Pro-Deathers

 Incredible. An Orthodox website and so many commenters in favor of abortion!!! [Not to mention the disrespect in relating to HaGaon HaRav Bleich who has faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar more Torah on his little pinky toe than his detractors have in their whole body].

Jewish Pro-Deathers love to point out that there are poskim who permit abortions [the Tzitz Eliezer who permits abortion of Tay-sachs babies until the seventh month is a favorite - disregarding the fact that Rav Moshe considered even such a case murder. So just ספק רציחה....]. That is of course correct.

But we must remember that according to many poskim a married woman may willingly have relations with a man other than her husband - adultery!!! That of course is in the rare case where such an act would save all of the Jewish people [or possibly a large number of Jews]. 

One is also allowed to steal - if that would save one's life [and return the money afterwards].

One is also allowed [obligated!!!] to hug a married woman wearing a bathing suit - if she is drowning and one is trying to save her life. 

One is allowed to transgress an aveirah in the place of כבוד הבריות [see Brachos 19].

The common denominator of all these cases is that they are all exceptions to the rule.

Abortion is murder or pseudo murder according to virtually ALL sources. It can NEVER be permitted en masse. It can be permitted if the mother's life is in danger or other extenuating circumstances. But that doesn't change the basic principal.   

Did these people first formulate their view and then look at the sources to find a basis to justify it or did they objectively first look at the Torah and only then formulate their view?? Do they properly know the sources at all?   Because the sources are very clear and unequivocal as for as the basic rule is concerned [especially for Bnei Noach and ליכא מידעם דלישראל שרי ולעובד כוכבים אסור . Except for that very difficult Tosfos in Niddah 44 that is not paskened li-halacha for various reasons]. 

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year. Over 12 times the number of Holocaust victims!! At that rate, in six years [the duration of the Holocaust] 438 million!!!!  The common denominator - Both the victims of the Holocaust and fetuses were innocent victims of people in power who used their power to kill all the while justifying themselves. ["My body - my choice"].   

Kiddush Clubs

From the Orthodox media:


“We need to leave the Kiddush club in place.”

Those weren’t the exact words I used, but it was the message I conveyed to the president of my shul, who wanted to shut down the Kiddush club.

Substance abuse is a real and growing issue, not only in Orthodox Jewish communities, but across the country. We do ourselves a disservice when we say that Kiddush clubs are the problem, as it obscures the fact that substance abuse is part of a national trend and prevents us from learning from national findings and recommendations. Additionally, the excessive drinking in frum society is not limited to men taking a break during shul, as it does not only take place in shul, nor is it limited to men. I felt then and still feel today that taking a break during davening for a l’chayim is far from ideal, but shutting down the Kiddush club would be only an illusory victory against a problem that is in reality far more insidious.

We had discussion groups but struggled to find a middle ground. I delivered drashos on the topic of the shvil hazahav, the golden mean, and the Rambam’s insistence on balancing ascetism with gluttony, especially as it pertains to alcohol. I spoke about the need to drink responsibly, about being good role models to our children, about distinguishing between addiction and an occasional drink, and most importantly, how alcoholism and other addictions are often symptomatic of deeper struggles that need to be addressed.

..... I agree, shul is not the place for drinking. But what is a shul? Of course, a shul is a place to daven, but there’s an opportunity in this communal space to teach and model what a healthy community should look like. Is a shul setting, where best practices can be developed and enforced, not better suited for healthy drinking than the house next door, where the drinking knows no bounds?

-----------

I [E.E.]  must be missing something!!! Forget about the alcoholism part. How does a shul/rabbi officially permit men to leave during Krias HaTorah [or the Haftorah]. It is a bizayon HaTorah. [If they miss the Rabbi's drasha then it is בזיון תלמידי חכמים in addition to בזיון התורה. I am zocheh give a drasha on Shabbos after the davening and I weekly enjoy it as people quickly scatter for the exit so they don't have to hear me for ten minutes or so. HUMBLING!!! 😃]. Dvar Hashem is going to be read in shul and men knowingly walk out in advance in order to engage in their gluttony, leitzanus and kalus rosh [three things I must admit I am guilty of myself at times - may Hashem in His great compassion forgive me]. Even if it would be for a Gemara shiur it would be totally inappropriate. Chazal decreed that we read the Torah every Shabbos and as Torah observant Jews that is what we do.

