How to be an instant tzadik on Rosh HaShanna?

I was told the following understanding of Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur yesterday. It was said by Rav Elya Ber Wacthfogel of South Fallsburg. I apologize for any mistakes and if you see any please let me know so I can make corrections.

There is an ancient question. Why does Rosh HaShanna precede Yom Kippur? We all know that for proper teshuva it is necessary to confess your sins (vidoi), have regret for sinning and we need to atone for those sins. Thus it would follow that if Yom Kippur preceded Rosh HaShanna that we could be properly judged as well as be prepared for the judgment. How can we be judged to be a tzadik on Rosh HaShanna when we have so much spiritual filth that we need to cleanse ourselves? A related question is the well known gemora (Kiddushin 49b) that if a wicked man betroths a woman on the condition that he is a tzadik - that there is a sofek that the marriage was valid. But the same queston occurs there. How could he be a tzadik without cleansing himself of all his sins?

The answer is that being a tzadik is not dependent on being cleansed of sin. It is an attitude that can be acquired in an instant. Becoming a tzadik and doing teshuva are two separate processes. A person who becomes a tzadik still needs to cleanse himself. However the cleaning up of the filth is a separate task and doesn't interfere with being a tzadik. Thus on Rosh HaShanna if we decide to be a tzadik then we are in fact a tzadik but the task of cleansing can be left over to the 10 Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur. The main issue is what we want to be - not how clear of sins we are. Therefore we first have the day of making a decision - which is the Day of Judgment - not the day of cleansing which is Yom Kippur.

Curing blindness with a tooth

Reporting abuser even if victim or others object

The following is a sevora regarding reporting the perpetrator even against the wishes of a victim or others. I have not seen this reasoning anywhere so it is possible that it is wrong. I would appreciate comments and suggestions


While we have a clear rule that we don’t sacrifice the life of one person to save to save other people there is a clear exception in the case of rodef. A rodef is killed in order to prevent him from killing or raping. There seems to be a second exception in regards to the relative importance of the spiritual well‑being of the rodef versus the life of the victim. The rodef’s spiritual well-being results from being prevented from sinning. Sanhedrin(73a) asks what if the woman that is being pursued to be raped - tells her rescuers to leave the rapist alone because she is afraid the rapist will kill her. There is a dispute in the gemora regarding this point. R’ Yehuda says she is to be listened to because she values her life more than her honor. We posken like the Rabbis (Shulchan Aruch C.M. 425:4) who says we don’t listen to her because the Torah is concerned that she shouldn’t be raped. In other words our prime goal is to stop the rodef from sinning – even if it means the victim is harmed.

It would seem that we could generalize from this that even if the victim or her family say that they don’t want the perpetrator reported because they are afraid of the damage to their reputation – the perpetrator should still be reported. That is because the perpetrator is likely to abuse others and therefore still has the status of rodef after the molestation. Consequently even if the reputation or even the life of a victim is lost – the rodef has to be stopped. Thus it seems we have a second exception to the principle of not sacrificing one person for another. The life or reputation of a victim is not as important as stopping someone who will commit rape or murder in the future - on an unknown number of other victims. This case is even stronger because here the victim is saying not to stop the rodef from harming others because she will be embarrassed, while in the gemora she is saying not to stop the rodef from harming her. Thus she has less authority than in the case of the gemora and therefore the perpetrator should be reported.

Abuse: Liability for negligence without knowledge

Columbia Missourian

COLUMBIA — After a recent sex abuse settlement involving a Boonville Catholic church, a separate lawsuit has been filed against a United Methodist Church in St. Joseph and its overseeing bodies, including one located in Columbia.

On Sept. 1, 5th Judicial Circuit Court judge Randall R. Jackson overruled a motion to dismiss a civil sex abuse lawsuit against Huffman Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Joseph. It is also against the Pony Express District of the United Methodist Church in St. Joseph and the Columbia's Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, both of which are overseeing Methodist bodies.

The plaintiff is a former Huffman member who filed the suit anonymously.

