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akupermaParticipant
They are hats. They used to be popular among the goyim. We tend to be a century or two “late” is adopting men’s fashions. That’s why many frum Jews still wear frock coats of various types (knee length, which has been out of style for 90 years (according to Wikipedia King George V killed them), and wear hats as a dress item (according to “urban myth”, President John Kennedy killed them). Fur hats are attractive, but unless the goyim start wearing them again, I predict that in another century or two we’ll lose interest.
March 25, 2015 8:40 pm at 8:40 pm in reply to: Why are so many wine bottles named after Rishonim? #1067023akupermaParticipantSo you have an Italian wine, who do you name it after: How about call it the Titus to remind us what we have to think the Italians for. Perhaps we call it the Mussolini (well, he was a nice guy compated to the rest of his gang). No we pick a name associated with the place that has a positive association for Jews – and for many European country’s that means a rishon. It isn’t like those countries have done anything for us lately, but they do produce nice wines (maybe with global warming, we’ll get better wines in the New York, but until then…)
akupermaParticipantFrom what I can see, the YWN editors try to be friendly to all the frum parties including Shas, Yehadut ha-Torah (and its constituent parts), Bayit Yehudi, and the parties on the fringes (the Hardalnikim who are reluctant to support any party, the anti-zionist hareidim who boycott). Thus during the campaign they appear sympathetic to all of the above, which is confusing since sometimes an article on one frum party is about it trying to differentiate itself from the others (i.e. it criticizes them).
After the election, Yachad disappears so the articles are now form the point of others, since Yachad doesn’t really continue to exist.
akupermaParticipantWe know that vaccines are highly effective in preventing diseases so much so that those that have been around a long time have been so effective that most people couldn’t imagine having someone in their community with polio or smallpox. The introduction of the vaccines has led to a major decline in the number of children dying before reaching adult, or of reaching adulthood in an impaired state – and the factgs suggest that the vaccines were a major cause.
Given the huge number of people throughout the world using vaccines, if there was a problem we would be seeing a hugh number of people with autism – and that simply isn’t the case. Many have noted that autism does correlate with some other things, such as lower infant mortality (sick kids survive but are impared), older parents, contraception, etc.
Some have suggested increase in diagnosis of “autism” is tied to government benefits given when such a benefit is made and that many kids who might otherwise be considered “normal” were reclassed as “special” to get the handouts. The increase in autism doesn’t appear to be a factor in underdeveloped countries where vaccines are used routinely.
akupermaParticipantAssuming Autism has increased recently (and the term is 20th century, and was not considered a problem until the late 20th century), many things correlate with the rise of autism:
Lower infant and maternal mortality
Increased age of parents
Antibiotics
Automobiles
Electrical appliances in the home
Radio, television and the internet
Professional sports
Israeli independence
A diet high in calories (previously calorie deprivation was crisis – people used to be starving much of the time
People often grasp at something seeking an answer. You see it in those trying to relate climate change to policies they disapprove of. Sometimes this gets controversial (as in the correlation between rising abortion rates and falling crime rates). Often it gets ridiculous (the anti-vaccine people verge on this).
akupermaParticipantThat “correlation” is not “causation” is an important principle in looking at anything statistical, and is often abused by people trying to make a point For example, there is a correlation between sales of matza and wine, and the weather getting warmer – that doesn’t mean that the rising temperatures causes Jews to go out and buy large amounts of matza and wine (in this case, an independent factor, that Pesach is in the spring, explains the correlation).
akupermaParticipantThere is a very high correlation. It seems almost every child that has developed autism has also worn shoes. Also, there appears to be evidence the cultures that don’t wear shoes tend not to have autistic children, at least as frequently.
akupermaParticipantAvi K: The strongest argument that the Rambam did not hold that way is his own actions, i.e. the proof he did believe there is a contemporary mitavah to war against the Muslims is that he willingly took a job helping the Muslims. Could you imagine a Gadol ha-Dor who took a parnassah working for the Third Reich. Remember he worked for Salahdin. Personally. Up close. Saw him regularly (he was the family doctor).
