illini07

I can only try:

“Freedom of religion is the freedom to practice your religion, or lack thereof, without government interference.

Freedom from religion, if enforced, is communism.”

That’s a pretty succinct, well-worded explanation.

Joseph:

Thanks for the heads-up, I’ll definitely check it out. My initial thought however, is that the implications of insurance coverage as pertains to a Jewish-owned business is not equivalent to requiring a religion or religious institution to recognize the unions.

Joseph: I have always been a state’s right-ist. I believe strongly in a federal system, where states have wide latitude to adopt social policies. If it fails, one state is harmed and only one state. If it succeeds, others are free to follow suit. It’s what Brandeis called the “laboratory system” of federalism in his dissent in the New State Ice Co. case.

And I’m not aware of any civil unions act that requires any religious institution to recognize such a partnership. That would strike me as patently unconstitutional. If I’m incorrect, I’d greatly appreciate a reference so I can check it out for myself!

Mariner:

In the definitional sense, my inference was absolutely correct. You can’t go and re-define the meaning of the word “record” to fit your argument. You can’t complain he didn’t vote for something when there has not been a vote. As I said, and as most political commentators have recognized, neither candidate will sway from the status quo on support for Israel. It would be FAR too politically costly – it would cost the Republicans their growing frum base, and the Democrats their support from all of the non-frum Jews who still consider Israel an important part of their identity.

As to your final paragraph, then you probably shouldn’t care if blacks have health insurance either, as they have higher HIV infection rates. Furthermore, perhaps Jews should not get health insurance due to their numerous predominantly Jewish diseases. Additionally, your “slippery slope” argument is fallacious at best: a main point of civil marriage is to clearly define and establish legal responsibilities, which animals cannot have. Animals do not have legal standing in this way, and furthermore cannot consent. It is absolutely preposterous to claim that bestiality is the inevitable result of civil unions. It’s the same thing as saying, “well, we gave women the right to vote, so clearly we must give it to toddlers as well.” Hogwash.

Since you were so kind to point out the previous DSM classifications, also remember, that in the not-too-distant past, it was also illegal for blacks and whites to intermarry, and women were considered property.

Zalmy:

Your first post in this thread really hit the nail squarely on the head. It’s exactly what I have been saying for a number of years now. The only problem is, there is no potential to really fix anything when the Charedi community both refuses to admit that it may not always do things correctly, and insists on seeing everything as black-and-white, assur-or-muttar.

Joseph: only semi-seriously. But only because you’re a special case.

Give me a break: I don’t hate Obama. I’m also not convinced that I should vote for him. There is a whole lot of shtus going on in this election cycle, much of it having very little relevance as to who will be the best president/vice president combination. I don’t know if I really think that McCain’s experience would make him any better of a President, and I don’t know if Obama would be able to make any of the significant changes he wants to. Neither will change the country’s stance on Israel, because it would be far too politically costly. The Democratic party enjoys a TON of support from Jews (because more Jews are non-frum than frum, and tend to vote Democrat), and would not risk that base. I think Biden is an infinitely better VP choice than Palin, who has not proved herself (at least to me) as anything but a ploy to create a “battle of the minorities,” and who has ALREADY shown that her ethics are questionable.

In short, no I don’t hate Obama. I also have no idea if I’m going to vote for him. At this point, I’ll vote for anyone that removes the asinine requirement of removing my shoes every time I travel via airplane.

I do find it humorous that the same people who say Obama has no experience and wouldn’t know the first thing about changing things up in the way he proposes are simultaneously hailing Palin as the next coming of the moshiach (pardon the phrase) – as if SHE is going to be a real reformer!

This whole election is based on a lot of stupidity on both ends. It’s turned into a battle of the minorities.

UJM:

How DARE you. How dare you imply that I would either EAT or POST any non-kosher ingredients?

That was a disgusting comment, especially in the month of Elul.

First, you want to use a charcoal grill. While it’s a little more of a patchke, the flavor benefit is enormous. You can buy a Weber grill for probably around $50-75, or higher for the better models (but even the smallest Webers work great).

To light the grill, get a charcoal chimney, which looks like a metal canister with a handle. In the large end, fill it with charcoal, then set it down right-side-up over a wad of newspaper set on fire. Leave the chimney over the newspaper for probably about 20 minutes or so, until the coals are all glowing hot. Then (carefully!) dump the coals into the grill, and spread them as evenly as possible under the cooking area (not necessarily the whole area, the coals should all be close to each other).

Here’s a good recipe to get you started:

Maple Mustard Grilled Chicken:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

3 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs dijon mustard

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp fresh minced garlic (2 – 3 cloves)

6 chicken breasts or thighs, skinless and boneless (works best with boneless thighs)

1) Using a large plastic container with a tightly-fitting cover, combine marinade ingredients, cover and shake well.

2) Add chicken, cover again, and turn container upside down several times to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more (overnight is best).

3) Grill chicken for 10 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately for best flavor.

Serves 6.

B’Teyavon.

Mariner:

And I agree with you. But the fact of the matter is, the internet generally is not limited to 160 characters. If you abbreviate in a text message, that’s fine – but don’t carry that over to emails or internet messages where you have abundant space to write a coherent response.

I have to admit, though I realize that it is partially an effect of the medium which we are using, the posts with extreme grammatical, paragraph, spelling, and typographical errors do irk me. Perhaps I am old fashioned, but in my opinion, we should be treating electronic communication in the same way that we treat other forms of communication. The way you portray yourself through electronic means are indicative of the way you would present yourself in a written document – or at least that’s the attitude I use.

Not to mention that it is extremely difficult to carry on a semi-intelligent conversation when you can’t understand what someone else is trying to say without taking it to a cryptologist.