If an individual decides that he doesn't want to hear Krias HaTorah that is his prerogative. Free country. We can't force people to be good Jews. But how can shul policy permit a public desecration of Krias HaTorah??? 

A wonder.

-------------

I just found this:

 

There was someone who had walked out of the sanctuary of the shul to where the other men were making kiddush. This time, however, someone began to berate him:

“You don’t come here to daven! You come here to drink and to talk!”

This vignette would normally be unremarkable, except for the fact that the person doing the berating was the shul’s Hispanic custodian. The story is not apocryphal – it genuinely happened.

What we are concerned about, however, is not the berating per se, but rather the halacha behind walking out in the first place.

The man was walking into the shul’s unofficial “Kiddush Club.”

A Kiddush Club is when people walk out of shul before the Rabbi’s speech or before the haftorah – in order to make kiddush on wine or schnapps and socialize.

The proliferation of Kiddush clubs is so great that there was article about it in Newsweek during the summer of 2004. There is even a Wikipedia entry on the subject. After a definition the article notes:

“The practice was criticized by the Orthodox Union (OU) in December 2004, when the OU called for the elimination of such practices. OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb criticized “Kiddush Clubs” for detracting from the honor of the synagogue, promoting gossip (lashon hara), and leading participants to return to services in a state of intoxication (which are violations of Jewish Law), reducing decorum, and enabling the problem of substance abuse.”

Aside from the five points Rabbi Weinreb mentions – there is the sixth issue of Kavod HaTorah – the honor of Torah itself – namely – the Rabbi who is giving his drasha.

KAVOD HATORAH

Although we know that there is nothing greater than the study of Torah, we find something fascinating in Meseches Megillah (3b). There it states that kavod haTorah – honoring Torah is greater than limud haTorah – the study of Torah. If a Talmid Chochom dies on Purim we eulogize him even if it will mean that we will be unable to hear the Megillah!

The Derech Chaim on Pirkei Avos 6:3 demonstrates clearly that Kavod HaTorah is greater than the honor that must be given kings.

Rav Ovadiah Yoseph zt”l notes that in our generation (Yechaveh Daas VI #49), Kavod haTorah has already fallen ten flights down.

The Rosh explains in Nedarim 22b that even after the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed women continued to go up to Yerushalayim on the three regalim in order to hear Torah.  Even though they are exempt from Torah study they went up because of Kavod haTorah.

The Gemorah is filled with illustrations of people who did not exit during a Torah discourse to use the facilities and suffered medical repercussions based on this. The reason that they did not leave was because of Kavod HaTorah.

In recent years, many shuls have reacted in different ways to kiddush clubs. Some have tried banning them altogether. This has had mixed results. Since many of the participants are from the more powerful members of the congregation, the Rabbis have had a hard time eliminating them.

Arab Terrorists In Israeli Jails/Hotels - A SCANDAL!!!

 

Are terrorists deterred by the punishment in store for them?

Terrorists in Israeli prisons enjoy excessively luxurious conditions at the expense of the Israeli taxpayer. The Almagor Terror Victims Association continues to apply pressure to eliminate every non-essential privilege that imprisoned terrorists receive:

Pocket money: An imprisoned terrorist is permitted to receive up to 1,600 shekels to spend as pocket every month, and receives at least one thousand shekels, courtesy of terrorist organizations. Just the salary that a jailed terrorist receives from the PA—regardless of the terrorist’s affiliation—can exceed 12,000 shekels per month. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad increased the value of these monthly salaries in the 2012 and 2013 budget of the PA . In total, the PA spends six percent of its budget on terrorists’ salaries. The imprisoned terrorists are permitted to use their pocket money to purchase sweets at the prison canteen, in addition to the soldiers’ menu that is available to them anyway, as well as other items.

Unlimited storage: Imprisoned terrorists are permitted to storage an unlimited quantity of sweets and quality cigars from the canteen in their cells. Other civilized nations enforce limits on what terrorists are permitted to bring into their cells.

Food preparation: Imprisoned terrorists are permitted to prepare food for themselves without limit.

Cable television: Many Israelis cannot afford it for themselves, but they fund it for imprisoned terrorists.

