Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I primarily look at the most recent threads and don’t use the categories below.
If he’s so perfect, why is he not married yet?
Joseph,
Who here ever said that the question was antagonistic?
DaasYochid did. He wrote:
From a journalistic perspective, perhaps, but it’s not a good idea to antagonize the president, especially since we know how volatile Trump is.
The fact that the second part of the question needed a disclaimer should have been reason enough not to ask it at all.
Fair to assume that DaasYochid feels that the question was antagonistic.
DaasYochid,
You shouldn’t be so surprised that Trump reacted the way he did. That’s who he is.
I wasn’t surprised.
Joseph,
Avram: DY’s underlying point is that Trump is the President of the United States. So even if he’s wrong and the Jew right, the Jew shouldn’t antagonise him, even unwittingly and unintentionally, since he’s the head of our government. (Or even if he were merely an influential governmental official.)
If that were his point, then his problem should have been with attendence at the press conference at all – not the question itself. Once called on (and did he really expect to be called on?), what should he have done? Refuse to speak?
Also, would you hold this same way if it were the previous president we were discussing?
DaasYochid,
There would not have been an answer had there not been a question.
And John wouldn’t have screamed obscenities at Richard had Richard not happened to be in front of him on the expressway.
Trump chose to call on Turx, and the question was such a softball that it could have only been “nicer” to the point of ridiculousness, like asking, “Mr. President, given how extremely awesome you are, how do you not make other people in the room feel so lowly in your presence?” Had the president just responded something even simple such as, “I think anti-Semitic acts are terrible”, there would have been no story.
Clarification on planting: spring crops are planted around Sukkos time in the southern hemisphere. Winter crops (e.g., hard red winter wheat) in Eretz Yisroel that are planted after Sukkos are planted around Pesach time in the southern hemisphere.
“Center” is a relative term. The relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people is at the center of Torah, even though the Jewish people are a tiny fraction of the global population. Yerushalayim is the center of much of our mitzvos, even though it is not at the Earth’s (or even today’s Jewish) geographic population center.
misteryudi,
As Jews, it would be problematic to our theology if any exoplanet is found to contain intelligent life forms, since the basis of our creation beliefs focus solely on Earth being the center of the universe, for all intents and purposes. Plant or animal life may not be as big of an issue.
I disagree. The Torah does not openly inform us whether there is “intelligent” life on other worlds or not. Why should it be problematic therefore if it were so? The basis of our Torah beliefs focuses almost solely on the Jewish people and the environment of Eretz Yisroel. Were Native Americans a challenge to our “theology”? Or the southern hemisphere, where planting happens around Sukkos time and harvesting around Pesach? Or northern Alaska, where during the summer there is no shkia at all?
Also, there are many additional criteria that must be met in order for an exoplanet to be able to contain life as we know it, such as having a large outer planet being able to deflect most space debris that comes your way, having a moon to control tides and also deflect debris, having the exoplanet tilt on its axis to allow for variations in climate, and many others. So just finding a planet in the goldilocks zone is not enough.
Much life on Earth requires seasonal variability because that life was designed to live on Earth. Why project that criteria elsewhere? Do tubeworms living by deep ocean vents need seasons? Also, the presence of high gravity planets in a star system is not the only way to reduce impacts. And how does the Moon reduce impacts? And would alien life living in a subsurface ocean environment heated by tidal expansion/contractions care about impacts at all?
The question did not cause the controversy, the “answer” did.
rebshidduch,
Avram, he already is frum just modern. He would become much more religious than just mo is that okay?
I cannot answer that question; only you can. Why does he want to become “much more religious”, and are those reasons ok with you?
<joke>Long rambling posts are endemic to Facebook, and we don’t want any non-Jewish Facebooky stuff over here. Twitter with its 120 character limit is the official social media platform of the Jewish people.</joke>
truncated
lightbrite,
According to Torah, a unanimous vote against or for something does not count. If it’s unanimous, then the trial lacked intellectual honesty because at least one judge would have looked at it from another angle.
I think the ruling that crabcakes are unkosher is unanimous, and it still counts.
