Always_Ask_Questions

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  • in reply to: Are we too welcomimg #1968440

    >> , yihay mechanecha kosdosh … nowhere in the torah does it say we need to reach out to non frum.

    This is exactly why Hashem sent Moshe to gather all 36 tzadikim and made them march to EY, rather than bother wiht millions of Amei Haarertz!

    There is a fine difference between dealing with Jews who are against and those who are lost. R Salanter moved from Litva to West, saying that you can’t stop the guy going down the slope but you can talk to him at the bottom.

    So, while the desire to keep the camp holy is understandable as self-protection, it is definitely a perversion of Torah to say that we don’t care about other Jews. Early advocates of the self-preservation system, like Hazon Ish, surely undertood the trade-offs but it seems that this is leading to kefira after several generations of self-preservationists teaching each other.

    in reply to: Gadol vs. Rebbi #1968437

    I think someone here quoted already a discussion between Satmar Rebbe (who was for earlier marriages) and a dayan who was not. The latter explained that the Rebbe is invited to weddings, but he has to do divorces … maybe there is a similar difference of experiences between the Gadol and the Rebbe?

    in reply to: Gadol vs. Rebbi #1968413

    Analyze – did you say something hat lead Gadol to mention the idea or is it something he recommends everyone? maybe you said – I have too much time on my hands, FB timeline is endless, etc? And then reflect whether your statement was a good indication of your state of mind … That the two disagree is a good reason to thorough analyze where you stand

    from personal experience, decades ago, once a Rav visited for a wedding and had a short conversation with me and another of his former students. We had very similar backgrounds, age. I was in a PhD program, my friend was in a not-very-rewarding profession (still is). We compared notes afterwards: he told my friend to move to the yeshiva, and he told me to add a class learning with his Lakewood friend who just moved into town (I am still in that class).

    in reply to: How can I get my sefer into the hands of yeshiva bochurim #1968414

    dag1, judging from your posts here, you probably do the same elsewhere.
    You are discussing what you are looking for – sales, ignoring what potential readers are looking for – insights. You need to change your attitude selling your sefer, maybe find a mentor who can help.

    You need to let people know your lomdus, bring example, have people use extracts in their classes. Send lechem in front of you…

    in reply to: Are we too welcomimg #1968397

    participant >> comes/went to a dif background.

    TLIK, you are right – some are paying too much attention to the dress codes. Do image search for, for example, Slabodka Yeshiva – they all seem to come from a “different” background. I imagine when you see a Haham in a turban, you would fully freak out.

    in reply to: Are we too welcomimg #1968400

    common >> @AAQ, here is your proof that you can know how to learn and be a goy gumer even a missonary.

    Maybe it means that the community has a dress code, but can’t find missionary thinking too unusual? Again, we don’t know details – whether he was Goy Haaretz or Goy Haham.

    >> PS he was very vigilant about using a mask and keeping social distance beause R Meir Twersky said so

    here you go again attacking daas Torah for no other reasons than that it hurts your opinion.
    As R Akiva commented, “I would bite like a horse”

    in reply to: Are we too welcomimg #1968402

    Can someone clarify halakha regarding “checking” people out – I thought that it is normal to assume someone is Jewish based on behavior for the purposes of calling to the Torah, etc but there is a procedure requiring witnesses to be recognized as a kohen

    in reply to: learning to write #1968265

    RebE > who provided interesting anecdotes using the words learned.

    agreed. Yes, using in context rather than memorizing. May depend on a person though.

    in reply to: Fauci’s Fraudulent Fearmongering #1968240

    bk613> AAQ, I have no clue what you are talking about – 95% effective …

    sorry for short-hand …

    I took it conservatively as 90% (depending on what the protection is for, level of uncertainty of the “95%” estimate, and lower numbers for variants). 90% is exactly 10x lower risk. Phase 3 was run blinded, that is people with or without vaccine are presumed to behave the same. That is 90% – under assumption of the same behavior. If a person after the vaccine has 10x more interaction with
    potentially effected people, he has similar exposure to what he had before the vaccine with less interaction.

