Dybuk: Accusations against me are based on a forged document

הרב יצחק בצרי
כבר בורר שאתה לא הולך על פי דברי גדולי ישראל בגלל אתה מקיים
בלוג, ולא רק בלוג סתם אבל בלוג מלא אם שקר ולשון הרע. עכשיו גם בורר שאתה  שקרן. הכל שרוצה לדעת את האמת צריך רק ללכת לישיבתנו ישיבת השלום איפה הם
יכולים לראות הפסק דין עם חתימת הרה"ג שטרנבוך שליט"א שהוא נתן לאמהרה"ג
המקובל הצדיק יסודי עולם דוד בצרי שליט"א. תגיד לנו הרה"ג שטרנבוך שליט"א
נתן לך רשות לשקר בשמו

I received the following letter  purportedly from Rabbi Yitzchok Batzri which falsely states that my blog is full of lies and lashon harah and  that in particular I am a liar in claiming that Rav Sternbuch's view is that the so called dybuk is a manifestation of mental illness. He claims that he has the letter in his yeshiva with Rav Sternbuch's signature that he claims Rav Sternbuch gave to Rabbi David Batzri. He demands to know whether Rav Sternbuch gave me permission to lie in his name.


I asked Rav Sternbuch tonight at his grandson's bar mitzva about this "letter". He responded angrily that it is a forgery. If the letter writer has any interest in the truth - he can simply call  Rav Sternbuch and hear for himself.  I don't know who created this forgery but Rav Sternbuch said he did not sign such a letter. It is a shame that this letter writer who claims to be  Rabbi Yitzchok Batzri feels the need to be abusive and  to attempt to slander me when all he had to do was pick up the telephone and be told by Rav Sternbuch that my words are accurate.

It has been suggested that the above letter is quite likely from a troll i.e., it is fake letter sent by someone who is just trying to cause irritation and who feels important by intimidating others. That is definitely possible but there is also no question that Rav Dovid Batzri has the phony letter purportedly from Rav Sternbuch and believes it to be genuine.

I was just informed that Rav Yitzchok Batzri was contacted last night by a member of Rav Sternbuch's family and he was asked about the letter purported to be from Rav Sternbuch about the dybuk. He said he did not have any such letter.  Thus the above letter is phoney. 

Kaminetsky-Greeenblatt supporters can only defend themselves with lies and crude forgeries

update: Rav Feldman has validated the below letter - though insisting that he is still opposed to the heter - which isn't clear from the letter itself.
http://daattorah.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/rav-aharon-feldmans-latest-official.html


The Kaminetsky-Greenblatt supporters have so far failed to produce any valid justification for the heter given to Tamar Epstein. Instead they are producing lies and forgeries. The claim by the Kaminetsky family that Rav Shlomo Miller had retracted was refuted by a lettery by Rav Miller himself. Now a letter has been posted in Lakewood claiming that Rav Feldman regrets writing a letter criticising the heter. It is a crude imitation and obviously a forgery. Why don't they simply admit the heter was a major mistake?

Chazon Ish: Lashon harah about gedolim is required - if there is to'eles

I was recently told that it is prohibited to say anything negative about a talmid chachom - even if true. Obviously my critic disagrees with the Chazon Ish

Rabbi Alfred Cohen - “Privacy – Halacha and Contemporary Society April 1981 page 68). It is told about Rabbi A. I. Karelitz, known as Chazon Ish (1878-1953). that he loved to reminisce about "gedolim" (outstanding Torah scholars and leaders). and incidents in which they played a role. Now, the Chazon Ish was well-known as a person who had spent decades closeted in his study, filling every minute of every day for years, engrossed solely in learning Torah. How then, could he waste his time in idle chitchat about other Rabbis? But he explained that we learn not only from the formal legal opinions published by brilliant Talmudists, but equally from their casual conversations and from their reactions to ordinary human occurrences. And if sometimes even a revered leader fell short of the ideal in his actions, the Chazon Ish did not hesitate to relate that as well - so that the masses would not blindly follow. (Interestingly, however, one time a visitor launched into a story about a certain public official, and the Chazon Ish held up his hand to stop him. "No, no," he admonished, "that person is by no means a Gadol, and to talk about him is certainly not allowed; it is only gossip."[ 15. This is a personal experience ot the Chazon-lsh’s grandnephew, as related to this writer. The Chazon lsh in one of his letters (2:133) notes that once his Shabbat was disturbed since he feared he had spoken evil against a scholar, but assures the reader that it had to be said for one is obliged to know the ways of scholars. However, he admonishes his audience not to add on even an extra word lest he be speaking evil talk against a Torah scholar. ]

Chazon Ish(2:133):Knowledge about a talmid chachom who shapes yiddishkeit is similar to that of an artisan. Just as one is permitted to convey accurate information about an artisan if there is to'eles so it it permitted to reveal information about a gadol if there is to'eles. Of critical importance is to be totally accurate otherwise it is slander. This implies that expressing negative information about others is relevant for those who are considered influential authorities – in order to understand the degree to rely on them.

