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  • in reply to: Everyone Must Answer: Your Favorite Song #1032932

    Shiras Hayam, hands down.

    in reply to: All Children Who Leave Our Community Should Pain Us Equally #947396

    I think the issue here is that even if someone goes OTD, they can still be kind people, lead healthy/productive lives, and be law-abiding citizens. While that’s obviously not the Torah ideal, a successful, charitable irreligious doctor is a lot better person and citizen than a homeless druggie.

    in reply to: Can Eidim Be Mevatel Kiddushin #946262

    If it was done before they became officially shomer mitzvos, I don’t think so, but its a very good question.

    in reply to: Defend Yourself! #947708

    The Gedolim are great in Torah, you’re right. But gadlus in Torah, shteiging abilities, and finding innovative chakiras to explain a machlokes between the Rosh and the Ritva does not translate into political prowess or knowledge of world affairs.

    When Rav Moshe z”tl had a question about the kashrus of certain fish, he asked a scientist to explain the relevant inyanim to him. In ancient Israel, the kohen and the king were two separate figures.

    Once the gedolim start being mekadesh Shem shomayim, I will fully support them and all their decisions. Make no mistake, I respect their Torah learning and halachic decisions, but that doesn’t mean they know best about politics or science ( see slifkin). Rav Moshe understood this. They should too.

    in reply to: UNREAL: Obama Refuses To Call Boston Bombings 'Terror Attack' #946097

    Obama is certainly not the best president this country has ever had, but dissing him on economics is a joke. While Romnsy and many republicans wanted to let Detroit fail, Obama and democrats bailed the auto industry out, and crated thousands of jobs. The stock market has risen thousands of points in the past 4 years.

    4 years ago, Banks collapsed, markets crashed, companies struggled to make payroll, and credit was impossible to get. The Real estate bubble dramatically and completely burst.

    We are not living in paradise yet, but we’re a lot better off now than in 2008. The Dow Jones closed on November 4th 2008 at about 9,600. 4 years later, its hovering around 14,500.

    Shouldn’t Obama’s socialist, wacko economic policies have destroyed the economy and forced the stock market to tumble and fail?! (Insert sarcasm here)

    in reply to: Guaranteed results! #946055

    This violates so many halachic- geneivas da’as, ona’as mamon, and perhaps even sheker. We don’t understand how Hashem works in this world. Saying otherwise is chutzpah. No one can be sure that their tefillos will or should be answered, even if they are said by tzaddikim. The best segulos are sincerity and tears.

    in reply to: Learning with the Yezter #947278

    Be in an environment that is conducive to learning- without music, background noise, or other distractions. A beis midrash or kollel is a great place to learn seriously, and maybe you should get a chavrusa or rebbe to keep you on track.

    When I am hearing kol Torah, and watching people involved in the milchamta d’torah, that usually excited me enough to forget everything else. Torah cannot be adulterated or mixed up with concerns or other thoughts, it must be central and you have to want it.

    in reply to: Contemporary Christain Miracle Stories #946141

    That opinion is rejected in the Gemara- bava Basra 15b.

    in reply to: Defend Yourself! #947703

    The gedolim are certainly great in Torah knowledge. However, that does not mean they know from politics, or public policy. Have they made any big kiddush Hashem lately? All I hear about is them lambasting secular Israelis, yelling at the modern orthodox, and protesting the Internet. Where is the kiddush Shem shomayim in that?

    in reply to: No more college? #947207

    “Basically, everything that’s bad for shidduchim, is good for graduate school

    Great line- and it’s so true!

    in reply to: No more college? #947203

    According to all studies done on the subject, college graduates make way more money than people who have high school degrees. I would stay and finish the degree- while the environment might not be conducive to Torah and spirituality, in the long term, you’ll feel more secure financially, and be able to live w/out worrying as much about money so yu can focus on Torah, mitzvos, and ruchniyus. It’s short term loss for a long term gain.

    in reply to: Atlas Shrugged and the Torah #946462

    “She doesn’t mention it in her interviews”

    So she was smart enough to selectively discuss her philosophy, and only mention the good parts. Shkoyach.

    in reply to: Atlas Shrugged and the Torah #946459

    PBA: too philosophical? I’ll simplify. Rand believed the purpose of existence is to be happy. Therefore, you can do whatever you want, so long as you end up happy notwithstanding the needs or emotions of other people. Oh yeah, and she hated all religion and God. Want any more reasons to disagree with her, from a frum perspective?

    in reply to: Are you a belieber? #945643

    Quite a few musical artists boycott Israel and refuse to perform there because of the “occupation.” Bieber singing in Israel and having the guts to ignore those who distort the truth is actually a pretty big deal. Many famous musicians, from Pink Floyd to Elvis Costello have refused to play in Israel.

    in reply to: Jonathan Swift #945368

    Midas S’som is an excellent analogy to the ‘utopia’ Rand constructed in her ridiculous works. She may have been a fine writer, and definitely convinced many people that she was right. However, it’s clear that anyone who calls themselves frum or God fearing should view her philosophy with disgust.

