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“Avi Weiss and his ilk’s attempts “
Had the official rabbinate followed halachah, there would have been no problems. It is amazing to me that so many here defend its many abuses.
“Michael Broyde has passiked himself from any nemanus. “
I was not defending Rabbi Broyde, I was responding to a question regarding headcovering for women. The sources Rabbi Broyde lists do exist and a lot of them don’t hold like the Bavli.
You insist that we pasken like the Bavli? Fine, i’ll get a woman to read the Megillat Esther at your Ashkenazic shul next Purim.
“By agunos the Halacha is to specifically look for a heter.”
And even more so by mamzerim.
“Gemora in Kesuvos 72A says it is. Who holds it’s de’rabbonon or a minhag?”
See Rabbi Broyde’s long essay for a list. There are many other examples where the actual halachah is not like the Bavli.
” virtually every gadol wears some kind of black hat or strimel.”
Dati gedolim mostly don’t, as previously mentioned.
“You’re asking a good question about limited liability, but the answer isn’t that there are no issurim when acting through a corporation.”
In fact, poskim have to reach, stretch, and create chidushim when they attempt to determine whether a corporation is subject to the halachot of a Jew. Corporations simply aren’t discussed by Chazal or rishonim because the concept simply didn’t exist. Had Jews really been involved in finance to the degree that the anti-Semites claimed that we were, the question would have been brought before the Acharonim and it is entirely possible that the idea of a Jew being able to escape liability for his/her debts/damages would have been laughed out of the beit midrash. Now that today the entire world financial system is based on this un-Torahdik concept, our poskim have had to adapt. These issues are non-trivial.
“I’ll note that according to you”
I didn’t say that at all. And this is another example of the way that political discourse is done here. You have yet to counter my successful defense of President Obama’s record and have to resort to bringing up unrelated issues.
Regarding the Hobby Lobby case, the logic of the decision will bring back the days when there were Judenrein suburbs, co-op apartments, and law firms, and “No dogs or Jews” signs on businesses. Anyone who wants to discriminate can simply say that his religion requires it. I’m old enough to remember Jim Crow and KKK rallies — remember that the KKK used Christianity to justify their hate.
“As any 2 year old could realize: if the owner of a corporation has religious duties and prohibitions on his actions in directing the corporation, then forcing him to violate those does infringe on his religious liberty.”
In that case, corporations are asur. There is nothing in halachah that permits escaping liability for damages, or unpaid debts, and that is precisely what corporations are about.
“Yes, you can absolutely count the owner of a corporation for a minyan.”
But not the corporation he owns.
You disagree? Can I count a corporation that is owned by a woman?
” And yes, religions–including Judaism–have requirements that could apply to the owner of a corporation.”
But not necessarily to the corporation itself. Please cite the passages in the Mishnah, Bavli, and Yerushalmi that discusses corporations with limited liability.
“The IRS became Obama’s IRS when he took office. “
And one thing he did wrong was to leave the Bush administration holdovers in charge there.
” it certainly appears that the White House directed the IRS to give Conservative (alright, Tea Party) groups a hard time.”
There is no evidence for that, even though the Tea Party groups did deserve a hard time on their 501(c)4 applications. They simply aren’t social welfare organizations. In fact, they could have been charged with perjury for claiming to be on their application to the IRS.
“It’s funny that the Dems who ridiculed NCLB love Common Core and the Reps who supported NCLB take shots at Common Core.”
I have not been defending Common Core. It is a good idea in theory but like NCLB it relies too heavily on standardized testing.
“Simply calling an accusation a lie isn’t refutation. “
I was responding to a commenter who was accusing Obama of, among other things, mass murder. It is not for me to disprove such an outrageous slander. It is reminiscent of the attacks on Israel today.
“You typify what is wrong with political discourse in America today.”
That you attack ME and not the people who initiated the slanders that I debunked shows what is wrong with political discourse in America today. Right wingers make scandalous false attacks on Obama, and the guy who debunks them gets attacked.
