Why Yidden are the BEST!

I still find it interesting that no one answered my question from the first page. The best WHAT?

The Wolf

We may have the “potential” to be the best, but unfortunately some do not achieve it.

That was a great poem, willi, and deep too. maybe you should send it in to the yated.

Dr. Pepper, I like your idea. Here’s a true story. I heard it from a shabbos guest recently.:

He was backing his car out one day when he banged into another car. He got out and searched around but he didn’t find anyone. So, he stuck a note on the windowshield with his contact info and drove off. Two days later, he gets a call from an autobody shop in regards to the incident.

The Yid said, “oh I’m glad you called.I would like to pay for the damage”

The mechanic said, “I just have one question for you: Are you an orthodox Jew?”

The Yid said, “Yes. Why do you ask?”

He said, “I knew it. The car you banged into belongs to a client of mine who was just here this week fixing her car. She had just picked it up when you banged into it again, so understandably she was very upset. When she brought in her car, I said to her, that from experience I bet you that this is an orthodox Jew. If it is, i told her I’d fix the car free of charge.” And he did.

As Pesach krohn would say, You know who made the kiddush Hashem? Not just the guy who wrote the note, but every other Orthodox Jew who did the same, and shaped the goy’s opinion on Jews.

That’s a Yid!

Some people feel uncomfortable with the word “best” here. (I’m not sure why but to each his own)Maybe they would feel more comfortable with this well-known idea.

I think it’s the RaMBaM who classifies the differnt life forms. The lowest is the Domeim, the inatimate object. The next level is the Tzomeach, the plant. Next is Chai, animal, and the one above that is Medaber, the human being who is defined by his intellect and ability to speak. Each level is superior to the one before. But there’s another level which is called Yisroel, who is the most superior of all . The point is that we are as different from the goy as a human is to an animal.

We may look the same, and sometimes act the same, but our neshama has a completely different make-up. we are simply from a different min alltogether.

We are as different to the Amim as Kodesh is to Chol, and as Ohr is to Choshech, as we say in avdala, because Hashem made us different.

This idea is not supposed to make us feel gaavah, but it’s supposed to imbue us with a higher sense of purpose and mission in this world.

Another point I see to this discussion, is that some people have the unfortunate affliction to always go looking in the “fields of moav” for greener pastures. They look to the goyim for inspiration or wisdom. But the truth is that the Wisdom is with us, because we have the Torah which is the source of all wisdom.

A case in point: Many paople like to read parenting books written by non-Jews. The machanchim in the Torah world warn us against this because they are filled with many anti-Torah ideas which we may not always pick up on. But another reason is because they simply will not work! Because those books were written with the goyish kid in mind. A Yiddish child has a different neshoma and therefore a different spiritual make-up! So how can it work for a Yid?

It’s true we have problems in our community (many of which are inumerated and exagerated in the pages of these rooms) But as a group, we are b”h in far better shape than the goyim, spiritually, emotionally and socially. If all you can see is that we are supposed to be better, but we aren’t, maybe you should examine yourself, and/or see who you associate yourself with.

Your car accident story reminds me of a couple of incidents that we had.

The first occurred several years ago in Kensington when we sideswiped a double-parked car. We left a note for the owner. When he called back we ended up arranging for him to have it repaired at a nearby collision shop (Speedy Rental / Dahill auto repair, run by two Chasidishe brothers [Abe and Yanky], very erlich, nice and reasonably priced). The owner of the damaged vehicle turned out not to be Jewish, so it is nice to hear that this type of thing makes a good roishum. There is a yetzer hora to run away, but bottom line is that we were supposed to lose a few hundred dollars, and we certainly would have lost it another way (aside from the genaiva).

The second incident comes with a shailo.

Somebody parked one night edged into our driveway about a foot-and-a-half. When we pulled into our driveway we damaged part of his car that was edged in. We left a note, and in this case it turned out the person was a young frum guy, who had only edged into our driveway to make room for the person behind him. Legally we were obligated for the damage, so we paid most of it (he was mochel about fifty dollars).

