Always_Ask_Questions

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  • in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2262375

    > I didn’t author the Shulchan Aruch OR the Rambam.

    amazing humility. techincally, rambam is a person, so you should say that you did not father rambam, i.e. you aint Maimon.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2262109

    ARSo, this might have worked when we had a Sanhedrin and T’Ch having direct discussions with each other. Look at later history – from Rambam to Chasidim, etc. A lot of T’Ch who said something new or unusual were controversial (Does not mean, of course, that any proposed change was reasonable).

    So, if R Moshe, R Soloveichik, Lubavitcher Rebbe were mutually respectful is enough to consider all of them worthy respect. It does not mean that you have to agree with everything they, or others who claim to talk in their name, say, of course.

    in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2262038

    Avira, I absolutely agree that people can, and should try to, do chesed in any job. This is under-rated. many Jews used to be in a situation where holding any job/business was necessary for survival. In our days, B’H, people have some choice and it makes sense to choose the one where you do more chesed (in addition to other considerations on how it affects your own life). So, indeed, possibly a good plumber is better than a bad doctor…

    But in any case, one should probably maximize amount of chesed he does – she ein lachem shiur. It will look weird if someone helps an old lady cross the street and check off “did chesed today”. So, someone visiting a sick person is great, someone who visits ten – is better; someone who can actually operate on a sick person and heal him – even better; someone who invents a drug that helps thousands – even better. Not in a sense that one person is better than the other, but in a sense that if the same person can do more, he should do more.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2262039

    Arso > quite a number of gedolei Yisroel who did not hold of his greatness.

    in our divided times, I don’t think we need a consensus to consider someone a talmid chacham; too much machlokes going around. I would say, if 2-3 t.ch recognize another one, especially if he is not part of their particular group, that should be enough,

    in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2261957

    common, I agree. It is just latest american politicians do not show any capabilities in meaningful politics.

    in reply to: Chazal Fitness Programs #2261725

    Chazal mostly used stones no bidet. But there are tons of gemoras talking about healthy foods and food effects on different conditions.

    in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2261490

    > doctors will not he higher in shomayim than plumbers

    There are several questions here, what are your answers
    1. Is there a mitzva of doing chesed, saving lives, caring for sick.
    2. What is schar for that when you are well paid. I asked this shaila and was told that as long as the person is motivated to do chesed rather than higher pay, he is a tzaddik. The rav is anti college, all of his children are tchim or businessmen, but one brother is a doctor.
    3. Should the person strive to do more mitzvos if he is capable.

    in reply to: Hamas’ unsurprising return to rule gaza #2261399

    BY1212, a fair question. I indeed do not advocate blindly following authorities and I don’t think r Soloveichik did also. I brought his opinion to show that at least in some cases, he would rely on Israeli government opinion. I saw in a sefer of his letters and articles, not a maase. I think I can support your skepticism with another story.

    One of the founders of student movement for soviet Jewry asked several gedolim for an advice. R Feinstein, LR, R Teitz all advised against public actions, mostly being afraid that commies will make things worse for Soviet Jews and possibly for protesters themselves. R Soloveichik also advised against, after first consulting someone in Israeli government. After the students started protests anyway, one of them asked R Soloveichik again why Rav is not repeating his position. Rav responded that he changed his opinion after he realized that his advisor mislead him. Rav asked him “what is best for Soviet Jews” and the advisor gave his advise based on “what is best for Israel” (i..e. desire to negotiate with Russians, etc, similar to current Russian war on Ukraine). Rav held that in a situation of pikuach nefesh, one should focus solely on what is best for the people in danger.

    I am not sure about timing, but it sounds that second story happened after the first, so maybe we can conclude R Soloveichik reduced his reliance on government – at least when there is a reason to suspect wrong motivation.

    But, I think, we can still learn from this that (according to R Soloveichik’s opinion that not everyone holds by), it is permissible to rely on Israeli experts under some circumstances.

    in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2261400

    > idleness leads to a bigger lack of tznius! Not to mention insanity.

    This is about her not sitting without doing any work even if she can afford it. If she is going out to her job as a CEO or an MD, idliness is not an issue.

    In fact, one could argue from this position – women should go out. Husband is at work, kids at cheder, washing machine does it’s job. What is the woman supposed to do? Browse internet? Shop online? Rearrange furniture? She is educated enough to understand which job is needed and which one is not. So, for santiy sake, she should go teach at school or work at a hospital.

    in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2261401

    > Our Ruv has also made changes to the Megillah taking out anything improper.

