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I suggest you go to torahanytime.com and download the following speech by Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein
01/01/08 Parashat Va’era – The Truth About Facebook, Myspace, and New Year’s Eve
I listened to this speech. It was most unconvincing. Rabbi Wallerstein’s main point (in the section of the speech where he discussed Facebook) was that Facebook is bad because someone advertised a “Jewish” New Year’s Eve party. Somehow, because of that, the entire enterprise is a bad idea. Based on that reasoning, telephones are bad too because people can use them to invite them to parties…
The Wolf
Right, Joseph. Nonetheless, I’m sure that any Rav will tell you that if you are faced with the choice of the sefer falling (which is what Jewishfeminist was talking about) or catching it with your bare hands, the better option is to catch it.
The Wolf
My husbands getting bored with my suppers ( so am I!)…
My goodness! How many husbands do you have? 🙂
The Wolf (who usually remembers apostrophes)
You’re welcome.
The Wolf
The tag is “em” and “/em”. Replace the quotes with < and >
The Wolf
That’s it!! I always *knew* the scientific explanation behind parking tickets was the Higgs-Boson particle!
Thw Wolf
What are you looking for in a school, Mommy? What specific educational goals do you have in mind for your daughter?
The Wolf
The world isn’t that old.
False argument — and I’ll explain why.
1. The fact that the universe is *only* 5769 years is not universally held. There are a number of sources that accept an older universe. But that’s really beside the point, because…
2. I’m almost certain that if I were to ask you “suppose the universe was billions of years old. Could you then accept the possibility of evolution?” that your answer would still be no. So, the age of the universe is not really the issue here, is it?
The Wolf
The Big Bang has nothing to do with abiogenesis. The Big Bang is a theory that explains the origin of the universe and the expansion of space/movement of galaxies. It has nothing to do with the origin of life on Earth.
The Wolf
Oy, where to start. Bogen, your post is full of fallacies:
Let’s start at the top:
Evolution is just a theory, not a fact. (And a false theory, at that.)
This assertion shows that you don’t understand how the term “theory” is applied to science. Gravity, for example, is also a “theory.” Please understand what a theory is (in terms of science) before throwing this out.
Past evidence for evolution has been overturned. In the past, major scientific revolutions have overturned theories that were at the time considered factual.
This statement is absolutely correct. But so what? In many other areas of science, theories that were later proven wrong were thrown out, but that doesn’t invalidate the latest findings. For example, originally before germ theory was developed, there were other theories to explain the spread of some diseases. The fact that earlier theories were overturned does not invalidate germ theory. Likewise, the fact that earlier evolutionary theories were overturned does not mean that the latest ones are invalid.
In the past there have been scientific hoaxes regarding evolution, such as the Piltdown Man forgery.
Again, this statement is absolutely correct. And again, so what? There has been fraud in just about every scientific field at one time or another. That does not necessarily mean that all scientific theories are false.
Pieces of “evidence” for evolution such as Ernst Haeckel’s 19th-century embryo drawings, were not merely “scientific errors” but frauds; Biology textbooks have continued to reproduce such “evidence” long after it had been debunked.
That’s correct, but no respectable biology book does so today. Again, the same point I made earlier applies.
Evolution is a pseudo-religion (evolution is based on faith, supporters of evolution revere Charles Darwin as a prophet, and supporters of evolution dogmatically reject alternative suggestions out-of-hand.)
This is a baseless claim. No one revers Darwin as a “prophet.” In addition, the very idea of scientific theory is that no idea can be rejected “out of hand.”
Evolution is “unfalsifiable” (there is no tests that could be made that would demonstrate that the statement is false). Any “fact” can be “fitted” into the evolutionary framework. Past events of speciation are not observable and repeatable, and therefore evolution is not falsifiable. In 1976, Popper himself said that “Darwinism is not a testable scientific theory but a metaphysical research programme”.
This is just plain false. You can do a simple Google search and find examples where evolution is claimed to have been observed and experimented with. I’m not familiar with the Popper quote you brought, but I’m confident that the vast majority of the scientific community does not agree with it.
Mind you, I haven’t brought one scintilla of evidence that evolution is true. That’s not my goal here. My goal is simply to cut down false arguments.
The Wolf
Evolution, by its very definition, explicitly denies the existence of G-d.
No it doesn’t. Why can’t one maintain that evolution was guided by God? (NB: This has nothing to do with Torah sources. Joseph maintained that if Evolution is true, then God must not exist. That is not necessarily so, from a strictly logical POV.)
one of the obvious flaws of evolution is that it offers no explanation for how life began
That’s the field of abiogenesis, not evolution. Evolution deals with speciation, not the origin of life. The fact that evolution does not address the origin of life no more causes it’s invalidation than the fact that the Theory of Gravity doesn’t explain the origin of life.
