An interesting take on Kitniyot

I think this is worth watching -- not solely for its humour appropriate for the chag but also for the issues it raises. Please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuus5Ul6cuU&fb_action_ids=622553136887&fb_action_types=yt-fb-app%3Aupload&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22622553136887%22%3A266097870192465%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22622553136887%22%3A%22yt-fb-app%3Aupload%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Rabbi Ben Hecht

"What's so Great About the Gra?" Part 2

From Jon Baker

«He knew kabbalah backwards and forwards,

leaned towards the Bavli in psika just like the chasidim who leaned towards Sfardi opinions,

and *still* opposed chassidus.»

Best Regards,
RRW

"What's so Great About the Gra?"

A chossid challenged me to explain to him "What's so Great About the Gra?"

Here is an answer from an esteemed frum Professor of Jewish History, R Dr. David Berger

Dear R. Wolpoe,

«I really can't say more than the standard answers, but I think they are pretty impressive: Total bekiut in absolutely all sacred texts of Judaism: Tanakh, Bavli, Yerushalmi, Tosefta, Sifra, Sifrei, aggadic midrashim, and all the texts of nistar. Unparalleled creativity in dealing with those texts. Familiarity with and even command of mathematics and some other secular subjects to the degree that this was obtainable without formal training. Hasmadah and piety on a level hardly ever seen even among great tzaddikim.

Other than being a sports fan, [SMILE] I don't see what more one can ask or even imagine in a traditional Jewish society.

Chag kasher ve-sameach.
Best regards. David»

What more can I say?
But I might say some more later anyway!

Best Regards,
RW

Proof of Heaven?

From a Facebook Article...

Is there anything on the other side of the veil after physical death? Dr. Eben Alexander III has been an academic neurosurgeon for the last 25 years trained by Harvard. He did not believe in consciousness, free will or the existence of a non-physical spirit. Trained in western medical school and surrounded by medical colleagues who are deeply invested in the materialism view of the universe, Dr. Alexander believed that so-called "consciousness" was only an illusion created by the biochemical functioning of the brain.

Dr. Alexander would have held this view to his own death bed had it not been for his experiencing an event so bizarre and miraculous that it defies all conventional scientific explanation: Dr. Alexander was in a coma for seven days and experienced a vivid journey into the afterlife. He was guided by an angelic being and shown the Divine Source. He then returned to his physical body, experienced a miraculous healing, and went on to write the NY Times #1 best selling book "Proof of Heaven." What Dr. Alexander confirms is that our life on planet Earth is a "test" of personal growth, and that the way to make progress in this test is to overcome evil while spreading love and compassion.

Here are some other notable points he made.
• The experience of the afterlife was so "real" and expansive that the experience of living as a human on Earth seemed like an artificial dream by comparison.
• The fabric of the afterlife was pure LOVE. Love dominated the afterlife to such a huge degree that the overall presence of evil was infinitesimally small.
• In the afterlife, all communication was telepathic. There was no need for spoken words, nor even any separation between the self and everything else happening around you.
• The moment you asked a question in your mind, the answers were immediately apparent in breathtaking depth and detail. There was no "unknown" and the mere asking of a question was instantly accompanied by the appearance of its answers.

We could say he was "just dreaming". But would a Harvard neurosurgeon really throw his credibility out the window for a mere dream? There are other cases, such as the case of Al Sullivan, who left his body at death and then returned to his physical body after it had been revived. Before entering back to his physical body, he was able to look around the room and made very specific and precise observations of what was occurring in the room while having zero brain wave activity. He woke up and asked the doctor why he kept wiping his hand under his armpit, along with other strange verifications that could have only been known through direct observation.

Children, Atheists, brain surgeons, psychologists, doctors, and other credible believable people have these experiences all the time and have changed professions and lifestyles because of them. Is it fair to say they were all figments of their imagination just because they don't have physical proof of it? How are they able to make precise and accurate observations of what is taking place in the room while being clinically dead?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/books/dr-eben-alexanders-tells-of-near-death-in-proof-of-heaven.html?_r=0
http://near-death.com/

Carl Jung NDE: http://www.near-death.com/jung.html
51 evidences to suggest NDEs are real: http://www.near-death.com/evidence.html
Dr. Eben Alexander III, a neurosurgeon who had a near-death experience that he says revealed God to him, has recounted his experience in "Proof of Heaven," a No. 1 best-seller.


