Year: 2020

A Perfect Illustration of Rabbi Asher Weiss’ Halachic Method

Excerpt from Rationalist Judaism:

In his discussion of this topic, both in a shiur transcribed online and in Responsa Minchas Asher II:58, he acknowledges the problem with the notion that you can do mitzvos and credit the reward to other people. Rav Weiss notes that Maharam Alashkar and others state clearly that the reward for mitzvos cannot be transferred to other people, and that they give powerful reasons why. However, he takes the approach that it simply cannot be so. Why? Because everyone does it!

That is actually his position, and he says it explicitly in his responsum. If everyone does it, it can’t be that it doesn’t make sense! He tries to come up with a way of making it work even according to Maharam Alashkar et al., but is forced to admit that there is no convincing way to do so. And he tries to find earlier sources who defend it, but they are extremely limited (as they are referring specifically to charity) and tentative. Accordingly, Rav Weiss concludes that it simply does work, albeit inexplicably, and that it is one of the secrets of Divine providence.

It’s simply astonishing. It means that Rav Weiss is saying that all the Geonim and Rishonim and Acharonim who said that it doesn’t work, are wrong. But he would rather do this than say that the conventional practice today is baseless. There are many cases where we defend historical tradition, even on weak grounds, shelo lehotzi la’az al ha-rishonim (so as not to cast aspersions on the earlier generations), but this is the opposite; discarding the historical tradition, shelo lehotzi la’az on what people do today.

Read the rest here…

I didn’t check within, but I have seen many similar things, myself.

America Is Tearing Down Its History, and You Need to Learn From Yours

Can it happen in America?

You immediately knew what “it” is, because deep down you know we’re not that far away, even if you don’t want to admit it.

Fifteen years ago I was teaching social studies to fifth-graders. Fifteen years ago was a completely different era. Donald Trump was an eccentric businessman, no one had heard of Obama, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hadn’t mixed her first drink. No one realized that half the products in their shopping cart were racist, let alone something that should enrage them. There were only two genders – well, there still are, but no one had to pretend otherwise to keep their job or be considered “good”. It was a better time.

I taught my students that their basic rights in America were not really guaranteed. For example, a two-thirds majority of Congress could vote that Jews are not part of mankind, and voilà, the Bill of Rights would no longer protect them. “All men are created equal” only applies to human beings, not to animals or a sub-species like Jews. Just like that, all their rights would be out the window.

It seems I overestimated what it would take for such a previously unthinkable development to become plausible. Who needs Congress to vote on anything anymore? The toxic formula of the day is strategic social media campaigns, a takeover of the educational system, a compliant media relentlessly pushing propaganda, and a coordinated effort of politicians, celebrities, and activists to manipulate blindly religious followers. Changing the law is merely an afterthought; change happens forcefully on the ground, and is enshrined in law at a later time.

Diaspora Jews seem oblivious to the danger they are in. They believe the old institutions will protect them, ignoring the fact that these institutions are no longer respected. The Constitution is a piece of paper in a museum. The law is only as powerful as the will of the people to respect it, the ability of the police and justice system to enforce it, and the determination of leaders to uphold it.

All three of the above are null and void in America. The revolutionaries have successfully abolished any semblance of respect for the law, tradition, or civility. The police are under attack from all sides, and have been effectively neutered. The leaders on one side support the revolution, and the other side has failed to muster a meaningful response.

When – not if – the riots come to Jewish neighborhoods, there is nothing to stop them.

There are no longer any boundaries that are inviolable, nor any conceivable way that things will just settle down. The revolutionaries are on a roll, there is nothing stopping them, and they have no intention of stopping.

Consider the following scenario. A police officer in Atlanta is facing the death penalty for killing someone who attacked him, stole his weapon, and used it against him. This in and of itself is absurd. There are a number of ways this can turn out:

a) The officer is acquitted. Pandemonium will ensue. The police have been so demonized and the lower elements of society have been so brainwashed that even the possibility of acquittal is anathema to them. Atlanta will burn, there will be riots all over the country, and this “injustice” will become the trigger for the next steps of the revolution that are currently in the planning stages. Of course, they will be “spontaneous” when they actually occur.

b) The officer is convicted of a lesser charge and sent to prison or receives some other punishment. Now that the death penalty is on the table, anything less will enrage the mob that forever seeks pretexts to be enraged. Atlanta will burn, and there will be riots all over the country. Not only that, but in this scenario police officers all over the country will also protest the conviction of their colleague, who they will say was railroaded to appease the mob. The revolutionaries will run amok, and the police will do nothing. This has already happened, and such a scenario may mark the official end of law and order in America.

