Matan1

Most cats are lactose intolerant. Giving them milk will only create a bigger mess.

If you do want to feed the cats (which by the way, will almost guarantee that they will not go away), the best thing to do would be do by cat food at your local pet store.

Joseph, assuming both people were following their poskim, they get equal reward.

Giving an animal a lobotomy would’t stop any suffering. Besides, what is a genetic lobotomy?

Who is Andrew Weiss?

Rush Lumbaugh is wrong. This was a constitutional issue and nothing more,

“Rav Berel Soloveichik ZT”L, son of the Brisker Rav ZT”L, used to relate to his students the Chofetz Chaim’s response when he heard of Rav Kook’s position on the chloni soccer players. “Kook shmook!”, the Chofetz Chaim said, dismissing both the man and the position. The story about the Chofetz Chaim – the paragon of Shemiras Halashon himself – is easily confirmed. The person who it happened with was named Rabbi Avrohom Moshe Gorelick, father of Rav Yeruchem Gorelick ZTL, who was a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim and a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University. Rav Yeruchem Gorelick (who was personally present and heard it directly from the Chofetz Chaim’s own mouth) said the story over publicly numerous times (including at the Yeshiva of South Fallsburg, where his son was Rosh Yeshiva), as did Rav Berel Soloveichik ZTL, Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk. (Rav Berel also related that Rav Kook said about the opening of the Hebrew University, that it is a fulfillment of kimitzion etc. – immediately the gedolim in Poland and Russia organized a protest against this chilul Hashem – and the Chofetz Chaim came in and said Kook shmook and then he left. See “Mishkenos Harayim” 3:1-108.)

And the Chofetz Chaim’s statement is mild compared to what other Gedolim have said about him. Particularly relevant in this context is a letter by Rav Elchonon Wasserman to Rav Yosef Zvi Dushinsky, printed in Kovetz Maamarim, of which a facsimile of his Ksav Yad is readily accessible, where he refers to R. Kook as a “rasha gamur.” This was the eternally loyal Talmid of the Chofetz Chaim, who spent his life disseminating his Rebbi’s Torahs. (When the Chofetz Chaim was considering moving to EY, Rav Chaim Ozer asked him who will take care of Klall Yisroel in Chutz Laaretz if he leaves. The Chofetz Chaim answered, “What do you mean? You have Reb Elchonon!”)

Regarding Rav Kook specifically, I have heard that the Chazon Ish ZT”L used to censor his Seforim by taping or marking over the anti-Torah writings in them. Of course, the Chazon Ish was more able to know what is undesirable and what is not, than the average student. If someone was the biggest Apikores and enemy of Hashem, as long as he would “work the land” of Israel, Rav Kook considered him holy. The soccer players, mechalelei shabbos b’farhesia, were to Rav Kook, “holy”. He did not mean “Tzelem Elokim” holy, but rather, because they assisted the Zionist cause they were “holy”, regardless of their status according to the Torah. Rav Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld ZTL said that he was like a person who is drunk – saying irrational, nonsensical things – and in his case, he is drunk on Ahavas Yisroel. Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld’s description of him as a “Purim Rav the whole year”. Rav Kook was considered a lone, sad case of greatness gone irrational. A more hard-line position is found in the Teshuvos Divrei Yoel by the Satmar Rav ZT”L (CM 131), where he rules outright that it is forbidden according to Halachah to follow any Halachic rulings of Rav Kook, who he categorizes as an apikores, in any area of Torah. His reasoning is based mainly on the following sources: Birkei Yosef 243:3; Responsa Bais Shlomo YD II:101; Chasam Sofer CM 163; The Gemora (Shabbos 116a).”

Joseph, this is a direct quote of you denigrating Rav Kook, not just his nationalism. (Although to be fair, you just copied it from frumteens).

Excellence, what you said is borderline kefira

Joseph, the same argument can be made about the American flag from a British perspective.

Do you have any examples?

Really? Do you have any evidence?

Are you saying that men are not good at valuing family, love, and community? If so, that is very insulting to all men. I see no reason why men and woman would be different in this regard.

First of all, being a professor is not easy. I have several family members who are, and they have worked very hard to get to where they are, and continue to put in maximum effort into their careers.

Second, there are plenty of women who excel in both being a mother, and having a career. Speak to any kollel wife.

They would probably eat the chalav stam in private.

Just to clarify, I don’t think this is abusive. I just don’t think that we can ignore something on the excuse of it’s not our community.

apushatayid: What about a group like Lev Tahor? They make all their woman and daughters wear burkas, a clear abuse and distortion of halacha? Should we not protest?

Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that Joseph uses Rav Kook to argue that woman shouldn’t vote?

Yeshayahu Leibowitz has some (albeit quite controversial) interesting views on Torah and morality. He pretty much rejects that the Torah and halacha are moral. He argues that because God is so above human understanding, any attempt to qualify mitzvos as moral is pointless. Again, very controversial,but interesting.

A rebbi of mine once said that the best argument against polygamy is Sefer Bereishis.

For most folks, the real question is whether to say (the German) Gut Shabbos, or to say (the English) Good Shabbos.

What do you say?

No, but I’ve seen it being used in many different yeshivos.

And I don’t think you will find an official acceptance of any dictionary or resource.

147- What does the parah aduma have to do with the clarity and certainty of the laining?

PBA, I was not targeting that statement to Yeshivish people. It was to all people, yeshivish, chasidic, MO, Christian, and everything in-between. Way to put words in my mouth.

When you go into a store, there is nothing that binds you to buy something. When yo go into a restaurant, one is required to buy something.

(True, there is no amount one has to buy, but waiters and waitresses make next to nothing. Just ordering soda, while allowed, doesn’t seem like a nice thing to do)

True, but as you said, we live in a society that values tests. So in order to make a parnossa, chances are you will have to take a few tests.

If the exams are to further your education for parnossa, then it is a mitzva

No. You compared Obama to Brady. But Brady has been under investigation, while Obama has not.