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In the real world, the father would have arranged (through a will or gifts and/or through private contractual agreements with the creditors) to protect the interests of the son who converted together with the family (regardless of how halacha characterized the relationship). This of course is irrelevant to the legal principles being discussed in the gemarra.
As is common in any legal system in which the full details of actual cases are not reported (i.e. like almost every other legal system in the world other than the Anglo-American system), the discussion of the case in the gemarra focuses on details related to the legal issue being discussed. The real world is always messier with “facts not on point”.
So does the boy have a special bracha to make for having narrowly avoided a shiduch with a fool?
frumnotyeshivish: In a democracy you are stuck with the idiots you elected, even if you don’t vote for them. Plenty of Germans never voted for Hitler or Tojo (both of whom were democratically elected). The majority of the Palestinians want a government that will resist Israel and will not give up the Palestinian claim on Eretz Yisrael – and their government does what the people want. It was their decision to build tunnels instead of bomb shelters, and rockets instead of industrial goods. — And its unfair to talk about “children” since we normally let parents decide on behalf of their children, and until recently even in the United States, a high percentage of soldiers were too young to have ever voted, so that’s no hiddush. Wars aren’t supposed to be nice or pleasant, and they almost never are.
It’s just a tool for manufacturing solid objects in small numbers. For large numbers, a regular factory set-up is more efficient. But, for example, to make “one” plastic fork, it doesn’t pay to do a factory run.
All halachos of intellectual and industrial property apply.
1. Mommies and little kids are civilians.
2. “Human shields” implies hostage, not spectators. The videos I have seen suggest that Palestinian civilians are standing near their troops to watch. This suggests that are not “human shields” (which is a war crime), but are “fans” of the Hamas soldiers (which is very unwise)
3. One should remember that Hamas is the democratically elected government, not a criminal organization that grabbed power. And the “terrorists” are actually the legitimate soldiers of that government. It should not be shocking that the Gazans want to wish their army well and root for “their team” .
4. No one claims that the Gazans are especially bright or clever.
1. Most Israeli Arabs face the same sorts of job discriminantion as hareidim (being from a traditional non-western culture and not serving in the army).
2. They are forced to speak a foreign language in dealing with the government, and are forced to deal with a government consisting almost exclusive of other groups.
3. Many if not most Israelis wish to get them to leave the country.
4. As with hareidim, if they give up their religion, culture and lifestyle they will no longer be discrimianted against.
P.S. The US also disapproved of Hamas kidnapping and murdering the three Jewish boys – butg whereas Hamas is regarded as an enemy force, the Israelis are a client state (a little more independent than Puerto Rico or Guam, but less than being an independent sovereign country that could exist without American support).
Hunting for sport is clearly prohibited. Hunting for food is permitted – however you would have to capture the animals to slaughter them halachically. I’ve heard of people hunting with goyim and giving the goy the animal to eat. However I don’t think anyone would allow killing animals for fun.
The academic requirements are similar to medical school, though with a different test. You need an undergraduate degree. A dubious yeshiva degree will work provided you take the required science courses at a reputable school – though a bechelors with premeds from a reputable school certainly help with admission.
And do you really want to spend your life cutting up other people’s mouths.
Why do you have a car in a city with a well developed system of public transportation? Part of the reason you pay high prices in New York is that you don’t need the expense of a car (including car payment, insurance and operating costs).
Adam and Chava had a real gap with their kids.
Same for all subsequent parents.
Maybe Ha-Shem designed it that way.
And our world has been rapidly changing (pre and post internet; pre and post outlawing of job discrimination, etc.) so that parents often grew up in a very different world than their kids.
Do you want to be a special education teacher? If so, the answer is “yes” (but be a bit wary of a masters that doesn’t get you certifified by the government as a teacher – it might not be worth the time and money involved). Frum schools generally don’t care “bubkes” about certification, but many special education programs are structured such that you can have a publicly funded program for frum kids using (and requiring) state certified teachers. But then again, do you want to specializing in dealing with kids with serious mental and physical problems?
Sam2 and Splenda: Unless the courts of a place are enforcing the requirement that a man support his wife, there is no reason for a women to refuse a “get” since the “get” is written after the man has stopped paying for her bills. If the laws requiring men to pay their wives’ bills were enforced, few men would refuse to write a “get” except in situation where they didn’t want a divorce (and if one of the partners to a marriage wants to stay married, it probably is still the time for counseling, not litigating).
The original definition (“de jure”) refers to a woman whose husband is missing. In the past it was more common (men often went on long trips for business reasons, or were caught up in wars). The modern use of the term refers to a woman whose husband is refusing a court order to give a “get” (and would be easily solved, as it was in the past, by courts enforcing their orders).
