13 Jun SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER
ELDER ABUSE
Dear Vues Master:
An elderly Jew was brought to the hospital for treat-
ment of issues involving fainting, high blood pressure,
and diabetes. During his examination, the doctor no-
ticed sores and bruises all over his body. “How did
you get these?” The elder man paused, stuttered a bit,
and then presented a series of obviously false expla-
nations. He claimed he had fallen out of bed on one
occasion and tripped down the stairs on another. With
patience and perseverance, the doctor finally managed
to get the truth story out of him. As it turned out, the
man was a widower who lived alone with his only
son, a violent and greedy individual, who often beat
his father to extract money from him. That doctor was
shocked to hear the terrible story and offered to im-
mediately call the police to arrest the son. The father
then burst into tears and begged him not to. “He is my
only child. He is the only one I have to take care of
me. If he is sent to jail, I will be all alone in the world.
I would rather suffer his blow than be left alone with
no one to help me.” The doctor could tell that it was
by no means an issue of life and death for the elderly
man to remain with his son, since the wounds were
not so severe. Nevertheless, he turned to Rav Zilber-
stein for advice, to ask what he should do. Should he
heed the father’s request to ignore the issue, or should
he call the police and arrest his son? R’ Zilberstein’s
answer was based on the verse, “He who strikes his fa-
ther (aviv), or his mother (imo) must be put to death.”
Shemos 21:15. The Netziv (in Ha’amek Davar) com-
ments that it would be just as grammatically correct
to write quotation “father” (av) and “mother” (eim)
without using the possessive suffix at the end of the
word, since it is clear from the context that the verse
refers to the assailant’s own father and mother. The
Netziv therefore explains that our verse refers specifi-
cally to a son who is the only child of the father and
mother. The verse adds the possessive suffix to im-
ply that they are his parents alone, and no one else’s.
Since his death would leave them entirely bereft of
offspring, they would probably prefer to forgive his
blow and preserve his life. Nevertheless, he must die
for his terrible sin of striking his father and mother.
Here we see that when a person deserves punishment
for striking his parents, we do not take into account
their feelings on the matter. He is punished not just
to avenge the wrongs against them, which they might
have been able to forgive. Rather, Hashem demands
that we kill him in order to rid evil from our midst,
regardless of his parents’ opinion. In our case too,
we should not take the father’s feelings into account,
but should ensure that the son receives the necessary
punishment for striking them. This would certainly be
the case if the son faced execution by Beis Din, after
having been warned by two valid witnesses. However,
the Netziv’s insight does not necessarily apply to the
punishment inflicted by civil law. R’ Zilberstein con-
sulted his father-in-law R’ Elyashiv zt”l, who ruled
that rather than showing mercy to the aged father, we
must show mercy to the son’s poor soul by preventing
him from ever committing such terrible sins again. Al-
though there is no Beis Din in our times authorized to
administer capital punishment, that son will undoubt-
edly be punished severely by Heaven for every blow
he inflicts on his father. Therefore, the police must be
summoned to remove the son from the father’s com-
pany, and we must trust Hashem to continue providing
for the father, just as he provided for him in the past.
(Veha’arev Na, Feldheim)
DG
Vues Master’s Note: It is sad how much older people
are being abused!
RAV DOV LANDAU SHLITA VISITING
NEW YORK
Dear Vues Master
I went last week to hear Rav Dov Landau shlita speak
in Boro Park & I was amazed at the crowd of people
that were there. Looking at the age of the Rosh Ye-
shiva, I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly
surprised how clear & well spoken the Rosh Yeshiva
was at his old age. Klal Yisrael needs leaders like Rav
Landau in this day & age.
PD
Vues Master’s Note: It was great to have one of the
gedolei hador come visit us from Eretz Yisrael. There
should have been more people there!
HACHNASOS SEFER TORAH
Dear Vues Master
Is it just me or does it seem like there are
more hachnosas sefer torahs in Brooklyn
this year than ever before? There were 3
Hachnosas Sefer Torahs in just 2 blocks
over the last two weeks in my neighbor-
hood.
EM
Vues Master’s Note: I was thinking the
same thing the other day! Isn’t it beautiful!
