Gadolhadorah

If the minhag in the alte heim when entering the court of a king was to REMOVE your hat or head covering, why is the mesorah to wear a hat when davening to show respect for hashem, melech malchei ha’malachim???

Yiddish is a dying language and its not clear that anyone here has provided any reasons to extending its life one more day than necessary. Between English and Hebrew, or the lantive lanuage of whatever country they live in, Yidden do not need any other lashon. The time spent learning yiddish could be much more usefully spent in limudei torah.

To Apushetayid: Much better to have that hybrid English than to have some native Isreaeli mumble “yashar, yashar” in response to your request for directions.

Its all a matter of what family tree impresses who…beyond the first generation, there is unlikely to be much direct impact on a descendant. I’m sure for purposes of shadchanus among a small percentage of the tzaibur, being able to claim yichus to EITHER the Chasam Sofer or R’ Eiger would be a net positive but even then, most frum young men and women today are much more concerned about the attributes and midos of the prospective chasan/kalah than who their grandfather or great-grandfather may have been.

To Lowerourtuition2010.

Shakoyach on a concise and very accurate set of responses to a lot of questions….your points on the preferences of the baal koreh are espeically appreciated since too many receiving an alyiah inadvertently end up making the reader either lose his place or c’v damage the sefer. The inyan of a “shenadar” is also problematic and more shuls are correctly moving away from this custom of a “standard price” for an aliyah and simply leaving it up to the person receiving a kavod to make the offer. As to lengthy lists of those mentioned in the mi sheberach, its rare these days in most shuls to go beyond the immediate family (wife, kids and sometimes parents) but when it happens, it always seems to be on the shabbos with the longest parashas and the person with the aliyah seems to have memory issues with the in-laws name etc.

The key variable here that is not being commonly accepted across all threads is how much information the rav who is providing the guidance actually has….in some postings, the supposition is that the Rav is well informed, has a personal knowledge of the individuals involved through some prior interactions etc…in other postings, the underlying assumption is that one must always follow the guidance of a Rav even though the immediate and real time facts/sounds may imply otherwise…there has to be some degree of common sense applied to each situation. There is no general rule of applicability that works in every such situation. Presumably,, if the Rav is not familiar with the individuals and the risks involved, he will instruct you to seek intervention by shomrim, if possible, or whatever first responders he believes will work best to mitigate any risks of harm to anyone with an awareness of the complications that could result from a “false alarm”

At some point, you need to rely upon your own gut rather than punting each time because some rav keeps telling you that “he has everything under control”. If c’v something happens, you will never be able to forgive yourself for not intervening….if the yelling or screams continue, call 911 and sleep well.

We don’t rely on our own gut instead of listening to a rav.

Bottom line is that if there is even a small risk of possible abuse or harm, than there is an absolute obligaiton under daas torah for some intervention…the form of that intervention is really a matter of judgement and several posters above have offered very helpful optoins (e.g. having shomrim respond first if in a neighborhood where they are active etc.) short of calling the police. However, if police are the only optoin, we are not permitted to stand by if c’v, someone may being and we could have taken action to prevent that harm. I’m not sure if any competent rav would really advise to do nothing unless the facts described really sounded like an otherwise normal but vocal couple who simply never learned to communicate in quiet and respectful terms. I know couples who seem to yell at each other for trivial day to day matters….its discomforting, but they’ve been married for 20+ years and never physically hurt one another.

Curiosity……sorry but I respectfully disagree and there was no disparagement….I’ve had numerous experiences where frum bochurim who had recently entered the workforce seemed awkward in their social interactions with female work colleagues….its not just handshakes and simple stuff like that….its not a stereotype since the same or other types of awkwardness afflict other groups….for those who have spent much of their lives in a narrow environment with very little interaction with girls/women outside of their immediate family and/or those of other faiths (or even non-frum yidden), there will always be a transitional period where some cultural biases and misunderstandings will arise. Over the longer term, its not an issue as we know from the very large numbers of successful frum individuals in American business. Remember that this discussion evolved from the original point of avoiding comments or inappropriate “looks” regarding the weight or dress of a woman in the workplace….its all part of a normal and gradual process of familiarization , not some dark stereotypes…

One of the first things we teach young men entering the workforce, especially those whose social skills are limited based on not having grown up in gender-mixed school system and living in a heimeshe community, is that you NEVER comment on the looks or appearance of another co-worker, even if the comment is meant as a compliment. Aside from the fact that there are many frivolous lawsuits brought based on totally innocent comments, the workplace policies and guidelines of many employers discourage such comments. Even at home, its best to avoid such commentary since its so easy to frame the comments in a way that is misunderstood or makes the recipient feel uncomfortable.

