Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Laughter and Tears “b’shuv Hashem Tzion.”

The Laughter of Rabbi Akiva
Talmud, Makkot 24b


Rabbi Akiva lived at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple and he lived into the period of Exile after the Destruction. It was a time of terrible depression. It was one of the worst periods in Jewish history. Jews were downtrodden, desperate, and at times, hopeless.
It was always Rabbi Akiva's practice to cheer up his companions and to tell them not to give up hope. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Tisha Bav – Sinas Chinam is the most terrible of all sins

Tonight will be Tisha B'av meaning in hebrew 9th of Av. It is an extremely sad day in the jewish calender for the main reason being both Bet Hamikdashim (temples) were destroyed on this day. 

We do many things on this day to show our mourning such as we obviously fasting, we sit low etc. There is also a custom of not eating meat from rosh chodesh onward until the day itself The destruction was down to two main reasons:

Sinas chinam and Loshon horo. 

The earlier meaning baseless hatred and the latter meaning when you speak bad about someone.

The Laws of Tisha B’av

The Laws of Tisha B’av

Erev Tisha B’av
1. One should not take pleasure walks after midday (Remember: no Tachanun is said at Mincha)
2. Traditionally, a normal meal is eaten in the afternoon, then mincha is said, and then the ‘Seudas Hamafsekes’ (The final meal before Tisha B’av) is eaten.


Hashivenu Hashem Eilecha VenaShuva - Chadesh Yameinu KeKedem

 


The prophet Jeremiah spent years warning his people that they repent and stop insisting that the Temple would protect them. To his chagrin, the Jews honored the Temple more in spectacle than in spirit.
But, the Jews ignored him, even imprisoned him, and to his unbearable agony, he was proven right. The Temple was destroyed, the people ravaged, the nation dispersed and he was the witness.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Update: Who are the 3 names who received S'micha

David Cheifetz claims: His father received his S'micha from Rav Aharon Kotler in Lakewood many years ago, after following him from the fiery hell of Europe.
Considering a well known fact that Rav Aharon ZT"L gave S'micha to only 3 people,  who are the 3 names ?














Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Ahavas Chinam – Key to the Geulah, Key to a Good Life

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the coming of Mashiach. What do we have to do for it to happen?
Although there are many aveiros causing our galus to drag on so long, the main reason, says the Chofetz Chaim, is the aveirah of lashon hara and sinas chinam. Over the past twenty years, shemiras halashon has greatly improved; however, sinas chinam remains a big problem. If we could only rid ourselves of sinas chinam, the Geulah would come.
Relating to our fellow Yidden with ahavas chinam will not only bring the final Geulah, but will also give us a happier and higher quality life in the here and now.
One People, One Heart
Hashem gave us the Torah only when we became united k’ish echad b’lev echad. Why? Because no Yid can fulfill the entire Torah alone. As one entity, we share thezechus of everyone’s mitzvos and share responsibility for their aveiros.
When we realize that every Yid is a part of us, we will not be able to hate him or not forgive him.  We will not talk lashon hora about him, or violate any of the othermitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro. After all – he is a part of me! Does anyone hate himself or hold a grudge against himself?

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box.Forgive and Be Forgiven

Monday, July 8, 2013

Is Arizona wheat a "חומרה או מנהג טעות is a perfectly legitimate question

Eliyahu Fink posed a question "Is Arizona wheat a "חומרה או מנהג טעות
a perfectly legitimate question" ?

Well my dear friends here is the problem. Eliyahu Fink is not seeking
an answer to a perfectly legitimate question "is arizona wheat a
"חומרה או מנהג טעות!

How do I know that ? Well Eli Fink has admitted that, in spite of the
fact that there is evidence for a longstanding tradition that supports
the Satmar Chumra, his pre-existing assumptions are driving him to
conclude that this is a case of one-upsmanship.

Eli Fink makes it look as if he learned something but in fact he
missed a halacha in  “Shulchan-Aruch” regarding rainwater on wheat
that  reached maturity.


או"ח תס"ז ס"ה.

שו"ע (או"ח תסז, ה) - דגן שבמחובר שנתייבש לגמרי ואינו צריך ליניקה, כמאן
דמנח בכדא דמי ומקבל חימוץ אם ירדו עליו גשמים 

לשיטת הרשב"א החטים הנקצרים ממקומות שפתו עליהם גשמים כשאינם צריכים
לקרקע - כאן דמנח בכדא. - חמץ


“Shmurah M’shaas Ketzira” according to simple “Shulchan-Aruch” 467.5
means that as soon as the wheat is finished growing even before
harvesting should not get in contact with rain water.

