19 Responses

1. Daven, daven, daven to Hashem. It is our only answer at this point. Hashem is waiting to hear from all of us.

2. Our only salvation is to cry our hearts out to Hashem.
   Nothing else will help at this time.

3. Today, the 4th of Cheshvan, is the yahrtzeit of the Piacezna Rav, R’ Kalonymous Kalman ben Elimelech Shapiro, zt”l. In his sefer Aish Kodesh (Sacred Fire) he writes:

   “We learn in the sacred writings of my brother-in-law, the holy R’ Aharon Yechiel, of blessed memory, on the verses (Deut. 30:11-14) ‘For this commandment that I teach you today is not too wonderful or too distant for you to fulfill it. It is not in heaven, so that you might say, “Who will climb to heaven for us, to bring it and teach it to us, so that we might do it?” It is not over the sea, so that you might say, “Who will pass to the other side of the sea to bring it back and teach it to us, so that we might do it?” It is something that is very close to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so you can do it.

   “R’ Aharon Yechiel says that it is a miracle that first it is written ‘in your mouth’ and then afterwards ‘in your heart,’ for if it were imperative that it first be ‘in your heart’ — that from the outset the commandment must be fulfilled with the desire in your heart — who would ever have achieved such a level? But because it is first written ‘in your mouth,’ then even if at first your prayer is not from your heart, if you continue speaking with your mouth only, this will eventually arouse your heart.”

   Yidden, we must start praying — even just from our mouths — and it will soon come from our hearts. Who is so blind who cannot see the current parallels to a dark period of our recent history? Since everything comes from Hashem, He is the only One Who can help us now.

   “Al tivtichu bindivim b’ven adam she’ain lo teshua” = “Trust not in nobles, nor in a human being, with whom there is no help.”

   “Ashrei she’kail Yakov b’ezro, sivro al Hashem Elokav” = “Praiseworthy is one whose help is Jacob’s G-d, whose hope is in Hashem, his G-d.”

4. Mike Bloomberg is the 1st person who should have been notified and rushed to the scene to reignite his massive motif and campaign to rid America 🇺🇸 of every single gun for ever.

5. Let me help you out here.
   That’s not a bullet casing. Also not a bullet unless it’s a musket ball.

6. BS’D. It’s bad enough that goyim have a natural hatred of us, but when Jews parade around, flaunting public health regulations, violating dina d’malchusa dina, endangering people’s lives, what can you expect? Remember we are in golus, and must act accordingly.

7. BS’D. Flaunting is the wrong word. Instead substitute “violating”

8. BS’D. Instead of substituting “violating” for “flaunting”, please substitute “flouting” instead. Sorry for the inconvenience.

9. Thank you governor Cuomo. Yes, words can kill..

10. It was an accident!
    They didn’t mean it!
    The gun misfired!
    Mayor de Blasio appeals for calm!
    Governor Cuomo promised an investigation as soon as the authorities are done with their bombardment of Borough Park. Jews of Borough Park, relax! We’re on top you!

11. We definitely have tikunim to make.
    Please remember, we are just a few days short of two years since the massacre in Pittsburgh, way before covid, r’l.

12. This doesn’t even make the news.

    It doesn’t come close to the crime of a Jew (but of course not a non-Jew) being seen in Brooklyn without a mask.

    Years ago when a mosque thousands of miles away in Texas was shot at, CBS reported it on the hourly news.

    But this? Well, they are just Jews. They brought it on themselves. Nothing to see here.

13. It’s probably a Moslem who lives nearby. Let them try it again and will send in young chevra with corona and spread it to them.

14. We are constantly grumpy about the double standard of the goyim display regarding all kinds of crimes or events that take place.

    Anti Semitism is a message to us from Hashem that we need to improve. Hakol kol Yaakov v’haydayim yedei esav. When we are strong spiritually the goyim are weak in their actions against and towards us. When we are weak spiritually they are strong.

    By constantly griping about the “unfairness” of us vs the goyim, we are totally missing the point. And griping will get you noplace. Because the only way to fix it is to connect to Hashem, daven to him, and improve our ways.

15. “Mr. Nistor” wrote,

    “but when Jews parade around, [flouting] public health regulations, violating dina d’malchusa dina, endangering people’s lives, what can you expect?”

    First, two critical qualifications:
    1.) There can be no justification for an act of violence such as this.
    2.) Many of the regulations in-question would appear to be excessive, unjustified and even counterproductive. (Such as closing schools and parks; and an over-focus on masks, at least outdoors, making them often little more than symbolic, and even providing a false sense of security).

    The above noted, the larger, more general sentiment you have articulated is all-too-valid. If only more among us, more from unzere Yidden, would be more inclined toward thinking in that direction.

    “Remember we are in golus, and must act accordingly.”

    Yes and in that vein, a response to the first clause of your first sentence: However certain ma’amarei kHazal are to be properly understood (certainly not simply), the fact remains that a mostly white, mostly Christian United States of America has been extraordinarily kind to us. Now, more than ever, when this demographic and the values upon which they built this country (many of which we share) are under such attack, the least we can do is take care to remain respectful, civil, courteous and kind (as we obviously should toward all of our non-Jewish neighbors and fellow citizens, of all backgrounds.)

