Interesting Posts and Articles #296

1. This week's Haveil Havalim.
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2. In an interesting example of how theology influences pesak, advice to have Jewish rather than non-Jewish sperm donors, despite pesak from others to prevent mamzerus concerns.
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3. Shirat Devorah on the legend, and kever, of Miriam the laundress. I have my concerns (naturally), which I might spell out in a future post. But it certainly is a very interesting story!
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4. According to the New York Post, the slowness in snow removal from the streets was due to deliberate action by the unions.
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5. A Mother In Israel posts an account by a former member of the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Cult, as a followup to an earlier post. An excerpt from that earlier post, assuming the details are correct:
   

   Men are allowed to visit with their families only fifteen minutes a day. When a husband mentioned that his wife objected, his comrades told him to divorce her and get a new wife. They said “It’s like switching one cow for another.”

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   Once P noticed some of the women eating on Yom Kippur. When questioned the women told her that the Jewish Torah is “shtuyot (nonsense).” They explained that they follow the kabbalah, and come from a lost tribe that had left Egypt with the Jews but never made it to Eretz Yisrael. P claims that the kabbalah center houses scrolls that look like a sefer Torah but contain a different text.

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6. On the Main Line, with an account of the grand-daughter of Rav Yaakov Emden, a learned woman, and the honor accorded to her.
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7. Emes veEmunah recounts intimidation tactics regarding taking a position contra the ban on Vos Iz Neias:
   

   During the course of the conversation he said that he heard myTalkline interview, that I was wrong, and that I should apologize. He hinted that the Vaad is considering placing a ban on my website because of my Talkline comments. I respectfully declined and shortly thereafter we finished our conversation and hung up.

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8. DovBear on one reason he won't obey pashkevils. And an opinion piece in the Jewish Star about it.
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9. Vos Iz Neias point us to this article in the New York Times about a get refusal case. It sounds like the secular courts messed up, and he is trying to use the get to resolve it. But plenty of people get messed up in similar ways, whether it is alimony, custody, etc. In the general case, the husband should not take advantage of an unfortunate nook of halacha in order to hold his wife hostage. This is a perversion of halachah. And I would guess that almost every husband thinks he is doing it for good reason.
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10. Here on parshablog, the Esnoga proof of the Zohar's late authorship, and a response to someone who dismisses it, without having seen it inside.