Gods change; prayers are here to stay

by DovBear | 2:18 PM |

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A poem by Yehuda Amichai

DovBear's Contrition

by DovBear | 10:43 AM |

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I often say that Rabbi David Orlofsky and those like him are no different from bloggers. He stands in front of a crowd, or a classroom, and says what he thinks about Torah, hashkofa, or the news of the day, while we do the same at our keyboards. He sometimes gets angry, says what he shouldn't, and experiences a public backlash -- and so do we.  

Last week, I was part of the chorus of bloggers and blog-readers who publicly requested an apology from Rabbi David Orlofsky for the intemperate things he said about the blogging community, and about Rabbi Hersh Weinreb, the former head of the OU. I didn't post about it 5 years ago, but I was also among those who privately thought RDO owed Natan Slifkin an apology for the contents of the now-famous, but disavowed, "Bullet for the Gedolim" letter.  

This morning, I realized I was guilty of perpetrating a double standard. I realized that if I sincerely believe that that RDO is categorically the same as a blogger, I can't demand apologies from him when he acts like a blogger, unless I am prepared to deliver them myself. 

When I posted about RDO's original remarks about RWH and his subsequent apology, my intent was to provide fair commentary about the news of the day using information that had already appeared on other web sites*. There's no question in my mind that when RDO wrote his first Slifkin letter, and when he addressed his classroom about RHW he was trying to do the same thing. As we know, RDO went too far, and said things he shouldn't have said. I confess that in my discussion of his remarks, I did the exact same thing. I left the arena of fair commentary, and made rude personal remarks.  If I'm going to insist that RDO apologize, I have to apologize myself. I have to follow the same rules I expect him to follow. 

So... Rabbi David Orlofsky, if you're reading this, please accept my sincere apology. I don't retract all of what I said as I think some of it was legitimate, but the two posts did contain remarks that were undoubtedly nasty, and absolutely gratuitous. I am deeply sorry for those remarks, specifically for what you or one of your defenders quite correctly called "pot shots". I ask that you find it in your heart to forgive me.

Please write to me at yourfavoriteblogger at gmail dot com should you require additional information.

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*I make it a rule never to be the first one to publish on these types of matters, following the opinion that discussing something that is already public knowledge isn't necessarily loshon hara. I don't claim that I always follow this rule, but those of you have emailed me scoops know that I often turn them down if there's no newspaper or blog story to back them up. 

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A strange Roman ritual, and two interpretations of it

by DovBear | 8:59 AM |

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On BT Avoda Zara 11b, Rav Yehudah b. Ezekiel (d 299) provides a description of a Roman ritual which he attributes to his teacher Shmuel (d 250)

Said Rab Judah in the name of Samuel: They have yet another festival in Rome [which occurs] once every seventy years. Then a healthy man is brought and made to ride on a lame man; he is dressed in the attire of Adam, on his head is placed the scalp of R. Ishmael, and on his neck are hung pieces of fine gold to the weight of four zuzim, the market places [through which these pass] are paved with onyx stones, and the proclamation is made before him: 'The reckoning of the ruler is wrong. The brother of our lord, the impostor! Let him who will see it see it; he who will not see it now will never see it. Of what avail is the treason to the traitor or deceit to the deceiver!'; and they concluded thus: Woe unto the one when the other will arise [Soncino translation]

According to Rashi, the ritual is a Jacob and Esav pageant. Soncino summarizes Rashi's view:

Jacob, representing the Jews, here impersonated by the lame man (Gen. XXXII, 32 and he halted upon his thigh); and to Esau, representing Rome, impersonated by the healthy man; The reckoning which is pronounced as wrong alludes Jacob's prediction as to what would happen to his descendants at the end of days (Gen. XLIX, 1) the treason being an allusion to Jacob's deceitful gaining of the paternal blessing which was intended for Esau, and the concluding threat is a warning to Israel for whom the rising of Rome would be fraught with trouble

In short, Rashi seems to beleive that Rome created a ceremony in which various Rabbinic teachings are expressly rebuked. The problem is we don't have any reason to assume that Rome accepted Rabbinic teachings. The idea that Esav = Rome, for example, is nowhere found in scripture. Its an interpretation, propagated by the Rabbis after Rome ascended; prior to the rise of Rome, Esav was identified with Edom.  It's also hard to understand why Rome would go to the bother of establishing a ritual designed specifically to rebuke this teaching. What would such a ritual accomplish? Why go to the trouble of putting on such a show, unless you shared the perspective of the Rabbis, which Rome certainly did not?

A better answer (no offense to Rashi) is provided by Soncino:

Quite a different interpretation is offered by Rapaport ('Erek Millin s.v. [H]). According to him, Samuel here presents an account which reached him of one of the Ludi Saeculares, the spectacular carnivals and pompous pageants, of which altogether ten are known to Roman history. This one must have been arranged by the Roman Emperor Philippus, about 247 C.E., who introduced into the pageant the spectacle of a halting dancer ridden upon by a strong man. This was intended to satyrise and discredit P's rival, Decius, who pretended to be a friend and 'brother' of the Emperor, yet had accepted the crown which P. fondly hoped would be handed to his own son. The lame dancer with a larva, or kind of mask, tied at his neck (described by the Rabbi as R. Ishmael's scalp), thus impersonated Decius the treacherous 'ruler' whose plans and plottings are declared as wrong. The rider was impersonating Philippus. When he (or his son) rises woe betide his rival. The exclamation 'Let him who will see it etc.' alludes to the festivity which occurs but once in a lifetime. The fact that Samuel lived till 3 or 13 years after the date of this Game lends added feasibility to this interpretation.

This is a much better explanation of Samuel's words, but its not without problems. First, Samuel assumes that the larva was actually R. Ishmael's scalp (apparently the Rabbis thought Rome kept it as a souvenir after murdering him); second  he imagines one of the men was dressed in the "attire of Adam."  According to Rapaport's reading, Samuel was wrong on both counts. Can we say such a thing? Yes, I think, we can. Samuel's interpretation of the Roman event does not have the status of Torah She Ba'al Peh. We can't say that he received his description or interpretation of the ritual as part of an unbroken chain stretching back to Sinai, as the revelation occurred over a thousand years before the event in Rome. We can also rely on the teaching of Shmuel Hanagid (d 1050) who said that the non-halachic parts of the Torah are not binding on us, and that we're free to disregard or accept them as we see fit. (a view shared by many) Therefore it strikes me as perfectly okay to say that Samuel was wrong when he misidentified the larva as R. Ishmael's scalp; likewise, its valid to suggest that Rashi was mistaken when he interpreted the ceremony as having to do with Jacob and Esav.

What do you think?

Aside: Last night I had a whole long discussion with @unclechaim and others about this on Twitter in which I erroneously attributed Rashi's explanation to Samuel. As you can see from the cite, Samuel never claimed that the ritual had anything to do with Jacob or Esav.

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Ron Paul Blasts Mosque Opponents for "hate and Islamaphobia."

by DovBear | 4:43 PM |

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Republican Ron Paul opened fire of mosque opponents the other day, as follows:

Is the controversy over building a mosque near ground zero a grand distraction or a grand opportunity? Or is it, once again, grandiose demagoguery?

