Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I believe I’ve written this before:
In the Mir yeshiva, on Yomim Noraim, they don’t sing anything. When Darchei first started having a minyan for the Yomim Noraim, R’ Bender shlita asked R’ Shmuel Berenbaum zt”l if Darchei (which considers itself an offshoot of Mir) should also not sing. R’ Berenbaum replied that people today need singing to stay involved in the davening – without it, they tend to “space out” and can’t concentrate for the entire time.
This was said for the Yomim Noraim, but perhaps it applies for other times as well?
chareidimolim: that’s an excellent point. Where are the written teshuvos on this issue? Rabbonim have said many, many times that if something wasn’t written down by them as a teshuva, it shouldn’t be taken as a psak by the general public. It may have been a psak for a specific person in a certain circumstance, or it may have been taken out of context. Did R’ Elyashiv zt”l or R’ Chaim Kanievsky shlita ever write a teshuva on the issue?
Don’t know. When I was in Darchei Torah, they almost always sang Kedushah by Shacharis. I don’t remember what they did for Kel Adon. For Hallel, they sang Halelu and Pischu Li.
Such as what?
Last night, I saw a news story that was run by a NY news site on Yom Kippur about kapparos. It showed videos of the chickens being slaughtered, then dumped into garbage bags. The garbage bags sat out in the sun without refrigeration for hours – often overnight. The next day, many of the garbage bags, without even being looked at, were just thrown into the garbage truck when it came to do the regular pickup. The people involved in the kapparos helped the workers get the bags into the truck.
Is this really what we want to be doing? As usual, I did kapparos with money this year. Immediately after, I donated money to tzedakah. Now I know that the money I gave is going straight to tzedakah, and not to line the pockets of some unscrupulous people.
Joseph, look at Igros Moshe, OC 2:113. R’ Moshe answers a questions regarding the Har HaBayis.
The question was raised about why the Shulchan Aruch and the Tur both don’t mention an issur of spitting on the Har HaBayis in modern times. The person who asked gave a possible explanation that the question is irrelevant since nobody is allowed on the Har HaBayis in modern times. R’ Moshe rejects that answer, and says that there are parts where people are allowed to walk. He then gives a different answer regarding the spitting question.
From this, it appears that R’ Moshe held it was allowed to go on the Har HaBayis – indeed, R’ Tendler has said many times that R’ Moshe was well aware of R’ Tendler’s going onto the Har HaBayis, and never attempted to dissuade him from doing so.
There is a video of R’ Tendler on the Har HaBayis, where he comments on a mitzvah he tries to do there – there is a tree growing there, and he breaks off a branch and takes it with him. He says no trees are supposed to be grown on the Har HaBayis, and he therefore tries to minimize the growth there. He said he takes the branch home, and burns it.
Once again, people are our protesting against kapparos, and it’s making the news.
While I think the motives of some (many?) of the protesters are not just about the animals, I (once again) do agree with the message somewhat. As in the past, the way the chickens are handled is appalling. I have no issue with the idea of doing kapparos with chickens, as long as they are treated properly. Leaving them out in the sun, stuffed in crates, without giving them food or water, is not the right way. It’s pure tzar baalei chaim. I truly believe the organizers of these places are doing more harm than good for themselves during the yimei hadin, by doing this mitzvah ha’bah b’aveirah. When they show such disregard for one of Hashem’s creations, why should they expect Hashem to look favorably at them?
I was made aware of another issue this year. A friend of mine went to a place where they use chickens, and told me that they do the shechitah right there. He said that the amount of chickens that are not slaughtered properly, and therefore can’t be eaten by Jews, is far more than it should be. He said almost half the chicken ended up in garbage bags because of it.
Once again, I will be doing kapparos with money. I know that when I donate money to tzedakah, it will all go to the right places – half of it won’t go into the garbage.
Can we please clean up the act of the people running these kapparos areas, and create a kiddush Hashem instead of the horrible chillul Hashem that has been going on for years?
They were likely influenced by the local languages that were spoken. I’ve heard from many people (including Rabbonim) that the Teimanim have the closest to the “true” havarah.
There are things to look at to try and see which are more correct than others. For example, look at the cholem pronunciation. Some pronounce it as “oh”, some (mostly in the yeshiva and chassidish world) use “oy”.
The Gra wrote that the cholem is a combination of a kamatz katan and a shuruk, and is formed with the lips. That would indicate the “oh” sound, as “oy” is formed with the tongue and the top of the mouth.
