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DaMoshe, > as long as you keep basic halacha, and don’t violate the ikkarim, you’re fine, no matter what derech you follow.
Indeed, a good test is when someone asks a question of a Rav – some say: find out what your grandfather did; others – do my way. Beis Hillel prevailed because they presented Beis Shammai position first …
yechiel, not sure where you live, but if you feel that a hundred people walking into Congress without weapons almost destroyed your democracy, you need to either move to a less fragile state or drink some herb water
Dan the> (the majority in my opinion)
this is why they run elections and, in Israel, pretty often. If you are, for some reason, interested in Jewish opinion (as this is the society you mostly live in), it is probably 60+% who voted for the parties supporting coalition. You are simply denying reality that there are so many people who disagree with you.
I think people who published letters about not going to the service are volunteers (who previously served), not objectors to mandatory service. As others said, this seems be to vicious reaction of the “old guard” who lost their influence and are afraid that majority of the country goes in a different direction from theirs, so they created this hysteria and others, unfortunately, followed.
The fact is, Israel had five elections on a row where these issues were debated, and a finally formed majority are following up on what they were elected upon.
CTL,
I am not following this close until the impeachment trial starts, but I think President Biden claimed that he was not aware of his son’s businesses. Me thinks he is a less artful speaker than Bill Clinton, so it is harder for him to come up with slick lies that can be interpreted both ways.To explain further my previous post (assuming it went thru): if this boy will have only 6 hours a day to learn after working, he will have to spend most of them on gemora and halocho, and will have less time to worry where Rebbe’s neshoma currently is. If he will still be spending this remaining time on wondering, that would mean to you that, unfortunately, he is not learning at all, and should go work full time.
Ehrlichkeit,
my advice (matching my other biases here) would be to engage your son in some worldly productive activity part-time. This should benefit his learning and, hopefully, direct him away from bad influence.As it is, he has too much time to consider various directions, and the fancier the better. If he were to feel some responsibility for, say, paying his rent, then he will, hopefully, better concentrate his mind in his learning. Many chachamim of Rabbi Yehuda generation did that and were successful.
old post> It’s been almost unheard of, even historically, for a rabbi to need approval by the local government to be a rabbi.
Russian empire had an officially approved position. Due to efforts of R Salanter and others, the policy was for the learnt people not to apply for this position and thus to have a clear separation between real and official Rabbis.
Germany had mechanism of approval for creating a kehilla and, I think, for the Rabbi who they hire.
thin skin, I think
a medical question – does too much fat leads to think skin (thru stretching)? Then his bridge affair can be written off as a medical issue, and he is a perfectly rounded candidate indeed.
Menachem > “דער עמעס”
the goal was to differentiate between Yiddish and Hebrew spelling so that those who learnt Yiddish would not be able to read Ivrit. I once talked to an elderly Yid from Odessa who just left USSR. He said that he – sadly – learned Yiddish as a kid but then communistim came and his cheder closed, and he wished to learn to read Ivrit all his life. I opened a chumash on the first page and ordered him: “read”. He read “bereshis bara …” and could not believe himself “I always was able to read Ivrit?!?”
This is like a moshal of a person who had a treasure buried in his yard his whole life but he was aware. Was he a rich man?
> Hashem didn’t punish me because my touching it was unintentional. Maybe the punishment isn’t instantaneous.
Exactly. On the most basic level – mixing up your own ideas/gedorim with what the Creator wants from you leads in the wrong direction.
Ch-H – you may be right. When I am writing carefully, I may be paying attention to transcription, but not in the other cases. It seems like you constructed an irony detection measured as entropy of spelling variations or something like that.
congress? are these federal issues? can any of these be addressed in your state?
there is also a “right to repair” issue in some states: whether independent shops can read onboard diagnostics. If not, all repairs are done by the monopolists at higher price.
you can also find yourself an agent and put all your insurances – home, business, under the same person. That will give him an incentive to give you a better rate. If you do not need home or business insurance because you do not have those, then solve that problem first.
DaMoshe > So who actually has the right to lead the zimun?
I think that the kohen has the first right. In shul, he can not refuse and offer someone else the first aliya, but at home, he can let baal habais.
Recall that the whole thing is for darkei sholom (see Gittin), so that there will be less machlokes about priorities. Thus, if you end up accusing people of something, you are not doing it right.
