DaMoshe

Cholent, you are in denial. I have personally seen shuls in Brooklyn and Lakewood where there are extremely large quantities of alcohol being consumed, often during davening. People get drunk. Do you really think that this doesn’t exist in yeshivish areas?

Avira, there are times when marijuana can be extremely beneficial.
A few years ago, I had terrible back pain. The doctor determined I needed surgery for a severely herniated disc and pinched nerve. He wanted to prescribe opioids until I had the surgery, to help with the pain. I told him I was nervous about it – the pain was really, really bad, and I’d have to take them constantly. There have been enough stories of addiction starting with a proper prescription for back pain, where the patient had a hard time getting off the pills. The doctor agreed with me, and then suggested I try marijuana for the pain, instead of opioids.
B”H, after my surgery and recovery, I was able to stop taking the marijuana, and my pain is completely gone.

There are other cases – studies have shown that marijuana can have benefits for children with autism. People with severe anxiety can also benefit from it.
I’m not saying to use it constantly for recreational purposes, but with guidance from a doctor, it can have tremendous benefits.

Avira, I don’t think anyone is saying yeshivos are as bad as public schools when it comes to drug use in school. They’re definitely not. The question is, does the problem exist in the frum world? The answer is yes.
Even going back 20+ years, I remember that when I’d sometimes go out bowling with friends at Maple Lanes on a Motzei Shabbos (which was in Boro Park), there was a chassidish guy, still dressed in his Shabbos clothes, selling drugs in the parking lot. Things have only gotten worse since then.
I personally know of many people in Lakewood and the surrounding area who regularly use marijuana recreationally. I know of shuls there who have crazy kiddushim, with thousands of dollars worth of alcohol each week, which get completely finished.
Substance abuse exists in the frum world. It’s a fact. Trying to deny it is just burying your head in the sand, and it will just cause things to get worse. It needs to be addressed.

common, do you think daycare is just about feeding babies when they cry?
Children need stimulation. Daycare providers are actually trained in this, and they play with the kids for a good part of the day.

An Imam, a Priest, and a Rabbit walk into a bar.
The Rabbit says, “Don’t look at me, I’m just a typo!”

ah yid: There are actually Sefardic communities that have a tune for Lecha Dodi which is hundreds of years old, far older than chassidus.

To add to Avira’s aveiros:
The article doesn’t say anywhere that they’re teaching them Torah. It says they’ll be learning Jewish history, biblical Hebrew (as opposed to modern-day Ivrit), and post-Biblical literature.
You see what you want to see, because you are blinded by your hatred of YU. Try looking with an unbiased view, and you may actually see the truth.
You reek of sinas chinam, and it disgusts me.

nishtdayngesheft, where did you get that idea from? Here are some quotes from various YU and RIETS faculty members, when asked to explain what Torah u’Mada meant to them:
R’ Zevulun Charlop: “Torah U’Madda implies, within the totality of Jewish aspirations, the acceptance – and, indeed, perhaps the indispensability – of both Torah U’Madda, but with the unquestioned allegiance to the primacy of Torah, and that the apprehension of all other intellectual disciplines must be rooted and viewed through the prism of Torah.”

R’ Michael Shmidman: “If you contemplate “Torah Umadda,” one could say they are two separate values, but that one can incorporate the other wisdoms as well within the realm of Torah. I see the world through only one overriding wisdom and ethic: Torah. For me, a bachur [young man] who goes to college – that’s part of his Torah too, if we recognize that he’s going to college to make a living, raise a family, and that his other pursuits, including going to college, are part of a Torah way of life, which includes marriage, job, community, tzedaka [charity], and chesed [acts of goodwill].”

R’ Dr. Lamm: “Torah Umadda does not imply … coequality. Torah remains the unchallenged and preeminent center.”

Menachem, this was posted in other threads, regarding the posuk and Rashi you mentioned:
The Riva says the left/right mentioned in the pasuk refers to Rabbonim telling us not to do a mitzvah such as Shofar on Shabbos, or Arba Minim on Shabbos. It only refers to a mitzvah that they are telling us NOT to do.

The Yerushalmi says in Horios that the pasuk means only if they say right is right and left is left. If they say otherwise, you do not listen.

There are many shitos against Rashi. Indeed, both Rambam and Ramban do not pasken like Rashi in this regard. There is a Sifre which Rashi bases it on, but again, many question the Sifre, and there are Gemoros in both bavli and Yerushalmi that say otherwise. R’ Ovadia Yosef reconciles the two views as I mentioned above – you have to confront the Rav if you think he erred. Until you confront him, you do not listen. The Yad HaMelech states that if you listen when you think he erred just because you think you have to listen, you are required to bring a korbon chatas. Only after confronting the Rav with the opposing view, and he stands by what he said, are you required to listen.

