text:
Concerning the Zohar and Other Matters
Marc B. Shapiro
1. In the last issue of Milin Havivin I published an article dealing with the Zohar and the supposed obligation to accept that it was written by R. Shimon ben Yohai. You can see it here. In the article I mentioned authorities who pointed to passages that in their minds were certainly post-Rashbi interpolations.[1] At the end of the article I also published a letter from R. Isaac Herzog in which he briefly deals with the issue of non-literal interpretation of the Torah. We see that he was uncertain as to what the boundaries are in this matter, and thought that this was an issue that needed to be worked out. That is, he did not believe that the last word on this issue had been stated.
Subsequent to publication I found some more interesting material and I also received a number of emails making various points, so now is as good a time as ever to return to the topic.
First, let me mention what David Farkas wrote to me in an email. In the article I cited Bruriah Hutner-David who brings the following proof that R. Zvi Hirsch Chajes rejected the traditional authorship of the Zohar: In order to show that the Targum to Ecclesiastes should be dated to the geonic period, Chajes notes that while the angel Raziel is mentioned in this Targum, he is not mentioned in talmudic literature. Hutner-David notes that Raziel is mentioned in the Zohar, a fact that Chajes was presumably aware of, meaning that he was hinting that the Zohar is also a late work.
Chaim Landerer called my attention to the fact that in a talmudic era Aramaic incantation bowl the name Raziel does appear, and I cited this to show that Chajes was incorrect in his assumption that the name Raziel post-dates the rabbinic period. However, Farkas has correctly noted that the name Raziel in the bowl refers to God, while Chajes was specifically referring to Raziel as a name of an angel. In other words, there is no refutation of Chajes. Yet I still think that Chajes assumed that the name Raziel itself was post-talmudic. Once we see that the name existed in the rabbinic period, even if so far the only evidence of its use is for God, it is certainly possible that it was also used for angels as well. If that is the case, there is no evidence that the use of the word Raziel as an angel's name points to a post-rabbinic date.
I also found that Saul Berlin notes, in the introduction to his Kasa de-Harsana (his commentary to Besamim Rosh), that unlike all other ancient Jewish books, the Zohar has an introduction. Because of this, he writes that when it comes to the authorship of the Zohar he inclines to the view of his great-uncle, R. Jacob Emden.
A few years ago the outstanding scholar, R. Yaakov Yisrael Stoll, published the anonymous Sefer Kushyot. Here are pages 123-124.
I ask readers to look at note 887. He discusses a mistake made by many in assuming that an expression is a biblical verse. He then notes that the Zohar also makes the same mistake, and refers to other such mistakes made by בעל הזוהר. He doesn't say so explicitly, but I think the way he formulates the note lets the reader, who is attuned to these things, know that in his mind בעל הזוהר is not R. Shimon ben Yohai.
Someone called my attention to this video.
I have no idea who the speaker is, and if he has ever even read a page of the Zohar, but he does seem very sure of himself. I have no objection to discussing the authorship of the Zohar and the ideas found there, or Kabbalah as a whole. However, I would think that a little humility is called for when discussing a discipline that was a basic part of the religious worldview of so many central figures. Do the names Nahmanides, R. Joseph Karo, or the Vilna Gaon mean anything to this speaker?
In my article, I cited all sorts of texts by Orthodox figures dealing with the authorship of the Zohar. Yet I overlooked the following by R. Joseph Hertz.
The question of the authorship of the Zohar, like that of Sefer Yetzirah, is one of the cruces of Jewish literature. The authorship by Simeon ben Yochai, or by his immediate disciples, though this is still an article of faith with millions of Jews in Eastern Europe, has from internal evidence long proved to be untenable. The Zohar explains Spanish words, contains quotations from Gabirol, and mentions the Crusades.[2]
As noted, in my article cited a number of sources that point to additions to the Zohar. Rabbi Akiva Males commented to me that I neglected to mention R. Isaac Haver, Magen ve-Tzinah, ch. 21. This book was written in response to R. Leon Modena's Ari Nohem, a work aimed at disproving the antiquity of the Zohar. Unless one's head is totally in the sand, it is impossible to deny that there are passages in the Zohar that post-date the tannaitic era. For Modena, this was proof that the Zohar could not have been written by Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai. Haver, who wants to hold onto the ancient dating, adopts the only path open to him, arguing that there are indeed many post-tannaitic additions, but the core of the book is ancient.
ובאמת ספר הזוהר נכתב כמה דורות אחר רשב"י מה שנכתב ונתקבל משמו ומשאר חבריו ותלמידו שהיו בימיו, וגם זה נעשה בו הוספות רבות עד מאוד מן אחרוני האחרונים אחר שבאו בכתב וניתנו להעתיק ושלטו בו ידי רבים כל אחד מה שנראה בדעתו ומה שנתחדש לו וכתב בגליון על ספר הזוה"ק מן הצד ואח"ז בא ריעהו מעתיק מן המעתיק ומצא בגליון דברים רבים ובמעט התבוננות חשב שזה היה חסרון בגוף ספר והכניסם בפנים.
Haver points out that is how we can explain the obviously late passages, where we see that the Zohar includes material that comes from Rashi and R. Tam. Among kabbalists, it was not unheard of to say that Rashi actually knew the Zohar and was influenced by it.[3] But Haver will have none of this and recognizes that the influence is in the reverse direction, i.e., Rashi influencing the Zohar. He states that anyone who understands the Zohar will recognize these additions.
What does Haver mean when he mentions that there is material from R. Tam in the Zohar? I am aware of one obvious example. It says in Kiddushin 30b that "one should always divide his years into three: [devoting] a third to Mikra, a third to Mishnah, and a third to Talmud." R. Tam explains why the practice in his day was not in accord with what the Talmud states, an explanation that became very influential and served as a justification for the widespread ignoring of the study of Tanakh in the Ashkenazic world[4]
בלולה במקרא ובמשנה וכו': פירש רבינו תם דבתלמוד שלנו אנו פוטרין עצמנו ממה שאמרו חכמים לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו שליש במקרא שליש במשנה שליש בתלמוד.
What he says is that since the Talmud itself contains Bible and Mishnah, there is no need to divide one's time among the three categories. Rather, by studying Talmud one combines all three areas. I always found this a difficult explanation, for if the Talmud agreed with this perspective, it would have said so, instead of stating that one is to divide one's time. The intention of the talmudic instruction in Kiddushin was that people become well acquainted with all three subjects, and if they only devote themselves to Talmud, there is a great deal of Bible and Mishnah[5] they will never encounter. (According to Maimonides, Hilkhot Talmud Torah 1:12, once one is already a scholar, he does not need to divide his time between the three areas, but can focus almost entirely on Talmud.)
Despite what R. Tam says, R. Samson Raphael Hirsch claims that it was due to a misunderstanding of this opinion that people were led to stop studying Tanakh.[6] Not mentioned by Hirsch is that even before R. Tam some scholars ignored Tanakh. There were even talmudic Sages who were not expert in Bible. Bava Kamma 54b-55a states:
R. Hanina b. Agil asked R. Hiyya b. Abba: Why in the first Decalogue is there no mention of wellbeing [טוב], whereas in the second Decalogue there is a mention of wellbeing?[7] He replied: While you are asking me why wellbeing is mentioned there, ask me whether wellbeing is in fact mentioned or not, as I do not know whether wellbeing is mentioned there or not.
Tosafot, Bava Batra 113a, s.v. travayhu, cites this text to support its contention about the amoraim: .פעמים היו שלא היו בקיאין בפסוקין After referring to this strange passage in Tosafot (concerning which there is an entire literature), R. Moses Salmon sarcastically declares[8]: ועל זה סומכים הלומדים עמי הארץ וד"ל
Unlike Salmon, R. Samuel Strashun, in his note to Bava Batra 8a, defended those talmudists who were deficient in knowledge of Bible.
משמע דאפשר שיהיו בעלי משנה או בעלי גמרא ולא בעלי מקרא . . . ודלא כאותן ששופכין בוז על מקצת גדולי זמנינו בש"ס ופוסקים ואין להם יד כ"כ במקרא.
So returning to my question, what does Haver mean when he says that there is material from R. Tam in the Zohar? Well it turns out that R. Tam's explanation, which we have just been discussing, is also found in the Zohar Hadash (ed. Margaliyot), Tikunim p. 107b:
תקינו רבנן לשלש שנותינו במקרא בתלמוד . . . ואוקמוה דמאן דמתעסק (במשנה) [בתלמוד] כאלו התעסק בכלא בגין דאיהי בלילא במקרא במשנה בתלמוד.
There is no question that this passage is adopted from R. Tam, who lived a millennium after R. Shimon ben Yohai.
Incidentally, regarding R. Tam's view, here is a page of an article by R. Yehudah Aryeh Schwartz that appeared in the Agudah journal Kol ha-Torah, Adar 5765 [2005], p. 102 (second pagination).
The following page comes from R. Yehiel Michel Stern's Ha-Torah ha-Temimah on the Book of Joshua, p. 84 no. 3, which appeared in 2009.
As you can see, Stern's comment is lifted word for word from Schwartz's article. I am not sure what to make of this. That is, are dealing with a simple plagiarism? Perhaps one of the readers has some insight. (Stern may be the world's most prolific writer of Torah publications.)
In my article I referred to passages in the Zohar which traditional authorities had claimed were really later interpolations. There are examples of the opposite phenomenon as well, namely, attributing things to the Zohar that are not found there. The most famous instance of this that I know of is found in the Bah, Orah Hayyim 4 (and quoted from there in Be'er Heitev, Orah Hayyim 1:2) that upon waking up if you walk four amot without washing your hands you are subject to the death penalty![9] This Zoharic text is quoted in the name of the work Tola'at Yaakov, authored by R. Meir Ibn Gabai (1480-ca. 1543). The passage is cited over and over again by aharonim in trying to show the importance of the morning washing. Yalkut Meam Loez, Deut. 4:9, doesn't even mention the Zohar, stating simply:
ואמרו חז"ל כל המהלך ד' אמות בלי נטילת ידים חייב מיתה
A few scholars actually point out that this passage is not to be found in the Zohar.[10] One of those who realized this is R. Eleazar Fleckeles, Teshuvah me-Ahavah, vol. 1 no. 14, whom we will come back to later in this post. He writes that he looked in the Zohar and didn't find the passage referred to. With reference to the Tola'at Yaakov, whom he (falsely) thinks cited the Zohar (since that is what it says in the Bah), Fleckeles writes:
ושארי לי' מארי' שעשה רוב ישראל לחייבי מיתות
Because very few of the aharonim actually had the sefer Tola'at Yaakov (which is itself a little strange as the book was printed a number of times), they were unable to see that the Tola'at Yaakov never quotes the Zohar! Here is p. 9a from the Cracow 1581 edition.
