Sunday, April 19, 2009

Go us, and them, and everyone in between

This afternoon my family and I paid a visit to Byerly's in S. Louis Park where I beheld, for twenty six dollars, "Death by Chocolate." Crazy, no? The cake was half the size of cakes which cost half as much, and yet they had the chutzpah to display it prominently... Who knows, maybe it's worth it. Maybe it's not.


In other news, certain nefarious individuals have requested that I read Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. I told them that a roommate of mine at RCA read Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and that I wouldn't want to stoop to his level. They weren't impressed. 
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Tomorrow morning I fly, and to celebrate, here's a nice little post originally published on November 15, 2007, entitled Story time with Uncle Shliach

Can we cue the corny music please? It's time for stories! Rabbi Nachman Wilhelm, fearless leader of the Lubavitch Yeshiva-Wexler Learning Institute, and all-around genius, gave us, the Shluchim of YHSTC a Shiur yesterday. It was very interesting. The part that I wrote down was of course the stories, so here goes: The Tzemach Tzedek was once provoked, and he made a quick mental search through the entire Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi to figure out if he was Halachicly allowed to get angry. What's the point of the story? It's just cool.

Second story: People once asked the Friedriker Rebbe, Lubavitch is Mekarev (brings in) many people, but doesn't it say in Shulchan Oruch (Code of Jewish Law), in the fourth section, Choshen Mishpat, that there are only certain people who we bring closer, and there are some who we even push away. How could Chabad bring in everyone indiscriminately? The Rebbe answered, "First let me deal with every person with the first three sections of Shulchan Oruch, then we can discuss the fourth." Point of the story? Chabad is all about love, baby. 

Third story: Reb Mendel Futerfas once said, "Why by the orthodox world is an engagement celebration called a "Tenaim", literally "conditions", while in Chabad it's called a "Vort", a saying? Because when a Bochur leaves Yeshiva, it's a descent for him, from the rarefied air of Torah learning down to the corporeal world of our mundane lives. This is helped along by the Yetzer Hora, the evil inclination. So by the rest of the orthodox world, they make conditions, have a give and take with the YH. But by Lubavitch, we tell the YH what's what. He has no say." And nowadays, Lubavitch doesn't even have a Vort, we have a Lchaim. Why? Because even talking to the YH can be dangerous, so we just say Lchaim. Point of the story? With yourself, no love, you've got to be firm. 

And the fourth story? Here goes: Reb Yoel Teitelbaum, the Divrei Yoel, former Rebbe of Satmar, was once asked why in the Torah, the laws of personal dealings, Parshas Mishpatim, comes right after the giving of the Torah, in Parshas Yisro, while in Shulchan Oruch it's the final section? So Reb Yoel explained. We try to avoid a court case, the application of the final section of Shulchan Oruch, because it's strict judgement, and someone's bound to get hurt. Two people can't both be right. So instead the Rabbis try to make a compromise. But when it comes to Torah, you must immediately know right from wrong, there can be no compromise! The point of the story is, even Satmar has some cool stuff. 

32 comments:

e said...

subscribing

e said...

Subscribing II

Just like a guy said...

If I was Rishe I would criticize you now.

le7 said...

HAHA. Subscribing twice. Ridiculous.

If you pay for ingredients I'll make the cake.

Just like a guy said...

Yes, e is a little ridiculous.

Sounds like a plan.

e said...

First i commented to sign into gmail. then i commented to subscribe. think before you criticize. and would you mind explaining how rishe got involved here?

bonne said...

Cake sounds good. I'm out of cookies.

Just like a guy said...

e: I wasn't criticizing you in particular, I was just mentioning the fact that the last time Rishe made an appearance it was too criticize my doing much the same thing.

Sara: Why don't you bake either?

e said...

she didn't understand that your harumph was to subscribe. neither did i until just now.

bonne said...

Electricity in the kitchen is out. Besides, it's more fun to eat.

Just like a guy said...

e: Right. I know she didn't.

Sara: Ooh, sounds scary. Maybe not. Either way, according to the effort is the reward.

bonne said...

Then I'm in the clear. Convincing myself to eat is plenty, but always worth it...

Nemo said...

Anyways, Mark Levin went to my Law School ... just so you know.

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

Choshen mishpat is the penultimate section, not the last. I could think up some interesting conclusions from that. Also, the rest of the world now has a vort not a tenaim. The tnaim is done at the wedding as a way of disturbing the chosson tish.

Sarabonne: Hope it gets fixed. Though if you had a gas stove it would hardly matter.

Just like a guy said...

Sara: Food is good. More food is more good.

Nemo: So you have a future?

Modeh: That's how he told it.

e said...

did I miss something? how did mark levin get in here?

le7 said...

He wrote book number one.

bonne said...

Electricity is back. I've already had two cups of coffee in celebration.

e said...

oh

Just like a guy said...

Mazel tov Sara!

(two cups of coffee would put me in the men's for four hours)

Nemo said...

Is there a future in Conservatism?

Just like a guy said...

I remember in '04 they said the Democratic party was dead...

Nemo said...

They?

And whose talking about political parties? I'm talking about party lines ...

Conservatism doesn't exactly seem like the approach of the future.

Just like a guy said...

They=political pundits

Same difference.

Right now it doesn't; four years ago, socialism seemed dead and buried.

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

Three years (not 4 three) of Obama and conservativism will live again

Nemo said...

Yeah, well, Lehman Bros. and AIG seemed to have changed all that ... in ways that neither war taxation ever could.

Nemo said...

* ... either war or taxation ever could.

Cheerio said...

"Chabad is all about love, baby."
i am picturing bumper stickers.... ads with baal teshuva-ed ex-hippies... it could be a whole franchise!

Just like a guy said...

Modeh: IY"H.

Nemo: just think positive and problems melt away.

Cheerio: sounds good. When do we start?

Nemo said...

How about pull your head out of your ass and realize that the world isn't getting more conservative, contrary to what Rush Limbaugh tells you.

le7 said...

Barr '12!!

Just like a guy said...

Nemo: stop being a fatalist and realize that politics, like everything, runs in cycles. zeh kam v'zeh nofel.

le7: actually I prefer alan keyes