Thursday, September 17, 2015
Yom Kippur is about to collide with baseball, but the two go so naturally together
Washington Post by Mendel Horowtiz
Like a field of dreams, Yom Kippur counts on ghosts to inspire. In Kevin Costner’s role in “Field of Dreams,” his character Ray Kinsella carves a baseball diamond from a cornfield after hearing a mysterious whisper, “if you build it, he will come.” Encouraged by the prophecy and by the spirits of departed ballplayers, Ray in the end discovers his estranged father behind the plate and engages him in a game of catch.
The High Holidays, too, can be stirred by voices of contrition, correction and change. On Yom Kippur, I, too, will carve something precious from a neglected past.
This year, the Day of Atonement falls on the eve of Sept. 23, when the Mets will host the Braves. For the believers in Flushing, baseball might seem delightfully temporal, repentance as distant a notion as spring.
In my synagogue, that holy day will be celebrated as an occasion of longing, an extra-inning playoff of abstinence and prayer. I may not be rooting for the home team that afternoon, but I will be encouraged by baseball’s oddities.
When Yogi Berra quipped “it ain’t over till it’s over” during the summer of 1973, the Mets were in last place, finishing a dismal 44-57. By Aug. 30 the team was 61-71, 6.5 games back with 29 to play. Before the season closed the Mets would claim the NL East, victorious in 21 of their last 29 contests. [...]
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Malka Leifer: Melbourne woman awarded $1.27m in damages over ultra-Orthodox Jewish school abuse
A Melbourne woman has been awarded more than $1 million
in compensation for sexual abuse she suffered at an ultra-orthodox
Jewish school.
The Supreme Court heard the 28-year-old was
sexually abused between 2003 and 2006 by Malka Leifer, who was the
headmistress at the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick.
The court heard the woman was abused at school, on camp and at Ms Leifer's home.
Justice
Jack Rush said the victim had suffered fear, uncertainty and major
lifelong mental injury including self-harm and awarded her $1.27 million
in damages.
The school arranged for Ms Leifer to be flown out of
Australia in 2008, within hours of learning of allegations made by the
victim and at least eight other girls, the court heard.
Ms Leifer is currently in Israel awaiting extradition, and it is understood she could face dozens of charges of indecent assault and rape if she ever returns to Melbourne.
She
has been under house arrest in Israel since last September, but nearly a
year later there still has not been an initial hearing on her
extradition petition.[...]
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Friday, September 11, 2015
Ya'alon: We know who was behind Duma attack
Ya'alon was asked whether security forces had apprehended those responsible for the Jewish terrorist attack which killed three members of the Dawabsheh family, to which he answered, "We know who is responsible, but we will not expose those findings in order to protect our intelligence sources." [...]
Naser Dawabsheh, a member of the family, responded to the statement saying, "Ya'alon's statement is not justified, Israel must immediately expose the murderers. They burned the whole society and not just Duma."
Dawabsheh continued to say, "I know the attack was a major incident for Israel, and that Israel wants to arrest them in order to show the world that it is a country which chases and apprehends murderers." But he also added that, "Even if they will be arrested, what will happen then? The court will just say they are crazy, and they will live out their lives in some hotel like the murderers of Mohamed Abu- Khdeir." [...]
The Dawabsheh family home was set alight on July 31st. An initial investigation revealed that masked men threw Molotov cocktails into two homes, and spray painted "Long live the messiah king," and "revenge" in
The Dawabsheh family was staying in one of the homes, while the other was vacant. The family woke up as a result of the fire, and tried to escape the flames with two of their children, four-year-old Ahmed and eighteen-month-old Ali. The family managed to escape, however infant Ali died as a result of his burns.
Saed Dawabsheh, Ali's father, succumbed to his injures a week later. Ali's mother, Reham fought for her life for over a month, but she too succumbed to her wounds on Sunday. The condition of the family's eldest son, Ahmed, has improved slightly in recent weeks, but he continues to be treated in the intensive care unit at Beer Sheva's Soroka hospital. [...]
Dr. Marc Shapiro: Be careful not to call others ignorant because of hashkofa statements - there are often conflicting statements coming from major authorities
Seforim Blog post by Dr. Marc Shapiro
3. In my post here I quoted R. Moses Isaac Ashkenazi in his Ho’il Moshe that King David is not to be regarded as a prophet as he only had ruah ha-kodesh.
One of the commenters wrote:
One of the commenters wrote:
Rashi Megilla 14a quotes a Halachot Gedolot which names David as [a] prophet. Rashi speaks specifically about prophets as opposed to Ruach Hakodesh, and excludes Daniel based on Megilla 3a.