If you look in the second paragraph you will see that Ibn Gabai does state that one who doesn't wash his hands is חייב מיתה, but he doesn't attribute this to the Zohar. How he derives this idea is worthy of investigation at a different time. For now, it is important to just note that what we have here is an independent idea of a sixteenth-century Kabbalist which for some reason was misquoted by the Bah as if Ibn Gabai was citing the Zohar. This misquotation was to be repeated again and again, down to the present day.
The supposed Zohar text has led to additional stringencies. For example, the hasidic master R. Meshulam Zusha of Anapole stated that that one should not even to put one's legs on the ground before washing one's hands.[11]
Here is an interesting story that relates to the false Zohar quotation: A very learned and rich student came to study with R. Simhah Bunim of Peshischa.[12] The problem was that this young man was a bit of an independent thinker, and the Kotzker, who was also there, didn't think that the young man belonged with them. The story explains how the Kotzker was able to convince the young man to leave. What was it about this man that turned the Kotzker against him? We are told the following:
הוא הגיה בזוה"ק שכתב "ההולך ד' אמות בלי נטילת ידים חייב מיתה", והוא הגיה: "והוא שהרג את הנפש", וזה נגד חז"ל.
So here we have a story of an emendation of a non-existent Zoharic text. And even if we assume that the man was emending the text as it appears in the Bah, we see from the story that the Kotzker thought that the quote was authentic.
I wasn't sure what to make of this passage. I therefore consulted a learned friend who said that the problem was that the young man who emended the text to read והוא שהרג את הנפש was making a joke at the expense of the (supposed) Zoharic passage. He was saying that you are only deserving of the death penalty if you kill someone while walking the four amot. I then sent him a page from R. Zvi Yavrov, Ma'aseh Ish, vol. 4, p. 113, where it appears that the Hazon Ish took the emendation-explanation just mentioned as an authentic understanding of the passage. The text in Yavrov reads as follows:
על מה שהביא ה"באר היטב" (או"ח סימן א' סק"ב) שההולך ד' אמות בלי נטילת ידים שחרית חייב מיתה, אמר רבינו להגאון ר' שמריהו גריינימן זצ"ל, שמישהו כתב בגליון הספר "והוא שהרג את הנפש" (מבנו הג"ר ברוך שליט"א).
My friend replied by referring me to a discussion on Hyde Park here where the text from Yavrov is also mentioned. One of the commenters there claims that the Hazon Ish was also joking in his remark, and the one who heard this (who was hardly a tyro), or the person who passed on the information to Yavrov, didn't realize that it was a joke. The commenter also assumes that despite what appears in the Bah and Be'er Heitev, the Hazon Ish would have known that that it wasn't an authentic quote from the Zohar. I find this very unlikely, as the Hazon Ish is not known to have been an expert in the Zohar, and what reason would there be for him to doubt that which is quoted in numerous earlier sources?
The one point that the commenter has going for him is that he is correct that there are many examples in this book, and others like it, from which we see that the author does not know how to distinguish between what should and should not be included in a book. The commenter gives an example to illustrate this. In vol. 5, p. 141, Yavrov gives us the following important information about the Hazon Ish, recorded by one of his students: They never saw the Hazon Ish picking his nose! I kid you not.
העיד אחד מגדולי תלמידי רבינו: מעולם לא ראו את הרבי עם אצבע באף (מהרב מרדכי ויספיש)
Regarding this issue, R. Eliezer Melamed – who really is a great halakhic scholar – writes that picking one's nose in public is forbidden.[13]
ויש מעשים שכשאדם עושה אותם בסתר, אין בכך פגם, אבל בפני אנשים אחרים הם נחשבים למגעילים ואסורים משום 'בל תשקצו' ומשום המצוות שבין אדם לחבירו. למשל, המחטט באף או מגרד פצעונים שבפניו, עובר באיסורים אלו. וכן אמרו חכמים (חגיגה ה, א): "כִּי אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֶׂה הָאֱלוֹהִים יָבִא בְמִשְׁפָּט עַל כָּל נֶעְלָם. אמר רב: זה ההורג כינה בפני חבירו ונמאס בה. ושמואל אמר: זה הרק (היורק) בפני חבירו ונמאס בה". ובמיוחד בעת שאוכלים, צריך להיזהר בכך יותר, כי מעשים מאוסים, וכן דיבורים מגעילים, מבטלים את התיאבון ומעוררים בחילה בקרב הסועדים.
Getting back to the supposed Zoharic passage, R. Yitzhak Abadi discusses this in Or Yitzhak, vol. 1, no. 1. He begins his responsum by pointing out that despite the fact that the Mishnah Berurah records how one is not to walk four amot before washing one's hands, R. Aaron Kotler did not concern himself with this. Abadi then explains that the words of the Zohar are not intended for everyone,[14] and none of the rishonim write that it is forbidden to walk four amot before washing. He concludes by stating that he is inclined to rule – ולולי דמסתפינא הייתי אומר להלכה למעשה – that the entire practice of negel vasser is no longer relevant to us because ruah ra'ah is no longer a concern.[15] Here again we see that the author of a responsum assumes that the issue he is discussing, of not walking four amot before hand washing, is based on the Zohar, when in fact the Zohar doesn't mention this at all.
Finally, I must mention that R. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai, Birkei Yosef, Orah Hayyim 1:1, recognizes that there is nothing in the Zohar about being subject to the death penalty for walking four amot. However, he notes that both he and his forefather, R. Abraham Azulai, saw an alternate version which indeed states that one who walks four amot אתחייב מיתא לשמיא. Based on this alternate text, the Hida declares that the Tola'at Yaakov is correct in how he quoted the Zohar, and the criticism of him for the inaccurate quotation is therefore misplaced. Even the Hida didn't have access to the Tola'at Yaakov, and based on the Bah assumed that the Tola'at Yaakov quoted the Zohar and must indeed have had the alternate text. Yet as we have already seen, the Tola'at Yaakov does not quote the Zohar, and there is no actual alternate version of the text such as quoted by the Hida.
What happened was that someone saw the Bah quoting the Tola'at Yaakov as quoting the Zohar that one who walks four amot is subject to the death penalty. Not finding this passage in the Zohar, this individual inserted it into his text of the Zohar in the section that deals with hand washing in the morning (Zohar, vol. 1 p. 10b). I don't think this was intended as a forgery. Rather, whoever put it in assumed that it was an authentic Zoharic teaching, found in an alternate text, and he was inserting it where it should be. He thought that it was an authentic Zoharic teaching because the Tola'at Yaakov had testified to it. But as we have already seen, Tola'at Yaakov said nothing of the sort. This alternate girsa can therefore be traced back to the Bah's misquotation of the Tola'at Yaakov.
How can we explain the Bah? I think the answer is simple. When the Bah cited the Tola'at Yaakov he did not have the book in front of him, and was relying on his memory, the sort of mistake that is found among all of our great sages. That is how this error crept in which has had a great influence on Jewish religious texts and practice for hundreds of years, and yet it all goes back to a simple mistaken quotation.
Returning to my article on the Zohar, Rabbi Akiva Males called my attention to the following paragraphs that appear in an essay by R. Aryeh Kaplan.[16] It would be great if a reader has examined the manuscript and can testify to the accuracy of what Kaplan reported.
Rabbi Yitzchok deMin Acco is known for a number of things. Most questions regarding the authenticity of the Zohar were raised by him, since he investigated its authorship. He was a personal friend of Rabbi Moshe de Leon, who published the Zohar. When questions came up regarding the Zohar's authenticity, he was the one who investigated, going to the home town of Rabbi Moshe de Leon. The whole story is cited in Sefer HaYuchasin, who abruptly breaks off the story just before Rabbi Yitzchok reaches his final conclusion. Most historians maintain that we do not know Rabbi Yitzchok's final opinion – but they are wrong.
Around three years ago, someone came to me and asked me to translate parts of a manuscript of Rabbi Yitzchok deMin Acco, known as Otzar HaChaim. There is only one complete copy of this manuscript in the world, and this is in the Guenzberg Collection in the Lenin Library in Moscow. This person got me a complete photocopy of the manuscript and asked me to translate certain sections. I stated that the only condition I would translate the manuscript is if I get to keep the copy. This is how I got my hands on this very rare and important manuscript.
Of course, like every other sefer in my house, it had to be read. It took a while to decipher the handwriting, since it is an ancient script. One of the first things I discovered was that it was written some 20 years after Rabbi Yitzchok investigated the Zohar. He openly, and clearly and unambiguously states that the Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. This is something not known to historians, and this is the first time I am discussing it in a public forum. But the fact is that the one person who is historically known to have investigated the authenticity of the Zohar at the time it was first published, unambiguously came to the conclusion that it was an ancient work written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
Leaving aside for now the important information recorded by Kaplan, there is a good deal that can be said about R. Moses de Leon and the creation of the Zohar, and it is questionable if one can even speak of a single author. One essential point that must be recognized by all who investigate this matter is that De Leon himself was involved in other forgeries, in particular forgeries of geonic responsa.[17] As such, he obviously is not the most reliable source when he announces to the world that he is in possession of a text of mystical lore dating from the tannaitic period.
Regarding the Zohar and forgery, I think readers will also find the following interesting. (Many already know some of the story, but it is worth repeating for those who don't.) In the journal Or Torah, Tevet 5772, p. 362, a reader, whose knowledge of Jewish bibliography is not that great, had a question. He saw the following page in R. Yudel Rosenberg's Hebrew translation of the Zohar to Va-Yikra.
This is important information, as Emden confesses that his attack against the Zohar was only designed to pull the wool out from under the Sabbatians, whose ideology was linked to the Zohar. The man who wrote to Or Torah, not knowing anything about Rosenberg, asked for help from the readers. He tried to locate the book Tzur Devash quoted by Rosenberg, but was unable.
In Or Torah, Adar 5772, pp. 555-557, two individuals let the first writer in on the "not-so-secret" that there is no book Tzur Devash, and that Rosenberg had a long history of making up texts; see here. This is so even though Rosenberg was a respected rabbi and posek. Here, incidentally, is the picture of Rosenberg that appears at the beginning of his Zohar translation.
