Defining ‘Tza’ar Ba’alei Chaim’

Maybe someone can help me out; what is not included in “Tza’ar ba’alei chaim”? Obviously, animals are not as aware as humans, nor do they have identical psychological needs.

Is tiny confinement for animals Jewishly verboten, as some claim (to common ridicule)?

Today chicken beaks are burned off to prevent them from attacking and injuring one another! The beak is not nail or bone but flesh (yes, I know). Why are they suddenly violent? Because they are now confined together to smaller coops than they require. Does this matter to the Kashrus certification agencies? No.

And if the only issue is the beak-burning, what of tiny confinement for cows, sheep, etc.?

P.S., I now find the following Rashi in Mishlei 12:27:

חרוך, מחובר למקרא שלפניו כלומר דרך רשע תתעהו ולא יחרוך את צידו של רמיה שלו.

לא יחרוך, לא יצליח בתרמיתו ולפי שדבר בלשון ציד נופל בו לשון חריכה שהציד המצליח צד את העופות וחורכן באש.

The Kaddish Choir

The Chazon Ish is known to have opposed more than one man saying Kaddish at a time. In “Dinim Vehanhagos” he is quoted as comparing it to having two prayer leaders (“Shlia’ch tzibbur”)…

But did you know this was not an innovation by the Chazon Ish? This was, in fact, the ancient custom (not by Sefardim), as claimed here on the Treasures of Ashkenaz blog.

And I quote:

Only one person recites kaddish at a time (as opposed to the Sepharadic group kaddish).

Run, Rafi, Run!

Thinking about Running on the Zehut Ticket

I just got a text from one of the Zehut Party activists that primaries for the party will be soon. I’m not very active on the ground at the moment as I have zero patience for grunt work and politicking. However, I am vaguely familiar with the Zehut crowd as I’ve been to a few key events, and they generally strike me as thoughtful people, not libertarian theorists by any stretch but they do have a better sense of what liberty is than most people.

That’s pretty good.

An internal poll commissioned by Zehut and done by Ma’agar Mochot saw Zehut getting up to 15 seats. That means if I can get a slot up to 15-20 I may actually get in.

If I do run, my campaign will be extremely simple and cheap. My platform will simply be this:

  1. I will not be running to be a Knesset Member, or חבר כנסת, literally “Friend of the Knesset”. I will be running to be a Knesset Enemy, or אויב כנסת. I will be a Member of Am Yisrael, not The Knesset.
  2. As an Enemy of Knesset and Member of Am Yisrael , I will vote against any law that decreases liberty for Am Yisrael and/or increases the power of the State.
  3. As an enemy of Knesset, I will vote for any law that increases liberty and/or decreases the power of the State.
  4. Any law that both increases and decreases liberty, or both increases and decreases the power of the State in certain respects, I will have to judge on a case-by-case basis as to whether State power or liberty is increased on net, and I will explain each decision I have made, and I will be open to discussion about it before voting with whoever wants to speak with me about it.
  5. I will not be subject to any coalition discipline from anybody, not even Moshe Feiglin. I am not his chassid, though I will listen to his opinions and take them into account.
  6. I will not accept a single shekel in State salary or subsidies for any purpose whatsoever. I will not drive a state car or use any of its money for any reason. If I am elected an Enemy of Knesset, I will do it for free. I will be accepting voluntary donations for my time however, for defending the liberty of everyone. Any money forced into my bank account by thugs will either be burned and inflation returned to the People or donated back to Zehut for the purpose of shrinking the State.
  7. I promise to make my opening Knesset speech a thing for the books. I will drag that place through the dirt and I will not hide my contempt and hatred for all politicians in that building.

If you want me to run, comment here and let me know.

From The Jewish Libertarian, here.

Don’t Wait For Mashiach!

Some Mitzvos cannot technically be fulfilled without Mashiach’s might. But there is a prohibition against making a Mitzvah unjustifiably conditional upon Mashiach’s arrival, as Rabbi Brand explains here: “Lo tenasu es Hashem”. If jailed outside the land, such as Jonathan Pollard (still!) it is certainly not possible to make Aliyah. Until circumstances change – which can be brought about through Mashiach, as well, “Onness Rachmana Patrei”. B

ut this is true only in extenuating circumstances. One may not say “We’ll come to Israel/wear Techeiles/ascend the Temple Mount when Mashiach comes” when the two events have nothing to do with each other.

This same point is made in this article by Bob Blue.

An excerpt:

Hashem did not say, “Sit on your hands in the land and wait until Moshiach comes to do your job for you”. Hashem said, “drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their temples, destroy their molten idols, and demolish their high places”. Hashem said, “clear out the Land and settle in it”. Hashem said, “You shall utterly destroy them; neither shall you make a covenant with them, nor be gracious to them”. Hashem said, “You shall demolish their altars and smash their monuments, and cut down their asherim trees, and burn their graven images with fire”. Hashem said, “You do this!” He did not say, “Wait for Moshiach to come and do it”.

See the rest… [Deleted.]