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Read “Man’s Search for Meaning”
By Viktor Frankl, a Jewish Psychiatrist that bases it of his experiences in a Concentration Camp.It depends how important or pressing you view the situation to be.
I’m from a large Frum community. Not only did the very Chushiv Ruv who is President of the Vaad HaRabbanim encourage the broader community to go to the DC rally, he encouraged his (Yeshivish) Shul members to go & (actions speak louder than words) he went as well.I don’t know Polish but my Bubble taught me the Soviet Russia version. It’s much shorter than the original & goes like this:
Who knows none?
I know none.
None is our G-d in heaven & on earth.“Zera Abraham” are not the same as a regular Goy.
From what I understand, If they want to convert, they do not have to 1st be turned away. Perhaps the best term is “Honorary Jew” they of course don’t count for a Minyan or any other Jewish ritual but they are more welcomed than other outsiders (at least where I come from).Avira,
It IS normal to hold & deal with Kitniyos. There are products that are helpful & used all year around.
I’m truly confused.
I can teach my (old enough) child about Kosher Dairy
I can teach my child about Kosher Meat
I can teach my child about not eating them together.
But I can’t teach my child that Kitniyos can be used on Pesach but not eaten?
In your example, Chometz is Chometz & has no allowed use on Pesach.
Kitniyos is muttar in many ways on Pesach. So what “sensitivity” is there about not touching it?Avirad,
Why not? I should educate them about Shabbos, Tom Tov, Kashrus,, etc. but not that kitneyos is something that can be owned & used on Pesach but not eaten?
I’m totally missing what the issue is.I was taught Hungarian Jews are superior to Eastern European Jews.
Who was worse the Nazis or the Soviets?
The Nazis sure killed a lot but at least many survivors or survivor’s children ended up as Jews.
While the Soviets so thoroughly stamped out Yiddishkeit that how many generations of Soviet Jews know nothing, will know nothing & have no interest in knowing anything about Yiddishkeit?As my Ruv/Historian says, “When Moshiach comes we’re going to be very surprised whose grave we were Davening at.”
Many of these places weren’t noted as the grave of an important person until centuries later. As rightwriter said about Mordecai and Esther. How can there be such a dispute about them? Iran & Israel are not close. Surely we’d have a strong Mesorah (even without an exact location) whether they were buried in Persia or brought to E”Y for kevurah.Total nonsense! You have some loud mouths that get the attention. If Biden had wanted this war could’ve gone very different from the beginning yet there was instead tremendous support from many in power including many Democrats. I’m not a fan of many democrat policies but let’s also be honest & not demonize all of them either.
My Rebbi in a large OOT community (who started as a
Rebbe in a very OOT community) was a Talmid of R’ SF Mendlowitz & he told us you get married, you learn for a few years, then you go out & teach. Whether larger like Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, etc. or smaller like Memphis, New Orleans, etc. it didn’t matter where, just go teach Torah.A child is not always required to follow his father’s Minhagim.
My Zaidy was not Frum. My father learned in a Litvish Yeshiva so he puts on Tefillin on Chol Hamoed.
I asked my Rabbi about this & he told me where my family is from in Europe there is no chance they wore Tefillin on Chol Hamoed & that I should not.
My father and I have been in Shul together on Ch”H & he wore Tefillin while I did not & it was not an issue at all.AAQ,
We may need something similar to this;
“The 1902 kosher meat boycott was a boycott of New York City kosher butchers on the part of American Jewish women in response to a coordinated increase in price of kosher meat from 12 to 18 cents a pound. This increase was significant enough that many Jewish families could no longer afford to buy meat. The protests, led mainly by immigrant Jewish women on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, though controversial in their often-violent tactics, were largely successful and resulted in the lowering of the price of meat to 14 cents a pound.”B”H I’m so removed from the NY area that my first thought was Bingo played for money usually to raise funds for a Volunteer Fire Department.
There’s a judge in Texas that has a side business that earns him some extra money. He hires illegals in America to sell sombreros at the border to new arrivals.
Gadolhadorah,
It is perfectly rational to believe many concepts in the Gemara were based on their knowledge at the time. Many Jews believe this. However, in the world of the ultras this is Kefira. I’ve heard this many times (with [poor] excuses for things that are obviously wrong) that everything Chazal said is 100% correct no matter how much it’ contradicts what we know today.
This is what happens when instead of appreciating our Chachomim for what they were we elevate them to Malachim/Niveim.This idea of moving millions of Arabs in The West Bank & Gaza to the Palestinian country of Jordan (or elsewhere) is pure nonsense.
What would you say if you were told you the land you live on is being given to Native Americans but don’t worry, we have a similar piece of land & house waiting for you in Calgary Canada. What’s the big deal? It’s also a democracy. They speak English. You can freely practice your religion. No big deal, Boro Park or Calgary same thing.With the backing & support of (the biggest & well-known) Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbanim, Poskim & Askanim I have been lobbying the powers that be in Washington on behalf of Kedushas Yisroel. There is an insidious plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
This will be a gross breach of tsnius. How will our Buchrim be able to shteig when there is pritzus literally in their pockets?
