Always_Ask_Questions

REbE >> There is a minhag to put out for shabbos bread crumbs for the birds

this is a nice minhag, but looks like we are emulating Dasan & Aviram?! Hope you did not mean the way political arguments are happening here …

indeed, strange, why is it “moot”
not knowing anything about it, my guess is either:
1) court just wants to get rid of this craziness

2) it is a political issue:
what is the punishment for the emulents? prison? probably, not. Impeachment?

so, Court thinks that any extra impeachment is … moot … tiyuvta Pelosi tiyuvta

>> greater commitment and awareness in the fight against terrorism

While, I think it is arguable where and when we need to send troops in, a good joke going around the internets:

<b> Biden To Reestablish Diplomatic Relations With ISIS </b>

huju, the full quote is below. I am not sure what the relevance here is, are you trying to say that this is super-offensive? You are illustating my point …
All I am sayin’ is that if candidates who say such things (in private) are deemed unacceptable to the newsmakers, then Republicans have a choice – run someone like Trump who will fight, or not bother to run for elections at all.

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.

GH: Had he taken the advice …

As you are sympathetic to liberal views, it may be hard for you to appreciate how the other half of the country feels when most of information space is filled & controlled by the other side. People like Mitt Romney ran as a gentleman and had all possible qualifications to be a President. He was laughed of both for being cruel to his dog and for claiming that Russia is our worst enemy. So, those who are opposed to creeping progressivism, had to go for someone different. If you were to vote for Romney, you might not have gotten Trump.

I would compare Trump to Yiftach. He has qualities needed in this generations, and he is also limited by them.

You guys from 2 different neighborhoods remind me of that Manhattan lady who was surprised that Nixon was elected – “I don’t know ANYONE who voted for him”. You both need to get out more (in a mask) or at least browse.

ujm: my comment with statistics was a response to the previous

exactly, and we are polluting internets with these numbers for no reason. And the question you asked is a good one. With all these very noisy numbers, better to look at more numbers and look at robust statistics, such as order, rather than at direct numbers.

So, overall Israel is 56 out of 200+ countries in death rates. Lebanon is 71, Jordan is 62, Turkey 76. Not that far. European and other random countries of similar to Israel economic condition: Greece 49, Spain 17, Poland 32, Germany 45, Serbia 61, Argentina 25. I would say Israel is on average same as peers. And note that poor and non-free countries probably undercount COVID deaths.

If you have time, look at these statistics separately by month. You will probably see countries jumping up and down the list over time. Virus attacks very unevenly. Recall all these Sweden success stories (N 23 total).

DY: whether to prioritize minorities in theory

again, define “prioritize” –
1) put some extra vaccine stations in poor neighborhood to facilitate access?
or is it: 2) do not vaccinate Whites until all Blacks (of certain age) are vaccinated?
there is a difference here.
It looked like some states tried to go for option (2) at the beginning, under an euphemism of “essential workers” but are now switching gears to a more balanced approach

Charlie, Daas,
you are discussing as if there is perfect data to decide what is better and there is a perfect way to implement a policy. We are dealing with already too much delays due to complex rules. I am pointing you to a Gemora discussing water allocation along the river – we allow the first one to get more water “le darkei shalom” instead of creating an army of inspectors to maximize fairness.

Simplify and you will get less angry people in the street. Use the age, and then add a reasonable number of field offices in underprivileged areas. This is already done for testing. All “free testing” sites I heard of are in the poor areas.

@Sam, maybe blockchain for tzedokah to ensure optimal anonymity?

It looks like initial delays are due to some gov folks interpreting “priority” as – we will not go to next group until this whole one is done – and providers are punished for vaccinating the wrong group. Is this the case in NY state? This is different than merely prioritizing who will be the next recipient.

This is where “darkei shalom” approach is applicable – make simply borad rules that are easy to identify – age is a good one, and then focus on doing it rather than arguing about it.

Daf to the rescue – it is miracle that any currency is accepted. Going to an exotic currency seems like pushing the miracle too far.

Maybe, as in the lottery thread, it depends on what else you do for hishtadlus. If you have a steady job and want to increase your rate of return investing a little into crypto or lottery, this is one thing.

But, if you did not try to get a profession, and chase miracles instead, this is unseemly. If you learned Torah disregarding your financial status, then you should be happy with your helek. If you now ask Hashem for a miracle to provide for you, it means that you both not value your learning and did not bother to learn a profession. You should at least go take swimming lessons.

The stats I saw is that a lot of current transmission is in families – one member brings it in, he may not become sick, and makes others sick via prolonged contact.

I would say: if adults are having daily parties, then children are not a problem. Where adults are taking precautions, then children may be a major source of transmission. You will not notice it as most kids will be asymptomatic, but you will see “unexplained” cases in the community, more among parents.

thanks for challenging me. Here is what Gil Student writes online in 2016, summarized. Enjoy and apply.

Do we say the blessing if we emerge from a life-threat we willingly accepted?

In Machazik Berakhah (219:1), Chida quotes a debate on this subject. His father, Rav Yosef Azulai, ruled that the blessing was only enacted for someone who survived an external life threat, not something willingly undertaken. However, Rav Eliezer Nachum (author of Chazon Nachum) ruled that the blessing applies to anyone who survives.
Rav Eliezer Melamed (Peninei Halakhah, Berakhos, Harchavos 16:4) lists three practical implications:

Elective Surgery – Tzitz Eliezer 10:25:23) rules that someone who donates a kidney does not bentch Gomel. Rav Ovadiah Yosef (Yechaveh Da’as 4:14) disagrees

Suicide Attempt –Chaim Palaggi (Responsa Lev Chaim 3:53) rules that he should recite the blessing because he was saved, as does Rav Azriel Hildesheimer (Responsa Rav Azriel, vol. 1 no. 29). However, Rav Ovadiah Yosef (ibid.) disagrees. Attempting suicide is a sin. How can someone recite a blessing generated by the sin?

