Meiri (Pesachim 66a): Whoever is appointed, as community leader should strive with all this strength to lead properly according to the position which has been given to him. If he is appointed to be the religious leader of his generation concerning Torah and divine issues, it is necessary that he be complete and erudite in all matters related to deciding halacha and that he knows how to reply to everyone who comes to challenge religion. However, if he recognizes in himself that he doesn’t have the abilities in these areas, it is praiseworthy that he should not be embarrassed to let go of his status and to give the position to one who is competent. … . However, even though a person is knowledgeable and can reply to every challenge, it is best not to rely entirely on logical proofs but rather on commonsense or tradition. That is because everything which is based simply on logical proofs provides an opening to refutation… Thus, the Yerushalmi says that even though Hillel spent the entire day providing logical derivations of the Halacha, his views were only accepted and he was appointed leader when he said that the Halacha was a tradition that he had learned from his teachers Shemaya and Avtalyon… Furthermore even though the leader is an expert and knows how to respond to all challenges and is accepted as the authority, he should not answer in a confrontational manner and act in a domineering way but should speak pleasantly and humbly. If he does act arrogantly, he will be punished and debased because of it.
Friday, November 12, 2010
A Careless Man: What the Bush Memoir Reveals
Time Magazine
Early on in his newly released memoir, George W. Bush writes with great credibility, and a welcome absence of histrionics, about his slow-motion turn toward faith. There was no fiery epiphany. There was a growing comfort with the calming release of prayer, a gradual appreciation of the moral truths contained in the Bible. There were doubts too. "If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe," he writes. And that principle is very much in evidence when he makes the first major decision of his presidency, in favor of federal funding for research on existing stem-cell lines but not for raiding frozen embryos — potential lives, he believes — to harvest their cells. To reach that decision, Bush conducted a White House seminar that included talks with advocates, brilliant ones, on all sides of the issue. "The conversations fascinated me," he writes. "The more I learned, the more questions I had." Whatever you think of his policy, the process was impeccable.
I mention this not only because it reveals Bush at his best but because it was so much at variance with the rest of his presidency. [...]
Early on in his newly released memoir, George W. Bush writes with great credibility, and a welcome absence of histrionics, about his slow-motion turn toward faith. There was no fiery epiphany. There was a growing comfort with the calming release of prayer, a gradual appreciation of the moral truths contained in the Bible. There were doubts too. "If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe," he writes. And that principle is very much in evidence when he makes the first major decision of his presidency, in favor of federal funding for research on existing stem-cell lines but not for raiding frozen embryos — potential lives, he believes — to harvest their cells. To reach that decision, Bush conducted a White House seminar that included talks with advocates, brilliant ones, on all sides of the issue. "The conversations fascinated me," he writes. "The more I learned, the more questions I had." Whatever you think of his policy, the process was impeccable.
I mention this not only because it reveals Bush at his best but because it was so much at variance with the rest of his presidency. [...]
Rav Sternbuch's view on calling police
Consulting rabbi before calling social services or police
Excerpt of Synopsis read & corrected by Rav Sternbuch - as printed in Child & Domestic Abuse Vol I pages page 109-100
Despite the fact that the halacha is clear that a child molester should be reported to the police and in fact it is often required by secular law - the poskim generally state that a rabbi should be consulted first. It is obvious of course that if waiting to consult a rabbi results in danger or harm to the child - that the police should be informed without consulting a rabbi. In the normal case where there is time, however, why should it be necessary to consult a rabbi? Rav Sternbuch commented that where there are serious consequences of making a mistake - it is required that a rabbi be consulted for the sake of objectivity. Even if there is little chance of making a mistake, he said that a rabbi needs to be consulted “so the world should not be hefker (without structure and authority).”
In addition in this area besides the danger of misunderstanding information, there is also the possibility of false accusations. Students who want to settle a score with teachers or divorcing couples whose lawyers advise them to make false accusations to gain custody are a danger which a rabbi can help prevent. In most cases there is no danger to a child by consulting a rav first and if there is concern that there will be then the police should be contacted. It is always best to consult a rabbi who has a lot of experience in these matters and especially once who has close relations with mental health professions and government social agencies and the police. Even after consulting a psychologist or lawyer, a rabbi should still be consulted before going to the police. Not just because of the reasons already discussed, but also as protection against those who mistakenly consider all informing the police as being prohibited. These elements can not only harass those who go to the police but they can cause severe damage to them by their slander and criticism of the entire family.
Rejecting a rabbis psak when he says not to go to the police
One frequently encountered problem is when there is clear evidence of child abuse and yet the rabbi consulted says not to go to the police. He might say that the molester promised never to do it again or that the molester’s family or community or yeshiva might suffer significant financial losses or embarrassment. In other words if the rabbi is saying to sacrifice children for the sake of money or embarrassment or the disgrace to the community, it is clear however that this view has no basis in Jewish law. We don’t sacrifice innocent people for the sake of negative consequences to others. Rav Moshe Sternbuch commented that that any rav who would say such a thing is not practicing as a rav. A rabbi has an obligation to provide protection to the victim. By definition it seems it is an unjust ruling. Any rabbi who makes such a ruling may be ignorant of either the halacha or he doesn’t understand what the molesting or wife abuse causes. Therefore if there is time - another rabbi should be consulted.
However an alternative reason that a rabbi might say not to report the molester is that he feels he can guarantee protection for children against the molester. For example he might threaten the molester with a severe beating or provides supervision or he claims the molester has repented and won’t abuse again. He might also claim he can provide therapy equal or better to a psychologist. While these seem to be logically equivalent to the police, the likelihood that they will be effective is not very high. Therefore one should find a competent rabbi who agrees that the police should be informed in the case of actual abuse. Rav Sternbuch commented that only a known talmid chachom posek can posken these problems.
Excerpt of Synopsis read & corrected by Rav Sternbuch - as printed in Child & Domestic Abuse Vol I pages page 109-100
Despite the fact that the halacha is clear that a child molester should be reported to the police and in fact it is often required by secular law - the poskim generally state that a rabbi should be consulted first. It is obvious of course that if waiting to consult a rabbi results in danger or harm to the child - that the police should be informed without consulting a rabbi. In the normal case where there is time, however, why should it be necessary to consult a rabbi? Rav Sternbuch commented that where there are serious consequences of making a mistake - it is required that a rabbi be consulted for the sake of objectivity. Even if there is little chance of making a mistake, he said that a rabbi needs to be consulted “so the world should not be hefker (without structure and authority).”
In addition in this area besides the danger of misunderstanding information, there is also the possibility of false accusations. Students who want to settle a score with teachers or divorcing couples whose lawyers advise them to make false accusations to gain custody are a danger which a rabbi can help prevent. In most cases there is no danger to a child by consulting a rav first and if there is concern that there will be then the police should be contacted. It is always best to consult a rabbi who has a lot of experience in these matters and especially once who has close relations with mental health professions and government social agencies and the police. Even after consulting a psychologist or lawyer, a rabbi should still be consulted before going to the police. Not just because of the reasons already discussed, but also as protection against those who mistakenly consider all informing the police as being prohibited. These elements can not only harass those who go to the police but they can cause severe damage to them by their slander and criticism of the entire family.
Rejecting a rabbis psak when he says not to go to the police
One frequently encountered problem is when there is clear evidence of child abuse and yet the rabbi consulted says not to go to the police. He might say that the molester promised never to do it again or that the molester’s family or community or yeshiva might suffer significant financial losses or embarrassment. In other words if the rabbi is saying to sacrifice children for the sake of money or embarrassment or the disgrace to the community, it is clear however that this view has no basis in Jewish law. We don’t sacrifice innocent people for the sake of negative consequences to others. Rav Moshe Sternbuch commented that that any rav who would say such a thing is not practicing as a rav. A rabbi has an obligation to provide protection to the victim. By definition it seems it is an unjust ruling. Any rabbi who makes such a ruling may be ignorant of either the halacha or he doesn’t understand what the molesting or wife abuse causes. Therefore if there is time - another rabbi should be consulted.
However an alternative reason that a rabbi might say not to report the molester is that he feels he can guarantee protection for children against the molester. For example he might threaten the molester with a severe beating or provides supervision or he claims the molester has repented and won’t abuse again. He might also claim he can provide therapy equal or better to a psychologist. While these seem to be logically equivalent to the police, the likelihood that they will be effective is not very high. Therefore one should find a competent rabbi who agrees that the police should be informed in the case of actual abuse. Rav Sternbuch commented that only a known talmid chachom posek can posken these problems.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected
New York Times
An achievement gap separating black from white students has long been documented — a social divide extremely vexing to policy makers and the target of one blast of school reform after another.
But a new report focusing on black males suggests that the picture is even bleaker than generally known.
Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.
Poverty alone does not seem to explain the differences: poor white boys do just as well as African-American boys who do not live in poverty, measured by whether they qualify for subsidized school lunches. [...]
An achievement gap separating black from white students has long been documented — a social divide extremely vexing to policy makers and the target of one blast of school reform after another.