It has been said, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Are we not overly preoccupied with this controversy, now being used in various ways by grandstanding politicians? It looks to me like the politicians are “fiddling while the economy burns.”

The debate should have provided the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque.

Instead, we hear lip service given to the property rights position while demanding that the need to be “sensitive” requires an all-out assault on the building of a mosque, several blocks from “ground zero.”

Just think of what might (not) have happened if the whole issue had been ignored and the national debate stuck with war, peace, and prosperity. There certainly would have been a lot less emotionalism on both sides. The fact that so much attention has been given the mosque debate, raises the question of just why and driven by whom?

In my opinion it has come from the neo-conservatives who demand continual war in the Middle East and Central Asia and are compelled to constantly justify it.

They never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars. A select quote from soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq expressing concern over the mosque is pure propaganda and an affront to their bravery and sacrifice.

The claim is that we are in the Middle East to protect our liberties is misleading. To continue this charade, millions of Muslims are indicted and we are obligated to rescue them from their religious and political leaders. And, we’re supposed to believe that abusing our liberties here at home and pursuing unconstitutional wars overseas will solve our problems.

The nineteen suicide bombers didn’t come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran. Fifteen came from our ally Saudi Arabia, a country that harbors strong American resentment, yet we invade and occupy Iraq where no al Qaeda existed prior to 9/11.

Many fellow conservatives say they understand the property rights and 1st Amendment issues and don’t want a legal ban on building the mosque. They just want everybody to be “sensitive” and force, through public pressure, cancellation of the mosque construction.

This sentiment seems to confirm that Islam itself is to be made the issue, and radical religious Islamic views were the only reasons for 9/11. If it became known that 9/11 resulted in part from a desire to retaliate against what many Muslims saw as American aggression and occupation, the need to demonize Islam would be difficult if not impossible.

There is no doubt that a small portion of radical, angry Islamists do want to kill us but the question remains, what exactly motivates this hatred?

If Islam is further discredited by making the building of the mosque the issue, then the false justification for our wars in the Middle East will continue to be acceptable.

The justification to ban the mosque is no more rational than banning a soccer field in the same place because all the suicide bombers loved to play soccer.

Conservatives are once again, unfortunately, failing to defend private property rights, a policy we claim to cherish. In addition conservatives missed a chance to challenge the hypocrisy of the left which now claims they defend property rights of Muslims, yet rarely if ever, the property rights of American private businesses.

Defending the controversial use of property should be no more difficult than defending the 1st Amendment principle of defending controversial speech. But many conservatives and liberals do not want to diminish the hatred for Islam–the driving emotion that keeps us in the wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.

It is repeatedly said that 64% of the people, after listening to the political demagogues, don’t want the mosque to be built. What would we do if 75% of the people insist that no more Catholic churches be built in New York City? The point being is that majorities can become oppressors of minority rights as well as individual dictators. Statistics of support is irrelevant when it comes to the purpose of government in a free society—protecting liberty.

The outcry over the building of the mosque, near ground zero, implies that Islam alone was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. According to those who are condemning the building of the mosque, the nineteen suicide terrorists on 9/11 spoke for all Muslims. This is like blaming all Christians for the wars of aggression and occupation because some Christians supported the neo-conservatives’ aggressive wars.

This is all about hate and Islamaphobia.

We now have an epidemic of “sunshine patriots” on both the right and the left who are all for freedom, as long as there’s no controversy and nobody is offended.

Political demagoguery rules when truth and liberty are ignored.

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The only thing I want to know about the Beck rally

by DovBear | 10:22 AM |

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Two days ago, unscrupulous opportunist Glen Beck invited some friends to Washington for a "Restoring Honor" rally*. You may recall that the last time Republicans thought honor needed to be restored to Washington, a democrat was president, only that particular democrat actually was involved in dishonorable activities. You may feel that whatever happens between a man and his intern is private, and no business of ours, but dishonorable activities were in fact occuring.

Has Obama done something similar? What exactly did our current president do to sully the honor of his office, or the country? Has he even been accused of doing something inappropriate? Why the sudden need to restore honor? 

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*Amusingly some of Beck's followers chose to restore honor by wearing racist T-shirts and carrying racists signs.

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A Miracle, Sort Of...

by Rafi G. | 9:01 AM |

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A Guest Post By Rafi G

I guess it is a miracle, but...

Last night I saw reported on the Haredim WAP site that a miracle happened as someone drove up to the shtieblech to daven. he parked his car on the side and ran out to go to the shtiebele. As he was davening, a cement block fell on his car from a wall above.

It was declared a miracle, as it could have killed him, sort of I guess, had he been there and not inside davening.

But, while it damaged the top of the car (I saw the picture), it didnt go through, so it would not have hit him in the head and killed him, even had he still been in the car. And second, had he not gone to daven there he would not have been placed under the falling rock, so just like it fell while he wasnt there because he was inside davening, it would have fallen while he wasnt there but was two blocks away learning in his kollel in the Mir Yeshiva. But I guess it is close to home, as it hit his car, so it is his miracle..

Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov!

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Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

by EFink | 3:00 AM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

Living among Christmas Celebrators for almost my entire life, I have picked up on a notion of the "Holiday Spirit" that ushers in the Holidays of Christmas and New Year's. Folks are generally more friendly and generous under the "guise" of Holiday Spirit.

Seeing as Rosh Hashana is a mere 9 days away, if we were Christian and the New Year was 9 days away, we would be knee-deep in the "Holiday Spirit". A congregant of mine told me an anecdote that would fit neatly in the "Holiday Spirit" if we had an equivalent. But alas, our Holiday Spirit is usually getting out of bed early for slichos and nothing more.

This fellow (happens to be a BT) was shopping at the local butcher (Western Kosher) and he noticed a frum woman had stacked her yogurt on top of her chicken. Now, most FFBs don't think twice about that kind of move, but I know MANY BTs who prefer to keep their milk and meat products separate in their shopping carts. (Yes, baseless, silly, superstitious, hyper-sensitive, call it what you want, let's move on to the point of the story.) So the fellow thinks about saying something to the nice lady but thought it was a silly thing to bring to her attention because he realized that there is nothing wrong with stacking cold yogurt in a package on top of cold chicken in a package.

By now, she had caught his attention and he noticed that she was holding a list with at least 8 or 9 items. Her overhears that woman say to the manager "Please put $1000 in the Schwartz* account. $1000 in the Goldberg account. $1000 in the Cohen account." and so she went for a few minutes, quite simply crediting at least 8 or 9 families with $1000 out of her own pocket. This fellow was witnessing a true act of charity. Charity given in the most respectful way with no begging, handouts or embarrassment. An estimated $10,000 went to the less fortunate of Los Angeles last week from this woman alone.

Mi K'amcha Yisrael.

May we merit a wonderfully sweet new year.

*names changed (duh)

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Are you a Park51 bigot?

by DovBear | 7:49 PM |

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Definition of BIGOT

: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

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Opposed to the Park51 Mosque? Ok, that's fine. You're entitled. But perhaps you've been reading this blog, and others, and have grown concerned that your opposition to the mosque means you're a bigot. Well, I'm here to tell you that's not necessarily so: You can be definitely be opposed to the mosque without being a bigot.  I want to be clear about this: Not every mosque opponent is a bigot.

