Avodah EmaiList Archive http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/ Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:06:11 -0700 micha at aishdas.org (micha at aishdas.org) Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:38:07 -0700 <74bd2333-b903-4040-acb4-67ca32c98cb6@Spark> See pp 10-11 from a booklet put out by R Hadar Yehudah Margolin, available at www.dafyomi.co.il/lectures/reviis/kuntras-kzayis.pdf What we call "Chazon Ish Shiurim" is a mistake. The measures given for the Seder were not intended as iqar hadin, but included a safety margin beyond the largest known shitah. When it comes to Berakhos, you cannot make a berakhah for nothing. So when the CI says that a kezayis for a berakhah is 1/3 of a contemporary egg, he is pretty sure that is the actual halakhah. R Chaim Kanievsky is later quoted as saying his uncle's kazayis comes to 30-33 cc (a/ka 30-33 ml, or 1-1.1 floz). R Moshe's Shiur, 31.2 cc (just a shade over 1 floz), is in that range. As I noticed comparing R Moshe Feinstein's shiurim and the Arukh haShulchan's, the Litvaks who put halachic weight to accepted practice are pretty consistent. Shetir'u baTov! Micha http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048364.html micha at aishdas.org (Micha Berger) Sun, 29 Mar 2026 02:42:37 -0700 <acj0DYtFuRWlkzAN@aishdas.org> On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:38:03AM -0400, Zvi Lampel via Avodah wrote: > Rabbi Berel Wein z"l with a different nuance: > https://www.rabbiwein.com/blog/post-2225 ... > [On the other hand.] Too much individuality can lead to narcissism and > arrogance. No individuality makes life meaningless and without true > purpose. Judaism always preaches balance in life in order to avoid social, > intellectual and religious pitfalls. R Shimon used the mashal of parts of an engine. Me: Some people are like the spark pluges or pistons, parts of the engine that everyone knows about, and their importance is obvious. And yet... Paraphrasing R Shimon: Even the smallest screw could have a critical job, without which the engine wouldn't run. We each get our value from helping the kelal. And each of us are unique, with a unique role to play, and that role is critical. Whether flashy or living in obscurity. But the same is true of Kelal Yisrael as a whole. Jewish Peoplehood is a balance between Particularism and Universalism. We have to build a uniquely Jewish People, but that People is a Mamlekhes Kohanim serving the rest of humanity, an Or laGoyim. -- RYBS has a different, and kedarko beqodesh, dialectical approach spelled out in his Tradition article, The Community <https://traditiononline.org/the-community/>. He deals with an entirely different paradigm, and a different aspect of your question. The antinomy runs as follows (typos mine, Tradition only has page scans): Is the individual an independent free entity, who gives up aspects of his sovereignty in order to live within a communal framework; or is the reverse true: the individual is born into the community which, in turn, invests him with certain rights? ... And let us give a simple answer: Judaism rejects both alternatives: neither theory, per se, is true. But experiences, that of aloneness, as well as that of togetherness, are inseparable basic elements of the I-awareness. (Go to the article to see how this plays out in the Torah, starting with parashas Bereishis.) Humans form a society because no person can meet their own needs alone. We need coopertation. So society exists to serve individuals. But it is equally true that a person's calling includes serving society. Tir'u baTov! -Micha -- Micha Berger Life is a stage and we are the actors, http://www.aishdas.org/asp but only some of us have the script. Author: Widen Your Tent - Rav Menachem Nissel - https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048363.html zvilampel at gmail.com (Zvi Lampel) Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:38:03 -0700 <CAPxEyabxa1GUdeLmriAnA0Gv0a7XqAukM8nboNAoOpg7FR5=og@mail.gmail.com> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 Joel Rich posted: From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th > centuries) of individualism as the basis by which political and social > groups are structured. This principle values the individual over the > community to a much greater extent than under previous political and social > systems; the focus is on the moral worth of each person, and the freedom > by each person to achieve his separate goals and desires. ... according to longstanding Jewish tradition ... the main emphasis has > always been on the community. The Torah typically addresses itself to the > nation in its entirety. > ... Thoughts? Rabbi Berel Wein z"l with a different nuance: https://www.rabbiwein.com/blog/post-2225 [In contrast to the] Marxist view [in which] ... great external forces such as the competition of the classes, stages of economic development and powerful historical and sociological forces somehow determine human behavior and explain human history as well as current events ... Judaism sees history as the work of individuals, who, because of their own free will and