Remember, your position is to to enforcce your view, which is basically a 20th century hiddush (okay, Shabatei Zvi held the same way, but no one else), you are willing to sacrifise the community of Bnei Torah that now lives in Eretz Yisrael, since if the zionists declare open season on the hareidim then the Bnei Torah will be forced to bring medinah in order to survive. Fortunately, most of the leaders of the zionist parties (except perhaps for Yair Lapid) are so fanatic.
akupermaParticipantObama is too young to retire. His career options are teaching, politics or being bored to death. IHis former Senate seat is held by a Republican, and is one of the key ones for a pickup by the Democrats. While only two presidents had real careers after leaving office (John Quincy Adams was an distinguished member of Congress, Taft was Chief Justice).
However there are press reports he’s shopping for an estate in Hawaii, though I expect his wife and kids see Hawaii as a nice place to visit but no more.
akupermaParticipantUTJ and Shas will only join the government if the government agrees to cancel the plan to conscript the yeshiva students, forcing them to either go the prison for at least several years or to the army for several years. They won’t have the ability to get high levels of funding restored. Remember there are plenty of anti-religious parties ready to take the place of the hareidi parties, so they really don’t have much bargaining power. The attraction of the hareidi parties to Netanyahu is that they are concerned with what to him is a tangental issue (conscription), and will leave the important stuff (economics and national security) to others.
While the yeshiovos allied with the Eidis Hareidis never relied on government funding, the other non-zionist yeshivos have seen why relying on secular Jews for money is a bad thing.
akupermaParticipant1. Look at the average February temperature and the average August temperature. An increase of about 50 degrees in six months. After several years, we’ll be boiling with temperatures in the 100s of degrees (this isn’t a silly methodology, established scientists took the average temperatures from the coldest time in a millenia and extrapolated, proclaimed a crisis, and asked for more funding).
2. Sometimes its hot, sometimes its cold. For the most part, most people (and farmers) prefer “hot” to “cold”. Only hard core liberals are horrified at the thought that New Yorkers will no longer have to go Florida to warm up during the winter.
akupermaParticipantThe proposed law is to throw them in jail for refusing to serve in the army. That is why Likud and Bayit Yehudi enacted (BTW, the numbers are almost the same in the new Kenesset as in the old one, Nationalists and Hareidim are a majority – Yesh Atid could have been dumped at anytime).
And when you no government benefits, do you realize that in many areas (including housing and health care) Israel is still very socialists – the benefits include whether you can get health care and live in a house. And unless you agree it is motivated by bigotry, why do the zionists want to give all sorts of benefits to Palestinians who actively oppose the state, rather than to Jews who simply want to live in Eretz Yisrael in peace.
To understand Israeli hareidim, the compatible groups in American history would be African Americans during the Jim Crow era.
akupermaParticipantzahavasdad:
1. Lapid’s proposal is that all Chareidim (except those exempted for having too much protectsia) would locked up in prison.
2. Under Israeli law, if someone spends three years in a musical group or doing meaningless “make work” as an IDF jobnik, they can get a job, so why say doing something that benefits society requires six years.
3. Muslins and Christians don’t have to serve in the IDF to get jobs.
akupermaParticipantHe can run for Senate. His former seat is up in 2016, and its currently held by a Republican, in what has become a solid blue state (albeit one that recently elected a Republican governor).
March 19, 2015 12:29 pm at 12:29 pm in reply to: My issue with the Israeli Chareidi parties #1066379akupermaParticipantAvi K. If one holds, following the views expressed in the ???? ???, which is how many if not most hareidim hold, the zionists are ?????? for having initiated a war contrary to halacha for the purpose of driving the Palestinians out of Eretz Yisrael, and by halacha a ???? is required to withdraw and can not kill the ???? who is merely defening himself. Heretofore the hareidim have not had to present this argument, which undermines the legitimacy of zionism in the eyes not only of many Jews but also among the goyim (who are increasingly impatient with Israel’s hostility towards the Arabs, with even the US considering cutting off all assistance and supporting international sanctions against zionists). This is because the Israelis have wisely not tried to force hareidim to join their army.
