Rosh HaShanna

https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Repentance.3.3nyone who changes his mind about the mitzvot he has performed and regrets the merits [he has earned], saying in his heart: "What value was there in doing them? I wish I hadn't performed them" - loses them all and no merit is preserved for him at all as [Ezekiel 33:12] states "The righteousness of the upright will not save him on the day of his transgression." This only applies to one who regrets his previous [deeds].Just as a person's merits and sins are weighed at the time of his death, so, too, the sins of every inhabitant of the world together with his merits are weighed on the festival of Rosh HaShanah. If one is found righteous, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If one is found wicked, his [verdict] is sealed for death. A Beinoni's verdict remains tentative until Yom Kippur. If he repents, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If not, his [verdict] is sealed for death.

https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Repentance.3.3

Scientists discover how brain cells die in Alzheimer’s

 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-66816268

Tangles of tau appear and the brain cells start producing a specific molecule (it's called MEG3) that triggers death by necroptosis. Necroptosis is one of the methods our bodies normally use to purge unwanted cells as fresh ones are made.

'Absolutely Shocking': Impeachment Experts Say Biden Inquiry May Be Weakest in U.S. History

 https://time.com/6313452/impeachment-experts-biden-inquiry-weakest-us-history/

“This is supposed to be the most extreme sanction in American politics, and if you reach for it every time you think it'll help you in the polls, I fear it will become degraded,” Bobbitt says. “It just becomes one more very divisive, poisonous event in a Congress that is already deeply divided and alienated."

FactChecking McCarthy’s Impeachment Inquiry Claims

 https://www.factcheck.org/2023/09/factchecking-mccarthys-impeachment-inquiry-claims/

“The time for impeachment is the time when there’s evidence linking President Biden, if there’s evidence linking President Biden, to a high crime or misdemeanor,” Republican Rep. Ken Buck said on MSNBC on Sept. 10. “That doesn’t exist right now.”

Nearly 10 million living in Israel on eve of Rosh Hashanah

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s100zdfjkp

 In just over a year, Israel's population is expected to reach 10 million residents. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Israel's population is estimated at  9,795,000 people and, according to the report from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), published on Tuesday, the population is projected to reach 10 million residents by the end of 2024. 

Shanna Tova!

Daas Torah Blog Selection -Available on Amazon

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Table of contents for Daas Torah Selected Blog posts

 Introduction 18

Dedication 19

The impact of the Daas Torah Blog 20

A person should always strive to be like others - Me'urav im habrios? 21

Abuse: If your child reports being abused - What would you do? 22

Abuse:Children are valid witnesses I 23

Abuse:Does a victim have to forgive abuser if he asks three times? 24

Abuse:Emotional abuse - Embarrassing with strong praise? 26

Abuse:Emotional abuse in Jewish sources: Reish Lakish 27

Abuse:Emotional abuse produces overly fragile children? 28

Abuse:Frum halachic concerns about abuse 29

Abuse:Verbal abuse is prohibited only if the person is helpless 30

Abuse:Verbal abusers mistakenly feel superior to Jewish victim - Alshech 32

Agada & Kabbala - learning things beyond comprehension 34

Agada must be accepted as true? 35

Age of the Universe 37

Aguna - What happens to celebrity media star liars when the truth comes out? 38

Altering Torah laws when they become a problem 39

Angels: Belief in Angels is required 40

Angels:Conscious beings with free will 41

Angels:Fallen 42

Angels:Free will and punishment 43

Angels:judge and kill 44

Angels:Natural forces 45

Angels:Not always intermediaries 46

Angels:Rav Tzadok 47

Angels:Worshipping angels is prohibited 48

Angels:Praying to Angels? 49

Ascertaining Ratzon HaShem: How do we know what G-d wants us to do? 50

Assisted martyrdom:Desirable or is it murder? 51

Astrology: Stars are intelligent beings 52

Astrology:Effort is worthless against mazel ! 53

Astrology:Jews - Meiri 54

Astrology:Jews not absolutely determined by Mazel 55

Astrology:Mazel is changed by G-d 56

Astrology:Stars are conscious beings? 57

Authority:Accepting G-d's authority is difficult for Jews 58

Authority:An Amora had the potential right to disagree with a Tanna 59

Authority:Chazal because of their superior knowledge of truth. 60

Authority:Gedolim  Because they are accepted - not because of their knowledge 61

Authority:Making up sources 62

Authority:Midgets standing on giants 63

Authority:Obeying Rabbinic authority even when they are wrong? 64

Authority:Obligation  to accept everything said by the tzadik of the generation 65

Authority:Psak is different for post-Talmudic authorites who lack ruach hakodesh 66

Authority:Rabbinic authority today? 67

Authority:Scientific statements of our Sages 68

Authority:Shmuel in his generation is like Yiftach in his generation 69

Authority:Shulchan Aruch is the default view only when Achronim are deadlocked 71

Authority:Words of our Sages are from G-d 72

Avraham and his descendants were punished 73

Avraham as source of magic 74

Banning a posek who errs and tells a married woman she can marry another man - Does it matter if the facts presented to the posek are not true? 75

Bar Kochbar - most doubted that he was Messiah 76

Bein adam l'chavero sins - only if done to hurt & vanquish the other 77

Belief that a Rebbe is like an angel and Emunas Chochomim 78

Believability 79

Beracha "Didn't make me a woman" - Magen Avraham 80

Best not to study Hashkofah but to have simple faith 81

Between a rock and a hard place 82

Bitachon 83

Blessing of Tzadikim 84

Brain Death - Rav Shabtsai Rappaport reports his discussion with his grandfather Rav Moshe Feinstein 85

Breslover Joke from Rav Yaakov Meir Schechter 86

Brothers and Sisters in Silver Spring - Wake up! It is deal time for Tamar and you are messing it up big time 87

Calling police for Jewish owned house of prostitution 88

Capital punishment:Rav Moshe Feinstein & Maharam Shick 89

Challenges are good or to be avoided? 91

Chanifa:Acting differently than what you feel is viewed by Chazal as a serious sin - So why do they require being me'urav im habrios (acting like everyone else) even while your true thoughts and feelings are never revealed? 92

Chanifa:Why flattering the rich is not only permitted but required 93

Chareidim and the reality of propaganda 94

Charity given with wife's assistance - still considered giving secretly/ Heter of Chazon Ish to speak lashon harah to wife 95

Chasam Sofer:Ruach Hakodesh of poslkim - is not binding authority 96

Chasam Sofer:Seek truth - don't be concerned to please others and win their approval 97

Chasam Sofer: Women superior to men? 98

Chasam Sofer:Explanations need to agree with scientific reality 99

Chazal believed in existence of demons and evil eye 100

Chazal have disputes only on correct viewpoint - all they say is true 101

Chazon Ish: Ruach Hakodesh is intellect joined with the Divine 102

Chazon Ish: True moderation can only be achieved as failure to achieve perfection 103

