02 Apr SPEAK YOUR VUES WITH THE VUES MASTER

SHABBOS LUNCH COMPANY
Dear Vues Master
If my shul on Shabbos morning ends at 11am & we
invite company over for lunch, is it wrong to tell
the company that we are starting lunch at noon?
This past Shabbos we had to wait for our company
to arrive until 1pm. I really wanted to take a shlof
& by the time the meal was over it was already
after 4pm. I promised my son I would learn with
him on Shabbos afternoon so I got no shlof. When
I get no sleep Shabbos afternoon I’m wiped the
entire week. I told my wife I don’t want to invite
anyone for lunch anymore & she’s not happy with
me. What should I do?
GT
Vues Master’s Note: There has to be some sort of
compromise. There are therapists out there that
deal with this!

RESPECT
Dear Vues Master:
A son took his father to a restaurant to enjoy a
delicious dinner.His father is quite old and therefore,
a little weak too. While eating, food occasionally
fell on his shirt and pants. The other guests watched
the old man with their faces contorted in disgust,
but his son remained calm. After they both finished
eating,the son quietly helped his father and took
him to the bathroom. Cleaned food scraps from his
crampled face and attempted to wash food stains
on his clothes, graciously combed his gray hair and
finally put on his glasses. As they left the restroom,
a deep silence reigned in the restaurant. The son
paid their bill but just before they left, a man, also
old, got up and asked the old man’s son , “Don’t
you think you left something here?” The young
man replied “I did not leave anything.” Then the
stranger said to him,”You left a lesson here for
every son and a hope for every father.” The whole
restaurant was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop!
One of the greatest honours that exist, is being able
to take care of those who have taken care of us too.

Our parents and all those elders who sacrificed
their lives with all their time, money and effort for
us, deserve our utmost respect. Kibbud Av Vaem.
A big mitzvah!
SR
Vues Master’s Note: Wow! A powerful story worth
repeating!

MIGRANT PANIC
Dear Vues Master
Last week panic spread within the frum community
claiming that illegal migrants had been squatting
in bungalow colonies and summer camps in the
Catskills. Local Askanim that reside year-round
upstate said that to the best of their knowledge, no
illegal migrants have been found squatting in the
Catskills mountains and that those social media
messages are misinformation that people should
not be sharing or forwarding on WhatsApp. Rabbi
Abe Rosenberg from the Sullivan County JCC
said that he is in direct contact with the Sullivan
County Undersheriff and that the Sheriff’s office
is unaware of any migrants squatting in the entire
Sullivan County.
EC
Vues Master’s Note: We can all thank President
Biden for this. It’s just a matter of time until it’s
true.

SHABBOS GAMES
Dear Vues Master
Last week on your fun question page Ari Hirsch
asked the question “What is your favorite game to
play with your family on Shabbos?” I want you to
know that I was very surprised about some of the
answers. Some of the answers mentioned are not
allowed to be played on Shabbos. I’m actually very
surprised that certain people gave those answers.
RB
Vues Master’s Note: To each, his own. Speak to
your Rabbi.

PURIM
Dear Vues Master:
Purim is once a year you try to enjoy
every minute of it and not think
anything disturbing and annoying
is spoiling your day but it did mine.
My sister and I were going to listen
to the megillah at one of the shuls in
Flatbush, the minute we got there we
got attacked by a bunch of tzedaka
collectors ladies, girls, men, and
kids. We know that Purim is about
a lot of mitzvot including donating
tzedaka but the way that these
tzedaka collectors were acting not
only was not proper it was annoying
and ugly. When some-one asks for
tzedaka you give what you think you
want to give and these people were
asking us to give what they wanted
and they were holding our bags and
hanging on us the way it is not even
easy to explain. I really do not know
if they were real Jewish people
who know how to ask for tzedaka
and thank them after collecting it.
If they were Jewish needy people
then their behav-ior was really
disappointing and if they were not
from the Jewish community, then
what were they doing there next to
the shul on Purim? I do not know
how oth-er megillah listeners who
came there could dill with this but
the picture bothered us the whole
day. Hope we could find another
way to help needy people with-out
being annoyed and not mak-ing
them feel left alone.
D.M
Vues Master’s Note: I feel you! But be
happy that you can give and not be on
the take!

