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I’m not sure about the population question, but from what I remember learning, there is a big mistake in your assumption – how often does there need to be this population? I learned that it needs to be once per year, not every day.
In fact, when R’ Moshe zt”l issued his psak about Brooklyn, he had a rule that we can estimate 1/5 of the population will be outdoors at a given time (during the day, obviously, not in middle of the night). Therefore, it would require a population of 3 million to meet the criteria. The population of Brooklyn was slightly below that number, but R’ Moshe said that since during the summer, many people traveled into Brooklyn to go to the beaches of Coney Island, it pushed it over the number required. This is obviously not every day, as it doesn’t happen during the winter.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.
Rafi, you say that your son saw a passion for Yidishkeit from you, because you’ve been a baal koreh for over 10 years, sometimes walking an hour each way for it.
But what about spending time with your son? When you walked an hour, did you take him with you? If you did, how did he feel about the long walk? Did he resent it? If you didn’t take him, did he go to shul at all? Did he have someone to sit next to, who could guide him with the davening and leining?
It’s important for us to remember that our children should be our #1 priority. We often need to give up things which are important to us in order to give to our children.
The #1 thing to do now, as was pointed out earlier, is to show love to your son. Try to spend time with him. Ask him what he’d like, and do it together. It may be as simple as taking a baseball and having a catch. But building that relationship up can’t hurt.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.Shopping613: I never said it wouldn’t be a good davening. The thread title was “for the hock”, not “for an uplifting davening”, so my point was that this is the wrong outlook for Rosh HaShanah.
yutz: I have major issues with what you quoted. So R’ Nachman said that he purposely disregarded the Mesorah he had from his father because he heard Hashem tell him to change it? We have a rule of Torah lo b’Shamayim hii, and Nevuah is long gone. Hashem gave the Torah to the ENTIRE nation and we have a Mesorah since then. How can one Rav, as big as he may be, claim that he will throw away a Mesorah because he heard a voice in his head?
Then, he says that the entire world depends on HIS Rosh haShanah. We say in davening every day, in Shema Koleinu, that Hashem hears the prayers of EVERY Jew. No prayer goes unanswered. So how can he claim that the entire world depended on his personal Rosh haShanah? Where did he get that idea from?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.R’ Bender used to tell over a story about R’ Moshe Feinstein, relating to pictures.
One time, R’ Moshe went to a bungalow colony in the summer to visit someone. A bunch of children began walking in front of him, taking pictures of the gadol. Someone asked R’ Moshe if he should stop them from taking the pictures. R’ Moshe replied, “I don’t know if I’m worthy of people taking my picture, but better they should have a picture of me on their wall than a picture of a baseball player!”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.
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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.”We have a rule that if someone is going to kill you, you should preemptively try to kill him first. Why does that not apply to the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto?
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!Zohar actually put out two albums – Freedom Now, and I am Back!
I have access to both of them, and can digitize them, but I don’t know what good that does for you.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.On Tisha b’Av, I mourn all the losses, including to the Holocaust, for the impact to me and the Jewish nation as a whole.
On Yom haShoah, I mourn the Holocaust publicly, for even the non-Jewish world to see, and to remind them of what can happen when hatred is unchecked.Circle, then why did the Shach institute a taanis on the 20th of Sivan to commemorate Tach v’Tat?
I don’t think it’s impossible to have a true platonic relationship with someone of the opposite gender, but it is extremely difficult. In almost all cases, yes, the male involved will be thinking those things (you know what I’m referring to.)
I can say from personal experience that there was one girl I had a platonic relationship with. How did it work? Because I didn’t find her the least bit attractive. 0%. Since I really didn’t find her attractive at all, I was able to have a platonic relationship with her.
With every other girl I knew when I was younger, it didn’t work that way. Even if I didn’t find them super attractive, there was always that small amount, which would lead to those thoughts. I didn’t have many friends of the opposite gender – it was more like some of them were within the same group of friends I was in. We would sometimes all go out together, but I definitely didn’t have a relationship where I’d hang out 1-on-1 with them, like I did with my guy friends.
So like I said, it’s not impossible, but it’s extremely difficult. There needs to be no attraction whatsoever, and that is very rare.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.catch yourself: You misunderstood the point of my post.
