Should one walk up to just about any Charedi Yid from Williamsburg, Boro Park, or Monsey and tell him of a (hypothetical) 70-year-old Jew living in St. Louis who was just diagnosed with a rare disease that will take his life. There is only one “outside” chance of a new drug that can possibly help. For reasons, its cure can only be driven down and time is of the essence. Watch how they would jump to it! To help another Yid, not caring about Shabbos, davening, missing simchas etc. They will drop everything and drive straight down to give this Jewish soul a chance to live. How many times on Yom Kipper do we run out of shul, jump in a car, desecrate everything we hold sacred, to take a 95-year-old cancer patient (with one foot in the grave) to the hospital, so that “maybe” he can live another month or two.  Look around, there is no one that would dedicate themselves for another as much as our community. For even a slight chance of life, we raise millions, charter jets, spend days in search boats. Simply NO other community can hold a light to our record of dedication to another.

Here is the question: With Covid, we perform a total about-face and just don’t care if others will die. Why Is That?

No one can argue that COVID is not a killer, as it has taken the lives of over a million people, and in our own community, it left a long wake of over 1,000 deaths. In Bnei Brak just in the last 2-week period: 55 dead, buried, and gone, there are graves to go visit for proof of its effect. Yet we totally ignore reality, everyone becomes an anti- semite – hydro with zinc is the answer – the FDA are paid off – masks don’t help – doctors are hiding things– herd mentality – all fake statistics, etc. there is a “conspiracy” lurking around every corner, all the while bodies keep piling up.

This question is baffling indeed!  How can these two extremes co-exist within our community.

For arguments sake let us say every politician is an anti-Semite, yes, they allow BLM to demonstrate but us they lock down. What does BLM have to do with us? What are we trying to prove – that since they let BLM act dangerously and kill some of their own, we will show them and will do the same! It might be a good argument if it would not cost us hundreds of lives.  Let’s forget the government for a moment, what are WE doing to protect ourselves and our elderly. Can it be we are so callous by saying “I am young and younger people don’t die from it, who cares about the elderly?” That cannot be the issue, it is not who we are, and in other instances we do everything for the elderly. What should we be asking? Is what WE as a community are doing to try to stem these deaths? Should we not take these extra precautions ourselves without any so called anti-Semites prodding us to do so. If we were to use the recommendations of almost all the doctors, wearing masks, social distancing, no large gathering, would we not be able to save at least a few lives? How many minyonim or simchas are worth one Yiddisha neshumah?!  Is there any halacha or precedent that 1,000s are now worth one life, or is the halacha just the opposite? The Question begs, forget the government, we as a community do so much for others, why with Covid we are so indifferent to the blood of our brethren?

Now once again – stop any Charedi Yid going to a shul, not practicing social distancing, not wearing a mask, dancing together in crowds, ask him why he is not taking some precautions You will get  these answers: “Masks don’t help (and he finds a quote from Trump or some doctor),” “Distancing? Almost all yidden had it already,” “Dancing? We have to live!” Then ask about the 1,000’s yidden dead, “It is a conspiracy, everyone who died they blame on covid.” Next, they quickly quote that the flu kills more people. What does one have to do with the other? Cancer also kill people. What about old people? “Well they can take the hydro with zinc, and they should not go near anyone,” basically locking themselves in a closet. “It is all their own fault.”

