Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

The teachings transmitted by the rabbis in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple formed the core of what has come to be known as rabbinic Judaism, which still provides the framework for the various types of Judaism practiced today. The most widely studied of these rabbinic teachings are known collectively as the Talmud, which has two parts: Mishnah and Gemara.

Want to learn Talmud with us? Daf Yomi is a program of reading the entire Talmud one day at a time, and My Jewish Learning is offering a daf yomi email for the first tractate of the next cycle, starting on January 5, 2020. Sign up for it here!

The Mishnah is the earlier work, compiled from the teachings of sages living at the end of the Second Temple period and in the century following the destruction of the Temple.

A study book of laws and value statements that express the classical rabbis vision of Judaism, the Mishnahs preoccupation is promotion of a religious and legal tradition both continuous with the past and practical for life in the post-destruction Diaspora. The Mishnah contains multiple opinions on many laws and does not often suggest which is the most authoritative. The plurality of Jewish practice is preserved in the text.

Sages in both Babylonia (modern-day Iraq) and the Land of Israel continued to study traditional teachings, including the Mishnah, describing the teachings as having been passed down from Moses at Sinai (either literally or figuratively). The oral discussions were preserved, either by memorization or notation, and later edited together in a manner that places generations of sages in conversation with one another. These teachers were interested in bringing greater harmonization between biblical and rabbinic traditions, largely by providing proof-texts for known laws and explaining differences between the biblical and rabbinic versions of laws. This is the origin of the Gemara.

There are actually two works known as Gemara the Babylonian Gemara (referred to as Bavli in Hebrew) and the Palestinian (or Jerusalem) Gemara (referred to as Yerushalmi). The term Gemara itself comes from the Aramaic root g.m.r (equivalent to l.m.d, in Hebrew), giving it the meaning teaching.

Although the Yerushalmi was completed earlier (with material spanning roughly 200-500 C.E.), it was eclipsed by the much longer Bavli (200-600 C.E.). The Bavlis popularity may be due to the work of the Gaonim of Babylonia, who cited that work in the legal judgements (responsa) that they sent to communities throughout the Diaspora. Both Gemaras were written in a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic dialects and share the teachings of sages known by the term Amoraim (in the singular, Amora).

Hevruta study at Pardes, a nondenominational yeshiva in Jerusalem. (Courtesy of Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, http://www.pardes.org.il)

Gemara encompasses several literary genres, and subject matter ranges from the sacred to the profane. While it is often misrepresented as merely a commentary on the laws of the Mishnah, the Gemara has an intricate relationship with the Mishnah and a far greater scope. Although it is organized in accordance with the structure of the six orders of the Mishnah, mishnaic teachings are, for the Gemara, the launch pad for diverse topics: prayer, holy days, agriculture, sexual habits, contemporary medical knowledge, superstitions, criminal and civil law.

The Gemara contains both halakhah (legal material) and aggadah (narrative material). Aggadah includes historical material, biblical commentaries, philosophy, theology, and wisdom literature. Stories reveal information about life in ancient times, among Jews and between Jews and their neighbors, and folk customs. All of these genres are blended together with the halakhic material, in what is sometimes described as a stream-of-consciousness fashion filled with meaningful tangents and digressions.

In dealing with the teachings of the Mishnah, the Gemara has multiple functions. It explains unclear words or phrasing. It also provides precedents or examples to assist in application of the law and offers alternative opinions from sages of the Mishnah and their contemporaries (known as Tannaim). Whereas the Mishnah barely cites biblical verses, the Gemara for nearly every law discussed introduces these connections between the biblical text and the practices and legal opinions of its time. It also extends and restricts applications of various laws, and even adds laws on issues left out of the Mishnah entirely (for example, the key observances of Hanukkah). Multiple opinions of sages are weighed against one another, often without presenting a conclusion.

Talmudic teachings have been most often studied in groups or pairs among masters and students and/or between two partners in learning. A pair of study partners is called a havruta. The havruta-style provides a challenging, lively, and intimate environment in which to explore the rich spiritual and intellectual depths of the Talmud.

Empower your Jewish discovery, daily

Read the original post:

Gemara: The Essence of the Talmud | My Jewish Learning

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Gemara: The Essence of the Talmud | My Jewish Learning
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

An evolving symbol of hope and redemption in Judaism over the centuries, Elijahs return is said to mark the messiahs earthly arrival.

A harbinger of the messiah is a strange role for Elijah.

As scholarDaniel C. Matt (Brandeis University, class of 1972) shows in his new book, Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation, Elijah starts out in the Bibles Book of Kings as an impassioned firebrand whose zealotry even tests Gods patience.

Post-Bible, the rabbis spent centuries debating what to make of him. At various times, they imagined him roaming the earth in the guise of a Roman, an enslaved person and even a good-natured prostitute before deciding he was the savior of the Jewish people.

It wasnt even until the 11th century that the Passover tradition of welcoming Elijah appears in the historical record.

Matt, a renowned authority on the Kabbalah and a retired professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, spoke to Brandeis Universitys The Jewish Experience about Elijahs changing role in Jewish history.

What does the Bible tell us about Elijah?

He first appears as a zealous prophet for God. Theres something wild and primeval about him. Hes totally committed to monotheism. [Elijahs name means Yahweh is my God in Hebrew.]

In that period [9th century BCE], a good number of the Israelites were wavering in their faith. King Ahab of Israel really wanted to have it both ways, worshiping the Israelite God and [the Canaanite god] Baal.

So, Elijah was out to defeat idolatry, but he didnt entirely succeed. Dejected, he asked God to take his life. He went to Mount Sinai where he had an encounter with God, and God said, What are you doing here, Elijah?

This may imply, You should be with your people. Why did you run off here to the desert? Then God instructs him, Go appoint your successor. The rabbis take that to mean, Youre fired. Hes the only prophet in the Bible whos fired!

Fired?

Hes basically a zealot who is a little too much for the world to handle.

But the Jews certainly dont forget about him.

It takes a few hundred years to develop. In the Book of Kings, Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, in a fiery chariot. But its not clear if that means he dies a spectacular death in the chariot or lives and goes to heaven.

But in the book of Malachi [the final prophetic book in the Bible], it later says Elijahs going to announce the End of Days. So, the rabbis assume that hes taken alive to heaven. But, for the rabbis, hes too extreme. So, he gradually becomes depicted in rabbinical texts as a compassionate hero.

Hes still zealous, but now hes zealous to right wrongs. Hes zealous to help the poor. He cant stay away from Earth when somebody is in trouble.

And you see that reflected in the Talmud, the rabbinical teachings compiled in the 5th century CE?

Yes, there are dozens of stories about how rabbi so-and-so met Elijah or studied Torah with Elijah, or Elijah came to him and gave him advice.

Do you have a favorite?

The wildest one is where Rabbi Meir is in trouble with the Romans. His sister-in-law is condemned to spend her life in a Roman brothel, and he rescues her. The Romans put a picture of Rabbi Meir on the gates of Rome that says, Wanted: Dead or Alive.

But just as the Roman soldiers are about to catch the rabbi, Elijah shows up in the guise of a prostitute and embraces him. The Romans see this and say, This cant be Rabbi Meir! He wouldnt have done that. So he escapes!

