WolfishMusings

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Viewing 50 posts - 7,701 through 7,750 (of 7,761 total)
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  • in reply to: Ushpizin- Amazing Jewish 100% Kosher Film… #624447
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I had a strong objection to the film — specifically the fact that he spent all that money on the Esrog. He could have bought a very nice Esrog and used the balance to support his family for a while. There is no mitzvah to buy an Esrog for $900 (IIRC, he got $1000, gave 10% to his poor friend for tzedaka and used the rest to buy the “Yahalom”) when you are poor and learning and your kollel is late with the payments. I think that it would have been far proper more proper to spend $100 on the Esrog (or even less) and use the rest of the money to enable yourself to sit and learn for another few months.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: 10 Proofs That Moshiach is Coming Now! #624993
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Not to mention the fact that Birchas HaChamah was NOT said in the year of Yetzias Mitzrayim or the year of Purim. Do the math.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Four People Who Only Died Due to Chait Haegel #624099
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    The fourth person you’re looking for is Kilav, the son of Dovid. And the moderator is correct… after all, how could Binyamin and Amram have died because of the sin of the Golden Calf? They had died before it occurred.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Abandonment of Nussach #631143
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    As someone who has spent quite a few years teaching Bar Mitzvah boys to lain, Yanky, I have to say that I agree with you 100%.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Should We Let Our Kids Drive Straight Away??? #623459
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Nonetheless, they *still* don’t address inexperience.

    in reply to: Hot Water on Shabbos #623718
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Zach…

    You think sunlight is free, but it’s not. Just wait a few billion years and when the sun runs out of hydrogen, you’ll see that the bill will come due. 🙂

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Moshiach Rumors? #1074745
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Just Smile,

    I hate to burst your bubble, but…

    Firstly, Birchas HaChamah was not recited in the year the Jews left Egypt, nor was it recited in the year that the miracle of Purim occurred. Simply doing the math (using an Excel spreadsheet should make it easier) will show you this.

    Secondly, Birchas HaChamah comes out Erev Pesach, not the first day. The first day of Pesach is Thursday. Birchas HaChamah must always be on a Wednesday.

    Thirdly, Birchas HaChamah was last on Erev Pesach only 83 years ago, in 1925.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: PETA #624479
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    As with many things, PETA is a mixed bag.

    They certainly deserve credit for raising the issue of animal awareness. I think we can all agree that animals should not be treated cruelly and they have done much good work toward raising awareness of the issue.

    However, I think that many (if not all) of us can agree that they have gone too far on many issues relating to animals. The ideal is to find the middle ground — the shvil hazahav. Eating animals is fine, but abusing them and killing them needlessly and for sport (not to mention abusing them) is wrong.

    So, in short, PETA deserves both credit and blame.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Modern Music…..prohibited? #621793
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Music has a powerful effect on the Neshama; that is not debatable.

    In my experience, whenever someone says that something is “not debatable,” it often is extremely debatable.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Barack Obama #623944
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Jent,

    Please… stop shouting. It hurts the eyes and is difficult to read.

    Thanks,

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Tznius Standards #651145
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Joseph,

    So, bottom line, what’s the story? Do you keep your wife at home at all times that it isn’t absolutely necessary for her to go out?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Want $50.000? #621895
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Let’s not forget that one of the conditions for getting the money (as per the article) is remaining involved with the Temple for five years. Since none of us are prepared to do that, I suppose the point is moot.

    And, of course, no one here is suggesting that it’s permitted to take their money under false pretenses.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Copying Various Forms of Media #625088
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    <i>when it comes down to it, what tangible item am i stealing?</i>

    Is theft limited to tangible items? If I hire you as a musician for an event and then not pay you, isn’t that theft? If I sneak into a concert without paying (without taking someone else’s seat), isn’t that stealing as well?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Modern Music…..prohibited? #621733
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Mayan,

    I think he knew that. It was a joke.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Shidduch Priorities #637618
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Actually, I think that #5 is the most important. After all, you’re not marrying the girl’s father or her Yichus… you’re marrying her. You have to make sure that *she* is someone whom you can live with. You have to make sure that *she* has the middos that you want in a future spouse, that *she* shares the same hashkafah as you, that *she* is someone whom you can get along with and that *she* is someone with whom you want to spend every day of the rest of your life.