    She believed knowledge was based on sensory perception(eliminating morality), despised all forms of religion, and believed the highest purpose of man is his own selfish happiness.

    Here’s the money quote: “An individual should exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself.” That’s a disgusting ideology, which will only lead to a culture of selfishness, hedonism, and the abandonment of good deeds.

    in reply to: Jonathan Swift #945362

    my bad, not srufs, I meant legalization of drugs.

    in reply to: Jonathan Swift #945361

    Haifagirl: really? Ayn Rand is (in)famous for her flamboyant atheism and belief in the legalization of srufs. Her philosophy was that moral laws don’t exist and that man’s aim in life is simply happiness, at any cost. It goes without saying she is not a Jewish role model, and her beliefs are antithetical to Torah and basic human decency.

    Gedolim are great in every sense of the word, but ultimately, they are people too. Great people, yes, but people. From the podium at Agudah conventions over the years, many of these gedolim have spent their allotted speaking time not promoting ahavas yisroel, derech eretz, or doing mitzvos, but rather blasting other more modern ideologies, and yelling about the tumah of the Internet. Rav Svei called rabbi dr. Norman Lamm a ‘sonei Hashem’ during one such speech.

    That is Torah I cannot agree with passively. These gedolim need to seriously think about how to best address the needs of klal yisroel. Insulting other ideologies, as well as degrading the soldiers that put their lives on the line for Israel to exist, is not gadlus and not kavod Torah.

    It’s so chutzpadik for us in America to sit here and tell Israelis what to do and how to solve their problems. It’s the same thing Obama does, and he gets hammered by the frum community for sticking his nose in their business.

    Have any of these gedolim or askanim fought to protect yerushalayim, the kosel, and every inch of kedushah that is eretz yisrael? Have they had best friends and siblings die fighting? Have they taken the best years of their lives and dedicated them to protecting other Jews from amalek? No. They don’t know from the tzaros of the Israel, they should stay out of it

    in reply to: PHOTO: Orthodox Jewish Man Covers Himself In Plastic Bag On Plane #945889

    Anti-Semites will have a field day with this one. Does the threat of Chillul Hashem outweigh halachic considerations?

    in reply to: Jonathan Swift #945357

    are there any frum female writers that are well-known in the book world, or write for more wider audiences?

    in reply to: How to tell the Shadchan that the girl's too heavy #946243

    It’s not a terrible reason for rejection- physical carelessness in maintaining good health IS unattractive. It could also lead to serious health problems down the road….

    in reply to: If this is what we've been waiting 2000 years for… #1073674

    The mashal is slightly inaccurate, it misses the part where the queen is exiled and tormented by others, and that she is only really safe in her own palace- even if the king is not there yet. She has to bring him back. We can bring Hashem into the picture, were just not trying hard enough.

    in reply to: Girls' Names #948073

    Why are Yiddish names intrinsically special or holy? I speak and understand yiddish fairly well but it’s definitely not my native tongue. However, I pray and learn in hebrew (and aramaic.) Therefore, hebrew names are a lot more meaningful to me. If I still spoke yiddish as a first language or even learned chumash in yiddish, I would name a future child in it but not speaking yiddish, its absurd.

    in reply to: If this is what we've been waiting 2000 years for… #1073665

    Yes, claiming that all the events surrounding Yom Ha’atzmaut are part of the ischalta d’geulah is troubling. My point though was that your view that the state of Israel is a ‘letdown’, per say, is slightly ungrateful for the reasons I mentioned.

    in reply to: Halocha Question – Violating a Website's Terms of Service #944012

    well i dont know what the status of a website is, but the minhag hamakom on ywn is not to engage in such behaviors. If people do, then they are violating the minhag of this ‘makom,’ Perhaps a website’s terms and conditions are applicable to the dinim of a particular country. in that case, dina d’malchusah dinah.

    in reply to: If this is what we've been waiting 2000 years for… #1073660

    I don’t understand how Popa can disparage modern Israel and zionism so freely and easily. JEwish sovereignty, safety from anti-semitic attacks, and ability to live in peace from violently anti-semitic governments is a big deal. Yeshivas have more students than they ever did, and more people are learning torah today than at any point in history. Many kiruv organizations use trips to Israel to help prospective baalei teshuvah reconnect to their roots.