ToRebYidd22

“Modern society views a woman’s weight as almost the single determining factor of her value as a person”…..

Perhaps you live in an alternative society…..yes, weight and looks are frequently a factor in how women are viewed… but “the single most important”…not where I live and sorry things have gotten so bad in your misogynistic neighborhood. The quality of her chulent and the sechel of her husband are considerably more important among members of my tzibur

There are a variety of new soy-based proteins that look and taste nearly exactly like real meat but w/o all the fat and cholesterol that are sadly major factors in the obesity and cardiac issues afflicting many in the frum tzibur. I you only eat chulent on rare occasions (e.g. visiting family or friends in those areas where chulent is still popular), than its no big deal to eat the “real thing” once in a while. However, if your family minhag is to have some form of chulent every Shabbos/yom tov, than think seriously about the alternative in the context of “u’shamarem es nafshosechem”….There are peer-reviewed studies showing that regular ingestion of fatty, salty chulent will take years off your life

Its difficult to generalize but Chassideshe hashgachos are generally considered the “gold standard” of kashruth and are usually also subject to much more scrutiny and challenge by their clientele than the national commercial lines; Just because a hashgacha is labled “chassidish” does not always mean it is governed by a Chassidic Rav; Because of its premium reputation, the term has been distorted on occasion, to includes a big part of Litvish world. Overall its a general term for hashgachos that impose more strict standards, churahs and gedarim but it obviously is the quality of .their mashgichim, shochtim, etc. are yirai shamayim, talmedei chachamim and have very extensive training in all technical matters of kashruth. Most of the larger chassideshe hashgachos require frequent “continuing education” and offer on-site and centralized programs to assure that their mashgichim etc. are updated on all the newest information. Of course, there are also some other hashgachos (e.g. Eidah in EY) but those who are machmir on kashruth more often than not prefer a chassideshe hashgacha. Most of the larger chassidus have their own hashgachos which may vary slightly in certain areas of focus but not in their overall adherence to the highest quality standards. Some of the smaller “boutique” Chassideshe hashgachos may team with larger national lines and overlay their own standards on certain issues (e.g. chalav yisroel, etc). No one ever went wrong with reliance on a top of the line Chassideshe hashgacha.

To Avram in MD

Perhaps you should wake up and smell the Chulent….there has been a slow migration of frum families west from the silver spring/wheaton areas over towards Connecticut/Knowles/Howard Avenues in the past several years…most importantly, there has been a regular minyan meeting in one of the small buildings off Antique Row on Howard Avenue since February…..

After reading 150+ postings on this issue, I still come down on the side of those who believe that there are no legitimate reasons under Halacha or practicality that women cannot function as first responders other then gender bias or simple ignorance. Nationally, nearly half of new hires by the nation’s leading first responder paramedic and medical response teams are women. With proper training, women can do the job as well or better than men. I’m not talking about those responsible for rescuing vicitims from a crushed car or carrying the victim down three flights of stairs….just those providing emergency medical care.

After Friday’s terrorist attack, all this nareshkeit about a “haalachic army” seems both absurd and irrelevant. An army for EY has only ONE purpose…to kill our enemies and keep us from being killed….the army will do WHATEVER it takes to get this done w/o worrying about the hashgacha in the mess hall, taking time out of battle for davening or worrying about “kol isha” if a woman chayal sings to herself in the foxhole….I understand that some of the threads are meant to be intellectually challenging or humorous but somehow, this one seems neither in the context of recent events.

Chazal bring down that it is always better when the Rav Hamachshir’s name on a product label or in the Tadudah for a restaurant or market, is not followed by Z’TL….. This is not meant to be humorous since too many time we see a Kashruth endorsement where the name provided fir the supervisory mashgiach is that of a Rav who was niftar sometimes months or even years earlier.

There are such an infinite number of chumrahs and kallas in relation to hilchos kashrus that you will find substantial disagreement even among those who are considered machmir on just about everything else. Much of this has to do with regional/cultural preferences and minhagim dating back to the alte heim, where frequently the original rationale or basis for a particularly odd practice has been lost. I cannot think of another area of Halacha where the admonition of following the guidance of your local rav/posek is crucial. Many of us believe that absent such guidance, you can never go wrong with a top of the line chassideshe hashgacha (the “gold standard of kashrus”) although some might argue that there are fine Litvish hashgachos as well.