Best Regards,
RRW

The Vilna Gaon 1

«From time to time in his commentaries on the Talmud, the Vilna Gaon would even disagree with that source over its interpretation of the Mishnah, therein picking a fight with his predeccessors by about 1500 years. As a teacher, he also criticized the stifling educational methods of pilpul (hair splitting dialectic) and chilluk (sophistry). Under the leadership of the Gaon, Vilna became Europe's premiere center of Torah study, acquiring the honorific nickname "the Jerusalem of Lithuania". The Vilna Gaon's student, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, founded the Volozhiner Yeshiva, also an influential institution. »

Vilna Gaon - Everything2.com

http://everything2.com/title/Vilna+Gaon


Best Regards,
RRW

Some of Minhagei Taimanim-Baladim at the Seder

Hasdei Hashem! My Baladi Teimani friend just came by via "Hashgachah P'ratith" to answer many of my Questions...

A. Layl HaSeder In Shul -
Hallel Shaleim without a B'rochoh

B. Karpas -
B'rochoh AN"Y before washing
Eat a K'zayith
B'rochoh BN"R afterwards
[no connection to Marror]

C. Marror -
No Borei P'ree Ha'adama

D. 4 Kossoth -
4 times BPH"G
4 times Al Haggeffen

E. Maggid IS deemed a Hefseq

F. They follow the Rambam's Seder w/o any [known] deviation

G. Year Round:
Davar Shetibbullo b'mashqin *Pahuth mik'zayith* -
Wash but w/o B'rochoh AN"Y

This matches Mishnah B'rurah and 1 opinion in Kaf HaChaim.

Hag Kasher v'Samei'ach
Best Regards,
RW

Karpas - Issues and Sources

Poskim Debate the following issues re: Karpas

1. Washing Before
Issue: with a B'rachah or without?

2. Eating Kapras
Issue: K'zayit or Less?

3. When eating a K'zayit of Karpas -
Issue: Making a B'rachah Acharonah [BNR] or not?

Which in turn relates to having in mind the Marror when reciting Borei P'ree Ho'adamah

Preliminary Sources:

Rambam M"T Hil. Hameitz uMatzah 8:1

Rambam La'am there quoting the Ga'onim, the Haghaot Maimoniyyot and the Maggid Mishneh.

SA O"Ch 473:6

B'er Hagolah there "qof" quoting Rosh et al.

Ba'er Hetev 18 quoting the Tur M"B 53

Bei'ur Halachah D"H Pachot mikkazayit

There the Rashbatz is quoted that The Rambam requires a K'zayit Karpas in order to trigger a b'rachah of al N'tilat Yadayim.

Similarly the Shaar haTziyyun 473:70 quoting the GRA - who does make a b'rachah Al N'tilat Yadyaim - opines there that the b'rachah on washing would be "davka im ocheil k'zayit"

Mashma, if one washes sans a b'rachah, it's arguably better to NOT eat a k'zayit. 

Best Regards,
RW

Four Cups vs. Five Cups

«Some explain that while the Four Expressions of Redemption were lasting, while the Fifth Expression was temporary as we were eventually exiled from our Land. Today, the Cup of Elijah represents this Fifth Expression. We long for his arrival to herald in the Final Redemption. »

Chag Sameach from Jerusalem!
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=rj8nk6cab&v=0018iMS5L3VR6PQZ8rnKVLy0IWxUqJb5UvzPw768ZSZbb2aCBDPtfnKGThV_y_M2Ml0ntgseLdv2fSWPVaFSUze7CrCVcqPXXGoK04Tn3IaAo8MQo3REKT_ng%3D%3D


Best Regards,
RRW

R Dr Eliyahu Safran: The Hillel Sandwich

«It was Hillel who, to honor the gift God presented to the Jewish people in redeeming them from their bondage in Egypt, combined the Pesach offering, matzah, and maror, at the Temple to remind himself of the blessing of geulah without losing sight of the bitterness of galut. »

The Hillel Sandwich - Judaism - Israel National News
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/13021


Best Regards,
RRW

Machine Matzah and Why was the Mishna Brurah silent?

«One last question remains.  Why was the Mishna Brurah silent?  This author would like to suggest that at the time the Mishna Brurah was written, the other underlying issues were still a factor and had not been adequately resolved.  We can conjecture that as far as the Lishma factor, it seems likely that the Mishna Brurah would have voiced his opposition to the Matzos if he held that the Lishnma issue was truly unbridgeable.  He didn't permit it at the time because it was still loaded with problems and had he voiced his view would have been used to permit all sorts of problematic Matzos.  The wiser choice would have been silence – which the Chofetz Chaim did choose.  The Chofetz Chaim was one of the wisest of the generation and Chazal do tell us in Pirkei Avos – s'yag l'chochmah shetika – a good boundary for wisdom is silence.
This then may be the lesson of the Matzoh issue for Pesach.  Matzoh is called by the Zohar as "Bread of Emunah."  Emunah means belief and closeness to Hashem.  Pesach is the time where we draw ever closer to Hashem and this bond will hopefully continue with us throughout the year.»

