OHR SOMAYACH'S ASK THE RABBI 
Issue #271 March 11, 2000 
Parshat Pekudei
=====================================
In this issue:
YOU IS A JEW
MASK ASK
ESTHER'S AGE
WILL PURIM MAKE HIM POOR?
YIDDLE RIDDLE
PUBLIC DOMAIN
=====================================

YOU IS A JEW

From:  Wayne Smith in Rocky Mount, NC
<wcdtsmith@cs.com>

  Dear Rabbi,
  I am a non-Jew who teaches a college course called "An
  Introduction to Religion."  Last week one of my students
  told me privately that she felt that the word "Jew" as used
  by me was unacceptable.  Although she is not Jewish, she was
  apparently told this by a Jewish friend.  She feels that
  using the word "Jew" in any context is tantamount to being
  racist, and that "Jewish" should always be used instead.

  My use of the word is always in a neutral, identifying and
  instructional sense, never derogatory.  What is your
  opinion?  Is the word "Jew" ever acceptable?  Do Jews prefer
  to be called Jewish rather than Jew?  Would it be
  politically correct for me to avoid the use of the word Jew?

Dear Wayne Smith,
I personally feel that the word Jew is a compliment.  It 
refers to someone from the Chosen People, the People of 
Israel.  I am proud to be called a Jew.

One of the earliest uses of the word "Jew" is in the Book of 
Esther in which the hero is referred to as "Moredechai 
Hayehudi," Mordechai the Jew.  (Book of Esther 10:3)

That said, however, it is indeed a fact that in English usage 
and literature, "Jew" is a "vituperative" insult.  This is 
according the Oxford English Dictionary, considered the 
foremost authority of the English Language.

Lately, this reference has been omitted from many progressive 
dictionaries, leaving one to wonder what effect this will have 
in the face of a thousand years of English usage.

In light of the "tongue-lashing" the word Jew has suffered 
over the centuries, perhaps your student is right.

************

MASK ASK

From:  <Name@Withheld>

  Dear Rabbi,
  I wanted to "Ask the Rabbi" what are the sources for wearing
  masks and dressing up on Purim.  Thank you for your
  assistance.

Dear <Name@Withheld>,
The earliest source I've found mentioning the custom to dress 
up on Purim is the responsa of Mahari Mintz (late 15th 
century).  He discusses the issue of whether men may wear 
women's clothing as a costume, and vice versa.  Obviously, the 
custom to wear costumes was well established by that time.

Among other things, masks on Purim symbolize the fact that the 
whole Purim incident was wrapped in "the hidden nature of G-
d's countenance."  The Purim events all happened in a 
seemingly natural manner.  G-d's name isn't even mentioned in 
the Book of Esther!  The very word "Esther" means "hidden," 
and it appears in the Torah in the Hebrew phrase "I will hide 
My Face."  (Deuteronomy 31:18)

************

ESTHER'S AGE

From:  Amber in Kamloops, BC
<agoss@kamloops.net>

  Dear Rabbi,
  How old might Esther have been when she married Xerxes
  (Achashverosh)?  Thanks!

Dear Amber,
There are three opinions:  According to Rav she was forty 
years old, according to Shmuel eighty years old and according 
to the Sages she was seventy five years old. 

Sources:
* Bereishet Rabba 39:13

************

WILL PURIM MAKE HIM POOR?
From:  Y. B.

  Dear Rabbi,
  I am asking my work for a day off on Purim.  If I take the
  day off with pay (as one of the vacation days to which I'm
  entitled) I won't hurt my stance with the company to get
  promoted.  But if I take the day off without pay, it could
  hinder my promotion.  I'm  paid hourly, meaning that I would
  be paid for the actual hours of Purim day.  Am I allowed to
  take the day off, and be paid for those hours, or must I
  take the day off without pay?

Dear Y. B.,
You can take the day and the pay.  The prohibition to work on 
Purim is in order that a person should not divert himself from 
the festive atmosphere of the day, but  there is no 
prohibition to profit financially in any other manner.  It is 
worth noting that if a person enjoys his business and that 
causes him joy, strictly speaking there is no prohibition (but 
it is preferable to refrain nonetheless).  Also, a person is 
ill-advised to act in a manner that causes him to suffer a 
financial loss since that also detracts from his festive 
spirit.

=====================================

YIDDLE RIDDLE


Last week we asked:  One day, Sam decided to go into real 
estate.  His first, ill-fated, attempt at acquisition was a 
very small plot of land, only one meter square, in the middle 
of Jerusalem's Highway One.  Sam, never one for bureaucratic 
details, by-passed all red tape and permit-application and 
simply set about with his plans to build right in the middle 
of the busy road.  Because of these actions, Sam eventually 
found himself brought before a beit din (Torah Court).

It may come as a surprise to you, but the court found that, in 
regard to the case at hand, Sam was considered the owner of 
the plot of land.  How can this be?

Answer:  Sam set about with his plans to build by digging a 
hole.  Someone fell in the hole, broke his leg, and brought 
Sam before a beit din charging Sam for damages.

Sam argued that, although he dug the hole, he did not own it, 
and the Torah states:  "When a person digs a pitthe owner of 
the pit shall pay."  (Shemot 21:33-4)  Thus, argued Sam, a 
person is obligated only for a pit which he owns; for example, 
if he digs a pit on his own property next to public property.  
But for a pit which he digs on public property, said Sam, he 
is exempt, for he is not the owner and the damage is indirect.

The court, however, ruled according to the Talmud's 
explanation of the verse (Bava Kama 29b), which is that one 
who digs a pit on public property is considered its owner when 
it comes to paying for damages.

                       Riddle Submitted by Kol Simcha
                       English Radio 102.8 FM Jerusalem

=====================================

THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Comments, quibbles, and reactions 
concerning previous "Ask-the-Rabbi" features

Ohr Inspired:

On a recent visit to Eretz Yisrael, I had the privilege to 
spend Shabbat just outside the Old City, close enough to 
easily walk to the Kotel to daven every day.  If I had ever 
been at the Kotel for Shabbat, it was 22 years ago.  I was 
fortunate enough this time to find myself near the Ohr 
Somayach minyan, and it was an experience I shall never 
forget.  It was the most beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat I had ever 
participated in, ever.  Thank you to your yeshiva for 
providing me with this opportunity.
                                      Adam Heyman
                                      <abgy@juno.com>

Re:  Doctor Do Little (http://www.ohrnet.org/ask/ask269.htm#Q2):

It was wonderful to read your answer that prayer is the "first 
resort" and not the last resort.  As the French physician 
Ambroise Pare said, "I treated him, G-d cured him." Rashi's 
midrashic explanation is prescient:  He compares G-d to a 
physician who tells his patient not to eat foods that will 
make him sick.  Recent medical research has confirmed the 
importance of eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong 
foods as a powerful preventive.
                                      Jay Lavine, M.D.
                                      <Sauromalus@aol.com>

I love it!  I would like to share your recent article about 
doctors with an email distribution list for people involved 
with cancer patients.  Your answer is an excellent explanation 
of how G-d works thru doctors and other people.
                                      Joyce Miller
                                      <harmony1@sunlink.com>

Ear Site:

Your site, www.ohrnet.org, is wonderful.  Thanks a lot for 
providing a source of inspiration in my life. I've been 
listening to Rabbi Tatz's audio lectures. 
(http://www.ohrnet.org/audio/ra/tatz/index.htm)  They're 
awesome.  Thanks.
                                      Naomi <nayomi@aol.com>

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