c) The officer is convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. The revolutionaries will celebrate their victory, fueling their insatiable appetite for more such victories and more “social changes”, which will include more riots and burnings. Police will turn in their badges en masse, and the streets will be ruled by gangs, vigilantes, and private security, as is the case in third world countries. This outcome seems inevitable at this point anyway, but a death sentence will make it a reality almost instantly.

d) The officer is sentenced to death and receives a Presidential pardon. The pandemonium and riots will be just as bad as if the officer received an acquittal, and the revolutionaries will use this as the fuel for their next steps. Police around the country will still quit over the railroading of their colleague, and the breakdown in law and order will reach the same destination from a slightly different trajectory.

There is no scenario in which this turns out well, the revolutionaries stop breaking boundaries, law and order is restored long-term, and Humpty Dumpty is put back together again. If you are a Jew who feels secure in America right now, I invite you to present your case and argue why people should believe in it. But I caution you: this is not a theoretical Talmudic discussion. This is real life. Your life.

This brings us back to the original question: Can it happen in America? Of course it can. The pillars of American society are being torn down and burned all around you. Those who cherish these pillars are disorganized, confused, and backpedaling. Eventually they will probably gather themselves and form their own mobs to push back, but either way it’s going to get very ugly.

You may feel secure that the average American has strong moral underpinnings, and therefore “it” is still unthinkable. Think again. The average American, much like the average German or Pole, is not going to risk himself and his family to hide you or protect you. You don’t need an entire society to hate the Jews for the Jews to be in mortal danger. You need a critical mass of people who hate the Jews, a breakdown in the institutions that uphold the higher values of the society, and sufficient fear among the rest to stand in their way.

This is the situation right now, today, in America.

When the revolutionaries come to Jewtown, USA to spread some equality and justice, the police are not going to shoot them. Your gentile neighbors, who may have already kneeled and kissed the feet of some of these people, are going to think about their job and their family. They might not hate you – they might even think you’re okay – but they are not going to sacrifice everything for you when the tidal waves come crashing down.

Tell me why this can’t happen. Tell me why this won’t happen. Because people are intrinsically good? Because you have good relationships with your neighbors? Because you made some show of solidarity with the revolutionaries? Because THIS IS AMERICA AND IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE?

History is repeating itself one last time. Social unrest, economic hardship, political upheaval, a breakdown in law and order, and hate-filled tribalism have never turned out well for the Jews. Literally every single time this happened over two thousand years, the Jews got it wrong, and they paid dearly. Maybe this is the time we finally do a tikkun and get it right.

The time to make a five-year plan ended five years ago. Now is the moment of truth. America is tearing down its history, and you need to learn from yours.

You have a place to go where you will be warmly welcomed by your own people, no matter what stripe of Jew you are, where there will always be a place for you, where your neighbors will share your past and your future, where they will sacrifice for you and fight for you because they are your own family.

There’s plenty of open land waiting for you. Now is the time.

____________

A slightly edited version appears in this week’s Jewish Press: https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/can-it-happen-in-america/2020/06/24/

www.chananyaweissman.com

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Aliyah: Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail!

Get the Aliyah APP

By Matt Solomon – 

Today, if you don’t have an “APP”, you can’t function. I pay my parking with PANGO, open my garage door with OXS, know when to daven thanks to CAL-J, pay bills with BIT, order taxis with GETT and communicate with my kids on WhatsAPP. And now, for all those still not living in Israel, you can get the official, newly released Aliyah APP. It has no name yet, so email me your suggestions, and the best one WINS! (What’s the prize? When you make Aliyah, I will treat you to cheesecake at the Israeli café of your choice! Trust me, it’s a great prize!) 

Let me tell you about this APP, because it’s not what you think. It is not your usual “press-one-button- and-everything-is-done” APP. This APP is an acronym and it stands for the 3 things you need for your Aliyah to be successful and everlasting. “A” Attitude + “P” Planning + “P” Prayer = APP. Let me explain. 

 

The first thing you need is a rock-solid attitude. Let’s be honest. Making Aliyah is a life-changing experience and it will be the best thing you ever do… but it’s not easy. Next week – July 4th – will mark the day my wife and I made Aliyah back in 1990. We had 4 little kids and life was comfortable in Woodmere, Long Island. I had a great job in Manhattan and 2 of the 4 kids were in the local Yeshivot. We loved being near family and enjoyed community life. In addition to my job, I started a kiruv program near Wall Street and was changing the lives of many young professionals. Yet, we felt that our Jewish souls were broken. We were happy in NY, but not complete Jews, so we uprooted everything and made the life-changing move.  

