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April 9, 2021 11:06 am at 11:06 am in reply to: How can I get my sefer into the hands of yeshiva bochurim #1963710rationalParticipant
Best bet is to write it in Hebrew, like all lomdishe seforim for the last thousand years. Seforim written in English or any other non-jewish language are a recipe for mediocre talmudic scholarship. Same for sifrei halachah and shutim.
March 31, 2021 8:47 am at 8:47 am in reply to: Gebrok halacha? Liquids in Pesach Dip recipes (for matza) #1961443rationalParticipantIf a new non-gebrocht family member, usually a son-in-law, comes to his gebrocht in-laws for Pesach, the proper act is to be mattir neder and eat with them. Gebrochts did not exist before the late 18th century. It is not found in shas, rishonim and early acharonim. The slow creep of non-gebrochts from a minhag to the border of a declaration of spiritual superiority is shameful. It is chutzpah, arrogant and yuhara for the son-in-law to demand non-halachic changes from his new family in order to satisfy his own minhagim. Mi samo? In your own house, he can eat how he wants. As a guest, he should show respect.
The Rosh Yeshiva of Mir recently told his talmidim to stay in Eretz Yisrael for Pesach and to be mattir nedarim on their personal home minhagim. So should the young tachshit.March 24, 2021 12:41 pm at 12:41 pm in reply to: Can Yeshivish families make aliyah with school age children? #1960379rationalParticipantYserbius, sorry, one small correction. Dat = religion. Dati L’eumi = religious nationalist. Da’ati= hada’at sheli = my opinion.
March 24, 2021 12:04 pm at 12:04 pm in reply to: Can Yeshivish families make aliyah with school age children? #1960368rationalParticipantYserbius, you make excellent points and described the situation quite accurately.
It has changed in the last 10-15 years, but minimally. There are pockets of the yeshivish type you described in Bet Shemesh , Har Nof, and maybe a few other places. The tight-rope balancing act is extremely difficult. Most of these children either end up going back to the States or move to the Israeli Chareidi model. Most of them don’t learn the language and are trapped socially. Even if they find their min-b’mino here , the next generation will be mainstream chareidi. Is Aliyah worth it in these cases? Of course, home is home. Orlando for Pesach is fun, but to the best of my recollection, G-d chose this land. Ma la’asot, zeh hamatzav.March 21, 2021 3:06 am at 3:06 am in reply to: Very late Friday night (Shabbos) Minyan in Flatbush #1959135rationalParticipantA worthy minyan for those who follow Rabeinu Tam l’kula u’lchumra. However, the resolution of half minutes is not found anywhere in Shas and Poskim. If there is a modern-day posek who insists on half-minutes (or less), he should rethink it.
rationalParticipantI eat kitniyot on erev pesach, but for taste reasons, not in the cholent. It’s ok to do that of course , but some are machmir. Why? Because some are machmir.
rationalParticipant? ומעתה, בסווימינג פול מחייבי לכיסויי מעילא, במקוה טהורה מיבעי
OCD is not a mitzvah. Excessive prohibition is a bad idea.rationalParticipantAvram
That is incorrect. The kaddishes you mentioned are not obligatory on the tzibbur. They are not part of the set davening, I don’t know where you got that from. Every single siddur I have seen calls them “Kaddish Yasom”, to be said by a yasom. It’s very clear. They are there to give an avel an opportunity to recite kaddish. IF there is no chiyuv, they should not be said, with one exception, the kaddish after Aleinu. This is mentioned in the Aruch Hashulchan, I just didn’t quote it. By definition, filling in all the kaddish spaces bynon-avelim or yahrzeits confers on them the status of “kaddishim m’yutarim” , superfluous kaddishim.rationalParticipantI’ll try one more time.