If a German sought an excuse to avoid joining the Wehrmacht (which for the most part stuck to defending the country rather than focusing on killing Jews), would you consider him a slacker.
P.S. The highly secular culture of Israel is probably a bigger factor in closing doors to hareidim. The truth is that most American goyim (I’m specifically excluding secular Jews) are friendlier to hareidim than are Israeli zionists, with the result that if a hareidim is primarily interested in maximizing parnassah, he will immigrate to the United States.
akupermaParticipant1. In a proportional parliamentary system, most parties become highly focused. The good side is you have parties focuses on your agenda. The bad side is no focuses on the country as a whole. In a single member system (American style) many minorities are cut off from the political system. Netanyahu and Herzog aim their focus a bit higher, but so no interest in serving those who are unlikely to support them (note Bibi’s anti-Arab comments, and Arabs are the same percentage of Israelis as hareidim, and are much more likely to serve in the IDF). In the US, with only two possible choices, candidates focus on the whole electorate.
2. Under the current economic arrangements in Israel, most hareidi would face a very low glass ceiling. Why prepare for a career in an economy that considers religious accomodations to be something undesirable, especially if you a part of a minority that most Israelis would gladly be rid of. In the United States, law and custom are much more supportive of people like us working outside of the frum ghetto (but America has always been proud of its religious diversity). Remember the goal of zionism is a Torah-free society, and when they see a frummie it reminds them that they have failed to achieve that goal. Under these conditions, its rationale for the hareidi parties to focus on protecting communal autonomy. Why prepare for a job that discrimination won’t let you take?
3. In all fairness, hareidim who want a good parnassah tend to either go off the derekh and become religious zionists, or move to a country that believes in religious freedom. The fact that they choose to live in Eretz Yisrael, under a hostile regime, is indicative that they are primarily concerned with something other than making money (unlike their Brooklyn cousins).
March 18, 2015 3:35 pm at 3:35 pm in reply to: Is It Important to Know Israeli Politics In Order To Be A Frum Jew #1065402akupermaParticipantNo, but if you are frum and are interested in public affairs, then you will be interested in Israeli politics. Even if you hold that there is no halachic basis for zionism (as most hareidim do), Eretz Yisrael is now the largest concentration of Jews in the world.
akupermaParticipantto: yayin yashan bkli chadash
Herzog would need Lapid and Kahlon, not to mention the hareidim and the Arabs. It would be a lot trickier. All Netanyahu has to do inconvince the “right” to stop trying to draft the hareidm.
akupermaParticipant1. Lieberman may back down, perhaps for freedom to vote against repealing the conscription law and of course, patronage. Lapid might also back down, but that’s less likely. Likud might prefer to have Labor as a partner rather than Lieberman or Lapid – in part since Labor’s patronage demands are about the same as Lieberman and Lapid.
2. It might depend on the form that exempting hareidim takes. If, for example, Israel moves towards a volunteer/professional army, with liberal veterans benefits (which are cuurently considered to be unconstitutional discrimination against not veterans), there will be less opposition than to specifically exempting yeshiva students.
akupermaParticipantWe eat chickens and turkeys all the time, and they only use fowl language.
akupermaParticipantyytz: No hareidi party can join a government that remains committed to arresting tens of thousands of hareidim for refusing to serve in the army. It doesn’t how much money is offered for hareidi institutions. Once mass arrests, not to mention seizing funds from and closing yeshivos that support draft resistance, the hareidi community will move from the pro-medinah policies of UTJ and Shas to the anti-zionist policies of Eidis hareidis and Neturei Karta. Those who have supported to medinah will be soon as fools (at best) and collaborators with the enemies at worst. It is not about money or parnassah.
akupermaParticipantIt’s not a virus. Its an infection. It is treated with antibiotics. Epidemics were still common in some countries until the invention of antibiotics during the middle of the 20th cenutry. A lot of conditions that could be fatal ceased to be problems when antibiotics came along (e.g. “strep” and tuberculosis).
Whenever anyone talks about the good old days, remind them they probably would have died before reaching adulthood of something that not not result in you missing much school or work today.
akupermaParticipantyytz: If Labor has more votes, it would be mean a Labor-Likud coalition would be led by Labor. In that situation, Netanyahu would probably retire (as he did the last time the electorate “dissed” him).