KAVANAH
Dear Vues Master
My rebbie insists that I be chazzan in my
Yeshiva at least twice a week. I usually
jump to do a mitzvah but I find that when
I’m chazzan I have to rush my shemoneh
esrei for the tzibur and I have less kava-
nah. What should I do?
SK
Vues Master’s Note: Listen to your rebbie!
EMPTY NEST
Dear Vues Master
I can’t believe my youngest child gradu-
ated high school this past week. I’m feel-
ing really old. Next year I’ll have all of my
six children out of the house. What should
I do?
HP
Vues Master’s Note: Spend time learning!
Get a chevrusa. Your entire life you said
you were too busy with life’s responsibili-
ties. With all your kids out of the house,
you’ll have some free time. No more ex-
cuses!
PARENT
Dear Vues Master:
If a man has a wayward and defiant son
(Ben Sorer Umoreh), who does not heed
his father (aviv) or mother (imo) and does
not obey them even after they discipline
him, his father (aviv) and mother (imo)
shall take hold of him and bring him out to
the elders of his town at the public place of
his community. They shall say to the elders
of his town, “This son of ours is disloyal
and defiant; he does not heed us. He is a
glutton and a drunkard.” Thereupon the
men of his town shall stone him to death.
Thus you will sweep out evil from your
midst: all Israel will hear and be afraid.-
Deuteronomy 21: 18 – 21 Based on the
Netziv, as mentioned above, the word aviv
and imo means that the verse is speaking in
a case where this is the parent’s only child
and nevertheless they are commanded to
take him to bais din to have him sentenced
to death. The lesson here is that we have
to have rachmans (mercy) on our children
even if it means not having rachmanis on
us. It requires deep introspection, when
parents say they have rachmanis on their
child are they really having rachmanis on
themselves? Rav Elyashiv had the correct
vision about the Next World and how to
deal with an insolent child in this world.
Similarly, Rav Brevda would illustrate the
difference between a European Jew (pre-
war) and an American Jew by what they
would pray for. For instance, if a son had
to choose between doing a sin or giving up
his life the European parent would want
him to give up his life and the American
parent would want him to do the sin.
DG
Vues Master’s Note: Back to your topic
again! You just won’t give up!
THE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
OF COVID
Dear Vues Master
It seems like a lifetime ago, but COVID
struck the world less than two years ago.
The world was shut down, millions died,
and life was altered forever. Today we
all carry around some trauma from those
years of sequestration, social absence, and
fear. Some experienced anger and frustra-
tion over the government and social pres-
sures. No one came out of COVID as they
came into it. With some space between
us and the pandemic we can ask if we
handled the pandemic in a manner consis-
tent with the Torah. In a series of sermons
titled “Drashot Haran” Rabbeinu Nissim,
a 12th Century scholar wrote about Divine
punishment and how to react to global
tragedies. He wrote this sermon just after
the black plague had torn through Europe
(he lived in Spain) and killed millions of
people. He said the proper response of
survivors was repentance. The Ran wrote,
“We have been witness to the chastise-
ments of our G-d for thirteen years now,
a complete reversal of the natural order of
things. For the evil Plague descended in
that year upon most of the inhabitants of
the earth, bringing upon them unusual af-
flictions which it is impossible to attribute
to the workings of nature. Every enlight-
ened individual must acknowledge them
as “the finger of G-d.” For the illnesses
common to man may be attributed to his
nature, unlike strange, exotic illnesses,
which must be regarded as the punishment
of G-d to man in His constant surveillance
of him. …The language of Scripture, then,
agrees with what is dictated by intellect
— that sore, exotic afflictions are not the
adventitious byproducts of man’s nature,
but rather “the finger of G-d.” And it is
such afflictions that we witnessed with
our own eyes, reaching out and engulf-
ing all in that year, until in the space of
just one year the world underwent a more
radical change than it had ever undergone
previously in the course of two hundred
years. And in many places it happened
as it happened with Dathan and Aviram,
many men — they and all that was theirs
— being completely wiped out, until their
inheritance reverted to their foes. I am not
saying that this happened because of their
sins, but that it happened. And we, too,
these days and in this time are being con-
stantly alarmed by reports that in lands not
at all distant from ours there are happen-
ing things of the kind which happened in
our land and which we witnessed with our
own eyes. This being so, how can our evil
inclination and our deceitful imagination
make any claim upon us? How can they
arouse us to rebellion and drive us from
domicile in the inheritance of the Lord?
Is it not our own eyes that have seen the
chastisements of the Lord our G-d and His
strong hand exhorting us not to fall prey to
false, temporal vanities? Is it not easy for
us to return to the Holy One Blessed be
He with a whole heart, as dictated by our
intellect, unimpeded by any hindrance or
deterrent, untrammeled by the Satan or by
any evil intercessor?” Did we follow the
Ran’s advice and repent after the COVID
pandemic? As David Smith wrote, “[This]
is a long fight over the origin of a virus
that has caused close to 7 million deaths
worldwide, clouding efforts to pursue
a neutral, fact-based inquiry. In its loud
opinions, blue v red certainties and lack
of nuance, the melee echoes clashes over
pandemic lockdowns, masks and vaccines.
Bill Galston, a former policy adviser to
Bill Clinton, said: “Isn’t this just like ev-
erything else in American politics, where
a partisan position on one side invites a
partisan response by the other? There’s a
lot of what might be called reactive think-
ing going on because of the high degree of
polarisation and the high stakes. Charges
without foundation invite responses with-
out foundation.” I’m afraid to say I don’t
think we reacted properly to the pan-
demic. There’s a well known joke about
COVID that is too true. “Many people
didn’t think COVID was such a big deal,
they claim people blew it out of propor-
tion. Of course, those are usually the sur-
vivors who think that way.” There’s truth
in every joke, but unfortunately there’s
too much truth in that joke. As we seem
to steer clear of COVID, it’s important to
take time and ask ourselves how COVID
affected us, what changes did it make to
us – by our choice or not by our choice –
and how have we become better because
of those changes? Did we re-examine our
values and priorities? As much as COVID
was a horrific tragedy it is also a reflection
point. We must take advantage of this mo-
ment in our lives and global history and
use it properly.
RUP
Vues Master’s Note: Interesting perspec-
tive.
MONEY
Dear Vues Master:
Kiddushin is done with וביאה שטר ,כסף.
Why is gittin limited to shtar? Why can’t
a woman simply be given money and told
to take the money and leave? The answer
is that this comes to teach us that money
can’t buy happiness.
NK
Vues Master’s Note: Why don’t you just
give me the money and I will deal with the
happiness or lack of it!
NOACH
Dear Vues Master:
There is an ancient question, how did
Noach get into Megillas Esther? Noach
is actually mentioned three times during
the climactic battle the Yidden fought
against the followers of Haman. First, it
says “Noach b’arbuo usur”, then “Noach
b’chamisha usur”. Which one was it?
So yeshi dorshim l’ganai v’yesh dorshim
l’shvach. Some say he only led the fight-
ing in all the lands in open territory but he
didn’t want to fight in the urban area of
Shushan where street to street fighting is
more intense. So it says, b’chamisha usur.
He continued to fight even in Shushan.
Which was it? So, yuvoi ha’kosiv
ha’shlishi v’yachrio bei’nei’hem. It says a
third time ‘Noach mei’oiveihem’ – wher-
ever there were enemies trying to destroy
the YIdden, he led the battle to victory.
You might ask, why are we discussing No-
ach and the Megillah this time of the year?
Well, we can ask a similar question in the
Parshas Beha’aloscha: what is he doing in
this parsha? We find Noach mentioned in
the parsha in the part near the end where
Miriam was punished with tzaraas due
to complaining about Moshe. It says
‘va’yeitzu sheneihem’. Aharon and Mir-
iam were told to leave Moshe when Hash-
em would tell them shvach about Moshe.
When they left, Hashem told them the
greater sh’vach. So Rashi compares this
to Noach that he said his whole shvach loi
be’fonof – Tzadik tomim and only partial
in front of him when Hashem called him
just a tzaddik. Every Yid a Big Tzadik.
So we need Noach mentioned in various
areas; he doesn’t get much rest. Now, we
raise another question about someone who
is in the news a lot. Where do we find
President Trump mentioned? In Parshas
Beha’aloscha, it discussed the Cha’tzoitris
– the Trump-ets. It says the Yidden had
two trumpets. Why two? Again, yesh
dorshim la’ganai – those that are against
him say that there were two indictments.
Those who support his many great ac-
complishments say la’shvach – there will
be iy”h two terms. He doesn’t get much
rest either. Time will tell who will pre-
vail.
DF.
Vues Master’s Note: I think your letters
are hilarious! Noach could not have built
a teiva in the time you spend writing your
letters!
GEHINNOM
Dear Vues Master:
אברהם מנחם מנדיל הלוי שטיינברג When
ר׳ was criticized for being מתיר four
thousand agunos, he responded: “First,
I took the responsibility on myself be-
fore the מעלה של דין בית and I’m certain
that I will go out זכאי. Second, even if
I’m חלילה found to have acted improp-
erly, the 4,000 klezmerim who played at
the weddings of those עגונות will begin
playing and will distract the prosecuting
Angels and I’ll take the opportunity to es-
cape to עדן גן.“
KO
Vues Master’s Note: I hope he was right!
MARRIAGE
Dear Vues Master:
Henny Youngman said that he and his
wife were married for better or for worse.
“I couldn’t have done better,” he said.
“And she couldn’t have done worse.”
HY
Vues Master’s Note: Oy! The perfect mar-
riage!
SPORTSWASHING
Dear Vues Master:
The Saudis’ takeover of the Professional
Golfers’ Association of America (PGA)
is just the latest in a series of attempts by
dictators to use sports to divert attention
from human rights abuses. It’s been less
than five years since Saudi government
agents tortured and strangled dissident
journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi
consulate in Istanbul, and dismembered
his body with a bonesaw. As part of a
concerted effort to distract the interna-
tional community from the Khashoggi
murder—and Riyadh’s many other ongo-
ing human rights violations—the Saudis
have been using their wealth to buy their
way into the sports world. They lured
tennis stars to a tournament last year by
offering an unprecedented $1-million to
the winner, and they convinced Brazilian
soccer star Ronaldo to play for a Saudi
team by paying him $75-million annu-
ally, making him the highest-paid ath-
lete in the world. Now the Saudis have
turned their attention to golf. Two years
ago, PGA commissioner Jay Monahan
denounced the Saudis’ creation of their
own golf league, the LIV, as an unfair
attempt “to buy the game of golf.” He
alluded to Saudi Arabia’s connections
to the 9/11 attacks, asserting that golfers
who remained in the PGA would never
have to be embarrassed about their as-
sociation, while those who jumped to the
LIV would find themselves “apologiz-
ing” for doing so. This week, however,
the prospect of massive Saudi funding
has persuaded the PGA to become part
of the Saudi league, and Monahan is
saying the merger is “historic” and the
Saudis are “visionaries.” For the Saudis,
it’s a major victory in their campaign to
whitewash their appalling human rights
record by securing a respected place on
the world stage. The phenomenon now
called “sportswashing” debuted nearly
a century ago, at the 1936 Olympics in
Berlin. Adolf Hitler exploited the games
to dazzle the international community
and distract from his persecution of Ger-
many’s Jews. The Roosevelt administra-
tion had ample warning that the Nazis
intended to use the games for propa-
ganda purposes. The U.S. ambassador in
Berlin, William Dodd, reported to Wash-
ington that the Nazis intended to use the
Olympics “to rehabilitate and enhance
the reputation of the ‘New Germany.’
” Foreigners will “have only the usual
tourist contacts” and were likely to come
away doubting the veracity of “the Jew-
ish persecution which they have previ-
ously read [about] in their home papers,”
Dodd predicted. The Hitler government
had hired two thousand translators and
was training them in the art of “parrying
embarrassing questions and insinuating
praise of Nationalism Socialism in their
small talk,” the ambassador warned. The
Nazis were also careful to remove Der
Sturmer and other antisemitic literature
from the newsstands in Berlin shortly
before foreign visitors began arriving in
the summer of 1936. “Jews Not Want-
ed” signs that had been posted along
major thoroughfares were taken down.
Physical assaults on Jews were kept to
a minimum during the games. Visiting
journalists were duly impressed. The
Los Angeles Times hailed the Hitler
regime as “worthy hosts” who “put on
a magnificent show.”The Berlin corre-
spondent of the New York Times hailed
Hitler for “a good job well done—al-
most without flaw” and predicted that
the games would lead “to the undoubt-
ed improvement of world relations and
general amiability.” What actually hap-
pened, of course, was exactly the oppo-
site: the failure to confront Hitler paved
the way for him to plunge the world into
a Nazi bloodbath. In the 1970s, Philip-
pine dictator Ferdinand Marcos likewise
used sports to counter the bad press he
had been receiving because of his hu-
man rights abuses. He paid heavyweight
boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
$4.5-million and $2.5-million, respec-
tively, to fight in what became known
as the “Thrilla in Manila.” The “whole
purpose of the fight,” Sports Illustrated
noted, was “to show that Manila was no
longer an outlaw city, that foreign in-
vestment was secure, that martial rule,
for all its connotations, was a cleansing
instrument: Martial Law with a smile.”
The dictator certainly got his money’s
worth. In the days leading up to the
fight, Ali declared that Marcos was “a
great man,” “humble,” “peaceful” and
“loving,” who “will lead his people al-
ways with the best decisions…President
Marcos knows how to solve the prob-
lems here better than we could.” The
apartheid regime in South Africa tried
a similar strategy in the 1980s, spend-
ing lavishly to host international tennis
events and boxing matches. The regime
offered tennis stars John McEnroe and
Bjorn Borg to play each other for what
the Washington Post called the “gargan-
tuan” sum of $1-million to the winner
and $600,000 to the loser; Borg agreed,
but McEnroe refused. Many top boxers,
including Muhammed Ali and Sugar Ray
Leonard, refused to fight in South Afri-
ca. But other prominent fighters of that
era, such as Greg Page and Mike Weav-
er, decided the money was more impor-
tant than the cause. And famed boxing
promoter Don King, one of the earliest
supporters of the “Artists and Athletes
Against Apartheid” group, jumped into
bed with the apartheid regime when the
price was right. From Berlin to Riyadh,
dictators can always find athletes who
are prepared to turn a blind eye to atroci-
ties if offered enough money. But the ul-
timate power rests with the fans: if they
refuse to patronize events sponsored by
murderous regimes and ostracize ath-
letes who collaborate with them, it will
become impossible for those regimes to
continue exploiting sports for their unsa-
vory purposes.
Refael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: Now I understand
my Rebbe when he used to say that Sports
iz an Avoda Zora!
JEWELRY
Dear Vues Master:
A woman had an artist paint her portrait.
When it was done, she complimented him
but asked if he could add a large diamond
necklace. He did so and she again com-
plimented him but asked if he could add
matching earrings and a bracelet for her
wrist. “Don’t you think it would be too
much?” he asked. “You look lovely with-
out them.” “Thank you,” she responded,
“but my husband is younger than me and
when I’m gone he’ll probably remarry. I
want his next wife to go crazy looking for
this jewelry.”
JR
Vues Master’s Note: I tell my wife all the
time you are picture perfect without jew-
elry!
BATTLE
Dear Vues Master:
Mark had an appointment with his ac-
countant. The receptionist asked him to
take a seat. Mark picked up a magazine
and began reading but was unable to con-
centrate because of the screaming com-
ing through one of the doors. Mark ap-
proached the receptionist and asked what
was going on. “It’s a partners meeting,”
she replied. “But why are they shouting
at each other?” he asked. “It’s a battle
of wits,” she replied. “Who is in there?”
Mark asked. “Horowits, Lebowits, Rabi-
nowits and Abramowits,” she replied.
JU
Vues Master’s Note: A lawyer believes a
liar!!
CANDLES
Dear Vues Master:
Having visited today the kever of the Zai-
dah the Chasam Sofer, I noticed people
lighting candles there. I was wondering
if this would not be considered געול שרל.
The Chasam Sofer writes he is unaware
of the so-called רבה מצוה) sarcastic) to
light a נשמה נר at home or even at the
kever. The Chasam Sofer holds that the
concept of a נשמה נר is only when it is
used to light up a Shul or a Bais Medrash.
MF
Vues Master’s Note: Light up the night!