tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66240822024-03-13T04:44:36.863-04:00Hirhurim - MusingsThis blog has moved to TorahMusings.comGil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comBlogger3658125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-2139890362541654172010-07-08T09:18:00.000-04:002010-07-08T09:18:57.206-04:00This Blog Has Moved<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrD8kZS0Le-ak-2uT6LqoAxHXmpvPVighVP5x18p1tghg5VEmZW9ZqmJamug8IdXs89khnuHbYkrw40jugOsjlXofo8-tbZIayuCuwpYrssfqyKN6yV3bz03BeOa4VhXPVl_2Ng/s320/we-have-moved.jpg" />After a great get-together last night, we are ready to move the blog to a new format that has more functionality and is more esthetically pleasing. Please change your browser bookmarks to this website: <a href="http://www.torahmusings.com/">www.TorahMusings.com</a>. All new posts will be there only. All old posts will remain here and there.<br />
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Note that, in the past, there have been complaints about changes. That is why I gathered a focus group to test out the new blog. I received a lot of good feedback and made changes to the format based on it. However, the response was overwhelmingly favorable. If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments to the Welcome post on the new blog.<br />
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<b>Comments</b><br />
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Comments on old posts will stay here. The Disqus comments will slowly be copied to the new blog while the Haloscan/JS-Kit comments will remain here. That way everyone will be able to access all old comments. Just please give me some time to migrate all the comments. I will begin with the most recent posts so the conversation can continue on the new blog.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-3590280254140179602010-07-08T08:48:00.001-04:002010-07-08T08:57:34.686-04:00Weekly Links<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO8YDYezGCmAxI_zqNTVYEpTVkgyRdK4Xm0YGkF-rinEElfo4iUJWFxIe7ivUrXpEsygiJqwnWWcEyCVBXpaWFUTatz2TPEqoElIMSDNdRTEiNV4DgldnKDFiP2-nVPh4QAmiEA/s320/links_.jpg" style="border-color: black; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; float: right; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 100px;" />Rules: <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-feature-daily-links.html">link</a><br />
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<b>Thursday</b><br />
<li>Drug bust at Israel airport, Hasidic Jews arrested (time for another Tehillim gathering?): <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jznDgieab-rd2F1XxLw7YMR5NwLgD9GQQSRG0">link</a></li><li>The cost of being Jewish: <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/08/the-cost-of-being-jewish.html">link</a></li><li>Rabbinic group’s resolution expands women’s role: <a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/07/2739955/rabbinic-groups-resolution-expands-womens-role">link</a></li><a name='more'></a><li>Rabbis: 'Don't rent to foreign workers': <a href="http://www.jpost.com/LocalIsrael/TelAvivAndCenter/Article.aspx?id=180812">link</a></li><li>Times Square rabbi seeks America's runaway kids: <a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/Times-Square-Rabbi-Seeks-A-by-Joan-Brunwasser-100708-350.html">link</a></li><li>Union for Traditional Judaism in financial trouble: <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/community/history/more_history_news/98001304_Residents_protest_demolition_of_historic_tree_.html">link</a></li><li>SALT Thursday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/thursday.htm">link</a></li><br />
<b>Wednesday</b><ul><li>Halachically Speaking on worm-infested fish (an essay of mine is quoted in footnotes 46 and 52): <a href="http://www.thehalacha.com/attach/Volume6/Issue9.pdf">link</a> (PDF)</li>
<li>Jewish (including Orthodox) LGBT leaders meet: <a href="http://forward.com/articles/129107/">link</a></li>
<li>Disaffected synagogue leaders push for change in Young Israel: <a href="http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/disaffected_synagogue_leaders_push_change_young_israel">link</a></li>
<li>'America Is Better Served By A Religiously Vibrant Christianity' An Interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin: <a href="http://www.jewishpressads.com/pageroute.do/44408">link</a></li>
<li>Satmar protests in front of White House over Israeli digging of graves: <a href="http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/64943/VIDEOS%3A-Satmar-(Williamsburg)-Protests-Outside-White-House.html">link</a></li>
<li>New Young Israel advocacy: <a href="http://youngisraelfuture.com/">link</a></li>
<li>Orthodox Rabbinical Group Outlines Women’s Roles as “Clergy” and More: <a href="http://newsdesk.tjctv.com/2010/07/orthodox-rabbinical-group-outlines-womens-roles-as-clergy-and-more/">link</a></li>
<li>R. Jeffrey Saks' review in Tradition of biography of R. Ovadiah Yosef: <a href="http://www.traditiononline.org/news/_pdfs/96-105%20Book%20Reviews.pdf">link</a> (PDF)</li>
<li>Jewish organizations protest UC president's handling of reports of anti-Semitism: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0707-uc-jewish-20100707,0,1141548.story">link</a></li>
<li>A hard hitting examination of Jews and baseball: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=180634">link</a></li>
<li>Tradition and Its Discontents (new book by Shaul Stampfer): <a href="http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/content/module/2010/7/7/main-feature/1/tradition-and-its-discontents">link</a></li>
<li>SALT Wednesday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/wednesda.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Tuesday</b><ul><li>The Mossad: <a href="http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/content/module/2010/7/6/main-feature/1/the-mossad">link</a></li>
<li>R. Malkiel Kotler denounces Hamodia eulogy of Dr. Bernard Lander (beginning of eulogy here: <a href="http://www.hamodia.com/inthepaper.cfm?ArticleID=628">link</a>): <a href="http://matzav.com/rav-malkiel-kotler-issues-strong-condemnation-of-orthodox-newspaper">link</a></li>
<li>Agreement reached in Chinuch Atzmai leadership battle: <a href="http://theyeshivaworld.com/news/Headlines+&+Breaking+Stories/64761/Court+Pleased+with+Agreement+in+Chinuch+Atzmai+Case.html">link</a></li>
<li>More secular Israelis take up Torah, Jewish studies: <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3915904,00.html">link</a></li>
<li>SALT Tuesday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/tuesday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Monday</b><ul><li>Passion Play called more balanced: <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hA_xzesxvrIW54TCNo0SzN1MKh1gD9GMU95O0">link</a></li>
<li>Red, White and Kosher: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/opinion/04fishkoff.html">link</a></li>
<li>New conversion institute aims to spark halachic debate: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=180448">link</a></li>
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<li>R. Shlomo Aviner on Facebook's problems: <a href="http://www.ravaviner.com/2010/07/ten-plagues-of-facebook.html">link</a></li>
<li>The Atheist vs. the Rabbi: <a href="http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/jul/04/04July-atheist-vs-rabbi/">link</a></li>
<li>SALT Monday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/monday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-3557268982519625042010-07-07T21:32:00.005-04:002010-07-07T21:32:00.252-04:00Parashah Roundup: Matos-Masei 5770<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BtCOE9ku5nxsuFjZ4ujnVsjctZ2KTUlHKul8pWFQyu440SUXclvguCeYr86-cIJXsqDRz4Iv4B5vrClRY98tdl0tTJUYiCniQVVvjzWGaN3gsRbYTtdZs14HEyNQ95GFguGBGA/s1600-h/mapofisrael.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; border-color:black; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BtCOE9ku5nxsuFjZ4ujnVsjctZ2KTUlHKul8pWFQyu440SUXclvguCeYr86-cIJXsqDRz4Iv4B5vrClRY98tdl0tTJUYiCniQVVvjzWGaN3gsRbYTtdZs14HEyNQ95GFguGBGA/s200/mapofisrael.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228862900139669234" /></a>by Steve Brizel<br />
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<b>The Book of Memories</b><br />
<li>R Berel Wein suggests why the Torah records the names of the stops and encampments of the Jewish People: <a href="http://www.torah.org/learning/rabbiwein/5767/matos.html">link</a></li><li>R Shlomoh Riskin explains why the Torah uses Shevatim and Matos: <a href="http://www.ohrtorahstone.org.il/parsha/5764/matotmasei64.htm">link</a></li><li>The Nesivos Shalom, as explicated by R Yitzchak Adlestein, explains why Parshas Maasei is a mission statement for every Jew: <a href="http://www.torah.org/advanced/nesivosshalom/5768/masei.html">link</a></li><a name='more'></a><li>R Avraham Gordimer explains why the Maasos are mentioned at the end of Sefer Bamidbar: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735774/Rabbi_Avraham_ Gordimer/Parshas_Masei_-_Significance_of_the_Masa'os">link</a></li><br />
<b>The War Against the Midyanites</b><br />
<li>R Ephraim Buchwald explains why the Midyanites were eradicated: <a href="http://www.njop.org/html/MATOT-MASEI5763-2003.htm">link</a></li><br />
<b>The Laws of Vows</b><br />
<li>R Yissocher Frand explains why Hilcos Nedarim were transmitted to the Roshei HaMatos: <a href="http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5765/matos.html">link</a></li><li>R Michael Rosensweig explains the role and significance of Nedarim: <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/1999/parsha/rros_matot.html">link 1</a>, <A href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2009/parsha/rros_matos.html">link 2</a></li><br />
<b>Tevilas Kelim</b><br />
<li>R Asher Weiss analyzes the Halachos of Tevilas Kelim: <a href="http://bcbm.org/index.htm">link</a> (audio)</li><br />
<b>Maintaining Proper Priorities</b><br />
<li>R Herschel Schachter and R Avigdor Nevenzal reminds us that we should ensure that the proper Torah education of the next generation is an individual and communal priority that should never be dispensed with as a cost saving measure: <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2005/parsha/rsch_matos.html">link 1</a>, <a href="http://www.yna.edu/index.php/B-Ktav-Text.html">link 2</a></li><li>R David Horwitz discusses the choice of the tribe of Reuven: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735679/Rabbi_David_Horwitz/Parsh at_Matot-Masei:_The_Choice_of_the_Tribe_of_Reuben">link</a></li><br />
<b>Living in the Land of Israel</b><br />
<li>R Sir Jonathan Sacks explores the centrality of living in the Land of Israel in the thought of Ramban and R Yehudah HaLevi: <a href="http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1523">link</a></li><li>R Dovid Miller discusses Kedushas HaMikdash and Kedushas Eretz Yisrael: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736294/Rabbi_Dovid_Miller/Kedush at_Hamikdash_and_Kedushat_Eretz_Yisrael">link</a> (audio)</li><br />
<b>Tribal Integrity and Family Integrity</b><br />
<li>R Yitztchak Etshalom explains why the dialogue between Mosheh and the chieftains of Menasheh regarding the land which will soon be inherited by the five daughters of Tz'lofchad occurs at the end of Parshas Maasei: <a href="http://www.torah.org/advanced/mikra/5757/bm/dt.57.4.09.html">link</a></li><br />
<b>Shoalim Udorshim Department</b><br />
<li>Rav Soloveitchik ZL explains the Halachos and Hashkafa or Tisha B”Av and Kinos: <a href="http://bcbm.org/index.htm">link 1</a> (audio)*, <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/3weeks/av64-rjbs.htm">link 2</a></li><li>R Yona Reiss discusses Aveilus Yeshanah Aveilus Drabim: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736304/Rabbi_Yona_Reiss/Aveilus_ Yeshana_and_Aveilus_d'Rabim_(Yarzheit_Shiur)">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Michael Rosensweig analyzes the unique nature of Tishah B”Av: <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2001/moadim/rros_tbav.html">link</a></li><li>R Yonasan Sacks examines the dual aspect of Taanis Tzibur and Aveilus that is characteristic of Tishah B’Av and the silver lining of the fires of Tishah B’Av: <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2004/moadim/rsac_tishabaav.html">link 1</a>, <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2001/moadim/rsac_tbav.html">link 2</a></li><li>R Asher Brander, based on the teachings of the Bnei Yissoscher, explains why Tishah B’Av is birthday of the Moshiach: <a href="http://sites.kehilla.org/homepage/parsha-reflections-1/three-weeks-5769--a-hug-forever">link</a></li><li>R David Brofsky explains the Halachos of the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av: <a href="http://vbm-torah.org/archive/moadim69/24-69moed.htm">link 1</a>, <a href="http://vbm-torah.org/archive/moadim69/25-69moed.htm">link 2</a></li><li>R Baruch Simon discusses Galus and Torah She Baal Peh, how to prepare for Tishah B’Av and explains why our Geulah is in the merit of Torah She Baal Peh: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736058/Rabbi_Mordechai_I._Willig/ Parshas_Masei_5769-_Galus_and_Torah_Sheb'al_Peh">link 1</a> (audio), <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736365/Rabbi_Mordechai_I._Willig/ Hachana_for_Tisha_B'av_and_Parshas_Matos_5769-_Midah_of_Anavah">link 2</a> (audio), <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/718967/Rabbi_Baruch_Simon/Rede mption_is_in_the_Merit_of_Torah_Sheb'al_Peh">link 3</a> (audio)</li> <br />
