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I absolutely agree with the main point of the OP. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in the article referenced as an example (parenthetically, how did that link get through the mods?), the survey was of a sample of 365 tweets. I would think that this is too low a sample from which to draw conclusive results.
Why isn’t it Lashon Hara for the screen to display (and the characters to announce) the names of the subjects of each Middos Alert?
“I’m sure…”
Invariably means, “I have no idea if…”
Goq –
Chazal state that [one of] the mistake
of Nadav and Avihu was in not taking counsel with “Moshe their Rebbe, Aharon their father, or even each other.” Many Meforshim explain that had they asked each other, they would have realized that what they were about to do was wrong. Although each one thought it was a good idea for himself, this was due to his personal bias (whatever Yetzer Hara was involved here). When asked by his brother whether it was a good idea, each would have seen that it was not correct.If even Nadav and Avihu (think, ?????? ????) “lived in glass houses”…
In a situation where one is asked for information based on a legitimate need (such as for a shidduch) about a person whom he personally dislikes, the Chofetz Chaim rules that he may not divulge any information which would be considered Lashon Hara unless he can do so without feeling any personal pleasure; otherwise he has committed Lashon Hara.
[His proof to this is that the Mitzriyim were punished even though they fulfilled the Ratzon Hashem of Ger yihyeh zaracha… He argues that they were held responsible because they took pleasure at making the Bnei Yisrael suffer.]
Many Poskim disagree and are of the opinion that although he may not take pleasure at telling the information, he is still required to share it even if he can not help but enjoy telling. This would not be a violation of Lashon Hara, although it is clearly prohibited.
[The Ramban in Chumash says the Mitzriyim were punished because they were not compelled to be the ones to carry out the edict against the Bnei Yisrael.]
I noticed this week (probably thanks to the existence of this thread) that ????? ???? explains that ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? means that your service to Him should rather be an expression of gratitude for all that He has already done for you.
???? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ?”? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??”?
It should be noted that in some English speaking countries, a “jumper” is a sweater (the type of which it is certainly appropriate for Yeshiva bochurim to wear).
mw-13, I had to assume that the post you referenced was intended as a facetious reference to many articles in contemporary Jewish women’s magazines, which portray the situation described as not uncommon.
It would be nice if the author of the post would confirm that it was in fact not intended literally.
With all due respect, I never understood this question, although I’ve been asked to do this many times at seminars and the like.
Wolf, I, too, am sorry for your loss. For the record, I happened to be at Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff’s derasha on leil acharon shel Pesach. After discussing the various opinions and rationales, his ruling was that in the absence of a clear family minhag to refrain from saying Yizkor, one should recite Yizkor even during the first year.
I think we would do well to remember that this is a debate, not a fight. We can have a spirited discussion without impugning each other’s stature. ??? ?????.
Of course, in E”Y or any place which has a prevailing minhag hamakom, that minhag is the norm to which all individuals are bound to adhere. It is important to realize that the reason individuals follow those minhagim is not that they appeal to the emotions (or logic) of the congregant, but that Halacha demands this degree of conformity.
It is true that no such overriding minhag exists in [most communities in] the US, which leads to the great diversity of minhagim that exists here.
Ignorance of your family minhag on my part serves at best as an indication that my family does not share that minhag. There is no reason for this to cause any condescension or derision on the part of those whose families do take part in the minhag in question.
In general, the idea of adopting minhagim because of their appeal (whether spiritual or material) represents a fundamental misunderstanding of basic concepts of Judaism.
With regards to adopting minhagim for their material appeal, I think people are so caught up in what it is they are trying to attain, that they do not realize the danger involved in these minhagim and segulos. You can not “trick” Hashem in to granting your fantasy of being wealthy by putting a key in a challah. The segulah-craze (in which people attempt to manipulate Hashem into granting “refuos, yeshuos and parnassa”) which has gripped our noble People of late is lamentably close to avoda zara.
As far as those minhagim whose appeal is spiritual, I think many people do not have a clear idea about the sort of ruchniyus they want to achieve. Our conception of spirituality is based not on what makes us feel spiritual, but on what we are told by Hashem will elevate us into spiritual beings. Without discussing the basis for the particular minhag, it is important to realize that adherence to, and reverence of, our tradition is the keystone of our relationship with HKBH. If we are willing to erode this for the warm, fuzzy feeling of a “nice minhag,” we have compromised the integrity of the entire structure, ch”v.
