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According to many CR posters, by definition, an MO bochur is already OTD, so unclear if your metric is OTD by MO standards which would be total apikorsus by chareidi standards.h
Perhaps if we stopped supporting morally corrupt politicians like Trump , some Dems would be willing to consider voting for conservative candidates. When you put a lying, bullying, narcissistic at the top of your ticket, it makes it any easy choice.
Twenty five posts later , it is clear that there is no such thing as “the best” yeshiva in the absence of an objective metric. Last time I checked, there is no equivalent to SAT scores or AP credits etc. whereby “lamdus” or “midos” can be measured. Its all the eye of the beholder and those attributes that he/she values most in a yeshiva or kollel.
Without a doubt, Lakewood. The BMG guys are always on top of the most cutting edge chumrahs and kulahs.
Since when is the “acceptance rate” of a yeshiva a good metric of the quality of the lamdus?? Perhaps use the top five in terms of the highest tuition as a better quality metric or alternatively, which ones have the most frequent mentions in the CR.
The past several years and 4 elections later, some still cling to the notion that the Israeli political system will yield a “representative” government coalition. It is a dysfunctional system that empowers individuals who can gain short-term notoriety and media attention along with small block voting constituencies who can extort the larger pluralistic parties to “join” a coalition while continuing to threaten to bring down the government unless they are paid more and more for their “support”.
“These arguments for the outside minyanim are plainly absurd, A Jew davens in shul..”
So Moishe Rabeinu and the entire dor hamidbor were all a bunch of misguided yidden and held outside minyanim for 40 years?? Does hashem really care weather you are standing behind a shtender in a wood paneled beis medrash or in a tent or under the stars???I’m not saying they “should” have a common goal to rid the country of Netanyahu. Indeed, I suspect the new coalition will share may of his policies just as Biden has continued Trump’s policies on certain issues such as trade, etc. The reality is that all of these parties want power in a post-Bibi world and ultimately refused to sit in a government with him. As I indicated, Likud on several occasions had the opportunity to oust Netanyahu as head of the party but each time he outmaneuvered his opponents.
“How long do you think the government will last?”
As long as it takes to prosecute, convict and put Netanyahu in a jail cell since their common hatred of Bibi is the glue that holds this coalition together. Likud and the religious parties had years to rid the country of Netanyahu and form a right-wing coalition but each time the egos of the various party leaders and the outrageous demands of the religious parties allowed Netanyahu to retain power. Now they are paying the price for their intransigence.
As others have noted, the egos of likud and religious party leadership are the primary reason that this is happening. There should have been a consensus alternative to Netanyahu over the past several years, but he successfully played one faction against another, lied or reneged on all his commitments and used Trump as a role model to gain leverage. They deserve what they are getting.
grilled salmon used in a Sunday morning breakfast omlette with fresh herbs and onion. Much tastier and healthier option than salted lox.
Gerbils are NOT part of a yiddeshe hashkafah. Nowhere do you hear about anyone in the Alte Heim keeping a pet gerbil. Perhaps a goat or a few chickens?
They named an airport after Reagan and an Amtrak station after Biden. That should tell you all you need to know.
Participant: I would respectfully submit that if you contemplate a big chunk of oily Matjas on a slice of dark pumpernickel shmeared with schmaltz as your idea of “excitement”, than the dreariness is a reflection of what you see in the mirror. True excitement is a bluefin and yellowtail tuna inside out sushi roll with brown rice and nori with only a small dab of wasabi. It is also more consistent with Mesorah whose prime directive for personal behavior and nutrition is u’shmartem es nafshosechem.
“While some of the new types/flavors are tasty, I must make a Macha’ah because they are not part of the Mesorah”
Sorry, but herring is not part of our “Mesorah” simply because it was a poor man’s “fish” in parts of the alte heim.
Acharon, Acharon chaviv!!
Lakewhut: Are you intentionally trolling or just uninformed. Keystone would not have been ready until 2023-24 and would have delivered Canadian tar sand crude to refineries in the midwest and upper plains. It would have ZERO affect on deliverability of gasoline, diesel and other distillate products along in the mid-Atlantic /east coast states served by Colonial (which will be on line this weekend). If you want to give thanks, call the Trumpkopf and his cronies who twice resisted making gas pipelines subject to mandatory cyber and reliability standards.