In Or Torah, Adar 5772, pp. 555-557, two individuals let the first writer in on the "not-so-secret" that there is no book Tzur Devash, and that Rosenberg had a long history of making up texts; see here. This is so even though Rosenberg was a respected rabbi and posek. Here, incidentally, is the picture of Rosenberg that appears at the beginning of his Zohar translation.
With some of Rosenberg's "forgeries", it seems that what he was doing was creating a form of literature, and anyone who takes the story literally has only himself to blame (much like anyone who thinks that Animal Farm is really about animals has no one to complain to but himself). At times, Rosenberg would even hint to the reader what he was doing, as in Hoshen ha-Mishpat shel ha-Kohen ha-Gadol, where in the preface he mentions that part of the story also appeared in a work of Arthur Conan Doyle. If any reader would have taken the time to find out who this was, he would have realized that we are dealing with a fictional account. At other times, however, Rosenberg offers no such hint, at least none that I am aware of, and what we have appears to be a simple forgery. That would seem to be the case here, with the phony letter from Emden.
The second correspondent in Or Torah also calls attention to R. Yaakov Hayyim Sofer's discussion in Etz Hayyim 7 (5769), pp. 267-268. While for a long time everyone has known that the Emden letter was a forgery, Sofer identifies another forgery. Rosenberg's translation (second edition) vol. 1, contains a letter of approbation from R. Hayyim Hezekiah Medini, the Sedei Hemed.[18] Sofer claims, and I think he is correct, that this approbation is a forgery. His prime proof is that in the approbation Medini refers to the Hida as האזולאי. There are many hundreds, if not thousands, of references to the Hida in Medini's work, and not once does he refer to the Hida as האזולאי, which is a form only used by Ashkenazic rabbis. What Sofer didn't realize, and further supports his point, is that Rosenberg himself, in his introduction, p. 5a, refers to Hida as האזולאי.
In Or Torah, Iyar 5772, p. 744, another writer called attention to Sedei Hemed, Peat ha-Sadeh, kelalim, mah'arekhet bet, no. 47, where Medini states that it is disrespectful to use this sort of language, referring specifically to the expression האלגאזי.[19] This is another proof, if any was needed, that Medini would never have referred to the Hida as האזולאי. Let me also add that the way Medini (=Rosenberg) concludes the forged haskamah is not like any of his other letters, which are included in Iggerot Sedei Hemed (Bnei Brak, 2006). In the authentic letters, before his name Medini always adds הצב"י or הצעיר , which he does not do in the forged haskamah.. In his authentic letters, he also never closes them by adding to his name רב ומו"ץ בעיר הקדש חברון. Therefore, there can be no doubt that the letter of approbation sent by Medini to Rosenberg is simply another one of the latter's forgeries.
Now let us turn to the incredible recent publication of a derashah by R. Yehezkel Landau, the Noda bi-Yehudah.[20] But before doing so, it is necessary to say a few words about R. Eleazar Fleckeles, the outstanding student of the Noda bi-Yehudah. (Fleckeles' grave, entirely ignored by tourists, stands right near that of his teacher.) Ever since the publication over two hundred years ago of the strong comments of Fleckeles downplaying the authority of the Zohar, people have wondered where this came from. It just seemed strange that an 18th-19th century traditional Torah scholar would express himself this way. We now have the answer. Fleckeles was following in his teacher's footsteps. Thanks to the publication of the Noda bi-Yehudah's derashah by Michael Silber and Maoz Kahana, a derashah that had previously only appeared in a censored form, we now know that that the Noda bi-Yehudah had a skeptical view of the Zohar, at least in the form that it has come down to us. The issue that the Noda bi-Yehudah was concerned with was the same thing that bothered Emden and Fleckeles, namely, distinguishing the authentic ancient Jewish mysticism from the many later additions that found their way into the Zohar.
What caused the Noda bi-Yehudah in his later years to adopt a skeptical position, one so much at odds with his earlier outlook, is of course worthy of investigation and something for the scholars to fight over (and they already have!).
Regarding Fleckeles, his negative comments about the Zohar that appear in Teshuvah me-Ahavah are well known and have often been cited. In my article I also referred to Fleckeles' citation of Wessely who quoted R. Jonathan Eibschuetz as supposedly stating that one need not believe in Kabbalah. (Needless to say, it is very difficult to believe that Eibschuetz could have ever expressed himself this way.) In preparing for my Torah in Motion talks on R. Moses Kunitz,[21] I found another relevant text from Fleckeles that as far as I know has gone unnoticed among those who have discussed the matter. It appears in Kunitz's responsa Ha-Metzaref,[22] which happens to be one of the strangest responsa works ever published. It is also noteworthy in that it contains something extremely rare, namely, a responsum from R. Nathan Adler, the Hatam Sofer's teacher. Knowing that some people might doubt that the teshuvah could really have been authored by R. Nathan, he also included a letter from the Hatam Sofer testifying to the responsum's authenticity.
In Ha-Metzaref, vol. 1 no. 11, Fleckeles again focuses on additions to the Zohar that are not part of the authentic work, but here he adds a new point which is important for an accurate description of Fleckeles' position. He says that if a Zoharic text is quoted by R. Isaac Luria, R. Moses Cordovero, or R. Menahem Azariah of Fano then you can assume that it is part of the original Zohar, authored by R. Shimon ben Yohai.
One final comment regarding the Noda bi-Yehudah's derashah: Yehoshua Mondshine somehow got hold of it before it was published by Silber and Kahana. Here is the relevant page, from Or Yisrael, Nisan 5766, p. 202.
Notice how Mondshine doesn't reveal where this text comes from, something not expected from a careful scholar. Since this is such an amazing passage, and Mondshine's article was the first time it appeared in print, you can be sure that loads of people must have turned to Mondshine asking him for its source. Presumably, when he was given the text he gave his word not to reveal its source. He might not have even known the source, and was only given the small passage.
2. Due to correspondence with a couple of people, I realized that I forgot to include something about the word מחיה in my last post. So here it is now.
In the Amidah we say מחיה מתים אתה. There is a tzeirei under the yod meaning that this is not a verb. Artscroll correctly translates "Resuscitator of the dead." Sacks,[23] on the other hand, gives the mistaken translation "You give life to the dead". The next line reads
מכלכל חיים בחסד, מחיה מתים ברחמים רבים
Is מחיה in this verse a verb? Ifמכלכל is translated as a verb, then מחיה will also have to be translated this way. The Tehilat ha-Shem siddur has a segol under the yod of מחיה, and with this vocalization it is correct to translate it as a verb. However, for siddurim with a tzeirei the only accurate translation is a noun. Metsudah, which we have seen is consistent in this matter, translates: "Sustainer of the living with Kindliness, Resurrector of the dead with great mercy." Both Artscroll and Sacks, however, translate מחיה as a verb which is incorrect. But why is it incorrect? It is only incorrect because of the vocalization (tzeirei), but I think that in the sentence מחיה is indeed a verb. This means that it is the vocalization that is incorrect, and that instead of a tzeirei under the yod, there should be a segol, as in the Tehilat ha-Shem siddur[24]. So my recommendation to Artscroll and Sacks would not be to change the translation, but only to change the vocalization.
After reading my last post, Ben Katz sent me an example where of all the translations, only Artscroll gets it right. The last lines of Adon Olam read:
בידו אפקיד רוחי בעת אישן ואעירה
ועם רוחי גויתי ה' לי ולא אירא
Sacks translates as follows (and Metsudah is similar):
Into His hand my soul I place,
when I awake and when I sleep.
God[25] is with me, I shall not fear;
Body and soul from harm will He keep.
What this means is that God has my soul at all times, when I am awake and when I sleep, and that that is why I have no fear.
Artscroll translates as follows:
Into His hand I shall entrust my spirit
When I go to sleep – and I shall awaken!
With my spirit shall my body remain.
Hashem is with me, I shall not fear.
Before getting to what I think is the significant part of the translation, let us look at the last line: ועם רוחי גויתי, ה' לי ולא אירא. In his translation, Sacks has turned the order of the sentence around. That is OK as it was done so that the rhyme works (and Sacks deserves enormous credit for having most of the song rhyme in English). The real problem is Sacks' rendering of the words ועם רוחי גויתי. There is no way this can be translated as "Body and soul from harm will He keep." The words imply nothing about keeping from harm. The typical translation sees ועם as referring to God, meaning that God is with my soul and body and therefore I will have no fear.
However, Artscroll gets it right, I think, by translating these words literally: "With my spirit shall my body remain." To see how Artscroll gets to this translation, we have to look at the previous verse, and that is where we see Artscroll's brilliance. בידו אפקיד רוחי בעת אישן ואעירה. The other translations understand this to mean that I place my spirit (or soul) in God's hands when I sleep and when I am awake. The problem with this rendering is that if my spirit is always in God's hands, then what sense does it make to say that I place it there? If it is always there, during the day and at night, there is nothing for me to place.
Artscroll translates: "Into His hand I shall entrust my spirit when I go to sleep – and I shall awaken!" This is an allusion to the famous Midrash that we are all taught in school, that when you go to sleep your spirit returns to God, and is given back to you in the morning.[26] This isn't just some random Midrash, but is derived from Psalm 31:6, which states: בידך אפקיד רוחי.[27] In other words, the Midrash is commenting on the exact words used by Adon Olam. This shows that Artscroll's translation has indeed beautifully captured the correct meaning.
Artscroll translates: "Into His hand I shall entrust my spirit when I go to sleep – and I shall awaken!" This is an allusion to the famous Midrash that we are all taught in school, that when you go to sleep your spirit returns to God, and is given back to you in the morning.[26] This isn't just some random Midrash, but is derived from Psalm 31:6, which states: בידך אפקיד רוחי.[27] In other words, the Midrash is commenting on the exact words used by Adon Olam. This shows that Artscroll's translation has indeed beautifully captured the correct meaning.
We now can properly understand the next verse. Since my spirit has returned and joined with my body, I know that God is with me and I shall not fear.
3. There is a relatively new publication for all who are interested in Jewish intellectual life. I refer to the Jewish Review of Books, expertly edited by Abraham Socher. Modeled after the New York Review of Books, each issue is full of great material. In the latest issue I published a translation of part of an essay by R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg on Berdyczewski. Only subscribers can access the essay, but everyone can see the artwork that went along with it. See here. (Due to copyright restrictions, I can't reproduce the artwork in the post.)
If you examine the picture of Weinberg produced by the artist, you will see that it was modeled after this picture that appears in my book on Weinberg, and also on the front cover of the soft-cover edition.