?? ????? ?? ????.
When on spacewalks, astronauts wear maximum absorption garments (In English, we call these diapers). This is because it is too time consuming to reenter the shuttle or space station each time the astronaut needs to relieve himself. I suppose that eventually there could be constructed a pressurized environment on the moon, but as of now anyone on the moon [or anywhere else outside of a pressurized atmosphere] is not allowed to say (or even think) any ???? ????? because they do not have a ??? ??? (and, of course, their ???? is not ????).
However, while in the shuttle or space station, they are able to maintain ??? ??? and ????? ?????, so my earlier post responds to the thread title but not the OP.
Sam2 – ???? ???????
DY – Agreed. The only reason to discuss the story is the irony.
DY – The people who have told me this story have always used it to show that Rav Moshe “really held” that chalav stam is assur. The story refutes this because if that were true, it would have been impossible for him to drink it even by mistake because ??? ???”? ???? ???? ???.
That said, I think the real moral of the story (if it is true) is about the incredible sensitivity he had to something which he held should not be consumed by a baal nefesh, as per Joseph (Lior), et al.
IHLH – I’m not sure what you thought I meant. Chas V’Shalom, I did not intend anything other than the greatest respect for Rav Moshe. Let me be clear. My point was that since Rav Moshe is obviously included in “??????”, it is inconceivable that he would have consumed something that was not kosher according to his own opinion.
Zemanim for tefilla is not an issue at all, since the astronaut would be precluded from davening because of ???? ????? ????.
Could it be that GoGoGoGo is Comlink-X/Randomex (who, as we know, has more than one username…)?
Oh, I thought you just wanted to keep it safe from your own restriction on bumping threads “older than 6 months.”
As a relatively new kid on the block, I don’t mind the bumps on the road.
@IHLH – no doubt (and so it is said) an ugly rumor started that Rav Moshe does not hold of company X…completely ignoring that he picked up the bottle in the first place!
In a similar vein, I heard from Rav Aharon Felder zt”l, arguably Rav Moshe’s closest talmid (perhaps after Rav Bluth), who was present when this occurred:
Rav Moshe was known to be super makpid about his matzos. At a bris once on chol hamoed Pesach, the young Rav Reuven approached his father during the seudas mitzvah and said quietly (in Yiddish, of course), “these are not our matzos,” to which Rav Moshe replied, “if I don’t eat, people will say that it’s chometz!”
@ DY – No chiddushim, just explaining Sam2 (??? ????? ?????). I think Sam2 was not proving that ?? ??? held it is muttar; this hardly needs to be proven. My takeaway from his post was that this story, like so many others, is used by many people to prove a point, when in fact the story undermines that very point.
@ Comlink-X – Yes, I suppose it would. Any ???? ??????.
In my dream Shul, it is culturally unacceptable to expect others to clean up your mess. Everybody puts away the seforim and siddurim they take out, and nobody leaves used coffee cups on the tables (and I’m being nice, here…).
Needless to say, you will never open a Chumash to find a used tissue stuck to the pages…
If I may be so bold as to say ??? in Sam2…
???? ?????? ?????
It is inconceivable that ???”? would allow ????”? ??”? to eat something which is not absolutely ???.
??? ?????.
Who decided?
??? ??????, for one.
The Seder is designed for the children to remain engaged and involved, but the main point is not for them to be retelling 101 gematrios about the Hagadah. The focus of the Seder should be the father telling the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim, with a focus on Ikrei Ha’emuna. This is the bedrock of our Emuna. As a rebbe, I do not overload my (upper elementary) students with divrei Torah for the Seder, and the ones that I do share with them are focused on the Emuna and Bitachon lessons of the story.
We do not live near our children’s grandparents. On a good year, our parents and children will get to see each other four times (Succos, Pesach, summer vacation and a family simcha such as a wedding). Baruch Hashem, we are able to stay home for Yom Tov, but I think that Moshe Yess was absolutely on the mark when he highlighted Zeidy leading the Seder as a watershed moment in a child’s life. I still treasure the memories of my own grandfather at the Seder, and I feel that it is an honor and privilege for my children to have this experience.
