Gadolhadorah

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  • in reply to: Dont Sell Chassidus #1529542
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    The issue for many is one of the optics of seeing these massive celebrations with their perceived astronomical costs in juxtaposition with pleas for tzedakah by mosdos associated with the same chassidus. The same shekels that pay for the simchas are fungible with funds desperately needed to pay for so many other needs. Some will say the simchas are paid for by wealthy chassidim of the rebbe and absent the Simcha, they wouldn’t give the same funding to the rebbe’s mosdos.

    in reply to: It’s not only a segula, it’s a mitzvah too! #1528168
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    There is no inyan of NOT giving to any tzedakah that links such giving to some segulah….its both the proliferation of such solicitations over the internet and in posters on utility poles, leaflets left in shuls and batei medrahsim etc. AND the questionable use of the names/images of gadolim that are the problems. Calling such skepticism and invocations of need for diligence apikorsus is a mindless claim. Caveat emptor, even with respect to segulos. When you read about some mekubal flying over from EY and marketing segulos and taking appointments in advance for a 5 minute audience (guaranteed by your Visa card) put your hand on your wallet and block the sender on your email.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Then go for the one with the best valuation and growth opportunities and least likelihood of being “Trumped” either in terms of breakup or limits on its business model. …P.S. its also now being called FAAANN, with the extra “N” for Nevidia which is the largest and fastest growing provider of chipsets for mobile devices, AI and VR

    in reply to: Siddur #1528124
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Why is it that in most shuls, there is ONE regular whose voice rises above all others (including the baal tefillah) and somehow manages to have the worst pronunciation and cadence for the ivrit and also manages to mangle the melody of the local nusach. Its the heimeshe version of that great commercial picturing an artic landscape with tens of thousand of identical penguins with ONE having a bubble over its head singing out of tune, “I wanna be ME!!!!”

    in reply to: It’s not only a segula, it’s a mitzvah too! #1528097
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    PY makes a great point with respect to the large number of solicitations for funds in return for segulahs, barachos, special davening etc. which picture a gadol or gadolim as “sponsoring” the effort and promising their personal intercession on behalf of donors, specifically mentioning them in their tefillos at some special time or makom kodesh. In reality, a large percentage of these have been shown to be scams, where the Rav has not personally given informed consent to the solicitation where is name/image is used and in some cases, the Rav’s gabboim have approved the use of the rav’s name/image in return for some “consideration”. Really important to do your diligence before making such contributions. I’m assuming there is such diligence on ads running here on YWN and the other major websites but even those should be scrutinized .

    in reply to: Expectant couple #1528101
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    This seems to be a rather silly debate….do whatever both of you (mother/father) are comfortable with and don’t feel bound by old bubba meisas, “its bad luck,” etc. stories. Most parents will respect the mother’s privacy and be more than happy with “she’s due about the 3rd week of February” or “just before the yom tovim” etc.

    in reply to: Enforcement of gittin in civil court custody cases in New York #1527840
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    The judge in one of these cases was criticized (I think unfairly) forallowing his personal religious beliefs to influence his decision. With the overload of cases on the family and domestic court dockets, Judges (and their law clerks) are unable to invest the time in draftng decisions in the needed detail to explain their legal analysis and rationale for their decision. Failure to provide such robust decisions invites such criticism.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    P.S. Its now FAAAN not FANG…..the publicly traded stock od Google is now called Alphabet (A shares and C shares),

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    What metric are you asking about? As a long-term investment? As a short-term trade?

    in reply to: It’s not only a segula, it’s a mitzvah too! #1527783
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Weather you call it a “segulah”, a “mitzvah”, or whatever, it still comes across as offensive in many advertisements where the solicitation implies the more you give the bigger the “dividend”. If you’ve ever mistakenly tuned in to some religious informercial in the wee hours of the AM where they literally claim a specific percentage “return” on your donation or some miracle healing (aka “healing of one paralyzed leg for X dollars and both for Y dollars”) . Whether promising marriage, children, a job or recovery from illness in return for donations is offensive to many yidden where it would seem that davening with real kavanah would have equal if not greater returns).

