DaMoshe

The OU was involved in efforts against the requirements.
I happen to agree with part of the law, but strongly disagree with a different part.
If private schools don’t offer enough time studying secular subjects, then they should not be eligible for government funding. I oppose the part where students of these schools would be considered truant.

Teach NYS just released a statement about the issue. They said they didn’t say anything before now because they wanted confirmation on what they believed to be correct. Here is what they said:

To: Teach NYS Member Schools

On November 20th, 2018, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued its Substantial Equivalency Guidance regarding curriculum requirements for non-public schools. Since the issuance of this Guidance, TEACH NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union, has been working with our school partners, leadership and advocates in Albany to understand and begin to address these requirements and enforcement measures. Concurrently, we have been communicating with government officials and others in Albany to help them understand and address the myriad issues relating to the guidance.

In summary response to the questions our member schools are asking, there are two issues that we are prepared to report on now. First, with regard to high schools, NYSED’s Guidance provides that all registered high schools are already in compliance and have no further obligations. Virtually all of the high schools in the TEACH NYS network are registered with NYSED. Second, in response to our inquiries, NYSED provided written clarification that the mandatory units of daily secular study are not more than one per grade for core subjects (English, Math, Social Studies and Science). This translates to 3.5 required hours of required instruction per day (not counting physical education) for grades 7-8. We held off distributing this important information until we could confirm this clarification at senior levels of NYSED – which we received from multiple sources at NYSED yesterday.

Philosophically, we believe that there are additional open issues that need to be addressed. First, we are extremely concerned about government regulation of the curriculum of religious day schools and Yeshivas. Our educational institutions should have the right to fashion our children’s education in a manner consistent with our Torah values and a curriculum that fosters the inculcation of such values and our religious tenets. Second, we are extremely concerned that the locus of enforcement authority with respect to State mandates sits with local school authorities. To the extent that workable guidelines are to be formulated, they require clarity and consistency which can only be achieved by centralized formulation and implementation.

Process concerns us also. Subsequent to the issuance of the November 20th Guidance, a number of organizations, coalition partners, heads of school and Roshei Yeshiva appropriately reached out to NYSED to seek clarification on a number of issues. Teach NYS likewise reached out to NYSED. While some of our questions have been answered, we have been in contact with our coalition partners, including prominent Roshei Yeshiva, and are advised that others, including these prominent Roshei Yeshiva, have made specific inquiries and requests that have yet to be responded to. We have urged NYSED to reach out to all parties to deal with these inquiries; an open discussion with all parties is important to avoid further aggravating an already difficult and confusing situation. Lastly, we note that the written responses we received from NYSED (which are set forth in full below) were accompanied by a commitment by NYSED to incorporate this and other clarifications into its Guidance. To date, no such revised Guidance has been issued. We urge NYSED, in the strongest terms possible, to clarify its Guidance as it has committed to do.

To conclude: We have been, and remain extremely concerned by state regulation of Yeshiva and day school curriculum. We strongly believe that any enforcement of the Guidance should be at the State and not local level. We call upon NYSED to issue their revised Guidance forthwith, and to make a concerted effort to engage with all organizations and groups that seek to engage with them.

Moving forward: Over the coming months, Teach NYS will work together with our coalition partners to seek appropriate clarifications and modifications of the Guidance and will continue to report to you on a regular basis with respect to our progress. In the interim, if there are any questions regarding this advisory, or any other aspects of the Guidance, please feel free to contact Maury Litwack, our Executive Director, with any questions.

Set forth below are the details of our correspondence with NYSED.

QUESTION: How many hours of instruction are required per day?
Based on the mandatory units of study found in “Appendix A”, Teach NYS informed NYSED that the new Substantial Equivalency Guidance requires at least 7.2 hours of instruction each day for grades 7 and 8. 7.2 hours far exceed the NYS compulsory education law requirement of 5.5 hours. Teach NYS informed NYSED of this inconsistency in the Guidance and requested an explanation.

ANSWER: NYSED responded by email informing us that the language in “Appendix A” of the Guidance was not clear and would be clarified to explain that students are to receive such instruction by the end of grade 8.

For example, two units of study for English language arts must be completed by the end of grade 8 (one unit in grade 7 and one unit in grade 8). Two units of study in English language arts are not required in each grade, 7 and 8. This pertains to all of the requirements, with the exception of library and information skills. What this means is that a school must only offer a minimum of 180 minutes per week (around 36 minutes per subject per day) of English, Math, Social Studies and Science for grades 7 and 8.

QUESTION: Teach NYS informed NYSED that the law only requires grades 7 and 8 to meet the units of study hourly requirements; the units of study do not apply to grades 5 and 6. Teach NYS requested that NYSED confirm that grades 5 and 6 are not required to meet the units of study requirement or provide an explanation with the supporting regulation.

ANSWER: NYSED responded that they will work through how to resolve differences in the structure of State intermediate learning standards and current regulation. A clarification will be posted shortly.

