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Ben, I agree as the Rambam in Hilchas Daos says that the people get influenced by their environment.
The neshuma having and aliya applies to each yahr zeit but not yet for the of 12 month mourning period as it still hovers and did not acquire a residence yet.
The culture has changed so going to college currently became more dangerous than when going in my time but there is also Touro and online education available.
The marriage is called nesuyin to elevate and put each other on a pedestal. Emphasize the positive by seeing the good in each other. The mezuza is not placed vertically or horizontally but on a slant to emphasize the importance of compromise.
It says יש חכמה בגוים, there is wisdom among other nations, so applying the Torah which applies to all times and all places changing requires also secular education.
AAQ, the two methods are both used by the Rambam. In Yod Chazakah he says that we get to recognize the greatness of Hashem from science and philosophy whereas in his Sefer Hamitzvos he says the Torah and mitzvos lead us to this recognition.
The Binah Leitim demonstrates through the greatness of mathematics the potential greatness of the Jews. It says ה’ אלקיכם יוסף עליכם ככם אלף פעמים, Hashem your G-d should multiply you by a thousand times (600,000 x 1000) but then it should have said אלף פעמים ככם, one thousand times of what you are now? Moshe Rabbenu is really asking Hashem that He should double their current population (600,000) ככם, as they are now and do the doubling a thousand times אלף פעמים. This is an enormous number with 301 zeroes equivalent to 2 raised to the 1000th power. 2^1000 multiplied by 600,000.
I went to college four years after I graduated High School of Yeshiva Chasan Sofer. My rebbi, the Mattersdorfer Rav, Rav Shmuel ztz’l explained why an am haaretz is not allowed to eat meat? Rebbi Meir who cared for the minority how was he eat meat? So this father sends his son to college relies on the minority who come out good. When I went to college I avoided going to anywhere unnecessary like the student center. Haran got burned because he went into the fire by following Avraham and not because his own beliefs. When college was necessary to find a job, I started to go. The Kli Yakar explains that one who does not learn Torah is no better than an animal, so he has no right to eat it.
The Chasam Sofer explains the actions of Yaakov Avinu וישם את אפרים לפני מנשה both are important but Ephraim, Torah comes before Menasheh, secular knowledge.
Avira, agreed. It says קבעת עתים לתורה, I heard that it does not say קבעת תורה לעחים. We set the times to the Torah and not vice versa. One bought a small hat, so he went to goldsmith to squeeze his head rather than extend the hat.
BTW, a sefer was written at the end of the 17th hundred on all sciences called Sefer Habris available at https://hebrewbooks dot org/43670.
Astronomy and Biology also show the greatness of Hashem. I explained what we say in bentching ומפרנס אותנו בכל עת ובכל שעה. This refers to the circulatory system in the body. The food arrives into the blood stream and gets circulated by the heart all over the body providing sustenance to it constantly.
By not studying these sciences one cannot fully appreciate the greatness of Hashem. מה רבו מעשך ה’ כולם בחכמה עשית how great are your deeds Hashem all was created by You through wisdom.Chemistry makes us appreciate the greatness of Hashem how minuscule an atom has a whole solar system in it. We can use chemistry to understand a tzibur. It is similar to the forming of water being a combination of oxygen and hydrogen where hydrogen shares its electrons with oxygen. Oxygen molecule is missing two electrons in its outer shell made up by two hydrogen molecules which both have one electron. The bond is so strong that only an electric current can break it being one positive and other negative and opposites attract. People have qualities they miss which is made up by others forming a tzibur as the first Daroshas Haran indicates. I heard that this might be the meaning of the bracha a borai nefashos where people have chesronos which unite them.
Avira, what you are saying about math does not make any sense. Acher and Yochanan Kohen Gadol became heretics, so we should not learn Torah?
Tosfas asks, PI does not agree with the knowledge of measurements? Maybe that is the kashye of the gemora on the mishna in Eruvin, if the diameter is a tefach than the circumference is three tefochim, so the gemora asks מנא הני מילי, how do we know that? What does that mean when one can measure it? The question is, how do we know that we a can approximate it like that? So to understand a gemora, math is required as the Rambam on the mishna explains it well.
