HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: murray@cybernet.cse.fau.edu (murray kahl)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: D'var Torah
Date: 15 Sep 92 18:24:45 GMT
Organization: Cybernet BBS, Boca Raton, Florida

Y. Y. Hodakov
Sichos In English
Ki Seitzei for children
 
Firstly, I'd like to thank and compliment you on the weekly Dvar Torah 
for
Shabbos.  I enjoy it immensly, as I enjoy all children reading material 
(it
doesn't strain my brain, if you know what I mean), and it is obviously
getting better, as time goes on, from week to week.
 
One line this week sounded a little bit funny, I think.
 
Towards the end, it said something to the effect that by winning the 
battle
against our Yetzer Hara, we will "hasten the coming of the time when
Moshiach will come".  Maybe I'm wrong, but the wording sounded a bit 
funny.
 
Besuros Tovos
YY
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
From: feld@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Michael Feld)
Subject: Re: Jews in space.
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:55:50 GMT

In article <7440002@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com> rogerp@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Roger Pollard) writes:
>    In article <5589@shum.huji.ac.il> aplebaum@shum.huji.ac.il (Hillel Applebaum) writes:
>    >In article <17205@ulysses.att.com>, smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>    >Is it realy so ? will you have a SHABAT after 6 martian days ? 
>    >Will you DAVEN MAA'RIV on martian sunset ?
>    >I don't think so.
>
>Many years ago (before the problem became a "real" one) I had heard that
>one artifically maintained the time (for halchic purposes) of the place
>you left (i.e Cape Canaveral, or wherever else they launch these things from).

This recalls an old proof that neither Judaism nor Islam could be
Universal religions:
fasting for an entire day would kill the Arctic/Antarctic dweller.

Mordecai Richler has fun with this in his treatment of the Inuit, in
_Solomon Gursky_.
-- 
Michael Feld                         | E-mail:  <feld@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Dept. of Philosophy                  | FAX:     (204) 261-0021
University of Manitoba               | Voice:   (204) 474-9136
Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2M8, Canada
From: singer@ll.mit.edu (Matthew R. Singer)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Yahrzeit calculator
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:16:00 GMT
Reply-To: singer@ll.mit.edu (Matthew R. Singer)
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory


--

Many moons ago, (more like years) a program for calculating yahrzeit dates
appeared here.  Does anyone have a copy they could email me?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew R. Singer                                    MIT Lincoln Laboratory
(617) 981-3771                                       244 Wood Street
singer@ll.mit.edu                                    Lexington, MA 02173
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish,soc.culture.polish
From: matthew@stats.mu.oz.au (Maciek Blasikiewicz)
Subject: Re: Auschvitz and $$$ & The Ontario Press Council
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 01:26:38 GMT

saal@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (samuel.saal) writes:

>In article <7177@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com> roman@sparc17.hri.com (Roman
>Budzianowski) writes:

>>If you feel that Poles didn't do enough - that is your right. But don't
>>bring example of Denmark and similar countries - it's ridicules.

>Up until this line, I wouldn't have argued; I would have respected your
>right to a different opinion no matter how much I disagreed.  But with
>this statement you again attempt to call Poland the real victim, a typical
>revisionistic tactic.  Either that or you have so little respect for
>Poland that you are saying we shouldn't expect it to measure up to
>countries like Norway or Bulgaria for whatever litany of reasons.
>-- 
>Sam Saal      kingfish!saal OR saal@kingfish.att.com
>	Vayiftach HaShem et Peah Ha`Aton

Norway's Jews were 0.1% of the population, Bulgaria's were 0.8%,
Poland's were 10%. You are not making fair comparisons.

Do you really think that hiding 1 in 1000 people (in Norway) is as easy
as hiding 1 in 10 (in Poland)? Don't you understand that a large
proportion of jewish Poles were not assimilated, they were orthodox,
often could not even speak polish, and any idiot could spot them from
far away (because of the dress etc.).  Don't you get that jewish Poles
often lived in groups, separate from non-jewish Poles, and so there was
no way for them to hide among non-jewish Poles (as the Germans did not
allow free travel)? Don't you get that Poland's geographical location
made it difficult to smuggle out jewish Poles (even on fishing boats or
whatever)?  Don't you see that only so many people can be hidden per
head of population (the number of jewish people that realistically can
be hidden is not a linear function of the proportion of jewish people in
a country, and saturation is reached at some stage)? If the percentage
of jewish ethnics is less than the saturation level, then most of them
will be hidden with success, but if this percentage exceeds the
saturation level, then the excess will not be able to be hidden.


