Volume 35 Number 22
Produced: Mon Jul 23 6:22:39 US/Eastern 2001
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Ashkenazi vs. Sephaardi
[Rabbi Yaakov Shemaria]
The Congregational Rabbi as Posek
[Carl Singer]
Dairy and Pareve
[David Maslow]
The function of the Yoatzoath
[Beth and David Cohen]
Haftarah of Rosh Chodesh Elul on Shabbat Parshas Re'ai
[Hillel E. Markowitz]
Haphtorah of Shabbos Chazon
[<NJGabbai@...>]
HIV/AIDS in the observant world
[Rise Goldstein]
Maternity
[Bob Werman]
Muslim Mats
[Yisrael & Batya Medad]
One Hebrew Word A Day
[Janice Gelb]
Ou and Kashrus
[Chaim Shapiro]
various interpretations of AR"I
[Mordechai]
Verses in Ezekiel that Rashi did not understand
[Gilad J. Gevaryahu]
Vsen Tal Umatar
[Bernard Raab]
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From: Rabbi Yaakov Shemaria <shyaakov@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 13:54:05 +0300
Subject: Re: Ashkenazi vs. Sephaardi
Rabbi Dobrinsky work Treasury of Sephardic Laws and Customs discusses
differences between different Sefardi communities.
In Hebrew the classic work which discusses differences between Sefardim
and Askenazim is Keter Shem Tov, Rabbi Shem Tov Gaugine.
Yaakov Shemaria
P.O. Box 15, Bet El D.N. 15 Mizrach Binyamin, 90631 Israel
phone: 00-972-2-997-8266, Fax: 00-972-2-997-9007
E-mail: <shyaakov@...>
Web: www.judaicabooks.net www.shemariajudaica.com
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From: Carl Singer <CARLSINGER@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 07:11:17 EDT
Subject: The Congregational Rabbi as Posek
I think one cannot look at this role (or task?) without looking at a
large context. In many synagogues the Rabbi is A (emphasis on "A")
Posek not THE Posek. When one looks at the historic correspondence
among famous Rabbi's of previous generations or even the well-known
interactions between the Vilna Goan and the Rabbinic authorities of his
town, one sees a different model than one has today.
Over simplifying -- partly from lack of knowledge --
The Rabbi as THE Posek, meant that the Rabbi was the singular source
who, as necessary, contacted other Rabbi's when "stumped" -- that is in
need of advice, guidance, opinions.
The Rabbi as A Posek means the individual seeking a P'sak Halocha
contacts other Rabbis or other sources (and yes, Mail Jewish might be
classified as one such source.)
My oft stated opinion, that this undermines the community and the
Halachik process remains.
Kol Tov
Carl Singer
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From: David Maslow <maslowd@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 10:32:20 -0400
Subject: Dairy and Pareve
The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 324, no. 14, pps.976-979 (1991)
published an article on allergic reactions to milk-contaminated "non-dairy"
products, which included some labeled as pareve (with reliable hashgacha),
that showed, using sensitive antisera (ELISA) tests, remarkably high levels
of dairy and milk protein contamination. In case, a tofu-based pareve
desert product was measured as having the equivalent of approximately 2.5 ml
of cow's milk per 4-oz (120 ml) serving.
I do not know what, if anything, was done by the certifying organization to
address the problem, but clearly OU-D is not the entire answer.
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From: Beth and David Cohen <bdcohen@...>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:45:41 -0400
Subject: The function of the Yoatzoath
There is a real difference between the function of a Rav and the Yoatzot:
In the halachic system, the Rav has the power to issue a p'sak (decision)
that is binding. If I ask a shayla from my LOR ( assuming that he is my
posek) I am bound halchically to follow his ruling. I do not believe that a
ruling of a yoetzet is similarly binding.
A very big difference.
