Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
It was hardly a miracle. The Israeli military was much better trained and many were veterans of World War II. They were fighting on interior lines. Except for the Arab Legion, the Arab military was untrained and poorly equipped, and often fighting each other as well. The British Empire (whom we did defeat, we only fought the Arabs to a stalemate – that continues) were collapsing and had recently been evicted from India and were shortly to flee most of their other overseas territories – they were bankrupt and actually quite happy to give up rather than fight for their empire.
One should note that in Jewish tradition, victories over goyim are never celebrated. That’s why we don’t say Hallel on the last days of Pesach (and that was clearly a miracle – we weren’t even armed). For Hanukah we say we are saying hallel to honor the miracle of the menorah buring, not in honor of schechting the Greeks and the Misyavanim. But of course, how do those compare to 1948? What’s Moshe Rabeinu compared to Moshe Dayan? Who would want a Makacabee if you could have a Palmalnik? Note that the vast majority of Jews living in Eretz Yisrael in 1948 observed things first hand, and only a small minority thought a miracle had occured (you wouldn’t catch Ben Gurioun saying Hallel – if there had been a miracle, wouldn’t he have known about it).
All melodies are goyish (some theorize the melody of bircas cohanim is original, but there is no way to verify that since they didn’t have musical notes or recording devices back then).
It is the LYRICS (words) that one should be discussing.
What source do you have for the statement that most (frum) Jews are opposed? My impression is that most of the frum community really likes entitlements, and its only a handful of people on the political margins who worry about the loss of personal freedom or the macroeconomic impacts. Remember that most frum Jews routinely vote for the Democrats even though we disapprove of their social and foreign policies – but we do like entitlements.
Given that most Jews live in Blue states that will spend themselves into Greece at the drop of a hat, there’s a great deal of support from anyone who qualifies for Medicaid. There some concerns that people who can’t afford insurance now, or are getting by with low premium, high deductible policies will end up being subject to penalties for not buy unaffordable comprehensive policies, which will be aggrevated since Obamacare will make insurance and medical care more expensive.
1. All that was upheld was a single aspect – that a tax can be levied on people who don’t carry government approved insurance. They also threw out the part that states are required to expand Medicaid. The other aspects of the law weren’t involved and may be litigated later. If health care is not “interstate commerce” it isn’t clear how much of Obamacare will survive.
2. The Supreme Court seriously restricted the use of the Commerce Clause to expand federal control, which may throw many other aspects of “Obamacare” into question. They also seriously restricted federal mandates to the states, raising serious questions on many federal programs.
3. One can argue that Roberts managed to smile pleasantly while stabbing the liberals in the back. The approval of the Obamacare tax is hard to defend politically, can be changed easily in the future – and in return they lost much of their ability to regulate day to day life.
4. Given that Roberts is under 50, and has life tenure, he’ll probably be Chief Justice for the next 20 years, whereas Obama is likely to be an obscure professor trying to keep busy after next January (or January 2017 at the latest). Roberts really isn’t subject to much pressure.
1. What do you want to do for a living? For example, to be a doctor you want to go to a “real” university, with known high standards.
An easy to obtain “Bachelor of Talmudic Law” meets requirements for jobs that have only a nominal requirement for a degree, but won’t get you far in professions with more rigorous or competitive standards.
2. Depending on majors, one can do a degree through distance education.
3. If you want to go to college to get educated (as opposed to getting access to a career), you are already off the derekh so why worry.
IQ test reflect the cultural similiarities of the test takers to the test writers. Since all test writers are career oriented, but many female test takers are not, they do poorly. For example, IQ tests of Jews in the USA at the start of World War I (when most Jews were yet to be assimilated immigrants) proved that Jews were near-morons, and similar tests taken prior to World War II proved (post-assimilation, and before the holocaust survivors arrived) proved that most Jews were near geniuses.
have everyone’s desk facing “out” so anyone and everyone can see what you are doing — there is also software the allows the administrator to see what each computer is doing (indeed, you might not need to acquire such software – starting a rumor about it should be enough)
Before you meet. Religious outlook should be one criteria before attempting a shiduch. Among the goyim, with their “meat market” or “bar hopping” system, they spend the first few dates finding out such things (religous compatability, anticipated lifestyle, etc.)- in theory we get to “start” at a point equivlaent to which our non-frum cousins reach after perhaps a few months – of having decided the person is in theory “right” – and get on to the “but do we like each other part”.
