MDG

“Tanach states and Shulchan Aruch paskens that corporal discipline must be used on children.”

I think that the Gedolim today say differently.

The gift tax is 14,000 per person, giver and receiver.

For example, let’s assume 2 parents and 3 kids, a family of 5. The grandfather can give the family 70,000 each year, 14,000 times 5 The grandmother can also give 70,000. Therefore the can give 140,000 yearly without paying taxes.

” I think it is safe to assume most store owners are as MGD put it really nice guy or just a good salesman,”

Maybe some heimish stores. Large corporations not. If you can ask, then good.
If I’m wrong with my assumptions, nothing happens, If you are wrong with yours, you committed gezel.

“I dont see why I have to follow your gezeirahs.”
I’m giving advice. Follow it or ignore it at your own risk.

“Isn’t the Halacha that you’re kona an item as soon as you pick it up, even before you pay for it?”

Not if the present owner does not consent. Furthermore, in a store the kinyan is made through money. That’s the gemiras daas. You have never seen a kinyan otherwise.
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“It’s in the owner’s best interest to let people snack on their purchases while they shop…”

While the store owner would not want a screaming kid, s/he also does not want shoplifting. The item does not belong to the customer until payment. A hungry kid is the parent’s responsibility, not the store’s.

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I find this moreh heter bothersome. If there was a safek of a treif ingredient, you would not touch it, but consuming stolen goods is just as bad – if not worse. I recently heard in the name of Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky [sp?] that one reason that kids go OTD is that they ate food acquired through dishonest means, basically gezel.

At first they answered Moshe’s questions about the land. Then they said it’s all for nothing; they passed judgement.

“Does that forfeit my ability to find a shiduch?”

Stop worrying about what others say. Hashem is in charge of making zivugim.

What will the demonstration accomplish?
Is there a price to enter?

My rebbe in high school quoted his rebbe, Rav Aaron Soloveichik [sp?], who pointed out that Yom Haatzmaut does not conform with the normal way we make holidays. In all other holidays, we do not celebrate the war or the ability to fight, but we celebrate the next day when we could resume a Torah life in peace. Yom Haatzmaut was the changing of the flags, but not the end of the war. It just started a war with several Arab states. Nothing to celebrate.

You could also say that Yom Haatzmaut marks the end of the Shalosh Shivuot. If they accept that, then they are accepting that the Sh”Sh are/were Lemaaseh before Yom Haatzmaut.

The GRA used to learn with a candle – even during the day – with the windows closed. That way he always has the same learning environment, which helps in reducing distractions.

Eruvin. Real Sephardim don’t use most eruvs, based on the Rif and Rambam (and many others) and paskened by the Shulchan Aruch. The issue is what is a Reshut harabim d’oryta.

“Le Pen recently called for banning the wearing of the kippah in public….”

So one can wear a hat. Besides, many of the religious Jews in France are Sephardic, who follow the Beit Yosef who says that a head covering is a Middat Chassidut (siman 8 IIRC).
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I see Le Pen as good for the Jews. Reducing assimilation and reducing physical threats from those who are most threatening.

“Toyota Previa, Ford Galaxy, VW Touran.”

Never heard of these, so I googled. These are models that are not sold in the USA, probably because we like larger vehicles. Our roads are wider and our fuel is less expensive – like a third to half of the price.

Most of the home made and much of the store bought MM that we receive go to my wife’s workplace open kitchen. Left out = hefker. Let them enjoy it.

I prefer to receive nothing. I eat Chalav yisrael and Yashan. That’s a near impossibility to expect in my little OOT community. Furthermore, I’m not interested in eating too much junk food.

The Hertz chumash was written to counter biblical criticism (kefira), expecially that of his day. Hertz wanted to show the wisdom and relevance of the Torah using all kinds of sources. The audience is a person with an intellectual (secular) approach.

At this time of year, sunrise is so late that I can eat well before.

lightbrite,

It’s based on the proverbial half filled glass. Do you see it as half full or half empty?

There are different views on the subject. Some say (see below) that you are doing business on Shabbat and therefore prohibited. Others say that you not making a sale, just taking orders – akin to receiving a mail order.

In any event, you should talk to a posek.

From Rabbi Mansour’s daily halacha site:

“Rav Shemuel Pinchasi (contemporary) addresses this question in his new book (listen to audio for precise citation) and rules that it is forbidden to allow the site to run on shabbat. Even if the majority of those accessing the site are not Jewish, and even though the site owner will process the orders only after shabbat, he must have the site shut down during shabbat. Rav Pinchasi cites a number of leading Halachic authorities who hold this view, including Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, Rav Chayim Kanievsky, and Rav Yonah Metzger.”

I believe that we seek that which is healthy/good for raising a family, like bearing kids (female) and supporting them (male). A few generations ago, healthy meant plump for a woman. Nowadays, it generally means athletic.

“This applies to regular BT frum women today too.

What if your grandmother is a baal teshuvah and grew up secular…”

I think that there is a difference between having a relative photoshopped and a frum publication. I think a person is more willing to forgive a relative’s touch-up. OTOH a book which is trying to portray inspiring frum ideas will look hypocritical.

I think that they should either leave it out or inform the reader that the picture was touched up. No need to say what was touched-up.

“Will the “normal” minyan become another victim of the immoderation and partisanship that is overtaking the Orthodox world, with those on the left moving ever further to the left and those on the right moving ever further to the right? “

About 25 years ago a friend of mine, while visiting NYC, heard Rabbi Norman Lamm of YU say that he felt that one of biggest problems facing Jewry was the shteibelization of American Jewry. At the time, it sounded funny to us. We (in OOT) had no idea what he meant. But as time goes on, I can see his point.

Growth is fortunate. But unfortunately, it’s all too easy to find a group of like-minded individuals and break away to one’s own bubble, ignoring the rest of the community.

“Arabs and Muslims are also Goyim! “

So are the Druze, except that Druzim are loyal citizens of their country, not subversive. Druzim are treated well in Israel, whereas Arabs are sometimes held in suspicion.

“I saw a poll being reported that overall (i.e. across the country) Orthodox Jews voted 56% for Hillary.”

I have troubles believing that number.

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Joseph said, “Ultra-Orthodox constitutes 67% of American Orthodoxy, according to Pew Research.”

Not quite 67%, but close.

From Pew forum (dot) org:

” The Pew Research Center survey was designed to look at differences within the Jewish community, including between subgroups within Orthodox Judaism. About six-in-ten U.S. Orthodox Jews (62%) are Haredi (sometimes called Ultra-Orthodox) Jews,…. Roughly three-in-ten Orthodox Jews (31%) identify with the Modern Orthodox movement….”

A friend of mine who converted started by looking around and wondering (kinda like Avraham). She asked, what do German pine trees have to do with a baby being born in the middle east? What’s with the fat dude in the north pole?

I don’t rachiv can challenge her family like that.

rachiv,

Can you come up with some convenient excuse? Sick, school project, work, etc.?