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TGI, Rambam in fact says that if one exaggerates a certain characteristic one should go to the other extreme temporarily. In fact, Shidduchim and Zivugim advises new BTs to wait until they become comfortable in a derech.
Shopping, why can’t you eat their food? I think that you should have a conversation with a rav who can explain to you that there is only one Jewish people as well as the fact that b’diavad is also a b’diavad situation, the exceptions where people will become angry, etc.
If someone already dresses in a certain way and is reprimanded for some ethical violation, as opposed to a goof, he is committing a chillul Hhashem. Changing his dress for being called on the carpet will just be interpreted cynically. If he does not think that he is up to it he should not dress that way .
As for working only with and for YEHUDIM (let the creole German rest in peace), make aliya.
ZD, if we are talking about a Torah prohibition then she has to refuse. If it is a rabbinic prohibition there might be room for leniency unless there is a feeling that the mother will constantly use this. A long-term solution would be for her and her husbands to get (please excuse the language) jobs. They should also get counseling regarding living within their means.
Jakob, it is not advisable to “squash it all” into one year especially if he is coming from zero (many BTs actually come from traditional homes of varying degrees). It is too fast a change and he may leave as quickly as he entered.
ZD, if there is good will on the mother’s side and a rav who knows all the lenient opinions and is willing to use them in the right situations it can be worked out.
Beni, the age of yichud for a boy with a woman who is bat mitzva is nine years and one day as that is when it is considered arayot. Regarding the elderly (and being that I am almost 64 I object to 65 being defined as elderly) see Yichud with an Elderly Man (online) that the determining factor is the man not the woman.
Where one of the parties is a non-Jew then the ages up to bar/bat mitzva as Jewish children under those ages and non-Jews of any age are not obligated in yichud (Yichud — What, Where And With Whom
by: Rabbi N. D. Dubov also online).CTL, I was told not to put away my winter clothing until Shevuot – and this
is in Israel. Sometimes Hashem surprises people – like snowstorms in April.JJ, when I was young driving in a convertible with the top down and a young woman in the passenger seat was what the “cool” guys did. Wearing a cap gave it a European flavor.
CTL, you two must be very hardy people considering weather there even without rain.
Toi, it is a machloket if the door must be ajar.
Beni (and Toi), the situation in a room can also change. The door can be closed. It can even be locked.
Joseph, lo b’reshaim askinan. It is also pretty easy to lock a door.
Laskern, Beruria was being machmir. She also apparently did not like Gallileans as she called him a “stupid Gallilean”. Rav Kook would say that by being overly machmir in one area she fell in another (Avoda Zara 18b Rashi d”h v’icha d’amrei meshum maaseh d’Beruria).
Joseph, if the car is moving fast how will the driver do something other than drive? Moreover, one never knows when one will run into a traffic jam, be stopped for some violation, etc.
Soldier, he went through the whole sugya while driving? I heard from one of his talmidim that Rav Gustman was opposed to listening to tapes of shiurim because it would distract the driver. On the other hand, once a driver asked me to pay with a devar Torah. When I told him that he went into a whole pilpul about why it is really muttar .
As for the social situation now as opposed to in Chazal’s time, we see that saying “shalom” was so important that one could even interrupt keriat shema. Today that is definitely not the case. Yoram Gaon once said a monologue during a concert. He said that he wanted to know if people really cared about how he was doing. He went into a whole song and dance about his supposed troubles and people edged away.
Joseph, the Netziv (He’emek Devar Devarim 17:14) says:
“ואמרת: אשימה עלי מלך” – אין הפירוש “אמירה” כמשמעו בפה, אלא כלשון (דברים יב כ): “ואמרת אוכלה בשר”וכדומה.
אכן, לפי לשון זה היה במשמע שאין זה מצווה במוחלט למנות מלך אלא רשות, כמו ‘ואמרת אוכלה בשר’; והרי ידוע בדברי חז”ל דמצווה למנות מלך! ואם כן, למה כתיב ‘ואמרת’?
