Owner: Rabbi Sedley URL:www.rabbisedley.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 05 Jun 2007 05:53:21 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Rabbi Sedley's thoughts on life, Torah, Judaism and humour. A bit of everything Jewish. Site statistics:Click here
Kiruv for non-Jews 2007-08-06 09:10:00 I have been asked to post this psak of R' Moshe Sterbuch on my blog. It seems to me that he is certainly not speaking about someone who is in the process of conversion (or investigating that option), but is writing about a person who is not interested in being Jewish. Hence the name 'kiruv for non-Jews'. I don't even believe in kiruv, and I am not even familiar with the concept of trying to encourage non Jews to become frum.But, your thoughts and comments please. I am just copying a pasting at the request of the translator (the translation was approved by R' Sternbuch and he wants it circulated and distributed).A number of months ago, I had been asked to host a young man for Shabbos by a kiruv organization. During the Shabbos meal he expressed great interest in everything Jewish. When I asked him about his background, he mentioned that even though he had been raised as a non-Jew by his non-Jewish mother - but since his father was Jewish he knew he was Jewish. I was shocked by the
21st Av - R' Chaim Brisker 2007-08-05 13:16:00 Today is the Yarzheit of R' Chaim (Brisker) Soloveitchik. Perhaps more than anyone else in the past 200 years he has shaped yeshivas and the style of learning that goes on within them.R' Chaim's most famous work 'Rabbeinu Chaim Halevy al HaRambam' has the status (almost) of one of the Rishonim and is learned in all yeshivas.The classic 'brisker' style resolves contradictions within texts by making distinctions between two similar things (often 'cheftza' and 'gavra' the object itself and the mitzvah on the person who is relating to it). In a sense he brought the scientific method into Talmud study, as this HaAretz article points out: Defining the exact nature of the Brisk revolution is not easy. Certainly, Reb Chaim Soloveitchik was an extraordinarily gifted teacher, who combined profundity and close analysis with clarity of explication. Yet much of the vocabulary he used is found in earlier sources. The emphasis on seeking an underlying conceptual stratum to explain halakha
Berlin is (not) Jerusalem 2007-08-10 03:59:00 Another rant, I'm afraid. Not content with replacing life in Israel with life in Berlin
(or anywhere else for that matter, but in this case it is Berlin), the Orthodox have taken a leaf out of the classic Reform text book. Remember how over 100 years ago the Reform movement removed any mention of Israel and Jerusalem
from the siddur. They felt that Germany was home to them much more than some distant land and ancient memory. Well, antisemitism and the holocaust don't seem to have changed some people's understanding of the situation. Berlin (apparently) is still the site of the Temple. One Shul in Berlin has gone one step better than removing Israel. YNet reports that they've brought its heart to Germany! Read it and weep (literally).Berlin Jewish Center builds replica of Western WallGermany’s new $8.2 million Jewish community center will feature a replica of Jerusalem’s Western Wall - accurate down to the plants sprouting from it, the center’s leaders said. The 100-square-met
To those who repent and those who don't 2007-08-09 14:27:00 We are about to begin the month of Elul, a time of introspection, repentance and regret. It seems that not only has the government begun the process a wee bit early, but that they are also playing G-d!Just as we ask G-d to forgive those who repent and those who don't, Ehud Olmert and co. have decided that the amnesty they gave to the terrorists is valid, even if they don't actually renounce violence and terrorism.Or to put it another way - the terrorists are caught in the act. The govt. checks the lists of names, and sees they have made it to the book of life. So they are off the hook. Terribly sorry old thing for the inconvenience of arresting you. We didn't realise that you have amnesty. Please, have your guns and bullets back, and don't let us stop you in your 'terrorist activities'!!What!!! Just when things seem as though they can't get any madder, we wake up somewhere over the rainbow to find that there's bats in the bellfry!THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL INSTRUCTED THE ARMY TO
