New Periodical: Kol Hamevaser 3:6

There is a new issue of Kol Hamevaser: The Jewish Thought Magazine of the Yeshiva University Student Body on the topic of "Torah, Literature, and the Arts." The whole issue is available here: link. Also, those who would like to subscribe to automatically receive a PDF version of new editions of the paper should send an e-mail to kolhamevaser@gmail.com. If you wish to receive a hard copy of the paper for the price of shipping and handling, please e-mail us your contact information and home address.

Audio Roundup LXXXVI

by Joel Rich

Term Paper Outline due: A pulpit Rabbi has realized that yitro was right (navol tivol) and has asked to meet with the community leadership.
I. Please prepare a list of the various rabbinical responsibilities and the % of time that should be spent on each.
1. from the viewpoint of the Rabbi’s aspirational vision
2. from the viewpoint of the community leadership’s aspiration vision
II. Which responsibilities that cannot be completely dealt with by the Rabbi can be outsourced to an assistant?
1. are there any statuses that would cause an individual to automatically be eliminated from an assistant search? (e.g. Cohain)
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Do any shuls have a vision statement that they use in allocating scarce resources (e.g. Rabbi's time, communal funds); how about "job descriptions" to guide time allocations? (please email me at audioroundup613@comcast.net)

Two Approaches to Women's Issues

R. Shmuel Goldin's latest book on the Torah, Unlocking the Torah Text: An In-Depth Journey Into the Parsha on Vayikra, was just published by Gefen and OU Press (I work for the latter). It will be available in the US after Pesach (join us at Judaica House in Teaneck on Sunday, April 11 from 1-3pm to celebrate the book's publication). At the end of an essay on this week's Torah portion, discussing the roles of Kohanim and egalitarianism in general in the broad sense of the term, R. Goldin discusses two different views on women's roles in Judaism (a condensed version of the initial discussion can be found here: link). Note that this was written long before the latest controversy but the author is sufficiently in tune with contemporary trends in our community to have presented a timely discussion.

What Time Should the Seder Finish?

Guest post by Rabbi Daniel Roselaar (with a brief comment at the end by me - Gil)

For many years I was always careful to eat the afikoman by chatzot [midnight, 1am with daylight savings] on Seder night, and if possible I regarded it as a hiddur [extra-meritorious practice] to drink the fourth of the cups by that time also. I believed that I was conducting a halachically optimal Seder and this also ensured that I didn’t fall asleep in shul on yomtov morning (which could have been embarrassing for a shul rabbi). But then my children started complaining that all the friends had much more exciting Sedarim and finished far later than we did. I thought it was super-frum to finish the Seder early but they felt as if they were the religious lightweights amongst all their friends. So I decided to reinvestigate the sugya [subject] in order to decide whether or not my stringencies were justified.

Can a Woman Serve as a Synagogue Rabbi?

Here is the question I sent to R. Shlomo Aviner and the response he sent back. Sorry but I don't have the time to translate into English. Hopefully a reader will take the initiative in the comments section:

שאלה: האם מותר לאשה לשרת כרב של קהילה? יש מבוכה עכשיו בארצות הברית בענין זה ואולי הרב יחוה דעת תורתו כדי שישמעו חכמים ויוסיפו לקח. ואם יטעון הרב שכבודו במזרח והדיון בסוף מערב, הלא הרב הפרופ' שהסמיך לאשה בנדוננו גם דבריו יוצאים מירושלים.

The Churva Shul

The "Churva Shul" in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 1721, rebuilt in 1864 and destroyed again in 1948, was recently rebuilt and dedicated (link). I received (with permission to post) what I believe is an excerpt from the introduction to the shortly forthcoming Citadel and Tower: Quest for Jewish Majesty, volume 6 by R. Meir Belsky, and old-time student of R. Yitzchak Hunter who was among the first graduating class (so-to-speak) of Chaim Berlin:

The first volume of 'Citadel and Tower' appeared in 1988. The introduction spoke of revelation.

