Rabbi Mordechai Kraft...

[kyel]

What are thoughts on him? I found this interesting, but At 17:35 he erases the divine name from a whiteboard wouldn't this be against halakah?

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

He's a great Rabbi who does a lot of good work especially in and around Queens NY. He and another Rabbi are the founders and heads of the Kiruv organization EMET of who'm brought back many Jews back to Torah Judaism and Torah observance, many of whom I know personally. I know him personally as well although I do disagree on some of his points (as I do with practically everyone else).

[muman613]

Shalom Kyel,

There are certain exceptions to the general prohibition of 'erasing the name' of Hashem... While we mostly always do not spell out a Shem HaShem here (using Hashem or L-rd or G-d) the fact is most poskim say that writing on a computer screen does not qualify as a written name (thus erasing it is not a problem), actually a computer screen is refreshed many times a second and thus it is drawn and erased many times...

Regarding a white-board there may also be exceptions...


http://www.frumtoronto.com/Blogger.asp?Articles=expand&ShowAll=&BlogCategoryID=98&page=8

#383 Erasing Hashems Name on a Screen   
Q. Two situations one question: Are you allowed to erase Shem HaShem on a cellphone?
1 - am I allowed to use a picture of a brocha on my phone that has Shem HaShem on it?
2 - what to do if, for example, someone has posted a picture of something with Shem HaShem in it.

A. Most Poiskim rule that Hashem's name written on a screen can be erased and they have no sanctity as the pixels which make up the letters on a computer screen are being refreshed many times a second and are considered to be more virtual than real.

T'shuvos Vehanhogos (3: 326) permits erasing Hashems name adding also the fact that it was not written with the intention of kedusha. He also points out that s'forim like chumashim and sidurim, are commonly printed today by using computers and so are the very effective and essential programs to check the kashrus of sifrei Torah and tefilin. So too is lenient Avnei Yoshfe (4: 105) and Nishmas Shabbos (Mechika Uksiva 137).and others (see Piskey Teshuvos 174)

However some Poiskim are more stringent, Shevet Halevy (7, 4) rules that even though erasing a name written on a screen is not biblically prohibited one should avoid doing so only in cases of great need, a similar opinion is to be found in Sheilas Shoul (Y.D. 59: 3).

Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that it is permitted to read Torah and Tefilos with Hashem's name from a screen when needed, but one should always do so with decorum and kedusha.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit"a

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

What are thoughts on him? I found this interesting, but At 17:35 he erases the divine name from a whiteboard wouldn't this be against halakah?

 Look at the video closely. G-D's name is not written. It is Yud - (dash) Hay- Waw - Hay.

 So in between each letter their is a dash, so altogether it is not G-D's name but 4 letters separated.

[kyel]

Look at the video closely. G-D's name is not written. It is Yud - (dash) Hay- Waw - Hay.

 So in between each letter their is a dash, so altogether it is not G-D's name but 4 letters separated.

That's what I was thinking the dashes made it not so. It just kind of irked me...I think it would better to just explain it then to write it with dashes inbetween.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

That's what I was thinking the dashes made it not so. It just kind of irked me...I think it would better to just explain it then to write it with dashes inbetween.

 You cant write G-D's name and then make the Dashes. He wrote the letters and dashes one at a time (letter, dash, letter, dash, letter, dash, letter)