    We have Yerushalayim in our control for the first time in 2,000 years (most of it). We have control over the kotel. We can walk the streets of Israel safely knowing we won’t suddenly be excommunicated or attacked by goyim. That’s a big deal, and saying it’s disappointing just shows you’re either very ungrateful or ignorant of Jewish history.

    The medina is the “package” of the gift of eretz yisrael. No british govt. can limit immigration, arrest Jews for no reason, or pander to the Arabs. Be grateful.

    in reply to: Israeli flag flown at Ponavez? Why? #945210

    being a chareid ledvar hashem shouldn’t absolve one from hakaras hatov. Ponevezh is alive and well today because of the incredible resurgence of frum life in Israel after the tragedy of the holocaust. Kollel students get stipends, and are allowed to learn Torah in relative peace. There are no pogroms and kosher food is easy to acquire.

    Despite all the complaining, chareidi life in Israel is pretty good compared to life in Europe. Yes, the gedolim in the alte heim are far above today’s rabbis, but we have it pretty good! Be grateful.

    in reply to: Looking for a Yeshiva #977519

    well torah lishmah, I honestly am not sure about how good the limmudei chol are at chofetz chaim, but the bachurim are great, the derech halimmud is solid, the rebbeim are top-notch, and they really teach you how to learn and how to teach so you can go out in klal yisroel and make an impact.

    Judging from your name, if Torah is your only concern, I would definitely go there. However, if college is also a consideration and a family value, maybe consider MTA as sam2 said. Or how about a hebrew academy in montreal, cleveland, new york, etc. Ner Yisroel lets bachurim go to college at night (apparently the R”Y said its okay a while back and thats the way it is).

    in reply to: Prove G-d in One Sentence #959598

    What are the odds that intelligent life could emerge from stars being born and exploding at their deaths? What are the odds that out of complete chaos a complex entity like a human being could be formed? It’s scientifically nearly impossible that the collision of forces that resulted in life could ever have happened or ever happen again. That is enough for me to see that there was a Divine hand guiding this scientific process the whole time- the evolution of life is ingenious and suggests intelligence far beyond blind natural forces.

    But at the end of the day, faith is based on trust and hope. All the logic and rational philosophical arguments in the world pale in comparison to the human experience of revelation from hakadosh baruch hu. The midrash says that even the lowliest shifchah saw more at yam suf than yechezkel ben buzi. If only we could merit to see hashem as clearly as those shifchos and have a relationship with him, rather than the philosophers who thought of God in the abstract and were after intellectual understanding of God and his ways. This approach is not bad, Rambam was even a proponent of it, but far inferior to feeling a personal connection to god.

    in reply to: If this is what we've been waiting 2000 years for… #1073658

    Writersoul is right- access to the kosel pre-’48 was severely limited and absolutely nothing like today. The Arabs frequently rioted, Jews were not allowed to put chairs or a mechitzah in the kosel area, and on Yom Kippur 1930 many Jews were arrested by the british for putting up a mechitzah! Today, we have complete control over the kosel and many other kevarim and important places like Ir David. Be grateful for these gifts, or you may lose them.

    in reply to: Looking for a Yeshiva #977517

    I would definitely suggest looking into chafetz Chaim in queens. It seems exactly like what you’re looking for- good secular studies as well as more emphasis on Gemara and other limudei kodesh.

    in reply to: Cannibalism in North Korea #924773

    avhaben: what’s the nafka minah? The point remains the same- north korea is not a place we should be sending our tax dollars to.

    in reply to: Needs advice #930552

    All I can say is that I sincerely hope that you make up for your sub-par English skills with hasmasdah and chochmah in Torah, and that you are spending time learning Torah rather than grammar. If so, much hatzlachah! If not, work on your grammar, man.

    in reply to: How do you go to bed? #924382

    RebDoniel: Thank you for that clarification. There is an unresolved machlokes in the gemara about whether be’iyun or bekius learning is better. That said, I think there is definitely a lot of merit to your derech halimmud, Shkoyach!

    in reply to: Cannibalism in North Korea #924770

    Purplicious- The U.S. has no official diplomatic relationship or ties with North Korea, and has not had any for a long time- I don’t think there much you can do.

    The despotic, selfish North Korean government brought this on themselves. May Hashem help all the innocent people who are living in poverty and stuck in this terrible country.

Viewing 36 posts - 451 through 486 (of 486 total)