Sep 4, 2007
high prices for the High Holidays
Ynet has an article about the prices of buying seats for the High Holidays in shuls. While they do not say straight out that the religious are ripping people off by charging so much, it definitely feels that that was their implication from the way the article was written.
The article gives a number of examples of the high price of seats, such as :
The Great Synagogue in Jerusalem is offering tourists reserved seats for the High Holidays for up to $700, while Israelis will be able to purchase the same seats for about $170 dollars, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday.
and:
At synagogues of the hassidic rabbis' courts the prices vary according to how close they are to the admor (acronym for "our master, our teacher, and our rabbi). A reserved seat near the admor at the Belz (hassidic sect) synagogue can reach a whopping $50,000.
and:
Kfar Chabad is charging NIS 60,000 ($14,500) for being the last person to be called up to the Torah and NIS 30,000 ($7,250) for being called up to the Torah for the opening prayer of the Eve of Atonement (Yom Kippur) service.
I have a couple of comments to make on this.
First of all, there is the issue of supply and demand. A more popular synagogue will charge more for its seats than will a less popular synagogue (the popularity could be determined by various factors; a charismatic Rabbi, the social crowd that goes there, the decor, the quality of the cantors, etc..). It is simply a function of supply and demand. If 1000 people want to buy seats there and there are only 400 seats, for example, they will obviously charge more for the seats.
Second of all, the buying of seats is very important. The synagogues almost never charge money during the year, after the High Holidays. During the High Holiday season they charge for seating and membership and then you will not hear from the shul again about money until the next year. It costs a lot of money to run a shul. The Rabbi has to be paid, as does the electric company and the utilities and maintenance bills, etc. The only money the shul earns is from its sale of seats by the High Holidays, along with voluntary donations given during the year.
Again, it costs a lot of money to run a shul. It is totally legitimate to charge for the seating during the High Holidays, as that is basically the shuls main source of income.
Third, regarding the prices given as examples from the Hassidic courts. They do sound pretty ridiculous. However once must take into account Hassidic culture and society. It is considered a great honor to be by the Rabbi or to get certain aliyas or other honors. These are also controlled by supply and demand. Only one person can get the last aliya, so the price is driven up very high as everybody bids for it. As well, think of it like going to a baseball game. If you went to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play baseball, you would pay good money for box seats. Maybe $100 per ticket. But if you went for seats way in the upper deck near the back you might only pay $8 for your ticket. As well, while Cubs fans do not really have much experience with this, if you buy tickets for a playoff game, the same seats that normally go for $10 might go for $50 (I made these numbers up, but you get the point).
The synagogues are not really any different. The "better" the seat, the higher the price tag.
And again, it costs a lot of money to run a synagogue.
And, usually, most shuls are amenable to helping out people in financial trouble who might have a hard time paying high fees. they would spread out the payments, or charge less to such a person. I know my shul has said many a time that they do not turn people away just because they cannot afford to pay the ticket. They find a solution and a way to work things out. I think most shuls are like that.
The article gives a number of examples of the high price of seats, such as :
The Great Synagogue in Jerusalem is offering tourists reserved seats for the High Holidays for up to $700, while Israelis will be able to purchase the same seats for about $170 dollars, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday.
and:
At synagogues of the hassidic rabbis' courts the prices vary according to how close they are to the admor (acronym for "our master, our teacher, and our rabbi). A reserved seat near the admor at the Belz (hassidic sect) synagogue can reach a whopping $50,000.
and:
Kfar Chabad is charging NIS 60,000 ($14,500) for being the last person to be called up to the Torah and NIS 30,000 ($7,250) for being called up to the Torah for the opening prayer of the Eve of Atonement (Yom Kippur) service.
I have a couple of comments to make on this.
First of all, there is the issue of supply and demand. A more popular synagogue will charge more for its seats than will a less popular synagogue (the popularity could be determined by various factors; a charismatic Rabbi, the social crowd that goes there, the decor, the quality of the cantors, etc..). It is simply a function of supply and demand. If 1000 people want to buy seats there and there are only 400 seats, for example, they will obviously charge more for the seats.
Second of all, the buying of seats is very important. The synagogues almost never charge money during the year, after the High Holidays. During the High Holiday season they charge for seating and membership and then you will not hear from the shul again about money until the next year. It costs a lot of money to run a shul. The Rabbi has to be paid, as does the electric company and the utilities and maintenance bills, etc. The only money the shul earns is from its sale of seats by the High Holidays, along with voluntary donations given during the year.
Again, it costs a lot of money to run a shul. It is totally legitimate to charge for the seating during the High Holidays, as that is basically the shuls main source of income.
