Volume 8 Number 26
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Erez Yisrael
[Shaul Wallach]
Halacha Tapes
[Hillel A. Meyers]
M&M's, Snickers, etc. write-in campaign
[ Elliot Lasson]
Misheberach-related stuff
[Warren Burstein]
Shababnickim
[Aryeh A. Frimer]
Tekhelet
[Mike Gerver]
Women's Tefila Groups
[Hayim Hendeles]
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From: Shaul Wallach <f66204@...>
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 93 18:04:49 -0400
Subject: Re: Erez Yisrael
On the question of selling parts of Erez Yisrael to non-Jews for
the Sabbatical Year in order to permit tilling the ground and other
labors, I saw some articles dealing with this in Tehumin, Vol. 8. While
I don't have time now to study the issue in depth, the principal
argument in support of permitting it that is adopted by those who object
to "land for peace" appears to be that the matter is one of Sha`at
Ha-Dohaq (extreme situation).
Shalom,
Shaul Wallach
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From: hillelm%<dublin@...> (Hillel A. Meyers)
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 16:16:45 -0400
Subject: Halacha Tapes
David Zimbalist requested information on Halacha tapes. Mail-Jewish
own Yosef Bechofer continues to produce over 50 tapes on a whole
range of topics. The tapes are from sheurim he gives as the Rosh
Kollel of the Hebrew Theological College (Skokie Yeshiva) Frumi Noble
kollel. Most of the tapes are on halacha topics, although other
topics have been covered as well. If anyone is interested, you may
contact Rabbi Bechofer at <YOSEF_BECHHOFER@...> or
<sbechhof@...> .
Hillel (An exroomate of Yosef (Robby) from our days at Yeshivat
Shaalvim.)
Hillel A. Meyers - Software Solution Team | Mail Drop: IL71
Corporate Software Center - Motorola Inc. | Suite 600
3701 Algonquin Rd, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 USA | Voice: 708-576-8195
SMTP: <hillelm@...> X.400-CHM003 | Fax: 708-576-2025
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From: <Elliot_David_Lasson@...> ( Elliot Lasson)
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 93 19:03:20 -0400
Subject: M&M's, Snickers, etc. write-in campaign
Recently, there has been much speculation regarding the kashrut of
M&M's, etc. While there is may be some sort of hashgacha on these
products outside of this country, there is none here. I wrote to them
about a year ago, and they mentioned that they (the company) believed
that there was nothing non-kosher in the M&M's (as mentioned by someone
on a previous MJ). I am old enough to remember the good-old-days
(a.k.a. the "alta-heim"), when Snickers, Milky-ways, etc. were "kosher".
I spoke with the head of Consumer Affairs who mentioned that becoming
kosher had been discussed in the past, but was not pursued toward
obtaining formal supervision. I tried to tell her that the other major
candy companies (i.e. Hershey's and Nestles) must have felt that kosher
supervision would be cost effective. (Since then, the Leaf Candy
company received OU supervision). However, it was left that they would
condsider it.
To this end, I would like to ask MJ readers who are interested in
convincing them to obtain reliable supervision to contact the company
and convince them that there is interest (and they will sell many more
candy bars, and make more money than they already do). Perhaps, as a
result, this last frontier or kosher products would be crossed.
This is the relevant information:
Ms. Lucy Idler
Manager, Consumer Affairs
Mars, Inc.
700 High Street
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
I would suggest writing as opposed to calling. It's always a more
powerful medium.
Elliot Lasson <FC9Q@...>
908-852-1000
800-222-0293
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From: <warren@...> (Warren Burstein)
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 93 22:11:19 -0400
Subject: Re: Misheberach-related stuff
Art Werschulz writes:
>Second point ... Speaking of misheberachs, has anybody thought about
>the possibility or advisability of some kind of Internet misheberach
>server? Presumably, there would be (at least) three kinds of commands
>associated with same:
> add someone to the list
> remove someone from the list
> retrieve the current list
I would recommend that names be required to be added to the list every
week, so that one might not forget to remove a name of a person, who
hopefully no longer requires the misheberach due to a refuah shelamah.
Maybe names could be left in for two weeks, but not permanently.
I my shul (Kehilat Yedidya, in Jerusalem) we used to have a list like
this (not electronic), and we found out that we were saying some
misheberachs for people that don't need them. Now we ask people to
give the gabbaim names every week. Preferably on pieces of paper,
which speeds things up, but people usually don't.
I have heard that there are shuls where the gabbai says a general
misheberach and everyone recites to themselves the names of those that
need a misheberach. Can anyone suggest any sources pro and con on
this issue?
|warren@ But the hiker
/ nysernet.org is worried.