Florida confirms it sent migrants to California amid Newsom-DeSantis feud

 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4037722-florida-confirms-it-sent-migrants-to-california-amid-newsom-desantis-feud/

The Florida Division of Emergency Management on Tuesday confirmed the state was behind recent migrant flights to California amid a growing feud between the Golden State’s Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the Sunshine State’s Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Tamar Epstein's Heter: R Shalom Kaminetsky's letter asking for the heter and Rav Nota Greenblatt's teshuva giving the heter

 update: added transcript of Rav Greenblatt's psak

I received the letters of R Shalom Kaminetsky and Rav Greenblatt with permission to publish them. They are not the sharpest copies but ocr doesn't work.  There apparently are a number of different versions. Will publish the variations as I receive them.

I just received a set of letters from a different source today with full unconditional permission to publish them -  so I will be publishing them without the disclaimer required from the first person. The first person also said he could not send the letters from Rav Greenblatt while the second person could.

 It is clear from these letters that R Shalom Kaminetsky was shopping for a heter of mekach ta'os as requested by Tamar Epstein. It is also clear that Rav Greenblatt accepted without question what he was told were the facts of the case and he agreed to give a heter of mekach ta'os. There were no conditions - despite what Rav Greenblatt wrote last week in the letter I published (It is the last letter in this posting).

This letter of R Shalom Kaminetsky also makes an anonymous claim that Aharon was not only mentally ill but had threatened a girl that he had been engaged to before Tamar. Anyone who knows Aharon will realize the claim is a lie. He is not violent nor has he been violent. In all the years this divorce has been in beis din and courts and the public media - there has never been a claim that he is violent. They should have added that he steals candy from babies and throws old ladies down the steps for entertainment. The level that the Kaminetsky's and Tamar's allies stooped is really sickening.

Letters  of Rav Shalom Kaminetsky claiming Aharon is incurablely severely mentally ill and asking for a heter of mekach ta'os

Letters of Rav Nota Greenblatt accepting as fact what Rav Shalom Kaminetsky said and giving a heter for Tamar to remarry without a Get

Transcript of Rav Greenblatt's letter above

  

כ"ו תמוז תשע"ג

לכבוד הרב הגאון מגדולי מרביצי תורה מוהר"ר שלום קמנצקי שליט"א

ע"ד העגונה מרת תמר אסתר שתחי' שיושבת כן כה' שנים אחר שהרופאים החליטו שאין תרופה למחלת רוח של בעלה ומיד התחילה לעזבו ולעבור לבית אמה והבעל מסרב לתת לה גט עד עתה וכבוד אבי כת"ר הגאון שליט"א רוצה לדעת חות דעתי אם אפשר להתירה לינשא בלא גט משום דבודאי לא היתה מרוצה להתקדש לו אילו ידעה מזה.

הננני מסכים מצטרף להצטרף לעוד רבנים בעלי הוראה שיתירה. הרי רוב בעלי הוראה שבדורות האחרונים, שנשאו את אחריות ההוראה על שכמם, נזקקו לסברא של מקח טעות בכגון זה, וכמו שכת' כת"ר מכמה ספרי שו"ת כי קידושין כמו בכל קנינים בעינן דעת מקנה. האחד מגאוני ההוראה והוא מרן הגרי"א הנקין זצ"ל לא נזקק לביטול קידושין בשום מקרה וז"ל בספרו (פירושי איבר"א ס"א אות מ"ז) שהכל נכנסין לספק ונו' אפילו היה מבורר המום והצד השני לא ידע ממנו, וכתב עוד (וכן בעוד מקומות) צא ובדוק בש"ס רמב"ם וטוש"ע ולא תמצא בשום מקום למעשה ביטול קדושין משום מומין אפילו להצטרף לספק אחר יעו"ש, והנה חוץ מזה שלא מצינו אין ראי' שאין הדין כן, נ"ל שיש טעם לזה והוא דבזמנם כמעט לא היתה מציאות שכזו דהיינו למצוא מום אחר הנשואין שלא היה נראה מקודם שיוכל לבטל את הקידושין (אשר לאין לו גבורת אנשים ... הרבה פעמים מתרפא אחר זמן ואופן שלא שייך להתרפאות לא שכיח' ושלא כבזמננו וענינינו מחלות רוח שהרופאים מרפאים לכמה ויודעים למיני מחלות שאין להן תרופה כזו של הבעל - הנידון. חרי לא שייך שתדור עם נחש שמצער לה הרבה ובודאי לא חיתה נישאת לכזה.

