Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
takahmamash,
This is indeed a deeply profound question. Thanks for giving me some food for thought (no pun intended).
I completely agree with AAQ.
This is exactly my point. Couldn’t have said it better. Just check out the countless threads going in circles.
Gadolhadofi, what exactly will be the outcome of me stating “Yes” or “No” without explaining what I mean by that and why I say that? I don’t think it will help you understand me any better. What, then, is the point?
Another difference (from the Lubavitcher Rebbe):
חמץ and מצה both share the same letters, aside from the ה and ח
When someone is haughty (חמץ), he can’t do teshuva because he always blames any wrongdoings on others and he never feels guilty.
The ח only has an opening on the bottom – the only path such a person will go is downward ר”ל.When someone is humble (מצה), he can always do teshuva, for he is quick to recognize his wrongdoings.
This is symbolized by the ה which has an opening on top to get out of our wrongs and get closer to Hashem.This Pesach, let’s try to be matzos. Lowering our ישות will give us an opening to the greatest heights.
(לקוטי שיחות ח”א ע’ 129 ואילך)
Gadol,
I will happily follow whomever Hashem appoints to be Melech Hamoshiach, and of course, I will join the rest of Klal Yisroel in accepting him as king.
Regarding whom specifically Hashem will appoint:
I do have a belief of whom Hashem will appoint to be Moshiach according to my understanding of Torah in general, and more specifically Toras Hachassidus. This understanding was also confirmed to me by my Torah teachers and by my rebbe.
Therefore, in my mind this is as definite as the rest of the details and halachos in Torah. This does not mean I don’t respect those who disagree. I respect Shamai even though my teachers taught me that Hashem definitely wants me to increase in Chanukah candles every night.I wouldn’t mind going into the specifics of what I understand and where I learn it from if I were talking to someone in person and we were both in a true state of being able to hear and understand each other’s viewpoint.
However, it would be naïve for me to think that this could be settled on an anonymous online forum (especially when there is a several-hour wait time between each response 😀), as is evident from the COUNTLESS threads repeating the same rhetoric on these topics.
מחלוקת לשם שמים סופה להתקיים
To clarify: I understand that I didn’t answer your question. However, I am not beating around the bush. I’m explaining why my answer would be pointless as we wouldn’t understand each other anyway and would just go in circles.
>But i hope we can agree that bakashos . . . are tefilos which are only for Hashem or for tzadikim to bring to Hashem.”
I definitely agree.
>many in your community believe that the lubavitcher rebbe is capable of fulfilling an individual’s bakashos.
I don’t know any Lubavitchers who believe that. No one says that the Rebbe has his own kochos so we don’t need Hashem’s koach (chas v’shalom chas v’shalom. I have never heard such a thing in my life, aside from non Lubavitchers telling me that this is chas v’shalom the opinion of Lubavitchers היל”ת עפ”ל).
Everyone I know believes that we go to a tzaddik (in this case the Rebbe) to channel HASHEM’s brochos, because a tzaddik has a more direct line (as is explained in many places. There is also an interesting Chasam Sofer that explains the difference in this regard between a tzaddik and a malach (whom it is problematic to ask brochos from).Anyone who learns chassidus will tell you that the very meaning of beracha is hamshacha (המבריך את הגפן). We go to a tzaddik to draw down the Hashem’s brochos which already exist limaala.
When a Lubavitcher says “I did this with the Rebbe’s kochos” and people jump and him and scream “avoda zorah” – I think it comes from ignorance and suspicion of Yidden who are different.
It is the same as someone saying “I made a great deal for 10,000 dollars yesterday” – no one says that the businessman doesn’t believe in Hashem ch”v, rather they understand that he means that he made a KELI for Hashem’s brochos of $10,000.If your mindset is set that a group of people have a certain wrong belief, it can be very easy to misinterpret everything they say to fit your conception of them.
>ths ONLY thing you find chazal advocating is asking for the niftar to daven on your behalf.
Avira, when I mentioned the poskim I clearly wrote “to intercede on their behalf” – because that is what most of the poskim whom I mentioned discuss.