David I. Cohen
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From: Hillel E. Markowitz <Sabba.Hillel@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 00:02:01 -0400
Subject: Re: Haftarah of Rosh Chodesh Elul on Shabbat Parshas Re'ai
> From: Baruch J. Schwartz <schwrtz@...>
> I was asked off-line the following question:
> "But much more commonly, R"Ch Elul falls out on Shabbat-Sunday, raising
> similar issues wrt the R"Ch haftarah. What do we do then?"
> In response:
> The Rema, however, says that in Ashkenaz this is not the practice,
> rather, the haftarah of Rosh Hodesh is read.
An interesting point is that when the two haftarot are read as a unit
(two weeks later) , we are reading the haftara of Parshas Noach. I am
sure that someone can come up with some divrei torah based on this fact.
Hillel (Sabba) Markowitz
<sabbahem@...>, Sabba.Hillel@verizon.net
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From: <NJGabbai@...>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 15:10:22 EDT
Subject: Haphtorah of Shabbos Chazon
Next Shabbos, Shabbos Chazon / Parshat D'varim, I have heard many
minhagim about doing the Haphtorah in the trup of Aycha. Some people
will do the entire haphtorah in regular trup, some will do all except
the last 3 p'sukim in Aycha, some will do the 1st pasuk and the last 3
in regular trup and some will do the haphtorah in Aychah except for 3 or
4 persukim in the middle of the Haphtorah and the last 3.
What is the reason for the different minhagin? I know the reason for
saying the 1st pasuk and the last 3 pesukim in regular trup, because of
the bracha.
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From: Rise Goldstein <Rbg29861@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 08:54:37 EDT
Subject: HIV/AIDS in the observant world
My work as a mental health and substance abuse researcher has led me
into projects addressing issues surrounding HIV infection and AIDS.
While it is possible that some of the subjects/participants in the
projects on which I now work identify themselves as shomrei mitzvot, the
projects have not deliberately recruited subjects/participants from
"our" ranks. Nevertheless, because HIV does exist among individuals who
self-identify as observant, the kinds of questions posed by the research
with which I'm involved clearly do apply. When I performed Medline
searches of professional publications in the health sciences, I found NO
published articles dealing with these issues in "our" population, though
I do remember a very large spread in the _Village Voice_, of all places,
about 6 years ago.
If anybody knows of HIV/AIDS service organizations dedicated to
observant clients, or of articles in the professional or popular press
describing these or discussing issues posed by this disease for the
Torah-observant world, whether in the U.S., Israel, or elsewhere, please
e-mail me privately with the particulars.
Thank you in advance.
Rise Goldstein (<Rbg29861@...>)
Los Angeles, CA
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From: Bob Werman <RWERMAN@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 15:02 +0200
Subject: Maternity
When the biological mother was not Jewish and the mother who gave birth
was, the gemara in Sanhedrin decided the baby was Jewish, giving
preference to the birth mother. [the case of a pregnant convert] Many
poskim do not hold with this though, for reasons not always clear to me.
__Bob Werman
Jerusalem
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From: Yisrael & Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 15:40:34 +0300
Subject: Muslim Mats
if a mat is taken to mean any physical separation between the prostrator
and the bare earth and not a mat of coarse and plaited dried straw, I
agree. the "mat" can be a towel, a blanket, a cardboard box opened up
or almost anything else. well, at least that is what I have observed.
> From: <FriedmanJ@...>
> just for the record:
> When muslims fall korim, there is always a mat on the ground, and they
> carry it with them.
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From: Janice Gelb <j_gelb@...>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:22:35 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: One Hebrew Word A Day
Mordechai <Phyllostac@...> wrote:
> There has been, for some years I think, a segment on Israel radio's
> second network ('reshet bet') called 'rega shel ivrit' (minute / moment
> of Hebrew) which discusses language matters.
Thus prompting me to tell one of my favorite stories from when I lived
in Israel. I used to listen to this program and on Purim, here's how it
went:
[sonorous announcer's voice]:
Achshav, rega shel Ivrit.
Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit Ivrit
(etc.)