The Wolf
G123, doing teshuva is a concept that applies all the time, not just when Moshiach might arrive.
I remember someone sent me an email saying that Moshiach was going to come become some gadol said that Moshiach will arrive in a Shmitta year with a solar eclipse, and since last August 1 there was an eclipse in a shmitta year, it was a sign.
I didn’t have the heart to reply back that there are a minimum of two solar eclipses *every* year.
The Wolf
So, S, you would say that films are OK, as long as they don’t have any women in them? In other words, you’d let your husband watch 12 Angry Men and about nothing else?
The Wolf
It doesn’t matter what the exchange rate was. Clearly, he chose an Esrog that was far beyond what he needed to perform the mitzvah. Heck, it was far beyond what would even be considered a “nice Esrog.” He would have been much better off putting the rest of the money aside to be able to continue learning in Kollel until the regular payments started up again.
And I think it’s trying to tell us that you can never go wrong with spending extravagant amounts to beautify Hashem’s Mitzvos. Wouldn’t you agree?
Absolutely not. One has to learn to live within his means, even if it means he won’t get the nicest Esrog, the most beautiful menorah or the most beautiful k’sav in his tefillin. And, I doubt you’ll find too many rabannim who, given the situation in the film, would agree with what he did.
The Wolf
Mariner,
The fixed calendar vs. nonfixed calendar doesn’t matter. The only difference between a fixed calendar vs. a nonfixed calendar vis a vis Birchas HaChamah is on what date it will be recited, not if it will be recited. Since it’s recited every 28 years, you can go back and do the math to discover that it wasn’t said in either of those years.
The Wolf
Thanks for the correction, Mamashtakah. It’s been a while since I saw the film. Nonetheless, even $380 is too much to pay for an Esrog in the financial state that they were in. He could have bought a very nice Esrog for a lot less, been mekayim the mitzvah just as much, and still provided for his family.
The Wolf
<i>Pashuteh Yid, its not so simple. Would you exclude a handicapped person who cannot serve from running for president?</i>
I would be highly surprised to find that the military cannot make accomodations for people with handicaps. Certainly they may can’t fight on the front line, but there are plenty of other support roles that they *can* fulfill.
That being said, I disagree with Pashuteh’s point. While I think that serving in the military is a plus when choosing a presidential candidate, I don’t think it should be a bona fide requirement.
The Wolf
I had a strong objection to the film — specifically the fact that he spent all that money on the Esrog. He could have bought a very nice Esrog and used the balance to support his family for a while. There is no mitzvah to buy an Esrog for $900 (IIRC, he got $1000, gave 10% to his poor friend for tzedaka and used the rest to buy the “Yahalom”) when you are poor and learning and your kollel is late with the payments. I think that it would have been far proper more proper to spend $100 on the Esrog (or even less) and use the rest of the money to enable yourself to sit and learn for another few months.
The Wolf
Not to mention the fact that Birchas HaChamah was NOT said in the year of Yetzias Mitzrayim or the year of Purim. Do the math.
The Wolf
The fourth person you’re looking for is Kilav, the son of Dovid. And the moderator is correct… after all, how could Binyamin and Amram have died because of the sin of the Golden Calf? They had died before it occurred.
The Wolf
As someone who has spent quite a few years teaching Bar Mitzvah boys to lain, Yanky, I have to say that I agree with you 100%.
The Wolf
Nonetheless, they *still* don’t address inexperience.
Zach…
You think sunlight is free, but it’s not. Just wait a few billion years and when the sun runs out of hydrogen, you’ll see that the bill will come due. 🙂
The Wolf
Just Smile,
I hate to burst your bubble, but…
Firstly, Birchas HaChamah was not recited in the year the Jews left Egypt, nor was it recited in the year that the miracle of Purim occurred. Simply doing the math (using an Excel spreadsheet should make it easier) will show you this.
Secondly, Birchas HaChamah comes out Erev Pesach, not the first day. The first day of Pesach is Thursday. Birchas HaChamah must always be on a Wednesday.
Thirdly, Birchas HaChamah was last on Erev Pesach only 83 years ago, in 1925.
The Wolf
As with many things, PETA is a mixed bag.
They certainly deserve credit for raising the issue of animal awareness. I think we can all agree that animals should not be treated cruelly and they have done much good work toward raising awareness of the issue.
