Yeshiva World - Secret Edits

UPDATELATELY Y.W. EDITOR has seemed to stop editing content without notice.
THe recent spam im getting may be an attempt to notify me of this.

However, the bar for being called out on kefirah, according to y.w. editor, is still far lower than i would of thought.

Warning:

I want to warn folks that Yeshiva World Blogs editor, not only edits your comments, he also doesnt always point out that he did so.

He has also lowered the bar for Kefira to an unprecedented level.

Four Things - Ive Been Tagged - YAY!

Four Things :

Happywithhislot has been tagged by The Jewish Freak (a fine Jew) for this meme,
so here goes:

4 jobs I've had:
1. Arts & Crafts Counselor
2. Store Salesman
3. Programmer
4. Consultant

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1. Star Wars
2. Unfrogiven
3. The Terminator 2
4. Saving Private Ryan

4 places I've lived:
1. Five Towns
2. Boro Park
3. Flatbush
4. Israel (dormed)

4 TV shows I love to watch:
1. Deadwood
2. Curb
3. Sopranoes
4. Lost

4 places I've been on vacation:
1. Vegas
2. Orlando
3. New Hampshire
4. Paris

4 websites I visit daily:
1. Hirhurim
2. Godol Hador
3. News.com
4. AintitCool.com

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Sushi
2. Tenderloin
3. Veal with Fried Brown Rice
4. Sea Bass convection baked with olive oil, kosher salt, fresh pepper, and hot fresh paprika.

4 places I'd rather be:
1. Spending time with the wife and kids
2. Enjoying a fine resteraunt
3. At work, on a good day
4. Enjoying the chaburas i attend

4 books I could read over and over:
1. 30 Minute Meals
2. Dune
3. Kahati on Mishnayos
4. Good Night Moon (to my kids)

4 people I'm tagging: (I don't know if these people have been tagged already)
1. Krum as a Bagel
2. Off the Derech
3. On the Main Line
4. Chardal

Dont get Hacked - PSA

Public Service Announcement
Unorthodoxjew got hacked so he's moved to another site Unorthodoxjews.blogspot.com.

Apparently people who have recently changed their password may be vulnerable to a email phishing scam. Or weak passwords.

Make sure your password complies with best practices for passwords.
For example, use the first letter of the words of your favorite song combined with some number and special charachters. Use longer than 8 character passwords.

Dont expose your self to dictionary attacks.

Be safe out there.
(Hill Street Blues)

Gemera makes you smarter

Gemera actually makes you smart.

I really mean it.

It will increase the capacity of the brain to learn, analyze and make one sharp, which are life skills.

Neurologists acknowledge the power of the brain to increase capacity because of neuroplasticity.

Gemera targets specific areas of the brain that will increase someone ability to learn in other fields. Law for example. Systems Analysis. Mathematics etc.

The exercise in mastering gemera actually has benefits.

The gemera says that if you have the capacity of 1 cup of brain power, and you learn gemera, Hashem will give you more capacity.

Science has proven this to be true.(obviously its not only gemera, but any intense analytical activities done on a sustained basis for hours at a time, for years)

But the fact our curriculum emphasises gemera is a major boon for our children.

How do Gedolim Become Gedolim?

Just got off the topic of rabbis can do no wrong...

Anyone know how "the" gedolim get to become the gedolim. Is it other gedolim? Why are there no MO gedolim? They seem to be plain rabbis.

I lterally never heard of Rav Steinman (click on name for a video of gedolim dancing at daf yomi, I love the tune,


Rav Steinman is sitting with a long brown beard) until he showed up at Darchei in Far Rockaway as part of a gedolim world tour.

If i never heard of him, how did he become a godol at the age of 95? Is it because rav shach died, and he was number 2?


I do know Rav Moshe Shapiro from my yeshiva days. Everyone was oohing and awing over his shiurim. I didnt speak hebrew, so i had no clue what he said. But he looked impressive. He has that godol penetrating eyes thing going.



Are the gedolim, gedolim because they dont say too much. They are awful quiet, so maybe that makes them appear even smarter than they are.

For that matter, why are there no MO mekubalim?Is it a secret practice of sefardim gedolim?

