העורך Editor

איחור הוא לא איסור,

איחור הוא לא כדאי.

איחור הוא מאכזב לזה

אשר חיכה מדי.

אם לא תאמתי ציפיות

הכאבתי לשני,

וכשהרב הוא מאוכזב

הכאבתי לעצמי.

(דברי תלמיד)

Even when he says untenable things, this does not reflect his personal view.

Rabbi Gil Student quotes Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman:

The Karaites famously understand Ex. 35:3 as meaning that we may not have any fire in our homes on Shabbos, not just that we may not kindle fires. Therefore, they extinguish all flames before Shabbos. Ibn Ezra (ad loc.) writes about a debate he had with a Karaite. He argues that the verse only forbids fires on the “day” of Shabbos, and the biblical day begins with the morning. On this last point, Ibn Ezra adduces many proofs. If so, Karaites should permit fires on the evening of Shabbos.

Ibn Ezra could not have meant that he believes that the biblical day begins with the morning. In another work, he writes about this view that: “God should avenge the Sabbath from one who believes this disturbing interpretation. The tongue of one who reads it aloud should cleave to his palate. Also, the arm of the scribe who writes this commentary to Scripture should wither and his right eye weaken” (The Sabbath Epistle, tr. Mordechai S. Goodman, p. 4). Rather, Ibn Ezra must have been arguing about the limits of independent understanding of the Bible. As Ibn Ezra wrote (Ex. 35:3): “I only mentioned this because an understanding person can interpret Scripture in many ways. Therefore, regarding all commandments, we need a tradition and Oral Torah.”

See the rest here.

Political democracy means:

• Very specific individuals –
• Hurting certain other very specific individuals –
• For the benefit of other very specific individuals.

All this in the name of a discarnate, abstract entity, misnamed “The People” to bamboozle the losers.

That is all.

From Rabbi Kahane’s last speech:

What has happened?  What has happened in natural terms?  Of course, in divine terms, the Almighty is ending it for us.  But what is happening in natural terms?  Two basic changes have taken place in this country over the last twenty years.  It began slowly, now it is reaching its crescendo.  We have seen the death of what I call the “Auschwitz syndrome”.  What is the “Auschwitz syndrome”?  After World War II, it was hard to be an anti-Semite, even for an anti-Semite.  It was just difficult.  And then the years passed – ten years, twenty years, twenty-five years, thirty years, and a generation arose which was not born at that time.  And the “Auschwitz syndrome” began to fade away, and the guilt began to fade away.  No matter how many Holocaust programs were shown on television, every year they had less and less impact.  Indeed, they reach a point whereby they encourage anti-Semitism, whereupon the anti-Semite says: “ Hey, you know, I know Jews, and the Nazis, and they were probably right.” That’s what happens today.  It fades away.  And to help things along, there was the rise of a strong Israel. Suddenly, Israel was winning.  And that allowed the anti-Semite to cut the albatross.  Now it was OK.  You see, the Jew are Nazis, and they persecute the Palestinians, and now it was OK.  So the “Auschwitz syndrome” faded, and it’s gone for all practical purposes.  And you hear people speak about the holocaust that the Israelis are perpetrating upon the Palestinians. A Holocaust…So all the Israelis and all the Jews who ever called me a Nazi and didn’t realize that when you call a Jew a Nazi, you cheapen the Holocaust.  And you cheapen the concept of Nazi, which is a very unique thing.  And by you calling a second Jew a Nazi, what you are telling the world is” Jews can also be Nazis.  Foolish people and tiny dwarfs and pygmies, grasshoppers.

So the “Auschwitz syndrome” is gone. And another thing has happened.  After World War II, and until perhaps ten years ago, the American people lived in an economic luxury such as we have not seen ever in world history.  No Roman emperor lived as well as the average American did from World War II on, until fairly recently.  Life was good.  And when life is good, the anti-Semite hates Jews quietly.  It’s not a big deal to him.  He hates Jews, but he’s too interested in the Monday night football game.  I myself am amazed that so many people are here tonight that don’t want to see the Giants massacre the Colts…

Find the rest here.

A yeshiva student once visited Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter, author of “Lev Simcha”. When the rabbi inquired where he studied, the young man mentioned the name of a certain yeshiva known to contain many Ba’alei Teshuva among the student body. Realizing this, he appended he, himself, was not a Ba’al Teshuva.

“Why not?!”, asked the Lev Simcha.