Another commenter was more strident:
Wonderful example how modern scholars have no place in the Torah world! As first commenter pointed out, Dovid Hamelech is prominent in the list of 48 neviim, and there are scores of sugyos based on the nevuah of DH. The makom mizbeach, etc. Pure AmHaaRatzus!
I am not sure if I am the am ha-aretz he is referring to, which in any case would be uncalled for since I never said that David only had ruah ha-kodesh and was therefore not a prophet. All I did was point out that R. Moses Isaac Ashkenazi said this. When I called the commenter’s attention to the fact that his strong words were directed against R. Ashkenazi, he wrote:
I wouldn't start up with Hoil Moshe, but was pointing out the danger of someone reading this post, and then taking it at face value. For anyone fluent in Shas they will find numerous references to DH's nevua. Ruach HaKodesh wouldn't work for all the halachos we learn out from DH. . . . I do thoroughly enjoy your posts, but find them quite dangerous. I would prefer my children at least stick to Artscroll and have their basics –DH's nevua – straight!
Now let me say something that I did not put in the comments because I want the entire audience to see it, not just the tiny group that reads the comments. The commenter just quoted is a perfect example of one who is certain of something, and certain that the opposing position is incorrect, and this leads to very harsh language. Let’s leave aside R. Moses Isaac Ashkenazi who is not an important scholar. All would agree that R. Moses Sofer, the Hatam Sofer, is important and certainly not an am ha’aretz (which is the term the commenter used). Yet the Hatam Sofer is explicit that David was not a prophet and only had ruah ha-kodesh, which is exactly what R. Ashkenazi states and what the commenter so harshly attacks. Here are the Hatam Sofer’s words in Torat Moshe ha-Shalem, Ba-Midbar, p. 74.
הנה לא מצינו לישראל מלך שיהי' גם נביא משולח לעם כי אם משה רבינו ע"ה, דכתיב גבי' (דברים ל"ג ה') ויהי בישורון מלך, אבל שארי נביאים לא היו מלכים והמלכים לא התנבאו, ודוד המלך ע"ה רה"ק הו"ל ולא נבואה, ולכן אחז"ל (גיטין נ"ט ע"א) מימות משה עד רבי לא מצינו תורה וגדולה במקום אחד, דאלו כל הנביאים היו עליהם בגדולה השופט והמלך שבימיו, וכל המלכים אפי' דוד ושלמה היו הנביאים שבדורם גדולים מהם בתורה . . . שהרי אין מלך נביא.
This notion, that the kings were not prophets (other than Moses), is also stated in Zohar, Terumah, p. 154a, and this is presumably the Hatam Sofer’s source. I don’t deny that there are other authoritative sources that contradict this, including passages in the Talmud. Some of them are cited by R. Reuven Margaliyot in his note to the Zohar, ad loc., and we can speculate as to why the Hatam Sofer preferred the Zohar over these other sources. I cite this only to show that commenters should be very careful before labeling something as am ha’aratzus, as you never know whom you might be insulting with this comment.
WARNING: Death of couple from using blech in a sealed air conditioned room
A frum couple was found dead in their Jerusalem apartment this week which was filled with the strong smell of gas. Initial report said that they died from the gas not being turned off - which is unlikely. The gas was being used for the blech. Other reports claim that the aluminum covering the blech did not allow adequate oxygen to the fire so it produced carbon monoxide poisoning. That also is not likely.
The latest report from the fire department is that a gas fire blech was being used in an apartment that was well sealed because of the use of air conditioning. Most Israeli air conditioners provide no fresh air from the outside and thus the amount of oxygen is fixed and limited. Thus as the oxygen level became depleted from the flame, the gas flame started producing poisonous carbon monoxide instead of carbon dioxide.
WARNING: WHEN USING A GAS FLAME MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS FRESH AIR COMING IN THE ROOM
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Rav Kanievsky's psak: Is a chicken bred to have no feathers acceptable?
Ladaat
see also HaMaayan
see also HaMaayan
גאב"ד 'יורה דעה' הגאון הגדול הרב שלמה מחפוד שליט"א הציג בפני מרן שר
התורה הגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א 'עוף קרח' תוצאה של מחקר ופיתוח ישראלי שנמשך
כ35 שנה ודן עמו בנושא ההלכתי שבדבר.
