herem [excommunication] signed by the GRA

I am not sure why the herem [excommunication] signed by the GRA is universally ignored. It seems to me to valid from the stand point of halacha. I once was in the old city of Jerusalem in a small public library which had in it a book that contained the actual language  of the five different herems that were declared. [The one the Gra signed was the second. ] I looked to see if I could gain any clarity, and the best I could come up with was that Rav Nahman would not be under that herem, but other than that, it seemed to be applicable now just as much as it was then.

Besides that in noticed that the laws of herem stem from nedarim/oaths and have that same category as when someone says ''my bread is a karban [sacrifice] to you.'' This being the case, transgressing the herem of the Gra is deUraita--a prohibition of the Torah.

i might mention that the herem was to warn people from what would injure them, not just to find things to forbid.  

 I do not hold with institutions in general except in so far as they further their stated goals. Thus, the Litvak yeshiva world does tend to be sitting and learning Torah. But that seems to be evaporating once the great Litvak sages from before WWII are disappearing. The more these great sages like Rav Shach or Rav Israel Kinyevsky disappear, the more the yeshivot become institutions to make money. It might be that nowadays the best one can do is not to depend on anyone else, but to get an Avi Ezri or Chidushei haRambam by Reb Chaim of Brisk and to learn at home, or any corner where one can find a private spot to learn. [There is a problem that comes with trying to mix religion and money. Sincerity goes out the window. Thus learning at home might be the only possibility nowadays.] [My impression is that yeshivot lay out the red carpet for if they think you or your parents have plenty of money, but all that supposed kindness dries up when you are in need. ] 

South Africa, the world leader in genocide

 South Africa has been erasing white people by rape and murder since the 1990's until this very day and they complain about Israel defending it's borders? To me an accusation of genocide coming from South Africa, the world leader in genocide, seems more like a  joke than a serious accusation.

breakdown of American society

 The breakdown of American society, and in particular the breakdown of the relation between the sexes [i.e. the fact that all the women are crazy] is because of the ''meds'' --the medicine that almost all the women are on to supposedly  calm them, but in fact slowly destroys their minds. [The poison of the so called ''mental health'' military complex is at fault. The whole pseudo science of psychology is "Physics Envy".] 

value in the writings of Rabbainu the Ari

 I think that there is value in the writings of Rabbainu the Ari [Izhak Luria], but only if one is prepared by learning and getting through the Talmud twice [the fast way], and also doing a few years in a Litvak yeshiva in order to learn Gemara in depth. Even though there is a lot one can learn by doing it all on one's own, still it is hard to get the idea of understanding the Gemara in depth (''how to learn'') without hearing classes from a Litvak Rosh Yeshiva.  [ Without this preparation, learning Kabalah causes the ''breaking of the vessels'', destroying one's mind.] [Rav Nahman of Breslov pointed this out in the Le.M II, where he explains that the corrections of Rosh Hashanah one also gets by being in a Litvak Yeshiva (being with a rosh yeshiva with his students). Also, he brings the Midrash that we lost ''we will do'',-- so now let us hold on to ''we will listen''. That means learning by yourself is on the level of doing, [''We will do'']. But because of the sin of the Golden Calf, we lost that. I.e., it does not work anymore. The only way learning really gets absorbed is by listening. ]

Without a Litvak yeshiva is is easy to get ide tracked. And every discipline in fact has that danger. In general one needs to learn from an expert in that discipline. However when there is no choice one has to do as well as one can on one' own. Abraham Lincoln was self taught. He probably would have learned more thoroughly if he had had a good teacher, but he did the best that he could.   

 The three morons [presidents] of the ivy league universities in the that did not see any problem with antisemitism crashed and burned-while the morons in charge of the universities in Israel that have ignored the students that support Hamas and welcomed them in are still at their jobs along with the anti-Semitic students --i.e., Betzalel [THE TOP ISRAELI ART SCHOOL], Hebrew university and other supposedly top notch schools. Why is it that the universities in Israel have let back in the students that support Hamas?[you did not hear about it because at first they were expelled in oct, when the universities were not in session but let back in immediately a few days ago when the academic school year began.]

midot tovot good character

 The Chazon Ish pointed out in his small Musar book the importance of being strict in halacha. But what happens when there are conflicts in how to keep the strict law? Then you need an awareness of the order of importance of the laws. In this  learned from Musar books the importance of midot  tovot.in particular the Duties of the Hearts is found help to see what aspects of Torah to emphasize.

Without Musar it is very easy to lose sight of what is important in Torah law. So the aspects of Torah that i think are the most important are monotheism and good midot--''to be a mensch''

[This came up yesterday when I heard one girl is disparaging fanaticism. I did not interject my own two cents at the time, but afterward I mentioned that you have to be fanatic about being in the middle--to seek the middle ground between faith and reason. And in terms of Torah law that means not to add nor subtract. כל המוסיף גורע --ALL that add, end up subtracting.]