Most likely, either name would indicate someone who moved from one region to another (which was quite common). If you lived in Brooklyn, and moved to Chicago, everyone in Chicago would know you as “the Brooklyner”. A person with a geographic name of origin would indicate the person came from the place and settled in a place where such an indicator would be of use in identifying them.
You should also know that “Ashkenazi” sometimes refers specificially to Germany, so a yekke who moved to Eastern Europe might be known as “Ashkenazi”. Based on such evidence as family records, gene flow, etc., many people moved between regions.
Coffee addict:
“Police power” always includes regulating toxic substances, including food regulation. It is traditionally a local power, which New York City through its elected representative can exercise. If you are unhappy, elect someone else.
The “Declaration of independence” is held not to convey rights (otherwise slavery would have ended in 1776), and in any event, Federal law only affects the Federal government – and you can’t blame this one on Obama
A Jewish “homeland” outside of Israel would have either attracted very few Jews, or would have been more like a large concentration camp (an idea suggested by some Nazis uneasy about genocide). Of course, Brooklyn is close to a Jewish homeland in golus, and had millions of Jews moved to any place in golus, it would be as much a homeland as Brooklyn is. As it was, many Jews did move to places in the British Empire when fleeing Europe, and more would have except the British “closed the door” with full knowledge of the holocaust (since we have the Ultra intercepts which prove the Allied intelligence knew about the holocaust in detail for the entire war).
How is the Olympics any different from all other sports events. In general the uniform is designed for optimal performance, and in some sports that means wearing as little as possible – however most events allow individuals to wear more. Some Muslim women occasionally try to compete in specially designed modest track suits.
Among sports that tend to have relatively modest uniforms are baseball, softball, fencing, American and Canadian football (not and Olympic sport), all shooting sports, and all winter sports. On the other extreme there’s swimming.
An exception to all rules is “Beach Volleyball” which is regular volleyball, but with a required “uniform” of a minimal bathsuit for female participants (males where respectable shorts and shirts). The female required uniform suggests that this should not realy be considered a “sport”.
Such filters are widely used in places such as Iran and China, and could be used for a home network. The problem with filters is that they aren’t clever enough. For work, I had to research the legal status under halachah of child born to a woman who had been become pregnant while being help prisoner, and the filter saw a naughty word (R-A-P-E) and blocked the search. If you block the word A-B-O-R-T-I-O-N, you’ll block research about pro-life groups, or mutual funds that don’t buy stock in companies that make a living by providing the drugs and tools needed.
The best filter is the user having sufficient intelligence and yeras shamayim not to look at what they know they shouldn’t look at, and in a home or office or library, to have all computers facing “out” so the screen is visible (if you need privacy, you probably shouldn’t be looking at it).
1. One can not create a Mitzva out of whole cloth.
2. Not damaging other people’s property is against halacha, and is actionable in Beis Din.
3. Much of the “green” movement is a fraud based on false presumptions such as that the world is overpopulated (which is why most greens are antagonistic to Orthodox Jews), or a mystical belief in a pending catastrophe due to global warming (reality is that it was warmed in Bayis Sheini times, and warmer during Rashi’s time, and climate normally varies – and actually people do better during the warmer periods since crops prefer warmth to frost). Since the “green” movement is not based on Torah, nor on science, some would say that it is Avodah Zarah as being based on faith in something other than Ha-Shem.
1. There are probably more children speaking Yiddish as their first language now than any time in American history (be real, in the “good old days” before World War I, most immigrants made a serious effort to forget Yiddish along with all other aspects of Yiddishkeit).
