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hachareidy hoamity: you are translating sheker hachein incorrectly. It doesn’t mean that beauty isn’t worth anything – especially in a marriage, finding your spouse attractive is extremely important! Rather, it’s saying that a PERSON is not worthy of praise for being beautiful, as it’s not something they did themselves.
People love to quote the Mishna which says the girls used to say that on Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur when they’d come out and dance. They forget that it was said by girls who were not attractive, and were trying to attract a husband. In fact, the same Mishna says that the beautiful girls used to mention their beauty!
Chein is different than physical beauty. To say a husband should ignore physical appearance for the Yiras Hashem his wife has is just ignorant. The Gemara says that a husband should see his wife before they are married to be sure he finds her attractive.
Joe, Congress made it clear that the agreement wouldn’t be binding on a future president – didn’t the Republicans send a letter to Iran stating that to be the case? So everyone is fully aware that another president can back out, and a Republican president probably would.
As for your toothpaste comment, that’s not necessarily true. The US is involved in a huge amount of the business Iran does, whether directly or indirectly. Transactions between Iran and other countries can have problems if banks with branches in the US are involved – the US can freeze the funds. Some other countries will also go along with the US.
You’re wrong about one thing – the agreement won’t pass into law. The president can make agreements, and they are not considered laws. His agreements must comply with the laws of the US. That’s why Congress can stop the deal – they can pass a law which makes the deal illegal. Obama will veto such a bill. Obama has enough support to stop the override of a veto. Whoever is the next president can choose to back out from the deal if they want.
On this site, I see a lot of praise for R’ Chaim Kanievsky and R’ Shteinman. I’ve seen a lot of criticism towards R’ Tendler and other YU Rabbonim.
Did anyone see Lipa’s video? He wants to stop the foolishness of women shaving their hair off. He says in today’s times, where temptation is everywhere, woman should want to appear more beautiful for their husbands. In this week’s parshah, it says a woman with a shaved head is ugly. Why would a woman want to look ugly to her husband?
It depends what kind of law.
I once heard a story about this issue. I believe it was with the Chofetz Chaim, although I’m not 100% sure. A shochet came to the Chofetz Chaim, and told him that he wanted to switch careers. He said the halachos of shechitah were too complex, and he was always nervous about messing up on a small detail. Instead, he said, he wanted to open a business.
The Chofetz Chaim responded, “And you think that the halachos of running a business aren’t complex? Choshen Mishpat is from the most complex halachos! How can you open a business without first knowing Choshen Mishpat? It’s better to stay a shochet – the halachos there are simple compared to running a business!”
If you’re going to undertake something, make sure you know what’s involved first! Yes, there are times in life where you may be pushed into a situation where you don’t know the laws, and you do your best. But you should try to know the laws that are likely to have an impact on your life.
I was once told by my Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Bender shlita, that what is considered beged ish/isha can change based on societal norms. For example, he told me that pants are no longer considered beged ish. It would seem that since it’s normal for men to dye their hair nowadays, it would be allowed.
I miss the Great American Scream Machine…
Matisyahu has had a difficult journey – he became a Baal Teshuva, and sadly, went back off afterward. Yet we still see the Jewish spark within him. We also see that he is proud of it, and stands up for his people. Whatever else he does, I’d say that this is a kiddush Hashem, and will count in his favor in his overall cheshbon.
technical20, search for “Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016”
I don’t particularly care that much for any of the Republican candidates. I’d still vote for any of them over Hillary Clinton, though.
If I had to pick one, I’d probably say Rand Paul, now that he has changed his stance on cutting funding to Israel. He wants to have a much smaller government, a flat tax, and pass legislation requiring a balanced budget. I strongly agree with 2 of those 3 things, am not opposed to the 3rd at all.
Let’s see if the mods will let this through.
no
Mods, if this can’t be posted, I’d appreciate an explanation why.
