Presence

R. Heinemann Stands By "Sabbath Mode" Ovens

The Yeshiva World recently posted letters from prominent Israeli and American rabbis against the use of "Sabbath Mode" ovens. The letters made reference to an individual opinion that they believed to be erroneous. That opinion, although not explicitly attributed to him, was that of R. Moshe Heinemann of Baltimore's Star-K.

Today, the Star-K sent out an email stating that R. Heinemann stands by his ruling:

June 5, 2008

Regarding Star-K certified Sabbath Mode ovens

Rav Heinemann, shlita, stands by his Psak that it is permissible to raise and lower temperatures on Yom Tov on ovens equipped with that particular Sabbath Mode feature. Please see Star-K website at http://www.star-k.org/consumer.htm , or call our office for details about your particular model. Star-K will, in the next few days, post an audio presentation from Rav Heinemann explaining his views.

For those who wish to refrain from placing their ovens in Sabbath Mode and still use their oven on Yom Tov, please be aware of the possible serious "Michshol" on many models. Opening the oven door will immediately shut off the heating elements, an act clearly forbidden on Yom Tov. Thus, even if you don't raise or lower the temperature, it is still important to keep the oven in Sabbath Mode.

Star-K Certification

Below is R. Heinemann's original teshuva on Sabbath Mode ovens, which can also be found on the Star-K's website, along with additional information regarding Sabbath Mode appliances:

Baltimore Hatzalah Makes The News

Baltimore's Hatzalah made the news yesterday responding to an accident near Fallstaff and Reisterstown Rds. A woman was trapped between her minivan and another car, and was later rescued by fire firefighters. Hatzalah was first on the scene and provided support. The woman suffered minor injuries, everyone else is ok. WJZ has a story on the incident, including brief video footage; the Baltimore Sun has an article as well.

A Solution to the Jewish (Genealogy) Problem?

JWorld Famillion is a worldwide family project that connects Jewish people all over the world for an online family reunion. It is an advanced technological system that enlarges your detailed family tree by merging it with other family trees from all across the globe.

I'm sure this is legit, but every time I'm about to sign up for one of these things, I can't help but think this is some kind of secret Nazi-run Jew-tracking system. Like I said, I'm sure it's fine, but one can never be too careful.

I Want To See This Movie

The Forward, Haredi Life, Too Purely Rendered, reviews the film My Father, My Lord (in Hebrew, "Hofshat Kayitz").

It's not available on Netflix; if anyone in Israel knows where to get this on DVD, please get in touch.

Happy Birthday Uncle George

My Uncle George turned either 99 or 100 today (he claims he was born in 1908; we have documentation that says 1909, but it's from the 1930's and could be incorrect). The local paper up in Rutland, MA wrote an article about him entitled 100 is the new 80, and has a great photo of him (click through for a larger version). In a previous article, they wrote more about his various business ventures, including the world famous George Gershman's Health Drink.

Hasidic Jews in House

On last week's episode of House, patient of the week was a woman who became suddenly ill at her wedding. The catch: the patient was "a music producer living in the fast lane until she converted to Hasidic Judaism."

I'd heard much about this episode, but hadn't seen it when it aired; it recently became available online and I got a chance to watch it.

House is insistent that people don't change. He is adamant that the woman's religious renewal is related to her illness. House characterizes religion as both mental illness and masochism before it is revealed that, in fact, the woman's illness was unrelated to her choice to become Orthodox. Throughout the episode, there is a parallel between House's diagnosis of the woman's illness, and his argument with Wilson regarding his girlfriend (known on the show as CTB). At the end of the episode, House consents to Wilson dating CTB, even though it will damage their friendship. Wilson accuses House of changing, but House continues to insist that people don't change.

I think House's point is: people don't change; we may make changes, sometimes even drastic ones, to our lives and lifestyles, but those changes are often only superficial, done in service to something deeper in our psyche that is unchangeable. The woman's illness, although unrelated to her religious changes, doesn't indicate that people do change. Becoming Orthodox, for her, was simply following the same inner compulsion that she had been following her whole life. Although her life may seem drastically different to the casual observer, when looked at as a whole, her entire life's actions would fit into a single context. This is also illustrated by the Dr. Taub, who left a career as a plastic surgeon to become House's intern; although a drastic change in career, the change was preserve his marriage, to prevent change. House's change of heart for Wilson is simply based on the fact that he now feels that the relationship is good for his friend.

On note of trivia: the actress who plays the patient of the week is Laura Silverman, sister of comedienne Sarah Silverman.

Oorah Says "No" to Women

A message from the folks at Oorah:

I tried emailing yeswomen@oorah.org, but it bounced. I think there should be a third option: womeninburkas@oorah.org.

[Hat tip: AS]

Movie Trailer: Defiance

"In WWII Russia, Jewish refugees band together into a brigade that hides in the forest, ambushes Germans and survives until war’s end, eventually 1200 strong."

Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell. Directed by Ed Zwick. More information at IMDB.

Shomer Shabbos

From the NY Times article on Ethan Coen's new play "Almost an Evening," way down at the bottom:

“Our next movie is all about Hebrew school,” Mr. Coen said, with excitement, “in a big way.” It starts shooting in Minnesota this spring.