But a new report focusing on black males suggests that the picture is even bleaker than generally known.
Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.
Poverty alone does not seem to explain the differences: poor white boys do just as well as African-American boys who do not live in poverty, measured by whether they qualify for subsidized school lunches. [...]
Choosing a nice death
NYTimes
THERE is some confusion about the cause of the liver disease that has given Fred Kress a short time to live. The 46-year-old handyman and house painter, who lives outside of Baltimore, had had hepatitis C, which causes liver damage, for several years. Doctors at one point suggested that alcohol abuse may have been a contributing factor, which makes no sense, Mr. Kress and his family say, because he was never much of a drinker. The real culprit, he now believes, was chemical: he didn’t wear the right mask when he was painting houses, and when he did his craft projects, making alien masks out of fiberglass resin, he worked in a small, windowless room, ignoring all the warning labels on the supplies he used.
“It said ‘will’ — not ‘can’ — cause liver and kidney damage,” Mr. Kress said. “My liver was completely fried.”
Even before he became sick, however, his life was no bed of roses. He had had a 20-year love-hate relationship with a girlfriend and was living, at the time of his diagnosis, with his widowed mother. His 17-year-old daughter has Rett syndrome, an autismlike disease that has left her unable to speak. And the day last February when his doctors told him he had no more than a year to live, his girlfriend and his best friend hooked up. [...]
A Positive Force: Mishpacha Magazine
Rationalist Judaism
[...] Beneath the black hat, Mishpachah is part of a revolution in charedi society. They print articles from Jonathan Rosenblum about how the Gedolim are manipulated by kanna'im to do harmful things, and about how the desire to have young men supported in kollel has led to money being the most important factor in shidduchim. They feature interviews with all kinds of people who would never be profiled in Yated or HaModia (although I'm not expecting them to feature me ever again!) The Hebrew edition of Mishpachah recently discussed, very positively, all the new programs to help charedim enter the workforce. Furious condemnations from the Gedolim followed, after which Mishpachah offered a profuse apology. But a wise friend of mine reckoned that they knew in advance that they would have to do this, but felt that it was worthwhile in order to get the information out there.[...]
Rapper Finds Order in Orthodox Judaism in Israel
NYTimes
The tall man in the velvet fedora and knee-length black jacket with ritual fringes peeking out takes long, swift strides toward the Western Wall. It’s late in the day, and he does not want to miss afternoon prayers at Judaism’s holiest site.
“We have to get there before the sun goes down,” he says, his stare fixed behind a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, the first clue that this is no ordinary Jerusalem man of God. It’s the rapper Shyne, the Sean Combs protégé who served almost nine years in New York prisons for opening fire in a nightclub in 1999 during an evening out with Mr. Combs and his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Lopez. [...]
The tall man in the velvet fedora and knee-length black jacket with ritual fringes peeking out takes long, swift strides toward the Western Wall. It’s late in the day, and he does not want to miss afternoon prayers at Judaism’s holiest site.
“We have to get there before the sun goes down,” he says, his stare fixed behind a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, the first clue that this is no ordinary Jerusalem man of God. It’s the rapper Shyne, the Sean Combs protégé who served almost nine years in New York prisons for opening fire in a nightclub in 1999 during an evening out with Mr. Combs and his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Lopez. [...]
Pledge to Give Away half of fortunes Stirs Debate
NYTimes
WITHOUT a doubt, the biggest event in philanthropy this year was the Giving Pledge, a commitment by 40 of the wealthiest Americans to give away at least half of their fortunes, about $600 billion.
The goals of the pledge, which was organized by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren E. Buffett, were to stimulate discussion about philanthropy among the ultrawealthy and unleash a wave of me-tooism among others that would bring about “the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy,” in the words of Sean Stannard-Stockton, a blogger and philanthropic consultant.
Now, about three months later, the pledge has not yet visibly inspired new major gifts or attracted additional signatures — Mr. Buffett said he expected more soon — but has surely created discussion and debate, about the wealthy, their giving and what it says about our society. [...]
WITHOUT a doubt, the biggest event in philanthropy this year was the Giving Pledge, a commitment by 40 of the wealthiest Americans to give away at least half of their fortunes, about $600 billion.
The goals of the pledge, which was organized by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren E. Buffett, were to stimulate discussion about philanthropy among the ultrawealthy and unleash a wave of me-tooism among others that would bring about “the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy,” in the words of Sean Stannard-Stockton, a blogger and philanthropic consultant.
Now, about three months later, the pledge has not yet visibly inspired new major gifts or attracted additional signatures — Mr. Buffett said he expected more soon — but has surely created discussion and debate, about the wealthy, their giving and what it says about our society. [...]
PTSD - playing Tetris might protect against stress syndrome
CNN
The rapid-fire visual puzzles that make Tetris so engrossing may also make the video game a promising treatment for post-traumatic stress, a new study suggests.
Recurring, intrusive thoughts of a traumatic event (or events) are one of the hallmark symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder. According to the study, which appears in the journal PLoS ONE, playing Tetris soon after a traumatic experience appears to protect against these flashbacks, by distracting the brain from the event and short-circuiting how upsetting memories and images are stored.
Not just any video game will do. Notably, the study found that games that rely on trivia or language skills don't appear to have the same therapeutic effect as stacking Tetris blocks, probably because they activate different areas of the brain.[...]
Recurring, intrusive thoughts of a traumatic event (or events) are one of the hallmark symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder. According to the study, which appears in the journal PLoS ONE, playing Tetris soon after a traumatic experience appears to protect against these flashbacks, by distracting the brain from the event and short-circuiting how upsetting memories and images are stored.
Not just any video game will do. Notably, the study found that games that rely on trivia or language skills don't appear to have the same therapeutic effect as stacking Tetris blocks, probably because they activate different areas of the brain.[...]
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Hush: A new young-adult novel tackles sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox world
Tablet
Hush, a young adult novel by the pseudonymous Eishes Chayil (the pen name is a Yiddish-inflected version of eishet chayil, which means “a woman of valor”), received starred reviews from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and the notoriously hard-to-please Kirkus Reviews. Booklist called it a “stunning debut” and “powerful stuff.” School Library Journal called it “thoughtful, disturbing and insightful.”
So, why hadn’t I heard of it?
A librarian who reads Tablet Magazine alerted me to its existence, saying she hadn’t seen anything about it in the Jewish press. Indeed, a Google search finds only a snotty thread (based on Amazon’s description rather than on the book itself) on an ultra-Orthodox-run discussion board called Hashkafah, and a rave review on the blog The Velveteen Rabbi (written by a female rabbinical student in the Jewish Renewal tradition). That’s it.[...]
Hush, a young adult novel by the pseudonymous Eishes Chayil (the pen name is a Yiddish-inflected version of eishet chayil, which means “a woman of valor”), received starred reviews from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and the notoriously hard-to-please Kirkus Reviews. Booklist called it a “stunning debut” and “powerful stuff.” School Library Journal called it “thoughtful, disturbing and insightful.”
So, why hadn’t I heard of it?
A librarian who reads Tablet Magazine alerted me to its existence, saying she hadn’t seen anything about it in the Jewish press. Indeed, a Google search finds only a snotty thread (based on Amazon’s description rather than on the book itself) on an ultra-Orthodox-run discussion board called Hashkafah, and a rave review on the blog The Velveteen Rabbi (written by a female rabbinical student in the Jewish Renewal tradition). That’s it.[...]
Teacher evaluation controversy
New York Times
Colleagues of Rigoberto Ruelas were alarmed when he failed to show up for work one day in September. They described him as a devoted teacher who tutored students before school, stayed with them after and, on weekends, took students from his South Los Angeles elementary school to the beach.
When his body was found in a ravine in the Angeles National Forest, and the coroner ruled it a suicide, Mr. Ruelas’s death became a flash point, drawing the city’s largest newspaper into the middle of the debate over reforming the nation’s second-largest school district.
a
When The Los Angeles Times released a database of “value-added analysis” of every teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in August, Mr. Ruelas was rated “less effective than average.” Colleagues said he became noticeably depressed, and family members have guessed that the rating contributed to his death.
-- Colleagues of Rigoberto Ruelas were alarmed when he failed to show up for work one day in September. They described him as a devoted teacher who tutored students before school, stayed with them after and, on weekends, took students from his South Los Angeles elementary school to the beach.
When his body was found in a ravine in the Angeles National Forest, and the coroner ruled it a suicide, Mr. Ruelas’s death became a flash point, drawing the city’s largest newspaper into the middle of the debate over reforming the nation’s second-largest school district.
a
When The Los Angeles Times released a database of “value-added analysis” of every teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in August, Mr. Ruelas was rated “less effective than average.” Colleagues said he became noticeably depressed, and family members have guessed that the rating contributed to his death.