The Aruch Hashulchan in Orach Chaim:דיני קדיש, ושלא להרבות בקדישים
סימן נה סעיף ג
יש מהמון בני ישראל שסוברים שמצוה להרבות בקדישים. וכמה טועים הם! וקורא אני עליהם “תשתפכנה אבני קודש…”. ואין משתמשין בשרביטו של מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא רק כפי מה שהרשה אותנו, והמרבה בהם מזלזל בהדרת קודש.וכבר כתב אחד מגדולי הפוסקים בסימן זה, דכשם שטוב למעט בברכות, כמו כן טוב למעט בקדישים (כנסת הגדולה). ואחד מיוחד מגדולי החסידים צעק מרה על זה (החסיד דבר שמואל בתשובה סימן קפ”ג, הובא בבאר היטב סעיף קטן א’), וזה לשונו:
המרבים באמירת הקדישים… ומתישים כוח קדושת ה’ הגדול והנורא…
I wasn’t permitted to present my case, but here it is.
February 7, 2021 9:36 am at 9:36 am in reply to: Two Frum Community Problems Solved with One Approach #1945951rationalParticipantujm, methinks you see my name and your blood starts to boil. Take a pill and read what I wrote. Some of these poor people are poor financially, not spiritually and not emotionally. Some are quite happy, happier than most people with far greater financial means, but thousands are not. I’m sorry you read into my words that I applaud and value the financial trappings of the modern world, far from it. On second thought, take two pills, one isn’t enough for you.
As Syag (thank you) hinted, my point was simple, and I know this first-hand. For the most part, and many more than many think, they are not managing financially. And yes, they suffer. With emunah shleima, but they suffer.
February 7, 2021 7:32 am at 7:32 am in reply to: Two Frum Community Problems Solved with One Approach #1945903rationalParticipant“How do you think so many kollel families in Eretz Yisroel manage?”
The answer is that by modern standards they don’t manage.
They have no car, their children never have new clothes or new shoes. The don’t eat meat or chicken during the week. They do not know what the inside of a restaurant looks like, nor take-out, nor pizza. Their weddings cost $7 a plate and they invite only family. The friends eat kugel and borekas. They have never had a vacation and certainly have never been on a plane to go anywhere.
You have never heard about them because they don’t have internet, their wives don’t have jobs in hi-tech, they don’t speak English, and they don’t have a generous stipend from Tattie in Monsey for their Year-in-the-Mir. They don’t parade up and down Rechov Paran or Malchei Yisrael in $3,000 sheitels and Silver Cross carriages. They live on what they have and in a good case, they have emunah that HKBH will not let them starve. In a “not good” case, their marriages and families fall apart. And there are thousands of these families. A far cry from the situation in America.The chareidi parties in the medinah were elected for one reason only. That is to force the medinah to provide these families with more money for sustenance, not luxuries. Thanks to the chareidi parties, all children up to age 18 have free dental care and optometric care, meaning free glasses once a year. Medical care has always been free or almost free for those with low incomes. The medinah also provides each family with a modest sum, more for those with many children. It’s something, but it is not a lot.
They don’t really manage.
rationalParticipantHaving finished my vaccination process, and waiting for Moshiach’s arrival here instead of waiting for him to send me an overseas invitation, I’ll go out to the store and buy a yearnomometer.
rationalParticipantI was in Me’ah She’arim yesterday and saw some of the disturbances. They have become somewhat routine. It’s nice to see that modern-day yidden, some of the most machmir elements of Jewish society, support dumpster fires, blocking streets, wasting hours of other people’s time, and endangering their health by not wearing masks . This is true yiras shamayim and needs to be reported widely, if only to publicize how good Jews behave.
rationalParticipantujm: Do the math. Don’t know how ? Here…A few numerical facts:
Population of New York Sate: 19, 450,000
Number of Corona deaths: 41,000
Death rate 21 per 1000 or 1 in 480Population of State of Israel : 9,052,000
Number of Corona deaths : 4,144
Death rate: 0.46 per 1000 or 1 in 2,170The death rate is 450% (that’s 4.5 X , ujm)) higher in New York State than in Israel. So who exactly messed up?
