24 Nov Speak Your Vues
SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
Please note that the author of Speak Your Vues is in no way affiliated with the publisher of this paper. The author of this column is an independent third party contributor. The views and opinions expressed by this author may not reflect the views and opinions of the publishers. If one has any issues with any of the views, please write a letter to the Vues Master
WHY THE HATE
Dear Vues Master:
Mori V’Rabi Harav Hagaon R. Shlomo Miller Shlita said, “Chazal tell us Avraham & Sarah couldn’t have had children דרך פי על הטבע .The birth of ישראל כלל could not have happened naturally. The existence & survival of ישראל כלל throughout the past 2,000 years in Galus is also הטבע לדרך חוץ All other nations, on the other hand are הטבע דרך פי על Nature rejects foreign bodies. Nature (טבע ( doesn’t tolerate foreign bodies הטבע לדרך חוץ . Hence “הלכה “the מהלךin this world is עשיו t’can טבע & חוץ לדרך הטבע Because .שונא ליעקב get along. Hanhaga the when והיה ביום ההוא – בקרוב ממש of this world will be הטבע דרך מן למעלה , then . שלום על ישראל have will we
MF
Vues Master’s Note: May we see it soon in our time!
MASKS REVISITED
Dear Vues Master:
I agree with the person that wrote we should stop fighting about the masks. Live and let live! Why do you feel threatened by another person’s form of hishtadlus? It’s all yad Hashem. Do what you feel is right and love all yidden and use this opportunity to create achdus to bring moshiach. achdus does not mean that we all do the same thing. It means unconditional love, respect and acceptance. I was really inspired about this by an interview I saw on Torah anytime with Joey newcomb and artscroll. worth it to check it out especially the last 10 minutes! Search on Torah Anytime “inside artscroll episode 13” Moshiach NOW!
F S
Vues Master’s Note: I am burnt out discussing Masks. Those who want to wear them I will not fight with them.
LOL WAKE UP CALL
Dear Vues Master:
After 5 yrs of being in a coma, Yankel finally wakes up. The doctor starts to tell him about current events. The doctor tells him that there is a deadly disease that is the worst the world has seen in over a hundred years and it spreads like crazy! Yankel: Wow! So who is left? Doctor: Well actually it only killed about .0002 of the population.But it killed over 2000 people so far and it could get worse! Yankel: 2000 people? How many people die in a normal year? Doctor: actually a couple of hundred less than this past year. Yankel: But everyone who gets it dies? Doctor: Well actually just about 1%. And it affects everyone differently – but it could get worse! Yankel: so it’s less deadly than the flu? Doctor:Yes but it’s much more catchy Yankel: so whole families are dying out? Doctor:Well actually it only spreads to about 35% of people who come into contact. But it could get worse! Yankel:So it’s less dangerous than driving a car? Doctor: yes. But the virus could get worse! Yankel:So what are you doing about it? Doctor: we make people wear surgical masks Yankel: Hazmat suits? Doctor: no just regular surgical masks Yankel: is that helping? Doctor: well actually the numbers have only gone up since we instituted mandatory mask wearing , but it stops people from coughing into other people’s faces Yankel: are there any locations where wearing a mask has helped? Doctor: well in some places they wear masks and some places they don’t and there actually is no difference in the numbers of infected people between the places Yankel: So why are you saying to wear a mask? Doctor: it might help Yankel: so people wear masks even in their homes to protect their families ? Doctor: don’t be ridiculous- there is only a .03 chance of catching it. But you have to wear it outside even if no one is near you. Yankel: So you trace who gets it, from whom, and how long they are contagious? Doctor: We try a bit but our tests are only 70% accurate which means that 3 out of every ten people get the wrong test result. Plus after millions of tests we can’t put anything together yet. Yankel: So what do you do? Doctor: we make lockdowns Yankel: does that help? Doctor: although it crashes the economy, causes major psychological issues and a tremendous loss of Torah and Tefillah but the numbers do go down Yankel: but isn’t that because less people test during a lockdown so the numbers go down? Doctor: yes. That’s why the numbers always go back up afterwards. I forgot to mention that we also hang up plastic everywhere Yankel: corona doesn’t go over or around the plastic? Doctor:it does but it makes the people feel safer Yankel: So basically you have a virus that you don’t know how it spreads , what are its symptoms and why some people are affected differently .. sounds like Yad HaShem to me !?! Maybe instead of doing silly things which don’t seem to be working you should tell the people to actually go out more to shul, learn better and do more chesed ?!? Doctor: I am sorry we don’t believe in that.
