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Moq,
While still in his 30s, Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l was a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan, and de facto Chief Rabbi of Boston. He probably would have had those kinds of accomplishments in his 20s except that he took time out to attend college in Poland and earn a doctorate in German philosophy in Berlin.
I visited the ethnography exhibit at the Israel museum in Jerusalem and their exhibits showed many examples of Jewish dress that were very similar to that of the non-Jews in the same time and place, except during times when we were oppressed and had to wear things like a Magen David. More confirmation confirmed by looking at pictoral depictions of our great sages of the past — I found a photo of Rav Hildesheimer on the internet and compared it to one of Bismarck. Their suits are similar; the major difference is that the Rabbi is wearing a kippah.
“Does a girl get any input on where to go? “
Yes. She has a total veto. If you are uncomfortable in a hotel lobby, suggest a different place!
If someone is in such poor health as to require an IV, they probably should not be fasting.
SJS,
Great thread! I’ve learned with chasidic litvik charedi rabbis even though I’m MO and it is very valuable. I think our leaders could set the example. Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon has already been to Teaneck, and Rabbi Shlomo Amar visited YU. Can Rabbi Hershel Schachter speak in Lakewood? Can Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein speak in Bnei Brak?
Rav Soloveitchik z’tz’l had great relationships with Rav Kotler z’tz’l and the Lubavicher Rebbe z’tz’l. That there don’t appear to be such relationships across the divide today may be an example of yeridot hadorot.
I agree about with the people who say “no hotel lounge”.
A friend once set me up with someone he know from out of town. The first problem was that we could not agree on any restaurant at which to meet because she didn’t understand why there wasn’t one kashrut Vaad in NYC and therefore didn’t trust anybody’s hechsherim. So we agreed to meet at a particular hotel lobby motzi Shabat. I allowed plenty of time to get there because I wasn’t sure about traffic and I didn’t like being late to dates — I thought it was disrespectful.
So I get to the hotel a half hour early — no traffic at all — and who is there but the annual dinner of the Palestinian American Solidarity Fund! And here I am wandering around in my kippah waiting for my date, who ended up being an hour late!!! After less than two minutes it was clear we were completely incompatible. What a waste.
Some more possibilities:
Museums! Try the Center for Jewish History on 16th Street in Manhattan. A neat little museum with interesting exhibits.
The Bronx Zoo! If you go during Chol HaMoed you will see tons of frum people. (Even on Yom Tov but it is a long walk to the Bronx if you don’t already live here.)
The Bronx Botanical Garden! For those who prefer plants to animals ;). The Zoo and Botanical Gardens in the Bronx are MUCH larger than the similar facilities in the other boroughs and well worth the train ride. There is a little kosher cafe on Lydig Avenue in Pelham Parkway near both that could use your business.
The Empire State Building! The view from the top is great and you will have lots of time to converse with each other while in line. And there are plenty of kosher eateries nearby.
Ellis Island! Most American Jews have ancestors who came through there; it is well worth a trip.
There are a number of frum dentists in the Bronx. It is a fine career for a frum Jew.
1) Learn Torah together! Pick something neither of you ever learned that interests both of you.
2) Explore NYC! There are a zillion places to do and see and many are inexpensive. Take a walk through some of the parks, ride the Staten Island Ferry, go to the top of the Empire State Building. And many great museums have evening hours, with great lectures on interesting topics.
3) Visit different shuls together! There are late minyanim in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx and most of the shuls have a kosher ezras nashim; take the subway or bus and enjoy each others company on the way and on the way home. In many cases there is a shiur before or after.
4) If your rabbis permit it (mine does) enjoy a theatrical performance together! There is some great theater in NYC and is isn’t anything like the pagan rites Chazal complained about.
Have a great time!!!
“And what did the Gemorah have that we do not?”
Modern scientific methods. That is in fact the reason this thread was started — Chazal and Rishonim would never have asured tap water. It is a machloket whether modern science may be used to overturn a decision of previous generations.
“Surely you are aware that each generation (i.e. Tannaim, Amoroim, Rishonim, Achonim) could not argue with an earlier generation category (i.e. an Achron can’t argue on a Rishon)! This is a basic fundamental point.”
No, it isn’t fundamental at all; in fact it isn’t true! Among the Ashkenazic Acharonim who have argued on Rishonim were the Magen Avraham, the Vilna Gaon and the Baal HaTanya.
And Rambam argued on everyone.
