Demolition (Israel Syndrome - intermezzo)

Includes vague references to Part I
Part II
Part III

מי האיש החכם ויבן את זאת ואשר דבר פי ה' אליו ויגדה ל מה אבדה הארץ ונצתה כמדבר מבלי עבר
Who is the wise man who shall understand this, which the mouth of G-d spake to him, and tell why the land was lost and desolated as a desert with no passers through

The gmora in Bove Metsie (85a/b) interprets this posuk as a question “why was the land lost?” i.e. the Temple’s destruction and the exile. The sages, the prophets and the angels could not answer it, so The Holy One Bessed Be He answered himself “עַל-עָזְבָם אֶת-תּוֹרָתִי, אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיהֶם; וְלֹא-שָׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי, וְלֹא-הָלְכוּ בָהּ. – for they have forsaken my Torah that I gave before them and haven’t heeded my word and haven’t gone in it[s teachings]”. The gmora explains that this doesn’t mean that there was no Torah learning – but that the people wouldn’t “שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They [the people] didn’t bless the Torah first”. According to the commentators, this means that the Torah wasn’t important in their eyes and was disrespected. Which is an oxymoron – how is it possible to toil day and night over the Torah and not holding dearly important?
But this explanation does not match any of the reasons given in various gmoras. According to the simple understanding, this refers to the first Temple’s destruction, as this is a verse in Yirmiyohu. But in Yirmiyohu’s times the Torah was literally abandoned – the sages and prophets needn’t have to be consulted on the matter. We also know that idol worship, adultery and bloodshed were ubiquitous, and this reason for the destruction is spelled out in scriptures. Furthermore, the land was not ‘lost’, in the sense that the Jews returned from exile seventy years later.

Joseph’s dreams have come true in a way he never dreamt himself; the tribes were not separated anymore – for they were lost… And still, there was no unity between them.
In the era of the second Temple’s destruction, there was intense Torah learning, and it was destroyed because of sinas chinom, baseless, vain or “free” hatred. So how was the land lost due to a lack of proper Blessings for Torah? And why was that so terrible as to cause the destruction and the exile?

Our sages explain that the word ברכה is rooted in בריכה – pool, in the sense of container, a storing of sorts, or source, from which the ‘blessing’ emanates. In other words, when we “make a brocha”, we acknowledge that G-d is the source and giver of that which we have. Meaning that it’s not us who ‘bless’ the Creator, but rather acknowledge him as the source of our blessing. This word ברכה is always used with the preposition על - on (for). We make a brocha on an apple etc. But here the gmora states “ שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They didn’t bless in the Torah first”. This makes absolutely no sense. Blessing in something has no meaning. So why does the gmora expresses itself this way?

The utmost disrespect for something, or someone, is to know it well, deal with it on a daily basis, and blatantly ignore it, flying in its face. Achdus Yisroel, the unity of the Jewish people is the absolute crucial and central concept of the Torah. The revelation of the Torah would not have been possible without perfect and sincere unity. Toiling in torah has for its purpose the perfection of the soul, the polishing of the self, to achieve closeness to the Infinite. And perhaps the clearest indicator to such closeness and perfection is the love, the true brotherhood to the fellow Jew. And it’s also the hardest. Since the Torah has so many facets and aspects, and our History and backgrounds are so turbulent and different, it is a real challenge to respect one another without compromising our beliefs and the way Torah is. But it must be achieved – and it can; to cite “e pluribus unum”, for the sake of a cheesy cliché.

Maybe this is the true meaning of “שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They didn’t bless in the Torah first”, they wouldn’t acknowledge that the blessing was in the Torah, the obligation of unity and solidarity. That the fulfillment of this commandment is also a condition, - a condition for G-d’s bestowing his blessing and protection on us. If there was sinas chinom, if the crucial concept in Torah, the very condition for its deliverance in the hands of our Nation, is abandoned, that is the utmost disrespect. And if the cornerstone is missing, the entire building collapses. Than all other rituals are meaningless motions – the Temple lost its unifying power, and as a result was destroyed.

May we open our eyes and begin to unite – in sincere brotherhood, despite our differences.

May we merit to be united, in life, and see our Temple’s building soon.

Private Investigation

I've got to give it up
That stuff
I have got to give it up
That’s tough
Tell my mama go and tell my pa
That their fine young son didn't get any far
He made it to the end of a bottle
Sitting in a sleazy bar
- “Give It Up”, Thin Lizzy (Black Rose, 1979)


Words lack the power to convey certain experiences and emotions. Sometimes, in order to fully understand certain things, one just has to experience them. But I only have words to convey such a thing, so words are what I’ll use.

There I was, doing what I do everyday. A little more garlic, a little less salt, some oil, there we go. Rub the meat, put in the oven, prep salads, take roast out, yadda yadda. But I wasn’t really there. My arms, hands and feet were moving, doing what they’ve learned to do a thousand times, but my brain was somewhere else. I was deeply engrossed in the music coming out of the speakers, taking in each note, each little detail of the guitar, the bass, the piano, the saxophone, the drums, the bongos. Maybe only a third generation melo-maniac from birth can understand how people get so involved with music. But that’s just the way it is, and today was no different. It’s like you’re on a totally different planet, you put your body on auto-pilot and you just soar with the music. That’s when it hit me.

