Volume 44 Number 95
Produced: Fri Sep 24 6:16:38 EDT 2004
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Aramaic in Private Davening
[Jeffrey Bock]
Can one eat at Jaine restaurants in India
[Emmanuel Ifrah]
Hallel on Yomym Neorym
[Simon Wanderer]
High Holiday Services (4)
[Saul Stokar, Mark Symons, William Friedman, Batya Medad]
Kodesh v'khol
[Akiva Miller]
Rabbinic Personalities Information
[Joseph Mosseri]
Sefek Sefeka
[Joshua Hosseinof]
Selling Aliyahs and "holding" by someone's Psak
[Harlan Braude]
Spanish etymology of Yiddish names
[Martin Stern]
Speeding thru Selihot
[Menashe Elyashiv]
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From: Jeffrey Bock <bockny@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:34:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Aramaic in Private Davening
> Michael Mirsky asked:
> I remember learning that one should not say parts of the davening
> which are in Aramaic if davening alone. I also recall something about
> the angels not understanding Aramaic. Does one have something to do
> with the other? What is the source?
When you daven alone, you require angels to elevate your tefila. In a
tzibur you don't. Angels can't understand/don't like Aramaic, which
makes a difference only when you daven alone. source: Sotah 33 (see
links below for some details).
excerpt:
(a) One is permitted to Daven in any language - because the idea of
Tefilah is to plead for mercy, and must come from the heart (so it needs
to be expressed in whichever language one feels comfortable expressing
oneself.
(b) Rebbi Yochanan said - that if someone Davens in Aramaic, the angels
(who carry one's Tefilos before the Heavenly Throne) will not respond,
because they are not conversant with Aramaic.
(c) Rav Yehudah extrapolates from Rebbi Yochanan's statement - that one
should not make requests in Aramaic.
(d) We reconcile this with our Mishnah, which permits Davening in any
language - by establishing Rav Yehudah by a Tefilas Yachid, and our
Mishnah, by a Tefilas Rabim (which does not require angels to carry our
prayers before Hashem's Throne, because the Pasuk Iyov states "Hein Keil
Kabir Lo Yim'as" (Hashem will never reject the prayers of a community).
http://dafyomi.shemayisrael.co.il/sotah/reviewa/so-ra-33.htm
http://dafyomi.shemayisrael.co.il/sotah/insites/so-dt-33.htm
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From: Emmanuel Ifrah <emmanuel_ifrah@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:34:35 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Can one eat at Jaine restaurants in India
"On what basis did Chazal declare that ordinary pots have presumably NOT
been used in the past 24 hours?"
The fact that a non-Jew's (or even a Jew's) pot is considered, prima
facie, as not having been used in the past 24 hours is indeed the result
of a Sfek-Sfeka (double doubt):
- Maybe it was used within 24 hours, maybe not
- Maybe the ta'am was "noten ta'aam lifgam".
Saying that it is considered as not having been used in the past 24
hours is a "shortcut".
Emmanuel Ifrah
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From: Simon Wanderer <simon.wanderer@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 13:07:26 +0100
Subject: Hallel on Yomym Neorym
>Where are the sources that discuss this issue?
>-rp
see Rambam Hil. Chanuka perek 3 hal. 6
also T.B. Er'chin 10b
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From: Saul Stokar <dp22414@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 14:19:36 +0200
Subject: High Holiday Services
A number of posters have expressed their frustration at not being able
to keep up with the pace of the Reader/congregation during the High
Holiday services.
For example in vol 44 no. 76 Joel Wiesen says: "With the HHD services so
full of words, when does one find the time to think/reflect on one's
past/future actions, teshuva, and the like?" and then (vol 44, no. 90)
he elaborates: "Yes, but the words come so fast and furious, it is hard
to focus on the concepts." In vol.44 no 92 Martin Stern writes: "Surely
we should not be rushing through our tefillot. Since people have to go
to work in the mornings the only answer must be to start earlier as was
the original custom where mashkimim lislichot meant precisely that,
getting up to start them before amud hashachar".
While the idea of getting an early start is commendable, I think an even
better response is the one stated in the opening section of the Shulchan
Arukh (Orach Chaim 1,4), which reads (referring explicitly to the
slichot said at midnight to mourn the Temple, but presumably applicable
to other cases as well) "It is preferrable to recite a smaller number of
supplications with "kavanah" (intention, understanding) than to recite a
larger number without kavanah".