I’ve met a lot of people that looked like good matches that weren’t. Some things on which you’d better agree upon up front that I’ve noticed have been big problems for some:
(1) Children: How many and what kind of schooling. If you want a daughter to be able to learn all the halachic sources but your prospective partner thinks that is a waste of time, that is a problem. Similarly, of you think a son should only learn Torah but your spouse wants him to have a choice of careers that is a problem.
(2) Where to live: Some people just won’t consider leaving the NY metro area. Other people are called to make aliyah. This can be a deal-breaker.
(3) Career plans: If you want to learn full time and she doesn’t want to work outside the home, you’d better have an independent source of income. In general, lifestyle must fit income and both of you must realize that. Most (not all) careers that generate good income require advanced secular education; my wife and I both have earned doctorates.
(4) Chumrot: If either of you will give up your favorite chumrot in the interest of shalom bayit, you have a problem.
(5) Willingness to go with the flow: HaShem sometimes gives us things we did not expect. We must be willing to take whatever comes, and be flexible. You and your partner should realize that the plans are made by HaShem, and not by us — and be willing to react accordingly.
Then there are things that really don’t matter: What kind of kipah you wear, whether you wear a wig or a headscarf, and other surface things. It is the insides that matter.
I was blessed to find a tzniut woman with good midot who shared my values; I asked her to marry me on the second date. We had met through frumster.com. Baruch HaShem we are still married 5 1/2 years later.
The Orchos Rabbeinu may have been arguing on the rabbis of the Kibbutz HaDati movement who expressly permitted trousers. Both opinions have legs on which to stand. (Sorry for the pun.) Who are any of use to argue with either? In the spirit of Yom Kippur, lets allow each of us to follow our own rabbonim and cease charging others with not being frum. On this day of all days we should be looking at our own sins rather than at others.
Gmar Chatima Tovah!
I often work at FDNY HQ. I often see frum Jews in line because they have been cited for fire code violations. We of all people who were granted the principle of pikuach nefesh should be the last people to get fire code violations. Please, PLEASE do not put a sukkah on a fire escape. You will regret it if disaster strikes.
Many of the northern suburbs of NY also have unfiltered water, as they tap directly off the NYC aquaducts.
The copepods have been there since Noach. However, they were not really identifiable until the invention of the microscope during the time of the early acharonim. Chazal and Rishonim could not have identified them, so those who are matir have many legs to stand on. (Aplogies for the pun.)
I personally know people who are known as rabbis but do not have Yoreh Yoreh semichah, and I also know people who have Yoreh Yoreh semichah but are not known as rabbis. Semichah is just a statement that you have learned particular areas of halachah and can be trusted to teach and answer questions about those areas. Many with semichah never actually work as rabbis.
If an Orthodox rabbi tells you that a restaurant is kosher, and you see them serving something that is obviously treif, would you eat in the restaurant? Of course not! And you’d be over an issur if you did! (You would also probably call the rabbi and let him know what you saw.) The same is true regarding Shabat. We rely on rabbis when the halachah is unclear (sometimes even to poskim); we don’t need to ask shilahs on things that are obvious.
BTW my wife is a physician and was permitted to drive to the hospital on Shabat to take care of the patients.
Regarding the seemingly unfair penalties, the author of the Tosafot Yom Tov said that the reason that Jews were murdered in the Chmielnicki massacres was that we talked in shul.
Sorry I meant the bitul chametz not the biur chametz which of course only works on chametz that is fit to be burned!
An interesting story: A number of years ago on Shabat Hagadol I was at a Shabat meal where everyone was taking turns sharing their particular nutty Pesach chumrot. No gebrockts, only Jewish brands of food, not eating at others’ homes, no paper goods….as they got more and more extreme I was feeling left out because I don’t take on Pesach chumrot; I just follow the halachah as my rabbis teach me. (And I do ask shilahs!) Finally they got to me and I admitted that I didn’t take on any of those chumrot at all, but I did mention that I don’t sell chametz.
Everyone at the table thought that *I* was the one who had gone overboard with Pesach chumrot!
To all:
I have discussed my lack of mechirat chametz with three different rabbis and they all endorse it enthusiastically! The bliah in the kelim is of no value to anyone (so selling it makes no sense), and the biur chametz takes care of any potential issur.
Ideally none of us would sell any chametz; mechirat chametz was a post-Chazal kula (based indeed on sound sources within Chazal) intended primarily for merchants who faced financial ruin if they had to dispense with their entire inventory. I’m not a merchant so I don’t need to use that kula; instead I do the l’chatchila and get rid of all my chametz.
