I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that metrodriver’s “brother” is yersl.

I have no objection to the Sears case. And I feel deeply for anyone who is indeed a victim of anti-semitism.

My point was to agree with real-brisker, who in my opinion made a very valid point in his first post, when he wrote, and I quote: “A company can tell you if they want you to work only mornings, only a few times a week, and only on certain days. If you don’t like it don’t work for them!”

If there is evidence that the company in question is motivated by antisemitism, as in fact later posters have implied, then yes, I think this company should be sued and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. My intention was only to side with the general notion of the statement previously mentioned, as I did not feel that the bashing he got was warranted. This is because I do believe there is a trend in some circles to cry antisemitism about anything and everything, as in the garbage truck anecdote.

However, seeing that there seem to be legitimate grounds to make this claim here, kol hakavod, and the point I made is not relevant to this particular case.

Homeowner-

Please. I don’t think you should have to ‘take’ anything, and never implied otherwise. Everyone is entitled to demand that they not be discriminated against, and if what is happening is indeed discrimination then by all means go ahead and make a big deal about it. I don’t think we are living in pre-war Europe or the middle ages.

HOWEVER, my point is: There are organizations such as the NAACP, which, though they defend a worthy cause, are often subject to being subtly mocked and looked down upon in pop culture and the media, not due to latent racism, but simply because among the righteous causes they defend they also seem to sometimes make a stink over pettiness. Similarly, by Jews getting together and crying anti-semitism over pettiness and what is regarded by the average thinking American as not religiously discriminatory in the slightest, generates a public opinion that looks down upon us.

No, I am not worried that someone will get locked up for saying something against the ‘establishment’. But sometimes we do wish to have public opinion on our side, and this kind of thing, in my humble opinion, ruins our chances. And besides, when the general public sees us as petty, I think it is a big chillul Hashem.

Sure pipe = sophistication. In a retro way. You just need a fitted tweed jacket and a nice brown kangol cap, maybe grow a mustache, and make sure to wear large, black, horn-rimmed glasses. Nothing truly goes out of style. You just need to do the look right and you’ll pull it off. I like to try that look sometimes. I stick to cigarettes though. I know, I really need to stop. I’m working on that.

bachur24-

I am very impressed by your response. ???? ??? ????? ????.

bachur24-

You haven’t responded as to whether you are well versed in the Rambam’s works. I assume you are not. Take a look at the last of the 8 Perakim, you will find that the Rambam understands ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ???? to mean that every action that is a lav or an aseh is fully within one’s bechirah. That is, it isn’t that Hashem gives us bechirah, or an illusion of it, in instances in which there are mitzvos. It’s the other way around, there are certain things which Hashem originally gave man full autonomy over, and those are all of his actions, and because that is so, he gave us mitzvos in those areas. Look it up and think about it.

I completely agree with real-brisker. It’s like when the garbage trucks don’t come due to the legal holiday, and people cry “anti-semitism!” It makes perfect sense for a company to require an employee to work on Saturdays, and if you can’t do that, then either don’t work for them, or make yourself valuable enough to them that they have to accept your terms. But crying anti-semitism and filing lawsuits is, in my opinion, counterproductive, for maybe it helps in the particular case, but in general I think it makes people think that the Jews are taking advantage of the Constitution to push their own agenda. Also, to the general public which does not see this as anti-semitism, they see the Jews crying wolf, and when something comes up that is a real problem, they wont be on our side.

I don’t think there should be any inherent problem, however, if when you receive a text or a call it will show up while you are davening then I think it is not appropriate because it will disturb your concentration even if it is on silent.

A yeshivishe guy goes on Jeapordy.

They say to him, “This is the first president of the United States.”

“George Washington,” he says.

They tell him, “Sir, you must respond in question form.”

He replies, “George Washington, what?”

MDG-

I haven’t looked at the Ramban inside and I don’t know the exact word he uses which you are translating “to inherit”, but I just wish to point out that the word ?????? is often used in the Torah to mean ‘to conquer’ and not to inherit. There are many examples, I can find them if you’d like.

mdd-

About the Terumas Hadeshen, open your eyes and stop being so closed-minded. He specifically ‘bavorns’ the fact that the gemara says ???????? by saying it just means a ???. How can you possibly say with a straight face that he really holds there is a ???????? level involved?! What in the world was he ‘bavorn’ing then?! Isn’t there one person on this forum who agrees with me that this claim of mdd’s is narishkeit?

And no, I will not gratify you with a summary of what I wrote. I didn’t write lengthly because I enjoy writing megillos, I did it because it’s the only way to properly understand how I see the sugya. You want to label me and make blanket uninformed statements about my opinions, go ahead, I ain’t gonna help you.

