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Daat Torah (PDF)
Daat Torah Rabbi Alfred Cohen Daat Torah is a concept of supreme importance whose specific parameters remain elusive. Loosely explained, it refers to an ideology which teaches that the advice given by great Torah scholars must be followed by Jews committed to Torah observance, inasmuch as these opinions are imbued with Torah insights.1 Although the term Daat Torah is frequently invoked to buttress a given opinion or position, it is difficult to find agreement on what is actually included in the phrase. And although quite a few articles have been written about it, both pro and con, many appear to be remarkably lacking in objectivity and lax in their approach to the truth. Often they are based on secondary source and feature inflamma- tory language or an unflatttering tone; they are polemics rather than scholarship, with faulty conclusions arising from failure to check into what really was said or written by the great sages of earlier generations.2 1. Among those who have tackled the topic, see Lawrence Kaplan ("Daas Torah: A Modern Conception of Rabbinic Authority", pp. 1-60), in Rabbinic Authority and Personal Autonomy, published by Jason Aronson, Inc., as part of the Orthodox Forum series which also cites numerous other sources in its footnotes; Rabbi Berel Wein, writing in the Jewish Observer, October 1994; Rabbi Avi Shafran, writing in the Jewish Observer, Dec. 1986, p.12; Jewish Observer, December 1977; Techumin VIII and XI. 2. As an example of the opinion that there either is no such thing now as Daat Torah which Jews committed to Torah are obliged to heed or, even if there is, that it has a very limited authority, see the long essay by Lawrence Kaplan in Rabbinic Authority and Personal Autonomy, cited in the previous footnote. -
A Tribu1e 10 Eslller, Mv Panner in Torah
gudath Israel of America's voice in kind of informed discussion and debate the halls of courts and the corri that leads to concrete action. dors of Congress - indeed every A But the convention is also a major where it exercises its shtadlonus on yardstick by which Agudath Israel's behalf of the Kial - is heard more loudly strength as a movement is measured. and clearly when there is widespread recognition of the vast numbers of peo So make this the year you ple who support the organization and attend an Agm:fah conventicm. share its ideals. Resente today An Agudah convention provides a forum Because your presence sends a for benefiting from the insights and powerfo! - and ultimately for choice aa:ommodotions hadracha of our leaders and fosters the empowering - message. call 111-m-nao is pleased to announce the release of the newest volume of the TlHllE RJENNlERT JED>JITJION ~7~r> lEN<ClY<ClUO>lPElOl l[}\ ~ ·.:~.~HDS. 1CA\J~YA<Gr M(][1CZ\V<Q . .:. : ;······~.·····················.-~:·:····.)·\.~~····· ~s of thousands we~ed.(>lig~!~d~ith the best-selling mi:i:m niw:.r c .THE :r~~··q<:>Jy(MANDMENTS, the inaugural volume of theEntzfl(lj)('dia (Mitzvoth 25-38). Now join us aswestartfromthebeginning. The En~yclop~dia provides yau with • , • A panciramicviewofthe entire Torah .Laws, cust9ms and details about each Mitzvah The pririlafy reasons and insights for each Mitzvah. tteas.. ury.· of Mid. ra. shim and stories from Cha. zal... and m.uc.h.. n\ ''"'''''' The Encyclopedia of the Taryag Mitzvoth The Taryag Legacy Foundation is a family treasure that is guaranteed to wishes to thank enrich, inspire, and elevate every Jewish home. -
Was the Chasam Sofer Inconsistent? a Review Essay
239 Setting the Record Straight: Was the Chasam Sofer Inconsistent? A Review Essay By: NOSSON DOVID RABINOWICH In this essay we will discuss claims made in two recent articles, published by two leading scholars, to the effect that the Chasam Sofer was inconsistent and contradicted himself. I will attempt to show that those supposed “contradictions and inconsistencies” are either simply nonexistent or can be properly explained by careful and deliberate analysis of the actual sources and the issues involved. While my respect for Rabbi Moshe Sofer, the late “Chasam Sofer,” of blessed memory, is not merely that reserved for a great rabbi and outstanding scholar, I