MB
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
From: gertler@ptms_dev.sbi.com (User - Don Gertler)
Subject: Re:  Logic (was more can of worms
Originator: scj@israel.nysernet.org
Reply-To: <gertler@ptms_dev.sbi.com (User - Don Gertler)>
Organization: Nysernet
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:01:01 GMT

MASH@WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL (Michael Shimshoni) writes:
>I think that Sam  has put his finger on why so  much of the "dialogue"
>between some  spokesmen of  the Orthodox and  others seems  so futile.
>Once one  even considers logic to  be "close to avodah  zara", what is
>there left to discuss?  The O saying "it is true  because I BELIEVE it
>to be so",  and/or "because it says  so in one of  the ancient books".
>There is no flaw in such  statements, they are just useless for anyone
>who is not satisfied by them and who is not ready to share that belief
>because his teacher, father or a Rabbi TOLD him to believe it.

Well, I also don't like connecting logic and avoda zara.  But
as for the rest of your statement, well, it's a two-way street.
The R may be saying "it is NOT true  because I BELIEVE it NOT
to be so",  and/or "because it says  so in one of  the modern books".
There is no flaw in such  statements, they are just useless for anyone
who is not satisfied by them and who is not ready to share that belief
because his teacher, father or a Rabbi TOLD him to believe it.

We disagree in belief.  We disagree in validity of sources.  And
we may disagree in mentors.  Futile?  I disagree with you.

-Don Gertler
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Surrogate Mothers
Date: 8 Sep 92 15:38:50 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department

In article <1992Sep8.002710.14925@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> weiner@medg.lcs.mit.edu (The Frog) writes:
>While reading about contracts regarding surrogate mothers, I realized that I
>did not know the Jewish perspectives on this issue.  Any help would be
>appreciated with the following questions:

Which Jewish perspectives?  I doubt that even the Orthodox rabbis agree.

>1)  Is artificial insemination of a woman's ovum by her husband's sperm 
>    allowed in Judaism?

>2)  Is artificial insemination of a woman's ovum by another man's sperm 
>    allowed in Judaism or is this adultry?

>3)  Is artificial insemination of another, unmarried woman's ovum by the
>    husband, placed in the wife, allowed?

>4)  Is artificial insemination of another, married woman's ovum by the
>    husband, placed in the wife, allowed?

>5)  Are contracts regarding surrogate mothers in the case where the surrogate
>    (unmarried) mother's ovum is inseminated by the husband in the traditional
>    way respected?
>    If so, must the child be turned over or are damages due?

>6)  Same as (5) whereas the surrogate mother is married.

>7)  Same as (5) and (6) whereas the ovum is artificially inseminated.

>8)  Same as (5) and (6) whereas the ovum is the wife's and is artificially
>    inseminated by her husband.

>9)  In case (8), where the surrogate mother is Jewish but the wife is not,
>    is the child Jewish?

>10) In case (8), where the surrogate mother is not Jewish but the wife is,
>    is the child Jewish?

>11) Any significant variation you can imagine :>

There are variations on this which seem only to be partially included.

There are two quite distinct types of artificial insemination, one in 
which the sperm is inserted in the woman, and "in vitro" fertilization,
in which the sperm and egg are combined outside the body.  Although
embryo transplantation is commonly used in cattle, I am unaware of it
being done in humans; do you mean this or in vitro fertiliztion in
(2), (3) and (4)?  These are quite distinct problems.

Personally, I think that in vitro fertilization by the husband, and
implantation in a surrogate mother is going to become an important
method.  I believe that eventually even the need for a surrogate
mother will disappear, as at least partially biological artificial
wombs will be developed, but this may be some time off.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!pop.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
From: saal@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (samuel.saal)
Subject: Re: Document that! (was Re: Violent antisemitism?)
Organization: liver ---> spleen
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 21:18:23 GMT

In article <7208@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com> roman@sparc17.hri.com (Roman
Budzianowski) writes:

>What is your estimate - how many Poles helped the Germans murder Jews ?
>Give a number between 0 and the number of all ethnic Poles minus 3.5milion dead.