Vues Master’s Note: We wish it was as simple as that!
HATE
Dear Vues Master:
The Pro-Israel community must finally learn its lesson. The people that hate Israel aren’t going to wear Nazi uniforms or broadcast their hatred in easily detectable soundbites. The new haters don’t wear a gun into the UN, they put on the sheep’s clothing of diplomats and tell the Pro-Israel crowd what it wants to hear. Behind closed doors, to their own crowd and base they reveal how they truly feel. In radio addresses and sermons candidates like Erekat and Warnock speak with venomous hate, and shame on us if we keep falling for it.
Rabbi Uri
Vues Master’s Note: Yes! Yup a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots!! Look at Rashida the Reshante going after the Biden National security pick!
BIBI
Dear Vues Master:
There has been a lot of criticism thrown at Prime Minister Netanyahu this week for his close relationship with President Trump and Republicans. Israel is dependent on bipartisan support from America and doesn’t have the luxury of only receiving support when one party has power. As the criticism goes, Bibi worked well with Republicans and President Trump, hitching his wagon to them and now that it seems the White House and the House will be controlled by Democrats, Bibi is going to be in trouble. First off, nonsense. If you think the Democratic Party isn’t pro-Israel, then it doesn’t matter who the Prime Minister is, the Democrats won’t support Israel, and at least Bibi solidified support among Republicans. If you know Democrats, have read their platform and can ignore four big mouths, you already know that Democrats support a strong US-Israel relationship irrespective of who the Prime Minister happens to be. From Truman to Clinton, and now Biden, Democrats support a strong US-Israel relationship. But even if you think the above analysis is wrong, (and please demonstrate it without actual facts not just your projections of how you would feel if you were a Democratic Congressperson) and you think Democratic support of Israel is generally constant but strained or weakened by Bibi’s embrace of President Trump, what would you have had Bibi do differently these past four years? Should he have: 1) Not met with Trump? 2) Not thanked him when he supported Israel with $400 million more in military aid? 3) Better yet, should he have turned it down? 4) Should he have refused to allow Trump to visit Israel? Not gone to Washington? Please be specific. If you were Bibi’s chief advisor on relations with America, what would you have told him to do differently over the last four years? Let me repeat that. Please be specific. Don’t say generalities like, “He shouldn’t have hitched his wagon to Trump,” or he shouldn’t have been so “buddy-buddy” with him. If you’re confident Bibi was off the mark, please explain what he should’ve done differently. The only thing I am critical of Bibi, but I have trouble blaming him for, was his speech to Congress in 2015 about the Iran deal. At the time I too thought it was a good idea. I thought that with his ability to articulate the problems with the deal he might be able to swing some members of Congress to vote against the deal. But his speech was an affront to President Obama, it was done behind his back, and members of Congress that most needed to hear the message boycotted the speech in support of President Obama. Bibi’s speech, meant for Democrats (Republicans were already voting against it) sealed the deal on ensuring Democrats would vote for the Iran deal. In retrospect, which is the easiest place to stand while offering analysis, the speech was counterproductive and made many Democrats resentful and suspicious of their support of Israel. I understand why politicians like Yair Lapid are critical of Bibi, it’s their only hope of advancing politically. As long as Bibi is Prime Minister, they have little chance to move up. I also understand why certain editors and journalists are critical of Bibi. They sell papers this way. But for the rest of us, who aren’t biased (at least professionally) against Bibi, before criticizing Bibi, make sure you have an alternative detailed path you believe he should’ve taken.
Rabbi Uri
Vues Master’s Note: Yes we know you are saying a politician must speak out of both sides of his mouth. What a dirty business Politics!!
LESSONS LEARNED?
