Tish Abov today, and Artist Jacob Pins exhibit and the Ticho house in the Center of Jerusalem

Can't see images? Click here... Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor Judge Yourself Favorably Years of guilt feelings over a specific matter can sometimes be overcome in a surprisingly short time if a person adopts a different perspective in viewing the matter. Frequently, people blame themselves unnecessarily. If you have irrational guilt feelings, give yourself a speech why you need not blame yourself. Take a piece of paper and write a list of ways to judge yourself favorably. Be careful not to do this with matters you should really try to correct. We are referring only to irrational guilt feelings, not to situations where a person wants to rationalize his failure to make difficult, but necessary, changes. If you find it difficult to judge yourself favorably, ask yourself, "How could I judge someone else favorably in this matter." Guilt-ridden people often find it easier to excuse others than to excuse themselves and this can be utilized as a tool for lessening their own blaming thoughts. Use your guilt constructively today and mourn for the loss of our holy temple and for the fact that although we took over the temple mount 50 years ago in the great 1967 vicotry we gave soverignty of it back to the Arabs this week. How we spit on the gifts that G-d has given us. No music videos today as well, so you won't have too much joy. Back to joy tomorrow but never forget the pain of Jerusalem. Love Yehuda Lave Despite threats on her life, Sara Zoabi – a brave Israeli Muslim woman – decided to stand up for the truth and bashes UNESCO's resolution. This relative of the infamous Arab MK Hanin Zoabi once described herself as "an Arab, a Muslim, an Israeli, and a Zionist," adding: "I may get killed for saying this, but I truly believe that we as Arabs have no better place than Israel." Ticho House and Artist Jacob Pins Jacob Otto Pins (17 January 1917 – 4 December 2005) was a German-born Israeli woodcut artist and art collector, particularly of Japanese prints and paintings. Jacob Pins was born in Höxter, Germany, the son of Dr Leo Pins, a veterinarian, and his wife Ida Lipper. He immigrated to Palestine in 1936 to study art. His father tried to discourage him from becoming an artist for financial reasons.[1] Pins' younger brother, Rudolph, ( 1920-2016)[2] moved to the United States in 1934. His father was sent to Buchenwald. In July 1944, both parents died in the Riga ghetto. Pins first lived on a kibbutz, which was disbanded in 1941. He moved to Jerusalem and studied woodcut and linocut under woodcut master and painter Jacob Steinhardt, also a German immigrant, at his small private school. He lived in poverty in a tiny room, subsisting on a meagre diet. He continued his studies at the new Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Pins was married to Elsa, the subject of a number of his prints. They had no children. Pins bought his first Oriental print in 1945, and acquired a house on Ethiopia Street, opposite the Ethiopian church, where he lived for the rest of his life. He continued collecting until his death and was one of Israel's foremost art collectors. His book on Japanese Pillar Prints, Hashira-e is the definitive work on the subject. Pins died in Jerusalem in December 2005. Art career Pins' artwork was heavily influenced by German expressionism and traditional Japanese wood block printing. From 1956 to 1977, he taught at Israel's leading art schools, most notably Bezalel, where he later became a professor. He was known as a demanding teacher, emphasizing strong technical skills and discipline. In the 1950s, Pins helped to found the Jerusalem Artists' House, a centre for the city's artists to meet and exhibit.