WolfishMusings

Wolf: If you were not an introvert (and felt more comfortable rebuking someone for talking in shul since you’re very scrupulous about that) would you feel comfortable rebuking someone for eating non-kosher, since you’re very scrupulous about that too?

Do I know that everything I’ve eaten is kosher? I *think* so, but I have no such guarantee to that fact. Heck, I eat chalav stam and I’ve heard more than once people state that “chalav stam is chalav treif.”

Nonetheless, despite that, I believe I’ve already answered the question in the negative. I cannot rebuke other people in person. I’m just not a confrontational person, and it causes me problems in other areas of my life. If I can’t even do so to stand up for myself, why do you think I’d be able to approach a perfect stranger and start telling him off to his face?

The Wolf

Wolf, regarding the 13 middot, he has on whom to rely

Thank you, Avi. That is *precisely* one of the reasons that I don’t give Tochacha. If I can’t be sure that I’m right and free of sin in any particular matter, how can I possibly rebuke others?

The Wolf

Either way, you should at least agree that going back to pre WWII is disproven.

Not necessarily.

It’s logically possible that WWII turned out really, really, really badly for the the world with lots more deaths worldwide, and that someone in the future calculated all the possible scenarios and determined that the one we know of held the least damage worldwide and, as a result, created the reality we know today. In other words, it could be argued that the war was inevitable and that the outcome we had (as horrific as it was) was the best possible outcome (i.e. that all the other outcomes had far, far more deaths worldwide).

The Wolf

Anyhow, any comment on my proof that there is no time travel?

What if it was possible, but only in a limited sense (i.e. no more than 100 years in any direction) and won’t be invented for 200 years?

The Wolf

Probably, you would still have kids who you would love equally to your actual kids, and your kids would still exist, perhaps in different bodies.

Then they’d be actual different people and not my kids.

Like I said, I’m not willing to give up their existence for someone who died three quarters of a century ago. If that makes me a selfish piece of garbage, I’ll cop to it.

The Wolf

I totally agree with his idea of research for time travel to kill hitler ym”s, do you realize how many Jews that saves?

Do you know how many Jews that kills?

If you think about it, practically everyone who had ancestors in Europe during WWII had their lives irrevocably altered by the Holocaust. Remove that massive event, and lots of people who currently exist would never do so.

I would probably still be here (as all my ancestors were in NYC by 1915), but my kids wouldn’t… my wife’s parents would never have come to the US if the Holocaust had not occurred and Eeees’ and I would never have met.

Of course the Holocaust should never have happened, but now that it has, taking action to “undo” it would cause millions of Jews to simply cease to exist. Should these millions be sacrificed for the millions who died?

I’m not willing to sacrifice my kids for someone who died 75 years ago. Does that make me a selfish piece of garbage? Perhaps, but so be it.

The Wolf

Trump’s didn’t start as one either.

True. Given that, perhaps there is hope that Supreme can overtake Trump. He’d certainly be a better candidate. 🙂 :p

The Wolf

Power plants and transportation do not shut down at Friday sunset.

True, but that doesn’t mean that every worker must work on Shabbos. I’m positive that they work in shifts.

The Wolf

Tochacha is a touchy subject for me, simply because I cannot do it. The few times that I have done so (usually over talking during davening) I felt so horrible afterwards that I simply cannot do it anymore. Confronting people in person, even when I’m in the right, has become so anathema to me, that I just no longer do it (not just in a tochacha situation, but in any situation).

The Wolf

Or you could do TESHUVA and buy a restaurant.

I doubt it. Some sins (including database development) are probably unforgivable.

Besides, I’ve watched enough of edited to know that I never want to own a restaurant.

The Wolf

FWIW, I did not get drunk this Purim (and, in fact, I’ve never been drunk on any Purim or any other day of my life). If you think that makes me a sinner, so be it.

The Wolf

Drinking and getting drunk has become the norm at just about every simcha.

You must be attending the wrong simchas. I can’t say that I’ve *never* seen someone drunk at a simcha, but it’s quite rare that I do see it.

The Wolf

* Stands up and applauds *

Thank you, yichusdik.

The Wolf

bump

My answer hasn’t changed.

The Wolf

No it is not. It is assur to adjudicate in court, not to go to get permission for a secular provision. But most people can clearly see the difference.

I think you might have missed the winkie smile on the end of his post. In other words, it was a joke.

The Wolf

I was 21 when I got married.

Yet again, a sinner. 🙁

The Wolf

How about not worrying about how long everyone else is davening SE and just worry about your own (however long it takes)?

The Wolf

Which one, what part?

The part I copied in my quote. Paragraph Gimel, the end.

And to head you off, yes, it’s not a waste to say kaddish. But it was a waste for the purpose for which I was saying it to begin with.

The Wolf

http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/tursa.aspx?a=yd_x6956

See here also: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=46540&st=&pgnum=387&hilite=

So, I guess the whole year I said kaddish was just a waste. 🙁

Excuse me while I go be sick.

The Wolf

I mean when one is a chiyuv, and one is not, which is what it seemed you were referring to.

I believe the chiyuv is on the congregation to give the amud to the avel, not on the avel to actually daven if he does not want to.

The Wolf

Wolf, I don’t think that policy is halachically correct.

Can you please elaborate on why it is halachically wrong to allow others to daven before yourself?

The Wolf

ut I try to always give another aveil the chance to daven. I don’t want to try give an Aliya neshomo through causing machlokes

That was my approach as well, but not just with regard to other aveilim. I didn’t daven for the amud if there was anyone else who wanted to – avel or not.

The Wolf

On Shabbos/Yom Tov, I daven whenever they ask me. I do not seek it out.

During the week, I do not daven for the amud (even during the year I was an avel I did not) because during the week I daven in a Nusach Sefard shul and I daven Nusach Ashkenaz and I did not want to risk mixing up nuschayos.

(Note that for Ma’ariv, where the only change was the Shir HaMa’alos at the beginning and an additional few words in kaddish, I did daven when asked during the year of aveilus, even in the NS shul.)

The Wolf

You think of Coffee Room discussions when cooking your meals?

I think about all sorts of things, including CR discussions.

(Including the discussion that it is forbidden for men to cook because of “lo yilbash”)

The Wolf

Joseph, what is “tarbeh” and what is “sicha”?

Oh, please… not this argument again. Next thing you know, someone is using this to say that you shouldn’t say “good morning” to your wife.

The Wolf

I think the correct verbiage would be, “Hey you! Good morning!”