Child abuse:Bringing out the crazies 104

Child's education vs honoring father? 105

Chofetz Chaim:Chazon Ish & Rav Kook 106

Chofetz Chaim:Disagrees with Rabbeinu Yona about lashon harah said in public 107

Chofetz Chaim:Disapproved of the Netziv's criticism of the delegitimzing of religious maskilim and religious Zionists 108

Chofetz Chaim:Speaking lashon harah when angry at assailant? 109

Christianity:Avoiding 111

Commonsense is subordinate to Tradition 112

Commonsense morality and empathy can be corrupted by religion and theology 113

Consequences of religious anti-intellectualism 115

Contradiction between new 9th vol of Igros Moshe & older volumes regarding Magen Avraham & Shema 116

Conversion - Why Minor Mitzvos dissuade conversion 117

Conversion can be declared invalid 118

Conversion of intermarried couples is very problematic 120

Corporal Punishment & Gedolim 121

Corporality: Rambam's inconsistent views 122

Daas Torah A layman  can never ever criticize a Rabbi. Even it causes some to sin 124

Daas Torah first failure 125

Daas Torah means not only total obedience but an inability to judge gedolim 126

Daas Torah: Divrei Chaim claimed heretic mislead gedolim to write that they agreed with him 127

Daas Torah:Ramchal - knowledge obtained through ruach hakodesh is infallible 128

Daas Torah:Wife disagreed with Daas Torah 129

Dan l'chaf zechus - What is the obligation to judge favorably? 130

Dangerous times - G-d's anger 132

Dangers of losing grasp of G-d's personality is worse than dangers of corporality 133

Dating:Don't play house: Rav Moshe's advice for shidduchim 134

Dating:Social Dating 135

Daughters inheriting: Forcing the involvement of secular courts instead of beis din 136

Dedication Hebrew Yad Yisroel 137

Dedication of Child Abuse Book to Mrs. Judy Young A”H 138

Demons 139

Demons:Abaye banished demons 140

Demons:Beis Mamikdash and demons 141

Demons:Going out alone at night is prohibited today because of demons? 143

Demons:Kotzer Rambam's psak eliminated demons 144

Demons:Nonsense 145

Demons:Rav Tzadok 146

Demons:Three weeks are period of danger from demons 147

Destroying Television to Stop Sin? 148

Disagreements are bad in Torah study? 149

Divine Providence 150

Divorce Tragedies - Letter to Jewish Press 151

Divorce:Who gets custody of Kids? 152

Divorcee covering head 153

Doctors:Are only a minhag 154

Doctors:Obligation to use 155

Does effort in observing tznius guarantee parnasa? 156

Does sending girls to collect charity violate "the honor of the princess is to stay inside" 157

Don't ask a rebbe for secular advise 159

Drinking water at night? 160

Dybuk is mental illness 161

Education interferes with faith 162

Education not to be a fool - "A fool is one who believes everything" Mishlei 14:15) 163

Eilu v' Eilu: No disputes in the Talmud, Agada or Kabbala - 166

Eliyahu - who was he? 167

Empathy deficit and Torah 168

Eve was the mother of life because she brought death into the world 169

Evil Eye 170

Evil Eye - concern? 171

Evil Eye endangers Windfalls 172

Evil Eye: Rabbis can damage with evil eye 173

Evil has power -Ramchal 174

Exile from Spain;Abarbanel caused exile from Spain? 175

Expert's evaluation is like a beis din & witnesses 176

Failed Messiah blinded by his hatred for Chareidim - becomes incoherent when contradicted by facts 177

Failure of rabbinical leadership to see the consequences of their actions 178

Faith and philosophy 179

Falsely claiming to have ruach hakodesh is capital offence of being a false prophet 180

Father's sins atoned by son's suffering? 181

For the times they are a-changin' 182

Forced to sin? 183

Forgiveness of sins against G-d depend on being forgiven for sins against man? 184

Free Will- even against Providence 185

Free Will:G-d's knowledge and free-will 186

Frum or Normal:Which is better? 187

Frum:Jews died in plague of Darkness because they were being frum 188

Gam zu ltova - comforting mourners 189

Gam zu l'tova? 190

G-d color of hair? 193

Gedolim:A British madrich asks: What are gedolim? 194

Gedolim:A gadol explains what a secret psak is and why it isn't taken seriously 195

Gedolim:Are fallible but woe to the person who points out teir errors 196

Gedolim:Are not infallible - and this should be obvious but unfortunately is not 198

Gedolim:Blemished Gedolim 199

Gedolim:Can a godol be evil? 200

Gedolim:Disagreeing with Gedolim 201

Gedolim:Even gedolim are required to keep the Torah 202

Gedolim:Mesorah versus gadol --- the authority of Chazon ish 203

Gedolim:Produce gedolim even if most students are destroyed. 204

Gedolim:Rabbi Akiva Eiger - like all gedolim - needed to make a mistake to show he was human 205

Gedolim:The sins of Gedolim - have their roots in Korach and his associates 206

Gedolim:When a Gadol is afraid to correct his mistaken Psak 207

Gedolim:Yiftach who was the godol hador - was an am haaretz 208

Geirim - Shidduchim Issues - Relationship with parents 209

Genetic disease: Checking for genetic disease 210

Get  Forced: An apparent contradiction between Igros Moshe and Tendler's Mesoras Moshe 211

Get Forcing divorce on a mentally ill wife 213

Get: Forced Get –is it kosher bedieved? 214

Get:If a husband doesn't give a Get does he transgress Lifnei Ivair if his wife commits adultery? 215

Get:The sick reality of gittin today 216

Get:Withholding a Get is unjewish and evil "?! 217

Golden Calf reason for having children 223

Golden calf was an assistant G-d?! 224

Golden calf:There were 12 Golden Calves not one 225

Good Chanifa (chanufa) - the basis of personal mental health and a healthy society 226

Gra & Chassidus:Reason for dispute 228

Gra criticized Rambam regarding the supernatural 229

Gra: Scientific reality sometimes is used to decide between halachic views 230

Greater the person the greater his lust 231

Greatest Principle of the Torah - What is it? 234

Guma Aguiar lawyer's warning letter 235

Halacha: What is the halachic basis of EJF? 236

Halacha:Authority requires being committed to the Torah system 237

Halacha:By committee - Mishna Berura 238

Halacha:Innovation in halacha 239

Halacha:Majority rule in halacha 240

Halacha:Majority rule of halacha is not relevant in most cases 242

Halacha:Majority rules even if view is not factually true 243

Halacha:Problems are inherent when using mussar or agada as halacha 244

Halacha:Supercedes ethical principles /Chazon Ish 245

Halacha:The importance of accurately reporting the halacha 246

Halacha:Understanding Eliezer's process of identifying Yitzhok's wife 247

Harchakas of Rabbeinu Tam don’t make get me’usa 248

Harm of Talking a lot with one's Wife 252

Heretic:Denies the Mishna Berura and other major seforim were written with ruach hakodesh 253