    in reply to: Enforcement of gittin in civil court custody cases in New York #1527005
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Joesph and Littleknow are both correct that custody agreements VOLUNTARILY negotiated through a beis din should not be nullified by a civil court any more so than agreements reached via any other alternative dispute resolution procedure outside of a courtroom. However,in most states, a Judge can arbitrarily negate certain provisions of such agremeents if he/she concludes that it is not in the best interest of the minor child, even years later. Total separate, is the really poorly drafted language of some of these anti-Shariah statutes being pushed by the right wing Islamaphobics that could be used as the basis for negating even voluntarily negotiated religious agreements if a state court concludes the parties did not have equal negotiating ability or might have been coerced into accepting such agreemnt from a religious court (evn if stipulated to be volunarily when initially filed with the civil court).

    in reply to: Enforcement of gittin in civil court custody cases in New York #1526728
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    For perhaps the first and last time, I may agree with Joseph. For a number of years, there had been an increase in the number of states which had attempted to recognize religious agreements and practices established in or pursuant to religious court decisions into state law. However in the past 2-3 years, there have been a number of states which have enacted legislation which seeks to restrict any formal recognition of religious court decisions in a thinly veiled reaction to a non-existent threat from Islamic Shariah law. Unfortunately, those same restrictive laws enacted as part of an Islamophobic hysteria also have the unintended effect of limiting recognition of the decisions of a beis din in secular court decisions in those jurisdictions. If the issue goes to SCOTUS, as it seem likely to do given the split in circuit court outcomes, unclear which way the court will go but it may ultimately conclude that state laws cannot “formally” recognize religious court outcomes that may infringe the parties’ exercise of constitutional rights.

    in reply to: Searing meat for cholent #1526045
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Avram…
    If you go to Seven Mile and look for a meat substitute that is readily used in cooking, almost all the options are either tofu or seitan (with one or two almond-based options). You are right that a full variety of whole grains, fruits nuts and vegetables along with seafood are essential but I was focusing on a narrow slice of the menu….items that can directly substiute for beef in chulent and other traditional recipies which rely on red meats.

    in reply to: Is there any food better than an excellent potato kugel? #1525363
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    “Exactly how Sushi is related to Smartphones is beyond me…”

    Its very difficult to order take out sushi on a rotary dial phone……most of the sushi places prefer you order online using their mobile apps

    in reply to: Is there any food better than an excellent potato kugel? #1525213
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    If you search, you will find numerous postings about the supposed virtues of eating the same salty, fatty and starchy foods that were a staple in the Alte Heim only because that kind of junk food was all that poishete yidden of that time could afford. There is no yichus in perpetuating that sort of junk food nor is there any virtue in eating only veggies. The point here is that too many yiddeshe mosdos promote the wrong types of food and wine for “traditions’ sake” and only grudgingly offer more healthy and tasteful alternatives. Because someone can bring down from chazal that there might be some special “hidur Shabbos” associated with eating a small piece of meat (based more on the time when meat was a luxury that was unaffordable weekdays) there is no reason that a Shabbos meal cannot be fish, veggie or even dairy if prepared with a focus on special healthy dishes.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Shopping; You say “if you aren’t working you don’t need one..”
    Among many really naresh comments, this truly is breathtaking….a smartphone is a source of access to information as well as a tool for daily life functions, whether you are frum or otherwise. Most government and commercial functions have either migrated entirely to electronic format or will do some within the next year or two. If you want to live in a cave and revert back to barter trade and isolate yourself and your family from the world, you are certainly free to do so and probably can cobble together tools to bypass the internet but most normal yidden have learned to adhere to Halacha while taking advantage of all the benefits of an electronic world. It has nothing to do with working (although I’m sure there are some that view the “W” word as much of a threat to their neshamas as the internet).

    in reply to: Siddur #1524242
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    If there could be a special “app” for davening on weekdays so that when you walked into a shul, the GPS on your phone would recognize the nusach of the makom and automatically use the AI functionality of the phone to update your siddur to reflect local minhagim. Sadly, no one has yet invented a kosher Shabbos/yom tov phone to use for davening but hope springs eternal that maybe in my lifetime….

