smerel

>>>The handouts should be a temporary springboard.

If they were I would strongly support them too. But that isn’t remotely what they are.

>>>The sink and swim mentality of the Republicans is not Torah view.

It’s not?

Azov Tozev is only when the person is making his own effort. And it is true that most poskim agree that you have to support a ani who is too lazy to work they don’t suggest it on a societal level. I was also told by Rav Tuvia Godstein ztz’l not to give tzedoka to someone who says he can make more money collecting than working (ask your own shaalos!) I know of plenty of people who say they don’t work because they make more off the programs

And politicians obtaining or staying in power by giving other peoples money to those who will vote for them is certainly not the Torah view. In fact the Gemorah gives that practice as one of the meanings of “Chesed L’Umim Chatas”.

>>>A study in 2020 identified 893 terrorism incidents in the US since 1994. In that period no deaths linked to antifa were identified yet 329 murders by white extremists or other right-wing extremists were identified.

I’m suspicious of these type of studies to begin with but anyway as liberals love to say that is a deflection. Antifa is not the only left wing group that goes around killing people, nor or Antifa the only danger presented by the left wing. Most importantly it ignores the high murder rate, crime and anarchy in places where the left control even when the murders aren’t racially or politicly motivated.

>>>So instead you have to revert to claims about how the left loves BLM or Antifa and the right is against White Supremacists

I’m not reverting to any claims . Bottom line is “defund the police” was widely adopted among the left and tolerance for the BLM remains strong. The perpetrators were mostly slap on the wrist punishments if even that.

>>>Of course, make sure you note the US is roughly 14% black versus about 60% white.

Whoa! For a liberal that is an implicit shockingly racist statement. Why the automatic assumption that the far left in the US would only be coming from the 14% black population? In fact I think the white liberal colleges are far more likely to be the breeding grounds and organizational apparatus of the far left taking power than the black community.

>>>1) why do we pour water from becher into wine bottle before kiddush?

I’ve never see anyone do so

>>>2) it says if you’re sandek for 4th or 5th generation (which one?) you go straight to gan eden, mekor?

Probably the same place that is says if you have seven sons you go straight to Gan Eden. Along with various other straight to Gan Eden methods. To be sandek for four generations you would need major arichus yomim.

>>>Sacred belief? Since when is science sacred?

I was being sarcastic. In the parts of the secular world where corona was overdone both belief in science and the LGBT community are sacred by them.

>>>And what does belief have to do with science?

For those mentioned above their trust in science is a belief system that persists even in the face of strong contrary evidence.

As above I was being sarcastic and I not going to debate this with the believers

>>> all it takes is kids to be told it in schools;

You would vote for someone based on who your kids come home from school saying to vote for?

>>>emails can be sent out,

Those emails are quickly going to make it to The New York Times and other virulently anti-Semitic sites that will twist them to say something they aren’t and cause even more problems. Look what happened with Rabbi Fruchthandlers letter.

>>>rabbonim can speak about it in shul on shabbos

What about rabbonim who don’t speak in shul every Shabbos or who never speak about politics and certainly not on Shabbos (probably the majority) Do you want them all to get involved in elections? I don’t

Anyway who would be spreading the message to the schools and shul rabbonim? How would they do it a way that is much more private than the way it was already done?

>>>The question is should we let bygones be bygones or should we demand accountability?

We absolutely should demand accountability. Even if there were intentions that the road to gehonim is paved with (good ones)

An amnesty would prevent anyone from learning lessons.

Think of Bill de Blasio and Coumo who told us we can’t daven in a minyan or send our children to school or keep businesses open, while he encouraged violating these rules for the sake of the George Floyd protests. You want an amnesty for that? And didn’t De Blasio refuse to give an amnesty to shuls, schools and struggling businesses after the Supreme Court declared the red zones unconstitutional? He and his ilk deserve an amnesty? Not in this world and not in the next.

And what about emergency powers which gave our would-be totalitarians like Cuomo license to exercise total control over citizens who used to be protected by the Constitution. If nothing else, legislate to eliminate that from ever happening again.

And putting politics aside what about the destruction to the sacred belief in science those who tried to control us using the lines of “follow the science” or “pro health” policies about what turned out to be junk science with the censored and marginalized voices being correct after all? American trust in scientists plummeted like a rock after covid. Say Ch’v such a thing would happen again. How many people will ignore true scientific and medical due to the recklessness they exhibited last time? How will they regain trust without accountability?

>>>Republicans don’t have a platform. Like is said in my OP. There’s no leadership and platform.

What platform other than stopping Democratic damage could they possibly have ran on in the midterms? There was no way they could have won sixty senate seats to override vetoes and Biden repeatedly committed to vetoing any legislation they would introduce and pass . Even without having a clue about what that legislation may or not be.

The world never falls apart quickly after anyone is elected. The doomsday predictions about Trump were a lot less realized than ones about Biden. No, Trump did not set off a nuclear war when he was in a bad mood one night like they told us he would etc. But since this is discussing Biden I’ll focus in him.