25th Av - Steipler Gaon's Yarzheit 2007-08-08 13:23:00 (In every picture he has a grumpy face, but in reality everyone who met him said he always greeted people with a smile. Never trust the cameras, even without photoshop!!)Don't make the mistake of naming your child 'Steipler' after the Steipler - his real name was Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky. He was the brother in law of the Chazon Ish (and lived next door to him in B'nei Brak) and was the father of R' Chaim Kanievsky, who he held to be a bigger talmid chacham than he was.His yarzheit was yesterday, and even though it is over 20 years since his death, he is still quoted all the time in yeshivas, mussar shmuezen, and in books. Perhaps only the Chazon Ish and the Brisker Rav are cited more often (of his contemporaries, making them the prophet, the Gaon and the Rishon) - and in America R' Yaakov, R' Moshe and R' Aaron.There are interesting articles about him in these locations (some of the facts may even be true)The Steipler Gaon, Zt'lJudaism 101 - Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, The Read more:Yarzheit
28th Av - Rav Pam's Yarzheit 2007-08-12 23:49:00 Someone e-mailed me to say that today is also the Yarzheit
of R' Avraham Pam,Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetsky wrote this moving tribute to Rav Pam:HOW do you capture the essence of an elderly man, stricken with a devastating and, ultimately, fatal disease, who insists on attending a fundraising event, having to be brought by ambulance and stretcher? With every last ounce of his failing strength he dressed in his Sabbath finery and left his home for the sake of ten thousand children he had never seen with his eyes but had touched with his heart and soul.How do you write believable stories of a man who would cry bitter tears when hearing the plight of individuals in need? How does one convey the essence of a person whose mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice -- for Torah -- the Bible -- transcended the constraints of his aged and stricken body? No one who was privileged to meet Rabbi Avraham Pam, the Rosh Yeshiva, dean, of Brooklyn's Yeshiva Torah Voddath, who passed away a week ago today, will eve
28th Av - The Netziv 2007-08-12 17:56:00 Today was the Yarzheit of the Netziv (R' Naftali Tzvi Berlin), the famous uncle of the Torah Temimah (hence 'My Uncle the Netziv' - great reading if you can get hold of it - it was one of the first recent books to get banned because someone took offence. I suppose that makes it a historical curiosity)I am way too tired to do much else, except copy and paste this entry from OU.org. Either it is true or it isn't. I'm not going to get into the issue of the 'real' reason that he closed the Yeshiva. Leave that for the more exciting blogs.Good night.Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (The Netziv)(1817-1893)The Netziv was Rosh Yeshiva of the famed Volozhin Yeshiva for almost 40 Years until it was closed by the Russian government in 1892. Founded by R. Chaim of Volozhin, the Yeshivah flourished, increasing from 100 to 400 students.As a young man the Netziv was undistinguished, but by virtue of his extraordinary diligence grew to become one of the greatest scholars and leaders of his time
