DaMoshe

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Viewing 50 posts - 651 through 700 (of 1,587 total)
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  • in reply to: Chief Anti-Semite of the US #1194722
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    If I had to choose a chief anti-semite, it would probably be Joseph.

    in reply to: Bitul Zman & Bitul Torah #1189771
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Joseph, any section you’re in is a moshav leitzim.

    in reply to: Bitul Zman & Bitul Torah #1189763
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I post on the CR far less than the OP.

    in reply to: Nusach sefard #1190199
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    R’ Moshe Feinstein said that one can switch from davening sfard to daven ashkenaz, but not the other way around.

    When I was in college, I learned in a small yeshiva for a year, where one of the Rabbeim was a student of R’ Aharon Kotler. He told us a story where R’ Aharon was traveling with a few students (including this Rebbe) and they stopped to daven Mincha. The shul davened sfard. R’ Aharon asked if he could daven for the amud, and he went up and davened ashkenaz. One of hte students asked him, “But Rebbe, the minhag hamakom is to daven sfard!” He replied, “Minhag hamakom has its place, but this is the proper nusach!”

    Ah, good times in that yeshiva. It was where I met Feif Un. We went to the same college and the same yeshiva while in that college!

    in reply to: Apple Throwing Tish #1188912
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Actually, the Pri Megadim (Eshel Avraham 167:38) says that you should not throw food even if it won’t get ruined.

    in reply to: Piyut of Vechol Maaminim #1186811
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Maybe because you’re supposed to say the first line in the same breath as you end the previous paragraph, leaving you starting at V’chol Maaminim.

    in reply to: Going to the Kotel later! #1187321
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Joseph: The Dati Leumi people are busy learning in the Beis Medrash.

    in reply to: the rav #1185872
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    y1234: I also learned in Darchei, and I can back that up. My brother once asked R’ Altusky about learning R’ Soloveitchik’s seforim on Gemara, and R’ Altusky told him to definitely learn them, as the chiddushim are amazing – and he had all the seforim in his house! My brother asked why they don’t have them in the yeshiva beis medrash, and R’ Altusky told him that since there is a difference of opinion regarding some of his hashkafos, he felt some of the younger boys in the yeshiva might take it as an endorsement of ALL his works if they had his seforim there. But he did encourage older students to learn his chiddushim.

    My Rav (a close student of R’ Herschel Schachter shlita) told me a funny story. I don’t remember if it was with a relative or a close friend of his, but it was someone close.

    So this person came from a family that was mostly yeshivish, and most of his siblings learned in Chareidi yeshivos. He went to YU, and received semichah there.

    He once came home for a Yom Tov, and one of his siblings also came home from yeshiva in Israel. At a meal, his father asked the brother to say over a shtikel Torah. He told the YU guy, “Listen, so you can see how a REAL yeshiva guy learns!” The brother began saying it, and my Rav’s friend had to hold back his laughter – he was saying over a chiddush from R’ Soloveitchik zt”l!

    When he finished, the father said, “So, you see? That was a wonderful chiddush! Do you learn things like that in your modern Yeshiva University?”

    He replied by turning to his brother. “Abba is right. That was beautiful! Who did you learn it from?” The brother hemmed and hawed. “It sounds like a Soloveitchik type of chiddush. What do you think?” Again, the brother hemmed and hawed. The father asked, “Nu, where is it from?” The brother finally cracked and said it was from R’ JB Soloveitchik. The father never insulted YU again.

    in reply to: Why Brooklyn Bais Yaakovs Need Unity Now #1178806
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Why is there a chiyuv to help these girls? Many Rabbonim have famously paskened that when it comes to children receiving a Jewish education, it is considered dinei nefashos. Indeed, some were even machalel Shabbos to deal with these issues.

    If you saw someone drowning, would you say “It’s not my business!” and walk away? You’d be transgressing an issur d’Oraysa in doing so – Lo saamod al daam re’acha!

    If a girl doesn’t have a school, it’s considered pikuach nefesh. Everyone who is able to help has an obligation to do so.

    As for the Five Towns and high tuition, I can’t speak for all schools, but I can speak about the yeshiva I went to, Darchei Torah. Darchei’s tuition is not cheap. But if someone can’t afford it, they will work with the person to find out what they can afford. I personally know of families who not only paid no tuition at all, but had R’ Bender help them out. I remember when I was in the yeshiva, R’ Bender would meet with every boy before Pesach and find out if they needed a new suit, or a new hat for Yom Tov. If it was needed, he would pay for it.

