Riddle of the year: How is a public school like the U.S. Post Office?
Answer: It’s inefficient, it costs more each year than the last, it is a perpetual subject of complaint about which nothing is ever done. It is, in short, a typical government monopoly.
Source: The Machinery of Freedom (1973). David Friedman
An anti-Bezhnev joke (but one can substitute brain-dead Biden and timely characters just as well):
During Brezhnev’s visit to England, Prime Minister Thatcher asked the guest, “What is your attitude to Churchill?” “Who is Churchill?” Brezhnev said. Back in the embassy, the Soviet envoy said, “Congratulations, comrade Brezhnev, you’ve put Thatcher in her place. She will not ask stupid questions any more.” “And who is Thatcher?” Brezhnev said.
It’s in the Torah, so Goyim (and their Jewish epigones) give the principle lip service to look good.
There are many pleasant fictions of the law in constant operation, but there is not one so pleasant or practically humorous as that which supposes every man to be of equal value in its impartial eye, and the benefits of all laws to be equally attainable by all men, without the smallest reference to the furniture of their pockets.
– Nicholas Nickleby
As we have written in the past:
“The Law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich, as well as the poor, to sleep under the bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”
This may be updated today thus:
“Likewise, The Law, in its majestic equality, permits the poor, as well as the crony rich, to draft regulations to hurt competition, to beg for corporate welfare on Wall Street, and to steal bread from those of fixed income by debasing currency and cartelizing banking.”
Quoting Michael Barone of US News (original missing):
One of the peculiar features of our country is that we produce incompetent 18-year-olds and remarkably competent 30-year-olds. Americans at 18 typically score lower on standardized tests than 18-year-olds from other advanced countries. Watch them on their first few days working at McDonald’s or behind the counter in chain drugstores, and it’s obvious that they don’t really know how to make change or keep the line moving. But by the time Americans are 30, they are the most competent people in the world. They produce a stronger and more vibrant private-sector economy; they produce scientific and technical advances that lead the world; they provide the world’s best medical care; they create the strongest and most agile military the world has ever seen. And it’s not just a few meritocrats at the top: American talent runs wide and deep.
Why? Because from the age of 6 to 18, our kids live mostly in what I call Soft America – the part of our society where there is little competition and accountability. In contrast, most Americans in the 12 years between ages 18 and 30 live mostly in Hard America – the part of American life subject to competition and accountability; the military trains under live fire. Soft America seeks to instill self-esteem. Hard America plays for keeps.
Fighting back. Soft America for a long time has been running most of our schools. Since early in the 20th century, as Diane Ravitch has shown in Left Back, educators have had a mistrust of testing and competition and a yearning to protect children from their rigors. Educators ban tag and dodge ball, because some kids lose. Teacher unions seek tenure, higher pay, and lower accountability. Parents’ expectations are often low: Mom and Dad, busy working in Hard America, don’t want to notice that their kids are not learning much. There are exceptions of course: Many schools do a good job despite all this. But for most kids who are not on the track to the relatively few select colleges, junior high and high school are something like the Soviet system: They pretend to teach, and we pretend to learn.
Then at 18, kids encounter Hard America – competitive colleges and universities and community colleges, competitive private-sector employers, training institutions from McDonald’s to the military. Some fall behind and don’t get much of anywhere. Others seek out enclaves of Soft America – soft corners in the civil service or corporate bureaucracies. But most figure out pretty quickly that how they do depends on what they produce. They develop skills that astonish those who knew them at 18. That is what we have been seeing in the American military forces in Iraq.
End quote.
Of course, the positive words above have been untrue for a looong time.
Shabbos is the most coveted of all days as we say in the Shemoneh Esrei of Shabbos chemdas ha’yamim, most coveted of days.[1] It is a day we must look forward to.[2] This is another meaning in shamor es yom ha’Shabbos,[3] to anticipate Shabbos, as shamor can mean to anticipate as in v’aviv shamar es ha’davar, Yaakov looked forward to when it would come true.[4] In a similar fashion, the Ohr Hachaim interprets v’shamru Bnei Yisrael es ha’Shabbos.[5] For this reason, we say every day in the Shir Shel Yom, hayom yom…b’Shabbos.[6]
The gemara[7] tells us that in regard to bringing in Shabbos, the more we advance it, the better, as it shows we cherish Shabbos. Indeed, we sing in Friday night zemiros umimaharim lavo, rush to enter Shabbos.[8] This shows that Shabbos is beloved by him. The Shem Eliezer comments on byom ha’Shabbos byom ha’Shabbos ya’archenu,[9] that the two times it mentions yom ha’Shabbos they refer to Shabbos and Tosefes (adding onto) Shabbos. When we do this, ya’archenu — it shows that we value Shabbos.
Here is an amazing story to close with. After many years of being childless, a couple was finally blessed with a child. However, their excitement soon faded as they were informed that the baby boy was born with a hole in his heart that was threatening his life. All the top doctors they went to didn’t help. The parents then traveled to the Chofetz Chaim. The grandson that was attending to the Chofetz Chaim told his grandfather the story of the infant boy with a hole in his heart and the danger the baby is facing. The Chofetz Chaim told them, “I don’t know why you traveled so far to ask me for a bracha as Shabbos is the source of bracha. Accept upon yourself to start Shabbos a bit earlier, glorify the Shabbos a bit more than usual and you will receive the blessing you need from Shabbos itself.”[10] The parents followed the advice and with Hashem’s help the child was healed.
[1] Incidentally, we say in kedusha on Shabbos (Mussaf), “ayeih mekom kevodo…, where is the place of His glory…?” The answer is Shabbos, as ayeih is an acronym for es yom ha’Shabbos (Shemos 20:8).
[2] See Rambam, Hilchos Shabbos 30:2. Concerning playing chess on Shabbos, R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah, 3:15:2) writes that really it is not forbidden if one gets pleasure from it. Still, it is surely better not to play because of v’dabeir davar (Yeshaya 58:13), your speech on Shabbos should not be like your speech on weekdays (See Shabbos 113). Also, sometimes the one who loses is upset and then it is surely forbidden (See also the Minchas Yitzchak 3:33:1 where he discourages chess).
[3] Devarim 5:12.
[4] Breishis 37:11. Siduro Shel Shabbos, Volume 2, 4:1:15. Tangentially, R’ Chananel (died in 1055) writes that R’ Chanina would dance when bringing in Shabbos (Baba Kamma 32a).
[5] Shemos 31:16. We know that Shabbos is likened to olam haba, the world to come (see Brachos 57b). The Chidushai Harim makes a comparison: Just as the next world is after one exits this world, likewise Shabbos comes after one leaves the weekday completely.
[6] See Ramban Shemos 20:8.
[7] Pesachim 105b.
[8] The Baal Haturim (to Shemos 16:23) tells us an allusion to the idea of adding from the weekday to Shabbos both before and after Shabbos. It says Shabbason Shabbos kodesh (Shemos 16:23) where the word Shabbos precedes kodesh while in another place it is in the reverse as it says yihyeh lachem kodesh Shabbos Shabbason l’Hashem (Shemos 35:2). There the word kodesh precedes the word Shabbos. These indicate that we add to Shabbos when it begins and when it ends.
[9] Vayikra 24:8. The simple meaning is that each and every Shabbos he should arrange the lechem hapanim.
Rabbi Yehoshua Alt
Author of four books including the recently released “Amazing Shabbos Insights”.
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