Giraffe 1: Carnivores 0 2007-08-11 19:04:00 Alternative title: Don't learn this one from the animals.I saw this entry on the Maggid of Bergenfield and I had to post it here. What a fantastic story!Re'eh: Just Like ChickenThe Society for Exotic Kosher Cuisine met once a year at a local restaurant in Teaneck, usually a steak emporium. Its goal was obvious: the members ate the kosher but unusual. If the Torah allowed it, they wanted to taste it. Many in the community found their objective abhorrent, or at least decadent, but at one thousand dollars a plate, and a large membership, the SEKC raised a lot of money for local charities (appropriately, most of the proceeds went to feed the hungry).In past years, bison, gazelle, and venison (a polite word for deer, or as my son once exclaimed, "Hey! They're eating Bambi!") were popular, if noncontroversial choices. Last year, the theme of their annual banquet was game birds. The SEKC dined on pheasant, goose, partridge, and quail, all considered kosher according to Jewish law. The shec Read more:Giraffe
Learn from the animals 2007-08-11 15:55:00 Something tells me that if Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev or Ehud Goldwasser were buffalo they wouldn't still be held hostage by the lions or crocodiles! (I don't think this is what the Gemara means when it says that we could learn Torah from the animals. However, maybe the politicians could act like animals in a positive way for once)(I suppose if the UN or btzelem were there they would have criticised the buffalo for unnecessary use of violence - oh the advantages of being an buffalo)Come on Olmert and co, Bring our boys back home!From the BBCAn amateur video of an amazing animal confrontation on the African savannah is fast becoming one of the biggest hits on video-sharing website YouTube.The footage first shows how several lions attack a group of buffalo, snatching a buffalo calf.As the lions wrestle with a calf by a watering hole, a crocodile joins in the battle, pouncing on the buffalo.The lions win the tug-of-war, but then the buffalo herd returns, chasing away the lions and freein
27 Av - Maginei Shlomo 2007-08-11 14:07:00 Today (Shabbat Reeh, 27th Av) was the yarzheit of R' Yehoshua Charif, author of the Maginei Shlomo and Responsa P'nei Yehoshua (and great grandfather of the author of P'nei Yehoshua on Shas). He was the Av Beis Din in Cracow in the 17th century.This Weeks Yarzheit from Yarzheit.comReb Yehoshua Charif of Cracow, author of Maginei Shlomo, an attempt to resolve the questions of the Baalei Tosefos against Rashi; great-grandfather of the Pnei Yehoshua; born in Vilna at end of 16th century; arrived in Cracow in 1640 as Rosh Yeshiva; replaced Reb Yoel Sirkis (the Bach) as Rov few months later, until Reb Yom Tov Lipman Heller (Tosefos Yom Tov) became Rov in 1643; among his talmidim was Reb Shabsai Cohen (the Shach); 1648.Maginei Shlomo was written to answer Tosefot's questions on Rashi (hence the title, defender of Shlomo).Hebrew Academy Parsha Sheet saved me the bother of translating this paragraph of the introduction to the sefer (I have it open in front of me):The Maginei Shlomo was wri
Apikoros and Epicurus 2007-08-16 08:32:00 Is idolatry logical? By that question I mean, if we would not have witnessed the revelation at Sinai (or personal revelation in the cases of the Avos and others), would the intelligent person be worshipping idols, or G-d??This may sound like a silly question. Didn't Avraham prove in the midrash that it makes no sense for a person to bow down to an idol which is only a day old, when they themselves are many years older. Or as Avraham said to Nimrod - don't worship the result, look for the cause (water extinguishes fire, so it must be a better 'god').But, silly idols aside, I think the logic of monotheism vs the sensibility of idolatry may be an argument between Rishonim.It appears that Rambam, in the blue corner, is firmly on the side of idolatry being foolishness (he refers to it many times in hilchot avodas kochavim as a 'mistake'). In contrast, Avraham, who was the pinnacle of logical thought, discovered G-d:As soon as this giant was weaned his mind began to roam. Even while he
Shimon Hatzadik 2007-08-16 04:33:00 "Shimon
Hatzadik was one of the remnants of the Men of the Great Assembly..." (Pirkei Avos 1:2)But WHY was he called a 'tzadik'????http://www.torahlab.org/tssf/why_was_shimon_a_tzadik/This blog is from Rabbi Sedley. You can see more divrei Torah, halacha and shiurim at my new website RabbiSedley.com.
