Thursday, January 7, 2010

Still included

The following was written two years ago, and it's quite pertinent, and anyway, the original only got two comments, so...

Today, like all days, is a very special day. Exactly 20 years ago the Lubavitcher Rebbe finished saying Kaddish for his wife, the Rebbitzen. And the Chasidish Bochurim in LA finally got some sleep. See, the Rebbe's Davening would be played in the Zal for all those Bochurim who wanted to hear it. In New York, it wasn't so tough. After all, the Rebbe would begin prayers at 10:00. Yes, I understand that there was a whole goral thing going on for admittance, but even if you didn't luck out, you could still listen without too much effort. Rabbi Wolfman in Morristown told us of his days in Yeshiva, in Morristown, that he had a room mate who would Daven Shacharis, in the room, while the Rebbe was Davening Mincha, which was played over the PA in the whole campus. Later this guy became an Elokist. That's why I'm not mentioning any names. Rabbi Wolfman theorized that he went crazy because he would be Davening to G-d, hearing the Rebbe, and mix up the two. But that's just a theory. Anyway, back to those brave Bochurim in LA, so yeah, they had to be in Zal at 7:00 AM. And to hear the Rebbe Davening without going to Mikve first? Horrors. By the way, I wasn't in LA in those years. More's the pity. I was a mere tyke of two. Anyway, once the Rebbe finished up the year, those Bochurim, like CCL, could get some more sleep.

Speaking of sleep, last night I didn't get enough. But what of it? The really annoying thing was that I was falling asleep for Korbanos through the 18 Benedictions, but once I got to Tachanun I was fine. It's annoying because 1. I wouldn't have Davened the beginning so quickly,and 2. Now even if I tried I wouldn't be able to sleep.

The reason I didn't get enough sleep is because last night I picked up a book called, "The Cantonists." It's one of the most terrible things I've ever read, especially contrasted with this week's Parsha. Both featured horrible Goyim, which is something I've come to expect. The abuse that these (literally) babies went through is more than I can comprehend. Most of us would collapse after two or three birch canings. These guys took 1000 and kept their faith. But yeah, as I said, I've come to expect this kind of treatment from Goyim. After all, as the holy books say Eisav Sonei Yisrael. What's really disturbing is what the Jews did. In Egypt, the taskmasters would let themselves be beaten so as to avoid whipping their fellow Jews. In Russia, many Jews made a business of capturing children. The official community establishment itself would help these people commit their nefarious crimes. I don't have the patience to describe all the horrors that occurred in that generation, so get the book yourselves. It's important for us to know why we have to hate the whole world. Or something like that.

72 comments:

bonne said...

I feel angst ridden already.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Most Shabbosim of the past year I davened listening to e’s little cousin being a chazzan. Is there a chance I will believe one day he is G-d?

From the tree of the forest...

Just like a guy said...

Sara: That's only step one in my plan for world domination.

CA: Only if you first crucify him.

Eh?

Anarchist Chossid said...

I don’t really want to crucify Yisroel.

That was regarding cantonists and Jews’ contribution.

Neither Yehudi nor Yevanit, for all r one in Messiah Yeshua. said...

I always knew that chabad=christianity. So now you're saying that the rebbe was crucified?

e said...

trs+ca: Please try to only discuss one thing at a time. You conversations are becoming very hard to follow.

Just like a guy said...

CA: Me neither.

Please explain?

Messiah Dude: You wish.

Just like a guy said...

e: Sorry. btw, how was DC?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Nu. Only with help of Jews could something like this happen to Jews. (Something like this = whatever happened in any given situation.)

Anarchist Chossid said...

e was in DC? Then how would he be there tonight?

Just like a guy said...

CA: You're saying that only with a tree of the forest could...?

re: e: He has his ways...

Anarchist Chossid said...

Are you asking me whether the tree’s origin from the forest is a constant or a variable?

Just like a guy said...

No, but now that you're offering-

Anarchist Chossid said...

There are two answers one could give. One based on what one would hope. The other based on the sample.

Just like a guy said...

I'm open for both.

Anarchist Chossid said...

One day someone writing a dissertation on the archeology of blogs will have a lot of fun.

Anarchist Chossid said...

(yes, e, that was a meta comment; and so is this one)

Just like a guy said...

I can't wait to be interviewed by a graduate student in my nursing home.

Anarchist Chossid said...

You’re welcome to become my subject even now. For a nominal pay.

Just like a guy said...

You want to chop up my brain and do fun things with it?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Yes. Except not chop but slice. And not fun but boring. And not want, but if I was paid...

Just like a guy said...

I feel like a story of the Baal Shem Tov at a Melave Malka.

Anarchist Chossid said...

What story?

I was quoting Armenian Radio.

Just like a guy said...

You don't know the famous line?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Maybe. Which line?

Just like a guy said...

It's said that you should say a story of the Baal Shem Tov by your Melave Malka. The Tzemach Tzedek (I believe) said, "It's true, but, lav davka a story, you can say any good Torah'dik thing. Lav davka of the Baal Shem Tov, it can be about any Tzaddik. And lav davka by a Melave Malka, it can be any time.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Oh. No, I never heard that. But it’s similar to that Armenian radio joke.

Just like a guy said...

Ahh.

e said...

D.C. was cool. Maybe I'll do a short blog post about it.

Just like a guy said...

I'm sure we'd all appreciate that.

