[Avodah] YT Sheini Shell Golah and the Internet

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Sep 09, 2009 at 04:24:26PM +0000, rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com wrote:
: 
: Given today's comunications the entire world is notifiable virtually
: instantly. [Exempt RH because on YT internet or phone is probably not
: shayyach]
...
: Therefore why observe 2 days of YT nowadays in the golah?

I suggested here a number of years ago that the essence of Yom Tov
sheini shel galiyos was a reminder that qiddush hachodesh ought to be
al pi re'iyah. Therefore, even with a standardized calendar, we have a
din derabbanan to preserve the minhag avos established when the calendar
was in its ideal (if logistically more complex) state.

After all, at the time it went from pragmatically necessary minhag avos
to being a taqanah, a fixed calendar was in use (if not exactly the same
as our formula) and there was no need for communication.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A pious Jew is not one who worries about his fellow
micha at aishdas.org        man's soul and his own stomach; a pious Jew worries
http://www.aishdas.org   about his own soul and his fellow man's stomach.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rav Yisrael Salanter