The Jewish Community Center
of Metropolitan Detroit
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building

present

Tell_ Me Why

•

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor

Q: A friend of mine asked me if there

•

E

E

O

U

C

E

ding
unity Campus
oad

0
0

•

0

is any religious law or tradition of bury-
ing the placenta after the birth of a
baby. Could you please find out for me?
— From reader N.W. of Troy, MI
A: Tell Me Why loves a challenge, and this ques-
tion certainly was just that. Search far and wide
and you won't find the answer in any books; you
can even ask your rabbi and he may be stumped.
Why does the question arise in the first place?
Halacha (Jewish law) states that a lost limb
should, whenever possible, be buried.
The placenta obviously is not necessary for a
woman's survival — but it is for her baby. There-
fore, it could be considered a critical part of the
baby's body, which might necessitate its burial.
But this is not the case.
For the answer to this question, we turned to
Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva
University in New York and rabbi of the Community
Synagogue in Monsey, N.Y. Ray Tendler responds
simply and clearly: "There is no law or tradition in
Judaism requiring burying of the placenta."

Q: In view of Pope John Paul ll's

U
CO

•

p

Funded by
Benard L. Maas Foundation, Hiram Dorfman

0

_u)
0

ATTENTION!

Home Owners • Builders
Architects • Designers

U

ADD BEAUTY
& DIMENSION

0

15%* on

0

Save

Frameless Shower
Enclosures

Designed & Installed By
Our Glass Specialists

For Your Free Estimate or Consultation

Call Our Glass Experts at:
248353- 5770

4/28
2000

80

And Visit Our Southfield Showroom:
22223 TELEGRAPH ROAD (S. Of 9 Mile Rd.)

:1,,C, Lird

ntlt

El :CLEAR REFLECTION
OF WA-1W SINCE 1964

GLASS COMPANY

recent apology for past sins of the
Catholic Church, the following came to
mind. In 1492, the Jews were expelled
from Spain, leaving behind several
beautiful synagogues. Some of these
were converted into churches. Were
any Jewish organizations or individuals
compensated for this? If so, by whom
and how much?
— From reader 1. S. of Delray Beach, FL
A: Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand wanted
the Jews out of their country, and they did not both-
er with niceties like compensation.
If they wanted legal justification for their seizure of
Jewish-owned property, they could find it. The law
throughout most of medieval Europe, including
Spain, allowed the crown, or government, to con-
fiscate anyone's property. This was especially true
in the case of criminals. Since the criminal was
seen as an enemy of society, his property could
rightly be appropriated to the common holdings.
The Jews were branded enemies of Spain and
their property was taken with alacri ty . The Span-
ish monarchs ingratiated themselves to the church
by handing over synagogues that were turned
into churches. Would any Jew have challenged
the king and queen's actions? Not if the person
had wanted to live.