However, some are. Here's a simple test you can use to determine if your mosque-opposition is rooted in bigotry.

Answer yes or no to the following questions:

1. Do you realize the mosque is 2 long city blocks away from Ground Zero?

2. Are you aware that the Ground Zero is not visible from the construction site?

3. Are you aware that the mosque won't be the tallest building in the neighborhood?

4. Did you know that the neighborhood already has 2 mosques? (and several strip clubs!)

5. Are you aware the "mosque" is really more like a community center, boasting a swimming pool and other facilities that will be open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike?

6. Did you know that in 2006 Glen Beck conceded that Iman Rauf is a "good Muslim"  See his friendly conversation with the Imam here:

7. Did you know that Laura Ingraham supported the project in 2009? See her fawning interview with the Imam's wife below:

The Halachavore’s Dilemma

by DovBear | 7:14 AM |

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A guest post by G.A.

Some time ago, after making the mistake of peeking behind the white Styrofoam façade that shields us from the backstory of the animals we consume, I made the decision to limit my meat consumption to Shabbos and holidays. Little did I realize that my 15 years of Orthodox Jewish education would prove a more frustrating obstacle than double that time spent developing a taste for brisket.

Not far beneath the soil of every vegetarian or variant thereof lies a polemic ready to sprout forth; I may as well get mine out of the way. I have no particular love for live animals, and my relationship with them has historically been limited to eating the Kosher ones and viewing the Treif ones at zoos. However, after one of the Jewish community scandals prompted a torrent of research on the subject of meat origins, I became increasingly uncomfortable with prevailing industry practices, from both a Halachic and moral perspective.

Perhaps the simplest way to put it is that, while neither I nor Jewish law object to cutting the head off an animal because its body is tasty, there is no justification for subjecting an animal to unnecessary suffering. The Torah’s conceptualization of Tzar Ba’alei Chaim (cruelty to animals) calls for a model pursuant to which any suffering inflicted upon animals must be reasonable and justified and, as I see it, the right to pay lower prices for meat and poultry does not justify feeding a cow corn on a factory farm or housing a chicken in a cramped cage, when more pastoral options are available. I should clarify that it is not the moment of death, however gory, that concerns me, but rather the months leading up to it, during which animals are systematically made to endure unnatural stresses in the sole pursuit of keeping costs down.

Needless to say, this was not an ideal realization for a devoted carnivore, but, like a sausage that had erupted from its casing, it was not possible to stuff this back from whence it had came. However, no sooner had I undertaken to eat meat or chicken only on Shabbos and holidays (which, thankfully, comprise roughly 42% of the Jewish calendar), that the Talmudic questions began to bubble to the surface.

1) When cooking for Shabbos on Thursday night, was one permitted to taste meat dishes for seasoning purposes? On one hand, this was a clear violation of the rule, but, on the other hand, the Sabbath could potentially be dishonoured by the serving of an inferior dish (especially as I do not believe in adhering to recipes). If so, how much was one permitted to taste? A mouthful? A portion the size of an egg? An olive? Kalamata or Manzanilla? Must it be spat out, or may it be swallowed? Spitting would be in the spirit of the rule, but the injunction of Ba’al Tashchis (not wasting) is a counterbalancing concern. Perhaps one may swallow, but have in mind not to enjoy. The tasting could even be preceded by a declaration clarifying the ascetic purpose of the impending mouthful (one version for Ashkenazic Jews, and another for Sefardim, naturally).

2) Does Saturday night count as Shabbos? Does ceasing carnivorous behaviour immediately at nightfall demonstrate added respect to the Sabbath (only the actual Sabbath is enough to lift the restrictions of vegetarianism), or is the Sabbath honoured precisely by enjoying the remaining roast on Saturday night, as if to show that the aura of the Seventh Day endures even after its departure. In fact, is not the Saturday night meal known as Melave Malka (literally, “Escorting the Queen”) held specifically for this purpose?

3) What about leftovers (Saturday night according to the former opinion in the above paragraph, Sunday morning according to the latter)? Once again, the no-meat rule butts heads with the prohibition against wasting. Undeniably, it is neither ethical nor economical to throw good meat in the garbage or let it die a slow death in the fridge. Had I found a loophole, whereby I could prepare a massive amount of meat “for the Sabbath” and then eat it for the entire week to come? Would freezing Sabbath-prepared leftover meat cause it to lose its status as a Permissible Leftover, or would it be grandfathered even subsequent to defrosting?

While my Rabbis would no doubt be proud of me, what had begun as a clear-headed initiative had, over the course of a single weekend, been reduced in my mind to a cat and mouse game of stringencies and loopholes, of fences to guard the commandments versus tunnels burrowing beneath.

Formal rules and regulations seem necessary, lest observance devolve into a casual, self-determined mess. But, at some point, do the regulations take on a mind of their own. Does one lose sight of the ethics that the regulations were put in place to uphold, and instead gauge one’s morality simply by whether the regulations are being adhered to. Put differently, does the letter of the law subvert, or even replace, the spirit. How does one find the right balance of letter and spirit. More importantly, can I or can I not bite into this sandwich (leftover roast beef, caramelized onions, homemade mayonnaise) as I sit here on this Saturday night…

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Gilad Shalit's Birthday

by EFink | 3:25 AM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

It is hard to wish someone a "Happy" Birthday when they are being held captive. This Shabbos will be the 24th Birthday of Gilad Shalit. Hopefully this will be his final birthday in captivity.

His case is a real case of Pidyon Shvuyim min haTorah and we have an obligation to help secure his release. In an era where criminals and swindlers have had massive campaigns by the Charedi world on their behalf Shalit's case has been somewhat ignored by the Charedim.

To that end, my father and couple of friends have sponsored an ad on behalf of Gilad Shalit in the preeminent American Charedi paper, the Yated Ne'eman. The ad quotes R' Elyashiv who proclaimed it necessary to pray for Gilad as it is a matter of life and death and genuine redemption of a captive.

I could not agree more.

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Dedicated to Double Marist

by DovBear | 8:26 PM |

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...and anyone else who thinks we must be very, very, very afraid of Muslims who seek to exercuse their right to pray as they see fit:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tennessee No Evil
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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Are the 2010 Muslims Equivalent to the Japanese of the 60's?

by EFink | 8:46 AM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

In this clip from Mad Men, Roger Sterling does something very reminiscent of what the anti-Cordoba Center movement has been doing.

Just something to think about.

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Holiday Cons and Heresies

by DovBear | 5:07 AM |

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I see that pious-seeming Jews with long beards, and a familiarity with words like "tazdik", "kvitel" and "pidyon" are breaching the sanctity of our homes and polluting them with words of heresy and chicanery.

It reads: Oh, how it pains Hashem to see a tzadik in pain.

This is kfira. God feels no pain.

It continues:  Thus Hashem is compelled to to bring salvation....

This is kfira. Nothing can compel God to do something.