Ah, yes, the last refuge of the defensive: "give me numbers."

Why do you assume that these 3.5 million Poles (which I assume
do not include Jews) were either not antisemitic or had their
antisemitism nullified by being murdered by the Nazis?
-- 
Sam Saal      kingfish!saal OR saal@kingfish.att.com
	Vayiftach HaShem et Peah Ha`Aton
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish,soc.culture.polish
From: aryk@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (A.J.S. Nusbacher)
Subject: Re: Yom Kippur and Tu b'Av
Organization: University of Toronto -- Hart House
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 19:18:41 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.141634.6615@njitgw.njit.edu> dic5340@hertz.njit.edu (David Charlap) writes:

>....  I just find it incredible that after
>fasting for 24 hours, that one could have the strength to celebrate.
>I usually find it hard to remain standing all through Ne'ila!  Then
>again, maybe I'm just not as (physically) strong as the majority.
>
>It's not the mood-shift, but the level of activity on a very empty
>stomach.  Of course, the celebration probably took place after a meal
>and a rest...

Partying right after Yom Kippur gives the advantage of a cheap drunk, 
and (if you break your fast right) a sugar rush.  Wow!

Aryk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
From: jeff@godzilla.quotron.com (Jeff Marder)
Subject: Massive Doses Of Thirst Quencher Prior to Yom Kippur???
Organization: Quotron Systems, Inc.
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 15:42:50 GMT

well, this year Yom Kippur comes in October, just when the Santa Ana
Wind conditions hit So. Cal.   Dry soil,dry air, dry skin, dry mouths.
Is Gatorade or other thirst quenchers kosher??   Will these thirst
quenchers taken prior to Erev Yom Kippur, get me through a hot, dry
fast????


-- 
===========================================================
jeff@godzilla.quotron.com
Quotron Systems   310-302-4316
From: saal@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (samuel.saal)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Nazi camps
Date: 8 Sep 92 13:13:32 GMT
Organization: liver ---> spleen

In article <1992Sep3.183125.14985@sarah.albany.edu>
pawel@tethys.ph.albany.edu writes:

>   Thank you very much for the explanation.  Now, if I may follow
>your example: is it correct to call Nazi's death camps "Jewish death
>camps in Poland" ?

Only if you are attempting to deny that Gypsies, Catholics, Blacks,
homosexuals, Poles, etc. were targeted and/or murdered there.  I'm not
willing to minimize the Holocaust in any way.

>  Please explain me one more thing (just to improve my English):
>if we assume that somebody does not know anything about history,
>would the term "Polish camp" be ambiguous for such person ?
>Can it be understood by such person as meaning "camp owned by Poles"
>or (from your example) "camp for Poles" ??

Possibly, but even then, only if there is no context.  The newspaper
article gave more than enought background for that.

>  This time, to avoid further misunderstandings I consulted my Webster's
>dictionary.

>  complicity - participation in a wrongful act
>  ^^^^^^^^^^
>  This is strong statement.  Could you give any examples of Polish people
>willingly participating in designing or operating death camps ?  
>An example of somebody like Demanyuk (Ukrainian who volunteered), maybe
>names of Poles searched for by Israel for complicity ?

I urge you to visit Yad Vashem in Israel, the Weisenthal Center in
California, or the Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC (when it is
completed).  You will learn the answer to your question ain a way far more
vivid than I can provide by simply listing names.  You'll also learn about
the Poles who resisted the Nazis without resorting to antisemitism.

>  I do not know whether I understand you correctly, but you seem to imply
>here that because SOME Polish people were satisfied (?) by the Final
>Solution the death camps should be called Polish ?

No.  All I'm saying is that because they were on Polish soil, surrounded
by Polish people, it is not illegitimate to call them Polish camps.

This is especially so when the rest of the article that offended (some?)
Polish Canadians sontained as much context as we saw from the sinppets
posted by someone upset by it.
-- 
Sam Saal      kingfish!saal OR saal@kingfish.att.com
	Vayiftach HaShem et Peah Ha`Aton
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
From: saal@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (samuel.saal)
Subject: Re: Auschvitz and $$$ & The Ontario Press Council
Organization: liver ---> spleen
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 12:33:09 GMT

In article <7177@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com> roman@sparc17.hri.com (Roman
Budzianowski) writes:

>If you feel that Poles didn't do enough - that is your right. But don't
>bring example of Denmark and similar countries - it's ridicules.