* For the interested listener, additional explanations of all of the Kinos can be found by various Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim on YuTorah.org.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-65327131267603675512010-07-07T20:45:00.011-04:002024-01-16T20:16:06.973-05:00Top Ten Signs You Read Hirhurim Too MuchAs presented by Joel Rich<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lxehNKSqBJLKQ2F2lB2nznLXlYhfvMkQ0vrAy7D6nfg/present?usp=sharing">Click here to see presentation</a>
<br><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lxehNKSqBJLKQ2F2lB2nznLXlYhfvMkQ0vrAy7D6nfg/present?usp=sharing" ></iframe>
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Courtesy of R. Moshe Schapiro, Gaava"d of the Gottesman Library.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-66449251579596678152010-07-07T19:15:00.002-04:002024-01-16T20:18:39.836-05:00Welcome to the Hirhurim DinnerThis slide show is going on in the background right now.<br />
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<A href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Fz9ZxK3CDcpAvMSosWV2bywtiITboVOrEJNWNP5wEg/present?usp=sharing">Click here to see presentation</a>
<br><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Fz9ZxK3CDcpAvMSosWV2bywtiITboVOrEJNWNP5wEg/present?usp=sharing"></iframe>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-75811154148886659982010-07-07T08:26:00.001-04:002010-07-07T15:34:06.325-04:00Get-Together: Today<img style="border: 1px solid black; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD3S2Ngi_angI4zPAeu0lq7j2fsZwqFoKErAF00rxJ4eIjBSk7pBaYKHUIKEXH85WQqHk3lteurwwm85ZnI5KDPy9PocYDrCwrW_4gDs0den0hA3UbNyncQ3FWPt4yvKr1Oz9gg/s320/gettogether3.gif" />Today is the day. Information here: <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/07/get-together-this-wednesday.html">link</a><br />
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<b>Even if you have not RSVP'ed, you can just walk in.</b><br />
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Note that we are in the midst of a heat wave. There will be plenty of water but please dress <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_casual">business casual</a>. There is no need for jackets or suits, although I will be wearing a tuxedo.<br />
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Please try to daven Mincha beforehand but if you cannot, the shul will have an 8:20 minyan.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-21993569071020022232010-07-06T21:25:00.001-04:002010-07-06T22:04:27.161-04:00Is Creativity Possible in the Information Age?<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px; width:75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_OFGPuDgd1hpad7m4wr05ZZLHIJexgTo8ugqT_8uaocpH2u-JdE398sv3t-bvN0I3YaEo4m9qZ_bxNbFnA_4K305DKHTh0R-MrM-EivpK1sLNzfDLNrjFTdg9btzSpylSwTedw/s320/creativity.gif" />We live in an age where more information is available with greater ease than ever before. This applies to Torah just as much as any other subject, perhaps even more. The ingathering of exiles that broke down (to some degree) communal barriers, the relatively low cost of publication thanks to printing technology, the electronic revolution that opens entire libraries through your computer, and the widespread wealth that allows people to take advantage of these technologies offer unprecedented amounts. But is all this information stifling?<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>Barriers to Creativity</b><br />
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Most people lack the training in both Torah and technology to excel in their use of this additional information. This has led to the growth of the genre of collection literature -- essays and books that collect opinions on various subjects. In itself, this requires highly developed skills of comprehension, summarization and explanation. While the genre can entail a certain amount of creativity in the presentation, it generally includes minimal original thinking. There is very little if any creative Torah in collection literature. <br />
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Even those who do not write such literature can find their creativity stifled. The sheer volume of available analyses on any subject is overwhelming. A thorough student will find multiple views on any subject and will have to carefully sort through the different variations of each view. This is usually a non-trivial intellectual effort that diverts attention from original thinking. It also points one's mind in a specific direction, biasing a thinker about the proper way to approach a subject.<br />
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Finally, there is a humility factor. A modest student, aware of his limitations, will hesitate before taking a different path than the many authorities of the past and present. If you truly venerate the different commentators, and someone has always said something on any subject, you will find it difficult to disagree and offer a conflicting suggestion.<br />
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<b>The Value of Creativity</b><br />
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These are no small problems. Even when overcome on occasion, even when a student has a flash of insight and follows it, these issues can still remain as general impediments to creativity.<br />
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While some may accept this situation as a welcome development, it seems to me to be a limitation on our ability to properly learn. The blessing of "<i>Ahavah Rabbah</i>" prior to the morning Shema, which focuses on the study of Torah, contains a request that we be able to hear, to learn, to teach, to keep, to do and to fulfill. The simple understanding of "to keep" and "to do" is that it refers to observing negative and positive commandments. But then what is "to fulfill"?<br />
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The Netziv (<i>Ha'amek Davar</i>, Lev. 18:5 in <i>Harcheiv Davar</i>), however, has an original interpretation of these phrases. He sees them as continuations of the types of learning. "To keep" means to remember one's Torah learning and "to do" means to innovate new Torah interpretations. According to the Netziv, creative interpretation is integral to Torah study. It is part of what we ask for in the blessings of Shema.<br />
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<b>Regaining Creativity</b><br />
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There are a few strategies to overcoming these barriers. One is to simply refrain from utilizing all of the available resources. This is how I was taught to learn: Choose a few classics to which you always refer and if you come across a big problem that you can't solve, then look beyond that small library.<br />
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Another is to overcome your humility and offer suggestions of new approaches. Caution is required here. Some (most?) original thinkers do not have to overcome their humility because they were not blessed with a large portion of it. This eventually becomes clear to readers, some sooner than others. When I realize that an original thinker is arrogant toward his predecessors, I usually just tune him out. I have no interest in what he has to say. The difference between being reluctantly original and arrogantly original is, I believe, eventually the difference between tradition and heresy.<br />
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Finally, we have to realize that not everyone was meant to be an original thinker. Such a status requires both extensive and broad training as well as unusual intellect. Those of us who are merely above average (isn't everyone?) but not exceptional should not be offering anything other than the occasional harmless original thought. Therefore, we have time to collect opinions while the geniuses create new sources for us to utilize.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-89195459818108439692010-07-06T02:24:00.003-04:002010-07-06T09:06:00.436-04:00Shabbat Mevarchim<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVliyT_jvjm3LlZ16IwIFRlQY-xlWn30NLTqhcw4nwU3SvFbfoC7uAGrkMeE59Nx5GUckDvUCkuIH-Jj43tc7I7UAoXB582mAzgMuYuoKnJTn312Qgv6NGJkX9kJGwzjMmK0L0Mg/s320/moon+sliver.jpg" />By: Rabbi Ari Enkin<br />
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There is an ancient custom to bless the upcoming Jewish month on the Shabbat which precedes Rosh Chodesh. These Shabbatot when the new month is blessed are referred to as “Shabbat Mevarchim”. A central feature of this prayer is the public announcement of the exact time the new moon, known as the “molad”, is set to appear.[1] The molad is the exact moment of the moon’s renewal. Recall that at the concluding moments of every lunar cycle the moon is positioned directly between the earth and the sun and is completely invisible.<a name='more'></a> A few hours following this occurrence the moon is once again visible, albeit only the most minute portion of it. At such time the "molad" the "birth" is recognized as having taken place and a new Jewish month has begun.<br />
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The prayer for the new month is conducted in a somewhat distinguished manner. It is led by the Chazzan while holding the Torah. The prayer announces the name of the upcoming month along with the exact moment the new moon is set to appear. It also serves to alerts the congregation as to which day(s) of the coming week will be observed as Rosh Chodesh. Finally, it asks that God renew the upcoming month with all forms of blessing. It is often carried out in an elaborate and impressive manner.<br />
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It is actually quite important that the exact time of the molad be announced.[2] Doing so allows people to determine when the latest opportunity is for them to recite the Kiddush Levana. It also represents our efforts to familiarize ourselves with the workings of the calendar. Indeed, we are strongly encouraged to somehow participate in the calculating of celestial matters.[3] Yes, learning the basics of astrology is a mitzva! [4]<br />
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Announcing the molad also recalls the ancient practice of “Kiddush Hachodesh”. In Temple times the new month was declared by the Beit Din based on manual calculations along with the testimony of witnesses who would have claimed to have seen the moon’s renewal. It is rather essential to be standing when reciting this prayer as the ancient Kiddush Hachodesh was only acceptable if performed while standing.[5] Although it is technically to recite the "Mevarchim" prayer on any day of the week preceding Rosh Chodesh, universal custom is to recite it on Shabbat when more people are to be found in the synagogue.[6] Indeed, it is always commendable to make an effort to perform mitzvot in the presence of as many people as possible.[7] <br />
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There is one month, however, that is excluded from the cycle of Shabbat Mevarchim prayers and that is the month of Tishrei. Among the many explanations as to why this so, it is said that the month of Tishrei with all its holidays and their accompanying mitzvot is inherently blessed. It is as if God Himself is the one who blesses the month of Tishrei. The other months of the year which don't contain nearly as much mitzvot as Tishrei are therefore dependant upon the Jewish people to bless them.[8]<br />