Minyan gal,
I would not trust the email you copied and pasted. Abdus Salam, a religious Pakistani Muslim, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 along with two American Jews (one of whom is an outspoken atheist). Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian Muslim woman, won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. (The Mullahs have actively tried to suppress her activity.) Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish Muslim whom I think is not particularly religious, won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. Muhammad Yunus, a citizen of Bangladesh, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Ahmed Zewail (not Zewai) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, not Peace. There may well be other errors and omissions there.
“There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people.” is unfortunately a false statement because of Yigal Amir and Baruch Goldstein.
The email blasts Nancy Pelosi unfairly. She has been a tremendous supporter of Israel even though she represents one of the few congressional districts in the US where that loses votes. Her opponent this year is a supporter of the anti-Israel anti-Semite Ron Paul.
And just what grounds would you use to stop the Park51 Center? It is entirely within the bounds of existing zoning laws. We are used to seeing anti-Semites and self-hating Jews trying to stop shuls and yeshivot from expanding and it is precisely the laws that protect shuls and yeshivot that protect the Park51 Center. If the effort to stop it — which is led by an apostate Jew who converted to Christianity named Jay Sekulow — suceeds, it may never be possible to build a new shul anywhere when there is community opposition.
While much of the Muslim world is quite backward in comparison with the west today, that was not the case a thousand years ago. The Muslim world was the world’s center of learning and science then, and had unversities when you could barely find a literate Christian anywhere in Europe who was not a member of some religious order. Anti-intellectualism is not *inherent* to Islam, just to extremist Islam.
Finally, you get a much different picture if you restrict the list of Jewish Nobel Laureates to Orthodox Jews. I can only identify two on the list who identified as Orthodox: Robert Aumann (a graduate of the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva!) and Rosalyn Yalow (the email spells her name wrong). I am proud to belong to the synagogue Dr. Yalow attended; the social hall is named for her. Other commenters — please identify any other Orthodox Jews on the list.
May I recommend my own field, biostatistics.
Very interesting work.
Good pay and working conditions.
Zero percent unemployment.
—
You need to be good in math, be interested in science, and get an advanced degree.
We get rid of every bit of chametz in the house and we don’t sign any contract since we don’t have any chametz to sell!
I don’t know if he qualifies as part of the “Jewish Entertainment Industry” but Cantor Dudu Fisher’s refusal to accept a starring role in a popular Broadway musical until they let his understudy sub for him on every Shabat and Yom Tov is a massive kiddush HaShem. It is even more impressive than Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax refusing to play baseball on Yom Kippur because Fisher refused to perform at least once every week. And Fisher has never been invited back for another Broadway role.
lesschumras,
My wife and I have never used mechiros chametz. It really hasn’t been a burden to eat it all up, or give it to a non-Jew.
But I’m not going to insist that others take on my chumrah.
squeak,
Read Rav Broyde’s essay; he brings sources that disprove your assertion.
Excellent points! Thank you.
And artchill reminds us that Jews who must eat on YK must say birkat hamazon if they eat a meal with bread and include Yaale v’Yavo. If you normally sing Shir Hamaalot on Shabat and Yom Tov you would sing it on YK as well. The Yaale v’Yavo for Yom Kippur is not usually found in bentchers but can be found in any YK machzor in the Shemoneh Esrei.
May all reading this have an easy fast!
“The Shulchan Aruch rules that one may not heat up water on Yom Tov in order to wash his entire body, since doing so is not shoveh lechol nefesh.”
So if washing ones entire body IS shoveh l’chol nefesh the entire issur vanishes. And as Rabbi Broyde wrote, “Halacha recognizes that the concept of shaveh lechol nefesh is determined by a societal and social norm and not by a fixed and immobile rabbinic decree” and he brings sources that prove this.
WellInformedYid,
Did you actually read the article?
rabbi108300,
You are saying that an American Jew can’t be a Torah Yid?
Are you saying that Rabbi Broyde is not a Torah Yid? He is a very respected talmid chacham and dayan!
There is an article by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde and Avi Wagner in
Journal of Halacha & Contemporary Society 39; Spring 2000 – Pesach 5760 in which they argue that in America, showering on Yom Tov might be permitted. The article is available online. I ran their logic past a rav and he agreed with the logic so I have always showered on Yom Tov.
Relevant excerpt from the article:
“It is possible that there is no custom to refrain from bathing and showering in cold water on Yom Tov; However, even a person with a clear custom not to bathe or shower on Yom Tov, who is uncomfortable on Yom Tov – because of the heat or because of uncleanliness – is permitted to shower on Yom Tov, rather than to spend Yom Tov feeling uncomfortable. One who is ill certainly may take a hot bath or shower on Yom Tov, if that will make him feel better. There appears to be no more of a reason nowadays for a sick person to take a cold shower than a hot one, given that bathing in hot water is clearly shaveh lechol nefesh. It should be noted that when showering or bathing or even only washing the face, one must be careful not to squeeze water out of one’s hair, nor use solid soap.”
