Interesting Posts and Articles #310

1. A famed seven year old  magnetic boy is probably just very sticky. Looking at the video, it is pretty obvious. See how he leans back; see how it takes several tries to stick the plate to him; and see how non-magnetic things are sticking to him as well:
   
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   But see the analysis anyway.
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2. Mystical Paths with an analysis, in terms of character development, of why to don the right shoe first and doff the left shoe first.

   The Torah is trying to instill a wonderful, ongoing, general principle: When you move toward the positive, start with your stronger side, your right side. When you move away from the positive, move away reluctantly, with a weaker step first, your left side first.

   Yachol lihyot. It certainly is a rationalistic explanation of this halacha. Though see my analysis of this halacha and whether we really need to practice like this. Also, according to Rabbi Yochanan, one should don the left shoe first. There is always the danger of rationalizing, rather than discovering the rationalist explanation for a practice.
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3. Kollel Guy on which son R' Jonathan Rosenblum is more proud of. Also on whether supporting a son-in-law in learning is an essential need.
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4. When 'dropsy' was always the answer, and the present-day parallel.
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5. On The Main Line on Shadal's Ohev Ger, translating an excerpt from his history of Targum. It is a great sefer, which I have used on more than one occasion -- indeed, the last instance in this blogpost on Onkelos on parashat Vayakhel.
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6. The Seforim blog with the latest post from Marc Shapiro.
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7. Via Life in Israel, He Who Believes Eats Cholent, or chamin. Reminds me a bit about the cholent conversion story.
   
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8. A modern-day story of Onkelos and the mezuzah, a post sparked by this Yeranen Yaakov post.
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9. Revach with a teshuva from Rav Wosner about paskening from kabbalah -- what I would like to call "divrei Torah midivrei kabbalah lo yalfinan":

   The Chasam Sofer in Tshuva (OC 51) writes that anyone who mixes Kabbala and Halacha is like mixing wheat and grapes which is an issur of Klei HaKerem that must be burned. Despite the strong language, the Mincha Eluzer says that the Chasam Sofer definitely did not mean this, and he just contrasted it with something else he said for comparison purposes. However with a closer reading of the tshuva it seems clear that the Chasam Sofer did mean what he said.  Yet on the other hand we find that the Bais Yosef and the Mogen Avrohom quote Zohar in paskening Halacha. How can this all be reconciled? 

   Rav Vosner (Shevet HaLevi 1:2) says that the Chasam Sofer's words must be taken at face value. Moreover not only is it assur to mix halacha and kabbala but it is also assur to to mix kabbala of various sources like the Arizal and the Ramak. The reason is because there are many levels and spheres in Kabbala and we do not know what are fair comparisons and what are off the mark. 

   However if the earlier gedolim relied on Kabbala or used it to pasken in certain places, then we can fully rely on their greatness and it is a mitzva to heed their words. Even the Chasam Sofer (YD 287) himself who spoke critically about mixing kabbala and halacha, paskens a halacha based on a kabbalistic Ramban. But for us to read something in kabbala and try to apply it would only cause destruction and be an aveira.

   It seems to me an error to try to harmonize these divergent opinions. The Minchas Eluzar didn't like what the Chasam Sofer said, so he tried to explain it out of existence. Where the Beis Yosef does and does not bring halacha from kabbalah is an interesting question, but he does not always do so. For example, IIRC, even in the first siman of Shulchan Aruch, the Bach takes the Bet Yosef to task for not citing the Zohar that whoever walks four amos without washing his hands is chayav misa. And other halachists, such as Rav Moshe Feinstein, indeed draw a thick dividing line between halachic and kabbalistic reasoning. That the Magen Avraham brings in kabbalah all the time is not something that needs to be harmonized. The Magen Avraham obviously disagrees with the Chasam Sofer. Rav Wosner's approach seems to be a way of preserving the status quo, in which plenty of kabbalah infuses halacha, and claiming a background reasoning to which he asserts even the Chasam Sofer would agree. I don't buy it. But I still have to see each of these teshuvot inside, so this is just my gut talking.
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10. On Google Books, the rituals of Eldad HaDani, with some English footnotes. And the commentary of the Akedas Yitzchak on Megillat Ester.