Candidly autobiographical, “it’s about a family of four in the Midwest, in 1967,” he said, “and one of the kids is about to be bar mitzvahed. Yes, horrible things happen.”

Can't wait! Looks like it might be called Suburbicon.

Respect Your Elders

Baltimore expat Elliott Cahan has an article on Arutz Sheva entitled Identity Crisis, on the state of senior care in Israel. Quite an eye-opening article, and proof that a big opportunity exists in providing decent elder care in Israel.

Dylan, Yom Kippur and Atlanta

YudelLine: by Reb Yudel
Bob Dylan Yom Kippur sighting, 2007

I know one person who is going to be a little upset he was in Baltimore for Yom Kippur. (Hat tip: AS)

The Abstinence Song, or Why Chrisitanity is a Religion, and Judaism is a Culture

I've had this in my "to-blog" queue for a while, and figured that this week would be an appropriate time to let it out. I give you: The Abstinence Song.

I'm forwarding this on to the folks at the OU (v'hamvin yavin).

This video comes from a site called GodTube, which is basically YouTube for Christians; it's full of videos all focused on Christianity, with titles like "The Reality of Hell" and "Little Girl and Psalm 23."

On a whim, I typed in JewTube.com, where the top videos are Borat and Lewis Black. Oy vey!

Cost of Being an Observant Jew

CartoonBarry has a good breakdown of the costs of being an observant Jew. His prices are based on Monsey cost of living, and some of the numbers seem strange (who pays $800 a month to their shul?) but overall it's a fairly accurate accounting.

We just signed our payment agreement for tuition for our three kids for the coming year: $26,000. And that's before scholarships, banquet ads, scrip; not to mention hot lunches, books, uniforms, and who knows what else. It boggles the mind.

Right Move, Wrong Reasons

They finally banned Jewish music. It's about time. That stuff has been getting on my nerves for years.

More on Abuse

DMZ writes about his experience with the subject of the Baltimore Jewish Times' latest article on sexual abuse, adding a unique and personal perspective to the topic.

Zoo Torah in DC

Via the Baltimore Achdus mailing list:

Join a Torah Tour of the National Zoo in Washington DC, led by the famous "Zoo Rabbi," Natan Slifkin! The tour will take place on Sunday, July 22nd, from 2pm to 5pm. It is aimed at adults and older kids, but all ages are welcome. The cost of the tour is $18 for adults and $12 for children. Advance registration is essential as group spaces are limited. If you would like to join the afternoon tour, please email zoorabbi@zootorah. com with the number of people in your group and a contact cellphone number, and you will be sent details of exactly where to meet.

A Dangling Participle Grows in Brooklyn

The Shtus Blog posts a picture of a sign in Boro Park with one heck of a dangling participle:

Non-Parisians: shop elsewhere.

The Imaginary Jew and the Unimagined Jew

Michael Chabon's new novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which takes place in a fictionalized present in which the State of Israel never was, the Jews instead living in a giant ghetto in Alaska, has sparked some interesting commentary regarding the contemporary Jewish experience. In an article in The Nation entitled The Imaginary Jew, William Deresiewicz writes:

But over the past three decades, the dense particularity of American Jewish life has, outside the Orthodox community, largely disappeared. No one speaks Yiddish anymore, or even English that sounds like Yiddish. There may be suburbs with a lot of Jews, but there are no Jewish suburbs as there were once Jewish neighborhoods. With Jews as senators and governors and Ivy League presidents, the wounding, binding sense of exclusion has melted away. Communal institutions remain strong, traditions are still cherished, but American Jewish experience is now, by and large, simply American experience. Jewish mothers don't say "Ess, ess" anymore; they say, "Do you want me to call Sophia's mom to make a playdate?"

While there are young Jewish writers aplenty, no important voice has emerged to speak about contemporary Jewish life. Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude, perhaps the finest recent novel by a young Jewish writer, is not about being Jewish at all; it's about the quintessentially American subject of race. But there have always been Jewish writers who have chosen to speak about things other than being Jewish (most notably, in the Bellow-Roth generation, Norman Mailer and J.D. Salinger). What's really telling about the current state of Jewish fiction is that even those prominent young writers who do speak about Jewish experience don't speak about contemporary experience.

It's true; "Jewish" fiction is either about the past (mostly the Holocaust), or the early struggles of Jews in America. There is hardly anything in the contemporary Jewish experience, outside the Orthodox world, that can be called uniquely Jewish.

On the flip side, there remains little to no work within the Jewish community that attempts to understand and reflect on the contemporary Orthodox Jewish experience in America (there likely is some such stuff in Israel, but I'm not familiar with it). There's a lot to be said on this, both on the fact that this kind of literature is not seen as valuable by the community leaders, and the fact that it's not really sought after by the general public.

R. Weinreb in Sderot Kassam Attack

R. Tzvi Hirsch Weinreb was in Sderot during a Kassam attack. R. Weinreb has been "blogging" many of the details from his Blackberry. No one from the OU delegation was injured in the attack.