Myth Moshol is mechazik my emunah

GH had posted about what is mechazek his emunah.

Well I have some of my own.

Jesus is mechazek our Emunah.
He believed in literal bereshis. Now as son of god he cant possibly be right, therefore he can't be son of god. Score one for yiddishkeit.

Islam is mechazek our Emunah.
They believe that Abraham is not a myth. We just got the story wrong. Since we know that the story is really a myth, score one for yiddishkeit.

I think we need to spread the word to the gedolim that myth/moshol proves yiddishkeit.

oh and by the way:
The Jewish Press is mechazek our Emunah.
This week has an ad for dinosaur exhibit. Now i can show my children that dinosaurs and torah are not in conflict.

What would you leave in?

A constant refrain of Yodeah (of GH fame) is how we need to change to meet his sensibilities, his western values, his comfort level.

Its not only change about our practices, but a kind of active disassociation from our seemingly evil past.

Yodeah feels we can trust his sensibilities to not fluctuate. And even if they do, that is part of the deal. Why do we need to be so rigid.

Yodeah feels that this new briah will be still orthodox. It will have courageous leaders who change the religion to fit our evolving society. One day, our society will say Shechita is immoral, and Yodeah will be at the forefront fighting for change. But thats a good thing, Yodeah assures us. After all, he only wants to save Orthodoxy.

So yodeah has suggested some - in the way - practices that we should abandon:
2 days Yom Tov for starters.

So I ask the skeptics or rationalist out there who want to save Orthodox Judiasm, what would you leave in our religion. And what would you take out? A bonus would be to tell us why you would keep or remove the item.

Im curious how consistent the list will be. And how the result could in any form or fashion be called Orthodox.

Skeptics,Adversity and Ruach Hakodesh

I want to preface by saying I mean no ill will to any skeptics.

This is a hypothetical thought:
Ive been thinking, is a skeptic someone who never had some adverse event happen in their life? If they did, would they say, wait, maybe I've gone down the wrong path and should return?

How strong is the conviction to be skeptic?

Maybe what I'm asking is, are the skeptics, skeptic because they have had a run of good luck?

Also do fantasticly wild stories happen to skeptics?

Since we are on the topic of wild stories, lately I've heard a few stories of recent gdolim and ruach hakodesh, told to people I know, by people they know.

I also heard stories told to me by my own friends that are fantastic.

The question is, can someone Modern and Orthodox believe in ruach hakodesh and nissim, bzman hazeh or even about gdolim of the previous generation? To someone Modern and Orthodox, should these stories be looked at skeptically, and be thought of as perfectly explainable?

Best Kosher Pizza

Raging debate over at GH on the best Kosher Pizza

Let me settle the debate.

Best Kosher Pizza when fresh out of the oven:
Amnons of Boro Park. (Note: I dont endorse the frozen pizza, my kids will not eat it)
(make sure you dont get the reheated pies from the basement when pesach is over.)

Runner Up: Pizza Nosh of Nostrand.
2nd Runner Up when its cooked thoroughly: Mendolsohns
3rd Runner Up: Circa, Downtown

Best Frozen Pizza:
Mendolsohns

Pizza that taste like school lunch pizza:
Pizza Hut in Israel

Pizza Shop with best Falafel:
Amnons - great spot to cut the busier pizza line.

Can someone please tell me which pizza shop has good pizza even if it reheated (and has been sitting all afternoon)?

In Flight Movies

Saw the following on the Yated Website "window to charedi world":

We are distraught and still lacking a solution for our Jewish brethren who must travel by plane. Today, during the flight, passengers are exposed to a stumbling block in the form of movies and this is within our control.
Therefore we hereby state our opinion that one must try one's best to arrange a seat without movies. And if flights to one's intended destination are available without movies it is forbidden to book on other flights [with movies]. We call on all chareidim ledvar Hashem not to be lenient in this matter, and every individual should firmly demand of his travel agent to arrange this matter in the most kosher manner possible.
May we gather strength in unity—ke'ish echod beleiv echod—to make our travels holy and fitting.
May those who heed us be well and receive blessings for good. Velamazhir velanizhor shlomim yitein kemei nohor. Ach tov vochessed yirdefum kol yemei chayeihem le'orech yomim.
Signed,
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
A.L. Shteinman
Shmuel Halevy Wosner
Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz
S.Y. Nissim Karelitz
Chaim Kanievsky
Shalom Cohen
* * *
Daas Torah
Kislev 5766
Daas Torah from Maran HaRav Eliashiv, shlita, and Maran HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, shlita:
"Every one who boards a plane and sees that they intend to screen movies must express his opposition and displeasure."