Totally indescribable, like a flash of light, so bright, so penetrating - sharper than a razor blade, faster than lightning. The realization just hits you, truth stares you in the face in a way you can’t escape. As if you were taking a tranquil stroll in a quiet forest, on the banks of a sweet river, taking in the view, drinking beauty with your eyes. Out of nowhere, a train comes and hits you at 475mph, but you live on as it takes you with it and you can’t escape. That’s how I felt. “What are you doing? What the hell are you doing here? Which part of “בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ” don’t you understand? Which part of “וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ... וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ. ”don’t you understand? Don’t you know that you’re here for a different purpose? You know full and well that you’ll have to give full account of your every minute and second and breath! You full and well know that you were put in charge of a bronco to break in, a stallion to tame, a bull to ride. These are not just cute words – this is reality. “Not ossur” won’t fly! “Permissible by halocha” won’t fly. Of course it’s not easy. Of course it is not pleasant. Of course it costs blood sweat and tears. But that’s what you’re here for. The abundance and ease ubiquitous today are at the same time obstacles and aids in achieving this goal. Don’t you realize that a time is coming when you will be told “put down pen and paper – the test is over!” and you’ll have to answer to the King Of Kings, the Creator Of The Universe for every millisecond, every thought and every breath in your life? Do you think you’ll have it easy then?”

These thoughts were not articulated in words, as usual when one thinks. It was just a sudden, deep realization of these truths that struck without a warning.

It occurred to me that overabundance and excessive well-being are inherently intertwined not only with rebellion against a Higher Authority, but also with baseless hatred.

It took eight spies to carry one bunch of grapes, and one spy had to carry a fig which he couldn’t possibly consume alone. They came to a dire realization: in order to be able to succeed in this prosperity, tremendous unity is required: each will have to yield his leadership to carry the burden with his equals. And sometimes one will have to toil to share his earnings with others. Nope. Too hard, too dangerous. It won’t work – they reasoned. Let’s just get back to the Mann, of which each one had to gather an עֹמֶר לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת – one "omer" measure per skull. Huh? Skull? Not per 'man', or per 'soul' but per skull? Why skull for heaven’s sake? Perhaps skull is the barest, most exclusively descriptive of ‘self’, the bare individual. A 'man' or a 'soul' has many dependents, and can often be understood in a context of family, clan, or plural (a group). But skull is very individual, not shared. Perhaps in the desert, when they were closely monitored and pampered by the Master Of The Universe, the accent wasn’t so much on unity, or it came natural. Food was but a “necessary evil”, (perhaps at the level of what excretion is today) in a world of spirituality, sacrifices, Torah straight from Moshe and a quasi-supernatural intimacy with the Creator.

Maybe that is what the spies didn’t get. That spiritual unity in a world of material abundance is achievable – and required. Perhaps overcoming our addiction to luxuries, delicacies and comfort goes hand in hand with unity. It is possible that one helps the other. Maybe if we fight our addictions and exigencies for more and more we can be more united – and maybe if we’re more united it is easier to give up some our addictions to entertainment, leisure etc.

This addiction to well-being and constantly wanting more and more is very instrumental not only in breeding selfishness and taking life’s boons for granted, but it also numbs the senses to uncomfortable truths. We are so afraid to give up the slightest pleasure, we’re so unwilling to sacrifice the smallest thing that we rather ignore all the turmoil brewing all around us. The world markets, the worldwide rise of Islam, Terrorism, the rise of Communism in South and Central America and the far East, a radical Shintoist revival in Japan are but a few warning signs written on the wall.

Will we march to our deaths again? Will we have to see out babies burned again? Well, in Israel it happens almost daily – and the most frightening, tragic and appalling thing is that they have gotten used to it. Another attack, another day. And it started here too, on a smaller scale. Of course, there is no empirical proofs that the shootings at LAX airport, the Seattle JCC shootings, the Salt Lake City mall shootings, the SUV’s driving into people on several occasions have anything to do with terrorism. Or that the government is willfully turning a blind eye to the problem.

It is late, but not too late yet to prepare for the worst of the worst and try to prevent it. But for that we must wake up, put aside our favorite luxuries, leisures and differences before it is too late. I know I can’t scare you enough with horror stories from the Shoah or the terrorists. I know that the loss of your life and your children’s lives doesn’t impress you. So I must tell you something even more terrible, even more horrible, even more shocking – you may just lose your comfy lifestyle, the cozy home, the cool car, and most of all, your favorite hobby of your fellow Jew. A major WWIII doesn’t even has to happen for that – a little shake from China, a little rocking from South America and bammm – there comes the recession, there comes overt anti-Semitism, there goes your job, your car, your home.

Tshuva doesn’t just mean a stern face and harder shockeling while davening. It is meant to be a deeper, long lasting meaningful impact on your life. And it is crucial in bein odom lechaveiro too.

This house is on fire –wake up.