Conversion and Shavuos

I meant to link to this before Shavuos; better late than never. Last year I wrote an essay entitled: Conversion, Covenant and Commandments: Maimonides on Joining Yisrael. The basic idea is that the acceptance the commandments, according to Maimonides, is not a pre-requisite to conversion, but instead acts as the terms of the deal, so to speak. At last week's Kollel Yom Rishon, I had a chance to speak with R. Zvi Sobolofsky after his shiur on assorted topics in conversion, and he told me that he believes that R. Soloveitchik understood the Rambam that way as well, but the majority of rishonim felt differently.

Jewish Times Cover Baltimore Rabbis

The Baltimore Jewish Times has an article about the statements of both the Vaad and the Baltimore Board of Rabbis condemning abuse. I'm glad the Jewish Times is finally covering the efforts of the Vaad, as it's an important part of the overall story; unbeknownst to many, they are still working on steps to combat the problem of abuse in our community.

Shekels Getting Stronger

The shekel is getting stronger; the exchange rate is now below 4:1 shekels for dollars (around the price it was when I was last in Israel...8 years ago). Check out this interesting post over at Six Kids and a Full Time Job about the various ramifications of the growing strength of the NIS; most of them have to do with business, but one which I found interesting on a general level:

Charity dollars raised in the USA are not going as far. You gave to your favorite Israeli charity 12 months ago? Well, expect to see the collector back in 11 months this year and your favorite charity short on money. Scant few charities had sufficient foresight to conservatively plan their budget on a rising shekel.

Worthy of Condemnation

I don't enjoy much of what is posted over at Cross-Currents; I find no pleasure or satisfaction in the typical apologetics or rhetoric posted on the site, in simply pointing out the shortcomings, real or perceived, of others, and proclaiming the self-assured righteousness of Orthodoxy. So usually when I read something on the site that rubs me the wrong way, I just ignore it. But Toby Katz's latest post crossed some line in my mind, to the point where I feel it warrants a response.

Katz made the following statement:

Orthodox Jews stand with Rabbi Hildesheimer, and unequivocally condemn the ad hoc killing or stoning of Reform rabbis. It is totally inappropriate and contrary to halacha to impose the death penalty in the absence of authoritative judicial proceedings, when we are in exile and there is no proper Sanhedrin. We await the coming of Moshiach speedily and in our days.

I suppose she thinks she's being coy, but let's be clear as to what she is saying: Katz looks forward to the Messianic era when Reform rabbis can be executed with proper jurisprudence for their supposed heresy. This is deplorable and wrong for many reasons. It's wrong because it attributes guilt to a class of people, rather than affording each person individual justice. It's presumptive of the fact that a truly religious Sanhedrin would be so quick to shed blood, completely ignoring the statements of R. Akiva that a Sanhedrin that killed a single person in seventy years would be considered blood-thirsty. And finally, it's arrogant, hateful and flat-out rude. It's statements like these that convince me that there's good reason Moshiach has yet to come; as the Rambam says in Laws of Kings (12:7):

"The Prophets and Wise Men yearned for the Messianic Era - not so that they could rule over the entire world, not so that they could dominate the other nations, not so that they would be exalted by the other nations...but instead so that they are free to delve in Torah and it's wisdom, with no distractions, so that they merit the World to Come."

If anything that's been said on this topic deserves condemnation, it's Katz's statements.

From the Yeshiva to the Swimming Pool

From Sunday's Baltimore Sun, an article entitled Subsidy cuts send students from yeshivas to outside jobs:

Growing up as a member of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, Eli Louzoun had a life as traditional as his conservative black hat and dress. Cloistered in his yeshiva, he spent his days poring over religious texts and supported his family with a small government stipend. He never earned a high school diploma or held a job. So dedicated to his spiritual life, he shunned television, sports and exercise. He never even learned how to swim.

But these days you're more likely to find Louzoun at a swimming pool than in the yeshiva. He's a newly trained aqua therapist, a type of physical therapist specializing in water exercises to help treat patients with physical disabilities.

Read the whole thing, it's well-written, from an unbiased perspective, and anecdotally makes a few very important and cogent points. My thoughts: It's working.

R. Weinreb's Contract with OU Extended Two Years

After reports that R. Weinreb would be leaving the OU upon the expiration of his contract this summer, it has now been announced that R. Weinreb's contract has been extended for two additional years.

The Orthodox Union reversed course and extended the contract of Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, its executive vice president, for two more years. Weinreb’s contract was to expire this summer and a search committee had been established to find a replacement. The committee has since disbanded.

Continue reading the rest of the article from JTA.

[Hat tip: T, Esq.]

More on Confronting Abuse in Baltimore

The Forward has an article entitled Baltimore Roiled by Abuse Charge Against Late Rabbi. Overall, it looks like a decent summary of the situation; there was, however, one error, I believe

More research, including conversations with victims, rabbis and mental health professionals, led to a February 23 cover story, which told the story of “Steve,” a survivor of sexual abuse in the synagogue.

The paper did not reveal the identity of the victim nor of the alleged abuser. According to Jacobs, the paper suspected that Shapiro was the rabbi in question but could not confirm it.

After the first article came out, a friend walked up to Jacobs and identified Shapiro as the rabbi in question.

In the "Steve" article, the Jewish Times did not reveal the victim, but did name one of the alleged abusers. Also, as far as I know, none of the alleged abusers in the "Steve" article were Shapiro. In fact, according to the article, "Steve" is now 25, which means he would have been seven in 1989, the year Shapiro died, so something here is either vague or incorrect.

