On-going help

 

A fellow and his handler (I'll explain) came to our minyan this morning.

The man is blind (ergo the "handler") and claims to be dying.

I don't doubt the veracity of his story, and as it happens we often pass each other on the way to our respective congregations on Shabat morning.

We gave what we could, maybe a little more than usual given the approaching Yomai Noryim, and I hope it will help a little.

His medical bills, he said, are tremendous and have taken everything he had.

I can believe that, too.

But this afternoon I started thinking.

The man said he had no insurance.

What about federal Medicare.

What about state Medicaid.

What about Social Security - after all the gentleman is unable to work between his handicaps and his trips to the medics.

What about Welfare? Granted he's a white male and usually the only thing white males get from a Welfare office is an insult. But he has numerous handicaps that should make him eligible for assistance.

This man said he has been making the rounds of the rabbis and congregations.

It seems to me that someone should have asked if he had looked into the assistance programs to which he is entitled.

I am not suggesting that we close our wallets to him or others like him.

I am suggesting that someone - his rabbi should be first in line - to advise him of the benefits that are his due and help him acquire those benefits.

We - Jews - tend to open our wallets without giving too much thought to who we are trying to help. We are ready with a dollar - or 20 - but we don't think to ask the person if they know about other benefits.

This man is exhausting all the Jewish resources he can identify and that's fine.

But he is a U.S. citizen and he should be seeking the benefits to which he is entitled from the federal and state governments.

It seems to me that helping a person get on-going benefits to which the person is entitled is akin to helping a person find a job, to become independent, at least from the charity of the Jewish community.

Having Medicare and Medicaid pay for most of the medical bills that run into the thousands makes a lot more sense to me that going from minyan to minyan collecting maybe $100, $200 one time. Having an income from Social Security, not matter how small, is at least a dependable income (at least for the time being).

Give money.

Give advice.

Give assistance.

It just seems reasonable.

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

Let George Haim do it

 

"Special Offer | Entire year of prayers for you at the Western Wall"

So declared the email subject line.

The email shows me a picture of three guys, two of which are wearing black coats, with tallits covering their heads and books in front of them, facing the Wall and the words "Tap into the power of prayers said on your behalf at the Western Wall for an entire year!" over printed.

We are told that for a mere US$120 we can "Let Tefilot.org give you the jumpstart you need by having Rabbis and other G-d-fearing men praying for you and those you love right next to the Holy of Holies."

Never mind that no one really knows where the holy of holies is located - the suspicion is that its somewhere under the abomination that sits where the Temple once stood.

The good part is that the US$120 buys not the solar 365 day year but the lunar 385 day year - a 20 day bonus at no extra charge.

Does this mean that I can sleep in and not worry about s'hareet? Maybe skip selihot for the whole month of Elul? Doze through not only the rabbi's dvar Torah but the chazen's all-too-lengthy repetition of the Ahmedah?

Every day?

And will it include minhah and arveet, too.

I can skip Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippor, and haggim when every last opportunity to sell something is exhausted. (I really hate the bidding - has no one ever heard of silent auctions?)

Just what prayers will the "Rabbis and other G-d-fearing men" pray for me? And will their prayers for me - that is, saying the prayers I should be saying - be said for me exclusively or will I be part of a prayer package, something akin to bundled mortgages - and we know what THAT got us.

And what sidur will they use? Mine are Moroccan. What about accent, mef-tah? Can I select a "Rabbi or other G-d-fearing man" from Maknes? What "tam" will they use to recite tahelim (psalms)?

What happens if my "Rabbi or other G-d-fearing man" gets sick or wants to go on vacation. Is there a stand-in?

I know we sometimes go to the graves of tzedkim to ask for their intercession - I am, frankly against that, but it's done and nothing will change it.

We are taught that Jews, unlike some other beliefs, have a direct line to G--d. No middlemen (or middlewomen).

When we confess our sins that we committed against HaShem, we do it directly. No telling someone else and asking for absolution: say three of these and four of those and go forth and don't do whatever it was again. Maybe there ought to be a physical penalty in this physical world - a few chapters of psalms might be good for showing up late for minyan.

I know Tefilot.org means well, but I already see how "professional Jews" - rabbis and chazenim - are expected to "do" the service for the congregation. In many congregations, the members willingly gave up their role as practicing Jews to "let Haim do it."

Maybe Tefilot.org is "just what the doctor ordered" for Jewish men who forgot - or never learned - how to pray . . . in ANY language.

By the way, what about Jewish women.