The gemora emphasizes the requirement for a shidduch. My wife a’h and myself arranged one.
The reason to avoid Greek studies because it is too similar to the Torah and one can falter when there is a difference. Math is not affront to the Torah. Avira, show me rishonim that it is. The Rivash does not include math which is required to understand the Torah as the Rambam above states. Kevious means to learn it and once you know it, you don’t have to learn it any more. There is no mitzva to continue learning secular knowledge and math is not secular knowledge. The sugya of kaveres, the sugya of round sukkah require the knowledge of math.
Plato teaches there is a soul, a world of ideas and Aristotle the four elements, earth, water, air and fire.
There are seven wisdoms where Torah is in the middle. So the other six wisdoms support Torah like the Menorah. It says עולם כמנהגו נוהג which is science. The gemora tells the story where a man had a miracle and was able to nurse. So there is an argument if this miracle was beneficial to him or not as the nature had to be changed. It is a mitzva outside of evolution to explain science not to contradict the Torah. Biology says that gender is determined by the male. The male has an x and y chromosome and a female has two x’s. So a male can give either an x or a y whereas a female can only give an x. However, the Torah says that the female determines the gender. Maybe, she creates an environment for him which determines if he gives an x or a y chromosome.
We have the partnership of Yisochor and Zevulin as not everyone is suitable for learning and they might have to learn other skills.
The Rash in Kilaim (5,5) quotes the Pythagorean Theorem in the name of חכמי המדות. The 1 2/5 in the diagonal originates from the theorem being the square root of 2. Therefore, Tosfas proofs in Sukah 8,1 that the it is an approximation. The Shar Ephraim explains the Tosfas.
The Rambam on the mishna in Eruvin explains the approximation of 3 for PI. The Rambam says in Hilchas Kiddush Hachodash 17,24 that we can rely on the Greeks in Geometry and Astronomy. So we can we rely on economics as it is based on logic which cannot be faked. We are not talking about evolution. If we would not rely on biology, currently Jewish doctors would not exist. How many medical discoveries happened after the Gemorah and the Rivash that save lives. The Polio vaccine was discovered by a Jew, Dr. Salk. It says אשר ברא אלקים לעשות building on the creation.The GRA wrote a sefer on geometry called Ayil Meshulash available to download at https://hebrewbooks dot org/20713. He has an interesting algebraic proof on the Pythagorean Theorem.
See also the Shut Chavas Yair at Siman 172.
Sometimes we can understand a mishna with a secular theorem, הזהב קונה את הכסף. There is a law in economics called Gresham’s Law. The bad coin drives out the good coin from circulation. Gold would be a good coin so people don’t use it as a currency but hoard it and it becomes a commodity. So silver is the currency. When meshicha is koneh, through acquiring the commodity we acquire the currency. The more valuable acquires the less valuable.AAQ, sorry, you were correct as inclusion requires an object, so me is correct whereas thinking would require a subject but we gained a good joke.
AAQ, shouldn’t it be I included? It reminds me of the joke where someone ends up at the heavenly gate and asked, who is this? He answers, it is I. He is being retorted back, another English teacher.
It says קשה זווגו של אדם כקריעת ים סוף, Hashem’s matchup is a hard as the splitting of the sea. The Chidushei Harim explains that it comes in an unexpected way as קשה פרנסתו, finding a job which is also a matchup of one’s qualifications. They are similar to the splitting of the sea which also occurred unexpected. I can attest to this that my job and marriage came about in an unexpected way.
AAQ, Hashem will help you find your assigned zivug according to compatibility (mazel) provided you pray for it. I understand zivug sheni as the second marriage not missed marriage which is according to your deeds. The Midrash says where a matron asked what does Hashem do the whole day? She was told, mezaveg zivugim, matches up individuals. She said I can also do that. Her matches almost ended up killing each other by trying to beat each other to death.