Avira> chofetz Chaim said regarding not having dibukim anymore until moshiach comes
and then, I recall, he actually cured a girl with a dibbuk…
Not eating kitniyos is a minhag, but wearing a hat?! This just got out of hand. So, would a person born into a black hat wearing community need a hatara nedarim if he decides to wear his grandfather’s white or gray hat? Would it be if he wears it once, all the time, for work, or on sheni vehamishi only? I really want to know how people see this.
As to confusion between midrabanan and Torah, isn’t it how we read the story of Adam and Hava making a takono not to _touch_ the grape? You may think that a person who understands the difference will not be confused, but it is easy to imagine someone who did not learn enough to be ignorant about what is meduoraita and what is not.
> If the government requires drivers to have insurance, then they need to reign in the predatory policies providers use.
all they need is to provide a market. If there are competing companies, they’ll provide a competitive rate. If you think, all companies are over-charging, open your own insurance company, charge less and become rich quick. It is that simple.
It is possible that your state puts a lot of requirements on the insurance and also forbids “discrimination”, so the company is not able to provide appropriate rate.
Also, with inflation, all prices went up, and maybe people went meshugane from inflation, so insurance rates will go up accordingly. When you read that inflation “decreased” – it means further increases will be smaller, nobody gives you previous increases back.
Neville, I am applying chosid shoteh comparison to those who say that saving drowning Jews is not so important, other mitzvos will do fine. And not only not getting involved themselves, but looking down at those who do, focusing on their imperfections.
Neville > Nobody says everyone should be mevatel other mitzvos to focus solely on kiruv.
Did I say that? I am saying I highly value what they do here, despite whatever other issues are there. That means to me that there was something important in L Rebbe’s teachings, even if not of his students (or by now, students of students) turned out holding strange opinions. Maybe the alternative was that these people (or their parents) would be smoking pot on campus somewhere .. As R Dessler, I think, says that a handicapped person would use anything he can find to keep himself going up sulam yaakov.
kiruv v. bikur cholim > The point was that different groups have different shticks.
My point is that it is not a shtick but a generational emergency. Gemora talks about chassid shoteh who does not save a drowning lady because he does not want to touch her. I would extend this: the chosid might say – I am on the way to the hospital for bikur cholim or on the way to kollel and learning is keneged kulam.
Re: Napoleon – the question is not about general attitude towards him but specifically in his war against Russian Empire. Chasam Sofer did not live there. I believe non-chabad Polish Rebbes supported N. Vilno community also. Reportedly, a French general visited Chaim Volozhiner and ask what he thinks about his army prospects. R Chaim answered with a moshal: a nobleman rides a cart with several expensive horses and gets stuck in mud. He sees a peasant with two thin horses passing him. He asks – how come I got stuck and you did not? Peasant answers: your horses are strong but each pulling in their own direction. My two horses work together – when one is pulling, the other is resting, and the cart never stops [see physics about stationary tension AAQ]. What do you learn about R Chaim’s politics?
This is the short time between her becoming bas mitzva and getting married! A unique moment when her father is less responsible for her and the husband is not yet. L’havdil, I think butterflies have also an intermediate state between being a catrpillar and an adult – chrysalis.
teenagers are wired to wake up later and go to sleep later due to their melatonin cycle. Try getting up later and then do whatever you need to do. Tell the school that Dr AAQ lets you skip the first two hours.
On comparing “kiruv” with “bikur cholim” as just a group’s mitzva. With all kavod to bikur cholim, we have for several generations millions of Yidden who are being lost and Chabad focus on them is a great thing. The fact that most other groups ignored that for decades and then relegated to ‘kiruv” organizations is a bigger issue that can be partially excused by a couple of centuries of being on defensive from apikoiresim.
Also, “kiruv” is not a Chabad term, and we need a better one to avoid the presumptuous attitude that one person is closer to Hashem than another.
Curious about chasidim who neeed to be told that Rebbe did not approve putting his pictures. Presumably, those who continue doing this were already told, but prefer their own shitos to their Rebbe’s – so their behavior is not a tribute to the Rebbe, but simply ignorant behavior. In another group, a guy might be using facebook at home, but in chabad he is doing something visible.
This story w/ being freed from Russian prison and an encounter w/ a misnaged needs to be seen also in the context of Alter Rebbe later collaboration w/ Russians during the war w/ Napoleon including providing intelligence (until his petirah while fleeing from the French army advances). This seems to be a daas yachid, as other misnagdim and chasidim welcomed liberation from the Russian empire. His arguments seemed to be (1) better to be oppressed in a conservative society than get exposed to dangerous modernity, and (2) Napoleons come and go, but the Russian state will still be there. On the 2nd argument, Chabad was geolocated deeper into the Russian empire than many other groups.
