Sam2

WIY: You are being unfair and a bit offensive here. She asked a question because she saw something potentially offensive. She didn’t attack anyone or anything. She just wanted an explanation. We believe that HKBH is good and fair and that the Torah is perfect because He is perfect. Thus, nothing in it should be offensive. If there is, the proper thing to do would be to ask how something seemingly offensive makes sense, which is exactly what this person did. We are not the Catholic Church. We don’t attack anyone for asking any questions (with 4 exceptions; see Chagigah 12b, I think). We answer those questions honestly because all of the Torah is D’vash V’chalav Tachas L’shoneich. Thus, when a girl (or a boy, but it’s more common among girls) just learning new things sees something that seems troublesome, we explain the Amittah Shel Torah and they will realize on their own how it is all actually perfect and fair. Responses like yours would make us no different than the Catholics. It is our openness to all questions that has served as a strong proof throughout the years that our religion is correct. You don’t just tell the person asking questions, “learn more”. You actually give the context and answer the question and explain everything. That is the Chiyuv of L’lamed.

People blasting this really need to learn some Shulchan Aruch. Nihugei Aveilus of Sefirah are taken from, guess where, the Halachos of Aveilus. Included in the Halachos are Aveilus is the Halachah that some Aveilus is overriden for a Davar Ha’aveid. Thus, any loss of income (probably) is enough to shave during Sefirah. Certainly the loss of a job is. Look up the Halachos in Yoreh De’ah for the actual nitty-gritties.

While I feel that it was idiotic not to pass this gun law, Obama’s comments afterwards were a clear attempt at subverting the checks and balances that our constitution is based off of.

No scientists say that this world is only 6000 years old. I’m saying that they are billions of light-years away but were only created thousands of years ago. An All-powerful Creator can do things like that, you know.

I once met a person so offended by this question that he declared it “a secular lie devised by scientists to break out Emunah”. He said that we see everything as it happens and that light takes no time to travel. That was a stupid answer.

The simple answer is that old things don’t necessarily go against creationist beliefs. We believe that God created rocks that look like they’re millions of years old. So too He created stars that look like they’re millions or billions of years old. At the time of B’raishis He created it so that their light was only a few thousand light-years from Earth and now we’re seeing them.

DY: By the way, I asked around. Can you provide some sort of source for this alleged statement that Rav Druckman had to meet quotas of a minimum number of people to convert?

DY: You’re right, of course. I forgot that depression was an extrapolation from L’zarez Bim’lachah and not explicit, but it is an extrapolation mentioned in the Poskim. By the way, we are more Machmir on music during Sefirah than the Mechaber is all year round, because we aren’t Meikil on Shiros V’tishbachos. I’m not sure why though. (I also seem to remember the SHM”Bon the Kitzur bring down that if it will reinforce your Emunah it’s Muttar as well.)

Intro to Peirus Hamishnayos, I think.

DY: I don’t know about instruments, but there was definitely dancing. I think YU put a video of it online.

Wolf, Ubiquitin, etc.: Just replace the words “Sinai” with “Arvos Moav” (which everyone, except the Rambam, agrees to). Then the question still stands.

Talmud: In short, he held that it was a Busha to say like the Geonim and that Chas V’shalom that we could forget so much. He says that Pratei Dinim weren’t given to Moshe Rabbeinu. What was given was the text of the Chumash, a few Halachos L’Moshe MiSinai and Peirushim Hamekubalim Misinai, and all of the Klalim (I think if you count them you get like 365 or something). Then it was up to the Chachamim in every generation to Darshan out according to the rules and vote. Thus, the lack of Machlokes before Hillel and Shamai wasn’t due to there being Nevi’im who could Pasken, it was due to the fact that we had a Sanhedrin and thus could reject certain Shittos with finality. Once we lost that, we could no longer resolve disputes as both ways of Darshening are equally valid. Thus, every Machlokes in Drashah is Eilu V’eilu and we lost the way to reject minority Shittos, thus the Mishnah and Gemara and Midrishei Halchah are full of disputes.

