n0mesorah

Maybe availability?

Dear Reb Eliezer,

Ladies are Jewish. Give them alliyos. Huh? Seriously, let’s say there is someone in our shul whom we know is a safek yisrael. Is there an issur to give him an aliya? I’m aware that we should avoid it.

Jewish dress proves nothing. In halachah there isn’t any concept of Jewish dress. We have been through this one a number of times, and you still have not brought anything real. See the classic interpretations on the verse in Nechemia. The foreigners clothes refer to specific clothes worn for idol worshippers. Rashi etc. did not even consider that there could be a problem with dressing like a non-Jew.

Rov goyim not coming to shul, is not a rov. And if it was, it should prove that this fellow is a goy. He came from those outside the shul.

There is a massive misunderstanding when it comes to women stewing Torah. A hundred plus years ago, much of the teaching in yeshivos was done without sefarim. For a women to use a sefer was really uncommon. How many sefarim were available then? But every devout woman was interested in Torah and picked up as much as she could by listening in. Women went to the same Shabbos Hagodol Derasha as the men. But how much time did they have to give to acquiring more Torah?

Today, it is totally different. Women have much more time, and are far more literate. They will have many literary interests. There are numerous works that are crucial for Jews who will develop an organized worldview. So you allow for a woman to have any worldview she wants, except for a Torah one.

And now it reached the point, That when a gadol is speaking by a simcha, the men cannot follow along with his Torah thoughts. Because it does not pertain to the woman at all. And who could blame them? When they wanted to devote themselves to Torah, you barged in yelling “No! No!”

Dear Made Aliyah,

When there is a flu epidemic people should avoid contact, use soap, and wear marks. In that order. Flu is not present in high levels right now. At the moment Coronavirus is at manageable levels. The medical need for wearing a mark is low. Just wear it where it is required by law.

The legislative battle in Arizona is over voting rights. If the Republican party actually splits, Arizona is a likely ground zero.

Dear Torahvaluesoverparty,

I take it you live in a blue state. That has been heavily blue for decades. And the Republican politicians that you are familiar with, are part of the moral majority etc. Other regions in the country are very different. Hello? We are discussing Arizona!

Dear Lakewhut,

Biden was a very popular senator before Obama ran for the Senate. Now a deep historical question? In your political outlook was Obama’s speech the genesis of United States politics?

Dear Health,

We most definitely will stand by and do nothing. Watching real life on television without experiencing it, is the most quintessential American activity.

Flu is much more susceptible to transmission through touch. Marking is not the same when it is all over your hands, food, tissues, etc.

Last year, corona is like the flu.

This year, flu is like the corona.

Yes, to both. But they are also different.

There are many other viruses and bacteria. Mask more for some. Soap more for others. This is not new medical knowledge. Though this is about personal health. This is not really about epidemiology. Which is the field of specialty for the past year.

And, we could all be extremely careful with the flu and many will did. People walking around others when they are ill, is always inconsiderate. But during epidemics it is an entirely different problem. Like playing with fireworks instead of matches.

Dear The Little,

I agree with your take on marriage and what is important for those who partake in it. The main generic issues are, how he handles responsibility, physical health, mental health, ability to be a father, perspective on being a husband, and Torah commitment. Yes, in that order. Most important first.

Your outlook of the kolell scene, is not so accurate.

” a bochur who is fully capable of becoming klei kodesh who has the desire to apply himself to full time learning”

Klei kodesh has to do with skills and integrity. Like, a teacher, mohel, shochet, kashrus, sofer, etc. Where does full time learning come in? I know boys that started in there fields before they married.

There are two types of learning boys that are avoiding responsibility. One was raised with daddy’s cash and mommy’s food, and is scared to go on his own. Any decent shadchan knows that he is not a even a short term learner. But this is not a marriage issue. It is the way his parents raised him. This type is somewhat common among richer bachurim, but is almost never billed as a long term learner.

The other type is lazy to an unhealthy degree. Hi whole outlook is about having to do less. And in our society it compels him to be serious learner. He is rightly billed as a long term learner, but may not be so marriagable. And this type, is very uncommon. Less than one percent of boys on the market.

Now some fact checking:

1) Kollelim do not provide much support for those that are interested in Klei Kodesh.
Though it is becoming more common.

2) It is very clear that Talmud Torah applies to married men.

3) There is no halachah that a learning any should be dependant on anyone even in the short term.

4) There is a halachah that a married woman will work. Providing income is part of it.

5) A boy that is devoted to learning should be talked up to his fuller potential. That was the way of our leaders, both from within the yeshiva world and out.

6) If you are not asked, it is complicated to offer critical negative information. Maybe it will be noticed on the first date. Also many negative details are irrelevant. However, if the person is dangerous to be around, than one is obligated to offer that right away.

I’m not really sure what your outlook on the kollel setup is. Obviously, you knew some or most of these facts that I posted. It was done so that we could uncover where we diverge on this topic.

From what I see, the yeshiva world today is dedicated to the idea of learning because they value Torah. Young men are not trying to benefit from sitting over the gemara for years. Like seriously lishmah. [Maybe too much.]

Going on dates is to check out personality. In all relationships, you work with the person’s best traits. And leave it to the responsible person to work on his/her faults. Looking too much into people’s failings could ruin even the perfect shidduch.

For all those inquiring for the girl who is really interested in a learning boy, the question is how much does his learning mean to him? How much is it a part of who he is? Not if he comes on time. Or if he wants to finish shas.

