העורך Editor

As I understand it, the Israeli state has forced young Jews (but not Arabs!) into three-track welfare. You can choose which track, but you can’t escape them all. Not easily, anyway.

1. Yeshiva/Kollel (necessarily inflated by government fiat).
2. Army (“covert” welfare for the 80% or so, who add nothing).
3. Prison (free room and board at least).

Study Torah, learn a profession, go to work; just stay away from the state army! Suicide Is the Primary Cause of Death Among Israeli Soldiers (bored out of their sanity). You’re not helping anyone by getting dressed up in green!

From Rafi Farber:

Let’s assume the IDF is holy. Let’s accept that, for argument’s sake. From a minarchist libertarian perspective that public defense is legitimate, that could certainly be argued from a religious Zionist minimal State perspective. But that doesn’t mean that serving in the IDF is holy. If everyone served in the IDF, everyone would starve because there would be no profit-driven division of labor. We’d turn into Mao’s Great Leap Forward where everyone was a soldier and simply die of starvation, just like the Chinese did, 45 million of them from 1958-62, when the whole country was drafted into a Chinese army all at once with Mao directing it.

If the IDF is holy, it needs support. It needs people outside of it in the economy to feed it. I’m one of those. Other people in Israel need people in the private sector to supply them with goods and services. When you get a job and make money, you are doing something holy because you are supporting the IDF that way. You are supporting the army, but you are also supporting everyone.

When you sit in the army and do nothing, you are not supporting the army. You are not supporting anyone. You are obeying politicians. That’s it. You are burdening the army. So the most courageous thing to do would be to simply leave and accept the consequences. If you are worried about prison, you need not be. You’re already in one.

Excerpted from The Jewish Libertarian, here.

We have ‘Bein adam lachaveiro’ and ‘Bein adam lamakom’. We even have new inventions from the progressive Mussarites in this vein, such as ‘Bein adam le’atzmo’ (see here too)… Jewish environmentalists are gunning for us, too, just wait.

Why not add a new category (so to speak), wonders Shmuel Sackett: ‘Bein adam le’artzo‘?

Here are the four stages of popular fame (inspired by this):

1. Who is Shwekey?
2. Get me Shwekey!
3. At least get me a Shwekey imitation.
4. Who is Shwekey?

Learn and teach Torah (as well?) if you can. Torah doesn’t cruelly abandon you this way.

It doesn’t matter how many Yom Kippurs we go through if our ‘pet sins’ are off-limits.

Here is a article from the Maharitz site of Rabbi Yitzchak Ratzabi:

פלא גדול על אותם המבקשים כיום לגדוע שבט מישראל רח”ל

מתוך חתימת הספר “נר יום טוב”

פֶּלֶא גָדוֹל עַל אוֹתָם הַמְבַקְשִׁים כַּיּוֹם לִגְדּוֹעַ שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל רַחְמָנָא לִיצְּלַן. אֶת הַפְּנִינָּה הָאַחַת וְהַיְּחִידָה שֶׁנּוֹתְרָה לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ וְאֵין דּוּגְמָתָהּ, הַשּׁוֹמֶרֶת בִּמְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ עַל צִבְיוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל הַקָּדוּם וּמִצְווֹת דָּתָהּ, בְּהַדְרָכַת רַבָּנֶיהָ גְּדוֹלֵי תוֹרָה וְיִרְאָה הַנִּיצָּבִים עָלֶיהָ בְּמַתְכּוּנְתָּהּ. (ועיין מ”ש בס”ד בסוף מאמר מסלול ודרך דף י”ז י”ח). לוּלֵי יְ”יָ צְבָאוֹת הוֹתִיר לָנוּ שָֹרִיד כִּמְעָט (ישעיה א’, ט’), וְאֵין שָׂרִיד אֵלָא תַּלְמִיד חָכָם כִּדְאִיתַּא בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין דַּף צַ”בּ ע”א וּבְחוּלִּין דַּף קְלַ”גּ ע”א. מֵחָרְבַּן בַּיִת רִאשׁוֹן, שֶׁעַד הַיּוֹם הֶן אַלְפַּיִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וּשְׁלוֹשִׁים שָׁנָה, הָיִינוּ בַּנֵּכָר. בְּגָלוּת קָשָה וּמָרָה שְׁאֵין כַּיּוֹצֶא בָהּ, אוֹיָה לִּי כִּי גַרְתִּי מֶשֶׁךְ שָׁכַנְתִּי עִם אָהֳלֵי קֵדָר. מְעוּנִּים וּמוּשְׁפָּלִים נֶאֱנָקִים וְנֶאֱנָחִים, עוֹלָלֶיהָ הָלְכוּ שְׁבִי לִפְנֵי צָר. וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן ל­­­ֹא שָׁכַחְנוּ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ, וַנִּשָּׂא כַפֵּינוּ לְאֵל זָר. וּכְשֶׁהִגַּעְנוּ זֶה מִקָּרוֹב לְאֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּתֵנוּ, מְשׂוֹשׂ לִיבֵּנוּ וְתִפְאַרְתֵּנוּ, אַחֲרֵי שֶׁנִישְּׁלוּ אוֹתָנוּ זְאֵבֵי עֲרָב מֵרְכוּשֵׁנוּ וּמִמָּמוֹנֵנוּ, בָּאוּ וְקִידְּמוּנוּ אַחֵינוּ וּבְשָׂרֵינוּ, עָשְׁקוּ סְפָרֵינוּ הַקְּדוּמִים וְהַיְשָׁנִים, נַחֲלַת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ. וִיְלָדִים מֵחֵיק אִמּוֹתָם, אֲשֶר עַד הַיּוֹם לֹא נוֹדְעוּ עִקְּבוֹתָם, גָּזְלוּ מֵאִתָּנוּ:

בִּפְרָט אַלְלַי לָנוּ אֲהָהּ לָנוּ עַל גּוֹדֶל שִׁבְרֵנוּ, כִּי חִילְּלוּ קְדוּשָּׁתֵנוּ, פָּרְעוּ צְנִיעוּתֵנוּ, בִּיזּוּ תּוֹרָתֵנוּ, מָאֲסוּ בֶּאֱמוּנָתֵנוּ, לָעֲגוּ לִתְמִימוּתֵנוּ, גָּזְזוּ פֵּאוֹתֵינוּ, הִשְׁפִּילוּ גְּדוֹלֵינוּ, זִלְזְלוּ בְּאָרְחוֹת חַיֵּינוּ. קִלְקְלוּ בָּנֵינוּ וּבְנוֹתֵינוּ. כִּסְדוֹם הָיִינוּ, לַעֲמוֹרָה דָּמִינוּ. אוֹי, מִי יִרְפָּא לָנוּ:

כַּיָּדוּעַ וּמְפוּרְסָם כִּי עִם בִּיאַת רִבְבוֹת יְהוּדֵי תֵּימָן לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִבְצַע עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים, בִּשְׁנַת ה’תש”ט, פָּתְחוּ מַדְרִיכֵי הַקִּיבּוּצִים הַחִילוֹנִיִּים וּמִפְלְגוֹת הַשְּׂמֹאל, בְּצֵיד נְשָׁמוֹת, וְהִעְבִירוּ לַמּוֹלֶךְ הַחִילוֹנִי אַלְפֵי יַלְדֵי יִשְׁרָאֵל כְּשֵׁרִים בַּמַּעְבָּרוֹת וּבְמַחֲנוֹת הָעוֹלִים, תּוֹךְ כְּפִיָּיה מַצְפּוּנִית אַכְזָרִית. אִינְקְבִיזִיצִיָה נֶגֶד דָּת יִשְׂרָאֵל. רֶצַח תַּרְבּוּתִי וְדָתִי. מַמָּשׁ פֶּשַׁע מַחֲרִיד. בְּיַד פְּעִילֵי הַיַּהְדּוּת הַחֲרֵדִית, לֹא עָלְתָה לְהַצִּיל, כִּי אִם מְעַט מִזְעָר. וְכַמּוּבָא כָּל זֶה בְּסֵפֶר פְּאֵר הַדּוֹר חַיֵּי הַחֲזוֹן אִישׁ חֵלֶק שֵׁנִי דַּף רַ”בּ:

וּבְכֵן אֲלֵיכֶם אִישִׁים אֶקְרָא. תְּנוּ דַּעְתְּכֶם וְשִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם, שֶׁלֹּא לְכַבּוֹת חָלִילָה אֶת הַגַּחֶלֶת הַנִּשְׁאֶרֶת. הַנִּיחוּ לַנֵּר לִדְלוֹק, וּלְהוֹסִיף בַּשַּׁלְהֶבֶת. הֲכִי אַף אַתֶּם שׁוֹמְרֵי תּוֹרָה וּמִצְווֹת, תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים הָעוֹסְקִים בַּשַּׁ”ס וּפוֹסְקִים בַּיָּמִים וּבַלֵּילוֹת, תַּשְׁלִימוּ חָלִילָה אֶת מְלֶאכֶת הַחִילוֹנִים, הַזֵּדִים וְהַפָּרִיצִים, לְהַכְרִית שֵׁם וּשְׁאֵרִית מִגּוֹלַת תֵּימָן? לִמְחוֹת שֵׁבֶט מְיוּחָד וּמְיוּחָס מִן הָעוֹלָם? אַדְּרַבָּה, הָיָה לָכֶם לְעוֹדְדֵנוּ וּלְסָעֲדֵנוּ, לִשְׁמוֹר מִשְׁמֶרֶת מָסוֹרֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, וְאוּלַי יֶשְׁנָם דְּבָרִים שֶׁצְּרִיכִים אַתֶּם לִלְמוֹד מֵאִתָּנוּ. וְאִם יֵשׁ בְּפִיכֶם שְׁאָלוֹת וּטְעָנוֹת, יֵשׁ עִמָּנוּ חֲבִילּוֹת חֲבִילּוֹת שֶׁלִּ תְשׁוּבוֹת נְכוֹנוֹת. וּלְכָל הַפָּחוּת שְׁבוּ וְאַל תַּעֲשׂוּ עֲדִיף. מַה פִּשְׁעֵנוּ מַה חַטָּאתֵנוּ, כִּי דְלַקְתֶּם אַחֲרֵינוּ. וּמִי הוּא זֶה שֶׁבָּא לִרְדּוֹתֵנוּ בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתֵינוּ:

Did you notice what’s missing from the above quote? Want to try reading once more?

Rabbi Ratzabi deems it logical we have what to learn from the Yemenites. Agreed. What about the other way around? Is it inconceivable the Yemenite community, too might have what to improve?! Wisdom to gain from other Jewish ‘tribes’? But no. Perish forfend.

I already wrote about abrogation of Torah laws based on ‘group identity’ and faux ‘tradition’ in others. Chassidim are an easy target. In fact, however, there is a tragic ‘division of labor‘ in the realm of sin. No Jewish group has the whole truth in their bosom or full acceptance of the yoke of Mitzvos, as Rabbi Brand explains again and again.

None of us can correct the other, not because we each have unique temperamental challenges, but owing to the fact that we each have our own Masores of ‘holy aveirahs’, not open to discussion.

Here’s what we know: when Jews do full Teshuvah we will be redeemed (maybe sooner; it’s complicated). So we aren’t perfect at the moment. But we are unwilling to consider the possibility of sin masquerading as merit. You protest: “Our group’s Gedolim would tell us so if this were true!” So year in and year out, all Jewish groups repent for amorphous things any conceivable clan or generation in history could, such as having ‘more’ focus in prayer, less Lashon Hara, more Torah study, etc. etc.

But could we need to reexamine fictitious Hetterim (legal fictions) for the prohibitions against interest, Chametz, Tevillas Keilim, conversion, Grama machines, women’s sheitels, and more?

Other problematic customs? – Who are you?!

Doesn’t Vidduy need to be said before ‘Yeheyu leratzon’ to count, as the Gra pointed out? – Can’t you read the Machzor?!

Maybe women ought to refrain from shaving their heads (see here, end)? – Heresy! That’s our Minhag!

It’s like the fixed, bipartisan “If you don’t touch my favored spending, I won’t touch yours. Politician’s honor… Deal?”

‘The Stolen Light‘ by Izo Leibowitz from Amazon is quite entertaining. The blurb:

The annual migration of tens of thousands of Jewish men to the Ukrainian city of Uman is one of the most intriguing phenomenon in the entire Jewish world. Come share in the Uman adventures of Avi Neuman, a young, secular guy who gets caught up in a bizarre series of events in Uman that turns his whole life upside-down and introduces him to a mysterious spiritual world, where super-natural miracles are the norm. This one-of-a-kind tale is based entirely on true stories that were told by some of the people at the heart of the Uman experience. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and most of all – it will make you think.

True. I read it. There is a problem, however. The characters keep turning to Rabbi Nachman of blessed memory in what seems mighty akin to prayer. When things go awry some of them “prayed to God and Rabbi Nachman”. When things went well they “thanked both”. Personal Divine providence seems orchestrated a little too strongly by that same human being. Song lyrics are quoted which illustrate this same perspective.

I don’t think I have a problem with Breslov, but if it’s getting distorted into idolatry, I certainly do.

(As for going to Uman for Rosh Hashana itself, see my recent posts here, here and here.)