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Aren’t any reasonably-priced car services operating in the vicinity? I know of some that only available to those who use so-called “smart phones”, such as Uber and Lyft, but are similar services available to those who don’t use such devices other than more expensive taxis?
As a kid, my folks used shop for suits at a chain called Robert Hall. Robert Hall was big enough to advertise on radio and even had their own jingle, though I’ll have to think a while to recall the lyrics.
Was that chain owned by a relative of Charlie’s?
LB: To paraphrase Koheles: Posters come and posters go, but the Coffee-Room just keeps on truckin’ 🙂
Compared with some earlier era or merely different living arrangements, the list of labor-saving inventions and services most of us city folk depend upon is remarkable. Couches need not fear their indictment!
Consider how few people raise/capture, slaughter and butcher animals or farm and process grain or produce for personal consumption. Personally speaking, I do all my hunting, fishing and harvesting at the local supermarket or fast-food joint.
I also don’t chop wood for cooking or heat, weave fabrics or scrub my laundry at the river edge as most likely did my ancestors.
I even have devices that manage labor-saving devices (think auto bill-pay)! I’ve practically put my existence on automatic pilot. Hypothetically speaking, If not for friends and family, how long might my disappearance go unnoticed?
reconnoiter
reconstitute
recover
reprobate
relevant
rendition
recognize
resoluteIn Kiddushin 41b, the conduct of eating in public is likened to that of a dog. By “public”, I think Chaza”l had in mind eating while browsing the outdoor, public market place, as opposed to, say, eating in a restaurant. Although a restaurant is more “public” than one’s home, at least it’s an enclosed space. That leaves open the question of “al fresco” accommodations popular in Europe, though I suppose one could justify that as “minhag hamakom”.
A more common activity in our day is walking about drinking from a water bottle. Is that something Chaza”l would have rallied against or, perhaps it’s to be considered more urgent for one’s well being, especially in hotter climates? Then again, since the practice is so commonplace in our day, perhaps it’s not considered uncouth behavior at all.
Another financial factor that the “other” group can depend on in funding their schools and places of worship is a far larger population they can solicit for donations. That leads into a somewhat wild guess on my part that a larger general population statistically means a larger population of motivated, wealthy patrons.
Another one of my perceptions (in other words, not based on formal studies I’ve found) is that collecting funds in the typical Jewish community is like shooting fish in a barrel, in that one community must support multiple Jewish non-profit enterprises, like one or more yeshiva day schools, yeshiva gedola/kollel, synagogue, mikveh, food/lodging/medical collections for the impoverished, not to mention emergency campaigns that inevitably crop up.
While some Jewish communities are blessed with some uncommonly wealthy – and charity-minded – members who provide a disproportionate percentage of the financing, less affluent Jewish communities face quite a burden.
“I have heard from a frum repairman that most modern fridges use a timed cycle for the compressor as opposed to the older models that a rise in temperature caused the compressor to go on.”
Frost-free refrigerator/freezers use both one or more thermostats as well as a timer. The timer periodically shuts down the cooling mechanism and activates a heating unit installed by the fins of the condenser coil in the freezer cavity to counter-act ice build-up. It then reverts the appliance back to normal operation. However, these refrigerator/freezers most certainly do depend on thermostats to monitor/maintain the selected temperature during normal operation.
For those interested, there are some very helpful appliance repair videos on-line for lay-people explaining what these components do and how they are replaced when defective.
I have it easy since my refrigerator was manufactured before much of the Shabbos/Yom Tov challenging features became available. All I’ve needed is a piece of good quality duct tape applied over the pressure switches inside the doors and that takes care of the lights and the fans.
An article posted here not even a year ago by Rabbi Hoffman describes some of the issues the newer technology presents and, apparently, those issues are no longer limited to just very high-end models. He also identifies a device approved by Rav Belsky, zt”l among others that provides an easy to use – though not inexpensive – solution that some manufacturers examined and said would not damage their products. It goes for about $133 including shipping.