There is a story, which I don’t know whether it is true, where a rebbe of talmidim had a special talent that he could depict for each talmid his intended mate to marry. One bachur was shown someone very ugly. He figured that he must escape from this and travelled somewhere to Africa. The custom of modesty was that they wore veils and one could not see the face of the chosen until after the wedding. When he uncovers her, it was exactly the girl the rebbe depicted, so you cannot run away from what is bashert. So trusting that the most compatible was assigned, should daven so that she should be revealed to him.
The above of realizing that one dies will keep Shlomo Hamelech humble.
coffee addict, would you elaborate, how is President Biden an extremist who wants to destroy the country?
The Chasam Sofer explains that David Hamelech before his passing he commanded his son Shlomo לאמר to constantly say in his life הנני הולך למות I will die and therefore to keep in mind וחזקת והיית לאיש to strengthen myself to be a mentsch like we say daily לעולם יהי’ אדם, to be a mentsch constantly.
When this club established?
Rav Moshe paskened being more accommodating according to his audience like saying slichos at night.
According to the Shevat Sofer that might not be so good. She becomes an ezer, a help by being kenegdo, she can see his faults more than he can, so by disagreeing, he corrects himself and vice versa.
Maybe it is hinted in this weeks Parsha where the Torah is also talking to marriage mates to see each other as shoftim and shotrim to help each other correct their ways.I am not coffee addict which you call yourself.
When looking for a partner, keep the mezuza in mind which is not placed vertically or horizontally but slanted to remember the importance to compromise. Marriage is called nesuyin to get to elevate each other. Make a list of qualities you are looking for and those that are deal breakers.
By wanting a king it says ככל הגוים, like other nations but when placing a king, שום תשים עלך מלך, you can get a king but not to be like other nations.
We always look for the middle way as extremes are no good. When we go to extreme according to the Rambam is in order to end up in the middle.
The Midrash Shmuel says that we stand by an argument because hearing the opposite view of the Beis Shamai first allowed the Beis Hilel to arrive to the truth by seeing the other side and not stumble in tunnel vision, only seeing one side of an argument and thereby the Beis Shamai became also praiseworthy.
Currently we don’t understand their view but leasid lavo, by the resurrection we will come to a new understanding, so the majority will follow the Beis Shamai and we will pasken like them.We are not suppose have a king ככל הגוים, like other nations but the king keeps the Torah in front of him to know how to lead as Chasam Sofer explains וקרא בו כל ימי חייו, his life behavior he should read from the Torah.
coffee addict, don’t drink so much coffee as it effects you.
The Chasam Sofer explains that this is the means to be mechadesh something as even a Navi can not be mechadesh something outside of the Torah. It lies in the Torah and through kashyes it gets revealed.
This occurs through a talmid’s inquisitiveness where the Rav Haflaah in Parahas Bo says that a kashye comes from a siyata Dishmaya, Divine intervention by helping the rebbi to reveal the sodos Hatorah, the hidden part of the Torah. He compares this to a simpleton who receives a diamond. Liking gold, he goes to a goldsmith to get it covered with gold. The goldsmith is no expert, so he leaves some holes. The simple person sees only the gold but the smart person sees the diamond underneath the gold. This can be the comparison to the bitter water becoming sweet through a bitter tree. One learns a piece of gemara and its bitter because he does not understand it at all even to ask a kashye, Now he gets a siyata dishmaya to ask a kashye which is still bitter without an answer. When he finds an answer, it becomes sweet. The talmidim help the rebbi by asking kashyes to find answers.
AAQ, The rebbi teaches the talmid such that the talmid showing a cheshek to learn now encourages the rebbi to teach him more as he learns from the talmid. This becomes a cycle which encourages the talmid and then the rebbi etc.
AAQ, to learn from your students you must teach them. See the Binah Leitim the 6th darasha on Pirkei Avos, Darush 39 which goes with darasha 30 for Shiras Hayom on Pesach.