Another article in The Jewish Press by Elliot Pasik entitled How To Eradicate Abuse In Our Communities, offers suggestins for how Jewish organizations can help prevent abuse.

[Hat tip: Hirhurim]

R. Teichman Opening Shul, Beis Medrash Near Smith Ave.

A letter is circulating with details of a metting in the coming weeks to discuss a new shul and beis medrash in the works, with R. Zvi Teichman as rav. The new shul is planned to be in the Pickwick/Indian Village area (in other words, near, possibly across Smith Ave.). The letter is somewhat vague, but it sounds like what is being planned is more than just a shul, but a kind of post-high school yeshiva/college hybrid program, along the lines of the beis medrash program at Yeshiva of Greater Washington in Silver Springs.

R. Teichman is the former Rosh Mesivta of Talmudical Academy.

Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Hallel and Politics

Gil Student posted what appears to be a fairly comprehensive and well-researched list of various rabbis opinions regarding saying Hallel on Yom Ha-Atzmaut.

People tend to get worked up over this issue, while, in my opinion, a much more important issue is overlooked. If I had my druthers, I'd say Hallel without a bracha after davening; but I don't always have said druthers. A few years back, I happened to daven Shacharis at the Agudah on 5 Iyar. So I said Tachnun. Other times, I've been in shuls that say Hallel in the middle of davening. So I say Hallel in the middle of davening, along with everyone else. Every year I see someone make a big production over saying this, or not saying that, or simply, in a less-than-inconspicuous fashion, walking out of the shul in a huff at a certain point. On a weekly basis, I get to watch people assert their definitive approach to Zionism (or lack thereof) by standing up for all, part of or none of the prayers for the welfare of the US government, State of Israel and Israeli soldiers. In my opinion, this is all ridiculous. Making your little point about your personal beliefs is not more important than being a part of the tzibbur. If you don't like how something is done where you daven, either daven some place else, or go along for the ride, but please spare us the pomp and circumstance.

That's just my opinion; take it or leave it.

Response to Jewish Times Article

This week's edition of the Baltimore Jewish Times has four editorial letters from members of the Baltimore community in response to last' week's article.

• How Terrible
• Alleged Molester
• The Real Issue
  (best of the bunch, in my opinion)
• The Unspoken

Rabbis: Under Arrest!

Steg has some great photos of the protest outside the United Nations led by R. Avi Weiss. Twenty-two people (mostly rabbis - list at the bottom of this link) were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for demonstrating against Iran's membership in the United Nations.

Kashrus at Communal Events

The Washington Jewish Week has a very interesting article about kashrus at communal events (where communal inidcates the entire Jewish community, not just the Orthodox). For the first time, the DCJCC's annual dinner will be "kosher-style," meaning those who adhere to traditional standards of kashrut will likely be enjoying the airplane meal experience. Towards the end of the article, there are quotes from a broad array of rabbis from all denominations; most support traditional kashrus standards at communal events.

Only somewhat ironic, as the function of kashrus is, if not explictly then at least implicitly, to encourage, define and reinforce Jewish community. I once again refer you to R. Meir Soloveitchik's article The Meaning of Kashrut.

[Hat tip: The Jew and the Carrot]

Baltimore Examiner on Jewish Times Article

The Baltimore Examiner has an article about the Baltimore Jewish Time article (it's like a play within a play, only different). The article makes no mention of the statements from the Vaad HaRabonim.

More on Confronting Abuse

A few tidbits from over Shabbos:

• R. Shmuel Silber was scheduled to speak on the topic at Suburban Orthodox. I haven't heard what he had to say.


• R. Shmuel Kaplan also addressed the topic. I am somewhat hesitant to recount what he said without clarifying with him, but I believe he said that he thought the article in Jewish Times was well done, and offered anecdotal evidence that going to the secular authorities did not always produce satisfactory results in all cases.


• Baltimore's Shalom USA radio show did a segment on this morning's show on the general topic of abuse, featuring Phil Jacobs, Murray Levin and Yaakov Margolese. I'll see if I can get a clip and post it.


• There were some signatures missing from the letter distributed last week. Although the letter states that not everyone was available to sign due to the Pesach holiday, there are some who did not sign intentionally. Those that did not sign the letter (whether intentionally or unintentionally, I do not know) include: R. Yosef Berger, R. Yaakov Horowitz (Darchei Tzedek), R. Shlomo Naiman (Adas).


• R. Yosef Shaul Nathanson (1808-1875), author of the responsa Shoel U'Mashiv, wrote a teshuva on the issue of a teacher who was accused of child abuse. Hirhurim posted the text of the teshuvah, along with a translation, a few weeks ago.

Vaad HaRabbonim of Baltimore: Abuse in our Community

The letter below was sent to the entire Baltimore Orthodox Jewish community from the Rabbincal Council of Greater Baltimore. It is the letter referred to in R. Gottlieb's drasha. Click on the pictures to enlarge, use the arrow keys to scroll down.