Heretics:Answering heretics 254

Heretics:Learning from a heretic is prohibited - even though R' Meir did it 256

Heretics:Rambam - how could he learn from heretics? 257

His'orrus (stimulation) vs. Transformation - Kelm Mussar 258

Hitting kids is wrong because it causes emotional damage?! 259

Holiness is not asceticism 260

Halacha that a woman should stay in house? 261

Holy people transcend and can change Nature 262

Homosexuality - view of Rav Moshe Feinstein 263

Homosexuality:Caring for the Sinner 264

Honoring parents when a parent acts like a child 265

How Debbie Gross "saved" me from being abused physically and emotionally at her Convention dealing with abuse and violence in the religious community 266

How to have enemies suffer Divine punishment instead of you. 268

Idolatry: Principal purpose of Torah is destruction of idolatry 269

Idolatry: Support for Rambam's view of sacrifices? 270

Idolatry: The Temple and its mitvos mirrored idolatry 271

Idolatry:An attempt to concretise abstact religious belief 272

Idolatry:Changing 273

Idolatry:Mitzvos deal with people as they are to erase idolatry 274

Idolatry:Sacrifices were commanded to wean the Jews from idolatry 276

Idolatry:Shituf 278

Ignorance of pious people about sexual issues is problematic Rav Yitzchok Scher 279

Secular knowledge:Ignorance  is Chillul haShem 280

Image of elokim - creation of man Chizkuni 281

Importance of having a Rebbe 282

Incest: Yichud of brothers & sisters 283

Independent opinion in the matter of Kabbalah is folly and the cause of great harm. 284

Informing on tax cheats 285

Internet Filtering: The false sense of security 286

Internet:Fighting the Internet - no holds barred & any twisting of truth is permitted! 287

Introduction to my new book on the Jewish understanding of marriage and gender issues 288

Is a person tested with a task beyond his ability? Two opposing views 289

Issues that people have a lust for leniences such as birth control are not to be presented to the masses 291

Jew: Can a Jew lose his status as Jew? 293

Jewish Calculus of Suffering:Stop sin or suffering? 294

Jews Were a primitive and uncultured people 295

Jews:In Egypt did not keep Torah & Mitzvos 296

Jews:Less likely to change from moral chastisement than goyim 297

Jews:Protected from assimilation by being despised and uncivilized 298

Kabbala is not for everyone    - Rivash 299

Kabbala can increase sexual lust even amongst talmidei chochomim - Rav Tzadok 300

Kanoi a path in Avodas HaShem 301

Key to learning Torah is challenging Sages who are presumed to be correct 302

Kiddush HaShem:Mesiras nefesh which ignores consequences? 303

Kiruv for non-Jews with Jewish Identity II 304

Kiruv - Lying to make someone religious?! 305

Kollel:Leaving Kollel is dangerous 306

Kosher equivalents - why? 307

Kuzari principle and commonsense 308

Lashon harah: Not speaking lashon harah might be sinful 309

Lashon harah:About yourself? 310

Lashon harah:Chofetz Chaim permits for to'eles only when not motivated by hatred. 311

Lashon harah:Circumstantial evidence & lashon harah 312

Lashon harah:Defining Rechilus - Rambam vs Chofetz Chaim 313

Lashon harah:Informing his students or children of bad deeds of others 314

Lashon harah:Only prohibited when there is no benefit or to'eles 315

Lashon harah:Public knowledge is not lashon harah 317

Lashon harah:Sin of not saying lashon harah /Rav Ovadiah Yosef 318

Lashon harah:The nature of the prohibition of not accepting lashon harah 319

Leaders:Avoid justifying views with logical proofs or reasons 320

Leaders:Problematic leaders 321

Learning from a teacher who is not fit 322

Lesson of Pinchas: Leaders must protest evil! 323

Love neighbor as yourself 324

Loving another - only means their welfare 325

Lust and the nature of children 326

Magic is real - Ramban 327

Magic:Jews used to have magic beds 329

Malbim disappointed Rav Yisroel Salanter by neglecting halacha for Tanach in order to fight Haskala 330

Mamzer 331

Marriage:A man is more of a slave to his wife than she to him 332

Marriage:A man should love his wife just as he does his tefilin 333

Marriage:A woman's do it yourself guide to annulling marriage. 334

Marriage:Avoid Marriage if it results in Adultery 335

Marriage:Bad wife is desirable 336

Marriage:Chasan steps on Kallah's foot to be boss? 337

Marriage:Divorce 338

Marriage:Eishes chayil - the ideal wife? 340

Marriage:Every wife is to be ruled by her husband - Ben Yehoyada (Men 43b) 342

Marriage:Free will Rambam 343

Marriage:Good wife views her husband as her master - Menoras HaMe'or 344

Marriage:How Rav Aharon picked his son-in-law Rav Dov 345

Marriage:Incompatible with greatness 346

Marriage:Jealousy can only be removed by G-d 347

Marriage:Kiruv can be dangerous to marriage 348

Marriage:Love for wife is qualitatively no different than that of  fellow man 349

Marriage:Maharal - BM (84a) discussing marital relations 350

Marriage:Man takes - Wife doesn't give herself 351

Marriage:Midos are the most important factor in choosing a wife? 352

Marriage:Misconceptions about marriage - a wife is not a shtender 354

Marriage:Misconceptions about marriage - asceticism is prime value 355

Marriage:Moshe why did he married Yisro daughter? 357

Marriage:Must husband be informed of wife's adultery  Rav O. Yosef 358

Marriage:Must husband be informed of wife's adultery  Tosfos Yom Tov 359

Marriage:Nullifying marriage with homosexual husband 360

Marriage:Pele Yo'etz 361

Marriage:Predestined? 363

Marriage:Rav Wolbe's advice to chasanim 364

Marriage:Rav Yaakov Kaminetsy's haskoma to R Travis's marriage manual 365

Marriage:Ropshitzer:Explaining shelo asani isha - to his wife 366

Marriage:Shalom bayis - wife's first obligation is respect of her husband - not her parents or children 367

Marriage:Subservience of wife was a punishment 368

Marriage:Taking care of senile ex- wife? 369

Marriage:Telling husband it is a mitzva to give Get/Sin not to 370

Marriage:Understanding Marriage through Divorce 371

Marriage:What is pritzus for wife - Different views 373

Marriage:What qualities to look for in a wife?" 374

Marriage:Wife is subordinate to her husband to the degree he is subordinate to G-d - Netziv 375

Marriage:Yibam (levirate marriage): A wife is considered as one of her husband's limbs like Eve was of Adam 376

Mazikim Erev Shabbos 377

Mechitza 378

Mechitza  for how many women? 379

Meir Pogrow (founder of Master Torah program) has been determined to be a rasha by beis din and that it is prohibited for women to have any contact with him 380

Meir Pogrow: Learning Torah from morally disgusting individuals: The gag reflex 381

Meir Pogrow: Rav Chaim Malinowitz' response to the question of whether Pogrow's Torah shiurim should be removed 382

