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I don’t see how the other (inside) door enters the discussion. If no one can enter the office without being buzzed in, then it should make no difference what the arrangement is inside, those two people are alone in the office. An open door can be closed, a closed door can be opened, the two people are essentially alone and no one else can disturb them. I would think this is yichud no matter what. If however, someone else can get in without being “buzzed” in by someone inside, then there would be a fear that that person may come in at any time, and then there is room for a heter.
2009, with all due respect, mentioning any names will automatically lessen the stature of others who were not mentioned. I don’t think this is desirable from any point of view. Plus, since many if not all of these people are still alive, I think their permission should be asked before their names are plastered on a web site. Since this by definition is impossible, let’s drop the subject. If you still need to know for curiosity’s sake, just ask around….
The nature of spoken language is that of constant change. As has been mentioned here, regional dialects are different from each other and interactions with other regions accelerate changes. There is no way around it. There are many different dialects , even in davening among seemingly homogeneous groups. A Californian-born yeshivishe person sounds different than a Brooklyn-born yeshivishe person. Al achas kamah v’chama among populations from very different backgrounds.
Therefore it is pointless , even ridiculous, to discuss the “correctness” of one dialect over another, or one “havara over another”. All, every single one of them, from Teimani to Unterland,from Brooklyn to Buchari is legitimate, that is the nature of spoken language. And yes, even “litvishe yeshivish ” and “dati leumi” are equally legitimate. Ooo or eee, sss or ttt, ohhh or oyyy or aiii, they all count. Daven the way you daven, it is ok.
To illustrate the point, the gemarah in brachos requires the elongation of the “dalet” (do you say “daled”? It is “dalet”, but that’s ok!) at the end of the word “echad” in shma. It is a time-honored tradition to attempt this. However, no Ashkenazi or North African is capable of accomplishing it, as the dalet begins and ends abruptly, and what is actually elongated is the kumatz of the chet, as in “hashem echaaaaaaaaaaD ! So we are fooling ourselves into thinking that the dalet is elongated. There are dialects which pronounce the the dalet as a vibrating “th” sound, which can be elongated. So are ashkenazim reciting shma incorrectly? No, because dialects change and there cannot be a single unchanging one, nor has there ever been.
To the language experts out there, I apologize for using incorrect terminology, I myself am not a linguist.
PM, you are correct. Some poskim use shinui tzura and hefsed interchangeably, as a shinui tzurah that is not normally done on a given fruit is essentially being mafsid it. For instance, as you correctly pointed out, making wine out of grapes is clearly a shinui tzurah, but just as clearly a normal use of the grapes.However, this is not the case with an esrog and besamim. You are also correct that not all poskim approve of kedushas shvi’is esrog jam. Yasher koach.
Whomever says that these “yom eidam” lights have tumah in them and are forbidden to be looked at should learn meseches avodah zarah, shulchan aruch and poskim. Blanket statements like these , besides being wrong,lead the less knowledgable astray, and frankly, give a bad name to Orthodox Judaism.
Do NOT stick cloves in it and use it for besamim. Even though the idea sounds spiritually lofty, it is not permitted. One is not permitted to buy or sell (issur schorah) or change the appearance/shape (shinui tzurasah) of something that has kedushas shvi’is. Sticking cloves in an esrog is unquestionably changing its structure.
There is an opinion (the Ramban)that it is a mitzvah to eat peoros shvi’is including the esrog. Since (almost) nobody actually eats one, but many like to make jam out of it, this is permitted. One must make it hefker by the time that it is not readily available in the fields, which is around the month of Shvat.
If one leaves it lying around, it does not “rot”, it just dries up. This is because there is almost no fruit inside, and obviously is also why almost no one eats it, jam making being for the very industrious among us. When it is dried up, it no longer has kedusha as it is no longer a fruit. It may then be discarded in a respectful way, such as we do with all peiros shvi’is.