We All Fall Down

Fly like an eagle
Fly, touch the sun
…
Now his wings turn to ashes, to ashes his grave
- “Flight Of Icarus”, Iron Maiden (Piece Of Mind, 1983)

A brilliant article, or rather interview with rabbi Ber’l Wein appeared in Mishpacha magazine. Actually, it’s not so much the article that’s brilliant, but the fact that it got published in an orthodox publication. The documentation of historical events, until the return from the first exile, was part and parcel of the scriptures. But ever since, it was neglected to one extent or another, and has become the lot of secular historians. Ber’l Wein bemoans our forsaking the knowledge of our Nation’s chronicles, rightly so, and wants to maistreamize and re-introduce it in Orthodox curricula. Rabbi Wein’s straightforward approach and the magazine’s willingness to openly aboard the subject are a great step forward. And in no way should it be seen as a step ‘charedim’ took toward Western Civilization (to which it has already come dangerously close – but we’ll save that subject for a rainy day) – au contraire: if Rabbi Wein succeeds in his efforts, average people will be able to learn history from books written by “our guys”, not outsiders. Rabbi Wein has a professional, no-nonsense and honest approach to history. On one hand, he won’t hide facts such as Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato –author of Mesilas Yesharim and Derech HaChayim- having written plays, poems and psalms, yet he won’t present him as a bohemian from Sheinkin either. Of course, there are far more important elements, such as incorporating Jewish History in world history, as well as correcting distortions by secular historians. Two thumbs up to Ber’l Wein and his efforts on behalf of Klal Yisroel’s history.

*
* *

Three weeks ago, an Israeli-American Orthodox businessman was on his way to JFK airport to board a flight to Teal-Aviv, where he was going on business. Due to harsh weather he was running late, so he called to notify EL-Al, who promised him that they would let him on board. He arrived 45 minutes before scheduled departure, but in typical Israeli incompetence, the moron who took his call failed to notify anyone else. Finally, he was let on board, but his seat in business class was given to someone else. He was told that he’d have to travel economy and would not be reimbursed the difference in price. He started to argue, but agreed to travel economy. As he was sitting down the Captain came out and informed him that he refuses to leave with him on board. He was finally dragged off the plane by two NYC cops. I didn’t write about it as I was convinced that the J-blogs would be abuzz with the story. But nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not important; wasn’t on Yediot Acharonot’s front page – didn’t happen.

As a matter of fact, I would not have been so hast to inculpate El-Al of anti-Semitism. These are troubled times after all, the Captain may not have had all the facts right; he was probably tense and jittery. It is known that the Captain wasn’t informed on time about the late passenger, and we can’t know whether he saw the latecomer and knew that he was religious before he took the decision not to take him.

What really amazes me is that no one on board had the nerve to stand up, walk up to the Captain and tell him very calmly, yet very firmly: “Sir, this is an injustice. The man called and was informed that he could board the plane. He agreed to take an economy seat for the price of business class. If you don’t let him on board, I’ll leave the plane with him. Then you will have to wait four hours until they take my luggage out, and I’ll make sure that you won’t fly another plane with El Al.” That would have solved the problem, I can guarantee you. I’ll assume that no one knew the guy personally nor was familiar with the details to take full responsibility for him.

Last week a few bums in Bet-Shemesh illegally hung up a sign and started a brawl with the police. The act was widely decried on blogs, which is perfectly understandable. Unfortunately, everyone automatically took the police and the secular business owners’ side. And not only weren’t the miscreants harshly condemned, but their entire community, or rather communities, were also inculpated as accomplices in the act. But worst of all, these accusations were touted as a call for love, peace and solidarity. In the name of the three weeks and mourning over our past sinas chinom, is dissemination of negative information the answer? Did we stop for a moment to think what we would accomplish by that? Will we really stop these actions by throwing more oil on the flames? Why not apply “hate the sin, not the sinner”, as so many preach in other cases? In such cases, all charedim are invariably guilty. Why? Why not only the miscreants, or their families, their chassidus, yeshiva, neighborhood, what have you? How come that such broad accusations pass as the promotion of peace and brotherhood? How come only the cop and the secular are considered brothers, but your fellow Orthodox Jew is lower than dirt? Had the same exact thing happened with Irish people, Kurds, Basques, Bretons, Palestinians, etc., had your reaction been the same? How come so many respect and feel solidarity with the oppressed minorities despite their murderous violence, yet when it comes to his own brothers, the coin all of a sudden has only one side? I really can’t make heads and tails of it…

*
* *

In an address to the Institute For Holocaust Studies last month, Seymour Reich, former president of Bnai Brith international, officially admitted for the first time that his organization’s WWII era leaders actually sabotaged the rescue efforts of the Bergson Group. (Until now these events were documented almost exclusively in Ben Hecht’s “Perfidy”, which has been written off as a “Satmarist conspiracy theory”, though Hecht remained Zionist, denouncing only the treacherous leaders.) This is a huge step for reform/secular Zionism, as they’re finally starting to face the facts as they are - and they should be applauded for that. And we should follow example as well. A worthy quote from the speech “…On Monday, Goldman picks up the paper and reads that Hungarian Jews are being deported to death camps. On Tuesday he goes to the State Department and complains against Bergson. And he tells the State Department that Stephen Weiss considers Bergson as dangerous as Hitler!” Reich explained that the Bnai Brith leaders’ opposition to rescue was motivated by several factors, among them competition and ideological opposition to other groups. He concludes: “Had Jewish leaders single-mindedly focused on the Holocaust, as they should have been, then it would not have mattered how many people signed Bergson’s latest ad or which radio network interviewed him. Instead of writing to foreign embassies about Bergson, Jewish leaders should have been writing these embassies to rescue Jewish refugees. Instead of mobilizing chapters around the country to attack Bergson, they should have challenged the FDR administration’s failure to take serious steps to rescue Jews. … These leaders seem to have lost sight of their primary responsibilities… …maintaining their positions and prestige became more important than anything else. … power can corrupt, in the Jewish leadership like anywhere else.” (I strongly urge you to read the whole article on the Wyman Institute's website.)

