Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
You cannot get there by car.
Rabboisai, in previous generations, people had real problems, like pogroms, persecution, poverty, etc. They knew what was a problem and what was not. They did not divorce at the drop of a hat. Today, many of us are spoiled and think that if my spouse did not look at me the right way, or forgot my birthday, then the world is coming to an end. There are people today struggling with terrible illnesses who would give anything to trade the illness for a problem that can easily be fixed. Two mature people should be able to work out whatever it is that is bothering them. It is a lot easier to fix a relationship than a physical defect. If you are healthy, why are you not jumping for joy? If your spouse sees you jumping for joy, they may want to do so, as well.
I mean we can control our emotions, but cannot control our health. We are unhappy because we don’t appreciate the RBSH’s goodness that he gives most of us. Do you know what it is to see? Do you know what koach hadibur is? Do you know what it is to be able to hear? To walk? To have normal intelligence? Those who can’t would give anything to be in your shoes. If you have all this and are not happy it really makes one wonder if anything will ever make you happy. Other problems are so easy to fix by comparison. Just be kind and attentive to each other, and show interest in the things that are important to your spouse.
Rabboisai, just some chizuk. The worst thing about any addiction is not the thing itself, but the bitul zman. There is so much opportunity to do good in this world, and so little time, that we can’t afford to waste any. So many people are suffering. Some with severe health problems, some facing foreclosure, some looking for shidduchim.
The greatest pleasure is in helping someone. If one has extra time, why not earn a little money tutoring and give it to a family in need. Why not play with your kids, or help them with homework? If you are a scientist, you know there is an infinite amount we don’t know and diseases we can’t yet cure. Go read another paper or textbook. Cure a disease someone is suffering with.
Understand that as physically challenging as it is to abstain from your tayvos, it is far more phsyically challneging to be born with a handicap or have a disease for which there is no relief. Count your blessings, and realize what a gift good health is. You can accomplish anything you want almost if you have health. Nobody stands in your way from becoming the biggest expert in your field to whom all others turn for advice and are willing to pay for it. Go write a book or artice for a journal demonstrating your expertise. Become the head of a chssed organization. Make shidduchim. What is stopping you? If you have health, don’t squander it by wasting time, and be forgotten forever. If you want to preserve your name for future generations to remember, then accomplish something worthwhile. Don’t be your own worst enemy. Successful people in any field are masmidim. Bill Gates slept on the floor of his high school’s lab for years.
I find that motivational mussar is far more effective than threats about punsihments.
Here is my question: Reb Moshe and Reb Elyashiv both called the USA a medinah shel chessed. Is there any way in which the Medinah is worse to the Jews (and to religious Jews) than the USA? Doubtful, and probably does much more. So kal vachomer the Medina is a medinah shel chessed.
To walk out on Rabbi Lau because of some shita about Zionism certainly does count as sinas chinam. Did R. Lau personally do anything bad making him unqualified to speak in honor of Torah? So you re bringing up some side issue and punishing Rabbi Lau, a first rate talmid chacham and a big mensch. If that is not sinas chinam (for no reason) than I don’t know what is.
Lmayseh, those who still oppose Zionism 60 years after the fact are unable to come to grips with the fact that the klal has accepted and embraced it. The Rbsh has showered his brachos on the State, and it supports more Torah and shuls than any govt in bistory since the churban. And what is the alternative, CV? Give EY to the Arabs? Move back to Poland and Germany where life was so wonderful with poverty, pogroms and discrimination?. I mean what are they thinking? This is the biggest bracha since the Churban that our brethren have returned and will defend any Jew anywhere in the world. Yes, the mednah needs to be more frum, so be mekarev your fellow Jews with ahava and hakaras hatov and true yiddishe warmth. But this immature behavior will only push them away.
Antizionism is just an inability to be modeh al haemes. Keep dredging up old fights. You know, during the baseball season one can argue with his friends about which team is better, and which will win the world series. But after the series is over, it is nonsense to keep arguing about it. It was already decided.
Beautiful tefila. Never underestimate the koach hatefila. You can achieve limitless things through sincere davening.
Mods, Due to technical problems with my account, I am now back to my original Pashuteh Yid name from Pashuteh Yid 2.0, after being off CR for many months.
(Pashuteh Yid 2.0 was made because Pashuteh Yid had difficulties posting to the main News board.)