It is quite sad that in a highly Torah minded community such as YWN, so very little is known about this topic. Whether one lives in Israel or not, it is part of Torah and should be studied, more so than many of the other topics discussed here.
I would like to clear up a misunderstanding among some of the posters.
It is permissible to touch (laga’as) something that is muktzah. Touching a dog is therefore permissible. What is not permissible is to pick up muktzah or move it in the manner that it is generally moved (tiltul). There are certain types of indirect moving (tiltul min hatzad) that are permissible in certain situations. So too there are situations when one can move something that is muktzah. But touching is permissible for any muktzah.
I thought the words of Harav Chaim Berlin zt”l, son of the Netziv, in a tshuva from his sefer, (Nishmas Chaim, Sh’elos U’tshuvos Harav Chaim Berlin, tshuva #135, edited by Rav Yaakov Kosovsky Shachor)would be helpful in this discussion concerning shaking a woman’s hand:
???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ??????, ??? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?????????? ??????? ???. ???? ?? ???? ???? ??”? ??? ????? ?”? ?’ ????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??, ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???”? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????. ???? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???, ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?”? ??? ?????? ???, ?????? ???? ????, ????? ?? ?’ ????? ???? ????? ???? ?”? ?’ ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???, ??? ????? ?? ???? ?’ ??? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ???.
To Bogen, Cantoresq, intellegent,
Thanks to Cantoresq for his illuminating comments on the Neologs. For an excellent and comprehensive treatment of the split within Orthodoxy in Hungary 1868-9, refer to Jacob Katz’s book, “Hakera Shelo Nitachah”, “The Unhealed Breach: The Secession of Orthodox Jews from the General Community in Hungary and Germany”. For those who are unfamiliar with Jacob Katz (1904-1997), he was the preemininent Jewish historian of the last generation, in addition to being a student of the Hungarian and German Yeshivos and a talmid chochom in his own right. His stature is such that not only did he write books of history, but history books are now being written about him.
Bogen: Because women said kaddish in the early 1900s in Lithuania, specifically in the shuls of Radin and Eishishok, and sometimes from the back of the ezras gevarim and not from the ezras nashim. See Yaffa Eliach’s eyewitness account in her book , “There Once Was a World”, a 900 year history of the town of Eishishok. Sorry, but it’s not “fringes” Judaism in the least.
I have been living in Israel for twenty two years. Both notpashut and mamashtakah have made vaild points. To anonymouse1079, though, I must tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with putting seforim one on top of the other. Nor is there anything wrong with putting a packaged box of seforim on the floor. All seforim are shipped by truck an/or sit in warehouses, only one of those boxes is on the top, and one of them will always be on the very bottom. There is no disrespect in this. Have a successful aliyah, we will all root for you.
Just Smile: Your message was so pathetic it is almost not worth a serious reply. I assume you believe moshiach is a non-jew. No one else would use Christian dates to proclaim his arrival.
So, Truehonesty, it looks like you will be holding your nose when you go to the ballot box. While I totally disagree with your approach in deciding who you will vote for, I respect it. Much credit to you on your independent thinking, your courage in speaking out, and your intellectual honesty. Too bad you cannot vote your conscience, but you stated your case well.
yedios, yedios, yedios. Do the rest of the mesechta bekius, no doubt.I also suggest learning the mishnayos of the whole mesechta before you start. It gives you a big picture of what is to follow and puts every perek in an understandable framework. Behatzlachah!!
To chasid of hashem, the information you received from the labor coach is correct, although more research is indicated.
To squeak, your information is also correct as far as ocular hypertension goes. However, bulging eyes is usually indicative of a thyroid problem. This does not mean the person ingests too much caffeine, although for those who have a thyroid issue, caffeine is not recommended as it may exarcebate certain aspects of the disease.