I guess by now you understand what I’m getting at. We are steeped in a world of materialism, extreme comfort and complacence. When we talk poverty, we don’t mean going to sleep hungry or not having shoes to one’s feet. We mean “poor” as in “no prime rib steaks four times a week”. Or poor as in “no new Ferrari this year! Oy vey!” The abundance we enjoy now is unprecedented, but with all the ease and comfort it also breeds selfishness and coveting for more and more. We take our good fortune for granted and party like there’s no tomorrow. Yes, I full and well know that there are hardships, but we must put them in perspective. I bet many of you are far better off than me, yet all we do is complain, complain, complain, and want more, more, more. We use and abuse our ideologies to put down one another, to further advance our own agendas and we use other people’s misfortunes to vindicate ourselves. Do we really care about Bais Hamikdosh? Do we really mourn the loss of the Nation’s heart and soul, or are we just going through the motions? Or even worse – is even the Churban used to repeat the very factor that caused it? Can’t we see the writing on the wall? Are we again causing our own demise?

My good friends, my brothers my sisters, I have something sad to tell you. We are now just like those past Bnai Brith leaders. When the Nazis YM”S made soap bars of our grandfathers and grandmothers, they didn’t ask them before: “So, Moishi, what kind of soap would you like to be? Modern Orthodox or Satmar? Good, good, we won’t make you into one bar with those stupid Yeshivishers, OK?” In a short while, we will say day by day “forgive us, our father, for we have sinned”. Will we really mean what we say, or will we really mean “they have sinned?”

The real tragedy is not so much that our rabbis and leaders still stand in Beth-El and Dan – it’s that we dance around them and justify them. They let us go on with our sweet addictions – and we keep them in power for that.

Yes, we all fall down.

Very special thanks to Mr. Steg, who turned the intended fire and brimstone of this post into sweet waters.

Live And Dangerous

The holy [rock’n’]rollers at the Live Earth concert seem to know nothing about global warming. Several of them were interviewed, and the deep, blatant and shocking primitive stupidity spurting forth from their mouths would make your average Satmarer seem as a genius. Some didn’t even know what global warming is! I’m not sure they knew how much CO2 they produced by raising awareness to the problem, but who care, as long as they had a good time. Of course, Al Gore’s CO & CO2 emissions were offset by duly purchasing “carbon credits”. What are ‘carbon credits’? Well, just like in the good old days of the Inquisition, if you committed some sins, you could buy absolution for money. If you didn’t have money? Tough luck – “To the stake! Now!” Similarly, every manufacturing plant in the us is issued a ‘carbon limit’, i.e. how much CO2 they can use. But what if they need to exceed it? Well, they’ll go to a manufacturing plant which per its nature doesn’t emit CO2 – such as a dairy company, for example, and the CO2 emitting plant can buy up these “carbon credits” and further pollute the air. Classic Clintonism, no? So mega-billionnaires like Al Gore, who made his wealth on Occidental Petroleum, can now produce in a month twice as much CO2 emissions as an average citizen does in a year. No big news ainnit? Of course, these are the people accusing the right of being corrupt and out of touch. Wonderful! Reminds me of a thing or two in our community…

Today’s links you won’t find on “Dog Bare”:

Don’t worry about terror – why spend your last day in nervousness? “Eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die…”

Chertoff: Islamist threat a hoax.

England England unter alles…

What? Libby not the cause of the Holocaust, global warming and famine in Sudan? How come? Let Ed Koch tell you.

Immigration – what a wonderful thing! How could we ever do without it?

Why is Carter “the innocent” still relevant?

Fighting The World

We spoke before of the misleading reports about the Ramapo/Monsey Wal-Mart controversy; it was presented as a conflict between an over-religious, insular group and Corporate America. The NYT article was misleading, and those who couldn’t get enough information on Monsey’s turbulent history from an older resident during chazoras haShatz, were seemingly too lazy to perform a simple internet search. In any event, blaming the entire problem on the “Charedim”’s insularity is foolish at best. The Charedim are themselves split on the Wal-Mart issue, and if the Hassidim are actually as insular as Harry Maryles implies, I wonder why they can be seen at all times of the day and the year in the Tallman Wal-Mart, two miles down the road from the controversial site, shopping for anything from DVD’s to lingerie to “bratz” dolls? (Yes, I’ve actually seen that. More than once.) A scant glimpse into only one of many intricate components merging into a nexus of the crises – the origin of storms, is obviously inadequate to understand the rather complicated dynamics of this diverse region.

You don’t have to be an Orthodox Jew to understand that when you buy a house, you don’t just want the lot and the walls – obviously, the neighborhood is a key factor in your decision. But if you are an Orthodox Jew, you understand it tenfold better than anyone else. Orthodox schools, synagogues, mikvahs, kosher shopping are not just luxuries or added bonuses – they’re vital essentials. Only thing is, Uncle Sam doesn’t give a hoot about your religious needs. Uncle Sam provides every American (and every illegal immigrant as well) with ‘free’ public education. Free in this case – as in many others – means that Uncle Sam takes money from those who have it, operates mostly shabby institutions which it proudly labels as ‘educational’, and then magnanimously asks you to say “thank you”. Of course, if you’re rich, you say it’s unfair that you should pay so much taxes and get so few in return – if you’re poor, you say it’s unfair that your kid gets such bad education because those rich parents buy Jaguars instead of paying more taxes. If you’re an Orthodox Jew, you say it’s unfair that you should pay so much tax for someone else’s education, and in addition pay your private school tuition, too.