Could I get my subtitle, “Modern Chareidi Zionist” reactivated on this Pashuteh Yid account please? (Was on Pashuteh Yid 2.0 account.)
While you’re at it, could you please see why I still can’t post responses to the main YW News articles from this account? That was why I had to open another account, as nobody seemed to be able to help me. If I am banned because of my viewpoints, could somebody at least alert me to that fact. I have tried to post simple comments like Refuah Shleima to sick people mentioned in YW News articles, and even those don’t show up. Please help. Thanks.
Without seeing the Rambam or the acharon inside, I am assuming that hair and body do not add. Parts of the body are covered by hair, and parts by skin. The whole equals one body. Therefore the Rambam could not really mean the way you understand.
Let me take a stab at pshat here. When we talk of a chatzita in hair, it can be that it is tied up in knots. When we talk about a chatzitza in the body, it can be like mud.
Let us argue that the waist is the midpoint.
Suppose that up until just below the waist, a person is covered in mud. Suppose that above the waist, a miyut of hair is knotted up. However, when you add the amount of (square inches of) the person covered with mud, to the amount that has knotted hair, the person now has a chatzitza on rov of his body. The Rambam may say this is a chatzitza, while the geonim would say since each type separately has only a miyut, it is not a chatzitza.
Grep
Awk
That’s about all I know about Unix.
I think the reason they want the money up front is that the shadchanim will then have assurance they will get it, and an incentive to work for the person. They do not want to be told the money is not available until further notice, after they complete a shidduch.
In addition, although the problem may be caused by an age gap, however, with the money involved, they may now consider redding older girls to younger guys (1-2 years apart), which they never would have done before.
Health, I think the gemara says yalda lo yisa zakein, vzkeina lo yisa yeled because it is marbeh znus.
I once started a thread here about a goral system. After a girl or guy is 30, or whatever age, or has dated for 10 years without success, they can enter a goral. One pays half the cost of a chasuna to enter, and they draw a name of another entrant. If you get married, they give you your money towards the wedding (afterwards). If you refuse, you lose your money, and cannot enter again.
(Shadchanim would prescreen applicants to make sure they are not criminals, and have good recommendations, etc.) But you get no choice in the matter. Whoever is pulled out of the hat is yours.
Nice letter except for the part about Hatzalah which I didn’t understand.
The ability of a talmid chacham to bring good rayos and sevaros that conclusively prove a point. If one speaks or writes without rayos and sevaros, it is merely one’s personal opinion.
Astrix, pardon me? What are you saying, she is not allowed to wear one? Even married women are allowed according to Reb Moshe.
How did 22 become old, all of the sudden? If a girl went to HS, and then seminary, and now is in college to learn a profession to be able to support a husband, how could she graduate before 22, anyway? Is she suppposed to get married while in college? Not very easy to do or practical.
You used to be able to go into National Wholesale Liquidators and get one for 25 dollars. I think I passed by a store in Freeport, LI which had some in the window, as well. How much could they be?
Give it your best shot, and the RBSH should help. Do not listen to people who say you cannot fulfill your dreams. You will be very unhappy later in life if you don’t try.
I am not sure if Kilobear is suffering the effects of his abundance of Simchas Torah wine, or if it is lingering effects from his Purim celebration that is causing this particular issue. In any case, we wish him a hearty refuah shleima.
Because Android is powered by Google, you can do some really cool things. For example, in the GPS app, you only need to say the name of the place, and Google looks it up and programs the address. Also, can get real time maps and traffic updates, which may affect the routing.
Probably all will eventually have what the others have sooner or later. Also, the word is that there are the most apps for Android, since they are written independently, and do not need to go to a central place like Apple for approval. This may mean they are cheaper, too, but do not know the Apple marketplace, so cannot give first hand info. Just got Android about 3 months ago, and have been pretty happy, but everything has some glitches.
My old clamshell phone was easier to make calls on, and I find the touchscreen and having to poke through menus to bring the phone dialer screen up to be annoying.
Health, yes, I know. One was black, and the other white.
Mdd, there is also a kabbalistic interpretation on the pasuk vyipach b’apav nishmas chaim in breishis that man dinafach midilei nafach. One who blows a soul into another, blows part of himself into the recipient.