    BUT WHEN most people around him also get vaccinated and reduce transmission, as you rightly say, THEN there will be a MUCH lower risk of meeting someone with COVID, thus leading to a VERY LOW risk overall.

    So, there are 2 questions: personal vaccine/interaction status and PREVALENCE around you (infected, not necessarily sick or dead). For the 2nd one, you can look up numbers for your country/state/city and see where they are.

    Current daily new cases per mln (source ourworldindata)
    US 175, (was 750 in January)
    Israel – 16 (was 950), UK 36 (was 880)
    Germany 260 (was 300 max), France 440 (650), Sweden 540 (740)

    You see that US left the European group but did not arrive to Israeli/UK level…
    Interestingly, US line drops parallel to UK and Israel, but then got stuck at current level from early February while the other two dropped down further. Suggestive of the O’Biden effect…

    in reply to: Where can I buy a kosher Zohar? #1968243

    Maybe Zohar is too controversial for the Artscroll … (With all due respect, really, but understanding limitations)

    in reply to: Fauci’s Fraudulent Fearmongering #1968249

    MadeAliyah >> are you seriously suggesting that masking and social distancing are as effective as getting vaccinated

    yes, if you are the only one vaccinated in the same risky environment. Vaccine reduce risk by a factor of 10-20 (aka 90-95%). So, does keeping whole family out of public places. I am thinking, I was in unsafe places before COVID ~ 10 hour a day (work/shul/stores). Now, maybe 5 minutes total. That is 100x reduction(aka as 99%).

    now, you in Israel have, B’H better protection because everyone’s protection decreased overall infection level to 50x from the peak, and 10x from USA.

    I posted several posts about this, I need to add some caveats to the analysis:

    1. When we say 95% protection, need to differentiate – protection from any infection, from transmission, from serious sickness, from death. For early Wuhan virus or from British etc variants; may change with vaccine type and time passing after vaccine.

    2. Not clear to me, what 95% protection means – is it 95% of people 100% protected and 5% unprotected due to weak immune response, or is it 100% of people at 20x strength – that is 20x more virus load is required for the same sickness level? probably, something in between. maybe, doing an antibody test can show how much/less careful a person needs to be after the vaccine

    3. when we talk averages, these are your “local average” of people around you. If you surrounded by older people (Florida?) with 90% vaccinations, you are seeing this effect even if whole country is at 10%. Conversely, if you are surrounded by 15-40 y.o. who are least in vaccination and highest in transmission, then you can be still in danger despite your own vaccine

    in reply to: Fauci’s Fraudulent Fearmongering #1968250

    RebE > I don’t know enough from Israeli affairs to criticize ir.

    RebE, you are really muzzling all of us with your admirable attitude.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1968220

    Yserbius, there is an interesting question re:pandemic aka “summer travel”. I quoted before R Meir Twersky last April that this is a time of great uncertainty of science, so it is not enough to listen to just “one doctor”. So, Rav MT essentially tells you to listen to your doctor l’humrah, but not l’kulah.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1968218

    Yserbius? this story is about a guy not listening to the doctor, and the wife needs even to ask Rav to convince him… common apparently thinks he is a great guy listening to the Rav … there is so many times I will explain the joke before I quit the internets

    in reply to: Gadol vs. Rebbi #1968210

    and Mother

    in reply to: Are we too welcomimg #1968206

    I wonder how these people existing in the community? Did the guy daven with others, discussed casually a sugya in Gemora? Was anone suspicious when he quoted Chumash too well with King James translations and without Rashi? Either he became a talmid hoham as part of his mission, or his lack of Jewish education was not at all noticeable to people around him … Same question for the kids unless they were born in the community. Did Bais Yaakov have less standards than usual?

    in reply to: Gadol vs. Rebbi #1968209

    Dovid, what does your Father think about it?

    in reply to: The party’s over #1968205

    Read about Jewish German patriots, such as Nobel winner Fritz Haber, and their experiences in 1920-30s …

