Mussar - Meshubadim hayyinu _Abarbanel

originally posted July 9, 2013

I wish to credit the great Don Isaac Abarbanel for this interesting insight!

"And if the Almighty had not rescued us from Egypt, behold we, our children, and grandchildren would still be (meshu'badim) enslaved unto Pharaoh in Egypt!"

Well the Pharaohs haven't ruled Egypt in a long time - and it is hard to visualize us Israelites as slaves unto Pharaoh forever! Plus we would have probably assimilated a LONG while ago into Egyptian society and been just poor old Egyptians just as the rest. To take the statement literally; I.e. That we would still be enslaved is hard to comprehend.

Clear your minds of the image of the "evil Pharaoh". Now go back to the time of Joseph and recall a kindlier, gentler Pharaoh. Now, if the Almighty had chosen, HE could have appointed a liberal-minded Pharaoh.  THAT Pharaoh might have listened to Charlton Heston and willingly, or even joyfully released the Israelites from bondage!

Just as Tsar Nikolai I freed the serfs and Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, a generous Pharaoh could have Let HIS people go without a fight!

What would have been the upshot of such a kinder and gentler ruler? We would be singing "his" praises instead of God's praises!

Thus, Abarbanel homiletically reads meshu'badim in its alternate meaning - mortgaged or indebted or encumbered. Had GOD not forced the issue by bringing Pharaoh unwillingly to his knees we would be be indebted to PHARAOH and not to the Almighty.

Perhaps the most ennobling aspect of our liberation is that we became indentured to GOD HIMSELF. " Kee Lee B'nei Yisro'el Avadim.." The emancipation of other slave societies met with less success. Without Divine intervention and inspiration, "Up from Slavery" succeeded only for the very few idealists.

A sobering thought to precede our last three cups of rejoicing!

RRW

Eichah: Hashiveinu, Ma'os M'astanu, Hashiveinu

Originally published 8/19/11, 10:14 am.
The 2 final p'sukkim of Eichah [Lamentations] are very interesting as we read it.

[Tr: Young's Literal]

5:21 Turn us back, O J-HV-H, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.
5:22 For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us -- exceedingly?
5:21 Turn us back, O J-HV-H, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

We ask Hashem to return us after he has found us disgusting - Because the last verse may actually be read as a declarative, namely:

5:22 For Thou hast utterly rejected us! Thou hast been wroth against us -- exceedingly!

-------------------

How does this work?

There are two grounds to divorce a wife, because either

A. She has been "unfaithful"
Or
B. Her Husband finds her unattractive or repulsive.

In the first case Halachah REQUIRES a divorce. Reconciliation and Remarriage are assur
In the second case, the husband may change his mind.

Thus Yirmiyahu points out that we've been rejected as disgusting but not as unfaithful, thus we plead to Hashem to be Returned to Favor



Hebrew Text Below
-------------------

כא השיבנו ה אליך ונשוב (ונשובה), חדש ימינו כקדם.

כב כי אם-מאס מאסתנו, קצפת עלינו עד-מאד

Shalom,
RRW

Was Hanukkah a Reaction to Secular Liberalism?

Originally published 12/8/10, 8:02 pm.

«In a broader sense, the miracle of Chanukah was much more than the over-extended burning of a bottle of oil; it was the victory of the Hasmoneans over the Greeks, of the Torah over secularism. The Greeks were in essence a liberal, open-minded society, not a barbaric nation given to mass-executions and bloodbaths. Their desire was to "enrich" Jews with their "enlightened" way of life; with their arts, culture and philosophy.»

Olas Shabbos - Chanukah, 5760 - Torah.org


Shalom,
RRW

Yom Yerushalayim

Originally posted 5/30/08, 3:25 PM.

As Yom Yerushalayim approaches and amongst the storm of controversy that currently surrounds our most holy city, I have begun to wonder how much of my feelings and motivations in regard to Yerushalayim are affected by the lack of access to our holy sites by the Arabs prior to 1967. Of course, there is a desire for Jewish sovereignty over Jewish land and especially over this city -- but is that desire for sovereignty the essential deep motivation for not letting Yerushalayim out of our control. How much are we still affected by the pre-1967 barring of Jews from going to the Kotel? Is our reluctance to even discuss giving away any part of Yerushalayim solely motivated by our feelings of Jewish nationalism and our desire for Jewish sovereignty over our holy sites or does it also reflect our lack of trust in others to not bar us from our holy sites, ensure that we are not barred or even simply to treat our holy sites without respect.

