[Avodah] Asara B'Tevet

[Zev Sero via Avodah]

On 12/28/2015 10:57 PM, Cantor Wolberg wrote:
> Okay, that's what I asked.
> Regarding the use of "controversial," I have heard at least one
> O. rav say that the fast for a bad dream on Shabbos was more
> theoretical than practical and that it could be pushed off to Sunday.
> Do you disagree with that?

The gemara and all the poskim down to the Shulchan Aruch disagree with it.
If one is in the habit of fasting taanis chalom at all, then one fasts
on Shabbos just as one does in the week, because to have its effect it
has to be done on the same day as the fast. I don't know anyone who
actually fasts taanis chalom at all, on shabbos or in the week, because
nowadays people don't take dreams as seriously as our ancestors did.

> I'll tell you another thing I came across which may also be
> considered by you as "having some fun" is the following: According to
> some Talmudic authorities, women were counted in the minyan for
> offering the Korban Pesach (e.g. Rav, Rav Kahana, Pesachim 79b).

What minyan? There is no requirement for a minyan, and neither Rav
nor Rav Kahana say that women count for one. The discussion there,
which is very hypothetical, is about how one calculates whether the
majority of the entire Jewish people are tamei. Does one count women
(on both sides) in this calculation, or only men? What if the majority
of men are tahor but an even larger majority of women are tamei, or
the reverse. But it should be obvious that such a census would be
impossible to actually carry out. Practically, we would always have
to rely on it being obvious that the majority is tamei (e.g. Moshiach
came yesterday and there's been no time to make a para adumah and get
everyone tahor), or that the majority is tahor.

However one case where it's (AFAIK) uncontroversial that women do count
in a minyan is for kiddush haShem.

--
Zev Sero
zev at sero.name