Dear no name,
NF1, like all neurological diseases, requires knowledge, experience and intuition to treat. You are doing yourself a disservice by asking about it on this site. Googling it will give you much, maybe too much information, with a high probability that very little of it will be useful to you. Google does not know your child. Make an appointment with a respected child neurologist for a consultation, ask all the questions you want and make sure you understand the answers. Your child will need follow up appointments in the future, stay with a neurologist who you feel comfortable with. Behatzlacha.
LeiderLeider, well said, and ouch, the truth hurts, doesn’t it? You hit it on the head, good for you. However, I would give the benefit of this doubt to Joseph, he seems to truly believe in what he says. So do I. I disagree with him most of the time, but that is irrelevant for this purpose. To Joseph, shame on you, it is Dan Lekaf Zchus, kaf being the receptacle on the scales (moznayim) which zchus and chova are measured. It is not Lekav (line) zchus. But giving you the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was a typo.
a shotah (????) is absolved from keeping mitzvos and hence from receiving any punishment, admonishment or even criticism. This halachic catgory has just admitted Intellegent as a new member.
Intellegent: We may disagree on many issues, but you made me laugh, thank you. Yes, I used a fragment, consider it revised. And yes, “Fragment; consider revising.” is also a fragment! I’ll consider that to have been revised too.
While I am on the topic and without any intention to denigrate anyone, I was under the impression that in the United States, all children are taught the English language till 12th grade. It seems also that everyone there and in particular the writers to YWN use the English language to express their thoughts. All major Jewish publications are in English. All day to day documents are in English. Day to day life is in English.
How is it then, that many of the writers on this site, male and female, are incapable of stating a coherent English sentence with proper spelling? Why the need for spellcheck for relatively simple words? How could someone write some ware when they mean somewhere? ( I have some ware in my house, but those pots and pans are not for sale.) If I would write that I am chomir chabiss you would know I do not. If I wrote that I learned in Brrisc, you would know that I did not. If I wrote that I am phroom, you would know I am not. Spelling is important. I hope my message is clear, and I apologize if anyone is offended, I have no intention of offending anyone.
“Legitimize” is an intelligent word. However, intellegent is not a legitimate word. A name, yes, but not a word.
To add to “just me”‘s words. Azi, your leshem shamayim intentions are praiseworthy. However, if and when your mother finds out that unbeknownst to her , her tznius standards have been a topic of intense discussion on a public website, how might she feel? Imagine that you found out that hundreds (thousands?) of people you don’t know have been reading about and scrutinizing you on a website without your consent. Close this discussion for both of your sake.
Hello again Yussel,
There is a book by Marc Shapiro on Orthodox Theology that discusses this Ibn Ezra and gives quite a few sources that also relate to it. You would be interested in chapter seven. This book is available in Judaica libraries and in Barnes & Noble and probably other good bookstores. You could “google” it and get some more information if you like.
Yussel, you are welcome. I do not know of any seforim that deal with this in depth, but I will check it out for you, bli neder.
Yussel:
He is referring to anachronistic psukim in the Torah, that is, psukim that contain facts or statements that are difficult to understand from a chronological standpoint. The twelve refers to the last twelve psukim in the Torah, following the end of the bircas hashvatim. It seems that the Ibn Ezra had an explanation for these difficulties that he was unwilling to reveal.
To Zalman,
I am sorry, but lesschumras is essentially correct. He may have used some colorful language, but his short analysis of Jewish history is basically true. I will gladly provide you with some sources if you would like. If you insist on only frum sources, that can be done. I hope we can agree that in almost all (if not all, you never know if there is an exception)yeshivos, european jewish history of the last 500 years is not taught. Individual gedolim, halacha, chidushim, minhagim, yes. History and sociology,no. And so, we have to learn it on our own.
Hi lgbg, there have been so many comments made that I don’t know if anyone made this specific point. Other than having agreed to marry each other sometime in the future, a chosson and kallah have no halachic relationship. They are not permitted to have relations just like they were not permitted before they became engaged. Again, the engagement is halachically meaningless. So the kallah is an ervah to the chosson and any other man because she has not gone to the mikvah. A niddah is one of the arayot, although a slightly atypical one because most arayot are within a specific family.