והנה בחיי הגר"מ זצ"ל אירע כאן בעירי שאחד נשא אשה ושנה שנתים אח"כ חלתה האשה במחלת לב אנושה והבעל ברח ממנה, שהרופאים אמרו שהמחלה הזו היתה לה כבר כמה שנים אעפ"י שהיתה נראית בריאה ולא תוכל לחיות רק בניתוח מסוכן מאד מאד. בעזה"ש אחר הניתוח הוטב לה וחיתה כמה שנים. ומרן זצ"ל אמר לי שיש לדון משום מקח טעות דאין אדם שיתחתן למסוכנת שכזו, (אבל היו לו עוד צירופי היתר) ומקרה זה כגון בדידן לא שייך שיקרה בימים הקדמונים.

ה' יהיה בעזרה, שלא תשב בדד ושיהיה לח נחת רוח מבתה שתחי'.

והנני בזה דו"ש וכ"ת

נטע צבי גרינבלט

 

Letter from Rav Nota Greenblatt claiming the heter was only  theoretical and conditional
See post with translation and discussion of this letter

Popularity ln Philidelphia

 As readers of this blog are well aware there is an ongoing sensitive situation which I have written extensively about which involves a married woman remarrying without a get basically on the allegations of a psychologist and the respect a posek had for what he understood was the wish of a Godol HaDor. The out come is clearly against mainstream halacha. 

At the present the Gadol denies he had anything to do with it and the posek is no longer with us and no one is directly telling the married woman to separate from her second husband. 

I was recently informed that because of what I have posted on this blog I am very unpopular in Philadelphia

In short Torah is viewed as less significant than the reputation or the perceived slights to the reputation of a Gadol. Basically is this another example of the Angel Bakery boycott?

The issue is whether I should be more concerned with what they are saying in Philadelphia  or what the halacha says? Alternatively should I be more concerned with possibly be upsetting or being perceived to be insulting the Gadol or be faithful to Halacha?

Brooklyn rabbi who spent a decade on the run in Israel when he was accused of molesting two minor female relatives in 2010 appears in NYC court after being extradited

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12162593/Brooklyn-rabbi-fled-Israel-2010-accused-molesting-children-appears-court.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 

Gershon Kranczer, a Brooklyn rabbi and former Yeshiva school principal, was accused in 2010 of sexually assaulting at least two of his minor female relatives

How the Brooklyn DA Protects Orthodox Child Molesters (PART TWO)

 https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/08/30/how-the-brooklyn-da-protects-orthodox-child-molesters-part-two/

In the first part of this article, I explained how a year and a half ago, I made a public record request for the photos and arrest reports of 15 Orthodox men convicted of child molestation by the Brooklyn DA. The DA refused to give me any of the information that I requested.

Gesuntheit?

 Tosefta (Shabbos 7:5) One who says “good health” is an example of  Darchei Emori while Rabbi Eliezar  said not to say it becauses it interrupts Torah study. The followers of Rabban Gamliel did not say good health because of Darchei Emori

רבי עקיבא איגר מסכת ברכות דף נג עמוד א

מחצה על מחצה נמי מברך. עיין פר"ח יו"ד סימן קי"ד סק"ו.