The original photograph was part of a faculty picture taken when Weinberg taught at the University of Giessen. However, the artistic reproduction adds something that is not found in the original, something that the artist assumed no rabbi should be without; see here.
The original photograph was part of a faculty picture taken when Weinberg taught at the University of Giessen. However, the artistic reproduction adds something that is not found in the original, something that the artist assumed no rabbi should be without; see here.
4. Those outside of the United States who want to post (or read) comments, please access the Seforim Blog site by going to http://seforim.blogspot.com/ncr. Only by doing this will you be taken to the main site (and not have a country code in the URL). Readers outside the United States do not have access to the comments posted in the U.S. We don't know why this is, or how to fix it yet, but the above instruction fixes the matter.
* * * *
I have an extra copy of one of the volumes of R. Hayyim Hirschensohn's commentary on Rashi. The person who answers the following question will receive it. Send answers to me at shapirom2 at scranton.edu
1. Tell me the only place in the Shulhan Arukh where R. Joseph Karo mentions a kabbalistic concept? I am referring to an actual concept e.g., Adam Kadmon, Ein Sof, etc.
2. If more than one person answers the above question correctly, the one who answers the following (not related to seforim) will win: Which is the only United States embassy that has a kosher kitchen?
If no one can answer question no. 2, I will do a lottery with the names of those who answer no. 1 correctly.
* * * *
I have an extra copy of one of the volumes of R. Hayyim Hirschensohn's commentary on Rashi. The person who answers the following question will receive it. Send answers to me at shapirom2 at scranton.edu
1. Tell me the only place in the Shulhan Arukh where R. Joseph Karo mentions a kabbalistic concept? I am referring to an actual concept e.g., Adam Kadmon, Ein Sof, etc.
2. If more than one person answers the above question correctly, the one who answers the following (not related to seforim) will win: Which is the only United States embassy that has a kosher kitchen?
If no one can answer question no. 2, I will do a lottery with the names of those who answer no. 1 correctly.
[1] R. Moshe Zuriel kindly sent me the following additional sources that should be added to my list.
[א] ספר "אור החמה", ביאור בשלשה כרכים על הזוהר, נלקט ע"י הרב אברהם אזולאי, מביא דברי ר' אברהם גלאנטי שם על זהר ח"א קסח, והוא בנדפס דף קנט ע"א ראש טור שמאל, "הם דברי מחבר הספר בימי הגאונים או חכמים אחרים שחברו כל המימרות יחד שכתב ר' אבא, שהיה סופר של רשב"י והם חלקום לפרשיות כל פסוק בפרשה שלו, והם אמרו משלהם".
[ב] בפירוש ר' יוסף חיים מבבל (בן איש חי) בשם "בניהו" (דף ד ע"ב בנדפס) פירוש על תיקוני זהר, בתחילת ההקדמה לתקו"ז (ב ע"ב) מזכיר "ועל האי ציפור רמיזו רבנן בהגדה דבתרא דרבה בר בר חנה" כותב הרב: "נראה פשוט בספר בתקונים הראשון אשר הועתק מכתיבת יד חכמי הזוהר כך כתוב 'קא רמיזו רבנן' וכו' אך חכם אחרון שראה דבר זה כתוב בגמרא דבתרא במאמרי רבב"ח הוסיף על הגליון תיבות אלו בהגדה דבתרא דרבב"ח וכו' ואחר כמה שנים המדפיסים הכניסו בפנים מה שראו כתוב בגליון. ועל חינם הגאון יעב"ץ הרעיש העולם לערער בדבר זה וכיוצא בו".
[ג] אדמו"ר ר' יצחק אייזיק קומרנא בספרו "נתיב מצותיך" שביל התורה אלף, מהד' שנת תש"ל עמ' קא כתב: "ור' אבא היה כותב כל מה ששמע, הן ממנו הן מהחברים וכו' בסוף ימי רבנן סבוראי תחילת הגאונים היה איש קדוש אאחד שהיה בו נשמת משה רבנו ממש וכו' וכו' והוא חיבר ספר רעיא מהימנא וקרא לזוהר חיבורא קדמאה".
[ד] ר' צבי אלימלך (מחבר בני יששכר) בספרו "הגהות מהרצ"א" (נמצא בתוכנת אוצר החכמה) על פרשת בא לח ע"א (בנדפס בספר שם דף קכו) כותב: "לפי גירסא הזו ע"כ [על כרחך] צ"ל דהזהר נתחבר בג"ע [בגן עדן] בזמן הגאונים, דהרי רב חסדא אמורא היה בזמן האמוראים" עכ"ל.
[ה] הרב אברהם יצחק קוק, מאמרי הראי"ה, עמ' 519: מתוך מכתב להרב קאפח: "אפילו אם נשתלשלו דורות רבים והיו בהם הוספות והערות מחכמים שונים, ואם אפילו נתערבו בהם איזה דברים שראויים לביקורת, כמו שעשה הגאון יעב"ץ במטפחתו, אין העיקר בטל בכך".
[2] Sermons, Addresses and Studies, vol. 3 p. 308. I learnt of this passage from Ben Elton, Britain's Chief Rabbis and the Religious Character of Anglo-Jewry, 1880-1970, p. 176.
[3] See Studies in Maimonides and his Interpreters, p. 89 n. 376, where I mention that R. Abraham ben ha-Gra, who (for his time) had a critical sense, was among those who thought that Rashi knew the Zohar.
[4] Tosafot, Sanhedrin 24a s.v. belulah. The uncensored text, found in the Venice edition, reads בתלמוד, but the Vilna edition has בש"ס.
[5] Since the Daf Yomi siyum is just about upon us as I write these words, let me add the following: While I don't think that R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik can be called an opponent of Daf Yomi, I was present at a shiur in the summer of 1985 where he expressed his dismay that due to the growing popularity of Daf Yomi, people were no longer studying all six orders of the Mishnah, much of which has no Talmud and is thus not included in the Daf Yomi cycle. (Due to how the Talmud was printed, Kinnim and Middot are the only tractates of Mishnah included in Daf Yomi. )
[6] Nineteen Letters, Letter Eighteen.
[7] See Deut. 5:15: כבד את אביך ואת אמך כאשר צוה ה' אלקיך למען יאריכן ימיך ולמען ייטב לך על האדמה אשר ה' אלקיך נתן לך
R. Samuel Schonblum offers an explanation of the talmudic passage that many will no doubt claim attributes a heretical assumption to one of the Sages. See his edition of R. Isaac Ibn Latif, Rav Pealim (Lemberg, 1885), p. 54:
כפי השקפה הראשונה נוכל לומר כי השנוים שבדברות האחרונות משה אמרן מדעת עצמו כמ"ש הראב"ע ז"ל כמוסיף וגורע ואפשר לומר כי לא נאמר טוב בסיני כלל ע"כ כאשר שאל לו מ"מ [מפני מה] בראשונות לא נאמר טוב ובאחרונות נאמר טוב השיב לו שאלני אם נאמר טוב אם לאו, שאפשר שגם באחרונות לא נאמר טוב כך משה הוסיף או גורע עד שבא לר' תנחום בר חנילאי ואמר לו כי באמת נאמרו כך בסיני ע"י משה וזה שלא נכתבו על הלוחות הראשונות יען כי היו עתידין להשתבר ע"כ לא נאמר ע"י הדיבור הנעלם רק ע"י משה, ה' יראני מתורתו נפלאות.
In Limits of Orthodox Theology, I did not discuss the commentary of Ibn Ezra (Ex 20:1) referred to by Schonblum. That is because I assumed that he agreed with the standard medieval view that even though Moses may have written things on his own accord, when these texts were later included as part of the Torah given to the Children of Israel, this was done at God's direction and that is what sanctified the text. I am no longer convinced of this. All Ibn Ezra says in his commentary to Ex. 20:1 is that minor variations in wording are due to Moses changing God's original words. Nowhere in his commentary does Ibn Ezra state that Moses' changes were ever given divine sanction.
[8] Netiv Shalom (Budapest, 1898), p. 33.
[9] I wonder if this exaggeration is related to the seeming exaggerations found in Sotah 4b regarding those who are not careful with netilat yadayim: כל האוכל לחם בלא נטילת ידים כאילו בא על אשה זונה . . . כל המזלזל בנטילת ידים נעקר מן העולם See also Yalkut Shimoni, Ki Tisa, no. 386: כל האוכל בלא נטילת ידים כבא על אשת איש (I say "seeming" exaggerations, because maybe these are not exaggerations. See the story with R. Akiva in Eruvin 21b.) Why were the Sages so strident in this matter? After citing the two rabbinic passages just mentioned, R. Zvi Hirsch Chajes points to an anti-Christian motivation. See Kol Sifrei Maharatz Chajes, p. 1003:
והטעם שהחמירו חז"ל בזה, דענין נטילת ידים הוא הענין הראשון אשר זלזל בו המחוקק לנוצרים, כמבואר בספריהם דשאלו אותו מדוע תלמידיו אוכלים בלי נטילת ידים והשיב מה שיצא מן הפה הוא טמא ומה שהולך לפה הוא טהור, ומפני זה למען לא יהיה לנו השתוות עמהם, החמירו בנטילת ידים, דהמזלזל בזה הוי כמודה להם.
See R. Mordechai Fogelman, Beit Mordechai, part 2, no. 15:2 (p. 224), who uses the Christian angle to explain another talmudic passage dealing with washing of hands. (Those who have read R. Israel Meir Lau's wonderful autobiography will recognize Fogelman's name.) See also Abraham Buechler, Am ha-Aretz ha-Gellili, ch. 4.
[10] See e.g., R. Pinchas of Koretz, Imrei Pinhas ha-Shalem (Bnei Brak, 2003), p. 209:
מה שכתב הבאר היטב (או"ח א, ס"ק ב) בשם תולעת יעקב בשם הזוהר, ההולך ארבע אמות בלי נטילת ידים חייב מיתה, הקפיד מאד הרב ז"ל על זה, שאינו בזוהר כלל, וגם במגן אברהם (או"ח ד, א) ובתולעת יעקב עצמו לא כתב בשם הזוהר רק דעת עצמו.
[11] See R. Zvi Elimelech of Dinov, Igra de-Firka, no. 9.
[12] See Menachem Yehudah Baum, Ha-Rabbi Rabbi Bunim mi-Peshischa (Bnei Brak, 1997), vol. 1, p. 212.
