Redleg

Not all Yogi-isms are really from Yogi.

DY, Yeah, that’s about it. I expect that I’m a good deal older than you so this may not compute for you. They are the literary equivalent of Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Gene Autrey. The bad guys are bad and the good guys always win in the end. Good triumphs over evil, etc.

P.S. In those old TV westerns, you could always tell the good guys from the bad guys because the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys always wore black. A few summers ago I was walking to shul one Shabbos and, as is my custom in the summer, I was wearing a light colored straw hat. One of the little kids along the way asked, “Mr. Redleg, why are you wearing a white hat?” My instant response was,”because I’m a good guy.” Went right over his head.

Ubie, Opposing Israel on the Sinai issue or any other single issue does not constitute abandonment. Yes, the U.S. did threaten sanctions against Israel if they did not withdraw. So? that’s what I was calling ‘tough love”in my original post. The U.S. also opposes a unilateral strike on Iran by Israel and threatened to shoot down any Israeli aircraft that violated U.S. controlled airspace in Iraq while at the same time supplying Israel with the latest weapons and training, not to mention billions in aid,valuable defense contracts and having Israel’s back in the U.N. against almost the whole rest of the world. Does that also constitute abandonment?

Just because you occasionally have to punish your child does’t mean that you’re abandoning him. In many respects the modern State of Israel a child of the U.S. Tough love is still love.

Ubiquitin, The point of seemingly taking the arab side was specifically to show them that they needn’t rely on the Russkis. Also, Ike saw first hand the devastation in Europe qnd didn’t want to put the Russkis in a position that might precipitate global conflict. Two world wars was two too many. Just because the U.S. disagrees with an Israeli position or considers an Israeli action inimical to the U.S. interest that doesn’t constitute abandonment. Any President who put the interests of a foreign country or entity before the interests of the U.S. would justly be called a traitor.

Charlie, “pretty good” doesn’t mean perfect. Yes, his middle east policies leaned more toward the Arabs to Israel’s detriment. But Ike was elected President of the U.S, not President of Israel. His, and every other President’s job is to protect and advance the national interest of the U.S. Remember that was the hight of the Cold War. The object was to mitigate and minimize Soviet influence in the Middle East. If that meant a little tough love for Israel, that’s what had to happen.

American support for Israel has always been a problem for U.S. diplomacy. Any administration has had to walk a tight rope between support of Israel, which is not only popular in the U.S. and has some commercial and strategic value but seems to be a moral imperative to the U.S., and alienating an Arab world that holds 70% of the world’s proven oil reserves and has the spiritual leadership of a billion Muslims. It is to the everlasting credit of the U.S. that, while they may have had differences over the years, America has never abandoned Israel.

Yeah, I had to take the Red Cross course in CPR and the use of the AED for my work. I have to take it every year.

P.S I’m 72 years old so I don’t think I’ll be able to do that stuff on myself

C’mon, indeed. The questioner didn’t ask for the the NY Times review, he/she asked YOUR opinion.

If someone asks you for for your opinion on, say, Sam’s Grocery Store, and you answer to the effect that, “It’s OK but his produce isn’t often as fresh as it might be” that is 1) certainly l’toeles. and 2)unless you know Sam personally and have an issue with him, your only reason for commenting is to give good advice, not to stick it to Sam. That’s purity of purpose.

Note. If, in the example cited above, you had answered “…but the produce isn’t as fresh as Joe’s grocery.” that might have been a problem. Guarding your tongue doesn’t mean that you cannot be honest and objective. It means choosing your words carefully so no one can read into your words anything but what you intended and one recognize his or her motivations and act accordingly.

Mod, two things. Using a pseudonym is not the same as posting anonymously and, clearly, recommending a book or advising that the content of a book might be offensive to some is not only l’toeles, it also meets the Chofetz Chaim’s requirement for purity of purpose, unless, of course, the commenter personally knows the author or the publisher. Blanket condemnations of classes of literature may be offensive but repeating common knowledge does not, in itself, constitute lashon harah. For instance, saying that Bernie Madoff is a thief cannot be l’toeles because he can’t steal anyone’s money any more, but it is common knowledge and therefore not lashon harah.

Look, I have no personal axe to grind here and I will not add my voice to the chorus making snide comments. But one must recognize that just because a comment is rude doesn’t make it assur. IYou mods have absolute authority to edit or delete anything you want but I think the edit of my post was unwarranted

The OP was asking for recommendations. Certainly recommending any particular book or author does not have any negative implications for books and authors not recommended. Also, a comment to the effect that such and such a book may have questionable content is, without question, l’toeles.

EDITED – seriously? Did you read what the Chofetz Chaim says about the criterion for considering something l’toeles? Do you think speaking anonymously in a public forum would be included?

When you speak of young people dying, how young are you talking about? 20 somethings ofr40 somethings?

Every shil and mossad should have and AED and some people trained to use it. Now, most souls have Hatzolo members and the device itslf actually tells (I.E. speaks) how to use it, but note that just having one on the wall is only part of the drill. Please remember to check the battery regularly as recommended in the I.L. that came with the machine.

I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I drink Dos XX

P.S. I’m not that interesting, really.

Wolfie, You’re an example to us all. Folks, that’s the difference between a ba’al nefesh and a “ba’al nefesh”. May you mother’s neshama have an aliyah and may the Almighty dry the tears on every face.