Third, regarding the prices given as examples from the Hassidic courts. They do sound pretty ridiculous. However once must take into account Hassidic culture and society. It is considered a great honor to be by the Rabbi or to get certain aliyas or other honors. These are also controlled by supply and demand. Only one person can get the last aliya, so the price is driven up very high as everybody bids for it. As well, think of it like going to a baseball game. If you went to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play baseball, you would pay good money for box seats. Maybe $100 per ticket. But if you went for seats way in the upper deck near the back you might only pay $8 for your ticket. As well, while Cubs fans do not really have much experience with this, if you buy tickets for a playoff game, the same seats that normally go for $10 might go for $50 (I made these numbers up, but you get the point).
The synagogues are not really any different. The "better" the seat, the higher the price tag.
And again, it costs a lot of money to run a synagogue.
And, usually, most shuls are amenable to helping out people in financial trouble who might have a hard time paying high fees. they would spread out the payments, or charge less to such a person. I know my shul has said many a time that they do not turn people away just because they cannot afford to pay the ticket. They find a solution and a way to work things out. I think most shuls are like that.
Sep 3, 2007
The Brady Bunch
Yesterday it was reported widely in the news how Boaz Yonah was caught in Italy.
Yonah is the CEO of Heftzibah, the construction company that went bankrupt a month or so ago, leaving many families without homes after they shelled out all their savings to buy a place. Yonah skipped town and the police could not locate him. He is suspected for tax fraud, illegal business practices, money laundering and other stuff.
Anyway, they track this guy down by talking to his dumb blonde wife. She claims to have no idea where he is and she has not seen him and he abandoned them and they have no money for living, blah blah blah. Sure enough, she was too stupid to think the police might have tapped her phone. She called good old Boaz and they met up in Italy where the police caught him having lunch with her.
The funny part of the story is the police saw him and identified him but were not 100% sure it was him. The policeman called out "Yonah!" and he, instinctively, turned around. That sealed the identification.
That reminded me of the old Brady Bunch episode where Mrs. Brady (I think) was in court for some traffic accident in which the other guy was claiming damages like whiplash. Mr. Brady threw down his briefcase creating a sudden loud noise to which the guy with "whiplash" turned around instinctively, showing his true health situation. Needless to say that was the end of the court case.
Sorry, but the story reminded me of the Brady Bunch episode and I could not resist posting it...
Yonah is the CEO of Heftzibah, the construction company that went bankrupt a month or so ago, leaving many families without homes after they shelled out all their savings to buy a place. Yonah skipped town and the police could not locate him. He is suspected for tax fraud, illegal business practices, money laundering and other stuff.
Anyway, they track this guy down by talking to his dumb blonde wife. She claims to have no idea where he is and she has not seen him and he abandoned them and they have no money for living, blah blah blah. Sure enough, she was too stupid to think the police might have tapped her phone. She called good old Boaz and they met up in Italy where the police caught him having lunch with her.
The funny part of the story is the police saw him and identified him but were not 100% sure it was him. The policeman called out "Yonah!" and he, instinctively, turned around. That sealed the identification.
That reminded me of the old Brady Bunch episode where Mrs. Brady (I think) was in court for some traffic accident in which the other guy was claiming damages like whiplash. Mr. Brady threw down his briefcase creating a sudden loud noise to which the guy with "whiplash" turned around instinctively, showing his true health situation. Needless to say that was the end of the court case.
Sorry, but the story reminded me of the Brady Bunch episode and I could not resist posting it...
the pot calls the kettle black
A small school of 20 students had to shut its doors for good. 19 of the children found other schools to go to. 1 student, a child of 4 years old, has not yet found a school to attend.
The parents brought the child to a school and applied. The school rejected the child, supposedly saying that the reason was because 1 grandparent of the child was sefardi. This despite the fact that the parents are both ashkenazi and only 1 grandparent was sefardi (not that it really matters, but that's the story). The child looks ashkenazi and speaks yiddish and is completely ashkenazi.
The school in question is in Bet Shemesh and the principal insists on keeping his school with "certain standards" and he cannot take "damaged goods".
Now, on the one hand, the story is horrible. This is the way Nazi's determined who was Jewish and deserving of persecution. They declared that anybody with one Jewish grandparent was considered jewish. It did not matter how intermarried the children were. One Jewish grandparent was enough to taint the blood.
This principal is applying the same rule and saying this child is tainted because he had one sefardi grandparent.
This is a horrible way of selecting students. You can say the child is academically not at the same level (after testing him), or various other excuses to convince them to find a more appropriate school for their child. But simply because 1 grandparent was sefardi?
This is a scandalous situation that happens all too frequently. Schools have quotas limiting how many children of sefardic descent they will accept. Other schools do not accept any. The girls schools every year have a similar problem with upwards of 150 girls reportedly not having a school to go to. This is just because they did not have the right "connections" and "protexia" or because they are sefardi.
