Volume 28 Number 100
Produced: Fri Jul 9 6:07:27 US/Eastern 1999
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Administrivia - Mazal Tov! New Baby boy!!!
[Sheri & Seth Kadish]
Citation for ein simcha k'hatarat hasafek (2)
[Gilad J. Gevaryahu, Janine Weinstock]
Coming Late to Shul (4)
[Joshua Cypess, Jeff Fischer, Michael Poppers, Russell Hendel]
Kosher Food for Remote Travel
[Janice Gelb]
Moshe Feldman on tefillin
[Gitelle Rapoport]
Need a source from the Gemara
[Rachamim Pauli]
operation refuah
[Mark Feldman]
Pronunciation of Yisachar
[Yehuda Poch]
Tfillot in Australia (2)
[Zev Sero, Joe Slater]
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From: Sheri & Seth Kadish <skadish@...>
Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 13:21:34 +0300
Subject: Administrivia - Mazal Tov! New Baby boy!!!
Dear Friends,
We're overjoyed to let all of you know that on Sunday, Sheri
gave birth to a baby boy! He is unbelievably cute and very sweet and
good-natured. We are very grateful to God.
It was a c-section, but thank God Sheri is now feeling fine.
The baby was small, and he had to have some special treatments for
jaundice, so he will stay in the hospital for now, probably until
sometime next week. Sheri and I will be staying with him (Sheri in the
hospital and me elsewhere in Tzfat) until he is released. We have been
in the hospital and in Tzfat since last Monday, when Sheri was admitted.
(So we haven't picked up much e-mail.)
Because of the treatments the brit milah will be postponed for
at least another week. Obviously, anyone who happens to be in Israel at
the time is invited!
Sheri sends her regards. She can be reached via pelephone in
the hospital at (050) 904-686. Drop the first 0 when calling from
overseas.
Bivrakha,
Seth (Avi) & Sheri (Shoshana) Kadish
Rehov Megiddo 5/10
Karmiel 21950, Israel
(04)958-1553
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From: Gilad J. Gevaryahu <Gevaryahu@...>
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 21:48:41 EDT
Subject: Citation for ein simcha k'hatarat hasafek
Reuven Miller asked (MJ Vol. 28 #97) for the citation of : "ein simcha
k'hatarat hasafek".
The Treasury of Jewish Quotations, edited by Joseph L. Baron, 1985, p.93
#216.4 brings: "No greater joy than resolve a doubt."
Source: J. Hurowitz, Tzel HaMaalot, 1764, p. 31. See Issreles, Responsa, #5.
Gilad J. Gevaryahu
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From: Janine Weinstock <Omaj@...>
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 12:51:38 EDT
Subject: Re: Citation for ein simcha k'hatarat hasafek
Metzudat David uses this in his interpretation of Mishlei: Perek 15
Pasuk 30
Janine Weinstock
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From: Joshua Cypess <cypess@...>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 14:15:43 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Coming Late to Shul
In MJ v28n93, Dr. Etan Diamond brought up the halakhic dissonance about
creating halakha for people who come late to shul. We can either assume
that coming late was an acceptable activity and thus had its own rule
structure, or we can assume that people were forced to come late to shul
and thus needed to be accommodated within the law.
I came across a possible answer to this problem while reading a new
book: "Bring Us the Old People" by Marisa Kantor Stark. The book, which
was nominated for a National Jewish Book Award, is a semi-fictional
account of life in Poland in the years immediately preceding (and
during) the Holocaust.
Jews in early 20th Century Poland did not always live in close
population centers. The farms and little hamlets were widespread enough
that it could take a long time to travel to the nearest synagogue, even
in good weather. The life so described is, naturally, before the
widespread use of cars, and they had a level of poverty and deprivation
that made even horse & buggy travel rare.
Extrapolating from the conditions described, in order to get to shul a
"pious" shul-going Yid would need to leave at best by first light and
travel, who knows, an hour or two. Shul would begin very early anyway
because they all needed to work a full day in order to survive.
So as opposed to our current age, where often people come late to shul
because they overslept, or they were watching "Sportscenter," --
i.e. the lateness of luxury (of all forms) -- we can surmise that the
"latecomers" mentioned in the halakhic codes are concerned with those
who are late because of deprivation and difficulty.