It would be a sad day for someone to be capable of knowing about all the new yeshivos and seminaries. Especially since, unlike the goyim, we prefer small institutions in which the teachers know all the students, there should always so many new ones starting that no can know about all of them.
Sam2: We have changed the ability to work at night through improved lights. Our bodies’ design is not under our control, and being noctural (sleeping days, working nights) is problematic for one’s health.
1. Until recently, people often got up at sunrise, worked until mid-day, and took a nap for few hours. That custom is dying out.
2. It’s hard to reverse one’s schedule since our bodies were designed to be diurnal.
1. Probably not if by stealing the food someone else’s would starve to death.
2. “Survive” does not include ice cream, nice fleisigs, wine, etc. It means enough to stay alive. Not enough to feel like you are a normal middle class consumer.
Define “best”. Highest income, least stress, most enjoyable work, fewest hours, most flexible hours, most secure income. If you are paid to do anything you would do anyways even if unpaid (sit and learn all day, stay at home with children, etc.), that’s probably the best deal since the job requires no time (you would be doing it anyways) and the income is pure profit.
rebyidd23: 1) Lawyers can be very useful; 2) Unless a lawyer works for the government, a big non-profit or “Big law”, lawyers don’t have jobs – they are self-employed business people whose success largely depends on their own energies and wits.
rebyidd23 who said: “Why would anyone want to be a lawyer when they can be a marine biologist or a tailor?”
Because they lack manual dexterity and like needles (but are good with words and logic) and don’t like fish (but do like helping people with their problems).
Veltz Meshugener: If you want to be a lawyer, go for it. There are plenty of people in need of legal services. In New York one would say “in the outer boroughs” – but really it is a function of class more than geography. The bar exam isn’t that hard – most people pass it and those who go to “bad” law schools usually do better than the “good” (probably since “bad” law schools prepare you for practice in one jurisdiction, “good” law schools are bigger on theory). If you idea of a “living wage” involves six or seven figures (US dollars, no decimal point), most lawyers don’t earn a living wage – indeed the only fields in which you get that sort of incomes are professional athletes in major league sports, seucessful businesses, and many people who follow the Madoff career tract — but if you like the idea of being a lawyer, and are content to be middle class, go for it.
If you want to be a lawyer, law school is an excellent idea (the alternative of “reading law” is only bedievad – few people do it any more). You might end up working for a big firm and get rich, you might end up with a respectable government job, and you might end up going into private practice dealing with real people (great if you feel a bit entreprenurial, and like the idea of doing what lawyers do).
Would you want to be a lawyer if lawyers weren’t well compensated – if the answer is yes, then go to law school. If you are asking if law school is worth the time and cost in terms of getting a job which you won’t enjoy but will make you rich – the answer should be obvious. Becoming a lawyer since you think it is a meal ticket shows you are quite dumb. Pick something you enjoy and figure out how to make a profit at it.
Especially if you prefer to be a neighborhood lawyer (rather than a Wall Street “Big law” firm type), going to a fancy law school isn’t that important. Indeed, the graduates of non-elite law schools are usually better qualified to “hang out a shingle” than those in the elite schools. The non-elite law schools are often more liberal with financial aid, and of cource, in many states there are low cost public law schools (e.g. CUNY and SUNY in New York, UB and UM in Baltimore, Rutgers in New Jersey).
1. Pick a career first, major based on career.
2. If you don’t like science, and are looking for an easy major, don’t expect it to have a high income. The easier the major, the more likely it is to attract many people, and therefore the lower the pay (cf. law of supply and demand)
1. Distance Education (e.g. online courses) require a serious student, and may not be suitable for children unless the parent is closely supervising.
2. Cost isn’t necessarily cheap for a frum family, so distance education providers generally do not give discounts based on family size or poverty – unlike frum schools
3. Some subjects really require a teacher, such as ones involved in acquiring language skills, The more interactive the course is, the more expensive it is.
4. Unless someone is hooking your house up with their own dedicated wires, you are accessing the same internet that everyone is. A “kosher” internet is just a program to keep you from looking at sites – and can easily be evaded.
But you don’t need to learn math in school. Some might argue that one learns better out of school. Education is about learning and acquiring knowledge needed for life. School is about keeping kids off the street and out of their parents hair, but under the right conditions one can learn in a school.
splenda: American truancy laws require that you be educated up to a certain age — there is no requirement that you be in school.
In places where truancy laws are enforced (and usually such laws are only enforced against lowerw class minorities), home school students should bring a letter from their parents. In general, kids who are out when most kids are in school are left alone if they look and act respectably (and that includes frum kids on days our schools have off and the goyim have class), in part since police have better things to do, and in part since they don’t want to be sued for false arrest.
School is NOT mandatory.
Under both Jewish and American law, school is not mandatory. All American states, public international law, and Halacha all recognize a right of parents to educate their children at home.