A prostitute?

Yes, Elijah is constantly shape-shifting. He can turn into anyone depending on whats needed at the moment. In the post-biblical stories, the Talmud and Jewish folklore, he can become a horseman, a Roman official, a Persian, a slave. He attends every seder, every bris. Hes the embodiment of ruach [Hebrew for life spirit].

To what extent do you think the Jews were scrounging around for a messiah figure and just decided Elijah would fit the bill?

Absolutely. Jews are waiting for the messiah. But whos the messiah? How can you picture him? So, Elijah is the stand-in for the messiah. And he is someone you can picture, someone you can almost grasp.

How does Elijah become associated with Passover?

Theres never a mention of Elijah at the seder described in the Torah or in the Talmud and nothing in those texts about pouring a cup of wine for him or opening the door.

But there is an early folk tradition to open the door based on the line near the beginning of the Haggadah: Let all who are hungry come and eat.

Then in the 11th century, a rabbi says, Passover is a time of redemption, and the messiah is the ultimate redemption, so were leaving the door open because we hope Elijah will come, and we want to make sure we go out to meet him right away.

So the tradition begins not with opening the door so Elijah can come in. Its opening the door so well go out and greet him.

Then the next stage is, Okay, if he shows up, hell come in, and if hes coming in, hes going to need a cup of wine! Thats basically the origin of it.

Theres also a Hasidic tradition regarding Elijah that you love.

Yes, theres an idea in Hasidism that each of us has inside ourselves an aspect of Elijah. Its a spark of zeal, a spark of intensity. Wanting to help someone or tell someone good newsthat feeling is Elijah working inside you.

Thats why I called the book Becoming Elijah. What weve been talking about this whole time is how he becomes who he becomes, how hes reimagined by each generation. Thats the simple explanation of the title. But the hidden one is that each of us can become Elijah.

This article first appeared on The Jewish Experience, Brandeis Universitys website devoted to Jewish issues. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

Never miss the best stories and events! Get JewishBoston This Week.

This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here.MORE

More here:

Who Was Elijah and Why Do Jews Open the Door for Him on Passover? - jewishboston.com

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Who Was Elijah and Why Do Jews Open the Door for Him on Passover? – jewishboston.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

How a Contentious Halachic Principle Has Shaped the Nature of Eruv

Jewish communities past and present have striven to erect an eruv to permit carrying outdoors on Shabbat. The familiar type of eruv involves surrounding the area with a series of rudimentary doorframes (tzurat hapetach, often taking the form of poles with wire running across the tops). This type of enclosure, however, is only effective in a karmelit an area where hotzaah is only rabbinically forbidden.(1)

In a reshut harabbim, a true public domain where hotzaah is biblically proscribed, only actual doors permit carrying (Eruvin 6; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 364:2).(2) It is usually highly impractical to install doors to block off streets; indeed, the vast majority of eruvin nowadays are comprised of tzurat hapetach. Obviously, the assumption behind these eruvin is that the streets they enclose only have the status of karmelit.

But is this truly the case?

The Tosefta defines a reshut harabbim simply as a main street, large plaza, or alleyways that are open on both sides (Shabbat 1:2); the Gemara adds that it must be at least 16 cubits (roughly 25 feet) wide and unroofed (Shabbat 98a, 99a). Based on a simple reading of the Talmudic sources, nearly all contemporary streets should be considered reshut harabbim!

The Geonim, however, mention an additional criterion for a true reshut harabbim: the area must have a population of 600,000 (Halachot Gedolot Aspamya, Hilchot Eruvin; Geonic Responsa Shaarei Teshuvah 209). Although this principle is not mentioned explicitly in the Talmud, it does follow the general Talmudic model that the parameters of forbidden labor of Shabbat are to be derived from the construction of the Tabernacle. In the case of hotzaah, the materials for the Mishkan were transported through the pathways of the desert encampment, which were not only 16 cubits wide and unroofed as noted in the Gemara, but also served a population of 600,000.(3)

Numerous Rishonim, notably Rashi throughout his commentary on the Talmud, accept this Geonic tradition. In fact, Tosafot finds a hint to the criterion of 600,000 in the Talmud itself (Shabbat 6b s.v. kan). The Gemara states that the desert was a reshut harabbim only when the Jewish people traversed it following the Exodus. According to Tosafot, the fact that the desert lost its status as a reshut harabbim as soon as it no longer housed the Jewish people which numbered 600,000 at the time

somewhat implies that an area requires a population of that size in order to be considered a reshut harabbim. This deduction is clearly not ironclad; in any event, this passage is the only possible allusion to the Geonims opinion within Talmudic literature.

Unlike Tosafot, the Ramban finds it unconscionable that Chazal could have neglected to mention such a fundamental rule explicitly (Shabbat 57a, Eruvin 59a). Indeed, the Rif and Rambam make no mention of the Geonic tradition, and several Rishonim follow the Ramban in rejecting it outright. These Rishonim rule that any public thoroughfare that is uncovered and 16 cubits wide is a reshut harabbim regardless of population.

The demographics of ancient cities also pose a challenge to the idea that only a place with 600,000 people is a reshut harabbim. The Talmud states that Jerusalem and Machoza (a Babylonian city) would have been considered reshut harabbim if not for the fact that the city gates were closed at night (Eruvin 6b). Is it plausible that these cities had populations of 600,000 in the Talmudic era?

According to some traditional sources, the answer seems to be yes. The Midrash states there were over 1.2 billion people celebrating Passover in Jerusalem when the second Temple stood (Eichah Rabbah 1:1). Furthermore, Josephus (lehavdil) writes that the Romans killed 1.1 million Jews during their conquest of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. (The Wars of the Jews 6:9:3). (See also Gittin 57b-58a regarding Beitar.)

These figures, however, were probably not intended to be factually precise. Even today, when the area of Jerusalem is many times greater than in the second Temple era, and the apartment houses are much larger, the population stands at less than 1 million. Historians estimate that the population of Jerusalem just prior to the destruction of the Temple was about 80,000 (see http://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/4/2/3). Even if this assessment is too low (especially given the fact that many pilgrims who were not regular residents flocked to Jerusalem [cf. Ritva, Shabbat 6a]), the population could not have been anywhere near that of Rome, which was by far the largest city in antiquity, perhaps reaching 1,000,000 inhabitants. No city was as large until the Industrial Revolution (https://ancientromelive.org/the-roman-metropolis).

Many, of course, will argue that halacha discounts academic findings. It is the tradition of the Jewish people that matters, and the fact that the Geonim and many (probably most) Rishonim endorse the 600,000 standard demonstrates that divine providence has orchestrated its inclusion in the halachic canon.

