Redleg

The problem is that the past often refuses to stay buried. Past peccadilloes, no matter how long past, how deeply regretted and completely atoned, have a way of popping up at inopportune times. Then what?

I’m not speaking of real addictions of the sort remarked by Syag. I mean the kind of bad behavior, even crimes, that would be, at least, deeply embarrassing or even damaging if found out. It’s a dilemma! Do you bury the past and hope it says buried or do you tell your prospective (or actual) spouse and trust him/her to believe you when you say you’re a changed man/woman and there is no danger of you repeating your previous bad behavior. I submit that if, indeed, you are “healed” you need a spouse that trusts you and believes in you. A spouse, potential or actual, that would give up on you for trusting them is not one worthy of your trust.

First, a story. I was 14 when my parents, OBM, sent me away to yeshiva. The first Purim in yeshiva, with no supervision, I spent about half an hour that night drinking beer, wine, schnapps and getting good and drunk. I spent the next three hours in the bathroom calling Ralph on the big, white phone, not to mention the incredible hangover I had the next morning. It was an important life lesson and the lesson is one that manifests itself in folklore and physical science (Newton’s Third Law comes to mind) actions have consequences. I still enjoy a l’chaim now and again, I have no trouble with arba kosos or drinking on Purim but I have never again gone beyond the limits of good judgment (not to mention not driving).

As to drinking on Purim: There are Ovdei HaShem and there are menuvalim, even without drinking. For an Oveid HaShem drinking on Purim can intensify his spiritual experience and kavanos. On Purim I have seen these fellows benching b’kol ram with great and intense kavanah. I have seen bachurim in front of the Aron, tears streaming down there faces, saying vidui. Menuvalim, on the other hand, become bigger menuvalim with the diminution of control that drinking causes. But the fact is that they were

menuvalim to start out with.

In our communities, thousands of Jews drink moderately and rejoice l’shem Shamayim on Purim. To say that “we all” need to stop drinking because there are a few menuvalim who can’t control themselves is an insult to those thousands.

ZD, congress can also pass special bills allowing certain individuals to immigrate. Congressmen usually go along with each other as a favor in this kind of legislation. I don’t think though that anyone could pass a special bill for a group.

Persian Jews were never Sephardim. The Persian (Iranian) Jewish community is the oldest continuous Jewish community having been in existence in present day Eastern Iraq (the city of Susa is Shushan) and Iran since Churban Bayis Rishon.

Jews from that part of the World, Iraq, Iran, the Arabian peninsula are properly called Eastern (Mizrachi) Jews and have their own nusach and minhagim and many are very maqpid on shiduchim. Mashadi Jews (from the Iranian city of Meshad) are reputed to only be meshadach with other Meshadis.

ZD, the Yiddish you hear today in Yeshivas should properly be called American Yiddish. The pronunciation is similar to sort of Litvishe Yiddish but any one who ever heard R’ Moshe, ZTL or R’Yaakov, ZTL or, for that matter, my father and mother, A’H speak can instantly hear the difference.

DISCAIMER: The following is just my understanding of the issue based on my study. For this and any other halacha l’maaseh issue, consult your own Rav or RH.

It would seem to me that any cheese, like Swiss cheese, that uses a coagulating agent requires hashgacha. The gezeira on gevinas akum is separate from the gezeirah on chalav akum. Although the reason for the gezeira isn’t really clear from Shas and Rishonim, the general consensus is that the rennet used as a coagulating agent is the concern and hashgacha must ascertain that it comes from a kosher animal. In fact, almost all commercial cheese made in the U.S. use microbial rennet (grown from yeast) instead of animal rennet. Nevertheless, most contemporary poskim opine that hard cheese needs a hechsher.

Soft cheeses such s farmer cheese, cottage cheese and cream cheese generally don’t use a coagulating agent at all or use vinegar. As such, many poskim hold that such cheeses do not need a hechsher.

N.B. The reason that many are meikil in this issue is the fact that true cheese only be made from the milk of a kosher animal. The preceding, however, does not apply to “processed cheese foods” and one must be wary.

Logician, Don’t you think that reading comprehension is important to learning? In my experience it does not seem to require more than average intelligence (average for Ashkenazi Jews) to be successful in learning. What is required most is hasmoda and desire. Most of what is called “learning” is really nothing more than rote memory.

That is not to say that there aren’t true illuyim in the Beis Medrash but illuyis isn’t required for greatness in Torah. Many of our gedolim, past and present were not illuyim. They attained gadlus by dint of hard work and dedication.

edited

It has already been long established that, when the tenor of the times requires it, women may be taught Torah (can you say “Beis Yaakov”?). As to the latter, why would a woman’s learning be less valuable or less worthy than her listening to shofar or benching esrog as mentioned previously. Here’s a thought. Since learning Torah is not a mitzvah shehazman grama, why wouldn’t a woman be just as mechuyiv in it as a man?

Some comments on language:

Because of what Notasheep points out, English has the largest and most precise vocabulary of any language on Earth. English is also the most commonly spoken language on Earth. N.B. Mandarin is the most common native language but more people speak English as a first or second language. English is the language in which the World’s business is conducted. It is the global lingua franca of art and science. While English grammar and spelling may seem difficult, English is, in fact, one of the easiest languages for non-speakers to make themselves understood in because the grammar an pronunciation are secondary yo the meaning of the words themselves. Try mispronouncing French to a French speaker. All you’ll get is a blank stare.

