Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
The terms “dumb” and “stupid” or “feeble minded” are inexact and have become quite insulting. It also is a very complex subject since few individuals are consistently deficient, e.g., someone who has trouble with understanding to read or knowing how to act in common social situations, may turn out to be quite advanced in other areas such as music or math. Referring to “mental disabilities” is deliberately inexact since the situations are inexact.
“Development disabilities” refers to any sort of mental or physical problem that dates back to birth or before, or shortly thereafter as opposed to something that developed later in life such as disabilities relating to disease or injury.
tzaddiq:
In Torah we have theocracy, rule by G-d, not rule by a government. A “king” who goes against Torah can be overthrown.
Most Jewish commmunities throughout history were dominated by a coalition of the leading Talmidei Hachamim and the leading citizens (a typical method of election was to choose be at random and ask them to pick the leaders – since a leader in Jewish tradition is responsible for paying the community’s financial needs this was alway a very rich person – in fact in some communities they had a “CEO” with the title “Parnas”).
OUTtorah: If your accent is not what you want it to be, you can work on it. Speech lessons helped many New Yorkers escape the lower class ethnic ghettos by learning how to sounds WASP.
I tend to think one should look at what someone is saying and doing, and not be prejudiced by what he looks like or his accent.
Mandela’s opponents were Nazis (real ones,not neo-nazis, they spent World War II in prison for conspiring to turn South Africa over to the Axis) – which alone explains why South African Jews were prominent in the anti-apartheid movement. Mandela managed to not only take over the country (not all that hard, it was near collapse given the fall of communism and the near universal opposition to racism in the west), but to do so peacefully, convince his enemies to support him, and leave over a stable and democratic government (note he was never a “president for life” and always had opposition which wins elections on the provincial and local level). Someone such as Ben Gurious was a failure in that today’s Israel is hardly the secular socialist homeland he dreamed of. Churchill wanted to preserve an Empire which fell immediately. Mandela is probably closer to George Washington who established a democracy that would survive without him (assuming it does, but it looks optimistic).
For a third world country that is in a permanent state of war, Israel is doing fairly well economically. The infrastructure reflects it.
Democracy (or Tyranny) are good, or bad, depending on who is running it. The advantage of a democracy is that it requires many people to agree, and a large number of people are unlikely to go off on some horrible policy compared to a single man who can simply be deraged. Any policy you complain about under a democracy, and and does occur under tyranny, and is usually much worse (e.g. you complain about “intermarriage” in a democracy, but what about in tyrannies where they saw intermarriage of different groups as a social goal, such as the Greeks in Eretz Yisrael).
Does anyone get upset since virtually all Ashkenazis mispronounce “Ayin” (?)- saying it as if it was silent. And Anglo-phones tend to butcher the Ches (?) and Sefardi constantly confuse the “kamets” and the “patsach”. And what about upper-class northeasterners in the United States who pronounce “heart” the same as “hot”?
The truth is that the spoken language of Eretz Yisrael is not some invention of the zionists, or a recreation of ancient Hebrew. It’s a natural evolution that, as is highly predictable, tends to combine the Ashkenazi mistakes with the Sefardi mistakes. The syntax and grammar also can be creative as well (ever notice that most Ashkenazim put the subject before the predicate, as is done in English).
It was probably a ‘th” at one time based both on how the Temanim pronounce it, and more importantly, on how the Talmud transliterates words from other languages. All languages tend to evolve over time, which is why a lot of English words are “mispronounced”, for example not saying the final “e” in “come”, and totally mauling words such as “light” (which should be prounced the same as the Yiddish “licht”).
Ideas are in your head. Patents and trademarks require a lawyer
While frum children perceive the story in the ways many of the posters perceive (i.e. we can relate to the idea of being a separate, superior, semi-secret civilization existing in “plain sight” of the dominant culture), the books has many deliberately Christian undercurrents that most frum Jews don’t notice but that we should be aware of (though not necessarily concerned with, since these tend to be Christian literary conventions that aren’t all that offensive from our perspective, but they are in there).
