Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Killing Americans - "Mind, Body and Spirit:"


By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

*  The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.



Parshas Noach, 5780

29 Oct. '19


Elections in Focus: Assisted Suicide supporters running for re-election in NJ:


Previously, the Jewish Press published a psak Halacha regarding Assisted Suicide legislation, including a statement relevant to elections:


"Thus, when voting for any public official, this issue must be considered as top priority, certainly overriding financial considerations, government programs, etc. By voting for people who support these laws, we become accountable for their actions. This ruling would still apply even if these laws were to be passed, we would still be forbidden to vote for legislators who voted for these laws. This is the most important way to fulfill our obligation."


Some of the rabbanim who signed the psak are Rabbis
Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff, Yitzchok Cohen (Yeshiva University), Shmuel Kamenetsky (Talmudical Academy of Philadelphia), Benjamin Yudin (Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ), Steven Pruzansky (Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck), Simcha Bunim Cohen (Khal Ateres Yeshaya), Dovid Schustal (Bais Medrash Govoha),  Avrohom Yaakov Nelkenbaum (Mirrer Yeshiva).

Legislators who represent Orthodox districts in NJ, and who voted for assisted suicide - and are  thus included in the category of those candidates for whom it is forbidden to vote - include:


Lisa Swain, Christopher Tully  (Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Paramus);

Gordon Johnson,  Valerie Vainieri Huttle (Englewood, Fort Lee, Teaneck, Tenafly);

Clinton Calabrese (Passaic):

Jamel Holley, Annette Quijano (Elizabeth, Union); 

Louis Greenwald,  Pamela Lampitt  (Cherry Hill);

Mila Jasey, John McKeon (Livingston, Maplewood, West Orange);

Annette Chaparro,  Raj Mukherji  (Jersey City, Union City);

Angela McKnight (Jersey City, Bayonne).


After years of deceptive campaigning, Assisted Suicide passed in NJ a number of months ago, by a single vote in each house of the Legislature. Thus, technically, each and every legislator is responsible for its passage.  By demonstrating what our values are, we help preserve them, especially in states where Assisted Suicide still poses a real and present danger, especially N.Y. By ignoring the Halacha, and voting for those who ostensibly throw government money at us to buy our votes, we not only perpetrate Chillul HaShem, but we aid and abet those who threaten the lives of some of our most vulnerable.


It should be mentioned that in that last vote, much of the Orthodox community was intentionally kept in the dark about the need to be extra vocal in our opposition to Assisted Suicide legislation in NJ. For example, one community leader, who had a detailed conversation with the lead activist of an Orthodox lobbying organization, had no idea of the need to reach out to a key legislator in his own district, even just a few hours before that fateful vote. That particular Assemblyman voted yes, technically providing the one vote needed to pass it in the Assembly, thus making it law.

####


Part 2:

Educational "Crusader" running for D.A. in Rockland County:


In a high profile, three way race in Rockland County, NYS Supreme Court Judge Thomas Walsh, pro-LGBT, pro-abortion Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, and Attorney Michael Dietrich are running for D.A.

Mr. Dietrich has made multiple public statements (on social and in print media) threatening to prosecute Orthodox Jewish individuals over our choices of how we educate our children. His posted statements, when objectively examined in context, would terrify any Biblically oriented parent, and deeply concern anyone concerned about safeguarding constitutional liberties - in the realms of religious, educational, and parental rights - from unconstitutional government intrusion, and,  ultimately, from the unrelenting LGBTQ indoctrination agenda permeating public education nowadays.

Tellingly, he also calls for leaving one's religion out of the voting booth, as if voting on antireligious values is somehow preferable to voting on the basis of one's religious values.

He claims that the lack of secular education in many ultra Orthodox institutions would be prosecutable as endangerment of the welfare of a child. He singles out several large orthodox communities for critique, including Lakewood NJ. Meanwhile, indisputable harm to children is being perpetrated in his own backyard. For example, the NYC school system, as reported in this column not long ago, has been subjected to new Guidelines, in the form of draconian transgender policies. If he is concerned about child welfare, where is his concern over that, which is being promulgated with the blessing of the NYS Democratic Establishment?  