    Haber was visiting Atlantic City before WW1 and was appalled seeing a “No Jews” notice. His host assured him that this is about “other” Eastern-European Jews, not people like them. Still, he remarked – I can’t imagine anything like that in Germany.

    in reply to: Fauci’s Fraudulent Fearmongering #1967927

    Syag> If having a vaccine leaves you in the same place as you were before you had the vaccine

    Let my clarify – if you have vaccine that reduces risk 10x and at the same time increase your risk 10x by being less careful, all while everyone around stay the same – you did not change your risk, you simply enjoying partying with your friends.

    only when most people in your environment are all vaccinated, then there is a larger than 10x effect.

    participant> 8in bold
    I didn’t care about specific personalities, just the issues themselves.

    in reply to: Fauci’s Fraudulent Fearmongering #1967905

    bk613: How much longer do we say this?

    CASE 1: assume you are one person (say an older one) with a vaccine in a group of unvaccinated (say, college or high-school students). Your chance of meeting a sick person is the same as before, but your risk ~ 10-20 lower than before the vaccine. If you remove mask and SD and start partying, you easily increase your risk back to the one that was before you had the vaccine.

    CASE 2: you and almost everyone in your environment is vaccinated (like in Israel now, not counting children). Then, transmission decreases in the whole group. Your chance to meet a sick person decreases (in Israel it is now 50x less cases than at peak 4 months ago) + your own 10x lower risk, this is making a difference.

    CASE 3: reality is somewhere in between if you live around many non-vaccinated people …

    and uncertain future given that the virus continues going thru millions of people worldwide and mutating on the way.

    but at the end the question is childish: some people are expecting some servants to tell them to take the masks of because they are inconvenienced. I think, it is more about a public emergency
    and what you can do to help. Not just you personally having a mask, but can you help an elderly person so that he does not need to go to a store, or organize young people so that they do not have to mix with hundreds of others, or shlep to another side of the world to learn. Such an easy opportunity to do so many mitzvos.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1967906

    common, not a kasya – this story is NOT about daas Torah, as the guy presumably listens to the Rav – perfect by you, right? the problem is that he is not listening to the doctor and to his wife and lacks common sense. So, kashya on you if you think that it is noirmal for the wife to call on Rav to pasken every time she wants her husband to take out the garbage.

    in reply to: learning to write #1967908

    Yserbius >> If you want to be a GREAT writer, go to college.

    not sure this is a reasonable path. College is a good direction for technical and medical professions. Writing? common undergraduate classes give pretty trivial info. Going to a good liberal art college specializing in writing? you will be immersed into super-liberal topics – or maybe into super-religious topics if you go to a conservative college. Maybe YU offers something reasonable?

    in reply to: learning to write #1967575

    22/7 is not an approximation, but an upper bound. Archimedes had it
    223/71 = 3.1408 < π < 3.1429 = 22/7
    Ptolemy had it already 3.1416
    By the time of Gaon, 100 digits were already known

    in reply to: learning to write #1967297

    On PI, See also Eruvin 14a and a gematriya from Melachim hinting 3.1415926 – so Hashem thought it important to code it in ..

    I heard that Rashbatz explains R Yohanan in sukka 7 is using better values for pi and … sqrt(2) in his calculations, but does not explain it, preferring teaching in a simple way. Seems like “math is hard” was not invented by current generation of students …

    in reply to: Why liberalism is against the torah #1967294

    Health, I did not even express an opinion, just asked you to support your argument with sources rather than just state it multiple times. Even gave you a page reference.

    Kotzker, I think, might support you. He asked why Hashem threw Emes to the ground when he had 2 melachim for and 2 against creating a person. Why not sholom who was also against? Because without emes, sholom is not a problem.

    in reply to: learning to write #1967295

    RebE, exactly, re: Pi. Will Moschiach reveal all number of Pi? Or will he just ask us why we did not see Hashem in Euler’s formula or in E = mc2?

    At the same time, look Prof/Nobel winner in economics Robert Aumann on yerusha of three widows in Baba Bathra 107a. He shows that the accepted opinion there corresponds to his economic theories. I had an explanation of two other opinions there, but I won’t post it here, as I could not explain to Prof. Aumann, and now don’t understand it myself.