I think I may have resolved the issue of the surprising apparent ignorance of the Ran regarding Muslim belief and practice: In another opinion, the Ran holds that Islam is not idolatry and the citation given by Kasha is not by the Ran himself but by a later (presumably less knowledgeable) author. Details are in Prof. Marc Shapiro’s article, “Islam and the halakhah” in *Judaism”, Summer 1993. It is available online.
A quote from the article:
‘What about a Jew entering a mosque? According to the halakhah, a Jew is forbidden to enter a house of idolatry and, therefore, almost all halakhic authorities forbid one from entering a church. Since Islam is not idolatrous, there should be no problem for a Jew to enter a mosque and, although no early halakhists seem to discuss this question, the prevailing opinion of recent halakhic authorities is to be lenient. Similarly, one nineteenth century Ashkenazic authority permitted the conversion of a mosque to a synagogue without the “nullification” of idolatry that is required when converting a church into a synagogue, while another authority even permitted a Jew to assist in the building of a mosque.’
The actual article includes citations. It does not, however, deal with the original question regarding Korans. Hopefully no Jew will consider the silence on the matter to indicate permission; if we allow Koran burnings you can be assured that sifrei torah will be next.
Kasha,
You continue to ask the wrong question. It is perfectly permissible for a Jew to enter a monotheistic house of worship that isn’t Jewish, even if we may not be permitted to engage in those specific forms of worship. Even the Ran and the Tzitz Eliezer held that way; they were just misinformed regarding Muslim practices.
Regarding published essays, you will find a response by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg on the Lubavich site askmoses.com that specifically states “Entering a mosque does not pose a problem, since Islam is based on a belief in the one-and-only G-d.”
Shouldn’t be here.
I had not read your comment when I posted. My rav has semichah from Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l so he is licensed to pasken shilahs.
My wife and I signed the Rabbinical Council of America prenuptual agreement. It specifies that if chas v’shalom our marriage were to end, all matters regarding separation and divorce are to be decided by the Beit Din of America. The RCA prenup is accepted by the overwhelming majority of poskim as well as by secular courts in the United States, and the Beit Din of America consists of outstanding, widely respected talmidei chachamim. Signing the prenup means that neither of us would be able to go to secular court and neither of us would be able to shop for a corruptible beit din. If more couples would sign the RCA prenup we would not have the abuses of halachah described here. I commend Rabbi Mordechai Willig for developing the RCA prenup; it has kept many women from becoming agunot and has protected many men and women from the temptation to violate halachah by using the secular court system inappropriately.
Kasha,
You confuse two issues: Whether another religion constitutes idolatry, and who is permitted to practice it.
You have continued your practice of cherrypicking your favorite opinion who argues against the overwhelming majority. This is not the way to discuss halachah, at least if one is Orthodox. Rambam clearly said that Islam is not idolatry and criticized those who said that it was. Furthermore the Ran’s statement that Muslims bow down to Mohammed is flat out false. I’m not aware of any important poskim who have agreed with the Tzitz Eliezer on the mosque issue. (If you know any, please cite!) The Tzitz Eliezer is certainly someone who can be followed — and indeed in most areas of medical halachah he is followed in Eretz Yisrael — but don’t criticize those whose rabbis rely on the majority.
The question was entering a mosque, not practicing Islam.
Also, the Ran was not given correct information regarding Muslim practices. No Muslim would ever say they are bowing down to anyone but God.
Kasha,
The Tzitz Eliezer may be a Daat Yachid on this.
Do you follow the Tzitz Eliezer on his other controversial psaks?
It is against the law in most places in the US to start ANY open fire without a permit from the local authorities, who are under no obligation to issue one. This has been an issue with chametz burning erev Pesach and baruch HaShem our leaders have in many areas worked with the local fire departments to have safe local burnings. Do not expect such cooperation if you want to burn somebody’s religious items as a protest.
Furthermore, Gen. Petreaus complained that even the rumors of Koran burning are endangering the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan who are trying to fight the Muslim fanatics there. And of course, if Korans get burned, sifrei Torah are next; this so-called Pastor Jones is also an anti-Semite who has endorsed the hateful actions of the Westboro Baptist so-called church whose members carry protest signs saying “God Hates Israel” in front of Orthodox synagogues.