Nothing to do with being spoiled; this is about imbuing our children with proper appreciation for their grandparents.
It’s true that in some ways it is difficult and straining on both the hosts and the guests. Even something you really want can be taxing in some ways.
We greatly appreciate our parents’ generosity in hosting us, and we try to alleviate the stress of having us there by helping out with whatever we can. I happily peel all the vegetables on erev Pesach for the well over twenty people who will be in my mother in law’s house for Yom Tov every year, among many other things we do to help. We try to minimize the noise and mess from our children, and we certainly make sure that they clean up after themselves, but no matter what, there will be more noise, more mess, less space and more stress because we are there. I believe my wife’s parents when they say they want us to come; At the same time, I can fargin a little bit of kvetching.
You’re right, I missed the last sentence.
I think you need a new doctor.
In all seriousness, of course it is true that nutritionists know more about nutrition than do doctors. Perhaps there is some set of foods that could prevent MMR (if there is, please let me know) about which doctors are ignorant. What does this have to do with the contention that vaccines cause autism?
I think it is reprehensible and slanderous to assert that the many thousands of doctors who strongly encourage their patients to get vaccinated (including, by the way, ???? ?????? ???? ????, as you know better than I do) are all willing to toss their own souls, along with the lives of their patients, to burn on the altar of the dollar god. This is not like recommending brand name Advil over store brand ibuprofen!
My pediatrician as a child, and nearly all of the many pediatricians I have used for my own children, are frum Yidden whose value for human life renders any dollar amount inconsequential. Are they, too, motivated by money or politics? Or perhaps they are too stupid to figure this all out? Many of them have the highest pedigree you could want a physician to have; do they not understand the issues?
Of course, it never occurred to the anti-vaccine crowd that any doctors (if there are any left) who discourage their patients from vaccinating might be motivated by the prospect of increased need for medical treatment.
They would be horrified and scandalized to hear the integrity of their physician impugned in so brazen a manner. Yet they have no problem painting the entire medical establishment of the developed world in as ugly a hue.
Yekke, even according to those who are of the opinion that opening the soda bottle is a ????? ????????, there is a permissible way of gaining access to the soda (by cutting open the bottle), so if someone opened the bottle in the normal way it is definitely ???? to drink the soda. In such a case, you would not be deriving any benefit from the ?????.
I think many people felt thoroughly inadequate even to discuss this calamity. ???? ??? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???.
Thanks Ubiquitin – I will assume that your sarcasm was meant all in good fun.
First of all, I actually forgot that the gas has a foul odor, so the mistake was not grounded in any shortcoming of learning practical halacha.
Secondly, you seem not to agree that it is a ??????”?. Please elaborate.
In any case, you have not responded to my assertion that the knob would be ???”?.
Of course, the main point was that, my own shortcomings notwithstanding, practical halacha is in fact learned in mainstream Yeshivos. The idea that this is not the case, like so many other slanderous contentions, is often referred to as fact by people who have little or no knowledge of the facts, or worse, who have an ax to grind with a particular Yeshiva or Yeshivos in general.
It is easy to nitpick on any part of a particular system taken out of context of the whole. Only by putting everything in its proper context can justice be done to the Yeshiva system. Needless to say, this is beyond the scope of the CR.
Just remember that there are some pretty intelligent individuals, who care deeply about Ratzon Hashem, running the Yeshivos. At the very least they should be credited with the possibility of having thought through their life’s work.
Yayin, I just want to mention that if there were no issue of sakana it would be assur to shut the gas on Shabbos because of Muktzeh. At best, the knob is ??? ??????? ??????, probably it is ????? ???? ????? ???.
*Based on what I learned at a leading “mainstream Yeshiva” 🙂
What four phone calls?
The Gemara’s terminology is ????? ????? ???, so it would seem to be obligatory, and, of course, this is how it is understood by Shulchan Aruch. It seems to be a ???? ????? (as opposed to a ????, the implication of the Chafetz Chaim’s wording notwithstanding).
Although there is no specific ???? prescribed for one who violates even most ????? ??? ?? ????? (of course, as is well known, ??? and ???? are the exceptions to this rule, as failure to fulfill either of those ????? carries a punishment of ???), it is clearly an ????? to do so (as evidenced by the famous Gemara about ????? ?? ???? ????? and the Yerushalmi regarding failure to fulfill Tzitzis ????? ?????, among many others), since the concept of ????? is simply transgression of the ???? ???. This is clearly true of anything accepted by Halacha as Ratzon Hashem, regardless of its origin.
