Ever Wanted to Start a Torah Conversation but Couldn’t Come Up with a Hook?

101 Engaging Questions to spur dynamic Torah conversation in any setting

By Rabbi Yehoshua Berman (Author)

Sample pages:

Have you ever wanted to strike up a Torah conversation but found yourself stymied?

We all know that learning Torah is the center of Jewish life. The Torah says quite clearly, “And you shall discuss them while sitting at home, and while traveling on the road.” Divrei Torah are meant to occupy us – each individual according to his unique capabilities – in a continuous manner.

That’s easier said than done, particularly if you are with other people and you just can’t seem to think of anything that will strike up a meaningful, engaging Torah conversation. And it is especially challenging when we are with our children. We want to keep them engaged and interested in words of Torah – but how?

101 Engaging Questions offers us an effective and entertaining way to get our children, our friends, and, yes, ourselves engaged and excited about Torah topics. Each page offers a stimulating question, accompanied by a thought-provoking photograph. Turn the page and you will find the answer, plus unusual facts and points to think about. On a road trip, an airplane, or just sitting at your table with your family -101 is guaranteed to spark a satisfying and meaningful Torah conversation.

From ArtScroll.com, here.

תחשוב בית מקדש, יהיה לך בית מקדש

עליתי פעמיים להר הבית והרגשתי את החלום הופך למציאות

להרבה חברים זה נראה מוזר שעליתי להר הבית ולא הסתפקתי בכותל • זה ממש לא דומה • בהר הבית מרגישים את החלום הופך למציאות • ממש מול עינינו

‏מתנאל דוד לטנר‏ יום שני, ז’ תמוז ה’תש”פ

השבוע עליתי להר הבית.

פעם אחת עם אביחי גולן וניראל הודק, לחגוג יחד שנתיים לחבורת הלימוד שלנו.

ופעם שנייה עם חברי הטוב דניאל טרטנר שמתחתן בקרוב.

הרבה שאלו אותי, מה כזה חשוב לך לעלות? למה לא להסתפק בכותל, בלי הקאדר של לטבול ולעלות ולשמוע משוטרים שאסור לך להתפלל או לעשות שום דבר דתי אחר?

אבל בשבילי לעלות להר הבית זה ללמוד איך לחלום וגם לדמיין איך להגשים חלומות.

זה כמו ילד שגדל בשכונת פשע אבל רוצה להיות אסטרונאוט. שזה אחלה חלום אבל כל החברים שלו מהשכונה יצאו מוכרים בסופר במקרה הטוב. וזה נשאר בתור חלום ילדות בראש.

עד שיום אחד חבר שלו לוקח אותו לעבודה שלו בנאס”א והבחור קולט שכדי להיות אסטרונאוט בסך הכל צריך להיכנס לכושר ולהסתגל לקשיים, לדעת מדע ולהיות עם הקשרים הנכונים.

אז אמנם הוא לא נהיה עדין אסטרונאוט, זה ברור, אבל פתאום החלום הפך למציאותי.

אני חושב שכשעולים להר ורואים 20 מטר ממך את המקום של המזבח, פתאום “מזבח חדש בציון תכין” הופך מחלום מופשט למשהו קצת יותר קונקרטי, שכולל בתוכו לשכור מהנדסאים ולהשיג ווטו מהאמריקאים ולהיכנס לעימות מול ארגוני הצמחונים ולהסביר למיליוני ישראלים ולמיליארדי סינים והודים למה זה קריטי – אבל עדיין, החלום הופך לקצת יותר מציאותי.

וכשרואים שלפני 5 שנים שוטרים בבידוק הביטחוני חיפשו לך בנעליים כי אולי אתה מבריח סידור, והיום אתה יכול להתפלל שמונה עשרה מול קודש הקודשים בנחת – אתה מבין שהמציאות יכולה להשתנות.

וכל התקופה הזאת הופכת מאבל ובכי על מה שהיה, למחשבה גם על איך ניתן להשיג את מה שיהיה.

מאתר חדשות הר הבית, כאן.

Anti-Corona Masks – Possible Side Effects

Warning About Danger of Masks!

A flyer being distributed in Arizona

Mask use can be very dangerous to your health because of:

1) Reduced blood-oxygen levels leading to reduced mental clarity, lethargy, and reduced immunities. This condition, known as “hypoxia,” can cause persons to lose focus and make bad decisions which can be dangerous to others. People are already falling asleep and fainting when doing routine tasks while wearing masks. The result could range from physical injury to self or others due to inattentiveness all the way to a social tragedy such as a rushed inaccurate verdict rendered by an oxygen-deprived masked jury that was unable to fully focus on and comprehend evidence and arguments in a case.  The likelihood of viral infections increases with hypoxia because the body’s natural defenses are degraded.

2) Carbon-dioxide toxicity from reduced ability of body to expel carbon dioxide (a waste product from all cellular activity).

3) Moisture retention in lungs due to the mask’s retention of water vapor in the lungs. Moisture retention in lungs is a leading factor associated with pneumonia, bronchitis, viral and bacterial infections, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. Fluid build-up in the lungs can be very hard to treat and can result in death in serious cases of pneumonia and other ailments. If the lungs cannot take in dry air and expel humid air, then serious congestion may develop in the lungs.

