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  • in reply to: R Soloveichik on girls education #2265822
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I have heard the argument that teaching a girl Torah is like teaching tiflus because it teaches them to be sophisticated and crafty. Today’s girls are reading everything else, and are crafty enough. Learning Torah will only help them. Another argument is that women today are college professors and Supreme Court Justices. If you don’t teach them Torah they will learn their values elsewhere.
    In a nutshell, Yes, clearly the Halacha is against teaching girls Torah. It also dictates that we never do laundry on Friday, only Thursday. (Takanas Ezra) But times have changed and the earlier takanos are recast in a way appropriate to our time.

    in reply to: Chaim Shtinkowitz #2190582
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    thank you!!

    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    UJM – never waste an opportunity for kana’us. Truth to be told, many fine kollel wives support their husband in these companies, and are yereios vshleimos. While I do appreciate the need to bash others, I must stand up for these ovdei Hashem.

    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    No, these days the girls are working in govt. offices, accounting offices (the Big Five accounting firms are aggressively recruiting Beis Yaakov girls) and so on. Matrix is still running, but its only one place, and there are thousands of girls. The pay is also twice as much, or more, at these other big firms.

    in reply to: I personally view ben gvirs rise concerning #2116012
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Guys, get real. Ben Gvir is popular because of one reason only, and don’t be misled. Its the same reason Trump was popular: he does not lie. He does what he says, and he speaks his truth. The rest of the politicians – Israeli or American, frum or frei – are all lying through their teeth. Anything they say is useless. Thats what people see in him.

    in reply to: Humor in Torah #2106265
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    “Was it for lack of graves in Egypt that you brought us here, Moshe?” This was klal yisroel’s (black) joke to Moshe at the Yam Suf. From here we learn that Jews always joke, even in the face of death. – Rav Hirsch z”l
    In our Yom Kippur daavening we say that Hashem agrees to accept our sins like korbanos if we do teshuva, then we tell Hashem “Our korbanos of this type are endlesss….”

    in reply to: Experience with Reb Chaim kanievsky. #2070855
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I went to see him with someone who was in the process of divorce. His grandson was trying to hurry people along, but Rav Chaim stopped everything to talk to this person, taking the man’s hand in both of his, and asking, “Is there nothing left to try? Can you maybe save the marriage?”. He talked to him for several minutes, expressing his concern. He was like a father, he cared so deeply. And he had never met the man before in his life….

    in reply to: Frum Website? #1993701
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I’m trying to do one – its called frumskills

    in reply to: Here we go again! #1960444
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    either that, or realize that the Israeli public informed the politicians four times already about the true composition of the country. Its time that politicians accept the facts and realize that the country is divided and that neither side has the clear majority and that we need to meet in the middle. We need to make it work somehow. If the politicians think they are not up for the job, they can leave. The failure is a failure on the part of the politicians, and they need to be called out on it. This is getting really foolish.

    in reply to: A basic Torah Hashkafa unknown to some. #1874285
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Calm down. Lots of things are horrible. People deny Hashem altogether, which, I wager, is worse than mishkav zchor. Do you then also foam at the mouth when you see an atheist? And a mechallel Shabbos? Cheating in business is called an abomination in the Torah. Look around you in shul…

    I put it to you that its not the Torah values that animate you at all, but homophobia. And pretending to be pious when being nothing more than a bigot is a Torah value unknown to me, I hope it remains so.

    edited

    in reply to: How was Daf Yomi studied originally? #1867824
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote in a letter, (printed in a sefer zikaron put out by the Yeshiva of Staten Island) that every city had a chevrra shas, where the custom was to learn a daf a day. Not everyone was up for it, of course, many learn mishnayos, halachos or said tehillim. But there were those who learned gemara, obviously the upper echelon.
    Rabbi Meir Shapiro innovated that in place of each chevra learning a different misechta, let all learn the same thing, so that Jews the world over would have a common topic of discussion and rapport.
    Obviously, this is a far cry from the one-size-fits-all daf yomi being promoted today….