Were they ever allies? The US had an interest in supporting Israel, in part as a foil to the pro-Soviets (such as Nasser) and as a foil to the anti-western Islamists. No US troops have ever come to Israel’s aid, and no Israeli troops have supported the US in any of its military endeavors. Israel has no treaty of alliance with the US, and has issued no guarantees of Israel’s security. The US does not sell its best weapons to Israel (e.g. the F-22 or any advanced stealth technology). The US and Israel have friendly relations, and in some matters coincidental interests, but they aren’t allies (at least, not in the sense that countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Japan and Australia are allies with whom the US has a treaty obligation to assist in times of war).
Western society is based on classical Greek (which merged with the Romans). Western culture is Greek culture. The reason the goyim study ancient Greek literature and philosophy is that it is the basis of their own civilization.
Obamacare benefits those without good jobs (meaning for major employers who provide liberal health benefits), and those with serious medical problems (cancer, AIDS, and most relevant to us, having babies). It hurts those who don’t have employer provided insurance, especially if they lose that insurance due to the new rules and have to pay more for less, and it hurts healthy people with jobs (enough to be off Medicaid,not enough to have a work provided policy) who have to buy very expensive policies they don’t need.
LAB: During the period of the Talmud, how would you address female other than by her personal (first) name. Would you call her “wife of Huna” or “Daughter of whatever”? While Romans had family (and “clan” names), Jews did not. You went through life being Piloni ben/bat Piloni.
Baruch ha-Shem we live at a time when frum people are so spoiled.
We have a physical standard of living that means that a pauper among us probably lives better than an affluent person did 100 years ago. Who among could manage living in a world with potatoes as the basic staple, new couples got a sheet to carve out a private living quarter, nobody suffered from obesity, air conditioning didn’t exist and most homes didn’t have central heat – not to mention serious problems of anti-semitism (not a punk punching someone, the government trying to massacre a village).
Try living like your great-grandparents did, and then complain.
Derech Agav: That some people think its a matter of tznius is irrelvent, even if you are that person. What matters is what the person you are talking to believes. What to one person is overly formal and stuffy, is to another person a sign of basic respect. Given the surnames are a goyish invention, and for Ashkenazim a very recent one (we only switched to inherited surnames about 200 years ago – less in eastern Europe), there is clearly no halachaic issue. What matters is trying to figure out what the other person expects and that requires developing appropriate social skills (e.g. African Americans get highly insulted to be called by forename unless you know them very well, most secular Israeli regard you as stuffy and unfriendly if you use a surname, etc., etc.).
Minhagim vary by office and subculture. Traditionally Jews didn’t use surnames (note that in our culture, women keep the same name when married — Pilonis Bas [Piloni her father]). Using surname when everyone used forename can be very insulting, and using forename when everyone else uses surname can be very rude. — Among frum Jews it is even more confusing since we’ll often use forename (e.g. Rab Yaakov) for someone we like, but surname (Mr. Cohen or Herr Cohen, depending on language) for someone we don’t consider to be “one of us.”
Every politician one dislikes and disagrees with needs to go. Convince half your fellow voters, and you get your wish
A husband who has not given his wife a “get” is required by our law to continue to pay her bills. If we enforce this, it would largely solve the problem since no sane man would in effect give his credit card to the woman he has come to hate. The fight over children is a separate issue that will continue to exist until the children are old enough to take matters into their own hands – and this is regardless of the parents marital status.
The approach we should take in the US is for a woman’s lawyer to object to any civil divorce on the grounds that the man is not seeking to truely dissolve the marriage, and therefore the divorce is an attempt to commit fraud on the legal system. If the frum community offered to pay for the women to “lawyer up” when a man separates without giving a “get” it would resolve most matters.
“Poverty” is hard to define. If you accept the standard of “middle class” from 50 years ago, there is virtually no poverty (either in Israel, or America). Even among frum Israelis, diseases related to affluence (e.g. diabetes, caused by having too much to eat) are common. Comparing a poor Israeli to, as an example, the first Baron Rothschild (late 18th century), there is much that Rothschild would view with envy when looking at a poor kollel family (better selection of foods and especially of fruits and vegetables, low infant and maternal mortality, antibiotics and vaccines, drinkable water, indoor plumbing, air conditiong, electric lights, transportation faster and more comfortable than horseback). The truth, is that 21st century people are living as well as kings were a few centuries ago – and that’s true even those who are mesiras nefesh with their parnassah to do mitsvos. Note how “schnorrers” come to America to ask money for luxuries (as they were defined a century ago) such as large apartments, fancy weddings, etc.