Loshon Hora/Motzi Shem Ra
If anything, the actions of the school board are despicable. In the past, I’ve tried to post some of the illegal things they’ve done, but the posts weren’t approved. The school board in East Ramapo is a huge Chillul Hashem!
Some more of Trump’s plans (taken from Wikipedia):
Economy: Trump supports pro-growth policies and reduced taxation on U.S. workers and business with reduced regulation to increase economic growth and create opportunity.[131] Trump has proposed a 1-5-10-15 income tax plan in order to simplify the tax code, where incomes of up to $30,000 would pay 1%, incomes of $30,000 to $100,000 would pay 5%, incomes of $100,000 to $1 million would pay 10%, incomes of $1 million and up would pay 15%.[131] Further, his plan would eliminate the inheritance tax, eliminate the corporate tax, lower the capital gains tax, and instead apply a 20% import tariff and a 15% tax on outsourcing to foreign countries.[131] Trump favors stronger trade negotiations with nations such as China, with a more level playing field on trade, to restore American jobs applying tariffs when necessary.[15][39] Trump favors a free market energy policy and opposes cap and trade also called ‘cap and tax’.[15] Trump supports improving America’s infrastructure.[127]
Education: Trump favors school choice and local control for primary and secondary schools. He opposes federally mandated Common Core standards for primary and secondary schools.[15][39] He has called Common Core a disaster that must be ended.[132]
There are also views there on healthcare and foreign policy, but they’re long, so I won’t post them here. You can look them up yourself.
technical, I beg to differ: he has offered a VERY concrete plan on the issue of illegal immigration. He wants to put up a wall. Can you get more concrete than that?
According to Wikipedia, it doesn’t cost anything to get the Tav. There are no “higher” standards either. They just want people to follow the law.
That said, the reports of their mafia-style tactics to try and get people to comply is just wrong. I can’t support an organization like that. But I won’t avoid a restaurant just because it has it.
R’ Willig wrote a great article about YCT and their ilk. Mods, do you allow links to TorahWeb? If yes, here’s the link: http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2015/parsha/rwil_ekev.html
If not, the article is called Trampled Laws, by R’ Willig. I urge you to look it up, it’s a great read!
In most places where you’re searching for parking, it’s illegal to make a U-turn (I believe it’s not allowed in any commercial area.) Therefore, the guy has no right to the parking spot.
Can I give you a letter in Ivrit?
They issued numerous statements that they reject the ordination of women. The very fact that they don’t accept YCT “semicha” as legitimate is also very telling of what their opinion is regarding him.
mw13: Many RCA members DID denounce the statement about R’ Ovadia. You can see the post I wrote at the time here: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/about-the-rca-i-do-shudder/page/4#post-472524
As for Weiss, there actually were many meetings, as well as a special committee, set up to handle the issue. They determined that if they kicked him out, it would likely cause a lawsuit and bring a lot of publicity to the issue. They wanted to avoid that. They don’t allow his students into the RCA, so the thought was that the issue would resolve itself (as it did when Weiss didn’t renew his membership.) The RCA didn’t tolerate his antics – they release many statements opposing things he did. Why do you ignore those statements?
Joseph, how many Satmar chassidim would pass a test on American history? What would happen to their voting power in their area if they lost their right to vote?
He doesn’t teach at Neve anymore. I know some sites say he does, but last year he told my wife he hasn’t been there in about 10 years. I do have his email address, but I’m sorry, I don’t know if he wants it given out. I did a search for it to see if it’s posted online anywhere, and I couldn’t find it.
It’s on the list on the Kof-K website. Do a restaurant search and put in David’s Deli.
The Temple Institute is an organization that is preparing for the arrival of Mashiach. They are preparing the different vessels to use in the Beis HaMikdash, as well as the materials to use in building it. They have received brachos from some major Rabbonim, including R’ Ovadia Yosef zt”l, R’ Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l, the previous Bostoner Rebbe zt”l, and others. Every year before Pesach, they prepare a lamb in case Mashiach comes just before Pesach, and a korbon Pesach is needed. They usually bring it to R’ Chaim Kanievsky to be inspected, and he gives them a brachah and thanks them for the work they do.
