DaMoshe

SecularFrummy: Who says all else is lost? There’s a phrase, “Mitoch lo l’shma, bo l’shma” – if you do something that is not l’shma, eventually, you’ll do it l’shma. So even if someone’s doesn’t have full faith in Hashem, they can still do things which can eventually bring them to a full belief.

Even if it does hinge on that, so what? Does that mean it shouldn’t be a test?

SecularFrummy: Hashem would make an alternative to allow for bechirah. The Ramban writes extensively about the fact that if there were no bechirah, there could be no reward. If miracles were completely obvious, and you had to believe in them, it wouldn’t be a big deal to believe in Hashem. The fact that there is a plausible explanation means the belief can be rewarded.

I don’t know what people thought a few hundred years ago. Maybe Hashem arranged it for this generation, not the previous ones.

Can anyone give an opinion on the theory I wrote earlier? I’d like to hear what people think of it. To recap: The Midrash tells us that Hashem made an “out” for every miracle He did, so that if someone wants, they can explain it as a natural thing. This was done to allow bechirah. Evolution is not illogical, it was simply Hashem’s “out” for creating the world. Hashem made it appear that living things evolved so that there can be bechirah about it.

First off, the OP wrote “I heard” the Regents were cancelled. Did anyone confirm that they are, in fact, cancelled?

As for Biology and evolution, I actually taught 9th grade Regents biology for one year. I asked the principal if he wanted me to skip evolution, and he said no. I told the class the following:

“The Midrash says that every time Hashem does something miraculous, he also creates a way for those who don’t want to believe to have a way out of it. For example, Rashi says the wind blew the night before kriyas yam suf so some could say the wind caused the sea to split. You can say these things make sense, because otherwise it wouldn’t be a viable option. In the case of Hashem creating the world and all the living things, evolution was that “alternative belief” that Hashem created. We know that the truth is that Hashem created us. Others, however, are fooled by the alternative that Hashem put in place. By studying the alternative, and keeping firmly in mind that it is just an alternative, we can appreciate the perfection of Hashem! When we try to fool someone, there are always ways to see through the illusion. Let’s appreciate the perfection of Hashem by going through his “illusion” of evolution, and seeing how thoroughly he fooled all these people!”

Believe it or not, I’ve never heard of Shema Koleinu. I did a quick Google search and found them, but that’s the first time I’ve seen it.

I doubt you’ll get #2 – it’s from the same album as a song Feif Un posted a while ago. It’s called Stop Where You Are, from an album called Mesorah. I’m trying to find a copy of it somewhere, with little luck. My most recent attempt was through a friend of mine. I remembered that one or two of the songs on the album were composed by his father-in-law. He’s going to ask for me where I can get a copy.

If I get one, I can try to send it to you.

Correct! I don’t know the one you posted, what is it?

Also, do you know my 2nd one above?

It’s not. I’ve written plenty of posts about Satmar that they haven’t allowed through. YWN is anti-Modern Orthodox, not anti-Satmar.

PBA: It depends on why you’re doing it. If it’s out of comfort or style, then no, it’s not assur. If you’re doing it to try and be more “frum”, then yes, I’d say it is.

Toi: No, I don’t have an issue with how people dress to their wedding. I have a problem when they claim a halachic basis that doesn’t exist. There are specific parts of a person’s body that must be covered. The face isn’t one of them. This might fall under bal tosif.

Since when does hilchos tznius require a woman to cover her face when there are men around? Are Belz chassidim now joining the burka cult?

Oh Shreck!: The only mitzvah? Aren’t there 7 mitzvos a non-Jew can do?

If I found I wasn’t Jewish, I’d probably decide to live according to the 7 mitzvos b’nei Noach. A non-Jew who follows them and lives a good life can also get a share in the next world! And besides, I’ve heard that bacon is the most delicious food in the world (although I’ve argued that cholent is probably better). I’d love to be able to taste it!

Jewish singers taking non-Jewish tunes is nothing new. Here are some songs that were “adapted”:

MBD – Hinei Lo Yanum (1974)

MBD – Shir Hashalom (1975)

MBD – Lichtiger Shabbos (1982)

MBD – Yidden (1986)

MBD – Father Dear (aka Daddy Dear) (1988)

D’veykus – Od Yeshama (1985?)

Piamenta – Asher Bara (1989)

Piamenta – Kol Hamesameach (2000)

I’m sure there are plenty of others, these are just off the top of my head – and not counting albums like Shlock Rock and Variations which are supposed to be “adapted” songs.

DY & R Shmuel: I don’t know either one of those off the top of my head. I’ll think about them.

Here’s some new ones:

1. “Here comes a crowd, join and be proud”

2. “Every seat’s free. Well, wouldn’t you know – he sits down next to me”

simcha613: I honestly don’t know the answer to that question. I’d probably ask my Rav what he thought.

Chag sameach! Let us all celebrate the fulfillment of the nevuah: “Od yeshvu z’keinim u’z’keinos b’rechovos Yerushalayim. V’ish mishanto b’yado meirov yomim. U’richovos ha’ir yimalu yiladim v’yilados misachakim b’richovoseha.”

Thank you Hashem for this wonderful gift! Me’eis Hashem haysa zos, hee niflas be’eyneinu!

Ok, you got the 2nd one. What about the first one?

I don’t think anything about people based on what kind of kippah they wear.

My uncle happens to wear a black knitted kippah. He also wears a black hat when davening, and gives a daf yomi shiur every day. He’s finished Shas 3 times through Daf Yomi, and reviews it regularly. I’d say he’s a good Jew, and leave it at that.

Torah613Torah: I know plenty of people who think all Jews are either Satmar or not religious. Most of them live in either Kiryas Joel or Williamsburg.

As for differences between groups of Jews, I think that Modern Orthodox has the closest to the way Judaism has been practiced for thousands of years. Chassidus is a relatively new invention. The Besht felt that the common Jew needed a different way to serve Hashem, and so he created chassidus. It was not our mesorah to do things that way, the Besht just felt it was either that or lose all the common people.

The yeshivish mentality as it exists today is also a new derech. The Chazon Ish said after the Holocaust that people should be pushed to sit and learn in kollel, in order to try and replace the Rabbonim who were killed by the Nazis yemach sh’mom. He said this should be for 3 generations. Again, it was a new thing, not our mesorah, and was done because he felt the times needed it.

Modern Orthodoxy is called Modern because it deals with how halacha applies in the modern world – where the Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Brurah don’t tell us what to do, because the circumstances didn’t exist yet at those times. Jews going out to work and learning in the evenings, or going to a gemara (daf yomi?) shiur early in the morning, is how it was done for centuries.

I’m davening that chareidim in EY stop lighting garbage cans on fire, stop throwing rocks at people, stop stealing money from the government, and stop calling secular Jews names like “Nazi”.

They brought this on themselves.