akuperma

Yes, but we need to give Coronavirus credit where credit is due. It managed to thoroughly disrupt the world’s economy, end Trump’s economic boom (though he might save himself if he can blame it on China and the Democrats), and totally make a mess of American society. If we measured viruses by how much damage they do, rather than how many people they kill, Covid 19 is probably doing better the Cholera, Influenza or Black Death ever did.

And did I mention the people who will talk about the “boy who cried wolf” the next time there really is a serious epidemic.

Bubonic plague (Black Death) killed a large number of people of all ages. In most countries, most of the population was infected, and almost everyone infected died a horrible death (note that COVID 19 only causes death or serious illness only for a minority of people infected, typically those who are elderly or sick already). The pain society feels from COVID 19 is caused by the government treating what is not much worse than the regular flu as if it was a dreaded life-threatening plague. They would be better to tell those at high risk to take protective measures, but not to destroy the economy or serious disrupt life.

It’s a bad case of flu, with no flu shot to minimize the impact. Not the end of the world. If you panic each year over the “flu season”, feel free to panic now. If your response to flu season is to buy drugs to treat the effects of flu, and to stock up on chicken soup, now is the time to do so.

Since Chareidim are younger (since we have lots of children, Baruch ha-Shem) than the rest of the population, we are less affected. The hiloni Jews, who have few children, and therefore a high percentage of old people, are the ones who have to worry about dying off. Note that China, whose “one-child” policy resulted in a population with too many old people relative to children, is the center of the outbreak.

The major injuries will be economic policies caused by government efforts to keep the virus from spreading which are out of proportion to the damage the virus will cause.

1. The Chinese government lies (and worse, believes its own propaganda). The Iranians aren’t much better. Since it has become a partisan issue in the US (the Democrats blame Trump for anything as a matter of principle, the Republicans will point out that this is another argument supporting their position against open borders, trade and China), the US response will be chaotic.

2. The Rav in Iran can be trusted to be aware of conditions there, and he held that the epidemic in Iran was enough to not fast on Taanis Esther (note: it doesn’t all that much to be exempt from fasting on Taanis Esther). This is troubling.

3.So far, it sounds like it is just as bad, but not, worst than the annual flu, though there is no vaccine. Flu gives people a bad cold and occasionally causes deaths. especially of those who are ill already. If Covid 19 is basically a second round of flu, there is no reason to panic.

People have been fleeing New York for years. If you are a boomer, you might remember when New York had the largest population – now it is number 4. Whereas once “out of town” meant a city with only “modern” shuls that were at best borderline Orthodox, and a mikva – today “out of town” means diverse frum shuls, kollels, restaurants and kosher grocery stores.

If you think someone is a professional spy, it is almost certain they aren’t. Spies don’t act like spies. If they do, they flunk out of spy school and have to something else for a living.

There are no reliable figures from China since the government seems to be inclined to deceive, and apparently also believes its own lies. If the Chinese are to be believed, it is a severe cold with low mortality (i.e. not even close to the 1918 influenza). Cutting back on foreign trade and blocking both immigrants and foreign tourists (things Trump is good at) can reduce the impact. If the government decides to close schools (and sports, and theaters, and malls), we can go along with them, and thereby let them decide. Given the US if a net exporter of food and fuel, the US won’t face critical shortages of necessities

Define immoral. Whereas once he was a (“borderline”) honest businessman, he has gone out and now associates full time with persons of known dubious ethics (Pirke Avos discusses this class of persons, they are easy to identify since they formally refer to themselves as “the Honorable …., with some title reflect their official position). His political positions are all very conventional (and many were Democratic positions back when he was a Democrat, such as opposition to free trade and immigration), and while his lack of derekh eretz in use of social media may be a problem, I would hardly call that “immoral.”

While in “intimate” matters he have done a lot of things (especially when younger) that would be unacceptable if he was a Yid, he is a genuine goy (half German, half Scots, no known Jewish ancestry). We tend to ignore what goyim do in bed if it doesn’t affect us (they don’t ask for our hecksher).

In terms of political leaders we judge them by their policies as they affect us, and in this respect, Trump is probably among the best American presidents, ever (from our perspective, I would put Washington first expanding the concept of religious tolerance to include Jews, and Trump tied for second with Truman).

RE: CTLawyer vs ResidentMoral

Slavery was legal in the United States, and the Supreme Court upheld it. It required some very unconstitutional measures to change (civil war, stripping a third of the states of their political rights, getting several percent of the population killed). Also note the the scientific consensus supported slavery, it was the religious fanatics who brought it down.

Murdering Jews was legal in Germany, based on laws constitutionally passed by a democratically elected government (n.b. the post-war trials conducted by the Allies were for killing non-Germans, which violated international law). One should note that German policy was based on American racial policy, and reflected the
scientific consensus at the time on racial and ethnic supremacy.

Abortion is no more morally reprehensible than American slavery (which was unusually reprehensible compared to Roman or Jewish law), or the mass murder of ethnic and religious minorities – if you like one, you’ll like them all.

Both will give a green light to discrimination against Orthodox Jews. They will also incite “racial” anti-semitism, especially Sanders since in this case a Jew will be blamed for a massive economic collapse. Sanders is likely to do the “politically correct” thing and support Palestinian terrorist attacks directed against Jews anywhere in the world, whereas Bloomberg will actively oppose “racial” (“ethnic”) anti-semitism (meaning he will object if non-frum Jews are killed, even by terrorists).

The best solution for our community is for Trump to win by a landslide. Trump may be”bad” in many ways, be he is not anti-Jewish, and his overall policy of support religion will work in our favor.

