22 Nov

GARBAGE PAILS WITH COVER ONLY

 Dear Editor:

On November 11, 2016, two talis and tefilin bags feel into a garbage bin in Brooklyn, NY. Every effort was done to find them. Money was spent, tens of volunteers were there for days and nights to join the effort to find them. This should not happen again. We must prevent this from happening. It’s a USDA law that all garbage bins must have a cover in public places. Included in these places are classrooms, hallways etc. The bin must have a cover that springs back to close, or a foot peddle that opens when pushed by the foot. When the foot is taken away, the cover closes. The same should apply to all batei medrash; they should only have bins like the above. In this way we can hopefully avoid such a tragedy happening again.

Thanks.

From the guy who lost the tallis bag

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Editor’s Note: Your point is a good one. Mistakes do happen. Extra care should be taken when talking about tefillin. Don’t try to shift the blame onto the garbage can.

LOST TEFILLIN

Dear Editor:

I was amazed to see the tireless effort that went into finding the lost teffillin in the garbage. What a true display of unity and a true display of Chessed. I hope Mashiach comes soon.

Editor’s Note: If K’lal Yisroel continues doing these types of chessed, Mashiach will be here in no time at all!

Dear Editor:

 I feel that every time something good is done in klal Yisroel it is always twisted to the bad. During the time of the search of the tefillin in the garbage can, there were people making fun and saying they are trying to rescue the tefillin from the garbage but when Yeshivas throw out kids it’s like they are throwing them to the garbage. I am not going to discuss this problem other than to say why ruin a good thing. Don’t detract the good that was done by trying to rescue the tefillin from the garbage.

Editor’s Note: I agree with you, it just gives the satan more ammunition to detract from the chessed the klal is doing. The satan does his job well enough without everyone’s help. Let’s try to look at the positive and keep the positive going.

STANDARD TIME

Dear Editor:

There are many reasons to have Standard Time all year round. There have been many articles recently about how changing the clock twice a year is unhealthy for the body. In addition, that was how it was for thousands of years! So why the recent change? Besides that, we would not have to have the Pesach sedorim start so late if we didn’t jump ahead. We would also be able to end a fast an hour earlier. There would be times when we could put on tefilin and talis an hour earlier etc.

Yehudah Leib Fleck

Editor’s Note: Bigger and smarter people than you have debated this point. It is interesting to note that they even have daylight’s savings time in Israel. I guess different time periods call for different measures.

PERMITTED OR PROHIBITED REVISITED

Dear Editor: 

According to HaGaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein, zatzal, soda is not considered chamar medina (see Igros Moshe O.C. 2:75). HaGaon HaRav Ahraon Kotler, HaGaon HaRav Y. Kamenetsky, and HaGaon HaRav S.Z. Auerbach agreed with this ruling of Rav Moshe (see the sefer Ratz KaTzvi as well as  Maadanei Shlomo  on Moadim,  BeinHaMeitzarim pg. 59).  Even for those who were lenient, it should be noted that there are different kinds of soda, some more chashuv than others. 

M. Newman

Editor’s Note: If you look at the response written last week and the week before, you will see that I used the term, “SOME poskim.” Of course, one should use wine or grape juice when making Kiddush. We are dealing with a b’dieved situation here.

GEDOLIM OF THE GENERATION

Dear Editor:

I am writing this in response to Mr. Hirsh’s piece in The Vues. Does the publisher of your magazine really believe that Rabbis Shlomo Carlbach and Meir Kahane HY”D were “two of the greatest Jewish leaders of our generation,” or was it some kind of sick joke? Does transgressing sins that are yehareg ve’al ya’avor make one into a “Jewish leader”? Being a Zionist – which is against the Torah according to our gedolim, from the Chofetz Chaim to Rav Schach and everyone in between –  make one into a “Jewish leader”? Certainly, Rabbis Carlbach and Kahane did good things, but to be a “Jewish leader,” and certainly a “great” Jewish leader, one has to follow the Torah, not twist it to serve his own agenda of Zionism or touching women. 

By the way, the yartzeit of the Chazon Ish, zatzal, was the 15th of MarCheshvan, and the yartzeit of Maran HaGaon HaRav Schach, zatzal, was the 16th of MarCheshvan, in the same week as the yartzeits of “Rabbis” Carlbach and Kahane. And yet your publisher did not see fit to mention that. Nor was it mentioned anywhere in your magazine, even though you had two pages devoted to Rabbi Carlbach and two pages devoted to Rav Kahane. Maybe, in your opinion, the Chazon Ish and Rav Schach were not “two of the greatest Jewish leaders of our generation”? Maybe they don’t even deserve to be mentioned during the week of their yartzeits? Maybe Rabbis Carlbach and Kahane were more important than the Chazon Ish and Rav Schach? I think that you owe your readers an apology for this lack of kavod hatorah.  

Michael

Editor’s Note: First of all, there is a cherem hakadmonim not to speak badly about dead people. Regardless of the fact that they were gedolim or not, they should not be maligned at this time. You need to understand that by not writing about the Chazon Ish or Rav Shach does not mean they were not gedolim. As a matter of fact, all segments of Jewry acknowledge that they were gedolim. The reason R’ Carlebach and R’ Kahane were written about is because they were controversial figures yet acted L’sheim shamayim. Whether you agree with them or not, they were influential people.