On the other hand, I do not understand why these people insist on going only to the specific school in question. In truth, they are just as bad as the principal. There are dozens of wonderful schools to choose from. Why did they choose this one? Because they consider it the top school. They think because this school got itself a reputation as being the best (I might add they probably got that reputation because they keep out sefardim so in peoples mind they are pure) it must be so and their child must go there and be part of the discrimination against other children, so their child can be "the best".
The mother does not argue how evil it is to discriminate against the child because a grandfather was sefardi. She does not argue how evil it is to discriminate against sefardim in general. She practically justifies it. All her argument is is that "my child" should not be discriminated against because he looks and acts ashkenazi.
She is part of the problem. If it was up to her the school would continue discriminating, just not against her kid. Her kid should get in and then they should continue their policy of not letting tainted kids in so they do not ruin her kid.
The pot is calling the kettle black.
She should be complaining about all discrimination. Not just the discrimination against her. Otherwise this stuff will just keep happening. Right now, I feel bad for the kid who is stuck with no school, but the mother is as much to blame as the principal.
This story has been confirmed to be true. It happened in RBS B. I have not yet found out the name of the school but people who are familiar with the story firsthand have confirmed it for me.
The parents brought the child to a school and applied. The school rejected the child, supposedly saying that the reason was because 1 grandparent of the child was sefardi. This despite the fact that the parents are both ashkenazi and only 1 grandparent was sefardi (not that it really matters, but that's the story). The child looks ashkenazi and speaks yiddish and is completely ashkenazi.
The school in question is in Bet Shemesh and the principal insists on keeping his school with "certain standards" and he cannot take "damaged goods".
Now, on the one hand, the story is horrible. This is the way Nazi's determined who was Jewish and deserving of persecution. They declared that anybody with one Jewish grandparent was considered jewish. It did not matter how intermarried the children were. One Jewish grandparent was enough to taint the blood.
This principal is applying the same rule and saying this child is tainted because he had one sefardi grandparent.
This is a horrible way of selecting students. You can say the child is academically not at the same level (after testing him), or various other excuses to convince them to find a more appropriate school for their child. But simply because 1 grandparent was sefardi?
This is a scandalous situation that happens all too frequently. Schools have quotas limiting how many children of sefardic descent they will accept. Other schools do not accept any. The girls schools every year have a similar problem with upwards of 150 girls reportedly not having a school to go to. This is just because they did not have the right "connections" and "protexia" or because they are sefardi.
On the other hand, I do not understand why these people insist on going only to the specific school in question. In truth, they are just as bad as the principal. There are dozens of wonderful schools to choose from. Why did they choose this one? Because they consider it the top school. They think because this school got itself a reputation as being the best (I might add they probably got that reputation because they keep out sefardim so in peoples mind they are pure) it must be so and their child must go there and be part of the discrimination against other children, so their child can be "the best".
The mother does not argue how evil it is to discriminate against the child because a grandfather was sefardi. She does not argue how evil it is to discriminate against sefardim in general. She practically justifies it. All her argument is is that "my child" should not be discriminated against because he looks and acts ashkenazi.
She is part of the problem. If it was up to her the school would continue discriminating, just not against her kid. Her kid should get in and then they should continue their policy of not letting tainted kids in so they do not ruin her kid.
The pot is calling the kettle black.
She should be complaining about all discrimination. Not just the discrimination against her. Otherwise this stuff will just keep happening. Right now, I feel bad for the kid who is stuck with no school, but the mother is as much to blame as the principal.
This story has been confirmed to be true. It happened in RBS B. I have not yet found out the name of the school but people who are familiar with the story firsthand have confirmed it for me.
Sep 2, 2007
Haveil Havalim #132
I have decided not to go with a theme this time. Rather I am just giving you the goods. Enjoy.
But before I begin, let me just give a shout out to the founder and manager of Haveil Havalim. Soccer Dad has been doing this now for I guess around 132 weeks, which equals about 33 months and about 2.5 years. Way to go Soccer Dad.
If any of you are willing to take the time to host a future edition, be in touch with SD.
bec made aliya. She shares her experience and first impressions with us. Say Mazel tov! and then bec had a "not so" random Jerusalem moment..
Schvach Yid comments on Jimmy Carter
muse compares elul to a bottle of bleach.
Batya discusses Education Reform in Israel.
Rafi G. (that's me!) questioned Rav Ovadia Yosef's outrageous statement about the cause of soldiers dieing..
Heichal Hanegina brings us a couple of stories of the Cherkasser Rebbe in honor of his yahrtzeit...
Go check out this new blog called bIBLemetrics which is all about Israel Baseball League (IBL) stats.
PsychoToddler warns anyone looking to buy a new sukka not to buy it from this guy...
Israellycool tells us the secret for taking over the world...
JoeSettler offers us the chance of doubling our mitzva this Rosh Hashanah by donating to a worthy cause...
AidelMaidel makes us aware of single mothers who are not being given the child support due them...