The doctors on TV also “know” something about medicine but I’m not sure I’d want them advising on my kidney stones any more than a modern-day incarnation of the Chazon Ish…..its one thing for a Rav Tendler, shlita, to opine on bioethics, but I don’t expect to see him in the operating room or a diagnostic clinic.

Again…I reiterate that too many here have an idealized view of what are the obligations of a yeshiva in today’s world. Its not what they SHOULD be doing, its what they can and are doing within the limits of their resources and how they are organized. Most importantly, they are NOT holding themselves out as educators of last resort who will take in ANY student. From a legal perspective, they are no different from a private college or university where we read several times a month that offers of admission (typically sent via email) were extended in error and subsequently withdrawn . Sometimes they explain the error; most of the time they simply say “Sorry…we screwed up without any explanation and rescind the offer as they are legally entitled to do). This Yeshiva in Lakewood MAY HAVE behaved unfairly to the student but unless they entered into some contractual obligation, they can normally ask the student to leave at ANY time and with no reason.

While we cannot force people to move, there are regular articles and ads here and other frum websites about the many smaller to medium size communities outside of the NY/NJ areas that offer great opportunities for young Jewish couples to move and raise a family. They have good schools, affordable housing, great recreational opportunities and growing economies. While there are some couples who are so hung up on being close to their parents and inlaws, they would rather live in a crowded hovel, put up with the noise, pollution and crowding of NYC, pay ridiculous amounts for tuition and otherwise live an inferior quality of life to be able to be around families. They fail to understand their are airplanes, trains, cars etc. to visit when you want.

If we were to sue those issuing “fake news” than we would probably begin in the Oval Office and adjoining Press Room downstairs in the East Wing. For example, after Trumpkopf Jr. issues emails explicitly stating that the purpose of the proposed meeting was to obtain “dirt’ on HRC, and Trumpkopf Jr. (no mention whatsoever of yasomim) goes on Hannity and says in retrospect such an opposition research kumzits with the Russians was bad idea, and then early Yesterday AM the Trumpkopf -in-Chief Tweets that the meeting with the Russians on “opposition research” was just politics as usual, SEAN SPICER gives his daily press briefing off-camera where he says the only purpose of the meeting was to discuss U.S. policies that had resulted in a crackdown on adoption of Russian orphans. His obvious lie or misstatement (assuming he has been on Mars the prior week) was so breathtaking none of the reporters present even bothered to follow up. Its this daily non-stop barrage of mindless and constantly changing reality that would be the subject of the first legal action to stop “fake” news at its source. While one might attribute some of this confusion to The Trumpkopf’s inability to articulate a complete English sentence, sadly, the same cannot be said of his Staff. Sadly, the Dems have their own core of mindless political hacks calling such meetings “treason” and other nareshkeit but in truth, none compare to the current bunch of clowns at 1600 Pennsylvania ave.

Don’t make yourself crazy worrying that a certain brand of casual shoes are more of a tzinius concern than others….crocs are common sense shoes that don’t call attention as much as some bright colored fashionista heels and pumps that I see all over BP and Willy on Shabbos (not that I spend shabbosim wandering around BP and Willy secretively focusing on women’s feet).

The question of pet ownership has been debated for decades in frum journals, forums etc. and the majority opinion is that there is no issur under Halacha but simply a question of common sense and priorities. Its a stupid analogy to say that since no one can point to any gadol hador walking a dog or feeding his goldfish, therefore its per se assur. If one can afford a pet, has the space to give it a good lifestyle and it doesn’t limit one’s observance of other mitzvos, no reason why not and to some it may actual help them with stress relief and concentration for learning.

I think you have inadvertently confused an “R” with a “K”. The OK (sometimes called the “Circle K” is one of the most highly respected commercial hashgachos headed by Rav Donald Levy, Shlita. While perhaps not at the gold standard level of some smaller Chasideshe hashgachos, it is still more than adequate for the needs of the poishete yid who want to adhere to the laws of kashruth.

Fox subsequently clarified that his hashgacha may not have been from Badatz as originally claimed and there is an open question about a missing plumba. Both matters have been referred to the Special Counsel, Reb Moeller for a din torah