Trying to analyze this, do they really believe they are right and the 98% of all infectious disease doctors and experts are all wrong? Is everyone out to get them? Are all health agencies noting but conspiracies? You will hear them claim that the FDA is totally corrupt – in the hands of big pharm or they are trying to influence the elections.  Google it, the decision to approve a drug or not, is in the hands of roughly 173 FDA people. According to these theories, all 173 people have been paid-off. In comparison Charles Mason killed only 9 people and the 173 FDA experts and doctors are ALL willing to kill hundreds of thousands for a few bucks. Proceed to ask them how many sub agencies are in the FDA…blank stare. How many times does the sub agency that approves drugs meet? What is the FDA leading 19 member team doing themselves to have check and balances on their sub agencies? All you get is wide eyes and blank stares. Ask them if they were hired by the FDA to watch over the drug companies, would the take a million dollars to kill 5 people.   Me….no, I will never do that…OH, but one thing they “know for sure” that the 173 FDA are compromised and willing to kill. Any proof – NO.  It is truly funny; they know nothing about the FDA but know they are all corrupt. The FDA works with “hard data” from peer reviewed testing, not group influence. They have standards and regulations how a to meet their requirements. Should they see the HARD EVIDENCE and someone on top tells them to ignore it – all will just fold??  America is not Russia nor Afghanistan. Their job does not hinge on someone above them. I venture to bet if they were told to ignore hard data, just about everyone would raise an alarm and run to the press. These experts were vetted for their honesty before we put our lives in their hands.

To sum it up – our community thinks it is all one big conspiracy backed by anti-Semites!

To find an answer to the above posed question, let us examine what the possible reasons are:

1. Our long, long, history of living in foreign lands under despot rulers, where every law was passed had an open or hidden agenda on how to make our lives miserable. 70 years in a benevolent country like America we still cannot eradicate this deep-seated suspect hatred from our sub-conscious minds. This was explicit as soon as covid came out, we believed Dr. Zelenko with his claims we are all safe and the rotten FDA are not willing to go along. Think back, we claimed Mzitza B’peh had nothing to do with science or medicine, it was a conspiracy to uproot Bris itself and they just started with this. Remember Measles! We have a good excuse why we are full of conspiracies; we can turn around and blame this thinking on the 2,000 years of oppression.
   
2. We are a nation of kishey oh’ref a stubborn people. Yes, we stand head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to helping others. However, should it try to restrict our lives – no shuls, nor our usual fancy full blown weddings, or forced to wear masks, then we turn 100% and just don’t care about others. In other words, we are a good people as long as our lifestyles are not crammed. Once we are restricted in our lives, (forget about not caring about the non-Jew) we are willing to spill our own brothers’ blood as long as we are free to live the way we want. Overly good people until it comes to our own comfort. Can you show another group of people that are fighting these protection measure like us? Any other community in America demonstrating?

Which of these are the true reason? It is hard to gauge. Most will not accept the second reason because that argues we are a tough, obnoxious group. No one wants to accept this reprimand about themselves (will even ask how could you even say something like that about Yidden) However, the truth is this stubbornness also goes back to our collective conscious – we survived in the diaspora and had to be stubborn to survive the 2,000 years living subjected in foreign lands.

The first reason has a serious setback. The frum but not charedi yidden, in the 5 towns, Yeshiva University community, most of New Jersey, many in our own community, and the rest of the frum community in America also came with this baggage of 2,000 years living under oppressive rulers. However, it seems they were able to shed this baggage and become rational people. After 70 years, they realized this government is not out to ‘get them,” and most are not “anti-Semites,” they are just trying their best to keep everyone safe.   

Author: 003

In response to “Are You an Assimilated Orthodox Jew” by Rabbi Chananya Weissma

            In his recent Op-Ed, Rabbi Weissman posits four indicators that determine if one is an “assimilated orthodox Jew.”  Before addressing each in turn, it is noteworthy to mention that when Weissman states, “morality is not subjective,” and it is hard to find a religious person, Jewish or otherwise, that disagrees with that statement.  Yet, he then bases his entire article around four highly subjective criteria to lump countless Orthodox Jews, lightly put, into a highly undesirable classification.  For brevity sake, these are his four indicators, so that they may be referenced to throughout my response.  1: One lives outside of Eretz Yisrael and has no intention of moving there; and one teaches their children how important it is not to make a Chillul Hashem (he postulates that there is no greater C’H than Jews living outside of E’Y).  2: You take moral cues from non-Jewish society.  3: You believe interlopers in our land deserve control over part of it.  4: You have a problem with the mitzvah to wipe out Amalek.