ונראה, דמשום דהנהגת המדינה משתנה, אם מתנהג על פי דעת מלוכה או על פי דעת העם ונבחריהם, ויש מדינה שאינה יכולה לסבול דעת מלוכה, ויש מדינה שבלא מלך הרי היא כספינה בלי קברניט, ודבר זה אי אפשר לעשות על פי מצוות עשה, שהרי בעניין השייך להנהגת הכלל נוגע לסכנת נפשות שדוחה מצוות עשה, משום הכי לא אפשר לצוות בהחלט למנות מלך, כל זמן שלא עלה בהסכמת העם לסבול עול מלך, על פי שרואים מדינות אשר סביבותיהם מתנהגים בסדר יותר נכון, או אז מצוות עשה לסנהדרין למנות מלך…
ומשום הכי כתיב ‘ואמרת’, שיהא העם מבקשים כך, אז ‘שום תשים’.
ומכל מקום, אין סנהדרין מצווים עד שיאמרו העם שרוצים הנהגת מלך, ומשם הכי כל משך שלוש מאות שנה שהיה המשכן נבחר בשילה לא היה מלך, והיינו שלא היה בזה הסכמת העם.
Not only is the public’s acceptance necessary to appoint any official (Berachot 55a) but they can also even recall a king (Yerushalmi Chaggiga 3:2 and Responsa Avnei Nezer YD 312:15). Thissi quite democratic.Frum, the government may not give official status to any religious group. However, actually prohibiting voluntary communities would violate the Free Exercise clause. A law banning an Sharia courts was struck down by the Tenth Circuit (Awad v. Ziriax, et al, No. 10-6273 (10th Cir. 2012)). This would also apply to establishing battei din to adjudicate disputes. Basically, the government may neither help nor hinder religion.
Joseph, those who deny the great miracles and fail to see Hahsem’s guidance should indeed tear keriah and don sackcloth (as well as ashes) as part of their teshuva,
DY, Tisha b’av will indeed be a joyous day one day.
It depends. On roads where there is traffic it is a petach patuach lareshut harabbim. Giving a ride to a married woman might be easier if her husband is in town. Someone who wants to be machmir can have his cell phone film the inside of the car (I know someone who does this to protect himself from blackmail), In some situations it might be a mitzva as the woman could be in danger if she stays outside by herself.
Yungerman, please cite Rav Moshe’s teshuva so we can see what was the exact situation he discussed.
Eli, once a man offered me a ride. I thought there was something on the front passenger seat so I sat in the back. He was very offended that I made him my chauffeur. I was also chided by one man for not closing the door enough after getting out and by another for slamming it and possibly causing damage. At the risk of going off topic, I will also add that a passenger, no matter who is the driver, should act with derech eretz. Do not eat or conduct cell phone conversations without permission (they annoy some drivers). Thank the driver and give him/her a beracha (e.g. “kol tuv”, “shavua tov”).
Frum, every organized Jewish community has the power to make takkanot for that community (Rema CH 2). The autonomous Jewish communities in pre-Napoleonic Europe had elected councils (the Maharil, among others, discusses who has the right to vote and be elected) which made laws (interestingly the book Juspa of Worms brings down that his job as shamash included assessing and collecting taxes – he would walk into people’s homes and make his assessments on the basis of their lifestyles). In Poland-Lithuania the Council of the Four Lands formed a national Jewish government. It was called the Jewish Sejm. The rabbanim exercised judicial functions, including judicial review.
TOL, no. I do not read every single post.
Joseph, that could be (not all mentally ill people actually commit crimes) but as I previously posted society would still have to be protected from him. A vicious animal is also not responsible for its actions but we do not let it roam free.
RY,
1. A defense will not do anything unless the court accepts it.
2. Who says what they would prefer? In a mental hospital they would probably not be in danger from other patients.TLIK, you are correct. For example, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. yet was found competent to stand trial, was sentenced to prison and sent to Attica (@RY).
There are four institutions in Judaism: the political leadership (according to Rav Kook anyone the people choose to be their political leader whether he is a hereditary monarch or an elected prime minister), the Nevi’im, the judicial system ( Sanhedrin – in the plural) and the Bet haMikdash.
Thinking, that is also Hashem’s cheshbon. The point is will learning Mussar help him. If he finds out about Slobodka’s sheeta he would probably become an even bigger narcissist. He would just reject Navardok out of hand.
NPD is different than APD, which is similar to psychopathology. Both seem to be genetic. If so we will have to wait for genetic engineering to work on people who have already been born. From what I understand there is no clear evidence as to NPD’s causes. However, a Mussar yeshiva will not do the job by itself.Ben, no I am not (although bnei Noach can be executed for theft, leaving aside what constitutes theft, and ever min chai).