16. @ smerel:
    1.) However many individual examples one may be able to cite that would support your contention of a double-standard against Jews, there are at least as many that could be cited in the opposite direction.[1] (At least in more recent years, in the US.)

    Granted, our situation as Orthodox Jews is more complicated. But still…[2]

    2.) Regardless of just where Jews fit in here, is there a double-standard today more blatant than the one against whites— primarily those of the non-Jewish, non-cosmopolitan, traditionalist variety? [3]

    3.) BOTTOM LINE: Crying antisemitism, even in cases where doing so may have some basis, would seem to rarely be helpful. And all too often, doing is manifestly counterproductive. As a rule, we would do better to look for and emphasize common cause with our non-Jewish neighbors and fellow citizens. The virulent Wokeness that prevails not only in the Democrat party (and to a large extent in the Republican wing of what can be called the Uniparty as well) but across practically all institutions of the elite establishment (media, academia, entertainment, etc.) threatens all of us who favor civilization, sanity and decency over savagery, lunacy, and depravity.

    NOTES
    [1] A few months ago black rapper, comedian and TV host Nick Cannon said vile things about both whites as well as Jews, but was only called-out and punished for the latter. Powerful (overwhelmingly secular) Jews such as Charles Schumer sanctimoniously scold whites over their purported “privilege”, and demand that whites cede positions to less-qualified nonwhites in the name of “diversity” and “racial justice”. But let anyone so much as notice the mere fact of Jewish overrepresentation (based on percentage of population) in positions of power, influence and wealth…

    Mind you, I am not suggesting that this over representation is the result of anything nefarious. But silencing and canceling/unpersoning anyone who so much as questions whether there might be such a thing as Jewish privilege somehow does not exactly seem like the most convincing way to prove that there is not…

    [2] Certainly, our defiant, uncompromising traditionalist heteronormativity, patriarchy, and pro-natalism— among our greatest strengths, to be sure– are the antithesis of the prevailing values and sensibilities demanded by the ruling elites. And this clash does, at least at times, work against us. But I have also observed a number of instances, areas and respects in which it would be difficult to argue that our broader categorization of mere Jews— clearly among the groups that on-the-whole enjoy a favored status in the U.S. as well as at least much of the rest of today’s West– gives us a certain amount of leeway, a certain pass, if you will, that less-favored groups, such as white, traditionalist Christians, generally do not enjoy.

    [3] NY Times columnist Sarah Jeong is but one of what are countless individuals who have publicly expressed the most vile vitriol against whites, yet suffered at most only the most minimal consequences.

    How many people are familiar with the name Cannon Hinnant? Suffice it to say that there can be little question but that had poor little five-year-old Cannon been black and his murderer white, there would be few people who were not all-too familiar with this ghastly incident from August. Think it’s an anomaly? Think again…

17. In response to the first two comments I want to let Sefer Yehoshua answer them.
    Yehoshua perek 7:
    יֹּ֧אמֶר יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ קֻ֣ם לָ֑ךְ לָ֣מָּה זֶּ֔ה אַתָּ֖ה נֹפֵ֥ל עַל־פָּנֶֽיךָ׃

    But the LORD answered Joshua: “Arise! Why do you lie prostrate?

    חָטָא֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְגַם֙ עָבְר֣וּ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי אוֹתָ֑ם וְגַ֤ם לָֽקְחוּ֙ מִן־הַחֵ֔רֶם וְגַ֤ם גָּֽנְבוּ֙ וְגַ֣ם כִּֽחֲשׁ֔וּ וְגַ֖ם שָׂ֥מוּ בִכְלֵיהֶֽם׃

    Israel has sinned! They have broken the covenant by which I bound them. They have taken of the proscribed and put it in their vessels; they have stolen; they have broken faith!
    וְלֹ֨א יֻכְל֜וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לָקוּם֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹיְבֵיהֶ֔ם עֹ֗רֶף יִפְנוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֥י הָי֖וּ לְחֵ֑רֶם לֹ֤א אוֹסִיף֙ לִֽהְי֣וֹת עִמָּכֶ֔ם אִם־לֹ֥א תַשְׁמִ֛ידוּ הַחֵ֖רֶם מִֽקִּרְבְּכֶֽם׃

    Therefore, the Israelites will not be able to hold their ground against their enemies; they will have to turn tail before their enemies, for they have become proscribed. I will not be with you any more unless you root out from among you what is proscribed.

18. We have Jewish Jew-haters who manage to take an Jew-hating incident and blame Jews for it…We have the Jewish KKK in our midst. It is now becoming increasingly clear to me how the churban came about from sinas chinum and how Jews were kapos. Yes, it’s crystal clear to me now.

19. nyny: thats not nice.

    We know that it is inevitable that Jews will be targeted with violence under the false pretense that Jews spread disease. I place the blame for this environment on a certain pediatrician in Brooklyn who likes to pretend that he is a real doctor specializing in infectious diseases and who not only regularly smears the Jewish community with falsehoods but goes as far as writing the local politicians with lies about the Jewish community. He has created this feeding frenzy. If my children were patients of his, I would move them somewhere else.