Was it easy to leave both my parents and my wife’s parents? No, it was not. Was it easy to leave a great job and go to a foreign country with no job? No, it was not. Was it easy to leave the Kiruv program I started at a time when many of my students were just beginning their journey towards a Torah life? No, it was not. Yet, my wife and I did exactly that – 30 years ago – and we never regretted it for a second because we made Aliyah with an unbreakable attitude. We went with the mindset that this would not fail and any obstacle or challenge that came our way would be overcome. Simply put, we wanted to live in Israel more than anything else. Our oldest child was getting ready to enter 3rd grade and we wanted to raise her, and the other children, in our own country. We wanted the kids to speak Hebrew fluently and, as crazy as it sounds, I wanted my son (who was 5 at the time) to be a combat soldier in the IDF (which, Baruch Hashem, he did!)  

Therefore, my suggestion is this: The first thing to do in the Aliyah process – even before you call Nefesh b’Nefesh – is to make sure you have a positive attitude for this amazing journey. Here’s a free tip: Think about Moshe Rabbenu. What would he have done to enter Israel? I told this to my wife before we left… that this would be my secret “Calm down, Shmuel” formula and it worked. I remember once, standing on line for hours in one of the local offices to get some paper stamped for the 14th time, and I was ready to scream, when all of a sudden my wife said, “Shmuel, take a deep breath. Think of Moshe Rabbenu. We’re doing something he was not allowed to do. He would have loved to get that 14th stamp… and even a 15th!” I know it sounds nuts, but it worked. I went from angry to happy and when the guy stamped my paper, I asked, “Are you sure nobody else wants to stamp it? Come on, there must be some guy in Beesheba who needs to approve this!” He thought I was crazy…  

The next thing you need for your Aliyah to be successful is planning… lots of it. This doesn’t mean that you have to figure out everything to the last detail, but you definitely need a plan. Remember the expression: If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Therefore, use the time it takes between opening your Aliyah file in Nefesh b’Nefesh and actually flying to Israel, to plan as much as possible. Rent a nice apartment so you – and your family – will be comfortable. In all likelihood, this will not be your final destination, so don’t worry too much about it, but make sure to secure a nice place in a good neighborhood. Our first year was in Netanya and we moved there without knowing a soul… literally, not one person! At the time, there was a lot of new construction in Netanya and we found an apartment in a brand-new building. We were just the third family in a building of 10 floors! It was a lovely 4–bedroom apartment and it was a great way to start our new life. 

Planning also means doing your best to find a job but be prepared to go even before you have one. My thought process was simple; By moving to Israel, I am doing exactly what Hashem wants so He will not let me fail! Some may call this naïve and others irresponsible but I call it “living a life of Emunah”. If you wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to perfectly come together and only afterwards act on what Hashem wants… where is the Emunah? This is not just advice I am giving my readers, it is how I live my life… and how I made Aliyah. When my parents and friends asked me how I was going to support a wife and 4 kids (plus 2 more that Hashem blessed me with in Israel) I simply told them that Hashem will help me in Israel the same way He helped me in New York! Who helped me land the job in Manhattan? Who helped a 20–year–old kid get married to a beautiful girl and start a family? I was working in a kosher appetizing store on Main St at the time and many, many people told me to wait… get a “real” job… put away some money… and Baruch Hashem I did not listen to them! I have always believed that when a Jew does the right thing for the right reason, Hashem will always help that person succeed! So, definitely plan – as best as you can – but leave something for Hashem to do… 

Which leads me to the third and final part of this APP. You have the Attitude, you have the Plan so all that’s left is the Prayer. This might be the most important part of all – to daven to Hashem that your Aliyah be successful. Don’t wait for a problem to arise… talk to Hashem now! Don’t wait for the “I told you so” people… make that call today! Hashem is our Father so he wants you to be happy! He wants you to succeed and fulfill the dream of returning to Zion. Think about it. We daven for this 3 times a day so when you actually do it… make those prayers 10 times a day! Ask Hashem to guide you, to hold your hand and to make your Aliyah dream a reality. 

This is the APP you need; Attitude + Planning + Prayer which will bring you home and keep you here to welcome Moshiach himself. Let’s make it happen! 

From The Jewish Press, here.