He complains about indoctrination by Yeshivos that teach secular subjects in a manner consistent with the Torah, as if our religious values and perspective must be restricted to religious studies. 
 
As AG Barr wisely noted recently, the problem Americans face is not religious indoctrination, but antireligious indoctrination, especially in the arena of Education.

The very focus, on the part of Mr. Dietrich and his ilk, on the  prosecution of Yeshivas and Bais Yaakov girl schools - while ignoring the systemic pro-LGBTQ indoctrination of the public schools system - raises a red (or pink) flag.

It's crucial to clarify that, to an extent, the concerns Orthodox Jews have over outside influence over education extend to all segments of the Orthodox community (all of which would be branded "ultra-Orthodox by pro-immorality propagandists). Additionally, these threats to educational independence pose similar dangers to all children, particularly those in religious schools. Once religious schools are targeted for maintaining their educational independence, in this LGBTQ permeated societal milieu, no school, family, or child is safe.

Mr. Dietrich reveals his assimilationist missionary agenda darkly in another posted statement. He intones that if ultra-Orthodox students were educated on secular subjects and basic American values, he claims, we wouldn't be a separate community, as in Lakewood (and, we'd add: Monsey, Wesley Hills, and Flatbush...) - but rather "one unified community" in which "almost every child" would be in the Public School system. 


Mazel Tov. And every child would be entitled to the opportunity to be compelled to restrain himself from using the restrooms all day, to avoid the transgender bathroom incidents currently victimizing NYC Public School inmates. And every child could partake of the spectacle of being educated by teachers who (at least pretend to be) unaware of basic anatomical distinctions defining male and female, and who genuflect to 67 genders of the Equality Rainbow culture. Furthermore, the children would be taught from textbooks celebrating same gender "marriage," recognition of which, Chazal exhort us in Beraishis Rabba 26:5/10 on Ber. 6:2, and in VaYikra Rabba on ViYikra 18:3, triggered the Great Flood detailed in this week's parsha.


These people not only are bereft of authority to address our religious needs, they don't even begin to speak as authorities on Education altogether, because they clearly have no idea of what it is.

28 comments :

  1. new name for Har Nof?








    https://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/416692

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chazir feeding half the world population
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/quarter-of-worlds-pig-population-to-die-of-african-swine-fever

    ReplyDelete
  3. While the disease (African swine fever) does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100% fatal once embedded in pig populations.

    That might be a good thing to happen to the pigs being raised in Israel, as it would eradicate this shameful industry, one which has no place in Jewish society.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ahh, you must have been reading my mind. Assuming a Jew was exporting the animals to China (big market), is there anything wrong in breeding pigs? Other treif animals, eg mink for furs, can be used, why not chazir?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unfortunately,, the Israeli pork market caters to locals, who refer to it as "bassar lavan".

    There is a general prohibition of סחורה במאכלות אסורות, which refers to buying and selling non-kosher food items.

    Animals raised for their furs, are not usually raised for "food", and are permitted to be raised. [See Tosfos, Pesachim 23a, אמר קרא יהיו בהוייתן יהו; Tosfos, Bava Kamma, 82b, לא יגדל אדם חזירין].

    There is also a special prohibition against raising swine.
    שולחן ערוך חושן משפט סימן תט סעיף ב
    לא יגדל ישראל חזירים בכל מקום, אפילו למשוח בהם עורות; ואין צריך לומר לסחורה.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chazir is psychologically more treif, but Halacha and Torah-wise, some things may be worse, eg sheretz, or animals without any signs, lobsters etc.
    I don't see anything worse about a pig than a Camel, although a Camel is a good working animal too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?e=cce42c49d0&u=9c3f2f103d7121f7ccd2081ae&id=bb43b37f20

    ReplyDelete
  8. migadel Chazerim is ossur!

    ReplyDelete
  9. True Hashem already preparing the Holy Land for the end of Tyrant Regime speedy 9in our days Moshiach and Eliyhu Bmharah amen!