The tricky part here is that there is an emotional bond between them (I hope) while the physical bond must wait till the wedding. So the degree to which they should interact, see each other, spend time together, etc…is not simple, and as usual, there are many different approaches, and each couple should follow their halachic and spiritual authority.
Gavra at work,
You are correct that 40 sa’ah minus a tiny amount is not a mikvah. Same as for all other measurements, agreed.
However, no one today will argue what an inch or centimeter is, there are objective agreed upon standards. No such standardization existed in the time that chazal set these measurements. They are units that are by nature approximate. It is for this reason that ad hayom hazeh there is no agreement on what a tefach is, what an amah is, what a beitzah or kezayis is, what a sa’ah is, and even what a shekel is. We use approximations, and a chumrah in one measurement may easily end being a kulah for a different halacha. So even the specifics are not always so specific, kal v’chamor the generalities.
Intellegent, I am glad you do not want to antagonize others, nor do I. I reread your post, perhaps you did not mean to tell people what they can wear, but you did. Read it again for yourself. You can tell people what you wear, what you think is tzniusdig, that’s your opinion and that’s fine. I am also glad that you realize that there are people out there who may think that you are not dressing tzniusdig enough. So let’s lay off being the final deciders and let people make their own decisions and respect those decisions. Give the same respect to others that you want for yourself.
To The Big One,
I am gratified to finally have met The One who decides what “Torah norms” are . Your gaivah borders on avodah zarah, you seem to be worshipping yourself and what you do. It’s secondary that you managed to psychoanalyze others ( a medical or psychology degree perhaps?)so succinctly but couldn’t bother to relate to the issue that is under discussion.
postsemgirl:
If halacha was agreed upon across the board, there would be need for very few seforim. Check out a public Torah library and see how many halacha seforim they have, you will be in for quite a shock. I can recommend a few if you’d like. As far as the identity of the gedolim, it may come as a surprise to you, but not every Jew who observes the mitzvos has the same godol and posek. Each constituency and their godol, nahara nahara upashtei. It’s been that way for a few thousand years and you should learn that fact and accept it. The alternative is bigotry, hatred and prejudice , all ostensibly leshem shamayim, but in actuality avodah zarah.
You are right, a person should be careful what music he/she listens to. Let that person decide for him/herself.
You know the story about the rabbi’s advice about adding goats to the house and then the relief when you let them out? Try coming to Bnei Brak or Geulah first, you’ll think your bungalow colony was squeaky clean after that.
Also, with all due respect this time, I think you would rather “expect” the children to be clean, not “accept” the children to be clean. Different words, different meanings, it pays to know them.
hello lgbg, I will explain, but I don’t think I understand you fully. Do you mean why a kallah is considered an ervah, or someone else? Let me know and then I can answer you.
To intellegent and all others who have turned their brains into pretzels trying to figure out what a bright color is. I happen to know a little about color. The number of color combinations that can and are manufactured is almost infinite. What we call color is really a combination of three different properties, hue , saturation and brightness. There are many thousands of combinations that create the colors we see every day. Discussing whether pink is ok, but not hot pink, pale yellow but not bright yellow is a waste of time and has nothing at all to do with halacha. If someone thinks that a certain garment is not tznius, don’t wear it. Telling others what colors are mutar and which are assur is ridiculous and smacks ofgaivah. Unless you find a halachic source that defines what a bright color is for tznius, stop making believe you can determine it.
don’t worry Yussel, most of us got the joke.