Maybe Tefilot.org could have some wives of "Rabbis and other G-d-fearing men" light Shabat candles for the woman who is willing to a pay to spend a little more time at the spa - sorry, mikveh.

Paying for a boy to say kaddish for a person who lacks a son is one thing, but paying someone to pray on your - my - behalf - well, it's not for me.

When someone is ill, we say tahelim. A relative of a friend was sick and the friend asked all her female friends to say tahelim every day. This went on for several weeks - each lady saying one chapter-a-day and the ladies rotating chapters. No paying for praying.

A fellow two blocks over manages to make minyans on Shabat by paying bar mitzvahs to show up. I don't like that any more than I like the idea of paying to have "Rabbis and other G-d-fearing men" pray for me. I told one youth that it might be "acceptable" if he was to donate one half of what he's paid to pray to tzdakah - his choice (but not his karen for a new skateboard).

My bottom line: Sorry, Tefilot.org, I'll do my own prayers.

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

America, Learn from Israel

 

U.S. politicians and corporate management have either given away the country's manufacturing jobs or allowed cheap imports to replace U.S.-made products.

The balance of trade is way out of whack and the jobless rate is staggering.

But I'm also at fault.

What prompts this?

I was just ironing some shirts. One, while relatively new, already is in sad shape.

I checked the label.

Made in Korea. (So is my car, by the way.)

I decided to check all my "dress" shirts.

One from Korea.

Several from Honduras.

A few from San Salvador.

A couple from Bangladesh.

Not one made in the USA.

It wasn't so long ago that the late Sam Wahl, owner of Wal-Mart, bragged that his stores carried "American made products."

Sam died and, apparently, US made products in Wal-Mart stores also died.

What's a country to do?

The first thing the United States should do it look at tiny Israel.

Israel is truly a "revolving door" country. It's natural resources are few - it's the Japan of the middle east in natural resource riches.

So how does it survive.

OK, it gets a lot of support from Jews outside of Israel and it does get annual welfare checks from Uncle Sam.

But what sets Israel apart - and what used to set the U.S. apart - is its inventiveness.

It invents things.

Across a broad spectrum of interests - medical, military, social, and much more.

The Japanese "enhance" products others invent.

The Chinese simply steal patients and blatantly make inferior copies of someone else's product.

The U.S. needs to return to its inventive roots.

The jobs are gone to satisfy "political correctness."

Tariffs are low on goods from our "friends du jour," countries that will turn against us in an instant.

I'm in favor of international trade and cooperation, but not at the expense of my countrymen.

Why should it cost more to buy a quality shirt made in the USA than it does to buy a quality shirt made in, say, Honduras?

Labor?

Where is American inventiveness when we need a way to increase productivity without increasing personnel requirements? Put robotics to work on the manufacturing line as the car makers do. Then retrain the seamstresses to assemble the robots that replaced them.

American must put its focus on education - a complete education including PE and arts. We must develop American youths' minds and bodies.

When I was in school, we had PE for a school hour every day.

We had, in high school, either a school hour of study hall or a school hour elective.

I think I was lucky to have perhaps 5 really good teachers during my public school career, teachers from who I actually enjoyed learning the subject. The rest seemed to be "marking time" toward their pension and "teaching" by rote.

American needs to once again put a premium on mental exercises.

It's not entirely a matter of money. Florida has a low dollar/student ratio yet it graduates some outstanding students.

It's not entirely a matter of environment. Several schools in less enlightened neighborhoods have become stepping stones to higher education for the majority of their students.

No, I do not believe everyone should go to college or university. We need plumbers and mechanics and all manner of tradespeople and they deserve our respect even when we are not pleading for their experetise.

We DO - in big bold letters - need people who

T H I N K

People who invent, who challenge, who won't settle for "the old way."

Our politicians will continue giving away our jobs and corporations will continue to send jobs overseas, and being "politically correct" will continue to be the watchword for many, so we need to do what we do best, and what cannot be imported from an off shore factory.

In the meantime, when I go looking for a shirt to replace the Korean one that is defective I'll be looking for one with a "Made in the U.S.A." label.

You want me to practice how many mitzvoth?

 

Here we are, erev Shabat and very close to Rosh haShanna, and I have the chutzpah to challenge the rabbis who insist I - we - practice all 613 mitzvoth.

Even a kohen gadol who is one of the 36 tzdekim can't practice all 613 mitzvoth.

Not because of lack of desire.

Not because of lack of piety.

Because it simply is not possible for any one person to do them all.

If I can manage 60 or 70 in my lifetime I will consider myself to have done "pretty good."

