Old Books of Interest

Here’s an impressive site of many thousands of older books in English organized by topics. The books are pretty rare (well, OK, I didn’t recognize too many). It starts out free, and you can upgrade for more. Here is the ‘Judaism’ category. You can also search using Jewish terms (use the menu dropdown). It’s worth checking out, but buyer beware!

Quit Kollel and Buy Your Son Nosh!

There is a very important thing that must be done to prevent child molestation, perhaps more important than uncomfortable explanations about bodily privacy, and that is ensuring the child has enough candy, so he is not available for seduction. Rabbi Nochem Rosenberg often stresses this point. Adults might be capable of “learning Torah in poverty (תורה מתוך הדחק)”, but this may not be imposed on children to such an extent their lives and religion are imperiled!

The brazen title is not brazen enough.

Light is Better Than Dark, Jew Better Than Non-Jew

From the weekly portion (Parsha):

This day, the Lord, your God, is commanding you to fulfill these statutes and ordinances, and you will observe and fulfill them with all your heart and with all your soul.

הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מְצַוְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וְשָׁמַרְתָּ וְעָשִׂיתָ אוֹתָם בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ

You have selected the Lord this day, to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to observe His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and to obey Him.

אֶת יְהֹוָה הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹהִים וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ

And the Lord has selected you this day to be His treasured people, as He spoke to you, and so that you shall observe all His commandments,

וַיהֹוָה הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְלִשְׁמֹר כָּל מִצְו‍ֹתָיו

and to make you supreme, above all the nations that He made, [so that you will have] praise, a [distinguished] name and glory; and so that you will be a holy people to the Lord, your God, as He spoke.

וּלְתִתְּךָ עֶלְיוֹן עַל כָּל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִתְהִלָּה וּלְשֵׁם וּלְתִפְאָרֶת וְלִהְיֹתְךָ עַם קָדשׁ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר

הוא היה בהלויה שלי

כשהרב שך זכרונו, ה’בעל מחלוקת’ הידוע, נפטר מעולמו, הרב חיים גריינימן זצ”ל השתתף בהלויה.

שאלו אותו, והלא הרב שך רדף אתכם חנם, ומדוע זה גומל לו חסד של אמת, ומשלם טובה תחת רעה. הרב גריינימן השיב: נו, הוא היה בהלויה שלי…

הסיפור אמת – מידיעה. הרב גריינימן גם השיב עוד תשובות לאותה שאלה לאחרים ששאלו.