Batya points us to a story of a Palestinian father whose daughter is in an Israeli hospital, and he does not want her sent back to the hell of Gaza..
SnoopyTheGoon tells about father Jacob's unknown thirteenth son and where he ended up...and then obsesses over some statistics..
Drew Kaplan points us to an article he wrote about the bedtime Shema
The Fiery Spirited Zionist talks about Israeli ingenuity
Israellycool comments on the refugee situation
Robert Eisenman talks about God's Warrior's and the territories
Mere Rhetoric points out what happened right before Olmert offered Abbas security concessions. sigh. and then the Temple Mount.. sigh.
Batya remembers Gush Katif..with shells.
muse has back pain.. will it keep her from going to work?
Rafi G (me again) discussed the issue raised by ROY. I also posted the video of the full shiur for your own listening pleasure...
Yisrael Medad comments on the statement by Christine Amanpour about the settlements
Yisrael then pulled a flyer out of his mailbox..and sometimes even works!!
YidWithLid comments on ICAHD and an incident that happened on an airplane...and brings us the Islamic nut-job of the week...and he reveals plans of a worldwide boycott on Israel..
Judeopundit proposes a new hechsher called Hechsher Tamim to support ethics in kashrut...
Torah Thoughts blog (mine) has a vort from the parsha on putting things into perspective..
The Mo'ah comments on his finding non-Jewish parve ice cream.
Oleh and Big Girl walked through town to run errands....
Yitzchak Adlerstein defends Rabbi Lamm on Cross-Currents...
Meryl Yourish shows us how while Abbas is talking peace, the Palestinians really want war..
Volokh gives us some compelling reasons to put the Boston Red Sox logo, if any, on our yarmulkas...
Jack Bauer, er Jameel, did not go join the excitement at Ben-Gurion airport...
Jack remembers his friend who died 9 years ago...
TherapyDoc talks about leaving out a simple S in a comment...
By the Elder of Ziyon you can see a sample of Isaac Newton's Hebrew handwriting...
Schvach says it is time to up the ante..
muse reminds us Rosh Hashana is coming...
YidWithLid tells us what the PA is really doing with American aid dollars. I do not think the Americans would be too happy to find out... and here he has some videos of the destruction going on on Temple Mount...
Carl points us to who he thinks should be the Prime Minister, and who Bibi is really afraid of...and thinks we have seen the reality of the Peres solution..
A Simple Jew has a guest posting on the topic of leadership...
The PsychoToddler came to Israel and went to visit the grave of his great grandfather...
and Schvach Yid remembers his Opa, that's German for grandfather, on his yahrtzeit...
Carl points out that Olmert seems to have put Jerusalem back on the table...while a Druze police office tried to stop some of the illegal Wakf digging on Temple Mount and was told to stop by his Jewish commander...
Barbara wants Israel to act now in Gaza...
Avromi from DafNotes introduces Daf yomi.. he also brings a very interesting point based on the daf regarding Yosef's coat of many colors..
But before I begin, let me just give a shout out to the founder and manager of Haveil Havalim. Soccer Dad has been doing this now for I guess around 132 weeks, which equals about 33 months and about 2.5 years. Way to go Soccer Dad.
If any of you are willing to take the time to host a future edition, be in touch with SD.
bec made aliya. She shares her experience and first impressions with us. Say Mazel tov! and then bec had a "not so" random Jerusalem moment..
Schvach Yid comments on Jimmy Carter
muse compares elul to a bottle of bleach.
Batya discusses Education Reform in Israel.
Rafi G. (that's me!) questioned Rav Ovadia Yosef's outrageous statement about the cause of soldiers dieing..
Heichal Hanegina brings us a couple of stories of the Cherkasser Rebbe in honor of his yahrtzeit...
Go check out this new blog called bIBLemetrics which is all about Israel Baseball League (IBL) stats.
PsychoToddler warns anyone looking to buy a new sukka not to buy it from this guy...
Israellycool tells us the secret for taking over the world...
JoeSettler offers us the chance of doubling our mitzva this Rosh Hashanah by donating to a worthy cause...
AidelMaidel makes us aware of single mothers who are not being given the child support due them...
Batya points us to a story of a Palestinian father whose daughter is in an Israeli hospital, and he does not want her sent back to the hell of Gaza..
SnoopyTheGoon tells about father Jacob's unknown thirteenth son and where he ended up...and then obsesses over some statistics..
Drew Kaplan points us to an article he wrote about the bedtime Shema
The Fiery Spirited Zionist talks about Israeli ingenuity
Israellycool comments on the refugee situation
Robert Eisenman talks about God's Warrior's and the territories
Mere Rhetoric points out what happened right before Olmert offered Abbas security concessions. sigh. and then the Temple Mount.. sigh.
Batya remembers Gush Katif..with shells.
muse has back pain.. will it keep her from going to work?