Actually this is a great question for a girl who is looking for solid working boy, too.

Dear Torahvaluesoverparty,

1. They had to pass legislation to come up with public funding for the audit. Arizona is one of the few states where even democrats are somewhat budget conscious. It’s Arizona!

2. It is illegal to audit a part election, if the result will not overturn the election. This audit is being done to assess the need for stricter voting laws. Which is a big money waster.

3. That is my whole point! Maybe Biden won fair and square. In that case, keep a close eye on what he is really doing as President. And if he pulled off a sham election when he was not even in Washington, then what chance is there for 24? And public trust is gone. This is the new way to win office. Care to join?

Dear Always,

Your theories just are not true. First, there is an ancient concept called the dowry. Very traditional communities are still over the top with that. It has nothing to do with learning, working, or being insulated. That is the original source of what is going on. In the post war era, learning boys usually got a smaller dowry than working boys.

Now a short list.

1) The Pale was short on resources and opportunities. Lack of education for the available jobs, was not the issue.

2)A decent job is more about opportunities. Many educated people never work in the field they studied. And, almost all entry level jobs, offer training.

3)Most small business owners (In the yeshiva community.) had no extra education. They figured out their business on their own.

4)One of the big factors why young families struggle, is student debt.

5)The yeshiva community creates way more opportunities than secular ones. Because it is insular, it creates the need for many of it’s own services.

6)The major chessed organizations, create many jobs while filling cracks that society at large can not address.

7)Keeping apart from society did very little to prevent European assimilation. It was mostly where the locals were drunks who beat their wives and kids, that the keys remained separate. All it took was for the locals to be enlightened, and the Jews slowly (Or not slowly.) followed.

8)Back when America was a melting pot of immigrants, the Jews in America had absolutely on insulation. They struggled to maintain private Jewish schools. Sheesh.

9)The closed communities that lost basic Jewish values in order to survive, were hundreds of years ago. They closed their communities, so they should not get massacred.

10)Earning a livelihood, is not a basic Jewish value. It is a basic goal of human civilization.

Sorry- it’s a long list.

Dear Syag,

Please do not misunderstand me. (I did not write out my thoughts well.) I am not trying to push the envelope. Nor am trying to justify those who do. I just think that the difference in what the title is applied to, is similar to the difference in what they actually do. If there was a way to boil it down to algebraic form, [Which I get is wrong. These debates exist, because there is no absolute way to view these things. So I am using what would be a subjective view of objectivity.] It would be something like X*x = Y*x. As far as I could tell, there is no Rebitzzen who is filling the traditional role of a posek.

My point is that pastoral roles are much smaller among groups that are more broad with who can be in that role. For your example, I’m okay with hiring a doctor with a fake medical degree to put band ages on kids.

I admit to not giving a proper understanding of the roles under discussion. Maybe it is totally wrong to give this title to that role. I do not know. And I am not even one bit hinting that it is productive. And I do not believe that it is same role. Just more similar than the labels would indicate.

In sum, I’m walking back my first statement a bit. It was written with more clarity than it deserved.

I am curious if hotels, rest areas, gas stations, etc. will be as abundant as in previous years. Does bankruptcy, or under staffing lead to less services, especially in remote areas?

Besalel’s point has to do with each movement having to portray one way to their community and a different face to the other immunity. The women he mentioned give hashkafa/chaizzuk on the right, which is not much different than pulpit/pastoral roles on the left.

I’m aware that this could be pickled apart. But please give it an extra minute of thought. It is theoretically possible for one woman to do the same thing in two different communities, and it can result in two completely different titles.

Any observant group that has a disagreement with another observant group, will find the same disallowed cause in abundance within their own ranks. We just give it the appropriate label. And complain that a totally different community has different titles for a similar role or idea.

The unemployment rate is due to workers being afraid of the pandemic. [Do not ask me. Ask them.] And lack of child care. Do you all believe in the President’s office that much, that in a hundred days we would be seeing major changes in the data?

Dear Lakewhut,

You have to be really really woke to not differentiate Obama from Biden.

Maybe the media is not that dumb. They do not associate random numbers with the party of the fellow sitting in the whit house.

I would have typed ‘winning elections with instant economic effects’ but then I would get yelled at for using ‘winning’.

Cancel culture.

Whatever

I did not make it to town this week. So I looked it up on Hebrew books.

The Chasam Sofer is discussing the passing of a tzaddik, in a specific context. Namely, one leader passing on as averting disaster for his followers. He even writes that this does not apply if two leaders pass on together. Along the way he gets into a discussion about a young leader who does not yet have followers. This is not relevant to what just occurred. Though it is similar to what was said from the Chofetz Chaim. A thought that follows is, that one leader passing would have averted such an absence.

Who was the one in some shtetl that the people would say, “it is worth the whole salary just for the Rebetzin, the Rav just comes along with her”?

Onion Garlic Kugel loses it’s zing when it is overdone.

Biden is a Republican.

“Clearly, daas Torah supports the idea of super natural outcomes”

That could have a very broad definition. Make it more specific, and watch the clear support turn to clear opposition.

Dear Yserbius,

How about if that could be amended to two STABLE thirty year olds……

We discussed that point. I think it is silly. Like hey, “you may have known this person his whole life, but his death arbitrarily showed us how great he was. Shame on you for not realizing this while he was here. But it is great for me that the gezerah was fulfilled this way.” Really?!? And it does nothing toward actually remembering and appreciating what he was really like as a person. Let me check the Chasam Sofer.