RABBI Meir Kanahe was most definitely a Rabbi, he had semichah from the Mir Yeshiva.
He took a position as the Rabbi of a Conservative synagogue with conditions – they had to install a mechitzah, and resign from the Conservative Movement’s United Synagogues of America.
His contract was not renewed, because the membership did not appreciate that he was convincing their kids to become frum.
He was extremely well learned. I once read that he woke up extremely early each morning to learn, because he had heard that a Muslim Imam woke up early to learn the Koran. He decided that if someone could do that for the Koran, he should do better for the Torah.

Menachem, you’re quoting something written by another Chabad Rebbe to back up improper thoughts from another Chabad Rebbe. Try bringing a source from somewhere OUTSIDE Chabad.

Avira, doesn’t the Gemara also say that Ruach haKodesh ceased to exist after the last Neviim? I seem to remember learning that…
I know that I was told by one of my Rabbeim that today, we have no idea what true Ruach haKodesh is – the understanding is something completely foreign to us. He said that there are tzaddikim who have a type of siyata dishmaya, who are given the ability to see things which are hidden, but we shouldn’t mix it up with Ruach haKodesh.

First off, I must protest citing Rabbi Dr. Berger as only Dr, leaving off the fact that he is a Rabbi. He does have semicha, and should be recognized as such.
Joseph, I really don’t care whether you believe me or not, and I don’t care if you think my refusal to name the Rav means he’s not legitimate. I can assure you that he’s a widely respected, yeshivish Rav in Brooklyn. I just don’t want to put his name here, because I’ve never heard him say it publicly, other than when I heard him say it in Yeshiva.
I know that he told us he heard the same thing from a major Rav – I seem to remember that it was either R’ Belsky or R’ Reisman. Given Avira’s knowledge of R’ Belsky’s views, I would assume it was R’ Reisman. It was 20+ years ago, so I may be mistaken about that part.
I will say that yes, there was a time when I wouldn’t count a meshichist towards a minyan. I don’t automatically assume that every Chabadnik is a meshichist, but this person happens to have a sign on the front of his house, with a picture of the Rebbe, and the words “Moreinu melech hamashiach chai v’kayam!” We had 9 people waiting for a 10th and he walked in. I claimed I needed the bathroom before we could start and walked out. Another person walked in a minute later, so I walked back in and we started davening.

Joseph, you claimed that R’ Shach did not hold of the position. R’ Shach said that the Rebbe’s statement about a Rebbe being God clothed in a human body was Avodah Zara. He compared Chabad chassidim to followers of Shabtai Zvi. He called the Rebbe “the madman who sits in New York and drives the whole world crazy”.
His students won’t eat Lubavitch shechitah, claiming that they’re not frum Jews.
Do you really want to claim that R’ Shach didn’t hold of the views?

Qwerty, I’ll say it, because I had a rebbe in yeshiva who told us straight out. He said Lubavitchers who think the Rebbe is Mashiach are like Christians, because they are waiting for a second coming.
He told us not to count them towards a minyan. I saw him take a bottle of wine that was going to be used for a Sheva brachos, and when another Rebbe told him that the Rav giving the hechsher on it was a meshichist, he spilled out the entire bottle.

Menachem, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. 200 years isn’t a Mesorah. The Besht had no Mesorah whatsoever for his teachings, and pretty much everyone agrees that what he taught was a huge change from traditional Judaism.
The Litvish Jews have a Mesorah that goes back thousands of years. Yes, there have been differences in the derech halimud that came up over time, but not in the observance of Halachah. The nusach of tefillah goes way, way back. Chassidim changed in. Let’s be clear – even Nusach Ari is NOT the tefillah as the Ari set it down. The Ari taught that each Shevet had its own nusach, which reached a separate “gate” in Shamayim. He also added in certain elements which he felt were common to all of them. After he passed away, many communities claimed that they had the proper text of the Ari’s additions – which, in many cases, were not actual additions to the davening, but just kavanos to have while davening.
Early chassidim then came up with the idea that nusach sfard was a superior nusach, and was capable of reaching a 13th gate.
The Baal haTanya studied all the different versions of the Ari’s nusach, and added in his own thoughts. He came up with what he felt was the most correct version of the Ari’s nusach, and labeled it as Nusach Ari. Again, there was no mesorah for this nusach – it was an amalgamation of other versions, coupled with his own thoughts. He did not have a Rebbe who taught him this nusach as being proper.

It’s very sad that Chabad feels the need to try and spread their beliefs to other groups of Jews.
Look at the fights that happened between Chabad and Satmar in the 80s, which ended up with some Satmar chassidim pinning down a Chabad Rabbi and cutting off his beard. Why? Because he’d been hired to tutor a Satmar kid, and instead of teaching him the subjects he was being paid to, he started teaching him about Chabad, and why Chabad was preferable to Satmar. He was warned, and continued doing it, so he was attacked.
IMO, as long as you keep basic halacha, and don’t violate the ikkarim, you’re fine, no matter what derech you follow.

