Avodah Mailing List

Volume 34: Number 80

Sun, 17 Jul 2016

• 1. Re: leviim on duty (Ben Waxman)
• 2. manuscript of the Rambam (Eli Turkel)
• 3. Re: RHS on shabbat - electricity (Eli Turkel)
• 4. Tevilas Keilim from OU kosher halacha yomis (Professor L. Levine)
• 5. Chukas Para Aduma (Cantor Wolberg)
• 6. lions (Eli Turkel)

RZS was correct, that my original post I mistakenly stated where they 
were and what they're job is. I looked at the Mishna and the Rambam and 
it is clear why no one does it today. Number one, they would have to go 
to Har Habayit and who says that this mitzva is docheh the possible 
karet issue? Secondly, according to the Rambam they are there to give 
kavod to the Beit Hamikdash. Is that what Levi'im would doing to today, 
when the Beit Hamiqdash isn't there and that mosque is? If there is no 
Beit HaMiqdash, why are they needed?

Ben

On 7/8/2016 10:27 PM, saul newman via Avodah wrote:
> in my notes i found 2 reasons why leviim don't currently stand guard 
> duty at Har Habayit. one, jews don't control the area. two, maybe that 
> family of leviim wasn't assigned to that job.  i suppose three, who 
> says you're a levi.    any more data?

I understood from RHS that there was a manuscript of the Rambam on the
first perek of shabbat found by Professor Asaf
Unfortunately I haven't found any reference to it (yet) on the internet.


as an aside there is now available a manuscript of the Mishneh Torah (and
other early manuscripts) see
http://www.seforimonline.org/new-rare-
manuscripts-of-the-tanach-and-of-the-rambam-added-to-the-database/

This document is widely considered the most splendid of the extant
manuscripts of the*Mishneh Torah*, the systematic code of Jewish law
produced by Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides. The manuscript
was made by a copyist from Spain, who commissioned an artist to illustrate
the work and left space in the margins for drawings, decorative panels, and
illuminations. The artwork was done in Italy, possibly in the workshop of
Mateo De Ser Cambio in Perugia, circa 1400. A few ornamental headings and
signs of textual divisions were done in Spain. Many important textual
changes in the margins of the manuscript correspond to those found in the
version of this work proofread by Maimonides himself.

some other manuscripts of the Rambam appear in
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/maimonides-exhibition.html

for a discussion of various manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah see also
http://www.oxfordchabad.org/templates/blog/post_cdo/AID/70848
1/PostID/24373/iid/1
-- 
Eli Turkel
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I wrote to Rav Schachter and got the following reply

if you have an electronic water meter I would assume that you would have a
problem of Kosev
because by causing the water to go through the faucet, you cause a record
to be kept of how much water was used and that is a melocha of kosev.
Perhaps it is a psik raisha d'lo nicha lei

we would have to investigate further what the nature of the system is.

-------------------------------------
: Did he discuss the status of electronic water meters on shabbos? This is a
: hot topic in Israel because they are being installed all over.

You might wish to look at the thread "If you have an electronic water
meter, can you turn on your faucet on Shabbos?"


[Email #2 -micha]

>> Overriding the switch is against American law and so prohibited by dina
>> demalchuta.

> overriding what switch is this referring to?

American (among others) law requires that all dishwashers operate only
when the door is closed. This is mainly to prevent injuries by someone
sticking his hand into the machine while it is operating. It also prevents
water from exiting while the machine is operating.

A mechanic could override this mechanism and allow the machine to
operate while the door is open but would be violating secular law and
dina demalchusa.

 From a halachic viewpoint the problem is that closing the door would
allow the machine to turn on later via a shabbos clock. RHS feels that
intrinsically running the washing machine on shabbat via a shabbos clock
is allowed however closing the door on shabbat to allow the shabbos
clock to work is problematic


[Email #3 -micha]

> I understand such a law applying to
> people *selling* dishwashers, but is it really illegal to modify an
> appliance which is your property and you use in your own home?

I am not a lawyer and can't answer the legal question. However I did find
http://www.shopyourway.com/questions/1219029

The short answer is you can not bypass the door to run the dishwasher
open. This model does not use door switches it uses a sensor and even if
the sensor is bypassed the control will read this as an error. You will
not be able to bypass the door sensor to run the unit with the door open.

thus in newer models it is not possible to run the dishwasher with the
door open by disabling some switch. Thus, RHS is back to his premise
without the need for legalistics

-- 
Eli Turkel

Q. What is the mitzvah of tevilas keilim (immersing utensils in a mikvah)?


A. The Torah (Bamidbar 31:23) commands us that utensils made of six metals
which were acquired from a Gentile must be toiveled (immersed in a mikvah)
before they may be used with food. The six metals are gold, silver, copper,
iron, tin, and lead. Glass utensils must be toiveled as well, based on a
rabbinic requirement. (Other materials will be discussed in a further
Halacha Yomis.) If one purchased used utensils, they must first be kashered
before the tevilah. However, if one borrows or rents utensils from a
Gentile, there is no mitzvah of tevilas keilim. Before immersing, the
utensils must be completely clean. All labels and even residual glue from
the labels must be removed prior to tevilah. Prior to tevilah, a beracha is
recited. If a mikvah is not available, Rav Belsky, zt"l ruled that one may
immerse the utensils in a lake, provided that it has not rained in the last
few days.


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Obviously, there is no known reason for the para aduma.
A question asked is how can something tamei purify and so the paradox continues.
For what it?s worth, I?ve always given the example of X-Rays. 
Over exposure to X-Rays can cause the very thing X-Rays are used for to cure.
ri

As lions appeared in this past weeks parsha and haftara (in Israel) there
was an article on lions in one of the shabbat newsletters

As noted lions appear frequently in Tanach as symbols of power. Aryeh and
other names for lions appear 11 times beginning with the blessing of Jacob
and the bracha of Moshe in addition to Bilaam. Shimshom fights lions as
does David while in Melachim a man of G-d is eaten by a lion.
The geamara iin chagiga states that the lion is king of the animals, the ox
is king of the domesticated beasts and the nesher (eagle?) is king of the
birds.

However real life is very different. The lion eats mainly carcasses that
dies naturally or was killed by another animal for more than 50% of their
food. They follow vultures to find the carcasses. The rest of the food is
captured by the lioness. In each territory there is a pack a pack of
lionesses accompanied by 1-2 males. The males stay with the pack until they
are chased away by the next generation. Young male cubs are also chased
away or killed,
OTOH the lion is the biggest of the cat family except for the Siberian
tiger which is not found in ancient Israel.

-- 
Eli Turkel
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