08 Mar SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
REBBEIM SERVING TALMIDIM ALCOHOL
Dear Vues Master
My son went to a Purim party & was shocked to see
his rebbie pouring his talmidim from high school al-
cohol. It’s hard enough to keep my son from drinking
with his friends on Purim, but for him to get alcohol
from his 11th grade rebbie?
Vues Master’s Note: No one should be served alcohol on
Purim if they are underage. We have enough problems
these days with kids at risk. You should definitely discuss
this with the principal of the yeshiva.
HYPCROSY
Dear Vues Master:
Stop it. Just stop it. Enough. Enough with the ha-
tred on both sides. Enough calling people traitors
and enough doing everything in our power to bring
the government down, including causing irreversible
damage to our home. Enough with people taking the
law into their own hands and acting like anarchists!
Want to know what’s interesting about that last sen-
tence? The left in Israel will read that and of course
think I’m talking about the “Settler violence” while
the right will read it and think I’m talking about the
protests. Guess what. They’re both right. Just stop.
I won’t stop saying this. I hate double standards. I
hate hypocrisy. Where were these protestors in 2005?
Are they worried about democracy as they say? Why
weren’t they protesting when 10,000 innocent Jews
were forcefully and undemocratically removed from
their homes? They’re worried about individual rights
being taken if the reform passes? Where were they
when innocent people were jailed for protesting the
removal of them and their families from their homes?
And on the flip side, if people are going to delegiti-
mize the protests because a few people held Pales-
tinian flags and called the government traitors, where
were you in the right wing protests when a few sickos
compared Rabin to Hitler? You want to block the main
highway in Israel? Fine. It’s a democracy. Protests
are allowed. Just kindly explain to me why when the
chairedim did the same thing, they were beaten within
an inch of death? As far as the horrible violence in the
Arab village, what the actual hell is wrong with these
people? Forget the fact that revenge is literally pro-
hibited in the Torah. Forget the fact that it’s disgusting
and highly barbaric to do what they did. Do they not
realize how much damage they’re causing to the state
of Israel? Do they not care? Sick stuff. And the other
side. Collecting money for the Arab victims of that
violence? Cool. Cool. So so kind. Just show me your
crowdfunding campaign for the many Jewish families
who lost their sons, fathers, brothers, and mothers this
month alone. Why did you not raise money for them?
Why did you not cry out against Palestinian terror?
Furthermore, back to the reform. Why can’t you sit
with the government and find a compromise? “You
won’t negotiate with Bibi?” Got it. So you’ll sit with
the Palestinian leader who is literally a holocaust de-
nier and a terrorist but you won’t sit with your own
government? Makes sense. And if you agree that a re-
form is needed, which I’m told most people do, then
maybe instead of doing what you’re doing, suggest an
actual corrected reform? Didn’t you learn that “Just
not Bibi” didn’t work? “Just no reform” isn’t work-
ing either. Don’t tell me what no. Tell me what yes.
Also, and this goes to both sides, maybe stop yelling
at each other and calling each other names, perhaps
grow up and find a solution already. But to me, this
entire debate has nothing to do with a reform. This
is a much deeper issue of the nature of the state of
Israel. Aharon Barak who basically created the judi-
cial system we are trying to fix has basically stated he
knows nothing about Judaism and is all in on democ-
racy. I think the group that is protesting the reform
sees eye to eye with Barak. And no, not everyone. But
life is about generalizations. The group that wants
the reform wants the Jewish nature of this country to
manifest in actual practical ways. We can’t just claim
we deserve this country because of the tanach (Bible)
and reap the benefits of Judaism but commit to abso-
lutely nothing jewish. So if you agree that this is Jew-
ish country, how does that manifest? Should the state
promote Shabbat? Kosher? Holidays? Torah? And if
you don’t think this should be a Jewish country, great,
but stand up and admit that and stop pretending that
a reform or politics is the issue. Judaism is the issue.
So to sum it all up and to state very clearly what my
opinion is here. The Supreme Court is highly political
and has infinitely more power than it should. A reform
is needed. But more important than any
reform is unity. So both sides, get off your
high horse, come to the negotiation table
(to my friends on the left, pretend you’re
sitting with a Palestinian. That should
make you act pretty nicely! And to my
right wing friends, pretend you’re sitting
with chareidim who wants your money to
learn Torah.) and find a compromise. The
double standards here are staggering. Oh,
and one more thing. The violence we saw
yesterday with Jews burning an Arab vil-
lage? Despicable. As I said before. And
my entire feed is full of condemnations
of that event, as it should be. Just curious,
why don’t I see as many posts denounc-
ing Palestinian terror when Jews are mur-
dered? “We are not them and they are not
us. Two wrongs don’t make a right. We
don’t want to stoop to their level.” First
of all, that is literally the definition of a
double standard. One for the Arabs and
one for the Jews? Second of all, “We are
not like them. We need to hold ourselves
to a higher standard?” How convenient
that that’s your argument now but some-
how when it comes to all other aspects of
life, just because we are Jewish doesn’t
make us better or different. So make up
your mind. Are we just like them or are
we on a higher level? Be consistent. Both
sides. Enough with the crazy blatant hy-
pocrisy. And just to leave you with one
more point. We know how this ends and
it’ll be ok. I spoke to a billionaire yes-
terday and he called because he saw my
posts saying that the business sector will
be just fine. He disagreed and told me he
knows people pulling their money. So I’ll
say it as clearly as I can. There will be
damage. There already is. But this whole
situation is the definition of a self fulfill-
ing prophecy. People are worried about
the Israeli economy crashing so they’re
pulling their money, calling for boycotts,
and literally causing the damage they are
afraid of? Well I think we can see how ri-
diculous that is. But at the end of the day,
we will get through this just like we’ve
gotten through everything. Israel isn’t
going anywhere. Israeli democracy isn’t
going anywhere. Israeli tech isn’t going
anywhere. One year from now, we’ll be in
a better place than we were before all this
craziness. Meanwhile, stop it already. We
are family. Family members fight but they
never forget that they are family. We have
one country. We need to find a way to live
in it together.
Hillel Fuld
Vues Master’s Note: In this country we have
the same. January 6 riots were processed by
US courts. As a matter of fact our tax mon-
ey is going to pay to protestors who were
crushed by the NYPD. Go figure!
KAHANA
Dear Vues Master:
This past February 26th marked thirty
years since the first World Trade Center
attack which killed six people and injured
thousands. I happened to be in Manhattan
that day and remember the smoke rising
from the North Tower. It was a frightful
day and was a ominous foreboding of the
murder of nearly 3000 innocent people
on September 11, 2001. Many questions
were raised after the first WTC bombing
in 1993. Unfortunately, leadership failed
to learn valuable lessons from this 1993
act of Middle Eastern terrorism on Ameri-
can soil. The main question is how a sec-
ond bombing could have been allowed
to take place at the very same targeted
location. I have never gotten a good an-
swer to this question. The mistakes and
failures occurred on so many levels. It is
a credit to law enforcement that acts of
terrorism on the scale of 9/11 have not oc-
curred in America since. Valuable lessons
were learned from 9/11 but could have
been learned from the first WTC bomb-
ing and unfortunately were not. However,
mistakes were made even before the first
WTC bombing. On November 5, 1990
Rabbi Meir Kahane was assassinated by
El Sayyid Nosair around 9PM at the New
York Marriott East Side Hotel. Police
carted off 47 boxes of documents, para-
military manuals, maps, and diagrams
of buildings including the World Trade
Center from Nosair’s residence. The
overwhelming evidence that a network
of Muslim radicals connected to Osama
bin Laden was swept under the rug. Had
due diligence been done not only could
9/11 been prevented but Feb. 26, 1993 as
well. The FBI had placed an informant by
the name of Emad Salem in the middle of
the New York group of Muslims aligned
with El Sayyid Nosair. The FBI informant
later became the personal bodyguard for
Sheik Abdel Rahman (known as “the
blind Sheik”). Sheik Abdel Rahman was
convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for
the 1993 WTC bombing. In 1992 Emad
Salem warned the FBI more than once
that radical Muslims were planning a
large bombing in New York City. The
FBI disregarded his dire warnings. Had
the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane
been taken more seriously and investi-
gated properly, Salem’s remonstrations
about a serious bomb threat to New York
City would have been heeded rather than
called “tall tales”. Had the proper lessons
been learned from the Rabbi Kahane as-
sassination and the first WTC attack, cer-
tainly the second WTC apocalypse could
have been prevented. I hope we have be-
come better at preventing these catastro-
phes now 30 years later.
AH
Vues Master’s Note: Hindsight is 2020. We
still have bail laws favoring the criminals!
KOHANIM AROIS
Dear Vues Master:
When a collector came to the front door
of an עשיר for tzedakah, the wealthy man
fled through the side door. When he fi-
nally returned, his wife asked him why he
ran from the man. He replied:
“כמת חשוב עני and since I’m a kohen,
it’s אסור for me to be in the house with
a corpse.”
MV
Vues Master’s Note: Some people will do
anything to save a dime!
OXIMORON
Dear Vues Master:
V’Ha’ir Shushan Navucha-Tzahalah
V’Samecha I have mixed emotions this
Purim Es Lvkos Ves Lrkod. Do I dance
Lyehudim Haysa Orah Vsimcha? But
what about the Piller & Boyer families?
Piller children in Eretz Yisroel & the Boy-
ers in Arizona? Rav Ephraim Wachsman
once said over Baruch Gozer Umikayem
that Hashem helps you keep the Gezera! I
will watch my Rav in Monsey dance and
sing and I will copy him. Az der Rebba
Tantz Tantzin ala Chassidim! Perhaps the
2 Piller children are our Shaloch Manos
to the Kiseh Hakovod & the 4 Boyer chil-
dren are the daled Kosos? We will dance
very soon when Moshiach comes with all
the Akeidos-Keili Keili Lama Azavtani”.
Vnahapachu!
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: Yes Hilchos Aveilus is
derived from Hilchos Chol Hamoed.
KANAIM
Dear Vues Master:
Decades ago Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D
asked a question that at the time had no
answer: Where is Shimon and Levi today?
Rabbi Kahane posed this question after
an IDF soldier was brutally murdered in
Shechem and no adequate response was
undertaken by the Israeli government. By
Israel not taking a strong stance against
Arab terrorism and refusing to send a
clear message to those who arm, train, and
support bloodthirsty murders they ensure
that these atrocities will happen again and
again, G-d forbid. The enemies of Israel
want nothing less than the death of inno-
cent Jews, and if Israeli leaders don’t take
retaliatory action, then they are essential-
ly ensuring that these savages continue
their murderous ways. In recent days, we
have finally seen an answer to Rabbi Ka-
hane’s question. The Shimon and Levi of
our time are the dozens of protesters and
rioters who took action in Huwara. These
Jews sent a message which made the ac-
complices of the murders tremble in fear.
The world has now witnessed that young
Israelis will not stand by idly when their
brothers are massacred in cold blood, even
if the Israeli army is shackled by the Is-
raeli government. Sadly, there are Israelis
that believe the opposite of these modern
Shimons and Levis. People like Avraham
Burg and Yaya Fink epitomize self-hatred
and choose to stand with murderers rather
than their own nation. Avraham Burg bra-
zenly stated that he has more sympathy
for the residents of Huwara than the Jew-
ish victims in Har Bracha. For many years
the families of Har Bracha have been tar-
geted by terrorists. How could Israel have
ever allowed a man like Burg to have ever
served as Speaker of the Knesset? If Is-
raelis really cared about security issues
they would never allow such a man to
attain a top position in government ever
again. When one’s brothers are being
murdered in cold blood, if you show sym-
pathy to those who celebrate your own
demise, then you must not have any role
in the leadership of the nation. There is no
possible way to explain such a man. It’s
like a turtle advocating for more plastic
to be dumped into the ocean. Even worse
than Burg is Yaya Fink. Fink did not
just make some pathetic statement. Fink
actively fundraised for the residents of
Huwara. Unlike Burg whose words have
little impact, Fink has had an impact. To
go out and raise money for a town that
produced such evil sons and celebrates
its atrocities is immoral. If a person re-
ally cares about justice and about their
fellow Jews, this is the opposite of what
needs to be done. If anything, Fink should
have crowdfunded for the family of those
murdered by the very people he is trying
to help. Just like the ancient residents of
Shechem, the residents of Huwara should
be held accountable. As the ancient Torah
commentators explain, the reason why
the entire city was condemned was be-
cause they allowed their leader’s son to
rape Dina. In the end Yaakov Avinu was
angry at his sons for their actions: but not
because of the morality of the punish-
ment that they meted out but because of
their anger. At the end of Yaakov Avinu’s
life, he cursed the brother’s anger not the
rationale for their armed response. What
the rioters did to the Huwara was not cor-
rect. They should have acted on their own
in Huwara, it’s the government’s role to
hand out punishments to our enemies.
However, when the government refuses to
act it is not for us to sit in our comfortable
homes and condemn those who believed
they had no choice.
JBM
Vues Master’s Note: You think that will
work? Here you have Arabs who
don’t care to die and we fight with them and
then we have more Jewish
blood shed. I am not sure that is the answer.
NEWS
Dear Vues Master:
What’s the difference between reading the
news in a newspaper and reading it on a
smartphone? Have you ever tried to swat
a fly with a smartphone?
DS
Vues Master’s Note: In Meah Shearim they
kill flies with smartphones and by cracking
screens!
JEWISH CUISINE
Dear Vues Master:
Two Asians left a Jewish restaurant. One
said to the other: “The problem with
Jewish restaurants is that after two days
you’re hungry again.”
RW
Vues Master’s Note: That is because they
are not Jewish. In my family five minutes
after the meal my kids are complaining they
are hungry again!
MIXED LINES
Dear Vues Master:
Why am I waiting on a mixed line in the
bank where I end up between 2 Women or
a lady is between 2men? There’s a frum
bank in Israel ( Eretz Yisroel sorry) where
they have separate lines. A Chiloni asked
a Daati why? He answered him sharp-
ly with humor; “ don’t you see that the
men are on the line for the Deposits, &
the women are on the line for the With-
drawels
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: My wife got on the
withdrawl line and now she has withdrawal
symptoms as we overdrew my account!
GROWING
Dear Vues Master:
Yeshiva boys were debating whether a
person grows from below or from above;
from his feet or his head. One of them
said: “My father bought me a pair of
pants last year and when I wore them,
they would drag on the ground. Now, they
reach up to my ankles. This shows that a
person grows from his feet.” His friend
responded: “It’s just the opposite. Just
look at us. Below, all our feet reach the
floor equally. But above, some of us are
short and some are tall. This shows that a
person grows from his head.”
FA
Vues Master’s Note: I don’t know my par-
ents tell me I never grew up!
LOSSES
Dear Vues Master:
When the turn came for Esther’s daugh-
ter of Abihail to go to the king, she did
not ask for anything but what Hegai, the
king’s eunuch, guardian of the women,
advised. – Esther 2:15 When the turn came
for Nachum Tzvi son of Dovid to go to the
RY, he did not ask for anything but what
the rabbis, the RY’s enthusiast, guardians
of counsel, advised – Father 2023 I took
a poll, if someone in his yeshiva should
tell my son about his loss (he lost a house
because he wasn’t in touch with me) so
it doesn’t happen again? 60% said “yes”,
40% said “not sure” and nobody said
“no.” Without dissension, someone in
the yeshiva should tell him. Also, if they
should tell him about losing in this world,
how much more should they tell him
about losing in the next world! Who will
tell my son to come over for Pesach, he
hasn’t come for three years. Who will call
him and who will be silent; who will be
Yisro and who will be Iyov? He doesn’t
have to get permission from the Rosh
Yeshiva like Esther had to do from the
King. He just needs to hear, from a Rabbi,
that it is okay to eat at his father’s table.
Here is what Rabbi Yehoshua Alt writes
about kibbud av: We know Esav, the an-
cestor of Haman, excelled in honoring his
parents as Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel
said no one honored his father more than
him besides Esav (Devarim Rabba 1:15).
So, who is the one who brings about the
miracle of Purim? Esther, the one who
doesn’t have parents and therefore has no
2:5 Esther – .כבוד אב ואם in deficiency
DG
Vues Master’s Note: You have a one track
mind! Your letters are constantly knocking
RY. You will never be successful this way!
COMING FOR SHABBOS
Dear Vues Master:
What is the halacha (law), do I have
to listen to my parents if they want me
to come for Shabbos or if they want to
know about my shidduchim (dating)?
Rav Azriel Auerbach says: There is a
mitzvah (commandment) to listen to
what your parents ask you. Some say
it falls under the mitzvah of kibbud av
v’eim (honoring your father and mother)
while others say it falls under moreh av
v’eim (fearing your father and mother).
If you are asking my advice on whether
you should listen to your parents, my
answer is that not only should you listen
to them, but you should run after the op-
portunity to do the mitzvah of honoring
your father and mother. If you are look-
ing for zechuyos (merits) to find your
spouse, then there is no better zechus
(merit) than kibbud av v’eim. Regard-
ing spending Shabbos with them, if that
is what they want, you should definitely
spend Shabbos with them. It gives par-
ents great nachas (delight) to have their
children at their Shabbos table, and to
deprive them of that is extremely pain-
ful for them. As far as sharing your per-
sonal lives with them, they are asking
you because it’s very important for them
that you get married, and they want to
know how things are progressing. It
would be painful to them if you do not
share this with them. – abridged from
Rabbi Daniel Travis Notice that the
Rav added in his teshuva (answer) the
words “If you are asking my advice.”
Had he not qualified his ruling it might
have been taken as an absolute ruling.
In such a case the child wouldn’t get re-
warded for honoring/fearing his parents
but for honoring his Rav. To illustrate,
there is a story about a man who went to
his rav complaining that he doesn’t have
shalom bayis. The rav told him to buy a
bouquet of flowers for his wife. He fol-
lowed what he was told, without adding
or subtracting from his words. He went
home and extended the flowers to his
wife. Pleasantly surprised she couldn’t
help but ask him what this is for. Oh, the
rav told me.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: Again see response to
the previous letter!
METER
Dear Vues Master:
I went to the bank where there was a huge
line before Purim. By the time I got back
to my car, you guessed it. I got a ticket
for not displaying a muni meter park-
ing ticket. Mi K’amcha Yisroel, I found
a paid ticket on my windshield stuck in
between the parking ticket & the orange
envelope! It was the exact starting time as
the parking ticket was 3:19! It means he
went out of his way specially to buy me a
muni meter ticket in order to win!
RMS
Vues Master’s Note: I think you should pass
it on and help the next guy!
DRUNK
Dear Vues Master:
Moshe had been to a neighborhood bar
and was so drunk that as he stood up to go
home, he fell flat on his face. He pulled
himself up, only to fall down again.
When he finally made it outside, he fell
a third time and wound up crawling the
few blocks home. He managed to stand
up to open the door but once inside fell
again and crawled into bed. When he
awoke the next morning, his wife shouted
at him “You broke your promise. You’ve
been drinking again.” “What makes you
say that?” Moshe responded. Giving him
a piercing look, his wife said “The bar
called. You left your wheelchair there
again.”
TA
Vues Master’s Note: This joke had me
laughing in circles!
ISRAEL SELF GOVERNMENT
Dear Vues Master:
The American press attacks those it per-
ceives to be undermining the indepen-
dence of Israel’s Supreme Court, yet
criticizes the pro-Court movement as
somehow not having enough Palestin-
ians. Notably, people have been seen
holding Palestinian flags at the protests.
Where else in the Middle East can people
demonstrate against any branch of the
government without being jailed and/
or shot? Furthermore, Palestinians have
a voice and a vote in Israel’s Knesset.
If you’re a conservative American Jew,
you’re not allowed to speak out against
Israel’s Supreme Court going against the
will of the people. If you’re a secular Jew,
the American left calls your support of
Israel’s judiciary’s independence “nar-
row” as it doesn’t include Palestinians as
full partners. (New York Times). Where,
pray tell, are these allies? Are they the
ones dropping rocks on innocents’ cars
or shooting people in traffic? It’s time for
the American media to recognize Israeli
independence.
CYM
Vues Master’s Note: It has become in style
for the liberal left to not recognize Israel!