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From: <frimer@...> (Aryeh A. Frimer)
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 16:16:54 -0400
Subject: Shababnickim
In Shaul Wallach's post dated June 25th in defense of the
Badatz's removal of their Hekhsher from Pepsi, he touched on an issue
which I believe should be of some real concern. I refer to the
phenomenon of the "Shabanickim" as they are referred to in the Israeli
Haredi slang (-I'm not sure of the origin, though I imagine it's
Arabic). As described by Shaul they are "(Haredi ) Yeshiva dropouts who
have not yet found desirable alternatives in their lives, something
which is a Haredi problem in its own right." Shaul is being kind. These
Shabanickim have been reported to harrass members of the opposite sex,
intimidate shop owners and passersby and be involved in petty theft.
Somewhere between "moshav leitzim" and Juvenile deliquency.
In addition to being a serious "Hillul Hashem", They undermine
the Haredi Claim that their youth be exempt from the Army on the grounds
that they are defending the country through Limud ha-Torah. I don't want
to get into the validity of that suggestion, but rather the obvious
discrepancy between that claim and scores of Shababnickim roaming Bnai
Brak streets. "Mikra zeh einoh elah omer Darsheini" - This phenomenon
requires explanation. When challenged off the record, some Haredim will
answer that sending their wayward shababnik son to the Army is a matter
of Pikuach Nefesh. How's that for intellectual honesty? (I apologize in
advance for the acerbic quality of that last statement, but I have an 18
year old son entering Yeshivat Hesder and as Chazal say: Mai Hazit
dedamach Samik tfai. What makes the blood of your son the Shababnik
redder than my son the Hesdernik?)
Food for thought I trust.
Aryeh Frimer
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From: <GERVER@...> (Mike Gerver)
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1993 1:59:56 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Tekhelet
Baruch Sterman's fascinating article in v8n12 on the chemistry of
Tyrian purple and related dyes throws new light on a remark made in
Yehuda Feliks' "Nature and Man in the Bible" (Soncino, 1981) which I
quoted in my earlier posting on tekhelet. Prof. Feliks says that the
chemical analysis of the tzitzit found at Massada shows that the blue
dye used was indigo (kla-illan), apparently in violation of the gemara
which prohibits the use of indigo (of vegetable origin) for dyeing
tzitzit, and concludes that they are thus useless for determining what
real tekhelet was. But if, as Baruch informs us, the blue dye from the
hilazon in chemically identical to indigo, then perhaps the tzitzit at
Massada were kosher?
Are there any subtle differences which would allow us to distinguish
indigo of vegetable origin, and indigo of snail origin? Isotope ratios??
Or more realistically, perhaps there are traces of monobromo- and dibromo-
indigo remaining, even if indigo is the dominant component when the snails
are processed in sunlight? I assume that the bromated forms would occur
only in the snails, and not in vegetable indigo? Has anyone looked for
them in the Massada tzitzit? If not, is there anyone on the list who is
in a position to do such an analysis, or to get someone else to do it?
Mike Gerver, <gerver@...>
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From: Hayim Hendeles <hayim@...>
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 93 11:00:24 -0700
Subject: Re: Women's Tefila Groups
>One may be pushing halachic parameters, but if people feel less
>resentful and are more at peace with their role as Torah observant Jews
>and as a result more mitzvahs are performed, more prayers are heard,
>more Torah is learned, more joy for the Torah and its observance is
>expressed and more people feel at home within the realm of Shabbos,
>Kashrus, and Mikveh, shouldn't we at least wonder where this male
>resistance comes from? Why do we always look for the reasons not to?
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Without addressing the main issue of women's prayer groups, I am only
addressing your point as to why we look for reasons not to.
I once heard from Rabbi Moshe Heineiman (in Baltimore) that the
"innovations" that were first adopted by the Reform movement were
halachikly justifiable. Undoubtedly, they made these "innovations" for
the exact same reasons as mentioned above. Yet, unfortunately, we know
where that led to.
Anytime, we attempt to change any part of our 3000+ year old tradition,
for whatever reason - however noble it may be, there is always a serious
risk that "kol hamosif, gorea" (anyone who attempts to add, will in
fact, detract).
It is my understanding, that exactly because of this reason, there was
such opposition to Sara Schnerir with her then "radical" idea of a Bais
Yaakov movement, which was 100% within the bounds of halacha, but yet
was something that was not part of our tradition. And because this was
such a radical innovation, it took no less a personality then the
venerable Chafetz Chaim and the Gerrer Rebbe to approve of these
"innovations".
Sara's Schnirer's innovations were 100% within the bounds of halacha.
And it still took the approval of the Gedolei Hador before this became
accepted. Should an innovation of women's prayer's group with it's
halachik problems be any less then this.
Hayim Hendeles
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End of Volume 8 Issue 26
