Modern Approaches to the Talmud: Sacha Stern | University College London
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Should Bakeries Which Are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? a Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER
Should Bakeries Which are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? A Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER This paper was submitted as a response to the responsum written by Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz and Ms. Dvora Weisberg entitled "Rabbinic Supervision of Jewish Owned Businesses Operating on Shabbat" which was adopted by the CJLS on February 26, 1986. Should rabbis offer rabbinic supervision to bakeries which are open on Shabbat? i1 ~, '(l) l'\ (1) The food itself is indeed kosher after Shabbat, once the time required to prepare it has elapsed. 1 The halakhah is according to Rabbi Yehudah and not according to the Mishnah which is Rabbi Meir's opinion. (2) While a Jew who does not observe all the mitzvot is in some instances deemed trustworthy, this is never the case regarding someone who flagrantly disregards the laws of Shabbat, especially for personal profit. Maimonides specifically excludes such a person's trustworthiness regarding his own actions.2 Moreover in the case of n:nv 77n~ (a violator of Shabbat) Maimonides explicitly rejects his trustworthiness. 3 No support can be brought from Moshe Feinstein who concludes, "even if the proprietor closes his store on Shabbat, [since it is known to all that he does not observe Shabbat], we assume he only wants to impress other observant Jews so they will buy from him."4 Previously in the same responsum R. Feinstein emphasizes that even if the person in The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halakhah for the Conservative movement. -
Daf Ditty Pesachim 71: the Core of Joy
Daf Ditty Pesachim 71: The Core of Joy 1 at the time of rejoicing, on the Festival itself, and if it was slaughtered on the fourteenth it is not. The mitzva to bring a Festival peace-offering is also not fulfilled, for it is something that is an obligation, as everyone is obligated to bring this offering, and the principle is that anything that is an obligation must come only from that which is unconsecrated, meaning that one cannot bring an obligatory offering from an animal that has already been consecrated for another purpose. The Gemara proposes: Let us say that a baraita supports him. The verse states: Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the LORD thy God 15 וט ְתּמתיﬠִשׁב ָי,םחַָ ֹגִ FֱהDיוהַלהא ֶ,יָ ֶ,יָ FֱהDיוהַלהא in the place which the LORD shall choose; because the LORD קשׁ,ַבּאםמּ ֲֶָרוֹ - ְיָהוה: ְִיַבחר יִכּ Fבי ְהְכהויר ְֶָָ ְהְכהויר Fבי יִכּ thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work ,בֶּיFֱאDה לתְּכ בFְָתוּאבֹ למְכְוּ הֲַשׂﬠֹ ֵי ,ֶיFָד ,ֶיFָד ֵי הֲַשׂﬠֹ למְכְוּ בFְָתוּאבֹ לתְּכ ,בֶּיFֱאDה .of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful ֵָשַׂמ.ח ְוִָייהָ,תַאT ֵָשַׂמ.ח Deut 16:15 “Seven days shall you celebrate to the Lord your God in the place that the Lord shall choose, for the Lord your God shall bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be but joyous” This verse seems superfluous, as it was already stated in the previous verse: “And you shall rejoice in your Festival.” The baraita expounds: “And you shall be but joyous” comes to include the last night of the Festival. -
1 Jews, Gentiles, and the Modern Egalitarian Ethos
Jews, Gentiles, and the Modern Egalitarian Ethos: Some Tentative Thoughts David Berger The deep and systemic tension between contemporary egalitarianism and many authoritative Jewish texts about gentiles takes varying forms. Most Orthodox Jews remain untroubled by some aspects of this tension, understanding that Judaism’s affirmation of chosenness and hierarchy can inspire and ennoble without denigrating others. In other instances, affirmations of metaphysical differences between Jews and gentiles can take a form that makes many of us uncomfortable, but we have the legitimate option of regarding them as non-authoritative. Finally and most disturbing, there are positions affirmed by standard halakhic sources from the Talmud to the Shulhan Arukh that apparently stand in stark contrast to values taken for granted in the modern West and taught in other sections of the Torah itself. Let me begin with a few brief observations about the first two categories and proceed to somewhat more extended ruminations about the third. Critics ranging from medieval Christians to Mordecai Kaplan have directed withering fire at the doctrine of the chosenness of Israel. Nonetheless, if we examine an overarching pattern in the earliest chapters of the Torah, we discover, I believe, that this choice emerges in a universalist context. The famous statement in the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5) that Adam was created singly so that no one would be able to say, “My father is greater than yours” underscores the universality of the original divine intent. While we can never know the purpose of creation, one plausible objective in light of the narrative in Genesis is the opportunity to actualize the values of justice and lovingkindness through the behavior of creatures who subordinate themselves to the will 1 of God. -
Download the Full Edition