have endeavored to maintain a balanced and critical approach throughout. Nevertheless I feel it appropriate to note that from my perspective, Rabbi Sofer was a holy rabbi, a saint if you wish, whose towering scholarship in so many areas of Jewish studies was unmatched by his peers or by any rabbi from any subsequent generation. I do not hesitate to apply to him this popular saying: “From R. Moshe [Ben-Maimon; Maimonidies] until [R.] Moshe [Sofer] there was no one of the stature of R. Moshe [Sofer].”1 1 As the halakhic authority of his generation, he was probably more prolific than any other rabbi going back six hundred years, since the leading halakhic authority of the Golden Age in Spain, Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet. Of R. Sofer’s peers, only Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson, She-elot Sho’el U’Maishiv, was known to have written more responsa. ______________________________________________________ Nosson Dovid Rabinowich is the Mara d'Asra of Beis Medrash Ahavas Torah, a prolific author, and teacher. -
Knessia Gedolah Diary
THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615) is published monthly, in this issue ... except July and August, by the Agudath lsrael of Ameri.ca, 5 Beekman Street, New York, N.Y. The Sixth Knessia Gedolah of Agudath Israel . 3 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N.Y. Subscription Knessia Gedolah Diary . 5 $9.00 per year; two years, $17.50, Rabbi Elazar Shach K"ti•?111: The Essence of Kial Yisroel 13 three years, $25.00; outside of the United States, $10.00 per year Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky K"ti•?111: Blessings of "Shalom" 16 Single copy, $1.25 Printed in the U.S.A. What is an Agudist . 17 Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman K"ti•?111: RABBI NISSON WotP!N Editor An Agenda of Restraint and Vigilance . 18 The Vizhnitzer Rebbe K"ti•'i111: Saving Our Children .19 Editorial Board Rabbi Shneur Kotler K"ti•'i111: DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER Chairman The Ability and the Imperative . 21 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Helping Others Make it, Mordechai Arnon . 27 JOSEPH FRJEDENSON "Hereby Resolved .. Report and Evaluation . 31 RABBI MOSHE SHERER :'-a The Crooked Mirror, Menachem Lubinsky .39 THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not Discovering Eretz Yisroel, Nissan Wolpin .46 assume responsibility for the Kae;hrus of any product or ser Second Looks at the Jewish Scene vice advertised in its pages. Murder in Hebron, Violation in Jerusalem ..... 57 On Singing a Different Tune, Bernard Fryshman .ss FEB., 1980 VOL. XIV, NOS. 6-7 Letters to the Editor . • . 6 7 ___.., _____ -- -· - - The Jewish Observer I February, 1980 3 Expectations ran high, and rightfully so. -
Yeshiva University • Yom Ha'atzmaut To-Go • Iyar 5770
1 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • YOM HA’ATZMAUT TO-GO • IYAR 5770 Iyar 5770 Dear Friends, may serve to enhance your ספר It is my sincere hope that the Torah found in this virtual .(study) לימוד holiday) and your) יום טוב We have designed this project not only for the individual, studying alone, but perhaps even a pair studying together) that wish to work through the study matter) חברותא more for a together, or a group engaged in facilitated study. להגדיל תורה ,With this material, we invite you to join our Beit Midrash, wherever you may be to enjoy the splendor of Torah) and to engage in discussing issues that touch on a) ולהאדירה most contemporary matter, and are rooted in the timeless arguments of our great sages from throughout the generations. Bivracha, Rabbi Kenneth Brander Dean, Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future RICHARD M JOEL, President, Yeshiva University RABBI KENNETH BRANDER, David Mitzner Dean, Center for the Jewish Future RABBI ROBERT SHUR, General Editor RABBI MICHAEL DUBITSKY, Editor Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved by Yeshiva University Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future 500 West 185th Street, Suite 413, New York, NY 10033 [email protected] • 212.960.5400 x 5313 2 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • YOM HA’ATZMAUT TO-GO • IYAR 5770 Table of Contents Yom Haatzmaut 2010/5770 Our Dependence Upon Israel's Independence Rabbi Norman Lamm. Page 4 The Religious Significance of Israel Rabbi Yosef Blau . Page 9 Maintaining a Connection to the Land of Israel from the Diaspora Rabbi Joshua Flug . Page 12 Establishing Yom Haatzmaut as a Yom Tov Rabbi Eli Ozarowski . -