I did not say that they have license to take a shul to twist the words of the Torah – God forbid to say such a thing! I said that if a Rabbi took a job there, it may have been with the intentions of trying to gently guide them onto the proper path. I also said I don’t know enough about this man to say either way what he plans on doing. I definitely would not condone any acceptance by him of forbidden acts by the membership of his shul.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.The story about this mentions a case where one of the men touched the wine, and a chareidi man came over, yelling, and began smashing the bottles in front of him.
Even if you want to be machmir, there’s a way to do it without embarrassing someone. That was definitely a chillul Hashem.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.
Time for Truth: I don’t know why you’d assume that MO would believe or disbelieve something.
A Rebbe of mine (who is a well-known Rav in Brooklyn) once told us about something which may be kishuf or just another type of a koach hatumah. He was speaking about all the “mekubalim” who exist, especially in Eretz Yisrael. He claimed that most of them are not legitimate, and should not be trusted. He said how R’ Chaim Kanievsky, whenever he gives someone advice on a matter, will quote a Gemara or other source to back up what he says. He contrasted it with mekubalim who seem to know things, but don’t have a Torah based source for it – and also ask for large sums of money before they’ll help someone. A student asked, “But how do they know these things if they’re not legitimate? Doesn’t it come from the Torah?” The Rebbe replied, “True, the knowledge can come from the Torah. But the Torah also tells us that there are other means of obtaining supernatural abilities, such as witchcraft and other dark methods. They are forbidden. Many of the so-called mekubalim are likely utilizing these methods.”
Instead of sitting and waiting, why not get up and do some hishtadlus?
whitecar, I’d prefer Nikki Haley.
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?
There was an article written by R’ Yona Reiss, a Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS and the Av Beis Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and the topic of eating out on Pesach. It’s titled “Understanding an Unfriendly Minhag: Not Eating Out on Pesach”. If the mods don’t allow the link, it’s easy to find it via Google.
Mods, are links to YUTorah allowed? If so, here is the link:
http://download.yutorah.org/2016/1053/855409/understanding-an-unfriendly-minhag-not-eating-out-on-pesach.pdf“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.
CTL: In order to violate the clause, wouldn’t it have to be proven that the foreign governments paid above the market rate when they spent money at his properties?
CTLawyer: on what grounds?
The Gemara in Pesachin (41a) says straight out that you can fulfill the mitzvah of eating matzah using matzos that were soaked in water.
The Raavan, a rishon, states that some people refrained from dipping matzah into soup on the first night of Pesach. He says it’s NOT because they were concerned it would become chometz. It was so the taste of matzah wouldn’t be changed, and they wanted the taste to stay in their mouths all night.
The main source of the minhag today is from R’ Shneur Zalman Liadi, who held that since they changed the method of making matzos, by greatly shortening the time, it wasn’t kneaded as well, and some flour remained on the top of the matzos, that wasn’t kneaded into the dough. This is against what Rashi and the Rambam say, that flour which was heated in an oven can’t become chometz. There are others who disagree with them as well. R’ Shneur Zalman, when discussing the minhag of gebrokts, says the halachah is like Rashi and the Rambam, but since the Arizal said to be extra stringent on Pesach, we should take the other opinions into account, and be stringent.iacisrmma: in Plyler vs. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants are protected under the 14th Amendment.
There was recently an interview of R’ Schachter published in the Jewish Press. They don’t allow links, so I can’t post that, but here are the questions and answers regarding Purim:
Purim is approaching. What’s your opinion on the current level of drunkenness one sees on this day?
It’s scandalous. Purim is supposed to be a celebration of kabalas haTorah, accepting the Torah. In the days of the second Beis HaMikdash, there were many yamim tovim d’rabanan, all of which were batul after the churban habayis, except for Chanukah and Purim. Of all these yamim tovim, only one had a chiyuv seudah: Purim. The Gaonim had the girsa in the Gemara that the reason Purim is different is because it’s yom kabalas haTorah.
The words “kimu v’kiblu” [which we read in the Megillah] mean that there was another kabalas hatorah, so l’kavod kabbalas haTorah you have to make an elaborate meal. Purim is supposed to be a serious holiday. We really should stay up all night learning Torah.
Isn’t it also a happy day on which we celebrate our salvation?