Neturei Karta engages in peaceful protests – note the great approval one hears of them from the people complaining about Peleg. Whether peaceful, non-violent protests (cf. Gandhi in British India, Martin Luther King in the American South under Jim Crow, the “White Rose” in Nazi Germany) are effective is a matter to debate.

Remember, the alternative to protests is repression, i.e. gestapos and camps, gulags, “re-education”, When you look at it that way, democratic tolerance of disorder doesn’t seem all that bad.

The only food with its own bracha is wine, and arguably bread (one can argue the bread is a sub-set of mezonos (foods from grains).

Coffee was introduced in the period of the rishonim (and cocoa in the period of the achronim), too late to get mentioned in the Talmud, and in any event, why would it get its own bracha.

The DOJ should not get involved with politics. The whole investigation of Trump was resolved in Trump’s favor. Trump probably should pardon him and be done with it. The anti-Trumpers will scream, but that wouldn’t change anyone’s votes.

The Democrats are worse. Their policies would undermine democracy world wide, let the Russians, Chinese and ISIS have a free-hand, lead to a nuclear war in Eretz Yisrael, destroy the American economy and tolerate or encourage persecution of frum Jews both in America and elsewhere.

And note that I am basically a neo-con, opposed in theory to zionism, opposed to budget deficits, for free trade and for liberal immigration

If a Democrat in the tradition of people such as John Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Joseph Lieberman, Harry Truman or Skip Jackson ran, I would switch back to the Democrats.

Reb Eliezer: or perhaps because of changing fashions people are exposing themselves to more sunlight – in all fairness if you invited someone from a century or two ago to visit the present, they would think that nudists had taken over. I doubt the skin cancer is more common among frum Yidden, since we tend to wear clothes.

Its a stupid idea that hurts the poor and promotes disease (reusable bags attract and spread germs). I suggest voting out the politicians who dreamed up the idea.

If it was similar to the Influenza of just over a century ago (and that was spread by a world war), it would have a serious economic impact for a few months, but the medical complications would be far less due to technological improvements. It would probably result in significant constraints on travel, but that is less of an issue since much business is done online today. If you are really worried, short the market and relax.

All humans everywhere have smartphones and are losing the ability to communicate like a human being, face to face. Don’t worry about climate change or a zombie apocalypse – smartphones are what are destroying humanity.

chash: both, bigots aren’t required to be consistent or logical

The people on the left who hate Jews, also hate Trump. They will hated Jews when even Boro Park voted Democrat. That is the nature of bigotry. Note how they believe that the typical frum Jew is an uneducated lazy bum, who also controls the banks and major corporations while hanging out in a Beis Medrash while living off welfare and living in a mansion.

If concern for safety is an issue, support the Republican efforts to make blue state respect Second Amendment rights.

1. “enlist” implies “volunteer”. Most Israel youth are “conscripted”. The only time someone enlists is when they are exempt, such as the case with most Arabs who serve in the IDF.

2. The real number that matters is the extent those conscripted volunteer for combat units (e.g. Golani, Air Force, etc.), rather than aspire to be “jobniks”. If conscription was abolished (as virtually ever major democracy has done), it is reasonable to assume that those who choose to be in combat units would still “enlist” (and presumbably would be paid serious wages to do so). Also, a volunteer army would be forced to offer accommodation to frum soldiers to get them to sign up, rather than doing so begrudgingly as is the case today.

3. Israel does not allow conscientious objection (if so, non-zionist hareidim would be exempt) leading to the charade of liberal yeshiva deferments. This is also a problem for non-religious Jews who are also conscientious objectors who jump through hoops to avoid military service. Switching to a western-style professional army would solve the problem.

There seems to be overwhelming evidence that Amir did the actual shooting. There is reason to suspect that the Israeli secret police were involved via an incompetent agent provacateur, but that wouldn’t make Amir any less guilty.

RebbeDebbie: an alien is a non-citizen, and in modern usage, a non-human. Clearly those whom the call refer to as “Angels” qualify. There are also discussions of various sentient non-humans in our traditions. Its easy to see where the goyim wouldn’t have gotten the idea of “alien visitors” from. We aren’t allowed to learn kabbalah with them, so we’ll have to let them go around being confused and foolish. The same would go to discussing whether HaShem would have told us (or whether we would have understood) if sentients beings were created outside of our own planet (world, universe, etc.).

The mishna in Shabbos mamkes clear that weapons of war are inherently not Shabbos’dik. And they probably had in mind someone wanting to wear fancy parade armor. Furthermore, if a terrorist can easily identify who has a weapon, they know who to target first. If it is necessary for civilians in their community to carry weapons on Shabbos, it is best to conceal them.

And I seriously question how many frum Jews have the sort of training to be able, in a crowded shul, to hit a moving target that is firing back at you, but that’s a different matter.

We have been using “fake” meat (e.g. Morningstar Farms) for a very long time, as well as “fake” pork products made from other types of meat (e.g. Lamb bacon, hot dogs made from beef, chicken and turkey). Even though Chinese cuisine is largely based on pork, kosher Chinese restaurants are very popular (usually substitute beef or foul for the treff foods ). The only real issue is whether we will regard parve fake meat as part of the fleshig cuisine (i.e. an alternative to buying real hamburgers or real hot dogs), or whether we will continue to see it as part of the mikig cuisine even if the new “fakes” aren’t dairy (and thus see them, as we now do, as alternatives to pizza or pasta).

If anyone was going to object to these “fake” meats, they would have objected back in the 20th century when they became very common. What is new at present is that such “fakes” are catching on among goyim in part since many goyim believe (rightly or wrongly) that they are healthier than real meat and that switching to fake meat will prevent global warming (since livestock, similar to humans, produce gases that they believe with a religious fervor cause global warming).