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Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipant
show of hands: anyone asked a Rav about investments and what were the returns?
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantSimcha > But so many aspects of our life are not directly and explicitly dictated by halacha
There is a difference between halochos towards Hashem and towards a person (havero or oneself). In the latter case, you still have a halakha, but it may depend on the personalities of people involved. What is an appropriate challenge for one person, might ruin another. So, if you are asking for an advice, you should preferably ask someone who knows people involved or provide such information.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantMenachem, this Gemora does not explain when Yehudi started to be used like that. Avraham clearly was not a Yehudi :).
Turns out there are pre-Ester references: references in Yermiyahu sound like referring to the tribe. but Zacharia 8:23 seem to refer to Yehudi in a religious sense in the context of nations coming to learn and this is how Gemora Shabbos 32 seems to understand it.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantI once witnessed an earnest BT asking a chabad shaliach a shaila – where to go to grad school for a CS degree. His choices were agonizingly difficult – Ivy League or MIT. I was very interested how the Rav will handle that .. He did pretty well. He walked the guy through possible considerations and suggested making a list of pros and contras and then look at it. I heard this guy ended up being successful both in Torah and parnosa.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipant646, thanks! seems like Tiberius Julius Alexander who was first to proclaim Vespasian the emperor was … Berenice;s brother in law from her first marriage.
The difference between Josephus a R Yochanan is that Josephus starts at the death penalty, so is ready to use all tricks to save himself and, as seen from above, Vespasian’s desire for becoming an emperor was known. R Yohanan starts as a respected member of the peace camp (esp in Avos d R Nosson) and then risks it all.
Also, note the Roman ideology here: they considered themselves free republicans, not under a king like other lowly nations. “emperor” was a proclamation by the troops of a winning general as a prerequisite for the Senate to declare a triumph ceremony. So, it was expected to start with the support from the troops, as was in the case of Vespasian.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantWe do have sources though for going into business with a talmid chacham. Then, you do the hard part and you also benefit from the talmid chacham’s advice!
Just be careful how you run the business. In Gittin in the discussion of darchei sholom that someone comes to Abaye and asks him to teach him, Abaye has no time because he learns during the day and works his field at night, so the student suggests that he works the field – and he does it by telling people at the bottom of the river that halakha is that top goes first to fill in cisterns, and to the people at the top that bottom goes first, and proceeds to fill in Abaye’s cisterns in the middle.
Abaye did not teat his fruit that year and, I presume, did not teach the student either.Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantwas there a machlokes between Litvishe Rebbes? I think most of them, traditionally, did not advise on stock selection. Although they did value chochma. R Salanter would show people some ship plan that included a new element that his son invented, and he was both proud that his son did that and also that when his son showed him the pan, Rav identified which part was the invention.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantAvraham was indeed “Ivri”, Hebrew. Mordechai seems to be the first person to be called “Yehudi” and yamini at the same time, that is yehudi being used as a “Jew”, not as a tribe. Are there earlier references during 1st BM?
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantThere are different ways to learn. If you are uncomfortable with certain style, you might consider other ones, especially if the style includes rudeness,, however excusable as listed above. This difference goes bacl to Bavli and Yerushalmi, with those from EY, like you, being less argumentive.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipanthuju > “Jew” has been pejorative among gentiles since we left HarSinai.
it is somewhat cultural. For example, Zhid (Yid) in Polish and Lithuanian is not pejorative per se (although some might use it), but it is in Russian.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantn0 > There was no intentional assualt on the k’hal in this battle.
Are you suggesting that attack on kahal was b’shgaga? If you separate the davening, meat, taxes, etc – what do you expect will happen? I would agree that political considerations were not usually primary, they were “for the higher goal” on both sides … for example, power struggle in Vilno with appeals to Russian government, where probably Russians succeeded in using the machlokes to weaken Jewish self-government more than each side benefited from trying to align with the government.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantAdditional food for thought: V was pronounced Emperor first by legions in Alexandria July 1, 69 [sivan 23, shabbat], then by legions in Judea July 3 and others after that. Looks like V was scheming for this proclamation for several months before that. And it also looks like V left for Egypt after the proclamation and there learned in December about current emperor Vitellius killed by generals who joined V. That would make July 2 or 3rd a day of the announcement arriving (from Egypt, not Rome, but from a Roman official).
The official who proclaimed V emperor in Alexandria was praefectus Aegypti was Tiberius Julius Alexander – who was Jewish and a relative of Philo… praefectus also sounds somewhat similar to feristaka that Gemora uses as a title of the messenger to Vespasian.
