Avodah Mailing List

Volume 39: Number 19

Tue, 02 Mar 2021

• 1. Re: Purim Meshulash is celebrated this year in Yerushalayim. What is Purim Meshulash? (Zev Sero)
• 2. Re: Prayers That The Tzibbur Does Not Say (Zev Sero)
• 3. Re: Why did Achashverosh's feast last so long? (Zev Sero)
• 4. Re: Having Mishaloach Manos Delivered vis Amazon (Akiva Miller)
• 5. Rabbinical Council of Bergen County Purim Guidelines (Akiva Miller)
• 6. Re: Prayers That The Tzibbur Does Not Say -- Sources (Jay F. Shachter)
• 7. When one recites Hamotzi on a loaf of bread, is there a specific part that one should eat first? (Prof. L. Levine)
• 8. Re: Prayers That The Tzibbur Does Not Say -- Sources (allan.en...@gmail.com)

On 25/2/21 9:14 am, Prof. L. Levine via Avodah wrote:
> Sunday: The Purim /seuda/ takes place on Sunday and /Mishloach Manos/ 
> are distributed then as well.

This is the opinion of the Mechaber, who is nowadays considered the 
"Mara De'asra" of the whole Eretz Yisrael.  But in his day he was not so 
considered.   Yerushalayim had its own rav, the Ralbach, who holds 
differently; he holds that Seudas Purim and Mishloach Manos should be 
performed on Shabbos, and thus there is only a 2-day Purim, not 3 days.

I assume that in his day the Sefardi community of Yerushalayim followed 
his psak and not that of the Mechaber in Tzefas.  I wonder at what point 
the community practice changed to that of the Mechaber, and whether this 
was influenced by the arrival of new immigrants who challenged the 
existing minhag based on what is written in the Shulchan Aruch.


-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
z...@sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"

On 24/2/21 10:31 pm, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
> 
> To keep the conversation going, I'll suggest another scenario, similar 
> to those you've mentioned. Suppose a great leader (a Rosh Yeshiva, or a 
> chassidic Rebbe, for example) is very ill. The community arranges a big 
> event, to encourage great throngs to come and pray for the leader's 
> health. There are many tehillim recited, many speeches given, and many 
> tears shed. Then the entire crowd unites to daven mincha together. When 
> the shliax tzibbur recites Xazaras Hashatz, can he add a tefila for the 
> leader's health, either in Refa'einu or in Shema Kolenu? If not, why not?

The obvious analogy is to those countries that need rain when it is not 
needed in Bavel, and therefore Tal Umatar is not said.  The halacha is 
that each individual in those countries should add "Vesein Tal Umatar 
Livracha" in Shomea` Tefillah.  However the shliach tzibur does not do 
so, even though each individual he is representing needs rain and did 
pray for it in his private tefillah.

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
z...@sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"

See Malbim, who sees the whole story as a political struggle between 
Achashverosh and the political establishment.  Bavel had been a 
constitutional monarchy, its kinds bound by the law, and remained so 
after the Persian kings conquered it. But Achashverosh, having usurped 
the throne, was not content with this and wanted to change it to an 
absolute monarchy, where the law is subject to the king, and all the 
country's wealth is his to spend as he pleases.

So he unilaterally moved the capital to Shushan, which had never been an 
important city before, and then started spending untold fortunes on an 
endless party, at which his own appointees, servants, and armies were 
honored ahead of the statesmen and ministers who had been there before 
him.  He was rubbing their faces in the new reality.  Then, once he felt 
that point had been made, he punctuated it by throwing a party for all 
the commoners whose only yichus was that they happened to live in his 
new capital city, and at the peak of this party he summoned Vashti, the 
princess of the ancien regime, to humiliate her and show that she is 
subject to his whims, because his authority does not derive from her but 
from his own might.

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
z...@sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"

.
R' Micha Berger wrote:

> For all the AhS's saying the Rambam must have originally been
> "minim" across the board rather than "manos", the Mechaber
> pasqens 2 manos. And there is no hagah from the Rama saying
> otherwise.
> Which is, again, why I think we are in CYLOR territory.

