Everybody wants spirituality. To be a good person means to walk in G-d's ways. How does that translate to reality? The only guidebook to spirituality that has stood the test of time is the Hebrew Bible. The Bible says that the Jews will be a light onto the nations. But if you are not a born Jew, you have to convert, which is not so easy!! If you do convert, it is a lot of work to be a Jew (three times a day prayer, keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath).
This blog will show you how to be Jewish without the work!!
Sunday, December 19, 2021
Breaking news: Bereaved families demand the resignation of Israel’s public security minister and Rare Einstein Manuscript on Calculations Leading to Theory of Relativity Fetches Over $15M in Christie’s Auction and Pandemic Wiped Out NYC’s Taxi Industry & Now Uber Prices are Soaring By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh and New discoveries in tomb beneath Temple of Hatshepsut - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News and from my friend Sam--since it is very cold today--can you shovel snow and Ice on Shabbat?
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
Bereaved families demand resignation of Israel's public security minister
Israel Hayom via JNS By Efrat Forsher
The families have launched a campaign against Omer Barlev over his remarks comparing Arab terrorism to settler violence.
Bereaved families launched a campaign on Wednesday demanding that Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev "apologize or resign" over remarks made to senior American diplomat Victoria Nuland about alleged settler violence, and for comparing the "deadly Arab terrorism to some marginal events in the settlements."
The campaign, co-launched with the Samaria Regional Council, will include roadside billboards. If Barlev refuses to apologize, the families will demand that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett dismiss him.
The public security minister had told Nuland that Israel was working to tackle the alleged settler violence and was taking steps to bolster police presence in Judea and Samaria. He also said that efforts were being made to provide clearer instructions to Israeli troops on how to deal with attacks by Jews on Palestinians.
Despite a storm of criticism from bereaved families, Knesset members and even fellow coalition members, Barlev refused to apologize.
"I understand that it is really difficult for some of you to look in the mirror and face [the fact] that extreme settler violence [has become an issue] on the international stage, with foreign governments taking an interest," he tweeted on Tuesday. "I recommend that those who have difficulty [understanding this] drink a glass of water," he added.
"I will continue to fight Palestinian terrorism as if there is no extremist settler violence, and extremist settler violence as if there is no Palestinian terrorism," he wrote.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said, "A public security minister who compares Arab terrorism to marginal events in the settlements should not remain in office. This is a failure in values. A person who refuses to apologize and belittles bereaved families must resign … We launched the campaign because this statement by the public security minister could lead to disparagement in the attacks against settlers in Samaria and could harm the security of the residents."
The government must force Barlev to either apologize or resign, said Dagan.
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday expressed support for Barlev's statement, calling it "a step in the right direction and first official recognition by Israel of crimes committed by Jewish gangs against Palestinians."
Nevertheless, it said, "It is not enough. We call on the centrist and left-wing ministers in the government to end their silence and declare that they condemn and oppose settler terrorism and attacks on Palestinians, which will help create trust-building measures between Palestinians and Israelis and help create a suitable atmosphere for resolving the conflict."
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.
The Three Musketeers at the Kotel
Rare Einstein Manuscript on Calculations Leading to Theory of Relativity Fetches Over $15M in Christie's Auction
Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org
Edited by: TJVNews.com
A rare manuscript by Albert Einstein that changed the course of modern science was just sold for over 13.3 million euros (over $15 million), including fees, beating all predictions.
The 54-page, handwritten document outlines calculations that led to his theory of relativity. One of two existing copies went on sale at Christie's auction house in Paris on Tuesday evening. It was expected to fetch $2.4 million to $3.5 million. The manuscript was being sold as part of a judicial sale, and had to be handled by a special judicial commissioner. It was bought over the phone by an anonymous buyer.
British auction house Christie's told NBC News they will not be disclosing who won the final bid. CNN reported that on its website, Christie's calls the theory "one of the single most important ideas in modern science" and says it is "often described as the most beautiful theory in physics."
NBC News reported that the manuscript was preserved by Swiss-Italian engineer and Nobel Prize winning scientist Michele Besso, who worked on the calculations with the Nobel Prize winner. CNN reported that it was written jointly in Zurich by Besso and Einstein. Besso was Einstein's collaborator, lifelong friend and confidant.
It contains 26 pages by Einstein and 25 by Besso, along with three pages of entries written by both, and is also considered a valuable record of the German scientist's relationship with Besso, according to the CNN report.
CNN reported that the manuscript, written between June 1913 and early 1914, contains calculations made by Einstein and Besso on the theory of specialized relativity and the issue of an anomaly in the orbit of the planet Mercury. But it was populated by unnoticed errors and was eventually set aside by Einstein, Christie's said.