Rafi G (me again) discussed the issue raised by ROY. I also posted the video of the full shiur for your own listening pleasure...
Yisrael Medad comments on the statement by Christine Amanpour about the settlements
Yisrael then pulled a flyer out of his mailbox..and sometimes even works!!
YidWithLid comments on ICAHD and an incident that happened on an airplane...and brings us the Islamic nut-job of the week...and he reveals plans of a worldwide boycott on Israel..
Judeopundit proposes a new hechsher called Hechsher Tamim to support ethics in kashrut...
Torah Thoughts blog (mine) has a vort from the parsha on putting things into perspective..
The Mo'ah comments on his finding non-Jewish parve ice cream.
Oleh and Big Girl walked through town to run errands....
Yitzchak Adlerstein defends Rabbi Lamm on Cross-Currents...
Meryl Yourish shows us how while Abbas is talking peace, the Palestinians really want war..
Volokh gives us some compelling reasons to put the Boston Red Sox logo, if any, on our yarmulkas...
Jack Bauer, er Jameel, did not go join the excitement at Ben-Gurion airport...
Jack remembers his friend who died 9 years ago...
TherapyDoc talks about leaving out a simple S in a comment...
By the Elder of Ziyon you can see a sample of Isaac Newton's Hebrew handwriting...
Schvach says it is time to up the ante..
muse reminds us Rosh Hashana is coming...
YidWithLid tells us what the PA is really doing with American aid dollars. I do not think the Americans would be too happy to find out... and here he has some videos of the destruction going on on Temple Mount...
Carl points us to who he thinks should be the Prime Minister, and who Bibi is really afraid of...and thinks we have seen the reality of the Peres solution..
A Simple Jew has a guest posting on the topic of leadership...
The PsychoToddler came to Israel and went to visit the grave of his great grandfather...
and Schvach Yid remembers his Opa, that's German for grandfather, on his yahrtzeit...
Carl points out that Olmert seems to have put Jerusalem back on the table...while a Druze police office tried to stop some of the illegal Wakf digging on Temple Mount and was told to stop by his Jewish commander...
Barbara wants Israel to act now in Gaza...
Avromi from DafNotes introduces Daf yomi.. he also brings a very interesting point based on the daf regarding Yosef's coat of many colors..
Aug 30, 2007
get your shoes off the table
I was on the train last night going home from work. 2 brothers were sitting in the set of seats across from me. They had their shoes off and their feet up on the seats.
On the train when you have your feet on the seats, the ushers who walk up and down the length of the train tell you to put your feet down. If you do not have your shoes on they do not bother you.
These 2 guys (in their late teens I think) had their socked feet on the seats and they had placed their (clean) shoes up on the table.
The usher walked by and told them to take their shoes off the table. They did so immediately and began chatting with the usher about him telling them to do so.
The usher explained that a) they would not do that at home so why would they think it is ok to do so on the train and b) a table is like a mizbeiach (altar) and is inappropriate to treat in that fashion.
NOTE: the usher was a secular/traditional Israeli, not wearing a kippa and he unabashedly gave a very Jewish explanation to two secular teenage kids who were doing something wrong..
On the train when you have your feet on the seats, the ushers who walk up and down the length of the train tell you to put your feet down. If you do not have your shoes on they do not bother you.
These 2 guys (in their late teens I think) had their socked feet on the seats and they had placed their (clean) shoes up on the table.
The usher walked by and told them to take their shoes off the table. They did so immediately and began chatting with the usher about him telling them to do so.
The usher explained that a) they would not do that at home so why would they think it is ok to do so on the train and b) a table is like a mizbeiach (altar) and is inappropriate to treat in that fashion.
NOTE: the usher was a secular/traditional Israeli, not wearing a kippa and he unabashedly gave a very Jewish explanation to two secular teenage kids who were doing something wrong..
Aug 29, 2007
the wealthiest dog in the world
Leona Helmsley, who died last week, has left $12 million to her dog, Trouble.
She left $5 million to each of two grandchildren on condition they visit their fathers grave once a year. To her two other grandchildren she left nothing (for reasons known to them).
That dog, Trouble, must have been a pretty good friend to her. I wonder what a dog will do with so much money... hmmmmm
(this qualifies for this blog because Leona Helmsley was Jewish)
She left $5 million to each of two grandchildren on condition they visit their fathers grave once a year. To her two other grandchildren she left nothing (for reasons known to them).
That dog, Trouble, must have been a pretty good friend to her. I wonder what a dog will do with so much money... hmmmmm
(this qualifies for this blog because Leona Helmsley was Jewish)
innovative solution to save the IBA
Channel 1 of the Israel Broadcasting Authority has been in trouble for a long time. They have been having financial issues and have barely stayed alive. There is constantly talk about cancelling the station.