I don’t think rebshidduch can determine whether someone “deserves” rebshidduch or not. This “guy” may be good for rebshidduch, he may not be. However, Avram in MD is concerned about the idea of “trying” to be frum “for” rebshidduch. If a “guy” tries to be something he does not want to be for rebshidduch, he may CV”S come to resent rebshidduch down the road.
WinnieThePooh,
It’s not the yawn that is rude. It is the “I would rather be sleeping than paying attention” that could be perceived as rude,
For me, I yawn when I am tired but trying to stay awake. A good yawn infuses my brain with oxygen and actually helps me to stay alert. I think a yawn would only be rude if it was loud.
Lilmod Ulelamaid,
Did you cover your mouth?
Nope. But I didn’t make a loud ho-hum noise, which is the only aspect of a yawn that I think is rude in public (particularly during a drasha!).
Were your kids or parents present?
Nope.
I yawned three times while reading this thread (seriously). It’s hard to witness a yawn or talk about yawning without yawning myself.
DaasYochid,
Me. I put my arm through the sleeve.
The one and only time I did that, when I took the jacket off to remove my tefillin, I noticed that the knot and box had separated quite a bit (not good). How do you prevent that from happening?
Joseph,
I don’t see a good reason that it should be that binary choice you presented.
Understood. I set the binary choice up because I wanted to better understand your reasoning for the necessity of a jacket. Your OP essentially made a “nice clothes” argument, which others were responding to exclusively; but I figured there was more to the jacket than just nice or formality.
RebYidd23,
Why not? We do every year when Parshas Noach is leined after Simchas Torah.
Joseph,
Sincere question: Which do you think is preferable – to wear a nice shirt and pants to shul with no jacket, or more regular clothes with a windbreaker thrown on as a jacket?
lightbrite,
Do humans feel shame when animals become instinct?
There have been several mass extinction events in planetary history – potentially caused by substantial environmental changes. Humans are causing substantial planetary changes now (as we have for much of our history), which is partly causing a new mass extinction event. Should we be ashamed? I don’t think that environmental changes intended to better human living conditions are wrong. I do think, however, that we should become more aware of and smarter about the changes that we are making, as many of them are random and unintentional. A huge depletion of biodiversity is probably not good for humanity in the long run – it limits our ability to adapt to change.
Not realizing that the world was more species diverse at one point.
It’s been more, it’s been less.
rebshidduch,
Did anyone here get a speeding ticket? If so how much was it and how many points if any? Was it by a speeding camera or a cop?
Not sure if it is this way everywhere, but in most locations, violations caught by camera without police involvement do not result in points on your license, or get reported to your insurance. Also, if given a police citation for the first time, many jurisdictions allow you to take a remedial driving safety course, which allows you to avoid points on your license, but you still have to pay the fine (unless you contest it and win in court).
lightbrite,
Someone suggested a way to protect a baby boy’s neshama from sin early on.
Hooray for anonymous sources! “Someone” suggested to me that tying chicken leg quarters to my pants pockets is a good way to repel dogs.
It includes covering the baby’s crib with a kol ha’ne’arum tallis.
What’s the difference between a “kol hanearim tallis” and a regular tallis?
Not having any nurses.
Huh?
And have the baby listen to Duvid Chaim every day.
Who is Duvid Chaim?
Assuming this person is serious
I don’t. I think you got BT trolled.
is a female nurse a threat to a baby’s neshama?
No.
Would he have a more difficult time guarding his eyes as an adult if he had a nurse take care of him once in a while?
No.
And about covering the crib with a tallis…
How do you know he’s okay and still breathing?
Exactly. And what about dirty diapers?
HaLeiVi,
If I were a child that got therapy for any whimsical statement I uttered, I’d be scared to open my mouth again.
Ummm, wut
Where did anyone suggest that a child get “therapy” for any statement he makes, whimsical or not?
I (think I) understood the rules clearly enough. The only suggestion I have for your description of the game is to clearly separate between setup (equipment, layout), and play, and to describe them in that order.
