Avi K

We can go on saying “yes it is”, “no it isn’t” until Mashiach comes. I suggest to that whoever decides these things should close this thread.There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Health,

1. Convince him to be mitgayer and then come yourself and promote his party.

2.All of the rabbbanim of our generation with the exception of a small handful agree that we are in atchalta d’Geula.

3. Nobody in Israel is or was ever forced to work on Shabbat.

4. Israel is not a treif medina as it is the fulfillment of a mitzva d’Oraita and according to all opinions, even those of Leftists, it has and should continue to have a Jewish character. This or that politician or government has nothing to do with the Medina as a medina.

5. Rambam says (Hilchot Melachim 5:12) that it is better to live in EY in a city whose majority are idolators than a city in Chutz La’Aretz whose majority are Jews.

Longarkel,

Democracy and Tora go hand in hand (Berachot 55a and Heemek Devar Devarim 17:14).

I think that it refers to an intellectual approach to Judaism as well as a propensity to use Talmudic reasoning.

Longarkel, you are right. When are you going to be a Nachson and make aliya, take on Israeli citizenship and vote?

Sushe, their statements are on record. They obviously regretted the secularism but they saw the State as the beginning of the Geula.

Health, as much of Turkey is in the area promised to Avraham Avinu it should be the other way around.

Nechomah, I cited the places. Rambam at the beginning of Hilchot Chanuka and the Gemara in Sanhedrin 102b regarding Omri (it also praises Achav for supporting talmidei chachamim and refusing Ben Haddad’s demand to turn over the Tora to him – apparently the forerunner of the Kotel contraversy).

TY,the entitlement has been restored.

I personallly know someone who heard Rav Moshe misquoted (he had been present when Rav Moshe made the statement in question). In fact, when Rav Mshe was told that someone misquoted the Chatam Sofer he said “I’m still alive and people are misquoting me”. Rav Scheinberg said that if he had a nickel for every time he was misquoted he would be a rich man. Scientific studies have ben done about this phenomenon and can be accessed on scientificamerican.com. Maybe he said “book, shmook” (in Yiddish it would be close, “buch, shmooch”) about some derogatory book about Rav Kook.

Really, anybody who is familiar with Sefer Chafetz Chaim 7:4 and 8:6 knows that the Chafetz Chaim could not possibly have made such a statement. Certainly not on the strength of something written in a newspaper. Or he meant that he did not believe that the quote was accurate (Kook shmook – Rav Kook did not say exactly what was quoted).

Here is the quote:

Compare with:

??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????. ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ????. ????? ???? ??? ????. ?? ???? ???. ???? ???? ??? ????. ??? ???? ??? ??. ??? ??? ??. ????? ??? ?????? ????. ???? ??? ???? ???. ????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???. ???? ????? ??? ????. ??? ???? ??? ??. ??? ??? ??. ????? ????? ?? ????. ??? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????… ??? ??????? ???? ????? ????? “?? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ????” (?????? ?, ?) ?? ??? ??? ????.

???? ?? ??? ???? ??, ???: ???? ???????? ?? ???? ???.

(???? ???? ??? ????? ? ??? ?)

Certain unscrupulous people claimed that Rav Kook allowed sports on Shabbat c”v. This was absolutely untrue and he even rebuffed a deleagtion of soccer players who tried to get a heter from him. All he said was that sports, at the proper time and with the proper intent, develop a healthy body and teach good middot.

The Satmar Rebbe himself admitted that he was a daat yachid but said that being that the other gedolim did not learn it out with him he did not feel obligated to retract his postiton. BTW, Rav Levin signed Israel’s declaration of independence as head of the Aguda and was a member of the first government.

Ms, what can we do, he was the keli Hashem chose. BTW, Rav Kuk explains in his hesped that being that Mashiach ben Yosef’s tafkid is solely concerned with the material this causes him to oppose the spiritual. The opposite is also true. However, again what can we do, Hashem chose to make us material beings in a material world and then raise it up. However, very few people can have two tables. For example, I know someone who is at the top of his profession and very much in demand as a lecturer. However, when he opens his mouth about Tora absolute nonsense comes out.

Msseeker, what he meant is that developing a healthy body also develops one’s spiritual abilities. We are a combination a guf and neshama and the health of one is dependent on the health of the other.

