On Tisha B’Av, Reb Chaim [Ed., Soloveichik] would not restrain himself from thinking in learning. In explanation, Reb Chaim would point out that the words the Mechaber writes in Shulchan Aruch (554:3) are, “There are those that forbid learning [even] in thought.” Said Reb Chaim, “If the Mechaber wrote “there are those that forbid”, it’s an indication that there are also those that permit it.”
For those who won’t believe historians, maybe Rabbi Shalom Messas’ testimony will help:
In a letter to Marc Shapiro.
Yes, this is against halacha…
Here is how Fred Reed put it in the original article:
“Affirmative action” means hiring people because they can’t do the job well. Near-synonyms are “diversity,” meaning groups that cannot do the job well, and “inclusiveness,” which means seeking people who you know cannot do the job well. These underpin American society and have ruined education. For some time the sciences seemed less susceptible to the prevailing enstupidation because mathematics would present an impenetrable barrier to the the insufficiently bright. This, astonishingly, is changing. The sciences are being dumbed down to–are you surprised?–spare the feelings of included affirmative diversity.
A bonus word:
I tried to explain to someone that half the Berland camp think nothing ever happened (or is busy happening!), while the other half, too well aware of the sordid facts, spin justifications employing counterfeit terms such as “Aveirah Lishmah”, “Yeridah Letzorech Aliyah”, etc. (and ‘never shall the twain meet’).
As my interlocuter correctly explained the kosher version of “Yeridah Letzorech Aliyah”:
“A person is not permitted to sin; but if he finds himself in sin, it’s because he’s not really at the spiritual level he thought he was, and he has the opportunity to make a true teshuva, if he can bring himself to avail himself of it, and not remain depressed over his sin (like Reuven over the sale of Yosef, and Ohn ben Pelet, over his near-miss with Korach)”.
Sabbateans, on the other hand, pretend/ed a “Tzaddik” nevertheless has a special license (or even “obligation”) to purposely sin, either (1) so as to “infect” others with his awesome greatness, or (2) so he will mercifully have what to do Teshuvah for (because, sad poor thing, he never seems to collect any Aveiros in life, so how will he gain the special merit of doing Teshuvah?)…
There are some pale hints of this atrocious Sabbateanism in early Chassidic writings, but no more. Now, this is being resurrected by the accursed Berland and half his worshipers.
Q: When do you know a Ba’al Teshuvah has been “normalized”?
A: When he starts talking in shul.