            First, there are many reasons that Orthodox Jews do not live in E’Y.  But to name a few, some people have medical conditions that disallow them from even traveling to E’Y because in a country where medicine is socialized, they would not receive the treatment they need without going through costly-prohibitive back channels.  Further, many cannot move because Israel’s immense taxation and heavy-handed control over business make it difficult for people to make a parnassah there, as they would in America.  Obviously, there are many more legitimate reasons that Orthodox Jews cannot just pick up and move, but Rabbi Weissman contends that they don’t exist.  Would we all move if the situation was right?  Sure.  But to most people, it is not.  Next, Weissman’s second “clause” is an extreme logical fallacy.  Let’s clarify: one must be an assimilated Jew if they have no intention to move to E’Y and teach their children not to cause C’H, because being in America is the greatest Chilul Hashem?  Even if Rabbi Weissman was correct, this implies that one should not teach their childrento avoid aveiros, just because the parents struggle with some aveiros.  So, if one has a hard time going to minyan, or grappling with other aveiros, they shouldn’t bother teaching their children not to do them.  In Weissman’s words, “no amount of good behavior will make up for it.”

            Second, our society’s morals have always changed in line with that of non-Jewish societies, whether one cares to admit it.  This occurred in many facets of life, from dress to religious practice.  Further, gender roles have changed in the Orthodox world, and most of that change has brought great benefit.  Communities in places like Lakewood, Monsey, and E’Y contain thriving Kolel life because society changed, and it is now acceptable for wives and mothers to be the (sole) breadwinners.  Rabbi Weissman mentions those who become vegans because of a twisted sense of morals, and that is a point with which I agree.  However, he writes as if this is the norm in Orthodox society today.  It is not, and most people reading this article likely don’t know more than one or two (if any) Orthodox Jews who are vegan because of the morality of it all.  Finally, just because some outspoken women pushing “new” women’s roles, this does not indicate the norm in the Orthodox wold.  Klal Yisrael now has more “Torah” families with gender roles Rabbi Weissman would approve of, than ever in history.

            Third, most Orthodox Jews do not believe that “interlopers” should have any control over E’Y.  However, and tying back into the first point, one of the reasons people aren’t running to live in current E’Y, is exactly the root of this point.  The current government is structured in a way that, at times, can be less friendly to Orthodox yidden than other world governments.  The very Jews in charge of the State consistently capitulate to the whims of foreign pressures, and cede control to said “interlopers.”  The same Jews are the ones pushing new gender roles and the very things Rabbis Weissman disdains.  It is no wonder why many Orthodox Jews don’t want to move to E’Y under this regime.  Does Rabbi Weissman truly think that many Orthodox Jews in Lakewood, Brooklyn, Teaneck, etc., believe that there should be 15 Arab Kinnesset members?! Or that they are OK with the IDF, that seeks to draft all Orthodox girls and boys, having one of the highest abortion rates out of any organized army worldwide?  How Israel is currently run is precisely why many Orthodox families have not moved there.

            The fourth indicator is just a baseless attack on Orthodox Jews in general.  Rabbi Weissman states that we must be so assimilated, that were Eliyahu HaNavi himself to appear, give us a sword and lead us to a member of Amalek, we would “want nothing to do with it.”  Rabbi Weissman does not offer proof.  He simply declares that we are so meek in our religious observance, that the Orthodox world wouldn’t perform an outright Mitzva D’oraysa if it were staring us in the face.  This point is the least consistent, as Rabbi Weissman does not even provide a rationale as he did for the first three indicators.