I'd like to suggest, aliba d'RMB, how this development (from "two manos" to
"two minim") might have occurred. (If he wrote this in his posts, then
apologize for not seeing it.)

But - today being National V'nahapoch Hu Day - I'll begin at the end of the
story.

There is a well-known practice nowadays (I will not call it a minhag, and
AFAIK not a single posek anywhere requires it) that one's basic "two manos"
should be of food that have different brachos. The reason for this (in my
eyes, quite obviously) is because of what counts as two "minim". Is a
chicken wing and a leg two minim or that same min? What of a cookie and a
donut? White wine and red? Two different white wines? Choosing foods of
different bracha removes the confusion.

Similarly, I can very easily imagine confusion over how large a "maneh"
must be. Imagine one piece of roast, and another piece of roast. That could
be two portions for an ani, or a half-portion for a teenager. So it evolved
into "two minim", which simplified things greatly.

Just a guess, of course.

Akiva Miller
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.
[[[ I received this a few minutes ago, in an email from a friend. I cannot
verify whether it is actually from the RCBC or not, but I'd like to think
it is. Just to remind everyone, I am proud to have been originally a
resident of Bergen County, whose rabbis almost a year ago had the courage
to shut down all the shuls even before the government required them to do
so. - Akiva ]]]

Rabbinical Council of Bergen County Purim Guidelines
Thursday, February 25, 2021
<https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YCboaAg6h4U/YDaKC1zZoJI/AAAAAAAAN4w/EOQ57BsKWlgAEZdTMwz0jgwir2puimTOQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png>
Dear Friends,

In response to our recent letter about Purim and Pesach during the
pandemic, many of you have asked for more detailed guidelines about how to
safely fulfill the various mitzvos of Purim this year. Please see below for
additional parameters, and please direct any questions to your local
Orthodox rabbi in a masked, socially distanced fashion. We empathize with
the general feelings of ?Covid-19 fatigue.? However, we have been informed
that a new, more virulent *Galitzianer strain* has been spreading in our
community. As such, this is not the time to let our guard down.

*Kriyas Hamegillah*

Every Jew is obligated to hear the megillah twice on Purim, but safety
concerns must take precedence. We recommend that all megillah readings be
done in less than 15 minutes, to stay below the CDC time frame for Covid-19
exposure. As breathing is dangerous for everyone, instead of just reading
the
ten sons of Haman in one breath, the baal korei should attempt to read the
entire megillah in one breath. If he must take a breath during the reading,
a plastic supermarket bag should be placed over his head. Care should be
taken to use one of the thick kosher supermarket bags, not those thin ones
from CVS.

In addition, while normally a ?hei degusha? is aspirated in words like
?lah? and ?bah,? aspirating is considered a sakanas nefashos and therefore
should be avoided, as bedieved the reading is kosher without such aspirated
letters. Similarly, the letter ?pei? should be replaced with the softer
?fei? if the
meaning of the word is not changed. Perhaps this is why Hashem in His
infinite wisdom named the holiday Furim instead of Purim (see Esther 9:26).

Finally, we are all familiar with the minhag to read pesukim relating to a
threat of death for the Jewish people in Eicha trop. This year many more
pesukim refer to deadly threats, such as ?leich kenos es kol hayehudim?
(Esther 4:16) and ?vayikahalu hayehudim? (Esther 9:15). To ensure that
people do not follow these examples and gather in groups, these pesukim
should also be read in Eicha trop. If it does not impede one?s ability to
finish reading in less than 15 minutes, one may choose to read the entire
megillah in Eicha trop, so as to diminish any feelings of mirth that may
lead to a momentary lapse in Covid-19 precautions, chas v?shalom

*Matanos L?Evyonim*

While giving money to the poor is an important part of the holiday, extreme
care must be taken to not infect those who we are trying to help. While
paper money is normally handed to the poor on Purim, this will necessitate
the giver coming too close to the receiver, thus putting him or her in
grave danger. It is also difficult to properly sanitize paper bills with
Purell. Therefore, it is recommended to pre-sanitize coins and then throw
them at the poor from a distance of at least six feet.