Anybody who owns a television in Israel is obligated to pay a television tax. This tax is meant to be funding the government controlled Station 1.
I just saw this notice in the newspaper regarding the station:
For the first time since the establishment of Channel 1, there will be a Hachnassat Sefer Torah at the shul of the station in Tel Aviv. The ceremony will be attended by the CEO of the station, along with Rav Yitzchak Batzri - son of the famed mystic Rav David Batzri.
One of the employees said, "This is a segulah to try to save the station." "Only a week and a half ago the employees went up to at graves of righteous for parnassah. Immediately afterwards we all received our salaries. I hope this time as well it will bring good fortune."
Ever wonder where the money you pay for the TV Tax goes? You thought it went towards broadcasting and developing good programming? Now you know it goes to segulahs and sifrei torah.
If anything can save them, it is the sefer Torah. But somehow I doubt the sefer torah is going to save a television station.
And you can even look at this as an "Only in Israel" story... even the employees of Station 1, which is known to be fairly left wing and not favorable to the religious, look for segulahs and resort to Jewish solutions to solve their problems...
Anybody who owns a television in Israel is obligated to pay a television tax. This tax is meant to be funding the government controlled Station 1.
I just saw this notice in the newspaper regarding the station:
For the first time since the establishment of Channel 1, there will be a Hachnassat Sefer Torah at the shul of the station in Tel Aviv. The ceremony will be attended by the CEO of the station, along with Rav Yitzchak Batzri - son of the famed mystic Rav David Batzri.
One of the employees said, "This is a segulah to try to save the station." "Only a week and a half ago the employees went up to at graves of righteous for parnassah. Immediately afterwards we all received our salaries. I hope this time as well it will bring good fortune."
Ever wonder where the money you pay for the TV Tax goes? You thought it went towards broadcasting and developing good programming? Now you know it goes to segulahs and sifrei torah.
If anything can save them, it is the sefer Torah. But somehow I doubt the sefer torah is going to save a television station.
And you can even look at this as an "Only in Israel" story... even the employees of Station 1, which is known to be fairly left wing and not favorable to the religious, look for segulahs and resort to Jewish solutions to solve their problems...
Aug 28, 2007
Rav Ovadia Yosef's speech (video)
Here is the drasha that caused the stir. Rav Ovadia Yosef has an accent that is very hard to understand, but I can follow a lot of it. The "controversial" starts at around minute 51 in the video (it is altogether an hour and 13 minutes long), and he talks about it for a couple of minutes.
BTW, for those who are explaining his words to be referring back to biblical times (i.e. soldiers then who were irreligious would die, not nowadays) are wrong because he is clearly talking about nowadays, and he even sighs and makes it clear how it disturbs him that that is the situation and how he wishes everyone would do tshuva and pray and keep mitzvos, etc (in the 53rd minute)...
Some are talking about his hatred for the secular, and the like. I do not hear that in his speech. He is not talking fire and brimstone and giving rebuke. I hear how it disturbs him and he wishes it to be a better situation. I just do not understand what he is saying because of the questions I have that I posted yesterday.
BTW, for those who are explaining his words to be referring back to biblical times (i.e. soldiers then who were irreligious would die, not nowadays) are wrong because he is clearly talking about nowadays, and he even sighs and makes it clear how it disturbs him that that is the situation and how he wishes everyone would do tshuva and pray and keep mitzvos, etc (in the 53rd minute)...
Some are talking about his hatred for the secular, and the like. I do not hear that in his speech. He is not talking fire and brimstone and giving rebuke. I hear how it disturbs him and he wishes it to be a better situation. I just do not understand what he is saying because of the questions I have that I posted yesterday.
officer got lost in Jenin (video)
Yesterday we heard about the IDF officer who got lost and ended up in Jenin in front of a mob . The PA police prevented the mob from killing him and they got him out safely. Here is a video of part of the incident...
Rabbis are pro cellphone jamming
A number of Rabbonim from England approached Rav Wosner to ask for a signed letter prohibiting the use of a cellphone in shul. They were looking to take it up a step, rather than just leave it as a recommendation against or just a bad concept. They wanted to make it assur.
During the discussion someone suggested that they put cellphone jammers in the shuls. The idea caught on and was brought before a number of other gedolim in order to obtain a consensus to have permission to place such devices in shuls. Rabbis Wosner, Shteinman and Lefkowitz signed the "kol kore" decree urging gabbaim in shuls around the world to install such jammers in their shuls to prevent the use of cellphones during services.
I think it is a great idea, as we are all aware of the disturbance caused by people talkign on cellphones during services. Even if they do not talk, someone inadvertently forgets to turn his off or on silent mode and it rings during services. Even if he does not answer it and turns it off then, it has made the disturbance.
I am not sure as to the legal ramifications. I know in Israel it is illegal to have such a device. Maybe a shul will be able to get special permission (through political connections) from the Defense Ministry to install such jammers.