In a press release, Adrien Legendre, director of the Books and Manuscripts Department at Christie's said, "We are delighted that Christie's will be able to promote this extraordinary manuscript to its international network of collectors for our Exceptional Sale. Einstein's autographs from this period, and more generally from before 1919, are extremely rare."
Legendre added: "As one of only two surviving manuscripts documenting the genesis of general relativity… it provides a remarkable insight into Einstein's work and a fascinating dive into the mind of the greatest scientist of the 20th century."
CNN reported that the publication of Einstein's theory of relativity was key in making him a household name in the world of science. Six years later, in 1921, he won the Nobel Prize in physics.
Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, the former president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told NBC News in a phone interview on Tuesday that, "It was one of the most important documents on Einstein's road to general relativity."
Einstein helped found Hebrew University, which is home to the Albert Einstein Archives, as was reported by NBC.
Gutfreund said the manuscript was crucial to Einstein's "intellectual and scientific journey towards the general theory of relativity," as was reported by NBC News.
"He developed this theory, he almost reached the correct formulation, he misinterpreted it, he put it aside," he said. But, eventually, Einstein would get it right, making his early work a "very important step" in his discovery.
The pages are filled with sprawling calculations and crossed-out symbols, mainly written in ink, as was reported by NBC News.
In May, a letter in which Einstein wrote out his famous E=mc2 equation, was sold through Boston-based auction house RR Auction for more than $1.2 million — three times the expected amount.
Pandemic Wiped Out NYC's Taxi Industry & Now Uber Prices are Soaring
By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
As New York City continues to recover from the pandemic, yellow taxis seem to be missing in action at busy street corners and airports.
As reported by the NY Times, many taxi fleet owners slashed operations or closed them completely when the pandemic forced commuters to stay homes. Now, there are only an estimated 6,000 cabs in the city, as per the Times. That's less than half of the outstanding 13,500 medallions, or city-issued permits for operating a yellow cab. Of these, about 5,700 were taken off the road indefinitely by owners who returned the license plates voluntarily.
Taxi companies were already ailing when the pandemic began, from competing with Uber and Lyft, which operated at lower costs with no medallions, while taxi firms became debt ridden paying for the inflated medallions.
Now, as many employees are trickling back into their offices and travel has opened back up, the demand for cabs has returned. It seems, though, that it is now the riders' turn to feel frustrated and abandoned. Ride-hailing apps have subsequently raised their prices, switching to "surge pricing" due to the lack of supply.
Still, taxi owners are hesitant to get their cabs back on the road, fearing that the demand will be short lived, as a result of the holidays. While tourists and business travelers have started making their way back to the city, the threat of the new Coronavirus variants and the winter season may put a damper on the impending recovery. "Why are we going to put our toe back in the water if we're not going to be able to survive," said Richard Wissak, whose family operates 140 taxis, but took the cars out of service last year to save thousands in insurance, taxes and fees.
Also, many small taxi owners, with a single medallion, have been getting a stay on their loan payments temporarily, due to the pandemic. They fear that when they start working again, the payments may need to start again, and they don't know if they will be able to afford them, said Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. "They don't want to go back to work before there's substantial debt restructuring," said Ms. Desai, whose group began a fund to assist taxi owners in paying off their medallions at lower prices.
Furthermore, there is a lack of drivers. Some drivers who got expanded unemployment benefits from the pandemic, still are not back to work, and others have found alternative delivery jobs or have moved away.
New discoveries in tomb beneath Temple of Hatshepsut
Archaeologists conducting works at the Temple of Hatshepsut have made new discoveries in a subterranean tomb.
The temple was constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. It is situated opposite the city of Luxor and is considered a masterpiece of ancient architecture, with its three terraces rising into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.
Since 1961, efforts from a Polish-Egyptian archaeological expedition have been working to conserve the temple, with more recent works by a team from the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology (CAŚ) from the University of Warsaw.
Recently, CAŚ members have been working to document and restore a chapel dedicated to Hathor, in which beneath lies a rock cut tomb with a 15-metre-long corridor and burial chamber left untouched by archaeologists since the tomb was first documented by Henri Édouard Naville in the 19th century.
The team discovered that the tomb contained tons of debris, in which several hundred artefacts were found that date from either the Middle Kingdom when the tomb was constructed, or from the later 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom period
Dr. Patryk Chudzik from CAŚ reported that the tomb was built next to the temple of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II, in which the interred was likely someone closely related to the pharaoh. "The number and quality of the monuments we found are amazing. They include a wooden figurine, most probably the owner of the tomb, with a wig on his head" said Chudzik.