    ReplyDelete
  10. depends on your purpose.
    If you use the leather (unlikely), or use it to grow human organs /insulin? Did you know diabetics rely in insulin from pigs? And the genetically engineered insulin - human form - causes more side effects than chazir insulin.

    ReplyDelete
  11. it is actually illegal for Jews to raise pigs in israel, unless hey have a license for medical experimentation.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Please provide Torah sources to support your assertion that "Halacha and Torah-wise, some things may be worse [than "chazir"], eg sheretz, or animals without any signs, lobsters etc.

    You also ignored the Gemara and Shulchan Aruch I referenced.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Gemara in Bava Kama 82b says :


    באותה שעה אמרו ארור האיש שיגדל חזירים וארור האדם שילמד את בנו חכמת יוונית ועל אותה שעה שנינו מעשה שבא עומר מגנות הצריפין ושתי הלחם מבקעת עין סוכר:


    At that time the Sages said: Cursed be the man who raises pigs, and cursed be the man who teaches his son Greek wisdom. And it was concerning that time of siege that we learned in a mishna: There was an incident in which the barley for the omer offering came from the gardens of Tzerifin, far from Jerusalem, and the wheat for the two loaves of Shavuot was brought from the valley of Ein Sokher. Barley and wheat could not be brought from any nearer because the besiegers had destroyed all the produce around Jerusalem. This concludes the baraita.





    Hence, it was hitherto mattir - and was only enacted against after this incident.

    ReplyDelete
  14. "Please provide Torah sources to support your assertion that "Halacha and Torah-wise, some things may be worse [than "chazir"],"


    Exodus Chapter 13 שְׁמוֹת


    יג וְכָל-פֶּטֶר חֲמֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה, וְאִם-לֹא תִפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ; וְכֹל בְּכוֹר אָדָם בְּבָנֶיךָ, תִּפְדֶּה.


    13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb;and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck; and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.




    A chamor (donkey) is not a kosher species, yet it is subject to a mitzvah. My understanding, correct me if i am wrong, is that it has one internal sign but not the hooves.



    So in terms of pure Kashrut, you could say that donkey stake is no different to bacon. But it is still a cleaner animal than a sheretz ( eg lizard) for which there is no pidyon. I am not suggesting there is a pidyon for a pig - however, the law regarding the donkey suggests that a single sign is stil better than no sign at all.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Redemption of a first born donkey doesn't make it permitted to eat, any more than the swine.

    The “chazir” also has a kosher sign, which puts it on par with the donkey and the 2 other species that also have a single kosher sign.

    With reference to punishment for eating them, all species carry with them "malkos", 39 lashes, for merely eating a piece the size of an olive.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This Gemara doesn't indicate that Chazir is psychologically more treif.
    It merely indicates a stringency regarding raising them.

    Also note Rambam's commentary on the Mishna (Bava Kamma 7:7) that the prohibition against RAISING swine is equally applicable to all other species that are prohibited to be eaten.
    ואמרו לא יגדל חזירים, וכן שאר כל האסורין באכילה, ודיבר בחזירים בהוה לפי שהם אשר אפשר לגדלם כצאן ובקר.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nothing you have said contradicts what I've written. I said in terms of eating, they are essentially equal in treifness. However, a donkey is better than say a lobster, or snake. it has a mitzvah associated with it. In fact, this also applies to the chilazon - from which we derive Tekheilet. Do you think Chazal could "ban" growing or fishing chilazon? Of course not.


    Again, eating a chilazon snail has no hechsher, but it is hechser mitzvah. If you relate all activity to eating only, then you are making a sever mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  18. the gemara says that at that moment, they cursed pig farmers. This was because of the incident it tells, when the pig's foot breached the wall. hence it is psychological trauma. What if the wall was pierced by metal? What if pigs were not involved? Up until that point, there was , apparently no Torah issur. Similarly, there is another incident that the romans. yemach shmam, let a pig loose in the temple. That is why pigs are considered the epitome of treifness, whereas all reptiles, amphibians, most insects etc. are equally treif.
    The incidents with the pigs left a trauma on our collective psyche. As you say, eating any non permitted animal is equal to a pig, so the reason why the issur on the pig is singled out must relate to something that is non intrinsic to the pig.