            In sum, it behooves us all to be Dan L’Kaf Zechus and assume that Rabbi Weissman’s article was not, as seemingly written, a broad attack on the Orthodox Jewish community at large.  This is not an attack on Rabbi Weissman, but a defense of the Orthodox Jewish community as a whole.   Perhaps it was just the way it was written that led readers to that belief, and in fact, it was only intended at a few among us.  Either way, it does not detract from the main point of this response.  No one among us should be judging members of the Orthodox community without personally knowing them.  Not on our decisions to remain in America (for the time being), or on our observance as Jews.  Certainly, not in a manner as broad and subjective as this Op-Ed has.

The race was not even close. No one thought the elections would go in a different direction than they had. There was no chance that things would change.

The BLOC has done it once more. Specht and the powers that put him in office have won again. There is no longer hope for Monsey as the local government is corrupt and the elections are rigged. Putting St. Lawrence in prison just taught the others to be more careful in their corrupt ways and there is no longer any hope for this area. The BLOC vote will control this area until it becomes uninhabitable for all those who once called this place their home.

It is time to move.

Monsey as we know it, is dead.

Long live Monsey.

Mary Ellen Elia is the New York STATE Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York and the one proposing to implement the public school curriculum for Yeshivas. She is well respected and is responsible for the education for all New Yorkers. She has a strong background in education.

Richard Carranza is the New York City commissioner of education and a leftist radical in the mayor’s pocket. He can do what he wants to with the NY public schools, as that is the mayor’s territory. He has absolutely no say in private schools. Sure, he can try to push his agenda on private schools, but it will be shot down by the courts as we see time and time again. The courts agree, you cannot force someone in the private sector to do something that goes against their beliefs and religion. As we have seen when trying to force the Catholic Churches to offer abortions in their health plans. This is true on the federal, state and local level.

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A land where there is more Torah learning today than ever in Jewish History.  A new Jewish baby is born in Israel every four minutes. Biblical prophecies have come to life. Towns where our forefathers lived, such as Chevron, Beth El and Shilo, are replete with children, Shuls, mikvehs and thousands of fruit trees. A Jewish army has been established – the first in 2000 years to protect its citizens.  97% of boys receive a bris.  Most fast on Yom Kippur.   90% have a Pesach seder.   Perfect?   Not by a long shot. We know the country is rife with religious differences and difficulties. But deserving of praise and gratitude to our Father who gave us this special  gift?  Definitely!

The following excerpts were written by Zachariah Schwartzberg zt’l.  A survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto and the concentration camps.

“I have never seen any conflict between the love of Judaism and the love of the State of Israel.  I know too well what happens to defenseless Jews.  The historical circumstances of the rise of a sovereign Jewish country, coming as it did in the immediate wake of the Holocaust – the culmination of endless persecutions, was as clear an indication as could be that there is a G-d in charge of the world, a G-d who directs our destiny and orchestrated the stunning miracle of Israel’s resurrection from the ash heap of history.  To those like me who had seen firsthand the hatred of our enemies – the new reality of soldiers soundly defeating our enemies was a healing balm unlike any other to both heart and soul.  I watched the awestruck expressions of the young soldiers at the kotel as they listened to the sounds of the shofar. I couldn’t help but recall the faces of the Jewish boys I’d known in Poland who could never EVER have imagined such a scene and never lived to see it.  How different things would have been in the 30’s had there been an Israel.  In July 1976, when Israel mounted the Entebbe rescue that shocked the world,  I was besides myself with gratitude to Hashem”.

We must never forget the horrors of the past – always focus on our numerous blessings as we pave the way for our ultimate redemption, speedily in our days.

Author: 002

As per the article here, it is 777 years after the infamous and horrendous burning of the Babylonian Talmud, as well as other, precious Jewish Manuscripts in Paris.