    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I live in that community. Its not true. Most people – I was up and around tonight to shop for pessach necessities – are wearing facemasks. The shuls are closed and shuttered. The streets are empty. The people at the food sale asked us to return to our cars and they schlepped the groceries out to us so that people shouldn’t need to mingle. And there wasn’t a policeman in sight.
    There are radicals, Yes, and they have zero faith in the national health directives, actually closer to the truth would be that they are allergic to any official statement from the govt. They have been fighting the govt. tooth and nail on a number of public issues until now, and humans don’t turn on a dime.
    Of course, they are the visible ones…

    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    very nice!!

    in reply to: Rosh Hashanah Contradictory #1784767
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Perhaps its a day of judgement, for it commemorates Hashem’s commencement of kingship. So we rejoice in His celebration, for that is appropriate, knowing that there in our celebration lies our road to a good judgement. So we rejoice while fearing inwardly.

    in reply to: anti vaxxers are wreaking havoc around the world #1611138
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I’m a definite vaxxer. However it seems to me that the anti-vaxxers are only putting their own children or themselves at risk. If so, how are they different from over-eaters that cause themselves sickness and hospitalizations and early death, yet no one suggests sanctioning them? Why can we not leave people to make their own life decisions? Is this a communist state?

    in reply to: Can I buy an unlocked phone in the US and use it in Israel? #1540433
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Yes, you can. However it will not work with a kosher number, and with some models you need to look carefully at the exact frequencies that the device supports vis a vis the carrier (pelephone, cellcom orange etc.) If its 3G and over, its probably OK.

    in reply to: Goral Hagra #1529602
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    the Goral HaGra is but a spin on an old, universally used custom, quoted in Birkei Yosef (on the side of the shulchan aruch) in Yoreh Deah kuf ayin tes (on the Shulchan Aruch) seif ches. Please look there for a most fascinating discussion. It is hard to believe that being a great person is a condition. Did Rav Aryeh Levine consider himself a great person?

    in reply to: Issurei Hannah #1521925
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Hana’ah is benefit, my friend, not enjoyment. You may enjoy the spectacle to the hilt.

    in reply to: Chilul Hashem #1497691
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I think there are a number of stories where the Chafetz Chaim spoke out and ridiculed specific individuals. One that sticks in my mind is at one of the Kneisa Gedola’s the Chafetz Chaim was making jokes at the expense of a certain public individual called Adam ________ (? – don’t recall the last name offhand. Anyone with the specifics?) and the crowd around him started murmuring “Here the Chafetz Chaim himself is telling Lashon Hara!?” He heard the murmurs and said over the above gemara to explain that not only was this permitted, it was his obligation.
    Lgufo shel inyan, the wording of that gemra is that we publicize chanafim – those who put on a holy front, while wicked within, because of chillul Hashem. Regular reshaim are well known, and will not bring about a chillul Hashem if we leave them alone.

    in reply to: Heter Mayah Rabbonim #1440835
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    The oilam jokes; it used to be that people looked for 100 talmidei chachamim, (as per the Rema, who says that would be an option) but today people make do with 100 rabbanim…

    in reply to: Who is the new leader of Klal Yisrael? #1438943
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    In Israeli Batei midrash they are talking about Rabbi Edelstein. Supposedly Rav Shteinman asked him to take over too

    in reply to: Question I don’t know the answer to :) 🤔 #1424029
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Maybe you don’t really need to understand Hashem? As someone once said “I’m not interested in a G-d I can understand…”

    in reply to: Ponevezh Bans Technology 🚫📱🚫🖥️🚫🥔 #1275688
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Friends, the issue is not internet nor technology. It having computers in a beis medrash. Rav Gershon Edelstein feels that computers do not belong in a beis medrash. That’s all there is to it. (Yes, you can have one at home)

    in reply to: Single vs double hole tzitzit #1225887
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    there is a shita of the baal ha’ittur that tzitzis needs two holes. As you will recall, the gemarah tells us that kesher elyon is deoraysa, because otherwise the tzitzis is unattatched. According to the baal haittur there is a in-and-out even without a knot, which constitutes an attachment regarding shabbos. This is one of the reasons other rishonim argue with the baal haittur. As mentioned, chassidim generally follow this shita and litvaks do not.

    in reply to: Raising funds to print sefer #1220846
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Its not that expensive to publish – google around for people that will publish your sefer and have them do only the parts you cannot – i.e. edit yourself, have a friend proofread and so on. Don’t buy any packages, rather use the services you need. Think in under $5k terms.

    in reply to: Location of Kever Rochel and other kevarim #1204256
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Old yiddishe song, from the mussar Yeshivos in Europe

    in reply to: Location of Kever Rochel and other kevarim #1204254
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    iacisrmma; can you point out that rashi? I recall several pesukim that say “ad hayom” which probably only refer to the day the Torah was written. Such as the law that a fifth of all produce grown in Egypt goes to Paroh…ad hayom!

    in reply to: Fires in Israel #1195941
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Chevra, the crux of the problem here – which you would know if you lived here – are the unceasing and usually powerful winds. The fire travels very quickly, and the terrain is dry from not having any rain on it (there was one small rain) in an entire year. Do the math…

    in reply to: Writing your question to the Rabbis of today #1158496
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    phone book or address site. In israel try b144 dot co dot il

    in reply to: Finding chavrusa #1155365
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    chavrusamatch is very good

    in reply to: traffic tickets and lesser charges but NOT FBI searches #1142852
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    My limited understanding is that entering a plea is not related to emes or sheker. It is a strategic move, no more, no less. The court is not a place where emes or sheker matter much, procedural rules are far more pertinent. The things one says in court are not meant to represent truth, and therefore its like playing poker – would one need to represent the truth there?