Derech, WE do hold by his deyot and sheetot. Your statement about non-acceptance is circular – you say that he is not accepted by those who do not acept him. BTW, by saying that his sheetot are irrelevant you are guaranteeing that in the end your sheeta will not be the Halacha (Eruvin 13b).

When Rav Shlomo Zalman was a bachur he went every Shabbat to a public seuda shelisheet and derasha Rav Kuk held. Rav Kuk was also his messader kiddushin (and BTW was elected rav of Yerushalayim by a majority of the shuls and yeshivot). Rav Eliashiv, whose grandfather, the Leshem Shelo veAchlama, was Rav Kuk’s rebbe in nistar and whose father-in-law was Rav Kuk’s talmid-chaver Rav Arye Levine,called Rav Kuk a gaon olam.

Ms, Yiftach bedoro keShmuel bedoro. Read Rav Kook’s hesped on Herzl, “Misped b’Yerushalayim” printed in “Maamarei HaRaya”.

Toi,

1. Only one of Herzl’s children was baptized. He committed suicide, apparently as a result of emotional problems, after leaving a note doing teshuva gemura on his apostasy. BTW, Rabbenu Gershom also had a son who was a meshumad (I presume to Natzrut although it is not specified). This is brought down in the Hagahot Oshri on Moed Katan Perek 3. So this proves nothing about the parents.

2.How do explain the talmudic principles “naval beresut haTora” .

Health,

1. We can say “yes”, “no” forever.

2. Many gedolim even endorse specific political parties. Not only to support yeshivot but to promote their interpretations of Judaism in general.

Longarkel, the Sheva Mitzvot do indeed imply that the life of an 18 year old Ben Noach is not necessarily greater than that of a 60 year old. The penalty for murder is the same. Not treating somebody might be different even for us. There are opinions to that effect regarding terminal patients where there is complete non-action (as opposed to “pulling the plug”).

Yit, Rav Leff holds that it is a mitzva to try to convince Goyim to keep the Sheva Mitzvot but kiruv among Jews comes first. He also cites dangrs and prohibitions involved in outreach among Gentiles (http://www.matityahu.org/RavLeffQA/viewquestions.asp?viewcat=15 [question 1247). On the other hand, The Lubavitcher Rabbi, Rav Morechai Eliahu and others encouraged people to do so and there are several rabbis who are involved with Bnei Noach organizations. It could be that Rav Leff would also not discourage dealing with these people as they have already accepted the Sheva Mitzvot and then letting them do kiruv among other Gentiles. Everybody agrees that someone who already deals with Gentiles has a mitva to be an exemplar.

Longarkel, on the other hand Rabbi Chaim Friedlander said that there is no doubt as to its authenticity and that it is in completely from the Gra’s Tora. Rav Tzvi Yehuda (Kuk) also considered it to be a very important sefer and the 5754 edition has sevral introductions from rabbanei Yeushalayim . Even Rav Sternbuch admits taht the sefer “may” have been written by Rabbi Hillel Shklover (Rivlin) but that “inaccuracies” were put in. However, the sefer was first published by Rabbi Hillel’s descendants, who are such an illustrious family that one acquaintance of mine said that Yerushalayim has three eidot: Ashkenazim, Sepharadim and Rivlinim.

One of his talmidim, Rabbi Hillel Shklover wrote a book called “Kol HaTor”, which has been translated into English as “Voice of the Turtledove”. In it he speaks of two mashiachs: Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David. The job of Mashiach ben Yosef is gathering in the exiles and building the material aspects of EY (Rav Kook sya in his eulogy for Herzl, “Misped b’Yerushalayim” printed in “Maamarei HaRaya”) thatt his leads to an antipathy towards Tora as Mashiach ben Yosef concerns himself exclusively with material matters (Rav Kook held that Herzl or the secular Zionist movement in general was Mashiach ben Yosef). The job of Mashiach ben David is buiding the spiritual aspect culminating in the Bet HaMikdash. He also says that the Gra said that in the time before Mashiach (ikveta d’Mashicha) the sin of the Spies will affect many who learn Tora and love Galut (see also “Em HaBanim Semeicha”, which has also been translated into English). He also states that whereas Mashiach ben Yosef will give way to Mashiach ben David he may or may not actually die depending on whether or not Am Yisrael davens for him. I do not know if he discusses the Holocuast but the Gemara states that a ruler will arise who decrees are worse than those of Haman (Sanhedrin 97b). This could refer to the designer of the Holocaust (see Megilla 6b that if not fore Hashem restraining them “Germamia” would destroy the world – Rav Yaakov Emden says that it is “our Ashkenaz” and the Gra says that it should read “Germania”) who decreed against both Jewish lives and Jewish religious practices and planned to also outlaw Natzrut because of its Jewish origins).