But 613.

Impossible.

Let's take our kohen gadol.

He can't offer first fruits since he's not a farmer.

He cannot attend to the dead (with one exception).

He cannot perform pidyon haben, although he can participate in his kohen role.

By the way, take pity on the kohen gadol.

If he makes a mistake in the holy of holies, he's dead - that's why there is a rope tied to his leg; to pull him out if he dies inside.

And just to make matters worse, mothers of accidental murderers are praying for his death.

Heavy load.

Since there's a mosque sitting where the Temple belongs - may HaShem rectify that soon - we can't bring korbanote - sacrifices and by extension, we can't perform the associated mitzvoth. Not the sinner and not the kohen receiving the offering.

Unless you live in Israel - even Occupied Israel - you don't bring first fruits from your trees.

There ARE many mitzvoth we can do.

Keep a kosher stomach.

Honor Shabat.

Observe the haggim even if we can't "go up to Jerusalem" three times a year

Pray with a congregation.

Light Shabat candles (even men if there are no women in the household).

Don tallit and tefillin. I don't advise that for women eleven though Rashi's daughter allegedly did this; consider Rashi's grandson, Ta"m, who often ruled the opposite of his father - which is why some people wear two sets of tefillin and why some mezuzot are like this | and some like this \

(Rashi held like this | and Ta"m held like this — so Ashkenazim compromised to this \ .)

It should be easy enough to comply with The Big Ten, but that leaves 603 to consider.

By the way, lighting the hanukiah (Hanukah menorah) is not one of the "613." Hanukah is post-Torah. The rabbis tell us to light the lights, but it still doesn't make the Torah's 613 list.

We can attend to the dead if only by going to the cemetery - unless you're a kohen.

We also can "attend the dead" in an indirect way by being part of a minyan so that mourners can recite kaddish; even a kohen gadol could do this.

We can educate our children - by example and, usually, by hiring a person who loves what he or she teaches. We need to educate our children in Torah AND to make an honest living.

We can hear the shofar at least two days a year (assuming one day of Rosh HaShanna falls on Shabat).

We can keep the Passover - hopefully for the duration, not just one "kosher style" meal.

We can spend some time in a sukkah; maybe not much time, but we can at least sit for a while in someone's sukkah, maybe eat a cookie (the blessing is "mezonote" and drink something ("shay-ha-kol").

There are many mitzvoth we CAN perform - or avoid doing; there are positive (Do This) and negative (Don't do this) commandments - but we just can't do them all.

So, the next time you hear a rabbi or other pious person tell you to perform 613 mitzvoth, nod politely and know that this person really doesn't know his (or her) mitzvoth.

Bad bettors Not all of them Jews

 

This will be very short.

Almost everyone has now heard about Jerome Kerviel , a trader at France's Societe Generale who apparently cost his company some €5 billion.

If not, I commend Der Spiegel's interview with him; it's at http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,729155,00.html.

Anyway, someone posted a List of trading losses on Wikipedia.

The list is a 45-row spreadsheet and covers bad bets - ands bad bettors - from 1987 until now.

There are names that seem "Jewish" - Ramy Goldstein and Howard A. Rubin being two.

But there are many more names that most people would suspect are NOT Jewish. A few who I would think are "something other than Jewish" are Brian Hunter, Frances Yung, Heinz Schimmelbusch, John Meriwether, Kweku Adoboli, Rafael Sotero, Robert Citron, and Yasuo Hamanaka.

The biggest loser title, with a US$9 billion (US$9,000,000,000.00) loss, goes to Howie Hubler. His record setting "oops" occurred in 2007-8 while he was working at Morgan Stanley. Is Hubler Jewish? I couldn't find any biography on him to offer a clue.

To be fair, some of the names on the Wikipedia spreadsheet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_trading_losses may have been fall guys for the firm or for trusting others.

Why report this?

Simply because anti-Jewish voices - and, sadly some Jewish voices as well - will be braying that "Jews are swindlers," and other canards.

It is true that some of us insist on drilling holes in the bottom of the boat, sinking us all. Two Ponzi schemers used power tools to put holes in the boat, but a quick reminder, "Ponzi" is not a Jewish name. Take a look at http://yohanon.blogspot.com/2009/11/hole-under-seat-sinks-boat.html for a run down of famous Ponzi scheme artists.

It is unfortunate, but we are "just people" who for all our history have been like everyone else: weak and willing. Rabbis selling dope and laundering money. Ponzi schemers Madoff and Rothstein. The multitude gathering around the golden calf.