I didn’t vote for Biden and he turned out a lot worse than I thought he would be. I did not expect the over 10% inflation (I know they claim it is less) the total incompetence when it comes to dealing with anything, and yes those who predicted that there would be an Israel-Gaza war within a few months of his election were correct. etc.

The above isn’t even my main issue with him. Back in 2020 I really believed that he was a centrist, and a person who would return us to the days of civility in politics , I really believed that he was a person far ahead of Trump in personal morals. Wow was I wrong. The guy is a crazy leftist , a pathological liar just like Trump and always looking for fights and to spew hatred and rancor just like Trump did. Other than his being born blessed with a more outwardly pleasent personality (and a press that is always looking to cover up for him) he is just like Trump. Without any of the good policies Trump enacted.

>>>Is the strict opinion always the better opinion?

If it was halacha would follow Beis Shamai.

>>>Is being Meikil inherently worse?

Being meikal about what and why? Not always is being machmir the right thing in a specific situation but as the old joke goes: A guy who was always meikal and always found rabbis to give him hetterim dies. They take him to a room with a bench, a rickety shtender, a Shas and a cup of hot tea. “Where am I? “ he asks “Gan Eden” they answer “Do you know how many rabbi would tell you that being in a room with a gemorah where you can just learn undisturbed is Gan Eden? “

>>>With all these Jewish endorsements for zeldin if Hochul wins the election expect her to hit us hard

Based on her behavior in office I expect her to hit us hard even if we do support her.

Even in the PRO Hochul ads in the frum publications she does not commit herself to doing anything that will benefit the frum community after the election.

It’s very unlikely that a frum person who got married in 1770 and had ten children like Meyer Amschel Rothschild did has no frum descendants at all but from his five sons who went into banking it is safe to say that none of their descendants are frum. Therefore if he has he has frum descendants they would be from his other five children who have no money .

Of interesting note the only major Rothschild scion to have been killed by the Nazis during the holocaust for being Jewish wasn’t actually Jewish. Élisabeth de Rothschild was a Catholic woman who married Philippe de Rothschild. (she officially converted)

>>>But is it possible to say Every yid is a big tzaddik?

In the literal sense that some seem to be taking it , no.

In the actual sense that it us being said that we regard every who tries to be an erlicher yid as a big Tzadik (at least in some areas) then yes it is can be regarded as a true statement

>>>Is that the meaning of the passuk “V’ameich Kulam Tzadikim”

The actual posuk in Yeshya is a part of a nevua that seems to be referring to after the coming of Mosiach. Being that it is frequently quoted in relation to todays time, it needs to be stressed that the posuk says V’ameich meaning those who are acting in a manner that makes them a part of Am Hashem.

>>>I’m not voting for anyone. I’m not voting for Zeldin because he has an immoral running mate. I do not vote for those who support immorality.

So who DO you vote for? Almost every democrat supports giving people who engage in that type of behavior supreme right that marginalize those of everyone else. Zeldin’s running mate may be guilty of such behavior but pushing it on others is not part of her agenda. And lieutenant governor of NYS is an independently elected position

What is a pause button but you get older? What is being paused? What is happening during that pause?

A fast forward button but you stay the same age is taking a major gamble. Could be things will be significantly better or worse in the future and you just threw yourself into it. Could be things will have changed so much that when you get out of your fast forward you won’t know how to navigate the current situation.

I see both points of view on immigration and not very anti immigration per se but this time the hypocrisy on the liberal side is just overboard. You can not support illegal immigration and complain when immigrants are dumped off on you. You cannot expect others to just accommodate immigrants where and when they show up but then complain when they expect you to do the same . Particularly when the others who you are expecting to accommodate immigrants, unlike you, oppose immigration.

I’m not so anti-immigration. I’m just opposed to the hypocrisy here. The Republicans seem to be giving a perfect solution to the immigration debate. They are saying “We oppose immigration-you support it so we will facilitate the immigrants way to your state if they come to ours” What better and more bipartisan solution to the debate where everyone gets what they want can there possibly be? But still the Democrats complain. Not only do they complain, they complain with the exact same talking points used by those opposed to illegal immigration like “we don’t have the resources to deal with this” … “illegal immigrants just show up and expect us to deal with them” etc.

>>>what does it mean that all these colleges are “affiliated”, “under umbrella”!?If you are creating a brand name and then use it for marketing, you should be applying some standard. Otherwise, it is gnevas daas.

Anyone seriously considering going to YU knows the difference between RIETS, the undergraduate school and the graduate schools. No frum student enrolled in say Cardoza law thinks he is going to Yeshiva. No non-Jew enrolled in say Cardoza law is there because of it’s affiliation with Yeshiva University.