Daas Torah Blog
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
R' Shmuely Boteach claims: Chabad is Judaism
JPost
[...] WITNESSING THE fulfillment of that promise at the conference was an awakening. Chabad is no longer merely a Jewish movement. It is Judaism. I find it astonishing that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew in to attend the Jewish federations’ annual General Assembly but bypassed the Chabad conference. If an Israeli prime minister wants to be part of the unfolding of modern Jewish history, he has to address Chabad. No other organization even comes close to its global reach or grassroots impact. And it is growing exponentially.[...]
[...] WITNESSING THE fulfillment of that promise at the conference was an awakening. Chabad is no longer merely a Jewish movement. It is Judaism. I find it astonishing that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew in to attend the Jewish federations’ annual General Assembly but bypassed the Chabad conference. If an Israeli prime minister wants to be part of the unfolding of modern Jewish history, he has to address Chabad. No other organization even comes close to its global reach or grassroots impact. And it is growing exponentially.[...]
Outrageous revisionism:UN declares Rachel's Tomb - a mosque
JPost
On October 21, UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared that Rachel’s Tomb near Jerusalem is the Bilal ibn Rabah mosque – endorsing a Palestinian claim that first surfaced only in 1996 and which ignores centuries of Muslim tradition.
In a series of decisions condemning Israel, the UNESCO board called upon the government to rescind its decision in February to include Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Israel’s official list of national heritage sites. The sharp protests by Ambassador to UNESCO Nimrod Barkan to the UN body’s decision were expunged from the record by the chairman of the session, the Russian representative, on the pretext that they were too aggressive.
A scrupulous examination of testimonies and historical sources demonstrates that defining Rachel’s Tomb as a mosque does an injustice to facts and traditions anchored in both Muslim documents and Jewish sources, and constitutes distortion, bias and deception. As opposed to the Temple Mount and the Cave of the Patriarchs, which also serve as the location of mosques, Rachel’s Tomb never served as a mosque for the Muslims. The Muslim connection to the site derives from its relation to Rachel and has no connection to Bilal ibn Rabah, Muhammad’s first muezzin.
On October 21, UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared that Rachel’s Tomb near Jerusalem is the Bilal ibn Rabah mosque – endorsing a Palestinian claim that first surfaced only in 1996 and which ignores centuries of Muslim tradition.
In a series of decisions condemning Israel, the UNESCO board called upon the government to rescind its decision in February to include Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Israel’s official list of national heritage sites. The sharp protests by Ambassador to UNESCO Nimrod Barkan to the UN body’s decision were expunged from the record by the chairman of the session, the Russian representative, on the pretext that they were too aggressive.
A scrupulous examination of testimonies and historical sources demonstrates that defining Rachel’s Tomb as a mosque does an injustice to facts and traditions anchored in both Muslim documents and Jewish sources, and constitutes distortion, bias and deception. As opposed to the Temple Mount and the Cave of the Patriarchs, which also serve as the location of mosques, Rachel’s Tomb never served as a mosque for the Muslims. The Muslim connection to the site derives from its relation to Rachel and has no connection to Bilal ibn Rabah, Muhammad’s first muezzin.
Kindness of a Stranger That Still Resonates
New York Times
The event was a reunion for people who were never supposed to meet, commemorating an act of charity that succeeded because it happened in secret.
Helen Palm sat in her wheelchair on the stage of the Palace Theater and read her plea for help, the one she wrote in the depths of the Great Depression to an anonymous stranger who called himself B. Virdot.
“I am writing this because I need clothing,” Ms. Palm, 90, read aloud on Friday evening. “And sometimes we run out of food.”
Ms. Palm was one of hundreds who responded to an advertisement that appeared Dec. 17, 1933, in The Canton Repository newspaper. A donor using the pseudonym B. Virdot offered modest cash gifts to families in need. His only request: Letters from the struggling people describing their financial troubles and how they hoped to spend the money. The donor promised to keep letter writers’ identities secret “until the very end.” [...]
The event was a reunion for people who were never supposed to meet, commemorating an act of charity that succeeded because it happened in secret.
Helen Palm sat in her wheelchair on the stage of the Palace Theater and read her plea for help, the one she wrote in the depths of the Great Depression to an anonymous stranger who called himself B. Virdot.
“I am writing this because I need clothing,” Ms. Palm, 90, read aloud on Friday evening. “And sometimes we run out of food.”
Ms. Palm was one of hundreds who responded to an advertisement that appeared Dec. 17, 1933, in The Canton Repository newspaper. A donor using the pseudonym B. Virdot offered modest cash gifts to families in need. His only request: Letters from the struggling people describing their financial troubles and how they hoped to spend the money. The donor promised to keep letter writers’ identities secret “until the very end.” [...]
Monday, November 8, 2010
Gender identity:New crises on college campus
When Kevin Murphy entered as a freshman at Mount Holyoke, a Massachusetts women's college, in 2003, he was female. By the time he received his diploma, he was male.
Phillip Hudson, who attended Morehouse, an all-male historically black college in Georgia, calls himself androgynous, meaning he doesn't identify with masculine or feminine identity norms.
The two men represent a debate that is brewing at some of the nation's same-sex colleges. For these colleges, which have historically defied boundaries and challenged the status quo, a new test of tolerance has surfaced: How are they handling gender identity?
Defining gender on same-sex campuses has become murky as some students say they fall outside the conventional male-female gender binary. More schools are encountering complicated cases where not all students at men's colleges identify as male and not all students at women's colleges identify as female. [...]
Afghanistan:Suicide is escape from abuse
New York Times
Even the poorest families in Afghanistan have matches and cooking fuel. The combination usually sustains life. But it also can be the makings of a horrifying escape: from poverty, from forced marriages, from the abuse and despondency that can be the fate of Afghan women.
The night before she burned herself, Gul Zada took her children to her sister’s for a family party. All seemed well. Later it emerged that she had not brought a present, and a relative had chided her for it, said her son Juma Gul. [...]
Even the poorest families in Afghanistan have matches and cooking fuel. The combination usually sustains life. But it also can be the makings of a horrifying escape: from poverty, from forced marriages, from the abuse and despondency that can be the fate of Afghan women.
The night before she burned herself, Gul Zada took her children to her sister’s for a family party. All seemed well. Later it emerged that she had not brought a present, and a relative had chided her for it, said her son Juma Gul. [...]
Israel facing a crisis with African illegal immigrants
YNET
As masses of refugees continue to make there way to Israel via the Egyptian border, Knesset Member Yaakov Katz (National Union) warned Monday that within a few years there would be over 100,000 African immigrants in the Jewish state.
Speaking at a foreign worker analysis committee meeting, Katz added that "the number of infiltrators will only rise, just as we said it would last year. The thousands of residences needed to house the infiltrators must be added to the already problematic real estate shortage. [...]
As masses of refugees continue to make there way to Israel via the Egyptian border, Knesset Member Yaakov Katz (National Union) warned Monday that within a few years there would be over 100,000 African immigrants in the Jewish state.
Speaking at a foreign worker analysis committee meeting, Katz added that "the number of infiltrators will only rise, just as we said it would last year. The thousands of residences needed to house the infiltrators must be added to the already problematic real estate shortage. [...]
Child & Domestic Abuse book: So who needs it?
Moshe wrote:
Can you please tell me what your book is about. I mean we all know that these thing are not allowed. Anything other than 'normal' is frowned upon. Will you be giving heterim? or expanding on the issur. Is it really necessary for men (or women) to know about all these things that they exist. And if they know already what will your book be teaching them. Will someone who already 'indulges' in these practices be likely to read your book? Surely the frum world whom you are trying to sell it to through their bookstores have no need of it!
Can you please tell me what your book is about. I mean we all know that these thing are not allowed. Anything other than 'normal' is frowned upon. Will you be giving heterim? or expanding on the issur. Is it really necessary for men (or women) to know about all these things that they exist. And if they know already what will your book be teaching them. Will someone who already 'indulges' in these practices be likely to read your book? Surely the frum world whom you are trying to sell it to through their bookstores have no need of it!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Online classes - the future of education?
New York Times
Like most other undergraduates, Anish Patel likes to sleep in. Even though his Principles of Microeconomics class at 9:35 a.m. is just a five-minute stroll from his dorm, he would rather flip open his laptop in his room to watch the lecture, streamed live over the campus network.
On a recent morning, as Mr. Patel’s two roommates slept with covers pulled tightly over their heads, he sat at his desk taking notes on Prof. Mark Rush’s explanation of the term “perfect competition.” A camera zoomed in for a close-up of the blackboard, where Dr. Rush scribbled in chalk, “lots of firms and lots of buyers.” [...]
Like most other undergraduates, Anish Patel likes to sleep in. Even though his Principles of Microeconomics class at 9:35 a.m. is just a five-minute stroll from his dorm, he would rather flip open his laptop in his room to watch the lecture, streamed live over the campus network.
On a recent morning, as Mr. Patel’s two roommates slept with covers pulled tightly over their heads, he sat at his desk taking notes on Prof. Mark Rush’s explanation of the term “perfect competition.” A camera zoomed in for a close-up of the blackboard, where Dr. Rush scribbled in chalk, “lots of firms and lots of buyers.” [...]
