העורך Editor

If I aspire to go out to work

What will they say? Bat Melech Pnima

If I stay modestly at home

They say because of you he left Koillel

*

If I choose to teach

The salary is awful

I’ll be working

Entirely to pay the baby sitter

*

Get an advanced teacher diploma

Pity on every penny

As this is the only choice

To improve the take-home pay

*

But woe to my luck

Advanced Diplomas are now forbidden from the Torah

And the rebukers repeatedly reply

For money, you’re willing to give up your principles?

*

Don’t get me wrong

You must work,

and worry about the finances

But, Chalila, do not learn!

*

And if I’d abandon teaching

And find another job

they disdain me – you’re a traitor

Stam a career you’re choosing!

*

So I said I’d take on extra work

Giving extra lessons in the afternoons

But who will educate the kids?

they wonder with surprised eyes

So maybe I’ll realize the vision

to be an exemplary housewife

But from where will you get food?

If you slack off and become lazy?

*

For if your poor husband

Will run from Gmach to Gmach

Tell me, pray, from where

Will a Torah home grow?

*

It’s bad for me as a teacher

I don’t have a penny

Woe to the sorry one

Born without a job

*

If I’d sell candles

The sun wouldn’t set before I died

If I’d take a permanent job

as wings of a plane

El Al would make the entire week

A Shabbat Shabbaton

*

If I’d start dealing in sheitels

They’ll say “probably Avoda Zara”

And if I’d sell quantities of snoods

The Indians would start bowing to cotton

*

If I’d sell mobile phones

Kids would start to be born with antennas

And if I decide to teach teachers

There’d be no more Hishtalmuyot (courses)

The translation from Hebrew was done by an anonymous commenter here on Evanston Jew.

We have recently written against the definition creep of “antisemitism”.

Here is another example, Bereishis 45:16:

והקל נשמע בית פרעה לאמר באו אחי יוסף וייטב בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו.

The Medrash Hagadol on Vayigash comments on the words “בעיני עבדיו”, noting the Torah doesn’t say “כל עבדיו”.

Presumably the intention is to contrast with the verses earlier 41:37:

וייטב הדבר בעיני פרעה ובעיני כל עבדיו. ויאמר פרעה אל עבדיו הנמצא כזה איש אשר רוח אלהים בו. ויאמר פרעה אל יוסף… אתה תהיה על ביתי….

From this we learn, says the Medrash:

אמרו, מה אם זה שהוא אחד הורידנו מגדולתנו הללו עשרה על אחת כמה וכמה.

This recalls the Derasha on Esther 3:10: כי מרדכי היהודי משנה למלך אחשורוש וגדול ליהודים ורצוי לרב אחיו, where Rashi quotes Chazal: לרוב אחיו, ולא לכל אחיו מלמד שפירשו ממנו מקצת סנהדרין לפי שנעשה קרוב למלכות והיה בטל מתלמודו.*

We should not “retcon” הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה ונוסף גם הוא על שנאינו ונלחם בנו ועלה מן הארץ here, at all!

For more on bureaucratic envy, see Megillah 16a:

לא נעשה עמו דבר, אמר רבא, לא מפני שאוהבין את מרדכי אלא מפני ששונאים את המן.

*By the way, this powerfully proves the Sanhedrin was as Litvish as they come!

The Jewish Virtual Library entry on “United Torah Judaism” (Israeli Political Party):

UTJ has said that it is willing to join coalition governments that are dedicated to engaging the Palestinians in peace negotiations and was a member of the coalition government that carried out the disengagement from the Gaza Strip.

(Thanks to Tomer Devorah.)

See more here.

ז”ל חזון איש ב”ק סימן כ”ג סוף סק”ב, והא דאמר ב”מ ק”ט א’ מקרי דרדקי שתלא טבחא ואומנא וספר מתא כולן כמותרין ועומדין [א”ה, ר”ל מה בינם לשאר פועלים]… עוד י”ל דזהו מצוה על פרנסי הציבור לסלקו לטובת הציבור ולהמנות את ההגון והישר וכדאמר ב”ב כ”א א’ ואיכא אחרינא דגריס טפי מני’ לא מסלקינן  לי’ כו’ ואמרינן שם מותבינן ההוא דגרס והיינו אזהרה לפרנסי הציבור, וכן יחיד יכול לכוף את הציבור לסלקו ובגמ’ שם סמכו הא דרבא הכא לשמעתא דרבא התם, עכ”ל.

Every year I see otherwise un-ignorant Ashkenazic Jews tossing out uncooked rice and other Kitniyos before Pesach. Since Kitniyos are, by definition, not one of the 5 grains that can become Chametz, they are permitted to hold onto over Pesach. If you can’t eat it, just set it aside, perhaps “hidden”. So, why do they throw out good food?

What’s next, burning it with the Lulav?!

I blame…

OK, you guessed. Yes, I blame the rabbis!

We have the ridiculous, pathetic, Chillul Hashem “sale”, partly excused as a way to escape “Bal Tashchis”. And we have over-zealous talk of Kitniyos (everything is a Minhag > everything is a Neder > everything is a Safek De’oraysah >, etc. All this based on hyperbole employed by the Chasam Sofer against Reformers…)

So, while the Torah specifically doesn’t care about “Bal Tashchis” for Chametz, demanding instead it be destroyed or otherwise rid of (see Rabbi Brand here p. 187), Kitniyos does still have that issue, even if it may not be eaten. And so, while we have people buying Chametz up until Pesach, perhaps even for storing over Pesach supposedly “sold” because of make-believe Bal Tashchis, plain Kitniyos are being thrown out [to be crushed and inicinerated] in violation of real Bal Tashchis (presumably not by the same people)! Aveirah goreres aveirah.

And we are no longer taught of “Shehiyah” at all since everything from Beliyos to seforim to land in Eretz Yisrael to one’s mother-in-law is “sold” without having to pay a price almost-ever.

The Hechshers should really have 3 categories, not two:

1. Kosher for consumption year-round, including Pesach.
2. Kosher for consumption, except on Pesach, when it may only be held onto.
3. Kosher for consumption, except on Pesach, when it may not even be held onto.