    Having a father-in-law who is talmud chochom or a ba’al tzedaka, or a prominent askan, or her having an important yichus may all be a nice bonus, but the bottom line is that you have to look at the girl first. Everything else is just gravy.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Rambam on Marriage #626202
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Keep in mind that the Rambam lived in a society and time when wife-beating was condoned. You sometimes have to look at a halacha in the context of the environment in which it was issued. No one lives in a vacuum.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Dating Dilemmas #621243
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    For heaven’s sake… holding the door for *anyone* is just a nice thing to do. If I’m going through a door and I see someone else approaching, I hold it for them — male or female, young or old, Jew or non-Jew. Yeah, I’m sure that some of you will say that this is a “moderneh American zach,” but I look at it as good, old-fashioned kindness and being treated as you would want others to treat you.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713669
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I find it interesting that I didn’t get an answer to my last question… which was asked in all seriousness. To wit:

    yes wolf

    when a holy Jewish woman bakes for her family with the right intention it is most Holy.

    Feivel,

    Is it only holy when a woman cooks? What about when I cook for my family? Is that holy too?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Divorce Crisis #697201
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    The Torah actually says that Love starts after marriage. Check out Yitzchak&Rivkah

    … or before marriage. Check out Ya’akov and Rachel.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: School system and scholarships #620906
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    My parents split up when I was nine years old. Shortly after the split, my mother became frum, and my sibling and I did with her. I was enrolled in a yeshiva for the first two years but it became apparent that this wasn’t the right school for me (many Russian kids, of whom the vast majority were not frum). My mother had some difficulty finding a place for us, but she did find one.

    In high school, my mother became disabled and could not work. My father would not provide the money for us to go to Yeshiva. Now, I despised my high school — it was clearly not the right school for me hashkafically — but this much credit I must give them — they kept me in the school for years without my mother paying one dime, because she was simply not able to. For that, I have hakaras hatov to them, despite my overall feelings about the school.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713663
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    yes wolf

    when a holy Jewish woman bakes for her family with the right intention it is most Holy.

    Feivel,

    Is it only holy when a woman cooks? What about when I cook for my family? Is that holy too?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: People Who Can’t Write Properly #665852
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    “Remember, NEVER a comma before “and”. “

    *Never* say never (especially in capital letters).

    Words such as NOT, AND, OR and XOR are logical operators. 🙂

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Divorce Crisis #697182
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Asd,

    Why don’t you spell out for us what you think this crisis is (and please include some facts/statistics to back your case up).

    Is the divorce crisis the fact that the divorce rate among frum Jews is higher?

    Is the divorce crisis the fact that women are sometimes left as agunos in a divorce?

    Is the divorce crisis the fact that visitation/custody arrangements are sometimes unfair?

    Or is it something else entirely?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713659
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    you think baking cookies is something lowly? then yes, you are heavily influenced by the 21st century crowd.

    Wow! I didn’t know that when I bake, it’s holy! 🙂

    The Wolf (who loves to cook and bake)

    in reply to: Jewish Music (is it either)? #642589
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    how about the leviim in the bais hamikdash playing the harps etc.?

    what about david hamelech playing for shaul?

    Can you reproduce them?

    I think it’s safe to say that he was referring to the Jewish music that is available today. There is nothing “inherently Jewish” about that. He obviously wasn’t considering the music you brought up becuase it’s not available to us.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: definition of average #623320
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Average is just what is sounds like — take the sum of the observations and divide them by the number of observations. If you want to know what the average age of the people in your shul is, simply add up the ages of everyone and divide by the number of people.

    That being said, average does not equal normal. Averages can be greatly skewed. The story is told of the elementary school that tried to attract parents by stating (truthfully) that the graduates of that school averaged a million dollars a year in income. Of course, what wasn’t pointed out was that two of the graduates were the founders of Microsoft, who skewed the average to the right.

    To find out if something is “normal,” you have to take into account the average *and* the standard deviation. This gives you a better picture of what is normal.

    As for your question regarding how someone could be “average” if we are created B’tselem Elokim, then by definition, about half of us have to be below average. Or, to give you similar example, if you had a list of all the millionaires in the world, by definition about half of them will be below the average of that list. So too with people. If everyone is a Tselem Elokim, then, by definition, about half of them will fall below the average.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713636
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Triginometry, Chemistry, higher economics…will they need those.

    You’d be surprised. I use algebra and geometry fairly regularly — and trig is starting to make a comeback in my life too.