See also R. Shmuel Eliyahu's responsum on the topic here, R. Yaakov Peretz, Emet le-Yaakov (Jerusalem, 1979), p. 29, and R. Moshe Zuriel, Tziyon be-Mishpat Tipadeh (Bnei Brak, 2007), pp. 107-108. The section in Zuriel's book is entitled
בענין הנוהג הנפסד של חיטוט באף ובאוזן, בעת לימוד תורה והתפילה
There might even be enough material for a booklet dealing with the halakhot related to picking one's nose. I know some of you are laughing right now, but I am entirely serious. See also R. Israel Pesah Feinhandler, Avnei Yoshpeh, vol. 5, Orah Hayyim no. 71, who discusses if it is permissible to pick one's nose on Shabbat.
See also R. Ovadiah Yosef, Yabia Omer, vol. 5, Orah Hayyim no. 30:
There is also the issue of phlegm and hatzitzah that has been dealt with by many. It is interesting that halakhic sources regard putting one's finger in one's ear the same way as in one's nose (e.g., in discussing if you have to wash your hands after this), while contemporary mores sees the latter as being in much poorer taste.
See also R. Ovadiah Yosef, Yabia Omer, vol. 5, Orah Hayyim no. 30:
ואתה תחזה שע"פ האמור יש להעיר עמ"ש הגאון מהר"ח פלאג'י בס' רוח חיים (סי' שכא סק"ב וסי' שמ סק"א), ובס' כף החיים (סי' ל אות קה), שיש להזהיר לאלה שמקנחים צואת החוטם (ובפרט כשהיא יבשה), שתולשים עי"ז כמה שערות, ואע"ג דדבר שאינו מתכוין מותר, היכא דפסיק רישיה יש להחמיר
There is also the issue of phlegm and hatzitzah that has been dealt with by many. It is interesting that halakhic sources regard putting one's finger in one's ear the same way as in one's nose (e.g., in discussing if you have to wash your hands after this), while contemporary mores sees the latter as being in much poorer taste.
While on the topic of unusual halakhic subjects, let me call attention to a new book by the young scholar R. Yissachar Hoffman, from whom I have learnt a great deal. It focuses on sneezing. In his approbation, R. Gavriel Zinner writes: ראינו חשיבות התורה שיכולים מכל ענין לעשות ספר שלם
Here is the title page.
Here is the title page.
[14] I heard from a former student of the Lakewood yeshiva that someone once challenged one of R. Abadi's pesakim by pointing out that the Mishnah Berurah stated that a "ba'al nefesh" should be stringent in the matter. Abadi replied that in the entire yeshiva, of which he was the official posek, maybe there were four people who would fall into the category of what the Mishnah Berurah designates a "ba'al nefesh".
[15] I asked R. Yehudah Herzl Henkin the following question: Would you have any hesitation telling someone who didn't believe in demons that it's OK to only wash one time in the morning, in accordance with the Rambam's opinion?
He replied:
"I don't think ruach ra'ah has any operative role nowadays, either, but I hesitate to encourage the abandonment of accepted practices particularly when they are innocuous (as opposed, say, to doing kaparot with a live chicken). There is something to be said for doing what klal Yisrael does even if one doesn't believe in the activity. That being said, yes, certainly, if the person is bothered about it to that extent, tell him to follow the Rambam."
Another posek wrote to me: "These are in my view simply matters of minhag yisrael, and not subject to psak in the classical sense of the word. There are questions of minhag ha'avot and the like – but in the end, I do not sense that one would be sinning if one washed only once."
[17] See Elliot R. Wolfson, "Hai Gaon's Letter and Commentary on Aleynu: Further Evidence of Moses de León's Pseudepigraphic Activity," JQR 81 (1991), pp. 365-409; and the sources cited by Shmuel Glick, Eshnav le-Sifrut ha-Teshuvot (New York, 2012), pp. 237-238. Meir Bar-Ilan sugests that the Zohar is the first example of what would later become a common practice: the creation of a forgery by attributing one's own work to an ancient manuscript. In earlier times, pseudepigraphical works made no such claims. See "Niflaot Rabbi Yehudah Yudel Rosenberg," Alei Sefer 19 (2001), available here.
[18] Sofer didn't realize that the Medini approbation is also found in the first edition, published in 1906.
[19] Medini also says that he will not mention the name of the rabbi who used this expression. Regarding whom he had in mind, see R. Yaakov Hayyim Sofer in Moriah, Av 5769, pp. 143-144. Despite Medini's feeling, the expression האלגאזי does appear in numerous rabbinic texts.
[20] All bibliographical information for sources cited in this paragraph is found in my article.
[21] Torah in Motion how has a great deal. For only $10.99 you can get a silver membership (good for one month) that allows unlimited access to recorded lectures. See here.
[22] Some have mistakenly transliterated the title as Ha-Matzref. On the title page itself it is spelled in Latin letters Hamzaref; see here.
[23] Regarding the Sacks siddur, I recommend that all listen to the wonderful dialogue between Rabbi Sacks and Leon Wieseltier available here.
I have to say, however, that I was surprised to hear Sacks say at minute 49: "There is no doubt that the actual construction of the Temple was an extraordinarily disastrous moment for the Jewish people." He then discusses how Solomon, in order to build the Temple, used force labor and thus "turned Israel into Egypt." What surprises me is that I know of no other Orthodox thinker who sees the building of the Temple as a negative development in Jewish history. Nor, for that matter, have I ever seen an Orthodox thinker read the Bible as criticizing Solomon for this endeavor. If the construction of the Temple was such a negative event, then why on Tisha be-Av are we supposed to mourn its absence?
[24] On my recent trip to Italy, I learnt that the Italian nusah also always puts a segol under the yod of מחיה.
[25] Sacks does not consistently translate ה' as "Lord". Metsudah actually translates it as "A-donay", which I have never seen before.
[26] This is also the meaning of the blessing המחזיר נשמות לפגרים מתים . A similar concept is found among Christians. I am sure many are aware of the Christian prayer recited by children
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.
[27] Midrash Tehillim (ed. Buber), 252::
זהו שאמר הכתוב: 'בידך אפקיד רוחי' . . . וכשהוא ישן הוא יגע, ומשלים [ומשליש?] נפשו ונפקדת ביד הקב"ה, ולשחרית היא חוזרת לגופו בריאה חדשה, שנאמר 'חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך'.
See also Devarim Rabbah 5:14
והן ישנים וכל הנפשות עולות אצלו, מנין, שנאמר 'אשר בידו נפש כל כי', ובבקר הוא מחזיר לכאו"א נשמתו, מנין, שנאמר 'נותן נשמה לעם עליה'.
Bereshit Rabbah 78:1 (parallel text in Eikhah Rabbah 3:21) states:
על שאתה מחדשנו בכל בקר ובקר אנו יודעין שאמונתך רבה להחיות לנו את המתים.
See also Tosafot, Berakhot 12a s.v. le-hagid.


text:
The Maricopa Unified School District in Maricopa, Arizona is located near Phoenix and serves students in Maricopa and the surrounding areas. Our district is proud of our dedicated and high-quality teachers and our outstanding facilities.
MUSD Motto
"Dream. Learn. Become."
MUSD Goals
1. Improve student learning and become an "A" rated school district with each school achieving an "A" grade.
2. Increase and expand innovative learning opportunities
3. Recruit, train and retain a high quality staff
4. Improve instructional technology
We believe:
1. Students are our highest priority.
2. In providing a safe learning environment.
3. In strong partnerships with teachers, support staff, administrators, parent's/families and community.
4. In meeting the individual education needs of each student.
5. In helping students develop the skills they need to achieve their potential.
6. Excellence is achieved by maintaining high expectations.
7. Academic success requires accountability.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
From August 16 a new structure of the National Land Service (NLS)) departments started functioning. The structure has been changed to ensure higher quality of the NLS activities as well as make use of economical human and financial resources. The new structure was confirmed after a responsible examination and assessment of the functions of the Service departments, their performance indicators and their effectiveness.
After the reorganization of the NLS central unit management staff, management staff decreased by almost per cent – from 32 to 23. Job posts of director's adviser and deputy heads of divisions were annulled, the number of directors of departments decreased from 6 to 4, heads of divisions – from 18 to 16. In total – 171 employees will now be working instead of 189.
"All top management will also be replaced. There was the highest need for the change. The new top management will be tasked with improving the performance of the Service measured by clear criteria. The main challenges that they will be facing are the following: completion of restoration of ownership rights to land, forest land and water bodies, enhancement of corruption prevention, speeding the processing of complaints, transfer of the services provided to the digital environment, shortening of terms and other crucially important tasks. Shortly the competition for the post of Director of the NLS will be announced. We hope to receive applications from the highest level professionals of this field", – shares Arturas Bogdanovas, Vice-minister of agriculture of Lithuania.
According to the Vice-Minister, effective and rational management of human and financial resources will allow saving about 20 thousand euros per month and about 240 thousand euros of the state budget per year. The functions of Service departments were analyzed in order to ensure more efficient and productive work. Some departments had double functions; therefore the changes affected them too.
The Risk Assessment Department, duplicating the functions of Land Administration Department and Department of Geodesy and Cartography were annulled. In order to strengthen supervision of the activities of territorial units and enhance corruption prevention the Division of Territorial Activity Assessment and Corruption Prevention has been established.
Instead of the Financial and Accounting Department, the Finance and Strategic Planning Division was established.
Land accounting functions were transferred to the Department of Geodesy and Land Use Control. The Department of Geodesy and Cartography was reorganized into the Department of Geodesy and Land Use Control, in which by merging the functions of two former divisions, the Division of Geodesy and Real Estate Cadaster was established. In order to strengthen land use control, the State Control Division of Land Use was created.
The Land Administration Department was reorganized into the Land Management and Administration Department that will now consist of the Land Management Division, the Land Administration Division and the Land Management Planning and Document Supervision Division. "Separating the functions of these divisions, will ensure that the cases of the appeals would not be considered by the departments that those decisions were made.
According to Vice-Minister Arturas Bogdanovas, the transformation of the NLS was inevitable, because the distrust of the society in the institution was very high.
"Necessary changes at the Service are indicated by the fact that more than half of the complaints received by the Ministry of Agriculture are related to the NLS. We hope that the restructuring of the Service departments will ensure more efficient activities and the image of the organization will gradually improve", – says the Vice-Minister.
National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture. Code 188704927Gedimino ave. 19, LT-01103 Vilnius. Phone (+370) 706 86666, Fax (+370) 706 86949, E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com Budgetary Institution. Data have been accumulated and stored in the Register of Legal Entities.