2020 SBM Teshuvot “Dina D'malkhuta Dina: Obligations And
2020 SBM Teshuvot “Dina D’Malkhuta Dina: Obligations and Limits” Published by the Center for Modern Torah Leadership 1 Table of Contents Week One Summary: Dina Demalkhuta Dina: How Broad a Principle? 3 Week Two Summary: What Makes Taxation Halakhically Legitimate? 5 Week Three Summary: Does Halakhah Permit Taxation Without Representation? 8 Week Four Summary: Are Israeli Labor Laws Binding on Chareidi Schools? 11 Week Five Summary: Does Dina Demalkhuta Dina Apply in Democracies? 14 Week Six Summary: Introduction to the Sh’eilah 16 SBM 2020 Sh’eilah 17 State Authority and Religious Obligation – An Introduction 19 Teshuvah - Bracha Weinberger 23 Teshuvah - Talia Weisberg 26 Teshuvah - Avi Sommer 30 Teshuvah - Zack Orenshein 37 Teshuvah - Sara Schatz 41 Teshuvah - Batsheva Leah Weinstein 43 Teshuvah - Joshua Skootsky 48 Teshuvah - Eliana Yashgur 52 Teshuvah - Eli Putterman 55 Teshuvah - Akiva Weisinger 65 2 Week One Summary: Dina Demalkhuta Dina: How Broad a Principle? by Avi Sommer July 3, 2020 Mishnah Bava Kamma 113a places various restrictions on transactions with tax collectors on the ground that their coins are considered stolen. For example, one may not accept charity from tax collectors or ask them to change larger denominations. You may be wondering: why would someone having a private economic transaction with a tax collector receive coins collected as taxes in change? Likewise, how could tax collectors give tax money away as charity? Shouldn’t it all have been given to their government? The answer is that the governments with which Chaza”l interacted, such as the Roman Empire, would sell the right to collect taxes to private individuals. -
Mattos Chassidus on the Massei ~ Mattos Chassidus on the Parsha +
LIGHTS OF OUR RIGHTEOUS TZADDIKIM בעזרת ה ' יתבר A Tzaddik, or righteous person , makes everyone else appear righteous before Hashem by advocating for them and finding their merits. Kedushas Levi, Parshas Noach (Bereishis 7:1) MATTOS ~ MASSEI _ CHASSIDUS ON THE PARSHA + Dvar Torah – Mattos Keep Your Word The Torah states (30:3), “If a man takes a vow or swears an oath to G -d to establish a prohibition upon himself, he shall not violate his word; he shall fulfill whatever comes out of his mouth.” In relation to this passuk , the Midrash quotes from Tehillim (144:4), “Our days are like a fleeting shadow.” What is the connection? This can be explained, says Rav Levi Yitzchok, according to a Gemara ( Nedarim 10b), which states, “It is forbidden to say, ‘ Lashem korban , for G-d − an offering.’ Instead a person must say, ‘ Korban Lashem , an offering for G -d.’ Why? Because he may die before he says the word korban , and then he will have said the holy Name in vain.” In this light, we can understand the Midrash. The Torah states that a person makes “a vow to G-d.” This i s the exact language that must be used, mentioning the vow first. Why? Because “our days are like a fleeting shadow,” and there is always the possibility that he may die before he finishes his vow and he will have uttered the Name in vain. n Story The wood chopper had come to Ryczywohl from the nearby village in which he lived, hoping to find some kind of employment. -
OF AISH HA TORAH: BA 'ALE! TESHUVA R and the NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT PHENOMENON Aaron Joshua Tapper
