For Amshinover...

A while ago Amishnover came over for lunch. Since Jameel was also there, as well as a forth chap, we had a Zimun for bentching. As is my minhag, I asked the fellow who was doing the Zimun to please say the first bracha out loud and have in mind to be motzi me on that bracha. Amshi wondered where that came from and I said it was Minhag HaGra, who held that Zimun was a Din D'orraisa (as is clear from the Gemara Brachos מ"ה) and that one isn't yotzei that unless all those answering listen to the bracha quietly and answer Amen (see Tosefes Ma'aseh Rav כ"ד). Well, that wasn't enough for him, so I'm off looking. Meanwhile, I found, in Ma'aseh Rav HaShalem:
כ"ב ר"ח מואלאז'ין דלברהמ"ז נוטל בעה"ב רשות וברכה ראשונה מברהמ"ז אומר המרך לבד.(הנהגות ישרות ס"ק קס"ג)

I'm not sure that's enough for him, but I'm trying here. I also was told that in Yeshivas Torah Temimah in Brooklyn, that is how they are noheg l'mayseh. In addition, after a quick talk with my Rav on the topic, he told me it is based on Rashi's shitah in Brachos. When I find the appropriate Rashi, I will be happy to share.

Wow...it's been a while.

Ok, so it's been a good long time since I posted, but here I am. We'll do a couple small posts and then hopefully get back into the swing of things.

First of all, Jameel is running the Purim Parody Carnival. Go take a look, sign up and join the fun. I'm parodying a very well known blogger and I hope I haven't taken on too much.

Next, go read this blog. Link to her. Give her all sorts of attention and maybe she'll write some more.

And now for a short vort:

The Beis HaLevi said that when one gives tzdakah to a poor person, the giver is fulfilling the positive commandment of tzdakah through that person, as well as several other Mitzvas Aseh. Therefore, the oni becomes an embodiment of a commandment (חפצא של מצוה). In the same way an etrog, before Succos, is just a fruit, but when picked up and used to fulfil the commandment of לקחתם לכם it to becomes a חפצא של מצוה and gains inherint kedushah which prohibts one from gaining untoward benifit (איסור הנאה) or using it for mundane purposes, likewise the wood of which the Succah is made (ע"ע גמ' סוכה ט. ורש"י על החגיגה) is forbbiden. It is also forbidden to treat an item with which a mitzah is fulfilled in an unseemly manner (חולין פג גבי כסוי הדם). Therefore the Beis HaLevi concludes that the situation is the same by the recipent of the tzdakah, that it is forbidden, מן התורה, to treat the him in a disrespectful manner.