Zalman:

Nobody is arguing with the first post. The only question is: ok, why are you saying this? What is the chiddush?

Everything is dangerous. I could start a post for every single thing that is dangerous, but you guys probably wouldn’t be too happy about that…

postsemgirl:

Mariner didn’t use any bad words, and apparently the moderator did not think so either. I presume you object to her use of the word “heck.” That is a word that is commonly used to communicate a certain level of frustration/bewildered-ness in lieu of using words that might be considered expletives.

Out of curiosity – how long have you been “post-seminary,” i.e., when did you return from seminary?

I don’t think anyone argues that.

On the other hand, walking on the street can cause harm as well. So can using cell phones, eating hot dogs, drinking liquor, playing sports, sitting in a chair, flipping pages in a book, etc…

What exactly is your point?

A good *starting point*, and I want to stress – starting point – is a book called “To Be A Jew.” It’s particularly good for someone new to practicing Judaism generally (which you seem to be).

Another book, which deals with a very specific aspect of practicing Judaism is called “Guard Your Tongue.” In my humble opinion, it all starts and ends with the words that come out of your mouth – which makes this a particularly instructive book.

There are some more references I can suggest, and I will post them when I have the time.

Until then, only the greatest success in your journey. It is exceptionally inspirational to come across people such as yourself, who have immense strength, faith, and belief.

Have a most wonderful and peaceful shabbos.

it’s really quite silly, as others have pointed out, because so much “Jewish” music has been derived from goyish music.

These are people in it for the power and control. Religion is a power much like political office in its potential for abuse.

Incidentally, I stiill remember in high school a classmate was yelled at for listening to (relatively benign) non-Jewish music during sefira. The student replied “but rebbe, you said this is garbage, not music!”

Willi, I think you’re right on that one. I find texting to be cumbersome and irritating (I much prefer email, an instant message, or a telephone call), but the times that I do text, I make certain not to get into those bad habits. I have gotten emails from younger relatives using the compounded texting form, and I always make it a point to comment on it and make sure they understand that they need to maintain the ability to communicate normally, including proper spelling and grammar.

Will Hill:

It would be disingenuous to suggest that SOME interpretation of halacha and many of our traditions have evolved in light of the contextual and historical backdrop of the times. That’s not necessarily to say that halacha changes, but to suggest that everything in Judaism has remained the same since its inception would be woefully ignorant of reality (and history).

Feif Un:

You and me both…

Well said, squeak. People seem to conveniently forget that there’s no simple dichotomy.

It did for them. For most people, it ends in unhappiness.

UJM:

Chivalry has no basis in Yiddishkeit? What on earth do you call Aishes Chayil? Is there an explicit Torah source for opening the door or walking a girl out of the car? Maybe not. That’s no excuse not to be a gentleman. Going above and beyond never killed anyone, not is it inappropriate.

Also, for the record, such chivalry would actually be considered more CONSERVATIVE. “Liberals,” as you would call them, would more likely be offended by the notion of chivalry as it has connotations of females being the “weaker” gender. But I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your blaming everything on liberal Americans, so by all means…

Think BIG: you make some very good points, and I largely defer to your experience as a teacher (you sound like a good one). There is obviously the right balance to be struck between pushing kids to do their best and acknowledging accomplishment but realizing that one might not ever excel in a certain area. I think we have grown a little too sensitive of self-esteem to the point where we inflate accomplishments so that nobody feels they are sub-par. Self-esteem is important, but take too far this can be dangerous and hinder improvement. Again, a balance that needs to be struck, and the ones teaching our kids are those who are put in the difficult situation of trying to strike that balance. Yishar koach.

Think BIG:

Sure, some subjects are inherently difficult, and may cause frustration to students. But what message does it send to not teach them as a result? That if something is difficult and frustrating, it should be abandoned?

The better view is probably that the students should be pushed harder, and taught better, until they are at a level where they excel and are no longer frustrated. I’m sure reading is often frustrating for young children, but we don’t stop teaching that.

Even if much of the material is re-taught in college, having to deal with the material in high school not only teaches work ethic and forces better study habits and learning skills, but it also sinks in more than you think. I cannot tell you how many times in college I took a class that covered material substantially similar to that which I encountered in high school, and found that I remembered more than I thought. As much as you don’t realize, you absorb knowledge and information even though you think you’ve forgotten it all. It comes back out when you are again confronted with similar material.

Gavra:

I would agree that a “B” is a good grade – it is above average. However, I believe that there is no such thing as setting goals too high. Not to the point where a kid gets in trouble if he/she does not get an A or A+, but every child should feel that they can do better, and push themselves. That is the way you improve – not by accepting what you already have. I thank my wonderful parents constatly for always pushing me and telling me I can do even better than I was (and I was doing pretty well). I hated it at the time, but in the end, they were right and I would not have learned it if not for them. It should be mentioned that all of this is relevant equally, if not moreso, to limudei kodesh.

There may be mature issues discussed here, but I don’t think I have seen any that have been inappropriate for a 13 year old. Kids are more perceptive than people think, and can pick up on issues that adults often think they are oblivious to. The best way to deal with that is to educate and inform them, and speak to them on a mature level (not that this always happens around here).

ujm:

A REAL yirei shomayim pays attention to his own kavanah, and doesn’t worry about what others are wearing. Who are you to decide who is a yirei shomayim based on footwear? I know several people who are true yirei shomayim that don’t wear hats or jackets (with the exception of the shabbos suit) – not because it is inconvenient or uncomfortable for them, but rather because it is what they grew up doing, and have always done.

Do you think HKBH doesn’t know what is going on within the heart of each person? Stop worrying so much about others, and work on yourself.