Okay, so you drink a little until you become drowsy and take a nap as the Rema says in Shulchan Aruch, but it’s not supposed to be the Jewish Halloween. It’s scandalous.
You didn’t answer the question.
Joseph, even if everything you said is correct, how do you explain your going against the wishes of R’ Miller, who said he didn’t want his shiurim on the internet? Never mind what the site is doing, they’re going against it too, but why do you think it’s ok when R’ Miller said he was strongly against it?
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.
They say “thousands of kiddush’s”. Besides for their grammar being off, their numbers are off as well. Let’s say he gets married at 23, so 10 years between the bar mitzvah and the wedding. There are about 52 weeks in a year (using the solar calendar is easier, as it’s pretty constant, and you don’t have to account for the extra Adar). That’s 104 Shabbos meals, so 104 times making kiddush. Another 12 days of Yom Tov (4 Pesach, 2 Sukkos, 2 Shemini Atzeres, 2 Shavuos, and 2 Rosh Hashanah) adds 24, for a total of 128. That’s assuming (unrealistically) that all the days of Yom Tov don’t fall out on Shabbos.
As adocs pointed out, a teenager isn’t making kiddush most of the time anyway – the father is. But let’s assume that this boy is making his own kiddush every single time. Over 10 years, that’s 1,280 times. Hardly the “thousands” they advertise.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.
I’ve written in the past that we had our twins through fertility treatments. Unfortunately, one of the issues we encountered during those treatments was miscarriages. My wife had a few of them early in the pregnancies. Due to that, we didn’t tell ANYONE what was going on, with the exception of our Rav (since fertility treatments can bring up all sorts of interesting shailos). When the doctor told us that we were mostly out of the “danger zone”, we told parents. It was towards the end of the first trimester. We waited a bit longer to tell siblings.
My brother told me that he and his wife told parents as soon as they got a positive pregnancy test.Joseph, when it’s a minhag shtus, there’s no need to follow it.
Joseph, it’s not in the Igros that R’ Moshe released. It’s in the volume released years after his death. He didn’t select the teshuvos that were included in it.
Joseph, when R’ Moshe said b’shaas hadchak, it was in response to a unique case. In the teshuvos which he chose to include in the Igros Moshe, he never mentioned that part. He was matir it in general.
Vinegar is good to use in a marinade to get tender meats, as it can cause some of the connective tissue to break down, which tenderizes the meat. However, using vinegar as the ONLY liquid probably wouldn’t be a great idea. When the tissue breaks down, it also causes a loss of moisture from the meat, which will dry it out. Make sure to add salt. Salt minimizes the loss of moisture, so your meat will stay juicy.
There are a few reasons.
First of all, the Sifre (I believe quoted by the Ramban) says that a Navi is required to issue the command to build the Beis haMikdash. We don’t have that now, and won’t until Mashiach comes.
The Chinuch says that the majority of Jews must live in Eretz Yisrael, and it should be a sovereign Jewish nation. That is given as a reason why the 2nd Beis haMikdash was considered weak from the start – most people didn’t come from Bavel, and it wasn’t controlled by the Jews. The Gemara says the Shechinah wasn’t there for those reasons.
Until Mashiach comes and gathers the Jews together, we won’t have the prerequisites to build a new Beis haMikdash. Mashiach will be a king, and Eliyahu will be the Navi. We will have the gathering of the exiles to Eretz Yisrael. May it happen speedily in our days!In the 1700s, most Jewish people were actually illiterate. That was why the Baal Shem Tov completely departed from traditional Judaism, and founded Chassidus. He felt that since Jews weren’t capable of learning Torah, they needed a different way to serve Hashem. So no, most people in the 1700s in Eastern Europe did not spend hours per day learning.
Besides, if you’re going to count that, then shouldn’t you count the baal habatim in Israel now who learn Daf Yomi, who attend shiurim in the morning and evening, but thankfully don’t need government assistance to live?He started his own chassidus, and declared himself a Rebbe? What a joke. A Rebbe is supposed to be chosen by the followers. How many followers does this guy have?
Mazal tov to Joseph! He finally agreed that Modern Orthodox is considered frum! He wrote “Because within the frum spectrum MO/DL are the left-wing flank.”. So he finally considers MO to be within the frum spectrum!