As long as you don’t offer it as a korban on the bimah you should be ok.
In any case, it would be a clear violation of Lashon Hora.
(Also, based on the OP, the title should be, “List the houses that don’t shovel here.”)
I love politics, and am a staunch conservative Republican. As such, I vehemently disagree with most of President Obama’s policies.
I also have friends on the other side of the political aisle who are equally emphatic in support of those policies. They, too, are B’nei Torah. Some are highly respected Rabbanim and Talmidei Chachamim.
Regardless of what Rush might have you believe, there actually are substantive positions deserving of consideration on both sides. No, President Obama does not hate America; no, he does not want to drive this country into oblivion; yes, he really believes that his policies are beneficial for the country as a whole, and can support his positions with cogent arguments [and no, he would not lose a debate to anyone in the CR, even without his teleprompter].
The important thing here is to realize that the President of the United States deserves our respect (even more than do all people) by virtue of the fact that he holds that office, not just for selfish reasons (hakaras hatov, chillul Hashem, future protection, et al).
There is a machlokes whether or not to pronounce the beracha [with Shem uMalchus] upon seeing the President, but it is universally recognized that he is to be respected.
It happens to be that any time we display disrespect for someone, the message our children get is not one of values (as in, “I disrespect those who are not consistent with my value system” – which would be bad enough), but one of irreverence (as in, “I don’t really need to respect anyone or anything”).
It is especially appalling when people in our community display outright racism and bigotry. These have no place in the heart and mind of a Torah Jew.
As a Rebbe, I don’t understand how it could be said that this discussion does not belong in a classroom; it is critically important for children to learn proper perspectives for life.
I absolutely disallow even the slightest hint of disrespect for any person in my classroom; I wish that my students’ parents would cooperate!
I’m beginning to think that LF is a pen name for 42…
As Nechomah pointed out, there is Kedushas Shevi’is which applies to fruits of the current year.
It is important to note that vegetables are subject to the Issur S’fichin, by which vegetables grown in Eretz Yisrael during Shemitta are categorically prohibited for consumption.
Please discuss with your Rav before peeling another carrot.
As long as you control which pages are displayed on the mobile, it should be fine.
Stick with the photo album of gedolim…
LF, don’t bother.
Sam, I’m sure you mean well; you may even be a highly respected individual whose character would command the respect of all who read your words, if they but knew your identity.
Alas, your persona is unknown to us. We are therefore blissfully unaware of your great stature.
As such, your posts here (as well as in the thread to which you linked) come off as arrogant and condescending, and even borderline narcissistic. This, of course, has the exact opposite effect of your objective – instead of inspiring the masses to teshuva, these posts have fomented feelings of resentment, scorn and outright dislike.
Speaking for myself, I would be happy to be reminded by people in the CR (or anywhere) to refresh my Avodas Hashem; I appreciate that this is probably done with my own best interests at heart.
However, it must be done in such a way that it also has the appearance of having my best interests as its motivation. Otherwise, even the best efforts with the finest intentions will be wasted.
Gevald Geshrigen!
I agree with all of the above.
Yes, it is time to do teshuva. No, we don’t need fellow CRians to remind us of this.
On the other hand, if ????”? ????? ???? gets some sort of ???? from making this obvious point, what’s the big deal?
“Can’t we all just get along?”
As an aside, LF, I apparently misunderstood your OP. I thought that you were making a similar point about waking up from the situation, and that in the little word “Gevald!!!”, you encompassed all that Sam had to say.
What is the meaning of your (rather cryptic) OP?
Like many other ideas, this sounds good until we consider the reality.
My own keriyah is excellent, and I am able to read Hebrew very quickly. I am highly familiar with Aramaic, and I understand and enjoy reading Targum Onkelos, which indeed enhances my understanding of many pesukim.
On a typical week, if I’m in a rush, I can complete shnayim mikra v’echad targum in about an hour for the entire parasha (without Rashi).
I am also a Rebbe in an upper elementary grade; I know my own students, and have done some informal research on the keriyah level of students outside my own community.