It concludes: Your contribution of $100 or more to Vaad Harabbanim will be submitted to the tzaddik of your choice. In addition a minyan of pious Jews will pray for those named on your kvittel for 40 consecutive days at the Kossel.

And now we're thisclose to mail fraud. The stops just short of promising that your $100 donation guarantees that your wish will come true. Instead it says that God is compelled to alleviate a Tzadik's pain (heresy) so please send up your money and a note detailing your troubles. The Tzadik (presumably in pain about your issues) will pray for you, and (presumably) the prayer will be answered, and your problems will be solved.

Unfortunately, I can't imagine a real tzadik agreeing to take part in such a scheme. 

HT: ON REQUEST

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Something A Little Lighter: Ikea Gedola

by EFink | 8:28 PM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

This made me laugh. (Yes, I have a lame sense of humor.)

Sent to me by a friend (the baal tokeah and the baal hajoke).

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Reform can't rent. yes they can.

by Rafi G. | 7:47 AM |

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A Guest Post by Rafi G


Many people are frequently trying to find ways to "prove" that Barak Obama is a Muslim. I am not sure what the point is - he already won the election for the presidency, and the revelation that he is a Muslim is no longer relevant. And it is not illegal for a Muslim to be president of the USA.

Yet for some reason people think that just because "I" don't like somebody, for whatever reason - who he is, what or who he represents - he deserves no rights in society.

A Reform Synagogue has rented a community center, a.k.a. Matnas, in Holon for High Holiday Services.

This has upset the local Torani community "garin" who have rented that community center for their services in recent years. Perhaps the amdinistrator of the Center should have told the Torani admin that there are others looking to rent and offered them first priority. But he did not. And now the Torani people are upset that the Reform have rented a place that has been already in use the past few years. Perhaps they did so to trick people who might come for services in the Torani shul, not realizing it is a Reform minyan.

No matter how much we dislike and do not approve of Reform Judaism, they are people and have social rights like anybody else. It is sad that that statement even needs to be said. I would not daven in a Reform shul, but they have the right to run their minyan as they see fit, and to rent suitable premises.

I might not have any particular affinity for mosques and Muslims, but they have a right to rent or buy any private piece of property they want. They can use it as they see fit, within the limitations of the zoning laws.

The country operates on a free market, and the Reform have the right to rent a community center just like anybody else does. Maybe next year the Torani people should wake up a little bit earlier and take care of arranging the rental before others do.

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Mosque vs Cultural Center Debate Videos

by EFink | 9:56 AM |

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A Guest Post By E . Fink

(DovBear indicated last week that he was done with the Cordoba Center debate. I ran this post on my blog last week but didn't crosspost because I wanted to respect the Baal Hablog's wishes. The moratorium has been lifted so here it is.)

I honestly cannot believe that this story still has legs.

Silly me. I actually thought that if people knew the truth about Cordoba House they would simply cease to oppose its existence. (See: The Mosque at Ground Zero Has A Marketing Problem)

Yet, weeks later, people still call it a mosque and people still think it is being built at Ground Zero and people still think it is being funded by Osama bin Laden and it will become a terror cell and the reason they are building the mosque is to proclaim victory for Islam etc etc etc.

(You really should read the (insane) comments on my blog Ground Zero Mosque vs. Downtown Manhattan Islamic Cultural Center: Video Debate and Facebook page: click here to see what I mean.)

I have seen several videos about the issue. I have placed two of the videos on this page. Watch them both and you decide who makes the more cogent, reasoned, fair arguments.

I present you with Keep America Safe's latest video:



And I present you with Keith Olbermann (with whom I rarely agree):

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Frum guy at pro-Park 51 rally

by Rabba bar bar Chana | 8:08 AM |

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A Guest Post by Rabba bar bar Chana

This is from the New York Times photos of the opposing rallies for and against the Park 51 project (the mislabeled "ground zero mosque"). It's nice to see a frum guy, with tzitzit out, standing up against bigotry and intolerance. Based on my Facebook friends statuses and emails from various friends and Jewish organizations, I suspect there were quite a few frum people, unfortunately, at the anti-Park 51 protest, a protest where people held up blatantly bigoted signs such as the word "Sharia" dripping with blood and "No Clubhouse For Terrorists"

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Feeding the dead in ancient Israel

by DovBear | 5:07 AM |

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Among ancient Canaanites there seems to have been a basic belief that the dead required food.

The Canaanites buried their dead communally in caves outside their settlements, supplying them with pottery vessels containing food and drink, and with other necessities such as furniture, weapons and jewelry.

Scholars have also identified a practice called kipsu, in which families went to the grave at regular intervals to deliver food and water. In Ugarit and Bet Shemesh, tubes have been found that archeologists believe were used to conduct food and water to the dead body. Their discovery in Bet Shemesh strongly suggests that Israelites also fed their dead. Additional evidence is found in this week's parsha (KiTavo), where the practice is mentioned, without prejudice, as part of the liturgy the Torah establishes for offering tithes.

I have not eaten [from the food] while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I deposited any of it with the dead. (ולא נתתי ממנו למת)  I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me.

Later biblical interpreters, including the authors of the Sifrei and the Mishna, were likely unaware of kipsu, and took the verse differently. Instead of reading ולא נתתי ממנו למת to mean "I have not given any of [the food] to the dead"  they interpreted it as "I have not given any [of the sale proceeds] of the food to a dead person [to use for coffins or shrouds.]" Rashi, following both Sifrei and the Mishna takes it that way.

Update: 6:26 p.m.  The first paragraph is found here; the second is from here

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by DovBear | 1:29 PM |

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The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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That's not how we did it in Yavneh

by DovBear | 5:51 PM |

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"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," is one way to translate the first verse of Genesis, and to my mind preferable to "At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.… God said let there be light" which is how Rashi reads it. I say this not on textual grounds, but for mussar reasons. I like the idea of God first creating heaven and earth rather than beginning with a boring, old dichotomy. Light or dark, right or wrong, true or false - as if all the universe contains might be boiled down to one or the other. 
~
Beginnings are hard. Its human nature to soften them with rituals, or with things we've brought with us from before . We come into the world naked, but that's about it; afterwards there are no fresh starts. We go to new schools with old friends, or favorite sweaters. We take our old furniture, and our old families into our new homes. The past comes with us everywhere we venture. To leave it behind is to invite stress, and disorientation.

Along with the new year, Rosh Hashana is a celebration of our personal history. The liturgy with its well-remembered songs and the meals with their traditional foods are all cues that reminds of our parents, our childhood, our innocence. And it is these memories that are the source of the holiday's great, irreplaceable pleasures.This is why the first holiday away from home can be such a stressful challenge. We want what we remember, because only what we remember holds meaning. If any of the details are wrong - details that according to all theologists are insignificant - we feel that the holiday is wrong. Their absence makes the holiday into something foreign.

This is a natural, altogether human way of thinking, of course, and one that, taken to extremes, can  create sectarianism. Fifteen years ago, my neighborhood had one shul where Jews of many different descents and traditions happily coexisted. Today my neighborhood has five shuls, and diversity under one roof is hard to find. Each group wanted only what they knew, and couldn't quite swallow the suspicion that the other ways were wrong. Rather than stay together and create something new, and possibly better, the community split apart in pursuit of something quite impossible: a perfect representation of the past.

