Torah from the Years of Wrath 1939-1943: the Historical Context of the Aish Kodesh
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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. -
Happiness Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018 Rabbi Nancy Rita Myers Final
1 Happiness Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018 Rabbi Nancy Rita Myers Final Woody Allen once said, “There's an old joke about two elderly women who are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Allen adds, “Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.”1 I don’t know if you concur with Woody Allen or not. I hope that you don’t feel that your life is full of loneliness, misery, and suffering because we all seek joy, peace, wellbeing, in essence, we want to be happy. The word happiness is bantered around often. We ask others if they are happy and we struggle with how we feel about ourselves and our place in life. Are you happy? Such a simple question. Are you happy? How many of you need to think about that or unsure? We often recognize times when we think we are happy. For some of us, its cheering our favorite sports team to victory, watching a comedy, eating a piece of rich chocolate cake, playing in the sand, hiking a mountain, sipping some wine, or watching a favorite TV show. But are we truly happy in such moments? It’s easy to confuse momentary pleasure with long term happiness or satisfaction. We may get an initial rush out of the purchase of an electronic devise or an outfit but it’s temporary. -
Yoma 003.Pub
ב' אייר תשפ“אWed, Apr 14 2021 Daf Digest for Chodesh Iyar is dedicated In memory of Israel Isser Ben Tzion ben Yaakov OVERVIEW of the Daf Distinctive INSIGHT 1) The source for sequestering (cont.) Seven days of preparation for Rosh HaShanah? ואימא ראש השה דפרישת שבעה ליום אחד וכו ‘ does לכפר The Gemara concludes its proof that the word not refer to Shmini Atzeres. -refers to I n a certain regard, Rosh HaShanah seems a poor exam לכפר It is suggested that perhaps the word Shavuos rather than Yom Kippur. ple of a day which has seven days of preparation for a one- The Gemara demonstrates that this could not be the cor- day occasion. After all, Rosh HaShanah occurs on Rosh rect interpretation. Chodesh, the first day of Tishrei, and we never know refers to whether the month of Elul will be a complete or deficient לכפר It is suggested that that perhaps the word Rosh HaShanah. month. If we were to begin our preparation for Rosh The Gemara demonstrates that this could not be the cor- HaShanah on the 23rd or 24th of Elul, we might have six rect interpretation. or eight days of separation, and we are aiming to pattern R’ Ashi makes another suggestion how we know that the this system after the event which took place during the the initiation days leading up to the opening of , מילואים pasuk refers to Yom Kippur and not to Rosh HaShanah or to הזה Shavuos. the Mishkan. There, the Torah uses the word Ravina presents another reason why the pasuk must refer indicate that we need to match the precedent case precisely, to Yom Kippur rather than any other event. -
A Guide to Rosh Hashanah La'behemot
We are grateful for all the good we receive from behemot, from domesticated animals. Some of us eat them, some wear their skins, some eat eggs and cheese, some use medicines and even organs that come from animals, some wear wool and silk, some write on Torah scrolls, wear tefillin, and blow shofarot that come from animal’s bodies. Some of us do none of these things, but we benefit from the bee A Guide to Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot that pollinates the flowers and the worm that softens the earth. May the One who is the breath of life cause us to be mindful of these gifts and never to waste them or take them for granted. (The shofar is blown a tekiyah shvarim tekiyah cycle.) the Jewish New Year’s Day for Animals We bless all the creatures, Behemot and Ḥayot we are privileged to live with on the earth: the loving companion animals who live in our houses, the birds at our windows and in the forests, the burrowing creatures under our feet, the fish in the waters of our streams and oceans. We bless all the spirits, all the nefashot we are privileged to live with on the earth, the known and the When? unknown. May the One who is the breath of life bless all living things that we love and strengthen them. Rosh Hashanah La'Behemot, the New Year's Day for Domesticated Animals, occurs on the very (The shofar is blown a long tekiyah for the final time.) first day of the Hebrew month of Elul; that's always exactly one month before the High Holy Days begin. -
Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto
Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira – Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto April 26, 2014 Rabbi Van Lanckton Temple B’nai Shalom Braintree, Massachusetts In the aftermath of World War II, a construction worker laying the foundation for a new building on the site of the destroyed Warsaw ghetto came across a container buried in the earth. Inside were manuscripts written in Hebrew characters. The manuscripts were taken to the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw for analysis. At the top of the bundle of writings was a cover letter written in Yiddish. It began with the word AUFMERKZAM followed by three exclamation points. “Aufmerkzam” means “Attention.” Here is the text of that Yiddish letter: By the grace of God. I respectfully request the honored individual or institution that will find my following writings concerning the Torah readings from the years 5700, 5701 and 5702 to be so kind as to take the trouble to forward them to the land of Israel at the following address: “Rabbi Isaiah Shapira, Tel Aviv, Palestine.” Please send this letter as well. When, with God’s compassion, I and the remaining Jews will survive the war, I request that everything be returned to me or to the Warsaw rabbinate for Kalonymus. May God have mercy on us, the remnant of Israel, wherever we may be. May He spare us, grant us life, and save us in the twinkling of an eye. With thanks from the depth of my heart. Kalonymus The years 5700, 5701 and 5702 correspond to the years 1939 to 1942. The date of the letter, written under the signature, was “the evening before the second day of the week of Parashat Va-Era, 27 Tevet, 5703.” That date was Sunday evening, January 3, 1943. -
M E O R O T a Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (Formerly Edah Journal)
M e o r o t A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse (formerly Edah Journal) Tishrei 5770 Special Edition on Modern Orthodox Education CONTENTS Editor’s Introduction to Special Tishrei 5770 Edition Nathaniel Helfgot SYMPOSIUM On Modern Orthodox Day School Education Scot A. Berman, Todd Berman, Shlomo (Myles) Brody, Yitzchak Etshalom,Yoel Finkelman, David Flatto Zvi Grumet, Naftali Harcsztark, Rivka Kahan, Miriam Reisler, Jeremy Savitsky ARTICLES What Should a Yeshiva High School Graduate Know, Value and Be Able to Do? Moshe Sokolow Responses by Jack Bieler, Yaakov Blau, Erica Brown, Aaron Frank, Mark Gottlieb The Economics of Jewish Education The Tuition Hole: How We Dug It and How to Begin Digging Out of It Allen Friedman The Economic Crisis and Jewish Education Saul Zucker Striving for Cognitive Excellence Jack Nahmod To Teach Tsni’ut with Tsni’ut Meorot 7:2 Tishrei 5770 Tamar Biala A Publication of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah REVIEW ESSAY Rabbinical School © 2009 Life Values and Intimacy Education: Health Education for the Jewish School, Yocheved Debow and Anna Woloski-Wruble, eds. Jeffrey Kobrin STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 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, 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 -
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. -
Temurah 018.Pub
ה' אב תשע“ט Tues, Aug 6 2019 י“ח תמורה OVERVIEW of the Daf Distinctive INSIGHT 1) Clarifying the Mishnah (cont.) The offspring of a shelamim must be left to die אלא אמר רב חייא בר אבא אמר ר ‘ יוחנן היינו טעמא דר ‘ אליעזר -The Gemara continues to analyze one of the exposi גזירה שמא יגדל מהם עדרים עדרים tions cited in the Baraisa that was cited to explain the rul- ings in the Mishnah. n the Mishnah on our daf we find a disagreement R’ Akiva’s exposition in the Baraisa is clarified. I among Tannaim regarding the offspring of a shelamim The exchange between the two Baraisos concerning their respective sources for the Mishnah’s rulings is pre- animal. R’ Eliezer says that the offspring of a shelamim sented. may not be brought as a shelamim. Rather, due to a rab- 2) MISHNAH: The Mishnah presents different opinions binic consideration which the Gemara explains, the ani- regarding the status of the offspring of shelamim. mal must be locked in a closed cell and left to die. 3) Offspring of Shelamim Chachamim hold that this offspring may be brought as a R’ Ami in the name of R’ Yochanan suggests a source shelamim. In the Gemara, R’ Chiya b. Abba concludes in for R’ Eliezer’s position that the offspring of a shelamim the name of R’ Yochanan that the reason for the opinion may not be offered as a shelamim. of R’ Eliezer is that we are concerned that if it were permit- This explanation is rejected in favor of another expla- ted to bring this animal as an offering, its owner would nation. -
Yeshiva University AP Style Guide
Yeshiva University Style Guide Members of Yeshiva University’s office of Marketing & Communications produces multi- media materials for distribution to employees, external media and multiple constituencies such as alumni, donors and community leaders. Marketing & Communications, and others in the University producing such materials, should adhere to journalistic style standards as outlined by The Associated Press (AP) in The Associated Press Stylebook with special attention given to the unique needs of universities—specifically those relating to our own Yeshiva University community. The following style guidelines specifically address branding consistency; quality; personality; tone; and key messages for Yeshiva University and may be exceptions to AP style that should be practiced in all mediums. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the preferred reference for English spelling and punctuation. It can be searched online (for free) at: www.merriam-webster.com. Academic Degrees Use the possessive (’s) for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree but not with associate degree. There is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science (note the use of upper case). When abbreviating degrees, do not use periods, e.g. BA, JD, PhD, LLM, but set multiples off by commas. Do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations or concentrations of study when they are not part of an official department name or title. (NOTE: the exception is for English and foreign languages). When referring to the conferral of a degree, do not include “doctoral” or the word “recipients” for multiple awards. Examples: She received a bachelor's degree in history; She majored in economics; He is a French major; Governor Cuomo received an honorary degree from Yeshiva University; Honorary degrees were awarded to Governor Cuomo and Elliot Gibber. -