Within the debris level was painted vessels and bowls decorated with plant motifs, that generally date from the 18th Dynasty, in addition to a clay figure of a cow and several dozen figurines that were sacrifices made by the faithful and priests in the chapel above.
Dr. Chudzik believes that the items were essentially dumped in the tomb by the temple staff, who would have been accepting offerings but had very little space in the chapel to store them.
Header Image : The tomb beneath the Hathor Chapel – Image Credit : Dr. Patryk Chudzik
A slippery Shabbat
halakhot related to snow and the application of salt – or ice melt – on Shabbat.
Halakha Hotline of the 5 Towns
In this article we will discuss several halakhot related to snow and the application of salt – or ice melt – on Shabbat. (Explanations not found in text of halakhic terms are in source section.)
1) According to most Poskim (halakhic authorities), clean (i.e., not dirtied) snow is not muktzah on Shabbat (see note)[1] – whether it fell on Shabbat or before Shabbat;[2] nor are table salt or Koshering salt muktzah.[3] Ice melt, however, is muktzah;[4] but see below in the article.
2) Nevertheless, according to most Poskim, shoveling snow on Shabbat is generally forbidden due to the principles of uvdin d'chol,[5] tircha,[6] and zilzul Shabbat[7] (but see note 28). Moreover, if the area that one wishes to shovel is not paved, shoveling on Shabbat is prohibited[8] due to the g'zeirah (Rabbinic decree) of ashvuyei gumos.[9] Also, if the area in which one is shoveling is not enclosed by an eiruv (or the eiruv is not operational due to the snowstorm),[10] shoveling snow on Shabbat could entail the melachah (labor prohibited on Shabbat) of hotza'ah (carrying), when carrying the shovel or transporting the snow or ice melt. See note.[11]
3) If ice or snow on the walkway presents a risk of injury to the public (see note),[12] one may have a non-Jew apply ice melt even if the area is a real reshut harabim.[13],[14] If a non-Jew is not available, and the area is not a reshut harabim, most Poskim[15] rule that a Jew may apply ice melt[16] even without employing a shinui;[17] but see note.[18] There is a discussion in the Poskim whether one may put down sand or earth (or the like) on a walkway – even if the substances were designated for such purpose before Shabbat and thus not muktzah.[19]
4) In cases of need (e.g., there is concern that the snow will melt and freeze over, or if the large amount of snow makes it difficult to walk), then if the walkway is paved (see note),[20] one may have a non-Jew shovel the snow manually (i.e., without the use of bulldozers or snow blowers; see note),[21] even if the area is a reshut harabim.[22]
One should commission the non-Jew before Shabbat to shovel on Shabbat. If one did not make arrangements before Shabbat, one may even commission a non-Jew on Shabbat to shovel on Shabbat, but only if one does not use any terminology of hiring and no price is discussed.[23] One may say "I'll take care of you after Shabbat" or "We'll discuss particulars after Shabbat." For a very public area (e.g., shul), some Poskim permit even the use of a snow blower (see note).[24]
5) If one has a contract with a company to remove snow on one's property with plows or snow blowers, one should stipulate that they should not come on Shabbat. If they do come on Shabbat, it is questionable whether one must tell them to leave.[25] One should ask one's Rav for guidance.
