smerel

>>>The “lucky”. His “wins” are due to having stupid opponents that Trump can maneuver into making fools of themselves.

I’m not a major Trump fan but there is just a limit to how little credit you can give someone by blaming their opponents incompetence. Had a guy like John
McCain or Mitt Romney became president and their political heir would be heading the Republican party none of what Trump accomplished would have happened. That is aside for the fact that had Kamala Harris been running against another John McCain or Mitt Romney she very likely would have won the election. What did they ever think of doing that didn’t boil down to Democratic party-lite?

>>>I’ll try to remember that principle when negotiating the purchase of a $500 Calabrian esrog or $50/lb box of hand-made shmurah matzoh.

No comparison to rental prices. If you can’t afford it you can easily do without a $500 esrog (or not buy an esrog altogether and just borrow one) or $50/lb box of hand-made shmurah matzoh (or ask for Kimcha D’Pischa. The Gemara says that Arba Kosos etc. in an exception to the rule of
עֲשֵׂה שַׁבַּתְּךָ חוֹל וְאַל
תִּצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת)
. When someone is living in an apartment with raising rents they do not always have the easy option to just move

>>>Just the opposite. Many gentiles have nothing against Jews and our religion, Judaism.

So now the NK has done away with “Esav Soney L’Yaakov” too. (They used to claim it only applies to the descendants of Esav) Of course the NK are not the first to do this. Most very assimilated anti-Frum groups believe that too. Most Mosrim who collaborated with those looking to kill Jews used the NK logic of by showing them that I/we the “good Jews” they won’t have issue with or bother me/us.

But that is where the comparison stops. Even the Mosrim and collaborators with those looking to kill Jews over the generations generally did not attend and speak at their anti-semitic rallies in an effort to lend support and fire up the crowd about the correctness of their cause. That level of Rishus is unique to the Neturei Karta

>>>If it did benefit, it is not to Trump’s credit. etc.

Wow. This takes being anti-Trump to a whole new level .Even when you think Trump did the right thig you still can not give him credit and say “I thank Hashem for putting the wrong idea in Trump’s head to benefit us,” Next time you wonder why people so blindly follow Trump realize that you have the same mindset. Only you are on the other side. Trump supporters can also brush off anything he did wrong by saying “Hashem put the wrong idea in his head” too

>>>In (very) short, that means that if goyim – chas v’shulem – threaten masses of jews, our kosher responses are: make peace, give gifts, run away, and pray to G-d. What we are not allowed to do is organize an army and physically fight the enemy.

The Ramban in the beginning of the V’Yislach that says (32:4) says it differently. He says by prayer, by giving him a present, and by rescue by methods of WARFARE, and to flee and to be saved. Your haskafa disagree with the Ramban on this. I’ll go with the Ramban.

What about the halachas in Gemora and Shulchan Orech of Akum S’Tzero al Aiyoros ? That also doesn’t fit into your haskafa?

>>>wtsp: so since we have to give thanks to Hashem for the victories that He gave to the Israeli army, are you in favor of saying Hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalaim, as many religious Zionists do?

The question wasn’t asked to me but since it wasn’t answered I will. Saying Hallel needs specific conditions for it to be said. The religous Zionists beleive that those conditions were met on those days. Most other frum people do not. Thanking Hashem when the conditions for saying Hallel have not been met is something that should be every day. Or at least when one sees his hasgacha.

I don’t want to post further on this thread because it does not bring out good in people to continue on these type of “they are so terrible-we hate them” type of threads. I will say that it is going backwards. If the starting point was when do we thank Hashem, did Chazal ever praise Resoyim for their military valor on behalf of Klall Yisroel in a war they should not have gotten involved in (the answer to that is yes) and then applying it to the current situation (whatever your view on Zionism is) things would be more clear.

>>>for your made up speculative “concern” you decided there is a toeles to motzi shem ra on the beis of Jerusalem, headed by the litvish Gadol Rav Moshe Shternbuch shlit”a?

Um.. The point of the V’Yoel Moshe about the Aguda seems to have gone completely over your head. There is a major difference between a reference to the Badatz in the context of it’s function as a Beis Din and the Badatz in it’s function as a political group hanging up paskevilin and calling for demonstrations . The former is a respected group. The latter is just a bunch of baaley batim. As the V’Yoel Moshe says in reference to the Aguda the problem with these type of groups is that the Baaley Batim end up taking over. Rarely is that observation as true as it is about the Satmar affiliated Edah Hachredis.