Up until this line, I wouldn't have argued; I would have respected your
right to a different opinion no matter how much I disagreed.  But with
this statement you again attempt to call Poland the real victim, a typical
revisionistic tactic.  Either that or you have so little respect for
Poland that you are saying we shouldn't expect it to measure up to
countries like Norway or Bulgaria for whatever litany of reasons.
-- 
Sam Saal      kingfish!saal OR saal@kingfish.att.com
	Vayiftach HaShem et Peah Ha`Aton
From: schultz@garnet.berkeley.edu (Richard Schultz)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Conservative Halacha (was re: Orthodox Monopoly)
Date: 10 Sep 1992 16:10:50 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu

In article <FAIGIN.92Sep10072948@soldan.aero.org> faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin) writes:
>On 10 Sep 92 00:26:23 GMT, schultz@garnet.berkeley.edu (Richard Schultz) said:
>> So here's my question for all you Conservative types out there: in what
>> areas of halachah is the official Conservative position more machmer than
>> even the most liberal Orthodox position?
>
>Well, I can't answer for Conservative, but the Patrilineal Descent decision
>(if followed as written) is such a decision in Reform. Even the strictest
>Orthodox person would accept a child of a mixed-marriage between a Jewish
>mother and a non-Jewish father as Jewish, regardless of how the child is
>raised or identifies with his/her religion. Reform only presumes the child to
>be Jewish; actual "Jewish" status depends on appropriate public identification
>and acts, such as Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, etc. This is stricter than
>the Orthodox position.

This may be more "strict" but it is certainly not more machmer.  According to
your description, Reform Judaism holds that any Jew can renounce his status
by refusing to identify publicly with the religion.  According to the 
Orthodox view, once you're Jewish, you're Jewish forever and there's nothing
that you can do about it.  That there are some people defined as Jews by
one group that are not defined as Jews by the other doesn't really alter this
tachlis.  After all, there are a lot more people who are accepted as Jews via
this Reform definition who are not accepted as such by Orthodox or Conservative
Jews than of the other type.

					Richard Schultz
From: jeffs@lsil.com (Jeff Spiegel 4291)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Prophets, Ethics, Torah
Date: 11 Sep 92 18:46:54 GMT
Organization: LSI Logic Corporation
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Len Moskowitz (moskowit@panix.com) wrote:
> Judaism's ethical treatment of widows, orphans, the poor, and animals
> are G-d's commandments via the Torah, as are the commandments
> regarding the Sabbath and holidays, the dietary laws, tefillin and
> tzitzit, family purity, agricultural laws, and laws of the Temple.  It
> is completely artificial to impose distinctions between them or to
> assert that some are more authentically Jewish or important than
> others.
> 
> Yechezkel (Ezekial), for example, exhorted the nation to follow the
> G-d's chukim and mishpatim.  He did not say: "it's okay to desecrate
> the Sabbath if you give enough charity and are ethical in your
> business practices."
> 

I agree with your statement on chukim and mishpatim, but I would say that
caring for those personally in need around us should be done with a priority 
over ritual mitzvot. 

For example, one is permitted to violate the Shabbat in order to save a life.
I recall a story of a Hasidic Master arriving late for a Yom Kippur service
in order to talk and try to help some drunkards along the way.  
Another story deals with a rabbi helping a widow chop some wood on his way to
Torah study or evening services and sometimes arriving late.

I feel we must always be aware of those in need even when other mitzvot
are demanding attention.  In these circumstances, the former may be more dare
in G-d's eyes.

Perhaps this is part of the spirit of the message of the Prophets and this too
is Torah.

____________________________________________________________________________

    .\'

     O  
    / \
   O   O        js
   |   |
   O   O                Santa Clara, California
    \ /                 6 March 1962 20:35 (-5:00 GMT) 73'58W 40'33N 
     O 
    / \
   O   O	"Practice random acts of kindness an senseless beauty"
    \ /
     O
     |
     O
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish,soc.culture.polish
From: matthew@.cs.mu.oz (Maciek Blasikiewicz)
Subject: Re: Nazi camps
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 12:15:26 GMT

richf@comet.base.bellcore.com (Rich Farenci) writes:

>the claim that anti semitism was primarily the product of right wingers 
>and ultra nationalists shows very little understanding of polish attitudes
>during wwii. it is sad to note that even in the accounts of the 
                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>"righteous gentiles" who saved many jewish lives, the primary motivation
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>in the overwhelming majority of cases was economic and not moral, and that
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>it was only by living with jews that their polish protectors could even
>begin to overcome their deeply held prejudices which often were a part of
>their education.