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/474948/is-your-fridge-kosher.html
Well, I don’t brew it myself (sorry for veering away from the question), but at the supermarket I found Califia Farms Concentrated Cold Brew (OU-Parve). Since it’s concentrated one has more control over serving strength.
They market non-concentrated varieties, as well.
SToK and some others also offer supermarket cold-brew varieties, though I think they’re OU-D.
Assuming that the “mainstream liberal media, abetted by elected Democrat officials” are to blame for all the extreme, vitriolic rhetoric – and any tragic consequences resulting thereof – that modern-day political debate has become, what are we to do about it?
The most influence one has in society is over oneself. If we want more rational, insightful discourse on important matters, we have to reign in the way we express ourselves and who/what we turn to for our information.
We need to cease unintentionally rewarding extremist demagogues, not just through opposing votes or public protest. But, by being savvy and selective about our sources of news and education, avoiding the alarmist media and public speaking events that seek out self-serving rabble-rousers whose only interests are to bolster their self-image and spread their cynical, myopic agenda.
I can appreciate the position of the moderators who have to sift through dozens and dozens of posts each day and the burden of pointing out to every rejected poster the line their submission crossed. They are certainly justified not wishing to invite on top of that load potentially heated and fruitless debates over the rules , their enforcement, interpretation or other technicalities.
But, writing as a well-intentioned, but not necessarily savvy writer, I think I could benefit from the constructive feedback. At the very least, I could distinguish between rejected posts and those that never even got through due to some browser hiccup on my end.
Isn’t this issue then also relevant in cases of post-Chuppah vision loss?
I think this question is most often addressed according to the particular Jewish traditions of the family. Those who strictly adhere to a specific shidduch process that dictates the choices available to the bride and groom (think members of a classic Chassidic dynasty) will more than likely have a far greater say in the match than families which follow one a less clearly defined.
As to the unasked question of which approach is superior in building a bayis ne’eman, etc., I haven’t even the slightest clue. Personally speaking, though, I feel there’s a certain romantic appeal to the notion of someone blessed with Divine insight matching people to their ideal soulmates.
Tough issue to grapple with, but you actually did one of the most constructive things one can do in such situations: You reached out to others.
The best thing for a person is the support of friends and loved ones. That’s how we help those who are ill, in mourning, suffering catastrophic reversals of fortune, marital conflicts, etc.
When we can be more helpful financially, running errands, providing referrals, contacts, advice or professional services we do that and that’s wonderful. But, sometimes the best we can do is lend an ear and provide encouragement and emotional support.
Even though such intangibles don’t alter the underlying facts, they are invaluable in the Human experience.
One possible nimshol: How pathetic is the person who, r”l, is so focused on avenging a perceived wrong as to squander even 10 years of their valuable lives in the petty pursuit of that goal. HaShem yerachem!
I hadn’t read about this until now, so I don’t have much information on the Israeli system.
Residents in areas where earthquakes tend to occur know to set up homes and businesses in such a way as to minimize the dangers from heavy or sharp falling objects and know which areas of the structure offer the best protection in a pinch.
Building codes in such areas promote designs and practices that protect occupants and pedestrians to the extent possible.
Bear in mind that 30 seconds isn’t a lengthy amount of time, though it may be all the time at hand.
Note also, that one possible provision in a warning system withholds a warning were pandemonium is deemed the greater danger. For example, no call to evacuate a densely populated area if roadways cannot support a massive exodus.
It’s tough to extrapolate a general rule from a specific incident especially when a lot of the background is unknown. Having said that, I think the guiding principal behind the advice given in that shiur is to protect oneself from experiences that can dissuade one from performing such mitzvot down the road, r”l. But, it doesn’t necessarily mean that not receiving emotional reward for one’s efforts diminishes the mitzvah itself in any way. The ultimate reward for performing mitzvot isn’t necessarily doled out in this world.
Also, consider that sometimes the situation isn’t so cut and dry. Perhaps the unappreciative recipient of your kindness didn’t perceive the benefit of your actions.