It is not easy to gain recognized accreditation as a college. Were all the schools to break up and apply for separate accreditation some of them would cease to exist. The results would be more YU grads going OTD in completely secular colleges. And Sorah Schnierer and other yeshivish graduate programs who are accredited through places like Wurzweiller closing down too

>>>The better question is why didn’t YU shut down all their clubs at their graduate schools over the last 25 years

They would have to close their graduate schools down altogether to do so. Their graduate schools are secular schools that accommodate frum students. There probably isn’t even any legal option to classify a graduate school that primarily teaches secular subjects and only gives secular degrees as a religious school. The Touro graduate schools also have toeva clubs. I even found explicit reference to them on Touro’s own website. No one says a word about that either.

>>>Those above arguing to equivocate cheating to get government money (which is wrong, of course), with allowing a pride club, is a fallacious argument .

Right. You can easily argue that a mosod cheating is worse. YU in itself does not support the toeva club. They are being bullied by it to allow the baaley toeva to act. A mosod that cheats is personally doing it

No point in discussing how to change old schools. Won’t happen because of talk. Talk about how to start new schools that align with what you want. That is far more likely to happen. Particularly if you are willing to do the work and put up the money

er

I think I’m pretty consistent in saying that (1) with all Trump’s many faults his adversaries frequently (usually?) are not the good guys, the honest guys, or the people who care about the best interests of the US in the many conflicts they start with him or (2) all the false accusations and investigations into Trump do not absolve him from the things that he has done that were wrong (3) both sides are lying to you (4) with all the screaming “cultist” and other such insults at Trump supporters it seems to me that at least in CR it is Trump’s opponents who seem to hold a much stronger grip on those who side with them than Trump does.

Had someone started a thread similar to this one expressing such terror of Joe Biden and Democrats (who other than being born with a better personality isn’t someone I think of as being morally superior to Trump) I would have said the same comment.

>>> just thinking of this dangerous moron makes my blood boil…..

By reading your posts on the topic I was able to tell even without you telling us …

I’m not going to debate your perception and beliefs about Trump but I will give you one piece of advice coming from Rav Avigdor Miller ztzl

If you want peace of mind don’t read the newspapers. They are going to tell you that hooligans are running wild in frum neighborhoods. They are going to tell that if this politician gets elected the world will come to an end. They are going to fill your minds with all sorts of serious sounding problems that you otherwise never would have heard of but now you can do nothing about…

That was over forty years ago when newspapers still had some standards. Today the media and even more so the social media are just straight fear mongering and manipulation to those who take them seriously. So DON’T take them seriously . Not even what even they tell you about Trump…

>>>To the best of knowlege the last major talmud chocom in goverment service was Rav Meir Shapiro and he was in the Semp, not CR

The Reise Rav (Rabbi Aharon Lewin) and Rav Alexander Zusia Friedman (author of the Meyaneh Shel Torah) Hashem Yinkom Domom were among the Agudah elected members of the Sejm after him

The Ponivitcher Rov was also a member of the Lithuanian parliament after that.

As far as chief rabbis go: Rabbi Yehuda Levin, chief rabbi of Moscow (died 1970) was also a major a Talmid Chochom, a close chaver of Rav Yaakov Kamenstsky from when they learned together in Slobadka.

Given his position he also did controversial things. His life and success as chief rabbi depended his acting like a Soviet Union propagandist and claiming that the Jews are NOT being persecuted there.

When he came to the US in 1968 secular Jewish groups hounded and heckled him . It was the lhavdil elef havdolas Gedoley Torah like Rav Moshe and Rav Yaakov who stood by him and apparently agreed with him that it is worth saying Soviet propaganda in exchange for maintaining some semblance of Jewish life in Russia such as shul activities and matzoh-baking etc.

When he spoke at secular venues there was open jeering at him because of the Soviet propaganda about the treatment of Jews there that he had to say . When he spoke at the Sefardsher shul in Boro Park Rav Yaakov Kamenstsky introduced him with the highest amount of respect talking about how we are about hear from the most chosuv alumni of Slabodka etc.(although he did hint that you have to understand that Rabbi Levin is speaking in code) The crowd which included many Talemdey Chachomim listened to him and accorded the highest respect .Even the streets around the shul were packed with police and police barricades to prevent the mob of people who wanted to meet him and hear from him.

>>>R. Hertz saved jews during the war, but it doesn’t make his use of bible critics “when they’re right” any less wrong

It does however make people like Rabbi Sacks have a much stronger argument that they are allowed to enter a church for a civic function when invited by the king or queen.

Do you think that had Rabbi Hertz (who was also criticized in the 1920s for attending such a event) snubbed those invitations and expectations he would been in as much of a position to save Jews during WWII?

>>>I love how the terms darchei sholom and mipnei aivah are thrown around haphazardly.

And what are you dong with this comment? Giving the gedorim on when darchei sholom and mipnei aivah do and don’t apply and expanding it the what you believe the halacha to be in this situation? Or just making a haphazard comment?

If you want to explain things like (1)the isser of going into a church (doyraysa, d’rabonon, by which religions, when there if ever there are hetterim, (2)darchei sholom and mipnei aivah etc. I’m all ears. But please give maarje mokomos and no boich svoras