Category: Technology

Blog Update: No More Comments At All

7/11/2021

Shalom,

I've officially disabled comments on this blog, even though that setting apparently does not apply itself to previous posts, making it look like I need to go into every previous post & manually close comments for each post...which isn't practical because it means going through hundreds of posts.

So older posts will apparently still show the comments enabled along with the option of commenting, even though officially, they've been disabled.

I apologize in advance if anyone gets confused or frustrated by that bug.

Anyway...nothing happened; just noticed I wasn't being consistent with my new mostly-no-comments comment policy, so thought it best to disable them altogether.

If you want to know more about why I scaled back on the comment section in the first place, please see this post:
blog-update-of-2-changes-1-a-new-most-popular-section-and-2-no-more-comments-including-a-lengthy-explanation-of-why.html

A whimsical image to balance out an otherwise boring post

Blog Update of 2 Changes: #1 A New "Most Popular" Section and #2 No More Comments (including a lengthy explanation of why)

9/8/2021

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Change #1: The Addition of a "Most Popular" Posts Section

This new section presents a list of this blog's most popular posts throughout the past 6 years (as best as I could figure, anyway).

They're arranged by topic.

You can always find them by clicking on "Most Popular" in the blog's banner above, or simply click this link now:
Most Popular

Change #2: No More Comment Section on Future Posts

Note: The following sections contain analysis of the Web-wide comment section phenomenon, and not just why this specific blog will mostly no longer feature comments.

Since last Rosh Hashanah, I've been considering closing down the comment section for future posts.

It seemed like a good idea for a variety of reasons.

Just for knowing: Nothing happened recently (so those of you who recently left comments should feel reassured it was nothing you did or said to spark the comment shutdown).

It was something I felt an inner push to do for a long time.

My blog never got so many comments anyway, so closing the comment section isn't a big deal.

So this announcement is more a courtesy to let readers know that while the comment function remains open, comments won't generally be published.

Some people prefer to communicate via a comment rather than email. Leaving a comment is simpler & quicker than email.

So I wanted to leave that option open.

But occasionally, a comment may be published if it meets the following criteria:

Provides a FACTUAL correction
Asks a vital question
Provides vital information lacking in the original post...

...then yeah, I might publish that comment.

(I could also make a correction or update within the post without publishing the comment.)

For an example of a comment making a factual correction, please see here:
http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/loneliness-rejection-as-aspects-of-mashiach#comments

Over the years, I realized the comment section is a weird place because it looks fairly innocent & not so different than the Letters to the Editor section in a newspaper.

Sometimes, the comment section is even more interesting than the articles.

(You know those websites where you barely skim the post, then head straight to the comment section? Exactly.)

Some people think closing comments means closing free speech & expression.

It could mean that, but doesn't have to mean that.

So why knock out the comment section?

The Weirdness (and Often Uselessness) of The Comments Section

A popular non-Jewish blogger who regularly garnered 100 comments per post closed the comments section of his blog.

Why?

He found he spent too much time rebutting commenters who simply hadn’t read his post carefully and these rebuttals forced him to reiterate what was already in the post.

In other words—meaningless exchanges.

The nastiness in many comments also wore him down.

Even only 10 nasty comments out of 300 neutral/positive comments can a tax a blogger.

And those 150 word replies that look like the blogger whipped in them out in a few minutes? Those can take a surprisingly long time to formulate—not to mention the emotional energy sometimes involved.

In a frum comment section, you're more likely to encounter more intelligent, useful (and much funnier!) comments.

But those are often interspersed with the same insults & inanity found everywhere else.

Additionally, the comment section isn't just about interacting with the people there, but interacting in front of an unseen global audience.

Furthermore, anything you write is now permanent (unless you delete it & hopefully wasn’t saved by anyone else).

So any comment you make in your comment section needs to provide a very clear voice and meaning—as if you were speaking.

But because you mostly don’t know to & before whom you’re speaking, it’s difficult to decide how to phrase your replies in a way that expresses best what you want to say.

You can end up spending too much time overthinking whether you should end with an exclamation point or a period, and whether a smiley or frowny is cute or pathetic or confusing.

For example, I knew a woman who has undergone a very stressful life. To compound matters, she had some sort of problem, like a mild mental disability—or what a psychologist friend of mine calls “low-normal.”

Anyway, this woman revealed that she was very active on online forums. She submits comments as her spirit moves her. She can’t differentiate between rumor-mongering and responsible speech, plus she offers inappropriate advice to others and can’t refrain from attacking back if she ever felt attacked.

And her writing didn't necessarily give her away.

Paying attention to spellcheck can help a lot in comments.

Also, she kept her comments pretty short, so there wasn’t that much room for error. Finally, abbreviations, lower case, and lack of punctuation are so acceptable online today, errors in grammar, syntax, and spelling don't necessarily indicate the intelligence of the commenter.

The point is that you really don’t know whose commenting online and interacting with you and criticizing or advising you (unless you DO know).

Furthermore, unkind or grating comments contain more pain per pop simply because they are aimed at you before an unseen audience of hundreds or thousands (or more).

You can easily find yourself in embarrassing and frustrating situations where, despite your noblest intentions, you respond with too much heat to an infuriating comment.

The Global Open House

The comment section is an unnatural place.

Picture holding a continuous open-house invitation announced to the entire world.

A lot of people show up...mostly to just watch whatever’s going on & what you have to offer.

But everyone shows up with a paper bag over their head, so you can’t really see everyone & aren't even sure exactly how many people arrived.

You intersperse the gathering with short speeches here and there.

Yet out of the whole crowd, only 2 or 3 people ever respond, usually positively (which you really appreciate).

A few times, a couple of attendees step out to politely correct a mistake in your speech, which you also appreciate and which you handle well by admitting your mistake and correcting it.

But most of the time, there’s no response at all.

Yet occasionally after giving a talk (in which you invested tremendous time, energy, research, plus speaking from your heart), someone suddenly strides out the crowd and loudly disagrees with you.

You have no idea who is this person inside the paper bag, what his background or knowledge consists of—and even worse, he also utilizes manipulative debate techniques.

You’re not sure exactly how to respond because you’re not sure where he's coming from, what he already knows, whether the fault lies in your presentation or in his understanding...plus what everyone else would consider mean or intelligent or convincing or pathetic.

You also want to behave with good middot because Hashem is watching too.

So you give it your best shot, but because your detractor is either manipulative or innocently-yet-extremely-self-absorbed, nothing gets through.

Another person remarks passionately on your speech, but you aren’t sure exactly what she meant because her speech is muffled by the paper bag over her head, but she seems sincere & you appreciate her intention.

Then a car stops near the curb of your lawn and another person hops out, shouting, “Hey, your last speech came to my Instagram account from someone who attended this open-house. And I just want to tell you that you really need to educate yourself!”

You understandably find this even more disorienting and again, struggle to respond in a way that is convincing, articulate (to everyone, including the people who aren’t listening carefully), and mature.

Furthermore, she harps on a relatively minor point in your speech, overshadowing the main and most inspiring points.

Then she twists around what you said into something you didn’t mean.

(In other words, her criticism isn't even valid.)

Later, you discover that all the people who were initially inspired by your last speech ended up with a negative and erroneous impression of your words—all because of that impulsive self-important heckler.

***

Would the above ever happen in real life?

NO.

The self-righteous, opinionated people who just jump in with no introduction would be considered really weird and inappropriate in real life...yet this is exactly what happens on blogs.

Think of the unpleasantries you got into via email or social media or in a forum or comment section—unpleasantries you never would have in real life (including not via snail mail either).

Do we want those interactions on our Heavenly cheshbon?

Pre-Approved Comments Come with Issues of Their Own

Setting a blog up to approve every comment before it appears also creates issues.

Deciding whether to approve a comment can also be fraught with doubts. Maybe most of the comment is great, but one sentence contains lashon hara.