Dear Vues Master:
If there was one lesson to be learned from election 2020 is the total fallacy of identity politics, take the Latino vote for example, lumping a white Cuban, a black Puerto Rican and a indigenous Mayan from Guatemala all under one group is just absurd, Trump game plan of targeting each subgroup paid off with the fact that he won 57% of the Latino vote in FL. and he won in the Rio Grande Valley TX an area the is 85% Latino and Hilary won with 30-40% margin. Michelle Bachmann and Maxine Waters were both Congresswomen and had nothing in common besides the fact they are female. A Frum person in Boro Park and a secular progressive in Berkeley or the Pacific NW will not agree on anything from Israel to school choice to the Green New Deal, yet both are “the Jewish Vote” I hope the lesson learned is not to make group assumptions.
LL
Vues Master’s Note: History repeats itself that we never learn from History. It is just a mystery!
DEMOCRATS
Dear Vues Master:
The prognosticators and pollsters were all predicting a huge blue wave the senate will flip with massive losses in the red country, the house will go 2/3 Democrat, state houses will flip blue right and left. What ended up happening is that 3 lackluster incumbent Senators lost [2 GOP and 1 Dem], the GOP had a pickup of at least a dozen seats in the house including in deep blue CA and NY and the only state house and Governor to flip with to red [NH and MT]. Notwithstanding Trump’s loss [yeah yeah yeah I know he really won and Elvis is still alive, I deal with reality not conspiracy theory] it was a huge red wave, fact is the GOP control the redistricting in PA, FL, TX and NC and that equates to about 1/4 of the house. The question: why did the Democrats do so poorly, was it a pushback to AOC and the Green New Deal? a reaction to the riots this summer? lack of a message besides Trump? it sure was not a lack of money the Democrats outspend the GOP big time.
KK
Vues Master’s Note: The squad will twist it and say that they were not represented enough! The Democrats will hopefully disintegrate because of internal fighting!!
PICKLES
Dear Vues Master:
Have half-sour pickles gotten too sour since the beginning of the pandemic? I think so, and I think it is because of delays in the shipping of half-sour pickles from the picklers to the supermarkets. Additionally, a big part of the pickle market is restaurants, and they are closed, so the pickle production exceeds current demand, resulting in higher quantities and older inventory of pickles, which therefore sit in the jars longer and go from halfsour to sour. And why has neither political party had the courage to address this issue?
JK
Vues Master’s Note: Yes! I think it was because they were in a pickle!
MECHILA
Dear Vues Master:
Where in the Alei Shur is this?: n his Alei Shor, Rav Wolbe, the great Mashgiach of Yerushalayim, tells an incredible story: Rav Eliyahu Lopian was a great Rosh Yeshiva in Yerushalayim. A man once came up to him and asked mechila. Rav Lopian insisted on knowing what the mechila was for, what did the man say about him. The man repeated the lashon ha’rah he had told Rav Lopian. Listen to what Rav Lopian told him: “That is a very harsh thing you said; I don’t know if I can forgive you. Come back to me in two weeks. I will study lots of mussar and work to accept your apology with a full heart.” The man came back in two weeks and Rav Lopian greeted him with a huge smile and said, “I have learned a lot and thought hard and I have been able to forgive you fully and with a whole heart.” In this article: https://jewishvues.com/ articles/asking-mechila-on-groupemail-mass-texts-or-facebook-is-inauthentic/
Vues Master’s Note: I am going to have to say I am sorry I don’t know where this is. It is a great story. I am sure it happened with Rabbi Lopian and not me or you because they don’t say such stories about me and you!!