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While in our day Tishrei is the only month for which Shabbat Mevarchim prayers are not recited, there was once a custom to omit them for the month of Av, as well.[9] While no longer practiced, the idea for omitting the prayer on behalf of the month of Av was related to that month’s eternal association with bad fortune and tragedy.[10] It is actually the opposite reasoning that has prevailed however – being that the month is so associated with tragedy, how much more so does it require our prayers![11]<br />
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[1] Mishna Berura 417:1<br />
[2] Kaf Hachaim 417:1<br />
[3] Shabbat 75a<br />
[4] Rashi, Maharsha, Rambam ad loc.<br />
[5] Magen Avraham 417:1, Kaf Hachaim 417:7, Igrot Moshe 1:142<br />
[6] Likutei Maharich;Rosh Chodesh<br />
[7] Rosh Hashanah 32b, Pesachim 64b, Menachot 64a<br />
[8] Likutei Sichot;Nitzavim-Vayelech 5744<br />
[9] Magen Avraham 417:1<br />
[10] Machatzit Hashekel O.C. 417<br />
[11] Ateret Zekeinim 549Rabbi Ari Enkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014076795997393407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-3273269953697225552010-07-05T15:35:00.000-04:002010-07-05T15:35:38.742-04:00Get-Together: This Wednesday<img style="border: 1px solid black; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD3S2Ngi_angI4zPAeu0lq7j2fsZwqFoKErAF00rxJ4eIjBSk7pBaYKHUIKEXH85WQqHk3lteurwwm85ZnI5KDPy9PocYDrCwrW_4gDs0den0hA3UbNyncQ3FWPt4yvKr1Oz9gg/s320/gettogether3.gif" />This Wednesday July 7th is the Hirhurim get-together/dinner (<a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/mark-your-calendars.html">link 1</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-reminder.html">link 2</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-theyve-arrived.html">link 3</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-more-stuff.html">link 4</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-more-information.html">link 5</a>). All readers, commenters and friends of the blog are invited to this <b>free</b> event. Free mugs and trinkets will be available, while supplies last.<br />
<br />
Please RSVP to the event using this online form: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEpfWmEzV3FjSE1CLVZHX1RrTWhBVWc6MQ#gid=0">link</a>.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>When:</b> July 7, 2010 from 7-9pm.<br />
<b>Where:</b> <a href="http://www.jewishcenter.org/">The Jewish Center</a>, 131 W. 86 St., New York, NY 10024<br />
<b>What:</b> A get-together and dinner for readers and friends of the Hirhurim-Musings blog. In particular, a celebration of the 100th Audio Roundup.<br />
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Greetings and food at 7:00pm. The program will begin at 7:45pm, which will include a few brief speeches and an interactive, multi-media presentation. Speakers will include Gil Student, R. Kenneth Brander, Dr. Charlie Hall, Steve Brizel and Joel Rich.<br />
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Name tags will be available but you can choose what name or alias to use. There will also be Hirhurim-branded trinkets, while supplies last so come early. There will be a special commemorative Torah journal for the event with articles by different rabbis, including a special section on communications technology (authors include R. Norman Lamm, R. Jonathan Sacks, R. Shlomo Aviner, R. Yitzchok Adlerstein, R. Michael Broyde, R. Yaakov Klass and others).<br />
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Everything is free. Dairy food will be served. Mugs and trinkets will be given out.<br />
<br />
As mentioned, I will be paying for the evening but I am asking for help subsidizing the event by those who can. As encouragement for large donations, I am publishing a special Torah journal for the occasion. The journal is split into three sections:<br />
1) Perspectives - hashkafic reflections on communal and personal directions<br />
2) Technology - questions related to technology and Torah<br />
3) Studies - discussions of general Torah topics<br />
<br />
Here is the table of contents. The order is alphabetic by author's last name within each section. Note that some of these articles have been published elsewhere, but if you haven't seen them yet then they are new to you:<br />
<ul><li>Introduction<br />
<br />
<b>Perspectives</b></li>
<li>Scientific Advance and the Jewish Moral Conscience — R. Yitzchok Adlerstein</li>
<li>The Makings of a Ben Torah — R. Norman Lamm</li>
<li>Modern Orthodoxy for Everyone? — R. Adam Mintz</li>
<li>Adaptability: The Key to Facing Our Future — R. Gidon Rothstein</li>
<li>Two Dimensions of Community — R. Reuven Ziegler<br />
<br />
<b>Technology</b></li>
<li>Teshuvot Regarding Technology — R. Shlomo Aviner</li>
<li>Connections — R. Micha Berger</li>
<li>Favorable Judgment in the Internet Age — R. Daniel Z. Feldman</li>
<li>“Infosnacking” and Halachah — R. Yair Hoffman</li>
<li>The Evolution of Halacha and the Internet — R. Ari Kahn</li>
<li>Technology and Moral Growth — R. Jay Kelman</li>
<li>Torah in English — R. Yaakov Klass</li>
<li>Reading another Person’s Letter — R. Moishe Dovid Lebovits</li>
<li>Downloading Music from “Sharing” Websites — R. Aryeh Lebowitz</li>
<li>Challenges of the Information Age — R. Jonathan Sacks</li>
<li>Technology and Personal Relationships — R. Meir Soloveichik</li>
<li>iPods and Hirhurei Torah — R. Gil Student<br />
<br />
<b>Studies</b></li>
<li>Godtalk: Should Religion Inform Public Debate? — R. J. David Bleich</li>
<li>Science, Halakha, and the Truth: The Case of Paternity Tests — R. Shlomo Brody</li>
<li>A Mathematical Analysis of the Structure of the Jewish Calendar — R. Michael J. Broyde</li>
<li>On First Names and Titles — R. Ari Enkin</li>
<li>Medical Enhancement: Promises and Perils — R. Joshua Flug</li>
<li>The “Kedoshim” Status of the Holocaust Victims — R. Aaron Rakeffet</li>
</ul>You can obtain a copy of the journal on the RSVP form: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEpfWmEzV3FjSE1CLVZHX1RrTWhBVWc6MQ#gid=0">link</a>.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-68416931562957255302010-07-04T21:33:00.002-04:002010-07-04T22:18:02.970-04:00Drinking Wine During the Nine Days and the Authority of the Shulchan Aruch<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Wr7ZV1k0yeA1816tcxZEDtYZeJxkOI6y3FX7MLDigx_phayqLkjnmQCRelUd-RamEEMX7wYrVN1sjsJaI48swfLegU1IADJQmcS1B-OQbFrLQo9GQfZ7wqh-lDzBXzX_nsqvCQ/s320/wine.jpg" />Guest post by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz<br />
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The <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> records a tradition to refrain from drinking wine during the period of the nine days leading up to Tishah be-Av. In a recent lecture delivered in Teaneck, Prof. Daniel Sperber argued that the entire passage in the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> is based on a faulty interpretation of a passage in the <i>Talmud Yerushalmi</i> (Sperber’s full analysis of this issue appears in his monumental work, <i>Minhagei Yisrael</i>).<a name='more'></a>In light of this supposed error, Sperber concluded publicly that the Shulchan Aruch’s ruling can be considered a מנהג טעות, although Sperber added that it is advisable to observe this specific מנהג טעות as a mean of identifying with the mournful nature of the time period. <br />
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What was the supposed erroneous basis for the ruling in the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>? A passage in the <i>Yerushalmi</i> in tractates <i>Pesachim</i> and <i>Ta’anit</i> reports the custom of certain women to refrain from certain activity (למשתייא) from Rosh Chodesh Av until the fast of the 9th. Sperber demonstrated that the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> understood the <i>Yerushalmi</i> to be reporting that these women refrained from drinking wine during this time period, and based on this understanding the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> codified his ruling. However, Sperber pointed out that the word למשתייא in Palestinian Aramaic means “to weave,” not “to drink,” which would be למשתי. Moreover, he noted that if the custom was to refrain from drinking, it is not clear why this custom would be specifically attributed to women, and not men.<br />
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Therefore, Sperber quoted the view of an early North African Talmudist, R. Nisim Gaon, quoted in <i>Or Zarua</i>, who maintained that the custom reported in the Talmud was to refrain from weaving. This understanding explains both the language למשתייא as well as the attribution of this custom to women specifically. The above discussion led Sperber to conclude, quite matter-of-factly, that the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>’s recording of a tradition not to eat meat or drink wine was faulty and based on a string of errors. <br />
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This conclusion is startling for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Sperber failed to articulate clearly that the different explanations of the original custom was due to two separate versions, <i>girsaot</i>, of the <i>Yerushalmi</i> passage. The alternate <i>girsa</i> actually reads, “to drink wine” (למשתי חמרא). In fact, this alternate <i>girsa</i> even predated R. Nisim, and was quoted by no less of an authority than R. Hai Gaon, an older contemporary of R. Nisim.<br />
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That an alternate <i>girsa</i> existed is apparent in many <i>Rishonim</i>. Take for example, <i>Machzor Vitri</i> (#263), which states explicitly that the <i>girsa</i> of the <i>Yerushalmi</i> reads, “to drink wine.” The same is true with <i>Ravyah</i>’s recording of this custom (#882). In fact, R. Nisim’s reading was in the minority (Although it is the text in printed editions and in the Leiden manuscript), as most of the major <i>Rishonim</i> had the <i>girsa</i> that reads, “to drink.” This includes significant <i>Rishonim</i> from a wide spectrum of halakhic cultures. From the Baylonian Gaon, R. Hai, to the Spanish codifier, Rambam, to the Ashkenazic codifier, Tur, who records both <i>girsaot</i>, to the Catalonian Talmudist, Ramban, all of the major medieval Talmudists ruled in accordance with the <i>girsa</i> that states “to drink wine.” <br />
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Additionally, R. Yosef Karo, author of the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>, was himself aware of the variant <i>girsaot</i> of the <i>Yerushalmi</i> passage. In the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>, both the custom to refrain from drinking wine, and to refrain from weaving are codified. The commentators on the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> note that both customs appear in the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> due to the fact that the <i>Rishonim</i> quote two different versions of the <i>Yerushalmi</i> text. See, most notably the <i>Be’er ha-Golah</i>, who refers to the version that reads “למשתייא” as a variant text of “some” of the <i>Rishonim</i> (see also <i>Biur ha-Gra</i>). Apparently, R. Karo who was aware of both <i>girsaot</i>, didn’t feel confident enough to conclude that the <i>girsa</i> of the majority of <i>Rishonim</i> was in error. Why then was Prof. Sperber so confident? <br />
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<b>Conclusion:</b> The opening question of Sperber’s lecture—what is to be done when the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> contains a ruling that is based on a mistake?— is not relevant to the issue at hand. The <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>’s quoting of the custom to not drink wine was not based on a mistake. Rather, it was due to two different <i>girsaot</i> in the <i>Yerushalmi</i>. Whereas most <i>Rishonim</i> ruled in accordance with the view that the recorded custom was to refrain from drinking wine, there was a minority view that the recorded custom was to refrain from weaving.<br />
<br />
Instead of arguing that the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> was in error for quoting the view of the overwhelming majority of <i>Rishonim</i>, the opposite could have been argued: Even though the <i>girsa</i> of R. Nisim was only represented in a very small amount of sources, the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> still included it because of the strengths mentioned by Sperber (such as the fact that the woman were specifically singled out).<br />