Think, the concept of “nekudat habechira” only refers to how Hashem judges the person not how we must deal with him. If Rambam’s definition of a sheid refers to a psychopath it could be that he has no reward or punishment like an animal. However, that does not mean that we need not protect society from him just as with any vicious animal.
Little, it depends. Really there is no better Mussar than learning Gemara and Halacha (Baba Kama 30a). Some people need to be hit over the head with a hammer. Rav Soloveichik recalls in “Halachic Man” that Rav Chaim compared it to castor oil – it cures the sick and makes the healthy ill. However, a person must first want to change. Even then, as Rav Salanter said, it is harder to change a bad personal characteristic than to learn all of Shas.
Ben, in fact, the Rogochover says that murder is so heinous that even a shotteh is executed (Responsa Tzefanat Paaneach 19). It would seem that one murder is sufficient to execute him. It should be noted that a psychopath is not necessarily a murderer. He could be someone who advances by crushing everyone in his way. According to Psychology Today “Psychopathy is among the most difficult disorders to spot. The psychopath can appear normal, even charming. Underneath, he lacks conscience and empathy, making him manipulative, volatile and often (but by no means always) criminal”.
A psychopath is the sheid mentioned in the Gemara (Rambam, Guide 1:7).
As for a narcissist, there is a story about a bachur who rejected every shidduch suggestion as not good enough for him. his rebbe told him to learn Mussar for a year to become an anav. After the year was up he said that now that he was an anav they were certainly not good enough for him. In fact, the Gra says (Even Sheleima 2) that the torah iscompared to water because everything it is pored on grows. Someone who has naturally a bad midda who learns Torah will become even worse. Rav Aviner added that he will even find rationalizations in Torah for his behavior thus magnifying the chillul Hashem. I, in fact, know someone like this.
Neville,
1. I wrote anything that is not dependent on a machloket between the Mechaber and the Rema.
2. “Every rabbi he’s ever HEARD of”.
3. Obviously there are rules. Safek d’Oraita l’chumra, safek d’rabbanna l’kula. Minhag haolam. What one’s personal rav or the rav of one’s community says.
4. I am not surprised at all. I simply disagree.
5. I did not accuse anyone in particular. I simply wrote that it is common and also happens in the Gemara.Milhouse,
1.I wrote that I was discussing an instance where there is no machloket between the Mechaber and the Rema.
2. I find it very hard to believe that some can get semicha without knowing this.Ready, that is very funny. However, I do not suggest that you give up your day job.
Neville,
1. I was bringing this as an example. Unlike with Sephardim there is no clear-cut differentiation on the basis of galut of origin.
2. I totally disagree with you. In fact, poskim who teshuvot I have seen cite both (and Rav Ovadia cited RM as well as the Tzitz Eliezer and other Ashkenazim). Apparently your brand of Judaism is different than mine. I will say though that where someone currently lives affects whom he stresses. An Israeli (of whatever background) will usually stress Israeli poskim and an a American American poskim.
3. Haven’t you ever heard of a thread being hijacked? This also happens in the Gemara. Someone cites a certain Tanna and the Gemara then discusses his opinions on totally unrelated matters.Neville, so what is an Ashkenazi BT (or even more so, ger) supposed to do? Rema, Gra some chassidut (nafka mina, for example, regarding putting on tefillin during Chol ha Moed in Chul)? However, not everything is a machloket between mesorot (and sometimes it is reversed – for example, Ashkenazim light Chanukah candles according to Rambam and Sephardim like Tosofot).
Milhouse, how do you define difference in pesak? For example, Rav Mordechai Eliahu and Rav Ovadia, both Sepharadim. had a major disagreement regarding the place of Kabbala (which also exists between Litvaks and Chassidim although the Mishna Berura cites the Zohar and Arizal) in Halacha as well as the place of customs developed in Chutz laAretz. Even among Litvaks, there are those who consider the Mishna Berura the main posek and those who look more to the Aruch haShulchan. As I previously posted, the Ben Ish Chai (who corresponded with the Netziv), Kaf haChaim and Rav Ovadia all cite Ashkenazi poskim. Some Ashkenazi poskim also cite Sephardi poskim (the Briskers in particular are Rambamists) in their teshuvot.