Even within halacha, however, it is unclear whether the Geonic tradition should be considered normative. The Shulchan Aruch mentions both opinions (Orach Chayim 303:18, 354:7), and the commentators debate which opinion he considers primary. Although several Acharonim have argued forcefully for the stringent opinion (most famously, Mishkenot Yaakov, Orach Chayim 119-122), the clearly accepted tradition, at least among European Jewry, was to rely on the criterion of 600,000 (see Hilchot Shabbat beShabbat 63:44). Indeed, a common refrain amongst the poskim is we have no reshut harabbim nowadays.(4)

Today, however, that statement may no longer be operative. In the 19th century, urban areas began to grow rapidly, and the population of many cities sprouted past 600,000 (see Aruch HaShulchan, Orach Chayim 303:21, 345:18). Nowadays, numerous metropolises easily meet the criterion of 600,000 people and would be considered reshut harabbim even according to the lenient opinion, obviating the possibility of a doorframe eruv.(5)

Although we are dealing here with the possibility of Shabbat violation on a biblical level one of the most severe sins the extreme hardship that the absence of an eruv causes has motivated many city-dwelling Jews to seek halachic justification for eruvin of tzurat hapetach even in contemporary metropolises. In order to permit a doorframe eruv even in large cities, some authorities have interpreted the Geonims opinion as maintaining that a thoroughfare is only a reshut harabbim if 600,000 people traverse that particular street daily.(6)

Superficially, this interpretation can be supported by the language of such prestigious sources as Halachot Gedolot Aspamya and Shulchan Aruch (op. cit., see also Tosafot Rabbeinu Peretz, Eruvin 6a s.v. keitzad). Nevertheless, it is extraordinarily difficult to accept. The vast majority of sources state clearly that the figure of 600,000 refers to the number of people in the city or area, not to the number of travelers on one road (cf. Mishnah Berurah 345:24).

Similarly, the notion that only a thoroughfare with daily traffic of 600,000 is a reshut harabbim only compounds the historical difficulty with the Geonic tradition (see Responsa Achiezer 4:8; Aruch HaShulchan, Orach Chayim 345:18). In ancient times, it was at least theoretically possible for a citys population to reach 600,000 (as was apparently the case in Rome). No ancient street, however, accommodated such a burden of traffic in one day. Even today, there is virtually no street in the world that meets this criterion (see Responsa Shulchan HaLevi 11:1).

In a novel approach, Rav Moshe Feinstein adopts a compromise view that allows for a doorframe eruv in most contemporary cities (Iggerot Moshe, Orach Chayim 1:139, 4:87-88). R. Moshe writes that the figure of 600,000 refers neither to the population of the city as a whole nor to a single road; it refers to the number of people who are out and about on all the citys streets. For this to be the case, R. Moshe estimates that the total population of the city (including visitors) must be about 3 million. Furthermore, R. Moshe maintains that this population must be within a 12 mil by 12 mil area, which was the size of the Jewish encampment in the desert.

Based on his original ruling, R. Moshe opposed an eruv in the extremely densely populated boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn;(7) those who oppose an eruv in London maintain that R. Moshes opinion would forbid an eruv there as well. Indeed, tensions about eruvin seem to run highest in these three locations despite the fact that R. Moshe himself writes that one should not protest those who erect an eruv in locations that he forbids (Iggerot Moshe, Orach Chayim 4:89; although see Mayan Beit HaShoeva p. 234).

Due to the role his opinion plays in the fierce eruv controversies in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and London, people tend to perceive R. Moshe as a machmir in eruvin. In truth, R. Moshes opinion is a leniency, as the simple reading of the normative poskim indicates that 600,000 refers to the total population of the city, not merely those out on the streets. By the classical definition, many modern metropolises qualify as reshut harabbim.

Similarly, R. Moshes limiting the physical area in which the 600,000 must be located to 12 square mil has no support in the classical sources. One gets the impression from the early poskim that however large a city is, its streets are a reshut harabbim if its population is 600,000. Unlike R. Moshes approach, however, the classical opinion is very difficult to apply to the contemporary world.

Defining a city was not difficult in ancient times. Cities were often walled; if not, the buildings of the city ended abruptly and gave way to empty land until the next city. In the United States and elsewhere, metropolitan areas often consist of vast swaths of uninterrupted settlement subdivided into various municipalities.(8) What is considered a halachic city in which the population of 600,000 must be located?

Suggesting that the 600,000 must be located within municipal boundaries leads to a bizarre conclusion. Consider the following example: There is no physical demarcation whatsoever between the New York City borough of the Bronx (pop. 1.4 million) and the separate municipality of Yonkers (pop. 200,000). It seems absurd to suggest that by merely crossing the street from the Bronx into Yonkers, one exits reshut harabbim territory and enters karmelit territory.

It is much more palatable to assume that municipal borders are halachically irrelevant and that the defining characteristic of a city is contiguous settlement (as it is for techum Shabbat). However, this approach is also difficult. New Yorks suburbs in northern New Jersey are physically disconnected from New York City by the Hudson River, and thus could reasonably be a karmelit even if New York is a reshut harabbim. These suburbs consist of many adjacent municipalities, none of which has a population of 600,000 on its own; the contiguous settlement, however, has a population which easily exceeds 600,000.

If municipal boundaries are halachically insignificant, one could argue that the streets of a relatively small town such as Teaneck should be viewed as serving the entire interconnected metropolitan area of northern New Jersey. According to this approach, a doorframe eruv would be completely forbidden in the Teaneck even according to the lenient definition of reshut harabbim. This approach is counterintuitive, though. When the Rishonim referred to a city of 600,000, they probably had in mind a densely populated metropolis, not a vast suburban expanse (cf. Ran on the Rif, Shabbat 26a s.v. aval; Piskei Riaz, Eruvin 1:5).

The formulation of R. Efraim Zalman Margaliot could potentially set us on the right track to solve this dilemma: A reshut harabbim must be prepared as a path for 600,000 people located nearby, who come and go in the area regularly to the extent that it would be possible for all of them to traverse in one day (Responsa Beit Efraim, Orach Chayim 26). Nevertheless, a satisfying, precise way to apply the standard of 600,000 to the layout of contemporary metropolitan areas remains elusive.

Even if suburban areas do not fulfill the criterion of 600,000, it would still be preferable not to rely on an eruv of tzurat hapetach there, since the Mishnah Berurah urges a halachically punctilious individual (baal nefesh) to follow the opinion that any 16-cubit-wide thoroughfare is a reshut harabbim regardless of population (345:23, 364:8). It seems clear, though, that densely populated urban areas do fulfill the criterion of 600,000 people according to the classic understanding. As such, one should not carry in such a place even if one is not particularly halachically scrupulous.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that several great halachic authorities have permitted eruvin even in urban areas, based on the novel interpretations of the 600,000 principle mentioned above, as well as other halachic considerations that are beyond our present purview.(9) While it is debatable whether it is proper to build an eruv in such a locale, one should not forcefully protest and rebuke those who rely on it once it has been erected.

____________________

Continued here:

The Contemporary Metropolis and Reshut HaRabbim - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on The Contemporary Metropolis and Reshut HaRabbim – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

Basketball brought the New Jersey teen to the Yeshiva University gym, but he was neither playing nor watching the game. It was the first day of Sarachek, the annual basketball tournament for Orthodox high schools hosted by YU, and the risers were gradually filling in.

Like hundreds of other students from across the country, Yaakov Gelfond had made the trip to Washington Heights to support his schools team; Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC), was playing later that afternoon. In the meantime, and trying to ignore some intense cheerleading led by a rabbi a few rows in front of him, Gelfond was learning Torah.

