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We don’t want government interference. I don’t think anyone should be going after this kehila. Their ways may seem extreme to us, but what can we do about it?
The hashgacha has the legal right to demand whatever they want. You have the right to not go to such places with televisions. These places aren’t intended for the very frum.
Salad is a potential issur d’oraisa, when lettuce, spinach, etc. are involved. Lots of tolaim issues.
The only way to stop terrorism is through a war of attrition. You have to bomb them into oblivion. Maybe use a nuke.
I can’t engage liberal Democrats or liberal “Republicans” in discussion. It’s fruitless. If you can’t see that Hillary is evil, you have no moral compass.
I don’t know.
The Sulam was not an apikoros at all. The whole frum world used his perush until Rav Frisch authored his perush. I don’t think Berg from the Kabbalah Centre is an apikoros, either. He just likes money.
Levertov was involved in a translation. He was a meshumad.
Professor Matt made a translation. I am not knowledgable of hs work and cannot determine whether he is or isn’t an apikoros.
You have to look at it in terms of least damage.
Trump will appoint conservative judges. He will also destroy terrorism, curb radical Islam, and will support Israel.
Hillary will continue in the same street J Street trajectory, more concessions to Iran, more Muslim immigrants, etc.
Also, in terms of morality, look at Lo Tirtzach. Benghazi, Vince Foster, etc. should all be sufficient proof that Killary should be on death row now.
Killary will put in liberal activist judges who will continue to push for toeva. Trump will put in conservative judges. You’re wrong.
All you need to know is cholent, kugel, kishke, schnitzel. What more do they eat in yeshivos?
We’re commanded to vote for those who advance morals.
Rav Avigdor Miller, zt”l, was adamant about not voting for pro-toeva candidates, which would de facto mean that we cannot vote for Democrats
Life is imperfect. What else is new?
By the rabim, the masses, I was excluding women. Women have no chiyuv in learning.
You’re hitting on a big point.
There’s little support for people once they become frum. We’ll tell them to go to yeshiva, but that seems to be it. What is needed is a support system for BT’s and gerim.
Toronto and Montreal have huge Jewish communities. What could be the matter with Toronto? The COR certifies lots of restaurants, you have Rav Shlomo Miller there, and so on.
If you want to live in a place with no cars on shabbos, move to Meah Shearim. In America, there are people driving on shabbos because not even Lakewood and Boro Park are inhabited by 100% frum Jews.
Late minyanim are a convenience, I’ll give you that. But why would you need to daven at 3 am? How would you make zman krias shema if you’re up so late?
NCSY and kiruv, in general, differ from the norms of frum life in certain aesthetic ways.
As you noted, guitar havdalah is an example. Nothing I can think of that really prohibits that, but it’s not done, because I think we generally are reluctant to have musical instruments in a shul (even though Carlebach did it, and of course, we had in the Beis haMikdash).
Other things, like goyishe music and dances, are done to be hospitable to the non frum. This makes it unacceptable to people FFB.
I think gradually as they grow they get acclimated to the normal way of doing things. Like when a person graduates from the beginner’s minyan to the regular minyan, for instance.
Soncino isn’t so great. The one with Perush haSulam, even though published by people that aren’t so yosher, is probably your best bet.
They incorporated Zohar into the Chok l’Yisroel. Pele Yoetz and others who championed the learning of Chok l’Yisroel are by proxy, advocating limud haZohar for the rabim.
My sense is that a lot of folks who get involved in kiruv may not be the most prepared. It takes a certain amount of wisdom, grit, life experience, and an IMMENSE amount of learning. You need to be under the guidance of expert rabbonim and poskim who know how to deal with the grey areas of life.
You don’t know who’s a karov and who’s a rechok. A Jew is already perfect since he’s a chelek elokah mima’al. The Alter Rebbe says that many Jews throughout history who were emphatically not observant to any serious degree, and simply didn’t do much about their Judaism in their day to day lives still gave up their lives rather than undergo forced conversion. This is an expression of the soul’s refusal to be separate from G-d above its own existence.
My point is that any effort to encourage Jews to do mitzvos is praiseworthy, and you don’t need to be financed heavily to be friendly to Jewish girls who aren’t frum and to encourage them to partake in shabbos, candle lighting, tznius, etc.
The Chida, the Baal haTanya, and many others held that it was essential to learn Zohar even if you don’t understand it. We don’t know why. We just need to have emunah peshutah that this is what these great tzaddikim say.
Even if a person doesn’t understand a word of Zohar, it’s a great zechus for him to devote himself to its study. Even saying aloud one word of Zohar is metaher the neshama.
Moving to Canada when our Emperor gets elected?
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
I don’t think ncsy is meant for kids raised in frum homes.
Its a Modern Orthodox tzach by definition.
Oy, that’s a woman for you.
You need to put her on a tight budget. If she gives you a hard time, you should get the input of a rav and a financial counselor.
