Gadolhadorah

No. In the same way that Hillary was required to keep copies of her private emails that had any work-related subject matter, so is Trump. Any Tweets on national policy issues are “work-related”; any tweets regarding his personal social life (assuming he has any) or his views on a movie he saw over the weekend can be deleted.

Why not acknowledge that there are a range of views on the issue of draft registration and/or ANY form of cooperation with efforts to recruit frum bochurim to some form of public service. Along with many chashuve rabbonim, I believe there are ways that bochurim coming out of high school can and should be required to participate in some form of alternative service to the tzibur that would not threaten his hashkafah while providing needed service to the tzibur (even filling in for a reservist who is called up for active duty, working in hospitals or other mosdos serving the Chareidi neighborhoods, etc). They could provide such service while continuing to learn several hours a day. Instead, the issue has been framed to make it impossible to find any middle ground and intensify the already enormous gap between segments of Israeli society.

If anyone really believes that these type of “anti-Zionist” demonstrations, kinus, asifahs etc. do not contribute to the global pressures on EY, increased anti-Semitism, J-Street type groups, divestment of holdings in Israeli companies etc. you are sadly mistaken. None of these individually can be traced to a particular event but collectively they weaken EY. Having dozens of black hats by the U.N. screaming anti-Israeli rants or thousands at Barclays defaming the IDF only bring smiles to the white supremacists, racists, and Islamic terrorists. If that is your agenda and you think these demonstrations will bring down the medinah, you will not be successful.

The NK and some of the Satmar zealots are NOT “ultra-orthodox” Jews but a fringe group of Jewish descent who claim to represent the “true” version of their religious faith to the same extent ISIS claims to represent “true Islam”. Bachol dor v’dor we find a small number of disturbed individuals seeking to glorify themselves in the guise of Kiddush hashem but instead put all of Klal Yisroel at risk. Fortunately, in every case, the Ebeshter has squashed these efforts and will do so again here.

What was originally meant as a limited waiver of the draft for a small number of serious learners has morphed over the years to a sense of entitlement for ANY chareidi bochur to avoid the draft or any form of alternative public service and shift the burden on to others. There are tens of thousands of frum bochurim who have served in the IDF and who gain valuable professional and leadership skills and go on to live a life of torah while contributing the welfare of the medinah. The small number of rabbonim who encourage the Peleg demonstrations that disrupt the evergday lives of hundreds of thousand of yidden in Yerushalayim and who tolerate the vile attacks on the chayalim of the IDF who walk on the streets of yerushalayim are the ones who should be condemned.

Have the two rabbonim (Shechter and Wachtflacht) who are the featured speakers at this “asifah against the draft” (aka Bash the IDF) offered any intelligent proposals as to how EY should defend itself against terrorists if everyone gets a draft derferral? Have they proposed some form of alternative public service for the yungerleit who they insist not serve in the IDF? I guess they believe that if everyone just sits and shteigs behind a shtender , the terrorists will simply go away and attack Lichtenstein. Its too bad the IDF cannot just selectively protect the rest of EY and leave these idiots to fend for themselves.

As you read through this thread, it seems that many posters are in denial and would like to revert back to a bygone era in the Alte Heim where women stayed at home because it was a social norm for the society they lived-in, goyishe and yiddeshe, and there were very few opportunities for women to pursue their own education and careers. B”YH, that world is GONE FOREVER, and today more than 50 percent of the students pursuing graduate degrees in professions such as medicine, law, social work, education etc. are women. Also, there are an incredible number of frum Jewish women who have found ways to maintain their yiddeshkeit and hashkafah while also pursuing their education. Yes, for those kollel yungerleit who want a “stay-at-home” baas yisroel with a very limited secular education wnd no real job skills, I’m sure the inventory is well-stocked (if one believes the constant drumbeat of “shidduch crisis” stories here) but increasingly, both young men and women are finding their beschert among those who have realized the opportunities the Ebeshter has provided and pursuing them through advanced education. These men and women are more likely to treat one another as “equals” and don’t take seriously the notion of subordination of women to their husbands.

