14.6.15
The idea of the excommunication of the Gra would not be so interesting if it was not for that the fact that he did sign it. If it was only a question of whether one should put an excommunication on someone then there would be little of interest about the subject.
For we know that there is a law that as soon as you see something doing an איסור a prohibition the you put them into חרם. That is the straightforward law in the Shulchan Aruch straight from the gemara itself. But we don't do this nowadays for obvious reasons.
But the question about the חרם of the Gra is different because it in fact was done. And it still has validity.
It means that one that is interested in let's say for example praying with a minyan can't do that mitzvah with a group under the ban because the people under that ban can't be counted as part of a minyan.
It means that one that wants to lean Torah can't do so with members of that group because they are not allowed to learn Torah nor teach it. So it has a great deal of relevance today, even for people that do almost no mitzvot. Because the idea of the ban is that any mitzvot done in connection with that group have no validity. Any connection at all with that group will lead to punishment in this world and the next in spite of their own delusions of grandeur.
The most interesting thing about the חרם is that it has a דין of a neder. That is at least how the Mishnah LaMelech understands it. That is juts like when a person says This bread is forbidden to me like a sacrifice the bread becomes forbidden of him to eat so is the case with a חרם. Ignoring the prohibition does not make it go away. Even if one thinks that it should not have been made it still remains in force.
For we know that there is a law that as soon as you see something doing an איסור a prohibition the you put them into חרם. That is the straightforward law in the Shulchan Aruch straight from the gemara itself. But we don't do this nowadays for obvious reasons.
But the question about the חרם of the Gra is different because it in fact was done. And it still has validity.
It means that one that is interested in let's say for example praying with a minyan can't do that mitzvah with a group under the ban because the people under that ban can't be counted as part of a minyan.
It means that one that wants to lean Torah can't do so with members of that group because they are not allowed to learn Torah nor teach it. So it has a great deal of relevance today, even for people that do almost no mitzvot. Because the idea of the ban is that any mitzvot done in connection with that group have no validity. Any connection at all with that group will lead to punishment in this world and the next in spite of their own delusions of grandeur.
The most interesting thing about the חרם is that it has a דין of a neder. That is at least how the Mishnah LaMelech understands it. That is juts like when a person says This bread is forbidden to me like a sacrifice the bread becomes forbidden of him to eat so is the case with a חרם. Ignoring the prohibition does not make it go away. Even if one thinks that it should not have been made it still remains in force.
13.6.15
Authentic Torah
There are people that are willing to sell to you a knockoff of an Armani or Calvin Klein. They are hoping you don't know the difference. And they are people that will buy a knockoff hoping that other won't be able to tell the difference between the real thing and the knockoff.
People that are willing to buy and sell knockoffs are not people of quality character.
The same applies to Torah.
Almost everything being advertised as Torah is not authentic. The actual books of Torah are very limited. The written Torah we know is the Old Testament. The Oral Torah we also have a good historical idea where it came from. We have no questions about the historical circumstances of the writing of the Babylonian Talmud, The Jerusalem Talmud, the halachic Midrash and the Aggadic Midrash. Some people may not care for the later. Ok. Some people don't want Armani or Calvin Klein either. But if you don't want to wear the real thing, then at least don't wear a fake. Don't learn and don't support fake Torah
The same applies to Torah.
Almost everything being advertised as Torah is not authentic. The actual books of Torah are very limited. The written Torah we know is the Old Testament. The Oral Torah we also have a good historical idea where it came from. We have no questions about the historical circumstances of the writing of the Babylonian Talmud, The Jerusalem Talmud, the halachic Midrash and the Aggadic Midrash. Some people may not care for the later. Ok. Some people don't want Armani or Calvin Klein either. But if you don't want to wear the real thing, then at least don't wear a fake. Don't learn and don't support fake Torah
12.6.15
Liberals have often not spent time learning Torah. Many have good intentions, but have not absorbed a Torah framework.
The Torah has laws that are related to how to run a society. And it has laws that deal with personal morality. The parts of the Torah which deal with how to run a society are overwhelmingly conservative and correspond exactly with the USA Republican conservatives. Family values, personal responsibility, limited government. Civil damages are when actual damage has been caused. Not imaginary slights to one's feelings. See Bava Kama in detail.
After that Willie had a few more comments that I thought it would be best not to reply to because they seemed kind of negative.
But in fact the when and how of wars against idolatry is not a subject I know much about. Mainly the idea of the Torah is that idolatry is a bad thing. When gentiles do not do idolatry, then things are different. Then they are just people.
The Torah has laws that are related to how to run a society. And it has laws that deal with personal morality. The parts of the Torah which deal with how to run a society are overwhelmingly conservative and correspond exactly with the USA Republican conservatives. Family values, personal responsibility, limited government. Civil damages are when actual damage has been caused. Not imaginary slights to one's feelings. See Bava Kama in detail.
After that Willie had a few more comments that I thought it would be best not to reply to because they seemed kind of negative.
But in fact the when and how of wars against idolatry is not a subject I know much about. Mainly the idea of the Torah is that idolatry is a bad thing. When gentiles do not do idolatry, then things are different. Then they are just people.
Glenn Gould
my chavruta suggested this Beethoven piece
The pianist is Glenn Gould
I mean the cello sonata 53:10
Personally I am more of Mozart person. But give credit where credit is due.
The pianist is Glenn Gould
I mean the cello sonata 53:10
Personally I am more of Mozart person. But give credit where credit is due.
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