“being in the country illegally is a crime (hence the word illegal)”
Actually, in most cases it is not a crime. It is civil violation, like a parking ticket. It is a crime when you re-enter only after having previously been deported. If you are here illegally and get caught, you can in most cases leave immediately at your own expense and return legally later. (If you have been convicted of a serious crime, you are deported and can’t return legally for at least ten years.)
It is possible to make it a crime — and indeed it is a crime in some countries, but then you would have to double or triple or quadruple the size of the federal prison system if you wanted to imprison the illegals. You’d also have to double or triple the number of federal judges, federal prosecutors, and public defenders, and enact a tax increase to pay for it all.
“I think Charlie just meant to deliniate his words from the words of the one to whom he was responding, though. ALL CAPS is easier than italics. “
That is correct.
Obamas IRS destroying evidence IT WASN’T “OBAMA’S IRS” THE HOLDOVERS FROM BUSH WERE IN CHARGE
DACA Amnesty A KIND HEARTED AND PRO FAMILY POLICY. REPUBLICANS USED TO BE PRO FAMILY. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE THIS WOULD HAVE OPPOSED LETTING JEWS INTO AMERICAN IN 1940.
Common Core A STANDARDS EFFORT THAT LONG PREDATED OBAMA. REPUBLICANS USED TO SUPPORT STANDARDS IN EDUCATION.
Opening border to gang members and drug dealers A LIE.
VA intentional deaths of veterans A LIE.
Negotiating with terrorists SOMETHING BEGUN AT LEAST AS EARLY AS THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION. REPUBLICANS SUPPORTED IT TO GET BERGDAHL BACK UNTIL OBAMA ACTUALLY PULLED IT OFF.
Fast & Furious THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAD DONE SIMILAR OPERATIONS BUT NEVER GOT CRITICIZED.
SEAL Team 6 I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU REFER TO.
Obamacare would save the avg family $2500 per year IN NEW YORK, THAT WAS A TYPICAL SAVINGS OVER THE PRE-OBAMACARE PRICES.
Forcing businesses to violate their religious beliefs THIS IS A LIE. THE IDEA THAT A FOR PROFIT CORPORATION HAS A RELIGIOUS BELIEF IS ABSOLUTE LUNACY. CAN I COUNT A FOR PROFIT CORPORATION FOR A MINYAN?
Violating the rights and sanctity of Religious Institutions ANOTHER LIE. REAL RELIGIONS INSTITUTIONS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE ACA REGS.
Obamacare web site-cronyism THE WEB SITES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY THE STATES AND MOST OF THEM DID WELL.
NSA acting as Obama Secret Police NSA KEEPS US SAFE FROM TERRORISM. IF YOU ARE MAKING A PHONE CALL TO SOME MULLAH IN AFGHANISTAN, I WANT THE NSA TO BE LISTENING. I’M SORRY IF YOU ARE A TERRORIST WANNABE, YOU DON’T DESERVE PRIVACY FOR THAT CALL.
17 Trillion in debt 5 TRILLION OF THAT ISN’T REALLY GOVERNMENT DEBT; IT IS JUST ACCOUNTING ACROSS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. AND THE DEBT WOULD BE SEVERAL TRILLION HIGHER HAD THE RATE OF BUDGET DEFICITS UNDER BUSH CONTINUED.
Lies about Benghazi YES, THE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN LYING ABOUT BENGHAZI FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, ADDING TO THE NATIONAL DEBT THROUGH THEIR USELESS PARTISAN INVESTIGATIONS. AL QAEDA WAS NOT INVOLVED AND THERE WAS NO MILITARY ACTION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN BECAUSE US ASSETS WERE TOO FAR AWAY.
Voter fraud YES, THERE HAS BEEN VOTER FRAUD. LIKE CHARLES WHITE, THE INDIANA SECRETARY OF STATE WHO WAS PROSECUTED AND CONVICTED OF VOTER FRAUD. HE WAS IN CHARGE OF ELECTIONS IN THAT STATE. OH, YES, HE IS A REPUBLICAN. INDIANA HAS THE STRICTEST VOTER ID PROGRAM IN THE US AND IT DIDN’T STOP HIM. IN FACT, THE VOTER ID PROGRAMS ARE REALLY ABOUT KEEPING POOR PEOPLE FROM VOTING NOT ABOUT PREVENTING FRAUD; THE PENNSYLVANIA LEADER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ADMITTED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THAT STATE’S VOTER ID LAW WAS TO STEAL THE 2012 ELECTION FOR ROMNEY.