But just so you know, the d’rabbanan point really had nothing to do with what I wrote. What I wrote works just as well with those who understand the Gemara k’pshuto, that a partial covering is d’oraisa.

mbachur-

I do not have any other usernames, my intention was that I posted this point more briefly on other threads (as rabbiofberlin noted) and it didn’t seem like too many people ‘heard’ me.

As for your point about the shirt, it is a valid point, but the question is not a question according to the arguments I present in my long megillah. And btw, I posed the same question (rhetorically) to Popa a month ago here http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/the-real-fraud just over halfway down.

rabbiofberlin-

Thank you for your generous compliments. I’m glad you appreciated.

As for the differentiation you make between ‘relative’ and ‘absolute’ ervah, I actually thought the same thing and used those exact words when I explained it to my chavrusa. I think this is clear from the gemaros in Berachos. I don’t have much time now but I’ll post a paragraph from a paper I wrote a while back:

???? ??? ?’ ??? ???? (???? ????? ???????, ??? ????????) ??”? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ??, ??? ????? ????? ????, ??”?. ??”?, ???? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ????????, ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????. ????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ????, ?????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???, ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ???”?, ??? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? (????? ??:??), ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???; ????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?????, ????? ????? ????? ??”? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????. ???? ???? ?’ ??? ??? ???? ????? ???, ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????, ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ?????

??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????? (??”? ??’ ?? ??”?) ??”? ???? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??????, ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???, ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?????, ???? ?????? ????? ????, ??”?. ????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???, ??”? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????, ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? (??? ?:?) ???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????, ????’ (????? ??) ??????? ?? ????? ????? ?????. ???? ????”? ????, ??? ??? ???? ????

I think I am being more generous than you in what I am defining as ‘relative’ ervah, but before arguing with me please be me’ayen in the Gemara that brings down that mishnah in Challah.

As for your final point, yes, that is what I was trying to say. I believe that the Gemara in Brachos is not d’oraisa, and ‘das yehudis’ is based upon it, but ‘das moshe’ which at least in some way is d’oraisa is unrelated, which is why ???? ?? ??? ???? has no place in the Gemara in Berachos.

Thank you again for your comments. Shavua tov!

I have to go now, be back soon.

Health-

Let me explain. Those who maintain that a woman must dress a certain way generally source their claim in the fact that the gemara calls certain body parts ervah. There is a lot of room to say that those things are subjective and have everything to do with time and place. The hair covering halacha, on the other hand, is not just because of that gemara which calls hair ervah. Therefore it is more difficult to be mattir.

Health-

Short sleeves are way easier to be mattir then uncovered hair.

I’m not paskening, only saying that when you are analyzing the sugyas and the halacha it is much easier to be melamed zchus on those who wear short sleeves, pants, etc. than those who wear their hair uncovered.

I am actually curious to know if you can find me one clear source in the gemara and rishonim that any dress code is required, apart from not dressing in a markedly provocative manner.

Bed-Stuy-

See http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/hats from about halfway down, particularly hello99’s comments. Come to think of it, you were there too.

I like music.

Whether negi’ah is assur mi’doraisa, mi’d’rabbanan, or even muttar, is a machlokes amora’im in Shabbos (13a) and Avodah Zarah (17a).

Assuming it is assur, and it was mentioned that the Rambam paskens it is d’oraisa, it is a fence put in place to distance one from the actual act of giluy arayos. (Yes there are fences that are d’oraisa. The classic example is the prohibition of a nazir to eat grapes.)

Covering hair, IMHO, has nothing to do with arayos. I once wrote an essay on this and I had a number of problems trying to say it is indeed because of ervah,* and the truth is you wont find me a single rishon who explains it this way.

And by the way, the Rambam who learns that negi’ah is d’oraisa, understands that covering hair is only d’rabbanan. The Terumas Hadeshen (1:242) writes: ???? ????”? ????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??????.

*???? ???? ?? ??? ????, ???? ??? ??? ??????, ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???. ??????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????, ??”? ???? ???? ?????????? ???? ???? ???, ??? ??????? ??????. ???? ???”? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???, ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?? ????. ???? ??”? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????? ???? ??? ???????. ??? ???? ????? ???? ????? ???? ????

real-brisker, I don’t because I am in yeshiva and the dress code is to wear dress pants, but I have no halachic or hashkafic objection to wearing jeans, and I would probably do so if I had a different occupation.

I don’t, but I would.

Berachos 47b:

????? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ????, ??? ?? ???? ???? ??????

bombmaniac-

First of all you’re oversimplifying. But personally I’ve read a few of the essays written by the great existentialists and I’m still not sure exactly how to define it. I don’t think it focuses on the question of are we real, as much as what am I (presupposing and not really focusing on the existence of ‘I’) and what is the meaning of life.

As for your question regarding simulation, I don’t know why you need to get so sophisticated. We all dream, and while dreaming, aren’t aware that what we are experiencing is reality. So whose to say that this is reality?