    While I haven’t used chemistry since college, I still everyone should have a *basic* understanding of science. Likewise, I think everyone should have a basic understanding of economics. I’m fairly convinced that a good part of the reason that people are in economic trouble today (Jews and non-Jews) is because they don’t have a basic understanding of economics. When people propose silly ideas such as boycotting the purchase of gas for one day, it only reveals that the general public really doesn’t know how money and economics works. I’m not saying that everyone has to become a financial analyst, but everyone *should* know the difference between a stock and a bond, between a mutual fund and an index, between a money-market account and a certificate of deposit. Likewise, I think that everyone today should know how to use a word processor and the basics of using a spreadsheet.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Timche es Z’ Amalek: UNBELIEVABLE #620340
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Mattisyohu,

    Are you telling me that if a Gadol today told you that an infant today was definitely from Amalek, you would have absolutely no qualms about going to his house, saying a “hareini…” and, in front of his parents, blow his head off in his crib? And you would do this happily because it’s a mitzvah?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713635
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Cooking is very useful. I think even boys should learn the basics of cooking. I’m not saying that they need to learn how to prepare a three course meal with deserts, but they should be able to spice and throw a chicken in the oven, or scramble some eggs, or prepare a steak. In other words, they should know enough that they won’t be forced to subsist on sandwiches and frozen waffles if they’re home alone for a few days.

    The Wolf

    (Full Disclosure: I might be a bit biased since I can cook.)

    in reply to: Timche es Z’ Amalek: UNBELIEVABLE #620328
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I don’t think it’s so unbelievable. Unlikely? Maybe. But not unbelievable.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Bais Yaakovs Today #713629
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I always felt that all schools (both Bais Ya’akovs and standard yeshivos) should teach more practical life skills. I agree that there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to learning more and more meforshim on Tanach at the elementary/high school level. While I think that Nach is important (I think our girls’ schools overdo it and our boys’ schools grossly under-learn it) and while I also agree that Gemara should be the main focus of the boys’ programs, I think that there should be some additional lessons on basic life skills. High schoolers of both genders should learn how to balance a checkbook, understand how credit cards work and understand the difference between a stock and a bond, and what a mutual fund is. Both genders should be taught cooking (to different degrees — girls should probably have more advanced lessons, but I think that boys should be able to fend for themselves and make something more advanced than peanut butter & jelly in the kitchen in a pinch).

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Web scam – HDcameraworld #620856
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Also… just to add this: Whenever you want to purchase something online from a “lesser-known” place, check out ResellerRatings. It’s an invaluable resource for weeding out scam artists.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Web scam – HDcameraworld #620854
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    As an serious amateur photographer, let me give you some simple advice… if you see a price for a camera that is too good to be true, then it is. It’s that simple.

    When I look for camera equipment, I *only* go to places that are reputable and well-known. I highly recommend using B&H, Adorama or J&R for just about all your camera needs (and I’m not just mentioning them because they’re all Jewish-owned). All of these places have well-earned reputations among photographers worldwide.

    My last camera was purchased from Circuit City (simply because they had it in stock when the others didn’t). Since CC is a well-known establishment, I didn’t have any problems purchasing from them. I buy lenses, flashes, filters, etc. from the B&H or J&R.

    Don’t fall for these scams. Only shop at stores that are known to be reputable. It may seem like it’s costing you more, but it’s not… you weren’t going to get the camera from these “bargain basement” places at the advertised price anyway.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE #627498
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    If you were at the White House for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, you can be sure that you would “forget” to turn off your ringer after a while.

    Or, you could do what I do… leave it on vibrate all the time. This way, if I do forget to turn it off, it’s barely noticeable and easily ignorable.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Gershon Veroba’s Honesty #1152981
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    shmutzdiker goy

    And what if it came from a non-Jew who wasn’t “shmutzdiker?”

    The Wolf

    in reply to: PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE #627493
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Firmly agree. There is no reason for anyone to have their phones on in shul. If you *absolutely* must be available for contact (i.e. your wife is due to go into labor any minute, etc.), then put it on vibrate and when it rings, go OUTSIDE and answer it.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Expensive Holidays???? #619815
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Yes, it is right.

    A person is required to give 10% of his income to tzedaka. He can even go as high as 20% if he likes. Beyond that, he is not required to go at all.

    Using your logic, no one should ever spend a cent on any discretionary item, since there is *always* someone in the neighborhood who doesn’t have food for Shabbos, can’t get the funds for yeshiva tuition, needs money to marry off a child, etc.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619991
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    YOU ARE A KOIFER, my friend!

    So, if someone doesn’t believe that a girl sat in a coma for 73 years that makes her a kofer? Gee, I wasn’t aware that that was one of the ikkarei emunah.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619990
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    No, that’s not what I’m saying… and I’ll thank you not to put words into my mouth.

    I believe that bodies don’t decay on occasion for both reasons. Just like I believe the sun will rise in the morning because Chazal tell us this and because I can see it with my own eyes.

    And you still haven’t addressed my point. A person in a coma for 73 years in the modern era would have left behind an enormous amount of evidence. The fact that there is no such evidence is a fairly strong indication that it didn’t happen.

    (And the comparisons to Choni HaMa’agol are invalid in any event… Choni’s 70 year sleep would not have left behind any evidence that we can find today, so I would not rule it out on the basis of there being no evidence. A modern-day coma, on the other hand, *can* be ruled out based on the lack of evidence).