2. Jews usually use a Jewish language for serious conversations, and Hebrew is probably less understood than Yiddish, and more importantly, it is now the language of a foreign country which implies disloyalty in using it at a public forum, whereas Yiddish is an ethnic language rather than a foreign country’s national language.
It is a mixture and many are “flavored”. There are some rums with a hecksher (such as Ron Abuelo from Panama which has an OU). Most of the lists suggest that unflavored Baccardi is acceptable as well.
After all, those Yidden in the Midbar were probably a bunch of old fashioned fanatics, and even they celebrated the victory over the Egyptians by celebrating Of course some hareidi types object and dreamed up some argument that we should not celebrate victories on the ridiculous idea that you know who doesn’t approve of killing goyim. Those same fanatics even dreamed up the idea that the mitsva of Hanukah had something to do with some miracle in the Beis ha-Mikdash, when we all know that the thing we were celebrating was having trounced the Greeks in a good old fashioned war.
Fortunately, the Israelis have learned their lesson, and thus we celebrate military victories in honor of defeating the British in 1948, and the Arabs in 1967. Isn’t that what have a modern state is all about?
I use unfiltered telephone (I hang up anything I don’t want to hear) and unfilterd mail service (I throw stuff straight into the wastepaper basket if I dont’ want to read it). We deal with unfiltered books (we don’t look at “inappropriate one”). We try to deal with unfiltered people (anyone have any success not hearing Loshon Hora?).
Humash limits us to stoning, beheading, burning, and strangulation.
Something as slow and painful as killing someone by tobacco smoking is not listed, and is therefore presumably prohbited.
Is the line disputed? That has to be resolved by checking the deeds and requires a surveyor, and the result has to be done in court. Any real estate lawyer should now how to handle the case. If the other side is Jewish, you could go to Beis Din (and even if not, your lawyer and the other guy’s lawyer could arrange for a surveyor to settle the matter).
lesschumras:
I totally appreciate the mesiras nefesh of those who managed to stay frum in America in the pre-WWII period. But there weren’t all that many of them. For a typical pre-war frum Baal ha-Bayis, the army was possible following the same level of heterim they relied on to survive in pre-war America. The handful of yeshivish type people were in yeshivos and were exempt – but they too were only a handful. The pre-war frum generation built a foundation, that the Holocaust survivors were able to build upon (with no small contribution from the huge number of Baalei Tsuva in the late 20th century).
The number of “Hareidi” (or “yeshivish”) type people in the United States in 1942 was probably negligible, and almost all of them were unlikely to be drafted since they were in yeshivah (they had seminary deferments), had clergy exemptions (since in Christian tradition, clergy weren’t allowed to bear arms) or had a family (they tried to avoid drafting fathers). The world in which you find large communities of people who are strictly Shomer Shabbos, strictly kosher even outside the home, and who go around “looking frum” (or even wearing a yarmulke in public, not to mention a beard and pe’os)- was a world that resulted from the arrived of the Holocaust survivors after the war. In 1942, most Shomer Shabbos Americans were public school graduates who wore yarmulkes at home (or only in shul), and has no problem relying on checking ingredient lists rather than demanding a hecksher. Barukh Ha-Shem, that the fanatics of 1942 would now be considered “modern orthodox” at best- America has come a long way in 70 years.
1. The United States always exempted yeshiva students. Respect for religion is ingrained in American culture. Even our current president has to pretend to be religious. It’s one the “exceptional” things that distinguishes us from Europeans or Israelis.
2. If someone was “yeshivish” frum, but not in yeshiva, the army would decide they were not suitable for the military. If he insisted on serving, they’ld find a “jobnik” (Israeli term) position for him. If you were willing to improvise and rely on heterim given for Jews serving in armies that executed people for refusing orders on religious grounds, it would be possible to serve in the military – a big factor is that America has never been as anti-religious as secular Israel.
3. The person who said “1941” doesn’t realize that while there was a limited draft in 1941, the US didn’t start serious conscription until 1942 (and in all fairness, probably could have relied on volunteers).
