Avi K

00646, I did not write that it will be done only that it should be done. However, those countries are going to have to get immigrants from some place.

DY, we have already gone through the non-starter of the shaloshet hashevuot several times. Not to mention the fact that there are two mashiachs and according to Rav Kook Mashiach ben Yosef as already arrived.

00046, almost thirty years ago I heard a lecture on the “demographic problem”. The lecturer said “Maybe the Iron Curtain will come down” and everyone laughed. Moreover, I specified that they will have to sign a loyalty oath and agree to do national service. How many will agree to this? Polls show that a majority of Arab in Judea-Samaria and 80% in Gaza are willing to admit that they would leave if they could. There is computerized testing for American professional exams such as the actuarial exams is available in Ramallah, which shows that there is an interest among young Arabs (they can even apply for jobs over the Internet and once there is an offer a green card is not a problem. Offering them a new life in a country like Canada (which needs 350,000 workers) or Germany (which needs 800,000) plus a generous stake would lead to a mass exodus.

Rashi says that the function of the shotrim (police) is to beat recalcitrants with clubs and straps. The Reish Galuta’s police even imprisoned people for haughtiness (Baba Kama 59b). However, the Israeli police have a new method. Skunk water, which I’m told leaves an extremely foul odor for days. Even that was the subject of a frivolous lawsuit.

Knaidlach,

1. I find it hard to believe that Rav Eliashiv said “machnissei harachamim”.He was a Litvak and the Gra even opposed “barchunei l’shalom”. In any case, what does that have to do with the dead (BTW, the Gra opposed going to cemeteries in general as do the Briskers)?

2. If you are referring to Rav Kook’s teshuva on leaving EY to go to kivrei tzaddikim,he odes not say that it is a chumra but ikar hadin. He also says that it is not clear that there is a mitzva at all.

3. Rav Tuchachinsky casts doubts on the practice of making requests of the dead (Gesher haChaim 2:25). Certainly actually davening to them is a”z.

I don’t think that Trump is a charlatan. He is a showman. Moreover, he knows who elected him and that he has to please them. Even if he is,
what if the choice is between a charlatan and a crime boss? If he is are you saying that he should stuff his support for Israel and appoint enemies of religious freedom to the courts?

Time, you are guilty of plagiarism. You lifted your “as one libertarian put it” statement from Michael Anton’s Rejoinder: Dear Avengers of the Free Market . . .</em? in the blog Law and Liberty without citing him. If your post was part of an academic work you could have been kicked out. Not only that

“Most cases of plagiarism are considered misdemeanors, punishable by fines of anywhere between $100 and $50,000 — and up to one year in jail. Plagiarism can also be considered a felony under certain state and federal laws. For example, if a plagiarist copies and earns more than $2,500 from copyrighted material, he or she may face up to $250,000 in fines and up to ten years in jail.” (From plagiarism.org)

Ubiquitin, also אור הזהר. I also checked that website.

Chiefshmerel, you are right. the Arabs have to concede that we have the right to all of EY.

correction: Rema CM 25:1

1. Actually, if the husband cannot be home when the time to light comes the wife should light.

2. Rashi says that Noah was able to invent the plow because Adam’s curse expired. perhaps Chava’s also expired at that time.

Laskern, how did you study goyish Math? BTW, FYI I also am somewhat of a mathematician having worked in the actuarial field. In any case, if you look at Rambam’s commentary on the mishna in Eruvin (it’s in the back of most gemarot) you will see that he holds that a convenient estimate is sufficient for halachic matters. 1.4. Interestingly, he knew that pi is irrational although this was not proven until Johann Heinrich Lambert did so in 5521. The Gra points out that the word קו is spelled קוה in the pasuk. קוה divided by קו is extremely close to pi/3.

Laskern,

1. In that case Rav Moshe cannot argue with Rav Yosef Etlinger. However, he can and an Acharon who is of sufficient stature can argue with a Rishon. For that matter, rishonim argue with Gaonim. The Mishna and Gemara are different because there was an acceptance that they are closed (although some Savoraim were added to the Gemara and see also Chochmat Shlomo on Sanhedrin 52b.

2. Why would Tosafot not want to rely on it? Chochma b’goyim taamin. Moreover, Chazal rely on it in hte discussion of a round sukka. See also Tosafot on Eruvin 14a d”h v’haicha where they bring a difficulty from Greek geometry (see Rambam’s commentary on the mishna where he resolves it (there is also a way if one uses an inner an outer border for the yam).

