Monday, March 16, 2009

Four square

Every once in a while there's so little to write you end up with a post like last night's. And every once in a while you have so much to write that you end up with a play like last night's.

What's a guy to do? There's simply so much to be said. I could for example publicly defend myself against a private email attack, or else wonder why Ohad, Shloime Gertner, and Shwekey have all failed to put out recordings in the last two years (or so). Then again, I could write a little something about the existence of G-d, or maybe even pontificate about chitas.

You know what? That's a good idea. Am I the only one out there who completely forgets that it's a double parsha until it's Monday, and then have to make up a whole day's Chumash? This seems to happen to me every time there's a double parsha. Not that I'm complaining, of course, it just strikes me as funny.

Next topic? Right, we've got some existence of G-d shtuff. Now look, I'm a simple guy. By that I mean that I'm very accepting and shallow, not given to questioning the way things are or even wondering at them. Yeah, I'm the poshite yid Lipa Schmeltzer isn't. Not that I'm not intelligent, but I tend to accept things at face value, and not analyze them. That's why I was never very good with Gemara. Be that as it may, I wasn't meaning to toot my own horn here or anything, or even to denigrate myself. I merely wanted to figure out what it was that made atheists tick. You see, there's two famous arguments made by Jewish philosopher people, only one of which is really Jewish, but whatever.

The one that isn't Jewish goes something like this: so there was a big bang. Ok. We're happy for you. But what caused the big bang? At some point there had to be something which made those two little particles come together and produce whatever it is that the big bang was. Science can work its way back to that point, but before that? It's no go Charlie. And don't tell me, "It could have been anything, why G-d?" That's just lame. Fine, it was a higher power. Or whatever. But it was definitely something. Something pretty danged powerful, and beyond what you or I can possibly concieve in our little imaginations.

And the second, Jewish proof? You know the whole mount sinai thing, where 600,000 men and countless women and children gathered together and had the biggest trip of their lives? So yeah, we're the only religion confident enough to claim mass revelation. Because when millions of people saw something together, it's kind of hard to lie about. This, by the by, is known as the Kuzari principle.

So come one, come all, to the great atheist fair, and tell me why these aren't good proofs! Or else abandon ye false gods and start keeping kosher.

Next up we got music, namely those three artists who have been negligent in their musical distribution. Honestly, Shwekey I could care less about, but I'd love to hear new cds from the other two. And while we're at it... paging Ben Tzion Friedman, Avraham Fried, Mordechai Werdyger...

And last and possibly least, it's time for the public response to a private indignation. You see, a couple of days ago I got an email cursing me out for referring to a certain Rabbi as the "Chazzan Pish". After a little searching it turned out that I never called him that. So then I got cursed out for not cursing out whoever used that term. I pointed out that if I were to respond to every stupid thing said on this blog I'd have no time to actually blog. So then I got cursed out for not taking responsibility for everything written on the blog. Makes sense? Not so much.

Anyway, the Chazon Ish's big sin was A. Arguing with R' Chaim Naah (and the Alter Rebbe), and B. Being the epitome of a "snag". The first would make anyone's blood boil, and the second just gets under the collective chassidic skin.

This reminds me of the famous story of a rebbe or rabbi or big someone (the Chassam Sofer maybe?)who was told, "Rabbi person, they're saying your Torah in their name!" The great man responded, "As long as they don't say their Torah in my name."

Oh yes, and I hope everyone enjoyed the paragraphs. A pain they were.

14 comments:

le7 said...

Thank you for the paragraphs.

e said...

I also enjoyed. thanks man. i'll talk about god when i get to a computer. maybe you just want to cut and paste what i wrote to you?

e said...

subscribing

bonne said...

hm, well I'll just stoll along to school then and begin my debates using these here arguments.
Paragraphs appreciated.

Just like a guy said...

e: as soon as I get to a computer I can copy and paste...they're only coming out with the software for the iPod today, and you have to be by a computer. Oh well. I'm sure you'll do a good job.
Sara: what kind of debates?
My pleasure.

