[Avodah] (Not) to Eat Meat on Rosh Hashana

[Prof. Levine via Avodah]

From http://ohr.edu/5259

There is a well-known halacha that one is not allowed to fast on Rosh
Hashana (barring certain specific circumstances). Although it is a Day of
Judgment, and there are shittos of the Gaonim that do permit one to fast,
nevertheless the halacha is that Rosh Hashana is also a festive Yom Tov
and we must honor it properly. In fact, the Yerushalmi mentions that
we must eat, drink, and be mesamayach on Rosh Hashana[1]. This includes
partaking of fine delicacies, as it is written in the Book of Nechemia[2]
regarding Rosh Hashana, that everyone should Eat fatty foods and drink
sweet drinksfor this day is holy.

Interestingly, there are various customs related to the permissibility
of partaking of meat on Rosh Hashana, although it is considered to be the
most distinguished of foods, and therefore seemingly the most appropriate
with which to honor the holiday.

Many readers are probably puzzled by the last paragraph, and might exclaim
after rereading it: What? How is that possible? Everyone eats meat on Rosh
Hashana! In fact it is even widely used as one of the Simanim! How can
something meant to properly usher in the New Year possibly be prohibited?

See the above URL for more.

Note the following

Postscript:
Many later authorities, including the Chacham Tzvi (cited by his son
the Yaavetz, Toras Hakinaos 8), Rav Chaim Volozhiner (ibid.), and the
Chazon Ish (cited in Maaseh Ish vol. 1 pg. 119), among others, share
an interesting and different viewpoint regarding the Shulchan Aruchs
Maggid. [This author has also heard this view bsheim noted mekubal Rav
Yaakov Hillel shlita]. They understand that a Maggid does not actually
rule with Heavenly authority; rather it uses the individuals own merit
and koach to present rulings. Meaning, although Rav Karo cites psakim from
the Maggid, it is essentially utilizing his own personal hidden strengths
to bring out these rulings. Therefore, concludes Rav Chaim Volozhiner,
that in this instance it must be that notwithstanding how great he was,
Rav Karo must have somehow personally made a mistake, and the outcome
of that resulted in an erroneous conclusion being taught by the Maggid.

YL

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Sun, Sep 21, 2014 at 1:0pm EDT, Prof. Levine quoted R Yehuda Spitz
<http://ohr.edu/5259>:
: Postscript:
: Many later authorities, including the Chacham Tzvi (cited by his son
: the Yaavetz, Toras Hakinaos 8), Rav Chaim Volozhiner (ibid.), and the
: Chazon Ish (cited in Maaseh Ish vol. 1 pg. 119), among others, share
: an interesting and different viewpoint regarding the Shulchan Aruchs
: Maggid. [This author has also heard this view bsheim noted mekubal Rav
: Yaakov Hillel shlita]. They understand that a Maggid does not actually
: rule with Heavenly authority; rather it uses the individuals own merit
: and koach to present rulings. Meaning, although Rav Karo cites psakim from
: the Maggid, it is essentially utilizing his own personal hidden strengths
: to bring out these rulings. Therefore, concludes Rav Chaim Volozhiner,
: that in this instance it must be that notwithstanding how great he was,
: Rav Karo must have somehow personally made a mistake, and the outcome
: of that resulted in an erroneous conclusion being taught by the Maggid.

FWIW, and given the sources, that's "no much", I suggested in prior
discussions that the SA's policy of following the mejority of his
triumverate (Rif, Rambam, Rosh) also leaves little room for the maggid
to have influenced his pesaq anyway.

More along their lines.... Maran Bet Yosef's maggid was the embodiment of
the Mishnah. The spiritual manifestation of his won encounter with a book.
That's not entirely "bashamayim". I am picturing this is the same point as
the CZ's, but in very different wording.

GCT!
-Micha

[Prof. Levine via Avodah]

Post by Micha Berger via Avodah
FWIW, and given the sources, that's "no much", I suggested in prior
discussions that the SA's policy of following the mejority of his
triumverate (Rif, Rambam, Rosh) also leaves little room for the maggid
to have influenced his pesaq anyway.
More along their lines.... Maran Bet Yosef's maggid was the embodiment of
the Mishnah. The spiritual manifestation of his won encounter with a book.
That's not entirely "bashamayim". I am picturing this is the same point as
the CZ's, but in very different wording.