The real poverty is in places like north Tel Aviv or the secular neighborhoods and temples of America, where the people are totally impoverished of mitsvos and lead meaningless lives with no hope for the future (which explains why they don’t want children – to them the future is meaningless). We in the truely affluent neighborhoods such as Bnei Brak and Boro Park should pity them, but there isn’t much we can do to help. Their poverty is self-inflicted and the only solution is in their hands but they choose not to realize it.
So what if Yiddish is a pidgeon of German with large chunks of Hebrew, and smaller chunks of Aramaic, Old French and miscellaneous Slavic languages throw in. English is also a pidgeon of German with large chunks of Hebrew, a few traces of various Celtic dialects and misc. pieces from other languages thrown in for flavoring (including many Hebrew and Yiddish words).
The point is that (if you are Ashkenazi), Yiddish is our pidgeon, and no one else’s. It is the language our ancestors spoke for 800 years. While all our important literary and scholarly works were in Hebrew (similarly, almost nothing of significance was written in English for 400 years after the Norman conquest, and serious scholarship didn’t beging to appear in English until the end of the 18th century), but Yiddish (or for the Anglo-Americans, English) was the language people ate and breathed in. It is the language the best reflects our cultural and religious traditions. This is the reason so many Yiddish words entered our English disalect as well as modern Hebrew.
zen3344: In one of novels, it turns out one of Spock’s human ancestors (meaning on his mother’s side) is Jewish – remember that since most non-Jews marry goyim, having a Jewish surname is “proof” that one isn’t Jewish. By that novel’s theory, Spock would be Jewish.
The original series presented the Vulcans as being very “Jewish” (his was in part Leonard Nimoy’s doing), with (from a Hollywood perspective) super-nerdiness, bizarre customs and extreme commitment to academia.
Why do most people assume it is the woman’s fault when they hear about a divorce??
Do you have any empirical evidence to suppport that assumption (or are you reflecting your own views)?
Star-K does not give a hecksher to anything milkig unless it is Halav Yisrael.
The problem with “list” kashrus is policies can change relative to the list. That’s why many people strongly prefer to see a hecksher symbol on the product. Under American law, the company’s can (and do) force the recall of an authorized hecksher, but have no control over an unauthorized or dates use of a company’s trademark.
1. There are two separate halachic issues: 1) whether a Beefalo (a Bison-Cow hybrid) is a kosher animal; AND 2) whether it is permitted to breed them because of a distinct isur of mixing separate animals (the “mule”) issue.
2. There should be no problem with eating a “Beefalo” since it is just a funny looking cow (as are all Bison), and they are clearly cattle with which we have always been familiar. Unlike mules, they naturally mate and produce fertile offspring. No shailoh.
3. The “zebu” was due to a person ignorant about biology asking a shailoh based on a false premise, i.e. saying that since a “zebu” is a new animal we have no experience with, do we need a separate mesorah to hold it to be kosher. If the person did his research properly before asking, the question would have been based on “a zebu is a funny looking cow from India – that is in all ways just another type of cow, not a separate species”. When one asks a shailoh, one states facts and the Rav answers on the basis of those stated facts, and if you mess up with your facts, the answer you receive is no more relevant than the misstated facts upon which the shailoh was based.
Bison are just a different type of cow, just like Blacks and Whites are different types of people. Bison and Cattle will breed naturally and produce fertile offspring. Based on DNA analysis, it turns out most American Bison are part cattle. By way of contrast, donkeys and horses do not mate in the wild, and the offspring are usually sterile.
1. Removing the power supply (as in unplugging) is most effective.
2. Disconnecting from the antenna (cable hookup, internet connection) works well, and leave open the option of using the hardware for other purposes.
