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ujm: R’ Pruzanky was asked about the survey. He admitted that he never read it or even saw an article – he was relying on an oral report, and never verified it.
His article said that 50% of MO High School graduates are no longer Shomer Shabbos within 2 years. Now, let’s assume that’s true (I don’t think it is). What you need to take into account is how many were shomer Shabbos to begin with? I know of a bunch of schools who have students that are not shomer Shabbos. The school still takes them in to try and teach them about Shabbos, and to get them to be more observant. But even with that, I highly doubt that even close to 50% of grads stop keeping Shabbos. If you could find the actual survey, I’d love to read through it. I question whether it actually exists at all.I remember when I was in Darchei Torah, a Chassidish Rebbe came to the area. Many guys were trying to get appointments to see him. I also did (you’ll hear why soon).
The Rosh Yeshiva got up and told everyone, “I understand the attraction of going to see a Chassidisher Rebbe. But why would you go to him when you have such amazing Rabbeim here? You need advice? You want a bracha? Ask your Rebbe here! He knows you, he knows what you need, so speak to him!”
He approached me afterward, and told me, “I heard you have an appointment to see the Rebbe tomorrow. Are you still going to keep it?”
I replied, “Yes, I am. Because I spoke to my Rebbe, and he told me that I should go speak to this visiting Rebbe!”
The R”Y smiled, and said, “If he told you to go, I can’t argue – and I’m glad you asked him first!”You can’t look at things that individual people have done, you have to look at the stance of a group as a whole. While both Liberals and Conservatives have things which are wrong, I firmly believe that Liberals have more things wrong, and more severe.
There are 2 main issues that I look at – abortion and gay marriage. R’ Moshe Feinstein wrote straight out that abortion is murder. For those who will ask, “Then why doesn’t a person who purposely causes a miscarriage get the death penalty?”, I refer to you the Meiri. He said that killing an unborn child is such a major sin that even death can’t atone for it, so we don’t give the death penalty. Liberals have made abortion one of their main issues, and they fully support it. In Judaism, the only time abortion is allowed is when the fetus presents a danger to the health of another person (usually the mother, but can also be another fetus in cases of multiple pregnancies.)
Gay marriage is the other issue. I remember learning that according to one opinion, the final straw in the times of Noach that led to the flood was because they began writing marriage contracts between couples of the same gender. So this is what we’ve come to – we are as bad as that generation. This is one of the 7 mitzvos b’nei Noach, and incredibly, there are Jews who claim to be Orthodox who supported allowing it!
Over Yom Tov, I was reading the R’ Moshe Feinstein Hagaddah from Artscroll. One of the stories in it said that when man landed on the moon, R’ Moshe said he knew they’d find nothing there. He said that in all his learning, he never found any reference to life on other worlds, so it must not exist!
In the US Military, “Sir” is used when addressing a superior officer.
If you are going to use that book, be aware that much of what is presented as basic halchah is NOT halachah at all, but extreme chumros.
A well-known and respected Rosh Yeshiva once told me that Oz V’hadar Levusha does more harm than good, as it scares people away by being way too stringent.Reb Eliezer, “yom shekulo Shabbos” does not mean that it will be Shabbos all the time, with all the rules it includes. You think we won’t be allowed to do work at all?
I think it means something else. Shabbos is the bridge between the Olam haRuchni and the Olam haGashmi. On Shabbos, the two worlds connect. I think Yom shekulo Shabbos refers to the fact that when Mashiach comes, the 2 worlds will always be in sync, not just one day per week.Reb Eliezer, it doesn’t matter if people will still get abortions or not.
One of the reasons given for the Mabul is that the society in place began writing marriage contracts for same-gender couples. The fact that there were couples has always happened, and will continue to happen. What caused the flood was that society accepted it as something that had nothing wrong with it – something that has happened again in our times.
When it comes to murder, yes, it will happen. It always has, and likely always will. But we can’t accept it, and say it’s ok. We need to make people recognize that it is wrong.Almost all Democrats today are enabling murder – they support abortion. Abortion (except in very specific cases, where the health of the mother is threatened), is 100% murder. So no matter how decent a person a Democrat may be, if they support abortion, we should oppose them.
I went to get my vaccine, and they gave everyone an information sheet.
On the sheet, it said in bold letters that the vaccine is NOT FDA Approved. It was given an emergency exemption to be allowed for use, but it did not get the usual approval.