כמידי
שנה גאב"ד 'יורה דעה' הגאון הגדול הרב שלמה מחפוד שליט"א נכנס למעונו של
מרן שר התורה הגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א להתברך בברכת השנים, ולהעלות בפניו את
שאלותיו אודות מערכת הכשרות אותה הוא מנהל. תחילה הציג את בנו הג"ר בניהו
שליט"א דיין מומחה בב"ד חשובים בארה"ק וסיפר למרן שליט"א כי הוא יד ימינו
ועוזר לו בפיקוח הדוק על השחיטה המהודרת שתחת השגחתו.
בפני מרן שר התורה הונחה שאלה עקרונית הקשורה למסורת העופות הנהוגה בידינו דור אחר דור, ולדין "גלודה".
בפני מרן שר התורה הונחה שאלה עקרונית הקשורה למסורת העופות הנהוגה בידינו דור אחר דור, ולדין "גלודה".
ל שולחנו של מרן שר התורה הונח תרנגול ייחודי. חי, ונקי מכל פלומת נוצות.
הגר"ש מחפוד שליט"א סיפר למרן שליט"א ש"עוף קרח זה", הוא תוצאה של מחקר
ופיתוח ישראלי שנמשך כ35 שנה על ידי פרופסור אביגדור כהנר מהפקולטה לחקלאות
ברחובות.
[...]
[...]
אולם התלבטותו של הגר"ש מחפוד שליט"א הייתה בשתי שאלות מרכזיות:
א. האם אין איסור "גלודה" חל על עוף זה, או שמא דווקא בנקלף עורו אמרינן "גלודה".
ב. האם ניתן לסמוך על מסורת אבותיו הקיימת, וגם אם נאמר שכן, האם רשאים אנו לשנות את צורת העוף המסורתי בדמות "עוף שגדל ללא נוצות",
לאחר שהתפלפלו בסוגיא זו, כשהג"ר בניהו שליט"א מציע ראיות לכאן ולכאן, מרן שליט"א פסק: שאין לנו לשנות ממסורת העופות הרגילים בידינו ואין לקבלו עתה, גם אם הוא נראה כעוף רגיל בכל שאר תכונותיו.
א. האם אין איסור "גלודה" חל על עוף זה, או שמא דווקא בנקלף עורו אמרינן "גלודה".
ב. האם ניתן לסמוך על מסורת אבותיו הקיימת, וגם אם נאמר שכן, האם רשאים אנו לשנות את צורת העוף המסורתי בדמות "עוף שגדל ללא נוצות",
לאחר שהתפלפלו בסוגיא זו, כשהג"ר בניהו שליט"א מציע ראיות לכאן ולכאן, מרן שליט"א פסק: שאין לנו לשנות ממסורת העופות הרגילים בידינו ואין לקבלו עתה, גם אם הוא נראה כעוף רגיל בכל שאר תכונותיו.
Haredi IDF officer exposes leaders of anti-haredi enlistment harassment campaign
A haredi IDF officer who was one of numerous ultra-Orthodox military
personnel subject to harassment by haredi extremists hired a private
investigator to expose the people behind the harassment campaign.
Radical elements in the haredi community have in the past few years waged a vitriolic campaign of incitement and harassment against haredi IDF officers involved in recruiting haredi conscripts, as well as enlisted haredi IDF soldiers.
The campaign has taken the form of posters, pamphlets and booklets with cartoons and other images that incite readers against haredi officials involved in promoting IDF service. These publications routinely depict such people as pigs and malign elements attempting to corrupt haredi youth.
In July, extremists published a booklet containing the names, photos and contact details of the most senior haredi figures community promoting haredi enlistment, as part of efforts to harass and delegitimize them. [...]
Radical elements in the haredi community have in the past few years waged a vitriolic campaign of incitement and harassment against haredi IDF officers involved in recruiting haredi conscripts, as well as enlisted haredi IDF soldiers.
The campaign has taken the form of posters, pamphlets and booklets with cartoons and other images that incite readers against haredi officials involved in promoting IDF service. These publications routinely depict such people as pigs and malign elements attempting to corrupt haredi youth.
In July, extremists published a booklet containing the names, photos and contact details of the most senior haredi figures community promoting haredi enlistment, as part of efforts to harass and delegitimize them. [...]
As first reported by Channel 2 on Wednesday night, Glickman became
frustrated with the lack of progress and hired a private investigator to
expose the people behind the campaign of harassment.
The investigator, David Gabai, who cost the Glickman and his wife tens of thousands of shekels to hire, was able to gain access to the leaders behind the campaign and recorded four of them discussing the campaign and efforts to stage protests at Glickman’s home. [...]
