[HANASHIR:8074] RE: shall We be Karaites? WAS Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat songs)

[Adrian Durlester <durleste...>]

[As listowner, I am aware how off-topic this discussion is. However, being
human, I cannot resist the temptation to comment.]
Michael:

I would venture to guess that the mystics of S'fat were likely greater
scholars than either you or I, so who are we to question their establishment
of the Tu B'shevat seder? I doubt they were unduly troubled that it might
diminish Pesach-for if so, they probably would not have created it.

Hanukah being, as some speculate, a recreation of the missed Sukkot holiday
during the time of the Maccabees, seems perfectly appropriate for us here in
the Diaspora to celebrate-as we, too, are unable to celebrate all our
holidays as we should-in eretz Yisrael.

And we celebrate for 8 days derabbonim-not by any modern convention. And the
same holds true for the shalosh regalim, the three Torah mandated festivals.
We diminish nothing by showing respect for the opinion of the great rabbis
who held it necessary to add the extra day to the chagim due to
uncertainties arising from our being in diaspora.

Would you have us all be karaites, following only what is written in the
Torah, and totally disregarding the work of the rabbis? The Torah herself
gives us the answer to that...Lo bashamayim hi.

Adrian

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
shamash(dot)org]On
Behalf Of Freedabet (at) aol(dot)com
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 9:25 AM
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Rglauber (at) aol(dot)com
Cc: dennisprager (at) dennisprager(dot)com
Subject: [HANASHIR:8068] Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat
songs)

[snip]

And, by the way, I think that by making a big deal out of the Tu B'shevat
Seder, we diminish the power of the Passover Seder, just as by making the
Festivals into 8 days (from their Torah-based 7) we diminish their
importance
and symbolism and increase the relative importance of Chanukah (which is
celebrated for 8 days, but is not one of the 'Three Festivals' mandated in
the Torah).

Michael

P.S.  For Torah study on-the-go, I highly recommend Dennis Prager's tape
series to you.  Genesis, Exodus and the beginning of Numbers are currently
available.  See dennisprager.com for more info.


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