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What Makes You Think Jews Usually Kept the Torah?!

390) A History of Torah Observance: The widespread rejection of Judaism is certainly tragic. But is it unusual?

Sunday, 10 July 2022

A Guest post by Rabbi Boruch Clinton

Some appear to assume that the current state of Jewish observance – where only a small minority of Jews are Torah-loyal – is an historical anomaly. The centuries and millennia preceding the European Enlightenment, so the thinking goes, saw more or less universal halachic compliance, and it was only through a combination of hostile external and internal 18th Century forces that we lost most of our population.

But I’m not sure that’s true. First of all, mass defections seem to have been common through most periods of Jewish history. And second, Jewish life could hardly be considered “settled” during the early modern period (c. 1450-1800) that preceded the Enlightenment. In other words, while things may not be great right now, I’m not sure they were ever all that much better. There has always been free will and bad choices have always been an option.

Whichever way you define observance, there have been so many halachically-deviant historical movements through the ages that it’s hard to imagine any time when observance was the overwhelming norm. From our very birth as a nation, as predicted by Deut. 31:16, religious rebellion has been a real force in our history.

Let’s explore using generally available information. While we can’t be sure exactly how widespread each of these problems was, I think you’ll agree that it’s impossible to claim that they were negligible.

Just a few centuries after receiving the Torah – and immediately following our Golden Age under Solomon – ten of the twelve tribes broke away from Judah and the House of David. They rejected the status of the Temple and, for the next two centuries, ceased attending the three annual pilgrimage festivals (see 1 Kings 12). In time, most of the Northern Kingdom slipped into idolatry (see 1 Kings 19:18). Even the Jews of Judah were persistently unable or unwilling to fully observe all related Torah laws (see 1 Kings 22:44).

There seems to have been significant neglect of fundamental marriage laws in the exile during the period before the Second Temple was built. So much so, that Ezra was forced to directly intervene to keep things under control (Kiddushin 69b). Parallel problems existed among the contemporary Jewish community in Jerusalem (Ezra 10:2).

It’s unclear which era(s) Shabbos 139a (based on Isaiah 14:5) refers to, but the Jewish governing class has seen frightening periodic descent into official corruption. Note the criticism of Jewish judges who allow themselves (מקל לחזניהם) to be used by their staff and handlers in order to facilitate corrupt schemes. And note, too, how prominent Torah scholars strengthened and provided cover for the crimes of their corrupt relatives serving as judges (שבט מושלים). From Pesachim 57a (“אוי לי מבית ישמעאל בן פיאבי אוי לי מאגרופן”), it seems this kind of corruption was a recurring problem.

Continue reading…

From Kotzk Blog, here.

Some Recent Samples of CIA Twitterbot Agitprop

What Does It Really Mean For Twitter To Be Full Of Bots?

By 

July 13, 2022

I have had the joy of working in the tech space for about a decade now. 

You build, you find a customer, you build some more, and find a customer. 

Great ideas sometimes get led astray by this process. 

Google was a great idea — give the user exactly what he wants to find. 

That has turned into “Give the user exactly what Google wants him to find.”  

Twitter too was a great idea — let the user communicate succinctly with anyone he wants to communicate with.

It has turned into, “let the user be communicated with by anyone Twitter wants him to communicate with.” 

In this, we have a problem. Twitter, the home of influencers, appears to be filled with bots. Bots are a programmed account intended to behave in a predictable way. It could be a human behind an army of accounts, all behaving predictably. It could also be a machine behind the army of accounts. Often it is some combination of the two. 

 It comes down to this though — a bot is a reliable way to circulate information out into the world, while making that information seem way more “organic” than it actually is.  

If you have a Twitter account, you may have “people” you have never met who communicate with you and like and retweet a lot of your stuff. That may be a real person interested in you authentically, or it may be a bot. The bot will communicate in a way that seems authentic. And that bot does its job when it fools you into thinking that communication is authentic. 

You see, many people long ago became savvy around the fake news media. They came to understand that the media was manipulated and that truth was hard to find in its pages. 

As the media, which has turned into little more than propaganda and programming, has lost its impact on the public, a new tool — social media — emerged to help supplement that. 

Social media can be a powerful tool for communicating with those you know in a relatively relaxed and trustworthy environment. It can be far more effective at communicating propaganda to you. You are relaxed, you are having a good conversation with a friend, perhaps about something lighthearted, and then that friend retweets something from a friend of a friend. 

You perk up. You are not sure about what is written there. So instead of thoughtlessly recirculating it, you take it a step further and click on the original poster’s account profile first. Their account is anonymous, but it looks like someone you could follow. Maybe they wear a mask if you are on the left or have a virtue tag such as a Ukrainian flag or BLM symbolism. If you are on the right, maybe they have a Pepe profile photo, or a screen name that mentions “Trump” or “45.” Maybe they support a cause you support — such as the environment, breast cancer, veterans, or caring for stray animals. 

Maybe they have the words “MD” or “RN,” in their bio, along with a name and photo that seems real. It lends an air of credibility — someone you could be a friend with, maybe even someone you could trust. 