Meir Pogrow: Why wasn't he stopped by people who clearly knew he was a danger years ago? 383

Mendel Epstein - Gittin by torture trial: An urgent request for as many people as possible to attend the trial 384

Moderation is normally required but extremism is required in times of spiritual danger BK (60b) 385

Mordechai Tendler's "Mesores Moshe" - What is it? 386

Mother is main disciplinarian & should not show mercy when hitting kids 387

Mussar Movement as frum Haskalah 388

Mussar Movement did it fight Haskala by being a frum Haskala or by focusing on developing greater yiras shamayaim and character perfection? 389

Mussar Movement was haskala - a man-based vision to revive religion 390

Natural Childbirth 391

Need to apologize to maskilim who fought against hypocrisy 392

Netziv:Why Rikva couldn't communicate with Yitzchok 393

Not speaking to women 394

Obligation of loving gerim and not tormenting them 395

Occupation you like - only? 396

One who says This teaching is pleasant but this is not pleasant loses the fortune of Torah. 397

Order of protection in divorce cases 398

Original sin was to think woman equal to man - Chasam Sofer 399

Philosophy originated with the Jews - not the Greeks 401

Piety is primarily in motivation - not unique deeds 402

Pikuach Nefesh & mental health II 403

Pilpul without understanding text - stupifies 404

Pinchas was an angel 405

Powers of gemstones 406

Prayer -serving G-d 407

Proof of G-d's existence 408

Prophet can misunderstand his prophetic vision 409

Proselytizing is problematic - Aruch HaShulchan 410

Psychological Abuse - Identity & expectations/ Maharal 411

Psychologist's role in religious change - is there one? 412

Psychology:A Jewish therapist or a therapist who is Jewish 413

Psychology:Has it created an oversensitivity to torment or discovered it? 414

Psychology:How to explain Torah & Psychology to kiruv rabbis? 415

Psychology:Saving a suicidal gay man - by reconcilling him with his estranged lover? 416

Psychology:Torah Psychotherapy is learned from Torah or doesn't violate Torah? 417

Public challenge to any of Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky's supporters to defend his actions in a guest post! 419

Punishment of family is mida keneged mida 420

Purim and the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter 421

R' Herzfeld's "heter" to publicly embarrass Aaron Friedman 422

Rabbeinu Tam's Shunning: Tzitz Eliezar & Rav Yosef 423

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin - president of the RCA -  clarifies the RCA-Rav Belsky joint statement on child abuse. 424

Rabbinic divorce decisions need greater involvement of mental health professionals 425

Rabbinic infallibility: Examples of  Rabbis apologizing for harmful mistakes 426

Rabbi's prime responsiblity is protecting people from harm 428

Rachel showed modesty by betraying Yaakov? 429

Raising children - curse or joy? 430

Rambam - does he agree with Ramban about sexual lust? 431

Rambam rejects Chazal because he was a rationalist 433

Ramban disagreeing with Chazal because of Zohar 434

Ramban's view of nature? 435

Rape - does G-d want someone to be raped? 437

Rashi indicates one's children are punished for not fighting molesters 438

Rationalstic and philosophical rabbis more negative to women than kabbalists or mystics 439

Rav Chaim Malinowitz: Rav Feldman is mistakenly transforming this outrage against the Torah into a mere dispute of poskim 440

Rav Chaim Malinowitz: Understanding suffering and revenge 441

Rav Dessler: Free-will & creation of Adam 442

Rav Dessler: Yeshiva should deny self-esteem to those not fully involved in Torah study 443

Rav Dessler:Failure of parents and teachers to hit children is producing Nazis and brazen people 444

Rav Eliashiv:Ma'os Alei - Get not required (1 174) 445

Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, shlita 446

Rav Ephraim Greenblatt:Interview from 1990 447

Rav Gestetner's letter regarding Tamar Epstein's heter to remarry without a Get 449

Rav Menashe Klein: How does calling an abuser a rodef - permit calling the police? 450

Rav Moshe Feinstein :A man is more of a slave to his wife than she to him 451

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Approches to psak 452

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Blessing the sun - and a child 453

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Honoring Conservative & Reform "Rabbis" with an aliyah? 454

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Medical screening and Bitachon 455

Rav Moshe Feinstein:The Obligation to Speak and to Act 457

Rav Moshe Feinstein:The statement found in Rashi (Menachos 43b) that a wife is a slave to her husband is nonsense 459

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Untrue story being circulated 460

Rav Moshe Feinstein:Validating conversion for non-observant gerim 461

Rav Moshe Shapiro: Meeting with Rav Moshe Shapiro 463

Rav Moshe Shapiro’s approach to kiruv and the month of Shevat by Rav Chaim Malinowitz 466

Rav Moshe Sternbuch - Authorized Translation 467

Rav Sternbuch's parsha sheet 468

Rav Moshe Sternbuch: Concerning the dreadful draft decree 469

Rav Moshe Tendler 470

Rav Noach Weinberg’s advice about my sefer Daas Torah 471

Rav Nosson Kaminetsky: Those who questioned the validity of the Chofetz Chaim's dibbuq 472

Rav Nota Greenblatt denounces those who claim they have secret poskim with secret reasoning 473

Rav Ovadiya Yosef: Forcing husband to divorce moredes 474

Rav S. R. Hirsch & his contemporary incarnation - Rabbi Slifkin 475

Rav S. R.Hirsch - we can't emulate great men who are portrayed as flawless 476

Rav Schachter joining with Rav Kaminetsky in disregarding the Baltimore Beis din and saying that Aharon should be forced to give a Get 477

Rav Shimon Shkop stayed at YU in order to emulate Rav Yisroel Salanter 478

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach:Your spiritual (& physical life) comes before that of others 479

Rav Sternbuch: Get for civil & Reform marriages? 481

Rav Sternbuch: Tradition is not to teach Tanach - why? 482

Rav Sternbuch:Forcing Husband to divorce Wife 483

Rav Sternbuch:Husband should not be spiteful and should give a Get if there is no chance of reconcilliation and all issues are resolved 484

Rav Sternbuch's protest against heter for Tamar Epstein to remarry without a Get 486

Rav Triebetz: Does Rav Yisroel Salanter have a legacy? 487

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky: Bean counting - Non-Jewish woman vs niddah? 489

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky: Why he erred in thinking the Maharsham was senile 490

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky:Zealotry is necessary - but only if guided by a clear understanding of Torah 491

Rav Yisroel Reisman: It is redifus to publish information about this particular sex offender - he is not a danger to the community 492

Rav Yisroel Salanter poskened: "It is prohibited to desecrate Shabbos to save my life." 493

