https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/12/27/the-consequences-not-vetoing-resolution-against-israel/E06kgDJUrPrXeSmp06umCL/story.html
Comment:
Was Obama's "no-veto" an act of defiance? Defying Israel and it's lobby?
Tuesday 28 February 2017
Dershowitz: The consequences of not vetoing the resolution against Israel
From RRW
Monday 27 February 2017
A Philosophy of Mitzvot" by Rabbi Dr. Gersion Appel
From RRW
Guest blogger: Rabbi Shlomo Appel
In response to the many requests that we have had, I am happy to announce that Ktav has just reprinted my father (Z”L)’s work on the Sefer HaChinuch, “A Philosophy of Mitzvot.”Below is a blurb from the Hirhurim Blog from when this edition was originally published by Yashar.Hirhurim blogFriday, April 11, 2008New Book: A Philosophy of MitzvotBy: Rabbi Dr. Gersion Appel
What divine purpose do the mitzvot, the Biblical commandments, serve? What moral and spiritual goals do the mitzvot envision? In a book made newly available to the reading public, Rabbi Dr. Gersion Appel presents a comprehensive view of the structure and meaning of the Torah’s commandments.
The Sefer ha-Hinnukh, one of the principal works in Jewish ethical and halakhic literature, is a primary source for ta’amei ha-mitzvot, the reasons and purpose of the divine commandments in the Torah. In A Philosophy of Mitzvot, originally published in 1975 and revised for this second edition, Rabbi Dr. Gersion Appel sets forth the Hinnukh’s objectives and his approach to revealing the religious and ethical meaning of the mitzvot.
In this wide-ranging study that is ideal for school courses, the author presents a comprehensive view of Jewish philosophy as developed by the Hinnukh and the classical Jewish philosophers. The Hinnukh emerges in this study as a great educator and moral and religious guide, and his classic work as a treasure-trove of Jewish knowledge, religious inspiration, and brilliant insight in the molding of human character.“Appel’s study is a definitive evaluation of the Hinnukh’s approach. But, more than this, it is an exploration of significant perspectives and new directions for further studies of the meaning of the commandments. The book is comprehensive, informative and authoritative. It is a work of immense scholarship and deserves to be widely read.” —The Jewish Law Annual
Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Mitzvot: Their Nature and Import in Jewish Philosophy
- The Taryag Mitzvot
- The Quest for the Meaning of Mitzvot
- The Divine Purpose
- The Preamble of Faith
- A Rationale of Mitzvot
- Man's Ethical Duties
- The Individual and Society
- Man's Spiritual Dimension
- The Service of God
- The Divine Imperative
- Perspectives on the Mitzvot
- Conclusion: The Continuing QuestExcursus: The Sefer Ha-Hinnukh: Authorship & Sources
Other books published and edited by Rabbi Appel include Torat Ha-Mitzvot Be-Emunat Yisrael, The Concise Code of Jewish Law: Compiled from the Kitzur Shulhan Aruch and Traditional Sources, Sefer Ha-Neyar: A Thirteenth Century Code of Jewish Law and the S.K. Mirsky Memorial Volume: Studies in Jewish Law, Philosophy and Literature.
Sunday 26 February 2017
Invoking Holocaust Rhetoric
From RRW
David Friedman is being forced to apologize as a Republican who "mis-spoke" when he invoked the term "Kapo" re: JStreet.
See how US Senator Ribicoff had no remorse in accusing fellow Democrat Mayor Daily on National TV of using "Gestapo Tactics"!
Maybe this has nothing to do with Party but with the advent of political correctness?