And it could have been a lot better here, except that in Betar Illit, Modiin Illit and Bnei Brak, they would rather see the elderly die than follow the Zionist rules.If you can understand Hebrew, listen to what Yehuda Meshi Zahav said after burying his mother yesterday. If you can’t understand the Hebrew, learn it, it will do you good.
rationalParticipantujm: sorry, wrong, כל הפוסל במומו פוסל
Except for certain cities whose residents you personally identify with and who consistently and purposefully disobeyed the rules, Israel has better statistics than almost all developed western countries. USA, England, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, etc….
Everyone here knows that if not for these easily identifiable populations, we’d be home-free by now.rationalParticipantIn a normal country (compared to the US and Europe) the vaccines are available so easily that there is minimal need for strict prioritization. I and most of my family and friends, ages 30-95, will have had their second vaccination by the end of the week. Long live the Zionist State, home of the Jewish people and nation.
rationalParticipantI always enjoy business meatings, almost as much as braking my fasts with meet.
rationalParticipantTo those that fast, they are mekabel ta’anis the day before and if there is a minyan, they act as on a regular ta’anis tzibbur. Selichos, avinu malkeinu, va’yechal, aneinu at mincha, etc…
rationalParticipantOnly Thursday, not Monday
rationalParticipantIt’s simple. One side agrees to pay 1/3.
The other side agrees to pay 1/2.
they are arguing on the remaining 1/6.
So split that 1/6.January 9, 2021 7:01 pm at 7:01 pm in reply to: Tznius — Not Directly Handing Items Between Men and Women #1936741rationalParticipantIn Chareidi shops and supermarkets in Israel, it is standard practice. One gets used to it, it’s not a big deal.
rationalParticipantYou should start to get an education at least four years before you run out of money.
rationalParticipant“What if they do it for 14 days? Does that ruin it?”
Although this comment had sarcastic intent, it hits the nail on the head.
Saying a specific prayer a specific number of times on a specific day by a specific number of people is classic obsessive compulsive behavior. The OCD person is always worried that he didn’t perform the ritual “just right” and will repeat it until done properly.
The practicers of this (and others like it) segulah need professional help.
rationalParticipantI wait in vain for the system to abandon superstitions.
December 26, 2020 7:29 pm at 7:29 pm in reply to: Why do girls need to learn Sifsie Chachamim inside? #1932052rationalParticipantThese days there is much free time, maybe too much. If the choice for our young women is between allowing them to spend this time watching the goyishe world of entertainment or teaching them Baba Basra, I vote for the latter.
No question that the young women should be taught hashkafa , home keeping, food preparation and child rearing. With ovens, microwaves, food processors, cleaning ladies, au peres, first-class healthcare, disposable diapers and Art Scroll, that should take about a third of their time, leaving two thirds for Baba Basra.
rationalParticipantIf one is concerned about this issue, he might just as well not leave his home on Shabbat. There are cameras and sensors almost everywhere. Poskim who understand science and halachah are mattir without hesitation.
December 20, 2020 10:14 am at 10:14 am in reply to: The shidduch process; chassidish & litvish , its working & yet #1930134rationalParticipantujm: I don’t know enough about the chassidish shidduch system, so I’d rather not comment on it.
December 20, 2020 8:54 am at 8:54 am in reply to: The shidduch process; chassidish & litvish , its working & yet #1930065rationalParticipantI’m a stickler for good English in these posts, but MeirG was quite understandable. His points are well thought-out, but I think he went a bit light-handed on the Litvish. The shidduch system in the Litvishe Veldt is based on a simple equation: A girl’s money buys Talmudic scholarship or Yichus. The best learning boys will hold out for the most money. The meyuchasim will hold out for the most money. The monied can pick one or the other and sometimes manage to hit the jackpot and land both.
This equation has stood the test of time and is in no danger of being modified. But until it is, the un-monied girl with no yichus will suffer.
rationalParticipant“רבי נהוראי and many others onward until contemporary times”
This statement proves the adage “the exception proves the rule”
The time lapse between the tanna Rabi Meir and Rav Aharon Kotler is approximately 1800 years, comprising the vast majority of the mesorah of Torah She’be’al Peh.