I remember a comedy skit by Abbott & Costello in which Costello sees a Boy Scout help an elderly woman cross the street and in appreciation the woman gives the young man a coin (big money in those days). Figuring he’d found a way to earn some sorely needed income, he proceeds to drag an elderly woman across the street only to be rewarded with a clop on the head with an umbrella.
> Yet the biggest reason that women with healthy but unexpected pregnancies seek
> abortions is economic fears
At the risk of sounding naive (though, I’ve come to realize that I often am), it’s seems unfortunate to me that there isn’t some organized effort to match qualified candidates for adoption with those planning abortion for purely economic reasons.After all, as it is the adoption process is often itself a fairly expensive proposition (legal and administrative fees, travel – often to foreign countries – for interviews and evaluations, medical expenses, etc.) Were only the money involved more efficiently managed and distributed, the birthing mother could be financially supported, the child provided a caring upbringing and an abortion avoided.
I don’t know whether the number of people seeking to adopt approaches the number of abortions in a given time period, but intuitively it seems like it should have a some constructive effect.
Perhaps the idea is rather barbaric in treating Human life like a commodity, but things as they are could be similarly characterized.
The toe is involved during the inauguration of the Kohanim and the purification of the metzora.
Technically speaking, that doesn’t explain why people were created with toes to begin with, just that they are utilized in these rituals.
LB: I highly recommend reading about the incident directly from the text of the fifth chapter of sefer Yehoshua.
The issue has to do to with the korban Pesach – also having been performed only once following the exodus from Egypt – that requires participating males to be circumcised.
Interestingly, Rash”i in Devarim (33:9) quotes the Sifrei that the Leviim did perform bris milah in the desert, unlike their cousins.
The Talmudic reference is masseches Yevamos, 71b & 72a.
Based on the community-wide bris milah event described in sefer Yehoshua and its analysis in masseches Yevamos, it seems that the Bnei Yirsoel didn’t perform bris milah in the midbar. The explanation given is the danger posed by the procedure, namely the loss of blood (and/or infection).
So, I would conclude that bleeding in the dessert was certainly possible and measures needed to be taken to protect people from its occurrence.
My mother, A”H, was raised in a frum household in Germany before the war and didn’t have the minhag of chulent, widely considered the sine qua non of Shabbos observance (in her town, at least, they served some other hot food on Shabbos). So, i never experienced “chulent” until I went to yeshiva in Israel after high school. When I finally did taste it, I thought I had gone to heaven; it was the best thing I had ever eaten (I still feel that way).
But, I’ve since learned that different families like different consistencies and ingredients than the way those Hungarian cooks prepared it and I am no longer as shocked when a benevolent host serves a variation (a deviation?) at Shabbos lunch (not as shocked, perhaps, but none too thrilled, either).
Fortunately, I’ve also absorbed some good manners over the years and try not to react negatively even to maichal ben drusaee. I probably won’t ask for seconds, though. 🙂
One of the factors that impacts on the amount of money available to pay teachers is the ration of students per teacher. A larger class size can reduce the salary burden on the school, but at the expense of reduced individual attention to the students. It also presupposes that the classrooms are spacious enough to accommodate additional students.
Of course, while some students need less attention and direction than others, determining what’s best for a particular student ahead of time is a tough challenge for both educators and parents alike.
In addition to class size, consolidating the number of educational institutions competing for funds in the same community can also help (economies of scale), but that opens up a Pandora’s box of issues like different hashkafos and backgrounds and the location and size of school buildings.
Other possibilities include reaching out to the surrounding community for dependable volunteer labor, perhaps for cooking and serving meals, grounds-keeping, tutoring, chaperoning school trips, office work, etc.) not all that different from the way many synagogues survive.
A lot of really good “Jewish” music recordings in a variety of styles
have been released over the last 40 years. Among the challenges in a
relatively small market like “Jewish” music compared with the humongous
secular music market is accessing older recordings.There have been only a handful of music labels – some no longer in business
– that produced these recordings. To re-release even the best of them
requires not only locating the studio masters (tapes) if they still exist,
but also establishing who has the rights to them. Then, there’s the funding
issue: is there enough of a market to justify a re-release?You might try asking around to borrow or purchase old collections, but be
prepared to address the technical hurdle of listening to obsolete recording
formats (LPs, cassettes, etc).B’hatzlacha.