While I don’t consider myself “yeshivish”, I’ll still attempt to answer these:
1) There is a machlokes regarding shaving. R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l, who was considered the undisputed gadol hador in the US (except for by Chabad), held that an electric shaver is permissible.
2) Ok, so what? Does anyone really think that the way they daven is 100% correct? Do you think that learning chassidus, then davening after the zman makes your davening any better? I think we all realize that the davening of the average person leaves a lot to be desired. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t daven at all. We do our best, however flawed that may be.
3) Again, this is obviously a machlokes. There are yeshivos that learn in different ways, each according to its own leadership. So what exactly is your point?
4) R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky said that the reason is because chazaras hashatz was instituted for amei haaretz. Since in yeshivos they are not am haratzim, there is really no need for chazaras hashatz at all. However, since we don’t want to do away with it entirely, as it’s the minhag Yisrael, they do a short one. I will note that not all yeshivos do this. When I learned in Darchei Torah, they did NOT daven a short Mincha. R’ Bender once told me he had asked R’ Elya Svei (I think that’s who it was) when he started the Mesivta, and was told not to do it.
R’ Aharon Kotler had paskened that in Lakewood they daven a short Mincha, except on Chanukah and Purim, since there is a mitzvah of pirsumei nisah, and repeating Al haNisim fulfilled this.

In some cases I agree. But in others, not so much.
Let’s look at a theoretical case – big pharma releases a medication without proper testing, using their political clout to push it through government approvals. Then it causes damage to its users, and they get sued.
If they are limited in how much they have to pay out, it won’t matter to them. Their profits will far outweigh the payouts. They need to be held accountable through punitive damages, otherwise it’s a simple cost/benefit analysis that tells them to continue pushing out bad products.
Tobacco companies would have the same issue. They’d abandon the warnings on the labels, and start advertising like crazy again, because they won’t be held accountable as they should be.

Soo for small businesses, yes, there should be some type of limits. Maybe limit when there isn’t gross negligence? That might be a better option.

sechel, learn basic Rashi on the Gemara in Sanhedrin. He says that the Gemara doesn’t mean Mashiach can come from the dead, it means if you think Mashiach already came.
The Rambam, in Melachim 11:3, says that Mashiach will arrive in a natural way, without miracles, similar to Bar Kochba. He further says that Mashiach will not perform any miracles, and will not resurrect the dead.

To whichever mod made the comment on my post, thank you for the kind words.
Avira, IIRC, it was R’ Akiva’s shiur on the tagin that Moshe couldn’t understand, and he was upset by it. Then someone asked R’ Akiva where these ideas came from, and he said it was from Moshe m’Sinai, and then Moshe felt better about it.

Having people explain Torah to Malachim is easy to understand, because Torah lo bashamayim hi. In Shamayim they don’t necessarily know what the meaning behind a Gemara is, because that meaning is defined here. It’s up to us to decide what the meaning is.

I once asked my father-in-law, who is a Rav, the following:
We say b’rshus Kohanim, because really, the kohen should lead the zimun. If someone else is leading it instead, he asks for permission. So if a kohen is eating at someone’s house, and is asked to lead the zimun, he’ll often say b’rshus baal habayis. But if the baal habayis leads, he’ll say b’rshus hakohen. So who actually has the right to lead the zimun? Is it the kohen, or the baal habayis?

As an aside, when I was in yeshiva, there were some guys, who if they had eaten out, would say b’rshus baal habayis v’baalas habayis. This is wrong, because the woman is unable to lead the zimun, so you don’t need her permission.

I haven’t seen that IMAX, but I do love aquariums! I’ve always been fascinated by life underwater. When I travel somewhere, I always try to see if there’s an aquarium I can visit, to see new things. I’ve also gone whale watching a few times, but unfortunately, did not see any whales. I did see plenty of dolphins, and a school of bluefin tuna.

CTLawyer, great post.
I am registered as a Democrat even though I tend to vote Republican. That’s because if you live in NY or NJ, having a vote in the primary is far more important than the general election in determining who will be the next representative.
The best thing for the country as a whole would be to ban political parties, and institute term limits for members of Congress. That would go a long way towards stopping the extremism from creeping into the mainstream, as well as getting rid of a lot of the corruption.

The Arizal never claimed to go up to shamayim and learn with Nevi’im. The claim was that Eliyahu came and learned with him. He was not opposed by the leading Rabbonim of his time, in fact, he was widely accepted.
The mesorah that litvish have from the Gra didn’t originate with him – he learned it from his Rabbeim.
Yes, there are chassidish Rabbonim who were great talmeidi chachomim, but as I said, that’s because chassidus moved away from the teachings of the Besht.
As for my questions on Tanya, I actually asked multiple people, including some Chabad Rabbis. I never got any satisfactory answers.
I don’t think all chassidim are completely wrong in their observance, because again, they don’t follow all the Besht’s teachings. Specifically when it comes to learning Torah, they moved away from the Besht’s views, and towards the Gra’s. I had Rabbeim in yeshiva who were chassidish, who I have tremendous respect for. I’ve met Rebbes who I thought were incredible, and gave me tremendous chizzuk – in fact, one of the main reasons I became a baal tefillah is because of something a Chassidish Rebbe told me!