The investigator, David Gabai, who cost the Glickman and his wife tens of thousands of shekels to hire, was able to gain access to the leaders behind the campaign and recorded four of them discussing the campaign and efforts to stage protests at Glickman’s home. [...]
On the basis of the recordings, Glickman
has filed a civil suit against the four extremists for slander claiming
NIS 2.4 million in damages.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Rav Dovid Eidensohn Telephone Conference #19 Destruction of Marriage, Family and Derech Erets now in “Footsteps of the Moshiach” - Sept 9 Wed 9:30 PM
Call 605-562-3130 enter code 411161#
The gemora
lists two major causes of Jewish decline and confusion. One is the Destruction
of the Second Temple when the Romans destroyed the Temple and exiled many Jews.
The other major cause of Jewish decline and confusion is called “In the
Footsteps of the Moshiach.” It seems that the latter problems are, in some
crucial areas, much worse than the era of the Destruction of the Second Temple.
The earlier periods were known for the losses of great rabbis and deep decline in
the level of Torah learning. But the “footsteps of the Moshiach” period is
known for decline in family and Derech Erets. We know that Derech Erets comes
before the Torah. This is taught in the beginning of Sefer Tono Divei Eliyohu.
When we see today the decline of marriage and family, we
must realize the magnitude of our difficulties. Surely the young children who
are the greatest sufferers of a broken marriage should arouse us to think about
improving things. The way things are going, there will be many children broken
in spirit. And also, as I will explain, we have a growing problem with invalid
Gittin that leads to Mamzeruth.
Netzavim 75 - Parenting / Teaching and Teshuvah -Repentance by Allan Katz
The Teshuvah – repentance process is fundamental to parenting and teaching. I would even say that the quality of any book
on Chinuch, education and parenting is dependent on how many times the word
Teshuvah is mentioned
As Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment approaches, we read in this week's portion Devarim /Nitzavim 30:2 about repentance – Te'shuvah, ' and you will return unto Hashem, your God and listen to his voice'.
The Jerusalem Talmud asks 'what
is the punishment to be done to the sinner '? Wisdom replies that sin pursues
bad experiences. Prophecy replies that the soul that sins should die. God
replies that the sinner should repent and return to him. In this way he atones
for his sins.
Although
one should repent everyday of one's life, the month of Elul that proceeds Rosh
Hashanah, and Rosh Hashanah till Yom Kippur is the most opportune time to
repent. The focus in Elul is improving
ourselves and cleansing ourselves for Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur is the time
when we deal with the past. We verbalize and admit our sins = vi'dui, express
regret, remorse and commit ourselves not to repeat them. Rosh Hashanah is the Day of
Judgment and we anoint God to be our king and subject ourselves to his
authority.
Should
we not first deal with our sins, admit what we did wrong and ask for
forgiveness - the Yom Kippur process - and only then approach the heavenly court to be
judged by God?
Shouldn't
Yom Kippur come before Rosh Hashanah?
A
second question revolves around discussion and opinions amongst the
commentators whether Repentance- Teshuvah is a voluntary / optional commandment
or are we obliged to repent and do Teshuvah. The Ma'haral from Prague
quotes the Talmud that God considers the person who does Teshuvah as
having offered a ' voluntary ' sacrifice. He explains that since the
sinner no longer sees himself as subject to God's authority and decrees, his
decision to repent and to return unto Hashem, is considered by God as
if he has in an autonomous and voluntary way 'returned' to God. And
for this God is extremely grateful.
The
two views - the commandment –mitzvah of Teshuvah is an obligation or a
voluntary/optional commandment maybe reconciled by Rabbi David Lapin's
explanation of the teshuvah obligation. Objectively speaking we have an obligation to
repent and do Te'shuvah, subjectively speaking God considers our actions as
autonomous and intrinsically motivated.
The
Teshuvah associated with Rosh Hashanah focuses on our intrinsic motivation and
relationship with God. We come before God as people who have changed from the
inside, intrinsically motivated driven by a new vision of ourselves. We are not the same
people. Our purpose is to willingly redefine our relationship with God. We
anoint and make God our king and subject ourselves to his divine commandments
and guidance.
In
order
to create a new vision, says Rabbi David Lapin, we must sever ourselves
from the past, because if we are still tied to our pasts, our pasts will
hold
us back and limit the extent of the vision we want for ourselves. We
first
create a future and then deal with the past. We first have an Elul and
Rosh
Hashanah and then a Yom Kippur. But ,if we don't deal with the past ,
the past will
catch up with us. Once we have a new vision of ourselves, we are in a
position to reflect on our
past with completely different lenses, and this leads to having more
remorse and a deeper commitment never
to repeat these sins. Without Teshuvah saying' sorry' is mere lipservice
. Once we
have given deep expression to these feelings of remorse
and regret on Yom Kippur we can move on in the knowledge that we have
been forgiven and are new people happy with our new appreciation of
life and our relationship with God.
Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur are primarily concerned about our accountability to our
creator for what we have done over the past year. Torah accountability is doing
Teshuvah in an autonomous way and repenting. It is coming up with a better
plan, solving problems and creating a new vision of ourselves and then dealing
with the past by engaging in an autonomous way in the moral act of reparation
and restitution. The outcomes are improved relationships between people, each
other and God and a feeling that we are good people.
.
When we talk about accountability in the context of politics and business, we
hear about the need to be accountable and pay the price for failure or
inappropriate behavior by resigning or serving a criminal sentence. Accountability
for kids is then just another reason for dishing out more punishments and
consequences.
When
our kids and students don't
meet our expectations, we must remember that instead of traditional
discipline
and punishment , we have a duty to
support their autonomy and guide them to
do 'Te'shuvah. This means participating together with kids in CPS –
collaborative problem solving process and allowing kids in an autonomous
way to
engage in the moral act of restitution and making amends. The litmus
test -does the child feel self-directed , joy and simcha in doing
Teshuvah, has a new vision for himself and has the relationship and
trust with my kid or student been enhanced.
'In an illuminating passage from her
book Learning to Trust (2003), Marilyn Watson explained that a teacher can make
it clear to students that certain actions are unacceptable while still
providing “a very deep kind of reassurance – the reassurance that she still
care[s] about them and [is] not going to punish or desert them, even [if they
do] something very bad.” This posture allows “their best motives to surface,”
thus giving “space and support for them to reflect and to autonomously engage
in the moral act of restitution” – that is, to figure out how to make things
right after doing something wrong. “If we want our students to trust that we
care for them,” she concludes, “then we need to display our affection without
demanding that they behave or perform in certain ways in return. It’s not that
we don’t want and expect certain behaviors; we do. But our concern or affection
does not depend on it.”
- from Beyond Discipline – A Kohn
If
we want kids to engage in Teshuvah, we as parents or teachers have to choose
between a focus on discipline or teshuvah.
The
lesson
of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is that ' Accountability ' is not about
paying the price of failure or making mistakes. It is an internal and
intrinsic process. It is about learning from
mistakes, creating a new vision for oneself, changing from the inside,
engaging
in the moral act of restitution and making things right. It is about
peace,reconciliation and connection between man and God and man and man,
man and his children and a teacher and his students.
Judge Tosses Indiana Teen’s Sex-Offense Sentence
Berrien County District Judge Dennis Wiley has vacated the sentence of a young man from Elkhart who had sex in December with a Niles 14-year-old who lied about her age.
Zachery Anderson -- whose case has drawn outrage and publicity from around the country amid calls for sex offender registry reforms in Michigan -- first heard the news Monday morning during a phone call from one of the two probation departments that has monitored him since he was released from jail in July. [...]
The girl and her mother both pleaded with the judge and the prosecutor to not deal with Zach harshly, but in late April, Wiley sentenced Zach to 90 days in jail, five years on probation and 25 years on Michigan's sex offender registry. The list of his restrictions includes computer use, being around those with computers or any young people, an 8 p.m. curfew and no venturing out of Elkhart County without permission. The young man was forced to give up his computer science major at Ivy Tech.
The Andersons bought a house for Zach to live in alone that would meet sex offender registry restrictions because he could not live in their home, and their son works for their Elkhart business.[...]
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Gay pride parade stabber arraigned, continues to reject court authority as unholy
JPost Yishai Schlissel, who stabbed participants in the
July Gay Pride Parade in the capital, was charged by the Jerusalem
District Court on Monday with murder and six counts of attempted
murder.
The stabbings horrified the country, garnered across-the-board condemnation from Israeli society, including from Orthodox religious figures, and drew international attention due to the ferocity of the attack and the footage that emerged of it.
Schlissel, who was previously imprisoned for 10 years for stabbing three people at the 2005 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, was arrested during the stabbing rampage, just weeks after being released from jail. [...]
The stabbings horrified the country, garnered across-the-board condemnation from Israeli society, including from Orthodox religious figures, and drew international attention due to the ferocity of the attack and the footage that emerged of it.
Schlissel, who was previously imprisoned for 10 years for stabbing three people at the 2005 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, was arrested during the stabbing rampage, just weeks after being released from jail. [...]
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