edg@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Edward Greenberg) (07/27/89)
>Dial-a-Rambam 962-1817 > >... > >[Moderator's Note: Can someone please explain what a 'rambam' is; as in >'Dial A Rambam'??? Is it anything like Dial A Gay Atheist? Should I spend >thirteen cents on Reach Out tonight to find out? Is it worth thirteen >cents? PT] The RAMBAM is a Jewish Sage. RAMBAM is an acronym for "Reb Moshe Ben Maimon," known more commonly as Maimonades. Referring to "A" Rambam, refers to a lesson from the teachings of The RAMBAM. You'll note that the prefix for Dial-a-Rambam is 962, same as Dial-a-Jewish-Story. I'll bet that both are operated by the same organization, Chabad, the outreach arm of the Lubavicher Chassidim, an Ultra-Orthodox group. Call the "For More Info" number for "more info." Curiouser and curiouser, I called it. My Jewish education isn't what it could be, so I found it to be above my head. Todays message deals with the transmission of spiritual impurities from person to person. (I think :-) Our local Chabad has a Dial-A-Jewish-Story also (I don't remember the number.) It seems that some appropriately religious computer folks in Brooklyn put together a system which runs on an IBM XT with a voice board. You get the framework for offering Audiotext of a Jewish Story, a message from the Rabbi, and so forth. There's also a jewish calendar to Gregorian (regular) calendar converter that is offered in the context of birthday and death anniversary translation. (Finding out when the anniversary of your father's death falls this year is important to many observant Jews.) The local group records the messages. This system didn't have the capability to modify the menus, but it was promised in a future release. Given the fact that the authors are (by definition) more interested in Torah Study than programming, seeing this as a means to an end, I found the software and documentation to be less than it could have been. With the advent of Voice Boards for PC's, it's possible to get into the Audiotext business with a very small investment. We're going to see lots more of this as the technology gets more available. -edg P.S. Patrick, I think this is tamer than "Dial-a-Gay-Athiest" and unless you've got an appropriate Jewish Education, not much fun. -- Ed Greenberg uunet!apple!netcom!edg