[3] Legacy Pins' extensive collection of Japanese woodprints, paintings and sculptures was left to the Israel Museum, where it forms the Jacob Pins Collection. Most of his own artwork was left to his home town and the Forum Jacob Pins museum opened there in 2008. Nimrod Erez made a feature-length documentary about Pins, and this is in the permanent collection of MOMA, New York. A shorter documentary is on exhibition at the Jacob Pins Forum, Höxter. Exhibitions Jacob Pins: Woodcuts: Herzliya Museum of Art, December 92 - January 93 Published works Jacob Pins Woodcuts. Exhibition catalog, Boston, Boston Public Library, 1953. Paperback, 15 pp with six black and white woodcuts. Master woodcuts by Jacob Pins. Oblong octavvo, staples paper covers, 12pp., b/w illustrations. Introduction by Ruth Eis. A short catalog of the exhibition, May 5-June 30, 1974, Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, California, 1974 The Japanese Pillar Print, Hashira-e London Robert G Sawers Publishing, 1982, 389 pages, 14 pages in color and 1039/XXV11 illustrations in black and white. The Pins Collection: Chinese and Japanese paintings and prints. Israel Museum, Israel, 1980 The Jacob Pins Collection of Japanese Prints, Paintings and Sculptures. Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 1994 (ISBN 9652781614). School Choice Saved My Life, Dennis Prager Mazel Tov: Court Overturns Shelly Silver's Conviction The man who was the stalwart leader of the Jewish community on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and the strongest Democratic politician in NY State, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon "Shelly" Silver, is free of all charges. Writing for a unanimous three-judge panel of the Second Circuit in Manhattan, Judge José A. Cabranes noted that although "we recognize that many would view the facts adduced at Silver's trial with distaste, the question presented to us, however, is not how a jury would likely view the evidence presented by the government. Rather, it is whether it is clear, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a rational jury, properly instructed, would have found Silver guilty."   On November 30, 2015, a unanimous jury found Silver guilty on all seven counts of making illegal investments through private vehicles, netting a profit of $750,000. The conviction triggered his automatic expulsion from the Assembly. On May 3, 2016, federal judge Valerie E. Caproni of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sentenced Silver to 12 years in jail, and ordered him to pay $5.3 million in ill-gotten gains and $1.75 million in additional fines. Silver received two prison terms: 12 years for six criminal counts against him and 10 years on the seventh, to run concurrently. But he remained free on bail, while the panel of judges considered his appeal based on the US Supreme Court's decision in McDonnell v. United States that reversed the corruption conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. The appellate court cited the McDonnell ruling, which narrowed the definition of official conduct to be used as the foundation of a corruption prosecution – leading to the conclusion that the judge in Silver's case misled the jury with his instructions – or the same jury might not have found Silver guilty. It should be noted that the appellate court's ruling still leaves the door open for prosecutors to retry Mr. Silver. Trillion-Ton Iceberg Created by Antarctica A trillion-ton iceberg was created this week when a 5,800-square kilometer (2,200-square mile) chunk of polar ice snapped off the Larsen C ice shelf of Antarctica. "The calving occurred sometime between Monday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 12," the Swansea University said in a statement. "The iceberg weighs more than a trillion tons, but it was already floating before it calved away so it has no immediate impact on sea level."   The iceberg chunk, about 350 meters (1,100 feet) thick, is larger than the state of Delaware in the U.S. Larsen Crack 2016-2017, Jan. 30, 2017 A crack in the Larsen-C ice shelf in on the Antarctic Peninsula first appeared several years ago, but recently it has been lengthening faster than before. Carrying radar that can 'see' through the dark, the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites are monitoring the situation. The animation shows that the fissure had opened around 60 km since January last year. And, since the beginning of this January it split a further 20 km so that the 350 m-thick shelf was held only by a thread. The crack had extended around 175 km. The iceberg created is one of the largest ever recorded. The neighboring Larsen-A and Larsen-B ice shelves suffered a similar fate with dramatic calving events in 1995 and 2002, respectively. These ice shelves are important because they act as buttresses, holding back the ice that flows towards the sea. The Sentinel-1 two-satellite constellation is indispensable for discovering and monitoring events like these because it continues to deliver radar images when Antarctica is shrouded in darkness for several months of the year.   