The more Jews change the more they stay the same. The story of my shul was told for perhaps the first time by the authors of the Talmud Bavli, on  BT Rosh Hashana 32A: 

When the Sanhedrin went to Usha, R. Yochanan b. Beruka was the chazan [on Rosh Hashana] in front [of the Nasi] Shimon b. Gamliel and he followed the liturgy of R. Yochanan b. Nuri.

R. Shimon b. Gamliel said to him "That's not how we did it in Yavneh."

On the second day, R. Chanina b. R. Yosi Hagelili was the chazan and he followed the liturgy of R. Akiva

R. Shimon b. Gamliel said to him "That's how we did it in Yavneh."

Much of this is familiar. Twenty-first century Orthodox Jews will recognize the fetishistic view of customs, and the holiday sense of longing for the old home, in this case Yavneh. What's different - strikingly different,even astoundingly different - is the behavior of R. Shimon b. Gamliel.

In our day, I can't imagine a  Rabbi allowing a competing liturgy to be used in his shul. In our day, angry faces are made at the gabbai, and at least one old man starts yelling "Neee! Neee!" the moment R. Yochanan departs from the house style.

Contrast this with the behavior of R. Shimon. "That's not how we did it in Yavneh." There is so much nobility, so much maturity, so much dignity, in his simple response, in words I imagine he uttered quietly and with something of a shrug. 

"We're all Jews,"  he might have continued. "with more in common then the small differences that distinguish us. Let R. Yochanan do it his way. It's not the end of the world. And who knows? I might enjoy it, or learn something new from his approach. His way isn't wrong; my way isn't right. They're just different, and diversity is a source of strength not weakness."

Think of how much stronger the House of Israel would be if the Jews of different descents and different traditions and different, but legitimate, imperatives, could greet each other with R. Shimon's words and, in keeping with R. Shimon's behavior, continue to pray together. Wouldn't it be great if we could find a way to pay proper homage to our past, to our personal Yavnahs, without allowing the homage to become something larger, something that obstructs unity? Can't we find a way to free ourselves from the tyrannous thought that everything is either right or wrong, dark or light, when most things are neither?  Can't we begin again, together?

This post is part of Jewels of Elul, which celebrates the Jewish tradition to dedicate the 29 days of the month of Elul to growth and discovery in preparation for the coming high holy days. This year the program is benefiting Beit T'shuvah, a residential addiction treatment center in Los Angeles. You can subscribe on Jewels of Elul to receive inspirational reflections from public figures each day of the month. You don’t have to be on the blog tour to write a blog post on “The Art of Beginning... Again”. We invite everyone to post this month (August 11th - September 8th) with Jewels of Elul to grow and learn.”

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Special Offer for Tiferes Yisroel Parents!

by DovBear | 10:07 AM |

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A certain "Rabbi Wiener" saw the announcement from Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel about their new Internet policy, and is making the following service available to DovBear readers with children in the school.

For a fee of only $1.99 a month, I will act as your Web Chaver and maintain in strict confidence and not divulge to your wife or others the adult Web sites you visit. For an additional $1.99, I will provide you with a monthly list of recommended hot Web sites for your viewing pleasure.

Discounts avaliable to Kollel and Hanhola families as well high volume users.

In conjunction with Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, I will soon be offering the following additional services:

-- Supervised "Key" Parties (limited to Marine Park residents)

-- Web cam bedroom monitoring

-- Acting as your wife's mikveh 'lady'

-- Massage Therapy

Finally, be sure to look out for our upcoming publication "Rabinically Sanctioned Sexual Positions." (Available only in Hard Cover).

Please contact the Rabbi directly for registration information.

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Hitch on Antisemitism

by DovBear | 7:11 AM |

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Chris Hitchens has something in the new Atlantic about Antisemitism which can be summed up thusly:

Muslim Jew-hating is categorically the same as Christian Jew-hating in that it's a product of religious delusions, lunatic notions of theological superiority and the like. If Christians no longer hate Jews, its only because they've lost their religion. If Muslims hate Jews more now than they did 500 years ago its only (or mostly) because Islam has recently taken a hard turn to the right. The problem, at bottom, he says is religious faith.

Read it all here.

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Rate the rejection letters

by DovBear | 10:04 AM |

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On the occasion of Travis's Bar Mitzvah his father invited 40-odd famous people to attend the ceremomy. All of them said no, but some of the refusal letters are weirdly sweet. The presidents of Poland, Ethiopia and Nigeria were among those who sent friendly refusals. See them all here

Hat tip Jameel.

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Zero Grounds: The Case for the Lower Manhattan Mosque

by DovBear | 11:02 AM |

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A guest post by Hendrik Hertzberg
From the New Yorker

A couple of weeks before the last election, the Republican nominees for President and Vice-President granted a joint interview to Brian Williams, of NBC. “Governor,” he asked, turning to the distaff half of the ticket, “what is an élite? Who is a member of the élite?” Sarah Palin replied, “Anyone who thinks that they are, I guess, better than anyone else—that’s my definition of élitism.” “It’s not geography?” Williams pursued. “Of course not,” she said. The ticket’s other half blinked and smiled a tight smile. John McCain had something to say.

MCCAIN: I know where a lot of them live.
WILLIAMS: Where’s that?
MCCAIN: Well, in our nation’s capital and New York City. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived there.

These élitists, he went on to explain, “think that they can dictate what they believe to America rather than let Americans decide for themselves.”

It was nice of Palin not to go all geographical on us back then. She has forgotten her patron’s admonition about Americans letting other Americans decide for themselves, but at least she says please, or its Twitter equivalent. In a follow-up to her quickly famous, quickly removed “pls refudiate” tweet, she tweeted, “Peaceful New Yorkers, pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real.” Sic, sic, sic.

Ah, the “Ground Zero mosque.” Well, for a start, it won’t be at Ground Zero. It’ll be on Park Place, two blocks north of the World Trade Center site (from which it will not be visible), in a neighborhood ajumble with restaurants, shops (electronics, porn, you name it), churches, office cubes, and the rest of the New York mishmash. Park51, as it is to be called, will have a large Islamic “prayer room,” which presumably qualifies as a mosque. But the rest of the building will be devoted to classrooms, an auditorium, galleries, a restaurant, a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001, and a swimming pool and gym. Its sponsors envision something like the 92nd Street Y—a Y.M.I.A., you might say, open to all, including persons of the C. and H. persuasions.

Like many New Yorkers, the people in charge of Park51, a married couple, are from somewhere else—he from Kuwait, she from Kashmir. Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Columbia grad. He has been the imam of a mosque in Tribeca for close to thirty years. He is the author of a book called “What’s Right with Islam Is What’s Right with America.” He is a vice-chair of the Interfaith Center of New York. “My colleagues and I are the anti-terrorists,” he wrote recently—in the Daily News, no less. He denounces terrorism in general and the 9/11 attacks in particular, often and at length. The F.B.I. tapped him to conduct “sensitivity training” for agents and cops. His wife, Daisy Khan, runs the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which she co-founded with him. It promotes “cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women’s empowerment, and arts and cultural exchange.”