Could someone provide a list of rabbinic and halachic personalities of note from these 1800 years who “paskened” that one must learn Torah at all times to the exclusion of working to provide sustenance for one’s wife and children?
I ask simply because all halachic literature (not to mention the Torah itself) points in the opposite direction. For illustrative purposes only, if all would learn only Torah and not engage in physical work or commerce, virtually the entire Sedorim Zeraim and Nezikin could be discarded.rationalParticipant“All thought I normally leave the dvar torah to our left of center CR members who love to say being down torah.”
Please translate to the de facto (not legal, Charlie, just de facto) national language of the United States.rationalParticipantTo the learned Reb Eliezer,
I respectfully disagree with your analysis of the The Chasam Sofer’s use of double entendre. The Chasam Sofer was not a Chossid, to imply this is highly misleading. His brilliant and clever double entendres were used as an intellectual exercise to drive home a point. They were not used to pasken halachah on their own without clear proofs from Shas and Rishonim.rationalParticipantLemayshe: well said.
In addition to Reb Moishe zt”l and Rav Aharon Kotler, here’s a short list of well known (sic) Rabbonim who were not enamored by the Brisker derech:
Rav Yankev Kaminetsky
The Chazon Ish ( a well-known adversary to the Brisker method)
The Ridbaz (called it Alchemy)
Reb Chaim Ozer
Reb Leizer Gordon
Reb Shimon Shkop
Rav Elchonon Wasserman
Quite an impressive list, no? It can go on and on.Among litvish yeshivas , and due to sociological reasons only, the Brisker method has effectively monopolized the study of Shas and Rishonim, and has also changed practical halachah as well. Times will eventually change, life is a ferris wheel.
rationalParticipantSomeone here is confusing “Litvish learning” with the Brisker method. There is no such animal as “litvish” learning. There is pilpul, L’shitasoi, Telz, Brisk, Higayon, and others. Each has their unique qualities. To the surprise of many, Lithuanians studied Torah before Lithuanian yshivas came into existence, and they also had a derech limud. I don’t know what the “chassidishe” method is, but I assume it is not pan-chassidish. Just look at what recently happened to the Gerrer Chassidim in Israel because of a difference of opinion in derech halimud.
rationalParticipantWhatever was said above is correct. The girls are naive, they are lied to, they are enticed by the cash and a free trip to a place which otherwise, they will never visit. They don’t tell their parents everything, after all, did any of us? This is part of the price of sheltering the young and never exposing them to the world outside. They are clueless when it comes to what really goes on outside Bnei Brak, Elad, and Beitar Illit. The Oilam Hatorah feels this sheltering is a small price to pay for keeping their neshamos pure.
November 25, 2020 8:58 am at 8:58 am in reply to: Jews are way too comfortable in America ! #1922955rationalParticipantOr, maybe the Moshiach is waiting for us to actually do something instead of simply yearning like a child for candy. Maybe something like living in Eretz Yisrael and contributing to society while living there.
November 25, 2020 8:21 am at 8:21 am in reply to: Jews are way too comfortable in America ! #1922864rationalParticipantIt’s odd to write that one is to comfortable in a land where one is unfamiliar with the national language.
rationalParticipant“it would be more worthwhile for girls to start working or attending college then sitting in Israel for another year.”
Or the opposite.
It would be more worthwhile for girls to live and learn in HKBH’s Eretz Hakodesh for another year than sit in an office or goyishe college in golus.
Maybe they would even find a nice boy here and never have to leave. That’s something to say tehillim for.rationalParticipant“Why is the pasuk “ma rabbu maasecha” omitted from the Shabbos morning “yotzair or”?”
That’s a very good question. It is missing, but only in Nusach Ashkenaz. Nusach Sefarad kept it in.
November 9, 2020 1:49 am at 1:49 am in reply to: Do American Jews care about Eretz Yisroel? #1918020rationalParticipantDo American Jews care about Eretz Yisroel?
