <rabbi_gabbai@...> (Jeff Fischer)
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 05:51:04, -0500
Subject: Duchaning and "Ribono Shel Olam"
<david@...> (David Charlap) wrote:
>In my synagogue (in the USA, where we don't duchen every day), the
>rabbi has instructed the congregation to never say the "Ribono Shel
>Olam" parts. He says that it is a hefsek (interruption) and that an
>interruption in the middle of the Blessing is very wrong. From what
>I hear, however, most synagogues do not practice this.
In our shul, our rabbi says to hold off on the Ribboo Shel Olom until
after the last set "Shalom" for the same reason.
Jeff (Rabbi_Gabbai)
Gabbai of Young Israel
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From: Andy Goldfinger <andy_goldfinger@...>
Date: 5 Jun 1996 10:26:13 -0400
Subject: Duchening and Dreams
Avi Feldblum writes:
<<Well, I'm on the other side of the talit, so I surely am not saying the
"Ribbono Shel Olom's".>>
which brings up the question: "what does a cohen do if he has a disturbing
dream?"
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From: <Mordechai.E.Lando@...> (Mordechai Lando)
Date: Wed, 05 Jun 96 12:59:50 EST
Subject: Duchening Nigun
My late shver, Reb Moshe Fensterheim obm, was a talmid in Mesivta Torah
Vodaas when Reb Dovid Leobovitz zt'l was the rosh yeshiva.(Reb Dovid was
a nephew of the Chofetz Chayim and later founded Yeshiva Chofetz Chayim
[Rabbinical Seminary of America] which is now headed by his son Reb
Henach shlita and is located in Forest Hills).
My shver often sang nigunim he had been taught by Reb Dovid (including a
beautiful yiddish Aynts, Aynts version of Echad Mi Yo'day'a). He said
that Reb Dovid, who was a cohain, told him that the nigun sung by the
cohanim when the mispllelim say the ribono shel olom was the same nigun
that had been used by the cohanim in the Beis Hamikdosh. May we rapidly
be zocheh to hear the nigun once again in the Bais Hamikdosh.
yukum
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From: Immanuel Burton <iburton@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 96 09:28:00 +0000
Subject: Grape Seed Oil
I recently saw for sale bottles of rose oil, which I thought might prove
useful for some experimental cooking. Upon reading the ingredients,
however, I saw that the rose oil was diluted in grape seed oil. Does
the oil made from grape seeds require a hechsher (supervision)? Does it
make any difference that this oil is an aromatherapy oil and not
intended for consumption?
Immanuel M. Burton (O'Levy) | Tel: +44 (0)181-802 9736 x0250
Better Properties Limited | Fax: +44 (0)181-802 9774
129, Stamford Hill |
London N16 5TW | Email: <iburton@...>
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From: Yitzchak Hollander <hollande@...>
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 10:37:34 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Haftarah book error and more misphrasings
While we're on the topic of tikkun accuracy, here's one from the Hatfara
of Beha'alotcha, read this past Shabbos outside Israel.
In Zecharia 3:10, the standard Haftara book used in most shuls reads "el
re'eyhu", while the correct text as per every Tanach I've looked at is
"le-re'eyhu".
Also, to add to the many examples cited so far in this discussion, here
are two more phrases from the Siddur that are commonly misread.
1) from lecha dodi -- livshi bigdei tifartech, 'ammi.
2) From the first berachah of Shemoneh 'Esrei -- attah gibbor le`olam,
Adoshem
Yitzchak
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From: Mark Steiner <MARKSA@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 96 10:27 +0200
Subject: Har Kegigit
In his classic work, Klei Heres Besifrut Hatalmud, Yehoshua
Brand points out that it was a form of punishment to imprison a man in
an upside-down "gigit," a very large conical earthenware vessel.
(Cf. article on "gigit.") Mount Sinai suggested to the Rabbis this
upside down gigit, because of its shape. The term "tahtit" suggested
the literal meaning "under the mountain." According to this reasonable
"archeological" commentary, only the Jews, not the world were
threatened. I see no reason to infer that the Babylonian amoraim were
misinformed; and their response, "moda'ah rabba le-orayta" is, if not
"lyrical," philosophical enough.
Mark Steiner
Department of Philosophy
Hebrew University
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From: <lou@...> (Louis Rayman)
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 11:42:33 -0400
Subject: Lo Adu Rosh
Steve White and Jerrold Landau both claim (in v24.32) that when Rosh
Chodesh is declared by a Bet Din, the rule of Lo Adu Rosh (Rosh HaShana
cannot fall out on Sunday, Wednesday or Friday) will not apply.
Is that really the case? The reasons for the rule apply both to times
with the Beit HaMikdash, and to times without it. For example, to avoid
a 2 day delay in burying the dead, Yom Kippur may not fall on Friday or
Sunday (the D and U of Adu). This reason has nothing to do with the
Beit HaMikdash. It is certainly in the Beit Din's power to ignore
witnesses who come on an "inconvenient" day.
|_ ||____ | Lou Rayman - Hired Gun
.| | / / Client Site: <lou@...> 212/603-3375
|_| /_/ Main Office: <louis.rayman@...>
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From: Alan Davidson <DAVIDSON@...>
Date: Wed, 05 Jun 96 11:07:35 EDT
Subject: Mitzvos applicable today
The Chofetz Chaim compiled a book of Mitzvos which are relevant today.