If we were the only ones to recognize our weaknesses, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

But the world watches us closely and is ready to loudly criticize whenever a Jew's behavior falls short of Torah expectations.

Maybe being "just like everyone else" is good enough for behind closed doors, but when our wash is hung out to dry for all to see, "just like everyone else" is not good enough. We are, after all, only "chosen" to be a "light unto the nations."

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

Silent auctionPLEASE

 

It's too late for this year - it never comes to mind until it IS too late - to suggest to the synagogue Board that rather than spend hours bidding on honors for Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippor, and the holidays, we could save time AND congregants' patience by implementing a silent auction.

Would that be acceptable to the Big Givers who, not only keep the synagogue in business with their pledges (hopefully fully paid in a timely manner), enjoy the admiration of their fellow congregants for their generosity?

Maybe.

What do I propose by a silent auction?

We always spend too much time getting a decent starting bid.

An honor that ends up going for $1500 starts off at $100 - even though we KNOW the final price will be substantially higher.

Getting from $100 to $1500 takes maybe 10 minutes.

Multiply that by the number of honors

1. Open the ark (a/k/a 1 and 1)

2. Carrying the first sefer Torah to the bema (ahmud)

3. Carrying the second sefer Torah to the bema (ahmud)

4. Hagbahah (a/k/a re'ah biktav)

5. Cohen aliyah

6. Levi aliyah

7. Israel aliyah 1 (3rd aliyah)

8. Israel aliyah 2 (4th aliyah)

9. Israel aliyah 3 (5th aliyah) (Yom Kippor falls on Shabat this year)

10. Israel aliyah 4 (6th aliyah)

11. Israel aliyah 5 (7th aliyah)

12. Maftir

not to mention all the extra aliyot and associated blessings.

Plus there are the standard blessings for the sick and the departed.

And the rabbi's speech.

And the 100 blasts on the shofar.

And the President's message.

Now, add the hazan's (cantor's) performance that drags out the service and congregants are lucky to sit down to lunch at 2 or 3 p.m.

If the Powers That Be, the Board and the Money (really pretty much the same folks) could agree to at least speed up the selling of honors by determining a reasonable base price BEFORE the holiday - based on pre-holiday bids, the "silent auction" - we could save lots of time.

Instead of starting off at $100, the opening bid - sent in by mail or email, phoned in, or walked into the office sometime before the holiday - the base bid might be $1000 - ten times the former base bid.

I suppose that the winning bid might be even higher than the previous year's winning bid because the base bid was so much higher. A win for the congregation's bank account and a win for the belabored, bored, and increasingly hungry congregants.

I have never thought selling honors appropriate. They should be given to the people who serve the congregation, but I realize this is Big Money season for synagogues just like Pesach is the Big Money season for grocers - when Jews who can barely spell "kosher" stock up on Bet Yosef meats and "glatt" dairy and vegetable products (yes, I know there is no such thing) to show off to the mispahah and guests.

The silent auction has to be announced well in advance of the holiday; announced and announced again so that all members and last year's Members for a Day (or 3) are aware and have a chance to bid.

Maybe next year.

If I remember.

Don't ask, don't tell Kosher when it's convenient

 

A few years ago I queried a major kosher certification agency why something that was certified kosher year 'round was not certified kosher for Pesach.

The answer was that the certifying agency didn't check the ingredients - or the preparation of the ingredients - to know if the ingredient contained kitniyot or yeast. Most kashrut certifiers in the U.S. are owned and controlled by Ashkenazim; they are, after all, now the majority, ergo the kitniyot concern.

I used to be an honest reporter so my initial reaction was: If you (the certifying agency) don't know what is in the ingredient (or how it is processed), how do you know if it's kosher at all?

Bet Shamai or Bet Hillel?

Recently I got involved with the question of kosher liquor, specifically scotch and Irish whiskies.

Some scotch and Irish whisky is aged in casks that formerly held wine; not necessarily kosher wine. (If the wine was kosher, the problem might go away.)

Apparently most poskim - authorities able to rule on such things - agree that to spurn Chivas Regal - as an excellent example - is an unnecessary "stringency." The "Bet Hillel" approach.

For those that take the Bet Shamai approach, deliberately aging a parve product (grain alcohol) in a cask that held wine for the purpose of adding color and taste to the grain alcohol, the whisky is not kosher.

Neither the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) nor Star-K recommend such whisky, but neither rejects its use.