So those who claimed it’s not approved are correct, but weren’t telling the whole story.R’ Hershel Schachter made a brachah of Hatov v’hameitiv when he received his vaccine.
mobico: See what I wrote above, that R’ Hershel Schachter holds that one is obligated to use the techeiles if wearing a tallis (or tallis katan).
Benephraim: R’ Yerucham was before my time. I do remember both R’ Mordche Yosef and R’ Yanki well.
I really only davened there for the Yomim Noraim. What are my recollections? The old baal Shacharis there, R’ Hoch – his voice had a haunting quality to it. I remember that during Mussaf (with Mr. Bronfeld davening), they had the minhag for someone else to sing the piyut of Heyei im pipiyos. R’ Hoch sang it, to the most beautiful tune. Years later my brother found where the tune is from – b’nei heichalah, from Modzitz (sang by BZ Shenker).
The Baal Tokeya, Mr. Vershlizer (not Jack, he was retired when I davened there, it was his son) – he was also a chazzan. I can still hear his Min Hameitzar so clearly in my mind.
What else….
There was a family who used to bring in a huge rug for bowing down, so that people wouldn’t have to use paper towels or newspaper.
I’m sure other memories will come to me over time.Benephraim: Yes, I remember the Radziner shtiebel very well. My father davened there when he was younger, and still returned to daven there for the Yomim Noraim each year. I was there with him until I got old enough that I davened in my yeshiva.
R’ Hershel Schachter actually holds that you are obligated to wear the techeiles. You can read his reasoning in the sefer R’ Schachter on the Parsha, Parshas Shelach.
He says it’s not yuhara, because that only applies to something that is a midas chassidus. He holds this would be considered a safek d’Oraysa, and we should be machmir to wear it.
He further quotes the Beis haLevi who says that bal tigrah is in a case where you knowingly perform a mitzvah l’chatchilah in a way that it is only fulfilled b’dieved. If it’s not such a case, it’s not bal tigrah, it’s a bitul mitzvah.
Since we hold that wearing tzitzis without techeiles is a b’dieved, and we have a safek d’Oraysa with what may be the proper dye, not using it could cause you to knowingly fulfill the mitzvah b’dieved.
He closes the piece by saying that since we wear a tallis as a midas chassidus (as the only obligation is if you are wearing a garment with 4 corners), then if you don’t use the techeiles (and it’s readily available), you’d be better off not wearing the tallis at all!Participant: I like Haley for a few reasons. Most notably, I thought she did an excellent job as UN Ambassador. She is probably the only Trump appointee who is well-liked even by many Democrats. I think she has the best chance of winning.
One of my posts, where I quoted the Igros Moshe, didn’t go through. Mods, was it because I mistakenly put the wrong reference (OC instead of CM)?
Here is the correct source:
See Igros Moshe, CM 2:69, where he says straight out that abortion is murder:
לברר שהריגת עובר אסורה באסור רציחה בין בעכו“ם
בין בישראל… ולכן לדינא… איכא איסור רציחה מלא
תרצח גם על עובר ורק שפטור ההורגו ממיתה.Sorry, I wrote OC, which was a mistake – I meant Choshen Mishpat.
Reb Eliezer, look in the Igros Moshe where he says it’s murder. The Meiri says the reason Beis Din can’t give the death penalty for abortion is because even death can’t atone for such a sin. We don’t give the death penalty unless it is a kapparah for the sin.
I’m not too upset about the election outcome. Yes, Trump lost, but the Republicans gained seats in Congress. I believe Biden/Harris will be absolutely horrible. Historically, in the midterms, the opposition party (opposition to the Presidency) gains seats in Congress. I’m looking forward to a larger Red Wave than occurred in 2010. Then, I hope Nikki Haley decides to run in 2024.
I don’t know if Biden is senile or not. All I know is that having Democrats in charge is bad for the country. They stand for killing unborn babies (which R’ Moshe Feinstein said is murder), pushing the LGBTQ agenda, ruining local economies by adding more and more welfare… how can any Jew support a Democrat?
Defend Chabad: I hope you’re correct, and Mashiach does come this year. I’m just curious, though – if he doesn’t come, what affect will that have on you? Unfortunately, there are times when someone has a deep-seated belief, and when it’s proven wrong, they can throw other beliefs away, or sink into a depression,
health: how do I rely on my local posek for life and death questions? I’ve only once had to ask such a question. I asked my Rav at the time, and he asked to speak to the doctor to get some details. We gave the doctor permission to speak to him, and he got the required information. He was able to give us a psak.
