Monday, March 20, 2023
Review of a Sefer That Debunks the Satmar Shita on the Three Oaths PART 2
A good portion of Rabbi Burton’s book pivots on the intriguing dialogue between Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yohanan in Tractate Yoma of the Babylonian Talmud.
Reish Lakish had great disdain for the Jews of Babylonia, as he held them responsible for the fact that in the Second Temple era there was not the level of full-fledged prophecy that flourished during the First Temple era. All that remained was a reduced level of divine inspiration known as “bat kol,” an “echo.”[1]
Said Reish Lakish: “If you had made yourselves as a wall (ke-homah)[2] and all of you had ascended [to the Land of Israel] in the days of Ezra,” then prophecy would have resumed.
Rabbi Yohanan’s rejoinder reads:
“That is not the reason. Even if all of them would have ascended [to the Land of Israel] in the days of Ezra, the divine presence (Shekhinah) would not have rested in the Second Temple, for it is written, ‘God will broaden Japheth, and dwell in the tents of Shem’ [Genesis 9:27]. Although God will broaden Japheth, the divine presence rests only in the tents of Shem.”
Rabbi Yohanan was alluding to the fact that the Second Temple was built under the auspices of Cyrus the Great, a Persian. And the Persians are descendants of Japheth. And so, unlike the First Temple, the Temple of Solomon (a Semite), which was conducive to prophecy, the Second Temple was perforce bereft of the spirit of prophecy.[3]
That Rabbi Yehudah Halevi and Reish Lakish are of one mind when it comes to the subject of ‘aliyah and the resumption of prophecy, goes without saying. In the Book of Kuzari this is clearly enunciated:
It is the sin which prevented from being fulfilled the divine promise with regard to the Second Temple, “Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion, for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord” [Zechariah 2:14]. The divine presence was ready to rest upon them as at first, if they had all willingly consented to return [to the Land of Israel]. But only a part was ready to do so, while the majority and the aristocracy remained in Babylon, preferring dependence and slavery, and unwilling to leave their houses and their affairs.[4]
Rabbi Burton is not content aligning the Kuzari with Reish Lakish. He would have the Kuzari embrace Rabbi Yohanan as well.[5] The reader will appreciate that this is no mean feat. How Rabbi Burton would go about accomplishing this, we will discuss in a moment.
Eichenstein (langeh Rekel) : Illegal for car wash operators to overcharge Jewish customers but it's ok For Jews to overcharge Matza, Meat and Fish
This"farikteh" meshiginar barking against goyishe "car wash" owners because they "are raising their prices before Pesach" what chutzpah!
Hey "Lange Reckel"....
Cleaning your car by a car wash is NOT a mitzvah! Your lazy teenagers should be doing it!
Eating Matzah is a mitzva eseh de'oirisah!
Why don't you scream at heimishe wholesalers that raise prices on staples, even milk before Pesach?
I have to say that in Israel, before Pesach, the prices actually go down. I found Fish, Meat and other staples reduced by over 10%!
New York State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, who represents New York's 48th State Assembly district, published a video in which he urged car wash operators not to overcharge their Jewish customers before the holiday of Passover.
“Last year, it was brought to my attention that some local car wash operators, throughout our neighborhoods, have been increasing their prices in a discriminatory manner for their Jewish customers before Pesach,” he said.
Eichenstein noted that he is “specifically addressing car wash operators because of the bias and discrimination in deliberately charging their Jewish customers more for the same service that they provide to non-Jewish customers, because they know that we are obligated to clean our cars before Pesach.”
“It is illegal to raise the price for a particular service solely for one religious community at a specific time of year, while the prices remain reduced for everyone else. This is wrong. It is unethical and, above all, it is illegal,” he stated.
“I want to inform you that I have been in contact with the Attorney General’s office again this year, and they will be re-issuing a consumer alert along with a reporting hotline,” continued Eichenstein.
“My message to community members is this: Be careful. Before you agree to a car wash, check the price and confirm with the attendant. Make sure that the services provided for the Passover special are priced comparably to the same, similar services which are not officially Passover services. If you see a discrepancy, speak out. Let them know that the discriminatory practice is illegal and that you are not going to stand for it.”
To the car wash operators, Eichenstein said, “Charging more for your services before Pesach is not only taking advantage, it is blatant discrimination and is illegal. I can tell you, the Attorney General’s office will be watching. You have been warned.”
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Review of a Sefer That Debunks the Satmar Shita on the Three Oaths Part 1
The Sefer is available for sale here:
Ha'aretz Asher Arecha - R. Shnayor Burton הארץ אשר אראך - חובת הישיבה בארץ ישראל | eBay
and here:
הארץ אשר אראך - מצוות ישוב ארץ ישראל | ספרייתי (gitlerbooks.co.il)
In the aftermath of World War Two, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum of Satu Mare experienced an epiphany:
The incomparable tragedy of the Holocaust was divine retribution for the People of Israel having violated the legendary “Three Oaths” (Shalosh Shavu‘ot) administered by the Almighty, one of which was, “that Israel not ascend [to the Land of Israel] ke-homah, en masse.”[1]
The destruction of European Jewry evoked different responses from Hungarian rabbis. Whereas in the case of Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal of Pishtian (Piešťany), author of ’Em ha-Banim Semekha (Budapest, 1943), the persecutions evidently resulted in a volte face, a reversal of his earlier opposition to the Zionist movement, in the case of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, they only reinforced his vehement opposition to organized settlement of the Land of Israel.