"Then-Congressman Donald J. Irwin of Norwalk, a delegate, lent him his badge.Mr. Irwin said he thought that the Senator was just going to make a nominating speech, and he didn't like what he heard either. The next morning, he angrily confronted the Senator at a reception, called him a ''creep'' and said his remarks at the convention were ''contemptible.'' His parting shot was ''I hope they Mace you.''''Even to this day, I really can't believe he used that kind of language,'' Mr. Irwin said of the Gestapo reference. ''It was a time of very deep passions, yet people could have used some restraint.''Mr. Ribicoff said Mr. Irwin's criticism ''went in one ear and out the other.'' He added, ''what I said was the truth and that was it.''Ribicoff And Daley Head To Head - NYTimes.com
Saturday 25 February 2017
Mussar: Don't be a "Sore Winner" Don't Gloat
From RRW
Dellin might be
better served by "thickening" his skin. Stars on any New York team are
subjected to a lot of scrutiny. Under-reacting may serve him in the long
run.
Randy Levine's criticism of his sensitive star Dellin Betances seems to have aroused a lot of ill-willHow Yankees' Randy Levine ripped Dellin Betances' request | NJ.com
A few pieces of mussar heskel:
Randy
Levine may not be technically wrong, but it was damaging to Betance's
feelings. A little "grace" goes a long way. Any legitimate criticism is
better left said in private.
Friday 24 February 2017
Thursday 23 February 2017
Parshas Mishpatim: There Are No "Alternative Facts"
From RRW
We would like to blog Rabbi Eliyahu Safran on the parsha. Hope you enjoy
Baltimore Jewish Life | Parshas Mishpatim: There Are No "Alternative Facts"
Russia, Ukraine, and Israel
From RRW
I want to flesh out some context to my remark about various Putin's annexation of a piece of Ukraine.
I have an Israeli Havruta who is a somewhat astute observer of international affairs...
I mentioned about Putin annexing Ukraine and he said something along these lines
Putin had given Ukraine a warning (ultimatum?) not to join NATO. Why? (here comes the West Bank parallel)
Because the Easternmost areas of Ukraine are in a vulnerable area of Russia.
This would put Russia in a "precarious" position vis-a-vis NATO.
(remember Cuba and JFK?
So
when Ukraine did not refuse to join NATO, Putin felt that situation
warranted an annexation of some Ukrainian territory.... in order to keep NATO out of his "front yard"
The
analogy to the "West Bank" and Israel's security issues seems apparent.
Israel needs to avoid a 6-9 mile wide "isthmus" as it had before 1967.
It needs territory for its security.
Wednesday 22 February 2017
Tuesday 21 February 2017
Monday 20 February 2017
Jewish Leaders Applaud Trump's Focus on Palestinian Incitement
From RRW
As published by the Jewish News Service - February 16, 2017
JEWISH LEADERS APPLAUD TRUMP'SFOCUS ON PALESTINIAN INCITEMENTBy Rafael Medoff/JNS.org
Jewish groups berate Trump for blasting reporter who asked about anti-Semitism
From RRW
http://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/jewish-groups-berate-trump-for-blasting-reporter-who-asked-about-anti-semitism/
The Reporter was interviewed on Fox and he was totally forgiving of Trump's reaction.
Others
noted that the question was a tad convoluted and lent itself to being
misunderstood by Trump, who tends to be impatient. A more direct
question such as
"Mr. Prez... how will you address Anti-Semitism?"
probably would elicited a different reaction
It
appears to me that these Jewish organizations are more offended than
the reporter himself. Do you wonder why that is so? I think I know!
Of
course Mr. Trump ideally should have been more patient and heard the
fellow out. That would have been more menschlich then "shushing" him. So
the President seems to suffer from a limited attention span. And so he
is not "blameless". Yet the bottom line is that the reporter himself was
understanding....