But in American mentality private education is not only a luxury – it is the last luxury to afford – after the nice home, the vacation home, the two-car garage, the three fancy SUVs in the two-car garage, after the money set aside for the kids’ higher education, after the two yearly family vacations to the Caribbeans, after the fifteen rifles, golf clubs, Cuban cigars and exclusive bars – if you still have extra money can go further into debt, then, and only then, can you send the kids to private school.

Truth be told, if the school system were the only factor here, the Orthodox community would be on the right side of the argument – in a locality where the vast majority of residents do not use the PS system – why pay so much in school taxes? Sadly, the answer is, because every other property is tax exempt – many fraudulently so, and because a great portion of the private school using community lives off government handouts. The third issue is that the Hassidic communities get away with building 200 units on an area zoned for 15. The permit is ‘only’ for about 160, but houses are never demolished, nor are residents evicted. A closed community which knows exactly what it wants, and often operated by a leader’s remote-control will vote en bloc for whoever promises the sweetest deals. But “sweet” is defined differently by different communities, and politicians know that in order to stay in office, they have to deliver the goods. That is why many Hassidic neighborhoods (Vizhnitz has actually incorporated the areas that they have “conquered”, under the name “Village of Kaser”) are de-facto exempt from property tax.)

Fair or not, the original residents of Ramapo have no one but themselves to blame for not having voted in a favorable candidate for so many years. Heck, no politician will pander to people who spend a good deal of their lives sitting mesmerized in front of a TV set, then argue for hours about the ballgame, instead of figuring out what’s really good for them, when they have six to ten thousand votes on a silver platter with a clearly spelled out plan.

And clearly, those who now protest the out-of-control overbuilding, overpopulation, inadequate sewage, traffic congestion and now Wal-Mart, are accomplices in creating this situation. They sat idle while their businesses profited from the newcomers; they kept quiet while nearby Spring Valley got overpopulated by illegal immigrants and communities of poor, uneducated minorities who provided cheap labor; they kept quiet when cops were paid 90G in a virtually zero-crime area, who pull you over for doing 32 in the 30 zone, but close their eyes to insurance fraud and different government fund defrauding scams as well as illegal immigration.

So the situation is not so simple. But one way or another, things will have to be sorted out. If a major conflict is to be avoided, people on both sides will have to come together and make some painful concessions. Yes, I’ve said that. And though I was brought up in a staunch anti-Communist family, I have no choice but to repeat a famous Bolshevik catchphrase –and fully agree with it-

Religion is the “OPM” of the masses…

PS - this article about the Hassidim's inpact on their neighbors just went up on Haemtza - dig it, as well as the links therein. An eye-opener.

Eyes Of The World

Do you think the J-blogosphere’s einsatscommander will ever publish this story about the lawyer who got people to invent injuries and then sue the beeeeeeeg eeeeeeeval KKKorporations for bullion? Yep. Unlike Ken Lay, whose blood is on the left’s hands (not that they care) this filthy pig will probably buy his way out of prison and live his life off on the billions he reaped/raped.
Oh yes – I forgot to mention he was a major Democratic donor. Incredible isn’t it?
Nah, probably Bush made the whole thing up.

Marines finally starting to see the light. Hopefully Tim McGirk and John Murtha (one of the biggest profiteers of the war) will end like Nifong (in Bung Beetle's arms).

Another one to the Marines.

Another bogus case of "torture" starts to see the daylight...

Terror cops? In Britain? Can't be! The peaceful country that bans Shoah studies and boycotts Jews, sure wouldn't employ a terrorist as a cop!

Democrat party's biggest supporter wants to unveil political sex scandals. In the other party only, of course. (Ain't those non-national socialists very similar? Behaves just like DB. And the unbiased media, and non-lying leftists bloggers.)

Thank you, Mr. Traitor W. Bush, for continuing Clinton's legacy. And giving his beloved wife the presidency oon a silver platter, as you promised your democratic buddies in retur for propping you up in the GOP.
And at least learn the good things from your Chinese buddies to whom you have sold usa out. Import their legal system - can't be worse than ours...

No bad lefties exists... Oh there are nuts in every political orientation? So why is the media covering up the real motives...?

Gays nicest people in the world - making it so much safer and healthier...

More on Cheshani's trial.

T-Rex Tracks Texas Taxis Taxes

Say this about two thousand times fast enough – and you have the US tax code before your very… ears. But worry not – that’s only for income taxes, and chances are you’re not so rich as to be too concerned about all of it. What you should know, though, is the different taxes you pay, how you benefit from them and how they interact.