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In the end, it is appropriate to note that the custom to not drink wine during this period was observed by the <i>Rishonim</i>, and was accepted by the Jewish nation for centuries before the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i>. The very <i>Or Zarua</i>, who quoted the <i>girsa</i> of R. Nisim, rules (2:414 and 415) that one must not violate this important custom. Also the Rashba, in his responsa (1:306, qtd. in <i>Beit Yosef</i> 551:11), has very sharp words to say about one who violates this custom. It is appropriate to end with a quotation from the <i>Aruch Ha-Shulchan</i> (O”C 551:23) who writes that a Biblical prohibition is violated by one who drinks wine during this period:<br />
<blockquote>Hundreds of years ago, our forefathers accepted upon themselves not to eat meat or drink wine from Rosh Chodesh Av until after Tishah be-Av…Nowadays, in our many sins, many people are <i>mezalzel</i> this prohibition. Besides the fact that they are in violation of a Biblical prohibition of <i>neder</i>, for our forefathers accepted this custom upon themselves and it is therefore a <i>neder</i> of <i>klal Yisrael</i>… Their punishment is very great.</blockquote>As a final note, I would add that the tone of Sperber’s entire presentation was troubling to this listener. What type of message is appropriate for a Shabbat afternoon shiur in a community shul? The material was fascinating and the potential for a positive educational learning experience was ripe. Sperber could have engaged the sources, and used this example to demonstrate the nature of transmission, as seen through the different traditions of the <i>Yerushalmi</i> text. Instead the event contained a tone that likely undermined the authority of the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> in the eyes of some of the listeners. Indeed, the smirks, and occasional laughs from the audience that accompanied Sperber’s declarations that the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> erred, and that the “passage in the <i>Shulchan Aruch</i> is based on a faulty interpretation,” were reflective of this lost opportunity.*<br />
<hr align="left" width="25%" />* A note regarding censorship. My words here should not be misunderstood as a militant call to “hide the truth from the masses.” When the truth is apparent, we need to reverently address it. However, because in this case it is far from apparent where the truth lies, it appears to me that a bit more prudence and respect could have been exercised.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-73503350237123118922010-07-02T08:31:00.006-04:002010-07-02T14:04:48.831-04:00Weekly Links<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO8YDYezGCmAxI_zqNTVYEpTVkgyRdK4Xm0YGkF-rinEElfo4iUJWFxIe7ivUrXpEsygiJqwnWWcEyCVBXpaWFUTatz2TPEqoElIMSDNdRTEiNV4DgldnKDFiP2-nVPh4QAmiEA/s320/links_.jpg" />Rules: <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-feature-daily-links.html">link</a><br />
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<b>Friday</b><br />
<li>'The End of Men' ... in Judaism?: <a href="http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/129157/">link</a></li><li>New issue of Jewish Review of Books: <a href="http://www.jewishreviewofbooks.com/">link</a></li><li>We can make a difference in our children’s lives: <a href="http://jstandard.com/content/item/we_can_make_a_difference_in_our_childrens_lives/14030">link</a></li><a name='more'></a><li>Learning Curve: Community confronts day-school tuition crisis: <a href="http://jstandard.com/content/item/learning_curve/14054">link</a></li><li>Teaneck elects first Muslim mayor: <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/teaneck_chooses_first_muslim_m.html">link</a></li><li>Long time archaeological riddle (Sisera) solved: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/ChristianInIsrael/Features/Article.aspx?id=180213">link</a></li><li>Ask The Rabbi: On being fruitful, part II: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=178755">link</a></li><li>Can Kutsher’s, the Catskills’ last kosher resort, be saved?: <a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/01/2739872/kutshers-catskills-last-kosher-resort-goes-for-broke">link</a></li><li>SALT Friday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/friday.htm">link</a></li><br />
<b>Thursday</b><ul><li>R. Yitzchak Herzog was the Chief Rabbi of what country? Not Israel: <a href="http://matzav.com/todays-yahrtzeits-history-19-tammuz">link</a></li>
<li>Response and rejoinder to R. Chaim Rapoport re new biography of Lubavitcher Rebbe: <a href="http://seforim.blogspot.com/2010/06/response-and-rejoinder-to-chaim.html">link</a></li>
<li>Rabbi of historic Orthodox synagogue overturns decision to let women lead: <a href="http://forward.com/articles/129105/">link</a></li>
<li>Backlash to visit by Sara Hurwitz: <a href="http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/backlash-to-visit-by-sara%C2%A0hurwitz/">link</a></li>
<li>No luck for Young Israel at delegates meeting: <a href="https://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/no-luck-for-young-israel-at-delegates-meeting/">link</a></li>
<li>SALT Thursday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/thursday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Wednesday</b><ul><li>Young Israel movement in turmoil over upstate shul: <a href="http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/young_israel_movement_turmoil_over_upstate_shul">link</a></li>
<li>Restoring our collective faith: <a href="http://www.jewishpressads.com/pageroute.do/44309">link</a></li>
<li>Rabbi Yosef allows woman pregnant through artificial insemination to marry: <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3911420,00.html">link</a></li>
<li>Do interfaith marriages threaten Jewish identity?: <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-06-29-jewish-interfaith-marriage_N.htm">link</a></li>
<li>French Nazi collaborators to be exposed: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=179989">link</a></li>
<li>Jewish-music figure gets prison in $36K theft: <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/59070/2010/06/29/manhattanny-jewish-music-figure-gets-prison-in-36k-theft">link</a></li>
<li>Rabbi Binyamin Marwick elected to position at Shomrei Emunah: <a href="http://www.jewbyte.info/06/rabbi-binyamin-marwick-elected-to-position-at-shomrei-emunah/11356">link</a></li>
<li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/wednesda.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Tuesday</b><ul><li>Newsweek's hit-or-miss list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America: <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/28/the-50-most-influential-rabbis-in-america.html">link</a></li>
<li>VHQ's 50th anniversary: <a href="http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/06/28/queens/qns_vaad_harabonin_50th_anniversary_20100624.txt">link</a></li>
<li>Communing while commuting: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=179404">link</a><br />
<li>SALT Tuesday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/tuesday.htm">link</a></li><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</ul><b>Monday</b><ul><li>Flotilla for Gilad Shalit (IMHO childish and unproductive): <a href="http://forward.com/articles/129008/">link</a></li>
<li>Rav Soloveitchik: The Status Of The Night Of 17 Tammuz: <a href="http://www.ou.org/index.php/shabbat_shalom/article/56013/">link</a></li>
<li>Of Kabbalists and Kings: Rav Moshe Feinstein and Halakhic Pluralism by Moshe Simon-Shoshan: <a href="http://text.rcarabbis.org/?p=953">link</a></li>
<li>Resurgence of Jewish anti-Zionism: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26religion.html">link</a></li>
<li>YU Museum exhibit of rare manuscripts: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/arts/design/26braginsky.html">link</a></li>
<li>Intermarried women, Shabbos and their religious identities: <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/37308/private-practice/">link</a></li>
<li>Rabbinical Alliance of America says Kagan not kosher for Supreme Court: <a href="http://www.huliq.com/8738/orthodox-rabbis-say-kagan-not-kosher-supreme-court">link</a></li>
<li>SALT Monday: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/monday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-53688315022334954752010-07-01T21:55:00.002-04:002010-07-01T22:26:42.435-04:00Audio Roundup C<img style="border-color: black; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 125px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ85st1hvfR9NZkM8J-JtWEP0ymeT9mKjKZJ87nrn_HANxa7DK-09uXmcPH23ugSNFTbVaWBsD4925UOSqY2DK3AglBBFtH_Vgm2CB8fKSIovRDEueXIoggdBHAjk7ZaFGMOC3Ng/s320/microphone100.jpg" />by Joel Rich<br />
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<li><b>Rabbi Shmuel Marcus -Birthdays and Yahrtzeits</b>: <a href="http://hp.download.yutorah.org/2008/1103/727092/Birthdays%20and%20Yahrtzeits.MP3">link</a><br />
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With the 100th audioroundup I thought it appropriate to lead with this shiur which contains some positive and negative opinions concerning "celebrating" birthdays and yahrtzeits – bottom line use/view as a positive opportunity for introspection and future positive impact. (Kach Mkublani mbeit avi abba zll"hh)<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Questions:<br />
1. True or False: A finite individual could never plumb the full breadth and depth of torah even if they learned 24/7 for their entire lives (alternative construct: Each and every individual’s torah knowledge could benefit from additional learning)<br />
2. True or False: Yiftach b’doro K’shmuel b’doro (every generation’s leadership has the same status regardless of level of knowledge/accomplishment)<br />
3. If 1) and 2) are true, why was there a horaat shah (emergency measure) [or whatever it was] to turn being paid for learning into a l’chatchila (or for that matter, to allow writing down of the oral law).</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman -Laws of Lashon Hara (5770)</b>: <a href="http://download.yutorah.org/2010/2356/743257/Laws%20of%20Lashon%20Hara%20(5770).MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Is the issue with Lashon Hara one of developing a negative trait or of the negative result (Does R’DF see everything in halacha as binary? J).<br />
Detailed discussion of a number of issues (saying something in front of 3 people , saying the truth, saying in front of the person, having a good reason for saying it).<br />
The chofetz chaim is not universally accepted on each point.<br />
One might get the impression that in going l’chumrah in many of the alternative understandings of some of the basics, we have developed a system which many (most?) seem not to be able to maintain adherence. Does this yield a cognitive dissonance and some strange results? (e.g. one does not see a non-violent hour where people agree to take on not hitting anyone for that time period, but we do see this for lashon hara.)</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rav Assaf Bednarsh -Theology - Olam HaBa Part 2</b>: <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/kmtt/theology-5770_11_abednarsh.mp3">link</a><br />
<br />
Where have all the souls gone, long time a passing? Olam haba or purgatory/gan eden or reincarnation.<br />
What happens to bad boys? Physically burn, be forced to watch an eternal video of how stupid you were, karet (cease to exist).<br />
What is tchiyat hameitim? Physical or spiritual?</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rav Moshe Taragin -Talmud Torah Metaphors of Torah - the Human Body 2</b>: <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/kmtt/talmud-torah-5770_11_mtaragin.mp3">link</a><br />
<br />
“You gotta have heart” (any Mets fans out there?) There can be a dialectic between regularity of learning and the “joy/creativity” of learning. Enjoying can also aid in retention and learning should impact your personality (classic Brisker retort to mussar movement).<br />
Becoming creative – Rambam – 1) have yishuv hadaat (self serenity?) 2) harchavat halev (broad view); me – e.g. knowledge base of analogies to draw on – IIRC the inventor of the M-16 drew on his aerospace background).</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Charlie Rose-The Brain Series-mental illness</b>: <a href="http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11078?sponsor_id=1">link</a><br />