These 'Essays' are about revelation. In a sense, revelation alone is Jewish majesty. We are the people to whom HaShem revealed majestic eternal truths. 'To you alone I revealed and made known... ' (Amos 3:2). And though we no longer live in a time of Prophets, we do remain the children of Prophets. The children of Prophets, too, reflect prophecy.

Weekly Links

Rules: link (Note that this post will move every day until the end of the week)

Wednesday

• SALT today: link
• David Greenfield achieves easy victory after intense City Council race:
• The Yeshiva World celebrates Greenfield's victory: link
• 2nd Yeshiva student in Japan receives six years: link
• Last day of Barak's ultimatum to Yeshivat Har Brachah students: link
• The 2010 Facebook Haggadah: link
• NY Post reviews matzah bakeries for taste: link
• 1918 obituary for R. Chaim Soloveitchik by an American Reform rabbi, including a description of his personal meeting with Reb Chaim: link

Waiting for Mashiach II

I. Three Views

Do we have to believe that Mashiach can come any time? There are three positions that I have seen about this, that we must believe that:

1. Mashiach will come today
2. Mashiach can come today
3. Mashiach cannot come on all days but he will come

The first view appears in the name of R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav, in Likkutei Ha-Griz (vol. 2, p. 81, quoted by R. Yehuda Henkin in Bnei Banim, vol. 3 essay 3). It seems to mean that every morning we have to wake up and believe that today is the day that Mashiach will come.

Erev Pesach & The Fast of the Firstborn

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin

It is customary[1] for all firstborn males to fast on Erev Pesach in order to recall the tenth and final plague which God inflicted upon Egypt - the death of the firstborn.[2] There are grounds to suggest that the Fast of the Firstborn is actually of relatively recent vintage, as it is unlikely that in the time of the Beit Hamikdash there would have been some people occupied with preparing the Korban Pesach, while others would be fasting. It might just be that the true source for the custom originates with Esther, who fasted on this day in her attempt to save the Jewish people from Haman's plot.[3]

New Periodical: Milin Havivin vol. 4

New issue of Milin Havivin (vol. 4, 5769-5770, 2008-2010), the YCT annual student journal devoted to studies in Torah, society and the rabbinate (I can't find it online yet: link):

• 'I am the Seer': Objective and Subjective Elements of Samuel's Relationship to Saul and the Monarchy in I Samuel 8-16 by R. Hayyim Angel - A study of Shmuel's errors in these chapters, humanizing the prophet but maintaining the perspective of dealing with a great man.
• Sacred Rebellion: Socialism and Messianic Religious Zionism by R. David Wolkenfeld - An historical study of some key figures in the Poel HaMizrachi political movement.
• Minority Opinions and Their Role in Hora'ah by R. Nathaniel Hefgot - Really a collection of small discussions on different aspects of minority opinions, including a noteworthy treatment of the role of the local rabbi (mara de-asra) - something about which I have been thinking lately.

Creating the Sanctity of the Temple

My comments at a recent shul dinner:

I. Moving a Synagogue

The Gemara (Megillah 29a) makes a fantastic statement that is difficult to take literally. It says that all the synagogues in Bavel will be transplanted to the land of Israel. Commentators explain it to mean that at the time of the final redemption, the synagogues in exile will become a part of the Temple in Jerusalem. Due obvious problems of logistics, it seems difficult to take it as a literal prediction. I'd like to, instead, propose the following.

Weekly Links

Rules: link (Note that this post will move every day until the end of the week) (Additional note: Sorry for yesterday's absence. Variations in my schedule will affect this blog feature.)

Friday

• SALT today: link
• Chief Rabbi: Book error could have meant resigning (I'm not sure what this means): link
• R. Shlomo Miller recommends stringency on worm-infested fish: link
• 70 years later, Czech doctors apologize to Jews for persecution: link
• Charedim rioting in Jerusalem: link
• March sees record rate in hesder students' recruitment: link
• “Rabba” Sara Hurwitz Rocks the Orthodox (interview with Heeb): link
• R. Shalom Carmy reviews R. Jonathan Sacks' Covenant & Conversation: link