Mainstream Orthodox Jews in the United States disagree on a lot of things whether women can teach Talmud, what blessing to make on blueberry pie, the appropriate length for a sermon. But there is nothing that unifies them like basketball. That was true before YUs team became a national sensation; before high schools started hiring not just one full-time coach, but multiple assistants; before the Jewish jocks got jerseys with their names on the back and school-branded warmup gear, too. But todays Orthodox high schools dont just have courts many of them have million dollar gyms, and the sport has become a pillar of an Orthodox education. Every March its on full display at Sarachek.

A testament to the depth of Orthodoxys love affair with basketball.

The tournament is a recruiting tool, a networking event and a reunion all rolled into one, but above all it is a testament to the depth of Orthodoxys love affair with basketball. What the 24 teams invited this year lacked in height and athleticism they compensated for not with hustle though there was certainly plenty of that but with skill. These were highly trained, fiercely competitive student-athletes whose teams practiced four times a week leading up to the tournament. Theres no hiding it: winning Sarachek is a huge deal.

It feels like March Madness for Jews, said Ryan Turell, the graduating YU basketball star and NBA draft prospect, whose loss in the Sarachek finals as a high school senior still stings. As a high school kid its awesome. Youre on top of the world playing in front of the whole Jewish people.

As the single-elimination tournament progressed over the next few days Sarachek runs from Thursday to Monday, breaking for Shabbat the intensity of the games picks up. The crowds swells until the gym could no longer hold them. The risers sag under their weight.

Gelfond, the TABC student, thinks its all a bit much.

People are so focused on the basketball part, he said. The Torah part doesnt cross their mind.

By Jackson Krule

SARs Benjamin Neuwirth drives to the basket against Judah Leifer of DRS.

It originated as a soft sell to prospective YU undergraduates: bring Jewish high schoolers for a basketball tournament so they can see what the countrys flagship modern Orthodox university is all about.

The man who came up with the idea in the late 1970s, former YU coach Johnny Halpert, still comes to Sarachek his son coaches this years top seed, SAR Academy. Halpert admitted that the notion of recruiting high schoolers was just how he got the YU admissions department to pay for rented gym space. The real impetus for the tournament, which is named after Red Sarachek, the legendary YU coach who died in 2005, was simpler. I thought yeshiva kids should have their own tournament, like the other high schools do, Halpert, 77, said.

Building parallel to secular society is something like an organizing principle of modern Orthodoxy, whose adherents engage contemporary culture but are limited by tradition from fully assimilating into it. So: kosher Mexican restaurants, schools that teach Mishnah in the morning and A.P. biology in the afternoon, and, of course, a college whose Division III basketball team doesnt play on Saturdays. These institutions enable Orthodox Jews to enjoy the riches of American pluralism without compromising on identity.

By Jackson Krule

Johnny Halpert (center) coached YU basketball for 42 years and came up with the idea for Sarachek. I thought yeshiva kids should have their own tournament, like the other high schools do, he said.

In this sense, basketball may represent a final frontier of acculturation without assimilation: its a driver and signifier of coolness in American culture, and broadly speaking, Jewish teams dont compete at an elite level. To be sure, no one would confuse this tournament for an Adidas basketball camp. But if Sarachek is where the Orthodox world lives out the fantasies of American sports, the participants have left little unrealized. Kids lace up $180 Air Jordans, wear neon compression sleeves on their legs, activate their muscles with Theraguns. They invent elaborate pre-game handshakes and mimic the self-aggrandizing celebrations of NBA stars. Their girlfriends watch from the stands.

The self-seriousness of the tournament the games are live-streamed in 4K by YUs peerless broadcasting crew has helped make wins and losses the stuff of community lore. Aryeh Ivry, one of this years standouts, grew up watching Sarachek and wanting to play for Long Islands DRS Yeshiva High School. He can name past Wildcat stars; having become one, Ivry said, Im doing my dream. When a tournament legend, now a YU student, dropped in to watch his alma mater, kids in the stands whispered his name.

Even at a first round qualifying game at Sarachek, the tournaments founder, who coached YU for 42 years, can get worked up. Halpert tried not to second-guess his sons strategy. But in the third quarter he started chastising the SAR players from the risers: Pass and cut! Dont hold the ball! After one bad miss, he buried his head in his hands.

Eventually SAR captured the lead and won comfortably. Afterward, Halpert grinned, a little embarrassed. What happens is you get caught up in it as you keep watching, he said.

By Jackson Krule

Led by a dynamite point guard, Torah Academy of Bergen County was a tough out at the tournament. And they drew a big crowd.

The action is on the court but also in the crowd.

Abe Behar flew in from Houston with Robert M. Beren Academy hes the teams sixth man. When he wasnt playing, he was the most colorful person in the stands: blue-tinted ski goggles, black-and-gold Louis Vuitton sweater, and a fro that would make Jimi Hendrix proud. Popping up at every big play, he looked like a diehard fan of every team.

An extrovert who goes to school with only 44 other students at Beren, Behar thrived off the energy at Sarachek. He doesnt consider himself Orthodox, and he never went to Jewish summer camp. But his connection to the Orthodox community was galvanized through basketball. On the court, he expresses his Jewishness in a way he typically doesnt in public by wearing a kippah especially coming from Texas, wearing a kippah is a huge deal, he said. And in the risers, he made friends with people from schools he didnt even know existed before the tournament.

Basketball has turned into this perfect storm.

To see all these Jewish schools from all over the country come to one place, its something that you just cant take for granted, Behar said. Like, this is something that youll only be able to experience going to this school. Thats it.

In Saracheks male-dominated environment its a boys-only tournament and the gym is on YUs mens campus women make up about a quarter of the crowd. Some of the girls and plenty of the boys roll their eyes at the way their schools glorify basketball. But the high school girls who go to Sarachek say theyre having fun, too. They meet other frum girls from around the country more than one told me shed met her seminary roommate for the first time and enjoy an unsupervised senior trip.

Plus, they know the boys and the sport. One senior girl, Kayla Berkowitz, only needed six words to explain basketballs supremacy in the Orthodox world: Its the most interesting to watch.

As Behar took in a first round game, a player from Fuchs Mizrachi School, a Cleveland-area yeshiva, picked up a loose ball at halfcourt and raced the other direction. The entire crowd rose as Ephraim Blau remember that name! took two dribbles, took off on one foot and dunked the ball with his right hand. The building descended into chaos.

Blau did a raise-the-roof gesture, then blew a kiss to the fans behind his teams bench. I told you he could dunk! Behar exclaimed.

By Jackson Krule

The thrill of victory.

Basketball wasnt always popular with leaders of the Orthodox world. The European-born rabbis of mid-century America viewed sports as a Hellenistic endeavor that would pull Jews away from the spiritual realm. But their students grew up playing the game, and eventually some of them became rosh yeshivas themselves.

Rabbi Ari Segal, the former head of Shalhevet High School, in Los Angeles, played at Sarachek in the 1990s, and makes an annual pilgrimage to watch the games and catch up with colleagues. Segal showed up to this years tournament wearing a half-zip with his name and SHALHEVET BASKETBALL stitched on the chest. (Hes still the schools chief strategy officer.)