Ivri means – avar to the other side, so it is OK to define oneself as negative to something.
Menachem, I recall from this episode that Alter Rebbe considered that he had to listen to misnaged accusations a punishment or something like that. Is this in the same letter?
Why motzi shem ra saying that only mo people care about integrity.
I am saying that it is easier for us to weigh on things we can observe. You got to be a gadol to decide that talking in shul caused a tragedy, but it is simpler to observe bein Adam leavers and connect the dots. Furthermore, mida kneged mida is a lower way to understand Hashem’s ways in the absence of nevuah
common, the chumra is that you are supposed to buy something there rather than using facilities for free.
HaLeivi, I am just quoting writings about Chasid Yavetz and his response to Abrabanel’s teachings. I think the quote was about Abrabanel explaining Rambam, and CY saying “this explains Rabbi Moshe [i.e. Ramabam], bot not Moshe Rabeinu” … hope some actually reads the sefer and summarizes it for us. We are arguing in the dark.
HaLeivi > are fine doing so, as long as the reasons are Bein Adam Lachaveiro.
This is a fair description of the Gemora about BM2 destruction. And many mishnayos about reasons for various destructions … And punishment of Hofni and Pinchas … I think it is also easier for us to connect bein Adam LHavero with events, as they are mida k’neged mida.
Menachem, thanks, 1927 makes more sense. In 1937, there were no parties left there, and Soviet commies were already arresting each other, and Fridriker Rebbe already lived in Warsaw or Riga
Theoretically, there are multiple dimensions where one can be more conservative or progressive – economics, social issue, foreign policy, nationalism.
In Israel, you have multiple parties that select different positions along these dimensions. For example, a religious party can be left-wing on economics (asking for support), foreign policy (“pro peace”), etc.
In US, with 2 parties, there is a salad of different position that differ over time. Trump, for example, took over some populist positions from Dems.
Personally, I am registered as I, and when asked who I vote for, I have to answer – I consider each election on merits, but never yet ended up voting for a D… I also see (mostly D) votes by specific recent developments, but I don’t think any of them ever voted for R before that.
some of the D- positions are beyond my red lines: previously, sympathy to Soviets, and recently hate of Israel. “I don’t need my friends be public about it” is great – unless you actually need [ublic support.
Also, despite R Avigdor Miller position, many observant communities want democratic economic policies – increase in welfare and other redistributions.
Menachem > When the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe was being arrested in the USSR in 1937, the KGB asked his daughters which political party they affiliate themselves.
This requires clarification – either the year or the loshon is off. There was just one party in 1937 USSR.
There are 2 ways to deal with this – thru avdut and thru herut.
Thru avdut: sign up as a rebbe to the camp to get a discount for your kids
Thru herut: take your spouse and your kids and enjoy the time together.
Rocky,
I am suggesting smaller, more nibble, schools, or just singular classes. Possible separate for Jewish and secular subjects. This would let parents to find similar types of kids/families and teach them according to their common shitos instead of begging schools to address the shortcomings. Halocha encourages increased competition between teachers and prevents neighbors in a mavoy to object to the tumult – all in order to improve educational options.smerel,
goyim having behira is not problematic – as in deed Mitzrim chose to be more severe towards Yidden,
but saying that their behira is an exclusive reason for events with Yidden is. That would imply that Hashem does not make Jews the center of the story. So, Spaniards might have chosen to become prosecutors, or be harsher than expected, but there should be a Jewish reason for the events in general.As to 20th century, it is probably not controversial that German assimilation caused hatred in a direct way, putting Jews into the center of German politics. And then there is downward spiral in observance in much of Eastern Europe. I would also add to that intra-Jewish relations of the preiod, with bitter infighting between political groups and lack of care for the klak Yisroel in general. this includes even care for German Jews when they were prosecuted… Some responded to an idea of a fast saying that it is impossible to fast for those who are not fasting themselves. [All groups ended up fasting in the camps, of course]. Even more so – abandonment of Russian Jewry after the Soviet revolution. Chofetz Chaim writes several times, calling for people to send packages during the hunger years and generally laments of their fate, and even reconsiders his decision to leave Soviet Russia and leave people behind without any guidance, but overall, there is no sense of Eastern European (or American) Jewry understanding the magnitude of physical and spiritual destruction of several million Yidden. There were individual efforts, such as saving R Moshe Feinstein, clandestine efforts by previous Lubavicher Rebbe, etc, but nothing comparing with 1970s movement for Soviet Jewry that took 50 years to start and that was still opposed by many of the Rabbonim.