    Sometimes there is a difficulty: if you find an excuse for a person, you are shifting the blame to someone else. This person does not know halakha because his parents and teachers, and is community did not teach him well …

    in reply to: פסח שני #1967267

    DY, good point, no accommodation for reshut

    in reply to: Seeking recommendations for sleepover camp for 10th-grade boy #1967264

    at this age, he can work as a councilor at Oorah, for example, maybe other camps also have jobs for teenagers. Much more meaningful experience for a teenager.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1967263

    re: AZ, there was an old “frum” guy who refused to listen to his doctor to eat on Yom Kippur. His wife called the Rav for help. The Rav called the guy and said – sorry, we can’t give you an aliya tis year as we did in last 70 years. ????? You know, we are not very strict, we give aliyas to people who don’t keep shabbos, who dont keep kashrus, but we draw a line at Avoda Zarah. Me – Avoda Zara?! Yes, if Hashem tells you not to fast, and you insist on fasting, that means you are fasting in honor of someone else!

    in reply to: Did Democrats learn About the French Revolution? #1967262

    ctlawyer >> the Trumpsters who invaded the Capitol and belong in prison for life?

    Same thing happened in Germany. You can not win an argument who is worse – Nazis or Commies.
    We should not use excesses on the other side as a reason to destroy what works in the country.

    >> Law enforcement will make sure that they do not succeed.

    this is 9-1-1. Sorry nobody can answer your phone right now, as we were all dismissed for being insensitive. Good luck, hope you can deal with your problems yourself.

    in reply to: Seeking recommendations for sleepover camp for 10th-grade boy #1967247

    takahmamash +10

    in reply to: Ma’khia Bryant #1967246

    A serious discussion on the matter should consider all threats to violent populations.
    How many poor people are killed by police and by criminals? how muc money is required to re-train police to be moe humane? how many criminals you could arrest with the same amount of money? how many less criminals if you would get if you give vouchers to parents in those neighbnorhhod?

    Fortunately, this country have a perfect system to conduct controlled experiments – different states have different policies. Check how things compare in different states and how they change when policies change.

    in reply to: everything bad is due to the trumpkopf #1966838

    agree with DY.
    I thought we are supposed to be ohr l’goyim in understanding Hashem, not in maintaining god-equities.

    My grandmother O”H once happened to get into an Italian hospital. A priest walked around, asking where people are from. My grandmother barely raised her ONE finger up. “Uno”, “Ebreo”, said the priest and agree to it.

    in reply to: learning to write #1966837

    sqrt(2), thanks for the names to the story. So, if you knew the answer, why are you asking?! I think this includes style. Style is there to explain the context, not for the beauty contest. Also, for length. Make it short, delete what is not germane to the idea.

    Reb E, I think the topic author is simply “irrational”. Gemora is often practical, approximate in math, as in modern statistics and game theory. Make it easy for a farmer to do on his own, rather than hire a lawyer. Greeks were obsessed with needless precision, they are still trying to divide a segment in 3 parts.

    in reply to: פסח שני #1966836

    A question on Pesach II: it is for people who were tameh. That seems to include ladies who are niddah. How then it helps them to have a second chance EXACTLY one month later?! I guess, we are giving them a chance, and an encouragement, to become pregnant before that.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1966835

    CS, try Afghanistan, you may still get a ride with SOCOM planes, although now they will be hiding from both Osama’s students and O’Biden’s minders. Most villages have enough place for SD, pashtuns are very welcoming. Taliban takes care of annoying liberals and AZ, so you can relax and smoke what you grow.