Sunday 19 February 2017
Casualties of the Syrian Civil War
From RRW
"The United Nations stated that by the end of April 2014, 8,803 children had been killed,[10] while the Oxford Research Group said that a total of 11,420 children died in the conflict by late November 2013.[11] By mid-December 2016, the opposition activist groupSyrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported the number of children killed in the conflict had risen to 15,948, while at the same time 10,540 women were also killed.[1]
Friday 17 February 2017
Where Judaism Differed - By Abba Hillel Silver
From RRW
Where Judaism Differed: An Inquiry into the Distinctiveness of Judaism https://www.amazon.com/dp/0876689578/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_b6mKyb2A0NMV2
AH Silver was one of the few Reform Rabbis whom I "admired" to an extent
His Book - Where Judaism Differed - was a classic in its time
Where Judaism differs TODAY from the politically correct zeitgeist can be reduced IMHO to a simple point of departure
Does justice INCLUDE
V'Dol lo sehedar b'reevo
Or
Does it exclude it?
EG Affirmative action,
Do you judge on merit or by race, Colour creed, national origin or economic class?
Same with many crimes.
Same for illegal immigrants
Do you tip the scales of JUSTICE to favour the disadvantaged?
The Torah says "not in a court of law"
It's
OK to privately give Tzedaka. But can merits be overlooked in favour of
the disadvantaged in public policy? In the court system?
And if being disadvantaged becomes an advantage
Will that foster a society of "victims"?
Thursday 16 February 2017
Kerensky: "No Enemies to the Left"
From RRW
Ideological
slogans may not always seem to be very important. Sometimes, however,
they can reveal basic and persistent mind-sets. This is the case with
the slogan that originated in the French Revolution, "No enemies to the
Left." Students of European politics will recognize that this slogan has
persisted, and that the ideas behind it still apply to today's
politics.
"His
philosophy of "no enemies to the left" greatly empowered the Bolsheviks
and gave them a free hand, allowing them to take over the military arm
or "voyenka" of the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets. "
Alexander Kerensky - Wikipedia
Also see:
New Oxford Review
So do today's "Bolsheviks" feel the corollary -
"There are only enemies to the Right"?
Wednesday 15 February 2017
Tuesday 14 February 2017
Jewish Bolshevism - Wikipedia
From RRW
While some prominent Bolsheviks were Jewish
1. Jews never dominated the Bolshevik Party
2. Nor were Jews primarily attracted to Bolshevism. EG the Jewish Bund was in the Menshevik party.
Thus we see the phenomenon of fakenews may be rooted in prejudices such as anti-Semitism
JVO Blog: The Jewish Revelation
Jewish Values Online (jewishvaluesonline.org)
is a website that asks the Jewish view on a variety of
issues, some specifically Jewish and some from the world
around us -- and then presents answers from each of the
denominations of Judaism. Nishmablog's Blogmaster Rabbi
Wolpoe and Nishma's Founding Director, Rabbi Hecht, both serve
as Orthodox members of their Panel of Scholars. Nishmablog, over the years, has also featured the responses on JVO by one of our two Nishma Scholars who are
on this panel.
Recently, the Jewish Values Online website has offered a new service -- a blog which presents comments on various topics within Judaism and the Jewish world. See
http://www.jewishvaluesonline.org/jvoblog/index?aid=0. Rabbi Hecht is also a blogger on this blog.
His latest post
The Jewish Revelation
is now available at http://jewishvaluescenter.org/jvoblog/revelation
A link is also up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JewishValuesOnline/
Recently, the Jewish Values Online website has offered a new service -- a blog which presents comments on various topics within Judaism and the Jewish world. See
http://www.jewishvaluesonline.org/jvoblog/index?aid=0. Rabbi Hecht is also a blogger on this blog.
His latest post
The Jewish Revelation
is now available at http://jewishvaluescenter.org/jvoblog/revelation
A link is also up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JewishValuesOnline/
Monday 13 February 2017
Sunday 12 February 2017
General Grant's anti-Semitic "Blemish"
From RRW
After
the war, Grant transcended his anti-Semitic reputation. He carried the
Jewish vote in the presidential election of 1868 and named several Jews
to high office. But General Order No. 11 remains a blight on the
military career of the general who saved the Union.