Unless Netanyahu is willing to change conscription of hareidim (supported in the past by Likud, Bayit Yehudi and Yisrael Beiteinu) he losed Hareidi support. So if the anti-hareidi “Right” decides that drafting hareidim and closing yeshivos is more important than keeping Netanyahu as Prime Minister, Herzog has an opening (which will probably involve ending conscription rather than exempting hareidim, which please the Arabs and post-zionists as well).
akupermaParticipantzahavasdad: Saying you won’t be in a coalition with someone means you won’t join the coalition unless your conditions are met. That’s how it works in a parliamentary system, in Israel and everywhere else. The problem for Herzog is that Lapid refuses to sit with the hareidim, or more specifically (since money isn’t the issue this year), Lapid insists on conscripting hareidim (“share the burden”) and the hareidim refuse to be conscripting (alledgedly about learning Torah, but many hareidim are anti-zionist holding that Medinat Yisrael is guilty of waging an illegal war to evict the goyim for Eretz Yisrael). Netanyahu has a similar problem with most of his probably coalition partners.
The solution probably would involve ending conscription, which would be revolutionary in the State of Israel.
March 16, 2015 4:24 pm at 4:24 pm in reply to: Why are women exempt from positive time bound commandments #1065185akupermaParticipantDaasYochid: If you need a reason, other than that Ha-Shem told us to, you have a problem. “Finding time” as an issue has to do with changes in technology and lifestyle, so if you believe a halacha is based on technology and lifestyle, then Ha-Shem has little to do with it.
akupermaParticipantzahavasdad: But if Herzog’s approach to “sharing the burden”, and remember he plans to include Arab non-zionists in his government as well, is to abolish conscription – then Lapid is neutralized and the way paved for a coalition including Lapid and Hareidim. I doubt that Shas and Yahadut ha-Torah will turn down any program offers to end conscription given that conscription is a “life or death” issue for them.
akupermaParticipantA Herzog government that relies on Arab support would be much more inclined to make major concessions. Whereas Netanyahu sees the settlements as a “plus” for Israel, and would only give them up for a high price, the left in Israel sees them as a liability and would be happy to pull back.
In addition, a Herzog government that needs Hareidi support (both to reach the magic “61” and to minimize objections from parties such as Kulanu to including the Arabs), will radically change Israeli society by either ending conscription or allowing liberal draft refusal on any religious or conscientious or moral grounds. In addition, a Herzog government will be desperate to raise standards of living to in part justify concessions in security matter (e.g. a “peace” bonus will need to be paid, even if there is no peace).
March 16, 2015 2:17 pm at 2:17 pm in reply to: To The People Who Refuse The Gift Of Vaccines #1166633akupermaParticipantThere are reasons to sometimes be nervous, but not of well established vaccines such as the ones for polio and measles. The best “horror” story is the fear of something such as “Des” which was given to problems in pregnancy and the ill effects are only observed when the offspring reach adulthood 20+ years later. However for diseases with immediate bad effects (such as death or severe disability), and where Jewish children are clearly at risk (meaning its a common disease, not a sexually transmitted one)where there are years of experience, and where the disease can have serious threats to life, there is no reason for any sane person not to get the vaccines.
March 16, 2015 1:51 pm at 1:51 pm in reply to: Why are women exempt from positive time bound commandments #1065183akupermaParticipantStick to “Hok”. Ha-Shem made the law, and its not for us to quibble.
If you try to find a secular reason, one runs into serious problems, especially today when women spend only a small amount of time (as a percentage of total lifespan) as “mommies”, unlike the past when most women married soon after menarche, died before menopause, and spent most of the time in between raising children (and if she was lucky, maybe some of them would outlive her). Apikoresim try to find a reason, and end up going on fishing expeditins for heterim.
akupermaParticipantRe: “It is impossible for us to wake up the next morning to know who the Prime Minister will be.”
Not really.
If the core “right” (Likud, Bayit Yehudi, Yisrael Beiteinu, Yachad, Shas and Yaadut ha-Torah, plus Kulanu) have under 61 seats , there is no way Netanyahu can form a government, and it means Herzog has won.