Three Questions:
1. Can we make a diyuk, that movies are assur, but tv on Jet Blue is ok?
2. Is it Maaras Ayin if you order the headsets for the charedi music channel, but dont watch TV?
3. What about the problem of going on a plane with stewardess not dressed tzniusik? Should the charedim insist on male stewards?

The Orthodoxy Test - Husband & Wife

Saw R' Gil took the orthodoxy test. So did I:


Left Wing Modern Orthodox: 23%
Right Wing Modern Orthodox: 62%
Left Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 76%
Right Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 40%


This means you're: Left Wing Yeshivish


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

What does it mean?

So you're frum, but "with it." You know the lingo and walk the walk, but maybe you catch a movie on Motzei Shabbos. Never on Saturday Night though. Sometimes you wonder why all frum Jews can't be normal like you.

My wife took the test:




Left Wing Modern Orthodox: 51%
Right Wing Modern Orthodox: 71%
Left Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 41%
Right Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 13%


This means you're: Modern Orthodox


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

What does it mean?

Congratulations. You're Modern Orthodox all right, but wait! Just when you were ready to live an idyllic happily-labeled life they announce Left Wing and Right Wing Modern Orthodoxy. What the heck is up with that? Maybe you need to rethink and refine some of your positions, and then take the test again so I can put you in a little box.


Interesting Results.
Im more religious than my wife. This is definetly not the norm!
I just heard a Rav say in shul how most women think their husbands arent frum enough.

Im the exception to the rule!

Transit Strike

Well the NYC transit strike is upon us.

What a pain.

How is the frum network working for you?

Share your commuting stories.

I remember when

To Anonymous.

My blog says I'm ffb from ep. (not rp or gp)

Not much of a guess that I might have Hungarian blood.

Once you have the Hungarian part its 50/50 that I have chassidishe blood.

I emphasize the blood because I myself am not chassidish, didn't grow up chassidish, nor my friends, nor my wife.

EP means that I grew up heimish.

I enjoy the chassidishe baal tfilah. But my havarah is decidely American.
I wish a chassidishe shtiebel would open near me.

I miss that the most since I moved to mo-ville.

I grew up davening nusach sfard, in boro park in the days when 14th avenue was the social scene on yom tov.

Before 13th Ave was turned into a 1 way.

I still remember going to the movie theater in boro park and the one on Ave j that sold tickets at the price of the year(79 for 1979)

I remember when,

• the 66th came under attack. That was the point we realized that Boro Park was now Williamsburg.
• the goyim outnumbered yidden on our block.
• Young Israel and Beth El were 2 different thriving Shuls.
• Menorah hall was a hall, not a chassidishe girls school.
• the Bushtina rebbe would stand on the corner looking for a Minyan.
• Beer Shmuel was a Yeshiva.
• Lanes and Heymans were the only pharmacies.

Anyone else have memories?

At a standstill

Over at GH there was a huge debate on the success of orthodoxy, the rigidness or lack thereof of Orthodoxy, and Kiruv (active or passive).

It hit me that those who want the dramatic changes in Orthodoxy are really looking for conservative judiasm with haredi rabbonim! (Yodeah gets kudo for this idea - alas, Yodeah is no longer with us. He got insulted by GH)

Ironic!

Whats really funny is that then you have this shoteh, DovBear who wants pinkt farkert. He wants judiasm led by conservative rabbis! (For now he is a shoteh, because he wont back down comparing the minchas eleizer with Bill clinton).

So where do we go from here?

Guess what, the system is obviously NOT broken. Dont fix it!

Its not broken, because obviously our gdolim see that the skeptics themselves will NEVER be happy. One side will always complain about the other.

Am Kshei Oreif - even the skeptics.

Who is a Charedi?

GH has a post about a new religion emerging in Judiasm.