General Grant's Infamy
Also see
General Order No. 11 (1862) - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Order_No._11_(1862)
Friday 10 February 2017
Thursday 9 February 2017
Huffington Post:We Must Understand The Necessary Distinctions Within A Religion
There is a problem in that the general populace is sloppy in its attempt to understand religions. They thus choose to relate in a monolithic manner to all religious people although such individuals may actually be very dissimilar. In the broadest way, they simply want to assume that all religious people are the same and/or think the same. In the same regard, they tend to believe that all members of a broad religious grouping must share the same theology. This, of course, is not true -- and the consequences of such fallacy can be major. In regard to Judaism, I have addressed this issue, and its negative effects on Jewish unity and Jewish thought, in Adjective and Non-adjective Jews, Nishma Introspection 5761-2. What we are now experiencing in the world, though, is the problematic effects of such fallacy in regard to Islam.
I develop this idea further in my latest Huffington Post blot -- We Must Understand The Necessary Distinctions Within A Religion -- at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/rabbi-ben-hecht/under-religious-distinctions_b_14632370.html
My original title for the post, btw, was 'We NEED to understand religion' but it was changed by the editors.
Feel free to comment here or there.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
I develop this idea further in my latest Huffington Post blot -- We Must Understand The Necessary Distinctions Within A Religion -- at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/rabbi-ben-hecht/under-religious-distinctions_b_14632370.html
My original title for the post, btw, was 'We NEED to understand religion' but it was changed by the editors.
Feel free to comment here or there.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
Wednesday 8 February 2017
Tuesday 7 February 2017
OU Congratulates Betsy DeVos upon Her Confirmation as Department of Education Secretary
From RRW
This afternoon, the United States Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.Nathan Diament, Executive Director for Public Policy of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – issued the following statement:“The Orthodox Union congratulates Betsy DeVos upon her confirmation as Secretary of Education. We have long supported education policies that empower parents with the resources and choices to ensure their children receive the best education they deem fit for their children. We believe Secretary DeVos will be a force for such empowerment and we look forward to working with her to ensure all American children have access to great schools and the opportunity to realize their God-given potential.”
Germany's Turkish-Muslim Integration Problem
From RRW
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8321/germany-turks-integration
Are Germany's Immigration Policies Ripping at the Seams?
Monday 6 February 2017
Jerusalem Schools, Synagogues Could be Shut if UN Resolution is Implemented
From RRW
Guest BloggerAs published by the Jewish News Service - January 24, 2017Jerusalem Schools, Synagogues Would be Shutif UN resolution is ImplementedWASHINGTON—The human consequences of implementing the recent United Nations resolution about Israel would be devastating, say American representatives of Israeli schools, synagogues and other institutions in parts of Jerusalem that Israel captured in 1967.U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted Dec. 23 with the U.S. abstaining, asserted that all “Israeli settlement activities” in “the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem” are “a flagrant violation of international law.” It stated that Israel must “immediately and completely cease” such activities and also take action to “reverse negative trends on the ground.”A number of major Jerusalem neighborhoods are situated in what the U.N. calls “East Jerusalem,” which is the area that Jordan occupied following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Nineteen years later, those sections of the city were reunited with the rest of Jerusalem as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War.One of those neighborhoods is French Hill, a major urban area located in the northeastern part of the city. “I live in French Hill,” award-winning Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi told JNS.org. “So the recent U.N. resolution has criminalized me and my family as occupiers.”“I’m not illegal, and I’m not a ‘settler,’” said historian Maurice Roumani, a professor emeritus at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev who resides in Armon HaNetziv (East Talpiot), a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem with a population of 14,000. “These artificial definitions by the U.N. do not reflect reality.”Teenage ‘settlers’ with disabilitiesThe institutions that could be adversely affected if the U.N. resolution leads to international boycotts or other actions include the Ilan Residential Home for Handicapped Young Adults and the Beit Or Home for Young Autistic Adults, both of which are located in the Gilo neighborhood; forests and housing projects sponsored in and around Jerusalem by the Jewish National Fund (JNF); and portions of the Hebrew University campus. Even the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives might be affected.“My grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents, going back seven generations, are buried on the Mount of Olives,” Washington, D.C.