Let me share with you some tweets posted verbatim by many automated accounts recently on Twitter. 

“I just left the ER.

We are officially back to getting

crushed by COVID-19.

Delta Variant is running rampant

and it’s MUCH more transmissible

than the original virus.

99% of our ICU admits did NOT receive a vaccine”

What would it mean if millions of people began to believe and repeat that narrative? 

Imagine the power in the hands of someone who could make that a reality. 

Social media is an effective way to make that happen. 

Here is another Tweet that appeared verbatim across numerous accounts. 

“You have been the softest, most reassuring voice of reason I’ve felt in years. Thank you, PRESIDENT Joseph R. Biden for taking us all on, when you never, ever had to. Thank you for the respite of peace. I speak for everyone when i say we love you.”

Or this one:

“I speak for the whole of America when I say we need a hard 6-month lockdown, none of this essential work or exercise garbage from last time. Masks to be worn at all times, even at home. Strictly enforced. We can then begin a gradual easing but letting folks out a year after booster!”

Or this one:

“Honest US citizen here, I don’t get why many people hate Biden. I think he’s one of the best presidents in the country right now. He needs time to do this. We should back him and trust the process. We can do this! Let’s go US!”

If you do not believe that these are repeated by accounts on Twitter, just search a unique portion of the phrases above on Twitter or even in an internet search. You will find those tweets. Soon, Snopes may even run an article calling this misinformation to claim that the Twitter platform is home to bots used to influence public opinion.  

Almost everyone is missing the Elon Musk story. It isn’t about shareholder value if the number of fake Twitter accounts are high. It isn’t about advertising revenue. It isn’t about the morality of lying on financial statements. 

All those statements, of course, may be calm and sober and may play well in traditional media and open up the doors to judicial deliberation of this disagreement, but the bot argument is about so much more. 

This is why that really matters: If Musk removes the bots from Twitter, he has denied the CIA one of its most useful propaganda tools on this planet. 

—

Project Pureblood launched last week and is off to a successful start. Its cousin project, “The Converts,” is now open for those who see the evil of the vaccine and mask mandates refuse to comply with them. Have a look here (https://realstevo.com/convertslrc) to learn more about The Converts. Devoid of bots and full of brave warriors like those who read the esteemed pages of LRC, The Converts is the exact opposite of the CIA spin machine that Twitter has become. 

From LRC, here.

Agudas Yisroel of America and the Price of Greed

גילוי דעת

Letter written today by Rav Yosef Zalman Bloch Shlita regarding the “chinuch crisis” – a threat to the very lives of our communities both spiritually and physically

Boruch Weiss

BS”D

Entering into negotiations about Chinuch of our children with any governmental body or anyone else for that matter, is like entering into negotiations about how to write Tefillin. Absolutely ridiculous and absolutely forbidden.

We do not have an “Education System”, we have a Mitzvah of Learning With Our Children. And it is interesting to note that in the second Parsha in Krias Shema, the Torah sandwiches Learning with our children in between the Mitzvah of Tefillin and the Mitzvah of Mezuzah, to show us that just as writing Tefillin and Mezuzos is a Holy Undertaking, so too is “writing” the Torah on the hearts of our children.

We are commanded to be good citizens and loyal to our governments. But, when the Government begins to Pasken Religious questions we are totally deaf. Our attitude can be summed up in two words, “Drop Dead”. We do not have anything to discuss with them we do NOT negotiate! We do not come to the table on issues of religion. For those who feel my language is too harsh, there is an alternative given in Chazal. They taught us that when dealing with King Nevuchadnetzar, Jews told him, “If you want to discuss taxes, you are king, if however, you want to discuss religion, you are equal to a dog”! So, if you like that expression better you can use it.

The real issue is that the frum organizations and schools don’t want to give up the Government monies that they take for the schools, and for THAT they are jeopardizing the entire Chinuch system. And at a time when BH Yidden have more than enough money to support our schools.

Agudas Yisroel of America for the last thirty years has been a totally worthless organization. An organization seeking a reason to exist. Now they have inserted themselves into this discussion as Peacemakers. They are the problem! They take millions for their useless organization from the same government bodies that they are supposedly standing up to. And they are working hand in hand with our worst enemies since Naziism. At the same time spreading lies among the frum Olom that they are saving our children. They do not follow the dictates of the Torah in how to deal with governments when religion is imperiled, thereby causing the problem to blossom and become truly life threatening.

We must be prepared for Mesiras Nefesh Mamosh. No one is coming to save us!

ואין לנו להשען אלא על אבינו שבשמים

יוסף זלמן בלאך

עש”ק אם בחקותי תלכו ה’ תשפ”ב

From Agudas Anshei Emes, here.

הרקע הנסתר למעשה ד”ר ברוך גולדשטיין

כיצד הציל הרב שפירא זצ”ל את חברון

סיפור אחד מהווה דוגמא לגדלותו ומנהיגותו של ר’ אברום זצ”ל, גבורתו והבנתו את המציאות הציבורית והפוליטית. צירוף תכונות אלו יושם מול המזימות לגרש את יהודי חברון או חלקם בשנת תשנ”ד, והרב זצ”ל זכה להיות בעל חלק מרכזי במניעת המעשה הנפשע.

