Avi K

It,

1. If a vet is not qualified for a job why would any sane employer hire him? The answer is job training. I would add that the student loan program should be junked as it only encourages bloated tuition fees and useless majors. The merit system should also be restored. CCNY was the gateway to the middle class for thousands of children of immigrants, mainly Jews, when it was a meritocracy. When Open Admissions went in in went down the tubes. In fact, I would restore the apprentice system, along with formal courses, for professions. Washington never attended college but was a surveyor. Lincoln never even earned a BA but was a successful lawyer. Truman also never attended college.

2. Abarbanel also opposed monarchy. He believed, based on bitter experience and the record in the Tanach, that it will always lead to despotism. He considered the republics of Venice and Florence to be models for government.

CTL,
Having multiple businesses also has a cost. I knew someone who owned a hardware store and then decided to open a second store. He was working so long that his marriage fell apart. Then both stores failed. A healthy work-life balance also makes one a better worker. In fact, according to Halacha an employee may not moonlight without permission as it could harm his performance.

It, do you consider the Baal haTanya to have been an apikoros c”v? Here is what he wrote (Iggerot Kodesh #22):

My dear friend….”Remember the days of old, understand the years of every generation” – has there ever been anything like this since the beginning of time?! Where, in all the books of the scholars of Israel, whether the earlier or later ones, have you ever seen such a custom instituted, to ask about a secular question, such as what to do in some mundane matter, even from the greatest of the early wise men of Israel, such as the Tannaim and Amoraim…but rather [people would turn to] actual prophets, such as there used to be, such as Shmuel the Seer, to whom Saul went to ask about the donkeys which his father had lost. But in truth, all matters relating to a person, other than something having to do with Torah or fear of heaven, are not apprehended other than through prophecy, and not by a wise man. As our rabbis have taught, “Everything is in the hands of heaven other than fear of heaven…” And when our rabbis zt”l said that people “derive benefit from him [from a talmid chacham] by advice and sound wisdom,” this refers to words of Torah, which is called “sound wisdom” [Translation from Rabbi Alfred Cohen in his article on Daas Torah]

Being that we do not have prophesy we must rely on professionals. For example, if we want to know if someone must eat on Yom Kippur we ask a doctor, even if he is not Jewish. Similarly, in matters of Economics we ask economists. The Halacha, as Rav Chaim David haLevi says, only sets the goals, not the means.

No. In fact, technically a worker can agree to accept any condition as in monetary matters a condition always applies – even against a Torah law. Secular law does not allow it and it may have a halachic status.

However, according to most economists it causes unemployment by pricing labor above the value of its production. It is also inflationary as there is more money. Both are functions of the Law of Supply and Demand. Thus it is counter-productive.

As for the restaurant owner in Seattle, maybe he would have another six without the raise. Or maybe he cut labor costs. You, laskern, have committed the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this therefore because of this). Your statement is akin to someone saying “Hocus Pocus”, rain falling ,and then saying that the rain was caused by his statement.

BisBoy, the problem is that no one knows what is “extra” for him.

We are required to do hishtadlut. Chazal say that a man is obligated to teach his son a trade or profession and if he fails to do so he teaches him to rob and steal (Kiddushin 29a). In general, when something is given one must go out and get it. For example, a farmer must leave a corner of his field for the poor but they must come and collect what they need.

It, do you observe Tisha b”Av. If so you also are against being in galut.

Ubi, I wrote “a modified version”.  <edited>  although I see now that it is not exactly Rav Goren’s nusach. Basically, it changes עיר to מקדש (and therefore lashon nekeiva to zachar – for example, בניו rather than בניה).

Syag, Geula unfolds gradually (Yerushalmi Berachot 1:1). Since 5708 we have been in an increasing stage of Geula. As I live in EY I am not in Galut by definition (Rav Kook did say that there are some whose souls are in Galut even though their bodies are in EY but I hope that it does not apply to me). Thus, in my community we say a modified (by Rav Goren) nusach of “Nachem”.

Cherrybim, many non-Hispanics speak Spanish. Does that make Spanish a non-Hispanic language?

Ubi, in fact, I have considered petitioning the German Research Foundation to include Yiddish along with Rabaul Creole German (Unserdeutsch) as a German creole. Perhaps a few of the posters here can apply for grants.

Yosef, would they also tell Sephardim that there is a preference for Yiddish?

Knaidlach, I have also listened to Simon & Garfunkel (do they count?), John Denver, Elton John (toeva) , etc. I have even listened to Motown songs. Does this mean that my soul is attuned to the whole world? What about Rav Ovadia, who loved listening to Umm Kulthum, even when he learned?

AY, it is well known and documented that Rav Kook already preferred to speak in Hebrew in Volozhin. I obviously do not know how well your parents spoke Hebrew but Rav Shlomo Aviner was commented thath is grandfather was once by a rav who only spoke “Hebrew” on Shabbat. The rav would say things like “roitzeh shoitteh?” in a valiant but futile attempt. Even major talmidei chachamim made glaring mistakes in speaking (I once attended a lecture on this). Even in writing there are many grammatical errors in sefarim (e.g. נשים חשובים).

As for having heard mussar talks (BTW “shmuess” comes from שמועות – news, not such a holy source), what about those who heard the Ben Ish Hai’s talks in Baghdad Jewish Arabic? It is said that small children were so awed that they sat quietly for hours. Does this make Baghdad Jewish Arabic holy?

Regarding modern Hebrew, just as a person can undergo giur so can a word. The Shela haKadosh says (Sanhedrin 4b regarding “tot” and “fot”) that some words were lost from Lashon haKodesh but retained by other peoples. Perhaps by bringing them back we are bringing back the sparks of kedusha in those languages.