Meorot A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (formerly Edah Journal) Marheshvan 5768 CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction to the Marheshvan 5768 Edition Eugene Korn ARTICLES Farteitcht un Farbessert (On “Correcting” Maimonides) Menachem Kellner Ethics and Warfare Revisited Gerald J. Blidstein Michael J. Broyde Women's Eligibility to Write Sifrei Torah Jen Taylor Friedman Dov Linzer Authority and Validity: Why Tanakh Requires Interpretation, and What Makes an Interpretation Legitimate? Moshe Sokolow REVIEW ESSAY Maimonides Contra Kabbalah: A Review of Maimonides’ Confrontation with Mysticism by Menachem Kellner James A. Diamond Meorot 6:2 Marheshvan 5768 A Publication of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbini cal School © 2007 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE t Meorot: A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (formerly The Edah Journal) Statement of Purpose Meorot is a forum for discussion of Orthodox Judaism’s engagement with modernity, o published by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School. It is the conviction of Meorot that this discourse is vital to nurturing the spiritual and religious experiences of Modern Orthodox Jews. Committed to the norms of halakhah and Torah, Meorot is dedicated to free inquiry and will be ever mindful that “Truth is the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He.” r Editors Eugene Korn, Editor Nathaniel Helfgot, Associate Editor Joel Linsider, Text Editor o Editorial Board Dov Linzer (YCT Rabbinical School), Chair Michael Berger Moshe Halbertal (Israel) e Naftali Harcsztark Norma Baumel Joseph Simcha Krauss Barry Levy Adam Mintz Tamar Ross (Israel) A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse M Meorot will publish two online editions per year, and will be available periodically in hard- copy editions. -
Shabbat Shalom!
THE WEEK AT A GLANCE 8:00 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel 12:00 pm All-Age Youth & Family Ice Skating, Schenley Park Skating Rink ENRICHING LIVES THROUGH COMMUNITY, Sunday, 1/6 ~ 29 Tevet 2:00 pm Intro to Judaism, Zweig Library LIFELONG JEWISH LEARNING, & SPIRITUAL GROWTH 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Monday, 1/7 ~ 1 Shevat 9:15 am Talmud Study, 61C Café, 1839 Murray Avenue Rosh Hodesh Shevat 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel 12:00 pm Lunch & Learn Downtown, 535 Smithfield Street Shabbat Shalom! Tuesday, 1/8 ~ 2 Shevat 4:15 pm J-JEP, Classrooms 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel 28 Tevet, 5779 7:30 pm Board of Trustees Meeting, Lehman Center This week’s parashah is Va’era. 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Wednesday, 1/9 ~ 3 Shevat 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Thursday, 1/10 ~ 4 Shevat 4:15 pm J-JEP, Classrooms 7:00 pm Evening Service, Helfant Chapel Friday, 1/11 ~ 5 Shevat 7:30 am Morning Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Candle lighting 4:55 pm 6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat, Helfant Chapel Friday, January 4, 2019 6:30 am Early Morning Shabbat Service, Homestead Hebrew Chapel Youth Services 9:30 am Shabbat Service, Faye Rubenstein Weiss Sanctuary Candle lighting 4:48 pm 10:00 am Youth Tefillah, Meet in Gym, then to respective services Saturday 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Discussion Service, Weinberg Pavilion Shababababa 5:45 pm Saturday, 1/12 ~ 6 Shevat 12:15 pm Congregational Kiddush, back of Faye Rubenstein Weiss Sanctuary 10:00-10:30 am - Gym is open. -
Some Teachings from Tractate Avodah Zarah
Sat 1 Oct 2016 / 1 Elul 5776 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Luncheon in honor of my completion of Talmudic tractate Avodah Zarah Some teachings from Tractate Avodah Zarah Idolatry: The No. 1 sin -Right at beginning of Ten Commandments: -You shall have no other God but Me. [Ex. 20:2] -You shall not make unto thee any graven image. [Ex. 20:3] -Talmud: -To abstain from idolatry is "equivalent to fulfilling all [other] commandments in the Torah". [Horayot 8a] -So, to be a fully observant Jew, all one has to do is not worship idols? -Whoever rejects idolatry is called a Jew. [Megillah 13a, b] -Idols must not only be destroyed, but completely eradicated. Every trace of them must be removed. [Avodah Zarah 45b] -If one had to sum up Judaism with one line, it would be the Shema: -HaShem Echad -- The Lord is One. [Deut. 6:4] -Tractate Avodah Zarah mostly discusses relations with gentiles. Why doesn’t God destroy all idols? Mishnah. The elders [of Israel visited] Rome and were asked: “If [your god] has no desire for idolatry, why doesn’t he destroy [all idols]?” They replied, “If what was worshipped was something unnecessary to the world, he would destroy it. But people worship the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets. Should he destroy his universe on account of [such] fools?” They said [to the elders], “If so, he should destroy what is not necessary for the world and leave what is necessary for the world!” They replied, “[If He did that], it would merely strengthen the hands of the worshippers of [whatever God spared], because they would say, ‘You can be sure these are [real] deities, for, behold, they have not been destroyed!’” [Avodah Zarah 54b] Must not benefit from idolatry in any way 1 Phrasing matters! And thus it has been taught: If one hires a [Jewish] workman, saying to him, “Move for me a hundred casks [of wine] for a hundred perutahs”, and among them was found one cask of [wine that had been used for idolatrous purposes], his [entire] wage is prohibited. -