After the War, the Rabbi of Satu Mare reconstituted his community in Brooklyn, New York. Eventually, he would sum up his ideology in two works: Vayyoel Moshe (Brooklyn, 1959)[2] and ‘Al ha-Ge’ulah ve-‘al ha-Temurah (Brooklyn, 1967). The latter work was written in the wake of the Six Day War in June of 1967, in order to dispel rumors that he had softened his stance. The catchy title (a quote from Ruth 4:7), “On the Redemption and the Exchange,” was designed to convey the Satmarer’s reading of the recent events:
Israel’s stunning victory was the work of Satan to dupe gullible Jews into believing in the Zionist cause!
Since then, scholars of various stripes have taken upon themselves to refute the Satmarer ideology:
Rabbis Mordechai ‘Atiyah,[3] Nahum Lamm,[4] Tsevi Yehudah Kook,[5] Shelomo Aviner,[6] and Yoel Kahn,[7] to name just a few.
The latest attempt to engage with the theories of Rabbi Teitelbaum is that of our author. Enter the fray, Rabbi Shnayor Burton, a Brooklyn-based rosh yeshivah.
Shimmy Segal Killed in Accident Near Antwerp
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A Chareidi driver from the UK was killed and 18 passengers were injured in a traffic accident between a minibus and a car outside Antwerp overnight Motzei Shabbos.
The minibus, filled with 18 chassidim from London who had traveled to visit the Pshevorsk Rebbe in Antwerp for Shabbos, hit a passing car and then overturned.
The 67-year-old driver, Shimmy Segal, a’h, was killed on the spot and one of the passengers, a 15-year-old bochur, was critically injured. Most of the other passengers were lightly injured.
Elliot Resnick, Former Jewish Press editor charged with interfering with law enforcement during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
When video emerged in 2021 of Elliot Resnick, the then-editor of the Jewish Press, among the rioters at the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that year, his publishers had a ready explanation: He was working as a journalist, covering history.
Now an FBI charging document says that Resnick was taking part in that history — in other words, that he was a member of the mob that stormed the Capitol.
The FBI arrest warrant for Resnick, signed Tuesday by a U.S. magistrate, lays out why authorities believe he was involved in the rioting, and not just reporting on it. Resnick left the Jewish Press, a politically conservative Brooklyn-based newspaper that serves the Orthodox Jewish community, in 2021.
Inner City Press, which covers the federal courts in New York City, reported that Resnick was due to appear in court on Thursday. Resnick has been charged with interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder, along with three charges related to entering and engaging in disruptive conduct while on restricted grounds. The charges may incur prison time.
The riot was spurred by former President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the presidential election — claims that Resnick echoed on social media.
Using video evidence and the testimony of police, Erica Dobin, the FBI agent who authored the charging document, wrote that Resnick held the arm of a police officer attempting to use chemical irritant to repel the rioters. The agent alleges that Resnick attempted to open doors for rioters to follow him, even when a police officer was trying to keep the door closed, and that he beckoned rioters to follow him and that he pulled rioters in through an open door.
The charging document also quotes at least one policeman who instructed Resnick to leave.
49% of DemonRats Sympathize with Palestinian Terrorists
A shocking new @Gallup poll finds that more Democrats sympathize with Palestinians (49%) than with Israelis (38%).
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) March 17, 2023
Among Republicans: 78% sympathize more with Israelis, 11% with Palestinians. Overall: 54% of Americans sympathize more with Israelis, 31% with Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/g6wZISC51C
German Tourists Mistaken for Jews Attacked in Shechem
How ironic? Germans mistaken for Jews! LOL Wonder how they’ll spin this story when they return home, may they return soon.
German tourists rented a car with Israeli license plates and drove into Nablus where they were nearly lynched by a Palestinian mob.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 18, 2023
The tourists managed to escape with minor injuries.pic.twitter.com/3bklIyFCqa
Two German tourists who entered Shechem on Shabbos were violently attacked by Palestinians.
The tourists had rented a ride-share car from the Tel Aviv Municipality with Israeli license plates and a sticker of the Israeli flag on it.
When Palestinians spotted the car, they began throwing stones at it, attempted to open the doors, and attacked the drivers.
Is Trump Getting Arrested?
If this in fact true, then the USA is finished. What was his crime that he paid some hush money? I think they are going after him because of Biden's crimes, him being on China's payroll. I even think that Biden shouldn't be prosecuted. It's only in third world countries that previous leaders are arrested. This would not be a good precedent.
Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that his arrest is imminent and issued an extraordinary call for his supporters to protest as a New York grand jury investigates hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president.
Even as Trump’s lawyer and spokesperson said there had been no communication from prosecutors, Trump declared in a post on his social media platform that he expects to be taken into custody on Tuesday.
His message seemed designed to preempt a formal announcement from prosecutors and to galvanize outrage from his base of supporters in advance of widely anticipated charges. Within hours, his campaign was sending fundraising solicitations to his supporters, while influential Republicans in Congress and even some declared and potential rival candidates issued statements in his defense.
In a later post that went beyond simply exhorting loyalists to protest about his legal peril, the 2024 presidential candidate directed his overarching ire in all capital letters at the Biden administration and raised the prospect of civil unrest: “IT’S TIME!!!” he wrote. “WE JUST CAN’T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE. THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”
It all evoked, in foreboding ways, the rhetoric he used shortly before the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. After hearing from the then-president at a Washington rally that morning, his supporters marched to the Capitol and tried to stop the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s White House victory, breaking through doors and windows of the building and leaving officers beaten and bloodied.
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