"This ruling is significant because it is the first time a Missouri court has held that a negligence case could be pursued against a church for sexual abuse," said Ken Chackes, the plaintiff's attorney, who has handled about 100 cases involving alleged sexual abuse involving the clergy. In earlier lawsuits, victims had to prove that the church knew the abuser was going to harm children and failed to take actions to prevent it. [...]

Skulener Rebbe: Need for sex education

Someone sent this to me recently. I have not be able to verify its authenticity. However the views regarding the need for sex education expressed here are similar to what I have heard from Rav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita. Anyone who can provide more information regarding its authenticity and context should please contact me. Also any other discussions of this topic would be appreciated.

Skulener Rebbe Speaks Out

Abuse: Is castration an effective solution

CNN

False Muslim rumors - about Jews harvesting Algerian kids organs - go viral

JPOST

The anti-Semitic blogosphere and many Arab and Muslim media outlets are aflutter in recent days over accusations of an international Jewish conspiracy to kidnap Algerian children and harvest their organs.

Unlike the multiple conspiracy theories about Jews circulating among radical fringe organizations online, this one seems to be gaining momentum on mainstream Arab and Muslim Web sites.

According to the story, first reported by Algeria's Al-Khabar daily, bands of Moroccans and Algerians have allegedly been roaming the streets of Algeria's cities kidnapping young children, who are then transported across the border into Morocco. From the Moroccan city of Oujda, the children are then purportedly sold to Israelis and American Jews, who then harvest their organs for sale in Israel and the United States. The organs are said to fetch anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.[...]

Shas MK:Soldiers should get lenient conversions

JPOST

A mouthpiece for haredi Ashkenazi rabbinic leadership blasted Shas MK Haim Amsalem on Monday for suggesting that conversion criteria for non-Jewish IDF soldiers should be more lenient than for other prospective converts to Judaism.

"Rabbis and rabbinical judges expressed their disgust with MK Haim Amsalem's impetuous and blasphemous declaration to apply leniencies when converting goyim from the former Soviet Union who serve in the IDF," the editors of Yated Ne'eman, a haredi daily representing the Lithuanian haredi rabbinical leadership, wrote in a biting article against the MK.

"Amsalem's claim that military service itself is tantamount to adhering to religious commandments is baseless and ridiculous," they wrote.[...]

Child abuse:Vaad HaRabbonim of Baltimore

Baltimore Jewish Times for clear copy

Rabbi Tropper: Assaults & threats of bodily harm

(hat tip to RaP)

From Rabbi Tropper's Blog

"Dealing with Assaults and Threats

Question:

Rabbi Tropper, how does one deal with a person who assaults and threatens bodily harm?

Menachem Z.

Brooklyn, NY

Answer:

After he has done what needs to be done for self protection he should Daven that that person should do Teshuva.

Rabbi Tropper will not respond to any more questions regarding this matter.

Thank you.

Taking Sides Before Learning The Facts

Question:

Rabbi Tropper, why do a few sites who have written about this assault take a side before finding out the facts.

Feivel L.
Brooklyn,NY

Answer:

That is something that only they can answer. The assault is something that I feel is not a topic of discussion on a blog. Particularly in Chodesh Elul.

Spend your extra time learning Divrei Chizuk and Mussar.

Was Rabbi Tropper Assualted?

Question:

Rabbi Tropper, there was a story that appeared in the news paper about you being assaulted. Is that True?

Heshy D.
NY, NY

Answer:

The Story was only reported to the police not to any Newspaper . Whoever reported it to the Press did an injustice to all parties. It took place 5 months ago, on april 26th at 5:55am in Jerusalem."

Hatzalah & Magen David Adom

JPost

If you or somebody near you is hurt or ill and calls 101 for Magen David Adom, the first person to arrive may come on foot, in his private car, a motorcycle, a motorbike, a four-wheel-drive Tomcar, an "ambuboat" on Lake Kinneret or even a bicycle - but not an ambulance.

These rescuers volunteer for MDA - and in many cases, they are also unpaid medics or paramedics for United Hatzalah on call 24 hours a day who stop whatever they're doing to reach the person in need. They are usually only a few minutes away. [...]