Saul Stokar
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From: Mark Symons <msymons@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 22:58:07 +1000
Subject: Re: High Holiday Services
> From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
> Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 08:50:30 +0100
> on 21/9/04 2:13 am, Michael Kahn <mi_kahn@...> wrote:
>>> With the HHD services so full of words, when does one find the time to
>>> think/reflect on one's past/future actions, teshuva, and the like?
>> Aren't the HHD prayers all about tshuva and serving Hashem?
> Perhaps the problem is the breakneck speed with which the piyutim tend
> to be recited making them virtually unintelligible to most
> congregants. They are full of allusions which often make them obscure. A
> ...
Why not just try to say 1,2 or 3 of the slichot slowly and meaningfully,
or even just in English?
BTW, in the pizmon (daily hymn with a refrain) Horeita derech t'shuva on
Tzom Gedalia I noticed a reference to Ahab having done t'shuva. Does
anyone know if this is referred to in tanach? If not, what is the
source?
Mark Symons
Melbourne, Australia
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From: William Friedman <williamf@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 12:40:29 -0400
Subject: Re: High Holiday Services
Regarding speedy selichot, Martin Stern writes:
>Surely we should not be rushing through our tefillot. Since people have
>to go to work in the mornings the only answer must be to start earlier
>as was the original custom where mashkimim lislichot meant precisely
>that, getting up to start them before amud hashachar (daybreak).
I seriously doubt that to be the "only solution"; on a practical level,
it won't work either, since our daily schedules and body clocks no
longer follow sunset/sunrise, and we would just end up exhausted and
reciting selihot without any kavanah, no to mention being less efficient
at work that day, an issur in and of itself. (And if the suggestion is
to go to bed earlier, that also involves calculations about spending
less time with one's family, also potentially infringing on other
positive obligations, whose halakhic force is greater than that of the
minhag to say selihot.)
Other solutions do suggest themselves, however:
1) Say fewer selihot, particularly the ones whose Hebrew is difficult.
2) In conjunction with the above, add singing -- it both slows down the
tefillot, allowing more time for understanding, as well as allowing
connection to the selihot through music.
3) Offer new selihot in more readily comprehensible Modern Hebrew or the
lingua franca, or offer translations of the difficult selihot into Modern
Hebrew or the lingua franca.
4) Introduce each of the selihot before saying them, highlighting each
one's theme, pointing out wordplays, etc.
Each of these ideas seems to me to be more reasonable, as well as
accomplishing the goal of making selihot a more meaningful experience.
Many of these suggestions could also be applied to the excessive
piyyutim on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur as well.
Will
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From: Batya Medad <ybmedad@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 23:13:14 +0200
Subject: Re: High Holiday Services
>>With the HHD services so full of words, when does one find the time to
>>think/reflect on one's past/future actions, teshuva, and the like?
>> Aren't the HHD prayers all about tshuva and serving Hashem?
> Yes, but the words come so fast and furious, it is hard to focus on the
> concepts.
That's what we have Ellul and 10 days of tshuva. All the preparation is
to be done then. Think of it as Rosh Hashannah being the dress
rehearsal and Yom kippur your big chance. Judaism is a full-time
religion.
Batya
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/
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From: Akiva Miller <kennethgmiller@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 15:15:18 GMT
Subject: re: Kodesh v'khol
Noyekh Miller wrote <<< A matter that interests me a lot is a detailed
account of how the status of modern science in Orthodoxy changed from
almost universally despised to almost universally respected. Can
someone suggest readings?
Where do you see that Judaism ever despised modern science? There have
been disagreements, for sure, as far back as the Gemara's discussions
about Greek astronomy, and as recent as current archeological and
creation questions. But as I see it, we've neved hated the current
science of the day, but we've harnessed the latest discoveries in
whatever way useful to Torah. We've never shied away from the latest
medical advances, and so on.
Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by "despised"?
Akiva Miller
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From: Joseph Mosseri <joseph.mosseri@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:43:37 -0400
Subject: Re: Rabbinic Personalities Information
Rabbi Yehiel Yaaqob Elyaqim was the son of Rabbi Yisrael Haim Yosef
Elyaqim from the Rabbis of Jerusalem.
He was the son in law of the pious Rabbi David Majjar.
Other than writing a book of Halakhah called Diqdouqe Torah he also
wrote a book that was similar to the HID"A's Shem HaGedolim.