- Joshua Cypess
Educational Director,
Yeshiva University Torah U-Madda Project
<cypess@...>
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From: Jeff Fischer <NJGabbai@...>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 15:09:56 EDT
Subject: Re: Coming Late to Shul
The reason for adding those prayers for latecomers (Baruch Hashem on
weeknights and Mogen Avot on Shabbos) is because, unlike nowadays, in
the past (hundreds of years ago), it was very dangerous for the
latecomers to walk home from shul alone, so they made it that the
latecomers can catch up to everyone in shul and walk home together with
everyone else. That is one reason why some shuls do not say Baruch
Hashem on Motza'ay Shabbos and Yom Tov.)
Jeff
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From: Michael Poppers <MPoppers@...>
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 11:23:08 -0400
Subject: Re: Coming Late to Shul
In BT Rosh HaShanah (the folio in question is in the 20's, if I remember
correctly), the Talmud explains that the shofar is only blown around the
time of mussaf, even though "z'rizim makdimim l'mitzvos" (rough
translation: the conscientous perform Mitzvos ASAP) would dictate our
blowing it much earlier in the Rosh HaShanah service, because "b'rov am
hadras melech" (rough translation: proper honor to the King is bestowed
with a large crowd). To me, this means that the "crowd" usually wasn't
large enough until "mussaf time," which implies that this issue existed
in Talmudic times.
Michael Poppers * Elizabeth, NJ
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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@...>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:37:12 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Coming Late to Shul
Etan Diamond in Volume 28 Number 93 asked about the many prayers for
"latecomers". I actually was priveleged to hear a Shiur from the Rav,
Rabbi Dr Joseph B Soloveitchick(The Rav that year was teaching AYN
YAAKOV).
The Rav laid down the fundamental principle that ANYTHING SAID ABOUT GOD
is an assertion that THIS THING IS A MORAL NORM.
For example if the Bible says that God BURIED Moses (Dt 34) then we
learn that Burying the dead is a moral norm. Indeed, this is so, because
there is a Biblical commandment to imitate God.
So if a Rabbi wanted to indicate that something is a moral norm then
they would have the option of a) saying it is a moral norm or b) saying
that God does it.
Having explained this principle the Rav cited several otherwise strange
Agaddahs: "God wears Tefillin", "God prays" etc. Based on the above
principle the Rav concluded that wearing Tefillin and praying are moral
norms. There is a novelty here: BESIDES the religious dimension
(God-man) of praying and wearing tefillin there is ALSO a MORAL
dimension (man-man). Prayer and Tefillin have interpersonal values
inherent in them.
The Rav applied this to the VAYECHULU prayers on Friday night: These
prayers were instituted because some people came late on Friday nights
to shule and if the others left on time and these people left late then
there lives might be endangered (From walking home alone in a bad
neighborhood on Friday night). Thus the prayers have an element of
caring for ones fellow man. Since we conclude all prayers with a prayer
for peace (Sim Shalom) it follows that a person who prayed for peace and
left early (leaving late comers behind) was being hypocritical and
demonstrating that he didn't really believe in what he was
praying. Hence his prayer would be unacceptable.
Many other comments were made during the year. I hope this sheds insight
on the complex nature of prayer
Russell Jay Hendel; <rhendel@...>;
Moderator Rashi Is Simple; http://www.shamash.org/rashi
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From: Janice Gelb <janice.gelb@...>
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 09:02:37 -0700
Subject: Re: Kosher Food for Remote Travel
There is a company called "My Own Meals, Inc" that makes kosher MREs,
which are glatt refrigeration-free microwaveable/boilable meals, in
addition to camping foods like granola bars, etc. For more information,
check out http://www.myownmeals.com
There's also a place called SOYah that makes meatless soy-based types of
meals that claims to be kosher on their main page but doesn't mention
this anywhere else (http://www.soyah.com/store.htm)
-- Janice
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From: Gitelle Rapoport <giteller@...>
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 13:31:36 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Moshe Feldman on tefillin
Maybe you didn't mean to suggest that men wearing tefillin on Chol
HaMoed daven in the women's section today, but it really is not a good
idea -- it prevents women from attending. It's hard enough walking into
a shul where a significant number of men routinely sit in the women's
section (even when there is no good reason to do so) and waiting for
them to move or needing to ask them to move so we can daven with a
minyan. Sorry, I've been away and haven't yet read the other postings
on this subject, but there must be other solutions.