There is also a famous shmuz by Reb Chaim Shmulevitz on the pasuk kedoshim tihyu ki kodosh ani hashem elokeichem. The medrash says yachol kamoni, talmud lomar ki kodosh ani hashem, kedushasi lamaala mikedushaschem. Reb Chaim asks what was the hava amina that we are as holy as the RBSH? He answers that ein hochi nami, if not for a miut, we would have the potential to be as holy as Him. That is what the pasuk in tehillim means, Vatechasrehu meat me’elokim. We are just a slight bit below the RBSH. This is gadlus haadam, what a person can accomplish. The RBSH gave us kochos far greater than any of us are aware of.
Now, I highly doubt that any Lubavitcher thinks the Rebbe created the world. All the other phrases they use are fluff, and fit in with all the chazals I have been quoting on this thread.
BTW, that is the famous sicha of basi lgani, and I doubt any Chabadniks interpret it the way you translate it. Did they think just on that day he became divine?
In addition, I believe the Rebbe refused for a whole year to take the post, until he was begged to.
Midwesterner, isn’t the neshoma universally referred to as Chelek Eloka Mimaal?
Midwesterner, so then the Rebbe was not saying this about himself, but about any rebbe of any sect. This may be standard chassidic belief, whatever it means.
BTW, why not consider how Reb Moshe Feinstein and Reb Yoshe Ber treated the Rebbe with tremendous kovod and ahava, as evidenced by their letters to each other. If there was any problem, Reb Moshe surely would have made it known in his lifetime.
Midwesterner, I don’t know the context of that quote. But compare to the midrash, Ani Hashem shochen bsoch bnei yisroel, about which the medrash says, bsoch lev kol echad v’echad, or something similar.
In general, the Chabad mantra has always been to establish a dira btachtonim for the RBSH.
Mdd, again, I challenge you to prove that any sane person believes that the Rebbe is G-d. They may believe he is now with G-d, as everybody does about their deceased relatives. The Rebbe never said he created the world, did he? Not even a whacko believes that.
BTW, was in 770 recently for a wedding, and there is a dvar torah on the walls explaning that the Rebbe thought encouraging Jews to believe in the imminance of moshiach is good for strengthening their emunah and this zchus will bring moshiach. Not that the Rebbe was moshiach.
J—s, on the other hand said that I am G-d, and you know longer have to do mitzvos, just believe in me, and I will save you. This is nothing like Chabad.
Also, I just heard from my own rebbe, a gadol hador, mechaber of 12 sefarim on shas (not a chabadnik by any means) that he once went to the Rebbe for a bracha for a shidduch for his son. The Rebbe told him, look, all I can do is daven, and you will also daven, and hopefully your son will find a shidduch soon, and kach havei, he found a shidduch.
Msseeker, in general, the difference is quite clear. The Christians do not keep the Taryag Mitzvos, while Chabad does.
One thing about the issue of apikursis. We have discussed previoulsy on other threads (where the topic may have been Rav Kook) that it is quite possible that one cannot be an apikores based on his beliefs. What may be required is a life of hefkerus, i.e., throwing away Torah and Mitzvos. The belief is only an excuse to leave the Torah and be porek ol. However, one who fully keeps the mitzvos may not be an apikorus. The Chazon Ish discussed this in a few places, and it is not at all a simple matter.
Furthermore, as others noted, the gemara itself mentions the possibility that a deceased individual may be moshiach in Perek Chelek. So that belief may not be apikorsus in the first place.
Finally, it is highly doubtful that any Chabadnik believes the Rebbe is the Ribbono Shel Olam. They are simply behaving in accordance with the mishna in pirkei avos tzaddik gozer vHKBH mekayem, HKBH gozer, vtzaddik mevatel. Let us not exagerate the extent of what goes on.
Alright, all kidding aside, don’t miss Kosher Bite. Best corned beef on club anywhere.
Heimish Mom, there are no fish in Baltimore.
I loved the Robinson brothers, Frank and Brook.
There is nothing to do in Baltimore, period. End of story. Furthermore, nobody has ever been there.
Let us have a bit of empathy for Chabad. The Rebbe was a very great man, and a true Oheiv Yisroel. He lived very simply, and was a great gaon and lamdan. His sichos fill over 100 volumes. They are filled with both lamdus and nistar. His chakiras in those sichos are no less sharp than what you would hear at any Litvishe Yeshiva. He was knowledgeable about the ways of the world, having a secular education, and many mayselach seem to indicate he was a great baal eitza, if not a baal ruach hakodesh.