My question is:

Although we paid since legally we were liable and dina dimalchusa dina, if dina dimalchusa did not apply here would we still be responsible here? Would he be responsible for our damages? This is not nogeah limaseh, but I am curious as to the halacha.

Opinions are welcome, but if someone (who knows hilchos mamanos and nizikin better than I do) can point out a basis for what they believe the halocha should be I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

mmm…”Think BIG” you wrote; (of course,even if someone is not frum he can still be Jewish……nor is he recognized as a Jew) HUH? is he or isn’t he a jew? By the way, last time I learned the first mishne of “chelek” it said “kol yisroel jesh lohem chelek le’olam habo”. The world “kol” in hebrew means – i think- “ALL”. SO, I would say that weizman, einstein even freud may be part of this discussion,sinply becuase Hashem Yisboraxch gave us jews that great matonoh “torah’ and all wisdom, even secular wisodom derives from it.

anon for this:

“Do you mean to say that you would never use any medication/ medical procedure/ medical research that’s been tested on animals, or non-Jews? After all, if an animal or a non-Jew (I’m not equating the two, obviously) are so different from you, anything tested on them wouldn’t work for someone on your level of existence. Or would you never use anything invented by someone who isn’t Jewish?”

You either miread or misunderstood my post. I said we look the same but we have a different spiritual makeup. that means that in the physical wrelm we most certainly would benefit from medicine, etc tested on non-jews. in many ways we are similar to animals too, as you said.

But all the rest of your post is taking the warped idea and running with it.

As far as using parenting books, that’s different, because there we deal with the emotional/spiritual component of the child. So I don’t agree with your conclusion, that “Just as medical advances & scientific discoveries apply to M’daber & Yisroel apply to all of us, so too can other innovations, including parenting books (assuming that these have been checked for anti-Torah ideas).”

“I think that all of us agree that as Jews we do have a higher spiritual purpose; as such, we should expect more of ourselves than of the non-Jews around us, and comparisons to non-Jews are therefore irrelevant. Rather, we should all be the best we can be. After all, to follow your argument, would you bother writing about how you are superior to an animal? “

I didn’t start this post but I assumed the the purpose was to encourage people to take pride in our abilities and uniquness and recognize the obligations we have thefore. Unfortunately some people who post their comments here seem to be unaware or deluded in this regard.

Think BIG:

There are 4 levels: Inanimate [Domem], Sessile Life [Tzome’ach], Animal Life [Chai], and Human [M’daber]. The level ‘Jew’ [Yisroel] is the invention of some egotistical Jews. There is no such level.

Levels: Inanimate, Sessile Life, Animal Life, Man.

think big, well thank you for the clarification that “recognized’ means actual physical recognition.

My point about the mishne was that jews have an inherent zechus to be Jewish, regardless of how they behave in life. This, obviously, makes every jew special, even if he is totally separated from Klal Yisroel. I guess that I am allergic to a sentence that says : “Jews by birth, who were raised without, behave just like goyim”. Maybe. But I sure would not say anything negative about any jew. This is ultimately the essence of “ahavas yisroel”, to love every single Jew, regardless of where he is spiritually or what he does in life. Ultimately,we are all responsible for vour Jewish brothers and sisters.

Concerning your remark about wisdom and its roots. If you believe that the Torah is the source of all wisdom , then all wisdom will emanate from it, wherever it lands. So Einstein and Freud indeed do receive their wisdom from the Torah. And maybe, just maybe, they being born Jewish gives them an extra edge. How else would you explain the absolute abundance of Jewish Nobel Prizes , especially in the sciences. Maybe it is the fact that they were born jewish and in their neshomo, they are Jewish?

rabbi of berlin:

You write: Maybe. But I sure would not say anything negative about any jew.

Really? are you the one who calls litvish people

“elitists” and the the biggest “sonei yisroel”?

