21 Jul

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.

KOF-K
Dear Vues Master:
Kof-K Kosher Certification, will you do
the right thing and pull your Kosher Supervision from Ben & Jerry? On Monday, as
soon as Ben & Jerrys said that they were
not Moishas Discount Supermarket, Glatt
Mart on Ave. M, Gourmet Glatt, Aaron
Kissena,Cedar Market & Seasons all announced that they will no longer be selling
Ben & Jerry products.
YF
Vues Master’s Note: First of all give them
a chance to do their research. Second of all
if one American Jew eats this thinking it is
Kosher and meanwhile the Kof K removes
it for political reasons and the company
makes it treife, the Kof K will have this
aveira of causing people to eat trife thinking it is Kosher.
BASEBALL PLAYERS
Dear Vues Master:
I’ve been absolutely disgusted by some of
the discussions surrounding two Orthodox
Jewish baseball stars drafted to the Major
Leagues this week. Jews are commemorating the three weeks of mourning over the
destruction of our Temples and the state of
exile we’ve been in for 2,000 years. The
exile was largely brought on by divisions
among our people and needless hatred felt
and expressed towards other Jews. It hasn’t
been long since we commemorated the
mourning of Rebbe Akiva’s students who
died for not showing each other respect.
This is to add to our recent catastrophes of
COVID, Meron, Surfside, and a war with
Hamas. Stop judging other Jews. You have
no right to discuss other Jews’ observance
of mitzvot. Even if the public nature of
these people’s statement and observance
doesn’t meet the technical criteria of violating Loshon Hara, it is division without
purpose. It is an expression of golus and
sin. But, they’re setting a horrible example
for our children! We must speak out and
protest their actions! No, they’re not and
no, you don’t. If you want to have a private talk with your child about your family’s values and how modern culture and
Shabbat observance balances with your
family’s Torah philosophy and practice,
that is your right. It is NOT your obligation, right or prerogative to discuss other
people’s observance publicly. I’m an educator of teenagers and everyone is so worried about going “off the derech” because a
baseball prospect was drafted. If you think
for ONE second a Jewish teenager is going to look at these kids and decide to go
off the derech because they MIGHT play
professional baseball on Shabbat, you have
no idea how teenager’s think. Teenagers go
off the derech, or never get on it (that’s a
MUCH more accurate description) because
they aren’t inspired by Judaism, Torah and
our community’s values. Do you know
what turns teenagers off to halacha and
Judaism more than anything? Cynicism
and negativity. Do you know what turns
them on to Judaism? Jewish pride. As we
know, an entire generation of Jews went
off the derecho because we made the tragic
mistake of putting Sandy Koufax in the
spotlight because he “just” observed Yom
Kippur. Can you even imagine how many
Jews keep Yom Kippur because – subconsciously – Yom Kippur became important
to them because it was important to Sandy
Koufax? That’s what these kids are about
to do with Torah observance like davening,
kashrus, tefillin, etc. Stop focusing on the
halachos they might not keep (in the future) and highlight the mitzvos they ARE
keeping. When we are proud of Jews – for
WHATEVER reason – it makes our teenagers want to draw close to Judaism. It’s
then that they’re willing to listen to adults
about Torah, halacha and hashkafat HaTorah. When parents denigrate other Jews,
it makes teenagers not want to be Jewish.
This is simple and TRUE.
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: You hit it out of the
park with your essay. We should not judge
others because they sin differently than
yourself!

REACTION
Dear Vues Master:
How we react in tough situations
can be compared to carrots, eggs
and coffee. They all react differently when placed in hot water.
The carrot becomes soft, the egg
becomes tougher, and the coffee
chooses to embitter the water
around it. When faced with hot
water, it’s best to be like the pot,
which faces the problem head on
and boils the water away.
MM
Vues Master’s Note: Best is if one
anticipates and does not need to
react!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Dear Vues Master:
Will the new conservative “free
speech” platform Gettr be the
next Parler? One thing’s for certain: It’s glitchy and full of white
supremacists.
AN
Vues Master’s Note: I believe
that all Social media have all
kinds of people on it. Unless of
course you censor it!
MAOS CHITTIN
Dear Vues Master:
A Rov was asked why חטין מעות
are given for פסח and not for
סוכות .The Rov explained: “With
respect to פסח ,the תורה says
food and שבעת ימים מצות תאכלו
costs money. But with respect to
סוכות ,all the תורה demands is
תשבו בסוכות and sitting is free.”
MF
Master’s Note: This sounds like
another Cheesed fund solicitation.