The Urchins' Revenge By Elchonon Isaacs Yaakov Abulafia and Yitzchak Shraga were both orphaned at a young age, and united by their common fate, they became best friends. They passed their days on the streets of Baghdad and supported themselves by taking what did not belong to them. There was no crime in the neighborhood that did not have their names on it, and they often sat behind bars. One day, they noticed a large crowd assembling outside one of the mansions in the city; it was the house of the local magnate Avraham ben Chasdai. The two blended into the crowd, and seeing the tables lavishly set with all kinds of delicacies, they entered the house. They did not waste any time filling their plates. Suddenly, the loud sound of a bell was heard. A band started playing, and a children's choir began singing. Everyone stood up at the sight of a young man of 17 dressed in fancy clothes, with a white tallit over his head. He was escorted by his parents, and three rabbis stood behind them. When the young man reached the podium, the band stopped playing and the chief rabbi took out a scroll and began reading: "We, the undersigned, are giving our approbation and ordaining the young man, the honorable Rabbi Yehuda ben Chasdai. From now on he may instruct and adjudicate any halachic [Jewish legal] matter." The chief rabbi then invited the new rabbi to speak. After his opening remarks, in which he thanked his parents and teachers, he proceeded to dazzle the crowd with an erudite Talmudic and halachic discourse. The two boys, Yaakov and Yitzchak, were awed by the knowledge of their peer, and they started pushing their way through the crowd until they were visible to the young speaker. When the young new rabbi saw the pair, he interrupted his discourse and blurted out, "What are you two doing here?" Ashamed, they quickly disappeared. They were burning with an urge for revenge. "Let us ambush the new rabbi at night and beat him to a pulp," Yaakov suggested. Yitzchak hesitated. "What are we going to gain from a beating? He embarrassed us in public, which is equivalent to murder.1 I have an idea, we should do the same and embarrass him in public, and then take the honor and praise." "But how?" countered Yaakov. "We will leave Baghdad, and we will go to a place of Torah study for five years where we will study day and night diligently until we will be on par with our arrogant friend. Then we will be able to pay him back," Yitzchak said. Their desire for revenge was so strong that they made a pact to execute the plan come what may. They came to the city of Borsippa where there was a great yeshivah. There was a rich man who was willing to support the duo, and they boarded with him. Slowly, they mastered the language of the Talmud and began advancing in their learning. After five years passed, they decided to extend their learning for a few more years. Eight years passed, and they became known as great sages. They were in high demand as marriage partners, and they soon married and started families. Once they attained the status of great sages, the time had come to execute their plan. They took leave of their wives and began the trip back to Baghdad. When they arrived, they saw a notice on the town bulletin that the wise Rabbi Yehudah ben Chasdai would be speaking at the great synagogue. The next day they were in attendance at the synagogue among the large crowd who came to listen. It was a complicated lecture and connected to practical halachah. Yaakov and Yitzchak could not help but notice that the premise was flawed. Yaakov wanted to shout out and refute the rabbi, but Yitzchak nudged him with his elbow and whispered, "Let us not embarrass him in public. It is only in his merit that we are where we are today." At the conclusion of the lecture, they approached the rabbi: "We heard your talk but we have a refutation. If the talk had been given on the Aggadic [narrative] parts of the Talmud we would have remained silent, but since it concerns practical halachah, we must make our case known." They detailed their reasoning, and Rabbi Yehuda exclaimed in awe, "Such knowledgeable Torah scholars I have never met!" "You did meet us in the past," they retorted. "You also embarrassed us in