individuality, shape events, form ideas and influence the progress of human civilization. Individuals created Judaism and the Jewish nation was formed by the actions and beliefs of individuals .... [On the other hand.] Too much individuality can lead to narcissism and arrogance. No individuality makes life meaningless and without true purpose. Judaism always preaches balance in life in order to avoid social, intellectual and religious pitfalls. http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048359.html jjbaker at panix.com (Jonathan J Baker) Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:36:57 -0700 <dfe1f79be6933f15dca98586eb9e056c@panix.com> I suppose it depends what happens with the bones. Do the bones themselves decompose with the soft tissue, or not? If they do, it's just an accelerated version of the normal burial process. We put holes in the casket, or in Israel bury in cloth, davka to speed the decomposition of the body and return it to soil. If they don't, it would seem more like the process used in the Mishnaic period - temporary cave burial while the soft tissue decomposes, then removal of bones to an ossuary for long-term storage. If part of the object is space saving, ossuaries are smaller than caskets. Either way, I don't see a halachic objection. jjbaker at panix.com Jonathan Baker http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker/ http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048361.html akivagmiller at gmail.com (Akiva Miller) Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:13:07 -0700 <CABiM0c+vB+JbnExOkrkVUbCd74UkFwKCacAgu4n4jnJGWvtTXg@mail.gmail.com> . R' Joel Rich asked: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging > practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space > shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction > transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, > clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days.... > What does halacha has to say on this? Disclaimer: I know nothing of this procedure other than what was written here. I concede that clover, hay, and straw do sound very natural and organic. But "sealed vessels over 40 days" does *not* sound natural. I suggest that it might be more accurate to describe this process not as "natural", but as "human-assisted nature", or "human-accelerated nature". >From the few halachos that I know of this, we require the decomposition to be *totally* natural, and this ain't that. (If anyone suggests that drilling holes into a wooden coffin also constitutes accelerated decomposition, I would respond vehemently that those holes do no acceleration. Rather, to a small extent, they merely remove the impediment of the existence of the wood coffin - which some omit entirely.) Akiva Miller http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048362.html michaelpoppers at gmail.com (Michael Poppers) Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:24:41 -0700 <CADx280vCv0Tds=wh86TmtEc4Tua=scUJBzAWvubHwwEjygibtA@mail.gmail.com> RJIR in Avodah V44n18: > A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days. Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery plans on adopting this method. What does halacha ha[ve] to say on this? Bsorot Tovot Joel Rich < See https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6067395/jewish/Is-Human-Composting-Permitted-in-Judaism.htm . If the author is accurate in describing the process as including "bones and teeth...are crushed into small fragments, similar to what is done following cremation" because they "don't entirely disintegrate due to their mineral composition", I would humbly agree that this point alone is problematic Halachically, as we should not be actively participating in decomposition. Speaking as a Rosh of the Chevra Kadisha in my community, we look forward (as REMT *z'l'* would say) to going out of business with the fulfillment of "*bila hamaves lanetzach umacha H' Eloqim dim-a mei-al kal_panim*." All the best (including wishes for a Chag Kasher v'Sameach!) from *Michael Poppers* * Elizabeth, NJ, USA http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048360.html joelirarich at gmail.com (Joel Rich) Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:12:41 -0700 <CAE7cFpG8nSmtkymTDLqY3Ok7nTe2dxs6goeWYkpGQ5FDd-BC9A@mail.gmail.com> A recent Wall Street Journal article examined an emerging practice of human composting as a solution to cemetery space shortages. The process involves natural organic reduction transforming bodies into nutrient-rich soil using microbes, clover, hay, and straw in sealed vessels over 40 days. Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery plans on adopting this method. What does halacha has to say on this? Bsorot Tovot Joel Rich http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048358.html joelirarich at gmail.com (Joel Rich) Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:09:51 -0700 <CAE7cFpHOa=473RfC-1qDdNG6D0hO_bxuph5oFNysNN6WKMut_A@mail.gmail.com> From, The Paths of Providence -Chaim Gross This articulates one of my deepest frustrations: One of the hallmarks of modernity was the adoption (in the 18th and 19th centuries) of individualism as the basis by which political and social groups are structured. This principle values the individual over the community to a much greater extent than under previous political and social systems; the focus is on the moral worth of each person, and the freedom by each person to achieve his separate goals and desires. Thus, for example, the American Declaration of Independence states that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?. After two hundred years, the secular emphasis on the individual has become so internalized that we accept it unconditionally. Without giving it too much thought, we have extrapolated this value to all aspects of our lives. Thus, in the religious domain, the primary drama has become the extent to which we, as individuals, are maximizing our spiritual potential. Similarly, Divine Providence is generally evaluated in terms of its perceived impact on ourselves and other individuals within our sphere of knowledge. But this is not necessarily a valid perspective according to longstanding Jewish tradition. Here, the main emphasis has always been on the community. The Torah typically addresses itself to the nation in its entirety. At Mount Sinai, for example, prior to the giving of the torah, G-d concisely instructed Moshe about the ultimate goal of Judaism Thoughts? Bsorot Tovot Joel Rich http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048357.html micha at aishdas.org (Micha Berger) Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:54:14 -0700 <abquhs1sIlYwUn+R@aishdas.org> On Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 12:22:53AM +0200, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote: > ... which raises the question when can we say there is a minhag when > something is infrequent (tbd) I recently encountered the AhS saying "no". Those who are learning the supplementary material to Arukh haShulchan recently learned YD 57:19. The topic is a large animal (beheimah gasa) that is clawed by something larger than a wolf but smaller than a lion. Many are lenient. The Rama in se'if 1 has a "veyeish machmirim". The AhS objects to someone saying that we are nohagim to prohibit a beseimah gasah that was clawed by a wolf. Ein shayakh lomar "minhag" al davar she'eino matzui kol kakh. Tir'u baTov! -Micha -- Micha Berger Time flies... http://www.aishdas.org/asp ... but you're the pilot. Author: Widen Your Tent - R' Zelig Pliskin - https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048356.html joelirarich at gmail.com (Joel Rich) Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:35:58 -0700 <CAE7cFpHmDtE3wpqZZ_NeJVPNhAXYP=6JUzFHR4oS7x-r9zJnOg@mail.gmail.com> The mlacha of kotzer on Shabbat is generally defined as taking a living organism and detaching it from the ground which is its chiyut (source of life). The Yerushalmi (shabbat 48b) and many rishonim use this definition to classify taking a fish out of water as kotzer. Some extend the concept to keeping a fish in water but not in its natural environment (e.g. in the bathtub?) It occurs to me that one could see this as a metaphor for the Jewish people outside of Israel. We can certainly stay alive there but we are cut off from our chiyut. I?ve also wondered of late whether the tora of Rav Soloveitchik (see especially his discussion of yosef hatzadik vs the brothers) is heavily related to surviving in the exile while that of Rav Kook is more focused on being in artzeinu, our natural habitat. Food for thought at least -had their geographic "accidents" of dwelling been reversed,m how would their writings differed> Bsorot tovot Joel Rich http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048355.html joelirarich at gmail.com (Joel Rich) Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:22:53 -0700 <CAE7cFpGSsGnDkHFYudhqjvfHQ066+xqd751DBO92QhANowuEFQ@mail.gmail.com> Me-I?d also love to know when the aruch hashulchan says??????? here and in other places is he reflecting on his empirical observation in his and surrounding communities or on his estimation of what other authorities have said about it or something else? A Rav I respect-Sounds like his empirical observation, but he says ??????? because it is not a common case, so he doesn?t have enough data Me-which raises the question when can we say there is a minhag when something is infrequent (tbd) Bsorot tovot Joel Rich http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048354.html joelirarich at mail.gmail.com (Joel Rich) Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:49:19 -0700 <CAE7cFpGSnpCb8oDnY6sz3AaBOFtBtDCQov2SDWvdsFeki9mOJQ@mail.gmail.com> [I'm converting the opening quote to something our digest software can handle. -micha] Rambam Hilkhos Sanhedrin 2:3: Ein ma'amidim bekhol haSanhedrin - lo zaqei muflag bashanim - velo saris mipenei sheyeish bahen akhzariyus - velo mi she'ein lo banim kedei sheyehei rachaman. Given the above, was there ever a time in halachic history where a poseik's psak was (or his ability to give psak) was questioned based on this exclusion? If not, why not? Bsorot Tovot Joel Rich http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/2026q1/048353.html