If the beit din approves it is permissible.
And in any case the secular court has to approve any settlement from the beit din anyway.
One reason I like my rav is that he is almost always available. He is now retired from being a pulpit rabbi but still works as a chaplain; since he only has a few people who ask him shilah’s he always is able to get back to me in a reasonable amount of time. He paskens according to Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l when he has a mesorah from The Rav, and if he isn’t sure about an issue he consults with major poskim.
Aseh l’cha rav is a very important commandment.
You can buy a large but shallow aluminum pan with a flat lid that is specifically designed to cover all four burners on a standard sized-range. Google “K’deirah Blech” to find vendors.
I met my wife through frumster.com. We both had had terrible luck with shadchanim. After corresponding through frumster through five weeks we finally met in person. We got engaged on our second in-person date, and we remain happily married 5 1/2 years later.
One of the great advantages of frumster is that it creates dating opportunites for people who live in smaller communities. My wife and I were in different cities and we might never had met had it not been for frumster. As you might guess, I enthusiastically endorse it.
I can only try,
Public school teachers usually make more than teachers in independent or religious schools, but *principals* in private schools can make much, much, more than in public schools. (That may be why we have so many Jewish schools — a principal of a Jewish day school with a few hundred students often makes double the salary of a public high school principal who has thousands of students, so there is an incentive for people to start more schools!)
One more thing about government jobs: Don’t miss the deadline, and don’t expect to be able to change the information you submit after you apply. Chris Christie doesn’t realize that The Rules apply to everyone.
http://www.usajobs.gov/ is the official federal jobs web site. Because the right wingers have for the past generation attempted to make it look like the federal government was not expanding, many things the federal government used to do are now done by contractors even though it usually costs more. (I used to work for the contractors!) Therefore, many jobs require “status” which usually means you are already a federal government employee or have been laid off.
Almost all jobs with the federal government require US Citizenship. Jobs that involve national security information require a security clearance which is almost impossible to get if you have any family members living in countries deemed hostile to the US.
Sam,
Excellent point about Calcium and Magnesium. All should consult their physicians about proper doses. Without the Calcium and Magnesium you will be wasting your money. (Also worth noting: Calcium and Magnesium supplements raise significant kashrut issues. Consult your local Orthodox rabbi.)
However, frum Jews will not get enough Vitamin D from sun because we cover up almost all our skin.
tzippi,
Without the vaccine references, there is nothing wrong with the original post. As I pointed out, Vitamin D, while not a replacement for vaccines, does offer some protection against influenza, at least in children (who are the most vulnerable to the H1N1 strain). All parents should talk to their family physician or pediatrician about appropriate doses for different ages.
We are blessed by HaShem that so many diseases that used to cause so much suffering may now be prevented by vaccines! It is a non-trivial matter to come up with a schedule that works *logistically* given the number of vaccines, the number of doses, and the number of clinic visits that already-pressed parents need to make. Fortunately all vaccines now available in the US are even more safe (in terms of frequency of serious adverse events) than common over the counter pain medications, so unless there is a known contraindication such as an egg allergy almost all vaccinations can be given with confidence on or close to the reccommended schedule.
chance,
Some doctors buy the Big Pharma marketing, but plenty of others don’t. My wife is a doctor and refuses to talk to drug reps.
Unfortunately the Republicans in Congress bought into Big Pharma’s lobbying and made it much easier to get drugs approved; Newt Gingrich called the FDA the #1 job killer in America. As a result we’ve had some widely publicized drug recalls.
That said, there is a problem here that is really unsolvable: Most of the time you only really need to test a drug in a few thousand patients to prove efficacy. But if a serious adverse event occurs in only one in ten thousand patients you will most likely never see it in the efficacy studies. And if you require efficacy studies to have thirty thousand patients rather than three thousand, far fewer drugs will be tested because they will be unaffordable. Big Pharma isn’t totally at fault here, and there is no conspiracy!
chance,
I’ve published over six dozen peer reviewed medical journal articles. How many have you published? I also review about a dozen medical journal articles every year and have three on my desk right now; I know what I am talking about and I see through lies and spin. How many have you reviewed? I can even tell you exactly how they can design biased studies and why it is wrong. Can you give some examples of how to design a biased study or do a biased analysis? Better yet, please discuss exactly why you would discount the results of any of the vaccine efficacy trials. My first year medical students can do this, can you?
If you say there are lies, bring some data to back up your conjecture. The real lies here were the bogus association between vaccines and autism, which YOU bought into.