wstntme111

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  • in reply to: Why does the government give benefits to kollel yungerleit? #1885378
    wstntme111
    Participant

    The issue speaks to the crux of social programming in general. In a purely capitalistic meritocracy, social programming wouldn’t exist. Now if the compromise between the right and the left to allow certain social programs is a means of facilitating greater future financial stability, then there would be a long list of people who wouldn’t qualify and wold be left to their own devices, i.e. to completely fend for themselves. I don’t know how anyone could morally allow such a thing to happen, be the people Yidden or not. The other impetus behind social programming would be to simply help the poor manage in their daily lives, i.e. it’s more about keeping them alive then ensuring they have future stability.
    In a general sense, Israel is more socialist then America is, and so the tendency would seem to lean towards the latter framework and not the former.
    To me, the more astounding social phenomenon is that the very same people who generally argue for the broadening of social programming in the US (among us Yidden, the more left-leaning of us) are the very same ones who argue that it should not be applicable to Chareidim. This is a position I find to be highly hypocritical, and probably does reveal, at least to an extent, a deeper bias driving the conversation….

    in reply to: Nazi guard scientist statues. #1879992
    wstntme111
    Participant

    @ Doing my best
    Comparing the two is an egregious mistake. Racism and slavery is not the same as genocide. For you to make the comparison cheapens who the Nazis were and downplays the Jewish experience during the war. You should be ashamed.
    That being said, I personally support taking down the statues. If it causes people real anguish I don’t believe they should remain up.
    I also don’t know why you run to the Holocaust to find a comparison. If one were to walk in Ukraine nowadays, you would find monuments and statues dedicated to Bogdan chmielnicki, the father of Ukrainian nationalism who was responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Jews (if not hundreds of thousands). Have you been to Ukraine? Did you feel a terrible injustice that his statue still stands? There are real cases of statues of people which still stand who cause the Jews tremendous anguish. What would you feel if you walked the streets in Ukraine? I for one, thought- “nebach, the people probably don’t even realize who he was….” It would never cross my mind to rally a group of people to tear it down. Then again I wouldn’t care if theywould…

    in reply to: Hallel with Bracha on YH? #1724994
    wstntme111
    Participant

    My father told me that once when he happened to have davened by Rav Soloveitchik on Yom Haatzmaut. He told me that not only did Rav Soloveitchik not say Hallel, rather it was Bahab then and he even said Selichot!

    in reply to: Proudly Had Eggs and Cheese This Morning. #1710562
    wstntme111
    Participant

    RebYidd- Please don’t say an absolute Halacha without the proper qualification, all it does is increase amhaaratzos. What you quoted is not universally true. Although the Shach brings down from the Marshal the minhag to be Machmir L’chatchila, the Mechaber, Rama in Darchei Moshe, and the Shach didn’t hold of this position. The argue on a L’chatchila level and also on a B’dieved level.

    in reply to: Karpas – is any ha’adoma ok? #1703366
    wstntme111
    Participant

    My family uses pineapple

    in reply to: Joining Chabad #1694344
    wstntme111
    Participant

    historically speaking, Chabad was for many years the closest type of Chassidus to the Litvishe velt. The Meshichists changed everything, but as long as you align with the type of Chabad which doesn’t proclaim a sort of Judaism which looks dangerously similiar to christianity, I don’t think anyone will think you’re a Kofer, or strange. Different, maybe disgruntled in your own community, but not a kofer….

    wstntme111
    Participant

    The OPs question is very valid, but it hinges on an assumption. The reason why women are obligated in daled Koisos is because they were also included in the miracle of Mitzrayim. This is also the reason given for women being obligated to hear the Megillah, even though its a time bound Mitzvah.

    The question now becomes- is the obligation to drink ad d’lo yoda as a remembrance to the Neis Purim? Or perhaps, even though it was triggered by the Neis Purim, the Mitzvah itself isn’t merely one of remembrance rather it’s a “different beast” so to speak?

    I think it could be argued that the actual obligation of Ad d’lo yoda doesn’t really have anything to do with the actual Neis itself. It isn’t a zechira in the classic sense, which would carry the dictum of “af heim hayu b’oiso haneis”. Rather it’s merely a Mitzvah to attempt to see the unseeable, in a day where we’re pressured to peer beyond the veil of physicality to perceive a deeper reality.

    If that’s true, then the Mitzvah would carry the same laws of “zman grama” and women wouldn’t be obligated.

    wstntme111
    Participant

    Rebbitzen- “Seeing what other Yidden are doing and following their precedent is accepted in Yiddishkeit.”

    Again, the example you give is misleading. All that Gemara stands to prove is that when originally establishing the Halacha and approached with a valid Halachik argument, the dictation of correct Halacha followed a social tide. Once Halacha is Kavuah, that is not the case.