Rav Yisroel Salanter tried being a chassid 494

Rav Ovadiah  Yosef (3:20) - Forcing only sometimes 495

Reality Check: A frum Jew is supposed to be a nice person 497

Redemption from Egypt by G-d or angel? 499

Religion has replaced sex as taboo 500

Religious Bullying - "You are a shaigetz, I am a tzadik" 501

Religious criticism:Responding  - Maharal in Be'er HaGolah 502

Remarrying after only secular divorce 503

Removing Mention of Michael Hersh/Hirsch 504

Righteous people can also change 505

Rivkah was afraid of Yitzchok and felt inferior to him - Netziv 506

Ruach hakodesh & Ruach hakodesh of the intellect are not the same 507

Ruach hakodesh is reason Biblical verses are omnisignificant - Netziv 508

Ruach rah - does it exist today? 509

Sanhedrin is not protected against error 510

Satanic  abuse rings:Is there a ring of such pedophiles operating in Sanhedria Murchevet? 511

Satanic abuse hysteria: Dr. Joy Silberg - what is her role? 512

Satanic abuse rings A disturbing postscript 513

Satanic abuse rings: Dr Joy Silberg a believer in Satanic cults (and repressed memories) and Rabbi Yitzchok Berkowitz 514

Satanic abuse rings:Therapists say go back to America or switch to Mizrachi schools! 516

Satanic abuse rings:The problematic paranoid thinking needed to accept the allegations of Satanic Abuse Rings 517

Satmar Rav says Six Day War victory was natural - without Divine Providence 518

Satmar Rebbe:Criticism of his views 520

Scheslinger Twins:A personal Elul message for Dr. Schlesinger - "Have you no shame?" 521

Schlesinger Twins: Rebbitzen Rosenberg comes to Vienna community to help Beth and her children 522

Schlesinger Twins: Why does the court prefer a Filipino stranger as primary caretaker? 524

Schlesinger Twins:A day in the life of the custodial parent - Dr. Michael Schlesinger 525

Science vs.Torah 526

Scientific facts are not final even for Chazal 527

Science:Use of DNA to free an Aguna 528

Science:Validity of views R’ Sherira Gaon & Rambam’s son 529

Scientific statements of Chazal might only be according to the science of their day 530

Secular education and Rav Shach 531

Secular knowledge is from ruach hakodesh 532

Secular knowledge:The importance of secular studies 533

Seminary Scandal: "They call him Tatte" - How should male teachers relate to female students? 534

Seridei Aish:Need to apologize to maskilim who fought against hypocrisy 535

Sex and kiruv: Problem of the charismatic rabbi 536

Sex as a metaphor for love of Torah & G-d 537

Sex change by surgery - halachically valid? 538

Sexual relations: Prohibition of thinking of another person 539

Sexuality 541

Sexuality:Reading medical texts regarding sex 542

Sexuality:Importance of sexual satisfaction - and not just focusing on doing a mitzva 543

Sheitel and maris aiyen 544

Should I avoid presenting the Torah viewpoint because of threats of violence? 545

Shulem Deen: Truthseeker who had too many unanswered questions or an apikorus skillful in deceptively leaving out most of the important details needed to understand who he is 546

Simonim 547

Sitting next to women on buses 548

Slander for the sake of Peace 549

Snakes as servants 550

Social pressure to sin? 551

Sorcery 552

Sotah an explanation 553

Source of the berachos of a tzadik - heard from the Bostoner Rebbe 554

Spilling soup on someone to stop bitul Torah: Rav Zilberstein 555

Stealing in order to help others - is it permitted? 556

Stefan Colmer - convicted molester has moved to Passaic - Rav Eisenman requested that this be publicized 557

Steipler: There is no rebbe muvhak today since we learn from seforim - and not orally 558

Stereotypic thinking:Intelligent opening-minded chareidim is not an oxymoron 559

Strange tale concerning a man of simple but flawed belief & the Arizal 560

Suicide & Teshuva 561

SUMMARY HALOCHOT ON MO'US OLAY AND SHAMING A HUSBAND BY RABBI GESTETNER" 564

Superiority of Israel 568

Supernatural:Magic Demons and Astrology real? 569

Supernatural:Nature vs supernatural 570

Talmid chachom needs an attractive wife 571

Talmid chachom/tzadik is beyond criticism because he is presumed that he doesn't sin or because he certainly repented immediately? 572

Talmid chachom: A real talmid chachom needs to be insensitive to his family? 574

Talmid chachom:A seeker of truth must be rude (“navel") 576

Talmid chachom:A talmid chachom needs to be insensitive to his family? 577

Talmid chachom:Do talmidei chachomim really insult and belittle each other? 579

Talmid chachom:Is a worker superior to a talmid chochom? 580

Talmid chachom:Should be a nice person? 581

Talmid chochom is not necessarily kind and merciful 582

Talmud vs esoteric wisdom 583

Tamar Epstein Heter: R' Greenblatt said he simply accepted whatever R Shalom Kaminetsky told him 584

Tamar Epstein: Protest by Rav Shlomo Miller, R E B Wachtfogel, R Moshe Green and R Yechiel Tauber 585

Tamar Epstein: Protest from Rav Pinchus Rabinowitz' Beis Din 586

Tamar Epstein: Rav Sariel Rosenberg protests against heter 587

Tamar Epstein: What role did Rav Shmuel and Rav Sholom Kaminetsky play in the giving of the heter to remarry without a Get? 588

Tamar Epstein:A well known frum psychologist's two cents 589

Tamar Epstein:Rav Aharon Feldman's letter regarding Tamar Epstein's heter 590

Tamar Epstein:Therapists that saw Tamar and Aharon deny discussing Aharon with anyone 592

Tamuz letter of Baltimore Beis Din - removed at the request of the Baltimore Beis Din 593

Teacher beats student from anger at his inattention - must he pay damages? 594

Teaching child a trade 595

Telescope invented in his time to validate G-d's supervision 596

Text and verbal teachings are not the Mesorah 597

The dangers of being on a high spiritual level 598

The dangers of universal education and access of the masses to clear texts 599

The Emperor has no clothes - Eternal Jewish Family & Daas Torah 600

The honor of a Jewish women is staying in the house - moral value or halacha? 601

The insensitive condescension of the secular towards the Orthodox community 603

The necessity for Adam to sin - Netziv (Bereishis 2:4) 604

The need for WOW!! as an indication of the deterioriation of the system 605

The only defense  for the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt heter is to attack me personally 607

The problem of a convicted sex offender using threats of lawsuits to prevent publicizing his activities 608

The relationship between G-d and the Jews is like a husband to his wife 609

The severe sin of going to a non-Jewish court 612

The Sin of Adam - inaccurate self-assessment 613

The Tiger Woods of the Chareidi world 614

Thoughts of sin are worse than the sin itself 615

Three Belzers & a Blogger trying to understand Daas Torah 616

Torah is medicine for soul not body 617

Torah is the word of G-d - no need to apologize 618

Torah law is used as long as society functions properly/Igros Moshe 619

Torah laws must be observed even if observance causes degradation or shame 620

Translation of seforim including Igros Moshe & making halacha seforim with psakim without sources & reasons 621