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    As a gadol haorah(ah), I can assure you that it is indeed possible to “trust oneself” with respect to using a smartphone for its intended purpose of accessing information without sneaking around and watching pritzus on a 6 inch screen on which I couldn’t distinguish Esther from Haman (even with my reading glasses). Obviously, many other gadolim and askanim concur since they are routinely phtotographed with smartphones in their hands and many chashuve rabbonim now prepare divrei torah that can only be accessed with a web-enabled device. If the Ebeshter didn’t want us using smartphones, Steve Jobs would have been ended up the pioneer of solar-powered shabbos blechs

    in reply to: Is there any food better than an excellent potato kugel? #1524077
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    There are obviously many CR posters who passionately hold that eating anything their bubbah and zeidah didn’t eat in the Alte Heim is like eating chazerfleish and that heatlty foods like tofu, sushi, fresh green salads (with high protein bugs) and fresh salmon (with those cute little worms) are ASSUR along with drinking any wine that couldn’t also be used for intravenous injections for diabetics suffering a glucose deficiency. The more fat, starch, sodium etc. the better and the bigger chelek of olam haboh one earns from eating the stuff.

    in reply to: Searing meat for cholent #1524058
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Rebyiddel….
    Chazal bring down in relation to the obligation of “ushmartem es nafshosechem” that we are not only required to care for ourselves in terms of what and how much we heat, but to “spread the word” about riskylifestyle practices that jeopardize our fundamental well being. Whatever you may believe about the virtues of meat on shabbos, in matters of nutrition, even my Rav tells me to listen to my cardiologist.

    in reply to: Searing meat for cholent #1523894
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Rebyiddel….I’ll be glad to respond to any posting which suggests that the fatty meats used in chulent are somehow preferable to vegetable based proteins, whether tofu, seitan etc. They have much lower fat, sodium, etc. plus essential amino acids and iron. Meat in moderation is great but save it for a great burger or filet versus wasting it on chulent.

    in reply to: Searing meat for cholent #1523412
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Not a vegie or vegan (although one of my kids has gone OTD with respect to meat and most fish)…but definitely trying to minimize my intake for health reasons. I spent yom tov in the UK (sadly not for the chassanah) and it seems that vegetarians are increasing in numbers over there as well….

    in reply to: Learning Before Shavuos #1522781
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    “One who does not learn Torah is not better than animals and has no right to eat meat”

    So thats why all the vegetarians are also am haaratzim …..always wondered about that. Do any CR vegies have a good cheesecake recipe using soy-based cheese??

    in reply to: Searing meat for cholent #1522719
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    For the growing number of yidden who have recognized (with their cardiologist’s advice) the sakanas nefesh derived from fatty meats and are increasing their consumption of tofu an other plant-based proteins, searing the tofu cubes is important but do so after you have first marinated them since searing will make it more difficult for the flavors to penetrate. Another option is to go 50/50 in terms of the mix of real meat and meat substitutes. Either way, marinating first assures better flavor. There are still some traditionalists who insist on having “basar” on Shabbos so throwing in a few shticklach fleish won’t hurt you in moderation.

    in reply to: Siddur #1522600
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Less chumrah…

    ….and on shabbosim and yom tovim you don’t daven or you have a dispensation from your rav to use a special “shabbos-phone” or you look over the shoulder of the guy at the shtender in front fo you and use his old-fashioned hard copy siddur.

    in reply to: Proposing on a first date #1522123
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Assuming the usual Joey trolling its sort of a fill in the punchline…..

    1. Share your secret family recipe for Possum Chulent
    2. Provide her with a daft pre-nuptial agreement whereby you commit to giving her a Get when she turns 16 if she decides to change her mind
    3. Show her the photos of your 2 ex-wives and how happy they are today (albeit having gotten rid of you)….

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Nothing wrong with holding the Trumkopf campaign rallies where he rants on for an hour about how he is the “second coming” politically speaking with all the fawning and adulating boot lickers providing worshipful commentary about how his election was evidence of divine intervention into the American political system. Moving the embassy to Yerushalayim was one of the few things that ALL yidden could unite behind as long overdue However, for all the reasons noted in prior posts, they trashed an otherwise unifying event with their choice of speakers. I guess we just disagree.

    in reply to: Would you let your children listen to non-jewish music? #1521722
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    There is no such thing as “frum” music. With modern computer AI software, you can link the musical fingerprints or audio DNA of portions of just about any nigun to a precursor song with goiyeshe origins. One of the prior posters said it best with regard the Kalever Rebbe, Z’TL endowing an old goiyeshe nigun with kedushah in his adopting of the old nigun.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Benny. I agree with your grammatical musar and will stipulate that R Wolowik runs the 5T Chabad house without assistance of these two galachim. I’ll further stipulate that having goyim and political leaders quote from our Tanach is the norm and also not a concern. My feeling of “awkwardness ” was in the decision to have these two galachim with a long track record of hateful and racist statements on the stage for an event that should have been a great day for EY and the U.S. Instead, it was turned into a political event designed to play to the right wing base of both Trump and Bibi. There are many American evangelical leaders who also are big supporters of EY, Trump supporters but also don’t denigrate yidden and every other religious belief system other than their own. Enough said.