Alternatively, if the left (Labor, Meretz, Yesh Atid) and Center (Kulanu and Yesh Atid), combined with the Arab Bloc and the two non-zionist Hareidim parties (Shas and Yaadut ha-Torah) come to less the 61, there is no possibility of Herzog forming a government and Netanyahu has won.
In those situation, the meetings with the President are a mere formality. Based on preelection polls, either side will be able to form a government if they can get all elements to cooperate (which is in doubt, since the hareidim demand no conscription, and several parties on both sides of the spectrum demand the opposite).
akupermaParticipantThe only way that will happen is if at least some or nationalist parties (Likud, Bayit Yehudi and most likely Yisrael Beiteinu) refuse to join a government that is will to meet the hareidi demands that there be no criminal sanctions for refusing to serve in the army.
Herzog can offer to end criminal sanctions, and probably will want to end conscription (switching to a volunteer/professional army), since he wants to include Arabs and far-left post-zionists in the government (and Yesh Atid will probably agree to support anything the equalizes the burden of conscript service – by abolishing it for everyone).
Bottom line on other issues: As long as the Palestinians aren’t willing to give up their claims to Eretz Yisrael (returning to the 1914 borders – Islamic control over the whole country), it doesn’t matter what the Israelis do. If the Arabs do finally offer concessions, such as by willing to accept the 1949-1967 borders as permanent and giving up their claims, then it will get interesting. As long as the Israelis strive to be a western Euro-American state, they probably have no hope of peace with the Middle East – so leaves out all non-hareidi parties from being able to to make peace.
akupermaParticipantMarketing alcohol is especially difficult. For starters, its leading “attraction” (that alcohol causes your mind to stop functioning, in a pleasant way) can’t be touted as a feature (imagine an ad: drink my vodka, it will make you act like a fool or knock you out). For Jews its especially a problem since in our culture being intoxicated is viewed quite negatively. On top of that, most good wines are from countries that have a long history of anti-semitism (imagine an ad: buy Italian wine, from the country that destroyed the Beis ha-Mikdash, or perhaps a French wine putting Dreyfus on the label).
So when you come up an effective way of marketing alcohol, be sure to let them know.
akupermaParticipantIt might be better for the parents to pay her living expenses, and that she saves 90% of her disposable income. If she is barely an adult, she has a lot of expenses ahead of her and needs to learn frugality.
akupermaParticipantThe classic answer to the question of why women wear hats on top of sheitels, is that it is necessary to “keep the wig warm”.
One should note that in social situations where a hat is expected, a woman who is wearing a wig will wear a hat as well.
While one can often halachic support for a fashion, one should also realize the frum fashions follow “style”, but that frum communities as someone socially isolated sub-cultures have their own “sense of style.” All frum Jews will find a halachic basis for everything they do (in part, that is what defines being frum), but really the bottom line is “it looks good on me” (which no frum Jew would ever say since that is arrogant and boastful and vain, so we find some halachic argument to justifiy ourselves).
akupermaParticipantThe state government will indirectly help pay tuition.
Within a short time, they will start telling the schools what to teach, who may teach, and how it will be taught. That’s what happens when you tell the government to give you money. If you ask Andy Cuomo for a donation, it doesn’t comes free of strings.
akupermaParticipantAnyone working for the Federal government knows that they are not allowed to use their private emails for government business (we are allowed to access our private email for personal business on company time “within limits.”). It’s a matter of keeping records and protection against hackers. As she was the boss, it looks bad for her to be caught breaking a rule enforced against those she bossed.
akupermaParticipantThe intellectual property rights for the term “Webster’s” dictionary expired long ago, many dictionaries use the term.
Traditionally, a “Webster’s” based definitions on real world usage, so if you don’t like the definition, take up with the people in real world.
akupermaParticipantAren’t you following the Israeli elections. It’s pure shtick. A three month long Purim spiel.
akupermaParticipantIf the watch doubles as a computer, telephone, flash light, etc., why wouldn’t it be considered mukzeh? Has anyone ever poskened that one can walk around with such devices? Can you walk around with a laptop computer? or a flashlight? or a mobile phone? Unless you hold that work done by electrical systems is not prohibited on Shabbos (something often held by non-frum Jews who accept the idea of Shabbos, but not any inconvenient details), this should be an obvious “no”.
