06 Jun SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

PARADE
Dear Vues Master:
This past Sunday I took my family for the first time
to the Israeli Day Parade. Overall I thought it was

really nice. It just bothered me that they had To-
evah groups marching as well.

JK

Vues Master’s Note: Well no one claimed the Is-
raeli government and Israeli supreme court are not

leftists! When it comes to Yiddishkeit they are ter-
rible!

RABBI BERGMAN
Dear Vues Master:
I was amazed that Rabbi Bergman shlita was able
to still go to the Aderei HaTorah in Philadelphia
after his son was niftar erev Shabbos.
LP
Vues Master’s Note: A true Baal Halacha!

MASSES
Dear Vues Master:
Who is like the Jewish people? This past Sunday
morning I was in New York City at the Celebrate
Israel Parade and then I drove to Philadelphia for
the Adirei Hatorah celebration of Torah study and
those who study Torah. What an impressive day

for American Jewry. Celebrating the State of Is-
rael and Torah study in one day! L’Shana Haba

B’Yerushalayim Habinuya!
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: Let us hope we celebrate in
Eretz Yisroel without the Chilonim! Or better yet
let us hope they do teshuva quickly before the Goel
Tzedek comes!

RAV EDELSTEIN ZT”L
Dear Vues Master:

I just heard a great story about Maran Rav Ger-
shon Edelstein zt”l that I think your readers will

enjoy. For over seventy years, the Ponevezh Rosh

yeshiva, Maran Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, served
as ba’al toke’a (shofar blower) in Ponevezh on
Rosh Hashanah. Rav Gershon relied on Rav Tzvi

Greinemann, son of Rav Meir Greinemann, regard-
ing the kashrus of the shofars due to his expertise

in the matter. In recent years, Rav Gershon used
only shofars belonging to Rav Tzvi, which were

on loan to Rav Gershon at his residence on Re-
chov Raavad in Bnei Brak. Less than two hours

after his petirah, on the morning of the levayah,
Rav Tzvi was contacted by Rav Gershon’s family,
who inquired about his whereabouts and informed

him that they were sending someone immediate-
ly to bring him the shofars. The family members

explained that there was a tzavaah from the rosh
yeshiva that all borrowed items in his possession

must be returned to their owners before the kev-
urah. Rav Tzvi thus received the shofars. A few

years ago, Rav Gershon’s shofar became damaged
and he turned to Rav Greinemann expressing his
need for a new shofar. Rav Greinemann provided

him with two excellent shofars. The agreement be-
tween them was that the shofars would remain in

the possession of Rav Greinemann and Rav Ger-
shon had permission to blow them. Years passed.

Yesterday, as mentioned, a messenger arrived and
stated that Rav Gershon requested that before his
kevurah, the shofars be returned.
RBW
Vues Master’s Note: This story just blows my mind!
Just kidding, a great story thanks for sharing!

GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE
Dear Vues Master:

Harold heard that Larry got divorced for religious rea-
sons. “Is it true?” he asked. “Yes, it is,” Larry said.

“Sylvia worshipped money and I didn’t have any.”
MB
Vues Master’s Note: Little did he know what the
court system would cost and alimony!

PROTEST
Dear Vues Master:
Albert Einstein said: “The world will
not be destroyed by those who do
evil, but by those who watch them
without doing anything.” I feel it is
applicable the same way as during

the holocaust in our day where fam-
ily values and religion are being at-
tacked and we are quiet!

DS
Vues Master’s Note: You are so right.
We need more voices like yours!

JEWISH VUES ARTICLE
Dear Vues Master:
In the Jewish Vues May 31, 2023 R.
Efrem Goldberg says, “Each of you

will likely have somewhere com-
fortable and convenient to go for

Shabbos: maybe a sibling, or aunt or

uncle or grandparents or close fam-
ily friend. Go to them, enjoy, spend

time with family. But don’t go there
exclusively and don’t even go there

mostly. Use your year or years in Is-
rael to explore the beautiful tapestry

of Klal Yisroel.” Rabbi Miller said in
1977, “I think that it’s a good idea in
general to keep your children home
because you don’t know – even in a
frum house you don’t know what’s
going to happen to your child. If
you’re around, you’ll scold him

and tell him not to go into the gut-
ter, but people are afraid to scold

somebody else’s child and now your
child is running off into the street. It
doesn’t pay to let your child go away
for Shabbos. It’s a practice today
among the Orthodox, but I certainly

don’t approve of it. Keep your chil-
dren home.” Rav Moshe rebuked a

young relative of his, who came to
learn in New York, about eating a
meal by his friend instead of by him
or another relative. He said eating
Shabbos and Yom Tov meals with

relatives strengthens the relation-
ship. My alma mater, University of

Florida said after a study: Establish-
ing a time during the week for noth-
ing but family time and conversation

can reduce stress significantly and is

linked to a 50% increase in longev-
ity over a person’s life span. Kids

who have meals with their families
are actually more likely to be open
about what’s going on in their lives

and talking it out in a relaxed set-
ting can significantly reduce stress.

R. Goldberg writes, “A startling

number of Americans exist in ‘par-
tisan echo chambers,’ where they

only consume news that reinforces
their existing political and social
biases. David E. Broockman, one
of the study’s authors, describes the
concept of selective exposure and
suggests that many people choose

to isolate themselves in a bubble be-
cause that constantly reinforces their

views, in effect providing a defense
against a complex, unstable world.”
Does R Goldberg know that this
study was conducted by someone
who graduated from Yale and was a

member of the Skull and Bones So-
ciety? Also, he is a Jewish gay pro-
fessor in Berkeley California and the

study was funded by the ADL.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: I guess we say
Eizehu Chacham halomeid mikol
adam!

PARENT
Dear Vues Master:

In Mesilas Yesharim it says, “Dark-
ness of night causes man’s eyes to

err in two ways. Number (1) it cov-
ers the eye so that he cannot see at

all what is before him, or Number
(2) it deceives him so that a pillar
appears as if it is a man or a man
as a pillar.” R. Goldberg quotes Dr.

Broockman who stumbles on Num-
ber (2) because he thinks good is bad

and bad is good. Similarly, my son
thinks I’m wrong and his rabbis are
right. Number (2) blindness is harder
to heal than Number (1) because it is
condoned by some authority. If my
son would know, in his heart, that
rabbis are not created equal, they are
not all good. People who suffer from

Number (2) blindness is like Dr. Li-
eberman says: If you can convince

children that objective reality is an
illusion; that A does not equal A; that
black is white; and that good is bad;
if you can make them, accept that
everything is subjective and relative;

then you own them. They will be-
lieve any drivel. Number (1) blind-
ness is a mistake in objective reality

and that can be healed with life expe-
rience. It can also be a steppingstone

to healing Number (2) blindness,
but he would still need an authority
figure to guide him out of the forest.
Good luck finding someone like that

when you are in the center of the for-
est. If only he would let his father

be a beacon of light and follow his
simple suggestions.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: Once again you
are consistent on your touic!

SUMMER
Dear Vues Master:

To those that go away for the Sum-
mer. Remember your bungalow

needs smoke detectors just like your
apartment needs them. Make sure

there is a fence around the swim-
ming pool and do not allow kids to

swim without supervision. Lastly,

those remaining in the city, remem-
ber Curtis Sliwa is a closet Jew hater

and do not even if you listen to wabc
do not admit to listening if you have
an arbitron or nielsen diary.
HT
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for the
warning! What is an Arbitron or
Nielsen Diary?

MODERN DAY MIRACLE
Dear Vues Master:
A Neis occured in the Nasso edition
of The Jewish Vues, rivaling that
of the miraculous consensus of the
70 translators of the Torah (targum

shivim). The columns of both Rab-
bi Elimelech Biderman and Rabbi

Mordechai Kaminetsky not only had
the same title of “Nasso: If not now,

when?” but even all of the text was

the same. Truly a modern day mira-
cle of Ke’ish echad b’lev echad. (Or,

maybe something else caused that.)
MC
Vues Master’s Note: LOL!

ADDING INSULT TO INJU-
RY

Dear Vues Master:
A Rav who gave a very long דרשה
noticed that one of the מתפללים
walked out in the middle of his
דרשה. After the תפילות, the Rav told
the man’s wife that he was offended
that her husband walked out on his

speech. “You shouldn’t be offend-
ed,” the woman said. “He walks in

his sleep.”
RW
Vues Master’s Note: I am sure the
Rabbi felt great!

CROWNING
Dear Vues Master:
The parsha of Naso starts off with
Naso es Rosh – lifting up the head

of Yiden and it ends with the Nesi-
im. How does one lift up people?

During Matan Torah on Shavous the

Yiden were given two crowns. Af-
ter they sinned with the Egel, the

crowns were taken away. How do
we get them back? In Pirkei Avos,
it states that there are three crowns:
the crown of Torah, the crown of

priesthood and the crown of monar-
chy. But then it adds: there is another

crown – the crown on a good name
– which is superior to the others. If
there is another one, shouldn’t it say
– four crowns? I asked around and

couldn’t get a good answer. How-
ever, my dentist said that I must be

special then because I have nine
crowns in my mouth. I was lifted
up by that crowning achievement.

In the middle of the parsha, it dis-
cusses the issue of the nazir – the

person who vows to abstain from
wine, taking haircuts, and being
matamei meis. The word Nazir also
comes from word nezar which is a

crown. By abstaining from material
pleasures, he has earned a spiritual
crown. There is a question: why
is the parsha of Nazir next to that
of a Soitah? Rashi answers that
when a person sees the shame of a
soitah, he should vow nazirous to
keep away from sin. Another way
of remembering this is the saying:
Nichnas Yayin Yutza Soitah. The
haftorah of the parsha discusses the
case of a famous Nazir – Shimshon

ha’kibor who was designated a life-
time Nazir by his parents as a result

of them meeting the malach. What
was the name of the malach? It says
“va’hu Paly”. It doesn’t necessarily
mean his name was Paly. It could
just mean that he was my friend,
my Pal. So what was his name? It
could be that his name was Yoinah;
we sing on Shabbos “Yoinah mutzu
boy Munoiach”. “Va’shum yunuchu

yegeeai koach” – from there Shim-
son got his strength.

DF
Vues Master’s Note: Sounds like
my Mashgiach’s shmuess after I fell
asleep in the middle of it!

POOR
Dear Vues Master:
In a democratic society, debate is
supposed to be a prerequisite for
the winner. Popularity contests are
generally regulated in a high school

setting, not national elections. How-
ever, in recent years, the drive for

power has shut down substantive
arguments as an electoral winner.
Since the age of Covid, the embrace
of electoral tactics as the primary
“tick for tack” war in an election
season has taken form. Early voting
and mail-in ballots have been the
two key factors of the new electoral
era. In 2020, 60% of early
votes came from Democrats, while
only 32% came from Republicans.
Similarly in 2022, Democrats in
battlegrounds like Michigan and
Pennsylvania voted early by more
than at best 20% than Republicans,

while nationally Democrats bested
Republicans by 10%. Democrat’s
embracement of voter contacting
strategies to court voters to vote
as early as possible has resulted in
victory after victory. This includes
candidates that are viewed as more
vulnerable including, gaffe-filled
President Joe Biden, ill-stricken

Senator John Fetterman, abortion-
loving Governor Gretchen Whit-
mer, etc. Candidate quality does

not matter as much as it once did,
instead strategy quality is where the
money is at. Two weeks ago,
the only other viable Republican
running for president announced
his official run. When Ron DeSantis

announced his run, the official pri-
mary began. In the past two weeks

with all the battles between team

Trump and DeSantis, the overarch-
ing factor that matters the most has

gotten less attention: ballot strate-
gies. Since Covid, Democrats have

sought out early voters and engaged
with voters in a more organized

and efficient strategy than Repub-
licans. The top priority in the Re-
publican party should not be what

nickname Governor DeSantis has

today, but instead building a ballot-
chasing/harvesting strategy for the

GOP. The arguments over the

party leader in 2023 are a distrac-
tion from the real issue. Having a

candidate like DeSantis in the race
where his state’s GOP pursued early
voting and won the vote, leading
to a 20% overall victory is a start.

DeSantis in this debate has the re-
cord, while Trump has the record of

rhetoric. Republicans must demand

both Trump and DeSantis for a con-
cise and efficient operation to win

elections, thereby countering and
defeating the Democrat machine.
As a famous saying goes, “Fight fire
with fire!”
Sincerely, DSG
Vues Master’s Note: Time will tell
there is a lot of time left!

BAR MITZVAH SPEECH
Dear Vues Master:
When the son of גורדון אליעזר ר׳
was approaching his Bar Mitzvah,
his father taught him a דרשה, which

the boy said at the meal on Shab-
bos. When the guests left, אליעזר ר׳

jokingly said to his son: “In truth it
was אסור for you to give the דרשה
on שבת because, being my work,
it was an מלאכה אב. But since you
messed it up, it was מותר because
“.כל המקלקלין בשבת פטורין
DS
Vues Master’s Note: It also caused
a chaburah to me as I was banging
my head against the wall inorder to

understand! This gives a new mean-
ing when in Yeshiva they have Bo-
churim give Chaburos!

LONG MARRIAGE
Dear Vues Master:

At their 50th anniversary celebra-
tion, a couple acknowledged that

like most couples they had had their
difficult moments. Had they ever
thought of divorce, they were asked.
“Gosh, no,” they replied. “Murder
yes, but divorce never.”
KL
Vues Master’s Note: Seems to last
even longer as time goes by when
you are miserable!

CRAFTY
Dear Vues Master:
Daniel was buying stamps at the
post office when he noticed a man
putting stamps and I Love You
stickers on more than what seemed
like a hundred envelopes. Then, he

sprayed them with perfume. Curi-
ous, Daniel approached him and

said “I don’t want to be nosy, but do
you mind me asking what you are
doing?” “Marketing. I hope to get
more business,” the man replied.
“I’m sending out Valentine’s cards
signed ‘from you know who.’”
“What kind of business do you
have?” Daniel asked. “I’m a divorce
lawyer.”

RE
Vues Master’s Note: Looking for
business in the worst places! The
post office is so unreliable that the

letters will never reach their desti-
nation!

EAT THAT!
Dear Vues Master:
Moshe got into a terrible fight with
his wife. He stomped out of the
house and went for a long drive to

cool off. After a few hours, he de-
cided to call home to test the tem-
perature and perhaps even apolo-
gize. “What are you doing now?”

he asked his wife. “I’m preparing
poison for dinner,” she replied.
“Great,” he said. “But make just one
portion. I’m eating out.”
HO

Vues Master’s Note: Sounds like Be-
suel and Lavan!

NO SHOT
Dear Vues Master:
Arnold stood over the golf ball
for what seemed like forever. He
looked up, looked down, measured
the distance, and did all kinds of
mental calculations. He was driving
Tommy, his golfing partner, nuts.
“Why don’t you just hit the ball

already?” Tommy demanded. Ar-
nold calmly responded: “My wife is

watching me from the clubhouse. I
want to make this a perfect shot.”
“Forget it,” Tommy replied, “You’ll
never hit her from here.”
BE
Vues Master’s Note: I guess he

wanted to dig a hole and bury him-
self as a hole in one!