I did once have a very complex shailah, although it wasn’t dinei nefashos. I asked my Rav, who told me he couldn’t answer it. He suggested I ask Rabbi Willig. I called Rabbi Willig, who told me, “I’m not touching that shailah with a ten-foot pole! The only Rav in America who should pasken that is R’ Dovid Feinstein. Ask him!”
I spent weeks trying to reach him, until my Rav actually met him at a funeral. He was able to ask the shailah, and get an answer for me.A good Rav should know when he could and when he can not answer a question. If he can’t answer, he should be able to refer you to someone else who can answer it.
There aren’t many songs that really withstand the test of time, and are still frequently sang years after their release. Even popular songs mentioned above (such as Racheim) aren’t used much anymore. Here are some that I believe have withstood the test:
Acheinu (actually from Lev v’Nefesh, not from Dveykus, although still Abie Rottenberg)
Hamalach Hagoel (Dveykus 4)
Shalom Aleichem (Regesh 3)
V’zakeini (Baruch Levine)
Machnisei Rachamim (I believe originally from Shlomo Simcha?)
Just One Shabbos (MBD)
Mama Rochel (Journeys)
Memories (Journeys)The only way to have a minyan currently is if a family has a minyan on their own. If they all live together anyway, they can daven together.
You’re not selling the chametz when you exchange the pen, gartel, or anything else. You are appointing the Rav to be your Shaliach to sell the chametz on your behalf.
Joseph: It’s been reported on multiple sites, so I’m not sure which one you’re referring to.
Joseph: If you had a psak from R’ Hershel Schachter saying so, then I’d listen, as my Rav is a student of his.
I asked since you seemed to be following R’ Aharon Feldman (at least your earlier posts were quoting him). Since he changed his stance, you had the rug pulled out from under you. Will you still follow him?Joseph, the letter from R’ Chaim has now been confirmed. He wrote “Kedai meod lehatzbia.” Will you now be mevatel yourself to the wisdom of R’ Chaim and vote for a frum party in the election?
Joseph, were you talking to yourself again? Is that where you heard that from?
Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger, one of the editors of the Yated, spoke with R’ Feldman. R’ Feldman told him that he was being mevatel to R’ Chaim and withdrawing his opposition.Joseph, there are now reports that R’ Feldman has withdrawn his opposition to voting, due to the psak from R’ Chaim Kanievsky.
Joseph: you’re twisting the words of R’ Feldman.
He said that R’ Brudny withdrew his statement of the MOETZES supporting voting. R’ Brudny still personally supports voting, but he’s not issuing any statements on behalf of the Moetzes.
R’ Brudny and R’ Kaminetsky actually reaffirmed their support, and they are now supported by R’ Chaim Kanievsky.
Joseph, will you now attack R’ Chaim for encouraging people to vote?My kids used to have one. It was red and yellow, and said “Little Tikes” on it. It even had these googly eyes on the front!
R’ Yaakov Bender shlita often tells a story about his Rebbe, R’ Shmuel Berenbaum zt”l. There was a bochur in the Mir who developed a gambling problem. He ended up drawing in others in an attempt to deal with his own mounting debt.
R’ Bender, along with a few other elder bochurim, approached the Rosh Yeshiva, and told him about the situation, and they told him they felt the boy must be expelled. They weren’t prepared for the response that followed. R’ Berenbaum yelled at them, “Did you fast 40 taneisim before making such a decision?!?! How can you decide dinei nefashos without fasting for 40 days?”
R’ Berenbaum worked closely with the bochur, and he eventually turned his life around, and became a well-known talmud chacham (of course, R’ Bender never says who he is.)We in the CR can’t say someone should be kicked out of a school.
Sara Schenirer wrote in her diaries that she studied Gemara, as part of the Chok l’Yisrael. Chok l’Yisrael had a daily portion of Chumash, Navi, Mishnayos, and Gemara, and she went through all of it.
Most big Rabbonim don’t learn Daf Yomi, they are learning along with their yeshiva, and whatever is being done that zman.
I would much prefer to hear from some of the maggidei shiur who are baalei batim, who are much more likely to inspire others to learn. When a Rosh Yeshiva gets up and speaks about it, I’m not inspired. When someone who gets up at 5:00 am every day to attend a 5:30 shiur, before davening an early Shacharis, is the one speaking, I find it much more inspirational. I can relate to someone like that much more, as I’m in a similar situation.I don’t think the rioters are being ignored. Per the story on YWN’s front page, 136 people were arrested.
I don’t see why you need to have a nice response here. This coworker is putting down Orthodox beliefs.