jJJEWIT§IHI jJ(Q)U~NAIL (Q)JF 1 0 ~ " ' Q" ,,J ' : 0 i ''' VOLUME XLIV NUi'dBERS 1 and 2 2002 ' ,j'' 0 ~ CONTENTS ';" ,p' The 'Cult' of Aish Hatorah: Ba'alei Tes!tuva and the New Religious lVIovement Phenomenon AARON JOSHUA TAPPER Fieldwork Among the 'Ultra-Orthodox': The Insider Outsider Paradigm Revisited LISA R. KAUL-SEIDMAN Outremont's Hassidim and Their Neighbours: An Eruv and its Repercussions WILLIAM SHAFFIR .Jewish Rdi.1gees in Britain and in New York HILARY L. RUBINSTEIN The.Jewish Economic Man HAROLD POLLINS :;. The .Jews of Britain, 16.)6-2ooo i ,D \VlLLIAl\1 D. RUBINSTEIN ~ ~ ' • .,., Book Reviews Chronicle i <I' J1 ...J' Editor: .Judith Freedman Jli I \ I OBJECTS AND SPONSORSHIP OF i THE JEWISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY I 7he Jewish Journal'!! Sociology was sponsored by the Cultural Department of the 1 World Jewish Congress from its inception in 1959 until the end of 1980. Thereafter, from the first issue of 1981 (volume 23, no. r), the Journal has been sponsored by Maurice Freedman Research Trust Limited, which is rcgisten:U as an educational charity by the Charity Commission of England and Wales (no. 326077). It has as its main purpose the encouragement of research in the sociology of the Jews and the publication of The Jewish Journal or Sociology. The objects of the Journal remain as stated in the Editorial of the first issue in '959: 'This journal has been brought into being in order to provide an international vehicle for serious writing on Jewish social affairs . .. Academically we address ourselves not only to sociologists, but to social scientists in general, to historians, to philosophers, and to students of comparative religion . -
Awaiting His Coming (I) the Value of Longing and Mourning the Churban, a Bitter Cry Broke Out
ב"ה למען ישמעו • מטות-מסעי תשפ"א • 626 Editor - RABBI SHIMON HELLINGER AWAITING HIS COMING (I) THE VALUE OF LONGING and mourning the churban, a bitter cry broke out. on a certain date his beloved son-in-law would Turning around, Reb Yitzchok turned around and be arriving for a visit. The whole household The Rambam writes that it is not only obligatory saw Reb Avrohom HaMalach sitting with his head prepared excitedly for his arrival. The great day to believe in the coming of Moshiach; one must between his knees, weeping bitterly. Long after came, but the visitor was nowhere to be seen. also await his coming. Moreover, a person who everyone had left, he continued watching Reb The family became restless. What could possibly does not do so is denying the Torah, Moshe Avrohom, who sat in the same position without have delayed him? The Yismach Moshe sat in his Rabbeinu and all the other nevi'im. moving. When the clock struck midnight, Reb room engrossed in his seforim while some family Yitzchok retired for the night. members waited outside impatiently, when a )רמב"ם הל' מלכים פי"א ה"א( carriage suddenly appeared on the horizon. The The following morning, when he arrived early to The Midrash writes that at the time of the Rebbe's shammes excitedly ran inside to bring shul, he found the Malach still mourning, in the churban, Yitzchok Avinu asked Hashem, "Will the him the good news: "Rebbe, he has arrived!" Yidden perhaps never merit to return?" Hashem midst of a puddle of tears. -
Schreiber QX
AARON M. SCHREIBER The H. atam Sofer’s Nuanced Attitude Towards Secular Learning, Maskilim, and Reformers Introduction abbi Moshe Sofer (1762-1839), commonly referred to as H. atam RSofer (after the title of his famous halakhic work), served as Rabbi of Pressburg, a major city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, beginning in 1806. Subsequently, he became one of the principal leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community in Central Europe in the first four decades of the 19th century. R. Sofer was at the forefront of the orthodox strug- gles against the Jewish Reform movement.1 A towering halakhic author- ity whose rulings and opinions were sought by many from near and far, he was also known as a z.addik and as a person of unwavering principles to which he adhered regardless of the personal struggle required.2 He was charismatic and was reputed to be graced with the Divine Spirit, AARON M. SCHREIBER has been a tenured Professor of Law at a number of American law schools, and a founder and Professor of Law at Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law in Israel. His published books include Jewish Law and Decision Making: A Study Through Time, and Jurisprudence: Understanding and Shaping Law (with W. Michael Reisman of Yale Law School). He has authored numerous articles on law, jurisprudence, and Jewish subjects, and was the Principal Investigator for many years of the computerized Jewish Responsa (She’elot u-Teshuvot) Project at Bar-Ilan University. 123 The Torah u-Madda Journal (11/2002-03) 124 The Torah u-Madda Journal even to receive visions of events in the future and in far away places.3 As a result, he had a profound influence on religious Jewry, particularly in Hungary, Poland, and all of Central Europe, both during and after his lifetime. -