He published some books in Salonika in 1802-1803.
His father Rabbi Yisrael Haim Yosef Elyaqim was originally from
Sofia,Bulgaria and towards the end of his life he moved to Jerusalem,
where he died in 1791.
Does any of this information help you? What exactly are you looking for
and why?
As far as Yafeh LaLeb is concerned, it was written by Rabbi Rahamim
Yisshaq Palacci son of the famous Rabbi Haim Palacci. It's numerous
volumes were published between 1872 and 1906.
Hope this helps,
Joseph Mosseri
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From: Joshua Hosseinof <jh@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:06:55 -0400
Subject: Sefek Sefeka
>I have found on more than one occasion that Rav Ovadyia Yosef paskens
>against a clear psak of the Mechaber of the Shulchan Aruch on the basis
>of a sfek sfeka. I seem to recall he did this when permitting water from
>the Galilee (which had bread dropped into it by fishermen) to be drunk
>on Pesach.
>Does he have some sort of policy on such matters? He usually treats the
>Mechaber as the Moreh D'Asra [Rabbinic Authority] of Eretz Yisroel.
Indeed, in the first volume of Yechave Da'at (I believe this is only in
the editions printed in the 1990's and later), there is a section called
"Kelalei Horaah" - general principles of rulings. Within that section
on page 25, there is a subsection on Sefek Sefeka. Rule number 9 is
that we do use a sefek sefeka on a particular issue even against the
opinion of Maran (the mechaber of Shulchan Aruch), even if for both
sefekot he would rule the opposite way. The footnote brings Livyat Chen
siman 51 as the source (Livyat Chen is one of R' Ovadia's earliest
sefarim and it is about the differences between the Mishna Berura and
Sephardim for hilchot shabbat).
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From: Harlan Braude <hbraude@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:19:29 -0400
Subject: RE: Selling Aliyahs and "holding" by someone's Psak
> (1) The National Council of Young Israel forbids $$ for
> aliyos during the year -- don't know their policy re: bidding
> for High Holidays ---- no doubt someone will correct me if
If this is meant to suggest that the folks aren't allowed to have the
Gabbai make a "mi sheberach" after an aliya for some donation on Shabbos
or Yom Tov, then I guess it's not a well enforced (known?) policy. That
was standard practice at the Y.I. in the town I was raised every Shabbos
and Yom Tov.
> One common example is using glass dishes for both Milchig &
> Fleishig. I believe very few people hold by this even though
> it comes from one of the major decisors.
Sometimes, circumstances change and which sometimes means that a
decision may have to be reconsidered in that context. For example, in
modern day America glassware it isn't all that expensive. That wasn't
necessarily the case 60-120 years ago in America or Europe, where many
such decisions were made.
I can see where a posek in an impoverished community would go through
hoops to alleviate the financial burden on the community, but wouldn't
do that in a wealthier one. Hence, a wealthier community might be
required to have separate glassware. Something similar can be seen
regarding the minimum volume for the cups on Pesach, etc.
Does that mean that something can be kosher in one place/time and not in
another. Technically, no, but practically, yes.
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 11:21:30 +0100
Subject: Re: Spanish etymology of Yiddish names
on 22/9/04 10:06 am, Jay F Shachter <jay@...> wrote:
> Jonathan Baker wrote in v44n85:
>> we see names introduced as populations shift, e.g. Yenta (Juanita)
>> or Shneiur (Seņor) into Europe after the Spanish expulsion.
>
> Until reading the above, I had thought that "Yenta" was derived from
> Gentillia (the same name that gave us "Tillie"). Do the experts now say
> that it comes from Juanita?
I had also heard Jay's etymology of Yenta as being from the Italian
Gentilla or French Gentille both meaning 'of noble birth'. However
Tillie is unrelated, being derived from Matilda.
Incidentally that other unfortunate female name Yachna is derived from
the Greek Yakinthe meaning a hyacinth and is cognate with Cynthia!
Martin Stern
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From: Menashe Elyashiv <elyashm@...>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 13:04:58 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Speeding thru Selihot
I would say that there is an advantage for the Sefardi selihot - they
are repeated every day, some are used for the 5 Yom Kippur prayers, they
are said or song slowly, and the Hebrew is usually more simple than the
Ashkenazi ones. Starting before daybreak is not a problem in DST, but
today Israel went back to IST (by 5 am it was light outside)
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End of Volume 44 Issue 95