    Yes, tuition is high pretty much everywhere in the US. I just think about it the same way I think about other things. One day, I will be giving a din v’cheshbon, and they may ask me, “How much did you value your children’s Jewish education?” I will be able to answer, “I gave up vacations, a big house, a fancy car, and many other things, and made their education my top priority!” Money all comes from Hashem, and He gives us what we need.

    in reply to: Ubiquitin and Health are still at it! #1179655
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Health, is everything ok? You ended a sentence with a period instead of an exclamation point. Just wanted to check up on you and make sure you’re ok!

    in reply to: Is the $7600 per couple offer on the main page a scam??? #1180719
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    yehudayona: My brother was there when he spoke about it, and he told me what was said.

    Yes, he objected to the promises they made, not how they distribute the money. But he said taking money with false promises is pure stealing.

    in reply to: Why do working people tend to not be as ruchniyus as Kollel people? #1177047
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Joe, you are twisting the words of the Rambam. He says (Mishneh Torah, Talmud Torah, 3:10, and thanks to R’ Eliyahu Fink for the translation):

    Anyone who comes to the conclusion that he should involve himself in Torah study without doing work and derive his livelihood from charity, desecrates name, dishonors the Torah, extinguishes the light of faith, brings evil upon himself, and forfeits the life of the world to come, for it is forbidden to derive benefit from the words of Torah in this world.

    Yes, in Hilchos Shemitah v’Yovel he goes through the benefits that the Levi’im got, and says that anyone can get the same benefits if they want to dedicate themselves to serving Hashem. However, in his commentary on the Mishna (Avos, 4th perek) he lays out exactly what benefits those are. He also says that many people twist words to allow themselves to learn without working to earn a living at all, and that it is completely wrong. He maintains that even someone who is learning needs to have some kind of business/job in order to support himself and his family. He brings as proof the fact that the Tanaim and Amoraim all had businesses to support themselves.

    Congrats, Joe. You are doing just as the Rambam said – twisting words to mean what you want them to mean.

    in reply to: Is the $7600 per couple offer on the main page a scam??? #1180716
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I saw another scam on the front page – Kupat Ha’Ir, who R’ Matisyahu Salomon said are thieves, had an ad.

    in reply to: Is the $7600 per couple offer on the main page a scam??? #1180706
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    If the guy running the scam was a Zionist, Joseph’s views would change.

    in reply to: Condemnation of Jerusalem Parade #1164261
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Joseph, what does MO have to do with it?

    IIRC, a bunch of Daati Leumi Rabbonim came out and opposed the parade.

    DaMoshe
    Participant

    It really depends on what you’re looking for. You ask for Modern or Yeshivish – does that mean you want a right-wing MO yeshiva?

    RTMA is a good school, if you’re looking for somewhere that will give your child a firm foundation in Judaism, but not a kollel lifestyle. Pretty much all students there go to Israel for a year or two after graduating, and then go to college. They do get a love of learning, and many learn daf yomi, or have a chavrusah every evening.

    in reply to: Order of Kibbudim? #1159332
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Someone told me a great story about kibbudim.

    This guy married a geyores. Her family was used to family being “part of the wedding”, like bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc. They didn’t understand how a Jewish wedding works, and they wanted to be participants.

    The couple came up with a great idea. They told her family, “Did you ever see in movies how at a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom are lifted up in the air on their chairs? That’s something reserved for very close friends. We’d like to honor you with lifting the chairs!” Her family was thrilled with it!

    in reply to: KIPPOT SERUGOT #1159268
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    When I was growing up, my father wore a leather or suede kippah. My brothers and I all wore velvet ones. When I got older, and was able to buy them for myself, I started wearing plain black knit kippot, as I found them more comfortable than the velvet ones.

    My wife told me she liked the ones with the designs, and asked if I could wear them, as she just preferred them. To make my wife happy, I now wear a kippah srugah with a pattern. The exception is for the Yomim Noraim, I have a plain white knit kippah.