6) Even in cases of need (see #4), if a non-Jew is not available to shovel, it is very difficult to permit a Jew to shovel, even if the walkway is paved and it is not in a reshut harabim, due to the principles stated in #2 (see note).[26] Indeed, common custom today is to prohibit a Jew's shoveling snow on Shabbat[27] (but see note).[28] Rather, one should put down ice melt (see #3) or just wait until after Shabbat to shovel. See also note regarding other methods to remove snow on Shabbat.[29]
7) It is forbidden to make snowballs or snowmen on Shabbat.[30]
Sources and explanations of Halakhic terms:
[1] As long as the snow – after it melts – is still fit for bathing or for an animal to drink (see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 338:8 with Mishnah Berurah #30). [2] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 16:45 with note 118; Sh"ut Be'er Moshe 1:20; Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 68:1; Chazon Ovadyah, Shabbat, Dinei Nolad #3. Cf. Igros Moshe O.C. 5:22 #37 who writes that snow is muktzah. [Interestingly, The Halachos of Muktzah (Rabbi Bodner) o.e. page 165 note 10 cites Rav Moshe Feinstein as ruling that snow is muktzah regardless of whether it fell on Shabbat or before Shabbat; whereas, Sefer Hilchos Shabbat (Rabbi Eider) writes that Rav Moshe Feinstein told him that snow is not muktzah.] [3] Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 67:15. [4] See The 39 Melachos page 369. The reason is that it has no purpose other than for melting ice and snow, which are generally forbidden on Shabbat (but see below in the article). [5] Literally: weekday actions. Activities that appear to be mundane, weekday-type activities are often prohibited on Shabbat and Yom Tov even when they involve no melachah (labor prohibited on Shabbat). See, for example, M.B. 333:1. [6] Literally: toil/bother. Activities that are strenuous or involve excessive toil are often prohibited on Shabbat and Yom Tov even when they involve no melachah. See, for example, M.B. ibid. [7] Literally: disrespect of Shabbat, which includes doing "non- Shabbat" activities; see Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:11, with note 59; Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 68:17. [8] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:11, with note 58. [9] Literally: leveling indentations. Leveling a dirt floor in a non-dwelling area entails the melachah of choreish (plowing); see M.B. 312:24. (Leveling a dirt floor in a dwelling area entails the melachah of boneh – building). Chazal(chachameinu zichronam livrachah – our Sages, may their memory be blessed) prohibited any activity that could possibly lead to leveling dirt surfaces, even if the particular surface in question is level and has no depressions. Moreover, even if the area is paved such activities are generally prohibited for fear that people will not differentiate between different surfaces and will level out even a surface that is not paved. See S.A. O.C. 337:2 with Rema, and note 20 below. [10] When snow freezes on tree branches, they become weighed down and become susceptible to cracking and subsequent falling. As they fall, they can come into contact with – and snap – the eiruv wire. In addition, depending on the strength of the wire, when snow freezes on the eiruv wire, the wire can possibly sag sufficiently so as to render the eiruv invalid (see M.B. 362:66 with Sha'ar Hatziyun #56). [11] In addition, some types of shovels would be considered a kli shemelachto l'issur (a utensil whose primary purpose is to be used in an activity that is forbidden on Shabbat) and may thus be moved only if one is actively using it for a permitted purpose or if one needs the place upon which the shovel is located; see S.A. O.C. 308:3; Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 68:17. There is a discussion in the Poskim (based on the Magen Avraham 320:15) whether breaking up ice that is attached to the ground (or the sidewalk) could entail the melachah of soseir (demolishing), since breaking up the ice could possibly be considered removing part of the ground (Sh"ut Har Tzvi, Orach Chaim, page 289). The consensus of the Poskim(Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 67:8 and Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:11 note 57) is that when there is a need to break up ice on the ground/sidewalk on Shabbat we may rule leniently that doing so is not considered soseir. Several reasons are offered for this lenient ruling, one of which is that the connection of the ice to the sidewalk – at least in most locales – is only temporary, since the ice will melt anyway within a few days. (See also Sh"ut Chasam Sofer cited in Sh"ut Har Tzvi who posits that even the Magen Avraham could possibly agree that there is no prohibition of soseir when breaking up ice that is attached to the ground/sidewalk.) [12] Defined for these purposes as three or more people (Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:9). [13] A halachic public domain; see O.C. 345:7-13 with Mishnah Berurah for the criteria necessary for an area to be considered a reshus harabim. [14] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:11. See Mishneh Halachos 4:45 at length. [15] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:10; Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 67:14. [16] The reason is that: 1) doing so does not involve any Biblical prohibitions since the area is not a reshus harabim and putting down the ice melt does not constitute boneh (building) – due to building up the ground surface – since it dissolves (Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu 67:12-13); and 2) although doing so will likely involve various Rabbinic prohibitions (including carrying), in cases of a risk of injury to the public, Chazal waived their restrictions and permitted one to perform actions that are generally prohibited Rabbinically, such as uvdin d'chol, tircha, zilzul Shabbat, carrying in a karmelis (which includes most non-enclosed areas that are not reshus harabim), moving muktzah, et al. (see S.A. O.C. 308:18 and Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:10 with note 52). Similarly, it would seem that although there is generally a Rabbinic prohibition to crush ice on Shabbat to convert it into water (or perform any direct action that will facilitate the melting of ice into water, such as applying ice melt; see S.A. O.C. 320:9 and M.B. 320:36), in cases of a risk of injury to the public, this restriction would also be waived. [17] Literally: change. That is, doing so in an unusual manner. [18] Sh"ut Beer Moshe (1:28) disagrees and rules (based on S.A. O.C. 313:10 and M.B. 313:56) that a shinui is required. An example of a shinui with regard to applying ice melt would be turning a utensil upside down and placing the ice melt on the underside of the utensil, then shaking it to apply the ice melt. The reason for this allowance is due to a general leniency, referred to as sh'vus dishvus, which allows one – under certain circumstances – to do a double layered issur d'rabanan (Rabbinic prohibition) (S.A. O.C. 307:5). For example, for purposes of a mitzvah or to alleviate significant discomfort, one may ask a non-Jew on Shabbat to do a forbidden act (although asking him to do so is generally prohibited Rabbinically), if the forbidden act is one that entails a melachah d'rabanan (Rabbinically prohibited labor on Shabbat), not a melachah d'oraysa (Biblically prohibited labor); see Magen Avraham O.C. 276:15. In our situation, applying ice melt is an issur d'rabanan, not a melachah d'oraysa; and one is employing a shinui when applying the salt (which is considered performing the action in a d'rabanan manner, as evidenced by the fact that a shinui transforms a melachah d'oraysa into an issur d'rabanan); and there is a great need. Accordingly, it is considered a sh'vus dishvus b'makom tzroech gadol (in cases of great need) and is permitted (see M.B. 313:56; cf. M.B. 307:22 and Sha'ar Hatziyun #24). [19] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah (n.e. 25:10, with notes 53 and 53*; based on M.B. 313:55) permits doing such (even though the sand and earth are muktzah; see note 16), but only if the walkway is paved so there is no issue of ashvuyei gumos (but see note that follows). Sh"ut Machazeh Eliyahu (67:13), however, prohibits doing such – at least on top of "black ice" (a layer of ice that is virtually invisible, and is extremely slippery) – since one ostensibly applies these items to purposely create a rough, not slippery surface, to the ground/sidewalk below it, with the intent that they remain in place for a significant period of time; and applying these items in such a case would be tantamount (based the M.B. ibid.) to the melachah of boneh (building); see note 9. [20] It would seem that it would be permitted only in locales in which the majority of walkways are paved; see Bi'ur Halacha 337:2 s.v. V'yeish Machmirin. [21] If one asks the non-Jew to remove the snow manually but the non-Jew insists on using a snow blower to make his job easier and quicker, see note 25. One should ask one's Rav for guidance. [22] See note 13. [23] See S.A. O.C. 306:6, M.B. 306:14; Bi'ur Halacha 307:2 s.v. Asur; and Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 28:65. See also ibid. 30:34 with note 116. [24] It would seem that they permit such in accordance with the prevalent practice of following the leniency of permitting a non-Jew to perform even a melachah d'oraysa (biblically prohibited) for the sake of the public. See, however, M.B. 306:28 who seems not to agree with such a leniency, except in special instances (see M.B. 276:25). Perhaps in our case there is reason to be lenient (based on the Sha'ar Hatziyun 302:44) since the snow removal is actually a melachah sh'einah tz'richah l'gufah (see Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. Introduction page 48). However, there are other factors that complicate the matter, which are beyond the scope of this article. The matter needs further study. [25] See a discussion in The 39 Melochos page 1099 and note 47d. Cf. M.B. 252:17. [26] This difficulty applies even if the city ordinances require one to shovel. [27] Sh"ut Mishneh Halachos (end of 4:45). Although Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 25:11 rules leniently "in cases of need," it would seem that this leniency applies specifically when shoveling is the only way to avert a risk of injury to the public (e.g., the snow is very deep, or it is so cold outside such that snow or ice melted by ice melt would likely refreeze before Shabbat ends). Note that even he writes that if a non-Jew is available to shovel, a Jew may not shovel on Shabbat even in cases of need. [28] It should be noted that Rav Ovadyah Yosef (Chazon Ovadyah, Shabbat, Dinei Nolad #3, note 2) takes an entirely different approach to the matter. If the walkway is paved (and the area is not a reshus harabim), he permits a Jew to shovel outright – even without a pressing need. The reason is that he holds that, in general, tirchah on Shabbat is not prohibited (see also Aruch Hashulchan O.C. 333:4). In addition, it seems that he holds that shoveling is preferred to applying salt (or ice melt), the latter of which he permits only in cases of great need. [29] Alternatively, one may sweep the snow with a broom, since it would seem that doing such would be considered a shinui. See also Chazon Ovadyah cited in the previous note. Sh"ut Mishneh Halachos (end of 4:45) holds that it is difficult to permit even clearing a path with one's foot. However, The 39 Melochos vol. 4 page 1099 permits doing so. (The latter permits also walking back and forth on the walkway while kicking away the snow. See, however, M.B. 316:51. The matter needs further study.) [30] Sh'miras Shabbat K'hilchasah n.e. 16:45.
The Halacha Hotline of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway was founded in 2011 as a response to a real need and has flourished to become a vital community resource. Expert Rabanim are available at almost any time of the day or night, to help bring ease and accessibility to the process of asking halakhic questions.
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