I will not respond further on this topic

>>>To be clear (if you care to understand anything being discussed here), the leadership of Agudas Yisroel is emphatically a lay leadership with loose ties to the “moetzes”…

You would be hard pressed to find an organization more controlled by laymen than the Satmar affiliated Edah HaChariedis . The lay people in Agudah do not put out Kol Koreys in the name of the moetzes without their knowledge. The Edah HaChareidis does so on a weekly basis. It is alleged that Rav Yisroel Yaakov Fisher the Raavad of the Edah HaChareidis used to say that he reads the pashkevilin on his way home from Mincha to find out what he signed on last night…

>>>In fact, the Chazon Ish himself didn’t think the Zionist “State” would last more than 50 years at most

Wow. It’s been many years since I last heard anyone make that claim. (The claim used to be 40 years) Nowadays most people deny it and point out that there was never any actual verifiable source who claimed to have heard that from him . Those who knew him deny it being the type of thing he would have said. There a simple reason even anti-Zionists no longer claim the CI said it. Had the Chazon Ish really made such an off target prediction it would call his general assessment about the state of Israel into question.

If anything the Chazon Ish said that “Zionism” as the movement was in his time will not last more than 40 years into the state’s existence. There is no evidence that he said that either but at least it is true that in the late 1980s and certainly the late 1990s people were already saying that the Zionist movement of Mapam, Mapai, Makki, Herut etc no longer exists . When was the last time anyone heard from Hashomer Hatzeir? etc.

>>>Even the FBI got involved and made a psychological profile of the killer who they said is “someone who knew him well”

So what? Had the FBI actually cracked the case going with that assumption that would be something. Being that in the world of reality they assigned over 25 detectives to the case, closed the entire dormitory where it took place for over a year (Which according to the them was both the crime scene and the residence of the murderer) repeatedly interviewed the murderer , (according to their belief of who it was)repeatedly reopened the case and still couldn’t come up with a single after the fact clue, I’m not impressed in the slightest with a theory of theirs. Neither should you , if you believe they are such total incompetents that despite all the evidence they had, they still couldn’t narrow it down between less than 150 people who they had easy access to and spoke to repeatedly. Yes, I know they claim no one wanted to talk. If people talked freely to the police, you wouldn’t need detectives to begin with. Their job is to get info from people who don’t cooperate. Not people who do. No one was charged with obstruction of justice (hampering an investigation ) But the police “know” that there is a coverup.

>>>I heard that from people that were in yeshiva at the time. Some even say they know who it was.

If they KNOW who it was why don’t they say so to people other than anonymous online posters? And don’t give me this coverup excuse. No one engaged in a coverup in such a high profile case is telling people who would broadcast it online that they are complicit in it. Why don’t you try to convince them to talk? Did a Rav tell you that you can’t help get a murderer handed over to the police? Which one?

>>>The CIA shows it plainly on their website that they told the propagandizing Zionists that the war would take about a week and that the Zionists would wipe the floor with the Arabs.

Not true. The CIA never said that . I checked their website They did believe that Israel would win the war but nothing about a week and so little cost of life. And the CIA also promised Israel that it is their unanimous consensus that the Yom Kippur War will NOT happen. And the CIA at that very same time sent almost 60,000 Americans to their death in Vietnam saying that the US would win the war.

For the militant atheists yes the CIA prediction prove in the words of Yitchak Rabin “Anyone who thinks we won the six day war because God came to our aid is mistaken. It was all our superior strength and planning” Yes, Satmar strongly endorses and promotes the viewpoint of Yitzchok Rabin and co. Any independent analysis of the situation would indicate otherwise.

>>>The Brisker Rav noted that the “State” the Zionists have achieved is the “greatest triumph of the satan since the sin of the golden calf” –

This is SHEKER GAMUR and a tremendous disgrace to the Brisker Rav and Torah true Judaism.