I really have no idea what you are saying. What does it mean to be
"the embodiment of the Mishnah"? Please elaborate.

YL

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[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Thu, Oct 02, 2014 at 05:13:55PM -0400, Prof. Levine via Avodah wrote:
:> More along their lines.... Maran Bet Yosef's maggid was the embodiment of
:> the Mishnah. The spiritual manifestation of his own encounter with a book.
:> That's not entirely "bashamayim". I am picturing this is the same point as
:> the CZ's, but in very different wording.

: I really have no idea what you are saying. What does it mean to be
: "the embodiment of the Mishnah"? Please elaborate.

Al pi qabbalah everything in this world is the end of a "beam of Light"
that begins with the Borei. This light begins with his Oneness, but as
it filters down various olamos, it becomes differentiated.

(As I mentioned in the past, there is an idea in the Yad, Yesodei haTorah
pereq 2, which is very similar. It's not exclusively Qabbalistic.)

For example: every person has a yeitzer hara. And yet there is a mal'akh,
the satan, charged with the same job. The satan is a reification of the
individual yitzrei hara as a single concept, and since it's a job in
creation, there is a mal'akh tasked with that job. Or more accurately,
the job being done is itself the mal'akh. (Again, also in the Rambam,
this time the Moreh.)

The Mishnah exists in numerous editions and in a few variants in print
and in memories here in this world. Thus, there is a concept of Mishnah
that they all represent. (Some readers might realize around now why this
idea is called Neo-Platonic.) That concept thus has/is a mal'akh. Just as
the concept of healing has/is a mal'akh -- Refa'el. The flow of healing
from the Borei to the beru'im is a reality, and thus we can identify it
with a name and the will it embodies.

A person who is fully immersed in the mishnah can thus converse with the
Will embodied in the mishnah. Because he knows enough of it for it to
speak to him with answers that are different than those who would come
from his own mind and opinion.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

[Prof. Levine via Avodah]

Post by Micha Berger via Avodah
: I really have no idea what you are saying. What does it mean to be
: "the embodiment of the Mishnah"? Please elaborate.
Al pi qabbalah everything in this world is the end of a "beam of Light"
that begins with the Borei. This light begins with his Oneness, but as
it filters down various olamos, it becomes differentiated.

...

Post by Micha Berger via Avodah
The Mishnah exists in numerous editions and in a few variants in print
and in memories here in this world. Thus, there is a concept of Mishnah
that they all represent. (Some readers might realize around now why this
idea is called Neo-Platonic.) That concept thus has/is a mal'akh...
A person who is fully immersed in the mishnah can thus converse with the
Will embodied in the mishnah. Because he knows enough of it for it to
speak to him with answers that are different than those who would come
from his own mind and opinion.

The following is from an email that R. Nosson Kamenetsky sent me on 1/26/2005

On pages 845-846 [of the Making of a Godol] I quote "Hever Ma'amarim II"
(Brooklyn, 5729), p. 174 - this is a sepher of shmuessen of R' Yeruham
Levovitz (the name of the book and its contents are in Hebrew, a language
which my email server does not type) - that "R' [Shlomo] Elyashiv [author
of the Leshem Kabala series] once rode with the Salanter and mustered
the courage to ask him why he did not study Kabala. R' Yisrael replied,
'What difference does it make to me in which firmament G-d dwells? One
thing I know: that [a sinner] will be struck with fiery rods, and it
will be very painful. That the blows will be fiery, I know clearly -
and what else [should interest me]?'" The translation from the Hebrew
is my own. I do not have the Hever Ma'amarim handy to look up again, so
I hope you will be satisfied with the above. I do recall that this talk
of R' Yeruham centers on the imperative of a person moving gradually,
from the level on which he stands to the next and so onward, and not
trying to skip steps in his spiritual development. This is how R'
Levovitz understood R' Yisrael's words.

YL