11.11.15, 12:04 | נעם ארנון

על גדולתו של הרב שפירא זצ”ל בתורה, בחינוך ובהנהגה נכתב – ועוד יכתב – רבות. זכיתי ללמוד ב”מרכז הרב” לפני כשלשים שנה, כשעדיין היו עמנו הרב צבי יהודה, הרב שפירא, הרב ישראלי- זצ”ל   ולטעום משהוא מגדלותם. סיפור אחד מהווה דוגמא לגדלותו ומנהיגותו של ר’ אברום זצ”ל, גבורתו והבנתו את המציאות הציבורית והפוליטית. צירוף תכונות אלו יושם מול המזימות לגרש את יהודי חברון או חלקם בשנת תשנ”ד, והרב זצ”ל זכה להיות בעל חלק מרכזי במניעת המעשה הנפשע.

כזכור, בחודשי חורף 1994 הלך המתח באזור חברון וגבר. התרעות “חמות” על פיגוע גדול שמתכנן החמאס הושמעו בתכיפות וקיבלו אישור מהדרג הבכיר ביותר: בי’ באדר תשנ”ד (21.2.94) זומנו בדחיפות ראשי וחברי המועצות בקרית ארבע והר חברון לישיבה עם מפקד איו”ש, אלוף שאול מופז (שלימים מונה לרמטכ”ל), ועם מח”ט חברון, אל”מ מאיר קליפי. נציגי צה”ל הזהירו כי עומד להתבצע פיגוע רצחני גדול בחברון. היהודים נדרשו לנהוג במשנה זהירות, ולא לצאת מקרית ארבע במשך ימים מספר ללא צורך הכרחי. אזהרה מעין זו, בבהילות כזו ומדרג בכיר כזה, לא ניתנה לפני כן מעולם. נציגי הציבור ביקשו מהקצינים להטיל עוצר על חברון, אך נענו שאין סיכוי שהדרג המדיני יאשר צעד כזה באוירת ה”שלום” שהשתררה בעקבות הסכם אוסלו.

בין משתתפי מפגש החירום היה גם הרופא האחראי על מערך הרפואה הצבאי באזור, ד”ר ברוך גולדשטיין. הוא הצטווה להכין מערכות חירום לטיפול בעשרות נפגעים. ערביי חברון המשיכו בהכנות לפיגוע הגדול: בעיר הופצו כרוזים מטעם ה”חמאס”, הקוראים לתושבים להתכונן לעוצר ממושך ולהצטייד במזון. הידיעות הגיעו לתקשורת הישראלית. בעיתון “ידיעות אחרונות” שהופיע ב -25.2.94, בוקר חג פורים (שנכתב והודפס בלילה הקודם) נכתב: “מבוקשי עז א-דין אל קאסם הודיע לתושבי העיר באמצעות כרוזים, הודעות ברמקול וכתובות על קירות לאגור מזון לקראת עוצר ממושך, בשל כוונתם לבצע פיגוע גדול”. ההסתה גברה גם במערת המכפלה. בערב פורים החרישו זעקות “אטבח אל יהוד” את קריאת המגילה, אך החיילים במקום נותרו חסרי אונים. הרופא ברוך גולדשטייין, שנכח במקום, יצא ממערת המכפלה באמצע קריאת המגילה. למחרת, בבוקר חג הפורים, עם שחר, נכנס ד”ר ברוך גולדשטיין, לבוש מדי קצין בדרגת סרן, לאולם יצחק במערת המכפלה. לפתע נשמעו מהאולם צרורות ירי ממושכים. החיילים שחשו למקום מצאו בו את גופותיהם של 29 ערבים, וכן את גופתו של ד”ר גולדשטיין.

האירוע גרם לתדהמה, הלם וזעזוע עולמי. באורח מוזר, בראש המגנים עמדו אלו שזה עתה התחבקו וחתמו על הסכמים עם ראשי הטרור הערבי, וקיימו קשרים חמים עם רוצחים. יהודי חברון, למרות שלא היו מעורבים כלל באירוע, הוצגו כאשמים. סדרת הפיגועים ורציחות יהודים שקדמה לאירוע – הושכחה. חוגי השמאל ניצלו את ההזדמנות להסית נגד כל יהודי חברון, והתרכזו בניצול האירוע להשגת שאיפתם הנושנה: גירוש יהודי חברון וחיסול היישוב. אבירי המוסר של השמאל החלו לדגול לפתע בענישה קולקטיבית, חיסול יישוב יהודי וגירוש עשרות משפחות עקב מעשה של יחיד. מאמרי שטנה והסתה הופצו בכל כלי התקשורת. הלחץ המסיבי והמאורגן, שאליו הצטרפה התקשורת בארץ ובעולם, אכן הועיל: ע”פ פרסומים מאותה תקופה, בכ”ג באדר תשנ”ד (6.3.94) הושג רוב בממשלה בעד פינוי מתיישבי חברון.

המשך לקרוא…

מאתר היישוב היהודי חברון, כאן.