HASHEM
Dear Vues Master:
Rabbi Taragin wrote a moving tribute
to the IDF in last week’s paper. I have
one question-does not G-d fit into the
equation at all? Why was His name not
even mentioned?
PB
Vues Master’s Note: Why is Hashem
only acknowledged when things go
wrong?

DOCTOR
Dear Vues Master:

There was a beloved doctor whom the
townspeople honored by calling him
rebbi. One angry patient, upset that
the doctor could not find him a cure,
screamed: “You know why they call
you rebbi? It’s not because of your
wisdom or knowledge of torah. It’s
because Chazal say אביו אבידת
because ואבידת רבו, אבידת רבו קודמת
his father brings him הזה העולם לחיי
but his rebbi brings him הבא העולם
לחיי. And doctor, you too, bring people
to הבא העולם. That’s why they call you
rebbi.”
TW
Vues Master’s Note: No wonder the
Gemara says the best of Doctors will
go to Gehinnom!

ANTI-ISRAEL RALLY
Dear Vues Master
Did you see what happened in
Teaneck, NJ this past Monday night?
There was a Pro Hamas, anti Israel
protest in front of a shul & it wasn’t
canceled. The Rabbanim/Askanim
from NJ told people to rally for
Israel & more pro Israel people
showed up than Pro Hamas people.
I’m glad they weren’t scared off like
people in Brooklyn were a couple of
weeks ago by the Israel real estate
event.
Vues Masters Note: If we only had
“Askanim” in Brooklyn as strong as
the people in Teaneck! Am Yisrael Chai.
Kahane Tzadak.

HILCHOS SHABBOS
Dear Vues Master:
I have noticed that there is a major
knowledge gap in the laws of Shabbos.
There are some people that just haven’t
reviewed the halachos in many years
as well as their wives since seminary.
What we do each week incorrectly
could follow us many years if we
do not pick up on the mistakes. The
simplest things like dividing up and
putting back assortments such as
cookies/fruits/coldcuts/kugels/nuts/
candy/books into their respective
places already compromises Shabbos.
Many summer activities such as ball
playing on grass, opening a mosquito
net, making any sort of tent structure,
and using a tree is assur. We have to
remember that the laws follow you

throughout ANY and EVERY shabbos
activity that comes up. Shabbos is the
covenant between us and hashem and
it cannot be treated lightly. Therefore
I urge people to order their free books
on Www.shabbosdaily.org and start
the easy reading that is necessary for
you to be certain that your Shabbosim
are being held correctly. You don’t
want to find out when it’s too late
that reattaching the toilet chain to the
flusher counts as building. And that
even closing your bird cage counts
as trapping. In addition, without a
proper eruv there are many things
that you would not even be able to
wear outside if you don’t know what
counts as clothing or an extension of
it. Someone asked me once how is it
not overwhelming to find out so many
things that can’t be done, and doesn’t
it make me nervous? I thought about
it for a few minutes and answered
that if you look at it from the lense
of so many restrictions, then it will
definitely get overwhelming. But if
you remember what the purpose of
the day is and how in reality almost
nothing is allowed, first accept that.
Then it is easier to go learn what is
permissible.
RK
Vues Master’s Note: Thanks for the
weekly reminder!

ASHES
Dear Vues Master:
Just wanted to share that I loved the
article by R’ Aryeh Fingerer last week.
I can relate to the fact that the high priest
removed the ashes and the modern day
story where Rabbi Gifter came to the
couple’s house to take out the garbage.
It’s a big problem nowadays where
different people think they are too
important to do certain things. Thank
you for that message.
MM
Vues Master’s Note: Great story!

KADDISH
Dear Vues Master:
A man’s father died and he made sure
to say Kaddish every day for eleven
months. Shortly thereafter, his mother
died. However, he didn’t say Kaddish
for her even once. He was told: Just as
you are required to honor the memory

of your father, so are you required to
honor the memory of your mother. “I
don’t want to ruin the effort I put in
over eleven months on behalf of my
father to get him into Gan Eden,” the
man explained. “Now, if my Kaddish
helps to get my mother there as well, it
will become גהינום for my father.”
FW
Vues Master’s Note: Ha! Funny but not
really!

RABBANIM
Dear Vues Master:
The Netziv was once asked why the
salary of Rabbanim was so little in the
past and their salary is so much greater
in our own day. He answered: “As you
know, הדין לפי its אסור for a Rav to
receive שכר and, accordingly, Chazaal
enacted that he receive בטלה שכר.
Thus, in the past, when רבנים would be
learning ולילה יום and hardly being מבטל
even an hour from תורה, their בטלה שכר
was very little. But now that they are
בטלה their ,מבטלים הרבה מן התורה
שכר is that much greater.”
GH
Vues Master’s Note: No way a Rabbi
Batels. It’s his congregants who don’t
let him be!

MIDDLE NAME
Dear Vues Master:
David Alter grew up in poverty during
the Great Depression. His family
couldn’t afford to keep him in school
and so at a very early age he went to
work to help put food on the table.
But David was a very personable and
hardworking fellow and at 21, he found
a good wife who helped him to prosper
and succeed in business. But he never
learned to read and write. He signed
his checks XX. One day, he received a
call from his bank seeking to confirm
his signature on a check. “Mr. Alter,”
the banker said, “I’m calling because
for years you signed your checks XX.
This one has three Xs and I want to
make sure its your signature.” “Yes, it
is,” David replied. “Since I’ve become
wealthy, my wife thought I should have
a middle name.”
TW
Vues Master’s Note: Is NY in Sodom
and Amorah?

THE POWER OF TEHILLIM
Dear Vues Master
Years ago, when Rav Mordechai
Friedman, the Rosh Kollel of the
Tehilim Kollel, was just a young boy,
he was learning the Sefer of the Sh”lah
Ha’kadosh, and he saw a story that
changed his life. The Sh”lah tells of a
town where a very simple man recited
Tehillim every day. The people didn’t
recognize this as greatness, and they
didn’t think that saying Tehillim was
any type of remarkable endeavor.
When this simple man passed away, he
came to the Rav of the town in a dream,
and he had a very urgent warning. He
said, “Rebbi, you must evacuate the
town! Tomorrow night, there will be
a massacre here. Robbers will come
and burglarize all the homes and kill
everyone they find. Since I have been
saying Tehillim every day, I have
provided the town with protection, but
now that I am gone, the townspeople
are in great danger!” The Rav took
this dream very seriously. He gathered
his community the next morning, and
told them to pack up their belongings
and run to a safe place. Many people
listened, but there were some who
didn’t, and they thought that such a
simple man couldn’t have possibly
protected their town like that, and
that the message couldn’t be true.
Sadly, those who stayed behind were
killed that night. Rav Mordechai was
astounded by this story and the clear
power of Tehillim that it represented.
He immediately took it upon himself
to say Tehillim every single day, and
he continued for over 25 years without
missing!
TUT

THE POWER OF A KIDDUSH
HASHEM
Dear Vues Master
Rav Shraga Freedman relates a story
that was told to him by the Rav of a
Shul. “One of my Mispalelim once
found a purse in the street. It contained
$5,000 in cash, along with some
documents indicating that it belonged
to a non-Jewish woman who lived
nearby. The man called a Rav to ask
what to do, and the Rav told him that
it would be a tremendous Kiddush
Hashem if he returned it to the woman.

The Rav reminded him, ‘Keep in
mind that your Parnasah is decreed on
Rosh Hashanah, and no matter what
you do, your bank account balance
will be the same.’ After a difficult
internal struggle, the man decided to
return the money, and he contacted
the stranger. The woman was moved
when she heard that she would be
getting her purse back, and soon after,
she was even more impressed when
she saw there wasn’t even a single
dollar missing from her purse. She
told this man that her father had just
passed away, and the cash was for his
burial expenses. She offered the finder
$1,000 as a reward, and she showered
him with blessings. The next week,
the man received a phone call from
his health insurance company, and
they informed him that the company
had decided to pay a $4,000 bill that
they had previously been refusing
to cover! The man recognized that
the Hashgacha Pratis, the Divine
Providence, was unmistakable. He
had received exactly the amount of
money that he had chosen to return,
and he had gained the merit of a great
Kiddush Hashem as well.” The Rav
said, “I shared this story with my Shul,
and I made it clear that this Kiddush
Hashem was a reason for celebration,
and it was an example that everyone
can emulate!”
RSF

FAR RIGHT AND FAR LEFT
Dear Vues Master:
An extremist distributes a flier about
“Zionists infiltrating the media.” A
political activist tweets, “Nothing
is creepier than Zionism.” A pundit
writes about “the dirty tactics of
Zionist censorship.” Can you
tell which of these haters is coming
from the political right, and which
from the political left? The world of
antisemitism has become so muddled
that it’s almost impossible to tell
one from the other. Consider: One
of these three haters was recently
arrested for painting the slogan
“White Power” on synagogues. One
co-chaired the Women’s March on
Washington. One is a former New
York Times correspondent and
speechwriter for Ralph Nader. Can

you tell which one is which? One
of the three is a Presbyterian minister.
One is a devout Muslim. One owns
a Ku Klux Klan robe. Still can’t tell
who’s who? Although these three
bigots come from very different
places on the political and religious
spectrums, they have managed to
find something in common: hatred
of Jews, thinly disguised as hatred
of “Zionists.” Among the most
troubling phenomena of our time
is the extent to which antisemitism
has become interchangeable among
individuals who hold starkly differing
views on other issues, from abortion
to immigration to civil rights. Yet
they all hate Jews. There is no
simple explanation for this because
there is no simple explanation for
antisemitism. Some bigots hate
Jews for religious reasons, some for
political reasons. Some focus their ire
on Jewish philanthropists, some focus
on Jews in the media, some focus on
the Jewish state. And sometimes they
focus their hate on each other. In the
1930s, Nazi Germany and the Soviet
Union both violently persecuted
their Jewish citizens, even as the two
regimes went back and forth between
being enemies and being allies.
The Germans oppressed Jews and
Judaism in the name of Aryan racial
purity, the Soviets oppressed them in
the name of working-class solidarity.
Even when Hitler and Stalin hated
each other, they never stopped hating
Jews. Leafing through the American
Communist press in the 1930s is

a ride on an intellectual roller-
coaster. U.S. Communists dutifully

followed the Soviet line, regularly
and passionately denouncing Nazi
Germany—until the Soviets signed
a nonaggression pact with the Nazis
in August 1939, at which point the
American far left suddenly declared
that the British, the French, and “the
capitalist press” were the real enemy,
to cite an editorial which appeared
in that month’s issue of Young
Communist Review. Two years later,
Hitler tore up the pact and America’s

Communists returned to being anti-
Nazi. All the while, Jews and Judaism

remained in the crosshairs of both
Marxism and Nazism. Adam Braun

is the name of the aforementioned
extremist who was so worried about
“Zionist infiltration” of the media and
other institutions. He was recently
arrested in Oregon for painting
the slogan “White Power” on a
synagogue. Searching his belongings,
the police found the antisemitic flier
as well as a Ku Klux Klan robe.
Linda Sarsour, whose tweet fretted
about the “creepiness of Zionism,”

is a Muslim rights advocate and self-
identified feminist leader. Despite

her extremism, she remains in good
standing in the feminist movement.
Chris Hedges is the former Middle
East bureau chief for the New York
Times who rails about the “dirty
tactics” of “Zionist censors.” He
is also an ordained Presbyterian
minister, and he is no outlier in the
church when it comes to Israel. The
Presbyterian Church USA opposes
American aid to Israel and responded
to October 7 by blaming both sides.
Braun, Sarsour and Hedges are as
different from one another as night
from day, but they have one important
thing in common: Hatred of Jews has
created a bond between them that
their disparate religious and political
affiliations apparently cannot tear
asunder.
Rafael Medoff
Vues Master’s Note: We all know the
only halacha brought down by Rashi
al HaTorah is that a Goy hates a Jew!
End of story!

LONG LIFE
Dear Vues Master:
It’s not true that married men live
longer than those who are single. It
only seems that way.
MN
Vues Master’s Note: Marriage is bliss!