Firstly whatever your view on Zionism is there is no way anyone can argue that they are worse than Yeruvem ben Nevat who made actual real egels and forced the majorty of Klal Yisroel to worship them. They aren’t worse than Menashe who burnt every single sefer torah in all of Eretz Yisroel (according to most opinions) and turned the Beis Hamakdush itself into a place of idol worship. They aren’t worse than the Yesvekitzia who successfully helped in the shmad of the three million people Jewish community in Russia. (The Yesvekitzia also persecuted Zionists with the same zeal as they persecuted frum people)

Secondly the Brisker Rav was of the opinion that the anti-Zionist belief that attributes the state of Israel and all of its succusses to the Sotton borders of Kefira. It elevates the Sotton to having power of a deity R”L. It is not so different (if at all) from them non-Jewish idolatrous view that all evil in the world exists because of the Satan. The Sotton does not “triumph” R’L . He does what Hashem gives him power to do

Rav Yosef Elya Henkin was the very few Gedoley Torah from out of the Satmar orbit to have opposed voting in the Knesset elections so he was no Zionist. Unlike the troll question asked here and most of the anti-Zionist answers given here he was truly not a Zionist. But as Rav Yosef Elya Henkin wrote in the name of Rav Ozer Grodzenki, most of the anti-Zionist kanoim are no better than the Zionists themselves when it comes to the Gimmel Shavous and hsigarus b’umos. They happen to have a different vision than Herzl but they also want to control and conquer the state of Israel and install a government of their liking in the name of Judaism. What makes them different than Ben Gurion? There is also the Jabotinsky wing of Zionism, and the Kanoim wing of Zionism. Perhaps the kanoim are more aggressive, standoffish, confrontational and have been far more successful in turning people away from authentic Judaism over the past few decades. than the other wings of Zionism. But they all share the same goal. Control of Israel and installing a government of their liking while claiming to speak in the name of Judaism.

>>>We are told that there is more Torah being learned, more tzedaka being given and more chesed being done today than at any time in Jewish history.

Firstly who told you that? Secondly even if true, since the first Beis Hamakidash there was no probably no time in Jewish history that had the favorable external circumstances allowing for Torah being learned and tzedaka being given. (I’ve never heard anyone make that claim about chesed) Thirdly antisemites have bechira even today

I knew someone who was a twelve year old in a safe house under the protection of Wallenberg during the holocaust . He for his part was obsessed with the holocaust and his experiences. None of the Polish survivors I knew, who all went through so much more and worse were obsessed like that.

Anyway, there are different levels of being a holocaust survivor . The secular definition is anyone who went through Nazi persecution. Someone who was a child in Germany and left with his family in 1936 because of the way they winds were blowing is considered a holocaust survivor just like someone who went through six years of torture in Poland. There is an ulterior motive behind why the secular world stretches the definition so much. That way the holocaust is barley unique.

I think it depends on what someone went through. Even being in a safe house was terrible . But being someone who is worthy of giving brochas on par with a Gadol B’Yisroel because they went through the holocaust and remained frum is something I would only say about someone who was in actual concentration camps. Or an extended period in a ghetto. Or years of hiding in a forest . Etc.

>>>1. By cooperating with Russia to end the war on terms favorable to Russia, Trump sends the message that the USA does not keep its commitments

The US never made any commitments the Russia- Ukraine conflict . Trump’s policy and view about the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been pretty consistent since he took public office.

>>>Civil Service, at least for the last 60 years, has been a leading source of employment for frum Jews.

Are you joking or do you mean that 60 years ago civil service was a leading source of employment for frum Jews? A white frum man wearing a yarmulka has about a zero percent chance of getting a civil job unless he has some connections pulling strings for him.

>>> Some of Trumps policies are likely to backfire and increase the chance of a Democratic president with control of Congress by 2029, and perhaps one in which the “Progressive” (WOKE) caucus is dominant.

No matter what Trump does the Democrats have a very high chance of retaking the white house and congress in 2029. The Republicans best bet at keeping it is if the Democrats put up woke candidates

>>>I think one of the main problems is a lack (or a refusal) of Charedim to understand the other side. To have genuine empathy. To be nosei be’ol chavero.

One of the main problems in Israel in general is that NO ONE seems to understand or have any empathy for the other side. The stakes are so high and passions are so strong for anyone that everyone seems to have a siege mentality. And in reality they in fact are all correct. Every group in Israel would be adversely affected if ” they” have their way or gets to be too much of a majority

>>>I am confused, because I recently read an article written by a psychologist

Without directly addressing the question, I sure hope you don’t get confused every time you see some article from some psychologist claiming something you didn’t think was the case before. To answer the question in a peripheral way, think of all the people who you believe hurt you in your life. Do you view ALL of them as nebach because plenty of psychologists will tell you that “hurting people hurt other people”?

Elon Musk is not an elected official so he has limited ability to make proposals that will get done.