We live in a generation of gashmiyus. People love fancy trips, luxuries, etc. There’s no stopping it.
Rav Hirsch on Parshas Re’eh:
Under Jewish law, support is assured to every poor person, and tzedakah does not shame the recipient who needs it. Moreover, one who is unable to work, but out of misplaced pride refuses the tzedakah to which he is entitled, is called a shofech damim.
A mashgiach temidi needs to be on his toes, not sitting in a corner reading.
Even if Vaad of 5 towns or Vaad of Elizabeth visits DD randomly throughout the day, if there’s no shomer shabbos there, how do you know they’re not using the microwave for their own food when the rabbi isn’t visiting once or twice a day?
The stores are allegedly kosher yet I’ve seen the goyishe workers warm treif food in the microwave there. There’s no shomer Shabbos on site. Same exact problems as Dunkin Donuts
I cannot forgive. I’ve been really burned by some individuals. I’d sue them, but there’s an issur arkaos.
I have the sefer Mishnas Zekhuyos Ha-Yotzer, rendered in English as Copyright in Jewish Law.
According to Rav Elyashiv, a copyright owner possesses monetary rights over his product, including the original idea, and may restrict use of his product even if he will not suffer loss.
Therefore, you’d have a problem copying such music.
Yalkut*
I do
It’s a mitzvah to take business away from a shoddy hechsher operation and to encourage higher standards.
Absolutely not. All pritzus.
Take on a full awareness/observance of kashrus. Only eat yoshon, cholov yisroel, pas yisroel, and only eat prechecked vegetables from Postiv/Kosher Gardens. Be careful only to use meat from a good, chasidishe shechita. By doing so, you’ll avoid timtum halev.
Take on kabbolos in tznius, assuming you’re a woman. Long, loose fitting clothing, keeping the collarbone covered fully, not wearing shoes that make noise, not talking in public, not drinking from a can or bottle in public, not wearing perfume, making yourself unnoticed, basically. By causing a man to become distracted by your presence is a major aveirah.
Shomer negiah, no guy friends, no watching tv, movies, or listening to secular music are all a given.
Learn lectures from manhigim such as R’ Wallerstein, R’ Avigdor Miller, R’ Yosef Mizrachi, and others.
The problem with college is that you get liberal professors brainwashing the kids into thinking the way they do. Colleges are like dictatorships. If you dare disagree with the communist faculty, they fail you, or worse. No independent thought or critical thinking whatsoever are encouraged. Instead, the students are mollycoddled, in the name of safe spaces, checking your privilege, and other doublespeak.
I’m definitely more religious than my parents.
I don’t see any ethical or nutritional/health benefits behind a vegetarian or vegan diet.
I happen to eat products that are vegan or vegetarian, but that’s for kashrus reasons purely.
I frankly think people should be more concerned with kashrus than shtusim like vegetarianism. Tolaim is a huge problem in vegetables; focus on not eating bugs.
In my family, it’s unheard of for someone to live on their own without being married, and my family isn’t even that religious. Our mores are that if you’re not married, you belong with your parents.
The Tzitz Eliezer was matir.
But by chivalry, we mean things like a man opening the door for a woman, a man paying the bill, etc.
Surely you wouldn’t object to a husband buying his wife flowers?
I think it’s more tznius and more safe to meet the guy at a public meeting place. He should, though, escort you back to your home, after the date. That’s the real chivalry.
Ideological vegetarianism is problematic in my opinion, since the torah is clear that animals are meant to be subdued by humans. Animal rights is a contradiction in terms. And I find it reprehensible when alleged animal rights people support abortion, as most of them do.
Former Mayor of Shilo, Israel, David Rubin, appeared on Fox Business to explain why Donald Trump is the best presidential candidate for Israel. He’s dati leumi, religious.
I think that many of these individuals have been deeply hurt by the system, so to speak. Shidduchim, abusive rebbeim, insensitive rabbis (who probably shouldn’t be rabbis), inadequate education, divorce, unloving parents, etc. all take a deep and heavy toll on many people. The problem is that they conflate the essence of Torah with the institutions/societal factors that burn them. If I had chosen to conflate the religion with the institutions/personalities involved, I wouldn’t be frum. Maybe if I were born and raised in these institutions, I’d be more jaded. As a newcomer to Lubavitch (raised nominally MO), I maybe have rose-colored lenses.
You don’t have to forgive her if she’s unrepentant.
“We don’t blame Jews for anti-Semitism”
U’mip’nei chatoseinu galinu meiartzeinu?
Our aveiros are indeed to blame for the misfortunes that befell us.
I think he’s brilliant. I love his halacha articles. He’s one of the few who has the courage to call out the hechsherim selling infested produce as kosher.
Agreed. Sin City is no place for a frum person.
Feminists and liberals want a world where morality is relative and subjective. So if a man wants to use the ladies room, so be it.
If gender roles don’t matter and if gender can be fluid, than we lose the need for binaries. Evil becomes good in such a worldview.