    Stop right here, even in Adar. I heard from the peh of the old Lakewood mashgiach that “Esther becomes Mordechai’s Rebbe” after she was ready to do mesiras nefesh by going to Achashverosh. Yes, it was Adar, but the Rav was not drunk and walking on his own accord. So, it is OK to call women Rebbes.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2261057

    Sechel, to paraphrase R Salanter, if you only have an hour and you have a choice between CR and chassidus – start with CR because you can learn from CR when and how to learn chassidus; but learning chassidus will not tell you to read CR.

    in reply to: Time for Frum Magazines to Change their Standards #2261054

    This is very much related to the societal norms. R Salanter was very interested in how German Rabonim were able to work with their community, and he was amused at seeing ladies showing up for the lecture of one of them, saying that if he (R Salanter) tried such an event in Lita, he would be put in cherem.
    So, there is no simple “halakha” here.

    We now live in same countries, but often in different societies. So, each community should follow their reasonable rules without getting crazy in either direction.

    I once observed a funny situation: an academic husband gave a lecture to Jewish audience describing some interesting findings that came from his travels around the world. After the lecture, some people complimented his wife for letting him do such exciting work while holding the fort at home. Little did they know that his wife was an even busier professional, and this traveler was actually “holding the fort” all the days he was not on travel.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2260949

    Froggie > Tosfes’ Kasha or a Shach

    There might be disagreements here. For a random example, Maharal was against training children in Tosfos, but rather on first teaching more straightforward approaches. So, a good SAT-type test should encompass multiple ways of learning.

    in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2260929

    common, Adar or not, there are a lot of issues that might be turned to a healthier path with some creative solutions. For example, exchange illegal immigration for a legal one. That is, close the borders and allow increased immigration quotes. After that, you can have further political discussions about how much legal immigration is the right one and what categories should get priorities, but at least there will be no people stuck in the desert and bused to Chicago. This negotiating (peshora) attitude is something T brought to US politics and will hopefully be expanded upon.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2260927

    Two beds are in BM 113, baraita says that beis din would leave two beds even for a poor person when taking a loan collateral.

    Shmuel explains that he does not know how to heal only 3 sicknesses, including not walking after eating bread.

    Interesting, that we not only presume that the poor person will eat bread but also that we need to make sure he exercises.
    We can’t take the 2nd bed and just leave him directions to the gym.

    Also, it seems that Shmuel stresses these 3 incurable sicknesses are very much along the line of the OP – unhealthy things
    people do to themselves. The other two are – bad diet (bitter dates when hungry) and wearing wet clothes.

    in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2260910

    common > little early in the morning to get inebriated

    how do you know I am aint posting from Beijing or Siberia?

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2260909

    Little Froggie croakth: he was once מכוין to a Tosfes’ Kasha

    this is true. Unfortunately, I am not aware of well-developed widely appliable tests measuring learning knowledge and abilities. Maybe you know? “knows whole shas” and “gaon” are just too wide and subjective, especially in our Lake Wabegon times, when everyone is a Talmid Chacham above average.

    You can go around, like I do, and ask people obscure questions and see who can answer it, but this is not scalable.

    I am not the only one who is interested in being able to sort out this. R Soloveichik in early YU days laments that he is giving the same semicha to all students instead of giving them a grade. I presume he would answer when a congregation calls him and asks about a specific candidate, but he felt that transparent information would be more useful.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2260836

    yankel > If the message is correct , who cares how it got to you ?

    yes, this is correct in many cases where it is possible to evaluate evidence directly.
    as someone told me about Rambam, “he would accept the truth regardless of the source”.
    May also depend on a person’s own knowledge and abilities.

    Here we are discussing matters that are truly beyond my abilities, and probably beyond abilities of other posters. I can’t rely on Chachamim as their quotes here seem to be contradictory and most likely taken out of context. Thus, I can only (somewhat) trust based on poster’s reputation. So, that was my first basic question – do any of the posters have any external proof of their thinking abilities. If they did not invent a new light bulb or something, how can they be sure they can figure out such weighty topics? I would suggest – to those who did not yet – do something intellectually competitive that will indicate to them how good they are at thinking and even where their strong and weak spots are. Try SAT, chess, NYT crossword … IT is not bitul zman as knowing yourself will help you a lot in learning and working on middos.

    in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2260838

    Maybe we need some smart people to run as independent (asking for too much?). Establish 5-10% following in key states, sufficient to throw election either way and then negotiate with either side (most likely T as he would negotiate) to merge the ticket for some reasonable policy concessions.