He was lebedig, composing and singing niggunim, and being at one of his farbrengens, which I was zocheh to go to when I was young, was an amazing experience. No question he was raui to be moshiach, just the generation was not zocheh.
It is hard with Chabad to come to grips with the loss of their beloved leader and teacher. There probably is nobody who can fill his shoes. So yes, they are getting a bit meshugeneh, but it is out of grief and missing their Rebbe. The work they do is amazing. Shlomo Carlebach said that when Columbus discovered America, he found that Chabad was already there.
Let us remember Gavi and Rivka Holtzberg who were beautiful products of the Chabad educational system. The finest human beings ever. Any system that can produce such quality, is definitely doing something right.
What we need is achdus, not fighting and knocking other groups.
Just for your information. There is a Zohar in Parshas Bo, Os 126, I believe, that says on the pasuk Shalosh peamim bashana yeraeh kol zechurcha es pnai haadon hashem, as follows: Man pnei haadon hashem, da Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai…uvai l’ischazi kamei.
The pasuk says 3 times a year we are supposed to see the face of the Master, Hashem. The Zohar asks, who is the face of the Master, Hashem? This is Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and one must appear before him. Sounds very unusual to me, and not worse than something any Lubavitcher would say.
Papa, yes, we cannot change halachos, but excess baggage that has no basis in halacha, like requiring people to dress in black and white, can be discarded for the sake of not turning people away.
The question becomes what is halacha and what is not. It is not always clear.
This is the main problem: People like Avi Weiss and YCT believe that the primary point of the Torah is chesed, which is a very valid belief.
If that is the case, then it raises many difficulties in some of our practices, which are legitimate kashyas, just like any other kasha in any sugya.
For example, they grapple with how one can be commanded to kill a child of certain nations. This is a very serious question. It is compounded by the fact that simple answers like they will grow up to be wicked, is also a justification for the Nazis killing our children.
So it is very convenient for the Chareidi world to just smugly say that our religion says so, end of story. Because that raises questions as to how we look on in horror when an Islamic terrorist kills one of our children. He believes just as strongly that his religion is the only true one, and has commanded him to kill Jewish children R”L (case in point, the Fogel murders).
So while one may disagree with Avi Weiss’s answers or his approach to these difficult questions, but I highly doubt anybody from the Chareidi world has any answers at all. It is convenient to just ignore things that one doesn’t want to face, and go around smugly patting oneself on the back for being a very religious person.
Another issue the people of Avi Weiss’s camp raise is if a woman can be a brain surgeon these days, why can’t she study gemara? Remember that Sarah Schenirer also met with opposition when she founded the Bais Yaakov movement, because it was against the mesora. However, because girls were then required to go to school for secular subjects, it was reasoned that she must have a Jewish education, as well. Should girls just be taught pirkei avos these days, when they go to college and medical school and learn sophisticated subjects of all other kinds?
The questions are not easy, but ignoring them is.
Best two mussar sefarim:
Tzaddik Yesod Olam, by Simcha Raz, a biography of Reb Aryeh Levine ZTL.
Holy Brother, by Yitta Mandelbaum, about Reb Shlomo Carlebach.
Edited
Hello99, I looked up the Taz over Yontof, and he does not base himself on the gemara. Rather the Beis Yosef tries to bring a rayah farkert from the gemara, that one SHOULD clasp hands in davening, but the Taz says it is not raya, and because of kabbalistic reasons, he says one should not. The Taz does not say anywhere that this gemara implies one should not. Rather, only because of separate kabbalistic concerns does he say one should not.
Hello99, a very quick glance at the gemara Shabbos 10a, seems to say that each amora would daven in the way he felt comfortable to express what was on his mind. One would dress fancy, one would davka take off his fancy garment so he would not appear chashuv. One would clasp his hands (pachar yadei) another would clasp his hands when it was an eis tzara, as an eved pleading in front of his master, but when it was a time of shalom and prosperity, he would dress fancier (to show his thanks and happiness in the RBSH for his good fortune).
How one takes from this gemara that clasping hands is a bad idea and brings din down on a person is not at all apparent.