However, when I mentioned chazal, I intentionally wrote “various requests” because if you go through those gemaras you’ll see that they did NOT only advocate for the niftar to daven on your behalf, rather they came to ask various other things from the dead (either seeking information (such as with Abaye in Brachos), or for the niftar to move his body (such as with Moshe and Yosef in סוטה יג), or to ask questions in learning, etc.)
The Rama clearly rules (יו”ד סי’ קעט סי”ד) that one is allowed to ask the neshama of a deceased person to swear that it will come to him and answer his questions.This is what I meant by “various requests,” and I stand by what I wrote.
Beautiful Gebroks story:
Lubavitch is EXTREMELY makpid on gebroks (aside from Acharon shel Pesach). Even children must eat their matzah in plastic bags, lest a crumb fall on the table. Many Lubavitchers remove all matzah from the table before bringing out the next courses. The Rebbe Rashab wouldn’t eat with a fork on Pesach, lest a matzah crumb remain stuck and become gebroks.
Once, by a Pesach seuda of the Frierdiker Rebbe (Rayatz), an uninformed guest began dipping his matzah in borscht. The chassidim were shocked and a commotion ensued.
The Frierdiker Rebbe commented: “It is better that the matzah become red (from borscht) than a Yid’s face redden in shame!”
One of the main accomplishments of Melech Hamoshiach is “מקבץ נדחי ישראל” – to return all of the Yidden to Eretz Yisroel (after he builds the Beis Hamikdash).
There are many mitzvos that are dependent on all Yidden being in Eretz Yisroel (כל ישראל יושבים על אדמתם) and we have to wait till Moshiach comes to fulfill them.
ראה רמב”ם הלכות מלך המשיח רפי”אRashi tells us (נצבים ל, ג): Kibbutz Goliyos will be tough, but Hashem will כביכול grap each Yid by the hand and shlep them back to Eretz Yisroel.
May this happen speedily in our days!
בניסן נגאלו ובניסן עתידין ליגאל(P.S. Last Sukkos, all Yidden living in Eretz Yisroel said in musaf “מפני חטאנו גלינו מארצינו”… vidal)
Reb Eliezer, you quoted the Mishna Brurah. However, this is actually a great machlokes haposkim, with MANY poskim clearly ruling that one is allowed to ask deceased tzadikim (their neshamos) to intercede on their behalf.
For example:
חמדת ימים, פחד יצחק, פרי מגדים, מנחת יצחק, בצל החכמה, חוות יאיר, מנחת אלעזר, יראים, ועוד ועודThese poskim explain clearly why this is not דורש אל המתים.
The poskim who don’t allow it have many מאמרי חז”ל to answer, where it clearly mentions תנאים ואמוראים (and Kalev) who went to קברים and spoke to the מת with various requests.
סוטה לד, ב. פסיקתא רבתי ג. ברכות יח,ב. חגיגה כב, ב. ועוד ועוד
And of course the Zohar.Everyone should follow their minhag and their rov.
If the commenters here want to know the true opinions and answers of Lubavitch – talk to a real life Lubavitcher with brains (there are many such).
If you want to know the opinion of internet posters on Lubavitch – check out the dozens of threads on YWN about Lubavitch (אין חדש תחת השמש).
If you’re feeling pained that 3 weeks have gone by already without arguing about Lubavitch – go ahead, continue rehashing all the nonsense. אין לדבר סוף
>Ever see a lubavitcher who first finds out that many gedolim didn’t hold of the rebbe? It gives them a crisis of faith and many go off the derech because of it.
From the inside I can tell you that this statement is completely baseless and ridiculous on so many levels.
(Not saying that Lubavitchers don’t go off the derech. Unfortunately, they are afflicted with similar pandemics to the rest of Klal Yisroel. However, the reason you gave is way off the mark. Anyone who knows anything about Lubavitch from the inside can attest to this.
Unless your basis is books or articles written by those who left the fold. I hope you don’t believe everything you read about orthodoxy by those who left).
Dear n0mesora,
Why would you make up a pshat in Gemara that goes against how way all the rishonim and achronim learn it (I checked) just in order to take away the possibility for a Yid to have done Teshuva?