I guess one could ask what difference does it make what the motivation is for a strong stand in regard to Yerushalayim. I am also not sure. It may reflect our attitude to the galut in general. Do we desire Eretz Yisrael because we need a haven from being subjected to the whims of others which is our status within the galut? Or is our desire for our own country with our own sovereignty so we can simply express ourselves? One difference that may arise from a contemplation of this issue may surface in how we act towards the sites of other religions in Yerushalayim. If we wish a unified Yerushalayim because we are concerned about how another will treat our sites, there is a greater call for us to treat the sites of others with respect. But if our desire is simply to express ourselves, we may find these other sites on our land a circumvention of our own spirit. Of course, there most likely will be no practical distinciton in this regard based upon motivation. There are many other reasons to maintain a certain position even simple political good will. Yet, at least on a theoretical level. it may be interesting to consider how much we are affected by our perception of what has transpired in the last 60 years.

Rabbi Ben Hecht

Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha'atzmaut

Originally published 5/7/08, 10:55 PM.

From Rabbi Davdi Wiliig of the Morasha List
A very touching story.

On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 12:13 AM, Rabbidw@cs.com wrote:

Yom Ha'Shoa and Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Immediately following Pesach there are two holidays, which within the span of one week take the Jewish people from the agony of the holocaust to the triumph of the birth of the State of Israel. I believe that we all can understand the magnitude of the holocaust, but I think that, living sixty years after the fact, and most of us coming to consciousness after Israel was born, it is difficult for us to understand what the birth of Israel meant and still means today. One of the most astonishing books to come out of the holocaust is a multi-volume work, in rabbinic Hebrew called Questions and Answers from the Depths, a collection of responsa, questions and answers pertaining to halacha. These were written by a Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, who was in the Kovno ghetto until its liberation in 1944 and was able, after he was liberated, to gather his notes and eventually publish his five volume work. A one volume version has been published in English under the title Responsa from the Holocaust.
I would like to cite some of the questions and answers from his work.

• Can we recite the blessing thanking God for not making us a slave?
• Yes, because the blessing is formulated for spiritual, not physical liberty
• Does a ghetto dwelling need a mezuzah?
• No, because ghetto dwellings are considered temporary, like a sukkah.
• May one build a sukkah with lumber stolen from the Germans?
• Yes, because the Germans stole lumber from the Jews.
• Can one say a Mi Sheberach for a non Jew? What about Kaddish?
• In both cases the answer is yes, God allows us to pray for the worthy, Jew and non-Jew alike.

Some of the questions came from people who were not religious until they were moved into the Ghetto. A young man, a former atheist, found his religion in the ghetto and was heartbroken when the Germans cut off his left arm, because he was now unable to put on tephilin, phylacteries. Rabbi Oshry ruled that someone could help the young man put the tephilin on his right arm. The man rejoiced in being able to fulfill the mitzvah.

I cry when I read through these questions, and I ask myself how these people cared about the minutiae of Jewish Law when all around them, their friends, neighbors and family were being killed. The answer is they believed that the mitzvot were a sign of Gods love for us and to reject the mitzvot is to reject God's love. Sometimes it is up to us to reach out to God, not to abandon Him, even though it appears that He has abandoned us.

And three years after the holocaust we had the miracle of the birth of Israel. And it was a miracle. Truman overrode the opinion of General George Marshall, who threatened to resign over the recognition of Israel, as well as the Arabist State Department. Truman, came under the influence of Chaim Weizmann, (and you all know the story of how Truman's old business partner Eddie Jacobson called in all the chips of his long friendship with Truman to prevail on Truman just to see Weizmann.) Weizmann, old and blind, and being pushed out of his leadership by the young, ambitious David Ben Gurion, used all his powers of persuasion to convince Truman to vote for the partition. Once Truman decided to back partition he went over Marshall's head and put the full force of the State Department to work so make sure he was backing a winner. Various countries changed their vote, and one Foreign Minister was replaced in the days leading up to the vote as foreign aid was used as a bargaining chip to get the necessary votes.
And who would have anticipated that the antisemitic Joseph Stalin would not seize this opportunity to play the Arab card, and with this decision would go the votes of the entire Communist bloc. Had he voted against partition that would have killed all hopes for the necessary two thirds vote. And the unexpected victory of an untrained and unequipped Jewish Army (Jewish Army - that term itself seemed like a joke) over the armies of five neighboring Arab States.