It isn’t only frum people who don’t want it getting light at 9:00 in the winter. It is also a major nuisance for dairy farmers because if their cows wake up so late in the day it means they will have difficulty getting the milk to the market that day. non diary framers don’t like it either because the dew doesn’t defrost until later in the day making them wait around later in the day to start work (but they aren’t doing that much work in the winter to put a major fuss)

If standard time becomes year round it will be a major problem for Bochurim summer bein hazaminim when the second zman krias shma will get as early as 8;00. Baale Batim aren’t going to like 7:30 Shabbos Shachris either

>>>Never do we find that Chazal collected from people or raised donations for the Yeshivos or for the Gedolim or for the Dayonim or for the Marbitzei Torah or for any position of Torah leadership or for anyone else.

Firstly I don’t think this statement is true. Who do you think was supporting the educational system set in place by Yehoshua ben Gamla? Certainly not the parents. It was made because those who had no father to teach them Torah weren’t learning anything.

Yissocher and Zevulan predate even that.

But we will put that aside and ask the oppisite. From the community that claims to oppose supporting Lomdey Torah and claims to believe that Talmidey Chachomim should have their own source of income, why has that community been such an abject failure when it come to living up to it’s own ideals? Where are the respected Talmidey Chachomim in that community who are self supporting TODAY? Why do laymen of that very community with all their talk about the value for being self supporting and not taking from others also contact elder planning lawyers to make sure it isn’t their assets that are drained if they end up in nursing homes?

Are there ANY members of that community who actually follow the Rambam of working only three hours a day and learning the rest? How about even even the oppisite? LEARNING three hours a day and working the rest? I do agree that if someone could make a living in three hours a day and learn the rest it would be better than learning and being supported or taking government assistance for most people. But as the early Achronim point out on the Rambam , in real life almost no one actually does or has the realistic theoretical ability to do so?

“Even the classic “proofs” for Orthodox Judaism a la Rabbis Kelemen, Gottlieb, and Mechanic are passe. As an article in the Jewish Action a few months ago put it” “Proofs for the Torah?! That is so 90’s!””
I don’t know that they were even a good idea in the 90’s. I think they’re more stuck in the 60’s and 70’s when there were socially liberal, hippie baalei teshuva. That’s over. If they want to have any success today, I need to go after the weird kid with no friends who gets made fun of for wearing a MAGA hat in public. B’zman hazeh, those are the only people who are going to give up a secular life for an extremely rigid religion.

It would be more accurate to say that people aren’t giving up hedonistic lifestyles no matter how much you try to reason with them. I googled this alleged recent Jewish Action article but could not find it on their website. If it does exist I’m confident it was not written in the same context as presented here The argument of “proofs of Torah don’t work” is not stuck in the 60s and 70s . That mindset is about as old as Judaism itself. Ever since then in free societies like the US people claimed that Orthodox Judaism has no answers so as truth seekers who did their own independent research they can not avoid coming to the conclusion that whatever was believed by the intelligentsia in the time and place they happened to have been was the ultimate truth. It made no difference what that belief actually was and what nonsense it is considered today. In not free societies they joined activist political and social movements who falsely promised the world will be a utopia when they take over

Most people who claim to be Jewish but aren’t halachically Jewish aren’t interested in Kiruv organizations to begin with. In general the Kiruv movement no longer has as many interested customers as they once did because secular American Jews younger than forty don’t identify as being Jewish like they did in the heyday of the Kiruv movement. Or if they do identify as being Jewish, their “Judaism” is little more than the official position of the Democratic party (that they call tikkun olam) with some holidays thrown in. Their focus and success even in the US is mostly with Israeli immigrants. The Kiruv groups also use techniques to ensure the people they are dealing with are halachically Jewish. They do not take everyone claiming to be Jewish at their word. Of sad and ironic note is that if someone claims to be Jewish and has a Jewish name like Goldberg they assume the person is NOT halachically Jewish until further verification whereas if the person has a clearly non-Jewish last name like Hendricks there is a larger likelihood the person is in fact halachically Jewish.

Another general point to realize is that (like Chazal say about Hashem himself) people are much more accepting of the faults of people who are humble and mind their own business than people who are arrogant, self righteous, always angry, always looking to bad mouth others who thrive on conflict, aggression and incitement etc. The latter describes the NK. That is part of why they are hated so much.

>>>the Torah that kosher Jews learn protects Jews but does not protect rashayim.

Uh…. There are at least two pesukim in the Torah that say otherwise. By Sedom and the Meraglim . But that is just another part of Torah that doesn’t fit with the religion the extreme anti-Zionists preach. It is far from the only one