My thoughts (and you can check that my interpretation of the game is correct)…
Setup
Number of players: 2
Equipment needed:
1. 22 pieces for each player. The player must be able to distinguish his own pieces from his opponent’s. Also, the pieces must be stackable on top of each other. Checkers, playing cards, etc. are good for this.
2. A 5×5 grid. The grid squares must be large enough to fit stacks of players’ pieces
Play
Goal: To accumulate stacks of 5 or more pieces. The first player to obtain 3 stacks wins.
Rules of play:
1. Players alternate turns (arm wrestle for first turn, or youngest goes first, whatever), and can take one action per turn.
2. During his turn, player can take one of the three following actions:
a. Put a piece down from his hand onto an empty square
b. Move a single (unstacked) piece on the board to an adjacent empty square or on top of another piece/stack (I’m assuming this is legal based on your description)
c. Remove any number of pieces from an existing stack and put them on an empty square or another piece/stack that is at a distance from the original square equal to the number of pieces removed from the stack. NOTE: Pieces can be moved horizontally, vertically, or diagonally across the board, but only across empty squares. They cannot “jump” over occupied squares. Entire stacks can be transferred and placed on other stacks in this manner.
3. When, at the end of a turn, a stack has 5 or more pieces in it, it is removed from the board and awarded to the player whose piece is on the top of the stack.
Shopping.. Are you sure you’re in a Jewish school?!? What in the world is wrong with the first two posts your teacher bashed?!?
Straw Man, let me introduce you to Mr. No True Scotsman.
mentsch1,
Example of non-frum job;
Veterinarian
Neutering is assur
Very interesting response, thank you!
Aaaaaa! It’s winter! Whatever shall we do?
HaLeiVi,
What do you tell a child who wants to down a quart of ice cream?
“The ice cream was really good, wasn’t it? I’d love to have more too, but too much ice cream would make us feel sick. So let’s put it away.”
“We can have more ice cream tomorrow.”
“Oh, that ice cream is for a different time, let’s put it back.”
(In a growly cave man voice) “Mmmm ice cream good! Will gobble up whole thing! Glumyumyumyumyumyum (pretend to eat the whole thing, box included). Yuck! Box! Feh feh! Oooooh owww tummy ache. Better put this away quick so you don’t get a tummy ache too.”
Will those types of responses prevent a tantrum? For a tired or hungry kid, probably not. But they get the message across without emotional hurt.
lightbrite,
Does someone who is frum and knows that a double sink and kasherable one makes life easier have a responsibility of making a kosher-friendly space?
Or can one renovate based on interior design trends, hoping to get more bang for the buck regardless of how practical it is for a person who is frum to live.
How likely is it that the subsequent purchasers would be Jewish? If the house you are flipping is in a Jewish neighborhood, I would think that a kosher-friendly kitchen would be a pretty big selling point.
lesschumras,
This is just ankther example of people living inside a bubble. Did the OP ever consider that for seventy+ years, the vast majority of Jews in just the NYC area lived in apartments and dealt with only one sink? It is not a new issue?
This is just another example of people reacting without having all of the facts. Lightbrite has expressed numerous times that she is a BT. How exactly is that living inside a bubble?
lightbrite,
If they tell you that when they grow up they want to do a non-frum job?
What’s a non-frum job?
Or if your boy says that he wants to do a girl job (dunno what but there must be something)?
Or if your daughter wants to do a boy job (like be a rabbi)?
Do you say that you cannot do that because you are frum or it goes against Torah?
I would strongly recommend against saying that, because a young child doesn’t yet fully understand the concept of “against Torah”, or even most of the concepts the Torah is addressing. S/He can, however, feel rejected and hurt. I think it’s better to try and connect with the child’s feelings underpinning the statement, and then to gently redirect if needed.
To take another example, it’s very normal for a toddler to say something like, “when I grow up, I’m going to marry mommy!” Would a sharp, unintelligible (to him) response be appropriate, making him feel like his desire for connection with his mother is a bad thing, and she hates him? Or would a hug be best, followed with something like, “G-d willing, you will grow up to be an erliche young man, and Hashem will help you marry and have a family of your own, and your mommy will always be your mommy, and she loves you so much and will always love you.”