Segal is an admitted basketball fanatic who oversaw construction of Shalhevets new building, in which a gym occupies most of the ground floor. But he maintains that the sport is venerated there the same way any other extracurricular is in that students who are passionate about it are offered every tool to excel.

Basketball brings the Orthodox community together, but it also magnifies their differences.

Theres real pride in taking something really seriously, he said. And the lesson that the kids see is that if you put your mind to something, you can do things you didnt imagine. I think thats true not just in basketball. It just happens that basketball has turned into this perfect storm.

For Shalhevet from which this writer graduated nearly 15 years ago, before Segal arrived building a winning basketball program also has been a bid for acceptance by other Orthodox Jews. Hoping to change the narrative around his school, which has historically attracted more liberal families, Segal launched a high school basketball tournament at Shalhevet like Sarachek, but with fewer schools and with a girls bracket.

The core of his tournament is still basketball, Segal said, but the surrounding piece is, come see that were a mainstream, normal school. It was not unlike YUs plan: Theyre gonna walk our halls, walk around our building and get a vibe, and youre like, Oh, yeah, its an Orthodox school.

By Jackson Krule

The schools have plenty in common, and plenty to make each one distinct. But when the ball goes up, sportsmanship abounds.

The risers were packed to the ceiling for the semifinal game between SAR and DRS, and the air felt like the space between the crockpot lid and the cholent. Behind each teams bench were hundreds of rowdy teenagers in their schools colors.

Simply by virtue of being Orthodox but not Haredi, the schools playing at Sarachek represent a segment of the American Jewish population that amounts to about 3% according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. By any standard of comparison, they are incredibly similar to each other in makeup and in practice. And yet for all the ways the game unifies them, there is nothing like basketball to draw out their differences.

SAR and DRS hail from Riverdale and Woodmere, respectively both New York strongholds of Orthodox life. But at Sarachek they might as well be different religions. Unlike DRS, SAR is coed, with a more progressive religious outlook and a more liberal student population. On one end of the court two or three hundred Christmas-tree-green-clad DRS fans sang Yibaneh HaMikdash build the third Temple. On the other end, SAR kids howled the super secular Seven Nation Army guitar riff. (Later, the DRS faithful started chanting We keep Shab-bos! at SAR for about five seconds before an apoplectic DRS rabbi cut them off.)

By Jackson Krule

The SAR basketball team prepares to take the court.

School spirit connects with sports more than other extracurriculars, but why should anyone care about having attended one Orthodox school over another?

Shalhevets Segal said pride in your school contributes to pride in what youre learning there that is, Jewish belief and practice which is mostly the same across these high schools. You see that youre part of something bigger when youre here, he said. Youre like, Im part of this thing, modern Orthodoxy. What hes saying wasnt so different from what Yaakov Gelfond said: When youre focused on the basketball part, the Torah part doesnt cross your mind.

Led by a lefty guard who attacked the paint like a running back, SAR built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, putting the Wildcats on the ropes. A DRS basket cut the deficit to nine with five minutes to play and set off their fans, who started chanting their anthem. Its a song whose last line is about how delicious it is to be Jewish.

Someone once came over to me

And asked me what its like to be a yid

This is what I told him

This is what I told him

This is what I will tell him

Its geshmak to be a yid

Geshmak to be a yid!

DRS scored 14 of the next 19 points to steal the game, their fans rushing the floor as the final buzzer sounded. Then the pandemonium subsided, and the teams lined up to shake hands.

More:

March Madness for Jews: Why the Sarachek tournament is such a big Orthodox deal - Forward

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on March Madness for Jews: Why the Sarachek tournament is such a big Orthodox deal – Forward
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

Its rare that a shows second season is stronger than its first.

But thats definitely true in the case of The New Black, available April 12 on Chaiflicks. The show about four Haredi schoolmates, which aired as Shababnikim in Israel, boasts lovable characters that you will care about.

In season two, Dov Laser and Meir Sabag, played splendidly by Omer Perelman Striks and Israel Atias, take a serious interest in women that their parents would likely have big problems with: a divorced woman with a son, and a woman missing a limb. They also both have conflicts with their fathers.

The show also benefits from the amazing performances of Ori Laizerouvich as Gedaliah, who has newfound power in this season, and gets a hilarious moment when he sings a song to his love interest, Devora.

The divide between the religious and the secular is given a lot of attention in the season, like when a secular school has females doing yoga, and, not surprisingly, the yeshiva boys seeing this have difficulties focusing on the Talmud. Writer, director, and co-creator Eliran Malka has set up great conflicts for each of the four lead characters in the group. The character of Avinoam, for example, must prove his worth not only to his father, a Knesset member, but to himself.

Besides showing that Haredi men with black hats face some of the same challenges as everyone else, its clear from watching Malkas work that you are watching greatness. The series is also provocative. Theres one moment where a secular students tells Avinoam she bet 200 shekels that he is not a virgin, and he replies that she lost the best. The drama in season two is also ratcheted up by a Torah tournament that is more exciting than one would expect.

The series has drawn comparisons to Entourage, with Daniel Gads Avinoam being a bit like Adrian Greniers Vincent Chase if only he was a religious Jew.

The finale was a bit abrupt, but is meant to be a cliffhanger. Its no surprise that the show has won numerous Israeli Television Academy Awards, including Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy.

Can the third season be better than the second? Its a tall order, but I wouldnt put it past Malka and his four stellar lead actors.

The author is a writer based in New York.

View post:

The Second Season of 'The New Black' Is Even Better Than the First - Algemeiner

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on The Second Season of ‘The New Black’ Is Even Better Than the First – Algemeiner
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

TheTorah columnis supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon.MetzoraLeviticus 14:115:33

This week, Jews around the world start the arduous task of cleaning their homes for Passover.

But why does the Torah command us to clear out our house of all chametz (leavened bread) during Passover?

It is logical to eat matzah; this fast food has a historical connection to the Exodus, recalling our hurried escape from Egyptian slavery. But how does clearing out leavened bread from our homes relate to the Passover theme of freedom and spiritual growth?

There are two aspects to attaining spiritual growth and transformation. First, one needs to grow in kindness and holiness. But spiritual growth and real transformation also require letting go of addictions or bad habits we currently have. There must be loss for there to be greater gain. We must give up the comfort of remaining the same and thats difficult.

Heres a helpful analogy: Imagine you have a thorn in your arm that directly touches a nerve. When the thorn is bumped, its very painful and makes it difficult to move through life. You have two choices:

1. You can make sure nothing touches it.

2. You can take it out.

The effects of this choice will determine the course of the rest of your life.

Heres why: If you choose to keep the thorn in, you have to protect yourself by making sure nothing touches it. If you walk in a crowded shopping center, you have to constantly avoid people so the thorn doesnt get bumped. You fall in love. Its hard to have someone near you when youve got a thorn touching a nerve. Your spouse will be getting on your nerves.

You see, the thorn completely runs your life. It affects all your decisions. If you dont address the thorn itself, you cant be a free person. You are enslaved to the thorn.