The comments section had some give and take on Chareidim.

Can someone please define charedi, specifically in relation to American Jewry. Is there is such a thing as an American charedi?

The post and comments led me to the following question:

Are MO aveiros more loved by Hashem than aveiros of the heimishe, Chassidishe, litvishe, yeshivishe yingerliet. (see the comments section in GH for the background)

In other words, whose aveiros are worse?

At what sacrifice?

Ive noted before that this blogging stuff is exhausting.

How do the famously prolific ones like Dov, GH, R' Gil, the Mavens, and Ezzie do it?
Then you have the famously prolific commenters. Some of the above do both.

I think their job is even harder.

How do they track the changes in comments, through 20 different blogs a day, and still get something done?

My impression is that they are married, may have kids and probably have decent jobs.
Some even learn.

Something has to be sacrificed.

Please share with me what you neglect (wife, kids, torah, job, tv or hobby) or share with me what utilities are out there to save time in this process.

Can a man have his blog and read others too?

LOST and the Lost Book

I watch a wonderful show on TV called







Last nights episode had a revelation.

One of the charachters (Mr. Eko - Left) sees a film that is missing some important moments.
He tells the other mysterious charachter (John Locke - Right) a story:

"There was a king Yoshiyahu of the Jews who wanted to rebuild the temple with gold from the treasury. He told his secretary to get the gold, but he returned empty handed.
He told the king that he found a old book. "

Eko says, "I too found an old book, on the other half of the island", and hands Locke a book, inside of which is found the missing moments of the film.

According to Torah.org
"On Tisha B’Av we just read Yirmiyahu’s anguished Kinah over the death of his beloved student and king, Yoshiyahu. King Yoshiyahu encountered his first accurate Torah when he was 26 years old 18 years after becoming king! Prior to that, the only Torah he had ever seen were those that his grandfather, King Menashe had corrupted by exchanging G-d’s name for various popular pagan deities! If not for the far-thinking courage of the Kohanim who hid a Torah from the corruption of Menashe, there would not have been an accurate Torah to be found anywhere in the world!. It’s foolish to think that the Written Torah demands any less trust to believe its divine and accuracy than does the Oral Torah!"

This drasha seems to make the point that given this history, believing in the written torah is just as big a leap of FAITH as the Oral torah.

On the blog Rabbi Reisman Navi Shiur i found the following:

"We've been learning about the malchus/kingship of Yoshiyahu, during which Jews worshiped idols. This led to the kohanim finding the sefer torah in the mikdash rolled to the tochacha/rebuke in parshas Ki Savo, a sign of punishment for Klal Yisrael's many aveiros. Yoshiyahu sent messengers to Chulda HaNeviah to find out what the sefer torah's position meant and what punishment G-d had in mind for Klal Yisrael. Thus concludes our brief introduction and we will henceforth learn about pasuk 20.

Chulda said that because the Jews were worshiping idols, they'd be punished. However, because Yoshiyahu was a great leader and got Klal Yisrael to do teshuva/to repent, he would die in peace without seeing the bad that will befall his nation. This response was conveyed to Yoshiyahu and was considered a zechus/merit for him. What was it? That he'd die before the churban habayis/destruction of the holy temple.

First of all, this sounds incredibly selfish. Yoshiyahu is told that although the mikdash will be destroyed, he will be dead before it happens so he shouldn't feel so bad. What kind of nechama/solace is that for a leader of Klal Yisrael?

Second, Yoshiyahu only lived 39 years. The churban took place 29 years later. Had he lived, it would have taken place when he was 68. The bracha/blessing was to die a younger man and wasn't zoche/he didn't merit to live to 68? Is this really a bracha? [I'm not 100% sure I got the numbers right...feel free to comment or write back if I'm wrong on this one.]