Pretty scary. Leading the pack of scaredy-cats, along with Palin, was her fellow Presidential mentionee Newt Gingrich, a leading intellectual light of the Republican Party. According to Gingrich, Park51 is “an assertion of Islamist triumphalism,” part of “an Islamist cultural-political offensive designed to undermine and destroy our civilization.” Those who think it’s O.K. are “apologists for radical Islamist hypocrisy” who “argue that we have to allow the construction of this mosque in order to prove America’s commitment to religious liberty.” Gingrich argues for proving our devotion to religious liberty by taking it hostage: “There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia.”

Not all the project’s opponents have embraced the Gingrichian apocalypse. Most, like Palin, have appealed to hurt feelings—“especially the anguish of the families and friends of those who were killed on September 11, 2001,” in the words of a statement issued by the Anti-Defamation League, the venerable Jewish civil-rights organization, which (disgracefully, and in opposition to local Jewish organizations such as the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and the U.J.A.-Federation of New York) takes the Palin line. There are many 9/11 families who feel differently, and just as strongly. Defending the A.D.L.’s position, its national director, Abraham H. Foxman, reflexively likened the families—the anti-Park51 ones, that is—to Holocaust survivors: “Their anguish entitles them to positions that others would characterize as irrational or bigoted.” No doubt. But, as a guide to public policy, anguish is hardly better than bigotry. Nor is it an entitlement to abandon rationality itself.

Where the “Ground Zero mosque” is concerned, opposition is roughly proportional to distance, even in New York. According to a recent poll, Manhattanites are mostly for it, Staten Islanders mostly against. Community Board No. 1 endorsed it, twenty-nine to one. That’s the council that represents a corner of Manhattan that includes both Park51 and the 9/11 site—and us, too, in the not too distant future. The New Yorker is set to move from 4 Times Square to 1 World Trade Center, once it gets built. Opinion here is divided, depending on whether one’s subway ride will be longer or shorter. No one has a problem with Park51.

Last Tuesday, after the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, in a unanimous vote, gave Park51 a green light, Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrated the occasion with a speech that, in its gruff eloquence, will be remembered as a high point in his distinguished tenure. “We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors,” he said.

That’s life. And it’s part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11.

That should have been the end of it, but it isn’t. The midterm elections loom. Locally, partisanship—Republican partisanship, to be specific—trumps propinquity. The two leading Republican candidates for governor of New York have made the “Ground Zero mosque” an issue, urged on by Rudy Giuliani, the ex-mayor, and by George Pataki, the ex-governor. Nationally, opposition to Park51 is rapidly becoming a matter of Republican discipline and conservative orthodoxy. By the end of last week, John McCain had joined his former running mate’s chorus. (“Obviously my opinion is that I’m opposed to it.”)

In a famous letter—the one that holds that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens”—George Washington offered a benediction:

May the children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.

Lower Manhattan is a little short on vines and fig trees nowadays, though there are some excellent wine bars. Washington’s point remains. His letter was addressed to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island. But, as he knew, Muslims are Abraham’s children, too. By the McCain standard, George Washington was a three-time loser: as President, he lived in New York City; the nation’s capital bears his name; and, even by the standards of his time, he was an élitist. Nevertheless: he was right. ♦

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/08/16/100816taco_talk_hertzberg?printable=true#ixzz0whMqj1zG

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Save Eliyahu Weinstein! Send me your money!

by DovBear | 11:49 AM |

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Apparently, evil, anti-Semtic FBI agents have been sent by the Jew-hater in charge, Barak Hussein-From-Nigeria Obama, to arrest Eliyahu Weinstein a most holy and upright Jewish man from Lakewood on trumped up charges of fraud, money laundering, etc.

This is an outrage, a travesty and also a golden opportunity for me to cash in. I invite you to please join me in the great mitzvah of defending the indefensible, as follows:

For just $25 American dollars I promise to say 3 prayers every single day in which I will call upon Almighty God to undo this grave miscarriage of justice and return Eli Weinstein to the arms of his loving family. I will also throw in some impossible-to-ignore blessings for Zion, Justice, and 16 other wonderful things at no extra charge.

For just $50 American dollars, I promise to send Eliyahu Weinstein's defense team $40 American dollars. I understand that for those of you in the grips of Satanic forces it may seem like funneling the money through me is an unnecessary, extra step. Unfortunately those of you who have reached this self-evident conclusion are deranged, dangerous, and probably heretics besides. Trust me. God wants me to wet my beak.

For just 100 American dollars, I promise you multiple yeshuos and nechamos. Your fat, ugly, daughter will get married; your pimples will clear up; your cholent will never spoil; and your herring will always stink just as herring should. Oh, and Eli Weinstein will also get out of jail free. Guaranteed. Note: There is no time-frame. If none of this happens tomorrow, perhaps it will happen the next day. And if your fat, ugly daughter dies a spinster, rest assured the chuppa will take place in heaven, with all the angels as bridesmaids, and Moshe Rabaynu as mesader kedushin. You can trust me on this; also to doubt me is to doubt God, so beware.

For just $500 American dollars I will arrange to have three bloggers dedicate all of their Torah learning to the merit of Eliyahu Weinstein. Though it should be clear to you that a Lakewood resident like Eliyahu Weinstein has more merits then he will ever need, I really could use the 5 large. By the way, I do not plan to share any of the dough with the other bloggers, and would appreciate your keeping our arrangement on the QT.

DO NOT DELAY Every extra second it takes for you to send me money is an extra second that poor Eliyahu Weinstein must languish in jail with no access to his watches and cars.

Thanks in advance and may all your Torah wishes come true.

FrumSatire's thing here.

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Prove you're not a racist

by DovBear | 9:18 AM |

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A guest post by Tzipporah Jethrosdottir

Bloggers Aliza Hausman and MaNishtana, two excellent Jews of color, have recently called their readers' attention to the plight of a 6-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy whose mother lost custody of him. Why was this? Was she beating him? Neglecting him?

No. She converted to Judaism, prompting an anonymous tipster to accuse her of being "psychotic" and "religiously preoccupied."

Her son's well-being, for which you would think groups like Ohel would be extremely concerned, is compromised by the fact that Miryam Kohen and her son, Moshe, are African-American.

What if it were your child?

From MaNishtana:

"While Moshe was tested, admitted and enrolled at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in May of 2010, Ohel removed him from Yeshiva and placed him in a public school instead. Despite Miryom Kohen's religious identification as a Sabbath observer, Miryam's visits have been set up in West Hempstead on Fridays and Saturdays, forcing her to choose between Sabbath observance and seeing her child. The birth mom Miryom Kohen states that she has experienced extreme difficulty getting Ohel to treat her as a "fellow Jew". She has also repeatedly stated that she feels she is being discriminated against because she is a Black Jewish woman of Haitian decent."

The child has now been away from his mother for 15 months.

So, in the month of Elul, I think it's appropriate that we show a little ahavas Yisroel, and support this unjustly removed child and his mother. You can read more on the websites linked above, and then, when you're ready to state that Judaism and Jews care more about Tzedek than about skin-color, click here to sign the petition.