FREEDOM REMOVED
Dear Vues Master:
We are living through terrifying times, and I am not talking about Covid-19. We are seeing draconian measures enforced in the western world that are harsher than any we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes. On the face of it, this should awaken alarm and skepticism of the explanations we’ve been given for this vast expansion of government power. Yet many people, including in the Jewish community and including in the Orthodox Jewish community, see no problem with these measures, and they willingly encourage and enforce them. Some even do so with zeal and fanaticism, to the point of informing—of reporting to the police anyone who dares disobey the government. And they’re doing so based on a fundamentally true principle. However, I believe that in this case, the principle is being grossly and dangerously misapplied. This is the basic principle in Jewish law that pikuach nefesh, the preservation of life, supersedes all other concerns, even otherwise strict obligations under Jewish law. Based on a doctor’s rulings, one can desecrate the Shabbos (Sabbath), eat non-kosher food, eat on the holy fast day of Yom Kippur. And so on. During the Covid-19 crisis, community leaders have been telling us that we must obey the government health experts, and invoking Jewish law to support their claim. After all, Jewish law says that one should listen to health experts, to the point that one even violates what is normally forbidden based on their word. This message is not really new and different. This is a basic principle in Jewish law. We do not need any great scholarship to know that danger to life is an overriding principle; any schoolchild knows this. The issue is not whether we should listen to experts in matters of health. Rather, the fundamental issue is which experts we should listen to. Who exactly is making the threat assessment? Are they truly reliable? Could they have conflicts of interest that would call into question or even entirely discredit their supposedly authoritative opinions? Are the leaders asking these questions? Yes of course, safety and health are paramount priorities. But those who have studied the development of totalitarian regimes understand that it is for this very reason that the claim of saving the people from some scary danger is a perfect tool for control and manipulation by people acting in bad faith with a sinister, nefarious agenda. We are being told to obey the “public health” experts. But it really doesn’t take much time to research the history of “public health” and see just how correct and reliable it has been in the past (e.g., see here, here, here, and here). Ten minutes of research on Google will lead you down a rabbit hole of many past incidents when public health officials not only got it wrong, but they deliberately lied— with regard to pesticides, AIDS, firearms, and much more. More generally and fundamentally, public health itself is a part of the political system, and politics is inherently about money, power, and control. So public health is not and cannot ever be about pure science and truth. The medical industry in general is joined at the hip to Big Pharma, which has been exposed as controlling medical school and medicines in order to maximize profit, not healing and good health. Those who offer cheaper, more natural, and healthier alternatives to expensive synthetic pharmaceutical products are persecuted and marginalized, their businesses are outlawed, and they are even sometimes killed. It would be one thing if these leaders were naïve in their health decisions about their own lives. It’s another thing entirely if they impose this naivete on the community, especially when they stubbornly refuse to listen to those who try to point out that they’ve been misinformed. These leaders are not doing their due diligence to question the narrative we’re being told. And this negligence is even more egregious now than when the scare began. The truth has increasingly emerged that we were sold a hoax: Covid-19 is no more dangerous than the seasonal flu, and likely less so. We were given false information about the death toll in Italy. The numbers were padded and governments worldwide are giving unethical financial incentives to hospital administrations to falsely classify deaths from other causes as Covid-19 deaths. The CDC issued directives to classify deaths assumed to be from Covid-19 even without a test. The tests are utterly faulty and don’t even test for Covid-19. The original mathematical model was grossly exaggerated and completely flawed from the outset. The media is using crisis actors to hype up the fear. According to testimonies, the hospitals in New York, the supposed hotspot for Covid-19, were systematically murdering the Covid-19 patients and that is in fact what was causing the higher death count there back in March and April. Yet all these facts are ignored by the governments, so they are also ignored by the community leaders. This is surreal. The governments clearly have a deceptive agenda, so why are the leaders playing along? These are often the same folks who told us to obey the “health experts” with regard to vaccines, despite the numerous reports coming out that many children are severely injured by vaccines. But because the government ignores that and mandates the vaccines, these leaders push us to conform and not to try to find exemptions, nor are they willing to represent us on the political front to push for vaccine exemptions. Some have even actively supported not allowing religious schools to accept religious vaccine exemptions legal in that state. They are the blind leading the blind. Their blindness is astonishing. It could be simply a blind spot due to a naive overestimation of the wisdom of the official public health officials, due to the psychological influence of the inflated status of “official