My doctor says: fever is a sign of infection.
Our Torah states: sprouting in wheat is a sign of chumetz, due to the
water that saturated the grain after maturity.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Agudah calls on Outgoing British chief Rabbi to apologize for remarks about Hareidi Torah jews


Agudath israel of America calls on rabbi Jonathan sacks to apologize for the derision and condescension that, intentionally or not, were embodied in his recent remarks and writing.
In consultation with rabbinic leadership, Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement:
Public remarks attributed in the media to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the outgoing Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of Britain, as well as his comments in a recent pamphlet he published, are dismaying, deeply misguided, and harmful to both Jewish unity and Jewish integrity.
The rabbi bemoans “the world of inward-turning, segregationist Orthodoxy.” He portrays the multitude of Jews who came together to celebrate the Siyum HaShas nearly a year ago – an event that captured the hearts, minds and souls of countless Jews, and the reverent wonder of much of the non-Jewish world – as representative of such an “extreme.”

Who is an APIKOROS?

Rambam in his commentary on the Mishneh in Avos (2:14) writes: "the idea of answering the "Apikoros" applies only to non-Jewish apikoros, but a Jewish apikoros is so much worse in terms of disparaging and disgracing (the Torah), that it is not appropriate to argue with him at all, since he is beyond repair and beyond healing" 

[יג] אמר: למד דברים שתשיב בהם על האפיקורוסים מן האומות, ותתווכח עמהם ותענה להם אם יקשו לך. ואמרו: "לא שנו אלא אפיקורוס גוי, אבל ישראל כל שכן דפקר", רצונו לומר: שהוא יוסיף זלזול ולגלוג, ולפיכך אין ראוי לדון עמו כלל, לפי שהוא לא יתוקן, ואין לו רפואה כלל, "כל באיה לא ישובון ולא י(ס)[ש]יגו אורחות חיים" +משלי ב יט+. ואמר, ועם היותך לומד דעות האומות כדי שתדע איך תשיב עליהם, היזהר שלא ידבק בדעתך דבר מזה, ודע כי אשר תעבוד לפניו ידע צפונותיך, והוא אומרו: ודע לפני מי אתה עמל.

The source of the Rambam is the gemara in Sanhedrin 38b. But, see Rashi there

כל שכן דפקר טפי. שהרי הכיר וכפר ומתוך כך מדקדק ולא תוכל להשיבו דבר המקובל לו

Who is an APIKOROS? 

Sanhedrin 99b–100a Different Amoraim apply the term variously to: 
one who insults a scholar;one who insults his neighbor in the presence of a scholar;one who acts impudently toward the Torah;one who gibes and says "what use are the rabbis to us, they study for their own benefit;" 
or 
"what use are the rabbis since they never permitted us the raven nor forbade us the dove" (i.e., who cannot go beyond the dictates of the Torah);

Maimonides gives a more precise theological definition of the word. Distinguishing the Apikoros from the sectarian (min), the disbeliever, and the apostate, he defines him as one who either denies prophecy, and therefore the possibility of communion between God and man, or denies divine revelation ("who denies the prophecy of Moses"), or who says that God has no knowledge of the deeds of man (Maim., Yad, Teshuvah 3:8). 

Later authorities extended the meaning even further to include all those who refuse obedience to the rabbis, even "the authority of a religious work, great or small"
(Moses Ḥagiz, Leket ha-Kemaḥ YD 103a).

Giyus: Quotes From Hareidi Gedolim

The following are comments from Gedolim about the Giyus situation. Please send in quotes from all other Hareidi Gedolim and we will update this post.         

                                                                                       HaRav Ovadiya Yosef

“We are surrounded by enemies and haters, but for these evil ones who hate Torah, it doesn't matter. All they are interested in is punishing us, the Hareidi yeshiva students. This is a terrible edict, we are in great trouble.The Torah is in danger, how will they be Torah scholars if they are drafted into the army? We will G-d forbid have to leave the Land, to travel to outside the Land of Israel, in order to ensure that the yeshiva students will be free to study. We are in great trouble, this is the time for each and every person to commit to vote for the parties that support the Torah."
   
        

The Inexcusable Sinas Modern Orthodox (MO) for Hareidim



The Inexcusable sinas Modern Orthodox (MO) for Hareidim !

My Response to Eliyahu Fink (Eli) ‏@efink
Satmar Matzah is New York Times Front Page News

When first reading it I did a double take. Is this Eliyahu Fink (Eli) or did I mistakenly wander over to Dovbear or Failled Messaiah The Successful Bigot?

Alas, it is indeed (Eli). Leaving aside for the moment the linkage that Eli creates, tenuous at best and defamatory at worst, let us instead adopt Eli's formula and see where it leads us.

It has been said that Jewish history is quite simple.

There is an old fable which depicts the Jewish condition. The drinking water all the animals depended upon was being contaminated. Nobody was able to identify the culprit. Finally, the animal leaders met, examined the facts, and sentenced a poor, hapless goat to death for the crime.

The goat protested that it was unfair to blame him for something he could not have done. He had a perfect alibi: He had never even been near the water.

“You’re right,” replied the wolf. “Maybe it’s not your fault. but we have to kill you.”