Glass, Pyrex and Corning ware

Q: What is the status of Pyrex and Corning ware in regard to kashrut?  Are they like glass?  Or are they more similar to other materials that cannot be “koshered?”

A:  Earthenware is considered so porous that once it is rendered as non-kosher, it cannot be undone.  Earthenware is made of clay.  Yet, that is the same substance that is used in the manufacture of glass and similar substances.  And glass, as most authorities hold, is practically non-porous.

Generally speaking, glass may be koshered and can be used for meat or milk but must be thoroughly scoured beforehand.  Some authorities do not allow for this as it may lead to inadvertent errors.

Pyrex and corning ware are similar to glass in that they are strong, resist absorption and cracking.  Yet, they are somewhat more porous than glass as can be demonstrated by their color deterioration through time.  For this reason these cooking materials should not be used interchangeably for meat and milk  yet can be koshered by haagalah, boiling

The Mother's Name

Q: Why is the mother’s name used in a mishaberach (prayer for the sick) when in almost every other instance we use the father’s name?

A: The use of the matronymic is a custom, not a firm law.  Yet, it is usual to use the mother’s name and not the father’s when appealing to God for healing.  There are several reasons for this custom.

1.     In every instance where a woman utters a prayer in the Torah her request is answered.  Think of Sarah, Leah and Hannah.

2.     In our tradition the mothers have the greatest merit as their prayers are filled with both altruism and fervency.

3.     Ancestry goes through the maternal line.

4.     A mother’s prayer is considered to be the most powerful as her life is bound up with that of her child.

Inducing Labor

Q:  Is it permissible according to halacha to induce labor in pregnancy?

A: When inducement is performed for the protection of the mother or child it is permitted.  If there is a hazard for the mother or child, inducement is forbidden unless the dangers of non-inducement are greater than taking action.

Organs

Q: Why do organs from a deceased baby require burial?

A: The body is a whole organism.  When it ceases to function Jewish law (halacha) requires that it be buried.  What constitutes a body?  Is it say, just the outer shell not the internal organs?  Should it be just that which is physically recognizable of that person?  If so, what do we do about someone disfigured by a an accident?

Judaism considers the person as a whole.  we are our heart as much as our liver and bones and skin.  All requires burial.  The age of person makes no difference in the dignity afforded them.

In biblical and Talmudic terms, the internal organs of a deceased person are as much a cause of tumah, ritual impurity, as the body itself.

The question about a baby acknowledges that the child was not born fully viable or died shortly after birth.  In such a sad case; the principles of burial still apply.

When a person is alive and has  a part of the body excised there are times when those parts are buried and other times they are not.  Organs require burial if they are composed of these elements: bone, flesh, and sinew.  Limbs also fall into this category. 

Veiling

Q: Why does a bride wear a veil at a wedding?

A: The idea of wearing a veil wends back to Mother Rebecca.  She covered her face with a veil when she first met her husband-to-be, Isaac.  We continue to follow her act of modesty to this day.

Another source indicates that the bride requires a special protection on the day of her wedding.  As she may be susceptible to the “evil eye” she wears a veil offering her protection.

Incidentally, pagan and medieval societies had the noxious practice of premier nuit, when the bride was obliged to spend the first night with the local warlord.  Covering the bride’s face may have deceived the authorities into believing she had been previously married, fooling the local fiefdom that she was not a virgin.

The reason most often cited for the veil is that Mother Leah was substituted for her sister on the night of her betrothal to Father Jacob.  The switch was done in the darkest tent.  So that we make sure the bride is the real intended one (read: Rachel, not Leah) she dons a veil and just before the ceremony reveals herself to the groom.

The Gabbai

Q: Why do two people stand on either side of the table where the Torah is read?

A: The people are called “gabbaim,” guardians ensuring the Torah is read correctly.  In addition, the gabbaim assist people saying the blessings at the Torah along with where to stand.

“Gabbai” literally means “collector.”  At one time the gabbaim were the treasurers of the synagogue who collected money and took care of lights, heat and repairs.