3. It seems most frum people addicted to things, somehow manage to break their addictions on Shabbos and Yuntuf (which according to the professional psychologists isn’t possible if they are truely addicted).
frumnotyeshivish: So a major in “film history” or a student who has mastered the history of medieval Ruritania sexual preferences is better qualified than a BTL for Law school? That’s why law schools look at transcripts, and they like to some courses relevant to becoming a lawyer (e.g. know enough American history so you understand how it is that the New York Court of Appeals, and the Court of Appeals sitting in New York City, are entirely different courts). Regular college degrees can be total junk – which is probably why a BTL is often accepted
popa_bar_abba: In an ideal world, academic merit would be the primary thing that gets one a job. But unless you hold that graduates of elite prep schools have excessive academic merit, its hard to explain their overrepresentation other than that social connections and family background still count. And while a young lawyer from a very “chasuv” rabbinical family, a good yeshiva, a beard and pe’os, and amazing grades and other legal activities might still get hired – the reality remains that “what you are” is still a big factor.
If the goal is admission to an elite national law school and finding employment in “Big law”, a BTL is not the best way to go. In all situations, other than working for a frum organization, a BTL is quite unimpressive, meaning the other aspects of the resume have to be impressive, such as standardized tests, references, job history, specific courses, other accomplishment. A BA/BS from an elite university carries the most weight.
For some purposes, a BTL is fine. Non-elite law schools don’t mind them (but again, they’ll look at the rest of the resume). Government agencies that require “a bachelor’s degree” don’t mind them – but they may request a specific subject background.
Bowling isn’t an issue since it involves electric machinery to reset the pins and return the balls – so obviously it is asur. Even the way it was done 100 years ago with “pinboys” doinhe resetting would be a problem since you need to pay the pinboys. If you had a home bowling alleys (a few very rich people do), it might be possible to do bowling on Shabbos but that’s not a realistic question.
Assuming you aren’t an exercise fanatic, excessive eating leads to becoming fat. Then you start experiencing symptons such as blurring vision, loss of feeling in limbs, problems in the body processing food and removing wastes, difficulty sleeping due to having to wake up frequently, etc. Then it will be much easier to diet. Remember the famous saying, that the sight of the gallows helps one focus one’s mind. Once you see food as an invitation to a reception given by the local hevra kaddish, it will be easy to eat less.
Assuming you are playing indoors, why should it be any different than chess, about which we have a millenia worth of halachic discussion?
getzel1 who said “a husband from divorcing his wife who wishes to remain married to him.”
In that situation, in virtually all legal systems, including our own, it is too early to talk about divorce. If one spouse wants the marriage to survive, they need counseling, not lawyering.
Any competent legal system will wait until the spouse agree on the need to divorce, which usually doesn’t take long (either they decide the spouse opposing the divorce was right and they reconcile, or it becomes obvious to both that marriage is over).
The issues arise when one spouse (usually the man) is using the “get” as leverage to get a money or a better deal (typically involving custody). It is rarely over a desire for reconciliation.
Why is leather an issue? It was common in all clothing until plastic was invented back in the 20th century? It can also be very fashionable depending on styles, particularly for outerwear. However it is more expensive than plastic, which is why most people avoid it and substitute plastic instead (plus one can make waterproof plastic more cheaply and more waterproof than leather). Unlike plastic, leather “breathes” which is why fine shoes are made of leather – with a tremendous cost difference.
yichusdik: It’s not a matter of justification (assuming neither side seriously wants to “save the marriage” which suggests its too early to talk about “get”), but rather why we never hear about men complaining about wives not accept a “get”, which is because it is a statistically different situation.
jbaldy22:
FDU – that’s Fairleigh Dickinson University , which has a fairly decent reputation for academics (and also for “Greek” life, which can be an issue). It’s also expensive (similar to Touro) but may be more liberal with financial aid.
If the person wants to avoid members of the opposite sex while getting an undergraduate degree, that suggest distance education. They are more acceptable than a BTL, cheaper as a rule, and avoid many of the shailohs. The fact that someone is looking for alternatives to Touro, suggests they want a single sex school with no goyim, since they are ruling out the obvious (public universities). While there are goyim in distance education, they are online (and often in different countries) so there is less of an issue.
There are ways to deal with a wife refusing a “get” that allow the husband to marry, and don’t result in mazerim. That is why we don’t hear about women refusing a “get” but do hear about a man refusing to give a “get”.