I was thrilled to read that a prominent rabbi regularly speaks against tax evasion before tax deadlines. I cannot mention his name because it came from an anonymous source, and I was unable to verify the exactitude of the speech contents. But if only tax evasion was mentioned, that rabbi is very mistaken. Tax evasion per-se is not at all easy, is very risky, and for those who make under 100G/yr –the majority of taxpayers- the legal provisions and gray areas are simply far more profitable –certainly less dangerous- than tax evasion. Besides, many taxes are practically unevadable: the sales tax and different taxes calcualted in nearly everything you buy, plus the taxes rolled over at every phase of the raw product until it reaches your hands. A far more widespread ‘hobby’ is abusing the governmental welfare systems. These are more closely regulated by local authorities, which in turn are easier to influence by the voting bases. Although the funding for welfare services such as Medicaid, WIC, Food Stamps, HUD-sec8, Welfare checks, different educational benefits, early intervention and therapies and scores of other ‘government goodies’ formally come from different authorities (Fed, state, county, town etc.,) they all come from the taxpayer’s pockets. Unfortunately, this behavior is ubiquitous in all communities, and not only by communities stereotyped as ‘poor’. Unfortunately even in well-to-do MO places this is the norm. Yes, even people with big PhD’s and MD’s sometimes do not-so-honest things, whatever the reason may be – to be able to show off, to save face instead of begging for a tuition break, what have you.

I sincerely hope that the aforementioned rabbi went thorough all the details and forbade all forms of theft – legal or otherwise. Wrong is wrong, and should be corrected wherever and whenever it emerges. But to use this as a weapon to single out and attack a community in order to show how much better “your” community is, is simply beyond crass. It’s pure hatred and sexual fantasy.

I fully understand that we are overtaxed, and that is a burden. But beating the system is not a solution. In fact, it just adds to the burden. Voting for candidates who would fight overtaxation is a good idea – but those candidates generally oppose too much handouts. If you really want to be a big shot, try a tax revolt. But please don’t milk the government for my buck.

The Seventh One

When I was in first, second, third, fourth (may I help you count, sir?) grades, the rabanim and teachers always reminded us that the fifth commandment is on the right side of the tablets;
According to tradition, the Ten Commandments are divided in two: The first five, on the right tablet, are commandments between man and G-d. The other five are between man and his fellow. But this raises a difficulty in regard with the fifth Commandment: Honoring one’s parents is clearly a man-to-man obligation – why, then, is it on the right side? The answer is, say our Sages, that the honor and respect one owes his father and mother is on an entirely different plan than the honor mutually owed between all people. There is a G-d mandated, sacred honor each man is bound to yield to his parents, independent of the toils, sacrifices, finances and energy they invested in him. This obligation is in place even if one never met his parents – or met them only later in life.

As I grew older, I started to wonder why the Seventh Commandment is on the left, among the man-to-man obligations? If it can count as damage at all, it’s a “הזיק שאינו ניכר” (no material damage) yet capital punishment is in place even if the cuckolded husband didn’t know about his wife’s infidelity. Furthermore, the sinners are liable even if the husband knew and agreed to such behavior! If so, this is clearly not a commandment between man and his fellow, rather a G-d mandated Law.

The simple answer might be that marriage is a sacred pact between humans – that the structure of human society shall forever remain the bond between man and woman, and that this bond should be forever respected. Hence adultery is a crime against all humans – and the offenders are liable regardless of the husband’s ignorance or consent to their destructive behavior – as they sinned against their fellow humans.

The out-of-control promotion of deviant behavior might be an indication of the breakdown of a cohesive society, and humanity’s obligation to live, if not in perfect harmony, at least in a semblance of peace or at least truce. We witness vicious hatred between people of different persuasions – yet there is no substantial difference in their ways of life and daily actions – their hatred stems from their subscribing to different ideologies or beliefs. Or does it? Aren’t those ‘ideologies’ mere excuses for people to vent their hate at each other?

Did we lose focus of our duty in this world? Did we forget that flesh is not the final destination? Isn’t our addiction to the sweetness of the moment, the unprecedented abundance and well-being, the cause of our downfall? Life has never been easier before – and yet… yet spiritually we keep sinking lower and lower. Isn’t a lowly, fanatical, barbaric ‘culture’ here to wake us up? They aren’t impressed with big fancy cars, gold-rimmed toilet seats and comfy air-conditioned parlors (10-ft cathedral ceilings, designer sofas & Persian carpets included) – yet they are willing not only to die, but to live a life of hardship and often suffering for the sake of their beliefs.

Haven’t we committed some sort of adultery? Haven’t we turned our backs on our Sanctuary, our Land, our Father for the sake of a pretty lifestyle?

For Whom The Bear Trolls

Another one you'll never, ever see on Dung "Goebbels" Beetle's blog. Guess why.

Oy vey - I'm not alowed to say that. That would be an "ad-hominem" attack - that's forbidden (except for some privileged ones, I guess...).

Killer Queen

The root ק-ב-ה doesn’t recur very often in the Torah. Actually, it is only mentioned in parshas Balak. And it is mentioned in three different meanings: first, as imperative of curse, when Balak asks Bil’om to curse Bnei Yisroel, and amid Bilo’ms sermons. Second, toward the end of the parsha, as tent, dwelling “…אֶל-הַקֻּבָּה”, when Pinchas enters Zimri’s tent. Finally, “אֶל-קֳבָתָהּ”, in which case it refers to the stomach, as a euphemism.

