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“there are records from the Greek and Roman Empires and other empires Like the Byzantine which account for most year.”
Actually there are records going all the way back to the Assyrians and Babylonians! The conquest of Jerusalem described in Melachim Bet Chapter 24 appears in a Babylonian source. Then starting with Herodotus in the fifth century BCE we had writers writing history for popular audiences, often as polemic but giving extraordinary detail. For example, Herodotus mentions a people living at the eastern end of the Mediterranean who practice circumcision. That is us! But Herodotus’ history alone which covers the time of Koresh to the Greco-Persian wars doesn’t give enough time for the Persian period if you follow the SOR chronology. You have to also take into account the Peloponnesian wars as documented by Thucydides, and the rice of Macedon under Alexander’s father Philip. You also have to compress the lives of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle into a very short time, and there is just no way to do that.
“assuming 586 BCE is when Bayit Rishon was destroyed, and in 351 BCE Bayit Sheni was built, that’s 235 years. 70 years of Galut. “
Why couldn’t Bayit Sheni have been built in 516 BCE?
“How did the secular historians make a 165 year error in dating the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash?”
The “secular historians” didn’t make a mistake. The Seder Olam Rabbah allocated too few years to the period of Persian rule. The “secular histories” all match up with contemporary accounts from Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman sources, while the Seder Olam Rabbah was written many hundreds of years later.
This presents no halachic or haskafic problem because there is no chiyuv to accept any particular midrashic work as literally true. R’Yose wasn’t writing a history, he was writing a midrash. Josephus was the Jew who wrote histories!
“R’ Schachter who holds it’s next Monday”
My rav also holds it is Monday. He got that tradition from Rav Soloveitchik z’tz’l.
“People who call something geneiva (or accuse them of violating dina d’malchusa) without the credentials to pasken and without consulting someone who does have the credentials are pulling halacha out of their bellies, whether they turn out to be right or wrong.”
Theft is theft, regardless of your yetzer hara.
“When JRoute is off the air, 99% of the time I hear ONLY STATIC, so they are not cutting into the LI station’s business.”
It is when they ARE transmitting that they will be cutting into the coverage area of the LI station.
“I was asking regarding Charlie’s false (according to two anonymous posters on ywn)”
What experience do you have with radio broadcast technology? I happen to have once been the chief engineer of an FCC-licensed FM station. I also post under my real name.
“Operating a station without a license is Genevah.
It’s illegal, and I am not trying to advocate for it, but you throw around terminology very carelessly. Suddenly, you’re a big machmir.”
Ok, then please explain why reducing the audience of another station *isn’t* genevah.
“the FCC doesn’t decide which radio waves interfere with others. They didn’t make up the laws of physics.”
The FCC has engineers who can determine using the laws of physics how far to transmitters need to be apart in order to avoid reducing the coverage area of either. JRoot needs to hire an engineer and apply to the FCC for a license — which they won’t get if they are interfering with the Long Island station. In fact, they probably would not get one anyway because they now have a chazakah of lawbreaking. And this claims to be a “frum” station?
“pigs’ milk remains assur”
No pigs’ milk or pigs’ milk product is sold in any Dunkin Donuts in the United States.
What yeshivaguy45 said. There is no way that a Dunkin Donuts could be serving chadash products this time of year. Besides, the Bach paskened that it is mutar all year and that is the ruling that the major American kashrut agencies follow. Popa, do some research before chastising others.
“There is no reason why it shouldn’t be considered a community station which does not cost the station any $. “
Wrong. It is operating on a frequency that a station on Long Island uses, thus reducing the other station’s coverage area and its advertising revenues. Essentially, this is pure theft. How can supposedly frum Jews support such?
“maybe you should start following yekkishe minhagim like your ancestors did”
Well, I *did* put on tefillin on Chol HaMoed for the first time this year. 😉
“Shabbos is far too holy a day to share it with a dog.”
Ah, yes, ignore the halachah regarding proper treatment of animals in the interest of holiness. Reject the opportunity to perform mitzvot regarding the care of animals in the interest of holiness.
I don’t think that this is what this week’s parsha is about.
Well I have ancestors who lived in Germany but I don’t particularly follow any Yekke minhagim. What does that make me?
Start raising money to buy them an FCC license. The most recent sale I found in NYC was for $75 million.
We should stop talking during davening not because we will benefit but because it is the halachah. 🙁
” Every meal you ever eat you should be machmir for the largest kezayis and shortest kidei achila, otherwise you risk s bracha livatala by benching.”
That might well make you a glutton. See Ramban to the parshat Kedoshim, which we will be reading the Shabat after Pesach.
As many have pointed out, there is no “meikel” or “machmir” regarding shiurim. A machmir shiur in one area creates kulot in other areas. And anyone who takes all the chumrot is a fool — at least according to Chazal.
“we use only classical Hebrew teshuvos.”
Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l wrote his famous work that prohibited interfaith dialogue with Christians in English. So I can ignore it and go discuss theology with the local priest?
“The issue at hand is the issur of following in the ways of the goyim (chukas akum) and darchei emori.”