After English and Mandarin (which no one outside of Chine actually speaks) the next most commonly spoken language is Spanish. Spanish is very regular and relatively easy to learn. Spanish speakers can understand you even if you mispronounce the words.

French is (or should be) a dying language.

Actually, one of the easiest languages to learn to speak is Japanese. It’s simple and regular. On the other hand, Japanese is probably the hardest language to be literate in – three alphabets.

One of the reasons that Yiddish speakers back in the day were able to learn English so quickly is the similarity of English and Yiddish. For you Yiddish speakers out there, translate the following English sentence into Yiddish: My brother says, “Open the door and thank him for the fish”.

Psikreisha, I’d leave wrestling a polar bear for last.

I have a basic question. I understand that you have what you consider to a high standard of kashrus. Why did you assume that the Hillel rabbi didn’t met them? I know folks who won’t eat in anyone’s house but there own. Is that your hanagah or your family’s hanhagah as well?

Charlie I do agree with your post but I hasten to point out that questioning the divinity of Torah (H”V) does not necessarily make one nihilistic.

Trust, WIY is right. Love of one’s spouse always comes before love of one’s child. See my previous post.

Shlomo haMelech was a pretty smart guy. He understood the difficulty in describing an intimate, loving relationship between a finite, mortal Human Being and an Infinite, All-Powerful, Eternal G-d. So the metaphor he used described an intimate, loving relationship with which everyone should be familiar.

Darn it! Frummer isn’t necessarily better. The concept of “crazy frum” is a valid one. No one mocks other religious Jews. It’s the nut balls who are, in effect, inventing they own religion who are risible and frankly deserving of mockery. My Rav always said that before one adds chumrahs, one should make sure that he is being m’kayeim all S’A as written. Once you’ve satisfied the Beis Yosef and the Ramah, then you can add stuff. In the example given, if the halacha is that a woman’s knee should be covered, then a skirt 4″ below the knee isn’t “frummer”, it’s just a style. If that particular woman thinks that she is, somehow, demonstrating greater devotion to G-d and Torah, she is mistaken.

Akuperma, Murphy’s Law works for our enemies too.

I stuttered as a child (still do) so I was often teased and bullied. I responded by fighting back, either conversationally or physically. I found that bullies stop when it’s no longer fun. When teasing results in a clever put down and bullying earns you a bloody nose, it stops being fun. Over the years my stutter has become somewhat less pronounced, although still noticeable, but have found that if you have something to say that’s worth listening to, folks don’t notice so much the way it’s said. I sort of suspect that something similar occurred to Moshe Rabeinu. When G-d selected him for his mission, he was very self-conscious about his speech, but by the time sefer Devarim rolls around, He was addressing all of Klal Yisroel and teaching them Torah. He still stuttered but it didn’t matter anymore, neither to him nor to Klal Yisroel.

Strongly urge all posters to look up Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy (she happens to be frum)

WIY, are you speaking theoretically or about actual suffering? Practically, no one can avoid all suffering. As an Engineer and a Jew, my response to suffering is to fix what I can, suck it up and suffer what I cannot, and to be mevoreich on the ra as I am mevoreich on the tov.

There is no doubt whatever that a Zebu is a cow and was certainly known to Tannaim and Amoraim. A Bison, however, is certainly kosher but is a sufaik chaya. Chayos like deer or antelope, are certainly kosher bur require kisui hadam.

SecFrum, I’m skeptical but not prepared to dismiss your premise. If you’re selectively breeding for desired traits, as was done with dogs, the traits have to be there to start out with, however latent they may be. It’s an interesting concept though.

Apushitayid, I’ve posted on other threads about this and it rankles me every time I read a post like yours. You simply have no knowledge of history nor any idea of what secular America is like. All you know is the opinion of Rebbes and Mechanchim who are as cloistered as you are. I take personal offense when folks like you, who really don’t know what they’re talking about, run down my country. Is casino gambling good? for most it’s harmless fun, for some it can be a trap and a nightmare. In the grand scheme of things, America is the greatest country on the face of the earth and it’s place in the golus is unique. To say that, since the churban, Jews never had it so good is an understatement. Not only are we Yidden blessed to live here, the rest of America, the “Goyim” who you despise and denigrate, is hard working, respectful, broad minded, fair and upright. Your characterization of America as “the most hedonistic society in the history of mankind” is so obviously silly that I won’t waste time and effort refuting it.

Torah613, Veg is right. In my marriage, I make all the major decisions and my wife makes all the minor ones. She makes the decisions about where we live, what schools and yeshivas to send the kids to, what kind of 401K and retirement fund to have, what stocks to buy, and I make the decisions concerning nuclear proliferation and global warming.

Historically, the hospitality industry has been the mainstay of Sullivan County. There is no manufacturing to speak of nor is the much in the way of agriculture. Since the demise of the Borscht Belt, Sullivan county has been an economically depressed area. Casino gambling is simply a modern iteration of Sullivan County’s traditional industry. So the answer to the OP is yes, it will change things sort of back to the way they were.

Is it good for Yidden? Well, if you own property in Sullivan County you’re going to do well. If you’re a compulsive gambler, it may be a little easier to lose your shirt although, remembering the six hour odyssey to get to Grossinger’s back in the day, that might not be so.

Just a note. If any of you do plan on sampling the delights of the new casinos, please don’t go in levush. It’s embarrassing to to see all those bekeshes on the casino floor.

MDD, I wasn’t necessarilly agreeing with GAW’s psak(!?). I was noting that the he was approaching the root of the issue and that further discussion would be getting into specifics that aren’t appropriate for the CR.