Family visits: According to international law, Israel is not required to permit imprisoned terrorists to receive any visits, because they are criminals and murderers, not soldiers. Even according to the position taken by the Red Cross, Israel is required only to let its representatives visit imprisoned terrorists. However, in practice, Israel permits these terrorists to receive visits by their family members (once they have been imprisoned for three months). Further, although most violent criminals in the world who are permitted family visits are separated from their families by a glass pane, but in Israel children of terrorists below age ten are permitted to spent ten minutes with the terrorists. Such contact with the outside world permits terrorists to plan attacks while in prison—which terrorists have succeeded in doing in the past.

Entertainment: By law, a prisoner is entitled to one hour outside of his cell per day. In practice, imprisoned terrorists receive three hours and are afforded the opportunity to play table tennis, soccer, basketball, backgammon …

Cell phones: Many imprisoned terrorists illegally keep mobile phones in their cells. This allows them to communicate with the world outside, browse the Internet, and participate in planning terrorist attacks.

These are only some of the benefits enjoyed by imprisoned terrorists.

Such conditions as these do not seriously deter terrorists and terrorist organizations. On the contrary, these luxurious conditions are liable to strengthen the terrorists’ belief that what they are doing is correct. The conditions are so good that there are occasional reports of youths who purposely gets themselves arrested so that they will be able to go to jail and study for exams.

As a result of the benefits received by imprisoned terrorists, there is ridiculous de facto discrimination whereby terrorist murderers receive conditions far better than Israelis who have been imprisoned for relatively minor offenses—and even better than the living conditions of many law-abiding Israeli citizens.

What is more, cracking down on the living conditions of imprisoned terrorists is a useful bargaining chip in dealing with terrorist organizations.

Then what is the reason for the luxuries that these terrorists enjoy? Some people in the Israel Prison Service are concerned that if they did not in the first place give the terrorists what they demand, then the prisoners would make trouble.

Nevertheless, progress is being made. In 2011, largely due to pressure from Almagor and in order to pressure Hamas, which then was holding IDF soldier Gilad Schalit captive, some privileges were abolished. Notably, the terrorists were no longer permitted to earn academic degrees at no cost via the Open University. Prior to this development, the enhancement of terrorists’ sophistication and abilities through further education made them even more dangerous upon release. (For instance, terrorist Samir Quntar, who murdered a policeman, murdered a father in front of his four-year-old daughter, and then bashed in her skull, completed two degrees while in prison.)

As of March 2013, this improvement remained in effect: terrorists still cannot earn degrees while in jail. The rest of their privileges must be cancelled in precisely the same way.

Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh Sivan And Rosh Chodesh June back to back. 

Kedusha Achas or Shtei Kedushos??? ['עי' ביצה ד]

וצ"ע.

I have been in Galus for too long. 😉

PLEASE JOIN!!!

Before Pesach we had a campaign to enhance the Yom Tov of a close friend of mine whose father passed away when he was a baby and was raised in poverty by his mother. He has been poor every day of his life. He has about 10 children and has less than no money. 

He is a Talmid Chochom, Baal Middos and a Tzadik. He and his wife both work but it is not nearly enough. 

Anyone who wants to take part in this amazing mitzva can contact me.

I thank you in advance and again thank those who were of great assistance before Pesach.  

לכתו של גיבור: המונים ליוו למנוחות את נועם רז ז"ל הי"ד שנהרג מאש מחבלים

Prescient

 

At the Agudas HaRabbanim convention in the 1920s, Slabodka alumnus Rav Yosef Konvitz addressed the crowd and made an ominous prediction. “American boys will never be bnei Torah. Der gantze maaseh is Dodgers udder Yankees! — the whole thing for them is the Dodgers or the Yankees!”

Hearing this, Rav Dovid Leibowitz [father of Rav Henoch ztz"l, the RY of Chofetz Chaim] leaped up. “Yossel!” he cried, “Hust meshugeh gevuren — have you lost your mind? Der Americanishe bochur is mer mesugel tzu zein a ben Torah fun der Litvishe bochur — The American bochur is more fit to become a ben Torah than the Lithuanian bochur!”

 

 

HISORERUS

 HERE!!!

[Not from me so kedai to listen!!!😀 ]

מי כעמך ישראל!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there ANY NATION like Klal Yisrael??????????????????