We all have such thorns in us. Maybe it is the thorn of addiction, the thorn of arrogance, the thorn of bitterness, or anger. Maybe it is the thorn of abuse, the thorn of divorce, the thorn of abandonment, the thorn of insecurity.

There are many thorns that enter our life, some by our own doing, some without a personal invitation on our part.

But most of us have a thorn we hold onto and we refuse to remove it. We fear removing the thorn will be hard and painful. And we design our whole life around it. We dont realize that weve become slaves to that thorn.

What is chametz?

It is a foreign substance added to the dough, yeast, which makes it rise. It changes the doughs natural shape and characteristics. The Talmud (Berakhot 17a) tells us this is symbolic of the foreign substances, the thorns, that enter life. The destruction of all leaven in the house symbolizes the removal of all thorns that prevent us from realizing our spiritual aspirations.

So the holiday of Pesach tells us: Its time to wake up and leave your inner Egypt. Get rid of the thorn, the Chametz we hold on to that limits our lives. Its time to be what God has designed us for; free to be our truest selves.

Good luck with the cleaning and have a great Passover!

Read more from the original source:

Expel that yeast! (And get rid of the thorn from your own life) J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Expel that yeast! (And get rid of the thorn from your own life) J. – The Jewish News of Northern California
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

Call it the Exodus in reverse.

In growing numbers Israeli tour groups are flocking to Cairo, Luxor and Aswan to tour the sites of Egypt, and I recently led the first biblically themed kosher tour there. The exposure to Egypt, ancient and modern, is a mind-bending experience.

It hits you the moment you get on the highway from Cairo International Airport. Before you are two huge signs. To the right Nasser City, named for the dictator who sought Israels destruction in 1956 and 1967, and to the left, 6th of October City, erected in commemoration of the surprise attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, 1973. I can vividly recall as a youngster sitting next to my father in shul on that Yom Kippur morning when the rabbi rose and announced, Israel has been attacked; we dont know where and we dont know by whom.

But blink an eye and this is what you now see: A kippah-wearing Jew jogging alone in Luxor and in Aswan greeted with applause and cheers as the locals call out morning greetings of Sabah al-khair!; 35 Jews walking through the densely packed souk of central Cairo on a Friday morning as hawkers looking to peddle their wares approach, calling Shalom U-vrachah!; Jews making a minyan for evening prayers in the lobby of the Cairo Ramses Hilton; local hotel kitchen staff checking their every move with our kashrut supervisor, eager to respect the laws of the Jews parallel to the Muslim dietary laws of halal.

In Egypt, for the first time in my life, I walked around a city where the vast majority of people were like me devout practitioners of their religion. There was something liberating about not sticking out like a sore thumb in a secular liberal landscape.

To tour the sites of ancient Egypt is truly to walk in the footsteps of the Exodus. Here you read in hieroglyphs names like Miriam and Pinchas (Pinchas, an Egyptian name? Who knew?), and brush your hand over mud bricks with straw that date to the time of the enslavement in Egypt.

Some of the discoveries are truly revealing. At the Seder table, we recall how God delivered Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Most would be surprised to learn that this biblical phrase is actually Egyptian in origin: Egyptian inscriptions routinely describe the Pharaoh as the mighty hand and his acts as those of the outstretched arm.

When the Torah describes God in the same terms used by the Egyptians to exalt their pharaohs, we see at work the dynamics of cultural appropriation. During much of its history, ancient Israel was in Egypts shadow. For weak and oppressed peoples, one form of cultural and spiritual resistance is to appropriate the symbols of the oppressor and put them to competitive ideological purposes.

Or consider this: when you write a sentence in hieroglyphs theres a special rule: if the sentence contains the name of a god, that gods name must be the first word in the sentence, no matter what it does to the syntax of the rest of the sentence. Think of a verse like Exodus 3:11: And Moses said to the Lord, who am I that I should go before Pharaoh? In hieroglyphs, youd have to write this, Lord Moses said to the who am I that I should go before Pharaoh? That makes reading this stuff incredibly difficult, but as a man of faith myself, the idea behind it resonated with me: put God first, and work your way around Him.

One of the participants excitedly showed me that we have the same phenomenon in the halachah. The Torah says that the High Priest should wear a diadem inscribed with the words Holy to God (kodesh le-Hashem). But according to the Talmud (Shabbat 63b), this must be written in two lines: in the top line, the tetragrammaton alone, and in the lower line Holy to . And then it dawned on me: in sharing this God-first mentality, I have something significant in common with these idol-worshipping Jew-enslaving Egyptians of old that I dont with many of the people I consider good friends today.

None of this would be happening now without the Abraham Accords, whose tailwinds have carried Egypt along as part of the moderate Suni axis and its rapprochement with the Jewish State. Egyptair, which for years refused to fly its planes into Tel Aviv, now does so with daily service. To be sure, this is not for love of Zion but for love of mammon. The Egyptians want Israeli business travelers to transit to Africa through Cairo. They want Jews to visit Egypt because it helps their economy. But not so long ago, such interests couldnt overcome animosity and radical ideology.

These opportunities challenge us to look at them anew as they look at us anew as well. And, so, its a blessed time and a first step. Following the cadence of the Haggadah, we may say: this year is different than all other years. And even If we can now peacefully visit Egypt, but the Egyptians dont yet sing Ha-Tikvah dayenu.

Joshua Berman is a professor of Bible at Bar-Ilan University and is the author most recently of Ani Maamin: Biblical Criticism, Historical Truth and the Thirteen Principles of Faith (Maggid).

See original here:

Leading the people back to Egypt | Joshua Berman | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Leading the people back to Egypt | Joshua Berman | The Blogs – The Times of Israel
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

An Atlantic article about people who prioritize friendship over romance went viral a few years ago. Intimate friendships, wrote Rhaina Cohen, can be models for how we as a society might expand our conceptions of intimacy and care.

As someone who has spent 15 years helping people connect more deeply to one another and to Jewish life, the Atlantic piece struck close to my heart.

In the Jewish world, we have placed great emphasis on matchmaking. Many organizations focus on engaging young families and young couples. As a mother of three, I know how important these programs are.

But they fit into a particular model that is outdated and unnecessarily exclusive. When we invest only in programs for youth engagement, then engagement of single young adults, and then engagement of young married couples, we imply that there is one natural, legitimate, linear progression to ensure strong Jewish identities and families.

How did we get here? Our Jewish leaders came to understand Emerging Adulthood, the years when a person is roughly 18-30, as a developmental phase. Introduced by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett in 2000, the category went more mainstream a decade later. We also referred to this stage as post-college pre-family. Jewish organizations such as Birthright Israel, OneTable, Moishe House, and others began focusing on additional ways to engage people in meaningful Jewish life during this life stage. GatherDC, the organization I lead, was also born during this era.

But today the data show that more and more people are staying uncoupled longer and an increasing number of young adults will not get married. Those who do or dont will also likely not have children (some do want children and are single parents by choice.) We also are a community in which about nine percent of U.S. Jewish adults identified as LGBT in 2020. And, importantly, conversations about family estrangement and an ethic of care beyond the nuclear family are widening. Leaders in the Jewish community thought that the milestones of marriage and children were simply happening later. Now we understand that for many people those milestones may never happen, whether by choice or not.