-based attorney Alyza Lewin told JNS.org. “Does the U.N. propose to ban Jews from using the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world? The notion that Israel is violating international law by burying its dead on this sacred spot is unthinkable.”Could members of the British family find themselves accused of fostering the “illegal occupation” of eastern Jerusalem? Princess Alice of Battenberg, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, is buried in a small Christian cemetery at the foot of the Mount of Olives. A number of British royals have visited her gravesite over the years, including Prince Charles during his trip to Israel last October.There also are Arab residents in a number of across-the-line Jerusalem neighborhoods, including Givat HaMatos, Gilo and Neve Yaakov. “Some of my neighbors [in French Hill] are Arab Israelis,” Halevi noted. “Are they occupiers too, or is it only the Jewish Israelis? Now that I am officially outside of the law according to the U.N., I imagine that anything can happen.”Effects across denominational linesPossible international action against those sections of Jerusalem would cut across Jewish denominational lines, affecting Orthodox and non-Orthodox institutions alike.The Masorti movement—the Israeli branch of Conservative Judaism—sponsors a school and synagogue in French Hill, a school in Gilo, and synagogues in the Ramot neighborhood and the Jerusalem satellite community of Ma’ale Adumim. “The U.N. resolution is indiscriminate and historically obtuse,” said Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, who is one of the most prominent Conservative rabbis in the U.S.Wolpe told JNS.org, “Many of the areas the U.N. purports to ‘return’ are historically and by rights Jewish territory recognized de facto by the parties themselves. For the Masorti movement in Israel, enacting such a resolution would have terrible consequences religiously, economically and to the spirit of religious pluralism in Israel.”The Women of the Wall group, which demonstrates for egalitarian prayer rights at the Western Wall, is operating in an area that the U.N. has designated as “occupied territory,” the Old City section of Jerusalem. Hypothetically, even the Orthodox Union’s Yachad program of sending pizza to Israeli soldiers could be jeopardized, since some of those soldiers are stationed in post-1967 sections of the capital.The religious Zionist social service organization AMIT is planning a “Yom Yerushalayim Mission” to Israel in May, which will include a number of events and activities in post-1967 parts of Jerusalem, including the Old City area. AMIT Executive Vice President Andrew Goldsmith told JNS.org the U.N.’s action will not interfere with his organization’s work. During the past century, “we have witnessed many different political statements and efforts, none of which have had an impact” on AMIT’s work, he said, adding that the U.N. resolution “will not have an impact on our ability to serve our students.”‘Oom-Shmoom’Venerated Zionist institutions could also be affected. There are JNF-sponsored forests or housing projects in various Jerusalem neighborhoods beyond the 1967 lines, such as Neve Yaakov, Givat HaMatos and Ammunition Hill, as well as in nearby Ma’ale Adumim. Portions of Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus, including one of its dormitories, likewise are located in the post-1967 areas of the city. Spokespeople for JNF and Hebrew University declined to comment on the matter."David Ben-Gurion (Israel’s first prime minister) coined a phrase which accurately sums up how most Israelis feel about the United Nations," said Mordechai Nisan, a professor of Middle East studies at Hebrew University. "The phrase was ‘Oom-Shmoom’—‘Oom’ is how the abbreviation for the U.N. is pronounced in Hebrew, and ‘Shmoom’ was Ben-Gurion's way of dismissing its relevance.”Nisan, who resides in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot Bet, parts of which are beyond the 1967 lines, toldJNS.org, “Nobody is going to chop apartment buildings or streets in half in Ramot Bet or any other Jerusalem neighborhood. More than 250,000 Jews reside in parts of Jerusalem past the 1967 lines, and they are here to stay. The supporters of the recent U.N. resolution are delusional—they are living in their own little echo chamber, with no connection to reality."Hoping for a new positionUnder the Obama administration, the U.S. took a position similar to that of the U.N., branding the post-1967 parts of Jerusalem as “occupied territory.” Many observers are hopeful that U.S. policy will change under President Donald Trump. “It's hard to imagine any American government being less favorable to Israel on Jerusalem-related issues than the Obama administration,” Yossi Klein Halevi said. “I expect the new administration to be better—perhaps significantly better.”Alyza Lewin said it is “imperative” for the Trump administration to “promptly recognize Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem.” Lewin and her father, Nathan Lewin, were the attorneys in a recent suit by a Jerusalem-born American citizen concerning his request to have his passport state “Israel” as his place of birth, instead of “Jerusalem,” which has been the State Department’s practice because the U.S. does not recognize any part of Jerusalem as being in Israel. The Supreme Court turned down that request in 2015, on the grounds that the American president has the exclusive authority to recognize foreign sovereigns.“Since that is the position of the Court’s majority,” Alyza Lewin said, “President Trump should use his authority to promptly recognize Israel's sovereignty over all of Jerusalem.”
