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On Shavuos 2448 we stood together at the base of Har Sinai K’Ish Echad B’Lev Echad – as one nation with one heart. This model of Jewish unity has served as the hallmark of our people throughout our history; together in Yirushalayim in the days of the Beis Hamikdash, and in exile in Bavel, Spain, Eastern Europe, the Far East, and here in the United States. Wherever a Jew is found, that Jew knows they are a part of our people, and even though that Jew may be alone physically, they are never apart from us. At no time in our Shul's history has this message of unity been more important to us than this year. While we might be physically apart, our spirits and hearts remain united and together. During Shavuos this year we will unite to create a communal atmosphere of Torah by bringing our Shul into each of our homes by using the enclosed incredible array of learning topics. Young or old, there is something for everyone, whether to explore on your own or to discuss with your families. Many thanks to Rav Schwartz, Rabbi Rosenbaum, and Yoni and Alyssa Sheer for their hard work in creating and assembling these materials. Our sisterhood has already hosted an incredible symposium to create a communal connection in Torah leading in to Shavuos. Our youth department is leading a communal Tehillim-a-thon to see how much of Tehillim can we unite to recite over the two days of Yom Tov. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to the sponsors of our Shavuos programming this year - it is thanks to their generosity that much of our programming is made possible. Traditionally, on the last day of every Chag there is a call for Tzedaka in Jewish communities all over the world. Ashkenazim often gave this Tzedaka as a merit for loved ones who had passed, and thus the custom of Yizkor was born. The Yizkor appeal in fact preceded the Yizkor service itself. This year, while we will have no communal Yizkor service, the opportunity for tzedaka is still very much present. We ask that you please consider a donation to the Shul to help us continue to support all of our current and future activities and programs. Let’s celebrate and support our AI community together. Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and healthy Chag Sameach, Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz Rav, Adath Israel Scott Susser Chairman, Adath Israel Board of Trustees Donate now at: https://adathisraelshul.org/donate 1 This packet includes materials organized in four different topics, including a series dealing with questions raised by the ongoing pandemic. Below is a chart listing the shiurim and suggested timeframes to pace yourself through the night. Enjoy! Times Corona Halacha Rus Hashkafa Set up your makom, grab all your sefarim/packets and snacks and get comfy. 11:45-12:00 It’s time to start Tikkun Leil Shavuos! Ordering Online All You Ever Groceries in the Wanted to Know Orpah - Sealed The Overflowing 12:00-12:50 Midst of About Eiruv with a Kiss (57) Song (78) COVID-19 (3) Tavshilin (33) Voting in The Corona 2020 pt. 1 Sleeping Through 12:55-1:45 Ploni Almoni (63) Conundrum (10) Should I Vote the Night (82) (36) 1:50-2:15 Head to your kitchen for a delicious “collation”! Measuring Voting in Temperatures in 2020 pt. 2 Megillas Rus: Bruriah - Order to Visit in 2:20-3:10 Choosing and The Unnamed A Role Model a Hospital / supporting a (68) (86) Nursing Home candidate (45) (14) 3:15-3:40 Shul-Wide Tehillim When we Meet Can I Buy Life Megillas Naami: Again: Blessings Insurance? Identity, The Kiss of 3:45-4:25 Upon Reopening Should I Buy Life Alienation and Hashem (91) & Reuniting Insurance? (53) Redemption (73) (18) Explore something from a different topic, Virtual Minyan 4:30-5:00 or review Mishna/Daf/Nach Yomi (92) (23) 5:00 Set up your home ‘Shul’, it’s time for Shacharis! 