However, I think that many (if not all) of us can agree that they have gone too far on many issues relating to animals. The ideal is to find the middle ground — the shvil hazahav. Eating animals is fine, but abusing them and killing them needlessly and for sport (not to mention abusing them) is wrong.
So, in short, PETA deserves both credit and blame.
The Wolf
Music has a powerful effect on the Neshama; that is not debatable.
In my experience, whenever someone says that something is “not debatable,” it often is extremely debatable.
The Wolf
Jent,
Please… stop shouting. It hurts the eyes and is difficult to read.
Thanks,
The Wolf
Joseph,
So, bottom line, what’s the story? Do you keep your wife at home at all times that it isn’t absolutely necessary for her to go out?
The Wolf
Let’s not forget that one of the conditions for getting the money (as per the article) is remaining involved with the Temple for five years. Since none of us are prepared to do that, I suppose the point is moot.
And, of course, no one here is suggesting that it’s permitted to take their money under false pretenses.
The Wolf
<i>when it comes down to it, what tangible item am i stealing?</i>
Is theft limited to tangible items? If I hire you as a musician for an event and then not pay you, isn’t that theft? If I sneak into a concert without paying (without taking someone else’s seat), isn’t that stealing as well?
The Wolf
Mayan,
I think he knew that. It was a joke.
The Wolf
Actually, I think that #5 is the most important. After all, you’re not marrying the girl’s father or her Yichus… you’re marrying her. You have to make sure that *she* is someone whom you can live with. You have to make sure that *she* has the middos that you want in a future spouse, that *she* shares the same hashkafah as you, that *she* is someone whom you can get along with and that *she* is someone with whom you want to spend every day of the rest of your life.
Having a father-in-law who is talmud chochom or a ba’al tzedaka, or a prominent askan, or her having an important yichus may all be a nice bonus, but the bottom line is that you have to look at the girl first. Everything else is just gravy.
The Wolf
Keep in mind that the Rambam lived in a society and time when wife-beating was condoned. You sometimes have to look at a halacha in the context of the environment in which it was issued. No one lives in a vacuum.
The Wolf
For heaven’s sake… holding the door for *anyone* is just a nice thing to do. If I’m going through a door and I see someone else approaching, I hold it for them — male or female, young or old, Jew or non-Jew. Yeah, I’m sure that some of you will say that this is a “moderneh American zach,” but I look at it as good, old-fashioned kindness and being treated as you would want others to treat you.
The Wolf
I find it interesting that I didn’t get an answer to my last question… which was asked in all seriousness. To wit:
yes wolf
when a holy Jewish woman bakes for her family with the right intention it is most Holy.
Feivel,
Is it only holy when a woman cooks? What about when I cook for my family? Is that holy too?
The Wolf
The Torah actually says that Love starts after marriage. Check out Yitzchak&Rivkah
… or before marriage. Check out Ya’akov and Rachel.
The Wolf
My parents split up when I was nine years old. Shortly after the split, my mother became frum, and my sibling and I did with her. I was enrolled in a yeshiva for the first two years but it became apparent that this wasn’t the right school for me (many Russian kids, of whom the vast majority were not frum). My mother had some difficulty finding a place for us, but she did find one.
In high school, my mother became disabled and could not work. My father would not provide the money for us to go to Yeshiva. Now, I despised my high school — it was clearly not the right school for me hashkafically — but this much credit I must give them — they kept me in the school for years without my mother paying one dime, because she was simply not able to. For that, I have hakaras hatov to them, despite my overall feelings about the school.
The Wolf
yes wolf
when a holy Jewish woman bakes for her family with the right intention it is most Holy.
Feivel,
Is it only holy when a woman cooks? What about when I cook for my family? Is that holy too?
The Wolf
“Remember, NEVER a comma before “and”. “
*Never* say never (especially in capital letters).
Words such as NOT, AND, OR and XOR are logical operators. 🙂
The Wolf
Asd,
Why don’t you spell out for us what you think this crisis is (and please include some facts/statistics to back your case up).
Is the divorce crisis the fact that the divorce rate among frum Jews is higher?
Is the divorce crisis the fact that women are sometimes left as agunos in a divorce?
Is the divorce crisis the fact that visitation/custody arrangements are sometimes unfair?
Or is it something else entirely?
The Wolf
you think baking cookies is something lowly? then yes, you are heavily influenced by the 21st century crowd.
Wow! I didn’t know that when I bake, it’s holy! 🙂
The Wolf (who loves to cook and bake)
how about the leviim in the bais hamikdash playing the harps etc.?
what about david hamelech playing for shaul?