What is a “fancy” cheesecake?? Is it made from cream cheese derived from a special cholov yisroel from cows who are known for being machmir on every inyan of kashrus?
Lakewhut: Get some help. If you cannot see the stupidity and recklessness on both sides, not sure you have a clue of whats happening. The inept Palestinian “leadership” is exploiting every misstep by the right wingers in the Israeli political circus who want to use this unrest to stoke fears and keep Netanyahu in power. For a change, Biden has pushed back on the lefty Dems who have been demanding he “send a message” to Israel and kept the U.S. out of it.
Flew back yesterday from a weekend in the metro Denver area. Everyone on the plane wore masks…no drama, no screaming at the flight attendants etc. Normal people trying to make the best of the situation. I suspect that given the ages of the passengers and flight origination, a large percentage were vaccinated but no one said, “I don’t need to wear a mask because i have both shots”. Nice to have a 3 hour flight that almost seemed “normal”.
Filing electronically with simple returns (income only perhaps with small 1099 income) should be fast since process is now automated. Anything else (aka paper returns, complex itemized deductions or deductions exceeding certain range, substantial cap gains or business expense deductions for Schedule C, etc.) almost certain to take several months.
The IRS has said that there could be lengthy delays in issuing refunds this year due to both physical limitations resulting from most of its Staff working remotely under Federal covid restrictions and the huge increase in workload resulting from distribution of two rounds of relief checks enacted by Congress. They are giving priority to the emergency covid relief checks and processing normal refunds as fast as they can. In congressional testimony 2 weeks ago, the IRS acknowledged there were still millions of pending refunds from the 2019 tax year and the backlog is growing. They also said that fewer than 5 percent of telephone inquiries were being answered. I found the automated online inquiry system on the IRS website to be of little help in getting actual status information.
There are many parents who are incredibly thankful that some Roshei Yeshiva like Rav Edelstein issued an issur against their talmidim going to Meron and insisted they stay in school and continue learning.
“…its comical how all the 45- year old CR users basically just sit on their computers waiting for a bochur to write something trollish and then attack the bochur for it”
Actually, its considerably more comical to believe all the CR “gotcha” posters are 45 yo…..those youngsters are too busy to be bashing yungerleit for trolling. Its the more geriatric posters who are generally the most self-righteous, pompous and and judgemental” …anyone in Obama’s administration should be investigated!”
Sorry your “Health is diminishing quickly. First, there is no evidence the assertion from the Iranian minister is accurate, and both Kerry and those who attended the relevant meetings have denied the accuracy of the report. Second, there were over 4,000 political appointees in the Obama administration so investigating them all will provide full employment for several hundred lawyers that Biden can hire at DOJ. Overall, one of your less enlightened suggestions but good entertainment for a slow news day.
I will leave it to the heilege CR poskim as to whether there is an age limit or other reason for restrictions on the reading/studying of Zohar in ANY language. If you have concluded you want to do so, the Pritzker editions translated by Daniel Matt are considered among the best English translations along with those published Tisby, although the latter is less complete than the Pritzker publications. BOTH are available on Amazon.
The PillowAmoretz has just come out with Trumpkopf II, a sequel to his Trumpkopf I documentary running on OAN proving beyond doubt that secret satellite lasers controlled by George Soros from an underground bunker in Chelm manipulated the voting machines in the key swing states. There are a whole bunch of right wing nutcases making a fortune pushing these conspiracy theories and fundraising for Republican primary challenges.
The “forensic audit” is a joke but allows some Arizona Senate wingnuts to establish their Trumpkopf bona fides in a political world where Republican Primaries are essentially contests over who is the Trumpiest Trumpkopf.
“There is no actual halacha that says one must send children to a sleep-away camp….”