    So I don’t do it to identify with a group. I do it out of comfort and to make my wife happy.

    in reply to: Order of Kibbudim? #1159326
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    147: I believe that the Yekkes give a speech at the chuppah for that reason.

    At my wedding, I gave Krias HaKetubah as the 2nd “highest” honor. I’ve mentioned that I learned in Darchei Torah. I was in a smaller, half-day yeshiva while I was in college, which was also the time I got married. That Rosh Yeshiva was my mesader kiddushin, and R’ Bender shlita read the ketubah.

    We almost had to switch things up – R’ Shteinman was in the US at the time I got married, and my father-in-law is close with him. There was a possibility that he was going to come to the wedding, and how can you not have him be the mesader kiddushin if he’s there? In the end he couldn’t make it, so things stayed as planned.

    in reply to: Getting a Shaila into a Shailos U'Tshuvos Sefer #1209761
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I believe the only teshuvos which make it into a sefer are those which the Rav feels apply to the general public – meaning there are no special circumstances which apply to a specific case which don’t usually apply to everyone else.

    in reply to: Darchei Torah's campaign for the Rabbeim #1156900
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I enjoyed seeing the video of them dancing when they reached their goal. Seeing Rabbi Bender pull a security guard into the middle of the circle to dance with him along with Lloyd Keilson shows how he appreciates everyone who helps the yeshiva!

    in reply to: Torah V'Daas 49 years ago #1154366
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    DY: I did not, but my Rav did tell me when the shiur was given. Unfortunately I don’t remember. I can ask him again and let you know.

    in reply to: Torah V'Daas 49 years ago #1154361
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    smerel, I can’t speak for others. I only know what R’ Landesman zt”l wrote. R’ Reisman shlita also said this story over in one of his shiurim.

    mik5: I don’t know what their reaction was. The point is that despite claims that NO Rabbonim celebrated the event, there is clear proof that some did.

    in reply to: Redeeming Modern Orthodoxy #1153873
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I purposely avoid these threads, but I am going to clarify one thing here.

    True, the RCA didn’t kick out Avi Weiss. There was a special meeting held to discuss it. The decision was that if they kicked him out, it would only draw attention to him, which they wanted to avoid.

    Instead, they reaffirmed the decision not to accept YCT ordination as a legitimate semichah, so none of his students will be RCA members. They said either he’ll leave, or eventually he’ll die, and the RCA will be finished with it.

    The RCA also put out many statements against ordaining women and other things that Weiss did.

    OO may claim to be MO, but that doesn’t make it true. In fact, it only shows the fallacy in the argument posted many times – that people say they do things which are wrong “because I’m Modern!” YCT claims to be MO, and the RCA wants nothing to do with them. I can claim to be a Satmar chossid, but it doesn’t make it true. OO is a completely separate entity than MO.

    That’s all I’m going to post about this now. I’m going back to avoiding these threads. Maybe I should avoid reading them, not only posting in them.

    in reply to: Memorial Day vs Yom HaZikaron #1153568
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Because almost nobody says that Memorial Day shouldn’t be celebrated.

    in reply to: im new, and is the coffee room appropriate? #1153783
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    shlumpy shlom, this site is definitely not appropriate. Talking to the opposite gender is the least of the concerns here. There is lashon harah said almost every day. It’s definitely a moshav leitzim. Don’t stay here!

    in reply to: Should I wear a Tallis? #1152148
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Originally, everyone wore a tallis even before being married. During the black plague, when people were dying at an extremely high rate, they wanted to encourage people to get married earlier, and have children, so that the communities would survive. To incentivize it, the Rabbis at the time changed the rule to be that you wear a tallis after being married. People married earlier to wear the tallis. (At least, this was what I was told by a Rav a number of years ago.)

    I would assume that the groups which wear a tallis before marriage never had the rule changed, so they still follow the original customs.

    in reply to: Decorum in shul #1151191
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    The shul is the Rav’s, and there is no board. However, like any shul, they do need money, and I’ve been told that this ringleader has plenty of it.

    I asked my father why the Rav lets this happen. He’s not just some person, he’s a respected Rav (who’s been mentioned on YWN a couple of times!), and knows it is wrong. My father told me the Rav is very non-confrontational, and wants the shul members to be happy.

