Even though I hold that the basic absolute Litvak path is correct and important, there are some issues where I disagree.  I..e. the Land of Israel, the State  of Israel, the approach to Rav Nahman, the calendar, the herem of the Gra.

Sitting in kollel

(1) Living in Israel is important as stated by all rishonim.

(2) the state of Israel also is important.

(3) Rav Nahman was an important tzadik-- but the insane world of Breslov is  different story, [and most of his advice is good and true, but some of it was given to individual people and not meant for everyone.]

(4)  The herem of the Gra is certainly still valid. but due to my reading of the several herems that were issued in Villna, I do not think they apply to Rav Nahman.

(5) The calendar was never instituted by Hillel II. If it had been, why would the Gemara have been silent about it?

(6) Kollel is a hard issue to determine.  My own path goes with the opinion that one should learn Physics and Math and make a living doing that. But those that learn Torah all day in the great Litvak Yeshivot are also doing well. 

 Among some mediaeval authorities, learning physics and metaphysics  is important, e.g. Chovot Levavot, Rambam, ibn Gavirol and the commentaries on the Guide who were also Rishonim [mediaeval authorities]. But later Musar [Ethics] books tended to leave that out. You must have noted this in the Ramchal. so when Rav Israel Salanter  took up the goal of reintroducing and revitalizing Musar, this emphasis was lost. My own experience was to be part of the great Musar yeshiva, the Mir in NY. But eventually, I did not find anyplace for me, so I depended on the Rishonim [mediaeval authorities] like Rambam to begin  Physics studies at NYU. [But that was interrupted]. However, I think the whole issue comes down to what is known as a ''מחלוקת ראשונים'', [an argument among mediaeval authorities]. אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים that is what the gemara says about an argument among tenaim. --''these and those are the words of the living God.''

[[the issue goes back to the geonim- saadia on one side [with ibn pakuda's chovot levavot ] and hai gaon on the other.]

 The news media reports what Ukrainian commanders in the field say to them--as if that has any connection with reality, Right! I am sure the Russians are beaten with their nuclear submarines off the coast of California and New York right now. Right. Keep up the self delusion.

People are sadlly unaware of the facts on the ground and under the sea, They mistake Russian restraint for  weakness.  Just like the last attempt to cripple the Russian economy which just boomeranged  backwards to cripple the economy of the USA and strengthen the ruble. People have no idea what they are dealing with. .

The religious world is based patrician against plebian the upper class superior beings against the common folk.

The religious world  is based patrician against plebian the upper class superior beings against the common folk. But it is in the interest of the patrician to hide this dynamic.     The problem with the religious is that they imagine that they are keeping Torah. The addition of endless rituals have of course, no root in Jewish Law. But more so, two of the major requirements of Torah are Monotheism which means belief in God alone, not the endless parade of phony "tzadikim". Another is Midot Tovot [good character]which means to be a mensch, not a backbiter. Not to be   forcing secular Jews to pay for their kollels against their will. They can make this happen by the form of government in Israel, but that does not mean secular Jews give willingly. And that comes under the category of "Hamas" [Yes, it is the same word] which means to force someone to give you money against their will. For example, to take something from someone and then offer to pay for it.   

something wrong with academia

 One reason to go with the Friesian school is this: imagine you are in an algebra class in high school. There is a problem on the blackboard that you are sure you have the right answer to. But right before you raise your arm to get called on, the smartest kid in the class gets called on before you, and gives a different answer. And then the teacher calls on you to give your answer. Are you so sure now? You might be a little hesitant to offer your answer.  ["The dog ate my homework."] After all that smart kid so far has gotten straight A's on every algebra test,

This is somewhat parallel. You might think Hegel the right answer. But Karl Gauss [the smart kid in the class ] raises his hand and says "Jacob Fries is the right approach." Then a hundred years goes by and the same question comes up. You think Husserl or Marx is the right answer. Then again the smartest kid in the class, David Hilbert, again raises his hand and says ''Leonard Nelson  --the founder of the Neo Friesian school has the right approach. so why are the smart kids ignored in academia,--Gauss and David Hilbert? It must be that there is something  wrong with academia

[ Nelson has still not been translated to English, but as an intro to his thought you might learn Plato and Kant. ]

I found out about Nelson on the web site of Kelley Ross when I was looking up Spinoza and saw the amazing analysis on Spinoza there. [At the time I had some questions on Spinoza, and had also seen Leibniz's critique on Spinoza]. One question of my own  was this. "Geometry or any exact science does not start with far fetched axioms. Take an example geometry. One axion is this: the shortest distance between two points is  a straight line. Almost too obvious to be stated.  To start with 'There only one substance in the universe' (as Spinoza does) sounds like something that needs to be proved, not taken a an axiom. "

Since the death of my son Izhak, I have accepted on myself to be doing four sessions in learning in my hope that they will go for his credit in Gan Eden where I hope and pray he is. But my original idea of doing lot of review does not seem to work in the sessions in math and physics. [I started this because Izhak held strongly of the idea of learning in depth (limud beiyun)]. For me it seems to work better to go one chapter forward, and then review to the beginning. Then one more chapter forward, and then again review to the very beginning. The only areas where review on that same chapter or section  works for me is in Tosphot or Rav Chaim of Brisk or the Avi Ezri of Rav Shach.

Leviticus 18 and 20 and in the book of Numbers, seeing blood means a woman can not sleep with her husband for 7 days.

[Introduction- the law as you can read in the Bible is that seeing blood means a woman can not sleep with her husband for 7 days. Leviticus 18 and 20 and in the book of Numbers. On the night after the7th day she dips into a river. But the custom became that all women think of themselves as  a woman who sees blood for more than 7 days. If that would be in fact the case, then she would need 7 clean days, and then go to a river. What I am suggesting  is that women ought to get back to the law of the Torah--that is that 7 days is enough. That means whether she sees one day or 2 or three or even 7 full days, she still goes to the sea or river on the night after the 7th day and that is that.]  

Seven days of nida seems to me to be enough. A woman  sees blood one day or two  or even seven straight days, that should count for the seven days of nida. She dips in a river after the 7th day at night and that is enough.   Ziva is just not prevalent [seeing blood for eight days or more], and even a straight prohibition from the words of the scribes does not apply unless the reason it was made is common place.--much less a custom that few people keep anymore. It is not that I am looking to be lenient. There are thing I think people should be strict in like going into a river or sea. The "mikve" nowadays is a solid block of concrete and thus a "vessel" and therefore not kosher. [I.e. it can be lifted out of the ground in one piece.]