DY: I believe the Beis Yosef says that to calm nerves is okay. Check him out in 560. In general, I think the assumption is that we are Meikil during Sefirah on those cases in which the earlier Poskim were Meikel all year round (I think the Shearim Metzuyanim Behalachah on the Kitzur mentions this but I don’t remember for sure). Also, I think the Nitei Gavriel quotes sources that there is a difference between recorded and live music, but I do agree that it is quite a minority opinion. (Then again, he also brings down the even more minority opinion that slow music, which would not inspire dancing, is Muttar Lechatchilah and he brings that down as the normative P’sak. Then again, he’s a Chassidish Posek. Maybe that is normative custom in Chassidic circles and I just don’t know about it; I should probably ask someone about that.)

DY: You could be a “real” Zionist and have a barbecue. 😛

DY: In Eretz Yisrael they have lamb Shawarma a lot because lamb is much cheaper there than in the States.

PBA: I don’t know the YU hock, but I can ask people who do. I have been Zoche to attend the Chagigah a few times (there really is little like it; I always wish that there were Chareidim there so that they can see what Yom Ha’atzma’ut means to religious Zionists and maybe it would help foster a lot of peace and understanding). I know that very few go. Then again, most don’t live in the Heights and it is a pain for them to either stay away from their family/wife all day or go and then come back (for the same reason not all of them attend the Channukah Chagigah). I would guess that a few (Rav Twersky and Rav Yitzchak Cohen come to mind) don’t really hold of Zionism. I think Rav Schachter doesn’t like that both the day is changed and I think he doesn’t hold of dancing during Sefirah. I can ask around, but there are a few Rosh Yeshivah who do attend. It could be because of the girls (even though there is a good Mechitzah). It could be because they’re not so Zionistic. It could be because of the music during Sefirah. Or it could be a combination of those and more reasons.

Apparently Bieber’s manager is a Conservadox Jew or something like that.

TKND: It might be different nowadays because the whole world has been mixed up and a Mara D’asra might no longer exist as a concept, but yes. It is Yuhara to be Machmir in an ostentatious public way against Minhag/P’sak Hamakom and it is Assur to be Meikel in public against Minhag/P’sak Hamakom.

ROB: That’s not at all what the first Ani Ma’amin means. The Rambam did not hold of the Artscroll Chassidishization of Hashgachah Pratis in the slightest.

DaMoshe: Cutting off the Peyos was the least of the crimes committed against the Teimanim. I don’t know or care whether they did it. I actually doubt that they did. Kidnapping babies was the real crime there. In fact, those who harp on the cutting of the Peyos do a massive disservice to the wronged in the Yemenite community.

Ben: And Carolyn Keene

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TKND: Of course not. I said there are very limited cases where Yatza S’charo B’hefsedo because he makes the Torah look like a joke. I’m not saying that this is one of them even. I’m just saying that there’s precedent for such a concept.

The mistreatment of the Yemenites and what was done to them is the blackest stain that the Medinah has on its history. Denying that is denying history. However, that doesn’t turn everyone and everything related to the state into dangerous Mashmidim. No one (at least, no one non-delusional) claims that the state is perfect. Some people just think that we need to be Makir Tov to the RBSO for what we have now because it will eventually lead to the Geulah.

(I’ve quoted this before, but R’ Schachter quotes R’ Herzog who quotes a Ramban that we have a Havtacha from HKBH that we won’t lose Eretz Yisrael three times. Thus, the Medinah is the start of a Jewish sovereignty that will last L’Olam Va’ed. That is why I feel that Yom Ha’atzma’ut is a day on which to give Shevach V’hoda’ah LaHKBH.)

HaLeiVi: Rav Schachter quotes that the airplane is Chotztetz because it’s not Mekabel Tumah because the metals they are made out of are lightweight alloys and aren’t any of the 6 metals mentioned in the Torah (which the Gra says are the only ones that can be Mekabel Tumah).

DY: I think because it doesn’t do anything. I’m not holding more in Taharos so I’ll have to look into it more.

WIY: I have no idea. A poster here gave a name earlier, for whatever that’s worth.

mz: Beitzah 4b

Rebdoniel: You don’t believe in making a Brachah on a minhag? Wow. Who are you to say such a thing? That’s ridiculous. I hope you didn’t make an Al Achilas Matzah at the second Seder either.