Vayeishev 5758 Volume V Number 12
Balak 5781 Volume XXVIII Number 41 Toras Aish Thoughts From Across the Torah Spectrum and Midian, suffered a self-inflicted tragedy by allowing RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS Z"L themselves to be enticed by the women of the land. Covenant & Conversation God’s anger burns against them. Several chapters later Rabbi Sacks zt"l had prepared a full year of Covenant & (Num. 31:16) it emerges that it was Bilaam who Conversation for 5781, based on his book Lessons in devised this strategy: “They were the ones who Leadership. The Office of Rabbi Sacks will continue to followed Bilaam’s advice and were the means of turning distribute these weekly essays, so that people all around the the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at world can keep on learning and finding inspiration in his Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people”. Having Torah. failed to curse the Israelites, Bilaam eventually s leadership a set of skills, the ability to summon and succeeded in doing them great harm. command power? Or does it have an essentially I So the picture that emerges from the Jewish moral dimension also? Can a bad person be a good sources is of a man with great gifts, a genuine prophet, leader, or will their badness compromise their a man whom the Sages compared with Moses himself leadership? That is the question raised by the key – yet at the same time a figure of flawed character that figure in this week’s parsha, the pagan prophet Bilaam. eventually led to his downfall and to his reputation as First, by way of introduction, we have an evil-doer and one of those mentioned by the independent evidence that Bilaam actually existed. -
The Contemporary Jewish Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha
t HaRofei LeShvurei Leiv: The Contemporary Jewish Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha Senior Honors Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Undergraduate Program in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Prof. Reuven Kimelman, Advisor Prof. Zvi Zohar, Advisor In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts by Ezra Cohen December 2018 Accepted with Highest Honors Copyright by Ezra Cohen Committee Members Name: Prof. Reuven Kimelman Signature: ______________________ Name: Prof. Lynn Kaye Signature: ______________________ Name: Prof. Zvi Zohar Signature: ______________________ Table of Contents A Brief Word & Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………... iii Chapter I: Setting the Stage………………………………………………………………………. 1 a. Why This Thesis is Important Right Now………………………………………... 1 b. Defining Key Terms……………………………………………………………… 4 i. Defining Depression……………………………………………………… 5 ii. Defining Halakha…………………………………………………………. 9 c. A Short History of Depression in Halakhic Literature …………………………. 12 Chapter II: The Contemporary Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha…………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 d. Depression & Music Therapy…………………………………………………… 19 e. Depression & Shabbat/Holidays………………………………………………… 28 f. Depression & Abortion…………………………………………………………. 38 g. Depression & Contraception……………………………………………………. 47 h. Depression & Romantic Relationships…………………………………………. 56 i. Depression & Prayer……………………………………………………………. 70 j. Depression & -
Judaic Studies Curriculum
JUDAIC STUDIES CURRICULUM Hillel Yeshiva High School Judaic Studies Course Descriptions Hillel Yeshiva High School is committed to excellence in both Judaic and General Studies. We believe that our students will leave Hillel Yeshiva as well-rounded, God fearing Jews who will integrate Judaism into every aspect of their lives, from the Bet Midrash to the business world. The following are the goals of our Judaic Studies program: ● Our students will develop a love for Torah, the study of Torah and the observance of the Misvot. ● Our students will gain the knowledge they need to be active members of the Jewish community. They will take the knowledge, skills and character traits that they learn in Yeshiva and bring them into their lives and the lives of those around them. Our students will have the ability to help the community around them grow in the ways of the Torah. ● Our students will not only learn about the morals, ethics and values of the Torah; they will learn to integrate these lessons into their everyday lives. They will be individuals who are known for their Middot and who are able to create a Kiddush Hashem wherever they go. ● Our students will become “self–learning Jews,” who will be active participants in Torah learning. For some of our students this will translate into reading through בחברותא Parasha every week. To others this will mean learning Talmud/פרשה the חומש with a partner). And to some, it will mean being able to learn through the) ”commentaries) or to delve into a “sugiya) מפרשים Humash with all the classic/ (topic) in the Talmud. -
Mez.Iz.Ah Be-Peh―Therapeutic Touch Or Hippocratic Vestige?1