4. The person who said Canada didn’t read the “1941” – Canada entered the war in 1939, and had a policy of not sending conscripts overseas.
One could argue that the behavior they are describing are well within the parameters of “normal” behavior. Of course, the medical community derives very little parnassah from treating anyone who is “normal.” There is a danger that a child so diagnosed will end up having his life ruined by dangerous drugs, and will give up trying since he’ll accept the definition that he’s defective to begin with.
In the past, our community never so isolated kids who less than 200% perfect, so even believe in ADD is something “hadash” not sanction or based on Torah.
If you use a narrow definition of “Orthodox” (for example, man always covers his head even at work, married women likewise – perhaps including refraining from discussing secular business and politics and Shabbos), and then use a broad definition of Hareidim (holds that if halacha conflicts with Israeli law, which includes orders in the army, halacha must be followed at all all times) – then I wouldn’t be surprised is 80% of “Orthodox” are “Hareidi”.
But if you include as Orthodox people who merely refuse to go to work on Shabbos and don’t do malachos on Shabbos, hold by checking ingedients not just checking hechsherim, wear a yarmulke only for davening, etc.) and limit Hareidim to those who refuse to participate in any aspect of the secular economy, insist on dressing in a way that isolates them from the rest of the world, etc. – the the Hareidi percentage falls.
By “internet” do you mean anything using the various internet protocols, which really is a problem since the internet is simply the system using the telecommunication system. By that definition, “internet” includes telephone, the entire banking system, all credit cards, and virtually all sources for hearing news. Not using the internet means living with an 18th century level of technology.
If by internet you are referring to “graphic browsers” one could exist without them, using PINE mail, LYNX and not much more. You would probably lack access to the banking system and telephonic communications.
If you say the objection is to certain websites, there is no hiddush. As older people may remember, it is prohibited to look at undressed people acting improperly even if it is offline. Obscene literature was probably invented about the same time as writing – it isn’t a function of the internet.
Are you using “jeans” to mean “denim” or “pants”. Are you talking about work or dress?
In general, “denim”, the fabric form which “bluejeans” or “dungarees” are made is used for physical work, and is considered to be undressy. It is what you would wear to work if you are on a construction site, not what you would wear to work in an formal office (especially in the well dressed East Coast of the US, other areas are less formal). It would be inappropriate to wear when visiting the President or the monarch, or appearing in court – so, kal vehomer, in shul.
If you are talking about “jeans” to mean “pants” the answer is the same as to whether you wear “pants” – which depends on a variety of personal factors.
I wouldn’t make or laugh at such jokes if they were directed at anyone created in HaShem’s image.
Gloi arayos (can’t discuss it on YWN – it rarely happens except in wartime – unlikely to occur to a soldier in a modern army)
Avodah Zarah (particularly if done in public)
Spilling blood (e.g. if a doctor was order to perform an abortion and threated with death for disobeying – not an everyday issue)
However on all the things that one must give up your life rather than violate, just because you arent’ threatened with death doesn’t mean to ignore them – it means you should be very willing to give up your parnassah to avoid them, since Kal ve’Homer you would be required to give up your life to avoid doing them.
The wearing of the wedding ring is actually a goyish custom which serves no function since in our community married women wear distinctive clothing (head coverings) that serve the function of indicating if they are available.
Practically, since in our community almost all women gain weight shortly after marriage (when they get pregnant, which, Baruch ha-Shem, is routine among us), I doubt most married women could get their wedding ring on very easily unless they have it re-set (and since our rings are plain gold – unlike the goyim’s which are much fancier, that’s not too practical).
The problem with a Ger (or a Baal Tseuvah) becoming a Rov is that by the time they get started, even in their early adult years (children rarely have the independence to change religiously), every else has a 20 year head start. Ask yourself what chance someone who was illiterate at age 25 would have of becoming a great writer (some had, but not many)?
One should have respect for everyone created by HaShem. Being created in HaShem’s image seems to be a good enough endorsement as being worthy of respect.
Are you suggesting he should run on the basis of his economic policies? With the growing problems in Europe, that might not be something he’ll want to talk about.
