I'm coming to America on a lecture tour at the beginning of February. Shabbos February 5th I'll be at Young Israel of Oceanside, Wednesday Feb. 9th I'm speaking in Englewood, and Shabbos February 12th I'll be at Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck. So far I am free on the other days, so if I you would like to arrange for me give a lecture in your community, or at a high school, please write to me at zoorabbi@zootorah.com. You can see a sample list of lecture topics here.
Can you say what you'll be talking about at Oceanside?
ReplyDeleteQuite amusing to see 7 "Emes" and 6 "Kefira" on this posting.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least more people believe you are really going to the States than not! :-)
Good luck on the tour!
Will you be visiting ESB?
ReplyDeleteRight now, in the Emes vs Kefira tally - the vote is:
ReplyDelete7 Emes
6 Kefira
I just find it ridiculous that Rabbi Slifkin's opponents are SO disturbed by him, that they go out of their way to vote "Kefira" on a neutral announcement that he is traveling to America. They clearly feel threatened by him. I just find this to be a funny way of responding.
Too bad the Gedolim don't issue double-bans or bans-squared or mega-super-duper-double-bans. The ban on Rabbi Slifkin was counter-productive to their intention and only made him more famous. A mega-super-duper-double ban would probably bring more traffic to this blog.
Don't bother coming, please. We are already planning on putting ads in local publications informing everyone to stay away from this disease you call rationalism. Another "ism" that will no doubt fail, along with communism, socialism, marxism and zionism (yes, that too will be destroyed).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Kefira votes are from Zionists who don't want you to leave the land of Israel.
ReplyDeleteDon't bother coming, please.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see "Lakewood, NJ" on Rabbi Slifkin's schedule. I don't think you have to worry that he's coming to your kehila.
And you're putting ads in papers? That's so kind of you - it's free advertising!
"I just find it ridiculous that Rabbi Slifkin's opponents are SO disturbed by him, that they go out of their way to vote "Kefira" on a neutral announcement that he is traveling to America. They clearly feel threatened by him. I just find this to be a funny way of responding."
ReplyDeleteMichapeset - I agree with you. It is infantile, in my opinion, to "protest" by registering a "kefirah" vote on a neutral topic. But there is an irony here that you may have missed. It is also a bit funny to vote "Emes" on a neutral issue such as an announcement. Why didn't you criticize the "Emes" voters as well?
"Another "ism" that will no doubt fail, along with communism, socialism, marxism and zionism"
ReplyDelete...and Chareidism
Tom – I hear your point. My answer is that “Emes” means “true” and there is nothing “untrue” about Rabbi Slifkin’s post (I think we can believe him when he says he has plans to come to America) and so those who wish to leave a vote, can vote “Emes” without it being ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe same cannot be said for the “Kefira” votes. What in the world can be “Kefira” about the post?
We are already planning on putting ads in local publications informing everyone to stay away from this disease you call rationalism.
ReplyDeleteDo it! I never heard of RNS prior to the ban, nor did I feel the need to explore the relevant issues.
Who knew that, in their youth, Rav Kotler ztz'l and Rav Yakov Kamenetsky ztz'l read Russian novels before the "Gadol" book was banned? Now who doesn't know this?
At my daughter's school, they exchange letters with Beis Yakov girls from the USA. The Israeli girls write in English and the USA girls write in Hebrew. It is good practice in foreign language skills for both of them. Now don't think that the teachers will pass along the USA letters without scrutiny. USA beis yaakov is more permissive than the Israeli counter part. The teachers wipe anything problematic with a black marker, including talk of ipods and organized women's sports.
How do I know this? My daughter reports to me that the girls hold the censored portions up to the light and decipher the words behind the marker, to their supreme delight. What parts of the letters get the most attention?
actually, i was gonna vote kefirah on this one to poke fun at those who 'kefira ise' everything. just my corny humor. goes to show that there can be more than one perspective on a topic.
ReplyDeletebut as far as...."Don't bother... already planning...ads... informing everyone...this disease you call rationalism."
kefirah kefirah kefirah kefirah kefirah mammesh kefirah kefirah kefirah...(ok, also rishus, ignorance, sinas chinam,...)Hashem yerachem.
Michapeset - you are correct in your observation. But you should note that some people complained to Rabbi Slifkin when he first came out with the Emes/Kefirah vote, that this dichotomy is not really legitimate. They asked for true, neutral, false, or other such choices (not everything that is false is "kefirah"). Rabbi Slifkin's response was to say that he only meant this language as a vote of "approve" or "disapprove." He set up the parameters, so your complaint should not really be directed to the "kefirah" voters (or to the "Emes" voters even) but to the one who set up these terms in the first place as a way of voicing approval or disapproval.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the people who voted kefira believe it is forbidden to leave Eetz Yisroel? :>)
ReplyDeleteTom - It wasn't a complaint as much as it was an observation. But even if the parameters were "approve" vs "disapprove" - it's still rather funny to vote "disapprove". It’s much funnier than voting "approve" which for a post like this is sort of like punching in to be counted as a reader. I suppose the anti-rationalists or anti-Slifkinists want to "punch in" too. But it still makes me laugh that they chose to do so by voting "kefira" on a neutral post like this was, just to show their disapproval of Rabbi Slifkin et al. It basically means "no matter what Rabbi Slifkin says, we disagree." Which is why I find it funny. I imagine two people having a conversation and one saying "I'm coming to America on a lecture tour at the beginning of February…" and the other person saying "I disagree". I just find it humorous.
ReplyDelete" I imagine two people having a conversation and one saying "I'm coming to America on a lecture tour at the beginning of February…" and the other person saying "I disagree". I just find it humorous."
ReplyDeleteNot "I disagree" - rather, "I disapprove."
And again, please understand, I am not condoning the negativity at all. I'm just saying that the whole "vote" thing altogether is somewhat meaningless.
I'm just saying that the whole "vote" thing altogether is somewhat meaningless.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about it being meaningless, that's up to the blog owner, but it sure is comical, especially with a current vote count of:
12 Emes
14 Kefira