Invisible cars

"Orthodox" rabbis are caught between a hammer and an anvil on Shabat when, although we are instructed by the Torah not to make a fire, in order to make a minyan a portion of the minyan "drives to shul." Should the rabbi tell these people "Don't come"? Should the rabbi deny these people an aliyah? The Conservatives solved the problem by using R. Ismael's 13 medot to allow making a fire on Shabat.

The major negative of driving to minyan on Shabat is that this allows congregants to scatter all over the area, destroying any possibility of a cohesive "community" while simultaneously increasing intermarriage opportunities.

I would hope there are a number of observant Jews reading this thinking to themselves: A problem easy to fix; offer to host guests for Shabat (and haggim)."

I read the label and know it's 'OK'

The trouble with reading the label is that your need to be a food chemist to understand all the ingredients.

For better or for worse, the kashrut certifying agencies have food chemists on staff. Assuming they track all of a product's ingredients from harvesting or creation to inclusion in the final product - which must be suspect given the opening paragraphs of this page - the kosher label at least suggests that all the ingredients are OK (as in "okay" not the Orthodox Kosher organization).

A good example of "is it kosher or is it not" is milk, the stuff in the store's dairy case.

What can be wrong with milk? After all, it's US FDA certified to be only what's on the label (cow's milk, goat's milk, etc.) - no danger of milk from a forbidden animal sneaking in. Unlike wine, no one suspects non-Jews of reciting blessing to their gods over milk.

The problem is the additives, the vitamins added to enhance milk's health value.

Some vitamins, I'm told, are from non-kosher sources. (I am not a food scientist and I don't play one on tv.)

Most yogurt and marshmallows contain gelatin' or so say the labels. Hakham Ovadya Yosef ruled once that most gelatin can be permitted since in its dry form not even a dog would eat it. The question: is the gelatin used in your product a permitted type? (Check with your rabbi about the particulars of R. Ovadya's ruling and how it applies to you.) A good kosher label fairly well eliminates the question of gelatin source.

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

Eyes that cannot see Turkey, Egypt, the UN & the media

 

Maybe I'm simple or perhaps a Pollyanna, but it seems to me - reading articles in the Israeli press - that there are things that can be done to restore cordiality with Turkey, to reduce tensions over the presence of Egyptian soldiers in Sinai, and maybe - just maybe - get the UN and media to honestly report what goes on in and around Israel.

AND maybe improve Israel's image to The World.

Israel and Turkey

In two words: "Be quiet."

That applies to politicians in Israel and in Turkey.

It also applies to interfering politicians elsewhere.

Every time some politician opens his or her mouth about the flotilla, fuel is added to the fire.

It's like two children in kindergarten who get into a shouting match. As long as they are "egged on" (encouraged) by their peers, the shouting will continue until it turns into physical attacks.

It would be far better to separate the two combatants before words turn into blows. Let the pair cool down without making faces or gestures at each other. Pretty soon, the situation will be forgotten or at least become manageable.

Right now, the child Turkey is demanding an apology from the child Israel.

  Turkey: "Say you're sorry."

  Israel: "Won't say it"

  Turkey: "If you don't say it I'll make you pay."

  Israel: "Yeah, let's see you try."

Does anyone see that some politicians - and nations - behave like children just out of diapers?

The media adds fuel to the fire as well, but lacking someone to (mis)quote, eventually most "journalists" will lose interest. (I write as a former honest reporter and editor; I'm still honest, but no longer a reporter or editor.)

Israel and Egypt

This really should be a "no brainer."

Israel "allows" Egyptian army troops to populate the Sinai in hope that its presence there will reduce terrorists' infiltration into Israel and the movement of artillery into Aza (Gaza).

At the same time, Israelis are skeptical of Egypt's enthusiasm to do the job, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) thinks it could do a better job of interdiction.

Meanwhile, Egypt's government-du-jour complains - properly - that this excursion (or incursion, if you prefer) into the Sinai is expensive and the troops could be better employed elsewhere.

Why not solve several problems at one time.

Integrate IDF soldiers with Egyptian soldiers. Let the combined units patrol the Sinai. The top commander will have to be Egyptian; Sinai after all was returned to Egypt so it's Egypt's territory. The second in command will be from the IDF.

Egyptian manpower requirements (and costs) are lessened as IDF personnel take the field and Israel always knows that the Egyptian troops are doing.

Obviously for maximum benefit, the IDF contingent should be comprised of Sefardim who speak Egyptian Arabic and understand the language's nuances.

Who knows, the fragile peace between Egypt and Israel might even be strengthened if people get to know each other as individuals rather than stereotypes. Imagine !