Child & Domestic Abuse - Amazon availability
It will take between a day to two weeks for my books to appear on
Amazon. When they do then free 5-8 business day shipping will also be
available from Amazon. They are available now on the Amazon company
Createspace links that I have provided.
Amazon. When they do then free 5-8 business day shipping will also be
available from Amazon. They are available now on the Amazon company
Createspace links that I have provided.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Child & Domestic Abuse - Volumes I & II & III
Both volumes are now available by means of the links on below. They should also be available soon on Amazon (which has free shipping for orders of $25 or more). Volume III costs $13
To order from my e-store
Volume I
Volume II
Volume III
To order either volume directly from Amazon
Volumes I & II ------------Amazon---------------------------
Volume III Compact Practical Guide
-------------------------------
Let me reiterate the cautions printed in Volume I
CAUTION – EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
The subject matter of this book is one that is inherently upsetting and unpleasant. Consequently much consideration was given to what to describe and what type of language to use. It is typical in the Orthodox community that these things are not talked about and or euphemisms are used (Pesachim 3a). Even the word “sexual” is rarely used. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 3:8) in fact asserts that is why Hebrew is called the holy language [The Ramban (Shemos 30:13) disagrees]. Most of the material in this book is in fact presented in a neutral manner and the word “abuse” is typically used to describe the issue under discussion. However there are discussion which are more graphic and language which is more explicit. Some of this is simply the translation of classic sources such as the Talmud or Rambam (See for example Commentary on Mishna Sanhedrin 7:4). Hebrew is less shocking then English.
However it is impossible to adequately explain how to protect children without explaining what the danger is. Euphemisms are appropriate when the reality is known but someone wants to allude to it rather then use lurid details. In fact much about abuse is not imaginable by the average person and therefore the danger and horror can only be conveyed by more explicit language and detail. Much of the psychological damage is the result of abuse by those who are known and trusted by the victim. This betrayal must be described to be properly understood.
One of my early supporters backed out when he saw some of the essays. He said, “I thought that you would simply say abuse happens and it is bad and therefore we need to protect our children. I thought you were writing a book that the typical Beis Yakov graduate or Chassidic mother can read.” Hopefully they will in fact read this book – despite it being an unpleasant experience - for the sake of their children. Therefore if you do not want to deal with these types of descriptions and language – don’t read this book – or at least be prepared to skip or skim some of the material. This also means that one needs to be careful who will read it.
This concern is not so simple however. I once mentioned to the Noviminsker Rebbe that Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky had stated that children should be educated about sexual matters at the age of 16. His reply was, “It is too late for children today (this was 25 years ago). Even some 8 year olds know more than I do.”
Difference between Volume I and Volume II
Main Divisions of the two volumes of this book
The book is composed of five different types of material in two volumes.
Content of Volumes I and II
This book is divided into two volumes – each of which is a complete work and yet they clearly supplement each other. Volume II deals with the classic Jewish sources that are relevant to define and understand the issue of abuse, obligations to help one another, sexuality and saving others from harm – as well as the nature of rabbinical authority. It includes the responsa from the major poskim on these issues. This material is presented in a systematic conceptual framework for ease of locating and recalling the material. There is a separate listing of the core sources arranged according to author for easy access. These sources are all translated into English but the original Hebrew text is also presented. Volume I is thus a summary of Volume II while Volume I serves as a commentary and explanation of the meaning of the material in volume II. This second volume is essential for understanding the Halachic dynamics of the complex demands that the issue of abuse produces and anyone who wants to understand these issues properly needs to study these sources very carefully.
Volume I
1. Overview & summary survey the major issues of abuse as well providing a concise summary of practical concerns. It includes an Introduction, Practical Guide, Protocols of Orthodox Organizations for dealing with abuse and a Synopsis of the halachic and psychological issues that was reviewed and annotated by Rav Sternbuch. It also has chapters describing a number of actual abuse cases - including those written by survivors of abuse.
2. The Essays provide in depth analysis of a variety topics by experts (rabbis, psychotherapists and lawyers) who share their knowledge and experience on critical issues.
Volume II
5. Original Hebrew texts are provided in endnotes to the translation.
To order from my e-store
Volume I
Volume II
Volume III
To order either volume directly from Amazon
Volumes I & II ------------Amazon---------------------------
In preparation for the presentation I am giving Lag B'Omer at the White Institute conference on abuse in the Orthodox community and in response to those who just want to know the basic halachic parameters of abuse in an inexpensive volume - I have just published a compact practical guide to abuse. This contains the text of Volume I including the Synopsis of Rav Sternbuch's views and the Practical Guide and my essays. However it does not contain the important essays contributed by rabbis, psychologists, and lawyers which fully describe the nuances of the psychological and legal issues. I also included the teshuvos of contemporary gedolim from Volume II dealing with abuse and calling the police or social agencies - both the translation and Hebrew source. However it doesn't include the many texts describing important associated issues. Thus I have selected 150 pages of the basic core material from the 800 pages published in Volumes I & II. This compact guide can serve as a stand alone source book or as an introduction/review of Volume I and II. Currently it is only available from the Amazon Createspace store (click link to order) - but should be available on Amazon in another week. Volumes I & II are currently available from Amazon
-------------------------------
Let me reiterate the cautions printed in Volume I
CAUTION – EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
The subject matter of this book is one that is inherently upsetting and unpleasant. Consequently much consideration was given to what to describe and what type of language to use. It is typical in the Orthodox community that these things are not talked about and or euphemisms are used (Pesachim 3a). Even the word “sexual” is rarely used. The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 3:8) in fact asserts that is why Hebrew is called the holy language [The Ramban (Shemos 30:13) disagrees]. Most of the material in this book is in fact presented in a neutral manner and the word “abuse” is typically used to describe the issue under discussion. However there are discussion which are more graphic and language which is more explicit. Some of this is simply the translation of classic sources such as the Talmud or Rambam (See for example Commentary on Mishna Sanhedrin 7:4). Hebrew is less shocking then English.
However it is impossible to adequately explain how to protect children without explaining what the danger is. Euphemisms are appropriate when the reality is known but someone wants to allude to it rather then use lurid details. In fact much about abuse is not imaginable by the average person and therefore the danger and horror can only be conveyed by more explicit language and detail. Much of the psychological damage is the result of abuse by those who are known and trusted by the victim. This betrayal must be described to be properly understood.
One of my early supporters backed out when he saw some of the essays. He said, “I thought that you would simply say abuse happens and it is bad and therefore we need to protect our children. I thought you were writing a book that the typical Beis Yakov graduate or Chassidic mother can read.” Hopefully they will in fact read this book – despite it being an unpleasant experience - for the sake of their children. Therefore if you do not want to deal with these types of descriptions and language – don’t read this book – or at least be prepared to skip or skim some of the material. This also means that one needs to be careful who will read it.
This concern is not so simple however. I once mentioned to the Noviminsker Rebbe that Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky had stated that children should be educated about sexual matters at the age of 16. His reply was, “It is too late for children today (this was 25 years ago). Even some 8 year olds know more than I do.”
Difference between Volume I and Volume II
Main Divisions of the two volumes of this book
The book is composed of five different types of material in two volumes.
Content of Volumes I and II
This book is divided into two volumes – each of which is a complete work and yet they clearly supplement each other. Volume II deals with the classic Jewish sources that are relevant to define and understand the issue of abuse, obligations to help one another, sexuality and saving others from harm – as well as the nature of rabbinical authority. It includes the responsa from the major poskim on these issues. This material is presented in a systematic conceptual framework for ease of locating and recalling the material. There is a separate listing of the core sources arranged according to author for easy access. These sources are all translated into English but the original Hebrew text is also presented. Volume I is thus a summary of Volume II while Volume I serves as a commentary and explanation of the meaning of the material in volume II. This second volume is essential for understanding the Halachic dynamics of the complex demands that the issue of abuse produces and anyone who wants to understand these issues properly needs to study these sources very carefully.
Volume I
1. Overview & summary survey the major issues of abuse as well providing a concise summary of practical concerns. It includes an Introduction, Practical Guide, Protocols of Orthodox Organizations for dealing with abuse and a Synopsis of the halachic and psychological issues that was reviewed and annotated by Rav Sternbuch. It also has chapters describing a number of actual abuse cases - including those written by survivors of abuse.
2. The Essays provide in depth analysis of a variety topics by experts (rabbis, psychotherapists and lawyers) who share their knowledge and experience on critical issues.
Volume II
3. Translated Sources arranged by Topic is a comprehensive collection of Jewish legal sources that are organized according to topic for quick access on the major issues. These texts concern the need to protect the individual as well as his right to protect himself. It contains many texts related to child and domestic abuse, rabbinic authority, the relationship between Jewish and secular law and authority, and the Jewish view of sexuality and deviance. It is indispensable for those who wish to learn and understand the original legal sources. It also serves as a convenient and accessible reference for rabbis who wish to review and refresh their understanding. Lawyers, community leaders and psychologists will also find it useful to understand the parameters of legitimate response when developing strategies to deal with the problem. The third section presents the accepted mainstream views on the topic – including the authoritative writings of the major contemporary authorities.