I think the short time between Yom Ha'shoa and Yom Ha'atzmaut is symbolic of how rapidly God can work. We should understand this in our own lives as well. As bad as we may feel one day, with God's help they can turn around the next. As we celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut, which the Rabbi's have proclaimed to be the beginning of the process of redemption, we should continue to hope and pray to see the redemptive process unfold to its completion, speedily and in our day.

Rabbi David Willig

--
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com

YouTube Debate on Messianism

With our thoughts on the recent passing of Rabbi Immanuel Schochet, in memorial, we direct you to one of his debates against a Jewish Christian.

Rabbi Imanuel Schochet Debates Dr. Brown, a Messianic Jew
"Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG26JPXZVx0


Best Regards,
RRW

Facing the TWO Fronts

We have highlighted two issues facing the Modern Orthodox or Centrist Orthodox world on Nishmablog over the past few weeks.

We have noted how, mostly in Israel, the world of the the Da'ati Leumi world is pitted against the world of the Haredim.
See such posts as:

• Koshertube: Interview with Rabbi Dov Lipman
• Jerusalem - Rabbi Dov Lipman: Time To Tell The Truth
• the entire Hareidism vs. Centrism series, with perhaps a focus on Part III

We have also noted that, mostly concentrated in the New York area of the United States, the greater population of this world in in conflict with those more to the left. See such posts as:

• UTJ, YCT, etc.
• From Open O to Neo-Cons 
• Just What is Orthodoxy Anyway?

Many people may not realize that these two conflicts may respect a larger war. Modern Orthodox seems caught between two opposing forces.  The comparison to a physical war with fronts on two opposite sides -- East-West or North-South -- may be very real. The Centrist World fights one battle in one direction. And then, it seems to fight a second battle in the exact opposite direction -- and the challenge of this battle is often times not even recognized. This is not to say that this two front war is inherently inappropriate or problematic. It, though, needs to be recognized and truly understood for what it is.

To be more explicit in this regard, notice how, in either one of the battles, those fighting against the Centrists on one side are their allies in the battle on the other side. In regards to the issue in Israel, for example, in the battle with the Haredim, those to the left are allies even to the extent that some of the issues in the very battle with the left can be ignored. Centrists take offense to the idea of inter-branch relations in the U.S. as expressed by, for example, Rabbi Asher Lopatin, but the statement of Rabbi Dov Lipman regarding generic Torah study in the Knesset is still met with applause -- even though this would include the involvement of Prof. Ruth Calderon whose theological leanings would be similar to the more non-traditional branches of Judaism. The focus on the battle with the Haredim may lead to Centrist Orthodoxy wavering in its battle with the left -- but is that acceptable? It must clearly force the Centrist world to reconsider the issue on the left.

The Haredim are the allies when it comes to the U.S. issue of how to relate to Yeshiva Chovivei Torah. Centrists even take Haredi arguments to bolster their own challenges against the left -- for example, also using the term Mesorah almost dogmatically -- even though they dismiss such usage in the argument in Israel. The focus on the battle with the left may lead to Centrist Orthodoxy wavering in its battle with the Haredim -- but is that, again, acceptable? It must also force us to reconsider the issue with the Haredim.

Clearly, there are differences between what is happening in Israel and what is happening in the U.S. Arguments can be made for the differences in approach on the two fronts. The challenge, though, is whether people even see the inherent issue of these two fronts.
Do we see the wavering? -- not that these waverings are inherently wrong but rather that they should really be forcing us to truly think about the overall issues.
Centrist Orthodoxy's is now truly caught in the middle. The two fronts are battles Centrism must wage to be true to its essential perspective.  It is time that we started to recognize the true challenge of this dialectic and challenge.


- Rabbi Ben Hecht

UTJ, YCT, etc.