Hey, Old Man! Speaking Previously Heavy Smokers, I was one. I quit 40 years ago and haven’t touched tobacco since, but I’m not bothered by other people smoking. In fact, I’m thinking of taking it up again. What’s it gonna do, kill me in thirty years?

Most the responses on this thread indicate true phobia (irrational fear or loathing). Roaches are relatively clean, don’t carry any disgusting diseases and don’t bite. Why would you be afraid of them or have them gross you out? I wouldn’t want one as a pet although some folks do (if you really want to be grossed out, go to the pet shop and take a look at an Indonesian hissing cockroach. The thing is as big as your hand). If you don’y want them in your house, (and who does?) put out baits, pick ’em up and flush them.

Firstly, I ate squab in a kosher restaurant years ago. secondly, those off-the-street New York pigeons are probably a lot cleaner that the chickens you buy.

edited for specificity.

I often get stuck with some of your posts – should I edit, or should I just delete? Sometimes the “shtuch” is your point, sometimes you may just have a general point to make. Perhaps if you could do me a favor and leave out the “shtuch”; your strong feelings may or may not have basis, but I’m not posting them. -29

To quote a famous American, “You can do more with a kind word and a gun than with just a kind word”.

When I was a young man, the drinking age was 18 and the voting age was 21. The Country was better off

Not sure what SCOTUS actually ruled. Did they rule that all States must ALLOW same-sex marriage or did they rule that all states must RECOGNIZE same-sex marriage. The former seems to me to be extreme judicial overreach. Marriage issues have always been controlled by the States. The latter, however, is more in line with established practice.

While this particular issue is probably of little concern to the readers of this blog, the issue of recognition and reciprocity is of serious concern to observant Jews in a very similar matter. First cousin marriages are not unusual in unsere veldt, particularly in Rebbishe families. Such marriages are illegal in 21 states but recognized universally for instance, First cousin marriages are illegal in Nevada but legal in California. Nevertheless, first cousins who were married in California are still recognized as married in Nevada.

Here’s something to consider, and I say this based on my own experience as a choson all those years ago and the experience of marrying off four children. The wedding day, the chasana, belongs to your parents. You know, the ones who bore you, cared for you, the ones who sat with you when you were sick, who helped you with your homework, who sacrificed to send you to sem. Yes, those parents. The chasana is their day, the reward for their work and sacrifice. You and your choson ( I assume you’re a woman) have the rest of your lives. Don’t fergin your parents one day.

Never mind the Randi test. Let’s look at actuality, not illusion. I think it was Arthur C. Clark who posited that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This begs the question, what can one do with practical Kabalah that cannot be done with modern technology? Fly? I don’t need Sheimos. All I need is an airline ticket ( talk about kevitzas haderech). We can converse face to face with people thousands of miles away. We can travel to the moon, move mountains, cure diseases, even bring the (mostly) dead back to life. Mind you, I’m talking about practical, not spiritual, application.

It’s not offensive if the emphasis is on the last syllable ” re taaard”

Hebrew names spelled in English are still Hebrew names. For instance, the Poster above remarked that her daughter’s “English” name, Abigail, was selected because it starts with the same phoneme as her Hebrew name, Avigayil. Abigail and “Avigayil” are the same name. Her Hebrew name and her “English” name are the same, just spelled in different alphabets. Many people in America have Biblical (I.E. Hebrew) names. Some of them might sound silly to us like Nimrod or Balaam but, nevertheless, they are Hebrew names, just spelled in English. Also note that using a name from the local culture or language in addition to one’s Hebrew name is not a modern phenomenon. The practice goes back to Golus Bavel, for instance, the name Zerubavel isn’t Hebrew. Many of the Chachmei haGemorah had both Hebrew and Aramaic names.

P.S. Phineas is actually Latin for Pinchas.

P.P.S. An alternative to anglicizing Hebrew names is to just use the initials. My name is Alter Yoseif but in English i’m just A.J.

Scolding random strangers is a good way to get a punch in the nose, if not arrested for assault. Anyway, you may have noticed that it’s Elul. Now’s the time to consider your own short-comings, pun intended.

Sam, whether or not Lamedvavniks actually exist or are simply a folk legend, the point of the mashal is still valid. All Jews, even the ones you may think ill of, are to be treated with respect. Hey! you never know.

It seems to me that it is an error to believe that anyone “possesses” Ruach Hakodesh. Ruach Hakodesh is a gift bestowed by the Master of the Universe to whomever, whenever and for whatever reason He so chooses. To state that So and So “has” Ruach Hakodesh implies that that individual is sort of a navi. Something that no longer exists. Everyone of us, whatever our matzav, prays three times a day, six days a week for the Eibishter to share with us His Deiah, Binah, v’Haskel (a pretty good working definition of Ruach Hakodesh). If Ruach Hakodesh is only available to special people, the nusach hatefilla ought to be something like,”make us worthy of receiving… etc. Sometimes, G-d answers those tefilos. Perhaps the better one is at davening, the more likely HaShem is to grant the gift, but it’s never a sure thing and there is an occasional wild card in the form of someone who doesn’t appear to merit such a gift. May the Rebono shel Olam answer our tefilos and grant the gift to us all?