The signatories are:

• R. Elan Adler


• R. Reuben Arieh


• R. Menachem Goldberger


• R. Emanuel Goldfeiz


• R. Dovid Gottlieb


• R. Moshe Hauer


• R. Dovid Heber


• R. Moshe Heinemann


• R. Yaakov Hopfer


• R. Shmuel Kaplan


• R. Nesanel Kostelitz


• R. Chaim Landau


• R. Elchonon Lisbon


• R. Sheftel Neuberger


• R. Gavriel Newman


• R. Shlomo Salfer


• R. Jonathan Seidemann


• R. Simcha Shafran


• R. Mordechai Shuchatowitz


• R. Shmuel Silber


• R. Amrom Taub


• R. Y. Zvi Weiss


• R. Mitchell Wohlberg

The letter states additional signatures will be added later, as not everyone was available to sign.

[Hat tip to Aishel for the scans]

The Jewish Times Article

Baltimore Jewish Times: Rabbi's Abuse Victims Suffer Years Later.

The Positive Value of the Internet in Orthodox Jewish Society

I wanted to post my thoughts on R. Gottlieb's drasha, but I wanted to do it as a separate post, so there would be no confusion as to what I am saying and what R. Gottlieb said. There will be much news that will be coming out over the coming weeks, and I will have to decide if, what and how I want to comment on it. In the mean time, I wanted to offer a concise thought on how and why these changes came about.

My main thought about this is that it shows the positive value of the Internet in contemporary Orthodox society. I firmly believe that the reason this issue is finally being dealt with in a forthright manner by the rabbinate is that they have no choice but to do so. The way information is controlled and disseminated to and within the community has fundamentally changed. This is due in large part to the web in general, and blogs in particular. That is not to say that everything done on the web is done appropriately or in the best possible fashion, but the very existence of the medium, and the fact that information can be published and circulated freely and quickly, has made past approaches to this problem no longer viable. That is not to say that past approaches were correct, either; the existence of the web has enabled a more accurate understanding of the magnitude of the problem to become apparent to those who erred with good intentions and now have the ability to make changes.

Let me make it clear that I do not mean this to be critical of the rabbinate; on the contrary, the fact that they are addressing the issue, rather than not, is responsible and commendable. I do think, however, it is important to recognize the crucial role that the "grass roots" had in bringing about this change.

As a general rule, in any social ecosystem, those in positions of authority by definition maintain the status quo; change must come from the people, and it is the responsibility of those with authority to be sensitive to the needs of the people and judge how to best respond. There is a famous interchange between two poskim that beautifully illustrates this point. The Terumat HaDeshen would often invent theoretical cases to server as the basis for responsum. The Magen Avraham frowned on this practice, arguing that a posek receives special divine guidance when weighing an issue of halachic jurisprudence from an actual real, live person. I don't think it's homiletics to explain this as meaning that halachic decisions are more meaningful when considered in the context of those that practice them, and that the posek must first and foremost respond to the individual.

At any rate, those of us who believe that blogs in particular, and the web in general, have a positive role to play in the Jewish community can count this as a point in our favor.

For more thoughts check out Kefirot's post on the subject.

Baltimore Rabbis Address Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community

Just before the last days of Pesach, congregants of Shomrei Emunah received an email from R. Gottlieb that he would be addressing the entire shul on "a very important and timely issue confronting our community," over Yom Tov. Speculation abounded as to the topic, but most thought the issue at hand was sexual abuse in Baltimore community.

The second day of Yom Tov, R. Gottlieb did indeed devote his drasha to the topic of sexual abuse. The drasha came in advance of a letter that is being sent to the Baltimore community with a statement adopted by the Va'ad HaRabbonim of Baltimore on the issue of sexual abuse.

Since taboo and silence are the two greatest enablers of abuse, R. Gottlieb asked us to resist our natural inclination to do several things:

• To deny allegations are true.


• To hide behind the laws of lashon hara or chillul Hashem (*).


• To minimize the damage done to those that are victimized.


• To not talk about the issue of sexual abuse with our children.

R. Gottlieb acknowledged that, in the past, cases of abuse have been mishandled because of giving in to these natural inclinations, and that, even if the intentions were from a good place, that this resulted in even greater damage.

The Va'ad is in the process of putting together a systematic approach that will delineate proper behavior in an effort to prevent sexual abuse, such as guidelines for schools and educators. As an example, the Va'ad is looking to the city of Chicago, which recently formed a special beis din to address claims in an open and forthright manner. This will hopefully help prevent incidents of sexual abuse from occurring, as well as help ensure an open process of addressing incidents that do arise, God forbid. There is also the very real concern of false accusations, which, R. Gottlieb also mentioned, has occurred as well.

More details will be available in the letter coming sometime this week. R. Gottlieb is also in the process of formalizing his remarks and will make them available to those that are interested. My thoughts will follow in a separate post.

* By "ignoring" the laws of lashon hara, it is my understanding that R. Gottlieb did not mean that issues of abuse are open for public discussion, nor that one should readily believe anything that is printed in the press or on the web. Rather, if one knows of a case of abuse and does not investigate, or does not report it, or does not inform others of the potential danger, out of a fear of spreading "lashon hara," they are in error. There is no issue of lashon hara if you are protecting an innocent person from damage. This is commonly applied in the realm of shidduchim.