New York - Halachic Analysis: Man Versus Machine -- VosIzNeias.com
http://www.vosizneias.com/104008/2012/04/02/new-york-halachic-analysis-man-versus-machine/


Best Regards,
RRW

Maccabeats: Les Miserables, Pharaoh, Moses, and Liberation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmthKpnTHYQ


Best Regards,
RRW

All Night Long...

What do You do all the Seder Night Long?

Haggadah [Rambam M"T]:

ד  מעשה ברבי אליעזר ורבי יהושוע ורבי אלעזר בן עזריה ורבי עקיבה ורבי טרפון, שהיו מסובין בבני ברק; * והיו מספרין ביציאת מצריים כל אותו הלילה, * עד שבאו תלמידיהם ואמרו להם, רבותינו, הגיע זמן קרית שמע של שחרית.

Tosefta:
מסכת פסחים פרק י

י,ח  אין מפטירין אחר הפסח [אפיקומן] כגון [אגוזים] תמרים [וקליות]


* חייב אדם [לעסוק בהלכות הפסח] כל הלילה אפילו בינו לבין בנו אפילו בינו לבין עצמו אפילו בינו לבין תלמידו מעשה ברבן גמליאל וזקנים שהיו מסובין בבית ביתוס בן זונין בלוד והיו [עסוקין בהלכות הפסח] כל הלילה עד קרות הגבר הגביהו מלפניהם ונועדו והלכו [להן] לבית המדרש *

איזו היא ברכת הפסח ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לאכול הפסח איזו ברכת הזבח ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו לאכול הזבח.


Best Regards,
RW

RMF Igrot Mosheh on Kashering Dishwashers

שו"ת אגרות משה אורח חיים חלק ג סימן נח
בדבד דיש וואשער להגעלה לפסח כ"א מנ"א תשכ"ו. מע"כ ידידי הרב הנכבד מהר"ר דוד סטאווסקי שליט"א רב בקאלומבוס.
הנה בדבר דיש וואשער אם רשאין להגעיל מחמץ לפסח, ידע כתר"ה שיש שני מינים אחד מפארצעלאיי ואחד שהוא ממתכות שנקרא אלומיני, ואותו שהוא מפארצעלאיי אין רשאין להגעיל אף אם יוכלו לנקות היטב שלא יהיה שום חשש בעין, ואותו שהוא מאלומיני יכולין להגעיל אם יוכלו לנקות היטב אחר המעל"ע, וההגעלה תהיה דוקא קודם הפסח וגם טוב שתהיה בזמן היתר אכילה דחמץ. והמים שיגעילו יהיה חם יותר מכפי הרגילות להשתמש להדחת הכלים, ולפי המנהג צריך שיהיו רותחים ולכן יניחו בתוך הדיש וואשער אבן מלובן או ברזל מלובן ואח"כ ישפוך מים החמין שהולך להדיש וואשער שברוב הפעמים הם רק ק"פ גאר"ד ולרותחין הוא בחום של רט"ו לכל הפחות, ומכיון שיעברו מים החמין על האבן והברזל המלובן יהיו רותחין כהעצה שנזכר ברמ"א סימן תנ"א סעיף ו'.
וכן הדין בדיש וואשער שהודחו בו כלים שבשלו ואכלו בהם טרפות ושאר איסורין. ובדיש וואשער כשר והנידון הוא אם יכולין להדיח בו כלי בשר וכלי חלב בזה אחר זה, הנה מכיון שהוא נ"ט בר נ"ט דהיתרא שאין לחוש מצד הבליעה דבשר שהיו בתוך הכלים שנפלטו לתוך המים והבליעו זה בהדיש וואשער וכן לא להבליעה דכלי החלב, אלא מצד חשש הבעין שמא נשאר שם באיזה מקום, לכן צריך שהדבר שעומדין עליו הכלים יהיו שנים אחד מיוחד לכלי בשר ואחד מיוחד לכלי חלב כי כשנשאר עליהם איזה בעין הרי יגע בכלים אבל אם נשאר על הדיש וואשער בעצמו שהוא על כל סביביו אין לחוש כי אף שנשאר הרי יתבטל בכמה אלפים, ונזכר דין זה בספרי אגרות משה באיזה מקום.
ומה ששמעתי שיש חוששין על כלים שנעשו מאלומיני שמא לא יועיל להם הגעלה שאומרים שיש שם איזה תערובות שלא ממתכות, הנה מאחר שאנו מגעילין אחר מעל"ע שאף בלא הגעלה הוא רק אסור מדרבנן נמצא שאף אם יש ספק בזה הוא רק ספק דרבנן, ובפרט שאפשר שאינו ספק כלל, וגם יש ספק לאידך גיסא דשמא אינו בולע כלל דהם שיע טובא לפי מראית עינינו, אין מקום להחמיר בהגעלה לכלים אלו, וכשהן בני יומן והם כלי ראשון היה מן הראוי להחמיר אבל אין מנהגנו להגעיל כלים שהן בני יומן.
ידידו,
משה פיינשטיין.