    On the 7th day of Pesach, my younger brother got upset because of the talking. One guy (who isn’t such a huge talker, and recognizes that it’s a problem) told him that he needs to relax. He said, “It is what it is, and it won’t change! Getting upset won’t help!”

    He then said to me, “Your brother needs to relax. Why is he getting so upset? What’s wrong with him?” I replied, “What do you mean, what’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with YOU!?!? He gets upset because of the lack of respect to Hashem. Why aren’t you upset? He’s not the one with a problem, YOU ARE!!! You say that this is the way things are, and getting upset won’t help? Well, maybe if enough people here got upset, things would change! How can you sit and watch such blatant disrespect to Hashem, and not get upset by it? What’s wrong with you???”

    He walked away without answering me.

    in reply to: What if I don't want to buy back the chometz from the goy? #1150354
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I believe that a Rav I used to use to sell my chametz structured it as a down payment, with a balloon payment due after Pesach ended. If the balloon payment wasn’t made, the chametz would revert back to the original owners – not retroactively, as that would be a problem.

    Since this was the contract, the Rav isn’t buying it back for you, it’s going back because the contract stipulates that. Since you authorized the original contract, you can’t change it.

    A bigger question might be if you found chametz over Pesach. Let’s say you sold all chametz in your home to a non-Jew. Then, you find something that you missed while cleaning – let’s say a cookie was found inside a cabinet. How can you burn it? It doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to the non-Jew that you sold it to!

    in reply to: Sefira – Singing and Playing Music #1150143
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    When I was in Darchei Torah, R’ Yaakov Reisman (Rav of the Agudah of Long Island) gave a shiur on this topic. The son of a Rebbe had gotten engaged during the beginning of sefirah (before Rosh Chodesh), and a vort was held at the yeshiva for him, with music. The shiur was to explain how to deal with such a situation.

    R’ Reisman told us that if there is a wedding, there is a mitzvah to be misameach the new couple, so dancing is allowed, as the mitzvah overrides the minhag of refraining from dancing during sefirah. However, if it was just an engagement, or a bar mitzvah, one should not dance, as it isn’t a special mitzvah to be misameach anyone.

    in reply to: Can't Eat By In-Laws Who Eat Gebrochts on Pesach #1149829
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I had this situation. I asked my Rav, and you should do the same.

    in reply to: Rav Shlomo Heiman zt'l, Rosh Yeshivas Torah Vodaas #1145825
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Rabbi Bender shlita could possibly be a good source of information about R’ Shlomo Heiman, as his father was very close with him.

    in reply to: Rav Shlomo Heiman zt'l, Rosh Yeshivas Torah Vodaas #1145823
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    R’ Bender once told us a story about R’ Heiman. He spent a lot of time learning the seforim of R’ Akiva Eiger, and felt a close attachment to them. When he was on his deathbed, his students were in the room with him. Suddenly, he sat up, and said “Bring a chair! R’ Akiva Eiger is here!” Moments later, he passed away. They said that R’ Akiva Eiger came to escort the soul of R’ Heiman up to Shamayim, since he had dedicated himself to studying R’ Eiger’s teachings.

    in reply to: Do rebbes go to college?/Yeshivish job options? #1160259
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I used to work as an actuary, so I can give some input to the question asked earlier.

    The questions asked on the actuarial exams are the highest level of difficulty. They spend days coming up with each question, trying to make it as difficult as possible. Not only that, they do research on the most common mistakes made while solving the questions, and offer them up as answers in the multiple choice questions.

    I went into those exams thinking I knew the material really, really well, and walked out knowing I failed miserably.

    in reply to: Do rebbes go to college?/Yeshivish job options? #1160206
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    To answer another question that was asked:

    The Novominsker Rebbe graduated from Brooklyn College

    R’ Hutner zt”l went to college in Berlin, and studied philosophy

    R’ Avigdor Miller zt”l graduated with a BA from Yeshiva University

    in reply to: If Trump becomes president, I'm moving to Canada… #1190587
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    When it comes to being somewhat moral, I think Sanders is the best. He’s more honest than most politicians, and he stands by what he believes in. It’s a shame I disagree so strongly with his positions.

    Clinton is a pathological liar. M’dvar sheker tirchak – stay away from her!

