Volume 6 Number 38
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Day School Curricula
[Moshe Raab]
Feld brothers update (from Rabbi Yosef Levin)
[Israel Pinkas]
HIGAYON journal
[Dr. Moshe Koppel]
Lice (2)
[Warren Burstein, Eliyahu Freilich]
Mazal Tov to Hillel Markowitz!
[Avi Feldblum]
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From: Moshe Raab <72167.1444@...>
Date: 08 Feb 93 15:27:55 EST
Subject: Day School Curricula
Joel Seiferas asks:
``Does anyone have any hints where I might be able to find
written summaries or outlines of curricula (that are actually in use)
for K-8 Jewish day schools? We have had such a day school in
Rochester for about 45 years; but neither our curriculum nor others we
know about seems to have a written form. Of course there are standard
state materials for secular studies; but, for Jewish studies and
integrated studies (if there is such a thing), the tradition seems to
be entirely oral. (I am a lay member of the school's Education
Committee.)''
According to my father who is very involved in Jewish education (he was
principal of the Hillel School in Rochester about thirty years ago), almost
every school has what you are asking for. He recommended that you contact
Torah Umesorah in New York who could guide you.
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From: <pinkas@...> (Israel Pinkas)
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 93 14:27:13 EST
Subject: Feld brothers update (from Rabbi Yosef Levin)
I have been asked repeatedly to talk to Rabbi Yosef Levin of Cabad
regarding the Feld brothers. He called me up just now to appologize for
not getting back to me earlier. (His wife gave birth to their 9th child
the other week, so I was relctant to call them at home.)
To date, Rabbi Levin has received over 1,000 phone calls regarding the Feld
brothers. He appologizes for not calling people back, but it was apparent
from the beginning that he would never be able to return the calls as fast
as they came in. (He did mention that he was a bit annoyed about the few
dozen calls that came to his house, especially the one at 3:00 am.)
He also asked me to convey the following:
Both brothers are out on bail. Both are well, considering the
circumstances.
Their sister and her husband are here with them. No other family
members are in California at this time.
The trial was continued until next Tuesday (Feb 16).
Rabbi Levin also asked me (and I reluctantly agreed) to act as an
information conduit. Instead of calling the office, send me the
questions and I will call Rabbi Levin and get the answers, which I will
post to the net and mail back when possible. (If I can't figure out
your return address, I might not be able to reply to your mail.)
Israel Pinkas
<pinkas@...>
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From: <koppel@...> (Dr. Moshe Koppel)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 12:42:13 +0200
Subject: HIGAYON journal
The second volume of HIGAYON is now available in the U.S.
To order a copy send email to <ashmidma@...>
At some point (you can wait until you get the journal) send a check
for $8.00 made out to Moshe Koppel to the following address:
Abie Shmidman
2521 Amsterdam Ave.
Room 309
New York, NY 10033-3322
If you are in the YU area, you can get a copy directly from Abie for $7.00.
The articles in this issue are:
"The Hebraic Auditory Logic" According to the Nazir, by Dov Schwartz
The "Kal Vechomer" as a Syllogism, by Michael Avraham
A Formal Analysis of "Kal Vachomer" and "Tzad Hashaveh," by Meir Brachfeld
Ampliation Following Upon Ampliation Implies Limitation, by Milon Sprecher
Is Halacha Decidable? by Moshe Koppel
Arithmetic Precision in the Mishna, by David Slutzkin
The Nearest Town in the Matter of the "Egla Arufa,"
by Ely Merzbach and Boris Singer
Foreknowledge, Free Will and Modal Logic, by Yehudit Ronen
A Combinatorics Theorem in "Masechet Kinnim," by Moshe Koppel
The Problem of the First Born, by Eliyahu Beller
Maimonides' Use of Recursion, by Gideon Ehrlich
Cities of Refuge: A Facility Location Problem,
by Sheldon Epstein, Yonah Wilamowsky and Bernard Dickman
All the articles but the last are in Hebrew.
Several assume some knowledge of mathematics.
A reminder: Those interested in acquiring HIGAYON in Israel should
write directly to me and send a check for NIS15 made out to:
Center for Jewish Public Policy (Hebrew: Merkaz LeHeker Mediniut
Tziburit Yehudit). My address is:
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan.
Comments (private or on mail-jewish) are welcome.