Additional Views

Judaic Curriculum and Equivalency: It continues to remain unclear which parts of our Judaic studies curriculum will satisfy the New York Learning Standards based equivalency requirements as determined by NYSED Guidance. The NYSED Guidance states: “In nonpublic schools, the unit of study requirements may be met, or their equivalents may be met, by the incorporation of the State learning standards of such subjects into the syllabi for other courses. Such integration must be documented in writing and kept on file at the school.”
How this Guidance will be applied remains to be clarified.

Non-academic subjects: Further discussion is warranted to determine the specifics of non-academic subjects like Career Development and Occupational Studies and physical education, among others.

It’s no longer in Linden, it moved to Union I believe.

Neville: Yes, I do believe that MO people who may not be strict in one area will ask a shailah in the areas where they are more strict. You mentioned tznius – just remember that most of the “rules” that the yeshivish and chassidish people follow in that area are chumros, not halachos. Most MO people (at least the ones I know) follow halachah, but many don’t take on the chumros which were accepted by the yeshivish community.

AWOB: R’ Moshe was not universally followed in all areas. For example, most don’t follow his position regarding Shabbos clocks. Satmar opposed his views on many fertility treatments, and even held that many children who were the results of those treatments are considered mamzeirim. (My children, who resulted from IVF, would not be acceptable to Satmar). Many don’t follow his views regarding an Eruv in Brooklyn.

In both cases you’re showing that you don’t believe in Judaism. Conversion also shows that you believe in another religion. So I’d say it’s pretty clear that conversion is worse – it’s OTD taken to the next step.

R’ Mazuz spoke recently about this. The article was on YWN: https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/1584386/rav-mazuz-use-money-for-kaparos-instead-of-chickens.html
Speaking at a weekly shiur, Rosh Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim HaGaon HaRav Meir Mazuz Shlita spoke out regarding the minhag of Kaporos before Yom Kippur, stating that in the modern era it is preferable to give tzedaka instead of kaporos.

The rav continued to explain: “I used to use chickens, but it made a mess in the home and sometimes it died on the way. It was not simple. Hence, I did hataras nedarim and began with using money. Giving money is preferable anyway, since it is not dirty, and we eliminate the issue brought up by the Ben Ish Chai, that a chicken sees the other being slaughtered and becomes fearful and its lung collapses.”

He added, addressing the matter of cruelty to animals. “They take the chicken for the poor and the poor person says: They already brought me 100 chickens. Where will I put them all? I do not have a large freezer. If I keep them a bit here and there, then we can use it for Sukkos or Chanukah, during Cheshvan, Teves and Shevat and even have some remaining for Purim. This is simcha for the poor man? In addition, at times, the chicken is in a hot vehicle for hours and this is truly ‘tzar baalei chaim’”, he concluded.

Regarding teshuva on Rosh haShanah:
Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, zt”l said the following. The Gemara in Kiddushin says that if someone is mekadesh a woman on the condition that he is a tzaddik gamur, it is a good kiddushin, even if the man is a pure Rasha. Why? Because maybe in his heart he was thinking about teshuva. The Minchas Chinuch is bothered by this. Teshuva isn’t an instant thing, it’s a 4-step process which can taker a lot of time! So how can this rasha become a tzaddik gamur just by thinking it in his heart?
R’ Shapiro explained that taking the first step to turn your life around is an important step in repentance. Just making that commitment is the first step, and when you follow it through, you are considered to have been a tzaddik from the starting point, even though there was no teshuva for a specific sin at that point.
So too, on Rosh haShanah, the shofar is there to wake us up and tell us it’s time to do teshuva. We don’t do teshuva for specific sins. There is no vidui said, there is almost no mention at all of repentance on Rosh haShanah. But we take that first step, and heed the call of the shofar to turn ourselves around. After Rosh haShanah, we begin the actual teshuva process, with the 4 steps it requires. But on Rosh haShanah itself, we need to make that commitment to correct ourselves.

If you think that Rosh HaShanah is all about an experience, then by all means, go to Uman.
If you think that Rosh HaShanah is about recognizing Hashem as the ruler of everything, and about davening with proper concentration, then do NOT go to Uman.

The official archivist of the Jewish Organization in the ghetto was Hillel Seidman. In his records of a meeting, he quotes R’ Ziemba as saying, “Of necessity, we must resist the enemy on all fronts. We shall no longer heed his instructions.
…
In the past, during religious persecution, we were required by the law ‘to give up our lives even for the least essential practice.’ In the present, however, when we are faced by an arch-foe, whose unparalleled ruthlessness and program of total annihilation know no bounds. The Halakha demands that we fight and resist to the very end with unequaled determination and valor for the sake of Sanctification of the Divine Name.”

Explain by example:
Have you ever felt there’s nowhere to turn?
Things seem confused?
No one’s concerned?
The times we live in are oh so dark.
A little faith, though, lights a spark.
Clears our vision, eases pain.
Hope arises again!