    The Wolf

    in reply to: ?? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ???”? ??????? ??? ????? ???? #620994
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    For what it’s worth, whenever I daven for the amud, I always say it audibly too.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619978
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    <i>Have you ever attended an evening where a famous speaker adressed the public?

    MOST of the time you will not hear him telling a story while including the ‘name, rank and seriel number’ of the subjects involved. That doesnt mean the story aint true!</i>

    Correct… but that doesn’t mean that it is true either. Don’t you think it’s within the realm of possibility that the story teller was either mistaken or embellishing a story to make a point?

    As for non-decaying bodies, I would believe it over the story of a 73 year coma for two reasons:

    1. Bodies that don’t decay *do* sometimes happen.

    2. The amount of evidence left behind by an undecayed body that was quickly reburied would be very small. The amount of evidence left behind by a 73 year coma patient would be great. A great deal of medical record-keeping and literature would have been generated by such a case. And yet, not one shred of evidence has turned up.

    ‘ONCE a NON BELIEVER, Always a NON BELIEVER’!

    What is that meant to imply? Are you implying that because I don’t believe a girl was in a coma for 73 years that I don’t believe anything? Please tell me what you meant by that statement.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619966
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    nameless,

    And again, I’m not denying that God has the power to make it happen… I’m denying that it actually happened. Can you see the difference?

    Jospeh,

    My primary source is the Guinness Book of World Records. Elaine Esposito, of Tarpon Springs, FL, went into a coma on Aug 6, 1941 and never stirred again. She died on November 25, 1978 — over 37 years later. If you google “Elaine Esposito coma” you will come up with numerous sources.

    Other than a “it once happened…” nameless has not provided a name, place or date for his story. Usually that’s the hallmark of an Urban Legend.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619964
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    If the Almighty decides that he wants someone to be in a coma for over 70 years, thats exactly whats gona happen

    That’s right. And if He decides that a huge sea squid is going to swallow downtown Johannesburg, then it will happen to. But that doesn’t mean that it *did*.

    The same applies to your coma story. Sure it can happen – but that doesn’t mean it did. I’m still calling it an Urban Legend.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Daveing with Crocs #620587
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    You could ask the same question about anything less than one’s best. Why not ask how anyone can daven in anything less than one’s finest?

    I suppose you can state that since we have this audience with the King at a minimum of three times a day (and, in reality, as often as we want, since you can daven at almost any time), we have (for better or for worse) a familiarity with Him which allows us to approach Him in our less than best.

    That being said, however, I would tend to agree that Crocs are probably inappropriate.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619961
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    Reliable enough???

    Not for me. Not everything said by a rebbetzin (even if she’s the daughter of a rav covered in a book) is true.

    As I stated above, the longest known medical coma is 37 years. Now, you’re telling me of a coma that lasted 73 years, more than double the length of the known record. I would think that if someone was in a coma that long, it would certainly have been written up in medical literature. There would certainly be records available to corroborate the story. Can you provide any? A name, a place, dates? Anything?

    Until then, I’m calling the story an Urban Legend.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Why Yidden are the BEST! #1166283
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I still find it interesting that no one answered my question from the first page. The best WHAT?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Being able to Fargin; Nature or Nurture? #619958
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    There was a 17 year old girl who got into an accident which left her in a coma till she was 90 years old.

    Sorry, but I find that hard to believe. The longest coma on record has been for 37 years. This sounds like a Jewish Urban Legend. Can you provide any more details to corroborate the story?

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Young Bochurim Hitching? #619624
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I don’t mean to say that you have to stop & take in people in your car , but on the other hand – you will get only schar from above- did you think about that?

    That’s why I said:

    So, by all means offer them help. Give them money for the bus, offer to call them a cab, etc.

    The Wolf

    in reply to: Why Yidden are the BEST! #1166233
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    OK, leave him (her?) be. I’m sure it was just a poor choice of words.

    Wolf

    in reply to: Young Bochurim Hitching? #619622
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    How do you say no to people like that.

    Very simple… you tell them no. If it’s illegal in your jurisdiction, you can tell them that too. If you have a cell phone, you can offer to call them a cab.

    I suspect that more often then not they’re just poor innocent people(Chassidish or Yeshiva Bochurim) looking for a bit of extra help.

    You’re right, probably the vast majority are fine, upstanding people. So, by all means offer them help. Give them money for the bus, offer to call them a cab, etc. But don’t let them in your car unless you know who they are. The risks are, IMHO, just too great.

    The Wolf

Viewing 50 posts - 7,701 through 7,750 (of 7,761 total)