-Moshe Koppel
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 08:09:24 -0500
Subject: Re: Lice
>> - Anonymous, since some people still attach a stigma
>> to people who have had lice
>Come on aliyah, It's so common here there is no stigma left. (after the
>first time, anyway :-). My wife, however, did blanch when I asked her for
>the lice shampoo, to research this answer.
While this is a bit off the original topic, perhaps as we are
commanded to take care of our health, a bit of diversion could be
relevant to this group.
When I was growing up, although no one ever came out and said this, I
got the impression that lice was something that had been supposedly
left behind in the tenements, and that to have lice was a sign that
the child's parents were keeping fish in the bathtub (instead of
bathing) or something like that. I don't recall anyone actually
having lice, it was more of a bogeyman to threaten children with if
they didn't adhere to their parent's standards of cleanliness.
However, in Israel, everyone who has or works with young children
seems to not only have seen lice, but is concerned about getting lice
themselves. At least that's how it seems to me, I haven't done any
studies. Additudes aside, why do lice seem to be more prevalent in
Israel?
[I don't think it is only Israel. Highland Park, NJ is a typical middle
class American community, I think, and I would guess that most families
with kids in early childhood and elementry school have had kids with
lice. My memory of growing up is not that different from Warren's. So
is it more prevalent now than say 30 years ago, and if yes, why? Mod.]
|warren@
/ nysernet.org
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From: Eliyahu Freilich <M04002@...>
Date: Tue, 09 Feb 93 18:20:55 IST
Subject: Lice
In recent postings some people suggested that lice are killed in Shabat
since their eggs are too small to be seen and therefore they are
halachically negligible. I believe this is a great chidush [novelty]
with far reaching implications, but wrong. There are two possibilities:
a) The Gmara knows that lice sexually multiply but allows to kill them
since the eggs are too small. If this was the case why does the Gmara
say that lice do not sexually multiply [einam parim v'ravim] when it
knows this is wrong? Moreover, why does the Gmara bother at all to tell
us about the biological mechanism of lice multiplication when it is
completely irrelevant? All that matters is that the eggs are too small
to be seen. None of the Rishonim or the Achronim that I know of, mention
size at all. Even the Mishna Brura says that the reason lice are killed
on Shabat is that they are generated from sweat. There are also long
discusions on which type of lice are allowed to be killed and which are
not. In all these discussion size is not mentioned even once.
b) The Gmara did believe that lice are spontaneously generated but for
us it doesn't really matter, since the eggs are too small. Now this is a
chidush! Where does it come from? After all we can see the louse which
is a living creature. How do we know that if the eggs are small the
louse itself is not considered a creature? Are we allowed than to kill
in Shabat all creatures the eggs of which are small? Maybe we are even
allowed to eat them?
There is no comparison of the lice question to Kviat Hachodes [new moon]
as was suggested. The whole idea of Rosh Chodesh is that it is detrmined
by Beit Din and not by facts. I can see no reason why Klal Yisrael
cannot be wrong about some facts and as a result halachically wrong.
This is precisely why we have Par Haelem Davar.
There is an iteresting letter of R' Kuk which, I think, is of some
relevance to mail-jewish. ('Igrot' 298). The letter is sent to the
editorial board of a periodical named 'Zhav Haaretz'. R' Kuk advise them
to publish critique [bikoret] of new halacha books, literature and
especially history. But, he says, "the critique should be without any
bias [or partiality - p'niya] not even l' s h e m s h a m a y i m [sake
of heaven] only for the sake of truth which is the emblem of the KBH"
P.S. Spontaneous generation is not associated in the Gmara with size.
The mishna in Chulin (Chapter 9) mentions a mouse half of which is flesh
and half of which is dirt [adama], that is, a mouse in the middle of its
generation from dirt.
See also the Rambam in his commentary on this Mishna, and Yachin U'boaz
that cites a (19th century, I guess) biology book that insists on the
existence of such mice.
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From: <ayf@...> (Avi Feldblum)
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 93 21:26 EST
Subject: Mazal Tov to Hillel Markowitz!
Mazal Tov to Hillel Markowitz on his daughters announcement:
IT'S A BOY
5'9" - 150 pounds
And also:
Michael Harris - <harris@...>
and Rachel Markowitz are now engaged.
| Hillel Markowitz | Im ain ani li mi li |
| <H_Markowitz@...> | Veahavta Leraiecha Kamocha |
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End of Volume 6 Issue 38