Best Regards,
RRW

Rabbinical Council of America Warns of Passover Price Gouging, Stringencies

 

«Mar 14, 1997 -- In advance of the Passover holidays, the Ethics Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America has called on its membership and the public to resist any excessive price increase and the promulgation of stringencies that extend far beyond halachic (Jewish law) requirements.»

http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100585


Best Regards,
RRW

How Obama Became Netanyahu - The Daily Beast

«Bibi's fear? That alienating his core supporters will cost him his job, and maybe even his life. He watched the first scenario come to pass in 1999 when Bill Clinton pressured him into signing the Wye River Accords, the right rebelled, and his government fell. Former Ariel Sharon adviser Talia Sasson has gone further, claiming that since the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, every Israeli prime minister has feared that a confrontation with the settlers could end their life. In the film The Gatekeepers, former Shin Bet head Carmi Gillon predicts further assassination attempts against Israeli leaders who attempt to give away land.»

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/20/how-obama-became-netanyahu0.html


Best Regards,
RRW

Behr Manischewitz and Machine Matzah in North America

«Meanwhile, in America, even those rabbis skeptical of machine matzot judged that they were better than nothing for the nation's many unlettered Jews. In 1888, Behr Manischewitz, an astute and pious immigrant from East Prussia, opened a matzah factory in Cincinnati. Soon facing local competition, he cut costs, improved quality, and burnished his image. His factory introduced the first square matzot, unmistakable products of industrial automation. Advertising his technology to English readers, he simultaneously won rabbinic endorsements in Yiddish and Hebrew periodicals. »

Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features » Thoroughly Modern Matzah
http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/605/features/thoroughly-modern-matzah/


Best Regards,
RRW

Recognizing Modern Slavery

I recently received the following email from David Bronfman, under the heading: 

Before Passover: modern-day slavery of millions of people‏

Dear family and friends:
 
Before we all embark upon the holiday or Passover, let's not feel too 
smug about our freedom from Egypt 3000 years ago. Stop and think 
about the appalling situation of MILLIONS of people, women, children 
-- enslaved or virtually-enslaved today.
 
Well before the first night of Passover, click on this link and think 
---> http://www.freethem.ca/#!__what-the-issue

In my response, I commended David  in sending this around and I informed him of my desire to post his email on the Nishmablog.

Throughout the Torah, we are told to remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, strangers in Egypt, precisely for the purpose that Mr. Bronfman displayed in sending around this email. We are clearly not to feel smug about our freedom from Egypt but we are to constantly remember our enslavement and freedom in order to motivate us not to tolerate any such negative situations as described in this website. A person indeed should see this before Pesach in order to speak about this on Pesach.




Rabbi Ben Hecht

 

Are Paper Plates permitted on Passover?

See

http://torahway.org.uk/

(R Padwa of the London Beis Din explains why they are meikel,
And
R Sharf of Kedassia why they are chametz)


Best Regards,
RRW

A Handy List of Kosher Symbols

Note:
Nishma does not endorse any particular Hashgachah. This post is for informational purposes only

Kosher Symbols -- Jewish Cooking

http://www.jewishcooking.org/kosher-symbols.html


Best Regards,
RW

The Great Matzah Controversy: Should Matzah Be Made By Hand Or Machine?

«By the beginning of the twentieth century, virtually the entire non-Chassidic world accepted the use of machine matzah peshutah for the eight days of Passover. Most Chassidim continued to disagree. The debate about using machine matzah shemurah at the seder continues until the present day.»

http://www.ou.org/news/article/the_great_matzah_controversy_should_matzah_be_made_by_hand_or_machine


Best Regards,
RRW