There are also numerous seforim which point out how to be makpid on pronunciation while saying Shema. They point out the words which end with a yud sound and begin with an “open” sound, such as “mitzvosai asher”, saying that one should pause so the yud sound doesn’t carry over and make “asher” sound like “yashar”. They also mention words which ends with a sound and the next word begins with the same sound, so that you have 2 distinct sounds, and not one which runs from one word to the next. They mention each instance, but do not mention the cholems such as v’lo yihyeh and b’ito yoresh. If they were pronounced as “oy”, these should be on the list of places to be careful!
R’ Henkin zt”l, in Eidus L’Yisrael, says that we should adopt the Sefardic pronunciation of the letters, but not the vowels. R’ Ovadia Yosef zt”l paskened that while one should hear Parshas Zachor in the havarah he/she usually uses in order to be yotzei, anyone can hear it with the Sefardic pronunciation and be yotzei, as it is the “correct” pronunciation.
As for other havaras, there is also the yekke havarah, the Ladino havarah, and I’m sure plenty of others.
I think your thread title is really funny. Yes, good advice will hopefully prevent fighting.
As was written 6 years ago, it can make a difference in texture. A good option is using Smart Balance instead of margarine.
hachareidy hoamity: you are translating sheker hachein incorrectly. It doesn’t mean that beauty isn’t worth anything – especially in a marriage, finding your spouse attractive is extremely important! Rather, it’s saying that a PERSON is not worthy of praise for being beautiful, as it’s not something they did themselves.
People love to quote the Mishna which says the girls used to say that on Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur when they’d come out and dance. They forget that it was said by girls who were not attractive, and were trying to attract a husband. In fact, the same Mishna says that the beautiful girls used to mention their beauty!
Chein is different than physical beauty. To say a husband should ignore physical appearance for the Yiras Hashem his wife has is just ignorant. The Gemara says that a husband should see his wife before they are married to be sure he finds her attractive.
Joe, Congress made it clear that the agreement wouldn’t be binding on a future president – didn’t the Republicans send a letter to Iran stating that to be the case? So everyone is fully aware that another president can back out, and a Republican president probably would.
As for your toothpaste comment, that’s not necessarily true. The US is involved in a huge amount of the business Iran does, whether directly or indirectly. Transactions between Iran and other countries can have problems if banks with branches in the US are involved – the US can freeze the funds. Some other countries will also go along with the US.
You’re wrong about one thing – the agreement won’t pass into law. The president can make agreements, and they are not considered laws. His agreements must comply with the laws of the US. That’s why Congress can stop the deal – they can pass a law which makes the deal illegal. Obama will veto such a bill. Obama has enough support to stop the override of a veto. Whoever is the next president can choose to back out from the deal if they want.
On this site, I see a lot of praise for R’ Chaim Kanievsky and R’ Shteinman. I’ve seen a lot of criticism towards R’ Tendler and other YU Rabbonim.
Did anyone see Lipa’s video? He wants to stop the foolishness of women shaving their hair off. He says in today’s times, where temptation is everywhere, woman should want to appear more beautiful for their husbands. In this week’s parshah, it says a woman with a shaved head is ugly. Why would a woman want to look ugly to her husband?
It depends what kind of law.
I once heard a story about this issue. I believe it was with the Chofetz Chaim, although I’m not 100% sure. A shochet came to the Chofetz Chaim, and told him that he wanted to switch careers. He said the halachos of shechitah were too complex, and he was always nervous about messing up on a small detail. Instead, he said, he wanted to open a business.
The Chofetz Chaim responded, “And you think that the halachos of running a business aren’t complex? Choshen Mishpat is from the most complex halachos! How can you open a business without first knowing Choshen Mishpat? It’s better to stay a shochet – the halachos there are simple compared to running a business!”
If you’re going to undertake something, make sure you know what’s involved first! Yes, there are times in life where you may be pushed into a situation where you don’t know the laws, and you do your best. But you should try to know the laws that are likely to have an impact on your life.
I was once told by my Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Bender shlita, that what is considered beged ish/isha can change based on societal norms. For example, he told me that pants are no longer considered beged ish. It would seem that since it’s normal for men to dye their hair nowadays, it would be allowed.
I miss the Great American Scream Machine…
Matisyahu has had a difficult journey – he became a Baal Teshuva, and sadly, went back off afterward. Yet we still see the Jewish spark within him. We also see that he is proud of it, and stands up for his people. Whatever else he does, I’d say that this is a kiddush Hashem, and will count in his favor in his overall cheshbon.
technical20, search for “Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016”
I don’t particularly care that much for any of the Republican candidates. I’d still vote for any of them over Hillary Clinton, though.