Yes, they do hold it is muttar to go on certain areas of the Har HaBayis, with the proper preparations. This is in line with certain Rabbonim who hold that way. It should be noted that R’ Moshe Feinstein, in OC 2:113, seems to hold it was ok to go on the Har HaBayis. The Teshuva addressed a question raised regarding the fact that both the Tur and Shulchan Aruch it makes no mention of an issur to spit on the Har HaBayis in our times (or in their times, I guess.) The question was asked, is this because we are all tamei meis and can’t go there at all? R’ Moshe refutes this, and gives an alternate answer, which does not involve an issur to go on the Har HaBayis at all. R’ Tendler shlita has said numerous times that his father in law, R’ Moshe, never tried to stop him from visiting the Har HaBayis.
If your Rav holds it’s assur, don’t go! But don’t insult those who follow their own Rabbonim who are mattir it.
Joseph, I agree that it’s a formula problem, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters to residents is that the spending will go down. Maybe they should lobby to get the formula changed, and then the attitude of people will change?
As far as infrastructure, it’s not just about electricity and plumbing. I have family in Monsey who complains about the traffic and lack of parking. The roads there weren’t designed to handle large amounts of traffic, or the parking demand. You also aren’t necessarily correct about facilities – I’ve been told that in Monsey, power outages due to storms are much more common than in other areas. This is because the infrastructure was put up extremely quickly. There aren’t always backup systems in place, and the wiring wasn’t necessarily put in as it should have been (i.e. above ground on poles instead of buried, as is commonly done with newer constructions).
Joseph, the question wasn’t what Jews should or should not be doing. The question was why people are opposed to it, and whether they are opposed to Jews in general. I think I answered that, and your questions/points don’t change that answer.
I’ll still address your points.
Regarding growth: yes, growth is a natural turn of events. The issue is with how it’s done. In many cases, Jews will flood an area, and try to elect their own people into office. They’ll then grant any waivers/variances they may need to build up their area. While legally that may be fine, it doesn’t mean it’s smart. The infrastructure needs to be set up first. Natural growth happens slowly, so the infrastructure can be changed to suit the needs. When Jewish communities are built, very often they bypass this step, and try to play catch-up with the infrastructure. That should be changed.
Regarding school funding and taxes: You’re not necessarily correct. Special ed services in public schools are significantly cheaper than in private schools. There is also the issue of state and federal money which is determined by the number of public school students. Having a large number of students in private schools dilutes that pot of funding, because no extra money is given for them.
In Ramapo public schools, in 2008, the average spending per child was $25,748. By 2012, the number was $27,668. You’d think, great, the number actually went up! Not so fast. Remember to take inflation into account, as well as other factors. The better measure is that in 2008, the number was 53% above the state average of spending per student. In 2012, that had dropped to 32% above average. That’s a very significant decrease.
Again, I’m not saying the growth should stop. I’m just explaining why locals oppose it.
Joseph: My first attempt at this wasn’t approved, so I’m going to try again.
When Jews move to an area, they tend to build larger homes and more of them. This is because we tend to have more children, and our communities also tend to draw other Jews there. While this can have a good effect on residents by causing home values to rise, it also changes the character of a place. What was a quiet town, with ample parking and little traffic, can become a busy area. Many residents don’t want that. They like the quiet, not having to search for parking, and little traffic. When Jews move to an area, things don’t stay like that for long.
Due to private Jewish schools opening, and Jewish residents wanting certain services for their children (special ed, busing, etc.), either the taxes would go up, or the funds available to the public schools would get cut. That’s another thing the non-Jewish residents want to avoid.
