DaMoshe

I wrote to my state representative a few times urging them not to allow it. Of course, I’m not Ultra-Orthodox like those you are calling out – I’m Modern Orthodox.

Maybe they’re not protesting because they saw Bloomberg get honored by Agudas Yisroel a few years ago while campaigning to legalize it in NY? Maybe they thought the gedolim supported it?

Yes, I posted that 3 months ago 🙂 It’s a few posts up.

The one you posted above sounds vaguely familiar, something I listened to recently. I missed it when you first posted it – Feif Un told me you’d bumped it, and I see it now.

Let me think on it. The only new album I heard recently was the Meir Sherman album you sent me via Feif Un, so I assume it’s on that album.

I haven’t had time recently to listen to new music. B”H work is good and they’re giving me more responsibility, but that means I can’t listen to music at my desk as much, because I have more meetings.

ikno: What kind of school is it? Is it Beis Yaakov type? If it is, then the question must be raised, why are the parents sending her there? There must be a meeting with the parents to discuss the issues, and to tell them how important it is for them to reinforce what is taught in school.

My mother in law actually tried all that natural diet healing stuff. She died from her cancer anyway.

You don’t know why so many are dying from cancer, and frankly, your post is extremely offensive to those who have lost family and/or friends to the terrible disease.

If you’re so sure it works, go open a clinic and start curing people. You’ll be a millionaire in no time. Or, you’ll end up bankrupt from all the lawsuits filed against you when your method fails.

Believing that Rabbis can perform miracles is not so simple – many hold it’s apikorsis. Hashem performs the miracles. A person merely davens and asks Hashem to do it.

Wolf, feminist:

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who enjoys Munchkin around here! I have a group of friends I play it with every few weeks (or other games). In the summer, we play Shabbos afternoon, in the winter, we play Friday nights.

Do you only use the original, or do you have expansions? My friend who introduced me to the game has the original and Munchkin 2. I have the original, Star Munchkin, and the expansion to Star Munchkin (Space Ships).

heretohelp: Lots of things. There are entire blogs dedicated to it!

Sam2: You said it perfectly about HaKatan.

I especially like his line that chassidus is “traditional” Judaism. Chassidus was established, as I’m sure most people here know, by the Baal Shem Tov. It’s been written that he began it when he was 36 years old, which was in the year 1734. So Chassidus is about 279 years old. That’s a far cry from the Judaism which was established at Har Sinai! Additionally, the Baal Shem Tov changed Judaism because he felt the common Jew couldn’t relate to Judaism anymore,because they couldn’t learn Torah very well, so he started a movement to try and bring Jews closer to Hashem in other ways.

It seems to me that the Besht was the one who was changing Judaism to try and “modernize” it for the people of his time. His de-emphasizing Talmud Torah was one of the main reasons the Vilna Gaon opposed chassidus.

Chassidus is anything but traditional Judaism.

interjection: The fact is that Tzahal is made up mostly of Jews (there are a few Arabs and Druze members also), who risk their lives to protect ALL Jews living in Israel – even the ones who throw trash at them, and call them the worst names. R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l once said that he went to daven on Mt. Herzel because he considered it kivrei tzadikim.

The Mi Shebeirach for Tzahal has nothing to do with politics. All it asks is for Hashem to protect these Jews who put their lives on the line to protect others.

Posts like those from HaKatan sicken me.

I live in a Modern Orthodox community which also is home to a right-wing yeshiva and kollel. The yeshiva and the people in the community get along very well. There is a weekly chaburah, people have chavrusos with kollel guys, and there are Shabbos meal invitations sent both ways.

Contrast that with a community I used to live in which also had a yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva told the yeshiva guys that he didn’t trust the kashrus of the community Vaad (made up of the Rabbonim in the community) and they shouldn’t use it. He openly insulted the entire community and said everyone there is a tinok shenishba. Then he wondered why the community didn’t support his yeshiva.

I know which group HaKatan falls into.

One last thing: I read something nice on Yom Kippur. There’s a collection of Divrei Torah that is printed up and given out in my shul every week. I enjoy reading most of it. It happens to contain a small piece from Avi Weiss most of the time, and I usually skip it. On Yom Kippur, someone told me to read it, as it has a nice story. I did read it, and enjoyed the story (although I didn’t necessarily agree with his message). Here’s the story:

One Yom Kippur a congregant of the father of the Hasidic movement Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov entered into the synagogue, prayed for several moments and left.

The rabbi was stunned. The congregant was well known in the community and had finished his prayers in such haste. “Why,” the rabbi asked him, “were you so quick?”

“I’ll tell you,” the man replied. “I felt that the prayer I offered connected to G-d. I sensed deep inside that G-d had heard my requests.”‘

“What did you say, “the Baal Shem Tov asked, “What did you say that made you believe G-d listened?”

“I admitted before the Holy One, blessed, be He, all my sins. I indicated that there were days that I missed prayer, and yes, as a butcher there were times I was not honest in measurements. Looking up to the Ark I said to G-d, “I’ll make a deal with you. If you forgive me, I’ll forgive you for all the pain that too often suffuses the world.”

