10 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.

 

PRU URVU

Dear Vues Master:

The Brisker Rav comments on a chazel and

says: that Rivka wasn’t criticized for not wanting

to have children when she realized she was

pregnant with a wicked child. However, Chezkiyhu

was taken to task for taking the same

position and not wanting to have children. The

Brisker Rav explains that Chezkiyahu had no

right to make a cheshbon (logical deduction)

when he is commanded to do pru urvu (having

children); however, Rivka is not commanded

to have children and therefore could make

such a cheshbon. Rabbi David Lichtenstein

asks how come Noach wasn’t taken to task for

making the same cheshbon, of not wanting

to bring children into the world, after he disembarked

from the Ark. As Rashi comments,

Noach was despondent of having children for

fear of them dying in another flood. Instead

of being rebuked for making this cheshbon he

was instead appeased by G-d and given a sign

it wouldn’t happen again. The difference is

that Noach had already fulfilled his obligation

of pru urvu, according to the opinion of bais

Shammai, of having two sons. And in Rosh

Hashanah 14b The baraisa rules that one may

follow beis Shammai’s opinion as long as it

was before the bas kol (heavenly voice) that

said to follow beis Hillel. I would like to

suggest that the halacha was actually like B”S

before the bas kol. Moshe made a kal vachomer

(a fortiori) at Har Sinai that if the Jews

had to separate for three days before meeting

G-d then surely I have to separate from my

wife permanently as I can be summoned at

any moment. Moshe couldn’t have made that

cheshbon had he not had two boys like B”S

According to this it makes sense to say that

Adam HaRishon wouldn’t have been able to

separate from his wife had he not had two sons

like B”S. The insight is that one can make a

cheshbon as long as there’s no commandment

that supersedes it and one can do that even if

he’s going according to one opinion.

DG

Vues Master’s Note: It is a nice shtikel Torah.

PILOTS

Dear Vues Master:

A Bishop once said to I am hoping your paper

would be able to include a short letter to the

public in your “ letters to the editor “ section.

I would like it there, in hopes of someone seeing

it and having information on how I can

reach this burial company to find a plot of

land next to my parents A”H. Congregation

Chaim Hagar Over 70 years ago on Mckibben

Street in Bushwick,Brooklyn, there was a

shul named Congregation Chaim Hagar. The

actual official name was Congregation Chebra

Rabano Chaim Hagar Anshe Sfar a/k/a Congregation

Rabeinu Chaim Hagar,with offices

at 181 Barlow Drive South in Brooklyn. This

organization bought a huge plot of burial plots

for its members from the Lebanon Cemetery

Association of Q Queens, namely Mount Lebanon

Cemetery in Queens.. My parents are

buried in 2 of those plots . Several plots surrounding

their plots remain vacant, because

no one knows what happened to the Congregation

Chaim Hagar. The owners of the cemetery

can’t sell any of those plots because they

do not own them. The lawyer who wrote the

deeds to the plots has no contact information

for the Congregation. I checked the records for

Congregation Chaim Hagar in all 5 Boroughs,

but there is no record at all of them anywhere.

I am writing because I would like to purchase

2 plots next to my parents, however, this is

impossible because the plots belong to Congregation

Chaim Hagar, an organization that

disappeared years ago and cannot be found.

If anyone has any knowledge who is now in

charge of this congregation or who can help

me with this dilemma, please email Miriam

Lock at miriamjlock@gmail.com

ML

Vues Master’s Note: Sometimes you can just

plotz to find your plots. Let us know if anything

happens as the plot starts to thicken!

ZIONISM AND

SETTLEMENT BUILDING

Dear Vues Master:

One of the most controversial disputes in the

Zionist community is whether Israel should

build towns and homes for Jewish Israelis in

Judea and Samaria, the historically Jewish

land the Jordanians renamed and the world

commonly calls it the “West Bank.” Historically,

the area east of the green line that the

world calls the “West Bank,” was Judea and

Samaria, part of the Jewish state. Until 1948,

the area was indistinguishable from the rest of Eretz Yisrael and Palestine. An artificial divide was created by the United Nations’ partition plan. After the 1948 Independence War, Jordan occupied Judea and Samaria, preventing an independent Arab state for those who lived in the area, and renamed it the “West Bank.” In 1967’s Six Day War, Israel gained control of this area. Israel offered to return it to Jordan in exchange for peace, but were rejected by Jordan, who, like the other Arab countries declared, “No peace, no recognition, no negotiations.” Israel kept the area but didn’t annex it. In the late 1960’s Israelis began moving into this area, building cities and towns. Israel offered to return the land as a part of a peace deal, first with Jordan and then the Palestinians, but their offers were continuously rejected. Today, 450,000 Jews live in Judea and Samaria. In the early 2000’s the two state solution was suggested as the method to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The two state solution mandated creation of a Palestine state in the West Bank alongside a Jewish Israeli state. The Palestinian refusal to allow any Jews to live in its state ensured the two state solution would require the eviction of hundreds of thousands of Jews from their homes in Judea. Zionist critics of Israeli building in Judea and Samaria point to the original partition plan mandated that Judea and Samaria would be an independent Arab state. It was never designed to have Jews living in it. Israel isn’t an Islam’s on its own, it is part of a larger international community. Many Zionists interpreted international law as prohibiting Israeli building in the West Bank. They maintain Jewish claims to the land should be superseded by the need for Israel to conform to international law. Any peace with the Palestinians will require a Palestinian state on the land where settlements are being built. Continuous building demonstrates an Israeli commitment to keeping the land and not to relinquishing it for peace and a Palestinian state. Each town and home is an impediment to peace. Zionist advocates for Israeli building in Judea and Samaria point to the area being the heartland of Israel’s homeland. They maintain Judea and Samaria is Jewish land and therefore Israel has a right to settle, live, and govern the area. In 1948, Arabs rejected the UN’s partition plan, relinquishing their claim to the West Bank. American President Jimmy Carter declared Israeli building in Judea and Samaria illegal according to international law. American President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, declared that Jewish towns and cities in Judea and Samaria were not inconsistent with international law. American presidents before Carter and Trump would not state a position on whether Jewish building in Judea and Samaria was a violation of international law. The legal status of Israeli building in Judea and Samaria is a matter of dispute. Instead of negotiating for their own state and ending the conflict, the Palestinians have engaged in terror and been intransigent. Their refusal to run after peace has become the greatest impediment to peace. Palestinians irrationally imagine they can continue engaging in terror, refusing to negotiate and there won’t be any consequences to their actions. The longer Palestinians refuse to negotiate a peace, the more Israel will build and the smaller an eventual Palestinian state will become. The longer Palestinians choose violence over peace, the more they will lose. After examining both sides of the debate, the question remains, is building Jewish homes and towns in Judea and Samaria consistent or inconsistent with Zionism? There’s no official Zionism handbook with acceptable and unacceptable positions. Zionists who are critical of Jewish settlements will claim the building is inconsistent with Zionist values, and Zionists who are in favor of Jewish building in Judea and Samaria will claim the building is consistent with Jewish values. Currently, and for the past 54 years, the official Israeli government position is to support building in Judea and Samaria. There are many Israelis who feel this policy is a mistake and have been trying to change it for 54 years. They’ve been successful in stopping unbridled building but have failed at stopping all building. American Zionists who are critical of Jewish building in Judea and Samaria fall into two camps. There are critics who feel American Zionists should proscribe, even use the American government to pressure, Israel to stop building, and those who feel that as long as they don’t live in Israel, pay Israeli taxes, serve, and have their kids serve in the Israeli army and don’t put themselves at physical risk for Israel, shouldn’t proscribe policies to Israel. There are American Zionists who support Jewish building in Judea and Samaria. They financially support communities and buildings in the disputed territories and advocate to their members of Congress to support more Jewish building. What do you think?

RUP

Vues Master’s Note: :I say sheiv veal taaseh Settle and don’t do Just let our settlements do the talking or walking!

CHASSIDIM

Dear Vues Master:

R Yitzchok Volozhiner Zt”l advised his Talmidim who were entering the Rabbinate, how to deal with the new movements that have sprung up in Judaism. (Chasidim) He advised them with the advice he heard from his father. (R. Chaim Volozhiner zt”l) R. Chaim said that it is forbidden to fight them publicly. All that open warfare does is strengthen the opponents. R. Chaim also warned those who harass excessively Chasidim won’t survive. R. Yitzchok proved his father’s point from the single frog in םירצמ†the more they kept hitting it, the more the frogs kept multiplying.

MF

Vues Master’s Note: You seem to not like Chassidim too much!

SMOKING

Dear Vues Master:

Bochurim should not smoke. It used to be believed that it is only dangerous for the individual, unlike when a woman smokes, which was always known to be dangerous for future pregnancies. It is now known that if a man smokes, it can have a negative impact on his future children.

RF

Master’s Note: I say it is a big waste of money! It is so expensive that it is not worth it!

DATING TECHNIQUES

Dear Vues Master:

As the ‘חב’ was sitting and learning with his םידימלת, his daughter walked in and the חב†remarked to her that she is as beautiful as the הנבל. His student, the ‘בהז†רוט’ commented: “The time has come to be שדקמ†the הנבל.” The חב†thought it over and took him as his son-in-law.

MB

Vues Master’s Note:I heard of a Rebbetzin who told her husband the reason there is no moon outside is because the moon heard you want to be mekadesh it so it quickly ran away!

YISSASCHAR OR YISSACHAR

Dear Vues Master:

There are 4 different Minhagim when to start pronouncing

רכשי†instead of רכששי.

1) The first time the name appears. (אציו†’פ).

2) From the second time & on (שגיו†’פ)

3) From Parshas סחנפ†& on

4) From Parshas תומש†& on

Some, who claim, that the Minhagim 1-2-3 are based on reasons 1-2-3

1) According to Dikduk רכשי†is the proper pronunciation therefore we always pronounce it correctly (even the first time)

2) The first time we pronounce the original name as it was given.

From then on we cover up the 2nd reason.

3) The changeover from בוי†to בושי†is in סחנפ†’פ†therefore we do the same with the changeover from רכששי†to רכשי.

4) I don’t know. Perhaps the םלוע†has a Pshat

Reasons 1-2-3 to pronounce it רכשי.

1) In קודקד†there are times when two same letters next to each other to pronounce only the first letter.

. ד”כ∫ו”ט†א”יהד†םירצצחמ†is pronounced םירצחמ

2) The two ש’s in רכששי†symbolizes 2 times רכש

a) The רכש†of giving הפלז†to בקעי

b) The רכש†of Leah giving away the םיאדוד†so She can spend an extra night with בקעי.

Being the second רכש†is a

יאנג†ןושל(not appropriate to publicize) therefore we drop the second ש.

3) The second ש†was given to בוי†his son who in ParshaS סחנפ†is called בושי†(see ד”כ∫ו”כ†רבדמב†י”שר) םישרפמ†write It was discovered later on of an הרז†הדובעnamed בוי†so they removed one ש†from רכששי†and added

it to בוי†and it became בושי.

FM

Vues Master’s Note: I am assuming there is truth to all your reasoning especially reason number four!

SCIENCE

Dear Vues Master:

In light of all the tributes to Rabbi Dr. Tendler’s (a”h) brilliance in reconciling science with the Torah, it should be pointed out that not everything scientists SAY is science is in fact science and is not necessarily reconcilable with the Torah. Although there are some vague similarities between the Big Bang theory and how some of our sages believe G-d brought the world into existence, there is much of our cosmos that is scientifically not understood and leaves much room for the universe to have been created in literally six days. When scientists make claims of the universe being roughly 13 billions years old, the first question should not be, “Is it true,” but, “How much do scientists actually know about the universe?” The big bang is a theory of an expanding universe and has been accepted by mainstream astronomers since the 1930’s. Part of that theory said that if there was enough gravity in the universe the expansion would eventually halt and the universe would collapse into a “Big Crunch.” If there was not enough gravity, the universe would expand forever. What the two theories had in command, though, was both held that the expansion was slowing down; there was no questions about this. In 1998 scientist made a shocking discovery; not only was the universe not slowing down, but it was accelerating. Three scientists shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for this discovery. Scientists consider the accelerating expansion confirmed and it is now regarded as well-established fact. But what is causing the acceleration? It seems natural that whatever caused the initial expansion of the universe would, like an explosion, eventually lose power and slow down. In the decades since the discovery of an accelerating universe, scientists have searched far and wide for this mysterious force, but haven’t found it. Eventually, this undetectable force was given a name — “Dark Energy.” Dark Energy is so pervasive that it’s believed to make up 68% of the universe. But the problems in cosmology don’t end here. In the 1980s scientists confirmed an odd observation made in the 1930s regarding many spinning galaxies — they’re spinning too fast. An object that spins creates centrifugal force pushing outward. The faster the spin, the stronger the outward force. Scientists can tell how fast a galaxy is spinning and they can tell how much mass it has by the amount of light it emits. What seemed odd is that at the speed some galaxies are rotating, many of their stars should be shooting out of the galaxies due to the strong centrifugal force. But they’re not. The only way these stars can remain trapped by the galaxy’s gravitation pull is if the galaxy had more mass than what we’re detecting. Many years of research into trying to determine what this additional mass is made of has failed. Scientists have since given this undetectable force a name — “Dark Matter.” It seems that Dark matter outweighs visible matter roughly six to one, and it makes up about 27% of the universe. When you add up the dark energy and dark matter figures it tells you that about 95% of our universe is a complete mystery. Now scientists tell us that the universe is 13 billion years old. Why is this problem? Maybe a more down to earth analogy might help explain why this is a problem. Let’s say your car mechanic explained to you how window wipers work, then you found out he’s wrong. He then explained how pistons and spark plugs work and you found out he’s wrong. He also explained how electronic fuel injection works and again he turned out to be wrong. Now he tells you he knows how to fix your transmission, would you give him your car? Of course not. If the scientific explanation of the universe’s expansion and the workings of galaxies work have been wrong for years, what kind of confidence can one put into a scientific assessment that the Universe is 13 billions year old? Not a whole lot. One of the methods used by scientists to determine the age of the universe is by calculating how long it would take for all the matter in the universe to come back to one point if you reverse the expansion. Even if we know how far out the universe goes, by what speed would you reverse the expansion; the expansion rate is not fixed? And since we have no idea what’s fueling the expansion, whose to say that dark energy is not cyclical? In other words, the universe could have expanded many times faster in the past, then slowed down, and is now speeding up again. If this is so, it’s quite possible that galaxies billions of lightyears away could have gotten there in a matter of days, hours or even instantly. And since we don’t know what galaxies are really made of, who’s to say that galaxy formation in the past did not happen much faster than what we believe. There are many more mysteries in the cosmos, that are beyond the scope of this article, that cannot be answered by the current state of astrophysics. But this article should at least make clear that when it comes to science it’s important to understand the difference between fact and speculation. There is much room for misinterpretation and error when attempting to extrapolate a snapshot of today’s universe to past events. Daniel Scolnic, a cosmologist at Duke university, put it this way: “I am not certain about how we are deriving the age of the universe. I’m not saying that it’s wrong, but I can’t say it’s right.” So, did G-d create the world in literally six days? There is no science that can say for certain this did not happen.

JG

Vues Master’s Note: In theory you are right. But it does not matter as we believe the Torah and the Torah does not need to fit Science.

Science is not a religion! It is a theory!

HOLIEST

Dear Vues Master:

The holiest הליפת†we say on Yom Kippur is not וניכלמ†וניבא†,ירדנ†לכ

ףקות†הנתנו, or the הדובע. The holiest הרישØטויפ†is

“םימלועה†יחל†הנומאהו†תרדאה”. Its רוקמ†is from the תולכיה†רפס†whose רבחמ†was the לאעמשי†’ר†אנת. הנומאהו†תרדאה†is the םיכאלמ’s הריש†that they sing every day. Since it is their הריש†it is so holy that the,ב”מ, םהרבא†ןגמ†ןחלשה†ךורע, השמ†יכרד, לירהמ†all write, humans may not say it םיברב†except for one day in the year. On Yom Kippur, since we are similar to םיכאלמ†we may say it םיברב. Poskim are struggling to find a רתיה†for דרפס†חסונ†who say it every Shabbos. Even more troubling is the Minhag of singing it aloud on Simchas Torah. (ו”פ∫י”ח†יולה†טבש†ת”וש)

——————————-

The Mishna Berurah (104 sk 9) writes, “People consider החיתפ†before וניכלמ†וניבא†as a little Mitzvah.”

(“הוצמ†תצק†הז†םיבשוח†םלועהש”) Seems the other תוחיתפ†are not even considered as a small Mitzvah

MH

Vues Master’s Note: Fascinating! I definitely like the song!

LIGHT

Dear Vues Master:

An author brought a manuscript to a ןואג†for review and asked him for a suggestion for the name of the רפס. The ןואג†did not like the רפס†at all. He suggested to the writer that he call it השמ†ינפ†רוא. When the writer left, the שמש†asked the ןואג†why he suggested that name. The ןואג†replied: “Because just as one couldn’t look at

וינפ†רוא†ןרק†יכ†השמ†ינפ†רואב, similarly one is repelled from looking at this רפס†which is full of nonsense.”

BV

Vues Master’s Note: He seemed to be taking that Sefer lightly. I wonder if the Authur saw the light? You think he was delighted? Or Slighted?

LEFTIST

Dear Vues Master:

A group of students in Volozshin were sitting on תבש†afternoon just whiling their time away. When םייח†בר†saw them, he remarked “It would be better if you were sleeping because you would at least be גונע׳ת†תבשב†הניש†םייקמ.” One of the students responded that גונע׳ת†תבשב†החי׳ש. “Yes,”

םייח†בר†said. “Both הניש†and החי׳ש†begin with the letter ן״יש, but one is a right ן״יש†and one is a left ן״יש†and as our םימכח†have said: ונימיל†םכח†בל.”

ולאמשל†ליסכ†בלו

JN

Vues Master’s Note: I am a rightist. Period!

TEETH

Dear Vues Master:

The new facebook, i mean meta will be part of metaverse which will be a virtual After being married for more than 50 years, Chaim came to his בר†and said he wants a Get. Surprised, the בר†asked Chaim why he wanted a divorce. “There have always been some issues between us, like any married couple,” Chaim answered. “But lately, it’s become unbearable.” The בר†probed further and asked for an example. “My wife has always harassed me about my noshing. In the past few months, however, she’s been stealing my dentures from the glass besides the bed. If I don’t get a Get, I’m going to die of hunger!”

KH

Vues Master’s Note: I don’t “get” this joke. This joke has no bite to it. Getting a laugh out of me is like pulling teeth!

DOGS

Dear Vues Master:

Having a pet can be a wonderful experience. Animals can be cute, interesting, and fun. However, they can also be difficult. There are drawbacks and advantages to each kind of pet. Small rodents such as hamsters and gerbils are relatively easy to care for, but they are not particularly interesting. Cats are a little harder to care for and a little more fun. Dogs are exciting and loyal companions, but they are very expensive and difficult to care for. The pet that provides by far the best balance between fun and difficulty is the neighbor’s dog. Your neighbor’s dog does not give you the full experience of owning a dog, but you get some of the fun with none of the responsibility.

DI

Vues Master’s Note: You can also go to the petting zoo.

MOM

Dear Vues Master:

I miss my daughter. I feel strange saying this about the healthy daughter who still lives in my home, the good daughter who has never done anything to distance herself from me. But I miss her nonetheless. As a working mother, I have grown accustomed to the separation since she was a baby. I have always comforted myself knowing that at the end of the day, I can go home and see my children. But now that has changed. This year, she has reached the age where multiple teachers give her homework, each in an amount that would be more than sufficient on its own. Now her afternoons are spent slaving over a huge pile of work. No more time spent bonding while cooking dinner. No more jump rope in the backyard. When she does get a spare minute or two of free time, I encourage her to spend it with friends. For some reason, society has decided that it is not good enough for her to have eight hours of schooling. She must spend every waking hour on math, science and history. This is supposed to “prepare her for college” and the “real world.” In my humble opinion, that says a lot about the real world. College shouldn’t take up the whole day. Work should ideally not take up the whole day. Why are we training our children to be sedentary and easily controlled and indoctrinated? If all this is to prepare her for college, what if she decides, like 70% of people, that she wants to take a route other than college? I will support her no matter what she chooses. I will support her if she is a full time homemaker, or a plumber, or an artist. The school system will not. The stress of the giant pile of homework doesn’t teach children a thing except how to be a corporate slave. The children of this system have a high rate of mental illness caused by this stress, and the graduates of this system are incompetent at basic life skills because all the time they spent on trigonometry was taken way from time learning how to sew a button and boil an egg. They are physically weak because they spent their time doing homework instead of playing sports. The entire “college/real world prep” can be summarized in one sentence: Let’s crush their little spirits so they are ready to go into slavery. I don’t want her to have to be a corporate slave like me. I miss my daughter.

AM

Vues Master’s Note: You can always do the homework for her or help her out. It would be a great time to bond! Seems like you don’t like school too much!

DIET

Dear Vues Master:

I have a new idea for a restaurant: Kosher keto Chinese food. All the sugar is replaced with erythritol and allulose. All the flour is replaced with almond flour or coconut flour. Unfortunately, I am unable to open such a restaurant because I am terrible at business.

JB

Vues Master’s Note: I can see why you are not good at business. The Chinese have perfected the art of frying things in a wok.