    Ramban says many very interesting things, and a lot of them go against understandings of what is generalyl proclaimed in orthodoxy - eg that Moses wrote Devarim himself, or that there is no Torah law to follow the sages. All this flies in the face of the Rambam and his orthodox ikkarim. I never saw you cite Ramban on one of these radical statements :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. IR: "Redemption of a first born donkey doesn't make it permitted to eat, any more than the swine."


    KA: true, but davka, it does make it more permitted to keep, breed, and have in one's field. hence it is better than a swine.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm wondering if Chazal's curse on keeping pigs has an echo on using their hides? They certainly said it's better to work with perfumes than with tanneries .

    ReplyDelete
  21. sorry, I misread your citation (or it was changed)
    Confused the RambaN for the Rambam.
    He (Rambam) does have an apparent problem though, since the Torah permits keeping donkeys. And As i said, also chilazon. Hechsher mitzvah.

    ReplyDelete
  22. what if it is profitable? eg selling to the Chinese?

    It doesn't have to be in Israel, it could be in Chu'L.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is very interesting indeed - elsewhere, , in MT Nizkei mamon, ch.5, the Rambam gives an enitrely different reason for the prohibition:


    ט


    וכן
    אסרו חכמים לגדל חזירים בכל מקום. ולא את הכלב אלא אם כן היה קשור בשלשלת.
    אבל מגדל הוא כלבים בעיר הסמוכה לספר. ביום קושרו ובלילה מתירו. ואמרו
    חכמים ארור מגדל כלבים וחזירים מפני שהיזקן מרובה ומצוי:


    Because they cause frequent damage, as do dogs!
    So according to this reasoning, the prohibition isn't because of their non- kashrus status, but because they cause damage.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The fact that a first born donkey is required to be redeemed; is not the critical redeeming factor for being permitted to keep and breed donkeys.

    As per the Yerushalmi, quoted in Tosfos, Pesachim 23a, אמר קרא יהיו בהוייתן יהו, and in Tosfos, Bava Kamma, 82b, לא יגדל אדם חזירין, the allowance is predicated upon the fact that they fulfill a functional work purpose.

    ReplyDelete
  25. There is a "machlokes" among Muslims regarding pig skin hides.
    Some hold that pig skin is Haram for Muslims, since it is considered as Najas (impure).
    The lenient school of thought holds that the restriction of pigs only applies to eating them, not touching them.
    Alternatively, some posit that the pig's skin is purified by tanning, ie. the chemical process changes the nature of the leather altogether, and therefore, they do not see any problem with using the products made of such leather.

    Judaism does not follow Muslim restrictions.
    We only prohibit what the Torah or Chazal said to prohibit.
    That being said, the Torah only prohibited EATING pigs, and Chazal prohibited RAISING them.
    Hence, there is no prohibition against USING their hides.
    [There might be a problem of buying pig hides from a Jew who raises pigs].

    ReplyDelete
  26. The way it's brought down by Ramban, suggests it is to do with their dangerous nature. I've no intention of farming pigs. If the opportunity arose to export them to China, I'd ask a competent posek. As for insulin, or other medical use, there's obviously no issur for saving lives. Even, Chas v shalom, if a Jew is sick, no prohibition to use medicine /organs derived from a chazir.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Keeping donkeys is something done in the Torah, as is redeeming the firstborn.
    This negates the commentary to the mishna you brought, which allegedly expands the prohibition to all non kosher species.

    There are other species, assur d'oraita to eat, but which we can use, or even use for a mitzvah (chilazon, tolaat sheni etc).
    BTW, the karaites reject chilazon as a source for techelet, because it's an impure animal. If you take your argument to its logical conclusion, it would be assur to harvest chilazon too!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Before the love animals and politically correct movements, wearing fur coats was not uncommon, and many Jews were in the fur trade. Even today, a proper shtreimel uses animal skin. So a sable or mink, are treif animals, but many frum people use the m on their hats, not even for warmth, just to be part of a group.
    BTW, isn't there a chazal against keeping sheep?

    ReplyDelete

ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE POSTED!
please use either your real name or a pseudonym.