4. Rabbinic Sources section is comprised of more complete citations of the material cited in the book. They are arranged by name rather than by topic. They are presented here for convenience of those who remember the author of the citation but not the section where the citation is quoted. It is also valuable because often only a part of the material was mentioned in the book.5. Original Hebrew texts are provided in endnotes to the translation.
Reb Moshe:Translation of seforim including Igros Moshe & making halacha seforim with psakim without sources & reasons
Igros Moshe (Y. D. 4:38:5): … There is no prohibition to translate even Mishna and Halacha. However, the most important thing is that the translator must be fully aware of his responsibility and that even a small error can cause a major problem for those studying the translation… Surely, those who translate from Hebrew to another language have to be concerned about error and therefore it is best to refrain from translation…. In conclusion, I would advise not to be involved in studying from translated works and it is best to learn in the original language and this will to lead greater success.
Igros Moshe(Y. D. 4:38:6): … but concerning the writings of more recent sages whose works are not so well known, it is necessary to bring their reasoning for two reasons. 1) In order that their words should not be ridiculed when they are misunderstood. The reader of the translation might not attempt to obtain the original work to try to understand it. 2) Those reading the translation might not assume that the author had an intelligent reason for what he said. Therefore, if the author’s words are brought without explanation the reader might simply reject them.
Igros Moshe(Y.D. 3:91):... I heard that someone is making a sefer in English which consists of the halachic decisions from my Igros Moshe. This is prohibited even if the translation is done properly. That is because there is no one today who is able to make [a new Shulchan Aruch] in which the halacha is stated without providing explanation and sources. I have already been asked for permission to do this by others. I replied that I do not give permssion to do such a thing. The reason is that the halacha might not be stated accurately. There are many possibilities for error in such a scheme as well as errors that such a project could cause which is even worse. Even if the teshuvos are translated, this is still a major problem in that it presents these halachic decisions to the masses who are not Torah scholars and they will generalize incorrectly from them. Therefore I categorically object to doing this project.
Igros Moshe(Y. D. 4:38:6): … but concerning the writings of more recent sages whose works are not so well known, it is necessary to bring their reasoning for two reasons. 1) In order that their words should not be ridiculed when they are misunderstood. The reader of the translation might not attempt to obtain the original work to try to understand it. 2) Those reading the translation might not assume that the author had an intelligent reason for what he said. Therefore, if the author’s words are brought without explanation the reader might simply reject them.
Igros Moshe(Y.D. 3:91):... I heard that someone is making a sefer in English which consists of the halachic decisions from my Igros Moshe. This is prohibited even if the translation is done properly. That is because there is no one today who is able to make [a new Shulchan Aruch] in which the halacha is stated without providing explanation and sources. I have already been asked for permission to do this by others. I replied that I do not give permssion to do such a thing. The reason is that the halacha might not be stated accurately. There are many possibilities for error in such a scheme as well as errors that such a project could cause which is even worse. Even if the teshuvos are translated, this is still a major problem in that it presents these halachic decisions to the masses who are not Torah scholars and they will generalize incorrectly from them. Therefore I categorically object to doing this project.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Obama - dealing with the election reversals
Time Magazine
"We make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican Party," said Florida's newly elected Senator, Marco Rubio, who set the tone for this election cycle by chasing the incumbent governor, Charlie Crist, out of the Republican primary earlier this year. "What they are is a second chance." It was smart politics from a smart young politician — a sharp contrast to the smug certainty of Newt Gingrich's Republican revolution of 1994 and also a welcome relief from the witless thuggery that marked this campaign season. Given the country's distress, Rubio's humility seemed the best possible response. As the evening progressed, though, and more Republicans stood at their victory podiums expressing the very same sentiment, it began to seem more of a talking point than a genuine belief. "This is not a time for celebration," concluded Ohio's John Boehner. "This is a time to roll up our sleeves."
And then Boehner did something entirely unexpected and palpably real: he cried. "I've spent my whole life chasing the American Dream," he began but could not continue. He tried several more times to tell his life story — from the impoverished son of a tavern owner, with 11 brothers and sisters, working dismal jobs to get through college — but broke down each time. It was a rare moment. It gave emotional heft and validity to the Republican victory. It suggested that Boehner might be different, wiser and more reasonable, this time.[...]
"We make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these results are somehow an embrace of the Republican Party," said Florida's newly elected Senator, Marco Rubio, who set the tone for this election cycle by chasing the incumbent governor, Charlie Crist, out of the Republican primary earlier this year. "What they are is a second chance." It was smart politics from a smart young politician — a sharp contrast to the smug certainty of Newt Gingrich's Republican revolution of 1994 and also a welcome relief from the witless thuggery that marked this campaign season. Given the country's distress, Rubio's humility seemed the best possible response. As the evening progressed, though, and more Republicans stood at their victory podiums expressing the very same sentiment, it began to seem more of a talking point than a genuine belief. "This is not a time for celebration," concluded Ohio's John Boehner. "This is a time to roll up our sleeves."
And then Boehner did something entirely unexpected and palpably real: he cried. "I've spent my whole life chasing the American Dream," he began but could not continue. He tried several more times to tell his life story — from the impoverished son of a tavern owner, with 11 brothers and sisters, working dismal jobs to get through college — but broke down each time. It was a rare moment. It gave emotional heft and validity to the Republican victory. It suggested that Boehner might be different, wiser and more reasonable, this time.[...]
Big Brother wants to know about your Internet purchases
Time Magazine
In the old days, when you trekked to a store to buy a book or magazine with cash, there was no permanent record of the purchase. But in the Internet age, with every book, magazine and DVD just a few clicks (and a credit card number) away, virtually anything you buy online is recorded — and sellers often keep the information permanently (or sell it to third parties). That's bad enough, but what if the government tried to get its hands on that personal data? In fact, the state of North Carolina has been trying to do just that. It's been on a disturbing campaign to force Amazon.com to give it detailed records on which First Amendment–protected products its residents have bought online. Last week, a federal court said no in an important win for online-privacy rights — but more remains to be done.
The court case stems from a war over sales taxes between North Carolina and Amazon. The North Carolina tax department says Amazon failed to collect sales taxes on about 50 million transactions with North Carolinians between 2003 and early 2010. As part of a tax audit, North Carolina asked the e-commerce giant to provide, for that time period, "all information for all sales to customers with a North Carolina shipping address." [...]
The court case stems from a war over sales taxes between North Carolina and Amazon. The North Carolina tax department says Amazon failed to collect sales taxes on about 50 million transactions with North Carolinians between 2003 and early 2010. As part of a tax audit, North Carolina asked the e-commerce giant to provide, for that time period, "all information for all sales to customers with a North Carolina shipping address." [...]
Obama as an anti-colonialist
Forbes
Barack Obama is the most antibusiness president in a generation, perhaps in American history. Thanks to him the era of big government is back. Obama runs up taxpayer debt not in the billions but in the trillions. He has expanded the federal government's control over home mortgages, investment banking, health care, autos and energy. The Weekly Standard summarizes Obama's approach as omnipotence at home, impotence abroad.
The President's actions are so bizarre that they mystify his critics and supporters alike. Consider this headline from the Aug. 18, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal: "Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling." Did you read that correctly? You did. The Administration supports offshore drilling--but drilling off the shores of Brazil. With Obama's backing, the U.S. Export-Import Bank offered $2 billion in loans and guarantees to Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras to finance exploration in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro--not so the oil ends up in the U.S. He is funding Brazilian exploration so that the oil can stay in Brazil.
More strange behavior: Obama's June 15, 2010 speech in response to the Gulf oil spill focused not on cleanup strategies but rather on the fact that Americans "consume more than 20% of the world's oil but have less than 2% of the world's resources." Obama railed on about "America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels." What does any of this have to do with the oil spill? Would the calamity have been less of a problem if America consumed a mere 10% of the world's resources? [...]
Barack Obama is the most antibusiness president in a generation, perhaps in American history. Thanks to him the era of big government is back. Obama runs up taxpayer debt not in the billions but in the trillions. He has expanded the federal government's control over home mortgages, investment banking, health care, autos and energy. The Weekly Standard summarizes Obama's approach as omnipotence at home, impotence abroad.
The President's actions are so bizarre that they mystify his critics and supporters alike. Consider this headline from the Aug. 18, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal: "Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling." Did you read that correctly? You did. The Administration supports offshore drilling--but drilling off the shores of Brazil. With Obama's backing, the U.S. Export-Import Bank offered $2 billion in loans and guarantees to Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras to finance exploration in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro--not so the oil ends up in the U.S. He is funding Brazilian exploration so that the oil can stay in Brazil.
More strange behavior: Obama's June 15, 2010 speech in response to the Gulf oil spill focused not on cleanup strategies but rather on the fact that Americans "consume more than 20% of the world's oil but have less than 2% of the world's resources." Obama railed on about "America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels." What does any of this have to do with the oil spill? Would the calamity have been less of a problem if America consumed a mere 10% of the world's resources? [...]