A regular watch (no electronic settings, just a battery moving a mechanical gear – or an all mechanical one with a spring moving a mechanical gear) is a totally different machine.
akupermaParticipantWalmart does mail order (even to cities that ban Walmarts, largely due to its low prices and large selections). Their shirts are half the cost and include “comfort collars” so you won’t looklike someone wearing a too small shirt that forces you to leave the top button undone.
akupermaParticipantGrape juice and if you want something other than Pri ha-Gafen, Root beer.
akupermaParticipantYou are not likely to be single for long, and until you get married you don’t know what your financial status is. You can’t afford risk. As there is no inflation, money invested at zero interest isn’t being eaten by inflation as it was 40 years ago. Compared to the costs of raising a family, the money you are earning is trivial. You don’t have enough to risk losing it, so you are best investing in something safe, such as federally insured savings accounts or treasury bonds. Anything else is a gamble, and you probably shouldn’t be gambling.
akupermaParticipantJewish music tends to follow the styles of non-Jewish music. Just as that which was popular 40 years ago was heavily influenced by American folk-rock, styles today are influenced by whatgever those young people are listening to, and the music 100 years ago resembled the goyhish music of the day (note the lingering similarities in many Ashkenazi styles of hazanus to the styles of operatic singing – indeed some hazanim back in the 20th century who went off the derekh became opera singers).
Given the tremendous variety of musical styles, one can find some they enjoy.
While one might object to copying styles from the goyim, we’ve been doing so for 2000 years so it seems that doing so is an established minhag.
March 6, 2015 12:18 am at 12:18 am in reply to: Why couldn't I live in dovid hamelechs times #1063337akupermaParticipantClose to a tsaddik, but…
no air conditioning, no central heat in winter, no indoor plumbing
no antibiotics
no anesthetics for surgery – no pain killers other than alcohol (nothing stronger than wine)
50% child mortality, and perhaps 20% maternal mortality in childbirth
no preservatives for food (so you often ate spoiled food)
no printing, no telecommunications, no mechanical transportation
no electrictity – meaning no lights other than candles or oil lamps
We should be grateful Ha-Shem lets us live in the most comfortable and affluent time ever.
March 4, 2015 9:46 am at 9:46 am in reply to: Why don't Yidden ever say yimakh shemo when saying the name of Emperor Hirohito? #1062722akupermaParticipantWhy would we?
Hirohito had nothing to do with running the government. He was a figurehead, for the most part. While Japan had an elected parliament, it was dominated by the military leadership (not the royal family).
If you attribute the activities of the Japanese government to him, you would have to give him credit for saving many Jews. Not only did Japan refuse to round up Jews (the Germans asked them to, they refused), they granted asylum to many Jews who reached their territory when fleeing the Germans.
akupermaParticipant1. Paul’s neo-isolationism turns off many.
2. He has minimal experience in public life, was a competent but hardly amazing career as a physician, and a large part of his appeal is based on his family (too much like Jeb and Hillary).
3. He might accomplish much to influence the other candidates to adopt more libertarian approaches.
akupermaParticipantThe discussion of extraterrestial life, parallel and multiple universes, non-human sentient life, etc., involve kaballah and isn’t appropriate to discuss in a public forum such as this one where Goyim and Am Ha-Aretzim can listen in.
akupermaParticipantI don’t care what you stay. I still won’t let me kids go out with anyone who isn’t descended from Adam Ha-Rishon.
akupermaParticipantHalachic copyright was always time restricted, usually for a very limited number of years. The goyim’s copyright of close to a century, or more, goes well beyond that halacha (e.g. 70 years after death of the author). Feel free to reprint the Rambam or Rashi without getting permission from the descendants.
akupermaParticipantI’m descended from Adam ha-Rishon, and I wouldn’t let my daughter marry anyone who wasn’t.
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