Actually, it is a minhag many follow dating back to the alte heim. Chazal bring down the inyan of sending yiddeshe kinderlach to summer camp as part of the machlokes as to whether Orlando or Miami is the preferred venue for the Pesach sedorim.again in late August.Mag868; Just think of happy hour as a pre-shabbos kiddush club. Seriously, though, he “environment” at these spaces changes fairly frequently and what may seem “kosher” now, could change quickly with a few departures/arrivals. The spaces operated by a national firm called “We Work” are all over the NYC metro area and you should be able to find one near your location. They are clean, well-equipped, closely monitored for noisy and disruptive individuals and generally provided a positive work environment. I have used them in several cities, pre-pandemic, and was very impressed.
BP27’s advice is right on point. Unless your bochur is very “social” and makes friends easily, he will be much happier going where he knows at least a few other campers. After getting a few suggestions along those lines, perhaps check with his rebbe regarding any red flags on the ruach of the camp.
Summer travel to Canadian tourist sites is iffy right now. Border crossings limited to “essential” travel with very few waivers. May be relaxed as more vaccinations are completed but right now, they are still in full scale shutdowns in major cities. State department just updated its travel advisories and about 85 percent of top 100 destinations are still effectively blocked or strongly discouraged. We were considering Malta and Cyprus but those were open and then limited and now open again so we decided to stay home until next Fall. Travel insurance seems very confusing right now on Covid related closings.
First, I will waive my intellectual property rights to the term “Trumpkopf” since I may have been among the first to use that honorific for #45, although I cannot establish that with certainty. Also, after the January 6th events at the Capital, I publicly disclaimed future reference to he who shall not be named. Having thus made the appropriate disclaimers, every incoming President is entitled to blame his predecessor for the ills of the nation and any adverse developments.
Also, TDS is no longer a reimburseable medical insurance diagnostic code under the the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) used by insurers for reimbursement of mental illness.“Some of the Chassidishe yeshivas intentionally keep their students functionally illiterate in order to deter them from going off the derech”
I hope what you are saying is incorrect, but if true, keeping students functionally illiterate is no guarantee they won’t go OTD… More likely , it will guarantee they will be unable to earn a parnassah or find a kallah who has any aspirations for a normal life. In fact, it is more likely than not to make them unable to function in society and ultimately lead them to go OTD
With all respect, a “website” for announcing gitten is either a bad joke or a solution in search of a non-existent problem. If a couple decide to separate or divorce, it is THEIR personal decision to be shared with those THEY feel should know at a time of their choice. In the secular world, one or both parties actually send out “announcements” of their “singledom” to selected friends and family with new contact information, the names they are going by, etc. The fact that someone feels embarrassed by assuming a couple is together when they have separated is the least important factor compared to the desire of most divorcing couples to keep it private.
UJM: I disagree with your implied position that yeshiva bochurim cannot become proficient in BOTH languages, albeit using yiddish for limudei kodesh. To argue otherwise, is to advocate functional illiteracy that will complicate their ability to earn a parnassah and engage in the world as it is. They will not be living in the Alte Heim, as much as some may yearn for what were NOT “the good ole days of yiddeshkeit”.
“[speaking adequate English] is not the case in some Chassidishe yeshivos, but I think that’s a conscious decision they’ve made.
Not clear. Are you saying the chassideshe yeshivos deliberately make a decision to retain teachers who cannot communicate well in English?? Why would they “consciously” make such a decision, which would obviously be dysfunctional for their students who live in a world where English language skills are generally a prerequisite to a parnassah.Can anyone identify an instance where where chazal bring down that someone was punished or suffered bad outcomes for either saying tehillim at the “wrong time” or reciting the “wrong perek” at the right time? Seems like the you cannot go wrong with saying a kapital tehillim anytime, anywhere or for any reason.
Actually, if you could get the sefer into the hands of several well known roshei yeshiva or magidai shiur, it might have a more substantial affect that sending free copies to a few bochurim at yeshivos. Finding an askan or two associated with the releveant mosdos might facilitate getting the sefer visibility.
I suspect there are so many new seforim being produced, that most simply never get the visibility they deserve in Jewish book stores and anonymous mailings also are unlikely to grab attention in the clutter of mailings.Neither brand has a hashgacha from PETA.