Note I am not suggesting that the UN be involved in any way; there is no need for "peacekeepers in blue." In the event of trouble, they disappear in a hurry anyway.

Israel, the UN, and the media

When American politicians threw U.S. forces into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan - being unmindful of the Monroe Doctrine or the value of American lives - the media was invited to "embed" reporters with troops taking the field.

The Defense Department hoped the media would glowingly report on American successes.

Unfortunately for the Defense Department, the media reported on body counts and the treatment of prisoners. Never mind that the prisoners were not "prisoners of war"; these people wore no uniforms or other identifications separating them from the "civilian" population.

The IDF would do well to "invite" - make that "insist" - that the UN, always careful to protect terrorists, and the media, especially Agence France-Presse and French tv "reporters" who delight in ignoring reality, participate with IDF units operating along the border with Aza and in southern Israel where most of Hamas' rockets fall.

They - UN and media - also could be "invited" to live in southern Israeli communities - Sedrot comes to mind - and perhaps a few could be "invited" to live in some northern communities, right up against the border where Syrian "civilians" are encouraged to illegally cross into Israel.

Lousy PR

Israel has a lousy image with the world, and it is largely Israel's own fault.

It failed to wage a successful PR war, apparently ignoring shifting world opinion.

"The World" now thinks of Israel as the "Goliath" and the 21 countries that make up the Arab League (http://wiki.ask.com/Arab_world) as "David" only because Israel has survived repeated attacks, both official "national" (with uniformed armies) and terrorist. By the way, the Arab League draws on additional support from Moslem-dominated nations around the globe.

Israel needs to get its PR act together and fight the enemy on its own terms - in the media. It needs to spend more time presenting its case to the average, non-Jewish, citizen and less time to "preaching to the choir" (already pro-Israel Jews) at JCCs and Jewish Federation events. How it deals with anti-Israel Jews is beyond my ken.

Before posting this I came across an Op Ed piece on Arutz 7 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/10582 titled Sept. at UN: PR is Used by the Arabs, Israel is Silent. The author is Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5WPR, said to be in the Top 25 PR agencies in the U.S. The piece is worth a read.

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

Care to comment? Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com.

The Shamai That You Never Knew

 

This is promoted by a small work by R. Sender Haber of Norfolk VA.

The scholarly effort is on the Internet at http://www.torahlab.org/images/uploads/Eduyos_booklet.pdf and is, I think, well worth your time; it certainly was worth mine.

An aside. R. Haber is Ashkenazi and his Hebrew is Ashkenazi rather than Israeli. I did not modify the language, ergo the choice of spelling throughout. We are reading for wisdom, not Hebrew language choices.

In the article, R, Haber addresses מחלוקת - debates - among, primarily, Shamai and Hillel and their schools.

Most people are taught that Shamai was tough, unkind, and otherwise the bad guy whenever there is a debate between Shamai and Hillel.

R. Haber's work disproves that, or at least shows Shamai in a better light.

Shamai is more than one entry in Pirke Avot 1:15
עשה תורתך קבע, אמור מעט ועשה הרבה; והוי מקביל את כל האדם, בסבר פנים יפות

:
Make your study of the Torah a fixed habit. Say little and do much, and receive all men with a cheerful face.

According to R. Haber, "The very first argument emerged in the generation following Antigonus: before an animal is brought as a Korban the Kohein and/or the owner have a Mitzvah to push down firmly on its head. This act is called Semicha and it is not done on Shabbos because of the prohibition of handling animals. The question arose regarding Semicha on Yom Tov. Some held that Semicha was allowed on Yom Tov and some held that it was forbidden.

"For several generations, the Semicha argument was the only halachic argument amongst the Jews. Later, In the days of Hillel and Shammai there were three more arguments and in the days of their students the disputes became to many to count."

"The Tractate of Eduyos was written to record those newly heard opinions and to codify the ground-rules for argument.

"The Tanna began with the three arguments of Hillel and Shammai."

The first debate revolved around when a woman became nidah.

"Hillel is stringent and assumes that a woman who is a nidah is considered retroactively impure from the last time that she was definitely pure.

"Shammai is lenient and assumes that the woman became a nidah at the moment that she became aware of her status. Shammai does not assume retroactive impurity.

"According to the Rambam, Shammai was lenient out of compassion for husbands and wives whose relationships would be strained by the constant possibility of retroactive Nidah status"

Ultimately neither Hillel nor Shammai prevailed. It was the students who found a middle ground and decided the Halacha. We do assume retroactive Nidah, but never further back than twenty-four hours. This is not a typical Mishna. Generally, Shammai is more stringent than Hillel and generally the halacha follows Hillel. Here Shammai is lenient, Hillel is stringent, and the halacha follows a third view that seems to find a middle ground.