The emorim are long gone. And the many admonitions in the Torah about not following in “their ways” refer to the abominable religious practices that Baruch HaShem aren’t practiced today. Frankly, these aren’t the best arguments for saying not to go to Yankee Stadium.
But there are indeed reasons not to go to Yankee Stadium! If you go to the Zoo you learn about the animals; Rabbi Slifkin gives Torah tours of zoos all over the world where he discusses the issues involved in identifying animals mentioned in the Torah, the issues in determining the kashrut of an animal or bird, and the homiletic and midrashic statements regarding different animals. Dr. Jon Greenberg, a plant expert who is also a talmid chacham, leads tours of botanical gardens where he addresses similar issues regarding plants — “torah flora”. My shul sponsored a guided tour of the Greek collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to learn more about Chanukah, and a similar tour just a week ago of the Egyptian collection for obvious reasons. Visit the Natural History Museum to learn more about HaShem’s creations and to find yourself more in awe regarding your creator. And of course there are the numerous historical museums — I love the Center for Jewish History on 16th Street.
Or take the family on a hike in the mountains or along a deserted barrier island before the non-tzniut clothing takes over, you will see the natural beauty of HaShem’s creation.
Or take the family to one of the many historical sites in the area, learning more about the past.
All of these are *so* much more productive than sporting events! You don’t need a chukat hagoyim argument to understand that!!!
And of course the people we look up to should be the people who dedicate their lives to saving the lives of others; the people who dedicate their lives to educating others; the people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others; and last but definitely not least Torah scholars. It isn’t a Jewish thing to idolize someone for athletic accomplishments.
“you have to show that the Jews are different from everyone else”
Indeed. Sandy Koufax, who wasn’t even religious, told the world that there are things more important than success, when he refused to pitch in the World Series because the game was on Yom Kippur. Hank Greenberg, who had more of a religious background, had done pretty much the same thing three decades earlier. Name me a single non-Jewish athlete who has ever skipped a game for religious reasons.
When I was growing up the driving age in NYC was 18. But I agree with YW Moderator-127. There shouldn’t be a Drinking Age either.
” top 3 tips for a great marriage”
Your spouse is always right.
When a question of a difference of minhag or halachic ruling comes up, your spouse and your spouse’s rabbi always win.
You can be right and get your way in arguments, or you can be married. You cannot be both.
Good luck!
How can eggs have chametz?
I have not in the past but after consulting with my rav, plan to start doing so next week. (I am Ashkenazic and most Ashkenazim should follow the Rema.)
Did I shock everyone so much that nobody else dares to post?
“The animals in the Zoos in the US are not owned by Jews.”
My point is that the zoo can feed its animals basar v’chalav, and chametz on Pesach. Not a problem.
“Going into a swimming pool on Shabbos is not such an issue. It’s coming out of it where you run into trouble.”
ROTF!!!
I’m of course been assuming that this is your own private pool. Many rabbis have prohibited mixed sex swimming, for obvious reasons.
Second what benignuman said. I would add to other things:
First, Rav Broyde even identifies three acharonim who say that haircovering is optional.
Second, in much of the world including the US, trousers have been women’s garments as long as they have been men’s garments, and indeed they are the standard modest wear for women in most of the Muslim world; this is not a recent phenomenon. In the California State Railroad Museum there is a photograph from a century ago of female railroad workers; every single one is wearing either trousers or overalls. For a long time women had to wear trousers designed for men, but Levis introduced their first jeans designed specifically for women, the 701, in 1934. The target market according to the company was women who worked on ranches and farms, but they quickly caught on in a much larger market and were actually featured in a *Vogue* article in 1935 as casual wear for women!
“But you are allowed to go into a Mikva on Shabbos?”
Yes. Al pi halachah you can actually go swimming on Shabbos but there is a very longstanding Ashkenazic minhag not to. (Don’t know about Sefardim.)
“you are not allowed to purchase chometz even to feed to animals”
The animals in the Zoos in the US are not owned by Jews. Not an issue.
The Bronx Zoo has a petting Zoo with domestic animals, in which kids can buy animal feed to feed the animals. That would be the only problem, so if the Zoo can’t tell you for sure that there is no chametz in that feed, don’t buy it!
He was a decent governor of Florida with a moderate conservative record. He like the rest of his family rejected the nativist hate that is infecting too much of the Republican party today. And his protege and successor as Florida Governor, Charlie Crist, was run out of the Republican Party and is now running for Governor of Florida as a Democrat.
I don’t see how the extremists who have taken over the Republican Party will allow him to get nominated.
My wife and I got engaged on the second date. Over nine years later we are still happily married.
I missed this. Thanks! I hope that we can all agree on this one, no matter what our hashkafah.
“I am not sure who your Rabbi is, since you do not name him”
He is smart enough to avoid publicity, unlike me. (Hmmm….maybe I should follow him more closely on that one.) But he has surprised The Rav’s grandchildren, including Rav Twersky, with some of the things he heard directly from The Rav.