A comment:

«Actually, if you look at the UTJ vs the now-defunct Edah, many will tell you that what doomed the UTJ from greater growth was its reluctance to embrace the "women's issue" as a cause celebre. that cost them hundreds of thousands, if not 7 digits in potential donations. the other reality was that since it was founded by non-Orthodox though halachicly-based disciples of R Saul Lieberman, tz'l, it would never have captured even the mainstream Left of Orthodoxy to fully embrace it.
over the years, many of its members have traveled comfortably between Edah, YCT, Drisha, JOFA, etc. Truth is they all approach halakha very similarly ...
in my view, UTJ will never receive the full credit it deserves for its Mi Yehudi proposal, its Pesach Hotline, Kosher Nexus, Lieberman yahrzeit program (hope they revive that one), and its interesting Tomeikh K'Halakha, which provided a more moderate halackicly-based responsa before there was YCT or the Inst for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. but it is equally clear that many of its ideas were embraced and more successfully marketed by others.»

Halachic Template For Women's Ordination Isn't New | The Jewish Week


Best Regards,
RRW

From Open O to Neo-Cons

R Asher Lopatin:

«But my dream is to have Hebrew Union College, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Hadar, and Chovevei on one campus, to move in together. We'd each daven in our own ways, but it could transform the Upper West Side.

R Avrham Gordimer:

«There is not much more to say. The path to total abandonment of Orthodoxy has been set in motion, and the ball is in the court of Open Orthodoxy's leadership. Serious introspection and swift action are indeed needed.»

From Openness to Heresy | Cross-Currents



Best Regards,
RRW

Prime Minister Netanyahu: FB Remarks re: Tisha b'Av

The Prime Minister of Israel wrote:
PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting
*****

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom, this morning (Sunday, 14 July 2013), made the following remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"This week we will mark the Ninth of the Hebrew month of Av, Tisha b'Av. We remember the disaster that befell our people – the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of our land. We remember that this destruction was accompanied, and even expedited, by gratuitous hatred among us. I think that the Jewish People has learned the lesson. We know the importance of unity among our people, a unity of forces, and such unity around central ideas. We have returned to the Land of Israel. We have built our state. We have built our capital Jerusalem and we have created one of the most prosperous, developed and advanced countries in the world. Today, this is very considerable given the background of what is happening in the region, from Morocco to Pakistan, and what is happening opposite an advanced continent such as Europe.

The State of Israel is prosperous, strong, united and developed and we must be united on the main goals that I will detail here – and stand together in the face of major challenges that threaten our security – regarding the implementation of the vision that we have here, especially the development of the Negev and the Galilee on a large scale.

A month has passed since the Iranian elections and Iran is continuing to press quickly forward on developing a military nuclear ability. It is expanding and advancing its enrichment facilities and, at the same time, its developing its ballistic missiles capability. Again, these are threats not only against us but against the entire West and the East as well.

We are determined to insist on our demands, which must be the demands of the international community. One, to stop all enrichment. Two, to remove all enriched material. Three, to close the illegal nuclear facility in Qom. We believe that now, more than ever, in light of Iran's progress, it is important to intensify the economic sanctions and place a credible military option before Iran.

Best Regards,
RRW

Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High?

«Breeding for Brains:

"Our Rabbis teach, Let a man sell all that he has and marry the daughter of a learned man. If he cannot find the daughter of a learned man, let him marry the daughter of one of the great men of his day. If he does not find such a one, let him marry the daughter of one of the heads of the congregation, or, failing this, the daughter of a charity collector, or even the daughter of a schoolmaster; but let him not marry the daughter of an illiterate man, for the unlearned are an abomination, as also their wives and their daughters."   P'sachim, fol. 49, col. 2.

Judaic texts like the one above emphasize repeatedly that knowledge and intelligence are supreme virtues, with ignorance the grossest liability.  Following this dictum, the Jews enhanced their gene pool for smartnesss. In A History of the Jews, author Paul Johnson notes that, "among the Jews the most intelligent people have always been very valued and sought after as husbands, so they procreate and spread their good genes." Charles Murray observed another matchmaking tendency, when he notes that "by marrying the children of scholars to the children of successful merchants, Jews were in effect joining those selected for abstract reasoning ability with those selected for practical intelligence."

Meanwhile, Catholics were marrying for "class" reasons, angling for blue-blood aristocrat gains that had no link to intelligence.  Physical strength and valor was also desired, via brave knights on the battlefield - this exaltation of brawn over brains likewise did nothing to advance that religion's collective IQ.»

