What’s So Bad About Gerontocracy?
Jewry is lead in Halacha by its elders or “Zekeinim” since we assume elders to have greater wisdom. In addition, there are is the “Yanik vechakim” who counts as “old” too.
Bottom line: Gerontocracy with exceptions.
Month: June 2017 – י״ד בסיון תשע״ז
Communitarianism Has Even More Syllables Than Libertarianism!
A philosophy associated with thinkers such as Burke and Rousseau, which opposes the individualism of liberal political theory embodied in such thinkers as Hobbes and Locke. Whereas liberals stress the primacy of the “unencumbered” self and individual rights, communitarians see individual identity as socially embedded and stress responsibility for the common good. Habits of the Heart (1985), by Robert Bellah and his colleagues, is an exemplary sociological study based on communitarian premises. Walzer (1990:6) notes that historically the communitarian critique of liberalism has been “like the pleating of trousers: transient but certain to return.”
From The Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, here.
Rabbi Nachman’s Novelty
Greatness doesn’t bring happiness; happiness brings greatness.
Know Your Enemy: Esav Is on the March!
Esau’s Threat: Judeo-Christian Values Revisited
י״ב לחודש השלישי תשע״ז
This was posted on Facebook:
Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Judeo-Christian values? Really? You can read here to know what I think about so-called Judeo-Christian Values.
One commenter on this post even suggested that…
It is CIVILIZATION against BARBARISM.
No. It’s not. It’s Torah against anti-Torah. And, yes, distorted Torah is anti-Torah. As the Ramba”m states:
שלושה הן הכופרים בתורה: … והאומר שהבורא החליף מצוה זו במצוה אחרת, וכבר בטלה תורה זו, אף על פי שהיא הייתה מעם ה’, כגון הנוצריים וההגריים. כל אחד משלושה אלו כופר בתורה. (משנה תורה, הל׳ תשובה ג,יז)
Three [types] are the deniers of the Torah: … And the one who says that the Creator replaced this commandment with a different commandment, and that this Torah was already nullified, even though it was from The Almighty, such as the Christians and the descendants of Hagar. Each of these three denies the Torah. (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:17)
Esau (the West – Malbi”m) are not our friends.
There isn’t any quantitative difference in the threats/dangers between Esau and Yishmael (Arabs/Muslims), only qualitative. Esau’s weapons and strategies (eg. smiles, money, lying, tricks) are simply different than those of Yishmael’s. Esau’s descendants are not our friends.
The Kiss of Esau
And Esau’s kiss IS his bite. (Gerer Rebbe) Thus, the trickiness of Esau. He has many faces. Just as he adapted his strategies to conquer his brother Ya’aqov, Esau’s spiritual descendants have adapted their strategies to conquer Ya’aqov’s descendants.
Do not forget that one of the eventual goals of Esau is to take the Land of Israel which it believes is rightfully his (theirs). The Vatican is acquiring parts, as are the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches.
The Evangelicals, as well as those who have “evolved” beyond that have been sneaking into Israel left and right, with the goal of staying, attempting to blend in with “settler” appearing clothing, and by “volunteering” to work the Land.
There are even those of Esau’s descendants who have invented a recent movement, fake Israelites (Christians calling themselves “Ephraimites”), as a way of getting a foothold on our Land.
From Essser Agaroth, here.
שמח זבולון בצאתך
כבר מזמן הבאנו כאן לעיין בספר “שמח זבולון בצאתך“. כעת אני רואה שיש גם הסכמה כללית על הספר מהרב ברנד שליט”א, ואני מצטט מסוף מאמר מעלת נושא ונותן באמונה וקביעות עתים לתורה:
בנושא משא ומתן באמונה, יש ספר חשוב “שמח זבולון בצאתך”, שראוי להתבונן בו, והוא נחוץ מאוד לדורנו. (ופשוט שאין בזה הסכמה על כל פרט ופרט שנכתב שם).
[אולם מה שכתב בסוף בנושא צניעות בענין שוק באשה ערווה, עיין במאמר שכתבנו בענין, ששוק הוא עד העקב, ודלא כהמשנה ברורה, ואכמ”ל].