Do you recognise the post below:

“found the editorials nauseating. It is an elitist, arrogant approach to yiddishkeit, which has become the trademark of the litvishe Jewish world. Smug, feeding upon the medinah they so hate, dismissing anyone who does not agree with them. i wonder what Rabbi Lipschutz would have written in 1945…”

–or the next one?

“Unfortunately, the litvishe oilam has become so extreme and so narrow-minded “

(Or did you by any chance mean its only not okay to say anything negative about anti-Chareidim?)

“Ultimately, we are all responsible for our Jeish brothers and sisters.” That is one thing we agree on.

as to your last piece, I said, ” they did not study the torah and extrapolate its wisdom to arrive at their conclusions.” It’s a foregone conclusion that any real wisdom which is true stems from the torah. The reason why there is an abundance of Jewish Nobel Prizes in my opinion is because the Jews have passed down from the ages many special qualities, such as incisive thinking, questioning, perseverance (hasmadah), etc, honed through generations of learning gemara.

BTW (don’t answer if you dont want to) Are you the rabbi of berlin who lives in monsey?

Joseph –

I will B”N do so.

If the rav I ask gives his OK, I will also mention his name.

I am a terrible procrastinator, so it may not be that quick, but since at least one person is now waiting on this the incentive to get up and ask exists.

The reason I will ask the rav for his permission to quote something in his name is that in the past I asked Rav Belsky shlita for a psak and then asked if he could be quoted to others he gave the OK, but when I asked a Rosh Yeshiva about kashering a microwave for Pesach, he said technically it was OK, but it shouldn’t be done, and when I was leaving yeshiva to enter the business world I asked my Rosh Yeshiva about shaking hands with women and he said “it is muttar, but you shouldn’t” – I took the last two statements as applying for me personally, and not for public attribution.

One note about dina dimalchusa – I was told that it may apply even where it contradicts halacha, such as capital punishment in the USA, since it has a malchus shel chessed and the punishment is applied fairly to all people. This is NOT a psak I was given but it was mentioned during learning by someone whose learning I respect.

I agree wholeheartedly!

shuali said this on a post in the main site, and I thought it worthwhile and appropriate reposting to this thread:

Last month I attended a research conference in Spain. I was the only guy there in a kipah. As the conference was ending I wanted to print out my boarding pass for my trip back to the US. The bank of computers to be used by the conference participants was being shut down. I found the speakers’ ready room, which still had one computer that was still turned on. I asked if I could use if for a few minutes to print out my boarding pass and the technician said it was ok, even though he was clearly in a hurry to get out of the building before he was kicked out.

He asked where I was going and I told him “Newark”. He complained that he was unable to print out his boarding pass. I asked him why, and he said, “security”. It turned out that the technician was a secular Jew from Israel and his airline required that the boarding pass only be issued at the airport. He was a model of good midot and helped me print out mine, though! I think he realized that there was another Jew he could help, and he went out of his way to do so even though it cost him time.

I was proud to be a Jew that day. So was he. My brother Jew.

“Why Yidden are the BEST!”

We as a nation stick together, and watch out for each other, that incident which just happened in Williamsburg, is proof of that.

You want statistical proof? Here is some:

97% of all crimes are perpetrated by Jews.

-source: Weimar Republic.

Give Me a Break:

1) Don’t know him, but not Mekabel.

2) An understanding boss/company who doesn’t mind as long as the job is done.

3) Still didn’t answer the question posed. However, if you do not wish to answer, I will try not to bother you further on this thread. One is not responsible to answer all those who have questions.

Squeak:

You are correct, and as such statistical proof would not be proof. After all, even today it is illegal in some countries to be jewish, so you could say all Jews are criminals! Thank you for the point.

“Why Yidden are the BEST!”

I dunno, why?

“Why Yidden are the BEST!”

Give Me a Break “I dunno, why?”

Joseph “Because we even tolerate a nice person such as yourself.”

Ha Ha Ha that cracked me up! There’s another reason right their. Our sense of humor!

Joseph:

I would.