Shovel ready jobs YES WE NEED ALL THE JOBS WE CAN GET
Intentionally trying to hurt Americans during the sequester A LIE
Intentionally trying to hurt Americans during govt shutdown A LIE
Blocking veterans from seeing their own memorials WHEN THE REPUBLICANS SHUT DOWN GOVERNMENT, THAT IS THE LAW. IF THE REPUBLICANS DIDN’T LIKE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT.
Allowing illegals on mall during govt shutdown THE NATIONAL MALL, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS NOT SUBJECT TO CLOSURE DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN; THAT IS THE LAW.
We can keep our insurance if we like it ASSUMING YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY WANTED TO KEEP YOU. REPUBLICANS USED TO OBJECT TO MANDATES ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
We can keep our doctors if we like them AGAIN, ASSUMING YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY WANTED TO KEEP THEM AND YOUR DOCTOR WANTED TO KEEP YOU.
Military not getting their votes counted THAT ISN’T SOMETHING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH — STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR COUNTING VOTES. AND THE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN MAKING IT MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE.
Supporting the Muslim Brotherhood with arms and money A LIE.
DOJ spying on the free press THE CASE IN QUESTION WAS A CIA ANTI-TERROR OPERATION THAT WAS COMPROMISED BY THE “FREE PRESS”. YOU HATE OBAMA SO MUCH YOU WANT TO HELP TERRORISTS.
Not securing our borders HARD TO DO SO WHEN THE REPUBLICANS KEEP CUTTING THE HOMELAND SECURITY BUDGET.
Spying on Americans on American soil with drones YES, THEY ARE USED TO HELP WITH BORDER SECURITY. AND THIS PROVES THE DECEITFUL HYPOCRISY OF REPUBLICANS LIKE YOU — IN ONE LINE YOU OBJECT TO A BORDER THAT ISN’T SECURE AND IN THE NEXT YOU OBJECT TO EFFORTS TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE SECURITY.
SOLYNDRA THE OBAMA JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TRIED TO KEEP SOLYNDRA FROM ESCAPING ITS OBLIGATIONS THROUGH BANKRUPTCY.
Picking winners and losers SOMETHING EVERY PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE SINCE GEORGE WASHINGTON.
IRS targeting conservatives IT TARGETED LIBERALS, TOO.
IRS targeting the Tea Party AS IT SHOULD HAVE. THE TEA PARTY GROUPS ARE POLITICAL GROUPS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED AS SUCH. THAT NOT A SINGLE ONE WAS DENIED ITS BOGUS “SOCIAL WELFARE” STATUS IS THE REAL SCANDAL.
Millions losing health care coverage EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO LOST HEALTH CARE COVERAGE COULD GET A NEW PLAN THROUGH THE ACA. AND MILLIONS PREVIOUSLY WITHOUT INSURANCE GOT INSURANCE. THE HYPOCRISY OF THE REPUBLICANS CAN BE SEEN BY THE FACT THAT THEY WANT TO CANCEL *ALL* THESE INSURANCE PLANS.
Increasing welfare rolls YEAH, THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET THE ECONOMY GO TO HELL AS IT DID UNDER BUSH. AS THE ECONOMY HAS IMPROVED UNDER OBAMA, WELFARE SPENDING HAS DROPPED.
Increasing disability rolls DITTO.
Countless exorbitant vacations NOT COUNTLESS. BUSH TOOK ABOUT FOUR TIMES AS MANY VACATION DAYS.
Unconstitutional recess appointment IT HAD BEEN CONSTITUTIONAL UNTIL THE SUPREME COURT WENT AGAINST PRECEDENT. BUSH MADE FIVE TIMES AS MANY SUCH APPOINTMENTS.