Well, why should they? It’s not like it’s mentioned in the Torah at all.
Oops…rationalParticipant“Maybe all the single girls should make a mass aliyah to Israel where the boys start dating at 19 or 20.”
Any pretense of a serious discussion on this topic has been forsaken.
rationalParticipant“Charaidim all over the world are in Shidduchim by age 20-21. (Europe & Erets Yisroel by age 20. Followers of the Chazoin Ish, and Chasidim all over the world at age 18.”
Nice try. At age 27 and three months, the Chazon Ish married a much older woman whom he knew could not bear him children. They remained married till she passed away. He did not remarry.
rationalParticipantWhen an issue is falsely called a “crisis”, intelligent people tune out.
There is no shidduch crisis. If girls and boys marry sometime in their 20s, there is no crisis. If they marry in their 30s , maybe they pushed it off a bit, but this is still not a crisis. If they don’t marry and as a result don’t have children, that is a crisis. During the Yom Kippur war, 2800 soldiers were killed and 5600 were wounded. That was a crisis. The chareidi world is not in crisis, at least not in the marriage arena.
There is a long list of prominent Rabbonim, including many Gedolim, who married what nowadays is considered “late.” They were not in crisis. They married when they married. Chill out.
rationalParticipantThere is no shidduch crisis.
And I can say that without using an inordinate number of question marks.November 3, 2020 12:54 pm at 12:54 pm in reply to: character vs policy Which is more important? #1916422rationalParticipantI have to support Syag in this discussion.
The fact that Clinton served decades ago is irrelevant. He has been a very prominent figure in American politics since he was President, and his, Biden’s, and all others morality cannot be ignored if one cares about the morality of public officials. I say that anyone who chooses a President this time around based on morality has twisted himself into a pretzel. Good luck undoing it.November 2, 2020 7:15 am at 7:15 am in reply to: Daati Leumi/RZ Rabbonim call on public to vote for Donald Trump #1915918rationalParticipantRabbi Shabtai Sabato
Rabbi David FendelNovember 1, 2020 11:25 am at 11:25 am in reply to: character vs policy Which is more important? #1915602rationalParticipantPolicy.
If it were character, the United States would not have had a fraction of the great statemen that made it what it is. Same with Israel and probably every other democracy. Read about Benjamin Franklin as a good example.rationalParticipantThe idea that current poskim can change the way women cover their hair is ludicrous. Women have been wearing all sorts of sheitels for hundreds of years. The changes are driven by culture and peer pressure and not by poskim. So it’s childish to play the “my posek is bigger than your posek” game. Sheitels, long, short, highlights and without, human and synthetic, are all here to stay until the hair stylists change what will be on the market.
rationalParticipantWe went through this about 10 years ago or so. BIg scare, lots of sheitels burned, then return to normal. It’s nothing new. Sefardim tend to asser sheitels, Ashkenazim generally permit them, and some even prefer them halachically. Nothing new here.
rationalParticipantA real Godol doesn’t tell me for whom to vote. He may choose to tell me for whom he voted, but not for whom I should vote.
I am friends with both Lichtenstein brothers who are Roshei Yeshiva. They are both first rate lamdanim and roshei yeshiva. They have different political views. Why is that surprising?
October 27, 2020 8:57 am at 8:57 am in reply to: Mentioning a person “dies of Covid” in headline #1914033rationalParticipantLess than a .001 chance of dying of the Corona virus is certainly not alarming.
I have a friend who had a healthy mother and father. A friend of the mother visited on Rosh Hashanah without a mask. The visitor was an asymptomatic carrier and unwittingly passed the virus on to the mother. The mother unwittingly passed the virus on to her husband .
The mother’s levayah was on Hoshanah Raba. The father’s levayah was on Isru Chag.Oh well, it’s just an anecdote, statistically insignificant. Strange things happen. Maybe they stopped breathing out of boredom. No need to publicize it, it just causes panic. People will be overwhelmed. They weren’t gedolei hador anyway, so except for the children, who really cares?
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