    in reply to: Siddur #1521271
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Benny…..having too many choices offered by the siddur when davening is really hard on my kavanah which itself is already challenged. As to progressive lenses, I’ve been wearing them for years. I got them when I started skiing the more difficult slopes years ago and found it hard to read the smaller signs warning me of “pritzus ahead” while trying to avoid running into a tree.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Uncle Benny…..most yidden don’t consider Xesus as “their savior” or for that matter, their anything. The Rav on the program (Wolowik), along with the two racist evangelical Trumpkopfs (Jeffress and Hagee), runs the local Chabad house in 5T on Long Island near the home of Ambassador Friedman so I’m guessing that’s why he was there. It was awkward that he decided to invoke the same pasuk from tehillim about davening for shalom yerushalayim that 5 minutes earlier had been quoted by the hateful galach Jeffress.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    The split screens were on several cable news networks in the U.S…..you are paranoid if you think some TV producer was “anti-Semitic” for showing the Hamas rioting where 58 were killed real time while the embassy event was ongoing….both were newsworthy but the effect was jarring.

    in reply to: Siddur #1521001
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Benny….to simplify it for you, many siddurim offer parenthetical inserts that are more specific to certain segments of the tzibur….when I pick up one of those siddurim next time, I’ll provide some specific illustrations. Its not driven by what nusach you daven in (e.g. adding vayatzmach purkornei v’korev meschei in kaddish etc.) since a siddur, by definition will be either ashkanaz or sephardeshe

    in reply to: Stop Eurovision song contest next year in Yerushalayim #1520981
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    This type of event is really not the kind of issue that the frum tzibur needs to be wasting time on or calling attention to this or similar events. As someone noted, its an indoor event not parading down a main street in yerushalayim, does not expose others to so called “pritzus” (which I think is a stretch anyway for Eurovision) and otherwise is not the kind of event that warrants creating a further schism with the secular community. Choose your battles strategically.

    in reply to: Siddur #1520958
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Obviously, very personal decision. For me, needs to have the seder of davening for our shul and reasonably large type. I don’t like those that try to accommodate every possible hashkafah with parenthetical notes and adders saying (some Litvish living chutz laaretz add the following on erev purim when it comes out on mitvoch)

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Avi K…

    Prior postings have answered my original question about the appropriateness of the two chief rabbonim participating in the event. Most, not all, feel it was OK. The part that is more troubling is the choice of these two evangelicals with their track record of hateful insulting yidden, Catholics, Muslims, etc. Also, the visuals of Ivanka sitting there smiling on the split screen with the other side of the screen showing bodies be carried away in Gaza was upsetting. While Hamas was clearly the cause, those visuals also made the event somewhat surreal and may create a bid setback for EY in the longer term.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    It was not a “chilul hashem” nor a question of Harog V’al Ya’avor’. They transformed a day that could have been a big victory lap for both Trump and Bibi and instead turned it into some political intern’s version of the campaign event from hell by inviting Trump’s favorite racist galach who makes vile comments about yidden, Mormons etc. to offer “prayers” in Xsus’ s name in front of the two chief rabbonim of EY. Why not simply recognize that EY is a JEWISH state and let an American rav deliver the invocation (but of course that wouldn’t have played well with Trump’s right wing evangelical followers).

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    To CG…

    Then try Reubenshtein’s herring flavored crispy onion rings…they come in “original plain”, “matjes” and “schmaltz” flavors…..much more economical and efficient