Jewish community cannot center nuclear familial Judaism at the expense of alienating, ignoring, or flattening the identities of people who live their lives in meaningful nonromantic relationships, with friends and chosen family who nurture, love, and care for them in equal and other ways. Embracing a wider definition of family and connection to Jewish life requires a more expansive and rerouted way of thinking about the relationships that will drive and shape not just Jewish life, but future society as a whole. A vibrant, inclusive, and holy Jewish future depends on our ability to do so.

In fact, the holy nature of friendship appears in many sources from Maimonides take on Pirkei Avot (the ethics of our ancestors) asserting that we must acquire friends for virtue and not for transactional purposes, to the Honi in Talmud Taanit 23a who declares either friendship or death.

More modern sources also assert the holy essence of friendship. The concept of queer chosen family has been a bedrock of the LGBTQ community for decades, including among LGBTQ Jews; as the Atlantic article on centering friendship, not marriage notes, In LGBTQ circles, placing a high value on friendship has long been common, even essential, to survival.

In her 1991 book Fierce Tenderness: A Feminist Theology of Friendship, Mary Hunt contended that our goal should be to teach people how to love well, and that we can do this by challenging old assumptions of what love can look like. Hunt instructed the reader to pay attention What a community does when it names and claims ordinary human experiences as holy. Hunt offered friendship as a useful theological construct and called on us to develop new models both mental and lived that bring friendship into its rightful place and significance.

More recently, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman wrote the book Big Friendship, which chronicles the work and investment they put into their own relationship including going to couples therapy together. Friendship, Sow says, is the place where we are able to have more imagination and more freedom for how we want to organize our lives and how we want to organize society.

I believe that facilitating and supporting Jewish friendships is not just relevant or necessary. Its holy work. Collectively, we need to attune to the trends and realities of todays Jewish landscape, and also tomorrows. We need to center friendship as a focus of Jewish communal experiences not dismiss it as lacking or superficial to harness its power to build the Jewish life we seek.

To contact the author, email editorial@forward.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

Original post:

Stop trying to get Jews to date each other and start focusing on nurturing friendships - Forward

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Stop trying to get Jews to date each other and start focusing on nurturing friendships – Forward
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 9, 2022

Question: What constitutes the actual Haggadah, the mitzvah to retell the story of our slavery in Egypt and how Hashem redeemed us and delivered us from there? Also, if the head of household reads the Haggadah to those assembled, has he discharged their obligation?

Yosef SlomoviczVia email

Synopsis: We noted that there is a mitzvah incumbent upon every Jew to retell [Haggadah] the story of our deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. We discussed divergent views regarding Mah Nishtanah, the opening query that prompts the reply the tale that is the Haggadah. Some are of the opinion that once the question is asked there is no need for any to repeat the query but all go straight to the Haggadahs response, Avadim Hayyinu. Others require repeating the Mah Nishtanah. In the Jerusalem Talmud (Pesachim 10:4) we are told of the four sons and the four questions, all based on verses in the Torah, and how we respond to each of them. Rema and Mishna Berurah express the former view based on the above-referenced Gemara, thus no need to repeat Mah Nishtanah. Chatam Sofer notes that Rambam expresses the latter view, which is clearly at odds with the Gemara. We then sought to establish where the actual Haggadah begins, by citing the Maharal. In his Haggadah we find the preparatory prayer, Hinneni Muchan umezuman I am prepared and ready to fulfill my obligation, and this is said at the outset even before Hah lachma Anya, which is before Mah Nishtanah and Avadim Hayyinu. This seems to be echoed by the early authority Kol Bo. The Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, in his Haggadah Divrei Yoel, is of the opinion that the actual obligation to relate begins with Avadim Hayyinu, the narrative of the great miracles that occurred to the children of Israel. As he notes, the narrative is such that it brings us to know all that happened and thus know who brought them out of Egypt, to know that I am Hashem.

* * *

Answer: Hagaon Rav Shmuel Hakohen Burstein, ztl, of Shatava, Ukraine, the grandfather of my good friend, colleague and columnist, the late HaRav Yaakov Simcha Cohen, ztl, whom I miss so much, explains in his Maadanei Shmuel on Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Hilchot Pesach) that the entire obligation of the Seder is for the father to explain to the children the great wonders and miracles that Hashem wrought for us. Thus he stresses that it is important that it be explained in a language that they comprehend. From here, too, we see that the essence of Maggid starts at Avadim hayyinu.

Additionally, if we consult the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (473:43, Hilchot Pesach) we see that he states openly that the essential text of the Haggadah (maggid) that our Sages enacted as a requirement for all to discharge their mitzvah, is from the beginning of Avadim hayyinu (the view of the sage Shmuel, Pesachim 116a).

We further find that the Gaon Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch in his responsa Teshuvot VeHanhagot (Orach Chayyim 236) cites the following in the name of the Brisker Rav, Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik, ztl: The essential requirement of the son is that he ask, `Why is this night different? He need not ask the four questions. Therefore, as the Sages say, we return the keara [the Seder Plate] and we distribute parched stalks of grain [to the children] in order that the child be moved to ask. In fact, this is what Rambam states, `Here the son asks, and then the reader [father] says Mah Nishtanah, etc. [all four questions].

The Gaon Rabbi Chaim explains that the son simply asks about the difference of this night, but the adult [gadol] asks all the four questions so that the Haggadah will be in the style of an answer to a question, for this is the essence of sippur yetziat mitzrayim.

On the other hand, if the child did indeed ask all four questions, it would seem that according to the Rema, as interpreted by the Mishna Berurah, there is no need for the adult to ask the questions, as the questions have already been asked; thus, the adult can proceed to the main mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim.

I was very fortunate to find a similar explanation in the Haggadah Kol Dodi (p. 104) by the Gaon Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, ztl, Rosh HaYeshiva of Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, which we now quote:

If ones child or wife asked the Mah Nishtanah, the respondent himself need not recite it (Rema, ibid.)

We note two implications: First, that only when asked by his child or wife is the leader of the Seder exempt from reciting the Mah Nishtanah, but not if the questions are asked by another participant. Second, that all other participants at the Seder must say the Mah Nishtanah regardless of who asked [the questions] out loud to the leader. However, [the] Mishnah Berurah (ibid. 473:70) interprets Rema to mean that the one questioned need not recite the Mah Nishtanah, regardless of who asked it.

It seems to me, though, that when the questions are asked by a child or other unlearned persons, the narrative of the Haggadah is literally a response to the questions, so that there is no need for the questions to be repeated. But if the participants of the Seder are scholars who know the Haggadah, the recitation of the Four Questions is in order not to tamper with the Haggadahs text. If so, the participants, including the leader, must also adhere to the text and repeat the Mah Nishtanah, for the mitzvah does not consist of teaching unknown facts to the questioner. Since the participants, too, do not fulfill the mitzvah of answering the questions and informing the questioner, they, too, must recite the Four Questions. From this practice, that the participants repeat the questions, the custom developed that even the leader repeats the questions.

