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.

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….

very nice!!

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?

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?

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

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)

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.

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!

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

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?

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

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…

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

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

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??

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.

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??

???? ????? ????? ???? ??”?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

I stand with coffeeaddict: find someone who has navigated the flames and ask them how they did so. That seems the smartest thing to do.

The source is Rashi Shabbos 81b

I bring seforim along. Last year I read Rav Saadya Geon’s Emunos Vdeos on Tshuvah – it sounds like it would be heavy reading but No, it was fascinating. Its not much – he is very sparing of words, but thats the beauty – you read a thought, then turn it over in your mind as the Chazzan sings and everyone is happy.

Some other candidates are the Rambam on Tshuva, the Beis Hashem of the Mabit on tshuva and so on.

This will make me unpopular for sure, but it seems to me that if the woman is unjustified in asking for a Get, then she is the aggressor and the husband is under no obligation whatsoever to grant her one.

The fact that she is completely determined and committed to ruin the marriage is worthless. She is inflicting harm and that can obligate no one.

If the kids get ruined thereby, it is she who has ruined them. Not him.

(I do fully understand that the husbands best interest is not to have his kids ruined, so he would grant the Get instead. I discuss only who is at fault.)

Again, marriage is no prison. If she cannot hack it, she is entitled to leave. But only if she must. If she wants a divorce because she thinks she can do better or for variety’s sake, she is doing wrong.

She is entitled to petch, lots of them.