the events surrounding the concubine in Giva.

Rebuke is one of the 613 commandments. And where you can see the serious of it is in the events surrounding the concubine in Giva. In short for those who are not familiar with those events let me recount the major points. One fellow had a concubine. [That in itself is subject to a debate. Some hold that is simply what you would call a  girl friend, i.e. sex with no marriage. Others hold there is kidushin, but not nisuin/hupa.] He visited her parents home with her, and then wanted to get back up north where his home was. His concubine wanted to stay and bit longer, but he insisted they get back home. On the way they passed through the area of the tribe of Benjamin in a town called Giva. There were some ruffians there that attacked them at night and killed her. But worse than that--no one else in that town objected. So all Israel made war against the tribe of Benjamin. And they even asked God directly by means of the Urim and Tumim and God approved of that war. No because of the murder, but because no one besides the actual criminal objected.

Another place to see this is in the events of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza by which the Second Temple was destroyed. The reason was not so much the actual crime, but rather that the sages at the time did not object. 

So when we see the Gra signed the well known letter of excommunication (and Rav Shach also agreed with the Gra)  and yet their objections have been ignored, I feel that I ought to say something myself and encourage others. I mean to say that when asked I have stated my view that the Gra was right. But now I am seeing that it is not enough to for me to do so. Others also ought to go along with the Gra.] 

I also think that besides the fact that a herem/excommunication is a valid halachic category; there is also the issue of why that herem was issued in the first place (i.e. idolatry). And time has shown that the Gra was right.  

[The herem did not apply to Rav Nahman of Breslov as it was specific. So learning Rav Nahman's books is perfectly fine and commendable.]

z17 D minor mp3 [z17 in midi] [z17 in nwc format]

pieces I wrote when I was in my parents home.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B71pces179i2dFZ6eEgxSWNtS0U/view?usp=sharing

This is called a piano piece because it was written on the piano in my parents home. But it was meant for organ -so that is why the instrument it is played on is now the organ.

Piano piece called This is a great title.

 string1

orchestraoo

[My dad gave me a record that had Mozart on one side and Beethoven on other . This was an influence Plus Braham I listened to in the library [as I waited for my dad to pick me up] and as you can see this influenced me in the piece called "orchestra". Plus it seems certain  the teacher of the high school orchestra Mr. Smart, must have had an influence on me.

My dad was a captain in USAF and one thing he mentioned to me about one medal that he got was by setting up an air force base in France that was specially geared to repair disabled planes and get them off the ground quickly.

After the war that he invented the Infrared telescope.  [That is the young man in that article in Life Magazine, Philip Rosenbloom]. After that when the USA government wanted to create infrared satellites to spy on the USSR so they called him and he went to work for TRW in creating those satellites. Called the DSP [Defense Support Program] satellites in the early 1970s. 

Later he worked on laser communication between satellites for SDI [Star Wars].

So I can safely say my parents were very loyal Americans.

Similarly the argument that people like the fact that their property is taken from them to give to the welfare takers does not mean that they agree with their property being stolen from them to support parasites.

The fact that the government does some crime does not mean that the people under it agree or want that.  When the lands of England were enclosed by the ruling class, the peasants did not rebel. But that does not mean they liked the fact that their lands were taken from them. Similarly the argument that people like the fact that their property is taken from them to give to the welfare takers does not mean that they agree with their property being stolen from them to support parasites. 

On the way to the sea this morning it occurred the question how does Tosphot in Rosh Hashana 13a deal with Rabah? אין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות "A gentile does not have the ability to take away the obligation of truma and tithes." I mean to say this. The Gemara asks "How could Israel bring the Omer when they came into the Land of Canaan? was not the grain the produce of the gentiles?" And right there Tosphot asks from Avoda Zara 23b that the land of Israel was already in the possession of Abraham from the time it was promised to him. And Tosphot answers that the gentiles had a portion in what they sowed. So my question is both on the Gemara and also on Tosphot. Why not simply answer that Rabah was right!  אין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות "A gentile does not have the ability to take away the obligation of truma and tithes."

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 How does תוספות in ראש השנה י''ג ע''ב deal with רבה who holds אין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות "A gentile does not have the ability to take away the obligation of תרומה and מעשרות." I mean to say this. The גמרא asks "How could Israel bring the עומר when they came into the Land of Canaan? was not the grain the produce of the gentiles?" And right there תוספות asks from עבודה זרה דף כ''ג ע''ב that the land of Israel was already in the possession of Abraham from the time it was promised to him. And תוספות answers that the gentiles had a portion in what they sowed. So my question is both on the גמרא and also on תוספות. Why not simply answer that רבה was right!  אין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות "_______________________________________________________________________

כיצד מתמודד תוספות בראש השנה י''ג ע''ב עם רבה שמחזיק שאין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות. אני מתכוון לומר את זה. הגמרא שואלת "איך ישראל יכולה הייתה להביא את העומר בבואם לארץ כנען? האם התבואה לא הייתה תוצרת הגויים?" ושם תוספות שואלים מעבודה זרה דף כ''ג ע''ב שארץ ישראל כבר הייתה ברשותו של אברהם מרגע שהובטחה לו. ותוספות עונה שלגויים היה חלק במה שזרעו. אז השאלה שלי היא גם על הגמרא וגם על תוספות. למה לא פשוט לענות שדווקא רבה צדק! אין כוח ביד עכו''ם להפקיע מידי תרומות ומעשרות?

 Rav Nahman brings in the LeM that when one wants to come into holiness there stands at the entrance a religious person to block the way. [I forget off hand which chapter that is in]. So religious people often are enemies of holiness and serving God. I have seen this much. Religious people most often do not care about God at all and rather care about their social group. Some stupid cult or other.