Volume 39 Number 80
Produced: Tue Jun 17 4:53:15 US/Eastern 2003
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Another Press Simcha
[Melech Press]
Anti-Shechita Vote
[Stephen Colman]
Bracha on Tefila shel Rosh (2)
[Shimon Lebowitz, Stephen Phillips]
Chumros and Daas Torah
[Esther Posen]
Jewish Superstitions (3)
[Shimon Lebowitz, Stephen Phillips, Mark Symons]
L'Omer/B'Omer
[Mark Symons]
Name Origins (4)
[Wendy Baker, Michael Kahn, Ira L. Jacobson, Dr. Reuben
Freeman]
Public vs Private
[Michael Kahn]
Travel to the Far East
[Rachi Messing]
Trying to find a sefer
[Shoshana Ziskind]
Umbrellas and New Gezerot
[Bernard Raab]
Weekday vs Sabbath Blessings for shma
[Ben Katz]
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From: Melech Press <mpress@...>
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 17:31:39 -0000
Subject: Another Press Simcha
Just to share with our friends and relatives another happy event - our
daughter Leah became engaged today to Akiva Lustiger of Edison, NJ (son
of Arnie, known to many of you from the Internet). May we continue to
share joyous occasions.
Melech
M. Press, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Touro College
1602 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230; 718-252-7800, x 275
<mpress@...> or melechp@touro.edu
[As I have known Arnie for many years, long before the days of the
Internet, as well as Akiva, and from Melech's many years on mail-jewish,
I feel like I have come to know him as well, I would like to extend our
most heartfelt wishes of Mazal Tov!! to both the Press and Lustiger
families. May we be zocheh to share many more simchas!
Avi Feldblum, Mod.]
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From: <StephenColman2@...> (Stephen Colman)
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 09:25:43 EDT
Subject: Anti-Shechita Vote
[I do not know if this is still active, but wanted to pass it along. Mod.]
Todays UK press carried a few quite worrying items against Shechita in
the UK. There is a poll going on at the moment by one of the papers, and
we need as much support, both from the UK and worldwide, as possible.
Please could you all go to the following link and vote No to the poll
asking whether there should be a ban on Shechita in the UK..
Please pass this message on to all your friends and contacts.
The link is:
http://www.thisislondon.com/haveyoursay/polls/?itemId=5242744
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From: Shimon Lebowitz <shimonl@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:16:33 +0200
Subject: Re: Bracha on Tefila shel Rosh
Someone posted:
> > How does a one armed man put on tefillin shel YAD?
>
> A one armed man is exempt from putting on the shel yad. He should not
> ask someone to help him.
The Mishna Berura in 27:1:6 differentiates between someone who has lost
(all of) his *left* arm, who is totally relieved of the requirement to
put on a shel yad ("and there are those who are stringent [and do
require it]" ); and someone who lost his *right* arm, who *is* required
to put on a shel yed, "and he should request of others to put it on
him".
Bechavod,
Shimon
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From: Stephen Phillips <stephenp@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 13:13 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Re: Bracha on Tefila shel Rosh
> From: Beth and David Cohen <bdcohen@...>
> <<<From: <MDSternM7@...> (Martin D. Stern)
> > How does a one armed man put on tefillin shel YAD?
>
> The most obvious answer is "with great difficulty"! but, to be more
> serious, he can only do so if someone else to helps him; it is a good
> thing that 'kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh' >>>>
>
> A one armed man is exempt from putting on the shel yad. He should not
> ask someone to help him.
Looking at the Mishna Berura on Siman 27 Seif Koton 6 it would seem to
depend on whether the one arm he has is his right or left one. If he
only has a right arm, he is exempt from putting on the Tefillin Shel
Yad, but if he has a left arm he can ask someone else to help him.
Stephen Phillips.
<stephenp@...>
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From: Esther Posen <eposen@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 08:45:09 -0500
Subject: RE: Chumros and Daas Torah
Eliyahu implies that chareidim could get stuck following kulot that were
imposed on them by their Torah scholars because of their belief in the
"daas torah" concept.
Though a seemingly logical supposition, chareidim choose their "daas
torah" based on their torah knowledge and piety thus it is unlikely, or
wishful thinking, to assume that the chareidi community would be
"forced" to adopt kulot by daas torah.