Touro has a fairly low reputation, and relatively high tuition and low financial aid. Public universities are cheaper and better, but presumably if you consider Touro you have ruled out going to a university with goyim. This leaves Yeshiva College/Stern as an option. For a woman, there are some all-female colleges, but they are expensive. There is the option of distance education but that is a problem in some subjects (e.g. becoming a health care professional).
1. Why should the issue be different than for men. Since no one holds women have an obligation to spend all day learning, there’s no problem with women doing something that causes “bitul Torah”, and we have a long tradition of women working ourside the home with many gedolim having had wives who “worked” (and not just as teachers, e.g., as merchants). If college is allowed for a man to earn a parnassah, kal v’homer its allowed for a woman. Various career tracts for a woman is a separate issue.
2. Given the low status of secular women in most societies (e.g. being primarily seen as “sex objects” and the general denigration of motherhood), the outside world is far less attractive to women than for men. Looking at half-naked women is for more tempting to men, than being the one on display is for a woman. Also when a woman makes it clear she “isn’t available” (being modestly dressed and acting business-like, as opposed to social, when talking to males), that is generally respected and the person is not likely be harassed.
3. There are some all-female colleges in the United States, including at least two run by frum organizations. In addition, there is always the distance education option. And a “normal” co-ed school is less problematic for women than men.
Re: “I heard that last year there was even a Touro grad who turned down her acceptance to Harvard. Which clearly proves that Touro is better than Harvard. “
If someone was planning to become a lawyer working within the frum community, rather than “Big Law”, a Harvard (or any Ivy) degree is not such a big help. Paying full tuition and room and board (for a New Yorker going to Harvard) and ending up $250K in debit is in itself problematic, and a “local” law schools (such as Fordham, New York Law School, St. John’s, Brooklyn, etc.) may offer very attrractive tuition discounts, an opportunity to live at home (for free), and a curriculum oriented towards those who plan to practice law in “the real world” of the outer boroughs, small businesses, etc.
It’s a style. It’s a matter of fashion. In most western countries a black hat is considered a very formal hat worn only by persons of importance at special occasions, e.g. by royalty at a royal wedding. If black fedora became something associated with being lower class (e.g. if construction workers and garbage collectors wore black fedoras), the style would change.
Socks are a good example of how fashions changed. In 19th century Europe, white socks were a very important garment (remember, this is prior to paved street being common, and when horses tended to make the street dirty). Only rich people could manage to go with shoes (other than boots) and white socks. In America it’s opposite since white socks are preferred only for recreational or physical work and are distinctly undress – and you will notice that the percentage of frum people wearing white socks on Shabbos has fallen noticably over the last two generations.
Fashion is how you communicate to the world who you are and how you perceive yourself and how you want to be perceived. It has nothing to do with halacha or kabballah. Most frum Jews are communicating that we are respectable people who are very traditional in our outlook. A black hat does that.
An Ivy degree guarantees a good shot at a job in “Big Law” – and remember getting hired only means you’ll have a shot at making partner. In judging whether frum Jews are overrepresented, it’s important to remembet that “Big law” is concentrated in New York as are frum Jews. Going to Columbia or NYU, paying full tuition, and support a wife and kids (meaning borrowing the money to pay tuition and keey your family alive) is an awful big gamble.
To be a lawyer in Brooklyn, go for clinics rather than law reviews, and assume you’ll need to be able find the courthouse on your first day at work (unlike the elites who are hired as overpaid apprentices).
As a percentage of all Shomer Shabbos lawyers, those in “Big Law” are a distinct minority. Anyone who incurs several hundred thousand dollars of debts (that aren’t dischargeable in bankruptcy) to go to law school in the belief that he is guaranteed making partner at a “Big Law” firm is probably making a big mistake. And remember that most frum lawyer wannabees are likely to be married before starting law school (on the other hand, if someone is single, can live at home, and has parents who can pay $50K tuition – their only costg is the opportunity cost so it isn’t a bad deal). If someone goes to law school considering it most likely they’ll join the number of lawyers serving the “99%”, either in a government agency or a small firm, they will make better choices (and probably would decide that a non-fancy law school with a large scholarship is better than an Ivy and owing a quarter million on graduation).