Ironically, many chocolate dessert recipes include vanilla to enhance the taste.
LU & Yekk2 – Thank you for the kind words.
> “Did you come up with it on your own?”
It dawned on me while thinking about some of the discussion
in this forum.I’m now experiencing an aging parent who is gradually, but
noticeably,losing short term memory and is often challenged
to find the words to convey thoughts and experiences.It’s made me a lot more conscious of how dependent we are –
or can easily become – on assistance from outside of ourselves.
So, it isn’t quite a huge leap of insight on my part of see the
Haggadah and other sources differently than I have in the past.This is probably not a novel idea, but in reading many of these postings, I thought of viewing the discussion of the four sons in the Haggadah as a metaphor: each of us is an amalgam of all four sons. We are at times wise, wicked, simple and entirely at a loss for words.
The Torah is our guide from wherever we are to where we need to be. Sometimes we need strong, maybe startling mussar, sometimes we just need to be pointed in the right direction and sometimes we need someone to accompany us every step of the way. Even if we’re not in that situation today, there’s no guarantee we won’t be tomorrow.
Perhaps the Torah (and, by extention, the Haggadah) couched these concepts in terms of “v’higaddetta l’bincha” and “ki yishalcha bincha”, first, because sometimes it’s far easier to accept that others are in dire need of guidance than to recognize that need in ourselves and, secondly, to help us be as dedicated and self-sacrificing addressing those (our) needs as we are towards the needs of our children.
I find it helpful to consider how forgetting one’s learning is midda-kenegged-midda for leaving an open sefer unattended.
First, I think the term ‘sefer’ in this context originally referred to scrolls, though these days we apply it to books as well.
Scrolls have a tendency to roll off a table, which would be a bizayon. Two main reasons one leaves a scroll in such a precarious position are either one is momentarily distracted by some other task and “forgets” about the sefer or that one is worried about “forgetting” one’s place.
Both reasons show a weakness in one’s appreciation of the kedusha and value of the sefer and it’s contents. A more dedicated attitude towards the materials one studies from also influences the person to retain that learning.
As as teenager on school vacation days, I davened at a shul in which the a couple of retirees took it upon themselves to fetch bagels and assorted fillings for the weekday morning minyan to boost attendance (and they’d clean up afterwards).
When he could, the rav of the shul would stick around and have his morning coffee with those who weren’t hurrying off to work. Looking back, it was a pleasant, relaxed way for the rav to interact informally with about a dozen of his congregants.
A number of them had the “minhag” of scooping out the bagel innards which they justified as a calorie-saving move.
I’m not sure how many calories were actually saved after adding the fillings (butter, cream cheese, egg salad, etc.), but that’s the only time I can recall seeing people do that.
It depends on the definition of “other side”. The under side of the grass is the color of the dirt from which it sprouted.
> Ew I really wish I didn’t Google chocolate ants.
LOL. So, I guess that delicacy won’t appear in any of your shaloch manos deliverables. Good thing this thread came up a few weeks before Purim. 🙂
So, if it is foolish to think that chocolate covered lentils contain real lentils, does that extend to chocolate covered ants?
The antidotes for a mild overdose of caffeine I’ve read about are drinking water and exercise, as in taking a brisk walk.
I think the posts suggesting alcohol or any depressant to counter-act the effects of caffeine are meant tongue-in-cheek.
Despite the powerfully emotional, romantic and inspirational aspects of these anecdotes, I still wonder whether a claim – even a death bed declaration – which contradicts a lifetime of behavior is to be treated as fact without significant investigation and verification.
It just seems a bit too risky considering the seriousness of the consequences.
Joseph: I don’t understand the distinction you’re making “where it can be established with confidence that the person…is in fact Jewish.”
Doesn’t achieving “established with confidence” require significant due diligence (i.e., a job best left to experts)?
Were the person’s Jewish identity so obvious, how did that fact escape that very individual’s own notice? I think something’s missing in the equation.