(Also, if what you’re saying is true, why does someone have to have הרהור עבודה זרה to be considered a רשע? Maybe even without it he considers himself a רשע, as the Gemara says in Niddah היה בעיניך כרשע?)
Please point out which Tosfos you are referring to. Couldn’t find it.
>Was Albert Einstein a Baal Teshuvah?
Hopefully before he passed away he had a hirhur Teshuva, in which case he is considered a tzaddik gomur as per Gemara Kiddushin (נעשה צדיק גמור).
Another source: יש שקונה עולמו בשעה אחתSquare,
To the best of my knowledge, those quotes generally were not speaking about Purim
It would be interesting if someone would go through the thousands of posts about Lubavitch from the CR and put together a comprehensive book on the subject. Maybe several volumes.
Maybe we can use chatGPT or some other AI software to put this together.
It would be especially appropriate if it could be printed in honor of Purim!
Impressive! This thread managed to last for SIX DAYS without mentioning the elephant in the room (aside from a lone comment by RSo). B”H, we are apparently more b’achdus then ever before.
>Heretical thinking. Hashem has no use for candidates.
Join the long list of “heretics” (r”l):
The yeshivos of Rav Shilo, Rav Yanai, Rav Nachman, etc. (Sanhedrin 98b).
The Sdei Chemed (“בדרך הזה היה משוער אצלם בכל דור מיהו”).
Rav Shachnah, the Ramah’s teacher. The Ohr Hachayim.
And many more.Not sure what the OP means by shtultz, but if it means being proud of our Yiddishkeit and observing the Torah (the translation of the Yiddish “shtultz”) – this is one of the important idea, especially in America, of Geon Yaakov.
It’s known that one of the greatest nisyonos of our post holocaust America is obeying the first seif of shulchan aruch:
אל יבוש מפני המעליגיםThis is obviously not the idea of gaava which means being proud of YOURSELF, rather being proud of the Torah that we represent.
Gadolhadorah,
You missed the fact that the Donald doesn’t check his suits for shatnez. That should disqualify him as well according to the Rambam (“עוסק המצוות כדוד אביו”).
>How do we know what Hashem’s plans are
Well, how do we know about Techiyas Hameisim all together? Because He told us in His Torah. The same Zohar that says that תחה”מ is 40 years after kibbutz goliyos told us that the Beis Hamikdash must be built beforehand.
Kibbutz goliyos is a distinctly Jewish concept, Jewish meaning Torah. Kibbutz goliyos does not mean thousands of Jewish children being brought to Eretz Yisroel to have their “simanim” chopped off, nor thousands of Russians pouring into the land without checking who is Jewish – thus mixing thousands of goyim into Klal Yisroel r”l.
The Beis Hamikdash is a physical building on har habayis where Yidden come to serve Hashem. Not a Muslim mosque l’havdil, and not a Knesset filled with Jews who are embarrassed by the Torah.
Hashem informed us all of this in His holy books. Go learn them.
The OP seems to have forgotten what the Zohar writes:
The Beis Hamikdash is built BEFORE kibbutz goliyos, and kibbutz goliyos is before Techiyas Hameisim.
I believe that we are on the threshold of Geula, but not because 40 years ago some Jews built a secular state in our holy land. This is not my Beis Hamikdash. This is not my kibbutz goliyos.
Avira,
Indeed, I completely agree with you.ujm,
Bacteria. Unless you don’t consider that a creature. Whatever. (No, I did not mean “dinosaurs” if that’s what you’re asking).AviraDeArah,
Just wondering, aren’t there plenty of creatures and other beings that we weren’t aware of for thousands of years and we’re only revealed recently?
On the contrary, Hashem chose this time to reveal their existence so we can serve Hashem on much greater level with all the new tools (think electricity, radio waves, etc.).
Chabad dot org has a nice article on this with many מראי מקומות
Google: Chabad org is there life on other planets
For another interesting article on this topic, Google:
The Rebbe and the scientist: Looking for life on MarsSquare,
Sorry, wasn’t intentional
Square,
“Any Jew can claim to be Melech HaMoshiach”
There are certain qualifications listed in the Rambam that someone must have in order to be considered Moshiach even before starting the actual Geulah. There are other signs he must show to prove that he is definitely Moshiach and the Geulah has begun. Having a son is not listed among either list.