The Battle over Kitniyos

The battle over kitniyos is heating up. Like all modern Jewish debates, it's not only taking place in the real world, but online as well. In one corner, losing weight and going hungry over Pesach, we have the Kitniyos Defense League, and in the other corner, fingers sticky with peanut butter, we have the Kitniyot Liberation Front. Folks, things are about to get ugly!

[Hat tip: The Kosher Blog]

R. Adlerstein on Shomrei

R. Adlerstein has a very nice post extolling the virtues of Shomrei Emunah; he perfectly captures and explicates one of the reasons I like Shomrei, and Baltimore, so much. And I very much appreciated the comments by "LOberstein," and, of course, "BubbyT."

[Hat tip: Jewboy]

An Apology for Charedi Orthodoxy

An apt title summarizing R. Adlerstein's weekend as Scholar-in-Residence at Shomrei would be, "An Apology for Charedi Orthodoxy." In two, possibly three, of the five times R. Adlerstein spoke, his focus was defending a fundamentalist viewpoint from criticism.

Friday night, R. Adlerstein spoke about the banning of R. Natan Slifkin's books.

R. Adlerstein was, and remains, one of R. Slifkin's supporters. R. Adlerstein gave a bit of background on how the ban unfolded (the infamous call that R. Slifkin received where he was threated, "You have two hours to recant your position, or you will be put in herem."), and how R. Slifkin sought an audience with any of the rabbis threatening to ban him, and they all refused. R. Adlerstein explained that three basic groups of people were affected by the ban were ba'alei teshuvah, kiruv professionals and anyone else who has an education. R. Adlerstein related that, as a kiruv professional himself, he had considered discontinuing his work, as the conflict between presenting Judaism as not in conflict with scientific or rational thought while at the same time conveying the system of authority inherent to Orthodox Judaism was impossible. R. Adlerstein continued by asking us to appreciate the ban from the perspective of the Charedim. This apology consisted of a critique on the general approach of interpreting Genesis as allegory (due to the potential to slippery-slope taking as allegory other parts of the Torah), as well as a general appeal to unification of the Orthodox world. While R. Adlerstein was adamant that his feeling was that the ban was unfounded on rational, logical and historical levels, he felt that falling into line with the approach outlined by the rabbis in Israel that issued the ban was a more important value than speaking out against the ban.

R. Adlerstein closed by answering questions. I asked how the rabbonim in Israel, who themselves speak either Yiddish or Hebrew, and little English, became aware of a book written in English. R. Adlerstein acknowledged that the rabbis banning the book did not read it, and that this was not an issue that was at all pertinent to their communities. What happened was that two overzealous YU guys read Slifkin's work and started shopping it around in an effort to get it banned. After failing to get any traction in Monsey and Lakewood, they took it to B'nei Brak and Israel and finally found someone that would listen to them. When the ban hit the States, R. Adlerstein explained that many within American Orthodoxy have an axe to grind with the Kaminetsky family, as they felt that R. Yaakov Kaminetsky had long fostered a version of "Charedi-lite" Orthodoxy to which they took issue with. R. Yaakov Kaminetsky was well known to openly teach that Chazal were not infallible and that often their science was wrong. As such, some on the American Orthodox community took this as an opportunity to get back at the Kaminetsky family by supporting the ban. I really don't know all the details here, but it was clear that, whatever went on, decisions to support or oppose the ban were not being made on rational grounds.

So all in all, the talk left me depressed and disheartened at the state of present-day Orthodox Judaism. It doesn't bother me so much that some rabbis in Israel feel that what R. Slifkin wrote is heretical; I suppose they are entitled to their opinion, and certainly have the authority to make statements for those that listen what they have to say. Their statements, however, should not be beyond criticism from others (especially when, in this case, their arguments are certainly assailable on a number of levels). I am also extremely disappointed by the lack of a response by those, both in America and Israel, who have, and continue to believe the opposite to not only be a legitimate approach (both historically and haskafically), but true in an objective sense. R. Adlerstein made a consistent appeal for unity of opinion, that for some reason we are better off all supporting the position espoused by the rabbis in Israel. But why? This seems to me to be a pretty big deal, and if those that believe Judaism isn't still shackled to pre-medieval dogmas aren't willing to take a stand on this issue, what are they willing to take a stand on? There were a few notable exceptions, rabbis who did speak out in support of R. Slifkin, such as R. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb. But by and large, the proclamation by the rabbis in Israel that a significant portion of Orthodox Jewry held heretical beliefs was met with little to no resistance, because people are afraid to stand up for the truth. To me, this is the saddest part of the whole affair.

Shabbos afternoon, R. Adlerstein spoke about the differences between Islam and Judaism. His approach was to take a passage from the Koran or the Hadith which seemed to correspond either to an established Jewish tradition, or a recent Charedi stringency. One example: the Islamic court in Saudi Arabia ruled that a woman is not allowed to drive her dying brother to a hospital if her husband is not accompanying her; apparently, women in Islam are not allowed to drive a car by themselves, as it would promote lewdness. A woman must have her husband present, and therefore, even if someone's life were in danger, she would not be able to drive him to the hospital (I apologize in advance to any Muslims who might read this and find fault with my portrayal of their law; I am relating this from memory as it was explained in a lecture, I have regretfully done no research to verify if this is in fact the case, or even if I am explaining it correctly. I intend no disrespect). Compare this to recent proclamations in Lakewood that woman should not drive their husbands to yeshiva. R. Adlerstein offered a few reasons why, despite almost identical phenomenologies, why Judaism is different (i.e. better), and how we don't really need to worry about the manifestation of what appear to be fanatical, fundamentalist, misogynistic, etc. behaviors in our community, because our system of halacha will prevent things from ever getting too off course.

