by Joel Rich
I am learning the AH”S hilchot tzedaka and am struck by the poverty in the communities he relates to. This reminded me of imi morati ZL”“HH relating her father’s description of the grinding poverty in the shtetl. (lots of sociological history in halacha). Of particular interest was his description of how the universal practice of a kupat tzedaka came to an end. Sometimes reality trumps “halacha” and maybe the mimetic tradition fails to restart in cases it should. Thoughts?
From a MO institution on the need to fund raise -Educating young men and women in a Torah environment has never been more challenging and thanks to your help, we have the ability to get closer.
My thought –This is certainly true but we need to keep our eye on Torah as the central light on the menorah (R’ Aron Soloveitchik’s metaphor)
- Rabbi Chaim Mendel Brodsky,Rabbi Moshe Hauer,Rabbi Moshe Rotberg-1/23/21 – Show 307 – Midwinter Vacations – Flaunting our wealth
We should all be mentally healthy and live within our means and not worry about what someone else spends their money on. (me – has that ever worked?) But maybe those that do have it don’t need to flaunt it. (me – maybe we should think about why are communities might not be doing such a good job at role modeling our aspirational values in a materialistic society?)
- Rabbi Moshe Weinberger-Q & A for High School Students
Belief is not subject to proof (miracle stories/Torah codes not withstanding). You just experience it!(Me-but hard to communicate this to others who don’t feel it)
Meditation is good.
We need to teach everyone (even youngins) mussar and chassidut in addition to their regular curriculum.
Motivation can be gained through using torah and tfila to keep the dialog/relationship going.
How to make mundane learning more spiritual (please let R’Weinberger know the phrase he was searching for was “Vulcan mind meld.”)
- רב תמיר גרנות | – על החלטת האדמור מויז’ניץ’ לפתוח את המוסדות
Top priority in the Chareidi community is that all their descendant be Chareidi, whatever the cost. Impact of their actions on “others” is way down the food chain. (Me- writing this with a lot of tears in my eyes)
- Rav Asher Weiss-יו”ט שני של גליות
Is your yom tov sheni shel galyot a takana, minhag or a chiyuv drabanan? It actually may have changed over time.
Defining whether one is a ben eretz yisrael or chutz laaretz (and is that designation fluid) may be a moving target. (me – like sexual identity in the general culture?)
- Rabbi Ari Kahn-הקדמה המתת חסד
How do we patch together the stories of Shaul, R’Chananya Ben Tradyon, the boys and girls on the ship and the beit yaakov girls, into a coherent theory of taking one’s life? Analysis includes consequentialism, deontology and the chazon ish. TBC
- Rabbi Uri Orlian-Shabbos in the ICU – Can You Violate Shabbos to Make A Critically Ill Patient More Comfortable?
Rambam vs. Rashi on being mchalel Shabbat to provide services not related to actual life saving for a choleh shyeish bo sakanah. Brisk tradition is to be lenient.
- Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank-Ramban on Hashgacha
Making sense of the various sources concerning the Ramban’s position on hashgacha pratit. Perhaps unlike the Rambam who takes a naturalistic approach to teva, the Ramban sees even teva as supernatural.
- Rabbi Hershel Schachter-Bo 5781
Parsha highlights including, but not limited to: kiddush hachodesh details; Smicha; Sanhedrin as representative of the people; Minhag as a rabbinic takana: Geula and rosh chodesh; Rambam (Jews in Israel) vs. Rambam (Sanhedrin set in advance) on the authority of the calendar today; and, Should rosh hashana in Israel be a one or two day minhag (since with Sanhedrin moving around, every place was at some point within the range of Sanhedrin and at another point not.)
- Rabbi Michael Taubes-Parshas Bo Ya’aleh Ve-Yavo at Maariv on Rosh Chodesh
Review of the process of declaring rosh chodesh including no night declarations. This is then connected to whether yaaleh vyavo must be repeated if forgotten at night.
- Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky-Rav Nachum Rabinovitch on the Purpose of Mitzvos: Balancing the Ideal and the Reality
Some mitzvot are to perfect ourselves, others are to maintain a base level but not aspirational (e.g., slavery).
- Rabbi Menachem Penner-What the Avot Can Teach us about Tefillah
The first three brachot in shmoneh esrai represent different ways to relate to HKB”H; so do the three tfilot and the three avot.
- Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh-Pesachim 34 (ברכת להכניסו בבריתו של אברהם אבינו)
When do we use al and when do we us l in the text of brachot? What is the nature of the brachot at a brit, especially lhachniso?
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Rav Moshe Feinstein and Halachic Adversaries – The Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabeinu Tam Tefilin
The Lubavitcher Rebbi was very against Jewish owned ships operating on Shabbat (a meta issue).
Rabbeinu Tam tfillin – pros and cons of wearing them and R’Moshe’s history with them.
- Rabbi Aryeh Shtern-Are Non-Jews Metame B’Ohel? Can a Kohen Fly in an Airplane?
Technical analysis of the status of a non-ben brit’s body vis-à-vis tumah.
- Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer-Rischa D’Araisa Season 2 Episode 21: REVEL-ling in Past Possibilities: How America would have been different had Rav Shimon Shkop accepted the post of Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS in 1929
R’Shimon Shkop’s history including his stay in N.Y. How might the US orthodox world have been different if he had stayed in the big apple?
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Giving Tzedaka for Ulterior Motives
Do we look at mitzvot as result oriented or process oriented? Maybe there’s a difference between bein adam lmakom and bein adam lchaveiro? Do we look through the eyes of virtue ethics or consequentialism?
- Rabbi Steven Pruzansky-Capital Punishment
The death penalty (me – really any punishment) can have several functions (deterrence, vengeance, justice, atonement). Discussion of the history of judicial and extra judicial applications, including bnai brit and non-bnai brit.
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Ten Minute Halacha – Vach Nacht
Night before a brit practices to ward off Satan, provide extra kedusha and provide extra simcha.
- Rabbi Michael Rosensweig-The Battle Between Yaakov and the Mysterious איש Part 3
How each of the mfarshim interpret Yaakov’s wrestling with the angel tells us more about the mfarshim’s narrative than about Yaakov.
- Rabbi Dr. David Shabtai-The Daily Teshuvah: What Did Moshe Rabbenu’s Tefillin Look Like?
What did Moshe Rabbeinu’ s tfillin look like, especially given that (at least according to some) not all the parshiyot were given while they were in the midbar?
- Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman-Can we really start Shabbos while it is still day? The impact of Tosefes across the year
The classic can you turn Friday night into Shabbat question also has implications for Yom Tov.
- Rabbi Moshe Kurtz-Rav Moshe Shternbuch on Organ Sales and Bodily Autonomy
Are we the sole owners of our bodies (for sale purposes) on a halachic and/or a meta-halachic basis? Does the answer differ for body parts which regenerate and those that don’t?
- Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky-The Basics of Ribbis: Borrowing Merchandise (סאה בסאה)
Lending commodities to be paid back in commodities—is it torah or rabbinic ribbit? Are we concerned about numbers or value? Do time and place make a difference and when does the violation occur? [me – why isn’t money viewed as changing value over time?]
- Rabbi Avishai David-Overview of Hagaon Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz in his essay on Talmud Torah and secular studies and Maran Harav Soloveitchik and his Divine romance and ecstasy with the study of Torah and Devekus in Hashem Yisborach (Part 12, Final)
We must always maintain a latent awareness of Torah. It’s all encompassing and we must surrender to it. Last in a series.
- Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh-Pesachim perek 1 shiur 35 (נוסח ברכות המצוות – לבער או על ביעור)
Theories of when brachot are of the form of al and when l. Is there a preference? Does it turn on the length of mitzvah fulfillment? Maaseh vs. kiyum? Can be done by shaliach? Tfillin as an example.
- Rabbi Isaac Rice-Hashem is Nature and Nature is Hashem
Chacham Tzvi’s tshuva (plus case history) concerning post-Spinoza charges of pantheism. Apparently before this time Kabbalists could freely equate HKB”H with nature.
Bottom line for us is to appreciate HKB”H it through nature.
- Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein-How UNCOMFORTABLE Do you have to be to JOIN A MINYAN?
How to think about the tradeoff between davening with a minyan vs. davening with more kavana.
- Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal-Israel and the Ethiopian experiment
Sigd and the general issues of integrating Ethiopian practice into “mainstream” orthodoxy.
HKB”H has compassion for human development.
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