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The huge turnout for the funeral exceeded almost everyone’s expectations. It was indeed larger than other great Rebbes’ funerals from the past generation. The question begs – Why? What did people see or feel, that brought forth this outpouring of grief, taking from their time to come to pay their last respects? To be honest, in his lifetime, The Skulener Rebbe did not have this level of commitment from Chassidim, nor did he have people flocking to his Tish or his Simchas. (more…)

This game is perfect for all situations and fosters a health competitive atmosphere.

The rules are as follows:

Two people decide which one will begin the match. This game is best played with the winner being the one who succeeds in 2 of 3 matches.

The player who begins will start by saying a Base Jewish name. Within >3 seconds, the second player must respond with the original base name and a new Jewish name.

The first player then responds with the previous names, tacking on a third Jewish name, within the >3 second time frame, of course.

The game continues until one of the players either misstates the full name (all previous names), reuses a name that was listed prior, or takes too long to respond.

Sample Base Names: Katz, Klein, Cohen, Berg, Stein, Fein, Feld, Green, or anything short (and Jewish) really 🙂

The following is an example of a match:

Player One: Katz

Player Two: Katzberg

Player One: Katzebergstein

Player Two: Katzbergsteinfeld

Player One: Katzbergsteinfeldwitz

Player Two: Katzbergsteinfeldwitzenheimer

Player One: Katzbergsteinfeldwitzenheimerer (Yeah it’s a cop out but we allow it)

Player Two: Katzbergsteinfeldwitzenheimererblatt

The winner of 2 out of 3 matches wins the set and can proclaim his or herself Jewish Name Game Master or the immediate area, until he or she is dethroned by another challenger.

Generally, after 6 or 7 names the game is generally lost and won. Although, between legendary players, some matches have been known to go for over 10 names! Or so the epic tales have it.

The game is also known as the Jewish Name Suffix Game (but that’s a bit wordy).

The Jewish Name Game was invented in 2013 by some well meaning (albeit, bored) Jews.

Computer Rabbis

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We will NOT charge you exorbitant “diagnostic” fees just to tell you that your computer is broken or that something else is wrong! When we can, we will diagnose your problem over the phone and discuss the best course of action for you!

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For advertising opportunities please contact us at The Thinking Yid

This stuff is great! And I can only assume it will get better as they develop!

If you loved Zach Galifinakis’ Between Two Ferns, you will love this show!

This is article two of a three part series addressing the horrendous massacre in Pittsburgh. The first article can be found here.

The paladins of our current regressive society–from Joe Scarborough to Chris Mathews (video) –say that Trump is Hitler. It is in fact become a standard piece of leftist rhetoric, in the past couple of years.

Is Trump Hitler?

Immediately, some similarities spring to mind. Hitler did not drink alcohol. Trump doesn’t drink alcohol. Hitler did not smoke. Trump doesn’t smoke. Hitler liked military history. Trump likes military history.

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This is article one of a three part series addressing the horrendous massacre in Pittsburgh.

Eleven Jews Were Murdered.

As is widely known by now, eleven Jews were murdered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. They had been worshiping on Shabbos in the Tree of Life Synagogue (Eitz Chaim) when they were brutally gunned down. The names of the vicitms are: Daniel Stein, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal,Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Melvin Wax, Irving Younger.

Rose Mallinger was 97 years old. Think on that. Ninety-seven years old.

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Book Review: Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law

In an immaculate display of sheer intelligence, raw understanding, and intimate insight into the religious world, Chaim N. Saiman, Professor of Law at Villanova University, broaches an unexplored topic that is the true nature of Halacha, in his new and groundbreaking book: Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law. 

    In his work, Professor Saiman astutely delineates the difference between Jewish Halacha and the normative law usually found in societies around the world. Using keen insight into the Frum Jewish sphere, Saiman provides valuable insight and provokes deep thought on a ubiquitous aspect of our lives, a topic that isn’t normally broached in yeshiva circles. Never has a work delved so deeply into the nature of Halacha, to force the reader to take a step back from everything they were taught and led to believe, in order to gain a true understanding of the very construct that governs our everyday lives!