If I had to pick one, I’d probably say Rand Paul, now that he has changed his stance on cutting funding to Israel. He wants to have a much smaller government, a flat tax, and pass legislation requiring a balanced budget. I strongly agree with 2 of those 3 things, am not opposed to the 3rd at all.
Let’s see if the mods will let this through.
no
Mods, if this can’t be posted, I’d appreciate an explanation why.
Loshon Hora/Motzi Shem Ra
If anything, the actions of the school board are despicable. In the past, I’ve tried to post some of the illegal things they’ve done, but the posts weren’t approved. The school board in East Ramapo is a huge Chillul Hashem!
Some more of Trump’s plans (taken from Wikipedia):
Economy: Trump supports pro-growth policies and reduced taxation on U.S. workers and business with reduced regulation to increase economic growth and create opportunity.[131] Trump has proposed a 1-5-10-15 income tax plan in order to simplify the tax code, where incomes of up to $30,000 would pay 1%, incomes of $30,000 to $100,000 would pay 5%, incomes of $100,000 to $1 million would pay 10%, incomes of $1 million and up would pay 15%.[131] Further, his plan would eliminate the inheritance tax, eliminate the corporate tax, lower the capital gains tax, and instead apply a 20% import tariff and a 15% tax on outsourcing to foreign countries.[131] Trump favors stronger trade negotiations with nations such as China, with a more level playing field on trade, to restore American jobs applying tariffs when necessary.[15][39] Trump favors a free market energy policy and opposes cap and trade also called ‘cap and tax’.[15] Trump supports improving America’s infrastructure.[127]
Education: Trump favors school choice and local control for primary and secondary schools. He opposes federally mandated Common Core standards for primary and secondary schools.[15][39] He has called Common Core a disaster that must be ended.[132]
There are also views there on healthcare and foreign policy, but they’re long, so I won’t post them here. You can look them up yourself.
technical, I beg to differ: he has offered a VERY concrete plan on the issue of illegal immigration. He wants to put up a wall. Can you get more concrete than that?
According to Wikipedia, it doesn’t cost anything to get the Tav. There are no “higher” standards either. They just want people to follow the law.
That said, the reports of their mafia-style tactics to try and get people to comply is just wrong. I can’t support an organization like that. But I won’t avoid a restaurant just because it has it.
R’ Willig wrote a great article about YCT and their ilk. Mods, do you allow links to TorahWeb? If yes, here’s the link: http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2015/parsha/rwil_ekev.html
If not, the article is called Trampled Laws, by R’ Willig. I urge you to look it up, it’s a great read!
In most places where you’re searching for parking, it’s illegal to make a U-turn (I believe it’s not allowed in any commercial area.) Therefore, the guy has no right to the parking spot.
Can I give you a letter in Ivrit?
They issued numerous statements that they reject the ordination of women. The very fact that they don’t accept YCT “semicha” as legitimate is also very telling of what their opinion is regarding him.
mw13: Many RCA members DID denounce the statement about R’ Ovadia. You can see the post I wrote at the time here: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/about-the-rca-i-do-shudder/page/4#post-472524
As for Weiss, there actually were many meetings, as well as a special committee, set up to handle the issue. They determined that if they kicked him out, it would likely cause a lawsuit and bring a lot of publicity to the issue. They wanted to avoid that. They don’t allow his students into the RCA, so the thought was that the issue would resolve itself (as it did when Weiss didn’t renew his membership.) The RCA didn’t tolerate his antics – they release many statements opposing things he did. Why do you ignore those statements?
Joseph, how many Satmar chassidim would pass a test on American history? What would happen to their voting power in their area if they lost their right to vote?
He doesn’t teach at Neve anymore. I know some sites say he does, but last year he told my wife he hasn’t been there in about 10 years. I do have his email address, but I’m sorry, I don’t know if he wants it given out. I did a search for it to see if it’s posted online anywhere, and I couldn’t find it.
It’s on the list on the Kof-K website. Do a restaurant search and put in David’s Deli.
The Temple Institute is an organization that is preparing for the arrival of Mashiach. They are preparing the different vessels to use in the Beis HaMikdash, as well as the materials to use in building it. They have received brachos from some major Rabbonim, including R’ Ovadia Yosef zt”l, R’ Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l, the previous Bostoner Rebbe zt”l, and others. Every year before Pesach, they prepare a lamb in case Mashiach comes just before Pesach, and a korbon Pesach is needed. They usually bring it to R’ Chaim Kanievsky to be inspected, and he gives them a brachah and thanks them for the work they do.
