midwesterner

As far as mesiras nefesh yissochor vs zevulun goes, at this stage I am a zevulun. When I was first married, I was a yissochor for 8 years. I would say that to a large extent that is correct. I get up earlier than I ever did before. I have a shiur early in the morning and late at night, plus a chavrusa late afternoon, after 5:00. My son in law starts his day at 7:00.

But I can tell you that although dollars do not come to us easily or plentiful, no expense gives me more pleasure than the monthly check I write to my daughter and son in law. My daughter is raising the cutest baby in the world, and due for her second any week now. My son in law is a masmid of the highest order. He may not be a 16 hour a day masmid, but he is a 60 minute an hour masmid. More focused than I ever was. And I thank Hashem every day for giving me the opportunity to be the zevulun to such a yissochor.

As far as the Rav Gifter reference is concerned, he was speaking about YU actually recognizing a MZ club in the university. The school itself was recognizing the toeva. That is far worse then offering a platform to a frum politician who supports legislation. The Aguda can not be accused of sanctioning the toeva themselves. There is a good chance that Rav Gifter wouldn’t be happy with this either, but it is not at all what he was speaking about in that famous “Gifter slaughters Lamm on Passover” speech on Chol Hamoed Pesach 1986.

That statistic (one in three families) reminds me of a friend I once had who was a student in a small center-left yeshiva. He told me, “25% of the bochurim in the Bais Medrash wear black hats.” When I questioned him, he said, “Sure! There are 4 bochurim, and I wear a black hat!”

I know hundreds of Litvishe families, and I can think of maybe a dozen girls over age 25 in those families, excluding those that have personal issues that would make them difficult or impossible to marry off in any climate. And three of those dozen are in one family, may Hashem send them some brachos and yeshuos really soon! So I would say that in my unscientific statistical sample, that one in 50 families has a marriagable girl over age 25 that is still looking.

Amar R’ Yosi ben Kisma; paam achas halchti baderech upaga bi adam echad . . . Im yiten li kol kesef v’zahav va’avanim tovos umargaliyos sheba’olam, eini dar ela bimkom Torah!

That being said, and myself being a “Midwesterner”, there is loads of Torah and gedolei Torah in many other communities across the land. Its just that many of the New Yorkers think that they are following R’ Yosi ben Kisma’s advice by staying in (or near) the Big Apple.

Aha! It took 20 comments on this thread (plus innumerable comments on other threads) for Joseph to grant that there is a differing opinion!!! Hodu LaShem ki tov!!! Will Moshiach finally arrive today?!

Rav Shmuel Berenbaum did not participate in anything that would take away from his shiur. Plus the Mirrers in general (including the Bais Hatalmud roshei yeshiva and people like Rav Leib Bakst in Detroit) have not participated much in the Aguda scene.

Rav Avrohom Kalmanovitz, based on the times that he lived in, (hatzolah efforts during WWII) and the environment in which he built his yeshiva, participated in Aguda type politics more so than his successors who had different battles to wage.

To Pac man: That is an interesting teitch of leitzana achas docheh meah tochachos. I believe the word tochacha is more conventionally translated as reproof.

As far as the general topic is concerned, I would advise all commenters to look at the gemara in ksubos. It explicitly permits looking at the Kalla in such a way that would give the appearance of being mechabev her to her husband. It is similar to the comment of Kalla naeh vachasuda. Normally a male would NEVER comment on the appearance of a woman. But to be mechabev her on her husband, and increase the simchas chasan v’kallah, it is muttar. Yes, it is human nature, and the gemara recognizes it is so, that if the chosson thinks that others recognize that his kalla is attractive, he will feel better about his choice.

I don’t know that this is the kavana of these form fitting eye attracting dresses, but for the kalla herself it is probably not such a big avla, based on the above gemara.

I am a native Detroiter living in Chicago (hope I’m not blowing my cover) for several decades. The late 80s when the Pistons regularly beat the Bulls in the playoffs went very well. But the 90s, when the shoe was on the other foot, were very painful. So I say, “Anyone but the Bulls!”

Osama has a huge family, not all of whom are symapthetic to his cause. I heard that they have samples from more than a dozen relatives.

Journeys-Memories.

There once was another child,

Who smelled this sweet and felt this warm,

He was taken from before my eyes,

And only I was left to mourn.

Yossi Sonnenblick and his harmony still brings out tears, and I’ve listened to it probably more than a hundred times.

