Volume 64 Number 06
Produced: Sun, 04 Nov 18 05:18:55 -0500
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Geniza for Microfilm
[Asher Samuels]
Ma'ariv on first night of Rosh Hashanah
[Martin Stern]
Minyan Choices
[Joel Rich]
Modern Orthodoxy?
[Joel Rich]
Some problems with the haftarah for Vayeira
[Martin Stern]
Stresses in kaddish (2)
[Michael Poppers Elazar Teitz]
Web Site for Shiurim of Rav Soloveichik ZT"L
[Josh Rapps]
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From: Asher Samuels <asher.samuels@...>
Date: Tue, Oct 30,2018 at 01:01 PM
Subject: Geniza for Microfilm
One of the political parties running in the local election distributed what they
claim is a copy of the Zohar on microfilm. Lacking a microfilm reader I can
neither confirm nor deny what they actually distributed, but the more general
question is whether material that is not printed in a usual manner (e.g.
microfilm, film negatives) requires geniza.
--
Asher Samuels
<asher.samuels@...>
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Sun, Nov 4,2018 at 05:01 AM
Subject: Ma'ariv on first night of Rosh Hashanah
During a discussion, someone told me that one should daven Ma'ariv on first
night of Rosh Hashanah after night and claimed that this was based on the
opinion of the Maharil, the fifteenth century authority whose opinions form
the basis of much of Minhag Ashkenaz.
I was rather sceptical and asked where this ruling was to be found in the
Maharil's writings since the general custom in Germany had always been to
daven early because of those who fasted on Erev Rosh Hashanah, as was at one
time a very common practice.
He replied that he did not have a precise reference since he had only seen
it quoted in one of those 'sedra sheets' that are distributed every week but
would try to find it. I have noticed that such secondary sources can often
misunderstand the work quoted, as became clear on many occasions when I
consulted the original 'quoted'.
I have looked through the three volumes of the Maharil's works published by
Machon Yerushalayim and could not find anything either - but eini ro'eh eino
rayah ['I have not seen it' is no proof that it does not exist].
After several months he has also admitted that he could not find where he
had seen this 'opinion'.
Can anyone either provide any reference in the Maharil's writings on this
matter?
Martin Stern
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Mon, Oct 22,2018 at 09:01 AM
Subject: Minyan Choices
Yisrael Medad wrote (MJ 64#05):
> Joel Rich asks (MJ 64#04):
>
>> If you were in a situation where you could only pray with a minyan once that
>> day
>> (Shacharit or mincha - assume a non-Torah reading day), which would you
>> choose?
>
> The one that had difficulty gathering together a quorum.
Placing the good of the kahal over the individual - how quaint :-)
KT
Joel Rich
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From: Joel Rich <JRich@...>
Date: Thu, Nov 1,2018 at 10:01 AM
Subject: Modern Orthodoxy?
Two "M.O." (Modern Orthodox) community members on different occasions recently
articulated to me that M.O. means picking and choosing what one observes (e.g.,
the classic "I don't hold of not putting on makeup on Shabbat"). Perhaps one of
the first projects the new OU data guy can work on is figuring out what
percentage of M.O. holds this view? What do others on MJ think the percentage is?
KT
Joel Rich
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From: Martin Stern <md.stern@...>
Date: Sun, Oct 28,2018 at 06:01 AM
Subject: Some problems with the haftarah for Vayeira
This last Shabbat (Vayeira) I noticed several problems with the haftarah (II
Kings 4:1-37).
First it contains two apparently unrelated miracles performed by Elisha.
While the Tenakh does record them sequentially, it also records others after
them and seems to be doing so with no particular connection except that they
were done by him (probably in the order in which they occurred historically).
The problem is how both are connected to the Sedra.
As regards the the first, regarding the impoverished widow (vv. 1-7), Dr
Mendel Hirsch suggests that the link is between the way her creditor
threatens to enslave her sons for non-payment of her debt and the
inhospitable behaviour of the people of Sedom. I find this rather tenuous
since the Torah text does not seem to lay much stress on that aspect of the
latters' behaviour as opposed to their sexual depravity. I would have been
more impressed if he had suggested that it was included in the haftarah to
draw attention to the midrashic comments emphasising that aspect of their
ethos but he does not. Any comments?