And what if the commenter inadvertently offers misleading or harmful information—do you just let it go or do you risk offending or putting down the person in a very public forum?

If the comment is very long (i.e., its writer put a lot of time & effort in it) or comes from a sensitive and pained heart, but it violates your comment policy or halacha (or both)—do you publish it?

Once someone replied to a strident comment with some very good insights—along with labeling the initial commenter as "self-righteous" and accusing the person of causing a lot unnecessary emotional pain.

The thing is, I AGREED with the second commenter. The first commenter indeed stated his/her opinion with self-righteous insensitivity.

So my sympathies lay with the second commenter.

But after a lot of deliberation, I decided not to publish that second comment because I was pretty sure the offensive commenter would not only respond with a condescending lack of remorse, but heap on even more offense (with the intent of being "helpful," of course).

I didn't want my blog to turn into that kind of thing, so I refrained from publishing the responding comment (and feeling bad because I really liked & agreed with that commenter).

Furthermore, struggling to understand exactly what the commenter means and then respond appropriately is also often fraught with difficulty.

Add into the mix people who comment in a language in which they aren't so comfortable and you’ve got a recipe for confusion and frustration.

Misunderstandings happen all the time online. They don’t have to turn into flame wars if both sides judge each other favorably, but they are frustrating nonetheless.

And, as described above, reading and responding to comments can take a surprisingly huge chunk of time.

So all that is why comments will mostly no longer be published on this blog.

(And it took me a year to get around to finally putting that idea into action.)

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who left comments that:

added great insights & important information to the topic
offered vital corrections
asked pertinent & intriguing questions

left kind words & encouragement

Thank you!

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I Support the Goal of Amazon Employees to Fulfill Their Ideals & Avoid Hypocrisy!

30/5/2021

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Because this is the Internet, and because any ability to perceive various uses of humor (sarcasm, irony, pathos, etc.) disappears during online browsing, please be forewarned that a large part of this post is written tongue-in-cheek.
What's more, I think that's what space aliens are REALLY mining here on Earth, IMHO. If you've noticed, the rise in UFO sightings has coincided with the decrease in the ability to utilize or perceive humor in writing. I really think I'm on to something here...

Hamodia recently published an article about people who clearly lack even the vaguest awareness of on which side their bread is buttered:
https://hamodia.com/2021/05/27/amazon-employees-ask-bosses-support-palestinians/

Their 4th demand states:

To sever business contracts and corporate donations with companies, organizations, and/or governments such as the Israeli Defense Forces.

Ironically, a significant part of their Amazon salary & source of their jobs comes from...Israel.

For example:

The USB flash drive we all use (and is widely sold Amazon, and which is used widely by Amazon employees & customers for Amazon digital products) was developed by the Israeli M-Systems in conjunction with IBM.

(Although to be fair, China, Singapore, and Taiwan all claim to have developed it independently at the same time.)

Intel 8088 processer, the first personal computer microprocessor (used by IBM), which inspired many Intel "offspring" in that field.

Waze, the popular GPS system.

I certainly hope these Amazon employees never use it and make no money off of selling anything to do with Waze, so as not to benefit their Israeli producers in any way, in accordance with the demands detailed in their impassioned letter.

I'm also very concerned about Amazon's selling of the Quicktionary translator pen, first produced in Yerushalayim by Wizcom Technologies.

I certainly hope these concerned Amazon employees will stop making any money selling these pens and refuse to use them themselves...EVER.

These Amazon employees also must not have anything to do with the Wix webhost.

Do they know that every time they visit a website hosted by Wix, they are supporting an Israeli company in Tel Aviv? Do they ever use Wix for their own websites? I sincerely hope not!

I also hope they never sell or use anything to do with VoIP technology, produced by VocalTech in Herzilyah.

These Amazon employees MUST avoid this technology like the plague!!!

The origins of VoIP are worse than any of the above.

Read this scandalous reveal from Wikipedia:

VocalTec was founded in 1985 by Alon Cohen and Lior Haramaty while still serving together in the IDF, and was officially incorporated in 1989.

Did you get the "while STILL serving in together in the IDF" part?

It doesn't get worse than that!

Also, Amazon employees, please STAY FAR AWAY from anything to do with Text-to-Speech technology, which provides revolutionary assistance to blind people. Alon & Lior made transformative developments in that too and practically invented the Hebrew version.

Also, no more Rummikub! Ephraim Hertzano invented it.

Okay, he first created it in Romania. But after coming to live in Eretz Yisrael in the 1940s (the 1940s? why would he leave Romania davka then? hmm...), he continued to develop the game in ISRAEL and then market Rummikub worldwide. Delete Rummikub from Amazon!

Okay, guys...you probably thought the above was bad enough.

But you know what?

I've saved the worst for last:

Kindle.

Yes, yes...THAT Amazon ereader.

Amazon corners the market in ebooks & ereaders.

And (deep breath) the original Kindle technology was mostly developed in...Israel.

The Herzliyah Industrial Zone, to be exact.

I'm so sorry.

Please, above-signed Amazon employees...PLEASE...just give your entire ebook market over to Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.

Toss out all the Kindles and just let Nook take over the entire market. (Or Kobo Clara HD. Or Apple Reader.)

Sever those business contracts with Israel companies, organizations, and/or governments such as the Israeli Defense Forces—and do so NOW!

It is clearly the best way to support the Palestinians along with the the Palestinian jihad ideology, Gazan missile attacks on civilians, Palestinian terror attacks, rampant domestic violence within their own community, FGM on their own females, using their fellow Palestinian children as human shields, and much more.

(Not that all Palestinians are bad, of course! However, as a society, they suffer from certain issues, such as Arabian male privilege, lack of diversity, and—well—a tendency toward unbridled za'am. No offense.)

Please, above-signed Amazon employees! Do your best to fulfill your stated ideals & avoid any vestige of hypocrisy or personal interest.

We're counting on you to do the wrong thing.

Image by Tablet Helpline from Pixabay

Buh-bye, Kindle! Your origins simply aren't "woke" enough!

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How the Texas Cold Disaster Revealed Torah Wisdom

10/3/2021

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As Jews, we're supposed to view the big picture as much as we can in our limited 3-dimensional state.

And most people (including me) struggle to maintain the balance between normal derech-hateva understanding & efforts versus maintaining a solid knowledge that Hashem is orchestrating everything down to the tiniest detail.

That's normal. But it's a paradox and not an easy one to live in (which is a massive part of our job here in This World).

Furthermore, all the different analyzations about a variety of subjects available today with finely tuned theories (which often include profound bias—or undergo adjustment to fit political correctness) often seem intriguing.

It's easy to get caught up in all the debate & analysis surrounding a hot topic or an intriguing phenomenon.

I have the same tendency, of course. So I try to rein it in as much as I can.

But over the years, I discovered that listening to our real Torah Sages and their conclusions help one arrive at the truth much faster—and putting it all together under a Torah lens proves even more intriguing than a sound-clip-oriented TV debate or the flaming back-and-forth in a forum or comment section.

A Brief Look at Winter in Texas throughout the Century

Let's look at Texas in February 2021, for example.

Shockingly cold weather hit Texas.

First of all, most people don't know that the state of Texas is huge:
268,596 square miles/695,662 square kilometers

The entire United Kingdom could fit into Texas.

Or the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Luxembourg and Hungary could easily move into Texas together.

Some Texas ranchers own property reaching over 400 square miles.

So when we're talking about a polar vortex covering Texas, we're talking about something massive.

Climate-wise, most of Texas is hot-subtropical. The next biggest climates are hot semi-arid, cold semi-arid—with pockets registering as hot or cold deserts.

See here:

By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Redtitan" title="User:Redtitan">Adam Peterson</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

In much of Texas, winter temperatures rarely dip below the 40s (Fahrenheit) with many days of weather in the 60s.