Torah Study & Working: Payment for Torah - Rav Moshe Feinstein 622

Torah Study & Working: Shulchan Aruch (156) vs Mishneh Berura 623

Tropper - Smear Campaign 624

Tropper doesn't know when to give up 625

Tropper says he is not taking me to court 626

Tropper scandal Is this what Lakewood is producing? 627

Tropper:Advice & appeal for Tropper and his opponent 628

Tropper:Former defender has regrets 629

Tuma is it real?Rambam vs Ramban 630

Two attitudes towards mitzvos 633

Tzadik described as being G-d 634

Tzadik is born because of a clothes line - and other false stories 636

Tzadik overruling G-d 638

Unity of G-d vs belief in His physicality - Rav Tzadok 639

Use of deception to get mitzvos & spiritual perfection 641

Varieties of hashgocha protis 642

Views which grate on modern sensibilities:Sexual abuse is less serious than using an inaccurate commerical scale 643

Vilna Gaon's Letter to his wife: Mussar, beatings & sensitivity 644

Walking with G-d 645

Weiss Dodelson: Divorce settlement required the Weiss's to ask me to take down blog posts 646

Weiss Dodelson: Rav Shlomo Miller's letter to Rav Malkiel Kotler retracting his support for Dodelson 647

What is a tzadik? 648

What was Adam's sin? Decision whether to live as man or angel 649

Why didn't Ezra convert intermarried couples? 651

Why Moshiach is descended from the convert Ruth 652

Why is EJF refusing to have open for-the-record dialogue? 653

Why does G-d repent? 654

Why is Earth spherical? 655

Why were religious Jews attracted to Haskala? 656

Wife & mother-in-law fight - who has to leave? 657

Wife refuses Get /Husband remarry without heter 100 Rabbis? 658

Women:Death 659

Women:Inherently materialistic 660

Women:Mature intellectually earlier than men because they don't study Torah 661

Women:Men are equally holy 662

Women:Misbehaving woman is ugly-Beauty only to serve G-d 663

Women:Prohibition of looking at women 664

Women:Reach perfection only through men 665

Women:Should not drive because of modesty and temperament which results in many accidents 666

Women:Walking behind a woman - prohibited today? 668

Women:Weak minded but have greater Binah (understanding) 669

Women:What do women want sexually? sources in Torah literature 670

Women:Why exempt from mitzva of Torah study Rav Feinstein 671

Women:Witchcraft 672

Women:Woman lacks the image of G-d and intellect 673

Yakov called g-d 674

Yakov was he referring to G-d or an angel? 675

Yakov was punished for calling himsel Israel (Dinah was raped) 676

Yashar (upright) vs Tzadik (righteous) 677

Yeshiva as hospital - women aren't sick 678

Yeshiva is an artificial institution - Rav Hutner 679

Yetzer 681

Yoel Weiss and Rivky Stein: Update 682

You should know that Rav Dovid Feinstein and Rav Nota Greenblatt are good friends" 683

Your disgusting blog 684

Zohar was not originally in the form we have today 685

Schlesinger Twins: Rebbitzen Rosenberg comes to Vienna community to help Beth and her children

 Guest post by Rebbetzin Miriam Rosenberg. 2014

The Rebbetzin is the wife of Rav Sariel Rosenberg from Bnei Brak -  a major talmid chachom and posek who is a member of the beis din of Rav Karelitz. She is very actively involved in helping woman who have lost the custody of their children. She has visited Vienna a number of times and spent much time investigating Beth's case and she was appalled at the lack of support for  Beth as well as how the twins have suffered. I asked her to write a guest post of what she has found.

Below is her 5 page letter translated in full from the Hebrew she sent me for posting here. In the first part she describes the tragic story of Yael which led her to Vienna to raise money for lawyers and where she found out about Beth. She describes in great detail the great miscarriage of justice and the reasons the community - which is known for it kindness and generosity - has failed to intervene.

Fifteen years ago my righteous daughters were cruelly taken from Bnei Brak to Italy , where they were systematically turned against their religion. My eldest daughter was thirteen years old and her sister was nine years old. They received an excellent Jewish education in the wonderful schools of Beis Yaacov. But they were pushed to the ultimate heresy.My story was serialized in AMI MAGAZINE and then published as a book titled:TO MY DAUGHTERS WITH LOVE / GITTY GOLD