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. Every time, one is asking a random goy this question, you are mamash asking for it. This could be an antisemite, a druggie, a muslim, who can get offended and even attack you. I am not saying it is likely, but it is definitely possible. And it says that even a minor embarrassment or an inconvenience is a kaporah, such as putting your hand in the pocket and not finding a penny there. So, asking someone and getting a blank stare back is something.
And it is “ahavas isroel” because the chabadnik is ready to put up with that for days in a row in order to find an occasional Yid.
And there is another way to look at Spain: immediately after the expulsion, Spain started conquest of Americas, committing numerous atrocities along the way. Abraham Heschel writes about it (in 1930s Germany, hint) – if the Jews were not expelled, they would be the leaders among conquistadors. So – what is better – be a victim or the perpetrator?
There is a difference between knowing that events had a reason – and knowing that reason. And from previous history (BM2), when multiple groups blame each other, there is a fair chance that their whole fight was the cause …
Avira, ok then. To address your other point. I had several cases where I could compare different derech, when I had a chance to send same person to a yeshivish and to a chabad Rav (including someone I knew online). In one case, the litvishe Rav could not deal with the guy, and even complained to me how disturbing that person was, while the chabadnik had good time with him, and the person enjoyed the interaction. So, Rav Shmuel might be absolutely correct telling his students not to tackle cases that are over their heads, while chabadnikim could work with them.
it is ok to discuss possible reasons, but maybe not with the recent survivors or their families. It takes time to see the picture. For example, we are now 100 years away from WW1 and can probably start discussing it. But were we to talk about it in 1920 without knowing that WW1 lead to communists, Nazis, WW2, etc – do you think we would come to the right conclusions? A lot of what was talked about in 1920s, whether in goyishe or Jewish worlds, did not foresee the horrors to come. As one examples, Yidden reveled in the democracies, newly established by League of Nations in Eastern Europe, spending their energy on democratic infighting with each other, and pressing the new governments of these countries. In some cases, leading to political weakening of these countries in the face of their aggressive neighbors – Nazis and Commies. I read post-war memoirs of Jewish politicians in Latvia and it is heartbreaking to read their late teshuva about their activities that were helping the aggressors.
I don’t know to what degree there are preferences, but it seems that the growing Arab middle class prefers medical jobs to other, like engineering, high-tech. They just require certification and no higher-level skills: army, connections, social interaction. And seemingly there is shortage in some of these jobs, so it is easier for them to get those. Maybe a good idea for haredim also.
> most Spaniards today regard the expulsion as one of the dumbest things they ever did
is it indeed so? from a naive tourist perspective: if you go on a “general” tour, the guides will pass Jewish places without mentioning them. When they notice Jews or do “Jewish” tours, they’ll show you remnants of Jewish places, including pictures how they truck tombstones from an ancient cemetery to the museum you are visiting. They seem to see Jews akin Romans who were here before and left some artifacts for the museums of special interest.
This counting mitzvos is insane both ways.
Every minute a chabadnik asks a goy “excuse me are you Jewish”, he is fulfilling a mitzva of ahavas yisroel and is pikuach nefesh, which is on a totally different level, of course. That would be 480 pikuach nefesh in one 8-hour “work” day.
At the same time, you say birkas haTorah once a day, so it is one mitzva per day. Now, if you have a hidush, or taought someone else, or went out and practiced what you lernt, you might get to a bigger count, but not everyone does that every day.
Or maybe, maybe, we should read Chassid Yavetz in full and not just on popular lines.
Here is a different quote from R Frand’s book: one of the Spanish Jews sold everything and hired a boat to take his family. The captain dumped them on some island, his whole family died, and he davened – Hashem, maybe you are trying to push me away, but I will not go. I am not saying that this quote contradicts the OP, but I presume that a person who can sell possessions on a cheap and still rent a boat would not be a peasant. And more generally, do not rely on short excerpts, the author wrote long books for a reason.
provaxx, 3 is a chazoka. You are doomed to a place in olam habo with R Hutner, R Soloveichik, R Schwab, Abarbanel, Rambam, and Rabban Gamliel. I suggest you brush up on your Greek or you’ll be stuck for eternity not understanding their discussions. Be careful next time and don’t go to makom sakonah (presuming you believe in gilgulim)