To deepen the story – according to Roman stories, apparently Romans picked up on the idea of savior coming from Judea and Vespasian applied that to himself and his vanity and aspirations were already known. Josephus (who was captured earlier than this meeting) claims in “Wars” that he also foretold Vespasian’s accession to emperor.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantujm > Which filters have a goy manually look at each picture
simply use Mechanical Turk to hire someone in India: explain to them what images you object to, give them some examples, and they’ll be happy to collect samples of un-tzanua and avoda zora that you can then feed into deep learning and train your personal filter.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantNeville > It is not the normative stance of the yeshivish world that learning all of shas is “not worth a lot.”
This was an objection when Daf Yomi was starting – that participants will think they now know the Shas ..
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantJews were previously said to earn like Episcopalian but vote like Puerto Ricans. The charedi vote seem to reverse that: while most individuals “self-identify” as Republicans, communities often are in favor of Democratic policies – increased welfare, various subsidies, and often pragmatic support of Dem politicians as most O- Jews live in blue states. Florida is an exception. Maybe NY/NJ Jews should move to PA to affect another purple state.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantpart of the chassidi innovations was breaking up a town kahal – shtibles and especially different shechita, given that kahal was typically supported by taxes on meat and candles, I believe.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantDon’t want spoil a good story, but who are the 5% of O Jews who do not eat kosher? Either they are fasting or just pressed the wring button
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantyou can probably use Pew numbers of intermarriage going back to the 50s to model what percentage of people they ask are actually Jewish.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantbut Pew is not the only one playing these games. One Israeli politico told me that he gets briefings from US federations over years that always show about same number of Jews – except their criteria of who counts as Jewish is being relaxed. He asked to use any criterion they want – and show him how numbers change over time according to that fixed criterion, but got no answer.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantInteresting that Avot D’Rabbi Nosson 4:5 has a different order of events:
V knew that Rabban Yohanan was in the peace camp before the meeting based on his spies reports of R Yohanan arguing with rebels. So, V is ready to listen from the beginning. Then, R Yohanan asked for Yavneh (no mention of other items); and after V agreed, R Yohanan foretold that he will be melech. And the news came – not immediately, but in 3 days. But then it seems to imply that V (not Titus) destoyed Yerushalaim by recounting events forward.This order of events discards my question about risk, as R Yohanan mentions malchus after the negotiations, and V does not object at all, just takes it is a brocha from a tzadik.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantok, ok, you got it, I wrote this triggered by a recent Daf Yomi, without carefully looking back at the text.
I don’t think R Yohanan quoting the posuk changes risk calculation that he will be hanged or crucified – unless the messenger arrived on time.
In another correction to what I wrote above, V did not engage in “Talmudic logic” about two ways of liability, but simply gave R Yohanan “trei katala” – two death penalties, despite only one of them possible under different hypotheses. Tells you how quick “Roman justice” was … and not much ope of escaping it. R Yohanan surely considered that.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantTosfos is also asking why the posuk relates to V as he was not the one who conquered Yerushalaim, Titus was, and answers that surrounding for several years and causing hunger was a sufficient event.
Question on tosfos: it says “ba Titus”, Titus came, but Titus did not come, he was already in EY – he was Vespasian’s son in charge of one of the Roman legions.
Also, historical context explaining Vespasian’s expectations: this was a year after Nero died (or disappeared/converted according to our tradition), an unstable year of “four emperors” – all generals, old Galba, then Otho, Vitellius. who commanded some far-away legions. Vespasian’s brother Sabinus was killed rebelling against the latter. German barbarians (but I repeat myself) invaded Rome and killed Viltellius. So, Vespasian was clearly hoping for becoming an emperor and supported his appeal by being methodical and successful in Judea (recapping history al pi R Berel Wein).
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantcommon, I let my kids read some of these stories, and I recall commenting on Goldilocks and bear behavior in a similar way. If I would be sure that they’ll never hear any goyishe narratives in their life, I could have skipped it. I think kids need to learn critical thinking and be able to look at “accepted” narratives and see through them.
As to Jewish stories, kids loved many of them. Some of their favorite ones, they, with sadness, put away in the basement after more information came out about the author.
A good Jewish book on developing critical thinking is “another side of the story”. IT consists of short vignettes describing a moment where someone clearly looks guilty and then explains it. You can use it like Harvard Business Review cases – read the first part, and then try to find the explanation together.
Also, many people question “stories of tzadikim” that whitewash lives of gedolim and create unrealistic expectations of how making of a Gadol happens …
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantPew has nothing to do with Forward, they do respectable polls of US population.
Of course, numbers are skewed based on who they count as Jews, given intermarriage rate in previous generations, nebach. So, now “75%” includes many legit marriages between two upstanding bnei Noach who are confused to think they are Jewish. Maybe, we can, l’tzad schus, think of Reform as a bnei Noach movement. Although, they may be struggling with ever min hachai from the time of the treife banquet …
We also need to downgrade 7.5 to some actual number, making Israel a place of most Jews (I presume Israel uses halachik definition in their count excluding non-Jews who came under the law of return).