I agree with Old Man and Twisted. Very hard to understand that the Eibershter would give somebody a punishment for doing something which is not mentioned in the chumash or gemara. The mishna berurah writes in hilchos tefilin, I believe, that when kabalah contradicts gemara, we follow the gemara. Furthermore, he says even if there is an inyan mentioned in kabalah which is not contradicted by gemara, but somebody just does not want to follow it, we cannot force him.
Quite frankly, since we cannot fathom Hashem’s ways, we are probably best off doing those things we understand and that He told us about in chumash and gemara and which are brought down lhalacha. If I were before a human judge, and I decided to clasp my hands, and the judge put me in jail for 10 extra years, would that be justice? It would be a travesty. Unless one fully understands Hashem’s workings, it is hard to grasp these minhagim. If you are nervous, than keep them. If you believe that Hashem will be fair at all times based on what he wrote explicitly as the 613 mitzvos, then, maybe it is not important to worry about these hidden recommendations. Only if you are on the madraiga where you understand Hashem’s workings and how these minhagim actually work in the heavenly spheres would it seem proper to practice them. I for one am not on that level.
BTW, the Zohar also says one should never raise his hands over his head. Yet there is a picture in a well-known shul of Rav Shach giving a shmuess, where his hands are outstretched way above his head.
A refuah shleima to you, and to all cholim.
My personal opinion is that years ago, before lift and cut, the shavers worked better. The motors used to roar and spin so fast. You could feel the power. Now, they have started putting in wimpy motors to save them money which have so little power, that they cut very poorly. I believe motor speed is more important than the blade technology. Maybe a frum guy should open a new shaver business and go back to the old way when they were all kosher, and cut well.
Yitayning, thanks, and good to be back. Account problem resolved after many months.
A good year to all. Especially a refuah shleima and a yeshua to those who are suffering.
Received this via email.
??”?
??????, ????? ??????? ?????!
??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????…
????? ??? ????, ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ????????
?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ????? ??????
?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ???
??? – ??’ ???? ????? ?????
???? – ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????
?????- ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ????????
??? -?????? ?????? ?????
???- ????? ???? ???? ?????? ????????
???? – ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????
???? – ????? ???????? ????? ??????
??? – ????? ??????? ??????
???? – ??????? ???????
???? – ?????? ?? ?????? ?????
???/??? -????? ?? ?? ?????????
?????? – ?????? ???????? ????? ?? ?????
????? – ?????? ?????? ????
??????? – ?????? ?????? ???????????
???? ???? – ????? ?????? ?????? ?????
????? – ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ?????
?????? ??? – ????? ?? ?? ????? ???? ????
????? – ?????? ?????? ???? ????
????? – ????? ??? ????? ???????
???? – ????? ??? ????? ???????
???? – ????? ????? ??? “???? ????!”
??? ?? – ??? ????? ?”?
????? – ?????? ??????? ?????????
????? – ?????? ???? ?????
???? – ????? ????? ?????? ???? ????
???? – ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ???
?? – ????? ??? ??? ?????? ????????
???? ????? ?????? ??”? ?????? ?? ???????
??? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ????
I think people mistake quiet for nebby. Whether quiet or not, a girl must manage to convince the guy that she is not totally out of it. Some girls who talk too much may also be making up for a lack of anything substantial to say. Like the old saying goes, keep talking until you think of something to say.
EDITED
I have now contributed many pearls of wisdom to this conversation, so please think about them and review for the rest of the day.
Mod-80, I tried “Contact Us” again a few days ago and still no response that I can see. If there is a technical issue, it may prevent my “contact us” post from getting through, just as it has my regular news posts.
Could you please relay this to the staff at the main news board? I could be banned, but my CR post on the Haiti Earthquake was transferred to the main board as a Mailbag Letter, so I don’t believe that is the case. Today a simple post on the article of “No school on Shushan Purim” didn’t even make it. I don’t think a single post was put through for about 2 months. Please look into this, and have someone get back to me with some info. Should I make a new username?
Thanks
I guess all the warning about not drinking this year did a lot of good. My family just passed a car accident in a frum neighborhood. Hope nobody is hurt. When will people learn?
Dear Mods,
I tried that about a month ago and did not receive any response. Could you kindly contact the powers that be on my behalf and see if they can possibly resolve this?
Thanks