    This is sort of a parliamentary tactic that is against US system, as it was never possible to hold an executive to his promises. T is unique as he actually has karka to put a lien on. Maybe a commercial contract that if T does not sign Ukraine funding bill, he forfeits a hotel. Put a hotel in escrow and select a beis din to adjudicate before the election.

    in reply to: Chris Christie – why can’t Jews rally around him? #2260781

    yechiell, you may have your position and feel free to defend it but it is embarrassing to see you pretend that T did not do anything good for Israel – embassy, Golan heights recognition, Abrahamic accords …

    Note that there were ongoing negotiations with Saudi Arabia. When B started, he immediately insulted Saudis, relationships froze, then _recently_ renewed again and there were rumors of – again – increased contacts between Israel and KSA and, again rumors, that Hamas motivation was to stop those contacts. Possibly, if the process would not have reversed under B, KSA would have been in the accords already.

    in reply to: Clarification to mod and DaMoshe #2260778

    lots of people here know a lot about secrets of the world. As this is way above my capabilities, I’d like to see who is the greatest here so that I take his/her views more seriously. Could you guys maybe list your accomplishments in gashmiyus so I can see who has highest intellectual abilities? maybe patents or articles. If this is too ofeensive for your modesty, maybe I could go with the highest SAT score? please help me find my bearing in this important debate.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2260777

    I think there was a takana or just a suggestion to have at least two “beds” in the house. Reason: a person would sleep on one and then get up and move to the other. Without the second bed, he might stay in the same bed and not moving (before eating?) is bad for the health. So, amoraim cared about health.

    in reply to: A Working Bochur Shouldn’t be Stigmatized #2259718

    >> he has at least $2 million dollars in
    > really think girls are so vain?

    He thinks girls are uneducated and are not indexing for inflation.

    in reply to: A Working Bochur Shouldn’t be Stigmatized #2259717

    There is a hiluk that many in shidduch business do not seem to pay attention to – earning parnasa v. doing something in your life. There are lots of occupations where the only outcome seems to be financial v. others where one heals people, builds things, invents, teaches.

    It is a big difference whether a husband (or wife also) spends 6-10 hours a day focused just on “parnasah” and his real “life” is in the remaining several hours between parnasah and shloffen that he needs to subdivide between learning, wife, children, YWN OR he spends whole day being productive and performing mitzvos. Of course, attitude may change occupation between these 2 categories. Probably R Miller, not sure, suggests for a woman to think that she is not just washing dishes, but works on sholom bayis. Same thing, a doctor may be thinking about how much he charges for the surgery or how he is saving a human life. Same for a melamed …

    in reply to: Hamas’ unsurprising return to rule gaza #2259385

    R Soloveichik writes that the same way we often defer to doctors when halakha needs medical opinion, we should defer to Israeli political and military leaders when halakha requires a military opinion.

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2259384

    CS > probably would have cost him [Rambam] his head.

    Did Muslims of his time get that agitated about the founder of another religion who they in theory respected? Rambam did risk his head when he was confronted by a witness who said Rambam previously behaved as a Muslim, probably in the times he was learning science in or near Fez medrasa/aka first university.

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2259382

    Arso: a melamed in a cheder of FRUM kids from FRUM families, as well as anyone else involved in chinuch, is doing just as an important job as Lubavichers or others who work in kiruv

    Without diminishing the role, these kids have parents who have a mitzva of teaching their kids and they are capable of hiring a melamed. Those other lost kids are like orphans as there is nobody to hire a melamed for them. Maybe, if you are melamed who is teaching kids for free, or at least not differentiating between those who pay you and those who do not, then you might be comparable.

    On the other hand, you are right, the “frum” people also need to be baalei teshuva.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2258718

    RebE, I forgot which amora had a field in the middle of the river, someone asked to teach him Torah in exchange for working the field. To make it easier, this student told people upriver that halakha is that downriver had the priority for water, and to people downriver other way around. You know, it was a machloket … when amora found out about it, he didn’t harvest produce from that field. So, yes, stolen goods ate not kosher.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2258720

    These are the ways of the world. People perceive conservative positions as safe, and innovations as risky and criticized. Moshe was met with doubts, Rambams books were burned.

    I am not saying that ANY innovation is good, but when metziyus changes, it requires a response. Mendelssohn is criticized, but maybe many jews were lost to assimilation not only by his translation, but by the inability of the rest of the community to come up with an appealing alternative. It took us generations to come up with yeshiva system, yu, chabad houses etc to somewhat deal with modernity.

    in reply to: What 50 Shadchanim Told Me #2258170

    What is marriageability status of someone has yichus to prominent misnagdim who had a zechus of throwing heilike stones at Baal Shem Tov? Asking for a friend.

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2258168

    Menachem, finally we found something to agree on! And bitcoin should to be traceable to David HaMelech.

    in reply to: Minister Gallant Assures U.S. No Jews Will return To Gaza After #2257872

    > zionist activities made the Arab population militantly

    We have to be realistic at the state of the nations in that neighborhood. In a big number of ME countries, many groups suffer either all the time or during crises. Most non-Muslims either emigrated or were killed off, not just Jews. Muslims shoot at each other all the time – from Turkey to Yemen. So, Zionists are not so much at fault.

    There are some exceptions: mild dictatorships – Egypt, KSA, Jordan, emirates, and even muddling democracies – Lebanon, Iraq. West Bank PA fit somewhere in this list.

    in reply to: Minister Gallant Assures U.S. No Jews Will return To Gaza After #2257494

    Israelis finally admitted that “from the river to the sea” are coming to the tunnels near you. I mean them. If Mhmt is not going to the sea, the sea is coming down on Mhmt.

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2257493

    > bar Kochba minted coins

    I think Moschiach will mint bitcoins.

    in reply to: What 50 Shadchanim Told Me #2257490

    Gedol Hador, see CSs post.

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2257221

    > questions come from klipa

    Who said “Aiekah”?

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2257217

    > questions are a lack of understanding.

    Are you sure?

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2257207

    DaMoshe > Instead of answering, the Rebbe sang a song, and their questions disappeared.

    Now I understand why so many times, when I would ask a question of a Chabad Rav, he would break out in a nigun. But either, they were not holding by Alter Rebbe’s level or I am not at the level of Talmidei Shklov, my questions did not disappear.

    in reply to: Can we please fix the Coffee Room? #2257206
    in reply to: What 50 Shadchanim Told Me #2257199

    I am not so sure that Taanis fully approves of this attitude. It criticizes Eliezer for not qualifying that the girl is not lame or blind, but it does not criticize him for requesting her to have right middos.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2257183

    Avira> it is completely forbidden to believe that chazal erred in science issues.

    Avira is attacked for allegedly claiming that “chazal knew all science”.
    We probably need to separate “knew all science” from “erred in science issues”. Chazal did not have to address all science issues, and it seems to me that they filtered science and general knowledge of their times thru both Torah positions and their expertise in logic, omitting a lot of errors prevalent in their times.

    The question whether ” chazal erred in science issues” is an interesting question by itself, but is different from “chazal knew all science”. And, when discussing this issue, hopefully posters would honestly discuss it rather than simply bringing opinions that support their side, leaving for the opponents to bring other opinions, sometimes from same author. It is bitul zman & Torah to argue like this on a complicated matter, on which there are clear disagreements throughout generations of respectable thinkers on both sides.

    in reply to: What 50 Shadchanim Told Me #2257177

    Shadchanim hording resumes and matching according to their understansding seems to be one of the issues leading to narrow choices.
    I heard there is a modern way to share shidduch resume thry Isawyou@sinai, with YU having their own subgroup there. Is there a yeshivishe version? And if not, maybe there should be.

    in reply to: What 50 Shadchanim Told Me #2256912

    Shortness might also be affected by lack of nutrition.

    in reply to: Silence from the intellectual left #2256905

    So, like in this case, the OP throws in all kind of partisan points, without bothering to check which ones of them are strongly supported, which ones are “possible” and which ones have no support at all. I would think that bitter experience of Jewish marxists would teach us a lesson.

    in reply to: Silence from the intellectual left #2256904

    >> Some of the political points in the original posting are irrelevant to us (e.g. while Ukraine’s defeat will encourage Iran and Hamas, immigration policy and the exaggerated response to Covid are not Jewish issues, though if Medinat Yisrael goes the way of Afghanistan we will liberal immigration rules in place)

    R Soloveichik comments on Megilah that it is naive thinking that world events are irrelevant, they all end up affecting Jews in a major way. R Avigdor Miller writes that everyone should learn lessons from events that are far away. If you do not learn that lesson, then the next event R’L will be closer until we learn … And, at the end, Hashem sent us to be ohr legoyim and when we can affect it, we should. This approach might be getting a bad press due to irresponsible Jews doing crazy things “to save the world”, but that is due to the Jews applying their considerable energy inappropriately. This does not take away our responsibility to the world.

    in reply to: Why did most Litvish stop wearing Shtreimals? #2256770

    Medieval Christians insisted on Jews having different dress from them. In 16th century Poland, yellow hats were decreed for Jews – with an exemption during travel. Presumably, without the hats, many Jews dressed like Polaks. Things indeed changed under Russian government:

    1804 Russian law: (soon after Poland was divided and Russia got a big part of it)
    Jewish children attending parochial or district schools, may wear Jewish dress, but those attending gymnasiums must wear German or Polish [style] dress for the purpose of uniformity.

    anyone who would like to be elected as a Member of Town Council from among the Jews in the Gubernias incorporated from Poland, for general order and uniformity, must wear Russian or Polish dress, if they do not like to wear German dress. In the Russian Gubernias where Jews are permitted to live, Jews elected to Town Council must wear German dress.

    nobody can be elected or appointed to any position in Kahal or the Rabbinate without being literate in [ Russian, German or Polish]
    Manufacturers, artisans, artist and merchants will be permitted to visit other Gubernias and even capitals due to business purposes for a specified period of time, but only by a Gubernator issued passports, about which [Governers] in their turn have to send monthly reports to the Minister of Interior [on passport issuing].
    Jews (including their wives and children) temporarily traveling outside of the Pale, have to wear German [style] dress no different than that of others. If they wear traditional dress, they shall be sent back [to the Pale] by the Police.

    More came in 1840s and 50s

    in reply to: A Chasidus without a present Rebbe #2256754

    CS,
    so you seem to answer me that yes, older generation did not support the rebbe-moschiach movement, or at least, was divided into two groups? This explanation makes sense, as I was mostly listening to older people, and most of them were not part of the new movement. I think this should give you a pause, though – how come people who were right there did not share your views that are based on viewing videos and explanations of them. This violates Kuzari principle – a belief based on evidence starting with people who saw the evidence firsthand.

    And you can’t dismiss that generation as some dor hamidbar. If we are talking about elderly people in the 90s, they were with L Rebbe for 50 years of his leadership, educated by him, they had early memories of alter heim, and they spent most of their lives in US, so I think they saw a big picture.

    in reply to: Why did most Litvish stop wearing Shtreimals? #2256670

    > book on novardok, which obviously didn’t include the picture of the chazon ish standing for rav kook

    why would you quote a book with such low standards?

    I am also not sure whether Satmar Rebbe was the only initiator of the new minhag of everyone dressing up like Rabbonim before them, I think there were others also. Are you saying other Rabbonim picked it up from Satmar?

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2256669

    I agree, btw, that Chazal appear to have a strong tradition re: creation of the world even in the overwhelming face of the contemporary scientific evidence.

    That does not mean that Hashem shared with us all volumes of Feynman’s physics textbook. For example, glancing at same Pesachim 94 – discussion about star looking the same from any angle is the same classical argument that I tihnk Greeks had – some of whom computed distances to Moon and Sun, but were not able to observe parallax to the stars and thus developed theories that stars belong to stationary spheres. Now, if you read passages like that not being familiar with basics of ancient science, then you would not see these correlations.

    in reply to: Ethics and Entenmann’s #2256666

    Avira, are other quotes from my post also questionable? But it seems we are moving towards throwing at each other quotes form authors who argue with each other and accuse each other from not quoting enough. For example, R Tam above is not an only one commenting on Pesachim. I can’t commit time required to verify all these claims right now. My opinion was not based on specific claims, but on overall scene of Talmudic discussions. Just for fun, though, while we are on Pesachim 94, how about a much simpler question: what is the length of parsah that corresponds to the size of Mitzraim?

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