The primary source for adding kinos on Tisha B’av for other events is Rashi in Divrei Hayamim 35:25, Vayekonen Yirmiyahu al Yoshiyahu. Rashi talks about the kina that Yirmiyahu said on Yoshiyahu, and then he says that we say it on Tisha B’av “Dugmas hatzaros sh’iru byameinu”. That means that since all tzaros in the world have their roots in the churban and galus, we always add the kinos on Tisha B’av. Rashi is referring to kinos on crusades, which were the tzaros that happened in his day. Shaali Serufa ba’esh was written by Maharam Ruttenburg on the burning of 24 wagons of gemaros in Paris in the 13th century. The day for adding Kinos and aveilus is Tisha B’av.

Does anyone know of a link where I can view Tanach with Rashi? I’m doing this from memory, and I’d like to get it exact.

I believe that English is the second most common first language (after Mandarin/Chinese) and the most commonly spoken second language on the entire globe. Simple matter of practicality!

Nothing to do with the fact the that British exterminated the African and Indian populations, and the American’s plundered the resources of the new world. Oh yeah, and we also have the martians locked up in Roswell too!!!

To the grandmaster: Who is getting a better deal? We, the Chicagoans, that traded Daley for Rahm, or you members of the United States, that traded Rahm, as the chief of staff in the White House, for William Daley, Dah Mayor’s brother?!?

Badchanim make their parnassah primarily at the Mitzvah Tantz. That’s why you hire them, and that’s where they get the “tips”. The Litvishe, by and large, don’t make a Mitzvah Tantz, hence no real market for them.

Does anyone else find it interesting that Popa Bar Aba is looking for a segula for weight loss? See Bava Kamma 10b

Gefen and Candy613 both know that the Shell Stations around here are up to 3.80. And if you want to be provincial, the Shell Station by Shloimy’s in Lakewood has a Landswoman (is there such a word?) that is there most of the time.

To the Esteemed Moderator: I once called Rabbi Heinemann personally and asked him if he held that Cholov Yisroel applied to powdered milk. He told me that he NEVER said there was a difference. And if you click on the Star K link from Shouldn’t be here, at the bottom it says that some poskim are meikel, but they don’t recommend following that.

Newhere: Got your yichus mixed up. Yalsa or Yalta was Rav Nachman’s wife. Rava was a son in law of Rav Chisda, not the other way around.

Most seminaries have so many applicants that they’ll just say they don’t need someone with such an attitude, and move on to the next girl.

You’ve got to make sure that they need you, and that they know that they need you, before trying that gimmick!

To the Wolf: Avos 1:3; Antignos Ish Socho . . . Al tihyu ka’avadim hameshamshim es harav al menas lekabel pras, ela hevu ka’avadim hameshmshim es harav shelo al menas lekabel pras . . . .

And to the esteemed Moderator 80: What does the Artscroll Hebrew do that is different than Hamesivta? My opinion is that lashon in the tietch flows smoother in the Hamesivta than the Artscroll Hebrew. But I understand that is a matter of taste. As you mention, There is soooo much more packed into the Mesivta. But even without flipping to the back sections, aren’t the Mesivta and Artscroll Hebrew attempting to do the same thing?

I know a rav, who when he passed 90, he asked people to wish him, “Biz Moshiach!”

Aishes Chayil, did you watch the whole clip? Georgi WAS mentioned before as the source!

Yisroel Werdyger on Monday

The point is that in the NY/NJ area, there are rates in the vicinity of $45-50 per couple, and that includes portions of FLOP as well. In Chicago, there is nothing less than $50 PER PERSON!! (and even the Concord is in the low to mid 40s without the klei kodesh discount) An that is only for the hall and caterer. FLOP and other incidentals make it thousands more!!!

There are NO hotels in the area. The only things were the Purple Hotel which deteriorated for several years until closing down in 2007. And the Holiday Inn which charges 5K to rent the room, in addition to whatever the caterer charges and other expenses. There is only downtown, which is frightfully expensive, and the airport which is almost as expensive. When the Concord opened up, it was significantly cheaper. Nowadays, it is only cheaper for those who are zoche to the mechanchim discount. When we made a chasuna a year and a half ago, we found an airport hotel (Wyndham) that was competitive with the Concord. But that place is closed now. The next best thing is the Westin, but you can’t touch them for less than $100 a couple.