Gaonic Literature Episode 26: Sa'adia Before He Was Gaon: The Ben Meir Calendar Controversy

I was the guest of my ongoing partner in the Rischa D'Orysa podcast series,

Rabbi Avrohom Kivelevitz shlita

on an episode of his Gaonic Literature series.

Gaonic Literature Episode 26:

Sa'adia Before He Was Gaon:

The Ben Meir Calendar Controversy 

with Rav Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/49376

My English article on the subject,

co-authored with Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivitofsky,

is at:

https://www.academia.edu/80970476/The_Rabbi_Saadia_Gaon_Rabbi_Aharon_Ben_Meir_Controversy

and my Hebrew article on the subject

(which also corrects some errors in the English article)

is at:

https://www.academia.edu/8159269/The_Rabbi_Saadia_Gaon_Rabbi_Aharon_Ben_Meir_Controversy_Hebrew_Yeshurun_Torah_Journal_New_York_NY

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 19: Does the Torah System of Sanhedrin-Navi-Melech Present a Model for the Modern State of Israel?

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 19:

Does the Torah System of 

Sanhedrin-Navi-Melech

Present a Model for the 

Modern State of Israel?

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/49312

Note to our listeners:

One of regular listeners commented on this episode:

"Feisty Rischa. Show at its finest."

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 18: Three Strikes and We're all Out: The Halachic and Ethical Considerations of Walking Out on Essential Jobs - Edited to Include New Information!

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 18:

Three Strikes and We're all Out:

The Halachic and Ethical Considerations of Walking Out on Essential Jobs

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/48559

Edit:

An alert lister, Reb Yechezkel Moscovitz, sent in a record from the diary of the Aderes zt"l in which he records that he went in strike and refrained from paskening - with the consent of Reb Yitzchok Elchonon Spector zt"l!

See bottom of first page.

Creative Submission by a Student

I told my students they could submit their Timeline Projects on potato peels if they wanted. 

So this is one student's submission.

🤣

 

New Series! Michtav Me'Eliyahu Kuntres HaChesed for Adults, part 1

Michtav Me'Eliyahu Kuntres HaChesed

for Adults, part 1

First in a series of twelve shiurim exploring Rav Dessler zt"l's famous

Kuntres HaChesed

(Discourse on Loving-Kindness)

A pdf of the kuntres is at:

https://aspaqlaria.aishdas.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/Qunterus-haChessed.pdf

Links to subsequent shiurim in this series appear in the comments here.

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 17: Let's Use Shovavim to Rid Ourselves of the Machshavos Zaros in Toras Avigdor!

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 17:

Let's Use Shovavim to Rid Ourselves of the Machshavos Zaros in Toras Avigdor!

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/48135

The two issues of Toras Avigdor Jr. referenced in the podcast appear below.

 

Rochester Q&A Video

My wife and I were Scholars in Residence this past Shabbos, Parashas Vayechi, at Cong. BHH (congbhh.org) in Rochester, NY.

The shul's Rav, Rabbi Binyomin Sloviter, was a ben bayis by us many years ago when he was learning in Monsey. 

This video is the Motzo'ei Shabbos Q&A session that with which we concluded the series of the program's shiurim.

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The Use of Power/Telephone Wires for City Eruvin

A shiur delivered at

Yeshiva Ner Boruch-PTI of Passaic

in conjunction with its Eruvin Kollel

at a Yom Iyun

January 2, 2023

Marei Mekomos:

Reb Nachum J. Stone commented on the video:

I watched your video last night.

Excellent presentation of complex topics.

Regarding the lechi extensions:

I helped Rabbi Heinemann build the Baltimore eruv about 40 years ago (wow!).

At the time, his proof for the lechi off to the side [the side-top-wire lechi] was a Gemara in Menachos that allows for extension handles for the machtah [the pan for the ketores]. Obviously, it would have been added from the side [viz., lashed on to the original].

As to a lechi wrapping around a utility pole, we were using heavy rubber tubing split in half, which we ran up the electric poles. Sometime we would wrap around the pole: 1) to avoid obstacles; or 2) if we wanted/needed the wire to be on the other side of the pole, or 3) if the wire we were using was on the other side, but we didn’t have good access to it.

Rabbi Heinemann felt that as long as the tubing was contiguous, it was consider straight and a kosher lechi even if  it wrapped 270 degrees around the pole in the “third dimension.”

Rabbi Heinemann said that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein accepted both of his chiddushim, although it is said that when Reb Moshe was asked to verify this, he said something about she’as ha’dechak.

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 16: וימאן להתנחם: A Critique of Modern Beis Avel Customs

 

Rischa D'Araisa Season 6 Episode 16:

וימאן להתנחם

A Critique of Modern Beis Avel Customs

https://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/47453