The second component, the story of the Shunammite woman (vv. 8-37), seems
much more closely related to the Sedra, where the miraculous birth of her
son parallels that of Yitzchak at its beginning, and his being revived after
dying parallels the Akeidah at its end on which Chazal suggest Yitzchak died
and was brought back to life.
However, I noticed that the Sefardim, and Frankfurt-on-Main, finish the
haftarah at v. 23 after the death of the son but before his revival by
Elisha. Ending with his birth in v. 17 would have made more sense though it
might have made the haftarah a bit short, either 17 verses if the story of
the impoverished widow were included or only 10 if it were not. Stopping in the
middle of a narrative struck me as rather odd - can anyone suggest why these
communities might have chosen to do so?
Martin Stern
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From: Michael Poppers <the65pops@...>
Date: Sun, Oct 21,2018 at 04:01 PM
Subject: Stresses in kaddish
Orrin Tilevitz asked (MJ 64#05):
> Where are the stresses in the phrase "tushbechata nechemata" and, whatever the
> answer, is there a reliable source for it?
>
> I usually, reflexively, stress the penultimate syllable, but some guy
> corrected me today, claiming that all words in the kaddish are stressed on the
> final syllable....
Almost all. However "L'eila" is mil'eil :).
> Also, an internet source I found claims the "be'alema" is stressed on the
> second syllable. Is this true? Again, please give sources.
Daniel 7 <http://www.mechon-mamre.org/c/ct/c3407.htm>:18 demonstrates both
that the sh'va is na' and that the accent is mil'ra (because the main ta'am
[stress] is on the last syllable).
All the best from
Michael Poppers
Elizabeth, NJ, USA
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From: Elazar Teitz <emteitz@...>
Date: Mon, Oct 22,2018 at 02:01 PM
Subject: Stresses in kaddish
Orrin Tilevitz (MJ 64#05) raised the question of the proper placement of the
stresses in Kaddish.
It should be noted that we have an excellent resource: the chapters of Ezra and
Daniel which are in Aramaic, in which the proper stress of words can be
determined by the placement of the trop [cantillation marks], which appear on
the accented syllable.
A quick glance will show that, as in Hebrew, the majority of the words are
accented on the final syllable. Specifically, all words ending in "ya" (yod
with kamatz, followed by alef, such as "sh'maya"), and all words whose final
syllable is "ta" (such as "tushbechata v'nechemata") are also accented on the
final syllable. [This means that every single line of Akdamut, recited at the
beginning of the Torah reading on the first day of Shavuot, should have its
ending word accented on the final syllable. These words are almost universally
mispronounced.]
In his query, the statement was made that "an internet source I found claims the
"be'alema" is stressed on the second syllable." It should be noted that the
word has only two syllables. The first letter has a shva (in English, "schwa"),
which does not count as a syllable. The word is indeed accented on its second,
and final, syllable. It appears several times in the aforementioned chapters,
and is cantillated on the final syllable in all of its appearances.
In fact, of all the Aramaic words in all the various types of Kaddish, there is
only one word pronounced with the stress on the penultimate sylliable -- the
word "l'eila." (Most appropriately, since the term for penultimate pronunciation
is "mil'eil.)
EMT
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From: Josh Rapps <rappsjosh@...>
Date: Sun, Oct 21,2018 at 06:01 PM
Subject: Web Site for Shiurim of Rav Soloveichik ZT"L
Many years ago I distributed my summaries of Shiurim from the Rav ZT"L via
mail-jewish and subsequently through <mj-ravtorah@...> Printed versions
of these summaries subsequently appeared in various locations. I have started to
re-work the summaries and hope to make available additional Divrei Torah that I
have not distributed previously. The summaries are available at
https://github.com/RavSoloveichikTorah/Torah.
For those who are interested, I suggest checking the site for updates on a regular
basis. Those who would like to receive automatic notifications of various events
related to this work, can send me an email with their login information.
In order to add issues, which is a github feature for sharing comments and ideas,
one must set up a github login, which is quick and painless. Please contact me
with questions at <rappsjosh@...> or ravtorah1@gmail.com.
Josh Rapps
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End of Volume 64 Issue 6