One Rosh Yeshiva said he will ban $20 bills at his Yeshiva.
Another one said he will expel any Talmid who is found with a $20 bill.
With all the PC about minorities I have been suggesting to politicians to replace Harriet Tubman with Tupac Shakur, Bill Cosby or OJ Simpson.My Kehilla B”H is moving in the Frummer direction.
This is very appropriate for Adar. The Ruv (& Posek of note) paskened we should no longer call it “Megillas E.” But stepping up another level of Kedusha we call it “Megillas Mordecai”
Our Ruv has also made changes to the Megillah taking out anything improper. Whether tsnius, mentioning women, Goyim, it’s gone. The beauty is at a regular pace it only takes 15 minutes to read the whole Megillah.Many girls will date a working boy. But they will only say yes if he can show he has at least $2 million dollars in the bank.
It looks like perpetual candidate H.T. is off his psych meds again.
Menachem Shmei,
I’m not talking as an outsider about a secular approach to who wrote the Torah.
I’m discussing the historical narrative of Chasidism based on how it was created & structured. Jews (inc. Chasidim) don’t live in a bubble. Chasidism didn’t start when it did by random chance. The world entered the “Modern Era” around 1,700. 2 factors were at play. The “Enlightenment” which questioned everything about the world including religion & “Emancipation” Jews lived in forced Kehillas were they were told how to live & how to practice. These 2 issues rocked the Jewish world to its core. The question was how to deal with this new world? Various methods developed. For instance “Reform” Judaism. In order to fit into this new & modern era we literally need to REFORM how Judaism is practiced.
Another modern movement was “Chasidism” It’s not a “coincidence” when it started. It was a direct reaction to what was going on in this new world. (Almost all) Chasidic sects existed based on 2 principles. 1. With the pull of the new ideas it’s not enough to be Jewish, to survive you need to be “Super” Jewish. Everything is taken to the next level to keep Jews from getting near any modernization. This dealt with Enlightenment. 2. Emancipation, where Jews were no longer forced to live as part of a real Kehilla that had the power to fine you, jail you, tax you, & tell you how to practice Judaism. Chasidism is a direct response to Emancipation by (re)creating the Kehilla albeit with less power & on a volunteer basis (which actually makes members more loyal). This model worked by have an all powerful (in the sect) Rebbe who can navigate the waters of modernization as one unified group. Take a govt decree, how can an individual fight them? They can’t. But if a Rebbe tells his thousands of followers not to do it there’s nothing much the govt (before Stalin) could do. This almost militaristic passive resistance is what enabled Chasidism to flourishing & attract many new members. This ONLY works when there is a Rebbe controlling & guiding his followers.
I understand your special relationship with a Rebbe which you feel is above the natural world & that’s fine. But at the same time we live in this world & I stand by the reality that “There is no such thing as a Chosid without a Rebbe”Menachem Shomrei,
I’m not gonna write the history. I’m just gonna let you in on a (perhaps painful) secret.
We are not so different or special than any other groups in many areas.
I think everyone agrees we can look at 250 years of the US or 250 years of the Amish in America & see it’s history, society, customs, decisions & motivations but for some reason to many of us think we’re so “special” that Chasidism is above all these things. Well guess what? We’re not.Lostspark & Arso,
You need to understand the organization of a Chasidus. In Eastern Europe (& elsewhere) Jews have always lived in groups that had the “In” group & the “Out” group. This was part of the outside world as well with a hierarchy. There were even different sets of laws based on position in life. For example, if a peasant killed a noble they’d be put to death but if a noble killed a peasant they’d have to pay the family $5,000. So here you have a new form of Judaism that says if you (& it was voluntary) join this group & are not the Rebbe than you (learned or not, rich or poor) were equal to everyone else that wasn’t the Rebbe. In the world of Eastern Europe this was huge. But as you see it only works if there’s a Rebbe who is the “In” group making everyone else the “Out” group.
Also, while not necessarily the plan of the early Chasidic leaders, the different sects developed into top down authoritarian orgs. This is most important in keeping a cohesive group. The Rebbe says “Give money to this tsedaka.” Everyone does. More important, The Rebbe says, “No one is sending their kids to the new govt public school.” No one does & in that pre-Stalin era there wasn’t much the govt could do. This power of passive resistance only worked because it was a singular cohesive group acting as one.
Bottom line, if you study Chasidic history you clearly see it only works with a Rebbe. There may be splits within a sect like Satmar but that’s different. No Chasid in KJ thinks they can expand the Shul or start a new school without the blessing of the Rebbe.A (Frum Rabbi) history professor has said many times that, “There’s no such thing as a Chasid without a Rebbe.”
Chabad & Breslov may be around but none of their members can be considered “Chasidim” Baked into Chasidism is a Rebbe figure who leads & keeps the followers on the same page.
In the past if the govt enacted & enforced laws banning Chasidic garb what was the response? If the Rebbi said no one is changing no one changed. If the Rebbe said change, everyone changed.
What would happen with Chabads all over America if the govt banned Chabad garb with severe penalties? It would be a disorganized mess. This Rabbi says yes & this Rabbi says no. This Shaliach says no this Shaliach says all I need to do to continue reaching out to Yidden is make small changes? I’ll do it.
The Rabbi is right, “There’s no such thing as a Chasid without a Rebbe.”We should follow the Tzionim concerning Shabbos garb. Blue khaki pants, simple white shirt=no problem with Shatnez.
GadolH,
It was not a compliment. If a regular checker looks at 10 places on a suit he would look at 25. Also, some checking requires opening the clothing so going overboard is not a good thing.Unom,
It’s not a secret just most people have no interest in learning how to check for & identify Shatnez.
Also, there are different kinds of checkers. Where I’m from a Talmud asked the Rosh Yeshiva about a certain “Checker” & his response was, “That checker could find Shatnez in a head of lettuce.” It’s not just competency about Shatnez it’s knowing what & where there could be issues without going overboard & ruining the garment as well.Baltimore is very non-judgemental. There are Shuls that have a range of people ranging from very MO, Yeshivish & Chasidish.
All the Rabbanim (MO, Yeshivish & Chasidish) sit on the one & only Vaad Harabanim. They work together with mutual respect as one for the good of the entire Klal which shows the Kehilla openness, tolerance & Shalom with people who may not dress, look or live like you.The other issue lost to most these days is if you count according to Halacha Jan 1st is 8 days after Dec 25. Some Xtian denominations on Jan 1st celebrate the “Feast of the circumcision of J*s*s”
Lately I’ve noticed the Lubavitch Meshulachim make sure to tell me their sons & daughters are high ranking officers in Tzivos Hashem.
What is so “Obvious”?
When I worked in a kitchen under the Hashgacha of a major respected Kashrus org the Ruv overseeing the site (not a Mashgiach at the location but directing the Mashgiachs) brought in a cake a day or two before Xmas from a Kosher bakery.. It was a white iced cake with red lettering that said Merry Christmas.AA’s were not given a free pass in the 80’s, it was a different time & PC hadn’t fully kicked in.
While you did you research most do not especially in the 80’s. It’s certainly reasonable for a Non-Jew (moreso an AA) to assume a wealthy team owner with 2 very “Jewy” names like “Stein” & “Brenner” is Jewish.
As a frame of reference that it was not only AAs who could get away with this stuff in the 80’s too. The White morning DJ in the Baltimore-Washington area in 1986 when MLK Jr Day became a federal holiday said, “If one Black guy getting killed gets us a day off work we should kill 4 more & take the whole week off.”
His punishment? An apology & 5 day suspension. If he said that today millions would be calling for his execution.. But in the 80’s not so much.I watched their entire video.
All they’re offering is to get you (if you qualify) a “Business” credit cards with an introductory 0% interest rate.
It seems pretty shady you can’t do this on your own but need their “Special connections” in the banking world to have large amounts of credit “pushed through” when it normally wouldn’t be.I don’t understand this.
Why would anyone pay $6,000 to get a loan?
Btw, for only $3,000 you can get $3,000,000 from a Nigerian Prince & you don’t even have to pay anything back.Yserbius,
Very funny (& true)😂😂😂Many Shul coat rooms have rows of hat in all sizes and styles. The best part is they’re free.
Ujm,
If you believe all Goyim live a life without purpose then I have a bridge to sell you. In my lifetime being exposed to many different types of people I can honestly (though sadly) say there are plenty of Goyim that are much better than many Jews I know.Levi365,
Do you honestly believe all Goyim live a life without purpose?
p.s. Not everything your 3rd grade Rebbi told you is true.Sam Klein,
Speak for yourself. In the large community I’m from there is a Chesed league for boys & also for girls. They spend their free time doing various Chesed projects to help out the community.I know that. I was responding to coffee Addict saying about immigration “except during WWII” that during war closing borders is normal, to be expected, & not something you can blame a country for doing. My point was before 1924 even with no (barely any) restrictions on immigration the doors were closed during WWI.
Coffee Addict,
Almost all countries close their borders during wartime. You certainly can’t fault America for it. The massive immigration of Eastern European Jews took place 1880-1920 EXCEPT during WWI.It’s not required but is a very important question when making Shidduchim.
Smerel,
Which part was Antisemitic?Wow! So deep. Can you also figure out an amazing Gematria to really knock our socks off?
Perhaps this is what Chanukah is supposed to be? Why does celebrating this way equal “Yevanim”?
I don’t see many Jews following the basic Mitzvah of lighting one candle each night for a half hour. We praise (actually now it’s assumed) those who add a candle every night & buy beautiful Menorahs to enhance the Mitzvah. So why should the non-lighting celebrations of Chanukah be any different?Advances in vehicle safety over the decades has a lot to do with it.
Seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, structural integrity, etc.My Ruv spoke about this on Shabbos. He said the reason for all these tsaros are men using smartphones (even with a filter) & women’s lack of tsnius.
He also warned about “Chanukah parties” where often men & women end up socializing in close quarters which goes against Halacha.