public." Stunned by the claim, the rabbi insisted that he had never met them. "Try to remember when you embarrassed two people that did nothing wrong to you," they said to him. After a pensive moment, the rabbi began, "Only once in my life did I embarrass anyone in public, and that was at my ordination ceremony when two local gangsters stood in front of me, and I chased them out. I have regretted that moment ever since." The two smiled and said, "We are those gangsters!" The rabbi was shocked and invited them over to his house to continue the discussion. The next day, Rabbi Yehudah assembled the townspeople, and in an emotional voice he recounted the story from the beginning. He also retracted what he had said the day before. "It seems that I was made to err by heaven so that I could atone for my past sin," he said. At that moment, all those who were assembled accepted upon themselves not to embarrass any person. Rabbi Yaakov Abulafia and Rabbi Yitzchak Shraga went on to become great sages in different regions in Iraq. See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave Rabbi Yehuda Lave Your mailing address Contact Phone Website LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe

Schedule of classes going on for Tish A'bov on Monday night and Tuesday Day

Can't see images? Click here... Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor We Have All Dropped a Few Excessive guilt feelings for past failings will prevent you from doing more good deeds in the present. Focus on doing as many good deeds as possible. Imagine a person with a limited time to collect diamonds from a large pile. Whatever he puts in his sack is his. In his haste he might accidentally drop a few. Only a fool would stop collecting more and bemoan his misfortune. Any sensible person would keep focused on the many diamonds he is still able to collect, and work diligently to pick up as many as he can. What is lost is truly a great loss, but he still has an immense amount of wealth to gain by gathering more. A person who has failed to do some good deed is in a similar situation. If he merely keeps telling himself he is an awful person, it will keep him from trying to do as many good deeds as possible in the present. Diligently try to do as much good as possible in the present. Every good deed we perform is a valuable jewel. The wise person gathers as much spiritual wealth as possible. The same applies to all the classes I am listed below for Monday night and Tuesday for Tisha Abov. You can't go to them all but you can gather up some diamonds.   Love Yehuda Lave What is Tisha B'Av Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the month of Av (Jul. 31 - Aug. 1, 2017), is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, on which we fast, deprive ourselves and pray. It is the culmination of the Three Weeks, a period of time during which we mark the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. What Happened on 9 Av 1313 BCE: The spies returned from the Promised Land with frightening reports, and the Israelites balked at the prospect of entering the land. G‑ddecreed that they would therefore wander in the desert for 40 years. Read more. Both Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed on this date. The First Temple was burned by the Babylonians in 423 BCE (read more) and the Second Temple fell to the Romans in 70 CE (read more), unleashing a period of suffering from which our nation has never fully recovered. The Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans in 133 CE ended in defeat: The Jews of Betar were butchered on the 9th of Av and the Temple Mount was plowed one year later on the same date. Read more. Later on in our history, many more tragedies happened on this day, including the 1290 expulsion of England's Jews and the 1492banishment of all Jews from Spain. Read more. More: What Happened on Tisha B'Av? How 9 Av Is Observed The fast begins at sunset of the 8th of Av and concludes at nightfall the following night. During this time, we do not eat or drink wear leather footwear bathe or wash ourselves (washing only until the knuckle when mandated by halachah) apply ointments or creams engage in marital relations or any form of intimacy sit on a normal-height chair until chatzot (the time when the sun has reached its apex) study Torah (except for the "sad" parts that deal with the destruction