Like - AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

A new kollel has come to Teaneck. Helmed by Max Herskowitz and Ari Solomon, the Teaneck Morning Kollel, called Hisorerus HaLev (Awakening of the Heart), serves as an extended opportunity for interested community members who spend their days involved in either work or school to learn among others with the same passion, while also earning a little money, too. Herskowitz and Solomon both share a deep love for Torah learning, and upon noticing that Teaneck didn’t have a kollel of its own, they decided to create one together.

Herskowitz, who works at an investment bank, especially wanted to create the kollel because he starts work at 7:30 a.m., and wanted to find a “geshmak place” to learn before starting his work day.

“My days are now kind of packed,” Herskowitz shared with The Jewish Link. “But I’ve been in some amazing learning environments before, and I thought we could really bring some energy and Torah spark to Teaneck, something I feel doesn’t really exist for working men. I wanted to create something that would not just be for my chavrusa, but for other working men in similar situations, so that they could have that same opportunity to learn some Torah in a warm environment before heading out to work.”

 

 

Solomon echoed his sentiments, saying: “I have heard countless stories and know many people who go to work early in the morning and struggle to find time to either learn Torah at all, or they just don’t feel the love and geshmak they used to feel when learning by just listening to a shiur on the way to work. There are also many people that make time to learn in the early hours before dawn, but don’t love the feeling of sitting in the beis medrash of a shul alone. Yiddishkeit is meant to be loved and enjoyed, not just simply something to check off a box with, and that’s why this initiative is perfect for them.”

Thus far, the Teaneck kollel has about 40 members consistently attending sessions, of which there are two in the early morning before work and school. The two sedarim take place from 5:25 to 6:15 a.m., and from 7:05 to 7:55 a.m., with a 6:15 nicely paced Shacharis in between.

Participants are not required to strictly learn Talmud; rather they are encouraged to learn anything that will bolster their avodat Hashem, whether halacha, mussar or Gemara.

The kollel itself is located at Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck, which is led by Rabbi Eliyohu Roberts shlit”a, and is located on Palisade Avenue, near the State Street Bridge. Many people have expressed how this structured, yet relaxed learning each day has changed their entire service of God for the positive.

As for why the learning takes place so early, Herskowitz says that the reason is twofold: First, logistically, it’s the ideal time for working people, and secondly, it’s a time when a person is able to get the most out of the session.

“The morning is actually one of the best times for this kind of learning,” Herskowitz said. “Your mind is fresh, there’s no one bothering you, and you can just ease yourself into the learning without disruption. It works much better this way, because at the end of the day people are too tired and want to sit back and spend time with their families at home.”

In addition to the working men, the kollel is designed for teens who are looking to grow and get exposed to the more “fun” side of Torah without any pressure of attendance or tests. Solomon gives a daily tefillah chaburah at 7:05 a.m., which is attended by 10 to 15 high school students before going to school.

Herskowitz says the most rewarding part thus far is the knowledge that he and Solomon are doing their part to get people involved in Torah study.

“It’s really been great so far,” Herskowitz went on to say. “Just knowing there’s more Torah in the world, there’s nothing like it. The other day, I saw a father drive his son to the yeshiva for one of the sessions, and he stopped the car to watch as his son walked inside. And the father had such a smile on his face. He was so proud that his son was eager to learn. It was really inspiring to see, and it makes all that we do worth it.”

The goal of Hisorerus HaLev is to create opportunities beyond just the morning kollel. It has been growing due to the anonymous generosity of individuals who understand the value of working men learning Torah. They are actively looking for additional sponsors to help support this initiative as this is a great opportunity for the community to get involved. These donations can be made anonymously or as a dedication, and every little bit goes towards building the makom Torah in Teaneck.

If you are interested in donating to Hisorerus HaLev, you can contact Solomon by emailing him at arisolomon64@gmail.com and give a donation at www.GoFundMe.com/TeaneckKollel. Solomon can also be reached by phone at (201) 937-3346.

 

NEW!!!! NIFLA!