Gitelle Rapoport
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From: Rachamim Pauli <phenya@...>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 19:30:32 +0300
Subject: Need a source from the Gemara
Recently, I saw a homopathic doctor using the Talmudic cure of two drops
of Urine diluted in seven cups for AIDS Patients. I believe the said
cure (general cure) is covered in Berachot. Does anybody have the Bar
Ilan disc that can look up the Gemara source(s) for me.
Thanks,
Richard (Rachamim) Pauli
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From: Mark Feldman <mfeldman@...>
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 14:42:47 -0400
Subject: operation refuah
Hadassa J Goldsmith wrote:
<<
It is no secret that every Jewish community around the world is being hit
with terrible tragedies...it is time to come together as one People, with
one soul and one heart, to ask Hashem to have mercy on His Chosen Nation.>>
While I encourage tzedakah and ahavat chinam campaigns, I wonder about
the above statement and other literature I have seen from Operation
Refuah ("OR"). First, OR's website claims that there are "devastating
tragedies and illnesses around the globe." Undoubtedly, with the advent
of e-mail and the web, we are able, more than ever before, to hear about
many Jews all over the world who are, rachmana litzlan, suffering from
illness. But, percentagewise, are there *more* people suffering?
Second, I heard a shiur from R. Melech Schachter (father of R. Hershel
Schachter) where he suggested that according to most medieval Jewish
philosophers, people recover from illness based upon their own good
deeds, not because others pray for them. Perhaps, he said, a person
might decide to do tshuvah when he hears that others have been praying
for him. Based on this, how would praying for someone who does not know
that you're praying help that person?
Kol tuv,
Moshe
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From: Yehuda Poch <yehudap@...>
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 16:20:45 +0300
Subject: Pronunciation of Yisachar
The Baal Haturim quotes the Daas Zekeinim Baalei Tosafos and notes that
in Berishis, Yisachar had a son called Yov. In Pinchas, Yov disappears
and is replaced by Yoshuv. He says that Yov was also the name of a
popular idol in those days and therefore Yov complained to his father
about his choice of the name. Yisochor agreed and therefore gave one of
his s(h)ins to his son and hence the name Yoshuv and hence the silent
sin in Yiso(s)chor. He also brings down a number of poskim who say that
therefore until Pinchos, you are REQUIRED to read the name as Yisoschor,
and from Pinchos on, one should read it with a silent sin as
Yisochor. In the shul in which I grew up they have the custom of only
reading Yisoschor (pronouncing both shins) the first time it appears in
the Torah, and from then on with the silent sin.
I would be interested to see how many shuls have the minhag quoted in the
Baal Haturim and what other minhagim are used.
Yehuda Poch
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From: Zev Sero <zsero@...>
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 22:11:50 -0400
Subject: Re: Tfillot in Australia
Tirzah Houminer <tirzah@...> wrote:
> My daughter is going to spend six months in australia (from tammuz to
> kislev) and asked us the following question - since their winter is
> concurent with our (we live in eretz yisrael) summer, what nusach should
> she be saying in shmoneh esray - "moreed hatal" or "vetayn tal umattar
> livracha" . I thought she should say whatever we say here in eretz
> yisrael, as the tfillah is for rain here
Actually, it isn't. While the *mention* of rain in the 2nd beracha
(morid hatal/mashiv haruach umorid hageshem) does refer to Eretz
Yisrael, the *prayer* for rain in the 9th beracha refers to the
petitioner's area, and therefore ought in theory to follow the local
climate. However, the custom of all Jews outside Israel is to follow
the seasons of Bavel, even though there are hardly any Jews left there.
The Rosh already commented on the absurdity of this custom hundreds of
years ago, and said that if he had the power to change it he would, but
that as he couldn't effect such a change it was better to stick with
what all Israel was doing.
> others in the family thought it would be more correct to be attuned to
> whatever the people there say.
That is correct - but the people there are in fact saying veten beracha
now, even though it's the dead of winter, because it's summer in Bavel.
> We remembered that in NY the nusach changed around December 4th and
> not when it changed in Israel.
The changeover is in Maariv on 4-Dec, except when (as will be the case
this year) the year that's about to come in is a leap year, in which
case the changeover is on 5-Dec.
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From: Joe Slater <joeDeleteThis@...>
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 03:14:11 GMT
Subject: Tfillot in Australia
Jews in Australia follow the practice of Israel, despite the fact that
our seasons are different. However, as a child I was told that because
there is something of a safek, if one makes a mistake in the prayer one
does not repeat it.
jds
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End of Volume 28 Issue 100