of the Temples, etc.) send gifts, or even greet one another (you may respond to greetings) engage in outings, trips or similar pleasurable activities wear fine, festive clothing Read more: The Laws of Mourning What We Do Starting from midday on 8 Av, we limit our Torah study to the few allowed topics that are of a sad nature or pertain to the Temples' destruction. We eat a square meal in the afternoon, before Minchah services. Then, late in the afternoon, a "separation meal," seudah hamafseket, is eaten. It consists of bread and a hard-boiled egg dipped in ashes, accompanied by water. This meal is eaten alone, sitting on a low stool. (See here for how this plays out when Tisha B'Av follows Shabbat.) The meal must be over by sundown, when all the laws of Tisha B'Av take effect. Tisha B'Av evening services are held in synagogue, where the ark has been stripped of its decorative curtain and the lights dimmed. Evening prayers are followed by the chanting of Eichah (Lamentations). Morning prayers are held without tallit and tefillin, since both are considered adornments. Most of the morning is occupied by the reading of Kinot, elegies marking the various tragedies that befell our people. Work is permitted on Tisha B'Av, but discouraged. On this day, one's focus should be on mourning and repentance. If one must work, it is preferable to begin after midday. It is customary to give extra charity on Tisha B'Av, as on every fast day. After midday, it is permissible to sit on chairs, and tallit and tefillin are worn during the afternoon prayer. In the synagogue, the ark's curtain is restored to its place before the afternoon prayers. Many communities have the custom to clean the house and wash the floors after midday, in anticipation of the Redemption, which we await. Many important details and laws can be found in Order of the Day and What to Expect at Tisha B'Av Services. After the Fast When night falls, before breaking the fast, one should perform netilat yadayim (hand-washing), this time covering the entire hand with water, but without reciting the blessing. It is also customary to perform Kiddush Levanah at this point, celebrating the rebirth of the moon, and our hoped-for national rebirth. The Temple was set ablaze on the afternoon of the 9th of Av, and it burned through the 10th. Therefore, the restrictions of the Nine Days (such as not eating meat, swimming or laundering clothing) extend until midday of the 10th of Av. The Joy Within the Sadness Even as we mourn, there is an element of joy and comfort. Indeed, the reading of Eichah concludes with the verse "Restore us to You, O L‑rd, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old." There is also a custom among many to use flimsy paperback Kinot booklets, hoping that they will not be needed next year. It is by no accident that Scripture refers to this day as a mo'ed, a holiday, and Tachanun (prayer of repentance) is not said today. May the time soon come when we look back with the clarity of hindsight to see how all our suffering was but a prelude to happiness and goodness, with the coming ofMoshiach. Amen! © Copyright, all rights reserved Friday Night classes   SCHEDULE OF SHIURIM ON TISHA B'AV Evening (Shiurim are in English)   1) Hazvi Yisrael Synagogue (Hovevei) | Hovevei Zion 14 POB 4400 | Jerusalem | ISRAEL | 91043 | 052 383 2379 www.hovevei.org   Tisha B'Av evening after Kinot (8:45 PM)- Rabbi Jeff Bienefeld will give a shiur. TOPIC: Confronting the Sin of the Churban   2)   Yiboneh at the Tower of David We have over 100 registered participants...Just to remind those interested but didn't yet properly register by email..PLEASE DO SO BEFORE WE NEED TO CLOSE REGISTRATION... at the following link: http://www.yiboneh.com/tisha-bav-eve.html Ohr Samayach Schedule TISHA B'AV 5777 AT OHR SOMAYACH MONDAY NIGHT-JULY 31 8:10 pm Maariv & Eicha followed by a shiur by Rabbi Yitzchak Dalah TISHA B'AV DAY-AUGUST 1 7:50 am Shacharit 8:50 am - 12:15 pm Special Kinot Reading & Explanation with Rav Yitzchak Breitowitz, Rav, Kehillat Ohr Somayach 12:15 pm - Eicha ALL-DAY SEMINAR FEATURING TALKS BY: 12:45 pm Rav Nota Schiller, Rosh Hayeshiva 1:45 pm Rav Yitzchak Breitowitz 2:45 pm Rav Nachshon Schiller, Rosh Yeshiva, Ohr Shmuel 3:30 pm Rabbi Dovid Kaplan 4:15 pm Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb 5:00 pm Rabbi Avraham Rockmill 5:45 pm Rabbi Reuven Lauffer 