Most conservatives will vote for Romney anyways, but this way he can rally his base (frei Jews, gays, etc.). It might backfire since a big chunk of his base (particuarly blacks and Hispanics) won’t be amused, but that’s a risk he’s willing to take.
rabbiofberlin:
You think we are extinct. We survived. We are still here. We are prospering. Just as in many previous times, we survived because HaShem saved us. What are the elements of survival:
1. Yeshivos. As long as some yeshivos survive, they manage to grow again. Indeed, there are probably more people learning Torah full time than there were in 1939. And yes, this is relevant to disucssing the Tal law. Those who are learning Torah, and in doing so giving up most of their parnassah, are the key to Jewish survival. THere will always be pograms, but as long as we have a core learning Torah, we will survive.
rabbiofberlin:
The Jews of Eastern Europe were hardly anhiliated, nor was the “the beauty of European jewry totally destroyed”. We survived. We won. The leading yeshivos are alive and well and bigger than before the war (can you say the same for the non-orthodox seminaries of central Europe). We are still around, and thriving (the Nazis are considered a total joke in Europe). Yes we had casulties, but we won that battle. HaShem against all odds managed to get some of our other enemies (Stalin of all people, with some belated help from the Americans and Brits) to rescue us (how Purim-dik, and we didn’t even have to get them drunk first).
1. If the Israelis wanted a large number of Hareidi to sign up, they could make the army friendly for frum soldiers in ways that would not impact on the military matters, such as a rule requiring all soldiers to observe the laws of yichud and negiah and a strict “non-fraternization while on duty or on base” policy. They could run the army like the handful of segregated frum units in terms of leaving time for davening, kashruth, Shabbos. They choose not to. However if they made the zionists institution “frum-friendly” it would radically change Eretz Yisrael and alienate the secular zionists who run the state but are increasingly unwilling to serve in the army.
2. Perhaps 10% of the yeshiva students are anti-zionists (who refuse to accept zionist subsidies). If the army tries to draft them they will resist and trying to arrest them will seriously hurt Israel’s image and undermine the argument that it is a Jewish homeland. It is better politically to say they are to busy learning to serve in the army rather than saying that zionism is apikorsis. Drafting the yeshiva students would turn Neturei Karta into a serious political movement, with its membership being measured in thousands rather than dozens.
3. Drafting unwilling, unhappy and disloyal soldiers is a good way to undermine the ability of the army to defend the country. Repeal of the Tal law, meaning conscription of the yeshiva students, is probably the Palestinians’ best chance of getting a state with Jerusalem as its capital, and Yaffo-Tel Aviv as its largest city.
4. Of course, for those of us who believe in HaShem and His Torah, we know that in fact it is the yeshiva students, who show tremendous mesiros nefesh in giving up any chance of a middle class lifestyle to learn Torah, who are really the ones defending Eretz Yisrael. If the government closes down the yeshivos, and forces the Hareidim to flee to other countries, HaShem will probably close down the zionist enterprise once and for all. But that’s only background to the above debate.
1. One was acquitted.
2. Due to denial of a jury trial and use of hearsay evidence, the appeal of the convictiom has a good chance.
3. The kid who was convicted doesn’t seem all that innocent. He was seriously violating Shomrim’s policies. Note that when the Shomrim arrived, they appear to beieve the “victim” had been wrongfully attacked.
No one sells the dishes on Pesach. You sell the hametz that might be on the dish, and store the dishes in an area that is rented to a goy. However the prohibition is on the hametz that is on the dishes, in case there is any.
Isn’t that when you are supposed to be chatting or texting or something like that???????????
So which Rav said its permissable to take a recently published book, that is still being sold in the bookstore, and make copies and sell them yourself? Or a new CD that is still on sale?
There’s a question of “fair use” whenever your copying doesn’t deprive the owner of his income, or perhaps for personal use under certain conditions – put going into business against the creator of the work by making and distributing copies so people won’t have to pay for it? Who says that’s allowed (Purim “torah” excluded).