Volume II is almost finished. Relationship between Vol I & II
Just received approval from Amazon for Volume II. I just have to examine the proof copy which should arrive at the end of the week and approve it - and then they will make it available for sale - probably Monday or Tuesday. Have no idea why Volume I has not been approved but should receive information today. The following is a description of the relationship between volumes. Both will be available through links on my blog or by going directly to Amazon. Each paperback volume is being sold for $25. There is no hardcover version.
Main Divisions of the two volumes of this book
The book is composed of five different types of material in two volumes.
Content of Volumes I and II
This book is divided into two volumes – each of which is a complete work and yet they clearly supplement each other. Volume II deals with the classic Jewish sources that are relevant to define and understand the issue of abuse, obligations to help one another, sexuality and saving others from harm – as well as the nature of rabbinical authority. It includes the responsa from the major poskim on these issues. This material is presented in a systematic conceptual framework for ease of locating and recalling the material. There is a separate listing of the core sources arranged according to author for easy access. These sources are all translated into English but the original Hebrew text is also presented. Volume I is thus a summary of Volume II while Volume I serves as a commentary and explanation of the meaning of the material in volume II. This second volume is essential for understanding the Halachic dynamics of the complex demands that the issue of abuse produces and anyone who wants to understand these issues properly needs to study these sources very carefully.
Volume I
1. Overview & summary survey the major issues of abuse as well providing a concise summary of practical concerns. It includes an Introduction, Practical Guide, Protocols of Orthodox Organizations for dealing with abuse and a Synopsis of the halachic and psychological issues that was reviewed and annotated by Rav Sternbuch. It also has chapters describing a number of actual abuse cases - including those written by survivors of abuse.
2. The Essays provide in depth analysis of a variety topics by experts (rabbis, psychotherapists and lawyers) who share their knowledge and experience on critical issues.
Volume II
5. Original Hebrew texts are provided in endnotes to the translation.
Main Divisions of the two volumes of this book
The book is composed of five different types of material in two volumes.
Content of Volumes I and II
This book is divided into two volumes – each of which is a complete work and yet they clearly supplement each other. Volume II deals with the classic Jewish sources that are relevant to define and understand the issue of abuse, obligations to help one another, sexuality and saving others from harm – as well as the nature of rabbinical authority. It includes the responsa from the major poskim on these issues. This material is presented in a systematic conceptual framework for ease of locating and recalling the material. There is a separate listing of the core sources arranged according to author for easy access. These sources are all translated into English but the original Hebrew text is also presented. Volume I is thus a summary of Volume II while Volume I serves as a commentary and explanation of the meaning of the material in volume II. This second volume is essential for understanding the Halachic dynamics of the complex demands that the issue of abuse produces and anyone who wants to understand these issues properly needs to study these sources very carefully.
Volume I
1. Overview & summary survey the major issues of abuse as well providing a concise summary of practical concerns. It includes an Introduction, Practical Guide, Protocols of Orthodox Organizations for dealing with abuse and a Synopsis of the halachic and psychological issues that was reviewed and annotated by Rav Sternbuch. It also has chapters describing a number of actual abuse cases - including those written by survivors of abuse.
2. The Essays provide in depth analysis of a variety topics by experts (rabbis, psychotherapists and lawyers) who share their knowledge and experience on critical issues.
Volume II
3. Translated Sources arranged by Topic is a comprehensive collection of Jewish legal sources that are organized according to topic for quick access on the major issues. These texts concern the need to protect the individual as well as his right to protect himself. It contains many texts related to child and domestic abuse, rabbinic authority, the relationship between Jewish and secular law and authority, and the Jewish view of sexuality and deviance. It is indispensable for those who wish to learn and understand the original legal sources. It also serves as a convenient and accessible reference for rabbis who wish to review and refresh their understanding. Lawyers, community leaders and psychologists will also find it useful to understand the parameters of legitimate response when developing strategies to deal with the problem. The third section presents the accepted mainstream views on the topic – including the authoritative writings of the major contemporary authorities.
4. Rabbinic Sources section is comprised of more complete citations of the material cited in the book. They are arranged by name rather than by topic. They are presented here for convenience of those who remember the author of the citation but not the section where the citation is quoted. It is also valuable because often only a part of the material was mentioned in the book.5. Original Hebrew texts are provided in endnotes to the translation.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Child & Domestic Abuse Volume II
I just submitted volume II to Amazon. This is the the Chapter listings.
Still awaiting approval of formatting changes to Volume I
Still awaiting approval of formatting changes to Volume I
Rav Moshe Feinstein: Sitting next to women on buses
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Seeing the Natural World With a Physicist’s Lens
New York Times
If you've ever stumbled your way through a newly darkened movie theater, unable to distinguish an armrest from a splayed leg or a draped coat from a child's head, you may well question some of the design features of the human visual system. Sure, we can see lots of colors during the day, but turn down the lights and, well, did you know that a large bucket of popcorn can accommodate an entire woman's shoe without tipping over?
Yet for all these apparent flaws, the basic building blocks of human eyesight turn out to be practically perfect. Scientists have learned that the fundamental units of vision, the photoreceptor cells that carpet the retinal tissue of the eye and respond to light, are not just good or great or phabulous at their job. They are not merely exceptionally impressive by the standards of biology, with whatever slop and wiggle room the animate category implies. Photoreceptors operate at the outermost boundary allowed by the laws of physics, which means they are as good as they can be, period. Each one is designed to detect and respond to single photons of light — the smallest possible packages in which light comes wrapped. [...]
If you've ever stumbled your way through a newly darkened movie theater, unable to distinguish an armrest from a splayed leg or a draped coat from a child's head, you may well question some of the design features of the human visual system. Sure, we can see lots of colors during the day, but turn down the lights and, well, did you know that a large bucket of popcorn can accommodate an entire woman's shoe without tipping over?
Yet for all these apparent flaws, the basic building blocks of human eyesight turn out to be practically perfect. Scientists have learned that the fundamental units of vision, the photoreceptor cells that carpet the retinal tissue of the eye and respond to light, are not just good or great or phabulous at their job. They are not merely exceptionally impressive by the standards of biology, with whatever slop and wiggle room the animate category implies. Photoreceptors operate at the outermost boundary allowed by the laws of physics, which means they are as good as they can be, period. Each one is designed to detect and respond to single photons of light — the smallest possible packages in which light comes wrapped. [...]
Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
Atlantic
In 2001, rumors were circulating in Greek hospitals that surgery residents, eager to rack up scalpel time, were falsely diagnosing hapless Albanian immigrants with appendicitis. At the University of Ioannina medical school’s teaching hospital, a newly minted doctor named Athina Tatsioni was discussing the rumors with colleagues when a professor who had overheard asked her if she’d like to try to prove whether they were true—he seemed to be almost daring her. She accepted the challenge and, with the professor’s and other colleagues’ help, eventually produced a formal study showing that, for whatever reason, the appendices removed from patients with Albanian names in six Greek hospitals were more than three times as likely to be perfectly healthy as those removed from patients with Greek names. “It was hard to find a journal willing to publish it, but we did,” recalls Tatsioni. “I also discovered that I really liked research.” Good thing, because the study had actually been a sort of audition. The professor, it turned out, had been putting together a team of exceptionally brash and curious young clinicians and Ph.D.s to join him in tackling an unusual and controversial agenda.
In 2001, rumors were circulating in Greek hospitals that surgery residents, eager to rack up scalpel time, were falsely diagnosing hapless Albanian immigrants with appendicitis. At the University of Ioannina medical school’s teaching hospital, a newly minted doctor named Athina Tatsioni was discussing the rumors with colleagues when a professor who had overheard asked her if she’d like to try to prove whether they were true—he seemed to be almost daring her. She accepted the challenge and, with the professor’s and other colleagues’ help, eventually produced a formal study showing that, for whatever reason, the appendices removed from patients with Albanian names in six Greek hospitals were more than three times as likely to be perfectly healthy as those removed from patients with Greek names. “It was hard to find a journal willing to publish it, but we did,” recalls Tatsioni. “I also discovered that I really liked research.” Good thing, because the study had actually been a sort of audition. The professor, it turned out, had been putting together a team of exceptionally brash and curious young clinicians and Ph.D.s to join him in tackling an unusual and controversial agenda.
Introduction to Volume II of Child & Domestic Abuse
Volume I is a contemporary overview and summary of the topic of abuse. However it was derived and developed from more basic sources which were not directly concerned with the modern concept of abuse. These derivations were not relevant when presenting the "bottom line" and thus were either just alluded to or not mentioned at all. However these basic sources also need to be studied. Thus Volume II is an encyclopedia of these classic Rabbinic sources (translations as well as the original Hebrew) related to the topic abuse. The material is arranged conceptually according to topic and subtopic. Thus material which on the surface might not appear related – is grouped together by its underlying conceptual relationship to abuse.
This material needs to be carefully studied and understood to be able to deal properly with the complexity of the issue of abuse and the interaction of halacha, psychology and secular law. Merely knowing the conclusions, without understanding where they come from makes it difficult to deal with different situations or more complex ones.
