Volume 49 Number 88
Produced: Mon Nov 7 6:31:36 EST 2005
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
16 Kaddishes
[Martin Stern]
Baltimore Jewish Population Expands
[Michael Frankel]
Class Assignment--Observing a church service
[Ari Trachtenberg]
Davening Attire
[R. Alexander Seinfeld]
Having a baby on Shabbos/Yom Tov
[Daniel Lowinger]
Importance of shomer shabbat ketubah witnesses
[R Nudleman]
Kaddish
[Orrin Tilevitz]
Mezuzah question
[Ari Trachtenberg]
Noisy davenning
[Chaim G Steinmetz]
Parpisa
[Joseph Mosseri]
Revisionist history?
[Chaim G Steinmetz]
Sefer Chafetz Chaim Calendar
[Asher Breatross]
Shin/Sin
[Immanuel Burton]
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:24:44 +0100
Subject: Re: 16 Kaddishes
on 20/7/05 1:24 pm, Joseph Ginzberg <jgbiz120@...> wrote:
> In the sefer HaMinagim (Chabad customs) printed by Otzar Hachassidim,
> the old official publishing house at 770, it says (page 78) that the
> Rebbe Maharshab was particular to say 16 kaddishes every day except on
> Shabbat or holidays, but that this is not a "halacha" for all.
>
> This would support the conjecture that Gehinnom operates on a 24-hour
> day rather than 12, according to Chabad. Thus on Shabbat when even the
> souls have respite there is no need for so many kaddishes.
Though it is some time since this topic was raised, I was thinking about
it recently and found some difficulties in the underlying idea that each
kaddish releases the soul from gehinnom for 1.5 hours. Since, as Joseph
says, even the souls of the wicked (presumably he inadvertently omitted
these three words) have respite, there is no need for ANY kaddeishim at
all. Furthermore, if there is a Yom Tov in the following week, the
souls do not return to Gehinnom until after it finishes. This would
imply that, according to Chabad reasoning, an aveil should not say
kaddish then either, which all seems rather strange to me. Perhaps a
learned member of Chabad can enlighten us on this matter.
Martin Stern
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From: Michael Frankel <michaeljfrankel@...>
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:18:18 -0400
Subject: Baltimore Jewish Population Expands
I am pleased to announce the birth of my granddaughter, baby girl
Schnittman, to Drs. Nomi and Jeremy Schnittman. Naming will iy'h take
place this shabbos in Baltimore.
Mechy Frankel
<michael.frankel@...> ; michaeljfrankel@gmail.com ;
<michaeljfrankel@...>
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From: Ari Trachtenberg <trachten@...>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:52:23 -0400
Subject: Re: Class Assignment--Observing a church service
From: Nitzchia Bat Sela <petersig@...>
> A final note: these young men will be going on to melting-pot medical
> schools and internships, or law school, or public administration. Should
> they not know *something* about the religions of others? Since observing
> a service is akin to "a picture is worth a thousand words," and an
> important teaching tool, is there anything else that can take its place?
>
> I've checked the archive, as far as it goes, and not found direct
> consideration of this point. So, thanks in advance.
What about showing the students videos of services ... I don't think that
would be prohibited.
Best,
Ari Trachtenberg, Boston University
http://people.bu.edu/trachten mailto:<trachten@...>
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From: R. Alexander Seinfeld <seinfeld@...>
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:39:55 -0400
Subject: Re: Davening Attire
The SA seems pretty clear that we are supposed to follow not our
subjective opinion but community standards as to what is respectful
dress. Let's not forget the objective here - to stand in the Amida with
the kavvana that I am standing before the King of kings...therefore it
should be no less formal than I dress if visiting a Gadol or (l'havdil)
the the President. I daresay for most men in this society, that would
require a jacket and tie, matching indeed, and no, there is no
convenience to this (especially in summer).
on 9/6/05 07:34, Joel Rich wrote:
> "But once you leave it subjective" - OK but if the halacha leaves it as
> subjective, that's good enough for me to say there's subjectivity
> involved.
>
> I hesitate to point it out but are you sure there's no convenience
> involved in wearing only white shirts and having a "davening jacket"
> which may or may not match anything else one is wearing?
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From: Daniel Lowinger <Daniel.Lowinger@...>
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 09:18:06 +1000
Subject: Having a baby on Shabbos/Yom Tov
Just wandering if anyone knows what the halachot are regarding labour on
shabbos?
Do you go to hospital by taxi or car? If taxi, how do you pay? Is the
husband allowed to carry a mobile/cell phone during the day to be
contacted at shule? Is the wife allowed to pick the husband up from
shule on the way to the hospital?
What about being discharged from hospital. Are you allowed to be
discharged on shabbos/Yom Tov. (most hospitals do not allow extra nights
stay and it is not covered by insurance).