A friend who grew up in Texas recalled going outside in summer clothes when it snowed in the winter.

Why?

The air was so hot, the snow melted on its way down. It never made it to the ground.

I never heard of such a thing. She said they watched the snow come down, then melt in midair.

That's a snow day in Texas.

In fact, most of Texas sees less than an inch of snow per year.

On the other hand, Texas gets hit with blizzards—but not over the ENTIRE state.

Northwest Texas got hit with 10-20 inches of snow in 1957, which killed off 20% of the local cattle population & defeated snow plows.

A 1985 January storm left San Antonio covered in over a foot of snow—the worst San Antonio had seen in 100 years (must be all that global warming!).

West Texas caught one of the worst blizzards in its history in 2017 (dang that global warming again...) with 8-foot snow drifts & 50 mph winds.

Houston's 2 biggest snowfalls hit in 1899 (20 inches) and 1960 (over 4 inches).

In 2018, the North American Ice Storm hit Northwestern Texas in a 1000-mile rampage.

But none of these caused anywhere near the damage & suffering Texans faced as a whole in February 2021.

Results of the Cold Disaster in Texas

Right now, you can hear Texans gnashing their teeth about their failed infrastructure during the February disaster.

Pipes burst or froze & the power grid failed, leading to millions of people stranded at home in freezing conditions without heat, electricity, or water.

(Even people with generators didn't necessarily have heat because key components froze.)

One house burned to the ground while the firemen watched because their equipment could not operate under the conditions.

Around 70 people died.

Texas lost over half its grapefruit crop and 100% of its orange crop.

Burst pipes resulted in the loss of 325 million gallons of water.

Overall damage resulted in estimates of 195 billion dollars.

Some Texans are receiving utility bills charging them tens of thousands of dollars—even when they didn't have power.

Texan pipes aren't made for such freezing conditions and many Texans blame their politicians because even though extreme cold rarely hits Texas, it still happens.

(Although when has such extreme cold hit most of Texas for such an extended period of time—10 days?)

I think the infrastructure could have been better prepared. Texas authorities also gave terrible advice by telling people not to drip their pipes, which would've helped prevent their bursting—maybe.

But even if Texas had been prepared for its rare short-lived snow storms, does that mean it would've been prepared enough for this one?

Despite cold weather hitting Texas periodically, it was only this severe storm that broke the water pipe in a northeastern building—a pipe that managed to survive since 1924.

While the Texas government must do its best to benefit its citizens, focusing solely on prepping & water pipes misses the big picture.

Winterized Infrastructure Would Have Helped, But Not Completely Prevented the Problems—Why?

Hashem knew the exact limits of the Texan infrastructure and He sent them a weather phenomenon to overwhelm their grid by a long shot.

Even if hot & dry Texas installed the kind of pipes used in North Dakota's frigid blizzards, a fiercer storm could still overwhelm that.

Such a bizarre weather anomaly should make us sit up & pay attention.

It reminds me very much of Dor HaMabul (Generation of the Flood).

Prior to the global Mabul, Hashem sent repeated warnings in the form of natural disasters: earthquakes, local flooding, constant thunder & lightening...He even caused the Sun to rise in the West rather than the East when Metushelach passed away (Me'am Lo'ez, Parshat Noach).

See more here: http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-generation-of-the-flood-has-reincarnated-into-our-generation-heres-the-evidence-also-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-others

I don't know why davka Texas got hit with such extreme cold weather. It could be connected to a certain gashmiut, like how America's oil mainstay exists in Texas.

Or something else entirely.

But several points stick out:

Such an extreme cold weather attack flies in the face of the global warming theory—a theory policy-makers use to extort money (carbon taxes, etc.) from citizens & invent useless programs (for both money & to gain or stay in power).

Yes, I realize part of the global warming theory contorts itself to make it seem like global warming ironically leads to global cooling. But anyone with common sense can see that such cold extremes deny global warming.

Even those prepared found themselves in dire straights when their preps failed them—like their generator.

Even those with enough food found themselves battling freezing temperatures with no way to even warm a can of beans or water for tea.

People with wood stoves didn't have enough wood prepared for this magnitude or couldn't always access the wood.

As noted by president of the Texas Farm Bureau, a dairy farmer himself for 40 years: "It's hard to prepare for what you've never lived in." (source)

His entire life, he never saw a weather event like this in South Texas.

And he was prepared! He needed to be because of his livestock.

So despite previous cold weather events, there was never any reason to prepare for a cold weather attack of this magnitude, especially in South Texas.

Yet discussions abound on how Texas can "combat climate change" and how to better winterize Texas infrastructure, plus which politicians to blame.

All that totally misses the point.

Dor HaMabul attributed their natural disasters to mundane reasons.

And so does today's generation.

The Information Superhighway Will Remain Open until the End

The Texas cold disaster also pinpointed a very interesting insight made by Rav Itamar Schwartz around a year ago in this PDF Q&A:
http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf.

(Please note that some of Rav Schwartz's students made transcripts of his original Hebrew lectures, then translated them into English, and one posted them on a website independently of Rav Schwartz. That's how I access his material.)

He claimed that the nisayon of the media/Internet would last until Mashiach.

That struck me because it flew in the face of the sensible-sounding predictions made in society, like, "There won't be any CNN around to film the End of the World."

Or, "The End of the World will not be recorded."

Or Einstein's: “I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."

In other words, technology will be busted. Of course! How could it not?

But Rav Shwartz, with his Torah-knowledgable spiritually attuned point of view, said (page 10):

When the media will disappear, Moshiach will come.

But until Moshiach comes, the innermost level of the shaar hanun d’tumah [50th level of spiritual impurity/blockage] dominates in the world and it contains a mixture of kedushah [holiness] and tumah [spiritual impurity/blockage], from the highest level of kedushah all the way down to the lowest level of tumah.

That is why in this generation everything has become mixed and confused together in a disturbing way, which our logic cannot comprehend.

This will not change until the coming of Moshiach.

And even more clearly on page 66:

Q.
What will be happen with the media (mass communication)?

A.
This is the last thing which they the media will cut off from. It is from this the media that they live from.

From this, they the media will not cut off!

Hashem will be the One to cut it all off.

It's important to note that when Rav Schwartz says "media," he also means the Internet, social media, etc. (That correlation may not be clear in the above excerpts, but it's very clear throughout the original PDF.)

Anyway, his idea intrigued me because in trying to imagine an End of the World according to this idea, I found it difficult to imagine, especially in light of what most people (especially American preppers) predict.

Yet we saw exactly Rav Schwartz's insight during the Texas disaster.

During some hours, people lacked power, electricity, heat, water...but they had cell phone service.

They managed to call loved ones & communicate online (send tweets, update Facebook, comment on blogs & forums)...even as they were unable to bathe, cook, heat their home, or any other basic modern function.

Running out of food & water, they still managed to charge the cell phones in their car.

Isn't that weird?

Yet that's exactly what happened.

These are the times in which we live.

Following the True Wisdom as Best You Can

As you can see, I have Internet & email.

I have access to media (though even the frum media is increasingly disappointing...).

I place a lot of restrictions on my Internet usage, but I'm not perfect about those restrictions and according to Rav Schwartz, I really shouldn't have it at all.

But I still follow him in whatever I can manage because that's how we grow on our own level: by listening to someone who tells us to reach higher, to wiggle at least a little bit out of our comfort zone.

Same thing with Rav Avigdor Miller.

Do you think I manage to uphold every single thing he advises?

Ha!

But I try to do what I can.

The point here is to listen to the real Torah scholars. The ones who truly work on their middot, who possess real knowledge, who know how to think, and who understand how to analyze current events to offer us their true meaning & genuine wisdom regarding events.

True understanding is found among our own, starting from millennia ago until now.