So do they not want Jews? Possibly. But it’s not anti-semitism. It’s just that they know what it means to have Jews start living there, and what it would do to the area.
Mods, is there a reason my post wasn’t approved?
the beginning was right on, my guess would be the little extra comment toward the end…
Abba_S: Your example of a worker is highly dependent on the job. The rule is “reasonable accommodation”. So in your case, let’s say someone was working on Sundays, but not on Saturdays, because he’s Shomer Shabbos. Now, the store became a lot busier on Saturdays, and less busy on Sundays, so the owner decides to cut staff on Sundays and increase staff on Saturdays. In such a scenario, the worker wouldn’t have a case, because the business need is to work on Saturday. There isn’t a reasonable accommodation.
In this case, if the money isn’t there, they need to cut services. The religious belief for separate busing isn’t a priority for them – separation of church and state and all that. They can try for a reasonable accommodation, but they still need to work within the budget that they have.
Abba_s: For your point D, how would it be violating their civil rights?
Joseph, I think that in the next world they will serve Haagen Daazs ice cream. For those who accept R’ Moshe’s ruling, it is heaven! For those who insult the gaon and refuse to rely on it, it’s the opposite, watching everyone else enjoy it.
Joseph, how is my post “premised wrong”?
Joseph: One thing I do know for sure. Pretty much every Rav will tell you that even if you have a heter to use the internet, there is definitely a spiritual benefit to not using it, and it will benefit your Olam Habah. Many Rabbonim, in fact, will tell you that even with a heter, it can be detrimental to your neshomah, and have a negative impact on your Olam Habah. Maybe you should try following that first before worrying about Chalav Yisrael?
Joseph, I wrote a reply, but it hasn’t been approved yet – I see it in yellow on my screen. Maybe the mods are trying to figure out my ChC acronym? It means Chalav haCompanies, the term used by R’ Moshe zt”l.
or they were trying to decide if you were reporting an isolated incident or making an accusation against an industry. I’ll go with the first but cautiously -29
Joseph: I don’t know. Nor do I really care. My Rav says that ChC is perfectly fine, so that’s what I use. Not only that, but the few times I’ve bought CY milk, it has spoiled within 2 days, and I ended up spilling out most of it. The same goes with the CY cheeses.
I think it depends on the person. I’ve heard some Rabbonim say that if you can, you should only have CY. If you follow one of those Rabbonim, then yes, there is a benefit to only having CY – not because of the CY itself, but because you are following your Rav.
For the benefit of CY in and of itself, I think we need to define what a “Baal Nefesh” is.
It’s not a halachic issue, it’s a hashkafic issue. If you want to have a discussion, that’s fine, but recognize that you’re not looking for an actual answer – the main thrust is the discussion, not the result of the discussion. If you want an answer, ask your Rav.
Joseph: that is why you have a Rav to ask. Unless, of course, you follow the Coffee Room Rebbe, the self-appointed Gaon (yeah right!) R’ DaMoshe. If that’s the case, let me know, and I’ll give you some direction.
Joseph: I don’t know. Nobody knows. We don’t understand how schar is allocated. So why bother asking stupid questions?
Joseph, do you think someone who chastises others because he enjoys it, not because he is truly trying to get them to improve, receives schar for it?
Joseph: If your Rav tells you to only eat CY, then do that. I’m sure it won’t be held against you! But don’t think that those who aren’t makpid on it are doing any worse than you are. My Rav has told me many times that it’s fine for me to eat Cholov HaCompanies.
I actually have a neighbor who is makpid to only eat CY. Why? Because his family used to live on the Lower East Side, in the same building as R’ Moshe zt”l. R’ Moshe once told my friend’s father, “You are a baal nefesh, and should be makpid to only eat cholov Yisrael!” So he did so, and so does his family.