In Central NJ, there is a grant which caps your tuition at most of the local schools at a percentage of your income. I believe that depending on the amount you make, it runs from 15% to about 20%.
This does not determine how much you pay – it caps it. So if you have only one child, you likely won’t hit the cap, and will pay the full amount. If you have multiple kids, you’ll probably hit the cap.

Circle, then why did the Shach institute a taanis on the 20th of Sivan to commemorate Tach v’Tat?

According to the Star-K, you just remove the husk and rinse it well.
The CRC says after peeling and rinsing, you should just check to see if you notice any bugs.

I really think there are multiple parts to this entire thing.
First, should someone take such a job. I’m reminded of something I’d heard about a shul in Denver. There was a shul there which was the last OU shul without a mechitzah (it was grandfathered in under their old rules, before they required one). A YU musmach was offered the position of Rabbi there. He asked R’ Herschel Schachter about taking the job, as he was hesitant due to the mechitzah issue. R’ Schachter told him to take the job, to try and encourage the membership to install the mechitzah. However, he told him that if he wasn’t successful within a few years (I don’t remember the exact number), then he must leave. That was what happened – they still refused, and the guy left the job. When they tried to get another YU Rabbi, they couldn’t. R’ Schachter had instructed his students not to go there. The shul ended up hiring a YCT musmach. So we see that it can be allowed to go to a shul with big problems, but with strict guidelines, and with the right intentions. I don’t know what the intentions of this Rabbi are, so I can’t really judge.
This leads to my second point, which is the treatment of this community by the Jewish world. I think that the mindset does have to change in some ways. Many Jews look at these people as disgusting, and completely cut them off. I think we need to stop doing that. These are people who have a terrible nisayon, probably one of the most difficult anyone can have. They have urges to do things which are completely forbidden by the Torah. If they want to live frum lives, they are doomed to never marry, never have children, and be alone for their entire adult lives. This guy is correct when he states that they often have no spiritual guidance. Why should that be? We all do things wrong. We all speak lashon harah at times. Was anyone here never jealous of someone? We all do things wrong. Who is to say what aveiros are worse than others? You can argue that lashon harah can be worse, because it’s bein adam l’chaveiro. These people need someone to guide them so they can live a religious life, where they can be accepted. We obviously can’t tell them that their actions are ok, but there are lots of other mitzvos they need help with. Why should they be denied that?
Again, it all boils down to the intentions of this Rabbi. We can hope he has the proper mindset.

R’ Moshe Feinstein wrote a teshuva on this (Igros Moshe CM 2, 30), where he said it’s assur. Here is part of the teshuva:

This is forbidden not only by the law, but also by the Torah. And this is not only misleading, which is in itself forbidden as [the Talmudic sage] Shmuel states . . . that it is forbidden to mislead [any other person], so much the more here that he misleads everybody. It is actual stealing, for when he wants later on to get a job, work in a trade to make a living, in most cases [the employer] wants someone who excelled in his studies. And they will see his test results that he has a good score, and on that [false] basis he will be taken on, and this is actual stealing.

And don’t claim that even if that is the basis for his being hired, this is really an irrelevant basis and therefore it’s permissible to lie. First of all, even if there is no real basis for insisting on [good grades], this employer at any rate insists on it and so his hiring is null and void; and in any case it is always forbidden to lie even if there is no [unfair] advantage gained. . . Furthermore, if [the employer] knew he had lied he wouldn’t rely on him for anything, and he will [unfairly] cause others to be suspect. . . Furthermore, when people insist on this there is certainly a valid basis, for there are certainly things that someone expert in his studies will do better in business and commerce. . . This also develops habits of not knowing what is studied and habituates to laziness.

This is where I have an issue. So people chose to follow the Mishna, which says “Asei lecha Rav” – choose a Rav for yourself. Apparently, not wanted to wait for a baby to grow up is politics? Even if he was an adult, why can’t they choose a different Rav for themselves?

“Better” is relative. It all depends on what you’re in the mood for.

With people arguing over who makes the best kugel, I have to throw my hat in the ring. I make an overnight kugel which is delicious. I’ve had many people tell me it was the best kugel they’ve ever had.

CTLawyer: on what grounds?

iacisrmma: in Plyler vs. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants are protected under the 14th Amendment.

You didn’t answer the question.

Gaon – read the thread I posted about R’ Miller’s views on the internet. He clearly stated that when someone offered to put his shiurim online, he refused, because he was against the internet. So no, I don’t think he would have wanted his Torah posted online, even on the website which is now complaining.

Regarding their idea that the glass breaking doesn’t really hold any significance anymore, I actually see their point. My Rav actually does the following: at many weddings now, they sing Im Eshkachaich at the chuppah, before breaking the glass. He has the chosson break the glass while it is still being sung. That way, people don’t yell mazal tov right when the glass is broken. They yell it after the singing is finished.