Please note that Rav Itamar strongly & lovingly opposes Internet use. He is in no way associated with the Bilvavi website, which was established by one of his students (probably via a charedi Internet center using Netfree) solely for the purpose of kiruv for secular Jews. See here for more: https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/

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What is the Torah View on Media & How It Affects Us?

23/2/2021

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Let's look at what's going on with the media in all its forms & view it from a Torah outlook.

Since the onset of covid-19 around a year ago, Rav Itamar Schwartz of Bilvavi repeatedly emphasizes the need to separate from anything that is not authentically Jewish (i.e. anything not based on Torah).

This does not mean just a physical separation, but an emotional, spiritual, and psychological separation.

This "spiritual distancing" also remained an ongoing theme with Rav Avigdor Miller throughout his life; he consistently noted sources to support this as a primary Torah ideal.

At the same time, both rabbis acknowledge how complex & challenging it is to do this.

So they give us the goal and the path to that goal, but at the same time, they also expresses sympathy with the difficulty, encouraging us with baby steps and also paying attention to our unique soul needs.

The Melting Media

Frankly, I feel far from this ideal. However, I've also made progress in this area, baruch Hashem.

It helps that nearly all media has turned into a one-track-minded golem of one type or another, an entity that cannot think beyond black-and-white and has shed any shred of integrity it once possibly had.

Even frum publications are becoming a drag to read, with their reliance on mainstream media for information.

(Meaning, one needs to suffer reading how the current freezing disaster of Texas results from "global warming" or global warming's alter-ego: "climate change," plus a lot of biased fear-mongering regarding covid-19, sympathetic reporting of the BLM movement & the violent criminal drug-addicted negligent father who died under a cop's knee, plus concerns about "compliance" in the frum community—without rational explanations of why this desired "compliance" is scientifically valid, and so on.)

So I haven't been reading the news so much lately, even the frum news.

With regard to Trump, the Left refused to engage in any objective reporting. They also displayed tremendous hypocrisy when they slammed Trump for engaging in behavior they themselves engage in.

But with literally a couple of exceptions (one being Ben Shapiro), the right also refused to view Trump with any objectivity.

So here we had:
One side viewed & portrayed him as evil incarnate while the other side viewed & portrayed him as the great savior possessed of only the loftiest intentions.

For a more balanced view of Trump's Presidency, please see the following:
https://hamodia.com/prime/navigating-national-meltdown-torah-guidance/

https://hamodia.com/prime/trump-media-truly-unbelievable-unbelievably-true/ (I mean specifically Samuel J. Abrams, who reflects a lot—though not all—of what I think too.)

And this increasing repellence in the media clearly results from Hashem, to help us disconnect from the media.

I'd say the same about the problems & ongoing revelations regarding social media—all these drawbacks help us disconnect. Whether that means to cancel one's account completely or to minimize usage, the annoyances & lack of ethics in social media helps us disconnect on some level.

I personally don't use any social media. If I did, I'm not sure if I would be able to stop. (Sort of like with Internet & email; once you've stepped into the web, it's nearly impossible to extricate yourself.)

So I'm not judging others for being on "Fakebook" or Twitter because I don't know if I myself would be able to extricate myself once already in...with gratitude to Rabbi Wallerstein who, via his shiurim on the topic, caught me right at the time of decision & convinced me not to even try out social media. But would I be able to stop once started? I honestly don't know.

(Just to clarify: There are good articles & beneficial material in the frum media. Many of the writers are good, sincere people. But there are problems too.)

Media Detracts from Your Individuality

Recently, I read how one of the European Torah Sages expressed his trepidation regarding the publishing of a frum newspaper to combat all the really awful brainwashing of secular Jewish media of the pre-WWII era.

He definitely saw the need for a frum newspaper, yet expressed regret how any newspaper harms one's individuality.

Even a frum newspaper impinges on one's individuality because it still affects independent thinking.

I wish so much I could remember where I read this! I'd like to quote it directly.

Nonetheless, the principle is easy to see.

We all see how we're influenced by articles, blogs, op-eds, video clips, and the whole package.

All this affects our emotions & our opinions.

Here is a PDF Q&A from Rav Itamar Schwartz's lectures on the media. Disclaimer: It is pretty strong & I'm not there yet either, but whatever you can take from it is very, very good. At the very least, people should be aware of this good hashkafah:
http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.on.the.Media.pdf

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-voting-to-save-the-country/
(This is from 1980 & the U.S. is less decent than it was at that time, though certainly the media & entertainment industry still desperately tries to convince us that the average American is just as depraved as the industry is.)

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-how-to-become-a-baal-teshuva/

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-common-sense/

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-conservative-talk-radio/

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-fake-news/

torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-the-danger-of-newspapers/

"Once upon a time when the world didn’t have any newspapers – when there was no literature – so it was possible for a person to think on his own and to have common sense."

-Rav Avigdor Miller
Tape #613

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The Lessons for Us Revealed in the Words of 2 Major Torah Sages in Modern Times

4/11/2020

There's an excellent article at Hamodia called Through the Eyes of a Gadol, regarding the Internet.

It presents interviews with 2 Gadolim [major Torah Sages], Rav Gershon Edelstein of Ponevezh Yeshivah and Rav Dov Landau of Slabodka Yeshivah, plus excerpts of speeches by Rav Edelstein.

Listening to the actual words of a big talmid chacham always creates an eye-opening experience.

They both think & feel very differently than the average person.

For example, one thing they do is ask "why." Or "what."

I noticed this in encounters with other Gedolim, like Rav Shteinman.

They want to delve into the issue & understand. So they ask "why."

So in this article, for example, Rav Edelstein asks, "What's the problem?" and "What do you mean by 'they need it'?"

Rav Landau asks, "Can you not do there what you do here?" and "Why is it different?"

And then they both listen to the reply.

Both opine that the Internet is extremely harmful. Yet they still inquire into the details and the listen.

Attitude: Sympathy

While Rav Edelstein speaks strongly against unfiltered Internet ("It is Gehinnom on earth and in the World to Come. It’s a double Gehinnom"), he also comes off as sympathetic to those who desire Internet.

For people who initially acquire Internet for their livelihood, but then end up using it throughout the day for other things (and only 10% of it for parnassah), Rav Edelstein doesn't criticize their desire or tell them to get rid of it completely (perhaps showing he understands that most people feel they simply cannot do that). Instead, he repeatedly emphasizes the need for a filter.

He doesn't expect people to make it on their own. He understands people need help.

He understands the tremendous pull of the Web, even though he personally does not struggle with this at all.

Likewise, Rav Landau acknowledges that it is a terrible nisayon, and not a nisayon faced by previous generations.

Again, he doesn't castigate people, but focuses on what a thorny & unique nisayon it is.

Rav Landau also focuses on the people who are doing things right, like the success in Internet filtering in Eretz Yisrael (far from perfect, but there has been success) and emphasizing the yirei Shamayim & talmidei chachamim in America.

Clearly, both talmidei chachamim give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Baby Steps Matter! You're Fabulous! Your Efforts MATTER! You're Making Yourself Great!

Then Rav Edelstein goes into a passionate description of gloriousness of people who overcome their yetzer hara in this nisayon [a very trying challenge], mentioning how this wonderfulness is true regarding any nisayon.

He praises small efforts:

"...one moment spent doing teshuvah and good deeds in this world is better than all the World to Come. Even a single hour of teshuvah and good deeds! More than the entire World to Come!"

Very encouraging.

He says a lot of good things about how the zechus [merit] created by overcoming this particular challenge brings success in parnassah [making a living] and with children.

I found this phrase particularly encouraging:

"Any time someone combats his nature it is a tremendous zechus..."

"Every bit of improvement, every effort, every hardship faced. You cannot measure its value."

I have some major nisayonot (and not just the Internet), and I get really miserable in the struggle to overcome them. It's often all very wearisome.

And then I wonder if it's really worth it. And I wonder if I'm doing things right anyway. It gets confusing at times.