Tzipporah
http://www.midianitemanna.blogspot.com/


DB: Read Manishtana's post. Ohel's treatment of this woman and her son is absolutely deplorable. They deserve to be raked over multiple coals if even 10 percent of these allegations are true.

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A great comment about the nature of skepticism

by DovBear | 2:43 PM |

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by Skeptical Believer

One thing that many people don't seem to understand about skeptics is that we would LOVE to find proof of something weird. We find the natural world to be incredibly interesting, from the myriad things you can find in a speck of dust on the ground to the billions of stars, galaxies, nebulae, pulsars, etc. in the universe surrounding us. As people who quest for more knowledge about our universe, we would heartily welcome anything that shows our world to be even a fraction larger, more complex, more interesting and amazing.

Additionally, we will also be the first to tell you that with all of the scientific knowledge we have, there is so much more that we don't know, and so much more to be learned and discovered.

However, the vast amount of undiscovered knowledge out there does not give us license to break the rules when it comes to determining if a cure or claim is valid. We cannot say that even though the evidence says "No," we should go ahead and say "Yes," just because we don't know everything there is to know in the universe. This is not arrogance, as some detractors, ike to claim, rather it is consistency and applying the same standards of evidence and proof to each thing at hand. We know how electricity moves through a ciruit. Is it possible that it could move another way? So far our evidence says what it says. But since we don't know everything, we can't say with 100% that it cannot move a different way. However, we don't then say that since we don't know everything, we can go ahead and design circuits contrary to our knowledge of electrical flow and claim that they can work because, after all, we don't know everything. That is the same sort of standard that we apply to fringe theories and paranormal claims.

If reiki or theraputic touch or crystals or laying on of hands or psychic surgery really could cure disease and other ailments we'd be dancing in the streets and telling everyone to make use of them. If psychics really could predict the future, talk to the dead, remote view, make objects move with their minds we would be the first in line to cheer and to encourage their development so that these things could benefit our world.

Sadly, none of these things have been shown to really work.

Worse, many have been debunked, yet there are people our there more than willing to take the money of suffering individuals and their families by selling them cures and treatments that won't do a thing to cure them.

Perhaps you don't know many skeptics, or perhaps you, like so many people, have a misunderstanding of what we are. You would be hard pressed to find a skeptic who would not want to do one or more of the following: meet a real alien from another world, remote view, astral project, see into the future, cure diseases with crystals or some life force, find water by dowsing, find Nessie, etc.

You see, it's not that we don't like any of these things, that we have sort of hatred for them, in fact, we'd love for these things to be true. Many of us came to skepticism because, initially we were interested in these things, but after reviewing the evidence found that, much as we liked them, we found that the evidence for them was ultimately lacking. This was both disappointing and encouraging at the same time. It was a let-down to know that a favorite "paranormal" phenomenon was most likely completely bogus, but at the same time gaining the knowledge to discern evidence and evaluate claims and learning how to apply it to other things in life was a good thing.

The best thing I ever ate

by DovBear | 10:52 AM |

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Food Network has a show, featuring semi-famous chefs discussing their favorite restaurant dishes. As lame as its  sounds I thought it might be fun to do here.

My list follows.

Chicken at Gotlieb's. This is an old, hole in the wall in Williamsburg where only bachelors, and men needing a night out sit at long tables, cafeteria style. The atmosphere is disgusting. The walls haven't been painted since the Truman administration. But the chicken is out of this world.

Burgers at Ken's It seems like a cheap imitation of a cheap fifties style diner. Don't be deceived. The Burger Buddy is perfect (though the fries that come with it are ordinary) Its probably half a pound, thick, juicy and drenched in a great sauce. Worth going to Chicago for that alone.

Steak at Le Marias. I'm speaking of the gone and lamented Downtown Le Maries, where you could sit at the bar, listen to the piano, knock back a drink and tuck into a perfect, cafe style steak. (By the way Jews: a perfect steak is RED OR PINK inside. Trust us.) We miss you Downtown Le Maries

Falafel balls at Hamsa These balls are large, served with great dipping sauces and when the owner is in a nice mood, you can score some for free. Until I tried them , I thought falafel balls were all the same. Ha ha. Boy was I wrong.

Shwarma at Famous Pita Endless salad bar, and fantastic pitas plus the best kosher shwarma in the world, hands down. 

If any other semi-famous bloggers would like to pick up the meme, I'll link you in exchange for a link to this post.

UPDATE

My wife's chicken soup: Here is what you get: Perfect broth containing potatoes, leeks, squash, bits of chicken, broad egg noodles, and  a delicious matzo ball

Kugel: I confess to having no knowledge or expertise when it comes to the favorite food of Eastern European Jews; however, I must endorse the perfect clot of baked fat and potato served by a caterer operating out of New Square. ( I think)

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Daily Show on the Mosque

by DovBear | 6:26 AM |

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The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Municipal Land-Use Hearing Update
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Municipal Land-Use Update - Ground Zero Mosque
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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Have you been faith healed? Testimonials wanted

by DovBear | 1:58 PM |

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Have you ever been healed via the blessing or prayers (your own, or someone else's)? If so, I'd like to hear more about your case. I'm working on.... something.

Thanks

DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of the inquiry, being "healed" means:

(1) Evidence in the form of a lab report, X-ray, or similar exists of a condition

(2) Evidence in the form of a lab report, X-ray, or similar exists from a later date demonstrating the condition has been resolved.

(3) A statement from at least one Medical Doctor that this outcome was outside of the norm.

If you have these three things, and attribute the healing to a blessing or prayer please contact me. 

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Anti-Corboda Ads Approved (and I approve too)

by EFink | 10:24 AM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

The MTA has approved a pretty powerful anti-Cordoba Center ads.

Here is the ad:

I find the ad obscene. It is provocative, misleading and presumptuous all in one.

However, as much as the ICC has a right to exist, this ad has a right to exist as well. The same laws that protect the ICC, protect this obscene ad. (Note: If the ad was so incendiary as to cause violence it would NOT be protected by the constitution, in which case it would lose my meaningless approval as well)

The irony is that the folks behind the ad can hide behind the 1st Amendment but would deny the same rights to the Cordoba Center.

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Immanuel Shows Their True Colors

by EFink | 7:12 AM |

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A Guest Post By E. Fink

For the second time in recent memory, Immanuel is in the news. A few months ago the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that the Bais Yaakov was discriminatory towards Sephardi girls. Parents went to jail for defying a court order and eventually order was restored.

The frum bloggers defended the holy Jews of Immanuel. "There is no intolerance here" the leaders of the community proclaimed. And many folks bought it.

Yesterday we learned that for driving a go-kart, a girl (non-male) will get thrown off the go-kart, the go-kart will get damaged, the owner of the go-kart will get cursed and the brass of Immanuel does not seem to have a problem with all this.

To me, this completely undermines their credibility. Is this the community of tolerance and unity that we were told about? Even if I was willing to submit that the Bais Yaakov saga was invented by the courts and the "left wing media", the go-kart story tells me what I need to know about Immanuel.

