Special Features The Three Weeks The period from the 17th of Tammuz until after Tish'a b'Av is known as BEIN HA'M'TZARIM, a.k.a. The Three Weeks. When discussing the halacha and minhag of the Three Weeks, we generally mean the first portion of them, until Rosh Chodesh Av. The Nine Days are part of the Three Weeks, but they have their own stricter mournfulpractices. It is this first 12 days of the Three Weeks (the rest of the month of Tammuz) that is referred to here and now. The Ashkenazi community prohibits weddings and haircutting during this time. Shaving is generally included in haircutting, but there are lenient opinions to follow in case of need. There is a wide range of practices concerning music during the Three Weeks. At one end of the spectrum is a complete prohibition on all music - live and recorded, public and private, radio, tape, CD, etc. Then there are opinions that it is specifically SIMCHA IN THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS that should be avoided, and that private listening to taped music is permitted. This is by no means the whole story, but it is much preferred that you ask your own Rav how to conduct yourself during this period of time. Therefore, the presentation here is spotty. What I do want to emphasize is the concept behind the practices. Because that colors how one behaves. It boils down to a simple but very significant idea. Are we still to mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash, or not. Please understand. I'm not suggesting that we can remove fast days from the Calendar, regardless of how we feel. Same for the rules of the Three Weeks and Nine Days. I'm saying something more subtle. If we were to determine that we need not mourn as much as in the past, or not at all, then we would be justified in at least availing ourselves of lenient opinions and practices. We would go through the motions, so to speak, until we have the authority (Sanhedrin, I guess) to remove the fast days. On the other hand, if we perceive that there is still very much to mourn, then we must take the practices and customs of mourning very seriously and fairly strictly. And that is basically what I want to say here. There are many Jews who see modern Jerusalem, and Israel, and the state of affairs of the Jewish Community in general as no longer in the dire straits that motivated Chazal to activate the fast days and mourning practices. Some want to do away with the 17th of Tammuz, for example.Others feel the same way but know that we don't have the authority to actually change things yet. So they change there attitude instead. And then there are those who look carefully at what the 17th of Tammuz and Tish'a b'Av are. And they look carefully at the state of Jewish affairs here and abroad, and they come to the conclusion that there is plenty to mourn for. This attitude in no way negates or ignores the tremendous strides we, the Jewish People have made, with G-d's help, in many areas of Jewish Life. The rebuilding of Eretz Yisrael, the reestablishment and strengthening of Torah institutions, the reawakening of Jewish awareness on the part of many "distant" Jews, says "we'vecome a long way". Baruch HaShem. But as long as there are Jews who are happy to live in Chutz LaAretz and consider those that have made Aliya to be crazy... as long as there are Jews who consider mitzvot to be a thing of the past and in order to become modern have rejected Torah and Mitzvot... as long as there is a treif McDonalds in the center of Jerusalem... as long as different segments of the Jewish people fight with each other... as long as the world considers us to be intruders and occupiers in our own Land... as long as the Church still influences the nations of the world - including the United States, not to recognize Israeli sovereigntyover Jerusalem... as long as Jews anywhere still worship Golden Calves of various forms... as long as Sifrei Torah are burned and idols are erected in our Sanctuary... as long as the Beit HaMikdash still does not stand and function... we not only continue to fast on these days, not only mourn during these periods, butwe do it seriously and with a heavy heart. There's an up side. I believe with all my heart the promise in the Gemara - he who mourns the destruction of Jerusalem will merit rejoicing in its rebuilding. And mourning does not mean just going through the motions. Mourning means understanding what we have been mourning and what we still mourn for. "Am I allowed to listen to my walkman during the Three Weeks?" That's a question you can get either answer to, depending upon whom you ask. But the real question should be, "SHOULD I listen to my walkman during...?" What should I be doing during this period? How should I be feeling? What direction should my thoughts betaking? And, perhaps, of most importance in this whole issue, is what hould my mourning lead to. Mourning is not a goal unto itself. It is a means to self-awareness and self-improvement. It is supposed to be an incentive to committing oneself to improving the condition of Klal Yisrael. The real trick is to be so motivated and soinspired and so hopeful about our potential, that each of us as individuals and all of us as Klal Yisrael will improve to the point when it will be completely unnecessary for the Mashiach to tarry any longer. May we see it soon, speedily in our time, Amen.
