Check out a fascinating piece by Rabbi Yitzchak Brand, debating Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel (Hebrew) here. The article concerns the permissibility of praying at the graves of the righteous and asking for their blessing while they are alive.
Rabbi Brand also discusses whether it is proper to go to Uman for Rosh Hashana when this means leaving the land of Israel, and other concerns. (And there is an interesting rebuttal in the site comments.)
Did you know that the Spanish Inquisition story of Jewish persecution is more nuanced? It wasn’t exclusively about Jews, the number of victims is far lower than first believed, and the awful reputation of Spain in the history books has more to do with the politics of other religions and surrounding nations – who got to write the history books!, than the actual deeds committed by the Spanish Inquisition.
For details, start with Wikipedia here. For a full-length book of historical revisionism, check out this (you might recognize the author).
By the way, does anyone know if Torquemada was really Jewish?
Sadly, some groups today revere various Jews as a false god. Jews such as the Lubavitcher Rebbe (called “Elohistim”/”Elohistin”), That Man, or Osso Ha’ish (“Cursedians”), and even Shlomo Carlebach (I don’t know what they are called). A newer deity is Eliezer Berland yemach shemo. Needless to say, this is forbidden idol-worship.
Here’s a reminder from Rambam Hilchos Avoda Zara 5:5:
המסית אחרים לעבדו ואמר להם עבדוני אם עבדוהו נסקל ואם לא עבדוהו אע”פ שקיבלו ממנו ואמרו הן אינו נסקל אבל אם הסית לעבודת איש אחר או לשאר מיני עבודת כוכבים אם קבל ממנו ואמר הן נלך ונעבוד אף על פי שעדין לא עבד שניהן נסקלין המסית והמוסת שנאמר לא תאבה לו ולא תשמע אליו הא אם שמע ואבה חייב
Most (or all) public Jewish sins have historical parallels, but this does not mean we should be careless in accusing just any previous generation of just any crime. Some have claimed this evil has historical roots in the title for Rabbi Yitzchal Luria, “Ari”, or the longer “Arizal”. Arizal stands for “Elohi Rabbi Yitzchak Zichrono Levrachah”. And Elohi is “godly”. Case closed! (Note: There is also a theory the acronym is “Ashkenazi Rabbi Yitzchak”.)
Or worse – and all too common, the claim is heard that public sin in the past is not reason for public repentance or care in the present, but dastardly duplication! Otherwise, we are impugning the memory of our perfect ancestors. I will not dignify the latter claim with a response (this time), except for quoting Chazal:
מי שאכל שום וריחו נודף יחזור ויאכל שום אחר כדי שיהא ריחו נודף?!
The truth is, the acronym A.R.I. has nothing to do with making man god, God forbid. “Elohi” in medieval Hebrew meant that the man was highly close to God, as in through humility. Men of God walked “with God” or “before God”, such as Abraham or Noah. This was an abbreviation of the Biblical “Ish Ha’elohim” of the same meaning, Deut. 33:1, as it refers to Moses.
Did you know color blindness has a fix? I didn’t. It’s called Enchroma glasses. Here’s the latest article from Rafi Farber; his personal experience.
The last few words in Yerushalmi Kiddushin are famous:
רבי חזקיה ר’ כהן בשם רב עתיד אדם ליתן דין וחשבון על כל שראת עינו ולא אכל.
Not sure how to translate or copy this, but here is an approximation:
Rabbi Chizkiya and Rabbi Cohen both said in the name of Rav, “Man will be held fully accountable for any food which he saw and did not eat”.
I wonder: if one has color blindness or partial deafness or the like, and one is aware of the deficiency (according to the above Yerushalmi), must one seek out ways to experience the world in a fuller way? The answer is not obvious to me.
For basic analysis of the Yerushalmi, see here. By the way, it appears this Yerushalmi (properly understood) is obligatory Halacha.
P.S. Although modern Judaism has been corrupted by Cursedianity, in truth, we are not to have ‘contemptus saeculi’.
The Torah says (Devarim 22:6-7):
כי יקרא קן צפור לפניך בדרך בכל עץ או על הארץ אפרחים או ביצים והאם רבצת על האפרחים או על הביצים לא תקח האם על הבנים.
שלח תשלח את האם ואת הבנים תקח לך למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים.
An English translation can be found here.
There’s a pretty ancient (and pretty) boys choirs’ song on the unique Mitzvah of Shilu’ach Haken (or “Hakan”, if you prefer):
What I like best is the very concept of writing songs on the rare Mitzvos. As David said, “Your laws were my songs” (Psalms 119:54).
זמרות היו לי חקיך בבית מגורי
Yes, King David was blamed for it according to Chazal, but only because he also meant he remembered the Torah’s laws as well as song lyrics. The rest of the sentiment is fine.
So, uh, now we have a song for one rare Mitzvah of the 613; only 400 or so left to go!