They ARE intolerant. Or at the very least, intolerance from their rabbis is present and acceptable in their community.

To the credit of the frum blog readers and commenters, the condemnation of this crazy go-kart rabbi has been near universal. I just haven't heard anything out of Immanuel yet...

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Rabbi dumps girls out of go-karts

by Rabba bar bar Chana | 11:00 AM |

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A Guest Post by Rabba bar bar Chana

Apparently, it’s now assur for girls to participate in Go-Karting. According to an article on Ynet:

An Emmanuel rabbi upset at the sight of go-karting girls stormed the course and caused damage to the facility…

The confrontation ensued after several girls arrived at the go-karting course in the religious community. ‘Usually this doesn't happen, as I respect the spirit of the community, but one of my employees brought some young relatives who really wanted to try it out so I let them do it,’ said Amram Gutman, one of the facility's owners.

However, not everyone in Emmanuel liked the idea of girls sitting behind the wheel, and one resident present at the site informed local Rabbi Yehoida Gadasi of the breach.

‘He stormed the course, forced the girls to get out, lifted the go-karts, and simply broke them,’ one eyewitness said. ‘He turned the cars over and slammed them on the floor while uttering quite a few curses.’

This horrible breach of tzniyus could have been entirely avoided if we didn’t allow women to drive. But allowing frum women to drive cars obviously inspired these girls to emulate their mothers.

Rabbi Gadasi, a modern-day Pinchas, took action to save B’nos Yisroel from the evils of go-karting. He should be praised! I suggest that we all support Rav Gadasi in banning any sort of leisure activity for girls. Better yet, let’s just keep them at home, out of the public eye, where they can learn to be good mothers by taking care of their younger siblings.

And I sincerely apologize for mentioning the word “girls” in a public forum. This normally unforgivable breach of tzniyus was regrettably necessary in this case, and was done only l’shem shamayim, just like Rav Gadasi’s actions in dragging teen girls out of the go-karts.

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Search for more information about go-karting girls at 4torah.com.

Follow up: The Hazzon Ish and his famous sketch

by DovBear | 8:37 AM |

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On March 1, 2009 I wrote a post asking for evidence that the Hazon Ish prepared a sketch, used by a brain surgeon, to operate on a tumor.

For those not in the know, the story goes something like this:

1. Guy gets a brain tumor
2. Doctors decide the tumor is inoperable
3. Guy and his doctor go to see the Hazon Ish, an Israeli sage of the last century, who
4. draws a sketch illustrating the correct way to do the operation.
5. The operation is a success; and
6. everyone lives happily ever after (especially Das Torah-niks who say this story "proves" that absolutely everything is contained in the Torah, and that studying Gemarah can produce expertise in the natural sciences.)

A few weeks ago Mishpacha magazine published a photograph of the sketch, as part of a profile on the Hazon Ish. This article was brought to my attention by "Mike" who also referred me to the following photo copy of the sketch and the Hazon Ish's letter in Yeshurun.

I admit to being unable to decipher the sketch, or the letter. I don't know what I am looking at and would welcome an explanation from any brain surgeons who may be in the audience.

What does the sketch show, and what are Hazzon Ish's instructions?

A PUZZLEMENT
The Mishpacha magazine article discusses two sketches, and two cases. In one instance the sketch was drawn by the doctor and the Hazzon Ish solves the puzzle, and suggests a route for the operation; in the other the Hazzon Ish is the artist. Here is all Mishpacha has to say about the second case

Above is the drawing with which the Chazon Ish answered when consulted by Dr. Ashkenazi, the famous brain surgeon. The respected professor refused to perform brain surgery on a patient who'd been referred to him by the Chazon Ish. He'd even answered arrogantly, "If he wants, let him tell me how to operate." Indeed, the Chazon Ish did draw him a diagram of how to operate, and wrote on it: "I am troubled, for the decision has fallen to me, and Heaven will help."

Mishpacha does not name the patient, or say if the operation was successful.Strange, no?


BUT IS IT DAAS TORAH?
Daas Torah, is the claim that everything worth knowing can be acquired through the study of Torah. Does this story prove that the Daas Torah claim is true? Unclear.

Before this story can be accepted as a proof for Daas Torah, we must establish that all the information about the brain came from the study of Torah, and not from the doctor, medical books, or other confidants. I don't doubt that Hazzon Ish was a brilliant man, but the claim of Daas Torah is not proven true if he was an auto didactic who read medical textbooks. Likewise, if the Hazzon Ish received all the necessary background information from a physician and merely solved a problem that had stumped others, this would be evidence of the Hazzon Ish's superior intelligence, but not of Daas Torah.,

Please share this post with anyone who may be able to shed additional light on the subject.

As Wolf points out on the thread, Even if it could be proved that the CI knew this from his Torah learning, there is still another issue to be answered. Namely... why didn't the CI do the operation himself? My guess would be that he recognized that a trained surgeon would be better at the job. But the trained surgeon didn't get his knowledge from the Torah, he got it from secular learning.

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Search for more information about Hazzon Ish at 4torah.com.

by DovBear | 3:09 PM |

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A guest post by David A.

One premise that is very basic to the student of the Talmud and can be found on nearly every page of the Gemorrah is the concept that the Torah was written with great precision and that every single word, maybe every single letter, is expected to mean or convey something. And, therefore extraneous words are used to infer new laws or details within a law.

Many years back, on a Shabbat, I am sitting in shul during kri-at hatoreh. To be honest, I’m quite an impatient person and have trouble listening to the leining, so I usually spend the time quietly reading something on my own. But on this particular occasion I am actually listening to the parsha. It was Re-ay and the baal korei is intoning the section on forbidden animals (Devarim 14). Now, aside from a few differences in choice of verbiage and one major contradiction in law, superficially, this section seems a shortened repetition of the same laws as promulgated back in Parshat shimini.

As is well known that within the section, the Torah provides a listing of 21 birds that are forbidden to be eaten (Only 20 in Lev.). As the reader chants verse Dev 14:13 V’hara, v’et ha-eiya, v’ha’da-ya l’mina.

I flip back to Lev. (11:14) and read the corresponding verse as given there.

V’et ha’da-ya v’et ha-eiya, l’mina.

So, as can readily be seen, in the verse (Dev. 14:13) consisting of only 5 words there are 3 textual variations vis-à-vis Lev. Three in one tiny verse. Now, for a precision document, this just doesn’t make sense. What exactly is the meaning of these changes? Did Moishe forget what he wrote just 40 years ago? Did he not bother to check his copy of the earlier text?

So, I consulted the standard commentaries. It doesn’t/didn’t seem to bother anyone among the main ones. (or did I miss someone). Over the years, I’ve asked the question to many of our learned crowd and most just shrug their shoulders. It troubles no one. Some call upon the famous “fun a kashei shtarbt men nisht” (I.e. One doesn’t die from a question.), as if that provides a very insightful response. Obviously there is something wrong with me.

However, in my most humble opinion, the invocation of this famed sound bite should only be permitted when there is truly NO conceivable reasonable response.

I know, I know, the simple, quite obvious and very likely correct explanation cannot be invoked as it is considered to be “outside the pale”.