All animals are beasts!
zahavasdad,
Bovine
It works! I think bovine historically is an adjective (of or relating to animals in the bovinae subfamily), but just like the adjectives feline, canine, male, female, etc., bovine has evolved in usage to be a noun as well.
RebYidd23, we have changed the English language just for you.
zahavasdad,
While they might about beliefs in general they usually wont single you out. They might say “Judaism is stupid” but they usually wont say “Your Beliefs in judaism is stupid”
The distinction between general comments and singling out a student gets pretty blurry when the comment is made seemingly at random (unrelated to the course material), with an obvious member of the faith or ethnic group sitting in the front row. I’d imagine that mik5 felt quite singled out.
Shopping613,
In any case, besides making fun of different usernames and subtitles (which of the 6 comments-3 were Joseph lol) she explained why she did this.
Why did she feel it was necessary to make fun of the usernames? Did she explain?
I was shocked actually since one was DaasYochid, and I do respect him/her, and was upset to see a mockery of one of his comments.
Why did you not have time to write which thread it was, but had time to divulge this detail? It could probably be easily found by participants even with just a few descriptive words, so there’s no need to dig up the thread title, or a link, or anything.
1) Do people really ask halachic shelios here and expect to get a proper halachic ruling? Do they really care about halacha then?
I would agree with your instructor that it’s dangerous for someone to ask a shaila here if he/she actually intends to act on information in the responses without the guidance of a rav. I think, however, that the vast majority of questioners are not looking for a psak per se, but rather a discussion. The purpose for such a discussion depends on the asker. Perhaps s/he heard something from a friend that surprised him/her, and is curious about how widespread that position is. Perhaps an OP is afraid of how a certain shaila may come across to his/her rav, so they see what happens in the CR first. Perhaps someone wants intellectual or spiritual stimulation that comes from discussion or debate. Perhaps someone is a troll who wants to paint Orthodox Judaism in a bad light, or fight with people on the perceived “other side”. Or any sort of reason.
Regardless of the reason for any discussion, I do think it’s important for every poster to keep in mind that the CR is not necessarily a representative sample of the frum world, and it’s impossible to know who is on the other keyboards, and what their motivations or stories are. This doesn’t mean the CR is a bad thing, but that it should be approached with a healthy perspective.
2) Do you feel upset that the CR is made a mockery of IRL from time to time? (In Real Life)
Not the first time the CR has been mocked, and not the last. The most ironic I’ve seen is when some bloggers have pointed to obvious troll posts on the CR as “evidence” of how backwards/ridiculous/wrong the “other side” is. As much as the active participants in the CR should maintain a healthy perspective of what it is, so should its critics and mockers 🙂
RebYidd23,
It’s outdated and could be seen as specifically excluding people who are not ladies or gentlemen.
Not outdated, just changed meaning and usage. Languages evolve along with cultures. Lady is a traditional English title, but in 21st Century America, it’s a nicety.
It’s racist to call a woman a girl or a man a boy!
Context is important, man! Context!
How is it racist to call a girl a woman or a boy a man? Has this ever been used in a racist context?
CTLawyer provided an example above.
But were boys ever called men or girls called women?
All the time, usually prepended with “young.”
Joseph,
Is referring to women (or men) a negative thing?
No, the negativity comes by exclusion, e.g., that woman is not a lady…
Lilmod, I find it exceedingly rare, especially in frum society, for adult males to be called boys.
I guess frum society doesn’t have the “good ole boys” network that many small southern towns do.
Putting aside the idea that a bark mitzvah is disrespectful to Jewish tradition, it also is yet another example of the penchant in American culture to anthropomorphize dogs. This is a misplacement of natural human maternal and paternal instincts, and it is not even good for dogs.
Dogs are not human beings, and they don’t care one bit about temporal milestones. What dog wants uncomfortable clothes put on it, and to have its routine disrupted by a bunch of boisterous strangers. Take the poor beast outside and throw sticks for it to chase!
lesschumras,
Here’s a problem. Let’s say the children free zone is row 10 to 20. If your sitting in row 20, you’ll still hear a screaming child in row 21
$15 fee to guarantee that your row is adult only and put that pay bracket on the border rows. $30 fee to guarantee that your row and the rows in front of and behind you are adult only. Put that pay bracket in the rows between the border rows.