For the past fifteen years I have been providing  physical and emotional support to women abused by their former husbands, powerful and wealthy men , who try and sometimes succeed in gaining custody of their             children for various reasons; mainly manipulating the courts in the worst possible way; claiming their wives are insane or lack parenting skills.Time after time I flew places to try and prove women innocent, in most cases there have never been mental health problems and their great distress stems from the fact that their parental rights have been undermined. They want to keep their most precious possession: their children.This is almost always the same woman, just in different circumstances. I meet an intelligent and warm woman without any economic support to back her in her struggle, her entire world destroyed. Hanging on any shred of hope that might overturn this evil decree; maybe G-d will help and this will not happen, she prays.  Maybe there will be messengers that will redeem her and her children from their suffering; from the pain of separation, the bias against her and the destruction that plagues her....I decided to fly to Vienna to try to fundraise from the women of the community for Yael (one such case in Golders Green).I organized a number of lectures during which I told my life story of tragedy, of kidnapping my girls.After I told the story of Yael, religious women contributed generously to help pay her lawyers. At the end of one lecture a young woman came up to me and told me the story of Beth Schlesinger , a story that the whole community of Vienna knows very well but no one is able to intervene. She asked me to try to help Beth regain custody of her twins who were cruelly taken from her husband, a psychiatrist who fabricated a report claiming she was insane and was unable to raise her children.’Everybody in Vienna knows that's not true but the husband was assisted by a number of Rabbis and a close acquaintance of the judge.Since then I have returned to Vienna several times to try to connect the puzzle of the Schlesinger family. Hearing evidence of community members I met personally and from conversations with friends of Beth, as well as meetings with Beth and the children, I uncovered a few facts Beth, a young, intelligent, pretty, thirty year old, has suffered a humiliating and trying ordeal. All the while the people around her are fully aware of the injustices done to her and are unable to help her uncover the truth . They are afraid!!! Everyone who spoke to me painfully told me how much they sympathized with Beth , know that she is 100% innocent and her children were impeccably well cared for by her, but they implored me in every way possible not to get involved in the story and not to ask them to testify because they were afraid , because their husbands did not allow them to intervene, or they had already been threatened more than once; if they help Beth, their lives are in danger. Religious men and women and even Rabbonim shared with me their distress and a sense of powerlessness knowing that nothing could be done . They received threatening phone calls and emails that if they helped Beth, their reputations would be ruined in the community and they would be forced to remove their children from the Jewish schools. Had I not heard this for myself from serious people, I would have suspected they had made it up. It sounded so absurd.A whole community know and are aware of a grave injustice and all stay silent???I met Beth and the children. I brought them a kindergarten level book about Shabbat as a present, with coloured pictures of the Shabbat table with bright script. I sat with the children while they lay in Beth’s arms and tried to read them the story, to interest them in the nice pictures and try to elicit some kind of reaction from them. I spoke to them in Hebrew, Yiddish and English, words recognisable to any Jewish child that goes to kindergarten; Shabbat candles, challot, kippa. They both stared at the pictures but it was clear that the words were alien to them. They held on to their mother, clinging to her sweater. The only words I heard from them were sounds when I managed to really make them laugh or tickled them. They did a nice activity together but the interaction was mainly just between the two of them. We were together for a few hours, both inside and outside the apartment. The children ate meatballs cooked in tomato sauce with rice that Beth had made for them with love and care. We played together and went to the park on bikes. The children interact naturally with their mother but it is difficult to recognize any speech. They are not developed for their age.They only mumble a few syllables in baby talk.The separation from their mother is evidently difficult for them. In order not to make it even more difficult for them, Beth takes them to the park and the visiting centre on their bikes; a meeting place with the father which involves traveling an hour away from where she lives, even though the father lives nearby. What a waste of 4 year old children’s energy, to be dragged by bus to a distant place .This story is delusional . I saw a devoted mother who treats her children with love, warmth , who showers them with the love of a mother. I cried together with her. Together we tried to hold back the tears when it was time to return them. I was there. I saw with my own eyes . I cried with her. The world calls out when a cat is taken away or a chicken from its pen but Vienna,  an enlightened community of 5774 remains silent while Beth was wickedly separated from her children. I met Beth and the kids again. The heartbreaking picture repeated itself. I took another member of the community with me as a witness. I wanted someone else to see what I saw. This injustice cries to heaven.I asked to interview Beth's friends from the past, those who were her friends when she was married to Dr. Schlesinger and betrayed her. These religious women admitted that they played a role in taking the children away.  Either through naivety or stupidity, they were manipulated by the Schlesinger family and spread around that Beth had post natal depression and couldn’t function. They wanted to help him get custody the children.  They were young and naive and didn’t understand how brutal this game is. The community have known him since childhood, Beth is the outsider.  Are these grounds enough to separate a devoted mother from her children ?It was explained to me how this reality came about .The judge who decided the fate of the Schlesinger children is a friend of the father ! ! !A High court judge who is a convert to Judaism and doesn’t keep Torah and Mitzvot. At the  Bar mitzvah of her son nobody from the religious community was present except for one Rabbi. I met him and talked with him for a  long time. The Rabbi assured me that he is not involved in the matter concerning family Schlesinger but lo and behold, he is the only member of the community that is in contact with the judge on the case! This judge 's husband is a psychiatrist who works with Dr. Schlesinger in the same hospital ! ! !I also found out that every lawyer that has hired to represent her custody case has quit without any explanation.  I have been told that it doesn’t matter what the reality is, it’s irrelevant what the facts are, it doesn’t matter how much the children are suffering, everyone in Vienna knows that nothing can be done. They will continue to support the father, despite believing the mother. Since then I have returned to Vienna often. On  Chanukah the mother was told that there was no Chanukah party in the kindergarten even though there was. Nobody came to be with the children there; not the father, not the grandmother, and not the aunt. But the mother was denied entry. An entire community, living, breathing and silent. Religious mothers tell their children a bedtime story , tuck their children into their blankets and give them a goodnight kiss. Beth 's kids are not as lucky. They are looked after by 2 Filipinos On Simchat Torah, they were not with the father in the synagogue, but the rabbis backing him claim he cares for them wonderfully, that the children speak 3 languages and they are thriving! They have even submitted a written statement with these claims to court! I saw with my own eyes ... that's not true. In the Vienna community religious women know the truth and are afraid to speak out. At one of my talks, I gave Beth the opportunity to speak. She  is a wonderful , warm and sensitive. She is going through an unbearable test.I hope that soon we will celebrate her redemptionAnd her children will be returned .

In sorrow

Miriam Rosenberg

NJ court rules in favor of woman who used social media to lobby for Jewish divorce

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/nj-court-rules-in-favor-of-woman-who-used-social-media-to-lobby-for-jewish-divorce/

 Advocates for Jewish women who say their estranged husbands are abusing them by refusing to assent to a religious divorce are cheering after a New Jersey appellate court overturned a ruling against a woman in that state who used social media to advocate for her divorce.

A lower court ruled in 2021 that the woman’s social media posts constituted harassment and incitement. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey got involved in the case, joining several Orthodox women’s rights groups who had already been working on her behalf.

So the secular court says it is not harassment - but the resulting Get is problematic!

Range of Legitimate Views

I just received the following comment to a recent post that included:

 I remember going to visit Rav Bulman at Ohr Someach where he served as Mashgiach. He quickly grasped what I was doing even before I did. He said, ”You are showing that there is a range of legitimate Jewish views. But since the official view is that there is only one correct view, you will never get away with it. I want to buy the first copy. Do you understand I don’t want a copy as a gift, I want to buy it." 

The above is very important but I would like to get your thoughts (especially as a psychologist) on whether this could also shake a person's sense of stability. Seeing that basing everything is open to question and different opinions sort of pulls out the rug from under the person's feet (at least for some people). Basically, the answer to most questions of basic hashkafa is "we don't know." That's the truth, but it can be unsettling. 

I replied

true. But that applies to most things in life

Even getting married or child rearing or politics has no simplistic answers

JEWISH THOUGHT AS A SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY

Just want to add - I went to speak with Rav Eliyahiv  concerning this exact issue.

He first asked whether my sources were all acceptable main stream ones. Which I assured him that was all I used. He said simply, do not censor material  just because they seem to contradict each other. If a person is confused that is why he has a rebbe. Let him go to discuss this with his rebbe. 

Kosher Theft

 There is a bizarre phenomenon in Religious circles where taking something which belongs to others is justified because it is needed. 

There was a sign in the shul where I daven on Shabbos that a number of Kollels were using the building during the week without paying rent or even paying for the electricity they used or even for cleaning the mess they leave or even asking permission. Additionally we find schools or congregations taking over buildings that belong to others - because they need the building. This also applies to building on land that belongs to others. We also find individuals taking seforim from shuls and yeshivas because they need them. 

In apartments, storage areas are used even when it prevents others from their property. In one case one person blocked access to a public stair case because he wanted to expand his own apartment. People illegally extend storage areas and endanger the structure of the entire building - because they need the income from the illegal rooms that they have created

The excuse is well it wasn't being used and I need it. Much like the supreme court justice who said he merely sat in what would have been an empty seat on a private jet. Thus it is being claimed that the victim was being nasty by not sharing that which he didn't really need or use. 