4) Increased facial touching resulting in viral / bacterial spread. Persons who wear masks are five times more likely to touch their faces continually throughout the day. They continue to adjust the mask with their hands and touch their faces in the process.  It is widely known that repeatedly touching the face and touching other surfaces is a major cause of viral and bacterial spread. This increased spread of infection can go from either the mask wearer to others or from others to the wearer. Even if a person wears gloves and then touches his face and other surfaces, the result is the same.

5) More effort to breathe means additional respiratory distress especially with individuals who are tired, elderly, sick, or immunity compromised. Most legitimate medical efforts aimed at reducing respiratory ailments seek to improve the individual’s ability to breathe, not block it, impede it, or make it more labored.

Surgeon General. U.S. officials, including the Surgeon General of the United States, Jerome Adams, initially urged people to not buy and wear masks in an effort to protect themselves from COVID-19. In an interview, Adams said that wearing face masks could actually increase a person’s risk of contracting the coronavirus. “You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider,” Adams said. “Folks who don’t know how to wear them properly tend to touch their faces a lot and actually can increase the spread of coronavirus,” he added.  Although he later relented to public pressure, Surgeon General Jerome initially tweeted, “Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus.”

From LRC, here.

My Correspondence With a Jewish Blogger Who Supports E. Berland (Shortened)

Me:
Do you still support Eliezer Berland, yemach shemo, after the recent major ruling against him and his Sabbatean heresy by three major Israeli Jewish courts?

Them:
First of all, thank you for not assuming my position for me, one way or the other, and for being patient. A lot of things are going on in the wider world and, like it or not, our fellow Jews are being dragged into them. Is it possible they involve even you in some way?
Even though I don’t consider myself and my blog all that important in the grand scheme of things (and therefore, I don’t understand why you’re chasing after me to call me to account on this issue), I will try to answer your question. I’m pretty sure you’re not going to like my answer.
I’m not on the side of blatant sinners and scoffers (see Tehillim 1).
However…when it comes to actual judgment in court, there are some things that must be considered. It may be my ignorance/lack of understanding of what I am looking at, driving me to what I have written/commented on my blog, as well as the following questions. But I want to be sure that judgment in Israel is well-considered, particularly from religious people, since the Jewish beth-din-based system starting with the 3-man beth din and ending with the Sanhedrin/Anshei Knesseth haG’dolah at its head is part of the wave of the future and forever, eventually, G-d willing. The seculars (courts, media, etc.) here haven’t been doing so well lately, whether with this case or with others.
I don’t know a whole lot about batei din and how they operate.  So, can you tell me…
  • What are the requirements to have witnesses from both prosecution and defense regarding accusations against a defendant?
  • If both must take part, what attempt is made to be sure that both sides are represented among the witnesses?
  • Is there a way to weed out those who present a personal conflict of interest regarding the defendant, either way, from testifying? Alternatively, does testimony from such people have any use at all to a given case?
  • What kinds of limitations, if any, do batei din have regarding what kinds of cases they can adjudicate until the system becomes normative in Israel?
Many thanks again for your patience. I also hope this answers your question. It’s all I’ve got.
I grant that you have the advantage of seeing these particular events from up much closer than I. But at least some of the people you are working with, as far as I can tell, seem to have a long-standing conflict of interest regarding EB; this is what I have referred to above as the “intra-Breslev war” and for which I explained my reasoning in detail and still stand by.
I read the judgment on The Yeshiva World that you sent me the link to; the judgment the batei din gave is ostracism (herem), not the death penalty that the picture on the left side of the Breslevemet website masthead implies.

Me:
This is a fresh new Beis Din. And there probably won’t be any future ones, either, because unlike the first one which comprised Breslov-linked rabbis, this latest one consists of all the important independent Torah judges in Israel (and, therefore, the world).
Both sides were officially represented at the case (Berland sent three Toanim Rabbani’m [quasi-lawyers]). The case took no less than 18 months, and started out with a proclamation against speaking out against Berland until the court had made its decision.
Sadly, Jewry has not yet recovered the judicial power of the Torah’s death penalty yet, so all the joint court could decide on is the question of Berland’s guilt in itself (not even excommunication). This also explains why the rules of evidence are less severe. We don’t have semicha, etc.
Tread carefully before casting aspersions on the court. Indeed, one who wantonly rejects Beis Din’s ruling is considered an evildoer, and it is permitted to shame him and generally speak Lashon Hara about him (Chafetz Chaim Lashon Hara chapter 4:8). I assume you don’t want to fit into that category by defending on your site someone who was already found guilty.
I recommended in the past you consult people mentioned on your site as your rabbis (or something similar), such as ________________ or any alternative competent halachic authority. Seeing as the facts are now more clear than ever, I would again suggest you do so.
Yours,
Hyehudi.org Editor

Me:

See this explaining the attempted whitewash of the ruling:  סילוף דברי הרב שריאל רוזנברג אודות הפסק נגד כת ברלנד הנואף


No response given…

Note: Links added to the above only after the fact.

Are Jews in Chutz La’aretz Obligated to Move to Eretz Yisroel? Part II

Q&A With Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg on Eretz Yisrael

Are Jews in Chutz La’aretz Obligated to Move to Eretz Yisroel?

The following questions were transcribed from a phone interview of members of Agudas Kedushas Tzion with Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg.

Special thanks to R’ Yoel Berman for his help preparing this article.

Download (PDF, 1.28MB)