This is available in Hebrew-English from Feldheim. Unfortunately, there
is no indication of how this list of Mitzvos corresponds numerically to
Rambam's Sefer Ha-Mitzvos. However, the explanations and sources for
the Mitzvos are noted.
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From: <rhendel@...> (Russell Hendel)
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 19:10:32 -0400
Subject: Number of Mitzvoth Applicable Today
I am responding to [Gelb, Vol 24, #32] who inquires about people who
counted the number of mitzvoth we are required to do today.
First the Rambam himself at the end of the Mitzvoth Asay explicitly
lists the number of mitzvoth done by the "average person" nowadays.
Second, I believe the Chafatz Chayiim wrote some type of book for
soldiers dealing with their daily obligations (I honestly forget if it
was written as a shulchan aruch or a sefer mitzvoth or both)
Perhaps some other MJers will have more details.
Russell Hendel, rhendel @ mcs . drexel . edu
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From: Yechezkal-Shimon Gutfreund <sgutfreund@...>
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 1996 09:32:56 -0400
Subject: Rechabites (bnei Yisro)
Does anyone know something more about the present day Rechabites
(children of Yisro). It is mentioned briefly in the Hirsh Chumash that
an English missionary (Dr. Wolff) found Rechabites living in Mecca in
Arabia in 1828. That they speak Arabic and a little Hebrew, and number
about 60,000. It also says that this Dr. Wolff credits them with
observing a pure form of the Mosaic Law, meaning only Torah
Shb'ksav. (That's Wolff's description, not mine!).
Yechezkal-Shimon Gutfreund
<sgutfreund@...>
GTE Laboratories,Waltham MA
http://info.gte.com/ftp/circus/home/home.html
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From: <frankele@...> (Edwin R Frankel)
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 22:08:25 -0700
Subject: Re: Sacrifices
Ed G. asks about sacrifices being limited to a specific site, while before
the Torah was given there was no such limit. There is no problem with this,
it simply describes the situation. From the time the Torah was given, the
Jews (and the Jews only -- see below) were forbidden to offer a sacrifice
anywhere but in the Temple (except for the time when the Tabernacle was in
Shiloh, when private altars were permitted).
Sad to say, but I strongly believe that this is a mistaken reading of the
halacha as it applies to the biblical era. There are frequent reports of
sacrifices under the ledership of King Saul, King David and King Solomon
at several locations other than Har Habayit or Shiloh. Furthermore, the
Josianic reforms seem to relate not only to the removal of pagan bamot, but
legitimate bamot of our people. The biblical record seems to affirm the
concept of numerous bamot with Har Habayit becoming the most predominant of
them during the time of Bet Hamikdash haRishon, and the only aceptable
location for korbanot after the time of the Josianic reforms
Ed Frankel
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From: Melech Press <PRESS%<SNYBKSAC.BITNET@...>
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 96 23:14:55 EST
Subject: Re: Synagogue Council
In catching up on old MJs I came across a discussion of the position of
Rav Soloveitchik ztvk"l on the Synagogue Council in which his view was
misrepresented. He told me directly (as I previously reported on MJ) that
he did not believe such membership was prohibited but neither did he see it
as something to be desired. He did believe that joint action with
deviationist Jews was desirable in such areas as pikuach nefesh but that is not
the same as advocating membership in the Synagogue Council.
In response to Eitan Fiorino - all the leading Roshei Yeshiva, with the
exception of the Rov ztvk"l, were signed on the issur, including Rav Moshe.
They were not signed on as Aguda rabbis as Eitan suggested; all leading Roshei
Yeshiva happened to belong to the Aguda.
Melech Press
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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From: Joe Goldman <joe.goldman@...>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 10:27:05 -0400
Subject: Torah & Evolution
The age of the world at 5,756 years and scientific theory have been
reconciled for me by the simple acknowledgment that when HaShem created
the world it was created at a mature state (just like Adam). As far as
Earth is concerned, that means on day 1 if scientists would perform
their aging tests, they would have already found the world to be "x"
years old! Furthermore, it is possible that the world was created with
embedded fossils (bones from animals that may have never even existed!).
Why?, you may ask. Perhaps, for the same reason that the Torah states
"na'aseh Adam b'tzalmenu..." (let US create man...) in plural rather
than the singular, and many other places where we would be totally
misled without proper faith in the Oral tradition (emunas chachamim).
Joe Goldman
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From: Andrew Marc Greene <amgreene@...>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 13:30:53 -0400
Subject: Two Tikkunim
Extending the discussion of tikkunim lakor`im yet a little further, is
anyone else familiar with the custom of having the *gaba`im* using two
different chumashim or tikkunim, so that if there's an error in one the
other won't agree with it, causing them to miscorrect the ba`al kor`ei?
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End of Volume 24 Issue 36