העורך Editor

A Fascinating Letter from the Author of Shulchan Aruch Harav

Rabbi Zalman of Liadi, author of Shulchan Aruch Harav wrote: Don’t be angry at those who act stringently because it doesn’t mean anything.

  וגם חלילה לכם להקפיד על מדינות המחמירין וחוששים לדעת פוסקים המחמירין בשיעור פגימה, וכהאי גוונא מצינו כמה דברים שנחלקו בהן הפוסקים ראשונים או אחרונים, ובדורות הללו רבו כמו רבו הנוהגים להחמיר, כמו חדש ותפילת ערבית בזמנה וכהאי גוונא טובא.

Where is the rest of this letter? And where is this שו”ת לבעל התניא?
Anyway, people don’t fret. It’s all meant in good humor.
Perhaps one day we will yet observe the whole Torah rejected by our fathers and forefathers, but don’t take it personally!

Judge Only Jews Favorably

A quote from Esser Agaroth:

Yehoshu’a ben Perahiyah and Nittai the Arbelli received it [the Torah] from them. Yehoshu’a ben Perahiyah says make for yourself a rav, acquire for yourself a friend; and judge each Jew favorably. (Mishah Avoth 1:6)

As politically-incorrect as it may be, the Ramba”m, and others teach that the word אדם/adam indicates “Jew” in this mishnah. R’ Ovadiah meBartenura goes a step further, and says this refers to a “kosher Jew,” those who believe in the Torah, and observe it.

See the rest.

How to Lower the Cost for Blocking Impure Advertisements Online

Shared by a friend:

My internet filtering strategy consists of a simple content filter, adblocking, and image concealing browser extensions (and other things).

It works for me. But I had a problem. Certain websites, detecting my ad-blocker, would block entry to their articles.

I found a solution to the problem (assuming the article seems important enough to work a little):

  1. Search for the title on Google or the like.
  2. Find the article in question.
  3. If it was reproduced elsewhere, problem solved. If not, read on.
  4. Find the tiny arrow next to the name, and click with care, being sure not to hit the hyper-linked title itself.
  5. A bubble appears.
  6. Again, gingerly click on “cached page”.
  7. You can now view the full article in question.
  8. You can also select different design options at the header.

Mitzvos Are Not the Means to Some Other End!

TIDE (‘Torah Im Derech Eretz’) is dedicated to all mitzvos. It rejects the Medieval Spanish notion of mitzvos as handmaidens to the ultimate goal of philosophic understanding. This notion was influenced arguably by Aristotelian-Arabic philosophers. R’ Hirsch’s explanation of the meaning and symbolism of mitzvos helps to enhance our love for the mitzvos. Rather, mitzvos are an end goal themselves.

(See 19 Letters, Letter 18).

Excerpted from The Torah Im Derech Eretz Society, here.

See the rest here (I couldn’t copy it all!)