Random Questions

Yeah… Lots of em…

What was the dead sea like before it got ill?

How does a Nun retire? Does she instantly not believe at sixty-five,

and start partying?

If we have nightmares, what do horses have?

If you are open-minded, would your brains fall out?

Where are preparations A to G?

Why is it hard to understand how a cemetery can raise its burial charges

and blame it on the cost of living?

Why are carrots more orange than oranges?

Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitos?

Queen: What about Veretzky (Flatbush) or Ch’san Sofer (Boro Park)?

Queen: or Stolin (more on the chasidish side, but mixed)

Queen: Maybe take a look at it after you researched the others. Its a mix with litvish too (many old-time Chaim Berliners sent there.)

I’m not intimately familiar with them, but perhaps look into Yeshiva of Bensonhurst and Yeshiva Tiferes Elimelech as well.

I agree with ICOT, Torah Vodas is well-worth considering.

One other Yeshiva that comes to mind is The Cheder (near McDonald Ave.)

Chasam Sofer sounds like a good choice, but by age 17 maybe he is looking for a post high school yeshiva? Although I think they go a few years past high school. My brothers were there for elementary school and left for high school because they did need more of a demanding high school so it sounds good for your son.

It is sad that yeshivas gear themselves for the “top” bachurim and leave the weaker students to the dogs. I remember in high school I felt that a lot of teachers aimed their lessons at the top 10% of the class and the rest of us would have to try to keep up.

I feel that teachers should gear their lessons to the average students. The weak students should be provided with modification if necessary and the gifted students could be given extra to be stimulated. It sounds simpler than it is. I know it’s not. But who says the weaker students aren’t worth enough to spend extra time to make it work for everyone?

QUEEN- Please, do your research immediately and just place him in whatever sounds best to you, even if it’s not 100% what you wanted.It’s not healthy for anyone, especially a young boy to sit home all day. It’s not good for his sanity, and not too great for his self esteem either. Please resolve the matter immediately. Im very worried for him. He needs structure and schedule.

We’re doing as much research as possile and as quickly as we can. But sometimes it takes time for people to get back to us. You’d be surprised how many brick walls we’ve run up against just trying to get our foot in the door to speak to the Rosh Yeshiva, or the person in charge of accepting new boys. Hockerinbklyn: V’elipol is also on the list. Thank you. And thank you to “I can only try” as well as the rest of you for your kind brachos and helpful ideas. Let me clarify that we are looing for Yeshiva Gedola (not mesivta). And if anyone knows…. what’s the difference between Chasam Sofer and Chasan Sofer?

Queen: She likely meant Ch’san Sofer. The only Chasam Sofer I know of, is in Eretz Yisroel.

not pashut

i think its called derech hamelech

what about shaar yashuv in f.rockaway. people where “long” on shabbos.

also in lkwd n.j. there might be a yeshiva thet fits .dont know name.

The Queen of Persia-

Yeshiva Derech Chaim in Boro Park is a beis medrash that generally accepts good kids, even if they’re not top learners.

I do think all learning is done in English, though.

There are a couple of mesivtas in Flatbush that cater to boys who might be shvach learners or non-mainstream. I think Rabbi Rafael Walerstein and Rabbi Friedman (don’t remember his first name, but his yeshiva is on East 15th St. between J&K) are the ones who run the yeshivos. They may have some Beis Medrash ideas, since I would imagine some of their boys go on to learn full-time.

In my days there were several small “yeshivos” that were basically a rosh yeshiva/rebbe and maybe 10 boys learning in a shul. I don’t know of any specifically nowadays, but would it pay to look into something like that?

shindy: Absolutely not.

Shindy: I think it’s a matter of halacha. Not opinion. She should NOT be on first name basis with any man other than her husband (or brothers). And the same goes for men addressing women other than their wives. Mrs. so and so only.

Shindy: did you check rav moshes teshuva

I posted this in another thread, but it got bypassed pretty quick by a heated debate between, well, the usual entertainment’s.

Here I go… again:

Wanted to hear your opinions, and why.

A skirt that passes the knees by 2 inches.

OR

A skirt down to the ankles, with a slit that reaches 2 inches up before the knee.

Which one (or both?), do you think is less appropriate, and why?

When you say “before” the knee, do you mean above or below?

the skirt with the slit is obviously less apropriate. a skirt with a slit is very noticeable and attracts a lot of attention. whereas a skirt that covers the knee doesnt.

“according to the jewish law a ladys (sic) knees are not allowed to show at all.”