Inshalla means “b’ezrat Hashem”. It is a common expression.
Milhouse, the Rosh says that that stopped with Abaye and Rava. Even more so today when rabbanim have access to more sefarim. According to your opinion, a Chassid cannot rely on Rav Moshe’s pesakim and a Litvak cannot rely on Rav Wosner. A Yekke cannot rely on either. The Briskers are certainly wrong for relying on the Rambam fr learning.BTW, FYI many Sephardim learn in Ashkenazi yeshivot and vice versa.
Yitzchokm, there is no evidence that her conversion was not Orthodox.
woman who converts to judaism while pregnant.FYI, Neville, the Ben Ish Chai, Kaf haChaim and Rav Ovadia all cite Ashkenazi poskim and contemporary Ashkenazi poskim cite Rav Ovadia. To make it even more complicated, the Shaagat Aryeh and the Gra both sometimes pasken like the Bet Yosef against the Rema (for example, the Gra only said one beracha on tefillin).
Neville, I heard this from my rabbanim, who are quite mainstream. Your opinion is way to the right of what the Torah world accepts. You are trying to split the Jewish people. Next you will say that an Ashkenazi cannot be the rav of a Sephardic shul.
Benjamin and Ariane de Rothschild of Switzerland are jewish and big supporters of Israel.
Neville,
1. Actually “Happy Holidays” started as a compromise. At first banks only offered Xmas clubs. then they also offered Chanuka clubs. then Kwanzaa was invented and they threw up their hands.
2. Actually some Moslems claim that they are the real Hebrews. They say that Yishmael was Ibrahim’s heir.Midwest, many young Moslems consult “Sheik Google”. There are also “Ask the Imam” sites.
Milhouse, who says that Ashkenazim can only hold by Ashkenazi rabanim? If there is no question of the Mechaber vs. the Rema there is no reason why an Ashkenazi can’t rely on Rav Ovadia, for example. To make matters more complicated, sometimes the Gra rules like the Mechaber against the Rema. For example, the Gra says not to put on tefillin during Chol haMoed and to have Birkat Cohanim every day (interestingly, in northern Israel they do not but do do it during Shabbat Musaf).
Richard,
1. Middle Eastern Jews would be very surprised to be called Yidden (BTW, “Yid” is a pejorative in English – Archie Bunker used it).
2. Actually, Eibishter is a corruption of Creole German for “the Most High” (actually, it is Eibershter). The equivalent of <Allah is “Gd”. It is related to “Ke-l and Elo-ka” in Hebrew.
3. Rambam did not hesitate to criticize Islam. He even referred to Mohammed as “the madman”. However, at the end end of Mishneh Torah he says that both religions came to bring the other nations closer to Hashem. Rav Yaakov Emden says that the intention of that man was, in fact, to propagate the sheva mitzvot.Midwest,
1. I also do not think that most Xtians have a great deal of theological knowledge. Generally they just refer to that man as their savior.
2. Considering the political standing of banks today I would prefer to stick to controlling the Congress.Ubi and Neville, that’s a chumra. You might call it mehadrin. In fact, at one time in EY they decided to require that the shochet say “Alla-hu akbar” (Gd is great) before schechting. A shochet whose parnassa would be affected asked if he could say it. Rav Kook said that he should try to get out of it but if he could not he could say it.
As for your co-worker, Ubi, maybe he should ask Sheikh Google Ibn Wifi Al Internetee. There are also Imam Facebook and Moulana Twitter. Just look on Google. There are also various sites for fatwas.Dor, would you be disappointed if there was not? Hallal is Arabic for “permissable”. It is more or less the equivalent of כשר. BTW, sharia means “pathway” (הלכה).
YU has had a Chaver program since 5739. “The Chaver Program is a kollel for men entering or completing professional studies other than the rabbinate. Study programs in Gemarah, Halakha and ethics have been established for students who delay their entrance to graduate schools of medicine, law, psychology and business. Participants pursue a post-college year of intense study of Talmud and Halacha related to their professional goal while attending regular RIETS shiurim.” (from the YU website). I think that they also have to write and defend a thesis.
In Israel, Eretz Hemdah has revived the higher title Morenu. Baalei battim learn through source sheets and shiurim and take exams.
Simcha, what about all the disparagement of other groups of jews and talmidei chachamim? Those men should simply not read magazines.
