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Families...

A Horse Is A Horse
Of Course, Of Course

But how did he get that biblical name?

I

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Q: Do Jews on board Trident sub-
marines observe Shabbat? How do
they know when it's sundown?
From readers MAD and AKS in
Baltimore
A: Tell Me Why hopes Jews
everywhere observe Shabbat.
My guess is your question is re-
ally how can Jews aboard a sub-
marine observe Shabbat, right?
This is similar to questions
Tell Me Why has received in the
past, such as how can Jews in
outer space or marooned on a
desert island observe Shabbat.
It's not a new problem, and
through the generations rabbis
have come up with a variety of
methods in dealing with it. Two
of the most practical are that
Jews in unusual circumstances
should reckon the time of Shab-
bat based on Jerusalem time,
or based on when the nearest
Jewish community in a normal
time zone is observing the day.

Q: With all the talk about "ozone
action days" and air pollution, can
Tell Me Why tell me if the Bible
says Jews should not pollute the
air?
From reader LS. in Grosse Ile
A: The Torah does not specif-
ically ban air pollution. Later
rabbinic law derived from the
written Torah does, however,
prohibit certain practices that
tend to diminish the quality of
the atmosphere.
The talmudic tractate of
Bava Batra, which deals pri-
marily with property law, takes
up in the second chapter the
subject of nuisances caused by
various trade and commercial
activities. One of these nui-

process diminishes the quali-
ty of air.
Likewise, Rabbi Nathan ha-
Bavli, a talmudic authority of
the second century, ruled that
a furnace, because of the effect
of its smoke on the atmosphere,
may not be located within 50
cubits of a residential area. Lat-
er rabbis decreed that the 50-
cubit limit could be extended to
any distance if the smoke was
annoying to people.
The Shulchan Aruch (Code
of Jewish Law), Choshen Mish-
pat, chapter 145, deals further
with this subject.
The Rambam (Maimonides)
argued in his Moreh Nevuchim
(Guide for the Perplexed), book
3, chapter 45, that the purpose
of the incense in the Temple
was to counteract the odors pro-
duced by the various activities
involved with animal sacrifices.

A: His nickname was "Pret-
ty," but he was anything but.
His real name was Louis Am-
berg (1898-1935), and he was
the son of Russian immigrants.
Though certainly not as fa-
mous today as colleagues in
crime like "Dutch" Schultz and
Meyer Lansky, Amberg had the
worst reputation back in the
1930s. Perhaps that's because
Pretty (who got his nickname
because he was so homely) had
no particular business acumen.
He simply was violent. No
doubt he was inspired by his big
brother, Joe, who made his
money in loan sharking. Joe's
motto was "I will kill you if you
don't pay us back on time."
Pretty's "businesses" includ-
ed bootlegging and laundro-
mats. He quickly gained a
reputation for knocking off any-
one who crossed him. He didn't
even have a sympathetic bent
for others in the field. When

CI: I recently was reading an ar- Dutch Schultz opened his own
ticle on thoroughbred horse racing. loan-sharking operation not far
Among the most famous of the from Amberg's office, Pretty
great champions the author listed came by for a visit. "We ain't
was Man o' War, winner of the 1920 afraid of you," Schultz's men
said. They should have been.
Preakness and the 1920 Belmont Less than a day later the two
Stakes (he just missed becoming a were found dead.
triple crown winner). The author de-
This started off a mob war
scribed this horse as having a "bib- that ended only when both
lical" name. Come on, biblical? Schultz and Amberg died.
Schultz was gunned down (re-
Remember, this is a sport where portedly for $50,000, paid by
animals have names like Ack Ack Amberg). Amberg was found
and Foolish Pleasure.
strangled inside his car, which
A: The owners of race horses had been set on fire. No one was
do come up with some unusual ever arrested for the crime. Var-
names, and odd as it may seem, ious theories have suggested
Man o' War could very well have that it was the work of a gang
been inspired by the Torah. In with whom he was in cahoots,
Shirat Ha-Yam, the song sung that he was killed by a hit man
by the Israelites after the split- from the Schultz crew, and that
ting of the Red Sea, found in he was put out of business by
Parshat B'shalach (Exodus 15:3) the new big bosses, Lucky Lu-
is the phrase, "Hashem ish ciano and Meyer Lansky.
milchama," — "God is a man of
war.") (Rashi interprets the
phrase as "master of war.") The Send questions to Tell Me Why,
song is recited every day in the The Jewish News, 27676
morning service.
Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, or fax to (248) 354-6069.
Q: I always liked the works of Da- All letters must be signed and in-
clude the writer's address. Ques-
mon Runyon, and I understand that
tions answered in the column will
a Jewish mobster was the basis for feature only the writer's initials
one of his characters. Who was he? and city of residence. •

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