The fact is that most students would be overwhelmed with these assignments simply because their keriyah, even if it is accurate, is not as fluent as that of most adults. This means it would take them significantly longer to read even smaller selections. Add to this the fact that they do not understand Hebrew (let alone Aramaic), and nearly all elementary students would quickly become frustrated and fatigued by this task.
I am well aware of the theoretical benefits of such homework, however the reality is that for the vast majority of children these benefits will not be realized at all. Instead, students will waste whatever appetite they have for learning on meaningless and arduous exercises in futility.
If your son is one of the few exceptions, by all means, encourage him to do this – the school, however, must act in the best interests of the most students.
I think you’re right, DY.
Let’s offer incentives for the boys to start more threads, so we can reduce the average age differential.
Who wants to call R’ Rechnitz?
The well known story of Rebbe, Rav Chiya and the garlic is understood by the ????”? as precedent for the ???? that even ?????? ????? ???? ????? so as not to embarrass another person.
Switch shuls if you need to, but by no means humiliate another person – even if he did the wrong thing.
As with most minor annoyances, if you work to develop a positive relationship with this person you will find that these problems won’t bother you nearly as much, and perhaps not at all.
In general, it’s worth noting that the more accepting you are of other people’s bothersome and inconsiderate conduct, the better off you will be. Nobody benefits from tolerance more than its practitioner.
If the owner really didn’t mind, he should have just sold the other guy a hat at half price as the second hat to your first.
The Ramban explains Yaakov’s kissing Rachel with these words:
???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?”? ?? ????? ???”? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?????
The first peshat could be interpreted as referring to the fact that she was ????? ?????, but I think it is more likely that both peshatim are getting at the idea that it was not ??? ????.
Either way, it is dangerous to draw inferences for practical halacha from the narratives in Tanach. As with everything else, if you have a legitimate query about shaking hands with people of the opposite gender, ask your Rav.
PAA –
As I’m sure you know, that ???? is a ????? ???? which is limited to certain circumstances. [Although the view of the ??”? ????”? is not accepted ?????, it is an instructive example as to the limitations of this rule].
In general, the ????’s viewpoint is that ???? ???? ?????? ?????, ???? ??? ???? ??? and ??????? ?? ?????.
Of course, as CA and kapusta point out, it is factually correct.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this.
If, on the other hand, the body of the email would have included language aimed at giving the false impression that some sort of commitment had already been made, that would be outright deception. This has happened to me, in emails, regular mailings and phone solicitations.
Tzedaka organizations, take heed: We will not support this kind of trickery, no matter how worthy the cause.
To quote Rav Shamshon Rephael Hirsch (and many others), “In Judaism, the ends does NOT justify the means.”
Sam, I stand corrected. Don’t know why I thought that – it must be my Rebbe’s fault, as 29 pointed out 🙂
For the record, many meforshim work with the p’shat that three matzos are to correspond with kohen, levi and yisrael, so I’m not sure why one would think it’s wrong.
As far as amirah l’akum, it is in fact true that r’miza is mutar, provided that the Jew derives no direct benefit from the melacha. For this reason, it is permitted to do r’miza to get the light turned off, but not to get it turned on.
In fact, even if there is direct benefit, the reason r’miza is not allowed is not amirah l’akum, but neh’neh m’mleches akum [when done expressly for the benefit of a Jew], which is prohibited even without r’miza.
Hmmm. Do we really suspect our doctors and pediatricians of being “in cahoots with Big Pharma” to the extent that they would deliberately endanger the lives of their patients to perpetuate the vaccine conspiracy?
Or is it that we believe them to be misled, apparently not intelligent enough to research the issues and draw their own conclusions? Or, perhaps, they simply do not care enough to do the research necessary to ensure that they continue to provide excellent care to their patients?
I am not a medical professional, and I do not have the education or time to research the issue of vaccines. Luckily for me, it would be a waste of time, since every single doctor I have ever asked has reacted with great passion about the danger of the anti-vaccine crowd. This includes pediatricians and specialists who are leaders in their respective fields, based not only on wide repute, but on their positions and peer reviews.
For one, Dr. Shanik, who is well known to be a great Tzadik and whose practice is (as far as I know this is still the case) the largest pediatric practice in the state of New Jersey, is a strong advocate of vaccines. Is he out to kill and maim Jewish children?
Come, now, this is ludicrous.