However this conceptual organization is not simply an efficient means of finding a particular Talmudic citation or verse in the Torah for the purpose of study. The framework in which I have placed these sources is important for another reason. The title headings and subheadings are there to suggest what use might be made of these ideas.
While the Torah clearly says not to harm others, it also says that it is necessary to do something to prevent harm from happening. This conceptual framework shows that not only is it explicit that Judaism requires that harm not be done to anyone, and that it should be prevented – there is another lesion to be learned. Because the Torah is so concerned about the issue of harm and prevention, actions are also required to ensure that measures intended to protect from harm – are in fact working! In other words, one does not fulfill his full Torah obligation just by keeping the mitzva of not harming (e.g., not hitting) or the mitzva of preventing harm (e.g., putting up a guard rail on your roof). The Torah not only requires that one try and anticipate the consequences of actions and provide preventative measures – but also requires one to monitor whether these measures work to protect the members of society. There is a need to obtain feedback as to how well the safeguards are working in reality and to act on this feedback. That has been the missing factor in much of the discussion of abuse up until recently.
Thus we have four critical elements – not to harm, take measures to prevent harm to others, monitor whether these preventative measures are actually working and modify accordingly. Another things which is apparent from these sources – there is no exclusive responsibility for rabbis and community leaders to monitor whether the preventative measures work and to suggest corrections. It is obligatory for every single individual to see what can be done to make society safe for everyone.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Scientific heresy - Life experiences of grandparents can affect offspring
Newsweek
Michael Skinner has just uttered an astounding sentence, but by now he is so used to slaying scientific dogma that his listener has to interrupt and ask if he realizes what he just said. Which was this: “We just published a paper last month confirming epigenetic changes in sperm which are carried forward transgenerationally. This confirms that these changes can become permanently programmed.”
OK, so it’s not bumper-sticker-ready. But if Skinner, a molecular biologist at Washington State University, were as proficient with soundbites as he is with mass spectrometry, he might have explained it this way: the life experiences of grandparents and even great-grandparents alter their eggs and sperm so indelibly that the change is passed on to their children, grandchildren, and beyond. It’s called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: the phenomenon in which something in the environment alters the health not only of the individual exposed to it, but also of that individual’s descendants. [...]
Michael Skinner has just uttered an astounding sentence, but by now he is so used to slaying scientific dogma that his listener has to interrupt and ask if he realizes what he just said. Which was this: “We just published a paper last month confirming epigenetic changes in sperm which are carried forward transgenerationally. This confirms that these changes can become permanently programmed.”
OK, so it’s not bumper-sticker-ready. But if Skinner, a molecular biologist at Washington State University, were as proficient with soundbites as he is with mass spectrometry, he might have explained it this way: the life experiences of grandparents and even great-grandparents alter their eggs and sperm so indelibly that the change is passed on to their children, grandchildren, and beyond. It’s called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: the phenomenon in which something in the environment alters the health not only of the individual exposed to it, but also of that individual’s descendants. [...]
Danger in believing in Science and danger in not believing in it
New York Times
Will sprinters one day break the sound barrier? Do Olympic athletes win more medals if they wear red? And can a simple formula predict happiness?
While those questions may sound absurd, various studies have found a way to prove them true through statistical manipulation of numbers and data. The tendency of academics, politicians and pundits to generate such numerical falsehoods from data — and the tendency of the public to believe the results — is a phenomenon cleverly explored in the new book “Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception,” by Charles Seife.
Mr. Seife, a writer and professor of journalism at New York University, makes a compelling case that numbers have a unique hold on the human mind, and that we are routinely bamboozled by phony data, bogus statistics and bad math. I recently spoke with Mr. Seife, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Economist and elsewhere, about the role that proofiness plays in health and medical research. Here’s our conversation.[...]
Newsweek
This column is about science education, but teachers and curriculum designers should click away now rather than risk apoplexy. Instead of making the usual boring plea for more resources for K–12 science (or, as it is now trendily called, STEM, for science, technology, engineering, and math), I hereby make the heretical argument that it is time to stop cramming kids’ heads with the Krebs cycle, Ohm’s law, and the myriad other facts that constitute today’s science curricula. Instead, what we need to teach is the ability to detect Bad Science—BS, if you will.
The reason we do science in the first place is so that “our own atomized experiences and prejudices” don’t mislead us, as Ben Goldacre of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine puts it in his new book, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks. Understanding what counts as evidence should therefore trump memorizing the structural formulas for alkanes.
“People can be wrong in so many ways,” Goldacre told me—and by “people,” he includes scientists. All too many put too much credence in observational studies, in which people who happen to behave one way (eating a lot of olive oil, drinking in moderation) have one health outcome, while people who choose to behave the opposite way have a different health outcome. [...]
Will sprinters one day break the sound barrier? Do Olympic athletes win more medals if they wear red? And can a simple formula predict happiness?
While those questions may sound absurd, various studies have found a way to prove them true through statistical manipulation of numbers and data. The tendency of academics, politicians and pundits to generate such numerical falsehoods from data — and the tendency of the public to believe the results — is a phenomenon cleverly explored in the new book “Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception,” by Charles Seife.
Mr. Seife, a writer and professor of journalism at New York University, makes a compelling case that numbers have a unique hold on the human mind, and that we are routinely bamboozled by phony data, bogus statistics and bad math. I recently spoke with Mr. Seife, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Economist and elsewhere, about the role that proofiness plays in health and medical research. Here’s our conversation.[...]
Newsweek
This column is about science education, but teachers and curriculum designers should click away now rather than risk apoplexy. Instead of making the usual boring plea for more resources for K–12 science (or, as it is now trendily called, STEM, for science, technology, engineering, and math), I hereby make the heretical argument that it is time to stop cramming kids’ heads with the Krebs cycle, Ohm’s law, and the myriad other facts that constitute today’s science curricula. Instead, what we need to teach is the ability to detect Bad Science—BS, if you will.
The reason we do science in the first place is so that “our own atomized experiences and prejudices” don’t mislead us, as Ben Goldacre of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine puts it in his new book, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks. Understanding what counts as evidence should therefore trump memorizing the structural formulas for alkanes.
“People can be wrong in so many ways,” Goldacre told me—and by “people,” he includes scientists. All too many put too much credence in observational studies, in which people who happen to behave one way (eating a lot of olive oil, drinking in moderation) have one health outcome, while people who choose to behave the opposite way have a different health outcome. [...]
Black death & its role in the Middle East
New York Times
The great waves of plague that twice devastated Europe and changed the course of history had their origins in China, a team of medical geneticists reported Sunday, as did a third plague outbreak that struck less harmfully in the 19th century.
And in separate research, a team of biologists reported conclusively this month that the causative agent of the most deadly plague, the Black Death, was the bacterium known as Yersinia pestis. This agent had always been the favored cause, but a vigorous minority of biologists and historians have argued the Black Death differed from modern cases of plague studied in India, and therefore must have had a different cause.
The Black Death began in Europe in 1347 and carried off an estimated 30 percent or more of the population of Europe. For centuries the epidemic continued to strike every 10 years or so, its last major outbreak being the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666. The disease is spread by rats and transmitted to people by fleas or, in some cases, directly by breathing. [...]
The great waves of plague that twice devastated Europe and changed the course of history had their origins in China, a team of medical geneticists reported Sunday, as did a third plague outbreak that struck less harmfully in the 19th century.
And in separate research, a team of biologists reported conclusively this month that the causative agent of the most deadly plague, the Black Death, was the bacterium known as Yersinia pestis. This agent had always been the favored cause, but a vigorous minority of biologists and historians have argued the Black Death differed from modern cases of plague studied in India, and therefore must have had a different cause.
The Black Death began in Europe in 1347 and carried off an estimated 30 percent or more of the population of Europe. For centuries the epidemic continued to strike every 10 years or so, its last major outbreak being the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666. The disease is spread by rats and transmitted to people by fleas or, in some cases, directly by breathing. [...]
PA upset over UNRWA official’s remark on refugees
JPost
The Palestinian Authority is extremely disappointed with a senior UNRWA official who recently said that Palestinian refugees should acknowledge that they will almost certainly not be returning to Israel, officials said last week.
Andrew Whitley, outgoing director of the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency's New York office, was quoted earlier this month as saying, "If one doesn't start a discussion soon with the refugees for them to consider what their own future might be – for them to start debating their own role in the societies where they are rather than being left in a state of limbo where they are helpless but preserve rather the cruel illusions that perhaps they will return one day to their homes – then we are storing up trouble for ourselves." [...]
The Palestinian Authority is extremely disappointed with a senior UNRWA official who recently said that Palestinian refugees should acknowledge that they will almost certainly not be returning to Israel, officials said last week.
Andrew Whitley, outgoing director of the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency's New York office, was quoted earlier this month as saying, "If one doesn't start a discussion soon with the refugees for them to consider what their own future might be – for them to start debating their own role in the societies where they are rather than being left in a state of limbo where they are helpless but preserve rather the cruel illusions that perhaps they will return one day to their homes – then we are storing up trouble for ourselves." [...]