20 Supreme Court cases 9-0 against IT IS ACTUALLY 13, NOT 20, AND 9 WERE CASES BEGUN UNDER BUSH.
NO budget for 5 years A LIE. OBAMA HAS SUBMITTED FIVE BUDGETS. IT ISN’T HIS FAULT THAT THE REPUBLICANS REFUSE TO ALLOW ONE TO BE ENACTED.
Clapper lying to congress NOT ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL COUNSEL TO THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE.
Holder lying to congress NOPE. HE WAS CORRECT WHEN HE SAID THAT THE US HAS NOT PROSECUTED JOURNALISTS AND DOES NOT PLAN TO. MAYBE IT SHOULD, THOUGH.
Failing to prosecute the New Black Panther NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY ACTUALLY COMMITTED A CRIME.
Reading our e-mail AGAIN, IF YOU ARE SENDING EMAIL TO A TERRORIST, I WANT THE GOVERNMENT READING IT. ARE YOU A TERRORIST?
War on women OBAMA HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIGHT THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON WOMEN!
Promoting race war NONSENSE. THE #1 INFLAMER OF RACIAL TENSIONS RIGHT NOW IS REPUBLICAN CHRIS MCDANIEL, WHO CAN’T BELIEVE THAT BLACK DEMOCRATS WOULD ACTUALLY VOTE FOR HIS NON-RACIST OPPONENT.
War between makers and takers THE MAKERS — THE SO-CALLED JOB CREATORS — HAVEN’T BEEN DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB AT CREATING JOBS. THIS DESPITE A RECORD HIGH STOCK MARKET AND RECORD LOW INTEREST RATES. MAYBE WE NEED TO FIRE THEM.
A123 Systems ITS GOVERNMENT SUPPORT BEGAN IN 2001 UNDER BUSH.
Cash for clunkers GOT A LOT OF OLD GAS GUZZLERS OFF THE ROADS.
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As you can see, all the Republican talking points are easily debunked. The accomplishments of the Obama administration that I listed, however, are real.
“But he got Bin Laden!
(I think my 6 year old could have called the shot on that one.)”
So what does that make John McCain, five years old? McCain specifically said that he opposed operations like the one that got Bin Laden. And I best almost everyone here voted for him.
I’ve been pushing this petition; after six days it has 1,187 signatures. Please sign and spread the word!
“I had a computer full of Obama’s accomplishments but it crashed”
Let me help you out!
Domestic accomplishments:
1) Great recession ended without a depression.
2) Most Americans now have access to health insurance.
3) Budget deficit declines every year.
4) Unemployment lower than at any time since the crash of 2008.
5) Natural gas production at an all time high.
6) US now the #1 oil producer in the world.
7) Stock market at all time record highs.
Foreign policy accomplishmeents:
1) Bin Laden dead.
2) Almost all other top Al Qaeda leaders dead.
3) Ghadafi dead.
4) Greek debt crisis contained.
5) Strategic arms treaty with Russia.
6) Free trade agreement with Columbia.
7) Free trade agreement with Panama.
8) Free trade agreement with South Korea.
9) Iran faces most draconian sanctions in peacetime any country has ever faced.
10) US-Israel military cooperation at highest level in history.
11) US funds Israel’s development of Iron Dome.
12) US out of Iraq in accordance with agreement Bush signed with Al-Maliki.
13) US *not* in Syria.
14) Republic of the Philippines invites US Navy back. (It had kicked us out under the first Bush.)
“That’s why pope & catholic clergy don’t get married, so they don’t get distracted by the families”
They celibacy rule does not apply to all Catholic clergy, and it was instituted not because of possible distractions but because the clergy wanted to pass on inheritances to their children.
“After Obama is gone, anyone would be a good president.”
Objectively, Obama is the most successful President in domestic policy since Lyndon Johnson and the most successful President on foreign policy since the first Bush.
Domestic accomplishments:
1) Great recession ended without a depression.
2) Most Americans now have access to health insurance.
3) Budget deficit declines every year.
4) Unemployment lower than at any time since the crash of 2008.
5) Natural gas production at an all time high.
6) US now the #1 oil producer in the world.
7) Stock market at all time record highs.
Foreign policy accomplishmeents:
1) Bin Laden dead.
