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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1. concerning the source in the kabbalah, see zohar
terumah, p. 154b, see the quotation in kaf hachayyim, 181:1 and the quote from
the ari.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2. concerning women in mayyim acharanim. halichos
bas yisrael, heb.ed. p. 58, simply writes that women are equally obligated as
men. likewise, halichot beisa by r. dovid auerbach, p. 92 heb ed. (12:2) states
that women are obligated and in brackets adds that some have the custom to be
lenient. both quote reb haym sonnenfeld (quoted also by r. dr. ari zivotofsky,
who added a few more. r.fuchs quoted r. shlomo zalman auerbach to this point
also.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3. which brings me to the only modern day poseq,
shevet haleivei vol 4, orach chayim, no. 23, who says according
to the strict letter of the law, there is no difference between men and women.
however according the posekim at the end of OH 181 (i.e. 181:10), that mayim
acharonim is applicable nowadays (i presume he means the MB et al), but the
custom is that women don't wash mayim acharonim so much (kol kach) is based upon
the SA ad loc that nowadays mayim acharaonim does not apply at all, and people
are just stringent upon themselves, and women did not take [this upon
themselves]. r. fuchs adds that he heard from rav yonah merzbach that in germany
this was the custom also, even in ultra orthodox homes [with regards to women's
mayim acharonim].</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>this reasoning is like the ra'avya on haseiba.
today there is no haseiba, and thus the posekim who say women don't do [see
safire in a recent language essy in ny times magazin concering this
phrase] haseiba rely upon this ra'avya [although the ra'avya say important
women, i.e. all ashkanzic women in his time, obligated in haseiba.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>4. r. wosner does say the according to the shita
(of tosaphot berachot) suggested by SA OH 181:10, doing mayim acharonim is a
chumra. according to this shita women didn't accept this chumra in accordance
with position. he did not say that this position is still viable today. in
fact he cites those posekem who say that nowadays the obligation of (chiyuv) of
mayim acharonim is also applicable (shayach).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>yours</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>shlomo</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>