But seeing these statements from Rav Edelstein put new fire in me.

I hope this renewed fire lasts at least until tomorrow—b'ezrat Hashem!

I think the most amazing & encouraging statement from Rav Edelstein came regarding the people who hold strong in the Internet nisayon:

"They can give people brachos!"

"Absolutely! They can give brachos. They have siyatta diShmaya [Heavenly assistance]!"

They have the power to bless others? Seriously?

Whoa.

But it must be true.

Rav Edelstein would never say empty words.

Humility & Unity

Many talmidei chachamim today consider Rav Edelstein a Gadol.

But when he advises how to combat unkosher Internet usage, Rav Edelstein says that it's up to the Rabbanim...as if he isn't one—or as if he isn't one that committed American Jews wouldn't listen to (but he is!).

Rather than taking the reins, he outsources to the Rabbanim in the USA.

Likewise, when they speak with Rav Landau, he asks if they consulted with Rav Edelstein already.

When they reply in the affirmative, he responds, "We will follow whatever he says...Klal Yisrael cannot work if everyone gives an opinion."

Needless to say, Rav Landau's opinions are significant. He clearly knows his own mind & also the Torah. Yet he defers to Rav Edelstein as if he is not Rav Edelstein's equal. And he does so for the sake of what's best for the entire Jewish people.

In other words, no ego.

Finally, Rav Landau blesses the entire Jewish people:

"The Eibershter should help that everyone will be able to do what they need to do."

The entire interview shows how Rav Landau feels connected with his fellow Jews.

When the interviewer blesses Rav Edelstein that he should merit to greet Mashiach soon, Rav Edelstein replies:

"All of us together. All the Jews."

A Little Bit about Lashon Hara

6/4/2020

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Many of our Gadolim already pointed to lashon hara as being one of the causes behind this pandemic and its bizarre consequences.

It's not surprising, especially since modern technology enables lashon hara to get out of hand, spreading around the globe – and to do so immediately.

Prior to modern technology, one simply could not commit lashon hara on the levels possible today.

How much lashon hara could you spread by mouth alone?

And that was already considered really, really awful.

Telephones & radios & newspapers increased the power of lashon hara.

Then with social media & Internet, the impact of one short phrase of even avak lashon hara (the dust of lashon hara) became magnified by thousands of times.

Podcasts & video-sharing sites also magnify lashon hara into the thousands.

Putting aside the blogs & websites (whether Jewish or not) that promote lashon hara, how many otherwise good people unthinkingly participate with a short comment or tweet – or even a thumbs-up "Like!" in response to a slanderous social media post?

Even people who care about lashon hara don't always realize that what they've read is forbidden.

Even if you care about lashon hara and have studied the laws, it's still easy to trip up in this area.

We all have our blind spots and we also sometimes forget the halacha (which is particularly complex in the laws of speech).

Very Common Scenarios that Trip Up even the Best of Us

Though I've been through books on lashon hara, studying a halacha a day over a long period of time, I'm always surprised by what I miss at this point about lashon hara.

Right now, I subscribe to an excellent Q&A about lashon hara that arrives in my Inbox every day.

(You can also subscribe at the Chafetz Chaim Heritage Foundation HERE.)

This way, you can easily learn a halacha each day.

And here are some real-life examples that arrived from this Q&A to my Inbox, examples that trip up even good, well-meaning people:

Bothered by wrongdoing

The town I live in has an overwhelmingly Jewish population. Every day I drive to work during the morning rush in our town, and the aggressive way many people drive really bothers me. They push their way into traffic, giving drivers no choice but to let them in; honk their horns excessively; speed wildly through about-to-turn-red lights, etc.

Q:I feel that if I don’t talk about it, people may not realize how wrong it is! May I tell my coworkers or family members, “People in our town drive so aggressively, it’s appalling!”

A: Talking about a group even without names is lashon hara. Additionally, many people speak like this with a “holier than thou” attitude that does not yield results and reinforces negative speech. This is loshon hora, and there is no excuse for speaking this way. If you are proposing realistic solutions to people who will take you seriously and make changes in the way they drive, that would be a valid to’eles, and speaking would be permitted.

Reviewed by Rabbi Zev Smith. Actual halachic decisions should be made by a rav or halachic expert on a case-by-case basis.

How many people know that the above is forbidden?

Unless you are:

Offering practical solutions...
...and offering them to people who will actually listen...

...then you aren't allowed to say it.

I missed this one myself because the person is speaking about such a general group (i.e., he's not targeting a specific individual or named group within the Jewish community; he's not even specifying whether it's a frum community) and because he has a good intention for speaking of it (he wants to stop it).

That's a big lesson for those of who blog (and gave me an "Uh...oh" sinking feeling in my own stomach).

Here's another from the same source on a more personal level. Again, note the good intentions of the person posing the question:

One neighbor on my (primarily Jewish) block is careless about where he parks his car. He blocks people’s mailboxes so the mail can’t be delivered. He obstructs people’s driveways so they can’t park or get out. He even parks in front of the garbage containers so that the garbage can’t get picked up.

It really bothers me, but as a peaceable fellow, I don’t want to confront him about it.

Q: May I tell our shul Rav about it? This way, the Rav can speak to him and he’ll learn his lesson, and I won’t have to give up on my friendly relationship with him, since he won’t know it was I who told.

A: One may not speak loshon hora about another person even l’toeles (for the benefit of preventing people from being harmed) without trying to approach that person first. Your neighbor may change what he’s doing if he hears it from you. Ask advice from a knowledgeable person as far as how to approach your neighbor in a way that is tactful and respectful.

Reviewed by Rabbi Zev Smith. Actual halachic decisions should be made by a rav or halachic expert on a case-by-case basis.

Isn't that such a common scenario? Especially since the questioner wishes to speak with a rav, and not just a friend or family member of the offender.

Especially because he wants to involve his rav, many people think that doing this is actually a GOOD idea. (Heck, I did too! And I've been reviewing hilchot lashon hara daily for a couple of years now.)

Surprisingly, it's not okay to even ask his rav to speak to the offender about it until he has spoken personally to the offender.

(This is, of course, in case where he's not sure whether the man will listen to him. If he knows for sure that the offending man won't listen, then it's a different question.)

Here's another common scenario, also from the same source:

My husband’s the best person to intervene
I was at my in-laws’ home for Shabbos, prepping the food with my mother-in-law before the Friday night meal. Suddenly she began criticizing the way I speak to my children. She was agitated and even called my parenting methods “lazy.”

Q:I’m hurt and surprised. My mother-in-law is generally a kind and sensitive woman with a refined nature and positive attitude. I want to tell my husband what happened so he can intervene with his mother and give her a chance to apologize or explain. May I tell my husband what happened even though it’s negative information about his mother?

A: When someone acts out of character, we must try to understand what happened and see it in a positive light. If it’s clear that the person really did speak or act incorrectly, we have to assume that she realized it and immediately regretted it. Speaking to someone else about the incident is usually not considered l’to’eles. (If the hurt person feels she can’t move on, then she should consult rabbinic guidance about venting to another person.)

Reviewed by Rabbi Zev Smith. Actual halachic decisions should be made by a rav or halachic expert on a case-by-case basis.

Again, this is another common situation in which many people do not even think twice about before speaking with their spouse.

And again, note how the questioner sees herself as a having a beneficial reason for speaking to her husband, especially since she wants to give her mother-in-the-law the benefit of the doubt and hear her side of it.

Time's Up

The above are all common situations engaged in by good, well-meaning people who care about hilchot lashon hara.

It's so easy to trip up in such situations.

And then what happens when such things are upload to public outlets?

Or even a private email or text between only 2 people?

Many people in the frum community have been complaining about the online lashon hara since the beginning – and good for them.

To their credit, they leave warning comments after posts or articles containing lashon hara.

But it has been going on for a long time and just getting worse.