-- Janice
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From: Chaim Shapiro <Dagoobster@...>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:22:28 EDT
Subject: Ou and Kashrus
Zev responds, correctly, I believe to my post about the OU and Kashrus.
However, when I did email the exact OU quote to the FDA, they responded
to my query with the information contained in my original post. So
either the FDA contact was wrong, or their site is wrong. But this
raises another question. Zev paraphrases the FDA's policy that only
trace elements need not be listed. And it is perfectly acceptable for
all Kashrus agencies to have the policy that any product with any non
kosher products in it at all will not be certified (as I have heard).
The OU, however uses this trace element possibility as a reason to not
walk into store, pick up a product and buy it based on the ingredient
label. As a private citizen, who is truly concerned about Kashrus,
couldn't I assume that a product with all kosher listed ingredients, no
artificial flavors, etc., is still kosher because any traces are Butul
Bshesim?
Chaim Shapiro
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From: Mordechai <Phyllostac@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 01:38:49 EDT
Subject: various interpretations of AR"I
I know of a number of interpretations of the AR"I abbreviation / acronym
used for the great Rabbi Yitchok Luria (famed Kabbalist, etc. of Tzfas
about 450 years ago)
1) Adoneinu Rabi Yitzchok
2) Ashkenazi Rabi Yitzchok
3) Eloki Rabbi Yitzchok
The above three are given in the excellent work 'Otzar Roshei Teivos', IIRC
(If I Recall Correctly).
So what does the Aleph in Ar"i stand for? Which is correct (if more than
one, which is most correct / ikkar)?
I always thought that it was Adoneinu (I guess that is how I was taught
in my youth), and, by the way, if so, perhaps it was a partial
forerunner of the title Admo"r (Adoneninu Moreinu viRabbeinu, used
mostly by hassidim, who greatly esteem the Ar"i.
re possibility # 2 - Why would he be called Ashkenazi as part of his
name / title by others (while some gedolim were called Ashkenazi or
Sepharadi as part of their name / title, I believe that was mostly of
their own coinage / choosing) - would it be appropriate to highlight his
ethnic background in his title (actually I believe his father was
Ashkenazic and his mother Sepharadic? And if so, why Ashkenazi Rabi
Yitzchok (which seems inverted order) rather than Rabbi Yitzchok
Ashkenazi (though there was another Rav called that, I know), or
similar...? Also - shouldn't it be Ha'Ashkenazi (and if so, the word
would start with a different letter, to the detriment of the desired
'The Lion' acronym)?
re possibility # 3 - Shouldn't it be ha'Eloki (and once again, if so,
the word would start with a different letter, to the detriment of the
desired 'The Lion' acronym)?
Comments?
Mordechai
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From: Gilad J. Gevaryahu <Gevaryahu@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 09:11:08 EDT
Subject: Verses in Ezekiel that Rashi did not understand
Ben Z. Katz, M.D. MJv35n19 says:
<< Rashi himself modestly says he doesn't understand something in verse
42:3. Interestingly enough, a pious printer added a mysterious
parethetical comment written as rashai tayvot after that, but which can be
read as straight Hebrew to the effect that "even though I wrote this
commentary with Divine assistance". The reason we know a printer added it
is that this comment isn't in the manuscripts. Also, there are otrher
parenthetical notes added by the printer on other verses (e.g., on 40:48).>>
I am not sure is this verse (Ez. 42:3) was written by Rashi at all. The
comment in the middle "kemo shepiresh Rashi" [=the same as Rashi had
interpreted] suggests to me that it is written by someone other than Rashi. I
agree with Dr. Katz that MSS and other means needs to be used here to
determine the authenticity of the text and author.
Gilad J. Gevaryahu
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From: Bernard Raab <beraab@...>
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 03:24:29 -0400
Subject: Re: Vsen Tal Umatar
A question: What is the recommended or accepted practise for "chutzniks"
travelling in Israel during the period when Tal Umatar is recited in
Israel but not yet at home? Do they say it or not?
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End of Volume 35 Issue 22