text:
Feb. 15, 2008
The Lady Bisons traveled to Western Kentucky University on February 15th, 2008 where they played an excellent match. Raphaela Jann and Claire Landry led the Lady Bisons; picking up both wins in doubles and singles.
Erin Fulkerson/Marija Djuran WKU def. Olivia Ellis/Kara Jackson 8-4
Raphaela Jann/Claire Landry LU def. Brittany Waiz/Krystal Brown 8-1
Carrie True/Leeanne Caplinger WKU def. Caitlin Khouri/Britt Kuertz 8-0
Raphaela Jann LU def. Erin Fulkerson 6-3, 6-2
Marija Djuran WKU def. Kara Jackson 6-4, 6-2
Brittany Waiz WKU def. Olivia Ellis 6-4, 6-3
Claire Landry LU def. Krystal Brown 6-1, 6-1
Carrie True WKU def. Caitlin Khouri 3-6, 7-6 (6), (10-5) Tie-breaker for the third set
Leeanne Caplinger WKU def. Britt Kuertz 6-3, 6-0
"The girls played well once again. We picked up a win at number two doubles, but weren't able to secure the doubles point. Raphaela Jann and Claire Landry had wins at doubles (#2) and singles. Jann played the best match she has played all year against WKU's number one player," said Coach Kristin Lusk. "I was really proud of how she competed on the court on Friday night. Claire Landry dominated her singles match, winning 6-1, 6-1 over Krystal Brown."
The Lady Bisons will face IPFW on February 22nd in Fort Wayne, Indiana.


text:
An Alabama cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease" has been exhumed so investigators can more accurately determine its age, according to state officials. The BSE case was confirmed in mid-March.
Federal and state agriculture workers excavated the remains of the animal, which had been buried on the farm and did not enter the animal or human food chain, in accordance with USDA protocols. The carcass was that of a red crossbred beef type cow.
An examination of the cow's teeth confirmed that the animal was at least 10 years of age. Samples were taken of the animal and the remaining carcass was transported to one of the department's diagnostic labs for proper disposal. State and Federal staff are continuing the traceback to determine the herd of origin.
One calf has been identified by the owner as belonging to the red cow. The calf is approximately six weeks old and appeared to be a healthy animal. The calf was transported to a USDA lab where DNA from the calf will be compared to that of the red cow to confirm relation. If confirmed, this would be the first offspring of a BSE diagnosed cow in the United States. Officials have learned that in early 2005, the BSE-positive cow gave birth to another black bull calf. That animal is in the process of being traced.
Surveillance program
"I was very concerned to find out that the samples which tested positive for BSE were from a cow in Alabama, but this is exactly the reason that we emphasis the importance of BSE surveillance," says Alabama Agriculture & Industry Commissioner Ron Sparks. "The cow was tested as part of the enhanced BSE surveillance program that has been in place in Alabama."
Even cows brought in from other states are tested for BSE before they would have a chance to be sold as food, says Sparks. "I cannot stress enough how important this testing is to protect consumers. Also, having the Premises ID program in place in Alabama means we are able to trace the origin of a diseased animal. The cattle producers of Alabama understand the need for these precautions as well, and we will continue to work together closely to protect consumers."
The cow had been purchased by an Alabama producer and was examined and treated by a local veterinarian. After failing to respond to medication, the cow was humanely euthanized by the veterinarian and a routine sample was collected to test for BSE.
Following an inconclusive test result from a rapid BSE test, the samples were tested at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. The Western blot test produced a positive result. A third test, the immunohistochemistry test, is ongoing.
BSE is not a contagious disease that spreads animal to animal, or animal to human.
Contaminated feed
BSE spreads in cattle through feed containing meat and bone meal derived from BSE infected cattle. The United States banned the use of such protein supplements in cattle feed since 1997.
Sparks stresses that beef consumption in this country is safe and there are measures in place to see that they continue. For example, downer animals are not allowed to enter commerce for human consumption and there is a ban on feeding ruminant derived protein to cattle.
It is the policy of the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries and the USDA not to disclose the location of the farm where the animal was located, says Sparks.
"We consider that information to be private. USDA does not release that kind of information for BSE or for any other disease program. The producer and other producers around the country are helping us with our enhanced BSE surveillance program and protecting their privacy encourages them to do so.
"This producer did exactly what he should have under the system. We want that cooperation to continue and bringing unnecessary hardship and attention to them would not benefit the consumers or farmers. This program is working and there is no danger to the existing herd because this disease is not contagious," says the commissioner.
USDA officials were working with those in Alabama to conduct an epidemiological investigation, says USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford. "We will be working to locate animals from this cow's birth cohort (animals born in the same herd within one year of the affected animal) and any offspring."
"We will also work with Food and Drug Administration officials to determine any feed history that may be relevant to the investigation. Experience worldwide has shown us it is highly unusual to find BSE in more than one animal in a herd or in an affected animal's offspring. Nevertheless, all animals of interest will be tested for BSE," says Clifford.
"The age of this animal would indicate that it would have been born prior to the implementation of the Food and Drug Administration's 1997 feed ban. Older animals are more likely to have been exposed to contaminated feed circulating before the FDA's 1997 ban on ruminant-to-ruminant feeding practices, which scientific research has indicated is the most likely route for BSE transmission," he says.
Incidence is low
By any measure, the incidence of BSE in this country is extremely low, says Clifford. "Our enhanced surveillance program was designed as a one-time snapshot to provide information about the level of prevalence of BSE in the United States. We have conducted surveillance in the United States since 1990 and following the initial positive in December 2003, we developed an enhanced surveillance program.
"Since June 2004, all sectors of the cattle industry have cooperated in this program by submitting samples from more than 640,000 animals from the highest risk populations and more than 20,000 from clinically normal, older animals, as part of our enhanced BSE surveillance program. To date, including the animal in Alabama, only two of these highest risk animals have tested positive for the disease as part of the enhanced surveillance program," he says.
The Alabama case is the third BSE case confirmed in the United States. The first was found in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state in December 2003, and then this past June in a Texas cow. The problem prompted some countries, including Japan, to temporarily cut off beef exports.
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
6 Ways The Following Went Off the Rails in Season 2
Apr 29, 2014 1:42 PM EDT
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers about the Season 2 finale of The Following. Read at your own risk!] Is it time to unfollow The Following? After a promising start, Kevin Williamson's serial killer drama felt unfocused, re… Read more


text:
Sunday, February 3, 2008
PA-18: Steve O'Donnell Gets Our Nod
Congressman Tim Murphy is looking formidable and well-financed, but Democrats are energized to get a "block of four" in the region. Meanwhile, the case against Republicanism has never been stronger.
If this were an open seat in a heavily Democratic-leaning district, we might well suggest voting for Brien Wall, and sending Mr. Smith to Washington. He knew how to go after George Bush and the Republicans, perhaps better than any other candidate, and it was with a pained outrage. He points to his long and varied life experience of "ups and downs " as evidence not only of his wisdom, but of his understanding of the struggles of ordinary Americans.
On foreign policy, "Every time a Democrat's been in the White House, we've gotten along with everyone."
Unfortunately, we feel at this time we need a real political athlete, and also we need a detail-oriented master of policy to defend our positions. Wall speaks in pithy Zen koans and he reminds us of Mark Rauterkus. We are honored to have him in the party and he will continue to be useful, but for Congress in the 18th, no.
There is little doubt that Erin Vecchio would be an effective Congresswoman. She reminds us of Jane Orie, only she would be our Jane Orie, and that wouldn't be entirely bad.
Vecchio bragged of "taking out the third biggest Republican" in Penn Hills, and of raising tons of money for Democratic candidates and for the party, of having "a big mouth" and of knowing how to bring the bacon home.
She was exceedingly strong going after the Bush foreign policy. "We need to reach out and strengthen broken alliances throughout the world." Her political rhetoric was dead-on from top to bottom, provided you want to repeal NAFTA.
Our only reservation is that she was all about about raising money and all about bringing it back from Washington, and finding a way to wrangle the votes to do so. Given we were in a room full of Democratic committee people, but when she spoke of fighting to get more lower-income areas money in the form of block grants, it was still in the context of her esteemed Penn Hills. In the age of Barack Obama, it just didn't seem right.
Beth Hafer would be a wall of strength and intelligence in any Democratic majority. From No Child Left Behind to the Iraq War to the situation at Walter Reed, Hafer had a firm hold on the Democratic position and message. She also struck a sensible balance between the needs of the district, the needs of the nation, and the needs of the state.
One concern was in her oral presentation -- it came across as juvenile. We are afraid Tim Murphy would eat Hafer alive.
Hafer did not share enough background on the issues, nor did she put her own twist on them. For example, she raised the possibility of using Homeland Security money in order to fund the Mon-Fayette Expressway, since it would aid in disaster relief. We asked later if she could anticipate some of our concerns.
"Well, I certainly understand about eminent domain," she assured us -- but let that just dangle out there. She clarified that the MFX is essentially a state project, and she was simply demonstrating her support at the federal level for a regional effort.
Beth Hafer is an educator, and she was strongest on education; we would not mind if she got to work overhauling our entire regional approach to public schools. Nor would we mind seeing her run for office in the future. To be the Democratic standard-bearer against Tim Murphy in Washington, at this point in time, no.
Wayne Dudding absolutely impressed us, without reservation. A 27-year Army reservist and combat veteran, he easily demonstrated an understanding over a range of domestic and foreign issues. He reminds us very much of Sen. James Webb, D-Virginia.
On veterans health care, he spoke of the possibilities of outsourcing the overwhelming burden through the DOA and DOD. On education, he spoke of the need for "progressive" reforms like teaching a greater variety of subject matters together, engaging the left and right-brains of students. On constituent services, he spoke of leading large organizations, and the importance of assembling an efficient staff.
He told the audience plainly that he did not work as much for Democrats as some other candidates, but that he's not going to apologize for that. He said he won't always cling to the party line. For example, on national security he sounded tones of serious alarm regarding Iran, and did not seek to temper his alarm with too much fluff about diplomacy.
The Comet thinks Dudding is correct to take his talent into electoral politics, but he still needs to work on his delivery before taking it to Congress. At his best he was improvising with panache; at lesser times he was unfocused and drifted into cul-de-sacs.
It was mentioned by several onlookers that as he spoke, he got "crazy eyes." Personally, we think America is faced with some pretty crazy challenges, and working through solutions should be enough to strain anyone's credulity. However, in a challenging, high-stakes modern campaign, we are less optimistic about Dudding's chances of connecting with average voters than some others, at least this time out.