On the other hand, the Gaon Rabbi Binyomin Paler, ztl, cited at the outset, was probably following the opinion of Rabbi Chaim Brisker which we previously cited, who says that the gadol [which might be read as the bar chiyyuva, the one who is obligated in mitzvot] asks the questions. Yet I am sure that even he would agree that the mitzvah of Vehigadta le vincha does not precisely require that the child be a gadol, a bar chiyyuva, to exempt the father from asking the questions. Rather, a child or any other unlearned person who asks the questions prompts the response that is the Haggadah namely, the mitzvah of Maggid, as the Gaon Rabbi Dovid Feinstein states. But he also adds that it has become the custom for the leader to repeat the questions.

In light of our discussion of the mitzvah of maggid, may we merit the Geulah Sheleima the final redemption of our people with the arrival of the Melech HaMoshiach Ben David speedily in our days.

See the article here:

Q & A: The Mitzvah Of Maggid (Part III) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Q & A: The Mitzvah Of Maggid (Part III) – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on April 7, 2022

Ashley Cinemas

Ashley Cinema, established in 1979, was named after the Ashley Street, also named after William Ashley, who was a physician and slaveholder.

This was not the first to request this name change. Citizens of Valdosta have proposed changing the name because of Ashleys position as an enslaver of at least 17 African Americans during his lifetime.

There is no record of the kind of labor required of the people Ashley enslaved, but the 1860 census includes them in his household in Texas. They were between the ages two and 50.

There is no record if he enslaved people earlier in his life. Ashley died in 1867.

Ashleys son, Cornelius Raines Ashley, was born in 1858. He helped create the South Georgia State Normal College for Young Ladies which is now known as Valdosta State University. He also served as treasurer on the schools board of trustees.

VSU has moved forward with changing Ashley Cinemas to a new performing arts center. There are hopes for it to be open as early as fall 2023, according to the VSU website.

Brown Hall

VSUs Brown Hall, a co-ed freshman dorm housing around 200 students, is named after Joseph Mackey Brown.

VSU decided to name the hall in honor of Joseph Brown in 1913 because he was the governor of Georgia at that time. His father was the governor of Georgia during the Civil War.

Brown was also one of the ring leaders who orchestrated the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank.

Frank was a factory superintendent in Atlanta, Georgia. He was convicted in 1913 of the rape and murder of a 13-year-old employee Mary Phagan.

The trial, conviction and appeal attracted national attention. The announcement of his death sentence became the focus for concerns regarding antisemitism [hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people].

Brown rhetorically asked in the Dec. 27, 1914 issue of the Augusta Chronicle whether Georgians should accept that anybody except a Jew can be punished for a crime.

Less than a year later, Brown wrote another article published in the Macon Telegraph where he encouraged the people to form mobs, in order to ensure justice was carried out for the case.

On Aug. 16, 1915, Frank was kidnapped from prison by a group of armed men. He was taken to Phagans hometown, Marietta, Georgia. and lynched the next morning.The governor at that time vowed to punish the lynchers; however, no one was charged. Frank was pardoned by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole.

It was later discovered that Jim Conley killed Phagan.

Langdale Hall

Langdale Hall, a traditional co-ed dorm housing nearly 500 students, is named after John Wesley Langdale, a pioneer and founder of Langdale Forest Products Company, one of Georgias largest turpentine enterprises.

While Langdale and his descendants have had a lasting impact on the various industries in Lowndes County and across South Georgia, Langdale also practiced debt peonage, or what some refer to as debt slavery.

This post-slavery tactic was popular among landowners as it allowed them to profit off cheap labor, primarily that of African Americans. Langdale Forest Products was no different, as most of their workers were of African American descent.

His system of debt ensured that those who worked for him could not legally leave the turpentine camps. Workers also had other freedoms restricted and were not allowed to ask for pay raises.

Additionally, African American workers were subjected to cruel conditions on his land by suffering from abuse from Langdales overseers. The loosely regulated safety standards resulted in workers suffering from the effects of toxic fumes and physical injuries sustained while on the job.

Prior to his death in 1911, he and his wife and daughters relocated to Jasper, Florida, with Langdale himself believing that the conditions of his camps were not ideal for his family.

The Langdales remain one of the most well-known families in South Georgia.

Lowndes Hall

VSUs Lowndes Hall, a residence hall for freshmen, was revealed to have been named after William Jones Lowndes, a former South Carolina politician and slave owner.

William Jones Lowndes is also whom the county of Lowndes is named after.

Lowndes was born on Feb. 11, 1782 in St. Bartholomews Parish, South Carolina at the Horseshoe Plantation. His father was also a politician and slave owner in South Carolina.

Throughout his life, Lowndes has enslaved numerous African Americans who he obtained through his parents and his marriage to Elizabeth Breton Pinckney. Pinckney was the daughter of a South Carolina politician.

Lowndes also bought and sold salves throughout his life. His slaves included both men and women.

The population of Lowndes enslaved people varied throughout his life. According to the report, at the end of his life, his will listed 119 slaves as his property.

Located near Odum Library and the fine arts building, Lowndes Hall is a freshmen-focused dorm that is home to 196 students on-campus.

Aside from politics and slavery, Lowndes played a significant role in the creation of the Second Bank of the United States. He also worked with Henry Clay to pass the Missouri Compromise in 1820. Lowndes died in October 1822.

Patterson Hall

James W. Patterson was a lawyer and teacher for Troupville and Valdosta in the mid-1800s. He was able to get a street named after him and one of VSU buildings: Patterson Hall.Patterson was an owner of at least 14 slaves ranging in ages one to 50, and he died in the Battle of McDowell on May 8,1862, fighting to preserve the enslavement of African Americans in the South.

The hall is a co-ed residential dorm building for freshmen and can house up to 284 students.

Patterson also organized a company of infantry in Lowndes County after the outbreak of the Civil War, which he was named captain of.

Due to the history of the buildings namesake, some students think that Patterson Hall should be renamed.

Even though he fought for the Civil War and was an asset to the community doesnt mean we should commemorate him, Akil Lampley, a freshman accounting major and Black resident of Patterson Hall, said.

However, not every student is bothered by it, like Eriana Jones, a junior theater major and Black RA for Patterson Hall. She doesnt think the change is necessary.

But, I think it would be a big deal in Valdosta if it did, she said. It would show that the school cares about the history and its students.

Every student admitted that they didnt know the history of the building they were living in, and that it should be talked about more.

The school should speak about the history, recognizing it was wrong, Jones said.

Ashley Cinemas written by Jonnie Brewer, Managing Editor. Brown Hall written by Sam Acevedo, Campus Life Editor. Langdale Hall written by Austin Bruce, Sports Editor. Lowndes Hall written by TJ Weaver, Editor In Chief. Patterson Hall written by Angel Davis, Staff Writer. Photo courtesy of Jonnie Brewer, Managing Editor.

Read the original here:

A Look at the Historical Figures Behind Controversial Buildings on VSU's Campus - The Spectator - V Spectator

Category: Leo Frank | Comments Off on A Look at the Historical Figures Behind Controversial Buildings on VSU’s Campus – The Spectator – V Spectator
Tags: