18 Jan 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.

ECONOMICS

Dear Vues Master:

I just went shopping at the local kosher

grocery store & I was blown

away at how expensive everything is

getting. I don’t know how everyone

can afford to buy everything. What

happened to the free food distribution

that they did last year? My family can

really use some help.

GS

Vues Master’s Note: You and the rest

of America are asking the same question.

Welcome to the Biden economy!

CUTTING EDGE

Dear Vues Master:

A Buddhist monk had his head shaved

by the barber and asked “How much

do I owe you?” “Nothing,” the barber

replied. “It’s my privilege to take care

of a holy man such as you.” The next

day, a dozen gemstones were waiting

for him as he arrived at the barbershop.

Later that day, a priest came to

have his hair cut. “How much do I

owe you?” he asked. “Nothing, Father,”

the barber replied. “It’s my

privilege to take care of a holy man

such as you.” The following day, a

dozen roses were waiting for him as

he arrived at the barbershop. A few

hours later, a Rabbi came to have his

hair cut. “How much do I owe you?”

he asked. “Nothing, Rabbi,” the barber

replied. “It’s my privilege to take

care of a holy man such as you.” The

next morning, a dozen rabbis were

waiting for him as he arrived at the

barbershop.

MB

Vues Master’s Note:Oh C’mon!

That’s terrible, that is not the way

Rabbis work!

WARM

Dear Vues Master:

It was freezing outside this weekend

& I told my kids that learning Torah

would warm them up. They laughed

at me but I decided to read The Jewish

Vues to my family out loud. We

read Rabbi MM Weiss’, Rabbi Goldberg

& Rabbi Lebovits articles &

saved the fun question & jokes for

last. I want to tell you that my family

warmed up & enjoyed last week’s

edition very much!! Shkoyach!

AH

Vues Master’s Note: Give me a hot

coffee any time!

LAUGHTER

Dear Vues Master:

I just want you to know that my family

LOVES your Laughter & Inspiration

pageƆIt’s†the†first†page†my†family

reads every week. People talk about it

all the time. Keep up the great work!

WH

Vues Master’s Note: This is no laughing

matter. It takes a lot of effort to

come up with all this stuff!

TO MASK OR NOT TO ASK

THAT IS THE Q.

Dear Vues Master:

Wherever I go these days I’ve been

getting mixed messages about wearing

a mask. I’ve gone to dinners &

concerts with no one wearing masks.

I’ve also gone to shuls where everyone

is wearing a mask. In a world

where everyone is getting sick with

corona shouldn’t everyone be taking

extra precaution and wearing masks?

LF

Vues Master’s Note: One thing is for

sure, on Purim you will wear a mask!

HASC

Dear Vues Master:

I went last Sunday to the HASC Concert & I wanted to tell you how much I loved it. First they had a spread of food that I never saw at a

wedding before. They had lamb chops, steaks, an open bar & so much more!! The music was great! They had Mordechai Shapiro, Avraham Fried, Joey Newcomb, LIPA, a mentalist & so much more!! Ishay Ribo was supposed to come but he couldn’t get out of Israel because of covid but it was still awesome! Looking forward to going back next year!

DA

Vues Master’s Note: Sounds great!

ARABS

Dear Vues Master:

While browsing in an antique store in Israel, a man noticed a brass mouse. “How much do you want for the mouse?” he asked. The storekeeper answered “the mouse is $10, but if you want it with the story it’s $100.” The man handed him $10 and took the mouse. “You’ll be back for the story,” the shopkeeper said. As he left the store with his brass mouse, the man saw mice following him. There were 50,

then 500, and as he kept going, faster and faster, there were thousands of them. He ran to the ocean and threw the brass mouse into the waves. Thousands of mice ran in after it and all of them drowned. The next day, the man went back to the antique store. Seeing him, the shopkeeper said “So, you’re back for the story.” “No,” he replied.

“I came to ask if you have a brass Arab.”

JK

Vues Master’s Note: Yes! My woke neighbor would not like this letter. Should we cancel this letter?

CULT

Dear Vues Master:

In the Tu B’Shvat issue of the Jewish Vues, Reb Y.Y. Jacobson (p.24-25) writes that “Chabad has sometimes been accused of being a cult. I always find this humorous…”.

If anyone has difficulty understanding that charge, I suggest they look a bit earlier in Jacobson’s piece, where he states “This Wednesday, 10 Shevat 5782 (Jan. 12, 2022), the Jewish world celebrated 72 years of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s leadership.”

For those who don’t know, the last Lubavitcher Rebbe died close to thirty years ago. Why don’t they celebrate 250 years of the leadership of the Alter Rebbe of Lubavitch instead? Or 210 of the Mitteler Rebbe? And so on, of their other past leaders. And the Jewish world at large was not celebrating it. The Jewish world at large does not share the belief of Lubavitch that their Rebbe is the Nasi Hador, leader of the

generation. It is truthfully not surprising then when people look askance at Chabad Lubavitch.

