26 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.
MOVIE THEATER
Dear Vues Master:
It’s such a shame that the movie theater is still in Woodbourne.
They should knock it down & make a nice parking
lot for the Woodbourne shul & for the entire town of
Woodbourne. Every week I notice a car getting stuck in
that parking lot. You would think that the town would do
something already. It’s been at least thirty years since the
movie theater actually showed movies there.
NH
Vues Master’s Note:The Movie theater needs a moving
experience!
SEGUALH
Dear Vues Master:
Last week’s segulah fun question was hilarious. There
are so many segulas out there. I wonder if they really
work.
KM
Vues Master’s Note: I would propose to make the Aseres
HaDibros a Segulah!
FORGET
Dear Vues Master:
Three older ladies were discussing the trials of getting
older. One said, “Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of
mayonnaise in my hand in front of the refrigerator and
can’t remember whether I need to put it away, or start
making a sandwich.” The second lady chimed in, “Yes,
sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and
can’t remember whether I was on my way up or on my
way down.” The third one responded, “Well, I’m glad I
don’t have that problem, knock on wood,” as she rapped
her knuckles on the table. Then she said, “That must be
the door….. I’ll get it!”
MB
Vues Master’s Note: Knocking on wood comes from
Avoda Zora!
GREAT NEWS
Dear Vues Master:
B”H, HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, who was hospitalized
last Thursday morning after experiencing chest
pains the week after contracting COVID, was Baruch
Hashem released from the hospital late Monday afternoon.
The Rosh Yeshivah, 99, underwent a series of
comprehensive medical tests while in the hospital. We
need our gedolim strong!!!
BK
Vues Master’s Note: We should hear more such great
news!
SEVENTY FIVE YEARS
Dear Vues Master:
Seventy-five years ago this week, the incredible voyage
of the refugee ship Exodus captured the hearts and minds
of the international community. The lively and provocative
political cartoonists for the Hebrew-language press
in Palestine chronicled the journey with the unique mix
of humor, sarcasm and poignancy that is the hallmark
of their profession. Originally used to carry American
troops in the Normandy Beach landings in World War
II, the ship was purchased by agents of the Haganah, the
Jewish underground in Palestine, and repaired in the Baltimore
harbor after the war. In July 1947, the Exodus,
manned by a crew that included numerous American
volunteers, took aboard more than 4,500 Holocaust survivors
at a rendezvous point on the coast of France. The
British navy, implementing its government’s strict policy
of preventing most Jewish immigration to Palestine,
trailed the ship as it crossed the Mediterranean.
When
the Exodus approached the coast of Palestine on July
18, a British destroyer rammed the ship and truncheonwielding
British
soldiers charged aboard. They brutally
beat many of the passengers and crew, including American
crewmate Bill Bernstein, who died of his injuries.
More than 20,000 New Yorkers filled Madison Square
Garden several weeks later for a memorial ceremony in
Bernstein’s honor. International controversy over the
Exodus intensified when the British
shipped them back
to France in three ships that were outfitted as floating
prisons. But when the ships reached Port de Bouc, all but
a handful of the passengers refused to disembark, and
the French authorities declined
to force them to do so.
The refugees remained there for more than three weeks,
focusing embarrassing attention on Great Britain’s harsh
policy toward Jewish immigrants. On August 22, the
British ordered the refugees sent to the British Zone of
occupied Germany. Upon arrival at Hamburg, many of
the Exodus passengers staged a sit-down strike and had
to be dragged ashore by British troops. Others physically
resisted disembarking and fought a two-hour pitched
battle with the British soldiers.
Media coverage of the
struggle further galvanized international criticism of
Great Britain’s policies. The passengers of the Exodus
finally reached Eretz Yisrael in late 1948, following the
establishment of the State of Israel.
RM
Vues Master’s Note: Wow! It seems like yesterday!
FIRE
Dear Vues Master:
I was driving through South Fallsburg last week & I saw the pile of wood from the T-Spoons restaurant fire. BH, It’s amazing that no one was hurt! It must have been really bad because it was demolished within a few hours. I hope it reopens for next summer!
TC
Vues Master’s Note: I guess there was toast on the menu!
NINE DAYS
Dear Vues Master:
I always find it amazing how the Nine Days are supposed to be a sad time & everyone goes out eating. The milchig restaurants are packed during the nine days. Do you think that it’s wrong for people to go out & celebrate during a time when so many bad things happened to Klal Yisrael?
ET
Vues Master’s Note: Eating out is not a celebration but rather laziness as people don’t like to cook in their kitchen as it is very hot!
CAMERA VIOLATIONS
Dear Vues Master:
New Legislation, sponsored by Senator Simcha Felder and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, was signed into law by Governor Hochul last Friday. The bill will allow Hatzalah members to respond more effectively during emergencies. It represents a huge victory for Hatzalah members and other medical emergency first responders who often had to fight red light, speeding, and bus lane camera tickets while legally rushing to an emergency. This new legislation will ensure that Hatzalah members will no longer have to worry about incurring traffic violations and fines as they rush to save lives. When responding to life threatening emergencies, time is of the essence and every minute counts. Yet Hatzalah members were routinely being slapped with unnecessary and undeserved traffic violations incurred while rushing to patients. This new bill will ensure that operators of first-response emergency vehicles in the City of New York will no longer have to worry about monetary penalties while responding to a medical emergency. The bill is more important now than ever as New York City is set to begin operating speed cameras in the five boroughs 24/7 as of August 1st. “Hatzalah volunteers are local heroes! Every single one of us is grateful for their selfless, lifesaving work. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -even through a pandemic- nothing stops them. Who would have thought that camera tickets generated while rushing to respond to emergencies are the biggest challenge they face? I am grateful to my colleagues and Governor Hochul; together, we helped the people who help us every day. Today, we all have a hand in Hatzalah’s lifesaving work by helping EMS volunteers focus on saving lives without the mounting burden of camera tickets,” said Senator Felder. “This is a huge win for our heroic Hatzalah volunteers as well as all medical first responders. When it comes to saving a life, every minute counts. That’s precisely why it’s so important that Hatzalah volunteers reach patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, without having to worry about monetary fines.” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. “I am thankful and delighted that Governor Hochul signed our bill into law, recognizing that emergency medical first responders should be allowed to operate without concern of traffic violations.” “Hatzalah is grateful to our special and caring representatives in Albany for recognizing this issue that affects their constituents and then following up with all the necessary parties and carrying through to enact positive legislation to answer the need!,” said Rabbi Yehiel Kalish, CEO of Hatzalah. “It’s not just that Assemblyman Eichenstein and Senator Felder care. They care and they act effectively!”
SE
Vues Master’s Note: Now it is time to get rid of these money grab cameras that just cause more road rage than ever!
HASC
Dear Vues Master:
I am a big fan of Camp HASC & Camp Simcha. I’m just confused how they can get a heter to have live music during the three weeks. How does that work?
MS
Vues Master’s Note: I am sure these camps have their poskim and they probably deemed it that the campers are not required to mourn for the Bais Hamikdosh as the musicians and singers are off; they have the opportunity to get them to come for cheap or even for free!
FUN QUESTION
Dear Vues Master:
My family absolutely loved your Fun Question edition last week! We really enjoyed the fun question about segulahs. That was really funny!!
NM
Vues Master’s Note: It is a segulah to laugh as it brings simchas hachaim!
PRESIDENT
Dear Vues Master:
I find our society flawed when sick people – especially the elderly – feel the need to demonstrate that they’re still productive when they’re sick. Why do we put abnormal pressure on ourselves? It’s OK to be sick and take time to recover. It’s not healthy to expect ourselves or other people to be productive when they’re I’ll. The President should set an example and show himself sitting up in bed with a book or watching TV and thanking the American people for their prayers. He should reassure us he is still in command and can carry out his duties. If he wants to get work done that’s his prerogative, but keep it quiet.
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: What are you talking about? The President never worked a day in his life! Politics is not a job but more like a club or like yeshiva Bochrim in the coffee room!
HOLOCAUST
Dear Vues Master:
”There are 3 Jewish men who arrived in Auschwitz on the same day, & were tattooed 10 numbers apart. 73 years later, they met for the first time for the Last Eyewitness Project, as free men who survived to build families and prosperous lives.”
Vues Master’s Note: Amazing! May they live to 120 and then some!
FUN QUESTION
Dear Vues Master:
How do we know when someone is fighting, l’shem shamayim, for the sake of Heaven? Maimonides explains that “For the sake of Heaven” means, “for the sake of seeking truth.” It means we open our minds, attempt to honestly listen, and pursue truth [like a pi’ka’ach – one who listens and speaks sincerely], Rabbi Jonathan Sacks asks how can people inflict violence and cruelty upon others and claim they are acting in God’s name? He explains that those in the thrall of pathological dualism [Korachism] divide the world into absolute categories of good and bad, light and dark, paving the way for brutality. Within the Jewish people the situation rarely descends to physical violence, but verbal and emotional violence are commonplace. When reality is compressed into a one-dimensional caricature of itself and partitioned neatly into good and bad, the “bad” group, by definition, can never do good. Any friendly statement they make will be considered to be mere lip service or to be the exception that proves the rule, and their positive acts will be suspected of serving a hidden agenda or rejected as too little too late. The remedy, In the words of the Zohar, is healing will occur only if we look at the other face-to-face. – By Rabbi Yakov Nagen Neil Howe, a historian on human behavior, talks about the different archetypes in each generation. I will focus on the baby boomer generation as it relates to me and the Rosh Yeshiva. Called the “Prophets”, from after WWII until 1964, they rejuvenated community life and brought new social order. This could be good or bad depending on how they are doing it. Are you pursuing peace or making machlokes. He was told not to converse with me so I’m afraid, God forbid, that he is going to be swept away with Korach and his followers. I think this explains how Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and myself, who are baby boomers, can see Korach and describe him in detail.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: You always have a different slant!
WIFE
Dear Vues Master:
We know about the wife of Korach and the wife of On ben Peles but there is a third type of wife not mentioned. That is the wife of Elimelech or better known as Naomi. The wife of Korach was “wicked” as she instigated him to ignore Moshe while the wife of On ben Peles was “wise” and got her husband to open up and listen. Naomi, on the other hand, followed “wherever” her husband did without question. This parallels the advisors of Pharaoh – Bilam was the instigator, Yisro was the activist, and Iyov was the peace maker. As a result of not speaking up both Naomi and Iyov had difficult lives. The lesson learnt is that a woman should be careful who she marries as she may suffer because of him; unless she is able to persuade him. A simple wife with a complex person can prove detrimental because it is difficult to know what is going on.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: You going public is not working!