One must be a bar hachi. The Maharshal, the Schach and the Gra all disagreed with Rishonim. As for arguing with Acharonim, the major contemporary poskim are themselves Acharonim. Rav Asher Weiss has disagreed with the Chatam Sofer. The same goes for taking sides. Of course, a person can decide to rely on a certain posek against another, especially on a d’rabbanan (safek l’kula). This is not the same as arguing as he is not saying who he thinks is right.

Someone once interviewed Israelis about their attitudes towards the present generation of Germans. One commented that blaming them for the Holocaust is like blaming him for killing Yushki.

Akuperma, a negative income tax only applies to people who work but have low incomes. The best solution for disabled people is to enable them to work around their disabilities. For example, a person who is homebound could telework. This is, in fact, becoming generally accepted as it saves companies expensive office space and saves employees commuting time (and very often aggravation).

Neville, if the minimum wage were replaced by a negative income tax, as Milton Friedman suggested, there would be more jobs. Deregulation, lowering business taxes, etc. would also go a long way.

Joseph, they are not doing a chillul Hashem. Chazal presume that a normal person is ashamed to take charity and call it “bread of shame”. So I guess these people disagree with Chazal.

Joseph, in mussar yeshivot a man was NOT Allowed to grow a beard until he married. If you look at old pictures you will see that only the rabbanim had beards.

Joseph, you are simply wrong. When Horthy saw that Germany was losing he declared an armistice and attempted to make a deal with the US and Britain in order to stave of the Russians. This is why he was deposed and Hungary occupied by the Germans. In an October 1940 letter to Prime Minister Pál Teleki, Horthy wrote:

“As regards the Jewish problem, I have been an anti-Semite throughout my life. I have never had contact with Jews. I have considered it intolerable that here in Hungary everything, every factory, bank, large fortune, business, theatre, press, commerce, etc. should be in Jewish hands, and that the Jew should be the image reflected of Hungary, especially abroad. Since, however, one of the most important tasks of the government is to raise the standard of living, i.e., we have to acquire wealth, it is impossible, in a year or two, to replace the Jews, who have everything in their hands, and to replace them with incompetent, unworthy, mostly big-mouthed elements, for we should become bankrupt. This requires a generation at least.”

Thus we see that his unwillingness to wipe out the Jews was pragmatic rather than ideological.

As for Netanyahu and Israel being friendly with Orban and Hungary, I have already posted that we are seeing the birth of a new nationalism that respects others’ nationalisms.

Joseph. you wrote on September 13, 2018 at 10:24 am “Avi, the contemporary Hungarians are from the better countries insofar as relations with Jews and Israel is concerned.” Considering the fact that the Horthy regime collaborated with the Nazis and sent Jews to labor camps where many died from the harsh conditions. After he was deposed when he saw that he backed the wrong horse and tried to switch the Arrow Cross government shot Jews into the Danube and helped send others to Auschwitz. Thus you must believe that today’s residents of Hungary are not Hungarians.

Yitzchokm, on the contrary, we are supposed to be a light unto the nations. This means policing the world.

Akuperma, that is sadly true to a large extent. Parnassa allows everything and they scream antisemitism when they are caught.

Joseph, according to what I read the figure in Israel is 20%. Add to that those who become Dati Leumi (there are, in fact, organizations in both Israel and the US that help people who find the Chareidi community too restrictive but do not want to give up Shabbat, kashrut, etc.). Add to that those who stay on the periphery of Chareidi communities but commit various minor crimes.
As for the DL community, it is hard to say as unlike Chareidi schools State Religious schools accept kids from traditional homes (e.g. a formal Shabbat dinner with Kiddush and “hamotzi” followed by TV at night and a soccer game during the day). I have not seen statistics for the US but the book Off the Derech seemed to say that it is much higher than you claim. The main reason seems to be rejection do to minor things, which is much more prevalent in the Chareidi community. I also have not seen percentages for OTDs who return but probably it is much higher for MO/DLs as these communities make an effort to keep these people connected. In fact, many OTDs from settlements continue to live in their communities even after they get married – which means that as their kids get older and start asking questions they might have to come back at least somewhat (an immigrant from Russia once told me that he sent his kids to a State Religious school because of the better discipline and that he and his wife would probably have to start observing so as not to confuse them).