Sincerely,

Poshute Yid

Vues Master’s Note: AI am not touching this letter. I can’t respond as I am going to get it from all sides.

PUNISHED

Dear Vues Master:

I never understood why Yaakov Avinu was punished for not seeing his father for 22 years when he was occupied with the mitzvah of finding a wife. I think the answer is that he didn’t write to his father.

Perhaps he reasoned that he was patur (absolved) from writing just like he was when he went to yeshiva; however, he had a precedent not to write just like his father, Yitzchok, when he went to yeshiva and who didn’t even go to his mother’s levaya (funeral).

Learning Torah requires laser concentration and at that level they are before the King and can’t deviate even for a moment. When someone is in yeshiva and not sleeping or seeing their wife, like Yaakov and Rabbi Akiva did for fourteen years, then he’s absolved from contacting his parents.

Nowadays, there is no precedent for such conduct as can be gleaned from the following story. Rav Scheinberg explained to Rav Boruch Ber that he would have to go home to explain to his wife that he will be away for a month so she shouldn’t worry. See from here that the most a person can stay away is a month and even then he has to let her know. Similarly, a bachur (unmarried man) is accountable to his parents and there is no excuse for not being in touch with them.

DG

Vues Master’s Note: Nice Shtickle. Thanks.

PARTNERS

Dear Vues Master:

What worries me most (about your article) is the way your response is peppered with expressions like “perhaps,” “it sounds as if,” and “may be,” together with sweeping generalizations about estranged children. Yet the conclusion that the mother is at fault is presented as fact, to the degree that she is even being told to apologize!

Now I understand why the column is called “The Parenting Partnership” as he doesn’t think parents are capable of autonomy. Also, the paper should remove the word “Artscroll” as these articles aren’t necessarily endorsed by them.

DG

Vues Master’s Note:Unless we are called partners in crime.

DIFFERENT VERSION

Dear Vues Master:

I never understood why Yaakov Avinu was punished, middah k’neged middah, for not seeing his father for 22 years when he was occupied with the mitzvah of finding a wife. I think the answer is that he didn’t write to his father.

Perhaps he reasoned that he was patur from writing just like he was in yeshiva; however, he had a precedent like his father, Yitzchok, when

he was in yeshiva and didn’t write or go to his mother’s levaya.

Learning Torah in yeshiva at that level requires laser concentration and is like being before the King which pushes everything else aside.

When someone sits in a yeshiva where he deprives himself of his own basic needs as sleep like Yaakov or Moshe, when he was taught Torah in Shamayim, then he’s absolved from contacting his parents and his wife like Rabbi Akiva.

Nowadays, there’s no precedent for such behavior as can be gleaned from the following story: Rav Scheinberg explained to Rav Boruch Ber that he would have to go home to explain to his wife that he will be away for a month so she shouldn’t worry.

Before the war a month was the standard so how much less it is now

after the war and we are on a lower level. After Yaakov left the yeshiva and was mingling with others, he had an obligation to be in touch with his parents.

DG

Vues Master’s Note: Now you got my head spinning. Is it a different

version or a different aversion?

GRAVES

Dear Vues Master:

Two†litigants†came†before†רבי†משה†יצחק†of†Ponovitz¨†asking†him to resolve their dispute as to who had the rights to a particular grave in the cemetery. After listening to the parties, the†רבי†declared∫†whoever†dies†first†will†get†the†plotƆFrom†then on, neither one insisted that the plot belonged to him.

BH

Vues Master’s Note: I think it is a dead issue. They would be making a grave mistake!

TU B’SHVAT

Dear Vues Master:

THE FOUR QUESTIONS FOR TU B’SHVAT

1) Which ץעה†ירפ†fruit, if you made a המדאה†on it, you were not אצוי?

A fruit that was grown in a flower pot with no hole at the bottom. (based on the Chaya Adam Hl. Birchas Hanehenin 51:17- Harav Hagaon R, Dov Landau Shlita)

2) He ate from the Shivas Haminim, the Bracha Rishono was ץעה†ירפ†yet the Bracha Achrono is תושפנ†ארוב.

A fruit salad consisting of 1/3 pomegranate(םינימה†תעבש

and 2/3 assorted other fruits. The בור†is a ץעה†ירפ†and the בור†is a תושפנ†ארוב.

3) When is the appropriate time to Daven for a nice Esrog?

According to the רכששי†ינב†on Tu B’shvat

According to the Gemara in Shavuos

(ןליאה†תוריפ†לע≠†םינודינ†תרצעב)

4) There is only one single Halacha in Shulchan Aruch regarding Tu B’shvat, which one?

Not to say ןונחת†on Tu B’Shvat. (O.Ch. 131:6)

Eating fruits is not mentioned in S.Aruch. It is the Mogen Avraham who quotes this Minhag Ashkenaz.

MF

Vues Master’s Note: Where is my platter? May we all be fruitful!

FUNERAL

Dear Vues Master:

A violinist was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a paupers’ cemetery far out of town. The violinist got stuck in traffic and by the time he arrived, the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. He felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. He then went to the side of the grave and started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. He played out his heart and soul for this man with no family and

friends. And as he played, the workers began to weep. They wept, he wept, they all wept together. When he finished, he packed up his violin and started for his car. As he opened the car door, he heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

SH

Vues Master’s Note: It’s a good thing he did not go into septic shock!

SHABBOS GOY

Dear†Vues†Master∫

The Shul was cold, since the setting on the temp was 70 but it was not enough & freezing. While we looked out for a goy, there were only yidden going to Shul on this freezing Shabbos morning. One lady was out walking her huge dog, so we couldn’t Hint to the ‘Hint’! Sorry But then believe it or not, the Shmira patrol car came driving by†with†its†flashing†lights†and†a†sign on the van saying Shabbos Goy! We hinted to the African American driver, and he adjusted the temperature correctly. It was a Varmer Davening!

RMS

Vues Master’s Note: These stories mamash warm my heart!

MISTAKE

The popular Minhag of

ןמה†תשרפ†on†חלשב†‘ג†was†unheard of just one generation ago. Not even Riminover Chasidim of the past ever heard of it.

In†all†of†the†םיבתכ†of†RƆMendel Riminover Zt”l there is no mention†of†the†הלוגס†חלשב†‘ג†The†first†רוקמ†©source®†of†this†Minhag is in the

שדח†≠םחנמ†טוקלי†רפס†published†in 1991. The Sefer writes that Rav S.W. Weinberger Zt”l heard from the Stropkover Rebbe Zt”l in the name of R.M.Riminov Zt”l about the

הלוגס†ןמה†≠תשרפ†חלשב†‘ג

After the publication of the Sefer, this Segulah spread like wildfireƆAll†the†weekly†Torah†pamphlets & every frum internet site and App. reminded us not†to†forget†to†say†ןמה†תשרפ†on†Tuesday†חלשבÆ

*At a later date Rav Weinberger’s†כתבים†were†found†in†which†he writes that he heard from the Stropkover Rebbe how R,M, Riminover said

םוגרת†דחאו†ארקמ†≠םינש†¨ןמה†תשרפEVERY DAY & had in mind that†הסנרפ†is†םימשה†ןמƆRÆMÆRƆclaimed that by having this הנווכ†while†reciting†the†Parsha†you are assured not to ever lack in†הסנרפ©As†mentioned†by†the†םינומדק®

Rav Weinberg wrote that it was on†חלשב†‘ג†when†he†met†the†Stropkover Rebbe. The confusion came about from this one line. That he heard about this†הלוגס†on†חלשב†‘ג†from†the†Stropkover Rebbe R.M.M. never said that there is a special day of

חלשב†‘ג†to†say†the†ןמה†תשרפ

KL

Vues Master’s Note:Just say it! It can’t hurt!

ANTISEMITISM IS GROWING

Dear†Vues†Master∫

The kidnapper, Malik Faisal Akram chose to hold synagogue worshipers hostage in Colleyville, Texas because he believed in antisemitic tropes and was convinced that the Jewish worshipers inside would have the power to organize the release of a Pakistani prisoner jailed nearby, one of the four worshipers held at gunpoint told The Times of Israel on Monday.

“He did not come there to kill Jews … He came here to release†˛Aafia†Siddiqui¸¨†and†he†had bought into the extremely dangerous, antisemitic trope that Jews control everything, that we could call President ˛Joe¸†Biden†and†have†him†release her,” 57-year-old Jeffrey Cohen said in an interview over Zoom.

“Akram had one objective. He repeatedly said that he didn’t want to hurt us… that he would let us go, that he was the only one who was going to die… and that if the police brought his sister there, he and she would go out on the front lawn and let the authorities kill him. He kept speaking about martyrdom. He was the only one who needed to

die that day,” Cohen told The Times of Israel. “He told us that he chose the closest synagogue to†the†facility†where†˛Siddiqui†was¸†being†heldÆ”

I†have†one†questionÆ

How can anyone say that this attack was not antisemetic?

Vues Master’s Note: We know the truth but mainstream media has a woke attitude. I think they need to go to sleep for many years to come out of their drunken left stupor. Remember Sodom? That is where the US is heading.

WELCOME TO BROOKLYN

Dear†Vues†Master∫

I tried helping out a person who could not get out since someone was blocking her car. I heard her muttering welcome to Brooklyn! She did thank me for trying to help by saying that at least there’s a few nice people left. The other day I tried helping my Italian neighbor whose driveway was being blocked. He told me that it was a Rabbi’s car sinceit had his picture on the dashboar d. When I looked closely, I saw the picture that he was referring to, and it was Rav Shayala Keristerer!He also told me that the nicest person he ever met was his former neighbor, Rav Shlomo Feivel Schustal shlita who always said good morning to him!

RLL

Vues Master’s Note: Wow! What an awesome story! Thanks for the inspiration!