During the discussion someone suggested that they put cellphone jammers in the shuls. The idea caught on and was brought before a number of other gedolim in order to obtain a consensus to have permission to place such devices in shuls. Rabbis Wosner, Shteinman and Lefkowitz signed the "kol kore" decree urging gabbaim in shuls around the world to install such jammers in their shuls to prevent the use of cellphones during services.
I think it is a great idea, as we are all aware of the disturbance caused by people talkign on cellphones during services. Even if they do not talk, someone inadvertently forgets to turn his off or on silent mode and it rings during services. Even if he does not answer it and turns it off then, it has made the disturbance.
I am not sure as to the legal ramifications. I know in Israel it is illegal to have such a device. Maybe a shul will be able to get special permission (through political connections) from the Defense Ministry to install such jammers.
a kinky segulah
I have heard a lot of segulahs, but this one is new to me.
There is a famous segulah attributed to Rav Chaim Kanievsky that goes like this: if a baby is breech (at a late stage in pregnancy), one should look through the seforim in the house and see if any are placed upside down. If there are some, turn them upside right and the baby will flip over as well.
That one I have heard before. I only mention it here because it was told to me today at the same time as the one I am about to tell you.
This one is wild. It has been attributed to Rav Yisrael Yaakov Fisher zt"l. He was known for recommending segulahs of all types, along with many other great qualities he was known for. He (supposedly) said regarding a breech baby: the husband and wife have to stroll down to Lifta (a natural spring at the entrance to Jerusalem) or Moza (the site of another natural spring, just outside Jerusalem) -
Note: I assume this means any natural spring would work, but he mentioned those two. Or maybe he was specific to these two, so do not hold me responsible if you try it elsewhere and it does not work.
the husband then have to get some spring water into your mouth and put it directly into the wife's mouth.. 3 times! I think she has to drink the water, but the person telling me was not clear on that..
according to R' Fisher - if that doesn't work the baby wasn't meant to turn... and it is dangerous for it to turn.. (hmmm...that means it is not the segulah not working, but it was not meant to be. so you never know if the segulah really works or not.)
There is a famous segulah attributed to Rav Chaim Kanievsky that goes like this: if a baby is breech (at a late stage in pregnancy), one should look through the seforim in the house and see if any are placed upside down. If there are some, turn them upside right and the baby will flip over as well.
That one I have heard before. I only mention it here because it was told to me today at the same time as the one I am about to tell you.
This one is wild. It has been attributed to Rav Yisrael Yaakov Fisher zt"l. He was known for recommending segulahs of all types, along with many other great qualities he was known for. He (supposedly) said regarding a breech baby: the husband and wife have to stroll down to Lifta (a natural spring at the entrance to Jerusalem) or Moza (the site of another natural spring, just outside Jerusalem) -
Note: I assume this means any natural spring would work, but he mentioned those two. Or maybe he was specific to these two, so do not hold me responsible if you try it elsewhere and it does not work.
the husband then have to get some spring water into your mouth and put it directly into the wife's mouth.. 3 times! I think she has to drink the water, but the person telling me was not clear on that..
according to R' Fisher - if that doesn't work the baby wasn't meant to turn... and it is dangerous for it to turn.. (hmmm...that means it is not the segulah not working, but it was not meant to be. so you never know if the segulah really works or not.)
Hava Nagila (video)
Hava Nagila, played by Andre Riuo, master violinist, at the Royal Albert Hall..
(HT: somebody on areivim)
(HT: somebody on areivim)
Aug 27, 2007
yesterday's shchita
I was going to write a post describing yesterday's shchita with more pictures, but I have written such posts in the past, and how different can it be anyway, unless something goes wrong.
If you want me to put up some gory pictures and a description, write so in the comments...
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I could just put up the old pictures from previous shchitas, and you guys would never know. the pics look pretty similar to the old ones. A cow with its head hanging off looks the same in August as it did in March (or whenever the previous one was). But you asked for it, you got it.
My 10 year old son accompanied me this time and took most of the pictures....
If you want me to put up some gory pictures and a description, write so in the comments...
---------
I could just put up the old pictures from previous shchitas, and you guys would never know. the pics look pretty similar to the old ones. A cow with its head hanging off looks the same in August as it did in March (or whenever the previous one was). But you asked for it, you got it.
My 10 year old son accompanied me this time and took most of the pictures....
this weeks outrageous statement by ROY
This weeks Saturday night drasha by Rav Ovadia Yosef is creating quite a stir...as happens fairly frequently.
Rav Ovadia is a fairly "charif" (spicy) rav and he often says sharp things in his weekly drasha. The media is always there waiting to here some spicy quote. Sometimes they take it out of context, but they often share with the rest of us who were not there what he had to say that week.