But the bottom line from Pew is that:
R- intermarries dramatically
C- ages and has no children
O- world grows fast, but organically only. Not many switches from R, C to O, despite Chabad and yeshivot for BTs, and Kars for Kids heroic efforts …
maybe someone can look and compare changes between denominations in previous Pew reports.
I skipped “unaffiliated” here, don’t know how to analyze themJuly 27, 2023 10:37 pm at 10:37 pm in reply to: The Five Most Likeliest Candidates to be Moshiach #2211581Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantSo, would Chabad hold a veto over Hashem’s decision and even, Ch’V, delay a non-Chabad Moschiach?
What if, Ch’V there is another group who only accepts Moschiach from their dynasty – will the world be stuck until they climb down?
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantAbba, this sounds like a good idea, indeed. One problem is that all Israeli parties loath to cut budget from anyone – as this could also happen with them later on.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantI also used OpenDNS.
I am not sure that it requires installing something on the router, maybe I do not remember.
You can do whitelisting – allowing only specific sites or groups of sites.Also, whether it is for yourself or a kid – make sure there is a positive motivation in using electronics: learning, taking classes, and focus on expanding these positive activities. After you do work for 10 hours on a computer, you may want to do something else for relaxation.
July 27, 2023 10:35 pm at 10:35 pm in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2211584Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantyechiell, we just witness a very minor attempt at a rebellion in Russia – that involved heavy weapons, shooting a couple of military planes – and even that was a joke. For whatever reason, Congress and DC mayor decided not to protect themselves against an angry crowd. Whatever position you take on all these issues, there was no threat to democracy except by people who are using it as an excuse to curtail civil liberties. Ever heard of Reichstag fire?
July 27, 2023 9:44 pm at 9:44 pm in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2211577Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantthe tutor story requires clarification: why not simply fire the tutor?
July 27, 2023 9:44 pm at 9:44 pm in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2211578Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantDaMoshe, > as long as you keep basic halacha, and don’t violate the ikkarim, you’re fine, no matter what derech you follow.
Indeed, a good test is when someone asks a question of a Rav – some say: find out what your grandfather did; others – do my way. Beis Hillel prevailed because they presented Beis Shammai position first …
July 26, 2023 8:32 pm at 8:32 pm in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2211420Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantyechiel, not sure where you live, but if you feel that a hundred people walking into Congress without weapons almost destroyed your democracy, you need to either move to a less fragile state or drink some herb water
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantDan the> (the majority in my opinion)
this is why they run elections and, in Israel, pretty often. If you are, for some reason, interested in Jewish opinion (as this is the society you mostly live in), it is probably 60+% who voted for the parties supporting coalition. You are simply denying reality that there are so many people who disagree with you.
July 25, 2023 10:47 pm at 10:47 pm in reply to: Conscientious objectors Haredi VS lefty secularistts #2210994Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantI think people who published letters about not going to the service are volunteers (who previously served), not objectors to mandatory service. As others said, this seems be to vicious reaction of the “old guard” who lost their influence and are afraid that majority of the country goes in a different direction from theirs, so they created this hysteria and others, unfortunately, followed.
The fact is, Israel had five elections on a row where these issues were debated, and a finally formed majority are following up on what they were elected upon.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantCTL,
I am not following this close until the impeachment trial starts, but I think President Biden claimed that he was not aware of his son’s businesses. Me thinks he is a less artful speaker than Bill Clinton, so it is harder for him to come up with slick lies that can be interpreted both ways.July 25, 2023 10:42 pm at 10:42 pm in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2210992Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantTo explain further my previous post (assuming it went thru): if this boy will have only 6 hours a day to learn after working, he will have to spend most of them on gemora and halocho, and will have less time to worry where Rebbe’s neshoma currently is. If he will still be spending this remaining time on wondering, that would mean to you that, unfortunately, he is not learning at all, and should go work full time.
July 25, 2023 10:40 pm at 10:40 pm in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2210984Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantEhrlichkeit,
my advice (matching my other biases here) would be to engage your son in some worldly productive activity part-time. This should benefit his learning and, hopefully, direct him away from bad influence.As it is, he has too much time to consider various directions, and the fancier the better. If he were to feel some responsibility for, say, paying his rent, then he will, hopefully, better concentrate his mind in his learning. Many chachamim of Rabbi Yehuda generation did that and were successful.
July 25, 2023 10:20 pm at 10:20 pm in reply to: Conscientious objectors Haredi VS lefty secularistts #2210982Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantold post> It’s been almost unheard of, even historically, for a rabbi to need approval by the local government to be a rabbi.