Schools however are more efficient, which is why most parents prefer them to various alternatives (e.g. home schooling, hiring tutors, etc.)
“let” means to grant permission. By halacha, no permission is needed or required. An adult woman is free to marry any man that she is halachically allowed to marry, without parent consent.
Perhaps you should ask the question differently, i.e. “Would you approve … ” or “Would you try to talk her out of it”
If she is over the age of 12, by halacha the parents have no say in whom she marries.
In response to “What if you’re a kid and want a good education for yourself?”
Study on your own. It’s easier now than ever before. Build on what the school offers rather that feel you are limited to what the school offers.
One is always free to home school one’s children. It works fine if both parents are 200% committed, and have sufficient Torah and secular educations to handle all subjects. When one includes opportunity costs, it’s cheaper to use the frum schools. In all fairness, even for kids who are never home schooled, their academic success is largely a function of their parents not the schools – so if a parent is unhappy with their kid’s education, they should compalin to a mirror.
Consider that the goyim gave up their classic curriculum and replaced it with a modern one (about 150 years ago), but we are trying to keep our classic curriculum intacts (i.e. Torah) while adding a modern one, we are doing fine. Of course we are going broke and the kids are driven crazy, but that’s by design.
They can be fried, boiled, grilled, turned into salad. Their kinderloch can be scambled, deviled, and hard or soft boiled. And these are the ones with a good life. Other get eating alive by predators who tear them wing from wing.
American Indian names reflect how the individual relates to their “spirits”. It is at the least, the “dust” of Avodah Zarah. An equivalent concept in western though is “saint’s names” or “patron saints”. Even in jest, frum Yidden wouldn’t even joke about who your patron saint is, or which avodah zarah is protecting you!
popa_bar_abba: In the 19th century they produced censored Bibles. Of course, the traditional approach among most Christians was not to translate the Bible into the local language, but that broke down by the 16th century.
PulsingFlower: We don’t censor Limudei kodesh since we aren’t concerned about goysha influence in a frum book (which is what we really object to, more than vulgarity or inappropriate behavior). Also, children rarely learn Niddah (though there are some “racy” portions of Talmud that do pop up in what children learn, and most rebbis find a way around them).
Almost be definition, if a book is by a classic, anyone can do an abrdigements since the copyright is expired. Abridgements of Shakespeare (and other classics) were very common in the 19th century (since the Victorians shared our revulsion at explicit and crude language).
In fact, many classics have strong non-Jewish (particularly Christian themes) , though most rabbis aren’t familiar with them enough to object (e.g Moby Dick, or more recently and hardly a classic Harry Potter, are examples of works whose Christian themes are not recognized by most rabbanim).
How was it a miracle? The Allied forces had superior air power, superior numbers, more highly motivated soldiers, not to mention the ability to read virtually all secret communications sent to and from the German military (at least ones sent by radio). Now, if the Warsaw Ghetto uprising had managed to bring down Hitler and end the war – that would be a miracle.
Of course, the Religious Zionists have somewhat lowered the “bar” for what is considered a miracle, since they attribute the Israeli victories over the Arabs to “miracles” . The secular Israelis, the Hareidim, i.e. the Satmar Rebbe, and most of the world attribute the Israeli victories to having better trained, better led and better armed soldiers.
A miracle is something the happens that violates the laws of nature. The creation of the world was a miracle. The splitting of the sea is a miracle.
popa_bar_abba: In many if not most states, if you have a ceremonial marriage without a marriage license (or civil ceremony), your marriage is quite valid and you need a divorce to legally marry anyone else (though the clergy conducting the wedding may have to pay a fine for not checking on the license). People who have a frum wedding and act as if they aren’t married when dealing with the government could be prosecuted for fraud (if in doing so they avoid taxes and claim benefits)- though for most frum people they are better off with the married benefits.
An important characteristic of the frum areas of Brooklyn is that rich and poor live in the same neighborhood (even if the rich have better houses). Staten Island doesn’t offer the same possibility since much of it is zoned for a more burgeois class of resident than Brooklyn.
First cousin marriages are hardly unheard of, though they are illegal in some jurisdictions (since they were prohibited by canon law, which carried over into some state legal systems).
If there is a recessive trait in one’s family, marrying a relative is a bad idea, though genetic screening can verify whether it isn’t a problem (in most situations, asuming you know what to look for). If you are marry for a healthy genome rather than things such as midos, love, money, etc., best to marry someone totally unrelated, such as a convert from a region that had no contact with Jews before you met them – but that’s a bit extreme and one doesn’t breed people like livestock.
You need something long enough so you won’t get burned. This probably involves a long stick, but sticks are not very good as matches, so you wrap something flamable at the end of the stick, thereby giving you a torch with which to safely light the bonfire.
