Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Last amud and illuminated closing panel

Finally!  A Siyum Megillah!!
_________________________________

"The St. Louis Women's Megillah Writing Project"
invites the community (men and women) to a celebration
marking the completion of three years of study, practice,
and writing of a new Megillat Esther.

Join us for this joyful
Siyum Megillah!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013, at 7:00 pm
at the home of Phyllis and Jack Shapiro
7100 Cambridge Ave.

__________________________________

Monday, November 26, 2012

Earl's response:

You are indeed welcome and to be commended.
I am proud of you, and your team's dedication for continued learning and practical application of the principals that we each hold important in our lives.


Kol Hakovod, 
Earl


A Gift from a Male Admirer

Over the past several months, a group of men in St. Louis have been learning the laws of shchita.  A few weeks before Thanksgiving they had their first encounter with real chickens, which they shechted, cleaned,  and koshered perfectly, all earning A+ from teacher, Alan Greenspan.  As pre-arranged, the chicken were then donated to the local Tomchei Shabbos food pantry (run by Merle Hartstein). On Thanksgiving morning the fledgling shochtim shechted some turkeys, also to donate to needy families.  One of the shochtim has long been a follower of our Megillah writing project, and when he began plucking the hard turkey feathers, he thought . . . quills!  With the help of Alan and a sharp razor blade, he cleaned and shaped 5 of the feathers into perfect quills and yesterday presented them to me for the group to use!  Thank you, Earl Newman!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

בחזון עובדיה פורים עמוד רמא (ב) נפסק שהנוהגים לצייר או לכתוב את הברכות בראש ובסוף המגילה, יש להם על מה שיסמכו. ומותר לקרוא בה אף לכתחילה.

The source we will rely on
Ricki Heicklin, Soferet! (Aug. 2012)
Three amudim going on four (Aug. 2012)


Halachik Sources re Illumination of a Megillah (compiled by David Mescheloff)
The unknown author at the following site believes there's no problem, but gives neither references nor reasons:
While there might seem to be historical support for his view, as from almost four centuries ago:
http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=15558
and see
http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/Hebrew/gallery/of-israel/hageiisrael/purim/Pages/megila.aspx
nevertheless, history doesn't tell you whether something was approved l'chatekhilah, or even b'dieved.
Check out what HaRav Avraham Yosef indicates in the name of his father, haRav Ovadya Yosef, at:
http://www.moreshet.co.il/web/shut/shut2.asp?id=104161
and as is succinctly summarized (with a solid Ashkenazi source) at:
http://www.yahadoot.net/Answer.asp?id=136