*Mishloach Manos*

Our usual practice of bringing food to others? homes should be avoided this
year, as standing outside someone?s door may inadvertently lead to entering
their house. Many of you have asked whether one who pays taxes which are
then used to provide free boxes of food to the members of our community can
consider this their mishloach manos. Since the distribution of these food
boxes is done in a contactless manner, this is an ideal way to fulfill the
mitzvah. Those who have not reported sufficient income to require paying
taxes should give some money to a wealthier neighbor and thus be considered
a meshutaf (partner) in his tax payments.

*Seuda*

The Purim seuda is usually a festive gathering and is thus the most
challenging mitzvah to fulfill this year. In addition, while drinking
alcohol is always discouraged, especially on Purim, it is even more
inadvisable this year as it would require removing one?s mask. There is a
common misconception that the mitzvah of simcha on Purim requires one to be
happy the entire day. However, according to most rishonim, the shiur of
simcha only requires being happy for a toch kedei dibur - about 3.4
seconds, or 4.2 seconds according to the Chazon Ish.

While it is so hard for us to find any joy these days, one can read a posuk
of the Torah for a few seconds (quietly, alone, and masked) and thus
fulfill the mitzvah of simcha as required on Purim. Please make sure to
finish being happy by chatzos so as to have time to prepare for another
lonely shabbos.

*Lifnim Mishuras Hadin*

While none of these restrictions are necessary based on CDC or state
guidelines, it is critical that we continue to signal to the world how much
more virtuous we are than our ?frummer? brothers and sisters in Passaic,
Lakewood, and the Five Towns. We therefore urge everyone to get at least
three shots of the vaccine, stay at least eight feet apart, and wear at
least two masks (unless that becomes commonplace, in which case we should
wear a minimum of three masks).

Wishing everyone a safe, meaningful, and safe Purim.

The Rabbinical Council of Bergen County
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>
>> 
>> ... Thus, if there is a local glut of unmarried people, and the
>> tzibbur needs shiddukhim, the shliax tzibbur may not insert a
>> prayer for shiddukhim in the repetition of the `Amidah....
>>
>
> Perhaps such a halacha exists, but I have not heard of it.  Do you
> have a source?  I wonder what the reason would be for such a
> prohibition.
> 
> To keep the conversation going, I'll suggest another scenario,
> similar to those you've mentioned.  Suppose a great leader (a Rosh
> Yeshiva, or a chassidic Rebbe, for example) is very ill.  The
> community arranges a big event, to encourage great throngs to come
> and pray for the leader's health.  There are many tehillim recited,
> many speeches given, and many tears shed.  Then the entire crowd
> unites to daven mincha together.  When the shliax tzibbur recites
> Xazaras Hashatz, can he add a tefila for the leader's health, either
> in Refa'einu or in Shema Kolenu?  If not, why not?
> 

This is not going to be a satisfactory answer, but one reason for
thinking that it cannot be done, is that it is not done.  The scenario
that you described above happens frequently: the community arranges a
big event, many Psalms are recited, many speeches are given, there is
communal prayer -- and the shliax tzibbur adds nothing to the
repetition of the `Amida.  I have seen it happen, you have seen it
happen.

This is not an entirely satisfactory answer, because there are plenty
of explicitly permitted practices, that are not practiced.  Thus, that
something is not done, does not necessarily imply that it cannot be
done.  For example, there is an undisputed halakha of "pores mappah
umqaddesh", which would have been the ideal way to fulfil the mitzva
of s`udath Purim last week, but I have never seen it done, or ever
heard of it done, outside of Jerusalem, which is allowed to have her
own customs.  The alternative of having a s`udath Purim without wine,
early in the day, is not the ideal way of fulfilling the mitzva.  The
other alternative of having a s`udath Purim with wine, either before
or during working hours, is allowed only if you are unemployed, or
self-employed, or if Purim does not fall on a working day; otherwise
it is theft, and it is a serious sin.  The alternative of having a
s`udath Purim after working hours is not permitted on a Friday, even
if you live in the Diego Ramirez Islands where sunset is late, unless
you are pores mappah umqaddesh, because otherwise you are having your
s`udath Purim too close to your s`udath Shabbath.  And yet, I have
never heard of anyone doing it, outside of Jerusalem.  So, the fact
that something is never done -- even when you think that it would and
should be done, if it were permissible -- does not necessary mean that
it is not permissible.