OTD
Dear Vues Master:
Another OTD documentary is
coming out now. It’s getting ridiculous. The OTD community
is getting to define Judaism to
the outside world. It’s time we
make our own documentaries,
perhaps centered on baalei teshuva and prominent members of
the frum community, to portray
us as we are.
CK
Vues Master’s Note: They will
only make stuff that sells. Good
news does not sell. Therefore
they produce negative stuff.
Don’t hold your
breath on a documentary depicting us in a good light.
DONKEYS
Dear Vues Master:
קינות לתשעה באב in פייטן The
#37 writes,
בך כל בהמה ועוף חכמו עדי”
כחמור היה לפנים לבן
“יאיר חמוריך
“Within you (Zion) every animal
& bird grew wise to the point
where even the donkeys were
as intelligent as the donkey of
(Pinchas) Ben Yair”. (ie: Animals in Eretz Yisroel are smarter
than Chutz La’aretz animals) It
is claimed that the most intelligent Arabs are the Palestinians.
Perhaps, the reason for it is, because if ישראל דארץ אוירא has
an effect on the חמורים it surely
must also have an effect on the
we, However עם הדומה לחמור
must apply the Talmudic rule of
a In. דיו לבא מן הדין להיות כנדון
וחומר קל we limit the חומר to the
same measure as the קל .Therefore theוחומר קל teaches us that
the ישמעאלי has as much intelligence as the Israeli חמור but not
more.
FM
Vues Master’s Note: These Arabs are dumber than dumb that
is why they kill themselves and
have no drive but follow their
leaders!!
WHY ASK WHY
Dear Vues Master:
A גוי once asked
why רבי צבי הירש לוין
,פסח on asked is מה נשתנה
rather than on סוכות when Jews
leave their homes and go out in
the cold into temporary shelters.
s’It: “responded רבי צבי הירש
natural. We’re in exile and when
children see us sitting around the
פסח table as free men, dressed
for the holiday, they are surprised
and naturally ask נשתנה מה .But
on סוכות ,they see what Jewish
children have seen throughout
the generations of exile: Jews
having to leave their homes and
live out in the cold. It does not
occur to them to ask נשתנה מה “.
MV
Vues Master’s Note: No question
about it!
CTV COLOR WARS
Dear Vues Master:
I went to the Camp Expo recently
held in the Palace and it got me
thinking again about the good
ole days back in Camp Torah
Vodaath CTV. I was reminiscing
about the Color War breakouts
with Rabbi Heshy A. upset about
campers breaking into his bungalow to find the Color War Teams.
He tore up the booklets in front
of everyone including the staff
who were shocked to see their
color war dreams going out the
window together with the torn to
shred booklet. He said until the
campers admit who they are who
had the nerve to break into his
bungalow there will not be color
war this summer. Of course it
was a fake out but everyone fell
for it and even the staff didn’t
know and were fooled. We ended
up all coming down to the recreation hall [shul with tallis on the
Aron] and were told that the 2
campers [in my bunk] were being thrown out of camp. “Campers Counselors have no fear there
will be a Color War this year”!
[B’H] I can still hear Rabbi Shmuel D. announcing; “Attention all
campers & Counselors, Learning
never ends, but Learning Groups
are now over”. I remember when
they called all the bunks down to
the baseball field, since the camp
was on fire. Now why do we
have to sit nicely on the bleachers and be told to watch the
camp burn down? Shouldn’t we
be running for our lives? When
we arrived, the [man made] fire
was dying down, so we noticed
Moshe H. adding to the fire for
those bunks who arrived unfortunately late and didn’t yet get to
see the whole fire [genius]. Then
there was the serious play about
the Nazis and the Jews escaping,
so we were asked again to see the
end of the play outdoors on the
Baseball field. We were treated
to a parachute jumper. The only
problem was that everyone was
running around to see if the
paratrooper can possibly land
on them. The Boss Mr. N. was
running around in a panic with a
stick shooting the campers away
from the landing. [Catastrophe].
COLOR WAR! [Yea]. I remember back in my younger days in
Camp Shalom being told that our
bunk was chosen to break out
the Color war, and that our bunk
was to fall down by lunch when
we got the signal from the Head
Counselor, and faint from the
food. Well you guessed correctly
-everyone in the entire camp fell
down all at once. [Coincidence?]
Remember the Camp Bloopers?