culture” to which all citizens are susceptible. But we expect more of our supposed leaders. The truth about the other side of the story is now so widespread that it’s hard to think that this attachment to the official story is not willful. It is unpleasant but unavoidable to speculate on what motivates this irrational compliance. It could be concerned about their image and a desire not to be seen as “bucking the system” and breaking the taboo against criticizing the government. Many are surely affected by a perceived desire to keep their positions, a desire for their schools and synagogues to receive the continued support of wealthy patrons or to receive continued government grants and funding to ease the financial burden on their institutions. This essentially means, sadly, that these leaders are compromised and corrupted. I would even suggest that until they openly admit their failure and apologize, they should no longer be trusted to be consulted on anything, as they have proven themselves incompetent. This phenomenon of blind acceptance of the official government narrative on matters of health is shameful and terrifying. Our trusted leaders are blindly following the government-approved “health experts”, and the sheeple are blindly following the leaders, so we have a serious problem. This is a very slippery slope. The problem is the automatic conformity. All based on an endless, constantly repeated argument from authority. All without considering dissenting medical voices and blatant conflicts of interest. All based on the presumption that in matters of public health policy in our institutions, the government and only the government knows best and therefore it must call all the shots. These people are not thinking clearly; they’re obeying like robots. They’re not willing to consider anything that deviates from the official narrative. They’re not willing to listen to an argument presenting reason and evidence and adjust their opinion accordingly. They automatically dismiss anyone questioning the official narrative as a nutcase. They’re viewing the official narrative as religious dogma, all while failing to stand up for our human and religious rights. They said that we needed to keep the shuls (synagogues) closed because opening might endanger lives, now they say we must submit to masks, plexiglass, and social distancing in shuls and mass testing of our children, and soon they will doubtless say that we must all submit to a fast-tracked Covid vaccine. All because of health. But I guarantee you that if you would ask these same leader and administrators to take some action about the even potential danger of the Wifi in the schools or the 5G towers (which were being installed behind our backs right while we were in lockdown) right near the schools, they would give you a funny look and dismiss your concerns. If you would say that the documented harms of vaccines declared by SCOTUS is reason not to mandate them and to allow parents to decline mandates, many would dismiss your arguments and tell you to obey the government. Nor do we ever hear statements on the harm from radiation from cellphones, on the harm from psychiatric drugs, or on the harm from a sugary diet of processed foods. So the claim that this is about health and safety—“pikuach nefesh”—is disingenuous. What’s really going on here is blind obedience to government, not to true, unbiased health experts. (It should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway because I believe it needs to be emphasized: The only health experts that stand a chance of being truly reliable and authoritative are those independent of government. Not that they’re perfect, but they at least stand a chance of being honest and pure. And even they must state their rationale and respond intelligently to criticism of their positions.) The government justifies every deprivation of freedom in the name of safety, all in total denial of the fact that Covid-19 has been proven not to be a pandemic! A pandemic is defined by vast numbers of people getting severely ill and dying in many countries. We’re told that this is a worldwide pandemic, so where are these huge numbers? Nowhere! And those who died with but not from the virus don’t count! It’s nothing but a scamdemic! And yet the leaders still support the harsh measures! Where will it end? Will the leaders demand the people take a vaccine, along with an invisible ink tattoo, before being allowed to return to the schools, the rabbinical colleges, and the synagogues? Will the leaders demand the people submit to being microchipped before being allowed to return to the schools, the rabbinical colleges, and the synagogues? What if the government comes and tells us that a certain area is entirely contaminated and everyone must be evacuated to an undisclosed location, will our leaders support that too? Exactly how many freedoms will they support we surrender in the name of obeying the apparently infallible public health officials?! We expect more from leaders. That’s why they’re the leaders. They have a greater voice and influence, and a greater responsibility. They have failed us. These leaders are in denial, just like the vast majority of the members of the community. Have courage! Ignore them! We are being robbed of our rights and freedoms, and they will never, ever come back the way they were with this naïve, compliant, mindless attitude. Unless we expose this Big Lie of the Covid hoax, our civil liberties as citizens of western democracies will not return, nor will our religious freedoms to gather and pray freely. And by freely, I mean without masks and social distancing undermining the social fabric, and in not long a certificate of immunity, a temperature test, a vaccine, and a microchip. Those worried about catching the dreaded disease are free to stay home, but those who choose to come to the synagogue should be entitled to