So, let us look for an answer in the Shulxan `Arukh.  Orax Xayyim
119:1 is the first place where it explicitly says that an individual
(even when not offering a tefillath n'dava, vide infra) is allowed to
insert personal requests in the silent `Amida, although there are
earlier allusions to this halakha in 90:15 and 101:4.  The halakha
makes a point of mentioning, incidentally, that you must phrase your
request in the singular, because it is a personal request.  Now, let
us assume, arguendo, that the shliax tzibbur is permitted to insert
communal requests, in the repetition of the `Amida.  One would think,
that just as there is a halakha in 119:1 explicitly permitting an
individual to do such a thing, there would be a parallel halakha a few
simanim later, permitting the shliax tzibbur to do such a thing, but
there is no such a halakha.  Now, of course, the absence of a halakha
permitting something does not, in general, mean that it is forbidden;
but the author of the Shulxan `Arukh did think, for some reason, that
there was a need, in this case, for a halakha permitting it to an
individual; I would expect, therefore, that for the same reason --
whatever that reason might be -- there would be a need for a parallel
halakha permitting it to the shliax tzibbur, if it were permitted.
Moreover, the halakha in 107:2 is that an individual who offers an
entirely voluntary prayer, which we call a tefillath n'dava, is
obliged to add a personal request in his or her `Amida; and I assume
that this is the reason why you are not allowed to offer a tefillath
n'dava on Shabbath or Yom Tov, because you are not allowed to add
personal requests to the `Amida on Shabbath or Yom Tov.  107:3 states
that the tzibbur is not allowed -- is never allowed -- to offer a
tefillath n'dava, and I assume that it is for the same reason, that
the tzibbur is not allowed to add additional requests to the `Amida.

A more thorough answer would discuss other sources -- or at least the
Beyth Yosef, since I am making inferences from what is not mentioned
in the Shulxan `Arukh -- but I presently lack the time (and perhaps
the skill, although that may just be my saintly modesty speaking), to
put any more time into a more thorough and better-researched answer.
Hopefully, someone who has time to research this question more
properly will find it interesting -- because I think it is -- and
continue the conversation.


                        Jay F. ("Yaakov") Shachter
                        6424 North Whipple Street
                        Chicago IL  60645-4111
                                (1-773)7613784   landline
                                (1-410)9964737   GoogleVoice
                                j...@m5.chicago.il.us
                                http://m5.chicago.il.us

                        "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur"

From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis


Q. When one recites Hamotzi on a loaf of bread, is there a specific part that one should eat first?

A. The answer to this question emerges from an unusual story in the
Gemarah. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 102b) relates that Rav Ashi referred to the
evil King Menashe in a dishonorable way. That night, King Menashe appeared
to Rav Ashi in a dream and quizzed him about which part of the bread must
one eat first. Rav Ashi did not know the answer and King Menashe taught him
that we must begin eating from the area that was baked first. Rav Ashi
accepted this ruling and taught this halacha the next morning ?in the name
of our teacher, King Menashe?. The Mishnah Berurah (167:1) explains that we
honor the beracha by taking the first bite from the part of the bread that
was most baked. This halacha is codified in Shulchan Aruch (OC 167:1). The
Rema writes that since it is not clear which part of our bread bakes first,
we should cut a piece from the crusty end of the loaf that contains both
the top and the bottom and this piece should be eaten first. Many
Kabalistic explanations are given as to the
  significance of this halacha, and why it was specifically taught by King
  Menashe. The Ben Ish Chai (Parshas Emor 1:1) writes that this is an
  absolute obligation. Only if one is elderly and unable to chew the crust
  may he begin eating the soft center.

YL
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The concept of employed people taking days off work for holidays does exist.

On Mon, 1 Mar 2021 at 14:07, Jay F. Shachter via Avodah <
avo...@lists.aishdas.org> wrote: The

> other alternative of having a s`udath Purim with wine, either before
> or during working hours, is allowed only if you are unemployed, or
> self-employed, or if Purim does not fall on a working day; otherwise
> it is theft, and it is a serious sin.
>
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