Introduction to Tractate Terumot
Introduction to Tractate Terumot The Tractate deals with the rules of Great Heave and heave of the tithe, as given in Num. 18:8-32. Great Heave is the gift of the farmer to the Cohen at the time the produce is ready for storage; this heave has no minimum prescribed by biblical law. Heave of the tithe is given to the Cohen by the Levite from his tithe; it must be exactly ten percent. The rules of the heaves are complicated since heaves are sacred food available to any Cohen anywhere and, therefore, in danger of being mixed up with profane or impure food. Heave, as a gift to the Cohen, must be designated as such. Chapter One, dealing with the rules of designation, contains a discussion of the definitions and legal status of persons incompetent to designate: minors, deaf-mutes who cannot communicate, and the insane. Chapter Two discusses the groupings of food which can substitute for one another in the designation of heave. Chapter Three gives detailed rules in many special cases. Chapter Four deals with minimal and maximal amounts to be given as heave by rabbinic decree and with the heave obligations of partnerships. Since heave, as sacred food, must be eaten in ritual purity, the rabbinic amounts as well as the rules dealing with pure heave became obsolete when it was no longer possible to observe the rules of purity (cf. Berakhot Chapter 1, Note 3). Chapter Five 2 INTRODUCTION TERUMOT deals with the case that pure and impure heave became mixed; how to save a maximum amount of pure heave. -
A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism
eSharp Issue 20: New Horizons A Fresh Perspective on the History of Hasidic Judaism Eva van Loenen (University of Southampton) Introduction In this article, I shall examine the history of Hasidic Judaism, a mystical,1 ultra-orthodox2 branch of Judaism, which values joyfully worshipping God’s presence in nature as highly as the strict observance of the laws of Torah3 and Talmud.4 In spite of being understudied, the history of Hasidic Judaism has divided historians until today. Indeed, Hasidic Jewish history is not one monolithic, clear-cut, straightforward chronicle. Rather, each scholar has created his own narrative and each one is as different as its author. While a brief introduction such as this cannot enter into all the myriad divergences and similarities between these stories, what I will attempt to do here is to incorporate and compare an array of different views in order to summarise the history of Hasidism and provide a more objective analysis, which has not yet been undertaken. Furthermore, my historical introduction in Hasidic Judaism will exemplify how mystical branches of mainstream religions might develop and shed light on an under-researched division of Judaism. The main focus of 1 Mystical movements strive for a personal experience of God or of his presence and values intuitive, spiritual insight or revelationary knowledge. The knowledge gained is generally ‘esoteric’ (‘within’ or hidden), leading to the term ‘esotericism’ as opposed to exoteric, based on the external reality which can be attested by anyone. 2 Ultra-orthodox Jews adhere most strictly to Jewish law as the holy word of God, delivered perfectly and completely to Moses on Mount Sinai. -
Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life1
ORTHODOXY IN AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE1 by CHARLES S. LIEBMAN INTRODUCTION • DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ORTHODOXY • EARLY ORTHODOX COMMUNITY • UNCOMMITTED ORTHODOX • COM- MITTED ORTHODOX • MODERN ORTHODOX • SECTARIANS • LEAD- ERSHIP • DIRECTIONS AND TENDENCIES • APPENDLX: YESHIVOT PROVIDING INTENSIVE TALMUDIC STUDY A HIS ESSAY is an effort to describe the communal aspects and institutional forms of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. For the most part, it ignores the doctrines, faith, and practices of Orthodox Jews, and barely touches upon synagogue hie, which is the most meaningful expression of American Orthodoxy. It is hoped that the reader will find here some appreciation of the vitality of American Orthodoxy. Earlier predictions of the demise of 11 am indebted to many people who assisted me in making this essay possible. More than 40, active in a variety of Orthodox organizations, gave freely of their time for extended discussions and interviews and many lay leaders and rabbis throughout the United States responded to a mail questionnaire. A number of people read a draft of this paper. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few by name, at the same time exonerating them of any responsibility for errors of fact or for my own judgments and interpretations. The section on modern Orthodoxy was read by Rabbi Emanuel Rackman. The sections beginning with the sectarian Orthodox to the conclusion of the paper were read by Rabbi Nathan Bulman. Criticism and comments on the entire paper were forthcoming from Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein, Dr. Marshall Ski are, and Victor Geller, without whose assistance the section on the number of Orthodox Jews could not have been written.