Which brings us to Steve O'Donnell.
O'Donnell had everything down cold -- from the President's policies as they pertain to flood remediation and community block development grants, to the prospects of giving regional military veterans access to our grand regional health care facilities, to the need to continue balancing free and fair trade. Everything.
O'Donnell came across as cerebral and dispassionate, but not at all pedantic and like Al Gore. He spoke intelligently but normally, as though he assumed everybody in the audience would have no trouble keeping up with him. Everything we understood, we liked -- he even scored the biggest laugh of the evening, when the moderator disappeared and he took the opportunity to wrap an answer up early.
Afterwords, we asked O'Donnell what he thought about the possibility of using Homeland Security dollars to build the Mon-Fayette Expressway. He said he would not favor such a move; the needs to upgrade various water systems, electrical systems, and security countermeasures are priority needs for Homeland Security funding.
He does favor increasing the federal transportation budget, which he says will be easier once Iraq is brought to some sort of acceptable conclusion. This must occur not only to build new roads, but to tend to aging infrastructure.
O'Donnell volunteered that he was just learning about how uncertainty surrounding the MFX project is itself hurting Mon Valley communities -- homeowners are unable to get decent equity for their homes, and development projects are being kept in limbo. However, he would not waver from his position that MFX is a fundamentally worthy public works project -- that it will bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the region, and will produce good, long-term jobs in a variety of fields.
O'Donnell is thoughtful, measured, well-prepared and engaging. Armed with the truth, he cannot fail. Democrats to Pittsburgh's south have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose, but the Pittsburgh Comet endorses Steve O'Donnell as the superior choice in PA District 18.
ACDC Chairman Jim Burn did a masterful job asking the questions, and presumably of putting the whole event together. After the program, he delivered an address defending the honor and necessity of the Committee endorsement -- presumably still a hot-button issue.
Money quote:
It's what makes us strong, it's what makes us special, it's what makes us powerful as Democrats.
Good thing Burn added "as Democrats," but even this was overshadowed by the suggestion that somebody was being made "special." The party endorsement is what makes who strong, special and powerful, and to what point and purpose?
Think about it. These five candidates will square off before Democratic primary voters in April. They could be using the coming months to sharpen their messages and improve their relationships with voters, while the rest of us continue examining them and testing their mettle as campaigners.
Instead, after intensive exposure only to a limited field of gatekeepers, one among them will be awarded precious party resources to deploy against fellow Democrats -- in many cases to smear them. Loyal committee folk will be alienated from candidates of their consciences, and the beneficial process of interparty debate will be short-circuited. We may be left with an endorsed nominee that is estranged from rank and file voters on key issues, that might only have emerged over time.
The Democratic National Committee did not move to "endorse" Clinton, Edwards or Obama in the presidential race; the DNC is simply arranging for open primaries and caucuses across the country. The party will back the eventual nominee ferociously in the general, as will all the other contenders and their backers.
If there are any real advantages to perpetuating our own region's traditional party endorsement process, the Comet does not know of them.
18 comments:
Bram -- what the flying fart do you mean by ... he reminds us of Mark R...ReplyDelete
Just FYI, I've posted more than 7,000 times on my main blog, -- and have a significant wiki -- and hardly dabble in "pithy Zen koans."
Come clean comet.
By the way -- as to your original question: Who gets the nod?ReplyDelete
We don't need to 'give nods' -- or find candidates with a 'wink, wink' approach.
The one who gets the nomination are the one's who get the most votes. DEMOCRACY is a process. It is messy -- and not as neat as giving a 'nod' on a blog or three.
Campaigns should be run. Votes should be earned. Nods should come after elections are held.
Don't be fearful of the people and the counting of nods by the hundreds come April 22 -- election day.
No offense intended, Mark. You know we respect you. Wall just didn't come across as a conventional candidate. He did remind me of you. Indispensable as a public voice, hard to imagine as a high public officeholder.ReplyDelete
Now if Jane Orie leaves us an irate comment, we'll have to take down the post.
If it is hard for you to imagine a responsive high office holder -- then consider how jaded you must have become. Did the system do this to you? To others too?ReplyDelete
How sad.
- AnonymousFebruary 4, 2008 at 9:31 AM
Lol... very funnyReplyDelete
You know nothing about politics. It's more than spotting issues and memorizing press clippings. You should be ashamed to endorse steve o'donnell... check out 97-20226-BM.
Ah, yes ... you must be the one leaving cowardly anonymous comments on all the blogs and sending anonymous letters to committee members. We were expecting you. If that is your idea of "politics", good luck with it.ReplyDelete
I'm finding out more about the bankruptcy of this non-profit, which occurred in 1997 (this is now ten years ago), and besides which O'Donnell was NOT among the accused parties during that episode, correct? In other words, the allegations you've been circulating seem unsupported. I'm inquiring with O'Donnell's people for their take, and I'd ask you for your own but as stated, you're masking your identity.
Haha, better than I thought.ReplyDelete
In a nutshell, the board of the non-profit forced director Steve out for refusing to go along with a moneymaking scheme involving leasing equipment. Later on, that board approved takeovers by larger and even less scrupulous non-profits, who eventually file for bankruptcy. Steve himself is appointed by the court to the Unsecured Creditors Committee, and an independent US Trustee is appointed to investigate the whole affair. Turns out, the board of what's now these new non-profits gets accused of fraud and hiding profits, accusations from which Steve is officially excluded.
Meanwhile, anonymous commenters are now taking single, irrelevant pages from 50,000-page legal documents out-of-context in order to try to tie Steve to these LATER shenanigans of the very company that forced him out because HE WASN'T ON BOARD with their schemes from the outset.
Bravo, guys. Way to come at people with an attitude while distributing to them total manure. "You should be ashamed to support Steve O'Donnell." You should be ashamed to be working for ... I won't speculate because you're not doing your candidate any favors.
Rauterkus: I freely admit, I feel bad and jaded when I start weighing perceived "electability" among candidates. Then again, I also enjoy conventional candidates because I understand them, and we all know how to appeal to them politically. It is a most happy occasion when electability and political agreement coincide, which actually happens once in a while.
I wouldn't worry too much about Hafer. If Obama or Hill lead an '06-esque DemSurge in '08, a trained chimp could beat Tim Murphy. If there isn't, I doubt anyone can.ReplyDelete
Ah Dan, I wish I had your confidence. If that were true, Congress would be led by what, a 435-0 Dem majority? Besides, I trust Pittsburgh's North and I definitely trust the East, but I'm a little concerned about our South.ReplyDelete
I must admit a major brain lapse here----after the endless insider talk in recent years about BARBARA Hafer running for the 18th, I keep forgetting it's her freakin' daughter who's in the race!ReplyDelete
- Brentwood JimmyFebruary 11, 2008 at 12:00 PM
O'Donnell? Last I heard of him he had dumped over a hundred grand on a state race. And lost.ReplyDelete
I don't know Bram. Anyone that desperate to win a state race has a PERSONAL agenda in my eyes. We don't need anymore of that.
My feeling, at this point, is that Wayne Dudding is the best candidate. And no, I am not him and no, I have never even met him.
Brentwood Jimmy
- AnonymousFebruary 13, 2008 at 1:09 PM
If you have never met Dudding then how the heck can you say you think he's the best candidate at this point? I have met Dudding and don't think he can beat Murphy. No Political SavvyReplyDelete
O'Donnell came with in 200 votes of winning the state house seat in 06.
- AnonymousFebruary 13, 2008 at 10:51 PM
O'Donnell has no political savvy either. He's an issue spotter with no electric, although you could say the same about Dudding. To describe it best... they are both "monotone". There are 5 candidates, I think they all have their strengths however. If O'Donnell couldn't win a state house seat then what is he doing running for congress? I opt for Dudding or Hafer, but we'll see... should be an interesting statwide primary season. The earlier comment that a "no name" or trained chimp will be able to defeat Murphy... is really flawed and false logic and makes no sense. If that were the case we'd already have the seat with Kluko in 2006. However, we received no assistance antionally and will need a candidate who will draw support. Monroeville had their turn while everyone else was supportive, now we need to get a candidate who can win this race.ReplyDelete
No savvy? I'm not sure how you can say he has "no electric" when his presentations have been much better and much more convincing than the other candidates. This is not just my opinion but also the opinion of others who have heard the 5 candidates at committee meetings throughout the area.
I like Dudding too but I have to agree with Bram's statement that he may need some more work on his oratory skills.
As for Ms. Hafer - what are your arguments for electing her to run against Tim Murphy this fall?
- AnonymousFebruary 16, 2008 at 2:26 PM
O'Donnell, and I am putting this nicely, will have dirt coming out all over if he runs against Murphy. He is not electable, even if he wasn't running against Murphy.ReplyDelete
The dirt is already out there - and it is a bogus.ReplyDelete
O'Donnell has "No savvy"?ReplyDelete
Well O'Donnell has to have something. He has the ACDC Endorsement (despite running against 2 committee people and Hafer who was supposed to be the golden child) he has the endorsement of local unions, Lt. Gov. Knoll, 6 state house reps and others. I think the guys gotta have some savvy
He also has 2x more money than anyone in the race
- AnonymousApril 2, 2008 at 2:24 PM
little loose w your language saying organized labor unions have endorsed steve o'donnell. That simply is not true. Knoll endorsed Dan Wholey first and donated 1,000 dollars to his campaign... O'Donnell is her second candidate in this race. Not really a big deal... she was gonna endorse anyone that ran against Hafer.ReplyDelete


text:
My opinion of witchcraft is this ,, Its not black nor white its both because of nature
Black and White Witchcraft
Started by anasuya , Apr 02 2004 08:37 PM
17 replies to this topic
Posted 08 April 2004 - 10:58 AM
I smile because I have no idea of what's going on.
Posted 08 April 2004 - 12:57 PM
ahhh... Pandz is here, so we have THE expert!
that was too sweet! thanx hun! ;D
Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim. --Ovid--
Posted 08 April 2004 - 04:59 PM
That kind of reminds me of a quote from The Craft "magick is neither black nor white, because nature is neither." See... the movie was a joke as far as pagan standards, but it DID have some good points. Thanks for bringing that up Hunny.
Don't be a newt!
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text:
BOSTON -- The Angels took a walk on the wild side of Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales, using four free passes -- two with the bases loaded -- to break open a close game Saturday with four seventh-inning runs en route to a 9-5 victory in the first game of a split doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Mike Trout had three hits and scored twice, and Mark Trumbo and Erick Aybar drove in two runs apiece, as the Angels, who had lost five of their last six games, improved to 9-0 against the Red Sox since the start of the 2012 season.