Mutty K. picking up a beer bottle instead of a phone in a grand
play in Color War [Now what
was he th[dr]inking?]. Or Heshy
S. kept on hanging up the phone
even though the phone somehow miraculously [or broken?]
kept on ringing]. Can’t forget the
Generals landing on the Baseball
Diamond in a Helicopter, but
this time the campers weren’t
running around the field [Boss
with a big stick]. [BTW- I had to
run for my life around the Dining
Room and escape, when I told
the Camp Director that I didn’t
like the “Horsemeat” [Slabs] or
the BOMBS!]. Shimon L. announcing the “Russians are coming” [No! it’s the Romans], or
Danny S. calling out during a
grand play; “The Slides -where
are the Slides”? [Slide projector broken-so what’s new?] I
can still hear the Boss saying
each & every summer that this
was the best Color War ever in
CTV history.[Nu] Who can forget the drama when by a Bris in
Camp, the Mohel dropped the
BABY[doll- whew!] and broke
out in a Color war! [Mazel Tov!]
[I was more worried about what
happens now to the Bagels &
Lox?] My memories go back
to Team Time before the Grand
sing on the slap ball court with
Moish S. or Chaim S. our Color
war Grand sing leaders. We were
once told not to laugh at the other team’s comedy skit, but we
couldn’t help it I got a stomach
ache from holding in the laughter
until we even noticed the judges crying from laughter. Or the
Judges Entrance with Nicky G.
the Color war banners with Nutty G. & Yitzy E. and the Grand
plays with Jackie S. & Heshy A.
or the great comedy skits about
the Boss with Hersh C. [Don’t
leave out Yaakov Ginza!] I now
remember the Halacha skit when
two good friends help each other
cheat throughout medical school,
and the play ends when one of
the friends who was helping him
all along to get by and pass his
exams now turns out to be his Dr
when he has a heart attack, and
he sees his friend who he had helped get by is now his Dr! [Uh
Oh]. Now, If you want to hear
the great Grand sing Color War
songs, you have to buy the old
JEP records [sorry, I mean cds]
Vol. 1 & 2. “CTV We Miss You”!
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: Yea I miss
those days wish I can be in camp
again!

JEWISH?
Dear Vues Master:
A new book claims that Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury
secretary credited with setting
the US on a sound footing, was
born and raised Jewish. Why do
people need to make up that every famous person is Jewish?! It
just leads to antisemitism and aivah and should be stopped.
MD
Vues Master’s Note: It is a coping mechanism. People love to be
with
a front runner!
BARBER
Dear Vues Master:
I was always curious what Cuomo did besides all the crimes
and other disgusting stuff we’ve
heard about recently. Now I’ve
found out: A century-old Blue
Law banning barbers from working Sundays in NY was repealed
by Cuomo’s signature, though it
hasn’t been enforced in decades.
Very important I must say. Although while he’s actually signing it he can’t make any trouble
because he’s busy.
GB
Vues Master’s Note: Oh cut it out.
It got to a hair raising situation!
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS? LAW BREAKERS
Dear Vues Master:
I was delighted by the news that
Texas Gov. Abbott ordered the
arrest of more than 50 Texas
Democrats who fled to Washington DC, thus denying a Republican-led bill on new sweeping
election reforms. Enough with
the democrats tyranny and crybabying. You lose, you lose. If
you want to change the laws, be
good politicians and make a difference. That’s what elections
are for. Just walking out time
after time because you’re upset
about something is just childish
and not Democratic
DS
Vues Master’s Note: Typical children leaving class. Politicians
are pathetic!
CHINUCH
Dear Vues Master:
I learned an amazing chinuch
lesson this week when Five
members of the same Texas family were charged for their alleged participation in the Capitol
riot. That is what we call good
chinuch.
JE
Vues Master’s Note: Or maybe
stupidity. It would be smart to
stay out
of trouble!
LATE
Dear Vues Master:
A למדן came to Shul for שחרית
at 11:30 in the morning on
was he When. חול המועד סוכות
asked how he could come so late,
he responded: “ בציבור תפילה is
מדרבנן .But sleeping in the סוכה
“.מדאורייתא is
BR
Vues Master’s Note: I would give
that guy a huge knas!
SELF DESTRUCTION
Dear Vues Master:
This country is being run to
the ground. With Sen Majority Leader Schumer’s announcement of his draft of legislation
to end the federal prohibition
on cannabis and expunge some
cannabis-related arrest records.
We are really done.
DA
Vues Master’s Note: It took you
so long to figure this out! If dead
people can vote then this Country
is being buried as we speak!!
WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
Dear Vues Master:
My brother texted me; Meron,
Karlin Stolin-Givat Ze’ev, Miami , Italy, all forms of Sekila.
What is Hashem telling us? I
texted him back that Totty A”H
used to always look into the
Haftorah of that week to figure
out Current Events. I’m not a
Navi or ben Navi and like Rabbi
Berel Wein shlita quips that G-D
has not spoken to me lately. I
would only guess that if Hashem
is upset and angry with us it has
to be the nisyanos of this generation and that to me is V’lo Sasuru Acharei Eynechem Vacharei
Levavchem. I find that to be the
most difficult nisayon, especially
in the city in the summer. People
don’t dress appropriately and it
feels like you’re on the beach.
Rabbi Paysach Krohn says that
the bus passed by with an indecent picture and you looked back
after accidentally looking in the
first place, then that’s your fault.
Technology doesn’t make it any
easier. I remember as a young
child waiting for the bus by a
store that had magazines in their
front window, and that picture
remains with me till today vividly. R’ Avi Shulman used to say a
child’s mind is like wet cement!
He told parents who allow their
children to watch shows that the
super bowl wouldn’t charge millions of dollars for 30 second
commercials if they didn’t feel
that they were influencing your
brain. I stay away from libraries
and stores who sell inappropriate magazines or newspapers. I
sometimes have to turn over the
NY Post when buying the Hamodia on 13th ave corner 49th St.
Now with smartphones, computers etc. you don’t have to go to
these stores or libraries. I went
to TAG to filter my phone. Of
course there’s all types of nisyonos, Litzonos, Machlokes,
Loshon Hara etc., but I feel the
worst is Tzneyus. You can’t even
walk in the streets these days or
drive. I have to put the sun shield
down. What really bothers me
is how everyone became Daas
Torah by mixing their views into
their ban on Lace top Sheitels. If
the Lakewood Roshei Yeshivas
and Poskim asered it, then no
one has the chutzpa to oppose!
If Chazal says it’s Yom then its
yom! I read that RMS quoted his
Rav from Monsey; The Writers
are the new Daas Torah! You’re
not allowed to argue with your
Daas Torah or even agree Who
Are You? The VUES should not
be putting in letters that oppose
the Chassidesher Poskim and
Litvish Rabbonim. I believe
the Chofetz Chaim had to be
taken from this world so as not
to have to witness the What’s
App, Twitter, Facebook, Google,
Smart phones etc. [Of course
there’s Kol Haloshon & Torah
Anytime}.We daven every day
Al Teveini Lydei Bizoyon V’lo
Liydei Nisoyon Val Tashlet
Banu Yetzher Hara. Harav Hagoan, Rav Dovid Schustal shlita,
Rosh Hayeshiva BMG spoke in
Toms River Parshas Korech, at
a Oneg Shabbos where he was
spending Shabbos. In the middle
of speaking at 10:50 pm, he gave
a loud klop on the table and said
a premonition; “ Ut Ut Moshiach
Ba’ah. The Matzav in Eretz
Yisroel is the final straw. Start
preparing yourselves, since you
don’t want to be embarrassed!
CHACHAM ADIF M’NAVI!
RLL
Vues Master’s Note: No one
could tell you what to work on to
figure it out yourself! Become a
better person!!
JUDGING
Dear Vues Master:
Re: the ad that seemed to be
pro-gossip, it’s appropriate to be
dan l’kaf zchus note that “gossip” and “lashon hara” are not
perfect synonyms. “Gossip” is
derived from “godsibb” meaning
god sibling. It was then used to
refer to the conversation around
a child birthing woman, back
when all the female neighbors
would come over to help and
converse. Even today, gossip
can include talking about others in a neutral or positive way.
Example: “Did you hear Chani
Friedman opened a craft supply store in Boro Park right next
door to her office supply store?”
“No, I should go check it out. I
was going to buy acrylic paint
at Michaels. Now I’ll support
a small business and a friend!”
or “Malky’s son Duvi, the eight
year old, you know how many
salamanders he found? Thirtyseven! In one afternoon!” “Wow,
that’s a lot of salamanders! If I
were also eight years old, I’d be
jealous! Maybe I’ll ask Malky
how he did it so I can tell my
kids.” Those are both not lashon
hara. The latter would fall under
excessive praise that can induce
jealous criticism, except that a
grown woman is not likely to be
jealous of a child’s ability to find
amphibians.
JJ
Vues Master’s Note: As I told
the Judge when he charged me
for my court case. I said to him I
have plenty of people who judge
me every day for free!!