       To merely read Professor Saiman’s chapters on Halacha as Non-Applied Law (plainly: that much of Halacha is written, taught, and learned in a way that makes it nigh impossible for it to ever be realized in actuality), or  the chapter on Halacha in relation to its current state and previous transformations throughout the ages (from Gemara to Tur, etc.) warrants the purchasing of this book.

    This book truly frames Halacha in a novel light and allows the reader to observe something they have known all their lives in a whole new light. The book first seeks to truly define what Halacha is and then moves on to explore its history and application. Saiman explores the many aspects of Halacha, such as: Halacha as Torah (Revelation on Sinai, learning for G-D), Halacha and Governance (Enforcement of Halachos and the legal system), Halacha as Theology (addressing laws of prayer and Shabbos), and Halacha as Education (how Halacha works in relation to human interactions with one another). In just a few hundred, well written pages, Saiman is able to present this familiar concept in a novel way to help the reader think as few ever have.

       I will not delve any deeper into the contents of this seminal work, as I fear, at worst, misrepresenting Professor Saiman’s message, and at best, depriving another reader of enjoying this epic journey on their own.

Click the image below to check out this amazing work and discover a world beyond everything you’ve been taught to believe!

Purchase KACH Here

The message clearly drawn out in this short read is something that has never been more true than it is today!

After the recent and horrific events this has never been more important!

It is far beyond worth the 5 dollars it costs to purchase! The ideology and message expressed within should be promulgated to every Jewish household!

The ongoing issue regarding the education debate in the American Chasidish community is one that has many people scrambling to take sides in. Although there will be exclusive Thinking Yid articles dressing this situation posted in days to come, the following article, written by Rabbi Avi Shafran, hits the nail on the head. His eloquence and careful word selection easily conveys an important message to all those who support Moster’s (at best) misguided efforts.

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-don-t-pity-u-s-orthodox-jewish-kids-who-don-t-study-english-and-math-1.6216758

https://nypost.com/2018/06/23/liberal-jews-are-destroying-their-own-religion/

There are report in Israeli media that Iran is preparing to attack Israel. Jerusalem Post, “Iran is preparing a barrage of missiles to launch against Israeli military positions from Syrian territory”.

Is always a good idea to pray for the Jews in Israel, but news like this should spur us to greater prayer. No matter the outcome, a short or pronged hot war between Iran and Israel will be costly to Israel.

This is the prayer we say every Shabbos (if you don’t, ask yourself why not):

“Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory. Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness.

Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.” Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.

Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute. Amen forevermore.”

Author: 004

“See you later.”

How often do we hear/use this phrase?

We don’t even realize it, but this is a huge assumption. By saying this, one assumes that both, yourself and the other person, will be around later. This is bold reasoning when one considers the wide array of things that can occur and end either or both lives abruptly. We also use this line of thinking when we do something that we know is not good for our physical or spiritual self that we assume that we will fix at a later time. It is important to realize that no one leaves this world having completed their “to do list”. This does not mean that we should give up and stop trying! Quite the opposite. We should try our best all the time and prioritize what is important to us. Have parents? Make sure to spend time with them and tell them how you feel. Even if ‘they already know.’ The same goes with your friends, try to make time for them even if it’s for a few minutes.

Treasure the people in your life whom you care about and who care about you because in this life, nothing is for certain and very often we forget about that until it’s too late. So, love your family and friends, say it and show it. If you care about something show it, if you want to make a difference, do something. So many people don’t do anything and wait for tomorrow, not realizing that tomorrow is not guaranteed. One of the biggest issues we have especially in today’s society is how fast paced everything is. Everyone is busy all the time and we push things off thinking we will get around to it ‘later.’

Avoid this pitfall and  make everyday count, live life to the fullest. Talk to your family and friends, let them know you care for and appreciate them.

Be grateful for each day, because every day is a gift. 