Gedolim and the music ban 2007-08-20 00:04:00 Yesterday someone got very cross with me and accused me of not listening to the Gedolim. I wanted to use this blog to clarify, to him and to the world, that of course I listen to the Gedolim, and have the utmost respect for them and their Torah knowledge and opinions. I have heard stories and had first hand experiences that leave me in no doubt as to the greatness of the Gedolim.However, I am equally sure that the banning of the Shwekey/Friend concert did not come from the Gedolim.I know that the ban did not originate with the Gedolim because the Talmud says many times 'chasa al mamon yisrael'. The Torah always considers money of Israel. If there is a way of permitting something, even b'dieved, it won't be considered forbidden if it would involve great financial loss.There have been many 'Jewish' concerts in the past, which were similar to the most recent one. If the Gedolim were concerned with this concert, they would have spoken to the organisers and performers from the very be
Music not banned! 2007-08-17 07:51:00 Even though the 'Gedolim' (or at least the people who write the signs and posters on behalf of the Gedolim have banned people from attending the Avraham Fried and Yaakov Shwekey concert in Yerushalayim, I notice with some surprise and a lot of relief that they have not commented at all on the forthcoming Jethro Tull concert! Tull are playing on the 23rd in Jersalem and the next day (I think) somewhere else. You can check the details for yourself.I assume that the 'Gedolim' understand that Aqualung and Thick as a Brick are full of Torah messages and bring a person closer to G-d (presumably the same is not true of the Jewish music that has been banned). I agree with the Gedolim 100% on this issue. There is a lot that can and should be learned from the lyrics, the musical content, and the album covers (although perhaps on in the case of the cover of Thick as a Brick, which is more like a newspaper than an album cover).I think the Rolling Stones may be also coming this summer, and I am Read more:Music
Yarzheit R' Tzadok HaCohen 2007-08-23 23:58:00 I don't know if it is the heat, or what, but I was too exhausted yesterday to post this. But I can't let R' Tzadok's yarzheit go unmentioned. Yesterday, 9th Elul was his yarzheit. He was one of the few original Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. His thought is a crossover of Lithuanian and Chasidic thinking, and he wrote extensively on almost everything - from chumash and Talmud, to chasidus and even the Torah that he learned in his dreams.Rabbi Haber at Torahlab is having a sale of two of his books in honour of his yarzheit. They have a limited amount of the Kest-Lebovitz edition of Reb Tzadok’s classics Tzidkas HaTzadik and Machsheves Charutz. They are selling a package of both of these seforim together for only $7.50 plus shipping. Click here for more info and to order. There is a lot of Torah from him on the internet, but I didn't find very many stories about him. I wanted to include more anecdotes about his life, but haven't got time now to write. So these brief biog Read more:Yarzheit
Yarzheit - Reuven Margolios 2007-08-21 14:53:00 Today (7th Elul) is the Yarzheit
of one of the most brilliant and prolific (and interesting) scholars of the 20th century. R' Reuven Margolios wrote on such a wide variety of topics, often those that were not normally dealt with by the yeshivish community. However, his Maroglios Hayam is one of the standard Yeshiva books on Sanhedrin. In addition he wrote books explaining the evolution of the Oral Law, defending the Zohar and Kabbala, biographies of Rishonim and many more books.His breadth and depth of knowelge is truly amazing, and even though he may be controversial in some of his ideas, he is essential reading on every topic.Reuvein MargoliesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaReuvein Margolies ראובן מרגליות (b. 1889- d. 1971) author of 55+ books on Jewish topics. He established the Rambam library. Possessed of an almost photographic memory, he was well versed in all aspects of both the written (Bible) and Oral Torah (Talmud and its commentaries).WritingsR' Margolies