רש"י ד"ה מרפא כו' שרגילים לומר כו'. והוא בפרקי דר"א פרק נ"ב מיום שנבראו שמים וארץ לא היה אדם חולה אלא אם היה בדרך או בשוק והיה עוטש ונשמתו יוצא מנחיריו עד שבא יעקב אבינו ובקש רחמים ואמר רבון כל העולמים אל תקח נפשי ממני עד שאצוה את בני ובנותי ונעתר לו לפיכך חייב אדם לומר בעטישתו חיים שנהפך המות הזה לאור שנאמר (איוב מ"א י') עטישותיו תהל אור.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (52) From the day when the heavens and the earth were created no man was ill, (who) sneezed and lived, but in every place where he happened to be, whether on the way or in the market, and (when he) sneezed, his soul went out through his nostrils; until our father Jacob came and prayed for mercy concerning this, and he said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the worlds! Do not take my soul from me until I have charged my sons and my household; and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick" (Gen. 48:1). || All the kings of the earth heard (thereof), and they wondered because there had been no one like him from the days when the heavens and earth had been created. Therefore a man is in duty bound to say to his fellow: Life! when the latter sneezes, for the death of the world was changed into light, as it is said, "His neesings flash forth light" (Job 41:18). 

שו"ת משנה הלכות חלק יב סימן קלז

ניחוש להמתעטש למשוך תנוך אזן 

לכבוד ידידי היקר וכו' הי"ו, אחדשה"ט. 

מה שהביא מנהג כשאדם מתעטש (ניס"ן בלע"ז או סני"ז) מושך תנוך אזנו. 

לפענ"ד אין זה מנהג ישראל ועכ"פ לאו מנהג ותיקין ובגמ' ברכות (נ"ג ע"א) אמרו של בית ר"ג לא היו אומרים מרפא בבית המדרש מפני בטול בית המדרש ועיין רש"י שרגילים לומר אסותא והוא בפדר"א פ' נ"ב מיום שנבראו שמים וארץ לא היה אדם חולה וכו' לפיכך חייב אדם לומר בעטישתו חיים שנהפך המות לחיים ע"ש ובגשה"ס ציין עליו ועיין יו"ד סי' רמ"ו סי"ז. והנה לומר אסותא שהוא לרפואה שמענו אבל מה לי משיכת האוזן ואין לעשות כן כי הוא מדרכי גוים.

דושה"ט בלב ונפש,

מנשה הקטן 

Criminals are using this stupidly simple tactic to send malicious links - and it's working

 https://www.techradar.com/news/criminals-are-using-this-stupidly-simple-tactic-to-send-malicious-links-and-its-working

However, cybersecurity researchers from Check Point Harmony Email have uncovered that some hackers are replacing all of that with a simple image. Instead of typing out a long email and risking being found out by typos or bad grammar, these attackers simply generate a promotional image - a flyer informing the recipients they’ve won a prize or are invited to participate in a some kind of competition.

2000-Year-Old Computer Discovered And Scientists Are Dumbstruck

 https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/tech/ancient-antikythera-computer.html

The Antikythera Mechanism, discovered in 1901 on a Roman-era shipwreck in Greece, has perplexed computer experts for centuries. This hand-powered instrument was a remarkable time-keeping device, using a wing-up system to track the sun and planets meticulously. This ancient marvel also functioned as a calendar, accurately monitoring the phases of the moon and eclipses.

New Security Warning Issued For Google's 1.8 Billion Gmail Users

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2023/06/05/google-gmail-problem-new-security-warning-sender-verification/?sh=1c2b7014e863

Introduced last month, the Gmail checkmark system highlights verified companies and organizations to users with a blue checkmark. The idea is to help users discern which emails are legitimate and which may have been sent by impersonators running scams. Unfortunately, scammers have tricked the system.

Lessons from the Israeli haredi boycott of Angel Bakery - analysis

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-745282

After about a month's hiatus, Angel Bakery’s bread is once again kosher for haredim.

Why? Did the bread behemoth suddenly change its recipe? Did it start greasing its pans with an ingredient that did not meet the mehadrin requirements of the ultra-Orthodox?

No, of course not. Angel Bakery's ingredients are as kosher now as last month and the month before that, going all the way back to the bakery's founding in 1927.

Anti-vaccine activism melded with US antisemitism

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-729992

 Because of rising anti-vaccine activism and some key global policy missteps, more than 70 years of global health gains are in danger of being eroded, according to a physician writing in the peer-reviewed Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal published by the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.

This phenomenon, wrote the author, is occurring through an “enabled and empowered anti-science ecosystem, with antisemitism and the targeting of Jewish biomedical scientists at its core.”

Entitled “Global Vaccinations: New Urgency to Surmount a Triple Threat of Illness, Antiscience, and AntiSemitism,” it was written by Dr. Peter Hotez of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.