>rich farenci

How do you figure this out? How did they benefit economically? How
large was the expected gain, so that these "righteous gentiles" would
risk their own life and the lives of the rest of their family?


MB
From: re0x+@andrew.cmu.edu (Radu Eugen Edelstein)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Nazi camps
Date: 7 Sep 92 16:25:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.UeezAEO00WB6Aee2dI
Organization: Masters student, Information Networking Institute, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

I was surprised to see that my fellow Jews following this thread,
after being told to go to the history books, did not do so.  The
Polish posters are perfectly right in stating that the Polish
government (up to the Saxon accession to the throne, in 1697),
has practically had *NO ANTISEMITIC RECORD*.  That at a time when
both in Western Europe and in Russia, official antisemitism was
almost constantly the case.
The Sigismunds and Bathori have been Polish Kings who granted
equal rights to the Jews, and who - because of their simpathy to
the Jews, as a result of the benefits they had from Jewish
professionals (especially personal doctors) - have always spoken in
favor of the Jews.  Often they had to intervene to rescue Jews from
the hands of the Church.
It is the Catholic Church of Poland that succesfully transformed
the Polish population into one of the most antisemitic peoples
that Europe has ever known.  The blood liebel was most used by
this Church; this Church has continuously supported the view of
Jews as killers of Christ (despite the Papal Buls and the Polish
Kings' continuously reminding the Church leaders about the falsity
of the accusation).
Their success in practically creating a nation of antisemites is easy
to understand: the uneducated Pole who believed in the Church and its
authority even more than in that of the Polish rulers was the perfect
material.  Over generations, the myths they were told by their Catholic
priest have transformed themselves into "facts".  To this day the
Poles keep with them that legacy.
There is only one way to change this, and that is that the maker be
the breaker.  The Chatolic Church is still the most influential
institution in Poland.  Unfortunately, it is also still contributing
to the perpetuation of antisemitism.
I made friends here with Poles that tell me that in their churches in
Poland, to this day, Jews are continuously presented as the source of
evil, the killers of Christ, and... as the cause of communism.

Rad
From: rothberg@bimacs.BITNET (Danny Rothenberg)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Re: Shabbat in Cambridge
Date: 14 Sep 92 12:29:34 GMT
Organization: Math department, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, ISRAEL

In article <1992Sep13.210735.16547@cs.yale.edu> engelson-sean@CS.YALE.EDU (Sean Philip Engelson) writes:
>
>
>I'm going to be in Cambridge right after Succot (Oct. 23-25) for a AAAI Fall
                    ^^^^^^^^^

Do you mean Cambridge, Massecheutets (sp) or Cambridge, England? :-)

>Symposium which, unfortunately, runs over Shabbat.  I'm therefore looking for
>ideas on what I can do to arrange for Shabbat near the hotel, since I'll have
>to be there until almost Shabbat.  I hope the hotel's near enough some Jewish
>area so that I won't be stuck in there all day.  The hotel is the Royal Sonesta
>Hotel, 5 Cambridge Parkway.  Any suggestions would be extremely helpful; please
>email as soon as possible so I can make my plans.
>
>Thanks very much.
>
>L'Shanah Tovah!
>
>               -Shlomo-
>--
>Sean Philip (Shlomo) Engelson
>Yale Department of Computer Science
>Box 2158 Yale Station
>New Haven, CT 06520











--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Danny Rothenberg            |    ^     Ellul is here, so:  (I also forgive
Bitnet:                     | \-/-\-/   "Repent now!        everybody)
rothberg@bimacs             |  X   X     Avoid the Yom Kippur rush!"
Internet:                   | /-\-/-\      -Nero (aka Harry Blacker)
rothberg@imacs.cs.biu.ac.il |    V    Ketivah VeChatimah Tovah-Shanah Tovah
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