The Baal Shem Tov looked at the man, embraced him and said. “Naarishe kind – foolish child, you had G-d by the coattails. You could have asked him to forgive the entire Jewish people, indeed the entire world.”

musser zoger: I believe it’s the Rambam who says there will be two parts to the times of Mashiach. In the first part, life will continue as it does today, with one big exception – it will be clear that Hashem is the only God, and everyone will accept that. We’ll have a Beis HaMikdash, and will do avodah, but there will still be a Yetzer HaRah, and we will (likely) still do aveiros. It will be comparable to the times of the 1st Beis HaMikdash (except with no other religions).

After this time comes Acharis HaYamim, which is when it says Hashem will slaughter the Yetzer HaRah and the Malach HaMaves. It seems that the time referenced in the davening is the 2nd time the Rambam mentions.

It really depends on what the standard is, and what the expectations where at the beginning.

If it’s something that is a basic, required halacha (such as hair covering in 99% of cases), it is likely different than something which is a chumrah (such as always wearing tights, or wearing sleeves down to your wrists.)

In any case, when it comes to matters of religion, a Rav should be consulted. If it’s causing tension, it’s helpful if the Rav is knowledgeable in counseling. If not, ask him for a recommendation for a good counselor who is knowledgeable in halacha, as it’s a main part of the tension.

My Rosh Yeshiva, R’ Bender shlita, told me the following when I was engaged (probably not word for word): “Don’t get too caught up in chumros! I once had a talmud who got married, and had an issue. His wife decided to be machmir and always cover her hair even when they were alone in the house, based on the Gemara that says it’s praiseworthy for the walls of a house to never see a woman’s hair. She even covered her hair at night, sleeping in bed. What was the issue? The husband thought his wife’s hair was beautiful, and enjoyed looking at it. Her always covering it bothered him. They came to me for advice, and I told her that being beautiful for your husband and maintaining Shalom Bayis is more important that not allowing your hair to be uncovered when alone with your husband in the house. It’s a bigger zchus to make your husband happy!”

Of course, this applies, as I said, in cases of chumrah, not basic halacha.

The Daily News reported about kapparot yesterday. The had someone from Skver who was talking about the effects of the heat we had this week. It seems close to 2,000 chickens died in their crates because of the heat. When they are left out there without food or water to the point where they are dying, it is pure tzar baalei chaim! Things like this are the reason why I refuse to do kapparot with chickens – I want not part of the aveirah! Until these people clean up their act, we should all be doing it with money.

Are you referring to Silbiger? According to Google, the address is 1769 51st St.

R’ Schlomo Bochner and his staff at Bonei Olam were Hashem’s delivery men to give me and my wife our children.

According to their website, there are now 4,267 children who had Bonei Olam as their delivery people. While we wish nobody had to struggle with infertility, the amazing work Bonei Olam does makes it much easier to handle!

If someone (a non-Jew!) dares to drive a car down the street in some parts of Israel on Shabbos, people scream “SHABBOS!!!” and throw rocks at the car. They claim it’s to protect the kedusha of Shabbos. Yet a non-Jew has no chiyuv to keep Shabbos, and the land doesn’t need the non-Jew to keep it.

The Har HaBayis has kedusha within it, even when the Beis HaMikdash is not built. The Muslims build their mosques there and fill the area with their tumah. The Har HaBayis is holy, and yet we stand by idly while this happens to it! We should be ashamed of ourselves!

I personally have written letters to and spoken to Knessset ministers about the Har HaBayis. I’ve urged them to take control away from the Waqf and return it to Jewish control. I was laughed at.

Burnt Steak: I also know people who went to school with David Draiman, but I don’t know much about his teen years other than what is written on Wikipedia.

It should be noted that he is a strong supporter of Israel, and speaks out strongly against all anti-semitism. There are some celebrities who think it’s “cool” to collect Nazi memorabilia, and he has bashed them for it. The Jewish spark is alive and well in him! Let’s hope it grows further!

No, because any government money you get is a gift. They have no obligation to support you. If you don’t make enough money, either find a second job, have your wife find a job, or cut down on your expenses.

The financial difficulties don’t come from him. Hashem allocates a certain amount of money for you no matter what the government does. If it’s not enough for you, daven for Hashem to give you more.

How about possible answers to “Does this make me look fat?”

Joseph: You don’t know of gedolim who got divorced? R’ Malkiel Kotler wanted a divorce, but his wife wouldn’t take the get.

I believe R’ Shlomo Feivel Schustal got divorced (although he remarried.)

And don’t forget the founder of the Beis Yaakov movement, Sarah Schenirer, was divorced twice!

rebdoniel: you compare yourself to the Sridei Aish, because you think you can’t connect with anyone on an intellectual level? LOL!

When I rented an apartment, we had the mezuzos we inherited from the previous tenant. We had them inspected and found they were kosher but not mehudar at all. The sofer said he’d say 2 of them were kosher b’dieved. We replaced all the mezuzos with mehudar ones.

Shortly after, we bought a house. We got lucky that while a Jewish tenant was taking over our apartment, the landlord wanted to do a lot of work there first, so we were told to take the mezuzos with us. We needed more than what we had in the apartment, so I called my uncle who is a sofer and asked him to get me some. He lives pretty far from me, but luckily, we moved in May, and a co-worker of mine was visiting his in-laws for Pesach, who live near my uncle. He brought them back for me.

It turned out we mis-counted the number we’d need, and were one short. I put up one of the old non-mehudar ones temporarily, and ordered one more mehudar one. When it came, I switched it. I gave the others to a Rav who told me he could use them to give to people sometimes when they needed them quickly.