    As to the minyan, I am very disturbed. I am not comfortable joining a minyan with people who were doing AZ and shfihut damim, even after I apply a liberal dose of l’tzad shut justifications. Even if I judge l’tzad shut, I need to be sure hat Hashem does the same, otherwise joining a voice with them is a waste of time and tefilah. So, given prevalence of these averos in some communities, how do you decide which minyan to join!? Maybe, I can join and then daven shmone esre again b’yahidus for the sofek …

    in reply to: Learning Torah with the method prescribed by the s”a harav #1966834

    meir G>until kollel you basicly follow sidrei hayeshiva with some personal shinuim allowed

    meir, I understand that an institution is allowed to have their own style, but I think personal needs are primary. At least, it is my understanding of Mishlei. If there is a mismatch between a student and an institution and there is no accommodation, the student can choose to leave to another yeshiva. I was taught there are pros and cons in learning in one place v. many. In one place, you’ll get all material systematically, on many places, you get introduced to multiple styles of learning. Ideally (according to the Rav who taught that) you start in one place first and then expand.

    Specifically, on repeating material – psychologists recommend active recall of he material for better moving it from short-term to long-term memory: discuss with hevrusa, each to someone else, practice/show what you learned (maybe brochos, don’t try magical cucumbers as R Eliezer & R Akiva did in their learning).

    Mida k’neged midah gives us an opportunity to analyze what happened and do teshuva. I think some say that our generations are not capable of making these conclusions. When I heard this limitations first, I did not like the idea that we ae limiting ourselves from using a very rational method of teshuva, but now with Covid and seeing how irrational and biased everyone is when analyzing facts, I am ready to admit that we are not at the level.

    in reply to: learning to write #1966743

    Start with reading good English. It is usually by people whose English is 1st, or close to, language and who have both yeshiva and college education. Brits use more words than Mericans.

    Rabbi Sacks Z’L? Rav Avrtaham Twersky Z’L – less poetic, but well written.

    In terms of writing, Jewish schools do not teach it well more often than other subjects. To teach math and science, one would need some qualifications. English is sometimes seen can be taught by anyone who can speak that language and is not otherwise occupied … So, start with a small classics – Strunk “Elements of Style” and then do online classes, maybe Khan Academy. If taking academic course, be careful, as English teachers tend to be very aggressive in pushing their ideology onto students – more likely progressivism, use some obscure Arab or African literature, sometimes their religion.

    PS one writer asked a more successful one what is his secret. He asked back – what do you do eary in morning? Of course, I am writing! And I am crossing it out.

    in reply to: Summer Travel 2021 #1966741

    I am planning to travel to Baghdad and Ramadi to review latest writings from Sura and Pumbedita, then a quick stop in Lithuania with Chafetz Chaim, review what the Kohen Gadol is doing in Parhedrin.

    Then, I’ll thank Hashem for creating so many thionmgs for us and go visit all places within driving distance.

    Hafetz Haim eventually decided not to settle in an apartment on Rehov Hafetz Haim in Petach-Tikwa in order not to cause problems to other people. [if I go to Petach-Tikwa, then I wll need to go to Yerushalaim. Then, if I’ll got to first Old Yushuv, Moshav Rav Kook will not use Misha Berurah, and vice versa – better that Mishna Berurah be in EY than me personally].

    So, don’t cause problems.

    in reply to: Why liberalism is against the torah #1966712

    Health >> t what ever the Torah/ Halacha says is the most Ethical!
    Emes >> not to apply strict din

    it is a “controversial” idea indeed – if you apply Peshara, you dare to disregard the din! (I think, Sanhedrin 6). Maybe you can both clarify your position after reviewing what that daf says. Might lead to a more productive discussion.

    in reply to: How can I get my sefer into the hands of yeshiva bochurim #1966710

    dag1, book authors often give tours and talk to the prospective readers about their insights. Maybe, you can post a couple of your samples of your lomdus here, in other papers and blogs, give interviews to Jewish radio stations? Many modern Jewish schools have school newspapers. Maybe print out a sample page corresponding to a weekly Parasha or Shvues and mail multiple copies to shuls and ask to distribute?

    in reply to: everything bad is due to the trumpkopf #1966601

    CTLawyer > flat tax

    Me too. But it is not a religion. It depends on how honest/corrupt politicians are. Taxing could be a good policy or it could be an earmark to favorites. I just posted in daf yomi Yoma 9 that it seems like Rabbis are giving bakers tax exemptions to compensate for executive branch price controls. There is a similar idea in Bava Basra that butchers are allowed to form a union – and enforce it by slashing stuff – but only if there is no talmid haham in town. If there is one, you should ask him to establish a fair system. That is, if we trust government, then we want them to use various instruments. Generally, an American idea seems to be not to trust government, thus flat tax is generally preferable.

    in reply to: Chidushim on Daf Yomi #1966186

    PS the sugya in gerneal is more complicated, of course – there are several places of discussion in Gemora arguing whether competition is sufficient or prices should be supervised.

