8:59 AM
Gil Student
by Joel Rich
TIM audios can be found in the free section of : http://www.torahinmotion.org/store/prod_search.asp
Are there cases where a chayal should disobey orders? Hard to quantify - his general disposition is towards obedience to maintain cohesiveness. (Look at Tzibbur as basic building block.)
If you don’t want to turn into a baal habayit like all those you didn’t think so highly of when you were a young yeshiva boy back in ’65 (in your idealistic youth), you need to have a rebbi throughout your life to help clarify things. (Hmmm – why don’t I ever hear anyone suggesting a parent might be able to help do this as well.)
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Beginnings of a good discussion, but, of course, it would take a lot of time to fully analyze. (Me - Isn’t it odd that it took till the time of Shmuel to articulate this principle and the source is never stated? Does the torah assume the basic rights of kings?)
Potpourri (= magical mystery tour)
1) Gezeirah Shaveh – needs mesorah? Of what – words or concepts? (me – has anyone totaled them up according to any specific tanna).
2) Tosfot didn’t seem to have most of sifri
3) For which of the midot shehatora nidreshet can you roll your own (depends on who you believe)
4) Why is the silent amida silent? (slach lanu)
5) Why is the Cohain Gadol bsimcha all year round (R’YBS – lifnei hashem)
6) Rebbi paskined against himself in the mishna (me – so it was a sefer of psak?)
Interesting detailed halachic discussion of the halachic status of the manufacture and/or maintenance of pictures, coins, dolls, statues, etc.
Would be interesting to discuss the outside sociological events which led many to a more lenient position than might otherwise have been expected.
Money quote: “Lmaasch a lot of people assered in the old days. Lmaaseh the minhag all the poskim say that today there is no makom to be machmir and a person even cannot take upon himself such a chumrah before he is yarei shumayim bchol kocho, and is mdakdek in all the different chumrah’s” (me – why not?)
Is the requirement primarily on the father or the son? Two possible scriptural sources.
Never mentioned in Nach because the official name was only given later. 120 members because that’s what Persians did. (me – so exactly what was their halachic status? And why don’t we see Sanhedrin mentioned in Nach?).
They were codifiers and compliers.
An extensive discussion of mila shelo bzmana. Shabbat, Yom Tov, Yom Tov Sheni, be in hashmashot. Major underlying additional issue is exact definition of halachic times.
Review of possible halachic issues involved in whistleblowing (involving bnei brit and non-bnei brit) including tochacha and mesira.
Mystical impact of longing for what someone else has or rational result of spiritual impact? (me – whatever gets you through the night?)
Argument of Rebbi and Antonius – 1) Sun’s path – (me) – really about Thomas Cahill – “The gift of the Jews; 2) When is the soul joined to the body? – really about the nature of man; 3) When does the yetzer hara arrive? Cliff hanger!
Starts with my least favorite R’Yaakov story (airplanes/apes). Presents sources which imho conflate more than this issue. Ties a strict constructionist approach on this issue to the charedi narrative.
Understanding whether shlichut bmitzvot works as a function of the mitzvah’s focus on the action, the result or a combination of both.
Mussar on the power of speech in both torah and intrapersonal relationships.
Understanding the halachic significance of kabalat ol malehut. Can a beit din refuse to be megayer someone for tangential reasons (e.g. don’t like his taste in clothes?)
Be mekarev and raise people up – it’s more effective than knocking them down.
New series – Eicha isn’t about one event, it’s about suffering in a theological context. A summary of the history leading up to the Churban.
R’YBS and message of our forefathers’ transition from farmers to shepards and back. Farmer, if not believer, can view self as master of land (he is all engrossed in it), shepard realizes his tenuous status. Mitzvot tluyot baaretz allows them to become farmers again yet maintain beneficial philosophy of shepard. Judaism wants the kind and gentle as shepard but one who knows when to be tough as farmer in defense of his land.
Technical details of ktubah (spelling, dating, drafting), ring (whose, what, where), Chupah construction, which way to face, who stands where, sheva brachot rules.
Putting one in danger to save/help others – required, permitted or forbidden? Is war different and what is war? (hell?)
Triage – halachically very similar to current ethics: Save those who benefit others (eg officers) first – based on the cohain mashuach. (Me – agree with presenter who said psakim here are based on (my term) lev shel torah more than direct sources – else why not just go with the mishnayot in horiyot?)
Mayim sheein lahem sof (we worry that someone last seen drowing came up somewhere we can’t see) – Does it apply in an era of instant communications?
Class R’Sacks – hutrah, dchuya et al.