“not in the derech of R Soloveitchik”
Rabbi Hershel Schachter does not always follow Rav Soloveitchik either. Nothing wrong with that. My rav asks shilahs of Rav Schachter! And in any case, Rabbi Lookstein is also recognized as one of the prime talmidim of Rav Soloveitchik, who praised the Ramaz School effusively (and himself ran with his wife and daughter a similar school in Massachusetts, the Maimonides school).
“I fail to understand how Harcsztark became a posek”
He became a posek when he was hired by the SAR board. They put him in charge.
You don’t like that? Don’t send your kids to SAR!
“instead of worrying whether women are allowed to”
This is more of a torah lishmah discussion here. I do not know a single orthodox woman who wants to put on tefillin. There may be some, somewhere, but this is clearly not a big issue in practice.
“women aren’t chayiv in shachris or mincha “
The Mishnah Berurah and the Aruch HaShulchan disagree.
“Women and men have EQUAL achrayus in hearing the Megillah leining, l’chatchilah.”
The Ashkenazic acharonim do not pasken that way.
“Potatoes can also be baked into bread.”
Quiet!!!! If the chumra of the month club finds out, they will ban potatoes, too!
I know nothing about these issues, but if a commenter identifies as part of Stormfront, he is by definition an anti-Semitic rasha.
“they sacrifice that to concentrate on trying to banish the hareidi instituitons”
I’m not defending the Jewish Home party, as I disagree with much of what it stands for, but they did not start the “war” with the charedim. Review the rhetoric of the last election campaign; the Shas party in particular was way out of line. The charedim lost and they should not be surprised that the Jewish Home party isn’t interested in helping them.
“Did they share with us the compelling reason to rule as they did?”
Rabbi Harcsztark and Rabbi Lookstein did, in writing.
“Did they even share their opinion with their own Rebbe?”
Rabbi Harcsztark did, and reported that is rebbe, who is also a high school principal, agreed with him.
” So in order to wear Tefillin, a woman would either have to completely disregard this shita”
A whole lot of rishonim disregarded this shita, which has no basis in Chazal.
“there would surely come a time when the woman who does NOT put on tefillin would be viewed as somehow not frum enough.”
That appears to be the case today regarding women hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
“despite 500 years of mesorah not to, to me it says that either these people are so exceedingly knowledgeable in their torah knowledge that they feel comfortable discarding the last 500 years of practical halachic practice, or, they simply dont care.”
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z’tz’l ruled that a woman can read Megillat Esther for a man l’chatchila, despite 500 years of mesorah not to. Into which category would you put him? (He does have the support of an uncontested mishnah, an uncontested gemara, Rashi, Rambam, and the Shulchan Aruch.)
“you are equating those who permitted these girls to wear tefillin with The Gr’a, Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soleveitchik “
My rav told me years ago that Rav Soloveitchik z’tz’l told him explicitly that women could put on tefillin if the motivation was correct.
” they would never IGNORE earlier authorities, they might rule differently DESPITE the rulings of earlier authorities”
In the case of women and tefillin, it is the earlier authorities who permit and the later authorities who don’t.
‘”al titosh torah imecha” means nothing to you?’
No, I said that there is a big difference between minhag and halachah. Minhagim change all the time. Halachah, only rarely.
Saying that minhag trumps halachah is reducing Rabbinic Judaism to a collection of customs. It is exactly what we accuse the Conservative and Reform movements of doing.
“If a truly Tzanua woman who is Yarei Hashem wants to put on Teffilin”
I do not know why this has become such a big issue. I do not know any orthodox women who put on tefillin. And I live in Riverdale!
“But the very strong Minhag is to be Oser.”
If it is minhag, it isn’t asur. There is a difference.
“It doesnt obviate hundreds of years of psak limaaseh and mesorah though.”
Can an acharon can ignore other acharonim? If you can pasken halachah l’maaseh based on chazal and rishonim, you can get very different conclusions. The Vilna Gaon did just that, and to a great extent so did Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik z’tz’l and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z’tz’l. Given our strong idea that earlier authorities are greater than later authorities, it takes a lot to say that the Bavli, and a significant fraction, possibly even a majority, of the important rishonim, can’t be followed.
I will second what others have written:
If you think the cost of hand made shmurah matzah is too high, start your own matzah bakery and undercut their prices.
Or get the machine made shmurah matzah for the seders and eat Streit’s for the rest of Pesach.
And if your rav is so insensitive to your economic situation that he requires handmade matzah for the entirety of Pesach, get a new rav. Take on a different chumrah that isn’t so bloody costly.
“reinstate the democratically elected government of the Ukraine “
It may have been democratically elected, but it certainly wasn’t democratic.
There are plenty of possible compromises that we in the Coffee Room could come up with; unfortunately neither side in Eretz Yisrael seems much interested in compromising. 🙁
Sorry, but I have no interest in supporting a regime whose ruling coalition includes an openly anti-Semitic political party the likes of which haven’t had any power anywhere in Europe since World War II. This “Svoboda” party needs to be put out of business.
I’ve never gotten drunk on Purim. Never will.