It is quite strange that this infrequently used root would mean three seemingly unrelated words. I don’t know if there’s a definitive answer, but I have thought of the following possibility:

The posuk later says “וְלֹא-אָבָה לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶל-בִּלְעָם, וַיַּהֲפֹךְ לְּךָ אֶת-הַקְּלָלָה, לִבְרָכָה - and G-d refused to listen to Bil’om and changed the curse into a blessing”

Many commentators ask why there was a hava-amina at all to listen to Bil’om? It should also be asked how could a curse be turned into a blessing, since Bil’om was prevented from expressing his wishes, there was no curse?

Perhaps when Bil’om said “מַה-טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ, יַעֲקֹב – how good are thy tents, Jacob” he was already hinting Balak that if the sanctity of the Jewish home can be sullied, he could bring about a curse, as he wishes to. And that is actually what happened – Zimri brought the Midianite princess into his tent, defiling it. Hence the word “קֻּבָּה” here means Zimri’s defiled tent, of the same root as “קבה” – curse, which of course was done through the third meaning of that word.

The defiling of the Jewish home, unfortunately doesn’t require such a dramatic step – we shall be vigilant not to fall victim to our time’s pitfalls and curses.



Today's reading:

-Pardon Ramos & Compean!

- The true face of the pro-immigration lobby, and Senior Presidnete -Jorge De Buscho's favorito websito.

- Forgive them, Father, for they have sinned and they knoweth nischt vos they doeth... (Ain't unconditional love a beautiful concept?)

- Straight truth - again from Great Britain.

In Dependence

It was then, this is now. The ideas and ideals of independence were the philosophy of a few, not the lot of every commoner. Certainly no one would have risked his life for those ideals. But the injustice and tyranny the settlers have fled, they understood all too well. Maybe their thoughts and consciousness weren’t as articulate and sophisticated as ours – but their addiction to well-being, comfort and complacence were sure nowhere near ours. Otherwise they would not have risked their lives for a 2 cent tax. They probably understood that the British were not only unfair, but that one concession would lead to another. And that sooner or later they would not only lose the religious freedoms they couldn’t have at home, but become an oppressed second-class and free source of income to His Majesty The King. But they’d have none of that. Their goals were clear, they were determined and the enemy was clearly identified; they took to the battlefields and marched on an aggressor thrice as big as they were. They risked their lives for their beliefs.

In the former Soviet bloc, an oft-repeated anti-American snippet was that “the Capitalists poke their people’s eyes out with high salaries”. In those countries the common joke was “I’d like my eyes to be poked out with a high salary”. It seems that here we’ve got what we wished for – and then some. The very freedoms so much cherished have permitted for a culture of laziness and addiction to leisure and recreation to bloom into a rapacious plant. The Golem created with the purpose of serving the people has now turned into a thirsty ogre that seizes our money and uses it to betray us. The media and government refuse to identify the enemy or do the slightest thing against it. Yet the solution is far less complicated than one may think. Harry Truman didn’t have to use as much as a slingshot, never mind the new weapon, in order to get the Russians out of Iran in ’57. He only had to mention it.

We have lost our will specifically because we lost sight of the real objectives. We have turned the freedoms and abundance, which are only tools to achieve our goals, into the objective itself. We take this unprecedented richness, abundance and well being for granted, and are now addicted to them. We became slaves to the grind.

On the fourth of July people warred and died for what they believed in. On the fourth of July people went to war to avoid becoming slaves to a greedy and oppressive government, one that wouldn’t even fulfill its bare and most fundamental duty to protect its citizens. The Fourth of July is not a party day for barbeques, baseball and idiotic movies. The Fourth of July is a day to commemorate that whenever your freedom is threatened you shall grab your musket and go fight the enemy.




PS
This July Fourth please remember border patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos unjustly imprisoned with the aid of our treacherous “President” who commuted Scooter Libby’s sentence, but refuses to pardon innocent border patrol agents convicted on the sole testimony of a drug dealer who was offered asylum and immunity in our country.

British Steel

The great empire, home to some of the world’s best spirits, automobiles and rock bands, has been known to relentlessly stand up for its sovereignty, even at the cost of great sacrifice. From the expulsion of the Romans to the taming of the Normans and Saxons, they have also been known to ensure the continuity of their independence and domination. The Scots and Welsh sure would tell you a thing or two about it – had they not been exterminated in the process. Ireland too, has almost joined the fate of their Celtic cousins on the British Altar, if not for their terror tactics.

I guess the Brits either got a liking to terror attacks, or they have guilt pangs. It seems that penance has befallen them, and instead of the Irish, who stopped the terror attacks, they’ve admitted five million Muslims to their great empire. Of course, only a tiny fraction of these wonderful people are terrorists, and their vast majority does not subscribe to the point of view that the West must be subdued, converted or annihilated. But some do. And those some are dedicated and unwavering. They have no regard for human life, certainly not for those whom they rightly regard as cowardly weaklings. They despise the permissiveness and the pandering to their own ‘sensitivities’. They are determined to bring death to the very soul of every nation they come in contact with.

But the Great Britain should not be perceived as the weakling the Muslims deem it to be. The fact that they do not administer their Islamist guests the five hundred bards* treatment or inflict the Dresden & Berlin fate onto Mecca and Medinah is not a weakness. Au contraire, it is the power of restraint. It is just an astute war tactic. Do not for one moment believe that they do not stand up to their enemies: they sure do. For example, many –if not all- British schools suspended Holocaust studies. Of course, it isn’t a government-mandated motion. It’s just the wise prioritizing of historical events, spontaneous as the Kristallnacht – but not nearly as violent. Or as spontaneous as the decision to boycott all Jews in higher education institutions.