2) Almost all other top Al Qaeda leaders dead.
3) Ghadafi dead.
4) Greek debt crisis contained.
5) Strategic arms treaty with Russia.
6) Free trade agreement with Columbia.
7) Free trade agreement with Panama.
8) Free trade agreement with South Korea.
9) Iran faces most draconian sanctions in peacetime any country has ever faced.
10) US-Israel military cooperation at highest level in history.
11) US funds Israel’s development of Iron Dome.
12) US out of Iraq in accordance with agreement Bush signed with Al-Maliki.
13) US *not* in Syria.
14) Republic of the Philippines invites US Navy back. (It had kicked us out under the first Bush.)
I could add a few more but you get the picture.
“the Rambam paskens in accordance with the Yerushalmi over the Bavli in a significant number of places”
The Rambam paskens in accordance with his understanding of the Yerushalmi that often differs from others’ understanding of the Yerushalmi. I’ve sometimes wondered whether he had access to better manuscripts; much of the Yerushalmi is so confusing that different Acharonim come to completely different conclusions regarding what the gemara is talking about.
I have consistently found WCBS 880 and its sister station WINS 1010 to be about the most reliable sources for news anywhere. Unfortunately there is a limit to how much they can jam into 22 minutes.
Correction. Make that 141 years. The Ashkenazic breakaway in Philadelphia was in 1795, not 1797. I apologize to the CR and I regret the error.
“They may have kept one hour (or less)”
To this day, Jews in the Netherlands keep one hour. Even the Sefardic Jews there adopted that Ashkenazic ruling.
And that should be the ruling in America, too, because for the first 143 years of Jews in America all the communities followed the Dutch Sefardim. The Ashkenazim broke with the mesorah starting in 1797 in Philadelphia. There should be no surprise that there is not a single Ashkenazi congregation in America that was started prior to 1850 that is still Orthodox, while two remaining Sefardic congregations from colonial times remain halachic. (The word “orthodox” had not yet been applied to Judaism at the time they were founded.)
“The problem is that you’d have to go above the arctic circle before you get somewhere with less than a 6-hour day on December 21st.”
Not true. I went to myzmanim.com and looked up Trondheim, Norway, for 12/21/2014. (Trondheim has the northernmost orthodox synagogue in the world, but it is still south of the Arctic Circle.) Sunrise is 10:01am and Sunset is 2:32pm.
(Tomorrow night, candlelighting is at 10:56pm, and Shabat does not end because it won’t get dark enough to see three stars. In fact, it has not been dark enough there to see three stars for weeks. )
Ah, so the NY Times is ok as long as it parrots Republican lies. Got it.
“dont you just LOVE the NYT”
No.
They have yet to do tshuvah for parroting the Bush Administration’s lies on Iraq that led to that disastrous war.
And I personally haven’t forgiving them for selling their classical music station WQXR.
NYC: Pelham Parkway and Riverdale; subway service is better from Pelham Parkway.
Westchester County: Orthodox communities in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle/Scarsdale (actually 3 separate communities), Mamaroneck (centered around the school complex there), White Plains, and Mount Kisco, all close to Metro North Commuter Railroad.
“I’d be more concerned about the cigarettes than the minyan.”
Me, too.
“is davening with a minyan deoraisa”
Of course not — tefillah b’tzibbur is clearly rabbinic in origin. In fact, according to Ramban (disputing Rambam) tefillah itself is rabbinic in origin.
“I would argue that a parent does not have the right to break something that there child bought on his/her own.”
A 16 year old is a halachically responsible adult. Any aveirot are his, not yours. I second the comments suggesting that you talk to a rav.
May watching movies you don’t approve of be the biggest problem he ever has.
‘He had “smicha” from Geiger’s Conservaform seminary in Berlin.’
That might make him not an Orthodox rabbi; it doesn’t make him not Orthodox.
‘ And he couldn’t decide between Hebrew Union College and JTS.’
That is a lie. He left HUC and spent the rest of his career at JTS. I guess truth is optional if you are sufficiently Orthodox?
“oldman: Your disingenuous genuflection toward Saul Lieberman is pathetic.”
Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l was willing to convene a beit din with Rabbi Lieberman z’tz’l. Or are you going to call The Rov disingenuous, too?
‘Probably because the “orthodox” rabbis you asked are less orthodox than he was.’
They don’t spout motzi shem ra the way you do.
“he wrote about God and succeeded”
He also played a major role in having the Catholic Church reverse its more than a millenia old policy of anti-Semitism at Vatican II. Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l publicly objected to this kind of interfaith dialogue in his epic essay, “Confrontation”.
‘he is partly responsible for “what they have become” today’
Uh, no. He died in 1972.
I’ve asked many Orthodox rabbis what about Abraham Joshua Heschel z’tz’l wasn’t Orthodox and nobody has ever been able to tell me anything about him that wasn’t.
“the implementation of Liberal economic policies”
Liberal economic policies ended on January 2, 2011 when the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives and forced on America the very same kind of austerity policies that failed dramatically in Europe.
“if r’l someone get’s sick then they have no hope.”
That is a lie. In fact, the lack of hope was for anyone who had a chronic medical condition prior to Obamacare; the Republican response to them is to let them die. All the Obamacare plans have a lot of good physicians and great hospitals. I think Montefiore Medical Center takes almost all if not all the Obamacare plans, and it also requires its attending physicians to accept all the insurance plans that the hospital accepts. And thanks to Obamacare — and Andrew Cuomo’s good work implementing it — the cost of individual health insurance in NY dropped by 60% on average. 3/4 of a million New York residents who did not have insurance prior to Obamacare are now insured and the Republicans want to cancel their insurance.
“It just shrunk 2.9%”
It shrunk 8.3% the last quarter of 2008 under Bush. And that was after dropping 2.7% the first three quarters of 2008. It continued to drop in the first quarter of 2009 5.4%, as it took time for Obama’s policies to take effect.
So please explain how 2.9% is greater than 8.3%.
It should be noted that McCain was a deer in the headlights after the crash occurred. He knows nothing about economic policy and his answer to foreign policy is always to invade whatever country is causing problems — but to oppose any and all tax increases to pay for wars.
” the IRS broke the law”
Correct. It allowed political groups to get 501(c)4 status even they were not acting anything like social welfare agencies. THAT is the scandal and Obama had nothing to do with it.
“there may also be something wrong with the fact that you aren’t willing to acknowledge that anything can ever be wrong with anything?”
You obviously haven’t been paying attention to what I post here.
“Charliehall, a MO professor, telling us about foreign influences”
Busted!! 😉
This does show, however, that the charedi world is also subject to foreign influence.
“Pants are inherently a Beged Ish”
“My Rosh Yeshiva told me that years ago, the first women who wore pants were not allowed to because it’s a beged ish. Now, however, there are pants made specifically for women, and it is normal for women to wear them.”
WADR, they are both wrong. Trousers have been worn by both men and women for thousands of years. They went out of style for women in Christian Europe, but not in the Islamic Middle East, so the absolute ban on women wearing trousers is a clearly goyish influence from the Christians.
Trousers came back into style for American women on the frontier in the 19th century, wearing men’s pants for outdoor work and for riding horses. Levi’s finally produced a model of blue jeans for women in the 1930s and they became an immediate hit. Today the overwhelming majority of Jewish and non-Jewish women in free countries wear trousers at least part of the time.
Meanwhile, to this day, modest Muslim women wear trousers (often with a long tunic covering the top of their trousers).
“It is not merely a custom or a rule that lacks universality.”
It definitely lacks universality.
Most what has recently been called “mesorah” in recent controversies isn’t mesorah, it is minhag. Minhag is important but it does change from time to time and from place to place.
“We do that out of respect for the Shittah of the Bahag. For some reason, we respect his opinion even K’negged the Gemara. “
Most rishonim did NOT follow the BeHaG. But indeed most Ashkenazic Acharonim do, and there are other examples where we pasken according to sources later than the gemara.
“I don’t know of any case where we go against an unopposed Bavli “
Women reading Megillat Esther for a man.
“IRS scandal”
The real IRS scandal is that so many political groups continue to benefit from 501(c)4 status when they should be required to register as 527 groups.