    in reply to: Stop Eurovision song contest next year in Yerushalayim #1520445
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Winnie….If the guys with the yellow flags on Eastern Parkway are any indicator, looks like the Eurovision competition will be held on schedule and the world will still be focused next year on the 2018 Republican losses in the mid-term elections and why it wasn’t the Donald’s fault.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    With one exception, I wasn’t bothered and in fact felt it was appropriate for the two rabbonim to be in attendance. BTW, as you can probably sense, I am makeil on many issues that the chumrah crowd finds very offensive. What really did both me bigtime was the decision to import the Evangelical galach from Texas who has a history of racist, islamaphoic and implicitly anti-Semitic remarks which devalue yidden and yiddeshkeit, along with Mormons and other minority faith groups. BTW, he did mention the name of his “moishiach” explicitly whereas he could have offered a less offensive and inclusive prayer. This was really a Trump campaign rally for his right wing base and was orchestrated with that in mind.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Norman’s, HaTov, Vita, Acme and J&J are ok if you are just a poishete yid satisfied with a poishete herring as might be served in your shul’s kiddush for the regular tzibur while the baal simcha has a formal catered luncheon for “friends and family”, If you are a herring aficionado, as I’m sure are most YWN CR readers, than only the best will do such as the fresh product sold at Pomegrante or Russ and dauhgter’s or the Bay View bottled variety available online and only during certain times of the year with overnight shipping. They will provide a complete life story of the particular herring you will be consuming and was niftar for your gastronomical joy.

    in reply to: Stop Eurovision song contest next year in Yerushalayim #1520337
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Apparently, the Eurovision musical competition in 2019 will be held at the King David Hotel in Yerushalayim which the Dan Hotel chain just announced will be renamed the King Donald Hotel in conjunction with this competition and his role in moving the U.S. embassy back to ir hakodesh.

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    I recall a broigas right after the first big memorial event after 9/11 held at Yankee stadium where several big rabbonim who participated in offering prayers with clergy from other faiths were subject to considerable criticism…..so I guess if you do it outside a church in a public venue its ok

    in reply to: Stop Eurovision song contest next year in Yerushalayim #1520263
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Whats the chilul hashem of some goiyeshe/secular contest being held in EY? There are all sorts of sporting competitions, Christian bible competitions, dog shows, etc. that are are NOT items that the heimeshe tzibur really cares about but roughly 60 percent of Israelis do care about. If your not interested, “change the channel” so to say….stay home and listen to the newest album from MBD or Shloime Gavornlik

    in reply to: Posts on Shabbos? #1520239
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    focus on the substance of the message and let the Mods decide what/when gets posted. Do you know for certain that every sefer in the beis medrash or home library that you learn from was not c’v written by someone who might have written it on Shabbos?

    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Most herring is cheap but the species “Herringus Schmaltzus” is on the endangered species list and there are annual catch quotas limiting supplies and increasing prices. There are some commercial efforts at raising the rare schmaltz herrings at fish farms but the results so fare have been mixed and the taam of the farm-raised fish lacks the natural onion taste of the wild-caught variety.

    in reply to: Should EY boycott Ireland? #1520192
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Mentsch1….you have a valid point but at the same time, not clear how to counter this blatant anti-Semitism masked as “anti-Zionism” without pushing back forcefully where it hurts them (jobs, Euros etc.)

    Joey….you may choose as you typically do to view the world through your tunnel vision with a tzinius and kol isha focus and lose sight of the much larger trend in the EU being led by Ireland’s leftists to marginalize and delegitimize EY in the name of “Palestinian suffering”. Most Yidden do care even if this is minor PR issue that serves to feed a much more critical narrative. Also, the competition is in EY next year and I’m certain there will be efforts to shift to another country to “punish” EY, expecially after today’s violence on the Gaza border with dozens killed and hundreds injured (who will be characterized as “martyrs”}

    in reply to: Meshulachim #1519903
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    In the real world, authorized goiyeshe law enforcement personnel from the lowly meter reader, to the policeman, prosecutor and ultimately the justices of the Supreme Court certain do have the authority to adjudicate violations of the law by anyone in their respective jurisdictions. If you have any doubts, ask SMR, Madoff, Dwek or tens of thousands of yidden who have spent quality time at a federal penal institution. If you find that upsetting, don’t violate dina d”malchusa or even better, move to EY so you are more likely to be arrested and judged by yidden for the same crime you committed here in the golden medinah.

    in reply to: Meshulachim #1519528
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    The Innocence Project, the of the nation’s most respected legal aid programs working on behalf of those wrongly convicted, and with one of the most successful track records in obtaining reversals of prior convictions, estimates that as many as 10-12 percent of felony convictions are candidates for reversal based on procedural error or false information presented to the trial court by the prosecution. It may sound like a small percentage but when applied to the millions in prison, it is a lot of people.

    in reply to: If you marry your first cousin #1519520
    Gadolhadorah
    Participant

    Only if she is from West Virginia or Kentucky .

Viewing 50 posts - 4,051 through 4,100 (of 4,898 total)