<br />
Mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar…). 5th century Hippocrates recognized these as medical but this was “lost” and these were ascribed to demons and the like (cue here to discussion of shoteh et al).<br />
Now categorize as mood altering vs. thinking altering diseases. Some very compelling descriptions (me – having seen this up close and personal, I wonder if there is an element on anusim (exculpatory compulsionary forces) in halacha here.)<br />
Interesting – schizophrenia in identical twins is 50% correlation (so partially genetic but something else as well). Grief is part of the human condition, depression isn’t (and should be treated) [me – if you could drug grief, why wouldn’t you?]<br />
More interesting – psychotherapy has biological impact (me – explains why drugs and psychotherapy both work). Targeting specific therapies!<br />
A little trashing of society and insurance as reflecting social stigmas.</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>R-Reisman (not available on-line)</b><br />
Y-208 Importance of training oneself to control their thoughts – based on Lo tishneh – blvavecha (don’t hate your brother in your heart). (Remember R'YBS on the God given ability for the intellect to control the emotion)<br />
Y-209 Examples of danger of mispronounciations and mispunctuations. Don’t rely on mpi hashmuah (stories or reports) of halacha - they are often misleading because you don't know all the circumstances or someone just makes it up . Be sure your listener understands your communications (me-e.g. Who do you mean when you say "The Rav")<br />
Y-210 The mida of pushing yourself can have value.<br />
Y-211 Koach hariah – (the power of what you see) – is tremendous, so look at role models not newspapers (except kosher ones)!</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Ally Ehrman -Supporting Adult Children</b>: <a href="http://download.yutorah.org/2010/1002/746106/Supporting%20Adult%20Children.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Should a son pressure parents for money if he knows it causes them pain? (Was the response to someone who wanted to be supported in learning?) No.</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Moshe D. Tendler -Horayos Shiur 5 - Daf 2b-3b - When You Pasken A Shaylah, It's Your Head On the Block</b>: <a href="http://download.yutorah.org/2010/2814/745838/Horayos%20Shiur%205%20-%20Daf%202b-3b%20-%20When%20You%20Pasken%20A%20Shaylah,%20It's%20Your%20Head%20On%20the%20Block.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Who brings par he’elem davar (sacrifice brought when a majority of the nation sins based on following a faulty decision of the Sanhedrin) and when? When you paskin your head is on the block. More discussion of parameters of “relying” on beit din. Does a head nod count as a vote (or as a head fake)?</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Azarya Berzon -Splitting Your Time for Learning</b>: <a href="http://www.torontotorah.com/audio/berzon61410.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Is the mitzvah in the experience of torah or the knowledge accrued (Rambam vs. Tosafot)? Some application differences (part of a series).</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rav Binyamin Tabory -She'elot uTeshuvot - Rav Shaul Yisraeli - Amud HaYemini</b>: <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/kmtt/sheelot_teshuvot_eng_31_5770_BTabory.mp3">link</a><br />
<br />
R’Yisraeli – some history (me – the eretz chemdah sh”ut make fascinating reading from a sociological perspective – questions from around the world). Sh”ut covered –<br />
1) Should Zionist youth groups in diaspora encourage aliyah (yes, but…)<br />
2) Do women have a chiyuv (requirement) of being misameach (“joying”?) the newlyweds (no).<br />
3) Microphone on Shabbat (yes)<br />
4) Terrorists confrontation like Entebbe (yes)</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Zev Reichman -Peace vs. Disputes</b>: <a href="http://hp.download.yutorah.org/2010/1074/746066/Peace%20vs.%20Disputes.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Beit Shammai vs. Hillel, chassidut vs. GR”A – all the same debate – be strong and pull away from evil vs. spread the good and find HKB”H everywhere. We need to bring peace between these approaches.</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Daniel Stein -Hilchos Geirus Review 5770</b>: <a href="http://download.yutorah.org/2010/1052/746045/Hilchos%20Geirus%20Review%205770.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
Detailed summary with focus on what is the mitzvah (if any), acceptance of heavenly yoke (kabbalat ol) and the problematic language of the Rambam (R’HS – it’s a 30-day probation period to determine if the ger was serious!!!)</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi Moshe D. Tendler -Horayos Shiur 6 - Daf 3b-4a - You Can't Claim To Be An Observant Jew If You Don't Observe Anything</b>: <a href="http://download.yutorah.org/2010/2814/745872/Horayos%20Shiur%206%20-%20Daf%203b-4a%20-%20You%20Can't%20Claim%20To%20Be%20An%20Observant%20Jew%20If%20You%20Don't%20Observe%20Anything.MP3">link</a><br />
<br />
How often do you have to “check’in” to reaffirm no changes in Kashrut states or GAHP (Generally Accepted Halachic Practices)?</li><br />
<br />
<li><b>Rabbi A Enkin-Dina Demalchusa Dina</b>: <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2jkykim2m2y">link</a><br />
<br />
A basic review of the Talmudic sources and rishonim’s understanding of sources. Specific analysis of situation in Israel (can’t ignore government!). See here for a long recent discussion of the issue,We report, you decide! : <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/case-study-in-contemporary-halakhic.html">link</a></li>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-27763585841554174802010-07-01T21:37:00.006-04:002010-07-01T22:20:18.021-04:00Quick Takes<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRKh6xpQQ4UEGS-MXQy30cUWYdHZMyRSLfwtAGfXNiUMpmFC3yowGl349gDBSQsazuDgJrjNlaXQsI8yfkEjwMb7jqrONaiCoahb3-GAlODbrKiAtERidy9eE2S7a8MHl8vneuw/s320/drive-thru.jpg" /><b>Does the internet make you dumber?</b><br />
A few weeks ago, much was made of a new book which claims that technology makes people less able to think critically and concentrate. The hype did not impress me. What we're dealing with is an onslaught of information and people have to develop internal filters. You have to know when to turn everything off and, when it's on, how to find the good information while avoiding the bad. Even before the internet, many people procrastinated, had trouble focusing, and ignored their spouses and children. It's hard to blame that on the internet.<a name='more'></a> I'm on computers most of my waking hours but I still regularly read long books. I found this NY Times Op-Ed particularly informative: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.html">link</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Is it right to criticize the Young Israel of Hewlett?</b><br />
A rabbi published an Op-Ed in the Five Towns Jewish Times in which he thoughtfully explained why he felt it necessary to berate the Young Israel of Hewlett for hosting Rabba Sara Hurwitz as a scholar-in-residence. He was then criticized himself for being impolite in his words and over-stepping his bounds (<a href="http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/backlash-to-visit-by-sara%C2%A0hurwitz/">link</a>). Was he impolite? Somewhat, but not that bad considering the hysterical rhetoric we often read. He seemed to me to be trying hard to hold back, mostly successfully. Was he over-stepping his bounds? I don't think so. The shul needs to know if it crosses a line so important that it risks being shunned by the rest of the community. Should it have been done in an Op-Ed? I don't think so. It seems to me the kind of situation where one rabbi (or a few) calls up the rabbi of that shul, lets him explain the circumstances, and then explains to him the reaction of the rest of the community. From there, let the pressure go downhill to the shul's board and congregants.<br />
<br />
<b>Common language?</b><br />
One of the benefits of being in a community is having a common language and common basic assumptions. I'm no longer sure what assumptions I share with those on the left wing of Orthodoxy. When I have conversations, I sometimes make assumptions about practice and belief that turn out to be wrong and I sometimes hear them making assumptions that I don't share. Consider the following summary by <a href="http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=105493">R. Dr. Israel Drazin</a> of Dr. Marc Shapiro's contribution to a recent book on theology edited by (Conservative) Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580234135?ie=UTF8&tag=hirhurimmusin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1580234135">link</a>):<br />
<blockquote>Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, states that he feels comfortable in "removing God from almost everything that takes place in the world." The world functions according to the laws of nature; God is not "pulling the strings of the world." He sees nothing wrong with a person having their own understanding of what revelation is. This approach of an uninvolved God, he stresses, focuses on what people should do to improve themselves and society, and not on what God does for us.</blockquote>Even if that is inaccurate (I haven't seen the book), I've already met self-described Orthodox Jews who believe those things. Are we really part of the same religious community if we don't have a shared language about revelation?<br />
<br />
<b>Where's the outrage over Rubashkin</b><br />
I've seen a lot of outrage over Rubashkin's prosecution (or persecution), conviction and sentencing. Where's the outrage over his white collar crime? Remember the post-Spinka era, when we as a community were going to send a message that white collar crime isn't acceptable? Now we're turning a convicted criminal into a hero, with little kids walking around collecting money for him and community-wide gatherings that lionize him. Have they read about what he's admitted to doing?Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-39383090928280928912010-06-30T22:33:00.002-04:002010-06-30T22:33:58.678-04:00Parashah Roundup: Pinchas 5770<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNjIpZkgVZ0PERyve0BrpdsMW8RrdNVWFLtDBXLR8KMjCBo3kljphPYn6OXnYhaICtCMswa7KH7eYCktPALuIrQlI0Bds_BR1by_aEL0CoKHPXxbUOtEE_IhZnJP3ykOVz5rQyQ/s1600-h/daughters_of_zelophehad.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; border-style:solid; border-color:Black; border-width:1px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNjIpZkgVZ0PERyve0BrpdsMW8RrdNVWFLtDBXLR8KMjCBo3kljphPYn6OXnYhaICtCMswa7KH7eYCktPALuIrQlI0Bds_BR1by_aEL0CoKHPXxbUOtEE_IhZnJP3ykOVz5rQyQ/s200/daughters_of_zelophehad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223992181698533250" /></a>by Steve Brizel<br />
<br />
<b>The Covenant of Peace</b><br />
<li>R Berel Wein explains why peace is very fragile, almost always difficult to maintain and it requires great effort to keep it together:<br />
<a href="http://www.torah.org/learning/rabbiwein/5766/pinchas.html">link</a></li><li>The Nesivos Shalom, as explicated by R Yitzchak Adlerstein, discussed why Pinchas is viewed as the source of the fire of Teshuvah that combats transgressions committed with zeal and alacrity: <a href="http://www.torah.org/advanced/nesivosshalom/5768/pinchas.html">link</a></li><li>R Ephraim Buchwald examines the legacy of leadership transmitted by Pinchas: <a href="http://njop.org/html/printfiles/Pinchas5770-2010Print.html">link</a></li><a name='more'></a><li>R Shomoh Riskin explains why Pinchas received the covenant of peace: <a href="http://www.ohrtorahstone.org.il/parsha/parsha.htm">link</a></li><li>R Mayer Twersky discusses how to cultivate Ahavas Yisrael: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736374">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Baruch Simon discusses why one should not be critical of other Jews: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735833">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Avraham Gordimer examines how the message of Pinchas relates to the rest of theParsha and underscores the importance of a person’s own spiritual achievements, as opposed to one’s lineage: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735690/Rabbi_Avraham_Gor dimer/Parshas_Pinchas_-_Pinchas'_Message">link 1</a>, <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735691/Rabbi_Avraham_Gordimer/P arshas_Pinchas_-_The_Role_of_Yichus">link 2</a></li><li>R Asher Brander examines the lineage of Pinchas before he was awarded the covenant of peace: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/746742/Rabbi_Asher_Brander/ Pinchas:_To_Own_and_To_Have">link</a></li><br />