If you truly wish to be mehader mitzvah, go for a faux chinchilla streimlach so no one will mistake you for some clueless Litvish wanabee.There is no kever of some chassuvah rebbe or tzadik in Orlando (unless there is some Disneyvelt chassidus that has stayed under the radar). Nor does Florida have a reputation of being one of the most anti-semitic places in the world. If you have the funds and think it easier to drive 18 hours each way in a van with the kids and machatunim rather than making the sedorim at home, than go for it.
The vast majority of MLB players, represented by the MLBPA, strongly objected to the Georgia law which they felt would disenfranchise voters and make voting more difficult. Same for the owners of MLB teams. They are a private business and they are obviously entitled to express their views by holding their events in another jurisdiction they believe is more supportive of their views. For the past several years, it seems like most of the right wing organizations feel compelled to hold their meetings at Mar a Lago or at some other Trump property. Trump himself tried to push the G-20 world leaders to hold their meeting at his Doral facility in Florida.
Its getting tiring hearing yidden complain about various airlines and conflating incompetence with systemic anti-semitism. If you don’t like the service on an airline, there are probably 2 or 3 others that fly to the same or nearby destinations. You can also drive or take the train to Florida. I’ve flown spirit and the other “budget” airlines on a few occasions and find them almost universally challenged w/o regard to jew.non-jew. They are just challenged to provide efficient service given the level of training, pressure on turn-around times and lack of support to their flight crews on PPE, time off for illness, testing etc.
In fairness though, frum yidden have their own hierarchy of honorifics for our gadolim which is sometimes confusing in terms of which honorifics, in what sequence are applicable to which rabbonim…aka Ha’rav, Hagoen, etc. etc.
UJM: The yekkeshe obsession with titles can go from the silly to the absurd. In the German system it is not uncommon to list all honorifics, so something like Prof Dr. Dr. Dr. Deutchkopf would be someone with a single professorship and 3 doctorates. Sometimes you would see that as Prof DDDr. Deutchkopf. If the herr honorable Dr.Dr.DRDeutckopf got a fourth doctorate, I imagine the honorific would change to Prof. Dr. mult. Deutchkopf.
For most former government officials (especially elected and senate confirmed positions) we use the honorific “honorable” and sometimes the title. Some former bureaucrats cling to their titles and its silly. Also silly are those so insecure that they insist on using their doctoral degree (non-medical) so you have no clue if you are meeting an historian or proctologist.
If I find myself prefacing a comment about a certain decision, psak, kol koreh or directive on a critical public policy issue etc. issued by a certain gadol with the phrase “with all due respect” I generally go back and edit or delete my comment. Its sometimes difficult to challenge a conclusion without indirectly questioning the values, criteria or balancing of pros/cons through which that outcome was reached. In some cases, there is no explanation given whatsoever as the basis for a gadol’s decision. In the latter case, its equally important to remember that you are dealing with daas torah and not drafting an appellate brief and challenging a decision based on the absence of “reasoned decision making”.
I’m not sure why anyone still insists on making vaccines, masks, etc. a issue of political correctness. The predominant position is that the vaccines are as safe as any other vaccines, perhaps more so. Legally, employers can require vaccination once there is ample supply and schools can exclude those w/o vaccination (and some have already done so except for those with legit medical reasons and where they make reasonable accommodation). You are free to not get vaccinated but don’t expect others to willingly tolerate behavior that may put them at risk.
Kids change and do so with a speed that is sometimes breathtaking. Over the years, the ones who were always silent or reluctant to question suddenly become a fountain of new ideas, thoughts, divrei torah and rhetorical questions. The ones who were bubbling over with verts from school they couldn’t restrain themselves from proudly “sharing” with the extended families gathered at the seder suddenly sat quietly contemplating whatever was going on their head at that moment. We’ve learned to just chill out (literally) and let the kids do whatever they feel like doing (within reason) and feeling truly gebenched that we have the mazal for another year of having most of the family together again (albeit on a somehwhat cold patio).
Health: What will you tell your kids at the Seder…”Pharoh was misunderstood, karias yam suf was faked and the yidden simply wanted to go to Orlando without reservations”? ‘
To justify you lying about a private business (which only became a “public figure by your lies”) by claiming “everyone knows I’m a liar and shouldn’t believe me” isn’t a recognized defense against defamation.