My response to this is, with all due respect, "bologna." If anything, the Slifkin affair demonstrates the complete opposite to be the case. If those in power are willing to trample over several hundred years worth of Jewish history and thought, and continue to foster an oligarchy that has little to no oversight and zero checks and balances, and is afraid to even criticize itself on the most fundamental of issues...there's nothing that will stop Judaism from backsliding in the same direction.

In summary, and in conclusion, I was extremely disheartened after R. Adlerstein's visit. He painted a bleak picture of contemporary Orthodox Judaism, not so much because specific factions take fundamentalist approaches, but because those factions that have reasonably justified non-fundamental approaches in the past are unwilling to stand up for what they have heretofore supported. I was led to believe that R. Adlerstein would be presenting a controversial approach, but what I got was standard apologetics for the status quo.

R. Adlerstein Scholar in Residence

This Shabbos, Shomrei Emunah is hosting R. Yitzchok Adlerstein as Pearlstone Scholar-in-Residence. R. Adlerstein wil be speaking five times over Shabbos:

• Friday Night Oneg at 9:30 PM at the home of Mr. And Mrs. Jordan Wiener (2502 Shelleydale Dr.) L'Affaire Slifkin: In this forum, Rabbi Adlerstein will give his assessment of this controversial issue. He will both advocate his position and defend his critics.


• Shiur at the 8:15 AM Minyan: The Frum Yellow Pages: Does Halacha Demand That We Buy Jewish?


• Shabbos Morning Drasha at the 9:00 AM Minyan


• Keynote Address Shabbos Afternoon at 5:45 PM: The Burka and the Sheitel: Judaism and Halacha heavily influenced the development of Islam. How Islam did things differently is a fascinating study. The comparison and contrast of legal systems will help us appreciate Halacha all the more.


• Seudah Shlishis: Haggadah Gems From Rav Kook

For a preview, please see R. Adlerstein's original post on L'Affaire Slifkin at Cross-Currents.

Posted by Greg at 12:33 PM | TrackBack

Cheers and Jeers: Hirhurim

Jeers: In Musings on the Proper Way to Learn Chumash:

The same goes for learning Chumash. If your question and answer are what a rishon would ask and answer, then you're doing great. If not, well, maybe you're doing something wrong. You shouldn't be going out on any limbs that way.

I'm not sure why the Rishonim are all of a sudden the gold standard when it comes to biblical exegesis. Certainly a lot went on before them, as well as after them, that is worthy of aspiring towards. Whatsmore, the Rishonim were by and large working from a medieval view of the world, and looking at the Torah through a medieval lens. This often influenced their understanding of a specific passage or entire narrative. With information we now have available, interpretations of narratives can now be made that were unavailable to the Rishonim. A good example is the idea of the wife-sister.

Cheers: In Abandoned by the Rabbis?:

When I read a book like this, I feel profoundly sad. It makes me think that the rabbis have abandoned us. There was once a time when rabbis recognized that people struggle to feed and clothe their families. They considered working to be a devar mitzvah and struggled to find leniencies to allow people to earn a living. And what do we get? Don't shake hands.* Don't make small talk. Don't compliment a woman. Etc. etc. Unrealistic advice does not help us get through our challenges. It just leaves us abandoned, trying to figure it out on our own. No wonder there are many people who fail these challenges.

Amen. Read the whole post. I have worked with a few people in the past who thought they were being "frum" by acting completely inappropriately in social situations in the workplace. The worst part of it is that these folks always had a smug sense of self-satisfaction about it; they knew they were looking odd in the eyes of their non-Jewish and non-Orthodox co-workers, and reveled in their supposedly higher level of conduct. I've had non-Jewish co-workers ask me wha tthe deal is with these people, why they act in such an odd manner, and I have very little to tell them.

An anecdote: I worked as a contractor for a brief period of time at one of the local government enclaves where the Orthodox Jewish population is quite significant; where the frum folks walk around with hats on and tzitzis out (or snoods in some cases), don't shave during the three weeks, have minyanim three times a day and a daf yomi shiur. Which is all very nice, don't get me wrong. But when, on my first day, I shook the hand of my new female supervisor, she exclaimed, "Oh, you're not allowed to do that!" I have no problem with someone making a decision on how to comport themselves in the workplace, but please take responsibility for your choices as your own, so that others don't have to apologize for their legitimate behavior.

Jew vs. Jew in Lemburg

The Forward has a review by Allan Nadler of A Murder in Lemberg: Politics, Religion, and Violence in Modern Jewish History, by Michael Stanislawski:

On September 6, 1848, a young Orthodox Jew with the very inauspicious name of A.B. Pilpel (Hebrew for pepper), bearded with sidelocks and dressed in a black hat and a long caftan, entered the kitchen of the district rabbi of Lemberg, Abraham Cohen, and, pretending to light his cigar from the stove, poured arsenic into the Cohen family’s soup. Within hours of their supper later that evening, the entire Cohen family was severely ill. And by 3 o’clock the next morning, Rabbi Cohen and his infant daughter, Teresa, were dead.