Release From Prison: Some people who are convicted of a crime can avoid prison by paying a fine or ransom. If they choose not to pay and instead suffer the prison sentence
Ri Mi-Gash (no. 90) – yes, ha’arei Teshuvah (219:2) quotes him as yes without the shem
R. Simcha Rabinowitz (Piskei Teshuvos, vol. 2 219:11) sees this Sha’arei Teshuvah as a companion to the general view (of Rav Yosef Azulai) that someone who puts himself in danger should not bentch Gomel if he is saved.

Rav Chaim Elazar Shapira (Minchas Elazar 4:47) discusses whether you may place yourself in life-threatening danger in order to learn Torah or earn money. He concludes that it is forbidden and that others may not quote a Torah insight in the name of someone who endangers his own life in order to learn Torah (based on Bava Kamma 61a). However, if someone did place his life in danger for pure purposes in order to learn Torah and was saved, he may bentch Gomel, but not someone who undertook the danger for monetary profit. When it comes to profit, no ones intention is ever completely pure.

RR> Gambling is mutar according to the RaMA. The Beis Yosef holds it’s assur.
Yt> I’m not sure who to hold by

Just roll a dice

@Shady >> how would the masses be expected to receive a fair account

I think you are asking a fair question and this question is behind the confused mass of protest. We had a complicated event with lots of rule changes comparing with usual elections + information blocks. Thus, it is impossible to prove – and impossible to reject – any hypothesis. With that, everyone is following their own biases and the society can not agree with anything.

I think these events help us understand “moris ayn” better. Public policies should be conducted in a way that assures people of integrity, rather than using “caveat emptor” approach – where the opposite side needs to prove misbehavior.

those who put themselves unnecessarily in danger (not wore masks, went to crowded places without a compelling need) probably should not say a bracha.

@Rabbaim, indeed. Wife of one of baalei mussar (maybe Alter from Slobodka?) bought a lottery. He immediately called witnesses and wrote a shtar that he has nothing to do with the money in case she will win. He was terrified with possible responsibility to use it properly.

To amplify the zaidy – you are not allowed to rely on miracles. So, you need to give Hashem a chance to support you through normal channels. Many people go and learn a profession. But for those of us on a higher madregah, it is sufficient to buy a lottery ticket.

A practical advice: don’t buy the losing tickets, they are a waste of money and asur to buy. But just the winning ticket, and maybe a couple of losing ones to avoid ayin hara of people saying that things are too easy for you.

Let us know how it worked out.

Distribution is pretty even by state. Percentage of those used varies from 20% to 50%, excluding several outliers. I don’t see ideological difference – Dakotas and CT are at the top and Deep South and Left coast are at the bottom. Geography gives a better pattern – NE and MidWest are doing better, Deep South, Industrial North MidWest and Left Coast are doing worse.

It looks like biggest problem is that states are trying to follow rigid rules – do Group 1a and only later 1b, including that, Ch’V, minority groups do not suffer. So, they are not opening up to next group until they deal with previous groups, including getting written permissions, dealing with those who do not want it. Some hospitals are scared to even give left-over vaccine to the unapproved groups. This requires advanced planning, so some states complain that Feds have chutzpah to send them vaccine without giving a multi-week advanced notice to plan everything right… Sounds like some leaders are seeing the light and opening up – FL, TX and now NY.

This appears to be discussed in, IIRC, Bava Metzia – when there is a river, we allow those who get water first to take as much as they want “l derech shalom” – instead of having government measuring how much everyone takes to make it fair.

State/Territory/Federal Entity Shots per Distributed (CDC, Jan 9, ordered from highest)
West Virginia 69%
North Dakota 68%
South Dakota 54%
Connecticut 53%
Nebraska 48%
New Hampshire 47%
Vermont 46%
District of Columbia 44%
Montana 44%
Maine 43%
Tennessee 43%
Iowa 42%
Rhode Island 42%
New Mexico 39%
Colorado 38%
New York State 36%
Kentucky 35%
Oklahoma 35%
Ohio 35%
Utah 35%
Texas 34%
Massachusetts 34%
Indiana 32%
Maryland 31%
Kansas 31%
Missouri 31%
Wisconsin 30%
Illinois 30%
Florida 30%
Minnesota 29%
Hawaii 29%
Delaware 28%
Pennsylvania 28%
North Carolina 27%
New Jersey 27%
Virginia 27%
Alaska 26%
Louisiana 26%
Wyoming 26%
Washington 26%
Oregon 26%
California 25%
South Carolina 25%
Nevada 24%
Michigan 24%
Arizona 23%
Idaho 23%
Puerto Rico 22%
Mississippi 22%
Alabama 20%
Guam 20%
Arkansas 18%
Georgia 17%
Northern Mariana Islands 17%
American Samoa 12%
Republic of Palau 9%
Virgin Islands 5%
Federated States of Micronesia 2%
Marshall Islands 0%

Well, Trumps’ speech was pretty long, but Twitter’s statement is pretty short (and Orwellian). They claim that these two statements are “glorification of violence” due to “context around them”.

1) “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

2) “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”