Supermarkets also squeezed out businesses. In fact, the word “sabotage’ comes from the fact that French workers tried to stop progress form changing the job market by throwing their wooden shoes (sabots) into machinery. Amazon is only another step from the famous Spiegel catalog (founded by a Jew named Joseph Spiegel ).
BTW, Amazon is planning on opening a center in Moda’in. This will create many jobs in Israel and enable Israelis to buy on-line without having to pay shipping costs. It already has R&D centers in both Tel Aviv and Haifa which pay significantly more than the average Israeli wage.
Iac, so what? In the Gemara there are machlokot between Amoraim over what their rebbe said – and both even swear to it. I even heard of a modern case where they argued as soon as they left the rav’s home. Of course, it could also be that you heard wrong. So far as I know there is absolutely no makor for saying that they are safek chametz. What Rav Belsky might have said, which I did hear, that the minhag was adopted because of a marit ayin – kitniyot are used to make bread (corn bread in particular was very widespread) and people would think that it was regular bread.
Ubi, here in Israel there is a hashgacha that specifies that it is kitniyot. I heard that with the growth of the Orthodox Sephardi community in the US the OU also has such a hashgacha now.
Iac, I question that talmid’s memory. The OU Kosher website says “Rav Belsky ruled that one may even place hot food directly on top of a paper towel on Pesach. The starch that is used in paper products in America can be assumed to be at most only kitniyot, and because the starch binds strongly to the paper, it is unlikely that any starch will transfer into the food. Poskim write that one is permitted to hang lamps of oil above their table, even if the oil is kitniyot and may drip into the food. Unlike chametz, which cannot become nullified on Pesach in any proportion, kitniyot will be nullified in a simple majority.”
so far as I know no one holds that kitniyot are safek chametz. This is evident from the fact that an Ashkenazi may not only keep it but even cook for a Sepahardi (or even for himself if he is Israeli and Isru Chag falls on Shabbat.In fact, when somebody spoke against Rav Kook at the first Aguda convention the CC got up and walked out. However, deciding on one’s own that someone is a rasha can be dangerous to one’s spiritual health. Not to mention that the other guy might decide that he a rasha for saying LR. In fact, I heard about a case where someone berated a shaliach tzibbor for some minor error. The Shatz then turned and said in a loud voice “Who gave you the right to embarrass me in public?”
The Israeli hi-tech company BrightWay Vision has developed a sensor that will prevent accidents and owworks at up to 200 meters. Several companies have already expressed interest. I just wonder if BDS supporters will demand to disable it.
Gavriel,
I posted Rabbi Mansour’s pesak, which answers the O.P’s question. It is also well known as several posters, including me, have responded regarding rashei yeshivot.
As for carrying in an eruv that some consider pasul, if it is done to emphasize that the person holds by the eruv it might be OK but in general it is better to avoid machloket (although I heard that the Gra hung a kneidlach on his window during Pesach and Rav Soloveichik ate matza brei soup on his porch). When Rav Shalom Gold wanted to put up an eruv in West Hempstead, LI he asked Rav Moshe. Rav Moshe agreed after being told that he was the only rabbi there, thus insuring that there would be no machloket.Midwest, just make sure that she is not allergic to flowers or candy.
Milhouse, Rav Moshe says hat any posek can disagree with the Arizal.
Gavriel, “whistling to yourself”? Do you mean like a dog whistle? BTW, according to the Independent “In a survey by YouGov, the proportion people finding the pastime annoying has increased with 47 per cent of people polled saying they found it irritating.
That figure rose to 53 per cent among 18-24 year olds suggesting fondness for whistling may slowly die out as the years pass.” So either SPD is becoming common or that is just one reason. People are becoming more refined and whistling is a sign of lack of refinement.Chiefshmerel, socialism is fundamentally anti-Jewish as it involves the robbery of people’s private property. Moreover, the DSA would make the already bloated, failed welfare state even more bloated. From where would the money come? By soaking working people – and Chazal enjoined the authorities not to encumber the public (this, in fact, led to the split in the Tanachic kingdom).
Midwest,
1. In 2004, Davis “crowned” the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a religious ceremony at the Dirksen Senate Office Building,. So far as I know he has never disavowed Moon.
2. Anyone who still believes in socialism is not sane.
3. Democratic socialists are often the biggest anti-communists around. There is no fight like a family fight.