העורך Editor

In the Mussar Yeshivos, they (?) decided, that when the Bachurim waited in line to wash their hands for a meal, each should fill the cup for the next in line so as to “earn” Chessed from an action they would have taken anyway. The dozens in line are still filling up the cup each time, except they are doing it supposedly “altruistically”, instead.

In other words, they took on the role Chazal delegated to the servants of “Nosnim layadayim”, just as the important students got the “privilege” of cleaning the Yeshiva (even Yehoshua didn’t clean, just organize). (This wouldn’t work with Tevillas Yadayim, by the way.)

But how is it Chessed to help someone who can just as easily help himself?! It most probably isn’t. No one benefits one iota, except the last in line, and no one did anything extra but the first.

I don’t know why they ceased this custom. Maybe that’s why it was called the “Talmud Torah” of Kelm (sorry!).

As opposed to Chassidei Ashkenaz of old who kept similar notions as private as possible (and emphatically didn’t regard it as Chessed to share their insights with other “Mevakshim”), Mussarkeit has today become almost a minimum requirement in some circles. At least Mussarites mostly stopped coming up with crazy, new ways of being interpersonally “holy”.

Which nation is meant to “spread Torah’s justice throughout the world”? (Hint: It’ not the Jews.)

The Rebbe advocated an interventionist foreign policy, too, at least for the “USSR exception”. Here’s a quote: “Isolationism is an inappropriate policy for this powerful and consequential nation.”

See “Derher” pages 14-15 below:

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וכן אם יש חשש ג’ שבועות לגבי בנין בית המקדש, בענין ג’ שבועות, ועוד.

שוב, את המאמר המלא ניתן למצוא כאן.

Much contrary, this is what the “Divine Right of Kings” actually meant in the Torah: limiting entry to one family, on the one hand, and commanding Jews awe one, single monarch (שום שתים עליך מלך, שתהא אימתו עליך and Rambam Melachim 3:8) at a time (אין שתי מלכים משתמשים בכתר אחד), as opposed to mob rule, uh, “Democracy” (or, as it turns out in historical reality, oligarchy), contra Rabbi Yitzchak Abravanel.

Rabbi A. Y. Kook who decided we can spread around the rights of the monarchy to the whole nation has it exactly backward. The king, too, is a concession, as evidenced by Shmuel Hanavi’s words (Shmuel A chapter 8). Royalists objecting to the Magna Carta seem to be correct.

I am influenced in this by Hans Hoppe’s economic analysis, see here.

It’s only 43% of aggregate global military spending! Considering the US empire might decide to wage war on the whole entire world at once, this is far too low.

(Yes, satire.)