Esther Posen
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From: Shimon Lebowitz <shimonl@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:35:09 +0200
Subject: Re: Jewish Superstitions
> My take on these types of superstitions is that they have long traditions
> and are mostly harmless. I don't see why they would be assur to do.
Last night in the Daf Yomi shiur I attend, we were discussing the
apparently superstitious methods for determining future success in the
coming year, by performing various acts during the `aseret yemei teshuva
(the ten days from Rosh haShana to Yom Kippur inclusive).
These appear on Horayot 12a [and yes, I know that we are a few days
behind schedule... ]. The rav pointed out that the gemara only says that
when the results are good, these are good omens, it does *not* mention
any meaning attached to the oppposite situation. He said that one of
the commentaries (sorry, I already don't remember who) explains that
this makes the 'tests' permissable, and not "ma'asei emori" (pagan
practices).
Shimon
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From: Stephen Phillips <stephenp@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 13:13 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Re: Jewish Superstitions
> From: Tzadik Vanderhoof <tzadikv@...>
> Has anyone ever heard of these?
> - not to blow out a flame with your breath (wave it in the air instead)
I've heard of this one. Our Rov will not blow out candles as,
apparently, the sound of the blowing creates "Mazikim" [damaging
forces]. That's definitely not superstition.
Stephen Phillips.
<stephenp@...>
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From: Mark Symons <msymons@...>
Subject: Jewish Superstitions
Tzadik Vanderhoof <tzadikv@...> wrote
> my take on these types of superstitions is that they have long
> traditions and are mostly harmless. I don't see why they would be assur
> to do.
Yes, but acting in accordance with these superstitions if accompanied by
the sense of feeling compelled to do so, which many people acting on
them do seem to convey, seems to me to come close to either a belief
that G-d will punish you if you don't keep them, or that some other
sinister force will.
Mark Symons
Melbourne, Australia
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From: Mark Symons <msymons@...>
Subject: Re: L'Omer/B'Omer
Shouldn't those who say LaOmer refer to the chag on the 33rd day as Lag
LaOmer rather than Lag BaOmer?!
Mark Symons
Melbourne, Australia
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From: Wendy Baker <wbaker@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:12:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Name Origins
> From: <MJGerver@...> (Mike Gerver)
> Shmuel Himelstein, in v39n74, quotes Dr. Kor as saying:
> > Yente - from "Gentile" (pronounced Zhaanteel) - I think a "refined
> > person."
> I read somewhere that Yenta comes from Juanita.
This sounds reasonable to me. My Aunt Jeanette was one of 5 female
cousins named Jeanette after their Grandfather, Yakov (Jacob) Cohen.
Her Jewish name was Yentel, considered to be related to Yacov, as
Jeanettte was related to Jacob. As an aside, she was a very genteel
lady who lived to 103 and is greatly missed by all.
Wendy Baker
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From: Michael Kahn <mi_kahn@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:54:28 -0400
Subject: Re: Name Origins
>Other Yiddish words that come from a Romance language
I once heard that the word kuntros comes from a latin word comentarius.
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From: Ira L. Jacobson <laser@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:41:43 +0300
Subject: Re: Name Origins
Shmuel Himelstein stated:
>Perry Zamek mentioned Dr. Avshalom, a noted Israeli language expert. In
>this context, three name origins which Dr. Kor discussed on the radio
>may be of interest. All are from Spanish.
>
>a) Shprintze - a common Yiddish name a few generations ago, comes from
>"Esperanza" - which means "Hope" - which I suppose would be the same as
>"Tikva."
>
>b) Yente - from "Gentile" (pronounced Zhaanteel) - I think a "refined
>person."
>
>c) Shneur Zalman - a corruption of "Senor Salomon".
This has ben discussed in Areivim at some length about six months ago. One
conclusion was that not all the above derivations are agreed upon widely.
In particular, the Sefer Issur veHetter leRashi, page 58, siman 129
brings (from sefer Ho'Orah) that "he'id al adam gadol R' Shneur b'r
Yehudah b'r Baruch . . . ."