Hashem was very patient for a long time.

And now we're seeing the consequences of our behavior.

May we all do teshuvah to the point that we don't even WANT to speak lashon hara – not even by accident!

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The Paradox of the Present Pandemic

2/4/2020

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The results of coronavirus contain both positives and some very distressing negatives.

This post addresses the consequences for both Jews (whether religious or not) and non-Jews.

First of all, it first achieved infamy in a place known for its violations of all 7 Mitzvot Bnei Noach.

As one example: Rabbanim in Eretz Yisrael actually forbade receiving organ transplants from China when they realized the likelihood of an innocent person (aka, political prisoner) being murdered to provide the new organ.

(This never became Israeli law, as far as I know, so only people who care about halacha listen. But still.)

And yes, some of the mitzvot violations in China are against the people's will, but not all.

For example, no one is forcing anyone to eat ever min hachai – yet some Chinese people do so happily with the approval of their surrounding society.

And while the Chinese government forced abortions on women about to violate their former one-child policy, no one forced Chinese women to abort their unborn females so that couples could have the son more desirable in Chinese culture.

(This has also given China the unnatural result of more males than females. Naturally, a society should have more females than males. China's ratio of males to females is the highest in the world: around 115 males for every 100 females. And yes, this is causing social problems.)

Furthermore, growing research shows that an increasing number of Chinese babies available for adoption are actually kidnapped from their families of origin. This is a particularly serious violation against the Noachide prohibition against stealing.

And again, very few within Chinese society seem to care about this. Some do (and it's unfortunate that they're suffering along with everyone else), but most don't seem to.

And so on.

A Change in Values

Secondly, many venues reflective of ancient Greek culture are now either banned or limited.

A very happy result of coronavirus is the increasing shut-down of ancient Greek cultural activities, the shut-down of the Olympics being most symbolic.

Increasingly, people can also no longer gather together to watch young men chase leather balls across a wide swathe of green or across a polished court (AKA soccer & American football & basketball).

People can no longer watch the licentious half-time shows performed by young women who have no respect for their own tzelem Elokim.

They no longer have an excuse to brawl and commit other senseless harmful acts in their great enthusiasm for watching guys in funny uniforms assault leather balls with their feet or bats.

Music performances, especially those known for their degenerate lyrics & acts, accompanied by rampant drinking & drugging & violent or lewd behavior, are being cancelled one after the other. (Yay!)

Movie theaters are emptying out.

And bars & dance clubs? These are the scenes of so many crimes (and are, in fact, the main source of college girls being violated — though most liberals refuse to acknowledge this), in addition to drinking & drugging & licentious behavior — and now they're emptying out.

How many lives have been harmed by the whole bar-hopping culture?

That's all coming to an end.

Certainly, if people have stored a supply of alcohol at home or know how to make their own, they can still act like drunken chimpanzees in their own home.

But bar brawls that spill out into the street & prowlers looking for female prey are coming to an end (at least temporarily).

And who knows? Maybe drug addicts & alcoholics will have no choice but to dry out during quarantine.

Also, I heard about one couple with a young child from which the husband walked out and went to live with his brother.

But when the lockdown started, the husband decided he preferred to be with his child and decided to do his best to get along with his wife.

And so he moved back home.

As Per Tanach, Hashem has Distracted Our Enemies from Their Genocidal Plans

Our enemies in Iran are being decimated.

Interestingly, it seems to have hit the leaders first. During the Obama administration, the Iranian people themselves tried to change their government. Also, Iranian Jews repeatedly claim that your average Iranian does not suffer from Jew-hatred & are actually pretty nice in general.

The desire to destroy the Jews of Eretz Yisrael lies with the leaders of Iran, not the average citizen – and that's exactly who got hit first.

Furthermore, with Iranian leaders consumed with the virus now among their general population, they can no longer afford to focus on destroying Israel or funding terrorist groups.

Having said that, I'm still sorry for the suffering of those who wish to live moral & peaceful lives.

Showing One's True Colors

I still think Italy's high death rate (around 10%) is because the hospitals are making unethical selections, as per Rav Moshe Heinemann's Q&A session, in which (using well-known examples from the Gemara) he states that you cannot turn away a patient simply based on age.

Italian hospitals have been turning away people over 60 – just because they're not 59. Or 22.

If a person reaches the point where he or she needs hospital treatment (whether a respirator or a vitamin C infusion or other effective treatments unable to be performed at home), and that person is turned away...well, that naturally increases the chance the person will die.

And by behaving with such a lack of integrity, a nation sours the din against themselves even further, which also increases illness & fatalities.

Italy is also the birthplace of Rome.

Chocolate, wine, opera, fashion, a powerful mafia, and unholy religious practices had and still have their root in Italy.

There's nothing innately wrong with chocolate or wine, of course. By their focused excellence in these areas, it becomes a symbol of indulgence (rather than a criticism of the actual food itself).

Also, while opera is considered a classy activity, have you ever read the opera storylines? They're silly at best & immoral at worst, as are some of the costumes.

And all these activities have drawn to a halt. (Well, mostly anyway.)

And now this center of Rome is singing self-aggrandizing songs (patriotic or sports anthems) from their porches to keep their spirits up while their hospitals turn away desperate people simply due to their lack of youth.

It's all rather Edomite, if you think about it.

I'm sorry for the innocent there who are suffering along with the self-indulgent.

Just Say NO to National & Continental Unions

Countries must be more independent now.

The current situation forces them to enforce their borders.

Even within a country, they are enclosing cities and states.

In America, despite its lack of physical boundaries around each individual state, some states (like Florida) are enforcing its boundaries by placing checkpoints at all incoming roads and the airport.

Because most of Florida is surrounded by ocean, it only has states on its northern boundary. States surrounded by other states (like Wyoming, which has 6 states along its boundaries) will have a harder time doing this.

We learn in Parshat Noach that Hashem does not approve of mass unification.

Along with the plain text of the Torah regarding Migdal Bavel (the Tower of Babel), the commentaries are quite clear on this point.

You can see the Kli Yakar detail all the problems with mass unification in The Kli Yakar on Parshat Noach, in which he explains the despite the nations' proclamations of peace as their objective for mass unification...in reality, mass unification leads to more war.

Remember, prior to World War I, Europe was led by monarchies who were related to each other – some several times over.

For example, Kaiser Willhelm II of Prussia & Germany was a first cousin to the British King George V of England; both were the grandsons of England's Queen Victoria. The monarchies of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark intermarried with each other and siblings ruled bordering countries.

The Queen of Greece had a royal British mother (Princess Victoria) and a royal German father (Frederick III).

Queen Marie of Romania was the daughter of a Russian princess and a British prince.

Even today, European royalty consists of second- and third-cousins.

Yet all those marriages and intertwining sibling & cousins did not prevent WWI.

The only time unification leads to peace is when it consists of tzaddikim.

When Hashem disperses people, it's for their own good.

Likewise, you can peruse An English Translation of the Malbim on Parshat Noach to see that Malbim makes the same points as the Kli Yakar.

Most of the leaders of different countries (maybe all) are not good people. They operate out of self-aggrandizement and the desire to perpetuate anti-God ideas throughout society – just like Dor Haflagah.

All their ideas for mass unification and being "one big happy family!" and creating "a global village" actually lead to destruction, as detailed by the Torah commentaries.

Via coronavirus, Hashem has put a stop to this.

If you think about it, it could easily be that the number deaths from coronavirus is actually less than deaths resulting from mass unification, and this is Hashem's Chessed, even though it doesn't look like a chessed on the surface.

But it is.

Making Room for Compassion

Despite the obvious fairness of the din and the positive results from the lockdowns, there is also a painful & difficult side to the whole situation.

And that shouldn't be ignored.

And while I haven't written so much about my personal experiences within one of the most intense lockdowns in the world (Eretz Yisrael), there are definitely very challenging aspects to it, believe me.