<b>The Division of the Land of Israel and the Transition in Leadership</b><br />
<li>R Yissocher Frand, based on an answer given by the Imrei Emes to his mother Zicronah Livrachah, explains why the daughters of Tzlofchad loved the Land of Israel: <a href="http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5765/pinchas.html">link</a></li><li>R Asher Brander discusses why the daughters of Tzlofchad are considered Nashim Tzidkaniyos: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/746743/Rabbi_Asher_Brander/Pinch as:_Righteous_Women_-Then_and_Now">link</a></li><li>Rebbitzen Smadar Rosensweig discusses the interface of Pshat, Chazal, and Parshanut: The Model of Bnot Zelaphchad: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/746096/Rebbetzin_Smadar_Rosensweig/The_Interface_of_Pshat,_Chazal,_and_Parshanut:_The_Model_of_Bnot_Zela phchad">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R David Horwitz, based on the explanation of the Kli Yakar, explains why the women loved the Land of Israel, as opposed to the men: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735636/Rabbi_David_Horwitz/Paras hat_Pinehas:_The_Daughters_of_Israel_and_their_Love_for_the_Land_of_Israel">link</a></li><li>R Sir Jonathan Sacks examines the transition from Moshe to Joshua and Judaism’s attitude towards power: <a href="http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1521">link</a></li><li>R Asher Weiss analyzes inheritance in Rabbanus: <a href="http://bcbm.org/index.htm">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Mordechai Willig reminds us that All enduring, successful movements in religious Torah society have been led by Torah scholars and that such leaders must realize that many decisions are beyond their purview, and must have love and respect for the laity and its proper leaders and why every Bris Milah begins the first three Psukim of this week’s Parsha: <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2003/parsha/rwil_pinchas.html">link 1</a>, <a href="http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2000/parsha/rwil_pinchas.html">link 2</a></li><br />
<b>Parshas Timidim Umusafim</b><br />
<li>R Yitzchak Etshalom examines the structure of the Parsha of Timidim and Musafim: <a href="http://torah.org/advanced/mikra/5762/bm/Pinchas63.htm">link</a></li><li>R Avigdor Nevenzal explains why the Parshas HaTamid is a source of our yearning for the Redemption: <a href="http://www.yna.edu/index.php/B-Ktav-Text.html">link</a></li><li>R Dovid Gottlieb examines the Halacha of Tadir Vsheino Tadir: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/711538/Rabbi_Dovid_Gottlieb/Tadir _V'she'eino_Tadir,_Tadir_Kodem">link</a> (audio)</li><br />
<b>Shoalim Udorshim Department</b><br />
<li>Rav Soloveitchik ZL explains the Halachos and Hashkafa or Tisha B”Av and Kinos:* <a href="http://bcbm.org/index.htm">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Larry Rothwachs explores the sugya of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza and asks whether we have lost the ability to mourn for the Churban: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741879/Rabbi_Larry_Rothwachs/Ka mtza_and_Bar_Kamtza_????_???_????">link 1</a> (audio), <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/741875/Rabbi_Larry_Rothwachs/Have_We_Lost_the_Ability_to_Mourn_for_the_Churban">link 2</a> (audio)</li><li>R Avishai David and R David Gottlieb explain Megilas Eicha: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736320/Rabbi_Avishai_David/Eicha: _Yirmiyahu's_Kinna_">link 1</a> (audio), <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/727025/Rabbi_Dovid_Gottlieb/Introd uction_to_Eicha_5768">link 2</a> (audio)</li><li>R Elyakim Koenigsberg discusses the onset of the Three Weeks: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/734870/Rabbi_Eliakim_Koenigsberg /Three_Weeks_01_-_When_Do_the_Three_Weeks_Begin?">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Zvi Sobolofsky and R David Brofsky explain the Halachos of the Three Weeks: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/735987/Rabbi_Zvi_Sobolofsky/_Hal achot_of_the__Three_Weeks__(Shaving,_Music,_and_Parties)_-_Part_1">link 1</a> (audio), <a href="http://vbm-torah.org/archive/moadim69/22-69moed.htm">link 2</a></li><li>R Daniel A. Feldman examines the dual emphasis of Aveilus and Moed on Tisha B’Av: <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736329/Rabbi_Daniel_Z._Feld man/The_Nature_of_Tisha_B'Av:_Mourning_and_Moed_">link</a> (audio)</li><li>R Avishai David and R Chaim Eisenstein compares and contrasts the Aveilus Yeshanah and AveilusChadashah: <A href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/720705/Rabbi_Avishai_David/Mourning_and_Forgiveness:_Personal_and_Communal_Mourning">link 1</a> (audio), <a href="http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736295/Rabbi_Chaim_Eisenstein/Aveilus_of_Bein_Hametzarim-Aveilus_Shebilev">link 2</a> (audio)</li><br />
<br />
* For the interested listener, additional explanations of all of the Kinos can be found by various Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim on YuTorah.org.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-38575858777699757472010-06-30T21:47:00.001-04:002010-06-30T22:04:24.913-04:00Avrekh<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoc18KhKVLDyfKodSGTYTdwAUhaZWVeRs3YHHdJH6yJgXkuwbNuBSpx9LLuxy7KrZVofnpQqqPpku4ShJ_wESm8Xq56n7D34-0S-mHiEcmmErR9eI0lvka_YKrnTbgb1zw3AffQ/s320/joseph_chariot.jpg" />Translations and commentaries have difficulty explaining exactly what Pharaoh did when he raised Yosef from imprisonment to prominence (Gen. 41:43):<br />
<blockquote>He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command, and they cried before him, "<i>Avrekh</i>!" (NJPS)</blockquote><a name='more'></a>What is this "<i>avrekh</i>" that they called before him? Or does it not even mean the term they used but rather something else? There are three general ways to render this phrase:<br />
<br />
<b>I. Great One</b><br />
<br />
Onkelos splits the word in two, <i>av</i> meaning father and <i>rakh</i> meaning king. They therefore called Yosef a father or mentor to the king. This is also the interpretation given in <i>Bava Basra</i> (4a). Does <i>rakh</i> mean king? Rashi says that it does in Roman (presumably Latin), although some versions have it as Aramaic. Jastrow, in his Aramaic-English dictionary, translates <i>reikha</i> as nobleman and, among other sources, refers to Onkelos on this verse. Rashi (<i>Shabbos</i> 53a) also understand it this way.<br />
<br />
Similarly, the ancient book of Jubilees (40:7) interprets <i>avrekh</i> as meaning "great one," although it seems to be based on the first three letters of the word (<i>abir</i>). One scholar connects it to an Eblaite word meaning superintendent and another connects it to an Akkadian word meaning steward (quoted in Victor Hamilton, <i>International Commentary on the Old Testament</i>, Genesis pp. 506-507). Rather than meaning the person in control, they interpret it as meaning the king's servant.<br />
<br />
<b>II. Bow Down</b><br />
<br />
Aquilas and Jerome (quoted by Victor Hamilton) translate <i>avrekh</i> as meaning to bow, the herald was proclaiming that everyone should bow to Yosef. This presumably is basing the word on the root <i>b-r-kh</i>, meaning knee -- the herald was telling people to bow on their knees. This same interpretation can be found in a fascinating midrash (Sifrei, end of ch. 1, quoted in Rashi on this verse):<br />
<blockquote>R. Yehuda expounded: <i>Avrekh</i> is Yosef who was old (<i>av</i>=father) in wisdom but young (<i>rakh</i>) in years. R. Yossi of Damascus said to him: Until when will you distort the Bible? <i>Avrekh</i> is from the language of <i>birkayim</i> (knees), that everyone came and went under his control.</blockquote>R. Yossi, too, connects <i>avrekh</i> to knees. R. Menachem Ibn Saruk (<i>Machberes Menachem</i> sv. <i>avrekh</i> - <a href="http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/vl/mahberetmenahem/mahberetmenahem03.pdf">link</a> - PDF) also translates <i>avrekh</i> as meaning to bow, as do other grammarians such as R. Yonah Ibn Janach (<i>Sefer Ha-Shorashim</i> sv. <i>b-r-kh</i>), Ibn Ezra (ad loc.) and Radak (ad loc.). The King James Version translates the passagee as "And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee."<br />
<br />
One scholar (quoted by Hamilton) believes that <i>avrekh</i> is an Egyptian word that means to bow. Shadal (ad loc.) also says that this is the Egyptian translation. Another scholar (also in Hamilton) suggests that it derives from an Egyptian word meaning to make way. The New International Version translates the passage as "He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, 'Make way!'"<br />
<br />
<b>III. The Herald</b><br />
<br />
Another possibility is that the word does not refer to the text of the proclamation before Yosef. Rather, it refers to the person doing the proclaiming. In other words, the verse says that a herald went before Yosef shouting out a proclamation. Josephus (<i>Antiquities</i>, quoted by R. Menachem Kasher, <i>Torah Shelemah</i>, Gen. ch. 41 n. 99) said that <i>avrekh</i> means in Coptic (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_language">late ancient Egyptian</a>) a herald. The Samaritan Targum (also in R. Kasher) translates similarly.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-61081892251224562472010-06-30T12:30:00.002-04:002010-06-30T12:30:34.824-04:00Books Received XXVII<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwj4y47oNRImTiyoOiDpf5cFm7WU5uOyfYOcMmBzYqhZd2Ez-pWA_m0FYenB1TmWcdWQpHJwD2puQX9pF85UpB-o2d9zSJEubv4Jod4B14BZi2ASTFQgsxHvB34brhPEvqVWuKA/s1600-h/books.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwj4y47oNRImTiyoOiDpf5cFm7WU5uOyfYOcMmBzYqhZd2Ez-pWA_m0FYenB1TmWcdWQpHJwD2puQX9pF85UpB-o2d9zSJEubv4Jod4B14BZi2ASTFQgsxHvB34brhPEvqVWuKA/s200/books.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306385188515361106" /></a>I don't always have the chance to review each book, so I'll list the books that I receive. Some of them will be quoted or reviewed in future posts. Here are the books I've received recently:<ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598265245?tag=hirhurimmusin-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1598265245&adid=03FM0M688T7W9XVHH9XX&">To Remain a Jew: The Life of Rav Yitzchak Zilber</a></li></ul>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-29849464868619932072010-06-30T08:45:00.000-04:002010-06-30T08:45:26.004-04:00Back to Disqus<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BrbkHJ8keayN9dnvEZTZ8p-NaO48-sMw2n9fkDW7KbuprnLsnFAMijD6Ad5-w7Lwlo6k2uIyiDOaNNTYXVrUaqcQXwsTiU0pgdgIYWGXHPS2QkQXkBeELtoJ9tFxHKOErPY6Sg/s320/disqus.jpg" />Based on user feedback, the comments switch seems to have been premature and I've switched back to Disqus <b>for another week</b>. Next week, at the get-together (RSVP here: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEpfWmEzV3FjSE1CLVZHX1RrTWhBVWc6MQ#gid=0">link</a>), I will officially unveil the new Wordpress blog at which time we will move there and switch the comments here to JS-Kit. Maybe by then we will have figured out a way to keep both JS-Kit and Disqus comments.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-9575521872806058432010-06-29T22:44:00.001-04:002010-06-29T22:45:43.519-04:00The Old Comments Are Back<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2fN-7bFPqsvTLOFFppjIEHbcZtPbc_PPHXUMSaaQH1qTdEXWKkw9gQYrAsmSRErD2zgxjn9dQNw8F1x8yrH1efBtVtGmbAuR2LSPCGZfA7gDPLnaGtQietVq8SnUnfO31up5hg/s320/haloscan.png" />I've reinstalled JS-Kit/Echo (the successor to Haloscan, which no longer exists) so all the old comments are back. Just go to an old post (e.g. <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2006/02/torah-and-computers-ii.html#comments">link</a>) and you'll see all the old comments--the good, the bad and the ugly.<br />
<br />
I tested it in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome without problem.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-67757097736376472042010-06-29T21:28:00.000-04:002010-06-29T21:28:00.479-04:00On the Meaning of a Mysterious Line in a First-Crusade Kinah<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjfOKa_lkLHqMG00Z-FybBuOKMb8S6u0KRfyNIc3LDs67YfXzZmvIe5xUqIAbzA8eOFTAZqOrX6YdB0XuNrwHW-vodxe-3eTfmulNY25cWsHO1CBJnPMXKUTH8cqCKKhTz3_LUQ/s320/persecution.jpg" /><b>On the Meaning of a Mysterious Line in a First-Crusade <i>Kinah</i></b><br />