The best heter is to ask the author/performer and get permission.
It is probably “fair use” under everyone’s law if the work in question isn’t available commercially so you aren’t depriving anyone of their parnassah. And under American law, it becomes
“public domain” after a certain time – so an original Breslov melody can be used under American law without paying R. Nachman’s descendants a royalty (and halacha was usually more conservative about the time periods than the goyim).
Reality. The Brits were bankrupt. They couldn’t use colonial troops in Palestine since they might pick up ideas to do the same thing – meaning most of the British army was tied up in Palestine. The Arabs were so racist they assumed they didn’t need to prepare for a serious war – when they attacked they brought bags to loot rather than extra ammunition. In arguing that the Israeli victories weren’t a miracle, the Satmarer Rebbe (the original) said the reason the zionists won was that the Arabs weren’t very good soldiers. No miracle.
Airports don’t have baggage policies. Airlines do. The only thing the airport management worries about is smuggling a weapon, and teh federal government has largely taken away any discretion in that area.
How is it a Milhemes Mitzvah? It’s a fight about money and real estate. Are the Palestinians demanding that Jews stop learning Torah? Do they demand the Jews open their shops and drive their cars on Shabbos? Are the Arabs demanding the Jews wear immodest clothes and engage in lewd behavior (such as women singing in front of men, not to mention many other things we don’t talk about on YWN)? Are they insisting that people other than our gedolim control religious community life (run mikvas, shuls, etc.). Do they even demand we say hallel on their holidays?
The goyim were willing to let Orthodox Jews live in peace in Eretz Yisrael. The war began when the zionists demanded political control (and that the Arabs be reduced to a secondary status). Had the gedolim staying in control, as they were before 1914, there would have been no war. It’s the hilonim’s war – let them fight it. We should worry about our own survival, which is a function of Torah and Mitsvos.
As with most other peoples (e.g. Blacks, Hispanics of Native American origins), we have a cuisine designed for people who are starving. One should remember that calorie deficiency leads to an immediate and painful death. Our cuisine lacks many meat dishes (we could never afford much meat) and has minimal cheese (also a luxury item, even if most Ashkenazim weren’t lactose intolerant as adults). Sugar is a recent innovation in Europe, and it isn’t part of our traditional cuisine (same for corn produces). Bread and potatoes won’t kill you unless you overeat. Diabetes is largely a function of too much food and too little exercise, rather than a specific cuisine. High chloresterol could never be a problem with traditional Jewish cuisine since we couldn’t afford red meat and cheese. Given that Pizza (and hamburgers and hot dogs, not to mention sugar) have become the most popular foods of American Jews, I would attribute the health problems to American, rather than Jewish cuisine.
Chronology over that sort of time period is always subjective. That’s why there are disputes even within hazal, and all the more so with the goyim involved. Even in our lifetimes one sees how problems developed (ask an American how long World War II was, and see if you get the same answer as a European, or an East Asia).
In all fairness, Americans at that age (18, fresh out of high school, away from home for the first time) have a global reputation for “partying” instead of learning. We would prefer greater studiousness and piety from our children, they do behaive a lot better than the goyim the same age.
Arguably, they would be better off staying at home with their families, but children that age think they are grown up and are restless to leave home.
Traditionally, this is when they got married. They are too old to be children in their parents’ houses.
But think of the tax dollars we save by not locking up deranged people unless they hurt someone. And since many of the seriously deranged are unable to care for themselves, they often expire, thereby saving us more tax money. It’s quite efficient.
Mistakel implies looking intensively, perhaps more like to stare.
If a man avoided looking at women he would keep bumping into them since he wouldn’t see them coming, and that would raise many more problems.
Do you mean the handful of commercially produced movies produced by groups that include frum Jews, such as “Ushpizin”, “Time of Favor” (in Hebrew, Ha-hesder), or Arranged? Are you discussing some “movies” that are produced within the Hareidi community, with all male casts, that in the past have been distributed in non-conventional ways, often on CDs. Are you asking about Jewish related subject in regular movies aimed at goyim?