I've had my moments in which I feel seized with fear. Baruch Hashem, they've been moments and not entire days.

And there are other challenges too.

And I also know that people who live alone, or who live in cramped conditions within a large family, people who live with at least one difficult family member who refuses to try to get along and behaves even worse due to the situation, people with existing health problems, people who were dependent on cleaning help, people who naturally possess bundles of energy and are now confined to their apartment, people who find it exceptionally difficult to endure the current grocery-shopping challenge (waiting outside for a long time while maintaining the proper distance from other shoppers) only to enter and discover there are no eggs or pasta or band-aids left, people who need a constant supply of essentials like diapers & baby formula, people who've lost a family member & cannot receive the support they desperately need right now, and all sorts of other situations...

...so by focusing on the positive outcomes of coronavirus, I certainly do not mean to tromp all over the very real suffering of people.

It's just that we should realize that this pandemic and its bizarre consequences did not come for no reason.

For example, it's good that all the stupid sports events that lead to pritzus & violence & animalistic behavior have been nullified.

Some couples with poor shalom bayit have actually been treating each other better & helping each other more because they can't afford NOT to get along in the current lockdown. Also, there's more appreciation because of actually being at home & seeing what the other spouse actually does. (The ones I've heard from aren't saying that things are perfect — they still have their snapping-turtle moments — but there has been overall improvement.)

Another benefit is that people who (consciously or unconsciously) built their self-worth on tremulous values (such as the ability to run a pristine home or produce amazing meals or excel in their career or sculpture themselves with gym workouts, etc.) are finding themselves trapped in limiting circumstances that are forcing them to redefine themselves.

In other words, people who (consciously or not) defined and/or esteemed themselves by their outside activities are now having to adjust themselves to their home & immediate family.

This is ultimately a good thing, but understandably very difficult & even painful in the beginning.

Another example: For some people, the sudden opportunity to run their own Seder for the first time this year is the chance they've been waiting for.

For others, it's an overwhelming duty rife with disappointment & stress.

So again, the obvious good & seeming bad run in parallel lines.

What's more, it's very distressing that people are sick & dying, and that the bereft cannot receive the support and comfort they need.

It's also very distressing that people whose livelihoods depend on outside activities (like musicians, caterers, store owners, store clerks, plumbers, electricians, house cleaners) or people whose livelihoods depend on people coming to their home (ganenets, in-home daycare, health & cosmetic practitioners, in-home sellers, etc.) can no longer earn a livelihood.

VERY distressing. (That's somewhat our personal situation right now too, BTW.)

Yet even when we can't physically help people, praying for them helps tons.

The Pandemic Paradox of Seeming Bad & Revealed Good Mixed Together

By seeing the results of coronavirus pandemic (especially the positive results), we get a better idea of what Hashem wants from us (both Jews whether religious or not & non-Jews) – ideas we can take with us for the long term.

He wants us to get along better – especially being nicer to those with whom we make our home.

He want us to enjoy all aspects of life, including chagim & simchas, just for themselves without feeling that extra extravagance is vital. (It might be more fun and more attractive, but we can still be perfectly happy without ice sculptures or crazy music or a limo, and so on.)

He wants us to become more inner-focused.

He wants us to focus on ridding ourselves of actual chametz (and all the spiritual meaning that implies) rather than the non-essential spring-cleaning aspects (which, again, add a nice feeling for Leil HaSeder, but are not essential to Pesach).

He wants us to let go of our taavot. (I suppose I'm not the only one who bought lots of essentials without having the room or the money to stock up on cookies, candy, white flour, and chocolate?)

He wants us to give up our addictions. (With increasing lockdowns, alcohol & drugs are much harder to come by, if not impossible. Online gambling is unfortunately available – though increasingly limited finances discourage it – but casinos are no longer an option. Other unmentionable vices are also unavailable.)

He wants us to pay attention to how we pray.

He wants us to be careful about our speech and what we do when we interact with others.

There's more messages from Him, but you probably have your own good ideas.

Also, we probably all realize that in some ways, people might also behave increasingly worse, despite the obvious messages to behave better.

When isolated or cooped up in stressful environments, people also immerse themselves even more deeply in hi-tech outlets. (How many people are surfing, tweeting, texting, uploading "stories," playing video games, and watching videos even more than they were before?)

People are also sinking into less ideal behaviors, like drinking more, oversleeping more, smoking more, eating more, snarling more, fighting more, depression, paranoia, etc.

So yeah, again, there's the good and the bad together.

However, by conforming ourselves to Hashem's messages, we can avoid a worsening of the situation and hopefully halt the negative consequences in their tracks.

May Hashem eliminate coronavirus from our midst and grant all the cholim a complete & speedy refuah. May He also return us to our schools, yeshivot, and schools. May we experience true "simcha shel mitzvah." And may we always gather together for good reasons!

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Rav Avraham Schorr's 9 Points Regarding the Best Response to Coronavirus

16/3/2020

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A valued reader generously summed up a shiur (which I don't have the opportunity to access right now) on the present situation by Rav Avraham Schorr.

(The recording is available here: 732-400-9003; press 1; then 1; then 41.)

Here are the main points:

Saying Ketoret is very important.

(For more information on how to do that and Ketoret's profound meaning, please see Interesting Facts about the Ketoret Incense Prayer.)

The rav expressed a lot of pain over the sway shmutzy technology holds over so many people.

He used this parable:

Let's say a person comes to a fork in the road with 2 options:

Road #1 has a lion.

Road #2 has a nisayon (a challenge).

Which road should the person take?

The road with the lion.

Why? Because there’s only danger to his body — his physical well-being.

But the path with the nisayon endangers his very soul.

That's not how most of us make our decisions, but this is the true priority.

Rav Schorr saw a similar example of this when he witnessed 2 people in the street who wouldn’t shake hands out of fear of the coronavirus...but they held smartphones in those same hands they refused to shake.

He said that, really, smartphones are so much more dangerous than coronavirus.

Shamelessness has invaded the streets & unfortunately infiltrated the frum community to some extent.

Just like Torah is more severe with men than women (though women don't get a free ride either) regarding their taavot, it is likewise more severe with women regarding tsniyus (dressing & behaving with dignity), even though men also must adhere to tsniyus.

Rav Schorr emphasized the necessity of a husband talking to his wife about her tsniyus. It's not ahavat Yisrael to remain apathetic to how our loved ones dress in the street.

(I'm also going to add that the idea of a "trophy wife" is completely un-Jewish and any man who secretly enjoys showing off what he's got as far as his wife's material attributes are concerned is a bit of a sicko. But don't worry — this can be fixed! Anyone can heal his sicko aspects. Also, the Pele Yoetz speaks a lot about a man's responsibility to guide his household in the ways of Torah, and to do so PLEASANTLY. Men can speak to their wives with love, appreciation, and respect regarding her tsniyus. He can also buy her gifts and do other things to show her how much he appreciates her, which helps her appreciate his POV regarding her tsniyus.)

He advised: “Be ready to give away a taavah (a non-spiritual craving): clothing or books or magazines; take something you want and get rid of it."

As far as prepping goes, the rav advised against panic-hishtadlut (efforts) in favor of mentschlikeit hishtadlut.

(I guess this means no ramming other shoppers with your cart or giving people dirty looks because they are doing the same last-minute shopping that you are...I heard this happening in some areas of the USA.)

And here are 4 final points from the shiur:

Corona is from Hashem, not China. Do teshuvah!
No lashon hara! Quarantine your MOUTH!
Get a flip phone (or the little phones we have with no Internet connection at all).
Real ahavat Yisrael (He said: “Help others now! What are you saving your money for?”)

Thank you again to the wonderful reader who took the time to sum up the shiur, which gave me so much chizuk & guidance. (You know who you are, wonderful person!)