6:15 pm Rabbi Yaacov Asher Sinclair 7:30 pm Rabbi Yehuda Samet 6:50 pm Mincha - 7:59 pm Maariv - End of Fast 8:05 pm Ezrat Nashim will be open throughout the day. Why 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, Maalot Daphna, Jerusalem Bus 25, 45, 34 & Light Rail to Shimon Hatzadik arutz yashir tisha bav 5777 ad A4_Layout 1 20-Jul-17 12:26 PM Page 1   Heat warning: They are expecting extreme temperatures on Tisha B'av, esp in Yerushalayim. Make sure to drink beforehand plenty and take necessary precautions. Times: Date: Monday night and Tuesday, July 31- August 1. Begins  19.41 on Monday and ends 20:05 on Tuesday. Happenings: Note – Most evening readings of Eicha are at 8pm Emeck Learning Center– 64 Emek Refaim – Programme details – Look on flyer.   Pardes — Beyond Lamentations: Discord and Harmony OU Israel Center Gruss Kollel, Rechov Duvdevani 40, Bayit Vegan, from 8am. Rabbi Brovender, Click on here. Shir Chadash: Maariv & Eicha (Monday Night): 8 PM at EMEK REFAIM 45 LOCATION Shacharit & Kinot (Tuesday): 8:15 AM at CHOPIN 3 LOCATION Mincha (Tuesday): 1:20 PM, followed by the movie Bridging Worlds at EMEK REFAIM 45 LOCATION Jaffa Gate with Rabbi Ariel Tal Eretz Chemdah, Bruriya 2: Monday Evening: 7.35 pm – Fast Starts 8.00 pm – Maariv & Eicha Tuesday Morning: 8:00 am  – Shacharit followed by an in-depth analysis of selected Kinnot led by Rabbi Prof. Daniel Sinclair. 8.05 pm – Fast Ends. Tisha Bav Old City – Eicha Reading Yakar, Jerusalem. Reading Eicha at 8pm and then 8am. Programmes at Begin Center and Bet Avi Chai – Look at flyers below. Ohel Nechama Shul, Rechov Chopin, Tisha B'av afternoon programme. Yemin Moshe – Look on flyer.     Tuesday day classes In addition to the programs listed above and below, Rabbi Pincus Rosenzweig will give a class at 11:00 At Mayanot Shul On Narkis street.   10:15 AM – 2:30 PM Rabbi Chaim Ilson will give a shiur in English on Themes of the Kinnot. (The shiur will be streamed).   Rabbi Chaim Ilson - Rabbi Chaim Ilson was a leading talmid of Rabbi J.B.. Soleveitchik Z"L (The Rov) at RIETS/YU for over 10 years.  He coedited (with Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveichick and Rabbi Yitzchak Lichtenstein) Chidushai Hagram Halevi, Chiddushei Hagram v' Hagrid and Igros Hagrid Halevi    He led a kollel for 10 years and then opened Yeshiva Derech HaTalmud.   As a Brisker, Rav Ilson tries to give over a particular derech to his students that teaches them to learn simple p'shat in the gemarah and rishonim by "reading the words." He is not fond of pilpul and "reid."   He is a truly brilliant mind – he recently published a sefer Pri Chaim on sheve'is  and is working on sefarim on on Sefer Hamitzvos. Rambam Hilchos Tefillah, the Moadim, Ohalos, and Chullin. Rabbi Ilson is one of the few talmidim who was zocheh to study with the Rov in his apartment (along with the Rov's  grandson, Moshe Twersky)   He has a very likable style of saying a shiur and is very warm and personable with his talmidim Question: Do disposable vessels and electric kettles require immersion in a Mikveh? Answer: In the previous Halachot, we have discussed the general law that any new vessels purchased from a non-Jew must be immersed in a Mikveh before using them. We shall now discuss whether or not disposable vessels require immersion.   We have already explained that according to Maran zt"l, plastic vessels do not require immersion even if they are not disposable. We must therefore discuss the law regarding disposable aluminum vessels (such as pans, cookie sheets, and the like) and whether or not they require immersion in a Mikveh.   We find a similar discussion regarding the Mitzvah of Kiddush on Shabbat which must be recited on a cup of wine. The Poskim discuss whether or not a disposable cup can be considered a "vessel" regarding this matter. If a disposable cup is considered a "vessel" regarding Kiddush, it should follow that the same is true regarding immersion in a Mikveh. If so, disposable aluminum vessels would halachically require immersion.   Maran zt"l discusses this topic in his Chazon Ovadia-Shabbat (Volume 2) and he concludes that disposable cups are indeed valid for the Mitzvah of Kiddush according to the letter of the law as they are indeed considered "vessels" and the same would hold true regarding the status of disposable vessels with regards to immersion in a Mikveh. Nevertheless, Maran zt"l adds that since there are several Poskim who differentiate between the laws of Kiddush and immersion, such vessels should be immersed without reciting a blessing in order to avoid a possible blessing in vain.   