    Makovi, Michael (2016) New Wine in Old Flasks: the Just Price and Price-Controls in Jewish Law addresses this and quotes Menachem Elon that quotes Yoma 9 as an example of accepted price supervision. I am a little surprised, as it seems to me that Gemora says that yes the practice is accepted by corrupt government (same one that appoints new Cohen Gadol annually), but Rabbis are trying to minimize impact.

    He also quotes: Bava Metzia 4:12,5:7, Bava Basra 89a, 91a, Yer BB 15a, SA HM 231:20,23

    Makovi also addresses whether Judaism is for capitalism or for socialism, as was recently debated here.

    in reply to: Chidushim on Daf Yomi #1966185

    Yoma 9
    One should tithe demai that you get from Am Haaertz, who knows whether he did. An exception is for bakers – their business will be hurt if they give away 20%. Gemora finds ways for them to not pay:
    1) terumah? most Amei Haaertz do it – it is not much and punishment is scary
    2) maaser levi and oni? simple: put aside 10% that are in doubt between the baker and the livi/oni. Well, when ownership is in doubt, you need a proof to take it away. Meanwhile, baker can keep it.
    3) remaining – maaser sheni. previous excuses do not work. Here is Rabbis’ economic policy is spelled out: government harasses bakers forcing them to lower the prices. That is, price controls in order to make population happy – and government popular. Given this burden on businesses,
    Rabbis cancel maaser sheni. That is, lowering taxes to save businesses suffering from price controls.

    in reply to: My gezeila error #1966184

    rational: poor people are helped by free giveaways, … It is no one’s job to encourage people to go into business.

    posting a response in daf yomi

    in reply to: Lefties are discriminated against! #1966179

    >> Move to EY.

    Lefties in EY are as annoying as lefties in USA – except that they are smudged over multiple parties.

    Lefties are “sinister”

    Lefties are definitely a minority (10%), so they should be accepted with preference to Harvard. Lefties are more curious. Also, most of latest Presidents were lefties and look where it took us!

    Ambidextrous is even cooler – they are 10% of 10% …. which relates to synesthesia – ability to combine different senses, like at Har Sinai!

    in reply to: everything bad is due to the trumpkopf #1966178

    CTLAwyer >> I live in a state that sends more dollars to Washington in taxes than it receives back.

    It pains me to observe that TDS virus affected our esteemed, and otherwise very rational, CTLawyer despite following SD to the T. Maybe TDS is transmitted wirelessly via internets….

    SALT is a good example. There is no argument that this deduction was favoring rich people in states that chose to have high tax rates. You may disagree with the effect, you may disagree with other thing Pres Trump did, you may claim that CT pays extra taxes in some other aspects, but you can not disagree that this reform helps poor people and makes states more competitive between each other as their citizen understand what they are paying. All in all, a good thing.

    Disclaimer: it affected me too, but was compensated by increase in standard deduction and no-upper-limits on deduction for children (thanks, Ms. Kushner-Trump!). It somehow warmed up my heart that the Feds appreciate our effort spent on educating our children even as we work hard – more than just some buildings. I guess I were to have as much RE as CTlawyer, I may think differently.

    So, y

    in reply to: Democrats aren’t Right on Any Issues #1966176

    Ds and Rs can not be “right” or “wrong” – they are representatives of “We the People” – and are simply part of an elaborated mechanism to help the country make collective decisions without shooting at each other and still responsive to domestic and foreign emergencies. It is not generally politician’s fault if he is following through on what he declared publicly. Blame the voters.

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