IRA L. JACOBSON
mailto:<laser@...>
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From: Dr. Reuben Freeman <freeman@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:52:15 +0200
Subject: Re: Name Origins
What is the origin of the yiddish female name "hennah"? Is there some
historical connection with the henna hair coloring?
R. Freeman
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From: Michael Kahn <mi_kahn@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:29:56 -0400
Subject: Re: Public vs Private
>I am actually taking this point from a shiur I was privileged to hear
>from Rav Shlomo Brevda and the point he made after saying this was what
>is important to you- you keep PRIVATE, what is not you talk about!
I once heard a vort in the name of one of the Gerer Rebbes that "When
man forgets the good deeds he has done-Hashem remembers, and when man
remembers the good deeds he has done, Heshem forgets."
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From: Rachi Messing <rachim@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 23:20:38 -0400
Subject: Travel to the Far East
Is there a published sefer that talks about the halachos applicable to
travelling to the Far East? Also any kashrus info on travel in Japan
would be appreciated.
- Rachi Messing
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From: Shoshana Ziskind <shosh@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:49:18 -0400
Subject: Trying to find a sefer
BS"D
A friend of mine is trying to find a sefer in English which apparently
is out of print:
Music Of The Universe The Chofetz Chaim On Tehillim
Raphael Blumberg. Translation
Pub: Machon Bais Yechiel, Jerusalem
Feldheim Publishers. N.Y.: U.S. Distributer
Here's what she and I have tried so far:
1. She contacted Feldheim who told her it was out of print
2. She went to Frankel's in Boro Park who doesn't have it
3. I emailed Broder's which apparently has OOP seforim
Anyone know of any seforim stores in NYC which might have this or how
she might be able to obtain a copy?
Thanks. Please email me privately.
All the best,
Shoshana Ziskind
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From: Bernard Raab <beraab@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 15:08:18 -0400
Subject: Re: Umbrellas and New Gezerot
From: Elazar M Teitz <remt@...>
> As for the wide-brimmed hats, that, too, is not so simple. There
>are Rishonim, among them the Rambam (Shabbos 22:31), who prohibit wearing
>hats whose brim is hard and more than a tefach wide. Our hats, however,
>have as their saving grace that we don't wear them for their brims to
>supply shade, and hence they do not qualify as an ohel. Again, see the
>Aruch Hashulchan in 301:111.<<
There is clearly no purpose to a hat brim other than shading the eyes
from the sun and/or rain. We may claim that fashion is the present-day
justification, but this will not hold up, since fedoras are no longer
fashionable in any form. Therefore, this is a design that was adopted
specifically for the "group", and accepting (actually mandating) a brim
size which raises halachic questions is really troubling.
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From: Ben Katz <bkatz@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 11:11:41 -0500
Subject: Re: Weekday vs Sabbath Blessings for shma
>From: Russell J Hendel <rjhendel@...>
>MDStern (v39n72) brings up the 2 blessing liturgies we have for the
>Shma: Weekday and Shabbath.
>
>A few years ago I tried to find a source for the Shabbath liturgy.
>
>My concern? Well there is a known regulation that we cannot change any
>Blessing introduced by the sages of the great assembly. Now the Amidah
>blessings were made by the great assembly sages in a different
>formulation.
>
>But BOTH the weekday and Shabbath shma blessings seem to be the same. It
>"appears" as if someone added the "kayl adon" poem (the same way many
>poems have been added). This would be a change in the blessings
>
>Does anyone have any historical evidence on when these changes were
>first introduced (or some talmudic reference that the great assembly
>sages instituted the different form).
Dr. Hendel's ideas about not changing berachot are commonly
quoted are not correct historically. There are at least 2 berachot
which are almost universally said with shem and malchut that are
post-Talmudic: lehadlik ner shel shabat (geonic) and sheasani kirtzono
(according to abudraham [14th cent.] "recently introduced"). (That
these both relate to women [mainly] is also interesting but not my point
here.) Just take a look at sadia gaon's siddur - berachot and services
are way different than they are today. just to cite a few examples: he
has 2 versions of shacharit shel chol - one to say with a minyan and one
to say without (presumably on shabat everyone davened in a minyan). his
versions of baruch sheamar are different (and there again are dif. ones
for shabat and chol - his shabat one is closer to what we say today)
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End of Volume 39 Issue 80