In Memory of Elias Friedman

Author: 008

I wanted to update you on the situation in Germany, and  draw your attention to this video. I had previously touched upon Germany in this article, entitled,  “MUSLIM BAN: A JEWISH OUTLOOK” dated 2/13/2017. Discussing the settlement of Muslims in Europe, I wrote,

“Some markers I thought to be of interest…In Germany, in December, a terrorist drove a truck into a crowd of people at a Christmas Market. There were also several other planned terror attacks against Germany in that period. The unrivaled Mark Steyn, who has been prophesying and chronicling all this, writes: “The Christkindlmarkt is a German tradition dating back to the Middle Ages: Munich’s is over 700 years old. A society that can only hold three-quarters-of-a-millennium-old traditions behind an impenetrable security perimeter is a society that will soon lose those traditions.” There are some 5,000,000 Muslims in Germany.” (more…)

Death of Rabbi Akiva’s Students

The Shulchan Aruch, basing himself on the language of Tur, writes in Orach Chaim 493:

סעיף א נוהגים שלא לישא אשה בין פסח לעצרת עד ל”ג לעומר, מפני שבאותו זמן מתו תלמידי רבי עקיבא; אבל לארס ולקדש, שפיר דמי, ונשואין נמי, מי שקפץ וכנס אין עונשין אותו. הגה: מיהו מל”ג בעומר ואילך הכל שרי (אבודרהם ב”י ומנהגים).

It is customary not to marry a woman between Pesach and Shavuot until Lag BaOmer, because in that time, the students of Rabbi Akiva died. However, to do “erusin” and “kiddushin” (engagement and betrothal) is fine. And even for “nisuin” (marriage), if someone did so, we do not punish him. Rema: however, from Lag Ba’Omer onwards, all this is permitted (Abudraham, Beit Yosef & Minhagim).

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Happy 70th Birthday, Israel!!

A land where there is more Torah learning today than ever in Jewish History.  A new Jewish baby is born in Israel every four minutes. Biblical prophecies have come to life. Towns where our forefathers lived, such as Chevron, Beth El and Shilo, are replete with children, Shuls, mikvehs and thousands of fruit trees. A Jewish army has been established – the first in 2000 years to protect its citizens.  97% of boys receive a bris.  Most fast on Yom Kippur.   90% have a Pesach seder.   Perfect?   Not by a long shot. We know the country is rife with religious differences and difficulties. But deserving of praise and gratitude to our Father who gave us this special  gift?  Definitely!

The following excerpts were written by Zachariah Schwartzberg zt’l.  A survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto and the concentration camps.

“I have never seen any conflict between the love of Judaism and the love of the State of Israel.  I know too well what happens to defenseless Jews.  The historical circumstances of the rise of a sovereign Jewish country, coming as it did in the immediate wake of the Holocaust – the culmination of endless persecutions, was as clear an indication as could be that there is a G-d in charge of the world, a G-d who directs our destiny and orchestrated the stunning miracle of Israel’s resurrection from the ash heap of history.  To those like me who had seen firsthand the hatred of our enemies – the new reality of soldiers soundly defeating our enemies was a healing balm unlike any other to both heart and soul.  I watched the awestruck expressions of the young soldiers at the kotel as they listened to the sounds of the shofar. I couldn’t help but recall the faces of the Jewish boys I’d known in Poland who could never EVER have imagined such a scene and never lived to see it.  How different things would have been in the 30’s had there been an Israel.  In July 1976, when Israel mounted the Entebbe rescue that shocked the world,  I was besides myself with gratitude to Hashem”.

We must never forget the horrors of the past – always focus on our numerous blessings as we pave the way for our ultimate redemption, speedily in our days.

Author: 002

To dress up, or not to dress up? That is the question.