Joseph, I’m sure if you’d eat Haagen Daazs ice cream purely lishma, to appreciate what Hashem gave you, you’d be doing just fine. But honestly, how many people are at that level? My Rebbe, R’ Bender shlita, once commented to us that he saw someone on Shabbos sitting with a big plate full of cold cuts, stuffing them into his mouth. R’ Bender said something to him about how he was eating, and the guy replied, “Rebbe, it’s l’kavod Shabbos!” R’ Bender asked, “Really? Are you sure you shouldn’t be saying l’kavod mine boich?”
Most likely, none of us are at that level (I can’t say for sure). I just follow the Torah and halachah as best I can, and rely on my Rav for guidance.
Obviously we don’t know the cheshbonos that occur in the Beis Din shel Ma’alah. So why bother to guess?
Redleg: Like I just said, we don’t know. I do know that I was told that anyone who went through the horrors of the concentration camps has a ticket straight to the highest levels of Gan Eden after they pass away. Just look at the story mentioned in the ‘Specific Holocaust Story” thread, where R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l said (after a woman kissed him!) that she is holier than him, because she had numbers tattooed on her arm.
feivel, I’m glad there was a happy outcome to the story. May your brother have a full refuah quickly!
I was told by my Rav that a prominent, well known Rav (who I won’t name for obvious reasons) shakes hands with a non-Jewish woman once per year.
There are questions regarding if a non-Jew makes a kinyan in the same way as a Jew. One opinion is that when someone sells something to a non-Jew, the kinyan is made with the normal way of “sealing the deal” in society.
This Rav sells chametz before Pesach for a large number of people, and he sells it to a woman. He is careful to use a few different forms of a kinyan to satisfy all opinions, so that the sale and transfer of ownership is valid. Since it is normal to shake hands to seal a deal, he will shake the woman’s hand to transfer ownership of the chametz to her.
According to the Ricola website, ALL of their bagged cough drops are kosher, and they have a copy of the certificate saying so posted there. It’s possible that some people don’t want to rely on that hechsher, so a Rav may come in to observe a few runs, and stick his label on it.
The kashrus status is the same either way – it’s kosher!
The RCA took a good approach to Weiss. Instead of giving him a spotlight by kicking him out, they just marginalized him. They don’t accept his students as members. So once Weiss was out of the way (he’s already in his 70s), his group would be done with. Kicking him out would probably cause a lawsuit, with a lot of issues coming onto the public stage.
popa, in the past you’ve shown yourself all too eager to bash the RCA. What is your feeling about another rabbinic body, which has a prominent lo tzeis dina on it?
I have a few friends who were celebrating the decision. These are Frum people, who are shomer Shabbos! They said we have no right to impose our beliefs on others. Here is what I told them:
Judaism is unlike other religions because we don’t believe that everyone must follow the same laws as us. The mitzvos are for Jews. Non Jews have 7 commandments. This issue, of marriage for gays, happens to be one of the 7. We, as Jews, have to be an Or laGoyim. Now, we need to figure out how to do that. Standing outside a rally holding signs protesting will never bring them around to the proper path. I don’t know the proper way. But there is one thing I do know. Western values are very nice – as long as they don’t go against halachah. When they do, we must put halachah first. In this issue, I don’t know how to encourage others to follow the right path. But we definitely shouldn’t be celebrating the wrong path! And as far as what right do we have to try and stop others? Never mind a right, we have an obligation! To be an Or laGoyim is to try and get them on the path the Torah sets, not the path of Western values!
DaasYochid:
I think you missed his point about a propeller beanie. Many people take the example listed by the Mishna Berurah about a hat being respectful at that time, and use it as proof that a hat is required during davening. If it’s the hat that’s the ikkur, not the respectful mode of dress, then yes, even a beanie should be fine. I’ve seen people walk into shul wearing a Yankees cap. I once asked one why, and he replied that the halachah requires a hat!
If the ikkur is to dress respectful, and the hat was merely an example given that place and time, then not wearing a hat should be perfectly fine.