This is the problem I have with the common understanding of tznius. Nowhere does it say in the Torah that a woman is required to keep her knees, elbows, and collarbone covered. Obviously, men and women must both ensure that we dress modestly and do not attract attention to our bodies, but the standards that I see used today by some go so far beyond what is really necessary. I don’t see a problem with either skirt in the example above, and outside of certain communities where men are used to seeing women completely covered up, I don’t think the average man would get excited by the sight of an uncovered knee.

There is no such thing as “more assur” and “less assur”. And certainly you can’t validate something that is worng based on something else which is wrong.

So, if you see the problem with both, then BOTH are inappropriate. Since both are inappropriate, which one is less than the other is irrelevant.

If you are asking the question, then at the very least you recognize that these are gray areas. If that is the case then why you are asking others to opine on which comes closer to crossing the line? You want to live in gray areas? Then draw your own lines. I can’t think of a situation where the question is relevant.

Slits being a problem has no basis in halacha. The requirement is that the knees and above be covered at all times. Most people feel that you need an extra few inches so that the knees are covered when sitting, as well. So any slit that ends 3 inches below the knees is totally fine, as the entire skirt could end there. Anyting you do below the 3 inch line is OK. You can have a slit, you can have elaborate cutouts, you can eliminate everything, you can cover down to your toes, you can embroider a picture of your dog, whatever you do is fine, as long as everything is covered above the 3 inch point.

We have enough halachas, why invent new ones?

The whole issue of slits is overblown in my opinion. if the slit is WELL below the knee, then the part of the leg that we are mechuyavos to cover, is already covered. Personally, I take more notice when I see women with seamed stockings, which IMMEDIATELY draws the attention of the eye to it. Normal people do not look at slit skirts and get excited. If the slit was up her thigh, THAT I could understand. But frankly, I think too much has been made of this issue, and there are more important tznius inyanim that people should concern themselves with. I’m with Pashuteh Yid on this one. Be happy the women are not wearing short skirts or pants. Slit skirts are more comfortable to sit and walk in. Period. If the rabbanim would suddenly say there is no problem with them, no one would give a second thought to it being untzniusdig. It is how we are conditioned to think by the rabbinical interpretation of some people, that causes us to think certain things are not proper. Not all people agree with this interpretation.

To answer the question of where it says in the Torah what we have to cover – that is in the Torah sheh b’al peh. It doesn’t say in the written Torah how to wear tefillin, or shecht an animal, either – – but Moshe Rabbeinu got the exact info from Hashem at Har Sinai and that mesorah was passed down from him to yehoshua, and so on down the ages until Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi codified the Mishnah out of fear that most people would forget the Oral Law. I would like to know where in the Gemarah it discusses slit skirts as assur, however. I am not being facetious, I really want to know. I might rethink my position.

WhyDoIEvenBother, I did not make this up. Please check out Halichos Bas Yisroel where the topic of tznius is discussed according to the poskim. The MIshna Berura states that one must only cover from the knee and above. When did following the MB become unacceptable? The discussion is based on the words zroa and shok. I totally agree that one who follows the more stringent definition that the shok includes the calf could not permit a slit. But then one must require ankle length skirts. However, to say that we follow the MB’s opinion that the shok is the thigh, and then come along and say that true, the skirt must only reach to below the knee (with a margin), however, if it contains a slit below that point it is treif is totally irrational. It is a simple kal vachomer that if the entire skirt could be missing below the margin and be kosher, then if just a slit is missing, and the rest is there, it is certainly kosher. Again, if your posek holds skirts must be ankle length, then come out and say it. But this is not what I have seen in camp clothing lists, where this silly contradiction in logic exists that they must only cover the knee, but slits are forbidden. The only logic there is that they are concerned about some styles where the slit goes far above the knee, and hence forbid all slits.

EyesOpen, the reason why I am so against creating new chumras, is that the primary problem facing the klal is the terrible fighting and sinah amongst groups. Conceivably a girl wearing a kosher slit could now find herself the target of acid throwers, or bus-beaters if this misconception is allowed to circulate. One who follows the mishna berura should not have to fear these loonies who are all too common these days. (Even one who does not follow the halacha correctly should not have to fear these loonies either.)

Even aside from that, why must we make divisions in the klal, where if a girl wears something kosher that is not what is worn in XYZ community, she should be the object of derision, not our type, more modern, etc.

As far as Bas Melech, one who follows the halacha is a Bas Melech. We do not have the authority to make up arbitrary rules not based in halacha and declare that one who does not keep them is inferior. I have seen on camp lists that the very long floor dragging skirts are also treif. Somebody decided that is not the yeshivishe thing to do, and invented a new halacha or minhag by which to look down on the other. In fact it has as much significance in the eyes of the RBSH as the color of a man’s suit or shirt, which is zero.