postsemgirl,
I hope rabbiofberlin responds to you separately, in any case, I must. I feel sorry for you. You apparently are claiming to have read the Shulchan Aruch and since you make such claim, I won’t doubt it. What you apparently have not read is the Rishonim and Geonim who preceded the shulchan aruch, the gemarah that preceded them, and the poskim who came after them. You have not read the Rama who often disagrees with the shulchan aruch. You have not read any shuttim which discuss a myriad of issues that did not exist in the Mechaber’s time, and they argue with each other, mutar-assur, what we call the living Torah. You are unaware of different holy minhagim of different communities, differences between sefardim, teimanim, misnagdim and chassidim and others. You essentially are unaware that the Shulchan Aruch does not tell me everything and how to do everything. You just want to assume that what YOU do is the only way, and you didn’t have to think about it at all! You are more of a robot. Robots don’t get reward for their mitzvos. Very sad. And by the way, your gedolim assured the internet.
got this from wikipedia:
Harry is a derogatory term in Norwegian, meaning unsophisticated, bad taste or vulgar. The term dates back to the early 20th century, when English given names like Harry were popular among working-class people particularly in the east end of Oslo. …
Thank you feivel. Ok, let’s get back to the topic. In my opinion, the act of kriah is the physical act (ma’aseh)corresponding to the emotional anguish of seeing Har Habayis bechurbonoh. The emotional feeling is expressed in the act of tearing one’s clothes. If one is not in anguish, or let’s stretch a little and say is absolutely thrilled to be in Yerushalayim for the first (or second or more) time, and is naturally enthralled by the kosel and the view etc…, then the act of kriah loses it’s emotional partner. This is not to say necessarily that it is meaningless or that the mitzvah without the proper kavanah is worthless. However, the intent of the act is really the major aspect of the mitzvah and the ma’aseh is only the expression of it.
I heard from a reliable source (I choose to omit some names, I do not have their permission)that Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l once was asked about kriah on a niftar (not a relative)during a period of time when kriah is not supposed to be done. The person asking told Reb Shlomo Zalman that he did not tear on that day, should he do it at a later date. The answer was no. On a later date the intense anguish that would require kriah is no longer there and therefore no “delayed kriah” is indicated. This idea is is similar to what I wrote above.
What we see is that the various opinions on the chiyuv kriah nowadays can all be understood depending on how much one views the chiyuv as relating to one’s anguish when one sees Har Habayis bizman hazeh. Since we undoubtedly have a certain degree of control, and one can claim that Yerushalayim is not totally bechurbonoh, then maybe there is no chiyuv, the anguish is not paramount in one’s feelings. However, if one maintains that the chiyuv kriah is independent of one’s feelings, and/or that as long as there is no beis hamikdash then yerushalyim is bechurbonoh, then the chiyuv kriah still exists.
Feif Un, thanks for that information, I will check it out. West means Portugal. Do you know where these people are now?
One of the interesting things about current yeshivishe social custom is that the spirit of the law has been forgotten or ignored. The bottom line is that there are social rules that parade as yiddishkeit but are as far as can be from it. The list of these social rules is endless, and it determines who is in and who is out. And woe to those who are out. These “frum” women are practicing a religion, but it is not Judaism. Much credit to you that you are not practicing this pseudofrumkeit despite the peer pressure.
To thinking,
You are correct, there are many poskim who claim there is no obligation to tear kriah because we do have political sovereignty over Yerushalayim. As you see from the posts, there is a serious difference of opinion as to what degree of control is necessary to negate the obligation of kriah. Almost unavoidably, this argument quickly deteriorates into a highly unproductive pro-zionist vs. anti-zionist argument.
Of the poskim you cited, the most interesting one is that of the Chazon Ish (I have not seen this psak for myself, I rely on you). This would explain why I rarely see someone in or near yerushalayim having torn kriah.
To Feivel,
I publicly apologize for embarassing you and ask for your forgiveness.
lgbg: There are different levels of ervah. The best definition of the higher level(more chamur)ervah is anyone appearing on that list found in Parshas Acharei Mos which the Torah specifically calls an ervah. We read this section at mincha on Yom Kippur. Chazal added other arayos, called shniyos. There are other categories and this is a very simplistic definition, but it’s ok to start with.