According to Nachlas Shimon (as cited by the late Ner Yisrael Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt"l,) we know that there are two tochachos/portions of rebuke in the torah. One is at the end of sefer Vayikra in parshas Bechukosai, while the second one is written in sefer Devarim in parshas Ki Savo. Ramban holds that the first one is for churban bayis rishon/the destruction of the first holy temple while the second is for churban bayis sheini/the destruction of the second holy temple. The sefer torah found in the time of Yoshiyahu was up to the tochacha in Ki Savo although Yoshiyahu was king before churban bayis rishon!?! Nachlas Shimon answers that were it not for Yoshiyahu the first churban would have been as permanent and terrible as the second was/is. However, because of his tzidkus/righteousness it didn't happen that way. It's called "galus Tzidkiyahu/the exile of Tzidkiyahu" because it happened during the kingship of Tzidkiyahu who followed Yoshiyahu. In fact, when Yoshiyahu died, Yirmiyahu HaNavi made a takana/decree that Jews should remember the accomplishments of Yoshiyahu. Rash"i says-in Divrei HaYamim-that's it is precisely for this reason that we say a kinah/lament in his memory a Tish'a B'Av; for the king whose life was an inspiration for generations to come who was able to turn things around and prevent that level of churban/destruction. That constituted sachar/merit for his neshama/soul. The neshama only wants its life b'olam hazeh/this earthly world, to be an inspiration to those that remain. "

Not surprisingly, Lost got it wrong. I think i have convincingly upgeshlugged them from rabbi Reismans shiur!

Anyway, this (ie the divinity of the Torah) has been a hot topic on the jewish blog world (BTA, Godol, Orthoprax, RTJB, RJ).

Some felt that Kiruv spent too much time trying to prove the Torah. I think from above it seems you have to have faith in it, it may not be provable in the traditional sense of the word.

I also found it ironic that this "lost book" made it into a plot on LOST.

Your thoughts?

Preserving Heshy

I figured it might a public service to give a sense of who Heshy was.

I googled for him and found the following exchange on jewschool.com
Ive Bolded Heshys comments.


"Hasidic Jew" Email A Hoax?
Posted by The Town Crier 18.7.05 LinkAn e-mail supporting the recent attacks in London, sent to British MPs allegedly by a Hasidic Jew, is a hoax. The letter expressed approval of the metro bombings as retribution for the murder of the Jews of York.
6 kvetches


If YOPU want to know why G-d allowed the attack on London see my blog at Heshys house.blogspot.com entitled why London now.
Heshy • 07/19/05 06:28am

then what about measure for measure for the jews of york?
The Town Crier • 07/19/05 07:51am

"then what about measure for measure for the jews of york?" Centuries of bad teeth? Hey, Heshy, wouldn't it make you more believable if instead of finding reasons for events after the fact, you were able to predict who's going to be punished next, and why? How about some predictions?
J • 07/19/05 04:44pm

I predict that in 20 years time the orthodox and chassidic Jews will be the majority both here and in Israel.The reform and conservative and modern orthodox movements will be history.The largest minority in New York will be Asians and in the United States will be spanish speaking.
Heshy • 07/19/05 10:58pm

that's just projecting current trends into the future. no big deal. how about predicting the next God-mandated terror attack?
Sam • 07/19/05 11:28pm

Heshy, what about those of us Chassidic Modern Orthodox Jews?
The Town Crier • 07/20/05 10:06am

I then found a complete reproduction of Heshys blog on Google (Ive edited out the cell #):

The World is coming to an end - UPDATE!

I originally posted that the following Blogdolim have passed on to the Oilam Haemes.

• Godol Hador (not!) [Well, he actually only had a personality disorder]
• A Chassid and a Heretic [Well, seems like he pulled a fast one.]

My faith in blogdom was crushed.

Then Heshy went down, and now I'm Happy again.

Who obsesses with who?

DovBear has a post in which he points out how MO never criticize haredi, yet haredi criticize MO.

I know many Chassidim.

Believe me, they completely couldn't care less about MO.

I mean that literally.

They NEVER EVER think about them!

MO on the other hand, are COMPLETELY OBSESSED with Chassidim.

They think and talk about them ALL the time. EVEN the MO Rabbis. They constantly complain that they are made to feel inferior.

Its a complex, not a real issue.

The same is true for the Yeshivishe and Heimishe yungerliet.

They simply couldn't give a hoot about MO. It never comes up in discussions.

I will add, the same is true for locations.

I came from Brooklyn, and now live in MO neighborhood.

In Brooklyn they never talked about MO.

But in this MO neighborhood, talking about Brooklyn is an obsession.

Your Thoughts?