Also note that you want the first to start quicky and look impressive – ruling out the rational and safe way (e.g. as taught by Boy Scouts) which starts a small fire and gradually lets it get bigger.
TO gavra_at_work who said “Please prove to me that you are NOT in the Matrix (since you brought it up).”
We have a kaballah to rely on for proof that HaShem created the world and isn’t just playing tricks on us. The goyim (including those Jews who reject kaballah) have to rely on blind faith (which may be why they get confused a lot)
zahavasdad: Actually the teaching and administrative staff in both American and Israeli universities are well paid (at least compared to the teaching and administrative staff in yeshivos). Of course, zionist society considers the Bnei Yeshiva to be unemployed, yet if you compare them to someone studying Talmud or Bible in a non-frum institution, the work is very similar.
mild edit
Some times it is mitsvah to be be-simcha even if we don’t feel like it.
1. In most countries, the people who complain about such and such group being on welfare, are usually motivated by bigotry towards the group. Racism and prejudice is the issue, and most bigots are hypocrites (as well know very well).
2. A serious problem develops in society’s with a liberal “welfare” state in that many individuals are content to live off their “entitlements”. This is becoming a very serious problem in Europe.
3. If you defined “employment” the way it is done in America, there would be almost no unemployment among Israeli hareidim. In the US if someone is part of a university community, and is receiving more than merely a waiver of tuition plus room and board, the person is considered to be an employee. By this standards, most members of kollels, even if they have no teaching or administrative responsibilities, would be considered to be employed.
A large number of goyim are probably Yidden. Whether through girls going off the derekh, or girls getting captured, Jewish genes have been well distributed through the western world (which includes the Middle East).
Good argument against hiring a Shabbos Goy unless he’s from an area that never had a Jewish community until recently.
Is it not possible the entire world doesn’t exist. You are stuck in a virtual reality controlled by alien psychology undergraduates. You are the lab rat.
Actually, such ideas date back to antiquity. I believe the ancient philosophers came up with the idea, shortly after the discovery of substances that in modern times get you arrested when driving under their influence.
We always had the choice: give up (or at least compromise)on frumkeit or face persecution. A Jew not wanting to be tolerate persecution need only to give up on Yiddishkeit. There is strong evidence that many did decide to give up on Torah and Mitsvos in order to reap the benefits of being part of mainstream society. For the most part if we “knew our place”, we were allowed to be as frum as we wanted. If the Israelis adopted the same policy as the goyim did, there wouldn’t be an issue. In return for accepting second class status, we were allowed self-government and complete autonomy in such matters as law, education, welfare, etc. Kashrut and Bris Milah were never an issue. Our status was not all that different than that of African Americans prior to the Civil Rights Acts in the last century – except that we always had a choice, and our ancestors made the decision to give up on parnassah and civil rights in order to be free to be frum.
Given the 1929 was in the zionist period, with evidence that the British and Zionists were involved (contemporary accounts indicate that both had prior knowledge of the pogrom, making one suspect the Brits were involved as agents provacateurs), that shouldn’t count. Shabatai Zevi also shouldn’t count since he was trying to seize Eretz Yisrael by force. I seriously doubt anyone fled Tach v’Tat (1648) by moving to Eretz Yisrael given the distances involved – people fled to the nearest territory controlled by the Poles or Hapsburgs, which were around the corner.
There are discussions in our tradition of sentient non-humans, as well as of additional worlds (or universes, which could be parallel universes). The question as to whether a non-human could convert has never been addressed since we have yet to meet a sentient non-human (outside of science fiction literature). Those goyim (the so-called “fundamentalists”) who hold that the “King James Version” of Taanach is the absolute and only truth and must be understood without reference to any external sources, get freaked out over the possibility of life on other worlds – but that shouldn’t be an issue for any of us since we hold by Torah she baal peh.
If there were Jews from the missing shevatim in the area of Iran and Afghanistan, they would have joined the Jews who arrived in that area (as is well documented) after the destruction of Bayis Rishon. We are talking about only a century of so – not a long time. One should never expect to find “ten lost tribes” in an area with well documented Jewish settlments, since they wouldn’t have stayed lost once the exiles from the destrucition of Bayis Rishon moved into their neighborhood.
Jews do not honor the dead with military ceremonies. We do not stand at attention or play sirens or bugles or drums. We do not wear military uniforms or display weapons or stand in formation. Those are methods that goyim use to honor their dead. By imitating the way the goyim’s armies honor their dead, the zionists are emphasizing that the fallen soldiers fell fighting to establish a goyish state in Eretz Yisrael.
Jews honor the dead by learning mishnayos, davening, giving tsadaka, etc. That the Israelis do not, for the most part, engage in such behaviors is what is dishonoring the dead soldiers.