03 Dec Speak Your Vues
BE HUMBLE, BE KIND!
Dear Editor,
I just got this from my Floridian old friend Eli Ginsburg. This is as POWERFUL as it gets. There were times I’d put just $10 worth of gas in my tank, while other times $50. I’ve had just $5 to feed myself and I’ve also had $200 to go out to eat. I’ve had a house full of food and times I didn’t have any. I’ve been in stores cashing out with no worries and I’ve also had to add it up and put things back on the shelf. I’ve paid my bills in full and I’ve had to pay it late, too. I’ve given money and I too, have had to ask for it. We all have highs and lows in life, some certainly more than others, but we’re all just trying to make it. No one is better than anyone else, and my heart is sad for those who think that they are. No matter how big your house is, how new your car is, or how much money sits in your bank account – we all bleed red and will fade from this earth. Death has no discrimination neither should your life. The people who pretend they love you so much will leave you standing in all the storms just so they can shine… Be kind to others. We are all here to serve. Stop the power tripping. Your oversized ego won’t get you anywhere. And know that not everyone has the same heart as you… Be humble Be kind!
Shloime Dachs
Editor’s Note: Amen
PROTECT THE CHILDREN REVISITED
Dear Editor:
In last week’s issue someone wrote that the statue of liberty is avodah Zara. I asked my rav about it and he said people take chumros too, far so don’t listen to everything people say if there’s no source!
Thank you.
Sury K
Editor’s Note: I guess it may be possible to find rabbanim who might call it avoda zara, but everyone must ask their own rav and follow his psak.
MEMORIES OF SUMMER
Dear Editor:
Many camps and bungalow colonies in the Catskills have been around for close to 100 years. This is much longer than most of the non-Jewish families have lived in the Catskills. It might be an interesting idea to put signs at entrances to camps and bungalow colonies stating when the camp or bungalow colony was founded. It might also be a good idea for those who wear black to put glow in the dark stripes like firefighters or EMT’s wear on their clothes so when they walk on the shoulder of the road they can be seen! The life you save may be your own!
Harry Tavor
Editor’s Note: Great idea, but we are not in the Catskills now.
DEMOCRATIC POLICIES
Dear Editor:
The MAJOR and BIG difference between the “liberal/ progressive” national Democratic Party political views of those such as two of my college professor friends and of people like myself is that they are more concerned with and more passionate about what I call the “identity-politics” issues and the “culturalwars” issues while I am more concerned with and passionate about the economic, financial, breadand- butter, kitchen-table, and survival issues of the lower and middle classes to be able to pay their bills. Thus, I am more concerned than they are with conservative- Republican desires to make cuts in Social Security Retirement Benefits and cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, and College Student Loans. I have never had the heart to tell them that perhaps their priorities are colored by the fact that they both have combined incomes with their wives of over $230,000/year, while my wife and I fall under the official federal government category of “Near-Poverty” (between 100%-125% of the “official poverty line”). My well-to-do friends are more concerned with and more passionate about issues such as racism, inclusion, the plight of minority groups, white nationalism, and the plight of illegal immigrants. They can wellafford to. But don’t misinterpret what I am saying here. I also DO care a lot about the “identity- politics” and “cultural-wars” issues. I just care more about people being able to survive economically and financially. It is very hard and painful for me to listen to my fellow Democrats expressing more heartfelt and passionate concern for the well-being of illegal immigrants while expressing less concern and passion for the well-being of our poor, our nearpoor, and our senior citizens who did all of the right things in life and now are struggling to survive and to be able to pay their bills.
Sincerely, Stewart B. E
Editor’s Note: Well said. It must be time to jump parties to the Republicans.
ELECTION YEAR
Dear Editor:
As we move into the 2020 election year, there are 2 issues/concerns that I would like to see Democrats and Republicans pay more attention to: Equal pay for equal work for women. Gender Harassment in the workplace and in academia. Gender harassment should never occur. I myself was Gender harassed by a female university professor who had a lot of power over me when I was a 25 year-old Ph.D. student. Fortunately, it ended (very surprisingly to all) when the female professor who I served as a Teaching Assistant for and who was widely-regarded as being a “manhater” and “radical-feminist”, told my harasser that she would report her to the university authorities if she did not stop harassing me. I know first-hand how inwardly painful this is to experience, and I can still easily relate to and identify with the long-term negative effects that it has on many women. Like them, I am also a victim and survivor. I consider myself to be their friend and loyal ally. I hate knowing that almost every woman in our country has been Gender harassed at work and/or college/university. It embarasses me as a man, and it angers me as a man that so many of us prey on and try to use women in this way. I call on all good and decent men and on all male political candidates to join me and to become more vocal and more active and more assertive about our country and our federal government taking additional steps and actions to one day end this shameful dispect of women.
Sincerely, Stewart B. E
Editor’s Note: We edited the above letter to make it conducive for our reading audience. You bring out a lot of good points.