Anonymous said...

Well, as a sorta-snag I'm going to be your fly in the ointment:

1) The kuzari principle is disproved by no less an authority than the Bible itself. See Melochim beis haftara for second day Pesach(?) WIth JOsiah HaMelech v'chulu.
Sorry Sarabonne, you can't debate on that point.
2) Abandon THY false gods. I know chagas chasidim declared war on diq'DhUQ but for English grammar you have no excuse.
3) Won't argue with you on the music
4) Let's get this straight. Someone cursed you out for not deleting my comment where I asked you about that particular epithet which I was in fact protesting? Please pass the following on to this someone: "Your kavod hateireh makes you a real tzaddik -- a pey-tzaddik"

Just like a guy said...

1. You ever looked it up? I just did. You can't disprove the kuzari from it.
2. What was this said in reference to?
3. Is that a good thing?
4. I like.

Dovid said...

Once a mashpia was saying by farbrengen how the Chazan Ish looks down from shamayim and is jealous of a Tommim sitting and learning Tanya. A litvishe guy heard this and wrote a letter of indignation to the Rebbe (this was back before e-mail). In farbrengen the Rebbe said something to the effect of "well its true".

Anonymous said...

TRS-Sorry if I got the haftara wrong. I remember it from when I learnt melachim straight through and I think it's a haftara. When Yoshiyahu is kores bris sheinis with klal yisroel upon finding the sefer torah (some scholars, including some who aren't kofrim say it was the Mishnah Torah -- from eleh hadvarim until ad tumam -- which was and will be bb"a again read at hakhel). When he read it to them, they all agreed to keep it and said yes it's all true and not one person said "we never heard about this from our fathers. THey all believed the revelation story with less basis than the a"z the kuzari mentions. Those had someone who claimed God talked to him come and talk revelation. Here someone read from a book about someone else. The kuzari proof is refuted from there and we continue to believe because we believe.
2-Thy false gods. In archaicese ye means the, or you-plural. Never "your"

Anonymous said...

3-yes
4-Thanks. Did you tell him?

Dovid: Nu, so?

Just like a guy said...

Modeh: 1. You are correct, it is the second day pesach haftora. Lean it again. They found the last remaining Sefer Torah, from moshe, rolled to the tochachah, but they knew what it was, and they certainly still had a mesorah. Just because they were frie doesn't mean they were ignorant. There were no sifrei Torah since achaz-hezekiah's daddy-but there were still neviim rolling around. Besides, the kuzari is not based on the existence of a Torah, but rather the existence of a mesorah, which they had. Again, go look it up.
2. Sorry.
3. How so?
4. No. Should I?

Anonymous said...

1-Will look it up again. I seem to recall something about the people hearing it for the first time.
3-I agree with you so we can argue and scream at each other about important shtuff like the kuzari instead of Jewish pseudo pop
4-Why not. Post what he says. If he really gets on your nerves post it with his name.

Just like a guy said...

1. Read tonight's post.
3. That's no fun!
4. Well, I'll direct him to read the comments on this post.

Anonymous said...

To Dovid 2:36 --

True it is.

But, to put a little spin on things, in a compilation sefer of sorts, "M'Shivchei Rebbi" (Laufer, EY 5759) - there's a sort of "follow-up" per se, after that anecdote, albeit roughly translated on my part:

"10 Adar Sheni 5714, the Rebbe went to be 'Menachem Avel' the Kopischnitzer Rebbe. At the end of the ride, which was accompanied with several Ziknei HaChassidim, the conversation evolved about the "Chazon Ish". Someone began speaking, and the Rebbe interrupted him: 'A Yid who is in olam Haemes, shouldn't be spoken about (harshly?)'.

The Rebbe added, 'apparently, he was a Yirei Shomayim'.

Someone added, 'He was also a lamdan'.

The Rebbe, again: 'But that was also with Yiras Shomayim..'

- From the diary of the Rebbe's secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky (the chaffeur at the time)."