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From: teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Rev Moshe Feinstein's new psak halacha
Message-ID: <1378@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Apr-85 10:30:11 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.1378
Posted: Tue Apr 16 10:30:11 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Apr-85 02:18:31 EST
References: <278@unm-la.UUCP>
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Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
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> 
> 
> All you haredim out there might be interested to know of a recent
> psak halacha by "haRav haGaon" Moshe Feinstein stating that the 
> waters of Yam Kinneret are kasher l'pesach.
> 

	Whether you agree with R. Moshe, or you think he is addressing a
 silly issue, does not permit you to ridicule the person by putting his title
 in quotes, as if to say he really isn't what people call him. R. Moshe has
 much more Torah knowledge tan anyone on the net, and probably more than the
 sum of that knowledge on the net, so you must respect him for that. 

	As for his addressing issues which to you seem unimportant, remember,
 there are Jews in the world who try to make every situation into a difficult
 one. They turn Judaism into a guilt religion, you burn if you don't do this,
 you burn if you do that. They turn Judaism into a negative experience. There
 are certain guidelines in Judaism which must be followed. Certain things are
 permissable and others prohibited. We are supposed to enjoy tat which we can
 without being made to feel guilty for our enjoyment. Many want to take away 
 even the simplest pleasures for fear of having any fun at all. Judaism wasn't
 meant to be slave labor. After all, the rabbis teach, "Ain ben chorin ela mi
 she'osek batorah ( or is it mitzvot, I don't remember te exact quote )", the
 only free person is the one who deals with Torah ( mitzvot ). Judaism should
 be a positive experience, not a negative one. This does not give us the right
 to abolish mitzvot in the name of freedom and enjoyment. We must work within
 the guidelines of the Torah to see what is permissable.

	One last note. When it comes to Pesach many rabbis seem to say that 
 there is no limit to the caution that should be taken. The punishment for
 eating chametz on Pesach is severe and many are very careful, even to extents
 which to others seem ridiculous. We should be careful not to offend anyone 
 for his or her concern about Pesach ( we should be careful never to offend
 anyone ). There are many customs concerning foods that may or may not be 
 eaten on Pesach that make no sense to us today. But there was a time when it 
 made alot of sense to those who decreed it. As an example, there are people 
 who will not eat garlic on Pesach. The reason is because in Europe a few
 centuries ago, garlic was prepared by soaking it in beer, which is chametz.
 The reason then was very real, although today it seems ridiculous not to use
 garlic ( I won't even go into the idea of g'bruckts [ using caution to make 
 sure that even baked dough, as in the matzot, don't get wet ]).

	Just as an aside. R. Moshe is only as smart in modern technology as
 the prson who aks him a question. R. Moshe's knowledge of physics and
 chemistry is severly limited ( to put it nicely ). If a person asks him a
 question regarding the use of a shabbat elevator, the answer would depend on
 the person's ability to explain the exact mechanics of the elevator. Likewise
 with the water problem. A peson probably came to R. Moshe and said the 
 Kinneret is full of pita and beer. What would you say? If it's all beer, then 
 one shouldn't use it. It all depends on the wording of the question.

					
				Eliyahu Teitz.