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Guest post by Dr. David Berger<br />
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In 2000, I published an observation about a difficult line in a <i>kinah</i>. The observation was buried in the footnote of a scholarly article dealing with a different theme, and I was berated by a friend for making sure that hardly anyone who recites <i>kinot</i> would ever come across it.<a name='more'></a> So I wrote a letter to Artscroll explaining the point and suggesting that they modify the translation in any revised edition of their Tishah be-Av liturgy. The letter was graciously acknowledged—even to the point of agreeing that if the change would be made the new understanding would be cited in my name—but to the best of my knowledge there has not been a second edition.<br />
<br />
Three developments have provided the stimulus to write this note. First—the publication of the new volume of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/9653012495?tag=hirhurimmusin-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=9653012495&adid=1KWKK1BVZAJZ2S18PXCS&"><i>Kinot Mesorat ha-Rav</i></a>. Second—the appearance of a volume of my collected essays containing an English translation of the article in which I made the observation. Third—the imminence of Tishah be-Av.<br />
<br />
The <i>kinah</i> in question (#22 in the Artscroll and <i>Mesorat ha-Rav</i> editions; #24 in the Rosenfeld edition) begins “Hacharishu mi-menni va-adabberah.” The Artscroll edition notes that “the particular tragedy about which this <i>kinah</i> was written is unknown. It very aptly describes any one of many massacres and pogroms that have formed a large part of Jewish history.” In fact, it is evident from the description of suicides and mutual slaughter that the strongest candidate for the tragedy underlying this text is the first crusade, and the <i>Mesorat ha-Rav</i> edition gets the context right. Artscroll greatly compounds its error by asserting a few pages later that <i>kinah</i> #25 (<i>Mi yitten roshi mayim</i>), whose crusade context is emphasized in the commentary, is “the first <i>kinah</i> recited on the Ninth of Av that is apparently unrelated to the destruction of the two Temples,” an assertion incompatible with the book’s own comment on <i>Hacharishu mi-menni va-adabberah</i>. The relevance of <i>Hacharishu</i> to the first crusade is further sharpened by what I believe to be the meaning of the difficult line to which I finally turn.<br />
<br />
Here is the text of my note (“On the Image and Destiny of Gentiles in Medieval Ashkenazic Polemic,” in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934843768?tag=hirhurimmusin-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1934843768&adid=0S8FM2FFB1F77WNYFPFF&"><i>Persecution, Polemic, and Dialogue: Essays in Jewish-Christian Relations</i></a> [Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2010], p. 110, note 3; original Hebrew in <i>Yehudim mul ha-Tzelav</i>, ed. by Yom Tov Assis et al. [Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2000], p. 75):<br />
<blockquote>The general lack of acquaintance with the standard Ashkenazic derogatory terms for Christian concepts has led scholars to misunderstand a line in a <i>qinah</i> (elegy) for the Ninth of Av about the 1096 massacres. The poet writes: <i>nit’orer goy az doresh shuhah</i> – a fierce nation arose, seeking a pit; or, according to a variant text, <i>koreh shuhah</i> – digging a pit. See <i>Seder ha-Qinot le-Tish’ah be-Av</i>, ed. by D. Goldschmidt (Jerusalem 1968), p. 84. Goldschmidt and others prefer the smoother reading, “digging a pit,” an expression which is also found in other liturgical poems. Apparently, these scholars found the reading <i>doresh shuhah</i> (“seeking a pit”) so difficult that even the principle of <i>lectio difficilior</i> [that in certain circumstances a more difficult reading should be preferred because a scribe may revise a text that he does not understand to make it more “comprehensible”] was unable to rescue it. Nevertheless, it is clear that this is the correct reading, and in fact it is not difficult at all. The term <i>shuhah</i> (pit) was the standard Ashkenazic expression for the holy sepulcher. (See, for example, [David Berger], <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6624082"><i>The Jewish–Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages</i></a>, Hebrew section, pp. 61 and 63: the Arabs came to Jerusalem and “defiled the <i>shuhah</i>.”) The crusading armies were precisely “a fierce nation, seeking the <i>shuhah</i>.”</blockquote>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-81649304752687570862010-06-29T02:15:00.003-04:002010-06-29T08:52:01.292-04:00Eating in Public<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px; width:75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrtICjfffy5qAW2RX30UlCB_CxFWvVBcrZ4tMkobSNWoyFaOF8yx1-VXoeSpGacnd0SWu98ptfsMpmE7mX1YBr9PACqd4Jhg2fdY7it9Qp3oSkTLqXhlNFC6I3QqXUIXhSDc1xg/s320/eating_walking.jpg" />By: Rabbi Ari Enkin<br />
<br />
The Talmud teaches that eating in public is inappropriate conduct and that one who does so is comparable to a dog.[1] Furthermore, eating in public is one of the activities which disqualify a person from serving as a witness in ritual matters.[2]While the Talmud seems to imply that any form of eating in public is to be shunned, it appears from other sources, however, that it is only eating *while walking* in public which is truly forbidden.[3] As such, it is permitted to eat in a restaurant or any other circumstance where eating in public is appropriate.[4] One should also avoid drinking a beverage in public whenever possible.[5]<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The Talmud's comparison between one who eats in public and a dog is actually, well, somewhat accurate. Indeed, animals often continue to walk while eating any food they happen to find in the street rather than establish themselves in one spot in order to eat it in a dignified manner. It is also taught that eating in the street is a sign of personal disregard and indignity.[6] Some authorities teach that eating in public is a sign of poverty, as if one has no food to eat at home.[7] It is permitted, however, to chew gum or suck candies in public.[8] <br />
<br />
While normative practice certainly permits one to eat in a restaurant and similar venues, one should, however, make an effort to avoiding eating on public busses and trains. These places are not designated for eating and therefore eating in them may be unacceptable from both a halachic and social perspective. So too, it is likely that there are passengers who may be offended by the sight and smells of certain foods.[9] Eating on airplanes, however, is completely acceptable and anticipated.[10] <br />
<br />
Some authorities suggest that it is only eating a meal in public which is to be avoided, but eating a quick snack in public is permissible, though it too should be avoided if possible.[11] Similarly, there is also an opinion that only eating bread in public is that which the sages have forbidden, but other foods are less problematic.[12] It is also permissible to eat in a public place where very few people are expected to appear.[13] <br />
<br />
There are a number of authorities who maintain that it is only Torah scholars who are truly forbidden to eat in public or to eat while walking. According to this approach, even eating in a restaurant might just be forbidden for such individuals.[14]. Regardless of one's social status, eating while walking is certainly unbecoming and should be avoided by everyone whether or not it might be technically permissible.<br />
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[1] Kiddushin 41b<br />
[2] Rambam, Hilchot Edut 11:4; C.M. 34:18<br />
[3] Rambam, Hilchot Edut 11:4; Yaavetz, Kiddushin 40b<br />
[4] Devarecha Yair 34<br />
[5] Siach Yitzchak 479<br />
[6] Rashi, Kiddushin 40b<br />
[7] Maharsha, Kiddushin 40b<br />
[8] Divrei Banayahu, C.M. 26<br />
[9] Beit Yechezkel, Kedushat Hapeh V'haachila p.171<br />
[10]Yosef Daat, O.C. 42:5<br />
[11]Kesef Mishna, Edut 11:5<br />
[12]Tosfot, Kiddushin 40b<br />
[13]Devarecha Yair 34<br />
[14]C.M. 8:4; Yaavetz, Kiddushin 40b; Aggadot Talmud Yerushalmi, Massrot 3:2Rabbi Ari Enkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02014076795997393407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-54120707226968440282010-06-28T21:28:00.002-04:002010-06-28T21:46:09.234-04:00Get-Together: More Information<img style="border: 1px solid black; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD3S2Ngi_angI4zPAeu0lq7j2fsZwqFoKErAF00rxJ4eIjBSk7pBaYKHUIKEXH85WQqHk3lteurwwm85ZnI5KDPy9PocYDrCwrW_4gDs0den0hA3UbNyncQ3FWPt4yvKr1Oz9gg/s320/gettogether3.gif" />This is your weekly reminder about the July 7th Hirhurim get-together/dinner (<a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/mark-your-calendars.html">link 1</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-reminder.html">link 2</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-theyve-arrived.html">link 3</a>, <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2010/06/get-together-more-stuff.html">link</a>). All readers, commenters and friends of the blog are invited to this <b>free</b> event. Free mugs and trinkets will be available, while supplies last.<br />
<br />
Please RSVP to the event using this online form: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEpfWmEzV3FjSE1CLVZHX1RrTWhBVWc6MQ#gid=0">link</a>.<a name='more'></a><br />
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As mentioned, I will be paying for the evening but I am asking for help subsidizing the event by those who can. As encouragement for large donations, I am publishing a special Torah journal for the occasion. The journal is split into three sections:<br />
1) Perspectives - hashkafic reflections on communal and personal directions<br />
2) Technology - questions related to technology and Torah<br />
3) Studies - discussions of general Torah topics<br />
<br />
Here is the table of contents. The order is alphabetic by author's last name within each section. Note that some of these articles have been published elsewhere, but if you haven't seen them yet then they are new to you:<br />
<ul><li>Introduction<br />
<br />
<b>Perspectives</b></li>
<li>Scientific Advance and the Jewish Moral Conscience — R. Yitzchok Adlerstein</li>
<li>The Makings of a Ben Torah — R. Norman Lamm</li>
<li>Modern Orthodoxy for Everyone? — R. Adam Mintz</li>
<li>Adaptability: The Key to Facing Our Future — R. Gidon Rothstein</li>
<li>Two Dimensions of Community — R. Reuven Ziegler<br />
<br />
<b>Technology</b></li>
<li>Teshuvot Regarding Technology — R. Shlomo Aviner</li>
<li>Connections — R. Micha Berger</li>
<li>Favorable Judgment in the Internet Age — R. Daniel Z. Feldman</li>
<li>“Infosnacking” and Halachah — R. Yair Hoffman</li>
<li>The Evolution of Halacha and the Internet — R. Ari Kahn</li>
<li>Technology and Moral Growth — R. Jay Kelman</li>
<li>Torah in English — R. Yaakov Klass</li>
<li>Reading another Person’s Letter — R. Moishe Dovid Lebovits</li>
<li>Downloading Music from “Sharing” Websites — R. Aryeh Lebowitz</li>
<li>Challenges of the Information Age — R. Jonathan Sacks</li>
<li>Technology and Personal Relationships — R. Meir Soloveichik</li>
<li>iPods and Hirhurei Torah — R. Gil Student<br />
<br />
<b>Studies</b></li>
<li>Godtalk: Should Religion Inform Public Debate? — R. J. David Bleich</li>
<li>Science, Halakha, and the Truth: The Case of Paternity Tests — R. Shlomo Brody</li>
<li>A Mathematical Analysis of the Structure of the Jewish Calendar — R. Michael J. Broyde</li>
<li>On First Names and Titles — R. Ari Enkin</li>
<li>Medical Enhancement: Promises and Perils — R. Joshua Flug</li>
<li>The “Kedoshim” Status of the Holocaust Victims — R. Aaron Rakeffet</li>
</ul>You can order a copy of the journal on the RSVP form: <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dEpfWmEzV3FjSE1CLVZHX1RrTWhBVWc6MQ#gid=0">link</a>.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-36969804808126936182010-06-27T22:32:00.000-04:002010-06-27T22:32:23.176-04:00Comments Update<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2fN-7bFPqsvTLOFFppjIEHbcZtPbc_PPHXUMSaaQH1qTdEXWKkw9gQYrAsmSRErD2zgxjn9dQNw8F1x8yrH1efBtVtGmbAuR2LSPCGZfA7gDPLnaGtQietVq8SnUnfO31up5hg/s320/haloscan.png" />As many of you know, the comments on old posts have disappeared since the switch to Disqus commenting. After a great deal of effort, it is now clear that they cannot be transferred. That leaves us with few options. Here are my plans, although I am open to suggestions.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