Yossi said...

trs, what I read was a sicha in which the Rebbe, not the tzemach tzedek said the following (a little different: ) lav davka a story about the baal shem tov, but any tzaddik. lav davka motzei shabbos but any time. and lav davka is it a segula for parnasa but for any brocha

e said...

Lav davka was it the rebbe or the tzemach tzedek, rather it could have been any holy Jew. Lav davka was it these three "lav davkas," rather it could have been any three "lav davkas."

Anarchist Chossid said...

How many more integrals can we take?

Just like a guy said...

Yossi: where is this to be found?

e: lav davka.

CA: 42.

a fan said...

nice comeback to e.

this should be ur classic im-stumped-tho-im-still-trs,-e.-so:
lav davka

and were still firends.

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

lav davka 42, we can get bored a lot sooner. Lav davka is 42 even possible if we do three lavkas at a time.

e said...

CA: Integrals? Is there some meaning of that word of which I am not aware?

A fan: People like you get me nervous. You seem to be familiar with the goings-on on this blog, but we have no idea who you are! How many of our personal secrets do you know?

modeh: 42 is divisible by three! So we can davka reach 42 when we take three at a time.

Anarchist Chossid said...

I don’t mean it in the sense of area under the curve, but in the sense of making a function more “abstract”.

e said...

ai yai ai yai ai. Who said integration makes a function more abstract? Maybe differentiation does? Maybe some other transformation such as contraction or dilation does? I'm afraid integration wasn't the best of metaphors.

Just like a guy said...

A fan: Thanks.

Anarchist Chossid said...

e — depends on the function, I guess.

a fan said...

e: ok ill go away

*saunters off*

trs archives isnt much of a life...

e said...

ca: Which functions does integration make more "abstract"? What does "abstract" even mean in a mathematical context?

a fan: Don't saunter off. Join the family, so that we can know you as well as you know us.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Abstract (the way I use it) means less definite or specific and having a greater potential to be expressed in a number of more concrete forms.

Although I am no longer sure integration was a good expression of this idea. The more I think about it, the more the “lav davka” process seems like derivation, at the end of which you have “lav davka do you have to do anything anywhere”, i.e., 0.

Anarchist Chossid said...

I think part of the problem (for my confusion) is that we are going more abstract, but we are going less useful. So, if the nature of whatever it is I am trying to define here is application, these two directions are opposing each other.

Or I might be just talking b/s now...

e said...

Differentiation (of a polynomial function) eventually gives you zero.

integration only gets more complicated as you repeat it. For example, if you evaluate an integral using integration by parts, and then you try to integrate it again, you're gong to have much harder time integrating.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Ita vero.

Anarchist Chossid said...

In biology for sure differentiation makes a cell line more concrete. :) A stem cell is more abstract than a neuron, which cannot even divide (from genetic offspring point of view, it’s zero).

e said...

In biology, differentiation=a cell splitting into two?

Just like a guy said...

a fan: the archives aren't that terrible-many useful things can be learned! (eg, how TRS met le7)

Nemo said...

Hi. Just saying. Just because I can't follow these convos anymore. Too long.

Just like a guy said...

Hey, welcome from Japan! Don't worry, I also have no clue what CA and e are talking about.

e said...

true. these things are interesting while they're happening, but reading them when they're old is like listening to a recording of a bullshove.

e said...

is "bullshove" a Jewish word?

Just like a guy said...

Look at the top listing here:

http://www.google.com/search?q=bullshove&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

e said...

c'nirah, it isn't a common word.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bullshove

Just like a guy said...

Do goyim ever bullshove.

Just like a guy said...

?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Differentiation = emergence of a particular cell line through cell division. So, precursor cells become either precursor neuronal or glial cells. Precursor neuronal cells become excitatory or inhibitory. Inhibitory neurons become basket cells, chandelier cells, bipolar cells, etc., etc. In each step, cells become more specific.

So, a stem cells can become any number of cells. An epithelial precursor cell can become a cell of stomach lining, a cell of intestine lining, a cell of lung lining, a cell of a number of other cavities’ linings or a skin cell. A skin cell can divide only into another skin cell.

A neuron cannot divide at all (with some exceptions — e.g., in hippocampus; but this is cutting edge stuff, nobody is sure yet).

What I mean earlier, I guess, is that through integration, you’re creating a family of functions. With differentiation, you’re creating a specific function — and one simpler than the original (if we count the highest power and a number of terms in a polynomial as a sign of “complexity”).

Anarchist Chossid said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
e said...

integration doesn't create a family of functions. If you would have said "antidifferentiation," everything would have been a whole lot simpler.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Ah, nu. That’s what you get by talking to a biologist about Math.

How many times can we anti-differentiate from TRS’s Tzemach Tzedek story?

Modeh B'Miktsas said...

You're confusing teh poor yeshiva guy's with the 4th grade educations.

e said...

All the people subscribed to comments on this post have finished high school (besides for me, and possibly Yossi).

theRealPianist said...

...

Anarchist Chossid said...

tRP, are you trying to say that there are seconds in life where everything depends on minutes — and this goes on for hours and turns into years?

Just like a guy said...

How did you read that out of his comment?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Well, it was either that or amoebas standing in a line on Leninsky prospect in St. Petersburg buying bananas in February of 1988. The thing is: tRP is from Odessa, not Petersburg, and was probably born after 1988.

Just like a guy said...

Oh, now it makes perfect sense! How did I not see this before?

e said...

these Russians are smart.

e said...

oops, I meant "Jews from Russia."

Just like a guy said...

Sure thing buster.