Gregaaron, regarding the hydrant, if c”v there is a fire there is clear danger to life from the parked car. Alternate side regulations are for the purpose of facillitating streetcleaning so violators might be considered to be damaging the public. Regarding the rest, they are in the category of rodef. Moreover, from the Gemara (Baba Metzia 83b-84a) we see that while it is inappropriate for a talmid chacham an ordinary Jew may become a police detective and certainly one who apprehends criminals in the act or who have already been discovered (see Bet Yosef, citing the Responsum of the Rashba, Hoshen Mishpat 388).

Health, what about all the chillul Hashem, financial crimes, abuse, etc. in the “frum” community. Would you call them kofrim? Do you consider anyone but yourself to be at least a beinoni, at least according to Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 3:3)? BTW, according to rav Kook, kefira comes about because of chesronot in the frum community in order to point out where the Orthodox are lacking.

Health & Co., the State is the greatest beracha to Am Yisrael and the world in millenia. The government being the way it is is due to the fact that there are approximately 800K Orthodox Jews (more than 10% of the current population) who do not live here and therefore do not vote. If you are unwilling or unable to help at least stop whining and get out of the way!

Bobcha, that is a halachic principle that applies to everyone (see, for example, Even HaEzer 4:30). I think that it is similar to a neder (in fact, the lashon of a neder is that something is prohibited to the noder like something the Tora prohibits). If he makes a clear mistake (taah b’devar Mishna) then it would be a mistake (similarly, it is possible to get out of a neder if one did not know a certain fact). I would think that it would only apply to the rav if he said that something is assur to you because it is generally assur (e.g. if he said that a certain food is not kosher) but not if he said that it is only assur to you or people in your situation (e.g. he ruled that a certain woman is a prohibited relative or you are a Cohen and he is a Yisrael and he ruled that she is prohibited to a Cohen).

Sam, Rav Ariel Cherlow of Yeshivat Petach Tikva has a discussion of this issue at edited, no links please.

In summary, there are a number of reasons to not only prohibit asking another rav but to prohibit him from allowing what the first rav disallowed such as the first rav’s honor, the fact that the questioner accepted whatever pesak would be given, the fact that it was as if he assured the action or the item 9shavia anafshei k’chaticha d’issura) although there are some instances where it is possible such as a rav who made a mistake in halacha pesuka (taah b’devar Mishna), there is a clear messoret against the pesak or there is the possibility of an appealate proceeding (this would seem to be limited to dinei mamonot).

BTW, once a couple in Vilna had a chicken question. The husband asked the av bet din, who paskened kosher, but while he was away the wife asked the Gra, who lived in their court, who paskened the opposite. When the husband told the av bet din, he said “with all due respect to the Gra, I am the av bet din and the Halacha in Vilna is like me. Tell the Gra that your wife will serve the chicken for dinner and he will join me there”. The Gra, in his great anava, agreed but when the wife served his portion she knocked over a chelev candle onto it. The Gra said “of course it is kosher as the av bet din paskened but I made it assur to myself so I was prevented from eating it”.(Rav Maimon, “Tolodot HaGra”)

On the contrary, if he has done teshuva he should davka be the one (Yoma 22b). Otherwise he will not be able to understand the public (Rabbi Itamar ben Yisrael, “Mishmeret Itamar” Beshalach quoted by Rabbi Saul Weiss in “Insights” vol.1 pg.32 #47). However, if he has not done teshuva one should not vote for him (ibid in the name of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye, “Tolodot Yaakov Yosef” Behalotcha).

Popa, the welfare system will not support someone at a decent level unless he is living alone in some very low-rent set-up.Even then, Chazal and all of the Rishonim and Acharonim presumed that one should be ashamed calling this “nehama d’kisufa” (bread of shame). Thus, the highest form of tzedakka is to give someone a job (Shach Yoreh Deah 249:7). Te proper exception is if someone has a pension or is otherwise financially independent (as was Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai when he began to learn full-time).

DaaasYochid, obviously “??? ???” means something which an intellectually honest person knows he cannot answer. I presume that you do not phone your rav when you wake up in the morning and ask if you should do netilat yadayim.