This week, Rav Ovadia said that the soldiers of the IDF die because "they do not keep the Torah, they do not keep mitzvos, they do not keep shabbos, they do not daven daily, they do not put on tefillin, so is it a surprise that they die? If they repent they will all live good peaceful lives."
Rav Yosef also compared the army to the armies of Israel of old and said that "the armies of yore were armies of tzaddikim and God-fearing men. Anybody who was not such a person was sent home from the army.."
He concluded that "when soldiers are believers and daven, Hashem helps them in battle. They do not get killed. One needs to be clean (spiritually I guess) to go to war."
I am not nearly as close to God's ear as Rav Ovadia Yosef is, so he probably has more of a right to speak in God's name than I do. However, I do find the statement problematic.
First of all, what about religious soldiers who die? How does he explain their deaths based on his theory? Many parents of religious soldiers are outraged by Rav Yosef's statements. One parent said, "I invite Rav Yosef to light a memorial candle on my son's, Yoni's, grave. Yoni was an alumnus of a yeshiva, donned tefillin, kept shabbos, davened daily, kept mitzvos."
Second, what about all the deaths (not army related) in the religious world? Recently we had the summer vacation and there were numerous deaths of yeshiva students on tiyulim or in car accidents. The chareidi newspapers eulogized all those young men with descriptions of how they were the best boys in yeshiva and were righteous and dedicated to the Torah, etc. Were the papers not telling the true story? Were these students really heathens? maybe in public they lived the lives of tzaddikkim but in private they transgressed everything? I would not want to cast doubt on the lives of the poor souls who died, but how would Rav Yosef explain their deaths?
Third, if the Jewish army is best prepared for battle when the soldiers are religious and God fearing and righteous, etc., then what right do the religious parties have to push for deferments/exemptions from the army for the yeshiva students? They should be forcing them to go to the army because they are the only ones who can protect Israel!
Fourth, the deferments the chareidi world get from the army are based on the idea that "by our learning Torah we are protecting the soldiers and all of Israel, better than if we would be in the IDF." What happened to the protection from the yeshiva boys? If these soldiers are dieing because of their not being religious enough, shouldn't the yeshiva boys Torah study be protecting them?
While it might not be my place to criticize Rav Ovadia Yosef, I would like some clarification as to the points above as to how that fits in to his theories...
Rav Ovadia is a fairly "charif" (spicy) rav and he often says sharp things in his weekly drasha. The media is always there waiting to here some spicy quote. Sometimes they take it out of context, but they often share with the rest of us who were not there what he had to say that week.
This week, Rav Ovadia said that the soldiers of the IDF die because "they do not keep the Torah, they do not keep mitzvos, they do not keep shabbos, they do not daven daily, they do not put on tefillin, so is it a surprise that they die? If they repent they will all live good peaceful lives."
Rav Yosef also compared the army to the armies of Israel of old and said that "the armies of yore were armies of tzaddikim and God-fearing men. Anybody who was not such a person was sent home from the army.."
He concluded that "when soldiers are believers and daven, Hashem helps them in battle. They do not get killed. One needs to be clean (spiritually I guess) to go to war."
I am not nearly as close to God's ear as Rav Ovadia Yosef is, so he probably has more of a right to speak in God's name than I do. However, I do find the statement problematic.
First of all, what about religious soldiers who die? How does he explain their deaths based on his theory? Many parents of religious soldiers are outraged by Rav Yosef's statements. One parent said, "I invite Rav Yosef to light a memorial candle on my son's, Yoni's, grave. Yoni was an alumnus of a yeshiva, donned tefillin, kept shabbos, davened daily, kept mitzvos."
Second, what about all the deaths (not army related) in the religious world? Recently we had the summer vacation and there were numerous deaths of yeshiva students on tiyulim or in car accidents. The chareidi newspapers eulogized all those young men with descriptions of how they were the best boys in yeshiva and were righteous and dedicated to the Torah, etc. Were the papers not telling the true story? Were these students really heathens? maybe in public they lived the lives of tzaddikkim but in private they transgressed everything? I would not want to cast doubt on the lives of the poor souls who died, but how would Rav Yosef explain their deaths?
Third, if the Jewish army is best prepared for battle when the soldiers are religious and God fearing and righteous, etc., then what right do the religious parties have to push for deferments/exemptions from the army for the yeshiva students? They should be forcing them to go to the army because they are the only ones who can protect Israel!
Fourth, the deferments the chareidi world get from the army are based on the idea that "by our learning Torah we are protecting the soldiers and all of Israel, better than if we would be in the IDF." What happened to the protection from the yeshiva boys? If these soldiers are dieing because of their not being religious enough, shouldn't the yeshiva boys Torah study be protecting them?
While it might not be my place to criticize Rav Ovadia Yosef, I would like some clarification as to the points above as to how that fits in to his theories...
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