Yes, they do hold it is muttar to go on certain areas of the Har HaBayis, with the proper preparations. This is in line with certain Rabbonim who hold that way. It should be noted that R’ Moshe Feinstein, in OC 2:113, seems to hold it was ok to go on the Har HaBayis. The Teshuva addressed a question raised regarding the fact that both the Tur and Shulchan Aruch it makes no mention of an issur to spit on the Har HaBayis in our times (or in their times, I guess.) The question was asked, is this because we are all tamei meis and can’t go there at all? R’ Moshe refutes this, and gives an alternate answer, which does not involve an issur to go on the Har HaBayis at all. R’ Tendler shlita has said numerous times that his father in law, R’ Moshe, never tried to stop him from visiting the Har HaBayis.
If your Rav holds it’s assur, don’t go! But don’t insult those who follow their own Rabbonim who are mattir it.
Joseph, I agree that it’s a formula problem, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters to residents is that the spending will go down. Maybe they should lobby to get the formula changed, and then the attitude of people will change?
As far as infrastructure, it’s not just about electricity and plumbing. I have family in Monsey who complains about the traffic and lack of parking. The roads there weren’t designed to handle large amounts of traffic, or the parking demand. You also aren’t necessarily correct about facilities – I’ve been told that in Monsey, power outages due to storms are much more common than in other areas. This is because the infrastructure was put up extremely quickly. There aren’t always backup systems in place, and the wiring wasn’t necessarily put in as it should have been (i.e. above ground on poles instead of buried, as is commonly done with newer constructions).
Joseph, the question wasn’t what Jews should or should not be doing. The question was why people are opposed to it, and whether they are opposed to Jews in general. I think I answered that, and your questions/points don’t change that answer.
I’ll still address your points.
Regarding growth: yes, growth is a natural turn of events. The issue is with how it’s done. In many cases, Jews will flood an area, and try to elect their own people into office. They’ll then grant any waivers/variances they may need to build up their area. While legally that may be fine, it doesn’t mean it’s smart. The infrastructure needs to be set up first. Natural growth happens slowly, so the infrastructure can be changed to suit the needs. When Jewish communities are built, very often they bypass this step, and try to play catch-up with the infrastructure. That should be changed.
Regarding school funding and taxes: You’re not necessarily correct. Special ed services in public schools are significantly cheaper than in private schools. There is also the issue of state and federal money which is determined by the number of public school students. Having a large number of students in private schools dilutes that pot of funding, because no extra money is given for them.
In Ramapo public schools, in 2008, the average spending per child was $25,748. By 2012, the number was $27,668. You’d think, great, the number actually went up! Not so fast. Remember to take inflation into account, as well as other factors. The better measure is that in 2008, the number was 53% above the state average of spending per student. In 2012, that had dropped to 32% above average. That’s a very significant decrease.
Again, I’m not saying the growth should stop. I’m just explaining why locals oppose it.
Joseph: My first attempt at this wasn’t approved, so I’m going to try again.
When Jews move to an area, they tend to build larger homes and more of them. This is because we tend to have more children, and our communities also tend to draw other Jews there. While this can have a good effect on residents by causing home values to rise, it also changes the character of a place. What was a quiet town, with ample parking and little traffic, can become a busy area. Many residents don’t want that. They like the quiet, not having to search for parking, and little traffic. When Jews move to an area, things don’t stay like that for long.
Due to private Jewish schools opening, and Jewish residents wanting certain services for their children (special ed, busing, etc.), either the taxes would go up, or the funds available to the public schools would get cut. That’s another thing the non-Jewish residents want to avoid.
So do they not want Jews? Possibly. But it’s not anti-semitism. It’s just that they know what it means to have Jews start living there, and what it would do to the area.
Mods, is there a reason my post wasn’t approved?
the beginning was right on, my guess would be the little extra comment toward the end…
Abba_S: Your example of a worker is highly dependent on the job. The rule is “reasonable accommodation”. So in your case, let’s say someone was working on Sundays, but not on Saturdays, because he’s Shomer Shabbos. Now, the store became a lot busier on Saturdays, and less busy on Sundays, so the owner decides to cut staff on Sundays and increase staff on Saturdays. In such a scenario, the worker wouldn’t have a case, because the business need is to work on Saturday. There isn’t a reasonable accommodation.
In this case, if the money isn’t there, they need to cut services. The religious belief for separate busing isn’t a priority for them – separation of church and state and all that. They can try for a reasonable accommodation, but they still need to work within the budget that they have.
Abba_s: For your point D, how would it be violating their civil rights?
Joseph, I think that in the next world they will serve Haagen Daazs ice cream. For those who accept R’ Moshe’s ruling, it is heaven! For those who insult the gaon and refuse to rely on it, it’s the opposite, watching everyone else enjoy it.
Joseph, how is my post “premised wrong”?