Can you reproduce them?
I think it’s safe to say that he was referring to the Jewish music that is available today. There is nothing “inherently Jewish” about that. He obviously wasn’t considering the music you brought up becuase it’s not available to us.
The Wolf
Average is just what is sounds like — take the sum of the observations and divide them by the number of observations. If you want to know what the average age of the people in your shul is, simply add up the ages of everyone and divide by the number of people.
That being said, average does not equal normal. Averages can be greatly skewed. The story is told of the elementary school that tried to attract parents by stating (truthfully) that the graduates of that school averaged a million dollars a year in income. Of course, what wasn’t pointed out was that two of the graduates were the founders of Microsoft, who skewed the average to the right.
To find out if something is “normal,” you have to take into account the average *and* the standard deviation. This gives you a better picture of what is normal.
As for your question regarding how someone could be “average” if we are created B’tselem Elokim, then by definition, about half of us have to be below average. Or, to give you similar example, if you had a list of all the millionaires in the world, by definition about half of them will be below the average of that list. So too with people. If everyone is a Tselem Elokim, then, by definition, about half of them will fall below the average.
The Wolf
Triginometry, Chemistry, higher economics…will they need those.
You’d be surprised. I use algebra and geometry fairly regularly — and trig is starting to make a comeback in my life too.
While I haven’t used chemistry since college, I still everyone should have a *basic* understanding of science. Likewise, I think everyone should have a basic understanding of economics. I’m fairly convinced that a good part of the reason that people are in economic trouble today (Jews and non-Jews) is because they don’t have a basic understanding of economics. When people propose silly ideas such as boycotting the purchase of gas for one day, it only reveals that the general public really doesn’t know how money and economics works. I’m not saying that everyone has to become a financial analyst, but everyone *should* know the difference between a stock and a bond, between a mutual fund and an index, between a money-market account and a certificate of deposit. Likewise, I think that everyone today should know how to use a word processor and the basics of using a spreadsheet.
The Wolf
Mattisyohu,
Are you telling me that if a Gadol today told you that an infant today was definitely from Amalek, you would have absolutely no qualms about going to his house, saying a “hareini…” and, in front of his parents, blow his head off in his crib? And you would do this happily because it’s a mitzvah?
The Wolf
Cooking is very useful. I think even boys should learn the basics of cooking. I’m not saying that they need to learn how to prepare a three course meal with deserts, but they should be able to spice and throw a chicken in the oven, or scramble some eggs, or prepare a steak. In other words, they should know enough that they won’t be forced to subsist on sandwiches and frozen waffles if they’re home alone for a few days.
The Wolf
(Full Disclosure: I might be a bit biased since I can cook.)
I don’t think it’s so unbelievable. Unlikely? Maybe. But not unbelievable.
The Wolf
I always felt that all schools (both Bais Ya’akovs and standard yeshivos) should teach more practical life skills. I agree that there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to learning more and more meforshim on Tanach at the elementary/high school level. While I think that Nach is important (I think our girls’ schools overdo it and our boys’ schools grossly under-learn it) and while I also agree that Gemara should be the main focus of the boys’ programs, I think that there should be some additional lessons on basic life skills. High schoolers of both genders should learn how to balance a checkbook, understand how credit cards work and understand the difference between a stock and a bond, and what a mutual fund is. Both genders should be taught cooking (to different degrees — girls should probably have more advanced lessons, but I think that boys should be able to fend for themselves and make something more advanced than peanut butter & jelly in the kitchen in a pinch).
The Wolf
Also… just to add this: Whenever you want to purchase something online from a “lesser-known” place, check out ResellerRatings. It’s an invaluable resource for weeding out scam artists.
The Wolf
As an serious amateur photographer, let me give you some simple advice… if you see a price for a camera that is too good to be true, then it is. It’s that simple.
When I look for camera equipment, I *only* go to places that are reputable and well-known. I highly recommend using B&H, Adorama or J&R for just about all your camera needs (and I’m not just mentioning them because they’re all Jewish-owned). All of these places have well-earned reputations among photographers worldwide.
My last camera was purchased from Circuit City (simply because they had it in stock when the others didn’t). Since CC is a well-known establishment, I didn’t have any problems purchasing from them. I buy lenses, flashes, filters, etc. from the B&H or J&R.
Don’t fall for these scams. Only shop at stores that are known to be reputable. It may seem like it’s costing you more, but it’s not… you weren’t going to get the camera from these “bargain basement” places at the advertised price anyway.
The Wolf