Martin Gilbert - corrective history of Jewish-Islam "coexistence"
Jerusalem Post
Under Muslim rule, Jews have been a ‘protected’ group, but have nonetheless endured intolerable suffering.
Martin Gilbert’s In Ishmael’s House is a good corrective to all the ink that has been spilled to fabricate and deny history relating to the supposed coexistence between Jews and Muslims under Muslim rule. British-born Gilbert, a biographer of Winston Churchill and prolific writer on the Jews and the Holocaust, has only rarely directed his lens on the Jews who lived under Islam.
The subject has generally been left to Jewish Orientalists who, in the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century, wrote about the wondrous tolerance that Islam showed Jews in contrast to the brutality meted out to them in Russia and Europe.[...]
Under Muslim rule, Jews have been a ‘protected’ group, but have nonetheless endured intolerable suffering.
Martin Gilbert’s In Ishmael’s House is a good corrective to all the ink that has been spilled to fabricate and deny history relating to the supposed coexistence between Jews and Muslims under Muslim rule. British-born Gilbert, a biographer of Winston Churchill and prolific writer on the Jews and the Holocaust, has only rarely directed his lens on the Jews who lived under Islam.
The subject has generally been left to Jewish Orientalists who, in the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century, wrote about the wondrous tolerance that Islam showed Jews in contrast to the brutality meted out to them in Russia and Europe.[...]
Friday, October 29, 2010
Child & Domestic Abuse Book - Almost there
The book is finished. Files need some technical corrections to pass
Amazon's test which should be next week.
Amazon's test which should be next week.
The book is being published in two volumes. The second volume consists
of the halachic material (and Hebrew sources) that is the basis for the
conclusions presented in Volume I.
4-Year-Old Can Be Sued, Judge Rules in Bike Case
New York Times
Citing cases dating back as far as 1928, a judge has ruled that a young girl accused of running down an elderly woman while racing a bicycle with training wheels on a Manhattan sidewalk two years ago can be sued for negligence.
The ruling by the judge, Justice Paul Wooten of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, did not find that the girl was liable, but merely permitted a lawsuit brought against her, another boy and their parents to move forward.
The suit that Justice Wooten allowed to proceed claims that in April 2009, Juliet Breitman and Jacob Kohn, who were both 4, were racing their bicycles, under the supervision of their mothers, Dana Breitman and Rachel Kohn, on the sidewalk of a building on East 52nd Street. At some point in the race, they struck an 87-year-old woman named Claire Menagh, who was walking in front of the building and, according to the complaint, was “seriously and severely injured,” suffering a hip fracture that required surgery. She died three weeks later. [...]
Breaking the Silence: Review by Jewish Star
Has the Jewish community finally come to terms with sexual abuse? That is the question raised by the publication of a controversial new book, “Breaking the Silence: Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community.” It is the first extensive treatment of sexual abuse among Jews aimed at a religious audience, and it faces the explosive topic head on — from advice on contacting police to filing abuse reports to halachic arguments about why reporting molesters is in keeping with Jewish law.
The editors, Dr. David Pelcovitz, the Straus Professor of Psychology and Education at the Azrieli Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and David Mandel, the CEO of Ohel, the largest Jewish social service agency, have no doubt about the book’s importance.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Eternal Jewish Family is now Tiferes Bais Yisrael of One Jewish Family
Eternal Jewish Family is now Tiferes Bais Yisrael and is holding a conference in Newark, New Jersey in December.
They state:The Role of Tiferes Bais Yisrael
Proper guidance is crucial when a non-Jewish spouse sincerely seeks a halachic conversion.
To assure full acceptance into any Jewish educational system or community throughout the world, including Israel, the conversion must adhere to the requirements and standards of Jewish law, as established by recognized Torah authorities.
TBY assists intermarried couples who display a sincere and strong commitment to live a Jewish lifestyle, in accordance with Torah and halacha.
In this situation, the Jewish spouse is becoming a fully observant Jew while the non-Jewish partner is committed to become a sincere and fully observant convert.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Science Research- Dr. Hauser of Harvard - fraud or errors of judgment
New York Times
The still unresolved case of Marc Hauser, the researcher accused by Harvard of scientific misconduct, points to the painful slowness of the government-university procedure for resolving such charges. It also underscores the difficulty of defining error in a field like animal cognition where inconsistent results are common.
The case is unusual because Dr. Hauser is such a prominent researcher in his field, and is known to a wider audience through his writings on morality. There seemed little doubt of the seriousness of the case when Harvard announced on Aug. 20 that he had been found solely responsible for eight counts of scientific misconduct.
But last month two former colleagues, Bert Vaux and Jeffrey Watumull, both now at the University of Cambridge in England, wrote in the Harvard Crimson of Dr. Hauser’s “unimpeachable scientific integrity” and charged that his critics were “scholars known to be virulently opposed to his research program.” [...]
The still unresolved case of Marc Hauser, the researcher accused by Harvard of scientific misconduct, points to the painful slowness of the government-university procedure for resolving such charges. It also underscores the difficulty of defining error in a field like animal cognition where inconsistent results are common.
The case is unusual because Dr. Hauser is such a prominent researcher in his field, and is known to a wider audience through his writings on morality. There seemed little doubt of the seriousness of the case when Harvard announced on Aug. 20 that he had been found solely responsible for eight counts of scientific misconduct.
But last month two former colleagues, Bert Vaux and Jeffrey Watumull, both now at the University of Cambridge in England, wrote in the Harvard Crimson of Dr. Hauser’s “unimpeachable scientific integrity” and charged that his critics were “scholars known to be virulently opposed to his research program.” [...]
Monday, October 25, 2010
Obama claims political woes are result of neurological problem
JPost
In an increasingly desperate attempt to develop a narrative for their coming collapse, the Democrats have indulged themselves in what for half a century they’ve habitually attributed to the American Right – the paranoid style in American politics. The talk is of dark conspiracies – secret money, foreign influence, big corporations, with Karl Rove and, yes, Ed Gillespie lurking ominously behind the scenes. The only thing missing is the Halliburton-Cheney angle.
But after trotting out some of these with a noticeable lack of success, President Barack Obama has come up with something new, something less common, something more befitting his stature and intellect. He’s now offering a scientific, indeed neurological, explanation for his current political troubles. The electorate apparently is deranged by its anxieties and fears to the point where it can’t think straight. Part of the reason “facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time,” he explained to a Massachusetts audience, “is because we’re hardwired not to always think clearly when we’re scared. And the country is scared.” Opening a whole new branch of cognitive science – liberal psychology – Obama has discovered a new principle: The fearful brain is hardwired to act befuddled, i.e., vote Republican. [...]
In an increasingly desperate attempt to develop a narrative for their coming collapse, the Democrats have indulged themselves in what for half a century they’ve habitually attributed to the American Right – the paranoid style in American politics. The talk is of dark conspiracies – secret money, foreign influence, big corporations, with Karl Rove and, yes, Ed Gillespie lurking ominously behind the scenes. The only thing missing is the Halliburton-Cheney angle.
But after trotting out some of these with a noticeable lack of success, President Barack Obama has come up with something new, something less common, something more befitting his stature and intellect. He’s now offering a scientific, indeed neurological, explanation for his current political troubles. The electorate apparently is deranged by its anxieties and fears to the point where it can’t think straight. Part of the reason “facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time,” he explained to a Massachusetts audience, “is because we’re hardwired not to always think clearly when we’re scared. And the country is scared.” Opening a whole new branch of cognitive science – liberal psychology – Obama has discovered a new principle: The fearful brain is hardwired to act befuddled, i.e., vote Republican. [...]
Defriending electonically on Facebook
New York Times
ENDING a friendship takes many forms: an ugly confrontation, a polite “I don’t think this is working out,” or just the fade-out with not returning phone calls or responding to e-mail.
Or it can be a simple click on your Facebook page.
As many know, it’s called “defriending,” a term that the New Oxford American Dictionary formally acknowledged this summer. But can technology mitigate the complicated emotions that are associated with a failed friendship? Maybe not.
ENDING a friendship takes many forms: an ugly confrontation, a polite “I don’t think this is working out,” or just the fade-out with not returning phone calls or responding to e-mail.
Or it can be a simple click on your Facebook page.
As many know, it’s called “defriending,” a term that the New Oxford American Dictionary formally acknowledged this summer. But can technology mitigate the complicated emotions that are associated with a failed friendship? Maybe not.
What is a Jewish State?
The more stridently Israel insists on Palestinian recognition of it as the nation-state of the Jewish people, the more adamantly the Palestinian leadership seems to refuse.
As a result, some senior Israeli officials are beginning to question the wisdom of the policy of their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made recognition of the legitimacy of the Jewish nation-state a prerequisite for any final agreement with the Palestinians.
More recently, Mr. Netanyahu offered it as a quid pro quo for a temporary extension of a moratorium on building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Nascent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled since the moratorium expired last month.
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