It,
1.Rav Lichtenstein did not come to America until age eight so English was his third language after Yiddish and French.
2. Rav Yaakov changed the language of instruction to English in the Fifties because he felt it was too hard for kids to learn in a language they did not speak. Ditto Rav Soloveichik.

ZD,
1. Regarding the Septuagint, the point is that it did not make Greek holy (and BTW, the lingua franca of the roman Middle East was not classical Greek but Koine Greek).
2. The takkana to use Yiddish was a response to the Neolog (Reform) who were, as they said, more Hungarian than the Hungarians. BTW, the bachurim in Pressburg earned an external academic diploma in return for a draft exemption as theological students. This stood the Orthodox in good stead when Franz Josef was forced to sign a compromise with the Hungarians that included him speaking in Hungarian, which is an extremely difficult language, while in Hungary. The head of the Neologs spoke to him in literary Hungarian, which annoyed him very much. When the Chief Rabbi, Rav Koppel Weiss, first met him the Emperor started to rattle off his prepared speech when the rabbi interrupted him and told him in perfect German that he did not understand Hungarian. FJ patted him on the shoulder and said “We are two old gentlemen. We will never learn this language”.

Ubi, the first generation to grow up in America also did not use Yiddish in their daily lives except for a word here and there. In any case, Yiddish was certainly not spoken by Sephardim (who mainly spoke Ladino) or the Eidot haMizrach (Judeo-Arabic). Yiddish is simply a dialect of German. in fact, I have a friend whose wife is from Switzerland. She told me that Yiddish is close enough to Swiss-German that she can understand it if the person speaks slowly.

Make, Xtianity is half Jewish. Is it also holy?

ZD, on the contrary, that day was as dark for Am Yisrael as the day on which the golden calf was made.

Yosef,
1. It depends on the person. If he needs the language for parnassa he might get a heter.
4. My experience is that kids (and adults) do mix languages but also know how to speak in one language.Some kids even speak each language with the proper accent. What is a problem is when the parents speak to the kid in different languages from the get-go as absorbing both at the same time is too difficult for a toddler.

JD, I do not know how true that is today. Paradoxically, when non-Jewish clubs started to accept Jews and restrictive covenants went out the window Jews became less Jewish culturally. This opened the door to intermarriage as people no longer perceived that there was a difference. I think that his is also true of other white ethnic groups. At one time an italian would only marry an Italian, etc. Now this is not so true. Moreover, many non-Jews have such a positive view of Jews that they seek Jewish spouses. On one secular Jewish dating site 5% of the member are open about not being Jewish.

Jack,
1. Don’t be disingenuous.
2. So what is?
3. Only half tongue in cheek. If someone is relocating anyway why chose another galut? What really made me sick was an article in a certain “Hareidi” magazine trumpeting the revived Jewish community in Berlin. @TLTIK, if Rav Meir Simcha could not move German Jew to make aliya what can I do. Secular Jews are disappearing anyway. Orthodox Jews will soon have no place in Western countries except possible, thank to Trump, the US. Why I think that is is a whole other subject.
4. So let the USPS trim the waste and be competitive. Anyway, what is so bad about charging according to distance? Buses do it. Besides, with email snail mail is a museum piece. We have saved the trees.

Jackk,
1. What about FBI agents explicitly working against his election? Is that respect for the Constitution and separation of powers? As for trade wars, he wants a fairer deal for America. What’s wrong with that. I also wouldn’t care so much if he blocked Jews from coming. Let them make aliya.

Little, so what if Amazon bankrupts the USPS? I would completely privatize it and let the free market decide. This is, in fact, the true public interest.

As for alternatives, I od not see any of the abovementioned candidates running in 2020. It takes a great deal to unseat a President from leading his own party. So far as I know it has not happened, at least not in the last 100 years. As for the Democrats, that party is drifting increasing into leftist never-never land. They might as well call it the Sanderscratic Party.

1. This seems to be Rav Kook’s sheeta.
2. I never heard that. However, according to the Gra if Am Yisrael prays for him he will not die,

Neville,
1. So what if Rav Kook’s sheeta does not agree with them?
2. There are actually two mashiachs. This is explicit in the Gemara (Sukka 52a). According to Rabbi Hillel Rivlin’s exposition of the Gra’s sheeta it is clear that Mashiach ben Yosef is here.
3. The thread is about the Geula being here. The Geula unfolds slowly in stages (Yerushalmi Berachot 1:1).

Avram, it is a crime to try and enter the US illegally. See The Truth about Separating Kids By Rich Lowry in National review.

Midwest, which of the sheva mitzvot did he violate? That is not to say that he will be a choir boy or get an Artscroll bio. However, many politicians did the same things he did and are leftist icons. JFK was just the tip of the iceberg. Then there was Teddy the drunken murderer who dared to lecture the Senate on morality during the Bork confirmation hearings.. What about the moll of the Clinton crime family who declared war on traditional religion?

RY, maybe he is telling us to remember the day of death.

Adam, first of all, there are two Mashiachs: Mashiach ben Yosef, whose job is kibbutz galuyot and building the material aspect of EY, and Mashiach ben David, who job is to build the spiritual aspect (Kol HaTor by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin). Rav Kook (HMisped b’Yerushalaym – said at a gathering to commemorate the conclusion of the shiva for Herzl) held that the Zionist movement in general was the ikva d’MBY. The text can be accessed online. There is also has a commentary (in Hebrew) on the Betel Yeshiva site .