I want to move this entire blog onto a Wordpress platform that uses Wordpress comments going forward. Old comments, however, cannot be transferred there. The old posts will remain here with all of the old comments. I want each post to have Disqus comments inside the post and a link to a pop-up window with JS-Kit (=Haloscan) comments. That way, all the comments, both from the days of Haloscan and JS-Kit and from the days of Disqus, will be preserved.<br />
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Right now, I don't know how to do that. I have a programmer trying to figure it out. If it turns out to be impossible, my inclination is to revert to JS-Kit to preserve 5-1/2 years of comments even if it means losing the last few months of Disqus comments. In fact, I'd like to switch back immediately so all comments over the next few weeks -- until we move to Wordpress -- are in JS-Kit.<br />
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What do you all think? These are your comments as well, so please let share your opinions.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-11402980011961223162010-06-27T21:32:00.001-04:002010-06-27T22:37:24.623-04:00Rav Soloveitchik on Women Rabbis<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width:75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchbqiFUutvcAzXR65U79q5EhkArFIPl-DuzxXw9APannT0ALUOEa6qxTg6z2uS3ftCfG7HVjRIRDNW4kabfL0GP_8BtqXq8i6lge7RN5GV1LOOyUjN3hWthgHno7guR8PpwVi-A/s320/ravsoloveitchik.jpg"/>R. Aryeh Frimer has published an essay on the position of R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik regarding the ordination of women as rabbis (<a href="http://text.rcarabbis.org/?p=958">link</a>). It is partially based on an essay in <i>Shi'urei HaRav</i> on <i>Yoreh De'ah</i> (available for purchase here: <a href="http://www.ou.org/oupress/category/1680">link</a>), which is translated in this post (<a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/06/women-slaughterers.html">link</a>). One reader e-mailed me that this essay is a vindication of my position:<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote>I have been avidly following the recent discussion at the RCA Convention and on the various blogs regarding granting women semikha. I was rather surprised, however, that in all the active give and take, there is one opinion that has not been placed center stage. I am referring to the view of Moreinu veRabbeinu haRav Yosef Dov haLevi Soloveitchik zt”l, known by his students as “the Rav”. The reason for this may well be the fact that the Rav never discussed this issue head on. However, there are several solid pieces of evidence which indicate, to my mind, that the Rav would clearly have opposed having women serve as Shul Rabbis and their receiving semikha.<br />
<br />
The first piece of evidence is found in the recently published shi’urim of the Rav on Yoreh De’ah.[1] In contradistinction to Rav Soloveitchik’s Talmud shi’urim – which were very lomdish and had a large element of creativity and hiddush – the tone of the Yoreh De’ah shi’urim were halakha le-ma’aseh. The Rav’s primary goal in the latter was to clarify the various views of the Mehaber, Rema and nosei kelim in preparation for semikha exams.[2] In one the first shi’urim, the Rav dealt with the ruling of Rema to the effect that our custom is not to allow female ritual slaughterer (shohatot). The Rav suggests that the reason for this is that nowadays being a ritual slaughterer requires kabala – the authorization/certification of a recognized scholar testifying to the candidate’s knowledge of both the theory and practice of shehita. It should be emphasized that receiving kabala has community wide repercussions since it generally allows the bearer the right to apply for a position of shohet anywhere.</blockquote>Read the full essay here: <a href="http://text.rcarabbis.org/?p=958">link</a>.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-64884542990606253752010-06-27T13:44:00.002-04:002010-06-27T13:44:41.251-04:00Emmanuel Compromise Approved; Parents Released"A compromise proposal enabling the release of the parents of the Emmanuel students was approved Sunday by the High Court of Justice, after being presented by the parents and petitioners with the approval of the State Prosecutor’s Office. The judges ruled that the incarcerated parents would be released on Sunday.<br />
<br />
"The decision followed a compromise deal struck on Sunday morning between Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and the Slonim Rabbi, religious leader of the Ashkenazi families who had refused to send their daughters to the mixed-ethnicity school."<br />
<br />
More here: <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/58810/2010/06/27/israel-emmanuel-compromise-approved-parents-released/">link</a>.Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624082.post-38485546985205111392010-06-25T08:38:00.003-04:002010-06-25T11:55:26.318-04:00Weekly Links<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-scvmtFToGwLnrJe8d2Rqz5vEPANjr9KnZAHKrnyXPex5q1Kj-PfhvHMbPGKi1AEoeClekJlz-EcDEvorgPOFBmXS34KfMX5Xj68CX5ytz793unWRoVyIzuVCfwm3G83lRJuSQ/s1600-h/Links.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; border-style:solid; border-color:black; border-width:1px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-scvmtFToGwLnrJe8d2Rqz5vEPANjr9KnZAHKrnyXPex5q1Kj-PfhvHMbPGKi1AEoeClekJlz-EcDEvorgPOFBmXS34KfMX5Xj68CX5ytz793unWRoVyIzuVCfwm3G83lRJuSQ/s200/Links.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392074375287349666"/></a>Rules: <a href="http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-feature-daily-links.html">link</a><br />
<b>Friday</b><br />
<li>They spilled our blood, you kept quiet: <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/week-s-end/they-spilled-our-blood-you-kept-quiet-1.298268">link</a></li><li>Interview with R. Yaakov Yosef about Emanuel situation (Hebrew): <a href="http://www.kikarhashabat.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91-%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%A7%D7%91-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%A3-%D7%9E%D7%93%D7%91%D7%A8.html">link</a></li><li>London Charedim hard hit by budget cuts: <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/58714/2010/06/24/london-charedim-hard-hit-by-budget-cuts">link</a></li><a name='more'></a><li>Success and Scrutiny at Hebrew Charter School: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/nyregion/25hebrew.html?scp=1&sq=hebrew%20language&st=cse">link</a></li><li>Best pizza in DC is kosher: <a href="http://www.wtop.com/?nid=812&sid=1974099">link</a></li><li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/friday.htm">link</a></li><br />
<b>Thursday</b><ul><li>Rubashkin prosecution not anti-semitic: <a href="http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/saving-sholom%C2%A0rubashkin/">link</a></li>
<li>Chief Rabbi slams Methodist report: <a href="http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/33315/chief-rabbi-slams-methodist-report">link</a></li>
<li>New bios of Lubavitcher rebbe dig for the man behind the myth: <a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/05/17/2394846/new-bios-of-lubavitcher-rebbe-dig-for-the-man-behind-the-myth">link</a></li>
<li>Pickle Shop, a Lower East Side Icon Now Makes Its Home in Boro Park: <a href="http://forward.com/articles/128947/">link</a></li>
<li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/thursday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Wednesday</b><ul><li>Syracuse Shul: NCYI ‘Bullying’ Us: <a href="http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/syracuse_shul_young_israel_%27bullying%27_us">link</a></li>
<li>Shas’s dismal silence: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=179257">link</a></li>
<li>Prosecutor: Rubashkin deserves his 27-year sentence: <a href="http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100623/NEWS/6230365/-1/AMES/Prosecutor-Rubashkin-deserves-his-27-year-sentence">link</a></li>
<li>The Rubashkin Saga: Old Questions Answered, New Questions Raised: <a href="http://matzav.com/the-rubashkin-saga-old-questions-answered-new-questions-raised">link</a></li>
<li>All heck breaks loose at World Zionist Congress: <a href="http://blogs.jta.org/philanthropy/article/2010/06/22/2739727/world-zionist-brouhaha">link</a></li>
<li>New York flotilla for freeing Gilad Shalit: <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138218">link</a></li>
<li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/wednesda.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Tuesday</b><ul><li>Agudath Israel leader asks Israeli ambassador to intervene on Emmanuel situation (kudos for trying diplomacy!): <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/58413/2010/06/21/new-york-agudath-israel-leader-asks-israeli-ambassador-to-intervene-on-emmanuel-situation">link</a></li>
<li>13 Emmanuel moms exempted from prison: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=179175">link</a></li>
<li>Israel’s chief rabbi: I will ban cruel slaughter: <a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/21/2739708/israels-chief-rabbi-to-ban-cruel-slaughter">link</a></li>
<li>Ask The Rabbi: On being fruitful, part II: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=178755">link</a></li>
<li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/tuesday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul><b>Monday</b><ul><li>Rubashkin sentencing document: <a href="http://www.iand.uscourts.gov/e-web/decisions.nsf/0/F8D3CEF81A587C1486257749004DCB35/$File/LRR-08-CR-1324,+United+States+v.+Rubashkin,+Sentencing+Memorandum,+06212010.pdf">link</a> (PDF)</li>
<li>Rubashkin to get 27 years, pay $31 million of restitution and no fine: <a href="http://www.kgan.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.ia/3a0c5060-www.kgan.com.shtml">link</a></li>
<li>Responsum by R. Moshe Chaim Efraim Padwa, Av Beis Din of Hisachdus Kehillos Charedim of London, permitting worm-infested fish: <a href="http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=63097">link</a></li>
<li>Expected compromise in Emanuel is not happening: <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138182">link</a></li>
<li>Beit din sides with High Court: <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=178960">link</a></li>
<li>Declaration of the American Moetzes of Agudath Israel regarding Emmanuel: <a href="http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2010/06/20/declaration-of-the-american-moetzes-regarding-emmanuel/">link</a></li>
<li>Some old articles about the Emanuel case: <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/25775/2009/01/15/israel-court-orders-beit-yaakov-school-to-remove-wall-separating-ashkenazim-sephardim/">I</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/28814/2009/03/15/israel-rabbi-offers-money-to-solve-fiasco-in-jerusalem-of-high-schools-rejecting-girls/">II</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/36288/2009/08/06/israel-high-court-ashkenazi-charedi-school-must-end-discrimination-sephardim/">III</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/38096/2009/09/09/jerusalem-sephardim-switch-to-ashkenazi-surnames-to-ensure-their-childrens-admission-to-charedi-schools/">IV</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/52669/2010/04/07/emmanuel-israel-school-fined-1350-a-day-for-discriminating-against-sephardic-students/">V</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/52795/2010/04/09/israel-rabbis-slam-court-ruling-against-religious-school-discriminating-against-sephardim/">VI</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/54293/2010/04/29/israel-judge-proposes-compromise-beit-yaacov-separation-of-ashkenazi-mizrahi-girls/">VII</a>, <a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/55759/2010/05/17/emmanuel-ashkenazi-parents-discriminating-against-sephardi-students-fined-nis-200-a-day/">VIII</a></li>
<li>Furor at budget's $18M for 'rabbis': <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/furor_at_budget_for_rabbis_pcVkJ4zRPotwDjMFYs8zTN">link</a></li>
<li>SALT today: <a href="http://www.vbm-torah.org/monday.htm">link</a></li>
</ul>Gil Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12776831546758682126noreply@blogger.com