SIYUM HASHAS
Dear Editor:
I am excited that the Agudah opened up another venue for the Siyum Hashas. I am happy since this is an indoor venue. I would find it very difficult to sit outside with no heat for three to four hours in the cold
Thank You
Boruch S
Editor’s Note: Hopefully, the weather will be fifty-five degrees and sunny so there won’t be any issues.
GUN OWNERSHIP
Dear Editor: Do you think it is fair to say that the reason to own guns is not to win in a fight, but to make certain that everyone knows that if there is a fight, nobody will win?
Rachel H
Editor’s Note: Perhaps it is to prevent the fight in the first place.
SENDING CHILDREN TO ISRAEL REVISITED
Dear Editor: I can’t believe the publisher compared the view of one not sending a daughter to seminary in Israel to one speaking like the meraglim. This has nothing to do with Eretz Yisroel and everything to do with young girls not being supervised properly when they are in a foreign country.
Gershy J
Editor’s Note: I guess there are all kinds of seminaries and experiences in Israel.
TAXES
Dear Editor:
A tax that is equal for everyone is a tax on the poor because the marginal utility of income diminishes as the income grows. An “equal” tax will take away a rich man’s pocket change and a poor man’s rent money.
John S
Editor’s Note: In essence that is what Social Security is.
BEWARE OF APIKORSOS
Dear Editor:
I was deeply saddened to see that Rabbi Mendy Turen, Chabad Rabbi in Springfield, Illinois and keynote speaker at the recent Kinus Hashluchim 5780 in NJ say multiple times that the Rebbe is melech hamashiach. He spoke in front of a crowd of 5000 Chabad rabbis/ shluchim and it is shocking/appealing that no one from Chabad is speaking out against this lie and apikorsos!
Hudi L
Editor’s Note: You are touching a raw nerve. It is hard to tell what Chabad as a whole really believes. I would venture to guess that at this point very few really believe the Rebbe is Moshiach. Probably they did not want to make a major fuss.
LATE HOMECOMING
Dear Editor: There is a joke about a yekke who said to his wife I will come home late today since we are starting V’sen Tal Umatar. I guess we will say it on this Thursday Dec 5.
Moshe R
Editor’s Note: Thanks for the reminder.
POLITICAL TALK
Dear Editor:
Finally, we have an actor who can replace Jim Carrey for the sequel to the movie Liar Liar. Adam Shiff will be hilarious in Liar Liar II. During my life, I have come across pathological liars, but Schiff takes the cake. When I became of age to vote, I became a Democrat. I voted for JFK and wish I didn’t vote for LBJ. Made another mistake with Jimmy Carter and then switched to Ronald Reagan, one of the best. Went back to Clinton, didn’t realize he was deadly, but the dot com era made him look good. Made a huge mistake with Obama, just once, thank God, and praised the Lord when Trump came in. I wonder how many Russians were killed with the blankets sent by Obama to the Ukraine. Jumping back in history, why would any U.S. citizen vote for a party that tried to keep slavery? Keep drinking the Kool-Aid and hope you realize how good we have it now with a tough-as-nails president, or would you prefer a family of Biden’s to empty our Treasury.
Dave S
Editor’s Note: I like the stuff you drink. I am with you in your thinking.
OU APP
Dear Editor: I just want to let you know that my family loves the Jewish Vues. This past week you had on page 3 an ad about the new OU All Daf app with a picture of Dean Abramson from Touro. I am extremely excited about the new app just because Dean Abramson is involved. I have been learning the daf for many years and at times get very bored. I’m a big Jewish history buff and I’m hoping that the new app will make my learning that much more exciting.
Avraham Greenberg from Flatbush
Editor’s Note: Hey we are excited too.
OU APP
Dear Editor Does the OU really think that by making a new app they will get more people to learn the daf? There are already many great web sites like torahanytime that have daf yomi shuirm on them. The OU themselves have Rabbi Rosner & Rabbi Elefant on there own web site. Those are probably the most popular Daf Yomi shuirm on the computer.
Thanks Anonymous
Editor’s Note: We will wait and see. I am sure there will be some new innovations.
OU APP
Dear Editor
Do you know if the OU daf app will go thru every Rashi & Tosfos on the daf? I learn with my son the daf a lot & I have a lot of difficulty understanding the Artscroll gemara. I’m hoping that the app will explain Rashis & Tosfos and make them a lot clearer.
D. Hoenig from Boro Park
Editor’s Note: Next you are going to want the App to learn for you also. Certain things you will have t work on yourself. But you never know but we will soon find out…
OU APP
Dear Editor
Do you know if Rabbi MM Weiss will be on the new OU daf app? We love Rabbi Weiss and we have a hard time finding it on torahanytime. com
A. Klein from Flatbush
Editor’s Note: Even if I knew I Would not tell you. I don’t want to ruin your surprise.