A quick interjection. R. Haber carefully cites his sources, a fact that is appreciated by those who challenge almost everything.

"Many people make the mistake of taking Hillel’s side," R. Haber writes."They think that Hillel was compassionate and Shammai was not. The truth is that if we consider the story of the potential convert who insisted on learning the entire Torah while standing on one foot, we can see Shammai in a completely different light. Shammai did not reject the convert because he was unkind or dispassionate, he rejected him because he was making a mockery of the Torah. None of us would have accepted the convert either.

An aside: It's not likely the convert would be accepted by most of today's "Orthodox" rabbinate since Hillel did not demand an impossisble committment to observe all 613 mitzvot. But then neither did Rambam.

"The differences between Hillel and Shammai were differences of approach, not differences in character traits. Shammai himself was the one who said “Greet every person with a pleasant expression," the rabbi adds.

For another sympathetic look at Shamai, visit Jewish History - Shamai and Hillel at http://www.jewishmag.com/40mag/shamai/shamai.htm.

The page starts off stating "Shammai the Elder is one of the most misunderstood figures of Jewish history. If anybody had a right to sing the blues, it was Shammai."

The author of the page, Yisrael Rutman, reminds that "The Talmud declares that ultimately in the future the law will be decided according to Shammai, not Hillel. For whatever the reason, the rejection of Shammai's approach is not really a rejection, but a deferment. The law in its practical application must be decided one way or the other; whatever the merits of the case and the arguments on either side, in the end one is either pure or defiled, guilty or innocent. The truth of Shammai's approach will become clearer in the end of days. "

הריני מקבל עלי מצוה עשה של ואהבת לרעך כמוך, והריני אוהב כל אחד מבני ישראל כנפשי ומאודי

Electronic Lashon Hara

 

By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Used with permission

At a recent lunch meeting with friends, we were discussing the ugliness comments. Modern technology makes it quite easy for people to post hostile remarks against those with whom they disagree. These ad hominem attacks gain lives of their own, being forwarded to readers who then forward them to others etc. In a matter of a few seconds, people can spread “lashon hara” to a wide audience.

My friend told me of a woman who had been viciously attacked by online critics for statements she had made. She patiently searched for the telephone numbers of as many of the critics as she could identify. And then she called each of them.

They were startled to actually be speaking with the person they had so harshly maligned online. When they realized that the person they had attacked was a real human being with real feelings, they became somewhat apologetic for the rashness of their remarks. It is one thing to write an anonymous comment against an anonymous person; it is another thing to confront the person directly, as a fellow human being.

Modern technology makes it easy to dehumanize others. People can lodge the cruelest and most outlandish charges—without ever having to face the victims of their venom, without ever having to consider the ultimate impact of their “lashon hara”. They feel that it’s ok for them to vent, to call names, to discredit others—because they don’t see these “others” as fellow human beings. The victims are merely targets on a computer screen, to be shot down just as one shoots down enemies in other computer games.

Rabbi Eliezer Papo, one of the great sages of the 19th century, offered an important insight to authors. He suggested that if author A wished to write a critique of a work by author B—even if author B had died long ago—author A should imagine that author B was in the same room with him. He should not write down even one word that he wouldn’t say to author B face to face. This advice inculcates respectfulness to fellow human beings. If we wish to critique ideas or opinions, we should not use ad hominem attacks. Rather, we should focus on the issues themselves, and offer calm and cogent arguments. Name-calling never establishes truth; only careful and thoughtful reasoning can lead us to truth.

In this week’s Torah reading, we are commanded to “remember what the Lord your God did unto Miriam by the way as you came forth from Egypt” (Devarim 24:9). According to rabbinic tradition, Miriam was struck with leprosy due to her sin of speaking “lashon hara”, evil-spirited gossip against Moses. The Torah insists that we remember the consequences of “lashon hara”, that we recognize that it plagues the speaker as well as the victim.

“Lashon hara” has always been considered by Jewish tradition to be among the most heinous sins. It is a sin that causes affliction to the speaker, to the listener, and to the victim. In the modern era, “lashon hara” has reached new magnitudes of danger and harmfulness, due to the instant communications made possible by new technologies. If Miriam was punished for spreading a little gossip among a relatively few people, imagine the culpability of one who electronically spreads slander and disparagement to many thousands of people.

Here is some advice for coping with electronic “lashon hara”.