I would like to point out that most commentaries argue with the Rambam’s opinion here, and in very sharp ways.
This all follows his opinion that תכלית השכר is a spiritual world and Moshiach will not live forever.
Most disagree with that approach.
See the Raavad.
The Ramban (יגזור הרב ז”ל מיתה על המשיח ועל דורו)
Avodas Hakodesh: הרמב”ם ז”ל שפט משפט מוות על בני תחיית המתים ועל המשיח ודורו
And many others.Additionally, when Moshiach comes, all מומים and sicknesses will be healed (as ruled by the Rambam as well, הלכות תשובה פ”ט), so I doubt anyone will still be childless. (See also Shabbos 30b)
Irregardless, throughout the signs that the Rambam gives to identify someone as Melech haMoshiach (הלכות מלכים פי”א ה”ד), he makes no mention of having children.
Regarding the fruit of the עץ הדעת, if I’m not mistaken, the opinions are:
Wheat
Grapes
Figs
Nuts
EsrogimP.S. Esrog can also be called תפוח
Not getting into the lashon harah aspect, Torah definitely believes in pouring out your feelings to someone else:
דאגה בלב איש ישיחנה.However, Torah always stresses the terrible effects of כעס, so the “venting” should obviously be done in a calm and collected way, with the intent to fix the problem.
Of course Hashem wants the Yidden to survive! Hashem loves the Yidden like the apple of His eye. The entire world and everything in it was created for the Yidden. Yidden are even more important to Hashem than the Torah itself (תנא דבי אליהו, ועוד)
As we say in the Haggadah, in every generation they rise against us to annihilate us, but Hashem delivers us from their hands.
Very soon, Moshiach will come, and we’ll live forever with eternal peace. רמב”ם הלכות מלכים פי”ב, ועוד
Lilmod,
How optimistic, Eretz Yisroel is the best place to live because it’s the best place to get killed! (ר”ל)
OP,
A fundamental tenent of our belief system is אחכה לו בכל יום שיבוא. No matter how bleak things look, let’s remember that we’re on the threshold to a much better world.
As the Rambam describes (הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ומלך המשיח פי”ב ה”ה):
At that time [of Melech haMoshiach], there will be no famine nor war, no jealousy nor competition, and all delicacies will be found like dust… And the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the water covers the seabed.Indeed, this is becoming quite common. Bochurim need a healthy outlet since they are in yeshivah and not using social media, going out to entertainment, etc. (boruch Hashem).
These are obviously only meant to be used during breaks bein hasdorim, so the more studious bochurim can stay and learn, while the more restless bochurim can play.
This is especially useful in the winter when it’s hard to play outside, since most yeshiva lack an indoor gym (game room is a cheaper alternative).
Akuperma,
Your suggestion is against Torah.
Who gave you the right to throw away millions of Hashem’s children, when the Gemara tells us אע”פ שחטא ישראל הוא, and בין כך ובין כך בני הם (which is even referring to a Yid who is משומד לעבודה זרה ר”ל – Rashba Shu”t 1:194)?How much more so when we are talking about a person who knows nothing about his own religion (due to lack of education), all he knows is that his nation is the most persecuted in the entire world, yet he show great mesiras nefesh by identifying himself as Jewish, despite not knowing what it means practically.
In a way, the essential connection that we all have to Hashem is even more visible on such a person than a frum Yid who received a Jewish education.
Akuperma,
Anyone born of a Jewish mother or who did halachic conversion has an intrinsic connection to Hashem, infinitely more than any other creature on Earth.
This person is defined as Yid. The term has nothing to do with one’s behavior.
Shimon,
As I said, there are several definitions of the term tzaddik, depending on the context.
The definition that you gave is the one that is brought in Tanya and proven from many mamorei razal.