Introduction to Daas Torah Blog Selections

 After I published the Yad Moshe – which facilitated accurate reporting of Halachic issues, I realized the next frontier was Jewish thought or hashkofa. The internet provided me a large audience through the free blogging platform available from Google.  While it is unquestionable that there are many opposed to the internet there is also the problem that  too much of reality was being censored by the print media. The internet was the only way to by pass the self serving censorship

I first started blogging about 15 years ago. I was living in Har Nof. Working during the day in the beis hamedrash of the Bostoner Rebbe on various seforim  and where I also had ready access to the head of the Kollel – Rabbi Ashkenasi and many who enjoyed discussing Jewish issues. In addition I was providing psychotherapy to a diverse population. I also was davening on Friday night Shabbos with  Rav Sternbuch. I spent many hours consulting with Rav Sternbuch on various issues. I also met Rabbi MeirTriebitz from Machon Shlomo  who was close with Rav Sternburg and with whom I developed a close relationship. 

After I started blogging I found Rav Sternbuch was interested in what I was doing. I typically printed out a copy of my blog and news items that I thought might interest him which I gave him every Friday night. He read it in shul during Kabbolas Shabbos. When I got to the issue of EJF, there were some who were convinced I was brain washing him and the Bedatz, when in fact he was the one directing. At one point he told me I was so hated that I should have the Bedatz perform a ceremony to protect me from curses.  

When Dr. Shulem and I got involved in the issue of child abuse Rav Sternbuch not only answered questions but encouraged publication of the then radical notion of going to the police. When I asked him for a haskoma, he said I should write a summary and he would make comments – which he did. When I was asked to speak at the White Institute, I presented his views – which one participant exclaimed he had never heard such views from a widely respected Jewish halachic source. In the early days it was simply accepted that reporting abuse violated the laws of Lashon harah and Mesirah. When I first published my volumes on child abuse it was widely assumed that I would be ostracized as Dr. Twersky had been when he revealed the problem of wife abuse. Fortunately the tide had turned. Primarily because of the flood of revelations not only on the Internet but in the mainstream press

Rav Sternbuch also played a critical role in the Tamar Epstein –“aguna” case. At one time he told me I was serving as his Yisro. More of this is in the posting of the 3 Belzer chasidim. I also became friends with Rabbi Yaakov Ber who helped me to meet Rabbi Eiyashiv and Rav Moshe Shapiro. I met Rabbi Chaim Malinowitz when visiting my son in Beis Shemesh and he became an important resource as well as a regular reader of the Blog and eventual a contributor of posts. 

Additional issues of divorce were brought to my attention such as the Schlesinger twins, the Tranquility bay scandal the Mendel Epstein scandal, the Feinstein grandson case which had a boycott of Artscroll and the phony aguna who made claims of rape and made ridiculous legal suits and ultimately reconciled and returned to her husband 

I got involved in the Tamar Epstein “aguna”case because my brother Dovid was advising her husband as well as the fact that Rav Sternbuch had seen the heter and thought it was nonsense. I was shown the documents to get my view as a psychologist

The awareness of the corruption in “aguna” cases led to an outpouring of Rabbinic denunciations of the “heter”. During this time I also realized the widespread ignorance of the diversity of Jewish sources and that led to publishing Daas Torah. I remember going to visit Rav Bulman at Ohr Someach where he served as Mashgiach. He quickly grasped what I was doing even before I did. He said, ”You are showing that there is a range of legitimate Jewish views. But since the official view is that there is only one correct view, you will never get away with it. I want to buy the first copy. Do you understand I don’t want a copy as a gift, I want to buy it." 

The Malka Leifer case is symbolic of Israel's problems - editorial

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-756357

It is unclear why the country didn’t take the Leifer case – and other similar cases – seriously, and instead opened its gates for people who are accused of being predators abroad.

Why is EJF refusing to have open for-the-record dialogue?

From 2008

The fact that we have two anonymous commentators on this blog claiming to speak for Eternal Jewish Family raises the obvious question - why can't EJF speak openly on the public record. Are they afraid of providing a genuine accounting of their activities?

1) I started blogging about EJF because the Bedatz was unable to get clear answers concerning the halachic basis of EJF's activities. The two letters from the Bedatz strongly criticizing EJF were simply the result of Rabbi Tropper's arrogant refusal to clarify the nature and basis of his operations.

2) I had an intensive email correspondence with Rabbi Tropper in which my questions were answered with - "It's in the Igros Moshe! Why don't you use the Yad Moshe index to find the answers?" When I replied that Rav Moshe does not write in the Igros Moshe that it is permitted to pursue or activiely persuade someone to convert - just because they are intermarried - I was told to contact Rav Reuven Feinstein but that I should wait until he calmed down from being upset about my questions. I was also given the astonishing response of "Why is it prohibited". In short I was given the run around concerning some very basic halachic issues.

3) The obsessive secrecy is also reflected in the fact that they used to have a manual describing their proceduces and halachic bases but this was discontinued two years ago because it wasn't clear. Why after two years they still don't have an official manual is very puzzling.

4) The paranoia of EJF was manifest in a nasty slur against me that was gratuitously added to the response to an request for advice regarding a problem in conversion. The person who sent the question to EJF mentioned that I had recommended that they ask EJF. The slur questioned my integrity and grossly misread material contained in my sefer Daas Torah

5) An additional example of EJF paranoia was told to me by Rav Sternuch shlita. "EJF is convinced that you have manipulated me and the Bedatz organization to attack them because of Rav Eisenstein's statement that those who believe the universe is more than 6000 years old are kofrim and their geirus is no good. They believe that you think the world is more than 6000 years old so you have to destroy them." While this sounds unbelievable but the letters I received from Rabbi Tropper contained repeated demands that I reveal to him and to Rav Reuven Feinstein the evidence I used to convince the Bedatz to turn against EJF.

6) Why doesn't EJF have written letters of support from the gedolim that they claim are supporting them?

7)Why are there no written teshuvos from these gedolim explaining the legitimacy of spending millions of dollars to persuade the nonJewish spouse to convert?

8) Where are the list of rabbis of EJF who do the work of supervising and certifying the rabbinic courts that are acceptable to do geirus?

9) Why does Rabbbi Tropper repeatedly deny he is involved in proselytizing when he acknowledges doing this in the interview in Mishpocha magazine which I translated and put on this blog. To say that proselytizing an intermarried couple is not proselytizing is to make words meaningless.

10) Why is EJF working at apparently contradictory goals of raising standards and making it harder to convert at the same time actively trying to convince the non-Jewish spouse to convert?

There are two active anonymous commentators to this blog who have asserted that they are accurately expressing the view of EJF. [No verification or letter from Rabbi Tropper concerning either of them] They have seriously attempted to clarify our questions and to answer important concerns. For example one of them asserted that EJF was not interested in converting descendants of Marranos. They also hinted that EJF might soon be producing a letter of support signed by the gedolim who are purported to support it.

Why does EJF rely on anonymous spokesmen? What are they hiding? Or is EJF just so arrogant that they don't feel it necessary to justify anything they do? In other words are these individuals actual spokesmen who are in fact representing Rabbi Tropper - but he doesn't want their identity revealed? Or are they self-appointed representatives because Rabbi Tropper doesn't feel the need to explain the true nature of his operations. If they are true representatives - why are they anonymous? If they are not representatives - why doesn't Rabbi Tropper want to clarify and justify what he is doing?