    Trump has no filter, and yes, he says some crazy things. But he’s (for the most part) also honest about things, brutally so at times. I’d much rather have him than a pathological liar or a Communist. While I’m not a fan of his, I think he’s the lesser evil.

    in reply to: Piha Pascha song- Sheker Hachein tune? #1141939
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Maybe from Rabos Banos on Dveykus 5? It’s the 5th track.

    in reply to: Piha Pascha song- Sheker Hachein tune? #1141933
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    It’s from Eli Gerstner’s first album, Hinei. 3rd track, Eishes Chayil.

    in reply to: Did Romney have any good points against Trump? #1142016
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    This thread started with Romney, so I’m going to ask a question about him: what’s the big deal with Romney? The Republicans bring him out as this big guy who can save them. Why? He doesn’t have much actual political experience. His only position was one term as governor. He has been in 3 elections, and only won one of them. So what’s the big deal with Romney?

    in reply to: Best Yeshiva for Modern Boys #1140386
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I’ve been very selective about what threads I’d post in since I returned. I’ve been trying to avoid anything which would lead me towards negative thoughts. I thought a thread about a yeshiva recommendation would be ok. Unfortunately, Joseph and HaKatan have proved me wrong.

    Perhaps I was mistaken, and no threads are “safe”.

    in reply to: Best Yeshiva for Modern Boys #1140373
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    KBY (Kerem B’Yavneh) is an excellent yeshiva, where they are extremely serious learners. Again, not every yeshiva is good for every boy, but KBY is an excellent option.

    in reply to: bitachon #1139152
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    I was taught that emunah means believing that something can/will happen. To M’s example above, emunah would mean that someone who wants to sit and learn would trust that Hashem will provide for his needs.

    Bitachon is belief that whatever Hashem does is for the best. So in the same example, if the person is sitting and learning, without going to earn a living at all, and he ends up getting evicted from his home, bitachon would be believing that this was the best thing that could have happened to him.

    in reply to: I'm returning to share a story #1133598
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Thank you all for the kind response.

    When R’ Bender told over the story, his point was to show the quality of Rabbeim that Darchei has.

    I think that the CR can take something else from this. Different people have different shittos. In some cases, someone may deviate from the norm. This Rebbe showed us it’s better to give up your own chumros than to dare insult someone who holds a different way.

    All too often, posters here insult others who see things differently. They are called all sorts of names, and their level of observance is called into question. It’s better to give up your own chumros than to insult people!

    in reply to: Chassidus #1105748
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    DY: lav davka. I know people who do.

    in reply to: Zionism: the root problem #1106958
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    DaasYochid: Don’t chassidim claim they are following in the derech of the Besht?

    in reply to: Zionism: the root problem #1106956
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Why would someone want to learn VaYoel Moshe? According to the Gra, chassidus is apikorsis! Why would I want to read the works of someone the Gra described as an apikores?

    in reply to: Chassidus #1105743
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    DY: No, the 2nd statement said that learning Torah is only a means to attain D’veykus, not something worth doing for its own purpose. If it doesn’t work, then drop it in favor of something else that does.

    in reply to: Chassidus #1105740
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    Wait… so you mean to say that Chassidim aren’t following a real Mesorah? So how can people attack other groups of Jews, claiming that they are deviating from tradition, and basing it largely on the claims of Chassidic Rabbonim, when these Rabbonim themselves have no tradition to fall back on? The Gra said that early chassidim were apikorsim! How can we rely on these people to undermine other groups of Jews when they are apikorsim? (Not my words – the words of the Gra!)

    in reply to: Chassidus #1105738
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    DY: How is it a contradiction? Chassidim believed the best connection (indeed, the only connection) is through D’veykus. They said that learning Torah did not lead to the proper D’veykus, so they told people to stop learning, and do other things that lead to D’veykus, such as daven. I don’t see the contradiction.

    Unless you thought “should not do it” referred to the D’veykus? It actually referred to learning Torah. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.

    in reply to: Chassidus #1105734
    DaMoshe
    Participant

    One Liner: No, they taught that the ultimate way of connecting to Hashem is through D’veykus. They said that Torah learning wasn’t giving people the D’veykus they needed, so they should not do it, and should instead engage in prayer. Early chassidim even advocated drinking and turning somersaults in order to increase happiness. They said it didn’t matter how you became happy, as long as you got there.

Viewing 50 posts - 651 through 700 (of 1,587 total)