Therefore, the sinking of the Island, with its rich cultural heritage of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Coleridge, the great music and the whisky doesn’t bother me all that much – I think we’re drunk enough without it. What really bothers me is that my Jewish brothers are just as blind and apathetic as my Jewish fathers were seventy years ago. Instead of throwing their money at “Red” Ken Livingstone who apologizes to the Terrorists, they’d rather face up with the sad reality that no good awaits them there.

* Semi legendary, semi historical account of five hundred Welsh bards slaughtered in one night for refusing to bow down to king Edward I.

Judaism Is A Mental Disorder

Rather, Jews are mentally deranged – we should not confuse Jews with Judaism. I am of course talking about yesterday’s article by Gil Student on his famed website. Generating close to 300 mostly angry and accusatory comments, it is not hard to guess the nature of the article.

The interesting thing is that Gil has clarified, in the comments section, that the subject in no way was inter-partial, but only a remark to illustrate how people follow their leaders’ example.
I believe, however, that Gil erred in two areas: a) he gave absolutely wrong and out of context examples, (despite their relevance and actuality) and b) he’s mixing unrelated issues together (although this is also the case with R’ Chaim Dovid Zwiebel’s question, which probably was a factor in leading to this mistake)

But let’s capitulate: the article claims that laymen criticize their leaders because their leaders speak disrespectfully, or disparagingly of other Torah Scholars. This is the answer to R’ Zwiebel’s question as to why people denigrate gdolim.

Since this 17th of Tammuz doesn’t fall on Shabbos, we will take the liberty to sort the apples, oranges, bananas and rotten tomatoes. Gil brought as an example to his thesis the attacks on Rabbi Dr. Lamm and Rabbi Shlomo Goren from the Chareidi leaders. Not surprisingly, a war of words loaded with emotions of such extreme affection between Jews ensued, that Ahmadinejad almost gave up on his nuclear development program. The far more appropriate examples for this purpose should have been the unfortunately all too many instances of intra-party/segment arguments and attacks; The Yated of the last Shmitah, the anti-Rav Steinmann demonstrations in Monsey, the Giva’t Ze’ev highway and the Rav Slomo Aviner vs. the “settlers” controversy are but a few unfortunate examples. Similar examples unfortunately exist in all camps.

The fact of the matter is that Rabonim harshly attacking Rabonim of other groups, based on their halachic decisions –or using them as pretexts- has nothing to do with their own constituents criticizing them. Members of their community criticize their own rabbis because those rabbis deserve criticism, period. Such criticism is very rarely the subject of blogs. The blogs systematically and almost exclusively criticizing Chareidi leaders are almost invariably anonymous, and their so-called criticism seldom rises above smear level. The very few Charedi blogs almost invariably criticize or bash only Rabbis from other groups.

R’ Zwiebel put together the bloggers and back-of-shul grumblers, two completely different things. Gil brought as examples attacks of Chareidi rabonim on the greatest MO/Mizahi leaders. Despite Gil’s protests, it was only natural that people took it as criticism of Charedi leaders' too harsh stance against other groups.

The ensuing comments exemplify the virulent hatred that still rages between us. And it is totally unjustified.

In a time when bombs go off in airports, there are threats of attacks here in our homeland, yet not one community focuses on emergency plans – such as evacuation, communication, transportation in case of disaster H”V, no one thinks of school security, (Unless you call the Agudah’s schnorring a few more dollars for the cause a meaningful action…) not to mention the situation in Israel. Think for a second how this looks to an outsider – someone unfamiliar with the idiotic Orthodox internal politics. To a prospective baal-tshuvah. To someone who wants to know about Judaism. A good starting point, I guess.

Yep. Jews are mentally deranged. And the battle rages on…

Smoke On The Water

…But not in your car! Having good ties with politicians who will bend the law any way you want them to, in return for votes is definitely a great thing.
Until of, course, they also demand something in return for their favors. Or they just take it for granted that you won’t look at them while your head’s in the doggie dish, fressing up the bones they threw you.

Rockland, NY, became the first, and so far the only, county in the U.S. to outlaw smoking in a car while children under 18 are present. That smoking is harmful and dangerous is evident. That one shouldn’t do it at all, never mind in proximity of children in a closed area, is also obvious. But such a blatant violation of privacy is so intrusive and tyrannical that it cannot be tolerated.

I’m not at all sure whether there are any laws against showing children hardcore pornography, or to snort coke in their presence. As a matter of fact, I’m fairly convinced that any attempt to pass such laws would be thwarted by the ACLU and similar organizations.

In an era when so-called “civil rights” groups push for habeas corpus for terrorists, legalizing “medical” marijuana, and cover up all terror attacks on U.S. soil as “lone” and “rogue” attacks, one only wonders why the government is so adamant in getting into your car, and grab your children (yes, the law has a provision to seize your children –not your cigarettes) away if you’re found smoking in a car with them.

I wonder what will be the reaction of Hassidim – who smoke more than average, and are informed less than average- when the dear Government which grants them unlimited access to welfare, down-zoning, a blind eye to different kinds of fraud and tax exemptions galore takes away the first Hassidic child.

I hope there’ll actually be fire in the sky, and the Hassidic leaders rethink their allegiances.