Small side point to Doc. The sefardim (North African, Syrian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Bucharim and others)do not pasken according to the Rambam but according to the Mechaber. However, the Teimanim pasken according to the Rambam almost exclusively, as they were not exposed to the Shulchan Aruch as the Ashkenazim and Sefardim were. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but it is a pretty valid rule.
oy,rabbiofberlin: That was not my message and I do not know how it got on the board. I sent a message to the editor to fix whatever needs to be fixed. My apologies to you. I hope you saw that that message was not my style anyway.
To the Editor:
The post after Dodgy Bochur and before lammed hey is NOT MINE!!! I did not write it. Please check your editing, software or whatever needs to be checked.
Thank you.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time this has happened to me, I hope it has not happened to anyone else.
lgbg,
First thanks for taking it in the manner I meant, no hard feelings, sorry if I was a little gruff.
Poetic licenses are for poets who by the nature of their profession are permitted to create new variations and nuances in language.
I find it sad that of all the posts, none of them sent the poor letter writer to any primary sources.
1. Moed Katan 26a
2. Rambam Hilchos Taaniyos 5:16
3. Shulchan Aruch OH:561
Now you can ask your posek
One post in particular had the mindlessness to give halachic advice which included such pearls as “I believe”, “I’m not sure”, “and “I think”. On a different topic he paskened from his “feelings”. To this person, if you are ignorant, don’t advertise it.
Small addition to cantoresq’s words, I hope he doesn’t mind.
I find it odd that someone from the yeshiva world would be unfamiliar with the Sridei Eish. According to Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky zt”l, Rav Y. Y. Weinberger was the unparalleled iluy of the Slabodka Yeshiva when the Alter ruled there, and was expected to become the leader of European Jewry. It’s less important why this did not come to pass, but his legacy of tzidkus, yashrus, genius, and chidushei torah are an inspiration to lovers of Torah learning many years after his death.
To Charlie Brown,
Sorry, you have very little knowledge of Sherut Le’umi. Sherut Le’umi girls choose by themselves and their parents from a multitude of programs to do chessed. Many of these programs are under frum supervision, including hospitals (Sha’arei Tzedek, Bikur Cholim, Laniado), ganim for handicapped, autistic, and learning disabled children, and much more. There are frum women counselors who specialize in helping girls pick the right program on an individual basis. If a girl is dissatisfied with a program, she can switch to another or may simply leave. No one is coerced, it is a voluntary program. Many girls sleep at home, and even more are home for shabbos every week.
Is the supervision of a teenage American going to seminary better? Yes, the family has entrusted the girl to an institution the father “trusts”. That’s very nice, you think there’s a mashgiach tmidi following these girls around Geulah, on buses, on their cellphones? If a girl wants to get into trouble, it won’t take a week no matter where she is in school. It boils down to the chinuch she got at home and the type of girl she is, we all know that sometimes the best chinuch isn’t enough. If she’s trustworthy she’ll behave properly, whether it be in seminary, in sherut le’umi, or working as a billing person in a doctor’s office. If she is not trustworthy, the last place you want her is on the other side of the ocean with a credit card. The rosh yeshiva can’t put them all in a cage with a closed circuit surveillance camera. And Daddy has lost control.
To semtatty,
Rav Kaminetsky zt”l said that sherut le’umi removes the total control that a father has over his daughter. My point was that seminary is no different. As many of these posts have pointed out, seminary girls may go on buses, go to town, eat out, eat at homes where the hechsher isn’t what Tatty demands, visit families where the hashkafa isn’t to Tatty’s liking, talk on the cellphone and text message without Tatty knowing to whom, go touring, and even go to Europe. Total control like Rav Yaakov prescribes? Doesn’t sound like it.
i suppose your refering to me???
lgbg, I wasn’t referring to you specifically till now.
“I” should be capitalized.
your is a possessive word as in “your book” (as opposed to my book). You meant to write “you are”, contracted to you’re.
referring, not refering.
suppose, to and me were all spelled and used correctly. 50% success rate.