The Depths Of Lèse-Majesté [Moreid Bi-malchus] - Part 1

 The Depths Of Lèse-Majesté [Moreid Bi-malchus] - Part 2

  The Depths Of Lèse-Majesté [Moreid Bi-malchus] - Part 3

  Tzidkas Hatzadik 47: There Are No Bad Middos

 

 

הרב שמחה קוק והרבי זצ"ל

במשך שנים רבות שרר קשר מכתבים בין הרבי והרב שמחה ע"ה הכהן קוק שהתבקש הערב לישיבה של מעלה. במשך עשרות שנות כהונתו ברבנות, התכתב הרב קוק עם הרבי מידי פעם בפעם וזכה למכתבים שמהם נדפסו בסדרת 'אגרות קודש'.

 

השבוע לפני 42 שנים

בשנת תש"מ, נסע הרב קוק לביקור בארצות הברית, אותו ניצל כמובן גם למפגש עם הרבי. מעניין כי המפגש עם הרבי התקיים בדיוק השבוע לפני 42 שנה. היה זה ביום כ"ח באייר, והרב קוק המתין לרבי בפרוזדור, כדי לפוגשו בשעה שיצא לביתו. זמן קצר קודם לכן חזר הרבי מה'אוהל' לאחר שעות שבהם עמד על רגליו.

בשעה 10:40 בלילה יצא הרבי מחדרו. למראה הרב קוק נתן לו הרבי ברכת שלום. הרבי התעניין אצל הרב קוק האם הוא הרב קוק מרחובות ולאחר שנענה בחיוב שוחח עמו במשך כ-5 דקות.

וזה היה תוכנה של השיחה, כפי שנלקטה מזכרון רושמי היומנים באותם ימים:

הרבי: אתה הרי כהן. וביקש ממנו הרבי ברכה.

הרב קוק: הגעתי בשביל לקבל ברכה...

כשביקש הרבי שוב ענה הרב קוק שמתבייש, ואמר שבכותל המערבי יחשוב גם על הרבי.

הרבי: סליחה על כך שאני מדבר איתך פה (ולא בחדר), לא ידעתי שאתה כאן. והודה לו על שעוזר והשתתף בתהלוכה (דל"ג בעומר) ברחובות.

הרב קוק: הנני מתעסק עכשיו גם בבית חב"ד דעיר העתיקה (בירושלים).

הרבי: ברחובות?

הרב קוק: בעיר העתיקה. והסביר שעכשיו עוזר גם בעיר העתיקה בירושלים. הרבי ברכו בהצלחה והודה לו על כל הדברים שעוזר לחב"ד בעירו.

הרבי: עד מתי אתה נשאר כאן?

הרב קוק: עוד כמה ימים.

הרבי: לפני שבת או אחרי שבת?

הרב קוק: מיד אחרי שבת.

הרבי: בשבועות תהי' באה"ק?!

וברכו בקבלת התורה בשמחה ובפנימיות. באמרו ש"כך שהיה מברך כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר".

הרבי: בכלל ברכה לא יודעים מתי תרד למטה (לפעול פעולתה), מה־שאין־כן ברכת כהן, הרי אדמו"ר הזקן כותב בלקוטי תורה - "עד מהרה ירוץ דברו", היינו שפועל פעולתו באופן של מהירות. והוסיף הרבי: מכיון שאתה מתעסק ב"שלימות הארץ", אזי שתכנס לארץ הקודש "מיט אַ שלימות'דיקען אופן", ועל ידי זה שארץ ישראל תהיה שלימה זה במילא ישפיע גם על חוץ־לארץ, כמו שכתוב "מתמצית ארץ ישראל שותה כל העולם כולו".

הרבי שוב התנצל על כך שלא קיבלו לחדרו, וברכו שיהיה בהצלחה.



מדוע לא ברך הרב קוק ברכת כהנים?

סיפר הרב יוסף הכט רבה של אילת, כי לאחר אותה שיחה שאל את הרב קוק: מדוע באמת לא ברכת את הרבי ב'ברכת כהנים'?

ענה לו הרב קוק: "אחד ההסברים מדוע לא מברכים 'ברכת כהנים' בשמחת־תורה במוסף, הוא שאחרי שקוראים את הברכה "אשר ברך משה איש האלוקים" אין מקום לברכה של הכהנים". וסיים הרב קוק, "ואם כן, מול הרבי איך אפשר לברך 'ברכת כהנים'?" ---

NEW INCREDIBLE REB TZADOK!!

  Tzidkas Hatzadik 46 - Zionistic Chutzpah

צבי יחזקאלי ועומרי כספי - A Lot Of Wisdom

הקשבה