2 Ordering Online Groceries that will be Delivered on Shabbos during the COVID-19 Pandemic With the ongoing Coronavirus restrictions throughout the country and the need for proper social distancing especially with the elderly, the quarantined and the immunocompromised, many people have become dependent on deliveries made by the grocery stores. As a result, there has been overwhelming demand for such deliveries and it has become difficult and even impossible to receive the delivery at your desired time. (At one point, one needed to get up at 4 am just to access the Shop-Rite “Shop from Home” website!). While in some cases, deliveries will come at any random time, it is more common to find that some window of time will be given, like “Friday or Saturday”. In other cases a person may be told to set a specific day for delivery only to find that the only available day for a several week period might be Shabbos or Yom Tov. May such deliveries be accepted on Shabbos? If the only date to set is Shabbos is that Permitted? In either case is the food permitted to be eaten that day? If it cannot be eaten is it muktza – which would create a problem for foods requiring refrigeration? In order for us to come to any conclusion, we need to break down the question into its elements. What might some of the issues we need to explore be? There are 6 major issues that we might explore that will help us analyze this question a bit more completely. Let’s look at each one separately and then combine: The status of work done by a non-Jew on Shabbos – מלאכת נכרי בשבת :Issue #1 Can a non-Jew do work for you on Shabbos? What happens if s/he does and it is clearly for you but you didn’t ask him or her to do it? What is the Halacha then? The Shulchan Aruch weighs in (OC 244:1) שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות שבת סימן רמד סעיף א פוסק )פירוש מתנה( עם האינו יהודי על המלאכה, )א( וקוצץ דמים, ב'[ והאינו יהודי א עושה א'{ לעצמו, ואף על פי שהוא עושה בשבת, )ב( מותר; א'< בד"א, * )ג( בצנעה, )ד( ב א( שאין מכירים הכל שזו המלאכה הנעשית בשבת של ישראל היא, אבל אם היתה ידועה ומפורסמת, אסור שהרואה את האינו יהודי עוסק אינו יודע שקצץ, ג ואומר שפלוני שכר ב'{ האינו יהודי לעשות מלאכה בשבת “A person can agree with a non-Jew about work to be done and sets a price, and the non-Jew does the work by himself, even if he works on Shabbat, it is permissible. This law is discussed when the work is done in private since most people won’t recognize that this work is being done on Shabbat for the Jew, but if it was well known and publicized, then it is prohibited because when others look at the non-Jew work, they don’t know that the Jew and the non-Jew set a price and they will say that the Jew is hiring the non-Jew to do work for him on Shabbat.” 3 So it sounds like the Shulchan Aruch notes that work can be done by a non-Jew on Shabbos even if the Jew benefits provided that it is done in private. Mogen Avraham and others are quick to note that “private” or “public” is not an ‘all or nothing’ rather, as the Mishna Berurah notes: משנה ברורה סימן רמד ס"ק ד שאין מכירים הכל - ואפילו אם קצת יודעים שהיא מלאכת ישראל שרי ואף על גב דמבואר לקמן בהג"ה דיש לחוש :לאורחים ובני ביתו שיחשדו אותו שם שהיא מלאכת מחובר וסתם מחובר שם בעליו נקרא עליו החמירו בו ביותר Even if some people know that the job being done is being done for a Jew it is still ok. And even though later the Rema will tell us that we need to be concerned about the guests and family members who will accuse him of doing work related to harvesting things attached to the ground and when things are attached they are directly related to the owner and thus the rules are more strict. It sounds like the work needs to be shrouded in secrecy – just that it not be too well known that the non-Jew is doing the work for you. The Mishna Berurah seems to highlight a differentiation between things that are attached where one cannot make this deal with the non-Jew and things that are. Why? What is the difference between “attached” and “detached” things? The simple explanation is that there is no difference. The real reason we differentiate is to distinguish between things that are directly traceable to the Jewish owner versus things that are not. Things that are attached to the ground tend to occur on the property of the owner and word will get out that he is having work done on Shabbos and doing forbidden practice. The same would apply if the work being done was being done with things that are detached but that the work with the detached items are being done specifically for the Jew on Shabbos too. This is the position expressly stated in the Mishna Berurah (OC 244: “B’Tzinah) and in the Aruch Hashulchan (OC 244:4) as well. How might this bit of information impact our case with the delivery of the groceries? Who is doing the Melacha? For whom is he doing it? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________- (In our case, the melacha is the act of driving the delivery truck.