Just like most Yidden recognize the seriousness and complexity of the conversion process and would refer the person to a well-trained rabbinic authority, I think the seemingly innocuous act of notifying someone who believes otherwise that s/he is Jewish is is not task for the layperson.
One needs to thoroughly research the lineage of the person who has lived as a non-Jewish person rather than simply rely on claims of Jewish ancestry. This is especially critical in our day where the criteria for Jewish identity itself is in dispute by a variety of factions.
Just consider the proof required to convince the Israeli Chief Rabbinate of one’s Jewishness. I think the current standard is documentary proof of matrilineal descent to at least four generations among other things. That documentation may not even exist depending on where and when (how?) the person was born and raised.
Aside from the issues concerning marriage, bishul akum, stam yayin, basar sh-nitaleim min ha hayin, aidus, participation in the Pesach and so on, there’s even a prohibition in halacha for a non-Jewish person to observe Shabbos.
Are these the sort of issues any responsible person would approach in a cavalier manner?
Once upon a time (30 years ago?), joining a religious kibbutz was a practical option. Upon acceptance following a lengthy trial to evaluate compatibility (on both sides), housing and other necessities were provided in exchange for one’s work on behalf of the Kibbutz.
I’ve heard that the kibbutz movement in general has lost a lot of its appeal as personal priorities shifted away from the idealism of building the land of the previous generation towards more autonomous pursuit of personal financial goals (Capitalism over Socialism).
Same question can be asked about the mahn described in parshas Beshalach and many things we don’t have today.
There’s nothing innately non-frum about driving a truck. I have personally known yirei shamayim who drove trucks (18-wheelers) in the tri-state area.
The challenge unique to long-haul trucking is tight delivery deadlines which are impossible to meet while staying off the road for Shabbos/Yom Tov. There’s just too much competition from drivers who haven’t those restrictions.
I would have scored a lot better on the IQ tests they administered in grade school, high school and again in university had they asked more questions I knew the answers to.
Most of the questions you raise in the first post you must decide for yourself.
If you have the time and access to the public library, perhaps you can look at the annual Consumer Reports automobile issue for descriptions of many models – including used vehicles – by brand along with price estimates, reliability and maintenance cost statistics and purchasing advice.
Edmunds & Kelly Blue Book are also well known sources of used car info you may find in the library as well as PCs with internet access for online sites like truecar.
Since you write that children frequent that area, you might bring the situation to the attention of your city council (contact your councilperson or borough president’s office) for assistance. High concentrations of animal feces can be hazardous to childrens’ health.
They may be able to compel your landlord to keep the area clean. That would put the onus on the landlord to contend with the dog owners and relieve you of having to fight with your neighbors.
LU: I think the +1 shows agreement or appreciation. There’s a similar feature in Facebook, though that implementation displays the tally of pro/con votes rather than adding posts to the thread.
Sushi?
> “IF HIS MOTHER COULDN’T TEACH HIM YOU THINK I CAN??”
Yes. Because his mother didn’t sit next to him in shul when he did this sort of thing to instruct him. The rav of my shul had no qualms about publicly discussing this topic from the pulpit.
I just listened to the recorded shiur and there’s quite a lot more to the discussion than just the conclusion presented here.
Joseph described some of the qualities of a rav muvhak in post #7 above. Rav Schachter adds quite a few more and also discusses criteria in selecting one’s rav, all relevant to this topic.
Clearly, we’re not discussing a case where some “posek” walks up to someone he’s never met and “paskens” that he should marry a woman about whom the “posek” also knows nothing about. Even Rav Schachter makes clear such behavior is not sanctioned by the Torah.
At the end of the day we do believe in Daas Torah. But, we also have an obligation to be judicious in whom we anoint with that title.
Which posek’s ruling prevails if the rav of the chasson rules differently than the rav of the kallah or are we only discussing the case where both chasson and kallah agree on the same posek?
In the latter case, haven’t the two parties tacitly agreed to abide by the decision of the posek? If so, what’s the chiddush?