    Would someone actually advise a person to say the truth and run a strong risk of being put behind bars for ten years instead of copping a plea and paying 10K?

    in reply to: Does anyone know if there is such a statement….? #1195185
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    the phrase is “halkevai osi azvi vtorosi tishmoru”

    ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ??????

    ???? ???? ???, ?????, ???? ?:

    The phrase is open to a few explanations, no?

    in reply to: If you do not have s'micha, can you advertise yourself as "Rabbi"? #1134218
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    The Chafetz Chaim wrote the Mishna Berura without smicha. Is he a Rabbi?

    in reply to: What is forgiveness? #1100266
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Syag, you write: “lebidik yankel – I am able to accept those two points as being true simultaneously. I am not sure I agree with you that he harmed me, NOT Hashem. Maybe he ALSO harmed me, maybe he used his bechira to harm me, but Hashem would have protected me if it wasn’t good for me.”

    That seems to be a contradiction; if it can be true that Hashem controls all yet also true that humans can ultimately determine another’s harm or good, then there is no need to add that Hashem would have protected you.

    Let me put it in a silly way; there is a pair of glasses where each glass shows something else. From the view of glass one, your friend has caused you harm, entirely on his own. (And darn needs mechila!) From the glass two pane, we see that ain od milvado.

    And these two views are correct. Both, not either-or.

    in reply to: What is forgiveness? #1100258
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Syag, there is a tension between two rival points of thought here, as is often the case. One says all is from Hashem, the other says that so and so has caused you harm. Both are true, at one and the same time. I know that sounds impossible.

    As a point of reference see the Ramban Devarim ch. 20 who lays out the contradiction quite elegantly, and assigns one approach to the kohen and the other to the police.

    The gist of this all is that Yes, your friend needs forgiveness, for he has harmed you, not Hashem…

    in reply to: Matisyahu Concert appearance cancelled due to bds movement #1096187
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    May this force him to take a stand

    in reply to: How to prevent access to wifi on tablet? #1094147
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    There are android apps that password protects specific apps. Such as the browser etc. That ought to be enough. One easy app is applock.

    in reply to: looking for Gemara PDF #1093445
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    yes. http://www.hebrewbooks.org/mishnashas

    Edited to add link. How’s that for a change?

    in reply to: smoking on Tisha Ba'v #1165439
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    the mishna berura says that it is assur – ????:?

    in reply to: Non religious argument against same sex marriage #1089808
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I think there is a very simple non-religious reason against gay marriage;

    Many forms of partnership exists. Think of room-mates, business partners, therapist-patient bonds and so on. They are valid and real. But they are not marriage.

    Marriage is a particular bond between two people. It can incorporate producing children and physical intimacy, or it may not. There are marriages that no longer sustain these, yet are valid marriages.

    Some marriages have no love. Some are marriages based on a particular need or convenience. But if they incorporate certain basic features, they are marriage.

    I propose that marriage has been defined as: a relationship that provides exclusivity – at least on the woman’s part – and carries responsibility for the man, if for supporting the wife, or some other financial arrangement.

    It refers back to the ideal of a woman and man living together, supporting each other and fulfilling each other. Even if the marriage is proposed for a certain time – say the pair intends to marry only for a year, – the frame of reference remains the institution just mentioned.

    And it refers to a man and a woman. Nothing other than that is meant by ‘marriage’. Other relationships are called friendship, love or devotion.

    So in short, the argument against gay marriage is that its not marriage. The word just doesn’t mean that, because it never did.

    in reply to: Would I be Jewish ? Some orthodox say yes some no #1077297
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I am no halachik decisor, and my opinion is just that. There is an old halachik issue about if (old-style) conservative gerus works. Rav Moshe Feinstein considered the conversion valid, others disagreed.