Russian empire had an officially approved position. Due to efforts of R Salanter and others, the policy was for the learnt people not to apply for this position and thus to have a clear separation between real and official Rabbis.
Germany had mechanism of approval for creating a kehilla and, I think, for the Rabbi who they hire.
July 25, 2023 10:19 pm at 10:19 pm in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2210981Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantthin skin, I think
July 25, 2023 10:19 pm at 10:19 pm in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2210980Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipanta medical question – does too much fat leads to think skin (thru stretching)? Then his bridge affair can be written off as a medical issue, and he is a perfectly rounded candidate indeed.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantMenachem > “דער עמעס”
the goal was to differentiate between Yiddish and Hebrew spelling so that those who learnt Yiddish would not be able to read Ivrit. I once talked to an elderly Yid from Odessa who just left USSR. He said that he – sadly – learned Yiddish as a kid but then communistim came and his cheder closed, and he wished to learn to read Ivrit all his life. I opened a chumash on the first page and ordered him: “read”. He read “bereshis bara …” and could not believe himself “I always was able to read Ivrit?!?”
This is like a moshal of a person who had a treasure buried in his yard his whole life but he was aware. Was he a rich man?
July 20, 2023 10:25 pm at 10:25 pm in reply to: Dreaming About Listening to Music During the Three Weeks #2210017Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipant> Hashem didn’t punish me because my touching it was unintentional. Maybe the punishment isn’t instantaneous.
Exactly. On the most basic level – mixing up your own ideas/gedorim with what the Creator wants from you leads in the wrong direction.
Ch-H – you may be right. When I am writing carefully, I may be paying attention to transcription, but not in the other cases. It seems like you constructed an irony detection measured as entropy of spelling variations or something like that.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantcongress? are these federal issues? can any of these be addressed in your state?
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantthere is also a “right to repair” issue in some states: whether independent shops can read onboard diagnostics. If not, all repairs are done by the monopolists at higher price.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantyou can also find yourself an agent and put all your insurances – home, business, under the same person. That will give him an incentive to give you a better rate. If you do not need home or business insurance because you do not have those, then solve that problem first.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantDaMoshe > So who actually has the right to lead the zimun?
I think that the kohen has the first right. In shul, he can not refuse and offer someone else the first aliya, but at home, he can let baal habais.
Recall that the whole thing is for darkei sholom (see Gittin), so that there will be less machlokes about priorities. Thus, if you end up accusing people of something, you are not doing it right.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantAvira> chofetz Chaim said regarding not having dibukim anymore until moshiach comes
and then, I recall, he actually cured a girl with a dibbuk…
July 20, 2023 12:45 am at 12:45 am in reply to: Dreaming About Listening to Music During the Three Weeks #2209780Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantNot eating kitniyos is a minhag, but wearing a hat?! This just got out of hand. So, would a person born into a black hat wearing community need a hatara nedarim if he decides to wear his grandfather’s white or gray hat? Would it be if he wears it once, all the time, for work, or on sheni vehamishi only? I really want to know how people see this.
As to confusion between midrabanan and Torah, isn’t it how we read the story of Adam and Hava making a takono not to _touch_ the grape? You may think that a person who understands the difference will not be confused, but it is easy to imagine someone who did not learn enough to be ignorant about what is meduoraita and what is not.
Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipant> If the government requires drivers to have insurance, then they need to reign in the predatory policies providers use.
all they need is to provide a market. If there are competing companies, they’ll provide a competitive rate. If you think, all companies are over-charging, open your own insurance company, charge less and become rich quick. It is that simple.
It is possible that your state puts a lot of requirements on the insurance and also forbids “discrimination”, so the company is not able to provide appropriate rate.
Also, with inflation, all prices went up, and maybe people went meshugane from inflation, so insurance rates will go up accordingly. When you read that inflation “decreased” – it means further increases will be smaller, nobody gives you previous increases back.
July 16, 2023 10:07 am at 10:07 am in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2208612Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantNeville, I am applying chosid shoteh comparison to those who say that saving drowning Jews is not so important, other mitzvos will do fine. And not only not getting involved themselves, but looking down at those who do, focusing on their imperfections.
July 14, 2023 7:56 pm at 7:56 pm in reply to: Question of an ignorant, closed-minded Lubavitcher #2208448Always_Ask_QuestionsParticipantNeville > Nobody says everyone should be mevatel other mitzvos to focus solely on kiruv.
Did I say that? I am saying I highly value what they do here, despite whatever other issues are there. That means to me that there was something important in L Rebbe’s teachings, even if not of his students (or by now, students of students) turned out holding strange opinions. Maybe the alternative was that these people (or their parents) would be smoking pot on campus somewhere .. As R Dessler, I think, says that a handicapped person would use anything he can find to keep himself going up sulam yaakov.
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