We must nevertheless point out that many aluminum vessels produced in Israel are not produced by non-Jews; rather, they are manufactured by Jewish companies. Even regarding aluminum vessels produces outside of Israel, there is indeed basis to exempt them from immersion in a Mikveh, for aluminum was a metal which was not yet discovered in earlier generations and the Torah does not delineate an explicit commandment to immerse aluminum. Maran zt"l himself uses this rationale to rule leniently on an unrelated matter (regarding the laws of impurity of a corpse, see Chazon Ovadia-Avelut, Part 2). He quotes that Hagaon Harav Moshe Feinstein zt"l rules likewise. Thus, one need not protest vehemently against those who customarily use such disposable aluminum vessels without first immersing them in a Mikveh, for they indeed have on whom to rely (this is especially true if one is unsure if the owner of the company is Jewish or not).   An Electric Kettle The Poskim disagree whether or not an electric kettle requires immersion, for we have a rule that anything attached to the ground does not require immersion in a Mikveh since a vessel which cannot become impure does not require immersion and anything attached to the ground cannot become impure. Thus, several Poskim, including Hagaon Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l,write that since the primary usage of an electric kettle is when it is plugged into the outlet, it is considered attached to the ground and does not require immersion. However, halachically speaking, even Hagaon Harav Auerbach did not wish to rely on this reason alone to exempt electric kettles from immersion, for they are used even when they are not connected to the outlet.   Indeed, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt"l writes that it is preferable to act stringently and immerse an electric kettle in the Mikveh. If one is worried that immersing it in water will ruin it, one should give it to a non-Jew as a gift and then ask him to lend it back to him, for one who borrows or rents a vessel from a non-Jew need not immerse the vessel since he has not purchased them fully and this is no longer comparable to the vessels of Midyan which the Jewish nation took full ownership of. Hagaon Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach adds another way to exempt the electric kettle from immersion and that is by giving it to a licensed Jewish electrician who will then take it apart in a professional manner that not just anyone could try at home. The electrician should then put it back together and this will be considered as though one had purchased the kettle from a Jew and it will not require immersion.   Summary: Disposable aluminum vessels produced outside of Israel require immersion in a Mikveh without a blessing. (Some rule leniently on this matter.) An electric kettle likewise requires immersion without a blessing. One can exempt it from immersion by giving it as a gift to a non-Jew and then asking the non-Jew to lend it back to him. Another way to exempt the kettle from immersion is by having a Jewish electrician take it apart in a professional manner and then putting it back together again. Jerusalem – Then and Now | בית אבי חי‎ Old Historic pictures in the library of Beit Avi High http://www.bac.org.il/specials/project/mhvbrym-lha-yhdyv/article/jerusalem-en   France's secret links to Nazi Holocaust revealed http://shr.gs/giLSzYI Amazon under fire for selling illegal and dangerous weapons including stun guns, knuckledusters and pepper sprays Illegal weapons sold in Christmas run in on Amazon.co.uk  An investigation found that each of the items were available to buy on Amazon UK to be sent to addresses in Britain - despite being in breach of strict UK firearms and offensive weapons laws. Read the full story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3362778/Illegal-dangerous-knuckledusters-stun-guns-pepper-sprays-sold-Christmas-run-Amazon-uk.html   See you tomorrow--Have a Meaningful fast on Tuesday Love Yehuda Lave Rabbi Yehuda Lave Your mailing address Contact Phone Website LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe