Always_Ask_Questions

DaMoshe > you ignored my last point – what about paying tuition?

tuition may be a problem in mixed areas where working families are forced to pay more. But in areas where everyone has same lifestyle, nobody is robbed, except possibly children. Even in mixed areas, many are forced to teach in lieu of tuition. Again, nobody loses except children and taxmen.

relying on welfare and other transfer payments, even single mother programs seems like a bigger problem. Of course, the more such programs become mainstream, the harder it is to figure out what is ok. “free” food, for example, became pretty popular.

seems that linen can be identified by burning and fiber structure under microscope
take known linen and study how it burns and looks, then compare w other fabrics

Cs, where is your derech eretz, you don’t need to tell that, just leave a big chunk of your steak there.

> Bread salt and water. If you have that, you have parnasah. The Rambam writes that a typical Baal Habayis works 3 hours a day and learns 8 hours a day.

I absolutely agree here. We can live now reasonable comparing with previous generations and learn whole day with one change of clothes and no indoor plumbing.

A more realistic solution would be to follow Rambam is to work 3 hours a day professionally and learn the rest of the time including teaching your own kids.

> There are many jobs today that a person can make a nice livelihood without the need for going to college

this is less true now than in previous times. most college grads earn more than non-grads. Percentage of people going to college increased over time. Thus, you will be relatively in lower group without college. R Moshe wrote that one could live respectfully without college – at the time when only 5% of population went. So, it was easy to be in top 10% without college. Now, 50% go to college, so you’ll be below average.

I am not saying it is wrong to live humbly, as long you are ok with that, your wife and children are ok with that, and you are not a taker – welfare, subsidized medicine, tzedoka, reduced tuition, etc

The situation seems similar to Jewish eastern european left-wing politicians in 1920s who pressed league of nations to improve minority rights in their small countries. it was in league’s charter. They were partnering w Germany and Soviet Russia who also were registered as minorities in their countries. I dont think they complained about treatment of Jews in USSR, but they tried when Jews were mistreated by Nazis. League replied that German Jews are not on their official list of minorities… same disappointment now …

Do pro-putin posters here wish NY on Jan 13 to their julian contacts? as this is not tied to a current secular calendar , maybe a bigger avak of AZ

yid, I bet there are online betting sites that track this chance. I bet he is checking that site often. Wondering how the odds changed today after another hamas guy was eliminated

> Regardless of how goyim today view the new year,

seems that this is a difference of opinion on facts, not halocha. My reading is that most of Europe took on Jan 1 in 16th century and later to unify calendars – and taxes – with no religious significance. Maybe even opposite, as some places before used their holidays to start a year. I read French Edict of Roussillon of 1564 and it is not about religion. That some churches celebrate a bris day or other is not important unless you are talking to someone who is on the way to church to celebrate. Then wishing him happy holiday is a problem, but a new year is still not.

Menachem, your ref is interesting but most of the material appears to be not Alter Rebbe, but a self-described shochet, posek, and more. Story of Berdichiver and L Rebbe wishing Yidden new year is interesting, do you know more of their motivation?

coffee, T Ch pay taxes that are user fees for services they use. They also are known for following dina dmalhuta
pekak, if goyim abandon az, it has no significance. Jan 1 is not a religious holiday anymore as far as I know

Saw R Soloveichik rejecting joining C- rabbis in some organization in 1950s, bringing a hiluk – we as Eida, community of witnesses, can not cooperate or compromise with those who are not eidim of that tradition. On the other hand, all Jews are connecte thru our common history. In concentration camps, ashes of tzadikim were mixed up with ashes of atheists … Am has shoresh im – together. So, in all political issues we should stand together with other Jews and there should be no disunity in front of non-Jews as this will endanger some Jew somewhere.

It is that you know current events in detail, while old events from brief descriptions in bad history books. Maybe go to a library and open papers from hundred or fifty years ago and you might see opinions even worse than current.

coffee, my father oh had an engineering degree. Transferred well between continents.

Bava Kama discusses the right height for skilah to make it most comfortable – given the circumstances. so, ahava applies to everyone

> unlikely that the country will remain a good place for Jews,

there was a poignant letter to NYT recently
..My father fled [Germany] in 1939.. My father had passed the German law bar and was taking postgraduate courses to enter the German diplomatic corps. When he fled to the U.S. his German law degree was useless. So he started sweeping floors in a factory .. Eventually he was able to go back to college at night in the U.S., .. He got his bachelor’s degree in economics.
When I asked him why he didn’t pursue a law degree here as he had in Germany, he said, “If I ever had to flee this country I didn’t want to have another useless law degree.”
I said, “Dad, you’d never have to flee the U.S.!”
And he replied, “That’s what I thought in Germany.”

> when we had to walk to school uphill, both ways?

you had to actually get out of the house to log into a class, grandpa?

> Why do Jews vote progressive Democrat?

If you are not a liberal when you are young, you do not have a heart. So all Jews have a big heart.

Menachem> Is this really appropriate from someone who is the purpose of creation and the entire universe is being created for him to behave this way right now?

Exactly, so you are not going to take advantage of the nonJew in any way, even when it is possible al pi din – say, he makes a mistake.

> If a fellow’s grandfather lit your house on fire, and then his grandson had a change of heart

in addition to this correction, only a multi-generational Yerushalmi can complain like that. Other anti-Zs came to EY under Z protection.

R Dessler – it gets you a higher initial position on a sulam Yaakov, but it is up to you whether you’ll go up or down from there.

Menachem
> I would DEFINITELY add extra tefillos for you – regardless of your ideology.

A good question that people need to confront. I am thinking of those who are adding tehilim but avoid any mention of soldiers. Say, you are jumping into a fire to save someone’s child and the parent says – thank Hashem for saving my child, would you appreciate his deep religiosity, and will Hashem ?

Menachem, thanks, so Lubavitcher shita is to do as locals do … what do shluchim do in Russia or Muslim countries or in EY?

I found an interesting idea in R Soloveichik letter about our relationships with nonjews: if we were more open about Jewish ideas during Hellenism times, then the world would have accepted these ideas from us rather than seen them as Chiddushim of a new religion.

I once jokingly asked a Chinese restaurateur whether he finds it hard to deal with such clientele. He said – no, it is great, customers do not get into fights and pay their bills …

But, seriously, hope everyone here behaves so that their non-Jewish neighbors invite their friends to see what real chesed is.