    So we are down to a halachik question that is still open, to the best of my knowledge. Why run with one side of the issue when a simple five minute gerus will put an end to all speculation??

    in reply to: Is smoking marijuana assur? #1062051
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Perhaps assur and muttar depend on the perception that people have; something known to be dangerous is forbidden and something considered harmless is permitted. So if marijuana becomes acceptable it becomes muttar. No different than eating shmaltzy food or living in NYC, which may be subjectively dangerous yet not forbiden.

    in reply to: Almost 30- is it too late for me to even try? #1060426
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I think I have just the girl for you! (If you are female; the boy).

    Honestly however, this question can be solved with a quick call to a matchmaker. They will give you the odds in fifty seconds.

    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Nate, your thinking about Moshe

    in reply to: A real debate about women #1049697
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    It would be a pure pain in the neck to have charedi women MPs: Women charedim have pretty similar goals to men ones. So there isn’t any specific representation needed here. However it would be truly awkward honoring them at events, for them to be in private political meetings with jewish leaders, for them to speak at rallies and so on. So its not useful and only complicates matters.

    So why have them – to make a point??

    in reply to: An Israeli #1042497
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Non Israelis talking here, friends. Those were not chilonim (with the exception of Mr Lapid). They would be mortified to hear themselves described as chilonim. Many daaven three times a day (some with a minyan!) and strictly keep shabbos. They have a learning seder too.

    They just don’t wear a kippah. We call them Mesorati’im

    in reply to: Torah Sources in Support of Kollel #1174987
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    ???? ????? ????? ???? ??”?

    “??? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ??”?, ????, ???? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?? ????, ?? ????? ????? ??????? ?????

    ???????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ??????, ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ?????, ?????? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? [???? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?????, ??? ????? ??????? ???? ??”? ????? ???? ??? ???, ?????? ????? ??”?, ?????? ??”?, ????”? ???? ??”?, ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?????. ??? ????? ??? ???? ??

    ???? ??? ??? ??? ???????? ???, ?????, ??????, ???”? ??? ?? ??? ???. ???, ?????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???, ??? ?????? ?????, ????, ????? ??????? ????”? ????? ??? ?????, ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????????, ?? ?? ?????].

    ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????, ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????”? ???? ??”? ??”? ???”? ???”? ???”? ??? ??? ?? ?? ????, ?????? ????? ?????? ???”? ???”? ????? ?”? ????? ?”? ?”?, ???’, ?? ????? ??”?, ?????? ????”? ?”? ????? ?????? ???? ?????, ???? ???? ???? ???? ????, ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????, ?”? ??? ???? ???? ?????, ??????? ?????? ????, ????? ?? ?? ?????, ?”? ?????? ????? ?”? ?????, ??? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????, ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ??????, ?????”? ?”? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?”?, ??”?, ????? ????? ????????? ??????? ????? ?? ???????, ?????? ???? ???’, ??? ?? ?????? ???, ??”? ??? ???, ??????? ??? ??? ????, ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ????, ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ?”?, ????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????, ??? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???????, ????? ????? ???? ????, ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????”.

    ??????? ???? ??”?: ???? ???? ?????? ??? – ???? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? [???? ????? ?????? ?”? ?”? ???? ??? ????”? ??? ???? ???? ?”? ???? ????] ????”? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ????”? ??”? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???’ ??”? ????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????.

    in reply to: does anyone know p'shat in this medrash? #1035073
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    I happened to see the original in the Tanchuma today – the idea is totally different: sukkos is the finish to Yom Kippur, for on Yom Kippur Hashem forgives us but we are not yet friends. That happens on Sukkos.

    Then forgiveness is complete. Hashem says ‘Ok, its a new account from now on’

    So its not discussing the sins of the interim, rather that Sukkos marks the end of the atonement cycle.

    What of the interim sins? Could be that they count towards the new account. Its not the subject at all.

    I understand that the Midrash Rabbah has it a bit differently, that we are too busy to sin. In that case the other ideas expressed here hold.

    in reply to: Is it still a Mitzvah? #1035059
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    Or, to couch your question in other terms, is it like you have a p’tur that you choose not to use, (say its not suitable for a person of your stature to return such an object, yet you do so anyhow) where it seems likely there is a mitzvah, or is it that less than a pruta is worthless junk, and there would be no mitzvah.

    Perhaps the sugya that suggests that a aveda that was a pruta at finding – even if it subsequently became worth less – is still required to be returned, would be a starting point.

    in reply to: does anyone know p'shat in this medrash? #1035072
    lebidik yankel
    Participant

    As Halevi said so well, although no one is denied opportunity for sin should they so desire, the days between yom Kippur and Sukkos are often on a spiritual high, devoted to mitzvos. One starts to sin – serious sin (not lashon harah) – on Sukkos.

Viewing 50 posts - 1 through 50 (of 143 total)