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Also don’t forget that the ADL is now just another left-wing organization, headed by former Obama administration.
I’m a Californian and my taxes are supposed to go up under this. With that said, CTLawyer, don’t you think it is unfair that state taxes are deductible from federal taxes? That is, if you live in a state that chooses high taxes, why should a state that chooses lower taxes have to subsidize your government’s profligate spending? If one state chooses to be more prudent or more conservative with its finances, why should they have to subsidize a spendthrift state like my own?
Next, over 2/3 of people claim the general deduction and do not itemize. For them their taxes will go down. For the wealthy – particularly in high tax states and despite what many liberals say – their taxes will go up.
I think ALL our taxes should go down. I think our governments’ expenditures are about 1/3 waste, 1/3 corruption, and 1/3 efficient use of taxpayer dollars. We do not have a revenue problem. Government revenues go up year after year. We have a spending problem. EVERYONE’S taxes should be lower. And our government should learn to provide essential services and waste less money.
Also regarding johnnie walker – blended scotches are
Mostly made from grain alcohol with aged Scotch whisky only a smaller portion. Johnnie walker green is a blended malt meaning it is made All from Scotch. Their others are ended whisky which means mostly grain alcohol. The grain alcohol is not aged in former wine barrels so I suspect blended would have less problems.Hi everyone.
Actually American Whisky (e.g. bourbon) is unfortunately potentially problematic.
Many of the American distilleries were founded by and are owned by Jews. I read a fascinating article. When they came over to this country they found that many industries were closed to them. So they opened distilleries. Many of the very Southern, non-Jewish sounding distilleries are actually owned by Jews but the names of the distilleries and whiskies sound southern and non-Jewish for marketing (of course!). It turns out many are family owned and do not sell for Pesach. So many American whiskies that should be kosher are in fact not permitted. Sad but true!
KeithInteresting. Thank you.
When I’m on a plane I go to the back and ask a flight attendant if I can take a few minutes to pray and please let me know if it’s a bad time I’ll do it elsewhere. They’ve always been very kind and eager to help. I believe you can daven Shemona Esrei seated if necessary. I had to look up if I could do it as a passenger in a car and found sources it is OK if necessary. I wear yarmulke and tzitzis out only on weekends, not for work. I go to the gun range, probably the only Jew there, always with yarmulke on and tzitzis out and everyone is very nice to me. I think most Americans are respectful toward people observing their religion, as long as we are not obnoxious about it.
(I am BT and not well educated so take it with a grain of salt.)Shlomo Hadad walks into his favorite bar in downtown Tel-Aviv only to find a horse serving drinks. The horse asks, “What are you staring at? Haven’t you ever seen a horse tending bar before?”
“It’s not that,” Shlomo responds. “I just never thought Itzik would sell the place.”
Reb yid What do you mean?
The following is from the posts here. I write my response below.
“The little I know, your Western society attitude in not in accordance with the Torah. A transgressor is not as much of a child of HKBH. We are his law enforcement officers, just in this country we can’t do it.
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Little I know, remember Pinchas ben Elozar ben Aharon Ha’Kohen?
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Yet Halacha l’maaisa today is that we now here in America are deputized to be a Pinchos in our times. Check the local copy of your Shulchan Aruch. The very same S”A that tells us that, today, we are to (physically if necessary) punish wayward Yidden who violate בין אדם למקום.
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I don’t accept the premise of this statement. I think it is incumbent on parents to try and maintain a positive relationship with their child. At the same time, as managers of the home, the parents have a right to set rules and expectations for what happens under their roof. Having different beliefs does not make it ok for a child to defy rules or severely disrupt the home.“This is a kosher kitchen. Please do not bring that food in here.”
“This home is Shabbos observant. We expect everyone here to put cell phones away. It can be used later tonight after havdala.”
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We all agree that hashem is our ultimate father.
When a petson does an avaira publicly or in Private , does hashem throw him to the dogs? Does hashem throw him out of the shul he once davenef in? Who are you to decide as a father to disown your son for being a ball avaira.
You as a father are a human just like your son . You too slip here and there in yiddishkiet .perhaps its only in private so no one sees you . But hashem sees you
Does he throw you to the dogs? Does he strike you dead? Are you better anf smarter then hashem who watches all you do behind closr doors? Think very hard before throwing your child out of your house. Just remember. What goes around comes around. Hashem works is very wonderous Ways”
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Wow. I am BT. You guys have all had a million more hours than me in this stuff. I recognize my ignorance. My understanding is Moshiach has not yet come, and our Temple is still in ruins, NOT because someone ate treif or turned on a light on Shabbos but because of Sinas Chinam. And that Ahavas Chinam is necessary to bring him and build the Temple. My understanding is that, in the absence (because of our many sins) of Moshiach and a Temple and the Sanhedrin, there is no qualified authority to make any punishment as Pinchas visited upon Zimri, and that Pinchas’ action was lauded as it was appropriate only for him and only in that exact situation and that exact time and not to be generalized to anyone else (as long as we have no Moshiach and no Temple and certainly in the absence of a Sanhedrin).It is interesting those who are critical of Chabad – I am not Chabad but am Chabad-sympathetic – for how much they grow. Chabad seems centered on doing the ratzon of H-shem, recognizing that every mitzvah is a million diamonds, and that ahavas is central.