However, the Alter Rebbe (Baal Hatanya) himself acknowledges that the term is sometimes used with other meanings (like in the Rambam quoted by smerel, or והצדיקו את הצדיק, etc.).Re Morahs (I reply with a grain of sensitivity just in case you are suffering trauma from your kindergarten morah):
Don’t be so quick to condemn. Remember the תשובת הרשב”א (brought in שו”ת השיב משה סימן יג):
אין לדחות קבלה שיש ביד הנשים הזקנות מבני עמנו מפני שישים ריבוא מופתים המראים סתרוAvira,
I know about the limmud of עושה מעשה עמך, I was saying that we don’t find this limmud regarding ועמך כולם צדיקים. On the contrary, it is coming to include this who are not generally עושה מעשה עמך.
Re Judgemental
Unfortunately, our behavior often doesn’t reflect on our views. I think that it’s terrible and ossur to speak lashon harah, yet I often slip up.
Although someone could believe in being non-judgemental and only see another for his pintele Yid, practically when someone bothers him personally he can react terribly.
Making our day to day life in sync with our belief system is the life struggle of every Yid.“They have to be “ameich”, oseh maysoh amcha, perfoming what your nation performs. Reshoim aren’t part of that”
What is your source?
The Mishna & Gemara (סנהדרין צ, א) learns from the possuk “ועמך כולם צדיקים” that all Yidden have a share in Olam Habba.
The מפרשים explain this to be referring to ALL Yidden, including רשעים who are חייב ד’ מיתות ב”ד.
(See Rashi, Maharsha, etc.)This is also the halachic ruling of the Rambam (Teshuva, 3:5): Also רשעים have a share in Olam Habba, as it says, ועמך כולם צדיקים
וכן כל הרשעים שעונותיהן מרבים דנין אותן כפי חטאיהם ויש להן חלק לעולם הבא, שכל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא אף על פי שחטאו, שנאמר ועמך כלם צדיקים לעולם יירשו ארץ.There are many different levels of when the term tzaddik is used, depending on the context.
Chassidus explains that in this context צדיקים is referring to anyone who performs mitzvos, including רשעים, as the Gemara says (ערובין יט, א. חגיגה כז, א):
“The fire of Gehinom has no power over the sinners of Israel, since they are filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate.”Why should we seek to push away other Yidden if we can bring them close? ידע איניש בנפשיה that we are all not perfect in serving Hashem, let us judge others in the way that we want Hashem to judge us.
May we be zoche to the geulah shleima when it will be revealed that every Yid is a tzaddik.
RebE,
Never heard that one (the first part at least),
thanks!In reply to the different opinions regarding informing the parents, the statement which I began with still stands:
“It’s hard to make such a blanket statement. It depends on the bochur, his needs, his environment, etc.”
Sometimes, (very often) it’s okay to “snitch”. The question we must always ask before informing on someone is: “Am I doing this in order to help/save/protect that person/others, or just because I enjoy being a snitch and getting the guy in trouble?”
Often, if a someone confided his trust in you, it was because he assumed that you wouldn’t tell others. If you break that trust, even if you’re only doing it for his benifit, it will backfire and from now on he will keep all of his struggles to himself, which is the worst.
However, I do believe that this can often quite comparable to drug usage or the like. [%30-%40 percent of internet usage is for terrible addictions that do great emotional (and obviously spiritual) damage.]
But it doesn’t make a difference how bad it is. Even for something like drugs, I would think twice before reporting. Will this help him or make it worse? It all depends on the situation.
It’s hard to make such a blanket statement. It depends on the bochur, his needs, his environment, etc.
Sometimes, being so stringent can backfire. If all his friends are in constant contact with each other, but he is cut out from it by force, it can lead him to acquiring devices behind his parents back.
I personally know a young bochur in an out-of-town yeshiva who is the only one in his class whose parents don’t let him have a cellphone. This is asking for disaster.
All the bochurim in his class have flip phones that are fully kosher, and they must give it in to the dorm counselor for most of the week (they get it back for Erev Shabbos).
But this bochur bought a smartphone behind his parents back, and it’s completely unfiltered (r”l), and he uses it throughout the week without reporting it to the dorm counselor. Hanhola thinks that he’s always absent because he likes sleeping in, and his parents still think that he’s the safest bochur in his class from the internet.