Its not easy to convert 2007-08-20 21:36:00 Statistics show that it is difficult to convert!!The latest recommendation from the Imigration Ministry to the Israeli government is speed up the conversion process.Look at these facts: 300,000 non-Jews living in Israel:I thought it was twice that number - 1 million people made Aliya from the former Soviet Union, of whom 60% were not Jewish. Where are the other 300,000? (perhaps they left the country already?)Why did the government not think about this when it encouraged so many non Jews to move to Israel? Did they not think that Israel was a Jewish country fifteen years ago? The truth is that the Aliya from FSU was designed to counter the demographic imbalance with both the Arabs and the religious Jews. The government was terrified of having either an Arab majority or a religious majority in the country. The cunning plan was to bring in non Jews (the vast majority of whom had no intention or desire to become Jewish). A little bit like the Old Lady who swallowed the fly! The plan worke
Have a pleasant Elul 2007-08-28 04:14:00 Of course during Elul we are all doing everything we can to improve ourselves and work on our relationship with G-d. But how about our relationships with other humans? Are we also working on improving that?One simple suggestion that will make you much more loved in the eyes of everyone who shares the bus/office/house with you is to think about the ringtone on your cellphone. Even kosher phones can earn you demerits if you annoy everyone around you by having it switched on in the wrong place at the wrong time, or making it too loud, or using an annoying ringtone.Did you know that the (really annoying) Nokia tune ringtone is actually based on a 19th century guitar tune called Gran Vals, composed by Spanish musician Francisco Tárrega?You can see and hear it here:(If you want to learn how to play it yourself the sheet music is here: F.Tarrega - Gran Vals)Isn't that much better than the ringtone?Think of others when you set your ringtone. Choose something others can bear to listen to, or Read more:pleasant
Yarzheit - Ben Ish Chai 2007-08-27 02:00:00 Today, Monday 13th Elul is the Yarzheit
of R' Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, one of the most prolific and influential recent Rabbis of the Sefardi world. He wrote books on almost every topic, from Talmud to Kabbalah to Halacha to Chumash.Wikipedia writes about him:The Ben Ish Chai (בן איש חי) is a standard reference in Sephardi homes (functioning as "a Sephardi Kitzur Shulchan Arukh") and is widely studied in Sephardi yeshivot. Due to the popularity of this book, Hakham Yosef Chaim came to be known as "Ben Ish Chai", by which he is referred to by many today. The book is a collection of homilies he gave over two years discussing the weekly Torah portion. Each chapter begins with a mystical discussion, usually explaining how a Kabbalistic interpretation of a certain verse relates to a particular halakha, and then continuing to expound on that halakha with definitive rulings.Hakham Yosef Chaim authored over thirty other works, and there are many published Iraqi rite siddurim (prayer book
Good Old Auntie 2007-08-29 03:47:00 In America they have the ADL. In Britain they have the BBC. (Those 3 letter initials are catchy).Impartial as always, the Beeb reports on wanton destruction of artifacts on (so called?) Temple Mount.Apart from the headline (priceless) I particularly like such phrases as:"Muslim authorities at al-Aqsa mosque, also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount" (also? who was here first buddy!),"Jerusalem's holiest religious shrine" (not Judaism's holiest shrine),"Mosque officials insist it is urgent infrastructure work doing no damage" (why would you think that a bulldozer is doing damage? Ask Arthur Dent!),"the remains of King Solomon's temple" (no current religious significance then),"We regret some Israeli groups try to use archaeology to achieve political ends" (because clearly archaeology is always motivated by politics, not history),"it is a living religious site in an occupied land" (which is why they play football up there and have family picnics (and occasionally throw rocks down on
wikipedia deletions 2007-08-29 02:31:00 It is still too hot to function. Maybe life would be better if these entries had remained on wikipedia (unfortunately they were deleted). Still, if you can't laugh, think about it again and then maybe it will be funny!Water on Mars"There is water on Mars"Evidently, there is also glass and a plastic wrapper and now MY JAWS!Coca-Cola in the WildIn its natural state, Coca-Cola is docile until attacked, when it will spray sweet liquid on the predator. It has many foes, such as: * Teens * Children * Parents * Movie-goersYet it is often found and eaten. It does many things to protect itself. It may 'accidentally' tip over when frightened, or disguise itself as the less popular Pepsi or Dr. Pepper. Still, even with its most creative attempts, its foes still find it.In the wild, it stays in packs of 5-23 other cans. Sadly, many packs have been taken into captivity, where rings are put tightly around their middles and the cans are put into boxes. They are then sold to people who