I believe you will find that most frum lawyers end up working for small firms, as solo practitioners (which is a small firm with only one partner), or for the government.
While “Big law” is open to frum Jews, it is hard to land a job there (one needs excellent credentials and it helps to have the right social credentials and by definition if you are frum you don’t have the right social credentials). One should note that it appears that “Big law” (the large corporate law firms such as “Dewey Ballantine” a.k.a. “Dewey LeBoeuf”) are having problems, and one might suggest that planning a career in the hope of working for “big law” may be dubious choice.
The typical requirements are an accredited bachelors degree (though in some cases, an equivalent can do) and whatever courses they list in their list of admissions requirement (for medical schools it is very set, for business and law its whatever catches the fancy of the admissions officers, for most non-professional graduate programs it is the equivalent of a BA major program in the subject). Then there are the standardized exams such as the LSAT.
Once you meet the minimum requirements, the trick is to convince the admissions officer that you are interesting. Some programs have essays and interviews. You have to convince them your background is a good fit for their program. It is actually quite subjective.
Also remember that the prestige of a school doesn’t necessarily correlate with employability. If your goal is to be a lawyer in the frum community (i.e. a small firm in Boro Park), a degree from Harvard or Columbia may be less valuable than one from a lower ranked school that specializes in preparing students to practice in Brooklyn rather than working for “Big law.”
1. It has no value or prestige within the frum community.
2. It meets the legal requirements for a bachelors (“first”) degree, so any program that says “you need a bachelors” without being more specific will be satisfied. Thus, in theory, a BTL and the right courses could get you into medical school. In all fairness, most graduatge programs require any bachelors and no more. However most graduate programs require specific courses (among other things), and a yeshiva won’t offer such courses but they could be taken at a secular university.
3. In some cases, if you can prove you’ve spent four or more years in yeshiva learning full time, a graduate school would say that is the equivalent of a bachelors. It’s up to the school.
Off the derekh Jews are always the major problem. We can survive anything the goyim throw against us. At this point, we are three generations past the holocaust, and there are probably more Jews learning Torah than there were before. But if you look the demographic impact of the massive shmad led by the secular Jews of the mid-20th century (the “Reform”, the “Socialists” and yes, the zionists)- the effect on our community is still felt. Frum families that were almost wiped out by the Nazis have recovered and are thriving. But the secular families that were decimated (from a Jewish point of view) by the secular movements have not recovered and are approaching a point where their descendants are no more like to become a baal tseuvah than a random goy is to convert (and of coursem many of their descendants are goyim).
JHU is a short ride from main frum community in Baltimore, and has an on campus kosher meal plan. The nature of the JHU-Ner “cooperation” seems to be more of JHU allowing its students to transfer credits from Ner under certain circumstances, and Ner allowing some of its students to take JHU (or other college courses). If you look at JHU’s online materials, they don’t see it as a “joint program”. As with most elite universities, JHU meets 100% of need, so tuition is a function of the EFC. Also remember that Baltimore is relatively inexpensive to live in compared to the New York or Washington areas.
If it was your duck, I’m sure you would intervene. Most ducks live coddled lives until WE eat them.
Is it for us to tell the goyim what to do? Gambling is not prohibited to goyim by halacha (whereas having the government engage fund raising through piracy, or running brothels, or sponsoring “fight to the death” gladiator competitions would be an halachic issue since they violate the laws governing goyim). Any revenue to the government that we don’t contribute is good for us, since the alternative is to raise taxes on everyone including us.
And at least its more honest than recruiting American Indians, whose ancestors were victims of “ethnic cleansing” and forced expulsions by New York 200+ years, in the hopes do the dirty work the state needs for money (the Indians who were offered reservations if they would run casinos, have a much higher sense of pride and morality, said they weren’t interested, and that we should have thought of that before stealing their land and chasing them away). So it is more logical for the state to legalize casinos rather than trying to evade the state law by recruiting Indians to run them.
P.S. Unlike Connecticut, where the Indians running casinos were always living there – the Indians who lived in the Catskills were evicted under conditions that today would be considered crimes against humanity. New York been trying to get their descendants to move back.