15 Meziẓ aḥ be-Peh―Therapeutic Touch or Hippocratic Vestige? 1 By: SHLOMO SPRECHER With the appearance of a news article in the mass-circulation New York Daily News2 implicating meziẓ aḥ be-peh3 in the death of a Brooklyn 1 The author wishes to emphasize that he subscribes fully to the principle that an individual’s halakhic practice should be determined solely by that individual’s posek. Articles of this nature should never be utilized as a basis for changing one’s minhag. This work is intended primarily to provide some historical background. It may also be used by those individuals whose poskim mandate use of a tube instead of direct oral contact for the performance of meziẓ aḥ , but are still seeking additional material to establish the halakhic bona fides of this ruling. Furthermore, the author affirms that the entire article is predicated only on “Da’at Ba’alei Battim.” 2 February 2, 2005, p. 7. 3 I am aware that purists of Hebrew will insist that the correct vocalization should be be-feh. However, since all spoken references I’ve heard, and all the published material I’ve read, use the form “be-peh,” I too will follow their lead. I believe that a credible explanation for this substitution is a desire to avoid the pejorative sense of the correct vocalization. Lest the reader think that Hebrew vocalization is never influenced by such aesthetic considerations, I can supply proof to the contrary. The Barukh she-’Amar prayer found in Tefillat Shahariṭ contains the phrase “be-feh ‘Amo.” Even a novice Hebraist can recognize that the correct formulation should be in the construct state―“be-fi ‘Amo.” Although many have questioned this apparent error, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria’s supposed endorsement of this nusah ̣ has successfully parried any attempts to bring it into conformity with the established rules of Hebrew grammar. -
Jewish Law Research Guide
Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Law Library Research Guides - Archived Library 2015 Jewish Law Research Guide Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/researchguides Part of the Religion Law Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Repository Citation Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library, "Jewish Law Research Guide" (2015). Law Library Research Guides - Archived. 43. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/researchguides/43 This Web Page is brought to you for free and open access by the Library at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Law Library Research Guides - Archived by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Home - Jewish Law Resource Guide - LibGuides at C|M|LAW Library http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/sites/1185/guides/190548/backups/gui... C|M|LAW Library / LibGuides / Jewish Law Resource Guide / Home Enter Search Words Search Jewish Law is called Halakha in Hebrew. Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life. Home Primary Sources Secondary Sources Journals & Articles Citations Research Strategies Glossary E-Reserves Home What is Jewish Law? Need Help? Jewish Law is called Halakha in Hebrew. Halakha from the Hebrew word Halakh, Contact a Law Librarian: which means "to walk" or "to go;" thus a literal translation does not yield "law," but rather [email protected] "the way to go". Phone (Voice):216-687-6877 Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and Text messages only: ostensibly non-religious life 216-539-3331 Jewish religious tradition does not distinguish clearly between religious, national, racial, or ethnic identities. -
Maimonides and the Convert: a Juridical and Philosophical Embrace of the Outsider
Medieval Philosophy and Theology 11 (2003), 125–146. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright C 2005 Cambridge University Press 1057-0608 DOI: 10.1017.S1057060804000106 Maimonides and the Convert: A Juridical and Philosophical Embrace of the Outsider JAMES A. DIAMOND University of Waterloo Within the long tradition of halakhic stares decisis, or Jewish responsa liter- ature, one can find no more intricate a weave of law and philosophy than that crafted by the twelfth century Jewish jurist and philosopher, Moses Mai- monides, in response to an existential query by Ovadyah,1 a Muslim convert to Judaism.2 Ovadyah’s conversion raised particular concerns within the realm of institutionalized prayer and the rabbinically standardized texts that were its mainstay. The liturgy that had evolved was replete with ethno- centric expressions that rendered it highly resistant to the entry of outsiders anxious to become full-fledged members of the club. How can the convert utter the phrase “God of our fathers” when his biological ancestry belies its pronouncement? What right does he have to lay claim to a divine election, “who chose us,” which was motivated by a preference for one “nation” over others? Can he appeal to a God who is particularized as a national liberator, “who took us out of Egypt,” when enslavement and exodus were confined to a specific locale and time within a national historical consciousness? And finally, God’s intrusion into history on Israel’s behalf “who performed miracles for our fathers,” is a shared collective memory about which the 1. Ovadyah may have been a name of choice for converts to assume since there was a Talmudic tradition that the biblical prophet Ovadyah was an Edomite proselyte in BT, Sanhedrin 39b.