I would have responded, “I’m glad you had a good experience, but I don’t appreciate the insult to my beliefs. Saying that Conservative is better than Orthodox is inappropriate. I don’t try to convince you that my beliefs are better than yours, and I’d appreciate you showing me the same level of respect.”EphraimBarLevi: Actually, R’ Hershel Schachter says that galus doesn’t mean being away from Eretz Yisrael. He says it’s a lack of gilui shechinah. So even though we have Eretz Yisrael now, doesn’t mean the people there aren’t in galus – until the full geulah, when the shechinah will dwell among us in the Beis haMikdash, we are all in galus.
The whole piece about it is in the sefer R’ Schachter on the Parshah. I don’t recall which parshah it’s written for, and I don’t have the sefer with me now to check.According to religious Zionists, galus is definitely not over, even for those living in Israel. We believe that the State of Israel is part of the geulah, but it’s not complete.
When the Old City was retaken in 1967, what did Rabbi Goren do? He made a brachah of Menachem Tzion u’voneh Yerushalayim. He recognized that our geulah was still not complete, since Yerushalayim is not completely rebuilt yet. Zionists in Israel still say Leshana haba’a b’Yerushalayim. If they believed that galus was over, why would they say that?
As for non-religious Zionists, do they really believe in galus at all? After all, they don’t believe in Shabbos, kosher, taharas hamishpacha, and many other things, so why would you really take their opinion into account?I fulfilled a special mitzvah on Shavuos night this year.
Unfortunately, on Friday night I had a health scare and had to be rushed to the hospital. I spent the entire night and part of the morning there before being released, with a lot of medication to use.
In the shul, one of the members is a doctor, who was aware of what was happening (I had spoken to him after davening on Friday night, when I started feeling lousy.) He came over to me after Mincha on Shabbos and told me, “If you’re thinking of trying to stay up tonight, forget it! Doctor’s orders, you go straight to bed!”
So I fulfilled the mitzvah of safeguarding my health, and made sure to add in extra learning time during the day.We don’t need Mashiach to come in order to bring a korbon Pesach.
There are records of R’ Yechiel m’Paris, who traveled to Eretz Yisrael to try and bring a korbon Pesach. However, he couldn’t determine the exact location of the mizbeach, so it didn’t happen.
Later, R’ Akiva Eiger asked his son-in-law, the Chasam Sofer, if he could convince the Sultan to allow Jews to go on the Har haBayis to bring a korbon Pesach. The Chasam Sofer replied that the Sultan would never allow Jews to bring any sacrifices on the Har haBayis, so it couldn’t happen. However, the Chasam Sofer clearly wrote that we are allowed to bring a korbon Pesach from a halachic perspective.Neville – you are incorrect. I avoid most music during sefirah (I was taught that classical music is permissible, as is slow music which won’t lead to dancing), and I observe Yom haAtzmaut.
Chacham Ovadia Yosef held to say Hallel without a bracha (see Teshuvot Yabia Omer 6:41)
In the morning, I usually eat whatever the shul is serving at the siyum – I’ve had a bagel, I’ve had donuts, cake, it all depends on where I am for Pesach.
For lunch, my mother used to make a Shepard’s Pie. I haven’t been home for Pesach in a few years, so my wife hasn’t had to prepare lunch. When we were by her family, it was shnitzel (with potato starch coating, not matzah meal, don’t worry!) and some potatoes.
This year, I’ll be at home, but I’m not sure what my wife has planned.I went to a store in Monsey who was having a special. I got from the Monsey Matzah Bakery, under R’ Yechiel Steinmetz, for $17/lb.
Doesn’t it cause a lot of smoke in your kitchen? My oven smokes on self clean even if there’s nothing in it. I’d think that having food in it would only make it worse, and can also potentially be a fire hazard.
R’ Belsky zt”l wrote a teshuva where he says it can be used. It’s not just watered down Grape Juice.
It is extremely useful for diabetics, as it contains significantly less sugar than most other products. I know many who use this exclusively for kiddush and arba kosos.R’ Herschel Schachter has a fascinating piece on this idea.
He writes that the definition of galus is the deprivation of gilui Shechina. The full gilui didn’t come until Matan Torah, so the geulah wasn’t complete until then. There were stages to it, it began with Pesach, but didn’t end until we had the Shechinah.He notes that we’re told that we are destined to be redeemed in Nissan, but we also say b’chol yom sheyavo – Mashiach can come any day. The contradiction is answered that the 3rd Beis HaMikdash won’t be dedicated until Nissan. So while Mashiach can come at any time, our redemption won’t be complete until we have the gilui Shechinah, with the new Beis haMikdash, in Nissan.