Why is the IQ of Ashkenazi Jews so High? - ImmortalLife.info



Best Regards,
RRW

Hassidei Ashkenaz, The "Other" Mystical School

«The leaders of the community of the Chassidei Ashkenaz movement were descended from the Kalonymos family of northern Italy, a family that had immigrated to Germany in the 10th century; and the Abun family of France, among others, according to the sacred books they wrote at the close of the 10th century. The movement was known for its strict, almost religious observance, asceticism, and its mystical doctrines. Some posit that its theology fits into the general canon of Jewish mysticism. It certainly parallels other Jewish mysticism; however in other ways it was very original. The extent of this community's effect and influence during Middle Age German Judaism has not been studied.

NB: ("Hassid" should not be mistaken for the Eastern European dynastic movement started by the Baal Shem Tov in the 18th century. »

Chassidei Ashkenaz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chassidei_Ashkenaz


Best Regards,
RRW

Interview with R Moshe Meiselman Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe, Yerushalayim - "Our society demands that we be more than observant secularists."

«In what way was the army to impact the culture and atmosphere of the country?

The army served the purpose of allowing Ben Gurion and the Zionists to impose their anti-Torah lifestyle, philosophy and ideology on the thousands who would serve in Tzahal. One must understand that being in the army means that soldiers must totally subjugate themselves to the rules and orders of their superiors. This enables those running the army to create a new social identity.

This was the reason that the gedolim leading the chareidi community insisted very strongly that bnei hayeshivos not go to the Israeli army. They rejected the new social identity that the Zionists were trying to impose on the residents of the country.

Was this the reason that the gedolim felt that joining the army at the time was "yeihoreig ve'al yaavor"?

Indeed. We can now understand the famous story of the Brisker Rov zt"l refusing to sign a statement that sheirut leumi was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor. The Brisker Rov said that if he would sign it, it would sound like only army service/sheirut leumi for women was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor, but not army service for men. --> "In fact, the Brisker Rov felt that even for men to go to the Israeli army was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor. We can now appreciate why this is so, as the Israeli army was meant to create a new social identity to replace any commitment to Torah life, and it would therefore be yeihoreig ve'al yaavor.

How effective was Ben Gurion's plan?

It is important to realize that Ben Gurion's plan was, in fact, successful to a large extent. Thousands of previously religious immigrants were successfully indoctrinated with Zionism through the army and ultimately lost their commitment to Torah. Even those who remained shomer mitzvos were given a new identity that was antithetical to true Torah values and a true Torah lifestyle. Our society demands that we be more than observant secularists. Torah is also a whole outlook on life that encompasses the whole personality.»

Yated Newspaper - "The Identity of the Israeli People is at Stake" - Understanding the Current Situation in Eretz Yisroel


Best Regards,
RRW

Hareidism vs. Centrism III

«Israel - Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered in Jerusalem and in Bnei Brak on Thursday to support the right of Ashkenazi Hasidic parents to keep their children in classes segregated from their Mizrahi peers.

Ultra-Orthodox officials made a last-ditch effort on Wednesday to keep parents in the settlement of Immanuel from being arrested and jailed for refusing to implement a High Court of Justice ruling requiring the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi girls to study in the same classes. ...»

Israel - Tens of Thousands of Charedim Rally for Right to Segregated Education [photos] -- VosIzNeias.com

A case of Austritt in that it calls for separation from even fellow Orthodox.

Best Regards,
RRW

Israeli Haredis View their American Counterparts with a Measure of Condescension

«The "Primacy of Torah" was an apt phrase for the motto for the azkarah, as it hints that there is something else that serves as a necessary supplement to the study of Torah, namely, making money. The pragmatic approach of Lakewood stands in stark contrast to that of the Lithuanian Haredi community in Israel, where the prevailing ideology is one of, "Only Torah." Yeshiva students there are expected to devote their entire lives to the study of Torah; secular education and jobs are actively discouraged. According to Dr. Benjamin Brown, a Hebrew University lecturer whose research focus is Orthodox Judaism and Haredi society, Israeli Haredis view their American counterparts with a measure of condescension: The bourgeois lifestyle of American Haredis may be acceptable "for them" in America, but not in Israel, where the Haredis hold themselves to a higher, less compromising, and more austere standard. Torah study itself in America is also considered by Israeli Haredis to be on a lower level, which Brown believes is supported by the fact that "American bochurim [unmarried yeshiva students] come to learn in Israel, not vice versa." The same perspective was shared with me by Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer, a Haredi religious court judge in Jerusalem. According to Pfeffer, the "mainstream" Israeli Haredi "looks upon his Lakewood counterpart as being part of the American experience of affluence and luxury and generally believes that Torah greatness cannot emerge from America—even from Lakewood."»

More From. Tablet Magazine



Best Regards,
RRW

R Eliyahu Safran -Reflections on the Uniform of the IDF

«Much of Tzaurger's motivation is political – his proclamation was in response to the IDF's rescinding of the policy allowing soldiers to be exempt from wearing their uniforms which he stated had the purpose to "transmit the message that military service has become the norm" and make it easier to draft hareidim. He claimed that the IDF's strategy was working and that he wanted to put an end to it.»

Reflections on the Uniform of the IDF - Op-Eds - Israel National News


Best Regards,
RW

Why Rabbi Dr. Alan J. Yuter Resigned from Conservative Judaism

«I believe that the modern Jew is given the choice to choose between two irreconcilable
orthodoxies. Given the vehemence, which has assumed eschatological proportions, in which the issues of women rabbis and cantors has been pushed--Dr. Schorsch pointed to a 9-3 decision of the CJLS in 1974 without telling anyone that the 9 votes opposed women cantors and he waves the so-called "Roth responsum" which was not even accepted by the CJLS or the faculty of JTS--it is clear that feminism is now a new fundamentalism.

I choose the orthodoxy of Jewish tradition over the orthodoxy of current secular taste.»

Why Rabbi Dr. Alan J. Yuter Resigned from the Rabbinical Assembly and Left Conservative Judaism | YUTOPIA



Best Regards,
RRW

Paradise Lost, Back to the Future

Originally published 8/8/11, 3:44 pm.
Most Jews look FORWARD to y'mot haMashiach. We hope to have evolved so as to be ready for a Messianic "utopia" by our growth in Torah and Mitzvot.

I look BACK to the future. I take my cue from Yirm'yahu, "Hashiveinu Hashem Eleicha v'nashuvah, Hadeish Yameinu k'Kedem"
Return us
Restore us
To when? to Y'mei Kedem!
Al Pi Drush - to Gan Eden miKedem!

Yes, we ask to be restored to the era before Paradise had been lost! It was the Geirush from Gan Eden that was our very first Hurban, our very first Exile!

We pray to Hashem to have Paradise Regained as it used to be - like Adam Harishon Kodem [kedem] hacheit
So may we go back in time
Speedily and in Our Days
Hadeish Yameinu k'Kedem

Shalom,
RRW

M'zuzah on a Kosher Restaurant

Originally published 7/24/11, 11:09 am.
I work in a Glatt Kosher OK certified restaurant. Every so often people ask me: "where is the m'zuzah?"

I tell them that the restaurant is NOT owned by Jews. I'm not certain, but it might even be assur to put up a m'zuzah on a non-Jewish establishment. M'zuzot on a non-Jewish owned location would be misleading; it may also be subject to defilement, EG when the business closes. See Rema Y"D Hilchot M'zuzah 286:1, 291:2

Shalom,
RRW

Exploring Parameters of Halachah for our Time

Originally published on 6/1/11, 8:12 pm.
Certainly we see changes in Halachah towards Humrot. For example, who grew up with a Fleishig Oven? Thus leaving Traditional Halachah behind poses risks of going-out-of-bounds
Yet the alternative presented by the Left of "Halachic Fundamentalism" is no solution either. How can we address the shifts in technology? Do we become Luddites in order to enshrine a "status quo we can believe in"?

Here are some topics I'd like to address over the next few weeks

1. Intellectual Property as addressed by Torah
2. Microwave Cooking
3. Brain Stem Death
4. New Behaviours in the realm of Human Sexuality
5. Bicycles on Yom Tov

The common thread is how to apply or to expand existing Torah principles without doing violence to Halachah or even Hashqafah? Some principles may fall outside strict Halachic guidelines but well within Aggadic Values.
A Corollary to this is exploring any Naffqa Minah between expanding old existing Halachah for new situations vs. Brand new Social Policy Legislation.

Shalom,
RRW