Regards
Daniel
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From: R Nudleman <sixcorners@...>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 18:35:53 -0400
Subject: Importance of shomer shabbat ketubah witnesses
I am doing research for a colleague of mine who is becoming more
observant and is planning his wedding (several months away). He wants
to have a halakhic marriage ceremony, but his fiancee is not so happy
about the idea that two shomer shabbat men are required sign the
ketubah, since she has some non-observant Jewish friends that she wants
to have sign it. He has asked me what the implications would be for his
marriage if the signers of his ketubah were not shomer shabbat...is the
kedushin considered valid at all? Is the marriage considered invalid?
What negative effects would it have on his marriage in terms of halakhic
status? If the kedushin is invalid, what does this mean for him and his
wife-to-be? His potential children? If the witnesses aren't shomer
shabbat, is it better halakhically to have two non-observant Jewish
males sign than two non-observant Jewish women? Thank you in advance
for your informed replies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Orrin Tilevitz <tilevitzo@...>
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 05:32:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Kaddish
In the second part of kaddish, are the dalet in yit'hadar and the lamed
in yit'halal properly with a kamatz or patach (or is it a kamatz for one
and patach for the other)? Art Scroll has a kamatz in both places;
Birnbaum and an Eidot Hamizrach sidur I looked have a patach in both
places; my trusty A. Hyman Charlap sidur sometimes has it all three
ways; and all three ways appear in transliterations on the Web
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ari Trachtenberg <trachten@...>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:24:17 -0400
Subject: Re: Mezuzah question
From: <StephenColman2@...> (Stephen Colman)
> b) if your mezuzah's are particularly special (larger size/written for
> you personally/specially expensive etc) there is no reason why you
> shouldn't replace them with cheap (but kosher) mezuzah's before you
> leave.
This needs to be done very carefully. When we left our last apartment,
we replaced the batim (housings) with cheaper ones but left the existing
parchments, and we told our (Israeli) landlord exactly what we were
doing - he offered to pay for what we left behind. He must not have
understood exactly what we were doing, because, when he saw the cheap
housings, he thought we were trying to cheat him ... and this led to
some bad blood.
Best,
-Ari
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From: Chaim G Steinmetz <cgsteinmetz@...>
Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 22:55:43 -0400
Subject: Noisy davenning
In Mj v 49 #80 Ben Katz <bkatz@...> wrote, concerning
whether there is an obligation to davven with a minyon:
> I double checked last night to be sure. The word the mechaber uses is
> "Yishtadel" not "Chayav". I maintain that it is better but most
> certainly not obligatory.
Please see Igros Moshe Orach chaim v 2 Siman 27 for a discussion of
this, and for the reason why the expression "yishtadel" is used, even
though it is an obligation (in his opinion).
Chaim Gershon Steinmetz
<cgsteinmetz@...>
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From: Joseph Mosseri <joseph.mosseri@...>
Date: Fri, 09 Sep 2005 08:51:54 -0400
Subject: Parpisa
In Masekhet Shabbat 81b there is a word Parpisa. Rashi explains it based
upon a teshoubah of the Geonim as a basket of sprouts which was thrown
into the river, like a type of kapparot. Do we know anymore about this
Parpisa? Which Geonim discuss it? Are there any other references or
explanations of it elsewhere?
Thanks,
Joseph Mosseri
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From: Chaim G Steinmetz <cgsteinmetz@...>
Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 22:55:24 -0400
Subject: Revisionist history?
In MJ v 49 # 78 <Gevaryahu@...> (Gilad J. Gevaryahu) wrote:
> I would like to call your attention to "Revisionist history" of
> headwear of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As you probably know, up to the
> last Lubavitcher Rebbe prior to Menchem Mendel Schneersohn, the
> Chabbad Rebbe and Chassidim wore a shtreimels on Shabbat, Yom Tov, &
> s'machot. For reasons that were discussed in this forum before, the
> last Rebbe decided not to wear a shtreimel any more. However, someone
> with graphic skills removed the shtreimel off the head of Rabbi Joseph
> I. Schneersohn, as if he did not wear it. But he did not do such a
> good job, as anyone can still tell that a shtreimel was removed
> The picture can be seen in _Lubavicher Rabbi's Memoirs_, Published by
> Otzar Hachassidim, Brooklyn, NY, 1966, between pages xiii and page 1.
As this picture is a famous picture - with fur hat (which is not a
"shtreimel" but a type of "spodick") and all printed in many Chabad
books and sources etc., I suspect that instead of revisionism (for what
purpose?), this is rather a simple case of poor printing, especially
taking into account that this book - with picture and all - was first
printed about to 40 years ago...
Chaim Gershon Steinmetz
<cgsteinmetz@...>
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From: Asher Breatross <ash002@...>
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:47:44 -0400
Subject: Sefer Chafetz Chaim Calendar
Hi:
Would anyone know where on the Internet I could find a calendar for
learning Sefer Chafetz Chaim and Sefer Shmiras HaLashon on a daily
basis.
Thank you.
Asher Breatross
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From: Immanuel Burton <iburton@...>
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:41:48 +0100
Subject: Shin/Sin
Does anyone know if the dot that distinguishes a shin from a sin has a
name?
Immanuel Burton.
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End of Volume 49 Issue 88