Before the current streak, the Angels were 2-17 in their previous 19 games against the Red Sox. The Angels have also won six in a row at Fenway, their longest-ever streak in the 101-year-old park.
The Red Sox made things interesting in the ninth inning, scoring three runs off Garrett Richards on Mike Carp's RBI single and Stephen Drew's two-run double to trim a seven-run deficit to 9-5. But Ernesto Frieri, with two on, struck out Jacoby Ellsbury with a 94-mph fastball to close out the win and record his 14th save.
Clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Angels caught a huge break in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two on, one out and reliever Michael Kohn on the mound, Dustin Pedroia hit a bullet to shortstop. Aybar fielded the ball on one hop and flipped to second base to start an inning-ending double play.
Trout then started the seventh-inning rally off Morales with a one-out double high off the Green Monster in left-center field. After Josh Hamilton flied out, Boston Manager John Farrell ordered an intentional walk of Albert Pujols but left Morales, a left-hander, in to face Trumbo, an odd move considering the cleanup batter has been far more productive this season than Pujols.
With first baseman Mike Napoli far off the bag, Trumbo smacked an RBI double down the right-field line for a 4-2 lead. Morales walked Howie Kendrick to load the bases, as well as Alberto Callaspo and Chris Iannetta on four pitches to force in two runs for a 6-2 Angels lead. Aybar's RBI infield single made it 7-2.
The Angels added two insurance runs in the ninth on -- what else? -- a bases-loaded walk, this one by Trout off Red Sox left-hander Andrew Miller, and an error. It marked the fourth time in franchise history the Angels have scored three runs on bases-loaded walks.
The Angels bullpen held on to preserve the win for Tommy Hanson, who labored through five innings in which he gave up two runs and seven hits, struck out four, walked four and threw 114 pitches.
For as much trouble as Hanson (3-2) got himself into, he did a remarkable job of minimizing damage. The right-hander escaped a second-and-third, one-out jam in the first by striking out cleanup batter David Ortiz with a slow curve and getting Napoli to ground to third.
Hanson escaped a first-and-third, two-out jam in the second by getting Ellsbury to ground to second and a two-on, no-outs jam in the third by striking out Ortiz and Napoli with slow curves and getting Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pop to third.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second when Kendrick singled, took second on Callaspo's groundout and scored on Aybar's two-out single to left.
They stretched the lead to 3-0 with some good situational hitting in the third, an inning Trout opened with a double off the Green Monster in left. Hamilton walked, and a double steal put runners on second and third.
Trout scored on Pujols' sacrifice fly to deep center, which also advanced Hamilton to third, and Hamilton scored on Trumbo's groundout.
Boston cut it to 3-2 in the fourth when Carp hit a leadoff homer to right, Ellsbury walked with two out, stole second and scored on Daniel Nava's RBI single to right.


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Campers spend 3,000 minutes in an igloo for addiction awareness | News
BREWER, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- While the Bangor area prepared for another snowstorm a group of brave campers spent their weekend freezing for a reason in an igloo. The four campers spent 3,000 minutes in the icy shelter to represent the 3,000 mile hike they plan to take this spring. They plan on raising money and awareness for addiction recovery.
H. Blake Manz the organizer of 3,000 Miles for Recovery said, "We wanted to do something that caught people's attention. It's real common to hear people's struggles with drugs and alcohol in a negative light...we wanted to get the message across that there is recovery. There is another side to it. People every single day live, I think, a productive life."
The group is made up of recovering addicts themselves. They plan on spreading the word about available recovery options and sharing their stories across the country as they hike from Bangor to Phoenix.
Zachary Winship knows the power of rehabilitation, "I have had some great opportunities in recovery, I think I'm very very lucky that my past worked out the way it did to have the chance to get sober to get clean and to be healthy and start giving back to the community. That's what this is all about for me...One of the things they teach you when you're doing recovery is to pass the message along and that will actually help keep you sober."
That is what the group hopes to do, pass the message along to veteran organizations they find along the way. Half the money raised will benefit the Bangor Area Recovery Network, the other half will be distributed to veteran organizations they find along the hike.
Winship said, "When somebody gets sober, you know you really get a productive member of society back. Seeing these people come in with nothing, no hope, and seeing them a couple months later going out and getting a job, starting work, bringing their family back together it's amazing to see."
Fellow camper and future hiker Jody Forrest said, "That's what we are trying to bring back to the community. It's not only productive people, but families. It brings families back together when people are recovering."
The members agree even if they can help one person get on the road to recovery the freezing temperatures and 126 day hike will all be worth it.
"That one person along the way that gets the message and ends up getting the help they need, that makes it all worth it," said Winship.
For a list of upcoming events along with ways you can help the cause visit their Facebook page.


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Belmont Playground
Basketball Courts
View Basketball Courts for all Parks
How to Reserve an Athletic Field or Court
Organized leagues or special events need a permit to use an athletic field or court. For people under 18, the permit is free. For those 18 and over, a fee is required.
To reserve space, please see our Athletic Permits and Applications page.
Know when to go: view upcoming athletic area usage.
|Belmont Playground
|Crotona Ave. & E 181 St.
Directions to Belmont Playground
- Basketball Courts
- Bathrooms
- Fitness Equipment
- Handball Courts
- Playgrounds
- Spray Showers


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We will re-open before Christmas!
Paper Aeroplane Kit is a set of four fantastically bright paper plane designs.
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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
"Splash" premieres Tuesday, March 19, on ABC
As announced on "Good Morning America," the final two celebrity contestants joining the cast of "Splash" (formerly titled "Celebrity Diving") are the NBA's all-time leading scorer and New York Times best-selling author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and extreme skier Rory Bushfield. The two celebrities will be diving into the pool with previously announced cast members Louie Anderson, Drake Bell, Chuy Bravo, Nicole Eggert, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Ndamukong Suh, Katherine Webb and Kendra Wilkinson.
"Splash" marks the first time 10 celebrities will train and compete in regulation platform and springboard diving at dizzying heights in front of a weekly poolside audience. Each week, the celebrities will look fear in the face as they leap off the 10-meter high dive, pair off to complete synchronized stunts, and flip, twist and spin into the depths of the pool below.
Leading up to the competition, the world's most decorated and medaled diving legend, Greg Louganis, will give each celebrity weeks of training. The judges, London Olympic U.S. Gold medalist David Boudia and Australian Olympic athlete and USA Dive Team director Steve Foley, will critique each dive.
"Splash" premieres Tuesday, March 19 (8 p.m.), on The ABC Television Network.
As announced Monday morning, the final two contestants joining the "Splash" cast are:
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of basketball's greatest players. The 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center, famous for his indefensible skyhook, dominated the NBA for 20 years and is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points. Prior to his stellar professional career, he led the UCLA Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships and was named the only player in the 75-year history of the NCAA to be named the MVP of the tournament three years in row. Today, Kareem's leadership skills have taken on a new direction. In addition to being a New York Times best-selling author and award-winning filmmaker, he also believes education issues should be a critical focus in the U.S. and around the globe. In 2012 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton named him a U.S. cultural ambassador, and he has been named California's STEM Education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) afterschool ambassador.
RORY BUSHFIELD - Rory "Bushy" Bushfield, the 29-year-old extreme skiing air-hound from just outside Calgary, Alberta, has a very simple philosophy: get low, go big, and stomp. Refreshingly modest and personable, he lets his actions speak louder than his words, a trait he showcases in the impressive extreme skiing film segments he produces each season. He now resides in Squamish, B.C., where he shreds the backcountry on a daily basis, continually progressing his style and pushing the skiers around him. In addition to filming award-winning ski segments with top film companies such as Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions and Sherpas Cinema, Rory also recently joined the cast of Travis Pastranas' Nitro Circus Live Tour, where he performs in front of sold-out audiences across the world.
"Splash" is from Eyeworks USA and is based on the breakout hit and Dutch format, "Celebrity Splash."
For more information on "Splash," visit www.ABC.com/Splash
Follow the show on:


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Kevin van Zonneveld has a new article posted to his blog that works through a method for making ssh connections from inside of PHP:
Not everyone knows about PHP's capabilities of making SSH connections and executing remote commands, but it can be very useful. I've been using it a lot in PHP CLI applications that I run from cronjobs, but initially it was a pain to get it to work. The PHP manual on Secure Shell2 Functions is not very practice or thorough for that matter, so I would like to share my knowledge in this how to, to make it a little less time consuming setting this up.
His platform of choice for this tutorial is Debian/Ubuntu, that you're already running PHP (and that it's PHP5) and that you know something about server administration. NExt up is the package installation - a simple matter with the help of aptitude and the compiling of the libssh2 libraries. All that's left is to make the module to include and add it to the php.ini.
Some sample code is included - one bit that shows off the execute method and the other, the shell method.


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Whiteout, originally uploaded by thebrickbin.
Canadian builder Chris Perron (aka thebrickbin) recently came off a hiatus and built this rather impressive mecha, named "Whiteout". The use of the 2x4 inverse slopes is quite effective and the technique lends itself to the "other-world" feel that is evoked overall. As the creator notes, the back is pretty cool as well.
In other news; we're alive!


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Founded in October 2008 as Belgian high-tech company, Mobelife focuses on serving the health care professional directly by a completely customized product development process.
Improve the patient outcome during implant revision surgery, even in the most devastated pelvic bones
Once the design phase is finalized utilizing CT-data, the implant is patient-specifically analyzed with Abaqus FEA for mechanical integrity and interaction with surrounding bone based upon fully individualized muscle modeling and finite element simulation.
Lowers the risk of patient immobility and pain when walking. A few days after surgery, a patient is able to walk pain free and recovers extremely well, exceeding usual primary revalidation patterns.


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That should say "No sew".
How do you keep the "extra" insulation from slipping around? I bought some batting hoping to "beef up" the Pl but noticed I am having a devil of a time keeping it from just sliding around before I get it where I want.
I also have one of the left over down throws from Knotty's UQ thread and thought about using that, but the same problem.
Any ideas?


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HTP's space heating boilers provide ultimate comfort and the best overall efficiency ratings while keeping maintenance and operating costs to a minimum. With a HTP high efficiency boiler you can achieve the heat your family or business needs while also saving money and energy.
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Not sure which type of indirect water heating option is right for you? Learn more by viewing our indirect water heating selection guide.
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