While studying the source of “dressing up on Purim” and along with some reasoning and deduction, I came to a conclusion as to how the custom came about. To begin, I will make this disclaimer: I do not want anyone to think I am 100% positive as to the accuracy of this theory, because no one can be completely sure how it started, since there aren’t any reliable sources focusing on this question. Please keep in mind, should one show where I have gone wrong, I am always ready and open to reasoning.

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This new idea just presented to our community, while understanding the meaningfulness of trying a new system, in reality will do more harm than good. No one can deny there is a huge problem with singles, especially the older girls. Whose heart does not bleed for the parents of an older girl or boy doing everything and anything, going through embarrassments, agreeing to fork out their life saving, and not have to quietly watch their child keep suffering trying to find their shiddach. (more…)

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As the point of this article has been made and in compliance with a large number of our readers, this article has been archived. The original version is available for reading upon request.

There are still some of the main points of the article detailed below.

The purpose of the original article was to shed light on the efforts of some groups in our community and to help express a large majority’s opinion of those efforts. Now that a new reasoning has come to light, there is a chance that it will be employed and utilized to help our community in the shidduch sphere. We are sorry for those who were offended by the article and we would just like to point out that the purpose was not to bash those seeking to aid the community but to just guide them in a direction that many members of the community deem more suitable for our society as a whole.

Thank you for reading.

-Editor

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A plan to help our singles in the community:

Gather together all of the best shadchanim and hire them as full-time employees. Regular, 9-5 employees. Pay them a salary, whatever makes sense, say, 65k to 80k per year. Give the shadchanim office space, phones, computers, give them all the tools they need to succeed in shidduchim. These shadchanim will be considered regular employees, they can even be assigned quotas and have goals set to determine a certain amount of dates per week they must “set up” etc. Let them work solid week after week to help marry off the singles in our community.

If these shadchanim make a successful shidduch and the parents want to pay them for the shadchanus, great! Let them pay! But it isn’t required, as they are already being paid by the caring wealthy people (and supported by the rabanim, of course) of our community! Paying these salaries should not prove too difficult for the outspoken wealthy families in our community. Hopefully. I am certain that others would be more than willing to donate money to such a lofty cause.

If more money is donated to this cause? Great! Hire more full-time shadchanim! The more the merrier!

A program like this not only ensures that there are top shadchanim working tirelessly to aid our community, but it also ensures that:

• They are fairly compensated for their time, work, and effort.
• Everyone in the community has access to top shadchanim.
• Shadchanim are no longer incentivized to set up rich families with other rich families over families of lower socioeconomic status.
• Families are no longer pressured into paying “high-end” shadchanim more than they can, for shidduchim they present to the family.

The Bottom Line:

Hire full-time shadchanim and pay them regular salaries. If others want to donate to the cause, let them, but it cannot be required of them.

Author: 001

The Details:

“Earlier today, a religious IDF soldier was driving his car through that neighborhood [Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet] when he was assailed by stones. He lost control of his car, crashed into a post, and had to be hospitalized.”

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Myth: There is a Megillas Maccabees for Chanukah, just like there is a Megillas Esther for Purim.   (more…)

Myth: The war was won very quickly. This, it would seem, is hinted at by the very name. Chanukah. חנו כ”ה, which means that they rested on the fifteenth.

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Myth: Eating donuts is obligatory during Chanukah.

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Myth: The Hellenic Seleucids only waged war on the soul of Judaism. They were only trying to convert us to their pagan, hedonistic, Greek ways, and were not interested in hurting us physically. Rabbi David Addato writes, “It’s amazing that the Syrian Greeks never tried to kill us physically, they never even considered exiling us from the Land of  Israel…” Rabbi Joshua Bitton writes, “Their threat was not a physical one. It was an ideological aggression.” He writes further, “There was no physical threat to the Jewish people.” (Both of the aforementioned rabbis wrote articles in the paper “Veshinantam”, which is where the quotes are from.) (more…)

Myth: Alexander, tutored by the great philosopher Aristotle, was an enlightened despot.

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