Joseph

brooklyn, The actors use makeup and all sorts of junk to put on a false face.

asdf, how are you so sure?

asdf, don’t forget to. 🙂

jf02,

1. Its not a Jewish midda.

2. Its a mitzvah daraisa for every single Jew to kill Amalek TODAY. The only reason we do not, is since we do not know who they are today.

3. Those terrorists were tortured for good reason, to get useful counter-terrorism information. And every of those bloody murderers one got less than they deserved in any event.

asdf, whats the web address of the Optimum provider you said you use in Ireland?

Hey Charles, you are the exact same age of “Give Me a Break”! What a lucky coincidence! 🙂

nameless, a mamzer is not rejected by Klal Yisroel. It is of no fault of his own for his status. Indeed there are serious restrictions against people punishing or embarrassing a mamzer.

The Gemorah (Sotah 47a) – in a passage deleted by the Christian censors – relates

that the great Tanna, Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Prachia had a disciple with whom he dealt very

harshly. The end result was that the student practiced witchcraft and caused many Jews to

Demanding a certain amount or more than offered is not just chutzpa, it is a sure sign of a faker.

Why would it close the coffee room? There are places that do require real names, and they not only prosper but tend to be much more civil. The old CompuServe comes to mind.

Israel cannot win. Proportionate or disproporionate. No military ”victory” will end the endless violence that has continued from 1948 until today. There are a billion more cocaroaches where these Muslims come from.

Only Tefila can do anything.

asdf, squeak says you are more of a Frankel’s type of guy (in the JetBlue thread.)

Not everything is as it seems. That is what the Rabbonim are for.

brooklyn, having bitachon is not relying upon a nes.

The source for a limitation begins with the Gemara in Avoda Zara (8b) which comments on the Mishna’s statements that during the three days surrounding a gentile holiday one is not permitted to engage in business with a gentile. The Gemara then notes the pagan holidays and includes Starana and Kolandarum which, the Gemara associates with the eight days after, and before Tekufas Teves. The Rambam (Pirush Hamishna) associates these days with the early Christians who, it seems, might have stolen the concept of these holidays and their timing and created a holiday season surrounding Christianity so that the beginning of the secular new year would be associated with Yuska and his birth, adding importance to his existence (See Beis Yosef to Orach Chaim 117 in the name of Rav Dovid Avudraham). According to this position, the entire holiday season, from Christmas eve to New Years, should be a time not to engage in business with Christians.

Yet, the Rashbam (cited in Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah A.Z. 2a) notes that the custom was only to limit business on Christmas and Christmas Eve as these were the only days that had any significance on the calendar. Yet, this speaks to engaging in business.

A source for a prohibited night of Torah study appears in the name of Rav Zalman Zvi Ophauzen (Otzar HaVikuchim, p. 174) who was chastised by a Christian galach during a debate about the “well known” Jewish practice of not studying Torah on Chistmas eve. The Chavos Yair (Mekor Chaim, Orach Chaim, 155) notes a practice not to study Torah on the night of “Holada”.

In Minhagei Yeshurun (cited in Taamei Haminhagim p. 500) it is suggested that the Jewish Battei Medrash were out in the fields. If Jews were to be going to learn on those nights, they would be subjugated to potential attack by the gentiles coming home from midnight mass. To prevent the chaos, Jews were told to stay home. Otzar Minhagei Chassidim (119) puts the same idea in a different light, suggesting that it was the Christians who shut the lights in the homes and Shuls of the Jews not allowing them to study.

The Chasam Sofer (Shut Chasam Sofer, VII:31) quotes his Rebbe, Rav Nosson Adler who felt that it was forbidden to rejoice during the holiday. Therefore, Torah study, which gladdens the heart, cannot be studied. Rav Moshe Feinstein (Iggros Moshe Y.D. III:85) applies the same logic in explaining why schools must remain open during this season. The Chasam Sofer himself argues with his Rebbe and suggests that the Minhag of not learning on this night was to avoid giving power to the Sotan. This idea is advanced in the works of Chassidic Rebbes (Bnei Yisosschar’s Regel Yeshara Erech Yeshu HaNotzree) where the idea of Torah study on this night is associated with Sakanna.

The word Nittel itself probably come from an acronym for Nolad Yeshu Tes Lteives “Yuska was born on the ninth of Teives.” Another possibility the word Nittel etymologically comes from the Loshon Kodesh natal (to have been hanged.) Or it can also be come from the Loshon Kodesh word for “being taken away”.

BTW the reason for the mourning on this day is due to all the Yidden killed on this day in Jewish history.

Someone was once asked to eulogize Theodor Herzl. After a few moments, he came up with three positive traits: Herzl had never spoken while putting on his tefilin, had never thought about Torah matters in unclean places and had never studied Torah on Nitel.

Its a minhug (Mekor Chaim of the Chavas Yair OH:155, Chidushei HaRim in the name of Rav Yonason Eyebushitz ZT”L, quoted in Siach Sarfei Kodesh I:522, and Rav Yaakov Emden ZT”L in Sefer Hisavkus) many Yidden have not to learn Torah on kratsmich (either Dec. 25, or the Orthodox Jan. 6).

It is brought down in the Otzar Minhagei Chasidim that the reason is the xtians would start lynch mobs against the Yidden. Another reasons given (Kovetz Michtavim [Chasam Sofer] bsheim Rav Nosson Adler ZT”L) is that Nitel Nacht is aveilus (same as Tisha Bav) for when Yoshka was born.

Mitzvos can be done, chesed, as well as mundane chores. There are those who used to simply go to sleep early and waking up earlier to learn the next day. This, says the Chasam Sofer (likutim 31) was the custom of the Yeshivos in Hungary.

The Chasam Sofer (likutim 32) writes that they only permitted card playing and other such useless behaviors for those whom card playing is an improvement over what they would be invariably doing otherwise – but Bnei Torah may not waste their time with such things on nitel.

tzippi,

Your sarcasm is misplaced. Our Bubbes is Eretz Mitzrayim had as many children as they did, despite being forced by the evil Egyptians to do mens work. We who B’H don’t have that tzara, have even more reasons to fulfil the obligation of pru u’rvu to the fullest.

charlie, did you lose your sense of humor like qwertyuiop? (he already found it. 🙂

I grada got a very good chuckle from squeak’s comment!

beacon, I think squeak meant guys, and not necessarily ‘bais yaakov boys.’

So asdfghjkl flies Jetblue, uses Optimum Internet, got his sneakers in Modell’s, told us which bakery he likes in flatbush.

Next he’ll tell us what time he davens Shachris by Rabbi Landau’s shul. 🙂

i told you this earlier today (or was it yesterday???)

brooklyn, when your short-term memory starts to go, your age starts to show.

brooklyn19, whod’ya kill now?

YCB,

Its considered passing for brooklyn19.