The following is for your information. It came to mind again from something I wrote in the Three Weeks piece. True, the U.S. Congress voted by overwhelming majority, to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. And they've actually started doing something about it. And the President and who knows who else are dragging their feet, etc. Etc. And true, recogintion of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is implicit in the move of the embassy. But all of the above obscures another fact. The United States does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over any of Jerusalem. When American citizens living in Israel register the birth of a child and fill in the blank on the form - place of birth: Jerusalem, Israel - the consulate staff cross out the word Israel. The US mightmove its embassy to Jerusalem, but they won't recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. They are willing to recognize parts of Jerusalem, but not all of it. We are not willing to divide Jerusalem in that way. And so it remains a fact - the United States does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. I keep repeating that so the point will get through. And here's the salt in the wound, the insult added to the injury - the main reason that the U.S. won't recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is not "what will the Arabs say?". It is a result of the Catholic Church's influence. They cannot accept the idea of Israeli-Jewish Jerusalem. And the U.S. goes along with it.Think about that! SDT - In the listing of the families of the tribes in Parshat Pinchas, we come across an unusual pasuk (26:39) - all 6 words contain the letter PEI which represents the mouth (PEH). The pasuk deals with (some of) the sons of Binyamin. The Midrash says that one of Rachel Imeinu's special qualities was her silence, her abilityto "watch her mouth" (like the pasuk), as evidenced by her not divulging Lavan's plan to Yaakov. This quality was inherited by Binyamin, who saw with Ru'ach HaKodesh that Yosef was alive but did not tell his father because G-d did not want that fact revealed. So too King Saul and Esther, both from Binyamin, each demonstrated this trait. KOSHER KOLUMN Not official OU this time; This is my understanding of the situation, checked experts in kashrut - PC Gelatin Review Random House defines gelatin as "a nearly transparent glutinous substance obtained by boiling animal tissue in water, forming the basis of jellies, glue, and the like." Gelatin is produced from the bone and/or skin of animals - most often, pig and cow. The production of gelatin renders it inedible at a certain point in the process. According to some very lenient opinions, this makes the source of the gelatin irrelevant to the product and therefore "kosher", in spite of the non-kosher source of the bone and skin.Most poskim (let's say, practically all) consider "regular" gelatin to be not kosher. Other authorities (but still not acceptable to today's mainstream, majority p'sak halacha) say that if only bones are used (not skin), and they are scraped clean, thoroughly dried, and the marrow is removed, then gelatin produced from them, even pig bones or bones from not kosher-slaughtered cows, then the gelatin fromthem can be used. (In the case of cow bones, they often come from India, where cows are worshiped. The cows are not slaughtered, but left to die. Their bones are often collected and sold to gelatin-producing plants in Europe. (This raises an additional potential halachic problem - benefiting from idolatrous objects. Leavethis aside for now.) This kind of gelatin generally is produced in Belgium and is the kind that the Chief Rabbinate gives its provisional approval to, stating that the product with this gelatin as an ingredient is "kosher for those who eat gelatin only". A popular candy in this category is MENTOS. Marshmallows marked kosheror Kosher for Pesach are made with this gelatin. None of the major hashgachot from the States approve of this kind of gelatin - OU, OK, KAF-K, Star-K, and others. It is highly recommended that people who are consciencious about kashrut avoid these products. There is a way to make kosher gelatin that will satisfy all authorities. Only bones from kosher-slaughtered cows may be used. Wait! Is this kind of gelatin considered fleishig (meaty) or parve. Most authorities would consider it parve. On a practical level, this gelatin is very difficult to produce, for economic reasons.A gelatin-producing plant would have to shut down for days and undergo extensive cleaning and kashering. It has been done (Kolatin is the brand of real kosher gelatin; Elyon is the brand of marshmallow), but it just isn't worth it - especially with gelatin-substitutes of vegetable origin available. Agar-agar and carageenan(both from seaweed) work well for many gelatin uses - jellies, dessert gel, etc. but have not been able to produce a good marshmallow. This is why it is almost impossible to find an acceptable marshmallow. Remember, it is possible to have a real kosher gelatin, but not feasible. Recommendation: Avoid products with gelatin, k-gelatin, or kosher gelatin in the ingredients. Even when the product has a hashgacha. Suggest the same to your family and friends, but try to avoid using the term TREIF is they are not ready for this standard of kashrut. Explain things gently. One does not have to take every strict measure that exists, nor should one take every leniency, especially one that is not accepted by the majority of mainstream Orthodoxy. The gelatin question has been around for a long time. T'shuvot (responsa) exist that expain a basis to allow the use of gelatin from non-kosher sources,but the objections to its use is formidable. Be a discerning kosher consumer. Don't just take any product without checking it out. [The Pinchas Homepage]
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