9 Sivan 1807.Dwd
SIVAN Life's splendor forever lies in wait 1 Sivan about each one of us in all its fullness, but veiled from view, deep down, Day Forty-five, making six weeks and three days, of the invisible, far off. It is there, though, Omer not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf. If Rosh Hodesh Sivan Hillula of Bohemian-born Austrian writer Franz Kafka, you summon it by the right word, by its pictured at right. Kafka was an admirer of right name, it will come. –Franz Kafka anarcho-communist theoretician Pyotr Kropotkin. As an elementary and secondary school student, Kafka wore a red carnation in his lapel to show his support for socialism. (1 Sivan 5684, 3 June 1924) Hillula of Polish-born U.S. labor lawyer Jack Zucker. When Senator Joseph McCarthy impugned Zucker’s patriotism, Zucker retorted, “I have more patriotism in my little finger than you have in your entire body!” (1 Sivan 5761, 23 May 2001) Hillula of Samaritan High Priest Levi ben Abisha ben Pinhas ben Yitzhaq, the first Samaritan High Priest to visit the United States (1 Sivan 5761, 23 May 2001) Hillula of U.S. labor leader Gus Tyler, pictured at right. Born Augustus Tilove, he adopted the sur- name Tyler as a way of honoring Wat Tyler, the leader of a 14th-century English peasant rebellion. (1 Sivan 5771, 3 June 2011) Hillula of Annette Dreyfus Benacerraf, niece of 1965 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine Jacques Monod and wife of 1980 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine Baruj Benacerraf (1 Sivan 5771, 3 June 2011) 2 Sivan Day Forty-six, making six weeks and four days, of the Omer Hillula of Rebbe Israel Hager of Vizhnitz, pictured at near right. -
Hasidic Judaism - Wikipedia, the Freevisited Encyclopedi Ona 1/6/2015 Page 1 of 19
Hasidic Judaism - Wikipedia, the freevisited encyclopedi ona 1/6/2015 Page 1 of 19 Hasidic Judaism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sephardic pronunciation: [ħasiˈdut]; Ashkenazic , תודיסח :Hasidic Judaism (from the Hebrew pronunciation: [χaˈsidus]), meaning "piety" (or "loving-kindness"), is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality through the popularization and internalization of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspect of the faith. It was founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov as a reaction against overly legalistic Judaism. His example began the characteristic veneration of leadership in Hasidism as embodiments and intercessors of Divinity for the followers. [1] Contrary to this, Hasidic teachings cherished the sincerity and concealed holiness of the unlettered common folk, and their equality with the scholarly elite. The emphasis on the Immanent Divine presence in everything gave new value to prayer and deeds of kindness, alongside rabbinical supremacy of study, and replaced historical mystical (kabbalistic) and ethical (musar) asceticism and admonishment with Simcha, encouragement, and daily fervor.[2] Hasidism comprises part of contemporary Haredi Judaism, alongside the previous Talmudic Lithuanian-Yeshiva approach and the Sephardi and Mizrahi traditions. Its charismatic mysticism has inspired non-Orthodox Neo-Hasidic thinkers and influenced wider modern Jewish denominations, while its scholarly thought has interested contemporary academic study. Each Hasidic Jews praying in the Hasidic dynasty follows its own principles; thus, Hasidic Judaism is not one movement but a synagogue on Yom Kippur, by collection of separate groups with some commonality. There are approximately 30 larger Hasidic Maurycy Gottlieb groups, and several hundred smaller groups. Though there is no one version of Hasidism, individual Hasidic groups often share with each other underlying philosophy, worship practices, dress (borrowed from local cultures), and songs (borrowed from local cultures).