1. Don’t post any comment or critique that you would not say to the victim in person.

2. Don’t write ad hominem attacks or engage in character assassination. If you object to someone’s opinions, then focus on the opinions. Show why they are wrong. Offer cogent arguments. Be respectful.

3. If you receive a comment/blog/email that contains “lashon hara”, delete it immediately. Do not forward it to anyone else. If possible, communicate with the sender and register your disapproval of his/her spreading of “lashon hara”.

4. Do not trust the reliability of anyone who sends around ad hominem attacks.

5. Remember what the Lord your God did unto Miriam by the way as you came forth from Egypt.

________________________________________

The Angel for Shabbat column is presented as a service of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. Please visit our website jewishideas.org for a wide array of articles of special interest to those who wish to foster an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism.

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E N O U G H !

 

I suppose some will call me a curmudgeon, other will say I'm a bigot.

I'm simply TIRED OF BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT."

The other day there was a mini-riot at an amusement park in Rye NY.

An "American Muslim" group from New York City environs traveled to the park to celebrate the end of Ramadan,

No problem.

The problem was that the park has a safety rule - in place for at least three years - that prohibits wearing any type head apparel on certain rides.

This restriction is made very clear, albeit in a positive statement, on the park's ride pages - http://www.ryeplayland.org/thrill_rides.html.

The park has three pages of rides - Kiddie, Family, and Thrill.

On each page some of the rides are marked with a "H" that, according top the legend on each page means "Rides permitting headgear." In other words, if a ride, even a kiddie ride, is listed without an "H" caps, scarves, and, presumably kippot, have to be removed before boarding the ride.

For anyone who can read, no surprises.

But some of the "American Muslim" group apparently feel rules, even safety rules, apply to others but not to them.

This is nothing new.

Ever since Muslims - not, alphabetically, Atheists, Agnostics, and Deists, Bahias, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, or Jews, but Muslims - flew planes into the Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon and tried to fly into the White House on 9/11/2001, Muslims have been claiming discrimination.

Since Muslims the world over celebrated the attacks that slaughtered nearly 3,000 men, women, and children on 9/11/2001, a reasonable person would be hard-pressed to ignore the potential threat posed by Muslims.

The complaints got louder after Major Nidal Malik Hasan murdered his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood TX.

There was no matching criticism of Hasan's actions from the Muslim community.

There's an interesting Web page called Islamic Terror Attacks on American Soil at http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/AmericanAttacks.htm. The page lists 67 Muslim terror attacks in America in which 3,098 people were murdered by Muslims; admittedly some of the murders were committed by Muslims against other Muslims.

Muslim terrorists in Israeli prisons receive monthly payments - a large portion of which is suspected of coming from the U.S.; the longer the sentence, the greater the stipend.

Muslims in several U.S. states complained that drivers' license departments were violating their rights by insisting that female drivers' aces be uncovered for driver's license photographs. Compare that to Saudia - no problem there; women are forbidden to get behind the wheel.

Where are the American Muslims that could explain to the religious right that sometimes, for the welfare of the whole, some extreme positions must be compromised - even if only briefly.

I am a great believer in profiling.

Israel does it and despite being the target of attacks from all sides, seems to keep its people at least as safe as Americans within the 50 states' borders.

If I am suspicious of Muslims it's because of the Muslims

(a) celebration of 9/11 and other attacks on the U.S.

(b) the number of attacks by Muslims on Muslims and on non-Muslims simply because the victim believes or behaves differently.

(c) absolute reluctance (of many) to make any effort to integrate into society; they come to the U.S. for its freedoms and opportunities, then demonize these same freedoms and opportunities.

If American - or any other Muslims - want to live under Shari?ah law, let them move to a country where Shari?ah law is the law of the land - Saudia, Iran, Syria; all places where these people would feel comfortable.

No one is forcing Muslims to come to America or Europe; no one is forcing Muslims to stay in America or Europe.

I'm sure there are good Muslims, but I've never seen one.

What do I expect of a "good Muslim?" I expect the person to speak out against terrorist acts, not celebrate them.

I expect a "good Muslim" to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities of American and to help his fellows integrate into American society.

No one demands that integration include "X" rated movies or scanty clothing or promiscuousness. But expecting an uncovered face for a driver's license photograph or to identify a person at a bank seems as reasonable as my bank insisting that I doff baseball cap and sunglasses when I enter.

Until I begin to see "good Muslims" take to the streets to condemn terror acts against both Muslims and non-Muslims, I won't believe there are any "good Muslims" in America.