Rambam and Teshuva 2007-09-18 00:35:00 In preparation for Yom Kippur and doing Teshuva I have translated chapter 2 of Rambam's Hilchot Teshuva and compiled a source book of commentaries and sources on and about it. If I say so myself there is some excellent stuff in there (it changed my understanding of teshuva).You can download it for free from torahlab (there are 2 pdfs).One of the most interesting sources I found was this Mabit who makes Yom Kippur much easier to deal with (at least in terms of doing teshuva).Beis Elokim Shaar Hateshuva chapter 12After we have explained the concept of repentance, which is regret and abandoning the sin, we must clarify that this is not like other mitzvos. Someone who only does part of a mitzvah doesn’t have the reward for that mitzvah, for example someone who only puts tzitzis on three corners of his garment doesn’t have three quarters of a mitzvah, since all four are required, and so it is as if he didn’t do anything at all. However with repentance, even though the mitzvah would n
Yarzheit - Chay Adam 2007-09-16 12:23:00 Today is not only Tzom Gedaliah (delayed by a day because of Shabbat, which makes some of the piyutim we said this morning in selichot somewhat ironic), but also the Yarzheit
of R' Avraham Danzig - the Chay Adam (also the Chochmas Adam and many other names).There were many books written in the 18-19th century which provided practical halachic guidance for the layperson. The Shulchan Aruch had become so covered with commentaries that it was no longer easy to actually know what to do and what not. So in Europe we find books such as Shulchan Aruch Harav, Aruch HaShulchan, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch and the most famous the Mishna Brura. In the Sefardi world there was the Ben Ish Chai and the Kaf HaChaim and Makor Chaim.The standard 'text book' for Lithuanian Jewry was the Chay Adam on daily living (Orech Chaim things) and Chochmas Adam on other issues (Yoreh Deah things - Chochma/ Deah). His rulings even today carry more weight for real 'Litvaks' than the Mishna Brura (at least some times)
Yarzheit - Noson Adler 2007-09-10 04:42:00 Today is the Yarzheit
of R' Noson Adler
, Rav of Frankfurt and teacher of the Chasam Sofer. Until I researched this post, that was all I knew about him (and the fact that he didn't have any children, yet the Chasam Sofer didn't name any of his sons after his Rebbe because he held that children should only be named after people in the family).So here is what I found. Much more interesting than your average Rabbi! ADLER, NATHAN: By : Gotthard Deutsch German cabalist; born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Dec. 16, 1741; died there Sept. 17, 1800. As a precocious child he won the admiration of Ḥayyim Joseph David Azulai, who, in 1752, came to Frankfort to solicit contributions for the poor of Palestine. Adler attended the rabbinical school of Jacob Joshua, author of "Pene Yehoshua'," who was at that time rabbi at Frankfort; but his principal teacher was David Tebele Schiff, afterward rabbi in London. In 1761 he established a yeshibah himself, in which several prominent rabbis received t
Chumra of the Week Club 2007-09-10 01:34:00 Sorry if this has done the rounds already - I thought it was hysterical.Yonaty and Mehadrin Min Hamehadrin Min Hamehadrin are pleased to introduce:The Chumra of the Week Club• Are you concerned that people don't notice and appreciate your yirasshomayim?• Do you sometimes get the feeling that your neighbor is observingmore chumras than you?• Have you ever noticed someone looking at your tefillin duringshacharis as though there were something wrong with them?• Do people occasionally hesitate when you extend them an invitationto eat at your home, or ask what hashgachos you rely on?• Has anyone ever said to you in surprise: "Oh, are you maikel?"If you have ever been faced by any of these mortifying scenarios, TheChumra of the Week Club (CWC) is for you!CWC is a new concept in real, authentic, ostentatous Yiddishkeit.Never again will you be upstaged! Never again will you be at a lossfor a chumra! We supply you weekly with the very best in conspicuousyiras shomayim! (Please note t