The book chronicles the case of what might have been the first Jewish assassination by another Jew since the times of the Second Temple. It's a tale of Jew vs. Jew that seems to have application for today.

Nadler concludes his review with:

Stanislawski has written not only an important historical morality tale about the dangers of religious extremism, but also a cautionary tale about the unforeseeable perils unleashed when governments try to force modernity, or, for that matter democracy, on a deeply traditional religious society.

Rumor: Mega Millions Jackpot Winners From Lakewood, NJ

The NY Times, and everyone else, is wondering who is the Mega Millions jackpot winner from New Jersey. The holder of the winning ticket sold in Woodbine, NJ is entitled to about half of the record $390 million jackpot from last Tuesday's drawing; the other jackpot winner, a truck driver from Georgia, took the cash payout option and will receive $116.5 million.

Presence has received a tip that the New Jersey jackpot winners are a group of Orthodox Jews from Lakewood, NJ. No further information is available, we're working on contacting our primary sources, who are in a unique position to confirm or disconfirm this rumor (they are very reliable). At this time, we're treating this as a likely, but unconfirmed, rumor. If it turns out to be true, you heard it here first. If it turns out not to be true, we apologize for your lost time.

Although Woodbine, NJ, where the winning ticket was sold, is about 75 miles from Lakewood, the area had a large Jewish population in '70s, and could be frequented by Lakewood residents scouting out or managing real estate investments.

770

Via Nextbook, a photography exhibit in San Francisco entitled 770:

This building, often referred to as "770," has been replicated worldwide with varying degrees of precision, as Chabad centers or for other purposes. Currently there are twelve 770's, including the original, in the United States, Canada, Israel, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia, and more are under construction in Cleveland, U.S.A and Santiago, Chile.

The Original, Brooklyn, NY

Milan, Italy

K'far Chabad, near Tel Aviv

More pictures at the 770 exhibit site (scroll to the right).

Finding the Happy Medium

Jewboy writes:

I think that the stigma the frum community puts on drinking can have its negative effects. While teens should be discouraged from drinking, I believe that they should also be educated that alcohol is not inherently evil but a pleasure that must be controlled. As evidenced by my actions, I think alcohol can be enjoyed by the right person at the right time, and in the right amount. The problem with much of the Orthodox slamming of drinking is that it teaches kids that all drinking is bad, and therefore if they do drink they think of themselves as bums.

I agree 100%. As I commented over on Jewboy's post, it's similar to the argument over gun control. Anyone who grew up around guns knows that you learn from a very young age the protocols of using firearms. Along the way you learn to respect the gun, and internalize how to use it properly and responsibly. The same goes for drinking, and ideally Purim should be a time when kids see adults drinking for pleasure in a responsible fashion and learn to respect and appreciate both the positive and negative sides of imbibing alcohol. It could be, however, that we as a community and society are too far past the point where this possible.

A related point which Jewboy makes is the increasing amounts of stigmatization in the Orthodox community. Taking a potentially benign act and making it a black and white issue changes the act's societal significance, making the act an outlet for rebellious behavior, or reinforces a negative self-image. This is occurring in all sorts of areas in the Orthodox community, from things like television and movies, to modes of dress, to educational curriculums; the examples are very many and very common. What results is kids who think they aren't up to par because they don't do something insignificant, like dress a certain way. From there, they progress into violations of halacha, or even worse, into self-destructive behavior such as drug or alcohol abuse. As Jewboy says, the focus should be on creating a happy medium and teaching our kids how to approach life responsibly.

By the way, Jewboy wins my award for best Purim costume. Very nice!

Drinking on Purim

R. Gottlieb (and, from what I've heard, other rabbonim as well) came down hard on drinking on Purim. Apparently alcohol abuse is on the rise in the community, and many kids who get tangled up in drugs get the first taste on Purim. I've heard many were upset with what the rabbis were saying (our minyan was all abuzz well after the rabbi's speech), which I think is a good thing. If a rabbi never upsets anyone, he's probably not doing his job.

I had what I thought to be a symbolic explanation for drinking on Purim, but it was based on the existence of a statement I can not find. I had thought that somewhere there was a statement that the extent to which one must become inebriated was formulated in terms of, "until unable to to tell the difference between good and bad." Stranger yet, I specifically remember this being in Aramaic (bein tav l'bish). But I am unable to find this formulation anywhere. I am aware of the formulation in the Talmud Megillah 7b. If anyone knows the source of my perceived formulation, please let me know, I would be much obliged.

OIB of the Day: Goldberg's Bagels

Goldberg's Bagels has a nifty online order form, you can fill it out and supposedly, your order will be ready in 20 minutes. I used it this morning to place an order for a baker's dozen of bagels for a small family gathering. Five minutes after I placed my order, the phone rings. It's Goldberg's Bagels telling me that Sunday morning is walk-in orders only!

OIB. In the time it took for them to call me, they could have filled my order and had it waiting.

The Baltimore Jewish Times is Blogging

Just noticed that the Baltimore Jewish Times has launched a blogs section, Buerger Bites, authored by Andrew Buerger, publisher of the BJT;