If the internet itself is mamash tameh according to some gadolim, how can a mechitza on the internet even be considered whether per halacha/chumrah or otherwise. We don’t typically debate whether its mutar to use cholov stam or cholov yisroel in a recipe for cooking chazerfleish

Too bad most legitimate gadolim assur the internet since the most efficient way to provide the tzibur with objective and valid information on matters of halacha would be for them to schedule one hour a week when they will hold “online office hours”. Those with shailos could post their questions on line (anonymously of course), the questions could be screened by the Rav’s more hip and internet savy gaaboim and they could post his answers on line. This way we wouldn’t have these silly posts which say, I heard from someone in my charusah, who heard in shul that someone said in the name of Rav XYZ, shlita that it is assur for the shaliach tzibur to klop on the bima during SE to shush the daveners”…We constantly hears these “in the name of” psaks or letters attributed to different Gadolim which often sound questionable but there is no way to confirm.

Well, if you want to be creative, you can call breakfast a “late Shabbos dinner” and daven Vasikin. I think in Megilla, 23(a) it ways that we are supposed to come to Shul “early” on Shabbos and one of the maforshim (Rashi?) adds that this means that one should come early enough to daven Vasikin.

All these comments about the volumetric levels of asher yatzar etc. presume the individual has a modicum of common sense and situational awareness such that one is not disruptive of others or otherwise draw attention to himself unnecessarily. If you are on an airplane, it would be grossly inappropriate to return to one’s seat from the lav and then perform a very loud rendition of asher yatzar so that all your fellow passengers know you have successfully performed some bodily functions. Likewise, in a nice restaurant, you wouldn’t disrupt the dining of others nearby by being unnecessarily loud in a baracha or birchas ha’mazon (whereas in a Pizza shop you might not be so worried about adding to the already high decibel level).

In general, Americans don’t like foreign leaders criticizing our own leaders, whatever their own political preferences. I recall how Obama was trashed by Trump for disparaging Lefarge and the Brexit leadership before the vote. I suspect Netanyahu did himself no favors today with American public opinion by his backhanded comments about Obama. Many recall that Obama used “Bush’s recession” to excuse the dismal performance of our economy for the 4 years of his first term. We don’t need Trump using Obama as a piñata for the next 4 years to divert attention from his own non-stop and generally self-inflicted screw-ups.

There have been many movements since the industrial revolution in the past 200-250 years to push back against technology and its social, cultural and economic consequences. In other words, and to coin a phrase, ba’chol dor v’dor there are Luddites who have tried to put their finger in the dike to fend off sometimes intimidating changes in the way technology changes our day to day lives. In virtually all cases, these efforts have not succeeded. Perhaps the only exception are those religious groups, including some of our own, who have the discipline to refuse change and find ways to continue life as it was in the Alte Heim in our case. When the motivation is deeply held emunah (as in your case) rather than a vague political philosophy, there are always ways to manage. Over time, its possible that a younger generation of rabbonim may “move the goalposts” as to what is acceptable based on having a better understanding of how technology works rather than redefining Halacha. Much hatzlacha to you in wherever you come out in resolving your own individual conflicts.

Most of us manage to find a “private” place, even when in “public” to say barachos. I don’t know many frum yidden who would march out of a public bathroom at any airport or shopping mall and start shuttling back and forth with kavanah and do a loud, vocal rendition of “asher yatzar” using a nigun attributed to his rebbe. Its almost always possible, even in public, to find a corner spot or behind a column etc. to make a baracha, whatever the circumstances, without calling a lot of attention to oneself.