C’mon, think like an airline exec! 🙂
When I was young, I remember some air trips where the airline provided small boxes of crayons and coloring books full of pictures featuring the airline. It was wins all around. I was kept entertained, neighboring passengers enjoyed the quiet, and to this day I have positive feelings towards that particular airline’s brand. I don’t know if any airline does that anymore.
Parents must prepare for air trips – have quiet entertainment and snacks ready and easily accessible even when the seatbelt light is on. If possible, a hungry and tired infant is a good thing at the beginning of a flight, because the feeding helps with the cabin pressure changes, and in-flight napping is more likely.
I understand the desire for “adult passenger only” sections on airplanes. With the squished seating now common in coach, people are in closer quarters than is comfortable, and some people need to work or rest during the flight. Given the recent trend among airlines to nickel and dime passengers for the last scraps of human decency left in the airplane’s cabin, maybe passengers can be offered an adult-only section fee.
BigGolem,
The shidduch column in the flatbush jewish journal discussed a girl seriously dating a guy with real anger issues. Anything would set off a tirade of cursing and anger.
If he has a bashert, there is a poor girl out there destined to marry him. She can look forward to a very tumultuous married life at best.
Every Jew has a portion in the world to come, but we must earn it through our mitzvos. Similarly, it is our responsibility to become worthy of our bashert. Someone who erupts in tirades of cursing and anger is not worthy of marriage. And, given what we learn in Pirkei Avos regarding violent anger and idol worship, his olam haba may be at risk as well.
kitov,
Can a individual benefit from remaining single ?
Yes – in almost any situation there are benefits and downsides. Decision making usually involves attempts to maximize benefits and minimize risks and downsides. I happen to feel that there are far fewer benefits and far more downsides to being single than there are to be married.
Can a family benefit from a single family member ?
Perhaps, but is it wise for a person to remain single (and not start his own family) because it benefits the families of his relatives?
Can the Orthodox Jewish community gain from a large single population ?
Sure. The community also gains from growing families.
I think both are acceptable unless maybe you are in England, but sneaked is the original past tense for sneak, and snuck is considered a variant (minhag hamakom?).
I wonder which “side” I’m on in the minds of the posters who are divvying up the CR participants into teams. Do we have to choose?
nishtdayngesheft,
“people want to live near the families and friends not some remote area”
Interesting comment from someone who just suggested people move out to Scranton.
In that same post zahavasdad wrote “and you can easily drive to brooklyn in about 3 hours or so, so that you are close to family and friends“, so obviously he sees a difference between moving to Scranton and scattering random people in groups of 100-200 across the entire world. As would any clear thinking person.
Seriously, is your entire purpose for being on the CR to incessantly hound zahavasdad?
gavra_at_work,
OK. Why must a woman keep what you call “Tznius” in an MO community where she dresses to the standards of her community? And what sort of “sin” is she committing?
When lilmod ulelamaid asserted that some “MO” women do not follow all of the halachos of tznius, lesschumras could have responded as you did, “how so?” But he instead essentially responded, “well some people in YOUR camp commit theft! How ’bout that??” That’s a false equivalence, because everybody agrees that a thief is doing the wrong thing (even the thief, because he hides his actions from public view), but the dress code is in debate, with some thinking it is wrong, and others not.
lesschumras,
LU, who are the Rebbaim that you are referring to?
I was curious about that as well.
I’m curious about your definition of MO ( failure to observe tznius).
That’s not how lilmod ulelamaid defined MO. She wrote, “MO has many meanings and contains a very broad range..”
There have been a number of arrests and convictions of right wing Jews in the NY area for all sorts of civil crimes ( Ponzi scbemes, fraud, bribery, slumlords etc ). Does failure to observe these kind of mitzvahs make them MO also?
False equivalence. There is a difference between committing a sin and asserting that an act is not a sin.