Best Article for Ages 2007-09-07 01:35:00 I am putting this on my blog for those who don't read Yeshiva World, who may have missed this fantastic article. Nothing else needs to be said (which didn't stop 123 people writing comments on yeshiva world with plenty to say).Read this if it is the only article you read this week!Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum: A Kosher AlternativeMany people are in total shock at some of the goings on in the Catskills this summer. I will not go into the details. Suffice it to say that hundreds of our teenagers - boys and girls - were enticed to engage in activities that are far from what their parents and teachers consider acceptable, and far from what we have a right to expect from Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov products. While there are many reasons for it and no easy or simple solutions, we must be very careful not to add to the problem by forbidding everything without providing a satisfactory kosher replacement. The Yetzer Hora of today is not the one of yesterday or the one our grandparents had to deal with. T Read more:Article
The World Cares! 2007-09-06 05:24:00 This may be the first time I can remember when the Red Cross and European Nations cared more about a Jewish than the Israeli Government seems to do!May it be G-d's Will that he be brought home safely today!Red Cross builds Shalit pressureThe head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has met the Hamas leader to try to gain access to the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.The Director General of the ICRC, Angelo Gnaedinger, met Ismail Haniya in Gaza on Wednesday.Afterwards, Mr Gnaedinger said he was told a visit to Corporal Shalit was "under consideration and that everybody is working on a positive solution".Cpl Shalit was seized in Israel by Palestinian militants in June 2006.Prisoner swapTwo other Israeli soldiers died in the raid carried out by militants from Hamas and other Palestinian groups from Gaza.The militant groups want Israel to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners in return for Cpl Shalit's release.ICRC officials say they have raised the issue of ga Read more:World
, Cares
Virtual Shmita? 2007-09-06 05:03:00 You may be concerned this shmita about whether to rely on 'heter mechira' where the land is sold to non-Jews for the year. There are many problems with this in practice, politics and philosophy (though nobody questions that it does 'work' and the produce may be eaten).Shomrei Shvi'it have come up with a brilliant idea. (They thought of it last Shavuos night in the wee small hours while learning).Instead of selling the land to non-Jews and working it, how about selling it to Jews and not working it!Shomrei Shvi’it is an innovative new project that allows Jews in Israel, and throughout the Diaspora, to properly fulfill the mitzvot of shmitta. The Torah's commandments to allow agricultural land to lie fallow every seventh year, can now be observed in a simple, powerful and inexpensive way.For the first time for many people, shmitta can become an actual, practical mitzvah, rather than a theoretical commandment for discussion and learning.As shmitta approaches this coming Rosh Hasha
Is it kosher? 2007-09-04 17:45:00 Nowadays the consumer has to rely very heavily on the mashgichim (supervisors) to ensure the food they eat is kosher. It is impossible for the average person to know all the ingredients in products s/he buys, and extremely difficult for them to check on the kashrus of each one.In restaurants the diner has to trust that the mashgiach is doing his job, and not off 'davening mincha' when he is supposed to be superivsing. It would be virtually impossible to know whether the food you are eating is kosher or not by the time it lands on your plate.Nowadays the consumer is reliant on supervisors even for plain meat. Gone are the days when you would take your chicken to the shochet and then the Rabbi and you could see yourself whether it is kosher or not.So stories like these are very disturbing to me. I have no idea whether they ever sold non kosher meat, or whether they were only storing it in the fridge (and I think we should be 'dan l'kaf z'chus):On Monday at 5:30 p.m., an official fro
All Creatures Great and Small 2007-09-03 23:13:00 Perek Shira presents the the words of praise and gratitude which all of G-d's Creation sing every day.A Bisele Babka has posted a link to 25 of the World's Most Interesting Animals.I wonder what kind of song they would sing? Here are my suggestions (but please, this is only a joke. I know that Perek Shira is serious. Just send me your song titles and don't get too excited)R.e.m - Shiny Happy PeopleThe blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage Read more:Great
, Small
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