Are we not to emulate H-shem? In the 13 middos, Ahavas has to do with all of them. In how we are to emulate H-shem, my understanding is that ahavas or chesed is almost always the right answer, and you better be sure before you decide gevurah is the right answer because you may be or are likely wrong, and even if you are right you have to be very very careful with it, like it’s chemotherapy, which it is.
From a secular perspective, you can convince someone to act a certain way if they think you are looking out for them – if they think you love them. If you are just critical, it is very difficult to get someone to do what you want. If your goal is to bring someone OTD back on the derech, it won’t work without love. It just won’t. It doesn’t mean you give up Shabbos and kashrus. It means love them. If your goal is to punish or to feel good about yourself, that’s entirely different but you need to be honest that you are not really trying to bring someone back to H-shem.
For me, I find that when I unleash strictness, it quickly turns into anger or cruelty. For me, it is very dangerous and I do not have good control of it. When it comes to kindness, I think there is much less danger – in most cases – of using kindness too much. Of course “if you are kind when you should be cruel you will end up cruel when you should be kind.” But for me at least, in my life, in general, choosing kindness is most often the right thing and strictness is most often the wrong decision.
My understanding is life is a mirror. How we treat others is how HKBH treats us. If I recall correctly, Baal Shemtov said we get to choose our own punishment. We see another act how we acted and how we judge him is how we are judged. If we want to be judged with chesed after 120, we have to have judged others with chesed. If we treat others only with gevurah, our heavenly din will be through gevurah. I am certainly not righteous enough to be judged that way. I have done way too many aveiros and too few mitzvos, and even the mitzvos I do I’m not sure are worth anything. So I try my best to judge others through and act with chesed and fall all the time.
My two cents…
KeithI’m a BT and every day realize how ignorant I am. So take it with a grain of salt. I am pretty certain you know more about everything yiddishkeit than I do.
It seems to me we need to bring Moshiach. He has not yet come not because someone ate treif or watched TV on Shabbos. Or davened or studied without enough kavanah. It seems to me the Temple was destroyed by us because of sinas chinam and so without ahavas chinam we cannot bring Moshiach. So for me personally, an ignorant Yid who yearns to do H-shem’s will and looks forward to Moshiach coming every day, I try to make as much chesed as I can . “Your gashmius is my ruchnius.” I try to daven with kavanah and try to study daily, but I am pretty sure that H-shem doesn’t think that is where I will make my name. I’m pretty sure my path at least is through Ahavas Chesed. This is coming from someone who is trying to learn, but who recognizes he (me) is ignorant, but striving to become better.What do you think? What is your plan to bring Moshiach?
Hi. Off-topic to ZahavasDad: From a response you gave previously to me – but the thread is closed and I don’t know how to contact you otherwise…
“Unfortunatly many of those books are not welcome in some frum communities 1984 contains Prizus for example and Hucklberry finn contains Nivel Peh.”Nivel Peh is I think bad language. What is Prizus?
What is wrong with cowboy boots? They are very comfortable. And stylish.
I’m BT. My Hebrew is primitive. I can daven with it but cannot study original texts. My learning currently consists of learning Hilchos Shabbos and reading Meam Loez for weekly parshah (but often I don’t get all the way through.) My strength (I think) is in chesed, not Torah learning. I am obligated to learn Torah and enjoy what I learn, but I recognize some people at 120 will have built their name through Torah learning and others in other ways – Chesed, eg. The army needs some generals, some Army, some Navy, etc. If the Navy man deserts his post and decides he’d rather be an army man, and even wins the battle, he’ll be in jail for life. Because he deserted his post. Not everyone is supposed to learn all day. Maybe after Moshiach comes. But who is going to have money to give to tzedakah? Who is going to be an example to the outside world? There are a lot of paths to serve H-shem. Not everyone is for Kollel. Who is going to support the Kollel anyway? You need parnassah for that. And isn’t Zebulon honored more than Yissachar?
I’m old enough now though that I don’t really care what other people think of me – I just need to make sure I’m doing right, working hard, and checking in with my Rebbe once in a while to make sure I’m on the right path.
Who cares what other people think. Just make sure you’re good with HKBH.
My two cents.
Actually you have to be careful about bourbon. Many (most?) bourbon distilleries are owned by Jews and my understanding is most do not sell for Pesach. So a lot of bourbon is actually treif as it is owned by Jews over Pesach.