    This is also the rebuttal to Louis Ginzburg’s argument for Conservative Judaism based on the Gemara in Avodah Zarah in regards to shemen Akum. Once a Halacha is established, precedent to veer away from said halacha is insignificant.

    That being said, it should seem obvious that a Shidduch between these two different worlds is a bad idea. Their unique perspectives about Halacha are, at least on an idealistic level, rooted in their perspective about the world. Now, obviously two individuals who decide to get married should be different and compliment one another. However, all with the understanding that they have a common ground in regards to perspective about the world and where their lives are headed.

    wstntme111
    Participant

    I was privileged to grow up in a MO right household and veered towards Yewshiva in my teenage years. When Shidduchim came up, I was pushed by my family to date more “MO” girls who, while being of very fine character, didn’t share the same goals as I did. It didn’t require intense introspection to uncover that the true difference lied in a vastly different perspective.

    It would almost be akin to having an ardently vocal Trump supporter attempt to date an ANTIFA member. I don’t mean in the level of extremity of these types of people, rather in their vastly different views and the consistent nature in which those views would arise and cause conflict with one another in daily life.

    wstntme111
    Participant

    Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik did not believe it was muttar. To equate his shittos with Rabbi Lamm’s is committing a fallacy. Although his wife didn’t cover her hair, there are numerous anecdotes from his talmidim which suggest that although he disagreed with it, he didn’t see it as grounds for divorce. It has to be realized that it was a different time back then and the type of woman looking for a Ben Torah differed drastically from what we find nowadays

    wstntme111
    Participant

    @rebbetzin- “Is that not the same with those that use cholov akum – how many actually researched the issue (or even looked up Reb Moshe’s teshuva) before they decided that they can be maykil?”

    How many learned the halochos of eruv in a metropolitan and examined the eruv of their city before deciding that they can use this eruv?!

    Get real: we ALL rely on precedent!”

    Using Am Horatzos to excuse precedent is a silly thing to do. The assumption people among the right make is that the precedent set by their Rabbonim is one which abides by Halacha. The precedent held by the MO (and more particularly, the type of MO who wear pants, don’t cover hair, etc…) is used as an excuse not to keep Halacha. To conflate the two perspectives is disingenuous.

    (Additionally, the examples you gave aren’t really so much of precedent- when you rely on an Eiruv, your basically relying on those in charge of the Eiruv, i.e., that they know what they’re doing and they have who to hold by. Rav Moshe’s teshuva about cholov hacompanies [which is also dangerously close to the heter used in Eretz Yisrael by tnuva mehadrin under Rav Elyashiv’s shittah] is also not an example of one relying on precedent- rather one relying on a psak. They may not know the in’s and outs of each psak- yet they know it exists….)

    wstntme111
    Participant

    There were numerous Gedolim who’s wives didn’t cover their hair. That much isn’t really up for debate, however context is crucial. The lived in very different times were Jewish girls weren’t educated like they are nowadays. There simply weren’t many options in regards to Shidduchim. It’s no wonder several Gedolei Yisrael from Europe got married much later in life- their simply didn’t exist a plethora of prospects looking for those types of guys back then. However, nowadays things have very clearly changed.

    I still, however, harbor sensitivities to people being too picky. Many “older” guys you find nowadays are completely transfixed by the prospect of marrying the “perfect” girl- a girl who doesn’t exist in reality. That’s definitely a problem and something which everyone in dating needs to do a serious cheshbon about. The OP’s question, however, is about dating someone who doesn’t exist within the same stratosphere as the bochur. Such a vast difference in Levush (pants vs black hat) is usually indicative of a completely different perspective about life and the role Judaism should play in it. Although a Shidduch is technically possible, its akin to setting up two people who don’t speak the same language; it could work, but you have to be a little nuts to suggest the shidduch

    wstntme111
    Participant

    There’s quite a discernible difference between relatively small hashkafik differences and hashkafik differences in regards to Halacha. For example, a boy wanting to sit and learn can technically be compatible with a girl who wants her husband to work. That’s something which has the couple has the ability to work around. When the Hashkafik difference is how to approach Halcha, which is probably rooted in a very different outlook on life, the story is completely different. For example, a woman covering her hair is a Halacha. The majority of MO who refuse to do it don’t do so out of a Halachic argument (da’as yehudis v.s. da’as ) rather out of precedent- they know there were some very distinguishable people who’s wives didn’t cover their hair. To that end, resulting from a certain Hashkafik outlook on Halacha, that may be enough to justify not covering one’s hair, but to one with a different outlook that’s an indefensible position. The rest of your example’s are presumably where there are a variety of poskim who are meikil- the conversation is whether or not to be mor emachmir on oneself or not. But in the larger picture of MO and mkore particularly the type of MO who would wear pants aren’t merely parting ways in matters which are solely Hashkafik in nature; they allow those Hashkafos to influence decisions which someone else would view as an actual breach of Halacha

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)