Women Communal Roles
From RRW and RBH
Recently, the following was sent out by the OU in regard to the communal role of women:
In response JOFA made the following statement
To further your study and investigation of the topic, we also wish to direct you to the Women Rabbis Archives at Torah Musings
Recently, the following was sent out by the OU in regard to the communal role of women:
A number of months ago, the OU posed two questions to a panel of its leading poskim:1) Is it halakhically acceptable for a synagogue to employ a woman in a clergy function?2) What is the broadest spectrum of professional roles within a synagogue that may be performed by a woman?Recently, the Rabbinic Panel provided their Responses to us to these questions. At a meeting of the OU's Board of Directors yesterday, the OU adopted the Responses of the Rabbinic Panel as a statement of OU policy. In addition, the OU has prepared a Statement, commenting on the Responses of the Rabbinic Panel.To view the Responses of the Rabbinic Panel, and the accompanying OU Statement, please click on the links below:
Statement from the OU
Allen I. FaginExecutive Vice President / Chief Professional OfficerOrthodox Union
In response JOFA made the following statement
Courtesy of Rabbi A Gordimer
To further your study and investigation of the topic, we also wish to direct you to the Women Rabbis Archives at Torah Musings
http://www.torahmusings.com/topics/women-rabbis/
Sunday 5 February 2017
Arutz Sheva Articles on Ban by Musling Nations
From RRWand RBH
The 70-year-old Muslim ban that no one protests
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/20116
British PM slams Muslim countries for banning entry by Israelis
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/224258
You also may be interested in hearing this as well, also from Britain
https://webmail.bell.net/appsuite/api/mail/VID-20170201-WA0000.mp4?action=attachment&folder=default0%2FWally+Blog&id=100401&attachment=2&delivery=view
Friday 3 February 2017
Trump Warns Israel: Stop Announcing New Settlements
From RRW
http://matzav.com/trump-warns-israel-stop-announcing-new-settlements/
I'm curious to know
if somehow Trump was "pressured" to appear more even-handed or was something else behind this.
RRW
Thursday 2 February 2017
The Museum's Statement on Refugees
From RRW
The Museum is acutely aware of the consequences to the millions of Jews who were unable to flee Nazism, as noted in our November 2015 statement on the Syrian refugee crisis. The Museum continues to have grave concern about the global refugee crisis and our response to it. During the 1930s and 1940s, the United States, along with the rest of the world, generally refused to admit Jewish refugees from Nazism due to antisemitic and xenophobic attitudes, harsh economic conditions, and national security fears.
In our view, there are many legitimate refugees fleeing the Assad regime’s sustained campaign of crimes against humanity and the genocidal acts perpetrated by ISIS against the Yazidis, Christians, and other religious minorities. American policy should fully address national security concerns while protecting legitimate refugees whatever their national or religious identity.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit ushmm.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)