I hope Rav Schorr's ideas offer encouragement, direction, and reassurance to anyone else reading this.

May Hashem protect us from all harm & may all the ill people enjoy a complete & speedly healing of the nefesh & the guf.

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Some Ideas on a Spiritual Approach to the Coronavirus Challenge

12/3/2020

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Both Rav Itamar Schwartz & Rav Shalom Arush voiced their thoughts on how to respond to coronavirus, based on spiritual "physics":

Along these lines (and based on opinions heard from different rabbanim on previous misfortunes in Jewish history), this post expands on possible connections. Again, these follow the mussar I've learned, plus Jewish perspectives of similar events, however, they're still just my own ideas and not more than that.

Withdrawing the Unparalleled Privilege

Sometimes, when we don't show enough appreciation for a mitzvah, Hashem temporarily withdraws it.

Our halachic obligations are actually privileges, even if they don't always feel that way.

Serving Hashem b'simcha is one of the most vital aspects of Judaism (and sometimes, one of the hardest).

So Hashem might temporarily withdraw the opportunity to learn Torah in yeshivah, to learn in a frum school, to daven in a minyan, and so on, if we haven't been doing so with enough zest.

Likewise, if we go according to Rav Arush's idea, we see that a quarantine is either a way to separate us from others and/or an effective way to make us spend more time with others (if we have family at home), which can also be both a blessing & a challenge to our middot.

Yearning for these sometimes unappreciated opportunities is a good way to earn them back.

Warm or Cold: Which Way will Things Go?

On the other hand, going according to Rav Itamar Schwartz's idea of all the social media connection being "cold" (like Amalek) and back-to-back, when we need more "warm" face-to-face connection:

Imposed quarantines can force us into more face-to-face communication (if we live with others). But for those alone, it forces them into more back-to-back communication (because that's the only way they can communicate in quarantine).

On yet another hand, even people living together can turn toward technological distractions as an escape.

We see this now when a group of people sit in a room together, yet each person is staring into his or her own tablet/laptop/phone.

And on still yet another hand, technology is less available right now (though I don't think we're feeling it so much at this point).

For example, I delayed buying a new printer when my old one crashed. Now the printer best suited for my needs & pocketbook is on-hold in China, even though the store I visited usually carries it. Apple says the quarantines & illnesses are delaying software updates.

The big clincher here is we're all expecting the Internet to remain running.

I don't know how much a working Internet depends on people being out in an office. Other related aspects, like the necessary electricity, does need hands-on people to keep going.

But even with those who escape into their phones or computers at home, we'll still be forced to spend more time with actual people (if we have them around).

Certainly, a downturn in our ability to go out or use other forms of communication opens up more opportunity to spend time in prayer & learning Torah.

Looking into Ourselves for Ideas

Right now, our ability to engage in certain mitzvot is limited.

Why might Hashem do that?

It's connected to the idea above, that if we don't use a spiritual privilege properly, Hashem might temporarily withdraw it.

So if we invest ego gratification in a mitzvah or perform it with a non-Jewish flavor, then that also cheapens the mitzvah.

In the past few parshas, for example, the Kli Yakar has discussed copiously the intent of wealthy people when they give tzedakah. If there is pride involved, it diminishes the mitzvah quite a lot, even if the actual amount given was quite generous.

Likewise, sometimes people get caught up in a well-intended yet misguided perspective regarding mitzvot.

Sometimes, very precious mitzvot like hachnasat orchim or bikur cholim invite lashon hara or other prohibitions if we're not careful.

Bitul Torah (or just plain bitul) can also be a problem in conversation. Even just taking upon oneself to insert at least one Torah thought into an otherwise tiflus chat can make a huge difference, spiritually speaking.

As much as we can, our get-togethers should consist only of mitzvot & real Jewish simcha.

Some communities love to celebrate mitzvah milestones, like weddings, bar mitzvahs, chalakas, brissim, etc., with a massive investment of money & planning.

The core desire is rooted in the neshamah's awareness of the spiritual beauty of the event.

But the mind & heart can get caught up in the material or competitive or insecure aspects that sometimes end up coming to fore.

Yet even a tiny bit of restraint or looking into one's underlying motivations (even if it doesn't feel like extravagance because so many other people are doing the same) can have a resounding effect in Shamayim.

Another example: In the effort to look nice l'chvod Shabbat or attending shul, some people style themselves in a way to knock people's eyes out.

This too can be remedied by using very small steps.

For example, a little less blush "l'shem Shamayim" or a skirt that's a bit longer or a hair-covering that's a bit more refined or going with regular heels (or even flats) rather than 2-inch spindly heels can have a surprisingly powerful impact in Shamayim.

Also, woman habituated to scarlet-nail manicures can choose a more refined color.

Even though long nails are still a problem within tsniyut, and in some communities nail polish is a big no-no regardless of color, the fact that she's refining herself for Hashem even in a small way is still a VERY BIG DEAL IN SHAMAYIM.

If you're doing it for Hashem, these little refinements can resound far more than imaginable.

Seriously.

Just as one example, Malky Feig’s Mountain Climbers 2 tells of how a young frum woman overcame a bleak diagnosis when she resolved to stop using a soft-bristled hairbrush on Shabbat (because it unintentionally pulls out hairs, which is forbidden on Shabbat, even though she’d bought the soft bristles to avoid such a thing—but it unintentionally pulled out some hair anyway).

Many people will scoff if you focus on such small seemingly insignificant acts, but the proof is in that story and many other stories of this type.

Other people might not notice your efforts, but Hashem sure does.

Small Steps CAN Tilt the Heavenly Scales—YES, THEY CAN!

Hashem cares about our heart.

So yes, seemingly insignificant acts reap huge results...as long as we're doing it for Him and His Torah.

Everyone's on a different level and each person excels at one aspect while struggling with another aspect — and these aspects are different for each person.

Deciding what aspect (no matter how small) to focus on is a very individual decision.

Frankly, I think heeding Rav Avigdor Miller's recommendation not to discuss your process with others is very wise.

(He's repeats this recommendation in several lectures. Here's one example: Rav Avigdor Miller on Friends & Cronies.)

Especially regarding small steps, another person can scoff at your contemplation and ruin everything.

That's not okay.

No matter how small, if you're taking a step in the right direction, then that is GREAT.

It really is.

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Change #1: The Addition of a "Most Popular" Posts Section

Change #2: No More Comment Section on Future Posts

The Weirdness (and Often Uselessness) of The Comments Section

The Global Open House

Pre-Approved Comments Come with Issues of Their Own

A Brief Look at Winter in Texas throughout the Century

Results of the Cold Disaster in Texas

Winterized Infrastructure Would Have Helped, But Not Completely Prevented the Problems—Why?

The Information Superhighway Will Remain Open until the End

Following the True Wisdom as Best You Can

The Melting Media

Media Detracts from Your Individuality

"Once upon a time when the world didn’t have any newspapers – when there was no literature – so it was possible for a person to think on his own and to have common sense."-Rav Avigdor MillerTape #613

Attitude: Sympathy

Baby Steps Matter! You're Fabulous! Your Efforts MATTER! You're Making Yourself Great!

Humility & Unity

Very Common Scenarios that Trip Up even the Best of Us

Time's Up

A Change in Values

As Per Tanach, Hashem has Distracted Our Enemies from Their Genocidal Plans

Showing One's True Colors

Just Say NO to National & Continental Unions

Making Room for Compassion

The Pandemic Paradox of Seeming Bad & Revealed Good Mixed Together

Withdrawing the Unparalleled Privilege

Warm or Cold: Which Way will Things Go?

Looking into Ourselves for Ideas

Small Steps CAN Tilt the Heavenly Scales—YES, THEY CAN!

Myrtle Rising

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"Once upon a time when the world didn’t have any newspapers – when there was no literature – so it was possible for a person to think on his own and to have common sense."

-Rav Avigdor Miller
Tape #613