Just about every medical professional would advise against marrying a first cousin; yes, there are many thingks that are allowed under daas torah but that doesn’t mean you are obligated to do them. The torah allows a number of punishments including stoning for a variety of “crimes’ (putting aside whether or not we have a Sanhedrim), allows for taking multiple wives (putting aside Rav Gershhon’s thoughts on the issue), etc. etc. Just because something is allowed by either Torah or civil law doesn’t mean its a good idea in the context of modern society and norms. I’m sure Joseph may feel its a great idea (and he can find a rav to give him a heter) to marry his 15 YO first cousin but that doesn’t mean 99.9 percent of yidden today would do so.

The reality is that many frum parents show up at yeshivot with a mindset that the posted tuition is a “starting point for negotiation” and that its up to the yeshiva to figure out how to accommodate their kids within the budgets they have allocated. They view a yeshiva education as more of an entitlement (just like a public school education) than a obligation on their own parts to secure and pay for. While most frum parents of lesser economic means are greatly appreciative of the scholarships and grants they receive and allow their kids to be admitted, most schools administrators will tell you that a small handful of frum parentsroutinely take up the percentage of their time and are the loudest and most-confrontational on tuition-related issues.

There is no “appropriate” age…its whatever the young man and woman decide its right for them. As more of our young men and women realize the need to obtain the needed education and job skills to earn a parnassah its inevitable that the age of kiddushin will move into the early 20s or later. Some may want to learn and go to college part-time so it will take several years longer to graduate college and finish an advanced degree.

As noted above, you are unlikely to find many “leibidik” shachris minyanim on Shavuos…most of the potential “celebrants” are barely awake and feel fortunate they can daven with a modicum of kavanah.

To Joseph….its mamash child abuse to push them into marriage at 13-16, and probably a bad idea before 18 or 19. If you want to troll on this issue, I’m sure you’ll find other to take the bait but unless your having substantial issues of your own, please don’t suggest kiddushin for children

To Yosef: He is NOT a chossid of any particular rebbe but has historically been a good friend and supporter of the Chabad shaliach in 5T who, in turn, recruited the mashgichim to fly over with him to EY to kasher the ambassador’s residence. In fairness, Ambassador Friedman has been a great supporter of many worthy mosdos as well as some settlement groups in Yehuda and Shomron, which were noted at his confirmation hearings.

To Joseph:
So if we hold by your standards, the parents of an unmarried baas yisroel at the age of 15 should be in full scale panic, have every shadchan in willy and BP on retainer and be flying over to EY for a segulah or tefillah for a shidduch through some rav who charges top dollar but who guarantees 100 percent success …Its scary that some actually think in terms of children of 13 years (aka “adults”)are ready for marriage and making babies…no wonder there is such hysteria in the frum tzibur about a so called “shiduch crisis”

To ema2five:
Mazel tov on making it through 27 years and may you have at least 27 more….
Its unclear why there is so much focus on the possible risks of delaying marriage “C’V” to your late 20s and early 30s rather than openly discussing the real issue of pushing down the age of kiddushin to the teens and then expecting children having children to behave like adults.

This happens all the time….both should have the independent judgment and maturity to make it work; certainly more so than two teenagers being pushed into a shiduch by their families. While there is no guarantee in shiduchim at any age, there are many reasons why one or both may have deferred marriage while pursuing graduate school, professional training etc.

Every society and religious group has their own “Luddites” who have spiritual and moral concerns with innovations and new technology. While many of us disagree with the decision of the Rosh Yeshiva, I doubt this policy will result in empty seats in the beis medrash since there are more bochurim seeking admission than can possibly be accommodated. Putting aside the obvious issue that those coming out of this yeshiva will lack basic skills for a parnassah,, many of the most exciting and original thoughts in the world of torah learning are only available on the internet so they are denying their students access to daas torah from the next generation of more computer friendly talmedei chachamim.

To Winnie: Why do you say its the minhag for the wife and/or her family tsupport a full time kollel yungerman? I would assume that he would first seek support from his own family first before asking his wife’s to support them and turn to his the machatonim only if his own parents are unable to help.