make their own choices and to take their chances. We need to get ready to say no. No to masks, no to social distancing, no to contact tracing, no to mandatory testing, no to vaccine mandates, no to government intervention in our private lives, no to anything that inhibits our freedoms. And we need our leaders and communal workers to support us and lead us in this refusal. And if they choose to be so blind that they would rather fall right into this devious trap set by the elites who are putting out this propaganda, we reject them as our leaders. If you’re one of our leaders, consider the words of the critics. Consider the illogical and excessive enforcement of the lockdowns, the deployment of drones, four-legged robots, tanks, the national guard, children needlessly separated from parents, and the signs of upcoming mandatory vaccination. Remember the lessons of history and the danger of a rapid introduction of tyranny through deception. We study history so we will learn its lessons and be vigilant against such events recurring. We are not immune today and I would submit that we are living through just such a takeover, under the guise of a staged and bogus pandemic. Listen to Covid skeptics with an open mind and be willing to have the humility and integrity to publicly retract and apologize for your earlier insufficiently researched and misinformed position and policy. Approach your communal leader and bring the words of the critics of the official story to his attention. Let’s hope he takes you seriously. If not, go to your fellow congregants and try to influence those among your friends whom you think might take you seriously. If they do, get them to approach him. If this fails, sorry to say, you may need a new congregation. Start your own breakaway minyan (prayer service). When government tyranny is intensifying worldwide and yet the death toll is extremely low, any rational observer should be able to tell that this is not at all about a deadly virus. The alleged virus is a pretext for an unprecedented worldwide powergrab. If leaders—whether religious or lay leaders—have any value, if leaders were ever needed, it would be to speak out against this grave, rapidly growing threat to the freedom of all mankind. Even if despite all the proof coming out that the numbers are padded, these leaders (mistakenly) still consider the virus a serious threat, why can’t they at least also see that the danger from this government power-grab is just as serious, if not vastly more? If these leaders are willing to call for extreme caution against the virus, why won’t they also come out against draconian government restrictions and mandates? In fact, no communal leader should be promoting any measures at all. Covid-19 has been proven a lie. There is no pandemic and there never was and now it’s totally obvious. In fact, there is no proof that Covid-19 even exists. The reason the government won’t admit that and won’t engage directly any scientific critiques of its policies, is that this was all planned from the outset—it’s a plannedemic. But we should not let ourselves to be played for fools! At this point anyone in leadership, no matter how otherwise respectable he may be, who willfully ignores this ongoing deception and continues to push for compliance with these measures is complicit in enabling tyranny. Don’t obey these compromised leaders. Seek out the truth for yourself through the web of lies. Use your basic G-d-given critical thinking skills. Obey your conscience and common sense. Don’t allow anyone to shame you for asking questions. Never automatically accept an argument from authority—demand to see the actual detailed threat assessment, the written proof and detailed arguments from independent experts. Demand that your rights and freedoms be honored, especially your right to make your own choices in medical matters for yourself and your family. Resist tyranny and mind control, no matter who is brainwashed or compromised into imposing it.
Rabbi Oliver
Vues Master’s Note: I kind of agree with you. As we see the Governors themselves are not keeping the rules they are very into do as I say not do as I do!!
FUN QUESTION
Dear Vues Master:
I find the Jewish Vues to be very colorful and entertaining, even if I don’t always get my letters printed. However, I didn’t think that this Fun Question on First Dates was too Tzinios or appropriate, especially some of the indecent replies; (Do you pick your nose? What’s your favorite Aveirah? How much do you weigh?)! Although, I did like the other Fun Question page of; What shiur would you like to go to? This Fun Question page on First Dates should have been censored! Perhaps you need a Rabbinical Editorial Board like other Jewish newspapers & magazines?
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: My suggestion is to look at the title. It is called Fun Questions. It is meant as a total joke not to be taken seriously. Although we sometimes get great answers we could learn from like Reb Dovid with the three dinner guests. It is meant to get you to think and maybe agree maybe not. Thanks for writing!
MOSER
Dear Vues Master:
This past week, it was announced that anyone in New York City could report illegally parked cars under a new bill recently introduced to the city council. Whistleblowers would receive part of the fine paid by violators. Under the bill, which was introduced by Councilman Stephen Levin and Council Speaker Corey Johnson, fines for illegal parking would be increased from $115 to $175. Additionally, the person who reports an infraction would get 25% of the money, or about $45. Is this halachically ok to do? Can one be a moser in this particular case?
AH
Vues Master’s Note: I would think that it would fall under the geder of a moser unless the person doing the illegal activity personally harms you like blocking your driveway etc. Even then one should ask a Shailoh.